Shane realizes how much heâd gotten used to being mistreated when none of the Centaurs so much as glance at him during a random bar trivia night.
It occurs to Shane that the Metros are a walking, talking, sentient amalgamation of microaggressions. Or just plain aggressions, honestly. He knows his teamâhis former team. He knows that after a few drinks, Comeau couldnât be trusted not to ask JJ whether he sacrificed chickens for voodoo rituals. He knows the rookies would ask him what wait staff at Chinese restaurants were saying, despite multiple reminders that a) heâs not Chinese, b) the people working here arenât necessarily Chinese, and c) someone speaking another language doesnât mean theyâre talking shit about you. He knows at least three of his former teammates would randomly stick a hand in JJâs hair and ask if he could wash it âlike normal people.â He knows that Hayden (well-meaning and generally receptive to criticism, but still lacking in some areas) would direct math questions his way, like he was a human calculator.
Sitting with his new team, with Ilya slightly tipsy and completely relaxed at his side, Shane realizes that heâs justâŠa guy. Heâs any other guy at the table. No oneâs checking for him, with him, or on him in particular. When a science or math question comes up, theyâre not deferring to him for the answers because heâs Asian and they assume heâs a STEM whiz.
He is, to be clear. Heâs an everything whiz. Shane was a straight A student in school and couldâve gone to any university of his choice had hockey not been his goal/passion/obsession. Itâs just not because heâs Asianâitâs because Shane Hollander refuses to give or be anything less than his absolute best at anything. His perfectionism runs deep and is quite possibly genetic (yes, Ilya always says, because I have seen how you and your mother play board games), but it has nothing to do with being Japanese.
âOkay,â Bood mutters to himself as he reads the clues again. âGenetic disorder, shortens lifespan. Featured on an episode of Greyâs Anatomy and associated withâŠstones?â
âStone disease,â Ilya considers aloud. âThat sounds familiar. F-something?â
âFibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva,â Shane and Wyatt say simultaneously.
The table goes silent for a moment before erupting into laughter and questions.
âWhy and how do you know that?â Harris shouts over the ruckus. âWho just has that knowledge ready to go?â
The questions are directed at just Shane. The table assumes that Wyattâknown nerd and husband of a physicianâcan pull random medical knowledge out of thin air on command. Nobody assumes that Shaneâs supposed to know everything. Nobodyâs disappointed when he doesnât have the right answer and saying âI thought you guys were supposed to be smartâ if he canât answer a math question correctly in 5 seconds. Harris is genuinely amazed that Shane pulled the answer out of nowhere and curious about where he learned it, instead of just rolling his eyes and saying something like âof course he knows.â
He shrugs. âI fell down a YouTube rabbit hole once.â
Ilya laughs loudly and pulls him in for a sloppy kiss on the cheek. âWe should play doctor later. I have this problem with my diââ
Shane shuts him up with a kiss and makes a mental note to invest in scrubs. For science. Again, not because heâs Asian. Because heâs horny and creative.
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