Where We Are

Lightly turning over onto his side, Iker quirked a sleepy smile, his dark eyes settling on Maia who was curled up at his side, her soft and even breaths reverberating in the quiet bedroom. It was a welcome feeling, after six weeks of sleeping alone, the idea that Maia’s body was curled up merely inches from his own was a welcome one, and he wanted to enjoy the feeling for a few seconds, even if he knew that it was only a matter of time before Ella or Charlie started to stir. He wanted to take a few moments to appreciate the beautiful woman who was sound asleep at his side.

A few days had passed, after Maia’s arrival in Florence, a little under a week had passed, and whilst she still seemed a little uncertain of her surroundings, she was starting to settle into things slightly, something which relieved the goalkeeper. He knew that it was a big change, the idea that their home was no longer in Portugal was a large adaptation for Maia in particular to make, but he was pleased that she was made little steps forwards, even if she still didn’t seem one hundred percent like herself. The last thing he wanted was for her to change her mind about coming with him.

Blinking a couple of times, he attempted to wake himself a little more before he pushed himself up slightly, allowing him to press a soft kiss to the top of Maia’s head before he stood up. Maia, who was still asleep, let out a small snuffle at the feel of the kiss, but didn’t wake up, something which made Iker shake his head before the sound of Charlie’s snuffles reached his ear, pulling his attention over towards the crib which was set up a little away from the bed.

Making sure that Maia hadn’t been disturbed, he quietly padded over towards the crib before he lifted Charlie up into his arms, greeting the little boy with a soft smile. “Don’t tell your mama this” he murmured as he settled the baby down into his arms “But a small part of me has missed getting up early with you, Charlie” he added quietly.

Charlie grumbled for a few seconds, a frown on his face, before he settled down, something which made Iker smile before he leant down, pressing a soft kiss against the top of his head. “Come on” he mumbled “We should get you downstairs before you start to really cry. We both know how your mama reacts to having her beauty sleep disturbed” he teased as he lifted Charlie’s blanket out of the crib, tossing it over his shoulder. Charlie let out another small grumble, but didn’t cry, instead opting to snuggle a little closer to Iker, looking for the comfort of his heartbeat.

Iker smiled fondly, wordlessly fussing about how much he had missed the baby, before he padded out of the room quietly, not wanting to disturb Maia who was still happily curled up against her pillow.

~#~
Letting out a soft groan, Maia turned over onto her stomach, her blue eyes looking towards the alarm clock which sat on the end table. She knew that she had slept in, the fact that she hadn’t been disturb by Charlie’s cries told her that Iker had gotten out of bed a while ago, and a part of her was grateful for the lay-in, even if she had told Iker more than once that she didn’t mind getting up early. It’d been a while since she had had the opportunity to sleep in without being awoken by the newborn’s cries.

Checking the time, she pushed a hand back through her hair before she sat up slightly, trying to wake herself up a little more.

“Look who’s awake”

Maia, who’d been attempting to straighten out her hair, roll her eyes at the chipper tone of Iker’s voice before she lifted her head, looking at where he stood in the doorway. “You’re very chipper” she mumbled.

Iker spared a small laugh before he shook his head, moving to sit down on the side of the bed. “I was just about to wake you” he noted.

“You were?” Maia posed, stretching her arms up above her head.

Iker nodded. “I’ve got to get going pretty soon” he noted “And I figured I should give you a little time to wake up before I did. Ella and Charlie are downstairs and I thought you’d like to join us for breakfast. What do you say?” he asked, offering her a boyish smile.

Maia lifted an eyebrow. “You cooked?” she posed, her voice more than a little surprised.

Iker laughed. “I’ve been known to cook every now and again” he played along.

Maia snorted. “You’ve almost set fire to my kitchen before” she pointed out.

Iker rolled his eyes playfully before he offered his hand out towards her. “Are you going to join me for breakfast or not?” he noted, his voice laced with false frustration.

Maia let out a small giggle before she placed her hand in his, allowing him to slot their fingers together before he helped her up to feet, guiding her out of the bedroom and down towards the kitchen. Maia followed after him, keeping up with his steps, before she stepped away from him, moving to greet both Charlie and Ella with a soft kiss on the forehead.

Iker, who’d padded over towards the kitchen counter, watched Maia with their children briefly before he ducked his head, smiling softly to himself. He knew that it wasn’t going to be simple, the fact that Maia hadn’t quite been herself since she had arrived confided it, but still he was glad that she, and their children, had arrived. It had been quiet, without Maia or the children around, the last six weeks had been a lot quieter than he was used to, and he was glad that the noise was back. He had missed it when they’d been apart.

“What are you smiling at?”

Iker, who’d been quietly smiling to himself, lifted his head at the sound of Maia’s voice before he offered her a nonchalant shrug. “I thought you liked my smile?” he quipped.

Maia’s cheeks warmed a little. “You know I do” she mused “I was just wondering what you’re grinning at. You seem to be doing it a lot recently” she added, shyly tucking a few loose hairs behind her ear.

Iker admired her familiar nervous tell before he stepped towards the table, settling a plate of food down ahead of her before he pressed a light kiss against her cheek. “I’m happy” he murmured as he made his way towards his seat “I know that we spoke a lot via video chat, but you being here...it’s different and it’s a kind of different that I am enjoying” he added, offering her another soft smile.

Maia spared him a soft look, admiring his grin briefly, before she lifted his hand to her lips, allowing her to press a soft kiss against the back of it. “I’m happy to be here” she mused.

“You are?” Iker posed.

Maia hesitated fractionally, but nodded, offering him a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I am” she confirmed “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I think I am a lot happier when you’re around” she added.

Iker looked at her, not missing how off her smile seemed, before he squeezed her hand. He knew that it would take time, living in Italy was a lot different to visiting for a few weeks as she had done before, but he hoped that she warmed to it quickly. It wasn’t going to change, for the foreseeable future, his future lied in Italy, and he hoped that Maia’s did too. He hated the idea of things between the two of them stumbling or worse, falling apart entirely.