football imagines [requests open]

marcus rashford.

my affection

Situated comfortable in the living room of their home was Marcus and Y/N watching All The Bright Places. Focus on the movie, however, was limited and sometimes simply gone astray, the movie soon acting as cosy background music. Ignoring everything all around them—the poetically tragic movie, their phones discarded on the floor—they laughed with no control, fed each other for the fun of it, bumped and shoved with romantic intent and caved into one another for that warmth and affection.

Within and beyond the relationship were Y/N and Marcus; close and intimate, together alone, all too friendly and inward to one another. They, respectfully, were way past the age of the relationship. They appeared to act like an elderly couple despite their youth. A bit of maturity and understanding surrounding everything they were together, highlights of their love found in small yet special moments like saying happy birthday at midnight to the two sharing a slice of cake at dawn hours. There was range to all of it.

All of that made up silence in love. A high sense of modesty amongst them, highlighting one's love for the other with simple gestures. Actions beyond their age while matching their personalities. There wasn't much to say; they were genuine and simple in everything they said and did. A model couple that everyone else wanted to mirror. By other perspectives, they were deemed as perfect by being everything that wasn't expected of them.

The aspect of their relationship that prevailed in the eyes of many was silence in love. It was a variety of things if asked by different people. Romanticising one's lack of spines to ask someone out, allowing fate and fortune to navigate their love lives, being the quiet one in the relationship. Really, being silent in love could mean anything, and Marcus was everything that came with the label.

Eyes on the TV, Y/N reached into the bowl of popcorn only to find that it was now just a bowl. She frowned before letting out a small huff. She went to stand up only to yelp when she felt herself being pulled down by Marcus.

His grip around her grew stronger (with neither aggression nor force) when she questioned his antics. "No, no, no. Where are you going?" he asked with a small tone. A sight of innocence that was deceiving and genuine all at once.

"I'm out of popcorn," she said and showed him the bowl. She rattled a bowl full of empty space. "I'm tryna get more."

When she tried to get up again, he tugged her down again. She glanced at him with a blank stare. "No, stay. Just-- just stay, please," Marcus said with his voice slowly fading away. There was evident fatigue lingering around and his constant blinks didn't help his case when he tried to prove otherwise.

"I guess I'm not hungry anymore," she mumbled to herself. A few minutes later, she took another look at Marcus to notice him sleeping. He shifted in his sleep as he held a secure grasp around her waist. She shook her head laughing as she ran her fingers through his hair, glancing back at the TV to leave him in solace.

Some confused silence in love with absence of love; a lack of that love and affection from the other. Maybe a form of avoidance to curve any unresolved relationship issues. Unreciprocated love, if you will. That Marcus wasn't into his girlfriend and Y/N tolerated her boyfriend not returning the same energy—unbalanced weight to love. Though this wasn't the case with Marcus and Y/N. Actually, it was quite the opposite when glanced at from a different perspective.

Anything with the mention of love was still love regardless. Eros, philia, storage, agape—whatever it may be. All different with the common factor of fondness for someone else. It was difficult to understand when not experienced though it wasn't hard to grasp from afar.

Silently in love, the perfect way to describe Marcus. It wasn't dull or stagnant; instead, it came to be exciting and in motion all at the same time. He gave the relationship a sense of solace and soft vibes as the mellow atmosphere translated the mood, personifying the true sense of R&B tunes. Spoken love was rare and significant for the two, creating a safe environment for discussion.

Where there was silence in affection, there was deep trust and loyalty. Neither Marcus nor Y/N worried if the other strayed towards another person; his behaviour wasn't underwhelming nor was her own overwhelming or desperate. They were far too deep into their relationship—into one another—to not understand how much they felt about the other, to not know that they were adored and cherished in every way possible.

Sure, between him and Y/N, Marcus was the reserved one and that was simply a part of his persona. But he was quiet yet loud in every aspect of the relationship. Almost every close and intimate action started because of Marcus. He tilted his head in awe of Y/N because of her elegance, features and primal nature; he appreciated her body figure with a simple grasp or squeeze; reserved yet never held back when it came to pointing out everything he doted about her; he clung onto her body when he wasn't ready to pull away.

There was no need for Marcus to lift up his voice to let Y/N know how he felt. He was just more outspoken through body talk, expression and experience than through words. And that was where his need for constant affection, touch and feeling of being wanted—or being clingy—came to be.

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nothing new, just a re-write.