The Kids
This haphazard family started years ago with the unofficial adoption of Pina. And it's only grown from there. Vicky is sure she's the favorite. Pina is adamant she is not. Jana is convinced Alexia's visit to London cements her as the golden child. And baby Clara is just confused at what the hell dynamic she's found herself in.
Wordcount: 2.2k
Obviously don't mistake any of this for real life (duh).
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"Here," Jenni states, pushing a water bottle into Vicky's hands.
"Whaaa?" Vicky states, confused.
Pina's phone pans over from the celebratory dances of Cata and Leila to where Vicky stands being parented by yet another dinosaur, catching it all on her livestream.
"You have had a lot of champagne, you need to alternate with water, niña," Jenni states, grabbing the water bottle back to uncap the top before handing it back.
"I can open my own water," Vicky groans petulantly.
The older madrileña chuckles and gives a swipe at the youngster's chin. "I'm not so sure about that, petita."
"You're just as bad as Ale," the younger girl says with an eye roll. "Did she put you up to this?"
"Nah, chica," Jenni states with a grin. "But you aren't our first little bird, no? Jana and Pina and Bruna all came before you. We're in sync on this whole parenting thing."
"Ayyy," Pina chimes in from behind the camera. "I was first. Put my name first in that list," she directs at the dark-haired woman.
Jenni's grin turns to face the phone (and the young striker behind it). "There's my jealous daughter. Always wants to be the center of attention, this one," she jokes to Vicky.
"Well, we all know I'm La Reina's favorite," the young winger replies with a sly smirk.
Pina gasps dramatically. "Take that back right fucking now!"
The older striker's eyes catch Alexia entering the locker room after finishing up her interviews, Jana quickly falling in step with the midfielder.
"Finally," Jenni teases as Alexia spots the trio and wanders over, eyebrow already cocked in a silent question at why Pina looks murderous and Vicky looks like she's enjoying that fact way too much.
"Which of your children do you love more?" Vicky directs at Alexia.
Pina turns to the seasoned midfielder, a frown on her face.
Alexia sighs. "I have no children."
All the youngsters scoff.
Jenni chuckles. "Ale, you can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to the children. We all know, and even the fans at this point, that you mother the shit out of them."
"Yeah, Mama," Vicky teases. "So which of us is your favorite?"
"Not you," Pina grumbles. "I was their first child, so I'm special."
Jenni clucks her tongue sympathetically and crosses over to slide an arm over the MVP's shoulders. "You were our first. But with that title comes great responsibility. You're basically the oldest, Pins. And you're showing all your cards to the baby on how to get under your skin."
"She's not the baby anymore," Pina mutters. "That's Clara."
"Is Clara one of her kids, though?" Jana asks contemplatively. "Or is she really just an Alexia clone?"
"Shut it!" Alexia says, swatting her hand at the young defender. "Not you too!"
"It's uncanny really," Jana says with a laugh, dodging the catalana's swinging arm.
"It is," Jenni admits softly. "It's like looking at you at 18 with your baby face and watching eyes."
"She's definitely one of her kids," Vicky concludes. "She said in that interview she had eight kids—we're up to at least five of the slots filled between me, Clara, Pina, Jana, and Bruna."
"Six," Jana states.
"Six? Who is the sixth?"
"Codi," the defender replies simply.
"She's not Ale's kid. She's Jenni's," Pina interjects.
"Nah, they share all of us. Like Jenni wasn't here for Vicky, but look, she's also gotten roped into mothering her too. So same goes for Ale. That's probably why Ale always looks so stressed when the two of them were getting into prank shennanigans with Misa during the World Cup," Jana states. "She was thinking of all the parenting she was going to have to do to undo whatever Jenni allowed."
"Is Misa a kid too?" Vicky wonders aloud.
"Definitely not!" Alexia exclaims loudly, causing some faces elsewhere in the locker room to swing their way.
Jenni snorts. "She is an unhinged cousin at best." Alexia can't stop the chuckle that escapes. It is a very accurate statement.
"So, Mama," Vicky emphasizes. "Which of us do you love best?"
"None of you," the midfielder replies drily.
"Mama!" the three younger women exclaim in unison.
That definitely catches the attention of more of their teammates, Irene wandering over in curiosity.
Jenni's arm slips off Pina's shoulders, hand wrapping around Irene's waist as the defender pulls her into a hug, the madrileña long missed here on the National Team.
"What are you all up to?" the senior defender whispers.
Jenni smirks. "They're arguing who is Mom's favorite."
Irene takes in Alexia's unimpressed face as Vicky and Pina and Jana argue amongst themselves.
Eva Navarro joins the group, listening silently.
"I want to be adopted too," she jokes lightly.
"We don't have space in the family roster for another madrileña," Pina cooly replies.
"Hey!" Vicky instantly responds, offended.
"I'm not even from Madrid," Eva states.
Meanwhile Jenni reaches forward and flicks the short striker's ear.
"Owww!" Pina complains, steely gaze turning on the tattooed striker. "What the fuck was that for?"
"For being a brat," Jenni says with an eyebrow raise. "I'm a madrileña or have you forgotten?"
"You're catalana by marriage," Pina argues.
"I'm not married."
"You guys were basically married, close enough!"
Alexia rolls her eyes while Jenni smirks at her over all the younger women they've collected between them in the circle.
Pina continues, unaware of the staring contest existing above her head. "I spent more dinners with you two than my own parents back then. You kept my favorite fucking jam in the fridge and I had a spare toothbrush in your bathroom. I was the first kid of yours, so that definitely makes me the favorite!"
"And yet they continue to collect kids," Vicky goads. "So clearly you aren't the favorite, otherwise they would have stopped at just you!"
"Victoria!" Alexia admonishes.
At the same time, Jenni interjects with her own "Vicky!" and a head tilt meant to caution the youngster that she's going down a dangerous path.
"Reprimanded by the parents," Jana snickers, ever the instigator.
Jenni points a finger at her, grin betraying her attempt at seriousness. "You moved away to England and your cheekiness went up tenfold."
The young defender grins. "It's not all bad there."
"No? What's your favorite part?"
"Well the weather is shit. But the people are half-decent—"
"Especially a particular tall blonde striker," Jenni interjects with an eyebrow raise to Alexia, causing the catalana to chuckle herself.
Jana smirks. "Yes, Aggie is lovely," she admits. "The football is intense in a way different way," she continues on. "And the fashion is amazing."
"I heard," Jenni replies with a smile. "Ale was telling me all about her little adventure into the cold to meet your girl and have a shopping spree with you."
"It was a great weekend," Jana admits with a large smile. "Reunited again. So," she adds, turning to where Vicky and Pina have continued bickering, "clearly I am the favorite. Alexia came all the way to London to see me."
The other two women gasp dramatically.
"Definitely not!" Pina defends loudly.
"Mama would have never let me leave for a new country without following along," Vicky states confidently. "But you're all alone in London, and Mama is back in Barcelona still with me."
"And me!" Pina exclaims with a glare at the grinning Vicky.
Alexia groans and rubs a hand down her face. This joke has gone on long enough.
Jenni can see the midfielder's patience coming to a swift end.
"That doesn't mean anything, though" Pina argues. "Jenni hasn't visited Codi lately, and I guarantee she's her favorite kid."
Vicky clears her throat dramatically. "Jenni is Dad, and lives halfway around the world, so it makes sense that she can't see us all on her trips back home. But we know she loves us anyways."
The older madrileña walks over to stand next to Alexia as the younger madrileña continues talking. "Are they saying I'm a deadbeat dad only visiting on holidays?" the dark-haired woman whispers into the catalana's ear.
Alexia turns her deadpan stare on Jenni. "Don't encourage them. We are way too young to be considered parents to any of them."
Irene finds herself joining their private conversation on the back end of that statement.
"Considering I still sometimes need to parent you two, you're definitely not too young."
"Leave me alone," Alexia replies with a huff, arms folding across her chest as her two oldest National Team teammates chuckle together.
"There's my angsty teenager," Irene coos. "You help me enjoy Mateo's defiant toddler years by showing me how much worse it'll get coming down the line."
Alexia slaps Irene's arm. "Be nice to me."
"That's Jenni's job," the defender jokes, squeezing Alexia's cheeks before she gets called elsewhere.
The team just won the UEFA Women's Nations League after a hell of a year full of disappointing final matches and injuries galore.
Alexia sighs heavily, the weight of everything finally settling.
Jenni slips an arm over her shoulders, pulling the catalana easily into a hug.
"You did it, Ale," the madrileña murmurs. "Let the weight of the world rest on someone else for a bit, yeah?"
The midfielder nods into Jenni's chest, arms wrapped around her waist. It feels good to be held again. She's been carrying the load for the National Team and Barça for too long by herself.
This feels nice, wrapped away from it all. Jenni's scent skitters across her skin and lulls her into a comatose state.
"Are they back together?" Vicky asks Pina quietly, watching intently.
The young striker snorts. "No fucking clue, and I'm not dumb enough to ask."
The winger is nosy, though. And she needs to know, for blackmail and teasing purposes. "They won't bite the baby's head off," she mutters.
"Clara!" Jana calls cheerfully, motioning for the youngster to join them.
The young Putellas look-alike cautiously joins the older three. "Hi," she greets.
Vicky grins. "Welcome to the club!"
"I've been on the National Team before," the midfielder replies in confusion.
Vicky waves her words away with a dismissing hand. "No, the Putellas Hermoso club."
"What?" Clara mutters, eyes flicking to where Alexia is still folded into Jenni's chest in an exceptionally long hug. "Are they okay?"
"We," Vicky motions to the four of them, "among some others not here, are their," she motions to the two still locked in an embrace, "children, unofficially of course."
"Of course," Clara snorts.
"You are so Alexia," Jana replies with awe. "She really did clone herself."
"I'm not Alexia or her sister or a distant cousin."
"That's right, because you're her kid," Vicky replies.
Clara opens her mouth to disagree, but Vicky plows on.
"Now, I need you to go ask them something."
"Why me?"
"Because you're new—this is your initiation."
"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Clara asks with a sigh.
Pina pats her arm. "You may as well give in now."
"What am I asking?"
"You go up to them and say: 'Are Mom and Dad getting back together?' and then come back here and report their answer."
"What does that even mean?"
"You don't need to worry about the details," Jana replies, pushing her gently towards the two.
Clara blows out a huff of air, but complies. It's Alexia and Jenni, who she hasn't had much time with up to this point, but clearly Alexia is comfortable around her, so Clara shouldn't have an issue either.
Jenni's eyes track Clara as she walks towards them, her head tilting in question even as her eyes soften.
"Clara," the striker acknowledges softly. "You okay?"
The young midfielder catches how Alexia's head turns slightly so she too can see the newest member of the team.
Clara nods. "Um," she starts, "Are Mom and Dad getting back together?"
Jenni snorts.
Alexia groans.
Vicky fist pumps the air.
Jana laughs.
Pina rolls her eyes at the two younger kids.
And Clara, realizing now that Vicky has made her the butt of some joke, flushes pink.
"Why do I have to be Dad?" Jenni asks Alexia, ignoring the question altogether. "Why can't I be Mami?"
Alexia snorts this time. "Because you're the epitome of the fun parent who never helps me with the discipline or hard shit."
"Ale," Jenni murmurs as Clara walks away, "You know I…" The striker's voice fades away with every step back to the haphazard circle of Vicky, Jana, and Pina.
"So what did they say?" Vicky asks eagerly.
"Nothing," Clara says with a shrug.
"Nothing? No confirmation?"
Clara turns to look at the two again. Alexia is still in Jenni's arms, their gazes locked on each other in a silent conversation. She gestures vaguely in their direction. "I think that answers your question well enough, no?" she answers, watching as Alexia leans up slightly to softly drop a kiss to the corner of Jenni's lips, demure in the crowd of the team but visible enough to their kids to still be a statement.
Jana's hands fly over her phone keyboard, informing the rest of their ragtag family.
Mom and Dad are back together.
