this is for keeps
title: this is for keeps
pairing: cristiano ronaldo & owen hargreaves
rating: pg
author's note: for england_missing. sorry took me so long, love. i hope you enjoy.
this is for keeps
All Cristiano wanted was to matter. To be needed and wanted. To make a difference in the world in any which way he could. But more importantly, to be significant to someone. To change them, make them better by simply being there. He hadn’t felt it yet. And he was starting to wonder if he ever would. Maybe it was too much to want, especially from him. Because he was just a footballer. And nothing more.
Cristiano placed his bag in the compartment above him, and set himself down by the window. He loved to watch the world from the air. It looked so peaceful and quiet. And that’s what he loved about it. From up in the sky, between the splashes of clouds, he could almost feel as if everything was okay. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t. He always wanted to have a positive outlook on the world. And thousands of feet above the ground is where he could find it.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when someone shuffled in the seat beside him, and Cristiano looked over to see a mess of curls and a pair of soft eyes.
“What do you see?”
And for a moment, he didn’t comprehend what the Englishman had asked, and just nodded his head. Owen laughed, and stood slightly to take a look out the window. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Cristiano answered, resting his head against the glass. “Almost perfect.”
“From the outside, looking in.”
Yes, he thought. Only from the outside.
Wayne mumbled an apology, something about Coleen. The rest really didn’t interest Cristiano. It didn’t matter what Wayne was saying. Because all he heard was the love etched in every single word. Love not meant for him. Love meant for her. He wasn’t important to Wayne. Maybe he was. But he would always come second. He deserved more.
Cristiano could feel his eyes.
“What do you see?”
“Sorry?”
The winger grabbed a football from the ground. “You’ve been staring at me, I could feel your eyes.”
“Oh.”
“What do you see?”
Owen looked down, before lifting his head up again to look into Cristiano’s eyes. “Loneliness.”
Cristiano knew it was over. It was over before it even started. He didn’t know if they even had a relationship to begin with. They got along on and off the pitch, as always. It just wasn’t the same. They both knew Wayne would never leave Coleen. There wasn’t space for the winger in Wayne’s heart anymore. There wasn’t enough to begin with.
“You’re hurt.”
“I’ll be fine,” Owen smiled. “It’s only a little knock.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Are you?”
“I didn’t -”
“You know what I mean.”
“Do you ever wish,” Owen breathed. “you never came to England?”
“No.”
“Even after everything?”
“Especially after everything.”
“It’s not easy.”
Cristiano looked at him and smiled. “It’s not. But when was love ever easy?”
“Was it?”
“Was it what?”
“Was it love?”
“I don’t know anymore.”
All Owen wanted was to find home. It wasn’t in Canada with the rest of his family. He knew that back when he was younger. It wasn’t in Germany. He found that out recently. He wanted to find a place where he felt he belonged. Maybe I don’t belong anywhere, he thought. The search led him to Manchester (Cristiano).
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for home.”
Cristiano looked into his soft eyes. “No. I mean. What are you doing here? With me?”
“I already told you.”
Owen fell in love with everything about Manchester, like he knew he would. It didn’t take him longer than a week to get settled, unlike when he moved to Germany. And he instantly felt that maybe (just maybe) he would find what he was looking for here.
“I’m not lonely, though,” Cristiano confided. “Just alone.”
“Is there a difference?”
“Yes.”
And, another night.
“You’re not alone anymore. You have me.”
Owen loved everything about Manchester. The club, the city, the people. But he thinks there was one thing more than anything else, that he loved the most.
“Did you find it?”
“Find what?”
“Home.”
“I think I have.”
“Is it alright?” Owen asked, grabbing a hold of Cristiano’s hand. They looked down at their hands.
“What?”
“Is it alright if I found my home in you?”
Cristiano smiled, and held Owen’s waist with his other hand, pulling him closer.
And under the eruption of the orange and pink sky, they kissed.
pairing: cristiano ronaldo & owen hargreaves
rating: pg
author's note: for england_missing. sorry took me so long, love. i hope you enjoy.
this is for keeps
All Cristiano wanted was to matter. To be needed and wanted. To make a difference in the world in any which way he could. But more importantly, to be significant to someone. To change them, make them better by simply being there. He hadn’t felt it yet. And he was starting to wonder if he ever would. Maybe it was too much to want, especially from him. Because he was just a footballer. And nothing more.
Cristiano placed his bag in the compartment above him, and set himself down by the window. He loved to watch the world from the air. It looked so peaceful and quiet. And that’s what he loved about it. From up in the sky, between the splashes of clouds, he could almost feel as if everything was okay. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t. He always wanted to have a positive outlook on the world. And thousands of feet above the ground is where he could find it.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when someone shuffled in the seat beside him, and Cristiano looked over to see a mess of curls and a pair of soft eyes.
“What do you see?”
And for a moment, he didn’t comprehend what the Englishman had asked, and just nodded his head. Owen laughed, and stood slightly to take a look out the window. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Cristiano answered, resting his head against the glass. “Almost perfect.”
“From the outside, looking in.”
Yes, he thought. Only from the outside.
Wayne mumbled an apology, something about Coleen. The rest really didn’t interest Cristiano. It didn’t matter what Wayne was saying. Because all he heard was the love etched in every single word. Love not meant for him. Love meant for her. He wasn’t important to Wayne. Maybe he was. But he would always come second. He deserved more.
Cristiano could feel his eyes.
“What do you see?”
“Sorry?”
The winger grabbed a football from the ground. “You’ve been staring at me, I could feel your eyes.”
“Oh.”
“What do you see?”
Owen looked down, before lifting his head up again to look into Cristiano’s eyes. “Loneliness.”
Cristiano knew it was over. It was over before it even started. He didn’t know if they even had a relationship to begin with. They got along on and off the pitch, as always. It just wasn’t the same. They both knew Wayne would never leave Coleen. There wasn’t space for the winger in Wayne’s heart anymore. There wasn’t enough to begin with.
“You’re hurt.”
“I’ll be fine,” Owen smiled. “It’s only a little knock.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Are you?”
“I didn’t -”
“You know what I mean.”
“Do you ever wish,” Owen breathed. “you never came to England?”
“No.”
“Even after everything?”
“Especially after everything.”
“It’s not easy.”
Cristiano looked at him and smiled. “It’s not. But when was love ever easy?”
“Was it?”
“Was it what?”
“Was it love?”
“I don’t know anymore.”
All Owen wanted was to find home. It wasn’t in Canada with the rest of his family. He knew that back when he was younger. It wasn’t in Germany. He found that out recently. He wanted to find a place where he felt he belonged. Maybe I don’t belong anywhere, he thought. The search led him to Manchester (Cristiano).
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for home.”
Cristiano looked into his soft eyes. “No. I mean. What are you doing here? With me?”
“I already told you.”
Owen fell in love with everything about Manchester, like he knew he would. It didn’t take him longer than a week to get settled, unlike when he moved to Germany. And he instantly felt that maybe (just maybe) he would find what he was looking for here.
“I’m not lonely, though,” Cristiano confided. “Just alone.”
“Is there a difference?”
“Yes.”
And, another night.
“You’re not alone anymore. You have me.”
Owen loved everything about Manchester. The club, the city, the people. But he thinks there was one thing more than anything else, that he loved the most.
“Did you find it?”
“Find what?”
“Home.”
“I think I have.”
“Is it alright?” Owen asked, grabbing a hold of Cristiano’s hand. They looked down at their hands.
“What?”
“Is it alright if I found my home in you?”
Cristiano smiled, and held Owen’s waist with his other hand, pulling him closer.
And under the eruption of the orange and pink sky, they kissed.