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Despite popular belief, Alexis Ness was not a fan of skin-to-skin contact. The feeling of another person’s skin touching him even by accident was enough to send icy shivers down his spine. Even the simplest of touches, a brush of a hand here or a high five there was enough to set him off.
Alexis thinks his discomfort with touch began when he was still a child, a small boy desperately trying to find magic in a place where there was none to be found. He remembers craving any sort of physical affection from his parents, even a pat on the cheek or a simple hug would do. Unfortunately, Alexis was born into a family of scientists whose only form of affection was telling hard cold truths backed up by logic.
There were no warm embraces, loving head pats, or even a simple “I love you” to be found. Only stern scoldings and clinical touches after he had scraped his knees from an outdoor excursion trying to find faeries. There are only oh so many times that a child can reach out for a warm touch from their parents only to be met with cold rejection.
After a while, Alexis stopped expecting any type of physical comfort from his parents. They simply didn’t do the whole nurturing and caring act. If getting any form of affection from his parents was like pulling teeth, then asking for affection from his older siblings was an absolute waste of time.
His older brother and sister were always in the lab running tests or doing experiments. Albert, he recalled, had developed a fascination for how different chemicals could be mixed to make new colors. Maria, on the other hand, took a more medical approach, studying anatomy diagrams religiously and naming body parts whenever he got near her.
At their core, his siblings were scientists, cold and detached. Everything they did was carefully thought out and planned. Nowhere in their calculations did they factor in simple affectionate touches.
In the end, Alexis learned not to expect any form of loving care from his family, much less strangers. At school, he would get picked on by the other kids for still believing in magic. They found his belief in magic to be childish and naive. It was like listening to his family all over again.
He would remember getting out of school and watching as parents waited to pick up their children, some bending down to give their kids a hug or a kiss on the cheek. Alexis recalled getting a gnawing feeling in his stomach whenever he saw the scene. He didn’t want to admit it, but deep down he held a small pit of resentment towards the other kids who received such easy affection while he struggled to get a sliver of recognition from his parents.
Life can be so cruel sometimes.
Alexis eventually became accustomed to the lack of physical touch from other human beings and learned to make peace with his solitude. (That was probably one of the biggest lies he had ever told himself) He was the weird kid, no one wanted to be associated with him, much less get near him lest they become social outcasts.
Things changed after Alexis first witnessed the magic that came from football at the tender age of eight. He recalled being one of the hundreds of spectators in the crowded stadium watching as the crowd went wild whenever a player scored. It was also when the magic flowing from people was the strongest. It was an experience that would fuel his determination to become a professional footballer in order to bring forth his beloved magic.
And so Alexis tried out for a local youth team and found himself flourishing in the sport. Life was good, Alexis had made a few friends and was no longer seen as an outcast. His teammates would praise him when he scored a goal!
But then an unexpected problem arose. You see, football happens to be a sport that involves frequent physical contact, something that Ness was well aware of but didn't realize the full impact of. And that was being susceptible to unwanted touches during the game. A push or a shove he could deal with, it was to be expected. You had to get physical if you wanted to keep your opponents away from the ball. No, instead what caught Ness most off center was when his teammates would congratulate him in the heat of the moment. High on adrenaline, his teammates would either tackle him in a playful hug or a high five. One time he had a teammate lift him off the ground after he scored a particularly tricky goal.
He vividly remembers barely being able to catch his breath before he felt arms circle around his waist, hand grazing his bare arm as he was hoisted up in celebration. It felt like the world tilted on its axis, head swimming, breath coming fast. Ness didn’t know what to think or feel, the only thought passing through his head was to get away and fast.
Body acting on instinct Ness elbowed the boy who had the great idea to lift him in the stomach. His teammate let out a pained wheeze as he unceremoniously dropped Ness on the grass.
“Owwww, what the heck Ness?” He groaned.
“Sorry, sorry! I’m still running on adrenaline hehe…” Alexis laughed nervously.
Fortunately, the boy accepted his rather flimsy excuse and they resumed the match. But the truth was that Alexis was left shaken by the encounter. The only thought that ran through his head in the moment was how wrong it felt, how foreign.
Alexis was vaguely aware that he had a complicated relationship with physical touch, but he never thought that it would come to this. To the point where he recoils at the first positive touch he received in what must have been years.
Has he truly gone so long without any positive contact that he has become a stranger to it?
For a boy who went from receiving no contact to suddenly being bombarded with claps in the back, high fives, and fist bumps it certainly felt like it.
After that fateful match, Alexis began to wear gloves and long sleeves under his jersey. And in the days when it was too hot due to the overbearing summer sun, the gloves always remained on. His teammates would still give him casual touches, whether he was okay with it or not, but at least he now had the protection of his added layers to keep the crawling sensation at a minimum.
(Alexis desire for touch may have been dulled to a nonexistent hum, but the desire remained like a constant wound)
His life would take an unexpected turn on an unassuming summer day when Alexis decided to try out for the Bastard München youth team. There, when he was at his lowest, Alexis would meet a golden angel who would be the key to creating the magic he loved.
He would be left in awe at the angel's determination to make the impossible possible. That very awe would then be his basis for putting the golden Angel on a pedestal, after all angels are divine beings, how could a lowly human ever hope to compare to the greatness of one?
An untouchable figure, shining so bright their light burns anyone who dares venture too close. A being that cannot be touched, and that does not care to reach out in return.
The perfect being for Alexis to serve and strive to protect.
Alexis finds safety in the distance, but can’t help but crave to be closer.
Michael Kaiser never intended to become soft, but somehow that's exactly what trying to mold the foolish puppy ended up doing.
When Michael Kaiser first met Alexis Ness his first thought was that the despairing midfielder would be his greatest asset. A boy brimming with untapped potential, a brain full of creativity, and holding a passion that rivaled the sun.
The fact that Ness was careful about physical contact with others was a bonus. It meant that he was obedient and respectful of boundaries.
He hated being touched by others without permission. But with Ness, Michael knew he wouldn’t ever have to worry about him crossing a line.
Or so he thought.
Michael first noticed something was off about the way Ness reacted to physical touch. Whenever he got too close to him, Ness would subtly flinch. He initially got a sick sense of satisfaction from the reaction as it meant that Ness had already learned his place, ready to mold himself in whatever shape Kaiser wanted him to. Michael believed that Ness’s stillness at his side was simply Ness showing his submission.
But then came other instances.
Ness would go out of his way to avoid any type of physical interaction with the rest of their teammates. If Ness wasn’t sporting his trademark gloves, he wouldn’t reciprocate a high five or a pat on the back.
On the field, Ness would do whatever it took to get the ball to Kaiser, even if it meant having to get occasionally pushed around by the opposing team's defenders.
What Ness did, he observed, was make himself smaller. He did it to a point where he became overlooked but not unnoticed. He did it as if he had been doing it his whole life, and to paint it became second nature.
Ness doesn’t go out of his way to be careful about touching others for fear of crossing boundaries, but as a defense mechanism.
If his puppy was this wary about touching strangers and close colleagues, like other players on the team, then what did he feel about Michael himself?
Even when Michael is trying to be deliberately threatening or carefully dissecting his walls, Ness would involuntarily flinch whenever he got near.
It was getting annoying.
If he didn't do something quickly, all of the time and effort he put into training his puppy would go down the drain. All because Kaiser stumbled across what should have been an obvious problem and did not notice it in time.
And now Ness isn’t reacting the way he wants him to.
Letting out a small tsk of annoyance, Kaiser plops down on the nearest chair and begins to think about what the cause of Ness's distress is.
From what Michael had seen, all of Ness's actions pointed towards some sort of sensory issues. It made sense that the magenta-haired boy avoided skin-to-skin contact by wearing gloves, but that didn’t explain why he didn’t try to reach out even when he was covered in layers.
A being as warm and social as Alexis Ness would crave intimacy and praise.
Oh.
So that’s what it was. Ness was touch-starved.
Michael didn’t know the exact details of Ness's home life, but from what he did recall from his early ramblings was the mention of being the black sheep of a family of scientists, a very clinical and detached bunch they were.
If Ness's touch starvation was a result of possible neglect from his family, then manipulating Ness to better fit his needs would be easier.
“All I need to do,” Kaiser thought, “is take advantage of his touch starvation. To teach him that if touch comes from me, he can let his guard down.”
“If I’m the only one he can touch, the only one he trusts, then he’ll never leave my side.”
It was a foolproof plan.
….
There’s only one problem.
All his childhood, Michael had only known the heavy hands of his father and the constant beatings of the man’s drunken anger.
As a result, Kaiser himself had become wary of having people touch him or touching others’ filthy hands in general. But if here to make his little experiment work, he would have to get over it.
Ugh, the lengths he goes for his puppy.
In order for Michael to be as successful with his newfound mission, some careful observation of his subject has to be done first.
He decides to dedicate one full week of careful observation before acting.
Michael studies Ness during practices, looks at his body language and facial expression, taking in every minute detail that he gives away. Watch him in casual settings, how Ness approaches social situations, how close he gets, where he sits, and how he angles his body away when someone gets too close.
After the week is over, Michael can read Ness’s body language like an open book. He immediately knows when he becomes uncomfortable by how Ness’s shoulders tense, how his throat moves when he’s nervous, where his gaze goes when someone reaches for him, what kinds of touch bother him, and those that don't.
He would have to be strategic on how he would begin exposing Ness to touch and slowly ease him into learning to accept physical contact with Michael.
The first step would be getting Ness comfortable enough around him in order to discard his gloves, maybe even expose more skin aside from his hands if he could.
He would figure out the rest after that.
It would be a long and arduous process, but the results would be worth it.
Plan cure Ness touch starvation was now good to go.
Angles are celestial beings, beings that should not concern themselves with lowly humans. They are powerful, knowledgeable, and proud.
So why is Alexis' golden angel going out of his way to be so attentive towards him?
It all began on a deceptively sunny day right before practice. Alexis had just finished putting on his kit, ready for the grueling practice that awaited them on the field. He was a few stretches into his usual warmup routine when he realized that something was missing.
The feeling of his own skin touching his socks was not right. Just then, Realization hit him like a bullet. The gloves he wore religiously like a second skin were nowhere to be seen.
Breath starting to come fast, Alexis desperately tried to recall the last place he left his gloves. Nothing was coming up. Fuck, if he couldn’t remember where he last left them then he would have to continue the rest of practice with his skin exposed.
And that meant being vulnerable.
Just as Alexis was beginning to work himself into a panic, he heard a voice callout to him
“Oi Ness, looking for something?”
Alexis whipped his head around to see none other than Michael Kaiser making his way over to him. But that wasn’t what caught his eye, no it was what Kaiser was holding in his hands.
His gloves.
“You need to keep better track of your belongings, Ness, leaving your stuff out like that in the locker room is practically asking for it to be stolen.” He scoffed as he tossed the black gloves to the stunned midfielder.
Alexis was both shocked and deeply touched to say the least. Alexis bowed his head in an attempt to hide the rising blush on his cheeks from Kaiser's rather thoughtful gesture and thought that it would be the end of it.
But it wasn’t.
Throughout the rest of practice, Kaiser had been hyper-focused on him, scarily so.
Whenever he needed Alexis's attention, he would say his name out loud before tapping his shoulder. After a well-received pass, Kaiser would give him a celebratory nod rather than the usual clap on the back that their teammates would do.
And whenever one of his teammates did get too touchy? Kaiser would always be there to scare them off with his signature scowl and cocky attitude.
It was odd, but a welcome addition since Alexis no longer had to deal with unwanted touches.
His emperor's actions made him feel watched, cared for.
Alexis couldn’t be happier.
He thought that this new development would last for only a handful of days, but to his surprise, Kaiser continued to be as attentive to him as the first day when he found Alexis gloves.
It made him slightly wary at first, but Alexis would slowly become accustomed to the new behavior coming from his beloved emperor, always making sure to be careful but no less assertive when interacting with him.
Oftentimes, Kaiser would use slow, deliberate movements whenever he wanted to get a point across and made sure that Alexis's full attention was always on him.
Never did he falter in his awareness of Alexis’ boundaries, being careful to respect his wariness of unwanted touches.
And when there were times in which they had to come into physical contact? Kaiser knew just what he needed. He would keep their contact brief, especially if Alexis was exposed. A fist bump would only last a few seconds, a brief tap of their knuckles, and then move on.
It was a small, insignificant gesture. But oh how did his heart flutter at the realization that Kaiser was paying him attention.
Slowly, Alexis began to let his guard down around Kaiser.
The moment that marked the beginning of the shift from categorizing Kaiser as a “stranger” to “tentative comfort” for Alexis was during a match against their club's rivals.
Alexis had sent Kaiser a beautiful cross pass from across the field, allowing him to score the winning goal during the last seconds of the game.
He had immediately bounded over to Kaiser, praising him for his performance. “That was amazing Michael! Your shots were as great as ever! Say, was the execution up to your liking?”
Alexis, high off adrenaline, didn’t realize how close he had gotten to Kaiser's space, tilting his head towards him as if seeking to be closer.
Kaiser merely looked over at Alexis as he listened to him talk. Taking notice of Alexis body language, his eyes widened, something flashing across his eyes too quickly for Alexis to decipher.
Mind made up, Kaiser moved to lift up his arm causing Alexis to immediately go silent in curiosity. Carefully telegraphing his movements, Kaiser moved his arm until his hand was hovering above Alexis tilted head and quirked an eyebrow in question.
Alexis' breath hitched as he realized what Kaiser wanted to do. Not daring to breathe, he gave a tiny nod of approval.
Having gotten the green light to continue, Kaiser quickly let his hand drop on Alexis's head and gave it a quick ruffle. His fingers carefully carded through magenta curls before he extracted his hand and stepped away.
“Good job out there in the field, now let’s get back to the others before they start yelling at us.” Kaiser then turned on his heel and made his way off the turf.
Alexis had stood frozen in place for a heartbeat before he registered Kaiser's words. “Coming Kaiser!” He yelped as he began to walk off the field.
As he ran over, Alexis’ mind was running on overdrive, replaying the hair ruffle from moments before. Nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of Kaiser's hand running through his hair. It was quick, lasting a few seconds, but gods did it feel good.
He met up with the others in the locker room as they began their post game debrief. There wasn’t much to go over, just the routine congratulations and to keep up the good work out on the field.
Once the define was over, Alexis turned to Kaiser. There had been one question that had been running around his mind and he needed to ask him for his own peace of mind.
“Hey Kaiser?”
“Mhm?”
“Earlier, out there in the field, why did you ruffle my hair..?”
“Just felt like it. Why? You want another one?” Kaiser teased.
“Wha- no! I don’t, I mean yes, no- eugh!” Flustered beyond words, Alexis did what any mature sixteen year old would do. He stuck his tongue out at Kaiser.
The fucking bastard had the audacity to laugh. “Just keep passing to me puppy and you’ll get all the head pats you want.” He smirked.
Hearing these words come from Kaiser's mouth, Alexis felt his face flushed in embarrassment.
“Oh shut up.” He said without any real heat behind his words.
Kaiser only chuckled as reached out and softly tapped his knuckles on his forehead teasingly before making his way out.
Alexis was left looking at Kaiser's retreating back, he didn’t know how to ask for more of those warm touches, so he held his hands behind his back to keep from reaching out.
After that, Kaiser had become more touchy with him, and Alexis greedily let it happen.
True to his words, as Alexis continued to loyally pass to Kaiser during every game and practice matches, Kaiser would reward him with head pats and brief taps.
Kaiser always made sure to only touch areas that were covered, like his shoulders, back, and arms. When Alexis wasn’t wearing his long sleeves, Kaiser would restrict his taps to shoulder and back.
It continued to be a sweet gesture for Alexis, but he couldn’t help. But slowly start to crave for more intimate touches.
The blue rose would conure to shower him with superficial affection, and Alexis would be left gripping his hands behind his back as he desperately kept himself from reaching out.
Oh, how he wanted to reciprocate the kindness that his emperor showed him. But the vines of conditioned rejection kept him from initiating anything.
Alexis would have continued wallowing in his little bubble of misery, moping because he couldn’t find the courage to give Kaiser a simple fist bump with in’s bare hands if Kaiser didn’t come to upturn his life all over again.
“Ness,” He began, “I need you to do something for me.”
Alexis immediately stopped wallowing from his position on the cafeteria table to give Kaiser his undivided attention. “What do you need me to do?”
“I want to dye my hair and I want you to do it for me.”
“… pardon me?”
“Are you deaf? I literally just asked you to help me dye my hair.” Kaiser sassed, beginning to grow impatient.
Kaiser was asking Alexis to help him with his hair? Wait, this would be the perfect opportunity to finally initiate contact with him!
And that’s how Alexis found himself standing behind Kaiser, who was sitting on a chair, as he prepared to dye his hair.
To say he was nervous would be an understatement. Alexis had never willingly initiated touch with another person before, so it felt strange to finally do so.
Fingers trembling, Alexis grabbed a comb as he settled behind Kaiser. “Before I dye your hair I’m going to have to comb it first, okay?”
“Do what you will.” Was his only reply.
Nodding his head, Alexis gathered his courage and began to carefully section Kaiser's golden hair. The king strands were silky and smooth to touch, a slight shock considering how chaotic Kaiser's hair usually was in the morning. Alexis had expected to feel a rougher texture.
As he got to work combing Kaiser's hair, he felt himself fall into a comfortable rhythm. He would section off a small portion, work on carefully untangling the strands, and after that was done he would give the section a final run through with his fingers to make sure he didn’t miss a knot.
As he was working Alexis idly noted how long Kaiser hair had gotten. Knowing the striker, he didn’t do much in terms of keeping it out and out of the way during games. He must get really hot during games.
“Kaiser, your hair has gotten fairly long. What do you think about cutting it before you dye it?”
“Hmm, it does get in the way.” Kaiser mused. “Go ahead and cut it.”
“You want me to cut it?”
“Yup.”
“Okay, but just know that I don’t have much experience cutting hair, so it might not be the best.”
Hearing Alexis warning Kaisers just shrugged. “If it turns out that bad I can just go to a salon and have them fix it. It’s just hair, it’ll grow back.”
“If you say so.”
And with that, Alexis got to work.
The whole process of cutting hair, getting the dye ready and applying it into the hair took the better part of two hours. Despite wearing gloves, Alexis had somehow gotten dye on his palms and wrists. Once Alexis had finished working on Kaiser's hair, he quickly led the striker in front of the mirror to judge the final product.
“So? How do you like it?” He nervously asked.
Kaiser looked at his reflection in the mirror, carefully studying himself and Ness on the glass.
Face bare if any emotion, he makes eye contact with Alexis through the mirror as he delivers his final verdict.
“I like it.”
He receives a smile more brilliant than the sun.
Michael Kaiser was royally fucked.
His little experiment with Ness was going wonderfully, don't get him wrong. As a matter of fact, it was probably going too well.
Michael had never set out to be kind, he wasn’t capable of that.
But over the course of the past few months, of dedicating weeks of watching Ness’s reactions and adjusting how he touched him, how much force and where he placed his hands have forced him to be careful, and careful somehow became gentle.
This is fucking bullshit.
To Michael, touch was associated with hurt and cruelty. That’s all Michael ever knew. To him, touch had become something conditional, always with a hidden intention. But when it came to Ness, touch became something different.
Michael had spent so much effort being careful with his touches when it came to Alexis, forcing himself to be mindful, that he found himself learning how to be gentle.
And this discovery scared him more than he liked to admit.
Throughout his experiment, Michael had subconsciously learned to cater to Alexis’ physical needs.
Whenever Ness began to spiral when his anxiety got the best of him, Kaiser found that placing a light hand on his back was enough to snap him out of it.
When Ness made a brilliant pass and wanted to be rewarded he would lower his head a fraction, and Michael would run a brief hand through his hair, magenta curls catching on his fingers, curling around like miniature silk snakes.
He slowly stopped using less force than he needed, kept his eyes peeled for whenever Ness would tense so he knew that he needed to back off a bit.
The first time that Ness didn’t flinch away from his sudden touch when Kaiser forgot to announce his intentions was like a slap to the face.
Because that meant that Ness no longer felt the need to be on guard around him, that Ness felt safe,
That somehow, Michael’s hands didn’t automatically cause pain.
The realization made something ugly rise up inside of him, all his life he on,y eve knew hurt, and he learned how to cause pain towards others in return.
Michael Kaiser didn’t do gentle, he was on, you ever assertive and dominant. So why was his touch no longer repulsive to Ness? Had he become too soft?
No, that couldn’t be. Just because Ness had learned to accept Michael’s touch (just as he wanted to) that didn’t mean that Ness was willing to reciprocate. That means that Ness probably felt that touching Kaiser in return was out of his comfort zone. Therefore, Michael was still in control.
Right?
Michael decided to run a quick test to determine whether or not Ness had become fully accepting of his touch. Asking him to dye his hair should be simple enough.
Just because Michael had somehow discovered that his hands were capable of being careful and treating another with kindness, didn’t mean that he was capable of receiving casual contact from another without being repulsed.
But the moment that he felt Ness' bare fingers card through his golden locks, the careful way he teased his goners through the strands, only then did Michael understand what a loving touch could feel like.
For a person as touch starved as Ness was, he knew how to treat a person with so much care and affection that it made him want to melt.
Because Ness touch could be what home felt like, and he decides that if those touches came from Ness, then he wouldn’t mind being touched at all.
The moment Michael turned 18, the first thing he did was file for permission to move housing.
The second thing he did was ask (demand) Ness to move in with him.
Ness accepted on the spot. (See this is why he loves likes his puppy, so obedient)
It took some convincing, but Ness somehow managed to convince management (with Noa’s help, how on earth Alexis managed to get his help will forever be a mystery to Michael but whatever) to give him the green light to move out of the dorms and move in with Michael.
The move itself went smoothly, Michael and Ness had managed to get fully settled into the apartment by nightfall.
Michael had bought a place that was a ten minute commute to the Bastard training faculty. A two bedroom apartment, it boasted a spacious kitchen area that connected to the living room, with glass sliding doors that led to the balcony connected to the house.
Oddly enough, Michael didn’t have to go through the weird settlement period where two people slowly got used to living with each other. Living with Ness was like second nature.
Back when they still lived in the dorms, any spare and waking hour was spent in the company of the magenta haired midfielder. Something that was largely instigated by the blonde himself as he wanted to make sure no one else monopolized his midfielder’s attention except for himself.
But that didn’t mean that there weren’t a few hiccups every now and then.
For one, Ness was an early riser, so he had to deal with the occasional ruckus every now and then from the boy as he did whatever the hell he did in the kitchen at ass o'clock in the morning.
But that wasn’t the biggest issue.
The biggest problem is from the fact that when it’s only two people living in a finite space, they will be bound to run into each other every now and then. Sometimes, one of them may be in varying states of dress, which means sometimes exposing more skin than they are used to. Especially when it came to Ness.
He wasn’t shy per se, far from it. It’s just that whenever Michael would deign to walk around shirtless or just in his boxers, Ness would get flustered easily and avoid him like the plague.
It was getting annoying.
Michael had put in so much time and effort into getting Ness to be comfortable around him, close enough for said person to register him as a “tentative comfort” person.
So why was Ness now getting shy about possibly brushing shoulders with him when he was shirtless?
So Michael did what any sane person would do. He confronted the source of his confusion.
“Say, Ness, is it possible that you somehow find my existence repulsive?” Michael inquired about his adorable midfielder on a lovely Saturday evening.
“What?” To say Ness was baffled by the question would be an understatement.
“Do you find me repulsive?”
“No! Of course not! How could I? You're amazing, I don’t understand- “
“Then why is it that each time I happen to walk around shirtless, something perfectly normal by the way as I’m in my own house may I add, you immediately turn to walk in the opposite direction?”
“Well,” Ness sputters. “It’s because you.” The boy nervously begins to fidget with his hands as he’s faced with the weight of Michael's expectant gaze.
“And,” Ness continues, “I don’t get it, why would you be so comfortable with someone as broken as me touching you? For all I know you could secretly despise how touchy I may be.”
Michael blinked, not believing what he was currently hearing come from Ness’ mouth. “Ness, you're literally the only one I trust enough to touch my hair, I give you head pats and put my hands on you during practice, if I didn’t like you touching me I would’ve told you so a long time ago.”
Ness remains silent, still refusing to look Kaiser in the eye.
Michael could only let out a sigh at his puppy stubbornness. Why couldn’t he get it through his thick skull that he actually more than tolerated Ness's antics?
“You know what, this isn’t getting anywhere.” Michael grabbed his phone and connected it to the speakers before he turned around and grabbed Ness’s arm.
“What are you doing?” Ness squeaked as he was unceremoniously tugged from his comfy spot on the couch.
“Shhh, just follow my lead.” The blonde grumbled as he tapped on a random song on YouTube, the sound of a guitar beginning to hum through the Bluetooth speakers.
Once the music began to play, Michael grabbed Alexis's hand and swiftly guided the smaller boy towards the middle of the living room.
Ask me why my heart's inside my throat
“So, Ness, let me tell you a little bit about yourself since you refuse to do anything about your obvious touch starvation.”
I've never been in love, I've been alone
Ness's head whipped up so fast he might have gotten whiplash. “Touch starvation? What do you mean? I’m perfectly touch fed!”
The declaration prompted Michael to raise a questioning eyebrow.
Feel like I've been living life asleep
“Why I beg to differ, Ness,” He began, body moving to cage the younger in. “Back when we first met, you would always wear your gloves and cover every inch of your skin. For someone who claims not to be touch-starved, you go great lengths to keep to yourself, even when you want to desperately reach out. Why is that?”
Michael leaned in until his mouth was brushing against Alexis's ear, “I want to know, so tell me Ness, why do you hide?”
Love so strong it makes me feel so weak
Heart beating fast as he stood between the striker's arms as he began to sway their bodies, Ness couldn’t help but feel stripped bare for Kaiser to see.
He wanted desperately to tell Kaiser about his insecurities, of not being enough, not measuring up to his standards, of being rejected and thrown away. Of no longer being able to revive the warm affection of the blonde striker.
So Alexis instead buried his head between the junction of Kaiser's neck and shoulders.
Understanding that Alexis wasn’t yet ready to bare his heart, Michael held Alexis closer to him as he began to move them across the room to the rhythm of the music.
He felt as if his heart would burst out of his chest at how fast it was going.
Are you lonely?
Hell, Ness only had a vague understanding of the English language but what he did manage to understand from the lyrics, Alexis couldn’t help the huff of laughter that escaped his lips.
Our fingers dancing where they meet
And if that wasn't the most accurate description of their current state. Kaiser’s hands were steady in their hold, fingers firmly intertwined with his with the other hand cupped around his waist, guiding him in a sad excuse of a waltz across the room.
You seem so lonely (are you lonely?)
“There is nothing to be afraid of Alexis,” Michael’s tone was soft yet firm as royal blue eyes bore into his soul, “Just live in the moment and don’t think of the past, pour your focus on me if that’s what it takes to keep you grounded.”
I'll be the only dream you seek
Lifting his head, Alexis finally looked at Michael as they danced across the room.
So if you're lonely, no need to show me
“Ok,” he whispered.
If your lonely, come be lonely with me
Body filled with an unfamiliar but very much welcome warmth, Alexis let himself melt into Michael's touch, surrendering himself, trusting that he wouldn’t let him fall.
….
They later found themselves sprawled on the couch watching a random show that Alexis picked. Alexis was munching on a bag of pretzels that he seemingly spawned from nowhere as Michael lay across the couch like a pampered cat, head pillowed on Alexis's thighs.
It was disgustingly domestic, but Michael wouldn’t have it any other way. Feeling his arm become static, he quickly shifted to get into a more comfortable position without having to sacrifice his spot using Alexis as his personal pillow.
Alexis noticed Michael shifting on his lap and his eyes caught on the way Michael's hair glinted in the TV light, it looked like liquid gold.
His first reaction was to clasp his hands together up to the temptation to reach out and run his fingers through his mane when he realized that he no longer had to hold back.
After the dance, Michael had made it very clear that Alexis wanted to touch, and then he was free to do so.
Carefully reaching his hand out, Alexis gently places his hand on Michael's head and slowly begins to stroke it.
Michael tenses at the sudden touch at first, seeing the other stiffen in surprise, Alexis stops his ministrations. “Is this okay?” He asks.
A beat, “Yeah.”
Resuming what he was doing, Alexis began slowly carding his fingers through uneven golden hair, stopping every once in a while to lightly scratch at his scalp as if he were a fussy cat.
They stay like that for the remainder of the show's episode. The rhythmic combing of Alexis's fingers through Michael's hair felt nice, the gentle touches lulling him into a sleepy spell.
In the end, Michael falls asleep to the feeling of Ness playing with his hair. A fleeting thought crosses his mind before he succumbs to the Hypnos waiting arms.
“This is what heaven must feel like. I want to experience it for eternity, with Alexis by my side.”
Omake:
The time Alexis fell asleep on Michael
The Bastard München team had just finished an away game that had been rather tiresome. Their defense was top notch and did their very best to keep them from scoring.
It was especially hard on Ness, who was working overtime to keep the defenders at bay and get the ball to Kaiser. In the end, Ness managed to pull it off and their team got the victory.
Which is why as soon as they pulled on the bus to head back home, Ness passed out as his head touched the seat's headrest.
He was so tired that he only managed to offer Kaiser the window seat before passing out.
But that’s not all, it solos to how truly e Auguste’s the match left him that once he fell asleep his body immediately angles itself towards the golden striker, head resting on his shoulder as he subconsciously burrowed into the striker's warmth.
The scene was honestly both cute and hilarious.
Ali was the first to notice the pair's current position.
“Quite the comfy looking body pillow you have there Kaiser.” He said with a shit eating grin.
Kaiser glared at the team with the heat of a thousand suns.
“If you lot don’t shut the fuck up and wake him up because you're all your damn ruckus I swear to god I will kick a ball at your head.” He hissed.
The team just collectively snickered. It was a solid threat, a threat that was diminished because of how cute the scene looked. Someone had the audacity to wolf whistle at Kaiser as he continued to spout threats at them while trying not to wake Ness up.
Just then, a deep voice comes from the front of the bus.
“Alright, that’s enough. Alexis is trying to get some, very well deserved I may add, rest.” Noa’s voice is loud enough just to be heard, but not to the point that it would wake the sleeping midfielder. Just to make sure that nobody disobeyed he added, “You guys are part of the reason why he’s so tired, he was working overtime since you guys were too busy getting blocked by the other teams, defenders. So if any of you wake him up, you'd better believe you’re going to have extra drills on top of what I'm planning on giving you. That’ll teach you to put in more effort in outmaneuvering bothersome defenders and get the ball.”
Safe to say, Noa’s words were more than enough to strike fear into the team’s hearts and immediately shut them up.
From his seat, Kaiser made eye contact with Noa, who gave him an unreadable look before flicking his eyes to ness sleeping figure. Giving Kaiser one last look that says make sure he gets his sleep, Noa turns back around to tell the driver to set course back to the facility.
Finally getting some peace and quiet, Kaiser lets himself sink into the plush seat and shifts around to get into a more comfortable position with the added weight of the sleeping boy.
Once he’s finally satisfied with his position, Michael lets himself indulge in his companion's warmth.
He takes a moment to admire his sleeping flowers figure, magenta curls falling on a peaceful face.
Michael indulges himself with a small smile as he moves a fluffy curl out of Alexis's face.
“Sweet dreams Alexis.”