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It was already 20:00 when Vivien Hugo made it back to his flat in northern London. Even when there were no upcoming matches, Arsenaly sure made him train until he could barely feel his legs. Once inside the flat, the French player dropped his duffel bag and jacket on the sofa in the living room before heading into the kitchen to get something to eat, making a mental note to retrieve those things before he went to bed.
Unknown to most, Vivien enjoys cooking. He wouldn’t go as far as calling himself a home cook, but he finds it fascinating how the ingredients come together to create a dish, as if each ingredient is following its destiny. He’d love to make something from scratch- a croque monsieur like how his papa used to make back in France would be nice- but at this moment he does not have the time or energy to be doing that. His eyes can shut at any moment, his stomach is rumbling like crazy, and he refuses to go to sleep on an empty belly.
"Instant noodles it is…” the Frenchman thinks to himself, sighing.
Like most athletes, Vivien isn’t so keen on instant noodles. They’re just straight-up unhealthy. Too much sodium and preservatives are just not good for the body in the long run, especially when you’re a professional football player like him. However, he will admit that they are tasty (when eaten in moderation) and are a real lifesaver in situations like the one he’s currently in.
“Even instant noodles have a destiny to fulfil. They’re good.”
Vivien grabs a pot. He then turns around to grab a few items from the fridge: an egg, two small stems of scallions, and a small block of unidentified cheese (which, to his surprise, he thought he'd finished last week). Just because he’s having instant noodles doesn’t mean he’s having them bland. He’s from Lyon, for crying out loud. His maman did not raise him to be a boy with the palate of a five-year-old.
Finally, Vivien reaches out for the overhead cupboard in front of him, the same one he used to keep the dry foods like cereal or protein powder.
“There should be one left…” He said to himself, opening the cupboard.
When the midfielder said, “There should be one left”, he was expecting to see a packet of seaweed-flavoured Japanese ramen sitting gingerly next to the cereal boxes, not an empty plastic wrapper of said seaweed-flavoured Japanese ramen just… sitting there in the corner, taunting him.
Vivien closes his eyes, curses something in French under his breath, before dragging out a long exhale.
“This too…is destiny.” He tries to console himself.
After putting everything away, Vivien opens the refrigerator to see what he can whip up in the shortest amount of time. Assorted cold cut meats, some vegetables, and that block of unidentified cheese from earlier. A sandwich it is.
If it wasn’t so late and he had more energy, Vivien would’ve toasted the bread or melted the cheese, but now is clearly not the time, so he’d have to make do with this sad-looking creation. The redhead poured himself a glass of milk and sat at the dining table, eating in silence. It was nice, really. Ever since starting his football career and being chosen as a member of the New Generation World 11, these rare moments where he gets to be alone are what he genuinely looks forward to. Every day is training until his entire body feels like mush. Not to mention the pressure from his coach, his teammates, the press, and his club. On the field is no better, either. Cheers from the fans and boos from the opposing side. Insults thrown left and right whenever someone messes up. Players high on adrenaline, ready to be at each other’s throats at any given moment throughout the 90-minute game.
It was all too much; it’s overwhelming, it’s suffocating. But this too is part of destiny, and Vivien Hugo can handle it.
*Ding!*
His phone lights up from inside his pants pocket, along with a soft vibration. Vivien reached for the device to see what it was.
[@charles_chev0222 tagged you in their video] read the message. It was Instagram.
Vivien tapped on the pop-up and it took him to the app. The post he was tagged in is a video of the PxG players celebrating their win against AS Monao in their locker room. The atmosphere was wild. Everyone was dancing, jumping and singing as if there’s no tomorrow. He could hear Charles singing along, loud and clear as he was the one recording, but what made him chuckle was Julian’s annoyed “Charles, get off me!” that somehow made it through despite how loud everything around them was. The little gremlin must’ve climbed onto Julian’s shoulders. Classic Charles behaviour.
A faint smile crept onto Vivien’s lips. He likes seeing his friends winning and being happy. He gave the post a like, not forgetting to leave a comment.
[Why am I tagged in this again lol. Congratulations on the win✌️]
Why is he tagged in this indeed. If the post came up in his feed, he would’ve liked and commented on it anyway. Maybe Charles doesn’t want him to feel left out? For what? He’s not even a PxG player! But considering it’s Charles the contrarian of all people, Vivien tries not to think too much about it. He’s a quirky kid; let him have his fun.
Since he’s already on the app, the French boy decided that he might as well check up on what others have been up to. He checked his sister’s latest story reel, giving her a like and a cheeky comment typical of the Hugo siblings' banter. As he continued to scroll down, posts from others started to show up. Julian also posted a photo of his team’s victory, which he liked and commented.
Up next, it was Don Lorenzo’s post of himself out partying at a club somewhere in Turin, Italy. Though they haven’t interacted much, Vivien knew the Ace Eater of Ubers loves going out and partying. A beast on the field, a party monster in the club, living his life to the fullest. Vivien liked that. He likes it when people live according to their destiny.
After Don’s post, it was Itoshi Sae’s. The Japanese midfielder posted a picture of what seems to be an airplane window. Is Itoshi Sae travelling somewhere? Maybe back home to Japan? Vivien couldn’t tell, as Sae did not caption the photo. What he could tell was that the very top comment with the most likes was from none other than fellow NG11 member, Bunny Iglesias.
[bunbun_igl : Bring back some of those senbei crackers too ok?🥺]
Ah, so Itoshi Sae really is going back to Japan. Vivien may have never tasted them, but at least he knew that senbei is a type of Japanese rice cracker. Gotta give Bunny credit for that huge hint. He’d love to leave a comment, but considering he and Sae haven’t interacted much either, commenting would be awkward. Vivien settled with just a simple like.
The Frenchman went through a few more posts before he decided that that’s enough social media for the night. He doesn’t consider himself addicted to social media, but getting to see people he knows update on their lives through photos and videos is something that made Vivien oddly happy. He gets to see them out there, though it may be just a fraction of it, living life. Doing things according to their aptitude, following their destiny. What more could Vivien ask for?
Vivien was about to exit the app when his eyes caught a glimpse of a peculiar post. It was from someone he didn’t follow, so Instagram was once again showing him posts he couldn't care less about. Vivien was about to dismiss it, but the people, or what he believed to be people, in the picture were oddly familiar.
The photo was an extremely blurry selfie of two people, and judging by their frames, both of them were guys. The one on the left is pale and seems to be wearing something akin to a white tracksuit. The one on the right has darker skin, wearing a light blue-coloured tracksuit. Vivien could make out a braid on the darker man, and judging by the angle of the photo, it seems like it was taken moments before one of them dropped the phone.
Vivien’s eyes hovered towards the top left corner of his screen, searching for the username.
[theodore_knight], it reads.
“Knight…” Vivien repeats to himself. He knows Knight is a common surname in England, but he personally does not know a lot of Knights, let alone an English one. Their profile picture didn’t help either, because it’s just a picture of a teddy bear. Is this Knight guy with a teddy bear profile pic the same Knight as the one he’s thinking of right now?
Vivien quickly scrolls down to the comments, hoping to gain any context clues like in Itoshi Sae’s post. There weren’t a lot of comments, despite being posted over a week ago, but lo and behold
[meowmeow.niang : TEDDY BRO ARE YOU FR 😂😂😂😂😂 ]
Yep. He was right.
It’s Teddy Knight. The Rainbow Knight, the puppet-like English winger, and the newest member of the New Generation World 11.
“Never knew he had an account.” Vivien thought to himself. This particularly surprised him, because Vivien follows every NG11 player. Not because PIFA encourages him to (although the NG11 interacting with each other on social media is good publicity for them), but because he considers them equal and, to a certain extent, friends.
What bothers him is that this account, despite the comment left by the English player Niang, isn’t verified. PIFA made it so that all social media accounts belonging to members of the New Generation World 11 are verified, mainly to prevent impersonation and let fans know that they are following the right person. Vivien couldn’t be bothered to care about followers or verified accounts; he’s an athlete, not an influencer. But seeing that this ‘theodore_knight’ account could be impersonating a fellow member of the NG11 doesn’t sit right with him. It’s not that he knew Teddy personally or anything; it’s just that if it was him, he wouldn’t want some bot or random person impersonating him online as well.
Vivien taps on the username for the app to take him to ‘theodore_knight’ ‘s profile page. The French boy does not even know where to begin. Aside from the teddy bear profile picture, their bio simply reads “The official account of Theodore James Knight”, partnered with an English flag emoji and a teddy bear emoji. The post count is under 50, the followers count is only in the hundreds, and the following count is only slightly above 30. No story reels, no story highlights, nothing. If you open the dictionary and look up ‘boring Instagram, ’ you will definitely find the screenshot of this profile next to the definition. Vivien checked the followers, and to his relief, he actually recognised a good chunk of the people this account is following. Aside from the ones he assumes to be family members and friends outside of football, Vivien saw a lot of familiar players. Agi, Niang, Goodman, Childs just to name a few, coupled with a few of the senior players like Chris Prince and Noel Noa. The verified accounts he followed also made sense to what Vivien assumed would be Teddy Knight’s interests, like PIFA, the Premier League, news accounts like the BBC, and a few official accounts of the English football clubs (including Arsenaly, Vivien’s own club). Ones that were quite unexpected are probably the London Zoo, Cadbury, and Merrythought Teddy Bears.
“I guess he really does like teddy bears.”
Vivien then scrolls down to check the posts. There are exactly 46 posts, and half of them are blurry. None of them are videos, and all of them are extremely random. Blurry or not, the photos seem as if the person in charge of the account took out their phone and snapped a shot whenever they felt like it. No waiting for the right light or the right moment, no adjusting the camera angles or the composition, just snap and straight to the Gram.
“Considering Teddy Knight, it is highly possible that it’s really him.”
Vivien is no photographer, but even he edits his photos before posting online. In a world where everyone fabricates reality to create an online image, it’s pretty bold of Teddy to be posting his photos raw like this. No filters, no alterations, not a care for anyone’s opinions. Vivien liked that. Vivien respected that. He nodded to himself in satisfaction.
Guess the investigation is over then? This account really does belong to the NG11 winger Teddy Knight. His account not being verified is probably due to him just being announced as an NG11 a few months ago. That makes sense. Vivien could’ve stopped the moment he saw Niang’s comment, but he let curiosity get the best of him. Why? Even Vivien himself would never know. But hey, at least he learned three new things about the boy.
- One, Teddy Knight’s full name is Theodore James Knight.
- Two, Teddy Knight really does like teddy bears.
- And three, Teddy Knight is really good at taking blurry photos.
Who would’ve thought the guy who claims that he has no ego would have this side to him? Vivien was thinking of exiting the app, but his finger seems to linger over a certain button on Teddy’s profile page.
“I mean, there’s no harm in trying..”
Contrary to popular belief, Vivien Hugo has no problem initiating a conversation with others, strangers or not. He quite enjoys them, actually. Listening to what they have to say. Maybe help guide them towards their correct destiny. It’s fun; he enjoys talking to others.
“We’ve met before. It’s not like I’m a total stranger to him.”
The French boy reassures himself as his thumb starts typing away. After a few type-and-delete moments, Vivien settles on a phrase he thinks is the most appropriate and the least awkward before hitting ‘send’.
[vivienhugo.0606 : Teddy Knight?]
It was a long shot. There’s no way Teddy would answer. His latest post was over a week ago, meaning Teddy probably doesn’t check his Instagram often. Vivien finally exits the app and places his phone face-down on the dining table. He was just having dinner and going through Instagram, how is it already 22:30? Vivien picked up the pace and started finishing up his remaining tasks for the night.
By the time he’s done with everything, it was already 23:30. Vivien is now in bed, fresh out of the shower and his trusty blank book in hand. Reading the blank book before bed helps him calm down and organise his thoughts. The blank pages allow him to review what he had done during the day and mentally prepare himself for tomorrow. People called him weird for that, sure, but when you have so much going on inside your head, having a blank canvas that allows you to let your thoughts run free is just what the French midfielder needs. Vivien was deep into reading when his phone, now resting on the nightstand, decided to light up with the all-too-familiar bell jingle.
*Ding!*
Vivien put down his book and grabbed the device.
[theodore_knight : Vivien Hugo? What a surprise, but a pleasant one nonetheless. Yes, this is me, Teddy.] read the pop-up message.]
“Damn he actually replied?"
Wondering how and why Teddy is replying at this hour is one thing, but the fact that the English player is replying at all threw him off guard more than any loose ball ever could. Because this leads to an even bigger question: what does he say now? Vivien puts down the phone for the moment and goes back to consult his book.
“Do I ask him why he’s still up at this hour?” No, that would be too personal and pretentious.
“Or do I just get to the point and tell him that I’ve been snooping around his account because I thought it was fake?” Also a no. Vivien would rather be seen as weird than creepy.
“Should I bring up his latest selfie post?” The picture was posted a week ago. If Vivien brought it up, he’s basically admitting that he’s been snooping around Teddy’s account. Big no.
“Or do I just go to bed and I forget that I ever DM-ed him at all?” That is the coward’s way out and would be considered ‘ghosting’. Rude and no.
Vivien exhales. Have texting always been this difficult? The boy can’t remember the last time he had this much trouble replying to someone’s text.
“Calm down. It’s just a text. Be chill.”
[vivienhugo.0606 : Yeah, it’s me. Came across your account and thought it looked familiar. Never knew you had an Instagram.]
Vivien paused, then decided to send another message.
[vivienhugo.0606 : Sorry if that sounded weird.]
[theodore_knight : It’s quite alright.]
The Frenchman was about to put the phone down when the screen lit up once more.
[theodore_knight : I’m surprised you’re still up at this hour. Do you perhaps just get back from training?]
“Is he trying to..hold a conversation?” Vivien thought, looking at the screen in disbelief. The more he interacts with the English boy, the more unexpected things keep on happening. Well, he kinda expected Teddy to type the same way he talks; in proper English grammar. In the rare moments on the field when Teddy isn’t constantly mumbling “I am a worthless puppet”, he could hear the boy speak to his coach and his teammates in this calm and collected manner, worthy of being called a true British gentleman. Even when arguing with the referee, Vivien swore he never heard the guy raise his voice or let the heat of the atmosphere get to him. What he didn’t expect was that Teddy was apparently a fast replier. He seemed more like the nonchalant, slow-reply type; guess Vivien was dead wrong on that part.
More importantly, and it’s totally not the Frenchman’s wishful thinking, Teddy seems to want to talk to him? Why else would he even ask a follow-up question? It’s rude not to reply at this point, so Vivien indulges.
[vivienhugo.0606 : I got back like 3 hrs ago, you?]
[theodore_knight : I decided to do some more drills on my own and just got done with it. Worked up a good sweat. Indeed, indeed.]
[vivienhugo.0606 : Are you home?]
[theodore_knight : Not yet, but no worries. My flat is only a quick walk from the club.]
“Flat? So his house is not in the same area as his club..” Vivien made another mental note.
[vivienhugo.0606 : Texting while walking isn’t really safe y’know.]
[theodore_knight : No worries. I’m quite skilled actuaaaaaaaaaa]
“What was that!?” That last text from Teddy made Vivien sit up right away. Did something happen? Why did the sentence cut off like that? The Frenchman immediately texts back.
[vivienhugo.0606 : Teddy?]
Vivien waited. One minute, two minutes, three minutes. Silence. He texts again.
[vivienhugo.0606 : Teddy??]
And another one, unconsciously in his mother tongue, as he’s too worried to be typing in English.
[vivienhugo.0606 : Theodore? Ça va? Tout va bien?]
Vivien’s eyes darted towards the phone icon in the top right corner of the chat. If Teddy doesn’t reply within the next 2 minutes, he will call. People’s destinies change when they meet him, yes, but that doesn’t include dying. Overdramatic be damned.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Teddy texts back.
[theodore_knight : Apologies. I tripped on the stairs on my way up the flat. Cracked the screen in the process. Oh bother.]
Vivien sighs in relief, which is quickly followed by a soft chuckle. He lies back down, typing another reply.
[vivienhugo.0606 : Told you. Don’t text and walk again, got it?]
[theodore_knight : Understood. I am grateful for your concern, Vivien. I am, I am.]
That earned another smile from the midfielder. How is Teddy Knight this painfully endearing? This is nothing like the lifeless puppet he’s used to on the field.
Vivien looks up at the clock; damn, it’s already thirty past midnight? He must get to bed, or he’s guaranteed to be late for training next morning.
[vivienhugo.0606 : I must go now. Goodnight Teddy. Talk to you later.]
Vivien exits the app, but still hasn’t put the phone away. Once again, he lingers. He could’ve ended the conversation there- already did actually- but it doesn’t feel right. Something’s missing, and if he doesn’t figure it out soon, there’s no way he’ll be able to sleep tonight.
Vivien reopens Instagram. Teddy hasn’t replied yet, good. After another session of type-and-delete, he hits send. He then taps that button and exits the app for good.
The boy turns off the light and closes his eyes, finally letting the darkness and drowsiness engulf him. What a night it has been, despite the only two things that happened being him running out of instant noodles and texting a guy. Teddy’s face pops up in his mind. The sharpness of his chin, the roundness of his cheeks, and the bridge of the English winger’s nose came together quite easily, as both of them had met countless times on the field. That pale-colored hair that, at the right angle, reflects all the colours of the rainbow, as if they were glass. It’s quite the sight to see, especially if the match is during the day. And how could Vivien forget those eyes? His teammates, even Charles and Julian, described them as lifeless. Looking as if nothing was going on behind those pupils. He never agreed with them, honestly. Countless people have told him that his eyes are like the void. Dark and alluring, as if they will suck you in if you stared too long. If that’s the case, then he’d describe Teddy’s eyes as the summer’s ocean. Clear as day, glistening in all colours when the sun hits the surface, inviting you to drown in them.
Vivien doesn’t have a wide range of expressions himself, but he wonders what kind of faces Teddy was making during their conversation. Does his face show exhaustion when he said he just got done with training? Did he scrunched up his nose in pain when he tripped on the stairs? Is he bleeding? If so, Vivien wouldn’t mind being there to patch him up. Did he frown when he found out he cracked his screen? Did he smile the same way Vivien did when the French boy was acting like a worrywart? Vivien Hugo would never know. He hopes the English boy does. He’d never seen it, so for now, his imagination will do.
⚙️🧸
It’s almost 1:00 when Teddy came out of the shower. He’s dressed in a simple white T-shirt, printed with a small teddy bear on his left chest, and black-and-white plaid pajama pants.
“What a night it is.” He thought to himself, despite the only two things that really happened were him cracking his phone and receiving a text from Vivien Hugo.
“Vivien Hugo…” Teddy silently repeated that name. He’s now lying on his bed, both hands clasped together on his stomach. He stares at the ceiling and contemplates his evening. Vivien Hugo texted him. The same Vivien Hugo that he met countless times on the field. It’s weird, really, because he felt like he talked more to the French midfielder in the span of 3-ish hours tonight than all their encounters on the field combined.
Why is that? He wonders. Whenever they play against each other, and the match is over, Vivien would always walk to him for a handshake. He does it for everyone; it’s a common gesture among football players. But during the brief moment when their hands touched, why did he always settle for just a simple “Good game to you too”. He could’ve complimented the Frenchman, maybe add a snarky comment if Vivien messed up or got in trouble with the referee. They had so many chances to talk; why is it now that they finally had a real conversation?
Destiny. Vivien Hugo talked about that quite often during matches. “Say, Teddy Knight, do you believe in destiny?” he’d ask as he intercepted the ball out of Teddy’s control, ruining his flow. “Follow your destiny, and life will shine.” He’d say whenever they shook hands. Is this it? Is destiny what led them to the conversation tonight?
Teddy is puzzled. He’s a puppet. A worthless doll meant to carry out the objective of his team. Puppets aren’t supposed to follow their own destiny, and yet..
The winger rubs his eyes and reaches for his phone. Through the cracked screen, the clock reads 1:15, but that doesn’t matter right now. Teddy taps on the rainbow-coloured camera icon and goes straight to the direct messages. Out of all the chats there are (only 3 to be exact), only one of them shows signs of a recent conversation. He taps on that chat, but instead of reading the recent messages, he scrolls up, and there it was.
[theodore_knight : I’m surprised you’re still up at this hour. Do you perhaps just get back from training?]
“It was…me.” It was him. Theodore James Knight is the one who held the conversation. Vivien Hugo may have started the conversation, but it was him that enabled the continuation. Not because it’s an order. Not because someone told him to. He did it on his own.
Teddy felt a soft tug in his chest. He raised one hand and placed it atop his heart. Something he thought he’d forgotten a long time ago is starting to reemerge, but he can’t exactly name what it is.
Teddy scrolls back down. Seems like Vivien Hugo left him two messages before the French midfielder went to bed for the night.
[vivienhugo.0606 : I must go now. Goodnight Teddy. Talk to you later.] read the first one.
Talk to you later. If Teddy’s allowed to be selfish, he’d love to think that Vivien Hugo wanted to continue their conversation as much as he did. That tug in his chest is back, followed by a faint smile that starts to form at the corner of the English boy’s lips.
The second message, however, is like the sun shining on the seawater on the brightest summer day. Teddy’s eyes, usually lifeless and foggy, sparkle with a rainbow suitable for his title of ‘The Rainbow Knight’.
[vivienhugo.0606 : Oh and.. it’s ok if I follow you right? Hope you don’t mind.]
Teddy immediately checks his followers. Since it’s only in the hundreds, it’s very easy to tell if the number changed, and it did. At the very top of his followers list sits Vivien Hugo. Teddy takes himself to the French boy’s profile page. Verified account, posts in the hundreds, and followers in the millions. The exact opposite of what his account is, and yet, here they are. Teddy’s thumb hovers towards that dreaded blue button, and after a few moments, taps on it. The word ‘follow’ changing to ‘following’ unlocks something inside the English boy. Something so familiar, yet once again he still can’t give it a name.
Teddy goes back to the direct messages. He opens Vivien’s chat and, after a few seconds of typing, sends his new friend a reply.
[theodore_knight : It would be my pleasure. I’ve also followed you as well, if you don’t mind. Goodnight to you too, Vivien. May the wheel of destiny guide you to the sweetest dreams.]
Teddy doesn’t care if that sounded corny. It’s the message he wants to convey, and he’s confident that the boy on the other end of the conversation wouldn’t mind as well.
Teddy puts his phone away and turns off the lights, snuggling himself into the comfort of his bed. For the second time, he places a hand atop his heart. That tug he’s been feeling tonight, what is it? Is it destiny like what Vivien believes in? Or is it something else entirely? Friendship? Love? Free will? Or can he dare say, Ego?
Teddy closes his eyes. Maybe it’s okay if he doesn’t figure it out right now. Maybe together with his new friend, they’ll figure it out together.
Because whatever it is, he’d like to make sure that this time, it stays.