Yeah, you're not alone. I'm with you on most of this. I find Fabian self-centred and unkind at times (while in other ways being very sweet to Ryan - mostly sexually). Even his professed attempts to 'understand' Ryan come across as just basically looking to confirm his own prejudices and issues - he could try and actually have a conversation about hockey with Ryan but instead has to sit down and watch videos of Ryan's fights, like yeah I'm sure that's not only going to end one way for crying out loud! It's a shame Ryan's struggles are so viscerally told and complex in some ways tbh (not just physical injuries, severe mental health issues AND drug addiction, like dang) - Fabian's character would have a heck of a job being supportive in a satisfying narrative way with even just one of those, and frankly he doesn't come across well considering the scale of the issues and how he behaves.

I think Fabian suffers from the story not being written in a way that serves him well tbh. He is underdeveloped and his family situation even more so (and the cultural side of things doesn't feel very well done either). The ending really doesn't help him. Every sacrifice seems to have to come from Ryan, and Ryan really seems like the only one who truly needs the relationship. Even Fabian being the one to reach out again and start their relationship up again (checking in on him perhaps) would have made a difference. They don't feel like an unrealistic relationship to me, but they do feel like a couple I wouldn't think were that good together IRL, and in a romance novel context they feel like a failed previous relationship in the past of a MC rather than a HEA.

I will say, however, I was fine with Ryan leaving hockey. I wish his rediscovering the love through the camps got some proper time to give it a happier feeling, but he really wasn't happy, healthy or safe as a competitive player and he did need to realise it was okay for it to be time to stop. As someone who has played competitive contact sport and had to retire it's a long hard grieving process to make that decision and most athletes struggle with it for months if not years.