ALL OR NOTHING - THREE
pairing: kylian mbappé x reader
summary: Childhood sweethearts. After a tearful, transformative departure at just 19, four years pass by. And now, at 23, you are being forced to awkwardly reunite with your ex-boyfriend to fulfill your dreaded journalistic duties.
authors note: HIIII AGAINN!!! i just want to say a quick thank you for all the love you guys have given me over all or nothing despite having to wait so long. hopefully these two chapters can keep you fed whilst i finish up chapter 4, (i won't make you wait 500 years for the next chapter i promise!!) i have so much in store,, anyways enjoy <33
previous chapter here
“Y/N?”
That voice. A voice you knew all too well. A voice that evoked the feeling of sweet nothings, sticky fingers, infectious grins, tears, cocoa and comfort. Genuine serenity, the type that made your heart slow a couple beats and your eyes shut longer. That voice. It reminded you of everything good and all the bad that shortly followed.
You turned hesitantly, facing him from the other side of the room. It was you and him. The passers-by in the hallway are all too consumed with work, or too stressed to notice the look that you’re giving each other. You lock eyes. He’s clearly still recovering from an intense match, it was visible. His socks are stained with muddy debris, one hand holding his defaced cleats, his chest slick with sweat as he hangs his shirt on the back of his shoulder. He’s changed a startling amount since you last saw him. His face matured, as you inspect the way he grew into his features. His dimples still popped out with every contortion, and his eyes still were downturned with big brown pupils. Your breathing was hollow.
The confusion on his face was evident but somehow you could still make out a speck of relief. Slowly, he inches towards you, crossing the invisible boundary. Your instinct pushes you to step back into the bathroom behind you, essentially hiding away from him. You try to catch a breath alone, but your solitude is quickly disturbed as he enters without a care in the world. You internally thanked yourself for choosing the one bathroom with only one stall.
“You can’t-”
“Hi.” He breathes out, watching every part of you, almost as if he was unsure whether you were real or not. He keeps a glare on you as his breath catches in his throat.
His eyes introspectively scanned the entirety of your face.
You couldn’t speak. Your dehydrated throat becomes a physical nuisance. Your head throbs, the images of your early morning dream disturbing your functionality.
“Shirt.” You squeak out. You regret the one syllable that flew out of your mouth as soon as you uttered it. You think of how this looks, you and an engaged, shirtless Kylian Mbappé squeezed into a bathroom stall.
He glances down to his torso, grabs the shirt laying on his shoulder before pulling it over his head in one swift motion.
“I-”
“How are-”
You both pause at your joint state of haste. A small simper creeps up on Kylian’s face as you shut your eyes and shake your head in a bashful manner.
“You first.” Kylian says, as a coy smirk creeps up onto his face. You look up at him, taking note of that.
“I’m with you.” You state blankly, and Kylian’s eyes pop out of his head. You giggle quietly, realising how he completely misinterpreted your sentence. “No, as in, I'm with you for the interview.” Unbeknownst to you, his heart jumps at the sweet sound of your joy. He sounds an ‘O’, nodding his head in realisation. You try your hardest to bite back your laugh, cautious to not create any false impressions between you two. You were here for work and you’re sure he was getting married soon. You wondered when or if he was going to tell you, or whether you should bring it up. You wondered what else he could be hiding and whether he would bring that up too.
“You okay?” Kylian asks. This makes you furrow your eyebrows, posing the question of whether you were thinking out loud again.
“You didn’t say anything, you just have this look on your face when you’re overthinking stuff.” He declares whilst unintentionally answering your question. Kylian knew all of your facial expressions and what they meant; flared nose and squinted eyes typically meant annoyance whereas wide eyes and pinched lips meant admiration. He’s known them since you were both just a pair of moody children, and he’s sure he’ll never forget. He doesn’t want to anyways. Another amiable smile is plastered onto Kylian’s face, which swiftly reminds you of the lack of time.
“We need to do this interview. Like right now.” You blurt out quickly, wary of your time limits. Kylian’s eyes droop down to your neck, glancing over the gold necklaces. He squints at one of them, trying to figure out why he felt so drawn to one of them. You gulped harshly and hoped he wouldn’t ask any questions.
“Kylian-” The rest of your sentence faded out in his ears. Your sweet voice warmed him. It also sped up his train of thought. It's been four years since you’ve said his name. Four years without your unforgettable intonation. 1460 days without you.
“How are you?” Kylian asks again, his head turning with intrigue. You sigh discreetly. “If you’re worried about the timing, don’t be. I’ll sort everything out.” He states, answering your concerns.
You roll your eyes at his nonchalance. That’s one thing about him that always puzzled you. His ability to stay absolutely chill in every single circumstance, whereas you lost your mind at the mere thought of a stressful outcome. It was a good dynamic for you two. You couldn’t imagine having a boyfriend that was always just as stressed as you were.
“You know what? I’m feeling quite sad right now Kylian.” You declare, frowning to keep your statement believable. “And do you know what would make me feel better? Doing this interview with me, so I can go back to my hotel room and take a nap. A nap. That’s all I ask for.”
Kylian sighs, wiping off all the concern of his face. “T’es vraiment chiant.” (You’re really annoying.)
You let out a smirk at his blank face without a second thought. “On y va?” (Let’s go?) You question, as you both make your way out of the bathroom, and walk towards the pitch, walking through the tunnels. It’s silent as you begin to walk. You’re both very careful not to cross any boundaries. The two of you tread carefully, opening and closing your mouths at the attempt of sparking conversation to try and block out the deafening silence. Kylian succumbs first, piecing together a string of words.
“You know, when I first saw your name. I thought, what are the chances? There was no way it could be you.”
“Until I walked into your changing rooms.”
“Until you walked into the changing rooms.”
You sigh deeply, as you walk alongside him. Every breath you let out is coated with utter embarrassment.
“Let’s just forget that ever happened.”
“Forget what?” He replies predictably, looking down towards you with a smirk.
You shake your head and make your way towards the stands, close to where you and Neymar were previously, but you opted to stay closer to other people. A seat between you two acts as a barrier, as you prepare your questions. You quickly scan them on your phone, mentally preparing yourself for the interview ahead. You begin, leading with the topic of leadership within the team. But, the whole interview your eyes are locked onto your phone screen rather than your interviewee. You felt his eyes burn into you, so instead you made the wise decision to ignore any form of eye contact in case you got distracted. You grew coy in his presence, making your voice hushed. At certain moments, Kylian leaned forward to hear you, completely entrancing you with his evocative scent. After a few more questions and insightful answers, you cut the interview short, afraid of completely getting off track.
You both get up, making your way towards the tunnels.
“Thanks.” You thank Kylian for a great interview, smiling gently.
“It’s nothing. I didn’t do much. Thanks for your questions.” Kylian replies with a smile, redirecting the praise from him and onto you. You laugh at his inability to accept a compliment, looking up at him. He laughs staring back at you, before he pauses.
“Y/N-”
Kylian is cut off from the loud ping of a text message. You make an apologetic look and unlock your phone, viewing a message from your boss checking if everything is going smoothly. This reminds you of his request. You internally cringe at the thought of asking.
“What is it?” Kylian asks, noticing your sudden silence.
“My boss- he’s a big fan- honestly you don't have to-”
“He wants a signature?” Kylian finishes your sentence, laughing at your hesitation. You nod shamefully, embarrassed at asking your ex for a signature. “Honestly it’s fine-” Kylian pauses mid sentence, as if a new idea just popped into his head. You can physically see a smirk grow on his face. “Actually, you know what? Earn it.”
Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as a scoff leaves your mouth, “Excuse me?”
“Earn it. Come to my studio to receive it.”
“Really Kylian? You can’t be serious?” You say, laughing.
“I don't think I’ve ever been more serious.” He replies, staring you dead in the eyes with his arms crossed. “See you later.” He walks off into the tunnel, leaving you shocked, your mouth wide open. The nerve of this guy, you thought to yourself, sighing at the extra work you have to now endure. His studio?
“Bold of you to assume I remember where your studio is.” You call out to him, dropping your hands down to your sides in puzzlement.
“We both know you remember.” He turns back around with a smirk plastered on his face, as he turns, leaving the hallway.
And as much as you hated to admit, you still remembered.
-
next chapter here
taglist: :@aechii @kylians-world @mrs-bellingham @imjellyjenny @xjval
second authors note: omg i have to say this chapter was really scary to post, especially since it was their first meeting... i wanted to keep that element of banter as they aren't exactly strangers to each other and literally grew up teasing each other, but also a little bit of distance. anyways tell me ur thoughts and once again i am so sorry :)