FROM FRIENDS TO MORE || Gavi x Pedri

Chapter 2 :: Nah.

(edit) - longer chapter

The air in the shared room was thick with unspoken tension. Gavi, sprawled on his bed, headphones blasting reggaeton, barely acknowledged Pedri's presence as the younger midfielder meticulously folded his training gear. The room, small and cluttered with their belongings, felt even more confined by the contrasting personalities that inhabited it. Gavi was an organized chaos, always moving, always active, his presence filling every corner of the room. Pedri, in contrast, was methodical and reserved, a creature of habit who craved order and quiet to focus.

The thumping bass reverberated through the walls, its heavy beats rattling the windows and making the air seem even thicker. Pedri, trying his best to ignore the noise, glanced around at the mess of clothes and football gear scattered across the floor. He had already tripped over Gavi's discarded cleats twice, and his patience was beginning to wear thin.

"Could you maybe turn that down?" Pedri asked, his voice polite but firm, though tinged with an edge of frustration.

Gavi, his eyes glued to his phone screen, barely looked up. The corners of his mouth curled into a lazy smirk as he cranked the volume up even louder, the music now blaring in a rhythmic pulse that seemed to make the walls shake.

"Come on, Pedri," Gavi mumbled without much thought, his voice muffled by the headphones, "Nah. I like it loud."

Pedri clenched his jaw, trying to stay calm. He had never been one to initiate conflict, but the lack of consideration for the shared space was beginning to get to him. His gaze flickered over to Gavi, who was now tapping his foot to the beat, oblivious to everything else around him. The contrast between the two was striking—Gavi thriving in the chaos of the moment, while Pedri longed for peace and focus.

"Look," Pedri started, his voice steady but firm, "I know you like your music, but maybe we could find a compromise? I need some quiet time to focus before training. Just a little while."

Gavi, still absorbed in his phone, let out a small laugh, the sound barely audible beneath the music. "Quiet time? You're a footballer, not a librarian. We need to be loud, full of energy. You can focus after training."

Pedri felt his patience slip a little further. He had tried to be reasonable, to approach the situation with understanding, but Gavi's dismissive attitude was starting to grate on him. "It's not about being loud," he replied, his voice rising slightly. "It's about respect. This is our shared space, and we need to be considerate of each other."

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, the room felt even more suffocating. Gavi paused, looking at Pedri with a mixture of confusion and annoyance, his eyes narrowing as the silence stretched between them.

"Respect?" Gavi echoed, his voice laced with sarcasm. "You want me to respect your quiet time? What, do I have to be a monk to live in here with you?"

Pedri, taken aback by the sharpness in Gavi's tone, felt his frustration bubbling to the surface. "It's not about being a monk, Gavi. It's about considering that we both need space. That we both need peace before we go out there and give everything on the pitch."

Gavi stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor as he tossed his phone onto the bed. "You're overthinking it," he said, his voice loud and defiant. "You're making a big deal out of nothing."

Pedri's heart raced as his temper flared, the quiet frustration he had bottled up for days finally escaping. "Maybe you don't get it, but I need this," he said, his voice tense, the words spilling out before he could stop them. "I need peace. Not just for training, but for myself. I can't focus with all this noise. And I shouldn't have to ask for it. You should be able to figure that out on your own."

Gavi's face flushed with annoyance, his usual carefree demeanor giving way to something sharper. "You think you're the only one who needs something?" he shot back. "I need my space too, Pedri. I need to be me. And you need to stop trying to control everything."

Before the argument could escalate further, the door swung open with a sudden force, startling both of them. Ansu Fati, standing in the doorway, looked from one to the other with a mixture of amusement and concern on his face. He had been listening to the raised voices from the hallway, drawn in by the tension that had seeped out into the corridor.

"What's going on here?" Ansu asked, his voice light, though the playfulness didn't quite mask the concern in his eyes. "Is this what happens when the future of Barcelona shares a room?"

Gavi and Pedri froze, momentarily stunned by Ansu's arrival. The room, which had felt charged with their argument, seemed to quiet immediately, though the tension still lingered. Gavi was the first to look away, his irritation now mixing with a hint of embarrassment. Pedri, on the other hand, just sighed, feeling both relieved and exasperated. Ansu, with his usual knack for timing, had arrived just as the situation reached its peak.

Ansu walked into the room, glancing around with a raised eyebrow. "You guys know that yelling isn't exactly the best way to start a season, right?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest. His tone was light, but there was a certain calm in his presence that seemed to defuse some of the tension.

Gavi and Pedri exchanged awkward glances before turning their attention back to Ansu. He smiled, though there was an undercurrent of amusement in his expression, as if he was enjoying the spectacle of two of his closest friends finally facing off.

"Alright, young men," Ansu said, his voice softening into something more conciliatory. "Let's talk about this. Maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to make this work. You know, without the arguing. Gavi, you've gotta give Pedri his peace, and Pedri, you've gotta let Gavi be, well, Gavi."

Pedri sighed, feeling the last remnants of frustration drain away. "I get it," he muttered, his shoulders slumping a little. "I just need a bit of quiet, Ansu. I'm not asking for much."

Gavi, still a bit stubborn, but seeing the sense in Ansu's words, nodded reluctantly. "Alright, alright. I'll turn it down. Just... don't expect me to go full monk on you."

Ansu chuckled, the tension in the room finally beginning to dissipate. "No one's asking you to change who you are, Gavi. Just a little compromise. We can all survive in here without driving each other crazy."

Pedri gave a small, appreciative nod, and Gavi, though still grumbling a bit under his breath, settled back onto his bed, lowering the volume on his music. The room, for the first time since their arrival, felt a little more peaceful. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.

Ansu flashed them both a grin, then turned to leave, his presence a calming force. "I'll leave you two to it," he said with a wink. "But remember, if this keeps up, I'll start charging you both for therapy sessions."

As the door closed behind him, the silence that followed felt strangely comforting. Gavi glanced at Pedri, who had returned to folding his clothes, and for the first time since they'd shared the room, Gavi felt like they might actually be able to make this work. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but with time.

And that, Gavi realized, was the first step.