Best Kept Hidden [F.L16]
[Brother’s best friend trope]
Warnings: bit of a make-out sesh.
Word Count: 2.4K
A/N: I have been strugggggling with uni finals… All this work for what..?
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“Grab the popcorn! I’ll be right down. Just gotta grab some blankets.” You yelled out to Aurora.
Before you could move, the front door opened, revealing a soaked Gavi and Fermín. Gavi cheerfully greeted you, but Fermín’s face fell silent, choosing to dryly greet you with a wave. You waved back, turning your back to him and climbing up the stairs. Despite Fermín being friends with your brother for years, you felt like he never warmed up to you. He often avoided being in the same room alone with you, choosing to leave or put in his headphones. Although, in front of your family, he seemed fine. You always thought that maybe he was a shy kid, but these habits were starting to follow him into adulthood.
“Gavi, Fermín, you guys need to change before you soak the floors. I’ll grab you guys some towels.” You shouted from upstairs. Heading into the bathroom, you grabbed some towels before throwing them from upstairs to the boys. The towels landed with a thud before Gavi grabbed them and handed one to his friend. As for you, you grabbed the blankets before rushing downstairs back to Aurora.
“Nuh uh, I saw you grab a handful of popcorn!” You called out Aurora.
“Hermana, you were taking way too long! I got hungry.” She defended herself, pouting.
The movie ended a few hours later, and you were left lounging in the living room, bored off your mind.
“Chicas!” Gavi interrupted, turning on the light in the living room, earning a groan from both you and Aurora. “Fermín and I had the brilliant idea to go to the arcades. Are you in?” You glanced at Fermín who had a sudden interest in his feet, or more like, his socks.
“Yeah, I’ll just grab my sweater. Are we taking your car?”
“Fermín drove his car here, so we’re gonna take both cars. Ride with whoever you want. We leave in 5 minutes.” Gavi said, putting on his shoes and tying the laces. As you made it to your room, you heard the sound of the front door close behind you. Outside your window, you could hear Aurora and Gavi laugh, although the subject of their conversation was unknown. You grabbed your sweater and applied some perfume before heading back downstairs. Fermín was sitting on the entrance bench, on his phone, legs spread out. You couldn’t lie, he looked good. Especially with his cap and black t-shirt.
“Am I-?” Fermín interrupted you.
“Riding with me? Yeah. Gavi said so.” His tone was slightly off. You weren’t surprised by the lack of warmth, but you were surprised by the rude behaviour.
Not wanting to spend the next 20 minutes being a victim of his grumpy behaviour, you slid yourself between his body and the door before he could open it.
“Go sit.”
“Why are you asking me to sit? We gotta leave.” He said, his voice growing more annoyed.
“We need to talk and we are going to do so before we leave for the arcade.”
Your heard him groan before taking off his shoes and sitting down on the couch. You sent a text to Gavi letting him know you would be leaving later and they could beat you to the arcade. Locking your phone, you shifted your attention back to the grumpy blonde on your couch.
“What is up with you?” You sat down on the other end of the couch.
“Nothin’… Why do you care?” He angrily responded, his gaze avoiding yours.
“I care because you’re my brother’s best friend, and because… I feel like you hate me. All these years and you always have acted like I was a burden in my own house. Goddam. I mean, did I ever do something to you?” You scoffed, sitting further back into the couch.
Fermín crossed his arms on his chest, a tell he had since he was a kid. You knew he wanted to get something off his chest, but something was holding him back.
“No.”
“No? No, what?” You pressed.
“No, I don’t hate you. And no, you never did anything for me to hate you. It’s just…” he sighed defeated. “Forget it. Can we get to the arcade?” He ended the conversation.
You obliged, not wanting to widen the gap between the two of you and soon locked the door behind you before climbing into his car. The drive was cold, not only the weather, but the atmosphere. Neither of you said a word, opting to gaze at the passing streets instead.
From [The Yellow Card Merchant]:
We just made it to the arcade and it’s closed. So we’re gonna head for some drinks instead. I’ll text you the address, please tell Fermín.
“Gavi just texted me to say that the arcade is closed. He and Aurora are heading out for drinks in the same neighborhood. It’s on the same street as the arcade, at the beginning.”
“C’mon man, can just one thing workout tonight?” He lamented.
“I’m sorry…” You mumbled under your breath.
Fermín took off his eyes off the road for a quick second, glancing at your slumped body against the car seat, arms crossed under your chest. His heart tugged at the sight of you. Pulling into the parking, you spotted Aurora and Gavi waiting for you by the door. You jumped out of the car, waiving to your siblings. Fermín was behind you, his attitude slightly better than earlier, a pout still adorning his lips. Making your way into the bar, your eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light. This place hadn’t been updated since the late 90’s based on the decoration, the smell of old cigarettes and sandalwood, and the Green Day poster hanging above the staircase. Aurora led you to a small, round table hidden in the corner of the place.
“Look, they have some arcade games!” She happily exclaimed. “I can finally claim my air hockey queen title back.” She said, Gavi rolling his eyes at her antics. You chuckled, followed by Fermín, who cracked a smile for the first time since your attempted discussion.
“Let’s order! Aurora? Fermín? What are you guys having?” Gavi asked, already knowing you were going to ask for a cola.
“I’m driving back, so anything without any alcohol… actually I’ll just come with you.” Fermín got up from his seat, following Gavi to the bar. You felt like he was avoiding you, avoiding have to talk to you. You turned back to Aurora, not wanting to be seen as a creep for staring down at Fermín.
“Does Fermín seem odd to you?” Aurora choked on her gum, her eyes widening at your question.
“Odd, how?”
“Um… I mean he’s always been cold and distant with me. But…” you sighed. “Promise me you won’t tell Pablo…”.
“I promise. Is Fermín okay?”
“When I went upstairs to change, Fermín was waiting for me downstairs. And when I asked him if I was riding with me, he interrupted me before I could finish and he sounded super annoyed. So I told him to sit on the couch and I tried to ask him why he hated me-”
“He doesn’t hate you.” Aurora interrupted you. “We will talk about it at home. The guys are back.” She nudged you with her elbow.
“One mojito, extra lime. One strawberry daiquiri , and 2 sodas.” Gavi slid the drinks on the table. Fermín sat across you, his gaze glued to the ground, mindlessly sipping on his soda. The conversation gravitated from one subject to another, Fermín not chiming in once. You weren’t the only one who had noticed.
“Fermín? Are you okay hermano? You haven’t talked once.” Aurora spoke up.
“Mh? Yeah, just got…um a lot on my mind. School and football.” He said.
Two other hours had gone by, Gavi and Aurora were battling for the ultimate title of air hockey king or queen… that meant you were sitting at the table with Fermín. You were debating opening a conversation with him when his voice pulled you away from your thoughts. You were tired, finding it hard to keep your eyes open. Fermín noticed this, finally speaking up.
“I’ll drive you home… If you want.”
“What?”
“I said I’d drive you home if you want to. Gavi invited me to sleep over anyways.”
“I’ll grab my stuff and tell Aurora we’re leaving. I’ll meet you in the car.”
Fermín nodded, and went out the door. You found your siblings and quickly briefed them in before giving them a peck on the cheek and heading out. Fermín was waiting for you in the car, his mood more positive from earlier. He unlocked the door from you, taking your bag from you and throwing it in the back seat. Once in your driveway, Fermín parked the car, his eyes lingering on his hand holding yours as he helped you get out. Inside the house, you quickly parted ways, opting to get ready for the night instead of risking a talk with your brother’s best friend.
“I’m… I’m off to sleep Fermín. Do you need anything? Blankets?” You stood in the doorframe of the guest bedroom.
“No, I’m good. Thank you. Sleep tight, Y/N.” He said, his eyes glazing over your silhouette. You noticed a new kindness in his eyes. Unbeknownst to you, you were growing a soft spot for the blonde.
Wishing Fermín goodnight, you made your way back in your room, slipping under the covers for a well deserved night of sleep. As you were falling asleep, you heard the front door open and the giggle of your siblings as they went up the stairs. Aurora was hammered but Gavi was sober enough to get the both of them home. You finally fell asleep, only to be woken up an hour later. Frustrated, you pulled the covers off and sneakily went down to the kitchen for a glass of water. A sniffle coming from the living room stopped you in your tracks. Peeking over, you caught a glance at Fermín’s slumped figure, his arm quickly wiping away the tears.
Grabbing a second cup, you filled it up and brought it to him.
“Are you okay?” You whispered, still standing in front of him.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He wiped away more tears.
“You want to talk about it?” You grew concerned.
Fermín shook his head, his body sinking further into the couch. Your mind flashed back to that time when he was 8 and his coach had berated him for a simple mistake. The slumped figure, puffy eyes, and quivering lip made your mind dizzy.
“I… I just want to be held.” He confessed.
You looked back at him, not wasting a second in wrapping your arms around his torso. You felt his breathing slow down, and his heartbeat become more regular.
“Do you want me to pull aw-”
“Please don’t.” He pleaded. “I’ve just been so stressed. With school and wanting to perform well on the first team. I never felt this way before.”
You stayed in a comfortable silence, entangled in each others’ arms until he spoke up again.
“I.. I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I just wanted to apologize. I’ve been an asshole to you… for some years now. Truth is, I don’t hate you. I never have.”
“So… Why have you been acting this way with me?” You looked back at him, your eyes getting lost in the beauty of his. “It hurt me to see you walk away, ignore me, for reasons beyond my comprehension.” You confessed.
“Don’t freak out, but when we were younger, I told Gavi that I liked you.” He scratched the back of his neck. ”He blew up at me. Wouldn’t talk to me for days. I mean, we were…8? But I got so scared of losing his friendship that I never brought it up again. I tried distancing myself from you, by being cold and distant. I was hoping that by doing this, you would naturally grow to dislike me, and I wouldn’t have to worry about my crush on you.” He blurted out.
You were shocked, to say the least. Your gaze softened. Your hand reached out for his, slowly wrapping your fingers around his.
None of you dared to say anything, choosing to simply sit in the comfortable silence you had created. After a few minutes processing his words, you broke the silence.
“We have a lot of catching up to do. I’m sorry Pablo was… well, Pablo.” You giggled. “Do you… still feel this way about me? After all these years?”
Fermín simply grabbed your chin before shyly placing a kiss on your lips, waiting for your reaction. Grabbing the back of his neck, you pulled yourself closer, almost straddling him. His lips molded to yours, tongues fighting for dominance. Heavy breathing and soft moans could be heard coming from the room.
“Does this answer the question?” Fermín asked you.
“Absolutely.” You answered, going back for a second kiss.
After a heated make out session, which left you hot and sweaty, you both laid back on the couch, your body laying on top of his. Your head was placed on his chest, while your hand was tracing patterns on his bicep. His right hand was tracing circles on your hip, while his left hand held you closer to him, making sure you didn’t roll away.
“Can we take it slow?” He asked.
“What do you mean?” You raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe keep this a secret between us. Without telling Aurora or Pablo.”
“I’m okay with this. I want this to be just us… no external influence. No pressure. Just two teenagers falling in love all over again with one another.”
“Alright preciosa, just the two of us.” He kissed the top of your head, his arms tightening their hold on you, bringing you closer to his chest. “Maybe something did go right tonight.” He smiled to himself.
The two of you fell asleep, waking up a few minutes before your siblings came downstairs.
“Fermín? Y/N? Up already?” Aurora asked you, grabbing an aspiring for her head.
“Yeah, Y/N forgot her bag in my car and I woke up to retrieve it.” He lied through his teeth. “ I’ll hit the shower before breakfast.” Fermín loaded his glass of water in the dishwasher before running upstairs, suppressing the urge to kiss you in front of Aurora. Once he was out of earshot, Aurora whispered to you.
“Next time you want to make out with him, make sure we cannot hear you do so.” She winked before turning her back to you.