Work Text:
You and Lamine have been dating for 3 months, and you've already been through a lot together. You knew that Lamine Yamal was a socially strong, often annoying, impulsive, and reckless person before you started dating him.
But not to this extent.
Because why is he covering your eyes with his hands while you're driving?
"Lamine, seriously! I'm driving!" you snapped at him sharply as you grabbed his hand and pushed it away.
"I've been calling you for several minutes, why are you ignoring me?"
"The road here is dangerous, don't you know that? I seriously need to focus." You ran your fingers through your hair tiredly.
"Anyway, listen — I'm thinking we could travel together? In a month we won't have any scheduled matches."
"I can't."
"Can't you take time off work? Really?"
"Lamine, we go out every week, there's no need for traveling and all that."
"But I want to."
"Don't act childish."
"Why are you calling me childish? Does the age gap between us still matter to you?"
You rolled your eyes.
"What does that have to do with this? And even grown-ups can act childish, you know."
Lamine smiled — the information seemed to please him. "Yes, true."
Then he said: "So, will you think about it?"
You sighed.
"I'll see."
Then you added: "I was going to tell you anyway that I won't be seeing you as much in the coming period — I have a lot of work coming up."
He looked completely deflated when you said those words. "Seriously, you didn't have to ruin the end of our date with that bad news."
"I didn't force you to date me."
"And here we go again." He threw his hands up in exasperation.
You immediately justified yourself: "No, really! You're a young player who is now at the most important point in his life and needs to focus on himself! But instead you're bothering this working woman with endless dates."
"I love you, okay — is that a problem? Is that my fault?"
You paused and looked at him carefully. "Are you implying that I should say you shouldn't have loved me?"
"No, it's just that you act as if I had any say in it in the first place."
You stopped the car at his place. "Come on, we're here. Today I'm going home — I need to sleep early."
He said mockingly and with irritation: "Work, of course."
Then he went inside before you could respond.
---
"But seriously! I feel like she's dating her work, not me."
Pedri patted Lamine's shoulder — he had been complaining to them for an hour. They had just finished training and were now in the locker room.
"You work too, Lamine — matches, training. We all have things that keep us busy," said Pedri. Gavi agreed, adding, "Yeah Lamine, you're just… too attached."
"Are you saying I'm annoying?"
Gavi waved his hands. "No no… how could Lamine Yamal be called annoying…"
"Gavi, he's right — you really are annoying like this, Lamine."
Lamine stood up angrily, throwing the towel over his shoulder. "She's my girlfriend, not my boss, so she shouldn't be bothered by me being persistent with her."
"Look, the thing is, you just need to give her some grace — can you accept that? I can see that she accepts you too, for her part."
He folded his arms across his chest. "Who said that? She doesn't like that I'm a young player, and she doesn't like that I'm younger than her."
"Did she say that?" Gavi said, shocked.
"No, I just feel it. I don't know — she really frustrates me."
"Ahh, so she just sees you as special? Remember it took you a long time to convince her to date you?"
Lamine sighed. "Yeah."
And continued: "She doesn't see me as special — she just wants to get rid of me, and she agreed to date me so I'd stop bothering her."
"What's with the low morale?" said Gavi.
Lamine put on his shirt and stood up. "I'm going home."
Gavi looked at Pedri. "You shouldn't have mentioned that he was annoying."
---
Lamine's phone rang while he was playing on the PlayStation. He pulled his headphones down and grabbed his phone.
You.
He answered quickly.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"At home, why?"
"I'm at the door."
He stood up. "What?"
"Hurry up, I'm tired of standing."
He quickened his steps without saying a word.
He opened the door — and there you were.
"Why did you come…"
"What, am I not allowed to come to my boyfriend's house?" You walked in with bags in your hands.
"What's all this?"
"I bought your favorite food. Come on."
He followed you in silence.
You went and set the bags on the table and sat down, while he remained standing.
"Come on, Lamine Yamal, don't make this hard for me."
"Make what hard?"
You sighed. "The apology."
You began trying to study the expressions on his face.
"I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have been a bit harsh that day."
"Just that?"
"And I'm sorry for not saying I love you too, and for not coming inside with you. What else?"
"For treating me like a child, for not loving me, for seeing me as annoying, for wanting to stop dating me, for not wanting to travel with me, and for—"
"Lamine, Lamine — what is all this?"
"This is the truth."
You stood up and stepped closer to him. "You know that's not true."
"Really? What a liar."
You sighed. "To be honest — yes, I sometimes see you as a child. Yes, sometimes I feel like our relationship isn't suitable, and I think if you dated someone else it would be better."
"But do you know why I haven't done anything about that?"
"Because I love you, Yamal. That's my only restraint."
His eyes followed your hands as they ran along his arm.
"I thought a lot about what I would do if we broke up, and I wasn't happy in any scenario."
"Because love doesn't mean I stop being who I am. You're a player, you have commitments, and I have my work. That's not a rejection of you — that's just… our life."
"So," you looked at him with wide eyes, "I really do love you, you annoying idiot."
Lamine stayed silent for a moment, then smiled.
And pulled you into a big hug that sent both of you falling onto the couch together.
"My God, I don't know how I manage to stay angry at you."
He buried his face in your neck as if he hadn't touched you in ages, then cupped your face in his hands and kissed you.
"And I love you so much — so, so much, really."
"I know," you said.
"So, did you actually believe all that nonsense?"
"I don't know — I always think negatively whenever any problem happens between us. I'm afraid of losing you."
"Then you need to stop that from now on."
"I will. I'll try."