tennis slash - Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Title: Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Author: Kris S.
Fandom: Tennis RPS
Pairing: Fernando Verdasco/Feliciano Lopez (implied Feliciano Lopez/David Ferrer)
Other Player: Marcel Granollers
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This didn’t happen.
Summary: If Fernando is honest, he liked the Deliciano thing…until others found out.
Author’s Note: Request fills for slyreflection & triplebagel . I'd written thinking it'd be about Davis Cup but it wanted to be about everything else instead.
To be honest, Fernando hates that the press caught on to this Deliciano thing. He'd known about a practice session last year Judy had watched rather attentively. Feli had even joked about what they could do in order to really get her going. Turned out that shirtless sessions and on-court massages were just what the blogger wanted and everything was blissful.
If others knew about her writings, it wasn't said to Fernando's face and that was the important part. It was an inside joke not yet sullied in his mind by others. Fernando loved the smile returned to him when he'd use that nickname, always in a teasing way and only when they were alone in the bedroom.
What he really didn't like was hearing David say 'Deliciano' for the first time, during a practice session in Rome. Of all people, David Ferrer should not be teasing his Feliciano, period. Fernando had already wondered regarding David's feelings toward Feli but knew the guy was too shy to do anything about it. To be comfortable enough to say that...
Fernando got mad and impulsively texted Feli to say he wasn't going to play doubles at the French Open or Wimbledon. When Feli approached him later, Fernando just told him that he needed to salvage his clay season after poor showings in the Masters events. Feli shrugged it off, unable to tell that something more was wrong. Why would he think there was a problem, everything was deliciously wonderful for Feliciano.
If Fernando thought it was bad when David used the nickname, it actually felt ten times worse when Marcel said it. Marcel was playing doubles with Feli at the French Open so now was the one privy to the comments from the spectators during practice sessions. The thing with Marcel was that he's not usually comfortable talking to Fernando in the first place, always seeming a step behind. That he was involved now with this was just not right at all.
This time, Feli was perfectly aware that Fernando was angry but thought, of all things, Fernando was jealous of Marcel. Which actually seemed like the dumbest thing Feli could possibly say in that moment, especially since Feli was looking at David changing out of a drenched t-shirt from across the room.
Feli asked outright if Fernando would prefer if he played doubles with a woman instead so it would stop this jealousy. Fernando knew that wasn't the point but it was better to let Feli believe that than admit that David was the issue, not Marcel.
But what Fernando had forgotten was that Feli could be quite bitchy when he wants to be and payback was on his mind. It had seemed innocent enough for Feli to pick Andrea Petkovic as a doubles partner for Wimbledon but it didn't take long for Fernando to realize that this was exactly the worst partner for the Deliciano part of the issue.
Word travelled way too fast after that. Every player Fernando ran into used that nickname as if it's brand new information.
Feli, for his part, is totally fucking with his head. Fernando is absolutely certain Feli set up that practice session with Andy Murray on purpose, knowing just how much attention he and that stupid nickname would get out of it. Then again, if there's one person who hates this more than Fernando, it's understandably Andy.
The tennis gods won't help matters by actually having Feli win matches while Fernando loses matches. The name has turned from funny gossip to actual questions in press conferences. Feli is right now mounting a comeback against Kubot, making the possibility of facing Andy and the media circus in hyperdrive very real.
Fernando never wants to hear that name again because it's no longer their secret code. The problem is he knows the worst is yet to come and he's going to have to deal with everyone... especially David... using that name.