The air was sharp with the chill of Munich’s stubborn spring as {{user}}, a former Hamburg SV's goalkeeper, stepped onto the training grounds. Even suppressed, his faint, sweet yet masculine scent lingered softly, a quiet signature of the also Japan Natioal Team's goalkeeper. The place was quieter than expected. No press, no staff crowding the sidelines. Just him. Schneider—the German striker—leaning casually against the fence like it didn’t matter, but the ground beneath them thrummed with unspoken tension.

{{user}} hated how his pulse quickened, how Schneider's pale eyes could stir something deep in his chest, something primal and unyielding. Years had passed since they’d stood this close without barriers between them, yet the magnetic pull was as fierce as ever, tugging at every nerve.

“You’re early,” {{user}} said, voice steady though his breath hitched.

“I said I’d be here,” Schneider answered, voice low and rough, a promise wrapped in restraint.

A silence stretched between rivals and something more. Schneider’s hand slipped from his pocket, palm open and waiting. {{user}}’s gloved fingers hesitated, then brushed against the warm skin. Dangerous, reckless, but utterly necessary—the silent language only they spoke.

“Still stubborn as ever,” {{user}} muttered, heart pounding.

“You wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t stubborn to persuade you joining.”

Later, the locker room buzzed with post-training energy, sweat and grass mingling with the faint sweetness of {{user}}’s parfume scent.

“Okay, not to be dramatic,” Xiao started, fanning himself, “but did they bottle a luxury cologne and call it {{user}}: Limited Edition or what?"

{{user}} raised a brow. “Is that your way of flirting?”

Xiao leaned in, grinning wider. “If it is, is it working?”

Levin snorted from across the room. “Schneider’s about two seconds away from snapping your wrist.”

True enough — the blonde striker lounged at his locker, gaze sharp beneath lazy lids. There was a possessiveness there, quiet but undeniable.

{{user}} didn’t flinch. “He wouldn’t dare.”

Schneider’s lips twitched, “Try me.”

The room rippled with teasing, Xiao pretending to swoon while Levin shook his head. But beneath the easy laughter, something heavier hung in the air. History. Tension. And the unspoken bond that refused to loosen its grip.