Never That Easy by xerricara (R)

[krisherdown.livejournal.com]

Fandom: MEN'S PROFESSIONAL TENNIS RPS
Pairings: Marcel Granollers/Nicolas Almagro; David Ferrer/Tommy Robredo, Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco and hints of Lopez/Verdasco/Ferrer and Granollers/Robredo
Length: ~ 3500 words
Author on LJ: xerricara
Author Website: ximpleta on AO3
Why this must be read: One thing that you discover as you go further into this fandom is that certain writers are gravitated toward writing certain players.  The player that is your favorite doesn't always correspond with the player that you like to write or read.   I personally like reading stories involving the less popular pairings because it's less formed as to the dynamic.  One writer can basically set the characterization if they believe enough in who they're writing.

I admit I knew very little about Marcel Granollers and Nicolas Almagro before encountering this author but don't let that keep you from reading.  This fic is so good precisely because these are obscure players and it'd be a pity to miss it.  The more popular members of the Spanish Armada (the other four listed in the pairings) put a plan in motion to give Marcel what he's always wanted but Nicolas can sense this is not going to end well.  There are two earlier fics Champagne and Nakedness and No Real Emotion which go into more detail into the Marcel/Nico "relationship" but the heartbreak comes through this all on its own.

… he found himself in Bloomingdales on a Wednesday morning. He might be rubbish at clothes, but even he had heard of Bloomingdales. He'd also had the forethought to bring moral support – well, if 'moral' was a word you could use in reference to Nico. (He thought it probably wasn't, not after the other night, but 'immoral support' didn't have quite the same ring. And to be honest, he preferred not to think about it too much. It was easier that way.) Nico had actually been pretty useful. He'd fended off the pushy personal shoppers who obviously saw Marcel as someone in dire need of extensive assistance; shepherding Marcel away from their advances and cutting off his stammered apologies with a charming smile and an urbane denial. He'd also not objected to being a packhorse as Marcel had handed him shirt after shirt, simply following along behind pointing out other suitable candidates. Marcel had been so busy picking up clothing and either putting it back on the rack (really, there was no way he could wear that) or adding it to the pile that was threatening to suffocate Nico that he didn't notice the shopgirls' rueful discussion of the two cute Spanish guys who were clearly doing it. (This was probably a good thing, he was flustered enough as it was.)

Never That Easy