kt

woso / awfc fics (minors dni)

[katieamccabe]

⭐️ woso fics masterlist ⭐️

•red card for the stargirl

{katie mccabe x reader}

-enemies to lovers with rival team’s stargirl striker, caitlin foord as jealous ex, angst + fluff + smut (18+)

part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/743336474546782208/red-card-for-the-stargirl

part 2: https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/743610483568984065/red-card-for-the-stargirl-part-2

part 3: https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/743710994828836864/red-card-for-the-stargirl-part-3

part 4: https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/743882187869487104/red-card-for-the-stargirl-part-4

part 5: https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/743977705616375808/red-card-for-the-stargirl-part-5

•all for you

{leah williamson x reader}

-your leah’s gf of 3+ years, this fic is basically a woso version of grey’s anatomy derek shepherd’s death. sorry x

read: https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/745077188008837120/all-for-you

•how could you?

{lucy bronze x lionesses reader}

-angst/fluffy fic about you being called up as right back in the england squad, replacing older teammate Lucy Bronze. This escalated as you go and speak to her about the situation, and feelings are confessed.

read: https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/744974754345287680/how-could-you

[gamergirl929]

Lesbians when Alexia Putellas took her shirt off:

[pitchsidestories-deactivated202]

Just a little crush II Kim Little x Beattie!Reader

masterlist I word count: 3192

a/n: sorry, It's a lengthy one, but we hope you still enjoy it. Let us know what you thought of it. ❤️

“Lee, who’s that girl talking to Jen?”, Kim Little asked Arsenal’s vice-captain while licking her lips nervously. They and some other family and friends gathered for a party to send Jen Beattie off who was going to California to join Bay FC.

There was something about that young woman standing next to her friend which was making her feel and think things the midfielder never did before, but she didn’t want to dwell on them any further as it would lead to much more questions and less clear answers.

Amused Leah Williamson raised her eyebrows:” Oh Kimmy, you don’t recognize her? It’s Jennis baby sister, she’s fresh out of Edinburgh University!”

“That’s not Jen’s sister! She looked so much younger last time.”, the Scottish woman shook her head in disbelief.

Still smiling the England captain replied: “Yes, it’s, she’s 25 now.”

“Oh wow.”, Kim muttered.

Noisily Beth Mead took part in their conversation:” Who are you two gossiping about? I want to know.”

“Jens little sis.”, Leah answered with a smug smile on her face.

“She turned into a real beauty, right?”, the blonde forward winked watching Kim turning red.

Much to her dismay the defender noticed it:” think our captain would agree with you.”

“Stop it.. I’m not.”, Kim explained slightly embarrassed.

“Having a little crush?”, Beth teased her teammate grinning.

Tuning in Steph Catley chirmed:” Oh Kim, that’s so cute.”

“I don’t have a crush.”, their captain disagreed. She felt relived when Jen came along distracting from the gossiping football players.

“Hi guys, remember my little sister?”, the tall Scottish defender asked.

Cheerful you greeted them:” Hi, everyone.”

“Hello great to see you again. Even though the reason is kind of sad.”, Beth responded with a sad smile.

Empathetically you nodded:” No, I agree but shamefully can’t wait to visit her soon in Cali.”

“You all act like I’m disappearing forever.”, your big sister laughed. Even though you knew the farewell felt equally as bittersweet to her.

Quickly Lia Wälti hugged her: “We can’t help how we’re feeling, Jen. It’s a big loss for us and a big win for Bay FC.”

“You girls are the sweetest.”, Jen whispered, she was so grateful for the friendships she made during her time at Arsenal.

Big eyed Steph Catley responded:” I’ll miss my favourite neighbour.”

“I’ll miss living next to you too, Steph.”, the defender answered truthfully.

This was the moment you found the time to talk to Kim directly to express your gratitude towards her:” Thanks for letting me stay at your place for a few weeks, Kim.”

“You’re welcome. Now that your sister can’t let you stay anymore.”, the older woman waved it off.

“I really appreciate it.”

With a small smile the midfielder told you in a reassuring tone:” You can stay as long as you want. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m sure you’ll have a great time together.”, Jen intervened confidently.

You gave your sister a nod: “I’m sure we’ll.“

As the evening progressed, the atmosphere became more and more relaxed. You felt right at home with your sisters teammates who happily shared stories about Jen with and made sure your glass was never empty.

It was only after midnight that Kim appeared right in front of you, reaching out a hand towards you: “Come, I’ll get you home.“

“Now?“, you asked, surprised by how drunk you sounded already.

Kim just raised an eyebrow but did not comment on it: “Yes, it’s late.“

“Bye, Jen!“, you shouted across the room to your sister while Kim helped you into your coat.

With one swift motion, Jen came over and pulled you into a tight hug: “Bye, you two.“

Luckily, the way home in Kims car was short. You were by sleep and found it difficult to keep your eyes open. Once Kim led you into the guest room of her apartment, you let yourself fall onto the bed with a relieved sigh. Kims dog curled into a ball at your feet.

“This is really cozy.“, you mumbled, burying your face into the soft pillows.

Kim watched you from the doorway: “Glad you feel at home here.“

“Good night, Kim.“

The corners of her mouth quirked up as she closed the door behind her and you fell into a dreamless sleep.

You woke up early the next morning and decided to make coffee for yourself and Kim. The coffee was just done brewing as Kim came back from walking her dog. Beaming, you handed her a mug: “Morning, this one is for you.“

She gave you a surprised look first but then took the coffee from you: “Oh. Thank you.“

“You’re welcome. Also I hope I didn’t say anything weird when we went home last night.“, you said as you sat down at the kitchen table together. You took a sip of coffee to hide your reddening cheeks behind the cup.

“No. Like what?“, Kim asked inquiringly.

You decidedly ignored her question and only reacted to the first part: “Oh good.“

“You almost immediately fell asleep.“, she explained plainly.

Changing the topic, you suggested: “Do you like Pizza? When I’m done with my interview, I could get some on the way back.“

Finally, a small smile appeared on the football players face: “Sure, why not?“

“Okay, great.“

With a glance toward the kitchen clock, Kim announced: “I have to leave for training now. So, see you later?“

“Yes, see you.“, you smiled at her.

Just before Kim walked out, she paused for a moment: “Oh, wait.“

“Uhm, yes?“, you patiently looked at her as she walked back into the kitchen.

“I forgot to give you the keys.“, she said, carefully tossing them in you direction.

You caught them with a grin: “Right. Thank you, Kim.“

“See you later. Good luck with your interview.”, Kim replied.

You were almost at the door when you turned around to face her beaming with hopefulness: “Thanks. Have fun in training!”

During training Kim warmed up with Cloé Lacasse. The Canadian striker asked her curiously:” So you got yourself a roommate, Kim?”

“I was more or less assigned a roommate, Cloé. She was supposed to stay with Jen, but she decided to leave us.”, the Arsenal captain explained with a deep sigh.

With a mischievous smile on her lips Leah came to a stop right next to the older women: “The most important part is though that Kim has a Girl crush on said roommate.”

Annoyed by her comment Kim rolled her eyes at the defender:” I don’t have a girl crush, Leah.”

“Kim is straight too.”, the Canadian forward added.

“Right.”, the Scottish midfielder nodded. Although deep inside of her something didn’t sit right with it although it has been true for so many years at this point. Why did your presence make her question things she thought she knew about herself.

This didn’t impress Leah in the least: “You should have been there Cloé when they met at Jens Farewell Party.”

“Well, I can’t wait to hopefully meet her soon.”, Cloé answered politely.

Frustrated Kim intervened:” You guys are making a way too big deal out of it.”

“If you need to chat though we’re here for you, Kim.”, Beth offered warmly.

Stubbornly the Scottish woman shook her head: “I don’t need to chat. She’s just staring at my place.”

“Alright, just saying.”, the England forward mumbled.

“It’s not a big deal.”, her captain repeated in a serious tone which made obvious that she was done with talking for now.

Reading the signs Leah decided:” Let’s get back to training.”

Finally, Kim thought relieved as they started to move again, distracting from the whirlwind, which was currently inside of her, giving her a peace of mind for the moment.

In the early evening you returned to Kim’s place announcing cheerfully:” Hi, I got the pizza.”

“Thanks. How did your interview go?”, she wanted to know from you.

As you were setting up the table for dinner, you told her about it:” Not too bad, actually. They said my writing is promising but they asked me if I really want to stay focused on women’s football.”

Interested the Scottish woman looked up to you:” What did you say to them?”

“That I don’t want to change my focus, I love writing about women’s football and the culture surrounding it.”, you responded.

Proudly Kim remarked:” Your sister would have done the same in your position.”

“She would’ve, right?”, you asked her cautiously.

Kim nodded once with conviction: “Absolutely.“

“There’s still such a long way to go… although the recent success helped a bit.“, you thought out loud, a sad smile tugging on your lips.

“You don’t have to tell me.“, Kim replied with her gaze trained on the kitchen table.

You could sense that the football player felt a similar way about the topic. Your curiosity was piqued so you continued: “For you and Jen it must have been an amazing progress to live through.“

“Yes. We’re lucky to be part of this generation. Selling out stadiums is something that a few years ago we thought was impossible.“, she explained calmly.

You were reminded of your sisters first football games. She was not getting paid to play yet and the number of fans was ridiculously low compared to this season. You bit your lip: “Yes, I remember that too.“

“I appreciate that you want to keep focusing on womens football.“

Hearing her say that made your heart flutter for a brief moment. But you were also reminded how quickly the atmosphere had changed. You sighed and with all the enthusiasm you could muster, said: “We should eat the pizzas now before they get too cold.“

“You’re right.“

As you both sat down, taking the first slices of the pizza, you admitted: “But I do love talking about football with you.“

“We can continue at another time if you want.“, Kim suggested a little more relaxed.

“Yes, I’d like that very much.“

“Me too.“

“Great.“

Kim put her slice of pizza down and looked at you thoughtfully: “We’re playing at home on the weekend. You should come watch.“

“Yes, I’ll be there.“, you politely smiled back at her.

Kims focus had already shifted back to her pizza: “Great.“

 The stadium was starting to fill on the following Sunday while players walked out to warm up. You were engrossed in a conversation with your friend Emily who after a long time of convincing had finally agreed to come to the game with you. You completely missed that Cloe Lacasse walked out on the pitch with Kim and curiously nodded in your direction: “So that’s her?“

“Yes, that’s her.“, Kim replied, a frown on her face as she spotted you close to the field.

“Is that her girlfriend? The one who’s standing next to her?“, the Canadian wanted to know.

Kim shrugged and shook her head: “She didn’t say anything about a girlfriend.“

Still, her gaze lingered on the two of you for a little longer.

The game ended with an easy win for Arsenal. Apart from the goals of Cloe and Alessia Russo, Kim also converted a penalty. The atmosphere in the stadium after the game was great and you immediately felt at home. However, the mood between the players on the pitch was less elated.

Leah Williamson bumped her captain with her shoulder: “Kim? You’re even quieter than usual.“

“What? I’m just focused.“, the midfielder replied, pulling away from her teammate.

The younger player couldn’t ask any further as you hugged the Scottish woman and sung:” Kim, you had a fantastic game, Kim!” Seeing the England captain you added blushing:”Hi Lee.”

Smiling Leah couldn’t help but to notice the height difference between you two, you were almost as tall as Jen while your roommate was fairly small: “Our skipper was great, right?”

“Yes, she definitely was.”, with that said you let Kim down.

Much to your surprise she didn’t look happy despite the comfortable win:”Thanks.”

The midfielder didn’t say anything further instead she left the room and left you clueless. Puzzled you turned around to look at her teammate: “Well, that was a bit strange do you know what’s going on, Leah?”

“I think she’s a bit jealous.”, the blonde replied seriously.

Baffled by that you let out a shaky laugh:” Jealous? Kim?”

Leah grinned: “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because you brought your girlfriend.”, the defender replied, crossing her arms in front of her.

“My girlfriend? Emily is just a friend!”, you corrected her, shaking your head in disbelief.

Sceptical Leah rose an eyebrow at you:” Oh, is she?”

“Yes, wait, did Kim think that Em was my girlfriend?”, you questioned her.

Thoughtfully Leah responded:” Maybe.”

“I need to talk to her.”, you decided.

With an empathetic smile on her lips the blonde held you back: “Maybe not now.”

You listened to her advice, so you went back to Emily and brought her home before making your way slowly to Kim’s home. In your mind it already was yours too.

On her car ride home Jen phone called the Arsenal captain:” Hi mate, great game!”

“Thanks, Jen. How’s California?”, Kim asked her.

“It’s been really great so far., the defender sounded happily before turning more serious, but you texted that you needed to talk?”

Earnestly Kim told her: “Yes. About your sister. Did you know that she’s dating someone?”

“What? No, she’s single.”, she mumbled convinced.

“What do you mean? She brought someone to our game today?”, the midfielder frowned.

Quickly Jen explained: “Yes Emily, she’s just a friend of her, Kimmy.”

“Are you sure? They seemed close?”, Kim almost felt something like relief by her former teammates reply. Although she didn’t dare to trust the news yet.

“Kim, I’m sure of that besides Emily has a boyfriend.”, Jen chuckled.

“If you say so.”

“But you can ask my sister again. Kim are you jealous?”, the defender wanted to know from her friend.

Offended Kim scoffed at her:” Why would I be jealous? I was just wondering why she’d stay with me when she’s got a girlfriend here.”

“Now you know. I need to go to training, hope to hear from you soon, mate?” After a few goodbyes they ended the phone call and the Arsenal captain tried to focus on the drive instead of the turmoil which was inside her.

When the door closed behind Kim, you looked up from the food you were cooking. While the Arsenal players showered and debriefed at the stadium, you had hurried to get home and surprise your housemate with a freshly cooked dinner. “Kim? Hi, I started cooking…“, you greeted her.

The football player raised her eyebrows in surprise: “You’re already here?“

You nodded: “Yes, Emily had to go back to her boyfriend who has a bit of a cold. Otherwise we might have gone to a pub. Do you want a drink to celebrate the win?“

“No, thanks. I usually don’t drink after games.“, Kim answered plainly, putting her bag down next to the kitchen table.

You grimaced: “Oh, right. Sorry. So water?“

“Sure. What are you cooking?“, Kim asked, looking over your shoulder at the food while you poured two glasses of water.

You smiled while handing her one of the glasses: “Some pasta dish. It’s one of the few things I can cook.“

The football player nodded impressed and smirked slightly: “That’s more than your sister can cook.“

“That’s true.“

You both sat down to enjoy your home-cooked meal, talking about the game again even though Kim kept her answers short. You took the empty plates and set them down at the sink: “I guess I’ll let you sleep now.“

“You don’t have to. I can’t sleep yet anyway.“, Kim replied to your surprise.

You slowly turned back to her, biting down a nervous smile: “Okay but you know you can just ask me on a date instead of running away and sulking after the match, right?“

Her eyes widened in shock: “Wait, what are you talking about?“

“Leah said you were jealous because of Emily and you really don’t need to be.“, you shrugged, trying to keep the nonchalance in your voice.

“I wasn’t jealous.“, she protested.

You looked back at the dishes in the sink, waiting: “Good.“

“That’s ridiculous.“

“Kim…“, you started but when you looked back to her, she had already bridged the gap between you two and pressed her lips to yours. You gasped into the kiss: “What?“

“That was a mistake. I’m sorry.“, she sighed, shaking her head in a mix of confusion and guilt.

She wanted to turn away from you but you grabbed her wrist: “No, please, do it again.“

There was an urgency in your voice that made Kim search for your eyes: “Are you sure?“

“Yes.“

“But… okay.“

She kissed you again, more patiently now. This time you could savour the taste of her lips on yours and only then you realized that she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach you. You were so charmed by this that you could not stop yourself from smiling.

As you both pulled away, you could see an uncertainty in Kims eyes. It was definitely not the kiss, you could feel that you both enjoyed it. Another thougth raced through your head: “Am I your first woman? Don’t worry, we have time. When is your next free day? Maybe we could go to a restaurant.“

“I have tomorrow off.”, she told you straight away.

A relieved sigh escaped your mouth:” Perfect, with a smirk you continued, also, you’re not a bad kisser, captain.”

“I never said I was.”, Kim laughed, you could tell some weight fell off her shoulders.

“No just saying.”, you shrugged.

The midfielder put a loose string of hair behind her ear:” Thanks.”

A month later Kim and you had a video call with your sister. The first thing you told her was that you two became a couple. “You two are dating?! You better take good care of her little sis!”, Jen warned you in a jokingly tone.

“What?! Me?!”, you huffed.

Grinning the defender nodded: “Yes, you heard me.”

“Wow.”, you ran a free hand through your hair.

Meanwhile your girlfriend seemed to have ignored that part of the conversation as she reassured Jen:” Don’t worry, I’m taking good care of your sister.”

“I can already see that.”, your big sister observed amused.

“Jen, you’re a terrible big sister.”, you teased her.

“I’m the best big sister.”, she countered quickly.

“Sure.”, you rolled your eyes at her.

“Stop it you two.”, Kim demanded in her captain voice.

Smiling Jen answered:” No, get used to it, Kimmy. You’re part of the Beattie family now.”  

“Oh yes.”, you added, while giving the midfielder a kiss on her blushing cheek.

Coming to London to move in with one of your sister’s oldest friends was one of the best things that could had happen to you.

As for Kim she never knew she could fall for a woman until you came into her life, but the midfielder was very happy to have let her change her mind about that. Turned out you were more than just a little crush.

[sporadicbeans82-deactivated2024]

Pool Party || Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: You have a crush on a certain someone who seems intent on ignoring you. Your teammates decide to do something about the tension between you and Jessie.

Warnings: 18+ (minors DNI), It's a little smutty?, Grinding/Semi public sexual content?, Mutual pining, maybe a swear word, a smidge of angst if you squint, mostly fluff, no editing so good luck soldiers

Word Count: 3.5k words

A/N: I'm not really sure what this is, but enjoy?

From the second that you’d met Jessie Fleming, you’d been trying to figure out ways to get closer to her. Of course, you found her to be incredibly attractive and had known of her existence ever since you’d faced off against the Canadian midfielder in a friendly. It had been an especially important game for you, as you’d made your senior international debut that very day. 

That day, and every day since, the way Jessie played entranced you. Everywhere you stepped, the girl was your shadow, slipping in front of you and intercepting balls that were sent your way, and then zig-zagging around you whenever you tried to take that ball back. The girl had been a pain in your ass in that game, to say the least, but it had been a massive learning experience for you, and it had lit a passionate fire inside of you. 

As you’d gone up against her again and again, you found more reasons to like the girl. The way her cheeks reddened as she played, and the physicality she showed in her playing style. However, it became more than that– the respect and kindness with which she approached other players and fans, and the way she interacted with a child in her jersey, lifting them up to take a picture with them and sign their jersey. The more you played with the girl, the more you noticed about her, and the more you wished you knew more. 

After a few games of playing against each other, you managed to gather up the courage to ask to swap shirts after the match. Jessie had given you a hug, shyly congratulating you on your performance. You noticed that, under the scent of sweat and grass, the girl smelled of cinnamon, and her embrace was warm. 

You were shocked that night when your phone had pinged from your nightstand on your bedside table. You’d leaned over to check, and saw a notification that Jessie had followed you (back) on Instagram. You were nearly over the moon, the grin which split your face open quickly noticed by your teammates around you. You were quickly the butt of many jokes and teasing words, but you didn’t mind as Jessie had followed you back. 

Did that mean you were friends? Were you overthinking it? You were totally overthinking it. You contemplated sending Jessie a message, maybe congratulating her for how she’d played, but you never gathered the courage that was required to perform such a daunting task. 

You’d always thought that your little crush would be just that, a crush. Admiring the girl from afar, but never getting close enough to get to know her in a way that would turn the crush into something more. You’d accepted that long ago, having almost moved on from Jessie and the childish crush you’d had on her.

However, the announcement that Jessie was coming into the NWSL, to your very team, shocked you to your core. You would have been lying if you’d said you still didn’t have feelings for her, although you managed to push them out of the way to make room for… friendlier feelings. Now that you were, essentially, coworkers, you felt that it would have been inappropriate to harbor the same crush that you’d had over the years, especially as you were certain that it wasn’t returned. 

While you knew that Jessie didn’t have the same feelings towards you that you had for her, you were still confused as to why she almost acted as if you didn’t… exist. She brushed off each of your attempts to go out and explore the city together and show her around. She would give you small smiles every time you greeted her each morning for training, but rarely returned your greeting. In the rare occasion that she was paired with you in training, the girl rarely even looked at you, nevermind speak. 

You would have believed that Jessie’s attitude was due to her being new to the team, but she was getting along quite well with the rest of your teammates. Fairly enough, she spent much of her time with her fellow Canadians, Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie. 

However, she was often found talking with Sophia Smith or juggling with Olivia. She was rather friendly with quite literally everybody on the team… everybody but you.

Your mind pondered listlessly over what you could have done to upset Jessie. You couldn’t remember having made any reckless tackles on her, or said anything rude to her on the field. Sure, you had a reputation for both… but you hadn’t done either to Jessie. Sure, maybe you’d told one of her teammates (you think it was Cloé Lacasse?) to shove her boot where the sun doesn’t shine after it had clipped your shin as she’d tried to snap the ball away from you. But it wasn’t as if you’d said anything overly criminal to Jessie herself, or even to any of her teammates. 

Weeks went by in the same manner, with you quietly pining over Jessie whilst simultaneously trying to figure out what you’d done to upset her. What you didn’t know, however, was that Jessie was having almost a similar internal debate as you.

She’d noticed during the game that you’d debuted for the United States Women’s National Team. She never would have admitted it then, but you’d given her a run for her money despite it being your first time competing internationally. Jessie had had to pull out all of her stops to keep you from slipping past her, and she’d finished the match absolutely exhausted. 

Since that match, she’d kept a careful eye on you and your development– both as a player and a person. She watched as you grew out of your shell, into an opponent who was consistently relied upon by your teams. She noted how you gained confidence in the way you played, taking risks that a younger you would have shuddered at and they worked each and every time. 

Jessie couldn’t deny that any time one of your highlight reels or edits popped up on her phone, she’d watch the entire thing through. 

Sometimes, if the… music… was really good, she’d watch it a few times. Purely to take notes on your tactics, of course, not because she wanted to take in every ounce of your existence that she could on the pixelated phone screen. Totally not because, sometimes, and only sometimes, your eyes made Jessie’s stomach do flips and turns in her stomach, or that your smile made Jessie feel almost… lightheaded. 

She actually despised herself for how long it had taken her to follow you back on Instagram, since she rarely used the app and had never seen that you’d followed her in the first place. It had taken a search for your name for your page to come up, and she’d felt almost… giddy, when she saw that you’d already followed her.

Jessie wasn’t stupid, she knew that the way she felt about you was more than purely platonic. When she came to Portland, she knew that she needed to bury those feelings that she had for you, as there was no way that you’d feel the same back. 

And so, she tried to remain nonchalant when she interacted with you. She smiled at you, nodding in greeting when you said hello to her each morning, and she made sure that the relationship between the two of you was like one between coworkers. 

And so the two of you continued, quietly pining for the other. Your teammates were growing tired, having long ago noticed how you’d stare at Jessie and look away when Jessie looked towards you. Jessie would do the same, zoning out as she looked at you and quickly diverting her gaze whenever you’d turn to look at Jessie. Your teammates felt the tension between the two of you, and it was, admittedly, a little bit awkward for the others.

It was Sophia’s idea to have a team bonding night to see if they could get you two, and the rest of the team, a little bit closer. You weren’t even sure whose house you were at, but you were instructed to bring a swimming suit, as you were having a day out in their pool. 

Of course, you forgot a swim suit… and nearly died when you arrived just as Jessie was doing a cannonball into the pool, causing a wave of water to cascade down onto her Canadian teammates, who all looked displeased. Jessie stuck her tongue out at them from inside of the pool before treading water to get to the side. 

She used her arms to hoist herself out of the pool, and your mouth grew dry. You actually raised your hand and wiped at your chin to make sure you weren’t salivating. You cleared your throat awkwardly as you caught sight of Jessie’s hard abdomen and muscular arms as she pulled herself free of the water. 

Diverting your attention elsewhere, you could feel how heated your cheeks were, and Sophia caught sight of you from across the pool. She smirked, before making her way over to you. 

“You made it! I wasn’t sure you were even coming, you sure took your time.” Sophia’s words were light, teasing. You smiled at her, feeling suddenly shy after Jessie’s unintentional… show, you supposed. How did one achieve the arms and abs of a Goddess? You wondered if you should ask Jessie, because there was no way someone could look that good without even trying and, quite honestly, you wondered how her muscles and silky skin would feel beneath your ha-

“If you’re going to pass out on me, give me a heads up so I can record it, please.” Someone snarked, breaking you out of your reverie. You turned to see another of your teammates, Olivia Moultrie, grinning at you. 

Behind Olivia, you watched as Jessie did a flip into the pool, the move causing your stomach to do its own flips. Your cheeks managed to redden impossibly further, and you shook your head slowly. Have flips always been so attractive? You never remembered having been so captivated by-

“Not gonna pass out.” You mumbled, and Sophia frowned. 

“It’s pretty warm out today, are you sure? Maybe you should hop in the water, just in case.” Sophia said, voice almost… faux in its concern. Your brows furrowed, and you shook your head again.

“No– I’m oka-”

Hands were on your shoulders, pushing you towards the pool. Before you knew what was happening, you were being shoved into the pool. You shouted out as the ground disappeared from beneath your feet, not at all having been ready to take a plunge into the water. 

You fumbled around, hands slapping uselessly at the water. That was the other issue that you’d never mentioned– you didn’t know how to swim. Nobody had ever bothered teaching you, and by the time you’d realized that it would have been a useful skill to have learned, you were utterly consumed in soccer and it was too late. 

You kicked uselessly at the water, unable to keep your head above the water long enough to catch anything more than a short gasp of air before you were underwater again. Against your will, you were panicking. Your lungs were burning, legs burning and stomach heaving as you fought feebly against gravity and the liquid which was keeping you from air. 

Then, strong arms were around your middle, dragging you up. Your head broke the surface of the water, and you coughed out as you were finally able to take a deep breath of fresh air. You tried to kick out, to get out of the water, but the arms around your stomach just held you tighter. You were pulled against a hard body, and someone was breathing harshly in your ear. Over the scent of chlorine, you smelled cinnamon, and as the person spoke you felt yourself relax against them.

“Hey, hey I’ve got you. Calm down. You can touch the ground here. It’s not too deep.” Almost… tentatively, you allowed your feet to reach out and touch the ground. Instantly, you grew embarrassed, having nearly drowned in water that was barely reaching your chest. You’d panicked, and immediately you started apologizing to Jessie, who had just been forced to “rescue” you from four feet of chlorinated water. 

What a way to impress your crush. You were a loser. 

From above, you saw Sophia appearing a little sheepish, giving you a little smile as she waited to see what your reaction was to being pushed in the water by her. You glared at her, shaking your head.

“A little warning next time would be nice.” You said, and you heard Jessie huff out a short laugh from behind you. You would have done anything to hear that noise again. In fact, you were trying to push all of your attention onto Sophia so that you could avoid thinking about Jessie’s skin on yours, her arms still wrapped firmly around you. You felt safe. 

“It’s not like I expected you to drown in four feet of water!” Sophia defended herself, trying arduously to decipher whether you were truly angry or not. You knew that the girl had meant no harm and, after all, it had been a pool party. You had expected to get wet, and you should have had your suit, and it wasn’t as though she knew you couldn’t swim– it wasn’t a fact you bragged about, of course. In that moment, you decided to forgive Sophia, and Jessie swore she fell for you a little more.

You could have, and had every right to, rip Sophia a new one for shoving you into the water, but you’d chosen not to. Instead, you laughed off the event, and Sophia appeared to calm down as well, laughing with you. 

Then, Sophia dismissed herself, saying she was going to go grab a towel for you.

The rest of your teammates had forgotten all about you already, consumed in their own antics. Now, it was just you and Jessie. Jessie, whose arms were still wrapped around you.

Before you could lose courage, you turned yourself around so that you were facing the black haired girl. If you wanted to, you could have leaned in just the barest amount and kissed Jessie. Something told you that she wouldn’t have minded, if the way she looked down to your lips as you turned was anything to go by.

Instead, you spoke.

“Thank you– for saving me.” The words were pathetic, causing your cheeks to redden again. Jessie laughed a little, the sound setting off the butterflies in your gut once more, something which you felt was a constant when it came to the Canadian midfielder. 

“I’d hardly call that saving. It was like watching a fish drown in water!” You frowned at the analogy, glaring at the girl and catching her eyes. You knew what drowning felt like, having felt like you were drowning only a few minutes before.

Even still, the way you got lost in Jessie’s gaze was an entirely unique way of drowning, and one that you would have happily drowned in any day.

“I thought I was drowning!” You defended yourself, voice rising in pitch as you laughed a little bit. You felt Jessie’s chest rise and fall as she breathed, so close that the two of you were practically breathing the same air. The thought was driving you nearly mad, so close to everything you’d been thinking about since you’d ever met the girl, nearly unable to hold yourself back.

“Clearly! You looked like you were drowning, too.” You scoffed, rolling your eyes nearly teasingly, and when your gaze returned to Jessie, you realized she was back to staring at your lips.

“Is there something on my face?” You asked, and Jessie swallowed, throat bobbing in a way that conveyed intense nervousness at the question you’d posed. 

Jessie had spent years pining over you, had swallowed down her feelings and pushed them to the side more times than she would ever be able to count. She’d done it in the name of her career, and in the name of her team.

Now, however, she wanted to do something for herself. She had forgotten about the people who surrounded the pool, her new teammates who weren’t really paying attention to the two people in the pool anyway.

Jessie’s soft hand came up to cup your cheek, and her eyes met yours again.

“Just a really pretty pair of eyes, and a gorgeous face, and really kissable lips. Speaking of– could I-” Jessie was, as always, cursing herself for how incredibly awkward she sounded. She’d wanted to sound suave, and cool, and calm and collected but her heart was beating like a jackhammer in her chest, so loud that she felt you could hear it if you were paying attention.

As it had it, you were busy paying attention to your own heart, which was threatening to beat right out of your chest. You were wondering if you were having a heart attack as you allowed your hands to loop around Jessie’s neck, clasping behind her head and tugging her into you further. 

Just before your lips met, you whispered. “Please, do.” 

And so Jessie did. Your lips met, and everything in the background seemed to blend into nothingness. You almost felt like you were back underwater with how everything faded but Jessie. All you knew was the feeling of Jessie’s lips against yours, moving fluidly against your lips.

Hers were smooth, and she sucked on your bottom lips gently as her other hand stroked at the skin of your hip, having strayed beneath your t-shirt. The kiss was gentle, and a little bit reserved, and a part of you would later be mortified at how you were making out with a “coworker” in front of your other “coworkers” but another part of you knew that you’d waited so, so long for this moment that you were completely unwilling to live more of your life without experiencing a kiss with Jessie. 

It was short, so much shorter than you wanted it to be. However, as you pulled away, Jessie’s cheeks were red and she looked at you almost… shyly.

“Yeah, we’re going to have to do that again,” You decided for the both of you, and Jessie nodded eagerly, grabbing your hand and leading you towards the steps of the pool. “Where are we going?”

Jessie continued to tug you behind her, around the corner of Sophia’s house and towards a shadier area, away from prying eyes. As soon as everyone else’s gazes were off of you, Jessie was tugging you into her, turning so that you were pressed up against the fence. 

“We’re doing that again, of course.” Jessie said, before pressing her lips back against yours.

Her lips were firm against yours, taking and taking and taking from you as, once again, she sucked and nipped at your bottom lip. She swallowed a moan that escaped your lips, making sure to keep quiet despite the loud music which boomed from a speaker where the rest of your teammates were. 

Pressing up against you, Jessie ran her hands up and down your sides, tongue slipping into your mouth as you parted your lips again. The pleasure that you felt was immeasurable. Everywhere Jessie touched was alit in flames, and you felt like you were on fire.

Jessie’s tongue slid against your own, exploring you in a way that she’d never had the chance to do before, and which she planned to do again and again and again. 

Before Jessie could really think, her knee was pressing up against you, between your legs. Her thigh was flexed, meeting the area where you throbbed for her, and another moan burst from your lips. 

You rolled your hips against her, the friction rubbing deliciously where you needed it most, and Jessie swallowed yet another moan from your lips. You knew that you couldn't get too carried away, given that your teammates were only a few feet away, separated by a wall. However, you couldn't help it.

Jessie had basically lost all sense of control by now, but as she heard someone ask where the two of you had gone, she was quick to back up. You were panting, but had also heard Sophia ask where you’d gone off to. 

Jessie stepped into your personal space again, fixing your wet shirt and pants for you before planting a firm, but quick, kiss against your lips. 

“How about we go out for dinner tonight? We can… talk about this.” Jessie, despite having you completely desperate and wanting for her minutes ago, was back to being awkward and uncertain. You nodded slowly, leaning over and planting a kiss to her cheek before the two of you reappeared from behind Sophia’s house.

Sophia glanced at the two of you, before a sly smile grew on her face as she realized that her carefully plotted plan had worked, taking in your reddened cheeks and disheveled states. After handing you a towel to dry off with, Sophia was quick to pull out her phone and text her separate group chat with just a few of your teammates.

Soph: “Operation Pool Party: Success” 

[leahswife]

snuggles, cuddles and struggles

summary: aitana is a touchy person. she particularly likes to touch you. you have a crush and don't know how to deal with it. neither do your teammates.

the first time it happened, it took you by surprise. it wasn't that much of a big deal really, you and your team were on the bus back to the hotel after a match and you were all pretty exhausted. but when aitana lays her head on your shoulder and starts to doze off, there's a little nervous flutter that settles in your chest.

you knew aitana was not afraid to show affection, often clinging herself to keira or Ingrid but that wasn't the same situation for you. you could be affectionate with those you were close to, but often withheld being too touchy in fear of making others uncomfortable. 

this particular situation, however, was even more stressful to you as it had to do with aitana. the crush you had on the brunette was now holding you hostage, making you conscious of your every move or breath to not risk waking her up. what if aitana got uncomfortable, what if your shoulder was too bony, what if you forgot to put on deodorant after the quick shower? 

you looked over and aitana was breathing peacefully, eyes closed and asleep. you took a deep breath and pushed your unpleasant thoughts away, however you did not move an inch the whole ride back.

–

slowly but surely, you got used to having aitana attach herself to you. not too long after the bus nap on your shoulder, the girl was right at your side whenever it got too cold, holding on to your arm and pressing her cheek onto your shoulder to try and keep herself warm. she would grab your hand any time you were walking ahead of her to catch up with you. but the worst part was the nights out.

one night the whole team decided to go out for a very much needed break and within no time, drinks were being passed around the table you were all on. 

after a little while, some were on the dance floor and others by the bar just chatting. you were sat by the table, laughing with claudia and patri as you watched ingrid scolding mapi for jumping too much when she's still recovering from her latest injury, when suddenly a body drops on your lap.

"phew! it's too hot in here!" aitana huffed as she wrapped one arm around your neck and the other fanned her hand towards her face to cool down a bit. she was sitting sideways on your lap, without seemingly any care in the world while you just looked stunned. 

your ears quickly caught notice of the giggles coming from patri and claudia's way. you sent them a glare and gulped down the rest of your drink so you could feel a little more confident. you already had a little buzz going on so you tentatively put one of your hands on aitana's thigh and the other on her hip. this must have seemed like an invitation considering that it made aitana wrap both arms around your neck and wiggle on your lap to get closer to you.

"i'm tired." she groaned. you let out a small laugh and tapped her thigh, "well, when you're running around a field for 90 minutes and then dance throughout the night, i think it's bound to make you tired." aitana frowned at you, "but i have a lot of stamina." 

"why don't you go home and show her some of that stamina, chica?" patri shouted across the table, laughter in her voice. your eyes shoot daggers at the mallorquina whereas aitana looked confused. "qué?" aitana shouts back, clearly clueless of patri's suggestion. "don't mind her." you rolled your eyes and with some alcohol induced confidence, you grabbed aitana's jaw to turn her head back to you.

she was the one to look surprised now, eyes flickering to your lips and back to your eyes in a second. once you realized the position you had put yourself in, you tried to brush it off by gently shaking her head and letting go of her jaw, "by now you should know some of our teammates aren't the brightest. you smirked as patri's "hey!" can be heard. but aitana continued looking at you, seemingly breathless as what seemed like realization came across her face.

aitana cleared her throat and stood up "i should go home." she said, grabbing her purse in an haste. "but you were drinki-" you're cutt off as aitana quickly states that ingrid and mapi are leaving and will take her. you watched her leave with a confused look and slightly anxious you went too far.

–

after that night, aitana appeared to back off her touching completely. well, off of you. now she went to keira to warm herself up or laid her head on ona's shoulder when she was tired. speaking to you also appeared to be a hard effort on her part and every time she would walk past you in the changing room without even a glance, you would sink back down on your cubbie like a kicked puppy. 

lucy had noticed both of your changes in behaviour, aitana's withdrawal and your yearning looks from afar. well, that last one had always been there but now it was just sad to watch. she sat down next to you and put her arm around your shoulders, "what's up, kid?" she asked, concerned. "nothing, grandma, what's up with you?" you shifted your gaze from aitana to lucy, an amused smile slowly forming on your face. lucy's worried look rapidly changed into a gloomy one, "ha ha, you're so funny. did i ever tell you you could be a comedian?" she said, sarcasm rolling off of her tongue as she pushed your shoulder. you giggled, "yes, you have. is your memory declining that fast?". she mocked your phrase, "iS yOuR MemOrY dEcLin– shut up." you gave her an innocent smile and a quick hug, "oh forgive me please, great lucy bronze." she rolled her eyes but eventually caved and dropped the grumpy face, "you coming out with us tonight?" "umm, i don't know, i–"

"she is!" pina pointed at you both. her loud tone drew some attention from the other girls, including aitana, who looked at you probably for the first time that day but quickly drew her gaze away. you noticed this, which brought back that weird rejection feeling in your chest even if you had nothing to be rejected about. 

"hey." lucy brought your attention back to her, "i think it will be good for you to come with us, okay? have a little fun, distract a little and if you want to, you can annoy me all night." she looked at you with a charming grin, pretty persuasive really. that managed to crack a smile out of you and you nodded, "deal."

–

you intended on getting absolutely smashed tonight. if aitana didn't want to talk to you or even interact with you anymore it's because you must've done something, right? you went too far or said something that weirded her out and now your friendship was ruined. so you were going to drink it out and try to forget all about it. 

you were about to begin your night's mission when patri walked over to you at the bar, "hey! i need a favour!" she shouted over the loud music. you looked at her, and waved off the bartender, "what is it?" you asked. she pointed in the direction of the bathroom, "can you go check if i left my purse in the toilet? i've been trying to find it everywhere, i'm gonna go check on one of the other rooms now so can you do me this favour, pleeease?" she begged, trying her best to look desperate.

to be fair, you knew that she would insist even if you refused so it didn't take much convincing for you to nod and walk over to the bathroom. 

when you got in, however, you realized why patri had "assigned" you the bathroom to look for her "lost" purse.

aitana was standing by the sink when she realized you walked in. her eyes went wide for a second, probably startled to see you and proceeded to wipe her hands and make her way to the door.

"no." you stood by the door, blocking her way out. you don't know where this new-found confidence came from, maybe the adrenaline of being alone with aitana, or the pent up frustration and yearning that she caused over the last few weeks but you were glad it was here, and you were gonna ride it out for as long as you could. "why have you been ignoring me?" you asked, your eyes fixed on aitana's.

"i haven't been ignoring you." 

"you have."

"i haven–"

"aita, stop." she opened and immediately closed her mouth. "tell me please whatever i did wrong. i promise you that if i just knew, i'd take it back. I'd take back whatever i did a million times if it meant you got to talk to me again." you rambled on, no filter whatsoever.

"you did nothing wrong." she answered quietly. "then why did you ice me out? you don't talk to me, you barely look at me and you never touch me anymore. i don't understand what happened." you blurted out, distressed. she looked up at you with guilt plastered on her face.

you saw her struggle internally as she sighed, covered her face with her hands and walked around the bathroom before returning to stand in front of you. "that other night." she started, "i felt something." she looked away from you, "i mean. i had already felt something before, but that night, when you grabbed me, i– i dont know. i realized something."

what? that you didn't matter? that you were ugly? your mind started thinking of the worst scenarios but when she saw you the fear in your face, she immediately interjected, "it's nothing bad! i promise." she put her hand on your arm, the first time she'd touched you in a while. 

"i realized why i was clinging to you so much. i know that i am a touchy person but with you, it was just… different." you frowned in confusion but nodded at her to keep going, "i want to touch you all the goddamn time. not just at training or after a game, i mean i want to hold you and be held by you while we fall asleep. i want to hold your hand when we go for walks, i want you to hug me while i cook dinner or when we're watching scary movies, i just – i want you." she finished with a sigh, an agitated look on her face as she stared into your eyes.

you were speechless. aitana wanted you? the same way you wanted her? 

when she saw you kept being silent after a while, she continued,  "i'm sorry for distancing myself, but these feelings… they are new to me. i didn't know what to do with them, how to approach you, if i should tell you, i was scared you didn't feel the sa–"

"can i kiss you?" you interrupted.

"what?" she asked quietly, shock all over her face. 

you put your hands on the back of her neck, slightly tugging on her hair, so her head turns upwards to you. you lean closer, lips almost brushing hers, "i asked if i could –" you were cut off by aitana's lips pressing yours with urgency. she grabbed your waist, strong arms pulling you closer. you sighed in pleasure within the kiss, which prompted her to stick her tongue into your mouth. you tugged on her hair a little harder and pressed your tongue against hers. you pulled away to take a breath and grabbed her jaw, a cocky smirk forming on your face when her hooded eyes filled with lust, "this is what made you realize you wanted me?" she nodded, breathless. you pulled her in and gave her a hard kiss, teeth and tongues clashing together before you pulled away again.

"i am so glad patri made me come look for her lost purse."

"huh? lucy told me to come find her lost purse."

a/n: idk if some expressions are used correctly, english is not my first language so if u guys have anything point at, my asks are open :) also i didn't proof read sorry i finished this pretty late and im sleepy 🤪✌️

[katieamccabe]

How Could You? PART 2

Lucy Bronze x Lionesses Reader

content warning: was just gonna be suggestive but it turned into smut so be aware … 18+ mdni <3

remember to read part 1 first!!! https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/744974754345287680/how-could-you

Following a rather long cuddle, Keira knocked on the door, prompting Lucy to get up off of the bed and stand opposite you as you both echoed ‘come in’. You smiled nervously at Keira, anxious she’d notice what had been happening with you and the older brunette, but Lucy took control of the situation, explaining how you’re ’all okay now’ before brushing past Keira, out the door and along the corridor to her own room.

Keira closed your door as Lucy left, tactful enough to change the conversation after her previous questioning had led to your outburst in the cafeteria. ‘Excited for tomorrow?’ She grinned, stroking your head.

‘I can’t believe it’s finally going to happen Kei’, your eyes glowing with excitement now you know you had the teams full support, (especially Lucy).

Soon you got into the shower, Keira moaning that you were ‘taking way too long’ as you washed your hair. What she didn’t know is you were actually having an everything shower, a ritual for you before any big event. At last you emerged from the steam, and she ran past you to take her turn, locking the door of the en-suite behind her. You lay out on the bed, one towel around your body, one around your wet hair, and as you pick up your phone to check for notifications you see a text:

Lucy: I’ve got something I need to confess…..

Y/N: And that is????

You smirked at this, and after your reply you felt your heart sunk as you realise this is the first text message you’ve shared together in over a year now. How did we become so distant? You cursed yourself, but this thought was quickly interrupted when your phone buzzed again.

Lucy: I may have told Millie how much I fancy you… before today?

Y/N: Ooffff! Very schoolgirl crush of you Bronze….

I didn’t have you down as the yearning type

Lucy: Oi, It helped actually. She kept me sane

Y/N: Sane whilst you were drooling over me in weight training?

Lucy: The only muscles to be drooled over are mine babe…

Y/N: yeah yeah…

Lucy: shut up you! anyway that’s not what I was getting at, Millie obviously knows yeah, but she’s agreed to stay in Rach’s room tonight as there’s a spare bed.

Y/N: very presumptuous!

Lucy: so you’re not gonna come and see me then?

Y/N: hey i never said that!!

Lucy: later then x

You melted back into the bed at this exchange, relieved you were freshly out of the shower already, as your heart was skipping a beat and you couldn’t focus on anything. You dried and combed your hair before changing into a hoodie and shorts: just before Keira came out of the bathroom.

Keira.

How the hell were you going to explain to Keira where you were going.

‘That shower is unreal!’ She said, stepping into her robe as she dried her hair.

‘You excited for one of our classic sleepovers tonight then y/n/n? I reckon we stay up as late as possible and watch atleast 2 seasons of that crime show again’.

Your face dropped at this, but she noticed and stuck her tongue out.

‘Jokes. I’m knackered. Plus it’s only like, the most important day of your international career so far tomorrow’. She continued.

‘Way to put me as ease’, you laughed, beginning to relax. If Keira was tired, she’d easily fall asleep before you and you could slip off down the corridor to Lucy’s room.

‘You’re gonna be fine chick. Since day one I knew you’d get here. I can’t wait to start alongside you’, she beamed, planting a kiss on your forehead before getting into her bed beside yours.

The pair of you unwinded for a while, she had her headphones on as she voice-noted god-knows-who, and you pretended to scroll through your phone when in reality you were rereading old messages with Lucy, from when you first moved up to the senior team. It was clear how much she cared about you, even if it wasn’t in a romantic way back then, and you felt grateful to be liked by such a wonderful person.

Soon you watched Keira slump over, her earphones still connected to her ears as her eyes dropped shut. You tiptoed over, disconnecting her phone and putting it on her bedside table, before hearing her whisper a disturbed ‘g’night’ to you. You replied before climbing into your own bed, waiting almost impatiently for her breathing to level out - signalling to you she was asleep.

And then it did.

You peeled the duvet off of you slowly, before standing up into your sliders and grabbing the keycard. You pulled the door shut behind you in slow motion, to eliminate any noise, and tiptoed down the corridor, praying that the rest of your teammates would be in their rooms, asleep. Lucky for you, the coast was clear. When you got to her door, you didn’t know whether to knock, walk straight in or maybe even text to alert her you were ready? Your previous excitement subsided and you were filled with nerves: would you stay the night? Would it be a quick encounter? Before you could get your thoughts in track, the door infront of you opened and Lucy stood there, glasses on, hair in a low messy bun as she wore a navy sweatshirt and shorts.

‘Hello you…’ she glowed, motioning you to come in as you exchanged a hello. Her room was gorgeous: the same layout as yours except the beds were pushed together to make a double, fairy lights were strung along the wall creating a warm glow in the room and two chilled beers were stood on the side, condensation dripping down.

‘No pressure to drink… I know it’s a school night’ she winked.

‘One won’t hurt. The match isn’t until the afternoon…’ you smiled, and she opened the beer for you as you both sat cross-legged on the bed. The older woman eyed you for a bit as you drank, sensing your slight nerves.

‘Thank you for coming. I really wanted to make this night special - it’s like christmas eve but for your senior career’ she laughed, blushing.

‘Lucy this is perfect. It’s so thoughtful of you. Thank you-‘ you stuttered, feeling all emotions at once at how she’d gone all of this effort for you - despite you ‘replacing her’.

‘Hey hey. It’s the least you deserve’, she reached her strong arms around you, pulling you in for a hug.

‘So what did Mills say when you kicked her out for the night’, you teased.

‘Oh she more than obliged. She actually sorted these lights.’ Lucy’s cheeks began to red, losing her confident facade as she looked down at the bed.

‘How long have you two been discussing me then?’ You narrowed your eyes, keen to pry some more information from Lucy while she was blushing - if she began to joke back she’d never admit anything.

‘Like…. 2 years’ She joined your eyes once more.

‘And you didn’t say anything?’ You boasted.

‘I didn’t wanna risk anything. Like throw you off your game. So i just kept my distance’

‘Lucy! You should’ve told me…’ You groaned, frustrated at the years you hardly spoke to one another - it was all making sense.

After a moment you cut back in: ‘So did I give you a chase then?’

‘Oh please… you didn’t even hesitate when I kissed you, i bet you’ve defo fancied me at some point.’

‘Hmmmm.. you think very highly of yourself Bronze’ you smirked, and at this response she took your beer out of your hand, replacing both bottles onto the table and connected her lips to yours. After a few minutes of passionate kissing, she removed her arm from around you waist, pushing you both down onto the mattress.

‘You’re so gorgeous’, she muttered, her lips moving to your ear as she breathed the words over you, your heartbeat racing below her. She slowly moved her teeth across your ear, nibbling slowly, before moving down to your neck. You writhed below her, becoming more turned on every second; desperate for her to hurry up and move further down your skin. You let out a small groan as she nipped the skin along your collarbone, making small purple marks that would be concealed by your match shirt come tomorrow. Soon you began fingering the fabric of your hoodie, aching to remove it before she even had the chance to ask, and she helped you pull it over your head revealing your bare chest. Her mouth moved over your breasts, nipping and sucking until she reached your nipple and your hips buckled upwards to try and get some friction from her legs that were over you.

‘Not so soon princess. Be patient.’ She glowered, and you moaned as she took your right nipple gently between her teeth, the pressure building up inside of you becoming unbearable.

‘Please Lucy’ you moaned before you could stop yourself, and she smirked before obliging. You guided her hand to the waistband of your shorts, and she laughed as she realised you had no pants on.

‘You wanted me that bad ey!’ but you couldn’t even process her taunting speech, you were concentrating on her hand as it moved down to meet your opening and the slow strokes through your wetness were releasing pleasure way too soon for her liking. She noticed your change in breathing and issued a new command: ‘Slowly for me.’ But now she’d started it, you couldn’t bring yourself to stop. Her fingers circling your clit were beginning to draw you closer already, she leaned down and kissed you, propping herself up with her other hand, and you moaned into her mouth as she moved closer to your opening.

‘So wet for me baby. We’ve been missing out on this’, she whispered over you, and you nodded when she was about to enter you with one finger. Soon she built up to two, and then three, her thumb stroking your raw clit as she pumped into you, slow but rough.

‘Please Lucy’ you panted, and she continued the quick pace.

‘Come for me princess. Show me how beautiful you are.’

Within seconds your arousal had coated your thighs and her hand, which she brought up to her lips, licking them dry, your heart swooning at the sight. She was beautiful. Her body laid down next to you as you felt her strong bicep slide around your neck as she pulled you in to her side, planting a kiss on your forehead. You laid there for a while, her just holding you, before she made her way to the bathroom and you heard water as she must have started to run a bath.

‘Let’s get you cleaned up baby’ she said, as she lifted you up off the bed and onto your weak legs, helping you into the warm water of the bath tub. She tenderly stroked your hair from beside you as you washed, and when finished, gave you her white robe, embroidered ‘LB’.

‘Thank you Luce’ you whispered into her neck once you were under the sheets once more, her arms around you again.

‘Anything for you gorgeous. Now get some rest..’ She smiled, watching you as you slowly fell asleep beside her as she held you so close. She drew small circles over your the nape of your head until you were flat out, and slowly she fell asleep too, overcome with such strong feelings so early on.

—

The next morning you awoke in a panic, unaware of the time and terrified Keira would already be up, seeing your empty bed and putting the pieces together.

Lucy entered from the bathroom, a towel around her, smirking at you. ‘Don’t worry. It’s only early. You’ve got atleast another hour until Walshy surfaces’ and you relaxed as she showed you her phone screen - it was only 6:55. She leaned over you, kissing your cheek, and you moved your head tactfully so your lips met instead.

‘I better go, just to be sure’. You whispered, replacing the robe you’d fell asleep in with the hoodie and shorts you’d so quickly discarded the evening before.

‘No bother babe. I’ll see you later’, she winked, her arms around you from behind until you reached the door.

‘See you Luce. Thank you for last night’, you beamed before turning out of the door into the corridor.

As quietly as possibly you opened your actual room with the keycard - breathing a sigh of relief as you realised it was still in darkness and you could make Keira out on her side of the room, still dead to the world. You made your way over to your bed, climbing under the covers as you scrolled through your phone notifications: lots of messages from family and friends wishing you good luck for today’s match. About half an hour later, Keira stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom: she was not a morning person and wouldn’t utter a word until breakfast, so you laughed as she put her hood up, pulled her sliders on and grabbed your hand in silence, desperate go down to the cafeteria ready for some morning fuel.

As you reached the lift, you did a double take as Lucy turned to get in.

‘No funny business Lucy. It’s silly o’clock’ - Keira moaned; aware of the brunette’s previous antics. She loved annoying Keira - especially in the early morning when she was at her most delicate.

You exchanged a look with Lucy, smiling at the blissfully unaware strawberry blonde until the elevator reached the ground floor and all three of you headed into breakfast. You sat at your usual table: Keira, Leah, Mary and you, and the meal flew by as you were soon met with gushing hugs, well wishes and banter from Leah, who was determined that she was going to ‘out-play you today’.

‘We’ll see about that skipper…’ you playfully shoved her in response, before the four of you retreated back to your rooms for some down time before match preparation for this afternoon’s game.

The hours seemed to fly back, and the nerves crept upon you as time did. You hadn’t had time to process the gravity of the situation: your head had been filled with Lucy and only now when you were walking out to warm up had it hit you that you wouldn’t be a bench warmer today. Lucy manipulated Leah’s instructions, leaving her usual groupings to form a group with you, Kei, Millie and Mary as you did your sprints and walks before moving onto some final set piece practise. It looked as though she’d joined you guys to wind up Keira, but the brushes against your skin as you followed the ball in each drill told you the real reason.

Time was slipping away, and all the girls filtered back into the changing room to get into their kit.

Leah and Sarina stood in the centre of the room, hyping the team up before turning to you.

‘I also just want to wish a huge good luck to our very own ‘Y/N Y/L/N’ who is starting for the senior England team for the first time in her career. The first of many I hope’. Sarina beamed, and the room erupted into cheer but you couldn’t help but avoid Lucy’s eye after the managers final words. First of many. You knew Lucy’s heart was tearing apart at hearing this, and you couldn’t help but blame yourself.

Changed and ready to go you all headed into the tunnel to line up for walk out: Lucy headed to the bench with Rach and the others but not before putting her arm around you and squeezing your shoulder.

‘You’ve got this gorgeous. I’ll be cheering every second. Go out and get them!’ She whispered into your ear, and you blew her a small kiss as she winked back at you, running out ready to watch the game from the sideline. You felt so much better with this reassurance, but you knew Lucy Bronze, and you knew how much she’d favour putting a brave face on to not hurt the ones she loves.

—

The match went well, you were up 2-1 by the 75 minute mark and you were called to be subbed off for rest as you weren’t used to playing the full 90 just yet. Rach came on to replace Alessia, giving you a high five, and you then walked past Lucy who was replacing you, but as you crossed her to get to the bench she didn’t make eye contact. You assumed it was just because of the sheer amount of fans and phones situated on the two of you, and flung yourself into a chair, after Sarina shook your hand, and a coach passed you a Lucozade.

‘Smashed it gal’, Georgia leant over your shoulder from the row behind and you grinned back at her.

‘Brick wall!’ Millie beamed at you, and you settled into your chair to watch the remainder of the match.

—

At some point in the final 5 minutes of injury time Lucy had made a mistake, out of her usual position, giving the ball away in midfield, and you and the other subs stood in horror as you watched the other team advance up to the pitch, their number 9 banging a goal into the top left corner. Groans surrounded you, but your heart began racing as you realised the blame that was going to fall on to Lucy from the media and pundits. Sarina was stood infront of you, her hands over her face as play restarted, and it was as if a miracle unfolded infront of your very eyes as you watched Keira lace the ball carefully to Beth’s feet, who slotted it past the defence and over to Rachel - who managed to volley it past the keeper with her left foot. The crowd erupted: England were ahead again, and when the final whistle blew you ran onto the pitch to envelop your teammates in a hug, dancing to the music as they paraded you around for your debut start. You spotted Lucy, not wanting to go directly over incase a fan theory started, and she met your eye offering a warm smile before looking down at the grass, Millie’s arm around her. She looked visibly annoyed at herself, and you so badly wanted to go over and pull her in so tightly, but it just wasn’t possible.

—

After you did interview after interview, trying your best to stay on topic and not get distracted by how Lucy must be feeling, you got changed and found the rest of the girls on the coach. You sat beside Keira in the last spare seat, and on the way back to the hotel you once again replied to text messages from those you love: telling you how ‘incredible’ your performance was. After you replied to a good few, you opened instagram to post a few photos of the match and thank the fans for their support, but at the top of your explore feed was a photo of Lucy - visibly upset post match, beside another photo of the opposition’s equalising goal. The headline above it was in all caps:

CAREER OVER FOR BRONZE?

You shook your head at this: why on earth was she being hounded for such a silly mistake when Daly managed to get us the winner anyway?

You posted your instagram dump, moving over to twitter, seeing you’d been tagged in yet another news outlet defamation. And another. And another.

BRONZE WON’T GO FOR GOLD

Y/L/N: THE ONLY RIGHT BACK THE LIONESSES NEED?

LUCY BRONZE HAS LOST HER TOUCH: NEARLY COST ENGLAND THE WINNER

SARINA: WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

They went on and on and you were getting more angry by the second - so you turned your phone off in a huff, standing up from your seat to see if you could spot Lucy. She was a few rows ahead on the opposite side - you must have missed her when you got on - but she was in the window seat, her head turned to the view, as Millie beside her was turned around laughing with Rachel across the aisle. Your heart was breaking for her, you knew she’ll have seen what the news was saying, and you couldn’t get to her. It felt like you were being ripped in two.

[katieamccabe]

All For You

Leah Williamson x Reader

Summary: You’ve been with Leah for 3 years, supporting her through her highs and her lows (ACL recovery) and you finally make it to a match. This is loosely inspired by a grey’s anatomy episode (derek’s death). Some info is inaccurate but it’s for the plot so allow it (idk medical talk!) I’d recommend listening to ‘chasing cars’ by snow patrol iykyk…

Warnings: Hospital / injury / death / car crash

Sorry in advance <3 3250 words

LEAH IS CALLING flashed up on the screen in your car, and you rushed to answer the bluetooth call.

‘Hey gorgeous’ You greeted her after accepting.

‘Hey babe. Have you left yet?’

You were on your way to watch Arsenal’s biggest game of the season: they’d made it to the Conti Cup final and were due to face Chelsea at Wembley. Your girlfriend of 3 years, Leah Williamson, had fought hard through her ACL recovery to ensure she was fighting fit ready to be in the starting line up for this match and it was the first time you were seeing her back on the pitch since she’d recovered (you’d had to watch her previous games via livestream or catch up due to your own busy football schedule playing for Villa, and unluckily for the pair of you, your two teams were yet to go head to head).

‘I’ve just left… How are you feeling?’

‘Terrified. Jokes. We’ve got this. I’m about to go down to warm up but I’ll give you a wave when I spot you! Jen is here already so just look out for her - you’re next to her’.

‘Okay amazing… I can’t believe I’m supporting Arsenal for the night…’ You groaned - you liked winding Leah up a little too much.

‘You love it really… Did you find the top I’d left out for you to wear?’

She was referencing the ‘WILLIAMSON 6’ shirt hung up on the door of your shared wardrobe. You scoffed when you saw it, but supporting your girlfriend was one of your favourite things in the world, so excitedly put it on, dressing it up along with her leather jacket. She was out after all, so she couldn’t tell you no!

‘Yes…. I put it straight back in the wardrobe’

‘Liar…’ You could sense she was smirking just through the tone of her voice.

‘Is everything okay with the car?’ She continued - you were driving there in her car so that you could be designated driver after the post-match celebrations.

‘All fine babe, I should be there in about 30?’

‘Perfect. I can’t wait to win for you.’

‘Yeah yous better win. Wearing red AND losing wasn’t really on my agenda tonight Williamson…’

‘Just wait and see. It’s all for you baby’.

Your heart swelled when she spoke like this.

‘I love you Leah.’

‘I love you angel girl. Drive safe.’

CALL DISCONNECTED

You beamed at her words, you were so excited to finally get to see her play. Her journey to

recovery had been a gruelling 10 months - but you spent every minute you weren’t on the pitch helping her and making sure she was in a good place. It was hard at times: there was moments when she’d shut you out and go stay at her mums - but she always came back - and you went back to normal. Having survived that, your relationship was now stronger than it ever had been, and you loved eachother more than life itself.

—

After half an hour you pulled into the VIP car park: Leah’s registration plate being recognised immediately, and you made your way in to the family and friends stand where Jen Beattie was waving at you and grinning.

‘Made it in the nick of time!’ She shouted over the stadium’s music, reaching out to hug you before you both sat down in your respective seats.

‘Traffic was insane. There’s been a collision.’ You yelled, and soon the crowd drowned your conversation out with a roaring cheer as both finalist teams made their way out. They shook hands with one another, before turning to get their classic team photo, and Leah spotted you with a wink, pointing at your shirt and blowing you a kiss.

‘God you two are insufferable!’ Jen groaned, and you playfully shoved her.

‘It’s cute though. I can’t believe you cracked Leah Williamson’ She continued.

You laughed at this, it was painfully true. Leah was extremely ‘hard to get’ at the beginning - you came head to head with her for the first time in 2020 and Villa managed to beat their

side 2-1 in a hugely physical match. Katie McCabe had knocked you to the ground in the final minutes, and Leah was the one to offer you a hand, whispering in your ear after the game how ‘She hoped I was okay’. Later that night, the Arsenal girls had arrived at the bar where Villa were hosting celebrations, and the rest was history. You two just clicked immediately, and your heads hadn’t turned since.

—

Soon the match found halftime: it was 2:1 to Arsenal scored by Lacasse and Mead. Your voice was hoarse from screaming: it was Jen who was the bad influence, and soon you’d felt as though you might bleed red.

‘Careful - I heard Leah is very influential when it comes to recruiting new gunners’ Jen winked, and you rolled your eyes.

‘Never… Gonna…. Happen’ You responded, throwing your head back with laughter at the sheer thought of it.

—

The second half felt as though it had flew over: you’d started to bite the skin surrounding your nails as your nerves overtook you. Chelsea had equalised and it was now 2:2 with just 5 minutes to go - you weren’t religious but you found yourself praying that Arsenal would take it: it’s the least they deserved. It’s what Leah deserved after going to hell and back this last year.

The final minute of injury time arrived, and you were begging it to not go to extra time - and then inevitably penalties. As if by magic, you raised from your seat as you watched Arsenal be rewarded a corner: Catley took it, Wubben-Moy gained possession through a header and knocked it to Williamson - who flicked it into the bottom right corner of the net. The crowd erupted. They’d done it. LEAH had done it. You and Jen couldn’t control yourselves as you jumped and screamed until the whistle blew - and as the red’s lifted the trophy, bottles of champagne flowing onto the pitch, Leah found your eye in the crowd, lifting her arms and sending you a hand heart from above her head.

‘All for you’ She mouthed, and you returned the heart, bursting into tears with joy as Jen put her arm around you.

—

As the crowds dispersed - drunk in victory - the pair of you were ushered from the stands into a private waiting area until the team were dressed and ready to leave for the winners party.

One by one they came around the corner, all wearing a huge smile and greeting you both with excitement - and then there was Leah.

She spotted you immediately, Beth shoving her towards you and laughing as the taller blonde wrapped her arms around you - her hair still slightly damp from the shower - but makeup and a smart tshirt and trousers on.

‘You did it baby’ You breathed into her hair, clutching her as tightly as possible.

‘That last one was for you.’ She winked. ‘My favourite gunner…’

You scoffed at this, and she grabbed you by the shoulders, turning you around to present the back of your shirt to her teammates smugly.

‘Oh she’s got you whipped’ Katie laughed as Leah soaked in the attention: she was so proud to show you off.

‘Yawn…. Can we get going now? That champagne wasn’t enough. I want to get wasted!’ Kyra sighed - and you all ushered out into your cars and taxi’s to soon meet up at your favourite club, a short drive away.

You drove Leah, Beth and Viv, all extremely loud passengers: giddy from the win, and after 10 minutes you’d found a parking space and were on your way inside the venue.

—

It was a brilliant evening, but unlike the others, you had training tomorrow afternoon, so you knew you couldn’t go overboard. You nursed an extremely small beer before moving on to soft drinks only, but you got drunk in the atmosphere: buzzing for Leah and all her best friends. After hours of badly sung karaoke from the Aussies, and shots upon shots taken by Beth and Leah, it had hit 2am and you were starting to slow.

You were sat chatting between Caitlin and Cloe when Leah noticed you yawn from where she was on the dance floor, immediately coming over to you and stroking your hair from behind.

‘You tired baby? You look exhausted?’ She whispered into your ear.

‘A little bit, yes’.

‘Just say the word and we can go.’ She continued, still messing with your hair.

‘Nooo. It’s your big night. You deserve this. You’re not going anywhere!’

‘But you look like you’re going to fall asleep at the table any second!’ She persisted.

‘I’m fine! I’ll wait until you’re ready!’

‘You can go if you don’t feel up to it. I can get a taxi. But I’m happy to come now so I can look after you.’

‘No, no, I’ll go. But you’re gonna stay and enjoy yourself!’

‘Only if you’re sure. Are you awake enough to drive?’

‘Yes, it’s just the dark lighting in here. Once i’m up and concentrating i’ll be fine!’

‘Right…’ She said, biting her lip. ‘Well i’ll see you soon. Text me when your home okay?’

‘Of course. Have fun. You deserve this.’

‘I love you.’

‘I love you.’

You kissed her goodbye before exchanging goodbye hugs with the rest of the girls who were sober enough to stand - before making your way outside to find your car. You felt a lot more lively immediately - clubs just weren’t your thing like they once were at 18.

The drive home was just under 20 minutes, and as you were about to pull off the dual carriageway your phone buzzed.

‘Why hasn’t it bloody connected?’ You sigh to yourself: unsure why Leah’s car system wasn’t co-operating like it did on the journey here. You tried to pull your phone out of your pocket until it eventually came loose, and you held it in your hand with the other on the wheel.

LEAH IS CALLING.

You tried to swipe to answer it - but a huge force knocked it out of your hand as a car had ploughed into the side of your vehicle - surging down the wrong lane. You flew forward, the car turning over and over and you felt yourself lose consciousness from the impact.

—

LEAH IS CALLING.

LEAH IS CALLING.

LEAH IS CALLING.

—

The ambulances got to the scene almost immediately: the other car’s passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, but by some miracle, you still had a pulse when the paramedics pulled you out of the wreck. Unresponsive, they got you onto a stretcher and into the back of the emergency vehicle within 10 minutes: the sirens beating down the motorway. By 3am you had been wired up to a machine, your pulse weak but fighting on. Your chest and arms were bruised and bloody, your face cut and bandaged.

—

LEAH IS CALLING.

LEAH IS CALLING.

—

‘Why isn’t she picking up?’ Leah said to Jen, beginning to get anxious as it had now been over an hour since you’d left and you hadn’t yet texted her to confirm you’d arrived home safely.

‘She was knackered. Could she have just got in and fell straight to sleep?’ Jen replied, trying to ease her nerves.

‘There’s no chance. We always text. We’ve never forgotten - even if one of us has stormed out in an argument’. Leah went on, beginning to bite her lip as she tried to rationalise the situation.

The room fell silent as one of the bar staff appeared to raise the lights and lower the music.

‘Can everybody listen up. There’s been a crash not far from here. Just letting everyone know as you Arsenal lot live up that way.’

The room of people nodded, before continuing their night as the lights dimmed and the music continued. That was… all except Leah.

Her heart sunk immediately, her mind spiralling.

‘A crash?’ She shouted, clambering up and running towards the bar, her words drowned from the music as Jen shouted after her.

‘The crash. Where was it? What does it say? I can’t get signal?’ Leah shouted over the music into the ear of the bar tender who seconds earlier had announced the news.

‘Alban Bypass.’ She shrugged, scrolling down the newsflash. ‘Says it’s an Audi A5… Black? Multiple vehicles. Fatalities at the scene.’

Leah stumbled back, Jen now behind her hearing the girls words, and taking the blonde’s weight as she struggled to stand.

Leah’s stare went blank with shock, and Jen’s face went white.

‘We need to go’ The scot ushered, steering Leah outside.

‘TAXI! PLEASE’ She hollered, and soon they were in the back of the car, one pleading with the driver to hurry to their local hospital, the other with her blonde head in her hands - struggling to comprehend what was going on. There was no way on earth this was a coincidence: as soon as she heard the location and the car’s model her mind was made up.

—

Jen had to lift Leah’s weight as they entered the hospital: the blonde stared blankly ahead of her: unresponsive.

‘Hi, there was an accident earlier? We’re looking for a Y/N Y/L/N’ Jen said, trying to maintain composure for Leah’s sake.

The receptionist’s face subtly fell, and the two women immediately knew something was wrong.

‘She’s here? She’s okay?’ Jen continued.

‘She is here. If you’d both take a seat. I’ll call the doctor down here.’

‘She’s okay?’ Jen persisted, desperately searching for reassurance.

‘I don’t know anything more at this time

other than she’s been admitted. I’ll get the doctor down here immediately.’ The receptionist replied, and Jen nodded solemnly, taking Leah to a seat before they were interrupted.

‘Are you relatives of Y/N Y/L/N?’ A male voice interrupted, and the pair turned around - Leah still staring out blankly.

‘This is her girlfriend. She hasn’t got close family. She doesn’t speak to them’ Jen replied, and the doctor ushered them to sit down in a private room along the corridor.

‘At this time we know that Miss Y/L/N’s vehicle was hit by an intoxicated driver. Her car was turned over multiple times - but our team were at the scene immediately and recovered her from the wreckage. She’s still alive - but we’ve had to give her a lot of oxygen to maintain her system. She’s lost a lost of blood, and we’re seeing advancing brain damage from the force.’

Leah made an inhumane noise at hearing this news, snapping back to life, as Jen began to feel tears roll down her cheeks.

‘She’s currently been induced in a medically induced coma. I am so sorry to say that there is an extremely acute chance of survival.’

‘So she’s not going to make it?’ Leah cried out.

‘She is connected to a lot of machines right now, that are allowing her survival. It has been determined that when they are removed, her body won’t be able to cope on its own’.

‘So she’s not going to make it?’ Leah repeated her words, her voice raised now, reeling.

‘I’m so sorry.’ He said, shaking his head. ‘I can take you to her now so you can say your goodbyes’.

Jen nodded, pushing Leah to follow the doctor.

The two reached the room you were laid in.

‘I will warn you Miss Williamson, the crash has had extreme physical detriment on your partner. She may not look as you will be expecting.’

Leah ignored this: her brain was fully breaking down and she couldn’t process any of her surroundings.

He opened the door for her, and Leah wandered in, shakily finding the chair, not immediately able to look up at your frail body laid out on the hospital bed, wires and surrounding you.

Her eyes lifted up to your bed - it was just the two of you.

‘Oh Y/N’ She cried, the beeping of the machines weak but consistent.

‘How has this happened baby?’ She grabbed your cold hand in hers, her eyes scared to wander over the cuts and marks over the skin that was so perfectly untouched just hours earlier.

Why did I let you go?

Why didn’t I go with you?

Why didn’t I stop you?

Why didn’t I make you stay, or ask someone else to take you home?

Her mind became clouded with regret as she sobbed out at your near lifeless frame - you looked so vulnerable yet so peaceful laid out - despite the numerous devices attached to the bed.

‘I love you baby. I’m so sorry.’ She began to weep, choking on her tears.

‘You stay with me now’ She said, failing to acknowledge the next-to-none chance on survival the doctor had acknowledged you.

‘I’m here now baby. I’ve got you-‘ She cried, feeling a small pressure where your fingers touched, as the machine behind the plastic bed frame displaying your weakening heartbeat.

‘Doctor! Doctor! Please, someone!’ Leah shouted, panicking, not wanting to leave your side but immediately knowing there was a problem.

The doctor rushed in, maintaining calm as your state worsened infront of him.

‘If I could please ask you to step outside Miss Williamson…’ He instructed, signalling the two other staff to enter behind him.

‘She’s going isn’t she-‘ Leah cried out.

‘Miss Williamson’ He said, sternly, trying to usher her outside.

‘I’m not letting her pass on her own’, she shouted, finding strength to instil dominance despite the tears streaming down her face.

The doctor shook his head at the other two medical professionals, signalling he was allowing Leah to stay.

Medical jargon spilled from his mouth as they eyed the machines - one with a clipboard and the other connecting a wire.

‘She’s going?’ Leah sobbed.

‘Her heart is declining. She’s pushing but her brain isn’t allowing it’ He stated solemnly towards the blonde.

Leah dig deep within herself to grab your hand once more, kneeling on the floor with her hair over your chest.

‘I love you baby. And you’ve been so strong.’ Her tears began to choke her as the beeping persisted, weaker every second.

‘But you stop fighting. If you need to go, you go my love. I’m right here with you. You’re not on your own.’

The beeping slowed, still appearing now and again. You looked like an angel laid back, pale and bruised but peaceful.

‘I love you forever Y/N. It’s you and me forever. I’m with you. I love you’. She pressed her forehead onto your gowned skin.

More medical jargon was exchanged throughout the room between the professionals.

‘Her heart is fighting, but she’s rejecting it’, the doctor spoke.

‘You go baby girl. Out of pain. I love you forever. Only you.’ Leah sobbed, and the machine became silent.

The doctors swarmed the bed before calling time of death and beginning to unplug the wires. Leah put her forehead to yours and planted a final kiss on your skin before leaving the room.

‘Everything I do is for you. It’s all for you’

Leah spoke at your funeral.

[katieamccabe]

How Could You?

Lucy Bronze x Lionesses Reader

Warnings: Slight age gap (helps the plot innit) / angst AND fluff / lucy reaching retirement era / kei and luce were never a thing in this world

4000 words | fictional!!!

You are called up as the new lionesses starting right back - replacing Lucy Bronze

You’d been in the senior England squad for 5 years and only now at 24 had you began to get a regular spot on the starting line up, an improvement from the masses of time you’d spent on the bench during the euros and world cup, only coming on at 75 minutes as a super sub to allow the star players some rest. Playing for England was always your dream since you were small and getting to represent both your country and Arsenal at club level felt like the stars had aligned – but you wanted more. You’d spent countless time engaging in extra training sessions, begging Jonas for more play time at Arsenal with hopes that Sarina would see your improvement and play you more. Finally, after your massive effort to help Arsenal win the Conti Cup, Sarina had divulged her plan to have you play defensive Right Back in the upcoming matches for the 2024 Euro’s Qualifiers.

‘Thank you so much Sarina. I won’t let you down’, You replied to the older woman, the post-training news filling you with elation.

‘You deserved this chance Y/N… just please keep it between us until i’ve spoken to the others’. She replied, smiling reassuringly before walking off.

You nod at her as the words sink in and the realisation slowly hits you… you’d be playing right back. You’d be replacing Lucy Bronze from the starting 11.

Since your first call up in 2019, the rest of the girls had always made you feel so welcome: of course there were cliques and friendship bonds stronger than others, but ultimately, you were all a team and there was a mutual respect for one another. England camp’s were a safe space, it had become like a family, and there was nothing you loved more than arriving at camp and seeing the girls: especially Mary, Keira and Leah. The three of them had taken you under their wing since the beginning of your senior journey, and you adored them as best friends and they began to feel like big sisters. You got on well with the whole squad really, but you weren’t close to some – one in particular being Lucy herself. When you first joined all those years ago you were inseparable: she’d invited you to follow her and you’d spent the first months with the senior team beside her every second. As time went on however, your friendship drifted. It’s not that she wasn’t nice anymore: she was always cracking jokes and would exchange a grin if you passed her in the corridor, but she spent most of her time with Millie, Lauren and Rachel, and your other group of girls evolved, so you’d never really gotten the chance to maintain the closeness of your friendship. You began to dread how this news would go down: you knew after England’s defeat in the World Cup final Lucy had sworn it wouldn’t be her last world cup and she’d keep fighting for more, despite her growing knee issues and age, but now Sarina had already began phasing her out of the squad – how would she react?

You push this thought to the back of your mind – it is out of your control after all – and head inside to the changing rooms to rejoin the rest of the girls after a gruelling -1 match day training session.

—

‘There she is!!!’ Mary beamed as you trailed in, beginning to unlace your boots.

‘What did the boss want then?’ Keira nudged you, and you tried your hardest to warn her off with a sharp glance, but she clearly didn’t get the memo and pestered all the more.

‘Go on Y/N! Spill!’ Keira persisted, and her growing volume resulted in the rest of the changing room turning, waiting for your answer expectantly.

‘I’m not supposed to say anything…’ You muttered, getting increasingly anxious at the peer pressure – you were a notoriously shy member of the squad and were teased heavily for it.

‘Whisper whisper! Please’ Mary said, bustling over to you and leaning into your cubby.

You swallowed, thankful to see the rest of the girls (minus Keira) turning away and getting distracted with a new conversation.

‘I’m starting tomorrow. I’m playing right back’, you whispered into Mary’s neck, as Keira hovered over the two of you.

‘Oh Y/N! That’s amazing!’ Mary squealed, Keira immediately rolling her eyes and repeating Mary’s high-pitched statement in a mocking tone.

‘No but oh my god! Well done you… hard work pays off just like I said!’ Keira burst out, slapping your arm and winking.

You exchanged hugs with them both before landing back on planet earth: the rest of the girls had heard Mary’s scream and were desperate to know the latest gossip.

‘What’s amazing?’ Alessia smiled, scooting up to you on the bench.

‘Spill then!’ Leah said, joining you.

You sigh, you hate keeping secrets and you know that the team won’t let it go any time soon. You take a breath before admitting defeat:

‘Sarina pulled me aside after training. I’m getting my first start in tomorrows match.’ You begin, blushing almost immediately before excited cheers fill the room and you feel arms coming in for a hug from all directions.

‘Go you!!’ Lotte said, patting you on the back.

‘Well done Y/N’

‘I’m so proud!’

After a few minutes of excitable chatter the room goes quiet again as everyone continues to get changed: questions flying about.

‘So where are you playing?’ A voice comes from the far end of the room.

You look up and it’s Lucy staring right back at you.

‘Erm. I’m gonna be erm… playing… I’m gonna be playing right back’.

It was as if the room fell completely silent for the next 10 seconds.

‘Ah right.’ Lucy filled the silence, before grabbing her backpack and exiting the door.

‘Luce’ Leah called after her, but the door had swung shut behind her.

‘This is why I shouldn’t have said anything’ You stuttered, visibly upset.

‘Y/N it’s not your fault. She’s not angry with you’, Millie started, coming over to wrap her arm around you.

‘She’s just frustrated with herself. She’s not been on form recently’, Rachel continued.

‘You know Lucy, she’s a perfectionist. She gets in her head too much. She just needs to sort her head out and by tomorrow she’ll be your biggest supporter. I promise you’, Millie smiles, and her words meant so much coming from Lucy’s longest and bestest friend.

‘I’m sorry we pushed you to tell us Y/N. I had no idea or we would’ve let Sarina break the news’. Leah said, visibly stressed as she began biting her nails at the teams tension.

‘I’ll go talk to her. For now focus on tomorrow. It’s your big dayyy!’ Keira sung, before rushing out the door and leaving you with more hugs from your teammates as each of you filtered out of the changing rooms and back to the hotel on camp.

—

You were sitting on your bed, desperate for Keira to return to your shared room after her consoling of Lucy: you couldn’t focus on tomorrow knowing Lucy was upset with you. After what felt like hours, Keira slid in to the room, immediately sensing your increased anxiety.

‘What happened Kei? What do I do?’ You blurted out, not giving the midfielder a chance to speak.

‘Y/N breathe. It’s fine. She just needed to talk it through with someone. She isn’t mad at you or anything like that - she’s just shocked at the situation. She knew it was coming really: she just couldn’t bear to face it. She hasn’t been at her best recently and it’s eating her up, knowing she might be coming to the end of her National career’.

‘Kei I feel awful. I should never have blurted it out like that. I didn’t mean to hurt her-‘

‘Y/N. She’s not hurt because of you. It was our fault for forcing you to tell us in the first place’.

You sat back against the bed, even your best friends words were not fully reassuring you.

‘Can I go see her?’ You said, after a few moments of silence.

‘Of course! She said she wanted to speak with you anyway’. Keira replied, rubbing your back as you got up off the bed and headed to the door.

‘Room 202’ She shouted after you, and you gave a thumbs up before shutting the door and walking down the corridor to find her room.

You have to take a second to breathe before you knock on the door.

‘Come in!’ A raspy voice said through the woodwork, and you opened the door to reveal Lucy, alone, sat on her bed, legs crossed in joggers and her pink lionesses tank.

‘Luce. I’m so sorry…’ You stutter, forgetting all of Keira’s reassurance as you struggle to even meet the eyes of the older brunette.

‘Over here…’ She replies, and you look up to see her patting the bed beside her and motioning for you to join her.

‘I didn’t mean to react like that. Storming off from- I just… I hadn’t let myself believe it would happen so soon. I buried it to the back of my mind and-‘ She looks up to meet your eyes once again and notices some tears begin to roll down your cheeks.

‘Oh babe, don’t cry!’ She said, a look of shock appearing over her face.

‘Come here’, the older woman continued, shuffling towards you and wrapping her arms around you so your damp cheeks met her chest bone in a tight hug.

‘I didn’t want you to be angry at me Luce’, you sobbed into the fabric of her jacket.

‘Don’t be daft babe. I’m not angry at you – I know how hard you’ve worked for this’, Lucy continued, rubbing your back before releasing you.

‘It’s all so wrong. I’ve always looked up to you Luce. I wanted to play beside you. Not replace you’, you said, looking into her eyes as her brow furrowed.

‘Hey you… I’m Lucy Bronze. Who said anything about replaceable’, she laughed, using her thumbs on either side of your face to wipe your remaining tears away.

You began to feel your heart melt at this: even in the worst of times Lucy would be the one to make you laugh. It felt just like the old days.

‘I’ve missed you Luce’, you said, chuckling.

‘And I’ve missed you…’ The older woman replied - planting a kiss on your forehead. This sudden show of affection took you aback - Lucy was always one for a hug but she was being especially touchy today.

You laid your head on her shoulder as your breath returned to normal - the tears subsiding at last. You felt as she stroked your hair before moving to look you in the eye.

‘I want to be closer again Y/N. Like we used to be. I miss hanging out with you everyday.’

‘I’d really like that Luce. I’ll never forget how you were there for me when I first moved up to senior’.

‘Always’ She said, now sat across from you on the bed, her eyes warm and wide.

You broke the eye contact, feeling overwhelmed almost immediately at her stare. You felt as though butterflies had infiltrated your stomach - a feeling you’d never felt when previously alone with the defender.

‘You sure you’re okay?’ She said, aware of your sudden retreat.

‘Yeah Luce.’

‘Look at me!’ She grabbed your hands in hers and you joined her eyes again.

‘You’re gonna be the second best right back in the world babe. And i’ll be screaming your name from the bench…’ She went on, squeezing your palms in hers.

‘Second eh?’ You said, smirking.

‘You’ve not played yet! Give it a few years and we’ll reassess’ She winked.

‘And then what? Will you be in the stands with my name on your back?’ You laughed, unsure where this sudden flirty confidence had come from. The nerves had evaporated and you wanted nothing more than to continue the heated banter between you two.

‘Oh yes. Front row. A WAG for ‘Y/L/N’’ She pulled you in to her by your wrists and you let her, you fell beside her laid on the bed.

‘Lucy Bronze… A WAG?’ You blushed upon your reply, which she noticed, aware she was riling you up, and began playing with the small strands of hair framing your face which began to give you goosebumps.

‘Only for you’ She smiled, your eyes widening and before you know it her face was leaning in towards yours, your lips touching as if in slow motion; slow and soft and steady and sensual. You could tell she knew what she was doing.

After a few moments, you both released and you avoided the eye contact yet again.

‘Shit, I’m sorry. Was that okay? I shouldn’t have-‘ Lucy began, suddenly far from her cocky demeanour, appearing visibly nervous.

‘No! No that was nice. I’m happy. Really happy. Just shocked’. You replied, giggling and stuttering like a bewildered schoolgirl as you started to blush again.

‘You seriously weren’t expecting that?’ She laughed, her pupils dilating.

‘No… I mean. I guess I have always kind of wanted it to but I had no idea you’d ever think of me that way.’

‘You’re kidding?’ She laughed, her accent more raspy and deep. ‘I don’t think I’ve taken my eyes off you the last three camps. I know we don’t talk as much as we once did but…’

‘Really?’ You cut her off, completely shocked at this revelation. You do often keep to yourself to yourself but you’re very smart, and can’t understand how you’ve missed the signs.

‘Really.’ She said, grinning at your blissful ignorance.

The room fell silent as you took this information in, and you moved to meet her lips once again, this time it was faster and you lost your breath before you both fell back against the pillows before your lungs ran out of air.

You both lay there, staring at the ceiling, her fingers drawing shapes on your hair - before she broke the silence.

‘Can we keep this between us for the time being?’ She said, and your heart began to race as you took in her words ‘the time being’… She could see a future for the two of you?

‘Of course Luce’, you replied, and she reached her arm around you pulling you in for a hug, you felt her biceps against you, and the sudden movement made her apple watch light up, displaying in large bold letters: 18:38.

‘Shit Luce! Dinner started 10 minutes ago.’ You shrieked.

‘Oh god. We better go’.

‘They’re gonna see us walk in together. Are they not gonna think anything of it?’ You began to panic.

‘It’s fine. Keira probably told them you were coming over here for a chat. Don’t worry,’ She said, hopping off the bed and running around to your side to pull you up which seemed effortless due to her insane strength.

She opened the door and grabbed your hand as you made your way through the corridors and into the lift - you shared a soft quick kiss in the elevator before it opened and she dropped your hand as you turned the corner into the cafeteria room.

The eyes of your teammates all fell on you immediately.

‘Here they are!’ Daly shouted, grinning at her best friend.

‘Whit woooo’ Bright chirped, and as you followed Lucy in she pretended to swat her fellow defender over the head.

‘Shut it Mills!’ you heard before you continued walking to a further away table where you saw Keira, Mary and Leah beaming at you, they’d collected you a plate already.

‘All okay?’ Keira asked, smiling.

‘Yep. All sorted’ You replied, and you felt your cheeks begin to burn already - you were horrific at keeping secrets - after all you told everybody about your news from Sarina within minutes of receiving it.

Your best friends caught on to your reddened demeanour almost immediately, Leah raising her eyebrows at Mary and Mary then turning around to look at Lucy’s back before her eyes widened at Keira.

‘You don’t think…’ Mary mouthed at Keira as you began eating your food, staring down at your plate.

‘Surely not-‘ She mouthed back - Leah in disbelief watching them silently discuss it in front of her.

‘Anything to report?’ Leah said, nudging you in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

‘No? We just talked it out and she apologised for storming off’. You replied, sounding robotic as it was almost perfectly rehearsed in your head.

‘And talking it out took 40 minutes?’ Keira chimed in in a low voice - her eyebrows furrowed.

‘I didn’t come straight from Lucy’s!’ You protested - not making eye contact with any of the three girls.

‘So you just both arrived late then - together - at the exact same time’ Mary boasted.

‘What a coincidence…’ Leah said, sarcastic as ever.

‘You’re such a bad liar Y/N’, Keira said, laughing.

‘I’m not lying!’ You insisted: but the other three drowned you out as they began questioning.

‘Are you two like a thing? Or-‘

‘You and Lucy?’

‘For how long?’

‘She made a move on you?’

You couldn’t answer, you just pushed your food around your plate with your fork.

‘Oh my god. We’re right aren’t we?’ Mary shrieked.

‘I didn’t think you had it in you Y/L/N’ Leah smirked, eyeing you up and down.

‘Surely not…’ Keira said, baffled by the situation.

A loud burst of laughter boomed out from the opposite corner of the room, interrupting you before they could pry an answer from your lips. The room turned to see what the noise was and your eyes landed on Lucy’s table where you saw her, Millie, Rachel and Lauren in fits of laughter.

‘Whatever happened to don’t kiss and tell…’ Leah said, rolling her eyes at the other table as Keira elbowed her in her ribs.

Your heart sunk. Surely Lucy hadn’t asked you to keep it private and announced it to her friends over dinner? Your brain was spiralling. You’d had moments like this before.

‘She’s only winding you up babe’ Keira responded, ‘Whatever happened or didn’t happen-‘.

‘Nothing happened!’ Your voice bursted, standing up from your chair as you grabbed your tray, emptying it into the bin before storming out of the cafeteria.

The dining room fell silent, and as Lucy watched your departure she turned back to your table, making confused eye contact with Keira who motioned at her to follow you.

You reached the lift and stepped in, but as the door began to close an arm came through the opening – obstructing the door, and you watched as the tall brunette stepped inside to join you, her eyes full of concern.

‘What’s wrong babe?’ Lucy said, the elevator door closing behind her as she approached you.

You stood there lifeless, your mind was prone to overthinking and playing tricks on you. You’d already decided Lucy must have planned the whole thing as a prank to humiliate you since you stole her place on the team sheet.

‘Y/N. Answer me. What’s wrong?’ She said putting her arm around you.

‘Was it just a joke?’ You turned away from her, shrugging her off.

‘Was what a joke?’ She stepped back, the lift reaching the floor of both of your respective rooms as the door slid open.

‘The kiss. Was it just a prank because of what I did?’ You replied, trying to get past her tall frame to leave the lift.

She stood dumbfounded - and her shock allowed you to slide past her and into the corridor.

‘What the f—- Y/N can you slow down.’ Her deep voice followed you as you stormed off towards your hotel room.

‘I thought you actually liked me’ - you marched down until you found your door and began scrambling in your short pockets for your keycard in a desperate attempt to get away from the older woman.

‘Y/N!’ She shouted, she’d caught up to you as you struggled to locate your card.

‘What on earth are you talking about’ - she continued - her brows furrowed - and you began to get frustrated to tears as you couldn’t find your card.

‘Here.’ She pulled a card out of her pocket.

‘You dropped it on your way out.’

You rolled your eyes at this, you looked even more like an idiot.

You slid the card into the lock and pushed the door open, but, Lucy being Lucy managed to get into the room before you could even close the door.

‘Talk to me babe. What do you thinks happened?’ She urged, her hair tucked into a low bun with her glasses perched on her eyes.

‘That you’ve made some kind of bet to get my hopes up and kiss me all to go tell your friends and mock me as soon as my back is turned?’ You turn away from her.

‘Y/N…. What? That is not what was happening.’ She said, you felt her voice closer as she took some steps towards you from behind.

‘I like you. I really like you. Millie was just telling us about a horrific date she’d been on. I haven’t said a word about what happened….’ She went on, but your brain was still processing the scene you’d caused infront of everyone, Leah’s words echoing in your head: ‘kiss and tell’.

‘Please say something babe’, she said, and as confident as Lucy was she wrapped her arms around you from behind, pulling you in as you began to feel her hard abs press into your back. She sounded so sincere, and you thought back to the woman who’d welcomed you in during the first shaky months of training back when you’d made the step up to the Lionesses.

‘I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.’ You cried, and you felt her hair brush your neck as she leaned into your shoulder.

‘You’re not an idiot. But why on earth would you think I would ever do something like that?’

‘I just—‘ You started, but your throat was too heavy to speak.

‘You don’t need to think that way. You don’t need to be insecure. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’m lucky that you even kissed me back.’ Lucy insisted, her words soft in your ear. She turned you around and brought you into a hug, and you fell against her strong figure, feeling safe in her arms.

‘I really really like you Luce. I’m just scared. I’ve had a lot of relationships where they’ve strung me along…’ you sobbed, feeling your tears dampen her training t-shirt.

‘And I really really really like you too. No one should have ever treated you that way’. She said, tightening her grip around you, protective.

‘I really want to make a go of this’ She continued, ‘It’s all i’ve ever really wanted’.

She pulled back from you, looking into your eyes before lifting your chin upwards with her fingertips and drawing you into her lips.

‘You deserve the world and more babe. And it would be my pleasure to be the one to give it to you. My gorgeous girl.’

You nodded, your eyes squeezed shut to try and stop the tears, overwhelmed by her kind words. Your heart felt as if it was going to explode. My gorgeous girl.

‘I want nothing more.’ You said, pulling into her once again.

[gunnerfc]

One More Chance | Alanna Kennedy x Media!Reader (18+ ish)

Summary: You are a reporter for the upcoming Manchester derby and end up interviewing Alanna, your ex-girlfriend, after the match. It’s the first time you’ve seen her since the breakup and it brings back memories for the both of you.

Warnings: there are allusions to smut and a mention of masturbation but I don’t describe anything but still gave it the mature rating just in case! [angst with a happy ending]

WC: 3.3K

AN: this fic was kicking my ass and for no reason 💀😵‍💫 but to the anon that requested, I hope you enjoy!

Here you were, sitting in the stands watching Manchester City versus Manchester United in the rain. You loved your job, you got to report and interview players for one of the sports you loved watching, and in some cases, you got to travel the world for different games. However, being here in Machester meant the possibility of seeing your ex-girlfriend, Alanna, for the first time since she broke up with you even higher. 

You had gone out of your way to avoid her; she had broken your heart, but a small part of you still loved her. Seeing her out on the pitch, playing the sport she loved brought back all the memories of when you would come to support her when you were dating. The rain didn’t make things better, you were wet and uncomfortable and the game still had fifteen minutes left of regulation. 

Without realizing it, your eyes naturally found the tall Australian. You watched as she helped the defense keep City’s one-to-zero lead over their rivals, yelling out instructions to the midfield whenever a United player was on the ball. The rain might have been making things worse for you but you enjoyed seeing Alanna playing in the rain, even if you were supposed to be mad at her.

You watched the clock tick down, United was never quite able to capitalize on any of their chances. That is until the eighty-ninth minute when they broke through the high back line of City, but before a shot could be taken, Alanna tackled the ball away, sending it out for a corner. You subconsciously raised your fists with a quiet “yes!” as the City supporters cheered as Alanna’s teammates gave her a quick high-five as they set up to defend the corner. 

The ball was delivered into the box perfectly but no one was able to head it into the back of the net before Khiara collected it. The City supporters cheered on their goalkeeper for keeping the ball out of the net to secure the win. Once the ball was back in play, you watched the fourth official hold up their sign signally one minute of stoppage time. You took a deep sigh as you gathered your things to move down to the field for the post-match interview, silently praying that it would be anyone but Alanna that you had to interview.

You watched the last few seconds of the game from the sidelines as your camera team set up near the home bench. The ref blew her whistle after the minute of stoppage time had passed, making Manchester blue. The City players celebrated on the pitch before shaking hands with their opponents and thanking the fans who came to watch. You went over the different questions you wrote in your notes app during the match, not paying attention to who was walking in your direction. 

“Y/N, ready to go,” one of your team members asked from behind the camera just as you felt a familiar presence next to you. You didn’t have to look up to know the player that walked over was Alanna.

You cursed under your breath before you looked up to meet her eyes, neither of you made an effort to speak to the other before you heard your team count down to one. You took a deep breath before introducing yourself and Alanna to the camera before turning your body to face her. 

Alanna’s eyes were locked on you the entire time you spoke, an arrogant smirk gracing her features as the interview went on. She knew you well enough to know what you were feeling and she’d be lying if seeing you again wasn’t affecting her. Alanna hated breaking up with you but at the time she thought it was the best thing she could have done for the two of you.

“Thank you for your time and congrats on the win,” you offered a fake smile to the camera and Alanna before your team signaled the camera was off. 

You wanted to hurry up and get back to your hotel out of the rain and away from the Aussie. Before you could step away from the blonde, her hand reached out to wrap around your wrist to keep you close. You huffed in annoyance as you waited for her to speak, not wanting to hear what she had to say right now. Alanna didn’t give you any closure when she ended the relationship and even though you tried to move on, a part of you did want to hear what she had to say.

“Do you have a few minutes, please, y/n/n,” Alanna mumbled where only you could hear her, your nickname that she gave you falling from her lips effortlessly. You felt your face heat up despite the cold weather conditions hearing the pet name, you were more affected by her than you wanted to believe.

“No, not really,” if you continued to stand here in the rain with the blonde, you were sure someone in the crowd would pick up on it and there would be rumors circulating the internet before you could leave the grounds.

You pulled out of grasp and made your way to the exit with your team, putting as much distance as possible between you and Alanna. The car ride back to the hotel was silent, all of you were over being in the rain and were ready to shower before heading to bed. The whole ride back, your mind replayed some of your best memories with Alanna and you had to fight back tears. 

Once you were back at the hotel, you quickly said goodnight to your team before sliding the key card into your door. You dropped all your things on the desk in the room before dropping into the desk chair, tiredness hitting from the long and wet day you had. You let out a small sigh as you rid yourself of the damp clothes and shoes before gathering pajamas to change into after your shower.

In the bathroom, you let the water heat up as you got ready to take a shower. You groaned when the warm water hit your skin, instantly warming you up. You did your shower routine pretty quickly, opting to let the water flow over your body once you were done. You stood under the showerhead with your head tilted back slightly as your thoughts were filled with the intimate moments with Alanna. 

You replayed them in your head, each memory a bit dirtier than the last. Your breathing picked up slightly as your hands traced up and down your body. The warm water hit your body as you trailed a hand downward, needing to do something to get rid of the thoughts you were having about your ex-girlfriend. 

A few moments later you turned the water off once it became colder and quickly exited the shower to find your towel. You got dressed and did your nighttime routine before leaving the bathroom, ready to fall asleep for the night. You hooked your phone up to the charger on your bedside table before hitting the lights, the only light illuminating the room was the TV.

Laying in bed, you tossed and turned trying to get comfortable but after twenty minutes it was no use. No matter how laid, nothing was comfortable enough to go to sleep. You huffed as you turned to your back, having an intense staring contest with the ceiling. You were ready to get out of Manchester and the quicker you fell asleep, the quicker that could happen. But it didn’t look like luck was on your side after about an hour and a half of not being able to fall asleep.

Your phone on the nightstand dinged with a text notification and you knew exactly who was texting you at this hour. You fought with yourself about whether you should check if you were right or if you should leave it until the morning. Your nosiness won out as you rolled over to turn your phone over, the bright light lighting up most of the room. 

With squinted eyes, you saw that you were right. Alanna’s name at the bottom of your screen under the message app staring back at you waiting for a response. 

alanna: are you up?

You debated on opening the message, knowing she would be able to see if you read her message. She hadn’t left your mind all day and now here she was at 1 AM asking if you were awake. You knew being in the same city again would make getting over her harder but you didn’t see yourself moving on anytime soon if you were honest.

You sighed as you clicked on the message, opening the app to send her a response. 

you: what do you want alanna? 

alanna: I need to see you, how far are you

You bit your lip as she replied almost immediately. You could tell her the truth, you weren’t that far from her apartment, or you could lie and tell her that you were nowhere near her and you wouldn't be able to see her.

You went with your heart instead of your brain as you texted her the name of the hotel and its address. You watched as she typed, nerves filling your body as you waited for what she had to say.

alanna: I’ll be there in five mins. be ready

Your eyes widen slightly at her message, you didn’t think she would actually come to get you. You quickly threw the hotel comforter off your body as you jumped up from the bed. You opted to just stay in the sweatpants and t-shirt you were already in but you stopped in your tracks when you realized the baggy shirt you were wearing was Alanna’s. You didn’t have time to try and change when your phone dinged again, Alanna’s text reading she was pulling into the parking lot. 

You slipped your shoes on and grabbed your phone along with your hotel key before heading out the door. The entire elevator ride to the lobby you held your breath, you were nervous about being alone with Alanna again, especially after how affected you were at the game.

You spotted the blonde’s car the moment you stepped outside and quickly made your way to the passenger side. You took a deep breath before opening the door and getting in the car, Alanna already looking in your direction. 

Neither of you spoke right away, too busy taking each other in. It had been almost a year since you’d seen each other in person and a year apart had been the longest you had ever been apart since you met each other a few years ago. 

“Hi,” you both mumbled at the same time earning a small laugh from the both of you. 

“I’m sorry for texting so late, I just figured you'd still be awake,” Alanna spoke as she backed out of the parking spot to head toward her apartment building.

“I was, I couldn’t sleep,” you muttered as you kept your eyes on the blonde. You took in her features for the first time in a year, not that you could forget just how good she looked. 

“I remember you’re not the biggest fan of hotels,” Alanna said as she sent you a small smile. The blonde was right, you hated sleeping in any bed that wasn’t your own. It seemed like a small thing to remember but you felt your face heat up at the fact she remembered these little things about you.

You responded with a light ‘mhm’ as you watched the dark city pass by. The drive back to Alanna’s apartment was a familiar one and you knew it by heart. The drive back didn’t help in forgetting things that happened in your relationship, each time you passed a place you and Alanna went to on a date, it was all you could think about. 

Neither of you spoke the rest of the way there, but both of you were nervous. Your breathing was heavy and Alanna could feel her palms grow sweatier. She didn’t think you would hear her out at this time of day but she was going to take any chance you gave her. The Aussie would be lying if she said she didn’t miss you or regret breaking up with you. 

After arriving at the familiar apartment building, you took the elevator in silence, neither of you were sure what to say just yet. Alanna led you down the hallway and every memory you had of the two of you stumbling down the hallway as your lips moved against each other came rushing back. You were upset at the blonde but you needed to feel her lips on yours again. 

You waited outside Alanna’s door as she unlocked it, gesturing for you to enter first. Looking around her apartment, you could tell not much as changed, just the little touches of you were gone. You frowned at all the pictures of the two of you not being up anymore, even though you understood why. 

“Do you want something to drink or anything,” Alanna called out from the kitchen as you took a seat on her couch. 

“Water would be nice,” you yelled back, uncertainty filling your body as you debated on trying to make yourself feel at home or keeping to yourself. 

Alanna joined you after a minute, handing you a glass of water as she moved passed you. You mumbled a quiet “thanks” as she took a seat a few inches from you. She knew she should give you some space, but she couldn’t help needing to be close to you again.

“I wanted to explain everything, which I know I should have done a year ago but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Which I know isn’t fair to you,” Alanna rushed out before you could say anything. You didn’t try to interrupt her, you knew once she started talking about something she needed to get all her thoughts out before you should respond.

You slowly nodded your head as you took her words in, waiting for her to continue. Alanna took a deep breath before she spoke again, “I was worried about people finding out about us being together.” You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, when you went over every possible reason for Alanna breaking up with you, this was not what you were expecting. 

Alanna raised her hand slightly as you opened your mouth, telling you to let her finish. “I wasn’t worried about people’s opinions, that doesn’t matter to me. I was worried because I didnt want it to mess up your job, you had just started getting big opportunities and I didnt want people to think it was because you were dating a player. I didn’t want them to question your talents or whether or not you deserved to get those jobs because of your personal life,” the blonde explained as she fiddled with her fingers.

You kept your gaze locked on her side profile as she refused to meet your eyes. Her reasoning was much sweeter than the ones you came up with when you were angry at her a year ago. “You deserved to get those jobs because of your skills, not because of me and I thought breaking up with you would be easier,” she finished as she finally turned to look at you.

“I wish you would have just talked to me, Alanna. I would have understood where you were coming from and we could have talked about it a year ago before all of this,” you sighed. You understood the defender’s explanation but that doesn’t change the fact that you still got your heart broken. 

“I know that, but I panicked! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I really didn’t,” Alanna sniffled, you could see in her eyes how much this hurt her as well. 

You didn’t respond for a moment as you debated your words, not sure what you wanted to say. You still loved her, nothing would change that and you were glad the breakup wasn’t because of unfaithfulness or anything of that nature. Though, you weren’t sure if you were willing to just jump back into a relationship with the defender.  

“I’m glad you told me the truth, even if it was a year later,” you joked, hoping to lighten the mood just a bit. Alanna laughed lightly at your words as she nodded softly. 

“I would have listened then had you told me how you were feeling, I get where you’re coming from. I think it’s sweet how much you care about my career, but what’s the point if I can’t be with the person I’m in love with,” you declare, your voice strong and unwavering as you slide closer to Alanna. 

You took her hands in yours and held them tightly as you kept speaking. “I love you, that hasn't changed in a year and I don't think it ever will. But I don't know if I can just jump back into a relationship if I don't know if you won't talk to me about something before making these big decisions,” you finished as you leaned closer to the Aussie. 

“I get that,” Alanna started as she squeezed your hands slightly, “I really do.” Alanna tilted her head up some to give your forehead a small kiss before leaning back some. The blonde used to always give you forehead kisses randomly throughout the day and it used to always make you feel so loved.

 

“Maybe we start over,” you offered, you weren’t giving up on your relationship, not when you were still in love with her. 

“I’d like that,” the blonde spoke with a content sigh but you could tell she wanted to say more. 

“But what,” you asked with furrowed brows.

“But, I really want to kiss you right now,” the blonde spoke as her eyes dropped to your lips. You subconsciously liked your eyes as you watched her eyes lock on your lips.

You didn’t respond, instead, you leaned in meeting her lips. Your mouth moved against hers slowly, neither of you wanted to overdo it. A year without kissing her was hell and you missed having her lips on yours. 

The kiss would have kept going but a yawn escaped from your lips, breaking the two of you apart. Alanna laughed lightly as you moved one of your hands to cover your mouth, the other hitting her arm lightly. 

“What time do you have to leave tomorrow,” Alanna asked as she looked at her phone to check the time. 

“We were gonna stay an extra day to make up for the shitty weather so everyone else could explore Manchester,” you said before another yawn hit. You were exhausted and the long day you had was catching up to you.

“You could stay here then, you’d actually get some sleep that way,” Alanna shrugged, knowing that if you went back to the hotel, there was no way you would get a good night’s rest. 

“You don’t mind,” you asked, not wanting to overstep. 

Alanna rolled her eyes before standing from the couch, offering her hand to pull you up. You let the blonde pull you to her room before you both got under the covers. Without thinking about it, you cuddled into her side, resting your head on her chest as one of her hands wrapped around your shoulders. 

“Goodnight, Lani,” you mumbled as sleep quickly took over and you were out. 

Alanna kissed your forehead before closing her eyes with a small smile on her face. She was glad she was able to explain and that you were willing to give her one more chance. She wasn’t going to mess this one up. 

[greynatomy]

too late

alexia putellas x reader

i know nothing about medical stuff except for the ones i’ve watched on grey’s anatomy

happy valentine’s day i guess

request here

———

The echoes of the heated argument lingered in the air as you paced around your living room. The tension between you and Alexia had reached a breaking point and you have no idea what to do next.

Alexia had left you alone in this big house — which isn’t really anything new — to god knows where. The trophies and medals that lined the shelves, displaying the accomplishments of your longtime partner, stares back at you like souvenirs.

Photographs covering the walls, showing the memories of the love she once held for you. Your fingers tracing the edges of the frame, heart heavy with doubt and sadness.

‘Where did I go wrong?’ You asked yourself.

That was almost three months ago. She had apologized and promised to make changes. The first week was a bliss. She’d wake you up with breakfast in bed, leaving breakfast in the kitchen when she had early training. Random dates throughout the week. You were living the dream.

Then, she won the world cup.

Interview after interview. Appearance after appearance. She was away more times than home. You don’t quite remember the last time you’d both slept in the same bed and woken up together.

—

It was Friday and you were in the kitchen waiting for Alexia to come home from training. You’ve cooked her favorite meal that Eli had taught you to make. You told her you had something to talk to her about so you hoped this meal could lighten the mood a bit.

Thirty minutes had passed so you thought she was just running a bit late.

Then an hour passed.

Another hour after that.

You’ve put away all of the food and prepared a plate for when she gets home to just reheat. Changing into your pajamas, you lounge around in the living room and check your phone. Right when you open up your social media, you were met with videos of your girlfriend and her team at a club.

You try to remember if Alexia had told you if she was going anywhere after practice, but she didn’t.

‘She probably just forgot.’

Hours later, Alexia came home to find you asleep on the couch. She stumbles into the bedroom and knocks out.

—

You’re at home in bed, staring into nothingness. You couldn’t do anything. At least not the things you used to be able to do. Even breathing became difficult.

Alexia was out so much she never noticed how much you’ve changed, how different you looked. She barely spared you a glance. When you do catch Alexia at home, she’s already asleep. You barely notice though because she’s been sleeping in the spare bedroom.

You slowly walk to the kitchen, steadying yourself against the walls. Grabbing a glass, you start to fill it with water when all of a sudden your vision starts going in and out.

Collapsing to the floor, darkness consumes you.

—

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” You ask as Alexia walked through the front door.

“I’m not even fully through the door and you’re already asking me to do things?”

“It won’t take long. It’s just something I have to tell—”

“Ay dios mío! I’m hungover and I just want to sleep. Talk to me tomorrow.”

Alexia walks away to the spare bedroom, knocking out instantly.

—

Alexia is at Mapi and Ingrid’s place with the rest of the team for team bonding. Alexia had an arm around one of Mapi’s friends that she invited over, the girl practically in her lap.

“Hey, Ale! Where’s the missus? Didn’t want to come today?” Mapi questions taking a seat next to Ingrid.

“Ooh, yeah! I miss Y/N, how is she doing?” Pina asks, the girl saw you as a big sister.

Alexia tenses, not knowing why. The girl on her shoves her arm off of her, moving to a different seat making Alexia frown in disappointment.

“Uh, she’s just at home probably. I don’t know?” She shrugs.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Mapi asks, eyebrows furrowed. “You were with her yesterday.”

“I was?” Alexia was confused because she definitely wasn’t. She was at some girl’s pla— her eyes widen. “I was! Yeah. She didn’t feel that well so she wanted to stay home. Yeah.”

Mapi and Ingrid share a look but drops the subject.

The team bonding became crazier that it was supposed to be. People were tipsy and Mapi was surprised they haven’t been yelled at by the neighbors yet.

“Alright.” Mapi stands up, catching everyone’s attention. “Me and Ingrid are going to run to the store, grab a couple things cause we’re running low.”

Everyone bid them goodbye, Ingrid following behind her girlfriend.

“We’re not running low on anything.” Ingrid states as Mapi starts driving.

“No, I just needed an excuse.”

“Excuse for what.”

“To check on Y/N.”

“She’s not home though. Told us herself.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t hurt to check. And we both know damn well Ale wasn’t with her yesterday.”

Arriving to yours and Alexia’s house, they knock on the door. Not getting a response, they try again, no response.

“Hey, Y/N? Are you home? It’s Mapi and Ingrid.”

After a couple of minutes with no response, Mapi uses the spare key she was given a long time ago. Stepping inside, it was quiet. The place was clean, almost too clean. It didn’t look like someone had lived in the place at all with how clean it looked.

Walking further in, Ingrid looks into the kitchen, finding a glass shattered on the floor. Walking around the kitchen island was a sight she didn’t want to see.

“Oh my god, María!” She immediately lays you on your back, placing two fingers on your neck. “There’s no pulse! Call the ambulance!” She starts slapping your face lightly, hoping to wake you up. “C’mon, Y/N. Open those eyes for me.”

“Here. Move.” Mapi pushes Ingrid away, handing her the phone. “You call for them. Wake up, Y/N. Don’t go yet.” She starts CPR, tears start flowing from her eyes, some dripping onto your face. “C’mon! Just wake up, damn it!”

Mapi doesn’t know how long she’s been doing CPR, but paramedics rush into the house, taking over. Ingrid pulls her into her arms where they break down, missing the looks that the paramedics gave each other.

They drive close behind as the ambulance speeds through the streets of Barcelona. Arriving at the hospital, Ingrid doesn’t bother to turn the car off, rushing to where you were being unloaded.

“What do we got?” Doctors rush out to the ambulance.

The paramedics just give a look to the doctors who immediately understand.

“Time of death…”

“Wait! What do you mean time of death? She-she’s fine right?”

“What’s your relationship to…”

“Y/N.”

“Y/N. What’s your relationship to Y/N?”

“She’s my friend and I need to know what’s happened.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t give out any information, but I saw she has a wedding ring on. Can you contact her husband?”

“Wife. She has a wife.”

“Okay, can you contact her wife for us?”

Ingrid is the one to make the call. Mapi watches as they roll you inside the hospital.

“She’s on her way.”

Ten minutes later, Alexia arrives to the hospital, walking to where Ingrid and Mapi were now sitting at the waiting room.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. They won’t tell us but they’ll tell you cause you’re her wife.”

“Y/N Putellas. I-I’m her wife and I need to see her.” Alexia asks, no demands when she goes up to the nurse’s counter.

“Mrs. Putellas. I can take you to her body.”

“Body? What-what do you mean body.”

“Just follow me.”

Walking into the room, a bed is seen in the middle of the room, a white sheet covering it.

“What’s this?”

Alexia walks up to the bed, hand hovering over the white sheet.

“Take your time.”

The nurse carefully pulls the top part of the white sheet to reveal someone — you.

“Oh my god.” Alexia gasps, not expecting to see you in this state. Mapi turns around in Ingrid’s hold, hiding her face in her chest, Ingrid also looking away. “What happened?”

“I can help with that.”

Turning towards the door, a doctor stood just outside.

“May I come in?” Not waiting for a response, he walks right in. He walks towards where your lay, staring at your features. “Mrs. Putellas lived longer than I expected.”

“Okay, can we stop being so criptic and just tell me what’s going on?” Alexia was losing patience. She has no clue what’s happening. She was having a great time and now she sees her wife lying dead right in front of her.

“Y/N Putellas, age twenty-eight, was diagnosed with stage four cancer three months ago. There was nothing that could be done as it was caught very late. All we could have done was make sure she was comfortable.”

“But she refused to be admitted into the hospital to make sure that she was still at home for her wife, no matter how much I protested.” A new voice was heard by the door. Your sister. “Her wife that leaves when she’s still sleeping. Her wife who would rather be out partying than notice how sick she was, fighting for her life. Her wife that doesn’t fucking love her!”

Your sister was now face to face with Alexia, finger stabbing her chest.

“No, no, no.” Alexia mumbles. “That- that’s not true. I love her. I do! Why didn’t she tell me?”

“She tried to.” Your sister stated, voice now void of emotion. “She tried and you brushed her off.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Mapi spoke up for the first time in a while.

“Because it didn’t feel important anymore after the many times that Alexia brushed it off.”

“She visited us just three days ago. She was fine.”

“She wasn’t. I think she knew she didn’t have much time left, so she had me drive her around so she can say her goodbyes.”

—

“Alright. Last house.” Your sister stated as she parked the car by the curb.

“Yeah.” You exit the car, slowly making your way to the front door. After knocking on the door, you take a step back. The door opens revealing Mapi.

“Hey, Y/N! What brings you by?”

“Uh, nothing. Is Ingrid here by any chance?”

“Yeah, let me call her. Ingrid!”

Ingrid stands next to Mapi.

“No need to shout. Hey, Y/N. What’s up?”

“Uh, well.” You clear your throat in anxiousness. “I’m gonna go somewhere in a couple of days and just wanted to see you both before I go.”

“Oh? Where are you going?”

“Just- just to take some time for myself.”

“Well, I hope you have fun wherever it is you’re going.”

You give them a smile. “Thank you.” As they were closing the door, you push it back open, wrapping your arms around Mapi tightly. Your breathing is ragged and you can feel the tears forming in your eyes. “You’re my best friend and you know that I love you right?”

Taken aback, she wraps her arms around you in return. “Yeah, you’re my best friend and I love you too.”

“You too Ingrid.” You now wrap your arms around her. “I’ll miss you both.” You step away, walking back down the driveway, giving them one last smile.

The couple don’t think much about the weird interaction, closing the door as they watched your car drive away.

—

Mapi and Ingrid broke down even more, now knowing that your goodbye was the goodbye.

“Tried to say goodbye to you too, but you were nowhere to be found.” You sister shrugged, getting tired of speaking to Alexia now.

“Why don’t you look depressed?”

“I’ve got to spend my time with her. I’ve had time to prepare for the inevitable.” Giving them all a face, she moves to stand where you laid. “I’m gonna talk to whoever about the arrangements and stuff, I’ll leave you guys alone.”

Seeing how Alexia was unable to take her eyes off of you, Mapi and Ingrid decide to give her some time, leaving the room and closing the door behind them. Now all along, Alexia hesitantly steps up next to your bed, hand hovering over yours.

In the dimly lit room, her voice shaky as she uttered, “I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t know if you can hear me, see me, but I never thought I’d see you like this. I never thought I’d hurt you like this.”

She grasps at your hand, squeezing it to stop the tears from streaming down her face.

“I’m too late. Too late. I never realized how good I had it and I see it now. You are— were the best part of me and I was too blind to see it. I took you for granted and I can’t apologize for it.”

The room remained silent, save for the soft hum of chatter outside. Alexia’s heart pounded, waiting for a response that she would never get. Bending down, she gives your forehead a kiss, letting her lips linger for just a moment.

“I’m sorry and I love you.” She whispered before exiting the room.

Arriving at home, Alexia’s emotions finally hit all at once. She couldn’t step any further away from the front door. She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. The weight of her emotions become too much and the dam finally broke inside of her. Silent sobs racked her body as the vulnerability she had hidden so well crumbled away.

As the tears cascaded down her cheeks, memories of lost moments and shattered dreams replayed in her mind like a haunting film. Each drop carried the weight of unspoken words and broken promises, a wretched reminder of a love that once felt invincible.

The scars on her heart remained, the permanence of lost loves carved onto it, wondering how to face another day haunted by the ghosts of what could have been.

[literary-lesbian]

city can win the fa cup but please please please don't take the conti cup away from me. please it's all i have.

[katieamccabe]

RED CARD FOR THE STARGIRL: PART 5

{KATIE MCCABE X READER} 4000 words

Find the previous parts here:

https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/743712640082247680/woso-fics-masterlist

Summary: An enemies to lovers fic between two of football’s greatest rivals. This chapter is a lot of fluff but a lot of heartbreak.

—-

You knew that you couldn’t sit out here forever, 2pm was looming and you knew that you had to go to your room and face Esme at some point to get ready for training. As you were about to stand up and replace your phone in your pocket, it buzzed – it was like the pair of you were telepathic.

K: [IMAGE ATTACHED]

The sadness in your heart dissipated as you unlocked your phone, to find a photo of yourself asleep, curled against the Irish woman on her sofa the day before. You so badly wanted to talk to her, you knew she’d make you feel better, but you didn’t want to burden her and potentially distract her from camp. She had enough to be dealing with, working alongside her long-time ex, so the last thing she needed is your troubles as well. You replied a heart emoji, and made your way inside to find your room.

‘Hi Es’, you smiled as you made your way in, she was laid out on her bed making one of her bracelets.

‘Y/N!’ She squealed. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘I’m okay. I think its best if we just don’t mention it from now on. I just want to focus on the team’.

‘That’s fair enough’, she replied, smiling back at you. ‘I… er. Lucy and Kei made it clear to us we’re not to tell anyone. So don’t worry about that. And Hempo’s sorry. She just-‘

‘I’m not angry at her…’ You cut in. ‘It was going to come out at some point’.

‘I promise you nobody else is gonna know. Its our secret’ She mimicked zipping up her lips, one hand still on her half-tied bracelet. ‘And for the record, I don’t care who you’re shagging. As long as you’re happy.’

Your heart melted at this.

‘Thank you Es. I love you’.

‘I love you too! Now come over here a second and look what I’ve made’. She beamed, and you dived on the bed beside her.

‘It’s for you! My first customer…’ She said, holding out a green, orange and white threaded bracelet. Green, orange and white. Ireland’s colours.

‘Oh Es…’

‘I thought it would be nice to wear whilst you’re here. I know what it feels like to miss someone. Now when you feel lonely you can look at it until you see her again’. She smiled nervously, waiting for your reaction.

‘Es I— I love it. Thank you so much’, you began to cry light tears again, overwhelmed by your best friend’s kindness, and she enveloped you in a huge hug.

‘Thank you for thinking of me’ You continued, and she giggled.

‘Just remember England is your main priority yeah?’ And you burst into laughter, before changing into your training kit and heading out to meet the others.

—

Training went well, but you didn’t know how to face Keira so instead made sure you had no partner or group activities together. You were paired with Lauren from the get-go, but explained to her how you know she was just doing what she thought was best for you, and you exchanged a hug before continuing your drills.

Soon it was time for dinner, and you knew you couldn’t have avoid Kei any further: it was a ritual that you, Hempo, Esme, Keira, Lucy and Georgia sat together to eat every meal on camp, and nothing had ever come in between this. You and your city teammates got their first, and sat down with your plates beginning to tuck in. Soon, the other 3 followed over, and Keira sat beside you before the others got lost in a heated debate over the connect pronunciation of ‘scone’.

‘I’m sorry Y/N’ She whispered, and you looked back at her with a small smile.

‘I know’, you said. ‘It just hurt. I think I really like her Kei. And I’m scared’.

‘You can only ever follow your heart. All I want for you is to be happy. And if that’s with her, then… you’ve got to go for it’. She squeezed your hand under the table.

‘Thanks Kei. It feels right… I haven’t felt this way about anyone before’.

‘Then you go for it Y/N. You deserve the world’.

You exchange a warm smile before noticing Lucy listening in.

‘And no one’s going to say a word. We’ve got you youngen’. She smirked – Lucy loved reminding you that she was older than you. This was an advantage however, you knew the others wouldn’t dare tell anybody else about Katie or else they’d have to face Luce. You relaxed into your chair and continued the meal, laughing and squealing - back to the way things always were.

—-

The evening was drawing to a close and one by one your teammates began to make their way up to their rooms to wind down for the night. Soon you and Esme were back upstairs, she was concentrating on her next bracelet creation for Hempo and you were reading beside her, occasionally pulling the string to wind her up. All of a sudden, your phone began to buzz.

K IS FACETIMING

‘Oh shit’, you yelled. ‘Katie’s calling me… Esme what do I do?’

‘Erm… answer it?’ She said, not looking up from the threads in her hands.

‘You’re gonna have to stay so silent’ you hissed. ‘She doesn’t know I’ve told anyone. I promised her I wouldn’t!’.

‘Y/N just answer it for gods sake! I’ll go next door and annoy Loz for a bit’, she said, sweeping her legs off the bed and closing the door softly as you hit accept.

‘Hi baby’, Katie lit up the screen, smiling at you before her eyes widened. ‘Shit. I forgot you’re like, on camp as well. Are you on your own?’ She whispered, panicking.

‘It’s just me K, don’t worry’. You watched as she relaxed. From what you could see, she was outside in the darkness, stood against some kind of wall.

‘How’s it going?’ She said, and you told her about your day, omitting the parts about your best friends suddenly organising a hate train for the woman on the opposite end of the phone. She listened intently, before telling you a story from her training session, full of names you hadn’t heard of, but you loved the way she could command a story and retell it so vividly as if you were experiencing it first hand.

‘I can’t wait to be back with you’ She said, slowing her voice on the final two words like she knew your chest was twisting with a feeling almost like love.

‘Me neither. You’ve got a game tomorrow right?’ You said, remembering about the Ireland v Italy match the following day. You were lucky, England’s first friendly was the day after, so no stress had hit you just yet.

‘I do.’ She smirked, beginning to say something else before stopping herself.

‘What was that?’ You laughed, and she rolled her eyes.

‘I was just… I was just gonna say how nice it would be for you to come and watch an Ireland game one day. Y’know if the schedule’s allow’.

‘Katie McCabe... are you asking me to be your WAG?’ You toyed over the words and she laughed at this.

‘It sure does look like it babe…’

‘Well then yes. On the condition I get to keep your shirt afterwards.’

‘Deal’.

‘I can’t wait’.

‘Hang on.. what’s that on your wrist there’, she raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and you began to blush as you realised she was referring to the Ireland bracelet.

‘Y/N that’s so lovely’, she beamed, doing a puppy-dog lip, her eyes glowing.

The two of you laughed some more before you insisted she headed to bed – as – despite her disappointment – you knew she should be as prepared as possible to captain her team tomorrow. You’d also told her your headache had returned, and she worriedly ushered you off the phone at the same time: demanding you to not spend any longer staring at a screen.

‘Goodnight Captain McCabe…’

‘Goodnight gorgeous’.

You smiled and held the phone to your chest as the phone call terminated, and at this precise moment Esme burst back in.

‘Es!’ You screamed. ‘Have you seriously been there that whole time?’

‘No! Just the last few seconds I promise! I PROMISE!’ She said, holding out her pinky finger at you, until you believed her because you knew how bad she was at lying, and for once, she looked quite earnest.

‘Captain McCabe…’ She whispered a few seconds later after getting into bed, and you chucked one pillow at her before burying your face into the other.

‘Joking! That’s all I heard’ She laughed, sending the pillow back at you.

‘I was only winding her up!’ You clamoured, and she smirked back at you.

‘It’s so nice to see you like this Y/N. Just so happy’.

‘Stop being soppy’, you whined, secretly thrilled that you had the acceptance of your bestest friend.

‘Nighttt’. She winked, before putting her airpods in and turning over.

You soon followed suit, you both loved listening to music as you fell asleep and you’d secretly made a playlist for this trip to camp – you’d die if anybody found out – even Katie – but the combination of ‘About you’ by the 1975 and your fingers stroking the bracelet sent you to sleep almost instantly.

—-

The next morning flew over, training came and went and soon the lionesses were hanging out in groups around the hotel, recovering before their game tomorrow.

Soon, Meado and Alessia burst into the television area, shouting for the remote.

‘Ireland match timeee’, Alessia said, jumping on the couch beside your group, and Georgia rolled her eyes playfully: ‘God, these Arsenal girls man…’

Beth came over and lightly headlocked her from behind at this remark: ‘Shut up G, we had to sit through your shouts during the Germany friendly at 7am’, and Georgia rolled her eyes before lightly shoving Meado onto Alessia, who had found the channel minutes before kickoff.

No one had noticed as of yet what this meant to you. You’d stayed silent, unsure with what to do. You knew Alessia and Beth didn’t know, they were just innocently supporting their friend. It was all fine… until the camera had panned onto the tunnel and the Irish captain was front and centre, a mascot beside her. Your side of the couches fell into silence, as the realisation hit them. Alessia and Beth hadn’t noticed, they were desperate for the match to start, but you just sat their awkwardly, scared someone would slip up and make a remark exposing your ‘relationship’. Suddenly, Keira squeezed your hand, and you looked up to see reassuring eyes from her, Lucy, G, Hempo and Lauren. Lucy winked at you, and you relaxed into your chair. This would be fine.

You watched as Katie led her team out, and you felt nothing but admiration watching her in the captain role. Your heart could have burst, you felt so much pride and you just wished she knew you were watching her – albeit from a different country – but still watching her nonetheless. The Irish national anthem began and as the camera faced Katie once more you watched as she reached her arms up to tighten her ponytail – only – her jacket sleeve slipped down her wrist exposing a red and white bracelet and your mouth widened in shock, immediately touching your own on your wrist. Beside you Esme must have clicked on at the same time, and she nudged you softly enough so that you’d know she had noticed but so nobody else could see.

‘Aw our Macca repping the Arsenal colours’ Beth laughed out.

‘Gunner til she dies’ Alessia added, and you winced at just how wrong they were.

But it didn’t matter what they thought. Katie was clever – it was very clever of her.

Your heart raced. You knew what it symbolised. You knew. And that’s all that matters.

—-

‘They’re playing a worldie here’ Lucy said, as Katie got her first goal, adding to another 2 previous meaning Ireland were winning 3:1 at 60 minutes. As always, Katie loved a goal celebration whether it was her own or her teammates, and she stood in front of the opposite side, her arms out wide, smirking.

‘Show off’ Chloe laughed, walking into the room behind you.

‘Shut up Kelly’ Beth whined, pretending to hit her.

‘All for the cameras that one!’ She continued, before dodging Beth a second time and running back out of the room.

‘She’s actually really nice you know’, Alessia said to the group, wide-eyed, finally breaking her gaze from the screen. ‘She welcomed me to London and she’s looked after me like a sister’. She smiled, as the camera followed the Irish woman jogging to her starting position.

‘Its okay Less, more for us’ Meado laughed, causing Lucy to groan.

‘Beth if you pipe up once more. I’m trying to watch it here’, she said, and soon Beth had stopped interrupting every 5 seconds to chime in with something irrelevant to the game.

—-

The game had about 15 minutes to go, and Ireland were 4:1 up. You couldn’t understand why Katie was still on the pitch, and Alessia was practically yelling at the screen to have her taken off and rested. ‘It’s a friendly. They’re hardly gonna lose now are they’ She muttered, at least 4 times, clearly worried for her Club mates health. You all watched as play continued, but soon an Italian player, who Katie had tackled earlier, flew under the Irish captain’s legs and you watched as she fell to floor. You gasped, without even thinking.

‘Calm down Y/N’ Meado laughed, ‘I haven’t forgotten your little tiff on the pitch last game’. She joked, clearly meaning the argument you shared when Foord went down. To Beth, you and Katie hated eachother on the pitch, and had never even spoken off of it.

You began to blush, ignoring her, too focused on the screen. Katie hadn’t gotten up.

Why hadn’t she gotten up?

The room fell silent as Beth had focused back on the game, realising that Katie was still down.

‘Shit’, Alessia and Beth breathed, almost simultaneously.

You couldn’t look away. You could see on her face that she was in pain, and this meant something; usually she’d take the worst of knocks and get up as if nothing had happened.

‘Come on Kay Kay, get up’, Beth urged, her voice trembling.

The voices around you began to blur, the commentator was talking about something or other but all you could focus on was the medics, and then the first aid kit, and then the stretcher.

‘Fuck’, Alessia said, running out the room in search of her phone, Beth following closely behind her.

You wanted to follow them. You wanted needed to know an update as soon as they got one. But as far as they knew, you had no reason to. They were her Arsenal teammates. You were just another of the lionesses, you had no affiliation with Katie McCabe.

You were stunned silent, your head spinning. Keira had tried to put her arm around you, it was only you 6 in the room still and everybody knew how upset you were feeling, watching Katie go off crying. You’d only ever seen her cry off the pitch, when you were arguing. And this time you couldn’t console her. You were in England, she was in Ireland.

Your heart felt as if it was breaking into a million pieces. You shrugged Keira off, desperate to be on your own, to get to your phone so you could try and make contact with Katie. You’d barely made it through the door before your vision began to blur, your body couldn’t quite carry you and all you heard was your name being shouted from the girls behind you before you came crashing down on to the floor.

——

The next thing you knew you were in a bed in the medics room, Keira sat beside you and a friendly looking nurse was pottering about at the end of the room.

‘Y/N! Finally!’ She smiled as you slowly became aware of your surroundings.

‘Y/N! Welcome back!’ The nurse grinned. ‘Before you panic, I just want to let you know that you fainted earlier today, and we brought you in here to check you out. Your club teammates have mentioned you’ve had headaches recently – if you’re feeling up to talking could you give me some more detail so we can get to the bottom of it?’

You explained to her the head injury you’d suffered mid-game last weekend and Keira gasped when you’d said how you had got back on your feet to continue despite feeling dizzy. Slowly, as you recalled the recent headaches you’d been experiencing, it all started to add up. You’d never had it checked, and you began to fear the worst, before Keira sensed your panic and grabbed your hand.

‘We’re going to request you go and have a more in depth scan… just a precautionary measure. For the meantime you will have to sign off from international duty this week until we get further clearance that there isn’t an underlying issue’.

Your heart broke at this news. You’d just settled in with your best friends, with Keira, and now you’d have to leave.

‘I’ll leave you both now, I need to fill out the paperwork and contact Sarina’, the England medic said, giving you a reassuring smile before leaving the room.

‘Kei-‘ you said, the minute the door had shut.

She grabbed your hand once more.

‘She’s okay’. Keira replied, already understanding what you were asking her. You hadn’t even processed the news about your head injury, your thoughts were full of Katie’s condition. Your body slightly relaxed at this news, but you were still tense with the not-knowing and not being able to speak to the Irish woman directly.

‘Luce has been with Beth… don’t worry, she doesn’t suspect anything! She basically said that it’s a leg injury. They’re not sure how serious, they’re waiting on results. But Beth spoke to her on the phone and she’s okay, shes just on a fuck load of pain meds for the time being. Her mum is with her’.

You instinctively reached for your phone – forgetting where you were. A pang of guilt hit you at once: Katie must know you’d seen the incident, and she won't know why you hadn’t reached out to find out how she was.

You immediately began to clamour out bed before Keira stopped you, ‘Hey, hey, hang on. You’re still drowsy’.

‘I need to speak to her Kei’.

‘Right, okay, okay. Stay there. I’ll go find your phone’, she said, running off.

You felt helpless, and so terribly sick. You thought of Katie, laid in a hospital bed just like this, with a much worse injury, wondering why you’d not even bothered to send a quick text.

‘Here, Y/N’ Keira said, bursting back into the room, passing you your phone.

‘I’ll see you before you go. It’s all gonna be okay’, she said, rubbing your head before heading out.

As quick as your fingers could go, you unlocked your phone and dialled Katie’s number.

It declined immediately, but before you could process it ‘K IS CALLING’ filled your screen.

‘Katie?’ You said.

‘Y/N?’ You heard her voice reply. Even through the phone you could hear how weak she sounded.

‘Katie are you okay?’

‘Are you okay? I just tried to ring you’

‘I just tried to ring you! I’m fine! Are you okay I said!’

‘Beth just told me someone said you’d blacked out?’

‘Katie it doesn’t matter. Answer my question.’

‘What happen-‘

‘Katie. I’m serious. I’m fine. I need to know that you’re okay’.

The line went silent for a short while, before you heard her sad, raspy voice once more.

‘I’ve fucked it. I think… they think its broke’.

‘No Katie…’

You couldn’t find the words.

‘Did y’see it?’ She said, her Irish accent thick.

‘It was awful… knowing I couldn’t get to you’.

‘Not the fall I mean… the bracelet’

You let out a small choke at this and your chest felt heavy. Even at her lowest point she was still only thinking of you.

‘K I did. I nearly cried… I lov-‘

You stopped yourself abruptly, forgetting how to breathe.

The line fell silent once more.

‘You….?’ She said a few seconds later.

‘I didn’t… I didn’t-’

‘You love me?’

‘Fuck I wasn’t even thinking I’m-‘

‘That’s a shame…’ she replied - even though she was fragile you could hear her much-loved confidence seeping into her soft words. ‘Because I love you’.

You exhaled at this, it came as a complete shock.

‘I.. I love you,’ you stammered.

‘Now are you gonna answer me or what? What happened today?’ She said down the phone, shakily.

You explained the day, and how you’d realised your loss of consciousness was a result of the fall you’d had against Arsenal the weekend before. She immediately felt guilty, and you spent a good while explaining how she wasn’t to know it was serious, and she shouldn’t have needed to suggest I was benched.

‘-And I’m off international duty’, you said, sighing as if you were just beginning to feel the gravity off those words.

‘That makes two of us!’ She joked back, before becoming serious once more.

‘Thank god they’ve found it sooner rather than later though. Why didn’t you tell me how frequent these headaches were getting?’

‘I didn’t think K. Life is busy and I just get on with it. If my feet work then I’m on the pitch, I don’t stop to think about anything else’.

‘Well you should. That’s how we’ve both gotten ourselves into this situation. It’s about time you got some rest, stargirl’.

You blushed at this name, it’d been a while since she’d said it.

‘So you’re going back to Arsenal for recovery then?’ You reply, changing the topic.

‘Yep. Back to London. Are they sending you to City or home?’

‘Home. I’m having total rest and some scan or other’.

‘See you in the capital then stargirl’, she said, and you laughed at her repetition of the nick name, she was clearly unsatisfied that you didn’t react to her previous use.

‘See you there Captain McCabe…’

‘Oh you enjoyed me as Captain then?’

‘I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more had you walked off the pitch in one piece… You were hot though…’

‘I was hot was I?’

You could tell she had perked up, her voice unrecognisable from the sullen tones when the phone call first began.

‘Very.’

‘And you watched me with the rest of the girls did you?’

‘Katie…’ You smiled at this.

‘Your little secret’, she whispered.

‘All mine’, you exhaled back.

Though you couldn’t see her through the screen, you could almost hear her beam at this comment.

‘See you soon stargirl. Looks like we’re gonna have to look after eachother’.

‘Wrong. I’m fine. I’ll be looking after you’

You heard her huff at this, and you could already sense the arguments that would unfold when you saw her next.

‘I love you K. I can’t wait to see you’, you whispered, twirling your bracelet.

‘I love you too’, she said, and the phone call came to a close.

—

[katieamccabe]

RED CARD FOR THE STARGIRL: PART 4

{KATIE MCCABE X READER} 4500 words

Summary: A lot more angst following your jealousy from Katie’s actions towards her ex Caitlin during the match in the previous chapter, BUT THEN MORE FLUFF, as well as international break where you confide in your best friends (Luce and Kei) <3

Find the previous parts here: https://www.tumblr.com/katieamccabe/743712640082247680/woso-fics-masterlist

—-

You pulled your phone out to see who the text was from like you didn’t already know…

K: Where are you?

You scoffed, had you blatantly ignoring her post-match not made it clear that your date plans were off the cards?

K: Y/N please can we talk?

What have I done?

You shook your head in utter disbelief at her questions, she’d hurt you so much, and she knew that you knew about her and Caitlin’s previous relationship: the whole world did for Christ’s sake. She might as well have just held her hand and paraded her around the stadium in front of you. Nonetheless, your heart panged as you thought of her coming over to you in the end, her hair looked so beautiful and natural as it had curled under the raindrops and she looked so small in her oversized subs jacket. Your mind wandered what would’ve happened had you gave her time the time to speak – would she have congratulated you, or even hugged you perhaps? You winced at your harsh dismissal of the Irish woman, her team had just lost and she had the courage to interrupt the celebrations to see you and you blanked her as if there were no feelings towards her whatsoever. It hurt you that she’d come over to you, despite the thousands of phone cameras inevitably pointing in your direction, and you knew how cautious she was about her private life since caitlin. But there it was again, CAITLIN FOORD, back in your brain and the anger rose up inside you again.

K IS CALLING.

You declined the call almost immediately, and your sudden outburst of anger had resulted in tears absently streaming down your cheeks, disguised by the rain pouring down on you. You walk back towards the shape of the stadium to a corner where you see some roofing for shelter, and your ringtone rang out once again.

K IS CALLING.

You hit accept because despite everything you just want to hear her voice.

‘What’ you slam, trying to force power into your voice despite the sobs beginning to overcome your throat.

‘Babe what’s happened? Where are you? I thought we were going out?’

‘This isn’t working Katie. I’m not being second best and I’m certainly not..’ You choke back another sob, louder this time. Shit. She definitely knows your crying. ‘I’m not being your fucking rebound. I can't believe I was this fucking stupid’

‘Second best? What the fuc- Y/N What are you talking about?’

‘I saw the way you and Caitlin were-‘ You gulp down more tears in a desperate attempt to form a coherent sentence. ‘You were all over eachother. I’ve been a fucking idiot and I’m stopping this before I look anymore like a mug’. You exhale, but its no use. The tears wont stop.

‘Wait.. what? Right where are you? Have you left? I’m on my way to my car, I’m coming to get you. I can hear the rain. Y/N? Where are you?’ She questions, her Irish rasp sounding anxious.

You stay silent, knowing you’ll have to accept defeat. You’re drenched, miles from home and you’re a sobbing mess. All you want is the Katie McCabe from 5 days ago who held you so close and made you feel so safe in her arms.

‘Y/N? I’m serious’. She continued due to your lack of response, and you hear the slam of her car door through the phone as she shuts it behind her.

You look around you for a street sign, and mumble the name of the road at a far end of the huge stadium grounds you’d walked to in a blind state of desperation to get away from the car park. You listen as she starts her car, not ending the phone call for a second.

‘Stay there, I’m coming baby’ She says, and 3 minutes later her familiar ‘KT1MC5’ reg approaches you. You stand there stuck, a shivering mess, your hair drenched from the rain and your lack of hood. Her doors swings open from the drivers side and she runs around to you, wrapping her arms around you in her red training hoodie and opening the passenger side for you to get in. She sits back in the drivers seat, but doesn’t start the car. It’s only when the light hits her you see the smudged mascara beneath her eyes.

‘Right. Y/N. I don’t know what you thought you saw but-‘

You go to interrupt her but your words won’t quite form. You melt – you’re not strong enough to even say anything now your face to face with her again. Her eyes are blaring into yours, bright blue and confused, and you realise that, like magic, the woman in front of you is back to her caring ways.

‘But I saw you-‘ You blurt out. Avoiding her eye and attempting to subside your tears by wiping your sleeve against them. You’re shivering now, and you feel her reach into the back to pull out a warm hoodie.

‘Put this on’ She said, ignoring your previous words. You look at her in disbelief and she shoves it towards you once more.

‘Take that soaked one off and put this on. You’re freezing’.

You don’t move.

‘Jesus christ y/n just put it on before you catch you-‘

‘Okay’ you snap, voice thick from the previous tears, and you replace your wet hoodie with the burgundy ‘KM 15’ one. You scoff at the irony.

‘Right and what did you see’ She presses.

You stare out of the windscreen of the stationary car, watching as the rain catches the light from the street lamps.

‘What did you see?’ She urges, and you snap back to reality, before swallowing and beginning to speak.

‘Caitlin was all over you. And she… You…. You defended her over me. When I got her the second time she pulled my hair. And you dragged me off her like I was in the wrong’

‘And in warm up…’ You tried to continue, before the irishwoman cut in.

‘Jesus christ Y/N I didn’t ask to pair with her in bleeding warm up. And- She did what? Why didn’t you say something?’

‘How can I. I’m like the number one fucking villain in the women’s game right now. They’d have said I was lying’.

‘You should‘ve told me. I pulled you off her because I know what you’re like acting on impulse and I didn’t want you to go through what you did last time because of the heat of the moment. I wasn’t trying to protect her or anything’. She shook her head, recalling the events of the final tackle.

‘You weren’t? But you looked at me like I’d done it on purpose. I was just-‘

‘I looked at you because you’d just stopped a goal that would’ve given us more leeway to win the fucking cup… You’re my opponent out there not my fucking girlf-‘ She stopped herself before completing the phrase, realising she’d fucked up.

She thought of you as her girlfriend. It hadn’t even been a week and she’d just slipped up and called you her girlfriend. This stunned you and you sat back in your chair, trying to make sense of her version of events.

‘Fuck’ You said, putting your head into your hands. She put her arm in the space between you and the chair and gently circled the small of your back with her palm.

‘I didn’t mean to say gir-‘ She continued, looking at you nervously from her side of the car.

‘I’ve fucked it.’ You said, words muffled by your fingers covering your mouth.

‘There’s nothing between me and Caitlin Y/N. I can’t say the same on her part but I have got no feelings towards her in that way. It’s long gone’. She said, tapping her other hand on the steering wheel and biting her lip.

‘I’m sorry’ you stutter, removing your hands from your face and resting back in the chair to feel her fingers closer to your hoodie-covered skin.

‘You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry that I didn’t see what she did to you. And I’m sorry that I don’t tell her to back off. I’m just used to it I guess, I’ve not had to tell her to tone it down because there hasn’t been anyone else since’. She said, exhaling. ‘But I want you. I wanted to celebrate with you tonight. Out there in front of everyone. I wanted to hug you and I didn’t care who saw it’

‘I’m sorry K. I just couldn’t see past my emotions’ you stumbled. Your heart was breaking once more as you recalled the way you’d turned away from her in front of everybody.

‘We’re one and the same for that’ she laughed, continuing the rap of the steering wheel.

‘Anyway, I don’t think were in any fit state to go anywhere like this. Do you want me to drop you home?’ She says, a small smile creeping out as she tilts her head at you. She looks so cute like this, cold and tear-smudged and you just felt terrible.

‘Can I, if you don’t mind. Can I please come back to yours?’ You replied, and she moved her hand on to your leg, which she squeezed, giving you a smile as light filled her eyes.

‘Of course you can baby. I’d love that’. She says, putting her arm around you and pulling you in close before planting a kiss on your wet hair and starting the car at last.

—

The drive home is quiet. It’s not an awkward silence though, its just peaceful and you feel safe. You warm up quickly in her training hoodie, and glance down at the ‘15’ printed along the chest. She catches you and smirks ‘Suits you’ as she squeezes your leg once more. She keeps it there, the other on the wheel, tracing circles with her fingertips.

After a while you drift off into a light sleep, your hair slowly drying as you’ve released it from your low plait and lay it out behind your head. A bump in the road slightly wakes you, and you see half an hour has passed, and you realise Katie hasn’t noticed that you’ve awaken. You watch her face, so concentrated on the road, and you admire her side profile as she drives. She looks so stern yet so angelic – she’s just beautiful in every sense of the word. After a while catches your eye staring at her and she smiles sweetly at you, before focusing back on the road.

—

As the car pulls in to the same street you yourself had entered for the first time last Sunday, you watch as she carefully parks before climbing out, grabbing her bags from the boot and opening your door for you. She goes ahead, unlocking the apartment door and she notices you shivering once more.

‘Right, shower’, she says, dropping her bags and making her way towards the bathroom where she lays out for you a fresh towel and its like deja-vu of the other night. Before she leaves the room, you hug her, and her arms fall around you like a perfect fit, ‘Thank you Katie’, you say into her hair. ‘I’m sorry’.

‘Stop saying sorry babe. Now go warm yourself up’ She smiles, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

—

When you’ve finished in the shower you open the door to find a pair of pyjama bottoms and a McCabe arsenal shirt from 2 seasons ago folded up ready for you. Your heart swells, and you chuckle at the fact she’s given you one of her shirts twice in just a few hours. You change into them, wrapping your towel around your freshly washed hair and make your way to the living room where she is stood over the counter-top preparing some kind of meal in multiple pans. She hasn’t noticed you just yet, and you admire her focused face once again, as she carefully measures something before adding it to the pan. You advance further into the room and she turns, smiling.

‘Beautiful girl.’ She says, ‘You hungry?’

You nod and she hugs you once more before gesturing you to sit on the sofa – yes the same sofa from the passionate interaction you’d shared the previous weekend.

She cooks away for a while and Coopurr joins you at your feet, before the irishwoman presents two bowls of stunning looking pasta to the table and you walk over to join her.

—

Soon, full from your carb-load you both lay on the sofa together, Katie the big spoon, you the little spoon. She’s holding one of your hands in both of hers, and every few minutes she kisses your neck or your hair whilst you both watch the television in front of you absent-mindedly. You feel so content like this – just being held by the woman who makes you feel so safe in her presence. Eventually, you must have fallen asleep, as when you wake up your no longer on the sofa but tucked up in a double bed in what you deduce must be katie’s bedroom – but she’s nowhere to be seen. You sit back against the headboard, taking in the surroundings. It’s funny you hadn’t been in here yet. You glance over at the bedside table to try and grasp the time, and read the clock which says 9:30am. Luckily, Sunday means a day off, so you’re in the clear. Your eyes drift over the table, there’s a bracelet with an Irish lucky charm, a random assortion of books, the apple watch that usually doesn’t leave her arm… but poking out under the pile is some kind of match programme. You giggle at this, expecting it to have the cover of Katie herself, posing or flexing her biceps in some way or another underneath a match that Arsenal probably dominated. But as you take it out, you’re met with a photo of yourself, smiling in your City kit, titled : ‘Manchester City v Chelsea’ 19th November 2023. You’re immediately stumped, but before you can try and make sense of it you hear the bedroom door open:

‘Morning gorgeous’, Katie says as she enters, looking down at the two mugs of coffee she’s holding, determined not to spill.

As she walks over to your side of the bed to place them down on the table her eyes catch onto watch you’re looking at – the programme is pulled out of the pile and clearly visible.

‘Oh shit’, she laughs, and you watch as her cheeks slowly redden.

She finally meets your eye, and begins to explain.

‘I went to see you that match last year. I don’t know if you remember, I’d took a knock and had a few weeks off to recover. I went to see yous whilst you were in London’. She said, her face still red and avoiding your eye once more.

‘I just thought you looked pretty, that’s all’ She said, trying to change the subject by motioning to your coffee.

‘Thank you’, you said, taking a sip from the mug. ‘And thank you…’ you trailed off, looking back at the programme she now had in her hands.

‘Don’t! I’m getting all shy now…’ The irish woman laughed, replacing the programme back underneath the pile.

‘That’s really lovely K. I had no idea…’ You said, taken aback by the courage from the woman in front of you, shocked that she’d thought of you this way for so long.

‘Yeah…’ She said, still visibly embarrassed. You replaced the mug on the table beside hers and held your hands out towards her.

‘Come here!’ You said, grabbing her hands and pulling her onto the bed beside you. She’d already got ready, her hair down and naturally wavy for a change - no makeup except for her classic lash extensions. She laid above you, leaning down to kiss you, and she rolled beside you so you could continue to embrace.

‘Thank you for letting me stay last night’ You say, when you eventually come up for breath. ‘Thank you for bringing me up here as well’.

‘No bother! I’m not one to leave people downstairs’ she laughed. ‘You looked so peaceful’ she said, shy once again, breaking the eye contact.

You smiled at her, you loved seeing the more vulnerable side to her that you had previously sworn hadn’t existed.

‘I love spending time with you like this’ you say, bringing her hair behind her ear, and as she meets your eye once more she takes your hands and holds them in hers.

‘Me too babe. I can’t remember what life was like before all this’ She replied, biting her lip. ‘You’re not leaving yet though are you’ She said, suddenly panicked.

‘I’m free all day if you are! Then off to international dutyyyy!’ You said, stretching in excitement at remembering how the competitive club season had come to a close.

England and Ireland both hadn’t qualified for the Olympics this year, so you were assigned some light friendly matches littered throughout the summer. Mostly, it was going to be spent resting the squad after the previous back to back Euro’s and World Cup.

‘Amazing’. She said, kissing your forehead, before giving you your coffee back and getting up. ‘I’ve left you some fresh clothes out, just a tracksuit. Let me know if its okay’, she said smiling.

‘Not another McCabe 15 special then?’ you groaned jokily, and she raised her eyebrows at you from the doorway.

‘Careful you…’ she said, grabbing a cushion from the floor and aiming it beside your head.

‘Katie!’ You shrieked, shielding your mug from the sudden movement, desperate not to cause a mess on the Irishwoman’s bedding.

‘Sorry!! Sorry’ She said, laughing after realising what she’d done, before closing the door and leaving you to get ready.

—

The day was gorgeous. You spent it playing with Coopurr and even better: watching Katie with Coopurr. She was so gentle, so loving and so motherly, it made you so happy to watch her interact with something she loved and cared for so much. You dreaded the time passing, soon she’d have to drop you back at yours and you’d be apart for another 5 days as you left for camp so you could begin light training with your national teams. It was okay for you, you wouldn’t be far from home, but Katie was travelling from London to Ireland so the distance between the two of you heightened. The drive back to yours felt horrifically quick, you didn’t want to leave this comfort you’d known for so little yet what felt so long.

‘Call me whenever.’ She said, as she carried your things to your door.

‘And if there’s something you need, or you see something, or you want to talk…’.. She continued,

‘I’ll come to you first’, you said, feeling silly about your reaction yesterday but reassured knowing she didn’t think any less of you for it.

You kissed goodbye on your doorstep, and you waved her off as she drove away down your road. Your body ached as soon as you stepped inside – it was like being with her had distracted you from the headache you had delayed since your crash to the ground yesterday. You made your way upstairs immediately, struggling to keep your eyes open just enough to find some painkillers which you swallowed down in an attempt to stop your banging head. Soon it wore off, and you forgot about it, as you unpacked your training kit for the wash and re packed your suitcase for camp. You laughed as you noticed the KM15 hoodie in there too – she must have slipped it in when you weren’t looking – and you put it on before clambouring into bed and typing out a ‘Miss you already x’ message to Katie, paired with a selfie of you in the hoodie, your hair down loose over it. ‘My beautiful girl’ She texted back, before replying with a screenshot of her newly changed lock screen – displaying that very picture. Your heart jumped at her use of ‘my’, you so badly wanted to be hers. Katie’s. You heart reacted the image and texted a quick goodnight before drifting off to sleep, ahead of the long week ahead of you.

—

The next day you drove Esme and Lauren up north to camp, and met the rest of your England teammates for the first time in 3 months. It was refreshing to be back with them all – you loved city but representing your country with people you’d knew since you were starting out was always so special. You get to play with Lucy Bronze as well, which was special considering you watched her play when you were younger, and she quickly became your football hero as you were growing up. As the three of you entered the camp cafeteria you were quickly met with excited ‘Hello’s!’ from Lucy, Keira and Georgia, and you sat down in a circle to begin a much-needed gossip.

‘…But yeah, things are going really well with Ona. I enjoy international-break though, it’s good to have some time apart, it makes it all the better when you reunite’, Lucy finished, blushing. The group of you had been quizzing her on her relationship, and you went under the radar until Keira suddenly piped up: ‘And what about you Y/N? Got anyone on the scene?’.

You laughed at this, trying your hardest to steer clear from shooting yourself in the foot, but Lauren raised her eyebrows and Keira being Keira noticed her expression and demanded to know more.

‘Hang on…. There is someone isn’t there! They do say that about City though don’t they..’ She winked at Lucy, her previous girlfriend who was her now best friend at Barcelona.

Lauren coughed at this, and you glared at her.

‘Oh my god. It’s not like… you and Lauren is it?’ Georgia quizzed, and you, Lauren and Esme all burst out in laughter. ‘God no!’ the three of you stuttered.

Lucy had a puzzled look on her face. ‘So it’s not a City girl then….’ She said, exchanging a glance with Keira as if they knew something.

You were beginning to flush at the interrogation, and in such a panic you must have missed the words that Lauren mouthed to the pair of them, as when you raised your head back up you were met with gasps and a look of shock from the other 4 around you.

‘McCabe!?’ Lucy hissed, eyebrows raised so far it looked like she’d seen a ghost.

‘Please tell me she’s lying…’ Keira said, expecting it to be some kind of joke. You shot another look at Lauren, who didn’t meet your eye but had a small grin on her face.

‘So much for not being a gossip Hempo’ you tutted, furious at the sudden betrayal.

‘Someone needs to talk you out of it!’ She said, desperately. ‘I can’t bare it anymore!’.

‘Oh my god…’ Keira continued, clearly stunned. Keira had always been like the big sister you’d never had, and you missed her dearly since she moved to Barcelona last year.

‘Right that’s enough’, Lucy said, noticing you’d stopped replying and were fighting back tears brimming in your eyes, motioning Keira to take you out as she knew you were both close.

‘Come on you’, Keira said, grabbing your hand and dragging you out of the room before unlocking her door and seating you on the bed beside her. You crossed your legs and pulled at your nails before getting the courage to join her eye contact.

‘Katie McCabe? Since when?’ Keira said, her tone of voice seemed distressed.

‘Keira I’m old enough to make my own decisions now. I’m 23 for God’s sake!’

‘And I’m not disputing that! You know I’m protective of you. I just want to know what’s gone on!’

You tell Keira the story from the day of the match against Arsenal weeks before, explaining how Katie had liked you and how you’d not trusted her yourself but she’d made it clear she was besotted with you.

‘But you can’t tell anyone. And you need to warn the others. This can’t go public please Keira. She’ll kill me. I can’t ruin thi-‘ you begin to cry as you realise the one secret you had to keep was now out there, and for all you know the others could have begun telling people already.

‘They won’t Y/N. I can promise you that Lucy will be warning them, you remember how it was for us two back in the day?’ She said, stroking your back and you attempted to swallow the tears in a bid to stop them.

‘I just want you to be careful. I’ve known- we’ve known Katie a long time before we’d even met you and she’s notoriously quite a- y’know. A player’ She stumbled, feeling guilty as she could you see how upset you already were.

‘I’m not saying she hasn’t changed- maybe she has. But there were things she used to do, even back when she was with Ruesha. We’d see her out and she wasn’t always being… loyal. We were young and daft and we didn’t speak up about it when we probably should have done… But… the point i’m trying to make is…. you’re like our little sister Y/N, we just don’t want to see you get hurt’.

This revelation stung you completely. You didn’t know if it was the ‘cheating allegations’ as it was always whispered around changing rooms and you’d never thought much of it back then. Or if it was the fact the one person in the world you needed some positive words from was telling you everything you didn’t want to hear.

You scoffed, the anger slowly rising.

‘Yeah then. Whatever’ You said, turning your face away from Keira.

‘Y/N….’ She went on, but you couldn’t take any more. You lifted yourself up off of the bed and ran out of the room, slamming the door. Your head was steaming, and you didn’t know who to turn to now that those closest to you had all made their mind up already about your new flame.

As you walked past the door to the cafeteria you noticed it was empty, and realised that they’d probably gone to relax in the rooms before training. You sighed at this, you were sharing with Esme as always and you did not want to face her right now – you loved her so much but she didn’t always know when to shut up. Instead, you walked out of the front of reception and turned the corner, sliding down the wall and pulling your phone from your pocket. You knew she’d be busy, so you didn’t bother ringing, but you read the text chain back to yourself, willing that there was a way you could see her and she would make it all alright once again. Your head was banging, it was like the headache you’d had for days now would just not subside. How you wished Katie was here…

[wileys-russo]

late night visits II k.mccabe x reader

i think this is the longest fic i've written so far but as she deserves, katie is so lover girl coded and no one can convince me otherwise

late night visits II k.mccabe x reader 7.3K words

"katie!" the irishwoman glanced up with a squint, standing taller to try and see over the crowd of drunken bodies packing the bar. finally she spotted her friends jammed into a booth toward the back and pushed her way through toward them.

"jesus is there like a two for one special on drinks tonight or what?" katie huffed as she took the vacant seat beside leah, looking around at the hordes of patrons around them. the little restaurant and bar was hardly unknown, however it rarely got this busy.

"guess our little secret isn't so secret anymore." jen chuckled, sliding katie a rum and coke she'd ordered her earlier as the irishwoman sent her a grateful smile before necking it. "slow down katie! it's not a race." beth laughed with a shake of her head as the irishwoman grinned.

"almost every bar in manchester was like this it took like a half an hour to even be served!" alessia piped up, seated beside leah and across from jen. the small group of girls deciding at training earlier today they'd go out for a drink tonight since there wasn't a match this weekend.

the invitation had been extended to the whole team but a lot had plans to go and see partners or family in the short few days break.

"oh we don't have that issue here, do we katie?" jen teased with a smirk as the girl in question rolled her eyes. "i don't even know if she's workin jen, lay off!" she defended. :please like you haven't memorised her schedule by now." leah joined in with a chuckle.

"i feel like im missing some context here?" alessia piped up with a confused frown, not quite following along with the light hearted teasing.

"katies sleeping with one of the bar tenders." beth eagerly filled the younger blonde in as viv smacked her on the shoulder with a look of disapproval. "are you?" alessias curious gaze turned to katie who groaned.

"sometimes. it doesn't matter anyway its none of any of your businesses!" the brunette warned sternly, sending a particularly harsh look toward laura who couldn't seem to stop herself from laughing at the situation.

"wonderful. you can get the next round then!" leah grinned and gave her a shove almost sending the girl flying onto her ass out of the booth as katie shot leah a glare but nonetheless stood to her feet.

"russo you're coming with me, i need extra hands and you're the least annoying one present tonight." katie gestured toward the girl who scrambled quickly over leah.

"thank you…i think?" alessia frowned as katie slung an arm over her shoulder, tugging her away from the group who resumed their chatter. "so is she here?" the blonde asked looking around eagerly as they finally got to the bar.

"that one." katie gave in with a sigh, nudging alessia and pointing you out where you were busy making cocktails at the other end of the bar. "she's gorgeous." alessia stated with a nod of approval as katie couldn't help but chuckle, small talk made between the two as they waited for someone to come take their order.

someone who katie secretly hoped was you.

meanwhile you joked around around with a few regulars, making sure to maintain the bright smile on your face despite how much harder you were needing to work tonight, the growing frustration inside you that as per usual your boss had understaffed for a busy night to save money.

"well well, i thought i heard security talking about trouble brewing." you greeted the familiar irishwoman with a grin as you wiped your damp hands on your apron, katies own face curling into a smug smile as she shamelessly checked you out.

admittedly the brunette was somewhat of a weak spot for you, there was just something about her cheeky grin which oozed confidence, paired with that strong accent and effortless charm she made your knees buckle.

you wound up a messy of sweaty limbs tangled in one another's bedsheets far more often than you'd care to admit, reaching out to one another at all sorts of hours with all sorts of excuses for your late night visits.

it should have been a seemingly easy relationship, you used one another for whatever was needed without really holding any responsibilities for how the other felt.

the first time you'd slept together was a few months ago and you'd both agreed it was just a one time thing. merely a drunken fling as you and katie had shared a few drinks once you'd clocked off for the night, which inevitably ended in your sweaty bodies pressed up together in her bed a couple of hours later.

yet months later and here she still was, looking you up and down with a hungry glint in her eyes probably imagining the lustful activities she hoped would be happening later on.

there was just one small problem to all of this, which was that you secretly wanted more. you wanted her in a way where it didn't feel transactional, where you weren't just a late night thought but rather could be someone meaningful to her.

but you knew that wasn't on the cards for katie and so you'd convinced yourself into a firm state of delusion where it didn't hurt to continue on like nothing had changed and you didn't secretly hope for more.

your friends had begged you end it, seeing how much it knocked your normally confident persona down, playing on your self esteem and picking at insecurities you didn't even know were there as you couldn't help but wonder why she only wanted to keep it casual if it was such a seemingly common occurence.

you couldn't quite say when things had started to shift,. as at first you were more than satisfied with just being friends with benefits, barely meeting the friends part since you hardly knew anything about one another.

maybe that's what had made it easier in the early stages, that lack of knowledge and impersonal connection. you didn't know anything about football nor did you care to change that, so of course to you she was just a girl, not some big celebrity superstar athlete.

thats not to say she didn't show her athletic prowess in other ways, the irishwoman had the best stamina you'd ever seen and could go for hours without even needing a water break.

and when the relationship was only transactional, impersonal and occasional, you were fine with it.

but lately, lately things had been different. and it had all started a couple of weeks ago.

once the two of you had finished for the night, katie had stuck around. she begun to ask questions, about you, your work, your family, and to your shock seemed actually interested in the answers.

she hadn't stayed the night, only for a couple of hours and a cup of tea but it was out of the ordinary behavior from your usual arrangement. though you'd tried not to dwell on it too much, knowing that overthinking it was dangerous.

but then it had happened again the next time, and again the time after that. katie once more asking you question after question, and if she wasn't doing that she was telling you the more intimate details of her life and her family, or debriefing about a particularly hard training session or her concerns for an upcoming match.

without even realising it she'd kicked down your walls and she'd done the worst possible thing in a friends with benefits situation, she'd begun to accidentally indulge you into what it could be like if the two of you were more.

~

"we're completely out of bacardi and we're running low on jager." nathan, one of your coworkers, popped up beside you as you bent down to grab a cider for a customer from the fridges under the bar.

now counting down until the end of your shift, you were endlessly grateful you weren't on close tonight. though things had begun to die down, the more rowdier of patrons beginning to be moved on by security, you knew there would be some that lingered long into the night.

"there's more downstairs, i'll go stock up before i finish so you don't need to worry about it. can you handle this for awhile?" you offered, the boy sighing in relief and nodding with an appreciative smile.

you untied your apron and tossed it under the counter, jumping over the small gate at the end of the bar and ducking around the corner where only staff were allowed.

busying yourself quickly checking your phone you hadn't noticed someone follow, someone whose eyes had been trained to you most of the night, who'd been relentlessly teased by her friends for exactly that.

"scuse me but has anyone ever told you your bum looks quite peachy in those shorts?" your eyes flickered up from your screen as the brunette grinned cheekily, taking a few steps toward you as you shook your head and slipped your phone into your pocket.

"just drunken creeps who i've had kicked out right afterwards." you smiled, katies hands finding their way to your hips as she gently pressed you into the wall, blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

"send them my way next time, i'll be sure to teach em some manners about how to treat a pretty girl." katies smile widened as her eyes flickered down toward your lips.

"i'm still on the clock here mccabe." you chuckled, pushing her off gently as you knew what would happen next if you didn't. "well then when do you get off?" she asked, pressing her body back into yours as you shook your head.

"in an hour." you revealed watching her lips curl into a smirk. "then i'll meet you out back by your car." the older girl spoke suggestively, face so close to yours you could feel the warm tickle of her breath against your lips but then just like that she was gone, striding off back into the public area seeking out her friends.

with a sigh and a shake of your head you straightened up, banishing the lust which clouded your mind and hurrying off downstairs to the dry store.

~

of course katie wound up in your bed that night, a chorus of moans of plesure and lips smacking together in sloppy kisses, crisp linen gripped in white knuckled fists with sweaty limbs tangled.

this was then once again followed by a cup of tea and soft conversations about your childhood pets, quite the contrast from your previous activites.

then things only became stranger that next morning.

sundays were always your day off so you'd never have alarms set, allowing your body to wake you up whenever it was ready, purposefully never setting up any plans or commitments you needed to arise early for.

so when your eyes fluttered open around eleven in the morning, your room still quite dark due to an overcast and cloudy day, nothing seemed out of sorts.

it wasn't until you shifted tiredly that you felt someone move beside you. your body was instantly jolted awake, and that's when you became aware of the warm arm draped lazily over your naked midsection, an arm that was not yours.

with a sharp intake of breath you slowly turned your head to the side, seeing a mop of brunette hair sprawled across the pillows, duvet only partially covering her half naked form, tanned back moving up and down as she slept soundly with her face smushed into the mattress, and your eyes widened at the sudden realisation that katie had slept over.

she never slept over, even spending a few hours chatting your ear off with a cup of tea she'd never stayed afterwards. you weren't sure if she could hear but your hate rate began to thunder in your ears, thumping like horses hooves against a track as your cheeks flushed scarlet red.

"i can feel your eyes burning a hole into the side of my head ya know." the irishwoman finally spoke, accent somehow thicker in her half awake state as she gently pushed herself up and flopped onto her side with a tired sigh.

your skin burned where her arm had been as she retracted it, running a hand through her hair and flicking it to one side of her head, blinking tiredly with a stretch as your eyes did their best not to fall directly down to her bare chest.

"you can look you know, certainly did last night." she grinned, immediately noticing your internal struggle as her own blue eyes shamelessly roamed your naked body with a hungry glint before you tucked yourself more into the duvet making her chuckle.

"you stayed over." was all you could manage to spit out, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "with observations like that you could give up bar tending for some detective work." katie smiled teasingly as you rolled over and grabbed your top off the floor.

slipping it over your head to somewhat cover up you tossed katie's at hers, the material smacking her in the face as you sat up, snatching your underwear off the floor and wiggling quickly into it.

"you've never stayed over." you made your point a little firmer, slipping out of the bed as katie now sat up, tugging her own shirt on.

"well we were talking in bed and i guess we both fell asleep." the irishwoman shrugged casually, grabbing her suit pants off the floor and slipping into them, buttoning them as she stood. you only hummed not really believing her as the action was so out of character, but you were too tired to argue as you tied your hair up into a messy bun.

"you should come to the game today, there's still tickets." katie spoke up again, sat on the end of the bed as she laced up her shoes. you choking on your own spit at the shock from her statement, the girl glancing over her shoulder with an amused smile before turning back round, not mentioning anything more than that.

you walked her to the front door wordlessly, cogs going into overdrive in your mind, almost in shock katie couldn't hear how loud your overthinking was right now.

"catch you later maybe kid." katie winked charmingly, pressing a kiss to your cheek and stepping out the front door. striding down your driveway without a single look back she slipped into an uber as you touched your cheek and slowly closed your front door.

oh you were down bad, and maybe it was time you started dealing with it.

~

and that exact thought was how you found yourself huddled among a small group of your friends, rain drizzling down on your head and body tucked into itself trying to utilise your body heat to warm up.

your friend mathew was doing his very best to keep you interested, explaining every little rule and tactic that he could as the match dragged on, desperate to try and up your enthusiasm of what was apparently a fantastic game being played.

the poor boy raised a die hard arsenal fan was over the moon when you'd loosely mentioned attending as the two of you caught up for brunch. within five minutes he'd somehow conjured you up a ticket, forced you into a jersey, talked your ear off the entire car ride and here you were.

you'd chosen not to mention that the girl you were so hung up who was in your bed at least twice a week nowadays was the katie mccabe, you'd not told any of your friends her actual name only referring to her as 'bar girl', and so the only ones who could have put two and two together were maybe your coworkers.

though all of you were generally so run off your feet most nights they hardly batted an eyelid into your personal life, too focused on making it home to their own beds rather than being hung up on who was sneaking into yours.

"oh they're doing a lap! come on i wanna get my shirt signed by viv if i can she's one of the only ones im missing." mathew eagerly grabbed your hand, practically yanking you out of your chair and away from the rest of your friends who you hastily waved goodbye to.

"you know if i just gave you my jersey one time-" "no matty, the answer will always be a no." you chuckled, despite not knowing of your late night visitors identity the boy did know the arsenal girls frequented your workplace, and he was forever pestering you about having them sign something

you'd held firm with a no, and would continue to.

one of the main reasons the girls continued to come back was that you all made sure to treat them like actual people, and despite being more than household names your regulars tended to leave them be most of the time as well, most of the time.

you hung by yourself away from the main crowd eagerly chatting to the players, leaning against the barrier and busying yourself organizing to cover a few vacant shifts next week.

trying to save to upgrade your car you would take any extra money you could get at the moment, now only a few thousand away from your goal.

"want me to sign that for ya?" your head lifted at the familiar accent, meeting her mischievous blue eyes as she gave you an alluringly cheeky smile.

"no thanks i'm waiting for a starter, not a bench warmer." you quipped back, slipping your phone into your pocket as katie feigned offence.

"how about a goal scorer then?" the brunette moved a little closer, leaning on the barrier with her hands as your eyes drifted down to her well toned arms before flickering back upwards, which didn't go unnoticed by the irishwoman.

"oh did you score? didn't see." you brushed it off with a shrug, katie opening her mouth to speak but falling silent as mathew appeared back by your side, slinging an arm over your shoulder.

at the sight katies stomach flipped a little and her jaw clenched, she watched the boys mouth move, words clearly directed toward her as she only hummed and sent him a polite smile, barely listening.

"well well well, look who it is. our favourite bartender!" the brunette snapped back out of it as jen appeared by her side with a smirk, closely followed by beth. "i thought you weren't a football fan." beth teased, and katie watched as you gestured to the boy beside you, blaming him for your attendance.

you picked up on katies lack of joining into the conversation, trying to catch her attention again but eventually having to excuse yourself and mathew as you had dinner plans. "oo a hot date is it?" beth teased, shooting katie a subtle side eye, the blonde also picking up on her lack of effort to join in.

"every sunday! she loves me for my roast dinners." mathew grinned, pressing a sloppy kiss to your cheek as you gagged sarcastically and pushed his face away.

"see you round then." you smiled, directing the comment more toward katie than anyone else, frowning a little as she blanked you and walked off without so much as a glance your way.

~

you didn't see or hear from katie for the next few days, which wasn't all that abnormal seeing as since the two of you were just casually sleeping around you hardly had a regular routine of meet ups.

however when you did finally see her again it wasn't under circumstances you expected.

you were covering the closing shift for nathan tonight as it was his 30th birthday. the seemingly quiet Wednesday not one of your normal rostered days it seemed to be a running joke among the regulars present.

yet no matter how many times you heard the same one liner you still faked a laugh and a grin, watching the tip jar fill up gradually as you did so with a satisfied smile.

given it wasn't all that busy you found yourself people watching in the odd pockets of free time which fell your way, a habit which was easily one of your favorite perks of the job. yourself and your coworkers often busied yourself dreaming up extravagant imaginary lives for the drunken strangers occupying the bar.

but that was how you spotted her, tucked away in a table toward the back and not by herself, an unfamilar blonde sat beside her and the two seemed quite cosy. you watched with a frown as katie mucked about with the blonde, kissing her on the cheek as the girl shoved her away with a grin.

you couldn't but feel as though you'd been punched in the stomach as you wrenched your eyes away, plastering a fake smile on your face and hurrying off to serve a patron.

thankfully you managed to avoid interacting with the irishwoman for the most part, katie too busy entertaining her date as the blonde came up a few times to grab them both drinks, and by some miracle she'd been served by someone else each time.

though of course that luck didn't last.

as the bar began to empty you busied yourself starting to pack down and clean glasses. but you watched on hopelessly as katie made her way over and with your coworker for the night already occupied with other patrons you knew you'd have no way of avoiding her.

"hey." was all the brunette said with a smile that you returned, handing her a rum and a coke like she always ordered and waiting for if she wanted anything else. "oh nah just a water for me i'm drivin, and a glass of house red please." you nodded and wordlessly prepared her drinks.

"just 8.40." you placed the eftpos machine up on the counter as katie tapped her card and hearing the beep you turned back to what you were doing. "hey, can i see you later?" you glanced up realizing she hadn't left yet, lingering at the counter with her drinks in hand and a hopeful look in her eyes.

"i'm on close tonight." you shook your head and katie frowned, unsure why you seemed so upset with her. "i just wanted to-" the brunette started but you cut her off with a scoff, in disbelief she was really trying to come onto you while out with another woman.

casual or not you had higher standards for yourself than that, and maybe your friends were right and it was time you started to treat yourself with a little more kindness.

"i'm working katie, just leave me alone." and with that you ducked out back before the irishwoman could even say another word, stunned at the somewhat aggressive tone which still lingered in the air after your abrupt exit.

~

since the frosty encounter katie had tried to call and message you but with no response and left on read she'd taken the hint and had backed off.

she'd still been around with her team mates over the weekend for dinner in the restaurant but didn't dare come to order a drink at the bar since you were on shift.

most of the girls gave up questioning her about what had happened, noticing that something had shifted between the two of you, and with a stern warning from the irishwoman hadn't dared to ask you about it either.

but ever persistent and hating to see the obvious discontent hidden behind her friends eyes that the others missed, leah continued to press her for an answer.

"oh for fuck sakes cause she's got a boyfriend leah!" katie eventually snapped and gave in as the blonde had once more cornered her for an interrogation. "what! are you sure? since when?" leah frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall.

"i dunno! i met him at that game she came to, he's not even a good lookin fella." katie huffed with a roll of her eyes, sitting down at her locker and beginning to take off her boots. "i thought that she seemed quite into you?" leah sat down beside her as katie sighed deeply.

"i don't know i thought she was. we'd been talking a lot, getting to know each other better, it was starting to feel like more but i guess not. ever since i met him she's been blankin me so i guess whatever it was with us is over now." katie shrugged it off, not wanting to dwell on the subject as she brushed leah off to go for a shower.

"and please don't tell anyone leah!"

and leah tried not to, she really did. but when beth continued to pester katie and she could see the annoyance building, she figured she would be doing the girl a favour by filling the girl in.

"wait that was her boyfriend? i was only joking about the date thing." beth frowned, both girls having filled the other in over a coffee. "did they seem like they were? katie said she's ghosted her ever since so i guess it makes sense?" leahs eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

little did they both know just how wrong they were.

~

"oh! thats him, thats the boyfriend." beths eyes widened as she gripped leahs bicep, yanking her around to look where she pointed, mathew hanging around chatting to a few of their team mates.

"wait him? i've met that guy a bunch times he's here almost every match." leah realised, beth tightening her grip on her and marching the two of them in the boys direction.

"no personal bartender with you today then?" beth plastered a smile on her face, not wanting to go in with all guns blazing and scare the poor guy off. "oh her? please it took me almost twenty two years to get that girl to come to one game!" the boy laughed and re-introduced himself at beths subtle request.

"twenty two years?" leah frowned a little at the timeline, trying to piece it together. "yeah we go way back, grew up together since we were kids. pretty sure our parents were convinced we were gonna get married someday!" he joked with a grin, beth and leah exchanging a look.

"were?"

"well yeah, when they realised i liked boys and she liked girls that put a bit of a pin in their plans." mathew chuckled, leahs face paling as beth bit her lip to hide a smile at their obvious blunder. "so you two aren't..." beth gestured as the boys eyes widened and he laughed harder.

"please! god no. why, are one of you interested?" he winked, well aware of their ongoing presence at your workplace.

"but no she's very much so single. i've begged her to let me get her back into the dating scene but she's hopelessly hung up on some girl she's been sleeping with for months now-" the boy rolled his eyes, and had you been present you'd have smacked the living daylights out of him for oversharing, his favorite habit.

"-but this girl only wants something casual where as she wants more. so i've tried to get her to cut it off but she's convinced it doesn't hurt to keep it going, which i know her like the back of my hand and believe me, it's hurting her." mathew sighed with a shake of his head, eyes widening when he realized who he was actually talking to.

"but i am very very certain that she would kill me for sharing all of that so please if you see her at the bar don't mention it. i'd quite like to live to see next week i have tickets to next weekends match." the boy joked, glancing over his shoulder as a few of his friends called out for him.

"well fantastic game girls it was lovely speaking to you both. thank you for your time and i am very sorry for filling it with my own voice." he winced apologetically, flashing them a dazzling smile before hurrying off after his friends.

"find katie?" "find katie."

~

you looked over your shoulder in surprise as there was a knock at your door, a quick tap of your phone screen showing it was nearly half seven at night, hardly a time for a door to door salesmen to be coming round, and most of your friends knew where your spare key was and never hesitated to let themselves in.

pausing the episode of love island you were catching up on as you cooked, you tucked your phone into the pocket of your hoodie and padded over to the door, cautiously opening it as another knock sounded.

"we need to talk."

you stepped back as katie shot past you, a blur of red having just come from a video study debrief for the teams upcoming match against chelsea.

she knew you didn't work sundays so took a shot in the dark that you'd be home, grateful it paid off as you closed your door. "please, come in!" you scoffed at her abruptness, following after her into the kitchen.

"i'm not sleeping with you." you started firmly, crossing your arms over your chest as katie now scoffed, taking a seat at the kitchen bench. "when i said we needed to talk, i meant with our mouths and not with our tongues." the irishwoman quipped back causing a slight blush to creep over your cheeks.

"what's there to talk about katie?" you withheld a groan at the intrusion, ignoring her patting the seat beside her for you to sit down as if she was in her own home, instead you chose to stay standing a few feet away from her.

"why you're actin funny with me." the brunette folded her arms sternly and raised an eyebrow, now thanks to her faithful blonde friends she knew you didn't have a boyfriend she wanted answers as to why you'd been ignoring her.

"i've just been busy." you lied, turning your back to her and busying yourself resuming the chopping and prepping for your dinner, hoping with some minimal responses the brunette would grow tired and hopefully leave.

"bullshit, ya never ignore me entirely." katie held firm, and you could feel her eyes bore into the back of your head like lasers. "why do you even care? its not like we're dating or you can't get your needs met elsewhere." you added the last part a little bitterly, a pause of silence falling between the two of you.

"and what's that supposed to mean then?" katie scoffed, raising an eyebrow at the obvious change of tone. "you know what it means i'm not spelling it out for you." you shook your head, the only sound being your knife hitting the board as you chopped up the peppers.

"jesus would you stop that and actually talk to me?" katie snapped, standing to her feet with a frustrated huff. "okay. you want to do this? fine, lets do this." you also snapped, dropping the knife and spinning around to face the older girl.

"i thought that whatever we were doing was completely casual, a friends with benefits situation and i was fine with that." you started, crossing your arms over your chest. "but then you made it complicated." you accused, pointing at her as she made a face of both confusion and offence.

"i made it complicated? till yesterday i thought ya had a boyfriend you were using me to cheat on with!" katie defended making you now pull a face. "what on earth gave you that impression?" you asked, face scrunched up in both disgust and confusion at the mere thought.

"your boy mathew or whatever his name was!" katie rolled her eyes and you paused for a minute before letting out a loud sarcastic bark of laughter. "my best friend? jesus no he's not my boyfriend katie i'm a lesbian for god sakes!" you corrected now with a roll of your own eyes.

"and like you're one to talk about loyalty anyway. asking me to 'hang out' right after you're on a date with another girl and at my job of all places, you don't want to be used to cheat with? i don't like being a backup option when your first one isn't interested in rounding the bases with you." you spat, katie scoffing at the accusation.

"a date? when the hell did i go on a date? you're deluded!" she waved you off with a shake of her head, accent only getting thicker the more upset she became, still not understanding why everything had changed.

"don't you gaslight me! the blonde you took to dinner the other night, you two certainly seemed cosy." your nostrils flared angrily as you held your ground, not allowing what you'd seen to be dismissed. "the blonde what-" katie grimaced trying to think back, but then it clicked.

and she did quite possibly the worst thing she could have within that moment, grabbing her stomach and doubling over in laughter, which you assumed was at you.

"okay you know what? this conversation is over. get the hell out!" you ordered angrily, clearing the distance between the two of you in a few steps and shoving at her as the brunette barely stumbled backwards, still trying to catch her breath.

"you're quite gorgeous when you're jealous ya know." the irishwoman smirked cockily and your cheeks flushed red at the sudden shift in tone. "i repeat, get. out." you recovered quickly, pointing toward the front door as katies smirk only widened, advancing slowly toward you.

"katie-" you started to warn, backing up until you smacked into the counter, the brunette pressing her body against yours, hands flushed flat on the marble counter as she smiled smugly down at you. "say that again then, tell me to leave and i will."

you tried to tell her to get out, you really did, but as she lent down and brought her face closer to yours you were consumed by the alluringly comforting smell of her perfume, knees wobbly at her pearly white smile and the cheeky twinkle of her blue eyes.

but as your stomach fluttered and your heart leapt into your throat, you remembered that to her this was all just a game, it would never be anything more than this and for your own peace and protection, you couldn't give in.

"get out, please." you dropped your gaze right before her lips could touch softly to your own, gently pushing her off and quickly rounding the counter, trying to put as much distance between the two of you as you could.

"that wasn't a date ya know." you refused to turn around at her words, instead grabbing your knife again and resuming the chopping of your vegetables. "hey would you stop that, please." you hadn't heard her make your way over to you, her hand grabbing yours as you dropped the knife with a sigh.

"five minutes. just give me that to hear me out and then if you still want me to go i'm gone and ya won't hear from me again." she requested softly, you hesitated but after a quick glance at her pleading face you gave in with a sigh.

keeping a firm grip on your hand the irishwoman lead you over to the sofa, gently sitting you down before she took her own seat at the opposite end, purposefully giving you some space.

"that wasn't a date. that blonde lass you saw me with last week was one of my sisters, she came and stayed with me for a few days to see the game and catch up while she's on break from uni." katie started to explain as you felt your cheeks burn bright red in embarrassment, burying your face in your hands with a gentle groan.

"stop that, listen." katie lent forward, tugging your hands away and nudging you to sit up before she settled back and continued. "and the whole reason that i brought her to your work was so she could see ya, cause i might have talked her ear off about you." katies own cheeks now flushed a rosy pink as you frowned slightly.

"because if you'd have spoke with me that night, i was going to ask you on a date." katie revealed nervously, fidgeting a little in her spot. "you were?" was all you could manage to get out, positively overwhelmed at the thought.

"well actually i was going to ask for some clarification around the boyfriend thing, but then if we worked that out yeah i wanted to ask ya on a date." katie smiled awkwardly, rubbing her hands nervously on her thighs.

"but i don't-i thought you wanted things to be casual." you stammered out. "i thought you wanted things to be casual, i'd have asked you out after we first slept together until you brought up it being a one time thing." katie admitted as your eyes widened further.

"which is why i made sure i always left right after, didn't get to know ya, kept it casual. cause i guess you're alright in bed!" the girl teased cheekily, softening the somewhat awkward tension a little which you were grateful for.

"but then i couldn't help myself. i really wanted to get to know you more so i started hanging around a little, asking some stuff, testing the waters. then when you didn't immediately kick me out i thought maybe you might be into us being not so casual." katie admitted, the shy and nervous side of her she was revealing now not anything you'd ever seen from the brunette before.

"then mathew came into the picture and it threw me off!" katie rolled her eyes, a small smile curling into your lips as the puzzle pieces started to align in your head.

"so i guess that kind of brings us to now, and was really all i wanted to say." katie looked to you somewhat hopefully, awaiting to see what you would say next in return.

"i only said we should keep things casual after we slept together because i thought that's what you wanted, and i was fine with it too for awhile. but then you started to hang around and ask questions and seem interested, and then you slept over!" you paused for a moment to collect your thoughts as katie watched on, intently listening.

"well you made it complicated like i said and then i started to indulge myself into the delusions of what things would be like if we were something more. but i never thought you felt the same way and then you asked me to come to your game but you were being weird and quiet the whole time. then you came in with what i assumed was a date that really hit home for me that all we would ever be was casual." you revealed with a small wince at the obvious misunderstandings from the both of you.

"and i don't want that. my friends are all off having kids or getting engaged and i want something more than just casual sex, i want to mean something to someone which is why i brushed you off and sort of ghosted you i guess." you laid your own feelings down on the line somewhat hesitantly, scared for what it meant but unable to continue holding them back anymore.

"so you're telling me, that we could have been something more for the last few months if we just...talked about it." katie cracked a small smile which you returned with a slow nod, the two of you sharing a look before breaking out into a bout of soft laughter.

"jesus christ what a mess." katie sunk into the sofa with another laugh, dragging her hands down her face in disbelief. "do you want to stay for dinner?" you asked with a soft smile, head flopping against the back of the couch as you stared at the irishwoman a few feet away who perked up at the offer.

"i'd love to."

~

"no you chose last night! give it to me katie, now." you ordered with a huff, struggling to stay balanced as you straddled your girlfriends leg, craning for the remote which the taller girl held just out of your reach.

"i don't want to watch that reality crap you'll put on, can't we at least watch a movie?" katie held firm, pushing you away with her spare hand as you continued to fight her for the remote.

"no! you said that last night and then you fell asleep about ten minutes in." you rolled your eyes at the memory, squealing as a pair of strong arms wrapped around your waist, quickly pushing you down onto the lounge as she now sat on top of you.

"well here i am wide awake baby girl, so how about we ditch the tv all together and go to bed?" the footballer smiled suggestively, still holding the remote out of your reach. "sure." you smirked, grabbing her collar and pulling her down into a kiss.

"after we watch love island." you snatched the remote from her, taking advantage of her moment of weakness as you pushed her off of you, hastily sitting up and getting comfortable again as you navigated through to find the latest episode.

"are you serious? you would rather watch that crap than have sex with me right now?" katies chest heaved a little at the sudden passionate kiss which was rudely stolen from her, propping her body up on her elbows.

"i can get you in my bed any night of the week you're quite easy, love island is only on wednesdays." you grinned cheekily, clicking into the episode and patting the space beside you. "easy she says!" katie scoffed in disbelief, sitting upright but staying on the other side of the sofa, arms crossed with a frown embedded into her eyebrows.

with a roll of your eyes at her dramatics you shuffled down the lounge, forcefully uncrossing her arms and maneuvering your body to settle half on top of her, back wedged against the arm of the sofa while your legs draped across her lap, shaking out a blanket and settling it over the two of you.

"relax the face baby, at your age you'll get wrinkles." you teasingly rubbed your thumbs against her forehead as she scoffed. "my age! i'm only two years older than ya!" the bruntte shook her head, offence written all over her face as you grinned at how easy she was to wind up.

"you know i've always been into older women." you wiggled your eyebrows as the girls large hand came to cover your face, shoving your head away playfully. "shut up and watch your shit show."

though of course after ten minutes katie was fully invested, asking you all sorts of questions as you'd settled into her arms, her hands sliding under your top and resting on your stomach.

both of you content in the little bubble of domestic bliss you'd created, wrapped around one anothers fingers tightly and very much so smitten, not a single casual thing about any of it.

[katieamccabe]

lyrics from katie’s ‘#19’ playlist that make me emo ⭐️

[katieamccabe]

can anyone else not stop thinking about katie having ‘a change of heart’ by the 1975 on her caitlin playlist 🥲 the lyrics …….

[katieamccabe]

⭐️ photos of katie mccabe that just give it girl ⭐️