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The flight from Madrid to Barcelona wasn't long, but managing to keep the trip a secret had Jude’s adrenaline spiking higher than it usually did before a kickoff. Armed with a spare key he’d begged off one of Pablo’s teammates, Jude let himself into the quiet apartment, dropping his duffel bag softly by the door.
Tomorrow was their anniversary. Jude had been counting down the days, carefully clearing his schedule just to have forty-eight uninterrupted hours with his boyfriend. Pablo, predictably, was completely clueless. He had no idea Jude was coming, and judging by their texts earlier, he’d entirely forgotten the date was even approaching. But honestly? Jude preferred it that way. It made the surprise so much sweeter.
He crept down the hallway, fully expecting to find Pablo fast asleep or completely knocked out from a brutal week of training. Instead, as he pushed the bedroom door open, a very distinct, bright, upbeat children's theme song was echoing softly from the TV.
Jude stopped dead in the doorway.
Pablo was curled up in a nest of blankets, completely locked into the screen. On the display, an animated blue Australian cattle dog was bouncing across the screen.
Jude blinked, a slow, incredibly fond smirk spreading across his face as a brilliant, terrible, perfect idea suddenly sparked in his mind. An anniversary gift. He had been stressing over what to get him, but looking at this? He knew exactly what he had to do. He was going to find a giant, ridiculous Bluey plushy if it was the last thing he did.
He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "Is that... Bluey, Pablo?"
Pablo flinched violently, his head snapping toward the door so fast Jude actually worried for his neck. His eyes went completely dinner-plate sized as he processed the fact that Jude—who was supposed to be in Madrid—was standing right there.
"Jude?!" Pablo scrambled upright, his face instantly turning a furious shade of crimson. He reached blindly for the remote, practically slamming his thumb down on the power button to kill the TV. "What the hell? How did you get in here?!"
"I have connections," Jude chuckled, taking a step closer to the bed, thoroughly enjoying the sheer panic on his boyfriend's face. He was already mentally googling toy stores in Barcelona. "You didn't answer my question."
"I wasn't watching anything!" Pablo snapped defensively, throwing the remote onto the nightstand and kicking at the blankets as if he could hide the evidence. He crossed his arms over his chest, scowling fiercely to cover up the blush crawling all the way down his neck. "The TV was just on. It was on the wrong channel. I was looking for the football highlights."
"Right. The football highlights," Jude teased, walking over to the side of the bed.
"Shut up! It's popular! Even adults watch it, I saw it on TikTok," Pablo fired back, his voice rising in that stubborn, combative way it did when he was arguing with a referee. "And anyway, you're supposed to be in Madrid! Why are you sneaking into my house to interrogate me about cartoons?"
Jude didn't argue. Instead, he just sat on the edge of the mattress, leaned over, and cupped Pablo’s hot face in his hands. The second Jude pressed his lips to Pablo’s, all the defensive, sputtering energy completely evaporated. Pablo melted, letting out a soft sigh as he closed his eyes and kissed back, his hands instinctively reaching up to grip Jude’s wrists.
When Jude finally pulled away, Pablo’s scowl was completely gone, replaced by a dazed, slightly pouty look. He still had no idea what tomorrow was, completely blind to the anniversary, just happy his boyfriend was there.
"I missed you too," Jude murmured, kicking off his shoes and sliding under the duvet next to him.
Pablo immediately tucked himself right into Jude’s side, hiding his face against Jude’s chest to escape any more teasing. "If you tell anyone on the national team," Gavi mumbled threateningly into Jude's hoodie, "I will slide tackle you into the boards next Clásico."
Jude laughed, wrapping his arms securely around him and kissing the top of his messy hair. He pulled his phone out of his pocket with his free hand, keeping the screen angled away from Pablo as he quickly typed 'toy stores open near me' into the search bar.
"Your secret is safe with me, love," Jude smiled, locking his phone and resting his chin on Pablo's head. "Pass the remote, let's turn it back on."
Jude woke up early the next morning, the bright Barcelona sun just barely starting to peak through the edges of the blinds. He shifted carefully, trying not to disturb the absolute hurricane of blankets wrapped around Pablo. Pablo was dead to the world, snoring softly with his face half-buried in Jude's discarded hoodie from the night before.
Jude slid out of bed with the stealth of a striker breaking an offside trap. He grabbed his phone and his jacket, creeping out of the apartment before Pablo could even stir.
Finding a giant stuffed cartoon dog in the middle of a major Spanish city at nine o’clock on a Wednesday morning was a completely ridiculous mission, but Jude was nothing if not determined. He hit three different toy stores, putting his fast-improving Spanish to the ultimate test as he tried to explain to a highly confused shop clerk exactly which blue dog he was looking for.
By the time he got back to the apartment an hour later, he was triumphant. He was carrying a bag so large the ears of a massive, incredibly soft Bluey plushy were bursting out of the top.
He quietly let himself back in. The apartment was still silent, but as he pushed the bedroom door open, he saw Pablo sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes and looking thoroughly disheveled and confused by Jude's sudden disappearance.
"Where did you go?" Pablo muttered, his voice thick with sleep. He squinted at the massive plastic bag in Jude's arms. "What is that?"
"Happy anniversary, love," Jude beamed, walking over to the bed with a massive, proud grin.
Pablo blinked, completely frozen. His brain visibly stalled for three entire seconds before his eyes widened in sheer horror. "Wait. Is today... what date is it?"
"The eighth," Jude laughed, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "Don't stress, I knew you'd forget. That's why I brought the premium goods to make you feel extra guilty."
Pablo looked entirely stricken, a frantic flush hitting his cheeks. "Jude, I'm sorry, I thought it was next week—I didn't get you anything yet, I swear I—"
"Hey, shut up and open it," Jude interrupted gently, tossing the massive bag onto his lap.
Pablo frowned, his defensive instincts flaring up for a split second before curiosity won. He reached into the bag and pulled the massive plushy out by its arms.
Pablo stared down at the giant, perfectly round, smiling face of Bluey. His mouth popped open. He looked at the plushy, then up at Jude, then back down at the plushy. The blush that crept up his neck this time wasn't just a regular flush—it was a full-blown, deep crimson explosion.
"You didn't," Pablo whispered, his voice cracking slightly.
"I did," Jude smirked, leaning back on his hands. "The lady at the toy shop thought I was buying it for a toddler, but I told her it was for a very aggressive midfielder who gets tired after tactics videos."
"Jude!" Pablo dropped the plushy onto his chest, covering his face with his hands as a mix of intense embarrassment and a helpless, giddy laugh escaped him. "You are the worst.."
"You love it," Jude countered, reaching over to pull Pablo's hands away from his face.
Pablo didn't deny it. He bit his lip, a massive, reluctant smile breaking across his face as he looked down at the toy. He grabbed the plushy and immediately squeezed it against his chest, tucking his chin over its blue head, looking so completely soft that Jude’s heart practically did a flip.
"Yeah," Pablo mumbled, looking up at Jude through his eyelashes, his eyes bright and affectionate. "I love it. And I love you. Even if you're an idiot."
"Love you too, Pablo," Jude laughed, leaning in to kiss him over the top of the plushy's ears. "Now, are we going to celebrate our anniversary by going out, or are we watching bluey?"
the end.