Work Text:
Gianluca doesn’t even need to read Davide’s text. It’s probably just a few words and a link to a video.
But he’s already watching it.
Still in his bed. Barely awake. Watching, but mostly hearing Davide talk.
And he isn’t surprised by anything he hears, why would he? They’re best friends, they’ve always been, he almost doesn’t remember that period of his life before being Davide’s best friends; they live together, when Davide transferred to Sassuolo it’s seemed an obvious thing to do, it’s also a convenience, the two of them combined kind of make a whole self-sufficient person.
He’s just about to write him a message saying he did well,that it’s a good interview, a little joke about the fact that he doesn’t need girls texting him, he already has him. He immediately stops when he hears the words:
“sei fidanzato?”
“no”
Gianluca already knows that. It’s a stupid question. Why does that matter whether he’s in a relationship or not?
“hai avuto le tue storie?”
“sì sì però adesso… insomma… poi abito co Gianluca, cioè”
“sei fidanzato con lui?”
Gianluca doesn’t hear anything else, he’s staring at the screen, looking at Davide, he’s definitely talking about their no-girls-deal, but he doesn’t hear.
“sei fidanzato con lui?”
Why did he ask that? Does he come off as Davide’s boyfriend? Does he want to be Davide’s boyfriend?
He’s panicking a bit and it’s late so he doesn’t text him anything.
.
He has no idea why it seems like everyone in Coverciano watched Davide’s interview, but he’s pretty sure Domenico and Giacomo have a lot to do with it.
However it went down he’s now got his teammates joking about it. It’s not like he’s mad at them, they’re teasing him the same way they would tease Ciro and Andrea, or anyone else at Coverciano, really. Normally he would answer with the wittiest remark he’d come up with, he’d answer with another joke.
But not now, today he just smiles, laughs it off, quietly dismisses the questions of the curious ones.
Gianluca is pretty sure Lorenzo has everything already figured out and wants to help him.
That’s why he’s been avoiding him all day.
At some point of the day they come up with something new, as much as he understood, Luiz Felipe is the newest victim, the talk about him and Davide dies off, they start talking about comments on instagram and stories and stuff like that and no one seems to even remember of Davide’s interview.
Gianluca kind of wishes he could forget about it too.
“sei fidanzato con lui?”
He knows why he’s so affected by that question, but it’s not something he can think about, not now that he has to concentrate on the pitch, he needs to focus.
That’s why they made that deal. To better focus on football.
That’s why he looked his best friend in the eyes and said “Niente ragazze finché siamo qui insieme”, why Davide immediately understood what he meant.
It’s a matter of need. They need to be at their best on the pitch. No distractions allowed.
.
He should text him.
He’s basically ignored him all day, but he doesn’t really know what to say. He should say something about the interview but he doesn’t want to think about that.
He also doesn’t want to think about Davide as much as he does, but his mind seems to be filled by one single thought.
“sei fidanzato con lui?”
Gianluca feels like he already is Davide’s boyfriend. He isn’t, of course, but it feels like it.
That’s why they made that deal.
That’s why he looked his best friend in the eyes and said “Niente ragazze finchè siamo qua insieme”, why Davide immediately understood what he meant.
Because he can’t stand to see him with someone else. Girl or boy. Because he feels like their relationship is the strongest he ever had, and the most important.
Because he does want to be Davide’s boyfriend.
He’s probably late for dinner.
.
He should already be in his bed.
He shouldn’t lose sleep if he wants to be focused and at the top of his game tomorrow.
Instead he’s sitting outside and it’s kind of cold and he still hasn’t texted Davide.
“Mi posso sedere?”
It’s the last person he’d expected to come and join him.
Vialli just sits there. In silence for a while, just enjoying the quiet. But it’s Vialli so it doesn’t last for long.
“Io e Roberto abbiamo giocato insieme per otto anni. È un sacco di tempo da passare con una persona. Noi eravamo inseparabili, dentro e fuori dal campo, passavamo giorno e notte insieme. Roberto era il mio migliore amico, lui era tutta la mia famiglia ed era anche molto altro.”
Gianluca feels like an intruder. Like he’s not supposed to hear this, it’s so intimate, so true, so raw. But for some reason, Vialli is telling him, he wants him to know this story.
“È stato molto tempo, ma quando me ne sono andato mi sentivo comunque come se non fosse stato abbastanza. Volevo più tempo per stare con lui, non perché avessimo qualcosa da fare insieme incompiuto, o perché volessi giocare più partite insieme a lui o perché volessi segnare più gol con lui, volevo solo un po’ di tempo in più insieme a lui. Sono passati trent’anni. Trent’anni e io ancora vorrei più tempo con lui, cerco di rubarne un po’ ogni volta che posso e lui me lo lascia sempre fare. Comincio a pensare di piacergli, lo sai?”
Vialli is finally looking at him, that last part was for him. The rest was for Mancini, Gianluca can almost see him telling him those same words, he’s just lucky Vialli decided to share them with him too.
He says goodbye and leaves as silently as he came.
Gianluca likes him a lot.
He’s still thinking about Vialli as he takes out his phone and makes the call.
“Ciao”
“Ciao”
“Scusa se non ti ho scritto, è stata una giornata pesante”
“Immagino”
“Sei ancora sveglio?”
“Pure tu, non ti devi allenare domani?”
“Sì sì, lo so. Ho visto l’intervista”
“Sì?”
“Sei stato bravo. Mi è piaciuta”
“Grazie”
“Quindi… non siamo fidanzati?”
“No no. Non ancora”
“Non ancora?”
“No”
“Davide”
“Mmh”
“Mi manchi”
“Pure tu Gianlu”