south africa was banned in the olympics in 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988 & 1992. a total of 8 times. for 28 years they didn't set foot in the olympics. you know why? apartheid. apparently the olympics disagreed with the apartheid regime in south africa. russia & belarus aren't allowed to take part in the olympics this year. you know why? because of their involvement in the war in ukraine. several countries throughout history haven't been allowed to participate in the olympics because of various reason from their involvement in war to human rights abuses. now if the olympics aren't blind to all that... why in the world are they blind to what israel has been doing to gaza for the past 10 months? why is a genocidal apartheid nation allowed to participate in the olympics when any other country in its place would've been banned?
Warnings: Bit of angst (also not proof read because i've been in lectures all day)
Word count: 3,441
For the first time Johns apology didn't work, Y/N didn't even look up from her laptop when he walked in with a bag of starburst and a vanilla oat milk latte and placed them on her desk. He thought it was a small disagreement but that was evidently not the case when he walked into the canteen to see her quickly excuse herself from the table she was sitting at with Kevin, Ruben and Pep
"What did you do?" Ruben asked not looking up from his plate
"Why does anyone assume I did something?" He retorted, sounding offended
"John she's very good at her job and it's very hard to find someone suitable for that position, I'm more likely to get rid of you than her" Pep simply said before also leaving the table
"Brilliant" John muttered under his breath
He looked up to see his two teammates watching him, clearly waiting for an answer.
"I might have played a small part in the ending of her last relationship and she still hasn't forgiven me for it" He confessed.
As if he could sense the need for a mood lift Kyle sat down in Peps now empty seat and completely changed the conversation, taking the weight off Johns shoulders.
During their evening training session, Ruben couldn't help but think about what John said. He knew from how much John gushed about her when she got the job that the two were very close and he cared about her deeply. How bad could a break-up be that it makes you blank your best friend? He pushed his thoughts to the side so they could complete their session ahead of the game tomorrow.
When the session ended they all piled into the training facilities changing room. She was already in there, stood at the front with an iPad in her hand, looking like she was ready to address the room. Much to her surprise the guys immediately quietened down and sat in front of their lockers.
Pep spoke up first "I know most of you know her already but this is Y/N" he gestured towards her as Kyle and Jack cheered for her.
Ruben noticed John smirk as she shook her head at the commotion, hating any and all attention.
"She's in charge of pretty much everything you all do so be nice or she might make you miss the coach to away days"
When Pep finished his introduction she spoke up, letting the guys know the schedule for tomorrows game. Ruben admired the way she held herself in front of the room of boys who sometimes had the attention span of small children, he knew first-hand how hard it could be to get them to listen sometimes.
"and I've sent everything to your phones so no excuse Kyle" she finished before quickly exiting and leaving them all to change.
It was past 10:30 pm when Ruben went to leave the facility after an extra session in the gym. Before he left he noticed the light of the corner office of the building was still on.
"Y/N?" He asked cautiously, opening the door.
She was still there, sat sideways on the sofa with her knees up against her chest and laptop in front of her.
"Hi Ruben"
He felt his heart speed up slightly at the sound of her soft voice as she looked up from the screen.
"What are you doing here so late?" He questioned fully entering the room and closing the door behind him
"Just confirming the flights for next week and trying to find a hotel with enough rooms" She sighed, running a hand through her hair, now slightly messy from the full day "Peps decided we're flying out Monday and training there. What are you still doing here?"
He perched on the edge of the sofa, on the opposite end to her "Using the gym, it's better when there are fewer distractions."
"Yeah I can imagine it's hard to get anything done with them lot around," She said referring to the group of chaotic Englishmen she considered friends
"Do you need any help?" He sat back on the sofa, using this as an opportunity to get to know her.
"You sure? I mean it is getting late"
He nodded and she passed him her notebook full of hotels in the surrounding area of where they'd be playing next week.
The two spent the next hour looking at hotels, the rooms they had available and getting to know each other.
Ruben spoke about his move to England how he didn't actually mind the English weather, sometimes he enjoyed playing in the rain but hates that the only Portuguese food here is Nando's, which he doesn't even consider as Portuguese food.
Y/N shared stories of her upbringing with John, they met when she was 8 and he was 12, her father being his youth team coach and one night Johns parents were running late to pick him up so John came round for tea and the two were inseparable ever since. She spoke about how she moved to London for her psychology degree when she was 18 but dropped out and moved back home after her first year for personal reasons.
Ruben recognised that she wasn't comfortable speaking about her reasons for moving back and he didn't know her well enough to push for information. He did however recognise how passionate she was about everything she did and the way her eyes creased when she laughed whilst sharing embarrassing stories of herself and his teammate.
"I think I've found one" Ruben spoke up, tilting his phone screen in her direction.
She placed her laptop on the floor and moved close to him on her knees until she could see his phone clearly. It wasn't until after he had shown her all the pictures and amenities the hotel had to offer he realised how close their faces were. She turned her face so he could look at her properly, he examined her face. Paying attention to every detail on her face, the different coloured specks in her eyes, slight panda eyes from her mascara coming off throughout her long day at work. His eyes eventually drifted down to her lips and the way she was now chewing her bottom lip.
He has never been so forward with a girl before, well not a girl like Y/N, she wasn't like the girls' footballers tended to attract and he didn't know how John would react to him making a move on his best friend. He ignored those thoughts and placed his hand on her cheek, relishing in how soft her skin felt on his hand. He leant in first capturing her lips against his, she relaxed into it for a moment before gently pulling away.
"I-Uhm, I really should get going" She stuttered, gathering her things "I have to be at the stadium like 4 hours before kick-off"
"Of course" He stood up and put his phone in his back pocket. Just like John, he towered over her. "How are you getting home?"
"Tram" she shrugged nonchalantly
"That's not happening, it's late, I'll give you a lift home" He offered, taking her bag out of her hand.
"No Ruben, you've helped me enough today" She protested trying to get her bag back off him.
"Not a chance meu docinho, I'm not letting you get public transport at this time of the night"
Y/N was stubborn in her decisions but chose to not fight Ruben on this occasion he was kind and sincere and she didn't want to push away anyone new in her life. He lead her out to the car in the now barely lit car park, due to some broken floodlights, his hand rested on her back, not too low as he didn't want to push any boundaries. There were still quite a few cars on the lot due to the game being held at home tomorrow, a lot of backroom staff worked let in preparation.
Across the parking lot, John was still sitting in his car after staying back late too, a smile creeping its way onto his face as he spotted the two leaving the building closely together. His best friend may not have forgiven him yet but at least his plan was working. The smile fell slightly as he watched Ruben open the door for her to get into his car, of course, he's chivalrous, making the rest of us look bad.
For Y/N and Ruben, the drive was quiet but not awkward, the two of them already find comfort in each other. Y/N caught herself stealing glimpses at him, occasionally catching him looking back at her, if it wasn't for the darkness in the car she was sure he'd notice the blush that now painted her face. Little did she know he was blushing too.
Once again Ruben decided to test the waters and cautiously placed his hand on her knee, he held his breath for a second as he waited for her reaction. She glanced down at his hand for a second, before leaning her head back on the headrest and looking out of the window.
It wasn't long before they pulled up in front of her building, before Y/N managed to open the door for herself Ruben had already rushed round to the passenger side to open it for her.
"Thank you," She said, looking down still trying to hide the blush on her face.
She loosely held his hand in hers as he walked her to the main door of the building, once they got to the door she gently tugged on his arm to make him face her.
"Thanks for the ride home and walking me to the door, you really didn't have to"
She stretched onto the tip of her toes to simply place a kiss on his cheek as a thank you but he caught her by surprise and captured her lips once more. Eventually, she smiled into the kiss when she felt her stomach fluttering before pulling away.
"It's getting late Rubes, I should probably go to sleep"
The two said their goodbyes before going off in separate directions for the night.
Y/N couldnât fall asleep that night, the thought of a potential new romance filling her with both excitement and fear. Nobody could deny that Ruben was attractive, from his tough exterior and the way he acted on the pitches she was pleasantly surprised with how soft his touch was and open he was about his struggles when he first moved to Manchester. And his arms, she couldnât stop thinking about his arms. Regardless of where her thoughts were taking her, she had to snap out of it, she wasnât in the place for a relationship right now and even if she was, once he learnt more about her heâd run for the hills.
Ruben on the other hand was smiling to himself the whole drive back to his home. Rubes, he liked the new nickname, it might've been due to the person who gave him that nickname but he didn't care to think too much into it.
The two didn't see each other the next day until an hour before the match. Y/N had spent her afternoon prepping at the stadium and hiding away in her temp match day office. 'Office' was putting it likely, it was more like a small storage cupboard that had a desk and a couple of plug sockets.
She was in the changing room, with the teams kit man, making last changes to each of the players set up when a female voice crackled through the walkie-talkie clipped to her waistband
"Home team en route"
The two quickly went over their work, doing a final check to make sure each player had everything they needed. Once they were sure they were done with the work they needed to do they went their separate ways with Sam, the kit man promising to save her a seat in the dugout for the game.
She had every intention to speak to John before the game, to end this short-lived fallout. She knew she was being unreasonable and needed to let go of this grudge, but first, she had to confirm the cars needed to take some of the players back home after the game.
As soon as she walked into her match day office the door was slammed behind her and a pair of strong hands gripped her arms and pushed her against the wall.
âFucking hell John!â She shrieked
He let go of her and stepped back, looking down at her slightly shaken up figure.
âThis has to stop, Iâm done,â he said through gritted teeth, rubbing his hands over his face âI know I shouldâve stopped him but Iâve apologised a hundred times, I get that this has all been hard on you but Iâve been there for you and held your hand through all of it. So stop taking it out on me and maybe accept some responsibility in this for once and move onâ
All intents of a truce left her mind at his last sentence. She was unable to see how any of this could be her fault. She shoved him away and sat at her small desk.
âLeaveâ
He left without another word, heart aching at the possibility of putting a permanent dent in their friendship. He didnât believe his words, not all of him anyway, but it had been two years and he just wanted to see her happy again. Not that she wasnât happy in general, sheâd always matched his energy when the time was right and was generally a ray of sunshine. He just hated that she had decided her love life was over.
It wasnât long until there was a knock at her door, only 20 minutes until kick-off, this time it was Ruben, in his kit and proudly sporting an armband in his left bicep reading âCAPTAINâ.
âDonât you guys have a match to prepare for?â She asked quirking her eyebrow.
He closed the door behind him and with his newfound confidence, most likely from being chosen to captain his team at such a young age, he gently pulled her up from her desk and placed a hand in either side of her waist.
âGo for dinner with me tonightâ
Out of instinct from being so close, she placed her hands on his chest, trying not to feel the muscles underneath.
âWas that a question or demand eh Dias?â She pursed her lips, already debating her answer âIâd like thatâ
With confidence already surging through his veins he leant down to give her yet another kiss before leaving for peps pre-match brief.
Y/N felt like a giddy schoolgirl watching the match from the team dugout. By half-time, they were already 2-0 with one of the goals scored by John. Despite their current falling out she was overly proud of her best friend but had to resist the urge to hug him as they crossed paths in the tunnel before the second half.
At the 74th minute, Phil won the team a penalty from just outside the box, even with the win pretty much secured she felt the nerves growing inside her as both the teams took their positions just in front of the goal. Kevin took the kick and it went straight into the back of the net, the cheers in the stadium quickly stopped once it was realised there was a player on the floor.
She couldnât make out who it was from the huddle of other players crowding them, praying it wasnât serious and it wasnât John. But her prayers werenât heard, her heart was in her throat as she watched the players disperse and the medics run onto the pitch. It was definitely John lay there, arms covering his head as Ruben knelt next to him whilst the medics were working in him.
She was about to stand up from her seat to get a better look when jacks hand grabbed hers to stop her from getting up.
âHeâll be fine donât worryâ He mumbled into her ear, in an attempt to calm her.
Not a second after the words left his lips 2 more medics ran on the pitch carrying a stretcher between them.
Y/N went into straight panic mode, she hated head injuries more than any other injury a player may get. A broken bone or torn muscle can be healed, though it may affect their form a head injury can leave long-lasting effects.
The medics hoisted John onto the stretcher and made quick work in taking him off the pitch. Peo quickly subbed Laporte on in his place before looking and signalling for Y/N to follow the medics, knowing she needed to be with her friend.
She sat outside the medic room for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the club doctors to allow her in. He mind was racing through all the terrible possibilities that could come from this, she knew she was being overdramatic but she was in no state to think rationally right now. She knew the game would be over in a minute with all the extra injury time added and she wanted to see John before the team piled in to check on him. The door to the room finally opened at the doctors informed her that he was awake and left her to be with him.
âDo I look as bad as I feel?â He asked as he peeped through one eye
âWorseâ She laughed softly, grabbing the antibacterial wipes off the counter and sitting on the side of the bed.
The two stayed in silence for a few moments as she worked on cleaning the dried blood off the side of his face, making sure to be careful around his now stitched up wound.
âIâm sorryâ He finally spoke up âyou know I didnât mean it right? Youâre family to me and I hate-â
âJohn itâs fine,â She said silencing him âI know and letâs not bring it up anymore ok?â
He silently agreed and rested his head back on the hospital-style bed he was lying on to allow her to finish cleaning up his face. Knowing this small sign of affection meant forgiveness.
âBesides, I have a date tonightâ She quietly admitted
Johns head shot up and for the first time since his injury, he opened both of his eyes to look at her. âWith Ruben?â his voice at a slightly higher octane due to excitement.
âHow did you know?â She asked placing a hand in his cheek to move his head so she could reach the last of the mess
âSaw you two leaving together last nightâ He shrugged with an all too familiar goofy grin on his face âDoes he know about it?â
âOne step and a time Stones, itâs just dinner,â she said disregarding the dirty wipe in her hand âand donât ever do that againâ
He slowly turned his body and swung his legs off the bench âstill got that weird phobia of head injuries?â He asked carefully standing up.
She nodded her head before falling into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He relaxed at her touch knowing he had his little sister back.
âI love you, pumpkinâ He mumbled her nickname from her grandma into her hair
âI love you tooâ
I love you too
Ruben couldnât help but overhear the conversation of the two wrapped in each other's arms. His previous confidence diminishing, he knew the two were close and had spent a lot of time together in their lifelong friendship but didnât want to think about either of them having feelings of being more than friends.
Y/N was the first girl that had shown a genuine interest in him since his ex. Since his breakup he hadnât had any interest in relationships, just focusing on his career in this new country. but Y/N was sweet, funny and caring. It was easy to see why John loved her, he knew her far better than he ever could but that couldn't erase the slight anger he felt at the thought of her still going on a date with him whilst having these feelings for someone else.
Wanting to spare himself from the embarrassment of Y/N cancelling their date and telling her all about her feelings for John he got changed as quickly as possible, forgetting to shower and leaving the stadium as soon as possible. He knew he'd have to face them soon but right now he just wanted to go home.
