swing// a fierrochase au

1

Magnus didn't remember a thing. He didn't remember the rush of the cramped bus on the highway, reeking with the smell of his 24 other teammates, didn't remember how he and TJ had gotten entangled in each other for warmth, didn't remember any of it. How could he? Because once he got off the rented bus that Mallory swore someone was murdered in, he saw them.

He saw the team he'd heard all about. A strong bond, with great players, and to say the least, he was worried. But even then, that's not what he saw. He saw a slim figure, a person with shoulder length dark hair tinted green at the edges. The person wasn't busy being rowdy in the crowd of their teammates- they were on the sidelines with earbuds in their ears by the sidelines, smiling as they watched. Magnus felt attracted to them, he wanted to go over and spark up a conversation, he wanted to know more. He saw the figure start to turn their head in his direction and before he could do anything, Halfborn started pulling him by his arm, saying something about unpacking because "Sam's making us."

He could feel the figures eyes on his back, and he wanted to return the gaze, but as Halfborn was a pretty buff guy, he couldn't turn around. It was disappointing, but as expected. He never could make any good conversation, anyway.

The hotel the youth league had rented out really did seem 5 Star, as Sam had been telling him on the way over before he had taken a nap with TJ. The ceilings domed and the foyer had many pieces of artwork displayed all over. He felt intimidated, being homeless for a large part of his life and never being anywhere near this fancy. He followed Samirah diligently while taking his own pair of mental notes as to not get lost in this huge hotel. They signed in quickly, using just their team name, '"The Vikings", and got their room key. The elevator ride and walk to the room was short, and as soon as Blitzen, one of their two chaperones, the other being Hearthstone, opened the door, he widened his eyes and made space for the others to see.

The room wasn't what any of them expected. it was big, to say it simply. The door opened to a small foyer, which branched out to a kitchen and a living room. When Magnus walked farther in, he saw the balcony. He put his backpack down as the rest of his team began to explore the rooms. Magnus stepped out onto the balcony and watched vans and busses grew by the minute. He thought he had had just enough people watching, until he saw the same figure he had been entranced with looking up at him from down below. He gave a small wave, and the figure returned the gesture. The person looked inside the building, Magnus thinking they got called, and the mysterious green haired player left his view of sight. He went back inside the room, if you could even call it that, and walked towards the sound of TJ calling his name.

"We got a good space!" TJ said, a grin on his face as he gestured around them. "We have the bathroom close by and it has two beds, so you lucked out from having to cuddle with me again," he said, to which Magnus let out a chuckle. "Good, I don't think I could manage being hit in the face anymore times," Magnus retorted, earning him a playful hit to the arm, for which TJ had to lean over to do. They both melted into a comfortable conversation, talking about whatever they thought about as they unpacked. TJ brought up the worst question at the worst time, but how would he have known?

"So, anybody special caught your eye?" he asked, a playful tone showing he didn't think Magnus would really have one, seeing as though no one had caught his eye since "The Closet" incident. "Actually," Magnus answered, rubbing the back of his neck, "there's... well, it's complicated. I don't really know them but they're interesting." TJ raised an eyebrow and looked directly at Magnus, the latter starting to shift uncomfortably. "I mean, I won't ask for a name or anything but, go get 'em tiger," TJ said, unpacking the last of his things. "I'll be in the hotel's arcade if you need me!" he said, leaving an embarrassed Magnus alone in their shared room. It had more than enough space for about 5 people to sleep in, and included a bathroom and large closet. He wasn't sure if this was the main bedroom, but he had already unpacked so he stopped his worrying. After exploring every inch of what seemed to be an apartment, he left with a room key and headed down to explore the fields.