Three Drabbles; Inter

[niloo88]

Title: The Boss
Author: niloo88           
Team of Choice: Inter
Prompt: Authority
Characters: Paolo Maldini, Massimo Oddo, Ronaldo, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta
Rating: G

“OK, whoever drops the ball has to do ten pushups!” Maldini announced, starting a game of “keepie-uppies”.

Pirlo and Oddo kept the ball up safely and passed it to Ronaldo, who just got to the ball before it hit the ground. The sharp gaze from Paolo’s green eyes, however, made him do the pushups.

Maldini then passed to Nesta, who also got to the ball a little late.

Oddo was surprised when nothing happened, and whispered to Andrea Pirlo about it.

“I know, Massi,” Andrea whispered back, “but Paolo’s the boss here, and he seems to have missed it.”

-end 
Title: Some Captain
Author: niloo88           
Team of Choice: Inter
Prompt: Authority
Characters: Roberto Ayala
Rating: G

Those two words hurt more than the goal did. Nobody at all mentioned it to him, but Roberto knew they were talking behind his back. He could feel it. The whispers and head shakes were the worst.

Since he had become captain, it was like he wasn’t seen as human; mistakes weren’t allowed anymore. If he did something good, he received no praise, for it was his expected duty; but if he made a mistake, it was blown out of proportion. He couldn’t even enjoy his trophy now.

Ayala cursed the armband and all the strings attached to being Captain. 
Title: Pushups
Author: niloo88           
Team of Choice: Inter
Prompt: Authority
Characters: Paolo Maldini, Massimo Oddo, Alessandro Nesta (by mention)
Rating: G

The ball flew in Oddo’s direction. He rescued it clumsily.

“That looked like it hit the ground. Down you go, Massi!” Maldini pointed to the ground, “The object was to keep the ball up, and you dropped it.”

- But I got it back up! And Sandro dropped it earlier, but I didn’t see him do pushups!

“Don’t try to turn this around on other people, Oddo!” Paolo said with piercing eyes, “Now drop and give me ten!”

Oddo went down grumbling. He did bouncing pushups and claps between the reps to show that doing the pushups wasn’t the problem.