FOOTBALL IMAGINES

seeing red | martin ødegaard

martin was known for being very calm. even though he was a captain for both arsenal and norway, it was very rare that he would be pictured shouting at players or losing his head. he was a leader in his own way, he didn't need to get hot-headed in order to get his point across.

but you were the only person who was able to make him feel anything other than calm. the effect that you had on him was so different than anything he had ever felt before. his love for you was unmatched. he would do anything for you, risk his own life if he had to, and would do anything to defend you if the situation warranted it.

he was currently playing a game for arsenal, already on a yellow card for an offence he committed earlier in the game. all of a sudden, when he was running with the ball, he felt someone tackle him from behind, knocking him straight to the ground.

martin was angry at the challenge, because with the phase of play that he was in, there was no need to go that hard into a challenge. he was even angrier when he looked up and saw who the player was that had fouled him. it was someone who you had been involved with in the past, and he was still very bitter about that. nothing had ever really happened between the two of you, but he had clearly been more invested in the relationship than you had, and was still very much interested in you, and had shown his anger multiple times about the fact that you were in a new relationship.

"what the hell are you doing?" martin shouted at him, while picking himself up off the floor.

"oh, it was nothing, i barely even touched you," his rival tells him, a small smirk on his face.

"you got nothing of the ball, and completely took me out," martin said, turning to plead his case to the referee who had just shown up beside them. he gave the opposition player a yellow before walking away to resume the game.

when martin was walking away from the incident, he heard someone shout at him. "you'll be fine anyway, you have that whore at home to take care of you."

as soon as that comment hit his ears, martin turned around, storming towards him. "don't you dare mention my girlfriend ever again!" martin couldn't do anything in that moment, then shove him, feeling as one of the other arsenal player grabbed him and pulled him away from the fight that was about to break out. before martin could realise what he had truly done, he was shown a yellow card and was halfway down the tunnel.

he walks straight to the changing room, he showers, gets dressed, and just leaves the stadium, ready to go home to you, as advised by the staff, as they didn't think it would be the best if he stayed when he was in the mental state that he was in.

---

you had watched what had happened unfold live on tv, and a recent text from martin told you that he was almost home. at first, when you saw who the altercation was with, you were worried, but you didn't know what had been said. but you knew it would have had to have been something quite serious for martin to act in the way that, as that was so out of character for him. so you were waiting for him to get back before you jumped to any conclusions, and just let him explain the situation for himself.

you heard keys in the door from where you were sitting on your sofa, anticipating martin's arrival. you decided to remain where you were sitting, not going to greet martin at the door, which you would usually do, because you didn't know what kind of mood he was in.

it wasn't long before he walked into the living room. he looked worn out, his blonde hair a little messier than usual, a small smile on his lips when his eyes met yours.

"hey," you whispered to him, grabbing his hand and intertwining your fingers together when he slumped down beside you. "what happened out there today?"

"you saw it, huh?" he looked at you, rubbing small circles on the back of your hand.

"of course i did. please tell me what happened."

he let out a sigh before he started talking. "that idiot of your ex-boyfriend," he said, doing air quotes around the "ex-boyfriend", "decided to bring you up after he had tackled me, and i don't know what came over me. i just saw red, i guess. i know i shouldn't have done it, but i couldn't help myself in the moment after what had happened between you. i'm sorry."

"you don't have to apologise at all. everyone makes mistakes, we're all human. thank you for sticking up for me though, i really appreciate it. it is a bit of a shame that you'll miss the next match though."

"well, you'll be able to come and watch the game in the stadium with me anyway, so that should be quite fun," he told you, smiling as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling your body against his.

"yeah, that will be fun," you shut your eyes, relaxing against your boyfriend, hoping to calm him down after the hectic events of the day.