#shoutout to wunderlichkind

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so my dearest @wunderlichkind tagged me to list my 10 reading highlights of 2023 and with a few days delay: here they are! they aren't listed in a particular order but let me just say that 2023 started quite devastating for me thanks to Mr Backmann and what he gifted the world with the "Beartown"-books. Loved them soso much.

tagging @nonbin-arii and @niemernuet and anyone else who feels like it to join in!

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week 3: (missed) late night calls

prompt from the off-season winter sport fandom challange

characters: Nico Hischier, Jonas Siegenthaler, Jack Hughes (mentioned), Dougie Hamilton (mentioned)

length: 795 words

author's note: once again had to adjust the prompt because it was giving me 💫nothing💫 also as much as i want switzerland to do well at the upcoming iihf worlds, i kinda don't want to see any of the devils there because i want them to win the cup even more? sue me. so here goes nothing

The silence which had settled in the bus was filled with a tension that was almost graspable. Most of the players were trying to distract themselves by listening to music or scrolling through their phones. Nico, who was sitting next to Jonas in the back of the bus, had his head rested against the window. His level of adrenaline was still low enough to make him drowse off every now and then and since traffic was making a fool of them at the moment anyway, he might as well use the time efficiently. Jonas, on the other hand, felt his heart beating in his throat already. Not to be dramatic but the amount of blood, sweat and yes, even tears, it had taken them all to get here tonight was far beyond anything he could’ve ever imagined. It would all come to an end tonight and Jonas was trying to not imagine what would happen if they lost in tonight’s final. There was no sense in worrying about the outcome, never had been, yet his brain was running on full speed, his chest felt tight all of a sudden, and why was it so hot in here, had somebody turned on the heating? Jonas was pulling at the collar of his button down. An unpleasant tingle started to rise from somewhere near his stomach into his limbs. Only when Nico placed his hand above Jonas’ which he had clenched around the handle that was fixed to the backrest of the seat in front of him, he felt the flurry easing off little by little.

“Breathe,” Nico said, his voice as calm as always. Jonas did as he was told. They locked eyes, their fingers intertwined, pulling each other back up to the surface. The panic passed almost as quickly as it came and Jonas’ heartbeat slowed down to a healthier rhythm again. Nico didn’t let go of his hand though, not even as he pulled out his phone and showed Jonas a picture that had just reached both their and also Timo’s and Akira’s phone. It was most of their other team, and they were all wearing red-and-white jerseys that said “Swiss devils” giving the camera thumbs up and bright smiles. Jack had captioned the picture “GO WOLF PACK” and Jonas smiled. “I guess he’s not angry at us anymore then?” he asked.

“He told me how he’d much rather get kicked out by us than having to watch Sweden winning yet another time.”

“So, no pressure at all,” Jonas mumbled and Nico laughed softly. He pulled Jonas’ hand towards him and placed a small kiss on the older one’s knuckles. “We’ll be okay.” It was more of a promise than anything else and Jonas wanted nothing more in the world than to believe it and especially the person rewarding it to him.

What happened then was the stuff that dreams were made of. Until this night, Nico had never seen their head-coach cry but when Patrick was handed the trophy, his face was covered in tears and the sight of it alone was enough for a sob to escape Nico's throat. It took them half an eternity to get from the ice to the mixed zone let alone back into the changing room. Nico was the last player to reach it. He had lost complete track of time. The mood was incomparable to what it had been like this afternoon, loud music, shouts, and laughter were filling the cabin, someone had organised beer and pizza and the trophy was still going its rounds from hand to hand. It was simply impossible to describe the pure joy that was soaring through Jonas’ body. And when Nico entered the changing room, exhausted but happy, his heart started doing the sort of flips he had gotten addicted to over the years.

By the time Jonas got to check his phone again, the clock on the display told him it was past 3am. His intoxicated brain didn’t progress this information at all, along with the fact that apparently, Jonas had missed two dozen calls and was left with nearly one hundred unread messages. The only one that mattered though was one from Hamilton that had arrived only a few minutes ago. It was a picture he obviously had taken from a TV-screen, frozen at the very moment when Jonas and Nico had reached each other after the final siren that had announced their victory. One could barely tell where Nico started and Jonas ended and all Hamilton had to say about it was a short “idiots in love. Congrats.” Jonas grinned into his phone like an utter goofball as he set the picture as his lock screen-wallpaper. The night was mild, a soft breeze was rushing through Jonas’ hair and he exhaled in relief.

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week 4: "I don't know what I'm feeling but there's a lot of it"

prompt from the off-season winter sport fandom challenge

length: 841 words

characters: Marco Odermatt, Loïc Meillard, Zoé Chastan, Gino Caviezel, Justin Murisier (mentioned)

author's note: happy 92 days anniversary of one of the best days in swiss sport-history! decided to take a few changes on it just because i can and also because i miss the ski himbos being happy himbos

Zoé's knees gave in the second Loïc had crossed the finish line. He had been the last one to start in the second run, Marco had already shown his best, leaving the third on the podium more than a second behind him and, now that it was official, so did Loïc. Her colleagues were too tied up with screaming in joy to understand the significance of Loïc's timestamp. But when Marco came running towards him, his force knocking them both over, one single mess of limbs and skis and happy tears, realization hit them with a sudden burst. There was no holding back. And Zoé was unable to stand, with all the pressure gone from one second to the next, all she could do was to cry. Many staff members came hugging her first before losing themselves in their frenzy. Through the veil of tears, she eventually saw her boyfriend’s face projected to the big screen. Behind them, volunteers started setting up the podium for the unofficial winners’ presentation. 

“Congratulations to this victory, Loïc Meillard and Marco Odermatt! How does it feel to be a world champion?”, the interviewer asked. The swiss fans were almost loud enough to drown her out. Marco was distracted by someone in the crowd, Zoé couldn’t tell who exactly he was waving at so eagerly, so Loïc took over answering. “Uh, I don’t know what I’m feeling but there’s a lot of it. I personally didn’t expect it to turn out like this, I was glad to have made it into the second run, let alone to stay first, I- I have no words.” 

“You really deserve it; your performance was incredible. What about you, Marco?” Loïc nudged Marco’s side to draw his attention to the camera and the journalist. His smile was bigger and brighter than the sun that was fighting itself through a layer of clouds. 

“Sorry, what was the question again?” 

Everyone laughed, including the interviewer. She showed mercy with the two athletes and only asked Marco this one question before they were allowed to leave the stage for a few minutes until the broadcaster was ready again. Marco and Loïc both hurried across fences and through the crowd of other athletes and operatives until they finally reached the spot their team had gathered. Zoé didn’t see how but Loïc managed to escape dying of suffocation and instead found her, wrapping her up in a bear hug. He was aware of the cameras that were probably pointed at them this very second but for once, he didn’t care about it at all. Having Zoé pressed to his chest, hearing the team rejoice, was enough to tear down each and every single wall inside of him. He felt the tears streaming down his cheeks. Marco wasn’t doing any better either and considering the fact the pressure on his shoulders had been quite a bit larger than what Loïc had experienced, it wasn’t a surprise at all to find him still standing, but sobbing. Zoé was the first to regain her composure. She let go of Loïc only so much she could look at him.  

“They’re waiting for you; you need to get back-” Loïc interrupted her with a kiss. Marco didn’t remember half of what followed, someone awarded him a flower bouquet and he assumed he had sung along the national anthem but he wouldn’t have wanted to bet money on that. His body acted on his own accords while his mind was somewhere else, still trying to wrap itself around the fact that Switzerland had just conquered not one, but two gold medals in a single race. He did as he was told, gave an interview here, smiled into a dozen cameras there, answered the same questions repeatedly when all he really wanted to do was to be with Gino and also Justin because victory tasted best alongside cheap beer and terrible music, he remembered that much from China. And finally, after what felt like an entire year, all TV stations uttered their contentment. Marco was out of the building in a matter of seconds. He had lost an overview on their obligations that followed a victory this big about two or three glasses of champagne ago and therefore had no clue where Loïc was. Marco had felt his phone vibrating in his pocket throughout the entire last interview and now found it covered in texts and pictures, all regarding the party that was going down in the house of Switzerland. 

Gino was waiting for him at the back entrance. He met Marco halfway once he saw him coming and didn’t miss another second to finally kiss his world champion. The world around them slowed down, allowing Marco to breathe. He felt nothing else than Gino’s lips on his, Gino’s arms around him, Gino, Gino, Gino. And when they parted again, their foreheads pressed against each other, both trying to savor every last fracture of the moment, Gino asked how Marco was feeling. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than this very second.” 

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week 2: Everything is going to be okay

prompt from the off-season winter sport fandom challange

characters: Marco Odermatt, Chris Lödler, Zoé Chastan, Gino Caviezel

length: 597 words

January 2023, Kitzbühel

Chris noticed something was off the second Marco crossed the finish line. As far he could tell from the distance, it wasn't as bad as it had been the last time. Marco didn't break down crying, but he was still glad when Chris supported his walk and eventually helped him to take off the skis. The mixed zone turned chaotic as soon as the first journalist had spotted Marco's limp. Zoé helped Chris to shield Marco from the prying camera lenses and microphones as good as possible. They found the team hospitality to be almost abandoned which was good because Marco felt worse by the minute. He let himself fall on one of the plastic chairs, the injured leg stretched out because bending the knee did not feel alright at all, and buried his face in his hands. The adrenaline had worn off, the pain started to radiate up and down the whole leg and Marco hoped the feeling of a fist clenching around his throat would pass again quickly. The corner of his eyes burned.

“I need to get back, Alexis is still up at the start-”

“Don't worry, I got it. Go.”

Chris was reluctant to leave. Marco straightened his back and looked at him. “It's okay. Everything's going to be okay.,” he said. They had known each other for half an eternity now, yet Chris wasn't sure if he believed Marco's words. He left the room and hurried back to the skidoo-station. Meanwhile Zoé was organising a fastest possible transport back to the hotel while also keeping the team’s physiotherapist updated. Marco peeled the race suit off his body in order to examine the knee closer. The swelling was visible already yet it wasn’t bruised which Marco took as a good sign. It felt instable though, he didn’t want to put any pressure on it. The first doubts started to creep into his head: What if the injury was just a bit delayed? What if it really was the meniscus that had taken the hit again and was now fully blown, with no other option than to remove and replace it completely? That would have him in the hospital for a week and the season at its end, no world championship, no more competing for the big globe, let alone the small ones that he got a chance at, and don’t get started on the rehab, the last one had been terrible-

“Marco!”

Zoé’s voice ripped him out of the thought spiral. She was holding out her phone to him and he gave her a confused look but she just motioned him to take it. Marco took a short glance at the screen and recognised Gino’s name on it and suddenly, something inside of him sighed. He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. Gino knew him well enough to talk first: “This is different. You’re going to be back on track in no time.”

“How can you be so sure?” Marco hated how fragile his voice sounded.

“I just am. There’s no way Loïc gets to be the only teammate challenging me for a medal in Schladming, I don’t begrudge him that sort of satisfaction.”

Marco laughed weakly. The door opened again and the physiotherapist joined their group, Marco clenched his hand around the phone a little tighter because he knew the upcoming minutes weren’t going to be easy on neither his knee nor his mind.

“I’ll call you as soon as I know more, okay?” he asked Gino.

“Of course. And Marco?”

“Yeah?”

“Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”

[ticiie]

week 1: the first time

prompt from the off-season winter sport fandom challange

characters: Marco Odermatt, Gino Odermatt (mentioned), Paddy Kälin

lenght: 667 words

author's note: as happy as I honestly am about the revival of the osws-prompts, I had a hard time coming up with something for week one. I had to bend and break the prompt in order to find the minimum ammount of inspiration and this is the result that has me apologizing already. Let's hope week 2 turns out easier and therefor better 🤞🏼

The friendly lady that had accompanied Marco through the highly confusing insides of the studio gave him a sign to walk through the corridor. The audience was pretty huge, a lot bigger than the last time he had been here. Marco gave them an awkward wave that only seemed to fire them up. Paddy, the host of tonight’s broadcast, just shrugged. He tried to say something but Marco couldn’t hear a word through the applause. Paddy pointed him to the table and Marco gladly took a seat. He had spotted his sister and one of his best mates sitting in the front row, Alina gave him a secret thumbs up and Marco tried not to laugh at her too much. The crowd eventually calmed down again so Paddy got to fulfil his job as anchor-man.

“Welcome back, thanks for taking your time!”

“Thanks for having me.”

The medals of the world championship were lying at the edge od the round table, close to the three crystal globes Marco had won this season. Paddy didn’t hesitate to use them as a hook to the interview:

“Let me summaries some statistics of your season: Two-time world champion, three-time globe winner, one of them being the overall globe, your second I may add, most points won in a single season on men’s side which got you tearing down a 23 year old record, and since yesterday: national champion in giant slalom. Congratulations.”

“Thank you very much.”

“It sounds a bit unbelievable but this is the first time you’ve won that title! Does it mean as much to you as the other victories?”

“Well, it’s certainly a great feeling to have it secured as well, especially since I can’t compete at the nationals every season, so it’s nice how it worked out this year alongside everything else. But it’s not comparable to winning Adelboden for example. It’s a bit more down to earth, less hectic.” Laughs came through the audience, Marco felt his shoulders relax. After that, the rest of the interview went by smoothly. At one point, Alina gestured Marco to sit up straighter and Marco had to bite his tongue in order not to burst into laughter. As they reached the end of Marco’s screen time, Paddy brought up the topic of vacations and time away from training. Marco chuckled. “It’s really not as much as people might think. I’ve got some more appointments and testing sessions scheduled and I’ll try to get a few weeks off before the first training camp starts again in June.”

“How does an athlete like you spend his vacation? Are you allowing yourself a week on a sunbed with a good book and no physical exercise or do you need to spend it actively? Taking sightseeing-tours, getting an adrenaline kick?” Paddy pointed over his shoulder to the big LED-screen where the production had pulled up a picture on which he and Gino were hanging overhead from a bungee rope. Again, the audience laughed, just like Marco.

“It really doesn’t matter what I do or where I go, you can always be sure to find Gino calling you on day two, complaining about him being bored and asking what the plan for the day is.”

The program was being shown live on national TV. Marco had forgotten to leave his phone in the dressing room so now he could feel it vibrating in his pocket after saying the thing about Gino. He knew that the text message probably didn’t contain the nicest expressions without having to read it and Marco might would have to make amends by getting Gino a year-supply of those disgusting frog-shaped candies that he loved so much. He had never understood his boyfriend’s obsession over those and they also didn’t taste like the soft drink they shared their name with but Marco knew it would make Gino happy and that was the least he could do after deliberately teasing him in front of a good quarter of the Swiss population.

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bestie @wunderlichkind (who has a great taste in music) tagged me to do the same:

10 songs i've been listening to & my fav lyric / 10 friends to do the same if u want <3

"Song to myself" by Picture This / Make sure that sad little kid, back then would be proud And if you're needing some help, just fucking reach out

"Ohni dich" by Andryy / Usegah und laufe, ufem Gipfel stah, wiit in Himmel luege, d'Stilli reda lah, egal wie wiit ich gange, ich chum nid ah ohni dich

"Forever" by Lewis Capaldi / Out of my mind, I don't remember calling had too much tonic wine sometimes it does the talking I hope you know I wish you all the love you're looking for

"Ausblick trist" by Luvre47 / Tagelang kein Regen heisst, mein Viertel kocht

"Panik" by Emilio / Bist mein Ende, Madame, und die Wände komm'n mit dir näher, ich kämpf' gegen an, trotzdem nehm' ich dich mit zu mir am Ende der Nacht, und hoff' einfach es wird nicht mehr so, wie's beim letzten Mal war

"Light my way" by Denny / silence swallowing me

"O Children" by Nick Cave / Hey little train, wait for me!

"Achilles come down" by Gang of Youths / And there may be no meaning so find one and seize it

"I will follow you into the dark" by Death Cab for a Cutie / If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied

"der seidene Faden" by Pizzera & Jaus / Es muaß jetz wos passieren, damit wir uns net verliern und Egal, wos außerkummt, i mecht's zumindest probiern

tagging fellow bestie @aprilkindkunst and anyone else who wants to join and share some of their fave bangers 💖

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week 6: when the doubts creep in

prompt from the off-season winter sport fandom challenge

length: 1508 words

pairing: Gino Caviezel/Marco Odermatt

author's note: trying to make up for missing last week by adding the hint of a road trip but at the same time bending and breaking this weeks prompt again because writing is really hard on me atm

Justin didn't bother getting out of the car and to ring at Marco's door, he just honked three times, loud enough to wake up the entire neighborhood. Marco came hurrying out and down the last couple of stairs before either Justin or Thomas could get out of the car.

“You're late!,” he greeted them.

“And you're early, we're usually the ones left waiting.” Justin took Marco's bag and stowed with the rest of the luggage in the back of his car. After the suit bag was placed securely on the top, Marco and Justin hugged briefly. They hadn't seen each other in quite some time, Marco had been too tied up with work and hadn't found a chance to make it to Mauro's bachelor party so now the excitement for the actual wedding was even bigger. Marco climbed in the backseat.

Thomas acclaimed him with a ��took you way too long” and Marco scoffed but gave him an affectionate pat to the shoulder. Justin went flat out and they shot down Marco's street, through the village and back on the highway within the least amount of time possible.

“As much as I'm concerned about us being late, I do fancy arriving at the venue in one piece so would you please not kill us?” Thomas asked. He had his hand clenched around the handle above his head.

“We're late,” Justin said, not even pretending to slow down. Oh, how much he'd missed them, Marco thought and laughed to himself. They told him all the fun stories about the party, most of them involving a drunk Justin and for some reasons Marco didn't quite catch, a pineapple-incident. He made a mental note to ask Gino about it later today. As for now, Marco was just very glad to be back around his teammates. The past weeks had been unusually busy, probably thanks to his very successful season. Everyone and their grandparents had wanted something from Marco and Zoé had done the most amazing job with coordinating the association's meetings around his private appointments.

“So, are you gonna do it?,” Justin eventually asked. He looked at Marco through the rearview mirror. Marco hesitated for a second, which was one way to answer.

“No,” he then added with a sigh. Thomas turned around in disbelieve. “You're breaking up with him?”

“Of course not, are you out of your mind?! I just don't want to pull all the attention on us. It's Mauro's wedding, it's really not my place to spoil it for either of them.”

“Yeah, Justin's gonna do that all by himself if he gets himself drunk again.” Thomas' comment earned him a punch from Justin.

The rest of the drive went by rather eventless. The serpentine streets guided them upwards, in and out of the forest, to the top where the view suddenly extended again and the clear blue sky welcomed them. It was all thanks to Justin’s insanity they made it in time, with the last guests still standing outside the chapel, about to get seated, when he basically threw the car to the side of the street and they all jumped out.

“Thank goodness,” Gino breathed as he spotted his friends. He was standing next to the entry so he could give a sign to the head of the band when it was time to start the music. Many people came so it took Justin and Thomas a bit longer than necessary to squeeze past friends and family members, earning one or two stern looks but the smiles and whispered “hello, great to see you” prevailed. Meanwhile Marco had allowed himself an extra minute to kiss Gino quickly. The older one had forgotten all about his anger and frustration and felt himself relaxing against Marco’s touch.

“You look amazing,” he said and Marco felt his heart stumble in his chest and his cheeks turning red. Even after so many years, it had never needed more effort from Gino than that to make Marco flush, a fact that probably wouldn’t be changing anytime soon.

Gino went to take his position next to Mauro just as the music began. Nina, Mauro’s soon-to-be wife, entered the chapel, looking as beautiful as never before. Mauro clutched his chest. It was hard to decide whether he should laugh or cry out of pure luck. Marco met Gino’s eyes and they both shared an equally affectionate smile. Had it been the right decision to leave the velvet box at home? Gino was the love of his life, no doubts creeping in there. But what if this was the last chance Marco got? The longer he waited, the more Gino might start to hesitate? It was Thomas who helped Marco out of the down pull of his spiraling thoughts. He leaned over and whispered: “You can still ask him, even without the ring.” At first, Marco didn’t react. He kept watching the ceremony. Mauro was taking his vows, stating how much he loved Nina, not just for who she was but also what she had done to him. There was more than one person in the audience who was reaching for their tissues. Marco refused to look up from his shoelaces. The days Mauro was referring to had been long and insufferable. The fact that Mauro had overcome this hell on earth with more positives than he had entered it with was a miracle. For a moment, the only thing audible was the rustling of hankies and people sniffling here and there. Then the first notes of a well-known Swiss pop song chimed up and by that time, even the people who hadn’t lost it completely yet, did so now.

The wedding and the reception were followed by a delicious open-air dinner on the Caviezel-estate. A couple of gazebos had been drawn up on the lawn, all surrounding a hardwood dance floor that was encircled by lanterns and flower décor, giving the whole setting a wonderful relaxed vibe. The band was playing danceable songs, those not dancing enjoyed a good talk along with a fine glass of wine. To wrap it up: it was a perfect night for the perfect wedding. Mauro and Nina were the center of attention on the dance floor. She had taken off her high heels a while ago already and now she was swinging in Mauro’s arms, with her head against his chest. It was obvious to everyone and their grandmother that those two had found their missing piece.

The guys were sitting at their table when Gino joined them. His day had been a lot busier than he had expected and so this was probably the first time he got to sit down properly. Underneath the exhaustion, he was happy though. He smiled at Marco as he poured him a glass of water and accepted it along with the soft kiss Marco placed on his cheek.

“Hey Justin, let’s go check out the photobooth,” Thomas quickly said and got up. Justin protested. “What? No, I only just sat down again, have you even tried the cake, it’s really good!” He stretched out his plate under Thomas’ nose who just motioned in Gino’s and Marco’s direction to make him understand the hint. “Yeah, the photobooth looks fun indeed,” he grumbled, leaving his second serving of dessert behind with a sad look. Neither Gino nor Marco had taken much notice of the conversation.

“I love Mauro but I’m seriously not sad about this day being over.,” Gino eventually sighed.

“Does that mean you don’t want a big party then once you get married?”

“Certainly not as big as this one. I don’t need a hundred guests in our front lawn.” Hearing Gino talk about their front lawn as if it was obvious enough they had already agreed on getting married was the last bit of certainty it took for Marco to do it. “Here goes nothing then,” he whispered and got up from his chair and down on one knee. He took Gino’s hand.

“I love you, Gino. I really do and although I can’t say a lot more about how much I love you without tearing up again, I want you to know that I don’t want to spend my life without you by my side anymore. So, I’m asking you: Will you do me the honor and marry me?”

This time, it was Gino who couldn’t decide between laughing and crying. The big lump in his throat prevented him from speaking so he just pulled out a little box from his pocket and presented its containments to Marco: A simple yet gorgeous ring. Marco just stared at it, giving Gino the chance to find his speech again. “I wasn’t sure if you’d ever ask. Yes, yes of course I want to marry you.” Gino pulled Marco to kiss him, both their faces covered in tears but the joy radiating off their bodies for everyone to see. They didn’t hear the people cheering and applauding, especially Gino’s brother and his sister-in-law. The most perfect end to a perfect day.

[ticiie]

got tagged by bestie @wunderlichkind to share my lockscreen, the song I last listened to and the last photo I saved💕

my lockscreen was an attempt to keep my spirits up during my training phase (didn't work out as planned but that's another story), Fabian Römer is one of the most underrated artists there are and I guess the picture I last saved does not need any futher explination🙈🤦🏼 tagging bestie @aprilkindkunst to go ahead🥰

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❤️ i adore you so much!!! please, never change - i‘m so glad i got to meet you!

aaaaah stooooop i'm gonna cry😭❤❤❤ i'm sososo glad you exist you're incredible and i love you❣💐

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Get attacked!! ✨🌈 SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING❤️🫶🏼

AAAAAH SILJA YOU ARE WONDERFUL THANK YOU FOR EXISTING I LOVE YOU KEEP GOING GIRL YOU GOT THIS❤️❤️❤️🌈✨️🍀🌞💕

[ticiie]

week 28: "I heard what you said in that interview"

prompt from the off-season winter sport challenge

pairing: (implied) Nico Hischier/Jonas Siegenthaler

length: 812 words

The storm was still raging outside of Nico’s window, with rain slamming against the blinds the wind rustling underneath the roof. He hadn’t fully woken up yet and at first, he believed to have imagined his phone ringing. But when the noise didn’t stop and his thoughts cleared a little, he grabbed a hold on it and answered it without checking the caller-ID. 

“Hello?”, he rasped into the speaker, voice still heavy with sleep. 

“Dammit, I woke you up, didn’t I?” Jonas. Of all people on this planet with the possibility to reach Nico on his phone, it was Jonas who had decided to call him in the middle of the night. 

“No, I’ve been up for hours”, Nico lied, with a yawn giving him away immediately. 

“Forget that I called. Go back to sleep, this can wait.” 

Before Jonas even got the chance to hang up, Nico stopped him. “No, I’m awake, you better tell me what’s up now, otherwise this was totally unnecessary and I'd have to blame you for me not being focused enough in training later.” 

If Jonas forgot about the time difference between New Jersey and Switzerland, his reason to call must be pretty important. 

“It’s just that...”, Jonas started but then broke off. Nico imagined him sitting on the bench in the changing room, already wearing the training gear while the rest of his temporary team probably wasn’t even up yet. It was the small things that made people stick to the thought that opposites attract and while Nico hardly ever got up before 9am, Jonas was a morning person. Nico sat up straight in his bed and turned on the lamp on his bedside table. The room was illuminated by warm light yet it still somehow felt cold. Empty. 

“I heard what you said in that interview.”, Jonas eventually said. “And I just wanted to let you know that...I miss you.” His voice was barely comprehensible, not much more than a whisper. The excitement that welled up in Nico hearing those words from Jonas made him bite his tongue. 

“You do?” 

“Yeah.” 

The line fell silent and although a good 6’000 kilometres were keeping them apart from each other, it appeared as if Jonas and Nico had been transported into a third space, one that was only reachable through their phones, it wasn’t graspable yet it still felt more real than a lot of things did these days. An ache tore through Nicos heart by the fact that reaching across the mattress ended in empty space and not in finding Jonas’ hand there like he wished to do. Time had been ticking by painfully slow ever since Nico had boarded the plane back to the states a few weeks ago, with Jonas staying behind to spend more time with his family. The apartment they still shared had turned into a prison to Nico and he had fled it whenever possible. Right now, though, things started to makes sense again all of a sudden. As if something had clicked. 

“I miss you too”, Nico whispered. He didn’t have to see Jonas to know that the older one was grinning from ear to ear. There was something causing noise in the background on Jonas’ side of the line so they decided to leave it for now. 

“You better go. Have fun training and don’t hurt yourself.” 

“Same to you. And sorry again for waking you up.” 

“Totally worth it”, Nico replied before ending the call for good. 

The storm had not yet eased down, sending strange sounds through the walls and into the bedroom. Nico sat in the dim light a little longer, recalling the interview he had given to an online sports magazine a few days ago. They had asked him if he would be making any changes on the team for the upcoming season, his position as captain allowed it after all to have a say in who would be holding which position. His answer had come without the slightest hesitation. No, he wasn’t even thinking about changing anything other than what their head coaches had decided. Things had worked out very well last year, so why should he force any changes? “I want things to stay the way they are”, he had said. 

It hadn’t been his urgent intention to sound ambiguous or to give his words more meaning than the literal, but of course Jonas’ had read between the lines. It was easy to refer Nicos statement to the argument they had shared after the end of the regular season months ago, shredding it to pieces with just that one sentence. Nico wanting things to stay the way they were also meant he really really really didn’t want Jonas to move out. Them living together had worked out perfectly fine, why force change on something that was obviously the best it could be? 

[ticiie]

week 20: sitting on a porch at night

prompt from the off-season winter sport challenge

pairing: Nico Hischier/Jonas Siegenthaler

length: 732 words

author's note: a teaser to what might become more in the future, set after the recently held Swiss Ice Hockey Awards

It wasn’t exactly that Nico hated public events during the off-season. But of course, he’d much rather spend the limited time he got in his home country with his family and his friends before he would have to return to North America. Nico surely knew that as a professional athlete, one had to bring certain sacrifices, especially when being named captain of the National Team not even six months ago. That is why Nico found himself in a well frequented event location, surrounded by several team mates, even more staff members, officiants and partners and what felt like at least a dozen cameras that followed the award ceremony they all had gathered for that night. As nice as it was to see those players who were bound to Switzerland and who Nico therefore had limited contact to, the suit he was wearing felt itchy, the knot of the tie made it hard to breathe and the lights were too bright. Really the only thing that made him live through this charade was the person sitting next to him, facing the stage and carefully listening to the laudatory speech their assistant coach was holding in honours of presenting the award for the most popular player.  

Jonas. 

It had always been Jonas and it would always remain Jonas. The person who grounded Nico and yet let him soar two feet above the ground, who made him feel like flying alongside the butterflies in his stomach. Not that Jonas was aware of the kind of impact he had on Nico. The younger one had manged to pull up walls around his emotions, to keep them at bay when necessary. The only thing that made them tremble on a regular basis was that dammed crooked smile that transformed something in Jonas’ appearance. It turned him from the ever so professional sportsman into the childishly playful guy he still was at heart. 

Underneath the table they were sitting at, Jonas’ knee brushed against Nicos what he assumed was by accident. Yet he still could feel the heat rising towards his neck. Jonas shifted his position again so that Nico caught a breath of his aftershave. Nico wasn’t entirely sure if he would survive the evening. 

He did survive the honouring, just like that. The strength had left him when he had to decide whether to decline or to accept Jonas offer of joining him on a nightcap at the hotel bar down the street and before Nico realised, they were seated at a round table, surrounded by the comforting busyness of a restaurant after dinner and other people’s conversations. During this time of the year, the bar had made itself a name by the spectacular view the guests got to enjoy while spending their money on drinks with fancy names that tasted incredible. Shaped like a horseshoe, a boardwalk had been built above the hotel-owned pond. With the candles swimming on the water surface, the impression of sitting in the middle of the star spilt night sky was absolutely well matched. And for the first time tonight, Nico no longer felt like running away. Sitting here on this porch, Jonas opposite of him, a warm breeze in his hair, with the tie loosened and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, he felt so much better. Perhaps even the best since returning for the season preparations. Jonas looked at him. 

“What?”, Nico asked eventually, a smile lurking at the corners of his lips. 

“Nothing”, Jonas replied equally amused. “It’s just...you look very handsome.” 

It was hard to tell due to the dim light, but Nico suspected Jonas to be blushing as well. He took a sip from his gin, Jonas’ gaze lingered on him and Nico feared to burst into flames any second. There was about a million topics they could discuss, one of them being their living-situation in New Jersey, but instead, they sat in silence. A silence that was dripping in anticipation, there was no denying. And Jonas must have been feeling it too. It was Jonas who took the leap over the edge. He reached out for Nico’s hand and intertwined their fingers, leaving the younger one short of breath. His thumb trailed across the inside of Nicos wrist, right where he could feel his pulse raging. Nico swallowed. 

“Tell me to stop”, Jonas whispered, his voice was like gunfire in Nicos ears. 

“Never.” 

[ticiie]

week 30: betting on the new season

prompt from the off-season winter sport challenge

characters: Gino Caviezel, Marc Berthod, Lukas Studer, Marco Odermatt, Justin Murisier (mentioned)

length: 1182 words

author's note: wow, i actually can't believe this is the last week already??? it feels like the last season has ended a minute ago and now season22/23 is only a few days away. i went down the memory lane (aka @niemernuet 's and my chat history) and i figured warming up an old idea for the last OSWS-entry would be something nice (i hope it also turned out nice). rewatch the actual footage of gino winning the game here and check out the cheese suit here.

also, it has to be said: THANK YOU SO MUCH @wunderlichkind for not just coming up with this challenge but also for your contributions, they are all amazing, i love them all, thank you for everything!!! Biggest and most gigantic shoutouts to @wunderlichkind and @niemernuet, you guys are both incredibly talented, i love you guys, you're the very bestest!!! ❤️❤️❤️

alright, that's all, please enjoy my last entry of this year's OSWS challenge!

Reconnecting...reconnecting....reconnecting...

Gino groaned in frustration. The screen of his tablet still only showed the loading-symbol while his WiFi lost the connection for the third time in a row again. Meanwhile, his phone was running wild with new messages from both Marc and Lukas. Of course, only one of them really tried to help Gino. Marc would get his ass kicked in tonight’s game for calling Gino an old sap. Right before he could throw the device against the nearest wall like his nerves wanted him to, the picture changed and both commentators appeared on it.

“Hallelujah, miracles do happen!”, Lukas praised and the others laughed. The live stream was already running so Gino quickly adjusted the angle of the camera so the viewers wouldn’t get to see too much of his (admittedly) messy kitchen.

“With a tiny delay, we welcome Gino Caviezel on this year’s first edition of our popular silent-painter-competition! Gino, you’re here for the second time, last year you won the desired point for Marc’s team-”

“Thanks again, bro”, Marc interrupted Lukas’ summary. Gino winked at him through the camera.

“This year, we decided to spice things up a little. If you don’t succeed and none of the viewers can guess what you were attempting to draw, you’ll have to complete a dare chosen by the opponent team. Alright?”

“So that means if I fuck up, Marc gets the chance to send me into embarrassment?”

“Well, that's up to you and your drawing skills. And who knows, maybe he prepared a dare that’s not going to humiliate you”, Lukas said. One look at Marc's smug grin was enough to let Gino know for certain that wouldn’t be the case.

“But before we get started, let’s talk about what’s coming next in your life Gino; The season is about to start, how is your training going? Did you get to use the summer break the way you wanted to?”

“Absolutely. Conditions in both Zermatt and Chile were amazing, we were all very lucky and glad to get to spend that many days on the snow. It’s just a pity that we’re one man down on the team.”

“Oh yeah, I heard”, Marc chimed in. “How’s Justin keeping up? I bet he’s annoyed about missing the season opening party?”

“He’s fine, as long as he doesn’t miss the season end as well. No, really, we talked to him a couple of days ago and according to him, therapy is going the right direction and he’s confident he’ll be back on track with us by the time the Italian week starts.”

Lukas nodded. He knew about Justin’s high ambitions and his thrive was very impressive, considering how many injuries he had already fought his way back from. The viewers seemed to share all their thoughts, a float of get-well wishes rushed through the stream and Gino took a second to read some of them. To witness so much support and love for his team mate made Gino feel even better than he already was.

“Alright guys, I suggest we get started or we’ll still be sitting here by this time tomorrow. Gino, are you ready?”

“Born ready, Lukas.” He got up from the table and walked over to the whiteboard that was fixed to the kitchen cabinet. Only now Gino remembered what had been written on it when he had last looked at it in the afternoon and he was more than glad about finding it completely spotless and to be able to switch the camera away from his face. Marc would’ve not missed him blushing and he was someone to take the right assumptions most of the time.

Marc continued: “45 seconds for you to draw and for the viewers to guess what it is. Three, two, one, go!”

It wasn’t that easy to both draw and hold the camera at the same time but Gino figured asking for help now would be too obvious. He also had never been that much of a visual or let alone creative person which made those 45 seconds pass even quicker and while Marc was calling out the wrong guesses of the viewers, Gino felt his nerves starting to flutter the more time passed by. He really didn’t want to give Marc a chance to humiliate him on the public eye. Turns out his former art teacher in school had every reason to call Gino out on his lack of visual talent. Time ran out and none of the people watching came up with the correct answer. Lukas sighed overly disappointed.

“Sorry man, tried my best.” Gino turned the camera back so that his face was visible again. Meanwhile, Marc was obviously enjoying not just the fact that Lukas would not take the lead in their competition, but also getting to have Gino to fulfil a dare of his choice. He cleared his throat. Gino hated to admit that he was pretty tense in expectation. And fear. “I think you remember this one”, Marc said and grabbed something that was placed outside of the cameras angle. Gino immediately knew what it was, the ugly yellow colour gave it away even in the dim light of Marc’s office where he was sitting.

“Please don’t.”

Gino covered his face with both hands while Marc unfolded the fabric, the smug grin still glued to his face. “I know your ambitions to this year’s season premier are high, Gino, and we all know what you are capable of on this slope, so if you finish your race on the podium, I dare you to wear this beauty to the official winner’s ceremony in Sölden.”

Now even Lukas was unable to contain his laughter. “Oh, please do finish on the podium, Gino, I need to see you in the cheese-suit!”

“Alright guys, if you excuse me, I’m going to throw myself off the balcony now.”, Gino said and pretended to stand up from the table. Messages of both empathy and glee reached through the live stream, with most of them agreeing with Lukas’ words, stating how much they wanted to see the more than legendary racing suit reactivated again. Marc and Lukas then wished Gino and his team mates all the best for the upcoming races before disconnecting the broadcast. Gino sat there with his head still rested in his palms. He stared into space, reconsidering his life decisions and how to get the best revenge on Marc. Not even when two strong arms hugged him from behind and Gino was surrounded by the comforting smell of pine and laundry detergent did he move from his stupor.

“I bet you helped him, didn’t you?”, Gino asked. Marco just giggled and placed a tender kiss on his cheek.

“I might have told him your size. You’ll look amazing. You’ll go down in history, claiming your first win while wearing that ugly thing is going to make you immortal.”

Gino didn’t add anything to that. The fact that Marco had enough faith in him to assume he was actually going to win this year made the whole situation a little more bearable.

[ticiie]

F1 handwriting game✏

thanks a bunch to @wunderlichkind for tagging me🥰😘

1. What is your URL? // 2. Who are your favorite drivers? What are their numbers // 3. Write out a fandom hot take you have. // 4. Make a prediction for next season. // 5. If your native language isn’t English, write a fun fact about yourself in it.  // 6. Write something nice about another person in F1mblr. // 7. Tag at least four people

as much as I'd love to tag 4 people, I don't have that many mutuals who haven't been tagged yet so whoever feels like participating; go for it! 💕

[ticiie]

week 27: dancing out pre-seaon nerves

prompt from the off-season winter sport challenge

pairing: Loïc Meillard/Zoé Chastan

characters: Zoé Chastan, Loïc Meillard, Justin Murisier, Gino Caviezel, Marco Odermatt (mentioned), Thomas Tumler (mentioned)

length: 829 words

author's note: didn't vibe with this weeks prompt either so i hope it's still acceptable

“Alright, you’re done.”, Loïc announced. Zoé whined when he pulled her notebook away from her and made grabbing hands in its direction like a child. Only then she realised it had long gone dark outside the window. She didn’t remember switching on the light so she figured Loïc must have done it when entering her office. She also didn’t remember hearing him do so.

“I need to finish the schedule; you’ll be the first one to complain if you find it with gaping holes!”

She leaned across her desk and tried to grab her computer but Loïc held it over his head where he knew she couldn’t reach it.

“You’ve been working all day long, it’s time to call it quits for today.”

“You’re one to talk. I know you’ve been taking the long route on the bike again today.”

He ignored her comment and instead rounded the table and crouched down in front of Zoé. He took both of her hands in his and looked at her with soft eyes. “Let it be. At least for today. Come have a drink with us and I promise I will not annoy you tomorrow.” Zoé smiled. The thought of calling it a night and spending time with her boyfriend and the team was tempting, but she didn’t have to tell Loïc she couldn’t join. He understood her by the way she touched his cheek, by the regret in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Loïc sighed but nodded. Of course, he understood. Probably a lot better than most people. With the end of pre-season testing and preparations and the first race being just around the corner, he was working his ass of too, and that meant that a lot of things moved down on the list of priorities. It wasn’t their first season as a couple, Loïc wasn’t worried they wouldn’t get through it. Still, he missed his girlfriend.

“Don’t forget to eat. And let me know if you need someone to pick you up.” He got up and pressed a kiss to her forehead while she inhaled his comforting scent of his citrus bodywash.

“I love you!”, she said before Loïc was out of the door again and he returned it with an honest smile that was full of love.

--

Perhaps it was because they had made the plan to go out that night and it hadn’t been a spontaneous decision, but Loïc found himself slouched at the table together with an unusually quiet Justin and a Gino that looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here the longer the evening went. Loïc had to admit, he wasn’t in a particular good mood either. The upcoming race hung over their heads like the sword of Damocles. And even though they all were experienced enough to know that a bit of nerves wasn’t a bad sign, it still wasn’t very enjoyable.

“How’s Marco?”, Justin eventually asked Gino before taking a small sip from his wine.

“Last time I heard from him was yesterday so I assume he’s good. Apparently, he has caught Thomas crying over a pair of signed sneakers three times already.”

“That’s rough. You think it’s a good idea to have them watch the match? Thomas is for sure going to be an emotional wreck after it.”

“I think not giving them the chance to see it would be the worse thing to do.”, Loïc added and Gino nodded in agreement.

The mood between them did loosen up a little once the barkeeper offered them an extra round of homemade liquor. Loïc had his doubts about the legality of the beverage as it felt as if it was going to burn a hole through his throat. It didn’t taste bad though and it made the worries shrink to a minimum, so when the music got turned up and the crowd started to fill the dance floor, Loïc didn’t decline either. Who knew if they would get any chances to celebrate this season anyway. It was Justin who spotted her through the other party-people. Zoé was carrying a tray of shots and was therefore greeted with immense joy when she reached them.

“To the best of seasons!”, Gino cheered and they raised their glasses. None of them cared about who might see them or what anyone might think of them, in this moment, the team needed nothing more than a normal party night. Loïc pulled Zoé closer and kissed her passionately. The bar was too way too loud to hold a decent conversation, so Loïc hoped the embrace was telling Zoé clear enough how glad he was she had decided to join them after all. Zoé smiled into the kiss. The beat of the song was pumping in her veins, her blood felt like boiling in the very best way and for the first time in a while, she was optimistic that the new season would be a success to not just one, but to everyone on their team.

[ticiie]

tagged by besties @wunderlichkind and @niemernuet to create a ticiiecore moodboard which consists of hikes, privileges of my job (aka getting to meet freakin' Andri Ragettli fml and talking to freakin' Benedict Wells), discovering my love for Ascona and beautiful Ticino in general, sneaking pics of my sister while walking through Hamburg and taking strolls in the rain (although that picture is old but i still like it 'cause it was such a nice afternoon)

tagging @aprilkindkunst and @yuleneverwalkalone (no pressure tho) and anyone else who feels like participating🥰😊