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Hayden Pike loves his wife and his kids but, he fucking hates the holidays. He hates this holiday at least. Four days ago, Jackie had gotten a call and had to break the news that her brother was coming for Thanksgiving. The bad one who doesn’t come to anything, though when he does he only manages to stick around long enough to piss everyone off.
He gets under Hayden’s skin in a way that not even Ilya Rozanov can manage, that’s saying something.
Hayden has never liked Adam but the feelings only solidified when the asshole showed up to their wedding already half drunk, knocking over the floral arrangements and being grabby towards the bridesmaids.
Jackie loves hosting for the holidays and since Hayden isn’t dumb enough to think he’s the one who runs the house, he’s promised to behave. Fighting is for the ice, not the dining room.
They haven’t announced it to the family yet but Hayden didn’t re-sign with Montreal in spite of being offered a relatively good contract. What they did to Shane was absolutely unforgivable, he’d expected homophobia and was prepared to protect his best friend from it the best he could but no, the team decided to go nuclear.
To say that Shane Hollander of all people tripped on purpose to let his boyfriend win will forever be the most ridiculous statement Hayden has ever heard in his life. Shane wouldn’t even let Ilya win Go Fish, let alone a lfucking hockey game. Those two lovesick idiots are perhaps the most competitive fucks, he’s ever met.
He wonders if after all of this, he’s done with hockey altogether. Hayden isn’t stupid, he’s not a rookie anymore, he’s got a family now and kids need their dad. Plus, what message is sending his kids if he stays a part of an organization that hates anyone who isn’t male or white or annoyingly heterosexual.
For some reason, Adam is coming the night before and staying the night. They allow it, against their better judgement Hayden knows but, sometimes you have to grit your teeth and just do your best to avoid the drama.
Hayden gives a single warning when Adam arrives, “Watch your fucking mouth”
So here they are, it’s barely sunrise on Thanksgiving morning but things are already in full swing. Hayden had somehow managed to get up before Jackie and had the decency to make what is sure to be the first of many pots of coffee.
He does his best to avoid Adam like the plague that he is. If he doesn’t have to see him, he doesn’t have to hear him and then he doesn’t have to be the asshole who ruined Thanksgiving.
It’s a futile effort, they all know eventually Adam will say something and then Hayden will have no choice but to kick his teeth in. He’ll do it outside or in the garage at least, he’s not going to let this asshole ruin their carpet with his Everclear and homophobia soaked blood.
It starts over dinner. Hayden was hoping they’d at least make it to the coffee and dessert portion of the day but he couldn’t get that lucky. The adults are sitting at the large dining room table and thankfully, the kids are sitting at the smaller table in the kitchen. Out of earshot.
“I can’t believe you actually went to that, the kid fucks over your team and you go to…that” Adam says snidely, pointedly.
Hayden turns his head to look at the wall of family photos they proudly display in their dining room. He doesn’t need to know which one Adam is talking about. The family photo they took at the wedding, all happy beaming smiles as they posed with the grooms. It was a good day, he’d never seen Shane and Ilya so happy before.
“You can’t believe I went to my baby brother’s wedding?” Hayden questions patiently, his tone giving away how calm he’s trying to force himself to be.
“Exposing my nieces and nephew to that, what will your son think?” Adam spits out.
Hayden feels murderous. The same way he felt watching Shane hit the ice years ago. God, maybe after he kills Adam he should fly to Boston and kill Cliff Marleu once and for all. Adam can’t even call the kids by their names, he probably doesn’t even know their names.
Ilya knows their names, their birthdays. He knows how to braid hair and where the best parks are. He knows what they like to eat best and drives from fucking Ottawa for dance recitals and school plays. Hell, last month he made a special trip for the sole reason that Arthur wanted to “bring” him for show and tell.
Ilya is definitely the favorite uncle, so much so that Hayden knows without a shadow of a doubt that when the kids grow up and get into all that crazy teenage trouble, Uncle Ilya is going to be the one they call for rescue. He’ll show up too, no matter the time or distance. It’s a simple fact of life, the sky is blue, Ilya Rozanov is the kids’ favorite uncle.
Hayden knows he’s being goaded and if he was anywhere else, he’d kill the fucking asshole but, he can’t. Not here at least, not where the kids and Jackie can see. So, he presses a kiss to his wife’s cheek and excuses himself from the table. He walks into the garage, he needs to take a few minutes and at least try to calm down.
It only takes about twenty seconds of pacing the garage floor with a bottle of beer in his hand to realize he's not calming down. Something white hot is coiled in his chest and threatening to burst through his rib cage.
He tries the grounding exercises he’s learned from Shane over the years but nothing is working. All he can think about is Shane getting checked by Marlow and hitting the ice. The subsequent night of pacing a hospital waiting room, hoping to get an update that they technically weren’t entitled to.
The great Ilya Rozanov reveal, sitting in a chair praying quietly in Russian, he was just a fucking kid then and in retrospect, was probably having a full-blown ptsd episode.
Seeing the two of them interact in that hospital room, there had been nothing but love between the boys. It had made him wonder how they’d been able to keep a secret so long, how could no one have noticed when it had been so obvious looking back.
The “Hollanov” fanbase on social media has referred to him as a “blind fucking diva” and, Hayden can’t even find it in himself to be mad or disagree.
Then of course, there was the Cen's plane crash. Yes, Hayden knows it was technically an “emergency landing” shut up. Turns out, it’s hard to be rational when your baby brother is having a panic attack that you can’t talk him down from, when the love of his life might be dead and you’ll have to learn that through a press release with the rest of the world.
Don’t get him wrong, Hayden was also freaking out but, since all the Hollanders were freaking out, he had to be the strong one. It was surprising that he was the one Shane clung to but he took it in stride. Even if it had meant sitting for hours in silence on the bathroom floor, even when it meant being vomited on in relief when hours, or hell was it days later the phone rang and Ilya’s stupid voice came through the phone.
Later, Shane had confessed that if Ilya had died, he probably would’ve too. Quietly, slowly and for the rest of his life.
What Hayden has never said because, it’s still too terrifying to say out loud, is that he was worried that if the worst had happened Shane would’ve died period or that they would’ve had to have him committed somewhere for his own safety.
Thank god, the annoying fuck lived because Hayden didn’t think he’d ever be able to get through telling the kids that Uncle Ilya was dead. Christ, even the thought of that makes him sick.
And sure, maybe he gave the kid a hug and didn’t let go for a minute or two the next time they saw each other in person but, Hayden is taking that one to the grave.
Hayden throws his empty beer bottle into their recycling bin and runs his hands through his hair, tensing up when
he hears the door leading to the garage opens. He hopes it’s Jackie and turns around, knowing it isn’t.
“You’re overreacting, I get to be concerned about the kids, especially if you’re letting those faggots be alone with them, who knows what they’re doing” Adam spits.
Blood is rushing in his ears and the world sharpens to a fine point as Hayden launches himself across the floor, pushing Adam into the opposite wall and feeling overly satisfied at the sound of the asshole’s head cracking against it. Moments like these, he wishes they’d never torn down the old garage with concrete walls, that would’ve caused optimal damage.
What is it with assholes and never knowing when to shut their fucking mouths?
“Hollander is fine if he would just shut up and play the game but, should send Rozanov back where he belongs” Adam continues.
Hayden hauls back and throws all of his weight behind a punch to the jaw, feeling a rush of satisfaction when he hears the tell-tale of cracking bone. He’s shaking with rage, even the thought of Ilya breathing in the direction of Eastern Europe is terrifying at this point.
“What did you say about Uncle Ilya?” A voice asks and then, they’re being swarmed by three little girls on roller skates, each holding a hockey stick.
Hayden steps back just in time for Ruby to take Adam down by bashing him right in the back of the legs. Yeah, the kids don’t play about their favorite uncle.
He looks up to see Jackie and Arthur standing in the doorway of the garage entrance. His wife is filming the whole thing while his son stands at his mother’s side, happily eating a piece of pie while he watches his sisters approvingly,
Hayden can’t help the laugh that comes out of his mouth when he sees amber literally biting Adams’s ankles.
The girls back up after awhile, seemingly satisfied with their work of leaving bruises and drawing some blood.
“Daddy, can I chirp?” Ruby asks as she glances over at him.
“Of course, princess” Hayden agrees, not able to hide his utter delight.
“Get out of our house, you fucking asshole” Ruby says, as she lands a well placed kick to Adam’s ribs.
“Fucking asshole” the other three and Jackie chorus after her.
“Now, who wants pie?” Hayden asks, sweeping the three girls into his arms as they all exit the garage, leaving Adam to tend to his injures and get the fuck out of their house.