[Football] Bad Boy Batty

How could things become like this.

"Do you like me?"

When Stones heard Batistuta say this, he was stunned because the words hit the point in his heart.

Does he like Batty?

This question was like tearing off the skin of an onion to reveal the choking part underneath, tearing apart his well-concealed appearance.

Stones knew something was wrong, and he had a rough idea of ​​why, but he just didn't want to break that layer of paper. But to ask what that layer of paper was separating -

Probably him and himself.
And the inexplicable struggle in his heart.

Why is it Batistuta? When did the focus shift to Batistuta? Stones tried to analyze himself.

At the beginning, he had no other thoughts about Batistuta. They were just teammates who joined Manchester City at the same time. Maybe Batistuta was a little more famous at that time, but that was all. They always maintained a good relationship as teammates.

The turning point was probably the bathroom in that airport.

Since then, Stones' cognition has changed. He began to pay attention to De Bruyne and Batistuta involuntarily, but slowly, somehow, all the attention fell on Batistuta alone.

Science shows that it takes 21 days to form a good habit and 3 days to form a bad habit.

He wasn't sure whether it was a good habit or a bad habit, but either way, he had become addicted to following Batistuta all the time and watching him do various things.

I still remember one time when he was with the national team, Stones was busy replying to Batistuta's IG message and didn't hear a word of what his roommate Walker told him about the next day's arrangements.

"You're done, John," Walker said. "You like Batty."

"No, I don't." He tried to refute his friend at the time, "If you mean that kind of like, no, I don't like him, but if you mean in football, I love him, yes, he is our little king, I have no reason not to love him."

"Come on." Walker rolled his eyes at him. "You like him, and you like him very much."

"What a joke."

"Really? What are you doing now?"

"Reply to his comment, he tagged me."

"Yeah, he circled you, so you rushed over with your tail wagging like a propeller?" Walker's face was full of sarcasm at the time. "I really should have carried a mini camera with me and recorded your performance during this period to show you. You almost took off your eyes and glued them to him."

"That's not the case."

"Not only did you watch it, you also complained to me. We had lunch together at noon, and you said Batistuta ate less than half of his portion again. We changed in the locker room, and you said Batistuta brought an extra headscarf with him and you didn't know who it was for. We went to the movies, and you said it wasn't the type Batistuta liked, and that his Godfather was much better than this... Batistuta, Batistuta, Batistuta, you kept talking about him every day. Thanks to you, I now know his hobbies and tastes very well."

"……Shut up."

"Ha! You have nothing to say!" Walker continued to taunt, "And when Neymar transferred, he and Kevin played very enthusiastically with Batistuta on the training ground. You really should listen to your sour tone at that time."

He gave his friend the middle finger.

"I don't like Barty, that's enough of this, Kyle."

"Okay, just assume you don't like it." Walker patted him on the shoulder, "But I still have to say this, brother, you can lie to me, but don't lie to yourself. Now that I've said this, think about it carefully."

Stones doesn't remember how the conversation ended. The only thing he remembers is that he never admitted that he liked Batistuta.

But the slap in the face came too quickly.

That night, after taking a shower, he listened to Walker's snoring in the next bed, looked at his phone which had run out of battery and sounded the shutdown alarm but still had no response, and in despair he fell on the bed face up.

You're done, he thought. You're completely done.

……

"John? John - why are you always distracted?" Batty stepped over Stones and snapped his fingers in front of his eyes. "Look at me, are you listening to me, John, I'm asking you if you like -"

"Hahaha what a joke!" Stones used a somewhat mechanical laugh to stop Batistuta from saying the word that made his brain explode again.

"I don't like you." He said, "Don't be funny, Barty, you are very good, we all love you, but don't get me wrong, really, I don't have any other thoughts about you."

Stones tried to appear natural, but the fact that he didn't dare look Batistuta in the eye was enough to make him look unnatural, at least in Batistuta's opinion.

"Really?" Batty raised his eyebrows and looked at the trembling eyelids of the England defender. "Then..." He dragged out the ending tone and asked jokingly: "Why did you tell me that you knew Kevin and I did it at the airport?"

Stones shuddered again.

"Because you said to be honest and not to hide anything," he replied, "that's why I told you this."

Huh!
Be honest.

Batty wanted to laugh.

"These are two different things, John." Batty said, no longer straightening his legs. He shifted his center of gravity back and sat directly on Stones. "Since you want to be honest, why don't you admit that you like me."

Stones:!
"Oh no no no no no." The England defender said a series of nos, "Seriously, Batistuta, stop teasing me, I'm going to be angry if you keep doing this, I didn't--"

"Nothing, you don't like me?"

"Uh, right--" Stones still didn't dare to look Batistuta in the eye. He didn't even dare to move below his chest, so he slapped something he shouldn't touch. "I'm sorry, but Batistuta, does this have anything to do with the purpose of your coming here today? I think we've gone off topic, and, uh, can you, get off me first."

"What's the matter? Did I make you uncomfortable?" Batty not only did not go down, but also put his hand on his shoulder to close the distance.

"Barty, you—"

"Don't change the subject, Johnny." Batty lowered his head, put his lips close to Stones' eyes, and deliberately lowered his voice and spoke slowly, like a poisonous snake in the Garden of Eden, "If you can't concentrate because of this, it's my fault. How can I stay out of it?"

"Believe me, it's not because of this."

Stones still didn't look at him. Batty frowned fiercely: "I really don't understand you. Many people like me. That's normal. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"No, Batistuta, really." Stones took a deep breath. "I really don't like you."

"Then prove it to me."

"W...what?" Stones subconsciously turned his head to look over, but less than a second after meeting those blue eyes, he turned his head back.

"How to prove it?" he asked.

"Look at me and kiss me," Batty said.

He said it so naturally, so naturally that for a moment Stones thought a kiss was no big deal.

"It's nothing, isn't it? Kisses can be of many kinds, a passionate kiss between lovers, a light kiss between family members, a pure kiss between friends. Legend has it that two people under the mistletoe must kiss, but this legend does not require the two to be in a relationship." Batty patted Stones' cheek, "Now, kiss me. If you don't react, then I believe you."

Stones stopped moving.

He felt that at this moment, it was not Batty but the snake girl named Medusa who could turn anyone into a stone statue just by looking at her.

What to do? What to do? What to do?
Stones panicked.

He felt Barty approaching, a unique scent that did not belong to any fragrance but was particularly pleasant was rushing into his nostrils. The fabric in his sight began to enlarge, and he saw Barty's open collar and the skin shrouded in shadows underneath.

It was too close, unlike in the locker room or during celebrations, this premeditated approach was too much for him to handle.

"I don't need to prove anything to you! And I don't owe you an explanation!"

Stones threw Batty off the sofa and rushed back to the room as if he was escaping. With a "click", the door was locked. He leaned against the bed, gasping for breath, and slowly slid down to sit on the ground.

The living room was quiet for a while.

Batistuta remained half-lying on the sofa in the posture of being pushed away, looking in the direction where Stones disappeared, with confusion gradually appearing in his eyes.

what happened?
This guy—ran away?
Batistuta couldn't understand. From any angle, John Stones liked him, whether it was physical attraction or something else, so why didn't he admit it?
It's a tricky situation.

He had never met someone so stubborn. Who was the last person he had to force to speak? Neymar? Yes, it was him, but even Neymar didn't give him such a headache. He just pressed the spring down a little bit, and then pressed it down again. Neymar opened his shell like a scallop to reveal the softest part inside.

And most importantly, Neymar has never denied liking him.

Not only Neymar, but no one else has it either. Even before he left Brazil, no one ever denied it.

Barty sat up slowly, glanced at the table, and took himself another piece of candy. The rich milky taste exploded in his mouth, which sobered him up a lot.

Maybe he was wrong this time, he shouldn't have pushed him, he should have stopped when he was ahead, and stopped him after he told him that he knew about him and Kevin. Maybe then things wouldn't have gotten worse.

But there was no way, what had happened could not be changed. Batty stretched his shoulders, stood up and walked towards Stones' room.

You have to clean up your own mess, and Stones's issue must be resolved now. Otherwise, if you leave it alone, it will become an even bigger disaster when you return to the club.

……

Stones sat on the floor of the room a little depressed, he regretted it.

Regret not asking for Barty's kiss.

It can't be said that he regretted it, but after escaping back to the room, he began to uncontrollably imagine the kiss that didn't happen, imagine its touch, taste, and imagine the hug that might follow. The perspective in the fantasy zoomed in, his five fingers pressed on Barty's back or waist, a slight force could make the skin sink, the slightly high body temperature and touch made him feel dizzy just thinking about it.

If Batty really offered his lips, he would definitely not let him get away.

A light kiss was obviously not enough, he would part his teeth and invade his mouth, sweeping away all the air so that his tongue could only follow his command. He would use his superb kissing skills to kiss him until he felt dizzy and could only lie on him gasping for breath. Then, without giving him time to react, he would continue to kiss the corners of his mouth, and then go all the way down, aiming at the space at the collar hidden by the shadow.

Is this enough?
No, he would roll his shirt up from the hem, coax him into biting it, and then bury his head in leaving his own marks on his honey-colored skin.

He would make him make nice noises, nicer noises than those he'd made that day in the cubicle at the airport or in the medical room at the club.

Not Kevin, not anyone else, he wanted him to call his name.

Call him——

"John, John, open the door."

The bubble of fantasy burst with a "pop", and all the senses returned to reality at once. Stones hurriedly used his bathrobe to cover the part where he was standing. The next second he realized that Batistuta could not see him through the door, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go away," he said.

"I can't." Batty continued to knock on the door. "We must solve the problem today. Tell me why you don't want to admit it. What are you afraid of?" "Nothing."

"You can be honest about the pressure you've had in the past, so why can't you talk about this? You're not honest enough." Batty continued to put pressure on him. He believed that every spring has its own limit. "Don't close the door. This won't solve the problem, John."

It can't solve the problem, but it can make him feel at ease.
What did that sentence say?
It's shameful to escape, but it's useful at the moment.

"Open the door, I must see you. Now only I can help you, and I am the only one who really does this for your own good." Batistuta looked at the fragile door handle and thought, give him another three minutes. If Stones still doesn't give in after three minutes, he will kick the door open.

Stones was a little shaken, but only a little.

Batty then said: "I like you, I love you, Johnny, don't make me worry anymore."

Stones trembled violently, from the inside out.

Lie! ! He roared in his heart.

"Stop kidding yourself, Batistuta, you can't possibly love me," Stones whispered.

Batty heard it and paused.
Is this an indirect admission?
"Why do you think I can't possibly love you, John? Wait - are you worried that you're not competent?"

"Just - go." Stones didn't want to say anything more.

"We all only live once, you have to listen to your heart and fight for what you want. You haven't done anything at all, so why do you think it's impossible?" Batty said.

"...Please, let's go." Stones felt that he was about to lose control and went to open the door. "I swear I will focus on training and playing. We will win all the games in a month. I don't want to ruin this record because of myself."

Really.
Batty took two steps back and rolled his eyes. This was his last resort.

Of course not kicking the door.

That would scare him.

"Okay, John, you're fine, but I tell you, I have plenty of time to waste with you, so I'm going to stay here." Batty said as he took a pillow and a blanket from the living room and put them on the floor at the door. "Tell me when you're going to come out, and I'll leave when you're going to leave, otherwise I'll just lie here."

You'd better live here, Stones thought.

"Don't underestimate my perseverance. Since I became the captain, I am no longer the me who only had patience for a few minutes." Batty said. The way to deal with a hateful person is simple, just make yourself as hateful as him.

"At worst, I won't go to the nightclub or have fun. I'm only 22 years old, I have plenty of time to enjoy myself." Batty snorted and lay on the ground hugging the pillow. Looking at the closed door, he snorted coldly, "Did you hear me, John? I'm not leaving here. I'm your captain, and I have an obligation to make you return to normal."

Obligation, yes, that's it. Stones thought again, if it weren't for the captain's obligation you wouldn't have noticed me at all.

He stopped talking.
Batty didn't say anything either.

Both of them stayed on the floor, separated by a door, neither of them willing to give up, and the stalemate continued.

……

Time passed little by little, and soon there was no movement outside the door. Stones yawned and looked at the watch. It was 5 minutes to 2 o'clock.

Batty, I think, is gone.

Stones quietly opened the door, and Batistuta didn't leave. He saw him sleeping on the floor, with two pillows beside him, his cell phone in front of his face, probably out of battery, and the blanket only covering his waist.

are you asleep?

Stones looked at Batistuta through the crack in the door for a long time, and only after he was sure that he was completely asleep did he dare to open the door and walk out.

He gently picked up Batty horizontally.

Although a person who is fast asleep would be heavier than usual, this is not a problem. He is stronger than he looks. That's the good thing about a central defender, Stones thought a little sarcastically.

After choosing for a long time between the sofa and the bed, Stones finally chose the more comfortable bed.

Looking at Batty's sleeping face, he suddenly remembered something that happened a long time ago.

It was not long after they transferred to Manchester City. After lunch, he went to the lounge to lie down for a while. Batistuta was also there, and he looked asleep. He wanted to secretly pinch Batistuta's nose to play a prank on him, but before he could touch him, Batistuta opened his eyes and jumped up from the sofa, instantly pinning him to the ground.

What did Batty say at the time?

"Sorry, I'm used to being cautious."

Yes, such a vigilant person can now sleep on the floor of his house without any scruples. Stones tried to slow down his pace, firstly because he didn't want to wake Batistuta, and secondly because he hoped to hold him for a while longer.

"You're right, I like you, but so what? You bastard will never really respond to me." The England defender muttered to himself.

After going to bed, Batistuta woke up briefly for a few seconds. He opened his eyes blearily, and Stones saw complete trust and distress in them.

He swallowed nervously and didn't dare to move because he was not sure if his mumbling just now had been heard.

And then it just happened.

a kiss.

It just happened naturally.

Batty turned over on the quilt several times, then grabbed the collar of Stones' bathrobe and kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth. "I know..." You will open the door.

Sleepiness came over him again and Batty loosened his hand.

"Good boy." He praised softly.

After saying that, he turned sideways and fell asleep.

After that, Stones was stunned for a long time, at least a quarter of an hour. He stood at the head of the bed and looked at Batty, just like the damn perverted male protagonist in the vampire movie, staring greedily at Batty's hair, face, arms, and everything. He did nothing, just watched.

Later he lay down too, and after hesitating for a long time, he put his arms around Batty's waist and pulled him into his arms.

Just die, Stones thought.

I admit it, I admit that I like you, I admit everything, so let it be.

……

Kyle Walker swore something was going on between John and Battie.

It is afternoon now, Manchester City's training time. The players have just finished their regular meeting and are scattered in various locations in the base, gathering in groups of three or two to train or get massages.

To be precise, now should be a time of half training and half rest, after all, they have just experienced a thrilling League Cup final.

So rather than training, they should be called playing now.

Walker picked up the kettle, drank some water and sprayed the rest into the air. Then he squinted his eyes and looked at the two people who were making a fuss in the center of the field not far away.

There were not many people in the outdoor training ground. Apart from three or four first-team players, there were the coaches and the kids from the second and echelon teams. They were all quietly doing their own things, which made the two guys chasing each other and screaming and laughing from time to time more conspicuous.

Oh, look—
Batty was pinned to the grass again.

Our dear John finally showed some strength and declared victory by sitting on Batty like the new WWE champion The Miz. But Batty, our bad-tempered king, was not only not angry, but also cooperated and continued to play.

It was similar to the usual playfulness, but the atmosphere was different.

They must have something, Walker thought. He was the one who revealed the news to Batistuta, and he was the one who asked Batistuta to talk to Stones, so he should know everything.

So after the afternoon training, he found an excuse to call his friends out.

"You two are going to be sticky today, Johnny boy," Walker said, crossing his arms. "So is it?"

"What's done?"

"Battie." Walker winked. "He came to you the night before yesterday. We had a day off yesterday. So in the past two days, have you stuck your tongue down his throat, put your penis in his penis, and then *********?"

"Hey!" Stones was startled and hurried forward to cover Walker's mouth.

"Don't pretend. I know everything." Walker dodged his friend's hand. "You should thank me. I suggested that he talk to you."

When it comes to this, Stones remembered it and kicked Walker hard, "You and Batistuta made up my relationship, and I haven't contacted you about this yet!"

"I was helping you." Walker gave a look that said 'you are an ungrateful person'.

"Thank you, God. You really helped me a lot!" Stones said sarcastically, "What good will it do me to package me as a promiscuous playboy?"

"No, no, you don't understand what I mean." Walker said seriously, "Having multiple relationships doesn't mean you're promiscuous, Johnny, it means you've been pursuing your true love. Ah, how touching!"

Stones: …

"I'm not touched at all!" Stones cursed, "I don't need your help, Kyle!"

"You need it." Walker poked his friend's chest. "Do you know why? Because you like Batty but you don't dare to tell him. Just like the crazy crush on the goddess in every youth drama, but the coward who doesn't confess."

"..."

"Let's stop talking nonsense now, John," Walker rubbed his hands expectantly, "Tell me what happened after he came to your place the day before yesterday, what did you talk about, and did you do it? I want to hear everything!"

Stones paused and his eyes looked a little vague.

"Nothing happened," he said. "You're overthinking it, Kyle. Nothing happened to us."

(End of this chapter)