Bad Blood
Disclaimer: I do not own Galactik Football and I make no money from this fanfiction.
"I want to tell you something." Then he stopped, correcting himself. "No, I don't want to tell you. But I think I need to."
"That sounds serious." Aarch's tone, however, was not. He knew his little brother; he knew he'd never get into any real trouble.
"I love you." His voice was strained and he can feel stupid, shameful, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Aarch always hated it when he cried.
"I know, now stop stalling and just tell me," Aarch said. "Did you break something? Did you lose one of my footballs? What is it?"
Norata looked away sharply, unwilling to repeat the words that had already been far too difficult to say.
He didn't feel relieved. To make real what only existed in thought to make it easier to fight off, that had been the theory, that had been the plan.
It still felt so unreal and yet it was still the only real thing.
He walked away. Aarch didn't follow. He told himself he wasn't disappointed.
Aarch didn't pursue the matter- he thought it was something petty, something stupid. Norata was certainly never going to mention it again so he assumed that Aarch must have concluded that everything was fine after all. Norata knew that he always liked to assume what was most convenient for him.
It wasn't long before he forgot about the incident entirely. It wasn't really Aarch's fault, it all got lost in the whirlwind of excitement that was getting accepted to play for Akillian and beginning to make names for themselves in football.
The walls in the Academy were too thin by far, thinner than the ones at home. His room was next to Aarch's and he could hear everything- every movement as Aarch got ready in the morning, every word he said to whoever he happened to be speaking to over the phone or in person, every moan.
At first it was just the sounds Aarch made when he touched himself.
He wasn't too surprised when he started to hear distinctly female moans and the squeaking of bedsprings. Aarch had started dating Adium very soon after he first met her.
He heard the first time she told him that she loved him. He also heard his brother's silence by way of response. He just hoped his older brother couldn't hear his own muffled groans- although a part of him was secretly, strangely excited by the prospect of it.
It was shortly after that, after Adium started coming around, when things begun to change. He heard another voice, a different voice- a much quieter voice but a still obviously male voice.
At first he wondered whether he was hearing correctly. Then he wondered who it was.
One practice session and it was obvious, it should have been obvious before; Artegor Nexus spent so much of his time giving Aarch adoring looks when he thought no-one was looking. He sympathised, as much as he could given the situation, he was sure his face often bore the same expression as Artegor's (but that it was always written off as normal, healthy, brotherly affection, rather than recognised for what it was).
So he knew who, what and when. The only real question left was 'why?' Norata wasn't foolish enough to believe it was for love and Aarch had never lacked for self-discipline when necessary (playing football was all about restraint and sacrifice).
He also had to question the fact that Aarch's cheating (whatever the motive behind it) didn't lower his opinion of him. He was still Aarch; demi-god, role-model. He resented sharing him, with anyone, but he had resigned himself to the fact that he had to- everyone wanted a piece of Aarch, he was just that special.
Whereas, he had something sick and ghostly inside of him, something that nonetheless allowed him to masquerade as someone so ordinary that he was often considered boring- the press had thankfully written him off
Boring was safe and he intended to keep up the charade. His determination to be ordinary only doubled as he heard the press talking about how extraordinary Aarch was, and he felt that familiar clench in his stomach in hearing them express, the least inflammatory, of his innermost thoughts.
He got himself a girlfriend, a nice girl, a gentle girl. Keira. Dating and, later, marrying her was such a blissful pretence of normality that he started to buy into it himself. Their relationship was so stable, so solid, something he didn't need to fight because there could be no fault found in it. His previous thoughts had been muddled, it was just as well Aarch misunderstood that time- he'd misunderstood the situation himself. Time passed as it is wont to do.
It had all been fine until she had confessed that she was pregnant. He had smiled and outwardly rejoiced, but his mind was reeling.
He'd gone to Aarch in a daze, instinctually returning to him for advice, forgetting that he tried to distance himself from Aarch as much as was possible as brothers and teammates.
"I suppose congratulations are in order," Aarch said, smiling wanly- clearly not envying Norata's position. Norata guessed he was probably vowing to make sure he was extra careful about using protection with Adium.
"Yes, it's wonderful," he replied, wincing at his own lack of enthusiasm.
"You'll be a great father!" Aarch gave him an awkward clap on the shoulder.
He wasn't exactly sure whether he should agree or not- he didn't believe he would be but to say that out loud would be like publicly picking holes in his 'perfect' marriage. Instead he was silent, feeling a strange current in the air, as if something were about to happen.
It was up to Aarch to break the silence. He sighed before speaking, a burden clearly weighing heavily upon him.
"You know, I've become quite good at telling when someone wants something from me."
Norata's eyes flew to Aarch's face, searching it for the meaning and finding only exhaustion there.
"What are you talking about?" There was genuine confusion there and the dreadful sense that he knew exactly what Aarch meant- but that couldn't be it. He'd been so careful, so cautious.
"What is it you want from me, Norata?" Aarch's voice was strained, he was all too afraid he already knew the answer.
Norata suddenly wished he was on the other side of the wall but he couldn't avoid this now.
"I think you already know," his throat was dry, his heart pounding in a way that couldn't be healthy.
"It would ruin you," Aarch protested. "I can't be responsible for that."
"Make it solid," he said, repeating his old mantra. "Make it solid so I can fight it."
Aarch stared at him, shaking his head. "I can't believe what you are asking me to do."
"Please," his voice came in a rasp, but there was really no turning back from here, he felt compelled to try to salvage whatever he could from this situation.
"I thought you would grow out of this," he said, shaking his head, futilely.
"I can't, I've tried…but I can't."
"And you're sure this will help you?" The mighty Aarch, so collected on the field, looked as if he might be about to crack under the weight of the decision he seemed to be considering.
He just nodded.
Aarch stepped forward, pressing his lips against Norata's own, closing his eyes tight shut.
"Once," he said, firmly. "This is once and then you go back to your family. Once and then you fight it."
"I promise."
They agreed not to talk about it; it's effectively been quarantined, put away in a box never to be opened. He still can't stop thinking about it. It's solid now but it's still there, it's there more than ever.
The next time he heard Aarch and Adium (it happened to be her turn) he punched the wall so hard his fist bled. Coach was not happy and neither was Aarch. He could see Aarch looking at him, willing him to just stop this, to do as he promised.
"Norata, he's gone," Adium said, crying softly down the phone. "He just left without saying goodbye."
"Who? Who's gone?" he said, all to afraid he knew the answer- as inconceivable as it seemed.
"Aarch. He took Artegor and he left. They've gone over to the Shadows." Adium sounded more angry than upset now.
"He wouldn't do that."
"He just did."
He felt his heart go cold.
"I underestimated you," Artegor remarked.
"Oh yeah?" Aarch replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I knew you'd come with me but I didn't expect you to leave everything behind so easily- Norata for instance." He was hardly going to use Adium as his example.
"It's for the best."
…the 12 characters meme made me do it! I dimly recall saying that if I ever wrote Aarch/Norata that you have permission to shoot me…well I guess I'm not going to go back on my word, you still have permission. I dunno, I just had this idea and so I figured I better write it, I'm not sure it's any good at all. Review please!