For the first eighteen years of his life, Joshua owned nothing of his own. He had no parents, no homeland, and even his name was chosen from the Bible by the nuns who happened to pass through the refugee camp where he was abandoned as a baby.
Joshua means "God saves," but the irony was that if he had waited for God's salvation, he would have died unnoticed long ago.
From a football prodigy in a refugee camp, to the embodiment of a low-budget, politically correct Real Madrid project that lasted one year, thanks to a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph and a bit of luck with him and the System, and then to becoming the world-famous "New Saint" and "Midfield Miracle Dreamweaver," it took him less than three years.
Even the discerning Madridistas treated him like a god, defending everything about him and passionately following his and Ronaldo's "striking lovers" duo. His innocent, harmless face even made them inexplicably worry about him, causing them to completely forget the controversy he sparked in his first year at Real Madrid, and the man who laughed wildly with his arms spread wide in front of gun barrels on that rainy night.
His gentleness was merely a habitual disguise. Beneath the surface was a cold, empty shell devoid of feeling. Yet some people refused to believe it, refused to let go.
But...
Joshua smiled maliciously as he kissed the Portuguese superstar, who was clearly looking down on him, yet had been driven into a corner. "You want to have me all to yourself, don't you? Tender affection isn't enough. Neither is a conventional marriage, nor one that defies convention. To conquer me, you need the ultimate danger, the fiercest contest."
"My 'striking lover' can only be the best in the world. If you're not..." The hand tracing circles over his ridiculously muscular chest was seized with a strength that could kill.
"I won't give you the chance. Dream on."
In a life this dull, he needed some proof that his heart was still beating.
P.S.
1. This idea came from an excited brainstorming session with a friend. The protagonist looks like a little white rabbit but has a snake's heart (when it comes to adult men). He indiscriminately flirts with teammates in search of thrills. Not both sexually inexperienced, so don't read if that bothers you.
2. The start date depends on how the advance collection goes and when I finish my current serial.
3. To be continued.
Theme: How to find meaning in survival.
