Chapter Text
When Hayden had left his best friend’s hospital room to get some food and some water for Shane he didn’t think much of leaving him alone for a couple of minutes. Hayden had been there from 8 in the morning, right when visitors hours had started. Shane’s parents have arrived shortly after and they’d spent a good half hour chatting, waiting for Shane to wake up. Yuna and David were of ours beyond worried for their son and had spent the whole morning at his side.
Eventually the exhaustion from being there all morning and the night before too, worrying for his best friend and cursing out Cliff Marleau for hitting him (yes he knew it was a clean hit but he did not care!) had caught up to him, so Hayden had stepped out with the excuse of finding something to eat. While he had been out he had gotten a text from Yuna, saying they needed to head out and thanking him for all his efforts.
Hayden had finished his meal, and now he was heading back towards Shane’s room with a cup of water in his hand for his best friend. He was lost in his thoughts, thinking about their next game, when suddenly he heard voices coming from Shane’s room.
Hayden stopped his walk and listened. It couldn’t have been the Hollanders, they had left half an hour prior. It was definitely a male voice, one he faintly recognised, he jut couldn’t place from where. Maybe one of their other teammates came to visit? Yeah, that had to be it, who else could it possibly be?
Hayden walked up to the door and was just about to enter the room, but he stopped dead in his track at the sight that greeted him trough the hospital room’s glass window.
It was Ilya Rozanov! Standing next to Shane’s bed! And wait what, was Rozanov holding his hand? No this had to be some kind of joke! Then suddenly Shane moved, tugging at Rozanov’s hand and simultaneously leaning up towards the other man. To Hayden’s absolute horror, Rozanov leaned in too and kissed Shane right on his lips.
Hayden couldn’t believe his eyes! Yes, he was absolutely hallucinating this, if he closed his eyes hard enough and maybe bleached his brain, he could forget he ever had to witness this and go on with his life. He opened his eyes again, with the hope that maybe Rozanov had vanished in the meantime, but he hadn’t gotten so lucky.
On the contrary! Rozanov, the bastard, was still kissing his best friend. Come on, how long can one fucking kiss last? Hayden thought. And just why on all that is holy did Shane just let this happen? He even seemed to be enjoying it! Hayden had seen enough, he had to put an end to his own suffering. So with a big breath and a shake of his head he opened the door.
At the sound of someone entering Shane and Rozanov jumped apart immediately. Well Rozanov straightened up and stepped away from the bed and Shane just fell back onto his pillow. Rozanov cleared his throat. “Pike” he said with a tight voice. “Rozanov” hayden responded with furrowed brows.
He looked at Shane, who was avoiding his eyes ever since he entered the room. “Somebody care to explain what I just witnessed?” Hayden demanded, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I am here to visit Shane” Rozanov provided helpfully.
Shane, not Hollander, Shane Hayden thought. “Yes, obviously I can see that” he said instead. “That doesn’t explain…” he furrowed his brows “this” he motioned between them, not missing how Shane’s hand was slowly creeping towards Rozanov again.
“Well Pike, you could try maybe thinking, I’m sure even you with small brain can figure it out” Rozanov responded, annoyance clear in his voice. His initial shock had disappeared from his face, replaced instead by his signature smirk.
“Ilya, be nice” Shane spoke suddenly, looking up at the Russian man. Hayden’s brain unhelpfully noticed, that the first words Shane had spoken since Hayden entered the room weren’t towards him, but Rozanov instead.
Hayden was furious. He was confused and hurt by the fact that Shane hadn’t wanted to tell him about whatever this was he had going on with Rozanov, and now he was ignoring him, his best friend, in favour of making heart eyes at said man.
Hayden pinched his nose and huffed out an annoyed breath. With every second spent in the presence of Ilya Rozanov, he was getting more and more annoyed. But he also realised he could not get the answers to his millions of questions in that moment, because Shane was still high as fuck from the painkillers and Hayden did not want to have this conversation like that.
“Look, Shane” he began looking at his best friend “I have no clue what this thing between you two is, and I don’t want to interrogate you while you are hurt like this, even though I have like a million questions…” he trailed off as he glanced up towards Rozanov, who was watching him with furrowed eyebrows “ but I won’t tell anyone about this, I promise.”
Shane was nodding, but his eyes were drifting shut every other second, so Hayden was not sure his best friend had comprehended anything he had said.
He was watching with wide eyes as Rozanov, also registering Shane’s state, took his hand and pressed a kiss to Shane’s knuckles. He whispered something in Russian that Hayden did not understand, but the faint smile that appeared on Shanes face made him realise it was nothing he should understand.
He awkwardly cleared his throat and looked at Rozanov this time “Well, I’ll be going now, seems like my presence is no longer needed” he laughed, which sounded painful even to his own ears.
Rozanov just hummed and Hayden took that as his cue to leave. He turned towards the door, but before he could make his escape from whatever the fuck this had been, Rozanov spoke suddenly. “You are good friend to him, Pike” he said in a low voice, still looking at Shane. Then he turned towards Hayden and looked him directly in the eyes “I will take good care of him.” His gaze was full of determination and something else Hayden did not dare to name. He just nodded at the Boston captain, but he hoped Rozanov could see the understanding in his eyes.
As Hayden was walking down the corridor of the hospital, the surrealness of the situation caught up to him. He laughed to himself quietly and shook his head. “Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov” he muttered “ I cannot fucking believe this.”