Work Text:
authors note:
this fic (or concept more like) had been rotting on the top of my drafts for a good two months now, hanging above everything else like a threat, so i overworked it and decided to release it from the evil clutches of my notes app after all x
he cries. he didn't mean to make him cry, it was all his fault.
seeing his face covered in tears makes his heart ache, he never meant to hurt him.
he fell, their dad is going to be furious, told him he's in charge to take care of his brother today since tom is out with their mum and andy.
michael being the elder, even if just five minutes older, he would often take charge. but will didn't take him seriously, obviously.
michael begged him to stop crying, he couldn't get in any more trouble.
only 8 years old.
michael bends over and pushes his hand over will's bleeding knee. tells him he has to be more careful. it's his own fault for not listening to michael, told him he shouldn't climb up the wood rack. tough love.
he didn't listen. it was just a scratch, but michael wouldn't take his hand off of it until the bleeding had stopped. he ran inside and grabbed a plaster from the kitchen drawer, hoped his dad in the living room wouldn't notice, but he was too focused on his rugby anyway.
after putting the plaster onto his whimpering brother's knee, he helped him up and pulled him into his room, shutting the door behind them quietly.
will had stopped crying, but now he went back to refusing to talk to his twin, he always did that.
michael searched through his closet to find a pair of pants that fit will. michael was a little bigger than will, had put on a little bit of weight over the summer break. found an old one that he no longer fit into - this will have to do. he pulls the pants up his brother's legs, throwing the ones will just tore aside. they're long enough to cover his wounded knee.
michael tells him that if doesn't tell their parents he can have all his man united trading cards. will shakes his head. michael sighs. and his candy too. will shakes his head again, michael feels like he's messing with him on purpose now.
has fun doing it, knows he can always demand whatever from his twin and he'll give in if only he declines his offers long enough. michael doesn't have much more he could offer him.
so he seals a deal.
one day, when they're both famous footballers, playing for two different clubs, he'll let his club win.
will being the more naive one of the two, the one that always has his heads in the clouds, he nods.
michael is relieved. is relieved because realistically, it's something stupid and unreachable anyway. chances are he'll still tell their dad though. michael smiles at will. messes his hair up a little.
they've grown up. they're 33 years old. it's been well over 25 years since michael made will this promise. they've played for many clubs, in different divisions.
but eventually, in the end, after michael played all his career in the premier league, he came home. the championship. he chose playing for ipswich, he's had offers from other premier league clubs after his contract at everton expired.
but he was tired. he was 31 then. he had made his brother a promise, a promise he'd just remembered not too long ago, a silly one, one that was unrealistic when they were kids, but now, it's suddenly become reality.
ironically enough as it was, just as michael had joined the championship side, will's club got promoted to play in the premier league. of course michael was happy, knew that deep down will always wanted to play in the biggest league in the country, and as his career neared its peak, it finally happened. preston however only spent a single season in the premier league before getting relegated back into the championship again.
michael's side had just about missed out on getting promoted into premier league that season. it was mad. but now the first season they'd played as rivals is about to end. it's all or nothing. one will get promoted, one will not. one will be once again be separated from the other, like it had been for so long.
michael and will never thought such a thing would happen so late into their careers. it's ipswich vs preston.
it's all or nothing.
it's fair to say that their relationship had changed ever since they had started playing for rival clubs, before, michael would cheer on preston when they had a good run, when his twin would score many goals and help his club win games, that was when he still played in another league, but since he's joined ipswich, there is barely any more encouragement from either side.
the cheers have quite down, the praising texts after games have become less.
ipswich is currently on 4. if they win tonight, they'll get promoted into the prem alongside preston and leeds. but if they lose, with the point situation, it'll be preston, leeds and burnley.
will and his club have already made it through, they have been officially promoted, will posting the "WE'RE GOING UP" poster his daughter made on his instagram story, michael giving it a like.
now it's on michael and his club to beat preston. it wouldn't hurt preston. they've already won it. michael hopes that will might not start today, will fake an illness. might not score.
he could do that for his brother, right? could do him that favour. in michael's brain, it's all about him, like it would only be him and will on the field, battling.
in his brain it's all him against will. like when they used to play together as kids, tom in goal, in the garden, when they were 8 years old, the grass was too long to properly play on it because their dad didn't find the time to mow over it, when the open laces on their boots would make them fall because neither of them had learned to tie them on their own yet.
will on one side, michael on the other. it was just kids playing then. sometimes their mum would watch from the kitchen window while she cooked dinner, cheering on either of her sons scoring.
but now it's thousands of people in the grounds, even more in front of the telly. they all wanted either side to win, screaming, cursing from the stands. no more kind words from their mother.
they had learned to tie their laces on their own, the grass had been mowed. but would it make it easier?
the afternoon before kickoff. the weather was warm, the first fans had arrived. it was an away game for preston, will would have to come to portman road, but in will's head, the arms of his brother weren't open, weren't welcoming as they usually were, they were closed, crossed in front of his chest even.
will sat in the team bus, not even wanting to get out, not wanting to be seen, not being perceived by the fans outside awaiting them. will wasn't sure why that was, perhaps because last time his club had played ipswich he watched from the sidelines with a muscle injury, he got away. but not from his eyes - when will walked into the tunnel at halftime, their eyes met, and it was as if will looked into the eyes of a complete stranger.
preston beat them 3-2 back then, it was michael who caused a penalty and let his club down. they hadn't spoken to one another for a month after, the longest they'd ever gone without contact. eventually they reunited at christmas dinner, but something had changed.
will couldn't believe that the love they had shared for something for all their lives had turned their own love for each other into hatred. but was that really the case? they were both busy living their own lives, with their own families, their own problems. will missed the old times.
will eventually left the bus and walked past the awaiting fans with his head sunken to the ground, as if his team had already lost.
the ground was weirdly cold, the away dressing room small and unwelcoming. it felt like every emotion will felt today was turning his brain more and more against him, he felt like running away, escaping the responsibility.
his anxiety was sky rocketing, he hadn't felt like this ahead of kick off ever since he was 17 years old. but back then he had him by his side, now he is on the other side.
like a wall of glass between them, parting them when they were truly one, watching the other, will's face pressed against it, wanting his teammates to go easy on the opposition club.
preston has already won it. they're going up. but will knew that even if he faked an injury, purposely played bad, his teammates would do his job, and will feels like michael would still blame him. even when he wasn't actually involved.
his head spinning.
then he felt warmth - he was near. he looked up and saw michael standing in the door frame, arms crossed, just as he had pictured it in his mind.
but the look on his face wasn't matching his posture.
"hey little brother."
will gave him a smile, couldn't help but smile no matter what.
"can i have a word?"
will nodded and got up, no sure what to expect. they hadn't spoken much recently, like friends who had met new people, replaced but not entirely forgotten. of course they could never truly forget the other, no matter what.
will up walked behind michael into the tunnel, nervously playing with the zipper on his jacket where michael suddenly stopped.
"so ... here we are then, huh."
michael looked to his side to see will stare onto the pitch, avoiding looking into his twin's eyes.
"you good?" michael asked, nudging will's shoulder.
will nodded. "yeah. it's just. mike."
"what? you can talk to me always, you know that."
"well it felt like you ... kind of froze me out recently. we haven't been talking much. it didn't feel right."
michael smiled, pulling will closer to him.
"don't you dare thinking i'd ever stop loving you. it's just a game. to be honest, i don't even want us to be promoted. imagine us having to play against each other for all eternity now. this season was horrid, wasn't it."
will smiled "but you ... can't let your club down. you've fought so hard for this."
"well don't get too comfortable here, we'll still try everything to win this tonight. i just need you to know that i'll always be here, cheer you on. but this is bigger than us." michael said, and will realised how much bigger he is than him.
not physically, but finally, mentally. he's always going to be his big brother.
they can't get caught up in the moment now, they stood beside one another,
different badges on their chests, their kits in different colours.
but deep down will knows, michael would still put a plaster on his knee whenever he fell, would still tell a lie for him, perhaps even to the fans of his own club.
will lays his head onto his brother's shoulder, breathing in.
some of the preston players ran past them, starting to warm up. portman road began filling more and more, music began playing from the speakers.
"keano!"
someone shouts from behind, both men turn around, then look back at each other, a smile is shared.
"uh, will i meant! get your gear on mate!" emil shouts almost tripping over his own feet because he didn't have his laces tied yet.
will laughs, focusing back to michael.
"did you ever learn to tie your laces?"
michael pushes him aside "fuck off!"
"guess i'll see you on the pitch then." will smiles, quickly wiping a tear off his face, glad michael didn't notice it.
"you bet!"
the game felt like a blur, like a battle, one that would go down in history.
michael got injured when the game was almost over, had to be carried off the pitch, will then got into an physical argument with mads who had gone after michael, earning him double yellow.
had he taken it too far on purpose? was it the heat of the moment? going after his own teammate?
the game ended in a draw, two red cards on both sides, one penalty to ipswich that could've changed it all but was saved by freddie.
so now it was all down to the results of burnley and leeds game to know if ipswich would get promoted, that one thing everyone involved wanted to avoid no matter what.
the players of both clubs remained on the pitch, but one of each side was nowhere to be seen.
michael had received treatment and spent the rest of the game in the dressing room, didn't want to be seen again, didn't want to see.
will ran after michael immediately after he got his second yellow, had to make sure michael was okay.
"given the circumstances, i'm fine."
michael groaned while the medics put a bandage around his ankle. it was bruised but they said he should be fine. will stood in the door, biting the skin off his nails nervously. stupid habit, it would never leave.
he waited for the medics to leave, finally moving in closer to pull michael into a hug.
"they gave you fucking oxygen for THAT? i almost had a heart attack."
"you know what i'm like, not good with pain, felt like passing out that's why."
"fucks sake, mike."
"why are you here?" michael asked as will finally let go off his twin.
"double yellow. who cares. it's over now anyway. got to wait and see how burnley and leeds do, we could both pull through now, mad isn't it but ... i'm just glad you're okay. that's all that matters."
"well i'll probably need to use crutches for a while now." michael laughs, the painkillers making him feel funny.
"i'll be your crutch." will said messing with michael's hair.
that made michael laugh even more, brought him to tears even. will knew that he was high as a kite right now, but his laugh was too infectious not to laugh along.
will looked down, noticing michael's scratched up knee.
"oh no... i'll fix that." will got up and searched the room for plasters, only finding some with paw patrol print.
"this shall do i guess? who put these here anyway?" will opened the plaster and carefully put it on michael's knee.
michael looked down, laughing again.
"oh you stole some from morsy's stack then. they're his kid's i think."
"yeah i'd thought so."
will brushed over michael's thigh lovingly.
"you'll be fine."
"yeah the paw patrol plaster works wonders." michael smiles.
suddenly cheers were heard from outside the pitch, the players and fans clapping and screaming together.
"congrats mate!" will said smiling.
"maybe that's the away fans mocking you guys, i'd better go check." michael said, propping himself up a little, the bench he'd sat on for the past twenty minutes starting to hurt his ass.
"no chance. i'm not leaving you here. it should be you out there. wait."
will got up and picked michael's arm up, laying it over his shoulder.
"what are you doing?" michael asked laughing.
"not having you miss this." will pulled his much heavier brother up, their faces touching.
michael pushed his lips onto will's, like they hadn't done in so long, no fear of being caught, will responses with his lips kissing michael's even harder.
maybe it was the drugs in michael's system, maybe the joy of his club playing premier league next season, both of their clubs, maybe it was the inevitable, raw, devastating love they had blocked out for so long now, finally breaking free again.
will finally pulled away when voices were heard in the tunnel.
"i love you."
"you better." michael answers, another quick kiss placed onto the lips of his twin, just moments before omari walks in.
"keano!!! WE DID IT!!!" he joins will and pulls michael's other arm over his shoulder, will's and omari's combined strength lifting him up to help him walk, more and more players cheering joining in.
"you good? does it hurt a lot?" will asked looking at michael, visibly in pain, but still smiling.
michael goes to whisper into will's ear "as long as you're here, i can bear any pain."
and so it was them again, together, against all odds. a game that was supposed to decide it all, ending even, as even as their love.
balanced.
and still there was result, a result both benefited from, against all odds. but nothing could ever separate them, always finding a way.