Part 2 of the "Haasy and the Soccer Star" micro fanfic
Before Haasy leaves to help out at the hockey camps for the summer, he sheepishly gifts the other man a cute Canadian moose and Centaurs keychain pendants,and a Swiss Saint Bernard mini plush as good luck tokens.
Rudy Morgenthaler,the Swiss national soccer star striker,and Haasy, immediately start chatting daily over socials,and encrypted messaging apps. About everything and nothing. Haasy cheering Rudy on, sharing cute,funny stories from camp. Rudy sharing stories about his team's antics. They talk about art, music, movies, board games,video games, and ttrpgs, comic books,literature,the ups and downs and pressures of professional athlete life, mental health, theater,fitness,opinions and personal thoughts - really just everything.
The first texts Rudy sends Haasy are pics of the pendants proudly displayed on his player's lanyard, and multiple pics of the Saint Bernard plush, affectionately christened Urs (a formerly widely popular Swiss German male given name, given in honor of a Saint, which is now considered quite antiquated, derived from Latin "ursus" meaning bear), in various locations - Rudy's locker stalls,on stadium benches,at training "holding" Rudy's water bottle, peeking out of Rudy's bag, chilling in hotel rooms, even one posed on their side's goal line (much to everyone else's amused befuddlement) etc
Neither of them can keep their texting and rapidly deepening mutual crush under wraps for long since they are both surrounded by nosy,if well meaning, wildly supportive teammates, and friends.
They don't stop texting even as Rudy's team makes it the furthest it ever has - the semi-finals then after a rough match that went to penalties a historic but personally devastating 2nd place -,and Haasy flies home to Zurich for the rest of summer break. They talk a lot about Rudy's feelings on the loss, homesickness, team dynamics, Haasy's anxiety, and what Haasy is up to at home - Haasy even shyly shares some of the art he's working on with an amazed Rudy.
Both eventually realize that there will be a small window where their schedules both have them back in Switzerland at the same time. They both really want to meet but panic about it.
Rudy doesn't want Haasy to feel obligated, doesn't want to come on too strong,isn't sure whether Haasy is interested in him romantically/returns his feelings and how to feel that out without ruining their blossoming friendship etc.
While Haasy is terrified of whether his feelings are requited, of how much he already feels for Rudy even though they haven't known each other for very long, how complicated falling in love with someone who lives so far away from Canada etc.
It takes a ridiculous amount of meddling and counseling by their respective support systems to get them to communicate.
Well,kind of. Rudy chickens out of the "define the relationship and is this a romantic date"-parts at the last second,much to his overly invested team mates' disappointment,but does ask Haasy if he'd like to meet when he's back in Switzerland.
Haasy panics over how to respond,then when his equally overly involved siblings,Swiss friends,the Centaurs' group chat, as well as his reasonably supportive mom (who got the "this is hypothetical" CliffNotes version for the time being), manage to talk him down from that,and he responds with a yes, he moves on to worry about what to wear and do and how not to be weird on a not-a-date hangout with someone who is definitely just a friend.
Rudy is ecstatic Haasy agreed and is looking forward to spending time with him but is driving his teammates nuts with his nervous energy.
Cue the cute "gearing up for the note-a-date" montage๐๐๐ฅฐ
Rudy's team, first reaction:
