By all regards, the actual pregnancy went fairly well.
There was little morning sickness, not too many cramps and only slight discomfort.
You were a kicker though, always winding your foot back to slam into Keira's belly, like you were getting impatient and wanted out.
You weren't a particularly long birth either, surprising enough for a first time mother. It took barely half a day from beginning to end and then you were laying on Keira's chest with your chord cut and whining slightly.
Lucy cried when you were born, full on ugly sobs that only got worse when she got to hold you for the first time. She kept blubbering and crying and clutching you close like she was afraid you would disappear.
You're older now, old enough to hold up your head but still haven't met anyone outside of the family.
You look at Keira curiously as she packs your bag, whining and flapping your hands.
"Peanut," She laughs," I can't hold you all the time, you know."
No, you don't know that and you don't like the way that she's not holding you know.
A few nights ago, Mum had gone off to England Camp so it was just you and Mummy for a while. But now, as Mummy bustles around the hotel room, she says you're going too.
It's a little weird, you think, that this is being made such a big thing but Mummy is Mummy and you just want her to hold you, fighting against the straps of your bouncer.
Keira looks at your stubborn expression with a hint of a smile, shaking her head at the very Lucy Bronze determination on your face as you try to escape.
Keira ends up taking pity on your as you get increasingly frustrated with the buckle and lifts you up into her arms.
You face splits into a smile, your legs kicking out happily as she grabs the rest of the bags.
It's a short drive to camp and Lucy's waiting for her at reception. Or rather, she's waiting for you.
You're instantly in her arms, getting kisses all over your face.
"I missed you so much, peanut!"
You giggle, going cross eyed as a kiss lands on your nose.
"I'm here too, you know."
"Hi, Keira," Lucy says quickly before turning back to you," Everyone's so excited to meet you! Yes! Yes, they are!"
You keep giggling and Lucy carts you off to where everyone is waiting in the break room.
"Meet little Peanut!" Lucy announces, holding you up for everyone to see," She'll be taking your spots on the team very soon!"
"Yeah, right," Georgia laughs," We'll see." She and Leah are one of the first to approach, cooing over you and stroking your cheek.
The sensation makes you turn your head, rooting immediately. You find Georgia's finger, sucking it into your mouth before pulling a face when you get no milk.
"Looks like she's not a fan," Leah snickers.
Lucy transfers you into her arms and you feel a bit heavier than Leah expected. She'd always assumed babies to weigh the same as the baby dolls did but apparently not.
"This is auntie Leah," Keira says to you as she slightly adjusts Leah's hold of you," And that was Auntie G."
"She looks like Lucy," Leah says and Lucy grins triumphantly.
"I know, right?!"
They all ignore her.
"Does she have an England kit yet?" Georgia asks.
"She's tiny," Keira says," She doesn't need one just yet."
"How could you say that? Of course she needs one!"
"Yeah, Keira!" Leah agrees," You're denying her heritage! She needs a kit!"
The talk of you getting your own kit is briefly put away when the kit man brings out an adult sixed jersey that Leah and Georgia wrestle over your onesie.
It's a Walsh shirt that Lucy briefly complains about before shrugging and deciding if you can get her looks then you can also get Keira's shirt first.
You get whiny when Georgia's holding you though and she looks highly distressed as she stares at Lucy and Keira.
"She's hungry." Lucy's already digging around in your bag for the towel that Keira throws over her shoulder to feed you.
"Do you mind if I do it here?" Keira asks," I can go to a different room if-"
"It's fine!" Leah assures her," Just get the little one fed so we can keep playing."
Keira isn't sure if it's a baby thing or a you thing but you are incapable of eating in the light. You like to be covered by something. You like the darkness and you latch extremely well in those circumstances rather than the somewhat clumsy latches you have when you're out in the open.
Your latch is perfect now too and you happily suckle, one hand resting possessively on the top of Keira's breast like always. She briefly wonders if you do it because you think your source of milk will suddenly disappear.
"How much longer until she can walk?" Georgia asks," And how long until she can run?"
Keira frowns. "Why does it matter?"
"Because we need to train her up early," Leah cuts in," Honestly, Keira, why do you think? She's England's future! We've got to get her up to speed quickly!"
Keira gives them both a doubtful look. "And what if she doesn't like football?"
In answer, everyone looks at the way your legs are kicking happily as you feed.
Growing up in Sevilla, life was perfect. Three older brothers that encouraged your footballing ability practically from the second you took your first breath, a set of parents that pushed you to be the very best at everything, and an academy that proved to be the absolute best for your development made for a good childhood.
A quick learner by far, you had already started playing with girls twice your age when you were 10, and by age 12 (and a half) you had already started to train with the senior girls, not old enough to be allowed to play in matches.
It was a weekly routine you had built up over the years, go train with the senior girls during the weekdays, school work completed during the afternoon, games with the girls your age on fridays, games with the U21s during the sunday afternoon. It was hectic, sure, but you were good, really good.
Some weeks you would have to skip the U21 matches in favor of tournaments with the other youth teams, which in turn gave you perhaps the best gift of your lifetime, a (by now) 5’6 brunette with the most encaptivating greenish eyes and the feistiest demeanor you’ll ever encounter.
Julia Romero, una true madridista.
Her white clad frame had been a constant in your life since you were practically too short to reach the kitchen table, as feisty as she always had been.
That almost chaotic energy always translated onto the pitch, with creative passes and shots from distance being a regular occurrence in her game. She had your heart captured since the moment you’d first laid eyes on her.
Through the multitude of years you’d come to know each other, you had formed a special partnership both on and off the field, a connection that led to more than a few trophies for the youth national teams.
A package deal as most would label you two as, playing for teams miles upon miles away from each other. It was funny when they (mostly parents of the other kids) would refer to you as that, a package deal.
It was even funnier when they’d refer to you as twins, each fiery and competitive in your own rights, but knowing the hidden affections quickly developing, it just felt wrong.
The weekends you were meeting up to play against each other quickly became the highlights of your weeks, waiting patiently for the next opportunity to challenge the other.
When, at the ripe age of 13, you both got your very own cell phones, communication became ten million times easier and in turn you became ten times more in love with the breakout madrid star. Best in Spain, Y/n/n and Juli.
Strangely enough though, neither of you clocked the fact that you were both madly, undoubtedly, so in love with each other until that night when you both turned 14.
Julia always liked to boast about the fact that she was 10 minutes older than you, born right before midnight, whilst you were born right after midnight.
Sitting on the hotel bed in your shared room at the under 21 Spain camp, the only players under the age of 17, you and your best friend obviously got to room together.
Right across from you sat Julia, with her normal mischievous smile, looking deeply into your eyes as the clock ticked down to midnight, anticipation filling her body more than your own. Your knees touch hers ever so slightly, you both sitting crisscrossed so that you’d be able to even fit on the bed in the first place.
“What are you going to wish for?” She asks, eyes wide in suspense, as if the answer had been something she had been waiting for since the dawn of time. Leaning back into the headboard, you look up towards the ceiling, contemplating (but not really at the same time) about what you would wish for as you blew out the lit match only minutes from now.
“Maybe a contract from Barcelona.” You tease, looking down at her unamused face, shrieking when she ‘attacks’ you, jumping onto your body and tickling your sides. “No, no, stop, stop, I won’t, I promise.” You gasp out between fits of laughter, Julia quickly retreating with a satisfied look on her face.
“Mhm, better keep that promise. I can’t stand seeing your little sad face when I beat you.” Laying down beside you, Julia starts the teasing again, the look on her face one of amusement, eyes widening as she notices the arms of the clock on the wall almost at midnight.
Watching her spring up from the bed, your eyes follow her all the way until she stops at her bag, pulling a box of matches out of the front compartment.
Pretending you weren’t just studying her entire being when she turns around, Julia makes her way back to the bed, resuming her position on the bed.
“Sit up lazy.” You roll your eyes at the playful insult slipping from her lips, begrudgingly sitting up and facing the shorter girl.
She pulls out a match and strikes it against the match board, lighting up in the span of milliseconds before she holds it out closer to you, waiting for you to blow the flame out. It was the next best thing to a cake, with diets and all.
Actually pondering over what you would wish, only one thing comes to mind.
Closing your eyes, you blow the flame out quickly, only one thing repeating in your mind as you do.
‘All I wish for is you, Julia.’
It puts a small smile on your lips, that much you can’t deny, and as you open your eyes you see the smile is mirrored by the girl across from you, her soft, plump lips stretching into that familiar smile you love oh so much.
“Soooo, what did you wish for?” She asks playfully, smirking at the silly smile painted on your face.
“I don’t wish and tell Juli, those are the rules.” You make a play on the popular saying, backing away from her slowly, as if she wouldn’t notice. Her eyes narrow at you, like she knew something you didn’t.
“Oh really, that’s how it is?” She moves closer to you on the bed, knees just about touching now as she continues her interrogation, looking up at you through her painted lashes.
“Mhm, that’s exactly how it is mi amor.” The casual nickname slips out from between your lips as she leans in closer to you, face only centimeters from your own. You see the way her eyes flick down to rest on your lips for just a second, her hands creeping onto your knees carefully, like she didn’t want to startle you.
You copy her, eyes looking down at the soft lips not too far away from yours, wanting nothing other than to just close the gap between you.
“Do it.” The faint whisper comes from the girl across from you, her lips barely parted as she speaks in that low faint tone, her eyes briefly meeting yours as they look up from your lips. Your eyes look back down at her lips, tongue peeking out to wet your lips quickly. “Kiss me.”
You don’t waste another second after that, leaning in and capturing her lips with your own. They were everything you could have hoped for and more, sweet like the candy you had shared before, with just the smallest hint of mango from the lipgloss she had put on earlier in the day. Her lips were soft like pillows and it felt like you were dreaming, in what world could she not be a figment of your imagination.
When she starts to pull away you chase after her lips, one taste of her and you were already hooked on the drug that is Julia Romero.
“Was that what you wished for?” She asks, her hand pressing against the middle of your chest to almost stop you from catching her lips with yours again.
“Yes, you, all I wished for was you.” Julia smiles with her whole face, looking at you all sweetly like she always did, that love in her eyes stronger than ever.
“Good, because that’s what I wished for too.” Your expression turns confused, like you couldn’t understand what she was saying.
“You wished for yourself too?” The girl has to keep herself from rolling her eyes at your stupidity, instead laying down on the bed just beside where you’re still sitting up and extending her arms out for you to crawl into.
“You’re a dumbass.” She says, laughing as you bury your face in her neck and sigh loudly, throwing your leg around her hips and pulling her entire body into yours.
“Yeah but I’m your dumbass.” Now that you knew she liked you, you would never let her go. And based on the way she laughed and hummed in agreement, you were pretty sure she liked the idea of that too.
—----------------------
The next few months go surprisingly well, with Julia coming down to visit on the weekends every month and you going up to Madrid two weeks after that. The months neither of you had time to visit, that’s when facetime was used the most.
It hurt, not being able to see each other every day, but that was simply life. School and training started picking up again, especially as you had finally been moved up to the senior team permanently, playing in the dying minutes of games and even scoring at times.
But you knew that it would pay off, all the time spent on the pitch and away from your girlfriend, as you got to dedicate all the goals you scored to her. When you scored, the first thing you did was kiss the tape you always had around your wrist (from an old injury that still caused some pain), her name hidden beneath a layer of it, before you ran towards the camera at the corner flag to do your half of the duo celebration you’d both come up with years ago.
In reality it was just a handshake, but you did your half of it in front of the camera every time, no matter what, because you knew she was at home doing the other half.
That was until the last game of the 21/22 season, Sevilla v Barcelona. The team hadn’t lost a game the whole season, undefeated in Liga F and you wanted to break their streak.
Definitely not because a certain someone was in the crowd, waving enthusiastically every time your eyes met as you warmed up. No, it wasn’t her.
You wanted to impress her, not that you’d ever tell her that, seeing as you’d never hear the end of it if you did.
Like usual, you sat on the bench for most of the game, exchanging silly faces with your girl, not even batting an eye as Barcelona hit the net one, two, three, four, five times. She was all you could focus on when you sat on the uncomfortable bench, leg bouncing up and down in anticipation for the call to get on the pitch.
“Y/l/n, it’s time, go warm up.” Your coach told you, watching with careful eyes as you started going through the motions of warming up. It was only the 65th minute, so you had plenty of time to make your mark on the game, like you wanted to.
Only a minute or two later you’re standing at the sidelines, looking back to where your girl is sitting for a bit of reassurance, the girl flashing a big smile and two equally enthusiastic thumbs up your way. Taking a big breath in, you breathe out through your mouth, holding your hands up for your teammate to slap as she makes her way off the pitch for you to enter.
“This is surely not what Barcelona have expected from Sevilla, 14 year old superstar in the making Y/n Y/l/n stepping onto the pitch, towering over her grown opponents as she takes her place in the striker position.” The commentators explain to the people watching the game online, looking on as the game restarts, the ball in Barcelona’s half. You can feel the atmosphere in the stadium, the small section of Sevilla fans cheering louder than the Barcelona fans for just a moment as you step on.
The academy product, scoring against women twice her age most of the time, a superstar from their very own city. They had the right to be proud.
Loudest of all was your girlfriend, standing and cheering for you in one of your old Spain jerseys, as much as she did love you, there was no way that she would ever wear another team’s shirt.
The Barcelona team you were meeting was probably the most difficult team to play against, their skilled midfielders keeping the ball from you and the centerbacks keeping you from ever getting close to their goal. Still, you were nothing if not determined.
Getting the ball back to your feet, you think about all the videos you’d watched and analyzed of the opposing team, how they built up their attacks, how they closed down other teams, everything. All of it is in your head, you know them, you know how they play and you know how to use it to your advantage.
Starting your run through the middle of the pitch, the first player you encounter is Ana-Maria, her style was easy, and it was even easier to tap the ball between her open legs and push around her, continuing your run.
The next player running towards you is a certain Aitana Bonmatí, undoubtedly one of the best players in the world and a player that’s more difficult to get through, given not only the technical skill she possesses but also the pure physicality of the shorter woman. Switching the ball onto your non-dominant foot, you quickly maneuver it to the other one, flicking the ball up in the air before taking advantage of the height difference to run around her and head the ball back down to your foot.
Next up was Mapí Leon, a player that wouldn’t hesitate to use brute force to stop you from getting the ball in the goal, still, like Bonmati she was quite short. Running straight at her, like you predicted, she slides in to get the ball, only you’ve already chipped it straight over her outstretched legs, running to the edge of the penalty box.
The last line of defense, Paños, the one you have the most trouble reading. The goalkeeper rushes out towards you, making herself as big as possible to be able to deflect any shot from your foot. The one thing she doesn’t realize is the fact that you have a knack for curling the ball around the keeper in the most infuriating way possible.
The whole team watches with stunned expressions as the ball travels towards the goal, landing in the bottom corner with a satisfying swish. Two minutes, that’s all it took for you to make your mark on the game, two damn minutes.
Running towards the Sevilla fans on the opposite side of the pitch, you dutifully kiss the tape on your wrist, then tap the badge atop your heart before stopping in front of your girlfriend, holding your hand out to do your celebration.
Moments later, after the whole handshake is done, you wink at her before taking your leave, not forgetting to bow down in front of the screaming fans. Sure, you were still 5-1 down, but you had just scored against the biggest team in the country so you were allowed to celebrate.
Returning to your position, the game restarts and you immediately notice the increased mancoverage on you, you could barely even get the ball before there would be an annoying Barcelona player breathing down your neck.
Using this to your advantage, you distracted the women around you as your teammates built up attacking plays. At the same time, you were still freshly on with loads of energy, leaving the tired players to chase after you as you made runs upon runs.
In the 76th minute you see your teammate run up the wing and you just know she needs a head to meet the ball she plays into the box. Running as fast as you can, you launch yourself up towards the ball, angling it down to the ground just inside the goal with your head, like a bird of sorts.
A brace off the bench against one of the best teams in the world, yeah that’s just something you would do. This time you run towards the cornerflag, your team surrounding you as you get various pats on your head and shoulders. When the team starts to leave to their positions on the field, you decide to do one last thing in front of the furious Barcelona fans.
You blow a kiss to the crowd, laughing at their overreactions to the simple gesture.
In the 89th minute, you find yourself surrounded by shorter women, all trying to keep you from rising up above them and heading the ball from the corner into the goal. Like the slippery eel you are, you try to run circles around them, trying to confuse them with your position.
When you finally settle between two of their defenders you decide to be a little cheeky, one of your favorite pastime activities.
“So are all Barca defenders this short? Or have I just struck gold today?” You tease Mapi, who’s elbow meets your ribs harshly, almost making you double over in pain. There wasn’t much muscle protecting your dear ribs yet, or the rest of your body to be fair, so impact was felt to the full extent.
“Are you not meant to be doing your fifth grade homework?” She asks in the same tone as you had before, looking back at you with that oversure expression on her face. You just know that you have to wipe it off her face, with a goal preferably.
“Aren’t you supposed to be playing bingo with the other elders? Or can you just not reach the table?” Before Mapi can retort, the ball is played into the box and with athleticism that only Zlatan could rival, you leap up into the air, twisting around so that your heel meets the ball with your back to the goal, a perfect scorpion kick. Well as perfect as it could be with you ending up on the ground in the goal.
Dying minute bangers, another specialty of yours.
Blowing another kiss, this time towards the Spanish defender standing dumbfounded in front of you, you get up off the floor, running past her to get back to your own half, not without yelling a quick “that one was for you” to the world class defender. All in good fun of course, you wouldn’t do it maliciously, especially not seeing as they were still leading.
The final whistle is blown only moments later, leaving you to collapse onto the pitch in pure exhaustion from the game. Considering the fact that you’d already played a full 90 against a U23 team earlier that week, you were pretty tired.
Wondering silently if you could just take a nap in the middle of the field, you’re interrupted in your daydreaming by a hand in front of your face, a hand leading up to a player in blaugrana.
“You had a good game kid, next time though, could you not score a hattrick off the bench?” Mapi helps you up and off the ground, shaking your hand properly as you just stand there, a silly smile on your face.
“I can score a double hat trick with a start if that would make you feel any better?” The older defender ruffles your hair quickly at the teasing before she lets you go, sending you on your merry way to wherever it is you went after games.
Trudging across the pitch, you almost fall into your girlfriend’s arms as soon as you get close enough, pretty much falling asleep in the crook of her neck. She giggles sweetly and the sound paints a smile on your face, her whispered complaints of how sweaty you were drowned out by your playful yawns.
Pulling away from her neck, your eyes meet and your cheeks turn even more red than before, the physical exertion from the match clearly catching up to you. But no kiss was exchanged, you two wanted to keep your blooming relationship to yourselves and away from the public eye, leading to the act of just being best friends continuing out in the open.
Your girlfriend’s eyes shift from your own to something behind you, eyes widening exponentially at what she found.
“What’s up?” You ask Julia, who just continues to stare at something over your shoulder.
“Enemy, 6 o’clock.” Is all she says in response, rolling her eyes when you just look at her confused, placing her hands on either side of your head to turn it back to where she was looking. A smiling Alexia Putellas making her way over to where you’re standing next to your girlfriend is the last thing you were expecting, but that’s exactly what was happening.
“What the fu-” You start before one of the hands placed on the sides of your head lands over your mouth, Julia clearly not wanting you to swear in front of a legend. Licking her palm, Julia snatches her hand back as quickly as she had put it there, wiping her hand on the front of her shirt.
Looking back at her with a smirk, Julia rolls her eyes again before she slaps the back of your head, Alexia having stopped right in front of you, an unreadable expression on her face.
“You played really good today Y/n, impressive for your age, don’t be surprised if you hear from your agent within the coming days.” She smiles before turning on her heel, almost whiplashing you with the quick statement.
Looking back at the brunette, she meets your gaze with a knowing look in her eyes and a smile stretched across her lips.
“Accept it.” Julia tells you silently, the fond look never disappearing off her face.
“What?” You ask the Real Madrid youth player, not understanding what she meant by that. There wasn’t a world wherein Julia Romero would tell you to join Barcelona.
“If you get a contract offer from them, you have to accept it.” She clarifies, looking you in the eyes deeply, like she was telling you that she was being fully truthful, which she was either way.
“Why?”
“It’s what’s best for your career, I won’t let a little rivalry destroy us. Plus it'll make El Clasico 10 times more fun when I’ll absolutely crush you.” She winks at the end, making you blush once again.
“Oh in your dreams, pretty girl.” Starting to walk back to your locker room, you keep up the conversation with your girl, walking backwards to see her.
“You know you are.” Stumbling over your feet, you fall back onto your butt at the words, the already visible blush on your face growing darker, both at the words but also what you had done.
It’s just like you to score a hattrick against the best team in the world then trip over your own feet walking backwards.
—---------------------------
Just like that, a few days later Barcelona offered you a contract and the rest was history. You moved out of the small house in Sevilla to Barcelona, where you moved into the home of the two overbearing English women. A key part in the 22/23 Champions League winning squad, you scored a goal in the final of the competition, the winning goal that got you the shiny gold medal hanging over your bed, which then led to you being called up to the senior national team and winning a World Cup gold, but that’s a story for another day.
You continued to see Julia on the weekends neither of you had anything to do, getting on a train to Madrid under the guise of having a sleepover with Vicky, meeting up with your girl, spending the night and then going back to Barcelona just in time for Lucy to pick you up from Vicky’s house. Sure it cost you a good 100 euros every time, with the train tickets and the so-called ‘Vicky bribe’, but it was so worth it.
You got a weekend with your girlfriend and Vicky got 20 euros. A win-win.
During the two years you’d lived with the English women, they hadn’t suspected anything, not that you had a girlfriend nor that you went and visited her as often as you possibly could.
Well they didn’t suspect anything until the Clasico, where they had seen you both laughing and smiling all secretly to each other, like something was going on between you and the Real Madrid player.
Coincidentally, that day was also the day when your girlfriend first met your unofficial parents.
—-------------------------
The first El Clásico you had played against your girl had ended in a 4-1 win to Barcelona, with you scoring a brace and Julia scoring Madrid’s sole goal. She had been moved up to the first team at the start of the 23/24 season and despite her technically being your enemy, you were still over the moon for her.
As soon as the final whistle had been blown, you dropped to the floor like you always did, ready to take an impromptu nap right there and then.
A recognisable giggle sounds from above you, opening one eye to look up at the white clad midfielder standing in front of you with a hand out, you don’t waste a second before taking the hand in your own, pulling the girl down onto the ground instead of pulling yourself up.
“Lia, my sweetheart, what are you doing down on the ground?” You ask her playfully as she slaps your shoulder, sitting up and looking down at you with that captivating smile on her face, rolling her eyes at you like you loved.
“You’re an idiot, you know that.” Nodding along with her words, you mirror her, sitting up and leaning your weight back onto your hands, smiling mischievously her way.
“Yeah, you’ve told me like a gazillion times.” Wifting your arms around as you speak, you don’t notice Lucy and Keira making their way over to you and your ‘friend’.
“Told you what?” Lucy interrupts, looking between you and Julia rapidly, trying to understand the relationship there, friends or something more.
“Nothing special Lucifer, did you want anything or did you just come to interrupt?” Stifling a laugh at Lucy's expression, you look at your girlfriend, thinking you’d see a smile stretched over her pillowy lips, instead finding what you assume to be a look of dread on her face.
Rolling your eyes good naturedly, you stand up from your sitting position and dust yourself off before offering a courteous hand to your secret girlfriend, who takes it and stands up, half hiding behind you.
“Right, Robert, Keira, this is my childhood friend Julia, who unfortunately plays for Real Madrid which means she’ll never win anything ever.” You tease the brunette, like you always did, it was just too easy. Still, you were met with a slap to the back of your head, like usual, before she sticks her hand out to properly introduce herself to your pseudo moms.
“Julia Romero, nice to meet you both.” The way you’re looking at her definitely exposes you more than it should, but you don’t mind it, the two women in front of you knew nothing about your love life as it was.
“Childhood friends you say? Nothing else…?” Lucy really wasn’t smooth, or subtle for that matter as she tried asking you the question they were both thinking.
“Childhood friends, we’re actually best friends but I didn’t think that was a worthwhile distinction.” You respond sassily, Lucy ruffling your hair before you could even try to stop her, and whilst it was annoying for you, it did put a smile on Julia’s face and that was all that mattered.
“Alright, alright, just wrap it up soon, the bus leaves in 15.” The two leave after that, and suddenly you’re just standing with your girlfriend, all alone.
“Well, I should get going, my teammates are probably wondering where I am.” Her voice trails off as she points over her shoulder and you smile, raising your eyebrows softly.
“I’ll see you in a couple weeks.”
As you both make your way back to your respective locker rooms, you’re both oblivious to the bets being placed on what your relationship actually is.
—------------------------------
Champions League final 2024, one of the biggest games of your career, big games that keep piling up as you play for Barcelona. A final, it was a final and Jona had insisted on starting you.
Big breath in, big breath out. It’s fine. You can do this.
Walking out onto the pitch, your eyes immediately search for her, the twinkling green that you love so so much. She waves at you all excited in the old and tattered spain jersey she had insisted on wearing. Breath in, breath out. It’s time.
The first 20 minutes or so are calm, filled with counter attacks and defending against another one of the best teams in the world, it’s just Lyon.
Weaving through defender after defender, not unlike how you had against your current team nearly two years before, your brain is on autopilot, just focusing on getting the ball in the goal no matter what. And that you do, curling the ball around the defenders, watching as it ends up in the top corner of the goal.
Champions League final, yeah right.
Pointing to the brunette in the stands, everyone in the arena understands that the goal was dedicated to her, no one seeing the wink you send her though before you return to restart the game.
The rest is pretty simple, Aitana scoring just before half time and then Alexia scoring only minutes after coming on as a substitute. It all goes so fast, because suddenly the final whistle goes and you’ve won another Champions League.
You won the Champions League.
You don’t realize it until after you’ve all gotten your medals and done the trophy lift. No, it isn’t until there’s a sprinting Julia Romero heading your way that you actually register it, you won.
There’s a split second between when you catch her and when you make the decision to kiss her that you can’t help but think about all that has happened since you first got together. Two Champions League finals won, a World Cup victory, a contract from Barcelona, her getting into the senior squad at Real Madrid, her winning various tournaments with the youth teams, her joining you in the senior national team. So much had happened in so little time, and yet she was the best thing of all.
And so, you kiss her. For the first time, you actually kiss her in public, in front of friends and family, but also the millions of people watching from behind their screens. Her legs wrap tightly around your waist, arms tangling around your neck, fingers running through your hair. Your hands settle under her thighs, supporting her body so that she wouldn’t be able to just fall off.
The kiss is just magical, PG enough so that you don’t get yelled at but still some tongue action going on. Her lips are as soft as the day you first kissed her, just as sweet but now there’s a hint of salt, wet tears rolling down her cheeks as she kisses you.
Pulling away, your hands roam up until they settle against the sides of her face, thumbs brushing away the tears that just seem to keep on falling. Her forehead leans against yours, nose nudging yours as she asks for another kiss.
Releasing her legs from their grip around your waist, Julia stands in front of you, her arms threading around your neck again as she brings you down for yet another kiss, this one not as passionate, more like a congratulations kiss. Pulling back, she pecks your lips twice before fully letting you go.
“Why are you crying baby?” Tears were still rolling down her face, no matter how much you tried to wipe them, they kept on coming.
“I’m just so proud of you, look at how far you’ve come. You won the Champions League.” Smiling at her adorable reasoning, you lean in to kiss her once more, well that is until you’re interrupted, yet again by a certain someone.
“Childhood friends huh? Nothing more? I knew you were together, I could see it.” Turning towards Lucy, you roll your eyes at the statement, clearly she did know a little, but obviously not everything.
“So you know that I actually didn’t sleep over at Vicky’s all those times then? That I was really in Madrid all those times?” You tease, which was probably a bad idea, considering the fact that you definitely were not allowed to go to Madrid over the weekends. “Amor, I’ll see you in a little.” You rush out before you start running, Lucy wasting no time and chasing after you.
A calmer looking Keira comes up to Julia, who’s standing there dumbfounded, and offers her the hand that’s not clutching onto the trophy.
“Welcome to our little family, they do that sometimes, same level of maturity, them two.” Julia shakes her head fondly, looking at the terrified expression you’re wearing as you get chased around the pitch. “They’ll calm down soon, then we can take some pictures together, all of us. You’ll come home with us later, right?”
And even though Julia knew she’d be teased for the rest of her life, she still stood and posed for photos with you and the CL trophy her rivals had won.
Photos that later got posted to your instagram with the caption;
your girlfriend can’t sleep, and you’re the only fix
lucy sighed softly as she blinked at the alarm clock on her bedside table, and the realisation that yet another hour had passed without her being able to drift off hit her. glancing down at your sleeping frame, a smile creeped onto her face - as you lay in her arms, pretty much out like a light. you had knocked out practically the second your head had hit your pillow (her) and had stayed that way for the last now three hours.
your cheek was pressed firmly against her chest, your mouth hanging open ever so slightly, allowing soft snores (that she adored, and would never dare tell you about) to slip past every now and again. simply just letting her eyes glance over you, even in complete darkness, made her heart flutter, and the way you were sprawled on top of her, with your arms loosely wrapped around her, only made her smile widen - and caused her to wonder how she ended up with someone as effortlessly beautiful as you were - even when dead asleep, you were breathtaking.
there was no denying that lucy was truly and utterly whipped for you - a fact that everybody around her knew, you included. she would do anything for you, without question.
you began to stir the instant that her fingers subconsciously found your hair, and she panicked internally, not wanting to wake you - pulling you tighter into her embrace and moving her hands to rub soothing circles into the curve of your back, praying that you would settle back down again without fuss.
but to no avail.
“luce? what are you doing up?” you grumbled into her, lifting your head slightly as your girlfriend just shushed you and continued to caress your back in response.
“can’t sleep.” she whispered into your hair, placing a kiss there before you nodded, shifting slightly to press your face into the crook of her neck, and peck softly at the skin that was left uncovered by her hoodie. “what time is it?”
“like two.” she sighed.
“god. how long have you been up?” you asked in between kisses, stroking at her arm mindlessly.
“i never fell asleep - couldn’t switch off. dunno why.” she replied, a slight shrug following her words.
“what? baby why didn’t you wake me up?” you suddenly sat up on her lap, pouting and staring into her sleepless eyes, searching for an explanation.
“you looked so peaceful.” she murmured, cupping your cheeks and pulling you back down to meet your lips. “didn’t want to disturb you sweetheart, especially when there’s no reason to.”
“i’d happily have disturbed sleep anytime for you luce. you know that.” you argued gently, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world - a small smile crossing your features as you pulled away from her a little.
“i know darling, you’re too good to me, thank you. well, gimme cuddles, maybe it’ll help.”
“you don’t even have to ask, silly. come here.” you chirped, sleep returning to scratch at your voice as you dropped your head back down into its previous position, resting in her neck. “did you try counting sheep?”
“i don’t think that has ever worked for anyone.” she only grumbled in response, her own tiredness more evident than ever.
“you never know until you try.” you shrugged, causing lucy to sigh in response, before wrapping her arms around your back, and letting herself be completely enveloped by you. the silence that settled between the pair of you lasted no more than a few minutes - her frustrated groan that broke it travelling across the room.
“doesn’t work.”
“just clear your mind, yeah? let all your thoughts and everything just float away. it’s just you and me.” you whispered, remaining still and quiet in hopes that it’d eventually take some influence.
“can we sleep naked? maybe that’s what it is. wanna be close to you. wanna feel your skin.”
“if you think that’ll help babe.” you mumbled, sitting up to pull your lucy’s oversized shirt up and over your head, leaving you almost completely bare in front of your girlfriend.
you watched her intently, searching for any sign of sleep in her eyes, rolling your own when you instead caught her eyeing you up and down hungrily, smirking up at you.
“absolutely not. don’t even think about it. sex isn’t going to work either. it didn’t last time - just got you all riled up, and then neither of us slept. remember how many laps ale made us do that day?”
“well how exactly can you expect me to not want to when you look like that.”
“lucy.” you warned, raising an eyebrow at her before lifting off her to slip off your panties, and mindlessly throwing them across the room - ruling them a problem for the morning. “are you going to strip too or are you just going to stare at me the entire night? this was your idea, remember?”
“alright, alright, fine.” she paused both her staring and complaints about your lack of use of a nickname to pull her own shirt and underwear off, in a speed that was almost impressive.
“if i can’t stare, neither can you, hypocrite.”
“you suck.” you whined, shifting once more to the same position you’d woken up in, sprawled across her - arms clumsily moving to wrap around her.
“its hot in here.” lucy gulped from below you, her signature smirk, that almost always made you melt, returning to spread across her face.
“it’s the middle of january, it’s freezing. you’re just horny, and we’re going to sleep.”
“ugh.” she groaned, lacking the energy to fully tease you and get what she wanted. her arms pulled you impossibly closer into her, her skin flush against your own. the sheer comfort and warmth that radiated off of her made you beam, as you let sleep begin to creep back up on you.
you laid in a comfortable silence for a good while, almost long enough for you to fully drift off, believing that she had too - before you felt her tracing shapes on the bare skin of your back - and the sound of her humming hit your ears.
“will you hum with me?”
“of course.” you chuckled to yourself silently, melting at how much of a dork lucy truly was, despite the front she put on - and how offended she got when you called her that.
you picked up on her tune with ease, this being a rather common occurrence with the two of you, joining in and humming alongside her, only stopping when you noticed that hers had trailed off, and that her eyes had fluttered shut, at last.
“goodnight my love. i love you so much.” you said, so quietly that it was more mouthed, allowing yourself to easily fall back to sleep.
“love you too.” she mumbled into your hair - words so thick with sleep that they sounded more like random sounds.
-
this was actually inspired by a glee fic i read years ago yet still remember, and the fact that i’m also desperate to fall asleep but can’t !!
i’ve got to be up early in the morning to go to liverpool to watch arsenal play (terrified and praying that we aren’t shit) so i will proof read and upload more works on the journey!
hope you enjoyed this - apologies that it’s not my best!
sorry this took a while for those who asked. didn’t know how to end it tbh
part 1 part 2
———
You were sleeping peacefully in your big girl bed when you start feeling a hand run through your hair. You whine, not liking the feeling of waking up, shoving your face into your pillow.
“Morning, Petal.” Your Mama greets you.
“No. Night night.”
“Yes, morning. You’ve got to wake up, Mummy is making your favorite breakfast.”
You peak, opening just one of your eyes.
“Pacakes?”
“With strawberries.”
“Strawberries.” You said in awe. You push the covers off of you and hold your arms up. Your Mama getting the hint and picks you up, placing you in her hip.
“Little missy is finally up.”
“Hi, Mummy.” You lean your body forward to give her a kiss on the cheek, almost falling out of Lucy’s hold.
“Hi, honey. Did you have a good sleep?”
“Best sleep. Teddy make sure I don’t have bad dreams.”
“That’s nice of Teddy to do.”
“Now, Petal. Do you remember what we’re doing today?” You shake your head side to side, stuffing your face with pancakes. “We’re going to be on an airplane.”
You gasp, remembering. “We see auntys?”
“We are!”
“Miss Aunty Leah. Want to wear her jersey today.”
After some trouble with getting you dressed - you running away from your mums - you finally made it past security and waiting by your gate.
“Is a big airplane?”
“Yeah.”
“I sit at the window?”
“Of course.”
“Watch Bluey on plane?”
“Uh huh.”
Your moms answer your many questions from the gate waiting area all the way to your seats on the plane. You didn’t complain once on the flight, your moms grateful that it wasn’t a long flight.
You try to run out of the airport, but your Mummy holds onto your hand tight. Walking out of the doors, you see someone familiar leaning against a car.
“Aunty Leah!”
“Munchkin!’
“You here? Mama and Mummy say you not.” You place both of your tiny hands on both her cheeks.
“I’ve missed you and I wanted to come and hang out with you.”
“Missed you too.”
You made you Mama drive the car because you wanted your Aunty Leah to sit next to you. You told her everything you’ve been up to in the time you hadn’t seen her - from what you ate to the stories your Mummy told you before bed.
Leah helps you out of the carseat and places you on the ground. The rest of the team that have arrived before you were in the meeting room catching up with one another so you were on your way there. Your Mama and Mummy hold the double doors open for you and Leah.
“The princess has arrived!” You let go of Leah’s hand, running towards everyone, giving them all a hug.
The next day, training starts. Your mums made sure to set up a space for you where you could find your toys and plenty of snacks. An hour in, you got hungry so you took a bag of chips from your bag. You still have trouble opening these bags so you looked around to see who wasn’t on the pitch. Your mums had a very stern talking to you about going to the pitch while they’re playing so you made sure not to do that anymore.
The only one not playing were the trainers and Sarina. Sarina was the boss - something your Mama told you - so since she was in charge, she knew a lot of things and one of those things could be opening a bag of chips.
You timidly walk up to her, holding out the bag to her. She opens it without question. you stand next to her, observing your moms and their friends play, stuffing your mouth.
“You want to be my little helper?” Your eyes light up, head nodding rapidly. She asks one of the trainers to grab a chair for you to stand on. Sarina tells you what to say, you yelling as loud as your little voice could. “Faster!” You loved this job, being able to yell without your moms telling you to quiet down.
When training ended, Leah picked you up, placing you on her shoulders. She walks over to where your moms stood, getting hydrated.
“Mummy! I tall!”
“So tall!” She replies, matching your enthusiasm, tickling your stomach and hearing it grumble. “Are you hungry? Your tummy thinks so.”
Your aunt carries you all the way to where all the food was, showing you all the different kinds of food available.
“See anything you like?”
“Tatos, chicken, boccli.” You list out.
“You like brocolli?”
“Oh, she loves ‘em. Eats them like crisps.”
As you are finishing eating, you have so much leftovers, Leah piling your plate up high for your little body. She was distracted, talking to your moms so you occasionally grab some chicken and just stuff it into her mouth. She eats them without question until your plate is all empty.
“All done!”
“Good job, Petal.”
“Hey!” You turn to see a pouty aunty. “You made me eat all of that.”
You shrug. “You give me too much so you have to eat it. Mummy says wasting is bad.”
“Yeah, Leah. Wasting is bad.” Keira teases.
The rest of the day was pretty calm. You had an after lunch nap. Your mums stayed with you as you swore you couldn’t be able to sleep unless they were laying on each side of the bed with you. They ended up falling asleep as well.
You loved coming to camp. Especially when it’s back in England.
— r gets sick of biting her tongue around jonas & the other girls. when things blow up, she threatens to leave the club behind forever. what happens when she actually does?
let me go (angst) READ WARNINGS! - part 1
— r has been struggling with their mental health for years, and the team has always been there. a particularly bad relapse takes a turn for the worst and puts the team in a situation they will never forget.
✧ - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞
series / universe following reader x leah through their long term relationship & life moments!
leah williamson : a team effort - read it here!
leah williamson : two blue lines - read it here!
leah williamson : first trimester - read it here!
leah williamson : motherhood - coming soon
✧ - 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞
captain's sister (18+) - part 1
— a night of celebrations lead to lucy and r carrying leah back to her room, like usual. leah, an overprotective older sister, had set clear boundaries. but what happens when the right-back is left alone with her captain’s sister..
jealousy & invites (18+) - part 1
— lucy was an easy jealous - overly protective and overly agitated. after r and leah have a particularly handsy dance, a very exciting idea springs to lucy’s mind.
is it over now? (angst) - part 1
— keira and lucy had been having problems for a while. no fighting, no arguing. silent problems. after lucy up left unannounced, then shows up uninvited two weeks later. what was keira supposed to do?
three strikes (18+) - part 1 , part 2
— friends, maybe? attracted to each other, absolutely. three strikes is enough to have r right in the palm of her hand. it was just a matter of time.
✧ - 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐞
saint (18+) - part 1
— best friends can flirt, can post pictures that make fan’s head spin. but when they find themselves locked in a cubicle after an act of jealousy, can they be just best friends..
too sweet (18+) - part 1
— after katie gets a tattoo from r, a friendship blossoms. until one day they, for some reason, just stop talking. but when katie turns up at r’s house on a random friday. how will they resolve what happened?
✧ - 𝐤𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐡
is it over now? (angst) - part 1
— keira and lucy had been having problems for a while. no fighting, no arguing. silent problems. after lucy up left unannounced, then shows up uninvited two weeks later. what was keira supposed to do?
grown - part 1
— keira, georgia and leah. the story of their friendship. the ups, the downs, the fights and the laughs. the three best friends…. and maybe lucy.
✧ - 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐨𝐧
grown - part 1
— keira, georgia and leah. the story of their friendship. the ups, the downs, the fights and the laughs. the three best friends…. and maybe lucy.
ugh (18+) - part 1
— r & leah’s friendship took a turn for the worst after her acl injury, r gave up trying to support someone who was convinced they didn’t need it. r finally snaps and leah’s reaction is… confusing.
'tis the season - part 1 , part 2
— r & leah have been friends for years, since they were 10. not just friends, best friends. but when life, parents and family got in the way forcing r to move away they lost contact. now r is back, and just in time for christmas.
𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢’𝐬!
leah williamson & beth mead : you're still the one - read it here!
✧ - 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐲
grown - part 1
— keira, georgia and leah. the story of their friendship. the ups, the downs, the fights and the laughs. the three best friends…. and maybe lucy.
𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 ✧.*
a collection of little social media fics/ficlets for player x reader !!
✧ - 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐞
soft launch - read it here! - behind the posts
— this is how i imagine soft launching your relationship with katie would go, and obviously it would have to be whilst you were both on holiday! featuring the awfc girls!
hard launch - read it here! - behind the posts
— you and katie have been dating secretly (not really) for an entire year, and you decide that your anniversary is the perfect time to tell the world! featuring the awfc girls!
✧ - 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐨𝐧
soft launch - read it here! - behind the posts
— leah's birthday posts before and after a team and friend trip to Ibiza get fans stirring up the rumours of a relationship. do they play into it? probably!
graduation - read it here! - behind the posts
— after graduating, you and leah think it’s time the world got to know the news about your relationship, in the form of a little instagram soft launch! featuring the awfc girls & lionesses!
✧ - 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞
unlikely pair - read it here! - behind the posts
— after going to see a show on the west end whilst back in london for international duty, lucy meets r and an unlikely romance blossoms between the two!
You took a sip from your drink after finishing your 30 min run in the treadmill. Controlling your breathing and leaving the home gym, you made with the help of your girlfriends Lucy and Keira, you went to the kitchen and pulled out one of the pre made meals and started to heat it up as you took a sit on the couch. You started to relax as you started to swipe through Tiktok. You knew Lucy and Keira were on way back from training. Whilst Real Madrid players weren't training today.
You sheepishly smile as you see some videos you been tagged on. The normal edits, appreciation and thirst trap edits of you. You appreciated the videos fans made, it made you feel appreciated and inspire others.
As you scrolled you sure a montage of Keira's passing. You smiled at your cute girl as a though came into your mind.
You clicked on the search bar and typed "Keira Walsh thirst trap" and clicked in the first video
You cheeks got red as you sheepishly smiled at the clips of you girlfriend. Slightly embarrassed that you just looked up a random video of your awkward angel. Her cuteness always made ou happy and love her even more. One clip was showing Keira's tattoo on her side.
You couldn't help but keep look at her tattoo on her side. She likes it one you traced it and pecked the outline of it you bit your lip in thought. You shook your head and swiped up only to see her in her sports bra. You immediately swiped up only to be met with a Wonze one. You starred at your girls with love but you were missing their touch. It's been a while sine you three have done anything in the bedroom.
You watched the video and looked at your gf, figure, hair, eyes and tattoos. You bit your lip. You looked around. It wouldn't be too bad to do something about it. You looked at the video and slid. Your hand down your shorts. Just about to touch
Then you feel arms from behind hook around your neck
"Aw I thought that was my job" You went red face with embarrassment as you heard Lucy's voice
"Maybe you have been slacking, Luc," You hear Keira say as she sat across from you. You look up at the hurt face of Bronze until she glanced at the phone and dropped her mouth in surprise and nabbed your phone
"LUCY!"
"You little perv," She said jokingly as she made her way to Keira. "No wonder they couldn't control themselves," she said smugly. Keira looked at it with interest until she giggled and looked at you with a cheeky grin. Making you hide your face with a pillow "Guess we are just too much for them" Keira snorted "Babe" she tapped Lucy's thigh and held the phone up to her "Look who she searched" Lucy frowned and took it and saw what you searched. You begin to slowly walk to the down. Lucy's frown turned to an offended look before looking at you. Noticing you had shoes on and the door half way open.
"When I catch you, you're not gonna be able to walk, let alone get out of bed tomorrow." Keira bit her lip. She liked when you were like this.
"Good luck, dodgy knee," you bravely said before bolting out of the house. "GET BACK HERE BRAT!"
This is just a short little fic I've worked on, it was going to be a reader x ENGWNT fic but now it's sort of an OC X ENGWNT fic, so let me know any thoughts.
It does allude to an eating disorder, it's not graphic or anything but if that triggers you then please avoid, or if you want to know more specifically about what's mentioned feel free to dm me :)
She knew before she arrived that Sarina and multiple members of the national management team would want to discuss her weight with her, why it was dropping again? What was going on? How they could help? And ultimately remind her of the consequences of her continued weight loss.
She knew the consequences, she was just past a point of caring, everything seemed of so little consequence somehow. So it was no surprise that before she'd even had a chance to get to her room after arriving she'd been called to see Sarina, who had gone through everything with her, tried to break through to her, to no avail.
"Brooke,"
"Yes?"
"The girls already know"
"Who?" She gulped, turning back around from her walk out of the room.
"Leah, Millie, Lucy and Kiera. We didn't have a choice but to tell them,"
"Fantastic" She sighed, eyes briefly closing as though to block out the situation she found herself in, before she walked silently out of the office. Sarina watching her small figure slowly disappear out of the room, hopeful that after all the other failed interventions this would be the turning point.
As Brooke walked up towards her room, suitcase trailing along behind her, using the stairs rather than the lift to waste time, she wondered what would be waiting for her.
Who would be waiting for her.
She usually shared a room with Lauren, but she knew the rest of the city girls were going to be arriving a day late, so her room would be open and waiting for the intervention she was sure the 4 players were planning even as she walked up towards them.
As she arrived on the corridor of her room she saw the sad little huddle of girls waiting for her. For a brief second she considered turning straight back around and walking the way she came, shutting out problems she didn't want to deal with.
But it was Millie who turned to look at her making direct eye contact, her suitcase and the annoying sound of it's wheels betraying her and making her presence obvious to them, making her chances of escape impossible.
So with a noticeable drop of her shoulders she carried on walking towards them, not speaking a word as she went, barely moving her eyes away from the door. She didn't say 'Hey' as she normally would, didn't go in for a long awaited hug, but instead just opened the door with her card and slipped in, leaving it open behind her for the other player to follow through.
The silence in the room was loud as she dropped her suitcase by the window and then went to sit on one of the beds claiming it as her own. They didn't speak as she took her shoes off, as she swung her feet up in front of her and lent back against the headboard, nothing until she turned to look at them properly again.
4 confused, upset, concerned faces all looking back at her.
"I don't know," Lucy says as she adjusts the collar of her shirt," It's kind of itchy."
Keira rolls her eyes. "You chose it," She says," It's too late now."
"I can go up and change."
"And ruin this for Bear?"
In sync, they both turn to look at you.
You're sitting on the sofa, helping Narla wear the blonde wig Lucy had bought a few years ago for a laugh. It's that stupid wig that had sparked this whole mess.
Halloween was coming up and, while you didn't like it in action, you liked the holiday in theory.
You liked the idea of dressing up and getting sweeties but you didn't like having to go out in the dark with all the scary people trying to scare you.
So, this was the compromise.
You refused to go out trick or treating with Bebita so you'd do some trick or treating by yourself at training.
Hence the costume.
Narla was Goldilocks which made you, Mummy and Mum the three bears.
Mum was Daddy bear. Mummy was Mummy bear and you got to be Baby bear.
Lucy sighs, pulling on the collar of her bear onesie. She swore it didn't feel this itchy when she first bought it.
"Come on, bear!" She hollers," Let's get into the car!"
You shuffle forward, Koda bear in your hand and Narla padding after you. You let Lucy lift you easily and put on your seatbelt, kicking your little legs absentmindedly.
"Are you excited, bear?" She asks and you nod.
"We're getting sweeties!"
You don't get sweeties a lot because Keira says they'll rot your teeth and no one wants that.
But this is Halloween and you're allowed to have sweeties if you dress up so that's what you're doing.
Lucy flips up the hood of your bear onesie up so everyone can see the bear face on it before she lets you and Narla out of the car.
Your pumpkin Halloween bucket hangs in your hand as Keira takes the other, leading you inside.
You can spot a group of the girls hanging around just inside the doors and you shuffle your feet, nibbling at your cheek nervously.
"Do you remember what to say?" Keira prompts and you nod, still shuffling anxiously.
You catch her sleeve. "You stay with me?"
"Okay, bear, I'll stay."
Keira's hand gently rests on your back, spurring you forward as you come to a stop in front of Irene, Marta and Caro.
"Go on, bear," Keira whispers," You've got this."
You clear your throat and lift up your bucket up for them all to see.
"Trick-treat...Please!"
A little huff of laughter ripples around the group as they drop a few pieces of candy into your bucket.
"Thank you!" You say, bobbing your head a bit too much because the bear face completely covers your eyes and Lucy has to tug it back so you can see again.
The girls smile down at you and you suddenly go shy, shuffling back into the safety of Keira.
"She's adorable," Irene says," I like your costume, bear."
"'m Baby Bear," You mumble from where you've pressed your face against Keira's legs.
"Well, you're a very good Baby Bear."
"Thank you," You reply, shuffling all the way back to Lucy, who was waiting to take you into the locker room.
She pushes you in first and you suck in a very big, deep breath for a moment before you open your mouth.
"Trick-treat!"
You hold up your bucket and the girls come forward one by one to drop some sweets into it.
Mapi and Ingrid send Bebita along to give you their portion and she compliments your costume before running back to Ingrid to finish whatever breakfast has been packed for her.
Barcelona Halloween is fun, you decide.
The team fill up your bucket, your onesie is nice and warm and comfortable enough to nap in without having to get one of your special blankets and Narla seems to really like her Goldilocks wig.
You sit on the picnic blanket as the others train and Bebita goes around with her snapping jaws trying to bite people.
You stay with your bucket and your Koda bear though, pouring out your sweets and sorting them into little piles.
A shadow falls over you and you look up.
"What are you doing, huh? You know you're not meant to be having sweeties yet. They're for after dinner," Lucy says, hand lightly pushing back the hair that's fallen over your eyes.
"Not for me," You say, sticking your tongue out in concentration," For the team!"
"The team?"
You nod. "Because they did a nice thing for me for Halloween. Now I do a nice thing for them."
Lucy smiles. "That's nice. You're sweet, bear."
"You'll help hand them out?"
"If you want."
"I do." You stand up, reaching for Lucy's hand. "We're going to do a nice thing for everyone."
