Chapter Text
SUMMER 2026
Pedri had just gotten home from his vacation, following a getaway to China and some days on the Maldivian beaches. The trip helped him to relax and recover some energy after the insane last few weeks, but now it was time to unpack and get back to work.
When he woke up that morning, it was insanely hot. His bedsheets were all soaked with sweat and his bedroom felt like a greenhouse. Pedri got up and pressed the switch that opened the automatic blinds. Looking outside, he couldn't spot a single cloud; the sky was bright blue, as always. After a long cold shower, he had breakfast with his brother, Fer, who also complained about the weather, and laid down on the couch, staring at the screen in front of him, not planning to do anything else for hours to come.
He still had a couple of days until training officially began and he knew exactly how he was going to spend them. Like that. At home, sleeping until midday, watching some crappy TV show, and endlessly scrolling on social media. To be lazy, alone, and do nothing for a good while. That's precisely what he wanted, and it was precisely what he was going to get. Or not.
His phone buzzed.
ferri 🦈
- Ur back from the Maldives right?
- What do you say we go to dinner later?
you
- i say no
ferri 🦈
- Don't make me beg
you
- ferran i'm exhausted
- can't you let me have one moment to myself?
ferri 🦈
- No.
- Pick you up around eight
- Be ready.
you
- i hate you
Pedri knew that if he really wanted to stay home, Ferran would eventually let him. But the truth was, maybe he didn't want to. He did miss Ferran, and it would be a good opportunity to catch-up before the season began. Deep down, he wanted to tell him about the chinese landscapes and hear about his time in Ibiza and doing interviews in New York. He wanted to talk about the aftermath of winning a World Cup. He wanted to gossip with him about the team and about how great next season was going to be.
But it did feet good to be reluctant and let it look like Ferran was forcing him to have dinner. And after all, it was just going to take a few hours from his doing-nothing schedule.
The afternoon slipped away, swift as the blink of an eye. Pedri tried to binge-watch some random series on a streaming platform, but meanwhile his mom called to check on him, and one thing led to another.
About 15 minutes had passed since eight. Someone knocked on the door.
Despite Ferran's last (threatening) text, Pedri wasn't ready. A bit on purpose, to annoy him. Pedri ran to his room and let his brother answer the door, already guessing who was on the other side. He could hear Ferran making small talk with Fer in the living room, something about a random movie that was coming to theaters soon.
Not much later, Pedri got dressed, walked up to them, and had some quick chat with Ferran and Fer. He immediately noticed Ferran. He was dressed up nice. Maybe too nice. Pedri was almost sure he was wearing a different cologne than the usual one, the scent was more expensive. He tried not to read much into it.
"Give me the keys." Pedri said after leaving the house.
"Why?"
"'Cause how else am I going to start the car?"
"You're not driving, you don't know where we're going."
"And risk my life? Where are we going anyway?"
"To dinner." Ferran had a sarcastic tone.
"No shit. I mean what place."
"Get in the car. You'll see."
Pedri's eyes rolled, pretending to be peeved. He actually loved it, he liked being surprised and he really liked being surprised by Ferran.
The ride wasn't much long and passed by quickly given the company. When they arrived Pedri was confused. The restaurant was very posh and luxurious. One of the most famous in Barcelona, that kind where they serve you a minuscule portion and charge you a minimum wage for it, which is totally acceptable given the number of Michelin stars of the place. He felt underdressed for the occasion, but Ferran had only said dinner at eight so that wasn't really his fault. Or was it? Pedri looked at him, as the waiter guided them to their table, Ferran looked… nervous? Excited? It was hard to tell and he was always so hard to read. Pedri decided not to say anything, but he had a feeling this wasn't going to be just another pre-season catch up dinner.
Nevertheless, it was actually a quite ordinary dinner, just in a fancier place. They shared their orders (as always) and talked about all the things Pedri thought they would – the World Cup, their breaks and what happened since they had last been together. They talked about last season and they talked about next season. Actually they didn't.
"Excited for what's to come?" Pedri tried to change the subject, as they were finishing dessert. "I know I say this every year, but I really feel like if we work hard enough, this could be our year."
"Huh?" Ferran seemed absent-minded.
"Our year. The Champions? Barça?"
"Yeah." Back to reality. "Yes, of course." He gave a short laugh. Pedri furrowed his brows. "Anyhow… your trips. Did your girlfriend enjoy China?"
"Uhm… Yeah, she did. You're kinda weird today. What's this all for, anyway?"
"No, I'm not" Ferran scoffed. "What? Can't have dinner with you anymore?"
"You know it's not that. The fancy restaurant, the way you're dressed. Come on, they have classical music playing!" Pedri knew something was up and he knew Ferran understood what he was trying to say.
"What's with my outfit? You think I look good?" He had a smirk on his face, ignoring everything else that Pedri had said.
"No! I mean, yes! Fuck it, Ferri, you know you can tell me anything."
For a brief moment, none of them spoke.
"You know what?" Ferran broke the silence. "Let's get out of here." He turned to a waitress. "Could we have the check, please? Thank you."
"And go where?"
"You'll see."
It was the second time Pedri had heard that on that night. This time, his eyes didn't roll. If he were to be honest, this time, the unpredictability and the surprise didn't amuse him anymore. He felt anxious. Ferran looked anxious.
This drive was longer than the first. Mainly because the destination was more distant, but also because of the tense atmosphere in the car, and it wasn't only due to Ferran's driving skills. Pedri opened the window on his side to try and breathe some fresh air. The sultry heat of Barcelona's August night didn't exactly help out. A few minutes later, the breeze coming through the window brought the scent of salt air. The beach, of course. Ferran loved the beach, it reminded him of his childhood and his hometown on the coast of Valencia, the place where he grew up.
"We're here" Ferran announced as if Pedri couldn't tell it from the engine turning off.
Pedri didn't say anything. He got out of the car, watched Ferran making his way slowly towards the sea and followed him silently. They both stopped walking and stood next to where the waves met the shore. The night had grown darker and colder. Pedri was shivering, due to the chilly sea mist that felt like freezing needles on the bare skin of his arms. Ferran noticed. He was prepared and had brought a hoodie with him, as if when leaving his house he already knew they would end up in that place. Was only a matter of seconds until he stripped the hoodie off and offered it to Pedri without saying anything. He gladly accepted it, humming a thank you.
"Are we going to address the elephant in the room?" Pedri said after what felt like forever.
Ferran gave a long sigh. When Pedri looked at him, he noticed he didn't shiver and didn't even looked bothered by the cold water and occasional splashes on his feet. His head was still, his eyes faced the sea and didn't encounter Pedri's conspicuous stare. He could probably guess what Ferran was about to tell him. He wasn't blind nor deaf. He could and he did read different speculations on news websites. Besides that, it was also impossible to escape the countless rumor accounts that popped up on his Instagram timeline.
So when Ferran finally said:
"I'm leaving. There's no easy way of telling you this. Believe me, I tried."
It shouldn't have left him surprised. And he wasn't, really. Again, he did like to be surprised, but not by that kind of surprises.
The world seemed to pause there for a while. He didn't know how to feel. Sad? Betrayed? Angry? Unbothered and that he should just move on? Definitely not that one. How does one continue such a conversation?
"When?" was the only thing he managed to ask.
"I don't know for sure." His voice was steady but there was a slight hint of sadness in it. "It's not official yet, they only made the offer. But I have decided myself. Thought I should run it by you before saying anything to my agent."
"I appreciate it." Pedri paused to reorganize his thoughts, then he laughed nervously. "Sorry, I don't really know what to tell you. I'll miss you. A lot."
"I know, it's hard. It wasn't exactly easy to make up my mind. But it's a really good deal, I hope you understand it."
"Yeah, I sure do. You would be crazy not to do it given their recent seasons. And I heard Paris is a nice place. You know, the tower and stuff." Pedri forced himself to laugh but it had the exact opposite effect, he could feel the salty wet drops starting to form in the corners of his eyes.
"Yeah." Ferran giggled about what he had said and looked at him for the first time since they got there. "Oh my god, you're actually crying."
"No I'm not, shut up." He said as some tears begged to differ and rolled down his face.
"Ay, Pepi. We'll still see each other, you know that. Come here." Ferran pulled him in for a quick but strong hug. "You're ridiculous." He said, wiping the tears with his right hand and holding Pedri's face with his left one.
"Do I?" Pedri teased, laughing, when he noticed Ferran was also starting to weep.
"No, you don't." Ferran was smiling and his tone was endearing. Suddenly, Ferran got way too self aware of his surroundings. All at once, he could feel the wind softly playing with his hair and Pedri's. He noticed the tiny yellow lights away from them that came from the buildings near the boardwalk They both stared into each other's eyes as if they could read them.
Ferran's heart was beating incessantly and Pedri could probably hear it, or maybe he didn't due to the crash of the waves, which was getting louder. His gaze dropped to Pedri's mouth and it felt like the world was ending that night. He thought fuck it. "I'm sorry Pedri. I feel like if I don't do this now, I'll never get the chance to do it again.".
Ferran closed the space between them. He kissed Pedri like he'd been wanting to do it for a very long while, but not in a desperate way. He could do it forever, standing there in an uncomfortable position with his feet freezing from the frigid waves. None of that mattered because he was, finally, kissing Pedri. He could barely see his face, the night was pitch black, which was comforting in the sense that no one could spot them either. Yeah, he could do it forever, but he didn't, as Pedri broke the moment and looked at him, confused.
"What are you doing? Ferran, I have a girlfriend. Dude, I have to go." Pedri took a few steps back, startled, doing everything possible to avoid eye contact. Don't worry about driving me, I'll call an Uber." The words stabbed Ferran like a knife, colder than the water.
He watched as Pedri got smaller and smaller in the distance. It didn't even occur to him that it would be the last time they would be together for some months. He probably should've done the same thing and headed back home, try to erase this night from his memory. Instead, he sat down in the sand thinking about the last 5 minutes. He would do it again. But he knew he shouldn't have done it.
Ferran felt conflicted. He was almost sure Pedri had enjoyed the kiss, but he clearly didn't, he sounded disgusted. And he did have a girlfriend. Each time he remembered the words he had said he got more and more embarrassed. But he had no regrets. Maybe only having to leave things this way. Good thing he was going to another city and did not have to be with him every day. If not, he would drown right there, in the sea. Were those 10 seconds worth possibly ruining their entire friendship?
Ferran continued thinking about the whole situation as he gathered pebbles and threw them into the water, quietly listening to the consequent splashes. The overthinking and a pounding headache convinced him to go back home. During the drive, he decided that he would send a text apologizing to Pedri in the morning, and perhaps things would go back to normal-ish?
Most likely not.