Football One Shots

Neymessi (Kind of an AU)

The song doesn't really go with the writing but I love NF and its a really good song!
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Being an interviewer for professional sports athletes was never Neymar's plan. Being the one behind the table was what he'd dreamed of as a child and young teen, but after suffering a career ending injury, Neymar had to choose a different path. The sport of Futbol had practically raised him, coming from a broken home and all, so when he was presented the opportunity to still be involved, he jumped at the chance. Yes, his life is full of last minute cramming, seeing as Neymar was never very organized to begin with. And yes, half the time he asked stupid questions, which in turn received stupid answers, or none at all for that matter. But Neymar would be lying if he said he didn't love his job. For instance, there he was, in a conference with the best footballer on the planet, and the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi.
The first thing Neymar noticed when Lionel entered the room was his demand for dominance, unknowingly of course, but it was still there. The second thing Neymar noticed was Lionel's lack of words. He answered in short, straight to the point answers and often did not elaborate on his thoughts. So, when Neymar opened his mouth to finally ask the question he'd been dying to ask, he did not think for a second that Lionel would answer the way he did.
"Are you gay by any chance?"
Now Neymar hadn't been in the business long, maybe a year and a half, but he had been there long enough to know his question was completely and utterly stupid to ask, but his mouth had a mind of its own.
As soon as it left his mouth, the room turned silent, partially interested in Messi's answer and partially shocked by the question to begin with. And well Neymar, he couldn't help but cower slightly as Leo's gaze turned almost deadly and he leaned forward to speak clearly in his mic.
"No. I have no interest men, especially childish ones." As the last words fell from his lips, he gave Neymar a judging look over.
Neymar had been caught like a fish out of water, trying to form a coherent sentence, a word even, he just wanted to apologize for his idiocy. But his body didn't connect with his mind and soon enough he found himself bolting out of the room, wearing his heart on his sleeve, and just missing Lionel's concerned look.
"What the actual hell Neymar." He'd locked himself into the restroom located just past the locker rooms.
"Of course he isn't gay you imbecile. He dated what's-her-face for over 13 years! I'm pretty sure he'd know if he was gay." With clenched fists, Neymar pounded his shaking hands into his head, cursing himself over and over.
Until a knock came from the bathroom door and he was forced to collect himself.
"Someone's in here." He choked out.
"Can you open up?" Neymar nearly puked as Lionel's voices resonated through the empty room.
"I..." Neymar stared at the door in fear and hesitation.
"Why would you want to see me? I'm an idiot. I swear my mouth has a mind of its own sometimes. That's not even what I meant to ask you for goodness sake!" Neymar's back pressed to the door and he slid down to the floor, placing his head back with a thud.
When this came from the other side, slightly below where Neymar's head was, he was pleasantly surprised.
"What did you mean to ask then?"
Neymar smiled softly at his question, even though Lionel couldn't see him.
"I meant to ask how you felt about the recent retirement of Luis Enrique. And how you think this has effected the team. Lord knows how I said what I did instead." Neymar chuckled softly and closed his eyes.
"I think your question was way more interesting than what you had planned to ask anyways." Lionel followed Neymar's soft chuckles.
"Yeah. It's not everyday you hear something so upfront and personal in a press conference, huh?" Lionel only hummed in agreement.
"So, what's your name mystery man?" Lionel questioned.
"Neymar. Neymar da Silva Santos Junior." Neymar smiled in pride at his name.
"Hm. I like it, Neymar da Silva Santos Junior." And Neymar couldn't help but shudder at the way his name sounded coming from the other side of the door.
"Thanks Mr. Messi." Neymar cringed along with Lionel at the sound of the formality.
"Just Leo. Please." And that brought even more chuckles.
"Ok. Leo." Neymar felt giddy, as if talking to his crush for the first time.
"So, are you gay Neymar?" The question was so sudden, Neymar choked on his own spit and fell into a fit of coughs.
"I'll take that as a yes?" Leo assumed.
"Yeah." Neymar settled and leaned back against the door once more.
"Good to know." Leo had a bright smile on his lips as he stared at the wall, before something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
"I have to go Ney. I'll be contacting you so don't ignore me. I'll see you then." And just like that Leo was gone, and Neymar was in a daze, not 100% sure everything that had just happened was real.
It wasn't until a week later that a knock sounded on the door of Neymar's hotel room. A perk of being away for interviews that Neymar believed he'd never get used to.
"Leo?" Neymar's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Hey, Neymar da Silva Santos Junior." Leo replied with a goofy smile that lit Neymar's chest on fire.
"What brings you to these parts?" Neymar gestured to his hotel room.
"I told you I'd be in touch. What? Forget about me already." Neymar seemed shocked.
"I-I didn't think you'd actually seek me out. Especially after what I did." Neymar's hand came to the back of his neck, a habit of his.
"I know the way I responded wasn't the best either. I'm sorry. You just worried me a bit. Say, Neymar, do I come off as gay?" Leo looked genuinely concerned as he asked.
"No! It was more so my stupid mouth voicing my silent thoughts without my consent." Neymar laughed lightly as his eyes squinted a bit.
"So you've actually thought about it before then? If I was into guys or not?" Neymar only nodded in response.
"Hmm. Interesting. You know, the only person who's ever questioned my sexuality, besides you of course, is my friend Antonella. That's why your question came as such a shock." Leo chuckled as he pushed past Neymar into his room and made his way to the couch in the corner of the room.
"Don't you mean your girlfriend? Miss Roccuzzo is your girlfriend isn't she?" Neymar was beyond confused.
"That's what we told the press. Call me paranoid but from a young age, all the spotlight on me made me feel pressured. I felt that I live under a microscope. At night, when I'd lay in my bed, messaging a boy I was interested in, I was scared that the press was watching through the window. That they would expose me and the world would look at me differently. I didn't want people's opinions towards me to affect my footballing. So, my childhood friend, Anto, agreed to pose as my girlfriend. It's been this way ever since." Leo smiled as he moved a couch pillow to get comfortable, patting the spot beside him to invite Neymar to sit down.
"You know I am the press right? I could expose you to the world." Neymar would never do that, but why would Leo so easily trust him.
"You wouldn't do that to me. Neymar da Silva Santos Junior. I'm told I was your biggest inspiration growing up." Neymar was dumbfounded.
"Who told you that?" Neymar swallowed thickly.
"Rafa is quite talkative." Leo chuckled as he remembered the conversation they'd had a few days before.
"Oh geez. Please tell me she didn't embarrass me?" Neymar groaned as he thought of all the things his sister would most likely say, especially to Neymar's lifelong crush.
"Oh nothing really, only that you were once really good at football. She told me you were practically set for a ride to stardom, but then you fell to an injury and never recovered. She even showed me some of your fútbol tapes. I have to say it's a mystery you weren't called up sooner." Neymar's heart swelled at the approval of Lionel Messi, the best footballer the world had ever seen.
"I-I... thank you. Really. It means the world." Neymar smiled widely as Leo smiled back.
"Well, I'm sorry I have to make this meeting short, but I have some things to attend to, but I'd really like it if you could stick around for another week. I'd really like to get to know you, Neymar da Silva Santos Junior." And Neymar couldn't help but comply as he opened the door for Leo and let him out.
"Oh, I just remembered actually..." Leo smiled as he turned around to face Neymar, who looked at him expectantly.
"You're sister also mentioned you had a huge crush on me from a young age. She told me you never wavered, never talked to other boys, never set eyes on any other man. I think that's cute, as well as flattering. I do hope you'll tell me about it when I visit again." Leo pulled Neymar into a tight hug, before waving goodbye and making his way down the hall, not looking back to catch Neymar's slack jaw and look of disbelief.
"Rafaela!" Neymar slammed his hotel door and marched back to the couch to grab his phone and make an important phone call to his beloved sister.

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I have so many Neymessi tabs! I have a new story I'm writing that I REALLY like and I can't wait to share it with y'all! Prison AU update coming soon ;)