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Reviewing footage from games past was so commonplace for Kris Letang that he'd built it into his practice schedule. Watching the culmination of events before a goal meant beginning at the face-off. And during a Pens/Flyers game, seeing Sid on the draw against Giroux was standard.
What wasn't, however, was a tweak in routine that took place before one particular face-off.
Sid was already in the ready position at the circle when Giroux floated in with his head still turned up toward the ref. Whatever he said did not seem to sit well with said ref, as he scrunched up his face disapprovingly before delivering a response. But Giroux seemed entirely unconcerned with the ref's opinion. In fact, Giroux had turned his attention to Sid and (unbeknownst to the recipient)... winked at him.
Huh? Giroux had winked at Sid? What the hell was that? Some sort of psychological warfare?
"Whatcha watching?" Flower burst from behind him, nearly causing Kris to jump out of his skin.
After pledging to kill Flower if he ever did that again Kris rewound the footage to show Flower the oddity he'd just witnessed. Flower viewed silently until Giroux had won the face-off.
"My God," Flower murmured. "Sid has to see this." And he left the room as violently as he had come.
Kris's peace was short-lived. Flower re-entered the video room with the featured guest in tow.
"What the hell Flower, I was talking to my mom," Sid grumbled as he waved his phone in the air vigorously.
"Yeah yeah," Flower waved his hand in the air dismissively. "This is more important, okay?" Then, pointing to Kris, "Roll the tape."
"I'm rolling tape right now," Kris pointed out, gesturing to the footage of Geno neatly pick-pocketing Michael Del Zotto.
"The part you just showed me, of Giroux making eyes at Sid?"
"Making eyes at me?" Sid repeated in disbelief.
"Look!"
Flower pushed Sid toward the screen and commanded Kris to retrieve the relevant footage.
"He winked at you," Kris said in a gratuitous piece of play-by-play. "Winked. At you."
Sid said nothing. But even in the dark of the video room he could see Sid's cheeks begin to colour.
"Maybe this means something." Such as skilful distraction. Kris hoped that Sid was smart enough to not let Giroux's mind games get the better of him. He didn't know what may or may not have been said during their brief stint as teammates in Prague but he did know one thing: Giroux was the enemy now and not to be trusted.
Flower's analysis differed greatly. "This guy has the hots for you and we gotta exploit that for our benefit."
Sid and Kris both turned to look at the source of such a ridiculous notion.
"It's for the good of our team!" Flower insisted.
"Flower, what the fuck," Kris shook his head and scrubbed his face with his hands.
"Forget him," Flower waved Kris away idly with his hand. "You're on board, right Sid?"
Sid's face was twisted with a mix of uneasiness and disbelief. "I don't think Claude has a crush on me," he said softly.
"Don't think he-you call him Claude?!" Flower's expression was in direct juxtaposition to Sid's.
"That's his name," said Sid, hunching his shoulders.
"What did Giroux say to the ref?" Flower demanded.
"Um... I don't remember," Sid replied meekly, although Kris was fairly certain that he did. Sid was, and always had been, a terrible liar.
"Sid. Listen to me." Flower placed each hand on the sides of Sid's face. "You're getting weak. Don't try to humanize this man. I know you may have gotten along with him during World's, but that's in the past. He's a Flyer again. You can't let some... fleeting civility soften your exterior. But you can definitely take advantage if his has softened for you."
"Fucking kidding me," Kris couldn't help muttering.
"You're crazy," Sid said in a similar vein.
"Look man. People don't wink anymore. It's like, a lost art form. And guys don't wink at other guys like that unless they're into them. Like, sexually. So maybe you can seduce him and really fuck over the Flyers."
Sid looked like he had just witnessed a car wreck, which was a pretty apt description for Flower's train of thought. "How many pucks you take to the head today?"
Flower sighed. "I know you're not comfortable with this idea because you're not used to people thinking of you as attractive, but with my help I can make you sexy to anyone. We just gotta..." he stepped back to appraise Sid, eyebrows furrowed. "Well, we have a lot of work to do. And we don't have much time either, so we gotta get moving!"
With that, Flower was dragging Sid out of the video room, just as they'd come.
"Flower, what the hell are you doing?" Sidney tore his arm away from Flower's vice grip. "Have you seriously lost your mind?"
Flower did mercifully retract his hands but the diabolical expression did not subside. "There was lust in those eyes, Sid. You gotta have blood in yours."
Crazy goalie indeed. "I'm going home."
"We'll strategize later!" Flower shouted from behind.
He couldn't help but consider Flower's notions during the ride home, as outrageous as they were. Seduce him, like what the fuck. You'd have to be pretty bat shit crazy to draw that kind of conclusion. Hockey players didn't go around seducing their opponents for competitive advantages. If that kind of thing worked then someone would have tried it a long time ago. And what would that achieve, anyway? Making Sidney look like a heartless asshole, that was what. He didn't want Claude thinking that about him, rival or not.
Okay, so Claude had winked at him. So what? That didn't actually have to mean anything. He was just joking around. Sidney knew from actual interactions with him that Claude was a pretty funny guy.
And maybe... these interactions continued after Worlds in the form of text messages. It wasn't like, a regular thing. Sometimes he'd be greeted by his phone with a notification from Claude, or "G Baby" as he had entered into Sidney's phone. He never bothered to change it because... it was kind of cute as well as a good guise in case anyone were to pick up his phone and browse through his text history because he'd never live it down if someone discovered that he was maintaining an amicable correspondence with former arch nemesis Claude freaking Giroux.
Still, it was nice. That they were able to set their pasts aside and work together for the common good like two, mature adults. An appreciation of such things was why messages from Claude made him smile.
Their most lively discussion hadn't even been about hockey. During the Flyers' last visit to Pittsburgh Claude had asked for suggestions of places to eat and Sidney was more than happy to list off some of his favourite restaurants and bakeries. If Claude was anything like him then he'd appreciate a sweet confection (or three) after a hearty meal.
He wouldn't have minded joining Claude, but Claude hadn't offered. All he asked was "Where do you like to eat in Pittsburgh?" which was a far cry from "Do you wanna go out for lunch sometime?" or even "Hey man, wanna grab lunch and catch up while I'm here?". Right? He was pretty sure.
Or maybe Claude was the one waiting to be asked since it was Sidney's host city? Nah. That was ridiculous. He and Claude weren't those kinds of friends and Claude definitely didn't like Sidney that way. Right? He was pretty sure.
And even if he did, Sidney probably wouldn't accept. It wasn't any knock on Claude as a person. He was actually a fun person to spend time with and could hold a conversation pretty well. And not all that bad-looking either. Sidney would be flattered, and under normal circumstances he wouldn't say no.
But they were public figures and they played for cities separated by a five hour drive, one way (no, he hadn't Google Mapped it, thank you very much), with tons of commitments during the season. Plus they spent their summers in completely different parts of the country. It wouldn't be fair to either of them.
He'd ask his sister about it, you know, because why not.
"Tay, I have a question. A question about... social cues."
Taylor yawned, noisily slurped her morning coffee and mumbled at Sidney to proceed.
"So like, if someone asks you what places you like to eat when... they're coming to your city for... business, that doesn't mean they're interested in eating with you, right? If you know what I mean?"
There was a pause on the other line before Taylor sighed. "If you're asking me if it's okay for you and Nate to hook up then you have my blessing."
Sidney nearly dropped his phone. "What the-why the hell do you think that?!" The crazy goalie gene was strong in her too.
"This isn't about you and Nate?"
"No!" he almost screamed. "You think I like Nate?"
"You guys spend so much time together. I legit thought you guys were dating."
"Buh... whuh..." Sidney was at a loss for words. "He's like your age!"
"So?"
So?! "He's like a brother to me!"
"Brothers don't spend every waking moment together like that. Not even brothers who live together."
He was going to compartmentalize his relationship with Nate later and hope he hadn't sent him any wrong signals or missed any other social cues (because mother of God, wouldn't it be embarrassing if he had). Right now he was trying to work out the one he had with Claude. "This is about someone else."
"Who?"
"You don't know him."
"Hockey player?"
"Just answer the question. If someone asks you where you like to eat does that mean he wants to go out with you?"
Taylor made a hmm sound. "It depends on context. If he's been flirting with you, then yes. If you guys just talk shop then I'd say no."
Sidney sighed. That wasn't very helpful, and he wasn't afraid to tell her that.
"Then just ask him out yourself, asshole. Anyway, I'm late for econ. We'll talk later, okay? Bye."
She hung up before he could say that that wasn't very helpful either. He couldn't just ask Claude out. He didn't know if Claude was gay, or if he was even interested in developing a platonic relationship outside texting. And he definitely hadn't flirted with Sidney. Right? He was pretty sure.
As he scrolled through his message history with Claude he did notice a prevalence of winking emoticons, which he'd been told before was a sign someone liked you but that wasn't necessarily the case with Claude. He liked to wink in text, just like he did in real life.
But just to be sure, maybe he'd see if Claude was interested in having lunch. It didn't have to be a date or anything. Just two guys bro-ing it up over food. He had no control over how Claude might interpret Sidney's invitation. Claude could even decline. Maybe he'd think the two of them having lunch together was weird. Sidney wouldn't be offended.
He tapped out the carefully worded text then set his phone down to put his things away.
His phone chimed before he'd even taken his shoes off. Right before checking the notification he had a paralyzing thought that even if Claude accepted maybe he'd only be doing it out of politeness. That was even worse than a sincere rejection. He resolved to back out of the lunch if Claude's response seemed distant or reluctant.
He took a deep breath and swiped the screen open.
Sure, I'd love to! ;)
Oh God.
He was still on enemy territory, so although Claude had agreed to lunch and had even chosen the restaurant (and picked him up from his hotel) it didn't necessarily mean he had a crush on Sidney. Tanger could've been right but Sidney was still going to eat his food anyway. He was fairly certain Claude wouldn't poison him, as Tanger had insinuated.
Flower's suggestions were even more absurd. There was no way the pen he slipped into Sidney's pocket had either a voice recorder or a camera. And he definitely wasn't going to need a condom, let alone an entire strip of them. He really wondered about Flower's mental wellbeing sometimes.
His roasted lamb was quite delectable and did not taste suspiciously bitter or metallic at all. And Claude was both parts charismatic and charming. He even dressed nicely and did his hair for the occasion. The more he got to know Claude the more he found to like about him. Despite their differences they had plenty of common interests and lots to talk about. Had it been a date Sidney would have considered it a successful one.
Which it wasn't. Right? He was pretty sure.
Maybe something was put into his food after all, because when the meal came to an end he felt inexplicably distraught.
"I got it." Claude quickly swiped the bill before the waitress could set it down onto the table and plunked down his credit card.
"But..." Why was Claude paying for him? Did he think that this was a date? "I was the one who asked you to lunch."
Claude shrugged as he punched his pin into the payment machine. "You're in my city, you're my guest."
Sidney felt even more unsettled after they'd put on their coats and gotten outside. Claude noted a cupcake shop within walking distance.
"They make the best red velvet," he insisted, grabbing Sidney's arm and ushering him along.
It wasn't until they were sitting on a freaking park bench together, polishing off those recommended cupcakes (which were admittedly every bit as orgasmic as Claude had asserted) when Sidney found the courage to speak out. "So... was this like a date?"
Claude didn't answer immediately. "Um... a date?" he repeated without any interpretive value.
Shit, abort, abort. Damage control.
He laughed forcibly and thought frantically about how to neutralize the situation. Of course this wasn't a date. It was just wishful thinking on Sidney's part. He had to save face, and fast. "Oh, nothing. Flower just said something stupid about you maybe having a crush on me. Pretty funny, right?"
Sidney turned to Claude, expecting an offsetting quip or even a cry of disgust. But then he caught the look in Claude's eyes and realized that this was no joke.
Oh God.
What the actual fuck was happening. They were getting absolutely annihilated. Flower thought he could take one for the team. Getting pulled after forfeiting three goals in the first period would've been humiliating for him if they weren't a result of several glaring defensive zone breakdowns. He was sure as hell going to make Tanger rewatch that footage until his eyes bled.
Tish wasn't faring much better. In fact, he was making Flower's performance look Vezina-esque. He couldn't bear to watch the slaughter in front of him, but alas his duty as the sitting goalie was to observe the play.
One thing he did observe, both on the ice and before the game was Sidney's atypical behaviour. He seemed rather restrained in his skating, even fumbling a breakaway chance (which was deflating to say the least, and very unlike him). He did not look like his regular self. Even on the bench, he winced when he got on, winced when he slid down and winced when he got up to make a line change.
He hoped this hadn't had anything to do with Sid meeting up with Giroux that afternoon. Maybe Tanger had been correct in his fears that Giroux was going to incapacitate Sid in some way.
Because what Flower'd suggested was impossible. He was just having some fun when he'd said those things to Sid, and he thought Sid knew that. He had no problems with Sid being gay. If Giroux was as well then that was his own damn business. But any kind of attraction between the two of them was against nature. You couldn't unlearn a hockey rivalry. Nothing could change their inherent desire to bash each other's brains out.
"Sid," Flower leaned in closer. "You okay?"
Sid actually jumped out of his seat, winced again, then grabbed his stick. "Good, fine," he answered, voice pitchy and with his head turned away. He then shuffled down the bench in such a hurry that he earned pointed glares from Horny and Kuni.
Psh. And they said goalies were weird.
It didn't click in his head until a scrum broke out to his immediate left. Despite Sidney's stilted play and the team's waning discipline they had somehow managed to keep the game within reach (if a four goal deficit could be construed as such). So there was still something left to fight for, he supposed.
Everyone found a dance partner and it seemed inevitable that the two captains should come together. This wouldn't be the first time. Flower backed away in anticipation of the first blows.
To his utter astonishment, fists did not fly nor did chirps fling every which way. They seemed to be drifting away from the brawl. He couldn't hear what words were exchanged between the two over the screams of the spectators or the shouts of their teammates but their eyes were bright and crinkled with amusement, their lips were moving gently with whispered sweet nothings and their arms were slung around one another as they slow danced towards the boards.
He could fucking see Sid break into an ear-to-ear smile after Giroux's mouth finished flapping, like he was utterly, irrevocably smitten and couldn't care less what anyone thought.
When the fighting subsided and refs were pulling them apart he saw with his own two eyes, without any shadow of doubt, Giroux wink in Sid's direction.
Sid caught it this time, and the stupid, love struck expression was made all the worse by the blush spreading rapidly over his face.
And... fuck fuck fuck!
He was just kidding about the whole... he didn't expect Sid to... and then he and Giroux... oh hell no.
Were they fucking serious?!
The game resumed after a slew of penalties were assigned and Flower decided, as he watched in horror Sid ease himself gingerly onto the bench yet again, that from then on he was going to mind his own business and never again attempt to pull pranks on such easy targets.
He'd definitely learned his lesson this time.