This week was gonna be hard. You knew that. More specifically, it was going to be hard because Héctor was away in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with the team for the final rounds of the Supercopa tournament. Yes, you’re flying there to watch them in the final, but that’s still a few days away. Usually, you’re perfectly fine when Héctor goes away, because he’s constantly away, whether it be for Barca, the national team, or anything else. Of course, you miss falling asleep with his arms around you, and you miss being woken up by him sprinkling kisses across your face, but that just makes him coming home even better. However, for some reason, this time, you’re missing him far more than usual.

It’s 4am, and you’ve been tossing and turning since 11pm, unable to sleep. You’ve already switched your pillow out for Héctor’s and have watched some of his interviews (maybe some edits too), but you just need him. His touch, his smell, his voice. Just him. You know Jeddah is 2 hours ahead of Barcelona, meaning it’s sometime around 6am there, and Héctor is usually awake by then, just laying in bed scrolling on his phone until about 9 when he actually needs to get up, so you FaceTime him.

When he answers, you’re greeted with a rather upclose view of your man’s face, illuminated only by his phone screen, similar to you.

“Hola, mi corazón. ¿Está todo bien (hello, my heart. is everything okay)?” his croaky voice greets you. Just hearing his voice brings a slight smile to your face. “Hola, everything’s fine, I just wanted to talk to you is all.” he frowns slightly. “You sure? You’re feeling okay and all that?” there was concern creeping into his tone. “I promise, mi amor. It’s nothing like that. I just wish you were here.” you sigh slightly, shifting again. “Well, it’s only, what… 3, 4 days until your flight here? We’ll be together again soon. My parents are here, they keep asking when you’ll get here as well.” he smiles a little, you smile too. “I know, not long now. I don’t know why I feel like this today. I never have a problem with you leaving, it just… feels longer than usual.” “Well, maybe it’s just because you’re so whipped for me that you barely even function when I’m not there…” he suggests with a teasing grin, you laugh. “Cállate, idiota. You wish. (shut up, idiot)” “Just saying, it’s a high possibility.” You sigh and your face goes back to it’s previous slightly more negative expression from before. “I just- it’s always nights like this that I feel the loneliest, like, I’m talking to you, but it’s almost like teasing because I can’t feel your arms around me or your lips or smell your cologne. I dunno… it’s just… lonely. I miss you.” Héctor’s expression turns more sympathetic, and he furrows his eyebrows a bit. “Well, I miss you too, more than anything, but seriously, you carry a piece of my heart with you everywhere, mi amor. I’m always there in someway, even if you aren’t thinking about it.” You just about cry at his sweet words. “I love you. So much.” “I love you too, mi bebé.” “You know how I said that you always have a piece of me with you?” you watch as that familiar smirk starts to grow on his face. “Yeah?” you raise a suspicious and slightly skeptical eyebrow. “That hickey on your neck faded yet?” his smirk is full-blown now. You blush and roll your eyes, but mumble a faint, “No.” “See? Always with you.” he says proudly, as if proving his point. “What are you doing tomorrow? I wanna bring your flight forward so I can give you more. You’d be all good to hang with my parents for a few days while I’m training, right?” “I’m meeting my mama in the morning, so I could fly out tomorrow afternoon?” “Perfect. Now get some sleep, mi amor (my love), and I’ll see you tomorrow night, yeah?” “Mkay, bebé. Love you.” you blow him a kiss. “Love you too, text me once you get to the airport and I’ll send an Uber.” he blows a kiss back, and you hang up the phone, now able to finally fall asleep, your face buried in his pillow, still able to smell some of his hair products and aftershave on it.

The next day, as soon as you step off the plane you’re hit in the face with humidity, but don’t really care as it’s only a short amount of time until you can see Héctor again. You make your way through the airport and find the Uber that Héctor organised for you.

It’s only about 15 or 20 minutes before you’re dropped outside the team’s hotel, it’s starting to get dark now, around 8pm, having left Barcelona around 3. You find his room number and knock on the door, you wait a moment, hearing him quickly scramble out of bed or something from somewhere, a clatter, a muttered “mierda” then the sound of things moving around, and finally, the doors opens to reveal the clumsy man that is your boyfriend.

You raise an amused eyebrow and chuckle slightly. “What was all that about?” “Oh… I er- possibly may have knocked over a couple things, but that’s beside the point.” he says, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. You laugh and walk into the room, it’s a nice room, you figured it would be, considering the outside was nice too. Unfortunately for Héctor, the man who loves to be alone, has a roommate. There, on the other side of the room, lying on the other bed in the suite, watching his phone, is Pau Cubarsí.

You chuckle, and he looks up. “Hola, Pau (hello, pau.).” He smiles back at you, as he always does. “Hola. M'alegro que siguis aquí, l'Hèctor no ha callat per tu des d'aquest matí. (hello. i’m glad you’re here, héctor hasn’t shut up about you since this morning.)” You laugh and put down your small suitcase joining Héctor next to him on his bed. You guys just lay together for a bit, before Pau hauls himself off the bed and announces that he’s gonna go find Lamine, meaning you two are left alone in the room.

After you hear the door click shut, the make-out more or less immediately starts, and only stops when your neck looks like it’s been mauled by a dog, Héctor’s red and panting, scratches up and down his back, a few hickeys on his own neck, and Cubarsí comes back in. He snorts and flops back down onto his bed.

“Veig que vosaltres dos no heu tingut problemes per trobar alguna cosa a fer mentre jo estava fora. (i see you two had no trouble finding something to do while i was away.)”

“Shush, germà. Només estàs odiant perquè estàs solter (shush bro, you’re just hating because you’re single).” Héctor retorts, pulling you closer to him from the waist, your back against his front. “Per elecció (by choice),” Pau adds on to that, teasingly, “Tinc moltes opcions si volia una noia. Però a diferència d'altres, prefereixo centrar-me en el meu futbol, ​​en lloc de ser assotat per la meva xicota. (i have many options if I wanted a girl. but unlike others, I prefer to focus on my football, instead of being whipped by my girlfriend.)” Héctor rolls his eyes and mutters back, “El que sigui (whatever).”

You drift off not long after to the feeling of Héctor’s arm around you and his fingers scratching through your hair.