Chapter Text
Pride & Prejudice on the Pitch - The Monty & Percy Story is an exclusive look into the lives of Percy Newton and Henry ‘Monty’ Montague in the year after they rocked the world of football by coming out as the first same-sex couple in the Premier League.
This hour-long documentary features game footage and interviews as well as footage filmed by a camera crew and by Monty and Percy themselves as they face the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows, of being openly queer in what many regard to be a sport rife with homophobia and ‘toxic masculinity.’
Pride & Prejudice on the Pitch - The Monty & Percy Story airs this Monday on BBC One and BBC One HD.
—————————
WRATHAM STADIUM
Wratham United vs Porthampton
March 2021
Fifty six minutes into the game, and play has stopped. Newton has collapsed and is currently being attended to by a female medic, while Monty kneels next to him
“Well, it seems that Montague still has some allegiances to his old team. He dropped everything to check on his old teammate.” Clive Tyler, one of the game’s commentators, points out.
“Dropped a penalty in fact! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that happen. That’s some real loyalty,” Pete Motson responds.
“The jury’s out on if it’s loyalty or stupidity, Pete. His very first game with Porthampton and he’s ditched a penalty.”
“Indeed. Penalties are one of Montague’s strengths, too. I really hope it’s—“
He stops mid-sentence as Monty leans down, taking Percy’s face in his hands and kissing him. The crowd, which were previously chanting impatiently, are briefly stunned into silence.
“Well— that’s—“
Neither commentator seems to be sure what to say. Eventually the crowd noise starts to grow again, a curious mix of cheers, scattered claps and a fair amount of booing.
“I must say, Clive. Twenty years in this job and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this during a game.”
“No. That is—“ He laughs awkwardly. “Yep, that’s a first for me, too. I suppose that explains why Montague ran over so quickly…”
Monty and Percy are still kissing. Eventually they break apart. Monty places a couple of kisses on Percy’s neck before putting his arms around his neck and pulling him up into a hug. They seem completely oblivious to the crowd, too wrapped up in each other to notice the reaction they’re getting.
“At some point, this penalty is going to have to be taken… we’re just hoping that— ah!”
Monty pulls away, standing up and grabbing Percy’s hand, pulling him up to his feet. The medic walks over to them to put her arm around Percy. Monty leans in for another quick kiss before Percy is helped off of the pitch, walking steadily but slowly.
Monty watches until he’s in the tunnel, then finally responds to the teammates that are grabbing his arm, angling him back towards the penalty spot. He has a huge, dopey grin on his face but let’s himself be led and finally gets back to the ball.
“Well. I suppose the game can continue now, although I’m not sure Montague’s head is going to be in the right space for this penalty.”
He looks up at the big screen and blows a kiss, before the whistle blows and he scores his first goal for Porthampton.
* * * * * *
Monty is ushered out in front of the press for a post-match interview, standing in front of a board covered in sponsors and Porthampton crests. He’s running his hand through his hair, the adrenaline has him bouncing on the balls of his feet, looking like he can’t wait to get the hell out of there.
“Monty, congratulations on a successful debut.”
He grins. “Wasn’t bad, was it?”
“How did it feel playing against your old teammates? Must have been very odd facing Wratham after five years on the team. “
“Very odd, very odd.” He’s glancing distractedly over the shoulder of the cameraman, as if he’s looking for something. “Was probably weirder for them. Watching me score for the other team.”
“Speaking of scoring for the other team…”
He laughs. “Set that one up, didn’t I?”
“What statement was it that you were trying to make today?”
“Statement? When did I make a statement?”
“Well— doing what you did live on television. In front of thousands of fans. To an observer, it appeared to be some sort of—“
“He collapsed. I was comforting him. I felt like kissing him.” He shrugs. “You’re the one making a fuss.”
“I wasn’t— I mean—“
Monty laughs, reaching over to affectionately shove the reporter’s arm.
“I’m winding you up. But seriously. I never thought I’d say this but… ask me about football.”
“Okay, well tell us about your penalty, that was quite the—“
“Oh fuck, she’s here.”
Without as much as an apologetic smile, Monty grimaces and quickly dashes away from the cameras. They try to follow him as he speedily heads out of the press room, a short brunette in glasses close on his tail.
“He made me do it!”
“I’m doubling my salary, Monty. Doubling it.”
—————————-
INTERVIEW -
Monty Montague & Percy Newton
“Tell me about the moment you realised you’d fallen in love with him.”
Monty frowns, like he’s never even thought about it. “Wow. I think I just kind of—“ He gasps. “Oh! No! I know! He had a seizure.”
“I had a seizure during training. He found me in the locker rooms.” Percy sits back, rubbing his face. “God, I must have scared the shit out of him.”
“He scared the shit out of me. Have you ever seen someone have a seizure? I walked in and thought he was dying.” He takes a deep breath. “He didn’t die. Which I was pretty pleased about. So I drove him home.”
“He was… surprisingly amazing. He took me home and somehow got me into my bed.” He smiles fondly. “I think he actually tucked me in. Oh, and my cat fell for him before I did. She was all over him.”
“Oh and I met his cat! Yardstick! The second true love of my life.”
“I’d had a crush on him for years. Before we even met. My best friend still teases me about it.” He grins. “I had notifications turned on for when he posted anything on Instagram. I was a Monty fanboy.”
“I mean I fancied him from the moment I saw him, obviously. He’s fucking gorgeous. But I think that was the first time I was…” He shrugs, running a hand through his hair as if he’s trying to think of the perfect wording. “The first time I didn’t want to be away from him. I wanted to stay and make sure he slept, make sure he was okay. Seemed a bit weird though. He probably still thought I was a complete dickhead.”
“I was surprised by him. When I finally met him. In some ways he was exactly like I expected— the Porsche, the sunglasses indoors, flirting with everything that moved. After that day though, I think I saw something else. He was… caring. Selfless.”
“I was so far gone after that. Couldn’t get him out of my head.”
“I was a complete goner. Monty on the other hand—.” He huffs slightly. “Probably took him about twenty more one night stands to even realise I was even on his radar.”
“Oh, there was no one else. Couldn’t stomach it. Had to block a few phone numbers, though. And my Instagram DMs were a mess.”
Percy hesitates, looking around at a few members of the crew behind the camera. “What did Monty say?”
Monty grins. “When did he fall in love with me? Was it at Pearl?”
—————————-
WRATHAM STADIUM
After a Wratham United Training Session
May 2021
There’s a great roar of engines as Monty’s Porsche pulls up to the kerb outside Wratham Stadium, the windows down and WAP blaring. The camera is filming from the back seat when Monty leans out the window and shouts “Hallo darling!”, as Percy shuffles to the passenger side and climbs in. He huffs, pulling the door shut behind him, and Monty gives him a quick kiss. “How was training?”
“Fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“It was shit.” Percy moves to turn down the music, but Monty beats him to it. “Very, very shit.”
“I’m sorry.”
Percy shrugs. “It’s not your fault.”
“Same brand of shit?”
“Yeah. Nobody pairs up with me for anything. Or looks at me. I scored twice in scrimmage today because no one wanted to get near me.” He laughs, but it’s empty. “I mean, there’s the gay privilege? I suppose? I might just stop going, honestly.”
“But you won’t get to play.”
“I won’t get to play anyway. I don’t even use the locker room. I change in the fan’s bathrooms.”
Monty stares at the steering wheel. “God. Baby, I’m so sorry.”
“And the funniest part is, we’re starting up with the rainbow armbands in two weeks. Isn’t that great? I think it’s very progressive of them to wear pride gear while they talk shit about me behind my back.” Percy’s voice cracks a bit. “But anyway. Duke hasn’t spoken to me, so I suppose that’s good.”
“I’m really trying to get them to take you, Perce. I told Scipio I’d halve my salary. I think he’s gonna go for it.” Monty reaches over and takes Percy’s hand. “We’re gonna get you out, okay? And then we can kick their arses at games and make out in the tunnel at halftime.”
Percy laughs, and it comes out a bit watery, but it’s genuine. “Alright.”
“Alright?”
“Alright!”
They both laugh again, and Percy leans across the centre console to kiss Monty’s cheek. “Can I pick the music?”
“Are you going to play sad emo forest queen music? Because no.”
“Please? Darling? Light of my life?”
Monty rolls his eyes and passes Percy his phone before pulling away from the kerb. “Only because I love you.”
—————————-
INTERVIEW -
Monty Montague & Percy Newton
“Are you aware you both realised you were in love at the same moment, and you both thought it was unrequited?”
They look at each other, shocked, then burst into laughter. “When I took you home?”
“After the seizure!”
“Fucking hell baby, are we that stupid?”
Percy sighs, leaning back in his chair and giving Monty a fond but exasperated look.
“I think we might be.”
“I mean, Christ— if I’d known you were in love with me, I probably wouldn’t have wanked you off in those club bath—“
Percy jerks forward, throwing a hand over Monty’s mouth. “Monty.”
Monty laughs, grabbing his hand and pulling it away, before planting a kiss on Percy’s knuckles, then slotting their fingers together.
“You should know by now that I don’t give a shit what people know.”
“I’m aware. Personally, I don’t need everyone to know every single detail of our sex life.”
“Is… sex in public a regular thing? How often has it happened?”
Percy frowns. “No comment!”
Monty starts counting on his fingers, then looks at his boyfriend. “Do planes count?”
Percy scowls and mumbles, almost incoherently. Subtitles appear on the screen. “Yes, darling.”
—————————-
PORTHAMPTON TRAINING GROUNDS
Porthampton Training Session
June 2021
The noise of Porthampton training dies down as Scipio announces the end of a drill and the players stumble to a halt, panting. The sun is beating down on the pitch, and the squad jostles the camera several times while reaching for water bottles before they circle around their manager.
“Alright, good work lads,” Scipio says cheerfully, and the team stares back at him with tired eyes. They just finished sprints. “Before I let you go for the day, I actually had an announcement.”
Monty’s hand shoots up like he’s in school. He’s standing near the front, almost bouncing, with a massive smile on his face. His hair is also freshly dyed bright pink, presumably for some sort of photo shoot. “Can I tell them?”
“I—”
“Percy’s transferring!” Monty blurts. The team seems to perk up in near unison, several of them reaching to clap Monty on the back and excited chatter starting up.
“When’s he starting?”
“Percy Newton?”
“He got out of Wratham’s contract?”
Wagner, the massive centre midfielder, twists his face as he searches for the right words. “You two are…”
One of his teammates jabs him in the ribs with an elbow. “You can say ‘gay as shit for each other.’”
Monty laughs. “Yeah. Definitely. He’s starting next week. The last of the paperwork just went through, but I didn’t want to say anything until it was official.”
“What’s he like?”
“Oh my fucking God, incredible,” Monty says, and several players whoop. “He’s sweet and funny and makes the best eggs in the history of the universe. And you lot already know he’s gorgeous.” The team exchanges knowing grins as Monty rattles on. “He made me these boots, you know, and remember when he got carded for elbowing Richard Peele in the face? He did that for me and spent the rest of the night fussing over me, and--”
“We meant as a player, arsehole,” the keeper, Ndiaye, mutters, half a smile creeping onto his face. “I don’t care how good he is in bed.”
“He’s fucking fantastic.”
“Monty.” Scipio puts a hand on his shoulder, rolling his eyes fondly.
“Scip, this is important information. It could be vital to the future of the team.”
“I’ll take that risk.”
Monty huffs, but he’s smiling. “This is homophobia at its finest.”
—————————-
PERCY AND MONTY’S NEW HOME, PORTHAMPTON
Two Days before Percy’s Porthampton Debut
July 2021
“Okayyyy! Here we are!”
Monty holds the camera up to his face, blue eyes wide and looking as mischievous as ever, still-pink (but a little grown out) hair rumpled.
“Time for a tour of the new Porthampton house!”
“Now?”
He spins the camera around to Percy, who is bleary-eyed, wearing nothing but pyjama bottoms that are hanging low on his hips. He narrows his eyes at the screen.
“Why not now, darling?”
“Because I’m half naked and I just woke up?”
“Not my fault you’re half naked.” He turns the camera back to himself, putting on a stage whisper. “That’s exactly why I started filming.”
Percy mumbles in the background, huffing and walking away. “Can’t even be naked in my own house…”
“Ignore my husband. He’s cranky.”
There’s a distant shout. “Not married, Monty!”
“This is the living room.” He spins the camera around to show the room he’s currently standing in. It’s a mostly modern room, a feature wall painted black and decorated with dark oak furniture.
“We had the same woman design it who designed my old penthouse because she’s a genius. But this time she added some Newton elements.”
He points to a large painting on the wall above the fireplace, it’s abstract with flashes of colour. “He painted that.” He turns the camera back to him again, a fond smile on his face. “He’s so talented it’s ridiculous.”
The camera then focuses on the windows, which are huge, ceiling to floor with a beautiful view of the seafront. “We wanted somewhere with a sea view, even if it basically doubled the price. There’s a balcony, which almost makes me want to take up smoking. But alas. I’m not allowed to have fun anymore.”
He turns back and jumps when Percy is standing directly in front of the camera, his arms folded and eyebrows raised.
“Hi, baby! I thought you were hiding.”
“I was going to. But then I remembered this was going to be on TV, so I need to make sure you’re not saying anything too— Well. Anything too Monty.”
“After all this time, you still don’t trust me?” He stares into the lens. “Fair enough. Come with me! You can tell them about the kitchen.”
Monty reaches out and pushes Percy along until they reach the kitchen, which is also extremely modern but decorated with art pieces and absolutely covered in house plants.
“Percy turned our kitchen into a jungle.”
Percy huffs and looks at the camera. “I think it’s beautiful. This is my favourite room. I probably spend the most time here when I’m at home. When I’m not sleeping, anyway.”
Monty whispers. “He loves sleeping.”
“Are there people who don’t love sleeping?”
“There are much more fun things to be doing. Oh!”
He grabs Percy’s hand and drags him away, up a flight of wooden spiral stairs which lead to the first floor. Monty slowly pans the camera over the pictures that are covering the hallway.
A framed newspaper front page from the morning after they came out, featuring the now iconic shot of them kissing on the pitch with the headline ‘MONTY SCORES FOR THE OTHER TEAM’. Various pictures of them together across the world— including polaroids of Percy on the beach in Barbados, where he took Monty to meet his maternal grandmother for the first time. Separate pictures of Monty and Percy when they signed for Porthampton, holding up their new shirts and shaking Scipio’s hand.
They reach the bedroom and Monty pushes the door open, Percy trailing behind him.
“Speaking of fun things to be doing, heeeereee….” he motions to the very expensive looking king-sized bed. “Is where we have sex!”
There’s a loud groan and Monty turns the camera on Percy, who is looking increasingly exasperated. “I think you’re supposed to say ‘here’s where the magic happens’, love.”
Monty scoffs. “Oh, we’re all friends here.”
Monty drops down on the bed, laying his head down on the pillow and turning the camera around to face him again, grinning. “This is my favourite room.” He looks over in Percy’s direction, pouting. “Come here, please.”
There’s a loud sigh, then an equally loud ‘flump’ as Percy drops onto the bed and appears on camera, shuffling up so that he’s sharing a pillow with Monty.
“Is that it? Is the tour done?”
“Yes. Now is the sex tape portion of the documentary.” Percy goes to get up and Monty laughs, pulling him back down. “Come on, tell them what you love about the new house.”
“Alright.” He takes a deep breath. “I love being by the beach. I love… how warm and cozy it feels. I love that my cat has so much space to roam.”
“Our cat.” Monty interjects.
“Our cat. I love... “ He gazes at Monty. “I love that we have a place that’s all our own. No bad memories.”
Monty smiles back. “Good memories only.”
Percy leans in and gives him a gentle kiss. “Good memories only.”
“So that’s a yes to the sex tape?”
There’s a scuffle and a loud laugh as Percy grabs the camera and the screen goes black.
——————————
PORTHAMPTON STADIUM
Percy’s Porthampton Debut
July 2021
“Hurry up darling!”
“I’m coming, Christ.” Monty emerges from around a corner, his hair ruffled, and looks into the camera. “Wait you’re filming?” He reaches to pull off his jersey, and Percy bats his hand away from behind the camera.
“Monty.”
He gives a devilish grin. “It’s what the world wants to see, darling. And since I am a happily monogamous man, this may be their only chance.”
The screen blurs out for a moment before the camera lands on Percy, now standing next to Monty and giving him an affectionate flick on the head. “I think they’ve seen more than enough.”
“Maybe.” Monty winds his arms around Percy’s waist and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Happy debut.”
“Thanks, love.”
* * * * *
The screen cuts to the professional recording in Porthampton’s tunnel, where Monty and Percy are lined up with their teammates. The roar of the fans is muffled as Bawes City FC shuffles in, a few shooting wary looks in Monty and Percy’s direction.
Percy leans forward and rests his chin on the top of Monty’s head and drapes his arms over his shoulders. He whispers something in his boyfriend’s ear, and Monty beams. Just as their teammates start moving, Monty spins to steal a quick kiss before grabbing Percy’s hand and pulling him into the light of the open stadium.
* * * * *
It’s the sixty-seventh minute when Monty first snaps at a Bawes City defender he’s been tussling with, a little too much bite in this words, and is rewarded with a yellow card.
“What do you suppose he’s on about, Clive?” Drury, one of the commentators asks.
“Montague’s nearly always looking for a fight, it seems like.” Clive Tyler clicks his tongue. “Ever since he transferred he’s been out for blood.”
“Well it makes for excellent football, but he’s going to get himself thrown out if he keeps it up.”
“It looks as though Newton’s coming over to talk some sense into him. It’s his debut today, he’s been doing damn well so far.”
Percy grabs Monty by the wrist, and the camera cuts to a close up of the two of them, Monty looking down and biting his lip as Percy speaks. Then, Percy lifts Monty’s head with a gentle hand, and the two of them smile.
“Now that’s what true team spirit looks like, players supporting players.”
Percy lifts Monty’s hand to his lips and kisses it. Clive Tyler sighs. “Drury, they’re a couple.”
“Really?”
The rest of the game is a blur of movement, and try as they might, Porthampton can’t seem to score. Percy is, objectively, killer in the defense. He stops a goal off the line, and the camera keeps cutting back to Monty as he grins across the field at his boyfriend.
* * * * *
In stoppage time, the same defender who’s been marking Monty the whole match takes a sloppy touch, and Monty takes advantage. He’s stolen the ball before the defender can recover and is flying down the field, leaving the Bawes players with no hope of catching him. He finishes with a cheeky little flick of the ball over the keeper’s head, and doesn’t even stop to breathe before rounding back towards the halfway line, his eyes gleaming.
Percy meets him there, and Monty flings himself into his arms, laughing as he wraps his legs around Percy’s waist. They wind up a tangled mess of limbs lying on the pitch, and when Bawes goes to kickoff again, Monty finally drags Percy back to his feet. The whistle blows a few seconds later, and Monty pulls Percy down by the front of his jersey to kiss him, breathless and smiling against his lips.
——————————
INTERVIEW -
Felicity Montague, Monty’s Sister (And Publicist)
“Did you know about them?”
Felicity laughs. “Oh God, how could I not? Monty called me up right after he—well, when he thought it was just a casual thing. Woke me up at one in the morning to complain that he had this gorgeous teammate. It drove me insane.
“We’d always had a rule about not getting with teammates, since it would be a massive thing in the press if it ever got out—you know, it’s one thing if Monty got outed, but a whole new mess if everybody knew he was sleeping with a teammate. I’m pretty sure he didn’t even bother to listen to me.” She rolls her eyes. “Although when does he ever?”
“Is he a difficult client?”
“Oh, God. It’s a good thing he pays me massive amounts of money, or I would’ve quit years ago. There’s a certain horrifying element in having to preview your own brother’s pictures to make sure they won’t get him banned from instagram. But he’s definitely mellowed out now that he’s with Percy. They’re just disgustingly domestic now instead of regular disgusting.”
“So Percy is a good influence?”
“I… wouldn’t say that. But they’re happy together. And I don’t have to file a new NDA every time Monty goes home with someone. So it’s a win.
“I was really worried, you know, when I first found out about them. Monty was… not in a great place, and I thought being with Percy would blow up in his face. And so after he transferred I talked him into getting help. And I think without Percy, without the fresh start at Porthampton, he wouldn’t be where he is today. So I’m grateful. And really damn proud of him, honestly.”
She glances around the room behind the camera, and her mouth twists into a half smile. “Don’t tell him I said that. He’d get a big head about it.”
—————————-
PERCY AND MONTY’S HOME, PORTHAMPTON
Downtime Between Games
August 2021
“Percy, Percy, Percy, Percy!”
Monty comes charging into the living room, holding his phone in front of him. Percy looks up from the book he’s reading and frowns.
“I hope you washed your hands.”
“Shut up. I’ve found something amazing.” He drops down on the sofa next to him and dramatically clears his throat, before reading from the screen in front of him. “Percy’s hands are hot on his hips, and then Monty is pressed against him, straining on his toes to meet Percy’s mouth, and—“
“Monty!” He tries to grab the phone from his hands but Monty resists, laughing. “What the hell is—“
“Fan fiction, darling!”
“Fan… a fan wrote that?”
“Oh, there’s no way you don’t know what fan fiction is.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yes, of course I do. But I thought it was for… Harry Potter. Not actual people.” He frowns. “Why would anyone want to write about us kissing?”
“Oh, they write far more than that, darling.” He ignores Percy’s concerned look and starts to read again. “Monty has to bite his lip against the moans climbing—“
This time, Percy does manage to grab the phone. He briefly glances up at the camera, looking flushed. Monty just looks overjoyed.
“Jesus Christ.” He keeps reading it, getting steadily more red. “This is—“
“Filthy! I know! It’s fantastic!” He sits back and lets out a happy sigh. “Someone sent it to me on Twitter. Apparently the Monty tag has been very active since we came out.”
“Trust you to enjoy reading this stuff.”
“Wha—“ He looks genuinely offended. “Percy, people have taken time out of their day to write about us. This is art.”
“Monty, it’s smut.”
“It’s very well written smut.”
Percy reads some more to himself, tilting his head and looking vaguely impressed.
“Are they all this good?”
Monty laughs. “Well. I suppose art is subjective.”
He takes the phone back, pressing a few buttons. Percy shuffles up next to him so that they can both see the screen.
“Here’s another one. The tags seem a little…” They both read for a while, then frown simultaneously. “Well, I don’t know where they got that idea from.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“Hey now! Just because it’s not your thing, doesn’t mean—“
Their eyes suddenly widen and Monty locks the phone, tossing it onto the sofa out of reach. They sit in silence for a few seconds, then Percy clears his throat.
“I think I need some fresh air.”
He gets up, heading to the door and Monty grimaces, picking up the phone again.
“Well, I hope you’re pleased with yourself… MercyLives2021. He’ll never touch me with sexual intent ever again.”
Percy shouts back over his shoulder. “Get back to me in a month!”
——————————
INTERVIEW -
Scipio, Porthampton Manager
“So, what made you want to take Monty on?”
Scipio glances around the room, like he’s confused that this is even a question. “He was the leading goal scorer two seasons in a row?”
“And the scandal— that didn’t bother you?”
“Not really. I’ve seen far worse from players, honestly, and as soon as I met him, I knew he was going to be good for the team. And he has been.”
“Did he come out to you before the Wratham game?”
“Not on purpose. He definitely let slip that he was in love with a man, though. So I was surprised, definitely, at the game, but not caught off guard.”
“Porthampton has long been seen as one of England’s most progressive cities. Is that part of the reason you weren’t afraid to sign Percy too?”
“Progressive had nothing to do with it. He’s a damn brilliant defender and we’re lucky to have him. Monty desperately wanted him to sign too, so that certainly didn’t hurt. He can be very… persistent.”
“Persistent?”
Scipio laughs. “He waited in my office for four hours to pester me about looking for a deal.”
“What have you done to make sure the two of them feel comfortable? Has there been pushback from the other players?”
“No. The rest of the lads already adored Monty by the Wratham game, and after that goal? None of them gave a damn. There’s been a bit of a learning curve in terms of language used and such, but really, they’ve been fantastic. And then Percy’s a force to be reckoned with and apparently tells the best dirty jokes, so the team was very on board with him joining us. It’s nice to see the two of them so happy.”
“And the fans?”
“They’re not perfect. But we’re getting there, launching educational programs and trying to take initiative at the training academies. It’s a work in progress, but we’re committed to making change. It’s what Monty and Percy and every other queer footballer and football fan deserves.”
—————————-
PORTHAMPTON STADIUM
Six weeks after Percy joins the team
August 2021
Post-match, Percy loses Monty, assuming he was just taking a long shower. After the locker room has quietened down and there’s still so sign of his boyfriend, Percy starts to look for him. The camera follows as he looks around the shower room, and pokes his head into Scipio’s office.
Eventually he looks down one of the quieter halls in the stadium and spots Monty sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with his arms wrapped around his legs, chin resting on his knees. He looks up when he sees Percy and forces a smile.
Percy gives the cameraman a signal to stay put, then walks over to join him. The camera doesn’t move, but it zooms in as Percy kneels in front of Monty, reaching out and gently pushing his hair from his face.
“There you are. Thought I’d lost you.”
He takes a deep breath. “Sorry, darling. Had a bit of a wobble.”
“The crowd?”
* * * * *
There’s a cut to footage from the game. Monty is staring out at the crowd, listening to a homophobic chant that started with a few fans but quickly spread to what seems to be a large and very vocal group in the opposition end.
Percy jogs over and joins Monty at his side, gently tugging on his arm to get his attention. Monty glances at him, then shrugs, before looking back at the crowd and making a kissy face. They boo him and Percy pulls him away, trying to get him to focus on the game.
* * * * *
Monty shrugs. “You’d think I’d be used to it by now.”
“No one should be used to that, sweetheart.” Percy leans forward, leaving a gentle kiss on Monty’s hand. “And you don’t have to pretend to be.”
“I’m not going to give them the satisfaction of bursting into tears in the middle of a game. That would be rather pathetic.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” He shuffles over so that he’s sitting next to him, pressing their shoulders together. “You don’t have to laugh it off, that’s all. You can be angry.”
“I am angry.” He takes a deep breath, looking at Percy. “Don’t I deserve to just… go out there and play without having to listen to that shit? What does it matter who I’m in love with? I’m a good player.”
“You’re wonderful. And yes, you do deserve it. We both do.”
He groans slightly, flopping back down so his face is pressed to his knees. “Oh god, and I’m making it all about me. Like I’m the only one they’re aiming it at. Self-obsessed as ever.”
“You’ve talked about this with Jimmy, Monty.” Percy reaches out and pokes Monty’s cheek. “No putting yourself down, remember? You can put a fiver in the jar when we get home.”
“What are we even going to do with all that money?”
“Give Scipio a raise?”
Monty tips his head back in a quiet laugh. “He deserves it. Maybe we can buy his silence if we want to sneak off during training.”
“I am not having sex with you in the locker room.”
“Who said anything about sex? Perhaps I was going to take you out to a nice lunch and to see a symphony orchestra. Get your mind out of the gutter, Perce.”
“You’re so full of shit.” Percy gives Monty an affectionate flick on the head.
“But you love me,” Monty says, grinning and tugging gently on the end of one of Percy’s curls. After a quiet moment, his smile fades. “Is it always going to be like this?”
Percy pauses, then puts an arm around Monty, pulling him closer so that his head is resting on his shoulder. He places a kiss to the top of his head.
“I don’t know. But at least we can find out together.”
Monty melts into him, closing his eyes and cuddling up against his chest.
“I love you.”
Percy smiles, running his fingers through Monty’s hair.
“Love you, too.”
—————————-
BONUS MATERIAL
Goal Celebrations- Monty Montague Style
The Koala Hug - Usually preceded by a run-up jump into someone’s arms (99.9% of this time, that someone is Percy. Once, when Percy had been substituted, Monty tried it with another teammate and was unceremoniously dumped on the floor.)
The Finger Snap in Z Formation - After a couple of instances of receiving homophobic abuse from the crowd, Monty decided to make his goal celebrations as ‘queer as humanly possible’ — which lead to some good old fashioned finger snapping. Occasionally in unison with Percy, and on a couple of rare instances— several other teammates.
The TikTok Dance - After his (questionable) attempt at the Savage dance routine goes viral, Monty starts to incorporate the latest trending TikTok dance into his celebrations, with varying levels of success.
The Full on Makeout Session - After a particularly great goal, Monty throws caution to the wind and tackles his boyfriend into a full on, tongues and everything, kiss. He’s rewarded with a yellow card by a very confused referee (the rules about mid-game makeout sessions are very vague/non-existent), but it doesn’t stop him doing it again. And again.