When You Were Nothing - Neymar Jr. x Fem!Reader
summary: in which y/n realizes that to neymar, she is nothing more than his past
warnings: cursing, heartbreak, angst, mentions of poverty
-> football/soccer players masterlist
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y/n stood still as cool waves of water hit her feet and splashed her ankles. she looked out into the horizon; today was a beautiful day. the sun was shining, the sky was clear, and the breeze was cool. today was a beautiful day.
but whenever y/n stood on this very land, the same memory played in her head.
they were seven years old, and they'd met on the very sand she was standing on now. she could still recall the day neymar accidentally kicked his soccer ball and hit y/n's arm. she could still recall him profusely apologizing. she could recall he look on his face when she said the only way she'd forgive him is if he let her join his game. she could recall how they played until dusk. and after that day, they became close to inseparable.
y/n can remember loving him. from the very first day they met to the day he left their hometown to pursue his career, she can remember loving him. she did love him. she does love him.
it was a day to remember, alright.
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"rumor has it you're leaving." y/n said, sitting down next to him on the grass.
they looked out into the sunset.
"the rumors are true." he admitted. "i'm leaving."
"when do you go?" she asked.
"tomorrow morning." he answered. "early."
he suddenly turned to look at her.
"i'm glad, ney. i know you're leaving because there's something better for you out there. i know that you love football. and i know that you want to leave this situation." she explained. "i love you, and loving you is letting you go so that you can live out your dreams. i have faith in you, i always have." she rambled, looking out into the sunset.
she paused and realized what she'd said. she came clean. she confessed. y/n turned to look at him.
"i love you." he said, gazing into her eyes.
"neymar!" his mother called from their home.
the two quickly stood up.
suddenly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a kiss. she didn't know how to react, but within a few seconds, she kissed him back.
once they pulled apart, y/n stared into his hazel eyes.
"neymar!" his mother called again, breaking their intense eye-contact.
"don't forget about me when you're famous." she smiled.
"never." he reached out his pinky. "i'll always love you."
"i'll always love you." she agreed.
they intertwined their smallest fingers in a sacred oath.
"neymar!" his mother yelled out.
he smiled at her one last time before running home.
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y/n realized she'd been in the same spot for a few minutes too long. she shook her head of the memory and began walking home, picking up some fresh fruit for herself and her mother on the way.
she returned home to find her mother cooking.
"who're you making such a feast for?" y/n laughed, sitting down to help her mom out.
"ah, you're husband's coming." she joked.
"oh really?" y/n giggled. "i hope he's cute."
"let's hope. i don't want my genes going to waste!"
"real funny, but who's all this for?" she inquired, popping a strawberry into her mouth.
"i got a call yesterday." she paused. "it was from nadine. her and neymar are in town, and want to visit."
y/n visibly choked on her strawberry.
"what! and you didn't tell me!" y/n blurted.
"i did say your husband was coming!" her mom laughed.
"i-uh, when are they coming?" she asked, trying to be cool.
"ten minutes, go change."
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y/n rushed to her room. first, she paced around. then, she jumped on her bed. third, she stared at herself in the mirror. fourth, she shook all the nervousness out of her.
this was her best friend. she had nothing to worry about.
looking through her closet, y/n put on dark wash denim shorts and an off-shoulder, white, airy, sweater. she quickly fixed herself up, and walked downstairs. it had only been eight minutes.
y/n paused dead in her tracks when she saw a familiar set of hazel eyes looking at her. thankfully, her mother pull her closer.
"here she is." her mom smiled.
"oh my godness, what a beautiful young lady you've become!" nadine laughed, giving y/n a tight hug.
y/n reciprocated the gesture. "and my goodness, you don't look a day over 24!" she laughed.
"oh, you flatter me." she giggled.
y/n smiled at neymar as their mothers chatted.
"why don't you two go outside?" y/n's mom suggested. "catch up and talk without old ladies on your back?"
they two moms laughed as y/n led neymar outside.
"haven't seen you in a while." she laughed as they stepped out into the cool evening.
"yeah." he agreed. "how have you been?"
"good." she answered honestly. "you?"
"i heard you're playing for barcelona now." she started. "that used to be one of your dreams."
"i know, it's crazy. i still can't believe it." he said. "i'm surprised you still remember."
"i never forget." she said. "like over there is when we broke someone's window and fled the scene."
the two laughed at the memory.
"what's it like being an international superstar?"
"terrible. i mean, everywhere i go, i'm on billboards and ads. and all of these girls want to date me." he laughed. "it's interesting. what have you been up to?
"i'm a lawyer, now." she answered.
"lawyer y/n, sounds nice."
"aw thanks, international superstar neymar. i really appreciate it."
within a few minutes, y/n and neymar got back to their old selves. they walked around town, remembering how things used to be before sharing what they did now.
but every minute they spent together, her feelings of love came back, biting harder and harder.
"that's terrifying, people just like come outside of your house?" she asked, laughing.
"it's so fucking weird. i hired security." he smiled.
a moment of silence passed between them.
"y'know, i'll always find it weird how the kid i used to build sandcastles with ended up becoming a household name." she laughed.
"me too." he agreed. "fame is great. i get to meet amazing people and do amazing things, but sometimes, i just want to drop everything and come back here. come back to the times my mom used to call me inside, to the times we used to play soccer out here with the neighborhood kids, back to when everything was simple."
y/n nodded her head in empathy.
"so you never got used to the spotlight?" she inquired.
"i guess not." he shrugged.
y/n felt the flames in her heart. she forgot how easy it was to talk to him, how much fun he was, and who he was now. she wanted to bring it up. she needed to bring it up. she needed to know if he still remembered. suddenly, a phone ring interrupted her train of thought as the two approached the grass field they had said their goodbyes years prior.
neymar answered it, his eyes instantly lighting up.
"hey bru." he smiled. "i'm just in my hometown right now. i'm with an old friend."
she heard some chatter through the phone.
"alright. i'll see you when i get back." he said. "y'know i do."
"was that your publicist?" y/n joked.
"it was my girlfriend." he chuckled.
y/n felt her heart start to shatter. it couldn't be.
"who is she?" y/n pried, wanting to know if he was playing a sick joke or being unfairly honest.
"bruna marquezine." he answered, still looking at his phone. "i didn't know what love was till i met her."
ouch, y/n thought. she felt her stomach twist and her eyes get watery. how stupid could she have been? why the hell would he wait for her? he, a big-name, global, superstar, obviously had the most gorgeous women fawning over him. it was no secret he'd choose them over her. what was y/n in comparison to him? some small-town lawyer? some girl he'd kissed when he was 17? or just some girl?
it's like he didn't get the sudden mood change and y/n's silence.
"she's amazing. i didn't know i could fall in love so fast and so hard, but i did." he laughed. "she's everything to me."
shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up y/n thought. she really wanted him to shut up.
the silence finally got to him and he looked at y/n's face.
"hey, are you okay?" he asked.
"tell me you remember." she said.
"remember what?" he asked.
"remember that day. the day that you left." she explained.
he looked at her, empathy filling his eyes.
"so you do." she answered for him. "and that means you remember what you said to me too."
"don't do this to me." he said.
"we promised each other." she smiled through tears. "you promised me that you'd always love me, and i did the same. the difference is, i kept my word." she paused. "and you-you jumped on the first model that looked your way."
"that's not true." he attempted to argue.
"i mean, what was i thinking anyways? that the neymar jr: household soccer name, international superstar, generous philanthropist, and notorious fuckboy, would remember some girl from his hometown?" she continued.
"you're not just some girl." he stated.
"then what am i? a broken promise? a forbidden secret? a fragment of your past?" she asked. "or someone stupid enough to wait for you?"
"tell me, neymar. because i've loved you a long long time. i've loved you since the days where your mom would yell at you for getting your church clothes dirty. i've loved you since you could barely score a goal. i've loved you since you had nothing but dreams." she said.
"i had nothing back then. in this town, i was nothing and you know it!" he said angrily. "well guess what, y/n? nobody loved me when i was nothing!"
"i did!" she shouted. "i loved you when you were nothing!"
he looked at her with a mix of anger and empathy as a tear fell down her cheek.
"you said it yourself, you were nothing in this town." she said. "i must be just as nothing to you."
"you said it already, didn't you? she's your everything." she paused. "i'm nothing."
"y'know that's not what i meant." he said. "you're twisting it."
"we both know what you meant." she said. "i kept you like an oath. and you kept me like a secret."
"i wasn't lying when i made that promise." he said.
"you weren't then." she said. "but the neymar i knew then is long gone than the one i know now."
"neymar!" nadine called out from their old home.
the two stared at each-other with intensity. neymar glared at her with anger, regret, and empathy. she stared at him with desperation, disappointment, and beady-eyes.
"that isn't fair." he said.
"none of this is fair." she reasoned. "but now y'know."
"neymar!" his mother called again.
"that someone loved you when you were nothing." she said, another tear falling from her eye.
they looked at each-other for another moment before turning around and leaving the same way they did all those years ago.
