Tennis Rpf - Tumblr Posts

After the sincaraz final i wanted to write something... so here we go...

short summary: they are in the plane, jannik is in a kinda depressed mood, they are making out in the airplane bathroom

Jannik leaned back in his seat, his long legs stretched out. He looked out the window, thinking about the match he had just played a couple hours ago.

He knew he was doing his best, but he couldn’t help it. He thought he could really win the match he has trained a lot and the last matches he played were also quite good.

Carlos shifted in his seat, glancing at Jannik who sat just a couple meters from him. The match before had left him exhausted and his whole body was aching.

He swallowed hard as he took in Jannik’s expression that was obviously disappointed.

He had felt bad seeing Jannik lose which was something he couldn’t understand. They were rivals, they shouldn’t feel bad for the other when they lost but he couldn’t help it. With Jannik it was different.

Carlos stood up although he wasn’t sure what exactly he wanted to do. Slowly, he went over to Jannik’s seat.

“Hey, can we… talk?” He asked shyly.

He felt weird talking to Jannik when both their teams were around.

“Uhm… yes of course. What do you want?” Jannik turned his face to him instead of looking outside. He tried to smile but Carlos saw it wasn’t an honest one.

“I – I just wanted to tell you that you played really well.”

Jannik looked away again.

“Thanks,” he murmured after a long pause. His voice was flat, nothing to be heard of the usual warmth. “You too.”

Carlos’ chest tightened. This was definitely not how it was supposed to be. After all of their matches, no matter who won, they had always managed to talk normally, sometimes even laugh about something. But tonight, it felt different.

Everything felt tense and forced and Carlos couldn’t help but be mad at himself for saying yes to the flight together. He should have said no when Juanki asked him if they should share the jet with Jannik’s team.

“Jannik,” Carlos started again, his voice sounding almost pleading. “I mean it, you were amazing out there, I–“

“Stop. Just… stop.”

Jannik’s voice was sharp and the intensity in his gaze made Carlos flinch.

“Don’t act like you care. You won. And you deserved it. But please don’t pretend to care.”

Jannik’s voice broke off, looking away again as he ran his hand through his curls. Carlos just stared at him. He had known Jannik for years and had seen him at his highest and what he had though his lowest but this… unfiltered version of Jannik was new.

“I am not pretending,” Carlos said, trying to keep his voice at a low volume so that the others wouldn’t hear everything. He leaned forward to grip the armrest so he doesn’t fall over when a small turbulence hit the plane. “I just… fuck, Jannik, I don’t know what to say. I hate seeing you like this because I do care!”

“Yes, well. Get used to it.” Jannik shrugged.

The words stung, and that sharper than Carlos had expected.

He wanted to say something, but suddenly he was well aware of how close they were. Carlos could see the brown and green of Jannik’s eyes that looked darker than usually as the light was dim.

The silence stretched and made them both feel awkward. The jet’s hum seemed louder than before at the small space suddenly felt too cramped, too intimate.

Suddenly, Jannik stood up, making Carlos flinch. He now had to look a bit up at Jannik, which was caused by their height difference.

He watched as Jannik’s long limbs moved toward the front of the cabin. Carlos felt an impulse to follow him, and before he could have even thought about it he went after him.

“Wait.” He said, hoping he wasn’t too loud and would wake up the others that were sleeping in their seats. “Where are you going?”

“Bathroom.”

Seconds later, Carlos found himself with Jannik in the bathroom. The small bathroom.

The small room didn’t leave them any space, they were standing now face to face and were able to feel their breaths on each other’s skin.

For a moment neither of them moved. The air felt thick between them and both could feel the tension.

Jannik was so close that Carlos was able to see every detail of his face. The slight flush of his cheeks, the crease between his eyebrows the way his lips he pressed together. And how he ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

Carlos swallowed hard. Why had he followed Jannik? He shouldn’t have done it. He wouldn’t be in this situation if hadn’t.

But now he was here, in the tiny bathroom. Practically pressed up against him.

“Why are you here, Carlos?” Jannik interrupted, his voice low. “Why did you have to follow me?”

But Carlos didn’t know how to respond. Because he didn’t know. To apologize? To comfort him? But why would he do that. They weren’t really close friends.

“I… I don’t know.” Carlos whispered, his breath getting faster when he realized how close they really were now. “I just couldn’t let you go like that.”

For a split second, Jannik’s gaze softened until he was back to clenching his jaw and looking at the ceiling. “You cannot fix everything Carlos.”

“I am not trying to do that. I just can’t stand seeing you like that. I feel so bad.” Carlos said frustrated.

“Then why do you have to keep winning?” Jannik let out a bitter laugh. He knew his feelings weren’t rational but when were they. He was frustrated. Carlos was his kryptonite.

“Because I have to. It’s just the game. But it doesn’t mean I want to hurt you on purpose.”

Jannik didn’t reply. The tension in the tiny room was palpable, making Carlos feel like he was on the edge of something dangerous.

And then, Jannik moved. It was so quick, unexpected, that Carlos didn’t have the time to react before Jannik’s hands were on him. He grabbed Carlos arms, fingers digging into his skin.

 Before Carlos could say anything, Jannik’s mouth was on his – desperate.

Everything, all the confusion, the frustration, the anger, it all was recognizable in the kiss.

Carlos surged forward, his hands now on Jannik’s back, gripping Jannik’s shirt. Underneath he could feel the muscles in Jannik’s back tensing up.

The kiss deepened and turned hotter the more confident the men became. Jannik groaned against his mouth, his hands sliding down to grip Carlos’ waist.

 The room seemed to become even smaller as they stumbled a bit back making Carlos bump against the cold sink which made him gasp, and sent a shiver down his spine.

The gasp made him break the kiss for just a moment before Jannik’s mouth was on his again, kind of demanding.

It was chaotic. Carlos nearly elbowed Jannik as they tried to change positions so that now it was Jannik feeling the sink in his back.

But it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered to Carlos was Jannik’s hands on his hips, his lips on his, the heat of his body pressed against him, Jannik’s toned back he could feel under his hands.

 “Jannik,” Carlos gasped, as Jannik kissed along his jaw and down his neck which made his head fell back. “What... what are we doing here?”

 “Shut up,” Jannik managed to say, his breath hot against Carlos’ skin.

And then he was kissing him again. Carlos felt like he couldn’t get enough air, but he also didn’t want to stop. Didn’t want to pull away to take a breath.

Jannik’s hands slipped under Carlos’ shirt, pushing it up while he explored Carlos’ chest, his sides, his waist.

“Fuck,” Jannik breathed, his voice low. “You’re-“

But whatever he wanted to say was lost when Carlos pulled him back down to press their lips together again.

Carlos hands were shaking a bit when he tugged at Jannik’s shirt, pulling it over his head and sliding his hands over his chest and abs.

But then, suddenly, Jannik pulled back, breathing hard, his eyes dark.

“We… fuck, Carlos. We shouldn’t do that.”

“But why did you…” Carlos looked up at the other guy in confusion.

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t fucking know,” he growled.

They were both trying to catch their breath but then Jannik’s gaze dropped to his lips again and something changed. Carlos didn’t even know what.

It felt as if Jannik was more confident know.

And he was. Jannik was kissing him again, harder this time. Rougher.

“Fuck it,” he muttered.

Carlos’ body reacted instinctively. His hands explore Jannik’s body, pulling him closer, needing to feel him, needing to know him.

The next few minutes were a blur of moans and gasps.

Carlos didn’t know how long they stayed like that, lost in each other. All he knew was that when they finally broke apart, they were both a mess. They were panting, their shirts somewhere on the floor. Jannik’s fingers tangled in his hair.

Their faces where flushed, their bodies trembling, their lips swollen.

They were just standing there for a moment, neither of them moving. They just stared at each other as their chests were heaving and hearts racing.

They knew they should get out there before anyone noticed they’d been gone for so long.

But Jannik’s eyes were locked on his, sending shivers down Carlos’ spine.

“Fuck Carlos,” Jannik muttered. “You’re driving me crazy.”

Carlos didn’t - no, he couldn’t – respond. All he could do was kiss Jannik again, desperate to feel him again.

His hands moved over Jannik’s chest, his stomach, down to the waistband of his pants.

Jannik’s breath hitched when Carlos’ fingers brushed over the skin above his pants.

“Is… Is this what you want?” Carlos asked put of breath, his voice low.

“Yes. Fuck, yes.”

And then their lips were pressed against each other’s again, Jannik’s hands roaming over the other guy’s bare chest. He tugged at Carlos’ pants, his fingers brushing against his hips, his thighs, teasing, but not yet touching were Carlos wanted him most.

“Jannik,” Carlos gasped, his voice breaking as he arched into Jannik’s touch, his fingers digging into his shoulders. “Please-“

But before he could finish Jannik spun them around again, pinning Carlos against the bathroom sink. Carlos let out a soft cry of surprise as Jannik’s body pressed against his.

“Tell me what you want,” Jannik murmured, his thumb brushing over Carlos’ bottom lip, coax a whine out of the younger man. “Say it, Carlos.”

Carlos swallowed hard, his fingers gripping the edge of the sink behind him. His whole body was trembling.

“You. Please, Jannik, I want you,” he breathed, his voice barely audible.

All he wanted was Jannik’s hands on him.

“Don’t stop,” Carlos whispered, his voice trembling. “Please, don’t stop,” he begged.

And then his hands were on Carlos’ waistband, tugging it down, his fingers sliding over bare skin. Carlos gasped, his head falling back and his breath coming in short gasps.

“Jannik- “

“Fuck, you’re so… you are driving me insane.” Jannik’s voice was rough, almost growling.

Carlos let out a whimper, his head falling back as Jannik’s mouth trailed down his stomach.

But before he anything more could happen, there was a sudden knock on the door.

“Carlos?” a familiar voice called out, muffled through the thin door.

Carlos froze, his heart leaping into his throat. He knew that voice—knew it all too well.

“Fuck,” he whispered, his eyes wide as he looked up at Jannik. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Jannik’s gaze was just as panicked, his hands stilling against Carlos’ skin.

“What the fuck should we do?” Jannik asked, panicking.

“Just act normal.” Carlos whispered; his voice strained.

He took their shirts in his hands giving one to Jannik and put it on.

“Carlos?” Juanki’s voice called out again, louder this time. “Are you in there?”

“Yes… yes. Just… just wait a second.”

But he didn’t. Before he could think about a plan the door swung open and Carlos’ heart stopped.

His face turned red.

“Enjoying yourself?” Juanki asked dryly. Before anyone could respond he added a “Just get back to your seats. And just don’t do it again… at least not in a plane. The walls are quite thin here, you know?”

When Juanki turned away to go back to his seat Carlos just stood there.

“We are so fucked,” he whispered to Jannik.

not to get active in a fandom and immediately be like, we should have a fic exchange but. we should have a fic exchange.

given the spread of tennis fandom i feel like this would need a measure of good faith on both sides—there are too many players/ships and too few writers to get really granular about matching. so if you signed up ideally you'd be willing to at least consider writing something new to you and understand that maybe you won't get your dream niche fic about your 256th ranked beloved. 

….but maybe you would!!!!!!!!! i think a lot of tennisblr is pretty enthusiastic about embracing new faves, new ships, new lore about old faves/ships, etc. this could be a fun way to spread some love for your thing. :') especially with a low word count min, like 1000 words? (and space for dnws…)

ok hang on i'm gonna make a poll.

EDITED TO ADD you can tell i'm a writer because my first thoughts are about fic lmao but why not art too???

not to get active in a fandom and immediately be like, we should have a fic exchange but. we should have a fic exchange.

had some thoughts about a hypothetical low-stakes tennisblr fanworks exchange... and now i'm curious to see what kind of interest there might be.

(tennis rpf means a lot of things to a lot of people, so it's worth noting that in this case it wouldn't include y/n or reader fic. sorry! :()

if you answered maybe, feel free to elaborate in tags/replies!

fic rec: el café y la poesía (tennis rpf)

el café y la poesía

carlos alcaraz/jannik sinner. 3k, rated t.

"Nobody's gonna believe you actually yell at your coach, you know." "Why not? He's really annoying." "You want me to believe you regularly get mad enough at Juan Carlos to start a fight, but you're not mad at me? Really?" "What, do you want me to be mad at you?" "No. Probably? I don't know." Jannik hesitates a moment. "Maybe I think it would be easier. I just feel like I've disappointed you in some way. And I don't know how exactly, so I can only guess." And how could he not guess, Carlos thinks with an edge of something approaching hysteria. How could he not outright know, after all this time, after everything.

After the Beijing final.

read on ao3

--

post-beijing fic by the usual suspect (anon bff). all i'm going to say is: brace yourself. :) (and read it!!!)

tennisblr exchange/fest: follow-up poll and questions

thanks to everyone who showed enthusiasm for a potential tennisblr fic/art/fanworks event!!

about 75% of respondents who expressed interest in participating indicated that it would depend on timing and format, so here are some questions about timing and format.

important note: if you too are mainly on tumblr, you should know that there is ALSO a fic exchange happening via the tennis rpf discord!

my Vision was for a multimedia event—currently thinking fic, art, and edits/fanvids tho see below on that—so planning to move forward in some form but when/how is up in the air. open questions about format below the cut—namely, exchange vs fest. thoughts welcome in replies or via dm/ask if you prefer!

i was initially envisioning a classic secret gift exchange via the ao3 platform. (you are matched with a recipient -> you create a gift for them -> you post your gift to the anon exchange collection on ao3 -> the exchange collection goes live -> creator names are revealed.) a few cons here: everyone has to get an ao3 account, ao3 isn't the ideal platform for graphics and video. also depending on how unique your artistic style is, posting anon might be sort of besides the point. lmao.

having said that, the one major advantage ao3 has is great admin tools—particularly, mods/admins can see who has finished and posted their gift. this is important because the worst-case scenario for a gift exchange is that someone ghosts their recipient, and if it's up to each participant to post their work to their own tumblr, this becomes exponentially more likely. no matter how many check-ins there are.

so if it's an exchange ao3 is the way to go. however the other option is NOT an exchange but an open prompt fest, which could also be fun!! i'm personally fond of the exchange format (when you're creating for someone i think you're a little more motivated to think about people/ships/ideas that might not have otherwise occured to you) but maybe we don't need two??? an open fest would also allow for more people to participate on the fly, as irl allows, and potentially for people to create a wider variety of work like moodboards, playlists, etc.

eta: what i mean by open prompt fest: everyone submits prompts (as general or specific as you want, e.g. "anything focused on zhang zhizhen", "sincaraz uni au", "naomi osaka edit to number one fan") -> the mod/admin blog posts all the prompts anonymously -> you create based on whatever prompts inspire you -> you post during the posting period!

this is possibly too deep in the weeds for most people to care lol but if you have thoughts i'd be happy to hear them!

(and yes once timing format etc is decided on there will be a dedicated blog... just waiting to roll that out until further decisions are made. @oof-ouch-yikes-stripes is going to help out with admin and ideally we'll get one more person on board!!)

I was so endeared by "head was in the shed" that I almost missed "sat on the coach". Obviously, my filthy depraved mind immediately seized hold of it. James Trotman isn't bad looking, I suppose, and you just know Jack would do anything to make Daddy Andy jealous.

(I'm so sorry. This is what happens when I find somewhere to shitpost uncensored.)