Chapter 221: Inzaghi x Fino (IF Line)

[Warning: This is an alternate timeline of Inzaghi x Fino. If you don't like this alternate timeline, please proceed with caution!]

[Premise: If Fino had transferred from Milan to Manchester United in the summer of 2009, had not become lovers with Alonso, and the Pirlo x Fino "what if" scenario had not occurred.]

The summer of 2012 was an extremely painful one for AC Milan fans.

Following the loss of Pirlo last summer, this summer, veterans Nesta, Gattuso, Seedorf, Inzaghi, Zambrotta, and others have also seen their contracts expire, leading to either free transfers or retirement.

Valuable players like Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva were sold to PSG as a package deal, while the players brought in were either free or for very low price. Galliani has taken frugality to the extreme.

This summer was also extremely painful for Inzaghi. Milan had initially decided to extend his contract for another year, but this decision was met with fierce opposition from head coach Allegri. Therefore, at the end of the season, Inzaghi had no choice but to announce that he would leave AC Milan after the season ended.

In gratitude for Inzaghi's contributions to Milan over the years, the club was considering offering him a youth coaching contract, but Inzaghi is still considering it, as he doesn't feel it's time for him to leave the pitch.

After the season ended, he returned to Piacenza to enjoy family time with his parents. His younger brother, Simeone, who had retired and was now Lazio's youth team coach, could also offer him some advice.

After dinner that day, Inzaghi's family gathered in the living room to watch TV.

At this time, the semi-finals of the 2012 Poland-Ukraine European Championship had been completed. Following the Spain-Italy final in the 2010 World Cup, Spain and Italy once again advanced to the final of the 2012 European Championship.

After reading the reports about the European Championship, Inzaghi skillfully opened Manchester United's official social media to see if there was any news about Fino.

Since his transfer from Fino to Manchester United, Inzaghi has developed the habit of following Manchester United's activities, including not only matches but also a series of commercial activities and tabloid news.

Manchester United's scandals are just too outrageous. Giggs has been having an affair with his sister-in-law for years, and Rooney's extramarital affairs are even more common. This makes Inzaghi often worry that Manchester United's messy affairs will pollute Fino's eyes and ears.

He knew, of course, that he hadn't been a good person himself, but compared to these scoundrels in England, Italian men could be considered "refined but not vulgar."

Unlike Nesta and the others, he couldn't contact Fino regularly. All the information he had about Fino, apart from what he heard from Nesta and the others in the locker room, came from Manchester United's news.

Fino didn't refuse to contact him; it was he who couldn't bring himself to contact Fino casually. He always felt a mix of guilt, regret, and longing towards Fino. He had seen how Fino's eyes were always filled with him, so how could he tolerate Fino's current politeness and aloofness?

Inzaghi shook his head and smiled bitterly countless times. Who could have imagined that after the agreement was canceled, the more rational and carefree person was Fino, while he was the one who was stuck in that old time and couldn't get out?

Manchester United's official media is quite adept at creating buzz; even during the summer break, they release player-related content from time to time.

Ahead of the Euro 2016 final between Spain and Italy, Manchester United's official media released a video featuring a two-person interview between Italian national team attacking linchpin Fino and Spanish goalkeeper De Gea, who almost made it into the tournament, thus capitalizing on the Euro 2016 hype once again.

The interview was not formal; it was part of the Manchester United team's regular content that they film for fans, and the atmosphere was very relaxed.

Inzaghi had been smiling as he watched Fino and De Gea banter, but what happened next froze his smile on his face.

In the video, the host asked, "Have you ever done anything that seemed earth-shattering at the time, but now looks incredibly foolish?"

Fino thought for a moment and replied, "I once went to Tromsø in northern Norway by myself during Christmas and spent eight days in the polar night in the Arctic Circle."

"Wow~ that sounds so lonely." De Gea asked curiously, "Why is that?"

"Back then, I was still on the cusp of being a teenager, not mature enough. I encountered some things that I couldn't figure out, and I was in a really bad mood. I was being dramatic and wanted to escape to the edge of the world, to a place where no one was around. Looking back now, I was really crazy, stupid and dramatic." Fino shrugged.

De Gea grinned mischievously: "Is it because you've just broken up with your boyfriend?"

“Maybe so~” Fino laughed.

Fino looked relaxed, as if he was just doing something for the show with De Gea, but Inzaghi felt like he had been stabbed in the heart.

It hurts so much.

By process of elimination, we can tell that the thing that was bothering Fino was related to him.

Since he spent eight days in Tromsø during Christmas, it couldn't have happened during the Premier League season, because the Premier League doesn't have a winter break. Therefore, this could only have happened during his time at AC Milan.

Fino officially signed with the team in the summer of 2007. Excluding the period before signing when the team was not financially well-off, the timeline can be roughly set between Christmas 2007 and 2008.

In 2008, they only had a few days off because they had to go to Dubai for training. In 2007, Ancelotti gave the team a 13-day break.

Inzaghi had only ever had this many days off during the winter break in all the years he had been in Milan, so it left a deep impression on him.

That winter, he did something he still regrets to this day: after being attracted to Fino, he took a shortcut and used his years of hunting experience to steal Fino's heart.

As Stefan Zweig said in "Marie Antoinette," every gift of fate comes with a price tag attached.

He didn't reciprocate with sincerity back then, so he endured mental torture for years afterward, and today, his heart has been stabbed again.

When Nesta mentioned Sara Tomasi's name, he knew that Fino, who had taken the bait, might be heartbroken. This was a development he had anticipated, but he did not expect Fino to be so heartbroken that he spent eight days alone in the icy wilderness and long nights of the Arctic Circle.

Fino never mentioned this.

I really deserve to die!

During his short trip to Lake Como, he had hoped to find an opportunity to persuade Fino to renew their agreement, but he was interrupted by Kaka, and he received an answer from Fino's tone that did not meet his expectations.

He didn't lack the courage to pursue Fino again; he simply learned to respect Fino.

Love makes the brave timid.

At this moment, the overwhelming guilt brought his desire to regain Fino to its peak. He wanted to spend his life making amends for the mistakes he had made, and he did not want to be forever immersed in the regret of losing Fino.

By mid-July, after Fino had led the Italian team to victory in the European Championship and participated in a series of celebrations, Inzaghi visited Fino at his villa on the shores of Lake Como.

Fino was surprised when he received Inzaghi's call, as he and Inzaghi had not met alone for several years.

He didn't know why Inzaghi suddenly wanted to see him, but he still prepared some easily digestible snacks and waited for Inzaghi's arrival.

It was already afternoon when Inzaghi arrived.

Fino led Inzaghi to the terrace, where the summer sun tempered the chill of the glacial lake, and a gentle breeze swirled around the mountains and lakeside, making it the most comfortable time of day.

Looking at the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains before him, Inzaghi exclaimed, "Fini, your villa is amazing!"

“Yes, I like it very much too.” Fino said with some pride. “Ever since our last short trip to Como, I’ve had the idea of ​​settling down here. After winning the South Africa World Cup, I bought this villa. I come to stay for a while every summer break, and after I retire, I’ll live here permanently.”

"Hmm, it might be a bit early to ask that. What are you planning to do after you retire? If you become a coach, it will be difficult to live here permanently. You can only come here for vacations occasionally, like you are now." Inzaghi continued, following up on his question.

Fino shrugged: "Who knows? We'll see!"

Inzaghi nodded and changed the subject.

Fino didn't ask Inzaghi's purpose for coming; he just chatted with him, and Inzaghi would eventually tell him himself.

As the conversation deepened, Fino once again confirmed his judgment from Monaco: Inzaghi was indeed a person with very high emotional intelligence. Even if they hadn't had a proper conversation for several years, he could quickly dispel the politeness and distance if he wanted to.

After chatting for a while, Inzaghi confirmed that Fino had no reservations about him, and he finally tentatively brought up the topic.

“Finnie, for the past few years, I’ve wanted to have a serious talk with you about the promise we made to each other. I’m really sorry.”

Fino paused for a moment, then laughed.

He patted Inzaghi's arm and sincerely comforted him, "Pippo, let bygones be bygones, there's no need to hold a grudge. Besides, there was no right or wrong in what happened back then, and you had the right to stop it at any time. Since we weren't destined to be lovers, it's good to remain friends. Isn't it pleasant to chat like this?"

Inzaghi sighed, leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the sky.

After a long silence, he finally spoke again.

“Finnie, I can’t help but feel resentful.” He sat up straight and looked at Fino with eyes full of guilt. “Back then, your emotional world was still a blank slate, and I took advantage of your ignorance about love to seduce you. That was unfair to you. It was emotional exploitation of the younger by the older. That is my sin, and the guilt I have been carrying ever since.”

Fino shook his head. When he made that promise with Inzaghi, he was already prepared for it to end inconclusively, so he never blamed Inzaghi.

“Pippo, to be honest, you’re not my ideal type, but the thrill of first love is irrational. Whether you deliberately seduced me or I lost my mind, I was indeed infatuated with you back then. But I never had high expectations for that promise, or rather, I never had high expectations for you. That promise was just me giving myself a chance to give up. So, you don’t need to feel guilty. You didn’t hurt me, and the timing of our ending the promise was just right.”

“But Finney, I can’t get over that promise because I love you. It wasn’t until you were lying in that hospital bed that I understood my own heart,” Inzaghi said with a bitter smile. “But like you said, our views on love and our lifestyles were completely different back then. I didn’t even have confidence in myself. I didn’t believe I could really be serious and devoted to a relationship. And you are so wonderful. You shouldn’t have met a jerk like me when you were so naive about love. You deserve a healthy love, a love that shines brightly without a trace of gloom. I didn’t want you to get hurt any more, so I chose to let go.”

Fino was stunned.

This was a reason he hadn't considered. He opened his mouth, trembling, but couldn't say anything.

“Finni, for the past few years, I’ve been tormented by the loss of you. This is the punishment I deserve for deliberately seducing you; I deserve what I brought upon myself. But I can’t let go of my longing for you. My sweet words from back then have come true; my destined one is truly right before my eyes. Finni, besides wanting to repent today, I also want to ask you one question: if I want to renew that promise, are you willing to give me another chance?” Inzaghi’s eyes were filled with pleading.

Fino was still in shock. He stammered for a long time before finally managing to say, "I don't know."

Inzaghi was not particularly disappointed; not being directly rejected was already a good result he hadn't expected.

He knelt down in front of Fino, took her hand, and looked up at her: "Fino, after that agreement was canceled, I completely lost interest in nightclubs and haven't started a new relationship since. The media can prove it. I already have someone I want to spend my life with, and I finally have the courage to say that I can be serious and devoted in a relationship. I don't dare to ask you to reciprocate my love now; I only ask for a chance to pursue you again. Please!"

Inzaghi's tone was sincere and humble. It's really hard to refuse an older person who bows down for love. Fino was flustered and didn't know what to do.

As Fino looked down into Inzaghi's sorrowful and affectionate eyes, he nodded almost unconsciously, and in return, he received Inzaghi's most radiant and charming smile.

Fino sighed resignedly. He didn't rekindle his feelings for Inzaghi because of his words, but he just couldn't bring himself to say no.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't expected Inzaghi to remain so, or perhaps it was because deep down he harbored a lingering affection for his first love that he himself hadn't even realized he possessed... But whatever the case, since he had agreed, he wouldn't go back on his word.

He patted Inzaghi's arm, signaling him to stop squatting in front of him.

Inzaghi kissed Fino's hand and then sat back down.

"Fino, shall I go to England to be with you? I can finally make up my mind to officially retire now!" Inzaghi asked Fino with a smile, his tone filled with undisguised joy.

Fino shook his head: "Pippo, this involves your future career planning, so you need to make a careful decision and not act impulsively."

“Nothing is more important than you now. I’m willing to go to the ends of the earth with you.” Inzaghi said gently. “Don’t feel pressured. Milan has agreed to give me a youth coaching contract. I was already torn between retiring and transferring for free, and now I’m just following my heart. I’m going to send a job application to Manchester United. It’s not difficult to get a youth coaching position. Anyway, it’s just a transition while I’m studying for my coaching license. It doesn’t matter which club I’m at. I hope to be closer to you.”

These are Inzaghi's honest thoughts. Nothing is more important to him now than Fino. He is grateful that Fino is willing to give him another chance, and this time, he will try to win Fino over with his sincerity.

...

Three years later, during the summer break, Fino and Inzaghi returned to Lake Como for a short stay.

In the afternoon, Fino, who had been up all night, lay down on a deck chair for a nap. Inzaghi covered him with a light blanket and gently kissed his forehead.

Inzaghi's gentle and persistent companionship finally won over Fino, and he spent seven years sculpting himself into the ideal partner Fino had always dreamed of.

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