Anxiety - A new beginning 1/3
Rating:PG
Pairing:Frank Lampard/John Terry
Word Count:666
Beta:Thanks a lot to
sins_on_skatesDisclaimer:All publicly recognizable persons, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners and are fictional. The author(s) is/are in no way associated with said person(s) being depicted. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.
Summary: Years after their retirement, Frank and John have made a big decision that's going to change their lives. But now that the time has come, they're anxious.
Part 2 Part 3
"Are you sure?"
John knew exactly the answer because he had asked this question about a hundred times, however it had once again left his lips without him being able to prevent it. He was lucky that Frank was patient and that he knew him enough to know that if he asked over and over again, it was out of nervousness and not because he didn't trust Frank. "Totally."
Frank took his lover's hands in his and tried to smile but he too was overwhelmed with anxiety. His smile was tense. This didn't prevent him from hugging his boyfriend and doing his best to comfort him. "I'm sure everything will be all right."
"You know as well as me that it's not true. We're going to have a hard time. When this interview's going to be published, they won't leave us alone."
"They will, eventually. We can get over this. We always did."
"But it was… Different."
"John… We've been waiting for this for 17 years. We're not going to give up now, right?"
"No… Of course not. I'm sorry…. I'm only… Freaking out."
"I know. Me too… But soon we'll be free."
"Yeah… Finally."
This act they'd been playing for 17 years was going to end, at last. They would need to learn again to live without their mask and it wouldn't be easy. After all these years, their role had gotten deep inside them. They would have to learn again not to be afraid, to leave behind them the habits that their characters had required.
It had taken them five years after their retirement to find the courage to do it. They had thought it would come long before but fear had taken the upper hand. They had lived in a prison for so long that, even if its walls sometimes seemed to narrow until they chocked them, it had become reassuring. Only, they couldn't live on the secret until the end of their lives. That would have been a betrayal to the importance of their relationship. They had too many plans together. To be deprived of all these simple things that were part of a couple's life had become too unbearable.
It had been hard to make the decision to take the plunge. To choose how to do it had been as difficult, until a journalist had requested an interview of John after the recent victory of Chelsea in the Champions League. She wanted to talk about his life after his sporting retirement, of his current role in the team. It was a perfect occasion. Especially as she was very professional and worked for a serious paper. To give this scoop to one of the rags that had dragged so often their names or their teammates' through the mud.
Frank had insisted to be there. They had thought about what they would say and the questions they would refuse to answer. They were ready. They only needed to wait for the journalist who wouldn't take a long time. "I'm finally going to be able to take you on a heavenly island in a five-star hotel with candlelit diners at the seaside", John whispered.
"And rose petals on the bed?"
"Everything you want."
Frank tittered. "What a romantic you are."
"Does that mean you don't want the heavenly island?"
"Of course I want it!"
Frank leaned back a little to catch John's eyes before adding: "But first, I'd like us to have a house, only for you and me."
John smiled. He gently stroked his lover's cheek before capturing his lips.
Their kiss was interrupted by a ring of the bell. John glanced at Frank one last time and his lover smiled as naturally as he could. Then John stood up, breathing deeply. His hand was shaking when it touched the handle. He let the journalist in who had a surprised look when she saw Frank. There was no turning back now. And despite his anxiety, John was happy. A new life was beginning.
****Part 2: Pompom
