#is it just my shitty internet or does it take twice as long to upload gifs on tumblr these days? idk

[daniclaytcn]

THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR (2020) 1.09: The Beast in the Jungle

[icebirdsmateforlife]

reach for the sky (part 4)

Sid works a shitty job and uses his free time to put workout videos on the internet. Geno does the same, from the other side of the world.

A/N: You guys! I am SO SO SORRY for the long wait!! But here it is: Part 4! Things have calmed down around here too, and my motivation is back as well. So there will not be such a long wait for part 5, I can promise you that. Thanks so much to @sheepassisted for all the brainstorming and support and ideas. Thank you to all of you who are still here. Love you all! <3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4:

“So, I’ve been thinking we should get everyone together for hockey again next weekend,” Sid says, as soon as he and Kris have sat down for breakfast at the little coffee shop just around the corner from the gym. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah,” Kris agrees. “That would be great.”

“So you have time?”

Kris shrugs. “I’ll make time if I haven’t. But I think I can do all day Saturday, and on Sunday we just have dinner plans, so yeah. Whenever the others can do it is good with me.”

“Awesome.” Sid can’t hold back the delighted grin. He misses the ice every time he’s away from it for too long. “Do you know when we could have the rink?” Since Kris teaches a few skating classes a week, he usually has a schedule for the rink memorised, and he doesn’t disappoint this time either.

“Saturday 1pm until 3, or Sunday all morning. Figure skating class is cancelled because the coach sprained his ankle.”

“Sunday,” Sid says immediately, and Kris grins.

“Because it’s free for more hours on Sunday, right?”

“Of course.” Sid has no trouble admitting that. “Hey, I got a commenter on one of my videos who also likes hockey,” he says. Because dammit, he has to talk about Evgeni. He’s all he can think about anymore.

“Oh!” Kris seems pleased. “Does he live in the area? Does he maybe want to join us?”

“No.” Sid shakes his head. “He lives in Russia. But he coaches children there.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Kris says, and Sid agrees. Everything about Evgeni is pretty cool, really.

**

Sid comes home that day to an email that simply says “I have surprise,” followed by a YouTube link.

He toes off his shoes by the door, hangs up his jacket, and then sits down on his lumpy old couch, grabbing his laptop off the coffee table. His phone isn’t always super reliable about showing videos.

The link goes to a video on Evgeni’s channel, just over five minutes, and Sid hits play, curious to see what the big surprise could be.

Evgeni is waving into the camera, looking friendly as he does in all of his videos, but also a little shy.

“Hi,” he says, “my name Evgeni and I make this video for my friend Sid, because he not understand Russian.”

Sid feels his breath stop, and he absolutely cannot control the stupid grin that’s spreading across his face.

“Sorry English not good,” Evgeni continues. “But I make this challenge for me to practice. I upload video again with also Russian language, so no worry if you not speak English. I make short video for this, I’m think we do five minute squats today. Let’s go.”

Sid watches the entire video with the biggest smile on his face, listening to Evgeni’s broken English leading his viewers through five minutes of different variations of squats, and he is so impressed and so delighted he almost forgets to stare longingly at Evgeni’s impressive thighs. Almost.

“Thank you for watching,” Evgeni says after the five minutes are up. “Maybe this is not easy for you in beginning, but try this few time during week and it get more easy. If it get too easy, do video twice, or write me and ask for new video. Thank you.”

He smiles into the camera before the video cuts off, and Sid wastes absolutely no time opening up the email again and hitting reply.

“Evgeni!” he writes. “That was amazing! I’m so proud of you, that was such a brave thing to do. It’s a very nice workout that I’m sure people will like, and your English is so good!”

It’s almost like Evgeni has been waiting for Sid’s reply, because he answers within two minutes.

“I’m glad you like,” he writes. “Very nervous. I write down all text and read until I think I remember everything. I know it not sound good, but I like practice.”

Sid shakes his head as he types out his reply. “What are you talking about, your English sounds fine! Believe me, my French does not sound that good.”

“Thank you,” Evgeni writes. “Is not easy for me to practice here. No one who speak English with me. I’m so happy you like video.”

Sid doesn’t even think about it before he replies. Evgeni was so brave, he can be brave too. “If you want to, we could talk on Skype sometimes. So you could practice speaking. If you think that would help.”

“You mean this?” Evgeni writes back. “I think this very nice idea. It will help me.”

“Of course I mean it,” Sid answers, and adds his Skype handle to the email, followed by, “Let me know when it works best for you and we’ll figure out a time.”

Evgeni replies with his own Skype handle immediately, and then a minute later with “When you work tomorrow? I have all evening free.”

Sid thinks about it. He’s only working a half day tomorrow since he took over that shift for a coworker. If he skips the gym after work and goes later in the afternoon instead… “I could do 10pm your time,” he says. “If that isn’t too late for you.”

“That is perfect,” Evgeni replies, and Sid has to stop himself from squealing. He has a Skype date...well, not date. But he has an appointment to talk with Evgeni face to face. Tomorrow. He’s nervous, but more than that, he’s really, really excited.

***

He hurries home after his shift, not even taking the time to stop by the bakery. He still has cold pizza in the fridge for later. That’s good enough. He doesn’t want to make Evgeni wait.

He's a full half hour early when he boots up his laptop and logs onto Skype, but he is so excited and nervous his hands are shaking and he has to remind himself to take a few deep breaths and stop worrying. His palms are sweaty and he rubs them up and down his thighs over the rough fabric of his jeans. He's going to talk to Evgeni. After all those messages and emails, he's really going to talk to Evgeni.

Evgeni, who made him a video in English. Who wrote him that first message and started all of this and Sid is...he's just so nervous. Talking to people isn't really hard for him. He has a lot of friends. He gets along with everyone at work and always stops to chat with the people working at the local rink whenever he and his friends go to play hockey there. He likes people. It's just that he likes Evgeni in particular and he wants so much to make a good impression, as ridiculous as that may sound after all those messages they have already exchanged. Evgeni knows things about him that Sid needed months to tell Flower and Kris. It’s not like they’re strangers.

He contemplates getting up from the couch again to get himself a glass of water or something, but his phone buzzes with a message just then. It's an email. From Evgeni.

“Have time now,” it says. “You say when ready and we can speak.”

Sid hits reply. “I'm actually back early,” he says. “So. I guess I'm ready.” That last part, he thinks, is kind of a lie. He is very much not ready. But if he backs out now, he may never have the courage to ask Evgeni for another Skype...date. Appointment. Date. Whatever.

Evgeni calls him on Skype and Sid answers and there is Evgeni's lovely face right there on his laptop screen and Sid feels his heart stutter in his chest. “Hi,” he says. He feels a little ridiculous, getting all fluttery and nervous like this, but he just can’t help it.

“Hi,” Evgeni replies, and his voice is even better than it is in his videos.

Neither of them know what to say for a moment, and Sid bites his lip and fights the blush rising high on his cheeks. “It's really nice to see you,” he manages finally.

“Yes,” Evgeni says. “Is nice for me too. I'm glad – glad we speak.”

“You sound really good in English,” Sid tells him, and Evgeni laughs.

“Accent worst.”

“It is not,” Sid argues. “You should hear my French!”

“We speak, my English get better,” Evgeni says. “You teach me.”

“Of course,” Sid promises him. “But really, Evgeni. You sound really good already.”

“Zhenya,” Evgeni says, and Sid pauses.

“Sorry?”

“Zhenya,” Evgeni repeats, and then adds, “Is name. Um...For me. Like...you can call me. Name for Evgeni for good friend – Zhenya.”

“Oh,” Sid says. “Okay. Yeah. Zh-Zhenya?” He tries, and Evgeni smiles.

“Good, yes,” he says. “Is more easy, not so long name.”

Sid doesn't think it's easier to pronounce at all, but he's just going to avoid saying it as much as he can this time, and practice it later in private so he can have it down perfectly the next time they speak. “I'd offer you a nickname for me too, but Sid already is short for Sidney, so. It doesn't get any shorter than that, I guess.”

Zhenya laughs. He has a nice laugh. “Is good name,” he says. “Sid. I like.”

“It's okay,” Sid admits. He's honestly never given it that much thought. “Evgeni is a much more beautiful name, I think. And so is Zhenya.”

Zhenya looks happy. “You like?”

“Yeah,” Sid says, and it's the truth. He likes the sound of it. Of both names. There's something so pretty about them. “I think your whole language is beautiful.”

Zhenya rewards him with a wide smile and a sentence in Russian, and Sid smiles back. “What did you say?”

“I say Russia best, and one day I teach you maybe little bit in Russian. And then we can speak sometimes Russian too.”

Sid grins. “I'd like that,” he says. “That sounds great.”

They just smile at each other for a long moment and Sid feels something warm rise in his chest, something...comfortable. He can't remember what he was so nervous about earlier. Talking to Evgeni – Zhenya – is easy. It's fun. He thinks he could talk to him for hours and still want more. This feels no different than those messages they exchanged before.

“I teach you some words from sport first. Is how I start English. Is like when you learn words you are...interesting?”

“Interested,” Sid helps him, and Zhenya nods.

“Yes. When you interested, is easier for learning.”

“I guess that's true,” Sid says. “So what's hockey in Russian?”

Zhenya grins. “This is easy for you,” he says. “Khokkey.”

“Oh.” Sid laughs. “Yeah, no, I think I'll be able to remember that. What's puck?”

“Shayba,” Zhenya says, and Sid grimaces.

“Okay, I might forget that one again.”

“Is okay,” Zhenya says. “But you make start. You know two words now. We practice little bit more next time.”

“Yes, okay. That sounds good.” Sid tries not to grin too widely at the promise of a next time. “I promise to practice my two words until then.”

“Good.” Zhenya nods. “I'm practice more English too.”

“No, but seriously,” Sid tells him. “Your English is really good. Like, really good. It's impressive.”

Zhenya looks happy at the praise. “I'm watch very much video in English. Sometime talk, um, with me? Alone? When no one home. For practice.”

“That's awesome,” Sid says. “I should have done that with French. Maybe my friends wouldn't laugh at me so much now when I try it.”

Zhenya frowns. “Friends laugh?”

Sid quickly shakes his head. “Oh, not like that. I laugh at them, too, all the time. It's just kind of how we are with each other. They're all really great, though. I love them.”

“Is good to have friends,” Zhenya says. “Is good when you can make fun.”

“Yes,” Sid agrees.

“Is good that you my friend now.” Zhenya's smile is a little shy, and Sid feels a surge of affection for him.

“I'm really glad you wrote me that first message,” he says. “I'm glad we're friends, too.”

“When I'm come to Canada, maybe I meet your friends someday,” Zhenya asks, and Sid nods.

“For sure. You could come play hockey with us.”

Zhenya pauses. “Is one reason I'm practice so much my English. I dream maybe one day come there and work?”

“You want to find a job in Canada?” Sid asks, and he feels excitement bubbling up again even if he knows that it's rather unlikely that it would happen at all and even more unlikely that Zhenya would end up anywhere close to him. But still. That would simply be amazing, not just meeting him in person, but being able to keep him here.

“Is my dream,” Zhenya says, and Sid smiles.

“If I hear of anything around here that you could go for, I'll let you know for sure,” he says.

“Thank you,” Zhenya says. “Of course dream will be so much better if I’m live in your town.”

“Yeah,” Sid agrees. “That would be so awesome.”

For a moment they just smile at each other, and Sid wonders when the last time was he smiled this much. Probably during the last hockey game with his friends. Or over the weekend when David was visiting him. Zhenya just makes him feel like smiling, and he doesn't even want to analyse that feeling too much, but he likes it. A lot.

“So, how's your work in Russia right now, though?” Sid asks, mostly to break the silence before it even has a chance to become uncomfortable. “The coaching, I mean. How's that going?”

Zhena's eyes light up and he launches into a long recap of today's practice and how well those kids are doing and how great it is to see them grow and develop and know he helped them get there. Sid has a little trouble keeping up sometimes with Zhenya mixing up his words or being creative with his grammar, but he gets the gist of it and he can't stop being impressed with Zhenya.

By the time they're done talking about hockey, Zhenya's voice is starting to go a little hoarse from all the taking and when Sid looks at the time it's already a quarter past three.

“We talked for almost one and a half hours,” he says, surprised. It hadn't seemed that long to him at all.

Zhenya checks his watch and looks as surprised as Sid feels. “Yes, long time,” he says. “I don't think is that long when we speak. Is so much fun to talk with you.”

“I had a lot of fun talking with you, too,” Sid tells him honestly. “We should do this again. Soon.”

“Tomorrow?” Zhenya asks. “I can do same time.”

“Oh,” Sid says. “I can’t. I’m working. But not until 10am, so I guess...that would be, like, 6pm for you? So, I don’t know, when you are home?”

“I’m home at quarter past five,” Zhenya says. “And then home all evening. No practice tomorrow with kids.”

Sid does quick maths in his head, calculating the time difference. “So we could do half an hour at least,” he says. “If that’s okay?”

“That is okay,” Zhenya says, and Sid grins at him happily.

“Cool,” he says. “I’m looking forward to it!”

“Good.” Zhenya grins back at him. “I will talk to you tomorrow, Sid.”

“Yeah, talk tomorrow,” Sid says.

“Good night,” Zhenya tells him, then blushes. “Later, of course. Good night later. Is not night for you now.”

Sid waves at the camera like a giant dork. “Not yet, but yeah time zones are weird.” he says. “Sleep well!”

“I will,” Zhenya promises, and they need almost another minute to say a proper goodbye until finally Sid manages to make himself end the call.

He feels...he feels almost the same way he does after spending an entire afternoon on the ice. Happy and content and like he's done something actually worth his time.

He is so looking forward to tomorrow, and to speaking to Zhenya again.