Work Text:
Sid finds him on the deck wrapped up in a heavy wool sweater with a toque pulled down low over his ears. He’s holding a thermos full of tea in one hand, peppermint if Sid had to guess, and the other hand has a tight grip on the railing.
Geno’s been on The Penguin for a few months now but he still hasn’t completely found his sea legs. He’s doing better than he was.When he first came aboard he couldn’t take more than a few steps before needing to slap his hand against the nearest wall to steady himself and he tended to avoid the deck altogether.
“Hey,” Sid calls from a few yards away. He doesn’t want to scare him but given the way Geno’s shoulders don’t even rise he already knows he’s there. Sid steps beside him and bends his knees just slightly so he rocks with the ship. “It’s a little early for you, isn’t it?”
Geno brings the thermos to his lips and takes a long sip. “Came for sunrise,” he says, the strong smell of peppermint wafts over on his breath and Sid smiles to himself for guessing correctly. Geno gestures to the thermos to the cloudy horizon. There’s nothing but dark blue water and grey skies. “Disappointing,” Geno says and takes another sip.
Sid hums and looks out over the water. It’s been like this for weeks. Clouds and rain and storms that keep everyone up at night with how violently the ship lists from side to side.
“Never see sun again.”
“It’ll come out sometime.”
“You sure?”
Sid looks up at him and sees that Geno is hiding a smirk behind the rim of his thermos.
Sid knows what people say about him. He’s known for his optimism and work ethic and stresses teamwork above all else. Sullivan might be in charge of the ship but Sid is very much the Captain.
“Yeah,” Sid says. “I’m sure.”
Geno purses his lips and nods at the horizon. “Okay, Sid, you always right.”
-
The decision to leave his comfortable job at the aquarium and join the small conservation and research crew that was setting sail for the Arctic came at a price.
It cost him his boyfriend, who said it was unfair to make him wait through the distance and the time. Sid didn’t lose sleep over that.
It cost him hours of his lift listening to his mother cry and worry because accidents happen and ships sink every day something that’s not even true, not that he could ever get her to understand that. That bothered him a bit. He never wanted to make his mother upset.
Mostly, it cost him complete control of his GI tract within twenty four hours of stepping on the ship and spent the next ten days in the sick bay losing all sense of shame in front of the ships surgeon.
“I like you,” Doctor Fleury said after the fifth day. “You’ve only hurled on my shoes once.”
Sid had offered him a smile, or as close as he could get to one, and then leaned over and threw up into the trash can.
A week and a half later he was strong enough to leave and get to work but he found himself stalling as he pulled on his shoes.
Flower- as Fleury liked to be called noticed right away and made a shooing motion at him.
“Go on little bird. Leave the nest.”
“Are they going to make fun of me? I get on board and almost immediately get sick.”
Flower tapped his pen against his lips. “No more than I made fun of you.”
“But you didn’t make fun of me.”
Flower grinned so wide it made Sid’s face hurt and said “your French really is shit, huh?”
It was hard assimilating back to the group but not impossible. It was a great group of guys all working towards the same goal. Tracking the same group of humpbacks and noting migration patterns and mating habits and learning all they can.
Between the handful of languages that were always being spoken, or yelled across the deck, Sid didn’t even know if he was being made fun of.
-
They picked up Geno at Vostochny and after hearing about him for weeks Sid was more than a little excited.
Evgeni Malkin published his first research paper when he was nineteen. Sid was a senior in high school and stayed up all night reading every word instead of studying for his final.
Since then Malkin has been a pioneer in his field, leading the way in a country whose whaling laws have been historically lax.
Sid had kept up with Malkin’s findings all through college, reading everything he wrote and and watched every video of every speech he ever made. Even with subtitles Sid found himself hanging on every word.
Malkin was the perfect mix of intelligence and good looks with his height and huge hands and sleepy eyes…Sid never stood a chance.
It was a crush that was glaringly obvious to all the guys on the ship.
“Are you going to run across the deck and jump into his arms,” Tanger had asked as Malkin shook hands with Sullivan across the way. The rest of the guys had laughed and Sid flipped them all off.
“Shut the fuck up,” Sid said then set off toward them at a calm and leisurely pace.
Malkin’s hand was warm and smooth when he fit it into his own and his voice was deep and rich as he said “nice to meet, can call me Geno. Easier for tongue.”
Sully had looked deeply unimpressed with the blush that bloomed across Sid’s cheeks.
Geno’s cabin was right across the hall from Sid’s and on their way below deck Geno kept knocking into him as the ship pulled out of dock, apologizing, no matter how many times Sid waved him off.
“Do most of my work on land. Been a long time since I’ve been out,” Geno admitted sheepishly. “Feel like ...fake.”
“Fraud,” Sid had supplied and it was Geno’s turn to blush and look down at his feet as his shoulders collided with the narrow hallway.
Sid quickly tried to remove his foot from his mouth.
“Not that I think of you like that. No one does. They wouldn’t. They’re excited that you’re here.”
“I’m excited,” Geno said as Sid opened up the cabin door. It was a cramped room, just a bed and a small dresser and an even smaller desk, that didn’t seem like it could possibly contain everything that Sid thought Geno was.
But Geno shouldered his way in and threw his suitcase on the bed.
“Excited to be here,” he said again. “Think we can do good things.”
“Yeah, for sure.”
Sid’s crush never went away.
How could it when he and Geno were in such close quarters day in and day out.
He quickly found out Geno was funny and kind and passionate. He hated the cold and stole gloves and scarves and hats from everyone but he seemed to favor whatever Sid was wearing. He’d steal the mittens right off Sid’s hands and Sid would let him just to hear the satisfied hum when he slipped his own hand inside.
Even if Geno was none of those things Sid would have fallen in love with the way his face lit up the first time he saw the whales breaching off the side of the ship.
He grabbed onto Sid’s shoulder they gave in completely and wrapped his arms around him.
“Sid, is amazing.”
“I know,” Sid had said and Geno squeezed him tighter. “You never get used to it.”
Sid tucked his head beneath Geno’s chin and watched as the whales breached again and again.
They’ve been following a specific pod from the colder waters of the north to the warmer waters off Hawaii where four of the females will give birth.
There’s one in particular that has caught both their eyes.
She stays on the outer edge of the group, far enough away that she almost isn’t even a part of the pod.
“Seems lonely,” Geno says as he looks out over the water. There’s the pod and then there is her. “Never interacts. Never gets close. Don’t get it.”
“Maybe that’s how she likes it,” Sid says and Geno gives him a disbelieving look.
“No one likes to be lonely.”
“Not lonely. Just…alone.”
“Not any better. She all alone watching all the other whales have fun,” Geno says and Sid laughs. “Not getting invited to whale parties and sitting alone at whale lunch.”
“You basically just described my entire college career and I’m fine.”
Geno frowns and Sid rubs the back of his neck with his hand.
“It’s no big deal. Don’t look at me like that.”
“Sid, you lonely?”
“Well, not now,” he says as he gestures to the ship around them. It’s hard to turn around without waking into someone else. “But in college..I don’t know. I kept to myself. I studied a lot. I stayed in and…” He looked Geno in the eye and took a deep breath. “I watched your presentations. A lot.”
Geno’s eyebrows shoot up and Sid shrugs. He’s caught now and he might as well tell the truth.
“You were so young-are so young and you’ve done so much…you were who I wanted to be. Or at least be like. I guess maybe I still think like that.”
Geno purses his lips and shakes his head. When he puts his hand on Sid’s shoulder it’s heavy and reassuring.
“Sid, think you’re great just the way you are.”
-
They dock in Hawaii. They’ve got time to kill before the calves are born and the opportunity to sleep in a bed that’s not rocking on the ocean is too good to pass up.
The air is warm and the waters are clear blue and Geno trades in the scarves and hats for sunglasses and board shorts.
“You on Island time, G,” Tanger asks as they step onto dry land.
“So sick of cold,” Geno says as he cuffs him around the back of the neck. “Whales have babies in warm waters just for me.” He grabs Sid by the elbow and pulls him back. “Come have dinner.”
“I think we were all going to have dinner at the hotel.”
“Come have dinner with me.”
“Oh.”
“Have fun,” Flower says as he breezes past, “make sure you use protection.”
Sid scowls at him and when he looks back at Geno he’s smiling softly down at him over the rim of his sunglasses.
Geno picks a dive bar right on the water. It’s a beautiful view, Sid guesses. All he can look at is the line of Geno’s throat as he tips his head back to drink his beer and the shape of his biceps in his tank top.
“Going to get so tan,” Geno says as he lowers the bottle. “Spend all my time on the deck, waiting for babies.”
Sid looks down at the plate of greasy nachos in front of him. “That sounds nice.”
Geno gently kicks him beneath the table and Sid looks up.
“You know you’re not like lonely whale.”
Sid blinks at him. “Yeah. I know.”
“Don’t know if you do. I worry…if you think…”
“G?”
His eyebrows knit together in frustration before he sighs. “If you ever feel like that, know I’m here.”
“I know you are.”
“No.” He sighs again, heavier this time and reaches out to cover Sid’s hand with his own. “Mean like this.”
For the second time in as many hours Geno leaves him speechless. The only thing he can think to do is flip his hand over and link their fingers together.
It’s easier to figure it out later.
After they finish their dinner and their drinks and Geno pulls him onto the dance floor not caring that it’s almost empty. Geno holds him close then suddenly spins him around until Sid laughs, pink cheeked and happy.
Back at the hotel Sid holds open his door for Geno then backs him against it when it closes.
“I’ve had a crush on you since I was eighteen,” he admits even though he’s sure he’s already heard it from one of the other guys. “I’ve thought about this a lot.”
Geno’s answering grin is slow and lazy. “You groupie, Sid?”
“Is it being a groupie if you want me just as much?”
Geno opens his mouth then snaps it shut. Sid smiles, kisses him, and pulls him further into the room.
-
Geno’s skin is sun-warmed against his own as they stand side by side on the deck of the ship. Geno has his arm looked through Sid’s as they watch the surface of the water.
The calves should have been born by now and all they can do it wait.
“Tell whales to hurry, Sid,” Geno whines and Sid pulls his arm away so he can wrap it around Geno’s shoulders and pull him tighter to his side. “Ready to see babies.”
Sid laughs and presses a kiss to the side of Geno’s head.
“Get a room,” Tanger says as he passes behind them and Geno picks his head up.
“Have room. Is right next to yours.”
“Yeah,” Tanger says dryly, “I know. It’s been days since I’ve had a good night's sleep.”
Sid flushes and Geno laughs. “You welcome.”
Tanger flips him off and keeps walking. Geno settles back in against Sid’s side
Sid’s not sure how this could get any better until they spot the first water spout breaking the surface.
Geno stands up straight and leans over the railing as the first whale breaches followed immediately by a calve.
Geno grabs onto Sid’s arms as they rest of the guys crowd around them.
They count four calves and then a fifth on the edge of the group with their lonely whale.
“Sid,” Geno gasps and Sid nods.
“I know. Looks like she won’t be lonely now.
“No,” Geno says as he wraps his arm around Sid’s waist. “Not anymore.”