Work Text:
1. Tanger
Sid is lurking.
Kris doesn’t like it when Sid lurks, because that means there’s something Sid wants to do or something Sid has a problem with or something Sid wants to talk to him about and it inevitably means Kris has to do something he doesn’t want to do.
Also, Sid is so bad at it. He tries to be subtle and not look like he’s worrying but- Kris is one of the last few in the locker room and Sid is just standing by the door staring at him. And he’s playing with his necklace, which means he’s nervous.
Great.
Kris starts packing up his gear a little faster.
The goalies who were huddled in the corner seem to pick up on their Captain’s vibes and suddenly make their exit, leaving Kris alone with Sid. Tanger gets on his knees next to his gear bag to fish around for his keys and then remembers with a groan that Geno drove him to practice today, because for some reason he was ‘in the neighborhood’.
Sid wanders over in what’s the most awkward attempt at casual possible, but then it’s Sid. Tanger loves him and all his awkwardness. Even if he sometimes makes Tanger stay hours late for one on one practice that’s really just Sid beating him so much it makes Tanger question his ability as a defenseman.
“I need your help.”
Kris continues to shove his gear in his bag. “I’m not staying late again so you can run yourself into the ground doing foot drills.”
Sid’s face scrunches in confusion. “What? No. No, it’s about your rookie.”
Tanger raises an eyebrow at him. He doesn’t have a rookie. Or at least, he doesn’t have a rookie, singular . He’s got some young guys (and boy does it pain him to not be able to include himself in that category anymore) but he doesn’t have a rookie , per say. “I’m sorry?”
“Marino.” Sid stuffs his hands in his pockets, and Kris leans back to sit on his heels. He doesn’t think he’s noticed anything off with his play, the kid’s been learning really well. Kris hasn’t noticed anything wrong with him off the ice either, but sometimes Kris misses these things. Sid also has an uncanny ability to tell when something’s wrong with someone even if they’re doing a really good job of hiding it, so it could be either.
“Okay, what’s wrong with-”
“I think he’s dating our goalie.”
Tanger jerks his head up, gaping at Sid. “ Excuse me?!”
Sid bites his lip but nods. “I saw- well.” Kris raises an eyebrow as Sid blushes and oh, oh they’re like that .
Tanger sighs. “You realize that just because they’re doing that - or if they only did it once or- whatever, they’re not necessarily dating?”
“Yeah, that's what I’m afraid of,” Sid mumbles. Kris groans. He really doesn’t want to have another birds and bees talk with his defensemen.
“You ask about babies?” A new voice interrupts.
“Hi Geno.” Tanger says with a wry smile. Geno grins back.
“They’re not babies .” Sidney corrects. Kris rolls his eyes and goes back to packing.
Geno raises an eyebrow at him. “Marino is baby.”
“He’s twenty three!”
“Absolute child.” Kris chimes in. Which is a lie, John’s probably more mature than half this team, and they’re all older than him.
“See? Tanger agree. Babies.”
“You- he- okay this is besides the point.” Sid huffs.
Tanger sits up. “I mean technically, Pickles isn’t a baby. Like the guy owns a farm.”
Geno tilts his head. “Pickles?”
“Jarry, jars, pickle jar. Pickles.” Kris explains, grunting as he gets to his feet. Christ, he needs to use a foam roller on his quads. “Are you driving me home?”
“Sure,” Sid says at the same time that Geno nods with a “Yes.” They look at each other. Geno shrugs innocently at Sid’s slightly betrayed look.
God they’re so weird.
“I can just Uber if you two are gonna be doing… whatever it is you do.”
It’s Tanger’s turn to receive a scathing look from Sid. Geno laughs. “I’m drive, is fine.”
“This is all well and good but someone’s got to talk to them-“
“Not it!” Kris yelps, shouldering his backpack and grabbing his gear bag to give to the equipment guys on the way out.
“You Captain, Sid,” Geno says solemnly. “Is Captain job.”’
“And you’re both my alternates!” Sid fires back, his hands on his hips. Kris has to keep from laughing but god. Sid’s more of a dad than Kris is, and Kris actually has kids. “You’re supposed to help me.”
Tanger looks at G. G looks at Tanger.
“Okay,” Kris chirps. Sid narrows his eyes at them both. “I’ll get them in the same room, and you two can talk to them about… whatever it is you need to talk to them about.”
Sidney thinks about it for a second before he nods, satisfied at least that Kris is getting roped into it. It’s not new, their whole ‘deep talks about relationships’ that Sid and Geno do, but it’s not something Kris explicitly wants to get involved with. He’s not… good at it.
Geno squawks. “You leave me alone with babies?”
“You give great birds and bees talks,” Tanger says happily, patting him on the shoulder.
“I’m not drive you home after this,” G grumbles, but Sid laughs, at ease now that he’s got a plan.
“If I’m betraying a member of my d-core and my goalie, one of you fucks can at least drive me home, especially since I’m going to be eviscerated by Jars after he finds out.” Tanger calls, exiting the locker room to drop his gear bag on the trolly.
Sid does end up having to drive him home, but only after a good fifteen minutes of some soft arguing with Geno. That’s what Tanger calls it when they have their little spats, because it sounds like an actual ‘I’m so mad at you I don't ever want to see you again’ kind of arguing sometimes but really he just thinks that’s how they express their love to each other.
Two weeks later Tanger tricks poor Marino and walks him into an mostly empty conference room, and he’s too green to do anything but sit across from Sid. Jars sees what's about to happen and almost turns around to walk out except Tanger stationed himself right outside the door with the most threatening expression he could possibly muster.
Tristan returns it with a truly terrifying glare of his own, but sits down anyway.
Turns out they were dating but John was terrified of telling Sid, so everyone’s happier after the conversation except for Kris, who for the next week has to consistently put on soaking wet gear, thanks to one murderous goalie.
...
2. Patty
Patrick Marleau is on the Pens roster for all of five minutes before he hears about it.
Sidney Crosby texts him welcoming him to the team and he’s in the process of responding thanks when Marns of all people texts him.
‘Get ready for a taste of your own medicine ’
Patrick stares at his phone. ‘What’ he types back, and then his phone is ringing and it’s his new coach and by the time he’s done with that conversation he has to rush to get packed while his wonderful fantastic incredible wife breaks the news to the kids.
So he forgets about the text, and therefore never realizes that it’s a bit weird that Mitchy never responded to him.
He gets to Pittsburgh - actually he goes to the Penguins first, as they’re on the road - and he barely has enough time to drop his bag in his room before Sidney Crosby is at his door with his A’s.
“You guys don’t mess around,” Patty jokes. It doesn’t get a response from Sid or Geno, but he does get an amused scoff from Letang.
“You are going to have to get used to that while you are here,” the defenseman says. “Sidney over here doesn’t have an off button.”
It’s a subtle change, the way Sid relaxes, but it’s enough for Patty to see exactly how important Letang is to Crosby. They’ve been friends for a long, long time, and Patty would suspect Sid needs Kris around to keep him grounded.
Then his eyes shift to Geno, and the way he’s standing next to Sid, looking at Sid like he-
Oh.
“We always try to give the new guys a conversation with the leadership group before they get here, so that way they know… what to expect.”
“Rules of the locker room, sure,” Patty nods. He’s had this talk a couple times now, but he’s mostly been the one giving it.
“Ah, yeah it’s not so much that as… we’re an open locker room.” Sid grabs at the back of his neck and looks to Geno. “So if you have a problem with that, I’d appreciate it if you keep it to yourself.”
Patty looks between the three of them. “Huh?”
“Asking if you okay with guys who are not straight.” Geno says. Tanger is looking at him with sharp eyes, probably planning his demise should he answer wrong.
Pat looks between the two of them, noticing how Sid tenses. Not quite the rules of the locker room speech, so much as a ‘are you a raging homophobe and if you are simply keep your mouth shut until we get rid of you’ speech . Nice.
“Oh!” He smiles. “Hell yeah, I- I mean Toronto was really open too.” Mitch has been trying to convince Patty to go to Pride. Patty would like to be too busy with hockey that early in June, but if he’s not, it would be fun to see the Toronto boys again.
The three of them relax, and Sid then launches into an actual list of the rules that’s intermixed with random bits of praise for Patty. Tanger disappears almost immediately, leaving with a smile and a quick “Good luck, Sid never shuts up,” on his way out. Geno stays though, and they talk for at least another hour.
It’s nice. Not just talking about hockey with two of the greatest players in the league, but also players who’ve been in the league for a while now, and it’s especially nice to see how comfortable they are with each other. He never really got the chance to talk to Sidney or Geno, and he certainly didn’t want to speak to them during or after the 2016 finals.
They seem really great, and he’s certainly happy for them. But after they’ve talked and the two have left to let him settle in before team dinner, he still doesn’t get Mitch’s text. He certainly didn’t give Mitch that talk when he went to Toronto. If anything he was the one getting that talk, although it was less organized and came from various people at various times.
Well, he’s sure he’ll figure it out.
...
They’re three games in when the first test comes. Well, Patty assumes it’s the first test. If it’s not a test, then the Penguins have some serious trust in their leadership group. Patrick and Geno are sitting on a couch in the common room of the PPG Paints Arena, idly talking about the game from the night before. Patty is about to change the conversation towards good places to eat in Pittsburgh when another of the Penguins enters the little kitchen/living area they’re in.
Rusty flops down onto the couch next to Geno and goes almost completely limp.
“One sec,” G says, and then turns to where Rusty is staring ahead, wide eyed in disbelief. “How’d date go?”
Rusty waives his hands in the air and makes a noise of frustration. “He didn’t- we went? We went and we came back and then he left .”
Patty blinks once at the pronoun and pulls out his phone. Geno hums, resting his head on his chin. “You try everything I saw? Dessert? Wine? Hand touch?”
“Yes!” Rusty yells. “I mean - multiple hand touches! It was a nice restaurant, I wore my good suit, Kels wore her purple dress which she looks amazing in and that he once specifically said she looks amazing in and he- we went home and then we were gonna talk but then he just- he ran.”
Geno tilts his head. “Hide in room?”
“No,” Bryan lets his head fall against the back of the couch. “He literally ran. He said good night, went to his room, got changed and went for a run. At one am .”
Patty bites his lip. That’s one way to get out of a conversation you don’t want to have. Although, it must be nerve wracking to have to talk to not one but two people who are interested in you. Patty can’t relate. Christina had his number from the moment he met her and every day he counts his lucky stars that he got to marry her.
Geno shrugs. “Maybe nervous? Have met Kels. Can be very scary.”
“I mean I know that, but she was actually very much not scary. Like she put effort into making herself less intimidating.”
“Uh...maybe you then?”
Rusty rolls his head to the side to stare at Geno. “Me?!”
“Yes,” Geno nods. “If you do all things I tell you, and it not Kelsey, then- maybe you? He has to know, but maybe he nervous.”
“But I’m- I- I didn’t- I’m not intimidating I-”
“Are fluffy teddy bear, yes, but he have to see you every day, and he not have to see Kels. If things go bad, you scarier.”
Rusty opens and closes his mouth a few times before he crosses his arms over his chest and huffs. “Well that’s just- that’s stupid!”
Geno laughs and starts to go into a new date night plan, Rusty listening attentively while voicing concerns every once in a while. Patty smiles and quietly makes his exit.
He can find some place for lunch on his own.
...
Patty would’ve probably written it off as a one time thing. He even texts Mitch again, a string of question marks to which Mitch replies only with a winky face, like that explains anything at all.
Except then it happens again. The second test as it were. And this time he’s not sitting next to Geno on a couch in the common room, he’s sitting next to Sid at a table in one of Edmonton's hotels.
They’re making some idle conversation as he was with Geno, because Sid is somehow, impossibly, a morning person. Which makes sense in a whole lot of ways, but sometimes Patty would like to sit and drink his coffee in peace, and apparently Sid does not know how to do that. He knew Sid talked a lot. But it’s six thirty in the morning, and Sid hasn’t stopped talking for the last twenty minutes.
At least Mitchy was quiet in the mornings. Although Patrick doesn’t really think Marns was really awake most mornings.
Patty is about to ask a question when a younger guy with his hair still shower wet and flopping all over the place slumps down next to Sid. Zach, Patty is pretty sure that’s Zach. He’s still learning actual names, because at this point all he knows is nicknames or numbers. Zach buries his head in his arms on the table and groans.
Sid stuffs a half a pancake in his mouth and pats him on the back. “Good date night?”
“It’s not a date ,” the kid whines. “They didn’t call it a date, they never mentioned the word date, they gave no hint whatsoever that it was anything more than housemates going to dinner.”
Patty eats his oatmeal and tries to pretend he’s not interested. He’s not, really.
Well he kinda is, but he’s not invested . He doesn’t know the whole story so he couldn’t even begin to give advice-
“Kelsey didn’t say anything?” Sid asks, surprise in his voice. “I thought you said she asked you out.”
“Yeah but apparently ‘hey me and my boyfriend want to take you to dinner’ does not mean what I thought it did.” Zach’s voice is muffled.
Patty almost chokes on his oats. Zach, ZAR, Zachary Aston-Reese is the guy. He’s Rusty’s guy. And Kelsey must be Rusty’s long time girlfriend. And they’ve been… courting Zach.
Well alright then. He wonders if Geno and Sid get together after the games and compare notes over dinner. He wouldn’t be surprised if they did. Sid sure likes to have a game plan, and Geno is his chief strategist.
Sid continues his conversation with Zach while stuffing his face like professional athletes do. Patty eats at a slower pace, thinking over the conversation with Geno and Rusty while half heartedly listening to the current convo. It sounds like G was right, Zach was intimidated by Rusty, although he wasn’t worried about their relationship going badly - he’s worried about it going well.
He didn’t want to change team dynamics. So naturally Zach goes to the leader of the team, the one who created that dynamic, to make sure he’s okay with it. Or perhaps he goes for advice, or to talk, something Sid is rather good at. Patty’s been here less than a couple weeks, and he’s learned that Sid likes to talk things out. It’s how he fixes problems. Whereas Geno listens, and offers advice after the fact.
It’s smart. The two of them have very different styles, but the same goal of team cohesion.
But he still doesn’t get Mitch’s text-
The realization hits and he straightens up. They’re not just working in tandem to stabilize the team’s relationships, they’re literally giving relationship advice. To their teammates, who are dating.
Gay dads. Right on.
Patrick smiles into his coffee and texts Mitch back.
‘Never mind, I figured it out.’
...
3. Zucker
Jason Zucker did not ask for this.
He feels it needs stating. “I did not ask for this, Sidney.”
Sid’s eyebrows meet in frustrated concern. “I know you didn’t but I don’t control the front office and you’re here now so-“
“I- what?” The puck goes flying down the ice and Jake goes skating after it, the Winnipeg defenseman skating desperately to keep up. “I’m not talking about the fucking trade, Jesus, Crosby, I’ve been here three months now.” He gives Sid a look. “You really think I’m that unhappy?”
“Well, I- oh shit,” Sid cuts himself off, leaning forward as Geno goes hard into the boards. He sits back when Geno tosses the offending player off of him and skates back towards the puck. “I know it’s been tough with your family and everything.”
“Hockey usually is,” Jason deadpans. “I’m not talking about being traded, I’m talking about being the designated relationship therapist for half the team.”
Sid blinks at him a couple times before his face breaks into a smile and he laughs.
Jason doesn’t get what’s so funny. The last four weeks he’s done nothing but listen to Brandon Tanev and Aston-Reese pine away after their respective crushes. He loves the guys, he does, and this team is different from the Wild but good in a lot of the same ways. They’re open with each other. Family in the way that a lot of teams aren’t.
But Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ they make him want to scream . Especially Brandon, especially leading up to this fucking game, especially because Jason only vaguely knew of Adam Lowry before coming to the Pens and now he feels like he could write the guy’s biography. He’s never wanted to hear so much about another man’s eyes.
“Wait, you’re serious?” Sid stops laughing, eyes widening. “Oh man I thought we had everyone covered, who do you got?”
Jason stares at his captain. And keeps staring, until he’s sure that Sid’s being serious.
He is being serious. “You- is ‘we’ you and Geno? What did you do, divide up the team to equally distribute parenting duties?”
“Um,” Sid tilts his head, like Zucker’s the one being weird. “Yeah.”
Well. The Pens are definitely different than the Wild.
“Brandon.” He says flatly. “I can handle ZAR, but my god please do something about Brandon.”
Sid stands up like he’s going to jump for a shift, but then the horn sounds to indicate the end of the second period. “Who’s Brandon after? I think everyone on the team is just about covered.” He’s not even looking at Jason as he speaks, eyes flitting across the ice, checking on the posture of each one of his teammates as they skate to the bench. Always checking to make sure everyone’s okay.
Sid’s maybe the first hockey player who’s very much against hiding injuries. He’s certainly the first Captain Jason’s ever had who makes it known that injuries are something to be taken care of, not to be taken lightly.
Sid’s gaze lands on someone and stays there. Jason doesn't have to look to know it’s Geno.
“Number seventeen,” He sighs, tilting his stick towards the Jets player. “Lowry.”
He watches Sid tense, face tightening as he watches Lows skate to his own bench. “Okay,” he says, and his voice is harder this time. “I’ll take care of it.”
“I didn’t mean-”
“No, it’s alright,” Sid turns to him with a sigh, swinging a leg over the bench to skate off with the rest of the boys. “There’s...history there, and it’s not mine to tell. I’ll- we’ll figure it out.”
Jason narrows his eyes but agrees. He’s one of the last ones down the tunnel, but he watches Geno duck his head down to hear Sid talk on the way to the locker room. Sully talks to the team, and then they’ve got a few minutes to do whatever it is that players want to do between periods. Jason heads out to the hallway to retape his stick, and when he does he happens to catch Sid and Geno leading Brandon away from the locker room, talking low.
It’s a bit strange, if he thinks about it too much, because usually it’s all or nothing, one or the other. If it’s more than the Captain talking to you, then it’s all of the A’s as well. It’s not usually- people have the A for a reason. But then, where Sid and Kris are close, Sid and Geno are...different. It isn’t the first time Sid and Geno have stepped in together, without Kris, and he’d thought that maybe there was some disconnect that he didn’t understand, but now he’s thinking- well, maybe there’s no disconnect , exactly, just that Sid and Geno’s connection is-
Different.
(He’s always heard that Geno and Sid were a little weird about each other but hell - those rumors didn’t touch the half of it.)
...
4. Sully
Sully’s been around for a while. Not a long time, as with a lot of coaches in the league, but a while. He can safely say he’s never met a player like Sidney Crosby, and he’s not going to meet anyone like him in the future.
The exact same can be said about Evgeni Malkin.
So, naturally - he’s absolutely positive that their relationship is one of a kind as well.
Practice is an upbeat affair, as it usually is. Sid believes in hard work and realistic positivity, meaning he doesn’t care if they won or lost he just wants to skate his ass off to get better and he expects everyone else to do the same.
Mike loves his job.
They’re about halfway done, and Sully’s given them a second to get water, and that’s when he notices.
Geno is skating awfully close to Canner. Mike tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes in thought, mentally reviewing the last couple days as well as practice so far. He’s sure he didn’t notice anything suspicious, but he’s also sure that Geno’s been stuck to Canner’s side for most of practice.
His eyes instantly start to seek out Sid, looking to analyze his demeanor. He loves working with Sidney, he’s one in a million and Sully will never work with a better Captain, but subtle is one thing he is not. Mike can usually gauge a situation based solely on Sid’s body language, and when Geno is doing his whole ‘discreetly fishing for information’ thing, Sid’s reaction is telling. If Sid’s watching intently, then Geno’s victim is likely crushing on someone outside the team.
But if Sid’s hovering around another teammate, like, say, one Jeff Carter, then that’s a different story. Sully raises an eyebrow as he blows the whistle, signalling for everyone to get back in their groups. Not the couple he would’ve picked, per say, but he’s not about to start judging.
Besides, there was much more drama in the A. He loved the Wilkes-Barre Pens, but holy shit. He’s so glad he doesn’t have to get involved in most of the Penguins stuff, because Sid and Geno manage it so well. In fact, Sully’s convinced that’s probably how the whole ‘relationship counselor’ thing started, because Sid is very, very specific about how he likes things to be on his team, and managing relationships probably was another way to ensure a cohesive locker room.
Tanger is even playing his part in this dance, alternating between chirping Sid like it’s his job (it is) and studiously ignoring his presence on the ice entirely.
Now, he’s seen this behaviour before from the Pittsburgh captain and alternate. A lot of times, actually. He can’t actually pinpoint the first time he saw it happen, because he didn’t realize what it was, exactly. Now though - it seems every new player, regardless of their sexuality, ends up getting some sort of advice from Sid and Geno.
Like right now. He knew Jared got integrated into the group rather early after he apparently accidentally walked in on… a thing no one ever wants to walk in on. Sully tends not to get too involved in the team gossip train, and for good reason. So he hasn’t been made aware of any prospective relationships for McCann - and again, Mike is happily married, he has enough drama in his own life, he certainly doesn’t need to hear about the team’s as well.
But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t amuse him when he does see it.
Geno is the one with tact, chatting up Canner to the point that Sully isn’t sure that Jared even knows what’s happening. G knows exactly how to guide a conversation so that it lands where he wants it, without the person he’s talking to ever knowing that Geno was fishing. Usually Geno isn’t really digging, it’s more like feeling things out. Seeing how the other person feels about something. Trying to judge if it would be helpful to have a full conversation or not.
Sid is a lot less subtle. He puts a glove in front of his mouth and leans in close to talk to Carts, stops abruptly to do the drill, gets back in line and waits until Carter comes back to a stop next to him to immediately begin the conversation again. Poor Jeff has about as much color as the ice he’s standing on, which means Sid’s doing his ‘I’m not threatening you, exactly, but I’m also not adverse to telling you all the ways I know how to hide a body should you fuck up ’ thing.
Not subtle.
Still, it makes Sully smile to watch them parent the team. Even if some of the team are as old as Sid.
...
5. (+ 1) Cullen
Cully is sitting with his ankles crossed and a coffee in hand when Jake walks in the room with a look on his face that spells trouble.
It’s the dining room, if the PPG Paints Arena had a room that could be considered such. The boys are trickling in, planning on leaving right from the arena to the airport to start their road trip. Matt is sitting next to Stew, who’s probably been ready to leave since last night. Their trainer is like Dana, overly prepared and almost obsessively organized. Which means he’s allotted the twenty minutes to sit and eat his brunch before everyone gets ready for practice.
Sid and Geno are sitting next to each other at another table, and Matt watches half interested as Jake hurries to grab some food and sit across from Sid. He’d have gone back to the paper he was reading, except for the way that Jake keeps glancing up from his food to look between Sid and G. The kid’s nervous as shit about something, and Matt’s got a front row seat to whatever that something is going to be.
He’s not usually one for these things, but he generally enjoys watching Sid captain his team.
“Hey, um, Sid?”
Sidney grunts, not even looking up from his breakfast. Next to him Geno is more involved with a game on his phone than the conversation.
“So we fly out right after the Leafs game, and since the game is late I was gonna go out to lunch with some of the guys and uh, probably some of the Toronto guys as well? Mitch is gonna be there and we’re gonna catch up.”
Sid tilts his head but stays focused on his plate. “Oh...Kay? No problem, unless there is something illegal you’re going to be doing, and I’m gonna need to call Marner for an alibi.”
Matt watches amused as Guentzy squirms. “No, I just- I just wanted to make sure you knew. Where I was going.”
Cully purses his lips but it doesn’t totally stop the smile from over taking his face. Across from him Stew is doing his best not to start laughing. Jake is trying so hard not to sound like he’s asking permission from his dad but he really, really is.
And Sid is oblivious .
“Sure, but you didn’t have to specify that Marner was gonna be there.” Sid points out, still not paying attention to Jake, who’s clearly wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole.
“What do you think of him?” Jake blurts out and then seems to immediately regret it from the way he closes his eyes and swears at himself.
“What, do you have a crush on him or something?” Sid asks, taking a sip of his coffee. There’s absolute silence in response.
Sid finally, finally , looks up to see Jake blushing so hard the tips of his ears are turning red and nearly chokes on his coffee. He leans forward in his seat “Oh my god- ”
“It’s not that big of a deal!”
Sid waves a hand around. “Mitchell Marner?!”
“Who he crushing on now?” Geno asks, stumbling into the kitchen and pouring himself a frankly worrying amount of coffee. Matt is watching the whole thing unfold from his little corner and he’s absolutely fascinated .
“No one!”
“Marner!”
Sid sends Jake a flat look as they yell at the same time. Geno grunts, grabbing a plate and his gallon of caffeine before coming to sit at the table. Sid stares at him while he digs all the strawberries out of the fruit salad and Jake stares at his waffles like they hold the key to getting out of this conversation.
“This is better than Showtime,” Stew whispers and Matt has to count to twenty to keep from laughing outright.
After he’s effectively excavated all the berries, Geno glances up at Sid. “Don’t stare while people eat Sid, is rude.”
Sid makes a noise of outrage and points to Jake. Geno glances between the two of them, then shrugs. “There are worse Leafs.”
Uh oh.
“Yeah, be glad it wasn’t Nylander or someone obnoxious.” Jake pipes up as Sid’s face turns to one of shock and betrayal.
“He is obnoxious! He’s- a Leaf ?!” Sid hisses.
Geno leans across the table and steals a sausage from Sid’s plate. “Better than a Flyer.”
Jake perks up, clearly sensing an ally. “Or an Islander.”
“A Ranger would be shitty too.”
“What if it was a Capital I was crushing on? The anarchy-”
“That’s not the point!” Sid snaps, voice so loud it’s almost a yell. He sounds legitimately angry too.
Matt isn’t laughing anymore.
Jake and Geno are wearing identical looks of surprise. “I didn’t think I had to tell you every time I developed feelings for someone-”
“You don’t, but you- you weren’t- you didn’t tell me.” Sidney shakes his head. “I need you to be focused before the game, not daydreaming about Marner’s eyes.”
Stew winces and Cully bites his lip. He can’t say he’s ever been in the same situation as Jake, but that hurts. It’s the wrong thing to say and he can’t believe Sid is the one saying it.
Geno is sending Sid a look and Sid is ignoring it, glaring at the table. Jake looks like he’s been slapped and Cully doesn’t blame him. He didn’t expect this from Sid either.
“What are you gonna do, tell me I can’t go see my boyfriend?” Jake’s voice wavers, threatening to break at the end.
Fuck, c’mon Sid don’t do this- Matt pleads silently. He thinks he knows, maybe, why this is happening, but that doesn’t make it any better.
“Oh so he’s your boyfriend now is he-”
“And what if he was?! Huh? What if I wanted him to be, are you gonna tell me I can’t date him?!”
The Captain shakes his head and Matt can read the lines of his body, read the anger. “You’re not seeing him before the game, it’s going to distract you.”
“You don’t know that, what the fuck Sid-”
“I said no !” Sid yells.
Matt watches Jake’s face crumple. He stares at Sid, breathing heavily for a few moments before he shoves back from the table and walks quickly from the room.
The second Guentzy’s gone Sid completely deflates, shoulders slumping as whatever misguided anger he felt drains out of him. He drops his fork with a clatter and puts his head in his hands. Stew taps Matt on the arm with his newspaper and quickly makes his exit as well.
Geno raises his eyes to finally notice Matt. His dark eyes are unreadable to almost anyone else, but Matt knows. He nods once. Geno says something quietly to Sid, who shakes his head. G stands and grabs his mug, walking a circuitous route towards the doors so he can pass by Cully.
“He not mean-”
“I know,” Matt murmurs. “I know. Don’t worry G, I got this one.”
…
There’s a video review to get through, a light workout that’s more like a giant team physical therapy session, and then it’s the controlled chaos of packing up a whole entire hockey team and getting everyone and everything on a plane. It’s not till they’ve landed in Toronto and arrived at their hotel that Matt gets the opportunity to talk to Sid.
Although it’s more like cornering his Captain in his room, but Sid can be a slippery son of a bitch when he doesn’t want to talk about something. Which is likely why he’s got to shoulder his way into Sid’s room when he finally answers the door.
“So!” Matt exclaims cheerfully, moving Sid’s backpack off the desk.“What the fuck was that, Sid.”
“The fuck was what?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Matt plunks down in the desk chair. “What the fuck was that shit with Jake?”
He watches Sid tense back up. “It was gonna fuck with his focus-”
“Are you sure?”
“Cully, I really don’t need this.”
Matt leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “I mean if you prefer, I can call Duper and he can help me unscrew your head from your ass, but I figured I’d see if I could get you to do it yourself.”
A lot of emotion crosses Sid’s face in a very short period of time, his expression finally landing on frustration. Easy defense.
“It wasn’t anything I wouldn’t say to someone else.”
“Okay well that’s clearly a lie,” Cully says, watching Sid start to pace. “You would never have said that to Tanger. Or me. Or Geno or Tristan or pretty much anyone else on the team, so…”
“He needed to hear it-“
“I’m pretty sure he didn’t, actually.”
Sid turns on a heel and stares at him. Matt raises an eyebrow. “You were a little harsh, buddy.”
“He’s- he should have told me!” Sid says, and god , he really does not get it, but at least they’re getting somewhere. Cully thought they were going to have to go at it all night before Sid started to open up.
Matt sighs. “Sid, you know I love you, right?”
Sidney looks at him warily, blushing the way he does whenever someone directly states that they care about him. “Yeah?”
“Okay, so trust me when I say that you’re being incredibly dense right now.”
Sid scoffs. “Really helpful, Cully.”
“Jesus- okay, alright, you like solving things, right? In fact I know your weird brain just loves figuring out a problem, so here’s a hint - why don’t you think very very hard about why you don’t want Jake dating someone outside the team. Or better yet, think about why Jake came to you , and no one else.”
He can see Sid struggle with the justification for Jake’s action. “I was just- I was there. He knows the rules, they’re supposed to ask me first.”
“No, they’re supposed to ask one of the leadership group, that’s the rules. So why did he ask you for permission when he could’ve asked any of the A’s? Hell, he could’ve even asked Sully, but he chose to ask you specifically. Geno was right there, but he went to you. ”
Sid opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. Matt can practically see the gears turning against one another.
Got you.
“Did you ever think that maybe he wanted your approval? Not anyone else’s permission , he wanted your approval of the guy he liked.”
Sid gapes at him, eyes wide. “Jake can date who he wants, he doesn’t need my permission or approval or - ”
“But he asked you for it anyway.” Matt reiterates. “He asked you, and tomorrow after you apologize , you are going to give it to him, and you’re going to tell him to be careful when you do. Because that’s what parents do when their kids grow up.”
“He’s not my kid,” Sid says weakly.
“Yeah he is, Sid,” Cully smiles. “He’s your rookie. He’s always going to be your rookie. The reason you got so upset wasn’t because he’s dating a Leaf, it’s because you don't want to see him get hurt while dating a Leaf. And you probably felt a little betrayed that you didn’t even know he had a crush on Marner, never mind that he was dating him.”
Sidney stills, the muscles in his jaw working as he mulls over the conversation.“I didn’t raise him, you know.” He says eventually. “Everyone always jokes like I’m supposed to be his dad, but Jake has a dad, and we’re teammates and-”
“You can’t put this in a box, Sid,” Matt interrupts. “Maybe you didn't raise him for the first eighteen years, but that doesn’t mean all those years you looked out for him are invalid. It doesn’t mean you can’t care about him or get scared when he really goes out into the world without you. And- yeah, he has a Dad, but that doesn’t mean he can't look to you as more than his Captain.”
Sid stares at him blankly. Matt closes his eyes and sighs. “You’re really gonna make me spell this out?”
Another blank look.
“Okay- Jake wants your approval. Because Jake cares about what you think of him. Because Jake cares about you .”
Sid wrinkles his nose at Cully’s words but doesn’t deny it. It’s almost enough to break the tension in the room. One thing about Sid - he only hates feelings when they’re his. Hell, he’s usually the one giving these sorts of talks. Matt’s heard stories and he’s seen things, having played for the Pens for long enough. Sid and Geno have a reputation that’s not unfounded.
“Which, by the way , is probably why it hurt so bad for him to hear you say that he didn’t know how to be focused before a game.”
Sid finally stops pacing, sitting down on the edge of the bed with a defeated sigh. “I don’t- I don’t know why I said that.” He admits quietly. “It wasn’t true.”
“People lash out when they’re afraid,” Matt is, unfortunately, speaking from experience. “You reacted that way because you’re afraid of seeing Jake get hurt. Because you’re protective of him. Because you feel responsible for him in a way that’s different from the rest of the team.”
The muscles in Sid’s jaw tense as he speaks. “You’re right.” He grumbles. “I just wish he’d told me earlier.”
“Why, so you could yell at him then?”
“No. No I- I shouldn’t have yelled at him as all. God, I was such an ass.” Sid scrubs his face with a hand. “Now Jake isn’t going to believe me when I say I’m happy for him.”
“Not at first, but he will.” At Sidney’s worried expression, Matt puts his hands out placatingly. “He’ll get over it assuming your apology is more than two words, and you guys will be fine. Trust me, I’m an expert on these things.” He’s not, really, but he’s got more experience than Sid. Three boys of his own, and he’s not the perfect Dad, never has been, never will be. He’s said some things he’s regretted before. He’s gotten the ‘I hate you!’ from his own kid. It sucks and he’s happy that he’s only been put in that situation once, but they got through it.
Plus, he figures it’s easier seeing as Jake is more emotionally mature than an eight year old. He and Sid will figure it out, he’s sure of it.
“No, so I could have more time to- get used to it, or whatever.” Sid flops back onto the bed and stares at the ceiling. “Not the dating another guy part, that’s- well that’s par for the course at this point.”
“It’s not the ‘oh my god he’s in a serious relationship’ is it, because Sid, for a hockey player he’s nearing veteran status. A lot of players his age are having actual human children of their own.”
“ No , he is not ,” Sid snaps with such vehemence Cully has to laugh. “He’s still a kid-“
“ -your kid-“
“Shut up Cully I swear to god!” It’s loud, but Sid’s laughing a bit as well. “No, I just mean I would’ve appreciated more of a heads up, because it’s- weird. It’s weird, alright?”
“Baby boy’s all grown up,” Matt coos. Sid reaches around and chucks a pillow at him.
“I’m done talking to you.” He says flatly. “Get out of my hotel room.”
“Promise you’ll talk to him tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“And you’ll apologize?”
“God, yes , now get out of my room!” Sid whines, and Cully can’t resist one last chirp as he exits.
“Okay kiddo, have a fun day at school tomorrow!”
He gets hit with another pillow.
...
The next day at breakfast Cully watches as Sid gets up and changes tables so he can sit with Jake. Sid does nearly all the talking, quiet but sincere, while Jake stares at his plate. Eventually Jake looks up at Sid, surprise coloring his features. He asks something, slightly hesitant. Sid nods, and then Jake splits into a grin before he starts chattering away, Sid listening attentively.
Geno sits next to Matt and nudges his elbow.
“Thanks,” he says around a mouthful of food.
“Chew first,” Cully replies automatically. “And you’re welcome.”
“Think you should stick around,” G continues, like Matt isn’t planning on retiring with the Pens. “You good with Sid.”
“Nah,” Matt smiles into his coffee. “Even the dads need parental advice sometimes, eh?”