The wicked world above your head (Chapter 5)

[flamyshine]

Title: The wicked world above your head
Pairings: Novak Djokovic/Ernests Gulbis, Andy Murray/Tim Henman
Other characters: Stanislas Wawrinka, Fabrice Santoro
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Word count: 3,964
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and this is a fiction.
Summary: Andy’s headache gets worse and Novak prepares for his flying license test.


From the previous chapter:
Tim had gotten to have dinner with Andy while Novak had bought books about elves and couldn’t stop talking to Ernests on the phone. After hanging up, he had planned to interrogate his best friend about where he had been all evening without returning his calls.

Chapter 5

“Ahh…”

The following day, Andy woke up with a throbbing head. He tried to sit up but decided instead to spend a few more minutes with his head on the pillow. If he had thought that a good night’s sleep would help, he was wrong.

Novak hadn’t been harsh on him during last night’s interrogation - thanks to the candies - but for some reason, the pills wouldn’t work and he felt like his headache kept getting worse day by day. Now that he thought about it, he had been having a headache ever since that note about the secret to Rafael’s fitness had arrived. At this rate, it seemed like he was going to develop a constant migraine.

Bleep.

Andy didn’t have to check his cell phone to see who had sent him a text message. He could bet half of his prize money on Tim.

“Good morning, Andy!”

Yes, it was Tim like any other early morning.

“I was wondering if you spent the night all right. I hope the food didn’t upset your stomach. It was really nice food but I just wanted to check.”

Apparently, the half-witch had a better excuse this morning to send a picture message with a fully smiling face.

‘How can he smile so widely this early in the morning? His face muscles must be very flexible. But then, he’s in the service industry. He probably knows how to smile like that 24/7.’

Feeling a little sorry for the shop owner, Andy listened to the rest of the message with his eyes closed. Tim’s convincing voice was really growing on him.

“You know… if you ever feel adventurous, let me invite you to Witch’s Table, the restaurant where Ernie took Novak. You might be surprised in a nice way. Ah, I’m sure you have better things to do than to listen to a long message. Well then, have a nice day!”

The message ended rather abruptly and Andy assumed that an early customer had showed up.

‘Gosh, I’m a horrible person.’

The Scot realized with a bitter taste in his mouth that he had never texted Tim back in the morning.

‘But I had nothing to tell him so far, right? It’s only today that he asked if I spent the night all right. I didn’t really have to answer to the previous messages about Nole’s carpet.’

Trying to feel better about his lack of replies, Andy slowly sat up on the bed and frowned at the world shaking for a split second.

‘Damn, I need stronger pills. Let’s text him back and go see if Nole has any pills left.’

Hey, good morning. Thanks for the dinner last night. It was great. My head still hurts though.

Andy had barely closed his cell phone when it started to vibrate in his hand. Of course, it was Tim.

“Hel…”

“Are you okay??”

“Hello to you too. Well, I’ve had better days. Thanks for asking. How’s the store doing?”

Andy walked out of his bedroom with his phone to fetch something to drink; his throat was dry and his voice was a little hoarse. While Tim asked about the exact symptoms of his headache, he reached the kitchen only to see Novak whistling a tune in front of the refrigerator.

“Nole, can you get me a cup of juice too? Thanks. Oh, and can you check if you have any pills left for headache?”

“Sure. Who are you talking to? Oh, I know. It must be Tim! HI TIM!”

Andy could hear Tim chuckle on the phone. “He says hi too.”

Novak gave his friend a cup of fresh grape juice and sat on the kitchen table with his own cup, eyes never leaving Andy’s face. People might think that the world number two had a poker face but Novak could tell that he was enjoying the conversation with Tim.

‘Hmm… how interesting.’

Unlike himself, Andy was extremely cautious when it came to his private life. Even when a nice person came along and wanted to stick with him, he tended to brush him away, giving him all sorts of reasons; that they would never get to see each other because he traveled all the time, that he’s not that good at trusting people, sometimes even that he didn’t know how to drive a car and he hated to use public transport to go out on a date.

Once, he had felt bad for his best friend and had tried to set him up but Andy had said that he would only go out on a blind date if it was a double date, so he had fetched two good looking guys and had set Andy and his second best friend on tour, Stan - Novak liked to believe it that way - but it had ended up with Andy rather talking to Stan and not caring too much about the other guys.

So it highly amused Novak that the Scot hadn’t hung up the phone yet and was listening to whatever Tim was saying even when he had a headache.

‘Oh, right! He asked me if I had any pills left.’

He wanted to hang around in the kitchen for a little longer, hoping to catch something interesting come out of Andy’s mouth but for now, all he could hear was ‘oh’, ‘hmm…’, and a few ‘ah’s.

“Nole, pills please?”

“Yeah. I’m going.”

Still pricking up his ears, the Serb headed back to his bedroom to check his medical supplies.

‘What can they possibly talk about? They don’t really know each other and Andy said that they only had a short dinner together last night. Hmm… Anyway let’s see… pills for upset stomach, muscle pain, fever, cough drops, eye drops, ointment, decent lube, excellent lube, eh, nope.’

“Andy, sorry. You took my last headache pills the other day.” Novak told his friend who was now sitting on the couch in the living room.

“Ah, Tim. I have to go. I ran out of pills. I should get the strongest ones this time. Sorry? Oh, it’s ok. I’m sure the new ones will work. All right. If they don’t work, I’ll give you a call.”

As soon as Andy hung up, Novak jumped on the couch next to him.

“What did he say? He’ll perform some magic to make your headache disappear?”

“Sort of.”

“Really? Cool! Can I come with you?” Novak brightened his eyes and Andy chuckled.

“Wow. You’ve really fallen for that elf, haven’t you?”

“What? I just offered to go with you because you seem to be afraid of Tim’s store.”

“Where Ernie happens to work. Are you guys together yet?”

Andy asked since he wasn’t supposed to have seen the two kissing. And surprisingly, the Serb hadn’t told him about the kiss unlike his usual self.

“Well, we haven’t really talked about it.” Novak twisted the edge of a cushion.

‘Yeah, you only kissed about it.’ Andy thought, ‘But why wouldn’t he tell me? He has always liked to share unnecessary details with me. Did something go wrong with the kiss after I left? Does Ernie have a bad breath?’

Then, a horrible idea struck him like a lightening.

“Oh gosh, Nole, did you sleep with him?”

Novak looked confused. “What? No.”

“Then what’s wrong? I thought you didn’t have a problem making your boyfriends official.”

Novak resumed torturing the poor cushion and Andy snatched it away, curiosity taking the better of him.

“Give it back!”

“Tell me what’s wrong. You’re not sure about your feelings?”

“No! I’m very sure about my feelings.” Novak tried to get his cushion back but only managed to grab a handful of air.

“Then, you’re not sure if he likes you?”

“No! I’m sure he likes me.”

“Then, what the hell is wrong?” Andy had to stand up from the couch to secure the cushion.

“Why are you even so interested? And give that damn cushion back!”

“I’m your best friend, dumb ass. Just tell me!”

“Fine! I’m a little too sure about my feelings! Happy now?”

Andy stood there, trying to process the information and Novak finally snatched his security cushion back.

“Does that mean you actually…”

“Yeah, I mean I love him. So stop asking questions. It’s ruining my happy morning mood.”

The boy in love crawled into a ball with his cushion and Andy sat back on the couch.

“I thought you had all those boyfriends to find the right one. Shouldn’t you be thrilled?”

“First, I haven’t had that many boyfriends. Don’t treat me like a Safin. Second, I’m sure I’m thrilled deep down. It’s just a little… overwhelming.”

“Huh… overwhelming. I guess that’s what I’ve been fearing in a relationship.” Andy admitted. It felt strange to have such a serious conversation in the morning with his usually jolly friend.

“You know… He lives and works here in London and I’ll be out of here after Wimbledon. I travel all the time and I’ll miss him like hell. I don’t know if this will be good for either of us.”

Andy couldn’t help but laugh as hard as his headache would allow him. That was what he used to say.

“Don’t laugh, Andy. I’m serious.” Novak pouted.

“Hey, I’m clearly no expert in relationships but I think you should talk to him. Perhaps he’s overwhelmed and is about to chew on the end of a cushion just like you.”

Novak glared but Andy just patted him on the shoulder and went to the kitchen. They could both use some nice homemade breakfast.

After throwing up half the breakfast made with his own hands, Andy hit some balls with his good pal Stanislas in the early afternoon.

“Stop laughing, Stan. I told you I felt sick because of my headache, not because I cooked something bad. See? Nole’s just fine.”

Andy pointed at the nearby court where the Serb was practicing with his compatriot, Viktor.

“Maybe he’ll need medical assistance soon.” Stan was having so much fun teasing the Scot.

“Don’t forget to call me on your birthday. I’ll cook you both breakfast and lunch.”

“Eww, why would I want to have breakfast with you on my birthday? I have a lovely girlfriend who can cook perfectly safe dishes.”

“Good for you.” Andy chuckled while changing the grip on his racquet.

“Perhaps it’s time for you to get a wonderful chef like me. You’ll be surprised to see there are many guys out there who can cook.”

Wimbledon was just around the corner and Stan knew that Andy was starting to feel an enormous amount of pressure. He wished that his friend could open up and let someone in his mind even though he understood the Scot better than anybody else; he had been just like him a few months ago before he had met the right woman.

“Well, let’s get back to work. And maybe you should take your shirt off in case a nice guy passes by.”

Stan got up from the bench but Andy didn’t move.

“Andy?” The Swiss called the Scot with worried eyes.

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just the headache.” Andy got up but had to sit down again.

“Geez, you should go see a doctor. You’re all pale.”

“I’m always pale, Stan. There’s no sun in this country.”

“I know that. But you look paler than usual. You want me to call Novak for you? I can hit with Troicki in his place.”

“I’m a big boy. I can go to the hospital by myself. Sorry for the short practice though.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll go find someone else if you don’t need me to drive you.”

Andy packed his bags and waved a hand at the Swiss. He couldn’t tell Stan where he was really heading to, but texted Novak about it before he got himself a cab.

Closed for tea time but please feel free to come in and wait!

The sign on the carpet store made Andy laugh a little because he could hear Tim’s voice in those words.

‘What a kind sign.’

He walked into the store and the first thing that he saw was the elf napping on the couch with a mud pack on his face and a tennis magazine that had Novak on the cover across his chest.

‘Ahaha, I guess he deserves all the love after all.’

A warm, cozy feeling enwrapped him as he saw for himself that Novak wasn’t the only one who took the relationship seriously. He felt much better now about his friend dating a non-human being and even found Ernests cute, asleep like that.

‘And he’s going to buy me something awesome for this.’ Andy thought as he snapped a picture of the elf with his cell phone.

“Hi, Andy!” Tim waved from the stairs that led to the second floor and gestured him to come up.

“Hey. Uh, is it all right to leave the first floor like that?” Andy asked, worried. They were living in nasty times.

“Oh, those carpets won’t cost much without spells on them and as far as Ernie’s concerned, I put up a protection wall around him. That way, nobody can steal my competent employee.”

Tim grinned and offered a seat on the other side of the tea table to his favorite tennis player.

“I enjoy your presence here, Andy, but I’m afraid that it means your headache isn’t getting any better.”

“Yeah. I have no idea why the pills won’t work.” Andy watched as the host poured him a cup of tea.

“It’s probably the stress but don’t worry. I’ll help you out after you drink up that cup. And how is my second favorite tennis player doing? Ernie couldn’t stop talking about him all morning.”

“Really? I’m not sure if it’s my place to say but it looks like Novak has fallen for him pretty hard too.” Andy answered, thoroughly enjoying the sweet scent of tea.

“That’s great news. I’ve been hoping that it would work out for them. It’s a good age to fall in love.”

The Scot let out a short laugh. “That makes you sound like you’re two hundred years old or something. If you don’t mind me asking, how does the age system work for half-witches?”

“Haha, if you’re asking about my age, I can easily tell you. I’m thirty four just like any other human being.”

Andy was relieved at the piece of information. Tim being a half-witch also meant that he was half-human which was easier for him to swallow and luckily, the age issue was more pro-human.

“Well, you look younger than your age then.”

“Aww, how sweet of you. Too bad I don’t know any anti-ageing spells though.”

The two shared a good laugh until Tim noticed, “I see you’ve finished your tea. Would you like me to try a healing spell on your head?”

Andy looked down into his empty teacup, wondering when he had emptied it. “Uh, sure. I’m willing to get any kind of help. Thanks.”

“Okay then. We need to get you as comfortable as possible so lie down here, please.” Tim patted the edge of a carpet and it started to float in mid air.

“Uh, could I just sit?” The twenty two year old was still not comfortable with the idea of flying carpets.

“Suit yourself.” Tim smiled, trying not to be disappointed.

“Now I need to hold your hand.” Tim said, even though he didn’t need to hold his hand.

“Which one?”

“Whichever one you’d like.”

Andy sat back against the wall in his chair and held out his left hand.

“Now close your eyes and try to relax.”

Tim started to mutter spells in a language that Andy couldn’t recognize and soon the half-witch’s free hand was on his forehead.

‘Hmm… I don’t know about the spells but at least his hand is warm.’

The human being tried not to lean into the hand but he realized that the back of his head wasn’t against the wall anymore.

“Aww, are you feeling chilly?” Tim’s hand moved down to Andy’s cheek and the Scot’s eyes flew open. It felt too nice.

“Uh, yeah, perhaps I could use another cup of tea.” Andy lied, shuddering at what he had just felt. Thankfully, Tim’s hands were gone in an instant as the host rushed to pour more tea.

“Here you go. Take your time. The spell can wait.”

Andy held up the teacup to his lips and nodded. He was starting to like this store much more.

“Heehee…”

Novak was giggling his way into the forest with his flying carpet rolled under his arm. Andy had shown him an interesting picture in the afternoon when he had got back to the flat after practice. He had almost crushed his choking friend with a hug, happy to know that dear Ernie had been reading about him; of course, the elf could have been reading about some other player in the magazine and it was just a coincidence that he was on the cover but it was one of Novak’s gifts to interpret a situation to his advantage.

‘How come nobody stalks such a beautiful creature? Did Tim put some sort of protective spell on him? Will Tim approve of me…? He told me that I was one of his favorite tennis players but perhaps he was just being nice to a customer or he only appreciates my game.’

Questions and doubts swirled in his mind as he carried on walking to his flying practice spot.

‘I should really have a serious conversation with him before someone tries to snatch him from under my nose. And should I use mud packs too? Hmm…’

The Serb rubbed the side of his face and thought that perhaps a facial or other types of beauty treatment weren’t such a bad idea.

“Sorry, I’m late!”

Novak heard Ernests’ voice from above his head while he was busy unrolling his carpet in the clearing. His flying instructor used to drive to the forest in one of Tim’s company cars but today, it seemed like he had flown.

“It’s okay. I just arrived too. Is that your own carpet?”

Novak pointed at the lime green carpet that had a joystick for video games at one end instead of a steering wheel.

“Yeah, this is mine, hehe. Would you like a quick ride?”

The human being wasted no time rolling up his carpet again and jumped on the elf’s one.

“Wow. I didn’t know we could have a joystick. I thought Tim only sold them with a wheel.”

The human being put his hand on the base of the joystick and slowly moved it upwards until it met Ernests’ hand that had been on top of the stick. Even such simple contact made both of them blush and the elf started to chatter away, hoping to hide his excitement.

“Well, wheels are the easiest to drive a carpet so it’s perfect for beginners but Tim does take special orders, depending on the type of creature and also if a customer has a clean flying record for a year or so. It’s funny to see how each creature tends to choose the controller which is closest to his heart. Tim’s carpet has a helm and we’ve had customers asking for all sorts of different things. Our trickiest one was the retired captain of a submarine and he wanted his carpet to have as little magic as possible with all kinds of complicated buttons and levers.”

“Ahaha…” Novak listened in glee, now firmly holding Ernests’ hand in his own.

“Tim always complains that he aged five years that month just because of him.”

Novak nodded, picturing the inside of a submarine which he had seen in movies.

“Oh, what are these?” The Serb pointed at several buttons that were around the edge of the carpet.

“Oh, these are perv traps. Tim made sure that if someone tries to do naughty stuff to me, he’ll get punished. I push one of these panic buttons and well… you don’t want to know what would possibly happen, haha.”

“Ah, what a useful piece of information. I’ll try not to forget to do stuff with you on my carpet.”

Then Novak realized with horror how that could have sounded. “No, Ernie, I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay. Let me just take a sip before we start today’s lesson.”

Ernests landed on the ground and opened his pink thermos while Novak spotted an interesting scene.

‘Did he just move his left ear?’

He wasn’t sure if Ernests was happy to drink from a pink thermos or if he was excited about the idea of doing stuff on a trap-free carpet. But thanks to his gift, Novak leaned to the latter assumption. Now he was definitely going to make a move after tonight’s lesson.

“Oh, didn’t you tell me that you’d bring a guest instructor today?”

The Serb remembered Ernests talking about how he had covered all the basic parts and that it was time to start getting ready for his flying license test which he should get a chance to pass right before Wimbledon started.

“And, here I am. Sorry for being a little late. I could see you two blush from miles away so I had to stop for a quick drink.”

A male witch who had scarily haunted eyes was grinning on a scarily bright orange carpet that had the end of a broomstick at one edge.

“Novak, this is Fabrice, the chairwitch of the ‘Protect the skies’ association where I met Tim. And, Fabrice, this is Novak, my flying student.” Ernests made the introduction.

“And future lover,” Fabrice added excitedly and made a heart-shaped cloud with the tip of his wand.

“Fabrice!” Ernests yelped but it didn’t seem to bother the French witch as he made an even bigger one and laughed like he was going to choke to death.

“Don’t worry, Novak. He might be a little… crazy but he’s great with magic and flying. You know that the test has courses where it rains and where it’s foggy, right? He’ll change the weather today for us and we’ll see how it goes.”

The elf explained the situation and Novak got his carpet ready to fly.

“Do you want me to put on some love songs around the carpet? What about a comfy couple seat?”

“Fabrice! We need your magic only for the weather, thanks.” Ernests narrowed his eyes but Novak didn’t mind Fabrice considering them as a couple.

“Fine. I’ll save the love songs for after the lesson then. Now shall we get started?”

The witch held up his wand in the air and Novak grabbed the wheel tightly. He was determined to prepare well for his test so that he could actually fly out to another country in a carpet after Wimbledon.

“We’re ready.”

Ernests told Fabrice and quickly brushed his hand over Novak’s that was on the wheel. It was his way of wishing the Serb good luck.

“Thanks for the luck.” Novak said in a sweet voice and Ernests’ face broke into a huge smile. He was happy.