#I need to watch Fit's christmas event stream because I THINK he hung out with them? I didnt catch it

[shikai-the-storyteller]

I like to imagine that, after Pepito goes to sleep, Tilin's spirit visits him in his dreams. She kisses him on the forehead and tells him happy birthday and reassures him that his parents love him, and when he asks how she could know that, Tilin just says: "Because we share a dad, and I know he loves me too."

#i talk #qsmp talk #man.... #I haven't been able to keep up with Pepito much since he always shows up in evening streams for my timezone #and it's hard for me to watch that #but lonely little children who just want to be loved make me cry like nothing else #I've got a massive spot for kids and lonely characters #Tilin was a very lonely kid but even SHE had Roier and Jaiden #I know Quackity didnt care as much for Tilin back then as he does retroactively now #there's a lot to say / analyze about that and love becoming a post-mortem thing #but I'm not in the mood to analyze that rn. I'm already depressed #I hope Pepito gets showered in love at every opportunity #I need to watch Fit's christmas event stream because I THINK he hung out with them? I didnt catch it

[ahockeywrites]

A Very Merry Christmas

As the snow began to fall in Vancouver, Elias looked over to see that you had already got out of bed before him. This never surprised him as you were always awake when he had morning skate and usually had him a coffee prepared. But this was Christmas morning, he thought you might have stayed in bed for a bit longer but the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen made him realise why you had ventured out of bed.

He slipped out of bed and found some tracksuit pants to put on and joined you in the kitchen. The sight of you in one of his shirts, cooking breakfast for the two of you was so domestic and he wished that he could spend every morning like this. His arms wrapped around your waist and he rested his chin on your shoulder. “Morning älskling,” he whispered in your ear, voice still full of sleep. You could never grow tired of his morning voice, it strengthened his accent which you loved.

“Morning baby,” you replied softly. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” he said as he turned you around and pulled you in for a brief kiss followed by a hug. “What’s all the food for,” Elias asked, pointing at the spread on the counter.

“I just thought, you’ve done so much for me this year, I wanted to do something for you,” you explained. He had been there through your job struggles and never left your side when you were feeling down. “Plus, we can’t open presents on an empty stomach.” Elias let out a hearty laugh, agreeing with you. He asked if he could do anything to help and you suggested setting the table

The movements the two of you made in the kitchen looked as though they could have been rehearsed. It came from knowing each other so well, no words needed to be spoken. Everyone on the Canucks knew that you and Elias could communicate with so much as a look or eyebrow raise. Nothing else was needed and you would know what the other wanted.

Breakfast was a simple affair, even if you had prepared something fancier than the usual toast or cereal. The two of you shared Christmas memories and the stories became funnier and funnier until you needed to stop the tears from rolling down your faces. You reminded Elias that you would be spending the afternoon at your parents house which was about an hour away from the flat you shared with him and he went to your room to decide what he should wear. “Elias, jeans and a smart shirt will be fine, just don’t show up like you’re trying to walk the catwalk like you did for my mom’s birthday,” you laughed. “Black jeans, that blue shirt you like, and a Santa hat. You’ll fit in perfectly.”

“What are you wearing?” he asked, as you had been trying to hide it from his prying eyes. You pulled out a dress from behind your back and his jaw dropped. It was a black, A-line dress with small candy canes printed on it. It was modest, as it went down past your knees and covered your arms entirely, but the bodice was tight fitting, you didn’t even need to put it on for him to notice that.

Suddenly, you were pulled into Elias’ arms, your back flush against his chest. “You’re not actually going to wear that are you?” he almost growled into your ear. This was the response you wanted to have after seeing your family, not before, but you couldn’t help yourself as you rolled your hips into his. “Älskling, if you keep doing that, we’ll be late to your parent’s place and we don’t want them to see the bruises I can leave on you.”

Letting out a small gasp, you stepped away from him. “Elias Pettersson, you would not,” you replied with pretend shock. This wouldn’t be the first time you had arrived late together, not looking perfectly put together, but it was always arriving at a team event, never a family event.

He pulled you back into his grasp, “you know that’s a lie, and if you don’t stop being a brat, I’m gonna fuck you right here,” he groaned. You pulled out of his arms and skipped away to have a shower, letting Elias know he could go in after you. If this is how today was going to go, he wanted to skip to the good bit.

You adjusted the temperature of the shower and allowed yourself to get lost under the stream of water. As it was Christmas, you had a small collection of Lush shower gels forming and you picked your favourite and applied it to a small wash cloth. You lathered up the gel and enjoyed the music you had put on to relax. This was the first Christmas that Elias was spending with your family and you really wanted it to go well, but it didn’t help that your dad had been sharing the news to all of your family members that you were dating the Canucks’ star forward. They were all shocked but very happy for the two of you, as everyone in your family was a fan of the Canucks. It did make every family gathering slightly awkward for the first half an hour or so before they remembered that Elias was a normal person like everyone else.

Elias knew he shouldn’t join you in the shower, because you would get too caught up in the shower doing things that your parents would not need to know about. Instead, he checked he had hidden the most important present for you behind the tree well enough so you wouldn’t find it first. “Elias!” he heard, “your turn.”

He quickly made his way to the bedroom to collect a pair of boxers and saw you waltzing out of the bathroom in a pair of red lingerie. “Please tell me that you’re not going to be wearing that under the dress to your parents,” he sighed.

“If I am, it is not your problem until we get home from my parents,” you remarked. Elias rolled his eyes, but you couldn’t help but notice the bulge forming in his pants. Shoving him towards the bathroom, you put on a small amount of makeup and the dress that fit you so well.

The living room of the flat which you and Elias lived in was adorned with Christmas decorations. Lights hung along the crown moulding, a bunch of mistletoe hanging above the entrance to the kitchen and a perfectly decorated tree in the corner of the lounge. The two of you wanted to get a real tree, but you knew that cleaning it up regularly would annoy both of you so settled on a large fake one and covered it in many decorations. Lights, tinsel, baubles, beads, if you could buy it, it graced the tree.

You allowed yourself to take in the freshly fallen snow as you made your second coffee of the morning. It wasn’t uncommon for you to have multiple coffees to keep your energy high, and today was no exception. You were pretty sure that you had woken up earlier than usual and would be going to bed later because you would want to catch up with your family.

Elias watched you from a distance, admiring the person he had fallen in love with. Loving someone was never easy. But with you, it was just right. The way you laughed when Brock fell over on the ice at family skate, it made him think about how you could be doing the same thing in five years, but with a baby in your arms. The way you looked at Quinn when he was having troubles with his girlfriend, it made him think about how you could be doing that to your children in the future. The way you took pride in everything you did, it made him see not just a person, like some others might. He saw someone who was perfectly crafted to be the missing puzzle piece in his life.

He wanted to use the word soulmates, that’s what Brock called the two of you, but to him that was to cliche. The only thing that worked, in his mind, was that you were his true love. He never wanted to go another day without calling you his, officially. Yes, the two of you were official in the sense of being with each other exclusively, all your friends and family knew about you being together, even the fans thought he had found a special someone. But that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to be able to post photos of you together on Instagram, he wanted to buy a nice house for the two of you to start a family together, he wanted you to share his last name.

He smiled as he thought about the final present he was going to give you. Asking your parents for their blessing was awkward, but he tried his best to explain his reasons why he wanted to ask you to marry him. It wasn’t that your parents didn’t like Elias, they just saw him as the hockey player and found it difficult to separate the stereotypes that they had attached to them. But they understood he had good intentions and wanted the best for the two of you. He left your parents house, filled with coffee, cake and the knowledge that they were excited to hear if their child was getting married.

As you were fluffing the cushions on the couch to make it more comfortable, you looked around at the place you called home. Cosy, that was the word you always used to describe it to anyone who asked. Yes, the view over the city was beautiful. Yes, the apartment came with amazing facilities. But, so did all the other apartments in this block. What made yours stand out was how you made it feel like a home, the photos from your’s and Elias’ childhood that adorned the mantlepiece, the candles which sat on the coffee table. It was all you could have asked for and with the man you loved, you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I’m gonna make tea,” Elias called from the kitchen. You hadn’t even realised that he had finished in the shower, your daydream must have overtaken all of your senses. “Want a cup?”

“I’m good, E,” you replied, “still got my coffee.” He poked his head around the doorframe and shot you a nod of understanding. Elias saw you covered in blankets keeping warm and smiled to himself. It was how the two of you worked, it was perfect.

Elias wandered into the living room with his tea and sat down next to you. “Present time?” you asked, eyes wide. Your boyfriend nodded and reached to get some of the ones he had bought for you. “If any of these are Pettersson jerseys, I will be giving them to family members later,” you laughed. He reassured you that none of them were and allowed you to open the gifts he had selected.

The first one made you cry with laughter, it was a photo from Halloween where you and Elias had dressed up as each other and he was in a tight dress, heels and you had done his makeup as you would on a night out. It was a photo that would be living in a prominent place in the apartment whether he liked it or not. The second one made you smile, it was the start of a scrapbook of all the memories you and Elias had together, it was beautiful to see how much effort he had put into it and the empty pages were just waiting to be filled. The third made you gasp, it was a beautiful silver, hockey skate pendant with the number 40 engraved on the back.

“Elias, it’s beautiful,” you exclaimed.

“Only the best for you, my love,” he replied lovingly. “I have one more gift for you,” he started as he reached towards the back of the tree for a small, velvet box. As soon as you saw it, you let out a small gasp. It couldn’t be, you thought. “Now, I really hoped that I would get to open mine first, because then this would be the last one. But, I couldn’t help myself.”

Elias shifted his weight so he was resting on one knee, “I could probably say one million things here, but none of them come to mind,” he laughed. “I want to spend the rest of my life by your side, I want you to be the one I come home to after every road trip, I want you to be the mother of my children. So, Y/N, will you make me the happiest man this Christmas, will you marry me?”

It was difficult for you to form words, but you frantically nodded and pulled him into a hug. “Of course I will Elias,” you whispered into his ear. You hadn’t even noticed the ring that he had selected to begin with, as you were just looking into his eyes, but when you looked at it, you saw the most delicately cut diamond on a simple rose gold band. It was elegant and classy, exactly like Elias. He slid the ring onto your finger and placed a series of kisses on your knuckles. “I don’t know how my presents will live up to this, but I guess I can try,” you giggled, high on the joy that being freshly engaged gave.

“I am sure, whatever you have got me, I will love, just as much as I love you,” he explained. The way he looked at you with all the love in his eyes made you believe what he said. The two of you sat back down by the tree and you passed him the ones you had wrapped for him.

You smiled at him as he unwrapped the first one, it was a collection of Swedish inspired coffees because you knew how much he missed the coffee from his home country and anything you could do to make him feel more comfortable in Canada, you would do. The second one was a set of plans for a get away out of Vancouver during a long break they had. As much as you enjoyed living in the city, you both enjoyed getting out into nature and spending some time away from the bustling city with each other. The third, the third was something you knew he had always wanted but he never bought. It was a silver Rolex watch with his initials engraved in the back. “Y/N, you didn’t,” he gave you a shocked look.

“Try it on,” you began, “I got one that will go with the majority of your suits.” You sent him a soft smile, hoping it was the right size. The light reflected off the silver that now adorned his wrist and he lifted that hand to rest on your left hand. The new pieces of jewellery fit so perfectly and you leaned in to press a kiss on Elias’ lips.

“We need to think about heading to your parents,” Elias said, kissing your forehead gently. “As you said earlier, don’t want to be late to our first family event as an engaged couple.” You let out a big laugh and quickly ran around the house collecting the gifts for different members of the family. You also picked up the dessert you had prepared the day before and made sure there were enough Santa hats for you, Elias and anyone who forgot one.

The drive to your parents place was peaceful and you made sure that the Christmas tunes were blasting. When you arrived outside the house, you noticed that you weren’t the first to arrive. “Baby, how are we gonna tell everyone?” you asked, not wanting to have differing ideas on this.

“How about we just wait until someone notices?” he suggested. “That way, we don’t have to tell anyone who doesn’t say something to us first.” You nodded in agreement and went to knock on the front door of your childhood home. It was always strange returning home and not using your own key to open the door, but still, you stood in the cold Vancouver air waiting for one of your parents to answer.

“Y/N! Elias! You’ve made it! Come in out of the cold,” your mother ushered you two in. “Coats in the usual place, and I’ll take that from you,” she spoke as she took the apple pie you had made from your hands. “Everyone is in the living room, so just head through.”

You walked through to the living room and started greeting family members but you didn’t realise that Elias had been pulled into the kitchen to talk with your parents. They started with small talk based on the season and how the apartment was, but the three of them knew what the real reason why he was pulled aside was. “So, did you ask her?” your mum asked excitedly.

All Elias responded with was, “check her left hand, and see for yourself.” He let out a cheeky smile after saying this and your parents were glad you had picked a man with a sense of humour and would be ready to welcome him, officially, to the family when you were ready.

#ahockeywrites #elias pettersson #canucks40 #nhl imagine #hockey imagine

[niallsstainedcoffeecup]

Soulmate

Oliver meets his soulmate in class, and calls Harry to ask about the first time he met Y/N.  Hope you all enjoy.  Feedback and Requests are welcomed.  Lots of Love!            Oliver’s blue backpack bounced with each step.  The loose bricks shifted under his worn brown boots.  He shot a dimpled grin toward a student holding open the heavy metal door.  He climbed the steep stairs until he noticed a sign with his room number.  He entered the crowded classroom, choosing a seat near the front.  He sighed, dragging a hand through his messy curls.   “Hello class, I am Dr. Bunch,” The middle-aged man shouted, slamming the classroom door. Oliver rolled his eyes, digging through his backpack.  His green notebook slid across the sticky desk, hitting the girl’s hand beside him. “I’m sorry,” Oliver mumbled, grabbing the notebook. “It’s okay,” The sweet voice whispered. Dr. Bunch tossed the syllabi onto the table near the door while he began listing important historical events. Oliver gasped, scribbling down whatever spewed from Dr. Bunch’s mouth.  His mother warned him about professors that spouted facts without writing them down, but Oliver didn’t expect his hand to cramp from the excessive note-taking. After class, Oliver stuffed his notebook and pen into his backpack.  The girl beside him cleared her throat, directing Oliver’s attention toward the beautiful girl.  Her wide eyes sparkled under the sunlight streaming into the classroom.   “Hi, are you a freshman?” She asked, sliding her laptop into her bag. Oliver nodded, rubbing under his nose, “Yeah, can you tell?” The girl giggled, nodding her head, “You looked terrified.  You should try recording the lectures.  It’ll save your hand.  I’m Kassie.” Oliver smiled, shaking Kassie’s warm hands that fit perfectly in his, “I’m Oliver.  What are you?” “I’m a sophomore,” Kassie grinned, slinging her bag onto her shoulder. Oliver nodded, “Well, I’ll see you on Wednesday.” Oliver followed the crowd piling out of the classroom.  He jogged across campus with Kassie in mind.   *  *  *  *  *  *              Oliver slid the keys from his ignition, searching around the dark dorm complex.  Kassie invited Oliver over for a study session for the upcoming history exam.  Oliver slung his backpack over his shoulder, checking Kassie’s message.  He stumbled upon the white door with rusty, gold letters, knocking his knuckles against the cracked wood.  A tall redhead opened the door smiling widely at Oliver. “Hey, you must be Oliver.  Kassie’s right, you’re hot,” The girl smirked, listening to Kassie squawk behind her. Kassie pushed her roommate aside, hiding her flushed cheeks, “Shut up, Angela.  I never called you hot.  Not that you aren’t hot, but I would never…” Oliver chuckled, holding up a hand, “It’s okay. It’s nice to meet Angela.” Oliver entered the dorm, glancing around the decorated room.  Angela grabbed the purple bowl filled with popcorn, shuffling to her room.  Kassie smiled nervously, adjusting the neon-colored pillows decorating the white couch. “We can study in here or on the balcony. Angela and her boyfriend are watching a movie, but they haven’t seen each other in months, so I don’t think they’ll be watching it for long,” Kassie mumbled, picking at the chipped nail polish on her fingernails. Oliver blushed, glancing at the door Angela disappeared behind, “I think we should study on the balcony.” Kassie nodded, sliding the door open for Oliver.  Oliver plopped down onto a cold, metal chair.  The Christmas lights flickered along the balcony railing.  Kassie sat in front of Oliver, flipping through her notes. *  *  *  *  *  *  *            “The stars are beautiful,” Kassie mumbled, admiring the night sky. Oliver nodded, shutting his notebook. They studied for thirty minutes until Kassie switched the topic away from Napoleon’s rule. “You look beautiful,” Oliver whispered. Kassie smiled, staring anywhere but Oliver’s eyes, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.  I like talking with you.” “Me too.  You aren’t like other college boys.  I can’t count the number of times when a guy flirted with me and left me the next morning,” Kassie mumbled, gnawing on her bottom lip. Oliver frowned, “That sucks.  I would never imagine doing that to you.  Would you like to maybe grab dinner with me next week after the test?” Kassie grinned, “Sure, can we grab something greasy?” Oliver chuckled, “Yes, I need something greasy. The diner’s food tastes like something my dad tries to feed my family.” “Is your dad a healthy guy?” Kassie asked, bringing her knees up to her chest. Oliver nodded, “He one time ordered a side salad to go along with his main salad.” Kassie cackled, slapping a hand on her knee, “That’s crazy.  I love greasy food, and it’s a tradition of mine to reward myself with grease after a hard test.” Oliver smiled, “I like that tradition.” Oliver and Kassie continued talking until Harry messaged Oliver about calling him.  Oliver huffed, stuffing his books into his backpack.  He understood he had to leave, but he didn’t want to stop talking with Kassie.  Oliver leaned against the door, smiling down at Kassie. “Well, I’ll see you on Monday.” Kassie nodded, grinning into Oliver’s eyes, “I’ll see you.  Thank you for tonight.” Oliver nodded, leaning down, pecking Kassie’s blushing cheeks, “Bye.” Kassie smiled, waving goodbye while Oliver walked off toward his car. “You two are soulmates,” Angela joked once Kassie shut the door. Kassie rolled her eyes, swatting at Angela’s arm.  Kassie couldn’t wait for her date with Oliver. *  *  *  *  *  *  *              Harry scribbled lyrics onto his leather notebook.  His pink phone buzzed along the messy desk.  He huffed, wondering who might call him at this time of night.  His heart sunk when Oliver’s name crossed the screen.  Was he in trouble? “Hello?” “Hey dad, how are you?” “I’m well.  Are you okay?” Harry asked, shutting his notebook. “Yeah, I need your help.  Do you remember when you told me about meeting mom?  You said you had this feeling that you knew she was the one.  Well, I think I met my true love.” Harry chuckled, leaning back in his office chair, “What’s her name?” “Kassie,” Oliver sighed. “Are you sure it’s love?  Do you remember saying the same thing when you dated Charlotte?” Harry asked. “I’m positive.  Did grandma Anne believe you when you said you loved mom?” Harry grinned, recalling the moment when he told his mother about Y/N.  Anne worried about her son, but she also never saw Harry react the way he did when he met Y/N.  Anne believed Harry but warned him about rushing into things because Harry nearly proposed to Y/N after their second date. “Yeah, she believed me, but she warned me about rushing into things.  I remember wanting to marry your mom after our second date.  She was amazing and still is,” Harry mumbled, glancing down at his wedding ring. Oliver gagged, “Okay dad, I didn’t call to hear you gush about mom.  I won’t rush into anything.  You’ll love this girl.  I think I might marry her one day.” Harry chuckled, “I hope so.  Call your mother.  She misses you.  Amelia’s driving her nuts.” Oliver smiled, “I miss them.  Thank you, dad.  I love you.” “I love you too,” Harry hung up, sliding away from his desk.   *  * *  *  *  *  *  *              Harry tiptoed down the dark hallway, entering his cold bedroom. Y/N glanced up from her book, grinning at her husband. “Hey, are you done writing?” Y/N asked, watching Harry toss his shirt across the room. Harry nodded, sliding into the bed, “How are you?” Y/N shrugged, dropping her book onto her nightstand.  She cuddled against Harry’s warm chest, pressing her lips against his hot skin. “I missed you.” Harry chuckled, kissing Y/N’s forehead, “I missed you too.  I talked with Oli.” Y/N gasped, sitting up, “How is he?  Is he in trouble?” Harry shook his head, pecking Y/N’s lips, “No, he’s in love.” “Who is he in love with?” “Kassie, he thinks she’s the one.  Do you remember when we first met?” Harry asked, nuzzling his cold nose against Y/N’s warm neck.   Y/N smiled, “Yeah, I remember panicking because Glenne invited me over for dinner, and I didn’t expect to see you. I nearly passed out, until I found out what a huge dork you are.” Harry gasped, pinching Y/N’s hip, “I’m not a dork.  I knew you were the one for me when I watched you chug those shots that night.” Y/N rolled her eyes, elbowing Harry’s side, “My boyfriend dumped me the week before, I needed alcohol.” “I’m glad he did dump you.  We wouldn’t have gotten married or had two amazing kids if he didn’t dump you,” Harry mumbled, pressing his lips to Y/N’s forehead. Y/N smiled, capturing Harry’s lips with hers, “I love you.” “I love you too,” Harry mumbled, laying Y/N down on her pillow while kissing her lips. Harry thanked everyone and everything that led him to Y/N.  He hoped Oliver found someone who supported him like how Y/N supported Harry.  

#mine #writing #story #fanfic #fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #one direction #one direction imagines #one direction imagine #1d #1d imagines #1d imagine

[3one3]

The Sequel - 807

A House Is Not A Home

André Schürrle, Juan Mata, other Chelsea/BVB players, and random awesome OC’s (okay they’re less random now but they’re still pretty awesome)

original epic tale

all chapters of The Sequel

Juan went home on Saturday night after the services so that he could still go to final training on Sunday, so Christina went home too- to Dortmund. André’s match was Sunday, so he was with the team. Espen and Lukas picked her up at the airport and brought her to the new house. Just like when she walked into the house in London for the first time when it had furniture and decorations, it was an overwhelming and slightly surreal experience to see all that had been done since she left. She and Zoe had discussed general plans for where to put things, but that isn’t the same as trying it out and seeing how it feels. Christina really disliked that her last three moves were into environments that she had no hand in setting up. It was like stepping into a place and thus a role that was provided for her instead of her being able to ascribe her own. Nearly everything significant in the house was something she picked out, so she knew she was exaggerating when she complained about that to herself, but still- it was a symptom of a larger problem that kept gathering evidence for itself and making itself clearer.

The living room, for example, was laid out “okay” but not ideally. The familiar C-shaped sofa was installed on a slight angle to the front wall of the house, which hosted the TV, so as to remain welcoming to those coming through the front door into the open foyer. Christina preferred the couch to be parallel to the TV, especially because the new arrangement meant the part of it she most frequently occupied was now further away from the screen and angled to the left of it. The medium-pile burgundy rug that used to live under the sectional was replaced with a luxurious and very high-pile deep blue-ish-gray one that would trap and collect food crumbs and small toys and was way too glamorous to be stain-proof or even stain-resistant. The tall, long, narrow decorative table that used to live behind the couch with some books, flowers, and coasters was under a mirror in the foyer, which meant the coffee table became the only place to put drinks for the people sitting in the living room. One couldn’t sit in André’s corner of the couch and reach a beverage on the coffee table, even if blessed with his wingspan. The long cabinet unit underneath and floating shelves around the TV had too much stuff on them- too many picture frames, candles, and pointless decorative objects. The rider didn’t like to have too many distracting things around the TV. The Lichtenstein print and faux Lichtenstein Wonder Woman print hung together on each side of the back corner of the room were wrong too. They belonged in the bedroom. And it was just weird for the living room to feel so small. The 10’ ceiling was a lot closer than the two-storey one in her London home, and that space was the full width of the house. Her new main hangout area was half the size.

Beside the unfortunate comparisons and fixable decorator errors, there was the inconvenience of arriving home after a long day and finding all of her personal belongings in a mountain range of boxes on and around the sofas in her bedroom, and the majority of the contents of her kitchen scattered on the counters and island. André put away his own things. Espen put away Lukas’ clothes, cuddly toys, and bedtime stories in his new room and found places for all of the rest of his stuff in the playroom. She also installed some necessary things in the kitchen, like the blender and toaster over, and unpacked some of the food items she needed to make the baby’s regular meals. The espresso machine was operational. There was milk, juice, soda, and some fresh foods in the refrigerator.

Christina did bedtime with Lukas in the new nursery, which looked a lot like the old one except the walls were just gray instead of white and gray striped, and there were two faux “windows” painted on the interior ones with safari scenes. Whenever the little boy’s crib was replaced with a toddler bed, he could look above his dresser and feel as if a family of elephants were having a drink from a stream right outside his room, or look next to his closet door and think a bunch of giraffes and zebras were feasting on tree leaves and tall grasses in there. That was a nice touch on Zoe’s part that her friend really appreciated. Rather than go try to make a dent in the unpacking process in her own closet, which she couldn’t even get excited about, the rider put on her coat and trekked over to the barn to see how the horses were getting on in their new digs.

Calvin, Nick, and Rio were in the three stalls next to Socks and Dirk. That block of 5 on the south side was an exact recreation of where they lived at home. The order was the same. Everyone had the same neighbors. They just didn’t have Christina and her office across the aisle anymore. They couldn’t see her sitting at her desk, and she wouldn’t be able to see them. The 5 warmbloods all seemed surprised to have a visitor at 9 at night, but not unwelcoming. Three of them nickered to their human partner, and all 5 leaned over their doors. So did Jules across the way, and Jelly Bean and Dezzy down the far end. Christina suspected they knew it couldn’t possibly be time for breakfast yet, but they were going to check anyway. Each horse got forehead rubs, neck pats, and nose kisses while she checked to make sure they all had hay, water, and manure in their stalls. Then she went in search of treats for everyone. Isandro kept boxes of sugar cubes in the brush boxes on the walls in his grooming stalls. Tom wanted small cabinets in his grooming area instead of the small boxes. Christina checked there first. They were full of his preferred grooming tools and supplies, but no treats. The tack room was locked, and so was her office. That was a surprise, and it annoyed her. Never mind the inconvenience of being locked out of her own stuff- there were drugs and medicines in one room or the other that could be important in an emergency situation.

She took her phone out to fire off an angry text to her stable manager and to Kyle too, since he came over from London that day, but stopped herself before she could take out her frustration at many things on people who were only responsible for a small part of it. It was logical to assume that the reason she didn’t have a key to those rooms was that she simply wasn’t there to get it. That wasn’t their fault, and as far as they knew she wasn’t supposed to be at the barn until Sunday morning. So the horses got no treats. Christina felt bad about visiting and not feeding them anything, and they had plenty of hay so she couldn’t even throw them each an extra flake in lieu of something sweet or crunchy. Also, she didn’t know where Tom was keeping the “handy hay”, or the bale or two on hand for feeding between regular mealtimes, like if a horse was brought in from his field because he had a farrier appointment and needed something to snack on while he waited for the guy to arrive. Dirk and Rio watched her intently as she wandered around, and the others mostly went back to their hay or their snoozing. Everyone was in their toasty black stable blankets, except for Dezzy and Jellybean who each had a turnout sheet on on top of an extra large wool cooler. Julian was in a navy medium-weight turnout that was older than him, borrowed from Christina’s stock of old stuff because Stefanie only had blankets for her two. Christina thought of gifting her a full set of sheets and blankets in the stable colors for Christmas, or just as reward for her extra help with exercising the horses and supporting Tom and/or Kyle at events, and the reason she didn’t kind of fit with what she decided to talk to Dirk about that night.

“I had to assure Stef on Tuesday night that we’re really doing this,” she told the nosy stallion. “She called me and said she saw a picture on my phone the other day where I was naked with Juan. I got out of the shower and dried off and everything and I was gonna go get dressed but I checked my phone first because I was mid-conversation with Espen when I got in the shower and it was about Lukas and it was important, and sure enough there were messages. So I’m standing there in the bathroom texting with her about food- I’m bad at multitasking- you know this,” the big star smiled at the animal she credited with her star status. “And Juanin comes in to pee. He stopped to hug me first though, and he kissed my shoulder and my neck, and I’m watching this in the mirror and it was really sweet. I’ve told you how Schü says it’s okay. We’ve talked about that, you and I. I had the phone in my hand and everything anyway so I took a picture in the mirror. I don’t even know why I kept it, ‘cause Schü would be upset if he saw it on my phone too. Anyway, she saw that, and she overheard me say some things that I didn’t think were a big deal to Juan when he came to Sweden, and I guess there was some other “evidence” she could have put together. She was like, “I don’t want to accuse you of cheating on André, but can you just tell me that I shouldn’t worry we’re all moving to Germany tomorrow and in a few weeks or a few months you two will split up and you and the horse aspects of your life will move back to the UK?” Now, obviously I told her she doesn’t have to worry. And I think I believed that when I said it. But now...I’m not so sure, man.”

When is he going to defy science and just fucking answer me, Christina sighed to herself while Dirk checked her coat pockets for the third time. He really couldn’t believe she came to see him without any treat offering. His counsel was not free. He expected payment. His mom expected help. She needed someone to tell her it was normal to think she made a huge mistake in moving her whole life to Germany while her heart was maybe trying to tell her it wanted to be with someone other than the guy who drew her there and that she needn’t concern herself with those feelings because they’d go away and didn’t mean anything, or to tell her to listen to that heart and get out of that relationship and move everything back to London because it was the best thing for her, or that those feelings were serious but dictated that she should talk to André about them and try to change things so that those feelings went away on their own, or any other useful or consoling advice.

Never in the long saga of the André-Christina-Juan love triangle did she feel more strongly about or more compelled to make a change. Even when she and her husband were separated and she wanted a divorce, it was more a necessity than an emotional compulsion. He wouldn’t speak to her and she needed to move on. It wasn’t because she desperately wanted a future with Juan. Even on all those other occasions when she was unsure about which footballer was the right one for her, it wasn’t the same. There was always something that happened, or some question asked of her that made her wonder and consider. In the present, it was no one thing. It was no handful of things. There was no manipulative Juan question that got her thinking from an angle that helped his agenda. There was only what the rider believed an organic feeling inside that she wanted to be with the Spaniard because of how much she enjoyed their time together and how fulfilling their relationship was. For once it wasn’t about leaving André. It wasn’t just trying to get away from his mistakes and less desirable qualities. It was wanting to be with Juan’s qualities. And Christina knew that was what Juan always wanted, and what he was waiting for. He said when they broke up that some day she would love his former teammate differently, and would want to be with him for him instead of with him as a person with whom to escape problems.

The main thing stopping her from already acting on that feeling, besides the logistical nightmare of undoing all the changes just made, and the very real impact a separation would have on her son, was the little voice in her head that kept reminding her of André’s belief that things would be fine when they were together. If he was right, then their disconnect was a consequence of too much time apart, and her old feelings for him would be restored soon through close exposure and routine, overpowering any feelings she had for her best friend. That voice kept telling her she had to at least give him the benefit of the doubt and the chance to prove that he was right. She couldn’t just say “I’m unhappy with you and I’m very happy with him so I’m leaving before giving this a chance.” It wasn’t fair, she still believed, to judge their relationship, and make decisions based on that judgement, during such a difficult period of change and when she and her partner were only able to see each other for maybe 6 weeks worth of days in 7 months.

It was warmer in the barn than she expected, and she put that down to its newness relative to her old carriage stable. Everything but the roof was stone colored brick- significantly better insulation than 100+ year-old wood. Stefanie’s trio of horses were really okay in their relatively light layers. They had heavy rugs for going outside. They didn’t need a new wardrobe to match their stablemates, because Stefanie wouldn’t be training with Christina forever. She’d been around and a while and would be round a while longer, but her presence wasn’t permanent, which is why Christina decided against the gift. There wasn’t much point in pretending Stefanie’s horses all needed to fit in. The pro-André factions in her coach’s head wanted Christina to act as if André would always be there, with her forever. They wanted her to assume it was true, and behave accordingly- do everything necessary to make it work.

“I gotta go talk to your Pops,” she sighed to Dirk. “He’s waiting for me to call. I have that ever-present “I wanna talk to him about real stuff but I know I shouldn’t because he’s playing tomorrow” thing. We’re constantly telling each other not to do that. I wouldn’t even know what to say about the real stuff though. Stop trying to eat my zipper pull, dude.” The horse found the therapy sessions boring. If she didn’t have any food and wasn’t going to be more aggressive about the scratches, he would have to entertain himself. That meant grabbing anything he could lift with his big rubbery lips. “Do you want to do something tomorrow or would you rather have the day off? How are the rings? Everybody has ridden here but me. I have to go to the game but I could ride in the morning. Should I ride, or should I play with Lukas?”

Her Holsteiner declined to respond, but Christina visited the shiny new whiteboard next to one of those brush cabinets and wrote a list of four horses at half-hour intervals beginning at 10:30 Sunday morning, leaving her enough time to “do the morning” with Lukas, work out, ride, shower and change, and get to Signal Iduna Park for kickoff. Calvin was the odd man out because he would definitely be terrified by everything about his new home and require more time to get acquainted with the surroundings. They all got a “goodnight” on her way out.

#football fanfiction