Harbinger Of Glory

For years, the idea had lived somewhere in the back of his mind.

When he had first started training under Dawson, it had been there almost every day.

Back then, it had been simple.

Revenge.

He wanted to prove to everyone at the club how wrong they’d been, and every good performance had felt like another answer.

Every goal had felt like another reminder of what they had allowed to leave.

He had imagined returning to Old Trafford one day, not as the academy kid they had released but as somebody they couldn’t ignore.

And just a day ago, he’d done exactly that.

But now that Manchester United wanted him back, Leo couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of it.

"I’ve thought about it."

"When I first came here, I thought about it a lot," Leo admitted. "Probably more than I realised."

He smiled faintly.

"I wanted to go back there one day and make them regret letting me leave."

"But I don’t really feel that way anymore."

"About United?"

"Yeah."

Leo leaned back.

"I don’t hate them."

He thought about it for another moment.

"If anything, I’m grateful."

"They let me go," Leo continued.

"And because they did, I ended up here. I met Dawson. I got the chance to play properly. I became the player I am now."

He glanced toward the window.

"If they hadn’t let me leave, I probably wouldn’t be here."

"I think whatever resentment I had disappeared a long time ago."

Noah remained silent on the other end, and so did Leo, who was waiting for Noah to say something, but even after a few moments, nothing came.

"Noah?" Leo inquired, and it was only then that Noah replied.

"Hmm?"

"You still there?"

"Yeah. I’m just listening."

Leo smiled.

"Right," he said as Noah finally exhaled.

"I understand."

"And honestly, that’s probably the most important thing you’ve said to me."

Leo looked down at his phone.

"So what happens now?"

"I’ll meet with the club."

"Today?"

"Today," Noah confirmed, and this time, he sounded more businesslike again, like his usual self when he said that.

"I’ll sit down with them and find out what they really want to do because, as it stands, they aren’t saying anything. It feels like they want you to stay, but then it feels like they wouldn’t mind even if you left, considering the monetary aspect your deal comes with."

"What they might fear is the backlash from the fans, but if they get to turn the narrative that you want to leave, then they can extricate themselves from the situation without earning the ire of the fans."

"You’re making it sound very simple."

"It isn’t," Noah laughed.

"But that’s what you pay me for."

Leo chuckled as the call seemed to be coming to an end.

"Thanks, Noah."

"No," Noah said, and this time, there was something warm in Noah’s response.

"Thank you for choosing me."

Before Leo could respond, Noah went on.

"I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but I’ve missed this."

"Missed what?"

"Being an agent."

Leo smiled.

"You’ve been an agent for years."

"Not like this. This feels a bit more different from the previous life."

Noah laughed quietly as he finished, while Leo, over on the other side, shook his head.

"You sound happy."

"I am," Noah sounded genuinely amused now.

"I’ve got Manchester United and Atlético Madrid calling about my player before breakfast. I’ve got to admit, Leo, it’s nice to be back."

Leo laughed as Noah also chuckled on the other side, but then suddenly, Leo’s smile disappeared.

"Wait, what?"

"Atlético Madrid too?" Leo inquired, but all he got was a laugh from Noah.

"Noah," Leo said again, but still nothing came through.

Then, "Have a good morning, Leo," came through before the line went dead, leaving Leo standing with his phone before it slowly lowered from his ear.

"Atlético?" Leo muttered and then stared at his phone before opening it.

He searched for anything that might be related to that tip from Noah, but after a while, the conclusion he came to was that it seemed that Atlético Madrid were being quieter about it.

"That man is unbelievable."

The moment Leo finished saying that, the bedroom door opened.

Vittoria appeared, having disappeared for several minutes, and immediately noticed the expression on his face.

"What happened?"

Leo looked at her, and for a second, he said nothing.

Then he stood.

Vittoria barely had time to react before he walked straight toward her and wrapped both arms around her, leaving her blinking incessantly.

"What’s this?" she said with a snort, though she looked to be enjoying it with how her feet were tapping against the floor like a squirrel.

Leo buried his face against her shoulder.

"Did I ever tell you that I miss you?"

Vittoria snorted, but her hands came around his neck regardless.

"You’ve been in the same room as me for two days now, and you’re just telling me."

"I don’t think it’s been two full days, but I won’t argue. I am sorry for saying this too late."

She looked down at him suspiciously as Leo went on, showering Vittoria with a blatant show of affection.

"Did you hit your head?"

"Maybe."

Vittoria couldn’t hold it in after Leo said that, but then Leo tightened his arms around her before suddenly leaning his entire weight into her.

"Leo!" she screamed as she stumbled backwards sharply as they went down together.

At the last second, Leo twisted his body, taking the impact himself as they landed on the bed and Vittoria landed on top of him.

"You’re heavy," Leo pretended to pant, but a second later, he knew not to do that again with the glare that Vittoria gave him.

Vittoria, after a while, finally let go of the glare she’d been holding and smiled, causing Leo to grin.

"Watch your back, mister," she said as she got off Leo.

"I might just shoot you," she ended, causing Leo to put his hands up, though the smile suggested that he was enjoying it.

"Sorry, Madam," Leo played along, "But can I interest you in a date?"

The moment Leo said that, a wide smile appeared on Vittoria’s face before she nodded aggressively.

"Then let’s be quick to make use of the whole day," Leo answered before grinning devilishly and then grabbing Vittoria’s hands before pulling her back into the shower alongside himself.

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