#victoria pelova

[idontknowwfc]

Arsenal to the final! Together!

[enwoso]

left with you | alessia russo x aussie!reader

due to popular demand by the people, here is a part two of right swipe, right time.

masterlist | read first -> right swipe, right time

alessia had timed it perfectly. or at least, in her mind, she thought she had.

the plan was simple, slip out of the changing room while most of the girls were still showering or dissecting tactics with the coaches, hoodie on, bag slung over her shoulder, eyes low and innocent.

the blonde looked casual. invisible. not like someone desperate to avoid being caught sneaking out for a post-training date.

alessia pushed through the side door into the open air and smiled, until she saw you.

you were already there, leaning against your car like some smug daydream, sunglasses perched on your nose which weren't really necessary as it wasn't the sunniest of days in london, one foot crossed over the other as you stood with two coffees in hand. roo sat half-asleep across the back seat, his back lying in direct hit of the sun through the window as his tail thumped lazily.

alessia narrowed her eyes, a small smile on her lips. "subtle."

you grinned the same lovesick smile you got every time you saw her. "i thought i was being subtle."

"you're literally posing like you're waiting to shoot an ad for oat milk." alessia got closer, your eyes scanning her outfit. her toned legs on show with the adidas shorts she wore paired with a crisp white t-shirt.

"maybe i am." you shrugged as you held out a cup. "iced latte, extra shot, one pump of vanilla. i figured you'd need the energy."

alessia nodding, a small pang in her chest at you getting her order spot on as she took the coffee, smirking. "you think i'm sneaking out to go nap?"

you leaned in as alessia took a sip of the coffee, just close enough that if there was anyone around they wouldnt hear your words. "i was hoping you were sneaking out to make out with me in your car."

alessia slightly choked on her coffee as she raised an eyebrow. "you really just say things, huh?"

"hey, blame your pretty face, russo. not me." you shrugged, a tight smirk on your lips. "i'm just reacting.”

"mhm i've noticed," alessia said, but her voice had gone all soft as she glanced down at the coffee, then back up. "you know this is the best part of my day, right?"

you tilted your head, pleased. "even better than scoring a screamer against chelsea?"

"i said what i said."

the two of you were close now, toe to toe, and alessia let herself lean in, eyes flicking from your lips to your eyes and back again. "you gonna kiss me, or are you just gonna keep standing there looking like you belong in a bad netflix rom-com?"

you grinned a small laugh leaving your lips. "babe, i am the bad netflix rom-com."

and just as their lips met. soft, a little cocky, a little finally—a voice broke through the air.

"are you joking?! that's her?!" "it's tinder girl!"

alessia nearly dropped her coffee as she turned just in time to see kyra stop dead outside the training building, mouth wide, finger pointed directly at the two of you.

behind the young australian, a few others all wrapped in their own conversations to even notice kyra's outburst. steph, caitlin, katie, and vic, all fresh from training and clearly having caught the whole show much to their unknown.

caitlin was the first to see what kyra was making a fuss about, her jaw dropping in shock. "now way. it's the tinder aussie?!"

steph was squinting, already walking over. "so less she's brought you coffee and a dog. yeah, she's real."

katie looked like christmas had come early. "russo. you've been sneaking out for this?!"

alessia groaned as she leaned her head against your chest as you stood with a smug grin, enjoying seeing alessia squirm just that little bit. "can i not have one private moment?"

vic smirked. "not when your standing in a public car park, no."

kyra was now practically vibrating. "okay so, we need introductions. like now."

you straightened, clearly enjoying yourself, and held up a hand. "y/n. from sydney. flat white enthusiast. owner of roo. in love with your star striker."

steph gave you an approving nod, like a proud parent. "you've got guts. i like it."

"she's hot," kyra whispered too loudly to steph as everyone there heard.

"oi," alessia warned, stepping between them and you. "back off. she's mine."

you raised an eyebrow, visibly amused. "mine, huh?"

"like you don't already know"

caitlin stepped forward, all business. "alright. so, when's brunch? because now that we know you exist, you're officially one of us. aussie crew rules."

kyra nodded. "there's a group chat for us that's in london. you're getting added"

you gave alessia a smug little nudge. alessia crossed her arms. "you realise this is all going in the group chat, right?"

katie had already pulled out her phone. "oh it's already in the group chat."

vic peeked over her shoulder. "and steph's calling it 'russo's soft launch."

alessia groaned. you leaned in again, lips brushing her ear. "if this is the soft launch, imagine what the hard one looks like."

alessia flushed scarlet as she tried to bury her face in your shoulder once again as katie let out a howl of a laugh "oh my god, she's wheezing."

you reached for the door and opened it, gesturing grandly. "shall we?"

alessia climbed in, but not before looking at her teammates, all of them staring, laughing, taking pictures and notes like this was the most entertainment they'd had all week.

"y'know what," alessia said, "fine. gossip away. but my girl brought me coffee and a dog and looks like that."

you winked, arm leaning on the open door. "you forgot the part where i'm amazing in bed."

"oh my god," caitlin choked as a few sniggers could be heard from the group.

steph put her hands up. "your a good egg, y/n. the aussie's are definitely having brunch."

alessia shut the car door before anyone else could speak, face burning, heart racing and couldn't stop smiling.

[eyekonliving2]

COYG

[wosoverse11-23]

The Invisible Line || Victoria Pelova x Reader

Joining Arsenal was the dream you needed to solidify your career, but you hadn’t expected Victoria Pelova, your role model and compatriot, to greet you with a wall of coldness and high expectations. What seems like a professional rivalry over midfield control is actually a shield of insecurity that shatters after a dangerous injury during a training session in the rain. Between the mud of London Colney and the intimacy of a car scented with vanilla, the barriers come down, revealing that the admiration is mutual and that the real magic happens when you stop competing and start playing on the same side.

Based on this request -> here, I hope you like it!!

---

Arriving at Arsenal is like stepping into a perfect machine where every piece knows exactly where it fits. For me, at twenty-four years old, moving from the Eredivisie to London was the leap I needed so that, once and for all, the Dutch national team would stop ignoring my name. I’m a defensive midfielder; my job is the dirty work, the work in the shadows, winning the ball back and giving it to those who have the magic.

And in this team, magic has a name of its own: Victoria Pelova.

The problem is that, ever since I set foot in London Colney, Vic looks at me as if I were a crack in her wall of security. She is the link, the player who makes everything flow, and the arrival of another Dutch player, younger and hungry for minutes in midfield, seems to have triggered all her survival alarms.

"You’re late to the cover," Vic said to me during today’s training session, not looking me in the eyes as she took a sip of water. "If you don’t close the gap quickly, you leave the defense exposed."

"I was covering your back because you’d pushed too far up, Vic," I replied, keeping my tone neutral. Dutch flows naturally between us, but she prefers to speak to me in sharp English in front of the others.

"I don’t need you to cover my back. I need you to do your job," she concluded, turning away to join Viv and Lia.

I stayed there, my studs dug into the grass. I knew what was going on. In professional football, the fear of losing your spot is a constant shadow, and Vic, despite her incredible talent, felt my presence as a direct threat to her hierarchy. What she didn’t know was that I had spent years admiring her from afar, watching her matches at Ajax and wishing I had a bit of the vision she possesses.

"Don’t take it too personally," Lotte whispered to me as we changed in the locker room. "Vic is… protective of her space. She just needs time."

"It feels like she hates me, Lotte. And I don’t even know what I’ve done to her besides being born in Delft," I sighed, tossing my shin guards into my locker.

"She doesn’t hate you," Viv cut in from the other side, with her usual dry, straightforward tone. "In fact, she spends all day looking at your ball recovery stats when she thinks no one’s watching. She’s scared, Y/N. It’s not personal, it’s professional."

Right then, Vic walked into the locker room. An awkward silence fell. She shot me a quick look, a mix of irritation and something else I couldn’t quite identify, before sitting down a few meters away from me.

"There’s a video session tomorrow," Vic said, this time in Dutch, her voice low. "If you want, I can show you how we press here. It’s not like in Holland."

"I know how to press, Victoria. I’m not a rookie," I replied, more defensively than I intended.

She clenched her jaw, nodded once, and walked away without saying anything else. I felt awful. My attraction to her was colliding head-on with my pride.

A week later, the London sky decided to collapse on us during a night training session. The pitch was fast, dangerous. In a fifty-fifty challenge, I collided with one of the defenders and landed badly on my ankle. The pain was sharp, a crack of a whip that made me let out a strangled cry.

Training stopped. The first person to reach my side wasn’t the physio, nor Renée. It was Vic.

"Don’t move!" she shouted, dropping to her knees in the mud beside me. Her hands, always so precise on the ball, were shaking slightly as they held my leg. "Y/N, look at me. Breathe."

"I’m fine, it’s just a knock…" I tried to say, but the pain made me hiss.

"You’re not fine, you’re stubborn," she said, and for the first time, her voice held no trace of coldness. There was genuine anguish in her eyes. "You shouldn’t have gone in like that, it’s a training session, not the Champions League final."

They took me to the medical room and, to my surprise, Vic stayed outside waiting. When I came out with my ankle wrapped and leaning on crutches, she was still there, sitting on a wooden bench, staring at the floor.

"I’ll take you home," she said, standing up immediately.

"Vic, you don’t have to, I can call an Uber—"

"I said I’ll take you," she insisted, grabbing my backpack and giving me no chance to argue.

Vic’s car smelled clean, with a soft vanilla air freshener. The drive to my apartment was quiet, but this time the silence wasn’t a barrier, it was a truce. When she parked in front of my building, she didn’t turn off the engine right away.

"I’m sorry," she blurted out suddenly, keeping her eyes fixed on the fogged-up windshield. "I’ve been an idiot to you since you arrived."

"Just an idiot?" I joked, trying to ease the tension.

She let out a bitter laugh and turned toward me.

"I was scared, okay? You’re good, Y/N. Very good. You’re strong, you’re fast, and you read the game in a way that scared me. I thought the club had brought you in to push me onto the bench. And I… Arsenal is my life now. I didn’t want to lose my place."

"Vic, I never wanted to take anything from you," I said softly, reaching for her hand in the darkness of the car. "I just wanted to play with you. I’ve admired you for years. You’re the reason I wanted to be a complete midfielder."

Vic froze. She looked at me as if she were really seeing me for the first time. Her fingers brushed against mine on the handbrake.

"You admire me?" she asked in a small voice.

"A lot. Even if you’re grumpy during training."

She smiled, and this time the smile reached her eyes, lighting up her entire face. She leaned a little closer to me, erasing that space she had built to protect herself.

"The worst part," she whispered, her face inches from mine, "is that I haven’t been able to hate you for even a second. Even when I tried to be rude, all I could think about was how much I liked the way you led the team from the back. And how much I liked the way the red kit looks on you."

My heart skipped. The attraction I’d tried to bury under professionalism exploded in that moment.

"So what now?" I asked, barely more than a whisper.

"Now," she said, closing the final distance, "we stop being competition and start being a team."

Vic kissed me. It was a slow kiss, tasting of rain and honesty. Her lips were soft and sure, wrapping me in a warmth that instantly erased all the arguments of the previous weeks. In that kiss, she promised I wouldn’t be alone in London anymore, and I promised her that my place on the pitch would always be right behind her, watching her back, just as I’d always wanted.

"Welcome to the team, Y/N," she murmured against my lips when we pulled apart. "But tomorrow, in the video session, I still owe you an explanation about the pressing."

"You’re impossible, Pelova," I laughed, knowing that I had finally found my true place at Arsenal.

[suushiiii]

Somewhere in the crowd

Victoria Pelova x Reader

Summary: You just moved to a new city for school, and you definitely don't need distractions, but then you meet a woman that peeks your interest.

Word count: 12.2k

A/N: I'm wishing Vicky and rest of the family all my thoughts after the passing of her mom🙏❤️

(The text between brackets and in red is the translation from Dutch to English.)

The cold morning air of St. Albans hit your face the minute you stepped out of your halls of residence. It was still early, so you had enough time to start your day with a good cup of coffee and work on your homework. It was so cold outside, even though it's spring. Luckily, you have enough experience with cold weather. You moved from the Netherlands 3 months ago to study Arts in music here in England.

It isn't that a school in the Netherlands didn't offer the same study, because it did. It was more like you wanted to see a new culture and figure out which genre you want to invest in. And if you had to be honest with yourself, you always had loved England. When you were around 17, you told your parents that once you were old enough and had enough money, you would move to England.

So, here you were, in England, on a cold morning. The quad this early in the mornings was usually empty, but you had left quite late, so there were already a few students walking around. Your first class starts in an hour, so you still have time to work on some stuff. 2 months ago, your teacher announced a whole new concept, something your university hadn't done before. He announced that everyone in class needed to write their own song and would perform it at a small bar. 

You were so excited back then when you heard the news, but as the night drew closer, you started to feel nervous. The only times you had performed were in front of family, and there were only like ten people; now, you didn't know how many people would be there. You told yourself you didn't have stage fright, but you started really to doubt that. It was fine, you're going to be fine, what's the worst that could happen?

Nope, you didn't let your mind go there; you didn't want to jinx it. You walked off campus through the university gates. There was a small cafe located just a few buildings away. It was a coffee shop you walked into the first day you arrived here, after you had moved all your stuff. "Good morning, y/n," The barista greeted you. The barista, Belle, was your first real friend here. She already finished school and opened her own coffee shop.

"Hi," You greeted her back, shrugging your jacket from your shoulders. You looked around. The shop was still empty; it usually was when you were there. No normal person would be at a coffee shop this early. "The usual, please," You said with a smile, walking up to the counter. "Yes, m'am." Belle saluted you and got to work. "So, excited for the open night thingy?" You shrugged lightly with your shoulders. 

"Excited? Yes," You said, leaning against the counter, "nervous as hell? Heck yeah." Belle chuckled softly, pouring you coffee in a mug. "And here I thought that you loved to perform," Belle said, handing you the coffee. "I do, but I never–" You cut yourself off with a sigh, shaking your head lightly. "You had never what?" Belle asked, her eyes intrigued when they met yours. "I just have never performed for a big crowd," You admitted, rubbing the back of your neck.

"Oh," was all Belle said. "Yeah, oh," You groaned. "But, you do love to perform, right?" You nodded with your head. You loved writing about what had happened in your life; heck, you even wrote a song when you found out you'd been accepted into St. Albans University. "I'm just afraid that I'll mess things up, and I'll be the laughing stock of the school, especially when my professor had said that he had high expectations from me," you groaned, dropping your head on the counter, and Belle patting the back of your head.

"How is your song coming along?" You lifted your head, standing up. "I have a song," You muttered, looking quickly at your bag where your notebook was. Belle raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the counter. 

"I have a song, but nobody has heard it yet," You said, fidgeting with your ring. It was a nervous habit of yours, but it helped you calm down. You looked back at Belle when she stayed quiet. You gave Belle a suspicious look because she was deep in thought, which is very dangerous. After all, it's Belle. "I need you to hear me out, because I have an idea," Belle said cautiously as you eyed her some more. "I don't like that sentence coming from your mouth, not one bit," You muttered, but stayed quiet, giving Belle the green light to continue.

"We have this open mic evening, people can perform just for fun, so maybe you can perform." You opened your mouth to say no, but this wasn't a bad idea. Your shoulders dropped as you let out a defeated sigh. "When is it?" Belle smiled victoriously, as if she had just won the lottery. "In two nights, at 8 PM," Belle informed you, handing you a pamphlet of the event.

"It's a yearly thing. It attracts a lot of people." You looked at the pamphlet, everything in your body screamed that you should say no, but instead, "I'm in," You said, still not really sure, but couldn't help the slight smile. Belle came from behind the counter, pulling you into a hug. "Oh my god!" Belle shrieked in your ear, hugging you tighter.

After you finished your coffee, you walked back to school. The nerves in your system are going through the roof right now. What had you agreed to? Who in their right mind would agree to what you just agreed to? There was this nagging feeling in you that this was going to blow up right in your face, and you would end up still being the laughing stock of the school for the next century. You walked through the hallways, more students filling the paths to classes.

"y/n!" Spinning around, your eyes met green eyes. Lily was one of your first friends you made here. The weird thing was, she studied something entirely different. The university was big, so it had different sections of the school where different subjects were taught. Lily has blonde hair that just reached her shoulders. She always has headphones around her neck, and her computer is either in her hands or in her school bag.

Lily studies data science. You didn't know much about it, only that you needed a computer and worked with numbers. "Whoa, Lily, what's the hurry?" You asked with a smile, balancing Lily by her arms when she stopped right in front of you, almost colliding with you. Lily pushed her glasses up. You had told Lily many times that her glasses were too big for her, but she never listened and never got new ones. 

"Remember the Python test that I had last week?" You stared at her, the what? "I'm sorry, but the what?" Lily looked at you incredulously, like you just offended her entire bloodline. "Python," Lily stated again, like that alone would clear the confusion, "analyzing large datasets and building artificial intelligence, and much more," Lily explained. You just nodded, even though you had no idea what all of that meant.

"So, I'm guessing you got the result back?" You asked, tilting your head slightly. "Yes! I got 89% on my test!" Lily shrieked, happiness radiating off her. Your face softened. Lily had been rambling nonstop to you ever since she made the test. It drove you insane sometimes, but the girl loved what she was doing, so who were you to take away that joy? "Wow! That's so good to hear, I knew you could do it!" You beamed in excitement.

"You're one of the best in your class!" Lily glared at you. "What?" You asked, your eyes turning to confusion. "I'm not one of the best''. I am the best!" Lily said proudly. You just shook your head, laughing softly. "Of course, how could I forget?" You teased, earning a small slap to the shoulder. Lily glared at you for another second before she was smiling again. "It just sucks that this score doesn't count for the exams for the end of the year," Lily muttered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

You gave her a sympathetic look, silently telling her that she would pass this year. "Enough about me, how is your assignment for the song contest thingy coming along?" You shook your head, smiling. "It's not a contest," You clarified as the two of you started walking to your locker. "It's not?" Lily frowned, confusion clearly visible. "No, it isn't. It's more like a test," You said, gesturing to Lily, because of the test she just talked about. "A test?" Lily echoed.

"Yes, just like your test on paper gets a grade, my song will get a grade." Lily finally started to catch on as she nodded her head in understanding. "Oh, I see." The two of you reached your locker and unlocked it with the key. Lily leaned against the locker next to yours while you put your books into the locker. "I have a song," You said, answering Lily's previous question. "Why do I feel like there's going to be a but?" Lily muttered, giving you a flat look.

"Because there is," You groaned, dragging both hands down your face. You stared into your locker as if it personally offended you. In all fairness, your locker had offended you in your first week. "It's just, nobody has heard it yet, and-" You tried to say, but Lily's voice cut you off. "Isn't that the whole point of a new song? That nobody has heard it yet?" 

You gave Lily a flat look. You love Lily, you really do, but she never really listens, like really listens. "Yes, that's the whole point of a new song." You gave Lily that. "But, I just never performed for a big crowd," you explained, closing your locker and locking it. You waited for Lily to tease you. She always did, but now? Nothing. No teasing comment, no laughter, no nothing. You turned your head, your eyes locking with Lily's.

"I know I always tease you, but from the stuff you forced me to listen to, I'm sure you'll pass the assignment," Lily said honestly, giving you a reassuring look. "Thanks, and for the record," You said with a soft smile, "I never forced you to listen to the stuff I wrote." Lily laughed at that, and so did you. "If you want, you can perform the song for me first, and I can give it a fake rating." Your lips twitched. That was really sweet, and you will probably take Lily up on that offer.

"How does tonight sound?" You asked. Lilly looked a bit startled; she didn't think you would actually agree on it. "Oh my god, I'm getting to hear your song first," Lily beamed, hugging you tightly. You already felt the nerves going through you, but you just needed to rip the band-aid clean off, no hesitation, not anymore. You were going to this, even if it scared you to death.

Later that day, after all your classes were done, you were in your room. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, your guitar in your lap, as you were just plucking out melodies out of thin air. Your notebook lay open in front of you on the bed. The pages were filled with crossed-out lyrics, scribbled notes in the margins, and fresh lines written beneath the ruined ones. You hummed softly as you read the lyrics. This was the song you were going to perform at the open-mic night at Belle's cafe, and you could turn this in as the song for your assignment, but you weren't sure of that yet. You cleared your throat and strummed the guitar.

"It's something unpredictable, but in the end, it's right."

"I hope you had the time of your life."

Letting out a heavy sigh, you tapped your guitar nervously with your nails, a beat instantly forming. It's a good song, at least, that's what you thought of it, but what if your professor didn't? What if he thinks it sucks? What if you don't pass this assignment? The grade for this assignment counts as half if you want to pass this year. A knock on your door dragged you out of your spiraling. You placed your guitar on the bed and walked to the door.

"Hi," Lily said, an excited smile on her face. You stepped aside so Lily could enter. Your room was nothing special. It was just a single bed in the corner, a desk on the opposite wall, your closet next to your desk, and your guitar stand stood at the foot of the bed. You sat down on the bed with a heavy sigh, rubbing your hands against your thighs. Shaking your head, you took your guitar and gestured for Lily to take a seat.

"So, what's the song about?" Lily asked, taking a seat on your desk chair, spinning in it. "Just about when I would leave the Netherlands and move to England," You answered, as you finetuned the guitar. "Ready?" You asked, glancing at Lilly. "Yes," Lilly said, nodding her head and straightening herself. You started, but your hands were shaking so violently that you needed to stop, muttering under your breath, "fuck," before forcing yourself to start over.

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road."

Your voice was shaking, but you forced yourself to keep going. You needed to do this. You wanted to do this. This was your dream, ever since you were little; now you just needed to take the final step. 

"Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go."

"So make the best of this test, and don't ask why."

You were finally settling into it now, the nerves shrinking into small waves instead of the violent currents from earlier. You had forced your eyes shut, afraid to look at Lily's face. Afraid that you would crumble when you did, so you did what you have seen multiple artists do: close your eyes and do what you do best.

Lily was in complete shock. She had heard you whisper-sing in her presence, but never fully like now. Your voice was so clear, pouring every emotion you had into words. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. 

When you sang the last part of the song, Lily's tears were fully falling now as she wiped them away. The song was beautiful, and your voice fitted it so perfectly. Your fingers shook as you played the final notes, so you went off-key slightly, but Lily didn't notice; she couldn't, she was so in awe of what you were doing. 

"It's something unpredictable."

"But in the end, it's right."

"I hope you had the time of your life."

"Oh my god," Lily breathed out, "That was beautiful, y/n." Pride swelled in your chest. Lily's reaction was exactly what you wanted from your songs. Let people feel the song as if they were experiencing it themselves so that they can put their feelings into words. You wanted people to hear your songs and finally feel understood, even if you were the one putting those feelings into words for them.

"Are you okay, Lily?" You asked softly, because Lily was clearly not okay. "I'm fine, I'm totally fine," Lily said quickly, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks. You just chuckled lightly, deciding not to go into it further.

The night of the open-mic event came sooner than you thought, because here you were, setting things up together with Belle and Lily. You stood behind the counter, your back resting against it, your eyes staring at nothing in particular. "Lily, please, just move the table!" Belle yelled from across the shop, her brown hair falling into her face. Belle had informed you that this was always the biggest night for her shop. Belle glared at Lily, who was doing something on the shop's laptop.

You assumed that Lily was updating the laptop. She had grilled you once when your laptop was two updates behind, so from that moment on, you did the updates immediately so that you wouldn't be met with a storm called Lily. "Belle, your laptop was six updates behind, and your laptop is very old," Lily informed the bar owner, who was giving dagger eyes at the tiny blonde, who finally set the laptop down.

"Noted, now can you help me move these tables?" Belle asked, gesturing at three tables in the middle of the room. "Ay yay, captain!" Lily beamed, quickly moving to where Belle was waiting. You were still standing at the counter, your fingers tapping nervously on the surface. Shaking your head, you took your notebook and went over the lyrics again. By now, you probably know the lyrics like the back of your hand, because it was your own damn song that you wrote. 

You sucked your lip between your teeth, tearing some of the skin in the process. It was a very bad nervous habit of yours, something you needed to quit doing, otherwise you would ruin your lips. You wrote down in your notebook to buy a nervous ring or something, because tearing your lip until it bleeds isn't a good nervous habit. You placed your notebook back on the counter and finally turned your head to the chaos that was happening to your right.

If it were a cartoon, Belle would have steam coming from her ears because Lily was not listening to Belle at all. Poor Belle, she doesn't know that Lily only listens when it comes to numbers. A sigh left your lips as you pushed yourself off the counter and walked toward the duo. "How's it going here?" You asked in a teasing tone, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips. "She's not listening to my instructions, like at all," Belle muttered under her breath, loud enough for you to hear, but low enough that Lily didn't notice.

"Okay," you said, clasping your hands together, "what can I do? Before you start strangling Lily in your mind." Belle let out a sigh and muttered, " Too late for that." Your shoulders shook when you tried to hold your laughter, pressing your lips together. "Don't," Belle warned you, giving you a flat look. Immediately, you raised your hands in surrender. 

"Can you–just set up the mics, please?" You saluted Belle dramatically and headed to the stage, but heard Belle mutter under her breath, "Why am I friends with two idiots?" There was no real bite behind it. Belle was just stressed, granted, this event was always the busiest evening of the shop. As you stepped on stage, you plugged everything in with wires, tested the mics and boxes, and, at last, turned on the radio to see if everything was connected correctly.

You just put on a random playlist and made sure the wires weren't all across the stage. Knowing yourself, you would trip over them, so to prevent disaster, you made sure the stage was clear of any wires. When the last things were in place, the three of you stood at the counter, looking at how everything was set up. "So," Belle started, setting her mug down, "are you excited for tonight?" Belle couldn't stop smiling. She was so happy that you finally decided to let everyone hear how amazing you are.

"Yes, but also fucking terrified," You admitted, staring down at your mug. "That's understandable," Lily said lightly, smiling at you. "As you said, this is your test. People are always nervous before a test, at least, I was pretty nervous for my Python test." Belle stared at Lily but then back at you, mouthing, "Python?" You just shook your head, mouthing back, "Long story."

"Yeah, Lily's right," Belle quickly said before Lily could get suspicious of the silence after she spoke. "But, honestly?" You looked at Belle, waiting for what she was going to say as you fidgeted with your fingers. "You should just be yourself. I've heard you sing before, and you absolutely rock!" Belle beamed, nudging you with her shoulder. "You could always close your eyes, you know? And when you feel comfortable enough, you open them," Lily stated.

Both you and Belle looked at Lily. That was actually really good advice. "I'll keep that in mind," You muttered as your eyes wandered to the stage that was set. "Or if you're nervous, look at Belle." You gave Lily a look. "Belle is the calm friend between her and me. If you would look at me, you would probably crumble from the nerves," Lily said before taking a sip from her drink. "Fair point," You said with a smile, bringing your mug to your lips. As the clock ticked closer to 8 PM, you felt the nerves low in your stomach, but not from fear; it was from excitement to perform in front of a big crowd for the first time.

The coffee shop was already crowded when Victoria and a few other teammates entered. "This looks cozy," Kyra beamed, her eyes going over the room. "It's not bad," Leah hummed in agreement. "Is there some open-mic night?" Alessia asked, gesturing to the stage that stood against the opposite wall. Everyone followed Alessia's hand, and in fact, there was a stage. "In fact, there is," Steph said, holding out a paper to the rest. Vic took the paper and read what was on it.

"This is a yearly event, and the people performing are from St. Albans University," Vic explained, placing the paper on the nearest table. "So, we want to spend the evening here?" Leah asked the others, who all nodded. The group walked to a table with a clear view of the stage, people muttering as they passed. The group had just come back from a match. It was the North London Derby. Arsenal had won 5-2, so they wanted to celebrate.

"Beers?" Vic asked, and the others nodded. Vic walked through the crowd, people chattering about school stuff. Vic had gathered that most people were students, not all of them. There was no line at the counter, so Vic could order right away. "Good evening," A brunette greeted Victoria with a bright smile. The woman wiped her hands dry on a towel.

"What can I get you?" Victoria ordered seven beers and told the barista where they were sitting. Vic didn't immediately turn around; she just turned her head to the stage, where a group of boys was setting up their instruments. "What's this open-mic night all about?" The barista returned with the first two beers and placed them on the tab. "Sorry?" She asked. "This," Vic said again, gesturing to the stage. "Oh, yeah, some students from the university had an assignment, and they asked if they could perform here." Vic nodded in understanding.

"Oh wow." Vic turned her attention back to the woman, but she was looking over Vic's shoulder. "Arsenal women are here?" A small smile tugged at Vic's lips, nodding with her head. "Yep," Vic said, popping out the 'p'. "And you are?" Belle smiled lightly. "I'm  Belle, the owner of the shop." Vic nodded in understanding, looking back at the room. "Nice place you got here." Belle gave Vic a thankful smile. "Where are you from?" Vic laughed softly, shaking her head.

"It's the accent, isn't it?" Belle nodded with a smile and said, "Yeah, you don't really have a British accent." Vic groaned slightly. She really thought she had improved with her English. "I'm from the Netherlands." Belle's eyebrows shot up, earning a confused look from Vic. "What?" Belle just shook her head, saying, "Nothing." Vic eyed her for a second longer, but decided not to go further into it.  

"Well, thanks for the drinks," Vic said, taking the pints from the counter. As she walked back to their table, the mic was tested on stage, someone tapping it with their hand. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" Belle said through the mic, her eyes going over the biggest crowd so far for this event. Vic reached their table and set the pints down. "Yesss, beer!" Katie cheered as she, of course, took the first glass.

"Katie, we didn't win the Champions League, please, don't drink as much as you did back then," Leah said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "No way, we just won the North London Derby, I'm digging in," Katie replied with a grin, taking a big sip from her beer. Kyra laughed loudly; Alessia and Steph shook their heads; Caitlin gave Katie a loving look; Vic tried to hold her laughter, but her shoulders shook; while Leah dropped her head on the table, giving up on all that's holy.

"Okay, please give her a round of applause. Here is Cecily," Belle announced, clapping in her hands as she put the mic on the mic-holder. Vic and the others clapped in their hands, all their eyes on the stage as a black-haired girl stepped on the podium, her smile as bright as the sun. 

After an hour, most of the performances were done. They all had been good, even though Katie had covered her ears when a guy performed with a violin. Vic wasn't a specialist, but even she could tell that the violin wasn't tuned, if that even was a thing for violins. "How much more do we have to endure?" Katie mumbled into her hands. "C'mon, Katie, they weren't all that bad," Alessia said. Katie glared at the English striker because that was a total lie.

"You can't tell me that those last two performances were music to your ears," Katie grumbled, giving Alessia a flat look. "Technically speaking, it was music to my ears, but not really good music," Alessia said, muttering the last part under her breath. "Guys, please tell me you aren't criticizing students," Leah said, shaking her head lightly. "They're students, they're still learning," Steph now said, agreeing with Leah on this.

"Fine, fine, but if the next one is just as bad as the other two just now, we're leaving," Kyra grumbled from where she was sitting. Both Leah and Steph shook their heads as they looked back at the stage where you were setting everything up.

You were the last one to perform. When you heard Belle tell you that you wanted to strangle her, she knew that when the last person would perform, the cafe was filled more than when the first people would perform. You were setting up your guitar for the hundredth time, fine-tuning it until your fingertips hurt. You dared to look at the crowd. Most people slumped in their seats.

You had noticed by the third act that most people weren't paying attention anymore. You shook your head. There was no point in dwelling on that. It was your turn in a few minutes, and you were already dreading the thought that people would only half listen to you. As you were adjusting the strap of your guitar, Belle walked back onto the stage, giving you a reassuring look before taking the mic from the stand. "Alrighty! The last performance is already here! Make some noise, everybody!" Belle yelled into the mic. Yeah, you definitely wanted to strangle her now.

You also noted to yourself that if you ever needed a wingwoman to hype the crowd before a performance, you knew who to call. Some people in the crowd cheered, while others stayed quiet. You let out a heavy sigh and hung your guitar around your neck, checking again if you tuned it right. "Give a round of Applause for, y/n!" Belle announced. You walked up to the mic, giving Belle a small glare, but she just blew a kiss and walked off the stage. 

You stood in the middle of the stage, breathing hard into the mic, accidentally making it squeak. "Sorry," you immediately said, stepping slightly back from the mic as you saw people wince from the sound. "Hello, everyone." You started. Your usually decent English accent had apparently abandoned you completely. Great.

"I wrote this song when I left home to start a new challenge in a different country." You swallowed the lump in your throat, looking down at your guitar. "I hope you enjoy it." You strummed the guitar once, but winced when you had your fingers completely on the wrong chords. "Fuck," You muttered, forgetting there was a mic in front of you, so a few people in the crowd snickered. Well, you had their attention now.  You started again, having found the right chords.  

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road."

"Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go."

"So make the best of this test, and don't ask why."

Your voice was shaky, so you did what Lily told you earlier. You closed your eyes, strumming your guitar. You took a breath before continuing. 

"It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.""It's something unpredictable, but in the end, it's right."

"I hope you had the time of your life."

Your nerves had settled as seconds passed. Your fingers weren't shaking that much anymore; you were almost at ease. Doing the things that you loved the most and for the first time, in front of a crowd that wasn't your own family. Across the room, Vic was totally mesmerized by you. It wasn't because of your voice, well, partly, but mostly because of how you recovered so quickly from your mistake in the beginning.

She saw that you didn't crumble. She saw someone take a deep breath, close their eyes, and start again. "You're staring," Vic whipped her head toward the voice. Alessia's eyes had something mischievous in them, a knowing smirk on her lips. "I am not," Vic shot back, her cheeks reddening just slightly. 

Your voice dragged Vic's eyes back to the stage. All the people who had been slumping into their seats were now giving you their full attention, even Katie sat up straight, her eyes soft. Vic related to the lyrics. It was hard for her when she left the Netherlands for England, moving to a completely new country where she barely knew anyone.

"Sure you're not," Alessia replied, deciding not to go into it further as she shifted her attention back to you. You sang the last lyrics, strumming your guitar one final time, before stopping. The cafe erupted into cheering. You saw people at the far end of the cafe whistling through their fingers. A swell of pride bloomed in your chest. You did it, you performed your song, and people liked it. It was overwhelming, but in a good way.

You couldn't have dreamed that people were cheering, and for you no less. As the crowd settled down, you walked off the stage, only to be wrapped in the arms of Lily and Belle, who both were shrieking, Lily mostly just shrieked because Belle was.

"You were amazing," Belle shrieked, hugging you tighter. You knew that Belle was excited for you, but if she ever wanted to hear you perform again, then she really needed to loosen her hold because she was practically cutting off all your circulation points. "Belle," you wheezed out, "I'm getting no air here." Belle immediately loosened her hold, giving you an apologetic look.

"Sorry," She muttered, letting you go immediately. "You were absolutely amazing, like, so good." Your cheeks turned pink at the praise. "Okay, you're getting a beer, it's on the house," Belle announced, dragging both you and Lily to the tab.  "No, no, it's fine," You said. "Let me just help with the orders at the bar." Both Belle and Lily gave you an incredulous look. Belle, because you deserved a drink, and Lily, because who would want to work voluntarily? You just stared at them, not giving in. "Look, I just did something terrifying, I don't need alcohol to calm my nerves, alright? I left those on stage," You told your two friends, rolling up your sleeves up to your elbows.

Belle let out a sigh, finally giving in. "Fine," she muttered, still not agreeing with you. "Lily, could you get the orders of the couple in the back?" Lily scrunched her nose. Belle just gave her a flat look, and Lily eventually moved her feet, muttering something about "couples suck," before she walked through the crowd. 

You stood behind the counter, your eyes scanning the room. You still couldn't believe that you performed in front of them all. Your mind was still catching up with that fact. The pride you felt earlier is still going through your body. Belle approached you with a tray of snacks and held it out. "Could you give these to the group of girls there?" Belle asked as you took the tray, your eyes following Belle's gaze. You saw a group of women wearing tracksuits with a logo you recognized, but you couldn't quite place where you'd seen it before.

"Sure," You said and moved your feet. When you were within hearing range, you heard one of the women say. "Vic, you were totally staring at her," followed by laughter from the table. Your cheeks turned pink. You could tell that they were talking about you. Shaking your head, you cleared your throat, and the group immediately turned to you. You saw that a few were pressing their lips together, trying very hard not to laugh.

Your attention shifted to a shorter woman with dark-blonde hair, her eyes already locked on you. "Eumh, you guys ordered snacks?" You managed to say, still feeling the eyes of the woman on your left on you. "Yes, I'm starving," the woman sitting in one of the corners said, her Irish accent slipping through.

"Congratulations, you were very good out there." You turned your head to where the voice was coming from. You could tell that the woman wasn't from England, but from Australia. "Thanks," you said with a shy smile, glancing at the badge on one of the tracksuits. Then it dawned on you, the cannon, the red and white tracksuits. You were talking to Arsenal women.

You followed the league for a bit when you moved to England, because ever since you came here, the city had been promoting the Women's Champions League. "You had such an amazing voice!" You jumped at the volume when someone said that, turning to the woman with freckles, her hair in a low bun. "Kyra, you don't need to yell," another Australian accent said. "What, she has an amazing voice," The woman, Kyra, you assumed said.

"Thanks," You said again. You looked again at the woman who hadn't taken her eyes off you. You gave her an awkward smile, but she quickly tore her eyes off you. "Sorry about her." Your eyes now landed on a blonde woman. You knew her: Leah Williamson, captain of the Lionesses and vice-captain of Arsenal. "It's okay," you assured the blonde defender. 

"Here are your snacks," you quickly added, setting the tray down on the table, "enjoy." You turned on your heel and walked back to where Belle was standing, raising an eyebrow at you.  "What was that about?" Belle asked when you were close enough, warily looking at you. "Nothing," You said quickly, too quickly. "That's Victoria Pelova," Belle told you casually, no context. You drummed with your fingers on the edge of the counter, giving Belle a confused look.

"Who?" Belle just pointed subtly to the woman who had been looking at you the whole time when you were at the Arsenal table. "How do you know her?" You asked, your voice lower than usual. Okay, that was new. Why did you sound like that? Belle turned to you, her back leaning against the counter, raising an eyebrow at you. "Oh, wow," Belle said, letting out a low whistle. You frowned at her, not liking that whistle at all.

"What?" Belle just shook her head, a small teasing smirk playing on her lips. "Nothing, absolutely nothing," Belle said, pressing her lips together. You narrowed your eyes at her, and Belle just couldn't hold her laughter anymore, holding her stomach, as she doubled over. "Oh, girl," Was all Belle said, wiping the tears from the laughter away from under her eyes. You just shook your head because Belle wasn't giving you any reason why she was acting like this.

As the evening continued, music blasted from the stereos, people danced on the dance floor, and some played drinking games. Lily had wandered off to a quiet corner, typing aggressively on her laptop. "Oh, for the love of god," Belle groaned, pushing herself off the counter, ready to drag Lily back to help around, but you quickly took Belle's wrist, pulling her back.

"Don't," You simply said, releasing Belle's wrist. "She promised to help," Belle reminded you. "No, correction, she begged to help us tonight," Belle corrected, folding her arms across her chest, and let out a puff. You just shook your head, smiling lightly. "Belle, you do know that Lily only suggested that to see people perform and not literally approach people, asking them what they wanted to order?" Belle stayed silent, and that was an answer enough for you.

"Look, just let Lily be. She isn't as extroverted as you," You said softly, glancing at Lily for a second, and saw her still typing on her laptop. "I swear, if she types any harder, keys are going to fly off that thing," you hummed in amusement. Belle turned around to look at Lily. "Okay…that looks intense," Belle agreed, spinning around to face you again. Belle's eyebrows rose, earning a confused look from you. "What?" Belle didn't say anything; she just bolted away from the counter, heading to a table that was far away from the counter. 

You just shook your head, turning around, but froze when one of the players from Arsenal stood in front of you, the same woman who had stared at you when you brought the snacks over. "Eumhh…hello?" You greeted the woman. You hadn't caught her name when you were over there, but not greeting her at all would be rude.

"Hi." You raised an eyebrow. The woman's voice was hoarse, but she quickly cleared her throat and tried again. "Hi." You observed the woman. She was nervous; you could tell that much about how her shoulders were tense, her fingers tapping nervously on the counter. "Can I help you?" Startled, the woman met your eyes. "No–yes, I mean, of course, why else would I be standing at the counter?" The woman said, rambling all her words together.

You watched her in amusement. You looked over the woman's shoulder, seeing her teammates snickering from where they were sitting, but when they saw you watching them, the menu became the most interesting thing in the world. "You were really good up there." The woman's voice drew your attention back to her, leaving you with a puzzled look. "Your performance," the woman clarified, nodding toward the stage. Right. "Thanks," You said with a smile. 

"I kind of related to the song." The statement threw you off. You didn't expect her to say that, or anyone for that matter, but now you were intrigued by why she related to the song. Your shoulders sagged as you leaned against the counter. You didn't know what to do. Ask the woman why she related to the song? Let her continue? "It's scary to move abroad." The woman's voice brought you back to the present. "Yeah," you breathed out, looking down for a second, "it really is," you confessed.

For you, moving abroad was the scariest thing in the world. Going to a country where you knew no one. Making new friends, fitting in with the right people, and keeping up with homework and assignments. "You aren't from here?" The woman looked up. "From England, I mean. You weren't born here?" The woman let out a soft laugh, the sound filling your ears. It was the most beautiful sound you'd ever heard. "No, I'm not from here," The woman clarified. "I moved here from the Netherlands." Your eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Je komt uit Nederland?" ("You're from the Netherlands?") You asked, your Dutch slipping from your mouth by accident. The woman was caught off guard when she heard her native language from you. "You speak–jij spreekt Nederlands?" ("You speak Dutch?") The woman asked, quickly changing from English to Dutch. 

"Ja, ik kom ook uit Nederland." ("Yes, I'm from the Netherlands too.") You said, giving the woman a reassuring smile. "Ik ben–god, do we speak Dutch to each other or English?" ("I'm–") The woman asked. You just gave her a light shrug and said, "Whatever you're comfortable with." The woman nodded before speaking again, "I'm Vic, I mean, Victoria. Pelova, Victoria Pelova, that's who I am," Vic said, her cheeks turning pink when she realized that she apparently couldn't introduce herself to someone new anymore.

Was the conversation awkward? Yes. Yes, it was. Did you find it adorable that Victoria was stuttering over her words? Yes. Yes, you did. "Nice to meet you, Vic, Victoria Pelova. I'm y/n y/l/n." You introduced yourself to the flustered woman. Your eyes landed on Belle briefly, but you quickly looked away when she started to kiss the air, pushing her lips out. You give her the middle finger just out of view from Victoria.

Honest to god, you were really going to strangle Belle one day. Shaking your head, you turned your attention back to Victoria, whose cheeks were still pink. You almost said that she was cute when she blushed, but quickly swallowed the words, because that would be weird to tell someone you had just met.

You quickly recovered from the thought, shaking your head. "So, why did you choose Arsenal?" Victoria met your eyes. "What do you mean?" You laughed softly. "The club. Why Arsenal?" You clarified, tapping the badge on Victoria's tracksuit before you could stop yourself. When you realized what you'd done, you quickly pulled your hand back as if the tracksuit had burned you. "I don't know," Victoria said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I always followed Arsenal men, but started to follow the women when I found out that they existed, and mostly, I followed Arsenal because one of the best strikers played there. The same striker that I play with my national team," Victoria clarified. You nodded in understanding. "You follow football?" The question caught you off guard. "I usually only watch when the men's or women's national team plays during tournaments, but I'm not that invested that I would be sitting in front of the TV trying to watch games, but I've been following the WSL for a while now too," You said honestly.

"That's fair, but can I give you a recommendation for something to do?" You gestured lightly with your hand, telling Vic to continue. "Next week, we play Chelsea at home." You frowned at that, because you had heard on the news that Arsenal had won their second match against Chelsea in the league. "Don't you like–play the same opponent twice?" Victoria nodded with her head. 

"Yes, but this is the second leg of the quarter-final of the Champions League. We won the first leg 0-1 at Stamford Bridge," Vic clarified your earlier question. "Oh, wow, that's good," You said, giving her a shy smile. "We play next Wednesday, the second leg at a full sold-out Emirates." You let out an impressive whistle. You knew that women's football was improving, but so much that they sold out stadiums midweek was impressive on another level; not even men's teams managed to do that.

You felt something flutter in your stomach. What was she asking? "If you want, I can send you some tickets, maybe even for your friends as well." The offer shocked you to the core. It was sweet of Victoria to offer this to you, but there was absolutely no need. "As nice as that offer is, you don't have–" Victoria's voice cut you off, "I want to." Her voice was soft, her eyes warm. You tilted your head lightly. Why was Victoria really offering you this?

"You just didn't come here to compliment me on my performance, did you?" Vic's face reddened. "I–eummh, j-just wanted to be friendly," Vic sputtered, her brain failing to form any coherent word. The answer left you oddly disappointed. "B-but your performance was good as well, it was really good–I mean, m-more than good," Vic stuttered on, afraid that she had offended you. 

"Vic." Her nickname slipped out before you could think about it, but you quickly cleared your throat and corrected yourself. "Victoria, I was just messing with you," You teased, a teasing smile playing on your lips. You didn't know where the teasing came from; it was almost like you felt so at ease with her that you allowed yourself to tease without being judged. 

"How late is the match?" You eventually asked, wondering whether Victoria really meant the offer or if it was just a way to keep talking to you. "At 20:00, but the stadium opens at 18:30." Your eyebrows shot up. "Why so early?" Victoria shrugged. "So fans can watch us warm up and stuff," Vic explained.

"Hey, you." You closed your eyes when the voice you absolutely didn't want to hear came when you were talking to Victoria. "Belle, hi," You muttered in a hiss, giving her your best glare. "Aren't there any tables you need to serve?" Belle just shrugged with her shoulders as she leaned against the counter, having no intention of leaving. 

"We will accept the offer, Victoria," Belle said, ignoring your question. "We what now?" You hissed under your breath, because what the hell! Had she eavesdropped on your conversation just now? Belle ignored you again as she took a napkin and wrote something on it. You eyed her suspiciously. "Here," Belle said, slipping the napkin to Victoria, "you can call her when you have the tickets." You snapped your head so fast toward Belle as if you were an owl.

"Thanks? I guess," Victoria said hesitantly. "Vic! C'mon!" Victoria turned around, but not before giving you a quick smile. When you saw Victoria and her teammates leave, you turned your attention back to Belle. "What was that? Why did you give her my number?" You hissed, slapping Belle on her arm. "What? She offered to see you again. In no universe would I not give her your number," Belle said easily, rubbing her arm with her hand where you had slapped her.

"You should thank me." You laughed without humor. "Thank you? I should yell at you!" Belle just smiled, patting you on the arm. "Then, just thank me when the two of you are married and have a dog." You gaped at her. Your words have officially failed you because when you didn't say anything, Belle just walked away with an evil laugh.

-------------------------------------------------------

Victoria sat at her locker, staring at her phone as if she didn't know how to use it. She had added you to her contacts, but hadn't messaged you yet. What was she supposed to say? 'Hey, it's me. You know? The stranger you met at the coffee shop and handed your phone number to.' It sounded so stupid. "What are you doing?" The voice brought Vic back to the present. "Nothing," Vic muttered, putting her phone into her bag. "Vic," Alessia said, looking at her friend who was about to have a meltdown.

"What's going on?" Vic let out a heavy sigh, dropping back on the bench. Alessia didn't push her; she never did when something was on someone else's shoulders. Victoria let out a heavy sigh and handed her phone to Alessia. "Who-who's number is this?" Alessia asked and turned her head back to the Dutch midfielder, only to see that her cheeks had gone slightly pink. "It's nobody," Victoria muttered, snatching her phone back.

"Vic, you added a 'nobody' to your contacts?" Victoria groaned when she heard the teasing tone in Alessia's voice, one she didn't like at all. Alessia looked at the contact name again, but Victoria had literally put 'nobody' as their name. "You know, usually people give contacts nicknames because it's either they're having an affair or are mad at them," Alessia stated, giving Victoria an amused look. 

"Wait? Are you having an affair?" Alessia asked, shocked when Victoria didn't answer. "What? No!" Victoria said immediately, giving Alessia an offended look. "How could you even think that I'm like that!" Alessia quickly raised both hands, getting confirmation of her question from Victoria's reaction. Victoria let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head.

"It's the singer from the coffee shop," Victoria muttered, her cheeks turning pink once more. "The one you had been staring at when she was performing?" Victoria gave Alessia a flat look. "I was not staring at her." Alessia laughed at that, dramatically wiping the tears from her eyes. "Vic, please, you were definitely staring," Alessia said, still laughing as Victoria kept glaring at her. "I did something really stupid." Alessia's eyebrows rose, clearly intrigued.

"Oh, what did you do?" Victoria stared at the floor, hoping that it would open so she could hide in there. "Vic, it can be that bad," Alessia said with a laugh. "If you mean not bad as in I just didn't offer her and her friends tickets to our second leg match against Chelsea in two days, then no, it isn't that bad," Victoria said, rubbing both hands down her face, groaning in her hands. "Oh, my god, you did not," Alessia laughed, her head tilting back. "I-I didn't know why I offered it, I just did," Victoria said, groaning once more in her hands. 

"Now you're just figuring out how to text her," Alessia stated, her laughter subsiding a little. Victoria just nodded, staring at her phone again. "What if she doesn't want to go?" Victoria asked, making Alessia frown slightly. "She already said yes to the offer, no?" Victoria shook her head. "She didn't, her friend did," Victoria muttered, her thumb hovering over the keyboard of her phone. "Oooff, how did–what's her name again?" Alessia asked. "y/n." Alessia nodded. "

So, how did y/n react when her friend accepted the offer?" Victoria shook her head. It was all kind of vague. Victoria was close to them, but they had turned their heads back and had whispered, so she didn't hear anything. "I don't know, y/n's friend gave me y/n's number, but I haven't texted her yet," Victoria said, looking at Alessia for help. "What should I text her? I have never done this before." Alessia's eyes softened, placing a comforting hand on the Dutch midfielder's shoulder.

"Okay, do you have the tickets?" Victoria nodded. "What kind of tickets did you buy?" Victoria stayed quiet because, in the excitement, she had bought tickets that included a meet-and-greet with the players afterward. "Vic, what kind of tickets did you buy?" Alessia asked again.

"In my excitement, I accidentally bought the meet and greet tickets." Alessia froze. She pressed her lips together, trying but failing not to laugh. Victoria glared at her as Alessia doubled over, holding her stomach, and wiped tears from her eye with her free hand.

"You can laugh later at how stupid I've been, but you need to help me with what I need to text her," Victoria grumbled, shoving Alessia lightly. "Okay, give me your phone," Alessia said, still laughing a little, her shoulders shaking. 

Victoria: Hey, it's me, the girl you met at the coffee shop two nights ago, and the one who offered you tickets. Here they are. All the information you need is in the tickets. I'm excited to see you again😉.

"There, done," Alessia said, giving Victoria her phone back. Victoria stared at the message. "You send a message with an emoji?" Victoria yelled, but Alessia had already bolted out the door.

---------------------------------------------------------------

It was in the afternoon, when you were sitting in the cafeteria with Lily, that your phone pinged. You pulled out your phone to see who had messaged you, but you frowned when you saw it was an anonymous person. Hesitantly, you opened the message and let out a relieved sigh when you read that Victoria had texted you. But the relief quickly vanished, leaving nerves.

You saw the PDF documents added to the message. You knew it was the tickets, but now it felt more real. "You look like you just got a message that you failed a test." Lily's voice dragged you back to the present. "I'm sorry, what?" You asked, shaking your head, meeting Lily's green eyes. "Your face, when you read the message you just received," Lily clarified, pointing to your phone in your hand. "I-it's nothing," You muttered, putting your phone away.

"If you say so," Lily hummed, turning her full attention back to her computer in front of her. "So," you started, earning a hum from Lily, "do you maybe want to go to a football match on Wednesday?" Lily startled, looked up, giving you a confused look. "That's not really my thing," Lily said, gesturing to her computer, that that's more of her thing, instead of sitting in a cold stadium and watching 22 people running after a ball. "Yeah, I should've guessed," You said with a laugh, popping a fry in your mouth. 

After a while, you left the university and headed to Belle's shop. You entered the shop. It was very quiet. good. You really needed Belle's full attention. "Good afternoon," Belle greeted you with a smile as she was cleaning up the last few tables. "Hi," You greeted, taking a seat at a table. "Okay, what happened?" Belle asked, taking a seat across from you. "Victoria sent the tickets through an hour ago," You muttered.

"Did she now?" Belle hummed, a teasing smirk playing on her lips. "Don't," You warned her, pointing a finger at her. "You did this." Belle laughed lightly, not even phased about your tone. "Girl, please," Belle laughed, shaking her head, "I only did what you were too afraid to do. To say yes to Victoria's offer." You opened your mouth to defend yourself, but closed it just as quickly, because Belle was right. You wanted to say yes to the offer, but your brain short-circuited when Victoria offered it.

"What kind of ticket did she give you?" You frowned, confusion written all over your face. "There are different kinds of tickets?" Belle chuckled again, holding out her hand. You pulled your phone out and handed it to Belle. "Yes, there are different kinds, dummy," Belle teased, unlocking your phone. "You have club members' tickets, season tickets, meet and greet tickets, and just normal tickets," Belle explained, her thumb going over your phone. 

"You haven't put her in your contacts yet?" Belle asked, shocked, turning the phone to you, so you could see that there was still a phone number at the top instead of a name. "I'm sorry, but I was a bit shocked that she actually meant her offer," You muttered, crossing your arms in front of your chest. "Sure," Belle replied, turning the phone again. "Okay, let's see what kind of tickets we have." You just shook your head, reconsidering all your life choices.

"Oh, my god," Belle said, putting you on high alert. "What?" Belle only met your eyes, her mouth open. "Give me that," You snapped, snatching your phone from Belle's hand. You read the text on the screen. You stilled when you read, 'Meet and greet tickets'. "She did not," You groaned, dropping your phone on the table. "I think a certain Arsenal player has a crush on you," Belle teased, her face all smug. "W-what? N-no, s-she doesn't! She–god, she barely knows me! I-we met once-" You sputtered, your cheeks flushing pink at what Belle said.

"And you gave her your number that same evening," Belle added, casually looking at her nails. You glared at Belle because she gave Victoria your number, not you. "No, you did!" You said, throwing your arms in the air. Belle just shrugged, taking your phone again. "What are you doing?" You asked, seeing Belle type something. 

You: Thanks for the tickets, can't wait to see you again!🤭😌

Belle handed you your phone, and you immediately looked at what she had done. "You texted her back? With emojis?" You asked, shocked, your mouth wide open. "You're welcome," Belle replied, giving you a mischievous smile. "I should hate you," You muttered, your voice lacking the usual spite when you actually meant something like that.

"But you don't, especially, because I'm coming with you on Wednesday and let you burrow one of my Arsenal shirts, and I'll make you a coffee, it's on the house," Belle said confidently, giving you a wink before standing up and walking to the counter. "It better be good coffee," You muttered, staring at the message again. Your eyes drifted back to the wink emoji. Surely she didn't mean anything by it. Right?. "I only make good coffee," Belle replied with a laugh. Shaking your head, you closed your phone. Wednesday was going to be an interesting night, for sure.

Time flies when you're nervous as hell because you are now in Belle's apartment. You sat on her bed while Belle was going through her closet. "What exactly are you looking for?" You eventually asked when Belle was still going through her closet aggressively. "Just," Belle muttered, "hold on, I think I almost found it." You frowned.

"Found what?" You asked, and at that moment, Belle spun around, holding a red and white jersey victoriously up. You raised an eyebrow, eyeing the shirt she had in her hands. "This, my sweet friend, is the jersey you're going to wear tonight," Belle announced, throwing the jersey your way. You caught it easily with one hand. You held the jersey in both hands to inspect it better. "Let me guess, Alessia Russo is your favorite player." It wasn't a question; you were simply stating a fact.

"How'd you guess?" Belle asked, but she didn't really need an answer, since all her Arsenal jerseys had Russo on the back. You just shook your head and put on the shirt. "Look at that, proper Gunner right there," Belle teased as she was putting on her perfume. "I'm sorry, a proper what now?" You asked as you stood up to look in the mirror. "A Gunner. You know? That's the nickname Arsenal fans have." You just stared at her. You had never heard that word in your life. 

"OMG, I really need to teach you a lot about football, don't I?" Belle groaned, taking your hand and pulling you out of the room. "You don't need to teach me anything," You muttered, pulling your hand free from Belle's hold. "I know how football works," You stated, giving Belle a flat look when you reached the kitchen. "Do you know what offside is?" Belle asked with a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Yes, the striker can't pass the last defender when the ball is played or needs to be behind the ball when both the player with the ball and the striker are past the last defender," You explained. Belle gaped at you; she really didn't expect that you knew what the offside rule was. "Told you, I know my stuff," You huffed, an amused smile playing on your lips. "Alright, alright," Belle said as she held both hands up in defense, "you know your stuff indeed." You smiled proudly, taking a sip from the water that Belle had handed to you.

"How do you know so much about football anyway?" You eventually asked, placing your glass on the table. "By watching it, dummy," Belle said quickly, too quickly. You saw her cheeks flushing lightly, making you raise a single eyebrow. You only tilted your head lightly when Belle groaned. "You aren't just a fan of Alessia Russo, are you?" You teased. 

Belle glared at you, but you saw that her cheeks turned from pink to bright red. "OMG, you have a crush on Alessia Russo," You said with a gasp, smiling from ear to ear. "No, no, shut up," Belle said quickly, pointing a finger at you. "We are going to an Arsenal match because you are totally wipt on Victoria Pelova. Don't change this outing to me," Belle said, the accusing finger still pointed at you, and smiled when it was your turn for your cheeks to burn bright red.

"Okay, how late do we need to head to the stadium?" Belle glared at you. She knew you were changing the subject, but she didn't comment. Instead, Belle looked at her watch. "Right about now. Let's go!" Belle said as she jumped off the counter. You drank the last bit of water before placing the glass by the sink. "Let's cheer your girlfriend on," Belle said, giving you a wink and a mischievous look.

"She is not my girlfriend," You muttered, following Belle out the front door. "Not yet." Belle was quick to correct you as she closed the door and locked it. You just rolled your eyes, no energy to go into this again. Belle can be delusional all she wants. You are going to a match because a FRIEND invited you. Nothing more and nothing less, or at least, that's what you told yourself. 

"Let's go, slow poke," Belle said and hopped down the stairs, her brown hair going from left to right. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," You said, walking down the stairs. "Your first Arsenal match!" Belle shrieked from excitement, wrapping her arm around you. "First live match," you corrected her, hugging her back tightly.

"Oh, potato potahto," Belle said, waving a dismissive hand in front of her. You let out a chuckle, shaking your head lightly. "That's not how the saying works," You told Belle, bumping your shoulder with hers. "Yeah, yeah," Belle said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Okay, what do you think the score will be?" Belle asked eventually. "I don't know, they're both good," You stated.

"But Arsenal have a 2-0 advantage because of their first leg match." You nodded in understanding. "Can I just say, Arsenal will go through, but I don't know the score." Belle considered that for a few seconds before giving in. "Yeah, that will do," Belle said as the two of you continued to walk, the top of the Emirates Stadium already visible from over the buildings of the street you were walking through.

The minute you stepped down the stairs inside the stadium, you were in complete awe. The atmosphere inside the Emirates was amazing. From your section, you could see everything clearly. You were high enough to see everything around, but low enough that you could at least see who was playing the ball. The match started with Chelsea pressing high because they needed to score first to be in the race for the semi-finals.

Belle couldn't sit still next to you, even if it were the 40th minute, and it was still 0-0 in this match. Victoria wasn't starting, but Belle had told you that she would definitely get subbed on in the second half and score a goal for you. You had rolled your eyes at that, but couldn't deny that your stomach fluttered at the thought. "Hello, ladies." Both you and Belle turn your heads.  A man with an Arsenal suit stood next to you, an earpiece in his ear.

"I just wanted to ask what players you wanted to meet after the match," He clarified. Before you could say anything, Belle's voice filled the space around you. "Alessia Russo and Victoria Pelova." The man nodded and said something through the earpiece. "Thank you and enjoy the match," The man said with a nod, and walked back up the stairs. You turned your attention back to the field and just in time to see Katie McCabe kicking a free kick into Chelsea's penalty area, and Stina heading it into the back of the net. 

Both you and Belle jumped up from your seats together with the other fans in the stadium. "Your goal scorer is Stina Blackstenius!" The speakers loudly announced it, earning another loud cheer from the fans around the stadium. You clapped in your hands, cheering from the top of your lungs. "We have this in the bag," Belle puffed, smiling from ear to ear. "You do know that we still need to play 65 minutes?" You stated, giving Belle a flat look.

"I think I need to teach you some football rules," You teased, coming back to what Belle had said to you before you left her apartment. "Very funny, but I'm manifesting," Belle stated as she sat back down. Shaking your head, you sat down as well. Your eyes drifted to the sidelines, where players were warming up. Victoria was one of them, laughing at something her teammate said. As if Victoria knew you were staring, she looked up in your direction, her smile widening when her eyes landed on you as your cheeks turned pink.

As the match neared half-time, Arsenal got a counter. Caitlin sprinted down the line, passing the ball to the middle, where Alessia was completely free. She gave the ball a nudge to the right and took the shot. The ball was low and bounced right in front of the Chelsea keeper, but the strike was so hard and fast that the keeper couldn't get a hand on it.

"Yes!" Belle screamed, jumping from her seat again. She turned with her back to the field so that she could show off her Russo jersey. You just smiled and cheered along, clapping in your hands once more while the whole stadium celebrated the goal. Your eyes drifted to the sideline again. Victoria jumped into her teammate's arms, her hands up in the air as if she were on a rollercoaster. To be fair, this match was a rollercoaster.

When Chelsea kicked off again, the match continued for a few minutes, but then the referee whistled for half-time. "What are your thoughts so far?" Belle asked, stretching lightly. "It's so cool," You said, looking around the stadium. The fans continued to chant, singing along to the music from the stadium speakers. After 15 minutes, both teams returned to the field.

You looked down, and a smile appeared when you saw that Victoria got subbed on. "Substitution for Arsenal, number 12, Frida Maanum." The crowd cheered at the announcement. "Number 21, Victoria Pelova will replace her!" Now you cheered as well, rising from your seat, clapping in your hands. 

The referee blew for the second half to begin. Chelsea pressed more and more. They needed to play all-or-nothing. You sat on the edge of your seat the entire second half. Arsenal are defending for their lives. Chelsea got a corner, but through a scrimmage, Arsenal managed to clear it. The ball landed directly at Victoria's feet, her teammate gesturing to her to run.

Chelsea's goalkeeper had come to the opposite side of the field for the corner, so Victoria ran. Two Chelsea players are hot on her tail. All the Arsenal fans in the stand rose from their seat, you and Belle included. When Victoria reached the edge of Chelsea's penalty box, she shot the ball in the goal. The crowd erupted, Arsenal's bench emptied, and Chelsea players fell to the ground when the final whistle followed after Victoria had scored.

"Let's fucking go!" Belle cheered in your ear as she hugged you tightly. "Yess!" You yelled, jumping along with Belle. "They did it!" Belle shrieked, hugging you even tighter. "Yeah, she did it," You said softly to yourself, looking down where Victoria got jumped by her teammates, warmth spreading through your chest at the sight. You saw Victoria look up briefly before teammates jumped in front of her, blocking her view of you.

The changing room was an absolute party. Music blasting from the speaker, teammates jumping to the music. Victoria sat at her cubby, putting the last few things in her bag. "Alessia, Vic," A man said. "You two have been picked for a meet and greet." Victoria stilled. Right. She had accidentally bought you meet and greet tickets. She didn't know whether she'd actually bought them by accident or just wanted to see you again, and that was the first thing that came to your mind.

Either way, Victoria was all of a sudden a nervous wreck. When she saw you in the stands, smiling at you, she thought she would evaporate. "Vic!" Alessia said, snapping her fingers in front of the eyes of the Dutch midfielder. "Yes, I'm coming," Victoria quickly said as she stood up and picked up her bag. "So," Alessia hummed, her voice teasing, "are you excited to see her again?" Victoria just gave a nonchalant shrug, even though inside, she was screaming like a kid.

She had been waiting for this moment, to see you again, to talk to you again, and now the moment was there. "Yeah," Victoria replied. Alessia stared at her. That was it? Only a yeah? "Wow, no need to sound excited," Alessia teased, bumping her shoulder with Victoria's. Victoria glared at Alessia, earning a laugh from the striker. Alessia held her hands up in defense, choosing wisely not to tease any further. 

The two of them walked into the room, but Victoria stopped in the doorway when her eyes landed on you. "Of course," Victoria muttered when she saw that you were wearing an Alessia Russo jersey. Alessia frowned and followed her teammate's gaze, her eyes landing as well on the name on the back of your jersey.

Alessia's eyes flicked to the name on the back of the shirt before landing on Victoria. "Oh." Alessia shook her head before speaking, "c'mon." Victoria didn't move at first, but eventually made herself move toward you and Belle. As if on cue, you turned around, meeting Victoria's eyes. "OMG, Alessia, I'm your biggest fan!" Belle shrieked beside you. Alessia laughed softly, subtly guiding Belle away from you, so you and Victoria had some privacy. "Hi," you said with a smile, but your smile faltered when Victoria didn't greet you back or meet your eye. You didn't know what was happening.

Did you do something? What could you have done to get greeted like this? "You played really well," you told her, but Victoria barely reacted. You turned your head to look behind you when you saw Victoria look over your shoulder. Belle was still all over Alessia. "Thanks." You turned your head back at the short answer. You frowned again. 

"D-did I do something?" You asked softly, tapping your fingers nervously against your thigh. Your question hadn't even fully left your mouth when Victoria answered, "No." The answer was too quick, too short again. "Then why are you looking at me like–that?" You asked, gesturing vaguely with your hand. "Like what?" Victoria said again too quickly. "Like I did something to insult you," you answered with a sigh.

"I just thought…" She rubbed the back of her neck. "Never mind," Victoria muttered, dropping her hand. "Vic." Her nickname slipped past your lips before you could overthink it. You saw the softening of Vic's eyes at that. Vic let out a heavy sigh. "I thought you asked for Alessia," Vic stated, looking everywhere except for your eyes. "What?" You frowned, confusion written all over your face. Victoria nodded to the shirt you were wearing.

You looked down at the jersey. Right, the shirt Belle had given you with Russo on the back, realization hit you at once. "This?" You laughed, shaking your head. "It's not even mine," You clarified, seeing Victoria's shoulders finally relax. "It's not?" You shook your head and pointed to the brunette behind you. "No. Belle shoved it in my hands when we were heading to the stadium. I needed to wear at least something Arsenal related." Victoria laughed, finally. "So, she gave you a jersey from Russo?" 

"She's obsessed, you have no idea," You said, finally relaxing. "If I had a jersey of yours, I would've worn that." Victoria looked up at that, her eyes lighting up. "You would?" Vic asked, surprised, her heart beating hard against her ribcage.

"Yes," you said with a nod. "Sorry that I acted like that just now, I was just–" You smiled lightly, and finishing for her, "jealous?" Vic's cheeks turned bright red, like she had been sunbathing without putting on sunscreen. "Yeah, that," Vic muttered, rubbing the back of her neck once more.

"I'll forgive you," You started, a teasing smile on your lips when Vic met your eyes, "only if you decide to get some coffee with me sometimes and not in Belle's shop," you finished, reassuring Vic on the last part. "You mean a date?" Vic asked carefully, not really believing that you were actually asking her. "I never said date, but now that you mentioned it," You teased, and any retort Vic had ready was out the window. 

[skipper1331]

Art // Leah Williamson

You loved playing football yet drawing and painting was your silent passion. A passion nobody really knew about.

It all started when you were a kid. After a bad day, lost match you would be so angry and disappointed that you would draw your anger away. It didn‘t matter if it was with pencils, crayons or acrylic, you didn‘t care if it was on paper or on a canvas. You just had to draw/paint.

Slowly, it not only started to reduce your anger but to become a daily thing. Over the years you got better and better and even sold some paintings.

When you moved to London, transfered to Arsenal from the german league you took your painting utils with you.

In your new apartment was an extra room which used to be a guest room - you didn't need it, so you set it up as a painting room. The floor was covered with foil as were parts of the wall while many canvases and tubes of paint stood on the newly built shelves. Your desk was full of paper, sketchbooks, pens, erasers, etc. everything an artist needed. It was your favorite room in your apartment.

As the weeks went on, you drew everything interesting. Such as the training facility, jerseys, the stadium and much more.

But If someone would have looked through your sketchbook they would‘ve noticed that there was one thing or rather one person which was drawn very often. Arsenals number 6. Leah Williamson. You couldn‘t explain why but she was incredible. Everything about her was perfect; her talent, her personality, her smile. You just could not not draw her. Often you only realized that you had drawn her after your drawing was already finished and when drawing number 12 of Leah was finished you knew you had a crush on her. What you didn‘t realize though was a) she also developed a crush on you and b) your face and hands covered in paint and pencil has not gone unnoticed. To find out why that was the team formed an alliance. When Rosa questioned why they simply didn‘t ask you her head was smacked from Kyra, Alessia and Vic. "It‘s much more exciting this way" Kyra replied mischievously.

Mission Colour had officially started.

On bus rides, plane flights, away games you would always have your 'away sketchbook' and one pencil with you just to calm down or to stay calm. Most of the time you sat next to Manu, your national teammate. She was like big sister to you and of course she knew about your drawing talent but what she didn‘t know was that a few teammates wanted to find out. As well Manu knew about your little crush, not because you told her but because she saw your sketch of Leah and connected the dots.

It was the next day when you came to training with a blue stripe on you forehead and hands covered with many shades of blue. This morning you worked on your current project (a painting of the ocean) and lost track of time. You hadn‘t had the chance to look in the mirror again after you rushed out of your flat to the car.

Fast forward, here you were in the training facility in bright red clothes while your skin was covered in blue.

"Looking like Papa smurf" Katie laughed, gently shoving you towards the mirror in the changing room.

Your eyes widened in horror, "Shit" aggressively you started to rub at the stripe of paint but it was too late. The stripe was already dry. Making your way to the bathroom, you wet the paper towel, not much hope about cleaning your face.

"Hey" you heard a voice beside you, your eyes locking with the blonde defenders through the mirror, "do you need some help?" Leah asked, already concerned by the way you aggressively rubbed your forehead, "hey, lemme-" the girl gently tugged at your wrist as she turned you to face her. She grabbed another paper towel, putting a tiny bit of soap on it before she put it under water. In silence, the taller girl started to clean your face. Her movements were slow and tender as she tried to stay cool while she was so close to you. In the meantime, you admired the blonde, scanned every feature of her face.

"Secretly a Chelsea fan, huh?" the gunner asked, trying to ease the obvious tension in the room.

"Gosh no," you chuckled, "I was working on my new proctect this morning and lost track of time" you admitted, Leah raising a brow in return.

"You must think I’m pretty unorganized, hm?"

"of course not!" She replied immediately, "i was just wondering, project? What project?"

"It‘s nothing much, just a painting project" you shrugged your shoulders, "the ocean."

"I didn‘t know you could paint" she stated, the dots connecting with all the paint stains that covered your clothes and body since you had arrived in London.

"Maybe you‘d like to see some of my works?" your voice was quiet, shy as you nervously scratched your neck.

"It‘s a date" the same moment, Leah dropped the comment, you heard Kim call, "training starts" which let Leah hurry out of the room, leaving you completely shocked and with a mix of nervousness and excitement alone. Was she serious?

-

"Leah, wait!"

Training had finished half an hour ago, the girls, including you, doing their usual routines, some had physio, some went straight to the showers or others that just changed their clothes happy to finally go home - Leah, one of the girls who preferred to shower at home after a particularly long cardio session.

"Were you serious about the date? Because if not that would be totally fine, but if so, I’d really like to go on a date with you" you rambled, "we could go out for dinner or i could cook for you or not, because I’m not the greatest cook, but maybe take out would be fine too?! whatever you like works for me!"

"Take a deep breath, love" she smiled, squeezing your hand, "i was serious" her cheeks slowly turning red, "sorry, could‘ve been a bit more romantic, i admit, but indeed, I’d be very happy to go on a date with you"

"Oh, really!" you were so surprised, shocked even that the Leah Williamson wanted to go on a date with you.

"Yes, really. What about this: I’ll go home for a shower and at-" she looked at her watch, "at 7, I’ll be at your front door with some food in my hands. Neither of us has to cook and we can have a nice and relaxed evening, how does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect, thank you"

"See you soon" she smiled, pressing a kiss to your cheek as she felt brave enough to do so in that moment.

Like in trance, you watched her walk away while your fingers touched the spot were lips had been a few seconds ago. Wow.

On the other hand as soon as Leah sat in her car, she did a little happy dance, finally getting the chance to spend some time with you alone and even better, being able to call it a date.

-

5 minutes early the defender stood in front of your door, two bags of food in one hand while the other hand held a bouquet of flowers.

With confidence Leah rang the door bell, she felt untouchable. She had a date with the prettiest girl and nothing would stop her from trying to be the best version of herself for you. She really wanted this to work out.

In all honesty, Leah had been crushing on you for quite a while. It all started with an international friendly where you both were captaining your nations. You fell in conversation easily, the blonde friends with some of your national teammates.

Since then the Lioness followed you on your socials, also enjoying watching you play football - something about your technic and brain for the game made her fall in love with football all over again.

When the announcement was made that you‘d join Arsenal, she was excited, overly so. She wanted to talk to you again, be your friend. But soon the thought of just being friends combined with her little crush on you that was getting bigger and bigger day by day was long forgotten. She wanted to get to know you, on a deeper level than just the typical friendly one.

"Hey! Welcome in" you said with a wide smile, stepping aside.

"Hi, these are for you" the defenders cheeks turned slightly pink as yours did too.

"These are beautiful, thank you so much" the bouquet was big mix of multiple flowers in multiple colours, "i didn‘t know what your favorite flower was, so i bought one of each they had"

"I love it and I really appreciate it" shy smiles were exchanged before your attention was brought back, "follow me. So this is my living room and as you can see, there‘s my kitchen. I hope you like wine? I found this one in my cupboard" you pointed at the bottle on your coffee table. "Here let me plate the food, make yourself a home" as you wandered off to the kitchen, Leah admired your home. It was tidy yet looked very cozy. Then her gaze fell to various of pictures and paintings you had in your living room. One in particular caught her attention, it reminded her of something that she couldn’t form in words, an familiar warm feeling filled her chest as she looked at it closely - something about this painting was special.

-

The night went on with an ease, everything felt so natural. Dinner was great, the conversation flowing, the tv long forgotten as both of your attentions were on each other. Throughout the night the two of you had moved closer, knees already touching as you shared jokes and stories about everything and nothing.

"I must say, i really like the paintings in here. This one especially" she pointed at your favorite.

"Thank you, that‘s very nice of you to say"

"How much did they cost you? They look so expensive!" she admired, quickly realizing what an rude question she asked, "oh I’m so sorry, that‘s not something I should be asking"

"No, don’t worry, you’re good" you assured her, "they didn‘t cost me anything, i did them myself" you said, "well, that‘s a lie, i had to buy the canvas and the paint but other than that i didn‘t cost me anything."

"No way! You really did these? Are you joking?"

You shook your head.

"Wow! These are amazing. Like seriously, you’ve got some serious talent!"

Soon you furiously started to blush, getting all shy as you looked away from the gunner.

"Can i see the ocean painting which you talked earlier about?" she remembered, hoping to get see more of your work.

"Sure, but it‘s not finished yet"

"That‘s fine. I‘d see anything you painted, really, this is so impressive"

"Stop" you buried your face in your hands, your cheeks as hot as ever, the tip of your ears a deep shade of red, "hey, no. Don’t hide that pretty face of yours" taking your hands out of your face, you stared at each other as everything around you fell silent. Both of you were so close, if you would just lean forward-

"Here follow me" you broke the silence, grabbing the lioness’ hand and dragging her to your art room, "don’t mind the mess" you said as you opened the door, showing Leah the inside of your heart.

For once, the defender didn‘t know what to say. Everywhere she looked where painting, sketches and drawings. It was like she not only stepped into your heart but also your brain.

"Wow" she whispered, in utter disbelief at what she saw. You did this. All of this!

Walking around the room Leah felt like she was at an art gallery, heavily impressed about the beauty she got to see in each painting.

"May i look in these too?" she asked once she was at your desk, sketchbooks across the table.

Slowly, you nodded. In that moment, you didn’t even think about the fact that you had sketched Leah too, and that more than once.

Every now and then, compliments slipped out while her fingers traced the lines and shapes of your art.

Then she stopped, silence deafening, "is that me?" she whispered, looking at more pages of herself.

"What? Shit, no, no, no." With a few quick steps, you slammed the book shut. Too embarrassed to even look at her, "you weren‘t supposed to see those" you muttered.

"So it was me?" she asked again, even though it was quite obvious that it was her indeed.

"Yes, I’m sorry. I‘m not a creep i promise! You‘re just- just so-" your brain went blank.

"yeah?"

"you‘re… you‘re just so amazing and i- I really like you. And i only realized that i sketched you once it was too late. I‘m really sorry! You weren‘t even supposed to see them. I‘m not a creep, I’m just in love with you and i never thought you‘d like me back and now you‘re here with me on date. Well at least that‘s what you said it was. But it‘s totally fine, if you don’t want it to be a date anymore or if you want leave now or-" in the middle of your ramble, Leah cut you off, with her lips gently pressing against your own, a perfect way to shut you up. Your body relaxed immediately as your lips responded to the new sensation. Leah’s hands fell to your hips while yours laid on her stomach, your brain not knowing where else to put them as it was completely consumed by Leah kissing you.

Here you were in the heart of your art with Leah, the most beautiful girl, who was kissing you, the artist.

And even though, most artist are only known for their work by everyone after their death, you weren‘t most and Leah surely wasn‘t everyone. She was the one.

"Wow"

"Indeed wow"

You both stared at each other in silence, loving the tranquil atmosphere you had created.

"So what should i call you now? Picasso? Van Gogh? Michelangelo? Da Vinci?"

You laughed at her comment, playfully hitting her chest while she pulled you even closer in return.

"While i did like Papa smurf, I’d eventually prefer my girlfriend" she smiled, leaning in once again.

[jerriemofos]

im crying at vic reminding mariona shes spanish 😭 do spaniards generally arrive late to a friends party or something lmaoo

[feefmiedema]

🥹🥹🥹