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Marc had forgotten just how boring plane rides can get, especially now that he's spending this one sitting alone.
It was his choice to sit alone, really; Pau and Lamine had offered to sit next to him as they always do, but Bernal saw the eagerness they were trying to hide of sitting next to Adeyemi, so he had shooed them away to sit with their newbie instead with an excuse of wanting to calm down and think for the next game.
A lie, of course, but a believable one — other players have that strategy of sitting alone in the plane to simply relax and either put their mind into the next game or take it off of it, like Joan and sometimes Olmo.
However, Marc would also be lying if he said he doesn't regret sitting alone. He'd forgotten to download something to watch during the flight, and he had taken a nap right before getting to the airport, so he's left alone with nothing but music and the window to distract himself.
That is, of course, until he feels someone slide into the seat next to his. Bernal looks away from the window to his new companion, surprised with the sight that greets him. The middle seat is now occupied by Abdelkarim, who doesn't look back up at him as he scrolls through his phone.
Everyone knows the new guy, he's great at what he does and he has a passion that all of them can relate to. However, he's more like a street cat — doesn't start interactions, a bit too serious, and will run away if pushed. Knowing this, Bernal decides to leave him take that seat and look out the window again, definitely noticing when the boy stares at him.
Maybe to tease, or maybe due to his own curiosity, Marc looks over at Hamza as he feels the guy stare at him. They start some sort of staring contest just like that, both of them looking into each other's eyes for no particular reason at all, until the younger finally blinks.
"Hah!" Bernal smirks, having won their little unspoken contest. He's about to look away again when Hamza takes off one of his earphones, shoving it into his hand instead. "Huh?"
"Wanna watch with me?" the boy finally asks, turning around his phone so Bernal can see what he's watching, a random movie that he can't quite see the title of.
"Sure," he nods, taking off his own headphones and putting Hamza's earphone on. The volume is thankfully low, just loud enough to be heard through the airplane's engine.
Hamza props his phone up on the seatback tray in front of Bernal, putting it sideways as the movie starts and leaning in just a bit closer to the other boy to be able to see properly. If Bernal's eyes don't betray, he can see a faint blush on the other's cheeks, but he chooses to ignore it in favor of not making him uncomfortable.
The movie makes time pass pretty quickly, it's easy to get lost in that beautiful imagery and the incredible plot it presents, thankfully accompanied by Spanish subtitles for whenever the change pressure makes their ears muffle. It's not something that Bernal expected to be doing when he boarded the flight, but he's thankful for it now.
"Woah," he finds himself saying when the movie ends, giving Hamza his earphone back. "I certainly wasn't expecting… that to be the end."
"Me neither," the younger boy says, also a bit surprised with the resolution of the issue but not looking too displeased by it. "It actually makes sense, if you think about it…"
And Marc pauses to think about it for a bit, taking a minute or two to nod back. "You're right, it does make sense," he says, "it just felt kind of abrupt."
"Yeah," Hamza agrees, pulling his phone back from where it's propped up to pause the movie and turn the screen off, turning to talk with Bernal instead. "Maybe they were planning to make it longer."
"Sure feels like it," he answers with a shrug, about to say something else when the airplane's speakers turn on, making everyone go quiet.
"Please remain in your seats and put your seatbelts on as we are about to land, you may not go to the bathroom anymore. Make sure the seatback trays are folded."
Abdelkarim, instead of going back to his seat like Bernal was expecting him to, simply puts on the seatbelt as he looks past Marc to watch the window. Marc puts on his seatbelt and decides to watch outside too, seeing the clouds start to tilt as the airplane slowly descends.
It's ridiculous how close Hamza is, his head practically propped up on Bernal's shoulder as he tries to get a good view of the outside. And maybe Bernal doesn't want him to stray far away either, because before he can even think of it he's wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders and pulling him a tad bit closer — Hamza doesn't complain, so he doesn't let go.
The plane lands, and finally they can all get up and stretch their limbs as they grab their hand luggage, the bigger suitcases already waiting for them in the bus to the hotel where they're staying.
As Hamza finally grabs his small bag and moves to the hallway, Marc sees Lamine look at the both of them with surprise. His friend looks at Hamza, then back at him, then at Hamza again and finally at him once more before his eyes light up with a teasing glint, a smirk making itself known on his lips as Bernal feels his face flush.
When they get off the airplane, they all slowly march on a row towards the bus, most of them tired of being into cramped spaces and just wanting to get to the hotel already. Bernal is right in front of Lamine, ignoring his friend's teasing giggles as they make their way up to the bus.
He tries to convince himself that he's just returning the favor as he looks around at the taken seats, already searching for Hamza again. He sees Raphinha and Fermín together, with Eric and Joan right behind them, and it takes him just a few more rows of walking before he finally spots just who he's looking for, sitting alone against the bus.
Neither of them say anything as Bernal sits, and they don't acknowledge Lamine and Pau when they sit right behind them — Bernal is aware that they just want to gossip, but he's not sure if the newer player knows that yet so he doesn't tell them off.
"Why'd you sit with me on the plane?" he asks out of nowhere, making the boy next to him look up from whatever he was doing on his phone. "Not that I minded, y'know, just curious."
"You looked alone," Hamza answers, his Spanish still not quite that polished, but the message is clear enough. "And I was bored, watching movies alone is boring."
"I was bored too," Bernal admits, shrugging. "Glad you sat next to me. Hey, who knows, maybe next time we'll even share a hotel room."
The statement, a small attempt at being flirty, makes the other boy blush and look away with a nod. Lamine laughs behind them, and Pau slaps his head lightly to shut him up.
"Hey, smile!" Olmo suddenly says, twisting from his seat in front of them to take a picture, probably to post it on his Snapchat.
They're all caught off guard, and Bernal wraps his arm around Hamza's shoulders once again to bring him closer for the picture. It doesn't even look that bad when it's taken, with both Lamine and Pau appearing behind them laughing whereas Bernal and Abdelkarim are in the front, smiling naturally at the camera with their cheeks a bit redder than usual.
"You can choose who you room with in hotels?" Hamza asks, leaning against the wall of the bus as the vehicle starts moving, Bernal's arm no longer around him.
"Sometimes," he shrugs, "normally it's random, but when we can choose everyone goes crazy."
"I remember Ferran and Gavi fighting to room with Pedri," Lamine says from behind them, shuddering at the memory. "That was one hell of a fight…"
Hamza had barely been able to know Ferran before the man's abrupt leave to PSG, but he's been filled in with enough information to know that he was a friend to all of them. He hasn't gotten around to asking questions about him yet, but Bernal can see that the mere mention of him sparks the boy's interest a little — or perhaps it's the mention of a fight that makes him interested.
"Can't believe Pedri decided to room with Olmo because of their fight," Pau adds, shaking his head in faux disappointment. "Either way, most people already have a stablished pair for rooming together, except for Bernal," he teases, definitely wanting Hamza to get the hint.
"Oh," the newbie says, looking between all of them before nodding. "I would room with you, if you wanted."
Lamine and Pau high five behind them, silly smirks in their faces as their mission has been accomplished.
"Is this what Héctor felt like when…?" Lamine asks, laughing as he leans his head against Pau's shoulder. "This is so fun, dude."
Hamza has seemingly grown tired of their teasing, going back to looking out the window and putting on his earphones, and Bernal shortly after does the same.
After all these years of feeling like a constant third wheel in his friend groups, of not being picked first by anyone when teaming up in partners, after all these years of a quiet ache in his chest that he didn't quite know how to fill, Bernal can finally breathe properly — he feels like he's found someone who he belongs with, and he knows that Hamza feels the same when he notices the boy placing his hand very close to his own yet not quite touching yet.
Yeah, they'll definitely be good for each other.