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"You might know Edi already. But if you don't, this is my friend and international teammate, Ederson Moraes.” Alisson gestured to the crowd of players, staff, and kids inside the foyer in front of them. “Ederson, this is most of my non-blood-related family.”
The reaction was mostly positive. A lot of the players waved or said "hi", while the kids mainly looked confused. There were a couple of doubtful whispers, though, and more than one suspicious look. Elliott's hourly zero-filter moment, though, was the sour cherry on the karela cupcake.
"Why's Ederson here? Doesn't he play for City? They're only two points ahead of us! Is he here to spy on us?”
Ederson tensed up at the last bit. Alisson took his hand and gently squeezed it, and Ederson relaxed, casting a grateful smile at his friend.
"First of all, Harvey, Ederson's not here to spy on us. Pep gave Ederson and his teammates a day off after their win." Klossner walked up to the front of the room and hugged Ederson, ruffling his hair as if Ederson was one of his own players. "And second of all, Ederson was on his way to Wrexham on a day trip, but the same snowstorm that stopped us from our outdoor training stopped him from driving, and since he was already in town he decided to drive the extra seven minutes to Kirkby to visit until the storm is over."
"Which I yelled at him for over Whatsapp." Alisson hugged Ederson tightly, dusting snow off of his shoulders. "You could've gotten stuck in a snowdrift or something! What if you got blown away?!”
Ederson glanced at the others, who didn't seem surprised at Alisson's odd statement. He knew about Alisson's anxiety and how it caused him to worry about things for longer than normal, but this was out of the ordinary. "Blown away?"
"I'm just joking," Alisson reassured Ederson before he could ask. "So, wanna hang out with us?”
Ederson nodded firmly, although his mouth was still pressed into a thin, hard line. "Guys, you are literally saving my life . I don't know what's more boring, waiting in a stoplight queue during a snowstorm or being stuck in one of el chefe's tactic sessions.”
*
The group laughed and made their way to the break room, where they could hang out and catch up. As they settled in, Alisson introduced Ederson to some of the newer players and staff members, everybody from the Power family, who'd moved into Kirkby thirteen months ago when Dr. Jonathan Power got the job of the club doctor, to baby Aya, who was nine months old and more interested in Ederson's smiley-face tattoo than his actual face. Somehow, Ederson found himself gravitating towards Szoboszlai; but whether it was common ground or the Hungarian's smooth, slick charm that made him easy to talk to, Ederson would never know or admit.
"We're doing a team bonding activity. Arts and crafts. Since Valentine's Day is coming up, we chose between sculpted hearts and paper hearts. And look what came around!" Van Dijk set a large, well-worn wooden milk crate filled with paper, pens, markers, and lace onto the middle of the table. "Some of us can't sculpt to save our lives, so paper wins the day.”
Nunez smirked, elbowing Alisson hard in the ribs. "And some of us want to write poems to our quote-unquote 'best friend', right?"
Alisson winced slightly at the elbowing but ruffled Nunez's hair, which had been released from its usual high ponytail. "Quiet, Wino."
A few minutes later, everybody was set up at the dining room table. Some cut out hearts from printer paper and coloured them in, while others improved upon pre-made ones. In Robertson's case, that meant a lot of glitter.
"How much of the orange glitter are you going to put?" Alexander-Arnold asked after a full minute of watching Robertson spread glitter on a giant, white valentine. "I need some for my card."
"Shush, Trentski, I need to focus. I'm sending this one to Milly and I can't mess up the West Yorkshire coat of arms." Robertson finally finished spreading orange glitter onto the top half of a lion, handing the bottle to Alexander-Arnold. "Making a card for the new skipper?”
Alexander-Arnold's smile briefly disappeared at the word skipper , but he shook it off, pointing to where Gravenberch and Gakpo were having some sort of competition to see who could toss more mini pom-poms into Ederson's hair. "For Cods. He's just a great guy, y'know? And Ryan too, he helped me when I was working up the courage to ask Domi out."
Robertson clutched his heart, pretending to be offended. "I thought I was your wingman, mate! Now I'm just…your teammate!"
"Oh, don't be silly, Robin. You'll always be my wingman." Alexander-Arnold looked both ways before pilfering some lace from Van Dijk, driving out a squawk from the Dutchman. "Now, let's choose the most boring lace ever for Milly's valentines. I want to make him one, too."
*
"And one for Mum, and one for Dad, and one for—hey, leave that, Moana!" Arwen pried the bottle of craft glue out of her toddler sister's hands, sending her back to where Quansah was helping her colour in a paper heart. “She's getting better at climbing my wheelchair every day, isn't she, CuJo? Sooner or later she'll be trying to climb onto the gaffer's desk.”
Jones chuckled as he watched Ederson chasing Gravenberch and Gakpo. The goalkeeper had ripped his attention away from his origami long enough to find out there were multicoloured pom-poms in his hair. "I think the only reason Momo learned to climb into your chair is because she loves you so much. I'll bet she's writing a poem to you right now."
"She's two and a half years old, CuJo! The most she can write is the letter O. " Arwen glued the last piece onto one of her cards and laid it out to dry, setting the box of crayons on the corner as a paperweight. "Though knowing her, she'll toddle right up to me with a couple of stick figures with a big heart drawn over them, calling the figures 'us' and the heart 'love'.”
"Already such a sweetie, isn't she?" Tsimikas popped up out of nowhere, briefly trapping Jones in an affectionate headlock before doing the same to Arwen. "I'll bet you when she goes to preschool, she'll be the first to try and hug everybody because ‘they all look lonely’."
Alisson's eyes sparkled as he laid a hand over his heart, trying to prevent himself from squealing. "That sounds so cute that I just might cry."
"Well, don't cry too hard, because your phone needs to work for the pictures of that event that you're going to send me," Ederson joked with a broad smile. Apparently, the pom-pom pelting had set him into a far more relaxed mood than he'd been in when he arrived. Now he was trying to construct a pop-up valentine, similar to the ones Arwen was cutting out paper for. "And who bets you that when she's eleven and her school hosts the end-of-year prom, she'll invite some boy to dance with her because he looks lonely, and end up with him a couple of weeks later?”
"Or some girl," Tsimikas pointed out, pasting a heart sticker onto a card. "Take it from the guy who likes people with the same chromosomes as him.”
Alisson raised his hand. “All hail that statement!”
"Or even nobody at all, like me," Jones chuckled. He selected a burgundy-coloured marker and held it up against the light. "Although the chance of Moana not loving anybody when she gets older is about the same as a certain London team that wears white and dark blue winning a trophy."
"Come on, Curtis, it could happen! Well, not Spurs winning a trophy, but you never know," Alisson gently cajoled him, ruffling Jones' dark curls. "With all the love little Momo gets from us, she might just decide that she doesn't want that kind of love from anyone."
"So...you don't love people?"
*
All heads turned to Arwen, who'd been watching the conversation with a thoroughly confused expression. They had totally forgotten that Arwen was there, or listening to their conversation.
Jones chuckled and shook his head. "No, Winnie, that's not what Ali meant. He means that sometimes people choose not to be in a romantic relationship, and that's okay. I do love people. I love my parents and my relatives. I love you and Moana, and your cousins, and my teammates, and the boss.”
"Then how come you don't want a girlfriend like Virg had last year, or a boyfriend like how Kosti has Thiago?”
Alisson, Ederson, and Tsimikas glanced at Jones as if to ask, want some help?
"Because..." Jones hesitated, staring down at the table. He looked back at the others with a nod that said, I've got this . "You know how some of us like ginger ale, and others like Ribena?"
Arwen nodded. "But they both like water."
"And you know how one of the local chemists sells ginger ale but not Irn Bru, and another one sells Ribena but not ginger ale? And both sell water."
"I still don't get it.”
"Well, people's hearts are like stores, and love's a bit like beverages. There are all different kinds of it, and some people have one kind but not the other in them. There's love for people like your mum or dad, or a sibling or friend; that's platonic love. It's like water because everybody has platonic love in them somehow. And then there are the fizzy drinks, which are romantic love. Some people love women romantically, which, let's suppose, is like a chemist's having ginger ale. And some people like men, which could be like a chemist's having Ribena. And there are other kinds of fizzy drinks sold in chemists. Sometimes there's more of one than another, or there's many of them at once. And some chemists just have water, and don't sell fizzy drinks.”
"And since your store doesn't sell fizzy drinks…” Arwen's eyes widened as she finally understood what Jones was trying to tell her all this time. "You don't want a romantic Valentine because you don't feel romantic love.”
"That's right, Arwen, I’m aroace. You’ll learn more about that ace part later, but aromantic means I don’t feel romantic love." Honestly, Jones just wanted to continue with making his cards. Explaining to his teammates that he didn't feel romantic love at all wasn't hard at all, but this was the first time he had to explain to any of the kids. It made sense that Arwen would be the first of them to ask since she was the oldest, but he hadn't mentally prepared himself nearly enough for this.
The look of understanding on Arwen's face was promptly replaced with a regretful one. "You must hate Valentine's Day, then. Everybody asking you what your dating plans are.”
Jones smiled gratefully at her. “You know what? It never was hard. Because as soon as I told the rest of the team, they were all cool with it. Sure, it was awkward when Domi used his spinner wheel to pair me with Jarell—”
"HEY!" Szoboszlai yelled from the other side of the table. "It was one time, okay man? I didn't know yet!"
The group laughed, and Ederson leaned over to Alisson. "Your team is amazing, man."
Alisson grinned. "I know, right? They're the best—well, apart from my blood family, of course. I wouldn't mind being blood-related to any of them."
"Me neither." Ederson glanced at the Double Dutch, and his smile faded a bit. "But what is wrong with those two?!"
Alisson laughed, shaking his head as he watched the Double Dutch pelt each other with pom-poms. “Oh, Ryan and Cody just like to drive people a little crazy. Once they even made a mini-glitter bomb and detonated it in Virg's container of hair cream. Virgil looked like he was ready to self-combust when he found out they did it.”
“That wasn't too bad, y'know! Virg looked great with glitter in his hair, I should try it someday." Nunez held a bottle of gold glitter over Van Dijk's head, threatening to shake it into his hair.
"Ugh, Wino!" Van Dijk scooted away from the Uruguayan, covering his head with a piece of construction paper. "If you want glitter in your hair, do it to yourself.”
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Nunez held up a big bottle of glitter in one hand and a tub of clear hair gel in another, looking around the table. "Glitter roots! Raise your hand if you want to join me!"
Jones shook his head, smiling at their antics. "I'll pass, thanks. I don't think glitter and afros mix well."
"Come on, man!" Quansah ran his hand over his own thick, curly hair, taking the hair gel from Nunez. "I did glitter roots in a sleepover once, and it worked in my hair. It should work for you if you do it right."
Ederson chuckled, watching the group interact with each other. He had heard about how close the Liverpudlians were before, but seeing them in person and being welcomed so warmly by them was a different experience altogether. It was clear that they all cared for each other deeply, and he felt lucky to be included in their circle, even if it was just for a day.
"Got you!" Tsimikas cheered, flicking a paintbrush over the sides of Ederson's hair. "I never thought red would ever look good on you, but it turns out I was wrong."
Ederson inspected his reflection in the mirror Van Dijk handed to him, groaning when he saw chunky, red glitter gel brushed into the side of his hair. "Glitter, in my hair ?! I thought that was a girl thing.”
"Glitter's an everyone thing around here, Edi. And Kosti's right, that's definitely a bold look on you." Klossner walked over to their section of the table, taking a seat next to Alisson, Ederson, Arwen, and Jones. "Don't worry, it's washable, so you can get it out whenever you'd like to.”
"Where've you been, Opa ?" Arwen joked, rolling her chair closer so she could high-five Klossner. "You missed out on the pom-pom battle!"
"For my own sanity, I'm not even going to ask about that one." Klossner chuckled and pointed towards one end of the table. "I was helping the kids with their valentines when Darwin thought that glitter roots were an excellent idea. And then guess what happened to me?"
"The kids glitter-rooted you, didn't they?" Alisson touched the partition in his own hair, speckled with light green and lavender glitter. "Harvey got me, too."
Klossner nodded, ducking his head so they could see the kids' handiwork. Ederson couldn't help but laugh at the multi-shade blue glitter gel in Klossner's sandy blonde hair, applied in stripes and squiggles.
"Hey, looking good, boss!" Quansah turned his head proudly, revealing the blue and green glitter stripes painted into the base of his hair. "I guess Florrie took charge of this operation."
"Yeah, she made sure everybody was using the same colour. Thank goodness, or I would've ended up with the whole rainbow in my hair. Not like that’s a problem, anyways.” Klossner smiled as he watched Florrie and the other kids slather Nunez's hair in glitter gel. "Kairo wanted to put orange, but Florrie said, and I quote, 'if we put orange in his hair it'll be a disaster'."
Everybody laughed as they watched about seven players chasing after Van Dijk, each with a different colour of hair glitter in and fine-toothed combs in tow.
*
Eventually, the snowstorm died down to a flurry, coating the whole yard and training pitch with snow. The players finished their valentines and admired each other's handiwork. Some were intricate and detailed, while others were simple and heartfelt. But all of them were made with love, and that was what mattered most.
As everyone cleaned up and prepared to go out and shovel the snow, Alisson hugged Ederson one last time. "You know, I'm glad that the snowstorm came a day early and you stopped by. Thanks for hanging out with us, Edi.”
"Thanks for inviting me." Ederson barely dodged Gakpo and Gravenberch running away from Moana and Florrie, wielding glitter brushes. Arwen chased after them, with baby Aya strapped onto her lap and cheering her on. "You guys are…crazy. But you're awesome."
Alisson grinned, fishing crayons out from under the table. "I know, right? We're a big, crazy but lovable family."
Ederson hummed in agreement, watching the scenes around him. Besides the chase and the clean-up, quite a few of the players and staff were bundling up to go outside and shovel off the driveway so Ederson could get out safely. Ederson couldn't wait to get home, back to his kitchen and his living room and his teammates. But when he thought about going back to training at City the next day, back to Guardiola's passionate tactical rants and the team's Friday lunch group that always seemed to have some reason to exclude him, something in him sank like a leaden ball. "I'm glad to be a part of it, y'know? Even if it's just for a day."
"Edinho, listen to me." Alisson took Ederson's hand, pressing his woollen gloves into his hands. They'd been soaking wet from snow when Ederson left them on the radiator, but now they were warm and dry. "You're always a part of this family, okay? Feel free to drop by anytime, even when the boss...you know. Just because we're on different teams doesn't mean we have to avoid each other like the plague. We can even video call once in a while."
"Okay... gracas . But I have one question." Ederson pulled his gloves onto his hands and instantly felt his insides warm up. Whether it was because of the gloves or Alisson's words, he didn't know.
"Yeah, what is it?"
That warm, sweet tone dissolved whatever apprehensions Ederson had about speaking his mind. "Why are you so nice to me, even when the national media uses me to hurt you? I should be a walking trigger for you."
"Because, firstly, I know that it's the media and fans doing that and not you. Second of all, you're my friend, Edi, and I don't let others' opinions affect my relationships with the people I care about. Besides, you never did anything to hurt me or the team. It's not fair to hold you responsible for things that are out of your control." Alisson smiled warmly at Ederson, wrapping a scarf around his neck. “Now, let's go outside and help with the shovelling. I heard that Mona and Jarell are making hot cocoa for everyone after, we can have some before you go."
Ederson grinned, linking arms with Alisson and allowing him to lead him out the door. "You had me at hot cocoa."