Chapter Text
The top-secret emergency captains’ meeting had started out pretty well, all things considered. As promised, J.J. and Hayden had convened in Shane’s hotel room, and they were sitting on one of the beds talking through what had happened and trying to come up with a plan for the likely fallout when he and Ilya went public with their relationship. None of their suggestions were really all that helpful, but the fact that they cared enough to try meant a lot.
After about ten minutes of a very earnest heart-to-heart, the most pressing concern for the Alternate Captains was now who would make the guest list for the epic post-coming-out party they were planning.
“How many Raiders do you think Roz keeps in touch with? Like, would we have to invite them?” Hayden asked, wrinkling his nose.
“Uh, not many, I don’t think?” This was definitely the weirdest 24 hours of Shane’s life. “Maybe just Marleau.”
“Marly’s fun, man. We got shit-faced together at the last awards dinner. He can definitely come.”
“Fine. We’ll invite Marly. But if anyone shows up wearing a Raiders logo they’re getting bounced at the door.”
“They would get bounced anyway, you think we won’t have a dress code? This is going to be fucking classy, man. We’re gonna have to show out. Gay dudes dress fly as fuck.” J.J. looked meaningfully at Shane. “Usually.”
“I’ve gotten better!” Shane said defensively. “Rose took me out to get some stuff.”
“Holy fuck, do you think Rose would come?” Hayden asked eagerly.
“Uh, probably. If she wasn’t filming. And as long as you idiots don’t drool all over her.”
“You wound me!” J.J. exclaimed. “I don’t drool over movie stars!”
“Hayden does.”
“I am happily married, I don’t drool! It’s just like, crazy seeing her in real life. Like holy shit, she’s a real person.”
“Yeah, you idiot. A real person who thinks you’re a fucking weirdo.” Shane grinned.
“Fuck off. I was not that bad. It’s Jackie who’s obsessed with her. She will absolutely die if she gets to meet her.”
“Okay, okay! Rose Landry obviously has to come, and she obviously gets as many plus one as she wants.” J.J. said with a wave of his hand, trying to get them back on track. “She’s the only cool person Shane knows.”
“Wait no, he knows one more! Who’s that guy Ryan Price is dating? The musician?” Hayden frowned. “He mentioned him at camp.”
“Fabian Salah. Uh yeah, he’s pretty cool,” Shane said with a faint blush. “All of the camp coaches and their partners would be invited. If we ever had a party.”
Hayden and J.J. chose to blithely ignore his if and started discussing the merits of a DJ versus live music.
“Câlice!” J.J. had apparently just Googled Fabian. “Price is dating him? Fucking hell, insane pull. They’re both definitely invited. He can play if he wants. I’m impressed, Shane, I didn’t think you even liked music!”
“I kind of don’t?”
J.J. made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat and kept scrolling. “He gets extra plus ones too. He looks like he’ll bring the right energy. We want people losing their fucking minds at this fucking thing! Party doesn’t end until the sun’s up!”
“Sounds great,” Shane said sarcastically. “Really suits my vibe.”
“It’s not just about you, là. It was Rozanov’s vibe before you came along and killed it. If the party was your vibe, it would just turn into a fucking scrimmage!”
Shane honestly should have felt offended, but he was so touched by his two best friends planning a party with Ilya (at least somewhat) in mind that he worried he might start crying.
“Ah, shit, do we have too many players coming?” Hayden asked, skimming the list he was diligently writing in his Notes app. “It shouldn’t be like an NHL after party. Do you know any gay people who aren’t hockey players? Or dating hockey players?”
“Not really,” Shane admitted.
J.J. sighed heavily. “Good thing I actually leave my fucking house. I know people. Don’t worry, Shane, this will be the biggest, gayest party of the year. My friend Francois can do the food, and we’ll hire some fucking jacked dudes to be the bartenders and food runners! We’ll get a sick DJ, and a strobe light…”
“Do I have to come to this thing?” Shane asked with some horror. J.J. was basically describing his nightmare.
“We’ll stick you and Hunter in the boring corner. We’ll get you headphones.”
“Ooh, should we do like a silent rave type thing?” Hayden chimed in.
“When the fuck did you learn about silent raves?”
“I read about them!”
“Nah bro, we want to get the fucking noise complaints. Everybody is going to want to be there. I want the homophobes to fucking choke and die when they see how fucking lit this shit is.”
Shane smiled and tuned out a bit as J.J. and Hayden started going back and forth about how much rainbow was too much rainbow.
Alone with his thoughts, he knew what he actually needed some help with right now, and it had nothing to do with joint statements or parties he kind of hoped weren’t actually going to happen. After a minute, he finally managed to get their attention, clearing his throat awkwardly.
“Hayd, um. When you buy Jackie jewelry, where do you uh. Shop?”
Hayden and J.J.’s heads both whipped towards Shane.
J.J. reacted first. He leapt up and seized Shane by the shoulders, shaking him with a little too much enthusiasm. “JEWELRY?!”
Shane flushed beet red. “Shut up.”
“Are we planning your fucking engagement party right now?” J.J. asked gleefully, punching Shane in the arm and turning to Hayden with a delighted can you believe this shit? expression.
“Jackie usually just sends me links to what she likes,” Hayden said sheepishly. “Want me to text her?”
“Uh. Sure. If she has any recommendations where I can get men’s… rings.”
“Holy shit. Yeah. Oh my God, she’s going to be so excited.”
“It’s not… Everybody relax, okay? He could say no. We still have a lot of stuff to work out.”
“He won’t say no. You’re like, already married, man, that would be pretty fucked.” Hayden teased as he typed.
“What!?” J.J. shouted, shaking Shane again. “What the fuck?! Way to bury the fucking lede!”
“Shh! We’re not! Ruby and Jade had a pretend wedding for us when we babysat.” Shane shoved J.J. off him, but he couldn’t help but smile. “Calm down, dumbass!”
“Fucking adorable. Fuck, Shane, this is crazy!” J.J. was practically vibrating with excitement.
“It was actually really sweet.”
“I know.” Hayden said with a grin. “Roz was wearing a tiara and everything.”
“It was not a tiara.”
“And Shane wore a cape!”
Shane seized a pillow from his bed and threw it at Hayden with more force than was strictly necessary.
“Please tell me you took pictures!” J.J. groaned. “Fucking priceless!”
Shane’s smile faltered. “We don’t have a lot of pictures together. Definitely not ones like that.”
The mood dipped momentarily, then Hayden’s phone lit up with a wall of exclamation points.
“Jackie’s excited.”
“Jesus. I shouldn’t have told you guys.”
“Shut up. It’s going to be fucking beautiful.” Hayden responded to Jackie, then looked up again. “Do you have a plan?”
“Yeah, I do.”
J.J. and Hayden raised their eyebrows at each other, surprised by Shane’s certainty.
“You only get to do this once; you have to make sure it’s special.”
“I know.”
“Dude, no offense, but you should probably run the plan by us. Like, we’re experts.”
“We? I’m the only one who’s ever proposed to anybody, dickhead.”
“Yeah, at a restaurant. Jackie probably saw it coming a mile away. I know how to plan a romantic surprise.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not with any of the girls you planned those surprises for, so how romantic could they have been? We want Rozanov to say yes.”
“I mean, do we though?”
“Hey!” Shane objected mildly.
“Kidding, capitaine. Seriously, tell us what you’re thinking.”
“I got it, guys. Seriously.”
“Okay, but don’t come crying to us if Rozanov dumps your ass for giving him a boring-ass proposal.” J.J. said archly.
“It won’t be boring.”
“If you say so,” J.J. smirked.
“Hey, Rozanov obviously likes boring if he’s been with Shane this long,” Hayden put in.
J.J. barked out a laugh. “He’d have to!”
Shane had liked it better when they were chirping each other. “Neither of you are going to be invited if we get married.”
“Hey, you promised!” Hayden protested. “No take-backs. I’m your best man, whether you like it or not.”
“You’re best man?”
“Of course, I am! Shane was mine, and I’ve known him way longer than you!”
“So? You’ll be way too busy with all your kids to plan a good bachelor party. Plus you always look fucking wrecked, man. They don’t want your ugly mug ruining their wedding photos.”
“Fuck off! Also, Shane doesn’t want a crazy bachelor party! His real best friend would know that!”
“I really don’t.”
“Shut up. Shane, you can’t let Hayden call dibs on best man when I didn’t even know about you guys yet!”
“I didn’t call dibs, he offered!”
“Yeah, when you were his only choice!”
Things continued in this vein, albeit in slightly more discreet voices, all the way from the hotel to the airport and on the plane, until they landed back in Montreal.
Shane just left them to it. He put on his noise-canceling headphones and scrolled through the links Jackie had sent him, trying to guess what kind of ring Ilya would like.
His thumb paused over a listing for a simple black band with a yellow gold interior. It looked… right, somehow? He clicked on it and saw that it was available for pick-up at a small jewelry store in Montreal, not too far from his place. He closed his eyes, picturing Ilya’s hands, picturing him wearing a ring Shane had put there. His heart started racing.
It could happen tonight. He could make this happen. He could run to the store, get the ring, place a delivery order for as many electric candles as he could get, and drive to Ottawa before Ilya got back from Florida.
Shane turned to ask Hayden if he know what size ring he should get, but thought better of it when he saw Hayden and J.J. huddled over a napkin drawing of what appeared to be a fireworks display.
He looked back to his phone with a stupid grin on his face and placed the order.