Chapter Text
Hayden was exhausted. The game had been such a slog. His shoulder nagged at him from a rough hit. His legs felt like they might fall off. The win had been worth it, but now all he wanted to do was head back to the hotel and Facetime Jackie in time to read the kids a story before bed. He and Shane would order some hopefully half-decent room service and then pass out. Already showered, now he just has to get dressed and wait around for the rest of the guys to hurry their asses up.
Shane was in decent spirits, hauling off his gear piece by piece. He usually was after a win, even a tough one like this. Hayden knew it was probably more about seeing Rozanov soon. That always made him smile. It was somehow both annoying and sweet to watch.
“Holy shit.” JJ leaned against the locker on the other side of Shane, staring at his phone. “Did you guys see this?”
Hayden stretched his shoulder, wincing. He couldn’t care less about league gossip right now. “What?”
“The Centaurs’ plane crashed? Or had to make an emergency landing.”
Oh fuck.
Shane froze in the middle of chugging his water bottle. Then he erupted in choking.
Hayden slapped his back repeatedly, dad instincts kicking in.
JJ had the nerve to keep talking. “It says the story is developing. They’re not sure if anyone is hurt or dead.”
Oh hell no.
Shane dry heaves.
“What the actual fuck, JJ?!” Hayden grabs Shane, steering him by the shoulders away from the lockers and down the hallway into a deserted corridor. He can still hear the faint sounds of the guys exchanging shocked commentary back in the locker room, but blocks everything that isn’t taking care of Shane from his mind.
“Call him.”
Shane’s eyes were blown wide. He hadn’t said a word. Just stood frozen in place, staring through Hayden. Shaking like a damn leaf.
Hayden grabbed Shane’s biceps and held him in place. “Shane, phone. Where’s your phone?”
He came to enough to search through his pockets, retrieving his cell.
“Call him. So you know he’s ok.”
Shane nodded repeatedly, longer than he should have, clearly somewhere else.
Hayden squeezed his arm again before pulling away. “I’m gonna give you a minute, ok?”
He knew Shane wouldn’t want anyone to see him upset. He was so fucking private he hid his boyfriend from his best friend for years. Plus, Hayden could use a second to get his head together. Jesus fucking Christ this day could not get any harder.
Everything is going to be fine. The media sensationalizes everything. It was probably just a mechanical issue they needed to land early for.
Back in the locker room, no one had noticed that Shane was absent. They’re all spitting rumors and theories, refreshing their phones, even talking a little bit of shit.
Time for the scary dad voice. “Everyone needs to shut the fuck up. We don’t know what happened. Don’t fucking speculate about shit like that.”
He gets plenty of eye rolls in response but doesn’t fucking care. All that matters is Shane. If he comes back in here to someone spouting dumb shit like a team could be so bad at hockey to cause a plane crash, he’s going to lose it. Like punch someone or out himself. Hayden’s not letting that happen. He has to protect Shane from further melting down.
To be fair, Hayden would be in just as bad of shape if it were Jackie on that plane instead of Roz. Hayden tries not to think about Shane and Rozanov together, but Shane is a whole different person around him. Happy, light, joyful. And Roz dotes on him, rarely looking away from him. Heart eyes aglow.
Hayden couldn’t imagine how Shane would react if something really happened.
“Hayd,” Shane gasps, at his side suddenly. His eyes are all over the place. He shoves his phone into Hayden’s hand.
Instagram. Why the fuck is Shane looking at Instagram right now? Oh, oh no.
It’s a thread between him in Roz, time-stamped a little over an hour ago. In which Roz is pouring his heart out. Like it’s his last fucking words.
Shane collapses to the floor.
Hayden crouches to grab at his shoulders, angling him away from prying eyes. Shane shakes and sobs, his face buried in Hayden’s fucked shoulder.
Hayden pulls his attention back to Shane’s phone, checking the call history to find ten back to back calls to Rozanov. There are just as many sent texts with no confirmation they’d been seen.
JJ steps closer to them after staring for the last minute. “Capitaine, what’s wrong?”
Shane probably doesn’t even hear.
“What the fuck is going on?” Someone else asks.
Hayden ignores all of them. He has to figure something out. What would Jackie do?
She’d take charge of the situation. That’s what he has to do. For Shane.
Hayden releases Shane and pulls JJ down to take his place. He stands on a bench, whistling to command the room’s attention.
“If you know anyone on the Centaurs, anyone who works for them, call them now. Get them on the phone and don’t hang up.”
The room is silent. No one moves. Shane’s gasps for air are deafening.
“What did I just fucking say? If you know anyone who knows any Centaurs, call them, get numbers.”
Murmurs begin. Guys start tapping at their phones, assigning names to call.
Hayden sits back on the floor and takes Shane’s face in his hands. He’s absolutely wrecked. Covered in tears and snot. Luckily, Hayden knows how to handle inconsolable people, although they’re usually a lot smaller.
“Shane, look at me.”
Shane can’t seem to meet his eyes. He’s hyperventilating.
“Breathe with me. Ok? All you have to do right now is breathe. Ready? Inhale. One. Two. Three.”
Shane doesn’t look at him but manages to follow his directions. They exhale together and then repeat the process over and over. JJ makes eye contact with him, deeply confused and a little terrified. Some of the other guys keep peaking over at them and then looking away quickly. Stoic Captain Hollander bawling his eyes out on the filthy floor of a visiting locker room floor has to be a deeply troubling sight.
Hayden turns to JJ and stands again. “Keep doing it with him.”
He speaks to the crowd of antsy hockey players. “Where are those fucking phone calls?”
“Pike!”
Connolly, a rookie defender who’s a genuinely good kid, shoves a phone in his face.
“Fuck yes, you’re the best, Connie.” Hayden puts the phone to his ear, taking a few steps away from Shane. Better that he doesn’t overhear. In case… “Who is this?!”
A quiet voice comes on. “Um, Luca Haas?”
An actual Centaur. Yes.
Hayden pushes the Facetime button. It takes a moment to connect. An exhausted, stressed kid stares back at him.
“Haas, give the phone to Rozanov.”
Haas looks confused.
“Right now, bud, it’s an emergency.”
Haas seems to walk across a room. There are many muffled voices in the background, none of them distinctly Russian. Hayden wants to scream. This has been the longest few minutes of his life.
Eventually Rozanov’s face fills the screen.
“Pike! Are you with Shane?”
“Oh thank fuck!” Hayden exclaims, running to Shane’s side. He sees Shane’s head lift at the sound of his voice.
“Ilya!” Shane sobs before the phone is even in his hands.
“Shane!”
They both talk rapidly over one another. Hayden doesn’t bother listening to what they’re saying. It’s ok. It’s going to be ok. Shane is ok.
Hayden yells at the gawking players to get the fuck out of the room. He tells wide eyed Connolly that he’ll return his phone soon. JJ is stunned, staring at Shane like he’s grown a second head. Hayden grabs him by the arm and starts to leave. Shane deserves privacy. But Shane stops them, making eye contact with Hayden for the first time since this clusterfuck started.
“Please stay.”
Hayden eyes JJ. “Both of us?”
Shane nods, but goes back to his conversation with his boyfriend. The crying had slowed for a moment, but he was full-blown sobbing and shaking again.
Rozanov assures Shane that he is ok, that everyone is uninjured, just rattled. Apparently his phone was the main casualty. He drifts in and out of Russian, trying to calm Shane.
Roz looks absolutely gutted. “Sweetheart, please, I need you to breathe for me.”
Hayden bites his lip, watching Shane struggle to calm himself. He should let Roz lead now. He’s done his part. But he wants to comfort him more than anything.
Roz visibly swallows and pushes his palms into his eyes. “Pike, can you hold him for me?”
Hayden doesn’t hesitate. He sits at Shane’s side and does as instructed, looping his arms around on his torso.
“Tight, like lightning shirt for dog”.
“Fuck you,” Shanes spits out, leaning into Hayden’s chest. He is still half hyperventilating but at least he can come up with that response.
Rozanov’s voice is tender and soft. “Shane. You are not alone. Your best friend is here.”
“And JJ,” Hayden pips up.
“Yes, and JJ. Boiziau, breathe with Shane. Please.”
JJ shifts to line up with Shane’s face. He looks so uncomfortable, but walks through several breaths with Shane.
“Good, moy lyubimyy.”
Shane shakes his head rapidly. “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.”
“You can. You will. You are strong. You are brave. Everything is going to be ok. “
Hayden has to admit that Roz has the comforting words down. He’d be a good dad. Will be, he guesses?
Still, Shane can’t calm down. They are silent for a few minutes, letting him cry. It looks like it fucking destroys Rozanov. Hayden couldn’t imagine being separated from Jackie after something like this happened. Fuck.
Rozanov speaks quietly, in a tone similar to the one Hayden uses when he’s trying to lull the kids to sleep. “In six days I will be there with you.”
“I can’t do this.”
“You can, Shane, you can.”
“I need you,” Shane sobs, dissolving into tears.
Roz crumbles, tears pouring from his eyes silently on the screen. “Ok.” He swallows. “I will tell Coach I cannot play tomorrow and I will be with you as early as I can get there.”
Shane’s head jolts up. “What? No.”
Ilya nods. “Yes. I would come tonight but there’s no way I could without drawing too much attention.”
“You can’t miss a game. Your team needs you. You’re their captain!”
“You are more important. You are the only thing that is important.”
Shane shakes his head violently. “Fuck! You’re not getting on a fucking plane. Not after…”
Hayden reaches deep within himself and channels his fucking superhero wife. “Roz.”
Rozanov doesn’t chirp at him, just looks with red rimmed eyes.
“What if I brought him to you?”
Shane lets out a little gasp.
“When?” Rozanov asks.
“Tonight, if we can get a flight.”
“Yes,” Shane and Roz reply immediately in sync.
“I’m on it,” JJ pulls out his phone and starts frantically tapping. Hayden had half forgotten he was there.
“Please, please.” Shane begs.
Hayden rubs Shane’s shoulder. “We’re going to get you to him, ok?”
Shane nods, shifting his attention back to Roz, who looks like he’s composing himself. He brushes his own tears from his face. “Soon, sweetheart. Very soon.”
JJ steps back towards them. “There’s one more flight tonight. It leaves in just over an hour.”
Hayden stands, pulling Shane up with him, still holding most of his weight. “We’ve gotta move then.”
JJ nods. “I’m booking your tickets right now.”
Hayden starts to pull items from Shane’s stall. Wallet, headphones, phone charger. Shane’s still in sweaty Underarmor from the game, but it doesn’t matter.
“Shane, this is what you want, right? To go to Ilya now?”
“Yes, fucking yes. Now.”
There’s commotion on the other line–Roz is checking on people and then shooing them away,
“Roz? Roz?”
He looks back at the screen, now focused on Hayden, and frowns. “Is this number how we reach you tonight?”
“Da. Yes.”
Hayden takes the phone and texts Haas’ number to himself. Then he texts his and Shane’s numbers back to Haas.
“There. Now we can update each other. I’ll send you the flight info.”
JJ interrupts, “I’ll do it.”
“I will meet you both at airport.”
Hayden pauses. “Isn’t that a little risky? Won’t people see?”
“I don’t care,” Rozanov and Shane say in unison.
Hayden grimaces. He probably wouldn’t either, at this point. “Guess that ship has sailed, huh?”
JJ nudges Hayden. “You need to go, now.”
“Yeah. We need to run, like really run, to the airport if we’re going to catch this flight.”
Shane panics. “No! Please! Don’t hang up!”
Rozanov looks heartbroken. “Pike, can I talk to Shane alone for a moment?”
Hayden shoves the phone into Shane’s hands. “One minute. I’m ordering an Uber, grabbing my stuff, and then we’re going.”
Hayden grabs JJ’s arm, pulling him across the room. “Get the phone back to Connie, ok? And invoice me on Venmo for the tickets. Text me when you give Rozanov the flight information.”
He can’t fucking wait to tell Jackie how he nailed the logistics managing the worst crisis of his best friend’s life.
JJ nods. “I booked you a flight back later tonight. You’ll have plenty of time to get Hollander off the plane and to uh, Rozanov.”
They both froze.
Oh yeah. He didn’t know. Until now.
“Man, what the fuck?”
“Not now, JJ.” Hayden stuffs a change of clothes into his bag.
“They’re like, in love, love?”
“Yes, very.”
“For how long?”
“A long time.”
“He never told me.”
“He needs us right now.“ Hayden gulps. “He almost lost his partner.”
Hayden looks to Shane, who is crying silently, staring into the phone, and nodding. It doesn’t look like he’s shaking anymore. There’s even a small smile creeping onto his face.
Hayden grabs his bag and rushes over. “We have to go. Uber’s here.” He takes Shane’s arm. “Roz, we’ll see you in like three hours.”
Rozanov grins, the timeline clearly soothing him. “Shane, we will hang up now, and you will call me from the car, ok? Five minutes, ok?”
Shane agrees, handing the phone to JJ. They stare at each other for a moment.
“Go,” JJ says. “Go get your man.”
Shane smiles, and Hayden drags him away.