golden blonde¹

dynamic duo

mid january 2023
elena was unpacking her things in her new room when the doorbell rung.

"i got it!" victoria yelled from their kitchen.

their. it sounded a little bit weird, but surprisingly elena didn't feel too bad. lia had drove her here earlier in the day, but left shortly thereafter. it was a nice apartment, spacey and victoria had a lot of homey touches to add to the place.

elena put her headphones around her neck as she walked outside to meet with victoria.

the dutch woman beamed proudly as laura and stina walked in behind her.

"they are here!" she presented the pair, who looked around the place curiously.

"i actually live a couple of doors down," stina said as she looked at victoria's boxes laying by the doorway.

"you forgot their names didn't you?" elena asked slowly in dutch.

victoria pouted, "you try remembering twenty names in one day!"

laura laughed as she reintroduced herself and stina.

"what's going on? i thought we were having an off day today?" elena asks stina.

"viv's got her surgery tomorrow and invited us to visit, victoria wanted to tag along. laura thought you would have loved to as well, so we're here," stina shrugged.

elena smiled. "yeah, just let me get changed."

the spaniard spends her evening with laura, viv, stina, victoria and beth. the latter still recovering from her acl injury, the couple were less mobile than usual.

viv and beth are speaking to stina and laura in the bedroom, which gives elena some alone time with her new roommate.

"nice ring," elena says as she sips some tea. victoria looks down at her band, with the letter 'F' on it.

"thanks, my sister got it for me, she has the same one, but with the letter V," victoria softly smiled at her finger.

"her name is fleur right? she said she studied in madrid for a year, is that true?"

victoria nodded.

"she was asking about you yesterday, i think," she responded with a curious look.

elena stared back confused. why would someone she barely know be asking about her?

"why?"

"she said you look like someone she meet in spain. are you sure you never meet her before?"

the spaniard shook her head.

"i've never been to madrid," elena shrugged. "well i was once, but that was for a national team camp."

"maybe there you meet her?"

elena shook her head again. "i was sick during that camp, i didn't even leave the hotel, only for training. then i went straight back to bed."

elena was convinced she had never heard of fleur pelova before watching film on the goalkeeper.

victoria opened her mouth to respond, but closed it quickly, shaking her head.

"fleur is always talking nonsense anyway."

elena smiled good-naturedly.

"so, what brings you to arsenal?"

victoria's grin expanded. the dutch midfielder went on to go on about her transfer and how she waited six months so arsenal could sign her from ajax. she then went on to elaborate a bit about her career thus far.