Chapter Text
Friday. Xabi had given himself one day. They‘d just gotten back, returned from Philadelphia. Easy 3-0 win against Salzburg, topped their group, but most importantly they all played beautiful team football, with heart. The players were eager, things taking shape already, but still lots of work to do.
The last few weeks had been a whirlwind, really since the Madrid call he‘d been working non-stop. Even still at Leverkusen, he‘d been scouting, analyzing, proposing potential signings, looking through Castilla players. This was his dream, his goal and it had come to him quicker than he could’ve dreamt, but it also came with a weight of responsibility, the pressure was on.
So that’s why. Today. Friday. One day of peace after weeks of nothing but tunnel vision and work. He gave the team a day off as well. One day off, before returning to training for the round of 16. That should do it. He wondered if his mind would even be able to relax. He‘d given his wife and kids a facetime call just before breakfast, they all seemed happy he‘d be taking a day off, they also knew this whirlwind would quieten down at some point, to an extent of course. God he missed them all. But the kids needed to settle in Madrid right now, so he‘d decided to travel to the Club Worldcup without his family.
"I‘d be of no use to you all anyways." He‘d said, his wife had laughed and that was that.
He looked at the book in his hand. Some Scandinavian Horror Thriller he‘d bought on impulse while the plane to Philadelphia was delayed. It‘s probably shit. He thought to himself chuckling. But he needed the distraction, so he had decided to go down to the inside pool area of the hotel to read. He knew staying inside his room would just make his mind drift back towards work. But not today. Friday. His free day.
The elevator was swift, the lobby was wide and he could spot some of his players in the lounge area. Arda and Dean hunched over looking at something on their phones. They‘d taken to each other quite quickly. Good. Xabi thought, he knew gelling of the pitch was just as important as on the pitch. He made it past the lounge and turned around the corner towards the pool area, book and towel under his arm. It was pretty much empty. Most people probably preferring to tan on the beach today, instead of rotting away in an inside pool area. Good. Quiet. Though he could hear a quiet flow of music filling the space from one corner and that’s where he spotted him.
His most recent cause for concern. The "issue" that had been gnawing at him for the last few weeks now. Pretty much since the first training session. He couldn’t help it, but his stomach felt a little tight at the sight of him. Laid on his belly head turned to the side, away from him –of course– faint music coming from his obnoxiously green bluetooth speaker. He looked like he was sleeping, until Xabi spotted his right hand lazily tapping away to the beat of the music against his lounger.
Great. Just great. He‘d been wanting to relax for one day and here on a silver platter was laid out the problem that had served as a faint backtrack to his first few weeks at Madrid. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. It‘s like the universe was calling on him to finally solve this "issue". If you could even call it that. Really it wasn’t a big problem at all, just a slight feeling of uneasiness, a disturbance in the smooth-sailingness of it all, if you will.
Xabi prided himself on being a good communicator, great with journalists, even better with his players. They tended to respect him quite quickly, his ability to still kick a ball himself certainly helped him in this aspect of the job. He liked to be close to his players, establish a connection, understand how to communicate his ideas to certain players. And it had worked quite well these last few weeks, well mostly. Which is what his current problem was really about. It just so happened that there was one very important player he‘d failed to establish a connection to. No bridge, no way of communication. It also didn’t help that this same guy had fallen sick the last few days and protocol had demanded he isolate himself.
Kylian Mbappé getting diarrhea just before Xabi‘s first ever game at Real Madrid was certainly not something he could have predicted and yet he felt a twang of guilt looking at the young man laying in the corner of the pool area.
Because even before the illness Xabi had failed to break through to him. He didn’t even know why, which is what made him more confused. He had never had this problem with a player before, it usually came naturally to him. A quick convo, some shouts in training, a joke here and there a pat on the back, a door that was always open to pass through. And yet. Kylian Mbappé.
It’s not like he had not attempted to establish something between the two and Kylian seemed eager, approachable enough, but there was something missing. Xabi could feel it in the uneasiness that crept into his body when the guy was close. He couldn’t read him. The team and really the whole staff had painted him as kind, easygoing, approachable and it was all true, but for some reason Xabi felt a vast distance. A disconnect of sorts. Maybe Xabi was doing him wrong, but something about Kylian felt off. Like he was hiding in plain sight. Maybe it was the weight of the name, Kylian Mbappé. Certainly the most famous player he ever had to train. But he had played alongside big players before, back in the day, it had never been an issue.
Xabi let out a sigh. So maybe this was his mission for today. Friday. His free day. No more Scandinavian Thriller, today was the day he‘d finally establish a connection with Kylian Mbappé. He grabbed his towel a little tighter and with long loud steps to announce his presence made his way past a bunch of empty loungers only to plop himself down on the one right next to Kylian.
He let out a big, loud sigh while doing so. Then he asked.
"Sleeping?"
Kylian‘s head whipped around, surprise painted on his face, but he wiped the surprise of his face just as quickly. This was something Xabi had noticed before, Kylian monitoring his own natural reactions and quickly overwriting them with something more measured, more safe.
"Uhm, not really." A slight chuckle.
"I don’t know really what I‘m doing."
A short pause. Kylian shot him a quick glance as if to ask. Was this answer enough for you? But then he added.
"Just had to get out of the room you know –after all that–"
Kylian was gesturing vaguely with his hands. Xabi understood. The guy had been locked in his room for three days shitting himself.
So he added "All that shit?" with a slight smirk.
"Yeahhhh…"
Kylian‘s head fell down in defeat, but he looked amused enough at Xabi‘s little joke. Good. Xabi thought.
"You?" Kylian pointed at the book on his lap. "Reading?"
"It’s probably shit too." Xabi quickly shot back.
That got an actual, faint chuckle out of Kylian.
"I bought it at the airport." Xabi whisper-shouted leaning towards Kylian a little.
"Yeahhhh, airport literature is usually…"
His face scrunched up to signal disgust, in a typical, very expressive Kylian-fashion.
"Yeah" Xabi answered with a nod.
"Not that I read much anyways." Then quickly. "Do you want me to turn down the music?"
"It’s fine. The music. You don’t read?"
Xabi looked at him with his eyebrows raised in a question, in earnestness. Kylian who had already turned towards his speaker to turn the music down, halted like he he’d been caught. He settled back against his lounger, this time on his back, instead of his belly. His eyes drifted slowly back to Xabi as if to check if the question still hung in the air. Xabi smiled at him a little amused and decided to pop the question again.
"You don’t read."
This time it was more said like a statement than a question. He was genuinely curious though. Kylian, at least thus far, seemed well-read. Smart, quick-witted. For a footballer, anyways. He was actually one of the few Players Xabi had expected would read from time to time. Kylian frowned a little and then as if providing an apology –which he didn’t have to– said.
"Well barely. I pretend to read from time to time though. It‘s–"
He started gesturing wildly with his hands, as if to conjure up a divine reason to blame his lack of reading on.
"I don’t have much time– and– really my attention span– it’s just– I feel like most people only pretend to like reading anyways."
Is what he got out before looking at Xabi almost accusatory and crossing his arms in front of his chest. Interesting. Xabi made a mental note. Kylian didn’t seem to like the idea that he was lacking in some aspect of his life.
"You think I don’t like to read?" Xabi asked, even more amused now.
"Yeah? Maybe– you said it’s probably shit–"
He pointed at the book again.
"Well, sometimes shit literature can be relaxing."
Xabi felt himself relax against his lounger. This was good, he was already feeling lighter. Kylian was funny. A little unnerving. A little unintentional. From the corner of his eye he could see Kylian biting the inside of his cheek. Arms still crossed. This was getting to him. For some weird reason. Xabi decided to prop his knees up and to open up to the first page of his book.
"It‘s not that I‘m–" Kylian started again.
"I just haven’t read anything interesting in a while–"
He uncrossed his arms to turn toward Xabi a little more.
"Most books are just boring– I‘d read more if–" Xabi interrupted him.
"If the books were more interesting?"
"Yeah…"
Kylian let out a puff of air. He didn’t seem to like his own explanation. Again. Interesting. It was almost as if. He seemed a little insecure.
"What is the last book you tried to read?" Xabi asked.
For some reason he wanted to dig deeper, because this unintentional talk about books seemingly brought out a Kylian that made more sense to Xabi than all the other versions he had imagined in his head thus far. Kylian looked at him, face still a little frowny.
"You know, I just want to avoid accidentally reading any UNINTERESTING books." Xabi added with a wink.
Kylian just stared at him now. Like a silent defeat. A silent: Alright you got me, you caught me.
"Can’t remember?" Xabi asked again, amused.
Kylian threw his arms up a little.
"Alright whatever. I DON‘T READ. Are you happy now?"
He seemed annoyed, yet also amused. Almost amused at himself.
"You seem to think I have an issue with you not reading." Xabi chuckled.
"Most footballers don’t, you know."
"Well you act like it’s an issue–" Kylian shot back quickly.
"Well it’s not."
Xabi said smoothly as he broke his books hardcover back, before smoothing out the first page. Kylian once again shot him a quick glance, as if the mere presence of that book was aggravating him now.
"Well then why do you keep pestering me about it?"
"Hmmmm" Xabi faked a second of pondering.
"I just think it’s interesting that you cannot admit that you don’t read."
Kylian looked actually stunned at that.
"I do– man whatever– I actually do read." he settled back against his lounger, visibly bothered.
"Sure." Xabi said calmly.
"I actually got a second book at the airport, I could get it for you –you know– since you LIKE to read."
That actually wasn’t true, but Xabi could lie a little. He wanted to see if Kylian would bite. If he would actually agree to read a book he didn’t want to read, just to prove to Xabi that he liked to read, despite obviously not liking to read.
He could see it now. Why Kylian was who he was, why he was as big as he was. He didn’t like being caught lacking. Very competitive. Very prideful. But somehow it was amusing that it extended to something as simple as reading a bad book.
"Sure"Kylian answered, as nonchalantly as possible.
"Though it’s probably UNINTERESTING. And I won‘t remember it after…"
Xabi burst out laughing. God. This guy. A few tears were prickling at the corners of his eyes, while he was trying to catch his breath again.
"What?" asked Kylian, face now very unimpressed.
"What?" He asked again.
Xabi slowly caught himself again.
"I don’t– There is no second book."
"Oh–"
Kylian looked like his own mind spun around himself.
"You’re making fun of me."
A question worded like a statement.
"Yeah…"
Xabi leaned over and patted his shoulder a little.
"It’s good to have you back with the team, Kylian." He said earnestly smiling at him.
Kylian looked up at him, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Yeah" He said quietly. A small "I‘m happy too." added afterwards.
But there was something twinkling in Kylian’s eyes. Like a realization that he‘d just been found out. Like he knew Xabi had just cracked the Kylian Code, but he didn’t seem to mind that he had. Xabi stared into his eyes a little too long, before quickly retrieving his hand from his shoulder. God they were big. The eyes. Deep, dark pools of black. He quickly focused on his book and leaned back again.
"Anyways I will read now–" he gestured towards Kylian.
"You can go back to whatever non-reading activities you have planned."
He could see Kylian slightly rolling his eyes in his peripheral vision. But it looked more like a weak attempt at fake-annoyance than anything else. Kylian settled back onto his belly. Head turned to the side, this time in Xabi‘s direction. Eyes closed though. Thank god. And as Xabi slowly fell into a story about a small Swedish town trapped inside a dark brooding secret, he could see the lines of Kylian’s body slowly evening out, falling into a deep slumber as the neon green speaker kept pumping out quiet music.