Where reader is a firefighter, Emily with the girls stopping by the firehouse to drop clothes off for reader. None of the girls have meet reader yet so their all go with her. Girls start making comments about reader, making Emily feel a bit more jealous then usual
୨ৎ Summary: Emily’s hanging out with a few teammates when you text her asking to bring some spare clothes by the station, and her teammates, who haven’t met you yet, tag along.
୨ৎ WC: 752
୨ৎ AN: i did use she/her pronouns for R :)
[💗] hi love! :) if you’re not too busy, could you drop a change of clothes off by the station?
Emily let a small smile take over as she read your text, read to send you a ‘of course!’ back. She was currently hanging out with Alessia, Taylor, Steph, and Lotte at your shared flat, the group making the most of their day off by doing nothing.
“Awww, Foxy. Must be Y/N/N,” Alessia chuckled when she noticed the grin on Emily’s face.
The blonde’s comment earned teasing jokes from the rest of the group while a dark blush coated the defender’s face. They knew of you, Emily has mentioned you a handful of times. But with their busy football schedule and your unpredictable schedule, there hadn’t been a time for you to have met Emily’s teammates.
“Shut up,” the defender groaned but her smile never left. “Yes, it was. She was asking if I could drop off some clothes by the station,” she added as an explanation.
“Oh! Can we come with? It would be nice to finally meet her,” Lotte chimed in.
Emily shrugged in response. “I don’t see why not,” she laughed before standing up from her spot on the couch. “I’ll be a minute and then we can head out.”
Emily had grabbed you two different outfits, unsure of the kind of clothes you’d be needing while her friends had untangled themselves from the mass of blankets on the couch and gotten themselves ready. With everyone ready, they made their way to Emily’s car and were off the fire station fifteen minutes from where you two lived.
Once parked and everyone was out, the group followed Emily inside, letting her lead the way since she’s been here before. Emily had texted you when they left so you knew you to be waiting. The defender spotted you first, leaning against a counter with your phone in your hand.
“She’s hot. No wonder she’s a firefighter,” Emily heard mumbled behind her the closer they got to you. She did her best to brush off the comment, not wanting to deal with a bout of jealousy right now.
“Hi, love,” you grinned when you heard their collective footsteps.
Emily matched your grin and felt a bit smug at the way you hardly glanced at her teammates, who were still mumbling about how attractive you were. You gave her a quick kiss, wanting to keep it professional while at work and in front of her friends.
“Hi,” the defender mumbled against your lips when she pulled away.
You turned to face her teammates, smiling politely at each of them. “Hi, I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you,” your voice was calm and steady as you greeted them.
They each replied, introducing themselves and waving. The conversation flowed easily after that, the six of you talking about what they had gotten up to so far with having the whole day off. In turn, you talked about having to put out a small fire early this morning before you had the chance to settle in after clocking in. Throughout the whole conversation, Emily had a tight grip on your hand, as a way of making it known you were together.
She didn’t normally feel jealous, but something about hearing her teammates go on about how hot you were had her feeling a bit possessive. She didn't have time to deal with it before an alarm sounded and you were pulled back into the chaos of putting out fires and saving lives. You gave her a quick kiss and took the bag of clothes she brought before rushing out a “gotta go.”
The group of players watched as you disappeared into a different part of the station, the loud noises of multiple people all rushing to change into their gear and the engines starting filled the silence between them. It was Lotte who spoke first, mumbling a teasing ‘good job, foxy’ as they made their way toward the door they came in.
Emily let a small smirk grace her lips now, her pride and love for you beating the jealousy she felt moments ago. The rest of her teammates followed suit with various comments about how cool you seemed despite the chaotic nature of your job. Emily would mention this later once you were home and you’d laugh and tease her about how she felt jealous for a moment. You’d tell her she has nothing to worry about, that you only have eyes for her.
gonna have to do some maintenance on my masterlist and make separate lists because I have too many links 💀😭 so i'm sorry for any sort of spam or whatnot that comes while I work on that lmao
୨ৎ Summary: You and Alessia have had a ‘friends with benefits’ thing going on for some time now, and it carries into the national team when you’re roomed together
୨ৎ Warnings: SMUT - MINORS DNI!, top Alessia, bottom reader, oral and fingering (R receiving)
୨ৎ WC: 1.8K
You drummed your fingers against your leg as the car pulled up to the hotel the Lionesses were staying at for international break. You were arriving a bit later than a few of your Arsenal teammates because of other commitments so you were happy to finally be in camp officially now. You mumbled a ‘thank you’ to the driver before opening the door to step out, smiling at some of the staff who were outside greeting the players as they arrived.
You waved to the phone they were recording arrivals on before rounding the car to grab your suitcase. “Welcome to camp!” one of the staff members beamed once you had your things.
“Happy to be here,” you matched her smile before giving the phone one more small wave.
You made your way inside, greeted by another staff member who gave you your rooming information for camp. You thanked them before making your way to the elevator, pulling out your room information as you waited for the elevator to come back to the lobby floor. You bit back a smile seeing you were rooming with Alessia.
The two of you grew closer once she joined Arsenal and over time your relationship morphed into a sort of friends with benefits. It started after the team went out to celebrate after a win, the two of you gravitating toward one another the more alcohol you consumed. You don’t remember much from that night, other than her kissing you and then waking up in her bed the next morning.
After that, you two started spending more time together which led to more nights in each other’s beds. Neither of you were currently looking for a relationship but it was fun to have this outlet with someone you trusted. Since your ‘FWB’ relationship started, you hadn't roomed together with the national team until this camp and you were looking forward to the fun you two would have.
The elevator dinged when it reached the lobby, its metal doors opening to take you to the seventh floor of the hotel. You could feel the excitement building within you as you rode the elevator, a grin on your lips once the doors opened to the seventh floor. You were quick to find your room and slid the key card in to let yourself into the room. Your eyes landed on some of Alessia’s things as you entered.
“Hi,” you beamed when you walked further into the room and spotted the blonde sitting against the headboard of the bed she claimed.
“Hi!” she matched your smile as she pushed herself off the bed to throw her hands around your neck, pulling you into a tight hug.
You let go of the handle of your suitcase to wrap your arms around her waist. She pulled back slightly, letting her hands lock around the back of your neck. Her eyes dropped to your lips for a brief second before they moved back up to lock with yours. Her smile turned into a small smirk as she let go of you and moved to sit on the edge of her bed.
“How was the trip?” she asked, watching while you made yourself busy settling in.
“Boring since I was by myself,” you huffed as you pulled some of your belongings out of your suitcase.
Alessia laughed at your complaint as she leaned back, resting her weight on her hands. “I’m sorry,” she laughed.
You chuckled at her words and threw her a quick glance before diverting your eyes at how attractive she looked. “There’s a team meeting in a couple of minutes, right?” you asked; you knew the answer but you wanted her to keep talking.
“Yeah, everyone should be here now,” she nodded, shamelessly letting her eyes linger over your body.
You groaned softly at the confirmation. You wanted to spend more time with Alessia but of course, you had to deal with team things first. It’s been two weeks since the last time the two of you hooked up, with your busy Arsenal workload and personal commitments, you didn’t have the time to meet up.
Before you could say anything, an alarm went off on Alessia’s phone. She’d set it when she got to camp so she wouldn’t be late to the meeting. “Time to go,” she sighed as she sat up.
You pouted when you turned to face, earning a small laugh from the blonde. She pulled herself off the bed and immediately crowded your personal space. Her breath tickled your ear as she leaned in to whisper. “If it goes by quick, we’ll have plenty of time before dinner,” her voice was low, sending shivers down your spine.
Alessia smirked at the way you licked your lips at her words. “C’mon,” she mumbled as she pulled on your hand. You let her pull you out of your room and toward the larger room at the end of the hall that was being used as a team meeting room. You gave quick hugs to some of your teammates before Alessia pulled you to the back row of seats; seats that were out of sight to everyone else.
Her hand found your thigh once you were seated, her fingers lightly tapping your skin as you listened to Sarina greet the team. You swallowed lightly as Alessia’s hands danced further up your thigh. You knew she wouldn’t do more than this while in a room full of your teammates, but it was enough to pull your focus from what your coach was saying. You were hardly paying attention so you hadn’t realized Sarina had dismissed everyone until Alessia pulled her hand away and stood up.
She gave you a quick look with a raised brow as if to say ‘are you coming?’ You cleared your throat and stood up, letting the forward guide you out of the meeting room. You were grateful that none of your teammates had stopped you to chat before you could make it back to your hotel room. Once back inside your room, the air around the two of you was thicker.
You hesitated for a moment, wanting to let Alessia decide if now was the right time. She pulled you further into the room and her lips met yours in a heated kiss. A small moan left your mouth as your lips worked against hers. Her hands moved back to your neck for a moment before moving down to grip the hem of your t-shirt.
“Take this off,” she mumbled against your lips as she pulled away to help lift the shirt over your head.
You helped her before pressing your lips back against hers. Her hands fumbled with the bra you were wearing as she quickly unhooked it and pulled it off your arms. The cool air of the hotel room left goosebumps along your bare skin but you didn’t have time to think about that before Alessia’s hands found the waistband of your sweats. You let her push them, along with your underwear, to the floor. Her hands found your bare waist as she turned you slightly to push you down to the bed you claimed.
Breaking the kiss, you slid up the bed to make yourself more comfortable. You watched with hooded eyes as Alessia stripped, letting her clothes join yours on the floor before she crawled her way up the bed. She smiled before kissing you again, this kiss messier than the ones before it. Your fingers clung to her back, your nails leaving small indents as you held her closer to you.
Alessia pulled away to trail kisses along your jaw and down your neck toward your chest. Your back arched off the hotel bed slightly as a soft, pleased sigh fell from your lips. Alessia smirked against your skin before moving to suck one of your hardened nipples into her mouth.
“Fuck, Lessi,” you moaned, moving one of your hands to tangle in her blonde hair.
Alessia pulled away from your nipple before moving slightly to give the other the same treatment. Your breathing was labored the longer she spent on your chest, you should have known she’d take her time considering how long it's been since you two hooked up last.
“Lessi, please,” you whined, your hips bucking off the bed as much as they could.
Alessia moved away from your chest, her eyes meeting yours. “You learned how to say please since the last time we did this,” she teased before placing light kisses down your stomach.
You let out a small whimper when she littered kisses along your hip before settling between your thighs. You waited in anticipation, your chest heaving before she even did anything. A small gasp fell from your lips when her tongue circled your clit. The hand in her hair tightened as your hips jerked up in search of more.
“Be patient,” she chuckled before running her tongue through your soaked folds.
“Fuck,” you whined, your thighs squeezing around her.
Her tongue licked at your folds but never doing more before moving back to circle your sensitive clit. You were about to beg for more when you felt two of her fingers pushing into you. Your back arched once more as she set a slow pace of her fingers.
“Faster,” you whined, your voice a bit raspy.
Alessia hummed against you, sending jolts of pleasure through your body. She complied, speeding up her fingers and her tongue. Moans filled the room mixing with the lewd sounds of her fingers thrusting in and out of you. Considering it's been a bit longer than normal for the two of you, you knew it wasn’t going to take long to reach an orgasm.
Your eyes fluttered shut as you pushed Alessia’s head closer, your hand tight in her hair as your thighs shook on either side of her head. “I’m c-close,” you whimpered, the familiar coil in your stomach threatening to snap.
Alessia moaned against you, her fingers drilling into you even faster. Your free hand shot to your mouth when you came, doing your best to hide the fact that you were currently hooking up with your teammate from whoever was roomed in the room next to you. Alessia’s fingers slowed after a few moments as she helped you ride out your high.
She pulled away, her eyes meeting yours when yours opened. She wore a cocky smirk as she pushed herself back to hover over you, her lips meeting yours once again. You moaned at the taste of yourself on her lips.
“Was the wait worth it?” she teased when she pulled away.
You chuckled before nodding. “Definitely,” you grinned, breathless.
Alessia moved to lay beside you, her chest heaving ever so slightly. You swallowed quickly before pushing yourself up to hover over her. You gave a quick look to the clock on the nightstand, double checking that you still had enough time before team dinner.
“Your turn,” you grinned down at her.
You spent the rest of time before dinner returning the favor and making up for time you weren’t able to see each other this way. You were grateful that you luckily got paired up to room together this camp, it made things even more exciting.
୨ৎ London Derby | Steph Catley x Chelsea (Aussie) Reader
୨ৎ Summary: The London Derby is even more competitive when you’re playing against your girlfriend
୨ৎ WC: 1.5K
୨ৎ: so sorry for how little I’ve posted recently, I’ve been really busy and sick! 😞
Steph’s phone dinged with a notification just as the team bus pulled into the stadium. She knew it was you before she even flipped over her phone, a small smile already gracing her lips.
[my love 💓] hi good morning <3 hope ur ready to lose today ;)
Steph chuckled at your cockiness, something was only reserved for London derbies because you knew she found it attractive. As the team started leaving the bus, the defender shot back a quick response.
[steph] good morning darling ❣️ I think ur mistaken about who will lose today !! :)
She slid her phone into her pocket as she made her way off the bus, trailing behind Kyra and Vic. Kyra turned to shoot her a look, noticing the smile on her face.
“What’s got you smiling like that? Must be Y/N,” she teased, laughing when Steph’s cheeks turned red.
“Shut up, Kyra,” the defender mumbled as she passed the younger duo, earning a laugh from the both in her wake.
Leave it to her little pest to tease her about you, something she’s been doing since you’d finally started dating. Kyra, along with your other Aussie teammates had been dealing with the two of you refusing to talk about your feelings for the other for what seemed like years. No one could believe it when you finally worked up the courage to ask Steph out on a day during camp a year and half ago.
In that year and a half, there have been plenty of London derbies between you and each one you’ve teased Steph relentlessly about. It was something you did pre-dating when you were just friends who played for rival clubs. But now that you were dating, there was something more in it for you both.
While getting ready for warmups, Steph let her thoughts lead to you. More than just how she planned to stop you on the pitch, but everything she loved about you as well. No wonder she gets teased so much by her teammates when she’s this obviously smitten with you. When it was time for warmups, she had to force herself to refocus on the entire game plan that had been discussed at length leading up to this game.
On the pitch, the Chelsea players were already running through drills. Steph’s eyes found you immediately as you shot a top corner goal that no one would be able to save. You grinned as you turned to high five Sam, your eyes finding Steph in the distance as you did so. Steph didn’t need to be closer to see the way your grin changed into a smirk.
“Hey! Stop staring at the competition!” Caitlin joked as she pulled Steph further onto the pitch.
“I wasn’t staring!” Steph tried to defend herself, but she knew it was no use.
Caitlin laughed as she let go of Steph’s arm and gave her a knowing look. “Whatever you say,” she grinned before focusing on what the trainers were saying.
On the other side of the pitch, you were getting the same treatment. Your eyes were locked on Steph as you watched Caitlin pull her into a group of Arsenal players. It took Sam snapping her fingers in front of your face to pull your attention away from your girlfriend.
“Focus! We got a game to win,” she laughed as she pushed you back into line.
“I am focused!” you huffed, rolling your eyes with a small smile.
“Yeah, on Steph,” your national team captain joked.
You held in a comment, knowing it would just get used against you later. You focused as much as you could on the drills you were running but each time you looked behind you, you were staring at Steph. You couldn’t help yourself, you’d finally asked her out and you were finally dating. You were just happy to be on the same pitch with her again.
Pre match speeches were quick when you returned back to the locker rooms and before you knew it, you were lined up in the tunnel with the Arsenal players to your left. More specifically, with Steph to your left. You tried to keep your eyes locked on anything but her but you could feel her eyes on you. You exhaled slowly as you turned your head slightly, your eyes meeting hers immediately. Steph gave you a wink before the lines moved and you were making your way onto the pitch.
Hand shakes were quick, but you gave Steph’s hand a tighter squeeze compared to everyone else. It was game time and you needed to give it your all but you couldn’t help it when it came to Steph. As you made your way to the half way line, it was your turn to give Steph a wink when her eyes met yours from her position in the back line.
When the ref’s whistle blew, you were off. Each time you were on the ball, Steph was right there, like she could read your mind. In a way she could, you’d been teammates for Australia for years and she’s always been a fan of your game. It made reading your movements much easier. In the 24th minute, it was her who tackled you when you had a shot lined up.
You hit the ground with a groan, hoping for a whistle that never came. Steph was on her feet first, offering you a hand with a bright smile. “Maybe next time,” she joked as she pulled you to your feet.
You let out a playful scoff before taking off after the ball. That continued for the rest of the first half, each time you were close to letting a shot off, Steph was there to block it. It helped that while you couldn’t score, Sam could and had Chelsea up 1-0 at the break. When the ref blew her whistle for halftime, you were panting as you made your back to the tunnel.
“You gotta be quicker, darling,” Steph’s voice called as she walked past you, shooting you a teasing smirk.
She was gone before you could rebuttal but you knew her comments were just in good nature. If anything, she was hoping you’d take her words to heart and actually get one past her. She was trying to do what captains and girlfriends should and help you get better.
Half time was a blur, much of it spent on going over the same tactics from the pre-match meeting. When you were back on the pitch, you didn’t look for Steph. This time, you were intent on getting the ball in the back of the net. Before that could happen though, Arsenal had managed to put two in the back of the net and took the lead.
The game was nearing the 87th minute when you finally got the chance to score. This time, you knew Steph was watching you like a hawk and knew to expect her. She might know your game, but you know hers just as well and knew how to break past her. You watched as the ball flew past the keeper’s hands and hit the back of the net, a grin forming on your lips when Sam jumped onto you.
The game was level and there was much time left for anyone to change the scoreline. You knew you needed to win but in terms of you and Steph, you were glad it was a tie when the ref blew her whistle a few minutes later. You dropped slightly, your hands resting on your knees while you fought to catch your breath after playing a physical game.
“Good goal, baby,” Steph cooed as she made her to you.
You smiled as you stood up straight, your arms immediately finding her waist to pull her into a tight hug. “You had some good blocks today,” you praised, mumbling into her neck.
Steph’s arms tightened around your shoulders as she held you closer, a smile gracing her lips. “Thank you,” she mumbled before she eventually pulled back.
You gave her a small smile, one that said how much you wanted to kiss her but wouldn’t. You may be public with your relationship but there were still too many eyes on you at the moment for you to give in. “I have to go do media,” you huffed with a small pout.
Steph chuckled before pulling her arms off your shoulders. “Go do it. I’ll wait for you,” she smiled as she gave you a small push.
“I love you,” you grin as you take a small step away from her.
Steph’s face flushes again, much like this morning when Kyra was teasing her. “I love you, too,” she smiled.
London derbies, despite how physical and demanding they are, are some of your favorite games to play. Especially when it means you get to play against Steph and go against each other as much as you do in games. The love and respect between you two means you’re both going to play some of your best football when you get to play against each other.
hey! an anon informed me my work was stolen so i looked through the person’s account and found ur fic there too. idk if you allow reposts or not but thought u should know either way.
hi chat! sorry for the lack of fics this month! I've had a busy month and didn't have time to write much </3 but hopefully next month will be more chill and I can get some stuff posted!! 🙂↕️🙂↕️🫶🏻
୨ৎ And They Were Roommates | Steph Catley x Reader
୨ৎ Summary: After calling off her engagement, Steph needed a place to stay for the upcoming season, which is how you found yourself with a new roommate, a roommate you happen to have a crush on
୨ৎ WC: 2.9K
୨ৎ AN: this is kinda giving ‘everyone knows but them’
You groaned softly when your alarm went off, pulling you from the blissfulness of sleep. You stuck out a hand to fumble with your phone to turn off the alarm. Your head dropped back onto your pillow as you let out another soft groan before pulling yourself out of bed.
You took your time getting ready for training, sleep still calling to you. When you were done, you made your way to the kitchen to grab something quick to snack on.
“Oh! Good morning,” you mumble when you round the corner to find your Australian teammate standing against the counter, coffee cup in hand.
“Morning,” she smiled before taking a small sip of her coffee.
It had been four months since the defender had moved in with you, and you’d still not getten use to having her living with you. It wasn’t because Steph was a bad roommate; if anything, she was the perfect person to live with. That is, if you didn’t have a crush on her. When she called off her engagement, you were quick to offer her the extra room in your house, knowing she needed a place to stay. At the time, what you felt for her was minimal, and you told yourself that living together wouldn’t be an issue.
You were wrong.
Living with Steph has made your feelings skyrocket, and now it’s hard to be in the same room without getting flustered. “Sleep well?” The defender asked after a moment of silence.
“What?” you asked. “Oh, yeah,” you mumbled when you processed her question. “You?”
“Same,” she smiled.
Before the conversation could continue, Calvin came bustling into the kitchen. You grinned as he pranced up to you and reached down to scratch behind his ears. “Good morning, Calvy,” you grinned, your voice rising slightly.
Steph watched with a content smile but quickly diverted her attention when you lifted your head. “I’m ready whenever you are,” you offered as you reached for the fruit bowl on the counter.
“Just need to let him out, and I’ll be ready,” Steph responded as she pushed herself off the counter and headed for the back door, calling Cavin as she went.
You let out a small sigh once you were alone and bit into the apple in your hand. You moved to the front door to pull on your shoes and grab the bag you took to training. As you waited, you pulled out your phone to seem busy, hoping you’d find something to distract you from your roommate.
“Ready,” Steph hummed as she pulled on her shoes and grabbed her bag.
You slipped your phone back into your pocket as you headed outside, both of you saying bye to Calvin. With Steph living with you now, you’d opted for carpooling to trainings, which only added to the feelings you had for her. It was her turn to drive the two of you to work, and when you reached her car, the defender opened the passenger side door for you.
“Thank you so much,” you said dramatically with a grin as you slid into the seat.
“Well, of course, “ the defender smiled before closing the door.
Small things like this only make it harder for you to get over your feelings for Steph. You didn’t know if you’d ever tell her how you felt, but especially not right now when she just called off her engagement. Steph hadn’t talked about why it was called off, and you weren’t going to overstep, so it never came up.
You shook your head slightly to clear your head as Steph started driving. The ride was filled with music from the radio, serving as a buffer between the two of you. Things weren’t awkward between you, but you were too anxious about her catching on to how you felt about her. You were grateful when she eventually pulled into the parking lot of the training grounds and parked her car.
The walk inside was silent as well, and if anyone noticed, they would have assumed it was just because of the early morning. When you made your way to the locker room, you were immediately pulled away by Leah and Katie.
“You’re here just in time,” Leah huffed as she pushed you to the bench.
Your brows furrowed, but you knew you were about to be pulled into some unimportant argument. “Just in time for what?” you asked with a small smile.
“Please tell Leah that these boots look good,” Katie groaned as she handed you her phone.
Your eyes dropped to the screen to see a pair of brightly colored boots with Katie’s initials and the Irish flag. “Um,” you hummed, eyeing the pair of shoes.
“See, I told you,” the blonde laughed with a small gesture.
“That wouldn’t be my first choice,” you chuckled as you handed the phone back to Katie.
“You two just don’t get it,” she scoffed as she went to ask other people’s opinion.
You and Leah laughed when you heard Kim tell her how bad the neon color was. Leah dropped to the bench next to you as you moved to pull on your boots. “You and Steph seemed quiet this morning,” she noted, eyeing you.
“Early morning,” you shrugged when you sat up.
“Mhmm,” she hummed.
You shot her a side glance, but neither of you spoke about it further as you finished getting ready for training. As the team made their way to the training pitch, you subconsciously found yourself walking beside Steph. Her hand brushed yours for a moment, and you had to fight the urge to pull your hand away so it wouldn’t seem suspicious. Instead, Steph hand grasped yours, and she sent a smile your way.
You let a small smile grace your lips before she pulled her hand out of yours. You immediately missed the warmth but knew it was probably for the best. Especially since Leah and Katie were right in front of you. The pair had been trying to get you to tell Steph how you felt for a month now, but you shot down every attempt they made.
Running through drills proved to be the distraction you needed. When you were on the pitch, you didn’t have time to contemplate whether or not Steph felt the same way. You gave each drill your full attention, and the only time you thought of Steph was when you were passing the ball ot her. When Renée called training and let the team go to get lunch, your mind was immediately back on Steph. It didn’t help that she was a few feet away from you, panting and sweating.
You fell in step with Katie as you made your way to the dining room, eager to put distance between you and Steph even for a moment. “Got somewhere to be?” Katie laughed as you quickened your step.
“Hungry,” you lied as you finally reached the door. Katie chuckled behind you but mumbled a ‘thanks’ as you held the door open for her.
You both settled at your normal table after getting your food and were quickly joined by Caitlin, Leah, Taylor, and Kim. You tuned out the conversation that was happening, more focused on your food in front of you. It wasn’t until Leah nudged you that you looked up to see everyone at the table looking at you.
“What?” you questioned, eyes darting around the table.
“Have you asked Steph out yet?” Katie said, her voice low.
“They’re not already dating?” Taylor asked before you could answer Katie’s question.
Her question earned a few chuckles from your teammates as you turned your attention to her. “No? Why’d you think that?” you swallowed slightly.
“You two are always holding hands and cuddling on the bus,” she shrugged like it was obvious. “There’s also been quite a few times she’s kissed you on the cheek.”
You avoided her eyes as you pushed your food around with your fork. “Told you it was obvious,” Leah chuckled.
You shook your head and went to respond, but Caitlin cut you off. “We know, you don’t think she feels the same way,” she answered for you.
“Well, it’s true,” you shrugged, your eyes darting toward the defender in question as she laughed at something Beth said.
“You haven’t asked?” Taylor cut back in, pulling your attention back to the table.
You shook your head in response. “We live together now, I don’t want to risk telling her and her not feeling the same way, which I know she doesn't.”
This time, it was Kim who spoke up. “But you don’t know for certain,” she said, giving you a knowing look.
“See? Even Kim knows,” Katie joked, earning a shove from the captain.
“Just consider telling her, sooner rather than later,” Kim offered, and the conversation switched to something else.
You spent the rest of the day at training, overthinking everything, especially what Taylor had said. You and Steph were naturally very cuddly with each other, something that seemed to ramp up once she moved in with you. And the cheek kisses, Steph has always done that, even when she was engaged. You kept trying to tell yourself it didn’t mean anything more than friends.
By the end of the day, you had hardly spoken to anyone, including Steph, who had tried to talk to you during weights. You brushed her off, saying you were too in the zone to talk, but that was far from the truth. Steph, being the sweet person she is, didn’t push and instead offered to do her weight training with you in silence.
As you made your way to the parking lot to head home, you were dreading the car ride. You waited by the car while Steph hugged Beth goodbye and waved when the blonde yelled to you. When you heard the car unlock, you quickly slipped into the passenger seat as you waited for Steph.
“Hi,” she grinned as she opened the car door and joined you.
“Hi,” you mumbled, eyes locked on whatever you could find.
“You okay?” the Aussie asked as she started the car and started backing up.
“Mhmm,” you nodded, but didn’t give more than that.
Steph glanced at you but didn’t push and instead focused on the road in front of her. The ride home was quieter than the one to work; the lack of radio playing made it hard to ignore how you felt sitting next to the defender. When Steph finally arrived at your shared house, part of you wanted to bolt, but that would have been more suspicious than your quietness. Both of you made your way to the front door, and you unlocked it, letting the two of you in.
You were immediately greeted at the door by Calvin, who was excited to have you both home. You laughed as you slipped your shoes off and set your bag down, as Calvin sniffed and jumped, begging for pets.
“Hello to you, too,” you laughed as you gave him scratches all over his body.
Steph giggled as you played with Calvin, slipping her shoes off as well before turning her attention to her dog. “What about me, Calvy?” she smiled as she got his attention.
You watched with a fond smile as she greeted the giant ball of fur, your heart fluttering at the domesticity of it all. You shook your head slightly as you slipped past them and headed to your room to shower. Steph watched as you walked away, her brows furrowed before turning attention back to Calvin.
You spent as much time as you could under the flowing water, letting it wash away all the sweat and grim from training. You eventually reached to the turn the water off and got out of the shower, pulling on more comfortable clothes. As you tossed your clothes into your hamper, there was a knock on your bedroom door.
“Come in,” you mumbled as you sat on the edge of your bed to pull on a pair of socks.
Steph opened the door a second later, hair wet from her own shower. “Can we talk?” she asked, her voice quiet as she pushed your door mostly closed.
You nodded as you slid to the side to give her a spot to sit. She made her way to your bed, sitting next to you. You could smell the body wash she always used, and you had to control your breathing. “What's up?” you forced out, keeping your voice level.
“Are you mad at me or something?” she rushed out, not wanting to beat around the bush.
You jerked your head toward her, confusion evident on your face. “What?” you asked, brows furrowed.
“You’ve seemed distant all week, but today mostly,” she shrugged. “You’ve hardly spoken to me, and I think if we didn’t live together, you probably wouldn’t have.”
You could hear her frustration in her voice, and you hated that it was because of you. “No, I’m not mad at you. I have no reason to be,” you said softly, eyes locked on her side profile.
“Then why have you been avoiding me?” she asked, her voice quiet as she turned to look at you.
You swallowed a breath and licked your lips as you found the words to say. “I was avoiding you,” you started with a sigh. “But not because I was mad at you. Quite the opposite,” you mumbled as you turned to look at the art on the wall.
“What do you mean?” she asked, voice still quiet.
You closed your eyes for a brief second before turning to look at her once again. “I have feelings for you,” you exhaled.
You sat in silence for a moment before you spoke again. “I have for awhile but I had hoped that once you moved in, they’d go away. They didn’t; they actually got stronger. I didn’t think it was fair to tell you all that when you needed a place to stay and had just gotten out of a relationship. I didn’t think I would ever tell you, if I’m honest,” you explained, eyes searching her expression in hopes that she wouldn’t be upset.
“Why?” was all she said after a moment.
“Why what?” you asked.
“Why wouldn’t you ever tell me?” she said further as she fiddled with the ring on her finger.
You sighed and shrugged. “I didn’t want to put you in an uncomfortable place since you didn’t feel the same way,” you responded.
Steph didn’t respond right away as her eyes locked with yours. “How do you know I don’t feel the same way?”
It was your turn to sit in silence, her words stunning you. “W-what?” you forced out.
“I never told you why I called off my engagement,” she smiled sofly as she stopped messing with her ring.
“I decided to call it off. I realized that I had fallen out of love with him, but I was too scared to say anything sooner. Do you remember when the two of us went out for dinner right before the Olympics?” she asked, earning a nod from you in response. “I realized then that while I had fallen out of love with him, I had fallen in love with you.”
You didn’t respond after she was done speaking, your mind reeling with the new information. “I was nervous when you offered me your spare room. I thought moving in with you would be too sad, like everything I wanted was just out of my grasp,” she added a moment later.
“You’re in love with me?” You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. You turned to look at her, eyes meeting in hers.
Steph nodded and exhaled. “Like, deeply so,” she laughed softly.
Your eyes danced over her features, her eyes shining with love. “Can I kiss you?” you sighed, a surge of confidence urging you on.
“Please,” she whispered.
Your lips met hers in a soft kiss as your hand moved to cup her face. You slid closer as your lips moved against hers, pouring all the pent-up feelings you had into it. Eventually, you both pulled away, your foreheads resting against each other’s.
“I’m in love with you, too, by the way,” you laughed as you leaned back slightly.
“Good,” she laughed before leaning in to kiss you once again.
You smiled into the kiss as you held her close. Before you could realize, Calvin came bursting through the door and jumped onto the bed. You both pulled away laughing as he tried to shove his way in between you.
“He was left alone too long,” you laughed as you gave him a few pats on his head.
“Cock block,” Steph joked as she gave him a quick kiss on the bridge of his nose.
You laughed as you stood up, offering her hand. “You hungry? We can get take-out and call it a date,” you smiled.
“Starving,” she grinned as she took your hand so you could pull her up.
You two spent the rest of the evening in bliss, laughing and joking now that things weren’t as tense between you. You were grateful to have everything out in the open and the prospect of things getting serious between the two of you. You felt over the moon that Steph felt the same way you did, and you couldn’t wait to see where things go.