Living with Hope ✓ [ boyxboy ] [ Completed ]

26 | JUST ENEMIES

A/N : This is the chapter you've been waiting for. Stay till the end, please.

26 | JUST ENEMIES

I realise Ivan's boyfriend isn't fake, but fiction, and what happens after if stranger than fanfiction

Lex Hope

Ivan F. Petrov. The F actually stands for Fedorovich (Russian for Son of Fedor) which is probably why Ivan never writes his middle name anywhere. But before I knew that, I simply made up full forms for the initial.

Ivan F. Petrov.

Ivan Famished Petrov. (This was after he'd come home and literally gobbled up my mom's food. That was the happiest thing that had happened in her life, it looked like.)

Ivan Fast-and-furious Petrov. Because when I was younger, to me, he was made of legendary material while all of us were made of normal boring material. He was wild on court. Fierce and unstoppable. Plus, I had the biggest crush on Vin Diesel.

Ivan Fucking Petrov. My favourite. Like Phoebe Fucking Bridgers. It had a ring to it. And every time I thought of him, my head would go Ivan Fucking Petrov. And regardless of whether I was happy, angry or just generally disenchanted with life, it always sounded right.

But right now, it's Ivan Falling Petrov. And, I'll admit it : Ivan Fall-for-me-not-the-ground Petrov. But that will never happen. Not with that goddamned Dorian Gray of a boyfriend he's so caught up with.

Not right now, Lex, I tell myself. Ivan's falling. And if you want to do anything with him, you're gonna have to save him first.

Then the world blurs out and all I can see is Ivan. Ivan Full-focussed Petrov. My legs shoot up like lightning and I run like my life depends on it and not his.

At that height, he looks like a mighty fallen angel - descending to earth with grace. Some loose hair escapes from his ponytail and frames the sides of his face. His body looks like it's made of feathers, his arms extended to break his fall. The stadium lights seem to flicker off him and all I can see is his glorious body freefalling with a charm that only I could see. A beautiful disaster, but beautiful nonetheless.

I extend my arms and Ivan falls right onto them. My elbows bend to cushion his fall - his knees curve over my right arm while my left hand secures his neck. His eyes are closed and for a moment, I think the worst happened. I croon my neck to hear if he's still breathing. heart rate

But he opens his eyes like a baby awakening from deep slumber. His eyes are wide like he's in disbelief.

"Heaven, and you still won't leave me alone, Hope,"he says

I exhale with relief and my heart picks up a slower rhythm. "I told you, I've always got your back." I pause and take a look at him. "Literally."

He laughs, then looks around. Everyone is staring at us. His laughter changes into a look of fear and I realise : we're Lex and Ivan. Falcon and Wildcat. Rivals on court, rivals outside. And while we took a free pass on the last part, we can't let our friendship (if that's what we had) play a role during matches.

I can imagine the school newsletter headlines: Falcon captain carries Wildcat skipper bridal style, saves him from falling.

Then I think of all the girls who'll start writing ship-names for the two of us and post them online, like we'd be the next Larry Stylinson.

"Down?" I ask him. He nods and I place his feet on the ground.

"Woah," he says as his legs stumble, losing balance.