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i hope this finds you before i do

Summary:

It should really come as no surprise when he eventually gets caught out.

Shane is frustrated and tired. In a fit of agony, he hides his true feelings in emails to team management. Not long after, the Montreal Voyageurs home office experiences a data breach.

Notes:

hello again! this is for week two of the cwr writing challenge: shane comes out.

in this fic, shane and ilya never hooked up after the ccm shoot, but they did end up being publicly friendly toward each other.

social media fics are the devil, so if you spot a mistake, no you don't. >:[
(please allow work skins for this to look right.)

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

It should really come as no surprise when he eventually gets caught out.

If he were to think about it for more than a minute, to sink into the mental trenches and shovel through the bullshit, Shane knows he would only have himself to blame. Making waves was never really his style. Realistically, it wasn’t a style he was ever allowed to have. Through a combination of public expectation and home training, he’s spent an entire career coasting off of giving the world just enough to make them happy without giving any of himself away. Even an intense rivalry that only exists on the ice isn’t enough to get him swerving over the boundary lines of his picture-perfect media engagement.

No, the breaking point turns out to be something so ridiculously unbelievable, so classic dramedy cliche, that even Shane could never have planned for it.

There’s a feeling that Shane has been trying to ignore for a long time. An uncomfortable, squirming, gnawing sensation that creeps under his skin when he returns to his oversized cottage and stares at the lake in total silence. It stretches tight across his bones and buzzes against his brainstem until all he can hear is the sound of his own rushing blood. Loneliness is a feeling that’s become an intimate friend to him over the years. Shane knew it at once upon meeting, shook its hand, invited it in, and gave it a cozy bed by the fire. He’s carried it well for a very long time, in his opinion. Drapes it over his shoulders like a mantle and calls it stoicism. Calls it routine. Calls it good enough.

The loneliness is growing legs and teeth. It surges and writhes inside him, begging to be set free. Every hot summer on his own gives it more room to breathe and feast on his singularity. Each instance of his parents asking him if he’s seeing anyone and what he thinks about having children someday sets it further down the pathways of his veins, shredding them to ribbons that tie up his heart.

Letting the world think of him as nothing but a robot programmed exclusively for hockey usually helps. At night, when he flings his arm across the too-big bed and finds the same cold sheets, the part of him that aches with absence can be crushed under the heel of perfection if he grits his teeth and focuses hard enough on just. going back. to sleep. His basest desires and greatest fears can be kept at bay as long as nobody looks too closely at his bruises. As long as nobody pokes at them and moves the blood around, Shane is safe. And alone.

Not for lack of trying on everyone else’s part, of course. Hayden and JJ, bless their hearts, are addicted to showing him their latest instagram model discoveries and encouraging him to slide into their DMs. Telling anyone about himself–even his best friends–is something that still feels too insurmountable to approach on the best of days. Any time the thought crosses his mind, his palms go sweaty and he very nearly has to sit down. Instead, he calmly accepts the information and simply…forgets to reach out.

Heartache is enough to distract him for a while, but soon it’s joined by the ominous feeling that everybody knows. That he’s somehow being obvious. After a decade, his position with the Voyageurs is feeling long in the tooth. Shane loves hockey. Lives and breathes it. But ten years is a long time. Long enough to see his teammates meet and marry new partners, get divorced, marry again, have kids, have several kids. Hell, Shane is godfather to some of Hayden’s.

A decade of monkish bachelorhood hasn’t helped Shane’s reputation with the team at large. Some of them start to ask questions, and not in a curious sort of way. After years of Shane inevitably declining going out and partying on the road, some of his teammates narrow their eyes. When someone tries to give him their buddie’s sister’s best friend’s number—c’mon dude, she’s so fuckin’ hot—and he politely turns it down, they openly scoff at him. You fuckin’ gay or somethin’? If Shane smiles at a message on his phone and tries to pretend that it’s a different buddy from a different place and that it doesn’t make his guts squirm, some of the guys look at him like he’s made of stained glass. Interesting enough of a view, but you can still make out what’s inside.

 

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: will i see you at the charity dinner

Me: We’re contractually obligated, so.

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: sassy

 

When Rozanov greets him at media events and Shane balls his hands into fists and looks somewhere between his eyes instead of into them directly, he can feel the heat of the stares on his back. Sometimes, Shane walks into the locker room after a shower and the noise drops. Not entirely, but enough for him to notice. During scrimmages, Shane gets checked hard enough to rattle teeth and wonders what he’d done to give it away.

Locking his words behind his jaw is something he’s used to. He lets his work do the talking and the rest pass him by and if the tension in his shoulders gives him neck cramps, that’s just another detail nobody but the team masseuse needs to know.

But things in the locker room have grown tense over time off the back of suspicion. Pre-game speeches are met with eye rolls. Slaps on the back are flinched from or evaded altogether. Reminders of the cups they’ve won together and the successes they’ve found as a team are scoffed at.

Something has to give, and Shane refuses to let it be him.

So, as he does in all things when he can’t figure a path forward, he turns to his not-so-secret weapon: his mother. Yuna Hollander is a force to be reckoned with, and the kind of woman that could have your body hidden before anyone ever even noticed you were gone. She’s exactly who you want in your corner for the fight of your life, and something tells Shane that this might be it.

There’s a difference between knowing something about yourself, knowing you’ll likely need to share it with the people you love someday, and actually having to share that thing you know. Settling down in his favorite armchair and telling his parents his most deeply held secret is an exercise in pants-shitting terror that Shane would be hard-pressed to recommend to even his greatest enemy. Nothing for it, though, it has to be done.

Crying to his mother isn’t something Shane has done since childhood, but there’s a catharsis to it he hadn’t expected. His parents embrace him with nothing but love, which he should have predicted, but the brain is a funny thing and often chooses to lie to protect itself.

After sniffling and hugging and much blowing of noses, Yuna pivots straight to crisis management mode. David makes them all a pot of coffee and they sit at the family dinner table with their laptops open into the wee hours of the night, crafting a plan of attack.

This is, maybe, where things go a little sideways.

See, the rules make sense:

  1. Only communicate to the team through official channels. Emails, not phone calls. Texts, if absolutely necessary.
  2. Hold off on signing an extension and have Shane’s agent reach out to see about potential interest from other teams. An unsafe team is no longer a good fit, and so a better fit must be found.
  3. Develop a more open public persona. Giving nothing away keeps you safe, but it also keeps you separate. The best way to curry favor with the public is to give them just enough to really, truly love you. So:
    1. Instagram posts,
    2. Twitter posts, and
    3. Interaction with others (to a reasonable degree) on those platforms.
  4. Be a little more open in interviews, lean into the Hollander brand of dry humor.

The problem with rules is that even someone like Shane who follows them to the letter of the law can find a little wiggle room in there if desperate enough.

First things first, a much-needed conversation with Coach Theriault to cover his ass. Naturally, it doesn’t go well and his ass remains largely uncovered and, in fact, fully exposed and hanging out the window of his proverbially speeding car as it flies down the highway of life-wrecking decisions.

“Hollander, son, you realize we’re playing hockey here? You understand the type of sport this is?”

“Of course, coach, it’s just that I—”

“I’m glad you understand. Let’s put this behind us. You’re the captain, get your room in order. And crush those rumors now.”

“...Right. Got it, coach.”

Nothing changes, nothing gets better, and the internet starts to notice that the team isn’t gelling the way they should. Comments appear on posts, spotty tweets pick up steam across timelines, and Shane starts getting questions hinting at it in post-game press. Yuna predicted this outcome, and true to form, encourages Shane to hit the ground running with the full plan immediately.

 


 

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Cc: [email protected]

Subject: Cultural Concerns

Good afternoon,

Just to recap our in-person conversation last week, I would like to reiterate my concerns with current team behavior:

  1. Recent uptick in crude, racist, and homophobic language that has been noticed by the hockey community at large.
  2. Drop in support on ice after bringing these concerns forward and attempting to control this behavior in a way that will remove attention from it.
  3. Lack of environmental support in these efforts.

My goal is to ensure the team remains successful. I am grateful every day to play for this franchise and am worried about the direction our reputation is trending.

Sincerely,

Shane Hollander

 


 

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]; [email protected]

Subject: Re: Cultural Concerns

Good afternoon,

Thank you for passing along your concerns and for the feedback session in which you expressed them in person. As previously discussed, we hope you will continue to lead by example and demand the same level of behavior you always have from your peers. We will perform an internal investigation and determine how best to move forward. We thank you for your discretion as we complete this investigation.

You are a representative not just for our team, but for so many MLH fans across the world, and we appreciate your continuing professionalism and composure in these duties.

Thank you,

Liam Mitchell

Director, Human Resources

 


 

Instagram post by ShaneHollanderOfficial

[A well-framed photo of the summer sunset over the lake at Shane’s cottage. A dock is situated off to the left; several loons are settled on the edge. There is no caption.]

 

HaydenPikeHockey 30m

I miss that view! We gotta cook out again soon, bud.

hooboyhockey 1hr

RED ALERT, HE’S POSTING. EVERYBODY BE COOL.

RealIlyaRozanov 20m

where is my invitation

hollanovery 15m

@RealIlyaRozanov SHANE WEHERE IS HIS INVITE?

 


 

The immediate outpouring of interaction, messages, and even a missed call from one Ilya Rozanov sends Shane reeling. He turns his phone off completely and retreats to the gym for two hours. Still, he can’t argue with the results. And if just one instagram post was enough to get the public this much on his side, then maybe his mom is onto something after all.

Originally, the plan terrified him. The idea that he would soon be giving up every scrap of control he once held so dear is horrific. But the more he sits with it, the more he comes to realize that it’s his only path forward. The team still isn’t responding to him well. Things are getting worse, actually, at a rather impressive rate.

After a tough game against New York, where Shane is left open several times to be brutally checked into the boards, the world at large begins to notice the cracks widening.

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: hollander

Me: Rozanov.

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: what is happening with your team

Me: What do you mean?

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: don’t play stupid

Me: I have it under control. Worry about your own room.

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: my room is not as fun if i’m not beating you to the cup

Me: Dream on, Rozanov.

 


 

Puck Chat☑️ | @PuckChatPod

What is going on with Montreal? New ep at 4 PM est!

 

June | @JunebugJamboree

Is it just me, or does it seem like Shane’s defense isn’t…defensing??

 

Mike Jones | @WmikeHjonesO

it looks like the @MontrealVoyageurs are falling apart out there. is something up?

 

Jared | @MontyFanForever

Guess the Hollander magic is stretching thin

  ↳ Brianna 🥰 | @BriannaLovesHolly

  your face is stretching thin

 


 

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]; [email protected]

Subject: Third Follow-Up

Good morning,

Just reaching out to check on the status of the pending investigation regarding my recent concerns.

I appreciate you taking this matter seriously and addressing it in a timely manner.

 

Thank you,

Shane Hollander

 


 

Shane Hollander☑️ | @ShaneHollander24

Looking forward to seeing these faces in person again.

[Attached is a photo of Shane squished on a couch between his parents, all of them beaming ear-to-ear with plates of food in their hands]

  ↳ Hayden☑️ | @HaydenPikeHockey

  Shaney boy! Tell your mom I miss her cooking!

  ↳ Step on me, Starboy | @waiting4thaweeknd

  i bet they’re excited to see u too

  ↳ Ilya☑️ | @RealRozy81

  again i ask, where is my invitation

    ↳↳ Shane Hollander☑️ | @ShaneHollander24

    Why should you get one?

      ↳↳↳ Ilya☑️ | @RealRozy81

      that is for me to know and you to find out

        ↳↳↳↳ TRUTHanov | @2481realness

        OH MY GOD

 


 

Instagram post by RealIlyaRozanov

[A point-of-view photo of a cup of coffee sitting atop a cafe table somewhere on a city street. Ilya’s hand is wrapped around the paper cup. An empty chair sits on the other side of the table.]

coffee is better on dates, i think.

 

AmandaShrugged 5m

👀 I am…connecting dots.

bailey4u 4hr

@AmandaShrugged you ain’t connecting shit.

AmandaShrugged 3m

@bailey4u I AM CONNECTING.

CliffMarleau 20m

brother where art thou??

 


 

An avoidable tweaked shoulder and extremely avoidable black eye later, Shane has finally had enough. At first, it was enough to draft the things he really wanted to say, stare at the email and practice deep breathing, then delete the message entirely. Now, though. Now he’s actively being put in danger. He’s in danger, and nobody cares, and Shane is over it. So back to the aforementioned wiggle room.

Shane rolls his good shoulder, feeling the stretch radiate pain over to the bad one. He cracks his neck and scrunches his sore eyes. Lets his anger and sadness and regret fill him with poison until it pools sour in his mouth. He sits at his computer, poises his fingers over the keys, and lets it all drain out. He puts it all into words, re-formats a few lines, and sends off more useless emails while he bides his time until the end of the season and the opportunity to cut and run.

But then.

 


 

Official Montreal Voyageurs☑️ | @MontrealVoyageurs

We are aware of a serious breach of the Montreal Voyageurs email database occurring overnight. Our organization is committed to the privacy and safety of everyone in our employment and ask that you respect this privacy, as well. We are moving forward with the assistance of local authorities. Thank you.

  ↳  HockeyGuy84 | @HockeyGuy84

  there’s no way

  ↳  Drew Robins | @MontyMan

  can we please just focus on sports

    ↳↳  Holly Fraser | @HollyNHollyBFF

    We can focus on your mom

  ↳ Shane Hollander rearrange my GUTS | @Hollzyday

  Holy shit

  ↳  Marilyn Grace | @marilyn.against.meds

  this is disgraceful behavior from everyone involved.

    ↳↳  ⭐Tara⭐ | @TarableTaste

    marilyn you’re literally an anti-vaxxer

  ↳  Wyatt Mayer | @MayerOfNewJersey

  what an invasion of privacy, goddamn.

 


 

Shane Hollander☑️ | @ShaneHollander24

I have been made aware of the recent data breach experienced by the @MontrealVoyageurs home office. Thank you for your concern and support as we navigate this difficult situation.

  ↳ Sarah! | @sarahsmiles

  Oh, he is MAD.

    ↳↳ Asher Eaton | @eatonontherun

    how can you tell?

      ↳↳↳ Sarah! | @sarahsmiles

      Two sentence legalese, babes.

  ↳ Boston Cop Slide | @BostonCopSlideOfficial

  okay, but does he know we know

    ↳↳ Donut Dunkers | @CopsEatingDonuts

    what do we know, bestie?

  ↳ troy barrett say my NAME | @ChelseaRegan_

  SHANE HOLLANDER, WE KNOW WHAT U ARE.

 


 

poley | @polesnholes

hey so ummmm…has anyone highlighted shane's emails…? just. asking. for a friend.

  ↳ 🎉🎉🎉 | @partypoppin

  oh my god

  ↳ ⭐Tara⭐ | @TarableTaste

  OMG!

  ↳ June | @JunebugJamboree

  oh WEHAT TEH FUCK

  ↳ Voyageurs Forever | @MontVoyFan

  Aw shit.

  ↳ Dad named David | @familyvalues81

  fuckin' GAAAYYYY

 


 

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]; [email protected]

Subject: Inquiry

Good afternoon,

Has there been any movement on an investigation or assistance with current culture and behavior? Not that any of you care at all. If you do, you really have a funny way of showing it. He almost broke my shoulder.

 

Thank you,

Shane Hollander

 


 

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]; [email protected]

Subject: Examples

Attachments: screenshot_1.jpg, screenshot_2.jpf, groupchat_1.jpg

Hello,

I have attached some examples of the concerning behavior exhibited by members of the team online.I doubt you’ll open any of it.

Thank you very much for your continued support and investigation into these matters. I’m growing very unfond of you all.

 

Thank you,

Shane Hollander

 


 

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]; [email protected]

Subject: Final Follow-Up

Good morning,

I am reaching out one last time regarding previous communications. You know, the ones you literally do not give a shit about.

I understand my communications have felt a bit pushy, but I am concerned about the reputation our team is gaining. The reputation for being homophobic assholes who ignore their team on the ice? Did you hear about that?

Could you please provide an update? Did you know I’m gay? At this point, I’m pretty sure everyone just assumes anyway. Whatever.

 

Thank you,

Shane Hollander

 


 

Shane has never truly understood the concept of pin-drop silence. He’s heard the idiom before, of course, but never really stopped to consider what it means. How it would feel. The crushing, overwhelming weight of that sort of quiet closing in on you until it smothers the air from your lungs.

The post-leak Montreal Voyageurs locker room teaches him the truth of it.

The air feels unusually cold, he thinks absently, stepping through the doorway to find several sets of eyes trained directly on him. Waiting for his arrival. Nobody moves, the usual chaos of changing and getting ready to play is absent, instead replaced by the eerie feeling of a room standing on the precipice of violence.

“You really were a queer all along, huh?”

For the first time in his adult life, Shane flinches from a threat. His phone vibrates in his hand, but he ignores it. 

“Shut the fuck up, dude,” Hayden scolds. “That’s your fucking captain!”

“Captain? How can we trust him? He’s been lying to us this whole time!”

“How are we supposed to shower in front of a—”

“I swear to god, you better not finish that sentence,” JJ this time.

“Or what?!”

The noise all around him rises and crests, a hornet’s nest subsuming him. The cacophony stings at his skin and takes bite after bite until there’s nothing left of him at all. Shane watches it all happen with numb detachment. The hatred and smugness, the insults and bile. The words wash around him, a flood he should have seen coming. A great wave he could have avoided altogether if he had only acted smarter and tamped down his emotions the way he was taught.

His phone vibrates in his hand again. Nobody notices him look. Ilya’s name on the screen. Ignore.

 


 

Official Montreal Voyageurs☑️ | @MontrealVoyageurs

Our organization supports and respects all players and staff members that represent our team. We will continue to address this violation of privacy and handle these matters internally and legally. Thank you for your concern and support.

  ↳ Jackson Mayer | @JaxJaxJax

  there’s no way shane stays on the team after this

    ↳↳ Leo Parker | @LeoRising

    I mean, could you blame him?

  ↳ Tenley Beaton | @caniborrow10ley

  Shane Hollander should be removed from the league.

  ↳ Hollander Defense Squad | @MouseyMacey

  HI SO THIS IS NOTHING.

  ↳ Todd | @toddcodes

  We all assumed, but this really exposes the culture in this organization. It’s not a good look.

    ↳↳ Brian | @puckman93

    what a culture of not accepting some woke shit? thats a good thing bro

      ↳↳↳ Todd | @toddcodes

      192.0.2.1

        ↳↳↳↳ Brian | @puckman93

        what

          ↳↳↳↳↳ Todd | @toddcodes

          I’m in your walls, Brian.

  ↳ Shane’s left skate ✨ | @hollyzsk8

  cool cool cool, and what about y’all letting shane get his shit whipped for months???

 


 

“Sweetheart, you’ll be okay. We knew this could happen. Well, not this specifically, and I don’t want to do this to you right now honey, but what on earth were you thinking?”

“I…wasn’t.”

“Clearly,” Yuna sighs, fond and exasperated. “Well, it’s done now. Several sponsors have already reached out. They’re mostly sticking with you, of course. Farah called me, said we’ve got interest from other teams already, so—”

Shane’s phone vibrates in his hand for the millionth time today. Ilya again. What the fuck.

Ignore.

 

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: shane

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: shane this is important

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: please pick up

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: i know your phone is in your hand

 

“—and if we play this right, I promise you’ll come out on top. Shane. Shane?”

“Sorry, mom. Yeah, I’m here. It’s just.”

“It’s a lot?”

“It’s a lot.”

Vibrate. Vibrate. Vibrate.

Ilya. Ilya. Ilya.

Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. 

“I’m not going to tell you exactly what to do, honey. This is mom talking now, not manager. Tell me what you need.”

“I think—”

Vibrate. 

Ignore.

 

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: shane

 

“I think I need a fucking break.”

 


 

Shane Hollander☑️ | @ShaneHollander24

As I’m sure many of you have seen by now, there has been a large leak of internal communications from the @MontrealVoyageurs home office database. I am disheartened by this breach of privacy and embarrassed to have such personal matters exposed in such a way. I apologize for the nature of these correspondences being revealed as they have, and will return to fully address these matters soon. Thank you.

  ↳ Sarah! | @sarahsmiles

  We’re here for you, Shane!! It’s bullshit you got benched for this.

  ↳ Brian | @puckman93

  You deserve this, traitor.

  ↳ Ilya | @RealRozy81

  i am very sorry this has happened to you. i am calling you.




 

Ilya☑️ | @RealRozy81

nobody deserves to have their personal information spread without their knowledge and permission. this is deeply unfair and cruel. @ShaneHollander24 i fully support you and would like it if you would answer my calls. or should i email?

  ↳ Frank Rogers | @FrankNFurter

  Now that’s what we call sportsmanship!

    ↳↳ Crabby Gabby | @SweetCheeks1990

    …”sportsmanship.” sure_jan.gif

  ↳ Amanda Cardinal | @AmandaShrugged

  👀👀👀

 


 

Instagram post by RealIlyaRozanov

[A photo of Ilya’s reflection in the window of a jewelry shop. His face is covered by his phone and he holds a cup of coffee in the other hand. There is no caption.]

 

ShootNScoot 45m

NOW BABE WHAT’S THIS ABOUT

CliffMarleau 1hr

Lookin’ good, brother!

AmandaShrugged 15m

I HAVE CONNECTED THE DOTS.

KiaraWood 20m

which could mean nothing

 


 

Instagram post by ShaneHollanderOfficial

[A photo of Shane’s legs stretched out on the dock of his cottage. The sun is setting in the background over a lush, green treeline.]

Resting.

 

Yuna Hollander 2hr

A very well deserved rest. 

MadisonMakes 3m

I am biting at the bars of my enclosureeee

shilyas_tits 1m

@MadisonMakes So is Ily—*gunshots*

HaydenPikeHockey 1hr

Free feet, man? I know Jackie taught you about that.

 


 

Weeks pass by in a hazy quagmire of negotiations and lectures. As instructed, Shane posts his way through it. He thanks the public for their support, his new team for their trust in a future with him, his friends and family for their love. In a sense, it’s all true. But still, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, there’s a singular reason he let his own world collapse around him. He encouraged this chain of events, and instead of being truly, deeply grateful to come out as relatively unscathed as he has, he feels…empty.

He drives to the cottage for a break, but the break feels more like an exercise in self-flaggelation. The lights stay turned off, his head stays buried under his blankets, his phone stays vibrating on the nightstand. Shane comes up for air every now and again to digitally sign paperwork or post on social media as if he’s just fine and dandy and everything is amazing, actually, don’t you worry about me. After, he runs on a treadmill he doesn’t care to be on, takes hot showers he doesn’t want to bother with, stares at the lake with his hands shoved in his pockets and tries not to fidget his way to the water so he can drown himself. 

 

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: shane answer me

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: i am not a man who begs

Me: What do you want?

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: i think you know

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: talk to me

Me: Now really isn’t a good time, man.

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: now feels like a perfect time actually

 

Vibrate.

Ignore.

 

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: for fucks sake shane

 

Vibrate.

Vibrate.

Vibrate.

Phone in dresser drawer under shirts Shane will never wear. He goes for a swim and pointedly doesn’t drown himself.

Eventually, the time comes for Shane to leave the cottage and head for Ottawa and the fresh start the world at large is questioning. He knows it seems out of the blue for him to choose a team that is…aspirational at best. But if he’s honest with himself, even if his outbox hadn’t been raked across the situational coals, he’s finding himself more excited than he has in years. He feels alive with the opportunity to prove himself again, to show the world that it’s not the place that holds the magic, it’s him.

This time, the pressure to perform isn’t there, because nobody expects that even The Shane Hollander can turn around a team like the Centaurs. But when he shakes each player’s hand and tentatively steps into easy conversations, when he reviews play tape and sees brief flashes of brilliance, when he finds himself looking forward to chatting in the locker room, he knows there’s still magic to be had.

Nobody expects that even The Shane Hollander can turn around a team like the Centaurs, but a team like the Centaurs is already turning around The Shane Hollander. He’s less alone and lonely. The buzzing and itching and skittish pain of his secret doesn’t sear him from within the way it used to. There’s no sword over his neck anymore. It landed and cut cleanly, but the wound was only flesh-deep and he survived. He can move forward and figure it out, and maybe, finally—

 

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: shane i am giving you one last chance

Me: What the fuck does that mean?

Ilya Rozanov [Boston]: it means you should pick up the next call

 

Vibrate.

Shane is on a row machine. Rozanov can wait.

 


 

Instagram post by ShaneHollanderOfficial

[A single frame with black text over a white background. The text reads: Throughout my time in professional hockey, I have always tried my best to excel and meet the demands required by a high-level sporting profession. I like to think I’ve been largely successful in those pursuits, but you can reference my trophy room if you need supporting evidence. During this time, I’ve made many sacrifices in order to maintain that success and an image that fits the culture of the sport I love so dearly. Unfortunately, circumstances (and my own admittedly foolish actions) have changed the course of my life. I am gay. I’m not ashamed of that, although I hope you can understand why I would choose to hide it for so long. I am thankful to the Montreal Voyageurs for many years of success, and look forward to my future with the Ottawa Centaurs. It’s time for me to look in a direction that I choose, and the view looks pretty good.]

An announcement. Thank you for your support.

 

Yuna Hollander 14m

I love you, sweetheart.

RealIlyaRozanov 10m

congratulations. answer me now.

HaydenPikeHockey 8m

@RealIlyaRozanov Let the man breathe, dude.

RealIlyaRozanov 6m

@HaydenPikeHockey he can breathe and speak at the same time, i think.

bailey4u 1m

@AmandaShrugged girl, i think u connected.

CliffMarleau 15m

You’re a good guy, Hollander. Wishing you well.

 


 

Ilya☑️ | @RealRozy81

hello everyone, i am bisexual. a happy surprise for everyone on earth. @ShaneHollander24 pick up your phone now.

  ↳ Shane Hollander☑️ | @ShaneHollander24

  Oh, what the fuck.

  ↳ TRUTHanov | @2481realness

  HELL YAH

  ↳ Jasmine Clark | @JClark2948230

  Not Roz shooting his shot in front of god and man on Beyonce's internet.

    ↳↳ Selenerrrrrr | @keepaneyeout

    i've got a shot he can shoot!

      ↳↳↳ LET ME DRIVE THE ZAMBONI | @munchinpuck

      so does shane hollander, apparently

Notes:

thank you for reading! feel free to come see me on tumblr and threads @ thesemortals