Playing it Cool (Lucy Bronze x Reader)
a/n: based off this request here. This is barely proof read and it is quite long, but enjoy!!
prompt: in which the tension between you and Lucy at England camp is undeniable
tw⚠️: mentions of drinking, a little spicy
You had known Lucy for ages. She was 5 years older than you, and initially was noting more than a role model to you. That is, because you never thought she would go for a girl 5 years younger. But once you turned 21, Lucy realized that the age difference was simply irrelevant. You joined Manchester City just as she left it, you didn’t know she was going to leave, and she didn’t know you were in the midst of signing a contract. The fact that you had barely missed one another in terms of playing club soccer with each other upset you deeply. You had no way to guess it did the same for her. Despite this, you made your time at City fruitful. In the 2018 season, you became the midfielder with the most goals in one season in the history of the WSL. The feeling was pure ecstasy.
The only feeling that topped it? Lucy Bronze returning to Manchester City. For two years, you shared the pitch again. You loved it. You loved her presence, her smirks of approval in training, and the fact that you were never away from her because when you weren’t tearing it up for City, you were combining plays together for the Lionesses. The only problem? You weren’t single. At the time, you were dating a rugby player. She was nice, reserved, and calm. The opposite of Lucy.
In 2022, you made a lot of changes. You signed a contract with Chelsea, broke up with your girlfriend and moved away. The thoughts in your head were along the lines of: "Lucy and I, it’s just not happening." Little did you know, she was having those same thoughts as she left City for Barcelona.
A month into your contract with Chelsea, you suffered the worst of the worst. Your ACL tore. It was mentally horrifying, physically demanding and overall depressing. So it wasn’t till you met back up for the Lionesses training camp a year and a half into playing for your respective clubs that things shifted.
Let’s say, a year and a half without seeing eachother was exactly what you needed.
When y/n tore her ACL, I genuinely cried for her. She was young, still. Had so much to prove and so much to accomplish. It didn’t help that I never got to see her anymore. It was heartbreaking in every way.
As I arrived at St-George’s Park, knowing she would be there, my heart was racing.
I heard her before I saw her. She was always energetic, but I could tell the thrill of being back at St-George’s combined with the joy of seeing Alessia and Ella sent her over the edge
"Lessi! Tooney!" y/n shrieked.
The two girls swiveled around, dropped their bags and ran towards y/n. The trio hugged hard and jumped around in joy, as though they were 10 years old again. Seeing her, seeing y/n, everything felt right in the world again.
I greeted Lessi and Ella in a way that was all but discrete. We didn’t care, we had been waiting for this moment for ages. But quickly after the meeting, my eyes settled themselves on a certain tall brunette. I didn’t plan on trying to find her, but my subconscious had a mind of its own.
I was happy to see that when I did look at her, she was already staring at me.
"Hey y/n," Lucy said when she walked over to me.
Maybe it was the adrenaline and the joy from being back from injury, but I barely had any nerves.
"Hey Luce," I smiled wildly, and then I hugged her. I got on my tippy toes and wrapped my arms around her neck and she settled hers tightly around my waist. She smelled so good, and I could tell the Barcelona training schedule agreed with her. Her back, shoulders and arms felt even firmer than they were before.
I made a mental note of checking that out in the changing rooms.
“You look great," she said as I pulled away from her. “Like, injury wise you know. You look ready to go," Lucy fumbled.
This was unusual for her. Even back at Man City, she would flirt shamelessly and was always witty and confident with her remarks. I didn’t know exactly what had changed, or if it was a good or bad change, but something was different.
"Thank you, I’ve really been working hard. I missed this place, the girls… you," I dared a more straightforward remark. "I missed you too," she smiled, confidence pooling in her voice once more.
But before the conversation could keep going, Sarina ushered you all to your rooms.
The next day, you woke up with Esme in the bed with you. You remembered the night before which consisted of giggling while scrolling on tik tok and catching up on all the missed gossip. Your guess was that you had fallen asleep.
You got out of bed, put your hair up and changed into your England sweat suit before quietly dipping out of the room. You wanted to start your day off well. A good breakfast, some coffee and stretching, and then working your ass off at training. The team only had a week before their friendly against the Netherlands, and you’d be damned if you didn’t get the start.
As it was only 8am, You weren’t expecting to be alone in the Cafeteria, but you were wrong. Leah was sat there scrolling on her phone, and it was only once you saw her that you recalled her early-bird habits. "Hey Leah!" you said, happy for the company. "Y/n! Hey, I’m happy to see you I wanted to give you a proper hello but yesterday was so chaotic," she explained as she got up and wrapped me in a hug.
You got food quickly, sat with her and talked about everything and nothing for about half an hour before more teammates started pooling in.
When Lucy got there, she was quick to claim the free seat beside you. Your table was bustling with chatter from Leah, Alessia, Ella, Lauren and Esme. You and Lucy opted to be silent observers. But it only took about five minutes before tension filled the air. As more people joined your table, the closer you and Lucy had to be smushed together. So much so that her thigh was pressed against yours in a way that made your stomach lurch.
Leah was going on about something regarding playing against Viv Miedema this following week, but your attention was elsewhere. It was on Lucy’s hand that was gently brushing your knee.
The brunette stared past you and at Leah, acting as though she had no clue what she was doing, but you knew better. This had Lucy Bronze written all over it.
An hour after lunch and having been done your technical session, it was time to hit the gym. You changed into a fresh kit as your old one was grass stained from all the work you had put in and then headed to the gym with Alessia by your side.
You walked into the gym and took notice of the white board which marked the exercises you had to do. Most people were already warming up, some were still caught up in chatter. A thought crossed your mind. If Lucy was being so bold with brushing her hand over your thigh, why couldn’t you?
Oh, and there’s probably something that needs clarification. Right before your ACL tear, on the last night of international break, all the girls went out to a club. You danced the night away, and did that with not only the team, but this blonde girl you met that night. Needless to say, Lucy was searing with jealousy. And that’s how you both ended up in the club washroom, drunk out of your minds and making out for god knows how long. There had been no time to discus the matter as the next morning she was on a flight to Spain, and you were back with Chelsea. Then, your ACL tear created a year long gap between seeing each other. Sure, you had been in the stands of the Lionesses matches, but you were too chicken to ever go talk to her.
So in this moment, in the St-George’s Park gym, you walked up to her. "Be my partner? We can spot eachother," you suggested with a slight smile and a knowing look in your eyes. "Yeah, sure, of course," her answer came back immediately.
"Great, we can start on the squat rack after the warmup," you said before sitting next to her and starting your stretches. "Yeah, okay." Lucy answered you. "You excited to get back on the field?" She followed up. "Gosh, I can’t wait. Genuinely I want to fast forward to that moment. Being sidelined like this… it’s been really hard, you just really feel alone even if it’s one of the most common injuries right now," you said, making occasional eye contact with her. "I wish I could have been here to help, I’m sorry y/n," Lucy said softly. "I know if you were here you would have Luce, it’s okay."
You both moved onto the main part of your workout, the squat rack was up first. Lucy started first as she squatted more than you did now, one of the many set backs of an ACL tear. You spotted her, but she didn’t need it whatsoever. You watched her brow furrow in concentration through the mirror in front of you both, and stared at her arm muscles throbbing. Her sleeves were rolled all the way up, she knew what she was doing. She it was your turn, you knowingly hiked your shorts up higher then you normally did. When you went down for your first rep, Lucy’s eyes were not on your form. When you finished your set you turned around and gently laid your hand on her abs.
"Hey Luce? When i’m working out, focus more on spotting me, and less on my ass, okay?"
Over the past couple days, you and Lucy had much less time to flirt and play mind games with each other. Your entire focus was shifted towards the game, that’s all you cared about. Lucy, you’d be able to deal with later. Today was almost an entire off day though. The team had had a light training session at 10 where you worked on the basics. Finishing, crosses, corners, etc. You had scored every shot you took, ready to prove yourself on the pitch tomorrow. But now, Sarina just wanted you girls to stretch, eat well, and hangout as a group. So that’s what you did.
You and Esme went back to your room after training and you started undressing, wanting to claim the shower first.
"So…" she started saying, "what’s up with you and Lucy?"
Your back was turned to her as you slipped off your training top. You were happy it was because you cracked a shy smile. "We’re… I think we’re starting up where we left off," you said.
"And that would be where, exactly?" She asked, unknowing about your excursion with the brunette defender last year.
But what better time to tell her?
"Making out in the bar bathroom last year," you giggled, turning around to see her face drop. "Y/n y/l/n! You’re joking!" she gasped. "I am not, but you can’t tell anybody. I think the only other soul that knows is Lucy’s dog," you teased. "Tell me everything!" she insisted as you hopped into the shower and she took her spot on the counter.
You told her about it all, about the flirting, about the dancing with another girl which led to Lucy’s jealous fit, and then the oh so good makeout. You also explained that when you tore your ACL, you just weren’t in the mental space to figure out what you and Lucy were.
"So, do you like her or is it just kind of a fun thing to have going on in the background of your life," Esme asked.
"Esme, I’ve been in love with her since the first time we played together. I think I’ve just only let myself accept it now."
"Okay I know this is cliche, but what about truth or dare?" Esme suggested to the group of lionesses.
You side eyed her, the phrase being all too familiar, and the fact that it had come out of your friends mouth as she shot you a knowing gland did not make you feel safe.
You were sat across from Lucy, but wished badly that she was beside you. You wore short grey sweat shorts and a white tank top, a matching grey zip up was open and your hair was still wet from your shower. You knew the sight of your shorter shorts paired with the low cut of your tank top was driving Lucy crazy. You loved it.
"Sure, why not! I have some things I’ve been wanting to find out about you guys," Leah teased. "Okay Cap, a little too enthusiastic there," you answered her, earning scattered laughs. "Who’s up first then?" Ella rebutted, a look of evil excitement in her eyes.
"You guys are all chicken! I’ll go first," Ella announced. "Mary, truth or dare." "Truth," Mary answered without missing a beat. "Who is the most annoying player you’ve ever played with," Tooney asked. "Well you’re quite high up there Ella!" Mary snickered. "All jokes aside, probably this defender named Margo I played with at Bristol City."
"Boringggg Mary, you’re too nice," you responded. "Oh I’m boring! Okay let’s see you go then. Y/n, truth or dare," she said quickly. "Truth," you said.
"Who was your best ever kiss," she asked, earning oohs of approval from the team.
You locked eyes with Lucy. Her jaw was clenched solid, so were her hands. Obviously, you couldn’t say her, although it was her lips on yours that remained the best you had ever had. But by saying Lucy, that opened a door you weren’t ready to open. So, you had to think of someone else. You thought back to a couple months ago when you were still out on injury and ran into a familiar face at a club. You had been sitting alone at the bar, drowning your sorrows when Jill Roord came up to you. One thing led to another and you had woken up in her hotel room the next morning, but no need to mention that.
"I guess, uh… I mean I haven’t really kissed anyone in a while but Jill Roord was pretty good…" you said, staring at your hands.
Exclamations of "what" "when" and how filled up the whole room. "It was nothing guys it was a bar encounter a while back," you laughed, attempting to differ the conversation.
You looked up, saw Lucy, and was met with a look you hadn’t seen before in her eyes. A mix of rage, jealousy, and hurt.
You then gave Alessia a half assed there along the lines of posting a bad picture on instagram and then Lucy’s name was called on by the blonde forward. "Lucy, truth or dare?"
"Dare," Lucy said, looking straight at you.
"I dare you to send a risky text to the most attractive person in your phone," Alessia said. "Easy," Lucy answered. She pulled out her phone and tapped her screen for a second, then pressed send.
That’s when you felt it, the buzz of your phone on your lap.
You obviously couldn’t look at it right away or everyone would know, so you waited till the game was over, your heart pounding.
Thirty minutes later, people started dispersing into their rooms to have some down time, and you grabbed your phone and opened the notification that, surely enough, was from Lucy.
You’re so dead for that comment y/l/n, meet me in my room at 7, and i’ll remind you what an actual good kiss feels like.
Your heart lurched. But at this point, all there was left to do was wait.
You were nervously waiting outside of Lucy’s door. You didn’t know who she was rooming with, or what you be waiting for you inside of the room. You raised your fist slowly, then applied three short knocks to the wooden door.
The answer came immediately.
Lucy opened the in a sports bra and nike shorts riding low. "Hey y/n," she said, her voice sounding a particular level of needy. "Hey Luce," you shifted nervously from side to side. "Come in," she stepped aside. You did. "Who are you rooming with?" you asked, nervousness filling your body even more. You wondered where the confidence you had in the gym those days ago went. "Don’t have one, that’s the perk of being an odd number," she smiled. Lucy didn’t seem nervous at all.
There was a moment of silence between you both.
"Lucy, i’m so sorry about today. I need you to know how much I wanted to say you. I want you to know that you’re all i’ve been able to think about. But saying that to all the girls… I didn’t- I don’t even know what you think about me. And I’m sorry for saying Jill, we’re playing her tomorrow and I realize how stupid that was I just panicked. Luce you are the best kiss i’ve ever had, ever. And I want to tell everybody that but-"
You were cut off by Lucy sitting down on the bed and giving you a certain look that meant "stop talking."
"Y/n, I’m not mad. Jealous as hell? Yeah. Mad? No. I get it," she said. Lucy opened her legs slightly, inviting you to stand between them. "Come here baby," she husked. You did, you stood between her legs and looked down at her. Her hands slid up your thighs, hips, and then under your shirt. "I want to do so much right now, but the focus needs to be on the game tomorrow. You have big things to show England, a big reminder to be given of how spectacular you are," Lucy said. "Luce… Im still sorry. Your gonna be defending Jill tomorrow and-"
And that’s the moment where she kept true to her word. Lucy reminded you why she was the best kiss you had ever had. She sat you down so you were straddling her lap in one swift movement, and then connected her lips with yours. Your mouthes both opened, allowing the others tongue to explore each others mouths. You grinded you hips into her and laced your arms up and down her back. "Luce," you groaned, pulling away despite what your body wanted to do. "I know, I know. We can’t," Lucy said, the look of need still just as prominent in her eyes. "After the game, what are the odds you can stay for a day or two before going back to Barca. You can stay with me for a bit. I just- I don’t want to leave things like last time."
"I will call my coach in the morning and see what I can do, is that okay?" Lucy asked sweetly. "Yeah, yeah okay," you smiled.
Silence fell between you both again. Lucy filled it by tucking loose strands of hair behind your ear and staring into your eyes.
"I should go, shouldn’t I?" You made it sound like a question, but it was honestly a statement. "Yeah, probably. I really don’t want you to, but it’s for the best for now." Lucy answered as you both stood up.
You let the defender engulf you in a hug, finding comfort in the strength her arms held.
As you walked to the door after she let you go, you turned around, tears you didn’t feel coming in your eyes. "Y/n? What’s wrong, did I say something?" Lucy panicked, cupping your face and not caring that if anyone walked out or into their rooms right now, you would both be caught. "Can I be honest?" you said, fighting back tears. "Darling, any time. Always," Lucy said.
"I’m so scared of getting injured again tomorrow."
Lucy’s heart broke in half at your words, a rare moment of vulnerability seeping through your tough exterior. "You won’t, not if I have anything to do with it."
You were starting. It was a bitter sweet feeling, a mix of pride at how hard you had worked for this moment, and of fear at how quickly it could all be taken away.
Everyone knew that on game days, no one was to mess around with you. You were the quiet type in the changing room. Lucy knew this too, and although she was aching to find a private moment to kiss you, hug you, or give you words of affirmation, she knew leaving you to your game day playlist and over the ear headphones was the safest option.
After warmup, and multiple cheers for you as the announcer welcomed you back after your year away on injury, you returned to the changing room, slipped on your jersey labeled with number 17, and lined up in the tunnel. At this point, Lucy couldn’t hold back any longer. "Y/n," she said softly. You were both holding the hands of young girls, so she was careful with her words. "Good luck, I’ll be there for you. You’re not getting hurt," she reassured.
And even though realistically, Lucy had no control over your injuries, her words were so confident that you entirely believed her.
In the tunnel, you looked to your left, taking in your opposition. As you did so, Jill Roord locked eyes with you and smiled. "Happy to have ya back y/n," she simply stated. You gave her a soft thank you, and then it was time to walk out. Lucy had heard Jill’s words. Her desire to win quadrupled.
The game was very neck to neck. So far, you felt great. You had been working your ass off, and even had gotten a couple shots on target, but none had gone past the Dutch goalkeeper. You played attacking mid, which meant that often, you and Jill were going neck to neck. It was on an English corner kick that Lucy almost earned herself a yellow.
You were readying yourself to jump to get the header if it came your way, and felt a body press itself tightly behind you. You glanced over your shoulder and saw Jill’s familiar smile. One of her hands lingered a second too long on your hip as she kept the gap between you both very small. Lucy, seeing this, did what any jealous girl would.
When everybody jumped as the ball came in, Lucy knocked Jill clean out of the air. The ball soared past everybody and went out through the touch line.
"Hey! Watch it Bronze," the dutch midfielder grumbled as she got back up.
Lucy said nothing, she regained her position for the goal kick.
In the 27th minute, the break through finally came. Lucy pinged the ball across to Lauren James who took a fantastic touch and started driving forward. She beat their right back and drove to the touch line where the ball was cut it towards the penalty spot. You were confident Alessia was going to take the shot strong and hard with her left foot, but she skipped the ball. It kept rolling just outside the 18 where you were running to catch up. You struck the ball hard and low.
It was one of the most powerful shots you had ever taken. The ball ricocheted off the goal post and into the net with a clank.
You weren’t usually one to celebrate, but of course, today of all days, your big return, you had too. You ran at full speed towards the corner flag where you then jumped onto the barricades, ushering the crowd to be louder before jumping back down and being engulfed by your teammates. You hated that you felt slightly embarrassed to have celebrated so hard, it was just a friendly after all. But to you, it meant so much more. It meant that your ACL tear had not taken your life or your career away, it showed that you were strong, that you over came it and kicked it in the ass.
Your teammates were kissing the top of your head, slapping you on the back and cheering for you. They were all feeling the emotion behind this goal just as much as you were. The last person to truly congratulate you was Lucy. She cupped your face and placed a kiss on your forehead. "I’m so proud of you," she said with a massive grin.
To the fans and the media, this gesture seemed friendly, it seemed like something shared between two people who loved each other very much. If only they knew how much.
The Lionesses were still up 1-0 at the half. You were tired, needless to say that this level of intensity hadn’t been part of your usual schedule. But when Sarina asked you how you were feeling, you stated that you felt amazing.
When the second half started up again, adrenaline took over.
It was in the 63d minute that Vivianne Miedema slotted one into the back of the English net. You were pissed. So you used that anger to fuel yourself.
I hadn’t ever seen y/n so upset over a friendly. Obviously no one likes to get scored against, especially if you had scored what could have been the winner, but this was different. The spark of energy she brought to the team fuelled us all. For the next ten minutes after Miedema had scored, we were all over the dutch. That is, till y/n got taken down in the box.
The tackle came from Jackie Groenen as y/n broke through the midfield. It was a knee to knee collision which made her shot go wide. I saw her go down and my vision blurred. So far, I had kept my promise from the night before to perfection, she hadn’t gone down once.
I ran over to her side. As the stadium held their voices, the girl I was in love with held her knee.
This could not be happening, she had just come back.
"Y/n, are you okay? What hurts?" I asked frantically. "Fuck, that fucking hurt man," she mumbled into the grass. "What kind of hurt? Like-tear hurt or-"
I hadn’t even noticed that the referee had awarded us a penalty, I was solely focused on y/n.
"No, Luce, no it’s okay," she sat up and I subconsciously wiped blades of grass off of her head. "Just bruise hurt, I’m okay," she confirmed.
I helped her get back up and she gave me the smallest, but warmest smile.
Leah was checking on bet too now that she was stood back up. "So, you good to take this one? Show everyone what you’re made of once more?"
Leah handed y/n the ball and I nodded with approval.
I watched her step to the spot, take three deep breaths and three big steps back. I heard the whistle, and watched the ball soar past Van Domselaar. I hadn’t even readied myself for a rebound, I knew the ball was going in.
You felt ecstatic after the final whistle. The minutes on the pitch after the whistle felt like a blur. You hugged players and staff alike, signed so many jerseys and took numerous pictures. You filmed an interview you hoped you didn’t sound totally stupid in, as you couldn’t remember a word you had said. All that was on your mind was finding Lucy.
You found her waiting for you in the tunnel, not realizing that you were one of the lasts off the pitch.
"Luce," you said when you saw her standing in the tunnel. You let outs breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. She opened her arms for you and you were quick to hide yourself in them.
You really didn’t mean for it to happen, but before you knew it, sobs were taking over your body. "Woah, woah, woah. Hey, darling what’s going on? Are these happy tears? You should be happy y/n," she said, holing your shoulders and looking at you.
You frantically wiped tears off your face before being able to gather yourself. "Let’s get out of the tunnel okay, I don’t want media in your face right now," Lucy said.
You both walked into an isolated hallway just outside of the English changing room. You could hear the Lionesses music and scattered conversations.
"Please tell me what’s going on," Lucy practically begged. "I honestly- I honestly just didn’t think this moment would happen. I know I sound ridiculous, it was just an ACL tear. But I felt- god Luce. I felt so alone. I felt as though I’d never see the pitch again, and I know people have come back from bigger set backs. I mean, Hayley Raso broke her damn back and Im here crying about an ACL. I just- i’m so happy. I’m so happy i get this back. I’m so happy i get you back," you confessed.
Lucy looked broken for you, visibly upset at how lonely you had been. "I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you, I’m so sorry baby girl," she whispered. "I’m so endlessly proud of you," the defender added.
And honestly, that was all you needed to hear.
Her words topped the cheers from the team as you walked into the changing room, it topped the dozens of hugs, and the appreciation posts online.
Lucy was back in your life, and that was what mattered most.
