It's been almost a full year since the last time Ricardo received a phone call like this. At an odd hour of the morning, from an unfamiliar voice. Making him an offer he doesn't think he can refuse- but he knows, on some level, that he has to. Especially when he looks over at Alicia, when he touches his son's face. When he reads news reports of the months to come. He breathes in deeply, rubs his eyes, and nods vacantly when the voice tells him to take some time, think about it, and let them know in a few days.
He's quiet that day, lost in thought, and Alicia notices. Sofia frets over him. He hates himself, a little, for feeling this way- he has a beautiful home, a wonderful little boy, the most incredible partner, and he's doing some wrestling dates again- Texas soon, more in California, but... it's just not enough. He wants... he wants to travel, he wants to see more of the world, he... he...
He needs to tell Alicia. So that night, he watches her get ready for bed, fussing with her hair, cleaning off her makeup, changing into a tank top and some shorts, before crawling into bed next to him. It's humid, and the air quality is poor because of nearby wildfires, but they're unfortunately used to it by now, so she leans in, kisses him, tangles her fingers in his hair. "Hey," he whispers into her lips.
She beams. "Hey." They kiss for awhile longer, slow, gentle presses of their lips, when he wraps an arm around her and drags her into his lap, content jut to hold her for a few moments. "Ricardo?" she breathes into his skin.
"I need to tell you something," he murmurs.
"Ok," she says, pulling back just enough to look at him. "Is this because of that weird phone call you received a couple days ago?" She searches his face, exhaling. "I heard the phone go off around 5 AM. I didn't listen in, but you've been distracted and tense ever since, so I just put two and two together."
"It's an offer to go train some kids at a wrestling school. In Egypt. And Spain." He waits for her to lose it, to pull away, yell at him for even considering it, for daring to yearn for it. This doesn't happen, she continues to wait patiently, watching him. "I... I want to go, but I don't want to leave you and Andre right now."
She hums. She drapes her arms over his shoulders and leans into him, resting her forehead against his. "I love you," she tells him softly. "I am in love with you, so intensely that it makes me feel like I could fly. When I look at Andre, I see so much of you in him. He's smart, and he's gentle, and he already has so much personality that it makes me ache to think of the incredible person our child is going to grow up to be." She kisses him, slow, and tender, and when he groans, she deepens the kiss, tastes him with careful swipes of her tongue, and he gasps, gripping her hips.
"Al- Alicia," he rasps out.
"I adore you. You've been so careful, and so determined to keep us all safe during the pandemic," she tells him, shifting to straddle him. "Yeah, things are still kind of worrisome out there, and Sofia and I will continue to be careful, but..." She leans in, she kisses him again, and this time, she moves her body in time with the soft motion of her tongue, and he whines into her, moving to meet her halfway, and she gasps into his mouth. "I want you to go, I want you to achieve all of your dreams. I want... I want you to be happy."
Next thing she registers, she's flat on the bed, and he's hovering over her, hands trailing over her sunkissed skin with one hand, brushing her hair out of her eyes with the other, and just watching her tenderly. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he tells her, watching as she gasps and arches up into his touch, Ricardo's lips trailing down her throat, nipping at her collarbone as he eases lower, enjoying her muffled, desperate response to each movement he makes.
She whines and grips the pillow so tight that her knuckles turn white as he kisses down her body, barely hindered by her sleep clothes to touch and taste and breathe in every inch of her. "Ri- Ricardo- you, you- OH. Oh my god..."
He smirks at that sound, looking up at her and enjoying the flush creeping over her shoulders, along her chest, as she stares down at him, eyes fluttering and lips parting as she gasps for air raggedly. "Yes, Foxy?" he asks and she groans out a barely sensible plea, a shiver creeping down her spine that Ricardo feels intensely as he hums and leans back in, taking his time in his explorations, wanting to hear every sound she can possibly make as he whispers his adoration for her against her skin, pleading for her to remember this, for this to tide her over the next time they're apart.
He creeps back up her body as she sinks into the pillows, body still wracked with shivers. She reaches out for him, however, and cards her trembling fingers through his hair. "I love you," she breathes.
He nods, murmurs, "I love you too." They stare at each other for a long, quiet moment, and he sighs. "I want to go to Egypt and Spain."
She smiles sadly up at him. "I know. I know, honey." She sighs, sitting up slowly as parts of her body come back online. "I want you to."
He watches her. "You really do, don't you?"
"I wasn't lying when I said I want you happy," she informs him. Before he can respond, she wraps her arms back around him and settles in his lap, swallowing his gasp. "That's all I've ever wanted for you."
She's warm and she's the most gorgeous thing he's ever seen, and he isn't sure what he ever did to deserve any of this. Shifting his hands over her back, he holds her close and follows her lead, and for once, he doesn't bother questioning it.