Shane should be able to crash out at his last Metros game. I mean fully lose. His. Shit. It is absolutely criminal that he doesnât canonically get to do that.
Hayden watches way Shaneâs right eye twitches as Drapeau throws another snide comment his way. Itâs not something Shane had before this season, before the video, Haydenâs monumental fuck up, being outed, having his entire life put under a high-powered microscope even more than it was before andâHayden, I forgive you. Itâs okay. You donât have to freak out about this.
The twitch started up as the rest of the team treated Shane less like their captain and more likeâŚfuck, what even is this? JJ barely glances Shaneâs way anymore; just nods wordlessly at practices. Theriault barks orders at them the same way, but heâs more critical of Shane than ever and far more liberal in his use of âladiesâ and âpansiesâ as insults now. The rookies are quiet, following whatever the veteran players do and laughing at their shit comments.
Drapeau and Comeau are the worst. They were already bad when Shane came out to the teamâasking how he played after taking it up the ass, complaining about showering with someone who might check them out. But finding out who Shaneâs been seeing makes them so much worse.
They seem to be leading the campaign to push Shane out, and they donât stop even after the trade announcement. They encourage the rest of the team to get worse. Miitka stops passing to him at practice one day. Then Stedlund, then Olsson, then Gagnon, and then all the rookies within a week. Wilson starts scoffing when Shane calls plays. Berkes rolls his eyes and makes vile hand gestures behind Shaneâs back. Schneider removes Shane from the team group chat before Comeau renames it âReal Men Only.â
Shane just takes it. He takes the disrespect, the losses, the notable decline in performance that the press wonât stop asking about. Weâre having an off season. Just growing pains. There are big changes coming and everyoneâs adjusting to what will be the new normal.
The eye twitch starts after a dismal shutout against Toronto. Shane insists that itâs nothing, like Hayden canât see it getting worse as their hopes of a fourth cup go up in smoke.
Tonight, though? As Drapeau opens his mouth in the locker room to say something else, to add another drop into the already overflowing bucket? As Shane tries to make his final speech as captain and nobodyâs even looking in his direction? The twitch comes and then justâŚstops. It doesnât linger the way it usually does, taking a few minutes of uneven blinking to calm down. It comes, causes a few jerky movements at the corner of Shaneâs eye, then stops abruptly.
Right as Shane decides to stand on a bench and un-fucking-load.
âListen up!â The locker room goes silent as Captain Hollanderânot Shane, not Hollander, not âugh, the queerââcommands their attention in a way he hasnât all season. âYou want to act like assholes? Fine! You want toâinterrupt me again, Comeau! I FUCKING DARE YOU!â
Whatever hateful jab Comeau started dies in his throat. His mouth snaps shut with an audible âclickâ and the confident grin on his face slides right off.
âYou want me gone? After I gave this team everything? EVERYTHING! THREE cups you wouldnât have gotten close to without me!â
The door slams open as Theriault bursts in. He looks ready to demand they get their asses in gear, but one look at Shane shuts him up.
âBut being in love with the wrong person and suddenly none of that matters! You get to throw me out like trash!â
JJ visibly flinches. Hayden tries not to feel like he deserves to feel targeted.
Shane hasnât even broken a sweat. Heâs screaming, positively bellowing, and he looks like heâs not even out of breath. Like the release valve has been turned as far as it will go and holding all this in was harder than letting it out.
âThis is my last game as a Metro,â he hisses, glaring at his teammates. âBecause I know your godawful playing means weâre going to lose. Thereâs no cup for us this year, so this is the last game I get with a team Iâve wanted to play on since before I could talk. The team I thought Iâd retire with. You do not get to take that from me!â
He jumps off of the bench, snatching up a helmet as he lands and shoving it at a shell-shocked rookie.
âWe will not have another pathetic shutout tonight! You will put your fucking gear on! You will play like you have some fucking sense! You will pass the goddamn puck like youâre not afraid of it being contaminated with gay cooties!â
Miitka glances at Hayden, who offers nothing more than a hard stare in return. He hopes it communicates âthis is what we deserve.â
âYou want to be assholes? Fine! You want to be a losing team instead of having a gay captain? Fine!â
Haydenâs not sure when Shane picked up a random stick, but he sure as hell notices when it snaps and splinters in half. The entire team watches in terror as their normally calm and cool captain breaks a stick in one hand, then tosses the pieces aside.
âNot at my last game!â
Every last man in the locker roomâminus Shane and Haydenâhas their eyes trained on the floor. Nobody dares look up. After months of hate, nobodyâs got a fucking thing to say.
âWeâre not making it to the cup. We canât, because youâve all got your heads too far up your asses to do your jobs! But we will score tonight or so help me FUCKING GOD!â
Hayden doesnât think heâs ever been afraid of Shane. He also doesnât think thatâs the case anymore.
âYou will get your asses on that ice and for once, just once this season, you will not fucking embarrass me! Do you understand?â
Complete silence. It doesnât sound like anyoneâs even breathing.
A flat, subdued âyes, captainâ rolls through the locker room.
And in the blink of an eye, Shane takes a deep breath and justâŚstops.
âGood,â he says softly, voice flat and face blank. âGlad we had this talk.â
