AN: Yooooo, thanks for waiting gang. I've finished my tests and I passed all of them with flying colours, so your boy is back and better than ever. I would have posted sooner but i ended up getting sick so I took a short rest to get better. Also, the team Dick goes to next season is ROMA. I read through your votes, and Roma did have the most votes. Plus it also helps because he'll get to know Alison sooner since he was the goalie for Roma in that season before he left for Liverpool.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this nice little filler episode lol, next one will most likely be the one where they win the championship, so look forward to that. BYE
General pov
*ROOOOAAAARRRRR*
The stadium had gone mental; the away part of the stadium, filled with Brighton fans, was screaming, singing, dancing, and just overall going crazy. The Brighton team had all run into a giant pile of humans, and were just hugging, some were crying, and others just let it all out. Dick had escaped the pile and was looking around, just taking in the magnitude of what he had just done, when he heard the fans start singing a new song
"Oh Dickie Grayson,
We love you so,
Our Italian boy,
You'll never go!
When you score a goal,
The Amex sings,
You make us fly,
On Brighton wings!"
To hear thousands of people all singing their adoration for you was enough to make a grown man cry, so imagine being a hormone-fueled 16-year-old. A tear came to his eyes, and Dick quickly wiped it off before clapping towards the fans, which only made their singing more passionate.
They swapped to their other chants, but Dick had stopped listening, as he felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned and saw Bruno, the captain of Brighton, smiling at him and saying
.
"That's why we play, mate, to get these moments. It makes all the hard work, all the effort, and all the time we put into this game worth it"
Dick just nodded before staring into the adoring public, as well as the sea of red that was slowly leaving the stadium, all downcast. Dick just stood in the middle, clapping to the fans when he felt another arm tap him on the shoulder. He looked back and even had to look up to see Zlatan standing there.
The man didn't look too happy about the loss, but he carried it with him like a seasoned vet. After all, the man did play quite well in this game; he was just slightly outperformed by the miraculous performance of Dick Grayson.
"You played well; that last goal was particularly impressive. Did you do any martial arts when you were younger, like me?"
Dick froze for a second before shaking his head and snapping out of his daze and saying
.
"Uhh, no, actually, I did gymnastics and dance for most of my childhood."
Zlatan nodded before saying
.
"I would continue to do gymnastics as training, maybe even add in some martial arts, since you're still young. It will help with these aerial challenges and flexibility as well. I think you will become someone big when you are older, so don't get sloppy now. And don't let this win get into your head, otherwise it will be your last big win"
Dick nodded, taking the advice to heart before he asked.
"Uuhhm, would it be possible to swap shirts?"
Zlatan just smiled and nodded before he took off his grass-stained Manchester top, while Dick did the same with his Brighton jersey. Then, as they were swapping shirts, a cameraman came up to them and took a photo of them. The two then split apart as the teams, with Dick grabbing his match ball from the referees and heading towards the locker room while the stadium was being set up and everything.
After a short time, like 10 minutes, everything was ready. The Manchester players received their medals first, before Brighton stepped up, which was also when it was announced that Dick won the Alan Hardaker trophy (which is a trophy given to the best player in the final), with him being the first Italian player to do so and the youngest player to do so since the trophy first started in 1989-90 season. The Brighton fans, and players of course, went crazy with the players all smacking Dick on the back and ruffling his hair. The players were then given the medals, before they all lined up on the stage. Bruno walked in front of the trophy, with the entire stadium going.
*OOOOOOOHHHHHH*
The Brighton players all started shaking their hands around Bruno, as well as joining in on the chant, before Sidwell launched the trophy into the air, making all the Brighton fans left in the stadium go crazy. This had been their first trophy in 5 years, so it had been a long time coming. And yet none of the Brighton fans had ever thought that the key to their success would be a 16-year-old prodigy who is leading them to trophies galore.
The teenager himself was just happy; he had gone through his first season at Brighton, and probably his last if Mendes was making headway at Roma, like Dick hoped, so he was ecstatic that he was leaving a history here. I mean, he broke the record for the most goals scored in one EFL cup competition, with him scoring 14 goals. He got Brighton the first EFL cup they had ever won, and he was leading them to an early victory in the Championship.
They finished the ceremony quite quickly, shaking hands with the Man U players before celebrating a bit on the field with the Brighton fans, all cheering and chanting from the stands. Dick was handed the trophy by a teammate, so he stood there carrying the EFL cup in one hand and the Alan Hardaker trophy in the other, which the cameramen were snapping up like crazy, the photo with the confetti in the background, for sure being the cover page for a lot of papers tomorrow.
After a couple of minutes on the field, they celebrated with the fans for a bit before they had to go to the locker rooms to have their own private celebration. In the locker room, Dick had been the designated aux user, so he was blasting music on his speaker. The Brighton lads were fucking around, drinking beers, doing the champagne showers on all the players. Dick was filming some of the funnier stuff and took some selfies with his teammates to post later on his Instagram.
The players all were celebrating their hearts out, jumping around, singing along to the songs that Dick was blasting through the speaker. After 20 minutes of celebrating and slowly getting ready, they all left for the team bus, ready to head home towards Brighton, which was also when Dick saw a message from Mendes saying that he had reached a great deal with Roma, and that he would be back by tomorrow for them to go over it together and see if Dick wanted to sign it.
That one message did knock Dick into a bit of a stupor; he was leaving…it was pretty much guaranteed. It was a melancholic feeling; he knew he was leaving to go to a better team, and one where he would be able to grow a lot more, but Brighton did make him. They took a risk on him, and he had been playing his ass off to repay them for that. But still, he had formed a lot of close relationships on the team.
He was staring at his phone when Sidwell shoved him on his shoulder and said
"Oy, wake up, mate. The entire football world is talking about you"
Dick looked a bit confused before Sidwell handed him his phone, and it lit up with the Sky Sports pundits segment.
—-----------------
Same night, Sky Sports studio
The screen first went through slowed-down videos of his 3 goals and 1 assist, with some music in the background, before it cut to Brighton holding the trophy up in the air with blue and white confetti blowing from behind the stage they were on.
It then cut to the 4 pundits who all looked a bit stunned, with Gary Neville looking a bit angry at the Manchester loss. David Jones looked around the table, and after a moment of pause, he said
"This is football… it never fails to surprise us. Under the lights of Wembley, a sixteen-year-old has just produced one of the greatest individual performances in cup final history. Brighton & Hove Albion 4, Manchester United 3. Richard Grayson, three goals, one assist… and a story that will be told for generations."
Jamie Carragher then cut in and said
"That's the stuff you see once in a lifetime. Sixteen years old, against one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world, against Zlatan, Pogba, Mourinho — and he didn't just survive, he ran the show. The confidence, the movement, the maturity… he played like he's been doing this for ten years. I mean that chip over De Gea, that's not something you just try as a 16-year-old, that's something you dream about doing. Yet, Grayson had the guts to do it, and in a final as well"
Gary Neville then said
"It's one of those nights that make you stop and think, 'we're watching the start of something special'. I've played in cup finals, the pressure, the noise, the expectation, and to perform like that, at that age, is ridiculous. His decision-making tonight was spot-on. He knew when to drop deep, when to break, when to take men on. He wasn't playing on instinct alone; there was intelligence behind everything."
Thierry then said
"When I was sixteen, I was still learning how to think like a forward. This boy… he already knows, sure, he still needs to learn some things, but that performance… I'd say it outclasses any current youngster. The way he sees space, the way he drifts between the lines, that's pure instinct. That last goal… You don't even teach that. That's art"
Then Graeme Sousness closed it off by saying
.
"They'll call it a miracle, they'll call it the Grayson Final. Years from now, they'll show clips of this lad tearing apart a team full of world-class players. Brighton might never see another night like it, but my word, if there is one thing I can promise you, it's that the world will remember the name Richard Grayson."
—-------------------------
Back to the bus, the pundits continued for a bit, discussing where Manchester went wrong, what could have been better and just overall going over the game, but Dick had returned the phone to Sidwell, who said to him
.
"Wow, they might as well have written a love letter for you!"
Which caused some players around them to laugh, while dick just shook his head and said
"Hey man, jealousy is a disease"
The comeback caused Sidwell and the others to laugh, as they continued their banter for a bit before relaxing. The Brighton players continued their trip home, continuing some of their celebrations, with some players just chilling.
Once they reached Brighton, the atmosphere just felt charged; almost every single house had the Brighton scarves or flags, some even had homemade posters congratulating the seagulls for their victory. Dick looked around, basically reeking of joy; he had a wide grin on his face as he waved to some fans who came to greet them at the stadium.
They then went inside and finished some of the post-match stuff they had to do before each player went home, ready to do the small break that they had coming up.
Once Dick reached home, he was attacked by the small furball that was Riley. She was basically jumping him, trying to get as close to him as she could, which Dick always liked. She was teething a lot, so she was a bit like a land shark sometimes, always chewing on something, or someone, which Dick was almost never the victim of, as he was her favourite person. His dad, on the other hand…well, let's just say he had been on the receiving end of some of Riley's love bites.
Dick had dropped on his ass and was just cuddling with his dog when his dad entered the foyer with a huge grin on his face. He was obviously a bit tired; he had just gotten off work, so he was still in his dirty work clothes, yet he still waited for his son by the door with a smile on his face.
He picked Dick up and gave him a tight hug before pulling back, putting both his hands on Dicks shoulders and saying
.
"I am so goddamn proud of you Dickie. You are the greatest thing in my life, and I am so proud that I can call you my son. You did so well"
He then pulled him into a hug again, dick felt the stinging in his eyes, and he would have cried if Riley's bark hadn't interrupted the moment, with her then jumping into the two, trying to be a part of the hug. The father and son duo laughed before Dick picked up Riley, who immediately started licking his face, and the two then shared a hug with her as well.
Dick then went into his room and put his new trophy on his shelf, which was filled with medals and smaller trophies from his youth club days. He then took a shower and went into the kitchen, where his dad had made some pasta for them. They continued eating for a bit before Dick asked an important question
.
"Dad, what's the plan if I sign with Roma…Mendes said that they made a great offer, so it's very likely that I'll sign with them. Would you come with me to Italy?"
His dad stopped eating and then just said
"I don't know"
Before he continued to eat, while Dick just tilted his head with a confused look on his face, he then said
"What do you mean ', you don't know', you haven't thought about it at all?"
"No, I have but…I just haven't made a decision yet. Look, Dick, this is a very difficult decision for me. So, I don't know what I should do at this moment, and we've still got a lot of time to think about it. So, let's table the discussion for now and pick it back up after we see the offer that Mendes brings, alright?"
Dick thought on it for a bit before nodding and saying.
"Yeah, you're right"
His dad just chuckled and said
"I always am"