Fic: Bed of Roses (Part 8)
Title: Bed of Roses (formerly 'Highschool AU') - Part 8
Pairing: Fernando Torres/David Villa
Rating: NC-17 (over all parts)
Disclaimer: Nothing is true, obviously.
Previous parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
"I want you to do it over the phone," Fernando says, then.
David kisses him softly again. "What?"
"Ask me out," Fernando smiles, returns the kiss. It feels like the most natural thing in the world, and David wants to save this feeling inside him.
“Just so I have to ask for your number?” David murmurs, and receives his confirmation in the form of a sneaky little smile on the blonde’s face. David grins. Well, fine, then. “Can I have your number, Fernando?”
*
At home later, David dials Fernando's number and waits with bated breath for the other boy to pick up. It's maybe a little ridiculous how nervous he feels, how fluttery his stomach is, considering they've already kissed. Still, this would be their first date; and it would be the first time that David ever asked a boy on a date. Which was sort of a big deal, for him. It wasn't that he'd never been interested in guys before moving to Barcelona, but - but - he'd never thought that he would want to actually properly go out with one. A boy, that was.
"Hello?"
"Hi," David says, rehearsing the lines in his head (stupid boy, part of his brain scoffs). "It's David. I was wondering if you were free this weekend? Maybe we could g-"
"-no, no, this is Israel," the person (Israel, probably) interrupts. "Fernando's in the shower right now. I'll tell him you called?"
"Oh." David blushes and feels caught somehow. "Yes, please. Thanks. Goodb-"
"-no, wait," Israel laughs. "Who are you? What's your name?"
Feeling himself go bright red, David stumbles: "David. David Villa."
"Alright. David Villa. I'll tell him," Israel chuckles. "Bye bye."
David hangs up and groans, burying his face in his hands. Well, it was over, at least. Fernando would call him back and then...it would be fine.
*
Meanwhile at Fernando's house, the boy stepped out of the shower ten minutes later, drying his hair with a towel. His brother was lounging in their room, chair tipped back dangerously, and Fernando gave him a joking nudge as he passed.
"Hey, watch it, tonto," Israel snaps, quickly recovering his balance. Fernando smirks and sticks his tongue out at him. Pulls a t-shirt on and sits down at his study desk. He's just pulled out his maths book when Israel says,
"Oh yeah, some guy called for you earlier."
Fernando asks indifferently, "Who?" If it was Sergio he was not going to help him write another of those tedious essays; there was a reason he hadn't taken history, but with Sergio asking him all day he might as well have. Then he sighs inwardly; he knew he'd call Sergio back.
"Uh..." Israel stares at his palm. "Mierda, what did I fucking write? Some common first name. Daniel ... Villa?"
"David?" Fernando asks, heart leaping. "David?"
"Yes," Israel says. He eyes Fernando curiously, clearly noticing the way his eyes had lit up, before Fernando scrambles out of the room to the phone.
Israel shakes his head, sighing. His little brother seemed to have one secret he wasn't keeping very well. The only person who didn't already see it was their father, and that, Israel thinks, was probably because the man refused to see it. Probably wouldn't until Fernando stood in front of him with a neon sign that announced his coming out.
*
The phone rings once before David’s sister answers it, as she had been next to the phone already. "Hello?"
"Hello," Fernando says, politely, "May I speak to David please?"
"Oh, sure. Hang on."
David picks up, presses the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me, Fernando," Fernando says cheerfully. "Did you call?"
David feels a wide smile break across his face. "Yeah, I did. I was wondering if you were free this weekend?"
"Yes," Fernando replies, slowly, in a way that makes David picture the smile moving over the other striker’s features. "Uhuh."
"Fancy seeing a movie and having dinner?" David pulls at the cord of the phone. Frowns.
"Sure, I'd love to."
David grins. "I'll pick you up, then. How does seven on Saturday sound? We can catch the seven-forty show, and..."
"So you've really thought this through already," Fernando puts in. Now David really can hear the smile in his voice.
"Maybe I have," he breathes.
Fernando purrs, "I'm glad I take that much thought."
"Of course you do, Nando..."
After a few minutes David hangs up, and he stares dreamily for a while at the phone until his mother's voice from behind him makes him jump.
"Who were you talking to so sweetly, baby?"
"Uh, nobody, mamá," David stammers. He wonders how much she's heard, whether she heard the 'Nando's, whether...but Dorita's face is unreadable, her smile as usual.
She gives him a stern look, though, at his last answer. An I-know-you're-lying-because-you-suck-at-it stern look. But she lets him go, rolls her eyes and says, "Okay, okay. We all have our little secrets, I guess."
*
Iker calls him on Saturday morning, says, "David, I need you downtown tonight, can you make it? At about nine-thirty?"
"I can't, I - I've got dinner plans."
Iker makes an irritated sound. Curious, David asks, "What is this for?"
"There's a scout coming," Iker says. "I wanted you to talk to him. He's coming to a few school league games in the next few weeks, but he's never seen you before 'cause you're new. So I wanted you to make an impression off the pitch, too, as a plus."
David feels touched and regretful, says, "I - Iker, I'm sorry I can't make it. I wish I could...any other night..."
"Are you having dinner in town?"
"Yeah," David says.
"Well, come meet us afterward?" Iker sighs. "Sorry to run in on your plans, but I think tonight’s the only night for this."
David hesitates. His movie was from seven-forty to nine-twenty. "I could meet you guys at...eleven? Earliest."
Iker pauses. "Okay. Eleven, then. Who're you eating with, anyway, that you can't ditch?"
David smiles. "Fernando."
Iker laughs, understanding and amused. "You fucking finally asked him out, huh? All with Pepe's help, too, I heard."
"Who'd you hear that from, Pepe?"
"...Pepe," Iker confirms.
*
The movie is brilliant and it gives them plenty to discuss, although they don't really need it; David finds he can always have something to say to Fernando, and it's never awkwardly silent. It's like they've been friends, close friends, for much longer than just a few months.
"I have to go a little earlier after dinner," David says, apologetically, as the waiter clears their entrees and sets their main course in front of them.
"Oh, how come?" Fernando looks up at him.
"I've got to meet Iker," David says. "At eleven, I think, and there's some scout person he wants me to meet."
Then he instantly gets the feeling he said something wrong, but he isn't entirely sure what and why.
"Right." Fernando nods. "Well, don't let me make you late."
Realising a little, David shakes his head furiously. "What? No, Fernando, it's fine."
"No, it's obviously important," the blonde says, lowering his eyes. David mouths wordlessly, and at the perfectly wrong moment, his mobile jingles with a text. He frowns and decides to ignore it.
"You should get that," Fernando suggests.
David shakes his head. "No. I'm having dinner with you and no one else, so."
*
He arrives at the restaurant a few minutes past eleven and finds Iker in a booth seat by the window, a glass of amber, probably alcoholic liquid in front of him. Iker looks surprised to see him.
"Hey, what's up?" Iker asks. "Date didn't go well?"
"What? No," David says, puzzled. "i mean, I don't think so. Why would you say that?"
"Because I told you that you didn't have to come tonight," Iker tells him, slowly, leaning forward onto the table. "Well, sit down though, you don't have to just stand there."
David slides into the booth opposite Iker, scowling slightly. "What?"
"I texted you." Iker looks adorably and handsomely confused (I did not just think that, David thinks). "I didn't want to call and disturb your date."
"Joder," David groans. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He pulls out his mobile and there it is, the text from Iker: Don't come tonight. Scout left early, but we can arrange another night. ;)
Iker sighs. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," David grumbles, though wanting to pin it on him. A slight cold draft blows into the shop as a couple guys come in, and David sighs and turns deliberately away from their boisterous chatter.
"Let me buy you a drink." Iker gestures for a menu, turns it in front of David. "What d'you want?"
"I'm not old enough to drink," David says, eyes narrowing.
Iker smirks. "Neither am I." Downs his drink. "What'll it be? Beer, vodka, a posh wine? Or maybe a girly cocktail...like..."
"Oh, shut up," David laughs. "I'll have a beer."
"A vodka you say? Ok," Iker says. "Waiter - 'scuse me -"
"Fuck off," David protests.
"- two shots of vodka, please? And a beer."
David glowers at the captain, who just shrugs innocently at him. Slowly, though, he relaxes, settles into the easy chemistry with Iker, tries to forget the mild uneasy feeling that he had done something wrong earlier, at dinner with Fernando.
A couple of drinks later, they wander out of the shop and down the road, toward the direction of the suburbs. David's house is a ten minute walk, and Iker's twenty in the same direction at first. Iker wraps an arm around David's shoulders, and instinctively, David leans into the warmth.
"So," Iker purrs, "Have you and Fernando even kissed yet?"
David rolls his eyes. Blushes a little. "Yes."
"Is he any good?" Iker's eyes sparkle. "Because with lips like those, I'd reckon..."
"Fuck off," David says.
"I was about to say I'd reckon he's a hell of a kisser," Iker protests, smirking. "And well, whatever else he uses those lips for..." Raises his eyebrows.
"Shut up, fuck," David laughs, shoving at Iker's stomach. It doesn't budge the taller teen an inch, just amuses him. Iker easily pushes David back against the brick of the building they're passing, gets a knee between his legs so he can't move. David gives up and lets his arms flop down, knowing full well Iker is capable of lifting him up entirely.
"Good boy," Iker tells him with an evil grin. David just snorts.
*
David calls Fernando the next day, but is told that he has gone out to the park, and that Israel doesn’t know when he’ll be back. David sighs. He'd see Fernando tomorrow, then, at school. David smiles to himself at the thought, looking forward to seeing him again, now that they were…well, now that they were together.
There’s no way for David to know then, but it wouldn’t turn out to be the best of days for the new couple.