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Looking back, Hayden still isn't sure where it all went wrong. He was just trying to be a good friend. He was trying to save Shane from himself and the inevitable heartbreak that would follow.
The problem is, it seems despite his best efforts and intentions, he was the one to break Shane's heart. At least that's what Jackie, JJ, Shane, Rozanov, and Rose Landry of all people have told him. As Hayden sits alone in his living room, he tries to figure out just where it all went wrong.
~~~~~~~
After years of Shane texting with Boston Lily, Hayden was shocked as anyone to see his friend suddenly dating Rose Landry. He knew something had happened on their last trip to Boston, but Shane never shared much. And then after all the secrecy, Shane was finally in a public relationship with a movie star no less. Hayden was thrilled for his friend. So was Jackie, or at least he thought she was. Jackie seemed cautious or skeptical about the relationship, the way she always was with Shane. Everytime Hayden would try to talk to her about his theories about who Boston Lily was or now his excitement about Rose and how serious it was, Jackie would tell him not to pry. “Shane will tell you when he's ready if there's something to tell. You need to be patient and actually listen to him,” Jackie said when he came rushing home talking about inviting the couple over for dinner. But Jackie didn't get it. Friends talked to each other about relationships and now he and Shane could really talk. Maybe even go on double dates. Hayden was thrilled and he knew Shane must be thrilled and relieved to finally have a relationship to talk about with him and in the locker room.
The problem was, after years of secrecy around Boston Lily, Shane didn’t seem ready to let that go. Even though the entire locker room knew they were dating, Shane wouldn’t tell them anything about his relationship with Rose Landry. Every time one of their teammates brought it up, Shane would change the subject or simply walk out of the room. And ok, Hayden understood that kind of. He didn’t always want to talk about Jackie in the locker room with the way some of those guys spoke about women. But Shane wouldn’t even open up to him or JJ, no matter how many times they tried. Which was weird, right? I mean, he might not tell the whole locker room, but he told Shane everything about Jackie and their relationship, because that’s what friends did. Shane was always there to listen and offer advice, but Shane wasn’t making it easy for Hayden to return the favor.
So he guesses it wasn’t surprising when Shane told everyone that he and Rose had broken up. Shane didn’t look too upset, simply saying they weren’t compatible, which Hayden didn’t know how to take. At least Shane didn’t look too upset - not nearly as upset after whatever happened with Boston Lily. He had never seen Shane that upset and didn’t want a repeat of that time. Hayden just wanted his friend to be happy and to find someone who was worthy of him.
Jackie was no help. When he talked to her about setting Shane up with one of her friends, Jackie told him not to get involved. “If he wants help, he’ll ask. Until then, don’t interfere,” she had said.
“But he’s my friend. I want to see him happy and this is what good friends do,” he argued back.
Jackie shook her head, “Actually good friends respect each other’s boundaries and responses. But it’s your friendship,” she had said. That was it, Hayden thought. She just didn’t get their friends.
So instead, Hayden had reached out to JJ for help in setting Shane up with someone new. Shane wasn’t very grateful for their hard work on his behalf though. Eventually one day, when they had shown Shane the instagram profile of a beautiful yoga instructor JJ’s girlfriend knew, Shane had suddenly blurted out, “I’m gay.”
Hayden didn’t know what to say to that. “So what was that with Rose Landry?” is what he came up with.
“Me trying not to be gay,” Shane replied. “It didn’t work.”
Hayden was still trying to make sense of this turn in the conversation when JJ spoke, “Thanks for trusting us with this Shane. You’re still our friend, this changes nothing between us. Right, Hayd?” JJ nudged him.
“Of course,” Hayden spluttered and he watched as Shane relaxed slightly. Hayden was still flustered though and continued, “But what about Boston Lily then?” he asked only to see Shane tense up again.
Before Shane could answer, JJ did, “Obviously Lily is a code name, right? Lily is really a man?”
Shane nodded slowly and Hayden felt his world spin. Shane was supposed to be his best friend. He knew Shane was private, but he thought he was the exception to that. JJ was taking this all in stride though as he continued, “Cool man. Now that we know, do you want to tell us about him?”
“No,” Shane said quickly, shaking his head. “He’s not out, first. And it would be dangerous for him to be out. Plus, I’m not sure where we stand anyway. We had a fight or not even really a fight. We just weren’t on the same page. I’m hoping to talk to him again soon, and try to work things out. But I still can’t tell you about him,” Shane paused before continuing, “and I’m not ready to be out either. I have a lot of years of hockey ahead of me. I’m already Asian, I can’t be gay, too.”
“Of course, mon capitaine,” JJ assured him. “It is your story to tell. We won’t say a word. Right, Hayd?” And all Hayden could do was nod. It was a lot to take in. JJ continued, “If you are ever looking for a man to date though, I have a few…” but Shane cut him off.
“Thanks JJ, but no. Even if things don’t work out with Lily, I’m not looking at dating anyone else. I’d rather focus on hockey for a while,” Shane said. And ok, Hayden guessed that made sense. The locker room would definitely not take it well and Shane would always choose hockey first. But now that he knew, Hayden would at least be able to support his friend. He’d have to figure out how to be an ally and then Shane would open up. Hayden would let it go for now, but he’d talk to Jackie and JJ about some possibilities to line up for the future when Shane was ready.
After that, Hayden had tried to be supportive. It was clear that sometime after All-Star break Shane had gotten back together with Boston Lily. When Shane was injured, he hoped that he might finally get to meet Boston Lily, but he never showed. And then Hayden’s fourth child was born and it was summer and he didn’t think much more about it. He tried to talk to Shane a few times over the next year, but Shane didn’t seem to be any more ready to open up and neither JJ or Jackie were helping, so Hayden let it go. He just listened and observed. Eventually Shane no longer went out when they played Boston, but he was suddenly spending more time with his parents after Ottawa games. That’s what started the whole conversation that turned Hayden’s world upside down. He could remember it clearly.
~~~~~~
“Hey Shane, are your parents ok?” he asked one day when Shane was helping him with the kids.
“Yeah, they’re great. Why?” Shane asked, sounding confused.
“You seem to be spending a lot more time in Ottawa these days, so I was worried something was wrong. You know you can talk to me about it, man. Jackie & I are here for you.”
“Oh … um, no my parents are fine.” Shane said hesitantly. Hayden knew there was something his friend wasn’t saying. “Just after my injury, they like me to be around more. Plus, Mom is helping me start a Foundation.”
“A Foundation? Well, that’s better than the other reason I had,” Hayden said smiling. “Tell me about the Foundation.”
But Shane had frozen. “What other reason?” he asked quietly.
“Oh, I thought maybe Boston Lily had moved to Ottawa since you no longer go out in Boston. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were dating Rozanov,” Hayden said laughing. It took him a minute to realize Shane wasn’t laughing. In fact he was completely frozen. “It was a joke, buddy. That’s ridiculous.” But Shane hadn’t moved. In fact he was getting paler. “Tell me you’re not dating Rozanov.”
“We are dating, Hayden. We’ve been together for a while. I love him.” Shane said quietly.
“No,” Hayden responded. “Why would you willingly spend time with let alone date that Russian menace. He’s a playboy. He’s an asshole. You hate him.”
“No, you hate him, Hayden. I’ve never hated him, Hayden. And you don’t know him either. He puts on a front, but that’s not who he is,” Shane said, straightening his shoulders to square up to Hayden, but Hayden couldn’t seem to stop.
“Shane, no. Buddy,” Hayden continued. “I know you don’t have a lot of experience and you’re in the closet and all that, but you deserve better than that. I can talk to JJ and Jackie, we have much better options for you…” but Shane cut him off.
“Fuck you Hayden. You don’t know him. And clearly you don’t know me if you think I’ll let you stand there and criticize the love of my life.” It was impressive that Shane was both whispering and screaming. “If you care about me at all, Hayden, let it go. And do not say a word about this to anyone. No one can know.”
“Like they’d believe me anyway,” Hayden muttered. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Shane got into his face as he said, “I mean it Hayden.”
“Ok, ok. I won’t say anything,” Hayden backed down. Shane nodded and turned to walk away when Hayden realized what was happening and called after him, “Shane, where are you going? The car is this way man.”
“I’ll find my own way home, Hayd. I can’t look at you right now,” Shane yelled then continued, “and I mean it Hayd, not a word.”
~~~~~~
That night, Hayden had immediately told Jackie everything. He had meant it when he told Shane he wouldn’t tell anyone, but clearly Jackie didn’t count. He told Jackie everything. So Hayden was surprised when Jackie was mad at him for telling her.
“Hayden Pike, your friend asked you not to say anything, and the first thing you do is break his trust and tell me his story. What is wrong with you?” Jackie demanded.
“He didn’t mean you Jackie. He knows I tell you everything,” Hayden shot back. But Jackie just shook her head muttering under her breath, “You can’t be that dense Hayd.”
“Jackie, I don’t know what you mean. Anyway, I had to tell you, because you have to help me get Shane away from Rozanov. He’s trouble Jackie, and Shane is just going to get hurt,” Hayden continued. Jackie just stared at him. “What are you thinking, Jackie?”
Jackie took a deep breath before shaking her head, “I’m thinking that you are an idiot. Your friend is in a relationship you don’t like, fine. I don’t like everyone my friends have dated. I don’t like some of their husbands. But those are their choices and their lives. The first thing you did when Shane told you - something he clearly wasn’t ready to tell you, by the way and for good reason it appears, is criticize him. Then you broke his trust by telling me after he asked you not to tell anyone. And now, with no more information, you want to break them up. Break him up with the man who is clearly Boston Lily and who he has been seeing in some way for most of his career.” She took a breath. “You can’t possibly be that dumb or that cruel.”
“Jackie, you don’t understand,” Hayden tried, but stopped when Jackie stood up.
“No, Hayden. I understand. You clearly don’t. Stay out of it, Hayden. If you’re not going to be supportive of Shane’s relationship, then stay out of it, Hayden, I mean it,” as she walked towards the stairs, she turned back to look over her shoulder, “I’m going to bed. You can sleep on the couch tonight, and every night until you see sense and apologize to Shane.”
~~~~
Hayden eventually apologized both to Jackie and to Shane, though that was mostly because his back couldn’t take anymore nights on the couch. Shane was clearly less relaxed around him now and Hayden couldn’t help but blame Rozanov for that. It so happens they were playing Ottawa a few days after that and Hayden realized that Shane and Rozanov were chirping at each other throughout the game. He decided he would be a good friend and winger and try to stay between them, but that just led to Rozanov slamming him in the boards more than normal. And Hayden swears it was harder than normal too, though he was uncharacteristically quiet. Hayden pulled Shane aside in the tunnel at the beginning of the 2nd intermission and said, “Great boyfriend you have there, slamming your best friend into the boards. Can you tell him to lay off?”
Shane just stared at him, “What the fuck, Hayden? It’s a hockey game. Every single hit has been legal, you’ve just been distracted. Your passes are sloppy and you’re paying more attention to him than to me. Plus, I would never ask him to not play 100%. He wouldn’t ask that of me either. Seriously, Hayd. What is wrong with you?”
The game does not get better after that. In fact, Hayden plays one of the worst games of his life. While Shane is perfectly professional on the ice, Hayden realizes he might have overstepped when Shane refuses to even look at him in the locker room. Ok, so maybe he crossed a line, but seriously, Rozanov had never been that bad before so he wonders what Shane told him.
JJ is waiting for Hayden in the parking lot after the game, “What’s going on with you and Capitaine, Hayd?”
“Nothing. Why do you ask?” Hayden counters, caught off guard.
“I don’t buy it, Hayd. Something has been up for a few days, but tonight it was worse. And it affected the game. I would have asked Shane, but he was the first one out for once,” JJ continued.
“Probably off to see his boyfriend,” Hayden mumbled.
“Boyfriend?” JJ asked, surprised.
Hayden paused, realizing what he had said. He hadn’t meant to say it, really. He was just pissed and tired and hurting. But now that he had said it, “Yeah, shit. He asked me not to say anything, so you can’t tell anyone JJ.”
“Of course, Hayd. But why wouldn’t he tell me?” JJ wondered aloud.
“Probably because he’s embarrassed,” Hayden continued.
“Why would he be embarrassed about having a boyfriend?” JJ queried.
“Not having a boyfriend, but who the boyfriend is,” Hayden said, and now that he’d said it, he realized maybe this was his chance to ask JJ for help. He’d just have to be careful and not say too much. “His boyfriend is seriously toxic, JJ. Like, the guy is the worst. Shane is too blinded to see it, but I know he’s stringing him along. Who knows, he might even be blackmailing him, I wouldn’t put it past him. I told Shane I wouldn’t tell anyone who he is, so I don’t want to break that promise,” Hayden continued thinking quickly. “But maybe if you talked to him about a few of those guys you had in mind for him, he’d see there is a better option and be able to break himself free?”
JJ stared at him for a minute and Hayden wondered if he had gone too far. But then JJ let out a breath and said, “I have a hard time not trusting Shane to know what’s best for him. But I also know that sometimes the person in the relationship can have the hardest time seeing the truth. I don’t want to tell him I know, that’ll put him on the defensive if he’s not ready for me to know, but I guess I could mention hanging out with a few single gay friends and see what he says.”
Hayden can’t believe his luck. This is perfect. Shane will meet a nice man, realize that Rozanov is an asshole, and never know that Hayden had said anything. But he needed to move quickly, “We haven’t hung out in awhile. Why don’t you invite Shane and I out on our next free evening. We can have a boys’ night. It’s been awhile. Then if other people happen to be there, we can see what happens. And that way Shane knows we’re supportive.”
JJ gave him a questioning look, but ultimately agreed and said he would send Shane a text to hang out later that week.
Because the universe hated him, when boys’ night came around, Jackie and the twins were all sick and Hayden had to stay home with them. He had suggested calling Jackie's parents to help so he could still go out, but Jackie leveled him with a look so deadly that he backed down. He texted JJ that he was stuck at home but that he and Shane should still go out.
“Maybe this was a good thing,” Hayden thought. Shane still wasn’t talking to him, so if he had been there too, Shane might have gotten suspicious. But Shane didn’t know that JJ knew anything other than he was gay. Maybe JJ would have a better chance getting Shane to either open up or realize these guys were better options for boyfriend material, even if Hayden didn’t know who they were. Anyone would be better than Rozanov.
Hayden ended up with his hands full taking care of everyone that night and then slept through optional skate the next morning. He finally texted JJ asking how it went around lunch time, but didn’t get a response. He didn’t think much of it, but planned to try to talk to him during workouts in the gym that afternoon. Only it was clear JJ was avoiding him and so was Shane. The two of them were stuck together throughout the workout, but every time Hayden went to talk to them, JJ appeared to run interference either starting a conversation with someone else or steering them in a different direction. Finally Hayden gave up and figured he’d just have to call JJ later in the day. He calmed himself with the thought that clearly Shane hadn’t told him who he was dating or there was no way JJ would be this chill.
Hayden called and texted JJ a few times that night and the next day but with no response. And there was no change in the locker room either. Hayden even reached out to Shane to ask how boy’s night had gone and invited him over for dinner once Jackie & the kids were better, but he got no response to that either. That night, JJ was knocking on his door shortly after the kids went to bed and he looked pissed.
“Hey JJ, sorry, Hayden didn’t tell me you were coming over or I wouldn’t be in my pajamas already,” Jackie said, opening the door.
“Sorry to intrude Jackie, I know you haven’t been feeling well. But I need to talk to your husband, and it is better to do it face to face. Do you mind giving us a few minutes?” JJ said and now Hayden was definitely nervous.
Jackie looked between the two curiously, but decided whatever it was, it was for them to work out. “Sure JJ. I’m pretty tired anyway, so I’m going to head up to bed. Do try to keep it down, the kids are all asleep.”
“Of course, Jackie. I hope you all feel better,” JJ said as she headed upstairs. They both waited a beat until they heard the bedroom door close before JJ whirled on Hayden, “What the fuck, man?”
“What do you mean JJ? I don’t know what’s going on,” Hayden said gesturing to the couch. He had a feeling, he would need to be sitting for whatever this conversation was about to be.
“So I went out with Shane the other night as planned. I introduced him to a few of my single gay friends, but while he was polite, it was clear he wasn’t interested. So I asked if he was seeing someone,” JJ paused. “He told me he was but that his boyfriend wasn’t out and it wasn’t safe for him to be out, so please do not ask. I assured him I wouldn’t push him to reveal his identity but I was curious about the person who had caught his attention.” Hayden forced himself to breathe wondering how Shane would answer that question.
“Shane then spent the next 20 minutes gushing about his boyfriend and how sweet and caring and considerate he was. He talked about how they had struggled to communicate for years but finally figured it out and got together at the cabin a couple of years ago. He talked about how hard the distance and secrecy were, but they were making it work.” Hayden was getting ready to interrupt, trying to think of how to counter these statements without telling JJ about Rozanov when JJ continued. “And then he talked about how after being scared to come out to his parents for years, he was so grateful they ended up not only being supportive of him but also welcoming his boyfriend into the family like another son. Apparently he and David have a standing puzzle date and he and Yuna got to the farmers’ market together.” Hayden gaped at JJ. He had no idea that Shane’s parents knew about Rozanov, but he couldn’t imagine them approving. Yuna had always hated the Bears and Rozanov in particular. And no, he might not be a Bear anymore, but still. What JJ was saying made no sense. It appeared JJ was waiting for a response, but Hayden didn’t have one.
Finally, JJ continued, “After hearing all of that, I was so confused between Shane’s description and yours, that I ended up confessing to Shane that you had talked to me with concerns about his boyfriend. I have never seen Shane get that mad, that fast. It seemed like he was going to have a full blown panic attack. He was having trouble breathing and I didn’t know what to do, but I managed to get him outside. He had called someone, but was having trouble getting words out so handed me the phone. Imagine my surprise to be talking to Ilya Rozanov.” Well, now Hayden could say something, but JJ waved him off. “He asked where we were and said he was on his way. I told him what had happened and held the phone to Shane’s ear while Ilya talked him down from a panic attack over the phone while he was driving himself. He pulled up 15 minutes later and Shane practically leapt into his arms and refused to let go.”
Hayden was frowning now. That made no sense. Rozanov was an asshole. He wasn’t that soft. Ok, maybe he would show up that quickly, but Hayden would have expected him to punch JJ before anything else. JJ stared at him for a moment before he continued talking, “Shane had driven himself there, but I had taken an Uber. So I told Ilya to give me Shane’s keys and I’d follow him back and just call an Uber from there, that way he wouldn’t have to worry about the car in the morning. When I parked at Shane’s, they actually invited me in. Shane had calmed down some and said he had some questions for me and he figured I would have questions for them. I ended up spending a couple hours there. The two of them are so fucking cute together and absolutely perfect for each other. Ilya is nothing like he is on the ice and Shane is so comfortable and open with him. If you spent any time with them, you’d see it for yourself. I honestly have no clue what your issue is with them Hayd, but count me out.”
Hayden was shaking his head when JJ finished. “Why are you calling him Ilya all of a sudden? We hate Rozanov, remember. Don’t tell me he has you under some kind of spell too?”
JJ sighed, “Hayd, Shane loves him. Yuna & David love him. Yes, on the ice he’s the Russian menace, but with Shane, he’s just Ilya. If you spend anytime with them, you’d see. You need to get over yourself, or you’re going to be short a few friends.”
Hayden couldn’t comprehend what JJ was saying. He was the one looking out for Shane. Why couldn’t anyone see that? Why was no one on his side but instead turning him into the bad guy.
JJ stood up and walked to the door. Before he left, he turned back and said, “Hayd, I get that it’s a lot to take in. If I had heard it and not seen them interact, I might have been skeptical too. But I’m with Shane now. And even if I wasn’t - it’s his relationship. You say you want to stop him from getting hurt, then you need to actually listen to Shane and stop thinking you know what’s best for him. And don’t expect me to be a part of any set-ups in the future unless Shane asks.” With that, JJ left. Hayden sat on the couch for a long time. None of it made sense. They had all hated Rozanov for years - why was everyone suddenly changing their minds. There was no way this wasn’t going to blow up in Shane’s face and then he would be the one there to support him. But one thing JJ said was true, it seemed like Shane and Rozanov were going to be a package deal for the moment. He guessed he could spend some time with them, just to get a better sense of how to get Shane to wake up and come to his senses. He’d just have to be careful.
~~~~~~~~
Eventually, Hayden gave in and asked Shane and Rozanov to come over for dinner. Shane was hesitant after everything, but Hayden leveraged that Jackie and the kids had all been bugging him about when Uncle Shane was coming back over. Hayden was anxious about letting Rozanov around his kids, but figured he would be there to run inference and maybe watching them would be eye-opening for Shane and help him come to his senses.
From the start, it was a nightmare. Rozanov kept referring to him as the 15th best Metro and was openly flirting with Jackie right in front of them. But when Hayden called him out, both Shane and Jackie yelled at Hayden! Jackie pushed a tray of burgers into his hand and ordered him out to the grill. He wasn’t thrilled about leaving Rozanov in his house, but he recognized when Jackie wasn’t going to back down. So he silently stewed outside while grilling. At one point Shane came out to give him a beer and he asked, “Doesn’t it bother you that he’s flirting with my wife?”
Shane sighed, “Hayd, he doesn’t mean anything by it. After all, Jackie’s gorgeous and you’ve said it yourself that she’s out of your league.”
“But Shane, he’s been with like a million women. If he can’t even make it through dinner at your best friend’s house without flirting, how can you think he would be faithful to you.”
“Hayden enough,” Shane practically yelled. “Ilya and I are in love. We have known each other longer than you’ve known Jackie. You told me you invited us here to get to know him. Are you planning to do that or are you planning to complain about your own perception of him the whole night. Because if it’s the latter, we might as well leave now.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll back off,” Hayden huffed, taking the burgers off the grill. Suddenly there was a squeal inside that sounded like Ruby and Hayden’s heart dropped. What had Rozanov done? He left the burgers on the plate next to the grill and rushed back inside.
“Rozanov, I swear, if you’ve hurt one of my children, I’ll kill you myself,” he yelled running to the living room. But when he rounded the corner, his eyes didn’t compute what was happening. The twins were each wearing capes, crowns, and carrying swords while Rozanov was crouching on the floor in front of them.
“Hayden Pike, what on earth are you screaming at?” Jackie yelled rounding the corner with Shane right behind her.
“I heard Ruby yell,” Hayden said, floundering a little. “I thought…” but looking at the adults in the room who were staring at him with mixtures of horror, rage, and confusion, he realized he couldn’t actually finish the statement.
“We were playing princess quest Daddy,” Jade said quietly. “Uncle Ilya is the dragon.”
At this, Rozanov stood up with a frown, “You think I would hurt a child, Pike? What kind of person would do that?”
They were all looking at him, but Hayden didn’t know what to say. He had been sure, but now … wait, “Uncle Ilya?”
At this point Shane stepped into the room and reached for Ilya’s hand, “Jackie thanks so much for the invitation, but we need to go.”
“Uncle Shane, no! We haven’t seen you in forever!” Ruby immediately yelled wrapping around his legs.
“I know sweetheart, and I miss you too. I promise to come back and play with you again really soon, but right now, Uncle Ilya and I need to go,” Shane responded, kneeling down to give her and Jade a huge hug. Standing up, he grabbed Rozanov’s hand again and turned to Jackie, “Thanks again Jackie, but we really need to go. Please give Arthur and Amber a hug for me and tell them I’m sorry.”
“Of course Shane. And I’m really sorry.” Jackie said while Hayden still stood there frozen, unsure what was happening.
“You have nothing to apologize for Lady Pike,” Rozanov added. “I hope to see you and the little Pikes again soon” he said before following Shane out the door.
“Girls, go wash up for dinner and then set the table please,” Jackie said, ushering the twins out of the room before turning to Hayden. “And you, what is wrong with you Hayden? The girls were having an amazing time playing with Ilya and he was great with them. He even changed Amber and put her down when she started fussing and my hands were busy. I don’t know what your vendetta is against him, but it needs to stop. I don’t even recognize you. I suggest you find somewhere else to stay tonight.” And with that, she left the room. Hayden was still frozen in place, wondering how he had gotten there. He had heard one of his children yell and ran in out of concern. How did he wind up as the bad guy?
Slowly he went upstairs to put together his travel bag. He was leaving for a road trip the next day, so even though he didn’t understand why he needed to leave his own house, he figured giving Jackie more time to cool down would be better in the long run.
The next day, Hayden still didn’t think his reaction warranted that response. He was a concerned father. But he figured if he explained that to Shane, after a night to calm down, he would understand. As soon as he arrived, it was clear that Shane had told JJ something though and JJ was making sure Hayden didn’t have the chance to talk to Shane. And since Shane was now requesting to room with JJ instead of Hayden, he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance in the hotel either.
Shane still talked to Hayden like normal on the ice, and their play didn’t seem to be suffering anymore. Hayden was relieved that Shane seemed normal there. But the rest of the team had realized something was up between them in the locker room. Shane just shrugged it off and reminded everyone they were there to play hockey and then JJ would change the topic or create a diversion. The rest of the room seemed to leave it alone, leaving Hayden feeling lost.
A few weeks later things were still rocky with Jackie, but he was home at least. Hayden knew he needed to do something, so when Montreal was playing at Ottawa, Hayden decided his best chance was to confront Rozanov. Shane was picked for media post-game, so Hayden saw a window. He rushed through a shower and out to the parking lot, hoping to catch Rozanov as he was leaving before he needed to get on the team bus back to Montreal.
When he got out to the player’s lot, he realized his flaw was that he had no way of knowing if Rozanov was still there or not. But then he saw a bright orange sports car that had to be his. Hayden stood near it for a minute before he saw Rozanov walking towards it with a couple other Ottawa players. “Rozanov, can I talk to you?” Hayden yelled over to him. He saw the Russian pull up short and say something to his teammates, waving them away before he walked over. Hayden also noticed the other players didn’t leave. Oh well, witnesses were probably a good idea.
“What do you want, Pike? I am tired,” Rozanov said wearily.
“I want you to leave Shane alone.” Hayden said, trying to puff out his chest.
Rozanov just stared at him for a moment before he laughed. “And what if that is not what Shane wants? What gives you the right to ask this?”
Hayden can feel his hands start to ball into fists, “Because I know you’re messing with him and I don’t want to see my friend hurt. I don’t know what you have on him or how you’ve fooled everyone else, but I know who you are. And someone has to look out for what’s best for Shane.”
Rozanov just stares at him before he quietly says, “You say a lot of words when you don’t know anything Pike. You say you don’t want to see Shane hurt but of the two of us, you are the only one hurting him. You are supposed to be his friend and you are breaking his heart. Go home Pike, you know nothing.”
Rozanov looks so smug that Hayden wants to punch him. He takes a step forward, when he hears JJ calling him and also sees the other Centaur players moving forward.
“Hayden, what the fuck are you doing?” JJ yells running over. Before Hayden can respond, JJ continues, “Whatever it is, leave it. You’re about to start a fight with the captain of the other team in the parking lot. Just get on the bus” JJ says, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the team bus. When he gets on, it’s clear the guys on the bus had seen what was happening and were congratulating him on taking the Russian menace down a notch. At least they were on Hayden’s side, he thought. The bus started to roll away a few minutes later and Hayden realized Shane wasn’t on the bus. He yelled up to JJ, “Hey, where’s Shane?”
“He’s staying in Ottawa tonight to have dinner with his parents, like he has every time we play at Ottawa for the past two seasons,” JJ responded glaring at Hayden in a silent challenge.
“Mama’s boy,” he heard someone mutter, but JJ was quick to counter, “Would you seriously say no to Yuna Hollander?” That shut everyone up. Whatever the team thought about Shane, they were all terrified of Yuna. Maybe that was an angle, Hayden thought.
In the end, Hayden couldn’t think much about Shane and Rozanov. He got checked extra hard into the board in their next game, which was against Boston, and wound up on IR with an injured shoulder. He can’t prove it, but he’s sure Rozanov put one of his former teammates up to it. A couple other injuries left Montreal short-handed and they ended up falling just short of the playoffs, so he won’t see Shane again until the next season. He’s trying not to dwell on it, and honestly he doesn’t have much energy to. After he was injured, Jackie sat him down and suggested they go to couple’s counseling. He agreed thinking it would be easy because they’ve always had a solid relationship. However, Jackie and the therapist do not seem to share that opinion and Hayden’s honestly not sure where he stands anymore. Between that and physical therapy, Hayden doesn’t have much energy to spare for Shane, especially when he won’t answer his texts or calls.
Still, Hayden keeps it in the back of his mind, trying to figure out his next move. If he’s honest, Yuna might scare him more than Rozanov, but Yuna has always been kind to him. And if anyone can get through to Shane, it would be her. He’s trying to figure out how to reach out to Yuna when Jackie comes into the room with her phone in her hand, “Did you know Shane was leaving Montreal?” she asks.
“What?!” Hayden exclaims. “Shane would never leave Montreal. He plans to retire from here and have his jersey hung from the rafters.” Hayden pulls out his phone, but Jackie just hands him hers instead, open to an instagram post from the Ottawa Centaurs announcing the free agency signing of Shane Hollander to the team on a five year contract.
Hayden couldn’t believe his eyes. Without saying another word, he got up, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door planning to drive to Shane’s house and figure this out. When he got there though, he was shocked to see a for sale sign in the yard. He tried Shane’s number, but the call wouldn’t connect and he realized that Shane blocked him. Apparently Shane was officially done with their friendship. “Well fine,” Hayden thought. “If he wants to pick that Russian menace over his best friend, it’s his heart I guess. He’s just going to have to learn the hard way.”
~~~~
Later that summer, the hockey world exploded when Shane and Rozanov posted photos of their wedding on instagram, officially launching their relationship. Hayden couldn’t help himself from scrolling through the photos and wondering why Shane would tie himself to Rozanov of all people. The league announced an investigation, but since they were on the same team and had their management support, it didn’t really go anywhere. The Montreal group chat exploded in disbelief and Hayden felt momentarily justified. But it quickly devolved into slurs and that actually made him pause. He didn’t really care that Shane was gay, it was just the Rozanov of it all. But apparently the rest of the team had other ideas. Hayden knew he should say something in the chat, but really didn’t know what. It was then that he realized JJ wasn’t saying anything either, and then realized JJ had actually left the chat at the same time as Shane. Hayden started to text JJ, but then decided to check his instagram first. Sure enough, there was a post that JJ had been traded to the New York Admirals in the off season.
He wondered how things had gone so wrong - his closest friends were no longer on his team and they hadn’t even told him. In fact, they didn’t even seem to be talking to him. He had been looking out for them, like a good friend, hadn’t he?
It’s a few weeks later when he was out at a club with some of the team that’s still around Montreal when he realized Rose Landry was there too. Hayden had maybe had too much to drink, but Jackie had taken the kids to her parents for the summer, and he decided to drink about it. It was probably the liquid courage that led him to approach Rose Landry. “Why did you have to break up with Shane? You were perfect together? So much better than Rozanov, who’s only going to break his heart.”
One of Rose’s friends (or maybe security) tried to push Hayden away, but Rose waved them off. “It’s Hayden Pike, right?” When Hayden nodded, she continued. “Shane and I were only ever meant to be friends. Best friends, but friends. Ilya and Shane are so madly in love, it’s sometimes hard to be in the same room with them, they’re so sweet. The only thing Ilya could do to hurt Shane is to leave, and that will never happen. Shane told me about you though - he said you were his best friend. He also said you refused to ever give Ilya a chance. That you constantly tried to cause trouble between them and criticize Ilya, who is the love of his life. If anyone broke Shane’s heart, Hayden Pike, it is you. Seems like you weren’t much of a best friend after all. So it’s a good thing Shane has me.” And with that she turned on her heel and faded into the crowd, leaving Hayden alone at the bar.
~~~~~~~
Looking back, Hayden still isn't sure where it all went wrong. He was just trying to be a good friend. He was trying to save Shane from himself and the inevitable heartbreak that would follow.
The problem is, despite his best efforts and intentions, it seems he was the one to break Shane's heart. At least that's what Jackie, JJ, Shane, Rozanov, and Rose Landry of all people have told him. And now Shane and Ilya are married and playing for the Centaurs. JJ is playing for the Admirals. Jackie and the kids are at her parents’ house. And Hayden is left alone. But for the life of him, he still can’t figure out where it all went wrong.