Chapter Text
“Hey man, can I borrow your phone for a minute?”
Hayden walked over to the bed Shane had claimed. It was already evening when the team had arrived in Boston two days before the game they were playing. Shane would love to spend some of this precious time with Ilya, but he wouldn’t be back in Boston for another few hours because of his own team's travel schedule.
“Yeah.” Shane handed the phone over. He was texting with Ilya, who was bored out of his mind at an airport about to board in an hour, but Shane was about to plug his phone in and start his evening routine anyway, and Hayden's had died in the last hour of the bus ride here.
“Thanks, man, I just gotta call Jackie and the kids before they go to bed,” Hayden said as he sat down on his own bed and started the call.
Shane tuned him out and got his stuff ready to take a shower. He tried to ignore Hayden’s loud voice through the wall by thinking of the next couple of days. He would be spending tomorrow with his boyfriend at his house, and since the Metros had a different rink they were practicing at tomorrow, their practices lined up almost exactly, meaning more time together. Same on the day of the game. And even better, the Metros were staying an extra day in Boston before heading to New York for their second-to-last game of the travel trip.
After what is sure to be three amazing days with his boyfriend and two crushing losses for the Raiders and the Admirals, Shane’s parents were coming to Montreal to visit and watch the last game before the playoffs against Buffalo. A very busy week, but one Shane was excited for nonetheless.
As Shane stepped out of the shower to unusual silence. Hayden normally talked for upwards of forty-five minutes to his wife and kids, especially on long roadies like this one. Shane was sure he didn’t spend more than maybe 15 minutes in the shower. He wondered if maybe Haden had left as he dried off and brushed his teeth, still to the soundtrack of silence in the rest of the room.
He stepped out of the bathroom, dirty clothes in hand, and was surprised to see Hayden still sitting on his bed. As Shane started to fold and put away his clothes, Hayden seemed apprehensive, staring briefly at the phone in his hand and then back up at Shane. Shane finished up putting everything away when Hayden cleared his throat and started talking.
“Um, Shane, buddy, I don’t really know how to start this conversation,” Hayden looked down again at the phone, “But when I was on the phone, someone kept messaging you. I know you don’t really like me looking at that stuff, but I wanted to find that photo we took outside that rest stop, the real run-down one with the weird dinosaur outside it? I wanted to send it to the kids, but when I opened your messages…” Hayden trailed off again, and Shane felt a wave of panic as he saw the shape this conversation was taking. “I saw something that I wasn’t supposed to, and I want you to know that I am here for you, that Jackie's here for you, and that your parents are here for you. And that nothing you could do could make any of us love you less.”
Shane breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Hayden had grown up really religious, but that he didn’t raise his kids that way. He didn’t really know what to expect when it eventually came out that Boston Lily was Boston Liam, but this seemed to be going pretty well until, “And we can all help you find a way past this and into a more normal relationship.”
“What?” Shane thought he knew what this was about, but maybe there had been some sort of mistake. “Wait, what are you talking about?”
“Shane, I saw a dick pick on your phone sent by ‘Lily’, and buddy, I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but you will be so much happier when we can fix this and set you up with a nice woman.” Hayden had set the phone down on the nightstand between them and sat down next to a shocked Shane. He put his hands around Shane’s shoulders in a half hug and said, “Don’t worry, I know this isn’t you. You're just a bit confused, and once we tell your parents and get you some help, it will be all nice and normal again.”
Shane was shocked. He knew that this was a possibility, but he never really expected to have to deal with this right now. Ilya and Shane planned to come out after they retired. The thing that knocked him out of his stupor was the mention of his parents. His parents couldn’t find out.
Shane knew that eventually they would accept him. Eventually being the key word. His dad, he had no clue about. David never said anything on the subject, but he would definitely follow whatever his mother did, and that was what he was worried about. Yuna Hollander claimed to have no problem respecting gay people and said that who they loved shouldn’t bother her.
And then they would pass a gay couple holding hands, and Yuna would mutter about keeping that inside and away from innocent eyes. Shane would come home from school complaining about how one of his friend’s friends had said something mean about his haircut, and she would ask whether he was the one that wore nail polish, and at the confirmation would say how “you know that those people are a bit meaner anyway”. She would see a movie with two girls kissing in the background and turn it off, mutter with distaste about how they shouldn’t shove it down our throats.
Shane knew that eventually Yuna’s love for her only child would outweigh who he kissed, but he also knew it would be a long, long way to get there. And he wasn’t ready. He couldn’t let Hayden tell his parents. He tapped back into the conversation, and Hayden was talking about some sort of therapy that his neighbor’s nephew just went through and how he was an ex gay and with a girl now.
“Hayden,” Shane started. He turned to look at his friend. “I think that maybe Lily’s phone was hacked.”
“Oh,” Hayden said, surprised. “Okay. I’m sorry I ambushed you like that, buddy. I guess I shoulda known you weren’t a cocksucker.” He got up and went to sit on his own bed, still looking a bit suspicious. “But if you were, I would definitely help you through it. Just so you know.”
“Nope,” Shane chucked nervously, “but I will definitely tell you if that changes.” He grabbed his phone off the side table and opened up the message app. It showed that he had deleted one message from ‘Lily’. He sighed and powered down his phone as Hayden got ready to shower, still periodically glancing back at Shane.
Shane wondered what he was going to do as he heard the shower start. He thought about calling Ilya right now and telling him what happened. He probably would if Ilya wasn’t currently flying through the air. He thought about what to say to Hayden when he inevitably entered the main part of the room again, and he felt sick just thinking about it, let alone sleeping in the same room.
Shane shot up from the bed as soon as the thought formed in his mind. He would just head over to Ilya’s early. That way Ilya would come home to him and, most importantly, Shane could get away from Hayden and maybe plan his next move.
Probably with some help from Ilya.
And with at least one midnight planning session.