For Joan

[theodorelasso]

Continued from here.

(warnings: sexytimes. also, panic attacks, brutal violence, attempted murder, discussion of suicide and actual murder... )

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[theodorelasso]

Being calm in the face of people screaming at him is something he is actually very used to. He's had hundreds of people angrily calling him a wanker in unison. It's not fun. But if that's all he has to face, then he can probably keep his composure until he's out of here.

It's the threat of violence that actually rattles him a bit, that he has to very consciously remind himself that Turner can't hurt him.

Ted actually smiles a bit at the question. "Well, you're probably not gonna believe this, but it's actually because I care," he answers, genuinely. "You're a Richmond fan."

Ted fears Turner a bit. He's bitter about the hurt he dealt Ted, and whatever drove Turner to do it. But he doesn't hate him. Not that it wouldn't be easy to. Not that he doesn't even kind of want to. But he's made a conscious choice not to hate him. It's a difficult choice to make, but it's also important to him. He hasn't forgiven him. But if Turner ever repented, he might.

(He still absolutely believes he should be behind bars, of course. For the safety of both himself and others. Ted's not a fool.)

[formersurgeon]

"Richmond?" he spat out, angry and incredulous. "If you gave a shit about Richmond, first you would quit, then you would blow your fucking brains out!"

He's still leaning over the table, straining at the handcuffs like a vicious dog strains at a choke chain. The cuffs are biting into his wrists.

[theodorelasso]

Ted frowns, both with concern for just how deranged Turner is behaving, and also for the disturbing nature of the suggestion. It makes him really desperately sad. He wants to try to have a conversation, not this.

But Ted is patient. And eventually Turner will wear himself out. Whether that will actually lead to anything remains to be seen. Either that, or just keeping him talking and yelling will eventually lead to something.

"Well, I think you're the only one who thinks that would actually help," he points out.

[formersurgeon]

"Then you're fucking blind as well as stupid, mate," Turner taunts. "Nobody likes you. You're a fucking joke."

Behind the glass, Sherlock is glad Watson isn't here. It would hurt her to watch this man saying these things to Ted.

[theodorelasso]

"Well, if I'm a joke, then at least I can make people laugh," Ted quips, though he doesn't have the cheery grin that would usually go with a comment like that. His purpose honestly is maybe more to annoy Turner into giving up on comments like that, since they're pointless. Ted's rubber, Turner's glue, all that. Besides, being a little bit snarky helps maintain his patience.

[formersurgeon]

Turner stares at Ted, a mixture of outrage and confusion on his face. In the basement he had the gaffer screaming and begging and cowering. It made Turner feel powerful, in control. Now, though, the yank is joking with him, and it makes him feel angry and desperate.

"They're not just laughing, you tit. Everyone wants you gone. I'm just the only one with the balls to do something about it."

[theodorelasso]

"Nah," Ted answers, obviously entirely unconvinced and unbothered. "You're just the only one desperate enough to. Because you think I'm ruining the last connection you have to your dad."

It's not the gentlest way of making a connection with Turner. But he wants to show that he's not just sitting here to take his verbal abuse, that he's not just a moron. It's definitely gonna piss him off, but, hey, not like he isn't already.

[formersurgeon]

Now Turner is stunned.

He drops heavily into the chair and stares at the yank.

"What the fuck did you just say?" he growls.

[theodorelasso]

Oh good, he shocked him into calming down. Well, a little bit. Ted's immediately going to take advantage of the moment of shock.

"You know, I used to go to a sports bar with my dad every Sunday for years," he says, conversationally, but speaking pretty quickly, so that Turner can't collect himself enough to interrupt. "All the way up until he died when I was sixteen. I wonder sometimes if he were still alive, if I'd still ended up as a coach, if I'd ended up at Richmond. I mean, we all do some pretty crazy stuff for the people who are important to us, even if they aren't around anymore, don't we?"

[formersurgeon]

Turner stares at Ted, the muscles in his jaw flexing and unflexing as he tries to figure out how to relate to this. It's completely stripped him of control, being knocked back on his heels like this.

"Richmond was all we had," he says finally, his voice tight. "After my mum, that cunt, left us."

[theodorelasso]

Ted's heart speeds up a little. He's almost surprised it worked, but so glad. He can finally see the person behind all that anger. He knew he was in there somewhere.

"That must've been hard..." he answers softly. He doesn't want to say more, now Turner is actually talking, doesn't want to accidentally say the wrong thing. (Chances are Turner really needs a chance to vent anyway.)

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock is surprised as well, as is McCoy.

"Bloody hell," the latter says under his breath.

"You fucking think so?!" Turner snaps back, but right now it's a growl from a frightened dog. "The boys from Richmond were always there, weren't they? It was something we could be proud about."

[theodorelasso]

Ted doesn't react to the snap, though it makes him sad. It's so natural to him to react with anger.

"Yeah... I get that," he answers softly. He leans forward a little, looking intently at Turner. Sympathetic, but also almost steely. "So what I don't get is why you would hurt Richmond the way you did."

[formersurgeon]

He scoffs incredulously at Ted.

"How could I hurt Richmond?! Me?! You've fucking humiliated Richmond! I was doing the team a fucking favour."

[theodorelasso]

"By forcing them to switch coaches mid-season?" he asks. "You think I'm the only reason we're doing badly? Last season we lost Kent and Tartt. Dixon and Winchester are out with injuries, Rojas is struggling, McAdoo is still learning how to be a captain."

He leans even further forward in his seat, actually getting confrontational now. "You really think killing their coach would've made them play better? That it wouldn't have just thrown everything into even further disarray, made them scared? Make them walk around looking over their shoulders, wondering if they don't play well enough, they're gonna be next?"

[formersurgeon]

"They were fine before you came along," he hisses back. "You traded away Jamie Tartt. And you haven't been coach enough, or man enough, to fucking fix the team! And I'm not the only one who thinks this. Plenty of people agree with me that you're fucking murdering the team. Especially that bloke in the pub."

Sherlock's eyebrows go up, and he leans closer to the glass.

[theodorelasso]

Ted frowns in confusion and curiosity, his heart beating faster. "What bloke?" he asks, trying not to sound urgent, just confused.

[formersurgeon]

"Perry something, at the pub, he agreed with me. Agreed that something had to be done, that you needed taking out. And that no one else had the stones to do it."

"Bloody hell, he did it," Sherlock murmurs, duly impressed. "We need to find this Perry."

"Way ahead of you," McCoy says, heading out to begin the hunt.

[theodorelasso]

"Oh yeah? Too scared to do it himself, huh? Probably a skinny little dude, not tough like you," Ted answers. Trying to goad him into saying more, maybe describe him a little. He knows if he asks directly, Turner will just get defensive, but if he gets something to contradict or elaborate on, he's more likely to say.

[formersurgeon]

And now Sherlock is starting to respect this man as an investigator. And understand a little more why Watson is so taken with him. He's not some simpleton sports jock. He's also intelligent and even cunning.

"Well done Ted Lasso," he murmurs to himself.

"Skinny, yeah," Turner confirms. "And short. He would have fucking done it himself had he been able."

[theodorelasso]

"Mmm," Ted answers noncommittally, hoping that's enough for them to go on. He's starting to reach his limit with this situation.

Part of him wants to spitefully point out that Turner wasn't able to either. Rub it in his face a little. He failed, and Ted is going to go back to work and continue to do his best. But he doesn't. It won't make anything better. He's already been far more manipulative and aggressive than he likes to be. Something he knows he's capable of, but he doesn't like himself when he does it.

"You know, Turner," Ted says, leaning to the side to pick up his crutches. "I think if you took all that energy you spend on being angry, and you used it to protect or help people, you could do something real good for the world, you could be a great guy." He gets to his feet, using the crutches to support himself. "And no matter what you think of me, I'm going to keep on doing my best to help our team."

He intentionally says 'our'. Not 'my', or even 'your'. But theirs.

He looks over at the one-way mirror and jerks his head towards the door.

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock sees that jerk of his head.

A second before Turner explodes out of his chair, grabbing the cup of water he had been ignoring before this and throwing the water into Ted's face. Again the chain of his wrist shackles dash against the ring.

The ring holds.

The chain doesn't.

The leg shackles keep him from fully attacking Ted, but he has enough reach to shove Ted against the wall, hard.

"IT'S NOT YOUR FUCKING TEAM!!!"

"Shit," Sherlock swears, rushing out of the room.

[theodorelasso]

The bucket of ice water rushes down him, soaking him, making him freeze, stunning him. Ted doesn't realize it's just a cup and he's barely wet.

Then he's thrown back against the wall, spikes of pain shooting through his midsection as his crutches clatter to the floor. He barely keeps himself standing.

He reacts purely on instinct, because he's not chained, he's not sitting curled up in a ball, he's taller than Turner, and he shoves him right back, as hard as he can. Just to get Turner away from him.

[formersurgeon]

Turner grabs Ted as Ted shoves him, so he's propelled backwards but drags Ted half over the table. He punches Ted with a hard right hook, screaming at him.

Then the door bursts open and cops come rushing in, two tackling Turner and slamming him down on the table while two others pull Ted back.

Turner cries out in anguish as the cops twist his arms behind him and cuff his wrists.

[theodorelasso]

Ted is so dazed, the world a blur of pain and fear, for a moment he almost tries to fight off the cops, before he realizes they're not who's attacking him. Then he just lets himself be carted off by them, almost collapsing in their arms.