Chapter Text
Gavi had realised pretty quickly, just how much he and Jude acted like an old married couple, if the way their summer had passed by was anything to go by. They’d gotten a grand total of three weeks off, which was insane by both of their standards but neither of them had complained much. It was the least they deserved after the hectic year that they’d had. The first week of vacation had somehow been more stressful than the competition itself, with Gavi having to go back to his hometown for the tribute that they were giving him. It would have been fine, like it always was if it weren’t for the fact that Gavi was now hiding a 6'0 tall boy with brown eyes and way too sincere intentions from his mom. That paired with how things seemed to be going for Jude, it had been a week to forget for both of them. But, Gavi had half a mind to change that.
“Do you think we should go to Ibiza? All my friends are talking about going but I want to go somewhere with you.” he spoke up seemingly unfazed by the pointed look that Jude was giving him as he lolled his head up to stare into Gavi’s eyes.
“And you thought this was acceptable to bring up while I’m sucking your dick why?.” he gritted through his teeth as Gavi tried to hold back his chuckle.
“I was just thinking that’s all. We both deserve a reward don’t you think?.”
“Better reward than me fucking you?.” Jude questioned, purposefully trying to go rough so that Gavi would pay attention to him again.
“Well yeah but you could fuck me in Ibiza.” he reasoned.
“Fine. We’ll do that. Focus on me again now.” Jude spoke before trying his hardest to get Gavi’s attention on him again. Despite the fact that he’d been playing hard to get at first, Gavi gave in eventually, letting Jude have his way with him as he dreamily thought about all the things they were going to do.
Apparently, all the things that they were going to do involved running into his friends and getting teased for being out with the boy he’d been seeing instead of them. Though they meant no harm, it made Gavi’s heart melt a little seeing the way in which Jude got shy everytime they got called out for making out too long. It was worth it in the end though, seeing the way his friends got along with him.By the time the trip was done with, he'd lost count of the amount of music festivals he’d attended and the hangovers he’d had. They must have created a record for the amount of places they’d had sex in, most of which Gavi was sure would be considered illegal even.
It should have been outrageous the amount of people they’d ran into and eventually had to hide from that Jude had apparently hooked up with. It felt all the more satisfactory though knowing that he was the one that got to touch him and have him close while the rest of them didn’t stand a chance. All in all, the trip had left them exhausted, although in a good way. They’d had their fair share of fun and had now reverted back to being at home and spending the entire day cuddling. Gavi had practically made Jude’s apartment his home now with all the time that they spent together. What he’d also realised was that being with Jude, in whatever capacity they were together in included not only getting blackout drunk with him in random clubs but also running his hands through his hair when he felt guilty about it afterwards and had to hop on a session with his therapist on video call, too exhausted to actually physical go there. He didn’t know how ethical it was that he seemed to be sitting in these sessions but Jude had insisted and he’d felt a little overwhelmed by the implication of just how much he trusted Gavi.
Somewhere throughout the week they’d realised that they’d spent more than two days inside the house, not doing anything at all except for being in each other’s company and watching the entire romcom section that was available on Netflix, the good ones at least. Jude insisted that Gavi needed to watch Bend It like Beckham at least once before he died and Gavi insisted that they needed to go on a walk before he lost all motor function. He’d agreed after Gavi had bribed him with kisses and emotionally blackmailed him before they’d ran off, Jude showing Gavi all the niche spots that he liked to go and some more that he wanted to explore. They’d ended up at a frozen yogurt place at the end of the day, with Jude trying to make a competition out of whose bowl would cost more. After that, it had very quickly become a part of their daily routine, going inside the same frozen yogurt shop until Jude felt comfortable enough to get more than vanilla and add more toppings in without worrying about it.
Apparently, being with Gavi meant that Jude had completely forgotten about letting his family know that he was alive, unlike Gavi who’d started calling his dad everyday now to catch up, the whole being easier and more fun after Jude had started joining in. They’d realised it when Jude’s brother had shown up on their doorstep, frantically ringing the bell while they’d been cuddling. He’d walked inside and immediately started wrestling with Jude before stopping when he’d noticed Gavi. It was almost comical the way he’d reverted to being a shy kid immediately after he’d realised what Jude had been doing this whole time and who he was with. It hadn’t taken long after that for him to settle down.
Soon enough, even before Gavi could keep track of it his time with Jude had now extended to being around his family too. It felt like he was the protagonist of a teen drama with how quickly he’d been fully dragged into Jude’s world. It made sense though, that they’d want to see him after he’d practically ignored them for weeks and Gavi didn’t mind either. If anything it was overwhelming how quickly he’d managed to integrate himself into their dynamics, despite the fact that he’d been hesitant at first considering everything Jude had told him. Before he knew it their little frozen yogurt dates had started to include Jude’s brother too, making the most of it before he had to leave. Sometimes, his dad would join in too, when Gavi couldn’t pick Jude up from his therapy sessions.
Gavi had realised in the middle of movie night, with a pang in his chest so deep it felt like it was choking him that he missed his family. Not just his dad and his sister, he missed his mom . The nightly video calls with his dad were enough to satiate him for smaller periods of time but the fact that he felt too nervous to talk to his mom right now only served to make him miss her more. That had led him to where he was now, in the car on the way to Sevilla as Jude sat next to him munching on chips, blissfully unaware of the fact that he’d be meeting Gavi’s entire family. If anything, no one could ever say that Gavi did anything half assed.
“Okay so when you said we were going to do something fun I thought you meant like Ibiza, not a random house outside the city.” Jude remarked after taking off the blindfold that Gavi had put on him once they’d been close to wherever he was taking him.
“Haha, just trust me.” Gavi responded, without offering any other follow up before walking up to the house and ringing the doorbell. Jude trailed behind not knowing what to expect before a short brunette woman opened the door that looked very similar to Gavi’s mom. Okay , it was definitely Gavi’s mom consideding his dad trailed behind not too far away before his face brightened seeing them. Gavi’s mom had had a bright look on her face too seeing her son that quickly dulled away after she noticed Jude standing behind him, when Gavi made sure that she noticed Jude by grabbing his hand and dragging him forward.
He introduced himself, even though she was sure to recognise him, and she had too if the look on her face was anything to go by. Sue him , he didn’t particularly have the guide on what to do when the guy he’d been seeing randomly brought him over to his parents house, especially considering everything Gavi had already told him about his mom. Jude wasn’t particularly sure if white people considered it bad manners to not take off your shoes but he did it anyway, unable to keep a smile from forming on his face as he greeted Gavi’s dad, much to his mom’s confusion.
Jude had decided that it was indeed a good idea to stay behind Gavi after all, despite the fact that he desperately wanted to hold his hand, rub at his shoulders; do anything to take away the anxiety that was radiating from him a mile away. He didn’t particularly want to jinx it but this whole idea, whatever Gavi had been thinking, seemed like a recipe for disaster. There was no way he’d brought Jude along all the way over here just to sit down and have dinner. They hadn’t been there long when his mom decided that it was getting time to eat, ordering something from outside since she obviously hadn’t planned to cook for more than two people. If sitting in the middle of Gavi’s family while no one uttered a word about why he was there was the most awkward experience that he’d ever had, Jude wasn’t gonna be the one to voice it out.
Infact, he’d now decided to sit next to Gavi’s dad while slowly nibbling on the slice of pizza that he’d graciously offered him, Gavi’s mom making no effort to address him in anyway. Had it been obvious that they were…together? That was probably what Gavi wanted anyway right?. Right.
“So how long are you staying?. Gavi’s mom interrupted once they seemed to be mostly done with eating.
“Probably not longer than a few days, our vacation is ending soon anyway. Don’t worry, we won’t bother you too much. My room was still clean last time I checked.” Gavi spoke, matter of factly
“Hmm, and will your friend be staying with you then? He can take the guest room.” his mom replied curtly.
“My ‘friend’ will stay with me. Don’t worry.” Gavi spoke through gritted teeth and it made Jude wince before he looked in Gavi’s dads direction for reassurance, who apparently didn’t know how to react either.
An awkward silence stretched on for a couple of minutes before Gavi’s mom dropped down the salad bowl that she was holding on the table, loud enough to make a bang before letting out a gritted “fine” through her teeth while his dad gave her a pointed look. Jude assumed that was their sign to move too before Gavi’s mom exited the room and an agitated Gavi followed suit, leaving behind only Jude and Gavi’s dad at the dinner table.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove to me.” Gavi’s mom said the minute he’d shut the door behind them, seemingly red faced at the fact that he’d had the gall to show up here like this. He sighed after she spoke, trying to think of ways to calmly reply.
“The fact that you even think there’s something to prove means that you see it too.”
“See what?. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
There it was, the reason he’d dreaded having to come here in the first place. There was nothing more annoying than when he desperately wanted to tell his mom something but she refused to acknowledge that anything was going on at all. It wasn’t just about his sexuality, she’d managed to effectively treat every single thing about him in the same way. According to her, it was easier to suck up and pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary just because it made her uncomfortable to acknowledge it. Gavi had tried all his life to suck it up and it’d done nothing for him. He wasn’t going to start again now after how far he’d come.
“He’s my boyfriend mom, we’re together. But you know that already right? You’ve known that from the second he walked in.” Gavi spoke, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders even if seeing the look on his mom’s face afterwards made him die inside a little bit. She didn’t say anything at first, before she sat on the bed holding the handle while shaking her head profusely with tears swelling up in her eyes.
“That’s not….that can’t be true. That’s not how I raised you.” she choked out. Gavi resisted the urge to scoff, trying to blink away the tears forming in his eyes.
“Did you even raise me at all? You’ve never listened to a single thing I’ve said, not really.”
“This can’t be true…..your dad wouldn’t approve either.” Now, that actually did make him scoff this time. He got closer to her, getting down on his knees to match her height before lifting her face up so that she’d look him in the eyes.
“He already knows, he’s known for months now. You’re the only person who didn’t know.” he said, almost savouring in the way her eyes flashed with hurt at the fact that he had told his dad before her. She put her head in her hands again, fully starting to sob now. Somehow, the sight of it didn’t make Gavi falter like it used to. There was a boy sitting outside that he loved way too much to not go through with this.
“I don’t know how I can possibly ever accept this.” she kept repeating over and over, still not looking up at him before Gavi tugged at her face again, pulling with a bit more force this time so she’d really look at him, no longer trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes anymore.
“Why?.” he asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.
“What do you mean why? It’s not how we’ve been raised,,,,it’s not normal no matter how much you try to say that it is. You think I’m the only one that won’t accept you? How do you think the world is gonna treat you?. I want you to be safe and happy and that….that boy can’t give you that.”
“Mom, you don’t know that. You haven’t even given him a chance so how can you know? I’m not….I won’t be happy if I’m with anybody but him.”
“You can’t be with him. The world will never accept it.” she gritted out.
The anger in Gavi’s voice had turned into something closer to helplessness, it felt like no matter how much he tried he couldn’t get his point across. He took a shaky breath, while running his hands through his hair even though his attempts at stabilising himself were proving futile, “I don’t care….I don’t want the world to accept me. I want you to accept me, to love me like you always have. Can you not even do that for me? Can you even see me? I’m right here yet you’ve never been able to see me.”
She didn’t say anything in response, the silence dragging on because of how much Gavi’s heart was pounding in his chest. Instead, she wiped at his eyes and brought him up to hug him despite the fact that he very much didn’t want to be touched at that moment. Though every fibre of his being wanted to fight against it, Gavi leaned into the familiar warm touch that somehow brought him no warmth at all, rather having the opposite effect and making him feel numb.
“I’m sorry.”
“Come on ... .can't you atleast try?.”
“I’m sorry.’ she repeated over and over again as she continued wiping away at his tears that didn’t seem like they’d stop anytime soon. By the end of it, his eyes hurt, his throat feeling even worse yet somehow nothing felt worse than the emptiness in his chest.
Jude had dragged the little bag full of clothes that Gavi had told him to pack from the living room to his childhood bedroom once he’d realised that it was going to take Gavi more than a couple of minutes to come out. Gavi’s dad had insisted that he go inside, despite Jude asking if it would be better for him to just sleep in the guest room instead, knowing that Gavi was stubborn enough to never allow that. They’d cleaned up the table before deciding that it was better for Jude to settle in instead of trying to eavesdrop into their conversation, despite the fact that they both were itching to do so.
He’d already gotten a tour of the house too, apart from the room where Gavi and his mom were talking before he’d finally made his way to Gavi’s bedroom, sitting down and making himself comfortable after he’d thoroughly searched every bit and corner for anything unique he could find. He’d managed to find nothing because as it turned out, young Gavi loved the same things that older Gavi did; football, Jesus Nevas and superhero comics neatly tucked in a shelf that hadn’t been touched for years.
Jude almost let out a sigh of relief when Gavi walked in despite his red rimmed eyes not providing any comfort. He didn’t even have to make a move before Gavi practically crashed into his arms, seeking comfort as Jude kissed along the side of his jaw and whispered comforting words in his ear. Maybe the saddest part was that he’d expected that this would happen from what he already knew about Gavi’s family. There was no scenario in which he wouldn’t walk out of that room with tears in his eyes. The only thing that Jude could be grateful for was the fact that Gavi had chosen him so that he wouldn’t have to be alone afterwards at the very least.
“Hey you.” Jude said, not having the heart to ask Gavi how he was feeling instead letting him voice it out himself like he knew he would.
“Hey, didn’t go well. She doesn’t get it.” Gavi choked out before burying his face in Jude’s shoulder as he rubbed his back.
“I’m sorry. I’m here.” Jude responded, because that was the only thing he could say in that moment that he knew would offer Gavi any comfort, the physical and spoken reassurance that he’d be there no matter what. Jude shifted a bit so that they’d be laying down on the bed instead, the position making it easier for him to hold Gavi tightly as he calmed himself down.
They’d been laying down there for a couple of minutes when Gavi spoke again, once his breathing had finally stabilised a bit more. “Baby, I was thinking about something.”
“Hmm?.” Jude titled his head so that he’d get a better look at Gavi’s face before pressing a kiss on his forehead.
“When I was talking to my mom before, I introduced you as my boyfriend.”
“Oh.”
“But, we’ve never had that conversation before, have we?.” Gavi said, looking up at Jude with wide doe eyes.
Jude shifted him so that they’d be facing each other, unable to keep the smile off his face as he spoke, “Is this your way of officially asking me to be your boyfriend then?.”
Gavi ducked his head, his cheeks flushing before he flicked his forehead, “Shut up, dummy. I mean, we’ve been acting like it anyways haven’t we?.”
“Well yeah, exactly. Honestly I was still planning something special so that I could officially ask you but I guess this works too, right? I can’t believe you beat me to it though.” Jude admitted before pushing his nose against Gavi’s to tease him.
“I don’t want anything special. I just want you.” Gavi spoke and it was so earnest it almost broke Jude’s heart that he’d managed to find someone that felt like this about him. He kissed the tip of Gavi’s nose before going for his lips.
“I love you. Of course I’ll be your boyfriend.”
“I love you too.”
What Gavi hadn’t accounted for when he’d gone to sleep the night before was that he’d be waking up in an empty bed, with no sign of Jude next to him. The only thing indicating that he’d been there at all were the ruffled up bedsheets where he’d slept and a note on the bedside table with tiny hearts drawn with markers that said “Outside”. He’d gathered from that that Jude had indeed been outside instead of magically disappearing somewhere overnight, not that he thought that was something that Jude would do. He got up, changed his clothes in the bathroom and brushed his teeth before making his way out, his body practically begging for caffeine immediately after waking up.
He hadn’t been prepared for seeing Jude out on the patio with his dad grilling meat as they talked while his mom and sister watched them from afar, sipping on cups of tea as they spoke. It was easier to ignore the look on his mom’s face considering how excited he’d been to see his sister. He’d completely forgotten that her break was gonna start the same time his would soon be over. He rushed to give her a hug, purposefully making a show of not giving his mom one.
“Good morning dumbass, you look good.” Aurora said immediately after seeing him.
“Thank you, you don’t look bad either.” Gavi tried to tease even though he was in too good of a mood to be childish. It seemed like Aurora had decided she’d be the childish one instead.
“Can’t believe you’d do this to us, Madrid player huh? I think hundreds of my friends would want to kill you if they heard.” she said with a mischievous smile.
Gavi lightly gasped, still trying to ignore the way his mom was completely silent, taking it as a win instead so that he could focus on talking to his sister, “Well, that’s on you for having friends that are Madritistas then.”
“So are you now, do you wear his shirt to sleep now or what?.” she spoke, eliciting a reaction from Gavi that everyone around the neighbourhood could even hear.
Jude had never particularly been a morning person, apart from the times when he’d forced himself to be. But, especially not when he was with Gavi who preferred to sleep in and cuddle in bed until 12 pm. When he’d gotten a text from Gavi’s dad asking whether he was hungry or not though, he hadn’t hesitated to get up at all. Mostly because he had indeed been hungry and partially because his dad had mentioned something about a grill. It was also exciting to think about making breakfast with Gavi’s family for him to wake upto, even though he wasn’t particularly sure how it was gonna go with his mom.
He hadn’t regretted it at all when he’d come outside only to be hugged by Gavi’s dad before they’d gotten started on cooking. He could tell that the older man was purposefully trying to detail everything he was doing when he’d seen Jude’s hand slightly shake from the corner of his eyes, going the extra mile to include him when he could easily just not do it. He’d given him the easier tasks while he stuck to the hard ones, not hesitating to guide him when Jude asked what he was doing. Before he knew it, he’d managed to share everything about how he was feeling, giving him updates on his shoulder and whether he would need surgery after all. They’d both slightly stopped in their tracks though once Gavi had come out, being side by side next to his mom. Jude had smiled in his direction before being unable to hide the grimace that had formed on his face.
“You think they’ll make up?.” he asked Gavi’s dad, anxiety rising up his throat at the answer.
“Hmm, hopefully. We had a really big fight after you two went to sleep last night.” he admitted.
“Really? What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?.”
“Of course I don’t mind. It was…..emotional. Listen, it probably looks bad from your perspective but she just wants the best for him. Our argument was really bad at first but by the end she was crying. She told me she’ll try but….it’ll take time.” he continued while Jude listened intently.
“Ah, that makes sense. Hopefully it’ll be fine otherwise it’ll suck.” Jude offered, not particularly what he could respond to that anyway. He continued doing his task before Gavi’s dad gave him directions to go grab the plates since he was done. He agreed before rushing off despite the fact that he did not in fact know where the plates were.
He made it upto where Gavi was standing before stopping, his breath hitching in his throat at how shy he felt at the idea of interacting with Gavi in front of his family. He wasn’t used to holding back from kissing him or reaching for his hand, in these past couple of weeks at least. He settled for a smile before looking in Gavi’s direction and speaking, deciding that it came before the plates.
“Hey.” Jude spoke
“Hi, you weren’t there when I woke up.” Gavi responded, elbowing his sister when she giggled from the side. Jude had already met her, being the one who’d opened the door for her, something that Gavi’s father had asked him to do to scare the shit out of her. It had worked too, making her gasp so loud that she’d almost toppled over before her father explained the whole situation.
“Sorry, bab-Gavi. Your dad texted me if I wanted breakfast so here I am.” he explained, trying and failing to hide the blush that was creeping up his cheeks.
“Here you are.” Gavi said, extending his hand as if he wanted Jude to hold it, which he did.
“Your dad asked me to come and get some plates by the way. He’s done cooking.” Jude blurted out realising that if he didn’t say it now he’d get carried away and forget it.
Gavi was about to respond, with his finger pointed up to show Jude where they were before dragging him there himself when his mom interrupted, “I’ll show it to him.”
Despite their best efforts, both of them looked utterly surprised when she said it, noting that her expression had gone from complete distaste to something more neutral. Jude had squeezed Gavi’s hand before pulling away so that he could go with his mom, but not before Gavi stepped closer to kiss him gently on the cheek before letting go of him. He’d laid his head on his sister’s head after they both went away with Jude waddling behind his mom like a nervous penguin. It had made him giggle seeing the way he was following her around as the tight feeling in his chest felt just a little lighter. Maybe he was going to be just fine after all.
fermin
you’ll never believe this
i was going through our texts to find this ss of us gossiping okay
gavi
naturally
fermin
listen okay its funnier
i found the List you made
when you were going through it
gavi
oh
STOP
i forgot about that omfg
fermin
it started with u scoring more than ten goals and assists
seperately
gavi
okayy
did that 💅
fermin
pls just listen
then some stuff about biting nails
then at the end i wrote fall in love
and you’d crossed it 😭😭
gavi
oh
OH FUCK OFF
fermin
i wanna go back in time and tell this baby gavi that he’s been dating jude bellingham for a couple of MONTHS now
gavi
shut up
you love him too now
fermin
🤷♂️🤷♂️ he’s fun to annoy
gavi
yes yes he’s still agitated about the time u did his celebration
anyways whatever
boys night tonight don’t forget 🙅♂️🙅♂️
fermin
obviouslyy 💁♂️
leave your boyfriend home pls
gavi
SHUT UP