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To say Alexis Ness was anxious would be an understatement.
His knuckles were white from how tightly he was gripping his jersey. His leg bounced up and down aggressively, a jittery motion that betrayed the storm of his worries. Sweat dripped down his temple, he didn't even try to wipe it away. He was too far gone in his own thoughts.
His eyes kept darting to the scoreboard like it was a death sentence. Because to him? It felt like one. A four goal deficit they'd have to come back from in the second half, against a team with an ironclad defence.
"Ness."
His head snapped up to see Kaiser staring down at him. He promptly sat beside Ness on the bench, but he didn't comment on the game.
"Look at me," Kaiser demanded firmly, but not unkindly. "Only me."
The moment Ness obeyed, eyes wet with tears, Kaiser leaned forward and kissed him—deep and passionate enough to remind them both what's most important mid-crisis.
"We’re coming back from this," Kaiser said without hesitation.
"B- but what if we fail?" Ness mumbled anxiously. "What if I fail?"
Kaiser squeezed his wrist tightly—not in anger, but in fierce refusal to even entertain the thought. "You won’t," he said through gritted teeth. "And even if we lose? That doesn't mean we fail. Not anymore. This isn't about some scoreboard—it's about us fighting side by side like we should have been doing from the start."
Ness' breath hitched violently, tears threatening to spill. Just a few months before, he never would've thought Kaiser would be speaking to him this way, but here they were. Yet doubts from before still clawed their way up his throat.
"What if I do though?" Ness' voice cracked. "What if I fail you? Will you l— leave me…?"
Kaiser felt like the air was punched out of his lungs, because the very question gutted him. In one swift motion, he hauled Ness into his lap right there on the dugout, crushing him against his chest with arms locked like iron bands.
"I already left you once," he choked out as a sob ripped from his throat. "And it nearly destroyed me. Do you really think I’d survive doing it again? After finally getting you back?"
Ness wrapped his arms around him as well, hugging him tightly. "You're saying... we have each other. No matter what happens."
"Yes," Kaiser breathed, melting into the embrace instantly. He clutched Ness desperately, fingers digging into the fabric of his jersey as if terrified this moment will dissolve if he loosens his grip for even a second. "Thank you," he said raggedly against Ness' shoulder, "for trusting me again… for letting me prove I can be better."
The whistle blew sharply—the signal that the break was over. Kaiser didn't pull away immediately; instead, he pressed one last lingering kiss to Ness’ temple before reluctantly untangling them.
"We're going back out," he whispered, "and we're winning. Because now..." Kaiser's hand found Ness' and squeezed tightly. "...I fight side by side with my puppy properly."
Ness smiled. "Mhm. Love you. So much. No matter if we win or not. I’ll always keep loving you.”
Kaiser’s entire body tensed. Every time Ness said those words, it never failed to send a surge of warm tenderness through him. His grip on Ness tightened, not enough to hurt, but enough for the latter to notice.
"Say it again," he whispered, voice cracking. "Please, please... please let me hear you say you love me one more time before we go out there."
Ness' smile widened, a soft pink blush spreading across his face. "I love you, Micha. I love you. I love you."
The declaration, coupled with the affectionate nickname, was too much to bear. A full body shudder wracked Kaiser's body as he let the words fill him, seeping through the cracks of his broken soul like sunlight breaking through rainclouds. His breath left him in a rush, and for a long moment, he just held Ness against him, as if trying to fuse them together.
Then, finally, he whispered back: "I love you too. More than football."
The words still felt foreign on his tongue, but perfectly right to him.
"You ready to get out there?" Ness asked, squeezing his hand affectionately.
"Yeah... let's fucking go. We're gonna take 'em down." Kaiser's eyes were blazing- now not only with competitiveness, but also with fierce, unconditional love.