Football One Shots

Crismes

Excuse any mistakes!!!

James stared at Cristiano unknowingly, biting the end of his number 2 pencil. Cristiano's hair looked soft enough to sleep on, the light reflecting perfectly off his silk, black strands. The shirt Cristiano was wearing had tiny, fine rows of light blue, to compliment the white fabric, that you could only see up close. Not that James had been close enough to see.
No one of James's social class was allowed to approach Cristiano. If they did, well, they could say goodbye to any ounce of social life they had. Yes, this was what James had heard around the school, but he had also witnessed it himself.
Junior year prior, James had talked to a boy named Jordi Alba. Jordi was a bit on the short end, but who was James to judge? He wasn't the tallest either, not like Cristiano anyway. Jordi made a move to pass Cristiano in the hallway, in a rush to get to English class early to finish his homework, but he accidentally bumped into Cristiano. The whole hallway fell quiet as Jordi repeatedly gave his apologies, but apparently Cristiano didn't care for what he had to say. The next thing to happen forced James to keep his distance, to not be caught within 30 feet of Cristiano, and if he absolutely had to, he would duck his head and keep his eyes to the ground. Cristiano was unpredictable. Yet for some reason, James liked to look at him, liked to make scenarios in his mind about Cristiano being kind to him, talking to him in a civil manner, even approaching James first, but these were all simply in his messed up head.
James had been so out of it, he didn't even realize that Cristiano was now starring back at him, with an arrogant smirk played on his warm lips.
"That will be all for the lesson today. Have a good night everyone." James snapped back to reality,  shot out of his chair and eagerly ran down the steps and out of the room.
James never had enough money for a book bag, so he headed straight for the front doors, where, upon exit, he would make a 4 mile trek home in the cold.
James had never minded the walk, it gave him time to think and contemplate his life, but now that it was cold outside, he wasn't looking forward to it as much. A jacket would've been nice, but James's mother barely made enough to keep the power on, let alone buy James a winter coat. She worked endless nights and long mornings to take care of the only person she could count on.
He'd always told his mother he enjoyed the cold, but deep down he knew she could see through his lie. She felt guilt for not being able to provide for James, but his father passed away while deployed, and the support from the government wasn't enough either. James continuously told his mother he would get a job and work late after school, but she refused claiming he needed to focus on his studies and get out of this town with his brilliance.
James was once again too lost in his mind to notice a group of three men following him from a slight distance. Every time James looked back at them, they smiled at him, but not in a friendly way. James knew this more than likely wouldn't end well for him.
"Hey, wait up." A small man, probably shorter than James's shoulder, called to James.
Fear gripped James around the shoulders, but he continued to walk quickly.
"Hey! I said wait up!" He yelled again and began to take bigger strides.
"Leave me alone. I don't have any money." James shouted back.
"I said come here you bitch!" The man caught up to James and ripped him back, sending him to the pavement, James effectively cutting a gash into his elbow and hitting his head off the concrete, losing his things in the process. Before James could react, the other two goons had grabbed his sides and held him down, allowing the smallest man to throw a punch at James's mouth, cutting his lower lip.
The man pulled back to strike again, but stopped when a white Audi R8 squealed to a stop beside them and three of the doors were thrown open, revealing Cristiano Ronaldo and two of his close friends, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo.
"You better fucking run before I kill all of you." Cristiano's voice was stone cold, surely scaring the men, causing them to run away.
James hadn't realized he was crying until a sob escaped his throat and shook his whole body. James had curled into a ball, his back facing the road, and squeezed his eyes shut, his head beginning to pound.
"James?" Cristiano crouched beside, James didn't even realize, and placed a gentle hand on his arm.
"Hey... come on." Cristiano wrapped James in his arms and lifted him off the ground, taking note of James's thin frame.
"You're okay." Cristiano soothed as he slid into the back seat with James in his lap, James's belongings being gathered and placed up front.
James didn't speak a word, but sobbed once more and curled into himself, in turn hiding in Cristiano's warm chest.
"Where are we going Cris?" Marcelo piped in from the driver's seat.
"Let's head back to mine for now and get him cleaned up." Cristiano declared and turned his attention back to James, who'd slightly calmed down, only sniffling and shaking slightly.
"Here." Cristiano grabbed his winter coat from the passenger seat, no doubt extremely expensive, and covered James, allowing him to warm up and his shaking to lighten.
"James?" Cristiano wanted to hear his voice, wanted to see him open his eyes, heck, mumble even, just so he was sure James was alright.
"James. Hey, look at me." Cristiano's fingers brushed James's cheek bone, getting his attention and causing James to look up at Cristiano for a brief moment before burying himself back into his chest.
The ride to Cristiano's house only took a few minutes, but James hadn't noticed because he was to busy trying to stay awake, Cristiano's warmth and scent posing a challenge for him.
"Hey. Don't sleep yet." Cristiano mumbled into James's ear as they exited the car.
Just before they stepped out into the cold, Cristiano made sure James's ears were covered and he was tucked tightly into his chest.
"Sergio. Can you get a warm bath running please? Bubbles too?" Sergio nodded his head and disappeared upstairs.
"Marcelo. Could you prepare the guest room please? Thank you." Cristiano truly was grateful for the help.
He didn't know how he'd do all of these tasks with the underweight boy in his arms, shivering and cowering for dear life.
"James, let's take care of your cuts huh?" James didn't reply, but as Cristiano tried to set James down on the counter, he seemed to grow alarmed, suddenly wide awake.
James's arms gripped around Cristiano's neck and held him tightly to James's chest.
"Hey. Hey. Hey. It's ok. I'm right here." Cristiano grasped James's hands gently and rubbed circles into the tops, slowly soothing James and convincing him to let go of Cristiano.
"There we go." Cristiano smiled and rubbed James's cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"Ok. Let's get that lip cleaned up and inspect your bruises." Cristiano nodded and picked up the disinfectant wipe he'd gathered from the drawer behind James's dangling leg.
"Ah." James's hand lightly gripped Cristiano's, halting his movement and setting him into a slight worry.
"I'm sorry! Just a few more brushes and we'll be done. I promise." Cristiano's pinky presented itself to James and he only hesitated slightly before connecting his very own with Cristiano's.
After a few more wipes, Cristiano tossed the bloodied towelette away and inspected James's lip.
"Cris, the bath is ready." Cristiano nodded and thanked Sergio before sending him on his way.
"Goodnight James." Sergio waved slowly with a kind smile on his lips.
"Well, let's go trooper." The pair headed to Cristiano's master suite, which was through his bedroom.
"Your room is very bland." James observed quietly as they entered the warm bathroom.
"I'm not much of a homebody." Cristiano explained, preoccupied with the task of adding bubbles to the bath, which Sergio had forgotten.
"After your bath we can eat and watch a movie if you'd like." Cristiano suggested turning to James with a smile.
"I'd like that." James nodded.
"Alright you get yourself situated and I'll be in kitchen making some food for us. Shout if you need anything." Cristiano dried his hands and left the room, closing the bathroom door behind him.
James couldn't remember the last time he'd had a bath drawn for him, especially a warm one. With his mother struggling, hot water was hard to come by at the Rodriguez household. James had grown used to icy showers, especially during the winter, when he was rarely warm due to the lack of heat in the house.
"James?" Cristiano peeked his head into the bathroom to find James asleep in the bath tub, curled onto his side and practically hidden beneath the bubbles.
"Hey? James?" Cristiano's hand dropped down to rest on James's cheek.
"What!?" James shout up in panic.
"It's just me James." Cristiano chuckled and handed James a soft towel, turning so he could get out.
"Sorry. I just liked the warm water." Cristiano questioned his statement mentally but pushed it aside as James cleared his throat, allowing Cristiano to turn back around.
"Oh! Clothes! Alright. Follow me." Cristiano led James through his bedroom and into the closet, where he shuffled through a large selection of boxers and large t-shirts.
"Here you go." Cristiano handed him a white t-shirt and small, black boxers.
"Thank you." James mumbled and went back to the restroom to get changed, which he did rather quickly.
"I hope you like Chicken Parmesan." Cristiano smiled as he wrapped his arm around James's shoulder and guided him to the living room.
"I've never had it." James spoke softly, curious to see the dish Cristiano had prepared.
"What!? Your mother never made you Chicken Parmesan?" Cristiano scoffed in disbelief.
"Uh. She isn't big on cooking..." James looked down at his scrapped hands, poking at the fresh bruises.
"Well then I'm glad I could be the first to make it for you." Cristiano tried to lighten the mood, noticing James's change.
"O-ok." James nodded and sat beside Cristiano on the leather couch, keeping a slight distance between the two.
The food didn't last long when James plowed through it hungrily, never forgetting his manners despite his hunger.
"James? Are you ready for bed?" James shot up from the couch, realizing that he'd somehow fallen asleep while watching the movie Cristiano had put on.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep." James rubbed his tired eyes and stretched, his t-shirt rising up and exposing him to just above his waistline.
Cristiano cleared his throat before speaking.
"Uh. It's fine. Let's go now." Cristiano steamed ahead leading the way for James.
"Here is the guest room." Cristiano opened the door.
A queen bed sat against the farthest wall, dressed in beige bedding, which contrasted the blue walls.
"If you need anything you know where to find me. Goodnight James." Cristiano squeezed his shoulder before exiting the room, leaving James alone.
Alone...
James had always shared a bed with his Mother. Sure, one could say it was because they couldn't afford another bed for him, but for James, it was because of his night terrors. Night terrors had haunted James since he was young, taking him over in his sleep and picking away at his calmness. He discovered that having someone to sleep next to made them stay away most of the time, but they still occurred sometimes. If his mother worked late, he held her pillow, which smelt heavily of Lilac and Vanilla, and he'd sleep through the night.
James shook his head, deciding to just lay down and pretend that he was a normal teenage boy who easily slept through the night.
But an hour passed and James couldn't seem to ease his anxieties. It got to the point that James found himself outside of Cristiano's door, listening for any movement.
The door inched open silently as James peered inside and glanced at Cristiano's sleeping figure.
"Cristiano?" James questioned quietly.
Cristiano didn't move, his back still to James, his body moving with his rhythmic breaths.
James stepped in slowly, one foot in front of the other. Careful not to trip over himself, James reached Cristiano's bed. His soft hand came to rest upon Cristiano's shoulder, shaking him slightly.
"Cristiano?" This time Cristiano sighed sleepily.
"Huh? What's wrong?" He sat up rubbing his eyes.
"I..." James hesitated.
Telling him about his night terrors seemed childish to James.
"Uh. Can I sleep with you? I'm just not used to sleeping alone." Silence surrounded them for a moment.
"Of course. Here I'll move over." Cristiano shuffled to the middle of his queen sized mattress and gave up his warm spot to James.
"Thank you."
The two fell silent as they grew comfortable and James began to drift off, only stopping for a moment to notice Cristiano wrapped around him before he fell asleep, more comfortable than ever.
"Wake up sleepy head." James could feel Cristiano's chest pressed on top of his own, the weight not too much for James.
James sighed sleepily, bringing his clenched fist upward to rub his tired eye. When he finally opened them, Cristiano's chin was pressed into James's chest. Their eyes made contact easily and James found himself in a trance.
"You must be hungry. I can cook if you tell me what to make." Cristiano put on his brightest smile, making James feel somewhat warmer inside.
"Uh. I'm not sure." James looked away as he thought.
"Well... do you like french toast? Or pancakes?" James nodded deciding to accept the offer easily.
"Uh Cristiano... could I use your phone for a moment?" James had to call his mother before she got home and began to freak out about James not being there.
"Of course." Cristiano climbed off of the James and reached to his night stand, collecting his phone for James to use.
"Um..." James stared at the device clueless on how it worked.
His mother had only had a flip phone and all James had to do was click buttons with numbers and letter, but Cristiano's phone seemed even more confusing as James tried to flip it open.
"No. It's touch screen. Have you never had a phone?" James for some reason began to feel small and incompetent.
"Hey, that's alright. I'll show you." Cristiano pulled James into his side, his left arm reaching around James and back to the phone so that James was in his grasp while he showed him how to use the phone.
Cristiano ran through the basics of using the cell phone and James caught on quite easily as he watched Cristiano pull up the phone pad.
"Here you go." James thanked him quickly and typed in his mother's number, which she had made him memorize in case of an emergency.
"Mama? It's me." James spoke gently to his mother when she answered.
"I-I'm at a classmates house. I spent the night. I'm not sure when I'll be home though." James paused for a while, listening to his mother.
"What is it?" James grew concerned as his mother continued to talk.
"What? No. But you made the payment on time!" James quickly crawled off the bed and began to pace back and forth, forgetting about Cristiano.
"Where are we... no." James felt a hot tear roll down his face.
"I'm not going back there. No. No. I'd much rather stay on the streets than follow you back there." James seemed to be angry.
"I do love you. More than anything. But you know what he did. I'm not-I can't." James sighed.
"No. I'm sorry Mama, but I'm not coming home." James seemed to be final about his decision.
"I love you, but you're making the wrong choice. I'll call you." James hung up and stood still for only a slight moment before sinking to the floor and falling to pieces.
"Hey! What's wrong?" Cristiano scrambled off of his bed and dropped onto the floor with James, grabbing him and pulling him into a tight hold.
"Shhh. I'm right here. It's ok." Cristiano held James tightly, rocking him gently as he tried to calm him down.
"What happened?" Cristiano asked quietly, trying not to get James worked up anymore than he was.
"My Mother and I got evicted. She's going to move back in with my Step Father." James began to cry even harder at the mention of his Step Father.
"Where will you go?" Cristiano gripped James tighter as he began to shake.
"I-I don't know..." James's words seemed to make him cry even harder.
"You know... I'm quite alone here in this house. No one is ever home. I'd like some company if you wanted to stay with me for a while..." James only shook his head.
"I can't do that to you. We barely know each other. I can't just live in your house." James tried to pull away from him, but Cristiano wasn't having it.
"No. Please. It'd be my pleasure to have you here. Please." Cristiano stared deep into James's eyes, trying to convey his feelings and sincerity.
"Are you sure?" Cristiano only nodded with a smile.
"I'll get a job and help pay some bills than." James began to think about the possible jobs that would fit his schedule, but he struggled to believe he would be able to work and go to school at the same time.
"No. There is no need. My parents pay for everything. The only thing you need to worry about is school." James didn't like that.
"There must be something I can do to earn my keep." James didn't like feeling like he was mooching off of Cristiano and his family.
"If it matters that much to you, then I have something you could do. It would be a tremendous help to me." James nodded eagerly, ready to hear what needed to be done so he felt like he had a right to live with Cristiano.
"I need you to help me study for our upcoming Final. I have to pass or I don't get my credits and my parents will kill me. Please." Cristiano looked truly concerned and James decided that it was a big enough job to help out Cristiano's parents and Cristiano himself.
"Ok. Deal." James stuck his hand out to shake on it, but Cristiano didn't want to shake his hand.
James found himself gripped in a warm embrace and a smile came to his face. Life didn't seem so bad since he had a roof over his head, and the man he liked.