Prompt 39 for Sid/Segs, pretty please?
Missed call from Tyler SeguinMissed call from Tyler SeguinMissed call from Tyler SeguinMissed call from Tyler SeguinMissed call from Tyler SeguinTyler: i’ll keep calling for the rest of the night if i have to until you answer meMissed call from Tyler Seguin Missed call from Tyler Seguin Tyler: come on sid answer your fucking phoneTyler: i will not hesitate to call malkinIncoming call from Tyler Seguin
Sidney let out a grunt of frustration. The last thing he needed was to be hounded by Geno as well. He tapped on his phone to answer the call. “There, I answered. Happy?”
“Ecstatic,” Tyler deadpanned.
“Can’t we just forget about this and move on?”
“We really, really can’t, Sid. You know that. I know that. And now most of the hockey-loving world knows that so.”
“Why did I ever let you talk me into going out last night?” Sidney flopped back onto his bed and closed his eyes. Maybe if he wished hard enough, he could will the earth to swallow him whole.
“Because I am fucking delightful and you know it. Look, we have options here.”
Sidney let out a derisive snort. “Do we now.”
“Get your head in the game Crosby, of course we do. All they have is one picture. We were clearly both inebriated, we can write it off as nothing more than alcohol and poor choices.”
“You would have experience with that, I suppose.” There’s silence on the other end of the line and Sidney cringes inwardly. That was harsher than he intended. “I’m sorry, I didn’t–”
Tyler’s voice is tight when he speaks again. “I’ll chalk that up to your being under a lot of stress and move past it if you will.”
“Deal.”
“Right,” Tyler continues. “Well. I’ve already been in contact with Stars’ PR, of course, and they made sure I knew the organization supported me regardless of sexual orientation, blah blah blah, you know the drill. They’re willing to take cues from us on how we want to handle this so. I’m assuming you’re looking to deny, obviously.”
Silence again, this time on Sidney’s end.Was he looking to deny the allegations? The smart answer would be to take the out that Tyler was offering. Nothing more than alcohol-inspired bad decisions. But then Sidney thought of actually going up in front of a press conference and denying it, denying he was anything other than the good, straight, Canadian hockey robot everyone wanted him to be. And for what?
“Sidney? You still with me?”
His career could obviously withstand his outing, is the thing. The Pens were hardly going to trade him or cut back his ice time. Tyler was similarly comfortable in his position with the Stars, even if he was in Texas. And what sort of example would it set? He’d never be able to come out after denying it once.
“Hello? Earth to Sid?”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“Right. So anyway, Stacy already has drafts written up for a press conference, so all she needs–”
“No.”
Tyler was quiet for a second, then, “No?”
Sidney sighed. “Aren’t you tired of hiding, Tyler?”
“Well, fuck, of course I am but that’s how the world works, Croz.”
“Why? Why is that? What if it didn’t have to be like that?”
A beat. “Sid, you can’t be serious.”
“Why not?” Sidney sat up on the edge of the bed, more sure by the second. “I mean, if you don’t want to then I’m not going to out you. But what if we didn’t deny it?”
“You’re crazy,” Tyler said, but Sidney was sure he wasn’t imagining the smile in Tyler’s voice.
“Maybe I am. Maybe I’m batshit insane. I don’t know. But I do know that I am a gay man and I play damn good hockey, and I’m tired of pretending that one can’t exist because of the other.”
“We’re actually doing this,” Tyler said, voice a bit quiet and awed.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think we are.”