Football One Shots

~Neymessi~

I promise the writing gets better! This was one of my first pieces and I don't really care for it, but I'm leaving it! My newest chapters are the better of the bunch! Check them out!

I don't know when it began, but I've found myself craving Leo's presence. When on the pitch, I try my hardest to score a goal or create a goal scoring opportunity just so I can be held in Leo's embrace for a few moments. When we don't have a game or practice, I'm texting him and inviting him over to my place to play some FIFA or watch a movie. When he says he's busy or it's too late for him to come over, I lay in bed and dream about him. I guess you could say I was obsessed or infatuated with him, but I can't help it! Everything about the small Argentine gave me butterflies in my chest. When he's around, everything else becomes bearable.
I wanted to tell him how I felt but I wasn't sure... I didn't want to ruin our chemistry on the field or our friendship in general.
I decided to swallow my feelings and emotions for now and just study Leo.
---
I was passing the ball around with Dani and holding a conversation in Portuguese. I look over as Leo and Luis passed the ball while they laughed their bums off. I felt a pang of jealousy but quickly buried it deep in my chest.
"Neymar, why do you keep looking at Leo like that?" I snapped out of my staring when Dani called to me.
"What do you mean!? I'm not looking at him like anything!" He rolled his eyes in return and continued to pass the ball with me.
We switched to sending long balls and trapping them with our chest. I stood at one side of the field and Dani stood on the other. We sent about five balls back and forth before I heard Leo's giggles. I looked over to him to see Luis and Leo both hunched over laughing together. The pang of jealousy vibrated through my chest once again.
"Neymar! Heads up!" I turned when Dani yelled my name, but I was too slow to react.
The ball came down and hit me in the face. I dropped to the ground instantly and held my face as blood began to fall from my nose and fill my mouth.
I whimpered as the blood flowed from my nose onto my shirt and down my arms. I rolled onto my knees and put my forehead onto the grass.
"What the hell Dani! Ah!" I cried out as my mouth collected blood from my teeth biting into my cheek.
"Ney are you ok?" Leo's hand found its way to my back as he kneeled beside me.
I shook my head 'no' as the blood continued to flow. Leo pulled on my shoulder; I sat up and turned towards him. He visibly cringed when he saw my appearance. Luis came running to us with gauze, an ice pack, water, a cloth, and a shirt for me to change into.
"Thanks Luis." I mumbled as I began to clean myself up.
"Here Ney, let me help you." I nodded as Leo began to wipe the underside of my bloody nose. I hissed and grabbed his wrist as I pulled back. Leo froze and his eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh Ney, did I hurt you!? I'm so sorry!" I chuckled at his concerned side that was beginning to show.
"No, Dani's the one who hurt me. My nose is just sore; please continue." I gave him a smile of reassurance before he began to wipe my nose again. He finished cleaning my arms and face soon after.
"Here, you hold the ice pack to your nose and I'll take your shirt off for you." I nodded as I tried to keep the blush at bay.
Leo's small hands gripped the bottom of my shirt and pulled upward. After managing to get it off, he pulled the clean one over me. The blush grew on my cheeks as he gripped my waist with one hand.
"There you go Ney. You might wanna sit down for a bit until your nose stops bleeding." He patted my cheek after he pulled me to my feet.
I watched his back as he walked away with Luis closely by his side. Dani was standing next to me with a funny look on his face.
"What're you staring at Dani!" I frowned and crossed my arms.
"I could've sworn you said you didn't look at him differently. What I just saw was a love sick puppy absorbing as much attention as possible from the man he likes." He chuckled and shook his head before dragging me to the benches to sit down.
"You know Neymar, if you truly like him, your best bet is to tell him. Be honest and don't hide it." I shook my head and groaned.
"You don't understand Dani, if he doesn't feel the same, it will ruin our friendship and chemistry." I kicked the ground with the spikes of my cleats as I refused to look at Dani.
"Maybe your afraid it'll ruin something else." It was as if he read me like a book.
I looked up to him with wide eyes and my mouth ajar.
"W-what are you talking about Dani!? You're speaking nonsense! Oh, look, practice is over!" I hopped off the bench and hurried to the locker room.
I quickly collected my belongings and began to change my pants. I was trying to get out before Dani arrived and talked to me some more about the whole Leo thing.
I finished tying my shoes and bolted up as I heard the voices of the team coming down the hall. The door pushed open and everyone began to walk into the room while holding conversations. I spotted Leo and Luis talking with each other as they changed into casual clothing. The same pang went through my chest and I quickly looked down to my feet. I was going to head to the door, but I was called back by Dani.
"You can't just run from your problems Neymar! I know you are afraid of being hurt, but you can't just bottle up your feelings! It is not good for you!" He was yelling in Portuguese so most of the team didn't really understand what we were talking about.
"No Dani! I can't be hurt again! Remember how long it took me to move on from David! I-I just can't do it again! He ruined me! And you can't say Leo is different because David was just like Leo and he still broke me! Do you not remember how long I had to see a therapist because I felt so low! My self worth was zero and I was ready to end it all! You know just as well as I do... If Leo hurts me, I won't be here to try and move on... I'll be six feet under..." I whispered the last part as my voice cracked.
"Don't say that Neymar! You're so much better than that! Leo wouldn't hurt you like David and you know that, you just want every excuse you can find to stay in your comfort zone, where you can't be hurt! But how are you supposed to be with anyone if you live in fear!? Please, just think about all the great things that could happen if you told Leo!" I shook my head as the tears rolled down my cheeks.
"No Dani, no one wants a broken piece of shit. Especially the best footballer in the world. His standards are much higher than a permanently ruined boy who's stuck in the past. So I'm sorry I'm not able to do as you wish Dani. I'll see you tomorrow." Dani's eyes were wide as a few stray tears trailed down his face.
It was only after I turned to leave, that I realized everyone in the room was staring at us in silence.
I caught Leo's eye as he stared in worry. He probably heard his name being thrown around a few times during the argument, which most likely made him more curious than anyone.
---
When I got home, I laid on the couch in the dark and stared at the back of it as I faced away from everything else. I had been laying there for no more then half an hour before three knocks rang at the door. I was planning on ignoring the knocks as they continued to sound. I didn't feel like talking to anyone, but apparently no one understood that because soon enough the door opened and multiple footsteps entered the room.
The living room light flickered on as the footsteps entered the room. My back was still to everyone and my eyes were closed. I honestly just wanted to be left alone for the night.
"Neymar, get up! We've come over to hangout!" Jordi yelled but was immediately shushed by everyone else.
"Jordi, he's had a long day. Just let him sleep. We can stay in the guest rooms and we'll all hangout tomorrow." Leo spoke quietly.
"Fine, but we better be playing FIFA tomorrow since I have to wait! Goodnight!"
"I'll take Ney upstairs to his room and just stay with him. Luis and Gerard will share the second guest room. Rafa, you can stay with Jordi in the first one since he's already there. I'll see you guys in the morning." Everyone dispersed except for Leo.
I felt his small hand press against my forehead and wipe away my fallen hair. Butterflies took off in my stomach at the seemingly intimate action.
He then put one arm under my legs and the other behind my back before lifting me off the couch. I stayed limp in his arms as we headed up the stairs and down the hall to my bedroom. Leo set me on the bed and removed my shoes, socks, jeans, and shirt. He then went through my drawer and found a large shirt for me to wear. After he put it on me, he shuffled around my drawer and changed into one of my shirts as well.
I felt the bed dip next to me and the covers being pulled over me. A kiss was then placed on the corner of my mouth by Leo. His arms snaked around my back and my face was buried in Leo's neck. I sighed in content as all my muscles relaxed and molded into Leo.
"I love you Ney." I knew he didn't mean it as anything more than friends, but I let the butterflies fill my chest and stomach as I fell asleep in Leo's arms.
---
The next few days weren't any better. I was still down-in-the-dumps. My nerves had gotten to me on multiple occasions and I'd find myself sitting in the dark of my house while crying or shaking, or sometimes both.
It was a Tuesday night, around 7 o'clock, when Leo called my phone. I ignored him the first two times, but when he rang a third, I answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi Ney, can you come over to my place right now? Thiago is away at his Mom's and I'm kinda bored." The line went silent as I contemplated my answer.
"Uh... yeah. I'll be over in 5." I hung up and ran to get ready.
When I got to Leo's house, he opened the door after the first knock. I gave him a quick hug and walked into the house.
"Want something to drink?" He asked.
"Just a water, please." He nodded and made his way down the hall.
I looked around his living room and saw the door that led to his office was open. I went to close it, Leo has a thing with doors being left open, but something caught my eye. There were books and papers everywhere. Leo wasn't the type to have clutter, especially this much, so I walked in.
I picked up the first book on the desk, Portuguese for beginners, then the next one, Learn to speak Portuguese.
I gasped and dropped the books onto the floor with a loud thud. Leo's rushed footsteps came down the hall and entered the room.
"Oh Ney, you weren't supposed to see that!" He set down the waters and approached me.
"H-how long has this been going on?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"About 7 months..." He scratched the back of his neck and looked at me with guilt.
"So every time I've ever spoken Portuguese with Dani or Rafa, you knew what I was saying?" My hands were shaking now.
"Y-yes." He stuck his hand out to touch my arm but I flinched away.
"That's an invasion of my privacy! When I speak in my language, it's for a reason! So now you know everything! Every single thing I've ever wanted to keep separate from my life I have now, you know! Everything I've wanted to stay in Brazil or in the past, you know! You know everything Leo! I didn't want you to know everything because I knew that if you knew everything, you'd run!" I was shaking even more than before with anger and fear.
"Neymar, I'm not gonna judge you for your past. I know what I did was wrong, but at the same time I thought it was right! I wanted to be able to hold conversations with you in Portuguese and I wanted us to be able to have secrets that we could talk about around the team without them knowing what we were saying."
"What secrets Leo!?" I cried out.
"I love you Neymar!" Leo shouted in Portuguese.
My eyes went wide and I froze in my spot.
"Y-you're in love with me?" I was extremely skeptical.
"Yes! I've been in love with you since I first met you!" I stared at him with doubt evident on my features.
"It's not ok to toy with someone's feelings Leo." I walked past him and out of the office. I was heading towards the door when I was pulled back and into Leo's embrace.
"I'm not toying with your emotions Neymar. What I feel is the realist thing I've ever felt. I don't care if you're broken or ruined, because to me, you're perfect. I won't ever hurt you Neymar and deep down inside, you know that. So please, believe me when I say you're the only one I want." I searched his eyes for any sign of trickery or regret, but I didn't find any.
That's when I knew, what he said, was true. I couldn't help the wave of emotions that rolled over me. The tears began to fall uncontrollably as I buried my face in Leo's neck. My grip on him tightened. I was afraid that if I let go, I'd wake up from this dream and reality would set in. The reality where Leo is as straight as a rod and he rejects me.
Leo pulled me back and grab my face with his hands. He stared into my eyes for a few moments before bringing his lips to mine. It was in this moment that I knew, Leo and I, we'd be alright.
---
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