ficlet
Thanks for the prompts the other day, am working on them! (You can still leave one if you want, for that matter.) In the mean time, Cris/Leo that I wrote for nahco3 for a prompt a while ago. It would probably fit somewhere along the timeline before the elopement fic if you wanted it to.
--
"Don't worry," Gerard said. "If he stands you up I'll kill him."
"He's not going to stand me up," Leo said, but too quietly for Gerard to hear him. Cristiano wouldn't stand him up, but he might say hello and then decide that he didn't really want to go on a date with Gerard Pique as well.
"Anyway, I've got it all under control," Gerard went on cheerfully. "And Cescy's on speed dial."
Leo didn't say anything, because they were his best friends and he knew they just wanted the best for him and they were trying to look out for him in the only way they really knew how. But he couldn't help wincing at the thought of Gerard, Cesc-directed, looming over them for the rest of the afternoon, when Leo was only in Madrid for the day and--
"Leo?" said a voice behind him.
Leo forgot all about anyone else. He turned around much more quickly than he probably should have if he didn't want to look pathetically eager, but he barely noticed, because Cristiano was there and the same helpless uncontrollable happiness that always swelled up at the sight of him made it hard for Leo to think about anything else.
"Hi," he said, unable to keep from smiling like an idiot.
"Hi," said Cris, lower, smiling back at him.
"Hey," Gerard said pointedly from above, and, when Leo looked back over one shoulder, gave Cristiano what he probably thought was a menacing smile.
Leo glanced quickly back at Cristiano, who was looking past Leo with an expression that indicated he'd just now noticed Gerard's presence. "Pique," he said. "You're... here."
"Yeah," Gerard said, "Leo told me there was this sponsorship deal in Madrid and I was like, hey, we haven't hung out in ages, I better come keep you company. Sorry, dude, no idea he was on a secret assignation." He waggled his eyebrows.
"Right," Cristiano said. "Who knew." Leo didn't know what to think about the fact that he didn't actually look very surprised. "I hope this isn't... a problem."
"No, it's cool," Gerard said, thumping Cristiano on the shoulders. Leo knew from -- from personal experience that Cristiano was pretty built, so when he staggered forward a step, it was because Gerard was putting in a lot more force than was strictly necessary.
"Right," Cristiano said. Something in the distance appeared to catch his eye. His brows furrowed slightly.
"So," Gerard said, clapping his hands together, "where are we going?"
Cristiano said, "Isn't that your girlfriend, Pique?"
Gerard laughed aloud. "Don't you know who my -- " He looked, and his mouth dropped open, comically.
"Well," Cristiano said, as Gerard moved, zombie-like, toward the small blond woman waiting by the Porsche. "That takes care of that."
Leo gaped. "Did you really invite Shakira to Madrid as a--a diversion?"
"Sure," Cristiano said. "We're like this." He held up two crossed fingers.
Leo gaped some more. "I--seriously?"
"Everyone knows she likes our team more," Cristiano said smugly, so Leo hit him by reflex. "Ow," Cristiano complained, but Leo was pretty sure he didn't mean it.
Leo glanced over in the direction of the car. Gerard's girlfriend was tiny next to him. He had this big dumb smile on his face, which would have been funnier if Leo didn't know that he himself had looked exactly the same about two minutes ago. Cesc would have been saying Gerard was so whipped.
Leo looked back at Cristiano, who raised a mischievous eyebrow, and then winked. Then he gave Leo a small, private smile, different from the ones in the photographs.
Leo's cheeks were warm. He looked down. "Thanks," he said.
Cristiano reached out and squeezed his hand, once. When he started to let go, Leo didn't let him.
--
"Don't worry," Gerard said. "If he stands you up I'll kill him."
"He's not going to stand me up," Leo said, but too quietly for Gerard to hear him. Cristiano wouldn't stand him up, but he might say hello and then decide that he didn't really want to go on a date with Gerard Pique as well.
"Anyway, I've got it all under control," Gerard went on cheerfully. "And Cescy's on speed dial."
Leo didn't say anything, because they were his best friends and he knew they just wanted the best for him and they were trying to look out for him in the only way they really knew how. But he couldn't help wincing at the thought of Gerard, Cesc-directed, looming over them for the rest of the afternoon, when Leo was only in Madrid for the day and--
"Leo?" said a voice behind him.
Leo forgot all about anyone else. He turned around much more quickly than he probably should have if he didn't want to look pathetically eager, but he barely noticed, because Cristiano was there and the same helpless uncontrollable happiness that always swelled up at the sight of him made it hard for Leo to think about anything else.
"Hi," he said, unable to keep from smiling like an idiot.
"Hi," said Cris, lower, smiling back at him.
"Hey," Gerard said pointedly from above, and, when Leo looked back over one shoulder, gave Cristiano what he probably thought was a menacing smile.
Leo glanced quickly back at Cristiano, who was looking past Leo with an expression that indicated he'd just now noticed Gerard's presence. "Pique," he said. "You're... here."
"Yeah," Gerard said, "Leo told me there was this sponsorship deal in Madrid and I was like, hey, we haven't hung out in ages, I better come keep you company. Sorry, dude, no idea he was on a secret assignation." He waggled his eyebrows.
"Right," Cristiano said. "Who knew." Leo didn't know what to think about the fact that he didn't actually look very surprised. "I hope this isn't... a problem."
"No, it's cool," Gerard said, thumping Cristiano on the shoulders. Leo knew from -- from personal experience that Cristiano was pretty built, so when he staggered forward a step, it was because Gerard was putting in a lot more force than was strictly necessary.
"Right," Cristiano said. Something in the distance appeared to catch his eye. His brows furrowed slightly.
"So," Gerard said, clapping his hands together, "where are we going?"
Cristiano said, "Isn't that your girlfriend, Pique?"
Gerard laughed aloud. "Don't you know who my -- " He looked, and his mouth dropped open, comically.
"Well," Cristiano said, as Gerard moved, zombie-like, toward the small blond woman waiting by the Porsche. "That takes care of that."
Leo gaped. "Did you really invite Shakira to Madrid as a--a diversion?"
"Sure," Cristiano said. "We're like this." He held up two crossed fingers.
Leo gaped some more. "I--seriously?"
"Everyone knows she likes our team more," Cristiano said smugly, so Leo hit him by reflex. "Ow," Cristiano complained, but Leo was pretty sure he didn't mean it.
Leo glanced over in the direction of the car. Gerard's girlfriend was tiny next to him. He had this big dumb smile on his face, which would have been funnier if Leo didn't know that he himself had looked exactly the same about two minutes ago. Cesc would have been saying Gerard was so whipped.
Leo looked back at Cristiano, who raised a mischievous eyebrow, and then winked. Then he gave Leo a small, private smile, different from the ones in the photographs.
Leo's cheeks were warm. He looked down. "Thanks," he said.
Cristiano reached out and squeezed his hand, once. When he started to let go, Leo didn't let him.