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John was exhausted. He had been running on empty for the past few weeks and the months before that there was barely anything left in his tank.
Sitting on a stool at Malone’s he let his head hang enough that it hit the table. God, he was so fucked.
The fight with Dean and Davenport…it had certainly been something. It had taken them ages to get the two off each other, and after, Dean had just stood there for a couple seconds before spitting some not so nice words to both Davenport and John himself, grabbing his jacket, and leaving the bar, slamming the door open with a enough force to have taken it off it’s hinges.
Hannah had left with Allie not long after that, both of them whispering to each other, and it looked like Hannah was trying to console Allie over something. He really didn’t know.
Shit, he really didn’t want to go home. It was a feeling John had become familiar with over the past couple weeks when he and Garrett hadn’t been talking, just pissed and ignoring each other. After yesterday, after they had made up, among other things, he thought that he could finally go to his house and actually sleep, and feel like he was at home. That clearly wasn’t going to happen now.
He didn’t think he made the wrong decision, okay? The team was down two too many players, and they needed Davenport with them if they wanted to win seventeen more games this season. If Dean had given him an actual fucking reason instead of just saying that Davenport rejected their offer once before, then of course John would have never have even talked to the guy. But he didn’t. So, John made a call.
All of that aside, it didn’t stop John from feeling like a dick. Dean had clearly been hurt, and that hadn’t been John’s intention at all. They just really needed to get their rank up. All of the guys on the team worked their asses off during every practice and it wasn’t fair to them, especially the freshmen, for their season to be ruined because of personal bullshit. Not that—fuck.
Not that John meant Garrett’s issues with his dad and his past was bullshit, god that was so far from what he meant. He already felt like enough of a jerk for everything else he had done regarding that, he would never mean that. Hell, he didn’t know the hell he meant anymore.
He was just slightly tipsy, and really wanted a full night of sleep.
“Hey,” a familiar voice startled John and his head snapped up to see Garrett standing in front of him.
“Hey man,” he responded, feeling slightly dizzy from how fast he looked up.
Garrett just looked at him for a bit, and John shifted in his seat. It felt he was trying to figure out all the things John wasn’t telling him, and John definitely did not want him to do that.
“You okay?” G asked, pulling up a stool to sit next to him. God, that was a really good question. Was he okay? Well, he was exhausted, like he said, he felt he could fall asleep standing for eight whole days. Sleepless nights (when was the last time he got a full eight hours of sleep?), practicing hours after practice ended, stressing over Garrett and the team, and his mom, and his future, and the whole thing that was Hannah and Garrett for a while, and the list went on and on. So, if he was being completely honest, he wasn’t okay, but that was his own problem, not something to put on Garrett or any of his friends.
“Yeah, I’m okay man,” John said, “just probably a bit tipsy,” he laughed, but it died off when he noticed Garrett didn’t join him, just stared at John with that same expression.
“That thing with Dean was pretty rough,” He said, and John’s body tensed and he looked away, taking a swing from his beer. He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with any judgement or argument about how he had made the wrong decision.
“If you're gonna judge me, then I’d rather you stop right now.”
He didn’t get any of that however, instead he got Garrett Graham putting his hand over his own on the table in the middle of Malone’s, enough so that they were basically holding hands. He stared at them, before meeting Garrett’s eyes.
“I wasn’t going to judge you, John,” Garrett clarified, his voice soft, “You made a judgement call based on what you knew and you thought was best for the team. It was a good decision, even if Dean has his own problems with it.” John stared at Garrett while warmth spread throughout his entire body. What he had possibly done in life to deserve this guy? The same guy could be a total asshole sometimes, but that was neither here or there right now.
“Thanks man,” he all but whispered back, as if the moment wasn’t taking place in a crowded and very loud bar where no one could possibly hear them.
Garrett snorted, and John scrunched his nose. Okay, then, he’ll just take his thanks back, thank you very much.
“Are you seriously still gonna call me ‘man’ and ‘dude’?” Garrett asked, “After yesterday?”
John raised an eyebrow, “What? You want me to call you baby now, or maybe, sweetheart? Actually, I think I like darling. What do you think, sugar cubes?” He teased, laughing when Garrett shoved him lightly.
“Ok, asshole. Forget I said anything.” John looked at him for a second before he sobered up (not physically though). He couldn’t believe his eyes, was Garrett being…insecure? Huh. It wasn’t regular insecurity; Garrett knew everyone wanted him, and he had to know at this point, after all these years, and especially after last night, that John loved him and wanted him too. It was more than that, kinda like he wanted confirmation that John was in it to stay, and John almost laughed at that, but it probably wasn’t the right time for that. Like he could be anything but in it.
He looked around at the packed bar, at all the people they knew chatting and drinking, and made a split-second decision. He leaned and captured Garrett’s lips with his. Garrett was still for a second before he started to kiss him back. The kiss wasn’t very long because they pulled back when they heard the wolf-whistles, cheers, and confused gasps.
Garrett stared at him with wide eyes before he grinned that Garrett Graham grin that John lost himself to the first day he saw it.
“That was one way to come out I guess,” Garrett let out, and John smiled at him.
“Go big or go home right?”
They stared at each other for a while, an all too similar play out of last night, before Jules called out, “Okay lovebirds, get a room!”
John flipped them off before laying his head on Garrett’s shoulder. They stayed there for a while talking about random things, the showcase aka how awesome Wellsy did, the game, school, just whatever. Eventually, though, John felt the exhaustion he’d been thinking about earlier creep back into his body and settle in with annoying vengeance.
He hadn’t even noticed he had dozed off until Garrett shrugged his shoulder lightly, jostling where John’s head had been laying.
“Okay, it’s time to go home. You’re beat,” Garrett decided, already standing, and John didn’t bother to argue, just followed him to say goodbye to their friends. Did he do so half dead? Maybe, maybe not. He did however argue when he saw that Garrett was guiding him toward his Jeep and not John’s own car. Obviously, Garrett saw that he was about to say something because he didn’t even let him get the words out.
“You are in absolutely no condition to drive right now. Letting you on the road would be a hazard,” Garrett teased.
“But what about–”
“Jules can drive your car home.”
“But they don't have th–”
“I gave them the keys when we were leaving.”
John stared at him, “When did–”
“When you were falling asleep, drooling, on my shoulder.”
When no other objection came out of his mouth, Garrett asked, “Now will you please get in the car?”
John eyed the jeep before relenting, but not without mock groaning and while he was climbing in, saying, “Yes mom.”
The drive back was quiet, Garrett’s eyes on the road with the occasional flicker back to where John was resting his head against the window, fighting to stay awake.
Garrett wasn’t blind. He had noticed how John had been more tired than usual lately, but he had just been too hurt and too angry to really acknowledge it. Now though, now that he had what he wanted for so long, now that he got to be with who he wanted to be with for so long, it hurt to see John running himself ragged.
He had no idea what was going on in his head, but with how quick John had been to derogate himself yesterday after Garrett had told him about his dad, well, Garrett had a couple guesses. His mom was back in rehab, Garrett recalled John telling him at the fundraiser, so that can’t have been easy, especially knowing how it affected him all the other times she had gone. All the other times she had failed to keep her promise and left John to pick up the pieces.
It wasn’t just his mom, he’d learned earlier tonight from Jules. About how long John stayed after practices, how he’d been taking care of everything for the team, and how he was there for everyone else, except himself these past couple months. And Garrett hadn’t noticed cause he’d been too caught up in his own bullshit.
He had tried asking him today, if he was alright or not. He couldn’t say he was surprised when John lied but it didn’t make it hurt less. The fact that he had become someone his best friend (now boyfriend?) couldn’t talk to when he was hurt told him all he needed to know. Something needed to change. Whether that be Garrett himself or their dynamic. He wasn’t going to let John suffer in silence, not when he had been there for him and especially not when he loved him.
Parking on the curb, Garrett looked up at the driveway. Dean’s car wasn’t there. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing right now.
He was about to get out when he realized he hadn’t heard any sounds of John leaving the car from the other side, and when he turned and looked at him, he let out a light laugh.
John was sound asleep, his face mushed against the glass of the window.
Garrett reached over and shook John’s shoulder before exiting the car and walking around to the passenger side. John was semi-wake when he got there so Garrett didn’t have to worry too much that he’d fall out of the car when the door opened.
When he did open the door, John blearily blinked at him before unbuckling his seatbelt and all but stumbling out onto the pavement. Garrett offered him a hand but John waved him off. They walked towards the front door and were almost there when John stopped walking. Garrett had been watching closely so he stopped the same second he did, and followed his gaze to the driveway.
Right, Garrett thought solemnly. He placed a hand on John's shoulder, stepping in front of him and blocking his view of the driveway.
“I’m sure he’ll be back by morning, c’mon inside.” Garrett said, relieved when John agreed with no argument, even if it was obvious he was more down than before.
They made their way inside and upstairs to the hallway with all of their rooms. Garrett arrived in front of his door when he noticed John wasn’t behind him anymore.
“What are you doing?” He asked John who was standing in front of the door to his own room.
John furrowed his eyebrows and looked back from his door to Garrett and back to the door a couple of times.
“Going to sleep?” He said, but it came out like more of a question really.
“I thought we established last night that my bed’s big enough for two people?”
John looked at him for a second, bemused, before shrugging and walking over. Garrett internally cheered.
When they made it inside, John only took a second to take off his shoes, jacket, and shirt before collapsing on the bed, slipping under the covers and neatly staying on one side. Garrett, however, took his time getting ready, going to the bathroom and all that, before he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed on the other side. John’s back was facing him and Garrett was lying on his back. The space between felt like an entire valley and Garrett had no idea why.
John mumbled something, and Garrett blinked. He hadn’t thought he was still awake.
“Sorry, what was that?” He asked, turning his head towards John’s still form.
“I said,” John grumbled, turning his body to face Garrett, obviously put off that he had to move, “why are you so far away, dumbass.”
Garrett smiled and scooted closer to John until their noses were bumping into each other.
“Hey cupcake,” he whispered jokingly. John rolled his eyes fondly, titled his head and leaned in to place a sleepy kiss on Garrett’s lips before burying his face in his neck. He wrapped his arms and legs around Garrett and felt Garrett do the same.
The last thing he felt before he fell asleep was Garrett’s lips pressing a soft kiss on his neck.
Garrett, on the other hand, was awake for a few more minutes. God, he was so in love that he thought his heart would burst. He couldn’t ever remember being this happy in his life. He wouldn’t lose this, no way in hell. He’d show the man in his arms just how loved he was, just like he knew John would do the same for him. John Logan has no idea what’s coming for him because Garrett Graham was a complete and utter sap when he fell in love, and he never planned to stop being one.