pretty versus handsome - nursery au ft. Gael Clichy, Mata, Torres, Silva.
pretty versus handsome
G
~1250
Nursery AU: David brings his "friend" Gael to a nursery fundraiser. No, really, his friend. No air-quotes Juan.
I took a break from staring at pictures of Patrick Kane to write one of my favourite girls some birthday fic. Happy birthday komnene! I wrote you (whoops) unbeta'ed (blergh) City (gross!) fic! Although technically it was partially your idea! ♥!
In hindsight, Juan could maybe be more nosy.
“I’m coming down with Gael,” David said on the phone on Thursday evening. “It seemed stupid to come separately. So-“
“No,” Juan said, “That’s fine, of course. Does he want to come to lunch? He can come by the nursery with us when we pick up Leo.”
There was a slightly pause and then David came in, sounding a bit surprised. “Oh, uh - ok. Sure.”
“Cool, no he’s very welcome,” Juan said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, and David was probably justified in sounding weird when he signed off.
Fernando and Leo picked them up from West Ham in the car on their way home from the nursery.
“Juan’s back at the house,” he said over his shoulder to the back seat, where David’s colleague, Gael, was shifting around awkwardly. After some wriggling, he pulled a slightly flattened rag doll from under him. Fernando laughed when he saw.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I really need to tidy this car.”
But Gael just laughed and pushed and pulled the doll back into shape. “Cute,” he said, looking closely at its face and then turning it round and making it wave one hand at Leo. David, turned around to watch, smiled and shook his head.
It was a quick lunch eaten around their kitchen table. “Sorry for not being more welcoming,” Juan said, laying out the plates. “If you come back we’ll do a proper dinner - we actually have a dining room -“
“- and he re-painted it the other day, which is why he’s so eager to show it off,” Fernando finished, following him with cutlery. David laughed and Juan grinned at him. “Hey,” he said, “I put a lot of work into that.”
“Eggshell,” he said to David and Gael, sweeping his hand wide in front of him to demonstrate. “Wall to wall.”
“Nice choice,” Gael said, and everyone smiled at him.
“The fund raiser isn’t till eight, but I’m going to head over there now to make sure everything’s on track, and Fernando’s going to the nursery.”
“They’re making posters,” Fernando said.
David raised an eyebrow. “Your three year olds are making posters?”
“Well, the assistants are making the posters, the three year olds are doing hand prints.”
“I like it,” said Gael, reaching across the table to nudge David’s shoulder with his fingers. “That’s an idea for our marketing department eh?”
David looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh, settling on faintly disapproving with a quirk to his mouth.
“Anyway,” Juan stressed, with a little smirk at Fernando, “You’re welcome to come with either of us. Whatever you’d prefer.”
Gael was an instant hit. If the sight of him walking into the nursery with Leo on his hip didn’t do it, then the pealing laughter from Leo at Gael’s high pitched voice for his doll did. Ricardo, pinning up a notice in the entrance hall about baby swimming classes at the local leisure centre, had to actually sit down. Fernando openly laughed at him behind Gael’s back.
“Ricardo,” he said, “This is David, a friend of the family, and his -“ he paused. “- colleague, Gael.”
Ricardo promptly stood up again and held out a hand to Gael. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, and then snatched his hand away. “Sorry,” he said, waving it and then hiding it behind his back. “Paint.”
Even David laughed then. Gael just smiled, shifted Leo on his hip and said, “Well, where’s the finger painting at?”
He joined in with the painting, he made all the children laugh, and Dan said he’d never seen Vero offer to make so many cups of tea. Fernando hung back with David, who although fond of Nora and Leo, was not the most child-friendly of people.
“Well he’s a hit,” Fernando said, nodding at Gael and smiling sideways at David.
David snorted. “Yeah,” he said. “I have yet to see Gael fail to charm someone.”
Fernando laughed.
The fundraiser was in a conference suite at the Boleyn Ground, offered for free by West Ham. They were raising funds for an orphanage in Romania, twinned with Juan and Fernando’s nursery. The children had been sending each other cards all year, and now they were helping to build the orphanage’s new outdoor play area.
Gael was not the only sharp-suited contact of David’s attending. Along with Juan, he had called upon all their old clients, colleagues and classmates, from CEOs to top footballers. There had been some decent publicity, too, which meant good prizes.
Juan sat Gael and David on a table near the stage. Gael looked around and then smiled at David. “Your boy knows what he’s doing,” he said. David shrugged modestly and Juan ducked his head, grinning.
“Let me get drinks,” Gael said, standing. “There is a bar, right?”
Juan scoffed. “I thought you said I knew what I was doing,” he said, and Gael looked confused.
“Wait,” he said. “No - sorry - did you think I meant you? I meant Fernando…”
Juan laughed, balling up a napkin and pretending to throw it at Gael.
“So,” Juan said, when Gael had slipped off through the crowd. “I get it now.” He looked at David like he had a secret and David frowned.
“What?”
“Why you were happy to go back to Manchester.”
David looked blank, then his eyes went round and his mouth made an ‘o’. He looked after Gael.
“Wait - you.”
Juan grinned.
“No,” David said. “Oh god, no, me and Gael - we’re not.”
Juan raised an eyebrow.
“You seriously think I would have just not told you if I was-,“ David broke off, went a bit pink, and stumbled over his next words. “Look, Gael is, as far as I know, not gay, and definitely not involved with me in any way. He’s a colleague, who is rich, and charming, and can help you raise some money. That is what you asked me for.” And with that, he sat back in his chair and glared at Juan.
Juan held his hands up. “Okay,” he said. “Sorry - we just. You -“ David was still glaring. “Never mind,” Juan said.
Then he leant in and said in a whisper, “Are you sure though, because he is a catch, David Silva.”
David took the balled up napkin and really did throw it.
Juan came to David’s door later, knocked on it softly to interrupt. David turned, phone to his ear, and saw Juan.
“Hang on,” he said, and then lowered the phone. “Hey.”
“All set?” Juan asked. “Need anything?”
David smiled and shook his head. “I’m good,” he said. “Thanks Juan.”
“No, thank you,” Juan said, leaning back against the door frame. “Couldn’t have made tonight such a success without you.”
David shook his head but he smiled wider. “Well, you’re welcome,” he said, and lifted the phone towards him.
Juan smiled and stepped back, then, as if drawn by a line, mouthed, “Who’s that?” and nodded at the phone.
David’s face did a funny twist and settled for abashed. He looked down, opened his mouth around a few words that didn’t come out, then he looked at Juan and said, very quietly, “The reason I was happy to go back to Manchester.”
Juan didn’t get it - and then he did. He gave David a huge smile, and a thumbs up, and David rolled his eyes at him. He was smiling though, as he shut the door in Juan’s face, and Juan smiled back and gave a soft, appreciative tap on the closed door.
“Goodnight,” he said, and heard David’s faint reply.
G
~1250
Nursery AU: David brings his "friend" Gael to a nursery fundraiser. No, really, his friend. No air-quotes Juan.
I took a break from staring at pictures of Patrick Kane to write one of my favourite girls some birthday fic. Happy birthday komnene! I wrote you (whoops) unbeta'ed (blergh) City (gross!) fic! Although technically it was partially your idea! ♥!
In hindsight, Juan could maybe be more nosy.
“I’m coming down with Gael,” David said on the phone on Thursday evening. “It seemed stupid to come separately. So-“
“No,” Juan said, “That’s fine, of course. Does he want to come to lunch? He can come by the nursery with us when we pick up Leo.”
There was a slightly pause and then David came in, sounding a bit surprised. “Oh, uh - ok. Sure.”
“Cool, no he’s very welcome,” Juan said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, and David was probably justified in sounding weird when he signed off.
Fernando and Leo picked them up from West Ham in the car on their way home from the nursery.
“Juan’s back at the house,” he said over his shoulder to the back seat, where David’s colleague, Gael, was shifting around awkwardly. After some wriggling, he pulled a slightly flattened rag doll from under him. Fernando laughed when he saw.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I really need to tidy this car.”
But Gael just laughed and pushed and pulled the doll back into shape. “Cute,” he said, looking closely at its face and then turning it round and making it wave one hand at Leo. David, turned around to watch, smiled and shook his head.
It was a quick lunch eaten around their kitchen table. “Sorry for not being more welcoming,” Juan said, laying out the plates. “If you come back we’ll do a proper dinner - we actually have a dining room -“
“- and he re-painted it the other day, which is why he’s so eager to show it off,” Fernando finished, following him with cutlery. David laughed and Juan grinned at him. “Hey,” he said, “I put a lot of work into that.”
“Eggshell,” he said to David and Gael, sweeping his hand wide in front of him to demonstrate. “Wall to wall.”
“Nice choice,” Gael said, and everyone smiled at him.
“The fund raiser isn’t till eight, but I’m going to head over there now to make sure everything’s on track, and Fernando’s going to the nursery.”
“They’re making posters,” Fernando said.
David raised an eyebrow. “Your three year olds are making posters?”
“Well, the assistants are making the posters, the three year olds are doing hand prints.”
“I like it,” said Gael, reaching across the table to nudge David’s shoulder with his fingers. “That’s an idea for our marketing department eh?”
David looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh, settling on faintly disapproving with a quirk to his mouth.
“Anyway,” Juan stressed, with a little smirk at Fernando, “You’re welcome to come with either of us. Whatever you’d prefer.”
Gael was an instant hit. If the sight of him walking into the nursery with Leo on his hip didn’t do it, then the pealing laughter from Leo at Gael’s high pitched voice for his doll did. Ricardo, pinning up a notice in the entrance hall about baby swimming classes at the local leisure centre, had to actually sit down. Fernando openly laughed at him behind Gael’s back.
“Ricardo,” he said, “This is David, a friend of the family, and his -“ he paused. “- colleague, Gael.”
Ricardo promptly stood up again and held out a hand to Gael. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, and then snatched his hand away. “Sorry,” he said, waving it and then hiding it behind his back. “Paint.”
Even David laughed then. Gael just smiled, shifted Leo on his hip and said, “Well, where’s the finger painting at?”
He joined in with the painting, he made all the children laugh, and Dan said he’d never seen Vero offer to make so many cups of tea. Fernando hung back with David, who although fond of Nora and Leo, was not the most child-friendly of people.
“Well he’s a hit,” Fernando said, nodding at Gael and smiling sideways at David.
David snorted. “Yeah,” he said. “I have yet to see Gael fail to charm someone.”
Fernando laughed.
The fundraiser was in a conference suite at the Boleyn Ground, offered for free by West Ham. They were raising funds for an orphanage in Romania, twinned with Juan and Fernando’s nursery. The children had been sending each other cards all year, and now they were helping to build the orphanage’s new outdoor play area.
Gael was not the only sharp-suited contact of David’s attending. Along with Juan, he had called upon all their old clients, colleagues and classmates, from CEOs to top footballers. There had been some decent publicity, too, which meant good prizes.
Juan sat Gael and David on a table near the stage. Gael looked around and then smiled at David. “Your boy knows what he’s doing,” he said. David shrugged modestly and Juan ducked his head, grinning.
“Let me get drinks,” Gael said, standing. “There is a bar, right?”
Juan scoffed. “I thought you said I knew what I was doing,” he said, and Gael looked confused.
“Wait,” he said. “No - sorry - did you think I meant you? I meant Fernando…”
Juan laughed, balling up a napkin and pretending to throw it at Gael.
“So,” Juan said, when Gael had slipped off through the crowd. “I get it now.” He looked at David like he had a secret and David frowned.
“What?”
“Why you were happy to go back to Manchester.”
David looked blank, then his eyes went round and his mouth made an ‘o’. He looked after Gael.
“Wait - you.”
Juan grinned.
“No,” David said. “Oh god, no, me and Gael - we’re not.”
Juan raised an eyebrow.
“You seriously think I would have just not told you if I was-,“ David broke off, went a bit pink, and stumbled over his next words. “Look, Gael is, as far as I know, not gay, and definitely not involved with me in any way. He’s a colleague, who is rich, and charming, and can help you raise some money. That is what you asked me for.” And with that, he sat back in his chair and glared at Juan.
Juan held his hands up. “Okay,” he said. “Sorry - we just. You -“ David was still glaring. “Never mind,” Juan said.
Then he leant in and said in a whisper, “Are you sure though, because he is a catch, David Silva.”
David took the balled up napkin and really did throw it.
Juan came to David’s door later, knocked on it softly to interrupt. David turned, phone to his ear, and saw Juan.
“Hang on,” he said, and then lowered the phone. “Hey.”
“All set?” Juan asked. “Need anything?”
David smiled and shook his head. “I’m good,” he said. “Thanks Juan.”
“No, thank you,” Juan said, leaning back against the door frame. “Couldn’t have made tonight such a success without you.”
David shook his head but he smiled wider. “Well, you’re welcome,” he said, and lifted the phone towards him.
Juan smiled and stepped back, then, as if drawn by a line, mouthed, “Who’s that?” and nodded at the phone.
David’s face did a funny twist and settled for abashed. He looked down, opened his mouth around a few words that didn’t come out, then he looked at Juan and said, very quietly, “The reason I was happy to go back to Manchester.”
Juan didn’t get it - and then he did. He gave David a huge smile, and a thumbs up, and David rolled his eyes at him. He was smiling though, as he shut the door in Juan’s face, and Juan smiled back and gave a soft, appreciative tap on the closed door.
“Goodnight,” he said, and heard David’s faint reply.