Chapter Text
He was a bundle of nerves. Jude Bellingham was farther from home than he had ever been, and worse still, he was alone. He had wanted this so badly, yet at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling the absence of his father, his mother, and his brother.
He took a deep breath and let the smell of wet earth fill his lungs. He glanced around quickly, but his heart kept pounding. It wasn’t just the distance from home that made him anxious. He hoped joining Borussia Dortmund would bring him some great moments as a footballer. He allowed himself a few seconds to daydream: he pictured himself scoring goals, winning over the fans, surprising his opponents…
Hopefully, the rest of the team would welcome him warmly. That was something else that worried him.
“Jude Bellingham, right?”
A voice startled him from behind. When he turned around, he saw the team’s manager accompanied by another serious-looking, formally dressed man. He hoped his nerves weren’t too obvious.
“That’s me. Thank you for having me,” Jude said with a smile, showing his teeth as he extended his hand to both men. His mother’s words were always present in his mind: Be kind to everyone, Jude.
“I hope your journey was pleasant. It’s a pleasure to welcome you to this club. We hope your time with this team brings many rewards for everyone, young man,” the other man said in an intimidating tone. Jude would later discover that he was one of Borussia Dortmund’s major shareholders.
“It was fine. Thank you, sir,” Jude replied, trying to sound confident.
“Well, Bellingham, today I need you to go over the last few administrative details and take a tour of the facilities. Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to the team. I’d like you to be familiar with the place by then,” the manager explained. “I understand your parents have already made sure you have an apartment to stay in.”
“That’s right,” Jude confirmed.
Jude loved everything: the pitch, every hallway, the trees surrounding the grounds. He had a feeling that a very good chapter of his life was about to begin.
—
The atmosphere felt colder than it had the day before. He couldn’t remember how he had gotten to the training ground, but he was already there in his training kit, ready to practice. Despite having toured the facilities, he couldn’t remember anything about the place and felt completely lost. Jude thought about his mum, his dad, his brother… At what point had he decided that leaving his country was a great idea?
His legs weren’t responding properly. They felt as though they were made of rubber, and he was beginning to notice the irritation from the rest of the team. He couldn’t make out any of his new teammates’ faces, but he could sense—almost smell—the general anger filling the place. All he could do was make mistake after mistake. He couldn’t control a single ball that came his way.
His body was sweating, yet he felt cold. He began hearing the rest of the team laughing; more than laughter, they were mocking him. Some of them even shouted their complaints:
“You’re useless!”
“Fraud!”
“Go back home, English boy!”
“Bloody nuisance!”
They were all pointing at him. He still couldn’t see their faces, but he could feel the anger coming from every one of them. They kept moving closer, surrounding him in a circle and taking away the air he was breathing. They came so close that he felt as though his lungs were being squeezed inside his chest, making it incredibly difficult to breathe.
He could still hear the footballers shouting insults at him, even though the ringing in his ears made it feel as if his head might burst. Everything was spinning. His body was damp, he was freezing, and he couldn’t breathe.
They were going to kill him for thinking he was good enough to play for a team with such a great history, as though he were some kind of champion…
Suddenly, he jolted awake.
He hit his shoulder against the closet door. Everything around him was dark, and his body was drenched in sweat. His ragged breathing made it difficult to focus and understand what was happening. He was completely disoriented.
This wasn’t his childhood room.
With trembling hands, he searched for the light switch. When he found it and the room illuminated, his mind began to clear as well. The bed was a complete mess: sheets on the floor, blankets twisted up, and a huge patch of sweat where his body had been lying.
He forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to calm down completely. He looked at his bedside clock: 3:09 a.m.
He smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. He still had a few hours before he needed to get up and get ready for his first training session with his new club.
There was no point dwelling on a simple nightmare like some little kid, so he began making the bed again, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep and arrive at training without any signs of exhaustion.
Sleep, however, did not come easily.
The fear of disappointing everyone on the team, the club’s administration, and his own family continued to consume him. He tossed and turned in his freshly made bed, and whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see were the players surrounding him and pointing at him as though accusing him of being the fraud he felt like at that moment.
He had no idea when he finally managed to fall asleep, but when his alarm went off, he sprang out of bed. He didn’t want to be late on his first day.
The coach was a man of few words.
“Lads, this is Jude Bellingham, your new teammate. You know what to do… let’s train.”
Jude briefly looked over the rest of the team. There were too many faces to memorize at once, but his eyes settled particularly on a pair of blue eyes belonging to an extraordinarily tall boy. He was genuinely intimidating, and a slight shiver ran through Jude’s body.
He quickly lowered his gaze, waiting for clear instructions from his new coach.
Training was tough, but Jude was glad to discover that he was up to the level. If he kept working hard, he would undoubtedly achieve his goals. The team as a whole welcomed him warmly, so as the morning went on, he began to feel more confident.
After training, he headed to the locker that had been assigned to him so he could put his things away and freshen up before heading back to his apartment to rest.
“Herzlich willkommen,” a deep voice said beside him.
The unexpected greeting startled him, and he accidentally took a small step backward. He felt the blood rushing to his face and desperately hoped it wasn’t too obvious.
Jude turned around and found himself face-to-face with the enormous blond. He was truly imposing. For a few moments, all Jude could think was how grateful he was that they were on the same team rather than playing against each other.
“Uh… I don’t really speak much German yet,” Jude replied in English.
“Ah, English it is. Welcome,” the giant said in a peculiar English accent.
Noticing that Jude’s breathing was still rather unsteady, he added, “Sorry. I tend to have that effect.”
“No, it’s fine. I was distracted. Thanks for the welcome… um…”
“Haaland. Erling Haaland.”
He extended his hand, greeting Jude with a firm handshake. Jude got the impression that the boy genuinely didn’t realize how strong he was.
“Bellingham. Jude Bellingham.”
“I know. You were introduced to all of us. Where are you from? You’re not German either.”
“Right,” Jude said with a little smile. “I’m from England.”
“Lovely. I was actually born in England.”
Jude looked at him skeptically, so Erling added, “I didn’t live there for long, but I’m really Norwegian.”
“Of course,” Bellingham replied with a smile.
“Looks like we’re locker neighbors,” Haaland said, pointing to the locker next to Bellingham’s. “I hope we don’t have any neighborly disputes,” he added with a grin.
“No. I hope I’m not the one who ends up having problems with you,” Bellingham replied, emphasizing the word I, genuinely afraid of ending up on Haaland’s bad side. Yet from this brief interaction, the giant seemed surprisingly gentle; his appearance didn’t quite match his personality.
“I know you just got here, but what do you think of the place so far?” Haaland asked, looking genuinely interested in what Jude had to say.
“Well, I was a little nervous, to be honest. It’s the first time I’ve ever been this far from home, and being alone makes it even harder… but I think I’ve been welcomed pretty well, both yesterday by the administrative staff and today by the team and the coach. I hope everything goes well.”
“I was watching you,” Haaland said.
Bellingham’s eyes widened. He never would have thought someone like him could possibly deserve the attention of such a prominent player.
“Anyone could tell you have talent. You’re going to be fine.”
“Thank you,” Jude replied with a smile.
—
The next day, Jude was genuinely excited to get to training. He wanted to see Haaland again. He wanted to pay attention to his playing style and find out whether the giant was only intimidating in his imagination or whether he was actually someone rough that Jude needed to be careful around.
He kept replaying their brief encounter in the lockers the day before. It had been oddly charming, and Jude found himself strangely confused by it.
When he arrived at the club, however, he was told to report to the communications and social media department. Apparently, it had something to do with creating content featuring the team’s new players.
His reunion with Haaland would have to wait.
He arrived at an office he hadn’t visited before and was immediately greeted by a red-haired boy. Jude couldn’t help himself—he thought he might be a Weasley. He let out a discreet laugh when the boy extended his hand to greet him.
“Wow! I’m glad you’re happy. It’ll make working together much easier,” the redhead said cheerfully. “I’m Lukas. I usually record on the pitch or during and after matches, but for an introduction, I like something a little more intimate. Welcome to the team.”
“Thanks. And sorry about my bad manners. I don’t want to make a bad first impression.”
“You mean your laugh? Not at all. You have a really charming smile. Don’t apologize for it.”
Jude smiled even more. He hadn’t expected the compliment to come so naturally from Lukas.
They ended up filming a short interview, something like a rapid-fire Q&A. Lukas asked him to keep his answers quick to make them feel more natural and have a greater impact on the audience. He also helped ease the tension with his kindness.
“You did perfectly, Jude. Not every player has this kind of charm on camera. They’re going to love you,” Lukas congratulated him with a wink.
Jude didn’t know how to react to every flattering comment the redhead made.
“Thanks. I thought it would be harder.”
“Not at all. You’ve got a certain magnetism. And you’re not getting rid of me, either. Like I told you, I’m always looking for something we can share on social media. I think you’re going to be my new favorite star.”
Jude smiled again, scratching the back of his neck. Suddenly, he didn’t know what to say.
“Anyway, thanks for your time, Jude. I’ll see you around.”
Lukas extended his hand goodbye, and Jude shook it before heading toward the pitch, where everyone was surely already working.
Almost instinctively, he looked for the blond, and thanks to his height and imposing presence, he was easy to spot.
They were practicing shots on goal.
Suddenly, Jude couldn’t take his eyes off the giant. He was strong, fast, and impossible to overlook. Jude didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like to play against him.
Fortunately, that wasn’t something he had to worry about.
“Bellingham! What are you waiting for? You’re late. Your commitments with the communications department don’t excuse your laziness.”
His coach was already shouting at him, and Jude was grateful that he was being reprimanded in English rather than German, or he would have embarrassed himself even more.
He hurried over to join the practice.
“Where were you? I was already starting to think I’d said something wrong yesterday and that you’d gone back to England,” Haaland said during a break.
“No. I was recording an introduction for social media.”
“Oh, sorry,” Haaland said, his smile fading.
Jude looked at him, confused.
“It went well, actually. Lukas is really friendly.”
Haaland said nothing and fell into thought. Jude didn’t know what to do or say to fill the silence. Haaland looked lost in his own thoughts.
Just then, Reyna approached them, wrapping an arm around each of them.
“Guys, they’re putting together a get-together. You know, a few drinks to relax before the next match. It’ll be a good chance for us to get to know you better, Bellingham.”
“Sounds great. You have to come, Jude,” Haaland said, sounding as cheerful as ever.
The drastic change in his mood still left Jude confused, but he decided to let it go for now.
“I don’t know. I’m still only seventeen. I probably shouldn’t,” Bellingham explained.
Reyna and Haaland burst out laughing, and Jude felt a little foolish. Had he said something wrong?
“Dear English boy, you’re not thinking like a German. It’s allowed at your age here… Besides, I’ll look after you. I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re old enough to try new things,” Haaland told him, keeping his blue eyes fixed on Jude.
Jude felt his face grow warm, but he tried to act naturally.
“Well, yeah. It would be good to get to know everyone better, right?”
“That’s the spirit, champion!” Reyna exclaimed. “I’ll send you the location later, Erling. Make sure you bring your new friend.”
“Will do,” the giant replied with a wink.