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meretriculaahahahaha so I totally failed at keeping this drabble length. whoops? ANYWAY. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mardia wanted Theo/Gareth about this article.
uptown downtown (a thousand miles between us)
"Hey hotshot, I hear you're off to Barcelona again," Theo said, laughing. "What is this, the fifth time this month? They need to give the rumors a rest, it's not exactly a slow news week."
"Um, yeah," Gareth said, and then he fell silent. It would have been ridiculous how fucking awkward he was on the phone--grown man! couldn't form complete sentences when using a method of communication that had been around since the time of his birth!--except he was fucking awkward in every single other aspect of his life, too. Theo kind of liked that about him, though.
"What a laugh, eh? Like you'd leave Spurs, more's the pity. Should come join the better half of North London--"
"Um," Gareth said again. "About that."
"About--Gareth are they talking about bringing you to Arsenal do not fuck with me you bastard--"
"Not Arsenal," Gareth interrupted. "But, um. I dunno if--Barcelona, that's a lark, like they'd be interested in me. But I might be leaving in the summer."
"Leaving Tottenham?"
"I mean, maybe? But, like. Maybe leaving England. I dunno. Be a bit weird, playing for another English team. Italy, maybe."
"Gareth, don't be ridiculous," Theo said firmly. "You can't speak a bloody word of a single language but English, you don't even know Welsh. And you'd never move that far away from your mum."
"I want to play in the Champions League, Theo." Gareth's voice sounded… he sounded like he'd already made up his mind, like nothing Theo said was going to make a bit of difference. "If we don't qualify--I can learn a language if I have to, and my mum can fly out to see me. Nothing's decided, just. I'm going to have to talk things through with the club, when the season's over."
"I bet you'll qualify, though," Theo said, mostly on autopilot. "Newcastle's got to play City and Chelsea still, right? Probably drop points somewhere." Gareth hadn't even brought up the possibility of Spurs leapfrogging Arsenal somehow. That was a bad sign.
"Yeah, but it won't matter if Chelsea win the final."
Theo made a scoffing sound. "Whatever, Bayern's gonna win, not even worth worrying about."
"Theo, I didn't mean--it's not. I mean. I didn't tell you so you'd worry. I just thought, you know. I wanted you to know. In case, so you're not surprised."
Hearing that was a little bit like getting punched in the face, because Theo hadn't told Gareth about Arsenal until it was a done deal and he was a foot out the door already and they'd been roommates, for fuck's sake, not just derby rivals with a history, but he knew Gareth didn't mean it like that. He didn't know why he was so bothered by the idea of Gareth going to play for a different team somewhere else; it would be a huge loss for Spurs, which alone would be a good reason to celebrate. It was just that Gareth had always been there whenever he wanted him, pretty much since they met. Even before Gareth followed him to London, it wasn't like Southampton was far. He'd sort of assumed Gareth would always be there.
He knew how to be a better friend than this. "Hey, who's worried?" he said lightly. "Just wouldn't be the same, not seeing your pretty hair on Derby Day. But, like," he added more slowly, searching for the right words, "you have to look after yourself, what's best for you. It's good you're thinking about that. So, yeah. I'm glad you told me. And I'll see you in the Champions League one way or the other."
"Thanks," Gareth said in a weirdly creaky voice. "I really--I really appreciate it."
"No problem, mate," Theo said. He was going to have to work on appreciating things more. Some of them weren't always going to be there.
mardia wanted Theo/Gareth about this article. uptown downtown (a thousand miles between us)
"Hey hotshot, I hear you're off to Barcelona again," Theo said, laughing. "What is this, the fifth time this month? They need to give the rumors a rest, it's not exactly a slow news week."
"Um, yeah," Gareth said, and then he fell silent. It would have been ridiculous how fucking awkward he was on the phone--grown man! couldn't form complete sentences when using a method of communication that had been around since the time of his birth!--except he was fucking awkward in every single other aspect of his life, too. Theo kind of liked that about him, though.
"What a laugh, eh? Like you'd leave Spurs, more's the pity. Should come join the better half of North London--"
"Um," Gareth said again. "About that."
"About--Gareth are they talking about bringing you to Arsenal do not fuck with me you bastard--"
"Not Arsenal," Gareth interrupted. "But, um. I dunno if--Barcelona, that's a lark, like they'd be interested in me. But I might be leaving in the summer."
"Leaving Tottenham?"
"I mean, maybe? But, like. Maybe leaving England. I dunno. Be a bit weird, playing for another English team. Italy, maybe."
"Gareth, don't be ridiculous," Theo said firmly. "You can't speak a bloody word of a single language but English, you don't even know Welsh. And you'd never move that far away from your mum."
"I want to play in the Champions League, Theo." Gareth's voice sounded… he sounded like he'd already made up his mind, like nothing Theo said was going to make a bit of difference. "If we don't qualify--I can learn a language if I have to, and my mum can fly out to see me. Nothing's decided, just. I'm going to have to talk things through with the club, when the season's over."
"I bet you'll qualify, though," Theo said, mostly on autopilot. "Newcastle's got to play City and Chelsea still, right? Probably drop points somewhere." Gareth hadn't even brought up the possibility of Spurs leapfrogging Arsenal somehow. That was a bad sign.
"Yeah, but it won't matter if Chelsea win the final."
Theo made a scoffing sound. "Whatever, Bayern's gonna win, not even worth worrying about."
"Theo, I didn't mean--it's not. I mean. I didn't tell you so you'd worry. I just thought, you know. I wanted you to know. In case, so you're not surprised."
Hearing that was a little bit like getting punched in the face, because Theo hadn't told Gareth about Arsenal until it was a done deal and he was a foot out the door already and they'd been roommates, for fuck's sake, not just derby rivals with a history, but he knew Gareth didn't mean it like that. He didn't know why he was so bothered by the idea of Gareth going to play for a different team somewhere else; it would be a huge loss for Spurs, which alone would be a good reason to celebrate. It was just that Gareth had always been there whenever he wanted him, pretty much since they met. Even before Gareth followed him to London, it wasn't like Southampton was far. He'd sort of assumed Gareth would always be there.
He knew how to be a better friend than this. "Hey, who's worried?" he said lightly. "Just wouldn't be the same, not seeing your pretty hair on Derby Day. But, like," he added more slowly, searching for the right words, "you have to look after yourself, what's best for you. It's good you're thinking about that. So, yeah. I'm glad you told me. And I'll see you in the Champions League one way or the other."
"Thanks," Gareth said in a weirdly creaky voice. "I really--I really appreciate it."
"No problem, mate," Theo said. He was going to have to work on appreciating things more. Some of them weren't always going to be there.
