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“You have got to be kidding me! How can you not know how to swim?”
“I grew up in the middle of nowhere! We didn’t have oceans or lakes, and everyone was too poor for a proper pool. Not all of us are so lucky to grow up on the Mediterranean coast!”
Isco shakes his head in disbelief. “But you’ve been to the ocean before, what do you do, just lay about and sunbathe?”
“Well I usually just splash around”, admits James sheepishly. “I’m kinda afraid of the riptides and sharks and jellyfish…”
“Oh my god, there is no way we are going to Ibiza this summer if you can’t swim. You need to come over to my pool, I’ll teach you. It’s so easy, I swear.” Isco’s face is so earnest that James can’t refuse his offer.
“Well ok, but you have to promise not to let me drown. Think of the headlines! ‘Real Madrid star kills rival teammate for starting position!’” They both laugh at the totally not unlikely front page of Marca.
“I promise James, I will not let you drown. Saturday morning ok? Come over whenever you wake up.”
The Madrid sun hanging high in the sky is already making the air suffocatingly hot and it’s not even noon yet. James heads over to Isco’s house, feeling grateful to spend the day in the pool when it’s so sweltering out. He’s a bit nervous about the whole ‘learning to swim’ thing he’s about to do, he had even stopped at a shop to pick up goggles and a nose plug to make sure he was prepared. He prays that Isco won’t make fun of him too much, as he’s probably the only person he’s willing to embarrass himself in front of in this way.
When he arrives at Isco’s front door there is a note tacked up that reads -- Let yourself in, I’m out back. James can hear splashing as he makes his way to the backyard. Isco’s pool is huge and glittering in the bright morning light. A svelte tan figure glides under the water elegantly, tiny bubbles rippling the surface. James watches as it skims through the crystal clear water before popping up at the edge. Droplets of water stream off ink black hair onto a set of muscular shoulders and the water pulls at a pair of small wet shorts as Isco climbs out of the pool, unaware that James is there, gaping at him. A lump has formed in James throat and he swallows hard to try and rid himself of it so he can speak. He mentally shakes himself. Get it together James, he thinks wildly, it’s not like you’ve never seen him shirtless before, god!
Thankfully his brain manages to untangle itself as Isco turns towards him, his hand pushing his wet hair off his forehead, noticing James standing awkwardly near the sliding glass door.
“Ah! You’re here! Sorry, I was underwater!”
James laughs, “Yeah I noticed. You swim like a fish!”
Isco laughs too, as he comes over to give James a hug, leaving wet spots all over his t shirt. “Are you ready for your very first swimming lesson?”
“Yeah, I brought...stuff”, mumbles James, holding up the goggles and nose plug, feeling incredibly dumb, it’s not like he’s going to become Micheal Phelps overnight. Isco must agree as he bats them away.
“You won’t need that yet. I’m going to just start with the basics.” He pulls James towards the pool. “C’mon, the water temp is freaking perfect today!” He executes a perfect dive into the deep end of the pool, his body barely making a wave as it enters.
James quickly peels off his shirt and shorts to reveal his swim trunks underneath. His golden body is a stunning vision in the blazing sun. He walks, nonchalantly he hopes, over to the shallow end of the pool where Isco the dolphin is waiting patiently, slipping into the water and groaning at the sudden change of temperature. He looks to Isco and they grin lazily as the water laps at their skin.
“Ok so we’re gonna start with floating. But if this is gonna work, you have to trust me alright? Do you trust me?”
“Of course I trust you.” James reaches under the water to pinch Isco’s side, eliciting a yelp.
“Ok, ok! So you’re gonna lay on your back and just float. I’ll hold you up at first, but it’s easy, really.” Isco motions to the way he wants James to lie back. “Just breathe, don’t panic, I’ll be right here.”
James leans back into the water and he feels Isco’s hands under him. One hand slides under his upper back, the other one on the lower part, pressing in just above the curve of his ass. James feels his skin tingle under Isco’s touch, but ignores it, concentrating on staying afloat. He breathes deeply, eyes closed as he lifts his legs off the bottom of the pool. After he seems relaxed, Isco moves his hands. James eyes fly open but he manages to stay floating for a few seconds before sinking into the water. He comes up sputtering, rubbing water from his eyes, his face and ears completely crimson with embarrassment.
“Oh god, I can’t even float! I’m hopeless!”
“Keep trying. You’ll get it.” Isco lifts him up to try again.
After an hour of lessons, James finds he can successfully doggy paddle around the shallow end of the pool. He’s amazed that Isco was right, this was easy! He paddles over to where he’s sitting on the edge of the pool with a triumphant grin on his face. He’s proud and also feeling a little touched that Isco would spend his free time teaching him such a basic life skill.
“Thanks”, he says simply, the look on his face shows Isco how grateful he really is.
“No prob hermano, seriously. By next week we’ll have you diving into the deep end! You’ll be so good you’ll be begging me to let you come over.”
James laughs at the gentle teasing and he feels his stomach do a tiny flip as his traitorous brain insists on thinking about begging Isco for more than pool time. To hide the blush that’s sure to be creeping up his neck, he splashes a handful of water up into Isco’s face.
“Oh hell no, you did not just splash me James!” shouts Isco as he flings himself into the pool, throwing armfuls of water onto James who is gasping he’s laughing so hard, trying not to inhale a lungful of water. Not satisfied with just a splash war, Isco flings his body at James, dipping his head under the water as they wrestle, legs tangling together as they both struggle to keep their heads above the surface.
“Isco, Isco! I knew you brought me here to drown me” he giggles, pushing against Isco’s shoulders, hands slipping over smooth skin. Isco wraps him tightly in his arms and he lifts his legs up to wrap around his waist. It’s a position similar to one they adopt after scoring goals but it feels different, more intimate in their current state, half-naked, wet and alone. Their eyes lock and James swears he can see Isco’s eyes darken a shade before his gaze travels down to his mouth. They aren’t laughing anymore, and it feels like they’re on the precipice of something serious happening, like the air is crackling with electricity waiting to shock them. Just as James is about to lean in closer, Isco bends his knees, dunking them both under water and breaking the spell. They pull up, gasping for air, the moment lost and both boys left wondering, what the fuck just happened?
*
It’s been a week and James should really stop thinking about that moment in the pool, but he can’t so he lets his mind wander. He thinks about how for a split second he was sure Isco wanted to kiss him and how he would have let him, willingly. Before he can talk himself out of it, he’s on the phone to Isco, inviting him out to dinner and beaming to himself when Isco accepts immediately.
They spend the whole evening talking and laughing, an observer would think they had been best friends their entire lives based on how comfortable they are with each other, and how many stupid inside jokes they’ve already accumulated. The restaurant is already emptying out when their dessert order arrives at the table.
“Mmmm god, this chocolate is so good, I could eat this for the rest of my life!” Isco’s eyes roll back in apparent ecstasy as he sucks on his fork. James tries not to stare at his mouth as he licks the icing, but of course fails miserably. They are each on their third glass of red wine, having consumed a massive amount of bandeja paisa at the tiny Colombian restaurant in Lavapies and James can feel his inhibitions slipping from the tight grasp he had on them earlier in the night.
“Do you want a bite?” Isco asks, holding out his fork with a piece of the chocolate cake speared on it. “C’mon, it’s seriously amazing!”
James leans forward, grinning, his cheeks pink from the alcohol, or maybe just from being around Isco. He wraps his lips around the fork, making sure to make eye contact as he slips it into his mouth, moaning at the decadence. Isco’s eyes flick away, but the side of his mouth curls up in a smirk.
“You like?”
“I like.”
“Do you want another taste?”
“Yes.” James opens his mouth expectantly, and he’s sees they way Isco looks at it before slipping another piece of cake in. Their knees knock under the table and James moves his feet forward a tiny bit so they’re wedged between Isco’s, meeting his eyes for just a second before he feels a blush take over his face and neck and looks away embarrassed and suddenly shy. When he looks, Isco’s face is leaned in towards him and he spies the tiniest crumb of cake caught in his beard. It’s entirely too endearing for James and he reaches forward to brush it away, allowing his fingers to linger a couple of extra seconds on Isco’s face. He bites his own lip nervously, chewing at the skin at the corner and now Isco is blushing too.
Their waiter appears at the table right then, asking if they need refills on their wine, which they both decline, suddenly frighteningly aware of the public situation they're in. They rush to get up and leave before someone recognizes them, or worse snaps a compromising picture, but as they head out to the street their fingers brush lightly and they both feel the electric pulse shoot straight to their hearts.
*
It's two days before an important Champions League match and Ancelotti has put the team through a brutal training session in preparation. The atmosphere is serious, no one wants to let El Mister down so close to the starting lineups being decided upon. Despite working as hard as they can manage, Ancelotti doesn't seem satisfied with what he's seen from James and Isco. James wonders idly if it's because they can't stop grinning at each other from across the practice field. Because of this Ancelotti has let everyone else head back to the locker room, holding the two boys back for extra laps.
The sun is going down and the Madrid sky is a brilliant swirl of orange and pink light, casting down on the two boys huffing across the grass of Valdebebas, keeping pace with each other.
"Wanna race the last lap?" asks James.
"Yeah ok, on three? One, two, th---fuck!" swears Isco as James beats him off the starting point.
They run, slipping on wet grass, giggling and pushing each other as they go. As they are two of the fastest guys on the team, barring Cris and Gareth of course, the race is a close one. As the approach the finish line they put their heads down, neither wanting to lose, for simple prides sake. In the last ten meters James slips, flinging his arms out to break his fall and Isco slides past, throwing his hands up in victory, wheeling around to point and laugh at James who's lying in the grass holding his head in mock disappointment. He reaches a hand down to help him up but James uses it to pull him down onto the ground with him. They wrestle around like a couple of puppies, wet blades of grass sticking to their skin and dampening their tracksuits.
"Oh my god, I'm soaked!", laughs Isco, reaching out to pluck a sliver of grass off of James freckled nose. "Let's go hit the steam room, we have to get this chill off before we get sick. Mister would kill us if we're both out of commission on Wednesday." They head into the locker room, arms linked casually, the sun sinking into the horizon behind them.
The normally noisy locker room is silent, apparently they had been running longer than they though because everyone else has already left for the night. James' stomach twists as they peel off their wet clothes, deliberately not looking at Isco stripping off his long socks, instead focusing on wrapping a towel tightly around his waist. He cranks the knob on the door to the steam room up to high as he enters it, flopping down on a wooden bench, breathing in the clean scent of cedar. Isco follows him in, sitting beside him, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as the room slowly fills with steam. James takes the opportunity to sneak a peek at him, admiring his body, watching the way beads of sweat drip down his neck onto his chest.
“So do you feel good about the match?” Isco asks, eyes still closed.
“Yeah I think so. I really wanna start.”
“You will.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do. You’re doing amazing lately.” Isco opens his eyes to look at James, and even though the steam is thick and white he can still see he’s blushing. He scoots closer, until his shoulder is pressed up against James’. “Don’t blush James! I’m serious, you’re amazing.”
“Stop!”, James flashes his brilliant wide smile. “I’m not amazing. But I’m trying!” He wipes a trickle of perspiration off his forehead, pushing his hair back, enjoying Isco’s warm side pressed against him. They sit in a comfortable silence, letting the hot air soothe their tired muscles.
“What was it like, winning La Decima?” asks James after a few minutes.
Isco speaks fast and excited, his eyes lighting up with the memory. “Oh my god. It was incredible, I can’t even describe it. It was like Christmas and your birthday and your first time all at once. Definitely the best day of my life!” His eyes sparkle as he tells James about the celebrations and the way the fans were waiting for them at Cibeles and he looks so adorable James is just dying to kiss him. He sways towards him, caught up in Isco’s emotion, and Isco pauses to take a breath when he notices James face so close to his own. He swallows, the grin never leaving his face and he puts one hand on James sweat slicked neck, his thumb rubbing just behind his ear, sending a shiver through James. His voice drops an octave lower, “But you’ll see how it feels. When we do it again this year, when we win La Undecima.”
James mind is screaming at him, Do it! Kiss him you idiot! and he’s so close to listening to the voice in his head when the sauna decides it’s the perfect moment to turn off, the air cooling and clearing around them.
“Whoops guess we were in here long enough!”, Isco giggles, grabbing James hand and pulling him out of the steam room. James is ridiculously frustrated with the ruined moment (how many times is this going to happen??), sending angry thoughts towards the sauna timer, as if an inanimate object purposely spoiled it for him.
*
A plane full of happy boys and weary coaches taxis down the runway at a far away airport. They were returning to Madrid after successfully winning their Champions League match. The home team had suffered a brutal rout by the reigning Spanish champions.
As usual Isco and James were seated in the same row. They sat next to each other, leaving the empty seat on the aisle so they could play Parchis on Isco’s ipad.
“James I swear I’m gonna kill you!”, says Isco, pouting as James’ blue dot sends his red one back to the start for the third time in a row.
“What can I say, I’m just getting lucky dice! It’s all in the way you press the ‘roll’ button!”, James jokes, pressing the glass in a deliberate manner. He once again receives a 6, sending his dot further along on the board.
“Guess you just have a magic touch! I bet the ladies love you!”, Isco cracks, grabbing James’ hand, holding it up to his face as if to examine its magical properties.
“Uh ye-yeah. Of course…”, stutters out James, pulling his hand back shyly, before he gets the urge to show Isco his ‘magic touch’. As they continue their game, the airplane’s intercom system crackles to life.
Attention all passengers. The captain has informed us that we are heading into a storm system that will cause moderate to severe turbulence. Please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts and stow all electronic devices at this time. Thank you.
“Looks like I win today!”, crows James, hitting the off button and sliding the ipad into his seat back, grinning happily. He turns to look at Isco, wanting to gloat further, until he notices the look of terror on Isco’s face. He’s gripping the armrests so hard his knuckles are white and the color has drained from his normally golden skin. “Isco? Buddy are you ok?”
“Yeah. I mean...no. Fuck! James, I really, really hate turbulence, it freaks me the fuck out ok?”
“Hey, it’s gonna be alright! Just breathe! I’m right here, nothing’s gonna happen.” James is instantly in protective mode, wrapping his arm around Isco’s shoulder as best he can, prying his hand off the armrest so he can hold it in his own, fingers running soothingly over his palm.
The plane rumbles slightly and Isco clutches James’ hand painfully. “Fuck this!”, he moans, eyes clenched shut.
“Shhh Isco, I swear it’s fine. Hey, hey - remember when you were teaching me to swim? You said I had to trust you right? And everything worked out, I didn’t drown, I trusted you even though I was scared. I’m gonna need you to trust me right now ok?” James is rubbing little circles into the back of Isco’s neck with his thumb, attempting to release his terrified nervous energy.
"Yeah, ok, just, please don't let me go. Not until it stops, please!"
"I promise."
The plane lurches in the air and the overhead luggage bangs about. Isco squeezes James harder, breathing heavily. "Are we gonna crash?"
"No! No, it's fine. Just listen to me, we are not going to crash. C'mere, put your head on my shoulder. Let me tell you about this time, in Colombia..." James launches into a silly story about his childhood, rambling on about it to distract Isco as the airplane bounces around in the sky like a ping pong ball, holding Isco close, stroking his hair as he speaks.
James is into his third story about a dog he once has as a kid, named El Pibe, after his Colombian soccer idol, before the plane levels out, the turbulence finally ceasing. The voice of the flight attendant comes back on the intercom thanking them for their patience, saying that the storm system is now behind them and they were free to once again move about the cabin.
With the stewardess' tinny sounding announcement, Isco lets out a huge breath he didn't realize he was holding, relaxing into James' arms with relief. "Thank god that's over!", he exclaims.
"See I told you we would be fine!" James knows he can technically let go of Isco now but decides to indulge himself a little bit, keeping Isco wrapped in his arms.
"Sorry I'm so lame, turbulence is one of the few things that scare me!", Isco says sheepishly, looking down at his lap, eyelashes casting long shadows on his face. He turns to look James in the face. "Thanks for talking me through it, your stories were a lovely distraction." He swallows as he realizes how close they are, James' arm around his neck, hand tangled in his hair, his other hand holding his own in his lap. He breathes in, smelling the spicy scent of James’ cologne and he makes a conscious decision to not move away, but instead to bury his face into James’ neck, inhaling his scent further, lips smiling against the smooth skin. He leans up just for a second and his nose brushes against James’ and it would be the perfect time for their lips to touch too.
That is, it would have been perfect if at that moment Dani had not chosen to get up out of his seat in the row ahead of them, unintentionally startling them as he makes his way to the airplane restroom. They jump apart from each other as if they had been electrocuted, hands separating as James turns to looks out the plane window innocently and Isco quickly snatches up his ipad, blindly opening his instagram.
*
“Are you busy tonight?”
“No, why?”
“I’ve got this place I’ve been dying to take you. Just wear a sweater and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Later that evening, James shuffles around his kitchen nervously, pouring himself a glass of water but forgetting it on the counter before even drinking a sip. He’s dutifully dressed in jeans and a warm adidas hoodie, but he can’t imagine where Isco is planning on taking him. He’s so anxious about seeing him that he actually jumps when his phone vibrates with a message in his pocket. The text is from Isco announcing his presence in James’ driveway and he rushes out to meet him. Instead of his normal sleek Audi, Isco is waiting in a giant blacked out Land Rover. He smiles impossibly huge as James slides into the passenger seat.
“All ready?”
“Yes, but where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise. Just enjoy the ride!” Isco cranks up the radio as he backs out of the driveway, singing along happily.
They head out of the city on the highway, leaving the bright lights of Madrid in the rearview mirror and James is enjoying the ride, he loves just being around Isco, plus he’s got the seat warmers turned up so it’s cozy and comfortable. It gets darker and darker the farther they go, the streetlights ending and a vast expanse of jet-black engulfing the car. Eventually Isco takes an exit to seemingly nowhere, turning the suv onto a bumpy, rutted up dirt road. He maneuvers it into an empty parking lot and parks, turning to face James, still grinning like a kid with a secret.
“Ok, just a little bit farther!”
“Farther than this? Are you going to murder me out here or something?”, jokes James.
“Hmmm you know this IS a great place for murder!”, Isco replies, punching James on the shoulder. “Don’t be a doof, this is gonna blow your mind, I promise.”
As they get out of the Land Rover, Isco grabs a bag from the back that James hadn’t noticed yet, slinging it over his shoulders before handing James a flashlight and bounding off into the darkness.
James quickly flicks on his torch, jogging to catch up to the light bouncing in front of him like a giant firefly. Isco turns down a trail that goes uphill, James just a step behind him. They walk in silence for a few minutes, concentrating on not tripping over a rock or root in the dark, it wouldn’t do to sprain an ankle out in the middle of nowhere after all. In fact, James is concentrating so hard on the ground in front of him that he doesn’t notice when Isco stops and he runs into his back. When he looks up he gasps in sheer wonder at the sight laid out before him. They’re on the edge of a cliff and the city of Madrid is spread out before them, glittering spectacularly miles below, and the night sky is full of stars, shining even brighter than the city lights.
“Wow.”
“It’s beautiful isn’t it? I love coming out here to unwind, and it reminds me why I love this city so much, how grateful I am to play here.” Isco grabs James’ hand, linking their fingers together. “I knew you would love it too!”
“It’s really wonderful! It’s so peaceful up here.” James squeezes Isco’s fingers tighter, trying to convey how appreciative he is that Isco would share something so special and personal with him as they gaze out at the skyline together.
As if he couldn’t get any more splendid, Isco produces the bag he brought, pulling out a bottle of wine and some blankets, spreading them onto the soft ground and tugging James down with him, wrapping his arm around his waist and pulling him in close. James sighs with happiness, his anxious thoughts from earlier all but forgotten, and he lays his head down on Isco’s shoulder.
“Thank you for bringing me up here. It’s perfect, you’re perfect.”, he whispers, trying to build the courage to just get on with it and kiss Isco. After weeks of failed attempts and awkward moments, the moment finally feels right, and there’s no one around to spoil it. As he lifts his head he feels Isco’s hand tighten on his side, and hears his breath hitch. James looks into Isco’s eyes that are sparkling even in the darkness enveloping them and he leans in, waiting for a protest but receiving none as their mouths meet in a exquisite first kiss. He presses in closer, enjoying the feeling of Isco’s soft lips, pliant and formative under him and he dares to try and open them, his tongue pressing gently against the seam. Isco parts them obediently, allowing James access to his mouth, sighing into him when their tongues meet in the middle, his fingers still gripping James’ side as if he let go for a moment he’d realize it was all just a dream. They pause for a moment, panting hard to catch their breath, faces separated by mere centimeters as they take in the moment.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”, murmurs James, voice low and scratchy, his fingers running down the side of Isco’s face.
“Why do you think I brought you up here? I had to guarantee we’d be uninterrupted.”
A rosy blush blooms across James face but he’s smiling, overcome with joy in the moment as he knows for sure that all the times he felt like kissing Isco, that Isco wanted to kiss him too. He pulls him in for another, if he had to wait this long, he’s not going to waste any more time. They make out like a couple of teenagers, hungry for each other, lips moving together desperately as they hold each other close. James savors the taste of Isco, sweet with a hint of mint, as if he had been chewing gum, and the way he breathes beneath him. He knows this kiss was the beginning, the promise of much more to come so he holds Isco as tight as he can, the stars above them winking knowingly.
They stay up on their perch above the city until dawn begins to break, huddled together under a soft flannel blanket as the first rays of orange colored light streak across the horizon, kissing, but also just talking about life. They are best friends after all, only now they know they have something better, something more special to share and the thought of that alone could keep them warm through the coolness of the early morning. They are reluctant to pack up and leave the extraordinary night behind, but they have training in the afternoon and need to get in a quick nap beforehand. Right before the get into the car, Isco looks over at James who is still gazing over the cliff's edge wistfully. He reaches out to hold his hand, just like the first moment they stood there together and kisses him on the cheek before whispering in his ear.
“This will always be our special place, and I’ll never forget this perfect night.”