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Hayden is bone deep exhausted as he drives to the arena. He has been sleeping relatively peacefully now that Amber is sleeping through the night and in her own bed. He is so sick of being a Metro and every day that he has to try and play with those fuckers, the exhaustion only gets worse.
This morning, he was tired for a different reason, one that he was equally pissed and amused by. Jackie had shaken him awake at six am because his phone was bleeping over and over again. When he had reached for the phone, he saw the issue. The group chat that he had been a part of for years was blowing up. The news had dropped and nobody was taking it well.
"Wha's appening?" Jackie had asked as she snuggled into his back, wrapping an arm around him and using her sluggish grip on his wrist to raise his phone so she could see over his shoulder.
"The news dropped."
"That Shane signed with Ottawa?" She'd asked and he had nodded, sighing and yawning. He had read some of what was getting sent into the chat and everyone was understandably concerned. Jackie had shifted to lean over him some more so she could read as he scrolled. Everyone was freaking out. Goalies, forwards, centres. Defensive line and Offensive lines alike. All from various teams up and down the US and Canada.
He understood their worries and he had them too. They were all fucked, and he had known for weeks. Since Shane had filled him in on the plan, hell before that when he had tried to corral the team into some sense of order. He had tried to get them to see sense, to stop hurting his best friend and none of it had worked. They had boxed him out and made sure he was left defenceless and in the end they had pushed him from the team.
Shane had even apologised to Hayden when they had talked about it, as if it was his fault that the entire team were homophobic pieces of shit who were treating him like something they had scrapped off their shoes. Hayden had already been through each stage of grief that the players in the chat were now. Playing against Rozanov was already a nightmare, but against them both. This was going to be hell and they all knew it too. They all had the sense to see what the next few years would be like and they were all smart enough to recognise that it was all the Metro's fault.
When a player for Florida, Mikhael, suggested that they check the Metro's extra hard into the board during games as punishment, Hayden had been quick to make sure everyone knew that he had nothing to do with the decision to ostracize his best friend. He got a lot of shit while he tried to explain that he had tried, and failed to get them to recognise that Shane was their Captain and their team mate and deserved respect. He explained as best he could and hoped that they understood. a few seemed to, telling the chat that he was safe, and Hayden then covered JJ's ass too.
He had come around faster than Hayden thought he would when he realised what was happening and he had been trying to help Shane too. Otherwise he didn't lift a finger to defend anyone else on the team, they had all fucked over Shane and they all deserved any and all retribution they had coming to them. He agreed that the teams should do what they felt necessary and then closed out the chat. He silenced his phone and curled back over to wrap himself around his wife and bask in the warmth. They had a few hours before they would absolutely have to be up. He was going to make the most of it.
He sat in his car for longer than he normally would when he pulled into his parking spot at the rink. He breathed in and out and hoped he would be able to keep his head today, but something told him it was for nothing. Closing his eyes and leaning back against the head rest he tried to get his brain into gear but when a knock came at his window he cracked his eyes open. JJ raised an eyebrow at him before smiling what could only be described as a truly evil smile.
"Are you okay?" JJ asked as Hayden grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and moved to exit the car. Hayden didn't know the answer to that question.
"Tired."
They moved through the rink together and Hayden was unsurprised to find the team in high spirits as he entered the locker room. Sighing quietly he moved across the room to his cubby and began to get dressed.
"Awwww What's up Pike? You miss your girlfriend?" Comeau mocked, pouting at him and rubbing his hands under his eyes to imitate crying. He had been pulling those kind of quips out of his ass since Shane left and Hayden hadn't expected anything less this morning. He snorted but the derision was clear enough that Comeau got up from his cubby and approached Hayden with a swagger that told the room that he was spoiling for a fight.
"You got something to say Pike? Come on, we all wanna hear it. How are you going to defend the little fag.." He didn't get the full insult out of his mouth before JJ had him by the collar of his undershirt. Pushing him against the wall roughly.
"You shut your filthy fucking mouth," JJ snarled and Hayden sighed, he knew if he didn't intervene there would be a fight and JJ would get blamed. Moving closer, he patted JJ on the shoulder until JJ released their teammate. He shifted to the side but didn't stop towering over the other man.
"You think this if funny?" Hayden asked the man who looked appropriately scared in the face of the angry behemoth that was JJ. It didn't last long enough for Hayden to believe that he had learned his lesson though, his eyes flitting between himself and JJ as he pushed himself to full height. Shrugging a little he smirked and looked at the others behind them.
"Oh I think its fucking hilarious. It's about time someone said it and the fact that you two are so dead set of defending him makes me think that you are missing more than a teammate this morning." Comeau played up more gay jokes for laughs and Hayden cringed when more than half the locker room laughed along.
"You are all so fucking stupid." Hayden sighed, chuckling to himself. "Can you believe this JJ, we have been playing on a team with morons for years." That shut them all up, the laughter dying away into angry silence.
"What the fuck?" one of the rookies groaned, pressing his head into his hands and rubbing his forehead.
"What the fuck is right. Where the fuck do you get off?" Drapeau seethed at them from his own spot, he hadn't moved to defend Comeau but he knew they were tight and wondered what that was about.
"Oh I'll tell you shall I?" Hayden rounded on the room, making sure that his back was to the door so he could address them all. "I was woken up this morning by my phone going off with text after text. All from players on other teams who have more brain cells in their little fingers than all of you combined. You all think that the next season is going to be so fun, that we are going to have a grand old time now that Shane isn't on the team. That the traitor is gone and we can just all get along as we always have. You have no fucking clue. None. You think you know what a nightmare it is to play against Rozanov?" Hayden scoffed.
They were all quiet, starring at him like he had lost his mind. Hayden laughed loudly.
"The reason you have no real clue as to how hard it is to defend against Rozanov is because we had Shane Fucking Hollander, who is the only motherfucker on any team worth a damn that manages to take the puck from him with consistency that rivals Rozanov's skill. They were rivals for a reason, because they are the only players that are as good as the other."
Hayden laughed again, louder this time and a little manic when he caught the dawning realisation on the same rookie's face who had sworn earlier. Some of the other younger players were beginning to look wide eyed too.
"You have practiced against Shane right? Miitka? You've you have been training to save shots from him for years, but even you can't save all of them, even the ones he has taught you to watch for. You all know what a powerhouse he is and you think that is going to be any different now that he is on the same fucking team as Rozanov?" He huffed derisively. He took in the faces of his teammates. Some were glaring at him, others were still smiling like what he was saying was funny, but Miitka looked thoughtful now.
"You fuckwits have pushed out the only reason we have three cups under our names. The only reason we were able to win at the level we have for years. Yet each of you is going to go out there and play under those banners as if a gay man didn't put them there. As if the very man that you all despised and left defenceless, isn't the only fucking reason they are there?" Hayden was met with boos as he always had when he tried to explain this to them, before they had succeeded in pushing Shane out. He continued anyway.
"Two Silver Medals and a Gold. Con Smythe, Hart and Art Ross. He has more trophy's than anyone else in the league. His trophy room looks like a wet dream and you all think that you had anything to do with any of that? That he isn't the reason that the trophy case here isn't stacked?"
The door behind them creaked open and Hayden heard a throat clear.
Coach Theriault narrowed his eyes at the locker room and Hayden turned only slightly, he looked like he hadn't slept all that well either.
"What is going on in here?" His voice was loud and echoed a little but Hayden wasn't cowed.
"Pike here was just trying to convince us, for the fifteenth time that we fucked up." Comeau laughed and some others did too. Less than before but still too many.
"Coach, before Hollander was drafted, when was the last time that the Metro's won a cup?" Hayden asked, Theraiult avoided his gaze. "Short memory huh? That's okay, I will just tell you. 1998."
Theraiult shot him a look but didn't dispute it.
"1998. Then Shane was drafted in 2009. Then we started to get to the play offs consistently, over and over again, then we won two cups in a row and then a third. And all of you fuckheads are so far up your own asses that you don't think he had anything to do with that? You had the audacity to accuse him of cheating and giving the game to his boyfriend when he has beat him time and time again before. Years they have been together, and you think that they decide that now is the time they start fucking around." Hayden laughed again. "He has beat Rozanov more times than anyone one of you can even dream of and you think he slipped on purpose? That he wouldn't rather die than lose, he took our losses harder than any one of you. He watched tape, and came up with plays even before he was Captain, why do you think they gave him the fucking badge?" Hayden seethed, shooting his own looks at the team and the Coach who had allowed them all to fuck with Shane.
"Two generational players in years and you dumbfucks made sure that they now play for the same team. Before we had a shot, but now?" Hayden shook his head and sighed. "Now we are fucking screwed and it isn't even Ottawa that I am worried about. Yeah they're going to win, they are going to wipe the floor with us. But do you know what I am worried about." Hayden asked and waited, nobody opened their mouths.
"EVERY OTHER FUCKING TEAM ON THE BOARD!" He bellowed, his own voice echoing now and making them all wince. "Do you think they are going to be anything but hostile as fuck every game from now on because you chucklefucks decided that you can't play with a man who wouldn't look at you in a dark room with a blindfold on."
"They are going to take out every ounce of frustration on us for seasons to come and you think this is fucking funny?" Hayden shook his head and rubbed his eyes, he could feel a headache coming on. "Every time we play a team that has just got done having their asses handed to them by the line that is going to be Hollander and Rozanov, that team is going to fuck us up. Get ready for injuries and time off and sitting on your ass during the cup run because they aren't going to go easy on us and I don't fucking blame them."
"Come on Pike, it isn't going to be that bad." Comeau tried but surprisingly it was Theraiult who held his hand up to stop whatever he was going to say next.
"He's right, I have been on calls since six am with different coaches up and down the US and Canada. All of them wondering what the fuck we did. They all saw the announcement and saw the writing on the wall." Theraiult didn't say anything else and turned his back and left.
Hayden moved to his cubby now an pulled on the rest of his gear before taking his skates in hand. He was going to put them on at the bench, he couldn't be in the locker room for a second longer or his rant would get louder and longer. It was a waste of energy or breath because they weren’t going to listen to him.
"Just so you all know, Shane Hollander has more taste than to look at you crusty unwashed fucks and think that he wants a piece." JJ snorted, his own skates in hand, he had been getting ready while Hayden talked, he had heard the rant before and agreed with him. "I mean, half of you can't even hold down a woman and you think he wants you. He pulled Rose Fucking Landry and you think he wants to look at you. Named hottest player in the NHL and you think he looks at the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, when he has a GQ model at home? You are all delusional and now I know why you must pay for anyone to touch those tiny cocks." JJ laughed as his parting shots were met with outrage. Hayden laughed when he caught up to him in the tunnel and they skated a few minutes alone. Warming up together. The rest of the team joined eventually but stayed as far away as they could. Laughing and joking like it was nothing.
"I hope they get taken out at the knees for being disloyal fucks." JJ told him loudly and watched as they all snapped their heads in his direction.
"They'll learn, eventually." Hayden sighed and bent to hit a puck across the ice to the targets set up in goal.
It didn't take long for them to take their first hits, two of the team taken off for injuries during their first game and Hayden resisted the urge to skate past Comeau and tell him that he had told him this would happen.