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Kylian still had his earphones clung in his ears, it didn't produce anything for him to hear, just a mere accessories. While his mind still lingered on the newly-changed ball for the practice –and next match, his internal monologue was interrupted by an unidentified noises. The noise was, too long for him to think it was only his imagination, and too vivid to tell it was only inside his head. Then he asked his eyes to look out for the culprit, simply on around the closest proximity. He was simply sitting under the shade, side bench, while almost everyone was on the field. Except him, and Mr Olise.
From the corner of his eyes, the man appeared to be idle and focused, Kylian knew the midfielder was going to join the others soon. Michael's side profile looked good from this angle, that the captain thought he was better than him —on that aspect.
It never annoyed Kylian, to hear anyone whistle or hum, but because the man beside him did it somewhat often, only recently, it became noticeable. The unbeatable victory streak, the upcoming semi finals, all the euphoria might felt so good for Michael that he had to expressed it —in his own way. Kylian didn't move an inch, his posture might even look too serious, and just observing his midfielder leaving him behind.
...
Not long after everyone had left Kylian alone in the locker room, where the wide and silent space became too empty, he easily noticed a white paper lying on the floor. The ace already changed clothes, had his bag on him, he tought he could look after someone's trash and clean it up on the way he was leaving.
The paper was just the size of his hand, seemed white and just blank, it looked in tact, didn't look like a waste at all. When it was flipped and revealing its content, it didn't make Kylian think of any explanation by looking at the somewhat—doodle. The captain dedicated few more time for the humble note, but it was too hard to crack —as if the opponent's secret strategy he had no cipher of. Kylian frowned, only slightly but it drew a firm line on his forehead, to stare at the disconnected up and down-lines, alphabets, and along the unreadable short words.
Well someone's trash was some other's treasure, he kept the notes for himself.
...
The morning practice was going to start soon, but it was slightly different than the usual one because Kylian himself had something to tell to the team, and the first thing in mind was, Michael Olise has to be here. It was important for everyone, and more importantly, for his attacking midfielder. Almost everyone had gathered, them with all their blue training shirt. The captain asked Désiré that just showed up, but claimed he didn't see the chap, then to Rayan that showed up lastly, same answer.
Then somehow the commander had to get his own hand dirty hunting for his man. But he knew, he didn't need to search, he knew where Michael would be, at this time, in fact he knew everyone and everybody in his team.
Olise would have just arrived, and he was going to put his stuff in to his locker, to be part with his personal things before the long day. When Kylian found the man he was looking for, he only stayed on the threshold, collecting his thought of what he just saw. There, Mr Olise was down on all fours –what was that for? He navigated through few distance with his palm flat on the floor, head swayed to peek under the chair, table, and even under the lockers? Though he had already tied his hair and the France's blue training set on him. Then in a second he shifted to squat —that in the process he realized his captain had been looking at him.
Kylian approached him slowly. "Hey, looking for something?" He wanted to laugh because Michael looked embarassed now.
Michael felt as if he was caught red handed. "It's nothing."
Now that Kylian was close he could see some of Michael's belongings lay on the table, and next to his phone was the small white paper —that looked somewhat familiar.
"Is this your notes?"
Michael forgot his notes still out in the world for the people to see, oh he got it, his captain already saw it, he felt exposed. He wanted to get up right away and snatch the said paper from the captain's sight. But Michael was debating with his internal thoughts too long and Kylian already gave a hand to him, he didn't answer yet and the captain wanted to meet him in the eye —now.
After Kylian's hand clasped with Michael's, he brought the younger to stand. Now there would be no barrier between them if it was a distance of height.
"Yes, why?" Olise said —managed to look the counterpart in the eye, his brows droppy, he hoped he didn't look pathetic. All his locks were tied, so his expression couldn't hide anywhere.
Kylian removed his hand and stop holding Michael, "Because, I found one just like yours, yesterday." Kylian said almost too slow, the gentleness he didn't need to do.
Only if Michael knew, this wasn't easy only for him, but to his captain too. There were many things that he still didn't know about him, and to finding it out might require him to breaking and crossing.
To Michael, it was a consecutive attacks. He wanted to laugh at himself but only managed to smile faintly. "Sorry, it must have been slipped away."
Looking at how his midfielder handled it, Kylian couldn't hold his smile any longer. He pulled his signature smile, making his face entirely smiling not just his mouth. That somehow what was Michael scared about, because he would just give in and beak his straight lips, too, it was contagious.
"It's.. Mm.. it's.. Melody."
Kylian raised one of his brows, "Like a song?"
Michael didn't look that straight to his commander anymore, and he realised he could secure his belongings back to his bag, especially the note —so he did. "Not really, there is no lyric."
Kylian realized for so many times again why his midfielder was getting the creative awards for.
"I'll return it to you, after this." Kylian put a hand on Michael's back, and the two walked side by side from the scene. "I thought you were already cool, but writing a song? Spare me."
Mr Olise only smiled, more less-restrained, he didn't return his captain's compliment. Oh just don't ask the artist of 'how' he wrote it.
It was because of Kylian himself that he wrote it.
Because it began at the party victory against Morocco, when Michael took a seat beside Kylian, though he was just present and not participating. After everyone went to him to congratulate and celebrate with him, Michael too, felt like he wanted to talk —to say something to the captain.
When Michael taking a look at him, and Kylian turned his face for him. It was silent, but Michael could hear someone talk, it was inside him, it was very short and faint, and if he paid attention to it carefully, there was a tone in it, that if he stayed, he could continue it. In the midst of the festivities, he was secretly strucked and couldn't focus to anything but that.
Olise was aware, not being in the best environment to write music, and he wrote that down on paper, he liked it better to write physically. But he realized, that it was so little, it didn't have a body yet, might be only a strand of hair. Through the course of time, he kept humming to figure out the next part, and to keep remember it, all along his episodes in the Les Bleus.
Then again, at one practice, when Michael was paired with the captain for passing, he heard that familiar melody again. Somehow, when —at a close distance he looked at Kylian's face, all that sweat, glistening lush lips, his eyes and gaze dedicated only to him. It felt as if Kylian himself extracting tones out of Michael, so the artist could hear it. Then there were two pieces for him already, and it was enough for him to figure out the whole picture.
Oh how, how could he tell him that he was his muse.