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Geno is grinning from ear to ear when Sidney greets him at the front door, and that alone is enough to send up a ton of red flags.
Red flag number one: Geno is never lucid before at least three cups of coffee. Sidney has lost count of how many times he’s had entire conversations with Geno on their commute to work, thinking he’s awake, only to have to repeat the entire thing an hour later. Geno’s become a master at working on autopilot until his brain comes back online. Except for today, apparently, since he’s up and running early enough to come pick up Sidney before he’s even left the house.
Red flag number two: He never looks that smug unless he’s up to something. Sure, the devil-may-care look sends up some butterflies in Sidney’s stomach, but that is entirely beside the point. There is clearly some scheming going on, and Sidney refuses to feel excited over some joke that’s he’s likely to get the brunt of just because Geno’s stupidly handsome face is smiling his way. He quickly tamps those feelings down. Now is definitely not the time to be indulging his crush.
Red flag number three: Geno’s holding his car keys up expectantly in an offer to drive this morning. Despite his love for driving fast cars at high speeds, Geno rarely ever wants to drive them to work simply because he’s not awake enough to debate over whose turn it is (see: red flag number one). Sidney usually just picks him up and drives them in his SUV because he doesn’t mind. They’re going to be late today if they don’t get going though, so he just grabs his duffel bag from the entryway before walking outside and locking up, a bit of wariness in his steps as he follows Geno to his car.
He’d usually be inclined to think that Geno and Flower had gotten up to something the night before on their day off, but that’s unlikely. Sid’s been getting increasingly mopey texts from Flower over the past few days due to the flu epidemic making its way through the Fleury household. It actually provides him with a bit of relief because if Flower’s not involved, it’s probably something relatively mild.
He hopes.
Sidney wouldn’t put it past Geno to sink to juvenile levels of humor, though.
Geno keeps quiet the entire drive to work (all in all, not that unusual since he’s usually half-awake) but Sidney isn’t buying it. Something is definitely up, but he figures whatever it is will come out eventually. It’ll probably bother Geno more to think that Sidney doesn’t care, so when they arrive at the station he jumps straight into his normal routine. He clocks in and relieves his man, swapping in his gear on the rig. While some of their guys get started on housework, Sidney chats with the officer in charge to discuss anything relevant from the shift prior. He actually forgets about how his morning had started until he sees Geno running equipment checks on the other side of the rig. Their eyes meet for a moment, acknowledging one another, but Geno either seems to be buying Sidney’s nonchalance or is pretending to.
Once their first call of the shift comes through, all thoughts of Geno’s behavior leave Sidney’s mind in lieu of taking charge as the first on scene. They toned out mid-meal and had to abandon their breakfast but, thankfully, it’s just a mild brush fire. The cause looks to be some careless teenagers setting off firecrackers in an empty field, so the fire itself is relatively easy to contain. There’s no wind today and it’s been a pretty rainy month. Sidney spends more time dealing with the teens and the arrival of their parents than putting out the actual fire. Tanger comes by and nudges him with an elbow, nodding in the direction of the brush to indicate they’ve smothered what was left of the embers and are ready to roll out. After a final check over the field to make sure nothing spread elsewhere that they missed, they leave any potential criminal charges with the cops on scene and head back to the station.
From then on it’s one of their busier days. Sidney barely has any downtime to think about the way Geno was acting that morning with them fielding calls left and right. They do manage to get some bunk time over the course of their shift, but they’re both still exhausted by the time they finally clock out. He spends most of the drive back to their neighborhood drifting off in the passenger seat to the Russian crooner music filtering through the car’s speakers. It isn’t until Geno drops him off back at his house and they part ways that Sidney encounters the source of amusement. He stands there like a fool at the end of his driveway, mouth wide and speechless.
Right on the back of Sidney’s SUV, the one he takes such fastidious care of, is an oversized, gaudy, red bumper sticker proclaiming: STAY SAFE AT NIGHT, SLEEP WITH A FIREMAN.
Sidney is going to murder him.
***
Of course, given the nature of their long shifts, it’s two days before they will see each other again. And Sidney’s learned from past arguments that righteous indignation does not translate well over text. Which means that he has an entire forty-eight hours to stew over the fact that Geno thought defacing his vehicle with an outrageous piece of adhesive was a good idea.
He spends the first twenty-four hours thinking of ways to get Geno back. A number of scenarios run through his mind, but there’s a reason everyone always has a leg up on him prank-wise. All of his ideas—all three of them, God help him—are utter garbage. He’d be bringing more unnecessary grief and humiliation upon himself if he even attempted to retaliate here.
It’s not until the second day that Sidney actually begins to wonder why Geno did it in the first place. Obviously he thought it was funny, but why Sidney? Most of the guys at the station like to rib him for his weird superstitions and some of the unspoken firehouse rules he regularly enforces, but they’d stopped pranking him awhile ago. Being their captain doesn’t seem to matter in regards to practical jokes, it’s just that his reactions aren’t as video-worthy as some of the rookies. Sidney has actually begun to feel a little left out (even if he will never admit it). Granted, he’s still pissed about the bumper sticker. But after thinking about it, he’s also secretly a little pleased that Geno thought he was worth pranking in the first place.
It’s really ridiculous how far gone he is on the guy.
***
Sidney is the one who drives them to work when their next shift rolls around. He’s run the full gamut of the grieving process and has come to terms with the fact that his SUV will never be the same (and, yes, he’s quite aware that this makes him ridiculous). So, when he picks Geno up at his house and Geno hops into Sidney’s front seat somewhat obnoxiously, he just throws a mild glare and puts it into gear.
“Car look clean,” Geno comments a few minutes later, clearly itching to break the silence.
Sidney nods. “It was nice out yesterday, so I figured I’d wash it down.”
“Wash whole thing?” Geno asks innocently.
“Yep.”
Geno shifts a little in his seat and doesn’t seem to have a response to that, but they’re pulling into the station by then anyway. Of course, a prank isn’t worth the time it takes to do unless others know about it as well, so it isn’t long before the rest of the guys have seen the back of his SUV. By the time everyone has arrived to relieve the previous shift, they’re all letting him have it. Sidney can’t remember getting this much flack since he introduced his yellow crocs to the station a few years ago. He can’t say he loves all the attention, but he doesn’t hate it either.
Sidney takes the teasing in stride, pretending not to notice that Geno’s eyes are tracking him most of the day. They’re settling down to a late lunch after a call when Geno finally broaches the topic again.
“You like it,” Geno announces through a mouthful of chips.
Sidney swallows the bite he’s chewing. “Like what?”
Geno’s predatory grin is back. “You like sticker! That’s why it still there.”
“I—what? No, I don’t.” He suddenly becomes extremely interested in the crumbs on his plate.
“You do. I’m see it.”
Sidney can’t admit to enjoying this. He can’t . Whether Geno can actually tell or not, if Sidney fesses up he’ll never hear the end of it. He blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. “It’ll ruin the paint.”
Geno pauses mid-laugh. “Huh?”
“It’ll—uh, the paint job. The sticker would ruin the paint if I took it off. I guess I’m stuck with it,” Sidney says, chuckling a little at his own joke.
Rolling his eyes at Sidney’s lame attempt at humor, Geno finishes his sandwich. He stands up to clear the table, pointing an accusatory finger at Sidney. “I’m know you like it.”
“I don’t.”
“Mhmm.”
***
It becomes a thing.
Sidney doesn’t mean for it to become a thing, but he also doesn’t account for how stubborn they both are. Geno likes to make fun of him and be a bit of an asshole and Sidney doesn’t like to admit to being wrong. So it turns into a bit of a ridiculous stalemate. Geno brings up the sticker at mostly inopportune times to try and get a rise out of him and Sidney comes up with increasingly absurd reasons not to remove it.
The next time Geno mentions it, they’re piled in the truck with their crew driving back from a call.
“Still have sticker, Sid,” Geno calls out, nudging Tanger jovially with an elbow.
Sidney’s even less prepared than last time, his mind still on the call they just finished, so he winds up announcing, “Fire safety awareness is important, Geno.”
Of course, the rest of the guys sitting in the truck groan and laugh, though Sidney can’t tell if it’s because of his flimsy excuse or the fact that the stupid prank is even still a thing.
It continues on in this vein for the next two weeks and Sidney’s honestly starting to run out of decent replies (if any of them could be called decent in the first place). He’s taken to thinking of ideas in his down time, which is literally the stupidest waste of time. Yet, here he is, planning for the next time Geno catches him off guard, all because he can’t admit that he likes that God-awful bumper sticker. And Geno. But he’ll admit to liking the bumper sticker long before admitting that.
His most recent rebuttal comes during a gym workout the next morning when Geno is pestering him between reps. His focus is complete shot at this point, both because of the constant nagging and the way Geno’s ass looks in his gym shorts. After finishing two more pull-ups, Sidney drops back down to the floor and presses a towel to his face in an attempt to refocus. As he walks off to shower, he mutters indignantly, “Career appreciation day is coming up, Geno. Firefighters deserve more credit.”
Even he can’t defend that one.
***
It’s not until about the third week that Sidney realizes Geno isn’t getting as much joy out of the prank as he has been. In fact, if Sidney didn’t know better, he might even say Geno is pouting . He can think of no reasonable explanation for why that would be the case, but the way Geno has been moping around the station the past couple of days and avoiding Sidney...well, it wouldn’t be the first time Geno got upset over something Sidney doesn’t understand.
Later on towards the end of their shift, Sidney gets held up on a phone call from their battalion chief. He feels a little bad about making Geno wait on him and sends a quick text letting him know why. They live in the same neighborhood and have been carpooling to work ever since they were probies, so he knows Geno understands and doesn’t hold it against him. But it’s still no fun hanging around after a long shift when all anyone really wants to do is go home and hit the hay.
About thirty minutes later, Sidney’s walking down to the carport, an apology already on his tongue when he sees Geno hunched over, attempting to surreptitiously pick the bumper sticker off of Sidney’s SUV. The same bumper sticker that he put there in the first place.
“What are you doing?” Sidney asks, chuckling a bit when Geno jumps up in surprise.
He seems at a loss for words and shuffles his feet a bit before shrugging. “I’m take off sticker. Was rude, feel bad.”
Sidney’s eyes narrow at the blatant lie. There’s no way Geno feels remorse for a prank. He’s seen him do much worse and lord it over the unsuspecting victim for months . Hell, Geno’s been trying to torment him about this prank as well. Sidney walks further forward, stopping by the aforementioned sticker, the corner of which has already begun curling away from the vehicle.
“You’ve been rubbing that sticker in my face for weeks and now you think it’s rude?”
“Change mind, you not like. Decide to be good friend,” Geno says, avoiding Sidney’s eyes. Sidney realizes after a moment that Geno’s looking at the bumper sticker—no, he’s glaring at it.
“I told you I didn’t care,” Sidney replies, even though that is a lie as well. He’s still not going to admit how attached he’s become to it over the past few weeks, even though he feels a little guilty about fibbing when he’s standing here calling Geno out on a lie. After a moment he adds, “Do you not like it?”
Geno doesn’t answer.
“Geno,” Sidney laughs incredulously, “you were the one who put it there!”
Geno huffs before finally turning his stormy gaze on Sidney. “I’m not think you like it so much! Was stupid prank, not supposed to stay forever like invite.”
Sidney’s brows gather in confusion. “Invite?”
“I’m not want—” Geno sighs. “Flower say sticker is like pickup line. Like I help you get laid.”
Of course Flower did, Sidney thinks. He probably believes Sidney needs all the help he can get. Which...he’s not entirely wrong. But that’s more from being hung up on one person in particular than from any lack of offers. Focusing on a date or hookup is difficult when you’re constantly thinking of someone else.
“It’s really not a big deal, Geno,” Sidney says, but that seems to rile him up even more.
“ Is big deal.”
“Why do you even want it off so badly? Who cares what Flower says?”
“Because I’m not want other people sleeping with this fireman!” Geno exclaims, gesturing at Sidney and turning a very bright shade of red.
“You…” Sidney gapes at him for a few moments, trying to gather his thoughts. Surely he misheard. “But you’ve never even—”
“Yes, am coward, stupid for not tell my feelings, Flower already say,” Geno mumbles, cutting him off.
Sidney takes a step closer, daring to hope that Geno’s saying what he thinks he is. “So the sticker...that was just...”
Geno interrupts again. “Flower tell me is like pulling pigtails. Not tell you what I really want.”
He feels like he’s standing at the edge of a cliff when he asks, “What do you want?”
There’s a pause where they both seem to be holding their breath, their eyes locked on one another. No answer is forthcoming, and Sidney tries to build up the courage to break the silence when Geno finally closes the remaining distance between them.
“I’m just want…” Geno sighs and cups Sidney’s cheek with one hand, his other resting cautiously on his hip. “Take you on date, sleep in my bed. Flower say—”
“I don’t care what Flower says,” Sidney cuts him off, unable to quiet his pounding heart. “But...for the record, I don’t want anyone else sleeping with me either.” It sounds just as stupid and cheesy out loud as it did in his head, but Sidney’s never been known for his eloquence. Considering a tacky bumper sticker is the primary material they’re working with here, he figures Geno won’t hold it against him.
Geno’s face lights up like the emergency lights in the firehouse, grinning from ear to ear as though that’s all the confirmation he was waiting for. He presses Sidney back against the rear of his SUV and kisses him thoroughly, letting all of their pent-up feelings translate through touch. Sidney can’t get a word in edgewise and laughter bubbles up in his chest as the kissing continues. He can’t help but let it out, even as Geno presses his lips on down Sidney’s neck until he reaches the collar of his shirt.
“Geno,” Sidney laughs, pushing half-heartedly at his chest to create a little distance between them. “We can’t just make out right outside the station.” The heavy look in Geno’s eyes is almost enough to make Sidney change his mind, but he really has other plans for tonight.
Geno huffs, pressing one last kiss to Sidney’s lips before stepping away.
“Fine,” Geno agrees, holding up Sidney’s keys. “But I’m drive.”
Sidney pats at his jeans pocket where he normally keeps his key fob, narrowing his eyes at Geno.
Geno grins and backs away, that same smug look on his face that was there just a few weeks ago when all of this first began. “We get there faster this way, more time for sleep .” He winks and Sidney feels his legs go weak.
“Yeah, okay,” Sidney agrees breathlessly, following Geno into the SUV.
If this is what he gets in return for keeping that sticker, he’s never taking it off.