Summary: You arrive at Chelsea and all your well laid plans of focusing fly out of the window the second you meet the German.
Warnings: Reader is an awkward flirt.
1.2k words
Masterlist
You felt it in your bones the moment the plane started to descend and London started to show up outside of the window.
This was it. Your chance at the future you always dreamed off. You had traded the sharp sea air, the volcanic activity and all the beauty of Iceland for being part of English football. More specifically for being part of Chelsea.
London would now be your new home, you thought yourself. English rain, tea and grey cobblestone, that's what you had imagined when you first got the contract offer. But now your fingers trembled slightly where they rested against the cold window of the plane, but you weren't sure if it was from fear or from excitement. Whatever it was you needed to get a grip. Ever since you could think and stand you had worked for this.
You've spent years training on cold mornings and long evenings watching replays. And now you finally made it here. You couldn't let your emotions get the best of you and make you mess up. You needed to focus and be the best version of yourself on that pitch. But you hadn't anticipated meeting her…
The first time you saw her, she was standing in the middle of the training pitch at Cobham. She was laughing at something one of the other girls had said, one hand on her belly as she was trying to stop laughing. The sun caught in her red hair and for a second you forgot that you, like any human, had to breathe.
“Oh man.” You muttered to yourself, as you walked in trying your best not to stare at her. “Well that's just unfair.”
You knew exactly who she was. Sjoeke Nüsken. A German international and a midfield powerhouse, in your opinion. You enjoyed watching her play during the last Euros when your matches allowed it. She always seemed calm on the ball and like she made good runs.
While you were still trying to think of all her stats from the last seasons, she suddenly looked up. And caught you staring.
Immediately you felt the heat rushing to your face and averted your eyes. She didn't look away though. Instead one of her eyebrows lifted like she was amused and as you glanced back at her face again she gave you the smallest smile.
You knew you were done for that exact moment.
“Everyone, this is Y/n.” It was announced during the introductions. “She’s joining us from Valur in Iceland.”
You gave a small wave and your sweetest smile as you stood there. It kinda felt like the first day of school, where nobody knew you. “Hi. I promise I'm nice. Unless you're marking me.” This got a few laughs out of some of the other players and made you relax.
Sjoeke's laugh was softer, but you heard it. You always would've heard it and now that you knew her laugh you never wanted to not hear it again.
After that first training, you were collecting some balls when a shadow fell over you.
“You're fast.” A voice said and you glanced up already feeling your heart racing. There she was. This up close was worse. Or better… no on third thought it was definitely worse. Somehow you managed to formulate an answer. “That's usually the point.”
She shook her head with a teasing grin. “Are you always that confident?”
“Only on Tuesdays.” You blurted out before your brain fully caught up to what your mouth had just just said and immediately you felt your ears heat up. But now it was too late, because the German was already grinning in response. “It’s Thursday tho, isn't it?”
You felt your cheeks heat up as well and you truly regretted letting the words slip out before your brain could stop them. And you still did as the silence stretched between you. One second. Two seconds. So you just gave her a tiny helpless smile that seemed to convey the social awkwardness and helplessness you were feeling.
Then she laughed. A proper laugh this time, the same laugh you had seen earlier when you first saw her. One with her head tilting back slightly. “You just arrived.”
“And I’m already making good impressions, I hope?” You asked, trying to sound more confident than you felt as you offered her your hand. “Y/n.”
“I know.” She replied, but she took your hand anyway. Her hand was warm and strong. She didn’t let go immediately and you kinda hoped your hand didn't feel sweaty because that would be so awkward later. But she didn't say anything and instead introduced herself. “Sjoeke.”
“I know.” You replied with a teasing grin.
One rainy evening after training, weeks after you first moved to London, most of the team had already left.. But the two of you were both waiting near the entrance as you watched the rain outside.
“I hate London rain.” You sighed annoyed as you glared at the grey city stretching in front of you. It already looked cold and grey with just the buildings; the misty rain just added insult to injury. “In Iceland it feels dramatic and aggressive but you might see some sun later. Here it just feels rude. It's cold and wet and never stops.”
She huffed a laugh and glanced at you. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Will I get used to you too?” You quipped before you could stop yourself. It happened more than you'd like to admit when talking with her.
She turned to look at you fully now. Her face was close enough that you could see the tiny crease between her brows when she was thinking.
“Why would you need to?” She asked, sounding honestly confused.
“Because you make me nervous.” You offered quietly and unsure. One of your hands rubbed at that little bracelet you're always wearing. That seemed to surprise her and she looked at you again. “You don’t seem nervous.”
The rain filled the silence between you. Just the quiet pitter-patter of the water hitting the concrete and as you stood there you decided to just try. Maybe she'd like you back. Maybe just maybe… so you answered her. “Well I am around pretty girls.”
Her voice dropped slightly as she tried to make sense of what you said. “You flirt with everyone?”
“No.” Your answer came immediately and with a tiny huff, like you couldn't believe she said that. “Just you.”
“You don’t even know me that well.” She mumbled and rubbed the back of her head also unsure, but you could see the blush forming on her cheeks.
“I know you’re kind to the academy girls. I know you stay late to practice penalties. I know you pretend to be serious but you laugh at terrible jokes.” You paused unsure as you blushed. “I know you looked at me on the pitch like you were curious.”
Now her cheeks flushed almost as red as her hair. “And?” She asked quietly, almost sounding unsure.
Summary: When the two first started dating they were too caught up in the bliss of dating to realize what that would mean for when they had to play each other. They had talked about it, but neither of them could've predicted the way their first game against each other would go.
Warnings: Jana being a tease. Aggie being a lovesick puppy.
1.4k words
Masterlist
The first time their ‘situation’ became a problem was during warm-ups. Aggie had always thought she was good at blocking everything else out. The noise of the fans, the pressure of coaches and the hundreds of cameras pointing at them. She was playing for Chelsea after all. She needed to have her game face on and not get distracted.
Which proved to be very difficult when her very pretty girlfriend was just about twenty meters away in a teal colored kit and looking just as pretty as she did at home.
Jana meanwhile was playing it cool. She was just warming up, rolling her shoulders and jogging up and down to get her muscles loose. The teal colored shirt was already clinging to her a bit.
It was just that focus and composure, which she already had at Barcelona and the international matches against Aggie that had made the English girl fall for her in the first place. Well that and that stupid smile.
Jana wasn't even fully looking at her as she jogged past. Just a tiny glance, short enough to not be caught by anyone. Barely more than a glance and a tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth. And yet it made Aggie nearly trip over one of the cones that had been spaced out for warm up.
Thankfully she didn't get hurt and instead played it off as being clumsy. They had agreed on the rules.
No lingering looks on the pitch.
No walking out together.
No interacting on social media for at least two days after matches.
And absolutely no obvious puppy dog looks and smiles… well Jana had added this one because Aggie sucked at not staring at her.
They were trying to be careful. They had to be. Their teammates were observant and the media picked everything apart. Two young players from different clubs and even more so different countries that rival in most big competitions? Well it would be everywhere before they would even have the chance to pick up their phones to tell anyone themselves.
When kickoff came Aggie was telling herself she was fine. She could do this and once they're home she'd get to cuddle her girlfriend and tell her how pretty she looked.
It only took five minutes for her to prove she wasn't fine. The English girl had made a run and completely mistimed the pass, because she had been busy noticing how hot Jana's legs had looked as she was tracking her in defense.
Ten minutes later she stumbled and took an unneeded extra touch because Jana’s voice had cut through the noise of the fans and the pitch. It was sharp and commanding… and way too hot. She didn't even dare to think about the stupid warm feelings bubbling in her insides.
Twenty-five minutes into the game Millie gave her a look, as if to cheek if the younger girl was okay and all she could do was press her lips together and pretend to get it together.
Across the pitch Jana was doing a much better job at pretending she wasn't affected. She won a clean tackle off Aggie and didn't let herself turn to her when she heard the frustrated huff from the younger girl.
“You're distracted.” Jana murmured under her breath as they reset ready for a throw in. She wasn't even looking at the blonde, who just now shot her an annoyed glare.
“Whose fault is that?”
That made the Spanish girl finally glance at her girlfriend properly. Aggie felt herself blush a tad bit as she watched the dark eyes soft for just a second. But then Jana just said with that stupid smirk. “Yours. You’re staring.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
The second half was worse. Barely ten minutes into it Aggie misses a sitter. A shot she would bury into the net nine times out of ten. All because Jana stepped into her peripheral vision at the worst possible moment. She could hear the crowd groan. She felt the annoyed and confused glances of her teammates. But all the English girl could do was drag her hands through her hair and try not to show how horrible this felt.
From the opposite defensive line, Jana was biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from reacting too obviously. She could see the disappointment in her girlfriend's face. She could see it was eating at her confidence and spirit. All she wanted to do was walk over to the English girl and squeeze her hand. Tell her girlfriend to take a breather and that it's okay, that nobody is mad.
But she couldn't. Instead she went back to running and helping her team. Looking professional and composed, like everyone expected of her. And infuriatingly beautiful as Aggie would describe it.
When the final whistle blew it was a draw. Probably for the best. Neither of them was sure if they could've celebrated against the other.
The handshake line is torture. They both just want to reach out and hold the other for a second. When they do they both smile a tiny bit.
“Hi.” Aggie said. She hoped her teammates didn't listen in, because her voice was far too soft for a post-match greeting between opponents.
Jana noticed of course, just like Aggie noticed the tiny smile twitching at her girlfriend's lips as the Spaniard returned the greeting. “Hi.”
When their hands touch it's normal and firm. Just like anyone would expect, it's all appropriate for the cameras and teammates.
But Jana’s thumb brushed over lightly over Aggie’s knuckles. It's so subtle that it's barely visible to anyone that would have watched. But it meant so much. Jana could see how much this game, the annoyed glances and yells of the fans and teammates had upset Aggie. And right here the Spaniard couldn't take the younger girl into her arms and tell her she was proud of her and that everything was alright. All she could do was squeeze her hand for now.
But Aggie understood anyway. She knew Jana was trying to give her strength and love through a simple touch.
They were forced to separate again and then they had to walk in opposite directions with their teams. Around them the chaos still continued. Cameras were flashing, the fans were yelling. In the team huddled the teammates were debriefing and analysts were talking.
The two didn't look at each other again. Not until much later when they both finally left their changing rooms as one of the last ones on both respective teams.
It was already dark when Aggie slipped into the hallway toward the underground car park and checked her phone. It just had one message.
‘Lovey 🍵:’ You were distracting today. Your place for dinner?
Aggie didn't even get the chance to respond when she heard the footsteps behind her. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. “You followed me.”
“Coincidence.” Jana said lightly with a smirk in her voice.
Aggie finally turned to face her girlfriend and all the professionalism dropped away instantly. With no cameras, no teammates and no fans around there was no need to pretend. She was sad, emotional, overwhelmed and she wanted Jana.
“You missed that chance because you were staring.” Jana said softly.
The English girl huffed and stepped closer. “I missed that chance because my very secret, very beautiful girlfriend decided to play the best defensive game.”
Jana laughed quietly and squeezed the younger girl's hand. “Excuses.” After a second she added. “You did good. I am proud of you.”
They were close enough now that Aggie could see the faint flush on Jana’s cheeks from all the running or maybe the cold. Or maybe not from the cold, because the dark eyes she fell in love with trailed her face like they were mapping a star chart.
“You know.” Aggie mumbled as they stood there. “We're gonna have to get better at this.”
“At football?” Jana teased the English girl.
“At pretending we don’t want to kiss each other every five minutes.”
Jana hummed in agreement and then she reached up, since the English girl is a tad bit taller. And before Aggie could react Jana pressed a soft kiss to Aggie's mouth. Just a brief touch gone before Aggie could return the kiss.
“We’ll practice.” Jana mumbled.
Aggie smiled and she finally relaxed for the first time since the match starred. “I don’t mind extra training sessions.”
So in case anyone is wondering how I feel about Alexia leaving? I cried.
I am gonna miss seeing her with all the other girls at her club. The club she carried for so long. But on the other hand I understand her.
She wants to leave on a high, now that there are many young players who she played with a season and who really stepped up. She's trying to make space for the next generation and also get rid of the pressure that she always faces. And tbh I don't think her plan was ever to retire at Barca and just sit on the bench, taking up space from youngsters who could play there as well and build the future for the club.
This way she is in control of the goodbye. I don't think she'll go to a club that plays the champions league, because I doubt she'll want to play against her club. So in my mind LCL (as much as one can hate it) or other English clubs are the most likely option. It's still in Europe so somewhat closer to family than the US. She has a lot of friends in London spread over the teams, so she isn't super cut off from social life.
I kinda think she'll probably still post about Barca when they win something. And maybe one day she'll return for a staff position. Idk why but in my mind she'd make a great coach for La Masia girls.
Summary: During a Champions League Game against Wolfsburg Lucy witnesses Ona interact one of the Germans. Like they are familiar. And she can't help the emotions that flood her body.
Warnings: Jealousy.
3k words
Masterlist
The noise of the crowd settles in her bones long before the kick off. It always does on nights like this. UEFA Women's Champions League. Nights where the world seems to be buzzing and nothing can make it quiet. Nights where the lights are too bright, where breathing in the air feels like breathing in goo. Where every touch of the ball feels much more important and every mistake feels a hundred times worse.
It would never get old this feeling and she's probably never get used to it. But she likes it, always had, focusing on those special moments and winning. That's what she loved. That's what made her one of the best players in the world.
She loves those nights. Usually. But today she can't shake the feeling that something is off.
So Lucy adjusts her stance as she scans over the pitch to try and ground herself. It's more routine nowadays than anything else. After playing for so many years you don't think much about it anymore.
But then her gaze catches the reason for her uneasiness. Felicitas Rauch. Earlier, just before the walk-in, she and Ona had hugged like old friends. It had startled the English defender and she doesn't even know why. Ona is allowed to have friends and she doesn't really care much for who she is friends with. But the hug? It seemed so familiar. So close.
In that first moment it had just been a twinge of uneasiness that had been settled into just a glimmer when her girlfriend had turned around to her and given her that sweet smile.
And now the German stood there, composed and focused and Lucy couldn't help but look away. She glances to the side and just sees Ona warming up on the spot, just slightly bouncing on her toes. In that same focused and sharp way she always does. It's the version of Ona she had known first and it still made her happy to see her girlfriend so focused and enjoying herself.
So Lucy does the only thing she can think off and exhales slowly to ground herself. It's just a game after all. And afterwards they'll be home in Barcelona soon and she'll be the only one touching the freckled skin of her Catalana.
It doesn't stay that simple. The game is tough, like always. There's a lot of pressure on both sides and it's so fast that she almost would've missed it. But she doesn't.
During a quick stoppage when the lines reset and bodies start shifting into position again she sees it. The German says something, it's quick and low. Just meant for Ona's ears in passing. But the grin is what catches Lucy off guard.
And Ona answers. She is too far away to actually catch the words, but she doesn't need to know what is said to see the way Ona smiles. A smile the younger woman just reserves for her friends and family. For people she knows. There's something between the two that's easy and familiar. Too familiar for Lucy's liking. And before she can help herself she feels that weird knot of jealousy form in her stomach. Lucky for her the whistle blows just then and the game resumes and the moment fades into time like it never existed, the only one that still is hung up on it seems to be her.
She throws herself into the game after that. Even harder than she usually would, like all senses of self-preservation have been turned off. She presses higher, tackles sharper and runs just a bit faster than she needs to and is comfortable with. Every moment is just a tiny bit too much.
It feels better than thinking, well over-thinking. At one point Rauch tries to push past her on the side. She acts more on a mix of instinct and jealously, than clear thinking, as her shoulder makes contact with the Germans. Just enough to make the other woman slow down and stumble for a bit.
Rauch just smiles? It completely throws Lucy off when she sees it. It's not the irritated or frustrated look she had expected. No, she German looks amused with her behavior. She turns away quickly, before she can read into it. Before her brain asks her why that smile feels like it means so much more. Before she can overthink this situation even more.
By halftime Lucy's breathing is harder than it should be and then it usually is. And that's not just from the running, she knows that deep down. It's from that knot in her stomach that refuses to untangle no matter how fast she runs and how hard she tackles. As she walks into the tunnel she doesn't glance at Ona. She doesn't trust herself not to read too much into whatever expression she'd find there.
So as she walks into the locker room and just sits down to calm her breathing she ignores the glances some of her friends throw her way.
She hasn't expected it to be possible and yet somehow the second half is worse. Not because of the football, Barcelona completely controls the ball and the pitch. They're dictating the pace.
It's worse because she can't stop noticing it. She can't stop herself from glancing up every time Rauch drifts near Ona's side. Every time their eyes meet for just a second too long to be classified as strangers or normal opponents. Every time there seems to be recognition past the familiarity of normal opponents who've crossed each other on the pitch before.
It builds over time and is entirely unwelcome as it settles in her stomach and yet it stays there quiet and persistent. Lucy tries to tell herself she's just imagining it. That she's reading too much into nothing. That this is what high-pressure games do. They get you tired and twist your perception, heighten everything until even small things feel way bigger than they are.
She tells herself this all the way till the final whistle finally blows.
Barcelona wins. Of course they do, they always win. The stadium around her erupts as she can hear the Blaugrana fans cheer in the seats around the stadium.
Lucy can feel teammates collide into her, she can feel their arms as they get thrown around her shoulders. Their voices are loud from the relief and adrenaline.
She smiles at them and lets them shake her in excitement. She even laughs when Pina basically jumps on top of Cata. She lets herself get pulled in and lost in the excitement of the win.
But it doesn't quite reach all the way. Deep down the knot in her stomach is still there and it won't untangle. And she keeps on glancing back towards Ona even now as she celebrates.
Finding the younger woman is too easy. Maybe that's half the problem. Maybe Ona's presence is just too magnetic for her, because even in the chaos of players on the pitch finding her is just as easy for her as finding the magnetic north would be for a compass needle.
The Catalana is already moving away from the group all clothed in Blaugrana. Away from her. And she's scanning the Wolfsburg players as she's walking towards them, like she's looking for someone specific. Lucy's steps slow as she watches as Ona adjusts her course and walks directly to her. To Feli Rauch.
Her pulse does something strange that she can't explain. It's a dull thud against her ribs that doesn't match the rhythm of everything else around her.
She tries telling herself it's just normal Post-Match stuff. Showing respect and having conversations. Normal things everyone does. She knows that. Hell she herself does it after almost every game, she always makes it a point to meet people especially if they are friends.
But even with knowing that doesn't stop the ache that tightens her chest as she watches her girlfriend and the German.
Rauch is the first to say something and Lucy can only watch as Onas face shifts. It's the same thing her face does when it looks at someone she cares about a lot. It softens and her eyes crinkle a little. She sees it immediately even if it's almost imperceptible. Lucy would always notice everything about her Spaniard. She knows it before she can watch it happen.
Ona starts laughing, not loud or performative like she sometimes does when she's uncomfortable or for the media. It's the real, quiet laugh. The same one she shares with her teammates on the pitch or with Lucy after a long night.
Immediately everything in Lucy's stomach twists even more and she can't even look away. So she watches as the two step closer and hug. It's a brief and totally normal hug. Nobody else would twice, not even the fans online would look at it like it's more than two people being kind to each other.
But Lucy does, because she sees the way Ona doesn't immediately pull away and because she can see that Rauch's hand presses into Ona's Jersey for a second before they separate. Because somehow it feels like there's unfinished business between the two. Something that Lucy isn't part of and so far isn't privy to know. So she forces herself to look away.
She leaves the pitch quickly and walks into the tunnel. Somehow it feels colder than the pitch and for a second she wonders if there's an AC that's been turned on, or if she just is starting to cool down after all the running and sweating.
Ahead of her she can see some of her teammates. But Lucy walks on autopilot, she nods to the staff in polite greeting, half listens to her teammates so she can answer with quick answers. And yet her mind is stuck on that pitch. On that hug.
As she walks into the locker room she tells herself she won't say anything. It's not worth causing a fight over her being stupid. She's better than feeling insecure about some random German Ona never even mentioned.
She almost manages it. Almost. But only until Ona sits down next to her in the locker room, close enough that their knees brush.
“You were good today.” Ona says sweetly. God she always is so sweet and she talks like nothing is wrong, like everything is normal.
Lucy shrugs, her eyes fixed on her hands. “Yeah.”
Ona glances up and studies her girlfriend for a second. “You don't sound like you believe that?”
“I do.”
“You really don't.”
Lucy draws in a deep breath and then exhales slowly. She can still feel it, the image of them. Ona and Rauch, the way it looked, the way it felt to her.
“You seemed… close?” She ends up saying quietly.
The Spaniard looks a tad bit confused. “Close to what?”
Lucy lets out a short breath and shakes her head. “Don't do that.”
“Luce…?”
“With Rauch.” Her voice is sharper than she intends it to be. She really doesn't want to snap at Ona. Hell she hadn't even planned to bring it up. So a bit quieter she adds. “You guys seemed close.”
Around them the team is chaotic and loud, but the silence between the two lovers stretches for a long second.
“Oh.” Ona speaks so softly and yet the single word lands heavier between them than it should.
“Yeah… oh.” Lucy mutters and stares at her hands.
“It's not… she's just… she's just someone I used to know.” Ona scrambles to say as she sits up straighter, she's frowning slightly.
Lucy laughs, but it doesn't sound happy. It's quiet and dry. Completely lacking any kind of humor or happiness. “Yeah. I can tell.”
That laugh shifts something in the air. They both can feel it.
“What's that supposed to mean?” Ona asks as her expression tightens and Lucy can hear it even without looking up at Ona's face. She hesitates, because she really doesn't want to make it worse. This is the part she didn't want to bring up. The part where she has to admit that this, whatever the hell it is, got under the skin.
“It means I saw you. And I… it just didn't seem like nothing.” Lucy mumbles quietly. She doesn't look up and plays with her fingers. But Ona does and she studies the English woman. Really studies her expression and something in her softens.
“It was one summer.” Ona says softly after a moment. And Lucy can immediately feel her chest tighten. “A summer?” She somehow manages to ask quietly, even though it sounds less like a question and more like a pathetic croak.
“On holiday. Off season.” Ona adds, like that explains it. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. She isn't sure herself. “Before I came back to Barca obviously.”
Lucy nods slowly and listens. “Right?”
“It wasn't serious.”
“Didn't look like that.”
“It wasn't…” Ona immediately says and sighs. “It just happened.”
For a second the Spanish woman feels relieved when Lucy finally looks at her again. But then she says. “You never mentioned it…”
“Cause it didn't matter.” Ona says with her brows furrowed.
“It mattered to her.”
It's quiet between them as they both sit on that and Ona can feel herself hesitate. “Maybe.”
That answer is enough to make that feeling in Lucy twitch again. God it feels horrible. “And you?” She mumbles.
There's a pause, because Ona doesn't answer immediately and that tiny, almost invisible pause feels horrible for Lucy. But then Ona speaks up. “It wasn't the same for me.”
“Right?” Lucy says as her jaw tightens.
“I ended it. Long before it could really turn into something.” The younger brunette says quietly.
The nod from the older woman is sharper this time, it almost feels sarcastic on its own. “Good timing.”
Ona sighs a hint of frustration sneaking into her voice. “Lucy-” “No I am not saying you did anything wrong.” Lucy immediately interrupts her. “I just… I'm not…” The older woman sighs and rubs her forehead. She stops trying to find a clear way to say what she's thinking. Because it sounds stupid out loud. Hell it feels stupid, even now as it just sits heavy in her chest. “I just didn't know.” She finished quietly.
And that's it, that's the truth behind the feelings and all the weird balls of jealousy. Not the hug, not the smiles. Not even the shared history is what really matters. Just the not knowing.
Ona goes still beside her and then carefully she reaches out. Her fingers carefully brush over Lucy's wrist, like she's giving her time to pull away. But thankfully she doesn't.
“I didn't think it mattered anymore.” Ona says softly as their fingers interlace.
Lucy swallows and her thumb subconsciously strokes a circle over Ona’s hand. “It does. A bit.”
“Why?”
The question isn't defensive. She can hear the genuine question and concern in her girlfriend's voice. And that makes it somehow harder. Lucy lets out a deep breath, staring down at their interlaced hands.
“Because she knows something about you that I don't.” She admits quietly. “Because I could see it out there. In the way she looked at you… and I just didn't like not understanding.”
Ona shifts closer. “Look at me.” She says softly and waits till Lucy does. And when their eyes meet Ona's expression is soft and so certain in what she wants. “It wasn't like this. Not even close.”
Lucy quietly searches her face. “No?”
“No.” Ona immediately confirms. A small shake of her head. “It was easy. Temporary. It didn't mean anything beyond the moment of that trip.”
“And now?”
Ona presses her lips together briefly and Lucy knows that her girlfriend is carefully choosing her words. Especially since they're talking in English and not in Spanish.
“Now it's not easy… and definitely not temporary.” Ona’s fingers tighten around Lucy's. “You matter. More than anything that came before this.”
There's no hesitation this time, no uncertainty, just truth and the way Ona says it is so sweet and loving. For the first time since she had seen Feli and Ona on the pitch she feels something loosen in her chest. It's a bit reluctant, like she's not ready to fully let go of the tension yet.
“You could've told me.” She mumbles.
“I could've.”
“You didn't.”
“I didn't think I needed to.” Ona tilts her head slightly and nudges her gently. “I know better now.”
Lucy huffs a breath and chuckles a bit. "Yeah, you do.”
For a second it's quiet between them again, as the chaos of a full locker room happens around them. Ona shifts closer and smiles a bit, as Lucy wraps an arm around her. “I'm here.”
The older woman hums as her fingers gently strokes over her girlfriend's side. She can feel it. Not just the words or the warmth of the Catalanas body.
She can feel the certainty with which Ona says it. That she chooses to be here, with her. Not out there on the pitch, not thinking of the memories of a summer long past. Here.
Lucy smiles softly down at the smaller woman and presses a kiss to a freckled cheek as her grip on the other woman tightens. “Yeah, you are.”
And this time the feeling that settles in her chest is warm and steady and the ugly knot of jealousy and uncertainty slowly dissolves as if it never had existed.
Just a quick reminder to never go hiking without a Tick repellent.
I went hiking a few days ago and today I spent the day at a doctors office to get all ticks removed and to get checked if my TBE Vaccine is still up to date. And guess how many tick bites I now have to keep an eye on to make sure I don't get Lyme? 9.
For the record I wore long sleeves stuff, had my hair tied and wasn't even in a field. I was on a proper hiking trail near a town. So what the fuck.
Could i request alps and fjords 7 to be moved on top then please? My birthday is mid july, and i would love the next part as a present lol. No worries if not tho <3
Yeah I think I can make that work. Is the 12th or 19th closer to your birthday? That's the two Sundays in mid July, I could release it on whichever date is closer✨
24.05.26 - Jealousy, Jealousy (Lucy Bronze x Ona Battle)
31.05.26 - On the pitch (Jana Fernandez × Aggie Beever-Jones)
07.06.26 - Only on Tuesdays (Sjoeke Nüsken x Reader)
14.06.26 - Home is wherever I am with you (Niamh Charles x Catarina Maccario)
21.06.26 - Unfortunately not you (Kyra Cooney-Cross x Grace Clinton)
28.06.26 - Terrible at this (AKB x Reader) Part 1
05.07.26 - Half past one (Viv Miedema x Reader)
Still waiting to be written and no date as of yet. The red fics are already outlined and are being worked on from the top to bottom. The not outlined stories can be requested to be moved up, so they are worked on faster:
So I decided to redo the system I use for my WIPs, partly for my own sanity and partly cause I saw someone use a similar system and really liked the idea. And also cause I really wanna work more on stories with multiple parts and have more emotional depth than a lot of shorter one shots and it seems easier this way.
Once the stories have a date they're locked in and can't be moved. That's the date they'll be published at. The other stories without a date are prompts, ideas I had or that were sent to me that you can request to move up a spot. I am always working on the top to finish next. Basically I'll just put all my ideas on the list and you guys can vote them up when one interests you to get it sooner, instead of dozens of requests.
So please check it out whenever to check if something interests you to get it moved up.
There are childrens boots here. Please tell me they get a child👀
My plan for that Universe kinda is them getting married and starting a family. I really wanna write that but first I have to finish the requests, so it's a bit on the back burner currently.
They'll definitely have a kid /kids and maybe pets. I am not sure on the details yet, but kids are definitely planned.
Summary: You sneaked out of Leah's apartment in the middle of the night to go out with friends. Safe to say a lot of Arsenal players and Lionesses lose their shit when they can't find you.
Warnings: underage drinking
3.1k words
Masterlist
When Leah wakes up she immediately knows something is wrong. It's the same way that screenwriters make it look when their main character awakes to a burglar in the house and knows it's over.
No slow blinking. No stretching and no grumbling into the pillow as she tries to bury herself back into the warmth of her very cozy blankets.
Just sharp and instant awareness that something is off. Her eyes are wide open as she lies there in the darkness of her room and listens. Then there's the sound again.
One floorboard downstairs creaking. She sits up confused and glances around before climbing out of the bed. The house is too silent.
If you had just gotten up from your bed to get water or a snack you would've made way more sound. There's no muffled music, no annoyed muttering as you stumble through the hallway. No noises of disaster that came with you staying at her place since you had started living with her.
She walks through the hallway to check your room, she fully expects to see you there. Tangled in the duvet like you have been every other night this week. One sock half off and your phone propped up on the pillow beside you cause you were watching YouTube as you fell asleep. But the bed is empty.
And when she gets closer to touch it she realizes it's cold. You hadn't been in this bed in a while, long enough for all the body heat to disperse
“Duckie?” She calls out softly into the quiet house while making her way downstairs. But no answer.
The blonde can't help but feel panic set in as the realization sets in.
The blanket is folded back in a way that tells her you have not simply rolled out of it and gone to the bathroom. Your phone is gone. Your hoodie is gone. You left the house in the middle of the night. Alone.
Leah stands in the doorway to the living room for one very long second, staring when she finds it empty as well. Something inside her had clung to hope you just had fallen asleep in front of the TV. Then she turns around to the kitchen and grabs her own phone. Her blood pressure is through the roof as she panics.
“Right.” She mutters to herself as she scrolls down to your contact. “Right. Okay. Fine. Brillant. Just fantastic. Where are you, you menace?”
The dial tone feels like it's going on forever, just beeping but then it goes to voicemail. Of course it does. You wouldn't be the sneaky teenager she took in after your first stupid nightly endeavor if you would have picked up the call.
“Duckie, it’s Leah. Call me back the second you get this. The second. I mean it. I’m not joking, I’m actually not in the mood for this at…” She stops herself from losing it on your voicemail and takes one breath trying to force her voice to sound steadier. “Just ring me back.”
She hangs up but immediately tries again, maybe just maybe you'd pick up this time. Voicemail again.
“Of course.” She mutters pacing now as she clutches her phone tightly. “Of course.”
Her next call is the to the only other person she knows would be awake enough to be useful and helpful with this.
“Leah?” She hears as the groggy voice of Lotte through the phone.
“Have you seen Y/n?”
“At one in the morning?”
“Yes, at one in the morning.”
“No.”
Leah closes her eyes and sighs a bit. “Right. Cheers.”
She hangs up and calls another. Then another. She doesn't even know how many people she called in the end. Teammates from both England and Arsenal. Hell even staff she has no business ringing at this hour. But nobody knows anything.
“No, I haven’t seen her.”
“No, not since training.”
“Wait, is something wrong?”
“I’m sure she’s fine.” A very sleepy sounding Ella Toone says, far too cheerfully for Leah’s liking. “She is a teenager.”
Leah stops pacing and stares at the wall. “That is not comforting Tooney. Not at all.”
By now her thumbs are flying over the screen messages going out into just about group chat she can think of.
‘Has anyone seen Duckie?’
‘i am not joking guys. She's not in the flat.’
‘please answer if you've seen her or know anything.’
Every now and then dots appear and disappear as the replies come in. But nobody knows anything, they just ask her to check the apartment again and if she's sure that the teenager is missing.
Leah sits on the couch with her hands shaking and drags a hand through her blonde hair. “Good.” She mutters annoyed with herself. “I've successfully made everyone else miserable and worried too.”
She still does check the entire house again. The bathroom, the spare room, even behind the fucking sofa like you could've suddenly shrunk yourself down to half your already tiny size and hidden there just out of spite.
But there's no sign of you. No sign of anything. Like you just walked out the door and didn't even think twice about it. That's what makes it worse.
Because she knows you're nor stupidly reckless, nor really. Not in the way that would've made her think you'd just up and vanish without telling anyone. Yes, you're a menace. One with excellent footwork and stealing Leah's hoodies and leaving your boots in the worst places. But you're also a teenager with too much energy and a very anxious brain and a habit of wandering when you need space.
Leah knows that. She probably knows you better than anyone else in your life at this point. Knowing it does not help at all though. You're missing and she doesn't know what to do next. Call the police? Call the club?
Her phone pings with a new message and she unlocks it with shaky and sweaty fingers.
Lucy: found her.
Every movement in her body stops dead. Her heart slams so hard against her ribcage it almost hurts. But the relief floods in as well. Someone knows where you are. It's so much relief that she almost feels dizzy with emotions and relaxation.
Then she reads the next message.
Lucy: she’s at a club. Aggie ratted her out. apparently she's on the kids' second Instagram and saw a story.
Leah stares at the screen like she’s misread it. The information just doesn't want to register in her brain. You? Her shy and very chaotic, but overall good duckie. In a club? At two in the morning? But then the blonde realizes it makes sense. You're seventeen, all your school friends are going out and the last four weeks you had begged to join them at least once on an evening before an off day.
“Of course she is.” She mutters. And if you had been there to hear her voice you would've known how much trouble you were going to be in for this stunt. It went flat in that dangerous, controlled way that means she is absolutely not calm and ready to lock you into a room for days. “Of course she is.”
Another message pops up while she tries calming herself down at least a bit.
Lucy: I’m getting her.
Keira: with me
Leah exhales slowly through her nose and texts them back a thumbs up. Then she sinks onto the couch and drags a hand down her face. “Brilliant. Fantastic. Love that for me.”
The music is loud enough to feel in your bones with every single beat. And there's lights that flash across the room in bursts of colour.
There's so many people all pressed together dancing, laughing and talking so loud.
Everything is just a bit too much and too loud and drowns out all the worries and noise inside your usually busy brain.
Deep down you know you shouldn't be here. You knew that even before you left the flat. You knew it when your friends texted. You knew it when you had stepped into the club and felt the first beats and the bass inside your body.
But for a few hours it worked and was amazing. There was no pressure and no expectations. Just you and a lot of noise.
You don't notice them at first as they make their way their through the crowd. But your friends do. Their conversations get quieter and stop, someone's head turns and then someone next to you whispers “Wait is that?”
It's only than that you turn and immediately you know you're done for. Your stomach drops straight down to your shoes. Because walking through the crowd looking like she wants to shut the whole place down and beat up the bouncer who let you in, is Lucy Bronze.
Right behind her, equally unimpressed and with her arms folded over her chest, as she keeps her eyes trained in you, is Keira Walsh.
You freeze immediately and glance around nervously. There is no escape route, no way you can get away from them.
Lucy stops directly in front of you and raises one eyebrow. She doesn't raise her voice as she speaks, she doesn't need to.
“Outside.” She says her voice is quiet and pressed. You open your mouth and try to defend yourself. “Lucy… I….”
“Outside.” She repeats. This time it has more bite and you shut your mouth immediately. Your friends around you have gone very, very quiet. None of them want to get between an angry Lucy Bronze and you.
One of them even gives you a look that is half sympathy and half you're so gonna die. You don't argue, not wanting to get yourself in even more trouble. You follow the two Chelsea players quietly and try not to cry as you think about how much trouble you're gonna be in.
The cold air outside the club hits you like a slap the second you step outside. As the doors close behind you the music immediately dulls behind you and is replaced by the quietness and hum of the street. Immediately you can also hear the rush of your blood in your ears.
Lucy turns on you immediately as she leads you to the car. “What.” She says, her voice slow and pressed out as she speaks. She was clearly trying to control her anger. “Are you doing?”
You swallow nervously. “I just…”
“No.” She cuts you off and gives you a little glare. “Try again.”
You glance at Keira like she might save you, even though you know she won't. She's just as mad as Lucy. Instead the redhead just raises an eyebrow unimpressed with your behavior. “Go on.”
“I came out with friends?” You offer weakly, but you know it won't help you.
Lucy stares at you, like she can't believe what she's hearing and seeing. “Do you know what time it is?”
“…Yes.”
“Do you know how many people we just woke up trying to find you?”
That question makes you flinch and you look down at the pavement as your cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Lucy just takes a step closer to you. She didn't shout but her voice made it so clear she was disappointed and serious about what she was saying. Somehow that feels way worse.
“Leah thought something had happened to you.”
“I didn’t mean t-”
“I don't care what you meant to do.” Lucy says, her voice sharper now. “You disappeared. Your phone is off. You didn't tell anyone where you were. You're a teenager in a senior football team and you just fucking disappeared, acting like it doesn't matter.”
“It does matter.” Keira adds quietly but firmly. She clearly is just as disappointed but isn't gonna yell at you while Lucy does.
“I know.” You mumble, but Keira huffs and glances at you, her head tilting slightly. “Do you? Because this doesn't look like you do.”
You don't have an answer for her and just stare at the pavement again, while Lucy exhales to keep her anger in check, before she mumbles. “Get in the car.”
When you don't move immediately she adds a “Now” while judging you to the door making you climb inside.
The car ride is worse. Way worse. There's no music, so there's absolutely no distraction. The silence is pressing on you from all sides as all you hear is your breathing and the hum of the car on the road.
Neither of the women says a thing, which makes it even worse. You can just feel the anger and disappointment in the air and you know that nothing will change that very quickly. They're mad and annoyed with you. Mad that you got yourself into this situation and annoyed you made them get up in the middle of the night to get you.
Lucy's driving and Keira is in the passenger's seat. And you? You're all by yourself in the backseat and you feel really small. Like you're suddenly twelve years old again, being driven home by your parents after you got into a fight at school instead of a seventeen year old who is playing football at the highest level.
For a while nobody speaks until Lucy suddenly starts. “Do you understand that this isn't about you going out?” She asks, her eyes still fixed on the road and you're suddenly very glad she is driving so you can't feel her angry glare on you.
You stare at your shoes. “Yeah.”
“Then explain your thought process to me.”
You huff a bit as your brain scrambles to come up with an answer. “I just wanted a break. I couldn't sleep and I…”
“So you went to a club?” It sounds utterly ridiculous when she says it like that. So you offer another sentence. “My friends texted?”
“At two in the morning?” Keira asks with an annoyed huff.
“.... Yeah?”
Keira turns slightly in her seat to look back at you now. She looks so disappointed that it feels much worse than Lucy being angry at you earlier, you could feel the guilt pool in your stomach as she speaks. “You could've texted someone.”
“I didn't wanna wake anyone up.” You mumble quietly, which earns you a scoff from Lucy.
“So instead you let us all think you were missing.”
You flinch and immediately your gaze drops to the floor again. “I didn't think-” “No.” Lucy interrupts you. “You clearly didn't.”
The silence falls over the car again and it feels heavier than before, you really felt horrible but they were so mad. What could you even do?
Then quieter Lucy speaks again. “You can't just disappear like that. Not with who you are. Not with the position you're in.”
You blink a bit to get rid of the stinging in your eyes as tears form. You know that logically. You shouldn't do crazy stuff because if people recognize you, they could post it or try to take advantage of you. You're not a normal 17 year old after all. You're a lioness and Arsenal's Stargirl as the fans nicknamed you, even if all you want is to be normal and unrecognizable. Leah had that talk with you before in hopes to keep you safe, she had been so gentle and sweet about it. Clearly she had tried to not make you feel horrible as she crushed your dreams of a normal teenage life with her words.
Keira, who had glanced back at you a few times during the car ride, softens slightly. “We're not saying you can't have a life. But this? This is reckless and not okay.”
You nod a tiny bit, because there's not much else you can do, you do add a quiet mumble of “I'm sorry.”
Lucy doesn't answer straight away and Keira just nods, but then Lucy sighs. “You're going to say that to Leah as well. And you're not gonna make a fuss with whatever punishment she decides on. You're gonna be good and listen to her and not cause more trouble. She's already stressed enough.”
Your stomach twists with guilt as she reminds you of that. Leah had been so stressed recently. Between the lionesses, Arsenal and being in Captain/ Vice Captain positions on both teams she had a ton of meetings. But she was also in ads and had interviews and Photoshootings. She was working on her next children's book, and was struggling with her Endometriosis more than usual recently. And on top of that she was trying to keep you out of trouble. “I know.”
—
The front door opens before you can even knock at it. Leah is there and she looks horrible. Like she hasn't slept at all and instead cried. She looked so frazzled, still clutching her phone in her hand and her hair a mess in a loose bun. She was wearing the same hoodie as in training today, clearly she had just thrown on the first hoodie had found.
Before you can say anything her eyes scan you up and down. It's completely quiet between you two. You just don't know what to do or say. She has that look. That Leah look she has when she is angry and disappointed but also relieved nobody got hurt. You hate it when she looks at you like that.
But in the end she exhales shakily and pulls you into her arms. “You're alive.”
You curl closer and nod a tiny bit into her shoulder. “Yeah… I am sorry, Leah.”
She closes her eyes again to collect herself but when she opens them again she nods a bit and nudges you into the house. “Inside. Now. And you're so definitely grounded. You're not leaving my sight for the next month.”
You immediately go inside not wanting to make her even angrier. She nudges you to your bedroom so you can change and while she does so Lucy and Keira quietly say goodbye to drive back to their place.
Leah stands by the door while you get ready for bed and suddenly says. “You know you'll be in so much trouble tomorrow. I rang everyone, even trainers. You're probably gonna have to run a lot of laps and you better not complain.”
You swallowed a bit but nodded. The blonde captain sighs and adds quietly. “I am just glad you're safe. I was worried. Now get some sleep.”
☆ Summary: Being Barça's newest signing is the easy part. The real challenge is letting someone get close. With Alexia, things quickly turn physical, and while you have no problem taking control, letting yourself be seen is a different story. But Alexia isn't used to being kept at a distance.
☆ Word Count: 5.5k
☆ Warnings: Ale is grumpy • you might have been a bit too rough earlier and now she’s sore • there's a match in less than two hours, but Kika seems significantly more interested in investigating whatever is happening between you and Alexia hehe
☆ A/n: hope you guys like it <3
It was fine. It was going to be fine.
Deep beneath the denial, however, you were also quite certain it was not going to be fine at all. But that was a problem for after the game. Right now, you have eight minutes to turn into two professionals who had simply overslept.
One thing at a time.
You lingered in front of the mirror for a moment longer than necessary. Your reflection stared back at you with the look of someone who had made several questionable (but very enjoyable) decisions in the last twelve hours and was now being asked to act professionally about it.
You ran a hand over your hair, checking for anything out of place, any tell-tale marks of the sex you just had.
On balance, you decide you were presenting as a person who had simply overslept due to being tired, and not someone whose morning involved a strap, a very pretty woman and an inconvenient amount of feelings.
You were almost convincing yourself.
Maybe in a day or two, if you kept telling yourself that, you could pretend none of this had happened. That you hadn't shared a room with Alexia, hadn't told her parts of your childhood, or spent the morning in bed with her while your teammates walked happily right past your door.
Fifteen minutes had passed since you and Alexia were interrupted by Irene and Patri. You were fully dressed in the team kit, your hair neatly in place without a single stray string. You looked put together, a responsible athlete who definitely was not running behind schedule because she had been too busy fucking her captain.
"I'm going down," you told Alexia. Your stomach rumbled for the fifth time in a minute, a loud and insistent reminder that you hadn't had anything to eat since the night before.
You were starving, and the physical exertion of the morning on an empty stomach was catching up to you; your head was throbbing, and you were feeling weakness in your limbs. Unlike those who prided themselves on skipping the first meal of the day, your body demanded immediate fuel as soon as you opened your eyes.
You were already daydreaming about your plate. At this point, you wouldn't even complain if it wasn't your ideal or most nutritious breakfast ever.
"Okay, just give me two minutes–" Alexia's voice came from the corner of the room where she was finishing her hair. She caught your eye in the mirror, her hazel eyes looking lighter in the morning sun. "–And we'll go down together."
You inhaled slowly, a knot of stress tightening in your chest because you had already been over this.
"We can't go down together," you said, a hint of impatience slipping through your voice despite your best efforts to keep it contained. "People will talk, Ale, and—"
"Y/n." She cut you off.
Something was unsettling about the way she said your name, so firm and sharp, lacking its usual tenderness. It was Alexia, the captain speaking, the voice she reserved for the locker room, and it made you bite back the rest of your words before they could come out.
"I don't care if people talk," she continued, turning enough to face you fully while her fingers still worked through the strands of her hair. "We are not going to have sex and then pretend we don't know each other."
Her words hit you hard. The raw honesty of it forced you to recognise the absurdity of your request, or rather, the absurd dynamic you had maintained for months. Suggesting you have morning sex only to act like mere acquaintances afterwards wasn't exactly your most noble move.
A wave of embarrassment washed over your body in one single second, burying itself deep inside you, making it impossible to meet her eyes. Instead, your gaze dropped down to your hands, your attention narrowing on a hangnail on your thumb as if it were the most concerning thing happening.
"Do we have an understanding?" She asked after a beat, her voice still holding to that authoritative tone you hated.
She wanted a verbal answer. That, at least, you could provide.
You nodded, but the movement felt a bit reluctant. Your body was still getting used to the idea of being seen so openly at her side.
"Yeah. Of course. I'm sorry," you murmured, your cheeks flushing into a light crimson. "That was… it was rude of me to suggest."
She didn't grant you a response, but her jaw softened. If you looked closely enough, you could see a delicate, barely there, smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
By the time she finished getting ready and you both stepped out into the corridor, the tension had subsided a little.
Alexia was still stiff-shouldered, but it wasn't directed at you anymore, or so you thought. You walked side by side, and for once, you didn't flinch away when your shoulders brushed; you welcomed it.
You pressed the lift button and waited. When the doors slid open to reveal an empty cabin, you took it as a small mercy on such a disastrous morning.
You stepped in first, Alexia right behind you, standing on your side. You let your eyes sweep over her body, her slicked back hair, her impeccable tracksuit. It was baffling, almost physically impossible, how put together she looked given the early morning you'd both had. Alexia looked strikingly (or not), even more composed than you. How could she manage that after being strapped? You weren't sure. Captain's superpowers, maybe.
Her eyes were fixed on the golden doors; yours were glued to the glowing red floor numbers. The lift descended until it chimed at the second floor. The unpeaceful peace came to an end rather quickly, but you enjoyed it while it lasted.
Kika stepped in, her eyes were down, earbuds were in place. She was an early bird, already carrying her game bag, her brown hair in a ponytail, looking like she was ready to board the bus to the stadium this very second. It took the Portuguese exactly three seconds to take in your (rather) dishevelled state and Alexia's tensed posture.
She smirked, pulling out her earbuds and surveying you both with unhurried interest. Her attitude alone was enough to agitate you, but it didn't seem to trouble Alexia; she didn't even blink.
"Oh! There you are," Kika said pleasantly, a teasing smile already playing on her face as she looked between you two. "Good morning, sleepyheads."
The warmth rose to the back of your face almost instantly.
Rationally, you knew Kika was always like this — her teasing mood was aimed at any and everyone, but you were wrapped in enough after-sex guilt to feel like you were wearing a neon sign that read 'I just had sex with the captain' and thus, every word she spoke felt pointed and unbearably specific.
"Mhm… Hi!" you answered, trying to sound excited, but your voice came out a touch too chirpy to be natural. "Bon dia, Kikinha."
Besides you, Alexia didn't bother matching your effort to sound polite. She only gave a short, stiff nod in Kika's direction.
"We missed you two this morning," Kika continued, her smile widening. "What happened? You are both usually so… how can I put it? Punctual."
You felt your cheeks flare up, a blush even more incriminating than before. Your brain scrambled for a plausible excuse, but the low blood sugar was affecting your cognition and your ability to lie.
"We slept in," you blurted out before you could shape the words into something more convincing. "Our alarms didn't go off… unfortunately."
"Both alarms?" Kika asked, tilting her head slightly. The question sounded innocent, but you felt the weight of a full interrogation behind it. Besides, Francisca Nazareth was never truly innocent, not even when she tried.
You froze, and for a second, all you could do was stare at her with your mouth slightly open like a dumb fish. Alexia stepped in, not to put you out of your misery, but apparently, to dig the hole of your coffin even deeper.
"No, just my alarm," Alexia said, her tone indifferent "Her phone was out of charge."
"Just yours, huh?" Kika replied, her smile turning coy as she shot Ale a subtle, knowing wink. "Interesting."
The lift continued its descent with what felt like unnecessary slowness. You could practically hear the gears grinding and the machinery working, marking every millisecond of the awkward silence.
Deep down, you wished you had never opened your eyes this morning, wished you had stayed in bed; it would be more bearable to deal with a missed match than with whatever this was.
"You should be preparing for the game," Alexia said, turning to Kika and shifting back into that captain persona. "Go over the defence line with Lídia and—"
"I already did all of that, capi," Kika interrupted, "I'm ready for the game. But you…"
Alexia's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Her hands tightened into brief fists at her side before she forced herself to relax, a movement that seemed to take a lot from her. She broke eye contact with the Portuguese, and somehow, the action felt like a lost battle.
One point for Kika. Nill for you and Alexia
Kika knew that Alexia was impenetrable, a proper fortress of reservedness. The captain never let anything slip; she was tight-lipped and distant when her privacy felt threatened.
She also knew you were the weaker link, the one to target since your nervous state always had a way of leaking through your pores. You were the one easier to read.
Her brown eyes landed on you once again. You, feeling too scared to hold her gaze, went back to staring at the little and glitchy floor numbers, and for some reason, your silence acted like an answer to a question no one even asked.
She didn't know exactly what the two of you were hiding, but your reaction alone confirmed there was, in fact, something to hide.
Next to you, Alexia rolled her eyes. Kika smirked.
Two points for Kika. You and Alexia remained scoreless
When the lift finally reached the ground floor and the doors slid open, you could actually breathe properly again.
You stepped into the hallway as if you had been enclosed hours on end and not just a few minutes.
Before Kika headed towards the meeting room, she gave a cheerful, perhaps too cheerful, wave, "I hope we sit next to each other on the bus later, capi."
"I don't," Alexia replied simply. She was already walking away, leaving the two of you behind without a second glance.
"She's in such a mood," Kika noted, watching Alexia go before giving a small and careless shrug. "Well… I hope she fixes that before kick-off."
"She just… didn't sleep that well," you said, for some reason trying to preserve Alexia's good name.
Kika smirked again. "Something tells me you are the reason she's in that mood…" she teased. "Which means you're probably the one who has to fix it, too."
Your mouth parted. "Excuse me? I'm not responsible for her walking around looking like she wants to kick puppies."
Kika looked like she wanted to push you further, maybe get on your nerves a little more, but at the last second, her shoulders dropped. "Whatever makes you sleep at night, amiga."
You murmured a quick goodbye and scurried after Alexia.
"You can't take it out on everyone," you said quietly once you caught up to her, falling into step beside her as you headed toward the restaurant.
"I'm not taking anything out on anyone," Alexia replied. She didn't look at you when she said, which somehow felt exactly like she was taking it out on you.
"Kika was just being friendly."
"Kika was being annoying."
"She said good morning."
"She said we missed you two," Alexia countered, slipping into a precise imitation of Kika's tone that was far more accurate than it had any right to be. "Which means she was digging. Hence: annoying."
You opened your mouth, only to close it shut again. Alexia wasn't entirely wrong. Kika was teasing, pushing buttons and poking for a reaction, but you still didn't think it justified this level of grumpiness. Kika was always like that, and Alexia rarely let it get under her skin.
"For someone who came twice this morning," you murmured as you pushed through the restaurant doors, leaning slightly toward her, "you are in a remarkably foul mood."
Alexia stopped dead in her tracks.
You kept walking, refusing to turn around and witness the hundred different emotions that were probably flashing across her face. You already had enough problems to deal with today, and managing her crankiness wasn't on the list.
Most of the team had already gone back upstairs by the time you arrived. The dining room was mostly empty, save for a few staff members clearing plates at the far end.
The breakfast buffet had that very well-known end-of-service quality, with partially depleted trays rearranged to hide the gaps, all the best stuff already taken, unfortunately.
You assessed your remaining options pragmatically.
There were some fruits, not completely fresh, but at least pre-cut. There was bread, but only the heel of the loaf…. depressing. Then you spotted a half-open avocado that someone had left mostly intact. Embarrassingly, you felt a surge of dopamine hit you at the sight. You loved avocado; it was a perfect lipid source for a morning like this.
You made yourself a plate while Alexia made hers. She was on the other side of the buffet, the area you liked to categorise as the "carnivorous zone", where egg and deli meats were served.
You walked towards an empty table happily while balancing your plate and a cup of warm coffee; your hunger was already easing just by being in the presence of food.
You found the table near the windows and set your plate, the light breeze brushing against your cheeks and neck. For a second, you felt that odd deja vu moment, as if you had been in Sevilla before and felt this exact same breeze multiple times on your skin.
Not even a minute later, Alexia sat across from you with a plate that contained, as far as you could tell, approximately nothing.
You looked at the plate. Then at her. Then back at the plate. She looked sad, and the food looked even worse.
"Your nutritionist would be delighted with your choices," you noted, glancing down at her (sad) portions.
She shot you a look. You could tell she was fighting back a pout, so you softened the teasing before she could fully settle into a sulk.
"There are leftover strawberries, if you want some fibre," you offered, nudging your plate toward the middle of the table.
She only stared at you, as if fibre was the least relevant concern to her.
"And well… there's bread, too," you continued.
"I know."
"And overnight oats."
"I know. We went through the same line, Y/n."
You paused, studying her more closely. "Okay," you said slowly. "What's with the bereaved face?"
"What?" she replied, too quickly.
You didn't have to answer. You just lifted a single eyebrow, and the look was enough to make her fold.
"The eggs are gone," she said at last, her voice thick with indignation.
You frowned, confused. You distinctly remember seeing an entire tray of fried eggs farther down the buffet line. You turned in your seat and spotted them again almost immediately.
There are eggs, Ale," you pointed out, gesturing with your fork. "Right there."
"Sí," she said, visibly offended by the suggestion. "But the yolk isn't right."
You looked at the tray, then back at her. "Alexia," you deadpanned. "Come on."
"I like a specific yolk consistency, okay?" she replied, her tone dead serious. "That is not it. It's too… runny. I prefer hard yolk."
You took another bite of your avocado toast and very consciously decided not to argue further. You were learning to pick your battles, and debating over eggs on a game day was definitely not one of them.
Alexia picked at her deeply inadequate breakfast in silence, and for a few minutes the space around you settled quietly.
The last of the staff moved between tables, and the only sound left was the distant hum of the hotel lobby and the silverware clicking.
When Alexia finished her plate, you reached over without a comment, sliding a piece of your bread and some fruit onto it. She accepted it just as quietly, and to your surprise, didn't protest.
"We should head up," she said after a moment, pushing her plate back. "I need to get my match bag sorted."
"Yeah," you replied, catching the last bit of fruit. "Me too."
You followed her out, and none of you said anything.
The lift on the way back up was empty, and you watched the numbers climb again. Alexia stood close enough that your shoulders nearly brushed; you could scent her perfume, something citric you hadn't noticed before.
The space between you was narrow, and you suddenly realised how badly you wanted to fill it. The silence wasn't as sharp as it had been on the way down; it had softened a bit into something that was a mix of comfort and fatigue. Although if you were realistic, neither of you had any right to be tired, given that you had only just woken up.
Then, you caught a small and subtle movement by the corner of your eyes. Alexia pressed her palm flat briefly against her lower abdomen. The gesture was there and gone in less than a second, as if it had slipped out before she could stop it, or before she could decide whether you were even allowed to notice.
"Mhmm," you hummed slowly, your curiosity immediately flaring up. "Hey…"
Alexia just grumbled in response, which, honestly, explained at least half of her behaviour since breakfast.
"What was that?"
"What?" she replied, her eyes stubbornly fixed on the lift door, her tone perhaps too neutral.
"Ale," you said tiredly.
There was a pause. Alexia clearly tried to win, but she failed. "It's nothing," she murmured, though the lack of conviction gave her away immediately.
"What's wrong?" You asked, your voice softer now.
The lift reached your floor and opened before she could answer. Alexia stepped out first, and you followed her in silence, the conversation hanging unfinished between you all the way down the corridor until the hotel room door finally clicked shut behind you.
Alexia hesitated by the foot of the bed before speaking. "I think we were a bit rough this morning." Her cheeks had flushed a light pink, a clear sign of embarrassment that she was trying to mask (and failing too).
The words landed in your chest heavily. You looked at her and felt a sudden wave of guilt arrive all at once.
"Ale!" You breathed, staring at her. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
"Because I wanted it," she answered simply, meeting your eyes. "I'm not complaining, and it's not that bad. It felt good at the time, I'm just a bit sore now…" Her mouth twitched faintly before she curled her lips, like she regretted admitting even that much. "But it's nothing you should worry about."
"Ale—"
"Tori," she interrupted softly. For a moment, you had a glimpse of the version of Alexia that belonged to your eyes only: gentle and careful and shy in ways she was never with anyone else. "I just… I'm a bit tender. It's fine, sí? Not your fault, torito."
Even if she was telling you the truth, even if she was fine and just a bit sore, you still felt the guilt settle in your stomach. It had been a long time since you were the one receiving, and even back then, your ex-girlfriend had never been physically rough with you, probably because you had barely had the chance to explore that side. You couldn't even fathom what it felt like to be uncomfortable after sex; a bit of strain on the thigh or back was fine, but not… that.
You reached for her almost instinctively, your hands settling on her waist before you brought her closer. "I'm sorry, baby."
The word slipped out before you could stop it, and you noticed how her eyes lit up at the second it hit her ears.
Alexia softened in your arms so suddenly that it almost startled you; it was like she fully liquified herself. Her tough attitude vanished, her whole face softened, and her shoulders dropped.
Her fingers curled lightly into the fabric of your shirt, and then she let out a shy smile. She had been waiting for you to allow her to soften; maybe she had even been trying very hard to pretend she didn't want it.
She leaned down, resting her chin on the top of your head. "You shouldn't be saying that, torito. That's against your rules."
"What?" You frowned, your warm breath hitting the skin of her throat.
"Calling me baby outside of bed," she said softly as her hands slid up your back before resting against your shoulder blades."Calling me baby when I'm awake."
Your breath hitched, and your stomach dropped all at once. You froze as a sudden wave of alarm began to take over. You didn't even have time to analyse her sentence or understand why her words had affected you so much.
Deep down, you knew she was right about your made-up rules. But being called out like this made you feel confronted, entirely stripped bare in front of her, and there was a tang of hurt in it too. Did she not want you to call her baby?
Before you could step back, Alexia tightened her hold; she began to run her palms up and down your sides in slow strokes, as if she had sensed your internal spiral and decided you were the one who needed comfort, not her.
"Ale-"
She looked down at you with a bittersweet smile, shushing you with a soft press of her lips against yours. "You need to decide, torito."
"Decide what?" you stammered.
"Your rules," she said softly. "If they still apply or not. You have to tell me when you make up your mind."
It felt like she was speaking in riddles. "Make up my mind about what?"
She chucked, pressing another kiss to your forehead. "You'll know when you feel it."
She said it so calmly, as if the answer were already waiting somewhere inside you — as if finding it wouldn't require peeling yourself apart bone by bone just to reach it. Your chest felt too tight, your shirt unbearable against your torso.
You searched Ale's face for some kind of clarification, but she only looked back at you with that same unbearable softness she always carried.
Right now, you don't deserve soft. You deserved mean. But Alexia never gave you mean; she made you suffer in quieter, less bloody ways. She killed you with kindness, which felt worse than a punch to the gut.
Her thumb was soft as it brushed beneath your jawbone. "Don't think too hard right now, Cari."
"What if I don't make up my mind?" You asked in a whisper.
Alexia's expression was something you could only call a 'sympathetically sad'. "I think you will, bebé."
It was like she was throwing the word at you. She could say it so easily, without spiralling, without breaking the laws of her own mind. You couldn't. It was always you. Suddenly, it felt horribly obvious that the problem between you two had always been your own fear.
"And what if I don't?" you asked again, quasi-desperate.
She leaned down, pressing her lips to your one last time. "I don't have all the answers, tori," she murmured against your cracked lips, "That part is up to you."
Then she winced, and you quickly took a step back. "Is it hurting?" you asked at once, a pout forming in your face. "How much? Like, on a scale from one to ten? We can go to the emer—"
"I'm alright," she interrupted gently, cutting you off with a soft chuckle. "It just feels like cramps, I think."
"Oh, okay", you said, nodding to yourself as you crouched by your bag and unzipped it. "I have ibuprofen somewhere…"
Alexia watched you rummage through your things before letting out a quiet sigh. "Tori, it's really just a mild soreness—"
"Alexia," you interrupted, finally finding the medication. You grabbed a water bottle and walked back over, and pressed both into her hands. "Take this and lie down while I pack your match bag,"
She lifted her eyebrows. "You don't have to—"
"I know," you cut her off quickly. "I just… I want to, okay?"
A light blush appeared on her cheeks. "Bebé-"
"Alexia," you said firmly, pointing toward the bed. "Down. Literally just lie down for five minutes, please. It's not that hard."
A smirk played on her lips. "Okay, okay… bossy," she teased, but she followed your order anyway.
You tried your absolute best to ignore how incredibly good it felt to take care of her.
After everything was sorted, the two of you went down to the pre-game meeting in the hotel conference room.
You were a few too many minutes late, which drew a few curious looks from the rest of the squad. Neither of you was the type to run behind schedule, but the chaos of the morning had temporarily turned you into people you were not.
Pere was breaking down the forwards' line positions by the time you and Alexia walked inside. She took the only available seat near the front, right next to Vicky, who immediately smirked at the brunette's arrival. Alexia didn't acknowledge the look with anything more than a playful nudge of her elbow.
Even if Alexia would never admit out loud, out of all the younger girls, Vicky was her favourite — her protégé, if you were to ask anyone else. Alexia had let it slip once that she felt awfully maternal toward the nineteen-year-old, and it was always entertaining to watch her pretend she didn't care as much as she did.
You walked to the back of the room and found a spot near the wall, sitting next to Esmee with Kika right in front of you.
Pere talked, and seemingly, it felt like he might never stop doing so.
At some point, the footage on the tiny screen began to blur together… the same movements, the same tactical pauses, the same strategy drawings and formations over and over until your brain threatened to just shut down completely from pure boredom.
You were losing your mind. Hell, everyone was. The only people still fully engaged were Alexia, Patri, and Aitana, who all looked like they could genuinely get off from watching football matches and making analytical strategies. Concerning, yes.
Everyone was starting to get a little bit restless around the room, even the staff at the back were whispering among themselves about things that clearly didn't involve football at all.
You stifled a groan when Pere replayed the exact same clip for what felt like the tenth time.
In front of you, Kika instantly picked up your boredom. She turned toward you in her chair and whispered, "Heya, girl."
You narrowed your eyes suspiciously before glancing at her.
"Hi," you whispered back, already wary. Then your attention immediately snapped back toward the screen, hoping that would be the end of it. But, well, of course it wasn't, the gods wouldn't have this much clemency on you.
"Are Esmee and I your best friends in the whole world?" Kika asked quietly, and Esmee snorted at her randomness beside you.
"Yes," you answered absentmindedly, eyes still fixed on Pere's presentation.
"We literally go out for coffee once a week," you whispered. "Don't we?"
"That's an intriguing definition of friendship," Esmee murmured, laughing under her breath when you nudged her in the ribs. "But yes, we do."
Kika hummed thoughtfully. "Funny definition indeed," she said, "Because I'm pretty sure best friends usually tell each other things."
Your stomach dropped instantly. So there it was… the actual point of this conversation. Kika kept her eyes on you, waiting for a reaction.
"Okay, Kika… stop, yeah?" Esmee warned, though she sounded more entertained than concerned. "Let's talk about that later."
"What?" Kika whispered innocently. "I just want to know why our best friend suddenly looks so cosy with our captain—"
"Hey." Alexia's voice cut cleanly across the room, and every single one's head near you snapped to you, Kika, and Esmee.
Alexia hadn't even turned around, but her eyes had sifted back toward the three of you. "Silenci!" [silence]
"Sorry," you, Kika, and Esmee muttered in overlapping whispers.
The other two looked apologetically toward Pere, but you kept your eyes on Alexia instead. "Pardon," you mouthed sheepishly. The corner of her mouth twitched upward for half a second before she turned fully back around.
The meeting dragged on for another hour. You absorbed approximately half of it, your thoughts still tangled up in what Alexia had told you earlier, back in the room, and whatever exactly Kika meant with the whole best friends tell each other things conversation.
There was no way she could have figured out that you and Alexia were… seeing each other based on the mere three minutes you stood in the lift, right?
Well… she clearly had. Now, your mission was to figure out how to make her forget all about it, to make her think she had just imagined the whole thing in her head. Okay, that sounded a bit like gaslighting, but it was gaslighting with the purest intentions.
By the time the bus left twenty minutes later, your brain already felt exhausted.
Too many social experiments and heavy conversations happened in a ridiculously short span of time. You were an introvert, and having this many people around you was starting to make you feel physically sick.
You climbed the step of the bus, only to stop short the moment you reached the top. Kika was sitting right next to Alexia, and not only that, she looked extremely comfortable, smug even. Alexia, meanwhile, was a sharp contrast, looking like she wanted to throw herself out of the window.
"Oh, Y/n," Kika said brightly the second she spotted you standing frozen in the aisle. "I hope you don't mind sitting with Esmee today?"
Your eyes narrowed immediately. "… Of course I don't mind… but why exactly are you sitting in my spot?"
"Oh, your spot?" Kika asked, her smile dangerous. "I just wanted a change of scenery!"
"The window," Alexia muttered from her side, glancing up at you with the most betrayed-looking eyes you had ever seen. "She wanted the window seat. So she just sat and… refused to move."
"Yeah, I wanted some fresh air," Kika nodded, gesturing around the bus. "I also wanted to see how riding in this section felt."
You blinked at her, impassive. "It feels exactly the same as every other part of the bus… I think?"
But then, you slowly and painfully began accepting the reality that you were apparently not sitting next to Alexia today. The realisation made your heart ache in a deeply embarrassing way, a feeling you planned to deal with much later. Hopefully, you could suppress it until you were around the age of seventy.
"Maybe," Kika said confidently. "But I need to test it empirically."
"You don't even know what empirically means," Alexia scoffed, a small pout forming on her lips.
"You don't either," Kika shot back immediately.
"Yes," Alexia replied. "Which is why I don't use the word."
Kika opened her mouth again, clearly preparing to continue the argument.
"Okay," you interrupted awkwardly, mostly because a line of increasingly impatient teammates was starting to pile up behind you in the aisle. "I'll just leave you two to… whatever this is."
You swallowed your discomfort and moved down the aisle before dropping into the empty seat beside Esmee.
The girl offered you a benevolent sort of silence and a genuine apologetic look, one that made it obvious whatever was happening was entirely part of Kika's plan. Judging by Esmee's expression, she had probably tried and failed to stop the Portuguese from meddling this much.
If the situation hadn't been irritating, you might have laughed at how miserable Alexia looked over the next thirty minutes.
Kika spent most of the drive attempting to teach her the scuba dance (Alexia did not dance) before eventually pulling out her phone to show the captain an endless stream of childhood pictures (Alexia did not care about those either).
Alexia endured the entire interaction as if she were being subjected to actual psychological torture. You were four rows back, and for almost the entire duration of the drive, all you could do was watch the back of Alexia's head.
A/n: hello! Sorry this update took so long, I've been very busy at the lab lately! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the tiny shift in their dynamics! I wanted to show a little bit of how ale interacts with the other girls hehe next part will feature the game and let's say Alexia loses her head a little a scream at torito 🙂↕️
I just loved this part so much. Reader really needs to come into tune with her emotions soon, but also I am kinda loving how Ale seems very convinced that the reader figuring her emotions out will lead to the same thing she wants. 😂😂
And Kika being kind of a curious (slightly annoying) pest is so hilarious. Kinda hope the pressure from other girls being curious doesn't pressure Reader too much and lead to Angst before it's resolved...✨🫶🏼
I made a prettier version of the one I used when I wrote the story so I wanted to share it. I don't usually share my Moodboard but I'm low-key obsessed with this vibe. If you like it and want Moodboards for other fics I could make them.
