Chapter Text
“Trent Crimm, sporting yet another stylish T-shirt!" Ted says in way of greeting as Trent enters the office. "That’s from The Wizard of Oz, ain't it?”
Ted’s at his desk, but Beard and Roy are nowhere to be seen. Trent drops his bag on his desk and moves to lean on the doorway between the offices.
“Thank you, Ted.” He nods. “It is. Got this one after my divorce.” Trent gestures excitedly at the design. “Because I’m a friend of Dorothy, get it?”
Ted chuckles. “Yeah, no. I hear ya. Very clever”
Trent bows his head appreciatively.
“So, is this your subtle way of telling me to click my heels and go back to Kansas already?” Ted teases.
“You know my days of chasing you back to Kansas are long behind me, Ted.” Trent answers warmly. “I’m not sure I can picture Richmond without you anymore, to be honest.”
“Oh.” Ted’s face fall. He gives Trent a sad smile. “I’m sorry to say you might have to, soon.”
“I beg your pardon?” Trent furrows his eyebrows, somewhere between worried and confused.
“I told Rebecca I was only staying until the end of the season.” Ted looks down. “I’m flying back to Kansas in a week.”
“And you weren’t going to tell anyone?” Trent asks shocked. You weren’t going to tell me? His traitorous mind adds.
Ted looks up at him. “I only just decided yesterday.”
Trent nods his head slowly, completely at a loss. Of course, Ted’s going home. He shouldn’t have gotten attached. They weren’t even dating, for crying out loud. It’s unprecedentedly pathetic to be this broken down over his crush leaving. Not to mention Ted has a kid he needs to go home to.
He should say something, he’s been silent too long. Yet, he can’t think of anything other than you’re breaking my heart. Could he get away with saying that? Surely, it could pass as platonic.
“The book won’t be finished yet.” He finally lands on.
It’s a sufficient distraction, Ted smiles at him again.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Trent. Will you send me a copy when it’s done?”
“Of course.”
Not enough of a distraction, apparently, because his mind is racing again. Stay and Don’t leave me and Please, Ted and all sorts of thoughts he couldn’t possibly express tout loud compete for his attention.
“Fuck.” He finally breaks, looking up at the ceiling to recentre himself before turning back to Ted “I’ll miss you, Ted.” Understatement of the year. “I meant it, I can’t picture this place without you anymore.”
Ted walks up to Trent “I’ll miss you too, Sport.” He rests a hand on Trent’s shoulder comfortingly. “I don’t wanna leave this place behind, but…” He trails off.
“Henry.”
“Henry.” Ted agrees.
After a moment, he seems to notice his hand still on Trent’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze before pulling away.
“I couldn’t possibly imagine being away from Sammie for this long.”
“It’s been torture, Trent.” He looks devastatingly sad, so Trent decides it’s his turn to reach out a comforting had. He holds Ted’s wrist, gently moving his thumb, and gets a grateful smile for his efforts. “But I had a job to do here, you know? It’s done now, those young men don’t need me anymore.”
“Of course.” Trent squeezes Ted’s wrist before letting it go. He takes a second to put on his professional persona. “Although, right this moment, I’ll bet they do”
“Mm?”
“Three days left to the big game, Coach Lasso.” He nods towards the now full locker room. “Can’t be late for training.”
“Right. Yes.” Ted takes a second to compose himself as well. “I’ll see you out there.” He begins to walk away, but stops with his hand at the door handle, looking back. “Hey, don’t tell anyone about this, yeah? I don’t want to distract them before the game”
“I understand, Ted.” After a moment, he adds “Thank you for telling me.”
Ted nods once before opening the door and stepping out.
Training probably went well, judging by the players mood when they went back to the locker room, but he couldn’t name a single drill they ran. Hell, they might not have run any drills. For all Trent knows, the team spent the whole time rehearsing their rendition of Les Miserables.
His eyes were following Ted the whole time, but his mind was miles away. He ran through scenario after scenario of ways he could get Ted to stay, but came up empty each time. Short of bringing Henry over to England, there was nothing he could do. And he knew Laurie would murder him if he as much as brought up doing something like that to Sammie, so he didn’t imagine Michelle would be thrilled at the idea.
After training, he sat down with his laptop open to the manuscript, but no words came. He’s been staring at it so long that the screen’s gone blank.
“You know, I actually did have a friend named Dorothy in college.”
Trent is forcefully startled out of his contemplation by its very subject, standing in the otherwise empty office. How long has it been since training?
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Ted walks over and rests against Trent’s desk. “Learned pretty quickly that being a friend of Dorothy and being friends with Dottie from Econ are two very different things.”
“I’ll say.” Trent snickers. “Did it ever get you in trouble?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call getting to make out with a handsome man ‘getting in trouble.’”
Trent blinks slowly. He tries not to get ahead of himself, but his brain is screaming TED LASSO KISSES BOYS . As calmly as he can, he asks “I thought you were a ‘straight white man in Middle America’?”
“I was.” Ted doesn’t seem the least bothered by this conversation, which only makes Trent’s mind spiral further.
“Most straight men don’t enjoy making out with other men, you know.” He presses.
“Of course they do!” Ted protests. “A person’s a person, ain’t nothing wrong with that.”
Oh God, he really means that.
“Ted,” Trent says slowly “take this from someone who’s been on the wrong side of that situation one too many times, straight men do not appreciate getting kissed by other men.”
“Oh.” Ted cocks his head. “Did it ever get you in trouble?”
“I’ve had my fair share of homophobic slurs from ill-advised kissing partners, yes.” Trent looks down at his hands.
“I’m real sorry to hear that, Trent.”
“It’s not your fault”
Trent looks up again to smile at Ted, but the man’s no longer looking at him. Ted’s staring out into the distance with a pensive look. Trent waits him out.
At last, Ted asks. “What do you figure that makes me?”
“I can’t answer that for you, Ted” Trent says gently. “But it doesn’t have to make you anything. You have a right to identify however you want. I apologize, I shouldn’t have pushed.”
“I really did like kissing Stevie, though”
Ah, that explains that story.
“Well, lot of people enjoy being with both men and women. Do you think that might be you?”
“I think…” Ted trails off. He’s quiet for a few moments, deep in thought. Then he turns suddenly to Trent, looking like he just realized something. “I think I want to kiss you.”
Trent’s brain has completely broken down. He stares wide eyes at Ted, unable to come up with anything coherent to say. “You what?”
“Shoot.” Ted backtracks immediately. “Was that out of line?” He starts retreating back to his own office “I’m real sorry, Trent. I’ll–”
Trent reaches out and holds Ted arm, just firmly enough to signal he wants Ted to stay.
“Only out of line if you leave right now.” He walks up to Ted, standing as close to him as he dares. “Terribly rude to lead a bloke on like that.”
He sees Ted’s eyes drop to his lips.
“I don’t think I’m straight.” Ted says quietly.
“Thank God”
Trent brings his hands up, one caressing Ted’s cheek and another holding the back of his neck. He leans forward and kissed Ted softly. Ted’s breath hitches and his eyes slip closed as he relaxes. Trent loses track of how long they stay like that for a until Ted pulls away slightly.
“You’ll need to introduce me to this Dorothy.” Ted says, still hazed.
Trent throws his had back laughing. He knows it’s not that good a joke, but he’s absolutely overjoyed having kisses Ted Lasso. Then he suddenly cuts himself off.
“Fuck.” He drops his head on Ted’s shoulder, moving to hug the man tightly around the waist. “Fuck. I can’t believe you leave in a week.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, Trent. I shouldn’t have–“ but then Trent’s kissing him again.
“Do shut up, Ted.” Trent says fondly when he pulls away. “Don’t be sorry. I’m glad you said something. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for months.” Years, but who’s counting he adds to himself.
“I wish I’d known.”
“You know now.”
Ted kisses him again. Emboldened, Trent experimentally runs his tongue over Ted’s lips. He’s delighted when Ted opens up for him with a keening sound. They kiss slowly until Trent needs to come out for breath. Still holding Ted close, he rests their foreheads together.
“Come home with me tonight.” Trent says on an exhale.
“Trent, I’m not sure–“
“No funny business, I promise. I don’t want to be away from you right now, it feels like a waste of what little time we have together. I just want to hold on to you for as long as I can”
“I want to hold on to you too.” Ted replies quietly. He gives Trent another quick kiss before go of the other man, stepping back and holding out his hand. “Lead the way, Doris Day.”