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He didn’t even knock when he came in. Mario didn’t mind. He wasn’t even surprised when his friend’s face glanced around the door, as if he knew he were coming. The only thing he was surprised at, was the colour of his eye.
“Oh, god. What happened to you?” Mario was off the couch in a hurry, the blanket dropping off the instant he stood. He didn’t even feel his ankle. Taking the man’s face in his hands carefully, he examined the wound.
“An accident,” Thomas smiled. “During practice. It’s no big deal,” he said, pulling Mario’s hands away. “I just wanted to be here right now.”
Leaving Mario in the doorway, Thomas walked over to the couch. He kicked his shoes off, threw his jacket on a chair and took his seat.
“It’s still warm,” Thomas remarked. “How nice of you to keep the seat warm for me.”
Mario grinned back and sat down on the cold spot next to his friend. Then Thomas opened up the blanket for Mario and they settled right there, without any words.
Hours passed unnoticed.
Before they knew it the night was falling over them. The room turned darker while life outside that room was moving on. The air was humid, but it spread a nice warmth. They were so comfortable around each other now. The feeling of the Mario’s warm body against Thomas’ was something he couldn’t imagine missing now, although there had been times when he started doubting everything. But maybe those were the best times. The day he started wondering if he was truly straight was the day everything changed. And he never regretted that day.
When Thomas stood up to stretch his body, Mario realised how stiff his legs had become. In his case, that wasn’t a good sign, so he decided to stand up and walk a bit. Thomas yawned and put both hands in his pocket. The pace with which Mario stumbled up and down the room seemed like that of an old man. He stood still in front of Thomas.
Out of nowhere, Thomas burst into laughter. “Look at us now! We’re just a bunch of pathetic little fools. You’ve got your ankle and now I have a bruised face. We’re both moving around like elders.”
Laughing along, Mario took grip of Thomas’ waist and pulled him closer, yet far enough to look him in the eyes without everything becoming blurry. “We may be fools, but we’re definitely not pathetic.”
Thomas let his teammate kiss him on the lips, before placing a trail of wet kisses down his neck. His hands were everywhere. He was grateful for the fact he could let him do this.
“What about little?” Thomas asked, as he felt warm lips on his Adam’s apple.
“Do I seem little to you?” said the taller man.
As his shirt was pulled over his head, Thomas thought about all the reasons why Mario Gomez wasn’t little. For one thing, he was just a giant, towering over Thomas himself. His name was big and well-known all over the world. He initiated intimacies of every kind, from rough touches to long stares. But most of all; whether he was looking into your eyes or biting down your chest, there was no way to argue with the man.
“No,” Thomas whispered. He had long forgotten the pain that had tortured him a few hours ago. Mario was a human painkiller. Every move he made seemed to heal wounds and ease the pain.
Mario was a wise man who did hardly more than necessary, but everything he did leaded him closer to his goal. He didn’t even need to be credited for the things he did, although rewards were always welcome, Thomas knew well enough. Thomas loved to repay him every now and then. Usually, that meant physically. But sometimes, when they felt like they were alone on the world, he would say it. He would tell his friend how thankful he was for his mere presence. Thomas pretended to be a lot cooler than he was and sometimes he acted like this whole relationship was just about sex. But deep inside he knew that there was much more to it. He loved the way Mario made him feel whole again.
Mario was a lifesaver, a typical hero: he never wanted to become one, but he did. And Thomas thanked him for that, because he had no idea where he would have been without Mario. When he had gotten into his car with a black eye a few hours ago, he had nowhere to go but here. This was the only place he could think of being at that moment. Or at any moment really. Home was not a place; home was Mario.
That’s when he realised how wrong he was. They weren’t pathetic little fools. They were strong and big and everything that wasn’t foolish. They lived lives of chaos and messed up minds and they had to steal kisses in Mario’s apartment because Thomas was a married man. It sounded pathetic, but that wasn’t how it felt. It felt enormous.
“Do you think that I can kiss the trouble out of your mind?” Mario interrupted his thoughts.
Thomas could feel the warm weight of his hands on his back and couldn’t decline. “That would be very nice of you,” he said and they let the time wash over them.