⤷synopsis; Sometimes, loving someone isnt the hard part but showing it is. After months of feeling overlooked by a boyfriend whose world revolves around football, youre forced to ask yourself how much longer you can wait for Shouei Barou to learn that theres room in his life for both his dream and you. ♡
⤷a/n; uhm so like this is my 2nd request now help me??? also if the anon who requested this is reading rn ilyt<3 ur so nice omg, aaaand u wanted it long idk if this is long enough for u but i hope u like it anyways (also yall love barou sm whats up guys?? do we js like em feisty and selfish? LOL paying for ur therapy</33)
Anddd im sorry guys its been like a week since i last uploaded i was actually like crazy sick and had to somehow stick through writing since i didnt wanna make u wait too long so this might be a bit choppy dont hate me</3
Also just to lyk my requests are still open id appreciate more ideas if you have any!!:) (also wanted to lyk that i also write for other animes like jjk, kny, mha ect and more!!)
⤷pairing: Barou x fem!reader
⤷genre; angst, hurt/comfort, fluff - happy ending dw
Dating Shouei Barou was hard sometimes
Not because he didnt love you
You knew he did, or at least hoped so.
The problem was that loving someone and knowing how to love someone were two entirely different things
He was still arrogant, stubborn, demanding, and the usual.... and completely convinced that his way of doing things was the correct way
He still viewed the world as something to conquer
Everything was something to overcome, every challenge something to crush beneath his feet
He made EVERYTHING competitive
And unfortunately, that mindset didnt magically disappear just because he was dating you
Youd learned that pretty quickly
Arguments were more than common between the two of you
Sometimes it was because he expected plans to revolve around his training schedule
Sometimes it was because he forgot important things youd told him
Like your anniversary
Sometimes it was because he genuinely didnt understand why his blunt comments hurt peoples feelings
Like he acted impulsively almost every time he felt anything at all
And sometimes it was because he was Shouei Barou and refused to admit he was wrong even when the evidence was staring him directly in the face
Because underneath all of that, you could see him trying
Not as often as youd like -
Barou wasnt good at relationships because hed never had to be
His entire life revolved around football
Everything else existed somewhere far behind it
That thought should have upset you more than it did
Instead, it made something ache inside your chest
Because you didnt think Barou was choosing football over you
You thought he simply didnt know there was room for both
Hed spent years dedicating every piece of himself to becoming the best
Every habit, every routine, every decision had been built around that goal
Somewhere along the way, hed forgotten or maybe never learned that people could be important too
That someone could become part of his life without threatening his dream
So whenever your friends asked why you put up with him, you always gave the same answer
And maybe that sounded stupid
Maybe it sounded naive (definitely is)
But you truly believed it
You believed that the boy who silently walked you home after dark despite pretending he wasnt worried would simply learn
The boy who always noticed when you were cold and shoved his jacket at you while complaining the entire time would learn
The boy who remembered exactly how you liked your coffee despite claiming he didnt care would learn
Because those moments existed
Small
He knew you, most definitely knew you. In and out
Hidden beneath the layers of his pride and ego
Proof that Shouei Barou was capable of loving someone
He just hadnt figured out how yet
The problem was that learning takes time
Lately, you were beginning to wonder how much time you had left to give
Especially when every conversation seemed to end in an argument no matter what it was about
And it was fucking draining.
Especially when you were starting to feel less like his girlfriend and more like an afterthought
And especially when he didnt seem to notice the difference
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The smell of coffee pulled you from sleep before your alarm even had the chance
You smiled against your pillow
The apartment was already bright when you finally dragged yourself out of bed, following the scent into the kitchen
Barou stood at the counter
His back was straight, headphones hanging around his neck, already dressed for training underneath his apron, despite the fact that it was barely seven in the morning
You immediately spotted the mug sitting beside him
Coffee made exactly the way you liked it
"Good morning to you too"
You grabbed your coffee anyway
The warmth seeped into your hands instantly
As if making your coffee every morning was the most normal thing in the world
At some point it had become routine
One of the hundreds of tiny things hed started doing without ever mentioning them (which was one of the reasons why u havent given up on him just yet)
You watched him plate breakfast
His movements were precise like always
It was very Barou... You didnt complain tho
You sat beside him once he joined you at the table
For a few moments, the only sounds were forks against plates and the distant traffic outside
The kind youd grown used to
"My manager finally got back to me yesterday…"
You ignored the vague response
"About that internship project I told you about"
"I might have to travel for a few days if I get selected"
Your smile slightly faltered
No follow ups, nothing else
Just acceptance of the information before immediately moving on
"Id be working with a pretty big company"
"I was kind of nervous about applying"
"Well, because there were a lot of applicants and"
"You got in, didnt you?" he interrupted abruptly
"Then worry about it when you dont"
And just like that, the conversation died
Not because he meant to kill it
But because he never seemed interested in letting it grow
Its been like this for a while..
You stared down at your coffee
"Oh" A slight sigh left your lips
Eventually you switched topics
Talking about something a friend had done
Barou responded every time
Because hed always answer
Just enough to keep the conversation alive
Never enough to actually participate in it
The silence that followed felt heavier than before
Barou didnt even seem to notice
He just announced he had to leave for training and that was that
You had to leave for work youself not long after with it fresh on your mind
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first message you sent later that day was innocent enough
You
good luck at training :)
You didnt expect a response
Barou was probably already warming up
Sure enough, the message sat unread for nearly an hour
You tucked your phone away and continued with your day
A little after lunch, you spotted a dog outside your office
The most aggressive looking pitbull youd ever seen
Immediately, you snapped a picture
You
LOOK AT THIS THINGGGG
icl he looks scary asf how do people genuinely own these...
The message sat there for a while
"Okay…" You said out loud
You locked your phone.
Probably cope..
Twenty minutes later you added:
You
Nooooot to hurt ur ego buuut
I think he could beat you in a fight btw
A coworker accidentally dropped an entire tray of coffees
You witnessed the whole disaster
Naturally, you texted him
You
witnessed a workplace tragedy today
four iced coffees lost their lives
The messages remained unread
Your thumb hovered circles over the keyboard
Then you put your phone away
By the fourth time, it started bothering you
Not because he wasnt replying
Because he was reading them
And then apparently deciding they didnt require an answer whatsoever
You knew Barou wasnt a texter.
A little effort wouldve been nice
Later that afternoon you tried again
You
I got invited to that networking event i told you about
You stared at the screen for a moment
Youd been nervous about it all week
The message remained unread for fifteen minutes
Not even a thumbs up reaction sticker
Something unpleasant settled in your chest
You felt a familiar feeling, bubble up.
You felt pathetic, like you were chasing for an answer...
Which you probably were if we are being honest.
You locked your phone AGAIN
The final straw was beyond stupid
Embarrassingly stupid even
Youd seen a couple walking down the street holding matching plush keychains
Something that immediately made you think of him
I think wed have matching ones
yours would definitely be the angry one though
Why were you so fucking desperate?
Why wouldnt you just let it go?
Over some stupid messages.
You KNEW him, you knew he was like that.
The message was opened almost immediately
Like hed been holding his phone
Looking directly at your messages
Then the screen went dark
You stared at it longer than you should have
You
do you ever get tired of me texting you?
You regretted sending it immediately, you felt your heart ache at your stupidity.
The message looked pathetic
And spent the next twenty minutes pretending that it hadnt bothered you one bit even though it was eating you alive
At 6:43 PM, your phone buzzed
You looked down instantly
Your chest actually lifted
Barou
Leaving training now
No mention of anything else
No response to your earlier messages
No acknowledgement of the event
Just... "Leaving training now"
It was fully clear not he avoided having a conversation with you, even if it was small.
You stared at the screen for way longer than youd like to admit
A short, disbelieving laugh
Because somehow that response was the most Barou thing youd ever seen
And because despite the affection he showed you in person, despite the coffee every morning and the forehead kisses and the way he always made sure you got home safely…
Sometimes it felt like the second he couldnt physically see you, you disappeared from his mind completely
And lately, that feeling was becoming harder and harder to ignore.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The apartment was quiet when Barou got home
Usually one of you would break the silence eventually
Today neither of you seemed interested
You were curled up on the couch scrolling through your phone when he walked through the door
"Then sit somewhere else"
Despite his complaining, he sat on the opposite end of the couch
Why did he hiss at you like that.
For a while, neither of you spoke
You looked up
He noticed..?
Barou wasnt looking at you
His attention remained fixed on whichever slop show was on the television
Part of you wanted to let it go
The bigger part was exhausted
So unbelievably exhausted
"You left me on read all day…i obviously tried talking to you."
As if he genuinely didnt understand the issue
"Then whats the problem?"
For a moment, the only sound was the television in the backround
Barou immediately looked annoyed
"The problem" you began carefully, "is that everything is always about football football football"
"Football comes first you know this"
"Im not asking it not to"
The response caught him off guard
His brows knitted together
"Im not asking you to stop prioritizing football"
The frustration that had been building for weeks finally started spilling out
"Then whats your damn point?"
"My point is that football is your entire life"
The word came out sharper than intended
Barous eyes narrowed instantly
"No," you repeated. "Its part of your life"
"You have a girlfriend yk"
"You have people who care about you"
His expression remained stubborn
Like hed already decided he was being attacked
And that somehow made everything worse
"Im not asking you to train less"
You rubbed your face in ur palms
"Im not asking you to work less"
"Im not asking for grand gestures"
"Im not asking for gifts"
"Im not asking you to stop chasing your goals"
"Then what are you asking?" he snapped
At the complete inability to understand what was right in front of him
And suddenly the answer came easier than expected
"All Im asking you to do is care barou, i feel misunderstood."
Barou scoffed immediately
"Dont tell me how I feel"
"But you dont put efforttt into me"
For exactly three seconds
That horrible laugh hed begun hearing more often lately
"Barou, you make me coffee every morning"
"You remember what food I like"
"You do all these little things"
His expression practically screamed because I care
For the first time, your voice cracked
And that got his attention
The anger vanished from his face
Because of the sadness behind it
"But thats not enough, i dont feel you, i dont feel IT"
His eyes widened slightly
You continued before he could interrupt
"I can tell you everything about your week"
"I know when your next match is"
"I know your training schedule"
"I know who youve been arguing with"
"I know what youre stressed about"
Your fingers tightened around your sleeve
"But I dont think you could tell someone what Ive been doing this month at all"
"I told you about the networking event"
"I told you about the internship"
"I told you about my presentation"
"You never ask follow up questions"
Each sentence landed harder than the last
"You never seem interested, like, at all!"
You looked directly at him
"What happened at my presentation?"
The realization visibly irritated him
Not because you were wrong
"I want to share things with you"
"I want to tell you about my day"
"I want you to care about the answer"
The apartment suddenly felt much smaller
"I dont know what you want me to do"
And for the first time that evening
He sounded genuinely frustrated
"I want you to make room for me, i just told you!??"
"It means football doesnt have to be the ONLY thing in your life"
The words came easier now
"It doesnt have to be one or the other"
You gestured between the two of you
"You can be obsessed with football"
"Nobody is asking you not to be...barou"
"But you can have this too"
"They arent competing"
...
"WE arent competing."
Because somehow this entire argument felt less like anger and more like grief
Like mourning something that should have existed already
Which it shouldve!!
"I dont need all of your attention"
"Trust me, I knowwww thats impossible, besides im a grown woman.."
That finally earned the faintest reaction from him
"But I need more than whatever this is, seriously barou it hurts."
Something that looked suspiciously like guilt
And for the first time since the conversation began
Because somewhere beneath all that pride, all that stubbornness, all that certainty
A small part of him was beginning to realize that maybe you werent asking for too much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You woke up expecting things to be awkward
After the argument, how could they not be?
Youd gone to bed hours apart
Neither of you had spoken much afterward
Barou had spent most of the evening staring at the television without actually watching it
Youd pretended to scroll on your phone
And went to bed early.
The atmosphere had been tense
So naturally, when you woke up the next morning, you prepared yourself for more of the same
What you didnt expect was the smell of breakfast like usual
Or the sound of cabinets opening and closing
Or the familiar mug waiting for you when you shuffled into the kitchen
Barou was already there in his apron like always.
At least some things never changed
You almost rolled your eyes.
Definitely Barou, same sentence, always.
"Good morning to you too"
He slid your coffee across the counter
You accepted it automatically
Almost suspiciously normal
You settled into your favourite seat
The same as every other morning
For a few minutes, the only sounds were plates clinking together and the occasional page turning from the sports magazine hed been reading
Then you remembered something
"My presentation actually went really well yesterday"
You didnt think much of the statement
The sort of thing youd said dozens of times before
"Thats the one you were nervous about, right?"
You slowly lowered your mug
Your brain visibly stalled, did the argument really change something in him that fast?
Because that wasnt a generic response
That was an actual memory
Completely unaware of the fact that youd just suffered a minor heart attack
"Yeah" you managed eventually
The fork slipped from your hand
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
"What the hell does that mean?"
"You asked a follow up question"
"Youve never voluntarily done that before"
Barou immediately looked annoyed
Which somehow made this even funnier
You were trying very hard not to smile
"What part were you worried about?"
Not because of the question
Because of how sincere it sounded
And just like that, the conversation continued
ACTUALLY continued what felt like the first time.
One where he asked questions.
One where he listened to the answers.
One where he occasionally offered his own thoughts!!?
It was so unusual that you almost forgot how to function
Eventually, after several minutes of talking, you finally put your fork down
Barou narrowed his eyes immediately
"What is going on?"
Obviously you knew, or at least had an idea.
Cant blame a woman for wanting to get something wholesome out of her man..
And suddenly looked much less comfortable
The confidence from earlier faded
His gaze shifted toward his coffee
As if he were trying to figure out how to say something
Barou ignored your expression
"About what you said"
Bingo you were absolutely right, i meannn obviously
The amusement instantly disappeared
The way he always did when something challenged his worldview
"You were right about some things"
You nearly fell out of your chair
Barou rubbed the back of his neck
"I still think football comes first"
His shoulders relaxed slightly
Like hed been expecting another argument
When one didnt come, he continued
You stared and raised your brows
"I think I got used to assuming youd just be there"
The confession hit harder than expected, even tho you knew something similar would leave his mouth
"So I focused on football"
Because for Barou, that was practically a vulnerable admission
"I wasnt trying to ignore you"
For once there was no defensiveness there
The fact that hed remembered the exact wording from your argument made your heart ache
The answer came immediately
Apparently hed already thought that part through
"Im not suddenly going to start sending stupid texts all day"
"And football is still my priority"
He repeated himself.
There was that word again
That horrible word he seemed to hate
Barou looked down at the table
"I can care about football and care about you too"
Something warm bloomed in your chest
"I dont think I was showing it very well"
"Mhm"
The honesty nearly killed you
Because Shouei Barou didnt make promises lightly
If he said hed try, he meant it
Even if he was terrible at it..
Even if he complained every step of the way
Hed put his all into trying.
A small smile tugged at your lips, just thinking about it
Barou frowned immediately
"Thats all youre saying?"
"I dont know what you want from me"
The familiar sound felt lighter this time
You reached across the table
Hooking your pinky around his
The gesture surprised him enough that he actually stopped talking
His hand shifted a few seconds later,
large fingers wrapping around yours
You were simply asking him to make room for you, and even tho it took some time and especially courage
for the first time now , he finally was.
