sixteen drabbles, various pairings, arsenal/hertha berlin
A note about these drabbles: when the prompt was first announced, I thought about the same song that comes into my head whenever I hear about trains. So I decided to do a drabble for every line of the song. That's what these are. Unconnected to each other, but they're all from this same idea and presented in the order of the song, with chorus at the end.
Title: Some roads are always seen at night
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Character: Tomas Rosicky
Rating: PG
The night, when thoughts stretched out impossibly and Tomas tried his best to stay perfectly still, no jerks, no sudden movements. There were those footballers who hurt themselves in bed. Punch lines to bar stories. Tomas knew he wasn't meant to go out that spectacularly. He saw the road and train tracks of his career stretch beyond him at night. He would just be another lost potential. The things that could have happened, but didn't. It was common.
He was a Rosicky. That had meant one thing, once, but tonight it meant something Tomas wasn't sure he wanted to face.
Title: Ghost roads, nothing but neon signs
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Cesc Fabregas/Philippe Senderos
Rating: A light NC-17
Phil's skin was pale, ghostly, like a road spread out on the dark sheets. Cesc ran his fingers up his legs, meandering on the curves of his calves and the planes of his thighs. Each line leading upwards, and Philippe would say something about Rome if he knew what Cesc was thinking. All roads to Philippe. The thought made Cesc smile against Phil's flushed skin, the bright pink neon against the ivory. All roads did lead to Philippe. Cesc always came back to him, always had, and as he closed his lips around Phil's cock he thought, I always will.
Title: But some nights the neon gas gets free
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Fabian Lustenberger/Patrick Ebert (tags please)
Rating: PG
They melt off into the night like a gas, away from the gleaming arches of the Hauptbanhof, Fabian following Patrick as he always does. Patrick knows the city, although not as much as he likes to project he does, but Fabian is always impressed anyway. He'll always listen to his boasts, go wide-eyed and nervous into the neighborhoods that Patrick assures him tourists never see. Fabian likes to think that Patrick likes impressing him. It makes him feel warm when Patrick waits for him after the train, when he laughs at Fabian's accent and tugs him into some kebab shop.
Title: And turns into walking dead like me
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Theo Walcott/Gaël Clichy
Rating: PG
His first goals in the Premier League, and Theo can't even think about them. Not the glory he pictured. Instead of triumphant he's walking dead like the others, shellshocked and quiet. He climbs onto the bus, sitting with the ashen faces of his teammates.
They're over train tracks when Gaël turns to murmur in his ear, one hand comfortingly on his thigh. "I'm sorry no one wants to celebrate."
"It's okay." Theo manages a smile to match Gaël's. "It happens."
"Later?"
Theo threads his fingers with Gaël's and squeezes, putting his head on Gaël's shoulder. "When you score. We'll celebrate."
Title: Well I know that you were never young
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Jens Lehmann/Paolo Maldini
Rating: PG
Jens tugged on a loose curl of Paolo's hair, winding it around his finger. Paolo smiled, looking like he was humoring him, as always. Paolo always made Jens feel younger than he was. There was a gravitas, as if he'd never been young and stupid, never done anything silly. Jens wanted to ruffle his hair, push him down, act younger than he was just to crack him open. There was something about Paolo that made irresponsibility both tempting and unthinkable. He shouldn't let Paolo down. But he wanted to tug on his arm, cut training and run through the grass.
Title: And I know you probably won't get old
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Cesc Fabregas/Philippe Senderos
Rating: PG
Cesc would never get old. Not in Phil's mind. And while he believed- hoped above all things- that he would see Cesc old, sixty and seventy still as they were now, in a corner of his mind there would always be that first Cesc. That boy Cesc. Floppy and teenaged, gathering all his strength to act confident at training and collapsing as soon as they were safely hidden again. All whirling energy, bad hair, skinny limbs, the knowledge that they had their whole lives ahead of them to be spectacular. As long as Philippe lived, Cesc would never be old.
Title: But nobody's going to hurt you anymore
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Freddie Ljungberg/Jens Lehmann
Rating: PG
"Poor thing," Jens cooed, and kissed the dark, angry bruise coating Freddie's thigh. "You play too hard."
"No such thing." Freddie winced.
"You're not going to training tomorrow."
"Why not?" Freddie raised his head in challenge.
Jens pressed down on his hips gently. "Freddie. You can barely walk. They'll just send you to the physios."
"But I want to." Freddie twisted his mouth to the side stubbornly. "I have to show-"
"You've shown plenty." Jens kissed the bruise again. "You are strong and tough and everyone knows it. It's okay to sit back every once in a while, you know."
Title: And nobody's going to make you want to die
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Character: Theo Walcott
Rating: PG
Everyone had embarrassing moments. At least, that's what Theo heard. And apparently, it was especially true among teenagers. So maybe he was setting himself up for failure by existing and being seventeen, but he still thought that it would be better to just die. He could sink into the ground of the training pitch right now and it would be way more preferable than going back out there. He was completely sure that they were all laughing at him, all those big talented players with exotic backgrounds and confidence and everything. He was utterly stupid. He wanted to completely disappear.
Title: I'll go some cold and grey morning
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Robert Pires/Thierry Henry (tag for Robert, please)
Rating: PG
It was sufficiently London when Robert left, grey despite the technicality of the season, so he missed the sight of the city spreading out below him. He'd wanted to see the stadiums from the air, one last sentimental glimpse. Instead there were clouds and the memory of Thierry, resigned after his tantrum. Nothing had ended the way Robert had wanted it to. There wasn't that last shining trophy to lift, or the testimonial he'd planned in his head (against Metz, he'd decided). And here, for the first time in too long, no Thierry with him. Despite everything, that terrified him.
Title: And you won't remember anything
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Moritz Volz/Michael Rensing
Rating: PG
It was as if they'd never known each other. Michael looked through him. It stung like hell. Moritz wasn't going to lie. It was only passing in the hallway but it was like erasing history, erasing of years that Moritz still treasured despite the way they'd ended. Moritz had accepted the death of them, but he hated to be written off like this. Things in Moritz's life weren't as he planned, but he still had worth. He still had his pride. Enough so that on the train going home, days later, he was still replaying the snub in his head.
Title: Some people don't believe in dying
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Freddie Ljungberg/Jens Lehmann
Rating: PG-13
They would never die. Freddie wasn't normally the romantic sort, didn't go in for flowers or sweeping declarations or those movie things. He had never even liked commitments very much. But this felt different. There was something about Jens that made him think of terms like forever, of things like immortality and love beyond death. It was all weird and not Freddie-like at all. Made him fuzzy inside.
Jens sighed in his sleep and turned onto his back, still and angelic and Freddie completely forgot his train of thought looking at him. He smiled and curled himself around his body.
Title: But some of us don't believe in life
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Pairing: David Odonkor/Lukas Podolski (tag for David, please?)
Rating: PG
If this was the life, David didn't want any of it. Spain was supposed to be delightful, all the sun, the beautiful people, glorious football. It was supposed to be the dream to live in Spain. The life everyone wanted.
David couldn't believe it any more. He tried. But he wanted what he'd left, wanted winters and concrete and the ugly things. The train tracks that clattered too loudly. Beer he'd never liked. Most of all, he missed Lukas. It bothered him that his homesickness could be traced so easily. But he wished Lukas was still a short time away.
Title: But I've been making promises I know I'll never keep
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Characters: Freddie Ljungberg, Thierry Henry
Rating: PG
"Nah. You and I, we'll stay forever." Freddie laughed, smoothing down his hair as he bent to stretch his hamstring.
"It's a promise." Thierry laughed, million-megawatt smile carefree.
"I just can't see myself somewhere else, you know?"
"And red suits you so well."
"Really a great color for me, isn't it?" Freddie grinned. "Works for hair, clothing…"
"Which is what matters."
"Certain things need to be taken into consideration, yeah, totally." Freddie tugged on his jacket, regarding the hem critically. "Color, design…it's all got to be flattering."
"You have your priorities straight."
"As always. I have a reputation to keep."
Title: One of these days I'm gonna leave you in you sleep
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Thierry Henry/Robert Pires
Rating: PG-13
It hurt to leave. But he couldn't stay. He had a life to go back to, a child, a wife that already was finding reasons to fight him. He had no more excuses. Thierry reached out carefully, tucked a lock of hair around Robert's ear. He didn't wake. Thierry wanted to run off with him, get on a train to anywhere, a private car through picaresque mountains. Romantic. But he couldn't. They had responsibilities. Thierry turned away and slipped out of the bed. He hated leaving like this. But it was easier than saying goodbye, which he'd never done convincingly.
Title: I have to go when the whistle goes, the whistle knows my name
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Character: Cesc Fabregas
Rating: PG
Cesc trudged off the field at the whistle, the lights reading number 4 visible. The whistle made it final. He knew he wasn't good enough despite the pat on the back. He took his drink, his jacket, huddled into a seat and held back tears. There were days when he couldn't live up to it. He hated himself for them. This had been one of those days and that last whistle had just confirmed it. Would he be able to train himself out of it, he didn't know. He would try, but already he felt sluggish and undeserving of comfort.
Title: Baby, I was born on a train
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Unspecified
Rating: PG
He knew it would be hard, but the decision was made. "You knew this would happen someday," he said to his teammate. "This isn't the place you stay forever."
"I didn't expect it so soon."
Which was fair, and he didn't really have an answer to that. Didn't have an answer to anything, except that he knew he had to go. For the sake of his career, his paycheck, his glory. "You'll go, too."
"Not now."
"But that's football." He shrugged, helpless. "Football is leaving, it's nomadic. It's like…being born on a train. You're never from anywhere. You're always going."
Title: Some roads are always seen at night
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Character: Tomas Rosicky
Rating: PG
The night, when thoughts stretched out impossibly and Tomas tried his best to stay perfectly still, no jerks, no sudden movements. There were those footballers who hurt themselves in bed. Punch lines to bar stories. Tomas knew he wasn't meant to go out that spectacularly. He saw the road and train tracks of his career stretch beyond him at night. He would just be another lost potential. The things that could have happened, but didn't. It was common.
He was a Rosicky. That had meant one thing, once, but tonight it meant something Tomas wasn't sure he wanted to face.
Title: Ghost roads, nothing but neon signs
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Cesc Fabregas/Philippe Senderos
Rating: A light NC-17
Phil's skin was pale, ghostly, like a road spread out on the dark sheets. Cesc ran his fingers up his legs, meandering on the curves of his calves and the planes of his thighs. Each line leading upwards, and Philippe would say something about Rome if he knew what Cesc was thinking. All roads to Philippe. The thought made Cesc smile against Phil's flushed skin, the bright pink neon against the ivory. All roads did lead to Philippe. Cesc always came back to him, always had, and as he closed his lips around Phil's cock he thought, I always will.
Title: But some nights the neon gas gets free
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Fabian Lustenberger/Patrick Ebert (tags please)
Rating: PG
They melt off into the night like a gas, away from the gleaming arches of the Hauptbanhof, Fabian following Patrick as he always does. Patrick knows the city, although not as much as he likes to project he does, but Fabian is always impressed anyway. He'll always listen to his boasts, go wide-eyed and nervous into the neighborhoods that Patrick assures him tourists never see. Fabian likes to think that Patrick likes impressing him. It makes him feel warm when Patrick waits for him after the train, when he laughs at Fabian's accent and tugs him into some kebab shop.
Title: And turns into walking dead like me
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Theo Walcott/Gaël Clichy
Rating: PG
His first goals in the Premier League, and Theo can't even think about them. Not the glory he pictured. Instead of triumphant he's walking dead like the others, shellshocked and quiet. He climbs onto the bus, sitting with the ashen faces of his teammates.
They're over train tracks when Gaël turns to murmur in his ear, one hand comfortingly on his thigh. "I'm sorry no one wants to celebrate."
"It's okay." Theo manages a smile to match Gaël's. "It happens."
"Later?"
Theo threads his fingers with Gaël's and squeezes, putting his head on Gaël's shoulder. "When you score. We'll celebrate."
Title: Well I know that you were never young
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Jens Lehmann/Paolo Maldini
Rating: PG
Jens tugged on a loose curl of Paolo's hair, winding it around his finger. Paolo smiled, looking like he was humoring him, as always. Paolo always made Jens feel younger than he was. There was a gravitas, as if he'd never been young and stupid, never done anything silly. Jens wanted to ruffle his hair, push him down, act younger than he was just to crack him open. There was something about Paolo that made irresponsibility both tempting and unthinkable. He shouldn't let Paolo down. But he wanted to tug on his arm, cut training and run through the grass.
Title: And I know you probably won't get old
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Cesc Fabregas/Philippe Senderos
Rating: PG
Cesc would never get old. Not in Phil's mind. And while he believed- hoped above all things- that he would see Cesc old, sixty and seventy still as they were now, in a corner of his mind there would always be that first Cesc. That boy Cesc. Floppy and teenaged, gathering all his strength to act confident at training and collapsing as soon as they were safely hidden again. All whirling energy, bad hair, skinny limbs, the knowledge that they had their whole lives ahead of them to be spectacular. As long as Philippe lived, Cesc would never be old.
Title: But nobody's going to hurt you anymore
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Freddie Ljungberg/Jens Lehmann
Rating: PG
"Poor thing," Jens cooed, and kissed the dark, angry bruise coating Freddie's thigh. "You play too hard."
"No such thing." Freddie winced.
"You're not going to training tomorrow."
"Why not?" Freddie raised his head in challenge.
Jens pressed down on his hips gently. "Freddie. You can barely walk. They'll just send you to the physios."
"But I want to." Freddie twisted his mouth to the side stubbornly. "I have to show-"
"You've shown plenty." Jens kissed the bruise again. "You are strong and tough and everyone knows it. It's okay to sit back every once in a while, you know."
Title: And nobody's going to make you want to die
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Character: Theo Walcott
Rating: PG
Everyone had embarrassing moments. At least, that's what Theo heard. And apparently, it was especially true among teenagers. So maybe he was setting himself up for failure by existing and being seventeen, but he still thought that it would be better to just die. He could sink into the ground of the training pitch right now and it would be way more preferable than going back out there. He was completely sure that they were all laughing at him, all those big talented players with exotic backgrounds and confidence and everything. He was utterly stupid. He wanted to completely disappear.
Title: I'll go some cold and grey morning
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Robert Pires/Thierry Henry (tag for Robert, please)
Rating: PG
It was sufficiently London when Robert left, grey despite the technicality of the season, so he missed the sight of the city spreading out below him. He'd wanted to see the stadiums from the air, one last sentimental glimpse. Instead there were clouds and the memory of Thierry, resigned after his tantrum. Nothing had ended the way Robert had wanted it to. There wasn't that last shining trophy to lift, or the testimonial he'd planned in his head (against Metz, he'd decided). And here, for the first time in too long, no Thierry with him. Despite everything, that terrified him.
Title: And you won't remember anything
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Moritz Volz/Michael Rensing
Rating: PG
It was as if they'd never known each other. Michael looked through him. It stung like hell. Moritz wasn't going to lie. It was only passing in the hallway but it was like erasing history, erasing of years that Moritz still treasured despite the way they'd ended. Moritz had accepted the death of them, but he hated to be written off like this. Things in Moritz's life weren't as he planned, but he still had worth. He still had his pride. Enough so that on the train going home, days later, he was still replaying the snub in his head.
Title: Some people don't believe in dying
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Freddie Ljungberg/Jens Lehmann
Rating: PG-13
They would never die. Freddie wasn't normally the romantic sort, didn't go in for flowers or sweeping declarations or those movie things. He had never even liked commitments very much. But this felt different. There was something about Jens that made him think of terms like forever, of things like immortality and love beyond death. It was all weird and not Freddie-like at all. Made him fuzzy inside.
Jens sighed in his sleep and turned onto his back, still and angelic and Freddie completely forgot his train of thought looking at him. He smiled and curled himself around his body.
Title: But some of us don't believe in life
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Pairing: David Odonkor/Lukas Podolski (tag for David, please?)
Rating: PG
If this was the life, David didn't want any of it. Spain was supposed to be delightful, all the sun, the beautiful people, glorious football. It was supposed to be the dream to live in Spain. The life everyone wanted.
David couldn't believe it any more. He tried. But he wanted what he'd left, wanted winters and concrete and the ugly things. The train tracks that clattered too loudly. Beer he'd never liked. Most of all, he missed Lukas. It bothered him that his homesickness could be traced so easily. But he wished Lukas was still a short time away.
Title: But I've been making promises I know I'll never keep
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Arsenal
Prompt: Train
Characters: Freddie Ljungberg, Thierry Henry
Rating: PG
"Nah. You and I, we'll stay forever." Freddie laughed, smoothing down his hair as he bent to stretch his hamstring.
"It's a promise." Thierry laughed, million-megawatt smile carefree.
"I just can't see myself somewhere else, you know?"
"And red suits you so well."
"Really a great color for me, isn't it?" Freddie grinned. "Works for hair, clothing…"
"Which is what matters."
"Certain things need to be taken into consideration, yeah, totally." Freddie tugged on his jacket, regarding the hem critically. "Color, design…it's all got to be flattering."
"You have your priorities straight."
"As always. I have a reputation to keep."
Title: One of these days I'm gonna leave you in you sleep
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Thierry Henry/Robert Pires
Rating: PG-13
It hurt to leave. But he couldn't stay. He had a life to go back to, a child, a wife that already was finding reasons to fight him. He had no more excuses. Thierry reached out carefully, tucked a lock of hair around Robert's ear. He didn't wake. Thierry wanted to run off with him, get on a train to anywhere, a private car through picaresque mountains. Romantic. But he couldn't. They had responsibilities. Thierry turned away and slipped out of the bed. He hated leaving like this. But it was easier than saying goodbye, which he'd never done convincingly.
Title: I have to go when the whistle goes, the whistle knows my name
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Character: Cesc Fabregas
Rating: PG
Cesc trudged off the field at the whistle, the lights reading number 4 visible. The whistle made it final. He knew he wasn't good enough despite the pat on the back. He took his drink, his jacket, huddled into a seat and held back tears. There were days when he couldn't live up to it. He hated himself for them. This had been one of those days and that last whistle had just confirmed it. Would he be able to train himself out of it, he didn't know. He would try, but already he felt sluggish and undeserving of comfort.
Title: Baby, I was born on a train
Author: louis_quatorze
Team of Choice: Hertha BSC Berlin
Prompt: Train
Pairing: Unspecified
Rating: PG
He knew it would be hard, but the decision was made. "You knew this would happen someday," he said to his teammate. "This isn't the place you stay forever."
"I didn't expect it so soon."
Which was fair, and he didn't really have an answer to that. Didn't have an answer to anything, except that he knew he had to go. For the sake of his career, his paycheck, his glory. "You'll go, too."
"Not now."
"But that's football." He shrugged, helpless. "Football is leaving, it's nomadic. It's like…being born on a train. You're never from anywhere. You're always going."