Herb, let me parlay back to the planking analogy. I found the clip from Don's April challenge. Seb said a therapist he worked with told him that life is like holding a plank. He's out here stealing things that aren't even good! https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8pSx4JC/
PLEASE DNDJDJDJDJ THIS IS AMAZING I LOVE MY LIL COMMUNITY SO MUCH the best part about running this blog like seriously is you guys
 is it just me or does it sound like geno says...
He says Gina. It is the nickname he prefers. Russian nicknames end in -a regardless of gender. Management told him Gina is a girls name here and made him use Geno.
marissacre replied to your post: marissacre replied to your post âSince the...
For me, itâs more that Sid is always the one on the pro hockey team or the rich executive, etc. while Geno is the struggling college student, the sex worker, the restaurant/bakery employee. Iâd love to see the roles reversed where Geno is a successful athlete or executive or something and Sid either had a career and lost it due to a mental breakdown or is still starting out in whatever field and isnât rich/famous/successful yet. It could be in any type of AU!
I'd just love any kind of au where the competency kink is assigned to Geno and he gets to take care of Sid and helps him figure his life out. I mean, he's a successful, wealthy immigrant IRL and I bet he wants those around him to have the same chance.
There are actually a lot of stories that feature what youâre looking for! Hereâs a short list of a few that came to mind. We hope you enjoy them!
Icebreaker, by omelet. Genoâs a hockey player, Sidâs a zamboni driver.
You and Me in the Wreckage, by hapakitsune. Genoâs a hockey player, Sidâs a firefighter.
Itâs a Rich Manâs World, by derryderrydown. Genoâs a hockey player, Sidâs a stripper.
Small Magic, by jediseagull. Genoâs a hockey player, Sidâs a curse-breaker.
Vegas Bunny AU, by CloudCover. Genoâs a mob boss, Sidâs a cocktail waiter.
Pretty Woman, by anon8771. Genoâs a hockey player, Sidâs a prostitute.
It Takes One Desire, by perfectpro. Genoâs a mob boss, Sidâs a waiter.
Sergei couldnât really blame the kid for being down in the dumps. He was in a foreign country, thousands of miles away from his family, with no money, no car and no one who could understand what he was saying. Or rather, the only person who could understand him was Sergei, who didnât really count. It was certainly a rough place to be, and Sergei didnât envy him for it, but the way Zhenya was tip toeing around his teammates was going to drive Sergei insane before long.
Which was why, after practise one acceptably sunny day, Sergei turned out of the parking lot, not towards home, but towards Schenley Park. In the corner of his eye, he saw Zhenya turn and frown at him.
âWhere are we going?â He asked, his voice wary, already too used to the hazing culture of pro hockey.
Sergei just rolled his eyes. He leaned over, half an eye still on the road and grabbed the pair of sunglasses and nondescript baseball cap from where he had dumped them earlier that morning. He tossed them into Zhenyaâs lap.
âYou are going to put those on, and then weâre going to feed the ducks. Maybe get ice cream, depends if youâre good.â
Zhenya was still side eyeing Sergei when they got to Schenley, right up until he was actually pulling apart bits of sliced whole grain to give to the birds. The Gonchar household had a strict âno white breadâ policy, and Sergei figured that should probably extend to ducks as well. He watched as Zhenya tried to distribute the bread evenly, laughed as he scolded one of the mallards who was bullying the others out of their shares.
âWhat would your mother say?â Zhenya tutted, tossing a chunk of bread right at the head of the mallard in question. He missed by a mile and the bird just honked and snatched the piece out of the water.
âIts mother doesnât care,â Sergei said and Zhenya flipped him off with a scowl.
âIâm trying to teach good manners here,â he huffed, but Sergei was pleased to see that all the tension that Zhenya had been carrying these last few weeks had leaked out of his shoulders. The kid looked less like he was about to snap in two.
They did end up getting ice cream, and parked themselves on one of the many benches around the park. Zhenya picked at the flaking green paint as he happily licked his way through two scoops of vanilla with chocolate sauce. Sergei had a single scoop of strawberry.
âYou want to talk about any of the stuff thatâs been bothering you?â He asked as Zhenya tried to coax over a squirrel with the end of his ice cream cone. The squirrel seemed interested but didnât want to move from the safety of under the neighbouring bench, his little nose twitching as he sniffed out the food he was unwilling to take.
Zhenya shrugged, eyes fixed on the squirrel. âItâs just hard adjusting to everything,â he said. âNot much you can really do about it.â
Sergei nodded. He knew that feeling of helplessness well, like there was a glass wall between yourself and everyone else, keeping you apart from the team. It sucked, and he knew guys on some teams who had never really been able to break through, just found some places where the glass was a little thinner. He knew Zhenya would be okay, that the force of his personality would refuse to be contained, but still. He worried about him.
âYouâll work it out,â he said, in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. It worked with Natalie but he wasnât sure how well it translated over such an age difference. âEventually.â
Zhenya just shrugged again, and the squirrel shied even further away at the sharp movement. âIâm gonna have to work it out,â he said. âIâm going to be a penguin forever, play with Sid forever. I need to work it out so that forever works.â
Tired of waiting for the squirrel to make up his mind, he tossed the end of the cone towards it. The squirrel shot out from under the bench like, well like a small mammal terrified of being carried away by a much larger predator. Zhenya huffed with amusement as they watched it scrabble in the dirt before shooting up a tree with its prize clamped firmly in its mouth. Sergei had to admit that it was pretty funny.
âBesides,â Zhenya continued, smiling lopsidedly at Sergei. âI have you to mother hen me when Iâm feeling down, old man.â
âSee if I ever buy you ice cream again, brat,â Sergei growled, but he was smiling too
marissacre replied to your photoset: I mean, why WOULDNâT I love him?Â
I love that heâs wearing those weird eye glasses at the Vegas airport. Instead of gambling or drinking, heâs goofing around like the pure dad he is.
Itâs been ages since I made that post but YES. I love that big goofy man. Heâs so fucking endearing.Â