Chapter Text
Walking to the pool entrance, the doors were closed, and before Matteo could open to entry, David stopped him, "I need you to close your eyes!" Matteo gave him a questioning look but closed his eyes. He felt himself being lead to the edge of the pool their footsteps becoming an echo.
"Stay right there and no peaking!" He stood still on the spot, listening to David climb down the pool. He waited until David gave him his queue; when Matteo opened his eyes, he wasn't expecting the sight in front of him. The sun was setting through the windows, the colour of the lighting coming through making the familiar location transform. In the pool was two sheets pinned together and hanging from either side of the lanes, parts of the lane lines had fairy lights that they used at Amira's farewell. In the middle of the pool was a desk with a projector with a blanket and small pillows.
"How on earth did you do all this, and how did you get it here?" Matteo's jaw had hit the bottom of the pool that he wasn't even standing.
"I had a team of helpers; I don't want to spoil too much. Are you coming for a swim or what?" David tilted his head, Matteo went to the ladder and got into the pool without hesitation and wrapped his arms around David.
David took him by his hand and ushered him to sit, David was plugging in his laptop to the projector, and Matteo looked at the screen/two bedsheets pinned together. "What's this plan you've got?" Matteo asked to which David silently shrugged with a shy smile.
The screen flashed and showed David desktop background of them both getting ready for their trip to Amsterdam. David continued to say nothing has he made the projector screen go blank, and David continued to mess with his computer.
"Are you okay?" Matteo tried to get David attention, but he was still concentrating on his screen "-David, you seem nervous, what do you have to show me?"
David then took a deep breath and answered, "so for school I had to make a film about home and when the professor was talking about what home meant I knew that home isn't a place, it's a journey, it's the family and the people around you, it's you Matteo; I want to show you our home we've created!" David switched off all the lights, the only light was the orange sunset peeking through windows, and the screen illuminated the sheet.
"Wait, you've made me a movie?" Matteo looked around the pool, and David just pointed to the screen and mouthed 'watch' before leaving Matteo in the pool.
The sound of a guitar playing and the screen was still playing black until photos of him when he was younger flashed in layers, the lyrics began to echo the room and Matteo recognised the song but the singer didn't seem to be familiar.
{I swear to god, when I come home, I'm going to hold you so close.} The pictures of himself faded with the first lyrics; there was a clip of Matteo at WG sitting on his bed, pulling faces when David runs into frame and tackles him to the mattress. The effects of the filter over the clip hides the scene, and it's the same home video but with David and Matteo cuddled in together, David caressing his face with his thumb and Matteo leans in for a kiss.
{I swear to god, when I come home, I'll never let go.} The next line plays and is a video of Matteo holding David in the hospital, he's dressing in the robe, and they are crying into each other's arms; this was the day of David's surgery and this moment is right before David had to go into the OR. Matteo had tears streaming by this point. After that it shows a video of David just out of surgery eating ice cream, the camera moves to show them both in the frame and Matteo kissing his cheek; Matteo in the clip says 'I'm proud of you!'
{Like a river I flow, To the ocean, I know.} Photos flash across the screen in this very location at a time when Matteo told David he loved him. Then a Video of them a few months later kissing at the beach, their friends all in the frame and Jonas mocking them in the background.
{You pull me close, guiding me home.} David and Matteo are walking home after Abiball. Both are drunk, and David has his arm warped around Matteo's neck. David kisses him laughing, as the clip plays, it shows photos of them holding each other in some way. Then two pictures they posted with the caption '@ Home'.
{And I need you to know that we're falling so fast.} More pictures of Matteo when he was younger appeared along with with short home videos of him as a child in Italy and his childhood him in Germany. The clip was Matteo on a boat; he was 7 driving it looking into the camera with his mother laughing beside him.
{We're falling like the stars, falling in love.} Another clip plays of Matteo as a child with him singing in the choir at church.
{And I'm not scared to say those words with you, I'm safe.} More photos where shown but this time it was of another child -it was David; photos with him and his sister. Then another home video of David, his hair was long and curly smiling at the camera; from the background, it was his birthday, the cake scattered in rainbow candles.
{We're falling like the stars, falling in love.} The next video was from what it looked like was David as a toddler walking with his sister; tumbling over and his sister helping him back to his feet.
{I swear to god, every day He won't take you away, because without you, babe, I lose my way.} From Matteo's memory of the song, it skips the next verses and goes straight to the bridge. More clips and pictures of David and Matteo play, little snippets of photos in between of their friends hover over the videos.
The song's bridge ends, and the screen goes white for the final lyrics. Matteo was full-on sobbing at this point tears streaming down his face as David appears from the sheet, his hands in his pocket. When David fully faced to face with Matteo, the movie had finished, and David turned the projector off at the same time the lights switched on revealing his friends and family sitting along the edge of the pool with smiles on their faces and tears also in their eyes.
Matteo turned once more to David, who was also crying; he watched as his boyfriend took a deep breath and spoke. "You're my home Matteo, you always have been since that moment I first saw you in those halls." David looked over to Jonas, who was holding a guitar and the same song from the film, started to play. "I remember when we talked about fate and how you don't have self-control. But if this is actually what fate is, being with you. Then I believe you don't need to have full control of life, that things can happen without choices. Moments gravitate towards you at a fast pace. It's like we live in a parallel universe that two people can find each other and in the parallel, they know it's going to happen, but you still have no idea."
Matteo was speechless, he watched as David spoke and was playing with his pocket, "I love you, Matteo, in all universes there are out there, I'm glad I'm here with you in this one right now. Matteo I... I am excited about everything we've done and falling in love with you was difficult, but without you I wouldn't be the man I am; I'll still be playing this game of run and hind, but you, you ran along beside me and guided me and stood by me, you brought me home, because you are my home."
David's word we're coming from the heart and Matteo could feel every word hit him in a wave of emotions, then David pulled something from his pocket and hid it behind his back, slowly he watched as David got down on one knee and Matteo lost it entirely. He looked around the room the music was still playing from Jonas's guitar, all his friends watching and nodding at him. "Matteo Florenzi, I told you I'm excited for us, I told you that I'm excited forever that will come in the future, but the future is now, and life is now. Will you marry me?"
Matteo felt himself drop to the floor on to his knees in front of David; he was in tears and looking into David's eyes; he was also crying and chewing his lip nervously. He was frozen, all the words he could usually form disappear from his vocabulary.
"So?" David added, his hands were shaking, Matteo still not able to form words held on David's hands trying to ground him before he floated out of the building.
Matteo shook his head and looked into David's eyes and nodded his head, then pressed it forward to lean against David's forehead, "yeah!" Was the only word that came to him, the word came out breathless, and David fear turned into a smile, seeing that smile Matteo finally said: "yes, fuck yes!" And just like that, David wrapped his arms around Matteo's neck and kissed him hard.
Cheers erupted, and when David and Matteo pulled apart, all their friends were surrounding them with big smiles and tears in their eyes. "Congratulations!" A voice Matteo recognised, Matteo looked around to see Hanna holding her phone with Amira's face on the screen, her eyes were also crying with joy.
"Amira!" Matteo looked around to all his friends faces all smiling, when Matteo looked over to David he was smiling but then he took Matteo by his hand.
"I've forgotten to give you something!" David had the ring in his hand and took Matteo's left hand, putting the ring on his finger, "I love you!" David said one more time and kissed him softly like their first kiss in this very pool.
"We d0 too!" Amira said.
"Group hug!" Carlos called, and everyone wrapped themselves around Matteo and David, they all laughed and this moment was something Matteo never wants to forget.
"You better filmed this Schreibner?" Matteo whispered into David's ear while all their friend were piled around them.
The group hug spilt up and quickly packed up their stuff before the chance of them getting caught becomes more so. Matteo and David held onto each other's hand, walking out of the building with their friends playing spies, trying not to get caught. On the train back home everyone where excited, they switched the FaceTime from Hanna's phone to David's laptop, and all caught up sharing stories and saying home much they miss Amira. All of his friends were so excited and happy, and Matteo felt like he was in heaven and he was now that he and David were making plans to spend the rest of their lives together as a family.
~~~
It was the next morning, David and Matteo were naked and hungover from their celebrations, the room and the entire apartment was a mess, but neither of them cared. "Morning, my fiancé!" David said, and Matteo groaned himself awake, rubbing his sore head.
"Please tell me I don't have to get out of this bed!" He groaned again and huddled in closer.
"No we don't, and I'll repeat it; morning my asshole of a fiancé!" David stated, cheekily.
"Morning, my love!" Matteo responded and kissed David on the chest then pull his face close for a proper kiss. "Last night was amazing," Matteo said, and the sat up against the bed frame.
"It was, seconds best thing to happen in my life" David kissed Matteo's cheek.
Matteo turned confused "second?"
David let out a laugh "meeting you was the first because you wouldn't be my fiancé without that."
"Hmm, guess you're right!" Matteo said then straddled David's lap, "we could make another memorable moment in this bed as we did a few hours ago" Matteo winked.
"Fuck! You're honestly so sexy, yes make love to me!" And they did; they went slow, taking their time and feeling each other love other than last night because it was rushed and they were also extremely drunk.
As they both came down from their high, Matteo wrapped himself into David once more falling asleep, not a care to the world; this was their life. At this moment they were like shooting stars in the sky, but these stars weren't dying but being reborn. The light of their love taking them to oblivion; they are stars falling in love; this is their parallel in their eternal universe.