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Cris jerks awake when he feels someone lightly shake his shoulder.
“Cristiano, we’re about to land,” Leo says in a soothingly quiet voice next to him.
Cris turns his head to face the shorter man, who looks like he too woke up from a few hours of snoozing - his eyes slightly hooded and hair disheveled. Leo lightly scratches his recently shaven chin while waiting for Cris to straighten himself up.
Cris lets out a long yawn and stretches his arms wide - one hitting Leo in the process. He then gives a quick shout when Leo suddenly bites the skin behind his elbow.
“Ow!” Cris whips his arm back and becomes fully awake, “have you been hanging out with Suarez without telling me?”
Leo chuckles and smooths his thumb over the reddening bite mark, “No, you know I’ve been around only you for the past month now.”
Cris gives the other man an appreciating hum - more so for the soft kiss Leo leaves on his skin.
Honestly, spending a whole month in the same city together was a dream the two thought would never come true, let alone even just having a decent amount of time together.
It all started about four years ago, their “relationship” - during the 2018 World Cup. Both Portugal and Argentina lost on the same day, but Cris hadn’t even cried that much. He washed himself up, told his teammates that they worked hard, and ended up spending some time with Junior the rest of the day before leaving.
Oh, and he may have snuck into Leo’s hotel room after getting his son into bed.
Cris remembers Leo had been just staring at him with wide eyes after opening the door. The man wasn’t even wearing a shirt, and drops of water were falling from his hair - showing he had probably just gotten out of the shower and only put his pants on.
“What are you doing here?” Leo had asked while glancing into the hallway, “how’d you even-”
Cris interrupted by lightly shoving the other man inside, and he walked over to the large bed in the middle of the room. He plopped his ass down and rested his hands against the sheets before replying, “Your bodyguard let me in. I told him you called me over. He believed it.”
Leo slammed the door shut behind him and scoffed, “How the hell would he think that was okay?”
“Well, he was talking to Cristiano Ronaldo,” Cris said while trying his best to keep a straight face.
Leo rolled his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest.
“But, seriously, what are you doing here?”
Cris didn’t know the answer to that other than the fact that he saw an opportunity and took it. He didn’t want to talk to his mother at the time, he didn’t want to be around his teammates at the time, but he didn’t want to be alone either.
So maybe, having a chat with the player that the media always compares to you, that also lost a world cup game that same day was something to keep him out of his thoughts - at the time.
Cris started to lightly tap the soft sheets while replying, “I wanted to say you did a good job today,” he paused - that was NOT what he thought would come out of his mouth, “And- I don’t know- I wanted to be away from everything else, and everyone else.”
Leo raised an eyebrow, “So you thought of coming here?”
Cris shrugged, “I can leave if you want.”
And even thinking about it now, they both don’t understand how they ended up pressed up against each other on the bed and arguably having the best sex of their lives.
It continued as more of a fling from then on. Even if Cris had started to play in Turin, they somehow still found time to meet each other. The routine was usually the same, though - meet up, rent a hotel, argue about El Clasicos, have sex, make fun of Pique, and leave again.
However, that course slowly shifted into something more. Instead of just meeting up, they’d “hang out” - that’s what they called it, but they both knew it was a date. Whether it be disguising themselves to enjoy the sun on Barcelona’s beaches or sneaking into the back of a coffee shop in Turin to make out, everything was becoming more intimate - more kisses, more sex, more dates, and constant thinking about each other.
Yet, both had never considered the other his “boyfriend” or anything of the sort, and the increasing rate of questioning “so am I dating him or?” lasted for the next four years.
Till the World Cup in December.
At first, Cris couldn’t even believe that Portugal made the final. They struggled in each of the matches the whole tournament. Honestly, he was even more shocked that they somehow beat France in the semis, even if it was by just one goal.
“You did great, Cristiano,” Kylian had told him after they handed their jerseys to each other, “I know I play with Leo now, but, I’ll be cheering you on too against Argentina in the final.”
As much as Cris appreciated that and while knowing that Kylian has been a huge fan of him since being just a kid, he still managed to chuckle and say, “What, are you trying to sell Messi now too?”
Kylian didn’t laugh with him. The Portuguese mentally hit himself after apologizing to him.
Ignoring that interaction, Cris prepared himself for seeing Leo the next day. It was the final time the two would be alone before the final, and they wanted to make the most of it.
But they just lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling - as if they were two nervous teenagers that ended up having to share a room since all the others were booked. Cris had twiddled with his thumbs all night till he finally perked up and told Leo, “I’m thinking of retiring after this.”
Leo stared at him with true shock, “What! Now? Wait, is this because of what happened with United?”
Cris groaned, “No, it’s not because of what I said about that bald bitch to Piers Morgan. It’s just- I- I think this a good time. I mean if we win, it’ll be a great end to my career. I’ll be the undisputed goat,” he pretended to not hear the scoff Leo let out, “if we lose, then it’ll still be okay. Portugal finally played in the World Cup final.”
Leo stared at him for a few seconds before giving him a soft smile, “Okay, if that’s what you want to do.”
“I do have a small request, though.”
“Yes?”
Cris tried to keep a straight face, “Don’t surpass my career goal count.”
Leo responded by hitting him with a pillow, and their nerves finally went away as they began having a pillow fight like kids at a sleepover.
But as much as Cris couldn’t believe it was happening, the final finally came, and god, he didn’t know if he could ever feel like having so many heart attacks in the middle of a game. Though, he didn’t let it get in the way of his play and kept his mind on the ball. As much as this was an important game for both him and Leo, Cris had never felt so strongly about destroying the guy in a game so much.
Sadly for him, Portugal lost, and Lionel Messi scored a last-minute free kick to take Argentina to become the greatest national team in the world.
The worst part was (besides losing) the fact that the score had been the exact opposite of that fucking youtuber’s song - the one Junior can’t stop playing in front of him.
Not that Cris cared about that.
Admittedly, it took a few days for him to finally have the courage to see Leo face to face again - he didn’t want to cry in front of the man. Leo had just taken him inside his multi-million dollar Parisian home to cuddle on some random sofa in the living room, which probably was also very expensive.
“I’m so proud of you,” Cris had whispered as he pampered kisses on Leo.
“And I am of you,” Leo responded and left multiple kisses of his own.
Meanwhile, the press was going crazy after Cris had posted on his instagram that he was finally retiring from football. It was a genuine four-paragraph caption that, proudly, he wrote himself and barely sought help from his PR manager. He made sure to leave his flexing emojis at the end, too.
Still, the craziness didn’t leave him alone for a while, and a crowd of reporters eventually found him in a quiet street near Leo’s home. They were all bombarding him with questions right into his ear.
“Ronaldo! Why have you retired already?”
“Ronaldo! How do you feel about Lionel Messi being considered the real GOAT of football now?”
“Ronaldo! Do you think Messi will beat your career goal count?”
“Ronaldo! Were you just at Messi’s house?”
“Ronaldo! How disappointed are you at losing the final against Messi?”
“I’m not disappointed, just unhappy,” for some reason he decided to respond to one of them, “but not that we lost against Leo. We lost against Argentina. We tried hard and played a good game, but we couldn’t finish till the end. I’m sad that we lost a World Cup Final.”
“Are you still sad? Do you plan to come back and play? How do you feel about Messi winning?” the reporter continued.
Cris sighed, “I'm probably going to be sad for the rest of my life, but I am happier with the journey I have had with the team for so many years. No, I don’t plan on coming back anytime soon, so far. And-”
Cris had gulped in that moment.
And he doesn’t know why nor how he ends up losing his functioning brain and finishes his response with, “I’m happy that Leo won the final. He’s a great player and Argentina was the better team. Besides, why would I be sad that my boyfriend won the World Cup?”
The internet blew up, literally. Junior couldn’t even watch tiktok edits since everyone and everyone’s relative was posting his dad every second.
“I can’t believe you said that,” Leo said to him after Cris came over again and they lazily laid on the couch together - he had to jump over the back gate where the press couldn’t find him.
Cris noted that Leo didn’t seem to have any irritation in his voice.
“Me neither,” Cris plopped a grape into his mouth and threw one into Leo’s too, “it just came out. I think my mind was telling me it was the best way to get them to shut up. I mean, honestly, you should have seen their faces. They looked at me like I had taken my pants off and started wiggling my dick around.”
Leo let out a laugh, probably after imagining that in his head. But it died down enough for him to softly ask, “But is it true?”
Cris raised an eyebrow, “What? That I took my pants off and-”
“No,” Leo interrupted with a serious face, “is it true that- you know- are we…?”
Cris glanced at the man and back a few times, “That we’re boyfriends?”
He saw a tint of pink cover Leo’s cheeks, “Y- yeah. Is that what we are?”
Cris started to feel a bit embarrassed - his own face starting to feel hot. Did he assume too much? Did Leo think this was still a fuck-buddy thing?
He stuttered, “I- I mean, we see each other a lot, we go on ‘dates,’ we kiss each other, and fu-”
“I want to be boyfriends. I was just- we never talked about it, so…”
“Oh. Yeah.”
Cris suddenly crawled over to Leo’s side and cuddled up to the man. He placed his head on Leo’s chest while nuzzling the side of his face.
“I like you, Leo. Will you be my boyfriend?”
He turned his head to look up at the Argentine, whose face was now a much darker shade of pink. Still, Leo began to knead his fingers into the soft locks of Cris’ hair and responded, “Yes, I will. Will you be mine?”
Cris hummed in agreement.
He tried not to think about the fact that the two were acting like schoolboys even when they were both pushing forty.
The sudden rumbling of the jet's descent interrupts Cris’ inner thoughts of the past. Leo puts his hand over Cris’ own and asks, “Are you ready?”
Cris gulps. He knows Leo isn’t asking about the landing anymore.
The part of people’s reactions that scares the two wasn’t the general public, but more their friends and family. Cris had to tolerate the hundreds of questions from his mother, which he somehow, with a miracle, managed to get out of (he had to promise to bring Leo over for her to examine for herself). His friends had first thought he was only joking to get the reporters away, but Cris admitted that it was true. Some of them laughed, some of them yelled at him, and others still thought he was messing with them.
Though, now he had to worry about Leo’s side. Luckily, they decided to deal with the constant calls from family after the two friendly games in Argentina, where they’re going.
So now, Cris is mentally preparing to face the squad of the team.
“You seem nervous,” Leo whispers while scooching closer to him, “are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes, Leo,” Cris takes a huff of breath, “I’m sure. And I’m not nervous.”
“Then is this a good time to warn you about something?”
Cris whips his head toward his partner. Warn him about what? That the players don’t like him? He had already assumed that. That they’re all homophobic? Well, maybe not since most of them have probably had a crush on their captain at one point. That Kun was going to be there and convince Leo to break up with him? Ugh.
“Leo, what did-”
“Listen,” Leo interrupts and takes a deep breath in, “ever since we won the Copa America, my teammates have been… um.”
Leo licks his lips and seems to be thinking deeply about his words. Cris wants to ask if it’s something serious, but the sudden rumbling of the jet landing shuts his mouth.
…
1. The introduction
Cris is surprised and confused to see Lautaro and Julian as the first ones to greet the two - but what were they doing at Leo’s house? Honestly, he hadn’t expected any of the players to come to see them so quickly, except for maybe Paulo or Angel.
The two Argentines have broad smiles on their faces. They seem to wait for both Cris and Leo to get their bags inside and fully approach them.
Cris then feels himself take a step back when both of the players suddenly get down on one knee. He raises his eyebrows in shock - what the hell? He glances at Leo, whose hand is in his, but the man just keeps his head forward and only slightly scrunches his nose.
“Welcome, Sir Leo Messi,” Lautaro says while bowing his head. Julian does the same, but with more enthusiasm.
“And his partner Cristiano,” Lautaro continues.
Cris’ mouth becomes agape.
“H- hey guys,” Leo stutters, “good to see you two.”
“And it’s great to see you, Leo!” Julian speaks up, “You know how long we were-”
Lautaro shoots the younger man a pointed look, causing Julian to shut up immediately.
Cris really has no clue what’s happening.
“We can take your bags,” Lautaro starts again. Instead of even letting Leo hand his stuff to him, the man just takes it away and does the same with Cris’, who is completely still in shock to even try to stop him.
“Oh… thank you,” Leo sounds more disheartened than grateful. Cris gets the hint that his boyfriend is somehow used to this, but not happily.
“Oh! Your shoes are muddy,” Julian points to both of their sneakers.
“Yeah, we had to cross the grass at one point and the ground was still-”
Leo can’t even continue his words when Julian suddenly grabs his leg and hoists Leo's foot up. Cris keeps the same shocked face when the young Argentine pulls out a cleaning wipe from behind him (how the hell?) and starts sliding it all over the stuck-on mud. Leo struggles to maintain his balance for a few seconds, but Cris can’t even help him since Lautaro starts to do the same to his shoes.
“Leo. LEO,” Cris emphasizes his name, “they’re wiping our shoes, Leo.”
“I know, Cris,” the man responds with a sigh.
“They’re kneeling on the ground, Leo.”
“I know, Cris.”
“This is seriously happening, Leo.”
“I know, Cris.”
After a few more seconds of wondering if he’s having the best or the worst dream of his life, Cris gasps in relief when Lautaro finishes his work. Both he and Julian then get up and give one final bow.
“Enjoy your stay. The other players will be arriving soon,” Lautaro finishes his words by giving a wave before he and Julian retreat into the hallway.
Cris looks down at his sneakers, which have become a true shade of pristine white - he had to admit that they did an immaculate job, even if he still couldn’t understand why.
“Leo,” Cris shifts a tone to a slight harshness, “what were you going to tell me on the plane?”
He can see Leo’s Adam's apple bob up and down as he must’ve swallowed his spit. The man grazes a hand into his hair before saying, “Well, ever since we won the Copa America, my teammates have been, um, extremely helpful?”
“You call that helpful?” Cris asks with a stern face, “They were acting like your servants.”
“Yeah, I don’t know how it happened. It got even worse after the World Cup. They- they think-”
Leo seems to struggle with his words. Cris waits for the man to continue, but there’s no indication of that, so he questions, “They think what?”
Leo wipes a hand over his face and lets out a large huff of breath.
“They think I’m their king.”
…
2. The part-acceptance
“Leo, what would you like for dinner?”
“Anything is fine, Angel.”
“Does chimichurri sound good?”
“That would be great, Angel.”
“Or will carbonada be better?”
“Whatever is easier for you, Angel.”
“Oh! How about some empanadas as well?”
“If that won’t take too much of your time, An-”
“Godammit, Leo! Can’t you just tell him to fuck off!”
Leo gives Cris an angered stare, and the Portuguese grumbles an apology.
“A- alright, then. Just give me an hour and I’ll whip it all up for you!” Angel pulls his head back from the door and shuts it behind him. Cris waits for the man’s footsteps to quiet down, indicating that he's completely left the hall.
Cris plops himself chest-down onto the bed - relieving a long sigh into the soft sheets.
“Why can’t they just leave us alone?” he mumbles, but loud enough for Leo to hear, “and what the hell are all of them even doing here?”
Leo begins to get some of his clothes out from his suitcase as he replies, “I told you. They think I’m their king. They’re always trying to be of service.”
“More like they’re trying to court you,” Cris grumbles, “don’t think I didn’t notice DePaul giving heart eyes earlier.”
“He wasn’t giving me heart eyes.”
“He definitely was! I mean, did you see that interview with his wife? She said the guy was talking about you in his sleep! And who knows what perverted shit was going on in his head.”
Leo suddenly slaps Cris’ ass with a loud smack - causing the older man to wince in pain.
“She was probably just joking,” Leo says.
“She was not joking,” Cris presses.
Leo rolls his eyes. He then grabs a loose white t-shirt with some dark brown pants and throws it onto Cris’ body.
“Here, wear something nice before dinner. And please behave.”
Cris sits back up and begins to take his shirt off.
“You should tell them to behave. Aren’t you even a little concerned as to what’s going on? What if they’re under some weird spell or something?”
Leo raises an eyebrow, “I am concerned. I’ve asked each and every one of them about it, and they always respond with ‘But you’re our king, Leo! We are always at your service,’” Cris makes a cringed face next to him, “but I don’t think it’s a spell. I mean, this has been lasting for a year now.”
“It could be a curse. Maybe it got set permanently after you beat us in the final,” Cris then gasps, “maybe the World Cup was rigged!”
Leo’s eyebrow goes even higher, and Cris can’t help but be reminded of Ancelotti.
“I’m kidding, I'm kidding,” Cris chuckles, “seriously though, it may be nice to see so many players getting on their knees in front of me, but this whole thing is weird, Leo. Next thing you know, they’re going to follow you all the way to Paris and beat up a bunch of PSG fans for whistling you.”
He can see Leo’s lips slightly curve up into half a smirk. Cris smacks his boyfriend’s arm to get him away from those thoughts.
Leo rubs at the spot before replying, “Okay, okay. I know it’s weird, but I’ve told them to stop so many times. They just won’t listen. And if I insist more, they get all sad and act like scolded puppies.”
Cris cringes even more this time.
“Look, we’re only going to be here for a week. We’ll just handle everyone for the next few days and then we’ll be back in Paris in no time. They won’t follow us, I hope,” Leo continues.
The shorter man then pulls Cris closer to him and rests his head on the man’s broad shoulders.
Cris knows he should still be worried, but he decides to just comfort Leo instead and leave a soft kiss in his boyfriend's hair by pulling him closer.
“Alright, we’ll try to handle it.”
…
3. The throwing away of acceptance
Cris handles it, but not well at all.
He first thought that the dinner would be just the two of them, and they could finally have a good conversation while enjoying themselves, but instead, the Argentine players just circled around and watched them eat with wide-open eyes.
“Would you like more water, Leo?” Angel had asked multiple times, to which the questioned man would answer, “No, I’m okay for now.”
“How about I bring over more empanadas?” Enzo had piped in.
“Ah, that’s okay. Unless, you want any, Cris?”
“No,” Cris deadpanned. He then mumbled, “What I want is for your bitches to get out of here.”
Leo flared his nose and gave Cris a “shut up or we won’t have sex tonight” look.
Luckily, no one seemed to hear his words, but they continued pampering Leo. Cris had wished the whole time he was just strong enough to break the steel fork in his hand to scare everyone off.
(And later, they didn’t even fuck since Leo was concerned about everyone else hearing them.)
For fucks sake.
The next day hadn’t been better, either. Cris had to stay at home after Leo left for training. They had a game the next day against Panama. He couldn’t even open the windows since the paparazzi were crowded around the house for most of the day.
And when he decided to turn the TV on, almost every channel was showing footage of Argentina’s training. Cris had displeasingly watched as the other players had coddled near Leo, while somehow also focusing on practice.
The worst part was Leo seemed actually happy with them. He was showing a broad smile throughout almost all the videos - but that could have just been because he was playing football again.
Cris had wished he could just stomp outside and onto the field and shove the other players away from his man.
Ugh.
…
4. The continued experience
Cris wants to punch someone - even if it has to be Leo.
They just COULDN’T leave the two alone. Every time Cris thought that just maybe he and Leo were finally in peace together, someone just had to pop up.
First, it was Angel’s continuous asking if Leo needed anything, then it was DePaul’s following them around everywhere like a true fucking bodyguard, and then it was Emiliano’s “saving” of his captain.
It had been a quiet morning, and as Cris had carefully stepped downstairs from the bedroom, there seemed to be no other Argentine in sight. He had delightfully then started to make a hot cup of coffee - Leo joined him only a few minutes later.
And it was supposed to be a harmless joke. When Leo asked for the cup, Cris just held it high up in the air and made it impossible for Leo to reach it.
“Godammit, just give it here!” Leo had demanded.
Cris had let out a laugh in response, “Oh, c’mon, Leo. What’s the magic word?”
To tease the man even more, Cris placed the cup on the top shelf. Leo had hit him continuously - trying to force Cris to put it back down. Though, he didn’t even have to increase the pressure when Emiliano loomed behind the Portuguese.
“What’s going on here?” The goalkeeper questioned. Cris gulped. For being just a shameless trash-talker, he never realized the man could instill a sense of fear in him.
“Cris won’t give me my cup back,” Leo explained. Cris shot him a look - pointedly asking why Leo would expose him like that. Who knew what the newcomer would do to him?
Though, instead of hurting him, Emi just huffed and suddenly stepped down and onto one knee. Cris felt a sense of deja vu.
“Here, Leo,” Emi put a smile on his face and patted his raised knee, “you can step on here.”
Leo stared at him in slight surprise before giving a glance back to Cris. He then shrugged and obliged - stepping onto the man and grabbing the cup from the top.
Cris had just gazed at the two in awe, but also with annoyance when Emi had kept his hands on either side of Leo’s waist to keep his captain steady.
“Well, thank you, Emi,” Leo sounded grateful while Cris wanted to kick the goalkeeper’s balls.
And as much as Cris had prayed after that to stop whatever curse was being put on him and his relationship, it got even worse.
…
5. Kun
Cris sits idly on the couch in front of the pool. Even if some of the players were still close by and playing around in the water, it was the best spot he could find to get some fresh air. All the anger built up inside him from these past two days has been just waiting to blow up at some point, but he couldn’t let it out. Not in front of people, at least. He knows Leo would scold him for even raising his voice at any of his teammates.
Cris then pulls out his phone and looks at his text exchange with the man from earlier.
Me
Hey Papi, please remember to bring down water with you this time and not soda, or I’ll smack your ass. 😘😘😘
Leo
Wait I thought it was my turn to call you papi today
Me
It’s Wednesday, Papi.
Leo
Oh my bad
Leo
Okay baby daddy’s coming 🥰🥰🥰 just give me a few minutes julian wants to take some more selfies with me
For fucks sake.
Cris sighs while still waiting for Leo to come down and groans when he hears someone laughing in the pool. He then turns his head to watch the Argentines seemingly having a great time - while he feels the urge to just stab someone.
But before he tries to think of an idea to truly commit murder and how he would hide it from Leo, a voice interrupts his thinking.
“Hola, Cristiano.”
Cris flinches when he hears his name. No one has even approached him or greeted him properly when he isn’t around Leo - not even Paulo. Cris had honestly let out a small tear when his old teammate just had offered to rub Leo’s feet earlier in the day - barely even sparing a glance at the Portuguese.
When Cris finally turns to the voice, he slightly shifts back.
Sergio Aguero suddenly plops down on the other side of the couch. He has a can of coke in his hand, and he pointedly stares at Cris as he flicks the top open.
Cris grimaces, “Hello, Kun.”
“Don’t call me Kun.”
Cris rolls his eyes, “Whatever you say, Kun.”
Kun mumbles something under his breath. Cris only catches, “can’t believe I’m doing this,” and he raises an eyebrow at that.
“So I heard you and Leo are a thing now,” Kun starts. Cris gives him a greatly confused look. The man is playing it highly down to say he “heard” of their relationship. And why the hell was he pretending he hadn’t been gossiping about Leo and Cris on his twitch continuously?
“Yes,” Cris replies after a long moment - and where the hell is Leo already? “That’s been known for a while now, or have you not kept up with Leo’s life lately?”
“I have,” Kun says, “and I’ve also kept up with the fact that you haven’t been even showing yourself with him, so it makes me question whether you two are together at all.”
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Kun takes a loud, slurpy sip of his soda, and Cris again feels the urge to see some blood on his face.
“Well, first of all, you haven’t posted the man on your insta yet, and everyone knows how you like showing off and taking cringe-ass selfies on there,” Cris clenches his fist at Kun’s words, “and then you didn’t even show up to The Best awards that happened a month ago. And I mean, EVERYONE was hoping that you’d show up with him. Do you know how disappointed you made four billion people?”
Cris scrunched his nose in. Before he could retaliate with something, Kun carried on.
“Tell me, did Leo ask you to come with him?”
Cris thought back to that morning of the award show. He had known that Leo was to be there, and the fact that he was definitely going to win, but the two never really decided to show up together. Cris just sat on the couch with Junior and watched as Leo almost kissed Kylian. Cris had accidentally smacked a pillow into his son’s face after seeing the PSG teammates get so close.
But getting back to Kun’s question, no, Leo hadn’t asked him to come, and Cris told Kun just that.
“But he seemed disappointed that you didn’t, right?” Kun questioned.
Cris flashed memories back into his mind again. As he remembered the night after… Yes, Leo did seem a bit down. Cris thought the man would tease him by showing off the award, but Leo instead hadn’t said too much. At the time, Cris had assumed that the other was probably just tired.
But was that not the case?
“I don’t know,” Cris decides to respond with.
Kun then speaks again, “See, you don’t even know how your boyfriend feels. So, how can you even call him that?”
Cris feels a sense of rage building up in his body. Why the hell was this fucker questioning his relationship with the man he loves?
Wait.
What.
“Wh- why are you saying this? Do you want me to break up with him or something?” Cris asks while trying to ignore the previous realization in his head.
“No. No, Cristiano. I don’t want you to break up with him, trust me. If anything, I know how happy Leo is with you.”
Cris feels a sense of accomplishment, but Kun goes on, “I just want to make sure you’re sticking to your words, and that you treat Leo with what he deserves.”
Cris wants to say that he has been treating Leo amazingly, in more ways than one, but Kun gets up from his seat. The man gulps up all the liquid left and lets out a long burp. Cris makes a disgusted face.
Kun doesn’t even spare a final glance to Cris as he walks away, leaving the man to his thoughts.
Still, he doesn’t even have enough time to think of the weird moment from earlier as Leo finally shows his ass up.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting for so long,” the shorter man says as he hands Cris a glass of water, “Julian wanted to try different poses.”
Cris wants to ask what Leo means by that, but he decides to keep his mouth shut when Leo cuddles up next to him on the couch.
“Is everything okay?” Leo asks as he looks up at him, “you look a little lost.”
“Yeah…” Cris breathes out, “Kun was just here.”
Leo widens his eyes, “What! Oh fuck, did he say something to you? I told him if he wanted to talk to you then he should do it around me.”
Cris lets out a sigh. Yes, Leo, he said a lot of things to him, and Cris knows he’s going to be thinking about the man’s words for the rest of their stay.
…
+1. Love Leo
The match against Panama goes well. Cris just watches the game on TV - he didn't feel like being there for the ceremony. He probably would have choked someone if he saw all the players each getting a World Cup of their own in person. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little saddened when he saw the players’ partners all dancing together. There’s a part of him that wishes he too could be there for Leo to spin around, but Paulo seems to take care of that for him (not that he wanted to see that).
But the thing he notes, and he wants Kun to note as well, is that he does show up to the after-party.
It’s a dark but spacious club room with all the players dancing about - Cris realizes it’s the first time he’s seeing the Argentines not coddle up to Leo for a long while. Cris first sits against the bar but not without doing something special. He thinks back to Kun’s words, “It makes me question whether you two are together at all.”
Well, fuck you, Kun. He’ll give no one a reason to doubt that they’re together.
So he starts an insta live.
“Hello guys! I’m partying in Argentina with Leo,” Cris says in English. He then wraps an arm around said man and pulls him close enough to show the camera. Leo gives the viewers a small wave with a shy smile on his face.
Cris then begins to read the comments.
cr7andlm10goats
Omg my goats are partying 🤩
cressiforever
I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH 🫶🫶🫶
rowantobrook
Aww you guys are sooo cute ❤️
ishowspeed
RONALDOOO 😃😃😃 daddy i love you 😫😫💦💦
andyochxa
YESSSS I was waiting for an insta live with you and Leo
Cris laughs and loudly says, “Yes, sorry I haven’t been on instagram lately. I was spending too much time with my boyfriend.”
messisthebest
Ofc ronaldo will now use messi to get the attention back on him 😒
espn
Breaking news: Ronaldo is forcing Messi to be in a live with him.
cr7goatonly
Ewwww why is my idol gay 🤮🤮
ishowspeed
NOOOO DADDY RONALDO don’t be gay for pessi 😫😫 be gay for me instead 😍😍
asanefootballfan
Can’t you haters just leave them alone?
Cris appreciates that last comment he sees, but still feels angered at everyone else. He didn’t understand how some people still couldn’t accept that he and Leo are together now - and why the hell are his and Leo’s fans still arguing?
Suddenly, Cris hears a shift in the music. Instead of the vibrant and upbeat rhythm that everyone was dancing to, there’s now a slow-paced guitar song playing. All the players and their partners stop jumping around and begin to hold each other while swaying to the soft music.
Leo turns his head to fully face Cris and asks, “May I have this dance?” The shorter man puts his hand out in front of his boyfriend.
Cris grins and takes it in a haste, “Of course.”
Leo then lightly pulls him forward. He takes the two near the center of the large room, and Leo places his hands against Cris’ waist. Cris does the same, but only with one hand to keep the live on.
andyochxa
OMG THEY’RE DANCING
espn
Breaking news: Ronaldo forces Messi to ask him to dance.
rowantobrook
I'll say it again: YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE
ishowspeed
NOOO MY GOAT RONALDO 😫😫 don’t dance with the midget pessi 😤
asanefootballfan
speed is so weird man
Cris doesn’t even bother to read the rest of the comments. He decides to fully face Leo as the two move together in rhythm. For the first time on the trip, Cris finally feels at ease. Leo in his arms, Cris in Leo’s arms.
Leo then says, “I’ve honestly not danced that much before.”
Cris makes a slightly surprised face, “Really? Have you just not had the time, or?”
“No, it’s more like- I haven’t found the right partner.”
Huh.
Cris makes a genuine smile at that. He then leans his head down to place a soft kiss on Leo’s cheek.
“I hope I can be of service then,” he whispers, “my king.”
Leo lets out a soft chuckle.
And when the man’s eyes crinkle in happiness, Cris can’t help but think how handsome he looks. The blue light from the ceiling covers his face, but he can tell there’s a blush spreading across Leo’s cheeks. Cris can feel his own face get hot at that, and he has the sudden desire to just make out with the man. However, he stops himself, deciding it's best to keep a moment like that to themselves and not in front of millions of people watching on a phone screen.
But he continues to lovingly gaze at his boyfriend, and he thinks back to his thought earlier.
Why the hell was this fucker questioning his relationship with the man he loves?
Maybe he does love Leo. When he wakes up in the morning and stares at Leo’s sleepy face and starts to play with those soft cheeks - maybe that is love. When he and Leo hold each other’s hands and take a walk together in the sunset while avoiding the paparazzi - maybe that is love. When he slides his tongue with Leo’s and holds the man tight as if he would die if he let go - maybe that is love.
And when he dances to romantic music in a club at two AM with Leo and stares into his sparkling eyes - maybe that is love too.
But those loving thoughts are interrupted when Leo suddenly steps on his right foot.
“Oh, shit, sorry,” Leo apologizes, “I didn’t mean to do that. I- I didn’t know where my foot was going and-”
Cris rolls his eyes as he listens to Leo’s nervous rambling. He stops the man’s words by stepping on his foot.
“Take that, fucker,” Cris retorts. Leo is a bit surprised at the action but then laughs as he sees Cris is only joking, and again steps on the man’s foot.
The two continue the childish action while wincing in pain each time the other caught his feet. They laugh and giggle like young boys - it’s been a long time since they’ve felt like that.
But then Paulo suddenly approaches them with a stern look on his face.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” he asks Cris.
Cris just gazes at him with an annoyed expression, and Leo says next to him, “Um, Paulo, it’s alright. We were just jo-”
“Are you okay, Leo?” Paulo softens his look while interrupting the man, “Do your feet hurt? Do you want me to rub them?”
Not this again!
Paulo doesn’t even wait for Leo to say anything as he gets down on his knees and takes the man’s foot in his hands. He then shoves the shoe off and begins to massage his fingers on Leo’s bare foot.
fanofmessiandronaldo
Yo did dybala just get those grippers out?
espn
Breaking news: Ronaldo forces Dybala to take off Messi’s shoe and massage his foot.
messisthebest
Tf is dybala doing. Does he have a feet kink or something? 🤢
ishowspeed
Okay wtf is going on bro
asanefootballfan
Woah did speed just ask a serious question
Cris watches in horror as Paulo continues his actions. Leo doesn’t even seem to stop him. He just keeps a disgruntled look on his face and tries to balance himself while still holding onto Cris.
Then it gets worse. More Argentines start leaving their dancing partners and come near the scene. They start asking Leo “do you want us to help, Leo?” “does it hurt anywhere else, Leo?” “should we take Cristiano away, Leo?”
Leo struggles to calm everyone down.
So Cris is the one to intervene and doesn’t do it discreetly.
“Okay, that is IT. BACK OFF MY BOYFRIEND NOW.”
Cris starts harshly pushing everyone away. As some of the Argentines fall, the others start backing up quickly before Cris can hurt them too.
“Cris!” Leo interjects, “What are you-!”
But Cris doesn't pay mind to him. For once, he’s not going to worry about Leo’s love for his teammates.
“I am SO fucking SICK of you all pampering Leo. Ever since the day we first got here, you all have not left us alone for even TWO FUCKING MINUTES. I AM DONE WITH THIS SHIT.”
Emi seems to want to say something but Cris just smacks his face away. There are a few gasps from the crowd around him.
“From this moment on,” Cris yells for the whole room to hear, “I don’t want ANY of you touching my man or even being so close to him.”
“But what about during training? Or games? Or during interviews? Or-”
Cris shuts Julian up by continuing, “Okay, you can do what you need to when it’s necessary. For fucks sake. But when I want to be with Leo. It’s ONLY ME. Got it? I don’t want anyone asking him if he needs a fucking massage or any shit like that because he will not be getting it, OKAY?”
Cris huffs out small breaths as he watches the players stare at him with a great sense of fear. Even the DJ has stopped the music in the background, and it becomes eerily quiet.
Cris thinks it’s finally over, and he can just take Leo back home, but then Kun speaks up.
The man scooches into the formed circle by shoving some of the players away. He begins to clear his throat and then asks, “But why should we listen to you?”
Cris stares at him with a rageful expression at first. He continues to wonder what the hell Kun has against him.
But then he turns to see Leo’s silent gaze at him. The man gives him a soft expression, seemingly waiting for Cris to answer Kun’s question.
“B- because,” Cris stutters. What the hell is he supposed to say? “I- he’s my boyfriend. And- and I should be the only one to touch him, and have a late night dinner with, and touch his skin, and-”
Cris looks back over to Kun, who raises his eyebrows in response. The man seems to be indicating for Cris to say something specific.
Suddenly, Leo puts a hand on Cris’ shoulder. The shorter man says, “Ah, it’s ok, Cris. I think they get-”
“Because I love him.”
Leo widens his eyes at the interruption, and so does everyone else around them. Cris keeps his gaze on the shorter man, whose face now seems to turn a shade of a darker color - almost looking purple under the blue light.
“I love you, Leo,” Cris continues, “and- and I don’t like it when other people interrupt us. I don’t like it when other people touch you. And I hate it so fucking much when I can’t have a proper moment with my boyfriend because you’re MY boyfriend. You’re not Emi’s, you’re not De Paul’s, you’re not Paulo’s - you’re MY boyfriend, and I want to be the only one that gives you foot massages.”
Everyone still stays silent. Leo’s chin starts to waver in slight embarrassment at Cris’ rambling, but the man doesn’t feel regret. Hell, there’s actually a sense of relief that flows through him after revealing his true feelings.
But before he can start to doubt if he spoke too much, Cris hears Leo quietly respond, “I love you too.”
It’s loud enough for everyone else to hear.
Cheers erupt from around the room. Everyone comes up to them and starts clapping and screaming in happiness.
“He said it! He did it! We did it!” they all shout.
Cris doesn’t even have time to wonder what that meant since Leo suddenly grabs at his shirt and presses his lips onto his. The two start holding each other tight and full-on making out in front of everyone watching.
cressiforever
KSDFKNDJBDSG HE SAID THE L WORD
espn
Breaking news: Ronaldo admits his love for Messi. That’s actually kind of cute.
cr7andlm10goats
OH MY GOD MY GOATS ARE MAKING OUT
ishowspeed
WHAT IS HAPPENING CAN SOMEONE TRANSLATE POR FAVOR WHY ARE RONALDO AND PESSI KISSING
asanefootballfan
Does speed not know about them or something? 💀
…
Bonus. The Lover Leo
“Leo, you are pure evil, you know that?” Kun’s voice says through the phone.
Leo yawns as he straightens himself on the bed, “What do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean by that? C’mon, I cannot believe you did all of that just to get him to say he loves you. But honestly, that wasn’t even the solution.”
Leo looks back to make sure Cris is sleeping. He places his finger on the man’s cheek and lightly pushes down - Cris doesn’t even move. Leo then smiles and moves away a strand of air that was closing in on his boyfriend’s eye.
“What do you mean that wasn’t the solution? It worked, didn’t it?”
“Yes, it worked, but not because of you asking the players to act like servants, you idiot. I mean, did you really have to make Lautaro and Julian wipe your shoes? And what about that foot massage from Paulo? Poor guy. Now all of his instagram comments are just mentioning his feet kink.”
“I didn’t make them do that. They thought of those ideas themselves.”
“But it was because of you.”
Leo doesn’t answer that.
He hears Kun sigh and continue, “Whatever, just, don’t come running back to me and crying when Cristiano finds out about your little set-up.”
“He won’t. Besides, it’s all over now. Mission accomplished. But, what did you mean by that wasn’t the solution?”
Kun is silent for a moment, “Nothing. Anyways, I have to go now. I’m starting a stream soon and-”
“KUN, you said something to him, didn’t you?”
The man on the other side cuts the line and Leo is left to hear silence again. He lets out a huff and turns back to his boyfriend. Or should he say lover, now? Leo grins at that.
But the smile falls when he sees that Cris is suddenly awake. The man is staring at him with furrowed eyebrows.
“Leo,” Cris says in a stern manner, “just what did Kun mean by set-up?”
Leo’s eyes go wide, and he gulps.
Shit.