Chapter Text
*
Svetlana is sitting next to Rose fucking Landry.
That should definitely be the most interesting part of the entire game Ilya has invited her to see while she's in town. Shane Hollander's actress ex-girlfriend, sitting pretty and fashionable as ever in the seat right next to Sveta's own.
Rose flushes a little when she catches Svetlana staring, her eyes dark, another compliment ready to drip from her glossed lips. She's spent the whole game so far giving Landry her best 'fuck me' eyes and making barely concealed jokes about her bisexuality, Russian accent drawling about how she needs to find a new hook-up now that Ilya seems to be taken. How she enjoys the freedom in America, to let her pleasure a beautiful woman as well as beautiful men.
Sveta watches Shane steal the puck from Ilya on the ice and skate forwards- boring. She turns back to Rose Landry instead, just in time to hear her gasp. The sound isn't a nice one, the breath is ripped from her like she's been winded. Svetlana hears a similar sound ripple throughout the crowd, and when she finally zones back in on the ice, she understands why.
Hollander isn't moving. He's laid out on the ice, and he's not getting up. She feels a deep, sickening tug from inside her chest- Ilya is circling his rival like a vulture, Hollander's teammate Pike is getting into it with Marlow just a few feet away- her heart is being pulled in every direction. Most strangely, there's a tension lingering in the air between herself and Rose, humming like a bow string pulled taught. When she dares to turn her head, Rose is already staring at her, her face drained of colour and a manicured hand pressed to her chest like she feels it too.
"What-" Rose begins, but both women are interrupted by the arrival of the paramedics on the ice, sliding Shane onto a body board and pushing Rozanov back towards his bench.
Ilya fights the whole time, something primal in him flaring as he bares his teeth in a fucking growl. The crowd can't hear it, but Svetlana has seen him like this before, fighting his brother Alexei for her honour. She can practically hear the sound echo in the stadium, despite it's silence. All these stupid fans are cheering too loudly anyway, even if it had been strong enough to hear. It takes five people to pull Ilya back. Shouting and spitting and trying to understand what's wrong.
"We need to go." Rose says suddenly, tearing her jacket off the back of her chair and standing, she tilts her head towards Svetlana expectantly.
That tug in her chest is getting tighter, sharper, honing in on her best friend's pain.
She barely knows what she's agreeing to, she only knows that she's already stood, car keys in hand, throwing her scarf around Rose Landry's head, by the time she comes back to and agrees.
"Yes. You know what hospital they will take him to?"
"Probably Metro General." Rose nods, panicked. "I'm going with you, right?"
Svetlana grabs her arm and tugs her towards the side exit, "Stupid question, Rose Landry."
Rose squeaks, quickly falling into step with the Russian woman at her side, both of them half-running, half-walking and trying to appear as normal as possible while doing so.
The hallway from the box leads down the same side as the other private areas, locker rooms, staff rooms, etcetera. Every hallway is long and winding, looking identical to the one previous- how Svetlana is navigating them towards an exit Rose has no idea, she'd probably need a map.
"Do you feel it too?" Rose mumbles as they rush towards a fire-exit.
Sveta nods once, "Ilya is hurt. Is like heart being.. how do you say, 'yanked' in his direction, yes? Hollander's too. I do not know why."
"Shane's my best friend, it... it makes sense, that I'm pulled towards him. He's like pack. But why do you think Rozanov is hurt? Why can I feel him too?" Rose rambles, "There are others as well, like faint connections, right? All of us are heading in the same direction. Fuck. This is crazy. Do you think Shane's okay?"
The outside air is bitterly cold against Svetlana's arms, but she braces it regardless, they've come out the side of the building and it's fortunately empty. They move forwards, scanning the parking lot and street both ways. Some fans and families are wandering around and reporters are already clamoring to get inside for player's statements, but the two hopefully shouldn't get noticed. Sveta grabs Rose's hand and makes a run for her car. It's sleek and modern- an expensive black model in the guest parking space.
A reporter notices them as they shut their doors, flashing his camera and waving them down, pointing and screaming questions as Svetlana starts the car and pulls forwards, doing an expert U-turn and speeding out onto the main road.
"Ignore it." Svetlana comforts as they follow the direction the ambulance probably left in about five minutes before them.
"This is crazy." Rose repeats again, "I don't even know who you are. You're Rozanov's friend. Ex-girlfriend? Fuck I don't even know. I don't even care. They're not gonna let us in to see him when we show up at the hospital y'know- he might be in surgery. And it's family only. No visitors until he's well enough."
"You talk a lot." She says, not an accusation, just speaking her thoughts into existence.
Rose's answering laugh is high-pitched and wobbly, "Yeah, sorry. I talk a lot when I'm nervous. Svet- uh.."
"Svetlana. Can call me Sveta if you'd like."
"Svetlana. Jesus, sorry. Can I call you Lana?" Rose gives her a bashful smile.
"Lana." Sveta tries, rolling it around on her tongue, "Yes, Lana is nice name."
There's a pause as Svetlana pulls her bag onto her lap, keeping both eyes on the road as she digs inside it for something. A moment later, she pulls her phone out, dropping it into Rose's lap.
"Password is 7294. Go to messages, Ilyushka has downward thumb next to name." She waits for Rose to comply, "Is crazy, but I think maybe we are connected like pack. Ilya is my pack, Hollander is yours, maybe we are somehow-"
"Connected?"
"Da. Connected and feeling each other's pack bonds. Press microphone button, please."
Rose is relieved Svetlana hadn't asked her to type, she would've had a job being as the keyboard is in Cyrillic. She presses the speech to text button instead and listens to Lana speak her native Russian, not even trying to pretend she understands a single word.
"Ilyushka, my yedem k Sheynu v bol'nitsu. Vstretimsya tam, khorosho? Beregi sebya. Lyublyu tebya."
Sveta nods and Rose presses the button again, sending the message. Less than a minute later, Ilya's contact flashes up on screen, calling.
"He's calling, should I answer?"
Svetlana takes her eyes off the road for a minute to raise both eyebrows in Rose's direction, "He is calling? Yes, yes answer, okay."
Rose accepts the call, putting it on speaker and holding it up next to Svetlana, with her arm resting on the centre console.
Rozanov's ragged voice spills through like nails against a chalkboard, "Sveta, ty yedesh' v bol'nitsu? Pochemu? Kak? Ty skazala 'my'. Kto s toboy? Kak blizko ty k bol'nitse?" He sounds dreadful, and Rose has no idea why- maybe Svetlana does, judging by the heartbroken look that has taken over her face.
"I am here with Rose Landry." Svetlana responds in English, probably for Rose's sake, "Map says we are four minutes away. Where are you, Ilya? How are you calling? Should you not be in game still?"
"Rose Landry?!" Another voice chokes from Ilya's side of the call.
Sveta scrunches her face, "Kto eto, blyat', takoy?"
"Ugh, the sound is Howard Pike." Rozanov says in English, sounding a little more himself now that he's making a jab at a Voyageurs player- not that it makes any more sense for him to be in the room? Or, car? With one.
"Hayden- Pike." The voice chimes in again from the other end of the phone.
"Okay we must both answer questions." Ilya states, "Me and Pike left game early. Why did you leave? Why is Rose Landry with you, Sveta?" He says Rose's name with a disgust she wouldn't expect from him, but maybe she's just over thinking it.
"I'm with her because Shane is hurt and.. and we think maybe we're bonded somehow. Both of us can feel you and Shane are in pain. We panicked." Rose answers before Svetlana can, she has her own questions to ask. "What connection do you have to Shane? And don't bullshit me, Rozanov, not while Shane's in trouble."
There's silence on the other line.
"We are pack." Ilya admits, quietly and if Rose didn't know any better, she'd say possessively.
"Okay." Svetlana interrupts, "Okay. Then this makes sense. I am yours, Rose is Shane's-"
A low growl emits from Ilya before he can catch it and Svetlana laughs. Actually laughs out loud, like her best friend isn't threatening a completely innocent woman because he's probably in love with said woman's ex-boyfriend. She agrees with what Rose was saying earlier, this is crazy.
"And, what? Hayden is Shane's too? Does this mean we are all connected by you and Hollander?" Svetlana finishes.
Hayden sounds closer to the mic when he next speaks, like maybe he's taken the phone out of Ilya's hands. "Yeah, that's what my theory is. But however it happened, the point is still kind of the same- we're Shane's pack. I mean, is this a really fucking weird scenario? His biggest rival, a movie-star, a random Russian lady and me and my wife being his pack? Yeah. Super weird and not at all how I thought my day would go. But he's my brother and I'd die for him, so we'll figure out the details once we know he's alright. Me and Rozanov are six minutes out."
"Good. We will meet you in waiting room." Sveta agrees.
"Pack meeting, I guess!" Rose adds awkwardly, doing one jazz hand that no one but Lana can actually see. Hayden laughs on the other end though, so it's not a total embarrassment at least.
*