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In all honesty, Hayden had been mostly kidding when he encouraged Shane to stay over at Lily’s for the night. Shane never stayed anywhere overnight, and Hayden wasn’t eager to get caught with his pants down (literally), so despite his threats to utilize the empty hotel room thoroughly, Hayden mostly laid low and chilled for the afternoon. Now, he wasn’t a prude, so he did take the opportunity to jack off in the shower and use up all the hot water. Late afternoon found him lounging on the twin bed texting Jackie and giggling in a way he wouldn’t let anyone see at the videos of his kids she sent. Times like this would remind him how unfortunate it was that he travelled for work, but at least he had a wife back home who kept him updated. And an empty hotel room to watch videos of loud, obnoxious children at full volume to his heart’s content. However, all good things must come to an end, and just as expected, before the sun had even begun setting the room’s door was banging open and Shane slouched into the room.
“Hey, man,” Hayden called, turning the volume of his phone off and looking up to greet him. Usually, after one of Shane’s “fieldtrips,” he came back looking exactly the part of someone who’d just gotten laid -- sweaty or freshly showered, shy, and relaxed. Hayden knew these outings were meeting with some girl named Lily, as much as Shane denied it. A guy can only leave for a few hours after texting a girl and come back clearly freshly fucked so many times before it’s extremely obvious what’s going on. And Hayden was happy for the guy, really! No matter how many times Shane denied what was clear to see, or skirted around the issue, or said he didn’t have a girlfriend. Hayden just didn’t understand what had to be so secretive about it though. His current running theory was that Lily had a boyfriend or husband, because God knows that Shane had no one to cheat on with Lily. Or maybe Lily was another celebrity and they had to keep it under wraps for her sake. Either way, Hayden considered himself a pretty trustworthy guy, and tried to keep his hurt from Shane lying to him all the time to an absolute minimum. Shane was a private guy in general, maybe it was just as simple as that.
Either way, usually Shane’s encounters with Lily had him returning in a pleasant mood. Today, though, was different. Shane slammed the hotel door behind him and flinched at the noise. “Sorry,” he muttered, trudging up to the bed and dumping his jacket over his clothes. Shane looked like he would normally look before a stressful game: anxious and jittery. Hayden watched him move around the room with eyebrows raised, and Shane tripped over his suitcase trying to walk towards the bathroom. “Fuck!”
“What the hell, dude?” Hayden finally broke his silence. Shane whipped back around to stare at him. “What’s wrong, Shane?”
“What? Nothing is wrong,” Shane answered distractedly, rearranging his clothes on his bed needlessly. He still looked like someone had told him that all protein powder had been outlawed, and that the only restaurant on the way back to Montreal was a McDonald’s.
“Dude. You are clearly fucked up. What the hell happened with Lily?” Hayden put down his phone and sat up properly to show he meant business. He wouldn’t judge whatever was going on with their relationship, but if it starts fucking with Shane, and therefore Shane’s performance, it was now Hayden’s business to pry as much as he could.
At the mention of her name, Shane grimaced. He was the worst liar that Hayden had ever met, which hopefully meant that this interrogation would be easy. “Shane, just tell me,” Hayden pressed. “Did she break up with you? Wait, did you break up with her?”
“No!” Shane burst out, looking even more upset. “Fuck, I mean, nothing happened. Everything is fine. It’s normal.” He sat on the bed with his head in his hands. “Fuck.”
Hayden’s heart raced. Shane, who’s always stoic and deadpan and whose mild anxiety about literally everything somehow evens out to a chill vibe the majority of the time, was freaking out, which meant nothing good. It probably meant something horrendous. Another possibility that could make Shane react this badly entered his head, and Hayden felt his stomach drop. “Oh my God, Shane, did you knock her up?”
Shane gasped a little and raised his head to stare back at Hayden. They stared at each other for a couple seconds, Hayden’s heart sinking lower and lower, oh God he really did. Shane fucking Hollander knocked up a married girl and is going to have to pay child support for the rest of his fucking life. Or, he hysterically thinks, Shane’s gonna have to take in a kid. His literal worst nightmare, as he had detailed so surely to Hayden in the past. Shane stared at him, and Hayden waited for him to confirm it, when, instead, all of a sudden, he --
Shane burst into laughter.
Shane was cracking up, not even a quiet laugh, but a hysterical and loud cackle that made Hayden’s jaw drop. Shane continued to laugh, his breathing uneven and loud. He’s definitely having a fucking mental breakdown, Hayden lamented. The Voyagers were fucked. There goes Captain. Gone forever, doomed by a mysterious girl whose name might not even be Lily.
After Shane’s laughter finally petered out, he took a deep breath. Hayden stared at him, dumbfounded, waiting for an explanation. If only he was so fortunate as to get one.
“No, dude,” Shane said breathlessly, clearly still fighting off laughter. “Everything’s fine, nothing happened.”
“Oh, hell no!” Hayden exploded, and Shane’s face froze. “What the fuck was that? What’s so funny?”
Shane gulped. “I promise it’s nothing, Hayd. Everything’s fine.”
Hayden shook his head. “You do not get to laugh that hard at what I said and not give an explanation. What’s so funny about that, huh? You think my wife is some kind of joke? My kids? There’s nothing wrong with having a family, Shane, I know you don’t plan on it but it’s kinda the most normal thing in the world. Even if you didn’t get Lily pregnant, God forbid I try to talk to you about your fucking issues!” Damn, Hayden was more mad about this than even he thought his was. He guessed that the months, no, the years, of lies was catching up to him. Shane was his best friend, but he wasn’t going to continue putting up with this level of bullshit.
As he spoke, Shane’s face grew more and more horrified. “Oh my god, Hayd,” he breathed. “No, that wasn’t it at all. I’m sorry. You know I love Jackie, and your kids. I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful."
Hayden took a deep breath. Then another one. He stared back at Shane, who looked petrified and admonished. “You are still not getting out of explaining what the hell that was about.”
If it was even possible, that made Shane shrink into himself even more. “I promise it’s nothing. I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”
“That’s bullshit!” Wow, Hayden was really not doing a good job of staying chill about this whole thing. “Man, I love you but you are the worst liar of all time and have the most obvious secrets. Maybe if you didn’t insist you weren’t leaving to see Lily every time we’re in Boston despite only texting her and coming back looking like you went to a strip club I would believe you when you say you aren’t lying. But you’ve been lying. And you just laughed like I’m Canada’s best fucking comedian! I don’t believe you in the slightest.”
Shane continued looking at his hands in his lap. The silence stretched on so long that Hayden felt compelled to keep talking.
“Shane, you can trust me, you know that, right? Whatever happened with her, we can figure it out.”
Shane slowly lifted his head to look at him once again, although his eyes were clearly trained on the wall beside Hayden. “It’s just,” he started, “if I tell you this, you can’t tell anyone. And I mean anyone. Maybe even Jackie. I can’t let this get out. But I can explain to you why I laughed; I wasn’t laughing at your family.” His hands fidgeted with his sleeves.
“Of course, man,” Hayden’s heart picked up. Was he finally gonna learn something about Lily?
“She’s not,” Shane’s voice was maybe the most timid Hayden had ever heard it, “she’s not Lily. It’s a fake name.” If this was all Shane said, Hayden is gonna have to go into hiding after murdering the captain of the Montreal Voyagers. He resisted the urge to say no shit, Sherlock, and kept his mouth shut. “She’s not a she. He’s…not a woman.”
What? What the fuck?
Hayden was never fucking trying to guess anything ever again. In fact, he plans on giving Jackie full reigns to all of their friends’ personal lives and keeping up with them, and staying the fuck out of anyone and everyone’s business for the foreseeable future, because clearly, he has no clue what the fuck is going on.
“What the fuck?” He repeats, out loud this time.
“I wasn’t laughing because I dislike your family!” Shane rushes out. “I was laughing because… I don’t know, it’s been a long day and the idea of that was really funny. He would never. And, if anything, it would be me…” he trailed off somewhat despairingly.
“Woah, woah, wait, shut the fuck up!” Hayden pressed his hands over his eyes and tried not to freak out. This was fine. This was actually great! Shane wasn’t with a married girl or a weird secretive celebrity. He was hiding because he’s gay, and that’s fine! It’s totally chill and Hayden was not feeling blindsighted whatsoever! He finally uncovers his eyes to see Shane staring at him looking the most scared he’s ever seen him, his breathing speeding up. “Fuck. Wait, Shane. I’m sorry. It’s fine that you’re gay. I don’t care. I’m just, freaking out a little.” He laughed a little crazily. “This is just a lot. Gay is fine.” God, he sounded insane.
Shane breathed out a sigh that sounded relieved, but still didn’t relax. “You can’t tell anyone, Hayden. I’m serious.”
Hayden blinked at him. “Oh my God, hell, of course I won’t! I’m just processing. You’ve been fucking a guy this whole time? Wait, he was fucking you? I didn’t fucking need to know that,” he lamented. “This is fucking crazy. Haven’t you been texting Lily for years? You’ve had the fake name this whole time? Oh my God, do I know him?”
“No, you don’t know him,” Shane answered quickly, ignoring all his other questions. “You’ve never met him and you never will. You haven’t even been near each other,” which meant that Hayden definitely knew this guy, and had probably met him multiple times. Which he shouldn’t think too hard about or else he would go even crazier.
Hayden and Shane stared at each other again. Shane was looking a little more relaxed, and less like Hayden had threatened to burn down his cottage. Hayden breathed carefully again, and then laughed. “Oh my God, I asked you if you knocked up your boyfriend,” he giggled, and Shane cracked up all over again. With his head in his hands, he looked like he could be laughing or crying, and Hayden wasn’t really sure if there was a difference at this point.
After a minute, the two of them sobered up. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Shane corrected tightly. “I just… I see him sometimes. But I might’ve messed that up. That’s why I was so upset when I got back.”
“Shit, man. I’m sorry,” Hayden replied earnestly. He wanted to go put an arm around Shane’s shoulder, but wasn’t sure how that would be received. “Did you guys fight?”
Shane looked increasingly more uncomfortable at the conversation. Was this the first time he had told anyone about Lily’s true identity? Hayden pressed on anyway. He’s Shane’s best friend! That’s what friends are for!
“If you guys fought, it’ll be okay, dude. Just go talk to him.”
Shane flinched. “Um, yeah, sure,” he replied completely unconvincingly. “I’ll talk to him.”
Hayden stared at him. Maybe it wasn’t good to keep pushing, he didn’t want Shane to think he couldn’t trust him with this anymore. He decided to lean off the pressure for tonight, but his best friend overbearing-ness would continue as soon as he felt it was safe to continue.
“Um. Shane?” Hayden tried his best for a reassuring smile. “Thanks for trusting me. It’ll be okay.”
He thinks both of them know how very much it is not okay to be gay in the MLH, but neither of them comment on it. That can be addressed later. For now, though…
“And definitely do not get knocked up by your boyfriend!” He added with a sly grin.
“Shut the hell up, Hayden!” Shane yelled, but at least he didn’t look so stricken anymore and even cracked a small smile.
Once he could get Shane to relax just a little more, Hayden would be back on interrogative duty. Until then, he was going to scrutinize every guy that Shane ever interacted with in an attempt to find “Lily.” Hayden wasn’t a snitch or a homophobe, but he was definitely a guy who loved to torture his best friend, and finding Lily’s identity would keep him entertained for the rest of the season. He could already imagine what he was going to tell Jackie. Not anything incriminating, of course, but he couldn’t wait to see her and say Jack, you are not going to fucking believe this shit…
Hayden loves his wife. Jackie was funny, gorgeous, and gave him his four perfect kids. He would go to the moon and back for her. That being said, he could not stand how much smarter she was than him.
“No,” Hayden breathed.
“Babe, it's so obvious.” Jackie sat up straighter next to him, eyebrows raised.
Hayden had sat her down on their couch giddily, ready to explain to Jackie everything he and Shane had discussed. He had just gotten home after their game against Boston and was so excited see Jackie and the kids and finally get the ball rolling on finding “Lily.” He had a plan: fill her in, freak out with her a little, and then rope her into his investigative scheming for Lily's secret identity. Or real identity. Whatever. Either way, what he had not expected was for her to immediately guess who Lily was and ruin all the fun. Even moreso, because now there was a possibility that Shane was sleeping with the enemy. Literally!
“It has to be Rozanov. Seriously. Lily? His first name is Ilya.” Jackie continued, seemingly oblivious to the hypothetical bombs she was raining down on his psyche. “Lives in Boston, a hockey player you've both known for years, who else could it be? I bet if we asked the Bears, they'd say that Rozanov has a girlfriend here in Montreal that he sees whenever they have a game here.”
Hayden covered his face with his hands. “God, no, this can't be real,” he moaned. “There's no way Shane would do this to the team. To us! To me!”
Jackie poked his arm until he lifted his face up to look at her, a wry smile on her face. “Honey, have you considered this is why he didn’t want to tell you?”
“Well - he -” Hayden sputtered, aghast. “Then don't sleep with Rozanov! I don't know what else to say! He's our enemy!”
“Rival, babe, not enemy,” Jackie corrected breezily as she got up from beside him, gathering up their glasses from earlier to take to the kitchen. She continued, “Don't you think you're being a little dramatic? It's just Rozanov. Yeah, he's an jerk, but most hockey players are.”
“Me? Dramatic?” Hayden put his head in his hands again. “You don't get it. This can't be real. I'll ask Shane, and he'll laugh even harder than the first time, you'll see,” he muttered into his hands.
It's not true. Shane wouldn't do that. The similarities between “Lily” and “Ilya” were just a coincidence. As was them knowing Rozanov for as long as Shane was hooking up with Lily. And the way Rozanov and Shane always seemed to be chirping at each other on the ice, throwing insults that no one else could hear. Or at least everyone assumed they were insults. Fuck. Shane is totally fucking Ilya Rozanov.
“Anyway, I seriously think you should find a way to ask the Bears. Do you know anyone who might know how to talk to them?” Jackie walked back from the kitchen and stopped by the couch where Hayden was still frozen in shock.
Hayden regretfully pulled his head up to look at her. He hoped he looked as shellshocked as he felt. Maybe it would incentivize Jackie to be nicer to him than usual. “I guess I’ll ask the boys. Someone’s gotta know someone.”
“There ya go, hon,” Jackie grinned and turned away. “I’m gonna check on the babies, how about you switch that focus to figuring out something for dinner?”
“Yeah, of course, babe,” Hayden answered distractedly, giving himself a shake or three to bring himself back to reality. He got up and headed to the kitchen, groaning as he saw the plethora of coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, and papers to clean off the table. He had work to do, and a family to enjoy during his rare weekend at home. This shitshow could wait.
There was absolutely no way to bring Ilya Rozanov up to the Montreal Voyagers without causing a stir. Especially asking about his personal life. In the locker room after practice the next day, Hayden carefully waited until Shane was in the showers and he was left with most of the rest of the team. He steeled himself, then got ready to be clowned upon in a way he never had before. But maybe, if he did this right, he could make the guys think this was just some normal locker room talk. Maybe.
“Hey guys, do any of you know anyone who’s friends with the Bears?”
A ripple went through the room, and someone laughed. “The Bears?” Beaulier snorted while pulling up his socks. “All of them? Or just someone who knows someone?”
“Someone who knows any of them,” Hayden rushed out. “Guys, listen, don’t laugh okay, it’s for one of Jackie’s friends. I need a little… insider information about one of the Bears.”
This got the room listening closer. “Insider information?” J.J. parroted.
Hayden nodded. “Look boys, I don’t agree with this in the slightest, but Jackie promised me a little treat, if you know what I mean, if I get this.” He needed to lay it on thick to convince them. A couple of the guys laughed and nodded. “She has a friend who thinks Rozanov is the hottest guy ever--” the room erupted into jeers and shouts. “Listen, listen!” Hayden shouted over the noise. J.J. was howling and thumping his leg and Koch was booing loudly. “Guys!” This got a little of the yells to cease, but the talking continued. Hayden desperately continued over the din. “I just need to know if anyone knows if Rozanov has a girl. That’s all. At least one of you has to know someone who can ask the Bears that.”
The mean-spirited laughter continued and Hayden grit his teeth while reminding himself why he was doing this. This was for Shane, who hopefully had heard none of this while in the showers a couple rooms over.
“Hey, hey man,” J.J. swatted his arm and grinned at him. “I got a buddy in New York who probably is friends with a Bear or two. I got you.”
The conversations in the room had mostly dissolved into shit-talking in general, so Hayden allowed himself to beam at J.J. “Thanks, man! I owe you one. Jackie’s gonna be so excited to tell her friend.”
J.J. rolled his eyes. “Whatever man, her friend has terrible taste!”
Hayden shrugged on his jacket and grabbed his bag. “Alright, thanks again man, just text me whenever. I appreciate it.” He headed for the door and almost ran right into Shane, who was back from the showers with matching towels around his waist and neck. “Woah, sorry!”
Shane blinked at him, moving around him to get into the locker room. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I gotta go, talk to you later bye!” Hayden shouted while walking determinedly towards the exit. Shane definitely won’t be suspicious. Hayden’s gonna find out once and for all if Rozanov really was Shane’s mystery man, and then he would convince him to find a better one. Preferably one that roots for the Voyagers.
Just a few days later, Hayden had his answer. If he had to rate how he was feeling, it had to be almost as bad as losing to Boston a couple weeks ago. Actually, this was definitely worse. He stared at his phone in despair, barely registering that Jackie was still talking to him from across the kitchen table. Luckily for them, the girls had gotten bored and ran upstairs as soon as breakfast was done.
“Hayd? What is it?” Jackie asked, not waiting for an answer as she leaned over the table and plucked his phone from his hand. He let her, staring at her face while she looked down at his phone.
On the screen was a text from J.J.:
Tell Jackie’s friend to give up man! My guy knows a guy who knows Marleau, and he says Roz “doesnt” have a gf but has this girl named Jane he always sees in Montreal. LOL!! Maybe we should find her and convince her to root for the better team??😆
“Yes!” Jackie exclaimed, Hayden’s phone clattering onto the table as she clapped her hands together excitedly. “I knew it!”
“This is not a cause for celebration!” Hayden argued, but he couldn’t fight the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “This is awful!”
“Aw, it’s kinda romantic, isn’t it?” Jackie coos from across the table, batting her eyelashes at him. “They have fake names for each other to keep it a secret. Shane being called ‘Jane’? It’s like they're hiding in plain sight or something, it’s kinda cute.”
Hayden thought he might throw up. “Babe, Rozanov is not cute. He is evil, and awful, and the enemy. Our enemy! What if Shane has told him team secrets? What if he’s thrown games? Or missed shots on purpose?”
Jackie’s elated face fell and she shot him with a look so severe Hayden immediately felt admonished. “Hayden Pike,” she started, and Hayden swore his heart dropped out of his ass at his full name being used. “Do you really think Shane, your best friend and the best player in the entire league, would do that to his team? In fact, you and the boys have beat the Bears multiple times. Just because you lost last time doesn’t mean that all of a sudden Shane is ‘throwing games.’”
Hayden slowly nodded. “I guess you’re right,” he sighed. “It’s just,” he grimaced, running his hand through his hair before looking back at Jackie, “This is so huge. If this gets out, both of their lives are ruined. Shane’s and Rozanov’s. I guess I’m just really worried.”
“Oh, honey,” Jackie’s eyes softened, and she got up to walk around the table and put her arm around him. “It’s gonna be okay. I don’t know how, but it will be. Honestly, the real question is,” she added, jostling him with her arm and making him look over at her, “How are we gonna tell Shane that we know? I mean, he knows you know he has a guy, but that guy being Rozanov? Should we just pretend we don’t know?”
“Oh hell no,” Hayden snapped, ignoring Jackie muttering, “No swearing,” as he got up from the table, dragging her with him. “I’m Shane’s best friend, and I won’t tell anyone else, but I need to have something on him. I need to chew him out for sleeping with the enemy! And ask what the hell Rozanov did to brainwash him!” He could feel Jackie’s shaking laughter beside him, and he couldn’t help but chuckle as well.
“Why don't you wait a few weeks, and calm down over this, before you talk to him?” Jackie leaned her head on his shoulder and rubbed his arm gently. “He is your captain after all, wouldn’t want any team division on the Voyagers.”
Hayden sighed dramatically before leaning over and pecking her on the lips. “Just for you babe, I won't tear him apart yet.” Jackie rolled her eyes and disentangled herself from him.
“Be nice to that man,” she said, and Hayden watched her hair flutter as she walked out of the kitchen.
“I am nice!” Hayden called after her, grinning to himself.
Jackie was right, he’d have to play nice if he wanted to get any more info out of Shane in the future. Which he could totally do. Because he was really chill about this whole thing, and it didn’t make him want to scream, or punch anyone. Yup.
Hayden wasn’t going to confront Shane. In fact, he was doing such a good job at not confronting Shane that he managed to go almost an entire practice without talking to him other than about the practice itself. The Voyagers had just gotten to St. Louis and their game was tomorrow, which meant that Hayden had to get through the next couple of days without somehow letting it slip that he knew Shane Hollander’s greatest secret. And the rest of their road-trip until they got home to Montreal, during which he would be rooming with Shane the entire time. Fuck.
Walking back to the room together was tense despite Hayden’s best efforts. He wasn’t trying to ice Shane out, really, he just couldn’t think of anything to talk about. It felt like Ilya Rozanov was on the tip of his tongue, and no matter how much he tried to talk about anything else it threatened to burst out at all times. So they walked back to the room quietly, Shane trailing slightly behind Hayden, doing something on his phone, almost bumping into Hayden’s back with how distracted he was. When they finally got inside, Hayden dumped his bag and jacket onto his bed, fully intending to beeline to the bathroom and hide there for a while. But before he could, Shane’s voice rang out from behind him.
“I know you're avoiding me, Hayden,” he all but mumbled. He sounded exhausted, and suddenly Hayden felt horrible. Here he was, freaking out about his best friend's private life when he wasn't even the one who had to hide a huge aspect of himself.
Hayden turned around to look at Shane, who was staring down at his phone, which Hayden could see was turned off. He turned it over and over in his hands. “No, man, I'm sorry,” Hayden started. “I didn't mean to--”
“Listen, I'm sorry, okay?” Shane cut him off in a rush. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you, and I'm sorry I've been with other guys, I didn't mean to, it just happened,”
“Shane!” At his shout, Shane finally looked up at him. “I'm not mad that you didn't tell me, well, I was but not as much because I understand you're going through a lot, really, and I don't care that you're gay! Really!” Hayden gesticulated wildly, hoping Shane could see his sincerity.
“Okay, then what, Hayden? You haven't talked to me properly since I told you. I know something's up.” Shane bit into his cheek nervously.
Hayden’s heart raced. He knew Shane's secret, and Shane knew him. He could try to keep lying, but he would bet that Shane would see through him as easily as Hayden had seen through Shane that afternoon before the Boston game. Still, he was gonna try.
“It's nothing Shane, I promise--”
“That's bullshit!”
“Why'd it have to be him?!” Hayden finally released in an ugly, choked breath. Shane froze.
“What?”
Hayden blinked back at him. “Uh, I mean, I,” he scrambled to think of something, anything, to cover up that he knew about Rozanov, but it was too late.
“...Who told you?” Shane's voice cracked as he asked. Hayden couldn't see his eyes as he looked back down at his hands, but he sounded on the brink of tears.
“Wait, what?” Now Hayden was confused. Did Shane already tell someone? Someone other than Hayden? Did he really have to go into hiding after murdering the captain of the Montreal Voyagers?
“It must have leaked, who told you? Did someone follow us? Does the news know?” Shane whispered, looking up at Hayden, and he was right, there were tears brimming in his eyes.
“Shane, no, oh my god,” Hayden's phone fell out of his hands as he stumbled across the room to grab Shane by the shoulders. “It was Jackie, she figured it out, no one but us knows, I promise. Not that I know of.”
Shane stared back at him blankly. “Jackie?”
“Yeah dude, she immediately put two and two together. You realize that Lily is scarily close to Ilya, right? She told me literally one second after I said your mystery man lived in Boston. I have no idea how nobody else has figured it out.” Hayden took his hands back off Shane's shoulders and shrugged sheepishly. “Well, I guess I didn't either. None of us would ever, ever suspect you and Rozanov, man. Just too crazy.”
Shane's expression softened the smallest amount, still standing stiffly with a blank expression. “Well, your wife is a lot smarter than you, Hayd.”
“Hey!” Hayden grinned, secretly devastatingly relieved that Shane wasn't upset anymore. “How many hockey goals has she scored, huh?”
“How many have you scored?” Shane shot back, turning away to mess with his backpack.
Hayden walked back towards his bed, retorting “Fuck you, Shane,” behind him. They both shuffled around with their clothes, the room going silent again.
“So…” Hayden turned around to see Shane shyly placing his perfectly folded clothes in a pile on his bed. “You really don't mind? About me and Rozanov?”
Hayden looked at him incredulously. “Dude, I don't mind but you have the worst taste in men I have ever seen!”
Shane laughed at this, his tense composure finally breaking down. “At least he scores in every game he's in,” he teased, and Hayden gasped in mock outrage.
“You motherfucker, you take that back!”
They continued to bicker about Rozanov, and how he “wasn't that bad” apparently, and Hayden was just glad that things felt somewhat back to normal between him and Shane. He pushed away the heartbreaking realization that Shane had probably never had anyone to talk about Rozanov with, and focused on making sure Shane knew that Hayden supported him, but would support him a hell of a lot more if he settled down with a nice Canadian man. One that preferably rooted for the Voyagers. (Joke! He's kidding! Mostly!) One thing he did realize, though, was that when Hayden was encouraging Shane to fix his issues with his not-boyfriend, he was unknowingly telling Shane to make up with Rozanov. Ugh. Hayden would love to pull at this thread until this entire not-relationship unravelled, but he also knew that would most likely destroy Shane and ruin the team's chances at making the playoffs this season. Well, making up with Rozanov it is, then. But that bridge could be crossed later. For now, Hayden was going to happily use his expanded wealth of dirt on Shane to torture him to his heart’s content, just as a best friend should.