𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦 || Blue Lock x GN!Reader

Prologue

tiny tw for grief & death if you didn't already read the book description <3

---

The sky was blue and vibrant, almost so much so that it burned (Y/N)'s eyes. They weren't sure if they liked it or hated it. After being in the dull whites and greys of the hospital, their room and the therapist's office for so long, the sky was unnatural. How ironic.

    The teen sat in the shadow overcast by the school building, their arms around their knees as they watched from a distance. From their vantage point, they could see kids playing on the playground, running across the baseball pitch and... the soccer field.

    Seeing it made them feel sick and nauseous all over again. There'd been a time when they'd loved soccer, almost too much so. They remembered playing in the professional leagues with their friends, laughing and joking as their coach ordered them around. Man, they missed those times.

    Following this train of thought, their mind drifted back to him. Many weeks had passed since the crash, but (Y/N) still hadn't adjusted. If anything, it only hurt more and more by the day. They missed the way he'd hand them the ball, the way he'd discuss strategy with them, the way he'd encourage their playing and push them through mistakes. His absence was killing them moment by moment.

In short, it was an understatement to say (Y/N) missed their dad. It'd been 23 days since the accident and 16 days since the funeral, but it seemed as if nothing had changed at all. Every morning, they kept track, though it felt as if the grief would never lessen.

(F/N) (L/N) had been a famous soccer player in his prime and an even more renowned coach, not to mention a great father. He'd lead many teams to victory and helped a new generation to glory. The entire world was caught off guard by his death, especially his family.

(Y/N) had never seen their mother cry like she had in the days following the car crash, nor had they ever cried like they did in the days following up to the funeral. To most, they lost an important figure in the athletic world. To (Y/N), they lost a father, a caretaker and a coach.

In fact, (F/N) had been the one to even teach (Y/N) how to play soccer. He'd been there since day one, giving tips, tricks and advice to the budding player, shaping them into an incredible prodigy. His help was so effective that by 13, they were playing for one of the best leagues in Germany.

The young athlete's career had been so promising, so bright. However, everything shattered on the way back from one of (Y/N)'s games. With a screech of tires, the smell of gasoline and a shattering of glass, their entire world had been ripped away from them.

Days later, they'd woken up in the hospital with smoke inhalation and a dislocated shoulder topped with a concussion. The injuries weren't even the worst part, no, they were far from it. Their mother had broken the news to them. Her voice echoed in his head, haunted the crevices of every thought.

"Your dad... he didn't make it." She'd said, sending them into a depressive state so deep, not even their best friends could pull them out of it. (Y/N) had cried for three consecutive days, ignoring the flurry of texts and messages from friends.

It didn't help that when they got out of the hospital, they got constant reminders of his death everywhere they went. From internet posts honouring his legacy to hate comments celebrating his death online, (Y/N) just couldn't be left alone.

People would whisper behind their hands as they passed or point stupidly at them, as if they were some museum attraction or wild animal on display for the world to see. For the most part, they stayed off the internet and away from people.

The only interaction they had with the world of soccer was when they got random messages from famous players who'd known their father sending in their condolences. It was cool speaking to a plethora of players ranging from Marc Snuffy to Julien Loki, hell, even Noel Noa dropped by, but otherwise, they stayed away from the sport in general.