FLO: I Am Not My Father's Son [Zarry Stylik AU]©️

12

Football Saturday began as a challenge. Coming off Louis’s brilliant mind, it was a way for them to bond on the first and last Saturday of every month. A copy of the informal tournament they had back in school days.

Firstly, it was just the four of them and the girls, then they began including friends and coworkers, becoming a large group of adults and children gathering on Saturdays. It was a family moment with food, drinks and good times.

 It was a full-day event at the park. It would end with scraped knees, sore muscles, dirty clothes and sweat, but the group would be energised and in a good mood. Sure, things could get out of hand sometimes - after all, it was a group of men playing a sport! Nonetheless, when the whistle blew, everything would be left on that makeshift pitch. 

The day included football, a picnic, some music and, of course, a lot of memories. The group would have an entire section of the park just for them. Sometimes, welcoming a small crowd of onlookers to cheer them on; some of them even joined in on the match whenever someone was tired. 

Playing 5 on 5, the game was blue shirts v reds. The losing team would have the daunting task of paying a round of shots to the winning team at the Irishman and the Dog, the pub owned by Louis and Niall.

With Xander as the referee, the boys played opposite one another: One side dressed in blue shirts of several tones and brands - Niall, Harry, Roman, Luke and Joshua. On the other in different shades of red were Louis, Zayn, Jim, Stan and Olivier. 

The game was tied at 2. There were screams and curse words shouted left and right, never minding the children that could be listening. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, with welcoming London temperatures. 

Jaimie had arrived with Cheryl, bringing some drinks and some food. The teenager quickly spotted his dad (in red) and Harry (in blue) on different sides of the pitch.

Louis had a white captain bracelet around his arm and played as a striker, while Zayn and Jim were middle-field players with full mobility across the field. Stan was the last line of defence and Olivier was a goalkeeper.

While on Harry’s team, he was also a middle field player alongside Roman, who was visiting that weekend. Luke was a fellow striker, while Joshua was a defender and Niall, the captain, protected the goal. 

The game rolled on normally. Zayn received the ball with his chest and planted it at his feet. Luke ran up to him, trying to take the ball. Even though Zayn was not a master with his feet like Louis or Niall, the artist held on to keep them at his feet.

When an opening appeared, Zayn kicked the ball forward to Stan, who got it swiftly and pushed the game ahead. Harry took off after the friend, running at his side. Stan tried his shot, but the ball hit Harry on the leg and bounced off the limits of the pitch. An onlooker tossed the ball back and Zayn got it. 

Zayn’s team was closer to Niall’s goal, who was ready. After reading the pitch for a while, focusing on where to kick, the artist spotted Louis standing with an opening, but with Luke close. Xander blew the whistle, and Zayn kicked the ball, flying high.

Once it came down, both Louis and Luke timed the jump perfectly; they both missed, with the ball ending up at Roman's feet. It looked like a regular jump, but Luke came down holding on to his stomach; his team members flagged it, so Xander blew the whistle. 

Luke held on to the stomach, curling on the pitch and Louis simply walked away with hands on his waist, meeting Zayn. The players gathered around the friend, making sure he was okay.