Chapter Text
Shane’s in bed reading and relaxing after an eventful day. He had practice, a couple of interviews for sports magazines, a long meeting with his new stylist, and a late dinner with his parents and the Pikes.
So now, as he starts the last chapter of his book, he’s glad tomorrow’s schedule looks less chaotic, with only an early practice and a meeting with his coach. He’ll probably be free around 11 am, and then go home, do laundry, maybe a trip to the bookstore…
“Jesus, I really know how to have fun,” he says to himself. He wonders what his fans would think if they knew his plan for a perfect free day is buying more books about hockey, and doing laundry with the exact same detergent he’s been using for the past 10 years.
In the back of his mind, he hears Rozanov's voice calling him boring, and then wonders what the other man is doing. He wonders if he thinks about Shane too, but he’s not so sure… he can only hope he can fix whatever is broken between them at the All-Starts in Florida in a few days.
A notification from his phone brings him out of his thoughts.
Rose Landry
Shaaaaane!
Are you busy tomorrow?
He smiles. Rose always texts him as if they had been talking the whole day, she starts random conversations, asks silly questions, or shares some gossip. He really is glad they were able to remain friends.
Shane
Hi. I have practice in the morning, but other than that, not really.
Rose Landry
I have a proposition
Remember how we talked about how you need to try new things
Shane
Yes. I already got a stylist and tried to order something different at the smoothie place
I think I’m good
He’s worried Rose might try to set him up with one of her friends. Shane knows she would stop if he asked her, but since he told her he wants to get to know himself a little more, she keeps pushing for him to try new things. Nothing crazy, just to take a small step out of his comfort zone from time to time.
Rose Landry
You are so cute.
But not exactly what I was talking about.
Wait, I’ll send a voice note, I’m doing my skin care
A couple of minutes later, Shane receives the audio.
“Okay, so… remember my friend Val Lima? I think you met her at one of the parties with my castmates… anyway, so Val is getting married tomorrow, she just told me like a couple of hours ago, it is kinda like a spur of the moment thing, she’s going to Italy to shoot another movie next week, and her girlfriend suggested they should get married before they have to spend a few months apart… It’s kinda cute, really.
They are the loveliest couple, and uh… they’ve been secretly together for like three years, I mean, Val’s family knows she’s a lesbian, and they know about her relationship, but for Nora, Val’s girlfriend, it’s complicated… Anyway, sorry, I just needed to give you context. So it’s gonna be a discrete thing, 15 people tops; nothing fancy, just a group of friends at the courthouse tomorrow and then food and drinks at Val’s place. And I want you to come with me as my date, because this is a great opportunity for you to surround yourself with open-minded people, people who are queer or allies. You don’t have to come out to them, but you deserve to be in an environment where homophobia and macho culture aren’t the main settings. Please say yes, I promise I won’t try to set you up with anyone, not even Miles.”
He listens twice before answering. He doesn’t really have big plans tomorrow, and it sounds like a fun plan. If it were a big party or going to a club, he wouldn’t even consider it, but this is nice. Rose trusts these people, Shane probably knows a few of them, and maybe he needs this; he promised himself he would try to have new experiences now that he knows he’s gay, now that he doesn’t have to spend half of his energy on trying to fool himself.
So he agrees. She tells him to pick her up at her hotel at 12:30 and wear something nice, but not too fancy. Then, when Shane asks what the hell she means by that, she texts Shane’s stylists, and 20 minutes later, he has a detailed text message telling him what to wear from the new clothes he had gotten a few days ago.
They park outside the courthouse at 12:45 pm, and Shane holds Rose’s hand as they walk. She looks stunning, wearing a baby blue sundress that matches Shane’s light blue button-down.
“I’m so happy for Val,” she tells him as they walk towards the main building, “I hope she likes the bouquet I picked for her.” Rose had explained on the drive there that she had volunteered to get the bouquet for her friend.
“They are cute,” he says with a soft smile,
“Not as cute as you,” Rose gives him a soft kiss on the cheek and then pulls him lightly towards where Miles and a woman Shane doesn’t know are waiting.
“Oh my God! Laura, you made it!” Rose raises her arms with excitement, and the woman gives her a huge smile, “Shane, this is Val’s mom, Laura.”
Laura hugs Rose tightly, and Shane wonders when they last saw each other.
“I love what you did with your hair,” Rose says.
Laura explains she got tired of the hassle of redoing her roots constantly, so she went back to her natural color and embraced it. It reminds Shane of his mom’s hair.
They make small talk, Laura tells them she had to get a last-minute flight from Cancún to be here; she asks if Shane is Rose’s boyfriend, and then Rose explains they’ve decided to be just friends since they have complicated schedules and would barely be able to see each other once Rose is done filming in Canada.
Shane considers telling them the truth for a minute; he knows Laura accepts her daughter, and Miles is gay, but he refrains from it, not because he’s ashamed of who he is, simply because he doesn’t want to make this day about himself.
The ceremony is short but is lovely. Just as Rose had promised, there are only about 15 people, including Val’s mom and her cousin. The rest is a mix of actors, Val’s childhood friends, and Nora’s friends from work.
After the pictures outside the courthouse, they drive to Val’s. She’s been living in Montreal most of her life, and her house is beautiful. Shane has to stop himself from asking if it was built for Val or if she bought it exactly as it is.
They have an amazing evening in the backyard, with food, drinks, and music. Shane spends most of his time with Rose and Miles, although he also talks with other people, and, by the end of the day, when he’s driving back to his place with a drunk Rose asleep in the passenger seat of his car, Shane is grateful he said yes to his friend's invitation.
He probably won’t say the same thing the next morning…
Caroline 🦋@Harrys_long_hair91
So, earlier today I went to the courthouse for my sister’s wedding, and I’m like 99.99% sure I saw Rose Landry and her boyfriend getting married(?). They were wearing matching outfits and looked so happy. She was holding a beautiful bouquet and they couldn’t stop smiling, like, look at her, she looks stunning! (I didn’t share earlier because I didn’t want people annoying them on their special day)
[Attached picture] [Attached picture]
💬1987 🔁19.7K ❤️53.4K
Caroline 🦋 @Harrys_long_hair91 | Replying to @Harrys_long_hair91
I also have a video. I was recording my sister on our way back to the car when I noticed them. They arrived together, were holding hands and she kissed his cheek when he complimented her flowers.
[Attached video]
💬1003 🔁17.2K ❤️76.3K
Sarah (Hollander’s wife) @Montreal_fangirl24 | Replying to @Harrys_long_hair91
Lol, what do you mean “Rose Landry and her boyfriend”? That is my captain Shane Hollander. Canada’s golden boy, winner of a stupid amount of awards and the owner of the cutest freckles in North America! I CAN’T BELIEVE HE’S MARRIED NOW. As another famous Canadian once said THAT SHOULD BE ME
💬13 🔁235 ❤️156
Queso is life @mozarellasticks89 | Replying to @Harrys_long_hair91
“I didn’t share earlier because I didn’t want people annoying them on their special day” and then you go and post about it anyway and disrespect their privacy. I hate it here
💬98 🔁1.4K ❤️1.8K
Dean’s Impala @Wheres_my_car62 | Replying to @Harrys_long_hair91
Dude no offense but two pictures and a video don’t prove shit. They haven’t posted anything on their socials and I don’t know, Rose Landry doesn’t seem like the kind of girl who would have a small courthouse wedding. They could’ve been there for something else
💬75 🔁214 ❤️816
Caroline 🦋 @Harrys_long_hair91 | Replying to @Wheres_my_car6
I’m just sharing what I saw. They were talking about a wedding, and the woman in the picture said she was happy for them. Why else would you be happy for a couple at a courthouse?
💬412 🔁576 ❤️1K
Ren🌈 @Hollandry_warrior24| Replying to @Harrys_long_hair91
OMG OMG OMG! This is the best day of my life, thank you so much for sharing this. I never believed those rumors that they were no longer together! My parents just got married!! Take that Shayden nation!!
💬726 🔁803 ❤️1.9K
Caroline 🦋 @Harrys_long_hair91 | Replying to @Hollandry_warrior24
I didn’t understand half of what you said but I’m glad you’re happy haha
💬219 🔁206 ❤️965
Shane doesn’t see the chaos online. Once he’s made sure that Rose is sound asleep in one of his guest rooms, he goes through his nightly routine and goes to bed. Happy to see that it’s still a decent hour and he’ll be able to wake up early tomorrow and go for a run without feeling like a zombie.
He falls asleep not knowing that in the morning, everyone will be talking about Rose Landry’s new husband: Shane Hollander.
Shane wakes up at 6 am like every day. brushes his teeth, changes his clothes, and goes for a run.
If Shane were the type of person who needs music to run, he would’ve probably noticed earlier, but since he doesn’t think music is necessary to enjoy a 10K run, he just pockets his phone and doesn’t check it, because who would be texting him at 6 am, anyway?
He comes back from his run, checks on Rose, who is still dead to the world, and then goes downstairs to his gym.
Around 8:30 am, once he’s in his kitchen enjoying a smoothie that he’s certain half of the people he knows would describe as disgusting, he gets a text from Hayden.
Hayden
Hey, have you checked your social media today?
Shane
No, why? I think I turned off notifications like two weeks ago
He’s about to open the Twitter app when the sound of a very hungover Rose distracts him,
“Jesus, what the fuck did they put in the wine last night?” she asks as she rubs her eyes and moves to grab a glass. She’s wearing an old shirt from Shane’s, and her hair is a mess. “I don’t even know where I left my phone.”
“Oh, it was in the living room. I changed it for you. It’s been getting a lot of notifications, you should check that,” he points at the phone waiting on the kitchen island, and Rose pours herself a huge glass of water before reaching for it.
“Probably my friends... trying to make sure I’m alive,” she grabs the phone, “uh… Shane. Fuck,”
“What?” There’s a mix of concern and disbelief on her face, and Shane doesn’t know if she got bad news or if it’s the hangover.
She hands him her phone, and the first thing he sees is a TMZ headline that he has to re-read three times to make sure he’s not hallucinating.
X-SQUAD STAR ROSE LANDRY MARRIES HOCKEY PLAYER SHANE HOLANDER IN SECRET CEREMONY: photos, videos, and witnesses’ details.
As if on cue, Shane’s phone goes crazy. Messages from his agent, his teammates, the press, and his parents. He ignores them,
“W-what the fuck? What’s happening?”
“Someone… oh my god, someone took pictures of us yesterday and…crap,” She starts reading out loud, “Eyewitnesses have confirmed what seems to be Rose Landry’s secret wedding to Shane Hollander. The couple, who started dating at the end of last year, were spotted surrounded by friends outside a courthouse in Montreal. ‘They were wearing matching outfits. She looked lovely and so happy. I’m not sure who the woman I saw them with is, but I believe it was the groom’s mother. I couldn’t hear a lot of the conversation, but they were talking about how happy they were and how it was a last-minute thing before the X-SQUAD movie finishes filming here in Canada,’ one of the witnesses told us.
Another source, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed seeing them and shared that it was a small group of people, with some actors from the superhero movie being there for the couple.”
“This is ridiculous,” Shane said, sitting down, “like… they have like three pictures and a shitty video, and now you and I are married?”
“Okay, I need to talk to my agent. Are you okay?” she asks,
“Yeah, I mean. This is just some stupid gossip; it is not like we’re being accused of a crime. It’s just… it is silly, to be honest. We’ll just release a statement or tell people we were there for a friend’s wedding and that’s it…”
“We… we can’t,” she says with a nervous expression,
“What? Why?” Shane declines another call from his agent and directs his attention to Rose,
“Because people can’t know Val and Nora are together… Nora’s family,” she sighs and takes Shane’s hand, “they are extremely conservative and homophobic. Nora is not out to them and is not… Nora has a brother, Tony, who’s trans. He’s almost 18, his parents don’t know he’s trans, and if they knew, they would probably not react well. The best case scenario would be they kick him out, and Nora takes him in… but, Nora thinks they wouldn’t make it that easy, so they can’t know she’s a lesbian or that Tony is trans, because they would probably make sure Tony can’t move in with her,”
Shane nods; all the happiness he felt yesterday, surrounded by these loving and open people, is now stained by the fear and the reminder that not everyone is as accepting.
“The plan is, the day Tony turns 18, he’ll move out from his parents’ and come to Canada to live with Val and Nora. That’s also why they got married, Nora wants to become a Canadian citizen… It’s a lot, I’m sorry I didn’t share the whole thing yesterday, not a lot of people know. It’s like, like Nora’s real life is here, in this country, with the people who love her and accept her, but… but she needs to hold on to her past a little longer, until her brother is safe.”
“The pictures, the fucking witnesses told people some of the cast of your movie was there… oh my god, what if they...?”
Rose looks at her phone and shakes her head, “Miles says the only picture in which people can see the group is all blurry, so we’re safe. The other two pictures only show us with Miles and Laura… but some people online are saying it could be Yuna, because you can’t see her face in the pictures, only her back, and her hair kinda looks like your mom’s”.
“Okay, we won’t tell anyone,” Shane doesn’t even have to think about it. He’s scared of coming out because he works in an environment that’s not ideal for queer people, but he knows if he were to come out he would have the support of his family and friends; and he has a stupid amount of money so even if the sponsors and the league stopped supporting him, he would be fine (although emotionally destroyed)… he can’t even imagine what Val and Nora are feeling, they deserve to be happy, and Nora’s brother deserves to be safe.
Someone’s calling Rose, and she takes a deep breath, “Okay, I need to talk to my agent, she’s gonna kill me if I don’t pick up.”
“Yeah, okay… I’ll talk to mine as well, then my mom, because she’s freaking out and kinda pissed her only child didn’t invite her to his wedding. We can tell them the truth, right?”
“Of course, they’ll probably laugh at how stupid this is.”
Shane chuckles because, yeah, on some level, this is silly. A big misunderstanding.
He texts Yuna and lets her know it is not what it seems like, that he’ll talk to Farah and then call her to explain everything.
________________________________
45 minutes later, Shane and Rose are in the dining room-Rose with a greasy breakfast to help her with her hangover– they’ve talked to their agents, Val and Nora, and the rest of Rose’s friends.
Now Shane just needs to explain it to Yuna and David, who are currently listening to him as he tries not to freak out.
“Oh, honey,” Yuna’s face looks concerned on the screen of Shane’s laptop.
“We don’t care, mom… really. Nora needs our help, and it is just a stupid rumor,” he says. Rose throws a French fry at him, and it hits him on the chin,
“Hey, I’ll have you know I am perfect wife material,” she says, pretending to be upset. Shane snorts,
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that.”
“Okay, luckily, it doesn’t seem to be affecting any of your sponsors. I already talked to Farah. This is just gossip; it will probably go away in a few weeks.”
“It’s sweet what you two are doing for your friend. Hopefully the plan works out, and she can bring her brother to Canada without an issue.”
“Four more months, then Tony will be able to come to Montreal, and Shane and I can publicly joke about this rumor.”
“Thanks for clarifying things, guys. I was freaking out this morning when I saw all over the Internet that my only son had gotten married without telling us!”
Shane smiles softly, “Don’t worry mom, next time I have a secret last-minute wedding, I’ll let you know so you can meet us at the courthouse.”
“Thanks, sweetheart, that’s all I ask.”
No more witnesses to their wedding appear. Some of Rose’s friends shared pictures of their glasses of wine or their food last night, but since it was a secret wedding, no one openly shared what it was about.
Of course, people online take this as proof of the wedding.
Shane only tells Hayden and J.J the truth, well, a version of it. He explains he was there as Rose’s date for a friend’s wedding. He says he can’t tell them much because the friend doesn’t want people to know they got married, so Rose and Shane agreed not to say anything and let the gossip die eventually.
Everything seems to be okay, Shane’s levels of stress are finally going back to normal… until Hayden texts back.
Hayden
Hey, are you still talking to that girl from Boston? What did she say about the rumor?
Shane puts his phone down and feels the color drain from his face. He grabs a couple of French fries from Rose’s plate and starts eating,
“What’s wrong?” she asks, confused.
“I need to tell you something.”