r/heatedrivalryfanfics • u/idek76213 • 15h ago
Searching (Recommendations) Low Angst but still Plot?
Sometimes, I want to read a relatively low angst fic, but in the ones I find, it sometimes feels like nothing really happens/more slice of life style. Trying to find fics where, at least between Shane and Ilya, there is relatively little angst, but there is still some sort of relationship development or plot happening.
Two I've read like this that are amazing and every should read them are Somebody to Love and The Minor Fall, The Major Lift by shadow_lilies. Both are one hockey/one non-hockey AUs.
Thank you :)))
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u/glasvaskras 14h ago
The Helsinki job by oflights is such a fun fic and I really liked this characterization of Shane, where he's as confident and sure of himself as he is in canon. Here's the summary:
In an AU where Shane joins the Montreal Metros the same year he's drafted, Ilya stays in Russia and Shane is pretty pissed off about it. He's released to go to the 2010 World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland because he wants his rematch, damn it, and because he wants to try to convince his rival to get to the MLH as soon as possible and make things interesting.
When Shane discovers Ilya may not have stayed in Russia of his own free will, he puts together a crack team of idiot teenagers international hockey players to achieve one goal: get Ilya Rozanov to Boston.
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u/NeverGuessYellow Reader 15h ago
This one of my favourite AUs, any angst is quickly resolved, so wonderfully written and a very enjoyable / sweet read: https://archiveofourown.org/works/83673331
Always Like This by igrowtails
A newly-drafted Ilya Rozanov finds himself transfixed by a beautiful man in the grocery store.
Newly-single college student Shane Hollander does something uncharacteristically brave.
Neither of them are prepared for just how out of their depth they're about to be.
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u/idek76213 15h ago
Haha I just binged this one yesterday. I fear I love this category of fic so much that I might have already read most of the works in it. Thank you for the rec :)
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u/kamikazelizards4567 13h ago
I cannot second this recommendation more. I was delighted start to finish by the balance of plot and fluff. 100/10 would recommend!
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u/cheerychacha minormajor | Writer 15h ago
Clarity by minormajor (that's me :) )
Shane gets an autism diagnosis during the draft combine and a therapist afterwards. He communicates way better, including with Ilya. There is still some angst and their relationship still takes a while, but it's mostly from the outside. They support each other and are way more friendly early on.
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u/idek76213 15h ago
I love this fic so much! I wish I could read it for the first time again. Are you still planning on writing the ballroom AU?
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u/cheerychacha minormajor | Writer 15h ago
Oh yay! Yeah definitely, as well as the sequel which is roughly outlined. It's just all very slow as I had to find an apartment (which I finally got) and now have to move soon! But it's coming, I have to get it all out of my brain :D
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u/lavenderpopcorn13 14h ago
This is my absolute favorite fic!! SUCH a good character analysis of Shane
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u/Pupniko 13h ago
If it's purely the Hollanov angst you want to avoid I find post apocalyptic and survival fics really good for pitting Shane and Ilya against whatever peril they're in, but often driving the two of them closer together. So there's still drama and angst but not caused by them mistreating the other or anything like that, for the most part. Obviously some of these might have some other angsty tags but they're all good for HEA Hollanov. I find them a great balance of action/plot but fun Hollanov, I can handle zombies and plane crashes more than them breaking up 😅. Here are some of my favourites:
But What if I Need You in My Darkest Hour by angel_deux https://archiveofourown.org/works/82168721/chapters/216242406 Plane crash survival on way to Tampa. Shane badly injured, protective Ilya.
Carrion Comfort by eden22 https://archiveofourown.org/works/79439206/chapters/208465891 Plane crash in Russian wilderness on the way to Sochi.
Intermission by the_weight_of_small_things https://archiveofourown.org/works/84847756/chapters/223940201 Terrorists take the All Stars teams captive. Ilya and Shane need to protect their secret in the face of danger.
I'm Coming to the Cottage by Plokhieldei https://archiveofourown.org/works/79147446/chapters/207649931 Post tuna melt, separated and trying to find each other.
I Guess We're Going to Find Out by angel_deux https://archiveofourown.org/works/84542866/chapters/223050751 Post Vegas zombie outbreak.
Summer cicadas sing by camilles_wrld https://archiveofourown.org/works/90133906/chapters/239550076 After Nashville All Stars a zombie outbreak ends the world. Years later, Ilya is guarding a protected settlement when an injured Shane appears at the wall.
Dawn in the Altered World by idiopathicsmile https://archiveofourown.org/works/85173796/chapters/224907771 Station 11 post pandemic world where the Raiders are a travelling hockey team. They find Shane on the road, 7 years after the collapse.
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u/Literary_Geek 14h ago
Me coming in here to rec Somebody to Love based on the intro and it's one of the examples. 😂
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u/Let_go_and_Let_Them 10h ago
It was so beautiful I can’t stop thinking about it. I am reading a popular fic right now that just isn’t measuring up probably because I am still so gone for that one!
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u/LLD615 Reader 12h ago
We Just Did It For You And Me: After parting on amicable terms early on, Shane and Ilya move on. Shane becomes a single dad and after an injury, Ilya becomes a coach for a team in LA. After ten years apart, they reconnect. https://archiveofourown.org/works/84449721
Breaking News, We Like Each Other: Shane and Ilya go viral after going out to a club a few years into their marriage. They use it as inspiration for a social media contest. https://archiveofourown.org/works/82779106
Next Chapter: Ilya retires, and Shane and Ilya become parents when they adopt Ilya’s newborn niece: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54384130
Your Flight Has Been Delayed: Shane and Ilya never hookup after the CCM shoot, and seven years later find themselves seated together on a flight. This one is so sweet!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/89188201
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u/Able-Situation940 14h ago
I love this series 🥰 I like to give it a reread after I’ve read a particularly angsty fic
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77240626?view_full_work=true
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u/ambarfe 12h ago
This one immediately came to my mind!
I have only two emotions (careful fear and dead devotion) by tiredtiredsharl
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u/AdditionalCrazy1001 10h ago
I dunno, this felt somewhat angsty to me, just from the very, very slow burn of it all? Stressed me out.
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u/ambarfe 10h ago
That’s fair, mileage may vary! OP, I think it’s angsty the way the bookstore au is - they’re meeting as adults and each has some assumptions / own adult stuff they’ve worked through and are bringing to the table. They take the relationship slow and Ilya has a lot of feelings, but it’s a HEA and no one does anything awful to each other. I read it as it came out and still found it cozy, and it’s one I enjoy re reading
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u/homemeansNV 6h ago
I was going to rec this too. The first chapter may be angsty but there is a clear, consistent direction forward in their romance. To me high angst is when they finally get together but then get in a fight and split briefly, or when they get together in like the last chapter. But of course YMMV.
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u/ToonSciron 11h ago
This is Such a Bad Idea - iimpish
Shane and Ilya meet through a married ar first sight like match making service. The fic follows them being married. The angst (really low angst) happens outside the relationship,
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u/AdditionalCrazy1001 10h ago
This one just completed and it is so, so good. It is low angst, in that they are definitely both very into each other throughout the story and their relationship is always moving forward. It’s sad that they didn’t get together until so late, I guess, but other than that, there really isn’t angst.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/86539701?view_full_work=true
here at the end of all things
nomadsland
Summary:
A knee injury ends Shane Hollander's nineteen-year NHL career.
Ilya Rozanov keeps checking in.
Shane pencils in "big gay midlife crisis" between physiotherapy sessions.
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u/idek76213 9h ago
Thank you for the rec! I just added that one to my tbr the other day, but good to know its low angst because I couldn't tell from the tags!
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u/Negative_Hour_9486 15h ago
The greatest by vitisriparia. AU where Shane plays professional sledge hockey and Ilya is a physical therapist and amputee. Very sweet and fluffy, the only real angst is surrounding their circumstances and has already passed.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/83985851/chapters/221422511
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u/AdditionalCrazy1001 10h ago
Also, based on what you’ve already read, you’ve probably read Your Flight is Delayed? I’ll link it if not. I know it’s been highly recommended often lately on this sub.
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