Chapter Text
Ilya Rozanov felt the universe finally shine its lights on him. Hayden Pike had finally stepped out of the hospital room, and had turned left without seeing him. Pike appeared to be giving an update to either Shane’s parents or the coaches and Ilya had a good feeling it was going to be a while before he came back.
Ilya silently thanked the large plant in the alcove he was hiding behind. Excellent disguise. It felt like something a cool spy would do in one of those movies where every Russian sounded like they went to the same phony school. Ilya didn’t like those movies very much, and he probably looked really dorky hiding behind the plant but he had panicked. Well he liked some of them quite a lot. But not the ones with bad Russian accents. What if Pike had walked towards him instead of away. He tried not to think that Pike would also try to hide behind a plant, and would also congratulate himself on finding such a perfect hiding spot.
He waited a few moments after Pike had walked around the corner and made a mad-not-subtle dash for the door.
Inside he found the mangled body of Shane Hollander, seemingly peacefully asleep. He still hadn’t woken up. Ilya wasn’t a medical expert but even he knew this was worrying. The light from the window highlighted the bruises on his face. Ilya walked towards his hook up's (not boyfriend- just hook up because they weren't even friends) hospital bed like he was being pulled by a black hole.
Gently he pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, taking one of his limp hands in his. With his other, Ilya reached up to stroke Shane's irresistible freckles.
“Shane, Лисичка, you have to wake up. I need you to wake up please.” Ilya wanted, no needed, to be embarrassed by how worried he was, how much he found himself wanting to kiss Shane’s forehead, how much he wanted to grab him and hold him tight until he woke up, but instead he was just so frantically afraid.
“Please Золотце, please wake up. I promise you aren’t actually boring, Hollander.” Ilya could feel his time running out, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. He ran his fingers over Shane's own limp ones, before pressing a kiss to his knuckles.
Ilya took a deep breath to continue only to hear a strange series of noises. First was a sharp intake of breath, followed by a beeping that had been steady becoming rapidly not so. He looked up only to become ensorcelled by a pair of deep brown eyes. Shane blinked and looked around with an extreme grogginess Ilya had never had the privilege of seeing.
Ilya felt his heart begin to beat again, he wanted to cry with relief, but instead he felt his more public persona slip back on.
“Oh you scared us there Hollander. If you really needed nap you could’ve told someone. No need to get yourself knocked out.”
“Illllyya.” Shane said, drawing out his name like he was a small child, “Illlyyaaaaaaaaaaaa.”
Ilya firmly ignored how his heartbeat began to pick up after hearing his name on Shane’s lips, “yes, yes, I am here, and you are awake so I should leave before someone comes back.”
“Noooo, Ilya, don't leave, you always leave.” the beeping was getting louder, Ilya had no idea where it was coming from but it was almost syncing up with his own heartbeat.
“Hollander-”
“Shane….” The other man pouted.
Ilya found he couldn’t say no to Shane when he was in this state. The doctors had clearly given him the good stuff.
“Fine, Shane. Unless you want your parents who are on way here, or Pike who is in this building, I need to leave.”
“Noooo.” Despite whatever amount of pain killers the doctors had given him, Shane's grip was strong. Ilya tried to pull away but found he was trapped.
“I’ll come back tomorrow! I need to go!” he gave a few half hearted tugs on his own arm, before wondering if it would be cruel to try to pry Shane’s fingers off him.
The sound of the door opening behind him made Ilya freeze. Please be a nurse, please be a nurse.
“Haydennnnn!” Shane exclaimed. Fuck. “Haydeeeennn loooooooooook who came to see me!”
Ilya turned around slowly, hand still trapped in Shane’s, not that he really minded, as not only Pike but several somewhat panicked nurses looked at the two of them.
Pike began to lift a hand to point accusingly at Ilya, and open his mouth to say something, but the nurses pushed past him. When they reached Shane's bed Ilya felt his blood run cold, because the rapid beeping sound was Shane’s heart rate monitor. He tried again to pull his arm away from Shane’s, to give the nurses some space to work, but Shane was stubbornly holding on.
“Please move sir,” one of the nurses said.
Ilya somewhat helplessly lifted the joined hands and tried again to tug himself free. The nurse gave him an unimpressed look while the other began to take Shane’s blood pressure and try to ask him some questions. Ilya was familiar with those questions, and felt worry and panic rise in him once again.
Then Pike stumbled to his side.
“Come on man! What kind of a prank are you pulling, huh?! Let go of him.”
Ilya shot the other man a glare, “I am not the one holding on. Shane-”
“Shane?! Since when are you-”
“Лисичка please the nurses need to work-”
“Sir, do you remember what year it is-”
“On first name basis?!”
“Don’t wanna let go.”
“Please, Shane, you are going to be upset about this later.”
The nurse that had originally spoken to Ilya, the one who was clearly more used to chaos, even when it was coming from several very large adult men, most of whom hadn’t slept in a while, or were concussed and on fuck ton of pain meds.
“Everyone who isn't a professional medical worker. Out. Now. Sir. please let go of his hand. You can see him later. Right now we need to find out why your heart rate is elevated.” Ilya had known many many impressively fierce and small of stature people, but the nurse before him was especially forceful. She would have made any Russian proud.
Shane reluctantly dropped Ilya’s hand, and Ilya and Pike were ushered out. But not before Shane attempted to whisper and mostly failed, “promise you will be back?”
Ilya didn't turn around. “I promise.”
Shane let out an overly enthusiastic sound, before making a sound like that had maybe been a bad idea. Ilya peaked at him as the door shut, to see both nurses now fully in care giving mode. Shane’s heart rate was already slowing back down as the excitement faded.
Ilya felt his shoulders sag with relief, only to have them rise again as he stared down Pike. Who looked like he might start swinging at him right there in the hallway of a public hospital.
“What the f-” Ilya placed a hand over Pike's mouth, looking around frantically. No one was paying attention to him
Ilya pulled him back over to the same plant alcove he was beginning to think about as his own little fiefdom. He felt a bit like a Russian mobster again, dragging a man around while he struggled.
Pike licked his hand as they reached the alcove, which Ilya couldn't blame him for, he also would have done, but it was still gross. And he hated having something in common with Pike, even if it was just being a little shit. He dropped his hand away, trying to rub off as much spit as he could on Pike’s shirt.
“Ok. Ok. Before freak out?” Ilya began as Pike opened his big mouth, “what did doctor say about Shane. Is he going to be ok?”
Pike gave him a look like he was stupid, “yeah man, he just woke up, that means he's gonna be ok.” he paused, “right?”
“Is this man who is looking after Shane without parents. Are you dumber than me?” Ilya realized his English was slipping but he was stressed and so so tired. “There can be other problems, have you never paid any attention? Concussion, brain hemorrhage, brain damage, which you clearly have. Clearly nurses are worried about something if they asked us to leave.”
Pike held his hands up “alright man, chill! The doctors said something about a mild concussion and a fractured collar bone. It’s nothing big!”
Ilya leaned against the wall and inhaled deeply. Despite the unraveling of their many successful years of secrecy, Ilya felt jubilant. Shane was awake, and that meant that in some capacity he was ok. That was all Ilya needed, he wasn't the Metros, or the fans. Shane never had to play hockey to be worth something in his eyes. As long as Ilya got to spend a moment of time in his presence, basking in the warmth of his smile like some strange lizard. The stress must have been getting to him because he giggled at that.
“Rozanov, dude what the fuck is going on here? Why are you being all buddy buddy with Shane.”
“Oh is because I am best friend.” Ilya couldn’t help quipping.
“Funny ‘cause I thought I was his best friend and he’s never mentioned you.”
“Ah he doesn't want to make you jealous. We sit and make friendship bracelets and braid each others hair and-”
“Rozanov we are literally in a hospital so I can punch you as hard as I can and a doctor can fix you right away.”
“I would be fine anyways. You have weak punch.”
Pike pinched the bridge of his nose and Ilya felt reality snap back in. As much fun as it was to tease Pike, this was a serious moment. Shane and his cover had probably just been blown. Pike was dumb but he probably wasn’t dumb enough to buy Shane and I have been platonic besties in secret and also holding hands is normal for that kind of relationship. Still it was worth a shot. Maybe he could stall until he was able to talk to a not high out of his mind Shane.
“Shane and I are friends.” Ilya said. And he wasn't even sure if it was a lie or not. Maybe if he was very lucky it was true. He fiddled with the plant.
“You are?” Pike exclaimed.
“We are!” Ilya liked this idea more and more every moment. “We are friends. Don't tell league.”
Pike just looked at him, “oh god- does he- do you all like hang out?”
“Yeah,” sort of. Certainly Ilya had tried to hang out. Tuna melts and all that nonsense. “All the time.”
“Wait, are you who he's always rushing off to see in Boston?”
“Yes!” Ilya’s brain already regretted going on autopilot, surely even Pike would be suspicious of that one.
Pike looked excited, “Do you know Lily?”
“Yes! Wait what?” OK this could actually work. Pike might just be that stupid. But Shane's mother and father who were striding towards them at a determined clip certainly weren't.
“Shit.” Ilya decided to become one with the plant again.
Pike turned around in the most obvious way imaginable, before looking back at Ilya wide eyed, “do they know you and Shane are friends?”
“No.”
“Shit.”
“Yeh.” Ilya glared at Pike who wasn't dissuading the Hollander parents from coming towards them. “So would you please go intercept them?”
“What?” Pike said, waving the two of them over.
Ilya was going to commit a murder. Right in front of his new best friend Mr. Plant. Maybe the hospital would let him be buried with Mr. Plant when Shane found out how he met his parents and accidentally exposed them to the world. Well. The second time he was meeting his mom at least.
“Hayden!” Shane’s mom came to a sudden stop right in front of Pike and totally not Shanes rival/ fuck buddy (no that one still didn't sound right, maybe Ilya could torment Shane next time they ‘hung out’ and come up with an even worse one.) But that didn't matter because Ilya was a plant. Not a famous hockey player. Definitely not a famous hockey player who was leaving as soon as possible.
“And,” she paused, looking right through his incredible plant disguise, “Rozanov?!”
“Hello Mrs. Shane Hollander’s mom.” Ilya said, sticking his hand out of the plant to shake her own. “Is nice to meet you.”
Yuna, Ilya suddenly remembered her name, blinked at him before deciding to focus on the health of her son, which was a much better thing to focus on than a man hiding behind a plant. Shane’s dad caught up to his wife and gave Ilya a head nod. Was he supposed to nod back? He was in the middle of trying to decide when Yuna interrupted his thoughts. “Hayden, how is he?”
Upon seeing the worry on Yuna’s face all the asshole energy Pike had been inflicting upon Ilya disappeared. He stood up straighter like his coach was in front of him and not his friend's mom. “He awake, fractured collar bone and a mild concussion. They kicked us out to do some cognitive tests.” Ilya almost rolled his eyes, so Pike did actually understand what was happening.
Mrs. Hollander missed nothing, much like her son, she narrowed her eyes and turned slightly to face Ilya more fully, “they kicked us out?”
“Uhhh.” Ilya forgot not only his second language but his first as well, as his brain began to speak only the language of panic. Maybe he could just make a run for it. Surely Shane’s parents couldn't outrun a professional athlete. Then again, Yuna looked like the kind of woman who never lost at anything. Ilya had a terrifying image of her running him down like the terminator.
Even more alarmingly Pike looked just as panicked. He swung an arm around Ilya as if they were also buddies, “Oh he was just uh….”
Thankfully for all of them, Pike never finished that sentence, because the tiny fierce little nurse came striding around the corner to see them.
“Hello, you two wouldn’t happen to be Mr. Hollander's parents by any chance would you?” Ilya lightly elbowed Pike, getting him to shake off the arm and shot him a questioning look. Pike looked back at him with a face that was just as confused as he was.
“Yes, yes we are, is he ok?” Mrs. Hollander asked, and Shane’s dad wrapped a hand around her. Ilya was sure he had a name, and it was a name he had heard, a really boring name. A New Yorker reader kind of name.
“We never can guarantee anything, but he should be just fine. He is going to need lots of care over the next few weeks, and seems to have a bit of a heart murmur. But,” she waved a hand in front of her face, “he’s awake and asking for you.”
Mrs. Hollander began striding down the hallway with alacrity, before the nurse continued, “all of you if you please, Mr. Rozanov. He was quite insistent. He asked for you by name.”
Oh god so much for Ilya’s plans to sneak out.