Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mid-November 2022 - Early in the Season
Ted’s Third Year at AFC Richmond
Also, Monday

Colin was being weird, and not in any of the normal ways. He kept tossing strange looks at all the pride stuff popping up around Nelson Road, and he almost seemed to be biting back comments during conversations about the upcoming pride campaign.

If it’d been anyone else, Isaac would’ve thought they were secretly homophobic and just keeping it on the down low, but Colin’s sister was bisexual and married to a woman, and he’d been forced to listen to more than enough impassioned rants about her being treated badly because of it. Given all that, Isaac had simply been choosing to ignore it, which was working just fine up until he overheard Trent and Sam talking one bright and early Monday morning.

Isaac absently tuned into the conversations flowing around him as he did up his laces. Sam and Trent were the closest, so it was only natural that theirs was the one he ended up focusing on—and they were talking in the dressing room, so it wasn’t exactly a private talk.

“But how does that even work?” Sam asked.

“People can convince themselves of anything,” Trent replied, “Just as there is a large group of queer people who don’t believe in trans rights, there are also many who are fine with queer women but not gay men,” he sounded sad at the prospect.

Isaac’s fingers froze on his laces, barely catching Sam’s next words, “I can’t say I’m surprised. People always find ways to hate one another.”

His mind started spinning at dangerously rapid speeds as Trent hummed in agreement with Sam’s words and said, “Thankfully, it’s not all that common. Although you’ll more likely find it among those men who are struggling with presenting a highly masculine front. It may be more common for you to come across in a sport such as football, especially at this level, where an overwhelming sense of masculinity is more a necessity than anything.”

Isaac didn't hear any more of their conversation, too lost in his thoughts. His best mate was constantly struggling with his self-image, it was common knowledge at this point as a result of his mantra: ‘I am a strong and capable man’.

Well, fuck.

Colin’s strange behaviour was suddenly making a lot more sense.

“Oi, Colin,” Isaac called down the hallway.

Colin turned around. “Yeah?”

“Quick chat in the boot room?”

“Sure, boyo.”

They entered the boot room and Isaac peered around suspiciously. “Will?”

There was a beat of silence then, “Yeah?”

“This one’s private, mate.”

“Yup.” Will emerged from a dark corner. “Got it. No problem.” He walked out the door, shutting it gently behind him with a soft click. They both stared after him, unknowingly thinking the exact same thing: God, the things that man must know about the staff of Nelson Road.

“So,” Isaac started hesitantly, drawing Colin’s attention to him. “Uh.”

Colin’s eyebrows shot up in concern. “Everything okay, boyo?”

Isaac shook his head. “No, yeah, I’m fine, uh, I just heard Trent say something that I have to ask you about.”

“Uh, yeah?” Colin’s eyes went wide. “Wh- What did you, ah… hear him say?”

“There’s this thing that happens to some guys… where they’re good with gay women and all but uncomfortable with gay men.”

Colin stared at him blankly. “And?”

He rubbed his face tiredly. “And I’ve seen how weird you’ve been getting about all the pride stuff, bruv. And Trent said that kind of thing is more common in professional sports. I’m not trying to accuse you of anything, but if you want to talk, I’m here, mate.” He put a hand on Colin’s shoulder and stared seriously into his eyes.

Colin’s face was doing something funny and starting to ever so slightly twitch. It was a new expression, one Isaac had never seen before—which was saying something, given their seven years of friendship.

“Colin?” he prompted.

Colin’s lips were in a thin line as he seemed to just barely choke out the words in a squeaky high-pitched voice, “Uh, nope! Ah, not a problem, boyo. Ehrm, uh, I’ve got no problem at all with, ah, gay men!” He smiled with a few too many teeth, almost looking as if he was fighting off the urge to puke or something.

More than a little concerned by that point, Isaac asked, “You feeling okay, mate?”

“Yup!” Colin took a few visibly deep breaths before saying, “Sorry, just thought it was a little funny. Uh- I don’t have issues with gay men or anything. I was just a little… surprised at how everyone jumped on board with the pride stuff. I keep wanting to talk about Robin, but I just can’t get over how football is, ya’know? I keep expecting things to go bad with the team and all. That's it.”

“Ah.” Isaac nodded, understanding; it made sense. He’d probably be a bit jumpy too if his sister was gay.

Colin looked at him intently. “We good?”

He nodded again. “Yeah, we’re good, bruv.”

Later that day, Isaac came across Colin giggling maniacally at something on his phone in the privacy of the boot room. When he asked what was so funny, Colin said, “Just a meme!” in that same strained high-pitched voice as earlier.

It was an obvious lie, but Isaac let it slide. Colin was definitely having some sort of weird day and would tell him about it whenever he was ready.

Tuesday

Seeing Colin leave the dressing room, Isaac sighed and grabbed his bag, moving to follow him into the hallway.

He was disappointed in his friend. After everything—even learning Keeley was a victim of the leak—Colin was still being stubborn about just deleting the photos.

When he got outside, he spotted Colin sitting on a couch with his back to a wall and scrolling through his phone. If it’d been any one of the other players, he might’ve assumed they were just doing it for privacy, so the others wouldn’t catch a glimpse of the nudes, but Colin had been way too against deleting them for that to be the case.

“Colin,” Isaac caught his attention, Colin’s head popping up. “I wasn’t playing. I told you to delete that shit.”

“I will, man. Fuck off.” Colin’s shoulders were tighter than he’d ever seen them and his face was closed off.

Isaac made a face. If that wasn’t a confirmation of guilt, then he didn’t know what was. His anger flared and he grabbed Colin’s phone, wrestling it from his surprisingly tight grip. The only reason he was able to get it was because the sweat from Colin’s hands made him lose his hold. “I said delete it right now.”

“Hey. Hey!” Colin said, scrabbling to grab his phone back, but Isaac held firm. Seeming to realize he wouldn’t win, Colin sank back into his seat slowly, looking up at him, something unreadable in his eyes.

Still feeling a mixture of confusion and annoyance, Isaac looked down at the phone and-

Well… suddenly Colin’s reaction made a hell of a lot more sense.

He slowly looked over at Colin, who looked… tired, was the only word for it. Maybe sad too, but mostly tired.

Their conversation from the day before suddenly flashed through his mind and he felt shame and embarrassment curl uncomfortably in his chest. No wonder Colin had been acting the way he had. So many things were suddenly clicking into place.

Colin looked up, their eyes locked, and Isaac realized one simple thing; he needed to get away from Colin as quickly as he could before he did something he'd regret, like yell at him or have a panic attack in the middle of the hallway.

He looked back down, almost needing to check that he’d actually seen what he thought he had, and nodded to himself when it was indeed confirmed. He passed the phone back to Colin, who seemed to have actually been in the process of deleting the photos… Fuck.

His friend(?) quickly snatched the phone from his hand and looked like he was about to say something, but Isaac walked off before he had a chance.

This changed… everything.

Outside, he called a car to take him home. He wasn’t fit to drive with how hard his hands were shaking and his vision blurring. Once he made it inside his house, Isaac let out a loud wordless yell encapsulating everything, all rolled into one horribly pained scream; anger, sadness, betrayal.

His knees were weak and he slid down the front door and onto the floor so fast it could almost be considered falling. He sat there trembling, unable to speak, barely able to breathe.

His best friend had lied to him for seven years. Isaac could excuse that first year, when their relationship was still brand new, hell, he’d even give him the rest of the Cartrick years and Ted’s first half-season, when Richmond wasn’t what it would one day become. But even allowing for that, it was still at least one and a half years of lies, probably closer to two at this point.

He knew Colin’s sister, he knew his best mate was aware he wasn't homophobic. Colin was never going to tell him, and that hurt more than any physical pain. Isaac would even be willing to stretch his patience so far as to give Colin grace in keeping the secret up until Richmond started planning their pride campaign after Trent’s article… Shit.

No.

It couldn’t be.

Fuck.

“Fuck!”

Wednesday

If there was one good thing about having to go to work the day after stumbling across Colin’s greatest betrayal, it was that football was the perfect distraction.

Isaac made sure to get to Nelson Road a little bit late. Given that he was normally very punctual, one late arrival would be easily excused, and he’d happily pay the fine just this once in place of trying to dodge Colin in the dressing room.

He burst in right as the boys were getting ready to head out, mumbling something about car troubles, and no one (except Colin) seemed to give it a second thought. He got dressed in record time and was out on the pitch before they were even halfway through stretches.

The night before, he'd tried to sit down and reread Trent’s article with the new insight that this person could be his best mate, but he couldn't get more than a paragraph in. Eventually, he gave up and jumped to the end, just rereading the final few lines.

‘And this last bit is just for my team. If you ever find out who I am, I hope you don’t hate me. You guys are my friends, and I never wanted to lie to you.’

And that was the thing, wasn’t it? Even if the article wasn’t about Colin, there was no way the words didn’t still ring true to him. Isaac didn’t hate him, and the part of him that was looking at the situation objectively knew that his supposed best mate probably hadn’t wanted to lie, but that didn’t stop the anger. If anything, it only flared brighter without the support and guidance of his rationality. It wasn’t a righteous anger, it was a bitter one, and he knew he needed to keep Colin as far away from it as possible. The worst thing he could do right now was say or do something he couldn’t take back.

Although it felt like his world was falling apart, Total Football was going better than ever. It wasn’t just effective, it was fun. The ball was bouncing from player to player so quickly and naturally that the rest of the team almost felt like an extension of himself… and then he fucking scored!

“Yeah!” Isaac yelled as he was swarmed by his teammates on all sides, the fans in the stands all cheering him on. He hadn't experienced the exuberance of scoring a goal in front of a crowd in years—a natural consequence of playing defence—but thanks to Total Football, he’d done it, even if it was just in training.

“Whistle! Whiiistle!” Roy’s voice carried across the field and caught their attention. He nodded at them. “That’s half. Great job.”

“Whoo! You hear that?” Coach Lasso said. “Roy said y’all did a great job.”

Coach Beard pretended to dramatically faint. Isaac had to give him props for committing to the bit so hard and falling to the ground with a thump… At least, he thought it was just a bit. Right as he was about to go over and check, Beard thankfully started pulling himself up.

Everyone was still celebrating his goal, and he was getting claps on the back left and right as the team made their way back inside. Before he managed to get off the pitch, Colin approached and nodded at him, a small tight smile on his face. “Nice shot, mate.”

Isaac just stared at him for a moment, incredulous. What right did Colin have to act like everything was fine and normal as if Isaac hadn’t stumbled across his biggest secret, his ultimate betrayal, only yesterday? He looked away and kept walking without a word.

Isaac had almost managed to calm himself down when he heard Colin make a joke about Richard and his anger flared once more. He glanced over and saw Colin not looking at Richard or any of the others who were laughing, but instead at him. Feeling pinned under the gaze of his best mate(?) and with his anger rapidly rising, he stood and hurried out of the room. He would not explode at Colin, especially not in front of the team. He refused to; point blank.

He didn't hate Colin… He shouldn't even be angry at him! How was it that even hearing Colin speak or seeing his face was having such a strong negative effect?

He was filling his water bottle when Colin’s voice alerted him to the fact that he’d been followed. “Hey, boyo.”

Isaac took a steadying breath in through his nose and turned around, once again just staring at Colin. The anger was still throbbing deep inside him, threatening to rise to the surface. He pushed it down. Silence was the best he could manage; opening his mouth right now would only end badly.

Colin looked incredibly awkward. He hadn’t been like this around Isaac in years, they knew each other too well for that.

…Or Colin knew him too well, and he apparently hadn’t known shit about Colin.

“Do you wanna get a beer or something later? Have a chat?” Colin asked hesitantly.

Seriously? Why the fuck couldn’t he pick up on the fact that Isaac didn’t want to talk now. He wasn’t ready. Didn’t Colin know him well enough to just get that?

Colin’s question practically answered itself with how fast the, “No,” came out of his mouth.

The sad look on Colin’s face sent him running for the hills, getting away as fast as he could manage. They didn’t speak for the rest of the day, and Colin was thankfully already long gone by the time Isaac reached the parking lot.

Late November 2022 - Early in the Season
Ted’s Third Year at AFC Richmond
Also, Thursday

The next day started calmer, and Colin didn’t try to approach him even once. Isaac thought he was in the clear until he was reminded of one unfortunate fact; the team was using their lunch to make pride posters.

He’d been looking forward to this for weeks, devoting enough time to planning it that he was practically making the whole thing happen in the first place, but at the moment, there was nothing he wanted to do less. So far the only thing that had helped at all was pretending the anger didn’t exist, and staring at a room full of rainbows for an hour was not ignoring things.

At this point, he was honestly worried the anger would decide to express itself through the hour or so of crafting and he'd end up making something horribly homophobic by accident.

His solution: faking food poisoning.

He was almost as angry at himself as he was at Colin, and it made him feel sick to lie about it. So at the very least the upset stomach wasn't entirely untrue at the end of the day. He’d take his wins where he could get them at this point.

Friday

The door slammed open and a loud, “Oi! Kent!” echoed through the room. Isaac’s gaze shot up at the sudden noise and he saw Ms. Welton in the doorway looking extremely pissed off. “Get your hairy arse into my office. Now!” She stormed off and they all stared after her.

Roy slowly walked toward the door and they all made mocking, “Oooh,” sounds at his retreating form.

They quickly stopped when he turned to face them, raising an accusatory finger and slowly saying, “Every single one of you knows my arse isn’t hairy. Yet none of you spoke up.” He paused, likely for dramatic effect, and scanned the room. “And I will never forgive you.” Roy pushed through the doors and was gone.

Isaac looked down, thinking hard… but not about Roy. “He’s right. We’re cowards.” He looked up and saw everyone staring at him, Colin included. Shit. He lightened his tone and said, “Now, if she was talking about Richard’s butt…”

Everyone let out laughs and Richard blew kisses to them all. It was clear Colin knew his statement about being cowards meant something deeper, but Isaac wasn’t even sure if he was talking about himself, Colin, or the both of them, so he had no clue at all how Colin was interpreting it.

So much for distracting himself with football and ignoring the problem. His brain didn't seem to like that he was avoiding it. Everything was gradually starting to remind him of the situation between him and Colin more and more as the days ticked by. Roy’s surprisingly smooth arse should, in no world, harshly remind him of his best mate, but it was like he couldn’t escape the gradually rising anger.

Fuck.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Colin perk up ever so slightly, and a glance to the side told him that it was because he’d just seen Trent walk into the coaches’ office. He watched as Colin left, joining him and even going so far as to close the door that separated them from Ted. He could see they were both tense as they spoke, but he was well versed in reading bodies, not lips, so he had no idea what they were saying, though he could make an educated guess.

The mystery conversation was as close to proof as he’d gotten thus far confirming that the article was about Colin. There was always a small chance it wasn’t, but it seemed almost laughable in light of the new evidence. Why else would Colin go to Trent wearing that expression? His ‘I need help’ face.

Isaac’s anger rose again, and he pushed it down. It felt like every time he did that, it got just that little bit harder. He was worried about what would happen when it was finally too strong for him to suppress.

He frowned and returned to glaring at the ground, continuing to lift the weights in silence.

Later That Night

For five and a half years, Colin and Isaac had a well-established pre-match tradition for home games. The night before, they would play FIFA at Colin’s house, Isaac would sleep in the guest room, and they’d drive in together the next morning. More often than not, a teammate or two would join them—on one memorable occasion, the whole team slept over—but they were the only two who were there every single time. They’d kept this up, no matter if one or both of them weren’t playing; once Colin had even flown in a day early from visiting his parents just so they didn’t break tradition. They’d even kept it up during previous fights; sitting in complete silence, not a single word being spoken, but playing FIFA side by side all the same.

Isaac knew if he went over to Colin’s, he would be allowed his anger. Colin wouldn’t do anything to mess up their tradition, and Isaac wouldn’t be forced to talk to or even interact with him. Yet, there he sat, unable to bring himself to just start the goddamn car. He’d already sat in his driveway for half an hour, only having gotten as far as putting on his seatbelt before faltering. Fuck!

That night Isaac didn’t sleep. He didn’t leave the car to go back inside. He didn't even bother starting the engine to keep warm. He simply sat in silence, in the cold and in the dark, until the sun rose. Then he drove to Nelson Road.

Saturday - Game Day

“All right, yo. Let’s do this, man.” At the sound of Van Damme’s voice, Isaac looked up and saw the other man holding out a gloved fist. He bumped it and quickly returned to tying his laces.

Colin’s voice was a far less welcome intrusion, “Go get ‘em, Captain.”

Isaac glanced up, before quickly lowering his eyes.

Colin’s voice was desperate, “Isaac-”

He was thankfully cut off by Coach Lasso striding in and clapping his hands to get their attention. “All right, fellas, here we go. Focus up. Focus up, y’all.” Colin’s hand dropped, and Isaac was grateful. “Coach, who we got today?”

Arms crossed, Beard said, “Brighten and Hove Albion.”

“Brighton, Hove, and Albion. I didn’t know we were playing a law firm.” Even though Coach’s pre-match joke fell flat for him, Isaac still laughed. He could be normal. This was all very normal. Super normal.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Couch stuck out his hand. “Okay, let’s bring it in. Here we go!”

Hands piled on hands, and it was all fine until Colin’s hand landed atop his. It could have been on purpose. It could’ve been an accident; a mere coincidence. Either way, they made eye contact and something in him broke.

His hand pulled away before he consciously registered what he was doing. After not going to Colin’s the night before, he wasn’t sure if it was the anger at Colin or shame in his own actions that was stronger, but both had him unable to even look at Colin for more than a split second, let alone touch him.

He quickly put his other hand in, the one that hadn’t been scorched by making brief contact with Colin’s. Ted’s voice was distant, overlaid by the frantic buzzing in his head. “Go ahead, Captain. Count us off.”

He knew he said something, he knew he walked onto the pitch, he knew he played football, and he even vaguely registered doing something dumb and missing a chance for their team to score, but Isaac wasn’t fully inhabiting his body until Colin fucked up.

He blinked himself to awareness and found himself halfway across the pitch before he even fully registered his movement. The moment he’d feared, the moment he’d been fighting against for days, it’d finally come.

The anger had won.

“What the fuck, bruv?”

Huh… He was yelling.

When did he decide to do that?

Colin turned to look at him. “What?”

Colin had no fucking right to act confused with how he’d just fucked everything up for them.

“Their fucking goal’s over there.” He tried to get up in Colin’s face, his temper rising even further when Colin turned and began walking away before he could get there.

“Oh, right, yeah,” Colin had the gall to scoff and wave him off.

He was actively chasing Colin down now, still yelling all the while, “Fucking fix-up. Don’t fucking walk away from me.”

There were hands on his chest, holding him back, pulling him away from Colin.

“Relax,” Jamie was saying.

He couldn’t stop, “Their fucking goal’s over there.”

Colin was out of earshot and yet he still kept yelling until Sam got up in his face and said, “You need to stop.”

Reality came slamming in, and he was suddenly having a hard time catching his breath. The game, he just needed to focus on the game. This fucking panic attack could wait. The game. The game. Football. Not Colin. Not anger. Just the match. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Can you breathe?” Sam’s voice cut through the panic like a knife. “Can you play?”

He gave the smallest of nods to Sam and pulled away with a heartfelt, “Fuck!”

Barely managing to pull himself together, he got back into position and put most of his focus into suppressing the bitter mix of rage and panic bubbling ever higher within him. What was happening to him?

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck!

He managed to focus on the ball and only the ball, but barely noticed their close call with the net as Dani almost scored a goal. It was strange… he found he really couldn’t bring himself to care.

He wasn’t angry. He refused to be angry. He was playing football; nothing more, nothing less.

It was the half, and everything was fine. He just needed to get through the game and get home. He could wait to finish his mental breakdown until then. It was just a few hours. He could make it. He could.

Colin was in front of him as the team walked toward the tunnel, but it didn’t matter. His eyes blurred until it was just another figure in red and blue. The buzzing was louder than ever. He spat to the side onto the pitch, hoping for some emotional release… He felt nothing. He could get through this. Just a few more hours.

“-like a bunch of fucking fags!” The words would’ve been bad enough to do it on their own, but it was Colin’s tiny flinch that finally sealed the deal.

…Isaac fucking snapped. If he thought he’d been angry before, it was nothing compared to the rage that consumed him in that moment. The buzzing was finally gone, and everything was crystal fucking clear.

He was in the dressing room when reality started to trickle back in. The last few minutes played in his head like a movie, like he was watching himself from the outside, rather than piloting his own body.

He was on the bench in front of his locker, hands shaking, but he couldn’t feel them. His entire body was numb and his mouth tasted like blood. Why did it taste like that?

He dug a fingernail into his palm, but there was only the faintest sort of pressure. Someone was speaking, maybe one of the coaches? He couldn’t make out the words until Coach Lasso said his name and asked, “Isaac, what the hell happened?”

Isaac looked up, breathing hard. “One of our fans said some ignorant shit!” he’d started out talking but by the time he reached the end of his sentence, he was fully yelling.

“Okay, what- uh,” Coach Lasso paused, looking caught off guard, “-what’d they say?”

Unable to answer, he waved a hand in the air and returned to looking down at his trembling hands. The inside of his cheek hurt... which probably explained the taste of blood.

“I- I heard it,” Sam said.

Isaac squeezed his eyes tighter, praying Sam would just keep it to himself.

“Okay,” Coach prompted.

After a beat, Sam said, “He said the f-word.”

“Fuck?” Jamie asked.

“No, the other f-word,” Sam clarified.

He could hear Jamie faintly say, “Oh, fuck.”

The room fell silent until from the corner, Higgens said, “If it helps, the fan has been removed.” He paused. “And I apologize for my dad.”

Isaac looked up and glared daggers at him. Higgins winced. “Sorry, not the time for jokes. Read the room, Leslie.”

Isaac returned to boring holes into his hands with his eyes as Coach started speaking. “Okay, I get it. I… Um. Isaac, look.” He raised his head, still shaking like a leaf and just barely able to look Coach Lasso in the eyes. “What that guy said? Inexcusable. All right? But, man, your reaction to it ain’t gonna be taught in any Tibetan monasteries anytime soon. You know what I’m saying?”

“Yeah,” Jan chimed in, “-now we’re one man down.”

“Yeah, Isaac, come on, man. It’s nothing we haven’t heard before,” Sam said, and everyone else seemed to take that as their cue to start chiming in with their opinions, all different variations of how even after learning how bad things are in football, they couldn’t afford to go after every bigot who couldn’t get with the times.

Through all of it, Colin remained noticeably silent.

Jamie’s voice was louder than the rest for a moment as he said, “Exactly. It’s just poopy. Ignore it, man.”

“Ignore it?” He yelled, finding himself suddenly on his feet. “I don’t want to fucking ignore it.” He paused, taking in a deep breath. “What if one of us is gay? Huh!” It was a possibility none of them had acknowledged aloud since that first day after the article came out, too scared it might be true to linger on it for long.

“We shouldn’t have to deal with this shit!” He barely knew what he was saying anymore, but he knew all eyes were on him and the rest of the room was deadly quiet.

He stared around at the unreadable expressions adorning his teammates’ faces before swallowing hard and ripping off the captain’s band. He shoved it at Sam and stormed out of the room. The shaking was somehow even worse than it was moments before, and he felt wobbly and unstable like he could careen over onto the floor at any second.

Isaac stumbled into the relative privacy of the boot room and proceeded to finally give in to the panic attack he’d been holding off for hours. He made it all the way to the bench before collapsing down and putting his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. He couldn’t tell if he wanted to cry or punch something, but his body was feeling an intense need for some sort of emotional release.

Why had Colin kept it a secret? Had his best mate somehow known that this would be his reaction? What had he done to prove that he couldn't be trusted?

It was like the first day Trent's article was out all over again. Once more being faced with the constant and crushing realization that so many things he'd done had caused others pain; that he'd fucked up so badly.

He barely heard it as the door clicked open. He looked up, not sure who he wanted to be standing there; Coach Lasso, Colin, Coach Beard, Sam, or maybe even Will. The one thing he knew was that Roy was definitely not on the list.

“No, get out, Roy,” his voice was shaking, “I don’t need you to come in here. Just leave me alone. Just fuck off, yeah?”

Roy was coming closer as Isaac continued to ramble, breathing hard and fast, “I fucked it up. Just fucking fuck off. Just leave me alone.” The panic was coming out more and more with every word as his sentences sped up and his voice rose, “I don’t need you to start yelling at me.”

Roy came to a stop, standing in front of him, and his voice was hoarse and quiet as he said, “I’m not here to yell at you.” He sat down next to Isaac on the bench.

He stared at Roy in silent confusion and downright disbelief. They sat together in silence for a moment. Eventually, Roy started speaking, still keeping the same soft tone, probably the gentlest one Isaac had ever heard come out of the other man, aside from when he was talking to his niece, “I don’t know what happened out there, but I do know… whatever it was-” he paused, shaking his head, “...isn’t what you’re really angry about.” Their eyes met. “Is it?”

Isaac looked away, eyes drifting down to the floor, and breathed deeply before slowly shaking his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Roy nodding. “So then trust me,” Roy paused, “You got to go deal with that… or you’re gonna fuck up whatever it is you actually do care about.”

He looked up, but kept his eyes forward, unable to meet Roy’s piercing, overly perceptive gaze again. He took another deep shaky breath, trying to find the words to respond, but coming up empty.

The two of them sat together in silence.

“He’s right, you know,” Will’s voice came from their left, and Isaac slowly turned to see the kit man standing there and brushing dirt off a boot. “The little things we get mad about are like snowflakes on a mountain.”

Isaac looked away, thinking hard.

Will continued talking, “And if we wait too long, we’re just one sneeze away from an avalanche that will kill us all.”

“Thank you, Will,” Roy said.

There was a moment of silence but for the sound of the brush scratching until Will asked, “You want some bubble gum?”

“Don’t push it,” Roy said bluntly.

It was a shame, really. Isaac did want some bubble gum; it might help stop him from chewing through his cheek. As of now, all he could taste was blood and it was overwhelming his senses.

“What-” he hesitated, “What if I don’t know how? How to deal with it. How to fix it.”

Roy was silent, and Isaac looked over at him, waiting for the answer. Will was eventually the one to reply, offering a simple, “Then you ask for help.”

Isaac’s gaze shifted back over to the kit man, who kept talking, “It’s always talking that helps in the end. Talk to a therapist, friends, family, the one you hurt, the one who hurt you. Stewing in things…” he shook his head, “-it never helps in the long run.”

Roy grunted his agreement, and Isaac nodded.

Eventually, Roy stood with a groan. “I have to get back to the match, but you should go home, get your head on straight.” Isaac nodded again, and Will followed Roy out of the room with a tiny wave, but not before tossing a tiny wrapped stick of gum his way. Somehow he'd known, despite Roy's words.

Isaac was once again left alone with his thoughts, but this time he had the sweet taste of bubble gum in his mouth.

The match was over by the time Isaac reached home, but it took little to no effort to find the highlights online. The internet was going mad with how well the team played after halftime, and according to several articles, it was all due to Colin.

He pulled up the end of the game on his TV and settled in to watch.

As the minutes ticked on, Isaac felt a small smile slowly expanding into a full-on grin, and it wasn’t long before he was whooping loudly with joy at the screen, watching Colin play better football than he’d ever played before.

God, he wished he could’ve been on the pitch with them.

It wouldn’t take a genius to put two and two together and figure out what had happened after his big outburst. It was clear that the team knew, and Colin’s secret had finally been exposed. His sexuality was out… Colin was out.

Isaac felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest as the guilt fought to overwhelm him all at once, his happiness draining away in a split second.

His outburst had outed Colin to the team.

He'd yelled at Colin over practically nothing in the middle of a match.

The team was fine with everything, yet he’d put Colin through hell.

He’d pulled his hand away.

Fuck.

On the telly, one of the pundits was saying something about Colin playing like a man reborn, and in that moment Isaac realised, he wasn’t sure whether this new Colin was even his friend anymore, let alone his best mate. Maybe he had been reborn, shedding his old skin and his old life, leaving those who hurt him behind.

Leaving Isaac behind.

He had to fix it, or at least he had to try. Even if it was a fruitless endeavour, even if they would never be friends in that same special way again, even then, he still owed Colin an apology. He owed it to both of them to try.

Chapter Text

Late November 2022 - Early in the Season
Ted’s Third Year at AFC Richmond
Saturday - Game Day (after the game)

After an afternoon feeling like he was riding the highest he ever had, Colin finally escaped his overenthusiastic teammates and made it into his car and back to his house (all without getting into an accident somehow).

He took a few minutes to collect himself in the driveway, the day’s highlights running through his head on a loop. His teammates knew him, actually truly knew him for the first time… and they didn’t hate him. They seemed almost happy to know that part of him.

He was grinning to himself almost maniacally at the thought. If someone had told him about today even a few months ago, he wouldn’t have believed them, he might have even laughed in their face.

Then there was Isaac; the only part of this that was still so uncertain. His best mate knew and seemed to hate him for it, yet what he’d said and done showed the opposite. He climbed out of his car and made his way into the house, immediately collapsing on the couch, eyes falling shut as he let out a long sigh.

As he sat there allowing the day’s adrenaline to slowly fade, his mind spun with the possibilities. His eyes shot open when he heard the voice, “Colin?”

Instead of grinning widely and throwing himself into Michael’s arms for a dramatic romcom-esque kiss, like one might've expected, Colin simply sat unmoving and after a few beats of tense silence, burst into tears.

It was the good kind of crying, the heaving, gasping, choking, wailing kind of full-body workout crying that left you feeling like a new person once you’d finally reached the other side, and Michael held him through it all. When the tears finally dried, he simply asked, “Are you alright?”

Colin choked back a tearful laugh. “Yeah. I'm fucking amazing, love.”

Scanning his face with far too perceptive eyes, Michael asked, “What happened?”

“I’m out,” he said with a wobbly smile.

Michael’s eyes widened. “To… everyone?”

“Oh! No! No, definitely not.” He paused, a small, but far more firm, smile creeping its way into his face. “But I’m out to the team… and it was good. Really good. Best case scenario, honestly.”

“And Issac?”

He shook his head. “Nothing yet, but he got a red card for punching a homophobe and then ranted about gay people having it rough in the dressing room before storming off. Haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

“That’s what that was about?” Michael sounded surprised. “I saw it on the telly, but I didn’t know…”

Colin nodded. “See what I meant about mixed signals?”

“I do,” he paused and hesitantly asked, “What do you think’s going on in his head?”

“I don’t know!” Colin burst out, a week’s worth of frustration pouring out in just a few sentences. “It just feels like every fucking time I think I’ve figured it out, he up and changes on me!” He shook his head. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“You’ll figure it out.” Michael looked hesitant. “I don’t want to speak for Isaac here, and I have no clue if I’m right about this, but from everything you’ve told me, it seems unlikely he’d be truly angry…” Michael bit his lip. “If I’d have to guess, I’d say he’s probably hurt that you kept it from him.”

“I-” Colin was cut off by a sob, “Fuck! I just stopped crying.”

Michael ran a hand up and down his back soothingly. “It’s fine. Just let it out, love.” He moved his hand up to Colin’s head and started running his fingers through his hair, smoothing it repeatedly away and out of his face.

God, he must look like a right mess.

“Is Cassie still at your dad’s, cause I could really use some dog cuddles right now,” he got the words out around his sobs.

Michael’s hand didn’t stop running through his hair, but he did start adding the gentle scratch of fingernails on every pass. “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t have time to get her. I wanted to be here when you got back.”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here.”

They sat in silence for a while until Michael asked, “How are you doing with the whole situation… just, everything?”

“I- I don’t know.” Colin swallowed hard, eventually settling on, “Better… I think. I’m not… okay… sobbing on you for half an hour probably made that pretty clear, but knowing the rest of the team has my back, I’m doing better. And having you here with me finally, not just over the phone, it's definitely helping.”

They still hadn’t let go of one another and Michael’s arms tightened around him at the words. After a few moments, Colin asked, “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you weren’t back for another few days.”

“Things were… You sounded bad, Colin. I said I needed to go home, and I left.”

“And they just let you?”

“I don’t have a history of blowing off work, and I said it was a family emergency. They had no reason to stop me.”

Colin craned his neck to look at Michael in shock. “You lied?”

“No. I think this perfectly well counts as a family emergency.”

“But…” he trailed off, not sure how to respond to that.

Michael stared deep into his eyes, eyebrows slowly creeping up. “I don’t know if it’s registered yet, but you are my family, or a big part of it anyway. It was killing me being stuck there while you were back home going through hell.”

He sat there, considering the possibility that he should start crying again. How the fuck did he find a guy like Michael? Colin buried his face in Michael’s neck and just breathed. He smelled like lemons and vanilla, only faintly tainted by the smell of airport and travel sweat.

So quietly, he wasn’t even sure he was saying it aloud, Colin whispered, “You’re amazing.”

He felt a kiss being planted atop his head and Michael breathing out a soft, “I love you.”

“Love you too,” he said, smiling and pressing gentle openmouthed kisses to his boyfriend’s neck.

Michael groaned and tilted his head back to allow him more access. “I got home in time to catch most of the match… You were beautiful…”

Colin hummed, pulling off and smiling. “I was?”

“You always are.”

“Fuck,” Colin said, ticking his face back down in Michael’s neck, but not kissing it any longer. “You always know just what to say, don’t you?”

“Eh, ‘s not hard. Just complimenting your football skills works like… 99% of the time.”

He groaned dramatically and flopped to the side, off Michael and onto the couch. “Never mind.”

Michael laughed and stood, holding out a hand. “I’m in desperate need of a shower, and you look like you’re about to pass out, you probably also need food and at least three glasses of water worth of hydration from all that.”

“You’re not wrong. I haven't eaten since before the match,” Colin said with a sigh, grabbing his hand and heaving himself to his feet. He was swaying gently as the lightheadedness took hold and he breathed out a light, “Fuck.” Once he’d steadied himself, he said, “Go and shower. I'll drink my water and be up in a few.”

Michael looked concerned. “If I leave you here are you gonna be able to make it up the stairs?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m literally a professional athlete.”

“Who’s currently struggling to stand on his own.”

“I’m fine, really. It was just a little lightheadedness. It was gone as soon as it started.”

“Okay… but I’m gonna be pissed if I come down here and find you’ve passed out and cracked your head open.”

“I’ll do my best to avoid it then.” Colin smiled.

After chugging what ended up being four glasses of water, not three, Colin devoured several protein bars and filled the glass a fifth time, carefully holding it to avoid a spill as he made his way upstairs and promptly collapsed into bed.

Despite his physical exhaustion, his mind was still spinning, and it was clear sleep was well out of his reach for the time being. He turned on his phone, immediately finding about a million notifications from the team.

TOMMY
- Congrats on the match today!
- Special shoutout to Colin!

KYLE
- …who dipped before we could drag him out for drinks :(

JAMIE
- Boo!!!

ARLO
- Booing the guy who just came out
- Classy move

MOE
- It would be more homophobic if we stopped giving him shit now that he’s gay

Since the team was talking in the group chat, there was no way Isaac wasn’t aware that the secret was out. His mate hadn’t sent any texts yet, but he’d surely seen the team’s messages by now. Rolling his eyes and feeling a smile spreading across his face, Colin decided to jump in and offer his own two cents, chugging some more water as he did.

COLIN
- 1) Moe’s not wrong
- 2) ive always been gay

MOE
- It would be more homophobic if we stopped giving him shit now that 'we know' he’s gay

COLIN
- :)

THIERRY
- The queer has spoken
- We shall obey

RICHARD
- “The queer”

JAMIE
- Yeah…
- Maybe rephrase

JAN
- It’s not inaccurate

DANI
- So we’re supposed to be mocking Colin now?

RICHARD
- He reminds me of an ever so slightly undercooked noodle

PAUL
- Harsh, man

JAN
- Colin is like a fake plant left out in the rain

SAM
- Soggy?

JAMIE
- Nah, most fake plants are plastic

SAM
- Uh… sad?

MOE
- A metaphor for capitalism.

ROBBIE
- No
- Lets stick with sad

RICHARD
- He has too many teeth

DANI
- Colin has extra teeth?

MARTIN
- How did I not know that
- That’s so cool

SAM
- I really don’t think he has extra teeth :/

RICHARD
- He dosent
- Just too many

COLIN
- I was not inviting a free-for-all roast
- Also… weirdest roasts ever guys
- And strangely specific

JAN
- Disappointing
- But a bit late
- The damage is done

COLIN
- I’m aware

Colin looked up as he heard the bathroom door click open. Michael emerged in his pyjamas, “Whatcha doing?”

“M’ brain's not being quiet and the team’s blowing up the group chat.”

“Anything interesting?”

“Just some debate on whether they’re still allowed to give me shit ‘cause I'm gay.”

Michael’s eyebrows raised. “And?”

“They concluded it would be more homophobic if they stopped, which started a chain of ‘Colin insults’.” He shook his head mournfully. “The worst one was that I'm sad in the same way that a fake plant left out in the rain is.”

Michael laughed as he climbed into bed beside him. “That must've hurt.”

“Definitely.” Colin reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his glass, draining the last few drops of water before turning off the side lamp and plugging in his phone. He shimmied down as much under the covers as he could manage, and then plastered himself to his boyfriend's warm and toasty body.

Michael shivered dramatically. “How are you even cold? You’re the one who’s been in bed!”

“One of life’s great mysteries,” Colin responded sleepily. He’d managed to go from wide awake to half-asleep in a matter of moments. Probably something cheesy about feeling safe and secure with Michael there, but that was far too sappy a thing to admit, even if only to himself.

“Goodnight, Colin,” Michael whispered.

Colin smiled and quietly said, “Goodnight, love.”

Without another word, he was asleep.

Later That Night

Colin woke up having to go to the bathroom so badly it felt like his bladder was about to burst. In hindsight, he probably should’ve anticipated that; what with all the water he'd drunk before getting into bed.

Aside from his full bladder, he was incredibly comfortable and exhausted, making it very difficult to motivate himself to get up.

It wasn’t long until his situation reached critical status and the discomfort well outweighed the benefits that came with not moving.

He gently extracted himself from Michael’s arms and then spent a few minutes wrestling with the sheets and tiptoeing his way across the room, carefully trying to avoid waking his peacefully sleeping boyfriend.

The worst part was—he realized as he channelled his inner ninja in his attempts to move as silently as possible—that despite his intense need to pee, his mouth was as dry as sand and the glass on his bedside table was pathetically empty. He felt like he deserved better, given the insane day he’d just had. To add insult to injury, he glanced at the clock and found that it was somehow only 10:00 PM.

When he got out of the bathroom, he carefully made his way into the kitchen and filled a new glass with water, chugging the whole thing in one go. He refilled the glass and shut off the tap. Bringing the water with him, he started the slow trek back to the bedroom and was halfway there when he heard knocking at the front door.

He ran his free hand through his hair nervously. There were very few people who knew the codes to get past his security system and all the way to his front door, and of them, he knew who it was most likely to be.

He set down the glass on a side table and slowly descended the stairs, pace slowing even further when he saw the person on the other side of the door. He slowly approached and opened it to Isaac, who looked incredibly uncomfortable standing there and was shifting side to side in his gigantic puffy jacket.

After an awkward beat of silence, Colin weakly offered up a muted, “Hey.”

“You lied to me. For years.” Isaac’s voice was flat.

There was an underlying layer of anger, yes, but what Colin saw was mostly just hurt. Michael had been right. Of course, he had. Despite knowing that Isaac likely wasn’t homophobic, there had still been a small seed of doubt growing in his chest. It was just hard not to imagine the worst, given the incredibly hurtful treatment he’d been getting from the man who was supposed to be his closest friend. It felt good to have that bit of doubt firmly squashed.

After a few long seconds, Colin nodded in response to Isaac’s statement but otherwise stayed silent. There hadn’t been a question in there, and he likely had more to say but was just struggling to get it out.

Colin almost wished he could bring himself to be more upset with Isaac than he was. He had every right to be so much angrier, but he just… wasn’t. He was simply too closely acquainted with Isaac’s personal history and emotional issues to believe this was a personal slight. He knew how hard Isaac took perceived betrayals—and it was, more often than not, much harder than the situation called for.

The two of them stared at one another for another long moment until Isaac finally broke, “What is it about me that made you think you couldn’t tell me?”

Colin shook his head, stumbling over his words in his haste to get them out, “N- No, it was nothing to do with you. It was about me. I was 99% sure that you’d support me. But the 1% chance that you wouldn’t?” He pulled in a shaky breath. “It scared the shit out of me.”

Isaac shifted slightly. “I don’t know how you did it. I can’t keep a secret for shit.”

“I know.” He gave a small smile. “Another reason I didn’t tell you.” He saw Isaac’s face fall slightly. Fuck, he’d meant that as a joke. He quickly added, “I mean, I hid it from people for years, and the second you find out, I didn’t last a month.”

Isaac finally seemed to pick up on his teasing tone and huffed out a small laugh, before his face sobered and their eyes met. “I’m sorry, bruv.”

Colin wasn’t quite ready to say that it was okay, or that Isaac was forgiven because, in all honesty, he was still far from over it, but he nodded his acknowledgement of the apology all the same. Eventually, things would be okay, he was certain of it.

Not now, but eventually.

“You gonna tell everyone now?” Isaac asked.

It took Colin a long few seconds to register what he was being asked and he quickly shook his head, doing his best not to show how much the idea terrified him. “No. The team knows. And that’s enough for me.”

Isaac nodded seriously. “And no one’s gonna say shit.”

He nodded, Isaac couldn’t actually guarantee anything, but he appreciated the sentiment all the same.

“I promise,” Isaac added after a moment, looking so incredibly earnest that Colin could cry. Something about the way Isaac said it, made him want to so badly believe it was the truth; that his best mate could swoop in and make everything okay.

But life wasn't a fairytale, and things were never that simple.

Isaac turned to go, clearly having said what he needed to say, and Colin quickly asked, “Wanna come in?”

He couldn't stand the thought of Isaac leaving now, not when things still weren't right between them. He knew they needed to talk more.

Isaac looked back slowly. “Yeah, all right.”

Colin smiled tightly and moved aside to let Isaac pass inside before closing the door.

Everything was going to be okay.

It just had to be.

“FIFA?” Isaac prompted as Colin reached the top of the stairs.

He nodded. “FIFA and alcohol.”

“Sounds good.”

It might have been a day late, but Colin was glad they were attempting to hold up their pre-match tradition. Isaac not showing up the night before was probably the most hurtful thing he'd done in the entirety of their friendship, but maybe this would start to heal that wound.

As if he'd been reading Colin's mind, Isaac suddenly said, “I’m sorry, mate. For everything, but especially for not showing up last night.”

Colin stayed quiet for a moment before finally saying, “I know you were hurting, but you really hurt me.”

Isaac sighed and hesitantly said, “It probably doesn't mean much, but I sat in my car all night. I was ready to go over… just couldn't…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Just… I won't do it again, bruv. I swear.”

He swallowed hard. “Okay, boyo.”

He wasn't sure if he really believed it. The trust between them had been broken, shattered into a million pieces. What he did believe was that Isaac meant his promise now, which was what he cared about at the moment; whether Isaac would keep it later was a different matter altogether.

As he grabbed their preferred beers from behind the bar, Isaac settled on the couch and said, “I know the team knows,” he hesitated, “-but what happened? Did I fuck it up? Give it all away?”

“No.” Colin shook his head and smiled lightly as he sat on the couch, passing over Isaac's beer. “If I hadn’t said anything, they all would’ve gone on thinking you were the gay one.”

Isaac suddenly whipped toward him with a loud, “What?”

He chuckled. “Think about what you did from their perspective, boyo.”

After a few beats of silence, Isaac let out a long, “Ohhh…” He nodded. “Yeah. I get it.” Colin smiled and shook his head slightly as he turned on the TV and booted up the game.

“So, what happened, then? You tell ‘em?” Isaac asked.

He passed over one of the controllers as he sat down, fingers sitting slack on his own. “Yeah…” He let out a deep sigh. “I did. Still doesn’t feel real though, honestly.”

“And they all took it well, right? No one said shit to you?” Isaac paused before he continued, sounding hesitant, “I know it was mostly positive, based on what I saw in the chat and all, but I'll beat the crap out of anyone you need me to. Just say the word, bruv.”

Colin chuckled and went back to setting up the game. “No. Everyone was great. Lasso gave a shit speech about Denver Broncos, but it had a good message when he finally got around to that part.”

“Yeah?”

“He said, it's not that the team doesn't care that I'm gay, they actually do care, but like… about me, but not in a bad way. They care about me, and how being gay affected me, yeah?”

Isaac stared at him blankly. “What?”

Colin shrugged. “Coach said it better, he'd probably be happy to give you the speech again if you want?”

Isaac hummed contemplatively but said nothing more as the game started. Colin had a strong suspicion Isaac would indeed ask Coach Lasso to repeat his speech, it was the kind of person he was—and being that kind of person was the reason they were best mates in the first place. Isaac always went the extra mile; it was a big part of what made him such a good team captain.

After a few minutes passed in silence, but for the sounds of the buttons on their controllers clicking, Colin huffed with barely concealed amusement and said, “Go ahead, ask.”

“Ask what?” Isaac glanced over at him guiltily, before focusing back on the screen.

He smiled. “C’mon, boyo. I know you have a million questions. Go on.”

They sat in silence for a bit longer, but Colin wasn’t worried. He could read Isaac like no one else, and it was clear that he was just taking a minute to process and gather his thoughts. Right on cue, Isaac asked, “How long have you known?”

“Always, really.” He shrugged. “You already know Robin’s been out as bi since I can remember, so I thought it was normal, never questioned it.”

“Are you gay?”

He glanced over at Isaac, concerned. “Uh… yeah?”

“No, like, you could be bi or pan or whatever. Don't want to assume or nothin’.”

“Oh. No.” He shook his head. “Default plain old gay for me.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Sucks though. If I was bi, I could’ve just stuck to women.”

“Hmm,” Isaac made a contemplative noise. “Ever had a girlfriend? A real one? To try it out, or hide, or some shit?”

“Nah, never bothered. Didn’t ever doubt my sexuality… and knew I had to be closeted, but I wasn't gonna go that far with it. I am a bit surprised that I haven't had to do it to get someone off my trail by now though.”

Isaac nodded looking thoughtful before, ever so eloquently, asking, “You done butt sex?”

Colin couldn't have stopped the snort that escaped him if he'd tried. He rolled his eyes and grinned looking over at Isaac. “Yes. I've ‘done butt sex’.” He laughed and shook his head. “Honestly, boyo.”

“‘S a valid question, mate.” Isaac shot him a quick smirk, before refocusing on the game. “Is ‘top or bottom’ sex positions or sleep arrangements?”

“Sexual positions. Unless bunk beds are involved. Then it’s both.”

“Would you ever shag a woman?”

“No, I’m gay,” his heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he said it. The words came out so casually, something he’d never thought possible with Isaac. It was exhilarating.

Not noticing his miniature freakout, Isaac followed up with, “I know,” fuck yeah, he did! “-but what if you had to?”

“Uh-” Not a question he’d been asked before. He had a list of women that ‘Straight Colin™’ would shag, but this was new. He quickly racked his brain, coming up with, “1967 Raquel Welch.”

“My man,” Isaac said, nodding.

He let out a laugh. It seemed Isaac would always be himself, no matter Colin’s sexuality. It was a comforting thing to learn.

“Who’s the fittest guy on the team?”

“I won’t tell you, and you’d never guess.”

After a moment of silence, Isaac said, “Bumbercatch.”

How the fuck had he known that? Colin looked over at his friend in shock. “Yes.”

Not wanting to lose any more ground in the game than he had already, Colin turned back to the screen just as Isaac asked, “What about team showers? How does that work?”

“Uh-” Colin felt himself tense slightly. That was where the ‘gay athlete’ conversation always led. He didn’t think Isaac had meant it quite how it came across, so he answered as diplomatically as he could manage, “I keep my head down, and think of global warming.”

“Yeah, well, if I had to shower with a bunch of girls all the time, I’d defo get boners.”

A goofy smile split Colin’s face, and he nudged his knee against Isaac’s as he laughed.

Of-fucking-course Isaac wasn’t asking it in the ‘all-gay-people-are-perverts’ way, he was asking about the practical logistics of getting boners in the showers. Of all the ridiculous things.

Some sort of deep-seated tension in him released, though he hadn't realized it existed until that exact moment. Isaac was his best mate and he didn’t need to expect the worst at every turn. It made him feel incredibly free, finally settled on solid ground.

He looked over, ignoring the game for a moment and said, more sincerely than he'd ever said the words to Isaac before, “I love you, boyo.”

Isaac stiffened slightly and his eyes darted around uncomfortably. Colin didn't expect the sentiment to be expressed in return, especially not verbally. Isaac had a hard time saying those words to anyone.

Colin turned back to the game, a small smile still lingering on his face. “You can’t say it, can you?”

“No,” Isaac said. “But you know I do, yeah?”

It was more than he’d expected, and it was clear he was pushing himself out of his comfort zone for Colin’s sake. It warmed something in his chest and he nodded, his small smile growing wider.

“So, uh…” Isaac trailed off sounding nervous and vaguely uncomfortable.

Colin quickly glanced over before refocusing on the game. “Yeah?”

He could see Isaac's jaw shifting out of the corner of his eye. It finally stilled as he asked, “The article… Trent’s article… that was you, yeah?”

Colin's fingers froze on the buttons and he quickly blew out a heavy breath. “I was wondering if you'd put that together.”

“Hard not to, bruv.” Isaac's fingers had also gone still on the controller, the game forgotten other than as a thing for them to look at so they wouldn’t be forced to look at one another.

“You think the team knows?”

“Dunno. I, uh… I saw you and Trent talking a few times… this week. That's what put the final pieces together for me, but I had suspicions before that. But only after… y’know.”

Colin nodded because he certainly did know. He breathed out a heartfelt, “Fuck.”

“You wanna talk about it?” Isaac asked.

He ground his teeth together before forcing his jaw to relax. “No. Not really.” He desperately hoped Isaac wouldn't push the issue.

Thankfully, Isaac only nodded and said, “Okay, bruv… but, like… you know I'm here, right? If you ever do… wanna...” he trailed off vaguely.

Colin glanced over at him with a soft smile and quietly said, “I know, mate.”

They returned to the game and played in silence for a while.

Eventually, Isaac broke the peaceful air by saying, “I do actually have one question about the article.”

He tensed, and Isaac looked over at him, eyes widening as he noticed Colin’s obvious discomfort. “Oh, sorry, mate. ‘S nothing deep, I swear. I get you don’t wanna talk about it. I was just wondering if the bit about the gay bar is true or not. Now I know for sure it’s someone from Richmond, I can think of like… a million other ways he could’ve figured it out.” Colin let himself relax as Isaac kept talking, looking deep in thought. “Is it some sort of gaydar thing? Like, do gay people pick up on each other after a while, like when ladies' periods sync up?”

Caught off guard, he snorted. “No. Where the fuck did you get that idea?” Isaac shrugged and Colin rolled his eyes before answering the question, “No magic gaydar, but the gay bar part’s ‘bout…” he trailed off, thinking it through and eventually landing on, “-half true.” He shot Isaac a small crooked smile. “Trent already knew, but told me he did in a bar.”

“When?” Isaac asked, “And where?”

Colin laughed. “Amsterdam.”

Isaac’s jaw dropped. “But you had food poisoning!”

“Nah. I just used that as an excuse to sneak out of there.”

“You’re telling me, you missed the most epic pillow fight, probably ever, just to go to a gay bar?” Isaac sounded as if the very thought of it floored him, that it would be straight-up impossible to choose a bar over a pillow fight under any circumstances.

“Well, I would’ve stayed if I’d known it was gonna be a pillow fight,” Colin defended himself. “I left because there was a pretty high chance we'd end up at a sex show, and I can’t think of anything that sounds more miserable.”

Isaac’s face screwed up in thought. “But, like… what if it was gay sex though?”

Colin snorted. “Even then. It just sounds weird, and I’d already seen the bar on our way to the hotel. Seemed like the stars were aligning or something. I don't ever get to go to gay bars. There's usually too high a chance of being recognized, but I figured nobody there would know me. I saw a chance, and I took it… Definitely wasn't expecting Trent, though.”

Isaac looked distressed but said nothing. Colin thought about asking what was on his mind but eventually decided to just let it go for now.

A few minutes later, Isaac asked, “Can I tell Alice?”

Colin hesitated. Isaac and Alice had been together for about a year, and things seemed pretty serious. She was nice and—in his opinion—perfect for Isaac. He worried at his lip. “Do you really think she won’t tell anyone?”

Isaac thought for a long second before firmly nodding. “I trust her.”

“Okay,” he breathed out the word heavily. “You can tell her.”

For someone like Isaac, saying he trusted a person was the personality equivalent of earning a Nobel prize. If he trusted Alice, then Colin did too. He wasn’t sure what gave him the courage to take that risk when not so long ago he wouldn’t have even given it a moment’s thought before dismissing it.

A few minutes later, as they finished their third game, Isaac stretched with a groan and said, “It's getting late. I should, uh… probably head out.”

Colin turned to him with a confused frown. “C’mon. You know the guest room’s always open to ya’.”

He suddenly found himself wrapped up in one of Isaac's bear hugs, which he immediately melted into.

While his best mate largely struggled in his attempts to verbally express his love, he more than made up for it physically. Most often that showed itself through claps on the back or a comforting squeeze of the shoulder, but occasionally Isaac would decide a moment warranted a hug… and they were always amazing hugs.

Isaac pulled back and smiled at him. “Thanks, bruv. Didn't want to assume or nothin’.”

“You're still my best mate. Assume away, boyo.”

It felt both incredible and incredibly surreal to finally have Isaac back after thinking their friendship had likely been broken beyond repair.

Colin felt himself smiling softly as he made his way down the hall to his bedroom and climbed back into bed. He proceeded to wrap himself around Michael and finally gave in to the exhaustion that he'd been fighting for hours.

As he drifted off to sleep, he had the nagging feeling he might have forgotten something important, but it'd been an extraordinarily long day, and he was asleep before he had the chance to give it more than a fleeting moment’s thought.

Chapter Text

Late November 2022 - Early in the Season
Ted’s Third Year at AFC Richmond
Sunday - Approx. 6:00 AM

Michael woke up to a sunbeam directly in his eyes and groaned. Squinting, he cast a glance over at the clock on the bedside table, blinking an obnoxious 5:57 AM. Knowing that since he was up, the jet lag would keep him that way, he got to work disentangling himself from Colin’s arms. His boyfriend was still completely dead to the world and snoring softly, probably out for the foreseeable future. He deserved a good crash though; it’d been a crazy couple of days.

He was only half awake as he toppled clumsily down the stairs of Colin’s ridiculous glass house. Brain running on autopilot, he sleepily ducked underneath the first giant uncurtained window separating him from the coffee maker. Of the many reasons he and Colin generally chose to avoid staying at this house, the windows remained the main one.

He snagged a thick dark blanket from where it was dumped, along with several similar ones, in a basket to the right of the big floor-to-ceiling window. Holding it up as a shield, he scurried past. Successfully reaching the other side, he dropped it on top of several more blankets in an identical basket situated to the left of the window. That was obstacle number two, meaning he was halfway to his goal.

He took a moment to briefly consider why the hell he’d learned how to navigate his boyfriend’s house like this, instead of just forcing him to invest in some curtains—it's not like Colin couldn't afford them—but he was quickly distracted by the tantalizing smell of freshly brewed coffee hitting his nose.

For a moment he basked in it, but then he froze, blood turning to ice. Colin was still in bed, completely unconscious—despite sleeping like a rock, once he was up for the day, Colin tended to stay that way—and that meant there was no reason whatsoever he should be smelling coffee.

He took a slow, cautious step backwards, and proceeded to fall directly on his arse with a loud thump. His eyes widened and he froze like a deer caught in headlights.

“Colin?” The voice was low and masculine, and while the tone didn’t sound aggressive, Michael had heard more than enough horror stories about crazy fans and journalists from Colin to not let that relax him.

He glanced around desperately for something he could use as a makeshift weapon, resisting the urge to curse loudly when he found nothing but sleek modernist furniture and no personal touches.

Damnit! This is exactly why you’re supposed to make a house a home! Not that Colin considered this mansion much of a home anymore, and Michael never had in the first place… But still!

His only warning of the intruder’s approach was the soft sound of socked footsteps before he was suddenly staring up at a hulking buff giant of a man looming over him, wearing nothing more than an undershirt, his pants (thank god), and Colin’s apron—a bright yellow number liberally spattered with multi-coloured rubber ducks. He was also holding a spatula because of course he was.

Michael tried to say something coherent, but all that came out was an embarrassing, “Uhh……” followed by a very awkward silence.

The man frowned at him, gesturing in a threatening manner with the spatula. “Who the hell are you?”

Michael shrugged, and they stared at one another for a few more awkward moments until the pieces put themselves together in his still sleep-fogged head. “Isaac!” He snapped his fingers in recognition; the glasses had thrown him off.

The tension seeped out of his body—not entirely though, given what Colin had been going through with the other man recently.

Isaac’s eyebrows drew together. “Your name’s Isaac?”

“No, I’m Michael.” He rolled his eyes, but the footballer’s face remained blank. “We met at Ola’s.”

Isaac’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh, yeah!” He grinned broadly, arm holding the spatula dropping to his side. “Sorry, bruv. Couldn’t place you. You’re Colin’s mate, the one who doesn't know football. His wi…” he paused, smile fading and eyebrows furrowing as he seemed to scan Michael up and down. After a few awkward beats, he carefully asked, “You’re not actually Colin’s wingman, are you?”

He wasn’t sure how Colin would want him to respond, so Michael simply shrugged.

Something about his expression must have given it away, especially combined with the fact that he was wearing what was pretty clearly his boyfriend’s clothes—AFC Richmond training joggers and a t-shirt branded with a bright Welsh dragon that had Colin’s head photoshopped on it. It was a gag gift. Every Christmas Colin's family attempted to one-up each other in finding the worst fan-made merch they could, which they would all then proudly present to his horrified boyfriend. Of all the days to wear that particular combination of clothes, jeez.

Isaac's whole body sagged and he rubbed his face, muttering a low, “Colin, mate,” clearly speaking more to himself, than to Michael.

He pulled himself back to his feet and slowly asked, “So… did you let yourself in?” He knew Colin had given a key to a select few people for emergencies, one of whom was Isaac.

“Uh…” Isaac trailed off.

Michael frowned, levelling a harsh glare at the footballer. “You should know that Colin’s terrified of you right now, and jump scaring him by breaking into his house at 6:00 in the morning—a time I have no doubt you already know he doesn't wake up at unless he absolutely has to—isn’t going to help anything. You’re his best mate and you’ve been treating him like major shit. I don't know if you're homophobic, or what—Colin says you aren't, and what you did yesterday helps me believe that, at least a little—but whatever it is that's making you act like this… you need to get the fuck over yourself and apologize to him. Ideally without breaking into his house, for fuck’s sake.”

Yelling at Isaac felt good, he made a mental note to do it more often if Colin's best mate kept fucking up.

Isaac looked suitably cowed. “Nah, mate, ‘m… I'm not homophobic or anything. I- uh, we talked already. Last night. Me and Colin. And I didn't break in, I slept here.”

…Isaac did what?

You know? That probably explained the outfit. It would be very strange if Isaac had broken in and immediately taken off all his clothes.

“Wha-” his question was cut off by a loud crash from above them, followed by a bout of excessive and enthusiastic Welsh cursing. He decided his confusion could wait a few more minutes. Glancing over, he saw that Isaac’s face was mirroring his amusement at their shared idiot, and the two of them patiently waited for the cause of the morning’s drama to make his way downstairs.

“Nobody kill each other!” Colin skidded into the room looking panicked and breathing heavily, hair and clothes in complete disarray.

“Good morning,” Michael greeted him, carefully keeping his expression as neutral as possible under the ridiculous circumstances. He wished he could punctuate the sentence with a serene sip of coffee to really drive it home, but even without that bonus, the mental gymnastics playing out across Colin’s face were still highly amusing.

The three of them must have painted quite the picture standing there, staring at one another. Michael currently looked like he could be the head of a Colin Hughes fan club, or at the very least a certifiable Hughie™. Isaac, who clearly hadn't brought a change of clothes, was in an undershirt and boxers, the whole look tied together by the bright yellow apron covered in a rainbow of ducks. It was also very hard to ignore the spatula completing the overall look. In contrast, Colin’s clothes were deceptively neutral, and he would have looked very normal in comparison to the two of them if it weren't for his hair, which normally looked very nice, but occasionally chose to rebel in the most interesting of ways after he'd slept on it; today was one of those rare occasions.

It was at that moment that Michael noticed the small dent in the floor where he’d fallen. He slowly moved his foot to cover it. Thankfully the other two seemed not to notice.

Colin’s head swivelled back and forth between them as he appeared to struggle to string a coherent thought together. When he eventually spoke, he sounded utterly defeated. “I knew I was forgetting something.”

“You think?” Michael smirked.

Colin hung his head. “Sorry guys. It's just that Michael was asleep when you came over Isaac, and then I got distracted talking to you. Then it got late and I was tired, and you both know-”

“Colin,” Isaac cut him off, “It’s fine, bruv. We get it.” He glanced at Michael as if to confirm that he agreed.

Michael nodded. “Isaac’s right. No harm done. You were already about to collapse when we went to bed last night, and if you stayed up even later, I’m not surprised you forgot to leave a note or something.” He bit his tongue, hoping Isaac hadn’t caught on to his accidental use of the plural pronoun, ‘we’, although he was pretty sure the other man had already put the pieces together by now. If Colin hadn’t told Isaac about their relationship yet, he deserved to get the chance to do it himself, not to have the beans spilt by his half-awake boyfriend.

Although it was in the article, so it really shouldn't have been all that surprising to Isaac that the mysterious boyfriend just so happened to be Michael, the only ‘friend’ Colin had outside the team, right?

“So, what did I miss?” Colin asked.

“Well, I thought someone broke in until I recognized him. Don’t know what he thought.” Michael gestured to Isaac, who just shrugged in place of an actual answer.

Before they could stand in an awkward triangle any longer, a sudden beeping from Isaac’s pocket startled them all. “Shit, that’s the bacon,” he said and then proceeded to stare deeply into Colin’s eyes for a few seconds.

Michael blinked at them, confused for a moment before he finally realized what was happening. It was the mythical nonverbal communication Colin had long since told him about—apparently, it had something to do with passing the ball on the pitch and Isaac being good at ‘body science’, and the two of them were supposedly known for being the best at it on the team—but Michael was still amazed when, after a few beats of silence, they nodded in unison and Isaac turned and began walking to the kitchen at the same moment Colin pulled Michael over to the couch.

“I’m sorry,” Colin said quickly, the second it was clear Isaac was out of earshot. “I really didn’t-”

Michael cut him off, “You don't need to apologize. It’s a weird situation. I get it… I mean, I don't get it… but I do understand.”

Colin leaned forward and hugged him hard, and for a few moments, Michael just held him. They stayed pressed together, swaying ever so slightly.

“These,” Colin pulled back and let out a low sigh, “-have been the longest few days of my life.”

Michael grabbed his hand and soothingly ran his thumb over the back of it. “At least it’s been mostly good stuff. You pushed through and you’re so close to the end of the tunnel now.”

Colin nodded. “I am a strong and capable man.”

“Yes, you are,” he agreed, shooting him a small smile.

“I am.” Colin nodded at him, clearly trying to convince himself far more than he was trying to convince Michael.

After a beat, he asked, “So what exactly happened last night?”

Colin let out a dramatic sigh. “Well, I got up to piss and get more water when I heard him at the door. I went down and we talked for a bit.”

“What did you talk about?” He asked, curiosity growing. It was nearly impossible to imagine what could’ve been said throughout a single conversation to undo all the suffering Colin had been experiencing over the past week.

“He apologized, but he also asked what he’d done that made it so I couldn’t trust him. You were right on that front.”

“And?”

“Uh, we talked some more for a bit before I invited him in for beers and FIFA… It really helped, I think… a lot.” Colin frowned at the wall. “He apologized, and I’m sure it was genuine… doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven him yet though.” He breathed out heavily. “But we’re headed in the right direction… at least, I think we are.”

Ah, so Colin wasn’t trying to claim the suffering was negated. That was good… healthy.

“He did ask if Trent’s article was me, so he definitely knows about that now. He said he was pretty sure, even before I confirmed it.”

Michael rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Okay, well at least that's nothing new. You figured he'd put it together by now.”

“I guess,” Colin rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, “-it’s just that it's one thing to think… and another thing to know for sure. I said… a lot in that article… things I didn’t think about having to own up to when I said them.” He quickly added, “Not that I regret anything I said… it’s just more personal now.”

“I never asked, but when you said ‘the nicest person on your team’ said stuff in the dressing room, were you talking about Isaac?”

“I wasn’t really talking about anyone in particular, it was more of a generalization that nice people did shitty things, but when I said it, my mind jumped to Sam and Dani. Isaac’s great, but he can be an arse.”

He scoffed. “Yeah, I’d say.”

Colin shook his head. “Nah, I didn’t even mean like this. He’s an arse for other, much more mild, reasons.”

“Good to know. Were there any other issues?”

“No.” Colin smiled, a small shy thing. “He just asked a bunch of intrusive questions, which is all I ever really wanted from him.”

He stared at Colin blankly. “You’re gonna have to expand on that.”

Colin rolled his eyes. “I know it sounds a bit off, but part of talking with my teammates is that we’re generally all way too up in each other’s business. I’ve never gotten to actually have that before, it’s all just been lies.” His smile turned wistful. “It was just nice to be normal for once.”

Michael remained silent and Colin kept talking, “I just don’t know what to say to him anymore.” Colin ran a disgruntled hand through his hair, staring down at a spot on the floor with hazy eyes. “He’s my best mate, and now there’s this… disconnect. I dunno how to talk about this part of my life… how to open up to him.”

“I think the real question here is…” Michael paused until Colin finally turned his head and met his eyes. “What do you want to tell him… about us? How much of… well, all of it?”

“Everything,” Colin didn’t hesitate. “I want him to know everything about me. I don’t want to hide anymore.”

Michael nodded. “Then we’ll tell him everything.” He paused before adding, “I know it’s not the same, but in my experience, when you come out to someone you love, once you get over the hard part of starting a conversation, the words just start flowing. It’s like releasing a breath after you’ve been holding it so long your lungs are burning. That initial exhale is uncomfortable, but then you just… breathe.”

Colin looked thoughtful. “I guess that’s kind of what happened last night.” He frowned. “I just don’t get why today feels so different.”

“If I had to guess,” he grabbed Colin’s hand, “-using my imperfect analogy, the night gave you both time to start holding your breaths again, and that’s gonna keep happening every night, but less and less until one day it just… doesn’t.”

“Like two steps forward, one step back?”

“Well… yeah.”

“In my analogy, one day I’ll just keep walking and forget to step back.”

Michael laughed. “Okay, yes, but enough analogies.” Abruptly he realised something else and said, “And we can’t forget I’m new in this whole mess. I mean, he knew you’re gay and that you have a boyfriend, but having me shoved in his face the morning after you two finally talked probably isn’t helping.”

Colin winced. “I’m so sorry-”

“Hey,” he cut him off, “I said no more apologies. It's fine, love. Really.”

Colin gave him a quick little half-smile and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“So… should we head in there?”

“I’m not sure it’s been long enough,” Colin said, checking the time on his phone.

“What do you mean?”

Colin’s eyes darted briefly around. “It’s just… Isaac needs a bit to process things. Longer than other people. ‘S why it took me a few days to get really worried when he wasn’t talking to me. It’s just how he is. You were a surprise this morning, and I wanted to give him time to… I dunno… collect himself?”

He took Colin’s hand. “I get it. You’re just meeting him in the middle.”

“Yeah.” Colin nodded.

He smiled weakly. “That’s all good… as long as he doesn’t try to give me the shovel talk,” it was half a joke and half dead serious. “After how he was acting…” Michael shook his head.

“What, you gonna fight ‘im?” Colin asked, the barest of smiles on his face.

Michael shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Can you even throw a punch?” Colin sounded way too doubtful about the prospect.

“Of course, I can throw a punch!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Colin said with a laugh.

Sunday - Approx. 7:00 AM

Colin and Michael entered the kitchen just as Isaac was in the middle of flipping an egg and he jerked in surprise, the egg soaring gracefully through the air and landing with a wet splat across the stove and countertop as he cursed loudly, “Shit!”

“Fuck, boyo,” Colin commented from next to him. “What’d the eggs ever do to you?”

Frowning down at the remains of the now-ruined eggs Isaac huffed out, “You snuck up on me, mate.”

Colin shrugged, pulling out a roll of paper towels. “Just walked in.”

“Very quietly.” Isaac shot him an unserious glare.

Colin rolled his eyes, but acquiesced, “Fair.”

He walked over to the sink, wet the towels, and started cleaning up the mess as Isaac cracked several new eggs into the pan. Michael decided to finally make himself—and the two footballers, while he was at it—a coffee, since there didn’t seem to be much he could do to help sort the whole egg situation—and the adrenaline from the breaking and entering scare earlier that morning, while a hell of a stimulant, was fading fast and he wanted to be fully present during whatever awkward conversations breakfast would inevitably bring.

As he pulled down the box of coffee grounds from a cabinet Michael asked, “That new dietitian still on you guys about caffeine?”

“Yeah,” Colin sighed sadly, throwing the used paper towels in the trash, the lid falling shut with a loud bang. “Still an airport church.”

“You say that as if you want to go back to being an airport bathroom.” Michael joked as he dutifully pulled down Colin’s decaf coffee—an absolute sin to mankind, in his opinion—and put it next to the regular grounds.

Colin snorted loudly. “For real coffee? Yeah, no hesitation.”

Michael smiled, but it wilted slightly when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Isaac going stiff. He decided to leave it be for now; the morning was already weird enough for all of them without calling out Isaac for his strange tension.

Before closing the cabinet, he spotted something next to the regular tea that caught his eye and grabbed it as well, holding it up in question. “I assume this is yours, Isaac?”

The box was labelled ‘Isaac’s Nasty Fucking Tea’, but in Welsh. He’d asked Colin about it when he’d first seen it on the shelf a while back during one of his infrequent visits to Colin’s house. He was told both the meaning of the label in English and, ‘I don’t know how he stomachs the stuff, but I love ‘im so I keep it around.’

Isaac glanced over, still stiff as a board, and replied, “Uh… yeah, mate.” His gaze quickly returned to the eggs, giving them a level of attention that Michael was pretty sure no slowly cooking eggs had ever been given before; that is to say… a lot of attention; laser focus, really.

“Actually, check if there’s any decaf left, yeah? It might just be the regular shit,” Colin’s voice pulled his attention, and he turned to see his boyfriend's eyebrows furrowed in thought as he stared at the box, either unaware of or actively ignoring Isaac's weird tension and hyperfocus on the eggs. Probably ignoring it, if Michael had to guess.

“Oi! Just cause you have no taste, doesn’t mean you can insult my shit,” Isaac shot back at Colin.

“You literally just called it shit, boyo,” Colin said with a laugh.

Huh. It seemed Colin wasn't doing either. He'd noticed the tension and knew exactly how to diffuse it. It was impressive, to say the least.

Michael ducked his head, hiding a smile of his own as he checked the box. There was a single bag of decaf left, so he pulled it out and put the box back. He walked over to the fridge and scribbled out ‘Isaac’s decaf tea’ on the grocery list stuck to it with a magnet.

Meanwhile, the other two were still bickering and Isaac was in the middle of saying, “C’mon, bruv! You know what I meant.”

“Yeah…” Colin tossed Michael a shit-eating smirk, to which he rolled his eyes. “The tea’s shit.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Though Isaac’s voice was grouchy, a quick glance showed him that Isaac had loosened up ever so slightly and had a small smile on his face, finally cutting the poor eggs a break and looking away from them and toward Colin.

“Hey, uh,” Isaac’s hesitant voice drew Michael’s attention. “How you want your eggs?”

“Uhm, over-medium?” he replied hesitantly. It was the first time Isaac had initiated any sort of conversation with him since they’d entered the kitchen.

Isaac nodded and turned back to the pan without another word, but from across the room, he saw Colin shoot him a hopeful smile. He returned it weakly, hoping it was as good a sign as Colin seemed to think it was.

He turned on the electric kettle, staring it down to hopefully make the water boil faster. Behind him, Colin had started speaking, “Don’t you dare burn my eggs, Isaac. I mean it.”

As he waited for the water to boil, Michael grabbed the small container of sugar and one of the bottles of milk from the fridge and set them on the counter. The house currently had two open bottles of milk due to a baking incident where Colin thought his house didn’t have any milk, so they brought it over from the flat, only to discover there actually was milk in the fridge, and then they completely forgot to take it back, so now they were just waiting for them to go down enough that they could combine them.

“Once! I do that once, three years ago, and you still haven’t let it go,” Isaac was arguing.

“Since when would I let something like that go? You still mock me for the whole smoothie thing.”

“It’s so easy!” Isaac paused, “...point taken.”

The kettle chimed and Michael poured the water into a waiting mug and added the teabag. “You want anything in it?”

Isaac plated the last round of eggs and turned off the stove. “Nah, I got it.”

Micahel slid the mug across the counter and watched as the other man proceeded to add a frankly obscene amount of sugar. Michael stared on, utterly horrified.

Shaking his head to clear it of the image before him, he turned back to the coffeemaker, which had just cheerfully beeped to let him know Colin’s drink was done brewing.

“So much sugar, yet not a single sugar rush in sight,” Colin joked, shaking his head. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Taking a sip of tea, Isaac said, “‘S what I’ve been training for.”

“Training how?” Colin asked as Michael pulled the drink out of the machine and grabbed the milk from the fridge, adding just a dash of milk to the mug.

“Rolos,” Isaac said as if that explained everything.

Colin hummed his understanding, so it definitely meant something.

He silently pressed the drink into Colin’s hands. That was normally the moment Colin would lean in for a good morning kiss, but today he settled for a soft and sleepy smile and a gentle, “Thanks, Michael.”

No pet name.

Michael had been avoiding them thus far, and it seemed like that was the right decision based on Colin’s current behaviour.

“You need the milk?” Isaac asked Colin, reaching for the bottle on the counter beside him.

Colin said, “Nah.”

“I’ve never once seen you drink coffee without milk.” Isaac looked confused.

“I already added some,” Michael said.

Isaac looked lost. “Oh.”

Michael watched in fond amusement as Colin raised the mug and gulped down half the coffee in one go. He’d told Michael that if he did that, occasionally he could convince his brain that he’d consumed caffeine without actually having done so.

Isaac was doing that strange sort of intense staring at him and Colin that he was doing earlier, and Michael clenched his jaw, uneasy under his unwavering gaze. Isaac finally turned away from him, only to remove the apron which caught Michael’s attention in a very different way.

It turned out that Colin’s best mate was pretty fit. He’d seen Isaac before, but not in such form-fitting clothes. He wasn’t really Michael’s type, but anyone attracted to men would at least appreciate his body a little.

Shaking off his thoughts, Michael went back to his seemingly endless quest for caffeine. He’d just readied the coffee maker, when a sudden thought occurred to him and he paused, holding the mug in his hands.

He turned to Isaac. “Were you making coffee earlier, ‘cause I would swear I smelled some when I came downstairs? That's how I knew someone was in the house.”

“Uh…” Isaac trailed off, eyes going all shifty.

“Holy shit!” Colin cried out of nowhere, sounding way too excited. “You broke first! Yes!”

“I couldn’t sleep and I was tired,” Isaac argued.

Colin was grinning as he said, “I won! You owe me a hundred pounds.”

“Uh, what’s happening right now?” Michael asked.

Colin turned to him looking giddy. “We had a bet on who’d give into the lure of caffeine first, and I just won!”

“Neither of you’ve broken the diet until now? Really?” Michael asked, genuinely surprised.

“Yup,” Colin confirmed.

At the same time, Isaac nodded and said, “Yeah.”

They’d somehow managed almost the entire season and probably could have made it all the way if it weren’t for the extenuating circumstances. Michael was admittedly impressed.

Chapter Text

Late November 2022 - Early in the Season
Ted’s Third Year at AFC Richmond
Sunday - Approx. 8:00 AM
POV Michael

If Michael thought the tense air had successfully dissipated with a little light banter in the kitchen, he’d been sorely mistaken. Settled in their chairs, they again found themselves in uncomfortable silence. Under the table, Colin’s foot tangled with his, clearly seeking comfort. Wanting to hold his hand, but not sure it was a good idea, Michael simply nudged his foot back in a silent display of solidarity.

Isaac still hadn’t put any clothes on—though that weirdness, Michael suspected, was only bothering him. He’d learned from Colin that getting naked around one another—or semi-naked in this case, thankfully—was far beyond desensitized to footballers; even the gay ones.

Fuck, sports were weird.

They all started eating and still no one spoke. It was… awkward, to say the least. The room was filled with the occasional clink of cutlery on plates and the combined chewing noises of three people. Michael took a sip of coffee, which immediately went down the wrong pipe, sending him into a coughing fit.

As the coughs abated, Colin asked, “You okay?”

He nodded, chugging some water in an attempt to wash the tickle from the back of his throat. Setting down the glass, his hand bumped against Isaac's glass, causing it to spill across the table. Thankfully, it was mostly empty, but the ensuing scramble for napkins still resulted in a bout of cursing to which they were contributors.

Once the spill was cleaned and the eating resumed, the suffocatingly uncomfortable silence came crashing back to the table. 

This was actually a nightmare, holy shit.

Seeing only one path forward to break the awkward air that had settled over the table like a thick suffocating blanket, Michael spoke up, “So…” They both looked up from their plates and stared at him. “I get that Colin played well yesterday, with how everyone was going on about it, but I don’t really get it. I mean, sorry,” he nodded toward Colin, “-but you didn’t even score? I know you did something else… can’t remember what it was called… or, honestly, what it even was you did?”

It was only a little bit of a fib. While he lacked much of the technical expertise to understand the game, it was clear that Colin was playing extraordinarily well. He may not have scored, but he helped quite a bit with both goals. He thought the video he’d watched yesterday had called it assisting(?), or something similar to that.

It worked like a charm. Both Colin and Isaac’s faces lit up and they tried to start talking simultaneously. They both stopped, and Colin gestured for Isaac to start.

“He didn’t need to score, mate. He got two assists, which were key to both goals, and he spent the whole second half always being exactly where he needed to be, with some of the smoothest ball handling I’ve ever seen.”

…Michael wasn't even going to touch that one, no matter how desperately he wanted to. At least Colin's face showed he was fighting back the same urge.

Shaking off Isaac's accidental innuendo, Colin leaned forward eagerly, “Assists can be just as important as goals. Remember what I was telling you about Jamie switching positions.”

“Oh, so you were, like, important to both those goals?” he asked.

“Nah, more than important.” Isaac shook his head. “It’s like… he did all the work and just used someone else to hammer the ball in.”

Colin frowned. “That’s probably overstating it. The people who scored-”

“Don’t underplay it, bruv,” Isaac cut him off. “That match was yours.”

Colin huffed out a frustrated breath. “I can’t-”

Isaac spoke over Colin again, “Listen, everyone has those special matches, and this one’s yours. Just enjoy it, mate.”

Colin was quiet as he rolled his eyes, but had a small smile on his face.

Watching the two of them talk like this, bouncing off one another so naturally, would never get old. It was so clear to him why they were best mates, and he was immensely glad Colin had someone like Isaac in his life; even though recently his impression of the other man had been less than stellar.

Michael allowed himself a small smile of his own. “Either way, it was fun to watch.”

Colin grinned wider and turned to meet his eyes, opening his mouth as if to say something, but closing it before he could get any words out, his eyes dimming as his gaze quickly flicked over to Isaac and then back down to his food.

Isaac frowned as he stared down his friend. He looked over at Michael, who gave him a nearly imperceptible shrug and pursed his lips. So much for diffusing the tension.

Several more minutes passed in silence, and Michael was just beginning to think he’d have to take another uncomfortable stab at breaking the awkward air, when Isaac suddenly cursed loudly, “Fuck!”

Michael stared at him blankly. What?

Isaac pointed his fork at Colin accusatorily and very calmly stated, “I’m an idiot.”

Michael looked at Colin, who appeared to be just as confused as he felt. “You might not be an academic, but you’re not dumb, boyo.”

Isaac shook his head. “No, I’m stupid because I forgot you,” the fork stabbed forward ominously, “-have a boyfriend.”

“Uh…” Colin didn’t look any less baffled. “What?”

“And it’s him.” The fork swivelled to point at Michael, who stared at it, slightly concerned.

“Yes? And…” Colin trailed off expectantly.

Isaac cleared his throat. “Uh, I didn’t know that.”

Michael looked up from the fork and stared at Isaac. “You didn’t?”

Colin blinked at Isaac blankly then pointed at Michael. “Who the hell did you think he was? Just a mate of mine who randomly appeared in my house at fucking… five in the morning, that I wasn't even remotely surprised to see here?”

Isaac rolled his eyes. “I thought you were dating, but being weird about telling me.”

“But he’s in the article and- and… wearing my shirt?” Colin protested. “How is that me trying to hide anything?”

Isaac looked sheepish. “It was dumb, I know. I got so caught up in waiting for you to admit it that I didn’t remember the article. That’s why I’m an idiot.”

“Oh.” Colin’s eyes widened in realization before he shook his head. “Yeah, I- I figured you knew. I mean, you knew I was... well, I wasn’t trying to hide anything. Not anymore.”

Michael stayed quiet; this wasn’t really about him. Whatever they talked about the night before wasn’t a fix-all, and despite both their wishes, they were clearly nowhere near back to normal levels of comfort with one another. Isaac didn’t trust Colin anymore, and Colin didn’t trust Isaac anymore.

Isaac’s face fell and his voice was soft, “I’m sorry, bruv.”

“I get it.” Colin shook his head. “It’s a lot all at once. You don’t need to apologise.”

Michael wasn’t 100% sure he agreed with that, but he could let it go just this once. This morning might be the most insane and stressful one any of them had ever experienced.

He was caught off guard when Isaac’s next words turned his doubt on its head, “I shouldn’t have fucking doubted you… I know you don’t wanna keep shit from me, and I got so caught up in my head that I didn’t just stop and think for a second…” Isaac insisted, looking so overwhelmingly sincere that it was easier to understand how Colin had forgiven him for everything—assuming he’d busted out that face during their talk the night before. “So, I am sorry, bruv… Okay?”

“Apology accepted.” Colin nodded with a small smile.

Isaac mirrored the smile and, with that, most of the tense air dissipated. After a moment, he turned to Michael and, eyebrows furrowed, asked, “So, uh, you’re dating Colin?”

Michael stared at him for a beat, before simply saying, “Yes?”

Isaac nodded. “Okay. Uhm. Good.” He smiled very awkwardly at Michael, who appreciated the lack of attempted shovel talk. Isaac was at least smart enough to realise that wouldn’t go over well, not after everything.

“Uh-” Isaac’s eyes shifted between them as if he wasn’t sure to whom he wanted to ask a question. He eventually just landed on staring down at his barely touched food.

“Just ask,” Colin said suddenly and Isaac’s head shot up. “We’ll answer, boyo.”

Isaac glanced over at Michael, who gave him a small nod. He looked back at Colin, sighed, and simply asked, “How long?”

“We’ve known each other almost two years, but got together about a year and a half ago,” Colin answered bluntly.

Isaac leaned back in his chair with a soft, “Shit.” It was silent for a few beats until he said, “That’s a long time, mate.”

“It is.” Colin nodded, staring into the depths of his mug as if it held the universe's secrets.

“How much of it’s true?” Isaac asked.

Colin looked up. “What do you mean?”

“What you-” he cut himself off and his jaw visibly clenched. “What you both said… at Ola’s. How much of it was true?”

“When we told you how we met?” Colin asked.

Isaac nodded. “Yeah.”

Colin looked thoughtful. “Actually, most of it was true… we just left some bits out. I hit his car and left my number, and we got to know each other over text before eventually meeting up.”

Isaac nodded. “So you texted for half a year before meeting?”

Michael pursed his lips.

“Uh,” Colin uncomfortably shifted in his seat. “Not exactly. It was only a few months before we met, uh, but we did a whole,” he waved a hand, “friends with benefits thing for a while ‘til the off-season.”

Now Isaac was the one who looked uncomfortable. “Uh, good for you, mate.” The awkwardness of his statement hung in the air for a moment. “I mean…” He hung his head, looking defeated. “Never mind.”

Colin looked like he might start laughing, but bravely held it in. Michael was tamping down a smile of his own.

“When we were still just texting before all that, I told him I was gay after testing the waters to see if he’d recognise me.”

“I did not,” Michael said grinning. “Completely clueless.”

“I even sent him a picture of myself to check.”

“Either way, I was the one to suggest we meet, which is something I’d never normally do, but I was in a weird place at the time. Just out of a two-year relationship.”

“I agreed,” Colin shrugged, “-and the rest is history.”

“Well, there’s a bit more to it than that. Remember at the end of the season…” he trailed off, grinning.

“Ugh.” Colin rolled his eyes but had a smile on his face. “We don’t need to share that bit.”

“Oh, I think we do…” He grinned across the table. “Isaac?”

“Uh.” Isaac looked uncomfortable. “Not unless Colin’s okay with it, mate.”

“Oh.” Michael grew more serious.

Colin shook his head. “It’s fine, we were just taking the piss.”

“Uhm.” Isaac looked embarrassed and stared down at his plate. “Okay.”

“Well, one day Colin came to my house and started yelling at me about knowing who he is and, of course, I’m standing there completely clueless.”

“It was right before we were relegated, so I wasn’t exactly in a great place to realize how mad I was being.”

“And it was very mad.”

“Hey,” he smacked Michael playfully on the shoulder, “I wasn’t that bad.”

“Sorry to say, love, but you definitely were.” He hadn’t meant for the pet name to slip out, but it looked as if Isaac hadn’t even noticed, too focused on the verbal tennis match playing out in front of him to catch a little slip of the tongue.

Colin rolled his eyes dramatically. “Either way, a little bit later, when I finally did tell him who I was, he asked me out on the spot, and I said yes.”

“You say that like it was easy,” he retorted with a grin.

“It was!”

“You had a whole list to try and scare me off!”

“Again... It wasn’t that bad,” Colin said, rolling his eyes.

He gave a deadpan stare. “I literally had to take notes.”

“Really?” Isaac asked, looking sceptical.

“Yes, and I still have the notebook to prove it.”

Colin’s voice was slightly higher than normal when he asked, “You kept that?”

“Of course I did.” Michael’s grin was back in full force.

“Oh my god.” Colin buried his face in his hands.

“I’ve actually been meaning to ask if you kept the original. I’ve been thinking of getting into scrapbooking…” he trailed off ominously.

“Please stop,” Colin mumbled into his hands.

“Stop what? Recording our lives together?” He clutched a hand to his chest and leaned back in his chair dramatically.

Colin finally looked up, rolling his eyes but smiling genuinely.

He'd almost forgotten that Isaac was there until he spoke, “It’s good to see you happy, Colin.”

Colin’s eyes widened; it seemed he’d also allowed Isaac's presence to fade into the background. He looked at Isaac and said, “Thanks… Not to get too sappy, but all I ever wanted was for my two lives to,” he made a strange gesture with his hands, “-merge… be one life.”

Isaac nodded seriously. “Well, now they are.”

“Y’know, I almost told you a few times... recently… about…” Colin waved a hand through the air, “-everything.” Isaac remained silent and Colin had a sad little half-smile on his face. “But that was the first time I actually seriously considered it. After we agreed to date, I mean.”

Isaac looked completely caught off guard. “You- you did?”

Colin looked at Isaac with wide surprised eyes. “Of course I did! You’re my best mate. I thought about it all the time, but there were six times I considered it to the point of actually planning it out in my head and everything.” Colin looked down. “Every single time, I chickened out at the last minute.”

Michael’s hold on his mug tightened. He’d known about four of those times; helped Colin work through his thoughts for each one. He wondered when the other two times were.

Isaac looked an equal mix of caught off guard and guilty. He looked like he desperately wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the words to say it.

“Shit!” Colin suddenly perked up. “What time is it?”

Isaac blinked. “‘S not even 8:30 yet, bruv. We don’t have to leave for at least 45 minutes.”

“Fuck,” Colin deflated, leaning back in his seat. “Nearly gave myself a heart attack there.”

“I’m pretty sure today’s, like, the one day Roy won’t make you run extra laps next training for being late.”

“Don’t wanna risk it, honestly.” Colin winced. “He might decide he’d make a better ally, having me run anyway.”

“Fair.” Isaac’s brow furrowed. “Actually, knowing him, he’d get it twisted and think making you run double ‘s some sort of super allyship.”

“Something about me being just as capable as, or more than, a straight person.” Colin nodded glumly. “I couldn’t even fault ‘im, ‘cause I’d know he’s trying his best.”

“This’s for the post-game debrief, right?” Michael asked.

Colin nodded. “Yeah. 10 AM on the dot, no matter how hungover you are; unless you wanna run extra laps.” Both he and Isaac visibly cringed.

Isaac took a drink from his mug and glanced nervously at Colin. “We goin’ in together, bruv?”

“‘Course,” Colin said, then his face lit up. “Oh, and I washed the clothes you keep here with the detergent I know you hate because I was pissed at you.”

Isaac looked offended. “That’s majorly petty, bruv.”

Colin’s eyebrows shot up and he grinned, jokingly saying, “Yeah.” Michael could see his shoulders tighten ever so slightly… It was a test.

Isaac sighed overdramatically but didn’t look actually upset about the issue. Colin’s shoulders relaxed; it appeared Isaac had passed.

Huh.

These were some really intricate rituals the two of them were going through; it was fascinating to see, like watching a nature documentary.

…Did Colin just say Isaac kept clothes here?

“Oh, come on,” the exclamation was out of his mouth before he could stop it. “You mean you've just been sitting here in your pants for no good reason?”

Isaac looked down at himself, seeming only now to realise what he was—or more accurately, wasn’t—wearing. He looked up with wide eyes. “Oh, uh, I didn't even notice. Sorry, mate.”

A snort pulled his attention to Colin who was doing his best to hold in his laughter, but failing miserably.  Seeing that both he and Isaac had noticed, Colin gave up and burst into pure unfiltered laughter. Between giggles, he choked out, “I- I fuckin’- told you.”

Michael rolled his eyes, but Isaac just looked confused.

Michael turned to Isaac, ignoring Colin’s laughter. “Colin told me how normal being naked in front of his teammates is, and I said there’s no way that’s true. But apparently, I was wrong. Apparently, sports are just that weird.” He shook his head with a small smile.

Sunday - Approx. 9:00 AM
POV Colin

Isaac split off from them once they reached the top of the stairs, heading toward the guest bedroom he’d practically claimed as his own. As he did that, the two of them went into Colin’s room to get ready for the day.

“You going home later?” he asked Michael as he pulled off his shirt and started rummaging through a drawer. It had come to be that ‘home’ meant their shared flat; they’d taken to referring to their other places of residence as ‘my place’ and ‘your place’.

“Yeah…” Michael said, wrestling with the zipper on his suitcase. “You?”

Colin nodded, pulling on a polo. “Definitely.”

“How are you doing now… since things are more settled?” Michael asked as he shucked the Richmond joggers and pulled on a pair of jeans

He paused, holding a pair of socks loosely in his hand and thinking deeply. “I’m… not sure... I’ve definitely been better, but think I’m happy?”

“Yeah?”

He huffed out a small laugh. “I’m honestly having a pretty hard time telling.” He fiddled with a loose thread on the socks.

“You gonna put those on?” Michael asked. “Too long and your mate’s gonna start thinking we’re shagging in here.”

Deep thoughts instantly banished, he felt his face screw up in a sickening combination of horror and disgust. “I hope not.”

Michael looked to be fighting back a smile. “You never know, babe.”

“While he’s in the house with the door open?” Colin gestured to the door before a sudden thought appeared to him. “Y’know, it’s crazy that he could actually think that now.” He let a small smile break out on his face. “How wild is that?”

“It’s very wild,” Michael agreed. “I never lived it, but there was a time you were sure this day would be an impossibility.”

Pulling on the socks, Colin mused, “He’s just actually a part of my life now. My whole fucking life.”

“I don’t think I’ve said it yet, but I’m so happy for you, Colin.”

He shot Michael a shy smile.

Finally both fully clothed, his boyfriend scanned his gaze shamelessly up and down Colin’s figure and said, “Mhm… Looking fit; although you’re perfect without the clothes too.”

He rolled his eyes at the display and playfully pushed Michael’s shoulder with a laugh. “Enough.”

Michael sighed dramatically. “Unfortunately, you are right; I’ve gotta go get Cassie from my dad's.”

“And I have important football things to do.” He smiled softly. “I’ll see you later?”

“‘Course,” Michael confirmed with a smile of his own.

“Bye, love,” Colin said as he cupped a gentle hand on the back of Michael’s head and leaned in for a quick kiss, to which his boyfriend responded enthusiastically, putting his hands on Colin's hips and deepening it.

A small noise from the doorway caused them to pull back and both their heads to turn, finding a dumbstruck-looking Isaac in the doorway.

“Uhm.” Isaac shifted his weight, looking incredibly uncomfortable. “Sorry.”

Colin smiled weakly. “No problem, boyo.”

Isaac looked at Michael and Colin followed his gaze. His boyfriend just shrugged, looking unsure of what he was supposed to say in this situation.

“Yeah... I, uh, wasn't tryin’ to be a creep or anything. ’S just looking for you. We should head out before it gets much later. The chat’s going off about cake, so we probably want to get there soon.”

Colin nodded; the lads got weird whenever cake was involved, and he and Isaac were no exception. “You’re right about that. Meet you downstairs in a minute?”

He could see the loading bar as Isaac processed. When it finally seemed to connect, he hastily nodded. “Yeah, bruv. Carry on.” He hustled quickly out of the doorway and they could hear him walking hastily down the stairs.

Colin stared at the now empty doorway, feeling genuinely concerned.“‘Carry on’?” He turned to Michael. “He better not think we're actually shagging up here while he's in the house.”

Michael laughed. “I doubt he thinks that, love. But we should probably get down there sooner rather than later, just in case.”

He let his forehead fall against Michael’s shoulder and his words came out as a muffled whine, “Why did we leave the door open? I wanted to ease him into this. Now he thinks we’re ‘carrying on’.”

“I don’t think anything about this morning has been gently easing anyone into anything,” Michael said softly before his tone turned teasing, “But I’d ‘carry on’ with you anytime.”

Colin groaned dramatically and pulled back. “You’re not wrong… about the first bit. As for that last part, now I’m going to forever associate those words with Isaac, and they’re never to be brought into our bedroom again.”

Michael snorted so hard it looked like it must’ve hurt before falling into a fit of laughter that he muffled with his hand, presumably not wanting it to carry downstairs to their houseguest. Colin just stared at him with a fond smile on his face as he laughed himself silly. It wasn’t even all that funny, but seeing Michael so joyous, rendered that entirely unimportant.

When Michael finally calmed down Colin was still staring at him. He was sure he had the sappiest look on his face, that special one that only Michael, Casserole, and his niece ever seemed to be on the receiving end of.

“Colin…” Michael said, eyes flicking down to his lips, then back up to his eyes.

“I love you,” Colin said.

Michael’s smile softened. “Love you too.”

Colin leaned in and pressed a kiss to Michael’s lips. It wasn’t a very good one, given that neither of them could stop smiling, but it was perfect for them at that moment—and, thankfully, this kiss was without an audience.

He pulled back and they spent a few moments just staring at one another. Wow, they were cheesy. Colin could’ve stayed like that for much longer, but they both had places to be, so they broke apart. Michael sighed. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the distinct sound of the dishwasher could be heard and Isaac was in the middle of walking out of the kitchen, Colin’s apron in hand. Seeing the two of them, he froze, stopping in his tracks and staring at them like they were some sort of alien lifeform he’d just seen land and disembark a UFO.

Trying to push past the awkwardness that had once again fallen over them, Colin joked, “Wow, it’s like you’ve never seen gay people before, boyo.”

The joke fell flat; Isaac’s only response was a genuine, “‘s more like I’ve never seen you before.”

Colin stared at him, having absolutely no idea what to say in response to that. How does someone even recover from a statement like that?

Isaac seemed to realize how deep his words had cut, so he offered up a weak smile. “I wasn’t saying it was a bad thing, Colin… It’s good, mate.”

“Uh, good, I guess…” Colin trailed off.

Michael jumped in to save them both by saying, “Thanks for doing the dishes.”

Isaac’s relief was palpable. “No problem.”

Isaac moved toward the hamper right in the space between the kitchen and living room, making to throw the apron in but pausing at the last second. He stared down at it, looking deep in thought.

“Isaac?” Colin prompted after several long seconds had passed.

Isaac looked up and unwound the balled-up apron, revealing its pattern. “Am I just an idiot, or should I have picked up on the clues by now?”

He snorted, hearing Michael attempting to smother a laugh of his own from next to him. He shook his head. “You’re the one that gave that to me, boyo.”

Isaac stared at it deeply. “You think I knew? Like, subconsciously?”

“The brain does weird shit,” he said with a shrug.

Isaac nodded sagely.

As he ran a hand over the rainbow of ducks, he absently commented, “You know, I actually thought you’d figured me out for a minute when you gave it to me,” 

“Makes sense,” Isaac said, and he could feel the other man’s gaze boring into him.

Michael cut in saying, “Hey, I should get going.”

“Alright,” Colin said, offering him a smile and a nod. “Bye, Michael.”

He smiled back. “Bye, Colin.”

“What’s with the suitcase?” Isaac asked. “You going somewhere?”

“No.” Colin said, shaking his head before Michael had a chance to say anything. “The opposite actually. He came here straight from the airport yesterday. He was out of the country for work.”

It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Now wasn’t the time to get into the whole two-houses debacle and he was worried Michael might let something slip, assuming that he’d already talked with Isaac about it, which he hadn’t.

It wasn’t that he wanted to keep it a secret. The night before he hadn’t bothered to mention it because he’d forgotten and that morning he’d kept it to himself so as not to overwhelm Isaac anymore than he already had. He also wanted to tell him when they actually had the time to go visit the place, rather than telling Isaac and them not having a chance to go for a while afterwards.

Thankfully Michael seemed to have chosen to follow his lead and made no mention of the flat when he said, “Yeah, I’ve gotta get home and unpack before heading into the office.”

The second they pulled out of the driveway, the awkwardness was back in full force. Apparently, Michael had been providing much more of a buffer than Colin had thought. After the success of their talk after the match, it’d seemed inevitable they’d smoothly slide back into their normal routine—but, instead, in the light of day, they’d somehow stumbled their way into a nonstop series of stop-and-start moments of awkwardness. ‘Two steps forward and one step back’, just like Michael said.

“Oh, fuck! Look at that car!” Isaac’s voice drew him out of his musing just in time to catch a glimpse of the absolute monstrosity of a car that was zooming by them headed in the other direction.

He breathed out a shocked, “Woah…”

“That’s ugly, innit?”

“The ugliest shit I’ve ever seen.”

Isaac laughed and Colin felt a smile creep onto his face; and just like that the awkward air between them had broken.

“So, uh, who’s Cassie? Is that Michael’s kid?” Isaac asked suddenly.

Colin choked on nothing and then started laughing.

“You good mate?” Isaac shot him a concerned look before refocusing on the road.

Through his chuckles, he managed to say, “I’m fine, boyo.”

Once he’d calmed down, Isaac pressed, “So? The kid?”

“Uh, no.” He shook his head. “Michael’s not a dad, though Cassie’s as good as.”

The car was silent for a few beats as they turned into the lot outside Nelson Road. 

“Oh!” Colin said, “She’s a dog. Forgot that bit.”

Isaac chuckled.

As Isaac parked, Colin asked, “You wanna see a picture?”

“Yeah, mate.”

He quickly typed in the passcode to unlock the folder on his phone that was home to all his incriminating photos, though the nudes were long gone. Deleting them was the first thing he did when he got home after that fateful day.

Pulling up one of his favourite pictures of her—an absolute gem where she had an entire steak in her mouth and was looking incredibly guilty—he passed his phone over to Isaac who immediately laughed upon seeing the image.

“She’s adorable, mate,” he said, handing back the phone.

Colin nodded as he took it. “An absolute sweetheart for sure.”

Sunday - Approx. 10:00 AM
POV Isaac

As they walked through the doors of the club, it became clear Colin’s nerves were spiking. Isaac could almost hear his mate’s internal dialogue as thoughts spun wildly out of control. Things had been fine yesterday, but what if today was different? What if sleeping on it had led the team to conclude that they were not, in fact, comfortable sharing the pitch with a gay player? What if the betrayal was too much, something they couldn’t ever claw their way back from? Colin was too easy to read.

He interrupted Colin’s spiral with a well-placed elbow to his arm. “Hey… quit it with the overthinking. It’ll be fine.”

“Ow!” Colin rubbed his arm, not meeting his eyes. “I’m fine, boyo.”

“You’re not,” he said seriously, bringing them to a halt with a hand on Colin’s shoulder.

Colin sighed deeply then finally turned to look at him. It was no challenge for Isaac to read the desperation on his face as he quietly said, “You don’t know that… not for sure.”

“Bruv… they love you. Even after you dipped in the chat last night, they were sending shit about the match and how well you played. Not to spoil the surprise if you haven’t checked your phone, but I think a few of them sent you DMs about how happy they are for you, and I’m pretty sure that’s a good sign.”

“Haven’t checked my messages yet today.” Colin pursed his lips and sighed. “I know everyone was good yesterday… fuck.”

“It’ll be okay.” Isaac smiled at him reassuringly. “What are you?”

“A strong and capable man?” Colin sounded like he fully doubted it.

“Yeah…” He nodded. “You’ve got this, bruv.”

Stepping into the dressing room was like being transported to the middle of a pride celebration—a really shitty pride celebration, but a pride celebration all the same. Front and centre was a giant banner reading, ‘Congrats on Being Gay, Colin!’. The rest of the room was spattered with what was clearly every single even vaguely rainbow item the lads could get their hands on in the last twelve or so hours. It was a sad collection of streamers, stickers, and some sort of rainbow unicorn decorations, clearly intended for a child's birthday party.

The crown jewel of the party was the horrifyingly large rainbow cake sitting proudly on display in the centre of the room. Isaac’s mouth was open as he stared at the monstrosity before them.

Cries of both their names filled the room as people noticed their arrival. Colin was frozen beside him, and Isaac knew he needed to get the attention off his mate for a minute so Colin could collect himself. Stepping forward, he said loudly, “This is impressive. Good job.”

“Thank you, Captain!” Dani cheered.

Finally unfreezing and moving forward to slowly circle the cake, Colin asked, “Where’d you even get it?”

“A couple of us got together last night and made it,” Sam said.

“Seriously?” Colin turned to him with wide eyes. “It’s amazing.”

Sam smiled. “Thank you. We’re glad you like it. All of this was-”

A sudden, easily recognizable, “Fuuuuuuck,” cut through the room’s general merriment, and they all fell quiet and turned to face Roy, who’d just entered the room and whose wide eyes were scanning the banner. His gaze suddenly shifted to meet Isaac’s as he asked, “This the shit that needed sorting?”

Isaac nodded, unable to find the words.

Roy grunted, returning the nod before his gaze shifted and he growled out, “Hughes!”

Colin jumped slightly. “Uh… yeah?”

“Good lad,” Roy ground out, before meaningfully grunting again. He then proceeded to ignore everyone as he walked forward to grab a slice of cake and retreated to a dark corner of the room to brood.

The noise of people chattering gradually rose once more as things returned to normal.

“I forgot he wasn’t there,” Colin said suddenly from where he had appeared beside him. At Isaac’s questioning look, he clarified, “In the dressing room. When I came out.”

Isaac turned to fully face him. “Yeah, he was talking with me. Said I was gonna fuck my life up if I didn’t deal with my shit. Not just football, or anything, but like… everything, I dunno… It seemed surprisingly insightful at the time, but after seeing his presser, it makes a bit more sense.”

It wasn’t long until Colin was dragged away by an overenthusiastic flock of players, and Isaac was left alone once more. He scanned the room, checking in on everyone and was pleased with what he saw. He was also lucky enough to catch the exact moment Will walked into the room, and the kit man’s face transformed into a look of pure surprise.

Shit.

Isaac started forward, intent on diffusing the situation before Colin even realised anything was happening.

Catching sight of Isaac barreling forward, Will smiled warmly at him. “Hey, Isaac.”

“Will.” He nodded in greeting.

Looking around, a small smile on his face, Will absently said, “So… Colin’s gay?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool. In Amsterdam-” Will was cut off by a player calling out to him. He turned and waved before shifting back to face Isaac. “Never mind, I can tell you later. I’ve gotta go see Tom about a thing.”

“Uh…”

“See you ‘round!” Will waved as he walked away, off to join a group of players by the cake.

Isaac looked around for his best mate, who should probably be informed that Will, who wasn’t in the dressing room yesterday, was now in on his sexuality. Though, if he had to guess, Colin probably assumed he’d been there, same as with Roy – who was currently off in a corner with the Man of the Match himself.

Roy had a hand on Colin’s shoulder and looked serious as they spoke. Colin was nodding and had a small half-smile on his face though, so it was probably okay, just one of Roy’s rare moments of emotional vulnerability or something of the like. They were few and far between, but very effective. His and Roy’s talk the day before proved that point well.

Looking around at their team—half of whom were somehow already covered in rainbow frosting—Isaac felt a warm feeling swelling deep in his chest.

Only one thought was present in his mind: this, right here, was everything.