We Took the Fall

Pushing a hand through her hair, Catalina let out a slightly nervous sigh, her blue eyes peeking down at the pitch which sat ahead of her. It had been an impromptu decision, with the destination of the league title yet to be decided, Atletico Madrid found themselves in with a shot of winning the title, and Catalina, who’d never been to a match before, had decided that she wanted to be there, even if the title didn’t got their way, she wanted to show her support.

Sparing a glance down at the pitch, she shifted Felix in arms, something which made Esther, who was sat beside her, laugh a little. “You know, it’s really not that big a deal” she teased.

“I know” Catalina noted “But it is the first time I’ve been here and I am a little nervous. I know it is silly…”

“Cat” Esther interjected, smiling at her friend gently “Blondie’s going to be made up that you came and you know it. He’s been on about this since I’ve known him and I am sure that he will be glad to see you and Felix, even if the game doesn’t pan out as he’d like. I am sure he’ll be more than happy to see the two of you” she enthused softly. She wasn’t surprised, for as long as she had known Catalina, she was always been a worrier, but Esther was in no doubt that Catalina’s surprise visit to the stadium would go down well with her fiancé, even if the outcome of the game wasn’t the best, she was sure that Fernando would be more than happy to see Catalina and Felix.

Catalina offered her a slightly uncertain look, causing Esther to roll her eyes. “You’re going to be fine” she enthused “And besides, Felix looks adorable in his little shirt. When did he get that?” she mused, gesturing to the tiny Atletico jersey which the little boy wore, Fernando’s number and the word ‘papa’ printed on the back.

“Fernando got it for him not too long after we found out that he was going to be a boy” Catalina mused, a soft smile on her face.

Esther, who was cooing to Felix, offered her friend a soft smile. “He’s starting to look a little more like you, Cat” she fussed softly “He’s got your hair, your nose, and those blue eyes of yours. You and blondie made a very sweet baby” she enthused brightly.

Catalina’s cheeks warmed a little before she flicked her attention towards the pitch, watching as the two teams stepped out, preparing to kick off.

~#~
Shifting a little on her feet, Catalina peeked out of the tunnel, watching as the team shook hands with their opponents. It had been a hard fought match, Celta Vigo had been intent on playing a high tempo, counter-attacking game which had caught Atletico a little off guard, but even despite the favorable 2-1 result that Madrid had obtained, Barcelona had managed to retain their title with a win over Granada, something which had left the atmosphere a little mixed.

Chewing on her lip, she spared a look towards Esther who offered a thumbs up before the other women started to move forwards, something which made her swallow a little before she padded into the technical area, her blue eyes admiring Fernando who was stood talking with Diego Godin and Antoine Griezmann.

Shifting her hold on Felix, she watched him for a second before Antoine gestured towards her, causing Fernando to turn around, his face lighting up at the sight of her.

“Catalina” he mused “Nena, what are you doing here? I thought I’d have to bribe you to get you to show up” he fussed, grinning down at her.

“I thought I could give it a try” Catalina noted softly “Aren’t you happy to see me?” she teased.

Fernando smiled at her gently before he took a pace forwards, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m thrilled to see you” he mumbled softly “Both of you” he added, his hand gently touching Felix’s head, causing the little boy to stir a little.

“I’m sorry about title” Catalina mumbled, carefully moving to place Felix in Fernando’s arms.

“It’s alright” Fernando noted “I mean, it hurts being so close, but there’s always next year” he added.

Catalina nodded her head quietly.

“I can’t quite believe you’re here, nena” he teased brightly.

Catalina rolled her eyes a little before she pushed herself up onto her toes, pressing a soft kiss against his lips before she ducked away, allowing him to start the lap around the pitch with Felix in his arms.

~#~
“Did he go down OK?”

Fernando, who’d just padded into the living room, looked up a little at the sound of Catalina’s voice, a small smile appearing on his face at the sight of her. “He went down fine. When did you buy that?” he quipped, smiling at the red and white striped shirt she wore.

Catalina, who was happily sipping on a glass of wine, shrugged, a smile on her face. “I picked it up a while ago” she teased “Why, do you like it?” she added, peeking up at him.

Fernando nodded. “I do” he quipped as he stepped towards her “I like it a lot” he added, dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

“I thought you might” Catalina quipped, settling her glass on the table.

Fernando smiled gently as he moved to sit beside her, pulling her into a warm embrace. “I am glad you showed up, you know” he mumbled softly “I know it’s not something you love, but it means a lot to me” he added softly. He knew it wasn’t a forte of hers, Catalina had always been a little edgy when it came to crowds, but he was pleased that she had shown up, even if the title had ended up in Barcelona, he was glad that she had been there.

Catalina smiled up at him. “It was nothing” she mused gently.

Fernando quirked another warm grin before he moved to cup her face, pulling her into a soft kiss that Catalina was more than happy to return. “You know, now that the season is over, I am going to be around a little more” he teased as he stole a couple more soft kisses.

“I think I can get used to it” Catalina teased “Besides, I kind of told Esther that we’d agreed to start wedding planning now the season is over and she’s going to be all over it” she added with a smirk.

Fernando scoffed playfully before Catalina leant into him, stealing another soft kiss before she carefully moved to her feet, tugging him along with her.

Fernando smirked a little and followed after her, easily lifting her off of her feet with a small squeak which quickly became a laugh. It had been a while, since Felix had been born, their time alone had been limited, but the season over and done with, Fernando was determined to make the most of it. The last thing he wanted was for his relationship with Catalina to stutter or falter in anyway.