Archive of Our Own ^beta

Their first meeting was no meet-cute to say the least. 

Laurent has had an aversion towards sports and all athletes ever since he got hit in the head with a football by one of his brother’s teammates when he was trying to read a book. That being said, there were certain athletes that Laurent simply could not avoid no matter how hard he tried. They were either on television or being talked about by Laurent’s friends or some other inescapable format.

Nevertheless, Laurent never expected to see one of those athletes whose name and face he was unable to avoid at one of his book signings. Granted, the man was wearing a hoodie and doing all he could to avoid being recognized, but it was difficult to ignore a man of that size. Especially since Laurent tends to find himself attracted to men who look as if they could pick him up and throw him across the room without breaking a sweat. Damianos fit that description to a T.

“My mom reads your books,” Damianos muttered with eyes shifting around the room. 

He slid the book across the table before finally looking at Laurent. Laurent watched him do a double-take before taking off his sunglasses and staring more openly. He would have made fun of the man for staring if he was not lost in the deep brown of Damianos’ eyes.

“As she should,” Laurent replied, pulling the book towards him without breaking eye contact.

Damianos coughed awkwardly and averted his eyes. It gave Laurent the opportunity to regain his composure, internally rebuking himself for having gawked so obviously. 

“I couldn’t get through them.”

Laurent’s eyes narrowed. “Most illiterates find it difficult to comprehend my writing.” Damianos snorted. “I can’t get through any of your games.”

Their eyes met once again, and Laurent could feel all of the air escape from his lungs. “Then you’re clearly not paying enough attention to me. If your face was on every page of your books, I’d have nary a problem reading them.”

Laurent smiled, signed his name, and then, against his better judgement, wrote his phone number on the blank page in the beginning of the book. Laurent would never rip a page out of a book himself, but if a brutish athlete happened to do so, that would not be his fault. He closed the book and slid it back across the table before holding out his hand.

“Laurent.”

“I know.” Damianos smiled and took his hand. “Damianos.”

Laurent smiled in return. “I know.”

###

They have been dating for half a year now, and Laurent has never felt so content being around another person. He loves the person he becomes when he is in love and around Damen. He feels so much like himself. 

Despite this, neither of them have gone public with their relationship. When asked, they both explain that they are in a relationship but fail to mention who it is that they are dating. Laurent doesn’t often get asked about that. As an author, people assume it is no one with whom they are familiar. Damen, as a famous football player, is constantly pressured to provide a name. He respects Laurent’s wishes and thus never does. 

It is difficult to maintain the secrecy of their relationship, especially when they spend longer than a few days together, but they have been fortunate so far. No one has noticed the ‘so inconspicuous that he is conspicuous’ man who walks into Laurent’s apartment in Vere. And no one has paid any attention to the man who regularly visits Damen’s home in Akielos either.

They plan on only going public when things become moving-in-together serious. Now that they spend more time together than they do apart, regardless of which country they are in, Laurent thinks they should push going public until they get engaged. 

“Hey, sweetheart, when were you planning on heading back to Vere again?”

Laurent rests his book on his chest and looks at his boyfriend. Since Laurent’s legs are across Damen’s lap, Damen has his laptop resting on Laurent’s shins. Laurent really should be fleshing out the characters for his next novel, but he did a lot of the plotting this morning. His brain is a bit spent.

“Trying to get rid of me already?” Laurent teases.

Damen laughs softly. “No, of course not. It’s just…” His face becomes more serious as he looks at the computer screen again. “The airport in Ios just closed.”

This is enough to cause Laurent to sit up, book falling to his lap. He quickly places it on the coffee table. Damen holds the laptop so that Laurent can read the article discussing their announcement. Laurent knew that precautions were going to be taken in order to prevent the spread of the virus, but he really didn’t think this was going to be a huge deal. Closing the airports does sound like a good idea, but Laurent has upcoming obligations in Vere. 

“Seriously?” Laurent reads over the article again before he sets the laptop on the coffee table. Damen uses the newly free space to pull Laurent onto his lap. “Okay, well. I’ll take the train back. Or drive.”

“The trains aren’t running right now either.”

Laurent doesn’t ask to see evidence of that. Stopping all travel is the first thing he would do if he was running the country. 

“Well, I can’t stay here. I need to be in Marlas by next Friday. I have an interview with some late night talk show host to discuss my book.”

His historical fiction book is coming out this weekend. This interview is the first of many to promote it. Laurent only hopes that he will spend more time talking about the complex geopolitical disputes within his book than he will spend avoiding questions about his intimate life. The romance in the book is just as interesting if not more so than the romance in his life.

“They say it should only last for two weeks,” Damen says, wrapping his arms around Laurent and kissing his shoulder. “If they don’t announce anything different by next week, we can rent a car for you. You can’t use mine because I need it, and people would clock the fact that it’s mine immediately.”

Damen’s fame has only grown throughout the span of their relationship, so they have had to be extra careful in regards to sharing clothing and even riding in the same cars. Laurent doesn’t understand why people would care about the car of someone who plays football, but there are a lot of people in the world that Laurent does not understand. Nor does he really care to. 

Two weeks. That’s the longest this will last.

Laurent wraps his arms around Damen’s neck and kisses his temple before humming, “mmm, sounds good. In that case, I guess you’ll have to deal with me for an extra week.”

“Oh no,” Damen says. His smile is audible. “Whatever shall I do?”

Laurent laughs lightly as Damen begins to kiss his neck, hands traversing his body. “I have a few ideas…”

###

Two weeks is a joke. A week later, everything is still closed with no sign of reopening any time soon. Laurent has received word from the producers of the show that the interview will take place over an app similar to Skype. Laurent has never heard of the app before and doesn’t understand why they don’t use Skype instead, but that is the least of his worries.

He is mostly concerned with the fact that he is still stuck at Damen’s house. Damen told him to set up wherever, but Damen has done a house tour for one of his idiotic interviews for football before. Laurent just has to pray that no one notices. 

Damen helps him set up, downloading the app and choosing a corner that should be fairly nondescript. It’s so nerve wracking that, upon realising how silent and pale Laurent has gone, Damen sits in a chair on the other side of the room to provide moral support. Laurent is almost embarrassed to admit how well it works.

“Well, Mr. deVere, this isn’t how we were expecting to do this interview, but these are uncertain times.”

Laurent thinks he has heard that phrase at least fifty times by now, and it has only been a little over a week. He looks up at Damen who has sat with Laurent through enough “we’re here for you in these uncertain times” commercials to know exactly how Laurent feels about those words. 

Damen simply points to his mouth and smiles to encourage Laurent to do the same. Laurent has a feeling that his smile looks as fake as it feels. The interviewer does not seem thrown off. He continues by asking Laurent how he has been handling the lock-down so far.

“I’ve just been working on some newer projects and discussing my upcoming release. I stay inside a lot anyway, so not much has changed for me.”

The interviewer laughs politely and begins asking questions regarding his book. Laurent answers comfortably without revealing any spoilers. He spares a few glances to Damen who gives him supportive smiles and thumbs-ups. Damen has already read his book, so every time Laurent mentions a plot-point that leads to a plot-twist, Damen makes a funny face. Laurent has to steady his own face so that he does not laugh. 

The sight of Laurent trying not to laugh is enough to make Damen laugh as well. He tries to stifle the noise as best as he can, but one chuckle is loud enough to be caught by the microphone. The interviewer looks confused but does not question Laurent about it. 

Damen doesn’t directly interrupt the interview anymore, but he does yawn while Laurent is looking at him which causes Laurent to yawn as well. It’s late in the afternoon, but not nearly late enough to warrant yawning. Damen is tired because he was up late talking to his coach and manager, and Laurent is tired because he was up late reading a book and waiting for Damen to come to bed.

“You’re tired already, huh? Has a certain someone been keeping you up during lock-down? Maybe the same off-camera person you keep sending glances to?” Busted.

“I have been quarantining with my boyfriend, yes.” Laurent is wary of giving away too much information so he keeps it brief before deliberately changing the subject back to his book. He wants to say some of us have a love-life and don’t have to spend our time prying into others’. Instead he says, “which is why he got priority access and won’t stop asking me if the protagonist is based on him.”

This transition does the trick. The interviewer begins asking him questions about the characters in his story. Damen purses his lips and nods, a sign that he is impressed with Laurent’s ability to get the interview back on track.

The interview ends not long after it was derailed. Laurent can feel his entire body relax at the sight of the words, ‘this meeting has been ended by host.’ Damen raises his eyebrow as if to ask if the camera is officially off of him. When Laurent nods, he walks over and pulls Laurent into a hug.

“I hope that’s the last Vroom interview I have to do from here,” Laurent says into Damen’s shoulder. Damen laughs at his mispronunciation of the company’s name. “I was terrified that they would recognize the room.”

“Pretty sure everyone has a bookshelf in their house.”

Laurent jumps into his arms at the feeling of Damen rubbing his fingers along the side of his thighs. Damen, having presumably prompted this response, catches him without a moment’s hesitation. His faith in Damen has yet to be shattered.

“Pretty sure my bookshelf wouldn’t have a book about the best ways to recuperate post-game.”

“That sounds like an oversight. How are you ever going to know how to heal your body after strenuous activity?”

“There is only one activity in my life which requires strenuous exercise,” Laurent says with a sly smile that Damen can’t even see due to his eyes being glued on the floor in front of him. Laurent doesn’t bother asking where he is headed. He knows exactly where.

“Oh? Think I could help with the recovery?”

“I think it’s your duty to help, seeing as it will be your fault that I’m in need of recuperation.”

“Should I study up before or after? Maybe during?”

Laurent’s eyes go wide at the prospect. “If you dare read a book while we’re engaging in intercourse, it will be the last time you ever do.”

“‘Do’ like sex or ‘do’ like reading?”

“I take it all back. Let me down. I’m calling Jord to have him pick me up.”

“No, don’t,” Damen whines, drawing out each syllable. He does not put Laurent down. They have practically made it to the bedroom now. “You’re really going to make your editor drive all the way from Vere to pick you up just because-”

“Because you’re being a prick. That’s why.”

Damen finally lets go of Laurent. On the bed. And then immediately falls on top, caging him in. All Laurent can do is grunt from the sudden weight atop him. 

“Aww, don’t say that. I love you.”

He pauses mid eye-roll. “We- we haven’t said that yet…”

“Oh- I just…” Damen’s face is red. He avoids looking him in the eye. “I love you, Laurent. I don’t think it’s too early to make that known.”

Laurent places a hand on Damen’s cheek, forcing him to make eye contact. “I love you. If it took a pandemic to let that be known, then so be it.” 

Damen’s smile is blinding, so bright that Laurent nearly needs sunglasses. This is the face that has made fans all over the world fall in love with Damianos. This is also the face that made Laurent fall in love with Damen. Because Laurent is the only one who gets to have this brilliant face, this brilliant man, to himself. 

“Now show me just how much you love me,” Laurent says lowly. 

Whatever thoughts this request conjures taints Damen’s sweet smile. The gorgeous grin becomes a sensual smirk, and then their lips are connected again. Laurent knows for a fact that he is the only one allowed to see Damen like this, the only one Damen lavishes with his affection so ardently. God, he loves him.

He loves him so much that if Damen had not confessed earlier, it would have come out during the thralls of their love making anyway. It still does. And it likely will during every sexual encounter they have together for the rest of their lives.

###

It has only been a few weeks, but if Laurent hears the phrases “uncertain times,” “new normal,” or “front-line heroes,” one more time, he thinks he is going to lose it. Fortunately, he does not have any interviews scheduled for the immediate future. He has begged his PR manager to not schedule anymore and tasked Jord with coming up with an explanation as to why. Damen, on the other hand, has made no such requests to his publicist. 

“I’ve got an interview in ten, so stay out of the living room unless you want to out us both,” Damen says as soon as Laurent walks out of the kitchen with his tea. The look on his face must speak for him. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you last night. We were… a little busy.”

“Clearly.” It takes considerable effort not to roll his eyes. “I’ll stay out. I definitely don’t want a bunch of testosterone-fueled savages to be the first to know that we’re dating. They’ll probably stone me for having the audacity to lock down their favourite bachelor. You’re supposed to be a womaniser, and I’m ruining that image for you.”

“Everyone who has ever called me a womaniser deliberately ignores the men I have dated in the past. And the fact that I haven’t had a one-night stand since college.” Laurent only glares as Damen stands. “Besides, I wouldn’t let anyone stone you.”

Laurent crosses his arms mere seconds before Damen wraps his arms around him. “How romantic.”

“I try.”

Damen attempts to kiss him, but Laurent blocks him with a finger. “Complete your interview successfully and you can have all the kisses your footballer heart desires.”

“Why do I have a feeling that you’re going to make it difficult for me to do this..?”

“Me? Purposely sabotage you, my wonderful jock boyfriend?”

“Is there such a thing as unintentional sabotage?” Laurent laughs despite himself. Only Damen has the ability to make him break his own façade like this. Damn it, Laurent loves this man. Maybe he shouldn’t try to make his sweet boyfriend screw up his interview.

Damen kisses his forehead before sitting in front of his computer. Laurent stands at the kitchen island with his tea to watch Damen’s interview. The beginning of the interview is boring as expected. They ask him about what he thinks will happen with the upcoming season and how he has been training while in lock-down.

Laurent doesn’t care about any of that. He has watched Damen do his push-ups, sit-ups, and other-ups while he read. He has also actually helped Damen train by timing his sprints and whatnot. With how often Damen helps him with his character development and plotting, Laurent owed it to him. They support each other and their respective careers or whatever. Even if Laurent doesn’t understand how playing football can pay the bills, he can certainly appreciate the appeal of watching a bunch of muscular men run around on a field.

“Let’s move to a personal question.” Damen’s smile drops at the interviewer’s words. Laurent almost chokes on his tea. “How’s your relationship faring during these trying times?”

“I think we’ve been doing well,” Damen says, forcing a smile back onto his face. He is unmistakably avoiding looking at Laurent. “Obviously we really value our privacy, but I think I can tell you that a certain aspect of our relationship has certainly grown.” Both Damen and the interviewer laugh. Laurent only sets his mug down, probably louder than is necessary.

Okay, if Damen wants to have a laugh by bringing up their flourishing sex lives during his interview, then Laurent is most certainly going to have his fun as well. There go any thoughts Laurent had of being well-behaved and helpful. Now he is back to his original sabotaging state of mind. 

He almost has too many ideas of how to potentially interfere with Damen’s interview without completely revealing his identity to a bunch of athletes and their fans. An easy solution would be stripping his clothes off in a sensual manner, but that would be almost too obvious. Nudity is also not guaranteed a reaction from Damen. Laurent isn’t sure he is in the mood for the kind of nudity that would be required to shock Damen. 

“No, but no, we’re doing well. It’s a good test for the future,” Damen says with a smile.

Laurent raises an eyebrow. The future?

As if summoned by Laurent’s desire to cause some trouble, Laurent gets a phone call from Jord. Damen’s head snaps up, eyes wide, at the sound of his ringtone. Laurent maintains eye contact as he answers the phone.

“Hello?”

The shock does not leave Damen’s face, but he tries to continue his own interview despite Laurent.

“Laurent, I’m sorry, I know you said no more interviews, but the last one got such a great response,” Jord says, the stress evident in his voice. 

Laurent would typically tell him that it’s not a big deal, but he’s feeling like a little shit. Everyone that interacts with him while he is in this mood gets to have a piece of his attitude. His editor is not excluded. However, as he is not a complete jackass, he walks back to the kitchen to continue the conversation. He drops his voice just enough so that Damen can still hear it, but it might not be picked up by the microphone.

“What happened to that being the last one? Shouldn’t I be focusing on my next project instead?”

“I know, I know.” Laurent can hear the bustling sounds of city life in the background of Jord’s end. He didn’t realise how much he had grown accustomed to the silence of the country. “But my boss thinks we should keep riding this wave instead of flying the coop so early.”

The mixing of metaphors makes Laurent physically recoil. “Will these be online as well? You know this is becoming quite the risk.”

“Well, no one asked you to start dating a celebrity. You handled the last interview just fine. You can manage a few more.”

Laurent chuckles at that. If handling that interview just fine is looking at his boyfriend so frequently that the host is practically forced to bring it up, then yeah, Laurent handled that interview like a pro. He does wonder how Damen’s interview is going. He can hear laughter but nothing else really. 

“Alright, Jord. I’ll trust your judgement for this. Let me know the details when they get worked out.” 

“Thank you for understanding. I’ll add it to the calandre and send you the details.”

Laurent heads back to the living room only to be greeted with wide eyes from his boyfriend. The smile on Damen’s face is clearly being held on by will-power and relentless media training alone. He is so much more skilled at media appearances than Laurent will ever be.

“Alright and then how about some advice for the fans? Lydos wants to know, ‘other than training and eating well, what are some ways you’ve been keeping yourself healthy during quarantine?’”

“Well, we’ve already mentioned some ways to keep physically fit, but it’s important to stay mentally healthy as well. Obviously staying in contact with friends and family is a good way to do that but there are some other ways, too. A few months ago, I started getting into reading. It’s been a really good way to keep my mind engaged.”

“Any favourite authors?”

Damen looks up at Laurent and smiles flippantly. “No. None in particular.”

What a dickhead. Laurent huffs out a laugh and rolls his eyes. 

The reason Damen got into reading in the first place was because they started dating. Damen said that it would be a good way to get to know Laurent even more and purchased a copy of each of his books. Laurent signed them with a deep blush on his cheeks. 

“Alright, I think that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for coming on, Damianos.”

“Any time, Pallas. I had a great time, man.”

Damen smiles his charming smile and waves before he presumably clicks the little red button at the bottom corner of his screen and looks back up at Laurent. The smile drops from his face immediately.

“You asshole. You’re playing a dangerous game.”

Laurent shrugs. “What’s the fun if there’s no risk–”

He is cut off by Damen’s lips against his. Ah, the promised kiss. Damen must think that he completed his interview successfully. Laurent would agree. Especially considering how distracting he was being. They’ll watch the full thing on Youtube later tonight. 

“How many kisses was I promised if I completed the interview successfully again?” he asks against Laurent’s lips. “As many as my footballer heart desires?”

“I believe that is what I said, yes,” Laurent agrees as he is pushed against the island. He chases after Damen’s mouth with his own, feeling far more desperate than he expected from himself. His hands cup Damen’s face, keeping them close.

“And if my footballer heart desires more than you can give me?”

He smiles against Damen’s mouth. “Not possible.”

Damen takes a step back, leaving Laurent in the lurch. The moan that sounds suspiciously like a whine is unintentional and would be humiliating around anyone else. Damen simply keeps a hand on Laurent’s neck and smiles softly. Laurent can hardly be upset when Damen is looking at him so adoringly. 

“I need to call my publicist and then we can continue.”

“You’re such a tease,” Laurent groans as Damen kisses just below his jaw.

“Believe me, sweetheart. We are continuing this later. I believe I still have…an infinite amount of kisses left to claim from you.”

###

If Laurent woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, then so did Damen. 

He’s got a crick in his neck as he tries to wake up over a cup of tea, and he does not have the mental energy to answer Damen’s questions about how his form looked during whatever workout he was doing. Well, he doesn’t have the mental energy to answer in a polite manner.

“I’m not sure if you tore your eyes away from your own rippling muscles for long enough to notice, but I was occupied with something else.”

Damen throws him a glare as he towels off his forehead. His arms and chest still shimmer with sweat. “I’m sorry that your tea is so much more interesting than your boyfriend.”

“Maybe it is,” Laurent responds, removing the tea strainer and taking a sip. “This tea is fragrant and fills me up with warmth.”

“I fill you up with warmth as well.”

“That’s profane, Damen.” And deliberately ignores the fragrant part of the statement. 

Dating an athlete has its pitfalls. Fortunately Damen has perfected the art of a quick shower that rinses off the sweat and stink. Still, Laurent’s irritable mood has forced him to focus on all of the negative aspects of the situation he is in right now. 

“Oh please. You certainly don’t have the most wholesome vocabulary in the world. Besides, I meant that I fill you up with warmth from love and affection.”

“Sure, you did.”

Damen doesn’t grace that jab with a response. He simply walks into the kitchen behind Laurent and starts rummaging through the drawers and cabinets. Laurent can hardly enjoy his calm morning tea with all of this racket.

“Do you need help? Are you that unfamiliar with your own house?” That was supposed to be a genuine offer, but the frustration in his head spilled into his voice. Derision comes second nature for Laurent anyway. He’s working on it.

“God, shut up for once. I have a headache.”

“Well, you’re standing far too close. I don’t want the pungent odour of your sweat on me.”

Damen turns to face him, leaning down so that mere inches separate their faces. “You have a whole house to drink your tea in. Even delicate little authors like you have working legs.”

Laurent raises an eyebrow but does not move, does not even attempt to put any space between them. They stare into each others’ eyes, in a stalemate, until Laurent’s phone dings with a text. Damen breaks eye contact first which Laurent counts as a win, looking at the counter where Laurent’s phone sits, screen bright to display the message. 

It’s from Jord, reminding him that he has an interview in ten minutes. “That is exactly what I don’t need right now,” Laurent groans, walking toward the bedroom to put on clothes that are appropriate for the interview. Damen’s oversized merchandise is not suitable for hundreds of his readers to see him wearing.

“When is it?”

“Ten minutes.”

“You’re kidding.” Damen’s eyes are wide in disbelief. “I was going to make breakfast. I’m so hungry.”

Laurent turns again and continues toward the bedroom. “You can still do that,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I’ll do it in the bedroom.”

“Why are you rolling your eyes at me?”

Laurent turns back around. “You can’t even see me! You have no way of knowing that!”

“I can hear it in your voice.”

“There’s no way in hell.”

“We have been living together for over a month and dating for eight. I think I know you well enough to be able to tell when you’re rolling your eyes just from your tone of voice.”

Has it really been eight months that they’re been together? That is scarily close to a year of dating, making this the longest relationship he has ever been in. 

“We’re not living together. Not really.”

“Oh okay. So we’re just eating every meal together and sleeping in the same bed and having sex regularly and paying for stuff like food jointly, but we’re not living together.”

Holy hell this quarantine has made them live together and Laurent didn’t even realise it. This is undeniably what couples in long term relationships do when they’re living together. Sure, they spent a lot of time at each other’s homes before the quarantine, but this is without a doubt the longest they have spent together without a break. But if they’re living together, then that means it’s about time for them to come out officially as a couple. 

Laurent doesn’t think he’s ready for that. 

Obviously they will tell their friends and loved-ones first. Auguste and Nicaise both know that Laurent has a boyfriend, but they don’t know whom. He hasn’t told Nicaise because that high schooler can’t be trusted with a secret to save his life. He hasn’t told Auguste because Auguste would probably blow a fuse at the idea of Laurent dating a member of his favourite team’s biggest rival. 

So Laurent’s not even sure he’s ready for that. 

He ends up thinking about it all throughout his interview. He’s sure that it’s obvious to everyone who watches that he is distracted. 

This is actually the first interview he has done without Damen being in the room, so theoretically he should be less distracted. Theory doesn’t always translate to real life. Damen is a permanent fixture in his life and his mind now. 

And honestly that idea only furthers his irritation.

How dare Damen take over his life to the point where he can’t even do an interview without thinking about him. Who is Damen except for some overly-muscled athlete? Sure, he has a heart of gold and makes Laurent feel comfortable with his mere presence, but he’s big and takes up a lot of space. That’s annoying when it’s not incredibly sexy.

“If you don’t mind if we dip into the rumour mill,” the interviewer begins. The expression on his face now is more interested than it had been when he was asking Laurent about his book. That’s fine. It’s no matter. “Some people are theorising that you’re in a relationship with professional footballer Damianos touAkielos.”

Shit .

It's not even a question, but Jord made him promise that he wouldn’t be a dick to interviewers anymore. So he smiles amiably instead of requesting an actual question.

“Oh really? I hadn’t heard that. What a fun supposition!”

The interviewer flicks his long red hair behind his shoulder, smirking like he knows something. He knows nothing. “They claim they heard your voice in the background of one of his live streams.”

It was an interview, not a live stream, but it was definitely a bad idea. Laurent can acknowledge that now. Even if it had been amusing at the time. 

“He must have been listening to one of my interviews,” Laurent says with another sweet smile. “I had no idea he was such a fan of my work.”

“They also point to the fact that the houses you film in look eerily similar. You’re both very attractive. It would only make sense.”

Laurent’s smile drops. “I’m an academic. I don’t roll around with brutish Neanderthals.” He forces the innocence back onto his face. “You were asking about my upcoming novel?”

The interviewer takes the hint, although the smug smile never quite leaves his face. Laurent knows he’s going to get chewed out by Jord, but he told Jord that doing these interviews was becoming precarious. 

When Laurent walks back to the kitchen after the interview is over, there is a plate of food on the counter for him. He reaches for the fork, but Damen slides the plate away from him.

“Brutish Neanderthal?” Oh, so he was listening.

“I said I don’t roll around with brutish Neandethals. I just didn’t tell them that I do roll around with you. Besides, you know I didn’t mean it.”

Damen pouts but pushes the plate back to him. “I don’t know. You’ve been prickly all morning.”

Laurent ignores the food to wrap his arms around Damen’s shoulders. He’s sweaty, but for an athlete, he doesn’t smell all that bad. He’s tense in Laurent’s arms at first, but then twists in his chair to reciprocate the hug.

“You’re so mean,” Damen says with a kiss to his neck. “You’re really that against us living together officially? I thought this whole lock-down thing was proof that living together would work well.”

“I like living with you. I do actually like the idea of living together. It’s just…” Damen cups his face so that they are making eye contact. His beautiful brown eyes provide the reassurance that Laurent needs in order to say, “we said we would tell everyone about us when we moved in together.”

“Oh, so that’s the real issue.”

Laurent lets his hands fall to his sides and takes the seat next to his boyfriend. Damen is still looking at him with concern, so he keeps his own eyes trained on the plate of food in front of him instead. He is hungry, although he didn’t realise it earlier. 

“I want to do it on our own terms, but people have already started noticing. I think we should talk to our respective publicists and see if they have any recommendations for the best way to go about this. I already have a few ideas, so I think we should run them by our managers to get their opinion.”

Damen simply shrugs. “Or we could just let what happens happen.”

“You’re not serious. We have to take control of the narrative before it gets out of hand. Why would we just let people spin it in whatever way they want?”

“Because at the end of the day, they’re just speculating. We’re the only ones who know the truth about our relationship. I mean, what’s the worst people could come up with?”

Laurent narrows his eyes. “You can say that because none of your fans are the ones speculating. I’m the one who has to come up with excuses without outright lying.”

“And I know how much you love to lie.”

Laurent laughs despite himself. “I don’t love to lie. I’m just good at it when I do.”

“Exactly. Which is why I know that you’re more than capable of handling it. You know that I’ll be asking you for help if someone asks me.”

Laurent hums around a bite of honey yoghurt. Damen is right. They can handle this without getting their PR teams involved so early. Laurent is more than capable of handling his own relationship. 

They will get their teams involved when Damen’s fans start asking him about it. That shouldn’t be for a little while. For as long as the conspiracy is confined to the bookish side of the internet, they will be fine.

###

The funny thing about the internet is that there are no hard borders between various sides. One person can have many incredibly different interests. There are plenty of people who are fans of anime and classical music, boy bands and cooking shows, reading Laurent’s books and watching Damen play football.

Damen is on a live stream the very next day when he gets asked for the first time. 

The live stream is something Damen keeps calling a “work out with me,” but Laurent has no idea whether he is following a preexisting format or if he made it up. To the extent of Laurent’s knowledge, which is admittedly limited in terms of this subject matter, a “work out with me,” does not include discussions of relationship status.

So when Laurent comes out of the bathroom after his shower, he does not expect to hear Damen saying, “come on, guys. You know we’re trying to keep our relationship on the DL. You keep asking for a name, but how do you know you’ll even know who he is?”

Laurent happens to think that he is famous enough that some of Damen’s fans might have heard of him. From their friends and siblings though, since sports fans obviously do not read. That’s not really here nor there though, so he keeps his mouth closed.

“Laurent deVere? He’s the author, right?” Damen falters mid-push up then he smirks. “I think Mr. deVere is very attractive. He’s certainly my type. I wonder if I’m his…”

Laurent rolls his eyes. Damen knows well and good that he is the physical manifestation of Laurent’s type. 

“Guys, guys, I feel like no one is working out along with me at home,” he says with an unfairly adorable frown. “Why is everyone just guessing about my relationship instead?”

A moment’s silence where Damen changes position. Laurent uses the time to sit at the island, angling himself in the chair so that he has the perfect vantage point to watch the show. He is out of the shot, so there should be no accidental slip-ups.

“Okay, this is getting out of hand. Are we going to keep working out or am I going to have to cut the stream because you guys keep trying to pry?”

Oh, he’s so sexy when he gets authoritative. There is something fatherly about his tone but Laurent has neither the time nor energy to dive into that connection. Nevermind the fact that he really doesn’t want to think about his relatively absent and now deceased father. It’s fine. 

The ultimatum seemingly gets his viewers back on track since Damen continues narrating his workout. His voice is the perfect ambient noise for Laurent’s doom scrolling, a wonderful juxtaposition of calm and horrific. 

He becomes so caught up in an article about the progress made on the manufacturing of vaccines that he doesn’t bother to stifle his sneeze beyond covering his mouth with the inside of his elbow. He’s not a savage, after all.

“Bless you,” Damen says.

Laurent has placed his tongue against his teeth to form the word, “thanks,” before he thinks better of it. Damen, although he might have momentarily forgotten it, is still on a live-stream. 

Damen looks up at him and then purses his lips in an “oops,” expression. Laurent slaps his palm against his forehead which Damen laughs at until he glances back down at his phone. That’s when his grin becomes a grimace.

“Oh, come on. You guys already knew that I’ve been living with my boyfriend. Why are you all freaking out about hearing him sneeze?” A pause as he presumably reads the responses. “Yes, he does have a very cute sneeze. It matches his appearance.” Laurent throws a ketchup packet from their dinner last night with alarming accuracy. “Ouch! But it does not match his personality.”

Laurent smiles proudly as Damen rubs his forehead with a pout.

“Yes, one day I’ll introduce him, but today is not that day. Clearly he is feeling a little volatile today.” 

Damen scrunches up his face to make an indescribable expression at him. Laurent only raises an eyebrow. This live stream is taking forever and Damen promised that he would give feedback on what Laurent has written so far. The eyebrow raise seems to remind him of his promise.

“Alright guys, I am going to hop off for today so that I can hang out with my volatile boyfriend. I think he’s feeling a little neglected.” Damen ends the stream and walks up to Laurent. “We miscalculated.”

“I’ve already thought up an email draft to send to our managers.”

Damen kisses his temple. “My brilliant, brilliant boyfriend. I cannot wait for the world to know that you are mine.”

That sentence causes Laurent to hesitate. 

Why is he so afraid of letting people know who he is dating? He’s not ashamed of Damen. He is actively proud of everything that Damen is. 

From the sound of it, Damen’s fans are excited about the prospect of the two of them dating. Auguste would never actually be upset that Laurent is dating a member of his least favourite football team. Nicaise will probably just be glad that he’s getting laid and glad for the clout that his brother dating a footballer will provide. 

After nearly a year of dating, they might as well go public with their relationship. 

Next week. 

They might as well go public with their relationship next week after soaking in all the publicity this could afford them. Laurent is going to sell so many new books. Marlas City Bestselling Book, here he comes.

###

Laurent is halfway through his final interview before the release of his book. The interview has gone impeccably so far with no distractions from Damen or questions about Damen. Laurent has answered every question eloquently with minimal stuttering and filler words. 

The reason Laurent has been so focused is because of the practice he has had but also because Damen has gone out to lead a socially-distanced football training camp for children at risk. 

Laurent helped him plan and organise the entire venture and could not be more proud of Damen for coming up with such a selfless event. When he gets back, they’re going to discuss the possibility of starting a foundation to financially support those very same children. Damen wants it to be their foundation. Laurent wants that, too. 

The idea of telling the world about their relationship is not nearly as daunting as it had once been. He is so indescribably proud to stand by Damen’s side now.

(He has been getting ads for engagement rings recently. It makes him blush furiously, but he doesn’t close them as quickly as he used to.)

“I actually have been working on another novel,” Laurent explains when he is asked what’s next for him. The interview has gone a bit over in terms of time, but he can manage that. “Its topic is well out of my comfort zone so it has been a challenge to research, especially with everything going on in the world.”

“Would you mind giving us a sneak preview of what we should look forward to reading?”

Laurent hears the door open. Damen must be back. Hopefully he will remember that Laurent is doing an interview and go around the table. It would be disruptive if Laurent had to pause in order to remind him of that.

“Of course not. I think it would be okay if I were to give a quick synop–”

Damen, evidently, does not remember that Laurent is on a video call. He walks directly behind Laurent, ruffles his hair a bit, and then kisses the top of his head. Laurent’s eyes go wide, face flushing pink.

“Damen–” he protests instinctively. “I’m in the middle–”

The interviewer’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head, jaw dropped a bit. Damen’s shocked face is more petrified than anything. They like messing with each other but Damen would have never forced Laurent to come out about their relationship on purpose. 

“Well, I guess we’re doing this now,” Laurent says, sending a consoling smile Damen’s way. “That was my boyfriend, Damianos. We’ve been dating for almost nine months now. Any questions?”

The interviewer blinks a few times in confusion. All professionality goes out the window when he asks, “I think we’re all just hoping that you’ll start an OnlyFans.”

Damen laughs deeply and pokes his head into frame in order to wave. The appearance of his dimple undoubtedly makes people around the world swoon. It certainly makes Laurent swoon. Laurent kisses Damen’s cheek, right where the dimple sits to make sure there is no mistaking their relationship for what it really is.

“I don’t know about that, but we’re looking forward to making public appearances and potentially starting a nonprofit organisation together in order to help at-risk children and youth all across both Vere and Akielos.”

Laurent feels his face heat up again. He’s so proud, but he could never have imagined this coming to fruition.

His phone going off distracts both him and Damen from the interview. It’s a call from Auguste and countless texts from Nicaise. Damen’s phone is also ringing from his pocket, presumably a call from his teammate, Nikandros.

“Well, I believe that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you both so much for gracing us with your time! Truly a power-couple for the ages!”

The formality has been added since Damen made his presence known, but Laurent will let that slide. Despite his nerves, he’s on top of the world, more than ready to talk to Auguste, more than ready to tell Nicaise. More than ready for the world to know.

But more than all of that, he is ready to celebrate the success with Damen himself. Damen, who is beaming down at him and scooping him into a hug. 

“I’m so proud of you, Laurent.”

Laurent laughs in disbelief. How can Damen only be proud of him? Laurent is proud of both of them. Sure, they will have obstacles to overcome, but they will be doing it together. Conquering the world together.

Unless they break up, which is always a possibility. 

But when Laurent thinks back to how he felt upon seeing those ads for engagement rings, he really can’t even fathom that possibility.  Because really, who needs a meet-cute when you’ve got eternity?