fic: At Christmas You Tell The Truth (Llorente/Martínez, PG)
Title: At Christmas You Tell The Truth
Author: txorakeriak
Fandom: Football RPS, Athletic Club Bilbao
Pairing: Fernando Llorente/Javi Martínez
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I'm a lying bastard and made this all up. I don't claim to know any of the players I write about, they're most definitely not mine, and this very probably didn't happen. No payment involved, no offence intended. This is for my own entertainment.
Summary: Javi couldn't say whether curiosity really killed the cat but he's absolutely sure of one thing: it definitely killed his excitement about this year's Christmas.
Dedication: For Kellie (fishdoll) with a million thanks for being such a wonderful person and for having such awesome taste in football (hehe! :D), and for being a great friend, and for always saying all those kind things about my fics, and for the picspams and the bakalaos and also for gushing about Athletic with me. Merry Christmas!
Word Count: 2,543
A/N: Title taken from the famous Love Actually quote.
Allergy Warning: May contain traces of angst and fluff. Read at own risk.
Thanks to the awesome jennis_footie for the beta, and to my queen and Christmas gift expert sheep_emilia for her help! :D
Feedback: Everything is most welcome, from squee to constructive criticism. I even accept rotten tomatoes, so don't be shy. ;)
*****
Javi couldn't say whether curiosity really killed the cat but he's absolutely sure of one thing: it definitely killed his excitement about this year's Christmas.
He isn't a particularly curious person. He clearly doesn't have the habit of listening on doors or peeking through keyholes. However, a couple of weeks ago he accidentally overheard Fernando asking Gurpe for advice about a Christmas present he wanted to give someone he really really cared about a lot (and the emphasis was on a lot!), and the question made Javi feel like someone had punched him right in his guts. He couldn't help but keep listening.
Obviously he knows that Fernando's Christmas plans are none of his business. He also knows that Fernando is allowed to care a lot about whomever he wants. That Javi has been secretly in love with him practically ever since he first saw him doesn't matter because Fernando doesn't know (Javi has put a lot of effort into making sure his teammate never finds out), and even if he did, it wouldn't miraculously make him care a lot about Javi. Someone as perfect as Fernando, who could have whoever he wants, surely wouldn't settle for anyone as imperfect as Javi.
Still - even though Javi might not have any illusions about Fernando returning his feelings, he knows for a fact that Fernando hasn't returned anyone else's during the past few years either (though he likes to say otherwise in order to be left in peace). And that, somehow, makes it all worse. Javi can't deny that he's grown used to this, to not feeling the need to be jealous about anyone, to not having his own insufficiency thrown in his face by some pretty, clever and nice girl (because Fernando wouldn't set for anything less than perfection). He has grown used to the comforting thought of Fernando being technically available, and for Javi this has been enough.
And then, at Christmas time, when everyone is supposed to be happy and treat others especially kindly, Fernando decides to cruelly put an end to Javi's (albeit unrealistic and un-encouraged) hopes and dreams by finding himself a girlfriend.
Javi barely heard the rest of the conversation, he was too busy watching the world around him collapse, but he did catch the advice Gurpe gave Fernando. "Get her something really special," he said, "something she might have mentioned to you once or twice, something that shows you pay attention to what she says. Some rare CD, or some hard-to-get concert tickets, or a weekend in some city she's always wanted to go to… Something like that."
And Fernando smiled that gorgeous smile of his and thanked Gurpe and floated away, and Javi stood there, crestfallen, mourning the loss of something that has never even been his.
Life truly sucked.
Understandably Javi couldn't bring himself to be happy and excited about Christmas after that. Instead, he's been dreading the day that he and Fernando would exchange presents, knowing that someone else would get what he wants for himself, and afraid he wouldn't be able to conceal his disappointment and make things even worse between them.
He almost considered sending Fernando's present in the mail and hoping his teammate would do the same and thus spare him the confrontation, but then he discarded the plan and called himself a coward and an idiot. They would meet in the evening of Three Kings, like every year, and exchange presents, and Javi would face the music like a man.
He is more than just a little surprised when, right during dinner with his family on Christmas Eve, the doorbell rings and Fernando is standing outside his parents' house in Ayegui, looking radiant and gorgeous as always and smiling in a way that would make Javi melt on the spot if he hadn't spent the last six years steeling his self-control in the presence of his friend and teammate.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he says, and Javi wants to roll his eyes and tell him that there isn't anything in this world so important that Fernando could possibly be disturbing, but instead he shakes his head and steps aside, welcoming Fernando into the house.
"Who is it?" his mother shouts from the dining room.
"It's Fer!" Javi shouts back.
"Tell him he can have some chicken if he wants!"
Fer smiles. "Thanks, but I've already eaten!" he shouts in the direction of the dining room before digging into his jacket pocket and producing a carefully wrapped gift. "I just wanted to give you this and wish you a Merry Christmas."
Javi almost recoils at this. Here he thought he still had ample time to prepare himself for the confrontation and the inevitable disappointment, but if his misery hadn't been great enough yet, Fernando had to decide to give him his Christmas gift early this year and catch him completely off-guard. With shaky fingers, Javi takes the present, wondering if he should unwrap it right now or save it for when he's alone in his room and won't have to hide his opinion about it.
But Fernando looks so encouraging, obviously wanting Javi to open the present right now, and so the midfielder nods, forces himself to smile, and gestures towards his room. "Want to come in while I unwrap this?"
Fernando nods, still smiling. He takes off his jacket and his shoes and follows Javi to his room before, as usual, sitting on the bed next to his friend. And even though usually Javi likes that, likes being close to Fernando, this time the closeness makes his hair stand on end.
For about two minutes he fumbles nervously with the ribbon, trying to unravel the knot with his fingers. It doesn't work out, his hands are too sweaty and shaking too much to be of any use, but it buys him valuable time to prepare his reaction.
"Maybe you should try scissors?" Fernando suggests, helpful as usual, and even offers him the pair of scissors from his desk.
"Thanks," Javi mumbles without meaning it, and way too soon, the ribbon comes away.
All that is left between him and the definite affirmation of the cruel reality of his life are four little pieces of adhesive strip.
Javi has never unwrapped a gift this carefully in his life.
And yet, there is only so much time one can spend with removing adhesive tape from wrapping paper without giving the impression of being somewhat retarded, and finally it's done and the gift is unwrapped…
… and Javi's eyes nearly fall out of his head as he realises what he's holding in his hands.
A particularly rare compilation of all B-sides and collaborations of his favourite band, El Canto del Loco, long out of print due to the band's separation, and including a special remix of his favourite song as well as all the signatures of the band's members1. In short, a CD he has wanted for years but never managed to find anywhere, no matter how hard he tried.
Tons of thoughts flash through his mind, half-dazed by his surprise about this amazing gift, and he opens and closes his mouth about seven times before he finally gets any words out. Even then, he doesn't manage to say more than, "Fucking hell."
"Is it okay?" Fernando says, sounding like Javi's opinion about his present really means a lot to him, and Javi feels the urge to snog the hell out of him. "I remember you saying you wanted it but it's not sold anywhere, so…"
He trails off, and Javi knows that he has to say something that expresses how much this present means to him, how much it means to him that Fernando remembered what he'd told him so many months ago, without doing something completely stupid like lunging at him and kissing him and making a huge fool of himself.
"How did you get that?" he barely manages to croak out, still staring at the treasure in his hands.
Fernando lets out a chuckle that sounds almost sheepish. "Well, I know Casillas is friends with the singer2, so the last time we met I asked him if he could get a copy for me and maybe have the guys sign it as well, and… well, this is it."
Only then, Javi finally tears his gaze away from the CD and looks up at Fernando, perfect, wonderful Fernando, who just gave him a perfect, wonderful present and is nevertheless looking slightly sheepish as if he's actually unsure whether Javi likes the gift or not.
Javi can't help smiling like an idiot.
"Thank you so much," he says, trying his best not to read too much into this, not to hope for too much, but the memory of the conversation he overheard makes it absolutely impossible to be rational and realistic.
"So you like it?" Fernando says, relief evident in his voice, and there's that bright smile on his face again, and this time Javi is off his guard and can't prevent himself from melting completely.
He throws himself at Fernando and hugs him tightly, digging his nose into his friend's curls and wanting to stay like this forever. "I love it," he says, his voice muffled against Fernando's shoulder, "I absolutely love it."
And when, a moment later, Fernando returns the embrace, hugging Javi no less tightly and engulfing him in the warmth of his body and filling Javi's nostrils with the scent of his aftershave (that Javi loves so much he could drink the entire bottle), Javi knows that if there is ever such a thing as the right moment to finally tell Fernando the truth, this is it.
He turns his head slightly and kisses Fernando's hair, then his cheek, and then pulls away, swallowing down the lump in his throat.
"There is something I want you to know," he begins, then clears his throat. He doesn't dare to look at Fernando because otherwise he might not get all the words out. "I don't expect anything from you, you don't have to feel obliged to reply to this or anything. But it's Christmas, and at Christmas we get away with things that we usually wouldn't get away with, and you deserve the truth after you just gave me this absolutely amazing gift that no gifts of mine could ever compare to. And, well, the truth is…"
He pauses, gulps. This is it, he tells himself. You've come this far, so you might just as well say the rest. Come on. Do it.
Fernando is quiet, waiting, expecting him to continue. Javi still doesn't dare to look up at him, but he can sense the frown that has undoubtedly formed across his forehead.
"The truth is," Javi forces himself to continue, "that I think you're the most amazing person on this planet and that there's nothing you can do to make me think otherwise. The truth is that fell in love with you when I was sixteen, and that despite all those years that have passed since, I still don't know any better." He exhales, feeling strangely relieved after having gotten all this off his chest. "Well, now you know."
For a while, Javi hears nothing but his own pulse throbbing in his veins.
Then, finally, Fernando speaks. "If that's really the truth," he says, his voice slightly shaky, and Javi doesn't think he's ever heard his friend speak like that. Despite himself, he lifts his gaze to look at Fernando.
Fernando doesn't look shocked. He doesn't look repulsed either. Or disappointed. Or anything negative, in fact. No, he's looking slightly flushed, his bright blue eyes look even brighter than usual, and there is a shy smile on his lips that makes Javi's heart beat even faster than before.
"Well, it can't all be true," Fernando says, "because if you really feel that way about me, then that's a gift that no gifts of mine could ever compare to."
Javi blushes at the compliment, but at the same time he doesn't know what to make of Fernando's words. Does this mean he doesn't love him back? Well, he didn't expect that anyway - hope for it, maybe, but never expect it - and in any case Fernando is being wonderful about Javi's confession, a perfect friend. And also way too modest.
With a smile, Javi gestures at the CD. "You're wrong. This gift definitely compares. More than compares."
Fernando smiles. "I'm glad you think so, but it really doesn't, because you've only wanted this CD for about two years, and, well…" A faint flush creeps over his cheeks. "I've wanted you since the first time we were roommates in Madrid, and I couldn't sleep, and you crawled into my bed and spent all night telling me weird stories about alcoholic crocodiles.3"
The words would sweep Javi off his feet if he wasn't sitting down. "What?" There must be something wrong with his hearing, because Fernando surely can't have said…
"Remember? After we played against Getafe?"
Javi does remember. He remembers perfectly. In fact, it was the only time he ever allowed himself to get that close to Fernando. And the only reason why he babbled endlessly about alcoholic crocodiles was to make sure Fernando wouldn't notice how much his body (and especially the lower parts of it) enjoyed the proximity of his half-naked teammate.
He can't believe that Fernando felt pretty much the same back then.
Holy fucking hell.
Trying to ignore the voice in his head telling him that he just wasted six years being an idiot and keeping secrets when he could just have told Fernando straight away and spent said six years being happily in love with the best boyfriend ever, he closes the distance between them and kisses him. Right on the lips, exactly how he has wanted to do it for such a long time. And just like in his daydreams, Fernando wraps his arms around him and pulls him close. And he kisses him back fiercely, until they lose their balance and Javi falls backwards and Fernando comes to rest on top of him. For a second they break apart, and look at each other, and then almost simultaneously claim each other's mouths again, deeply and intensely, with lots of tongue and their hands roaming all over each other, as if to make up for all the lost time.
"I remember you weren't even listening properly when I told you about the alcoholic crocodiles. And the stories were so good!" Javi says with a pout, as they finally pull apart to catch their breaths.
The flush on Fernando's face deepens. "How could you expect me to pay attention when you were lying right next to me half-naked?"
The image of Fernando, lying there next to him and feeling just as horny as Javi felt back then, sends a shiver down Javi's spine. "And you still feel that way?"
Fernando grins at him. "Well, you're not half-naked yet. Want to find out?"
Javi laughs. "Let me just tell Mum I'm not going to finish my dinner, okay?"
"Tell her I brought dessert," Fernando suggests with a cheeky wink. "Though it's just for you."
"Mmmm," Javi says, grinning. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever."
_____________________________________
1 For the record, there is a CD of rare songs, remixes, B-sides and compilations of El Canto del Loco with other bands in the collection Arriba el Telón, but since it was pretty easy for me to obtain this collection, let's just assume for the sake of this fic that there is a special, particularly rare other CD, okay? ;)
2 Iker Casillas is actually friends with the band, and he is mentioned in the acknowledgements of the album Personas (alongside Fernando Torres).
3 I have no clue if they were roommates when Athletic played against Getafe in September 2006, during Javi's first year at Athletic, but they were both in the squad. Javi played the whole 90 minutes and Fernando was subbed in after 60 minutes for Joseba Garmendia. (source)
Author: txorakeriak
Fandom: Football RPS, Athletic Club Bilbao
Pairing: Fernando Llorente/Javi Martínez
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I'm a lying bastard and made this all up. I don't claim to know any of the players I write about, they're most definitely not mine, and this very probably didn't happen. No payment involved, no offence intended. This is for my own entertainment.
Summary: Javi couldn't say whether curiosity really killed the cat but he's absolutely sure of one thing: it definitely killed his excitement about this year's Christmas.
Dedication: For Kellie (fishdoll) with a million thanks for being such a wonderful person and for having such awesome taste in football (hehe! :D), and for being a great friend, and for always saying all those kind things about my fics, and for the picspams and the bakalaos and also for gushing about Athletic with me. Merry Christmas!
Word Count: 2,543
A/N: Title taken from the famous Love Actually quote.
Allergy Warning: May contain traces of angst and fluff. Read at own risk.
Thanks to the awesome jennis_footie for the beta, and to my queen and Christmas gift expert sheep_emilia for her help! :D
Feedback: Everything is most welcome, from squee to constructive criticism. I even accept rotten tomatoes, so don't be shy. ;)
*****
Javi couldn't say whether curiosity really killed the cat but he's absolutely sure of one thing: it definitely killed his excitement about this year's Christmas.
He isn't a particularly curious person. He clearly doesn't have the habit of listening on doors or peeking through keyholes. However, a couple of weeks ago he accidentally overheard Fernando asking Gurpe for advice about a Christmas present he wanted to give someone he really really cared about a lot (and the emphasis was on a lot!), and the question made Javi feel like someone had punched him right in his guts. He couldn't help but keep listening.
Obviously he knows that Fernando's Christmas plans are none of his business. He also knows that Fernando is allowed to care a lot about whomever he wants. That Javi has been secretly in love with him practically ever since he first saw him doesn't matter because Fernando doesn't know (Javi has put a lot of effort into making sure his teammate never finds out), and even if he did, it wouldn't miraculously make him care a lot about Javi. Someone as perfect as Fernando, who could have whoever he wants, surely wouldn't settle for anyone as imperfect as Javi.
Still - even though Javi might not have any illusions about Fernando returning his feelings, he knows for a fact that Fernando hasn't returned anyone else's during the past few years either (though he likes to say otherwise in order to be left in peace). And that, somehow, makes it all worse. Javi can't deny that he's grown used to this, to not feeling the need to be jealous about anyone, to not having his own insufficiency thrown in his face by some pretty, clever and nice girl (because Fernando wouldn't set for anything less than perfection). He has grown used to the comforting thought of Fernando being technically available, and for Javi this has been enough.
And then, at Christmas time, when everyone is supposed to be happy and treat others especially kindly, Fernando decides to cruelly put an end to Javi's (albeit unrealistic and un-encouraged) hopes and dreams by finding himself a girlfriend.
Javi barely heard the rest of the conversation, he was too busy watching the world around him collapse, but he did catch the advice Gurpe gave Fernando. "Get her something really special," he said, "something she might have mentioned to you once or twice, something that shows you pay attention to what she says. Some rare CD, or some hard-to-get concert tickets, or a weekend in some city she's always wanted to go to… Something like that."
And Fernando smiled that gorgeous smile of his and thanked Gurpe and floated away, and Javi stood there, crestfallen, mourning the loss of something that has never even been his.
Life truly sucked.
Understandably Javi couldn't bring himself to be happy and excited about Christmas after that. Instead, he's been dreading the day that he and Fernando would exchange presents, knowing that someone else would get what he wants for himself, and afraid he wouldn't be able to conceal his disappointment and make things even worse between them.
He almost considered sending Fernando's present in the mail and hoping his teammate would do the same and thus spare him the confrontation, but then he discarded the plan and called himself a coward and an idiot. They would meet in the evening of Three Kings, like every year, and exchange presents, and Javi would face the music like a man.
He is more than just a little surprised when, right during dinner with his family on Christmas Eve, the doorbell rings and Fernando is standing outside his parents' house in Ayegui, looking radiant and gorgeous as always and smiling in a way that would make Javi melt on the spot if he hadn't spent the last six years steeling his self-control in the presence of his friend and teammate.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he says, and Javi wants to roll his eyes and tell him that there isn't anything in this world so important that Fernando could possibly be disturbing, but instead he shakes his head and steps aside, welcoming Fernando into the house.
"Who is it?" his mother shouts from the dining room.
"It's Fer!" Javi shouts back.
"Tell him he can have some chicken if he wants!"
Fer smiles. "Thanks, but I've already eaten!" he shouts in the direction of the dining room before digging into his jacket pocket and producing a carefully wrapped gift. "I just wanted to give you this and wish you a Merry Christmas."
Javi almost recoils at this. Here he thought he still had ample time to prepare himself for the confrontation and the inevitable disappointment, but if his misery hadn't been great enough yet, Fernando had to decide to give him his Christmas gift early this year and catch him completely off-guard. With shaky fingers, Javi takes the present, wondering if he should unwrap it right now or save it for when he's alone in his room and won't have to hide his opinion about it.
But Fernando looks so encouraging, obviously wanting Javi to open the present right now, and so the midfielder nods, forces himself to smile, and gestures towards his room. "Want to come in while I unwrap this?"
Fernando nods, still smiling. He takes off his jacket and his shoes and follows Javi to his room before, as usual, sitting on the bed next to his friend. And even though usually Javi likes that, likes being close to Fernando, this time the closeness makes his hair stand on end.
For about two minutes he fumbles nervously with the ribbon, trying to unravel the knot with his fingers. It doesn't work out, his hands are too sweaty and shaking too much to be of any use, but it buys him valuable time to prepare his reaction.
"Maybe you should try scissors?" Fernando suggests, helpful as usual, and even offers him the pair of scissors from his desk.
"Thanks," Javi mumbles without meaning it, and way too soon, the ribbon comes away.
All that is left between him and the definite affirmation of the cruel reality of his life are four little pieces of adhesive strip.
Javi has never unwrapped a gift this carefully in his life.
And yet, there is only so much time one can spend with removing adhesive tape from wrapping paper without giving the impression of being somewhat retarded, and finally it's done and the gift is unwrapped…
… and Javi's eyes nearly fall out of his head as he realises what he's holding in his hands.
A particularly rare compilation of all B-sides and collaborations of his favourite band, El Canto del Loco, long out of print due to the band's separation, and including a special remix of his favourite song as well as all the signatures of the band's members1. In short, a CD he has wanted for years but never managed to find anywhere, no matter how hard he tried.
Tons of thoughts flash through his mind, half-dazed by his surprise about this amazing gift, and he opens and closes his mouth about seven times before he finally gets any words out. Even then, he doesn't manage to say more than, "Fucking hell."
"Is it okay?" Fernando says, sounding like Javi's opinion about his present really means a lot to him, and Javi feels the urge to snog the hell out of him. "I remember you saying you wanted it but it's not sold anywhere, so…"
He trails off, and Javi knows that he has to say something that expresses how much this present means to him, how much it means to him that Fernando remembered what he'd told him so many months ago, without doing something completely stupid like lunging at him and kissing him and making a huge fool of himself.
"How did you get that?" he barely manages to croak out, still staring at the treasure in his hands.
Fernando lets out a chuckle that sounds almost sheepish. "Well, I know Casillas is friends with the singer2, so the last time we met I asked him if he could get a copy for me and maybe have the guys sign it as well, and… well, this is it."
Only then, Javi finally tears his gaze away from the CD and looks up at Fernando, perfect, wonderful Fernando, who just gave him a perfect, wonderful present and is nevertheless looking slightly sheepish as if he's actually unsure whether Javi likes the gift or not.
Javi can't help smiling like an idiot.
"Thank you so much," he says, trying his best not to read too much into this, not to hope for too much, but the memory of the conversation he overheard makes it absolutely impossible to be rational and realistic.
"So you like it?" Fernando says, relief evident in his voice, and there's that bright smile on his face again, and this time Javi is off his guard and can't prevent himself from melting completely.
He throws himself at Fernando and hugs him tightly, digging his nose into his friend's curls and wanting to stay like this forever. "I love it," he says, his voice muffled against Fernando's shoulder, "I absolutely love it."
And when, a moment later, Fernando returns the embrace, hugging Javi no less tightly and engulfing him in the warmth of his body and filling Javi's nostrils with the scent of his aftershave (that Javi loves so much he could drink the entire bottle), Javi knows that if there is ever such a thing as the right moment to finally tell Fernando the truth, this is it.
He turns his head slightly and kisses Fernando's hair, then his cheek, and then pulls away, swallowing down the lump in his throat.
"There is something I want you to know," he begins, then clears his throat. He doesn't dare to look at Fernando because otherwise he might not get all the words out. "I don't expect anything from you, you don't have to feel obliged to reply to this or anything. But it's Christmas, and at Christmas we get away with things that we usually wouldn't get away with, and you deserve the truth after you just gave me this absolutely amazing gift that no gifts of mine could ever compare to. And, well, the truth is…"
He pauses, gulps. This is it, he tells himself. You've come this far, so you might just as well say the rest. Come on. Do it.
Fernando is quiet, waiting, expecting him to continue. Javi still doesn't dare to look up at him, but he can sense the frown that has undoubtedly formed across his forehead.
"The truth is," Javi forces himself to continue, "that I think you're the most amazing person on this planet and that there's nothing you can do to make me think otherwise. The truth is that fell in love with you when I was sixteen, and that despite all those years that have passed since, I still don't know any better." He exhales, feeling strangely relieved after having gotten all this off his chest. "Well, now you know."
For a while, Javi hears nothing but his own pulse throbbing in his veins.
Then, finally, Fernando speaks. "If that's really the truth," he says, his voice slightly shaky, and Javi doesn't think he's ever heard his friend speak like that. Despite himself, he lifts his gaze to look at Fernando.
Fernando doesn't look shocked. He doesn't look repulsed either. Or disappointed. Or anything negative, in fact. No, he's looking slightly flushed, his bright blue eyes look even brighter than usual, and there is a shy smile on his lips that makes Javi's heart beat even faster than before.
"Well, it can't all be true," Fernando says, "because if you really feel that way about me, then that's a gift that no gifts of mine could ever compare to."
Javi blushes at the compliment, but at the same time he doesn't know what to make of Fernando's words. Does this mean he doesn't love him back? Well, he didn't expect that anyway - hope for it, maybe, but never expect it - and in any case Fernando is being wonderful about Javi's confession, a perfect friend. And also way too modest.
With a smile, Javi gestures at the CD. "You're wrong. This gift definitely compares. More than compares."
Fernando smiles. "I'm glad you think so, but it really doesn't, because you've only wanted this CD for about two years, and, well…" A faint flush creeps over his cheeks. "I've wanted you since the first time we were roommates in Madrid, and I couldn't sleep, and you crawled into my bed and spent all night telling me weird stories about alcoholic crocodiles.3"
The words would sweep Javi off his feet if he wasn't sitting down. "What?" There must be something wrong with his hearing, because Fernando surely can't have said…
"Remember? After we played against Getafe?"
Javi does remember. He remembers perfectly. In fact, it was the only time he ever allowed himself to get that close to Fernando. And the only reason why he babbled endlessly about alcoholic crocodiles was to make sure Fernando wouldn't notice how much his body (and especially the lower parts of it) enjoyed the proximity of his half-naked teammate.
He can't believe that Fernando felt pretty much the same back then.
Holy fucking hell.
Trying to ignore the voice in his head telling him that he just wasted six years being an idiot and keeping secrets when he could just have told Fernando straight away and spent said six years being happily in love with the best boyfriend ever, he closes the distance between them and kisses him. Right on the lips, exactly how he has wanted to do it for such a long time. And just like in his daydreams, Fernando wraps his arms around him and pulls him close. And he kisses him back fiercely, until they lose their balance and Javi falls backwards and Fernando comes to rest on top of him. For a second they break apart, and look at each other, and then almost simultaneously claim each other's mouths again, deeply and intensely, with lots of tongue and their hands roaming all over each other, as if to make up for all the lost time.
"I remember you weren't even listening properly when I told you about the alcoholic crocodiles. And the stories were so good!" Javi says with a pout, as they finally pull apart to catch their breaths.
The flush on Fernando's face deepens. "How could you expect me to pay attention when you were lying right next to me half-naked?"
The image of Fernando, lying there next to him and feeling just as horny as Javi felt back then, sends a shiver down Javi's spine. "And you still feel that way?"
Fernando grins at him. "Well, you're not half-naked yet. Want to find out?"
Javi laughs. "Let me just tell Mum I'm not going to finish my dinner, okay?"
"Tell her I brought dessert," Fernando suggests with a cheeky wink. "Though it's just for you."
"Mmmm," Javi says, grinning. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever."
_____________________________________
1 For the record, there is a CD of rare songs, remixes, B-sides and compilations of El Canto del Loco with other bands in the collection Arriba el Telón, but since it was pretty easy for me to obtain this collection, let's just assume for the sake of this fic that there is a special, particularly rare other CD, okay? ;)
2 Iker Casillas is actually friends with the band, and he is mentioned in the acknowledgements of the album Personas (alongside Fernando Torres).
3 I have no clue if they were roommates when Athletic played against Getafe in September 2006, during Javi's first year at Athletic, but they were both in the squad. Javi played the whole 90 minutes and Fernando was subbed in after 60 minutes for Joseba Garmendia. (source)