#i don't really like judging players before i see them actually... play with the pens

[happyhornqvist]

rnalkin

  do we know anything about sheahan or

he’s not. the best. but he’s a good person and he loves dogs and i love him

i’ll take him then

[nomorelonelydays]

Now I'm thinking about an AU where Sid and Geno still play hockey, and they're both still incredible at it, but Sid is super super shy. It comes off as aloofness, or being cranky/annoyingly particular, so while the team accepts him for being a great hockey player, there are a few teammates who just find him to be really annoying. Knowing that his teammates don't like him just makes Sid even more closed off and awkward, though, so it's a positive feedback loop of everyone else being annoyed (1/?)

and Sid being increasingly anxious around the team and very very quiet. Sid doesn’t go out with the team in this AU. He isn’t close to anyone, and so he spends most of his time when they’re not playing hockey completely alone. This works for his teammates- Sid can’t be awkward with them when he’s never around- so they lowkey accept him in that he seems to see that he’s dislike and doesn’t force himself on them. It’s kind of brutal for Sid’s psyche, like he’s finally getting confirmation (2/?)

(bee’s notes: more under cut but i swear to you you’ll want to read more)

that,despite what his mom’s told him all his life, he really is That Bad. He reallycan’t have any friends. It’s a very sad, angst filled AU for Sid, and there’s alot of kind of shitty behavior from the rest of the team. But to be fair tothem, they really don’t know Sid’s like that because he’s shy and afraid, theythink he’s just kind of a jerk who thinks he’s above them. But ANYWAY! The mainpoint of this AU: the team isn’t gonna let Sid go, because he’s a great hockeyplayer. But he (3/?)

can’texactly be the captain of a team that doesn’t really like him. And Sid wouldhate being a captain, talking to the media all the time, be meant to lead ateam when all he wants to do is play hockey and then maybe sit in quiet roomwith nobody judging him for a while. So Geno comes in. He’s the captain of thePens in this AU, handling the media, the public face of hockey and thePenguins. He’s generally pretty nice to Sid (he doesn’t think a captain shouldbe mean to a teammate) but (4/?)

hedoes agree with most of the guy’s that Sid isn’t very nice. That’s the thing,though- Sid has no friends on the team. Geno’s loud, happy, and (notnecessarily through the goodness of his heart) kind to Sid. And Sid-he can’thelp it. He’s never dated anyone, always been separated as weird or mean orOther, and Geno is nice to him. So he can’t help that he falls a little bit inlove with Geno. Everyone’s a little in love with Geno. Sid doesn’t know what todo with all these feelings, but (5/?)

(Losta little bit when an ask wouldn’t go through- but anyway) Sid wants to dateGeno. He wants to make himself a little more open, because he thinks that thatwill give him a shot at getting closer to Geno, the only guy on the team who’sreally nice to him. Geno, meanwhile, is oblivious. While he won’t ever talk badabout a teammate, especially not as their captain, he can’t help it if onenight, when he’s out with the rookies getting a little drunk, he chips in a biton their discussion (6/?)

ofpeople they don’t like. They won’t say they actually dislike Sid, but “heis a little annoying, right, G?” Geno won’t agree, but they wear him down,and finally he admits, “YES, Sid very annoying sometimes, always grouchy,little weird. You happy?” The rookies don’t look happy. They look kind ofwhite-faced, horrified. See, the thing is that Sid never goes out with theteam. But when he realizes he likes Geno, he wants to try being a little morelike the person he thinks Geno will like. (7/?)

Sohe tries to go out with the team one night, after a game. He doesn’t mentionthat he’s coming with when he hears them making plans in the locker room, buthe does get in his car and head to where they’re talking about going. He nevergoes out, though. He gets a little lost; he’s late to the bar. And then when hefinally finds the boys, already frustrated with himself for getting lost,they’re already drunk. And the first thing he hears is Geno saying, his back toSid approaching the (8/?)

table,is Geno saying all of the worst things everyone else has always said about Sid.Of course, Sid thinks to himself, already thinking about how stupid he was tothink that Geno actually liked him, that he was being kind because he likedSid. Of course he wouldn’t actually like Sid. Geno turns around pretty much theinstant he see’s the looks on the rookies’ faces, already dreading what he’llfind there. He turns soon enough to see Sid’s face, usually so closed off andcold, crumple. (9/?)

Geno’sshocked more than he’s mortified. Through everything, he’s never seen Sid lookso upset. He can’t think of anything to say before Sid turns and basically runsout of the bar. Of course, Geno has to follow him. And from there on its a slowburn of Geno holding a crying Sid in the alley behind the bar, learning more aboutwhy Sid is so closed off and how he’s always been shut out and lonely andscared and bullied, and Geno starting to find himself falling for Sid. (10)

-

anon you know what i was like when i finished reading this? legit “guess i’ll die” because THERE’S NO MORE and THERE SHOULD BE MORE. GOD. i need the rookies reactions of when sid becomes more open, then reactions of when Sidney starts dating geno god im so fucking emo this is the best