John Green, the one called Other John woke up earlier than usual. The sun was shining brightly through his window and all was right in the world. He got up and wondered down to the kitchen. They had done it. They had defied all odds and gave up nearly everything to do it and they did. They had secured a promotion for this Swindon. Not only that but they had finally managed to get a contract on their Old house and he was already looking forward to having the space to have the team over for dinner parties again, and getting his piano set up in the entry room that had such great acoustics. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he had gotten some toast and tea made before he noticed his husband, Bald John Green, sitting at their tiny kitchen table starting at a plate of eggs and nearly untouched tea. Other John walked over behind him and kissed the top of his head. Bald John looked up and smiled the smile that meant he wasn't really happy deep down just happy with the immediate events.
"Hey, Whacha thinking about?" Other John asked sitting down with his toast and tea. "My Mother called" Bald John started, his voice was heavy and Other John felt his stomach sink. "Is everything alright?" he asked. "Oh yeah they are doing great, she told me about my nephew. He is coming to stay with them for a couple weeks this summer she is really excited." Bald John did not seem really excited. "That's good." Other John tried to sound excited for them both and filled the silence that followed by filling his mouth with toast and tea. Bald John stared at his eggs some more and then seemed to remember he was supposed to eat them but before the second forkful made it to his mouth he said, "So I had an offer from Barcelona for $175,000 a week. I am thinking about taking it." Other John stared across the table at his husband. "Is this about the house? If you don't think we can afford it right now then" Bald John cut him off "No no it's not the house it's just well we gave up everything to come here we had a lot more money and were making a lot more money before The Move and we kind of came back to square one which is no way to go as a footballer, we need to be saving for the day when we can't play." Other John stared at his husband in total disbelief. "We gave up everything to do this and now you are just going to throw it away? We gave up everything to come here and to make Swindon great again you and me and now you just want to toss it aside because of money? Money has never been important to you John. We have more than enough to live comfortably and put some aside and next year we will get more and put more aside but no that is apparently not good enough. I guess you just could not bear the thought of another year playing with me all the time." He stood up too quickly and knocked over his chair. He had hoped Bald John would look hurt or ashamed but instead he had that quiet stubborn look he gets when he his angry. "I'm going for a run." Other John said and stormed off to get dressed and head out the door. He grabbed his old phone too. The one Hannah had bought him when he outted himself and Bald John to the press while Bald John was in the hospital. He got half way through his usual run in the park. The route he had taken for years was a little different here everything was a little different here, that was to be expected, but today the differences made him feel sick. He stopped to stretch and pulled out the phone. He turned it on and dialed Hannah's number.
"Hey! Its Hannah I am not able to get to my phone right now but if you will leave your name and…" John hung up and stared at the phone trying to figure out what he would say to her voicemail when it rang. The sharp sound of the phones made him jump and almost drop it but he managed to grab it and answer before it went to his voicemail. "Hannah." He sounded not good and he knew it. "John! What's wrong? Did something happen to Lee?" Oh maybe he shouldn't have called her, the heartbreak of Leroy coming with them was still there in her voice. "No no Lee is fine. It's umm Bald John." He fumbled for words at first but soon spilled the whole story. She was laughing by the end of it. "Would you mind sharing what you find so funny?" John demanded a little too angrily. "There is only one thing in the world that Bald John loved more than Swindon and that's you, you silly fool." John sighed he should not have called her she did not understand how different everything was here and how the same it was. She clearly did not understand that it was changing Bald John too but before he could argue she said "What did he stay before he said he was thinking about, not had accepted but thinking about, going to Barcelona?" John was confused now. "He was talking about a call he got from his mom." She continued patiently, "Right so yesterday he didn't even bother to mention the offer, and after a call with his mom late last night he is now considering it. What did they talk about?" John thought for a moment "His nephew is going to be visiting with her this summer." Hannah waited clearly expecting him to understand the point she was just making. "Do you think he wants to go home and visit his parents?" She laughed again this time for much longer than John was comfortable with. "You are not helping." He pointed out. "Fine" she managed "You go take your silly self back home plop it down in front of your husband and ask him why he is considering leaving the team he cares so much about. And then you call me and tell me I want to know that I am right." John sighed and felt very foolish. She was right of course he should have talked to him, trusted him. "Yes Ma'am." He mumbled and hanging up jogged back home. When he got there Bald John was not. He tried to call him but he heard his phone ringing in the dish by the door still on its charger. So, taking a deep breath, he went up to shower and hoped Bald John would be back before he got done. He wasn't. He made himself a sandwich and tried to read but the house felt really empty for some reason. Other John tried desperately not to worry and sat down at his piano. He threw himself into a piece he has been trying to get right. He loved it, playing the piano was like playing football. Drill, drill, drill and slowly your body would start to remember the music your hands would work seamlessly together and the results could be amazing.
He stopped playing when he realized the light had faded enough that he could not see the sheet music clearly and he suddenly became aware of the spicy smells of ginger and soy and onions and chilies. Bald John must be home. Other John stood up working the kinks out of his legs and stretching his stiff back. He wondered over to the kitchen and stood leaning against the door frame watching John cook. He moved so easily from one piece of food prep to the other never dropping the ball or letting something burn. It was always timed just right and came out perfectly a skill Other John admired as he never managed to master it. Bald John looked up, "Hey." He said simply watching Other John's face. His eyes were not angry anymore but the set of his jaw said he was ready to argue if it was pushed. Other John sighed and walked over to him and pulled him close. "I am sorry. I over reacted and I took offence when none was given and I behaved like a silly boy. Will you forgive me?" Bald John smiled "Were those Hannah's words?" Other John smiled sheepishly "Only the 'silly boy' part." Bald John nodded "I can forgive you." He leaned in to kiss his husband but pulled back after only a moment to stir something. "It's done! Get the plates please." They moved around each other as intuitively as in the kitchen as they did on the pitch, they always had.
Dinner as it turned out was pine nut encrusted salmon with, soy brazed vegetables on a spiced rice pilaf and was where Bald John had gone. "I walked down to the market to get some of the ingredients, I wanted to make you something nice." He said " and when I came home you were playing. You had that look on your face you get when you are trying to get one of the other guys to do a cross pass or something else. Like you knew if you just kept at it you could get it to work. So I felt bad about interrupting you and let you go. It sound beautiful by the way." Other John looked at him watching him. "So why are you thinking about going to Barcelona?" Bald john paused organizing his thought as he always did. "John… I want to have a family. And I realized today that we had been putting it off for a long time. You remember when my nephew was born?" Other John nodded, it was his nephew's birth that had helped to mend the gap that formed between John and his older brother. "I was excited that Myles was talking to me again and that he was willing to accept me as I am, accept US as his children's uncles. I had dreamed that our kids could grow up with their cousins the way I grew up with mine but, John their cousins are growing up without them." Other John opened his mouth to reply but could not think of anything at to say so put some food in it instead. Bald John continued. "I don't want to leave Swindon, but I realized I was going to have to sort out my priorities. Did I want you and a family or did I want you and to play football for Swindon. I can't play forever and yes we could over the next couple of years push Swindon up to the top again and save up enough to retire well and have the family we have dreamed of but by then we will have lost years of having a family and we will have given a lot of our younger years that could have been more easily spent balancing the demands of football and children to just getting to the place where we are comfortable adopting. Or I could go play for Barcelona and we could adopt now. Other John nodded. "But I will miss you. I will miss you on the pitch and here. You will have to go to Barcelona for months at a time…" Bald John took his husbands hand. "I will miss playing with you as well. But it doesn't have to be months, Spain is not that far away, we can alternate who travels and visit each other regularly. Plus I am not leaving the team high and dry, I am leaving Swindon with their best asset. You." Other John laughed "I hardly think I am the better of us, and we both know we play best together, but if we adopt, we will have a baby if we are traveling and you are gone a lot of the time how could that work." Bald John sighed "I'm not sure. We could get a nanny I am not thrilled with the idea of not being there all the time but I want to have children and play football so it's not going to be the same sort of life as if we both had office jobs. But I think we can do it." Other John nodded and allowed himself to start to dream of little footballs and ballet shoes and toys filling that back bed room of the house. "Having you play for any team but Swindon would be tough but it would not be forever, our family will be and I agree we should put the long term good of that first." He said at last. Bald John smiled. "We should tell manager John, give him a chance to up the pay." Other John cringed "You know he can't." he dreaded this conversation almost as much as the one they had when they came out to their manager all those years ago. "I know but I still have to, and then I will contact the rep from Barcelona and see if there offer still stands." Other John got up and cleared away the plates, He did the dishes quickly and then they sat down on the couch together looking at adoption websites and talking about children.