Chapter Text
Somehow, no matter how much he splashed cold water on his face every morning since he’d landed here, Jude still couldn’t believe where he was. Or rather, why he was here. In all fairness, he’d effectively felt that way at every venue he’d played in since he was 14. But, this wasn’t just any venue. It was the literal World Cup. When he’d first breaked the news to his family, that they’d been eyeing him to do the opening ceremony, even before they’d gotten the confirmation; his dad was as good as fainting just at the mention of it. Jude had managed to be the only person in their family that wasn’t affiliated or interested in playing football. Hell, even his mom used to be the captain of her high school football team. The point was that it was the closest he’d been to being associated with football—unless the countless games his dad forced him to attend and all the games of his brother he did attend willingly counted— and it was because he was going to perform at the fucking opening ceremony of the literal World Cup.
If there was a ranking of the moments of his career in order to pick a height of it, he’d think it’d be this one. Hell, he could still recite all the lyrics to Shakira’s Waka Waka if he tried hard enough—mumbled broken Spanish and all. His song probably wouldn’t be as good, it was hard to beat Shakira after all. But, he was going to be in the same conversation. Though he thinks, the whole thing would have been a lot more exciting if the gnawing dread in his body magically disappeared instead of festering like it had been for…quite a while now. He was grateful for the fact that his schedule was so jam packed; like it always was, that he didn’t have to particularly think about where he was in life right now. He was opening for the damn World Cup and he wouldn’t let anyone ruin it for him, not even himself .
The actual song had been recorded months ago and he’d only had to come to Qatar this early on so that they could practise the performance before the actual opening ceremony and figure out the details of it; make sure they didn’t make too many mistakes and had chemistry with each other considering it was a collaboration with another artist. Jude was the one with the dancing segment and the choreography hadn’t been hard to nail down either. Now, it was just a matter of practising, over and over again.
Qatar was beautiful as much as he could tell, from what he’d seen through his car windows and by scrolling through people’s TikToks, the app automatically showing him stuff in his area. He hadn’t been able to get out much apart from going shopping one time. There had been a lot more people waiting for him than he’d even anticipated but he considered himself lucky that he hadn’t been hounded at least though it was a bit comical how people always sent their kids to him so that they could take pictures. He wasn’t complaining though, he loved kids.
Jude had also seen a myriad of footballers passing through the hotel he was staying in, if their demeanour and training kits were anything to go by. His dad had instructed him to take a picture if he saw anyone he liked but he hadn’t seen Beckham or anyone of that calibre yet, just a bunch of Spanish—if the red of their jerseys was anything to go by— and American players. It had been made pretty clear to him before the trip that he’d have to do shoots and content for his brand deals too while there, his notorious Adidas sponsors probably already having planned out content with the athletes too. He was supposed to meet the England team to go cheer on them too but that wasn’t until later. From what his friend; Trent had told him they were staying in another hotel not far away from where Jude had been staying. He almost wished they were staying in the same hotel just for that sense of familiarity.
Either way, on his schedule today was shooting a bunch of content with his PR team as he did a tour around the stadium before it was even being played in. As far as he knew, and what was probably common sense there were multiple stadiums that’d be used considering some matches were played at the same time. They’d ended up in whatever stadium his team had arranged for him to go inside, dressed in a simple oversized Adidas tracksuit. It hadn’t taken long for him to instantly switch on for the cameras, already knowing the drill and what they wanted. He spent at least five minutes describing how he felt and how the process was coming along in front of the cameras before they passed him a ball and told him to play around with it. It was fun enough playing two touch with the singer he was supposed to be collaborating with— a Qatari singer named Fahad— that he didn’t put much thought into what he was actually doing with the ball.
Gavi didn't know how he and Pedri had got there—both the stadium and the tournament itself— considering they’d wandered out to explore, having a bit of free time before their evening training session started. Since they’d arrived, the coach had decided that they’d have two training sessions every day, one in the morning and one in the evening. The days before a match they’d get a bit of leniency, their bodies needing the rest after all the work they’d done, especially if they made it far into the competition. What should have been an empty stadium was somehow jam packed with people, namely a working crew. Gavi didn’t know who they’d come with but he knew that he didn’t recognise them and that they were all mostly speaking in English. Either the staff didn’t seem to notice or they didn’t seem to care, despite the fact that the boys were very much in the camera frame. He assumed they were taking a vlog even though he couldn’t be sure.
What he did know was that whoever was controlling the ball fucking sucked. He laid his eyes on the tall boy that was standing in the middle with all the cameras on him, with another shorter guy right next to him. They were playing two touch yet the taller boy might as well have touched the ball with his hand with how bad he was. Gavi tried to ignore the instinctual thought in his head that exclaimed that even though he sucked he was very pretty, so much so that he didn’t notice Pedri staring at him staring at the other boy with a glint in his eyes. He looked away from the trainwreck that was going on, or rather because the boy had taken off his jacket now, revealing a tight t-shirt underneath that showed off his abs perfectly.
“That’s definitely not a footballer right? Because if he is then we might just breeze past the competition after all .” Gavi tried to joke, not particularly realising that they were just in earshot for the camera to pick up their words, even if faintly. He was usually really good at looking straight at cameras too but he thought there were more interesting things to look at at the moment.
Pedri laughed at that before slightly nudging him, “Oh yeah, he’s really bad with the ball. But he’s kind of pretty though.”
Now, it was Gavi’s turn to fully stare at him and put all his attention in Pedri’s direction. The boy could have slipped on the ball for all he cared, “You think he’s pretty?.”
“I mean, don’t you?. You’ve been staring.” Pedri teased even though Gavi didn’t think it was all that funny. He didn’t get to linger for long though because as it turned out the boy had managed to fuck something up because there was a ball coming in his direction at a speed quicker than he could turn his head. Pedri had noticed though, because he’d pushed Gavi aside so that it wouldn’t hit his head before controlling it with his feet, eliciting loud gasps from everyone that had been watching, and even the boy himself who quickly ran up to them afterwards and extended his hand towards Pedri’s to shake it and take the ball from him.
“Hey man, oh gosh I’m so sorry!. I didn’t realise I’d hit it that hard that it’d almost hurt your friend.” he spoke with a smile that showed all his teeth. Gavi didn’t particularly think there was a need to be smiling that brightly.
Pedri, being the social butterfly that he was, introduced himself. They’d been working on their English but even then the other boy’s accent had been a bit hard to decipher. Gavi could tell that he was British though from the way he sounded out his words to….everything about him. It annoyed him so much to see him chatting it up with Pedri that he almost missed his name only to realise when Pedri nudged him to say something that it was Jude. He didn’t need to say his full name to realise that he was indeed not a footballer, but rather a performer. Now that he was looking closely he could realise that it was Jude Bellingham, the popstar that his sister and her friends were obsessed with.
“Hey, I’m Jude.” he repeated again, in Gavi’s direction this time, as if he was trying to get his attention specifically. His smile indicated that he was expecting a handshake with him too—like an old English uncle. Gavi didn’t care enough to entertain him with that but he needed to introduce himself regardless. They were in front of cameras after all though he was sure none of them were recording anymore.
“I’m Gavi, we play for the Spanish team.” he curtly spoke and somehow that had managed to launch Jude into another tangent about how his brother loved Barcelona despite his dad being a Madrid fan (ew). Gavi had zoned out everything he’d been saying, preferring instead to stare at the way Pedri’s mouth was quirked up in a smile as he listened to whatever the hell Jude was talking about now. But he’s kind of pretty though.
He thanked his luck when after at least 10 minutes, Jude’s personal assistant or someone from his team decided that they had to wrap it up. They’d taken that as their indication to leave too, letting them finish their work without any interruption. Gavi resisted the urge to look back at Jude and see where his gaze was fixated, not realising that it was pointed at his back. The day passed by in a blur after that and by the time their training session had begun and promptly ended, he’d tried to forget about the weird interaction and all about Jude’s existence until his sister texted him to record his performance when it happened, as if Gavi cared enough to do that. He ignored her and tried to erase the image of Pedri and Jude talking as he willed himself to fall asleep.
Jude had thought he’d seen all the passion that football fans had to offer, considering the fact that he’d grown up with all of his family members having played football but the World Cup was a completely different thing entirely. Even then, he thought it was a bit odd to be sat there watching reruns of old matches—like Gavi had been.
To be fair, he hadn’t planned to run into Gavi at all, had even forgotten all about the shorter boy; except for the way his brown eyes had burned into his skull when they’d talked— or rather when Jude had talked and he’d stared— until he saw him again in one of the VIP lounge rooms in the hotel. Jude was only there because they’d gotten a break from shooting and he’d realised afterwards that he’d forgotten to have lunch, so he’d opted to come here and grab a quick snack before they had to go again. He couldn’t tell what setting Gavi had emerged from because he still had his training kit on despite the fact that he wasn’t sweaty at all. Jude had concluded just by looking at him that he was definitely the type to wear his football kit everywhere. He couldn’t blame him, his dad was the same; though he highly doubted Gavi would approve of the No.5 Zidane shirt his dad liked to wear everywhere. Footballers took this rivalry thing very intensely from Jude’s experience.
He tried not to look like a creep as he grabbed a salad bowl, though the fact that he was staring intently in Gavi’s direction probably didn’t help. After he realised Gavi was not going to move or pay attention to anything other than the game he realised it’d be less weird to just go up to him and have a conversation; whatever that conversation included. Jude walked towards his direction and plopped down on the empty couch next to Gavi with his salad bowl still in hand only to somehow be met with the nastiest glare, to his surprise.
“Hey there.” he greeted, trying not to chuckle at how Gavi immediately stiffened. From the way Gavi was staring at him he felt like he’d get a scolding if he did.
“Hello.” Gavi simply said before going back to the game, giving no indication that he had any interest in speaking to Jude. Okay, now that was weird. But, whatever the reason was that Gavi didn’t seem to want to interact with Jude, if there even was a reason; Jude wanted to find it out. He’d hardly ever been the type of person to easily give up.
“It’s a bit crazy to be watching football reruns at this time of the day. Do you just think about football all day then?.” he tried to tease, knowing that he’d a reaction out of the other boy.
“That’s a stupid question. Do you just sing all day or whatever it is that you do?.”
Jude did chuckle at that even though he wasn’t sure he was supposed to find it funny. It wasn’t what Gavi was saying that was funny, rather the way he’d said it, with a frown on his face that was almost cartoonish paired with his adorable nose. Jude wanted to poke it but something told him the other boy wouldn’t appreciate that.
“I’m a performer, but you probably knew that by now.” Jude said
“I do, my sister won’t shut up about you.” Gavi snarked back and it made Jude genuinely giggle.
“Really? That’s funny because my brother has posters of you. He’s crazy about Barca.” Jude said and it made him want to tease Gavi even more seeing the way that obviously piqued his interest. He didn’t ask anything further though, opting instead to let out a “hmm” before turning his attention back to the TV. If Jude wanted to keep talking to this guy, which he did for whatever reason then he was going to have to start the conversation himself.
“Do you mind if I watch with you?.” he questioned.
Gavi stared at him with the crease in his forehead softening before scoffing lightly, “Sure, it’s a free country. I doubt you can understand anything though.”
That did make Jude laugh now, making the crease in Gavi’s forehead come back as he rested his chin on his hand with one of his eyebrows raised as if he was waiting for Jude’s answer. He hadn’t lived through Barcelona vs Madrid fights every two months in his household to be told he couldn’t understand football. It almost made him want to annoy Gavi even more because of how he’d written him off as a ditz.
“Of course I do. You’re watching El Clasico right?. That’s Xavi up front as the striker.” he purposefully teased and it seemed to strike a nerve for Gavi, just like he’d hoped it would.
“Do you even know who Xavi is? Who are you man?.” Gavi challenged showing the most emotions that he’d had in the last half an hour.
“Obviously, he’s the striker. Number 9.” Jude pushed again and though the cheeky grin on his face made it obvious he was joking Gavi’s frown seemed to deepen.
“You’re being annoying on purpose aren’t you? He’s a midfielder and he wears the number 6. Midfielders don’t wear the number 9.” Gavi gritted out.
“But you’re a midfielder and you wear the number 9.” Jude cocked his head to the side with an innocent pout on his face, thankful that his hours of being forced to watch football in the living room had resulted in him absorbing the information after all.
“You…I don’t like you.” Gavi’s sharp reply came.
“Really? I can’t think of a single reason why.” Jude spoke, not taking Gavi’s sour reception towards him seriously at all. He’d decided that was enough when he saw the clock tick from the corner of the eye, letting him know that his breaktime was over and he needed to get back to practising. He resisted the urge to flick Gavi’s forehead or squeeze his cheeks—he didn’t know which one he wanted to do more but something in his gut told him that this wouldn’t be the last time they met.
Gavi couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to another country just for the sake of travelling there. Every single trip since he’d been ten years old—as far as he could remember— had been sponsored by the club or because of football. He’d never complained before, had never found a reason too, just like he didn’t have any reason to complain now. Because as it stood, the World Cup was obviously a lot more different than anything he’d ever played; from the schedules to the training sessions. It also meant that they got a lot more time off by themselves than they did when they were playing a La Liga promises match in Japan.
Usually, Gavi would opt to go out with his family, maybe go to a nice fancy restaurant for dinner or do some shopping. Or, he’d go with Pedri but that wasn’t an option right now because every plan he’d tried to make with Pedri the past few days the older boy always seemed to want to include everyone . Gavi loved Ferran and Eric but that didn’t particularly mean he wanted to spend time with them, he could do that anytime. Spending alone time with Pedri was what he actually wanted, though it looked like it wasn’t what Pedri wanted. So, he’d ended up taking a stroll outside the hotel until he figured that he was craving coffee.
It didn’t take long after that to find a coffee shop. Google Maps mentioned that there was one not further away from their hotel. He hadn’t been particularly worried about being recognised by anyone, he was going on a simple walk after all. Besides, the fans that he’d met so far, the ones that had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to come see play, had been nothing but nice to him, especially the kids. It made his heart overwhelmed with emotion every time his dad sent him a picture of a young child wearing his jersey. He’d been a bit nervous going into the tournament, there had been lots of chatter about his selection after all. But the coach had made it clear over and over again that he trusted Gavi, that his spot was something that he’d earned through hard work and determination; not something that he’d been handed, despite what people online liked to say.
Once he’d found the cafe and gone inside, he was instantly hit with the smell of coffee beans being ground up and fresh bread being baked. The display in the front was lined up with colourful pastries that made his mouth water. He opted to stare at the drinks menu and see if there were any cool ones even though he knew he’d settle on a caramel latte. When he turned his head to the side however, there was a very tall guy standing next to him, simultaneously hiding his face and trying to take peeks at him. How strange.
Gavi chalked it up to the other guy, probably being a fan or something—he’d been asked for a lot of selfies and signatures, to even his own surprise— before moving on and ordering his coffee, deciding on a caramel latte and chocolate croissant. He didn’t have to wait for long, considering that the coffee shop was pretty much barring him, a few older people and the strange tall guy, who still hadn’t ordered and rather turned around like he’d been peeking at something.
Apparently, turning around had been the wrong thing to do because what Gavi hadn’t noticed while he was busy ordering was that a small crowd of about 5-7 people had formed that were now screaming once the guy had turned. Okay, a celebrity then. Gavi couldn’t help but grimace at the loud cheers. Who the hell was possibly worth doing all this over?. Unless it was Messi— who Gavi himself would stand in a line for— he really didn’t see what was worth doing all this ruckus over. He’d realised pretty quickly though when the guy had turned in his direction with a desperate look on his face, presumably to talk to the staff about doing something before stopping in his tracks when he saw Gavi. It was that guy, Jude; because of course it was. Gavi seemingly couldn’t even get a simple cup of coffee without bumping into him.
Despite his better judgement he turned to the staff to speak to her after realising that Jude was not going to say anything. She seemed apprehensive considering that people would immediately flood to the back door if they saw them go through. It seemed like a lose lose situation. Gavi however, was not the type of person to back down that quickly. It annoyed him to his core that he was having to do this but he couldn’t very well just leave Jude alone there, right?. He grabbed the coffee and pastry after paying for it and put it in Jude’s hand, not even bothering to look at his facial expression before grabbing his other hand, deciding to rush out through the back exit until they could go somewhere that was relatively safer and ideally without a screaming crowd following them.
The whole thing felt too dramatic and straight out of a shitty Disney movie even as they ran but they’d obviously managed to outrun the crowd, being a lot more athletic than some random people. He’d managed to dash inside a nearby park that required you to buy a ticket to enter; seemingly a gated community with security so they wouldn’t get chased again, well so that Jude wouldn’t get chased again. It was almost comical to see how out of breath they’d both gotten once they could finally stop running considering both their jobs required intense stamina, yet somehow they were panting while trying not to stare at each other. It was Gavi who broke the silence though.
“You’re fucking everywhere my god dude, what the hell was that?”
Jude sheepishly ran his hands through his hair, somehow still catching his breath before responding, “No idea, I snuck out to get some fresh air without my bodyguards and somehow that happened. I was getting followed around like a block ago so I ran into the coffee shop but obviously that wasn’t the smartest thing to do.”
Gavi cringed, both at the idea of needing bodyguards to accompany you everywhere and at the fact that if they didn’t stuff like that could happen. Though he’d been annoyed at first he couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved that he’d managed to help Jude out, imagining that the situation would probably be too stressful otherwise. He found himself asking, purely out of sheer curiosity, “Why did you sneak out?.”
Jude stared at him for a minute after that with his hands tightly holding onto the packet of pastry and coffee that Gavi had given him before letting out a sigh and shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly as if he hadn’t just zoned out for a minute there, “Just did, none of your business.”
Gavi rolled his eyes at that before putting his hand out so that Jude could hand over the snacks to him. Somehow, that had made Jude zone out again whilst he tightened his grip onto the package before snapping out of it and reluctantly handing it over, his gaze still fixated on it. Weird.
“Do you want to eat it or what? You’re practically ravaging it with your eyes.” Gavi said which made Jude completely malfunction as he denied any evidence of the fact that he’d done that. It would be almost annoying if it wasn’t downright hilarious if not a little bit adorable. Whatever, Gavi could go and grab a chocolate muffin for dessert during dinner. Right now, it looked like Jude wanted it a lot more than he did.
“You can have the chocolate croissant if you want. I’ll be drinking the coffee though.” he said before handing it back to Jude who refused at first despite the sparkle in his eyes betraying him. It was only when Gavi lightly punched him in the shoulder that he finally shut up and took it.
He’d finally expected Jude to finish eating the whole thing and shut up like he had for the first few minutes before he eventually started tapping Gavi on the shoulder to take the other half of it. Gavi rolled his eyes yet again even though he found it a bit amusing how he was randomly sharing food with a total stranger after somehow having “rescued” him. He’d decided to hand over the coffee to Jude after all, finding it a fair deal that they’d ended up sharing the whole thing. Jude took a sip of it and immediately let out a loud hmmm as if he approved. Gavi tried to hold back the giggle that threatened to escape from his throat before speaking again.
“So , why did you sneak out?.”
Jude finished sipping his coffee first, seemingly taking all the time in the world to do it before finally looking like he was more inclined to answer now, “Don’t know, just stressed out I guess. The opening ceremony is tomorrow.”
Gavi scrunched his eyebrows in confusion at first before realising stupidly that he was literally the main performer of the event. Of course it made sense that he was stressed out. If Gavi thought back about himself before important matches, he could remember his hands shaking even the literal moment before he’d gotten on the pitch.
“You’ll probably do great honestly, I think you’ll feel good once you actually get on stage. It always works like that, especially if you’re actually talented.”
That seemed to get a chuckle out of Jude before he spoke again, fully facing Gavi this time, “Here’s hoping. By the way, you should come tomorrow. It’s better watching it live than on a TV screen, no?.”
“What makes you think I’ll be watching?.” Gavi scoffed, though he most definitely would be, at least by peer pressure from all his teammates gathering around to watch.
“Come on, it's the World Cup. Besides, I’ll make it worth it for you. Really, you should come. What’s your room number?.” Jude insisted.
“Why the hell do you need that?” Gavi questioned, not being convinced yet.
“Oh come on, just tell me and I’ll handle the rest.”. Though Gavi’s gut instinct was to refuse, he didn’t know why but deep down he felt an urge telling him that he should do it and go. It wasn’t a big deal anyway, the entire world would be watching and not just him.
“Fine, it’s 301.” he gritted out.
“Really? Sick, mine’s on the fourth floor. 405.” Jude informed as the smile on his face grew bigger.
They’d realised that they should be heading back to the hotel once the sun had started to set. Gavi had things to do and as it turned out Jude still had more last minute practices to get through too. It almost made Gavi feel a bit sick as Jude recounted his schedule, considering how packed it was before he realised his own schedule before games was almost as hectic. Jude had insisted on getting an Uber by himself too, refusing to call any of his staff of bodyguards for some reason. Gavi had rolled his eyes before giving Jude a slight push so that he’d follow him and despite all the whining before, once they’d actually started walking back Jude had followed him around, no questions asked. Once they’d reached the hotel, Jude had walked away to somewhere he’d mentioned his team was at, waving Gavi goodbye before he’d left as Gavi walked back to his room, making a mental note to remove the DO NOT DISTURB sign from his door before he went to sleep.
Usually, Jude prided himself on the fact that he’d always insisted on not having any pre-show rituals—finding them unnecessary and counterproductive in case he couldn’t do them everytime. Right now though, his body was almost itching for something to do, just so he’d be able to keep busy without feeling every inch of his heartbeat as it pulsated with anxiety. He wished he could say that this particular incident was a sole one, that he didn’t always get this anxious before he had to perform but that wouldn’t be true. He was just better at hiding it most times than he was right now.
He tried to picture the crowd instead, though it wasn’t even that far away considering he was standing backstage right before he had to go. The age old trick of picturing yourself naked never worked for him but somehow thinking of the crowd watching as an accumulation of all the people that were there instead of the terrifyingly pulsating thing that it was made him feel calmer. It was easier to imagine that he’d be performing in front of people that were there because they loved him and other people that were there because they loved the game rather than this screaming thing that had it’s own life that’d swallow him whole at the smallest mistakes. He imagined the kids standing next to their parents that must have been excited and he imagined the boys and girls that’d be holding banners with his name on them and he imagined the cute Spanish boy that he’d invited with eyes too big for his face and a demeanour that absolutely didn’t match it.
Although the chances of Gavi showing up were very slim, it was still nice to think about and dwell on. He didn’t get much time to think though, to his own relief because before he knew it he had to get on stage. It had felt just as electrifying and daunting as he’d imagined it would before he’d managed to ease himself into it. If doing this since he was 14 years old came with a lot of anxiety, it had also shaped him up so that he could channel that anxiety into the energy that he’d need for the performance. It didn’t take long for him after that to fully immerse himself into it letting his body take control instead of his brain.
Contrary to popular belief Gavi did in fact love going to concerts, or maybe he just loved hanging out with his friends now that he thought about it. He wasn’t even sure if this exactly qualified as a concert or more so just a performance. The atmosphere however felt just like a concert though with how loud people were screaming even before the person performing actually showed up on stage. Maybe he didn’t like concerts much after all because in his experience it always got way too crowded and sweaty after a while and the cheers deafened him so much he couldn’t even focus on the music after a certain point.
He was sure though, this was different from any other performance he’d sat through. He’d realised that the moment he’d come back to three VIP tickets on his bedside table with a handwritten note that said nothing except for a smiley face drawn on it. Even without thinking about it, he could tell who had drawn it and apparently his friends had too because they’d decided there was no way they were going to miss this, not when Gavi had been gifted tickets from the performer himself for some reason. It was him, Pedri and Ferran who’d gotten the third ticket. Somehow, despite the fact that it was last minute they’d gotten seated right next to each other but he guessed that came with the perks.
They’d made sure to cover up in case they got recognised though despite the fact that today was a day off for everyone. It would be a hassle to try and wrestle with any crowd here considering how packed it was. Gavi nervously chewed on his lips when he checked the time and realised that the performance was about to start, trying not to steal glances at Pedri who was sitting beside him. Most of the reason he’d agreed after all the insistence from Pedri and Ferran both was because he’d wanted to gauge Pedri’s reaction once they’d actually gotten there. From what he could already tell, he didn’t like it though. Is he always this excited during concerts or am I seeing things now?.
Maybe he was indeed seeing things but it didn’t particularly matter because the performance was starting and though he was more inclined to stare at Pedri the whole time, he still wanted to get a look and see what Jude was all about, if he could actually offer something entertaining and back up all the overconfidence he so clearly possessed. He’d realised as soon as it’d started that he hadn’t heard the World Cup song yet, this being the first time he was hearing it. Some of the crowd seemed to know it though because they were screaming the lyrics. The music video had probably been already released if everyone knew or maybe it was the adrenaline rushing through their veins. Gavi however, felt a little bit dizzy.
The weather in Qatar was much much warmer than they were used to and they were higher up from the rest of the stadium, getting a better view of things. The crowd was too loud and his skin was starting to feel sticky and he could feel Pedri’s elbow lightly graze against his skin, and yet he couldn’t look away. It made him feel weird because usually, when he was in a situation like this his focus was anywhere except for what was in front of him, preferring instead to stare down on his feet at the ground until they no longer felt like they were shaking. But now, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the stage, or rather the person performing on it. He couldn’t figure out what it was, was it the styling?. Every time he’d met Jude before he’d been dressed in casual clothes, nothing that special to turn heads around if not for his face. It made sense now to be so enamoured, maybe the sparkly black outfit that he was wearing was fucking with Gavi’s brain.
Maybe it was part of the performance element that they’d created. Jude’s voice was…..pleasant to listen to, even on a general level. He was hitting all the right notes in his surprisingly silky voice and his body was moving to all the right beats. Maybe there was a psychological aspect to seeing something that pretty in front of you that you couldn’t look away. All that Gavi knew was that he’d been so paralysed he hadn’t even realised that the performance had ended until Jude took a bow before eventually exiting the stage. He felt stuck to his seat until he realised that Pedri and Ferran were whispering in each other’s ears with awed looks on both of their faces. That couldn’t be good.
It was the same stupid look they got whenever they all went out and they saw a hot girl across the bar while trying to wingman each other. Not that that’d worked out well before considering they all sucked at it. If Gavi had been enamoured, when he hadn’t even had any interest in this whole thing in the first place then he couldn’t even imagine what Pedri must have thought throughout the performance. He didn’t want to find out but he did want to use it for his own benefit. He attributed the still dizzying feeling in his head to the adrenaline as he started hatching his plan, trying to think of a way to sneak backstage without his friends noticing.
“I need your help”, Gavi spoke immediately as he rushed into the room, not wasting a single second on making his presence known. It would have been almost comical how taken aback Jude was by the fact that he was there if he hadn’t been in a hurry. He’d informed his friends he needed to go to the bathroom as they waited outside the stadium for him, so that they could go back to the hotel together after roaming around.
“You came?.” was all that Jude said after he’d already spent two minutes just staring at Gavi like a flabbergasted fish. How underwhelming.
“Yes, obviously. And it wasn’t hard getting past security either by the way, all I had to do was offer to sign an autograph for him. You might wanna do something about that.” Gavi said even though it didn’t particularly matter anyway. What he needed more at the moment was Jude’s cooperation and willingness to hear him out, and some fucking privacy. He looked around the place— a messy little cool down room that somehow he’d found Jude alone in— and decided it would have to do, before locking the door much to Jude’s confusion.
“So , I need your help.” he repeated again, trying not to feel dumb.
“Yes, you already mentioned that.” Jude reminded, immediately making him feel dumb. Gavi carried on though, trying to focus on looking into his eyes and not down at his exposed chest—that looked like it’d been rubbed with body oil. Seriously ?. He moved closer until they were standing in front of each other at a reasonable distance, at least according to Gavi.
“I want to make Pedri jealous and I need your help doing it.” he spoke all at once in quick succession, only so he wouldn’t have to do it again. It didn’t particularly help because Jude looked like he was processing ten different things at once before finally settling on one.
“You like boys?“ Typical. Gavi resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the question.
“Don’t you?.”
Jude looked absolutely flabbergasted, like he couldn’t comprehend Gavi would ever come to him in the first place, let alone with something like this. A couple of excruciatingly long minutes passed before he spoke again. “Is it that obvious?.”
“Yes, will you do it then?.” This time, Gavi did roll his eyes.
“Do you think this is a romcom, Gavi ?.” Jude spoke though the amusement in his eyes was evident. Gavi tried not to shudder at the way he said his name at the end.
“Answer me already, will you do it or not?.” he tried again trying not to get agitated at how long it was taking Jude to answer. It looked like he was more interested in leaning against the table and staring at Gavi with a mischievous glint on his face rather than actually answering. Gavi had half a mind to stomp on his feet before he finally answered.
“—Sure, why not. I have nothing to lose, do I? What do you propose on doing?.” Great. That was all the confirmation Gavi needed to get started. He rubbed his hands on his jeans to get the sweat off before putting them in front of Jude’s face, demanding to get his phone so that he could press his number in. Once Jude had obliged, he decided that was all the information he needed to give the other boy at the moment before telling him to wait outside the elevator once he was at the hotel. If Gavi could focus on anything but pressing his number into Jude’s phone right now, he’d realise too that his own phone was blowing up with messages from his friends.
“All done.Text me later.” he ordered.
“Alright, man. Your wish is my desire. What did you think of the performance by the way?.” he asked and if Gavi really looked he could notice the beads of sweat still pooling on his skin and the almost sickly exhausted look on his face, that was now hidden under the amusement clearly coursing through his veins.
“Not bad, you kept my attention the whole time.” Gavi said, deciding that was enough to let Jude know he felt about it. If Jude had known him better he’d know what a big deal that was for Gavi, someone whose head notoriously drifted everywhere. But, Jude didn’t know him and maybe that was for the best, for now.
jude
hii -.-
it's me
gavi
who the hell is this supposed to be
jude
you know damn well.
jude
gavi
okay okay don’t be weird
jude
don’t think i’m the weird one in this scenario man
gavi
🙄
you agreed didn’t you
even though you have no idea what i even want to do
jude
well
yes.
anyways what now
what do you want me to do
gavi
you’re heading back to the hotel right?
jude
yeah yeah
just got changed
gavi
alright cool
wait for me near the elevator and i’ll shoot u a text then u get in
so that we can go up together
jude
alright alright
what the hell do u plan on doing afterwards
gavi
leave it to me 👨💻
and wear something that shows off your chest
jude
excuse me??
gavi
it's your best feature
jude
wow
alright
see you then
i guess
Jude didn’t think he’d felt this worked up after a performance before. Usually, he’d still be high off of adrenaline even after changing and going back home but it’d pass away very quickly, almost leaving a pit of emptiness behind. Right now though, he was standing in the hotel lobby room with his feet buzzing and his hands tightly holding the phone, checking it every two minutes for Gavi’s text. He hadn’t even managed to get on Twitter and check everyone’s reactions like he usually did after a performance. He almost felt a little grateful for the distraction just because of how exciting it was.
Gavi’s text came right when he was starting to feel restless, much to his relief before he walked towards the elevator, squeezing in at the last minute. He didn’t know what the hell Gavi’s plan was but right now he was stuck in an elevator with two Spanish boys and absolutely no depth or experience that prepared him for whatever was about to happen. He’d been wearing a tank top with an oversized hoodie and sweats even before Gavi had texted him. After his text though, he’d decided to pull the zip of the hoodie down a bit so his chest would be visible, as per the “orders” he’d received. It was almost funny how even in the short span of time Jude had known him, Gavi acted like a little dictator, and all Jude was doing was enabling him.
“Hey.” Gavi suddenly voiced out loud the moment Jude got inside the elevator. The weirdo hadn’t even held the elevator for Jude, making him run instead and here he was now greeting him as if nothing had happened.
“Hi. What are you two doing here so late?“ Jude questioned, wanting to come off as casual, not too interested or uninterested considering he didn’t know yet what Gavi was going for. Pedri, who seemed like a darling, waved from where he was standing too which made Jude smile unconsciously before he waved back. Somehow, that seemed to agitate Gavi.
“We were watching you perform. You were pretty cool out there.” Gavi tried again, even though it was obvious he was trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice and give off the impression that he actually wanted to talk to Jude. Jude, on the other hand, didn't have to try hard because he actually did. Before they could further talk though, they’d reached the 3rd floor, where Pedri and Gavi’s rooms were. Apparently, the part after the elevator was Gavi’s entire plan because right as Pedri looked at him so they could get off together, he started speaking.
“Pedri, you go ahead. I’ll stay behind and talk.” he said which elicited a confused reaction from both Pedri and Jude, the latter hiding it pretty quickly with a casual smile instead. Pedri naturally didn’t seem all that willing to go, considering they didn’t really know Jude that well but once Gavi reassured him, or rather kept obviously insisting if the look in his eyes was anything to go by, he budged and got off after waving at both of them with a smile. Okay, what the hell had Jude gotten himself into?.
“Okay, now that that’s over. What the fuck?.” Jude said out loud while Gavi stood there with a satisfied smirk on his face; Jude had no idea why.
“It worked, thank you for your help. Now he thinks we’ll spend the night together and be jealous.” Gavi spoke, as if it was obvious. If Jude was drinking something he was sure he’d spit it out in a second.
“Excuse me? You want him to think we’re fucking?.” he said, quite crassly and it earned him a shove from Gavi, as if it wasn’t the very thing he’d insinuated and done.
“Don’t say it like that, Bellingham. I just needed a little help from you, that’s all.” he informed before letting out a light yawn and stretching his arms, as if Jude hadn’t been the one that had just performed.
“Why me?.” he questioned.
“Pedri said you were pretty the first time we saw you, that’s all. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“—Okay…..why should I help you then?.” Jude further pressed which made a frown appear on Gavi’s face, like he hadn’t considered this possibility and was just now thinking about it—it didn’t particularly look like he liked it.
“Well….won’t you?.” he replied and Jude didn’t know whether he’d made that sound so whiny on purpose or not.
“You’re….we’ll see. I’m tired now, okay? Text me tomorrow and then I’ll think about it,” he said, although the look on his face must have made it obvious that he wasn’t going to refuse, if the smug look that had appeared on Gavi’s face now was anything to go by. He’d left after that, marching towards his hotel room while Jude got upto his own, getting into his bed as he recapped the events of the day, trying to wrap his head around what he’d somehow managed to get himself into.
gavi
good morning
jude
its 8 am
gavi
so?
you replied so obviously you were awake
jude
yeah but it's too early to deal with your bullshit
gavi
that’s not very nice
i’ll be ignoring that
what do you have planned today
jude
not much i think
not a lot actually considering we just performed yesterday
gavi
okay well
would be nice if u could expand
like me personally i have gym and a morning and evening training session
thats nice gavi
yes its is now what about you jude
jude
🙄
hold on
pilates gym lunch then vocal session instagram live and dance practice
that's it
gavi
how’s that not much
whatever
btw why are u not back on a plane to england right now
jude
i'm doing the closing ceremony too you idiot
like obviously
gavi
ohhh okay
that makes sense
anyways you should come over and try to talk to me
after our evening session
so pedri can see us
jude
alright
that sounds fine
you better buy me a coffee as a treat for this favour im doing you
gavi
your services must not be very good if that’s all you’re asking for
anyways
see you later mr shakira
jude
okay 🤡
mini xavi
Jude had always thought that watching people train before a football match was an excruciatingly boring thing to spend his free time doing, and he didn’t think he was going to change his opinion. At least now, he had Gavi to keep his eye on to make it a lot more entertaining than before. Despite the fact that he’d summoned Jude there though, it didn’t particularly look like he was about to pay any attention to him until he was done, or maybe he was too busy doing exercises with Pedri—what their dynamic was Jude still didn’t understand—and being giddy about it.
It hadn’t been hard for him to sneak inside their training session, considering it was an open session being available for the fans. Jude snagged a seat somewhere at the top, his baseball cap glued to his forehead. The only indication that Gavi had realised he was there was when he’d waved at him, making a show of it and Gavi had waved back. Jude found it hilarious how he’d pursed his lips and tried to smile but Pedri had probably brought it because they’d gone back to covering their mouths and having a conversation. Once the training was over and everyone was going to hit the showers before going back to their respective hotel rooms, Gavi finally texted Jude.
It was simple, something about giving him instructions on where to come and stand so that they could talk. It didn’t take long after that for him to show, with Pedri in tow, both of them looking way too sweaty and worked up. When they stepped closer to him, Pedri waved at him with his signature sweet smile while Gavi—the little menace— decided it’d be a good idea to feel up Jude’s bicep and squeeze it while handing him a cup of coffee that he’d produced from nowhere. Jude was grateful for the fact that he’d grown up having to hide his emotions because for a millisecond he raised his eyebrow in confusion before leaning into it, Gavi’s hand feeling hot to the touch.
Jude tried not to let his gaze go down towards Gavi’s thighs that were peeking out through his training shorts as he took the coffee from him and started sipping it. Caramel latte, just like it’d been the other day.
“You two were cool out there.” he said, just so something could fill the silence brewing between them.
“What, at training?” Pedri joked with his arms crossed against his chest before Gavi interjected with another question, “Who’d you think was cooler?”
Jude scratched his head, trying to think of a response, any response that’d keep him out the clear but not be too on the nose. He decided it’d be a good idea to lightly brush his hand against Gavi’s cheek instead, “You’re always cool Gavi, don’t be jealous and I meant the rondo. Barcelona thing, isn’t it?. Personally I thought Busquets was the coolest.”
Pedri’s eyebrow went up at that and Jude didn’t know whether it was because he was impressed by his Barcelona knowledge or at the fact that he’d touched Gavi so casually, and that the other boy had so readily leaned into it. Apparently, Gavi wasn’t a horrible actor either despite what Jude had initially thought about him. He took another sip of his latte, not even bothering to try and make sense of whatever silent conversation the boys were having with their eyes. He knew he couldn’t understand them anyway so he made a mental note to himself instead to tell his brother all about this situation and how his constant rambling had somehow managed to help him.
Unsurprisingly, Gavi and Pedri had to go soon after that considering they were still sweaty from practice and probably exhausted. What was surprising was how Gavi’s rogue hand managed to find its way back to Jude’s arm, giving it another squeeze. Jude was so focused on the electric sparks it sent rushing through his body he didn’t even register the look that Pedri gave to Gavi after that. It was almost embarrassing how that simple action had made his face red hot. He’d been touched before, of course he had. Well, he hadn’t been touched in a long time though, not apart from his team and the people he worked with; not by someone that pretty. Yup, that must be it.
gavi
hello
come to my hotel room
jude
excuse me?
it is literally so late
go to sleep gavi
gavi
? its 10 pm jude come on
it’s important
pleaseee
jude
okay okay
fine i’m coming
give me two mins
gavi
tgank you ☺️
thank*
Gavi had been waiting in his hotel room, for what felt like a mind numbingly excruciating time despite the fact that he was sure it couldn’t have been more than five minutes. He genuinely heaved a sigh of relief when the doorbell rang revealing Jude who was wearing an England jersey and matching shorts to go with it. The first thought that came to Gavi’s mind was that they were probably gifted to him, not really being able to fathom Jude going out and buying them himself. Or, maybe he had; national pride and all. The point was that Jude seemed about ready to pass out at any second and Gavi didn’t think he’d had more energy than he did right now.
“What did you want to say?.” Jude questioned, not waiting around for Gavi to offer it before he plopped down on the bed himself, his long limbs hanging off of it as he looked up at Gavi. It was almost excruciating to try and look away from his thighs as they spread out. From what Gavi could tell, despite the fact that they were pretty close together, they were big . He tried to focus instead on Jude’s lips, because atleast that helped him not look into his eyes. When Jude started licking his lips for whatever fucking reason, he realised that that probably wasn’t a better idea and opted to stare at the pimple above his lip instead. There was another one on his cheek that had been covered up with a star pimple patch. Cute. He could just stare at the star instead.
“Hmm, well. Important business obviously. We need to up what we’re doing.” Gavi cleared his throat before elaborating, “I haven’t gotten the desired attention that I thought I would from Pedri.” For some reason, Jude started chuckling out loudly at that as if Gavi had said something funny and wasn’t being dead serious. Rude . Jude was lucky he seemed tired enough and Gavi himself had been run ragged throughout the day that he didn’t feel the urge to smack him across the face yet
“Can I ask why you even want his attention? I feel like I deserve to know considering the fact that I’m kind of your game plan here. Are you two dating?” Jude questioned and Gavi wished it was unreasonable enough that he wouldn’t have to answer, but it wasn’t.
“No, you idiot. We are obviously not dating. I wish! That’s the whole problem here!.” Gavi whined, without even meaning to before sitting next to Jude on the bed which instantly made the other boy fold in half, revealing the tiniest sliver of his toned torso as Gavi looked down into his eyes to talk to him.
“Ah, unrequited love then? How did it start?.” Jude further asked and the genuine curiosity in his voice made Gavi feel like he could put his guard down.
“Not love….shut up, that’s too far.” Gavi started, not sure how to continue before he spoke again, “I’m a La Masia kid, have been since I was 11 years old. I went on preseason with the first team and started training with them when I was about 15 and Pedri was just this super talented footballer from Las Palmas that everyone was obsessed with.”
“Hmm, so you’ve had a crush on him since then?.” Jude responded, mostly to engage in the conversation so Gavi could continue while he looked at him with droopy eyes and a tilted head.
“Well, yeah. I’ve always admired the way he plays football and wanted to be like him. Then we signed him and I got into the first team and we’ve just….been inseparable since then. He drives me to training everyday and I can’t honestly imagine being without him. I don’t know, it’s kind of corny but he made me realise I like boys.” Gavi admitted with his cheeks flushing red while Jude looked at him with a surprised look on his face.
“That late? That makes it funnier that you realised so quickly that I did too.” Jude said, back to the lying position he was in with his legs still leaning off the frame, not being able to fold them in considering Gavi was sitting right next to him. Gavi decided then that he was feeling tired too, laying down next to Jude as their feet dangled off the bed.
“Yeah, that late. I guess I just never let myself feel it then I met him and everything just….exploded. What about you?.” he questioned, welcoming the sudden wave of curiosity overcoming him.
“Hmm, I guess I always kind of knew. My dad would take me to play football and I’d spend the whole time picking daisies and giving them to my mum. Then my brother came along and dad’s full attention was on him so I’d make little flower bracelets and give them to other boys I thought were cool.” Jude admitted with a smile on his face, as if he held the memories very fondly to his heart. The image of tiny baby Jude doing that almost made Gavi want to caress his cheek and play with his hair.
“That’s so fucking adorable, what boys did you find cool then?.” he asked, though he didn’t really know why.
“Cute boys, the ones that would score a lot of goals. It’s funny though, you know? Most of them would always wear Barcelona jerseys. Would probably explain why my brother would trade me for the chance of you guys winning the UCL.” Jude joked, even though what he’d said had left Gavi stuck, before he got up from his position to be back sitting again.
“He won’t need to do that because we’ll win one soon anyway, you can tell him. Also um—we got kind of sidelined. Sit up straight please.” Gavi requested and Jude abided even though it looked like he’d rather whine about it than do it.
“What’s your plan on ‘upping it’?” he asked.
“Well ... .ideally we’d do this tonight but we’re both tired and Pedri probably went to sleep. I was thinking we could be out in the hallway while he’s there and I’ll kiss you on the cheek or something. That’ll definitely get a reaction out of him.” Gavi explained, as if it was a completely stable and foolproof plan and not beyond insane. Jude touched his cheek like he wasn’t quite sure he agreed with it.
“And how are you gonna manage him being there conveniently?.” he prodded.
“Ugh, don’t worry about that. I’m the pro here, I’ll manage. Are you getting nervous about me kissing your cheek or something?.” Gavi pushed, just to see Jude’s reaction, breathing a sigh of relief when he got a dramatic scoff in response.
“No, why would I ever? Don’t be too cocky. I’ll do it, it’ll go fine. Maybe you’ll finally get the attention you’ve been so desperate for.” he spoke, as if it was a fact and not an incredibly rude thing to say.
“Shut up. What else am I supposed to do?.” Gavi asked as if the hilarity of the situation was lost on him. Jude shifted at that with his gaze lowered like he thought it was funny before he looked up again staring directly into Gavi’s eyes with a tired smile on his face as he booped his nose. Actually booped his nose.
“I don’t know, Gavi. Maybe you could try actually being honest?.” he spoke, like he hadn’t just done that , and said Gavi’s name like that . The red flush creeping up his cheeks was almost immediate and it made him want to dig himself into a hole. He had half a mind to kick Jude out before they got interrupted anyway, by Jude’s stomach making a loud stomach. Now, it was his turn to look embarrassed and embarrassed he did, as he got up and excused himself. It looked like he was about to leave when Gavi grabbed his hand and made him sit down again.
“Are you hungry? Did you not eat dinner?” he spoke in a scolding tone, not even realising it. It did make Jude giggle though who looked a lot less embarrassed now as he scratched his neck.
“Fuck, you sound like my mom. But no, there’s nothing on the room service menu that’s healthy enough to get approved and I felt too tired to eat anyways.” he explained.
Gavi resisted the urge to smack him across the forehead before continuing, deciding to speak like he was talking to a petulant child instead, consciously or unconsciously, “Maybe the reason why you feel tired is because you didn’t fucking eat. Sit here, I’ve got one of those premade meal boxes that our nutritionists gave us for tomorrow.
“What will you eat tomorrow then? It’s really not a big deal, I do this a lot.” he tried to justify and it made” Gavi almost gasp in horror. He could never imagine skipping a meal after how hard they worked day and night. It’d just make him feel a lot more shittier the next day and fuck up his body.
“Are you crazy? I can just ask for another. You’re obviously hungry so just eat, don’t worry about it.” he said before deciding he’d just have to take matters into his own hands, getting the meal that had been stored in a Tupperware box so that Gavi wouldn’t even have to work too hard to warm it up along with plastic cutleries to boot.
Though Jude had seemed hesitant at first, once he got a whiff of the food his eyes went wide. It was almost a little adorable if Gavi were to describe it as anything. He took a bite finally after inspecting the chicken and rice and deeming it safe enough to eat. Gavi resisted the urge to roll his eyes once he realised he was probably doing that because of all the pressure to keep his body looking a certain way, especially since he had to do another performance at the end of this. He made sure instead that Jude finished every single bit of food that was there on the bowl, even bringing out his signature scowl until it made Jude giggle and decide it was better to listen to him after all.
Once he was done eating it, he’d exclaimed about how he was too tired to even move before thanking Gavi for the meal and deciding it was time to get out of there so he could actually sleep. Apparently, Gavi had fucked up his schedule and would have to pay if he woke up late the next day. Gavi made a promise to text him early in the morning before closing his door, thinking up scenarios on what to do for the next day and how it would possibly go. He didn’t know whether the butterflies in his stomach were because of how nervous he felt or something else entirely.
Going through all the options in his head, Gavi wasn’t even particularly sure this was the best—or the only— one, but it was the one he was going with, no matter what. Even if that meant hiding away in the hallway with Jude Bellingham so that he could get his crush to notice them.
In all fairness, unlike before he’d actually thought it through the whole day this time. No matter what, he couldn’t get the image of being alone with Jude in that hallway and the things he could do to enhance the whole thing; get the most attention out of Pedri. He’d thought about it so much that he was sure it was part of the reason he’d finished all the group and solo exercises so much faster than everyone else, and with double the intensity too. He couldn’t wait for midnight to come, until they could finally and alone to boot. Gavi was grateful that their floor was mainly filled with footballers, who went to sleep early on to get ready for the next day. It was a relief too that their first game wasn’t until a few days later, so that all this dicking around wouldn't bite him in the ass. He’d made a vow to himself to put twice as much effort in the actual game so that he could make up for it.
He’d waited all day for this, yet now when it was actually time the person he needed the most was slowing him down. Five minutes had passed since Gavi had texted Jude to come and he still wasn’t showing up. Gavi had half a mind to keep drilling him, as if the fact that he’d spent the whole day doing it wasn’t enough. When Jude did show up, he seemed frazzled, with his hair all mused up and shirt messily tucked into his pants. The possibility that this wasn’t a priority for him—that his sole attention wasn’t on Gavi— annoyed him more than he could explain, or had the capacity to explain at that moment. If he wanted to get mad at Jude he’d just be wasting precious time that they didn’t have at that moment. Jude muttered a small apology under his breath, presumably for being late which Gavi had every intention of replying to before he saw Pedri get out of the elevator from the corner of his eye.
The corner they’d been standing on was on the way to Pedri’s room, with the hallway not going beyond that. Gavi may not have thought the emotional implications of the plan through but he’d thought out every detail of the actual physical plan. It’d be a disaster if they got caught, he simply had to. He put his hands on Jude’s arms, holding them up even before Pedri made eye contact with him. He told himself it was to get a better grip, not because he liked how the warm touch felt under his skin. When Pedri did finally end up making eye contact with him, he stood up slightly on his tippy toes before leaving a kiss on Jude’s cheek, on a mole that was right above his top lip.
It had been so quick that he hadn’t even particularly noticed whether Pedri had seen it…he had to have, right ?. There was no way he hadn’t noticed with how long it felt like Gavi had been doing it for. He’d made sure to linger, just so it’d be noticeable and not fleeting. It hadn’t been really, or at all, because apparently Jude had gotten the memo and shaved the little bit of fuzz that he had. His skin had been soft for the fleeting moment that Gavi had laid his lips there and it smelled like cherries. Whether that was the moisturiser he used or the lipgloss, Gavi didn’t know. All he knew was that it hadn’t felt half bad to the point he could imagine even kissing Jude’s lips would probably not feel that bad either.
“You can let go now, you know? He saw us then left.” Jude spoke, snapping Gavi out of his thoughts. Oh, he hadn’t realised he’d still been holding onto his arms. He did let go after that, but not before giving Jude’s bicep a light squeeze, only so that the awkwardness in the air would go away, not because he wanted to touch his arm.
He half expected to look up and see Jude giggling, finding the whole thing funny but he wasn’t even looking at him at all, instead looking out at the hallway to try and check whether it was safe for them to go their respective ways. Gavi however, couldn’t stop staring at the mole above Jude’s lips. He was no longer wearing the cute little pimple patch that he’d been wearing the night before. Gavi almost missed it. He was snapped out of his thoughts yet again when Jude muttered something about how the plan probably worked before offering him a high five. Gavi returned it before watching Jude walk away to go to his room, until it was time for him to go to his too. Weird.
Jude had realised, almost a week after his performance, that the person he’d been spending the most time with was, Gavi. It was so random that he didn’t think he’d even processed it until he’d realised they’d practically been spending atleast 3 hours together each day. Why Gavi chose to do that instead of simply talking to Pedri and being honest about his feelings, Jude didn’t understand but he had an inkling that the other boy had grown to like his company, just like he’d started liking his. As far as Jude knew, there were still atleast two days till Spain’s first match in the World Cup against Costa Rica, Gavi’s debut match.
He’d tried to poke and prod when he’d realised that Gavi’s tone over text seemed a lot more on edge than normal. Jude had finally decided to outright ask what was wrong once he’d realised Gavi hadn’t said anything about Pedri the whole day. He’d finally admitted that he was nervous for his debut. Apparently the reason he’d been so hesitant on admitting to it was because he didn’t want to jinx himself beforehand but rather power through it. Jude could relate to being so nervous you felt like your heart was going to explode but not being able to voice it out loud to anyone because you were supposed to be able to deal with it.
After Jude had offered to buy him a pastry and talk about anything and everything, he’d finally revealed what was actually causing him anxiety and how he felt about it. Jude didn’t think even Gavi had processed how quickly they’d somehow managed to become close enough to talk freely about things like that but they had. It was normal after all, to be somewhat comfortable after spending most of your time talking with one person for more than a week straight. It wasn’t as if they just talked about Gavi’s ‘plans’ either. If there was one thing Jude had realised over the span of a week, it was that Gavi was a highly competitive person, just like him. Whether the conversation was about something as simple as food or something as serious—to Gavi— as football, he wouldn’t accept being the person who’d lost the argument.
Gavi really liked Spanish food—thought it was the best cuisine in the entire world— and though Jude loved it too he was inclined to defend his country. Beans on toast weren’t even that bad once you got the hang of them, or ate it frequently enough. Gavi had proclaimed with disgust that he’d never eat it until they’d both made themselves hungry with all the food talk and decided to check out a Qatari restaurant. Gavi was done with his training sessions for the day and Jude hadn’t had much to do anyway after the evening so he’d instantly agreed. After that, Gavi had taken the responsibility of picking out a restaurant and he’d managed to do it well, if the way they were sprawled on his hotel bed after somehow managing to walk back was an indication. Gavi couldn’t move at all and Jude very much felt the same way. He didn’t think he’d eaten that much food in a single sitting since he’d been 12 years old but every single bit of it had been worth it.
“I don’t think I can move at all.” Jude giggled, breaking the comfortable silence that they’d managed to surround themselves in.
“Then don’t,” Gavi replied with what Jude thought was far too intense of an answer paired with the look he was giving him, as a shiver ran through his spine. He ignored it in favour of pulling the pillow that was separating them as they laid down on Gavi’s bed closer to his chest.
It was only Gavi’s giggling after that that didn’t make Jude too conscious of the distance between them, or rather the lack thereof. What he hadn’t realised was that the giggling was because Gavi suddenly thought it would be a good idea to grab a pillow from behind him and start a pillow fight. Jude let out a gasp, even though he didn’t have much time to process at all until he took his own pillow and started hitting Gavi back. He’d done this enough times with his little brother to know all the right places to hit, but Gavi wasn’t a little fifteen year old boy that barely weighed 150 pounds. Luckily, Jude wasn’t a seventeen year old boy anymore either. He hoped the walls weren’t thin enough for them to be heard as he kept fighting Gavi back with his pillow before realising he had a better idea.
He’d ditched the pillow, which had elicited a smug reaction from Gavi who’d thought he was giving up before Jude fully tackled him on the bed and started tickling him. That had done the trick because Gavi had instantly gone flat under him, begging for mercy instead. Jude had let go once he’d promised he wouldn’t do it again to which Gavi had responded by pulling him down on the bed so that he was laying next to him and proclaiming that he was too exhausted anyway. Jude was starting to feel it too as he laid there, staring into Gavi’s eyes, no matter how much he tried not to.
“I’m so sleepy, I can’t even move.” Jude voiced out loud, mostly so that Gavi would tell him to go back to his hotel room, or give any indication that it was time for Jude to leave; that he wanted Jude to leave.
He didn’t , instead he stared back into his eyes and murmured under his breath, trying to suppress a yawn as he spoke, “Then go to sleep.”
Jude didn’t remember what happened after that. He’d looked away from Gavi’s eyes once the intensity of his stare felt like too much for his sleep deprived eyes. He must have drifted off to sleep shortly after that. He didn’t need to look next to him to be able to tell that Gavi had done the same thing. When he woke up in the morning, the only tell-tale sign that Gavi had been there at all was the crease on the bed sheets next to Jude. Though he’d fallen asleep at the edge of the bed, he’d woken up with a pillow underneath his head and a blanket covering him. The only way he could tell that it was Gavi’s room was because of the Spain kit on the couch and a note next to his bed with a ticket to the game on Sunday attached with it. It said “forgot to give this to you, sleeping beauty.” in neat handwriting. When Jude finally checked his phone he realised that it was 11 am, way too long for him to still be sleeping. Gavi had managed to fuck up his sleeping schedule after all.
gavi
please tell me you’re up
i have amazing news
jude
of course im up
its 3 pm
im working dumbo -_-
gavi
okay okay whatever
ANYWAYS
our plan must be working!!!!!
pedri asked me after training if i wanted to go out with him tomorrow
before the match
jude
oh
really?
woww thats crazy
go out as in?
gavi
not sure yet
but he said he wanted to hangout just the two of us
thats a sign right??
jude
oh yeah
definitely
fuckkk thats insane
you no longer need my help then haha
gavi
okay let's not get too ahead of ourselves
bu hopefully
you got the tickets right btw?
jude
yes yes
safely tucked into my pocket
gavi
good
you better show up
jude
obviously
promise