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“Dude, please.” Fermin looks up at him, instantly regretting his decision of giving Gavi a spare key for emergencies. His finger hovers at the mute button of his remote, acting like he’s thinking about it, before looking back at the screen and pressing unmute.
Gavi gives a loud groan and snatches it from his hand, pressing the power button, and throwing it on the other side of the couch far from Fermin’s reach.
Gavi is his neighbor that he now considers his best friend. They used to just politely nod at the other when they passed each other by at the stairs or at the building entrance. But they quickly grew closer, and Fermin learned that he is a big football fan, and even bigger FC Barcelona fan.
He’s spent a big chunk of their friendship trying to drag Fermin to matches, but the free spots on their schedules haven’t always aligned with a match. Until this month, the first Barcelona match after the International break, which Gavi insists is a big deal that he totally needs to watch live because please I’ve waited for them to come back in weeks.
Fermin's not a big fan of football, not really knowledgeable about the technicalities of the sport, and knows much less about the Barcelona team. He doesn’t want to go because he’s afraid he might spoil this big day for his friend because he doesn’t know shit about it - hesitant that both of them won't enjoy it because of the difference in enthusiasm.
“Please, it's just one match.” but Gavi is a persistent man, and a very manipulative friend who already bought the tickets before he even asked Fermin. So he goes with him anyway, the stadium looking even bigger in person than Fermin first assumed. He links his arm with Gavi’s, determined to not get lost as they approach the huge crowd queuing by the entrance.
They find their spots, Gavi blending really well with the other fans, decked out in full Barcelona kit - wearing his PEDRI #8 jersey, a handwritten banner, and a striped scarf with VISCA EL BARÇA written in big letters thrown around his shoulders. Fermin, however, is wearing just a basic white collared tee and oversized jean shorts. He looks around, and everyone is wearing similar looking jersey shirts with different player names written on their backs, and he feels underdressed somehow.
The starting whistle echoes, his eyes following the rhythmic passing of the ball between the players, and almost instantly he is jumping up in awe, Gavi and their seatmates are screaming for the tall blond player, Anthony Gordon, when he scores barely 2 minutes in.
He willingly listens to Gavi as he enthusiastically explains everything as the game goes on. Fermin tries his best to nod along with all the names being semi-shouted right by his ear. He was sitting at the edge of his seat, feeling the pressure with every missed shot. He boos along with the crowd, not knowing any of the words to the supporting chants yet so this is all he can do for now. They jump up again when, near the 30-minute mark, another shot goes in. The crowd is cheering and clapping very loudly for the Barcelona player named Gabriel Jesus.
“He and Gordon were both recent signings! The club really lucked out on them!” Gavi supplies helpfully. Cheers erupted loudly throughout the stadium when the same player gets the ball again, and it gets even louder when suddenly he’s on the floor after an opposing player fouls him and soon gets shown the first yellow card of the match.
By half-time break, his bladder feels full, spending most of the first 45 minutes bringing his soda to his mouth when he isn’t busy screaming, for a lack of things to do with his hands with no banner or flag to wave around. When most of the players from both teams have walked off the pitch, the crowd starts calming down a little and are now sitting back on their seats.
“Stay here, I need to pee.” Fermin stands up, pushing Gavi back down when he attempts to stand up with him, insisting that Gavi doesn't need to chaperone him on his toilet break. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yeah, man, don’t worry, it’s just the toilet.” He walks sideways, trying his best to avoid hitting other people's legs too much, while trying unsuccessfully to ignore Gavi who's calling out to him, “Call me if you get lost!”
“I'll be fine! I'll be back soon!” he shouts back as he bounds the stairs two steps at a time. Shadowing the other guys that he assumes is also in dire need of emptying their bladders.
-
Unsurprisingly, Fermin gets lost while trying to get to his and Gavi's seats.
The crowd that was lining up outside has already dispersed, his plan of following other fans for the way back is instantly shot down as he’s met with a mostly deserted hallway. Not wanting to prove to Gavi that he was right and he should’ve accompanied him, he refuses to take his phone out to call his friend. Choosing to walk the entire length of corridor, turning at the corner he remembers he came from.
“Goddamn sports stadiums and their long maze-like floor plan and their doors that lead to nowhere.” He angrily mutters, as he’s met with a matching hallway after going through the door that he assumed was the exit.
He tries going through several more doors, thinking that one of these has got to be the right one this time. Fermin hears the crowd getting louder, he pulls out his phone and sees that he barely has any time left before the match resumes.
He jogs along the nth identical hallway he's been in, taking long strides while trying not to look behind him, wanting to at least appear confident that he knows where he's going in case he runs into someone.
Fermin chances another look behind him, wary that a staff might see him and thinks he's trespassing (he technically is, but this is all accidental anyway), when he bumps into something really solid. He nearly falls on his ass before an arm reaches around his waist to catch him. Realizing that he actually had bumped into another person, he opens his mouth quickly to offer an apology, but shuts it closed as quickly when he meets the other person's worried eyes slightly hidden behind large eyeglasses.
“Are you okay?”
Fermin observes the man, his hand clutching the back of Fermin's shirt tightly. He's wearing thin black rimmed eyeglasses, a single slit on his left eyebrow, has a weird horseshoe mustache resting on his upper lip that surely only this person can pull off, and he can see some short curls peeking from underneath his tan cap. He also has a really nice set of teeth, that is now on full display, as he gives an awkward smile at Fermin.
“Hello? Are you okay? Why were you running?”
Fermin blinks fast, trying to remember what he was doing before getting distracted by the handsome man in front of him - who still has his arm around his waist. This makes Fermin's face warm up quickly. He steps away and clears his throat.
“Uh, I’m kind of lost?” Fermin scratches his nape, he didn't want to admit it but he really needs to go back to Gavi soon, his phone vibrating incessantly in his hand since he started running, “It's my first time here.”
The man puts his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, not stepping away from Fermin, seemingly unbothered by the lack of space between them.
“Where do you need to go? I can help you.”
“Uhhh, wait a minute.” Fermin brings his phone up and clicks on his messages with Gavi. He scrolls quickly, ignoring all the new, unread, and panicked ones, trying to find the screenshot of their e-ticket sent by his friend three days ago. Another set of messages comes in, making him lose his progress.
gav🤪
where r u ???
gav🤪
did you seriously get lost???
gav🤪
dude answerrrrr. the toilet is literally just Right There
fermin seriously
did u get into a fight
do i need to rescue u???
fer😛
chill
im okay dw
He types a short reply just to make him stop sending messages. The handsome man waits patiently, rocking on the soles of his feet.
“Ah! here," Fermin tilts his phone towards the man, who takes it in his hand, his palm enveloping Fermin's. The man pushes his glasses down a bit using his left hand to see the contents more clearly.
Fermin notices the little anchor tattoo behind his left ear, and sees the abundance of tattoos on the hand holding his. He easily concludes that this is the hottest man he's ever seen in his life, and it's become his mission to get his number before they find his seat.
The man takes back his hand, Fermin watches as he chews on his lower lip while searching the whole area. He's humming a tune softly as he thinks. “We can pass by here,” he finally says, looking back at Fermin, his hand pointing at yet another door that looks similar to all the other doors that Fermin has gone through which led him here.
“You can just tell me the directions,” Fermin lies. He's really bad at taking in verbal instructions, and he's equally as bad at navigating new spaces, hence why he is now lost, needing a stranger's help after denying his best friend's. “I can manage by myself. I don't want to take more of your time.”
The man laughs softly, his eyes never leaving Fermin's face, clearly seeing the doubt in his expression. “I don't think you can actually,” he reaches for Fermin's arm and drags him towards the direction he pointed at. “Besides, I don't have much going on right now.”
Fermin follows him through a bunch of doors, his arm feeling warm and tingly underneath the man's palm, the rings on his fingers surely making an indent on his wrist. They walk by a few other people, some wearing what seems to be stadium staff uniforms. The man smiles at them and greets all of them, and they all wave back at him politely. This makes Fermin nervous, was this man actually some kind of Head of Security in disguise and he's now on his way to getting thrown out of the premises after getting caught walking unsupervised in restricted areas?
He sweats a little. How would he even explain this situation to Gavi once the match ends. How will he even meet up with his friend later, he can’t even remember which entrance door they queued up and went into and he can barely get back to their seats on his own. Fermin is subtly trying to look for ways to escape when the man’s steps start slowing down.
They are now in yet another long corridor but it looks quite different now with a colored open door at the end. They stop a few meters away from it, letting a set of staff push their cart of supplies through first.
The man leans his back on the wall, tugging him close until he’s standing in front of him. He gives him a soft reassuring squeeze before he lets go of Fermin's arm. He watches the man raise his eyebrows to acknowledge another greeting that comes from behind Fermin.
Fermin tries not to let his nerves show, calms himself down and puts on a small smile. “So, do you come here often?”
The man's eyes widen as he takes a while to register what Fermin asked him. “I mean - everyone seemed to know you.” He explains.
A big smile forms on the man’s face, “Yeah,” he starts and soon after he lets out a laugh. “Yeah, you can say that I am here often.”
Fermin laughs along with him, even though he doesn't know what was funny about his question. The man has a nice, deep voice and his eyes crinkle sweetly when he smiles. Although Fermin is still a little nervous, feeling like he’s in some fucked up round of escape room this past few minutes, he thinks he's got a crush on this man, and he has to work quickly before his time runs out.
Gavi has always called him shameless. Fermin never backs down when his friend dares him to flirt with random strangers when they get bored during their hangouts. But for some reason, the man in front of him makes him feel shy. His eyes always linger a second too long on Fermin’s face whenever they look his way.
“Maybe you can show me around next time?” He says a bit sheepishly, his heart pounding loudly at his chest as the man stares at him unblinking.
“Just so I don't get lost again.” Fermin gulps, the door behind him is now being closed by the last person that went in, his greeting ignored by the man who is still looking at Fermin, unresponsive.
They stay like that for a few seconds, the man visibly studying him, his eyes searching around Fermin's face. He tries his hardest to stay still, not backing down from this weird staring contest the man has dragged him into.
The man's brows furrow in a confused way, but it's gone as soon as he blinks, and his wide, sweet smile is back on his face again. A strange spark of interest appears in his eyes as he pushes himself away from the wall and back into Fermin's personal space.
“Sure, we can do that,” the man holds out his hand towards him. Fermin looks at it and hesitates, not knowing what is being asked of him.
“Your phone, I'll give you my number so we can plan our next meeting.” His voice drops at the last word, almost like he wanted to say something else, but Fermin convinces himself that he's just being delusional. You only just met the man, he scolds himself, get a grip.
Fermin hands over his phone to him, the man types his contact details swiftly and presses the call button. He brings out his own phone from his back pocket and gives back Fermin’s phone.
“What name should I save you under?” He asks, Fermin looks at his phone, the name “Raphael☺️” displayed on his screen.
He looks up as the man, Raphael, slides the answer button and puts his phone by his ear. Fermin gives him a small smile and mirrors the action, “I’m Fermin, nice to meet you.” He says, offering his hand for the other to shake.
Raphael looks away first this time, retracting his hand and brushes his knuckles on his nose as he turns his head to the side. Fermin sees the tip of his ear is flush with a deep red. This makes him grin, feeling all his nervousness fade away from his body and gets replaced by confidence now that he’s noticing obvious signs that the other is as affected by all these as he is. Raphael coughs against his fist, nodding while trying to hide the smile on lips. Raphael ends the call and types his name on his phone and puts it back in his pocket.
“Shall we?” Fermin steps to the side, motioning for Raphael to take the lead. He pulls the door open, his hand settles comfortably on a spot on Fermin’s lower back.
They walk the rest of the way with barely any space between them, their steps now slower than before, as if neither of them actually wants to arrive at their destination soon. Every brush of their arms against each other feels electric to Fermin.
“So you’re here with your friend?” Raphael asks.
“Mhmm, I made him stay in our seats while I went to the toilets, then I got lost, but he doesn’t need to know that part.” Fermin answers with a stubborn tone that makes Raphael laugh again.
He feels relaxed now, sharing a few more details about him and Gavi. Fermin tells Raphael that he isn’t a big fan of all this at all - he would like to be, but no matter how many numerous powerpoint presentations he’s been subjected to of the entire FC Barcelona team and its history throughout the duration of his friendship with Gavi, he just cannot remember their names and faces at all.
He knows Pedri though, the midfielder’s face plastered on every slide that Gavi can sneak him in. The photos on other team member’s introductory slides always feature Pedri on them. This makes Raphael laugh loudly, he tells him that he knows Pedri well, and gives lots of compliments that sound identical to the speeches Gavi makes about him.
Raphael asks him about the things Gavi says about the other team members, Fermin explains that he can’t remember much about them because the favoritism his friend displays is so intense that any conversation they start always gets redirected back to the midfielder.
The sound of the crowd starts getting closer, Fermin feels almost sad that their little walking date is also ending. He speeds up when he sees the green of the pitch appear into view at the end of their path.
A hand holds his and stops him from continuing, “I have to go now. Can you get back on your own from here?” Raphael asks, Fermin’s eyes look down at their hands and he feels another blush creep up on his face. The other man doesn’t let go, strokes his thumb lightly on Fermin’s knuckles instead, waiting for a response.
“I can, don’t worry about me.” Fermin turns his palm and gives Raphael’s hand a squeeze. The energy around them turns a little bittersweet, until Raphael giggles at him.
“Hard not to when I just had to rescue you because you got lost.” Raphael laughs at Fermin’s weak attempt at punching him on his arm. Raphael catches his hand, and brings it to his lips to give him a small kiss.
“Text me, yeah?”
Fermin nods, his hand hanging dumbly in the air as Raphael turns and jogs away from him. He brings his hands to his burning cheeks, giving it a few soft slaps to wake himself up. He breathes deeply before going down the stairs, looking around for his friend.
He finally spots Gavi’s bright, pink hair. When Gavi got them done, he joked that he has to get it so Fermin can easily find him in the crowd if ever they get separated. Fermin cursed at him then, but now it is proven helpful and correct when it makes it easier for him to navigate through the sea of identical blue and red shirts and back to Gavi’s side.
–
“Dude,” he grunts loudly as he cracks his back using the hard plastic seat. Fermin looks at the small screen hanging on top of them and sees that the second half is now at 55 minutes.
Gavi looks at him sideways, worry etched on his face, shifting his focus to him when a short lull happens in the match, the ball just getting passed around by the Barcelona players.
“Where the hell did you go?” There's a tinge of amusement in his friend’s voice, betraying the bold frown on his face.
“The toilet. I told you I needed to pee.” Fermin shrugs.
“Liar. You were gone for like 20 minutes. You got lost, didn’t you?” Gavi squints his eyes at him, his head turning from side to side, trying to divide his attention equally to the match and his friend.
“No…” Fermin pouts, crossing his arms defensively across his chest. “I met this handsome guy on the way here.”
This makes Gavi pause and turn to him fully, his eyebrows up really high. “So, what? Did you suck him off or?”
“Oh my god, no. Okay, I got lost, and he helped me find my way back.” Fermin admits hurriedly, smacking Gavi hard on his arm when he laughs loudly in victory. Gavi knows his friend got lost, he’s just that bad at directions. He just has this incessant need to tease him when an opportunity arises.
“And? Did you get his name?” Fermin grins at him, Gavi nods slightly urging the other to continue. “Even better. I got his number.” Fermin says smug, leaning back on his seat proudly.
Gavi rolls his eyes, “What’s the guy’s name then?”
Fermin opens his mouth to answer but before he can tell him, Gavi’s head whips back towards the pitch when the crowd start clapping, and a loud voice booms throughout the stadium speakers announcing that Pedri is getting subbed in.
It’s Fermin’s turn to roll his eyes, his friend is now an impenetrable wall that he won’t be able to converse with for as long as the midfielder is on the pitch.
He pulls out his phone, remembering that Raphael had asked him to send a text when he gets back. Fermin’s fingers hesitates, hovering on the keyboard. He doesn’t know what to say. A short “I got back” feels too simple and close-ended, but he can’t think of anything interesting to say now that they’re far apart.
Fermin starts pressing random letters, hoping a conversation idea blooms inside his mind, when three grey dots appear on the bottom of his screen. He quickly backspaces the gibberish on his textbox, and waits for the other to finish typing.
Raphael☺️
hey Fer, found your friend yet?
His chest feels warm when he sees the nickname. Happy that Raphael seems more straightforward and brave to show his interest in him to compensate for the sudden shyness on Fermin’s part.
He looks at said friend, Gavi is sitting at the edge of his seat, clutching his banner and scarf tightly, his hands resting on his knees. Gavi’s eyes are locked on Pedri, no amount of distraction can get him to look away now.
Fermin😳
hii yeah, im being ignored though
pedri’s in so he doesn’t care about me anymore ☹️
Fermin looks up from his phone just in time to see one of Pedri’s passes get blocked by the referee’s feet. Gavi groans loudly and throws his hands up in frustration.
His phone vibrates against his hand.
Raphael☺️
lol Pedri’s playing well, i understand your friend right now
how about you?
are you enjoying the match?
Fermin😳
i am, yeah!
might let gavi force me to watch another next time
He remembers his shameless request for Raphael to show him around the stadium in the future. He subtly brings up the possibility of him coming back to watch in hopes that it makes Raphael remember it too.
The three dots come up and disappear multiple times. Fermin wonders what is making the other suddenly hesitate. Is he reconsidering it now? Did he just feel obligated to agree before because he still had to help Fermin get back to Gavi?
Fermin bounces his legs in response to the anxiety instantaneously clouding his mind. He locks his phone to try and avoid it, shifting his focus on the match again.
A series of fouls happen, another yellow card is given to an opposing player, and another set of Barcelona players get subbed out. Gavi starts taking notice of him again, and is in the middle of explaining the rules of a corner kick to him when a shot of Pedri gets blocked. Gavi grabs his shoulders and shakes him repeatedly, using him as an outlet for frustration.
This makes Fermin laugh, anxiety fading again, he wraps his arm around his friend, and consoles Gavi from the Pedri goal that just got stolen from him.
Gavi points at the Barcelona players, reciting their names for Fermin to learn. They watch as another corner kick is given to the team, the kid that Gavi called Lamine delivers a beautiful cross that the one called Kounde turns into Barcelona's third point.
The crowd burst into loud cheers once again, Gavi escaping his hold to jump, his striped scarf raised high up in the air. His phone vibrates inside his pocket in succession, matching the electric energy surrounding their area.
His screen opens to a string of messages from Raphael.
Raphael☺️
sorry about that. i had to take care of something.
the team is playing here again around 2 weeks from today
we can meet again then if you’re free?
Raphael☺️
if you still want me to show you around the stadium
you can bring your friend along too it’s gonna be a pretty big match
Raphael☺️
i can get you guys tickets
Read
Fermin giggles at his phone. Gavi turns to look at him weirdly. “Are you texting the dude? You guys aren’t even watching the match right now.” He says in mock frustration, but has a small teasing smile on his face.
Fermin recites the messages he received, tells him that he plans to reject the free tickets. Feeling shy that the other man is already paying something for him even though they’ve only known each other for a short time.
“Fer, nooo. Are you crazy?” Gavi whines. “It’s gonna be hard to get those tickets by ourselves, just treat him to something else to repay him.” Gavi wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at him.
Fermin grimaces at that, “Shut the fuck up, Gav. I barely know him.”
“Who the hell even is this dude anyway? He seems pretty confident that he can get us tickets. Is he some kind of bossman or something?”
Fermin hums, “I don’t know actually, he’s pretty handsome and kind of famous I think.” He remembers all the people that greeted Raphael back at the halls, “Maybe he’s some kind of influencer?”
Gavi nods in understanding. “Good catch. Tell me about him later?” He says, before turning back again to the match.
Fermin😳
i was gonna tell you that you don’t have to get us tickets but i got scolded at by gavi
you don’t have to, but thank you. 🤗
Raphael☺️
haha don’t worry about it
it’s already been taken care of
Raphael☺️
so i’ll see you again in 2 weeks, yeah? 🫣
Fermin😳
yeah☺️ i’ll see you in 2 weeks, raphael
Fermin😳
2 weeks seem pretty short for me to learn more about the team
gavi’s gonna work me to death with this
Raphael☺️
other than Pedri, do you know any other barça players?
Fermin😳
well now i know of the goal scorers. gordon, jesus, and kounde?
i also know lamine now
Fermin looks up at the screen on the ceiling, trying to catch the names on the back of their jerseys so he can pretend he knows more than he actually does. 3 additional minutes are added to the final 90 minutes, the loud booming voice announces again. Gavi is still fixated on the match, the Barcelona players relentless with their defending despite the opposing team not having any actual chance to recover points.
Raphael☺️
you should ask Gavi about the captain later
Fermin😳
why? is he like a really good player?
do you think he’d be my favorite
Raphael☺️
yeah he’s good.
i hope so
Raphael☺️
he’s cute too
Fermin laughs loudly at that. Gavi looks over and attempts to look on his phone, asking him what’s funny. He tilts his screen away from his nosy friend, and shoves him off, tells him to focus on the short remaining minutes left of the game. Gavi frowns at him but follows anyway.
Fermin😳
lol yea? is he on?
i don’t see any cute players right now. at least not my type
Raphael☺️
haha no one’s caught your attention yet?
also no, the captain’s being rested for a few matches
Fermin😳
oh that’s too bad. i’m kinda curious about him now
someone already did get my attention though
but he’s not on the pitch
Raphael☺️
mhm you’ll see him. he’ll be there at the match in 2 weeks
yeah? tell me about him…
Fermin😳
he’s really handsome
Read
Fermin😳
he has a nice voice
Read
Fermin😳
and a really beautiful smile
Read
Fermin😳
very warm, soft hands
Read
Fermin😳
i’m texting him right now
Delivered
Fermin’s having a fun time texting Raphael. Sending the messages a few long seconds at a time to tease him. The shamelessness is making a home within him again as their conversation goes on, knowing that his attraction to the man is reciprocated. Raphael hasn’t outright said it yet, but the invitation and the free tickets already speaks for itself. Raphael may be the hottest man he’s ever laid eyes on, but Fermin is also pretty confident with his looks. Has noticed all the times the other man’s eyes strayed from their eye contact to look at his lips when they were talking a while ago.
Gavi kicks his shin, he looks up from his phone to see his friend squinting his eyes at him, looming over him judgily. “Get up, we have to race these other people to the bus stop. We don’t have to stay, the match is already over.”
Fermin scans their surroundings. Some fans are already rushing upstairs towards the exits, several are doing the opposite and going downwards towards the pitch to try and get the players’ attention. He notices the players of both teams are scattered around, giving each other congratulatory and consolation claps at the shoulders and back. He stretches his entire body, feeling tired. The match wasn’t long, but with the buzzing enthusiasm of the crowd dispersing, getting replaced by low murmurs and an occasional scream, he feels his own energy drop.
He finally stands up, and lazily marches towards the stairs. “Let’s go, let’s go.” Gavi pushes his chest against Fermin’s back to make him hurry up, he swats at him with both of his hands.
He spots a few fans staying and leaning by the railing, their friends directing them how to pose. Their thumbs make rapid presses at the shutter button to take multiple shots.
“You’re not gonna take photos?” He asks Gavi, pointing at the fans proudly displaying their banners and scarves in front of the cameras. Gavi thinks for a bit, then shakes his head. “We’ll be back here for the Clasico in 2 weeks, we can take photos then.”
–
They didn’t get to pick up dinner at the cafe outside the stadium like they had initially planned, the closing hours coinciding with the match time. So now they’re left queuing at the bus stop with other tired and hungry fans.
They sit down at the seats near the front of the bus, choosing an easier exit path for when they arrive at their stop than the comfy seats at the back. Somehow you can feel every movement of the vehicle when you’re seated at the front. Fermin takes a quick look at his phone, not really bothered at the fact that his last message remains in Delivered. Raphael must be on his way back home the same as them, so he tries not to think about it too much, instead looking over at his friend.
Gavi is busy typing away at his phone, probably on some forum on the internet talking to other fans about the match they’d just watched. He waits for him to stop typing before asking, “Did you enjoy today?”
Gavi looks at him before smiling big, “Yeah, it could’ve gone better. We could’ve scored more if Raphinha was there I think, but he’s out until the next match so this is kind of like the expected result anyway.”
Fermin nods along, it doesn’t look like Gavi minds much but he feels compelled to apologize for missing almost a quarter of the game, especially since his friend used his own money for the tickets and took the time to plan this day out. But Gavi just shushes him, dramatically pinching his lips closed with his thumb and index finger.
“It’s okay. I fully expected you to get lost even when you told me you were gonna be fine.” Gavi says amused. “I also expected that you weren’t gonna call when you got lost, I thought it was gonna be to spite me, I didn’t think it would be because you were pretty occupied with some big shot in some hallway.” The huge teasing grin is back on his best friend’s stupid face.
He smacks him again, on the chest this time. Gavi lets out a huff of breath at that, and reaches his own hand out to try and smack him back. Fermin blocks his attempts by pushing Gavi away from him with both his arms, but the other doesn’t give up until he finally lands a solid hit on Fermin’s stomach which makes him squeak.
They sit in silence after their fit of giggles end. Fermin chooses to close his eyes for a quick rest, their short smacking session depleting the miniscule energy left in their bodies. Gavi is back to typing something on his phone. Fermin pulls his out of pocket, just in time for it to alert him of an incoming message.
Raphael☺️
i thought you were gonna talk about someone else
i’m flattered
Raphael☺️
i like your smile too
very cute
“Oh yeah, Gav, can you tell me about the Barcelona captain?” Fermin asks, his fingers busy clicking on multiple emojis to send as reply to Raphael. Suddenly getting shy again now that he’s getting flirted at. He changes topics with Raphael, instead telling him that he and Gavi are now on their way back home.
“Raphinha?” Fermin hums in agreement, the name sounds familiar now that he’s thinking about it. “I told you he wasn’t there today. He got injured during the break or something.”
“They say they’re only resting him for precautions but they haven’t been showing him on their socials since he got back, so who knows, really.” Gavi continues.
“But he’s a good striker for the team now, like I said a while ago, I think the team would’ve gotten more goals if he was available.” He listens intently, his curiosity piqued. Gavi gestures in the direction of Fermin’s phone, “Why? The dude’s favorite is Raphinha?”
Fermin nods, and Gavi gives an approving sound. “He also said the Captain is cute.” His friend purses his lips at that, thinking about it briefly. “Well…”
“Pedri is cute.” Gavi holds his hand up at Fermin before he can complain, “Pedri is cute. He and Raphinha are both handsome.” Fermin tilts his head, urging him to get to the point.
“I just think cute isn’t the right word to describe Raphinha. I think hot fits more to be honest.” Gavi shrugs, and scrolls on his phone.
Fermin😳
gav said the captain is hot
now i kinda want to see him
just to check and compare
Raphael☺️
compare who?
me?
Fermin😳
mhmm 🙂↕️
Raphael☺️
i’m hotter than him😉
Fermin😳
pretty confident there, are you?
Raphael☺️
yeah
😏
“He just said he’s hotter than Raphinha,” Fermin tells Gavi who looks up with an offended expression on his face, and immediately shakes his head from side to side disapprovingly.
“There’s no way a regular guy is hotter than Raphinha, dude.” Gavi counters. His two hands are now typing something on his phone. “I have to search for a recent photo of him to prove my point.”
“Who’s Raphinha again? Describe him to me.” Fermin says, trying to comb through his mind if he can recall the powerpoint slide dedicated to the Captain.
“Raphinha. Fer, you also said he was handsome when I first showed him to you.” Gavi reminds him, “The one with the braids, lots of tattoos and the facial hair.” Fermin closes his eyes to try and picture Raphinha but all he can see is Raphael because of the tattoo and facial hair mentions.
“Hmm, I don’t know, I think Raphael might be hotter.” Fermin assures his friend confidently, his eyes still closed reminiscing the way the man smiled at him just hours before.
“Who the fuck is Raphael?”
“The handsome dude I’m telling you about,” he opens his eyes and is greeted with Gavi now with his body fully turned towards him. His fingers hovering on his phone mid-scroll. Gavi squints his eyes at him, judging him again for some reason. “Mmmm. His name is Raphael.”
“Yeahhh?” Fermin says, holding up his phone in front of Gavi’s face. Raphael’s contact details on display. “At least that’s the name he put on my phone.”
Gavi places his phone down on his lap, before taking both of Fermin’s hands on his own. “Fer, there’s no easy way to tell you this but that man is lying to you.” Fermin snatches his hand back from Gavi’s grip.
“What are you even talking about right now,” he says irked.
“I’m just telling you, that man is lying about who he is, and we’re not getting the tickets for the Clasico from him.” Gavi repeats, his tone dejected.
Fermin stares at his friend incredulously. Gavi doesn’t back down from his stare as he shrugs. It’s Fermin’s turn to squint at his friend, he doesn’t know what’s brought upon this behavior from him. What evidence does Gavi even have against Raphael to be so certain that he’s being tricked? He crosses his arm on his chest, trying to add distance in any way he can from his best friend right now.
“Raphael said the tickets’ already been taken care of, can you chill out a bit.”
Gavi’s eyes go wide at his words. Gesturing everywhere frantically with his hands. “You believe him???”
“Why wouldn’t I believe him? I don’t understand what your problem is right now.” Both of them now staring in disbelief at each other, neither backing down on their opinions.
A few minutes pass by where they sit in silence, the air different from before, the bus engine humming loudly in the background. Fermin keeps his arms crossed, even after Gavi has moved to lean back against the seat again properly, their shoulders touching. He turns his head towards the window, determined to keep ignoring Gavi until he explains his side.
Gavi gives in first, breathing deeply through his nose. Fermin turns his body towards him, “Well?”
“Fine.” His friend rolls his eyes at him, “let’s say this Raphael,” Gavi makes quotation marks in the air with his fingers when he says the name, “is really who he claims to be, describe him to me.”
Fermin just stares at him confused. He wishes Gavi had just continued on with his mouth shut, because whatever he just said did not answer Fermin’s question. In fact, it makes him more puzzled. Raphael isn’t even claiming to be anyone, it’s all on Gavi for jumping to this conclusion that he won’t let go of.
Fermin closes his eyes hard, summons all the patience he can, before opening his eyes to look at his friend. Gavi motions for him to continue, also turning his body to the side so they’re facing each other, “C’mon. Describe this Raphael dude to me, what he’s wearing, his hair, yadda yadda.”
“Fine,” Fermin says to him, mimicking the impatient tone that Gavi had when he said it to him.
“Raphael was wearing, like, this dark outerwear set, and a black shirt on.” He starts, and he sees Gavi pick up his phone to look at something, like he’s cross-checking. “He also had short, curly hair, but he had a light brown cap on. And he was wearing glasses, though I don’t think he actually needs them to see.” Gavi nods, gestures again for him to move on. “And he has an eyebrow slit and this weird mustache that looks good on him, and tattoos on his right arm and hand, and he has a little-”
“A little anchor tattoo on the back of his left ear.” Gavi finishes for him.
Fermin looks at his friend in disbelief, “So you know him?” He asks, smiling because now they can finally let this all go since Gavi also seems to know who Raphael is. “I told you he’s famous, the staff at the stadium were all greeting him when we were walking.” He explains again, but Gavi is not listening.
Gavi has both of his hands held close in prayer position on either side of his nose and mouth, his thumbs hooked under his chin, the pads of his fingers muffling his voice. Fermin can barely hear what he’s saying. He thinks his best friend is losing his mind due to the fatigue, hunger, and excitement of his team’s victory all bubbling inside him.
“There’s no fucking way,” Gavi says again in a louder voice. His hands are now removed from his face and one of them is gclutching his phone so tight the tips of his fingers have turned a deep red. “There’s no way.” He repeats again and again.
Fermin watches him for a couple of seconds before interrupting, “What’s your problem this time?”
Gavi's eyes snap to him and he flips his phone around. Screen in full brightness, displaying a photo of Raphael. His fingers are pinched at the screen, keeping the photo zoomed in on just the face. But it’s unmistakably Raphael, he’s got his little mustache and his nice smile on, and the glasses. He’s winking a bit at the camera, which Fermin thinks is a bit sexy. “Is this your Raphael guy?”
“Hey, yeah! That's Raphael, where'd you get a photo of him? So is he really internet famous?” He reaches for the phone, but Gavi quickly keeps it away from him, and puts it face down on his lap again. He leans very close to Fermin, beckons with his head for Fermin to do the same. Gavi has this kind of crazed look in his eyes, “That’s Raphinha, bro.” He whispers harshly, enunciating the f sound of the name.
Fermin scrunches his face at his friend. Gavi is being ridiculous, why would the FC Barcelona Captain even give a regular person like Fermin a second of his time? “Psh, are you crazy?” He leans away from him, and grabs Gavi’s phone which the other lets him do. “Why would Raphael be Raphinha?”
His friend hits him on the side of his thigh and soundlessly mouths at him to Shut the fuck up. Looking around the bus in a panicked way, on the lookout for anyone donning or carrying the iconic blue and red stripes of the Barcelona team. But the other people left in the vehicle with them are all too busy scrolling on their own phones, the woman closest to them is fast asleep with her chin tucked uncomfortably by her shoulder, her head leaning on the bus window. Fermin looks at his friend like he’s crazy.
He raises Gavi’s phone, his face registered on the other’s Face ID so it unlocks quickly. The photo is still open, but without Gavi’s fingers zooming in on the face, he can now see the full image. Raphael is sitting on a blue leather chair, his hands are posed with his pinkies and thumbs out and the rest of the fingers closed on a fist. Fermin smiles back at him, now he’s the one acting crazy. He looks at the upper corner for the username that posted the photo, wanting to know so he can follow him later, but his eyes go wide upon reading the name.
Gavi makes a sound at the back of his throat, when he looks up at him, they have the same wide-eyed, dumbstruck expression on their faces. They stare at each other as both their mouths perk up in an open smile. “Your little boyfriend is The fucking Raphinha.” Gavi whispers again, a giddy tone now overflowing in his voice.
“Shut up. He’s not my boyfriend,” Fermin says, but he can’t keep his lips from smirking. Gavi whispers a small “yet” but he ignores him. He scrolls through the other photos on the post. Raphael… he can’t just start calling him Raphinha now, can he? He feels a bit shy thinking about it. Holy shit. He has Raphinha’s number on his phone, and he’s exchanging messages with him? Raphinha flirted with him and kissed his hand, oh my god.
“Oh my god,” he exclaims, when he remembered. Blush creeping up quickly on his cheeks. “What?” Gavi’s bouncing on his seat, waiting for him to say something. “He kissed my hand awhile ago, bro.” Fermin says softly, which makes Gavi overexcited, “Raphinha kissed your hand!” His palm squeezes Fermin’s thigh hard as he shakes it from side to side.
Fermin hits Gavi’s hand lightly to make him stop, but they're both still smiling really wide. “Calm down, boy.” He puts his hands on Gavi’s shoulders to halt his bouncing, and Gavi does. “Calm, calm.” Fermin repeats. Gavi is still cheesing very hard at him, but he pauses to take a big inhale, Fermin copying him so they can both cool off.
They sit in silence for the third time, the intense energy radiating off of the two of them is palpable. Fermin’s phone vibrates loudly against the seat, lying forgotten in between them. He unlocks it, their heads leaning against each other as they read the message.
Raphael☺️
call when you get home?
Read
Raphael☺️
only if it’s okay with you, of course
Read
This makes Gavi power up again, bumping his shoulder with Fermin’s repeatedly. Urging him to reply quickly. He’s giving a lot of reply suggestions directly to Fermin's ear like an overeager search engine trying to finish all your sentences for you. He thinks he hears Pedri’s name get mentioned at least four times, but he rejects the idea. He’s not gonna be some kind of wingman now especially after Gavi spent a long time trying to argue with him about Raphael’s identity and existence.
Fermin😳
sure, raphael
i’ll call you ☺️
Fermin doesn’t listen to Gavi’s insistence that he should tell Raphael that he knows he’s Raphinha. He thinks it’s a bit lackluster to do it over text. There’s also a nagging feeling in him that he wants that moment to be his and Raphael’s only, he doesn’t think that it’s something special - knowing Raphael’s real identity. It’s not like Raphael was hiding it, well, at least he thinks he isn’t. Now he’s wondering if he should tell him he knows. But, with Gavi being a huge culer, it wasn’t gonna take that long for him to find out anyway.
They get off on their stop, Gavi talking his ear off, explaining a bunch of stuff about the team and about Raphinha. Like a hyper dog walking around in circles around its owner’s legs. He hums along in agreement. The street near their apartment building is almost empty of people, a handful of people walk at their own rushed pace, too eager to get in their own homes to rest, not sparing any attention to others. Gavi slows down his strides before asking, “How did you even get Raphinha’s number? I thought he was just helping you because you got lost?”
Fermin hesitates, knowing his friend will not let him live it down once he admits it. He has to rip the bandaid off one of these days, so he takes a deep breath. He avoids Gavi’s eyes and continues walking.
“I asked him if he comes there often,” Fermin says, “and if he can show me around next time. Just so I don’t get lost again.” He didn't notice that his friend had stopped walking, he’s met with an empty spot when he looks to his right. He turns around, walking in reverse. Gavi is standing a few meters away with a stupid grin on his face. “What?”
“What?” He echoes, shrugging his shoulders.
Gavi jogs towards him, fully laughing now. “You asked Raphinha, Captain of the Barcelona club, if he comes to Camp Nou often?” Well, if he puts it that way, it makes Fermin sound stupid. Gavi catches up to him, and slings his arm around his shoulders to pull him downwards to ruffle his hair.
Fermin puts his arm around his friend’s waist, and pinches at his side as punishment for teasing him. “It’s not like I knew who he was then!” He exclaims defensively. No wonder Raphael took awhile to reply when he asked it, and why he had laughed after. The same way Gavi is laughing loudly at him now.
–
11:07 PM is the time that flashes at him once he’s settled under his blankets. He and Gavi stopped by the 24-hour mart below their apartment building, choosing to eat their late dinner - if you can even call instant noodles and a bunch of random chips and snacks that - at the seats by the door instead of bringing it up to their units. Gavi, again, gave him a rundown of information about football and the history the Barcelona team has with its rival team that they're playing against in 2 weeks time. He’s looking forward to it now, Gavi’s excitement rubbing off on him.
Fermin opens his chats first, replying to his other friends and his family, giving them sparse details about his hangout with Gavi. He scrolls mindlessly through Instagram reels before remembering to upload on his story the photo he sneakily took of Gavi when he was busy screaming his heart out during the match. Arms extended fully in the air, his VISCA EL BARÇA scarf held in his hands, PEDRI 8 on the back of his jersey in the center of the frame. He picks out a good filter before tagging him, thinks for a bit before also tagging Pedri. His account is locked so it’s not like the midfielder would see it anyway.
Gavi shares it a minute after he’s posted it, adding a row of blue and red hearts and fire emojis at the bottom.
He gives Pedri’s account a follow, may as well, since he’s the one he knows the best out of the team. He also follows Lamine, Gordon, and Kounde, and the official FC Barcelona account. He scrolls through the team’s profile, pressing like on the photos of the players that he recognizes. He gets to a photo of Raphael holding up a red trophy. Raphinha, LaLiga Player of the Month for September the captions reads. He still can’t believe this is the same man that was holding his hand just earlier this evening. What kind of heroic act has he done in his past life to even get this in this lifetime.
Fermin clicks on the tagged account and sees raphinha, he’s wearing a blue cap this time on his profile photo. Same sweet smile, same horseshoe mustache but it’s paired with a goatee. He still looks like the most handsome man on Earth. He feels self-conscious now with his stupid Batman profile photo, he considers changing it to something recent instead with his face visible. But, Raphael has 22.3 million followers, there’s no way he was gonna notice a random Batman profile photo account anyway, so he keeps it unchanged and clicks the follow button.
Fermin😳
took awhile to get settled
but i’m home now
He waits until the Delivered status turns to Read before he goes to call Raphael, not wanting to disturb him in case he’s already asleep. He doesn’t know what time an athlete should be sleeping, especially a not-injured player that needs to recover. But his phone starts ringing before he can press anything. Raphael☺️ now displayed on the screen. He slides the answer button and brings the phone to his ear, burrowing himself deeper under his blankets.
“Hello? Fer?” Raphael’s voice is clear and raspy on his ear, with no booming noise of the crowd cheering in the background to drown it out. He doesn’t answer for a bit, letting the voice linger in the air.
He ponders on how he would bring up that he knows who he is, and settles on the easiest route.
“Hi, Raphinha.” He waits for the man to respond, but no sound comes from the other side. He pulls his phone away from his ear, thinking the call might’ve accidentally ended. But it’s still there, the timer ticking slowly. Fermin puts his phone on maximum volume before putting it back by his ear.
He hears a muffled sound, “Raph?”
Fermin recognizes the sound now as muffled laughing, Raphael probably has his phone turned away while laughing against his fist. “What’s so funny?” He asks again, his tone a little whiny, he feels a bit left out on the joke. Raphael’s voice is much louder now as he clears his throat. “Sorry, I’m just–” and gets interrupted again by a short chuckle.
“I’m guessing Gavi told you?” Fermin pouts at the memory of his long conversation with his friend on the bus.
“More like Gavi argued with me about it.” He hears Raphael hum, so he continues talking. “He was arguing that you were lying about who you really were, whatever the hell that means.” Raphael laughs again.
“To be fair, you said that he’s a culer?” Fermin nods, even though Raphael can’t see him. “It must’ve been a shock to hear that Raphinha has a crush on his friend.”
Fermin isn’t expecting to get a confession from him so suddenly. He forgets to pull his phone away so the way he let out a gasp is heard by Raphael very clearly. It makes the man laugh again, deep and confident, Fermin can almost see his beautiful smile vividly in his mind. A blush creeps up on his face, starting from his chest. It’s too warm now under his blankets, he kicks it off him and sits up against the headboard instead.
“No response?” the man asks softly. He feels bad for making him wait, but Fermin’s not used to other people flirting back at him so openly, he feels like he’s being backed into a wall. He should be the one flirting and making Raphael shy.
“Well,” he smacks his lips lightly, willing his voice to have a slight teasing tone to it. “I have a crush on you too, but…” Fermin pauses for suspense.
“But?” Raphael asks, playing along with him.
“But I don’t have a crush on Raphinha. I think.”
“Yeah? You think?” Fermin can hear the smile on his voice.
He hums in agreement. Fermin feels somewhat bashful, like it’s his first time flirting with someone he’s actually interested in. Fermin doesn't think it was possible for him to start liking someone as much as he likes Raphael, especially since he’s still basically a stranger. He wants to know more about him, what he likes, dislikes. He knows he can easily search about Raphinha, to know more about the man, but that feels weirdly impersonal.
“I haven’t met the Captain, so I can’t say I have a crush on him yet.”
Raphael chuckles, “Oh, I didn’t know there’s a different standard for him.”
“I think you’ll like him too,” his voice is deeper now. Fermin gulps, this is uncharted territory for him. He doesn’t know how to respond without feeling like a fool.
“Gavi did say he’s hot,” Fermin teases, “You think I'll like him more than I like you?”
“I hope not!” Raphael exclaims quickly. Fermin giggles at the pure emotion he hears in his voice, he likes that he’s affected him this much too. “I want you to like me more.” The man admits softly. Fermin laughs louder at his words, happy that he is playing along with him. He likes him so much, he feels crazy. Gavi would tease him about this for the rest of their lives.
“Stop making me feel jealous over Raphinha, Fer.” Raphael tells him, “I can’t believe I’m competing with myself.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He can’t help asking. Fermin thinks it wouldn’t have made any difference, he probably wouldn’t have recognized the name anyway, nor would he have believed him.
“Tell you what?”
“That you’re Raphinha,” He answers. “When we were talking before.”
“Ah.” Raphael is laughing now, “I honestly thought you knew, and you were just pretending.” Fermin’s brows furrow, confused, “so why did you give me your number then?”
“I got curious, nobody’s ever tried the whole “I didn’t know you were famous.” pickup line to me before.” Raphael admits sheepishly. It’s Fermin’s turn to laugh at him now, he thinks this reasoning is a bit ridiculous, also slightly dangerous for someone of Raphinha’s status.
“All I’m hearing is that you gave your number to a fan because you were curious.” Fermin teases him about it, he’s probably gonna bring this up again next time just to poke fun at him.
Raphael tsks at him playfully, “I gave my number to a cute fan,” he corrects him. “A very cute, very lost fan.”
“So you’ll give your number to any fan as long as they're cute?” Fermin pouts, already feeling jealous over all the potential competition he’s gonna get in the future.
“No,” Raphael says seriously, “this fan is special. He had such soft hands, and when he got shy, he got really pink in the face. He was so sweet when he asked, there was no way I was gonna be able to say no to him.”
Fermin smiles, he presses the Speaker button on his screen so he can lie down on his back again, the late hour starting to get to him. He tries to hide his yawn with the palm of his hand, his phone sliding off his chest as he breathes in deep. He catches it and turns to his side. “I’m excited to see you again.”
“I’m excited to see you too.” Raphael’s voice turns soft, like he’s also feeling a bit sleepy, and then he groans exasperatedly. Fermin can almost picture him dragging his hand over his face. “The guys will not let me live this down.”
Fermin giggles lightly, “Should I buy your jersey and show up to the match with your name on my back?” This makes Raphael groan again, “They won’t shut up about it, but it’s something I’m willing to go through if it means I’ll see you wearing my name.”
“But don’t buy it, I’ll give you one of mine.” Raphael says in a rush, as if Fermin is already at the store trying to buy a shirt and he needs to stop him immediately.
“Gavi would be so pissed that I didn’t have to buy my jersey.” He can already hear Gavi whining to him about it. He can’t wait to rub it in his face that he’s gonna get a limited edition jersey, and all because he got lost in a stadium.
“Should I ask for Pedri’s so we can give it to Gavi?” Raphinha asks. Gavi would love it, it’s gonna be a good gift for his best friend. But then he remembers Gavi’s whole scene at the bus, and Fermin thinks he’s allowed to punish him for it.
“No,” he says. “I think we should let him work for it. I think it would be fun to see him try and charm Pedri for it.”
They laugh about it for a while, both imagining their own friends' reactions in the situation. Fermin thinks Gavi would be able to pull it off. They decide to start a bet on how long it would take for Pedri to give in. Raphael thinks it would be around two or three matches. Fermin tells him Gavi can get it right after the Clasico match, he knows how persistent Gavi can get when he wants something. He also knows how to weaponize his big eyes when he needs to.
“Okay, bet.” Raphael says, confident in his friend’s self-control. “What would I get if I win?”
“Well, what do you want to get when you win?”
“If I win, I want to take you out on a date.” Raphinha declares proudly, like it was a very wise choice of prize. “What do you want if you win?”
“Hmmm, when I win…” Fermin thinks about it for a few seconds, “I want you to take me out on a date.” He says smiling, Raphinha chuckles at his choice.
“What if we just go on a date, and not bring our friends into this?” Raphael suggests.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Fermin says, the desire to torture his friend for possible blackmail material is too strong. Raphael hums in agreement, probably also thinking the same thing about Pedri. Their soft laughs fade into comfortable silence. Fermin looks at his phone screen and watches the call timer tick by. He closes his eyes and starts humming a soft tune to pass the time, Raphael listens to him quietly.
A few more minutes pass by this way, they take turns humming. Raphael breaks the pattern with a loud yawn, “Sorry. It’s way past the time I usually sleep.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize it’s so late now.” Fermin picks up his phone and sees it’s almost 2:00 in the morning. He grabs his blanket, tucking himself in again. “You need to sleep, Raph, you have to get all the rest you can.”
Raphael giggles softly, “yeah I really do.”
Fermin smiles at his phone screen like he would at Raphael. He really cannot wait to see him again now. He doesn’t know if he would be able to sleep, the excitement swimming in his very veins, filling him with energy like he’s just chugged an entire jug of coffee.
“Good night, Raphael.” He finally says.
“Good night, Fer.” His voice is faint, even with the phone speaker positioned close to his ear. “Dream of me?”
“I will.” Fermin says gently, and clicks on the red button to end the call. Making a mental note to thank Gavi later in the morning for forcing him to go to the match.