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Sid turned his iPad off as he was barely paying attention to it, for it was hard for him to focus on it anyway with him recovering from a concussion.
The only was a stupid hit that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. For any fan, it reminded them of his concussions from both Niskanen during Game 3 of the 2017 Playoffs, and Steckel from 2011 Winter Classic.
He didn’t even have the puck and yet he was hit by Hartnell during their game against the Nashville Predators. Whether it was because he was a former Flyers and he hated Crosby, or he just wanted to see him injured again, Sid didn’t know. All he knew was that he was gonna be gone for a few months.
Sid always hated the recovery process of concussions, it’s the most frustrating thing for him. There’s nothing you can do, even the simplest thing can trigger something. All he can do is sit in bed and wait until he’s able to do things again, slowly but gradually.
Knowing his personal history with this particular injury, it only makes him want to go back to hockey more and more.
And even if he wasn’t playing, he still wanted to keep tabs on the game. But listening to Mike Lange and Phil Bourque was hard to do when you can’t even watch the screen, not to mention listening to it is giving him a sight headache.
Good news? They were winning 6-4.
The teams was away on a road trip for the whole week, going against Panthers right now, then the Bolts, and finally the Stars and Blues in a back-to-back. Pressure was on the Penguins because these teams were hot and they needed to bring their A-game otherwise they would be losing and it will be ugly.
But with Zhenya at the helm, Sid knew things were going to be fine. His boyfriend was a goal scoring machine lately and if anyone can get them to victory, it was him.
However, Sid was a little depressed that Zhenya was gone and unable to keep him company while he was recovering. He knew Zhenya had a job to do and a team to lead, but he wanted to be selfish for a bit and have him stay to take care of him.
Perhaps that’s why Sid has been sleeping on Zhenya’s side of the bed since he left.
He didn’t know why he was acting like a teenager in a long-distance relationship. It was only a week, he told himself, then Zhenya will come back. But somehow this concussion was making him miss his Russian boyfriend more than anything.
Sid turned his head, carefully as to not trigger a bigger headache until his nose was pressed against the pillow. It smelled of Zhenya and it brought Sid comfort.
He loved it when certain things smelled of his boyfriend. That strong, warm, musky scent that made him think of home. He wished that there was something else that smelt of Zhenya, to put his mind in a complete ease.
There were plenty of gifts, including stuffed animals that Sid could snuggle with, but they didn’t have Zhenya on them. He could go through the closet and find one of Zhenya’s college, frat-boy looking shirts and wear it, but Zhenya packed his favorites in his suitcase.
Except for…that one!
Slowly, Sid tried to rise to his feet and shuffled his way to the closet, using the wall as a support incase he loses his balance. Despite the doctor telling him not to concentrate or focus on certain tasks for fear of slowing his recovery, Sid took a few minutes trying to find whatever he was looking for until he finally found it.
It was Zhenya’s favorite jacket. He must’ve forgot to pack it before he left for Sunrise. The one with the light grey on the front with the dark blue pocket and plaid sleeves.
Despite all the guys chirping him for his bad tastes, the fans even catching on and calling them “fraken-shirts,” Sid secretly loved them. And this one in particular, was the one he loved the most.
He carefully slipped it on, it was a nice fit despite it being a little big on him. He had to roll up the sleeves so he could see his hands.
Then he bent his head down slightly and smelled the inside of it, smiling widely when it smelled of Geno’s cologne.
Perfect.
_/.\_ _/.\_ _/.\_ _/.\_ _/.\_
For the rest of the week, Sid wore the jacket as he rested in bed. And every now and again he would sniff at it and it would make the wait seem less painful.
He knew Zhenya would question where it was, if he isn’t already.
But for now, he’ll just snuggle closer into Zhenya’s pillow with the covers pulled up to his chin and the warmth of the jacket surrounding him with love.
It was as good as Sid was going to get until Zhenya came home.
_/.\_ _/.\_ _/.\_ _/.\_ _/.\_
It was early in the morning when Zhenya quietly stepped into the bedroom, smiling when he saw Sid sleeping on his side of the bed. He knew Sid must’ve missed him when he left him alone to captain the team for the week.
He took off his suit jacket and slipped out of his shoes before slipping under the covers and wrapping his arms around Sid.
Softly Sid whispered, “Zhenya?…You’re back.”
Zhenya pulled Sid closer to his chest before nuzzling his neck, being mindful of his neck before placing a kiss to his shoulder blade, “Missed you so much.”
“I missed you too.” Sid slowly turned himself so he was burying his face in Geno’s neck. He winched a little bit as he did so, and Zhenya made a wounded noise. “Concussions suck.”
Zhenya hummed sadly, seeing the slightly dazed look in Sid’s eyes. “Stupid Hartnell,” he grumbled lowly. “Stupid hit. You not need another concussion.”
“What’s done is done,” Sid sighed, not wanting to think about the next time they face the Predators. “All we can do is wait until I’m healed.” he chuckled. “At least we give the fans another reason to boo at them.”
Zhenya couldn’t help but laugh. “That true.”
“Heard you guys did good this week,” Sid mumbled, slowly getting sleepy again. “Couldn’t watch or listen though. I tried, but it messed with my head.”
“That okay,” Zhenya reassures, kissing the top of Sid’s head. “Won to Panthers, Stars, and Blues. Lost to Bolts though.”
Sid knows he’s going to watch the highlights of those games eventually, but he can worry about that later. Right now he wants to focus on Zhenya being home, cuddling him in their bed. “Next time.” he tells him, saying the phrase that he always says after a game.
“Next time,” Zhenya echoes. He smiled as he snuggled closer to Sid before he realized the light grey fabric that Sid was wearing. “Wait,” he sat up, to Sid’s disappointment, and pulled back the covers a little. “Is this my jacket? Sid! Been looking for this all week! Thought I pack in suitcase!”
“Well you didn’t,” Sid pouted. “I saw this in the closet and…I couldn’t help it alright! You were gone and I missed you! I know this is your favorite and it smells of you, so I’ve been sleeping with it for the past week.”
When he saw that Zhenya wasn’t saying anything, he looked at him sadly. “Sorry,” he said quietly, feeling a little guilty. A little. “Did you want it back?”
Zhenya only smiled before he cupped Sid’s face and closed the distance between their lips. Sid happily returned the kiss, running his fingers in Zhenya’s hair as Zhenya’s tongue slid into his mouth. With every moan that Sid let out, Zhenya’s smile grew wider against his lips before he broke away.
He pecked them once more, “Is fine, Sidka.” He then smirked, “Look good in my clothes. Even if they big on you.”
Sid’s cheeks reddened. “Just the sleeves are…” He had to roll up the sleeves of them because they were a little long.
Zhenya chuckled as he kissed Sid’s pink-tinted ear. “Most cute, Sidka.”
“So you don’t mind if I wear it?” Sid asked softly, looking at Zhenya shyly and blushing more
Zhenya hugged Sid closer to him and whispered softly into his ear, “No I’m not mind. Best clothes, make you cuter.”
No reply came from Sid as he only yawned, letting the rhythm of Zhenya’s heartbeat and the big, warm hands running up and down his back in a soothing manner, lull him to sleep. He only woke up to laugh when Zhenya asked an innocent question.
“This mean I’m wear your shirts now?”