me gustas tú - neymessi

part 1

Falling out of love with someone you once thought of as your soulmate hurts more than anything. Lionel Messi learnt to know that after his divorce with Antonella. The worst part was that he couldn't even blame her. It was his fault, all of it. He stopped caring about her and his son, he went out drowning his problems in alcohol and eventually, he began to hook up with other women.

He was being a proper asshole and for what? Nothing, really. No matter how hard he tried to come up with a plausible reason, he wouldn't succeed. To his luck, Antonella was kind enough not to tell the media about why her and her ex-husband broke up. Leo truly didn't deserve her.

How could he possibly throw away a perfect life with the perfect woman by his side? The football player couldn't help it but ask himself over and over again. Tears were streaming down his cheeks but his facial expression remained emotionless.

A whole month has already passed since the divorce and he still wasn't over it the slightest bit. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep and he most definitely couldn't play. He was way too tired to become a decent human being again so he stayed in bed all day, crying.

From time to time Neymar and Suárez would check up on him and cook him some food. Leo felt bad for taking up their time and told them that they didn't have to but they insisted. In fact, the doorbell was ringing right then. With all of his strength, which wasn't much, Leo got up from the bed and opened the door, revealing a young Brazilian man holding two pizzas, stacked on top of each other, in front of him.

"Hey Leo! Are you hungry?" Neymar asked, smiling brightly as always. Messi nodded in response and let his friend step in, closing the door behind him. "Thanks for this, Ney." The older said while getting two plates and glasses. "No problem, man. Are you feeling any better?" The genuine concern in his voice almost made Leo tear up. It took him a while to decide whether to lie or to tell him the truth.

"A bit, yes." The Argentine replied finally, choosing the first option. He was too afraid of his friends getting sick of him always responding the same and not getting any better but to be honest, he didn't even try to get better. He had already given up on everything. The only time he genuinely felt happy was when his friends visited, especially when Neymar did.

Leo wasn't sure why, but the Brazilian had a special talent for cheering people up. Maybe it was his smile that could light up every room or the stupid jokes he made most of the time. Whatever it was, Leo sometimes wished he could always feel the way he felt when Neymar was around.

"Does this mean you will be coming to practice again?" The younger asked in pure excitement. Leo's heart stung a little, knowing he'd have to disappoint the Brazilian once again but he has no other choice. No one wants a guy on their team whose head is anywhere but the game. Not even if that guy was Lionel Messi.

"I'm sorry, Ney, I need more time." Leo's heart ached when he saw his friend's smile drop. Neymar let out a frustrated sigh and turned his back on him. "Why do I even bother asking?" He exclaimed, clearly disappointed.

Lionel frowned gloomily at his remark but he was aware that Neymar had every right to be upset. Not knowing what to say, Messi kept quiet, looking down at his feet. "I just wondered, how long are you planning on living like this?" The younger questioned him and paused for a second to take a deep breath before he continued talking. "I love you, Leo, but you're being pathetic at this point."

Messi looked back at his teammate. He could deny it for as long as he wanted to, the truth stands and there's nothing he could do about it except trying to change or rather become the person he once was.

"How about a quick one on one match?" Leo suggested as he sincerely hoped Neymar would accept his offer. To his luck, the Brazilian's eyes lit up almost immediately and even though he was confused at first as to why the older changed his mind so quickly, he smiled and agreed.

After that they put away the dishes and went outside. It was chilly and the sun was already going down but the two men couldn't be bothered. It was just them, the ball and the goal at some point as they were playing football in Messi's garden.

The score was even for quite a while until Leo eventually got through Neymar's strong defense. "1 - 0 for FC Barcelona!" He shouted cheerfully, throwing his arms in the air and smiling for the first time in what felt like years.

The sight of his teammate finally being able to feel excitement again made the Brazilian the happiest person in the world. He slowly approached the other, who was still celebrating and wrapped him into a tight hug. "I missed you, Lionel Messi." Neymar didn't mean to get all emotional with him again but Leo just had that impact on him.

The older blushed lightly as he returned the hug and sighed mentally when it ended. "Has the training schedule changed since I left?" He asked to break the silence between them. The sudden question took Neymar by surprise but he answered it anyway: "Not really. So you're coming to practice tomorrow?"

This time, Leo didn't think twice before replying. "I think so, yes." He uttered joyfully while removing a few strands of hair that fell into his face. Neymar couldn't help but hug him once again, even lifting him up a bit out of happiness and relief.

They both laughed as the younger tripped, causing them to fall on the ground. Luckily the grass was soft enough not to hurt too bad. The two of them layed there for a while, still holding onto each other. Neither of them realized how close they were.

Leo's heart skipped a beat when Neymar started to gaze into his eyes, drawing circles on his back. There was a warm feeling building up in Messi's stomach. The feeling that only Neymar could give him.

All of a sudden, the younger's phone started ringing and he immediately picked up after seeing who it was. "I'm sorry, Leo, my girlfriend called. I gotta go." He explained, getting back on his feet, helping the Argentine do the same. Lionel tried his best not to frown and nodded.

After they made their way to the front door, Neymar gave Leo a last hug from the side and stepped outside. "I'll see you tomorrow at practice!" He chimed happily. The Argentine only waved before closing the door and dropping himself onto the couch. For some reason he felt happy and sad at the same time. He didn't give it too much thought though and drifted off to sleep.