Chapter Text
They spent another hour talking in the garden, but as more time passed and more empty beer bottles were standing on the garden table, Diego’s friends became more eager to come up to them and chat about football or anything else. Neither Pedri nor Ferran minded this kind of attention, it was quite the opposite. Even though most of those people were drunk or at least tipsy, they seemed genuinely interested in things the football players were telling them about.
It was starting to get dark, as the sun set low over the horizon. They were sitting around the table on the terrace, Pedri next to Ferran, their arms touching each other. The younger man was slowly sipping coffee that he brought himself after his head started to feel much heavier than usual and his eyes were closing more frequently than he would like to. He and Ferran decided to leave the party after two or three hours, having in mind that they still had to wake up early for the training the next day.
“... I think you should tell her either way” Ferran said, talking to one of the girls (her name was Sofia or Sierra, Pedri wasn’t sure) sitting at the table. “If she doesn’t feel the same as you, you’ll have a reason to move on. It’s not healthy to bottle up your feelings.”
Pedri zoned out for a bit, so he didn’t know what they were talking about, but it sounded as if Ferran was giving love advice. The cup covered his smile, which appeared on his face, but also quickly disappeared, when the younger man realised that the advice could easily refer to his own case.
He put the cup down on the table and let his head rest on his friend’s shoulder. His social battery was drained and was more than pleased that Ferran was talking for both of them. When the football subject was finished, they switched to more casual ones. Diego’s friends asked Ferran about his interests other than football, so they ended up chatting about tennis and Carlos Alcaraz, Formula 1 (some guy was complaining about how shitty Ferrari was that year), and motoGP (more specifically, the domination of Marc Márquez), then each one of them talked about their pets and at the end it was a mix of everything.
Pedri looked to his side. There was a big window, through which he could see the living room and people dancing, talking, or drinking. Some were doing these three things at once.
Ferran and Diego’s friends were chattering about their holiday plans, when the caffeine kicked in. Pedri felt less tired, which was obviously very good, because after all it would be quite troublesome if he got too sleepy, since he was supposed to drive them home. However, caffeine was also stimulating some other, less pleasant thing.
“I need to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back” he murmured to Ferran, before heading inside.
He had no clue where the toilet might be, but three people standing in front of some door next to the living room couldn’t be just a coincidence. He got in line behind some girl and patiently waited for his turn. Five minutes passed before he could enter the room.
The bathroom was as big as he expected. Two sinks with a big mirror above them, a huge bathtub in the center and a shower in the corner. Everything there was screaming ‘luxury’ to the point where you didn’t know if you should be using that or just admiring it from afar.
He quickly did what he had to do, washed his hands and looked in the mirror to fix his hair.
After he left the bathroom, he was met with a stare from a guy leaning against the wall a few meters away from him. Pedri had no choice but to go in his direction, since it was the only way he could get back outside to Ferran.
“You’re Pedri, right?” the guy asked, moving away from the wall to come closer to Pedri. “I’m Felipe, by the way. A big fan of yours.”
Even though he smelled of alcohol and from his wobbly steps Pedri could tell he was too drunk to remember anything the next morning, he stopped by him, when he heard the word ‘ fan ’.
“You’re really a magician when it comes to football. Those passes… Man, you’re amazing!” Felipe kept praising him, standing evidently too close to him. “I’m gonna fly to France if you don’t get nominated for the Ballon D’or!”
Pedri laughed awkwardly. “Thanks. I appreciate your support.”
Felipe put his arm around his shoulder. “Do you want a drink? I’m actually training to become a bartender, you know? I can make you one myself.”
“No, thank you, I’m not drinking,” Pedri said, trying to pass him, but unsuccessfully, as Felipe moved in front of him, blocking his way.
“Oh come on! It’s a special offer, for a talented, handsome man just like you!” he replied immediately, a flirting tone in his voice, a smirk on his face.
“I have a boyfriend, now excuse me,” Pedri huffed, starting to get irritated, once again trying to pass the other man, who, also once again, didn’t let him do that.
Felipe snorted at his words. “You mean Torres? That idiot? You know he’s not gay, right?”
“Yes, ‘cause he’s bi—”
“You really believe that ‘bi’ crap? He’s gonna cheat on you with the first chick he’s gonna have a chance with. Or maybe he already did, who knows?” Felipe stated and put his hands on Pedri’s shoulders. “You definitely deserve someone better.”
Pedri’s heart started racing, when he realized that he couldn’t move.
“Let me go, please” he demanded with a raised voice, trying to break free, but it only made Felipe tighten his grip.
“For what? For you to go to that fuckass?”
Pedri tried pulling his hands off him, but the other man was taller than him and much stronger, so it was all for nothing.
“Let me go!” he shouted, the tight grip bruising his shoulders. No one around them paid attention to what was happening, too drunk to care, so his scream went unnoticed.
“Accept my drink and you’re free to—”
Two things happened in a very short time. So short, Pedri wouldn’t catch them if he turned his gaze away for just a second.
Out of nowhere, Ferran pushed Felipe hard against the wall. Pedri didn’t notice when he came inside the house, so it was like a really big surprise to see him.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only surprise that would happen in the same minute.
Although the sudden push from Ferran caught him off guard, Felipe quickly bounced back, putting a blow to Ferran’s face.
He would deliver another one, if it wasn’t for Diego, who grabbed Felipe by the shirt and with the help of some other friend, they managed to immobilize him. Pedri didn’t see it clearly, as he was more busy making sure his friend was okay. When Ferran moved his hand away from his face, the first thing he noticed was the blood dripping from his nose. Luckily, the bathroom was free at the moment and he managed to quickly bring him some toilet paper to stop the nosebleed.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know he would get so aggressive,” his cousin said in a quiet voice, after Felipe and the other friend disappeared.
“It’s not your fault, Diego,” Pedri assured him, still only looking at Ferran. “But I think we should be going.”
His cousin nodded and led them to a hall, in which he brought a box with phones, allowing them to finally take their ones back.
“Thanks for coming and, once again, sorry for what happened with Felipe.”
Pedri and Ferran said their ‘ goodbyes ’ and got into Pedri’s car. It was around 9 pm, as the clock on the screen announced.
“There should be some tissues in the glove compartment” Pedri informed Ferran, while turning the ignition, but not moving. His shoulders hurt a little bit, but he was more focused on the man beside him. “Is it broken?”
By it he meant Ferran’s nose. Bloodstained tissues were lying on his lap, another tissue by his face. Even though he stood next to him, when Felipe punched him, Pedri couldn’t estimate if the blow was strong enough to break Ferran’s nose.
“No, but I think he busted my lip,” Ferran replied, touching his upper lip with a finger.
The younger man turned on the small light above them, to see Ferran’s face for himself. Luckily for his friend, Felipe targeted mainly his lower half of the face, so his eyes, besides being a little red from tearing up by the force of a blow, looked pretty normal. The same couldn’t be said for his nose, its tip covered in dried blood and visibly swollen, and his lips, with a cut in the corner of the upper lip that was also a bit swollen.
Pedri sighed, turning off the light and finally starting the car, ready to drive them home. “You shouldn’t have pushed him. I would have handled the situation just fine myself.”
“Right, I’ve seen how you ‘ handled’ it” Ferran snorted, irritation in his voice, as he put another used tissue in his lap. “He wouldn't have let you go so easily, Pedri, not in this drunken state.”
“But it’s still not a reason for you to suddenly barge in and push him hard against the wall!” Pedri almost screamed, unexpectedly finding himself mad at the whole incident. “Do you realize how fucked up it would get if someone recorded you? Or if he got a concussion?”
“Well, sorry for caring about my best friend! Next time I’ll do NOTHING, since it bothers you so much!” Ferran yelled back, turning his face toward the car window.
“Fine by me! Maybe then my best friend won't end up with a busted lip and half of his face swollen!”
After Pedri’s words, the car fell silent, neither Pedri nor Ferran felt a need to add something. As he finally got to the main road, the younger man tried to control his nerves and focus fully on driving. He didn’t know if he was more mad at Ferran or at himself. After all, if he hadn’t asked him to come with him to that party, he wouldn’t have done such a reckless thing and gotten hurt in the process.
He didn’t like seeing Ferran hurt, especially if it was because of Pedri. Felipe could break his nose, maybe even a jaw! He would probably be benched for a week at least and he would miss the most important games of the season. With Robert injured, Ferran finally got a chance to play, to show all of his haters why he rightfully deserved his place in the team. Pedri wouldn’t forgive himself if he was out for those matches.
He looked to the side for a second. Ferran was on his phone, scrolling through Instagram. His nose wasn’t bleeding anymore, but it took about ten tissues to stop it.
The radio hummed quietly in the car, but not as loud as to disturb the unpleasant silence between them.
It was ten minutes since they left the ground outside of the villa, when a sign ‘ Gas station 1.6 km’ appeared by the road. Although he had enough fuel to get them home and go to the training the next morning, an idea popped up in his head and made him take the exit leading to that gas station. In the corner of his eye, he saw the confused look Ferran was sending him, with furrowed brows, silently asking ‘why are we here?’. Pedri ignored the silent question and parked his car at the back of the gas station, though all of the parking spaces were empty, with only one car by the gas pump.
“I need to take something, stay in the car,” he said and left the car, before Ferran could even ask him a question or protest.
He entered the store and went on a search. Fortunately, he found everything he was looking for: two bottles of water, a six-pack of tissues, and a bag of ice cubes. The shop assistant, a man in his fifties, widened his eyes at the sight of Pedri, probably recognising him, but didn’t say a word.
He left the store as quickly as he entered it and immediately went back to his car. He knocked on the window by the passenger seat, gesturing for Ferran to come outside.
“What’s this?” he asked, standing next to Pedri, pointing at the things his friend held in his hands.
“My way of saying ‘ thank you ’ for… protecting me” the younger man answered, taking out one tissue from the pack. “And ‘ sorry’ for yelling at you in the car. Now, stand under that street lamp, you’re not coming back home with that dried blood on your nose.”
Ferran snorted, amused, but obediently moved a few steps to the back.
Pedri soaked the tissue a bit with water from the bottle and gently touched Ferran's face with it. Before starting, he gave his friend a bag with ice to reduce the swelling. Good thing the night wasn’t so hot as a day before, otherwise the ice cubes would melt before Pedri finished cleaning his face.
“I saw you through the window, after you left the bathroom, and I felt jealous,” Ferran confessed, breaking the silence. “And then, when he grabbed your hands and I noticed you tense, it might have activated some ‘ overprotectiveness’ in me. I only realized that I pushed him, when he was ready to punch me.”
Pedri furrowed his brows. “You were jealous? Of what?”
Ferran looked at him with a look ‘ are you dumb or are you just pretending? ’ written on his face.
“Obviously not Felipe. You can try guessing who was standing next to him.”
The younger man widened his eyes. Of course, he knew it had to be him, but he couldn’t quite believe it. His heart started beating faster, the chill he felt a few minutes before was long gone.
“When you asked me to act as your boyfriend for this birthday party, I was so excited, because I’ve really liked you for some time now and I thought it was my only chance to see how it would be to actually be with you. And so I meant everything that I said and did during the party, I wasn’t just pretending. Which now makes me feel like I used you.” Ferran said, his voice quiet and tranquil. He was looking at the car in front of him, ignoring Pedri’s gaze, too scared to look him straight in the eye . “Sorry. I shouldn’t have probably said it, but… I didn’t want to hide that from you anymore. Not when we’re such close friends.”
A few seconds passed, before Pedri could analyze what he just heard. If someone was able to x-ray his mind right at that moment, a big ‘ what?’ with countless question marks would appear on the screen.
“Ferran, I…”
He tried forming a sentence in his head, but it felt as if every single word had flown out of his brain.
“Okay, maybe we should just forget I said anything and go home,” the older man uttered, letting out an embarrassed laugh.
He tried going back to the car, but ultimately Pedri grabbed him by the wrist, to stop him from moving.
“I lied to Diego because of you. When he asked me about being in a relationship,” he blurted out, making Ferran turn around. “I had, no, have feelings for you and so telling him I had a boyfriend was like imagining it was real, at least in Diego’s eyes. The whole party I tried acting normal, because I was scared that if you’d see how I was blushing at our every romantic interaction, you would figure out my true intentions.”
They stayed like that, in silence for a minute, before Ferran finally spoke up.
“So… We both like each other? Like, romantically?”
“If you weren’t joking, then it seems we do,” Pedri replied, cracking a smile.
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah.”
They both started laughing, staring at another. Pedri couldn’t believe that moment was actually happening and it wasn’t just one of his dreams.
“We just confessed our feelings and there I was five minutes before, worried you wanted to leave me at the gas station,” Ferran commented, huffing a laugh.
“Wha- What?!”
“Look, we had just fought and I thought you had enough of me!” He explained, chuckling at his own absurdity.
Pedri burst out laughing. “You’re stupid. I wouldn’t do that even if you’d really upset me.”
They weren’t sure how much time had passed since they left the car, but judging by the content of the bag Ferran was holding in his hand, no sign of ice cubes in there, just pure liquid, at least for some minutes. Maybe ten or fifteen. Although the moment was nice, they both knew it was time to go.
“You have got no clue how badly I want to kiss you right now” Ferran sighed, throwing away the bag to the nearest dumpster. “but I’m afraid that with half of my face swollen it would be hard.”
“Right,” Pedri admitted, a bit disappointed, until a brilliant idea popped up in his head.
He put his hands on Ferran’s shoulders for stability and standing on tiptoes, he slowly kissed the corner of his lips. It wasn’t ideal, but somehow a feeling that he could finally do it freely, made him excited.
“You’ll have many different times to repay me, I’m not going anywhere” Pedri said, smiling as he lowered himself down and moved to open the car’s door. “Now hurry up, we still need to get to the training at 9 am sharp!”
They had around thirty minutes left to ride, but this time there was no uncomfortable silence. They began to chatter about their friends, who were right to call them ‘ lovebirds ’, and joke about how long it took them to confess their feelings.
“Just to be clear, we’re boyfriends now, right?” Ferran asked, just when they were passing by the road sign ‘ Barcelona ’.
“I don’t know, Ferran, you didn’t ask me to be your boyfriend,” Pedri replied, teasingly.
Though it was dark, he could almost see the other man rolling his eyes at his answer.
“Well then: Pedri, would you like to be my boyfriend?”
“Sure, if you insist,” the younger man answered, pretending to be nonchalant about it, but his smile was reaching his eyes.
A boyfriend. He, Pedri, had a boyfriend. How crazy did it sound? Pedri from two months ago wouldn’t believe him and even less when he would tell him who his boyfriend was. Hell, Pedri from this morning wouldn’t even believe him, that’s how unbelievable it was. He knew it would take him weeks to get used to it.
“Do you really think I’m cute?” He asked, breaking a momentary silence that fell after ‘ the boyfriend ’ question. With his own question, he was referring to Ferran’s words that he said while they were sitting on the bench in the garden at the back of the villa.
Ferran looked at him, the street lights allowing Pedri to see the smirk on his face.
“Of course I do,” he admitted, leaning on his car seat. “In fact, I think you are also a lot of other things, but that’s a conversation for another day. Or night .”
Pedri tried hitting him with his right hand, after hearing an evident sexual undertone in his last words, but since he couldn’t take his eyes off the road, he could only manage to hit air, as his boyfriend moved himself out of Pedri’s hand’s reach.
Although he was worried this evening would turn out as a catastrophe, with Diego seeing through their fake relationship and Ferran being bored at a party, making Pedri feel bad for taking his friend with him, the last two hours were actually some of the best hours in this year, maybe even in his life.
He thought about coming back home. He would definitely tell his brother everything about that day, skipping some more private details obviously, unless Fer didn’t figure it out himself. After all, he was his brother, he could easily tell when something bad or good happened, and that evening was, without a doubt, one of the greatest things that happened to him the last few months.
He also thought about Diego, who was probably still partying. Maybe someday Pedri would tell him the truth about his relationship with Ferran and how he could take credit for getting them together. And maybe his cousin would start proudly reminding them at every given occasion that with his indirect help they ended up dating. Maybe one day, he would even bring that fact in his speech during Pedri’s and Ferran’s wedding (not that Pedri would allow him to give a speech in the first place).
And lastly, he thought about them. Him and Ferran. Sitting in that car, listening to some romantic song that was played on the radio, thinking how it didn’t sound cliche any more. He wondered what their relationship would look like. If it would be as great as their friendship? How would their friends react when they would finally tell them the news?
He thought about all of those places he would take Ferran for dates, the places where they wouldn’t be bothered by anyone, especially the paparazzi. The moments they would share from that time.
Maybe one day they would be able to come out officially.Tell their fans that they’re not just two friends. One day, they wouldn’t get the hate for just being themselves.
However, there in that car, they decided to keep their relationship private. It wasn’t the right time for announcements.
At the red light, in the middle of the night and in the middle of the city, Pedri looked at Ferran and smiled widely, before linking their hands. A silent declaration. We’re in this together, until proven otherwise.
4 missed calls from: Mamá <3
New messages: 3
From: FERRRRRRRR
(21:27)
diego told tía that you came to his party with some bf, tía told mom and mom is now mad you didn’t tell her you and ferran finally got together
(21:27)
call her back when you get home
( 21:28)
and tell ferran I said hi :)