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Hayden’s entire professional hockey career has been played side by side with Shane Hollander. They won three Cups.
Despite the three Cups while Shane was captain and his years of dedication, the team turned on him at the drop of a fucking hat. It still makes Hayden sick, the look on Shane’s face as he left the locker room that day. How any of them could turn so vicious so quickly is a wonder to Hayden.
Even if Shane wasn’t his best friend and was just their captain, he was still their captain. He all but decided then and there he wouldn’t be re-signing when his contract was up. How could he ever trust any of them again? Aside from that, he couldn’t look at any of them the same, either.
A professional athlete spends way too much time with their teammates to hate all of them. Hayden can’t stay on the team. J.J. is the only one of them Hayden can even stand any more, and even then he still feels some judgement for J.J.’s initial reaction. At least he apologized and came around.
No matter how Hayden feels about Ilya Rozanov, he knows Shane. Hayden never once doubted Shane’s loyalty and dedication to the team. It never crossed his mind Shane would let Rozanov win.
The fact that it crossed any of theirs shows they never knew Shane at all. None of them deserved Shane as a captain anyway.
The decision to transfer is not one he can make alone, though. He has a family to think of. Jackie and him are a team.
Jackie is immediately on board with the transfer idea once Hayden tells her about what happened in the locker room after the game. He doesn’t remember the last time he saw Jackie look so angry. All it took was one accident for them to all show their true colors. They’ve called these guys friends for years.
Deciding to transfer is all in all an easy decision. Deciding where is much, much harder.
They’ve spent the last decade building their life in Montreal. It’s all their kids know. Ideally, they’ll be staying in Canada. But it all depends, after all.
He tells Shane when they go to visit him (and Rozanov, unfortunately) at his cottage during the kids summer break. It’s only for a weekend, but it is still a nice break. And the kids love the lake.
They’re able to have a somewhat private conversation on the deck while Jackie sunbathes and Rozanov entertains the twins in the water. Rozanov is surprisingly good with kids, Hayden has learned. It’s a little weird, considering how much of an asshole he is to most adults he meets.
Nonetheless, Hayden appreciates Rozanov’s afternoon of babysitting.
“I have decided not to renew my contract with the team,” Hayden says, attempting to be nonchalant.
Shane makes a soft noise of surprise. “Really?”
Hayden supposes the surprise is understandable. “Yeah,” he says with a shrug. “I just can’t do it anymore.” It still sucks to admit to himself, let alone say out loud.
Hayden used to love this team. Once hoped to play most if not all of his major leagues career on it. It all feels tainted.
“I fucking hate those guys now,” Hayden admits. “I can barely stand to talk to any of them at practice. It’s affecting my performance, honestly.”
It’s hard to turn those feelings off on the ice and work with them as a team. And they all know how he feels and where he stands. It’s awkward at best.
“And I’m sorry to bring it up with you, I guess. It feels a little asshole-y to talk about how much I hate them because they betrayed you to you.” He knows it’s still a touchy subject for Shane which is understandable.
“It’s okay,” Shane tells him after a moment. “I understand. And I get it.” He offers Hayden a small smile and Hayden can’t help but return it. “Thanks for standing with me, Hayd. I appreciate it.”
Hayden shakes his head. “You’re my best friend, dude. I don’t know if there’s anything you could do that would make me not stand with you.”
Rozanov and the kids choose this moment to start to get out of the water. “The twins want a drink, Pike,” Rozanov calls out to them, walking behind the kids. “You should stop making romantic declarations of devotion to my husband and go get them.”
Hayden rolls his eyes, feels slightly betrayed by Jackie’s soft giggle, and sighs. Before he can reply, Shane cuts in with, “Be nice, Ilya.” If Hayden was more childish he’d be gloating about Shane siding with him over Rozanov.
“I am nice,” Ilya says with a scoff. “Ask the kids. They will say I am so very nice.” He squats down to the twins level. “Do you think I am nice?”
The girls giggle and nod. “Yes! Uncle Ilya is always nice to us,” Ruby says.
Even after all this time, it’s still jarring to hear ‘Uncle Ilya’. How the fuck did Ilya Rozanov become a pseudo uncle to his kids? It feels like living in an alternate universe.
“If ‘Uncle Ilya’ is so nice, he should get your drinks, don’t you think?” Hayden says with a grin. It earns him another laugh from Jackie which almost makes up for the betrayal from her laughing at Rozanov’s dig earlier.
Besides, Hayden’s “devotion” to Shane is not romantic. And “devotion” is such a heavy word, anyways. Hayden says he’s just a good friend and believes in loyalty. Rozanov is just an asshole.
Rozanov tsks. “I will do it. Since you are bad father and want dehydrated kids.”
“You’re such a goddamn asshole sometimes,” Hayden replies. Leave it to Rozanov to pinpoint an insecurity as a ‘joke.’
“Swear jar,” Shane and Jackie say at the same time.
Rozanov laughs, gleeful. “Yes Hayden, watch your language.” Before Hayden can respond to him, he disappears back into the house.
Hayden stands, grabs the towels set aside for the girls and holds them out to them.
“I won the race,” Ruby tells him excitedly as she wraps the towel around herself.
Emma pouts as she wraps her own towel around her shoulders and over her hair. “You won the last race,” she argues. “I won the first one.”
Hayden nips the argument in the bud immediately. “You both did amazing, beating a professional hockey player,” he tells them. “Good job.”
Rozanov returns then with the lemonade for the twins. “I will win next time,” he tells the girls and they giggle.
The girls happily take the lemonades Rozanov offers. “What do you say?” Jackie asks from her seat, shielding her eyes with her hand to look at them.
“Thank you Uncle Ilya,” the twins say in damn near unison. Rozanov grins and returns to Shane’s side.
Jackie sighs, sitting up fully. “I should go check on Amber and Arthur,” she says. “I haven’t heard anything on the baby monitor but, still.”
Hayden shakes his head and gestures for her to remain seated. “I will go check on them,” he offers. Jackie is relaxing, Hayden wants to preserve it. She does a lot, being a stay at home mom and taking care of the kids alone when he has to travel for games.
Jackie offers him a sweet smile, relaxing back down in her chair. “Okay.”
Hayden leans down to kiss the top of her head before making his way back inside. Amber and Arthur have been napping for about a half hour now and they’ll probably be down for at least another half hour. All the running around with Anya and playing in the water has exhausted the youngest Pike kids.
When Hayden leans into the guest room and sees both of the kids are still sleeping peacefully, he can’t help but smile. He adores his kids, loves being a father and husband.
He’s grateful they were able to do this small trip with the kids. Hayden turns to leave, surprised to see Rozanov of all people in the hallway.
“Jesus,” Hayden says a bit too loudly. “You are way too big to be sneaking around like a fucking cat or something.”
Rozanov seems amused by Hayden’s surprise. Asshole. “So,” Rozanov drawls, approaching Hayden. “You are transferring for Shane, da?”
Hayden rolls his eyes. “I am not transferring for Shane.” If he was transferring for Shane, he’d transfer to Ottawa.
Not that he’d be entirely opposed to the idea. Hayden doesn’t think he could take Rozanov as a captain, though. Maybe a teammate, sure. But calling him captain? Gross.
“Because of Shane, then,” Rozanov replies, rolling his own eyes in return. “You are transferring because of Shane?”
“What do you want me to say, Rozanov?” Hayden snaps. Rozanov’s eyes widen slightly, but he stays quiet. “Yes, I guess you could boil it down to Shane. I don’t want to play with a bunch of homophobic assholes that I can’t trust or respect anymore.”
Rozanov stares at him for a moment longer before responding. “What a great ally you are.” The way he’s staring him down makes Hayden flush slightly, which pisses him off even more.
“What the fuck is your problem with me?” Hayden has been trying so fucking hard to at least be peaceful. He can’t stand Rozanov still, despite him trying. Rozanov doesn’t make it easy to like him.
Rozanov tilts his head, probably trying to look coy. “My problem with you?” Rozanov gives him a sickly sweet smile now. “Maybe my problem with you comes from your lack of respect for my relationship with Shane?”
Hayden can’t exactly argue against that. “Yeah, okay, I was an asshole at first.” He can admit that. He’s ashamed of it. If Hayden could go back in time, he would at least fake being okay with Shane and Rozanov’s relationship immediately.
Hayden knows how much that would’ve meant to Shane. He’s trying to make up for it now, though. “But I’m fucking trying here, dude. I am trying to at least be cordial with you for Shane’s sake but you just fucking poke and poke and poke at me.”
“You think you are the only one trying to make Shane happy?”
“Kinda feels like it. He’s been pretty clear on how he feels about us being assholes to each other.”
Rozanov sets his jaw. “I do not have to fight you over who treats my husband better.” He then follows up with, “What is your plan, anyway? Transfer to Anaheim?”
Hayden recognizes the dig for the callback that it is. It’s the same shitty team Hayden had thrown in Rozanov’s face at that stupid disaster of a first double date.
Still, he tries to be mature. “No, I’m not gonna play on the second worst team in the league for Shane.” It’s more mature than Hayden truly wants to be, but the chirp back is still more than he’d planned on allowing himself.
He doesn’t know how to get it through Rozanov’s head that it’s simply because he can’t stand the team anymore, not to prove a point or make a statement to Shane.
“I’m trying to stay in Canada,” Hayden continues seriously, still refusing to take the bait. “We don’t want to uproot the kids' lives too much.” It’ll be an adjustment either way.
Rozanov looks like he still wants to pick a fight, but it seems Hayden managed to mostly shut it down. Finally. “Is good to think of the kids,” Rozanov says eventually.
Hayden nods. “Yes,” he agrees. “And Jackie wants to stay in Canada, too. She’s not too keen on moving to the states.”
Rozanov cracks a smile at that. “I like living in Canada better, too.” Hayden thinks it’s probably because of Shane, mostly.
“Don’t you get bored here?” Hayden finds himself asking out of genuine curiosity. This is the most civility they’ve ever managed to communicate with before. He hopes Rozanov doesn’t take it as a dig.
Rozanov shakes his head. “I used to, at first,” he tells Hayden. “But I spent some time with David and Yuna, at least. We still see them regularly, obviously.”
“And obviously it’s nice to get to be with Shane full time,” Rozanov finishes with a grin.
“It must be nice to have them so close, given how close Shane has always been with them and how you are, too.” Hayden hasn’t lived near his parents since he started playing for Montreal. He’s nowhere near as close to his parents as Shane is to his, but they still manage to see them a few times a year.
“I know Shane is happy you guys are finally in the same place full time,” Hayden continues. “I can’t imagine how hard the long distance stuff was. And to deal with it for years, shesh.”
He couldn’t imagine being long distance with Jackie. Having to travel for games was hard enough, he missed her and always looked forward to returning to her.
“Yes, it was fucking awful,” Rozanov agrees. “But it is over, and I get to see my husband every day. It is great.”
Hayden finds himself smiling slightly, to his own surprise. He is happy that Shane is with someone who clearly loves him. It’s what he deserves. How bad can Rozanov really be if he makes Shane smile like that?
“I miss him,” Hayden admits, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I got so used to basically seeing him every day, sharing hotel rooms and dragging him to outings with Jackie and the kids.” Shane was a big part of their lives.
Rozanov looks like he’s about to comment but Hayden rushes on, still not meeting his eyes. “But I don’t think I have ever seen him so happy. And I love that.” He does. “I feel selfish being a bit disappointed about not getting to see him or spend time with him when he’s clearly happier than ever.”
Rozanov seems to think his response over for a few moments, bringing his hand up to rub his ear. “I am happy he had you.” The way he says it makes it clear it was hard to get out. Hayden understands. “Despite the disrespect of our relationship, you have been a good friend to him.”
Hayden sighs. “I am trying. And I am sorry for being such a dick.” It still stings a bit to apologize for Rozanov of all people, but Hayden is a mature adult. “I was worried at first, I don’t think you can really blame me. But you guys are married and I literally just said I have never seen him happier.”
“So I am trying. We don’t have to be friends or anything, but I plan on being Shane’s friend for as long as he wants to be and I don’t want him to always be upset when I do get to see him because we can’t stand each other.” Hayden worries Shane wouldn’t want to keep their friendship if he was going to be on edge every time the three of them were together.
“Yes, you are good friend to Shane,” Rozanov replies, but he seems more relaxed, or at least not on edge. “Dealing with asshole Russian for him, very brave.” Hayden rolls his eyes, but Rozanov grins at him again. “But I moved to Ottawa for him, is bigger gesture.”
Hayden sighs again, louder and more dramatic than before. “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Rozanov. It’s not a competition. You’re his husband, I’m his friend, it’s different.” Even if Hayden is fighting against his desire to compete. He’s made a lot of ‘gestures’ for Shane over the years!
“Yes,” Rozanov grins, victorious now. “I am his husband. Is different.”
“Oh Jesus Christ, Rozanov. Leave me alone.” Hayden replies, more lighthearted than not. At least it’s lighthearted teasing and not an actual fight. He moves past Rozanov to head back down the stairs, shaking his head as Rozanov laughs and follows behind him.
When they make it back out to the deck, Shane gives them a suspicious look. “Did you two fight again? You were gone for a while.”
It is Rozanov who replies first, making his way over to Shane while waving him off. “No, I have been on my best behavior.” Hayden rolls his eyes but doesn’t scoff. “We just talked. Hayden is still very boring to talk to, I almost fell asleep.”
Hayden wants to call Rozanov an asshole but knows he’d get swear jar’d and it’s not worth it. He goes over to sit by Jackie and the twins and Shane looks over at him as if to confirm Rozanov’s story. Hayden nods. “Yeah, we talked.”
Jackie grabs Hayden’s hand and gives it a squeeze. He looks away from Shane to smile at Jackie, fond.
“If you say so,” Shane says eventually, still apprehensive. Hayden gives him a reassuring smile. He’s going to keep it up, get along with Rozanov as best he can, and eventually Shane will find it normal.
Hayden’ll keep being the best friend he can be.