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Dominik Szoboszlai was a weak man.
Dominik Szoboszlai IS a weak man.
He felt like he was sentenced by someone to suffer for all eternity. And the thing he was sentenced for was love.
Eyes. His warm eyes. Browns that pooled with pure emotion. They know all of Dominik’s secrets, even the ones no one else knew. He knew his sadness, his pain. But they knew his smiles and laughs as well. Joško had seen him at his worst and at his best yet his eyes always showed the same.
They showed light. They shined for him, at HIS sight.
His arms were big and comforting. His hugs were to die for. He could melt into Joško's body from how good they felt. He wished to become one with such kindness. Dominik wanted to experience one more hug. He wanted to feel Joško again, even if it was just a ruffle of hair.
Joško had pretty lips. Plump pink ones. He didn't tell anyone but he used a cherry lip balm. It was cute and Dominik liked that about him. He never found it embarrassing, even though Joško had told him to not tell a soul. As Joško laughed and spoke Dominik never couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to connect his lips with the cherry ones. How would they taste? How would they feel? How would Joško look when he pulled away from him?
Joško..
Joško..
His deepest regret was never steering a confession to the sweet Croat.
It felt like a punch to the gut when he realized that he'd never see Joško in the Leipzig dressing room or in his house back in Germany. He loved Liverpool with all of his heart. Yet the thought of not being with Joško burned him. His pain only grew worse when he found out his loved one was signing for Man City, making him a rival.
He was red, Joško was blue.
Yet he wished they could create the most beautiful purple.
But he was terrified. Terrified of saying something wrong and ruining what he already had with him. He was terrified of that light that always shined for Dominik to be dimmed down into disgust and hate. Or, god forbid, to be completely turned off at the sight of him.
He loved Joško too much for that.
That's why he won't say a thing.
To spare himself the pain and to spare Joško the trouble.
Dominik flirted. Dominik teased. He cuddled. He had fun with people. He enjoyed being called handsome. He loved when people made edits of him. People joked that he did it on purpose, acting so ‘hot’ on the pitch. But that was the truth. Dominik knew that he was a very handsome man and he knew he caught the attention of people.
He tried to hang out with other people. Like them.
But whenever he thought about that all he could think about was Joško and his beautiful sweet smile.
He couldn't do it.
That's why he was weak.
—
“Szobooooo”
Dominik's eyes widened as he finally looked up from his breakfast.
“You've been staring at that apple like it owes you money, what did it do??” Robertson asked him. Dominik could help it but let a chuckle escape and a grin grow. His friends always found a way to cheer him up, even if they didn't realize it sometimes. Liverpool really was a big family. When he first joined he didn't believe that, but now that he's been here for a few months he can see how everyone treated each other. They had their arguments but nothing they couldn't kiss and make-up over. Dominik found that very sweet.
“Nothing,” Dominik replied, “Just thinking.”
“About what?” Andy wondered, blinking his eyes at his friend. He wanted to know, he meant no harm, but the ache in Dominik's chest returned. His smile grew tight and he knew Andy noticed it. Alisson did this sort of thing too when he got nervous and the big teddy bear was an open book, they just knew.
Unfortunately for him, so was he.
Just not to… HIM, it seemed. Dominik gulped.
Andy frowed, now looking a bit worried “Want me to call Trent? You wanna talk to him instead?”. Bless Robbo, really, but he couldn't talk about this with anyone. He feared that if he did he wouldn't be able to keep the feelings locked. He feared the word would spread and his friends would urge him to confess and he would break and do so.
“I'm okay,” Dominik tried to convince Andy, but the other just kept looking at him worriedly, “Really, it's not.. something I won't get over.”
That was a big ass lie.
Andy sighed and looked away for a moment, lost in thought. It made Dominik frown because what was the other thinking about so hard? While the other focused on that though Dominik finally dug his teeth into his breakfast. He loved the apples they served here. They tasted so sweet yet just a bit souray and they were filling.
“Is that about what Trent was talking about?”
As he was chewing Dominik sent Andy a confused look, eyebrows furrowed. The other finally looked him in the eyes again.
“I heard him say that-” Trent and Andy have been talking less, Dominik had noticed that. He hoped they were okay. They were such great friends, best ones even. He didn't know what forced them to become separate but he hoped that got fixed.
… What was he thinking about, he should be listening-
“-you had a little crush on someone back in Leipzig. Is it that Joško guy you talked a lot with during the match last week?”
Dominik choked on the apple. Andy was quickly jumping to his feet and hitting his back as he coughed. He apologized but his words fell on deaf ears.
Fuck.
He wanted to say no.
But he knew that this reaction had given him away.
Andy returned to his seat once Dominik was just lightly coughing in his hand and clearing his throat. He gulped one last time before his eyes dared to look back at Andy.
… He was smirking.
Damn it-
“So-” “No” Dominik immediately stopped him. But Andy didn’t budge. “What? I didn’t even say anything.” “You were going to.”
Dominik and Andy just looked at each other. The room they were in, the cafeteria, wasn’t quiet, it was the furthest thing from it with their teammates talking and joking at the table close by. Yet both found themselves in silence, watching one another and waiting for one of them to crack.
Dominik knew better than to think Andy was going to be the one to do so.
“...”
Andy was smart. And people didn’t give him enough credit in that regard. He was a jokester, he cracked them whenever he could and he didn’t treat situations seriously unless someone told him to. More often than not that was either Virgil or Klopp. But that was just how Andy was, it didn’t mean he was stupid.
If anything Andy did it purposefully.
He had the tendency to try and lighten up something at hand. Plus, Andy watched. He saw. He read. He understood so much more than people thought he did.
And Dominik knew this.
Because he watched as well.
He didn’t always watch with open eyes though, Andy did.
“Gonna talk?” Andy smiled at him, like he read his mind and was giddy that he was winning. Dominik found himself sighing and staring down at the apple in his palm. Colors of green and red smashed together as a singular bite was missing, revealing what was under the skin. Dominik saw it as a kind of metaphor. The apple being him. And being revealed piece by piece.
“What’s there to talk about?” Dominik looked up at Andy, “It’ll pass.” he added but Anddy hummed. “See you say that but you seem very bothered by it.”
He was. Andy didn’t need to know that though.
“So what?” Dominik shrugged, “Everyone is bothered by this stuff every once in a while.”. Andy didn’t seem convinced though, he just furrowed his brows in though once again and frowned.. “Not if they confess.”
And there it was.
“I can’t do that. Joško doesn’t like me like that.”
“Oh so it is Joško?”
Andy smiled.
Dominik stared at him wondering how much Klopp would be angry if he jumped Andy-
“I’m done.” Dominik said, already getting up from his seat. “Nooooo.” Andy stopped him, bending over the table and grabbing onto his hand, “Sit down, I’m sorry.”
He was definitely not. But Domink gave him the benefit of the doubt and he sat back down so Andy would let him go.
Andy raised his hands up and said “I'll leave you alone about it.”
Dominik nodded his head “Thank you.”
And they continued on eating their breakfast.
How dumb Dominik was to assume Robbo was being genuine.
—
“Mo, Mo, Mo!”
“Yes, yes, yes?” Mo was just about to head into the gym just meaning to stretch to fully wake up, but he was stopped by none other than his friend Robertson. How that man had so much energy so early I'm the morning he had no clue. But Mo didn't mind, he found it nice. He'd been hanging out with the other a lot more recently so this wasn't anything new to Mo.
Andy ran over to him and stopped in front of him, sending him a wide smile, “Morning, what are you doing??”
Mo smiled back. He loved how happy the other was too. It really managed to make him feel happier as well. “I was going to go stretch.”
“Ooooh,” Andy nodded his head, “Can I join? I have some exciting news.” He was basically jumping in place from excitement and who was the Egyptian to ruin that for his friend?
The two went into the gym and made their way over to the mats. Mo made his way onto one, intending to fully stretch while Andy just sat down on one with his legs crossed. He just wanted to talk and that was understandable.
“Do you remember what I told you yesterday?” Andy asked.
Mo hummed as he stretched his arms “Uh.. about what exactly? You said a lot of things.”
“About Dominik.”
Mo blinked, lost in thought for a moment..
“Doesn't narrow it down, Robbo. Yesterday you said a lot.”
Andy shrugged “Fair enough. I mean about Dominik and his crush.”
Ah
Mo nodded his head “You heard him and Trent talking about it a bit ago. What about it??”
“I found out who it is!”
…
“Okay, and?” Mo was confused. Why did that matter? He didn't think this was any of his business in all honesty.
“Sooooo we should set him up!”
Mo blinked.. “Are you.. sure?” He wondered, looking uncertain, “I don't think Dominik would be too happy about that.”
Andy shrugged “He isn't too happy as it is, everytime he thinks about him he just makes a sad face. And apparently his only excuse to not confess is ‘He doesn't like me back'.”
“Well we don't know this man, it could very much be true.”
Andy looked at Mo very unimpressed, “Joško Gvardiol?”
Mo blinked…
Once…
Twice…
“They ARE very close-” “Exactly!” Andy stood up, suddenly looking more excited than just a moment ago, “So we have to set them up somehow, Dominik needs to confess to him!”
Mo hummed though “I don't know, Robbo, this could go wrong-”
“If it does you can smack me.” Andy raised an eyebrow
…
Mo shook his head “I don't want to hurt you.”
Andy pressed a hand to his heart “Aww..” he smiled before humming “Okay, how about.. if it doesn't work I'll just…”
Mo raise his hand
“Yup?”
“How about you buy me and you lunch?”
“Deal! I'm gonna go find people to help us out.”
And Andy was about to leave but then Mo called out to him, “Won't you stretch with me?”
Andy was about to say no but then Trent was at the entrance of the gym and he realized he couldn't leave just yet…
“Okay, sure.”
Stretching couldn't hurt.
… Well… actually it could.. that was the whole point of it, right?
—
Something was wrong, Dominik could feel it. Everyone was acting too weird. And not the usual weird, but the kind that made his skin crawl and his body tense. Everyone around him was.. not being themselves. They were ignoring him and if he somehow got to talk to them he couldn’t do much before they escaped. When he asked Andy about it he just said that they were planning his birthday party.
But that was a big fat lie since his birthday had already passed
So Dominik was basically left with nothing. No idea of what was going on and with no one to talk to properly. So he just went home that day and hoped to God that whatever was going on would just pass on its own time.
He was clearly asking too much though.
Dominik yawned as he entered Kirkby and waved and greeted the person at the reception. “Morning, Dominik!” “Morning..” “There’s a package for you in the back.” “Thank you.” and that was that, a normal conversation to have in the morning when a footballer came in for work.
But he was way too tired to remember that he did in fact not order anything nor was he told that he would be getting anything. He walked past the reception and went upstairs. He waved good morning to Trent and didn’t, damn his tired brain, focus on the fact Trent seemed a bit more excited than usual.
He made his way past a few more teammates like Alexis and Darwin but neither didn’t seem weird, they just said hello and that was that.
However, he finally noticed something was up when he finally made his way to the locker room. See, that’s when Andy decided to peek out from the door, smile at him but not in the ‘hello’ way but in the ‘I’m evil and you’ll suffer’ way and then walk past him as if nothing was wrong.
That made Darwin pause in his step and he slowly looked over his shoulder.
Alexis, Trent, Mo, Andy, Darwin.. all were behind him. How did he not notice them?
Suddenly Dominik felt much more awake, “What’s going on?” he asked but got no response other than smiles and giggles. He sent Andy a desperate look but the other just shrugged..
… Dominik sighed “I swear if I find you guys did something to my locker- It’s too early for this-”
“Just go in and check, mate.” Trent smiled at him..
Siiiiiiigh
“Fine.” Dominik replied.. And he hesitated but slowly made his way to the room.
He looked inside.
He paused..
“ Nem tetted -” Dominik whispered to himself.
Joško smiled and waved at him “Hi!”
Fuck.
“Surprise, I guess,” Joško, sweet joško said, looking unsure but still very happy, “They called me here to surprise you so..”
Of course they did.
Dominik looked back at his so-called friends and sighed.. They WOULD do something this stupid. Must’ve been Andy’s idea too. He always found something to do.
But..
While he’s here..
Dominik smiled and walked in. Joško perked up at that and his smile grew into a grin and Dominik felt warm. His heart was already beating faster at the sight of the one he truly loved.
“I didn’t expect this.” Dominik admitted, because it was true, “But I’m happy you’re here..” again. true. He couldn’t be angry in this man’s presence. He was just too pure.
“I’m happy I’m here too.” Joško told him and leaned in, wrapping his arms around his friend in one of his warm and nice hugs. Dominik’s heart fluttered and his eyes widened for a moment but he hugged back soon enough, nuzzling his nose into Joško’s neck. Joško smelled sweet, very sweet. Like vanilla. Dominik didn’t realize how much he missed being so close to the other, even though he saw him just about a week ago.
He felt cold yet again once the other pulled away. But one look into those bright eyes was enough to warm him up again.
“How are you?” Joško asked..
“Good.” Dominik said, ‘Better now that you’re here..’ but he didn’t say that. “What about you?”
Joško shrugged, “I’m okay, it's been a bit difficult but I’m getting there.”
Dominik frowned, “Wanna talk about that?”
“Nono” Joško shook his head to deny the offer, “I just wanna hang out while I still have time.”
Dominik would never not want to hang out with Joško. He nodded his head and agreed. “What do you have in mind?” He wondered, to which Joško chuckled..
“Uh Robertson said he’s got something planned.”
Of course he did.
One look over his shoulder confirmed that.
Damn you Andrew Robertson and your stupid smirk.
—
A picnic.
That’s what was planned.
A fucking picnic.
Andy had got his ‘squad’ together and made them a picnic. And timed it PERFECTLY so that when Joško and Domink were sitting down on a blanket the sun was just setting, shining in beautiful orange and yellow hues and filling the blue sky with gorgeous color. The blanket had a little basket on it, in it just two mates, while next to it laid a plate with some sandwiches that looked, and Domink won’t lie, like they came out of an actual movie. When they first got on the scene Joško had chuckled, but that was all he did and he was the first to sit down. When Dominik got over his shock he walked forward and sat across from Joško..
“I’ve never tried these..” Joško said as he lifted the mate out of it’s basket.
“No?” Dominik wondered, “Well I don’t know if you will like it, you don’t like coffee either.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that it gives me extra energy and then I can’t sleep. It doesn’t taste THAT bad either.” Joško explained himself and Dominik couldn’t help it, he chuckled. Dominik couldn't help but steal glances at Joško as he tentatively lifted the mate from its basket. The warm hues of the sunset played across Joško's features, accentuating the soft curve of his smile. It was a sight that made Dominik's heart flutter with a warmth that had nothing to do with the sun.
As Joško took a sip, his expression shifted from curiosity to contemplation. Dominik's eyes followed every change of his friend's reaction, an unspoken adoration welling up inside him. He couldn't pinpoint when it had happened, but somewhere along the line, Joško had become more than just a teammate and friend – he had become someone Dominik couldn't help but adore. It was sudden and random but not unwanted.
‘He's like a kid trying something new,’ Dominik mused internally, a fond smile playing on his lips. The way Joško furrowed his brow in concentration, the subtle crinkle at the corner of his eyes when he chuckled – every detail only deepened Dominik's affection.
‘I hope he likes it,’ Dominik thought, his gaze lingering on Joško's profile. It's the little things like this that made Dominik appreciate him even more. The way he approached new experiences with genuine curiosity.
Joško's nonchalant response brought a casual shrug, and Dominik couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's straightforwardness. There was something endearing about Joško's honesty, even when it came to the simple act of trying mate.
"Not good?" Dominik teased, a playful glint in his eyes.
Joško tilted his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "I've tasted better."
Dominik burst into laughter, the sound carrying through the quiet surroundings of the picnic spot. "Wow, way to appreciate, Joško."
Joško joined in, their laughter merging into the evening air.
As the laughter slowly faded Dominik yet again focused on Joško, eyes looking over his face before glancing down as well, looking over every inch of his body. Joško was truly a beautiful man. Dominik didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone better looking. The added light of the sun only added to his look. But as his gaze returned to Joško’s face they made eye contact. Dominik blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed that he had been caught, but he relaxed when he spotted the small smile on Joško’s lips.
Dominik then.. paused for a moment.
He spotted something in that look.
Joško's smile held understanding, a silent acknowledgment that went beyond words. It was a moment of vulnerability, shared and reciprocated. Dominik felt a sense of comfort in Joško's gaze and.. almost a reassurance, that his admiration was met with warmth rather than discomfort.
Did Joško know?
How did he know?
Dominik bit his lip..
“Joško-” he began but Joško just shook his head, stopping the words that threatened to escape his throat. But the gesture was soft and warm, meant in no way to hurt Dominik. The words that went unspoken didn’t feel like they stuck inside. Instead it felt like they were spoken, just nonverbally.
“I know.” he said.
There was so much Domiik wanted to tell him. But it would have to wait.
Because Joško was too busy pressing his lips against Dominik’s. And Dominik was too busy wrapping his arms around Joško and kissing back.