Appetite (Chapter 16)
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: Novak comes back home after winning the Masters Cup and gets a warm welcome party.
Author's note: Sorry for the late update :)
From the previous chapter:
Tommy had enjoyed his time at Carlos’ place while Rafael and David had missed both their boyfriends and their chances to play in Shanghai.
Chapter 16: Home sweet home
Novak was safely on the plane that was going to take him home. He had originally planned to travel in a more conventional way by using those big airline airplanes but Rafael was happy enough to send him his private jet, hence the comfort the Serb was enjoying at the moment.
‘Ah, this is pure luxury.’
He stretched his body once more and made sure that the Masters Cup trophy was safely in his arms. Rafael had teased him for weeks when he had cuddled up his Australian Open trophy in bed, but since Novak was pretty much alone right now, he could do whatever he wanted to do with the new one.
‘Hmm, Rafa’s winning more titles and I’m winning more as well. We’ll need a larger trophy room.’
Thinking about remodeling during the off-season, he closed his eyes and pulled the blanket up to his chin. It was nice to finally go back home after a tough and lonely week. He had been competing in so many tournaments with the Spaniard that it felt so strange to play in an elite event without having his boyfriend around.
‘I hope he’s doing better. How hard it must be for him to watch the Davis Cup final on TV. I should stay with him during the weekend and be nice.’
Then, all of a sudden, Novak opened his eyes, remembering about the presents that he got in front of the hotel. They were mostly for him but some fans had given him presents for Rafael as well. Those would certainly lighten the mood of the injured Spaniard.
‘I’m sure he’ll be happy, that gift-whore.’
The Serb chuckled, reminiscing about the early days when the two had liked to count how many presents they received during the week. Having been on tour for much longer and higher ranked, Rafael had always been the one ending up with more presents. Then, one day, the unthinkable, as far as Rafael was concerned, had happened. Novak had received more gifts than the Spaniard two weeks after the Australian Open.
“Buwahahaha!”
He could still clearly remember the look on the then number two’s face. It was as if Rafael had met three aliens flying on a gigantic toaster.
“Ekekeke…”
Almost choking on his laughs, Novak realized how much he missed all those silly moments with his boyfriend. They always tried to look mature on court but when there were only the two of them left in the house, they were often acting like seven year olds.
‘So tonight, I won’t have to hug his shirt in my sleep. I’ll have the real him!’
A very worried Rafael had put a couple of his shirts inside the Serb’s bag. He probably didn’t want Novak to get lonely and eat out of control once again.
‘How did I get to be loved by such a great guy? That must be the mystery of the century, really.’
He caressed the side of the trophy and yawned, feeling tired as the intensity of the week slowly left his body.
‘See you soon, Rafa. I miss you…’
In less than a couple of seconds, Novak was off to dreamland with a peaceful look on his face.
Welcome home, champion!
As soon as Novak arrived with huge bags in front of his house, he could see a bunch of people under the big banner.
‘Oh god, I’m really back home.’
The realization hit him hard and he had never been so happy to see familiar faces.
“Rafa!!”
The twenty-one year old dropped his bags, forgot about a champion’s decency and ran straight into Rafael’s arms. He didn’t care if he heard light chuckles. He was happy and was determined to show it.
“Welcome home, boy. I missed you, no?”
“Me too, Rafa! It was so wrong without you there.”
“I’m glad you had a good time. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
Novak could feel a lot of different hands pat him on the back and some fingers get pricked by his hair. He saw his friends and neighbors congratulate him in Spanish and for the very first time, he truly felt at home.
“Hey, this is for you.” Carlos held out a huge teddy bear and Tommy let out a grunt.
“Sorry, Novak. I kept telling him that you’re not his six year old nephew.”
“Hey, babies are babies. You don’t get any huge bears from your fans, no?”
“Uh… so far, nope.”
“See? I told you Tommy. Kids all like big teddy bears.”
Novak had to pull away from the embrace to catch the enormous bear in his arms.
“Wow… this is really so… huge.”
“Ah, you look even cuter!”
Carlos pinched the Serb’s cheek like a happy uncle when most of the other people felt for the boy.
“Hey, this is from me.”
Since Novak’s hands were busy holding onto the bear, David showed the Serb what he had prepared.
“Wow! SpongeBob and Patrick couple mugs?”
“Yes, yes. Look carefully. This is a special order! I asked them to make them play tennis, no?”
Rafael and Novak both looked closely at their present and yes, SpongeBob was hitting a forehand with his mouth open and eyes closed while Patrick was trying to toss the ball on the sand.
“Lovely.”
David’s face lit up at the Serb’s comment and now everyone giggled at the Spaniard’s expression.
“Okay, let’s go inside. I made some lunch. One of my very best Super special Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup celebration lunch package.” Carlos didn’t give people enough time to laugh and gently pushed Novak on the back while Rafael thanked his neighbors for dropping by.
“Hey.” Novak saw Tommy standing in front of the strange pictures on their bedroom wall as he put his bags in the corner.
“Hey, congrats once again. But why do you have such horrendous pictures in your bedroom?” The German couldn’t grasp the concept of what he was looking at.
“Oh, don’t get me started with those. Rafa bought them from god-knows-whom and they are supposed to give me peace.”
“So do they?”
“Haha, do you even have to ask?” Novak laughed and realized that one of the frames was slightly tilted to the left. He tried to readjust the frame when it almost fell on the floor.
“Whoa, nice catch.” Tommy told the Serb.
“I’m thinking that the picture’s cursed.” Novak joked and turned it over, only to get surprised by seeing Rafael’s handwriting on the back.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh… Rafa wrote something.”
“Like what?”
Each day I become a better person because of you.
“Jesus, I never thought that Rafa would be the fluffy type. Love must’ve changed him. How nice!” Tommy gave his opinion and wondered if Carlos had such a fluffy side as well.
“Well, I’d still call him the horny type but yes, he’s so nice to me that I often have to pinch myself to be sure that I’m not dreaming. And, by the way, it’s very nice to see Carlos smile again. I bet I should thank you for that.”
“He didn’t smile much before?” That was news to Tommy Haas. He had always had the image of the Spaniard as an easy-going well-smiling one.
“He did but they were mostly sad ones. I never heard much about you guys but he really looks happy today.”
Talking about the devil, Carlos’ voice flew straight into the bedroom. “Come out, you two!! My Spanish ham is getting cold, no? Come out! I don’t want any of my food left or wasted!”
“Jesus Christ, he can rule the whole world with that voice.” Tommy shook his head and Novak started giggling.
“I don’t know how he was back then, but he’s… let’s just say that he has a very high respect towards his strawberries and cooking nowadays. We should better go out now or he’ll hunt us down.”
“Why don’t I hear an answer or see a hair? Come out now!”
Carlos’ voice struck again and the German shouted back. “Ok, we’re coming, you ruthless yeller! We’re not deaf, you know!”
“My ham can’t wait any longer!”
“I said that we’re coming!”
Novak giggled some more and quickly put the frame back on the wall before joining the elder player out of the room.
“Haa… hoo…”
A few hours later, Novak was enjoying the feeling of being wrapped around his boyfriend’s strong, warm body with his head lying on the muscular chest.
“Ha… hoo…”
“Breathing problems?”
“No, I just need more air. You gave me no time to breathe.”
“And, you’re complaining now?”
“Haha.”
They shared yet another lengthy kiss before parting for air. Everyone had left and the boys had just finished their first round of greeting.
“Ah, it’s so good to be back at home, lying with you here, worrying about nothing at all.” Novak’s voice sounded relaxed and Rafael found it soothing.
“I’m worried about the cut on your hand, Nole.”
The Spaniard took the boy’s left hand in his own and took another look at the wound.
“It’s nothing. And, you already treated it.” Novak felt a warm rush of blood go through his hand.
“How could you cut yourself when you were jumping with joy?”
“Well, how did you get that bruise on your knee? Ferru told me that you were running all over the house when I converted my championship point.”
Rafael didn’t bother to lie. It was true. He had gone through the whole collection of his celebration rituals in his own living room. He had even forgotten that the doctor had advised him not to jump until Carlos had yelled at him to sit down.
“You got the Masters Cup, no? Huge victory. I had to jump and run.”
“Aww, I couldn’t express my joy more because it was so surreal. I still can’t believe I actually won the whole thing.”
“I’m really happy that you did, really happy. That’s the best thing I could expect when I couldn’t play there myself.”
“Thanks. Oh, how did you like my new outfit by the way?”
Novak had wanted to ask. He liked the black/gold combination, especially compared to the orange/blue one from this summer.
“It looked great. And you also looked great in that official photo.” Rafael caressed one of Novak’s shoulders.
“Guh… let’s not talk about that picture. I can’t believe I had to wear jeans!”
“Ahahaha.”
“Hey, it’s not funny! It was all your fault!”
“No, it wasn’t. You shouldn’t have told me what you were wearing, no?” Rafael defended himself, still laughing his head off.
“Who knew you’d be so good at phone sex when your English is so off?”
“Hey, I’m good at all sorts of sex, no?”
“Geez, you’re modest and I love you.”
Another kiss was in order and Rafael thought that it would be nice if they could just keep kissing during the whole winter.
“Oh, how was eating? You ate a lot of Chinese food?” The Spaniard asked, his fingers tracing the shoulder lines once again.
“Nah, after seeing Roger almost pull out with an upset stomach, I just stuck to Western food. And, I managed to stay away from junk food even if you weren’t there, so I guess I’m really getting better.” Novak answered in a relieved voice and kissed the smooth skin that was within his mouth range.
“I think so too. You don’t have to practice every day now, so no stress. And, when you go back home and get enough rest, you’ll be healthy again.”
Novak shook his head. “I don’t know why people keep saying that. This is my home. I live here and you are here, which makes it my home here.”
“Nole…”
Another kiss landed on Rafael’s heart and Novak tugged on the Spaniard’s arm.
“What?”
“Why don’t we go open some presents now? I even got some from your fans!”
“Yes, you told me so.”
“Then, how can you possibly resist those pretty little ones all dressed up for you?”
“Well, I have a naked you here.”
“True, but you’ll still have a naked me here after we take a look at the presents.”
The Serb had already gotten up from the bed and Rafael was soon dragged along with him.
“Can I join you in the shower?”
Novak laughed at the question. “Since when do you ask?”
“I only asked because I know that the answer would be yes, no?”
“You smartass.”
The two chuckled as they headed into the bathroom.
Half an hour later,
The boys were sitting in the living room, surrounded by lots and lots of presents. Rafael had a towel wrapped around his head and short shorts that he liked to wear at home while Novak had his sweatpants on with a towel covering his shoulders.
“Oh, this one’s yours!” The Serb’s skilled fingers unwrapped the present and revealed a decent necktie.
“Ah, it looks nice. Let’s try it on.”
Novak moved closer to his boyfriend and put the slim light grey tie around his neck.
“Ahahaha, with that towel on your head, it doesn’t look too great.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“You’ll be attending more and more formal events, so I think it’s a good choice of gift for you. And, look at you! You look all young and hot!”
“I am young, thank you very much.” Rafael made his point.
“Oh, whatever.” Teasing his boyfriend with his age was one of the best pastimes for Novak.
“I’ll make you suffer at round three for that, no? And, I think this one is for you.” Rafael tore the wrapping paper with ease and opened the box.
“Cute winter sweater. You should try it on.”
“I should! It’s baby blue.”
“And, it comes with a muffler and a hat.”
“And a note.” Novak finished the sentence for him.
Dear Nole,
Happy winter and I wanted to make two of each so that you could share with Rafa, but I didn’t have enough time! Sorry! I’ll make another set for next winter so you guys should better be together till then! Love you!!
- Your biggest fan in the world.
“Aww, how cute.” Novak pulled the sweater over his head and felt like a kid as Rafael wrapped the muffler around his neck for him.
“This is super warm! I can wear these when we have a snow fight!”
“Ah, our deadly snow fights.”
“Yeah, I’m sure one of us won’t make it this year. It was nice living with you, Rafa. May you rest in peace.” Novak said in his most serious voice.
“You think I’ll lose?” Rafael’s eyebrows shot up.
“Rafa, you can’t even move your leg properly, other than in bed. So yes, I think you’ll lose this year.”
“Well, if the Masters Cup champion says so. But I don’t think it’ll snow like that again here so we should do it in Belgrade, no?”
“You’re right. And, I can’t wait to show you around the city! I swear that you’re going to like it. It’s so beautiful and I’m not saying this because I come from that city.”
“I’m sure it’s very beautiful. I can’t wait to visit your country too.”
The Spaniard pinched his boyfriend on the cheek and felt Novak replacing the towel on his head with the new winter hat of his.
“Hey, you should keep this one for yourself. You look adorable.”
“I do?” Rafael made his best innocent, cute face.
“Aww, you’re in a good mood today.” The Serb noticed.
“Yes, I am. And, I’m going to be in an even better mood very soon.”
“Why is that?”
Novak got another kind of oral answer for his question. He was soon lying on the carpet, with his lips engulfed by another pair of lips.
“Rafa, I’ll probably die after another round…” He breathed heavily against the tanned skin.
Rafael kissed him deeply once more before helping his boyfriend get up. “Then, what do you say to ordering some food and going to bed early?”
“I thought that there was food left from earlier.” Novak had liked Carlos’ super special lunch package.
“Ferru took all the leftovers, no?”
“He did? Oh, well, in that case, let’s order a huge pizza. It’s the first day of my off-season. I can afford eating one.”
“Yes, and I’m in recovery. I need more energy to recover. So I can eat a pizza.”
Novak got up from the carpet and grabbed the phone while Rafael was waiting him to hand it over.
“Nole?” The Spaniard was surprised to see Novak dial their favorite pizzeria’s number himself.
“I can order a pizza in Spanish now. I bugged the hell out of Juan Martin in Shanghai. I hope they’ll get my pronunciation.”
Rafael watched with amusement as Novak said a few words into the phone and called out their home address.
‘So he’s really willing to stay in this country and make it his home. I can only help, no?’
Wishing that every evening would be as peaceful as today, Rafael smiled as he gave his boy the thumbs up. It was good to have him back at their home sweet home. He was looking forward to a heartwarming off-season.