Hi again. This is a Sideblog to (@montrealjane) housing an independent portrayal of Hayden Pike from Heated Rivalry / Game Changers Series, following canon with room for headcanons and canon divergence.
OC and Crossover friendly, this blog is 21+ minors DNI
Mun goes by Luki, 25+, and I’ve been on this site for… honestly, way too many years at this point. I'm bilingual so I apologize for any mistakes made!
I always read the rules of RP blogs I interact with, but since this is a sideblog I can't follow back - Sorry! I’ll assume that if you follow or interact, you’ve read my rules as well.
I'm a little shy to approach people but please, feel free to message me anytime about anything, and if you have questions for either of my muses, send them in too!
Rules under the cut:
Mun
As mentioned above, my name is Lukas, he/him, queer toast, 25+ years old with over a decade of roleplay experience. Despite that I'm sometimes a little insecure and don't always know how to approach people but I don't bite, I promise!
Full time working at this point, so replies may be slow at times
diagnosed with autism and bilingual, so sorry for any mistakes made.
Please be honest with me, if I write something and you don't like it, let me know, we can figure it out, I will never be mad to adjust to make things work!
Please keep in mind I'm in UTC / CET timezone, so if I ever don't reply or don't react chances are I'm asleep :D
General
This is a drama-free zone. I can't stress this enough. Hate, callout culture, vague posting, ship hate, character bashing, or mun harassment will result in a block.
I’m not involved in fandom drama and plan to keep it that way - I’m here to write, have fun, and enjoy roleplay as my hobby
NSFW themes may occur. All content will be tagged appropriately.
Icons, formatting, and length do not matter to me as long as replies are readable and give me something to work with.
No godmodding, auto-hitting, or controlling my character’s thoughts or feelings. You can describe attempts and I’ll decide outcomes offering the same to you.
I’m fully caught up on canon (both books and the show). This blog is set post-show / during the last 2 episodes by default unless discussed and plotted otherwise.
Triggers & Content Warnings
Please tag:
Air raid sirens / tornado sirens
Major character death
Canon-typical content such as swearing, drinks and soft drugs, emotional conflict, trauma, adult themes, and sports-related injury may appear on this blog.
If you need anything tagged specifically, please let me know - I’m happy to accommodate where possible. ♡
what is your favourite thing about the best hockey player in the world, Ilya Rozanov? 🤔
Hayden blinks. Once. Then immediately huffs, looking offended. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the best hockey player in the world would be Shane Hollander."
The answer comes so quickly it almost sounds rehearsed. Which, honestly, it kind of is. Hayden practically preens because this is his best friend they're talking about. After all he has spent years listening to people argue about rankings and trophies and statistics and his Shane is simply the best. Everyone knows that. Everyone should know that.
"So your question was already nonsense." He nods once, entirely satisfied with that assessment. "But if you're asking about Rozanov specifically..." Hayden trails off, pretending to think about it, a little smirk appearing on his features.
"He's pretty good too, I guess." he adds with a shrug, as if the man hadn't spent the last decade terrorizing goaltenders across North America and made them shake in their skates. Not that he will admit that out loud.
"My favorite thing about him though?" Hayden repeats and his grin widens immediately. "When he shuts the fuck up."
"Second favorite is how much it pisses him off that Shane is still better than him. Absolute cinema." admittedly, him and Roz have come quite a way ever since he learnt about him and Shane, but no one needs to know that. They jab at each other all the time. It's kinda their thing? It's good and Hayden doesn't hate it as much as he pretends to do. Doesn't hate him anymore either, but that's another thing the public doesn't need to know about.
Ilya had a rather tense expression on his face as he walked over to Hayden. During a game against Detroit, some asshole had called Shane a word that he hadn't ever heard before.
He'd seen Shane's reaction to it. It was barely even a flinch, but there was exhaustion in his husband's eyes. He could've only assumed it was something bad.
"Hayden, I need to know what this word means. What is a 'gook'?"
Depending on the answer, it determined how hard Ilya was going to punch the defenseman the next time he saw him.
Several seconds passed in which Hayden's expression sobered almost immediately. The easy-going smile disappeared from his face as if someone had flipped a switch. "Who said that?"
The question came out calm. Too calm. Because Hayden knew that word. Unfortunately, he knew exactly what it meant. He knew what people used it for and he hated everything about it.
For a brief second he found himself hoping there had been some misunderstanding. That maybe he'd misheard Ilya but-
Hayden already knew the answer.
His jaw tightened as he rubbed a hand across his face and let out a slow breath, buying himself a second. The problem wasn't that he didn't know how to explain it. The problem was that he knew exactly how much worse things were going to get once he did.
"When and where?" he demanded, even though technically it didn't matter. He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, trying to ground himself because if there was even the smallest chance of delaying the inevitable for another thirty seconds, he was going to take it.
If somebody had called Shane that to his face, Hayden was going to need several very compelling reasons not to commit a felony. And judging by the look on Ilya's face, the answer to that question was currently standing between one unfortunate defenseman and a very expensive dental bill too.
@rivaledmuses didn't ask but gets one anyway ;D <3
Hayden has struggled to take his mind off the mess that is his life at the moment.
After the whole fallout and everything that happened with Shane, he'd been traded to a place he was convinced would be hell. He'd been certain the decision had been made by design. Montreal had tried to fuck him over.
Hayden was about ninety-eight percent sure this locker room was going to shred him to confetti the moment he stepped through the door.
But none of that happened.
Sure, his life was still a mess right now, but if that was the consequence of defending his all-time best friend against some bigoted assholes, then so be it.
What he hadn't expected was the almost comically warm welcome he'd received instead. Word had spread surprisingly fast about why he'd been shipped out of Montreal despite spending practically his entire career committed to the franchise. Apparently standing up for your friends still counted for something.
It was also the reason why he was currently perched on top of a hotel bed next to none other than Cliff fucking Marleau, one half of a pair of Switch controllers in his hands as both men stared at the television with deadly seriousness, fully committed to beating each other's asses.
Things were fucked up right now. But this? This was okay.
And if he had to spend the rest of his hockey career like this—playing video games in hotel rooms, surrounded by teammates who actually seemed happy to have him around—until he became a free agent or eventually retired?
Shane couldn't hate Hayden for this. It was a real and genuine accident, no matter how much Ilya pissed and moaned about it otherwise. Shane just didn't expect the backlash. The support is nice, it's there, he knows it's there because he's fucking seen it, but it sometimes feels like the hate, the spite, the anger drowns out everything else. Over the course of his life, it feels like he's been called everything under the sun. You just have to learn how to move on from it, right? Because if you hold onto it, it'll fucking eat you alive.
Case in point: Shane sobbing in Hayden's arms currently. He appreciates that he's trying to make him feel better, but Shane can't really tell how much it's working. He stays there in his arms when he finally stops crying, just exhausted from it all. It already feels like he's reaching his breaking point, burnout and overstimulation threatening to hit him like a fucking train, but what can he do but move on? Or at least try to?
"I hope you're right because this is fucking insanity," he mutters after a few moments of silence, letting out a shaky breath and lifting a hand to wipe at his eyes. "I don't know what I would do without you. I mean, I have Ilya, obviously, but...he's just as stressed about it as I am. I don't want to unload all of it on him, I guess. Sometimes you still know how to handle me better." Shane snorts, giving Hayden a squeeze before letting go. "I just...wanna go home."
Hayden's expression softened immediately at that, one hand still rubbing slow circles against Shane's back even after he'd stopped crying.
"Yeah, well..." he muttered quietly. "Someone had to figure out how your brain works eventually." The joke was gentle. Careful around the edges. Hayden knew better than to push too hard right now. Shane already looked exhausted enough to collapse straight through the floor.
"And for the record?" he added after a second, glancing down at him properly. "This is fucking insane, you are fucking valid for being upset, but I promise you, it's going to get better."
His jaw tightened slightly afterward and he meant it. He would personally fight everyone who dared to give Shane a hard time about this. Because honestly? Hayden was angry too. Furious, actually. Not at Shane. Never at Shane. At the people who somehow looked at one of the kindest guys Hayden had ever known and still decided to treat him like shit over who he loved. It made him want to start swinging sometimes. Instead Hayden just sighed quietly and bumped his shoulder lightly against Shane's.
"C'mon. Let's get you home then." he said, offering one of his arms for Shane to lean against him if he wanted to. "And before you say you're fine enough to drive, absolutely the fuck not."
Hayden pointed at him immediately afterward, smile widening again. "You cried so hard you probably almost threw up like ten minutes ago. You're banned from operating heavy machinery for the evening."
And before Shane could protest he added: "How about we stop at that zero bullshit smoothie store that you like? You know the one where they actually just put fruit and vegetables in the blender? Not even sugar? Just the gross stuff?"
In the beginning, Wyatt hadn't really known what to make of Hayden. He'd wanted to impress him, to make sure that he knew he would never hurt Lisa. However, at the end of the day, he's just Some Guy. His word didn't mean much in the beginning.
He likes to think he's proven himself now, though. Wyatt has done his best to make Lisa happy. Granted, he wishes he could do more sometimes - Like his current goal is to get a better house for them - But he's always made sure that she's his top priority.
"It's good." Wyatt slides into a seat at the kitchen table, twisting his beer bottle around in his hand. "It's taking some getting used to. I miss Pricey. But everyone's been good to me."
"The coach is different to anyone else I've had before. He's -" Wyatt clicks his tongue, trying to think of the right word. "Laid back, I guess? He tries to encourage the love of hockey rather than winning. Which is weird because in Toronto, it felt so much more competitive."
He takes a drink before nodding at Hayden. "What about you? How's everything over in Montreal? You guys had a good game last week, Lees and I watched it."
Hayden's expression softened a little at that, shoulders visibly relaxing as he leaned back in his chair. It still caught him off guard sometimes - hearing someone talk about Lisa like this. Carefully. Like she mattered more than appearances or obligations. She'd had her fair share of unbearable exes over the years and Hayden had punched more than one of them, swearing to protect her from the next bad decision. Thank god Wyatt was one of the good ones. He really had proven himself after all.
"Yeah?" Hayden hummed with a small grin. "Honestly, that sounds a lot like Ottawa." He reached for his drink before continuing.
"Wait- You did?!" For a tiny moment he looked genuinely flattered. Sure, he knew Lisa tried to watch as many of his games as possible, but hearing it said out loud still made him feel like he'd suddenly grown a couple inches taller. Then his thoughts drifted back toward the locker room and he shifted slightly in his seat.
"Montreal's kinda intense sometimes." which was putting it lightly. "Everything feels bigger there. Louder. You win three games straight and people treat you like gods. Lose two and suddenly the entire city's planning your funeral."
He tried not to think too hard about how tense things had felt around the team lately. Ever since Shane had come out to them as gay, some of the guys had been weird in ways Hayden still wasn't entirely sure how to deal with. Maybe people just needed time. Hopefully those thoughts hadn't shown too clearly on his face because Hayden quickly shook his head a little, trying to brush it off. "I'm glad to hear Ottawa's treating you well though. Really. I've heard miserable things about Toronto—"
He paused briefly, considering Wyatt for a second before adding with complete sincerity: "Fuck, Kent is such an obnoxious asshole."
Hayden's grin widened immediately afterward. "Now that you're not playing there anymore I can finally say that out loud."
✘ ♕ ✘ Hayden hadn't been wrong in the beginning when he pointed out that it looked like something was upsetting Ilya. At first, the Russian had been pouting to give up a day with his boyfriend, but as he and Hayden settled into somewhat of a relaxed conversation, watching the game on TV, he found that things could be worse.
While he didn't have much in common with the other man, hearing Hayden's description of being "whipped" actually sounded nice to Ilya. He wasn't about to admit it, but he actually felt a pang of jealousy there. There were days when fantasies of having a family with Shane would infiltrate his mind, complete with the chaos and mess of kids. The two could barely find time for each other, though, so he refused to dwell on those dreams for long.
Glancing to Hayden, there was a small but genuine smile tugging the corners of Ilya's lips. He gave a small nod in agreement, that they should try. "This... is not the worst way I could spend my night," he admitted, eyebrows raising once as though he were revealing some big secret. Sure, the former Boston captain was known to be a total party boy, but he found himself outgrowing the days of getting black out drunk and losing himself in clubs. Such things didn't hold the same appeal they once had.
"Maybe I don't so much mind it here with-" He reached behind him and pulled out the stuffed whale or fish or whatever it was that had been digging into his back. "What's this one's name?"
Hayden immediately recognized the stuffed white whale Ilya pulled out from between the cushions and snorted softly.
"Oh, that's a beluga. Arthur is really into marine animals lately." He pointed toward the plush in Ilya's hands. "That's Mister Dipsy you're holding there. Don't ask about the name because I genuinely couldn't tell you how he came up with it."
Hayden grinned a little to himself before continuing without really meaning to. "Oh, did you know they're native to Russian waters too? Belugas, I mean."
The words leave him so naturally that he doesn't even realize he's rambling until he's already halfway through the sentence.
Then he finally pauses. "...Sorry, you didn't ask-" Hayden adds sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck a little. God, Rozanov probably thought he was unbelievably boring right now. Or worse. More boring than Shane.
Honestly, at this point Hayden wasn't even sure where exactly he'd picked up the habit of blurting out random animal facts in casual conversation anymore. Probably osmosis from spending too much time around the Hollanders. They all do it.
Shane couldn’t help but to laugh softly at that, shaking his head. “You guys mock me all the time for doing this but what do you think helps me move about the ice so easily? It’s good to stretch your muscles out.” He breathed out, moving to sit himself down whilst Hayden was taking a minute.
“Downward dog. Like this.” With that, Shane moved to his hands and knee. He slowly arched into the position, feeling that familiar burn in his biceps and back. He turned a little to see if Hayden was reacting to it or not, a soft smirk pulling at his lips.
"Oh my god, you're trying to kill me." But Hayden's mom hadn't raised a quitter. A complainer? Absolutely. But not a quitter.
So he pushes himself back up again and tries to mimic Shane's posture as closely as possible, immediately followed by the strained noise of a man being actively tortured.
"What— have— I— ever done to you— to deserve this?" he grumbles, completely butchering the sentence between gasps for air. Somehow he manages to hold this position much better than the last one though.
Hayden's arms are already trembling as he glares at Shane from across the mat like this is somehow personally his fault. "You should include this in our training-" he pants out dramatically. "This is horrifyingly effective."
Another strained breath. "I can literally feel myself becoming more flexible against my will."
"I know he does. I love him, too...more than I could ever describe, I think." And it's true. Ilya is so fucking in love that it kills him sometimes because he doesn't know what to do with all of it. Even now, being married, living together, out and open and happy, it feels like one long dream. Sometimes Ilya worries that he's going to wake up and be back in Moscow, lonely and miserable and angry at the world. Shane really did save him in more ways than he knows. He's never told Shane that he never expected to make it past his early twenties, that dying young was something he always expected. Now, though, he can imagine growing old with Shane by his side, children and grandchildren laughing and playing in their yard.
It'll be a home full of love, a home without raised voices and fists, without crying and screaming and wondering if death is the better option. Hayden doesn't know how deep it runs and Ilya has no intention of dumping all of that on him, but... "He is the best thing that's ever happened to me, Pike. I tell him that all the time."
He rolls his eyes, though, and snorts, waving a hand. "In your dreams. You let your guard down enough and I'll beat you so hard you'll wonder where it came from."
At least all of it is out in the open now. Ilya raises his eyebrows at Hayden's question and smirks. "Of course I do. I am going to spoil him all day long. I know he doesn't like big parties, so I just plan to have it be me and him. I know David and Yuna are going to come over at some point, but we're going to have a nice dinner, just us two, and I got him presents. Nothing crazy, but you know, he likes simple."
"You and me both, man." And Hayden means it. He loves Shane too and he's not ashamed to admit that anymore. Not after everything.
Then he actually listens. Not just hears the words, but really listens to them. Maybe for the first time ever because until now Rozanov — no, Ilya — had never really bothered talking to him like this before.
"Dude, Shane loves you so much he'd move actual mountains for you if only you asked. He can be scary when he sets his mind on something-" Hayden says immediately, without hesitation. Like it's the easiest thing in the world to know for certain. And Hayden isn't saying that to guilt Ilya or make some dramatic point. It's just objectively true.
He snorts softly afterward, shaking his head. A grin tugs briefly at his mouth before fading again. "I know Shane. He hates this birthday shit more than anyone I've ever met. I mean, you guys are literally married so obviously you know him too, but..."
Hayden trails off awkwardly, gesturing vaguely with one hand like he's trying to physically grab onto his own point before it escapes him. "I know you always thought I wasn't exactly the observant type and yeah, okay, maybe I'm a little dumb sometimes. Definitely no genius—"
Suddenly he's not entirely sure how much of this is actually his place to say. Still, he'd already started talking now. Hayden scratches the back of his neck and glances down toward the half-eaten pizza slice sitting forgotten on his plate. He's not even sure if they should be talking about this, but the thought lodged itself into his brain and now he can't shake it loose again.
Because maybe Ilya already knows. He should know, right?
"Do you know Shane still thinks you'll eventually get tired of him?" he blurts out before he can catch himself, his voice is careful when he says it though. Not accusatory. Just... quietly and genuine. He really hopes Ilya already knows. Because Hayden doesn't want to sound like he's revealing some deep hidden secret about Shane, but...
I didn't want to have to make this post, but please if you hate Hayden for any reason at all, please don't fucking follow me. I'm so genuinely sick of people being like: "oH i hOpE JakOb mAkEs hiM lEsS oF aN aSsHoLe iN tHe sHoW" - With all due respect: Fuck off.
Hayden was never an asshole, don't even look at me. People need to learn some reading comprehension. Hayden was being PROTECTIVE about his BEST FRIEND towards a man he only ever knew to be a manwhore + womanizer and total asshole towards him AND Shane on the ice. People seem to fucking forget that Ilya has been chirping both, Hayden and Shane for over a fucking decade.
I'm not saying the things he's said and done were right and he can't do no wrong. Nu-uh. He is a flawed and deeply human character and acts the way he does because he doesn't know Ilya the way Shane does. Full stop. Learn what POV means ffs.
its really important to me that people understand that when ilya calls hayden “15th best metro” he is fully joking. while certainely not on shane and ilyas level, hayden is one of shanes wingers on the first line. you dont get put on the first line with shane fucking hollander by being bad at hockey. same goes for ilyas chirp about shanes backhand. i doubt theres a single skill in hockey shane is truly subpar at.
@captainswinged said: Birthday Ask <3 How do you even pick a gift for a literal millionaire that could just buy whatever he wants whenever he wants it? It's hard. Hayden knows this, but thankfully he knows Shane too. He had to find something that Shane wouldn't get for himself, because he rarely treats himself. So, Hayden had to do quite a lot of thinking and sifted through the internet, searching high and low for something appropriate. And then he found it. He 'hates' what he found, he 'hates' how perfect it is and he 'hates' how he immediately contacted the seller to have it made to order. On his birthday Shane will be handed a gift the size of a shoe box - and god he only hopes that his best friend won't think this to be cringe - but anyways, inside is a teddy bear, but of course it's not just a plain stuffed bear, it's blond-ish in color, turquoise pins as eyes and the most important thing: it comes with not just one, but two little Rozanov 81 jerseys. One the appropriate Boston Bears colors, the other made to look like the Centaurs one. Everything is made with the utmost love and attention for every little details. "Happy Birthday, buddy. I thought this helps for when you guys are apart." - captainswinged <3
Shane's never really been one for birthdays. Everyone who knows him knows that. He finds them draining and overstimulating when most of the time, he really just wants to sit at home with his loved ones and enjoy a quiet evening together. When he's handed the box from Hayden, he quirks a brow and unwraps it, feeling a flush rise to his cheeks when he opens it to see the bear that greets him. Shane huffs out a laugh as he picks it up, a wide grin appearing on his face. "Hayd, you're such a sap," he mumbles, hugging the bear close for a moment before he pulls Hayden into a hug of his own, still grinning. "I love it. Thank you."
"Yeah, counting in two languages is really hard. I can count in three! English, and Russian, and Japanese! Sometimes it gets all jumbled up in my head, so I guess I get why Papa doesn't count so well in English." This all makes quite a lot of sense to Irina as she logics it out. Poor Papa. She would have to help him!
"Okay, I won't tease him. But I'll help him count." To which Shane can only imagine now. Irina loved to insert herself into situations, and the thought of her pointing at things and counting them slowly for Ilya makes him laugh again.
"Irina, you don't have to teach Papa how to count. I'll do it, alright?" he says as he comes out of the kitchen, setting her snack down in front of her. "What are you teaching my daughter now, Hayd?"
Hayden gets up as Shane emerges from the kitchen, a playful little smile tugging at his lips.
"Only, how hockey teams are staffed, right, Irina?" he winks at her again, fully aware that Shane has overheard everything and knows his little scheme - but Hayden is going to pretend to be innocent until Ilya returns and gets his daughter counting things for him - veeeeeeery slowly.
Oh, how much he wished he could be there to see that happen.
When his eyes return to Shane, he sticks his tongue out at him the same moment Irina focuses her healthy snacks. "I only have the best intentions, buddy. You know me."
"Uncle Hayden--" Irina tugs on his sleeve, looking up at him with big, wide, innocent eyes. "Um, if you're the fifteenth best player in Montreal, then how did you stay on the Metros for so long? I thought you had to be, like, reaaalllyyy good to play professionally." Somewhere, Ilya is probably laughing evilly.
Hayden smiles kindly at her, even if the question stings a little. He can’t believe Rozanov still calls him that, and after years of being told he didn’t deserve to stand on the ice next to Shane, Hayden has had moments where he almost believed it too. Well, none of that matters now - it's not Irina’s fault, and if Ilya is laughing right now, good for him.
He crouches down to get on her eye level, brushing a hand against his chin. "Mhm. You’re right. You have to be really good, but a regular hockey team usually has about twenty players, sweety."
He nods, as if calculating it all in his head. "And you can’t blame your papa for not knowing this—he’s not so great at math, so we don’t tease him for that, okay?" He winks at her before continuing.
"But I’ve been on the first line with your dad for almost ten years. The first line has six players, soooo—" Hayden pauses, letting her think it through. He knows exactly how to win kids over, how to make them feel like little detectives putting pieces together.
"You know what that means? You think number 15 would be on the first line?"
Irina blinks, tilting her head as Hayden speaks. Oh...maybe that does make sense. If he was the fifteenth best player, then he definitely couldn't be on the first line! That would make him.... "Oh, if you were fifteen you'd be on...um.." She does the math in her head, counting on her fingers. "...Three? Right?"
Another pause, then "And if you were on first line, then that means you...you're at least top six, so Papa was wrong? Oh no! Papa can't count!" Which earns a concerned gasp from Irina and a short, sharp laugh from Shane somewhere over in the kitchen.
Hayden’s smile widens. "Exactly. That’s it, little lady. Good job."
His eyes dart to the kitchen, knowing Shane has overheard them makes it even better. Top six sounds at least somewhat accurate. Hayden doesn’t feel like a star player, but he’s never been on the bench when the game starts, and that’s enough.
"You have to understand-" he continues, nodding for emphasis, "-counting in two different languages can be confusing."
Then his expression softens, becoming a little more serious—but only on the surface. Hayden knows he’s putting on a bit of a stern face to seem authentic, even if on the inside he’s quietly reveling in his tiny act of revenge: "But you have to promise me - you’re not teasing your papa about it, okay? We wouldn’t want to upset him. Maybe you can teach him one day?"
