#vrsaljko imagine

[hoe-for-vrsaljkoo]

Jealous Šime

pairing: Šime Vrsaljko x reader genre: fluff, cuteness, possessiveness  lenght: short (301 words) warnings: none

-He actually doesn’t get jealous easily bc he trusts you and knows you have a lot of guy friends that are just that

-in fact, there’s a lot of girls from his childhood he’s close to so both of you are very trustful in the relationship

-Šime is not the kind of boyfriend to get angry when he’s jealous

-he’s more of an overly clingy/annoying type

-when you talk to/ pay too much attention to an attractive man he doesn’t know

-he usually does a little something to get your attention back

-kissing ur cheek

-holding ur hand

-if that doesn’t do it, then he gently places a hand on your lower back before bringing it down to your ass giving it a light squeeze

-leaning down to whisper a quiet “mine” in your ear and then kissing your jaw

-if he saw he was annoying you though he’d stop

-but you never really minded, it was actually kind of cute and you were grateful when it was creepy guys hitting on you

-even though he wouldn’t show it very much, when Šime was jealous, it would stay in the back of his mind for a long time bc he’d get scared at the thought of you falling in love with someone else

-so when the two of you were alone after

-he’d get really possessive

-wanting to let you know that you’re his and his only

-hickeys

-lots of hickeys

-making sure he satisfies you all the way and then some

-reminding you who you belong to by grabbing, kissing, biting and just appreciating every inch of your body

-compliments all the time

- always reminding you of how beautiful you are and how lucky he is to have you

-random I love yous

[mariomandzos]

Croatia NT x Hobbies

- domo would like roller blading. sometimes you would see him roller blading down the corridors screaming with knee and elbow pads

- zlatko would strap a bright pink helmet onto him every time. imagine his blond hair crammed into a helmet tho

- mario loves a bit of gardening. in his spare time he plants flowers and stuff but he mainly likes to plant vegetables

- he can spend hours making the garden look pretty in the summer

- he shows up to training with homemade vegetable soup in a massive flask to hand out to the boys

- they all ended up lining up bc it was so good

- šime likes to experiment with coffee and different combinations. around your house there are all sorts of coffee making equipment and it always smells like coffee in the mornings

- in the evenings luka sits down at the kitchen table before dinner with ema and ivano to do some colouring. he does those adult colouring books and always makes them really colourful

- krama does creative writing and publishes crime fiction under a pen name

- imagine him sat there on the sofa with his hipster glasses, a scarf and a turtleneck writing a new short story. the concentration in his face tho

- dejan swims for leisure naked. that time šime caught him and jumped into the pool fully clothed, screeching at the rest of the nt to come in

- he usually swims alone bc it relaxes him but loves it when you join him skinny dipping at open air pools in the summer

- livi likes photography. he has a secret Insta account where he showcases his street photography. he loves to take you on exotic holidays and take photos of you 

- ante has practiced mixed martial arts for years. he teaches karate to children on saturdays and is the chillest, funniest instructor you could imagine

- he gets little gifts from the kids on his birthday and it made him tear up

- marko and marko are massive fans of box sets. they always room together, so they get watch shows like downton abbey, sherlock, got, westworld

- they’re always having in depth conversations about them during breaks and the whole team jokingly tease them

- raketa has started getting piano lessons and blushes softly when he plays the wrong note. he tries to serenade you with romantic songs, like at that party, but the boys only wanted him to play mojo domovina so they could sing along

[zlaelic]

You and Šime fooling around

This one is longer than I thought it would be 🙈 but here it goes, an imagine with Šime Vrsaljko:

- you're a big fan of his of course but somehow the first time you've met him it was sudden and all of you were drunk and he was presented to you like just one of the guys your friend spends time with

- "so yeah we were thinking of kind of getting together tonight and just drinking, me and my childhood buddies from Zadar, if you like you can come. They're all totally crazy, you would have a great time" your college/work friend said

- your totally male friend

- everyone just assumes the two of you are together

- so it all sums up with you being very casual and easy going with Šime even though you would be far from 'cool' with your favourite player in any other circumstances

- you drinking a lot before even coming to that apartment a being tipsy when meeting him

- him being wasted too

- it's not long before karaoke starts

- no one can decide which one of you two has worse voice but it doesn't stop you from screaming you lungs out to the trahiest Croatian songs Šime can find on YouTube

- like how did you even get here what are you doing it's all a blur but you wanted someone as energetic and fucking crazy as Šime in your life for a long time

- sitting around the table playing poker

- you have no idea how playing poker even goes but you get a feeling that Šime and two other guys don't understand it very well either and it's comfortable and fun just randomly throwing cards on the table and it's really more about the guys telling funny stories from their childhood than actually playing poker

- talking about first dates and kisses

- you got your silly stories to tell too, and they're all laughing their asses off cuz it's not everyday they meet someone with such little luck with love life

- Šime crying of laughter and playfully mocking you

- you're sitting next to each other at the table and when the rest of the guys start discussing some weird golf rules he asks you about your home town and family, and you find out a lot about his family too

- you guys are close and you realise he smells really really nice

- not that generic cologne that most men use but very fresh and flowery almost

- and it fits him somehow

- he zones out at one moment and you just know that he's thinking the most random thoughts, you think it's not only the alcohol he's all over the place always

- such a puppy, he's unstoppable in his enthusiasm

- "wanna play Nintendo Wii"

- of course you wanna, and for some reason you do it with sunglasses on because he says it's "harder and more fun" if you don't see where you're going

- later chilling on the couch with some fluffy animal toy and he puts his hand around you saying it's time for selfieesss

- you can't believe Šime Vrsaljko is basically hugging you and his cheek is touching your hair and you can see yourself blush on the screen of his phone

- "mmm you smell nice" he says killing you instantly

- he takes a few more sniffs of your hair

- " how bout a video" he asks and you absolutely don't want to end up on his story or anywhere public and you don't want to risk it so you say no even though you want a memory

- "next time maybe" he looks at you pouting adorably and then bumps your cheek with his hair

- someone says how it's getting late and how they should go, you're sad because it's probably the last time you two are going to be this comfortable

- I mean you might get invited to some games, because you obviously have a card up your sleeve, you know his childhood friend but it's hardly likely you're going to be his drinking buddy

- you ask for his autograph and he's joking how he should ask for yours instead (you did destroy him completely in Wii) and you meant for him to autograph a paper or something but he's written his name on your shirt before you even realise what's happening

- right there on your left boob of your favourite shirt in the most hideous handwriting it says Š I M E and what do you even say to that

- he hugs you goodbye and lifts you up a bit and his nose is burried in your neck and his hands hold you so tightly that you feel him everywhere

- it's been a few weeks and you still can't believe what has happened and when you see that he's playing a game that night you start watching

- he's doing amazing and you can't help yourself but congratulate him over texts

- you did not expect him to answer with a video call

- he's shirtless and full of adrenaline and he's asking when are the two of you gonna celebrate again

- you're completely out of your element and nervous and taken aback by his energetic act, and you just mumble something about being free whenever

- he says "I'm taking your word for it" with a huge smile and says he has to go

- you're kind of confused and he doesn't contact you for a week

- one day you're coming home and it's your friend and Šime there sitting at your table

- they're ready for zip lining

- the adrenaline is addicting and he's coming once a month to see you and do some new crazy shit together, soon you don't even mention the friend and he's not even pretending that he's not there just to spend time with you

- he flew you in to Madrid for your birthday and he takes you sightseeing

- he has to camouflage a bit since he is actually famous and goddammit if he has to wear a hat it's going to be the ugliest hat he can find and if he has to wear glasses it's gonna be the most hipster pair, you can't stop laughing every time you look at him and he loves it

- he books a room for you at the hotel and it almost feels like an affair but you two barely touched since that hug when you first met and he keeps calling you "his bestie" in the most white girl voice possible

- also you two talk about everything but he never mentions his wife, at this point you're afraid to ask

- he comes to you at 11 pm and he has weed cookies

- you're in a bit of a shock "can you really do this, as a professional footballer and all??"

- "it's only for special occasions" he says with a mischievous smirk looking down on you sitting on the bed

- he takes one in his hand and starts feeding you

- you look him in the eyes while taking a bite and for a moment you feel his fingers on your lips

- it tastes truly awful but he takes the rest of the cookie and puts it all in his mouth and you reach for anorher one from the box he carried it in

- you end up watching 'football funny moments' on YouTube and Šime is roasting everyone, but most of all Dejan, and he's doing it all with his 'live' voice

- everything he does you find hilarious

- you can't imagine a better night

- you're sitting on the floor next to each other with your backs to the bed

- you commenting which football player is the best looking and him getting salty

- "he has this manly aura around him, Šime. It's one of a kind"

- "I'm one of kind! Am I not manly? "

- things are still playful but his hand is suddenly on your thigh and he's rotating his back towards you

- "you're mustache is" but it's comes out as more of a compliment than a playful jab

- he's getting closer and even though he's usually the epitome of energetic and quick his lips are so gentle, and the kiss itself is slow

- the kiss is incredibly wet and with everyone else it might be called a sloppy one but he makes it work so well

- he's a thorough and patient kisser

- he's firm and knows where he's going so when you feel a hand moving from your thigh and gently nudging you to lie down you do it immediately

- it's heavenly feeling his body on yours even though the floor is uncomfortable

- you ask to move to the bed and you don't even stop to think how it might sound

- Šime's obviously content to just leave it on a make out session and you are too

- his hands wander, his leg is between yours and you tangle your hands in a mess that's his hair

- maybe he set himself some boundaries that he won't cross and eventhough after almost half an hour of wet sloppy passionate kisses you can feel his firmness, he's set on leaving all the clothes on, both yours and his

- when you get tired Šime rolls off, pulls you into a hug and plays with your hair

- I make mean hairdos, ask Vida

- he loves when I braid his hair

- and you can't tell if he's joking or not

- you think it will be wierd tomorrow but somehow if isn't

- friendly banter is there like nothing happened yesterday

- Šime's asking what you want to do

- maybe some football lessons?

- he's actually a good teacher but never fails to make fun of you

- "maybe you can try the goalkeeper position, eh? No elaborate footwork needed"

- he gives you a peck on the lips when getting you on an airplane home but other than that you don't talk about that night

- continuing to be bffffs who occasionally kiss when alone and wasted

- Šime making you live your best life and always being a phone call away

[winters-chiid]

Yo, guys what kind of fic do you want for the pirate theme? Long in multiple parts (im down to write a whole story for all i care) or short one post storyish type? For it to be a bit more complex or just sth simple? Šime x another player (and if so, which?) or him x reader? Clean type or smut included? I need some info hmu

@zadarskabagudina (heLP me decide idk what you guys would like more)

[longeyelashedtragedy]

for the writing ask game... this was SO HARD and i've picked too many!!!

23, or if not applicable, 12, or if not applicable, 13…

36

37 (&. maybe 38)

40, and 41 if you like

whichever of 45 and 46 you feel more comfortable answering/think is more interesting

thank you for sending me all these questions omg!

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to? i think i'd love to write some real historical fiction AU, like one that i actually do some research for. or, some sort of mindfucky thing where i really play with people's conception of how a story should be told (in the style of my fav author, julio cortázar), but i'm not a good enough writer for either of these LOL

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you? i'll do this as a bonus because yes! i used to be really eye-rolly about found family but dangerous au will have some of these elements and it's so soothing. of course, in my case my found family is 'violent and suddenly orphaned mafia boys'--something that i tend to not like about the trope is how uwu it can be lol.

36. Do you visualize what you read/write? very much, though mostly what i write and not what i read. i often see things playing out very cinematically when i'm planning a story--my head zooms out kinda and i can see everything from so many angles. however i have some big visual-spatial deficits so the stuff i imagine is kind of floating in my head instead of in a particular imagined space? hard to explain 😂

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it? ok so like my deepest cut that i think is one of my best things is a super niche football/crossover AU written in the style of the 'what we do in the shadows' movie and i'm always hesitant to recommend it lol but in terms of more normal things...

this is a deep cut because it's a rare"pair" but this movren/granit threesome i wrote last year, A Team This Good, i'm just really proud of. it was the first time i ever wrote granit actually and i just think i really pulled off all the dialogue and constantly shifting power balances and honestly it's just really hot and managed to have a sweet ending too? i'm really proud of it hahaha

40. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person? oh, i def reread. mostly because i'm pretty picky about what i like, deep down, so i wind up just rereading that stuff. currently on heavy reread rotation is the "ice ice baby" series 🫣 --i am a frequent rereader of your stuff too ESPECIALLY the granit/aaron tho i am biased there

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

need you by loveleah (sergio ramos/luka modrić, this is old at this point but this fic is my ride or die, it changed my life 4 real)

gulls in the sky by Deinde (erling haaland/martin ødegaard, part of the 'ice ice baby' series, i'm just so impressed by how like disciplined and professional this fic is and by how much it manages to do)

i guess any thrill will do by juskisa (old fic where dries mertens has a gangbang with the entire napoli squad--this is really explicit but such porn goals)

save me from myself (dejan lovren/šime vrsaljko)

if moscow is forever, where's your home sweet home? (luka modrić. & ivan rakitić, this is an example of like, fics that fuck with your expectations that i wish i could write!)

last but not least: in praise of limestone (not kidding!!!)

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic? dialogue--at least i think so, or hope so! and writing more efficiently, throwing less clunky backstory into places that don't need it, inserting my own voice into it less. i hope. though i feel like my writing has actually gotten worse, i don't know how true that is!

legit thank you SO much for sending all these questions you made my day!

questions for fic writers

[croatian-nt]

Mafia au-Part one

Summary: When an unassuming artist saves a man’s life at the shooting at the gallery, he ends up in the midde of the war between two mafias and as he gets dragged deeper into the whole thing, he soon learns the line between the sides and right and wrong blur more than he expected.

Pairings: Dominik Livaković/Bruno Petković, Luka Modrić/Šime Vrsaljko mentioned

Word Count: 1832

Warnings: knife throwing, I guess death? Only in a dream tho, blood, (ya know what, just be prepared for violence in general in this fic), making out

Notes: Finally, a mafia au is here! I am really excited about this and I hope y’all like it. Also, if you didn’t see my previous posts about this, there are three aesthetics with more info about this on my blog. Anyways, I hope y’all like it

The day wasn't warm to begin with, but the cold, February wind chilled to the bone. It wasn't stopped by the high fence that prevented outsiders to see the inside of the training field.

 And yet, Livi's palms were sweating, and he was gripping the knife in his hand way too forcefully. He wondered if he could snap it in half if he gripped it tighter.

 "Livi. Breathe. And just throw the knife. I can catch it," Luka said nonchalantly, as if it was such an easy thing to do.

 It wasn't that Livi didn't know how to throw a knife. He was taught how to handle both knives and guns since he was a child. Throwing a knife with the intention of it ending in someone's skull well...that was a different story.

 "Unless you'd prefer we exchange places this second, I recommend you throw that knife. Now." 

 With a deep breath, Livi closed his eyes and let the instinct of habit take over. Lovre's advice came back to him, as clearly as the day he said them.

 It doesn't matter who or what you are throwing the knife at. It's important how you throw it." 

 Lovre wrapped his hand around Livi's raising it so it was in height of Livi's head.

 "You should know how much force to use by the heaviness of the knife."

 Livi concentrated on the cold feel of the handle, of how it's weight felt in his hand.

 "Then you focus on the target-imagine it as a red dot."

 Red dot. No skin, no bones, no piercing brown eyes. Just the red dot.

 And...throw it."

 The knife flew through the air, and for a second, it was as if the time slowed. 

 He watched as the knife cut straight through the air to towards his target. Livi was suddenly filled with dread-straight throw with a deadly accuracy. He should have threw the knife with a spin. 

 It happened in a split second-Luka's hands moved impossibly fast-and he stopped the knife between his palms.

 Livi relased a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

 Luka lowered the knife, and caught Livi's gaze again, evaluating him. It was unnerving, especially since Livi has known him for two years now. At first, he hoped it was a thing that will pass and that Luka will stop looking at him as if he is trying to figure out all of his secrets and weaknesses.

 Then again, better Luka than Dalić.

 "Good throw. Now you only need to learn to catch it that way as well."

 Livi's face twisted and he resisted the urge to bite at his nails.

 "I just learned how to catch a knife by the handle. I am not sure if-"

 "But that only works if the knife is thrown with a spin doesn't it? And if your first instinct was to throw it straight then...we both know Lovre won't do it any other way either."

 Livi never failed to flinch at Lovre's or Suba's name being brought up. It was a bad habit. and he didn't failt to notice the way Luka's eyes traced the small motion, as if he was testing him to see if he would still have the same reaction.

 Thankfully, Šime came to distract Luka and end his misery for the day. Or at least Livi hoped so.

 "While I am sure you are having fun torturing a baby of the team-"

 "I am not even the youngest one here!" Livi protested.

 Šime shot him an amused smile, but otherwise ignored him.

 "You are going to be late to an important thing that I cannot talk about."

 Luka rolled his eyes.

 "You weren't even supposed to know about it. But yes, I am coming. Just let me put the knives away."

 "I am sure Livi can take care of that. I wanted a minute to talk to you."

 Šime smirked, gently tracing the scar on Luka's exposed shoulder. Luka shivered and Livi quickly looked away, clearing his throat.

 Luka instantly stepped away from Šime and Livi could swear he was blushing. It was almost fascinating how easily Šime could melt away Luka's cold calculation that he seemed to otherwise have at all times.

 Well. Almost at all times. There was one moment in particular that Livi remembered, when Luka showed and said more than he wanted.

 It was few days after Livi defected and was trying to get used to the news environment. The memory came to him easily, despite being painful. He went through those memories often, scared they will fade and that he will slowly forget how he ended up here in the first place. Why he ended up here in the first place.

 It's not anybody was cruel to him after he joined them. Quite the opposite. And even Modrić-or Luka as he was told to call him-came to talk to him at one point. 

 "I know you were close with Subašić before you joined us. If you already had to trade your life from someone else's, at least you did it for someone who deserved it."

 Livi raised his head, studying him. Despite the fact that Livi was sitting, Luka still seemed quite short compared to him. And yet, there was something about him that just screamed "dangerous" from all the angles.

 "Is this your way of saying he is a good man?"

 Luka chucked, shaking his head. 

 "None of us would be in this kind of business, especially not that high up, if we were good men. No, Suba isn't the good man,"

 Luka paused, locking his eyes on Livi's, peering into his soul, in a way. 

 "But he is a loyal one. So, if you already had to take a fall for being loyal, at least you did it for someone who would do the same for you."

 Livi's eyes stinged, and he looked away. This just reminded him that he will never see Suba again. Or if he will, he won't see him as a man who raised him. He will be the enemy.

 "I used to be close to him as well," Luka continued, grabbing Livi's attention again.

 "What happened?"

 Luka smiled and Livi was reminded of an wounded animal, baring it's teeth in defense.

 "Unlike you, I didn't leave to protect his life. I did it to protect mine." 

 Livi didn't dare to ask any further questions, despite a hundred of them being on a tip of his tongue. 

 That night, his dream involved him holding a gun, with his finger on a trigger. But it was Suba that he was aiming at, and while he knew he should pull the trigger, he stood there, frozen.

 The sound of the gunshot rang through his ears, but it didn't come from his gun. Livi turned his head and saw Luka holding a gun. He shot Livi a smile-it held no warmness and all terror before he spoke.

 "You will have to do a lot of things to protect yourself Livi. Better get used to it."

 Suba's blood was deep, dark red. It soaked through Livi's jeans as he fell to his knees, and stained his fingers. 

 When he woke up, he washed his hands and brushed his teeth several times, but the taste of cooper lingered. He didn't fall asleep again that night.

Livi blinked, realizing he missed one part of the conversation, and that Luka was putting his blazer on. He and Šime shared one more meaningful look Livi couldn't decipher and then Luka turned to him.

 "Clean the knives and out them away. We'll continue tomorrow."

 And with that and a salute from Šime, they were gone.

 Livi sighed, quickly gathering the knives and bringing them to the building. As he walked through the familiar hallway, Livi spent a few moments pondering over the irony of how beautiful and well lit the whole establishment was.

 When you imagined a place where mafia members frequented and had some of their weapons you would probably see a cold, dark place, far away from everything. Which is stupid, considering the fact that these things were usually hidden in plain sight.

 Livi reached the weaponry, and started cleaning the knives one by one, easily falling into the soothing habit.

 After a few minutes though, he heard the door open and quick, sure steps approach him. H knew who it was before the other man even opened his mouth.

 "I thought I'd find you here," Bruno said, looming above him.

 Livi put away the last knife and stood up, trying to minimize the height difference as much as possible. He knew, logically, that Bruno wouldn't hurt him, but a part of him wanted to be prepared and on equal footing in case something did happen.

 "What are you doing here?"

 Bruno smiled, lazily stretching his hand until it cupped Livi's face and stroked it with his thumb. Livi unconsciously leaned into it, fighting against his inner voice screaming that he shouldn't be doing this.

 "Can't I just drop by when I want to see my badass boyfriend?" Bruno whispered, brushing his lips against Livi's.

 Livi snorted, but chased after Bruno's lips for another kiss before answering.

 "Well, said boyfriend isn't complaining...but you could persuade me to not tell Luka you are snooping around."

 Bruno pulled him closer but left just a breath of space between their lips. Livi's heart was pounding, and Livi concentrated on that, rather than the voice in his head.

 You are leading him on. You don't even know which side you are loyal to anymore. How could you even-

"Well that can be arranged," Bruno said and kissed him, stopping Livi's thoughts from spiraling further.

 However, after a few moments Livi's phone pinged, signalling he got a message. Livi froze. It wasn't the sound of a message from the phone he used every day. It was from the old one that he kept in his bag and used only for...

 "What's wrong?"

 Livi ignored the question and Bruno's narrowed eyes as he opened his bag and fished out the phone. He had one unread message from unsaved number, but the one he recognized. And even if he didn't only one person contacted him through this phone.

 There is going to be a shooting at the gallery at the main square. You might want to warn Luka before it's too late.

Dread pooling in Livi's stomach and his mind raced. Why would Luka be at the gallery? What kind of shooting? How did Posavec know about this?

 And most importantly, if Livi was to warn Luka, how would he explain how he knew about it?

 Livi glanced back at Bruno, considering his options.

 You'll knew you had to choose, sooner or later. Your loyalties can't always be dancing on a line between them.

Livi made a decision. He just hoped it would be the right one. He turned back to Bruno.

 "I need your help with something. It's about Luka, and you can't tell anyone."

Taglist:

@lovren-la-vida-luka 

@morska-vjestica 

@hetapeep41

 @hvnedge

 @incelhugochavez

[fangirling-0]

That.is.wow

Do you write hcs or imagines? If you do could you do one about reader proposing to Lovren on the pitch please and thanks

Hey!! I could try (: sorry it’s taken me so long to get round to this!

No warnings needed as far as I know but sorry it’s ridiculously long!I left the identity of the woman ambiguous so you can decide who you want her to be, that seemed easier than upsetting anyone by using someone they dislike or the wife of someone they like a bit too much! (:

-You’re watching the team play but honestly, if anyone asked you, you couldn’t even tell them what the score was right now-All you can see is Dejan, you can’t take your eyes off him and your stomach is in knots-Suddenly you feel a hand on yours,  you turn to see a beautiful woman sitting next to you with a concerned look on her face. You recognised her as Dejan’s friend’s wife but at this moment you can barely remember your own name, never mind hers-”Y/N are you okay? You were shaking.”-”I’m fine, I’m just nervous. About the game.”-It’s not about the game. You both know that.-Your hand slips away from hers and finds its way to your handbag, you feel the little velvet box and inhale deeply-You’ve talked about this, you know deep down it’ll be fine but you’re getting more anxious by the second-You remember the time he put your first name with his last name and got excited over how cute he thought it sounded-And the time he thought you were asleep and kissed your head whispering “I can’t wait to marry you one day”-You’d even found a way to ask him how he felt about the woman proposing to the man, he liked the idea. So why were you so nervous?-You sigh again and the woman next to you turns to you, looking slightly more irritated than concerned this time.-”Are you going to tell me what’s going on here?!”-You position your bag so she can see the ring box. It takes her a few seconds then she squeals loudly, leaving you no choice but to shush her. -”You’re going to propose to Dejo?!” she whispers excitedly in your ear.-”Yes. Maybe. I think so. I think I might be making a mistake. What if he says no?What if it’s too public?”-At that, the whistle blows, the game is over and it’s a victory for Croatia-After some celebration and hugs and kisses between the players, you see Vida and a few others coming to collect their children and take them onto the field. -”Go now!!” urges the woman next to you, and without thinking about it, you obey-Before you know it, you’re on the field, very aware of cameras pointed at you and the eyes of at least half of the team on you-Vida runs over and hugs you, almost knocking you over. Usually you don’t mind but you want to look perfect for this moment, not covered in grass. You manage to escape and steady yourself, and he crashes to the ground alone, causing most of the other players to pile onto him-All of them in fact. Except Dejan.-”Draga, what are you doing?!” he laughs, picking you up. You instinctively wrap your legs around his waist and nuzzle his neck.-”I just wanted to see you,” you lie pitifully, and as he puts you down you both notice that everyone is looking at you. You silently curse the woman who’d sat next to you - she must have told them, or at least her other half, and now all eyes were on you.-Dejan’s brow furrows in confusion, and you walk over to the team and hand Sime your bag before taking the ring box from it and walking back towards the love of your life-You stop in front of him and slowly, shakily go down on one knee.-”Dejan Lovren. I loved you the moment I set eyes on you. Every day since then, I’ve fallen for you over and over, deeper each time, and I never want to lose that. You are my safe place, my peace, my best friend, the love of my life.” You open the box, showing a simple gold band. “Will you also be my husband?”-A tear runs down Dejan’s cheek, and for a second you wonder if you’ve made a mistake. -”Yes,” he says, in a voice barely more than a whisper. Then, louder, “YES! Of course I will.” -You stand up and he scoops you up in his arms, both of you laughing and crying at the same time. -Suddenly you’re both bowled to the ground, you look up expecting Vida, but it’s Mario. -Vida soon follows, then Luka, who lands directly on top of you, leaving you in no doubt that your light blue dress will now be a rather less fetching shade of green, but you don’t care. You hug and kiss the ones you can reach, and join in with the chorus of marice that’s coming from somewhere within the pile.-Eventually they all get up, and you panic-They knocked the ring box out of your hands-You feel a tap on your shoulder and turn around to find Sime-”Looking for this?” - he has the ring box in his hand, along with your bag.-You take your bag from him then take the ring to Dejan, who takes it and puts it onto his finger. -”Do you have one too?” he asks.-”No, I thought we could choose one together.”-He smiles, and you see in his eyes, not for the first time, how truly in love with you he is. He picks you up again and carries you off as you wave back to the boys, their yells of “Čestitamo” fading.

Again I’m sorry it was so long, I hope it was ok (:

[trossards]

pleaaaase make the post about the croatss because some people need to know this

I agree, so here we go …

After the Croatia - Argentina game a couple of Croatian players, namely Lovren and Vrsaljko, were singing “Bojna Čavoglava” in their locker room. Lovren filmed it and posted it on his social media. 

Bojna Čavoglava is a song from Marko Perković/Thompson (his stage name). Thompson is a Croat singer who has been promoting extreme nationalism and fascism in his music. His songs often contain references to war crimes and he has been accused of neo-nazism. Bojna Čavoglava starts with the lyrics “Za dom - spremni” (For the homeland - ready), which is an Ustasha salute. For those who don’t know, the Ustashe movement was a Croatian fascist, racist, nationalist and terrorist organisation, mainly during WWII. You can compare what they believed in and the crimes they commited to what the Nazis did during WWII. Thompson was even prohibited from performing in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, … because he glorifies the Ustashe regimes and their crimes against humanity during WWII in his music.

Thompson is a neo-nazi and he wrote Bojna Čavoglava in the 90s as a nationalist Croatian song. The lyrics of the song are about murdering Serbs during the war. The part Lovren and co. sang “Za dom braćo, za slobodu, borimo se mi.” (For our homeland brothers, for our freedom, we are fighting) sounds patriotic, but this is not about patriotism in any way. This is a fascist song from a fascist singer. Lovren also had to delete the video of them singing it because of the backlash he received from a lot of people who were disgusted by it. As I’ve read in a very interesting article: “Could you imagine German players in the locker room after a victory, singing extreme right-wing songs that mocked the victims of German concentration camps? Probably not. But it’s normal for Croatian players.“

People can do with this information what they want. I personally am shocked that this is the kind of music they listen to in their locker room. If there’s people coming up with excuses or defending them, it says a lot about them as well. To me, this is an extremely important topic that needs to be talked about.

[gvardiol]

Okay so you know how at games they zoom the camera on the audience? Could you make an šime hc. where the whole team is rewatching the England game and the camera zooms in on you, while Šime says your pretty and stuff and the WHOLE team starts searching for your name on instagram or something? Domo, dejan, Suba are like the captains of the whole searching thing. (I know it was kind of a long request and I hope you understand what I mean but yeahhhh)

yes I got it…hopefully

- so Dalic wanted the team to re-watch the England game so he could point out some mistakes

- but the second Sime saw you in the audience wearing the jersey he suddenly forgot why they were watching it in the first place

- he was staring at the screen like frozen and his mouth was slightly open until Domagoj nudged him “you okay?”

- “she’s gorgeous. and we need to find her.”

- Luka rolling his eyes in the background “I thought we were watching this for improvement”

- “love life improvement counts too”

- within a second half of the squad whipped out their phones and Suba even brought his laptop, the game already forgotten and everyone’s focus on the mysterious girl

- Sime was glowing until he realized it probably won’t be so easy to find a fan among thousands and what if she didn’t even have instagram???

- he started lowkey freaking out and Dejan squeezed his shoulder in reassurance and Sime grinned

- “should I make an instagram to help” - actual sunshine Vida

- Suba was searching the world cup hashtag on instagram while Dejan scrolled through the Croatia tag

- Sime was looking between those two and Domagoj went to get them something to drink

- imagine the excitement when Sime noticed you in one photo standing behind someone but you weren’t tagged or mentioned anywhere…

-  Luka peeked through the door to see why the sudden noise

- but after 15 minutes they realized it could take forever so Sime posted a screenshot of the pic you were in and asked the fandom for help

- you couldn’t believe your eyes when you got a message from actual Sime Vrsaljko

- “finally found you”

[surajit-das]

A STAR IS BORN

We all know that the sky remains always full of stars. The beauty of the sky never really decreases because of the stars. But when a star falls from the sky, then what happens? Yeah! I’m talking about the beautiful galaxy of football where stars like Iniesta, Buffon are taking retirement from international football. It’s very depressing to see these legends leaving us one by one like a ‘falling star’ but fear not, the future of football is in safe hands. A star has already been born and it’s time for him to shine, to show the galaxy what he can do and spread the magical aura of football all over the world.

The golden boy of France who outperformed many experienced players like Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Vrsaljko, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Marcos Rojo in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Yes, I’m talking about Kylian Mbappe, the Frenchman who gave a magnificent performance in the World Cup that nobody ever imagined. A classic vintage performance from starting of the competition that he even outperformed his own teammate, Antoine Griezmann.

His father, Wilfried Mbappe was a football coach and also his recent agent. Mother Fayza Lamari is a retired handball player. Now people will think that he came from a sports background so it’s easier for him to adopt the football culture. But since his childhood, he has been really passionate about football, not because of his parents but because of his passion towards this sport and because of his respect towards his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. Though his parents were from sports culture they weren’t as successful as Mbappe, they weren’t wealthy either. So Kylian had to struggle. His parents helped him a lot, but he had to overcome an unprivileged past. Not a devastating one, but definitely a poor one.

He was better than his teammates and sometimes overpowered them at AS Bondy where he started playing at the age of six when many of us used to argue and cry in front of our mothers on silly matters. He stayed there and nourished his talent until he became perfectly aged to join the Monegasque football club, AS Monaco. In Monaco, he played some high-level football that convinced the Qatari owners of Paris Saint Germain to pay €180 m to bring him back to Paris. Now what he’s showing in the French League is beyond the idea of many Ligue 1 defenders, and he’s becoming a nightmare for them. Previous year’s World Cup was very special for some people. For the people of Croatia, it was special because first time in the history they made it this far at a World Cup campaign. But for Kylian Mbappe it was a dream come true. Scoring against Argentina, showing the world what real speed is that Bale has lost in recent days, making experienced defenders uncomfortable and most monumentally winning the most prestigious trophy in the realm of football for the country at the mere age of 19. Something that some of the football’s best like Maldini, Eusebio, Johan Cruyff, Oliver Kahn only dreamt of.

Last year eminent players like Iniesta, Sneijder, Buffon, Ozil, Mascherano bid goodbye from international football and some top players are on the brink of retirement. But it’s too difficult to replace and find another Maldini, another Messi, another Ronaldo, another Totti or another Gigi Buffon. So the football world started a search for new stars who can take places of these legends. Some stunning young stars like Dembele, Sane, Dele Ali, Gabriel Jesus came forward to claim their places in the kingdom of football. But suddenly this guy comes from nowhere and proclaimed that he’s the true heir of the throne. Just two years back when Mbappe was revealed as a PSG player, a photo of a room become famous, that room from his childhood where he used to come every day after practice. It consists of a white wall was full of photos of his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo. It shocked the world that how much this boy is passionate for this sport and the respect that he has for the sport and his idol. Two years later, recently he managed to beat his own idol in the golden boot race. Imagine, it’s like a dream for all of us to beat our own idol in their own territory where once upon a time they were the best. When he put a stop on Lionel Messi’s world cup dream it was quite clear that a new star has entered the arena. The words of Neymar Jr. who has also been outperformed by this French boy is enough for this world to realize a true star is born and he came from nowhere, so he knows exactly the value to be at this stage.

“It’s obvious that he will become one of the greatest player of the football history”:- Neymar Jr.

[hoe-for-vrsaljkoo]

First Date

pairing: Šime Vrsaljko x reader genre: fluff lenght: short (411 words) warnings: none

-You and Šime met through mutual friends from Zadar

-you’ve been hanging around each other ever since

-he’s always nice and a little flirty but nothing more

-one day when you’re at the beach with friends and it’s just the two of you bc the others went swimming

-he asks you out of the blue what you’re doing later tonight

-it took him a while but he gathered the courage to ask you out

-you find it funny how he’s usually always confident but looks so shy right now

-and bc he got all shy and happy, his dimples started showing and it’s honestly the cutest

-later he comes to pick you up with his scooter

-going for dinner at a cute little seafood restaurant close to the water that one of Šime’s friends owns

-fighting over the bill and him telling you “you can pay over his dead body”

-going for a walk in the marina after dinner bc he loves boats for some reason

-you telling him how he actually kinda looks like a pirate

-“I would make a sexy pirate, wouldn’t I?”

-finally ending up by the sea organ where you both listen to the music played by the waves

-sitting down on the steps to watch the sunset with your head resting on his shoulder

-it looks cheesy, but it was one of the best feelings

-him resting his hand on your thigh and his head on yours

-“so why did you decide to only ask me out now, we’ve known each other for months”

-“Why not now?”

-Šime playing nije u šoldima sve on his phone

-him taking out the bottle of wine he had bought in a store close to the marina

-it’s not a real night out with Šime if alcoholic beverages aren’t involved

-forgetting about the glasses so you both drink from the bottle

-talking about everything and anything as he tries to make you laugh by doing his “live” voice

-dying of laughter bc you both are getting tipsy and Šime is being goofy as shit

-him grabbing your chin and finally kissing you while you’re in the middle of laughing at his joke

-resting your forehead on his when you guys break the kiss

-Šime kissing your cheek and pulling away to take a sip from the bottle and then handing it to you

-“we should do this more often”

-“tomorrow night?”

[mariomandzos]

Dejan as a Hot Teacher

- all the students love him

- he would be the most popular literature teacher

- he gets the most valentine’s day chocolates from students of all the teachers

- he has a bromance with the music teacher mr. vrsaljko and the students ship it

- the students waiting for him to start telling them stories about his life during lessons

- imagine him standing there in a tight light blue shirt and you can see the outline of his toned biceps through the material

- he's rolled the sleeves up as well

- his eyes would meet yours all the time across the classroom

- in the summer he takes the whole class outside and teaches in the fresh air

- everyone’s in love with his voice when he reads them romantic novels in class

- all the girls start smiling and blush when he reads the sexy parts

- people actually wanting to be in detention with him

- when you ask him to help you with your work he always leans in so close; you can feel his chest against your shoulder

- his hand brushing against yours while handing back essays and stuff

- he bought you lunch in the canteen once when you forgot your money

- his smile just brightens the room

[holy-n-evil]

could you write an imagine for being friends with the nt and falling in love with lovren and finally admitting it to vrsaljko and/or vida and they try to help get you two together (with zero tact and subtlety because you know what they’re like)

First request YAS!!!!Sorry it’s so long lol

• you met the team when Dalic asked you to help him be a part of the pr team and keep the boys in check

• that worked in their favour because they got a new friend to mess around with

• Sime, Dejan, Suba, Vida and you became the ultimate trouble making team

• but Dejo

• that boy made your heart pound furiously as soon as spoke to him for more than 20 seconds

• a couple of days went by and you started feeling something, but brushed it off because, honestly, you were confused

• it got worse when you wanted to be around him all the time

• you spent more time with Sime because you KNEW Dejan would be with him too• you interrupted their live streams and stories on Instagram

• you just having all heart eyes for Dejo

�� I mean, his eyes drew you in immediately, his jokes? Oh hell yes• and the way he was so sweet towards you just gave you immediate diabetes

• little did you fucking know, Dejan was intrigued by you as soon as he set his eyes on you

• he noticed you hanging out more with Sime at which he became kind of jealous

• so he payed more attention to you• and poor Sime was clueless af about it

• he just thought you two were jealous of one another and were fighting for his attention

• Vida noticed Dejan’s behavior towards you• Suba did too

• everywhere you’d go, Dejan’s eyes followed

• he’d subtly graze his hand against yours

• or touch your shoulders to walk by because ‘there’s no room’

•and frankly, you were doing the same

• one morning Vida, Vrsaljko and you were sitting outside, having your morning coffee, going over the schedule for today and whatnot…

• and then Vida decided to be a little shit

• “So, y/n…” he smiled widely, “anyone on the team you’ve grown close to?”

• cue your wtf face

• “Like really, really close?”

• Sime not even listening because he and Dejo sang Marica until 2 am and he was half dead

• “This doesn’t leave this table.” you say in mild panic

• “Spit it out, becarko!”

• “I’m just confused about Dejan.” you sigh and look down

• then you decide to look at Vida again who was beaming with happiness•"Told you, Sime!“

•"I thought you were fighting over me!” he teased with a smile

• Suba sat next to you with an expression that said 'I heard it all’

• shit shit shit

• panic again because they’re crazy, who knows what they’ll do now

•"Just go for it, y/n.“ Suba tried to comfort you. "Luka had to listen to Dej talking about for the past few weeks. You have literally nothing to lose!”

• Sime interrupted with:“Do it! Do it!”

• you stood up from the table as all three of them chanted “Do it! Do it!”

• “Poludi!” followed by a whistle was the last thing you heard from Vida before you faced Dejan who had the most gorgeous smile on his face

[strangerturner]

imagine this: una discusión entre Vrsaljko y Mandzukic sobre quién la tiene más larga, but plot twist: están hablando de sus corbatas.

JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJ @vrsaljkofc sos vos? Alta discusión, me gustaría estar ahí y ver las corbatas de los dos ahre 😂

[longeyelashedtragedy]

imagine your tongue is buried so far up tr*ppier’s ass that you put in all the effort trying to appeal his ban, when šime vrsaljko is right there on your bench

[croatian-nt]

Mafia au-Part four

Summary: When an unassuming artist saves a man’s life at the shooting at the gallery, he ends up in the midde of the war between two mafias and as he gets dragged deeper into the whole thing, he soon learns the line between the sides and right and wrong blur more than he expected.

Pairings: Luka Modrić/Šime Vrsaljko, Livi/Bruno mentioned

Word Count: 

Warnings: mentions of past murder, blood, making out

Notes: Soo it’s finally here, sorry for the delay, online classes started this week and the whole earthquake situation kind of *shook* me(get it? get it? okay, I’ll stop now). As usual big thank you to @lovren-la-vida-luka for editing this. Anyway, enjoy :)

Šime

 Šime had a very strong dislike for hospitals, to say the least. The smell of antiseptic, the white, sterile walls, and the general sense of dread they always seemed to give off. His dislike was so strong the word hate was on tip of his tongue whenever he set foot in one, or even thought about it, but he couldn't afford to have such strong feelings about anything in his job. 

 Deep down, he know that perhaps it was partly because it seemed that every time he walked into one, someone died. And he didn't mean the people he killed. Šime was long past the point when he would regret slitting someone's throat. Especially not someone who wanted to hurt Luka.

 He swallowed. The drum of reckless energy was still pulsing through him. The urge to hurt, maim, kill everyone involved in this. He silently vowed that when this was all over, he was going to strangle Luka himself. Why the fuck did he go there – or anywhere, for that matter - without a gun?

 He walked casually into the first room he found, unfazed by the way the nurse paled at the sight of him. He could only imagine how he looked, his body and face splattered with blood. He took a gun out, lazily pointing it at her.

 "It's in both of our interests that you survive, and that I don't have to use this thing. So, I am looking for a friend. Short, slim, with longish blond hair. Sounds familiar?"

 She nodded, and only then did Šime notice that she must have been an intern. Something like regret passed through him, but he pushed it away. Every second longer it takes for him to find Luka is a second spared for someone else to get there first. If the girl was smart, she'd listen to him and it would go smoothly. If not... well. This whole thing couldn't become much messier than it already was.

 "Lead the way. If you scream or try to run, I am going to shoot you and show you as an example to the second nurse I'll find to help me. Got it?"

 She paled even more, looking like she might faint, but thankfully she didn't. Šime hated hysterical people. They gave him a headache.

 "Yes sir. He is in room 206, if I’m thinking of the right person."

 Šime signaled her to exit the door. As promised, she quietly led him through the corridor and to the room 206. Šime relaxed a bit, reassured that he wouldn't have to kill her.

 She opened the door, and there he was. Luka. Šime's heart squeezed in his chest. The harsh fluorescent light only made him look paler, sicklier. The gauze on his should was soaked with blood, and Šime clenched his fists as he looked at it.

 As if he sensed Šime's presence, Luka's eyes blinked open, immediately focusing on him. He blinked once again, and then frowned.

 "Well, this is a weird one. You aren't usually covered in blood in my dreams."

 Šime took a sharp breath, biting inside of his cheek. Luka's face held such a honest, vulnerable expression it made him wish for impossible things.

 It made him wish for a calm breeze on his face from an open window, the smell of coffee in the morning, and being able to just walk through a few rooms to find Luka at any time. To kiss him, right this second, first thing in the morning and any other time he wanted, without having to look over his shoulder.

 Šime's insides recoiled as he snapped out of his fantasy, and he mentally slapped himself. What kind of wish is that? He should know better.

 "You are not dreaming," he said, trying to make his voice sound as sharp as it did earlier.

 He turned to the nurse again.

 "Give me the key to this room. And you” - he glanced at Luka - "get dressed. We are leaving."

 Šime could feel Luka's burning gaze on the nape of his neck when he turned from him. He didn't have the time to talk to him properly, and it was for the best. For the first time, Šime didn't trust himself to keep his cool. He was one step away from starting a shouting match.

 "What the fuck do you think you are doing?! Who are you, and who are your friends, actually? Jesus Christ Ante, you just killed someone!"

 By the sound of it, the kid from the gallery shared his sentiment, but not his self restraint. Which was another reason they needed to hurry.

 Luka put his torn button-up on, and Šime quietly mourned the loss of it. It was such a nice shirt, and before it was torn and bloodied. it looked amazing on Luka.

 The nurse gave him the key and Šime fished out a small bottle from the pocket of his jacket. The nurse swallowed audibly, digging her nails into her palms. Šime smirked, but managed to stifle his laughter.

 "Calm down. It's chloroform – but it's not for you. I'm just going to lock you in this room for a bit to buy us some time. Give me some gauze or something to put this on."

 She walked over to a first aid box in the corner, never taking her eyes off Šime, and handed held out a thick white dressing without a word. Without breaking the silence, Šime took it with a hint of a smile, and Luka gave him a look. Šime knew that look, it was his "what-the-hell-are-you-doing-now" look. Well, perhaps if Luka didn't consistently prove that his plans sucked, maybe Šime would tell him about his.

 Taking the key in one hand and the gauze in another, he exited the room, Luka trailing behind him still looking bemused and more delicate than usual. Šime locked the door behind them, and stared at the key for a moment. Then, after a moment of consideration, he walked over to the first open window he saw and, with a lightning fast flick of the wrist, he threw it.

 "Did you just throw the key out of the window?!" Luka asked, raising an eyebrow.

 "No, Luka, of course not, you must be hallucinating from the blood loss,” Šime replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I actually swallowed the key. Now that's cleared up, let's move."

 Luka rolled his eyes but followed him through the corridor. Šime opened the door and slipped inside silently, a skill he had perfected over the years. He braced himself and walked over to the gallery kid, grabbing his shoulder. The boy - or well, the man, he supposed, processing for the first time that he was actually slightly taller and broader than Šime himself - flinched, but Šime didn't ease his grip.

 The need for violence burned through him again and he resisted the urge to just knock the kid out with a precise hit on the head. He saved Luka, and that was worth something.

 “I am really sorry I have to do this, but we already gained too much attention without you making a scene and shouting Ante's name. Let's hope nobody heard that part.”

 And then he pressed the chloroform-soaked gauze to his face. The guy struggled, but it was nothing compared to what Šime was used to, and after a few moments his body went limp in his arms.

 Šime didn't miss the way Ante clenched his fists and was obviously resisting the urge to stop him and defend... what was his name again?

 “Since you seem so keen on protecting him, you can carry him to the car,” Šime said, almost tossing him towards Ante, who caught him, scowling at Šime.

 Šime rolled his eyes.

 “And don't think you're getting away without explaining that mess. I am just in a hurry to get out of here. But there will be plenty of time during the ride to the safe house.”

 “Safe house?” Luka asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

 “Yes. We can't afford to be potentially followed to the main house. And you-” Šime sharply swept his gaze from Luka's pale face to his injured shoulder, and torn clothes, “need to be somewhere safe. That's the number one priority here.”

 With that, Šime turned and walked towards the exit, not checking if they followed him. If they really wanted to die in this stupid hospital, then fine. Šime wasn't about to hang around and join them.

 When all three, or, well, technically four, of them finally reached the car, Šime was already nervously glancing around the parking lot. They had been here for way longer than he would have liked.

 Livi was waiting for them, of course, his fingers anxiously tapping on the steering wheel. His shoulders relaxed a bit when he caught the sight of Šime, and his eyes widened when he saw Ante carrying someone. Šime should really teach him how to hide his emotions better.

 “How do you plan on all of us fitting in car, with Tin unconscious?” Ante asked sharply, but Šime didn't even turned towards him.

 “Put him in the trunk, hell, tie him to the roof for all I care. As long as you do it fast.”

 He could see the way Ante's jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. Ante was known for his lack of reaction, but for some reason he was slipping... that was the most emotion Šime had seen in his notoriously stony face since he met him five years ago. Interesting.

 Šime took the front seat, which left Ante and Luka in the backseat, with Ante arranging... what had Ante called him? Tim? to sit between them, with his head leaning on Ante's shoulder. It looked almost domestic, forcing Šime to bat away his own daydreams once again.

 As if he'd read his mind, Luka caught Šime's gaze in rear mirror, his honey eyes trapping him for a moment. Šime pursed his lips, pushing the worry, the anger and everything else back down. There will be time to talk, but it wasn't now.

 “Drive. You know the way,” he told Livi flatly, tearing his eyes away from Luka's and looking ahead.

 When the car started and they left the parking lot without another incident, Šime turned his gaze towards Ante.

 “So... care to enlighten us as to how you and Tim know each? And why he freaked out earlier?”

 Ante shifted, turning his eyes to the side window, obviously uncomfortable with Šime's prying. This was nothing new, if they really thought about it no one truly knew anything about Ante, but there was something different about it this time. Instead of cold and indifferent, he seemed... cagey. His look was one Šime had seen dozens of times on the faces of people he was seconds away from forcing a secret out of.

 “His name is Tin, with an N, not Tim. And we went to the same high school. But that was in another part of the country. I haven’t seen or heard from him in years, and I genuinely have no idea what he’s doing here.”

 Šime shrugged. That really wasn't the part he was concerned about. Tim- Tin - was just at the wrong place and at the wrong time. With too good intentions. Šime glanced to his unconscious face and felt himself warming to him, just a little.

 If he wasn't there, Luka would probably be dead.

 Šime shook his head, chasing that thought away. He really shouldn't think of that. He couldn't, not if he was to keep up his professional facade while Ante and Livi were around.

 "It looked a bit more personal than that to me."

 Ante crossed his arms over his chest, and Šime knew he hit a nerve. It was like poking a bear with a stick to get a reaction. Ante was such an enigma because he never talked about anything from the past. But when someone just waltzes in like this... well, things get a little harder to hide.

 "Look, while it's great that Tin here saved Luka's life, if you think I will hesitate to put a bullet through his brain if he is the faintest bit suspicious, you are gravely mistaken. So if you want him to live, you better start talking."

 Ante swallowed, and Šime let the silence stretch, knowing Ante would break under pressure. If he felt better pretending he actually weighed up both options, Šime wasn't about to break his illusion. But since a big part of his job was to read people and find their weaknesses... he knew he had him the moment he said Tin's name.

 "Fine. We used to date. Back in high school. But everything I said is true, I haven’t seen him in years, and he isn't dangerous by any means, I swear. He's just a fucking artist, for God's sake!"

 Šime raised his eyebrows.

 "That artist of yours knocked out two trained men with guns, without even giving them a chance to fight back. Maybe you want to try that again."

 Ante chewed on his bottom lip, deciding how much he could say.

 "That's because I trained him in self defense, okay? But there is a reason he didn't try to fight them. If he was any kind of threat, don't you think he would have been able to fight you earlier?"

 That was a fair point. To be fair, Šime didn't really think Tin was dangerous, but after all that had happened today, he wasn't about to let any potential threat slide.

 "Alright, I trust you, and that means I trust him. But for now, he won't be able to leave the safe house. He saw our faces and until I am certain he won't go straight to the police, he isn't going anywhere."

 Ante nodded, but he didn't relax. Šime supposed he was aware he’d be the one responsible for keeping Tin from getting out. Šime glanced to Luka again, the way the setting sun painted his face and hair into red tones and he felt a pang in his heart. He quickly averted his gaze. He definitely wasn't envious of Ante's task.

 Livi was quiet during the entire ride, his eyes fixed on the road. Despite the fact that his baby face usually made him seem a few years younger than he was, the look in his eyes was that of a man four times his age.

 The rest of the ride was spent in loaded silence, and when the car finally stopped, Livi jumped out as if the thing was about to explode, but Šime stayed in the car a moment longer, just watching the way Ante gently eased Tin out and scooped him up.

 Luka would never let him do that, no matter how injured he was. Because his reputation was more important.

 No, because he doesn't want anyone to know about you, how he feels about you. Because he doesn't love you. At least not as much as you love him.

 Šime grit his teeth and exited the car, making sure he doesn't glance in Luka's direction. He knew Luka would struggle to open the door without jostling his shoulder, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing that Luka wouldn't see as an implication of weakness, anyway.

 Ante was already at the door, with Tin in his arms, and Luka wasn't far behind. Livi went to joining them, but Šime stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

 "I am not going to ask you how you knew Luka was going to be in danger, because I keep my word. But if I find out you had something to do with this... believe me, you'll have far bigger problems than Dalić finding out about it. Got it?"

 Livi held his gaze, unwavering. Sometimes Šime let himself slip and forget exactly who Livi was, but in moments like this, he would be sharply reminded with perfect clarity of just who he was dealing with... and who raised him.

 "Got it. I mean, you were pretty clear. I just find it insulting that you think I would be dumb enough to plan Luka's assassination and then tell you about it beforehand."

 Šime snorted, the weight lifting of his shoulders a bit. He was really starting to like Livi. He really didn't want to kill him.

 "Okay, you can go see your lover boy now. Ante and I can handle it from here."

 Livi gave him an honest smile, and the ancient look in his eyes disappeared for a brief moment. He actually looked 23, young and carefree as he should be. Not that Šime knew anything about that from personal experience.

 As he climbed the stairs to the door and made his way to Luka's room, he let his mind wander back, to when he was 16.

 The air was crisp and cold, the wind sharply making it's way through people's coats and making them tremble. Šime liked that kind of weather.

It meant people were walking quickly, and paying less attention to their surroundings, eager to get away from the cold. That made his job so much more easier.

Stumbling or colliding into people was his specialty. Supporting them with their right hand a apologizing profusely, making it seemed like an unfortunate accident on his part. A misstep. Nobody ever payed attention to his left hand.

Nobody before Luka.

Šime collided with a short boy with blond hair. He was nothing special from afar - he looked around Šime's age, maybe a few years older but it was hard to be sure, considering his height - but his clothes were nice enough for Šime to try to get his wallet. Or watch. Or both, if he had enough time.

What he didn't expect was for the boy to move frighteningly fast as soon as Šime fished out his wallet, tightly gripping his wrist. Šime's breath caught in his throat. Nobody caught him stealing before.

He stared at the boy, his honey eyes reminding him of the light of a candle. Lighting up a room if used properly, and burning down the entire house if you got too careless.

"I plead not guilty?" Šime whispered, his voice trembling.

The other boy let out a startled laugh, shaking his head a bit. He gave Šime a long, calculating look, before letting go of his wrist.

"Would you like a job? One that could use your... expertise?"

 Šime came back to the present, grounding himself with the feeling of a cold steel knob in his hand. He took a deep breath, and opened the door.

 Luka was sitting on a chair next to the bed, trying to change his dressing himself. Šime watched him fumble with the gauze for a moment, and then stepped into the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

 "Let me," he said, and Luka flinched.

 He didn't hear him. That was unusual - Luka was always aware of the smallest sounds and movement. It was a rare occurrence for Šime to sneak up to him even when he tried.

 Šime pushed away his worry and stepped closer, slowly, making sure not to make any sudden movements.

 "I am not some scared animal," Luka snapped, crossing his arms over his chest and immediately wincing in pain.

 Šime didn't answer. He stopped behind Luka, and their eyes met in the mirror. Šime carefully brushed Luka's hair to the left side, so he could take a better look at his injured shoulder.

 It was more or less a clean wound, or rather two, where the bullet passed right through the shoulder, but the marks were still startlingly red next to Luka's pale skin.

 "No, you are not. But that doesn't mean I can't be careful with you. Really, it says more about me than you."

 Luka swallowed and kept quiet and Šime took that as his agreement to change his dressing. He wrapped the bandage in silence, even making a conscious effort not to breathe too loudly in the stillness, and when he was almost finished Luka spoke.

 "I got distracted. I should have noticed that man sooner, but I didn't. I got distracted, because of you, and it almost cost me my life."

 Šime finished wrapping the gauze and made sure it was secured before taking a step back.

 "Then tell me to leave."

 "What?" Luka asked, sitting up straighter in the chair. 

 Šime met his eyes, amber and brown opal clashing.

 "Tell me to leave. If I am really such a burden, such a threat to your life - then tell me to leave. I can promise you, I will walk out of that door without another word and you'll never see me again. I won't make this hard on you, if that's what you want, say so and I'm gone."

 Luka stared, swallowed. Šime almost caved when he saw his lost, desperate look he gave him. 

 "You know I can't do that." 

 Šime closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before opening them again, catching Luka's eyes once again.

 "Then ask me to stay. Just... just for God's sake, Luka, make up your mind already. Because I feel like I'm trying to reach for smoke here and as much as it would hurt losing you... I feel like I already am. So just make a choice. For both of our sakes."

 Luka turned, opened his mouth and closed it. And then nodded.

 "Do I... do I need to make a decision now?"

 Everything in Šime wanted to scream: YES! We have been dancing around this for years, how much more time could you possibly need?! Just tell me what you want already!

But he bit his tongue, and smoothed his face into his usual calm, collected facade.

 "No, of course not. But you should do it soon. Especially considering…" Šime paused, sweeping his eyes over Luka's shoulder and then back to his face, "…these new developments. I'd imagine things will get quite messy soon."

 Luka pursed his lips and nodded once again, and Šime turned on his heel, ready to leave.

 "Wait!"

 Šime spun back around, finding Luka on his feet now. Before Šime could ask what was wrong, or say anything at all, Luka stepped closer and his lips were on Šime's.

 Šime gasped, and Luka got even closer, tangling his hands into Šime's messy curls. His breath was warm in Šime's mouth, and unlike this morning he tasted of blood. Šime chose to ignore that, and kissed him back, hard.

 It was as if a dam had been broken, and they couldn't stop kissing each other. Even when they parted for breath, one of them would press smaller, quick kisses to the other's lips. Šime because he wanted to make sure Luka was alive, and breathing and okay, and Luka because he wanted to make sure he didn't waste his chance this time around.

 Finally, they stopped, their foreheads leaning against each other, and panting for air. The silence was different now – still charged, but no longer uncomfortable. They didn't have to say anything to understand what the other was thinking.

 "I don't want you to leave. But I... I don't know how to do this either. I don't know how to keep you safe, hell, apparently I don't even know how to keep myself safe. And you are putting yourself at a higher risk now, just by being around me."

 Šime sighed, playing with a lock of Luka's silky hair as he considered the answer.

 "Nobody is promised safety, especially not in our line of business. And we'll figure out the rest. As long as we are together."

 Luka opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, Šime kissed him again. It was a quick, bruising kiss and Šime smiled against Luka's mouth as he gasped.

 "You need to get some rest. You almost died. Trust me, I'll find out more about what happened by the time you wake up. Okay?"

 Luka still looked uncertain, unused to not doing everything on his own. Even when others did things without him, he knew exactly what they were doing. This required trust. Both Šime and Luka trusted very few people, but they both knew that if this was going to work, they needed to trust each other completely.

 "Okay."

 Šime kissed Luka's forehead, and left without another word. Right before he closed the door, he glanced back at Luka and found him still standing where he left him, looking right back at him. When Šime closed the door with a soft click, he felt as if he lost something precious.

 Which was ridiculous. Wasn't it? Well, it was, until Šime's phone rang.

 He didn't have the number saved in his phone - that would be stupid for a multitude of reasons - but he memorized that number long time ago. It usually showed on Luka's phone though, not Šime's.

 "Vrsaljko," Šime answered, his voice cold, almost robotic.

 The person on the other end of the phone chuckled darkly, and the hairs on Šime's arms stood on end. There was something about that voice that never failed to make Šime shudder and make something cold and heavy settle in his stomach.

 "Yes, I am aware. I just heard about Luka's... incident. I assume he is alright, since you answered the call?"

 Šime hated the fact the other man knew that, if Luka died, Šime would already be on a killing mission. Šime was very much used to being the reader, not the metaphorical book, and it made him uncomfortable that someone could so effortlessly read even the chapters he made an effort to keep glued shut.

 "Yes, he's alive."

 "Good. I also presume you don't have any information other than what I heard from Livaković and Rebic?"

 Šime's breath caught in his throat. Lying to Dalić was never wise. But hell if Šime was going to break his promise to Livi.

 "No."

 "I need you to do something for me," Dalić continued, brushing off the previous topic, "now that Luka is injured. I am sure Luka won't be out of action for long, but while he is, you are one of few people I trust to be... discreet."

 Shit. This couldn't be good.

 Šime knew something was very, very wrong. He knew that Dalić was doing this behind Luka's back for a reason far more important than him being injured, even before he said anything.

 "I am listening."

 "I need you to arrange a hit for me... I just found out who ordered the shooting at the gallery."

 Šime could barely hear anything over the static in his ears. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and the gentleness and suspicion bled out of him. Only rage was left. He gripped the phone tighter, until he thought the screen might crack.

 "Who?" he hissed through clenched teeth. He knew that Dalić wasn't the type for dramatic pauses, so the eternal wait for the other man to answer was probably, in reality, a split second. Finally, he spoke.

 "Danijel Subašić."

 And in that moment, as he remembered stories of Luka's stories from his childhood, and him and Suba saving each other's lives before they join opposite mafias, Šime was certain of one thing. Things would never be the same again.

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