Basically Cristiano Ronaldo has a not so secret *nor subtle* crush on his rival Leo Messi. Let the awkward yet still completely adorable flirting ensue.
*****
Also I love both Antonella and Georgina so please don't think I don't. :)
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Frustration.
Anger.
More Frustration.
Confusion.
Even more frustration.
Leo couldn't even open a social media app without seeing the headlines staring him back in the face. They were everywhere. Inescapable. It got even worse when he went to his most recent uploaded picture, nothing related to the situation at hand, and it was clear that the fans were mad. People left and right asking, no, begging for him to just say something.
Bitterly, Leo locked his phone and sat back on the firm cushions. His mind racing with thoughts, so many people were mad and asking him to speak up, but how? How could he speak on a situation he didn't know about until a few days ago? Did they just assume that just because he was a big player in the game, that he somehow had some role in it? The shifts of blame were constant, of course Perez was at the center of it all, but there were so many other names getting thrown in. News outlets and fan pages were running wild with any source's info they could get, whether it was true or not. It was beyond frustrating.
He shook his head and tried to think of anything else, the weather outside, the cold food that sat on the coffee table in front of him, the song that was quietly playing through the speaker in the room. His eyes landed on the phone beside him though, and the frustration came back almost immediately. The object that was once something he loved to use an escape from reality, had now become the very thing he wanted to escape.
*****
FCBarcelona have just released a statement saying they will remain in the European Super League despite other teams pulling out of the tournament.
UEFA is working tirelessly with its lawyers to remove RealMadrid from this season's Champions League, as well as banning them from the UCL for the next season. UEFA also wants the same punishment for Juventus. The decision is expected tomorrow.
Leo let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. The frustration that he felt seemed to never go away, it just sat there in his bones. It seemed to feed on his energy, so much so that he soon felt drained, like he didn't have the will to do anything. He scrolled through a few more updates from the fan page, laughing reactions and angry reactions littered the comments. He only noticed a few select fans that were supporting the teams.
Nonetheless, he stopped his scrolling and closed the app. He was about to just leave his phone all together when it lit up with a new notification. It was out of sheer curiosity he opened his phone.
Cris...
He had been so completely focused on the situation surrounding the European Super League and the dramatics of "football's downfall" that he forgot about Cristiano. Cris' most recent tag was like a single light that lit up the darkness clouding Leo's mind. He eagerly tapped the notif to see the photo and caption.
This league or that league, banned or not banned, I don't care as long as I get to see you @leomessi
*****
Cristiano was used to the negative reactions his posts about Leo got, it was normal now. He was surprised however at how severe of a reaction people had about his most recent post. Even fanpages that centered around "Cressi" now gave their two cents in the situation and scolded Cris for not being more grounded and speaking up about the ESL. People asking for clarification on which side he was on, of course in their minds there were only two options to choose from.
Sure, at times Cris wanted to say what he thought about it, but he also knew it was not his place to. If any of his close teammates and friends chose to speak up, only then would he say what he wanted to say, but until then, he chose to stay relatively in the middle. Choosing to stay silent about it.
As he read the backlash in comments he wanted to laugh, people were already speaking for him. Making their assumptions on a situation they didn't even know about, if players themselves didn't know the ins and outs of the Super League vs UEFA and FIFA, then how could they?
He was beginning to regret posting the photo and even debated on deleting it when Leo liked the post. He also commented a single red heart emoji. Nothing else of course, yet it made Cris' chest feel warm. He smiled as he pondered how Leo's reaction was in real life, was he happy about it? Did he smile when he looked at it? Did Leo have this warm chest feeling like Cris did?
He switched over to his stories and didn't care about the backlash this quote would get, he didn't care about all that anymore. Leo's happiness mattered more to him.
*****
Leo grabbed his phone as soon as it lit up, Cris had seen his comment. He pinned it to the top of the comment section. He felt more comfortable now on his phone again, he ignored the harsh criticisms and kept refreshing Cris' page, hoping for something new. A new tag or new image. Clinging to him like a moth would a light. After refreshing two more times, the little circle around Cristiano's profile picture lit up and Leo swore he never clicked on something so fast.
As he read the quote, he let out an embarrassingly sweet giggle. His smile never leaving his face as he closed the app and laid down flat on his back. Phone clutched in his right hand, he closed his eyes and was pleasantly surprised to find his mind was clear of thoughts. No longer was he swimming in the messiness of the ESL or UEFA. Relief.
