A/N: This chapter was written in mostly  Pedri's POV so that we can see why he is the way he is...

Also, all the football knowledge here about what they do before a match or in training is absolute bullshit that I made up . And the matches are random not according to the real life La Liga fixtures.

Enjoy reading 💞💖
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        Pedri couldn't really remember the exact date or time they'd decided to become 'friends with benefits.'

They had felt the tension between them  ever since the first day; but neither of them had  acted on it . They pretended as though they were normal teammates ; professionals just like everyone else. Neither of them wanted to turn the small speck of desire into a forest fire of lust .

Pedri had always considered himself to be straight; never once had he felt any attraction towards the same gender. But then he laid eyes on the prettiest boy he'd ever seen. And gosh... was he beautiful. He had these big brown doe eyes perfectly poised under dark eyebrows, fluffy brown hair that looked so soft, it made the older want to run his hand through it. His chiseled jaw which made all his features stand out were complimented by slightly chubby cheeks of his adolescence.His lips, pink and pouty; almost too feminine for the rest of his features. His fair skin was almost pale  leaving out certain areas covered in tan because of being soaked in the sun everyday for training and matches.  Pedri could go on days and days thinking about the younger's beauty.

But he was not gay... He couldn't be gay.

All the years and years of his efforts; his physical exertion, hardships, his parents' sacrifices, he had spent his blood, sweat and tears and everything else in between to lead up to this very moment. This moment .

F C Barcelona.

He reminded himself of all his other peers who'd started the journey of football with him, had struggled just as much as him, sacrificed the same things he had if not more than him,  but by something out of sheer luck or God's grace, it had been  Pedri who had been the one to get to play for Barca while they played for small clubs in minor leagues. The thought alone deprived him of his sleep on certain nights.

Pedri couldn't throw all that away just because he found a fellow teammate 'pretty' .

Everyone in football liked to pretend as though LGBTQ was promoted and accepted, all the footballers with their showy  rainbow bands; it was really quite literally all just for show...In reality, he had heard players whispering to each other how much they would hate to change and shower with any man who would 'eye' them. The players would laugh at it like a cruel joke, Pedri had to admit; even he would laugh along  awkwardly trying to fit in, his own laugh sounding foreign to him.

He had heard stories of how footballers who came out to their teams were treated like some sort of disease in the locker rooms; isolated so much to the point that it ruined the team equilibrium and the coaches and managers would be forced to end their contracts prematurely or send them off to other clubs.

It ruined the career of those players and Pedri wanted nothing of that sort ever happening to him. He'd choose Barca anyday over making a useless scandal of himself.

****

When Pedri had initially moved to Barcelona, he had a girlfriend, Sienna. They had been childhood sweethearts together for a long time; five years to be exact. She was pretty, sweet and nice; a typical girl that would steal your heart. Pedri had always seen himself ending up married to her, raising children of their own in a luxurious home by the beach in Tenerife.

But all his plans  had gone downhill a few months into their long distance relationship when he received calls and texts from some of his close friends from his hometown telling him that she had been cheating on him. He would've never believed them had he not received pictures of her kissing someone else at the club.

Pedri had always considered himself to be calm and tranquil even when everyone else around him was not but that... that was it, it was like something snapped inside of him.  He didn't want to hear any explanation or even have a conversation with her about it ... He immediately broke up with her on call leaving her crying on the other line.

Pedri had shared this to Gavi alone, he had told the rest of the team that they'd lost feelings because of the long distance but to the younger...he just couldn't keep anything from him, almost felt like a crime to do so.

The first time they hooked up had actually started off as any other evening, they were sitting lazily on Pedri's couch with Gavi's legs draped over the older's thighs, they had been playing FIFA but after a few rounds, had resorted to just talking in hushed tones, telling each other about everything and anything all the same time.

The older had made the first move, looking into Gavi's eyes and then slowly dragging his gaze to the younger boy's lips...He saw the way Gavi licked his lips and how his breath got faster. He moved his body closer to the younger, the tension building but instead of kissing him like Gavi would've wanted, the older boy turned his head and sucked on his neck; licking gently upwards to his jaw and nibbling the sensitive spot. The younger gasped , his hands immediately coming up to the older's shoulders.

Pedri placed his hands under the younger's shirt and gently touched the skin along the centre of his abdomen; fingers trailing the thin line of hair leading down to his bulge. He waited for Gavi to react against it if he didn't want to do this. But when the younger offered no hesitation but rather let out a whine, he let his hands under Gavi's pants and palmed him over his briefs,  he could feel the younger shaking as he buried his head in his shoulder.  He continued to work his mouth on the young Sevillan's neck while his hands tried to pry under the elastic band of his briefs.

Gavi's breath hitched the moment he felt  Pedri's cold hand came in contact with his bare cock .

"Pedri" he whined out, raising his head from the older's shoulder to look at him .

The older could not believe himself when he looked at the younger; he'd never seen such beauty, the rays from the orange setting sun seeped in through the window and fell perfectly over Gavi's face. His eyes and hair turned a lighter brown while his skin glowed with the sun, his cheeks tinted red with blush. He couldn't get more divine than this...

He didn't even realise he'd been holding his breath untill he brought his other hand to gently stroke the younger's cheek and then replace them with his lips kissing gently on top of his adorable blushing cheeks.

"You're so pretty Gavi. I want you so bad, can't I have you, hmm?" he whispered softly, pressing his lips to the younger's jaw again.

It amazed him how he'd gathered the nerves to just ask that to his close friend. What if Gavi didn't want this? Would he be disgusted by the older now? Why wasn't he pushing him away?

The storm in his mind was calmed only when Gavi gently brought his hands around the older's neck, shifting closer to him.

"Please, Pedri " he almost whined.

The older didn't have to be told twice, he lifted Gavi and placed him to sit on his lap straddling him, bringing his hand between them and slipping it back into his cock which was already half hard. He gripped the length and gave languid slow strokes while his lips were back on the younger's neck sucking hard at the skin then slowly dragging his tongue along the scarlet mark.

He could feel the younger getting impatient with the slow strokes as he moved his hips over the older's. Pedri let out a low groan when Gavi sat right on top of his bulge and sensually rotated his hips. He would never see the younger as innocent after this...

The younger brought his face closer to Pedri to kiss him but the moment he did, the older turned away, making Gavi land his lips on his cheeks instead. The younger whined at the embarrassment and turned away, only to have his cheeks grabbed roughly by Pedri so that he could lift his head and land feather soft kisses along his jaw and neck .

"No kisses on the lips, Erizo..." he heard the older whisper...

Pedri sped up his strokes, grip tightening and  wiped the precum from the tip, using it to lubricate his strokes . The younger whined above him and gasped almost out of breath . He was squirming on the older's lap, head thrown back, Pedri couldn't help but gently nip at the exposed skin on Gavi's throat. That seemed to be the trigger for the younger as he came convulsing above the older spilling on his hand and staining his shirt.

Gavi tried to even out his breathing, laying his head on the older's shoulder. The peace, however didn't last for long because the older grabbed his ass with one hand lifting him up, while the other hooked his fingers under the bands of his sweatpants and briefs sliding both off in a swift motion, letting them gather around his thigh . He slowly pulled his own cock out of his pants stroking himself.

Pedri slipped his already  hard cock between the younger's ass cheeks but didn't insert it into his hole; he wasn't gonna fuck him tonight... But he certainly wanted to feel the friction of the younger's ass against him .Gavi felt himself go red hot  with embarrassment but mostly burning  arousal, he didn't know how to feel about this submissive  position, his hands tightened on the older's shoulders .

The older leaned back against the couch closing his eyes, while his hands grabbed the younger's bare ass and moved him back and forth on his lap. Gavi whined at the sensations he was feeling from the older's cock sliding between his cheeks, he could feel himself get hard again.

He looked at the blissed out face of the older leaning over, drank in his dark eyes and luscious lips, he had to physically stop himself from kissing the older again.

Pedri looked up and saw Gavi's flushed face and messy hair , his doe eyes watery with tears. How could he look so sexy without even trying ...He sped up his movements and felt himself edge closer by the second and finally came splurting over the younger's ass...

After that particular day, their sexual activities became a regular affair; both of them enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies, getting intoxicated with the pleasure.

No words needed to be exchanged, just secretive glances and longing stares were enough to have them locked up in the storage room, showers, restroom or even the locker room after making sure  everyone had left... They were so clouded with want that they didn't even consider being discreet and careful, luckily, none of their teammates were too nosy to question them. Gavi could already see the scandalous headlines in the papers if anyone ever found out.

All they knew was that they were definitely not a couple; not boyfriends... But they weren't just friends either, they had to be more than that... or atleast Gavi hoped they were.

****

The entire team was gathered at the training ground ; the sun hot on their heads. They had a match the next day against Real Sociedad, and Xavi was scrutinizing everyone extra close; they were so close to being La Liga champions and he just couldn't afford anymore slip ups from the team.

The training session itself was not too brutal considering they had a match just the next day. Xavi made them warm up with their trainers and then split them into two teams to play against each other.

Gavi and Pedri were on the same team as always; Xavi did this intentionally to further improve the already unreal connection they had on the pitch. It was like their brains worked as one or there was some sort of mind reading that only they could do. Only if he knew just how 'compatible' they were off the pitch as well...

After the sessions, they went over a few tactical instructions by the trainers in the office; a huge screen displaying their videos from previous games , their mistakes were corrected , positions explained for the upcoming match and almost everything cleared up before the next day.

Even though the training itself was not so straining, everyone seemed to be absolutely drained by all the pressure and stress for the next day.  Everyone piled into the locker rooms , some chatting away while the others immediately rushed into the showers.

After Gavi was done showering, he stepped out into the locker room and changed into his clothes while talking to Ansu about their weekend plans, which he promised not to bail on this time. Ansu left first, saying he needed to rush home to watch his favourite show which would start soon. Gavi could only laugh at his bestfriend; his habit of getting immediately hooked to certain series and shows was still just the same as they had been when they were 11.

His eyes scanned for Pedri as if on autopilot. He noticed him talking and laughing in the corner with Ferran and Eric, Gavi slowly walked up to them and stood behind Pedri.

Ferran immediately noticed the younger and pinched his cheeks.

"Aww.... Pedri look, the baby wants your attention.." he spoke smiling bright, and gesturing his head towards the younger boy.

Gavi hated how the older boys babied him and treated him like a kid, calling him cute every chance they got. He understands that they did it out of adoration but he couldn't help but get mad at it.

"Oh please Ferran..." He muttered, his eyebrows frowning deeply.

Pedri turned to smile at him, his eyes shining even in the locker room lightening, even he brought up his hands to gently pinch the younger's cheeks. He couldn't help it himself, Gavi looked so soft with his fluffy messy hair after the shower.

"Guys, I think we'll be leaving now. The baby's nearing his bedtime." He spoke, fist bumping the two boys and dragging Gavi along.

"Goodbye kid" he heard Eric say, rufling his hair.

Gavi's frown only got deeper, he hated being treated like a child by his own teammates, people who were supposed to consider him as their equal and not a literal baby.

The entire ride to his appartment Gavi's thoughts were occupied by what he could do so that he seemed more 'mature' to his teammates. He didn't even noticed that Pedri had missed the turn to his house and was now pulling up at his own appartment.

"Pedri,  I need to go home. We have a match tomorrow ," he spoke , trying his best not to whine.

"You can sleepover tonight..." the older replied the nonchalance evident on his tone, he kept one hand on the wheel and the other on Gavi's thigh, as he parked the car on the garage.

"I can't be sore tomorrow" the younger mumbled, thinking the older was implying something else and trying his best not to turn red.

The older couldn't help but  smile at his cuteness.

"Who said I'm doing anything to you tonight?"

"Huh..." Gavi felt his mouth open, eyes wide with embarrassment. He resorted to slapping the older's shoulder harshly.

"Ouch!" Pedri flinched but laughed at the same time. He grabbed the younger's hand and intertwined their fingers settling them over his lap.

"What about my clothes ? We can't slip up in public with wardrobe malfunctions.." he said, the media would never stop talking about the Starboys who are a little 'too close' even sharing clothes...

"I have some of the clothes you left over last weekend, but if you don't want to wear that tomorrow, we can make a quick stop at your house before leaving. " Pedri replied patiently; he knew how easily the younger gave himself to overthinking and worries.

Pedri was always calm and tranquil like this, bringing Gavi down from his burning heart.

"Okay..." the younger finally sighed out.

They got out the car and headed into the appartment, Gavi went straight into the kitchen, looking into Pedri's refrigerator and pantry for ingredients to cook something healthy; since they had a match the next day, they just couldn't eat takeout , their bodies required proper nourishment.

Gavi wasn't necessarily the best cook; he was however, taught how to cook for himself from a young age since he was brought up in La Masia and they didn't have anyone in their dorms to cook certain dishes for them, they had to learn it themselves. Most of the boys in the academy could actually cook themselves; contrary to the beliefs that many people might have that they were just privileged spoilt brats in a prestigious organization.

He saw chicken and surprisingly fresh vegetables, so he decided to make soup for them, nothing too heavy.

He hadn't spoken a word to Pedri after their conversation in the car, he was still slightly annoyed at him for having poked fun at him earlier. Everyone making fun of him, calling him a child was fine to some extent. But Pedri, he knew him well enough to know how much he hated it, he'd almost cried over it too one afternoon in Pedri's couch while the older stroked his back whispering words of comfort. So now, maybe it may seem silly, but the younger could just not shrug off the uneasiness.

He was chopping the vegetables, still in his thoughts when he felt arms twisting round his waist from behind. He felt Pedri's breath against the back of his neck and couldn't stop the goosebumps from breaking out on his skin .

"What're you making?" he asked.

"Chicken soup for us. Or should I go to sleep since my 'bedtime' is nearing?" he asked sarcastically.

The older frowned at him, taking a brief  moment to recall his own words said earlier.

"That was just a joke , Pablo... I'm sorry if that made you upset " he made a sad face , resting his chin on Gavi's shoulder looking at him .

"Might've been a joke to you, not me."

"Lemme make it up to you babe" Pedri whispered as his hands trailed under Gavi's shirt.

Gavi was having none of it as he dropped the knife , grabbed unto the older's wrists  and  removed them from his waist. He turned around to face him and pushed him back;  hands flat against his chest.

"Pedri, please just leave me alone... Go play FIFA or something" he raised his voice, slightly irritated.

"You can't tell me what to do Gavi, " the older replied, his tone still calm and gentle almost coaxing the younger into forgiveness.

"Fine" Gavi sighed, " do what you want". And with that he returned to pay attention to his vegetables again.

The older's arms found their way back to Gavi's waist and held them there . His lips were back on his neck kissing gently.

"I'm sorry."   *Kiss*

"I'm sorry."   *Kiss *

"I'm sorry. "    *Kiss*

"I'm sorry..."    *Kiss.*

The older kept repeating himself kissing the younger ...

"Okay okay!! Fine. I forgive you. Now can you leave?" Gavi asked.

"No, I just wanna hold you a little longer."

And so that's how Gavi cooked their meal, struggling to move around while the older latched onto him like a leech, planting random kisses along his neck,his jaw, his cheek, basically anywhere he could reach.

The younger was down bad, he couldn't believe his stupidity for enjoying these brief moments of domesticity  he had with the older...

Surprisingly the soup turned out absolutely delicious. They completely devoured it leaving nothing behind.

Pedri offered to do the dishes while Gavi went upstairs to the bedroom to brush his teeth and wash his face before bed.

He was searching for something to wear to sleep when the older walked into the room .

"Can you lend me one of your shirts and pants to sleep in, I don't wanna ruin these clothes" he asked, pointing to the older's wardrobe.

Pedri took out a soft pink cotton shirt for the younger and passed it to him.

"What about the pants?" Gavi asked confused.

"Come on, Pablo... You don't need pants in this burning weather anyways. The shirt will be big enough for you." Pedri insisted smiling suggestively, secretly though he just wanted to feel the younger's bare legs on top of his.

"Lemme just remind you that you said you wouldn't do anything cause I can't be sore for tomorrow's match ..." the younger argued.

"And I still stand by my word babe" the older said holding up his hands.
The younger sighed as he changed into the slightly oversized shirt that covered only a teeny tiny portion of his thighs. Come on, it was a shirt afterall, how long could it possibly be...

Gavi climbed into the soft matress of the bed and made himself comfortable on the side. He could hear the older in the bathroom with the tap running, finally he heard him close the bathroom door and  switch the lights off and felt the bed dip as he climbed onto the spot right next to the younger.

The older always slept without a shirt on, just in his sweatpants.He had told Gavi that he felt suffocated to sleep in shirts; his chest covered and the collars coming up to his neck ,so he'd rather be free from them.

The younger felt Pedri get close to him and press his chest flush against the younger's back ; spooning him. He could feel the heat from his bare skin seep through his shirt and soak into him. He yawned sleepily; content with the warmth and soon drifted off to sleep.

Every night Pedri found it hard to lose himself to sleep even after crashing into bed.  The younger's presence helped, but he still couldn't sleep even with the peacefull rythm of Gavi breathing in and out against his chest. The older slid his hand under Gavi's shirt and placed it over his naked waist, he really needed to look into this obsession he'd developed lately with the younger's waist.

Pedri sighed at the thought of Gavi; if only things were different, if Pedri wasn't Pedri and Gavi wasn't Gavi then maybe .... they'd be so much more than what they were now. Pedro liked to think that maybe in another life, he'd  be just a university student without a care in the world and Gavi would be there too; and maybe... just maybe...or rather surely, in that life they'd be together. But ofcourse he'd never voice that out to the younger...

He was just drifting off to sleep when he heard his phone bleep with a notification. He thought of ignoring it but then considering how he'd just recovered from his injuries; he wondered if it was from his doctors giving reports of recent tests for the match next day.

He stretched out his hand, too lazy to move away from Gavi and searched around in the dark for his phone on the table . He finally grabbed hold of it and unlocked it, his eyes widening at the notification:

Sienna💖: Pedri, can we talk?? ?

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A/N : Likes and comments are appreciated if you have time!! ✨💞💖