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Leandro was standing just outside the door of Nottingham’s locker room. Although it doesn't look like it, today's game wasn't really easy. The Belgian could feel the pressure on his shoulders, they had to win.
A hand on his back takes him away from his thoughts “Are you ok?” Martin asks
"Yes I think."
“It's going to be fine, let's go” Martin says before leaving a kiss on the oldest’s forehead and runs to the field to warm up.
Leandro smiled at the act. He never understood why the captain was so affectionate with him. His teammates were always teasing him saying that the youngest clearly had a crush on him, but Leandro didn't believe that, although deep down he wanted it to be true.
Sometimes Leandro felt sorry for Martin, he was always so strong and determined, it seemed that nothing could shake him. But he knew that deep down Martin was just being strong by being team captain. Everyone knows that the captain has to set an example.
Today he would be in the starting lineup due to Gabriel's injury and he couldn't make mistakes. He had received a lot of hate messages last week about Brighton's second goal, which was clearly his fault, and he wanted to apologize to the fans by giving his all in the game. He took a deep breath and left the locker room onto the field.
****
They lost 1-0. A bad pass. A Arsenal's mistake. A Forest goal. That's all it took for them to hand City the title on a platter.
At this point Leandro was frustrated. They could easily have won the game, they had so many good and clear opportunities, but luck was not on their side.
He had just arrived at the hotel room he shared with Gabi, who was already lying in bed. Frustration was turning to pain and Leandro could feel a lump forming in his throat. He wanted to cry. The dream of being Premier League champions was so close to being in their hands and they managed to fuck it up.
Without realizing it, Leandro was crying compulsively sitting on his bed.
He didn't know how to deal with all the ‘City champions' posts, much less the nasty comments on Twitter and the mentions of bottling the league.
He can hear Gabi get out of bed and open the door. Probably to go sleep somewhere else because of him.
Leandro feels bad for being selfish with his teammate, Gabi should also be sad and frustrated but it didn't bother him.
The Belgian heard two voices coming from the door and looked back to see Gabi leave the room and Martin enter.
“W-what are you doing h-here?” Leandro asks looking at Martin with wet eyes.
“Gabi told me you weren't feeling well and I came to see you”
Leandro made a mental note to kill Gabi the next day.
“There was no need” Leandro says wiping his eyes with trembling hands “I'm fine” Martin gives a small smile
"Can I seat?"
Leandro nods and the youngest sits on the edge of the bed, next to the oldest.
“I know it hurts” Martin states “it hurts even more to know it was all our fault, doesn't it?”
Leandro nods again, holding back his tears. Martin takes a hand to the thigh of the oldest who shudders with the touch.
“You know you can talk to me, right?” Martin says quietly and lies on his side on the bed “Lie down here”
Leandro obeys by lying down, also on his side, facing his captain.
The Belgian takes a deep breath before starting to speak.
“ I've always dreamed of winning the Premier League, like any player I think. However, while I was at Brighton that dream seemed so far away that I hardly thought about it. When I came to Arsenal everything changed. Since January, all I could think about was the possibility of finally realizing my dream” Leandro sighs “This could be my only opportunity, I'm not young with a promising future like you” Leandro says smiling slightly.
“You still have a lot of future ahead of you. You're not that old. Maybe we can win next year. We're not bad, we just didn't have luck on our side."
"I know that. I just digressed a bit. Do you think I'm crazy?" Leandro asks unconsciously.
"Of course. It is normal at times like these to think too much.” The Norwegian smiles.
"Can I ask you something? It has nothing to do with this” Leandro looks away from Martin's face for the first time.
"Sure"
“Why are you so affectionate with me?”
"What do you mean? I'm kind to everyone," Martin says with a smirk.
“I will rephrase the question: Why are you more affectionate with me than with others?”
"You tell me. I wonder why?" Martin asks, leaning forward a little, lifting a hand to brush a small stray lock of hair from Leandro's forehead.
Leandro shrugged, too embarrassed to formulate a sentence.
“Maybe it's because I like you a little more than the others” Martin says, caressing the Belgian's cheeks.
"Don't do this to me" Leandro laments embarrassed
"Do what?" Martin moves even closer to him. Leandro feels his heart beat faster and faster.
“Don't fool me please” Leandro takes his hand to the side of the youngest's face until he brings their heads even closer, leaving their lips millimeters apart
Martin drops a hand to the elder's waist and grazes his lips before closing the distance between them.
The Norwegian kisses even better than he imagined. The hot tongue explored every corner of his oral cavity.
Leandro dug his fingers into Martin's neck as he slid his hand from his waist to the back of his thigh, pulling his leg over him, so that the two of them got impossibly closer.
They kiss for some more time until Martin kisses the tip of his nose before turning, taking Leandro along, who now has his back to the mattress.
Martin settle down between Leandro's legs, laying his head on his chest. The older one takes his hands to the younger’s hair and smiles.
“I really like you” Martin says already yawning.
“Don't fall asleep on top of me. You're gonna kill me” Leandro laughs, but quickly realizes it was too late. He smiles goofily, pretending he won't wake up all sore the next day.
“I really like you too” Leandro says before falling asleep too.
****
Leandro wakes up at 9 am and realizes that they are incredibly late for breakfast. A good part of Martin was no longer on top of him, just a leg and an arm that held tightly to his waist.
“Martin, wake up” he says, giving the younger one a little shake, who mumbles something he can't make out.
“Common, we're late for breakfast” this time Leandro shakes the younger one hard making him finally wake up.
“If we're going to start sleeping together you have to find a new way to wake me up” Martin grumbles burying his head in the pillow.
"Who says we're going to start sleeping together?" Leandro says and tries to get up. But the hand on your waist won't let him.
"I said. Now give me a kiss or you won't get out of bed."
Leandro snorts and laughs before pressing his lips to Martin's and finally managing to escape the bed.
“Come on, everyone must be eating by now.” Leandro says and goes to the bathroom.
In less than 2 minutes he come out dressed and clean. Martin smiles.
“You’re beautiful” Martin says before smacking Leo on the ass and running to the bathroom.
“Hurry up and don't do that again” Leandro yells trying to look serious.
While Martin was in the bathroom Leandro smiled for a moment. The Norwegian managed to make him forget everything that had happened the day before.
From the loss of the title to the compulsive crying and the feeling of guilt. Leandro sighed, he was really fucked.
Martin comes out of the bathroom and they take the elevator down to the hotel cafeteria.
“Should I go in first or you?” Leandro asks. He wasn't sure if Martin wanted to go into the cafeteria with him. It would be very suspicious.
“What? You're kinda dumb not gonna lie" Martin says before taking Leandro's hand and intertwining his fingers with the older one pulling him into the cafeteria that until then had been silent.
It didn't take long for whistles and noises of forks to hit plates to begin to be heard.
They sit next to Gabi and Kieran who look at them with a suggestive look.
“Well, at least they are finally together” Mikel's voice was heard and then several light laughs.
Leandro couldn't hide a surprised face. Even Mikel? Was it that obvious?
“Well, at least we managed to make them smile” Martin says quietly to Leandro who smiles embarrassed.
“It's official. I'm a cupid” Gabi says with a smug face and it's possible to hear a few more laughs before they go back to having breakfast now in a more cheerful atmosphere.