Fortified -Pau Cubarsí-

1 - season starter

(for it to make sense lets pretend that Hector and Pau debuted at the same time lol)

I sit in the family section of the stands, Celeste sits next to me, her knee bouncing up and down rapidly. "are you nervous?" i ask, raising an eyebrow at the blonde "yeah, a bit" she admits, looking down at her lap shyly. I laugh, settling a hand on her bouncing knee "don't stress to much, the worst that can happen is he gets hurt" her pace pales, and she looks as if she has just seen a ghost. "haha, just kidding...kind of" i say, my eyes leaving celeste and landing on the pitch below us, where my brother and his teammates warm up for the first game of the season.

"And who must this be?" Anna Lewandoska's voice booms behind us and i light up. "Anna!" i exclaim, getting up from my seat and walking towards her, as i get closer she wraps me in a warm, motherly embrace. When we part she rubs a hand down my cheek "ahh, and i though you couldn't get prettier" she compliments and a blush creeps its way up my neck, "oh, you're just saying that" i brush her off as we walk towards our seats.

Sitting right where i left her is a shocked Celeste, i chuckle as her eyes widen at Anna's outstretched hand. "Hi Darling, i don't think we've met, im Anna, Lewandowski's wife" Anna warmly greets her and the still shocked blonde holds Anna's hand in greeting "My name is Celeste, im Hectors girlfriend" she says, and i notice how she beams when she says shes my brothers girlfriend, i once beamed like that too.

I shake my head, wanting for the thoughts of the past to magically vanish. Just then, the anthem starts to play through out the stadium speakers. Almost like if on instinct i raise a hand to my heart, celeste doing the same next to me. I breath in, taking in the Camp Nou, the fans, the buzzing energy erupting from everywhere in the massive building.

As the last notes of the anthem fade out, cries, shouts, and screams are heard from both sides of the stadium. I look over to the screen, only to see its pointed directly at me, Celeste, and Anna. I giggle, nudging the girls as i wave at the screen, the sound of their laughter drowning out the deafening screams. I stop waving as the camera pans down to my brother, smiling warmly up at the screen.

Then, the reff blows his whistle signaling the first kickoff of the season, cheers erupt as we carry the ball into Valencia's zone while doing what Barça does best, playing risky football.

Then, when the clock isn't even at 1 minute, Lamine Yamal gets a chance to score, he shoots and the Fans hold their breath. The ball hits the high bar with a unsatisfying thump, earing a collective groan from the crowd.

In the 36th minute Iñigo Martínez sends the ball flying across the pitch, where it lands in front of a running Raphinha. Anna and me stand, grabbing each others hands and Celeste quickly follows, the nails of both the girls dig into my skin, and mine undoubtedly dig into theirs. Raphinha out dribbles the the goalie and sends the ball into the goal flawlessly. The stadium erupts into cheers and jumps as the players celebrate on the pitch, Raphinha, the goal scorer, hitting his signature celebration.

a few minutes later the half time whistle rings out on the bench and i take my phone out, snapping a photo of the pitch before the players leave.