Look away (BxB) [COMPLETE]

Thirty-eight: Player one, get ready

Darkness surrounding the piercing glow of the spotlights. Louis hugged the jacket Bran had given him tightly to his body as he shivered in the cold. He'd always had bad blood circulation and the chilly weather wasn't helping his frozen fingers. Bran was warm, he was always warm. Louis glanced at Faki and Ava who was sitting next to him, looking like true opposites. Ava looked excited and somewhat nervous, Faki showed less emotion than a rock. In all honesty, he looked bored.

Bran was trotting around by the side of the field below the bleachers. The game wouldn't start until another twenty minutes or so. The cheerleaders were doing some dance thing and Louis kept his eyes glued to Bran. The dark purple uniforms, the white pants that would soon be filled with grass stains. The purple helmet with he held in his hand. His shoulder pads and chest plate made him look wider up top and thinner toward the waist, like an upside-down triangle. Louis stared in awe. Bran had never looked cooler. His curly dark hair was messy from all the times he'd put on and taken off his helmet during the day. His dark skin and light green eyes. Louis bit his lip and looked down at the jersey Bran had dressed him in. He had gone home after school to change quickly before the game. Underneath the large jersey, he wore a tight turtleneck that he had tucked into his jeans along with the jersey. The tucked shirts made his hips look a bit wider and his waist slimmer. While he liked it, he also felt odd to be proud of his body. He'd gained nearly twenty-five pounds since he first met Bran and his body was softer and fuller. His pants fit better and his shirts didn't seem so big anymore.

Brannon Begum's number and name were proudly displayed on Louis' chest through the open jacket. It excited him that Bran wanted him to wear the jersey. Yet he couldn't help but feel that there was something more to it than just wanting Louis to cheer for him. As if Bran had told him to wear the shirt to show that Louis was his property. That he belonged to him. Branded.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Ava said and gently pushed Louis' black hair away from his eyes, pushed the hair back so he couldn't hide his eyes. She smiled at him. A genuine kind smile with her bright, white teeth. Her black curly hair was braided in a bun behind her head, neatly yet casual looking.

"I'm fine..." Louis said and blushed as he caught Ava focusing on his left eye, the one that had gone red after Bran had strangled him. There was still a slight trace of the popped blood vessel but now it just looked as if his eye was irritated.

"You have beautiful eyes..." She said and smiled again. Her smooth voice embraced Louis' heart with love. Yet it held worry. Ava's brown eyes were filled with concern. Why wasn't Bran anything like his mom?

"Thank you..." Louis said shyly, a bit embarrassed that she'd seen his left eye. He'd hidden it well during the dinner since his hair naturally fell over it, just like he wanted it to.

"I'm just stating the obvious..." She chuckled. "You're just like a moneses flower... Beautiful, complex and delicate..."

Louis raised a brow. He'd never heard of such a flower before. "Thanks..?" The word came out as a question and Ava chuckled before turning back to watch her son below the bleachers. Louis mentally scolded himself for his stupid reply to Ava's compliment. He was never good with positivity, and certainly not positivity directed to him.

Bran looked up to the bleachers where his parents were seated. Next to them sat Louis, all snuggled up in Bran's jersey and the jacket he'd given him. His small body disappears in the large clothes. Bran glanced at his dad. Despite the distance, Bran could see his judging green eyes. The same light eyes that met him when he looked in the mirror. The judgmental eyes he shared with his father. He needed to be as successful as his cousins in Lebanon. He couldn't be the only one who didn't earn millions every year. They already teased him for not knowing Arabic. He'd show them.