Ficlet: Accidental Dating
Title: Accidental Dating
Pairing: Novak Djokovic/Rafael Nadal
Rating: PG
Wordcount: ~400
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were.
Summary: "Hey, you. Are we dating?" Novak is a little slow to catch on, but he gets there in the end.
It takes four months, three tournaments, and more hours of competition on various gaming consoles than he cares to admit before it occurs to Novak what's really going on here.
"Rafa," he says, poking at Rafa's shoulder where he's sprawled carelessly over Novak's bed while Novak sits up against the headboard, which he always thought was just Rafa being weird but he's willing to admit now he might have been missing the point. "Hey, you. Are we dating?"
Rafa tips his head back a little, enough that he can meet Novak's eyes without having to actually move his lazy body. He grins, a broad upside-down grin, and then he reaches out to Novak's outstretched feet and circles Novak's bare left ankle with his long, warm fingers, squeezing just a little. Novak supposes that is what passes for holding hands in this bizarre relationship he didn't even know he was in. Never mind that it makes his stomach flip, just a little.
"You could have told me," he grumbles, poking Rafa's shoulder again. This time, though, he lets his fingers drag a little along the t-shirt material, along to where it drapes askew at Rafa's neck, and then under, letting the pads rest against Rafa's warm skin.
"You the clever guy," Rafa says, and he shrugs, still grinning. He's rubbing Novak's ankle with his thumb, strokes that look absent-minded but feel very deliberate, pressing down on the ankle bone with every sweep.
"Well," Novak says, determined not to be distracted. "I had a girlfriend. What about that?"
"She already know," says Rafa, matter-of-factly.
"What?"
"Yeah. Xisca, too. They both very happy for us," Rafa says.
"Oh, incredible," Novak says, rolling his eyes. "So is there anybody who didn't know?"
Rafa smirks. "You?"
For that Novak sits up, shifting so he can loom over Rafa. "Oh yeah. You're a funny guy."
"For sure," Rafa says, still smirking. Then he lets go of Novak's ankle and reaches back to twist his hand into Novak's t-shirt, giving it an insistent tug that plainly means come here, so Novak leans forward a little more, a smile starting on his own lips, and when he's close enough Rafa curls his hand around the nape of Novak's neck, awkward at this angle, to pull him the rest of the way down. They share their first kiss upside-down. Which is, Novak reflects, not entirely inappropriate, for them.
Pairing: Novak Djokovic/Rafael Nadal
Rating: PG
Wordcount: ~400
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were.
Summary: "Hey, you. Are we dating?" Novak is a little slow to catch on, but he gets there in the end.
It takes four months, three tournaments, and more hours of competition on various gaming consoles than he cares to admit before it occurs to Novak what's really going on here.
"Rafa," he says, poking at Rafa's shoulder where he's sprawled carelessly over Novak's bed while Novak sits up against the headboard, which he always thought was just Rafa being weird but he's willing to admit now he might have been missing the point. "Hey, you. Are we dating?"
Rafa tips his head back a little, enough that he can meet Novak's eyes without having to actually move his lazy body. He grins, a broad upside-down grin, and then he reaches out to Novak's outstretched feet and circles Novak's bare left ankle with his long, warm fingers, squeezing just a little. Novak supposes that is what passes for holding hands in this bizarre relationship he didn't even know he was in. Never mind that it makes his stomach flip, just a little.
"You could have told me," he grumbles, poking Rafa's shoulder again. This time, though, he lets his fingers drag a little along the t-shirt material, along to where it drapes askew at Rafa's neck, and then under, letting the pads rest against Rafa's warm skin.
"You the clever guy," Rafa says, and he shrugs, still grinning. He's rubbing Novak's ankle with his thumb, strokes that look absent-minded but feel very deliberate, pressing down on the ankle bone with every sweep.
"Well," Novak says, determined not to be distracted. "I had a girlfriend. What about that?"
"She already know," says Rafa, matter-of-factly.
"What?"
"Yeah. Xisca, too. They both very happy for us," Rafa says.
"Oh, incredible," Novak says, rolling his eyes. "So is there anybody who didn't know?"
Rafa smirks. "You?"
For that Novak sits up, shifting so he can loom over Rafa. "Oh yeah. You're a funny guy."
"For sure," Rafa says, still smirking. Then he lets go of Novak's ankle and reaches back to twist his hand into Novak's t-shirt, giving it an insistent tug that plainly means come here, so Novak leans forward a little more, a smile starting on his own lips, and when he's close enough Rafa curls his hand around the nape of Novak's neck, awkward at this angle, to pull him the rest of the way down. They share their first kiss upside-down. Which is, Novak reflects, not entirely inappropriate, for them.