Tennis Imagines :)

Pablo Carreño Busta

A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in many months, as many things had been happening in my life and I was also kinda experiencing writers' block... Congrats to Pablo for making the semis of the US Open! Maybe he'll win against Sascha tonight/tomorrow (depending on where you are) and progress into the finals against either Medvedev or Thiem...? Anyways, enough with my rambling, on with the story! :)

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The year end examinations were approaching soon, and you decided to stay home to revise instead of going out with your friends. You had been sitting at the study table, busy pouring through your (favorite subject) notes when the doorbell rang. "Eh?" You muttered to yourself, as you weren't expecting anyone or anything.

You opened the door to see your brother carrying a huge rectangular box covered in (your favourite colour) wrapping paper. "(Y/S/N)!" You exclaimed excitedly, as you quickly grabbed the keys from the study table to unlock the door. "I didn't know you were coming back today! Mum and dad never said anything to me," you fake pouted.

"Aww, is my little sister pouting?" Your sibling hugged you, before pulling away slightly to pinch my cheeks lightly.

You laughed. "Yes. I missed you a lot!"

"That's great to know...wanted to surprise you, so I didn't tell our parents too haha." Your sibling had been travelling overseas during his gap year to explore different countries and learn more about various cultures. He would often send back pictures of the places he had visited, people he had interacted with or observed, along with a paragraph or two about his experiences in that country.

"Anyways, I was in Valencia when I saw this, and decided to get it as a present for you!" Your brother said, before passing the box to you.

"Woah it's quite bulky and heavy!" You commented, as you set the box down on the floor and carefully removed the wrapping paper, before lifting the lid on the wooden box inside. You let out a gasp. Had the box not already been on the floor, you would have surely dropped it, for inside the box rested a rather huge doll that was about the size of your torso. The male porcelain doll had beautifully tanned skin, brown eyes and smooth brown hair. You wondered, how did people even make such real looking dolls?

As if sensing your doubts, your brother explained, "I decided to get this for you as a companion since mum and dad work for very long hours and I'll be busy once the new academic year resumes... I was passing by a shop selling hand made dolls in Spain, and thought he was a nice looking doll. Also, this would be a unique gift for you!"

You hugged your brother. "Thank you so much! It sure is a very special present, and I'll be sure to take good care of him!"

As you reached out to remove the doll from the wooden box and your fingers brushed against the porcelain, you felt a tingling sensation course through your body. You raised your eyebrows, but mentioned nothing of this to your brother. From that day onwards, you would always bring the doll around with you as you went about with your life. You never really gave the doll a name because none of the names you had thought of seemed to fit him. As if by some invisible connection between you and the doll, you would be inexplicably anxious if you were away from him for too long, worried that something bad might have happened to him, like him being broken or missing. As such, you would handle him with much gentleness and care.

Your parents soon noticed the new "addition" to the family, and casually remarked one day during dinner that your brother had picked an interesting gift. Your friends marvelled at him, and joked that if he were real, he would make a rather handsome boyfriend. Meanwhile, your brother was thoroughly amused by how attached you were to the doll.

You would constantly wipe the doll with a slightly moist towel before wiping again with a dry towel to make sure he was clean. You tried to search for other doll clothes that would fit him, so that he wouldn't always have to wear the same shirt with flower patterns and khaki shorts. You would also share with him more about the lessons you went for, your classmates, friends and family members, the things you enjoy doing, as well as other aspects of your life. It felt as if he was a close friend you could trust, even if he's a silent one at that.