Work Text:
1.
"Stef is staring at you!" Andrey giggled.
Making sure to have Daniil's attention, he kicked his shin - maybe a little too forcefully, but this way he could make sure to get a reaction.
Wisely foresighted, they had chosen a table at the end of the room so Andrey could see everything that was going on. He had the best seat of all of them, getting a good view of all people – players and their teams – keeping a close eye on them instead of focusing on the game. Karen seemed rather invested in his surroundings as well, while Daniil couldn’t care less about other people. Instead, he was very focused on the game.
They were playing the second round of Durak , much to Andrey's discontent. He wasn’t good at it, which meant he usually lost, and Andrey hated losing against Karen or Daniil. Unfortunately, you couldn't play chess with three people. Someone should invent that, though, since it would have rather caught Andrey's ambition.
"He does not," Daniil objected vehemently, even though he couldn't overlook the room. Demonstratively, he crossed his arms over his chest and wrinkled his nose, fervently staring at the cards in front of him.
Andrey had expected that stubborn answer. Daniil’s reaction was a defensive demeanour Andrey had often observed by now, especially when Daniil didn't want to agree with anything or anyone.
"He does,” Karen chimed in, grinning cheerfully. “And that outvotes you.”
“Don't turn around!" Andrey added immediately, afraid Daniil’s movement would attract unwanted attention.
Of course, Daniil didn't listen. That wasn’t surprising at all since he never listened to Andrey. Instead, he turned his head, only slightly, so it wasn’t too noticeable, at least.
Andrey followed Daniil's gaze towards Stefanos, who was suddenly staring rather intently at his phone, his face covered by his hair.
What kind of idiots they were , Andrey thought and snorted. He would never understand why they broke up, as both of them were clearly suffering. Those constant desperate glances, the secret stalking on Instagram (Andrey only had noticed that from Daniil, but Karen had told him that Stefanos had liked some of Daniil's pictures, probably by mistake), the way they tried to avoid each other. It was so tiring to witness.
Stef's cheeks were slightly flushed, and he frantically brushed some curls out of his face, his eyes never leaving his phone. As if nobody knew he was staring longingly at Daniil just until now.
"He seems tied up with his phone,” Daniil shrugged, facing back at Andrey and Karen. “And even if he’s not: Let him stare. I don't care about him.” Daniil tried hard to make his voice sound as unemotional and uninvolved as possible. But by now, Andrey knew him well enough to hear its slight tremor. Why was Daniil making his life so hard all by himself? Apparently, he was still trying to hide he was suffering because of their break-up. Andrey didn't know when was the last time he had seen Daniil with a relaxed expression on his face.
Day in, day out, he pressed his lips so tightly together that they were barely more than a thin pale line. And more often than usual, the people around Daniil got a grumpy retort.
“Oh, and you know what?” Karen continued, completely unconcerned, as he defended Daniil’s attack card. “He still looks at you like you're single-handedly the most beautiful person on earth.”
Daniil almost choked on his water and started coughing so loud that Andrey was sure they would have the attention of some other players soon. Alexander Bublik wasn’t sitting far from them, and that crazy man understood Russian.
For a brief moment, Andrey thought Daniil would turn to Stefanos again as if he needed confirmation of Karen’s words. But he stopped just in time, so it looked more like a weird twitching of his head.
"And you know what?” Karen continued, smirking a little, “he is the only one thinking so.”
"Thank you, guys," Daniil snapped, throwing a card onto the table. "I appreciate your friendship a lot. Can we continue the game now, please? I really don’t care about Stefanos Tsitsipas anymore.”
“Sure,” Karen answered with a shrug, his lips twitching in amusement. Andrey was so caught in the moment, staring back and forth between Stefanos and Daniil, that he almost forgot it was his turn.
Daniil glared at him, and Andrey hurried to play a card, acting as if he was afraid. It was nothing but a show, really. Daniil's glances barely had any effect on Andrey. They knew each other all too well for that.
Andrey grinned smugly as he placed his card on the pile. With his move, he could prevent Daniil from emptying his hand. Daniil grumbled and Karen chuckled, while Andrey was quite pleased with himself.
There was some winning spirit left in him, so he tried not to think much about Stefanos or Daniil and their stupid love problems.
Instead, he concentrated on his cards again. He didn’t want to be the loser again, after all.
Thankfully, they provided some towels for the players. It was far too hot, the sun was burning, and sweat was running down Andrey’s face, even though he didn't even have to move.
It was media day, which required them to hang around on a court and answer more or less the same old questions all over again. And it was the reason why Andrey was standing on the court wearing a tennis outfit but wasn’t allowed to play. Instead, he constantly dried his face.
Why did they schedule the interviews during noon when the sun was the strongest?
On top of all of that, Daniil suggested that Andrey should take off his shirt to use the waiting time to get a bit of a tan. As if Daniil wasn't similarly pale.
Someone in the ATP management had come up with the idea of these group interviews to make something more interactive this time. Andrey didn’t care for the reason behind it. A group interview meant less talking for him and that was enough to convince him. He was standing next to Daniil now, along with Hubert Hurkacz, and Jannik Sinner, waiting for their turn. Having Daniil in his group was good - maybe Andrey could just sit there and smile and hope Daniil would take care of everything. His brain was molten already and he wasn't sure if any English was left in it.
The group prior to them had started a little late (unsurprisingly, Sascha was part of it and had not turned up on time, as usual). This was why the four of them stood cramped together in the tiny shadow of a sorry excuse of a parasol, waiting for the other group to finish filming the interviews.
Hubi apparently came prepared, seemingly having known they would have to kill some time. He had a huge backpack with him, which he dropped down onto one of the benches and took out a huge box.
“Watermelon, anyone?” He opened the box and proudly presented several pieces of watermelon. He held the box out to each of them, and Andrey took one gratefully. He hadn't eaten watermelon for ages.
“No, thanks. I don’t like watermelon that much” Daniil shook his head but at least looked as if he appreciated Hubi's offer.
“Well, I'll certainly take some,” Jannik replied and briskly grabbed a piece out of the box. A short time later, the two of them were already munching on their third piece of melon.
In the meantime, Daniil was inspecting the court intently. His gaze wandered over the empty stands like he expected something (or someone) to abruptly show up.
“I'd take a slice of watermelon now if you have some left,” Daniil suddenly said.
"Sure, help yourself," Hubi held the box towards him, and Daniil took out one of the slices. It was apparent what changed Daniil’s mind and Andrey didn't even have to turn his head and take a look.
Seconds later, Stefano's voice echoed over the court, talking quite animatedly to Feliciano Lopez. He kept inserting some Spanish terms, probably proud of himself because he had learned them from Feli. (It sounded kind of awkward but Andrey was the last person to judge other people's language skills).
He turned to see better, and, as expected, the two of them walked straight in their direction. When Stefanos saw Daniil, the constant flow of words stopped. He kept glancing at Daniil repeatedly, not even trying to hold back, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape.
The way Daniil chewed on his watermelon could barely be called eating. Every three years old surely made less of a mess than Daniil. The juice trickled down his fingers, and Daniil began to lick it off with pleasure - carefully lapping his tongue around each finger.
Usually, Daniil hated sticky fingers. But the man who even ate burgers with a knife and a fork now looked like he enjoyed licking one finger after the other, deliberately taking his time. Andrey rolled his eyes and groaned inwardly. The things Daniil went through only to annoy Stefanos in every way possible became more and more, which was completely unnecessary. Stefanos was hardly able to take his eyes off Daniil. He probably imagined utterly different things (things Andrey definitely didn’t want to know details about) that Daniil could lick off with that motivation.
The tension between them felt like some heat imagination for a moment because Jannik and Hubi continued eating their melons undisturbed. But then Andrey briefly brushed Feli's gaze, who rolled his eyes demonstratively, nodding towards Stef. Andrey realized that he was certainly not the only one who was somehow annoyed here. Maybe he and Feli should start a self-help group for friends of lovesick idiots.
At some point, after what felt like ages, it was their turn to start the interviews, and Hubi finally put his watermelon back in his backpack, and they walked over to the chairs. Not before drying their faces one last time.
"What did you just say?" Daniil asked the interviewer, who explained to them the seating order. He hadn't listened to any of the instructions.
Of course, he hadn’t. Stefanos was still there. He now held a cone with two huge ice-cream scoops, chocolate, and something fruity, judging by the red colour — wherever he got that from. Quite gleefully, he began to lick at it and - unsurprisingly - kept glancing in their direction.
Andrey sighed. He wanted to get out of here. Quickly. Just get away and listen to some music in peace in his room. He certainly did not want to watch Daniil and Stefanos trying to eat erotically or whatever it was they were up to. From his point of view, it was nothing but ridiculous.
Daniil shifted back and forth in his seat so that even Hubi looked suspiciously at one point.
"Stef is doing that on purpose," Daniil whispered to Andrey with a furious snort while someone adjusted the camera.
"That, my dear Daniil,” Andrey sighed, “is your own fault.”
Andrey was already drinking his second coffee today while waiting for his coach to show up at breakfast. He had made himself comfortable at one of the small tables close to the breakfast buffet.
Well, as comfortable as possible, after all, since he felt the previous evening's match in his bones with every move. That’s why he was not motivated to walk even one meter more than necessary. Stefanos, sitting with his team at the table next to Andrey, apparently had a similar idea.
Andrey felt a little sorry that the break-up of Daniil and Stefanos had affected his friendship with Stef. Before, they had gotten along exceptionally well, had some interesting conversations whenever they met, and joked a lot in the locker room. Andrey was grateful that Stefanos tried to speak as much Russian as possible. Obviously, it was to impress Daniil in the first place, but it helped Andrey to open up.
Now Stefanos seemed to keep a sort of safety distance from all of Daniil's friends. He was still polite and always greeted Andrey, but they didn't speak much anymore. Stef always had to go somewhere quickly, as if he feared Daniil would show up any minute. Because of that, Andrey had arranged a training session with Stefanos later this morning. Maybe they could exchange a few more words in private than just meaningless small talk.
If Andrey had known what a perfect spot he had to watch the drama firsthand, certainly, he would have sat somewhere else. Far, far away from Stefanos and Daniil. It was the feeling of helplessness that made all this exhausting. Andrey simply didn't know what to do, and he didn't even know whose side he was on. Were there even sides?
Matteo Berrettini was standing at the buffet, trying to balance a plate of bread, a bowl of fruit, and a glass of orange juice in his hands. At the same time, he looked hesitantly and a little helpless at the boiled eggs he probably also wanted to take with him. But sadly, he lacked another hand for that.
With all the healthy food, Andrey almost felt guilty as he looked at the sorry excuse of his meal. His breakfast included too much coffee and not enough bread or other nutritious things.
However, carrying all the plates seemed a bit too difficult for Matteo. Briefly, Andrey considered offering his help. Matteo did indeed look a little... disorganized, but Andrey didn't even get the chance to get up.
Out of nowhere, Daniil stepped up to the buffet and engaged Matteo in a conversation. From his place, Andrey couldn't hear what they were saying, but a short time later, Daniil took the glass and the bowl out of Matteo's hand and brought it to his place.
Well, that was unexpected.
Not that Daniil was an overall and unfriendly person in general. When it came to his friends and family, he always supported them in every way. But on tour? He rarely interacted with other players he wasn’t on a friendly basis with.
And now, he carried Matteo’s plates as if Daniil had been a servant in his previous life while beaming as if he had just won a grand slam. He made it seem like there was nothing better than carrying Matteo's food for him. A moment later, Matteo also walked to his table, having only a small plate in one of his hands, and sat down. Daniil stood still for a moment while Matteo thanked him, smiling brightly at Daniil once more. After what felt like ages, Daniil left the table, not without brushing Matteo's shoulder once more. It wasn't a particularly long moment, but Andrey had seen it anyway.
And he didn't even need to look at Stefanos to know that he had seen everything too.
Stefanos was handling his knife so clumsily that it landed on the floor. The clang was not particularly loud, but Andrey still felt that the whole room was watching what Stef would do next. A smirking Daniil included, probably not surprised about the reaction.
Andrey rolled his eyes. This kindergarten was annoying. And when Stefanos finally jumped up and frantically left the room, Andrey had no choice but to continue drinking his coffee and make a plan how to end this mess. Step one would be talking to Stef. Andrey needed some answers.
Apostolos Tsitsipas was not particularly pleased with his son. Everyone could see that, not only the people understanding Greek. The shouting was apparent. But Stefanos didn’t get anything done today.
It took Andrey only a few seconds to see that Stefanos was moody . After a short warm-up, they hit the balls at each other as hard as possible. Not that it bothered Andrey. But the aggression Stefanos put into every ball was not well controlled. He missed many shots; everything was too uncontrolled and with far too much anger. Andrey tried to return most of them, not caring about the exact placement - it was a practice, not a match. But of course, Apostolos Tsitsipas saw that most of the shots of his son were out. And Stefanos didn’t look like he cared at all, smashing ball after ball. They continued for a few minutes until Stefanos stopped and talked to his Dad, followed by a short conversation between Apostolos and Fernando. Then his coach jogged towards Andrey. “Stefanos is not continuing his practice,” he informed him. Well, that wasn’t surprising after all.
Andrey was already about to leave when Stefanos came to him. His bags over his shoulders, looking like he just lost an important match.
"I'm so sorry I stopped the practice, Andrey. It wasn't right. We agreed to train together, and I let you down, I…,” he started talking. Staring at the grounds, he stepped from one foot to another.
"It’s okay, Stef."
"But it's not fair to you, and normally -"
"Stef, it's okay. You don't look like you did it on purpose." What else should he say? I am sorry Daniil is flirting with other people? It was easy to forget that it was Stef who ended their relationship.
"I didn't."
"Tell me what's going on then. We haven't talked in a while. Is it because of Danya?"
Everybody knew the answer, but how do you start a conversation about other people's relationship problems? Usually, Andrey had Karen for that. Karen, the person who never had a problem with asking a million questions - even the most private ones.
"Hm."
"Because of the thing with Matteo this morning?" How do you address the flirt at breakfast in a neutral way? More realistic would have been because of Daniil’s excessive and ridiculous attempt to flirt with Matteo . But Andrey already felt sorry for Stef.
"Hm."
"Are you jealous?" Another silly question. Everyone could see that Stefanos was jealous. But Andrey wasn’t sure if that stupid man realized that himself, so he had to ask that in a direct way.
"Hm."
"You were the one who broke up with Daniil."
"I know that,” Stefanos finally answered with a pained expression. Like Andrey’s words had stabbed him.
"I see it bothers you."
"Daniil can do whatever he wants. He's a free man who can flirt with Matteo as much as he likes to do." Stef said in a pitched voice, desperately trying to sound confident.
"But you're still jealous."
"Hm."
"Are you going to tell me why you broke up with him?" Andrey finally asked. He needed to know that, although he felt like an intruder whenever he asked intimate questions.
"Do I have a choice?" Stefanos' voice was small, and it was hard to understand his words.
"No, you don't."
“Fine, but not here. We can meet in my room in ten minutes.” That being said, Stefanos hurriedly walked past Andrey and left. He was probably scared about another question.
Fifteen minutes later, Andrey was sitting in Stefanos' room. He was seated in one of the chairs, opening the coke Stef had offered him. Stefanos was sitting on his bed, staring at the ground and struggling with his words. The silence was hard to bear, but Andrey didn’t want to put more pressure on Stefanos. So he waited for Stef to start talking without stressing him by repeating the questions.
"I had to do it myself,” Stef finally said.
Andrey blinked in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I couldn't have handled it if Daniil had broken up with me. My self-confidence is already at a point where I have to pull it together with a lot of work. Do you think a break-up would help?"
Andrey wasn’t quite sure whether he heard correctly. Maybe he was getting old and his ears were letting him down. "Wh– why do you think Daniil would have broken up with you?"
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"
Dumbfounded, Andrey looked at the man in front of him.
"You're serious,” he inquired. “You’re seriously asking me this, aren't you?" It was not obvious, by all means. Andrey knew Daniil’s first girlfriend; he knew Dasha well, but he had never seen someone turn Daniil into that soft and caring person as Stefanos did. Daniil hid it well, but the little smiles, the little touches, and defending words - Daniil was crazy about Stefanos. How could Stef not see that?
"Andrey, I– Well, I know I have nothing to offer, you know?” Stef explained himself, his brows furrowed in desperation. “I am good-looking, but that's it. How am I supposed to compete with someone like Daniil?”
“A relationship is not a competition.”
And that statement about appearance... Stefanos was creative, multi-talented, interested in art and stuff like that, he was literate — Daniil could probably write a book about Stef’s features.
“I know that.”
“Do you think your relationship was only for physical affection?”
“A bit. That would explain why Daniil doesn’t like spending time with me.”
“Why do you think that?”
“He never wants me to go with him somewhere. I don’t think it would be a problem if we spent time together as friends. But he acts like he is ashamed to be seen with me,” Stef mumbled. He sounded like he was close to crying, both hands forcefully clutching at the sheets. Well, that was true, apparently. They had barely spent time together outside the privateness of their rooms. When it was only the Russians, it was out of the question that Stefanos would accompany them. But at events that were attended by other players as well, Daniil and Stefanos always appeared separated. Sometimes they were not even talking to each other the entire night. And more often, Stefanos was not even around or already leaving after the official parts finished.
At some point, Andrey had asked Daniil why he never invited Stef to come along. Daniil had answered that he didn’t want to pressure Stef to be with other people, clearly insecure about his social skills. His answer was short, but Andrey couldn’t miss the protective sound.
And Andrey didn’t think any further. Not being the most social person himself, he thought it was nice that Daniil cared so much about Stef’s feelings. But Andrey thought they talked before deciding where they should go together. Obviously, they had not. Stefanos’s sad face told more than words. He really believed that Daniil didn’t want to be seen with him.
God, they were both indeed big idiots.
“Did you talk to Danya about how uncomfortable you felt?”
“I-”
“Like, did you tell him that you feel like that?”
“I was scared…”
“Oh, Stef…” Andrey didn’t know whether he should feel pity or roll his eyes. “So you’re telling me that some communication problems caused your break-up?”
“But Daniil doesn’t…”
“Do you actually believe he would have broken up with you?”
“Yes. I am not jealous of Matteo. Daniil can search for a new partner. I meant nothing important to him, and we are better enemies than lovers. But that’s okay. I can work on my self-confidence and insecurities now that we have broken up. And when I am better, I will find someone who enjoys spending time with me as I am. Hopefully.”
Andrey stood up and slung his arms around Stefanos. He didn’t know what to say, and a hug was never wrong. Daniil and Stefanos were such idiots. Not that Andrey could blame them. Communication with other people, even loved ones, wasn’t his strong trait either, and he was lucky that Nastya was so understanding and supportive every time Andrey was a mess. But they have been together for seven years now. Initially, they struggled a lot, but mainly because of Nastya, they still had each other. Andrey was grateful to have her every single day. Relationships were hard work, and he hoped Daniil and Stefanos would at least try to solve their problems. It didn’t seem too hard if they could be honest with each other.
“Daniil is not interested in Matteo. I can assure you. And I think there is still a chance that you can solve all of this mess. You need to talk to Daniil, and you have to be open about everything ,” Andrey eventually said, deliberately choosing his words. “I think you both misinterpreted many things and you can only figure them out by talking to each other. By really talking to each other.”
“I…,” Stef searched for the right words, running a hand through his hair. “Andrey, I am afraid of talking to Daniil. I just cannot handle his harsh words when he closes himself off. I know there are many things about my personality you can make fun of, I know many people do behind my back. But it hurts when Daniil is the person who is saying them out loud, into my face.”
Andrey knew what Stef was talking about. While Stefanos’ insecurities caused him to run away, Daniil put these walls around him. Walls built out of nasty and mean words.
Andrey sighed. First, he needed to talk to Karen and then to Daniil to see whether there was any hope left for this couple. But at least he had to make a few things clear, to get things right. Andrey felt like he owed it to Stefanos.
“Let me talk to Karen, and then we will see,” Andrey said, touching Stef’s upper arm supportively. “I will tell you when I think it’s a good moment to talk to Daniil. And then I want you to be honest. You hear me, Stef? Be honest. You can’t overcome this break-up if you never address the problems which caused it.”
Stefanos nodded, but he didn’t say anything. Andrey decided it was his time to leave; he’d said everything here. He was already at the door when he turned back to Stefanos, who was still sitting on the bed with a blank expression on his face.
“And… Stef, I like you the way you are. I wish you would talk to me again. I miss spending time with you. It doesn’t matter to me whether you and Daniil are together or not. Just don’t run away from me anymore, okay?”
“I won’t.” Stef shook his head and forced a smile onto his face. “Thanks, Andrey.”
Carefully, Karen listened to Andrey’s words. Immediately after Andrey left Stefanos’ room, he ran to Karen to tell him about everything Stefanos had confided.
At first, Karen didn’t say anything; he just nodded like he understood everything Andrey was explaining to him. But soon, he started shaking his head in disbelief.
“What the fuck? They are both so… dumb?”
Andrey nodded. Stefanos and Daniil were indeed dumb and horrible at handling their emotions. Or talking about their feelings. Or at being in a relationship in general.
“We should talk to Daniil now,” Karen suggested, already standing up, gesturing towards Andrey to follow him. Maybe they should solve this as fast as possible before the situation gets out of their hands. Seconds later, they hurried through the hotel doors hoping for Daniil to be in his room.
Finally there, Karen forcefully knocked on Daniil’s door. It took only a few seconds until Daniil opened, staring at them in confusion. “Did I forget an appointment?”
“We need to talk to you,” Karen said, rushing into the room without caring about an answer. Andrey followed, looking a bit apologetic at Daniil for the intrusion. Both of them sat on the little sofa next to the window while Daniil stood in the middle of the room, his arms crossed and staring at them intensely. “So?”
“First of all, you are a horrible person, Daniil,” Karen started, and Andrey winced a bit. Why was Karen always such a direct person?
“And you came here to tell me that?”
“Yes.”
“Do you also tell me what I have done to be called horrible?” Daniil asked, raising an eyebrow. He was already building his defensive wall around him, his tense jaw muscles giving it away.
“We don’t like how you treat Stef,” Andrey chimed in. He tried to speak in his most neutral voice, not wanting to cause an even bigger disagreement.
“You don’t… what? He broke up with me, and you come here to tell me that?”
“Yes, a break-up is no reason to be an arse,” Karen answered.
“The melon was rather fun, but flirting with Matteo? Stef had to stop our practice because he couldn’t control his emotions,” Andrey continued, giving Karen’s hard words a bit of context.
“So your real problem is that you couldn’t practice as much as you wanted, and you needed someone to blame?” Daniil squinted his eyes, sneering a bit.
“No, we want to tell you how much your actions affect him,” Karen explained.
“Good. Stefanos deserves that.”
“Does he? I thought you love him,” Karen also crossed his arms, hardly hiding his anger. Andrey couldn’t blame him. Why was Daniil like that? Why did he hide his real emotions even with his close friends?
“Whether I love him or not doesn’t have anything to do with that. He broke up with me, did you forget about that? I don’t get why you come here, stab me in the back and request me to feel guilty now.”
“You should talk to him about the reasons,” Karen said with an icy voice.
“ He could have talked to me while breaking up. I am not interested in his reasons anymore.”
That was the moment Andrey lost his patience.
“Danya, stop it,” Andrey raised his voice, jumping from the sofa, standing in front of Daniil now with his hands on his hips.
Daniil flinched and stared at Andrey with wide-open eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but was apparently too shocked. Karen tried not to smirk, obviously impressed by Andrey's order.
“Please, be honest, Daniil. If it’s true that you don’t care about Stefanos anymore, Karen and I will leave this room, and we won’t continue talking to you about him. But I don’t believe you. You miss him; you miss him a lot . We are your friends, Daniil, but I don’t like that you try to shut us out all the time, that you lie to us about your feelings. Is there even one single person you talk to openly? Have you been honest with Stefanos? You try to be this hard and strong person all the time. I wish you could see that you don’t have to. We know you. And we are not leaving you only because you show some emotions here and there. But I can’t stand this fake Daniil anymore.” Andrey ended his monologue and with every word, his voice became quieter and quieter.
Daniil stared at him, not looking away for a second. Nobody said anything. You could only hear the loud breaths of everyone in the room, creating an uncomfortable mood that made Andrey’s skin crawl.
Daniil didn’t answer. He just continued to stare at Andrey, heavily thinking about the words.
“I am sorry that I am such a horrible friend,” he finally said, his arms slumping down as he looked intently at his toes.
“You are a horrible friend, and you were a horrible boyfriend,” Karen commented and Andrey gulped at the brutal honesty.
“I was not horrible, and I tried to consider Stef’s personality in everything I have done.”
“You made him feel uncomfortable and insecure,” Andrey said. He considered this a good moment to tell Daniil some of the reasons for the break-up he got to know from Stef.
Daniil’s walls finally broke completely. He exhaled and bit onto his lip, closing his eyes for a short second.
“I did what!?”
“You made fun of him, didn’t you?” Karen asked.
“As you say, it was fun . He knew that,” Daniil snapped at him.
“Did he?”
“Of course, why should I be in a relationship with him when I meant everything?” Daniil looked at Karen in bewilderment, as if he couldn’t understand what Karen just asked.
“To have sex with the hottest man on earth?” Andrey suggested.
“Well, that was a nice extra. But that’s not a reason to be in a relationship.”
“Stef thinks that.”
“That’s just not true! I love Stef! But he doesn’t want me anymore! Why do we have this conversation? He left me because he thought I was not good enough for him. And now you are trying to tell me it was my fault?”
Daniil did not wait for an answer. He rushed out of his room without glancing at Karen or Andrey again. The door fell shut with a loud bang, making both Karen and Andrey flinch.
After long moments spent in silence that assured them Daniil wouldn’t come back soon, they exchanged a brief look.
“I think we should send Stef after him,” Karen eventually said. “They need to talk now, or one of them will do something idiotic.”
Andrey nodded. Love could make such a horrible mess of emotions.
6.
"Daniil, what are you doing?"
Daniil had hoped that no one had overheard his little... outburst. However, it was probably hard to miss. Though he had expected Andrey. Or Karen. Not that he wanted to see them right now. Why did he even consider them friends when they attacked him like that? As if all of this had been his fault.
But at least, seeing one of them would have been better than facing Stefanos. Standing in the middle of the room with his hands buried deep in his pockets, he stared at Daniil with wide eyes.
"What do you want from me?" Daniil snapped at him harshly. Why did Stefanos always stare like that? Why did Stefanos have such beautiful eyes? And what was this ridiculous pink jumper Stefanos was wearing?
"Talk to you,” Stef replied softly and nodded toward the rowing machine. "And to tell you that it's not the poor gym's fault either."
"I thought you said I wasn't a good influence on you, and I am not good enough.” Daniil hissed at him. He certainly didn't need to be lectured to by Stefanos. “So why do you want to talk to me voluntarily? Where's your dad? Who's looking out for you if evil Daniil says anything inappropriate to you again?"
"I... Daniil... Danya..." Stef stammered, shifting from one leg to another and looking down at his feet.
"What?" Daniil scoffed, "Can you manage a complete sentence, or is that too complicated for you?"
"Daniil - I… This is-”
"Oh, is your head empty once again?"
Daniil knew he was being mean, but he couldn't resist. He clenched his hands into fists to prevent punching the poor rowing machine once again, although he desperately needed to find some way to release the pressure that had built up inside him. Why was being mean so much easier? He didn't even have to think about his answers, he just threw the words unfiltered at Stef. For a tiny moment, it felt good to see how much Stef reacted to him, to know what power he still had over him. Maybe Karen and Andrey were right. Daniil was a horrible human being.
Unsurprisingly, the good feeling didn't last long. Daniil saw the tears slowly running down Stef's cheeks. Stefanos looked like he wanted to say something, but instead, he just exhaled several times.
"I'm not even worth it to you to get a reasonable answer?" Daniil kept poking. Deeper and deeper. Stef's tears had turned into sobs by now. He fought against the tears but it was no use, so he frantically wiped them away with his sleeve. It was not much of a help. His cheeks were wet again in an instant, making Daniil feel like shit. Everything inside him was tense, every muscle had contracted, and he could not breathe. Daniil wanted to throw up.
But Stef deserved it, didn’t he? Stef had broken up with him without giving him any real reason, and he was the guilty one. Not Daniil.
And yet. At the same time, Daniil couldn't stand how uncontrollably Stef cried. How lost he looked. As if he would like to sink into the ground and never come back. Daniil wanted Stef to come back to him. He wanted to dry Stef’s tears, to bury his nose in his golden hair and inhale the scent of his shampoo while holding him close.
You made him feel uncomfortable and insecure. Andrey’s words echoed in his head. Maybe he didn’t deserve Stefanos coming back to him.
"Isn’t it the other way around?" Stef blurted out after the tears had subsided a little.
"What?" Daniil blinked in confusion, having almost forgotten about their discussion.
"With being good enough."
"I'm not sure I understand you." Daniil was still puzzled, not able to make the connection.
"I'm just not your level, and I should have realized that much sooner. I'm sorry for wasting so many months of your time. I…”
"Stef, what the hell are you talking about?"
"That I took your time because I convinced us that we were perfect for each other. But I realized that I couldn't keep up with you. I'm not as clever as you. I'm not... I am nothing except my looks. And that's not enough for a smart person like you. I've realized that I'm just a burden to you. You don't like spending time with me, except when we're having sex."
"Stef!?"
"And I understand that you do not want people to know about us. I'm not worth all the stress, and I understand that. You have to believe me; I don't blame you. But I thought, if I break up, at least I don't have to feel even more miserable for being dumped.”
Daniil stared at Stef with his mouth open and widened eyes.
"You are trying to tell me that you broke up with me because you thought I was going to break up with you anyway, and so that wouldn't happen; you did it as a precaution?" It was less of a question and more of a detection and suddenly many pieces clicked together.
"Maybe?!" Stef croaked, looking at Daniil with red and swollen eyes.
"How stupid are you exactly?" Daniil said but there was no force behind his words. Instead, affection crept into his voice and and facial expression softened.
"Very stupid, obviously."
"Oh, god, Stef."
Daniil helplessly looked at the man in front of him. What was he supposed to say, to do now? He thought Andrey was joking earlier, was being overly dramatic. That Stef had only told him some things to look like the innocent one. But Daniil never would have thought that Stefanos was truly that insecure.
"What makes you think I don't like spending time with you?" Daniil reached out for Stef to touch him, to caress his cheek, but he stopped himself mid-motion. He wasn’t sure if it was wanted, after all.
“Because you never want me to be with you,” Stef answered as if he were reciting facts.
“I thought you don’t like these events. You always tell me how uncomfortable they make you,” Daniil didn’t know when he felt that helpless the last time. Was there even one thing about their relationship he assessed correctly?
“They do. But do you think always being left out by your boyfriend makes it better?”
“I thought you would tell me if you want something.”
“I tried. But you are always so… I don’t know how to say. I don’t want to give you more reasons to make fun of me.”
“I never make fun of you. I am just joking a bit?” That was the truth. Of course, Daniil liked teasing Stefanos. The man he loves was an odd person, after all. But honestly, that’s why Daniil loved him and not someone like Matteo, who was nice and sympathetic but also very, very boring.
“Well… it doesn’t feel like a joke. It feels like you need someone close to you to always crack a joke about and make fun of to make yourself feel better .”
"Why have you never told me? I thought you knew this was all fun?"
Daniil looked at him in complete shock, causing tears to run down Stef's cheeks once again.
"I shouldn't whine constantly; I just have to accept some things,” Stef mumbled, hiding his face behind his hair.
"Stef, I am your partner . Was. Am. Whatever. I don't want you to feel like that with me. I love you."
Daniil's head felt like it was going to burst. He didn't know how to handle all his emotions. He wanted to scream, he wanted to punch against something, he just wanted to cope with all the chaos inside him.
“I think that was only the third time ever you told me that you love me.”
Daniil blinked, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Had he really said it so scarcely?
'Fuck, Stef, I... I'm so sorry. Everything. I don't know what to say. I–" Daniil reached out, not stopping this time, and caressed Stefanos's fingers. "I want to be your boyfriend again. And I want to make everything better. I want to show you that I need you. That I want you to be part of my life. And maybe we should... talk more. I promise I am not going to make fun of you anymore. At least, I will try my best. And maybe you will try to tell me when I do something wrong. I don’t realize myself. I am sorry that I am such a horrible person. ”
“You are not horrible, Daniil.”
“I was told so today.”
“By Andrey?”
“No, Karen.”
Stef chuckled almost inaudibly. “He is allowed to say so because he has to bear with you all the time. But I don’t think you are horrible, Daniil. I just wish you would be a little bit friendlier sometimes.”
Daniil couldn’t stop some tears running down his face. He had the talent to mess everything up. Maybe he should apologize to Andrey and Karen too, knowing he owed everything to them.
“Daniil?”
“Hm?”
“Can I kiss you now?”
7.
"You can stop sticking your tongues into each other’s mouth, you know? Everyone in this room knows that you are a couple now,” Karen said.
Then Stef giggled, and Andrey could hear some rustling.
"Karen, can I look again?"
“Yes, they stopped.”
Andrey took his hands down and stared at the couple on the other side of the table. They had only separated a few millimeters, with their arms and legs still touching.
When Andrey glared at them once again, Daniil took Stef’s face in his hands to give him another kiss.
“Daniil, I don’t want to see this, “Andrey whined. These men would kill and bury him one day.
Stefanos had a silly grin on his face for the entire day, showing he didn’t mind this at all. All night he was giggling and smiling at Daniil, touching him nearly every second. They really turned into the annoying couple mode after all the drama.
“I don’t care about you, Andrey,” Daniil said, but he was smiling slightly apologetically. I am so happy that we could save our relationship, his face said. Andrey sighed. Me too, Daniil, me too , and just smiled back. Daniil and Stefanos still had a lot of work to do. But both put a lot of effort into their second chance, and Andrey knew that would be enough.