Practice makes perfect
Title: Practice makes perfect
Pairing: Novak Djokovic/Ernests Gulbis
Rating: R
Word count: 2,286
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and this is a fiction.
Summary: Ernests believes that practice makes perfect.
Author’s note: Silly story, inspired or rather forced (!!) by this icon made by Jeu_set_match. So I guess it's only fair that I dedicate this story to her :)
“Great shot, Ernie!”
Novak applauded a great forehand down the line from his childhood friend, Ernests, and walked towards the net.
“Do you mind if we stop here?”
“Of course not.” Ernests smiled and joined him near the bench.
“Care to have lunch with me or do you have other plans?” Novak asked, taking off his wrist bands.
“Yeah, let’s have lunch.”
“Great.” Novak smiled and started drinking his sports drink before he felt someone breathe down his neck.
“Heek!!” He let out a startled sound and started choking.
“You’re all right?” Ernests was there in no time, rubbing his back.
Novak tried to catch his breath and nodded.
‘What was that? That wasn’t wind. It was someone’s breath!’
He looked at Ernests who looked back at him with a worried look on his face.
“What? You’re not all right?” The Latvian frowned.
“No, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The Serb coughed a few more times, wondering what had happened.
‘Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night. Yes, I knew that I shouldn’t have watched Finding Nemo till the end.’
“Hey, Novak. You’re coming?”
Ernests was already ready to leave so Novak quickly packed his bag and followed him.
The next day, Novak had asked Ernests if they could practice together again since he was feeling bad for cutting practice short the other day. They had had a very long lunch yesterday, catching up with all sorts of aspects in their lives. It was fun and they both very much enjoyed each other’s company.
“Hey, Ernie! Over here!” Novak waved at his friend whose smile lit up the court.
‘Since when did he smile so brightly? Well, he had already broken enough hearts with that smile when he was young.’
Novak chuckled at the adorable memories and saw Ernests pull his shorts up his right leg.
‘Why is he suddenly showing off his legs?’ He wondered.
“Nole, do you mind taping my thigh for me?”
“Uh, of course not.”
The world number three picked up the tape that Ernests had put on the bench and got down on one knee in front of him.
“You know it’s going to hurt like hell when you have to take it off.” He warned his friend, noticing that golden hair was all over his thigh.
“It’s okay. I’ll probably pull your hair or pinch your ears if you’re nearby.”
“What?” Novak’s eyes shot up only to see the younger player burst into a happy laughter.
“In case you forgot, you’re being treated for injuries here. You shouldn’t be laughing that delightfully.”
The Serb was doing his best to put the right amount of pressure while taping. His hands seemed to like the feeling of the twenty year old’s thigh but he tried to push those thoughts away. He was a childhood friend, for god’s sake.
“You’re okay down there?” Ernests looked down. He could feel Novak’s hands shake.
“Isn’t that something I should ask you?”
Ernests just shrugged his shoulders. “I just feel a little pain, that’s all.”
“Glad to hear that it’s nothing severe.”
But as he gently wrapped the thigh one more time, a moan escaped from Ernests’ lips. “Mmm…”
Novak froze.
‘No, Novak. Don’t get confused. It was just a normal moan. Maybe he’s in more pain than he thought he was. Or did I tape it too tightly?’
Novak moved his hands around his friend’s thigh to check the pressure and heard another groan but chose to ignore it.
“Mhmm!!...” The next moan somehow felt a little exaggerated but he didn’t hear it.
“There you go.”
Quite pleased with his work, Novak got up from the ground. He was dusting off his knees when a hand touched his butt. Startled at the sudden contact, Novak straightened up and looked at his friend.
“You had dust on your shorts.” Ernests replied calmly, picking up his racquet to change his grip.
“Oh.”
Novak couldn’t understand how he got dust on his butt when he had worn new shorts right before leaving the hotel and rode straight to the practice court in a Mercedes that was provided by the tournament and hadn’t had a chance to sit down anywhere. But he smiled a thank you and didn’t say another word.
‘I’m sure it was just dust. He has no other reason to lay a hand on me, right?’
He managed to convince himself that it was really dust and got ready for practice.
The practice session had been so intense that after leveling the score to one set all, Novak badly needed his sports drink. Their last rally had gone on forever.
He grabbed his bottle in a hurry and gulped it down, not caring whether some of the liquid was flowing down his neck.
He was taking one last gulp when he saw it. Ernests had just licked his lips while staring at his neck. Or that was what Novak thought that he had seen.
‘What the heck? What is wrong with me?! He’s just an innocent kid. I should be ashamed of myself for even thinking that he had other reasons to do that. The kid’s just thirsty, that’s all.’
He must have been right since the Latvian was drinking his newly opened water bottle at a scary speed.
‘Yeah, he just needed more water.’
Novak shook off his inappropriate assumptions and kicked himself in his mind.
“Still up for the third set?”
That was one of the sentences that made Novak’s blood boil. When they were training together at Pilic’s academy, Ernests used to say that whenever Novak barely managed to catch up with the score, making it one set at peace. Then, he would simply destroy Novak in the third set, often sending him to buy a bagel or a breadstick in his bakery.
“Things have changed, Ernie. This time, it’s my turn to crush you.” Novak twinkled his eyes in revenge but Ernests just smiled sweetly.
“As you wish.”
After a well-fought set, Novak pumped his fist in the most dramatic way possible, imitating Rafael Nadal and adding a little bit of Lleyton Hewitt on top.
“Come on!!”
Ernests laughed at the impersonation and started walking towards the net. Novak had already crossed over the net with his arms wide open, glad to have had such a great hitting partner.
“Great shots, Ernie. I’m so happy to practice with you again.” Novak pulled the younger player into a hug and felt him step closer.
“Me too. It’s so good to play with you again.” Ernests’ voice had a smile of its own.
“Yeah, it’s great that you made it to the ATP level.”
Novak wanted to smile some more but something down there was bothering him. He was feeling too much of Ernests’ body.
‘No, it can’t be. I mean, yes, I’m sure it is it but he’s probably just hyper about the intensity of the match.’
Novak nervously pulled away from the hug and checked Ernest’s face.
“What? Do I have something on my face?”
His face didn’t display any sort of emotions so the Serb had no other choice than to shake his head.
“Uh, no. It’s nothing. My bad.”
He quickly packed his bag and stepped off the court with his friend.
Three days had passed and Novak was going crazy. He had been having all sorts of erotic dreams, featuring his childhood friend.
‘I know he’s legal but you just don’t do those kinds of stuff with a twenty year old!!’
Not aware that he was in fact only a year older, Novak couldn’t help feeling that he was slowly turning into a pedophile.
‘I’ll have to get laid and stop thinking about him. Yuk, what will he think if he ever finds out that I thought about him in that way?’
Shaking his head in horror, Novak jumped out of the bed and hopped into the shower.
‘Ernie, please… Yes, come in deeper…’
“Argh!!!” The Serb yelled, his mind clouded by one of his recent dreams.
‘Let’s not think about it. It was just a crazy dream. He and I have never done anything like that in the shower and I have never enjoyed an amazing shower like that!!’
He let the water run cold and tried to think about all the bad things that Ernests had done to him in their childhood years.
‘Let’s see. He had broken my racquet when I had finally won against him and he had faked pain when I had pushed him into the water.’
Thinking about water certainly didn’t help because the amazing shower dream clawed back into his mind again.
‘Ah, I’m going out of my mind!! And, why am I always bottoming in those dreams? Do I feel like he’s stronger than me? Well, his serve is definitely stronger, but if the speed of the serve matched night abilities, everyone would’ve lined up to sleep with Roddick. Not that everyone hasn’t already, but anyway, that’s not the point. This is a normal shower, just to make myself clean, nothing more.’
Novak finished his shower in a hurry and ran to the tournament site instead of taking a cab.
It was almost a miracle that he had won his match in straight sets. Novak was grateful that his opponent was having a bad day.
“Congratulations. Good match.” The qualifier shook his hand.
“Thanks.” He smiled, shook the umpire’s hand and thanked the crowd.
‘I should avoid talking to him, practicing with him and having meals with him. I should avoid him completely until I clear my mind. Ah, I’m so sorry, Ernie.’
Novak hurried to the locker room and found it empty.
‘Oh, well, it’s the quarter-finals. I guess this is the way it’s supposed to look like.’
He left his bags on the floor and took off his shirt when he felt it again. Someone was breathing down his neck.
“Ahhh!!!”
Novak turned around and came face to face with a pretty Ernests.
“Ernie! You scared the hell out of me!” The Serb tossed his shirt on top of his bag and put his arms on his waist.
“Sorry, Nole. I just needed to see you.”
“For what? You want to talk?”
Oblivious of a pair of eyes wandering over his body, Novak took off his shorts and looked up when he didn’t hear an answer.
‘Uh-oh. That look doesn’t look too gentle.’
He couldn’t believe that he was seeing lust and desire in the sweet boy’s eyes.
‘I must’ve gone out of my mind, really. This is not possible. This is not happening.’
But anything became possible and things were happening when Ernests took a step forward.
“Ernie.” Novak took a step back.
“I’m not a boy anymore.”
“Who said that you were?” Novak stole a glance at the door.
“I know you’re hesitating.”
“You’re wrong. There’s really nothing to hesitate about.” Novak met the younger guy’s eyes.
“Forget about that thirteen year old you once knew in Germany.”
“How could I? I really liked him.” Novak was aware that there wasn’t much space left behind his back.
“You’ll like this me better.”
As soon as Novak tried to change direction in hopes of getting more room for escape, Ernests captured him between his arms and the lockers. The Serb had no place to hide.
“You don’t want to know how long I’ve wanted you here.” Ernest’s voice became lower.
“What…?” Novak was too shocked to form a decent question.
“What do you think I thought about when I saw you chase the ball… all spread out wide?”
“Huh…?”
“I want you, Nole. You. Only you.”
Novak blinked with his mouth wide open. His young friend didn’t look too young anymore.
‘When on earth did this happen? He wants me…?’
Ernests took the opportunity to kiss him on the lips. Things were going just as he had planned.
Apparently, the kiss woke him up since Novak started talking again.
“So, it was you. On the court, it was all you.”
“Yes.” Ernests put on a proud smile.
“And, I thought that I was imagining things.”
“Oh, you fantasized about me?” An evil smile was on the young Latvian’s lips.
“How modest of you, Ernie.” Novak ventured a step to the left but Ernests stepped even closer.
“But you’re still a kid. I can’t do this. You were a teenager until a couple of months ago!” Novak fought for the last piece of his sanity. Ernests’ body was so warm and so hard.
“Nole, you have no idea what I’m capable of.”
And, just to give him a hint, the twenty year old hugged him tight enough for Novak to feel everything there was to feel, grabbed his butt and breathed down his neck all at the same time.
“Ernie…”
Novak’s will to fight was quickly weaving a white flag. He couldn’t believe how good it felt. Wearing only his boxers, the intimate contact was too much.
“Am I good?” It was as if Ernests had read his mind.
Novak had only one mouth and since that mouth was busy moaning, he could only nod.
“Thank you. You know what they say. Practice makes perfect.”
Ernests spun his childhood sweetheart around and placed a kiss on the back of the neck. Goose bumps told him that he wasn’t the only one excited here.
“Ernie…”
Hearing desperation in the tone, Ernests beamed. It was finally time to practice on a higher level.