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hoesandnuggs · 6 months

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All For You

Leah Williamson x Reader

Summary: You’ve been with Leah for 3 years, supporting her through her highs and her lows (ACL recovery) and you finally make it to a match. This is loosely inspired by a grey’s anatomy episode (derek’s death). Some info is inaccurate but it’s for the plot so allow it (idk medical talk!) I’d recommend listening to ‘chasing cars’ by snow patrol iykyk…

Warnings: Hospital / injury / death / car crash

Sorry in advance <3 3250 words

LEAH IS CALLING flashed up on the screen in your car, and you rushed to answer the bluetooth call.

‘Hey gorgeous’ You greeted her after accepting.

‘Hey babe. Have you left yet?’

You were on your way to watch Arsenal’s biggest game of the season: they’d made it to the Conti Cup final and were due to face Chelsea at Wembley. Your girlfriend of 3 years, Leah Williamson, had fought hard through her ACL recovery to ensure she was fighting fit ready to be in the starting line up for this match and it was the first time you were seeing her back on the pitch since she’d recovered (you’d had to watch her previous games via livestream or catch up due to your own busy football schedule playing for Villa, and unluckily for the pair of you, your two teams were yet to go head to head).

‘I’ve just left… How are you feeling?’

‘Terrified. Jokes. We’ve got this. I’m about to go down to warm up but I’ll give you a wave when I spot you! Jen is here already so just look out for her - you’re next to her’.

‘Okay amazing… I can’t believe I’m supporting Arsenal for the night…’ You groaned - you liked winding Leah up a little too much.

‘You love it really… Did you find the top I’d left out for you to wear?’

She was referencing the ‘WILLIAMSON 6’ shirt hung up on the door of your shared wardrobe. You scoffed when you saw it, but supporting your girlfriend was one of your favourite things in the world, so excitedly put it on, dressing it up along with her leather jacket. She was out after all, so she couldn’t tell you no!

‘Yes…. I put it straight back in the wardrobe’

‘Liar…’ You could sense she was smirking just through the tone of her voice.

‘Is everything okay with the car?’ She continued - you were driving there in her car so that you could be designated driver after the post-match celebrations.

‘All fine babe, I should be there in about 30?’

‘Perfect. I can’t wait to win for you.’

‘Yeah yous better win. Wearing red AND losing wasn’t really on my agenda tonight Williamson…’

‘Just wait and see. It’s all for you baby’.

Your heart swelled when she spoke like this.

‘I love you Leah.’

‘I love you angel girl. Drive safe.’

CALL DISCONNECTED

You beamed at her words, you were so excited to finally get to see her play. Her journey to

recovery had been a gruelling 10 months - but you spent every minute you weren’t on the pitch helping her and making sure she was in a good place. It was hard at times: there was moments when she’d shut you out and go stay at her mums - but she always came back - and you went back to normal. Having survived that, your relationship was now stronger than it ever had been, and you loved eachother more than life itself.

—

After half an hour you pulled into the VIP car park: Leah’s registration plate being recognised immediately, and you made your way in to the family and friends stand where Jen Beattie was waving at you and grinning.

‘Made it in the nick of time!’ She shouted over the stadium’s music, reaching out to hug you before you both sat down in your respective seats.

‘Traffic was insane. There’s been a collision.’ You yelled, and soon the crowd drowned your conversation out with a roaring cheer as both finalist teams made their way out. They shook hands with one another, before turning to get their classic team photo, and Leah spotted you with a wink, pointing at your shirt and blowing you a kiss.

‘God you two are insufferable!’ Jen groaned, and you playfully shoved her.

‘It’s cute though. I can’t believe you cracked Leah Williamson’ She continued.

You laughed at this, it was painfully true. Leah was extremely ‘hard to get’ at the beginning - you came head to head with her for the first time in 2020 and Villa managed to beat their

side 2-1 in a hugely physical match. Katie McCabe had knocked you to the ground in the final minutes, and Leah was the one to offer you a hand, whispering in your ear after the game how ‘She hoped I was okay’. Later that night, the Arsenal girls had arrived at the bar where Villa were hosting celebrations, and the rest was history. You two just clicked immediately, and your heads hadn’t turned since.

—

Soon the match found halftime: it was 2:1 to Arsenal scored by Lacasse and Mead. Your voice was hoarse from screaming: it was Jen who was the bad influence, and soon you’d felt as though you might bleed red.

‘Careful - I heard Leah is very influential when it comes to recruiting new gunners’ Jen winked, and you rolled your eyes.

‘Never… Gonna…. Happen’ You responded, throwing your head back with laughter at the sheer thought of it.

—

The second half felt as though it had flew over: you’d started to bite the skin surrounding your nails as your nerves overtook you. Chelsea had equalised and it was now 2:2 with just 5 minutes to go - you weren’t religious but you found yourself praying that Arsenal would take it: it’s the least they deserved. It’s what Leah deserved after going to hell and back this last year.

The final minute of injury time arrived, and you were begging it to not go to extra time - and then inevitably penalties. As if by magic, you raised from your seat as you watched Arsenal be rewarded a corner: Catley took it, Wubben-Moy gained possession through a header and knocked it to Williamson - who flicked it into the bottom right corner of the net. The crowd erupted. They’d done it. LEAH had done it. You and Jen couldn’t control yourselves as you jumped and screamed until the whistle blew - and as the red’s lifted the trophy, bottles of champagne flowing onto the pitch, Leah found your eye in the crowd, lifting her arms and sending you a hand heart from above her head.

‘All for you’ She mouthed, and you returned the heart, bursting into tears with joy as Jen put her arm around you.

—

As the crowds dispersed - drunk in victory - the pair of you were ushered from the stands into a private waiting area until the team were dressed and ready to leave for the winners party.

One by one they came around the corner, all wearing a huge smile and greeting you both with excitement - and then there was Leah.

She spotted you immediately, Beth shoving her towards you and laughing as the taller blonde wrapped her arms around you - her hair still slightly damp from the shower - but makeup and a smart tshirt and trousers on.

‘You did it baby’ You breathed into her hair, clutching her as tightly as possible.

‘That last one was for you.’ She winked. ‘My favourite gunner…’

You scoffed at this, and she grabbed you by the shoulders, turning you around to present the back of your shirt to her teammates smugly.

‘Oh she’s got you whipped’ Katie laughed as Leah soaked in the attention: she was so proud to show you off.

‘Yawn…. Can we get going now? That champagne wasn’t enough. I want to get wasted!’ Kyra sighed - and you all ushered out into your cars and taxi’s to soon meet up at your favourite club, a short drive away.

You drove Leah, Beth and Viv, all extremely loud passengers: giddy from the win, and after 10 minutes you’d found a parking space and were on your way inside the venue.

—

It was a brilliant evening, but unlike the others, you had training tomorrow afternoon, so you knew you couldn’t go overboard. You nursed an extremely small beer before moving on to soft drinks only, but you got drunk in the atmosphere: buzzing for Leah and all her best friends. After hours of badly sung karaoke from the Aussies, and shots upon shots taken by Beth and Leah, it had hit 2am and you were starting to slow.

You were sat chatting between Caitlin and Cloe when Leah noticed you yawn from where she was on the dance floor, immediately coming over to you and stroking your hair from behind.

‘You tired baby? You look exhausted?’ She whispered into your ear.

‘A little bit, yes’.

‘Just say the word and we can go.’ She continued, still messing with your hair.

‘Nooo. It’s your big night. You deserve this. You’re not going anywhere!’

‘But you look like you’re going to fall asleep at the table any second!’ She persisted.

‘I’m fine! I’ll wait until you’re ready!’

‘You can go if you don’t feel up to it. I can get a taxi. But I’m happy to come now so I can look after you.’

‘No, no, I’ll go. But you’re gonna stay and enjoy yourself!’

‘Only if you’re sure. Are you awake enough to drive?’

‘Yes, it’s just the dark lighting in here. Once i’m up and concentrating i’ll be fine!’

‘Right…’ She said, biting her lip. ‘Well i’ll see you soon. Text me when your home okay?’

‘Of course. Have fun. You deserve this.’

‘I love you.’

You kissed her goodbye before exchanging goodbye hugs with the rest of the girls who were sober enough to stand - before making your way outside to find your car. You felt a lot more lively immediately - clubs just weren’t your thing like they once were at 18.

The drive home was just under 20 minutes, and as you were about to pull off the dual carriageway your phone buzzed.

‘Why hasn’t it bloody connected?’ You sigh to yourself: unsure why Leah’s car system wasn’t co-operating like it did on the journey here. You tried to pull your phone out of your pocket until it eventually came loose, and you held it in your hand with the other on the wheel.

LEAH IS CALLING.

You tried to swipe to answer it - but a huge force knocked it out of your hand as a car had ploughed into the side of your vehicle - surging down the wrong lane. You flew forward, the car turning over and over and you felt yourself lose consciousness from the impact.

—

LEAH IS CALLING.

—

The ambulances got to the scene almost immediately: the other car’s passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, but by some miracle, you still had a pulse when the paramedics pulled you out of the wreck. Unresponsive, they got you onto a stretcher and into the back of the emergency vehicle within 10 minutes: the sirens beating down the motorway. By 3am you had been wired up to a machine, your pulse weak but fighting on. Your chest and arms were bruised and bloody, your face cut and bandaged.

—

LEAH IS CALLING.

—

‘Why isn’t she picking up?’ Leah said to Jen, beginning to get anxious as it had now been over an hour since you’d left and you hadn’t yet texted her to confirm you’d arrived home safely.

‘She was knackered. Could she have just got in and fell straight to sleep?’ Jen replied, trying to ease her nerves.

‘There’s no chance. We always text. We’ve never forgotten - even if one of us has stormed out in an argument’. Leah went on, beginning to bite her lip as she tried to rationalise the situation.

The room fell silent as one of the bar staff appeared to raise the lights and lower the music.

‘Can everybody listen up. There’s been a crash not far from here. Just letting everyone know as you Arsenal lot live up that way.’

The room of people nodded, before continuing their night as the lights dimmed and the music continued. That was… all except Leah.

Her heart sunk immediately, her mind spiralling.

‘A crash?’ She shouted, clambering up and running towards the bar, her words drowned from the music as Jen shouted after her.

‘The crash. Where was it? What does it say? I can’t get signal?’ Leah shouted over the music into the ear of the bar tender who seconds earlier had announced the news.

‘Alban Bypass.’ She shrugged, scrolling down the newsflash. ‘Says it’s an Audi A5… Black? Multiple vehicles. Fatalities at the scene.’

Leah stumbled back, Jen now behind her hearing the girls words, and taking the blonde’s weight as she struggled to stand.

Leah’s stare went blank with shock, and Jen’s face went white.

‘We need to go’ The scot ushered, steering Leah outside.

‘TAXI! PLEASE’ She hollered, and soon they were in the back of the car, one pleading with the driver to hurry to their local hospital, the other with her blonde head in her hands - struggling to comprehend what was going on. There was no way on earth this was a coincidence: as soon as she heard the location and the car’s model her mind was made up.

—

Jen had to lift Leah’s weight as they entered the hospital: the blonde stared blankly ahead of her: unresponsive.

‘Hi, there was an accident earlier? We’re looking for a Y/N Y/L/N’ Jen said, trying to maintain composure for Leah’s sake.

The receptionist’s face subtly fell, and the two women immediately knew something was wrong.

‘She’s here? She’s okay?’ Jen continued.

‘She is here. If you’d both take a seat. I’ll call the doctor down here.’

‘She’s okay?’ Jen persisted, desperately searching for reassurance.

‘I don’t know anything more at this time

other than she’s been admitted. I’ll get the doctor down here immediately.’ The receptionist replied, and Jen nodded solemnly, taking Leah to a seat before they were interrupted.

‘Are you relatives of Y/N Y/L/N?’ A male voice interrupted, and the pair turned around - Leah still staring out blankly.

‘This is her girlfriend. She hasn’t got close family. She doesn’t speak to them’ Jen replied, and the doctor ushered them to sit down in a private room along the corridor.

‘At this time we know that Miss Y/L/N’s vehicle was hit by an intoxicated driver. Her car was turned over multiple times - but our team were at the scene immediately and recovered her from the wreckage. She’s still alive - but we’ve had to give her a lot of oxygen to maintain her system. She’s lost a lost of blood, and we’re seeing advancing brain damage from the force.’

Leah made an inhumane noise at hearing this news, snapping back to life, as Jen began to feel tears roll down her cheeks.

‘She’s currently been induced in a medically induced coma. I am so sorry to say that there is an extremely acute chance of survival.’

‘So she’s not going to make it?’ Leah cried out.

‘She is connected to a lot of machines right now, that are allowing her survival. It has been determined that when they are removed, her body won’t be able to cope on its own’.

‘So she’s not going to make it?’ Leah repeated her words, her voice raised now, reeling.

‘I’m so sorry.’ He said, shaking his head. ‘I can take you to her now so you can say your goodbyes’.

Jen nodded, pushing Leah to follow the doctor.

The two reached the room you were laid in.

‘I will warn you Miss Williamson, the crash has had extreme physical detriment on your partner. She may not look as you will be expecting.’

Leah ignored this: her brain was fully breaking down and she couldn’t process any of her surroundings.

He opened the door for her, and Leah wandered in, shakily finding the chair, not immediately able to look up at your frail body laid out on the hospital bed, wires and surrounding you.

Her eyes lifted up to your bed - it was just the two of you.

‘Oh Y/N’ She cried, the beeping of the machines weak but consistent.

‘How has this happened baby?’ She grabbed your cold hand in hers, her eyes scared to wander over the cuts and marks over the skin that was so perfectly untouched just hours earlier.

Why did I let you go?

Why didn’t I go with you?

Why didn’t I stop you?

Why didn’t I make you stay, or ask someone else to take you home?

Her mind became clouded with regret as she sobbed out at your near lifeless frame - you looked so vulnerable yet so peaceful laid out - despite the numerous devices attached to the bed.

‘I love you baby. I’m so sorry.’ She began to weep, choking on her tears.

‘You stay with me now’ She said, failing to acknowledge the next-to-none chance on survival the doctor had acknowledged you.

‘I’m here now baby. I’ve got you-‘ She cried, feeling a small pressure where your fingers touched, as the machine behind the plastic bed frame displaying your weakening heartbeat.

‘Doctor! Doctor! Please, someone!’ Leah shouted, panicking, not wanting to leave your side but immediately knowing there was a problem.

The doctor rushed in, maintaining calm as your state worsened infront of him.

‘If I could please ask you to step outside Miss Williamson…’ He instructed, signalling the two other staff to enter behind him.

‘She’s going isn’t she-‘ Leah cried out.

‘Miss Williamson’ He said, sternly, trying to usher her outside.

‘I’m not letting her pass on her own’, she shouted, finding strength to instil dominance despite the tears streaming down her face.

The doctor shook his head at the other two medical professionals, signalling he was allowing Leah to stay.

Medical jargon spilled from his mouth as they eyed the machines - one with a clipboard and the other connecting a wire.

‘She’s going?’ Leah sobbed.

‘Her heart is declining. She’s pushing but her brain isn’t allowing it’ He stated solemnly towards the blonde.

Leah dig deep within herself to grab your hand once more, kneeling on the floor with her hair over your chest.

‘I love you baby. And you’ve been so strong.’ Her tears began to choke her as the beeping persisted, weaker every second.

‘But you stop fighting. If you need to go, you go my love. I’m right here with you. You’re not on your own.’

The beeping slowed, still appearing now and again. You looked like an angel laid back, pale and bruised but peaceful.

‘I love you forever Y/N. It’s you and me forever. I’m with you. I love you’. She pressed her forehead onto your gowned skin.

More medical jargon was exchanged throughout the room between the professionals.

‘Her heart is fighting, but she’s rejecting it’, the doctor spoke.

‘You go baby girl. Out of pain. I love you forever. Only you.’ Leah sobbed, and the machine became silent.

The doctors swarmed the bed before calling time of death and beginning to unplug the wires. Leah put her forehead to yours and planted a final kiss on your skin before leaving the room.

‘Everything I do is for you. It’s all for you’

Leah spoke at your funeral.

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hoesandnuggs · 7 months

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Colour Me | Leah Williamson x Reader

not based on a request, just me trying to get over my mental block lol wordcount: 4.9k warnings: disgustingly soft and i feel a bit sick that i wrote this... haven't checked the spelling or read over it so enjoy my typos x

Here we are again

You met Leah by chance—the kind of chance that doesn’t come along twice.

On the same day that Leah signed for her management company, the same company let you go. You’d been expecting it for a while—a broken ankle right before the Olympics removing your golden girl status and replacing it with the status of someone who could’ve been great.

Despite expecting the news, your tears fell freely in the elevator as you descended to the ground floor of the vainly large building you hoped you would never see again.

With a loud ping of the announcer, you burst through the doors and straight into the chest of Leah.

Anticipating a sigh, or some other kind of sign of annoyance, from the blonde, you began to apologise profusely. Rudeness didn’t even cross her mind, though. She rubbed her hand up and down your upper arm, asking you if you were okay and offering you a shoulder to cry on… literally.

Fading light

Perhaps due to feeling rather embarrassed, you abruptly waved your hand at her, attempting to turn your tears into laughter and reassure her that you were simply being silly.

Not wanting to pry and having no idea who you were, she uttered words that she would find herself replaying as she stepped inside the elevator and watched you walk away as the doors closed.

Let me know if you need anything.

Leah couldn’t see her cheeks, but she knew they were as red as her Arsenal home shirt. She couldn’t help but think that her words made it sound as if she assumed you knew who she was.

Leah came to terms with the fact that the interaction she had with you would go down as one of those memories that makes you want to be swallowed into the ground every time you think of it. She came to terms with the fact that somewhere out there was a woman who would remember the blonde nobody who was full of her own self-importance.

Those gleaming eyes and freckled smile

But just three months later, Leah found herself meeting you all over again.

Leah ended up alone after a night out with her friends. Somehow, she’d become separated from them, and when they couldn’t find her, they assumed she’d gone home, something that wasn’t unusual for Leah, who often ran out of social battery.

She walked through the busy streets of London, not yet enough of a somebody to get priority for a taxi. She wasn’t sure where to go, but she knew it was more unsafe to stand in the streets than it was to walk back to some kind of central location—just another lack of safety that came with being a woman.

As she waited at the traffic lights, the sudden appearance of you running by her made her jump slightly, the alcohol intake from the previous hours showing itself as she lost her footing on the pavement and stumbled to her knees.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!” You gasped, desperately trying to catch her.

Leah looked up, met with the eyes of the girl from the elevator. She thought of how things had come full circle. The first time you met, Leah was the show of strength; this time it was you that appeared to be in a much better place, forcing yourself out on that midnight run, imagining that you were running in the Olympics like you’d dreamed of.

“It’s you.”

Your words were whispered, partly due to the fear of embarrassment that she might not remember you, but mostly because of the way the blonde was staring into your eyes.

“Let me help you up.”

You wrapped an arm under her rib cage, pulling her to her feet and smiling as she gave you a quiet thank you.

“Are you on your own?”

“Yeah. I’m… I’m not sure where my friends are.”

You knew you couldn’t leave her there, but the truth was, you came on this run every night so you could avoid seeing people who knew how much you had failed in life. The thought of making an effort and pretending to be something other than broken made you feel more anxious than you ever had.

“I can give you money for a taxi.”

“I can’t get one. They’re on a slimmed down service something or other because of the taxi strikes. I’ll be fine. Thanks for stopping, though.”

You smiled and nodded, turning to jog away again, but when you looked back and saw Leah’s fragile figure walking the streets of London on her own, you felt guilty for ever even considering it.

“Leah! Wait up. I’ll walk you home.”

Light up the night

What started as an awkward walk turned into something more meaningful. Of course, neither of you knew it at the time, but the connection you would develop that night would set you up for everything that was to come in the future.

With each building you passed, one of you told a story about your memories there. You told Leah about the time you were kicked out of a bar just across the street, making her laugh when you told her you had tried to be cool by joining your friend on a tabletop, only to slip on a used lime and smash several glasses as you fell. Leah told you about the trip she made to the thrift shop right next door the previous week, making you laugh when she told you the scarf she bought turned out to be a tea towel.

You both spoke of the Christmas lights hanging above you. You talked of the way they illuminated the streets in a way that felt magical. Leah told you she wanted nothing more than to someday bring her children to see them, and you told her you had always dreamed of doing the same.

If you had been viewing this from the outside, you would’ve picked up on how much the two of you had in common and also how your differences were compatible.

You were levelheaded, Leah was emotional.

You were a leader, Leah was reserved.

You were broken, Leah was growing.

Here we are alone

You left her at the gate to her house, but made sure she got inside safely before you began to walk back towards your own home.

Contrary to you, Leah couldn’t help but think with that dreamy imagination she had as she slipped off her shoes. She loved a fairytale, and something about that walk through the London streets in the middle of the night with you felt like the perfect middle to a romance movie.

Now she wanted the perfect ending, too.

My lips on yours

The sound of footsteps padding along the tarmac road was the first time you were alerted to a presence coming towards you.

In the middle of the night. In London.

You slipped your hand into your pocket, wrapping your fingers around your house key to make sure you could use them as a weapon, before you turned around to confront the criminal.

Leah watched as you turned, realising she had scared the shit out of you.

“It’s just me. Again.” She chuckled.

“You almost got stabbed by a tiny house key.”

And as if she needed more confirmation that you were adorable, she watched your cheeks turn a perfect shade of pink.

“You okay?”

Leah thought of telling you why she had run after you, but perhaps due to her alcohol intake earlier in the night, she decided she would just show you instead.

She stepped forward, closing the gap between the two of you, and flicked her eyes towards your lips.

Another step closer.

She reached for your cheek.

Reality.

“Sorry. I… I don’t know who I think I am.” Leah cringed at herself.

“You looked like a girl in her bare feet that was about to kiss me, if I’m honest.”

The way you took your bottom lip between your teeth as you flashed her that cheeky smile drove her insane. She wanted to, she really did, but it felt presumptuous and a little cocky to just do it.

“I… I can’t work out if you look like a girl who was going to kiss me back.” She chuckled nervously.

“Try it.”

The taste of candy and salt drives me for more

You knew when you followed her back inside that you weren’t going to sleep with her that night, not that she didn't try. It didn’t feel right that she was drunk and you weren’t. Instead, the two of you shared lazy kisses until the sun came up, and at some point after sunrise, you fell asleep wrapped up in the arms of a girl you had met for the second time just a few hours earlier.

Tattoo my heart with your ballpoint pen

The next year was spent falling in love. The places you’d walked past that first night became the places you made new memories in.

You took Leah to the lime incident bar, where the two of you played darts, and she won, of course. Leah took you to the thrift shop just next door, where she bought you your very own scarf-looking tea towel, which hung proudly in your kitchen.

That Christmas, you walked hand in hand along the busy streets of London, looking at the Christmas lights above you and remembering how they had lit your path to love up that fateful night.

Say you love me again and again

Saying I love you didn’t happen in the way either of you would’ve wished it to. Like all relationships, yours faced its fair share of heartache, and it was during one of those rough patches that you both found yourselves questioning if the fight was worth it.

It took a while for Leah to recognise that although your training was futile, given you wouldn’t be competing after your ankle injury, it was what made you you.

You were busy storming out of Leah’s apartment when she screamed those three words from the top of her lungs.

“I love you!”

You froze at the front door, your hand hovering above the door handle like a magnetic force was stopping it from touching. You turned slowly at first, catching eyes with your girlfriend and noticing that she was just as shocked to have said it as you were to have heard it.

“Did you mean that?” You whispered.

“Why would I say it if I didn’t mean it?”

Her innocence melted your heart, and from that day on, you vowed to always let her into your head, even on the days it wasn’t pretty. She vowed to learn more about how your career-ending injury had ruined your life.

There will never be an end to this love, my dear friend

And every day, the two of you carried out those vows like you were already married.

It was one year later when Leah told you she had finally managed to put a deposit down on a house. At first, you were a little upset that, after so long together, you weren’t part of her plans.

Leah had other ideas, though. Secretly, she’d been spending her time converting one of the spare rooms into a gym for you—your very own training centre that no one could take away from you.

You colour me, you colour my soul

She invited you over to spend her first night in her new house with her. That day had been grey for you, a reminder that you were no longer the type of person who could buy a house and instead the kind of person who was stuck renting off some landlord who charged you double what their mortgage cost.

You expected to see white walls, empty rooms, and boxes of flatpacked furniture, but when you stepped inside, the house was full of life.

You noticed the forest green feature wall in the living room first, smiling to yourself at the idea that Leah’s taste now matched your own.

“That’s the one you liked isn’t it?” She asked nervously.

You nodded, wondering if this meant she hoped one day it would be your home too. You didn’t dare ask; you weren’t sure you could stomach seeing her awkwardly try to let you down gently.

Next, you noticed the blender sitting on the worktop in the kitchen. Anyone who knew Leah would know she wasn’t a smoothie type of person, and again, you found yourself blushing that she had purchased something in preparation for the nights you would stay over.

“I have one more room to show you.”

When she opened the doors to the makeshift training centre, your heart ached. It was your dream to have something like that. You knew she wouldn’t mind you using it, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept that you weren’t an actual athlete anymore. You tried, in vain, to smile at her.

“You don’t like it?”

“I do! It’s just… something like this was always my dream. I’m sorry, I don’t want to come across like I’m jealous of your achievements…”

“It’s yours.”

“Mine?”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key with a single key ring fastened to it. You chuckled when you saw the Arsenal badge, rolling your eyes at her.

“This is our home. Well, if you want it to be.”

Paint me red in places once filled with gold

Back when you were let go by your management team, you swore you were forever done with sports. You didn’t want to look at another pair of running shoes, let alone attend a stadium filled with fans that served no other purpose than to remind you of the voices that once chanted your name.

Leah was worth it, though.

That place across your chest that used to be reserved for a gold medal was now wrapped in a red football shirt as you cheered on the girl you loved more than you’d ever loved anyone.

You were the first person she ran to in the friends and family area after a match, and the first person she called when she was offered to captain her country.

Small achievements or large achievements, your pride in her was immeasurable every time.

You, colour me, you colour my soul

There were many moments throughout your relationship that could be parts of a romance movie, but the night before the Euros final was Leah’s favourite.

It was just after dinner when she called you, her shaky voice letting you know what her words couldn’t: she was nervous, and the weight of those who came before her was firmly pressing on her shoulders.

“I see it.”

Leah took her phone away from her ear, checking the screen to make sure she hadn’t accidentally pressed the FaceTime button again.

“You see what?”

“You. I see you celebrating tomorrow when the final whistle goes. I see you standing behind the team, waiting for your turn to pick up that gold medal. I see your mum beside me crying tears of pride, and your dad on the other side saying, that’s my girl. I see you picking up that trophy, raising it far above your head, and even though the world won’t see it, I’ll hear you saying I did it.”

If someone had asked Leah what she needed before she called you, she would’ve told them that she needed to keep a level head. Sometimes, though, you knew what she needed when she didn’t. She needed someone else to validate her wildest dreams, to believe in them with her, to live them with her… to love them with her.

And so, while every other teammate was fighting with the curtains in their hotel room, Leah drifted off to sleep. Her mind was full of colour—colour that you had added to a dream for her.

Make me dream of things I never did once before

Needless to say, when Leah did lift that trophy into the air, the papers printed a picture of a girl with a sparkle in her eye.

You knew those eyes were looking directly at your seat.

Here we are again

With the good came the bad, and the Euros win had been no exception to that rule. Overnight, Leah became a sensation.

The first few weeks were bad, like really bad. She didn’t want to go outside, she didn’t want to go back to her club, and she didn’t want to be Leah anymore.

She couldn’t do anything without being scrutinised; she couldn’t ignore one of your social media posts without rumours spreading around the internet that she had broken up with you; and she couldn’t even allow her own family to post without her say so.

Telling me it’s my fault

It was after an England match against Australia that the cracks really started to show. Leah made a few mistakes that night, mistakes that should’ve been buried underneath what she did for the team. Of course, you knew all too well how much people loved to see the failure of another human.

But you weren’t prepared for her blaming you.

In the silence of the car journey home, Leah told you she would have to stop speaking to you when she was at England camp.

“You’re a distraction.”

Those words cut you so deeply that you weren’t sure you would ever stop hearing them. You agreed with her, not wanting to argue when she’d had such a disastrous night, but you promised yourself you would call her out for her hurtful words when the dust had settled.

You didn’t need to. That night, when you got into bed beside a supposedly sleeping Leah, she looked at you with those huge blue eyes and uttered words that finally let you inside of her head.

“I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know anything about anything, but one thing I’m sure of is that I need you, and you’re never a distraction. You’re the one who makes everything feel okay.”

Things I don’t understand

In the months that followed, you couldn’t understand why Leah wouldn’t take a break from football. You pleaded with her to listen to her body and to put herself first.

She kept going, though.

Things beyond control

You wanted to say you knew the second she hit the grass that it was bad, but you didn’t. You knew she was hurt, but you didn’t realise the gravity of it until her head didn’t come up from her arms.

You silently pleaded with her, pleaded for her to do something, anything, to show you that it wasn’t those three letters being whispered around the stadium by fans.

The colour had drained from her face, you noticed that as soon as you could get a proper look at her. Still, you tried to manifest some way to make this less serious than it looked.

But then she threw the armband.

That’s when you knew.

You see, to anyone else, that wouldn’t have been clarification. You knew how much that armband meant to her, though. Every argument you had was centred around that very armband. Leah’s determination to be the best captain she could be, both to her country and to her club while Kim was out, had fuelled every disagreement the two of you had over her need to follow through with every interview, photoshoot, and event that her management booked her for.

What followed felt like your worst nightmare coming true. You were quickly ushered from the stands to the medical room, Amanda insisting that you both go, knowing that Leah needed two different types of support right then.

You could hear the sniffles before the door even opened. When it did, the sight broke your heart in a way you hoped it would never be broken.

Leah was on the physio bed, her face pointing to the roof and her arms covering her eyes. Her chest was moving in quick bursts up and down, one leg secured with some kind of medical aid and the other shaking freely.

She knew you were there. Even in the darkest of moments, your presence in any room made her heart flutter, even if that day's fluttering was faint.

You stayed back, letting the woman who had loved her for many more years than you had be the first to offer her some sort of comfort. You watched as Amanda attempted to make a joke, but when it didn’t land, she simply wrapped her arms around Leah and made promises that consisted of it’ll be okay and it might not be as bad as you think.

From the shoulder of her mother, Leah’s terrified eyes met yours. You exhaled a shaky breath as your mouth attempted to give her something other than the sobs it wanted to produce.

Failing to find any words that could make this any better, you simply said the three that you knew she could believe right now.

“I love you.”

Bottom lip trembling, she nodded her head. Amanda released her from her grasp, stepping aside to let you make your way into the gap.

You hold her close—closer than you ever remembered holding her before. You thought back to the night she was ill around you, not long after you started dating. You asked her what do you need, and a few days later, when she was feeling better, she told you that you were the first person to ever consider what she might need in moments like that, rather than drawing your own conclusions and giving her things she didn’t want.

“What do you need me to do? What can I do to make this easier for you?” You asked her softly.

For the first time since you and Amanda entered the room, Leah sat up. She carefully slid herself across the physio bed, making a small space between her and the edge. You sat beside her, opening your arms out for her to fall into.

“I need you to not tell me I’ll come back stronger. Everyone is going to say that. I need you to be the one to understand that I might not. I might never come back from this. I need you to feel that with me. Please.”

You thought of telling her what you knew. You knew that if anyone could fight through this injury, it was her. You didn’t, though. Just like every time you asked her what she needed before, you listened to her.

“Wherever this path takes you, I’m right here. Football or no football. We’ve got each other.”

You resting by my side

When the time came to part ways, Leah cried harder than she had before. She knew that ahead of her lay a four-hour coach journey with all eyes on her in the worst possible way. No one knew what to say to her, even though they had done this countless times before.

She begged them to let her travel back with you and her family, but there wasn’t enough room in your car to safely have her leg extended while making sure she was wearing a seatbelt.

“I’m going to be waiting for you, okay? I’m going to be at home and I’ll have the heating on and my arms open for you.”

“You promise? You promise you’ll stay awake?”

“I promise.”

Reluctantly, she hobbled outside on her crutches, shielding her face from concerned fans who screamed her name.

You wanted to punch every single one of them who didn’t give her space.

The drive home was almost silent. Few words were exchanged between you and Amanda—just a few thoughts about what the future looked like, a couple of vague plans of who would look after her on which days, and a lot of sad sighs.

As promised, you returned to your home straight after dropping Amanda off. You let your tears fall as you started to get the house ready for Leah’s return. You put fresh sheets on the bed, set some water and painkillers on her bedside table, and found some baggy clothes for her to change into when she got home.

The night wasn’t meant to end this way.

The sound of tyre noises on the driveway alerted you to Leah’s arrival. You made your way to the front door, greeted with a sorrowful smile from Jen, who had moved from the driver's side to the passenger side of the car to help Leah out.

Your girlfriend was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She tried three times to place her hands into the crutches, another round of sobs leaving her when it didn’t work the fourth time.

“Come on, you, we’ll give you a carry in. Leave those there, I’ll come back for them.” You told her.

She nodded gently, arms wrapping around the necks of you and Jen. She shuffled her way into the house, not even attempting to go near the living room and instead stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

“How the fuck do I even do this?” She cried.

“It’s okay, Leah. We can get you up.” Jen reassured her.

“We’ve got you, baby. We’ve got you.” You whispered.

It took fifteen minutes to get her upstairs. Jen left straight away, knowing Leah simply needed to be with you. You got her changed into the clothes you’d laid out, helping her get her body into the bed and spending time manoeuvring the pillows around until she was comfortable.

She cried. You cried.

But you had each other.

Those broken glass shatter me and cloud my mind

The next day was different. You were prepared to spend the day comforting her again, but it seemed she was feeling differently.

“I think I might be okay with it. I think my body just knew I needed a break. Do you think that? Is that stupid thing to think?”

“I think that, babe.”

So it was no surprise that when she penned a beautifully written statement to her fans, she told them of her acceptance. This was never something she wanted, but as she did with everything, she tried to make peace with it by seeing the positive side.

Before you stab my heart with your ballpoint pen

It wasn’t an easy journey; you couldn’t lie to yourself and say you two were able to breeze through it.

As the weeks became months, Leah grew frustrated. You were her constant, so it came as no surprise that every emotion she felt was thrown your way.

On days when she felt grateful for the love and support she received from others, you would see that smile radiate around the room.

On days she felt angry that this happened to her, you would hear her voice rumble around the walls of your home.

On days she felt lonely on the road to recovery, you would feel her embrace of you that evening tighten more than the night before.

On days she felt selfish for not being able to face a social media covered in posts about the World Cup, you would do all you could to distract her.

On days when she felt heartbroken, you would feel her misdirected blame fall on your shoulders. You would listen to her tell you that you were the reason she was hurting, all the while knowing she just needed to let it out.

Say you love me again and again

On every day, you would remind her that you loved her.

Again. And again. And again.

There will never be an end

“I can’t do one interview without it! Why can’t they see? Why can’t they notice that it kills me.”

Another day, another interviewer asked how she felt about missing the World Cup. You wanted to scream every time the question was asked. How did they think she felt?

To this love, my dear friend

Despite all of it, she cheered the loudest for her teammates in Australia. It didn’t matter to her that she wasn’t leading them out in that final. She didn’t care that she was missing from this part of history; she cared only that it was being made.

You, colour me, you colour my soul

That night was tough. Plans were made in the hopes that the girls would leave with a gold medal proudly hanging from their necks, but when reality came crashing down, no one felt like partying.

You wanted to scream at them all; you wanted to tell them that they should be celebrating, but you’d been with Leah long enough to know that second place doesn’t feel like an accomplishment when you were praying for first.

“Can we just go back to our room?”

Leah’s eyes were filled with tears when she whispered that to you in the stadium. You nodded with a sorry smile, taking her hand in yours and walking in silence towards your hotel.

Paint me red in places once filled with gold

Leah didn’t expect to be laughing just four hours after watching her teammates cry on the pitch, but she was.

She found herself wrapped up in your arms in a hotel room, listening to your stories about times you’d lost important competitions and how you would smash a frying pan against the ground outside your house to relieve yourself of your frustration afterwards. When you told her that you’d been caught by the press doing exactly that and showed her the photographic evidence, Leah felt little pieces of her shattered heart mend with every laugh that erupted from the pit of her stomach.

You, colour me, you colour my soul

Just six months later, Leah was called to the sidelines in a moment she had dreamed of. She fixed her hair, tucked in her shirt, and swallowed the lump in her throat.

The crowd got louder and louder, the stadium drumming their feet as she waited for the board to be held in the air, displaying her number.

She closed her eyes and transported herself back to that night in London. She thought of walking through the streets, illuminated by ever-glowing streetlights, talking to you with no idea that one day she would love you so much that you were the only person on her mind in a moment like that.

With one final breath, Leah turned around to look at the stands. There you stood, white teeth showing as you grinned at her, pink cheeks blushing as she caught you crying with pride, a red shirt proudly worn across your body, and a sparkling diamond ring on your finger that she had placed there the night before.

Leah always believed in fairytales, but now she was living one.

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hoesandnuggs · 8 months

Note

Heyyy please could you do a Leah Williamson fic where her and the reader both play for Arsenal and have always liked each other. Maybe where the reader scores and automatically runs and jumps on Leah like she always does and in that moment Leah realises that she loves the reader. Some cute fluff at the end after the game where they both decide to start dating or something like that :)) thank youuu 🤍

Games and Feelings

During a game Leah finally realised that she really is in love with you, one of her closest friends

Thank you so much for your request, I love getting them :) 💓 Hope you like it

This is pure fluff

I’m once again acting like acls and injuries don’t exist

——————————————————

You can feel the burn in your lungs as you try to outrun Millie Bright, knowing that she was going to snipe the ball away from you with ease. You could basically feel her looming, waiting for the right moment to take your legs out from you.

The goal is now right in-front of you, you can see Musovic getting ready to catch. You don’t even have time to get nervous about trying to shoot, a quick look to your right tells you that the other defenders are covering Beth and Viv and you’re the only one still free to make a shot.

The rush of adrenaline as you kick the ball as hard as you can makes you barely notice that Bright almost runs you over as you suddenly stand still. You hear the cheers from the Arsenal fans even before you realise that the ball went into the top right corner. You scored.

Without a second thought you turn, running past the other players from your team, only wanting to see one specific person right now. You can recognise the certain blonde hair from afar with ease and see how she opens her arms, ready to welcome you in a hug, basically a tradition for you two after you scored.

She can’t hide her laugh at seeing you run straight to her, your hair a mess from playing for almost 90 minutes now and sweaty from the exhaustion and the high temperature here. The sun is slowly setting and it hits your face just right, making you almost glow. You look absolutely gorgeous. Her heart flutters at the sight of your smile, for a moment it seems like it got bigger as soon as you spotted her.

You basically barrel into Leah who’s prepared though and easily catches you, her strong arms holding you up around your thighs as you can hear the name chant the Arsenal fans have for you echo through the stadium.

She presses you close to her, careful to make sure you don’t fall. She can feel the other players gathering around both of you two, congratulating you on that amazing goal but Leah’s distracted now. She has you so close right now, in her arms and it just feels so right. She’s not sure if she wants you even closer or a bit further away so she can see your smile and the way your eyes light up when you do. The thought makes her pause. You two are friends, close friends but only friends. Still, this isn’t the first time Leah has wished she was closer to you, forever burying her face in your hair when you two hugged or sharing a blanket at movie nights for extra warmth, catching herself staring at your lips as you talk for a tad too long.

As you pull your face away for a bit to smile at Leah and slide down onto your own feet again, she catches sight of your lips again and for a moment, she wishes you two were alone so she could press her own against them.

She’s distracted but still makes sure you’re safely on your own feet, the game only going for a few more minutes thankfully, because Leah’s head circles around you.

She’s in love.

Question is, whether she can risk the friendship and ask you to date her.

When the final whistle blows you’re right by her side, having noticed that she was caught up in her own thoughts. As you two interact with fans you can’t help but steal glances at her. Her strong jawline and the captains armband still on her arm. The way she twirls the pen before signing the next shirt. Her hair glowing from the sunlight hitting it. Her muscles ripping as she helps a child sit on the barrier so they can take a picture.

You’ve felt weird about Leah for some time now but couldn’t completely put your finger on it. After you saw rumours online that you two were dating and felt your heart flutter at the thought alone, you knew you had fucked up. Falling in love with what is basically your best friend is a horrible idea which is why you haven’t said anything yet.

It’s difficult to ignore it though with how attentive Leah is and how much it makes you weak in the knees. Her casually opening doors, giving you already slightly opened water bottles because you never got them open, carrying your bag to the bus, always letting you have some of her beloved ham sandwich.

You take even longer than usual when you shower after the game and when you go out only Leah, Katie and Caitlin are still there.

The other two are in some intense discussion on what TV show to watch later. You barely notice, your gaze fixed on Leah who is sitting on the bench in one of her nike tracksuits with wet hair falling into her face, one leg bouncing anxiously and tipping on her phone.

She looks insanely attractive like this.

Leah’s writing Alex, having finally realised that she definitely likes you more than a friend and lost on what to do. Alex gives her the answer she already knew herself: ask you out.

You and Leah usually go to get something to eat after every game anyway so this should be easy.

It’s not. Every time Leah is about to broach the topic with a stupid question like “Would you date your best friend?” she chickens out. You notice how nervous she is and when you two are finally alone in her home, takeout sitting on the table as she gets some plates, you grab her hand and pull her onto the sofa next to you.

“What’s wrong?”

She tries to deflect the question at first, horribly nervous about screwing up your friendship. You keep digging though, wanting to help her with what’s going on. When she’s still hesitant you use your secret weapon. Tickling.

Leah is extremely ticklish and lets out an undignifying squeak as you pounce on her, tickling her sides until she yells that she gives up.

The expectant look in your eyes has her swallowing until she realises the position she’s in, laying spread out on the sofa with you on top of her, your lips dangerously close to hers.

She doesn’t even think before she takes your face into her hands and tugs you down, completely catching you off guard.

For a moment you are too shocked to react but quickly kiss her back, a gasp escaping you as Leah rolls the both of you around once, so she’s on top.

Her warm hands contrast her cold wet hair that also touches your face but you barely notice, caught up with how impossibly soft her lips feel on yours.

Quite some time passes until you two finally pull away, sitting up next to each other and this time, Leah speaks before there’s any place for the anxiety to set in.

“I’m in love with you.”

Your eyes are big, the whole evening having taken a completely different spin than you had expected. Leah continues talking, taking your hand into hers.

“I know we’re just friends and this is really sudden and if you’d rather act like nothing happened then I can do that and I promise that I’ll act normal around the team but I just have to know if you feel the same way.”

She’s ranting now, her hand squeezing yours tighter and tighter and you decide to quell the anxiety by sitting up and giving her another kiss, lingering close to her face afterwards so she can almost feel your lips touching when you speak.

“I’m in love with you too.”

Leah’s smile matches your huge one and for a moment you just look at each other before she tucks some of your hair behind your ear and softly caresses your cheek, pure adoration shining in her eyes. The food on the table is long forgotten as you two share stories of when you noticed that you were slowly falling in love with each other, only interrupted by kisses and giggles as you try to tickle Leah again.

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hoesandnuggs · 9 months

Text

strangers | leah williamson

pairing: leah williamson x reader

a/n: longest fic yet. enjoy pls, i kind of love this. slight warning it does touch on the grief that one feels after a big breakup including (briefly) the awful physical symptoms of breakups. if that's sensitive for you i wish the best and advise that this might not be the fic for you x

summary: reader and leah are together for years before breaking up due to long distance. after a couple of years reader moves back to england and sees leah, and all the love comes flooding back. angsty, but fluffy.

word count: 3.3k

Your life changed when you were eighteen, not only because you signed for Arsenal, but you were in love for the first time in your life. From your early encounters with Leah, you could already feel yourself falling for her. You found her endlessly endearing, drawn in by her quiet confidence and warmth off the pitch, and her fiery commitment to every game she played.

Even though you were too scared to confess your feelings to anyone, you somehow found yourself one evening telling Leah how much you adored her. You told her about how you had felt a connection with her since the first time you met, and how it had only proved itself since then. And she reciprocated every single word of your rambling romantic confession.

From that night, you two were together for almost six years. For the most part, it was the best time of your life. You were playing at your dream club, with the perfect girlfriend, and you were happier than ever. Things always ran smoothly for you and Leah, it was just the way your personalities complimented each other. Conflict resolution came easy to you both, and you were able to talk to each other through anything that was troubling you.

For years it felt like you two were growing at the same pace, and that was why you were able to be together for so long. You both had the same visions for your future, and you had really planned on staying in London with Leah by your side for the rest of your life.

But that was all before you got the offer from Bayern Munich. You never imagined being away from Leah, and maybe you were naive in thinking long-distance would be easy for you guys. So you made the difficult decision to leave Arsenal, to leave London and Leah, and move to Germany.

After your move it became clear very quickly that proximity was important for you both. When your were living several countries away from each other, your connection which you thought was strong enough to withstand the world ending had started to be put to the test. You were talking and understanding each other less, and fighting more about stupid, trivial things. You saw a new, jealous side of Leah who would accuse you of spending too much time with new teammates, and not making time for her anymore. And you yourself were questioning Leah's attraction for you, as you couldn't feel that daily love and affection you'd been so accustomed to through the phone.

It all got to the point where you were struggling to even get yourself to training because you felt so drained by your inability to make things work with Leah. Your teammates at Bayern had noticed and had created a space where you felt safe enough to confide in them. After talking it through with some of your teammates who provided you with their objective opinions on the situation, you made the hardest choice of your life.

Leah's voiced was raised to the point where her it was almost breaking, "Six years Y/N, does all that mean nothing to you?"

"Leah, I will always love you. I just don't think as long as I'm in Germany we can be together. It's not good for us darling, we've been fighting more than ever, and I don't want to feel this resentment towards you... I don't want you to feel badly about me either," you had tried to explain, but it had come out much less clearly through your own tearful voice, punctuated with short breaths as you gasped for air.

"You can't do this Y/N. You can't give up on us," Leah had begged you, but you had remained firm in your decision and it was the last proper conversation the two of you had. Other than a couple of Champions League games where you avoided each other, and one brief trip back to London where you collected all your things from the apartment you shared, you hadn't seen Leah since.

The breakup was something you'd tried to forget, and even though it's been two years since then, you still often question whether or not you made the right decision that day. What stuck with you was the empty aching you felt every time a thought of her passed through your head. In spite of your best attempts to put it behind you and to move on, you will never forget how much love you felt for Leah, and how much grief and sadness you felt the instant you ended things.

Every week that has passed since then you have wondered what your life would be like if you and Leah had made the long-distance thing work. But now you were thinking about it even more because after a few seasons at Bayern, you were going back to play in the WSL.

When Man City approached you, your first instinct was that you absolutely could not go back to England. Because to you, England was Leah. Every memory of your time in England from when you moved at 18, to when you left at 23, is connected to Leah. As much as you loved your time in the country, you never thought you could go and live there again without her by your side. It just wouldn't feel right. However, after several meetings with your manager and calls with City, it became an offer you couldn't turn down.

At least you weren't going back to London, you thought. The distance between the capital and Manchester was just enough to feel like Leah wasn't completely within reach. Of course, it had been different once you were actually living back in England, playing with City, and having to face the reality that you and Leah would be on the same pitch again, but this time as virtual strangers.

You'd heard through the grapevine that over the last couple of years Leah had done her fair share of dating around, but you also were aware that she hadn't been in any serious relationship since you two broke up, and it was the same on your end. How were you supposed to move on when you still thought about your ex every day?

One night you were cooking dinner at your flat for yourself and Georgia Stanway, who had become a close friend of yours since her arrival at Bayern. You two had hung out a bit when you and Leah were still together, but even though Leah was one of Georgia's closest friends, she had never uttered her name around you or asked you anything about your relationship since she transfered to the German club. Not until you two were talking about how you felt about moving back to England and what it would be like playing for City, and you mentioned it first.

"It feels kind of wrong," you said honestly, "I still can't imagine not being an Arsenal player. And you know, being there without Leah."

Georgia looked at you sympathetically, "Do you miss her? I can't imagine how hard all that was for you both."

"I miss her every day, Georgia," you sighed, smiling just to ease the pain, "But I just have to keep telling myself it was the right decision, otherwise I think I'd just live in misery."

She gave you a hopeful smile, "I hope you two can work it out one day, even just as friends. I've never seen two people make each other so happy."

"Yeah I hope so too," you agreed, though the voice in your head told you that you could never make up with Leah after the way you ended things.

You had finally moved back to England after a tearful goodbye to your teammates at Bayern, but you knew it was for the best. Your first week in Manchester you were reminded of how much you loved living in England, mostly because of how different it was from where you grew up. Stepping outside always felt like stepping onto a film set. It was nice too, to catch up with old friends. It was already so much easier to organise trips into London to visit old teammates.

It was on a weekend that you were down in London, when you saw Leah for the first time. You should have known better, walking around St Albans, expecting that you wouldn't see anyone you knew. It wasn't a big enough city to get away with that.

It was still August and the League hadn't started yet, so you were free to make a trip down to London for the weekend to visit Caitlin and Katie, friends you had missed so much while you were living in Germany. You missed everything about Arsenal, but you knew there was no way you could go back there after the way things ended with Leah. It would be much too painful to even try to be friends after everything. There was too much history there that would have been impossible to set aside.

In the morning you had told Katie and Caitlin you would walk into town and buy some bread since they were out, and it was on your way home that you found yourself looking into the face of the person who you once loved more than anyone. It took a moment to register that she was actually there, getting closer as you kept walking.

"Oh my god," you said out loud, finding it extremely jarring to see her after all this time.

You both slowed to a stop in front of each other and Leah, who had always been the more talkative one, was left speechless. Looking at you her heart was both beating for you and breaking all over again.

After a few beats of silence you shook yourself out of your state of shock, "Hi, how are you?", you said.

"I feel like I'm dreaming," Leah said, finally smiling a little as she also moved away from the initial shock of seeing you again. The sound of her voice and the smile on her face brought you instant comfort. She looked different, in the best way. She looked older, which surprised you since she always had such a baby face. But now she looked mature, she looked her age, somehow so different from the 24 year old version of her you last knew.

"Me too," you agreed, laughing slightly at how awkward you were finding this to be. You'd imagined this moment endlessly over the last couple of years, but now that it was really happening you were at a loss.

"What are you doing here?" Leah shook her head, trying to make sense of seeing you.

"I'm staying with Katie and Caitlin for a couple of days," you explained.

"Oh, they didn't mention anything," Leah said, though she knows that people avoid talking about you around her. They know it's still painful for her to hear your name. Just like how Georgia never mentioned her around you.

You realised then that your transfer hadn't been announced yet by the City, and that Leah must know nothing of the news.

"You probably haven't heard, but I've actually moved back here," you say tentatively, knowing that the only reason you two weren't together was because you were living apart. But now you were closer than you had been in two years, and you had no clue what that meant, or if it had the power to change anything.

"What, to London?" Leah said quickly, her voice raising an octave in shock.

"No, I'm up North now. I've actually signed for City," you explain.

"Wow," she says, nodding her head and processing the news. The way she is looking at you doesn't give much away. Her face actually looks quite blank, as if she doesn't know at all how to feel about this.

"Yeah," you say quietly.

"Sky blue will suit you," she says simply and you smile, grateful for the playful comment.

"I don't know, I'm still struggling with the fact I'm not going to be back in red," you say, more meaning held in those words than you intended. Because not being back in red also for you meant not being back with Leah.

"I expected you to stay in Germany for a lot longer," Leah says and the feelings of guilt rush in. You'd thought about this a lot when you decided to come back to England.

The main reason you had called it quits with Leah was because you thought Germany was going to be your home for at least another five years. You couldn't do that many more years of distance, of short phone calls, of fighting and miscommunication. But of course you never thought after just a couple of years you would be coming back to England. And if you had, you might have been able to stick things out with Leah.

"I really did too," you say sincerely, hoping that she knows you wouldn't have done what you did if you knew you'd be back so soon.

Leah runs her hand roughly through her hair, and you can almost see the cogs turning in her head through the look in her eyes.

"This changes things then, doesn't it?" She asks, voicing the thoughts floating around both your minds.

"I suppose it does," you nod imperceptibly, afraid to admit it.

You stand in silence now, looking at each other trying to work out exactly what this changes.

"I miss you so much," Leah says, her voice thin and wavering.

"I know. I've felt sick without you," you say, voicing things you'd never voiced to anyone. You have genuinely experienced the most physical forms of grief for Leah. The first few months after the breakup you were nauseous everyday, throwing up even when your stomach was completely empty. It just felt impossible to go on without her.

Leah just nods, having been through the exact same things.

"I'm so sorry," you say finally taking the opportunity to apologise for the thing that you've felt so much guilt and remorse about.

"It's okay," Leah assures you, but you shake your head instantly.

"It's not, I don't know what I was thinking Leah," you say honestly, feeling the emotions all over again. Your eyes well up and Leah is quick to embrace you, allowing you to let it out in her arms.

"You were right about everything but," she says, "Things weren't working."

"Yeah, but I should've tried to work through it," you voice the things you'd been thinking over for the last two years, trying to compose yourself with deep breaths.

"I wasn't making it easy for you, I was so hard on you. I feel really bad about the way I treated you when you left," Leah reflects on her own behaviour.

"It's okay," you tell her now.

You stand in the middle of the footpath in St Albans, holding each other, both unable to believe that this was real.

"You don't absolutely hate me do you? Because I'd understand if you did," you say, stepping back to look at Leah, trying to ease some of the tension.

She laughs, "I tried hating you," she says, "But that lasted about a minute and then I just went on trying to love you less."

"And how did that go?" You ask hopefully.

"Yeah not very good," she says.

"I couldn't really get the hang of not loving you either," you say.

Leah is smiling, but you can see the reservation in her eyes. She knows that everything has suddenly changed, but still, nothing is the same as it once was. You feel it too.

"What do we do now?" She asks.

You shrug your shoulders, "I've got to deliver this bread back to Katie and Caitlin, do you want to come?"

"I'll come," she nods, "But what happens after that?" Leah says.

"After that," you sigh, "We are about two years overdue in catching up on each others lives, so I'd say we'll have a nice long chat."

You are stepping forward now, beginning the journey back to Katie and Caitlin's, and Leah is by your side.

"Best start now then," Leah says, and the two of you fall deep into conversation immediately. It warms you heart how at home you feel, even after all this time.

When you knock on the door back at the girls flat, Katie answers with a look of absolute shock on her face.

"What are you doin here!?" She looks right at Leah, as if she was an intruder.

"Well I bumped into this one in town and she invited me over, is that alright?" Leah explains.

Katie takes a moment to process the words before nodding and stepping back to let you both inside.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" Caitlin echoes when you all walk into the living room together.

"We've just bumped into each other," you say, "I thought I'd drop off the bread before Leah and I go and catch up."

"Cool, cool," Caitlin says, trying to mask her shock while Katie looks on, stunned into a very uncharacteristic silence.

"God, you two look like you've seen a ghost," Leah says.

"I feel like I have!" Katie stresses, and you feel the exact same way.

"Alright, let's go down the park," you suggest to Leah, a place where you two used to walk around in circles, chatting for hours. It seems like the perfect place to go.

"Perfect," she nods, "Bye you two," she looks between her teammates.

"See ya, have fun," Caitlin says.

"Don't kill each other," Katie says and you scoff.

"We won't," you roll your eyes.

You and Leah step out the front door you share a moment of laughter about the interaction.

"Did I hide my shock better than those two when I saw you?" You ask.

"Absolutely not, I believe your words were oh my god," Leah laughs.

You two end up at the park, walking around at first, talking about how you are going to be playing for City now and your time at Bayern. Leah gives you the big run down on what's been happening at Arsenal since you've left, telling you about all the new players. It's like seeing an old friend, and you're just so glad that she hasn't spent two years hating you.

After what must be over an hour, you two sit at a bench. Same one you would always find together on your morning walks.

It's weird being so physically close to her again. You want to reach out and hold her forever, but you think it might be too soon. Leah feels the same though and she shows it in the way her hand reaches out to find yours.

"Can I be honest with you?" She asks.

"Of course you can," you say with a squeeze of her hand.

"I haven't felt this..." she pauses trying to find the word, "Happy? Peaceful? I don't think there is a right word to tell you how right this feels to be with you again," she says, healing all the cracks in your broken heart.

"It feels the same as I remember it feeling," you say in agreement, "Like this is just how it's supposed to be."

"Would it be absolutely crazy of us to try to pick up where we left off?" Leah suggests.

"People will definitely think we're crazy, but I don't have a problem with that," you say.

"Is this really what you want?" Leah asks, using her free hand to gesture between you both.

"Yes," you say without missing a single beat, "I don't want to ever go without this again."

"Good. We're on the same page then," she nods finally.

Not wanting to wait any longer you ask her a question you've been dying to ask, "Can I kiss you, please?"

Without even a word Leah just smiles, leaning in to kiss you. Somehow it's a goodbye kiss, and a hello kiss, an I missed you kiss, and an I'm sorry kiss. It's everything you wish you could've said to each other in once simple gesture.

"I haven't stopped loving you for a minute, I hope you know that," you say quietly, as you pull apart.

Leah smiles, looking at you with all the love in the world, "I've spent years dreaming that one day we'd see each other again and you'd say that."

"In my dreams, you say it back," you joke.

"Sorry," Leah shakes her head, "I love you."

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hoesandnuggs · 10 months

Text

Nothing More || Leah Williamson

Leah Williamson x Reader

Summary: You and Leah were never meant to be more than strangers.

Warnings: Angst, I think. There is a swear word, & insinuations of smut.

Word count: 2.1k words

A/N: I was a mess when I wrote this so I've got no recollection of what's in it. More to come, I just have to get through some requests so this is a filler until then.

From stranger to friends...

You first met Leah Williamson when you’d met the rest of the Arsenal team.

You were simply filling in as Arsenal’s newest physio while one of their trainers was out on maternity leave. You hadn’t expected to actually get the job when you’d applied for it and had been incredibly excited when you’d been notified of your new position.

Of course, you’d known who Arsenal was, having been a North London native all your life. You’d looked up to the football team for a long time, striving to become one of them until you’d sustained an ACL injury in your teenage years. You’d lost your passion for playing the sport during this time, though you’d found a new drive in physiotherapy– you’d made it your goal to ensure that nobody lost their passion as you had, and you wanted to help people as your own physios had helped you throughout your injury recovery process.

You hadn’t anticipated just how welcoming the Arsenal girls would be. Within an hour of meeting them, they’d convinced you to go to their impromptu team bonding session, led mostly by an infamous Katie McCabe.

Just a few hours later, you found yourself smooshed on Beth and Viv’s couch between a very enthusiastic Katie McCabe and Kyra Cooney-Cross. The two were singing their hearts out, joined in by Beth who was sitting in a chair next to Viv, who looked as though she detested everything and everyone.

The moment Katie and Kyra finished their ensemble, a microphone was being shoved into your face.

“Alright, physio. Your turn!” Katie loudly proclaimed, a shit-eating grin on her face as she nudged you. You shook your head wildly, nowhere near ready enough to be singing in front of fifteen strangers. Katie continued to try to cajole you into singing, though she was interrupted by a tall blonde who sat in yet another chair, across the room.

“Bloody hell, McCabe. She doesn’t wanna sing for ya, give ‘er a break or she won’t be coming back tomorrow!” Leah Williamson called out, a teasing smile on her face as she crossed her legs on the chair, leaning back into it. You tried quite hard not to stare at the (incredibly attractive) blonde, instead getting up and excusing yourself to go refill your water.

As you made your way over to the kitchen, you heard Leah excuse herself as well. Leaning your front against the counter, you heard the English captain step into the kitchen where you were. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw her lean her torso up against the countertop as you refill your water. Her blue eyes watched you, blonde hair dropping down into her face as she did so.

“I’m sorry about her, she doesn’t know when to– shut up!” Leah shouted the last bit as Katie was hollering in the adjacent room. You heard the rest of the Arsenal girls giggling at the exchange and couldn’t help but smile as well at the interaction.

“McCabe? She’s alright. She’s just got a big personality,” you excused the other girl, laughing a little as Leah rolled her eyes playfully.

“Personality? Yeah, right– a big ego, maybe.” Leah said snottily, letting a scoff escape her parted lips. You tried not to look at those lips as she spoke, maintaining eye contact with the other woman, though you were unable to do that for long as her baby blues met your own gaze. You redirected your eyes towards the sink, shutting off the water faucet and taking a sip before turning towards Leah and mirroring her posture. Leaning your side into the countertop and allowing your hand to fall to your side, you grinned at Leah.

“It’s fun, though– getting to know you all outside of your football personalities. It’s nice.” You admitted, and Leah smiled back at you.

“I’m glad. It’s a fun crew, once ya get them outta their shells– well, everyone save for McCabe. We gotta find a way to shove her right back in that f-”

“Oi! We can hear ya out here! What’s takin’ ya so long? You two better not be snoggin’ each other’s face off over there!” Your face went bright red at the insinuation, and you caught Leah winking flirtatiously at you before racing (limping) off to go teach Katie a lesson.

-----

Friends into lovers…

It was after that day that you continually grew closer to Leah Williamson.

The taller girl spent much of her time with the physios anyway, as she was still working on recovering from her ACL injury. You found that your shared injury experiences helped you to understand Leah’s frustrations, and you made sure to be there whenever she was feeling low. The two of you cracked jokes, cried, and everything in between during those sessions.

When you’d confessed how getting to know the team had made you happy, Leah made sure to include you in plenty of the team’s bonding nights and activities.

When your car broke down, it was Leah that you called to help you out.

And when your car went to the shops to be fixed, it was Leah who began to drive you to and from training.

Then, of course, when it was Leah driving you back to yours after a long day of team bonding with the girls, it was only obligatory on your part to offer Leah to stay the night.

That very first night, when Leah had worn your clothes and shared your bed, and you’d talked each other’s ears off into the early hours of the morning, you’d felt something shift in your dynamic. You couldn’t help keep your attraction towards the other woman at bay any longer, but neither could Leah.

The two of you shared your first, tentative kiss just a few days later. Your relationship only blossomed from there, like a flower blooming in the spring. It was a beautiful thing, the way that you felt so comfortable and appreciated by the taller, blonde woman. Your kisses, slowly but surely, became more passionate as you became more comfortable, and then you began sleeping together.

There was a certain feeling that was sparked within you as Leah touched you. You felt alive beneath the lingering swipes of her fingertips against your soft skin. You felt like you were the only girl in the world with how Leah’s lips would possessively capture yours, biting at your bottom lip as she worked to evoke certain pleasure- filled noises and mewls from your lips each time you were together. Leah looked at you like you were hers and treated you like a queen. In return, you looked at Leah like she had hung the sun and the stars in the sky and loved her with everything you had inside you.

Of course, then, after several nights of shared passion, which turned into weeks of loving touches, and affectionate conversations, Leah asked you to be her girlfriend. She’d given you a bouquet of flowers, brought you out to dinner dressed in your finest, and had kissed you senselessly after you’d agreed to be her girl.

It was only inevitable that Leah continued to stay the nights at your house, her personal items slowly moving into your space the more time she spent in your home. At some point, she spent more time at your house than she did in her own, and it was then that you asked her to simply move in with you.

She did, of course, and you had a second key to your apartment made for your girlfriend. You made space for her in your home and in your life.

Now, her clothes sat beside yours in your dressers, and her mugs were set out next to yours in your cabinets. She preferred the left side of the bed, while you preferred the right side. The two of you fit together like a puzzle piece, as though you had been built from each other from the very beginning.

Leah and you fell into a routine, sharing the chores around the house as you cooked dinner and cleaned while Leah took care of the lawn and did the laundry. There was something so domestically romantic about life with Leah, something so satisfying about being able to take care of the woman and have her take care of you.

You were happy with Leah, and she with you.

What could go wrong?

-----

And strangers again…

It turns out, everything could have gone wrong.

Somewhere between the soft mornings and passionate nights, the two of you began to drift. It started when Leah began to need less time in the physio room, returning to practices again.

Then it was how Leah refused to tell anyone about her dating you, wanting to keep your relationship a secret from everyone. She wanted to keep you all to yourself and to protect you from the prying, carnivorous public. But, rather suddenly, you felt so suffocated by the way she hid you from the public eye. She refused to even hold your hand in public, refused to talk to you “too much” during training and matches, and it was slowly killing you from the inside.

The two of you began to argue more than anything else, spewing nasty words that had Leah leaving the house to stay the night somewhere else.

You wanted desperately to fix your bond and return it to the way that it once was, but you didn’t know how. It was a two way street, and a relationship demanded compromise, something of which was nearly absent in your relationship.

Each time you tried to talk it out with Leah, you felt more and more like you were uselessly taping up a shattered glass and watching its insides leak out the cracks that you missed.

You began to spend more nights alone, sometimes you couldn’t help but cry and mourn over what once was.

Until, of course, Leah stopped coming along at all.

Sometimes you fooled yourself, staying up late whilst seated on your couch, ears perked as you hopefully listened for the sound of a key turning in the lock of your front door. Sometimes you heard a key move, and shift, and your heart would leap into your throat– until you realized it was your next door neighbor and not your own door. Those nights always ended the same, with your eyes red and swollen, your exhausted and sad body falling asleep on your couch with hopes that maybe you’ll wake up beside the woman you loved.

You never did.

Training continued to grow even more awkward as, when Leah did have to visit the physio, she always ignored you. You began to learn to leave her alone, sometimes able to make yourself absent when she was with the other physios. You tried not to bother the other woman, though you were unable to understand just what you had done to make her hate you so.

Some of her teammates noticed the sudden distance between the two of you and the way that you no longer attended team bonding nights. They asked her, or you, what had happened to your friendship, and you always gave them the same response.

“I think we just drifted apart, yeah? Hopefully when she has more time, we’ll grow back together.” Your words were a lie, mostly a way to reassure yourself than to answer the prying questions of your teammates. Your hands would always wrap around your own torso, as if trying to physically hold yourself together, to keep the cracked and broken pieces of your soul from altogether crumbling apart.

Then, your time as a physio at Arsenal was coming to an end. They offered you a permanent position as a physio, and you wanted to talk to Leah about it.

However, the other girl denied every attempt you made at talking to her. You felt like a bother, more like a clingy stranger than a passionate lover to the tall blonde woman who you’d fallen head over heels for.

So then, who could have faulted you for denying the offered permanent position that Arsenal had offered to you?

Who could have faulted you for moving from your home, which was haunted in every corner by the remnants of the relationship that you’d failed to save.

You’d met and befriended Leah,

You’d loved Leah like you’d never loved before,

In the end, though, it was as if all of your shared moments had never happened.

And so it all ended as it began– now, you were strangers again.

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hoesandnuggs · 11 months

Text

One Of Us - Leah Williamson x Reader

(Not my image)

Based on the song ‘One of Us’ by ABBA

———

Arsenal wasn't Arsenal without you.

Since 2006, when she arrived at Arsenal, still only a girl, she'd had you.

Even in 2014, when Leah had been promoted to the senior squad, you'd been right behind her. It was only right you made your debuts together, as best friends.

There had always been something more than friendship there. Being young, you'd both been to blind to see it, until Jordan Nobbs had made a pass at Leah at one of the famous Arsenal Halloween parties and you'd lost your head.

"I don't get what your mad about!" She'd chased after you once she'd seen you storm out. You'd argued on the way back to your shared apartment, about 10 minutes away from the house you'd been at.

"You really don't get it?! That I've been in love with you since before I even knew what love was. That it's always been you, that it always will be you. And I fucking missed my chance to tell you because I didn't want to ruin a 10 year friendship!" You shouted.

She didn't respond, only placed her lips onto yours and promised you that she felt the same way.

Life was good. Playing together, going home together, being together. It was all you'd even known, until one day it wasn't.

Whilst Leah broke through into regular minutes in the first team, you struggled immensely. You and Leah both played in the midfield, and with the senior players he already had in that position, he really didn't need two of the exact same player coming in. Leah's connection with the team landed her in favor, she'd always been the one to make friends on behalf of the both of you, and in this case your quietness had been the reason for your downfall.

As a result, Pedro frequently criticized your playing style, and began not even listing you as a substitute.

You felt your world falling apart, Arsenal was all you had even known, Leah was all you'd ever known, but you knew you were better than a reserve player.

He called you into his office after a particular good training session, but had quickly ruined your mood.

"I only need one player, between you and Leah, you need to fight and prove to me why it should be you. The January window is fast approaching, don't let it be you I sell."

You arrived home in despair. Leah was quick to comfort you, asking what was wrong, but you were in no state to tell her about the conversation you'd just had.

She held you that evening, lips brushing over your cheeks as she whispered sweet nothings over and over again.

And so I dealt you the blow

One of us had to go

Leah's expression was unreadable at breakfast. The revelation of your conversation with Pedro had hit her. She enjoyed her life, playing for her childhood club, whilst also being with the love of her life every day. She didn't want things to change.

That week she'd been quiet at home, and distant at practice. Everyone else had noticed the shift in dynamic between the two of you too, eyes watching both of you.

By Friday you'd had enough, entering Pedro's office after training to tell him that you'd be looking for a new club in January, and that you'd made his decision easier.

To say Leah was upset was an understatement.

"Why wouldn't you talk to me before making a decision like that! This isn't just about you, this is about our future too!" She yelled.

"I did this for you! So you didn't have to leave the club you care about most! I don't want you to resent me for being the reason you leave."

"No instead I resent you for leaving me!" She screamed.

Now it's different, I want you to know

She could never resent you, not really. Even though she might have hated you in the moment, the minute your stuff was out the door and you were gone, she regretted every word she said.

You hated the way you left, the veil of darkness that cloaked every corner of your house in awkward tension. Leah barely spoke a word, watching as you gradually packed up your things. She knew she couldn't be in the house when you left for good.

Leaving your key on the table you walked away. And when Leah came home to find it, she knew it was the end of everything.

One of us is crying, one of us is lying

In a lonely bed

Staring at the ceiling

Wishing she was somewhere else instead

6 months was not enough time for Leah to get over you. She put on a front for her teammates, acting like it didn't hurt to partner up with Jordan for passing drills, or seeing the new signing with your number on her back.

Your cubby hadn't stayed empty for long either, a reshuffle in the locker room had meant the new signing sat where you used to. Leah couldn't even look over there, the fact that your eyes wouldn't be looking back at her in reassurance.

For a while Leah couldn't go home. It felt empty without the little bits of you. Leah hated the way you'd leave your keys on the counter instead of on the hook by the door, but now she wished she was able to complain as she put them on the hook herself.

After a while, your pillow stopped smelling like you too. Before she'd cry into it, the smell soothing her into a false sense of security, one in which she could pretend she was in your arms.

Instead, she was alone. The bed seemed bigger without you. She was just a body. Staring at the ceiling as she wiped her tears, wishing she was wherever you were, next to you.

One of us is lonely, one of us is only

Waiting for a call

Sorry for herself, feeling stupid, feeling small

Wishing she had never left at all

The move was tough. You'd moved out of the country, to a club where you couldn't speak the native tongue. It was hard fitting in, making friends. You'd never been good at it, not really. All your friends had been Leah's, she was always the one who introduced you to new people, knowing just how shy you were around everyone other than her.

Maybe Leah was right, maybe you should've stayed, figured something out together. Your solution had left you feeling more alone than ever, going home to your own pity party after practice.

You were stupid to think Leah would call, but still you sat by the phone hoping that every notification that pinged would be one from her.

They way you left should've been the first sign, you knew it was over, you knew she was done. But still you hopelessly pined over her, hoping she missed you just as much as you missed her.

You shouldn't have left. You shouldn't have left her

#leah williamson #leah williamson x reader #woso imagine #woso x reader #arsenalwfc #lionesses

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hoesandnuggs · 1 year

Text

summer of a lifetime | l. williamson

in which; leah makes the euros summer even more memorable than it was before.

playlist: thinking about you - calvin harris

"my captain, m'so proud of you."

you mumbled against leahs lips as you drunkenly kissed each other whilst dancing sloppily together.

"did it for you."

leah smiled with you, the pair of you holding each other as close as possible before your girlfriend took another swig of her beverage, offering you some and smirking at your drunken state furthering once you took quite a big sip.

your arms tightened around leahs neck as hers tightened around your waist, the pair of you lazily swaying together as her teammates came over to tease you before she playfully flipped them off, returning to her initial task of kissing the life out of you and shamelessly snogging you on the dancefloor.

"wanna make you mine."

leah drunkenly mumbled against your lips, your eyebrows furrowing in confusion as you continued to kiss passionately out of the high from winning the euros.

"what d'you mean? i am yours."

"mine forever. wanna make you mine for the rest of my life- m'gonna make sure of it- just wait, promise."

you smiled with leah, knowing she meant she wanted to marry you as you nodded your head in agreement, loving the idea of being mrs williamson.

one week later

"date night. right now, young lady! get your shoes on!"

leah yelled up the stairs once she saw you walking down them, the playful tone in her voice and smirk on her face showing her amusement.

"just because i'm a month younger than you, it doesn't mean you get to call me that."

"i'd like to say it does actually."

the blonde quickly retorted, yourself shaking your head at her before kissing her softly and putting on your shoes, following leah out to the car and pestering about where you were going for no answer to be given back but a smirk.

the pair of you finally arrived at your destination, a hand flying over your mouth as leah chuckled at your realisation, you were at the place where you'd been asked by leah to officially be together.

it was a small and affordable restaurant, not too busy but always with enough business to stay open, an outside area visible with a couple tables spare for you and leah to sit at.

"oh leah, you remembered!"

"of course i did. it's where the happiest night of my life occurred, how could i ever forget this place?"

you smiled softly up at leah and kissed her cheek as she took your hand in hers, walking up to the waiter and waiting for her to find your reservation before you were lead to one of the outside tables by a small space heater.

"even happier than euros night?"

you teased as leah sat down in front of you, the blonde pretending to think about it and earning a gasp from you before she laughed with you, putting her hands up in mock surrender.

"i'm joking! yes, even happier than euros night, my love."

the defender grabbed your hand from over the table and lifted it to her lips as she kissed it softly, your heart swooning at the action as leah smiled at your blush.

"alright, romeo, choose your food before our waiter decides he doesn't like us anymore."

"yes ma'am."

leah playfully saluted you as you flipped her off, the pair of you laughing and looking at your menus whilst deciding what to eat.

one hour later

"i'll never get tired of this."

you mumbled happily, your head resting on leahs shoulder as your left hand was intertwined with hers and your right was holding her bicep gently, the blonde kissing your forehead softly in response.

"i have one last surprise."

your girlfriend cheekily replied, making your head come off her shoulder as she pulled you to stand up in front of her gently, prompting you to close your eyes.

"leah i swear if you dump water on my head or something-"

"y/n/n!"

leah playfully whined, yourself closing your eyes with a laugh before you heard some movement and a small curse from your lover.

"open your eyes."

you'll never forget the sight you were met with.

leah in her oversized jordan basketball shorts, supreme t-shirt, travis scott dunks and bracelets adorning her wrists as she only wore one necklace that had your initial on it- and the black velvet box she was holding whilst she looked up at you from her place on one knee.

"i made a promise to you a week ago tonight and i haven't stopped thinking about it since. we aren't young anymore and our careers are going to be taking off no matter what, i love you just as much as i did the day i met you- even more, actually. you're my other half, my best friend, the woman of my dreams. my lover. i need to call you mine for the rest of my life, i love you too much to ever lose you or miss out on the chance of calling you my wife. please, baby, will you marry me?"

by now, tears were streaming down your cheeks as your hand flew to your mouth, a soft gasp being emitted as she opened the box before you nodded your head furiously as you didn't trust your words just yet.

"yes, baby, yes! of course!"

you happily exclaimed, leahs grin matching yours as she placed the ring on your left ring finger before standing up to kiss you, one hand on your waist and another on your cheek as yours simply clung onto her back.

"i love you so much."

"i love you, my fiancée."

leah cheekily replied, the pair of you laughing before kissing again and pulling apart, your fiancée wiping the tears off your cheeks gently.

"wait, gotta let all my followers know you're mine forever now."

the england captain spoke cheekily as she took a photo of your left hand, posting it to her instagram feed with the most heartwarming caption you'd ever read.

leahwilliamsonn

leahwilliamsonn my one and only, my one true love, my beautiful girl. mine. i love you, y/n. i made a promise on euros night and you know better than most that i never break them. i have no doubt in saying the happiest night of my life has been replaced by this one.

my fiancée ❤️

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hoesandnuggs · 1 year

Text

Leah Williamson

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hoesandnuggs · 1 year

Text

every time you walk into the room (i’m speechless)

| leah williamson x reader | fluff | 1.9k | inspo: speechless by dan + shay | a/n: another req let's go! this one's been in the ask box for minute and it finally made it past the outline stage! twas a fun one to write! s/o to this anon for the req! i hope i did it justice! this is the outfit inspo for leah btw! as usual, happy reading, thanks for being here and i hope you enjoy! absolutely feel free to give me some feedback! (anons are on if you prefer that!)

~~~

You loved your girlfriend, you really did, but sometimes moments like these really tested your patience. She sometimes really tested your patience.

“Leah, love, for the sake of football, any chance that we could head out before the world cup starts?” You shouted up the stairs, hoping the other girl could hear you clearly.

The two of you had been invited out with the team, just a nice little get together to celebrate the end of the season before everyone parted ways to prepare with their individual national teams. It wasn’t much really, just a dinner that had the possibility of migrating to a bar or club, but nothing outwardly crazy.

You and Leah had started getting ready a while ago, you getting dressed much earlier due to Leah wanting to kick you out of your shared closet and room, something about a surprise and a kiss promising she wouldn’t be too long distracting you from complaining.

So here you were, sitting at your kitchen island for the past forty-ish minutes or so, resignedly waiting for the blonde to finally come down. Some time between the doom-scroll of Instagram and then TikTok, your mind had been severely sidetracked, the sweet aroma of your girlfriend’s favourite perfume floating down the stairs, overwhelming your sense in the best way possible, and for a while you hadn’t minded how long she was taking.

Now though? A little under half-an-hour away from the designated time for the dinner, you were beginning to worry whether you’d make it on time, well aware that London traffic and parking would be a pain to navigate.

Getting no response from earlier, you tried once more, leniency wearing thin.

Hand running across your face in a vain effort to relax, careful not to mess up your hair, you called out a bit gentler this time. “Leah we gotta leave soon otherwise we’re gonna be late!”

This time you got lucky, the frenzied voice of the defender carrying through the hallway and down the stairs.

“I’ll be down in five! Almost done, I swear…just got my hair left!”

Quietly groaning to yourself, you threw your head back, aware that five minutes weren’t going to be just five minutes.

“I heard that!”

“And yet you didn’t hear my first call! Love you too babe!”

Shaking your head and taking a deep breath, you fiddled with your keys in front of you, getting antsy with every minute that passed.

All you really wanted to do was see your girlfriend dressed up, admire her, and head out to enjoy your night with your teammates turned friends, something you were immensely excited for and therefore eager to attend to. All this waiting wasn’t doing you any good, the restlessness taking up home in your bones, jitteriness becoming ever present.

It seemed that luck was on your side though, when only about seven minutes later you could hear the defender approaching the top of the stairs. Murmuring a quiet thanks into the air, you rose from your seat, heading to the landing, hoping to usher Leah to the car quickly and head out.

Approaching the bottom steps though, you couldn’t help but stop in your tracks, the sight that awaited you when the blonde walked down the stairs making you glad you waited.

Your mouth falling agape, adoration pouring in your veins, you couldn’t help but stare.

“I-…Leah…baby…” You tried, words not seeming to fall past your lips, at least none that would do justice to just how beautiful she looked standing there ahead of you.

Blinking, mind short-circuiting, you stood there stunned, speechless.

Leah wasn’t going to lie, she had expected this reaction from you, with the number of times she had already witnessed it in the past. Yet, each time it didn’t fail to cause her to blush gently, your love for her always surprising her, making her appreciate you just a little more.

Head ducking down, biting back a smile, Leah’s soft voice wrapped around you. “What do you think? Worth the wait?”

“Uh-“ Swallowing hard, you tried to regain your bearings, praying for your internal gay panic to stop for long enough to allow you to form at least one coherent sentence. Letting your eyes trace over her stunning form, you tried once again.

“Shit.”

“That bad?” Leah couldn’t help but tease you, aware that you meant it in awe, yet not willing to pass the opportunity to annoy you.

“Leah…okay fuck. Shit. Fucking hell.” You threw your head back, eyes closing at your nervousness at seeing your girl dressed up.

You could feel the blonde’s eyebrows raise in amusement at your words, not needing to look at her to feel her smiling, yet you did, bringing your gaze back down, not wanting it to leave her for even a second.

“What happened to being late for dinner?”

“Babe…” you whined. “You absolutely cannot be asking me that after you come down looking like that!” Finally finding your ability to talk, you continued. “Literally not at all fair. Not one bit. Did you even think about me? Or the other girls? How, tell me how are we supposed to stay focused on dinner when you look so gorgeous?”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you eagerly stepped forward to close the gap between you two. Opening and closing your mouth a few times again, you searched for better words to express how you were feeling.

“My god…”

“Yes I’m real, and yeah, I don’t know how you managed to pull me either to be honest.”

Head shaking in amusement, you reached out to the blue-eyed angel. “You’re so cocky y’know, out here thinking you can read my mind.”

“Am I wrong?” The cheeky reply not taking more than a second to slip past Leah’s lips.

“You know you aren’t. It makes it so much worse.” Grinning you let your eyes trace over her outfit for the umpteenth time.

You weren’t sure how Leah managed to make everything she wore look so amazing, but she did, especially the suits that she wore, like she was now. There was just something about the way that the cropped blouse and tan suit had you in awe, her wavy hair and makeup complimenting it ever so perfectly, the world’s most elegant model, here in your arms.

Taking a deep breath in, your eyes widened once the realisation that she was yours hit you again. “Seriously though…no words. I’d tell you you look beautiful but I don’t think that even begins to cover it.”

Your words had Leah blushing even harder, ocean eyes shyly meeting yours.

“I’m so serious babe. I know I say it every time but you genuinely blow me away with how lovely you look. Out here leaving me at a loss for words really.”

Stepping back just a tad bit, you raised your intertwined hands above your head, wrist turning enough to wordlessly tell Leah to spin around slowly.

“God I’m gonna marry you one day…” The words slipped out of your mouth, heart speaking faster than your mind could comprehend.

Leah stopped in her tracks at your words, slowly finishing her turn before looking at you intently. “You mean that?”

This time it was your turn to blush, cursing yourself for being so lovesick.

Seeing the truly concerned look in the midfielder’s eyes though, you decided to double down.

Shrugging, pulling Leah closer by her waist, you eased her mind.

“Yeah. You've had me wrapped around your little finger since the day we met. Still have me in a daze most days. In fact, you said it yourself, I genuinely can’t believe I managed to get you and so I’d be honoured to love you for as long as I can, forever hopefully.”

The look that she gave you at your words had your heart bursting in joy. Eyes shining with love, a gentle smile on her face, Leah looked at you like you were her whole world (because you were- she didn’t know what she’d do if she lost you).

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise. And you know we can’t break those.”

Interlocking your pinkies, you brought your joined hands up to your lips, placing a tender kiss on the back of her hand before dropping it down.

Becoming aware that you had already spent long enough in your apartment and not enough on the streets though, (not that you would ever mind spending time with Leah) you decided to suggest finally heading out, only having ten minutes to make the twenty minute trip now.

Tugging Leah closer to you, you placed a kiss on her lips before stepping back and giving her another once over and then a playful wink.

“As much as I'd love to stay here with you, Katie and Beth would absolutely kill us if we skipped out on tonight. So, before we get any more late, shall we head out pretty girl?”

Nodding and letting you lead the way, Leah followed you out the door, smiling to herself at your actions. She knew you were extremely punctual, not one to ever be late if it was in your control. Yet, in moments like these, you’d always make the time to appreciate her, to love her, and she couldn’t adore you more for it if she tried.

It wasn't a secret how much the pair of you loved each other, endless teasing from all your friends (and sometimes family) adequate proof of that. Yet in stolen seconds like these, where it felt like you two were the only ones in the world, in the cozy bubble of your love, nothing ever felt greater, nothing ever felt more important. Not to you and most definitely not to Leah.

The English captain knew that she'd spend forever with you if she could, the idea of loving you, of marrying you having always been a question of 'when' rather than 'if'.

So if on the drive there, she silently planned your guys’ wedding in her head, you didn’t have to know. And if she spent a good chunk of that planning thinking about what wedding outfit would best leave you speechless, more than she had ever made you thus far, you most definitely didn’t have to know. After all, while her beauty left you tongue-tied, your love for her, all of her, left her at a loss for words, nothing but warmth coursing in her veins, a permanent blush on her cheeks.

And when you both arrived indisputably late, nearly half an hour past the designated time, and the teasing from your teammates was directed at you, you couldn’t help but shrug, declaring your love for her and ignoring the impending comments of 'whipped' headed your way.

“Leah looking at me dressed like that? There’s my weakness. She can take as much time as she needs to get ready. Hell, I made us late in fact. Really, though anything she says tonight, I agree with,” you joked, adoration and mirth filling your eyes.

It really was safe to say that it wasn't a secret how much you two loved each other, especially when all it took was her walking into the room for you to fall in love all over again.

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hoesandnuggs · 1 year

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stay a minute (let my troubled heart rest)

| leah williamson x reader | hurt/comfort | 1.9k | a/n: another fic based off another song in another language :) this song's dear to me, one of my faves and i just had this idea while listening to a slow version of it. didn't edit this as much as i would've liked to but oh well... hope y'all like it! as usual, thanks for reading, feel free to send in any feedback (and i mean any, positive or negative! i appreciate criticism/feedback of any sort)

~~~

Nights like these had a special place in your heart.

A tranquil atmosphere blanketed your shared apartment, ignorant of the UWCL semi-finals game you and Leah had played in today.

The emotions of the game had long worn off, excitement, joy, anxiety, pain, all vanishing the second the pair of you had entered the apartment, takeout in hand a mere few hours ago.

Since then, you both had made base in the living room, Love Island playing on the tv, Leah enthralled by the show, a welcome distraction from the failures of the day.

The room itself was dark, save for the flashes of light from the screen illuminating the nearby area. You were cuddled up against Leah under a blanket, empty takeaway containers and dishes littering your coffee table, the warmth of each other's body more enticing than the prospect of a pristine apartment.

You hadn't been as interested in the show as your counterpart, instead opting to let yourself snuggle further into her chest, fingers tracing over the veins in her forearm, wandering over her lover tattoo as she focused on the screen ahead, her other arm silently wrapping around your waist, holding you closer.

Ever since the pair of you had come home, few words had been said, eyes communicating everything you didn't need words to. Between showering again to wash off the tension in your sore bodies to changing into each other's hoodies and sweats soundlessly, letting the scent of each other bring you both home, a comfortable silence enveloped the pair of you, wrapping you cozily.

The game hadn't gone how you had wanted it to, the loss no doubt hitting you both immensely. Yet, in this moment, the grief of the defeat was quietly being washed away, the waves of your lover's tenderness quietly cleansing your heart, misery flowing like a river out of your soul.

Taking a deep breath in, you willed the assault of negative thoughts in your head to go away. You knew you had quite a few missed opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net, nothing seeming to work in your favour though. Even worse, you know there were a few instances that you had made a few poor decisions, but with the game long gone, no results to be changed, you willed yourself to focus on the present, on being in your girl’s arms, safe and loved.

Entranced in your own musings, eyes closing, preoccupied by the calming heartbeat of the English captain, you failed to notice her attention resting upon you.

Leah wasn't happy with the result herself, heart aching at the conclusion that the prospect of being Champions League finalists was once again just barely out of reach. She was familiar with this feeling, friendly with despair, accustomed to wishing she had just given it a little bit more effort, yearning for a different outcome. Still, even as miserable as she felt, it seemed that it all wiped itself away the second you made yourself comfortable in her arms.

As soon as the pair of you had changed, you hadn’t wasted a second before tugging Leah over to the couch, fluffiest blanket in the house in your other hand. You had sat her down, a gentle stare threatening her to stay before you had warmed and plated the food for both of you.

Immediately settling right beside Leah upon your return, shoulders millimetres apart, you had both silently ate dinner, knowing the faintest of touches would calm the other.

Post dinner, the pair of you hadn’t separated, you only moving to better snuggle against Leah, hoping your body warmth would comfort the blonde.

And it worked. Unbeknownst to you, while the weight on Leah’s chest hadn't lifted from earlier, her breaths did come a tad bit easier now, the rock in her throating shrinking slightly.

Yet, just thinking of the game brought another wave of sadness to the central-back's mind though, her arm tightening its grip on you, unknowingly seeking the comfort only you could provide.

She couldn’t help but replay each tiny mistake in her head. The way certain passes didn’t connect, how a few tackles were just terribly mistimed, how she should’ve done better. The thoughts were battering her mind, a rush of frustration stifling her calming mood.

Eyes beginning to dampen, Leah held a shaky breath back, hoping you wouldn't notice the way her chest shook ever so faintly.

She should've known better than to doubt your love for herself however.

To you, the change in Leah's demeanour was immediately noticeable, the shiver running through her chest an earthquake to you, quickening heartbeat just as easily distinguishable.

Quietly and carefully, you shifted in her hold, your own arms reaching to grasp hers, pulling her up gently, bringing you both into a sitting position.

You situated yourself in her lap, straddling her but being careful to avoid putting too much pressure on her thighs, knowing they'd likely be sore. Letting your knees do the work instead, you smiled as Leah gently clutched either side of your waist, silently steadying you, ensuring you wouldn't fall.

Bringing your own hands up, you let yourself trace her fingers on your sides. Skimming your touch up the length of her arms, pausing for a second on her shoulders, long enough to just gently let your fingertips kiss the nape of her neck, your eyes scanned her face, taking note of the barely visible hints of hurt hidden in her eyes.

Eventually carrying on, you let your hand tenderly run up her neck, coming to rest across either side of her face, digits fanning her cheeks. You knew that she was beating herself up mentally, you both were. It was the way you both worked. It’s why you worked well together, differently similar, aware of the depths of self-anguish that each other’s minds could reach.

Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, you felt the first of her tears fall onto your arms, a slow trickle of a few following soon after.

Leaving another affectionate peck between her eyebrows, right where the creases in her forehead tended to form when she was unhappy, you remained put, lips ghosting the spot you had just kissed. You gave her a minute, knowing quite well that she needed some calm before you checked in on her.

You knew you both were hurting, would be for a while too, yet you hoped that in this moment, your presence could comfort the woman you loved, erase her pain even if only for the time being.

The two of you rested together for a little while, arms wrapped around the other, each holding your own world in your arms.

Eyes closed, basking in the moment, in the anguish you two were undoubtedly sharing, you let your love fill the voids your pain had torn open.

It was only when Leah's breath hitched for a second time, that you opened your eyes, the gentle sniffles confirming what you already knew.

Pulling back just a tad bit, you directed the blonde to look up at you, lifting her chin with your hands. Your thumbs gently swiped the few falling tears away resting ready to catch the few new ones that joined the descent down as well.

Kissing her again, this time on her lips, her soft tears not ceasing to fall, you hoped that your heart could tell her everything no words could ever say.

You prayed that she understood that you were going to be with her every step of the way, through all the good and the bad. You wished that she knew that if you could, if you so absolutely could, you wouldn't hesitate to take her grief and let it make home in your heart instead. You desired to be able to show her just how miserable you would be without her by your side, how vital she was to your being, to your existence, her the oxygen that you so desperately craved, needed.

You longed to show her how much you loved her, how if the world was in your hands, she'd never spend another day miserable, never have to hold an ounce, a gram, of grief in her heart ever again. You wished that you could explain to her how much she meant to you, in this moment, and every in the past and those that would come in the future. Yet you couldn't, unable to quantify just how deep your love ran for her, how deep you were willing to cut yourself just to see her smile.

So instead you settled for your kisses, inwardly pleading that they would be enough to rest her heart.

Kiss after chaste kiss, you both ignored the salty taste of tears on your tongues, letting your pain quietly bleed you dry and tired.

Only breaking apart to catch your breaths, you looked into Leah's eyes, the dim lighting not weak enough to hide the tiredness that hid behind.

Slowly climbing out of her lap, you kept your gaze on Leah as you reached for the remote.

Switching off the tv and tossing your long forgotten blanket to the side, you tugged on your lover's arm, urging her to follow you. She silently agreeing, her trust in you unwavering.

Letting herself be led, Leah padded softly behind you, quiet footsteps placed in the wake of your passing ones.

And when you gently sat her on the bed, sharing a sweet kiss before quickly exiting the room, Leah waited patiently for your return.

She could hear you make quick work of locking up the house, the gentle slams of windows being shut and the sound of two waters being poured, before the house went silent, save for your hushed footfalls.

Returning, you placed the waters down on either side before quietly sidling up next to Leah.

Reaching your hands out, you waited for her to intertwine her own before climbing over to your side of the bed, drawing Leah with you.

Letting go briefly, you carefully brought the covers of you both, before once again, pulling her into your arms.

You wrapped your arms around Leah once more, her head tucking into the crook of your neck, your hand in her hair, gently scratching her scalp. Your bodies were intertwined, not a hair of space between you two, the feeling of each other’s body providing the comfort you both craved.

You knew you couldn’t take away the sorrow that plagued her right now, no matter how much you wanted. So instead, you hoped your presence would be enough to calm her troubled heart, holding her tighter, kissing her softly, loving her forever.

Closing your eyes, the pair of you drifted off not too long after, misery finding sweet company in each other's pain, hearts finding tender love in each other's arms.

With each other in close proximity, never more than a touch away, you both knew that every grief would pass and each joy would be cherished.

Pain would never not burrow itself in the cracks of each other's heart, but you knew you'd both let your love for the other help the fissures carefully heal.

Now and for years to come, the pair of you would always be there for one another, sharing comfort, care, and love.

So for now, you'd settle for this moment, hoping your presence would say everything words couldn't and your arms could provide a safe space for her troubled heart to rest.

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hoesandnuggs · 1 year

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If You Love Her

Leah Williamson x Reader

Word Count: 5.8k

A/N: Sorry if the story is a bit confusing, it jumps through time a lot. You can follow the numbers if you want to read it chronologically, otherwise just sit back and enjoy!

[WOSO Masterlist]

There’s been an annoying tune stuck in your head all day.

You thought that after finally being able to expel the thoughts raging in your head, you’d finally have some peace and quiet. But no, after a night cranking away, working on songs you know you’d add to your new album, you woke up to an inkling of a melody and nothing else. The more you tried to work on it, the further it seemed to slip from your grasp.

Keep reading

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hoesandnuggs · 1 year

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stars through the window (they light up our disco)

| leah williamson x reader | fluff (just pure softness) | 1.5k | inspo: when you're home by tyler shaw. | a/n: this was supposed to be short and sweet, but it turns out despite my height, shortness is not a strength of mine. if you haven't heard the song before, definitely check it out, it's lovely! and if you have, see if you can count how many lyrics i sneaked in :) as usual, thank you for reading and any feedback is really really appreciated! i'd love to know what's working and what isn't! take care folks!

~~~

Your insistence on getting an apartment with huge windows had frustrated Leah throughout your initial apartment hunt. You both were footballers with your lives constantly being the topic of interest of the media and the internet, no hint of privacy in the public world. Leah didn’t want to give them direct access to your most personal moments too. However, when it eventually became a heated topic that the two of you would butt heads on not only during any showing with your realtor, but over meals and downtime, Leah had decided that it wouldn’t be worth the risk of potentially losing you. Plus, she figured she could always purchase a nice set of black out curtains in order to keep away prying eyes. Letting you win, the decision to choose an apartment had become ever so slightly easier (the clear joy on your face had been a good reward too), the pair of you eventually deciding on one that fit all the requirements, a house that was ready to become a home.

And while she wouldn’t tell you this, in this moment, Leah was glad that she had gone along with your terms in that initial disagreement. The both of you were currently in said apartment, a soft playlist filling the room through the numerous hidden speakers in the living room as each of you quietly did your own thing. It was just a little after dinner that you had suggested turning off the lights in the apartment and playing some music to help the two of you relax. Between the flurry of games and practices you both had had, it was safe to say the downtime of the past day-off had been a blessing.

While you and Leah played together for Arsenal, her duties as a key face of the Gunners’ women’s team and England often led to much of your time spent away from each other. Nights like these, where you got to spend the evening together, gently watching over London as the city began to head to bed, the two of you basking in the presence of each other, contentedly present, were some of your favourites.

You were laying on the sofa reading, the light of the sunset shining through the near-completely glass wall illuminating your book, whilst Leah was sprawled on the arm chair next to you, the evident sounds of overplayed songs coming from her phone signifying her doom-scroll of TikTok.

It was when dusk started to turn into night, just under an hour later, that you gave up on trying to progress any further in your story, the waning light too faint to make out the words that littered the paper. Bored and missing your girlfriend, you padded over to Leah, gently taking her phone out of her hands and placing it on the coffee table that rested near you.

“Leah…I’m bored. I was enjoying my book and then the light started fading,” you whined, settling yourself in her lap, arms coming around her neck, head on her shoulder.

Placing a delicate kiss on the exposed part of your neck, Leah pulled you closer, her hands finding home on your waist.

“How dare the sun set and the day turn to night, hmm? It’s a shame we don’t have any means to light the inside of our home,” she joked, causing you to gently smack her shoulder from where you rested (not an easy feat, given the two of you were positioned lengthwise in the single seat).

“I’m bored. Entertain me,” you pleaded. “Please.”

Tucking her head your shoulder in response, Leah blindly reached for your phone from your pocket, turning up the volume of the music ever so slightly and changing the playlist from your current acoustic covers to one that she had made for the two of you once the device was in her hands.

“I have a few ideas on what we can do,” she smirked, pulling back and meeting your eyes.

Recognizing the glint in your girl’s eyes, you had just leaned in to kiss the blonde, lips merely centimetres away, when Leah deviously decided it was the perfect time to get up and prepare for her little activity. Her hands moved to your thighs to make sure you wouldn’t fall as she picked you up with herself, moving quicker than normal to tease you, your shrieks echoing in the room at the unexpected movement.

Carefully setting you on the floor, Leah made quick work of moving the coffee table to the side, creating room for a faux dance floor in the middle of your living room, as you looked on in confusion.

When Leah turned to you, hand outstretched in the space between you two, the streetlights illuminating her soft smile ever so angelically, you extended your own, intertwining the two, binding the skin of your hands.

You let the blonde pull you into her, stepping into her space, your bodies pressed close together.

A bashful smile on her face, Leah took a moment to appreciate you, in awe of the way you so effortlessly stood in front of her, a golden glow on your face, no doubt due to the stars shining through the window. (She secretly hoped she’d get this view again, but in a different setting, where hopefully the pair of you would wear white, sunlight streaming down on you two).

Wrapping up her admiring, Leah took note of the perplexed look on your face, quickly choosing to put you out of your misery.

“Let’s put on a show?” She asked shyly. “Dance with me?”

You couldn’t help but grin at the Englishwoman standing in front of you. It wasn’t rare that Leah let her soft, romantic side show, yet each time, it left you just as elated as the first time. The stone cold captain on the field seemed to turn to mush in your presence, your teammates never failing to remind you both of the way you had the midfielder wrapped around your pinkie.

“Lead the way m’lady,” you winked, smiling lightly to yourself, finally realising that Leah had put on the playlist of love songs she had made for you.

The pair of you slowly danced, swaying to the music as the stars outside faintly lit your disco. Words unsaid, Leah held on to you tighter, slowly guiding you through a waltz and spinning you so gracefully before tenderly pulling you back, impossibly closer to her.

You weren’t one to dance, often joking to yourself that you had two left feet and that any use of footwork was better left on the pitch for you. Yet, here you couldn’t help but follow Leah’s footsteps, trusting her to lead you both, trusting her trust in you. And when Leah looked into your eyes, asking for permission to dip you down, you could only whisper her name, nodding ever so slightly, confident that she’d catch you, knowing for certain that she wouldn’t let you fall, at the very least, not on your own, not by yourself. Whether it be four feet or three on the floor, you knew she’d be there for you, just like she had every step of the way since the start.

As song after song played, the two of you moved delicately around the makeshift stage, eyes and hands not once leaving the other. With each waltz after waltz, spin, and dip, you knew that if paradise was on Earth, it would be here, in your apartment, as the pair of you silently spoke your affection for the other with each second that passed.

And when tired feet led you to sit down, cuddled up on the couch, wrapped in your love for each other, FIFA illuminating the rest of the room, Leah knew that the windows that she hated in the apartment that she loved had grown on her. The way the passing rays lit up your face, bathing you in an ethereal glow was a heavenly sight to see, one that she wished on any and every shooting star that she’d get to see for the rest of her life.

Your shared apartment that had been gently crafted into a home, was nothing but a skeleton, a shell of a safe haven, if it didn’t have the two of you. The love shared between you two overflowing, seeping into the cracks, filling them with delight and affection. As long as it had you both, you knew that it would be all you’d ever need, and everything you’d ever want. The best thing in your lives had only started, a whole future waiting for you ahead. A future full of you two together, coupled with friends and family, and a sky full of love, where life couldn’t get much better than this dreamland turned reality, a present in the night that passed.

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