Summary:

“Shit,” Hunter said, eyes wide. He shot a glance up and down the hallway and held up his hands in the universal sign of “calm down.”
“I can pretend I didn’t see anything,” he said quickly.
“There’s nothing-“ But Shane was losing the ability to speak. His throat was closing up, his vision darkening, his heart feeling like it was being squeezed by barb wire.

What if Scott Hunter caught Shane sneaking out of Ilya's room? What if this change meant Shane had someone to talk to, and then the number of people in his corner kept expanding?

A what-if homophobia can be fixed by a Swedish hockey coach and rational argument. Featuring accidental cock-blocker Hayden, better communication skills, good Montreal team mates, coming outs, drinking games, and canon divergence.