𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

offside - joão felix

You didn't mean to run into him.

But life had a way of throwing joão felix into your path exactly when you weren't ready.

It had been months since you last spoke. Months since the fight, months since he'd stormed off after that stupid argument about priorities and promises. You thought you were over it. You thought you'd moved on.

And then he was there, in the middle of the stadium, catching your eye like nothing had changed.

"wait y/n...." His voice was low, hesitant, almost afraid.

You froze.

"João" you said, trying to keep your voice steady.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," he replied, stepping closer. His eyes searched yours, full of something raw and unspoken.

you looked away. "I'm....just here for the match."

"but you're always somewhere else, aren't you?" His voice cracked.

"Even when I was here even when I tried..."

Your chest tightened. He hadn't changed. Same charming smile, same dangerous intensity, same ability to hurt and make your heart race at the same time.

"I didn't mean to-" you began.

"didn't mean to what? leave? fight? Not say the right thing?" he interrupted, voice sharper now.

You flinched. "It wasn't just me, joão."

He shook his head. "No. It was me too. I know. I screwed up."

silence hung between you, heavy like the stadium lights.

"I never stopped caring," he admitted quietly, stepping closer.

"Even when I shouldn't have, even when I thought it was easier to walk away."

Your heart skipped. "Neither did I."

For the first time, you let yourself really look at him and you realized all the anger, the frustration, the hurt....it was just love that had been misplaced, miscommunicated.

joão extended his hand slowly. "Can we....try again? Or is it too late?"

"It's not too late," you whispered.

His grin softened into something vulnerable, almost shy.

"Good because I'm terrible at walking away from the things I want. Especially you."

And somehow, after all the fights, all the distance, all the time apart... it felt like you were finally back on the same team.