Appetite (Chapter 15)
Title: Appetite
Main pairings: Rafael Nadal/Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer/Andy Murray, Carlos Moya/Tommy Haas
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and this is a fiction.
Summary: Tommy finds it difficult to leave Carlos' place when David and Rafael are left behind while their boyfriends made it to the Masters Cup.
Author's note: Due to my vacation, I'm sorry to say that there won't be an update for the next ten days :)
From the previous chapter:
Tommy and Carlos had decided to get back together while Rafael had borrowed a tampered Monopoly for Novak who invited David and Andy over.
Chapter 15: The things to die for
Two weeks later, Mallorca
“Tom…”
Tommy felt as if he had heard someone call out his name.
“Tommy…”
Yes, that was definitely his name all right.
“Tommy!!”
Now that person was screaming his name. But Tommy didn’t want to wake up. He was currently lying on the softest bed in the world, dreaming about owning a farm full of strawberries. Customers were lined up, eyes all desperate for the forbidden fruit while Carlos and he were running in the field, eating and throwing them in the air.
“Hasi!! You wake up right now!”
At the disturbingly loud noise, Tommy had no other option than to get out of the perfect dream.
“Carlos…?” His voice was still asleep but apparently Carlos’ wasn’t.
“You got that acupuncture appointment in an hour, no?”
The Spaniard couldn’t believe that his boyfriend had become so lazy over all those years. The Tommy Haas that he remembered was always so fast and accurate at whatever he did. He had always bugged him that his breakfast eggs were burnt when they were only a little brown at the end and had always been using time in the most effective way, except when they were in bed.
The season had ended early for the two and Carlos had invited Tommy over to his house so that he could show off his strawberry greenhouse in the backyard. Originally, the German had planned to stay only for a couple of days but one thing led to another and he just couldn’t leave the place where he could see, hear, smell, touch and even taste Carlos everywhere.
“I don’t want to get out of this bed. You’ve got the greatest bed here. And it even smells like you.”
Tommy wrapped his arms around one of Carlos’ legs which was within arm’s reach and closed his eyes again.
As much as Carlos found the gesture adorable, he had a responsibility to make sure that his loved one doesn’t get late for his shoulder treatment. He wanted the German to hang on to tennis as long as he could, which meant that he had to be cruel and force him out of bed.
So he bent down and gave his boyfriend a good morning kiss, hands firmly around the lazy guy’s waist. He slowly pulled the German up and out of the bed, relieved that his kiss was solid enough to help him carry out his mission.
Tommy was aware that his body was leaving the bed but he couldn’t just take his lips off the Spaniard’s.
‘Damn, he must’ve kissed so many people when I wasn’t around. Exactly how many per day?’
Jealousy only fueled him to be even more immersed in the kiss and soon after, Tommy was not only out of bed but even pushing Carlos towards the wall.
“No, we stop here. We get something to eat and go see the doctor.” The Spaniard pulled away completely.
“Aww, but…”
“No buts.” Carlos shook his head and gently pushed the German into the bathroom before trying to close the door.
“Hey.” Tommy stopped the door with his arm.
“What?” Carlos raised his eyebrows.
“What if you join me in the shower? Didn’t you hear on the news? The whole world is going through horrible energy problems. We could use less water and…”
Bang.
Tommy saw the door close right in front of his nose.
‘Okay, I almost got my handsome nose cut.’
He pouted at first but a second later, he couldn’t help the smile that hung on his lips like a dork. This was what he had been longing for during all those forgotten days and nights. He could have gotten up from bed much earlier if he had really wanted to. He had never been a lazy person. But it was too much fun to see Carlos act like a big brother, or even like a stern mother and it felt too good that he could still have that much influence on his beloved Spaniard.
“Mmmhmmhmm…” He started humming in delight, taking off his clothes one by one when the door flew open, making him jump.
“Carlos! You scared the shit out of me!”
“Why don’t I hear the water running already? We don’t have much time, no?” Carlos was wearing an apron and a bandana, holding a ladle in his hand.
“As you can see, I was taking off my clothes to get the water running. If you had agreed to join me in the shower, I would’ve already moved to the next stage, don’t you think?” Tommy giggled at his boyfriend’s outfit while the Spaniard’s face grew scarier and scarier.
“Aww, come here.” Tommy pulled Carlos into a hug and kissed him on the lips. He was enjoying every single moment of this Carlossing morning and the fact that he could feel the Spaniard’s anger die under his tongue was just a little bonus for him.
“Thank you, baby. This is the best morning I’ve ever had.”
Tommy quickly adjusted the bandana around Carlos’ forehead and ran into the shower. He could hear Carlos’ short laughter mingle with his own. It was going to be another lovely day with his one and only love.
A few blocks away, across the park, Rafael was hanging out with David in the latter’s living room. They were drinking grape juice in SpongeBob mugs and nibbling at chocolate on a SpongeBob plate.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t make it.”
David looked at his best friend’s leg. His friend had worked so hard throughout the incredibly packed season and was still sitting next to him, rather than being in Shanghai.
“It’s okay.” Rafael answered but he was sure that David could hear the horrible disappointment in his voice.
In fact, it was not okay. He wanted to be in China so much, he had qualified for that special elite event months ago. He had finally climbed up to the world’s top spot this summer but somehow felt that he had paid a huge price. He was overstressed to the limit and his boyfriend was going through his fair share of rough times and now, they weren’t even spending time together in the wonderful city.
“He’ll be fine, no? Andy’s with him.”
David could read what was going on in the younger Spaniard’s mind just by looking into his eyes. He patted his friend on the arm and bit his lips. Rafael Nadal was the equivalent of a tennis god in this country, which meant that whatever happened, he was supposed to be the strongest one out there, not having little tears in his eyes like he had right now.
“Rafa, it’s okay. You just need to rest your leg and he’s a big boy. And you told me that he got better, no? He’s got a lot of fans in China and we both know that Andy would do anything to help his best friend, no? Like I’d do anything to help you.”
Rafael swallowed hard and turned his head to face his friend. David had always been supportive on and off the court. He had always been there for him when he was feeling blue and hopeless. Rafael couldn’t afford showing his weak side to Novak so often, especially during these days when the Serb didn’t need more things to worry about. Luckily for him, David was there. It was so comforting to have the right friend at the right moment.
“Thanks, Ferru. It’s too bad that we’re both here. We would’ve had so much fun together, no? The four of us.”
“Yes, it’s really too bad.”
David couldn’t agree more. If he had just won a few matches at the near end of the season, he could have been kissing a pretty Scot by now rather than eating chocolate in his own living room.
“I called him this morning, you know.” The elder Spaniard spoke, “He sounded so excited. It’s his first Masters Cup and I exactly remember how I felt last year when I was in the same position, hehe.”
A smile hung on Rafael’s lips, reminiscing about last year’s Shanghai. David had been so bouncy, jumping all over the place when he had walked in the hotel. He and Novak had shared a good laugh at the expense of his good old friend.
‘Nole…’
He not only had to play in the Davis Cup final but had also promised to play in an exhibition match in Belgrade. As soon as Novak had heard about the test results, the world number three had insisted that they should cancel the event. But since it was going to be played around Christmas time, Rafael was hoping that he could still be able to keep his promise. He knew that he could have enough time to heal until then and he didn’t want to say no when he clearly remembered how excited his boy had been.
“Why don’t you call him now?” David suggested, handing his younger friend a big piece of chocolate.
“Tell him how much you love him. You’ll both feel much better, no? I told Andy how proud I was to see him there and told him how much I missed him too.”
“And?”
“And, now I know that today will be a good day just because I heard him laugh and because I didn’t suppress what I wanted to tell him.”
“I’m sure Nole already knows how proud I am and how much I miss him.” Rafael let the chocolate melt on his tongue, somehow finding it hard to call his boyfriend.
“Why are you so reluctant to call him? Did you fight before he left?”
“No, of course we didn’t. We made love before he left.”
“Then, what’s the problem?” David couldn’t understand.
Rafael refused to answer and finished his mug of juice.
“Rafa, talk to me. Avoiding the problem isn’t the answer, no? I know you’ve wanted to call him all morning.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No, I just said I didn’t.”
“But I know you did. You’re lying!”
Only after David poked him in the ribs five times, Rafael threw his arms in the air and gave in.
“Okay, I’ll call him! I just didn’t want him to hear my disappointment when he must be all excited!”
There. He said it out loud. Even if he didn’t regret making the decision of pulling out of the Masters Cup in hopes of getting more fit for the Davis Cup, it didn’t mean that he got over his own disappointment for not making it to Shanghai.
David patted the weary world number on the back and handed him the phone.
“Just call him. You want to hear his voice.”
Rafael knew that David was right. He did want to hear his boyfriend’s voice. He wanted to hear all about the Serb’s day even if a little amount of jealousy was going to bother him.
‘My love for him is stronger than stupid jealousy, no? I just want to hear him talk and laugh.’
Taking a deep breath, Rafael finally dialed the number that would lead him to the voice that brought him peace.
Meanwhile in Shanghai, Andy was watching his best friend kill a chicken salad that was already dead.
“Nole.”
His friend didn’t even answer.
“Spiky!”
There was still no answer.
“Nole! Stop killing it. I already told you that it’s been dead forever.”
Andy shook his head in disbelief. His friend had been pouting all morning about a certain Spaniard not calling him.
“If it bothers you that much, why don’t you just call him?”
“I can’t. Maybe he’s not ready to hear my voice yet.”
“What do you mean?”
Andy put a considerable amount of corn in his mouth and chewed happily.
“He keeps saying that he’s fine but I know that he wanted to be here so much. Even if I try my best, he’ll hear the excitement in my voice. I don’t want him to be sad when he hangs up, that’s all.”
Andy thought about what the Serb had just said.
“So you’re just going to wait until you manage to make that poor chicken bleed?”
Novak finally looked up from his plate and looked at his friend properly. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing here. I have faith in him, Andy. I know he’ll call me sooner or later.”
Andy smiled. “I’m sure he will. So why don’t you start eating your salad more like a… civilized tennis player?”
The Serb glared at his best friend rather playfully, and then put on a weak smile.
“Honestly, I just don’t feel like eating for once. If you don’t mind all the cut, would you like to finish my salad, Andy?”
Now this was a shocking situation, the Scot thought. His best friend had never found food unattractive these days.
“Nole, is everything all right with Rafa?”
Novak nodded. “Sure.”
“But you don’t sound too sure.”
When Novak came up with another faint smile, he felt a vibration in his pocket.
“Is that sound coming from your cell phone?” Andy asked, looking at Novak’s face that wore an expression of anticipation.
“Yes. It must be Rafa!”
The Scot saw his friend’s face light up ever so brightly as he opened the folder of his phone.
“Hi, baby. I miss you already.” Novak’s voice was so soft that it made Andy giggle.
“Well, it’s okay even if I waited all morning… Aww, aren’t you the greatest boyfriend the mankind has ever seen?”
Andy had almost thrown up on his plate. The lovebirds were having their moment again.
‘Great. Now I am going to lose my appetite.’
Ten minutes later, Novak was still on the phone, all smiley and goofy. Andy felt as if he was watching a monodrama; his friend had been showing him all sorts of emotions during the past ten minutes.
‘I hope it ends somewhere around a happy smile. I’d hate to hit with him in the afternoon if he’s all grumpy again.’
“Bwahahaha! Your jokes are the best, no?”
Andy let out a chuckle as he heard Novak laugh at the top of his lungs.
‘He’s crazy. Nobody laughs at Rafa’s jokes but him and my boyfriend.’
It wasn’t entirely the truth but the Scot could be sure that Novak was laughing at a joke that probably wasn’t the funniest one in the world.
‘Maybe I should text my little SpongeBob prince. I’m bored here.’
He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and sent a text message to his boyfriend.
Hey, is there any chance you’re with Rafa? I’m with Nole and he’s killing me. - P. A.
Not much to his surprise, he got the answer right away.
Hi, pretty Andy. Yes, Rafa’s on the phone, saying weird jokes, no? Love is crazy. - S. F.
Andy laughed at the message of his SpongeBob Ferru. It was so in character.
Make him get off the phone already. They’ve been bugging us forever here. - P. A.
Um… why don’t you do it? You’re better at scaring people, no? - S. F.
What? But you’re older than him.
What? What does that have to do with my age? I know I’m old, thank you very much.
I didn’t mean it that way, sorry. Why are we fighting when they’re all giggly?
I don’t know. Why are we sending messages when we can call too?
Andy suddenly woke up from the land of text messages. David was right. He immediately dialed the Spaniard’s number.
“Hola, Andy.”
“Hi, Spongy.”
“Ahahaha. You can’t call me that.” David chuckled.
“Why not? It sounds cute.”
“Well, I think Biggy sounds cute but you still want to change it, no?”
Andy then remembered that Novak had promised him a new boyfriend and a new nickname if he could make it to the semi finals of the U.S. Open. Apparently, he had already gotten a new boyfriend with a bit of Novak’s help and he was still pondering on the change of his nickname.
“You really think Biggy’s fine?” He valued David’s opinion.
“Yes, I really think it goes well with you. I like it.”
Andy could feel the warmth snuggle into his heart. His new boyfriend was always honest, never afraid of letting his true thoughts known.
The Scot smiled and was about to answer when he heard someone calling out his nickname.
“Hey, Biggy! They have cherry pies here! You want some?” Novak shouted from across the empty tables.
‘When did he get off the phone?’
Andy looked down at where his friend had been sitting and saw a closed cell phone on the table. He must have been too focused talking to David.
“Biggy! You want pie or not?” Novak shouted again and Andy could feel his grin grow bigger.
Maybe it wasn’t the nickname itself that he had wanted to change; maybe it was his environment that had been bothering him. There was no Tim anymore. He didn’t feel small and yet have Biggy as his nickname in front of David. Things were quite different with him and if David liked Biggy, Andy was going to keep it and add new good memories to it.
“Andy, say yes, no? Cherry pies are yummy.” David urged through the phone and Andy gave his friend a huge nod.
Novak gave his thumbs up and Andy could see him take a careful look at the pies.
“Ferru, I think I’ll keep Biggy. I somehow like it better than before.” He told his boyfriend, appreciating the Serb’s effort to find the biggest pies on the table.
“Good idea. We all need cute nicknames. Rafa isn’t too cu… Aiiiee!”
“Ahaha, are you alright?”
Andy could soon hear the two Spanish friends rattle away in their language.
“What’s so funny?” Novak asked, returned with two huge cherry pies. Apparently, the Serb got his appetite back after talking to Rafael.
“You’re boyfriend is killing mine.” Andy explained and hung up the phone. He knew by now how long it took for those two to stop arguing so he figured that he would rather leave a message to David and dive in the pie already.
“Mmm, you have to taste this. It’s so good.”
“I bet it is.”
Andy quickly took a bite of the delicious cherry pie. “Oh God, this is to die for.”
It really was. The cherry pie, his cute best friend, his even cuter boyfriend, and his rising tennis career; they were all to die for.