Chapter Text
The first thing Jude heard when he woke up was the beeping of machines. The last thing he remembered was playing the match against Argentina. Not just some match. The World Cup semi-finals. 1-1. Only a couple of minutes left till the end. Harry passed him a ball, and he sprinted forward, but he doesn't remember anything after that. He slowly opens his eyes, and he's grateful that the lights in the room are dimmed, because his head is throbbing.
“Hello there, mate.”
Jude got surprised by the sudden voice, but when he turned his head to the side, he saw Declan sitting in a chair.
“Hey Dec,” Jude said, his voice hoarse from not using it for quite some time, “what are you doing here?”
“We didn’t wanted to leave you alone, and since Harry had some stuff to take care about, I offered to stay with you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Jude said automatically, even though he was glad he wasn’t alone in the hospital room.
“I know you don't. But we didn't want to leave you alone after what happend. It looked pretty bad. How are you feeling?”
The sudden emotions in Declan's voice soffened something in Jude. “My head is killing me, but otherwise I feel fine. What happend anyway?”
“One of the Argentinian player’s knocked you over, and you fell right onto your head. It looked horrific. The medical team got to you asap, but you had to be transferred to hospital immediately. Mild-concussion. Your head is cut on the right side, that's why its hurting so much.” Declan pointed at his head, and when Jude mirrored his action, he could feel the bandage around his head. Jude swallowed. It explained the pain he felt, but the look in Declans eyes told him it the situation must’ve look very badly.
“And what about the game? How did it end?” Jude asked, it was the semi-finals, and he had no idea how much time passed since his accident, but Declan being here must've meant the game ended already.
“You need to rest Jude, you shouldn’t care whether-”
“Dec. Tell me.”
Declan sighed. Jude feared he already knew what that meant.
“We lost Jude. They scored in additional time. It's over. But the most important thing now is you healing. That's what you should concentrate on,” Declan said, but Jude could hear the small trembling in his voice, and he felt his own tears gathering in his eyes as well. It was over. Their dream of bringing it home, of this World Cup being the one that belongs to them, was just a dream forever. It was all in the past.
Declan saw Jude tense, so he tried to lighten the mood up a little bit. “And that's why I called the one person who I know is going to take proper care of you.”
Jude huffed. “I told you I don’t need a babysitter, Dec. Actually, I think I want to be alone right now.”
“Not happening, mate. I'm not leaving you until he arrives, should be here any minute. But you can talk to me too, if you want.”
“He?” Jude frowned. Who could Declan possibly have called? His family was back in England, Harry had to deal with what Jude assumed were post-match interviews and debriefings, and the only person who would come anytime Jude called… No, that’s not possible, Declan wouldn’t call him.
“You will thank me later,” Declan said with a smirk on his face. They were alone in the room for a couple of minutes, talking about the game, the whole tournament, and supporting each other while going through the disappointment of losing. Declan reassured Jude that his health had to be a priority right now, and that everyone just wanted to see Jude okay. Deep down, Jude knew he was right, but that didn't erase the bitter feeling of losing the semi-finals. They were in the middle of talking about Declan's family when the door suddenly opened, and there he was. Erling Haaland himself. Jude couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Geez mate, you know how to make an entrance,” Declan laughed while standing up to greet Erling.
“I didn't want to call you in case Jude was still asleep,” Erling said while giving Declan a quick hug, his eyes never leaving Jude's.
“Hi Erling.” Jude said, small smile on his face even though his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
“Hey Jude.” Erling smiled softly, but Jude could see the worry in his eyes.
“Okay, I'm gonna leave you two alone, I'm gonna call the team to let them know that you've woken up,” Declan said as he left the room, not waiting for an answer.
Erling immediately sat on the chair, grabbing Jude's hand into his on instinct. Jude was surprised by the movement, but he squeezed his hand.
“I thought you left for Norway already,” Jude said.
“You scared me so much,” Erling whispered into their hands, and Jude's heart shook at the sound of Erling's voice breaking.
“Hey, I am here. I am okay. I promise. You are not getting rid of me that easily.”
“You don't understand, Jude - it looked - on TV, it looked even worse. That Argentinian fucker slammed into you, and you just dropped to the ground like you -“ Erling couldn’t finish the sentence. He couldn’t bring himself to say that word, not when he was talking about Jude. After he saw the attack on TV and Jude's body lying on the ground, his whole body started shaking, and it slowly stopped just a while ago, when he grabbed Jude’s hand and made sure he was there with him. “And then Declan called, and I was so glad he did. I came here as soon as I could.”
“I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. How are u feeling?”
“Better now.”
“I'm serious.”
“No, you’re Erling.” Jude chuckled, but Erling's face stayed serious.
“Jude, please. Tell me how you feel.”
“I mean it. My head still hurts, but it’s better. It doesn't matter now, does it?”
“What?”
“We've lost the match. I let them all down, Erling. The team, the fans, my family and friends, you. It's all gone. We were so close, and yet I couldn't bring it home.” Jude said, looking everywhere but at Erling.
Erling sighed. “Jude, look at me,” Erling said softly, waiting patiently till Jude lifted his eyes. “You can't carry the whole game on your shoulders. And besides, your team, family, and fans - they are all proud of you. I am proud of you. And the only thing we care about right now is you getting better.”
Jude looked at their interviewed hands. He knew Erling was right, that the most important thing was for him to be healthy, but he couldn't help himself. It wasn't just some game, it was the World Cup. Maybe, if he was there, maybe if he could do something better while he was on the pitch, maybe -
“Jude. Stop overthinking, it's going to make your head hurt more. I know that it sucks, and it's going to bother you for some time, but we will get through it okay?”
Jude looked at him and saw the unshakeable certainty in Erling's eyes. “Okay.” he said with a small smile. They've sat in silence for a while, Erling's fingers caressing Jude's knuckles.
“Have you talked to the doctor?”
“No, not yet. I was talking with Declan since I woke up and then you came.”
“I’m gonna call him to come check on you,” Erling said, already standing up, when Jude grabbed his wrist.
“No! Stay. Please?” Jude said, his cheeks red. “Declan can take care of that later, I just want to talk to you before you leave.”
Erlings eyes softened. 'I'm not going anywhere. “I am going to stay here with you, and then take you home.”
“What?”
“When you are released from the hospital, I am going to take you back to England, but to my house. I'm going to take care of you until you step onto the pitch again.”
“Erling, you don't have to do that. I-I can take care of myself, and besides, I can stay at my parents' house, you don't have to-”
“I've already spoken with them on my way here, and with Jobe as well. They can visit anytime they want, I made sure they know they're welcome.”
“But why?” he saw the hesitation in Erling's eyes. Jude's own feelings buried deep down for so many years were trying to crawl out of his chest.
“Because I care about you, Jude,” Erling said slowly, “and I want to take care of you and make sure that you are ready to go back out there.”
“But what about your holiday? You need to take some time off after the tournament you had.”
“I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way, and with anyone else.”
Jude wanted to say something, but emotions swallowed his words. His heart was beating hard, and the look on Erling's face told him he felt the same. The years of trying to bury the love he felt for him, that went way beyond friendship, were suddenly useless, because Jude moved closer to Erling's face, and he saw Erling doing the same. They were sitting in the room, hand in hand, faces so close that Jude could feel Erling's breath mixing with his own, and all it took for their lips to connect was to take one final step -
“Okay! So, I talked to Harry, he said he will come here ASAP, but the whole team is glad to hear that you've woken up, and I talked to some nurse and she said the doctor will be here in a couple of-” Declan stopped himself mid-sentence when he lifted his head from his phone and looked at the scene before him.
Erling and Jude immediately returned to their previous positions, cheeks red. Erling wasn't sure whether he should let go of Jude's hand, but as if Jude could read his mind, he only squeezed Erling's hand tighter.
“Oh shit guys - I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't do it on purpose.”
“It's okay, Dec.” Erling laughed.
“Yeah, it's fine.'Jude said, checks still red, but when he saw the admiration in Declan's eyes towards them, the anxiety he felt left his body. “Thank you for calling the team and getting the doctor. And for staying here with me. And for... calling Erling.”
“Yeah, no problem mate, I knew he would be the one to stop you from drowning in self-pity and get you to get some rest.” Declan said, smiling ear to ear.
“I guess you were right,” Jude said, looking at Erling, who was already smiling down on him.
“Told you you would thank me later. Okay, I am gonna leave you two alone, I need to call Eze anyway, he owns me TOO much money.” Declan laughed while heading out of the room.
“So... I am the only one who can take care of you?” Erling teased.
“Well, you offered it yourself, didn't you?”
“I did. Because I know nobody would have done it better.” Erling said, and this time, he didn't wait, simply pressed his lips against Jude's. Jude immediately melted into the kiss, all those years worth the wait. When Erling kissed him, Jude didn't feel fireworks or butterflies; he only felt them. The quiet promise of always taking care of each other, of being there for each other, and of the love that was guiding them since they first met. And it was more than enough.