#((THANK YOU FOR THE ASK!!!! I LOVE NIAMH!!!!!))

[philialdevotion]

Punch Bowl - Niamh has never been the social butterfly, and definitely not during gathering likes these. She's much better at surveying things from afar, so when she recognizes that there's a place to perform such a matter, she finds herself by the punch bowl. Taking account the actions of others nearby, she decides to serve herself a drink - and meets eye to eye with someone standing on the other side of the table.

Niamh has to wonder the stranger's reason. Was she also here to examine the festivities from afar? Was she more interested in interacting with those with a like-minded approach? Or, maybe she just wanted a taste of the punch?

Fortunately - or not - Niamh decides not to be direct this time, giving the other a small nod of acknowledgement instead.

She takes a sip of the punch; she regrets it. The creases of disgust at the cloying sweetness which push her eyebrows down and her mouth in, bubble up at her from a surface the colour of plums festering with over-ripeness. It overwhelmes the senses: coats her tongue in some sort of preternatural film of flavour which gives the uncanny promise of not being able to taste anything else, ever. No matter what she ate now, she knew that the soaring notes of sugar would cut through it. Oh dear.

Glancing up, nose still slightly wrinkled, she finds that she is being observed. A face, or rather, a bright blue mask stares at her levelly, the painted colour framing a flash of bright red beneath. It is rather difficult to tell where the mask begins, and the human features end. Inexplicably, she feels a troubled sort of jealousy - as if to be looked at in such a way is a reproach.

But then she nods, and the shadows make the mask almost look sorrowful. They are two isolated wanderers - converging on the unlikely connection of a rather unfortunate concotion. That has to mean something. She will make it mean something.

'Hello'. Phila approaches, placing her glass down with overcareful attention. What sort of things are said at parties such as these? She is so used to the background; to be joined in it strikes her with a simultaneous sense of claustraphobia and expansiveness. 'I don't believe we have met, I am Phila, a flying instructor. What has brought you to the festivities?'

[woso-dreamzzz]

Duck on a String III

Jessie Fleming x Child!Reader

Summary: The team meet your duck

Mama lets you bring your red wagon to training today because you don't want Sir Quackers to be alone at home.

He's got a big cage to keep him safe with lots of blankets and water and food for him and you get to pull him along in your wagon.

You knighted him last night while you and Mama were playing kings and queens so now he's Sir Quackers instead of just Quackers and you love him very much.

Jessie doesn't want your duck being left alone in the house either. He's proven to be a bit of a menace by himself if the chewed-up boxes of cereal are anything to go by.

No.

He's much safer in his cage while he's still too small for the harness and leash Jessie's ordered for when he's older.

"Mama," You say," Will the others like Sir Quackers?"

You seem completely enamoured with him and, despite the fact that the duck seems to think he rules the house, Jessie loves him too.

"They'll love him," She assures you, fondly pushing your hair out of your face as you both approach the doors," Make sure you tell Magda just how thankful you are about her getting Quackers for you."

"Sir Quackers, Mama," You remind her," We knighted him."

"Oh, you're right. Sir Quackers. Sorry, duckie."

"That's okay! He's still getting used to his name too!"

Your proud entrance gets a bit hampered by the fact that your wagon gets caught at a strange angle so Jessie has to help you get it through the doorway.

By that point, the whole room has fallen silent and Magda has grown incredibly pale as you approach her.

"Thank you for my duck, Uncle Magda!"

Pernille scoffs next to her, muttering sarcastically," A dead egg, huh, Magda?"

"Er...You're the welcome," Magda manages to get out after a long bout of silence.

"His name is Sir Quackers!" You tell her, grabbing her by the hand and dragging her through the small crowd that has surrounded your wagon," Because ducks say quack and Mama and me knighted him. So he's Sir Quackers and not just Quackers."

"A duck, huh?" Erin snickers and Jessie buries her face in her hands, Niamh rubbing her shoulders.

"She was very excited."

"Do you know how to take care of the duck?"

"The vet sent us home with an information pack. Duckie's insiting we read it as her bedtime story every night."

"That's sweet," Niamh offers up," It shows she's taking this seriously."

"She keeps trying to sneak out of bed to play with him. I've had to move the duck into my room to make sure I catch her."

Erin can't stop snickering and soon Sam and Guro are laughing too.

"Is it that bad?" Niamh asks and Jessie has to begrudgingly shake her head.

She watches as you hold Magda hostage by your side, very excitedly waffling on about how cool Sir Quackers is and how he's your bestest friend in the world.

Magda looks unbelievably nervous, eyes wide as Pernille stares daggers at her. She ducks her head down to focus on you again, hoping that by showing interest, she can avoid whatever lecture Pernille's already planning in her head.

"Do you want to hold him?" You ask and Magda freeze, throat suddenly going dry.

"W-What?"

"Do you want to hold Sir Quackers?"

"Erm..."

"Are you scared, uncle Magda? That's okay! I'll hold him and you can stroke him!"

You show no fear as you pick Sir Quackers up and offer him to Magda to pet.

"I'm sorry about her," Pernille says, watching from a distance as she slides next to Jessie," She assured me it was dead."

"It's fine," Jessie assures her," I think it's nice Duckie has a friend now."

"Magda will willingly babysit them both."

"I can't ask that."

"You don't need to ask," Pernille says," It's what's going to happen. Magda can supervise duck play."

They both turn in sync to see Magda really awkwardly stroking Sir Quackers as he tries to eat her finger.

"Mama!" You say, looking at Jessie proudly," He is giving uncle Magda kisses!"

[pelova4president]

To your rescue

Lauren Hemp x Charles!Reader

summary~ You get into an argument with your girlfriend. You’re stubborn, and Lauren is too, but luckily another Charles is there to help.

Being Niamh Charles’ little sister you were meant to be a footballer too. You grew up playing all sorts of sports with your older sister. Your household was very competitive, not just sports, card games too and that’s what got you to where you are now.

Niamh always had your back. She joked and complained a bit about you whenever you were with her. But you knew she spoke highly of you to others. Your bond had grown even stronger through your shared love for football.

Niamh ended up playing for Chelsea where as you ended up at another blue club, Manchester City. You got to play with your sister’s bestfriend Lauren.

Lauren is a very interesting person. And that might’ve been what got you to love her so much. Nobody really knew what was going on in that head of hers, if there was even anything going on at all.

You honestly don’t remember when they started to be friends but Lauren was always near. Niamh and Lauren were always together, it was like they could know what the other was thinking without even saying anything.

Lauren was already part of the family by the time you started dating. No matter how many hints you gave her, she didn’t seem to notice them, Lauren was absolutely oblivious to them.

You’d absolutely had it by the time you admitted your feelings out loud. You had taken her out to a coffee shop after training, it wasn’t commen for you to get some alone time with her.

You sat her down after ordering and got straight to the point. “Lauren i really like you and i’d love to go on a real date sometime.” you told her.

Lauren was a bit shocked at your confession. “Uuh okay, yeah same.” she answered.

You had to laugh a little at that. She didn’t expect it but it didn’t necessarily surprise her either. But as fast as your question was answered she went to another subject.

Lauren didn’t have to think much about accepting your offer. She had talked about you a few times too many to your sister. Niamh caught on and asked Lauren about it. She may not have realised she was in love with you but when Niamh asked her it all clicked. She has loved you for longer than she knew.

Niamh was okay with it and there was nothing stopping her but she just didn’t have the balls to ask you out and she didn’t know if you liked her anyway.

But god was she happy you asked her, otherwise this would never have gotten any further than longing stares.

If you hadn’t asked her you wouldn’t be in a longterm relationship, footballing together, living with each other and loving each other so openly and passionately.

And if you’d ask what Niamh thought about your relationship she always said ‘Lauren was always like family now she’s just officially family’.

lauren_hemp

liked by leahwilliamsonn and 32.371 others

matching 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

comments

niamhcharles17 is that my watch?

↳ y/ncharles no it’s not, mine just looks like yours

↳ niamhcharles17 so it is mine

↳ y/ncharles nooooo just looks the saammee

sandy_maciver pookies

maryfowlerrr 💗💗💗

kerstin_casparij winning best matching couple award 🥇

↳ lauren_hemp thank you thank you 🤭

hempo11 ugghh i love them sm

mancitehh2020 they’re the cutest fr

You and Lauren never really have arguments, if there were any they were tiny. Those arguments were about what show to watch or what chocolate to buy and you’d just end up buying two different chocolate bars. There was always an easy solution.

But now it was about something important. You needed a new couch in your shared home and Lauren thought a mustard coloured one would look good. In your eyes this was fugly, yeah you said fugly and Lauren was beyond offended.

“Lau, baby i just don’t think a yellow couch would look good in our home. It just doesn’t match anything babe.” you pleaded with her.

“Yeah it does! Look, we have mustard in our fridge and yellow flowers!” she tried to convince you.

“Come on, that doesn’t even count!” you told her annoyed.

“I’ve let you pick out almost anything in the house, i just want the yellow couch.” Lauren said irritated.

“That’s not even true! We’ve done half half plus the couch is like a big deal, we can’t just buy one that doesn’t match anything Lauren.” you started to get a bit angry at Lauren. Why couldn’t she get that the couch would look so ugly with the rest of your furniture.

“Whatever.” Lauren said coldly and walked out of the front door.

You knew she went to your sister, she always goes to your sister. But right now it seemed like the right move, Lauren was never so upset about anything and it bothered you that you were the reason.

It was 10pm and Lauren still wasn’t home. The argument was really getting to you. You had texted Lauren about ten times but she didn’t answer any. Was she really that mad at you?

You just needed to know Lauren was okay and safe so you texted your sister.

you

is Lauren with you? You don’t have to tell me anything, just wanna know if she’s safe

charles #2

yeah, she’s safe

You texted ‘i love you’ to your girlfriend. That was really all you needed before you went to bed.

You woke up at 2am by your bedroom door opening. You turned your bedside lamp on and rubbed your eyes to your girlfriend standing in the door opening. Lauren held a bouquet of flowers in her hands and a little sad smile displayed on her face.

Looking at the ground Lauren broke the silence. “I have flowers for you.. because i’m sorry. I don’t want to fight. You can have your couch if you want.” your girlfriend apologised.

There grew a little smile on your face too. “Thank you Lau, i’m sorry too. Come cuddle with me please.” you asked her with your best puppy eyes.

The English forward gave in and crawled into bed with you. You clicked the light off and Lauren spooned you from behind, her face in your neck and your limbs tangled into each other.

You let out a happy sigh and closed your eyes.

“Do you really not want the yellow couch though?” Lauren asked tiredly.

“No baby, we can do something colourful just not yellow, okay?” you tried to negotiate with your girlfriend.

“That’s okay. I love you.”

“I love you too Hemps”

lauren_hemp, y/ncharles

liked by keirawalsh and 71.725 others

happy wife happy life

comments

niamhcharles17 happy to be your relationship therapist 😘

↳ y/ncharles knew i chose the right sister, she even came home with a bouquet of my favourite flowers

↳ niamhcharles17 you didn’t exactly choose me but yeah what can i say, best sister of the year award incoming??

↳ lauren_hemp stop bragging

leahwilliamsonn who’s your interieur designerrrr

↳ y/ncharles all me and a tiny bit hempo

↳ leahwilliamsonn when can i hire you

esme.morgan love birds 🦢

citysfaves11 they’re soooo cutee

l1ionnesses2022 best football couple

[inuyashaluver]

seeing nimah with the baby was so cute! would you ever write nimah x reader maybe they visit reader’s family and they see how nimah interacts with the little one then they start asking reader about when they want kids but it’s not something reader and nimah have discussed so reader thinks nimah’s discomfort around the issue is because she doesn’t want kids but nimah just doesn’t know how to express that she wants to start thinking about their future so hurt/comfort and the common misunderstanding trope! Just an idea I had an wanted to share 🤍

are you kidding? - niamh charles

niamh charles x reader

description: in which you and niamh both want kids but are unsure how to express it

warnings: little tears, swearing, IM RUSTY

a/n: again, how do you people expect me to see a picture and react normally, I LOVE THIS WOMAN, thank you so so much for the request, much love, enjoy!!

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

it was rare that you and your girlfriend, niamh, had a disagreement. the two of you were very big on communication and outwardly expressing your feelings if you were angry, uncomfortable, sad, it didn’t matter.

talking for the two of you has always been important ever since the two of you started dating.

this was mainly due to the fact of niamh being hopeless when it came to flirting with you. you believing for a long time that she didn’t like you.

—

the girl was hopeless around you, not knowing how to act around you even though she’d known you ever since the england youth camps.

you always flirted with her and she didn’t know how to react, she’d be cocky at first but immediately faltered when you’d send her a charming smile. especially when she signed to your team chelsea back in 2020.

��hey, niamhy” you smiled kindly at her as you entered the chelsea change rooms, seeing niamh chatting along with zećira.

they both stop the conversation when they see you, niamh pink in the cheeks at seeing your sweet smile.

“hey, (y/n/n)” she breathes out, watching as you make your way over to both her and zećira. “hey, any plans for later? there’s a new cafe down the street that i want to try” you ask, making sure to look at niamh directly when you asked the question.

zećira chuckles at niamh’s surprised expression, sending you a little wink, niamh swallows, “i’m free, are you free?” she turns to zećira, “no, no, i’m not sorry” zećira grins, you smile at both of them expectantly.

this wasn’t the first time you had attempted to ask niamh on a date, the brunette always managing to bring someone else along to make it a group hangout rather than just the two of you.

“niamh” you call out, meeting her blue eyes with a sheepish smile, “i was hoping it would just be us two” niamh’s eyebrows raise slightly, both of your hearts pulsing with anticipation.

“oh” she chuckles nervously, “okay, let’s do it” she utters, “it’s a date” you wink, walking out of the change room, as you were already changed.

niamh watches you go and as soon as she sees your frame out of the door, she slaps zećira harshly on the leg.

“ow! what?” she winces, shoving niamh back, “i’m going on a fucking date” niamh exclaims, fiddling with the end of her shorts.

“it’s a good thing niamhy” niamh nods unconvinced, she’s been crushing on you ever since she was 15. how could you like her back?

and of course the date went well, once you outwardly told niamh that you actually liked her, the cocky, confident niamh that made you shy came out.

—

you and niamh had been dating for just over 3 years, both of you moved in and were extremely loved up with each other.

it was a sunny day in london when your family arranged a gathering with a bunch of your family members.

part of your invitation was with the insistence that your girlfriend came along, a family favourite for everyone.

“don’t you look gorgeous” niamh grinned as she watched you adjust your outfit in front of the mirror, coming over and standing behind you with her arms wrapped around your waist.

you smile and lean back into her when she presses a kiss to your cheek, “you look beautiful, baby” you grin at her in the mirror, letting her spin you to press a sweet kiss to your lips.

“ready to go?” she murmured against your lips, you nod, pecking her lips quickly and grabbing both of her hands.

“my family is a lot, if it gets too much, we can leave, okay?” niamh rolls her eyes fondly, kissing your forehead quickly before pulling you into a little hug.

“love, i’m fine” she assured, dragging you to the car excitedly at the thought of spending time with you and your family.

she squeezes your thigh excitedly as she drove, letting you give her a game plan on how to approach each and every family member in attendance, chuckling to herself that you did this every time she met them.

—

you grip her hand tightly when you reached the door of your aunt’s house, niamh giving your hand three squeezes for reassurance.

you look at her with a bright smile, about to ask for a kiss until the door was thrusted open by your aunt looking extremely tired.

“hello, lovebirds!” she grins, you and niamh returning the greeting with kisses to the cheeks and tight hugs.

niamh places a hand on the small of your back as you both went around and did the rounds, engaging in conversation after conversation with both of you sporting bright smiles.

“so niamh, are you looking after our girl?” one of your uncles said, you smile shyly when niamh presses a kiss to your temple, pulling you closer to her side.

“always, she has to take care of me more because she’s an angel” she smiles down at you, eyes full of adoration, drinking in your pink cheeks.

—

before the food even came out, you dragged niamh to the side of the backyard with a heavy sigh, thumping your forehead on her collarbone.

she chuckles, her arms wrapping around your waist to pull you closer, “you okay?” she whispers next to your ear, you mumble a yes against her, your arms going around her neck to hug her tightly before your name was screamed from the kitchen.

you groan, trying to hold on to niamh but the brunette pushed you back slightly, kissing you quickly and ushering you to help out.

you pout at her but leave reluctantly, knowing the longer you weren’t in that kitchen, the longer the lecture and you’d rather avoid one altogether.

niamh walked around your aunt’s backyard and settled in with the kids playing football. the kids always loved niamh and she’d often resort to them rather than the adults for some fun.

“niamhy, play with us!” one of your younger cousins grabbed her hand and dragged her over, smiling up at her with a toothy grin. niamh was quick to agree, smiling equally as excited.

“niamhy, you’re not kicking right” one of your cousins grumbled, she giggled brightly, apologising and letting the small boy adjust her movements the way he wanted.

it was until one of your much younger cousins, a one year old, was thrusted into niamh’s arms that she slowed down her movements.

the baby uncommonly fell asleep on niamh’s shoulder as soon as she was perched on her hip, much to the surprise of your family.

the baby was usually a handful and found it difficult to fall asleep. but niamh managed to get her to sleep in two minutes.

she was turned into a referee quickly and took her job seriously, only letting them get away with little fouls because they were having so much fun.

the kids all loved her, and so did the adults. niamh’s bright smile was hard to miss when you came back outside with platters of food.

you place the food down on the table and take in the scene in front of you. niamh with a baby on her hip while she giggled and refereed the game. to say your ovaries exploded was an understatement.

“that will be you soon” your aunt teases, you give her an expression of shock, stuttering on your words saying niamh wasn’t ready for kids, as the two of you hadn’t really discussed it.

both of you knew you wanted to spend forever together, that was common knowledge. but kids just hadn’t been brought up yet, you’d shown an interest but niamh ever really expressed a huge interest.

she’d coo over her friend’s kids, your family, her family but you never knew if she wanted some of her own.

niamh did want kids of her own but she didn’t know how to express it to you, not really knowing how you felt about them.

everyone got ushered to the table and niamh’s face brightened when she saw you, walking over to you gently to keep your cousin sleeping soundly against her.

she greets you with a soft kiss before she pulled out your chair with one hand, winking when you took your seat.

she sits down carefully, eating with your cousin sleeping soundly on her shoulder. “here, baby, let me hold her for a bit so you can eat” you offer but niamh shakes her head, letting go of her fork and holding your hand for a second.

“i’m okay, i’m the chosen one” she grins at you, you giggle, leaning over to kiss her cheek softly before you eventually end up feeding her the food on her plate because she was so focused on keeping your cousin comfortable.

—

when you both made it to the car after the gathering, you and niamh both let out a heavy sigh when you sat down, quickly breaking into a fit of giggles.

“high five, we did it” you chuckle when niamh holds her hand out to you, you slap her hand with yours, niamh’s fingers moving to interlace your fingers, pulling your hand to her mouth to press a gentle kiss over the back of it.

“we did it” you grin at her cheekily, niamh not missing the twinkle in your eye as you looked at her. “why are you looking at me like that?” niamh breathes out, cheeks turning a little pink at your look of adoration.

“nothing” you shrug, ushering her to start the car, she narrows her eyebrows at you but gives in, lacing your hands together and starting the car.

“you were so good with my cousins today, you know?” you glance over at her nervously, “they’re all so cute, i love spending time with them” she grins while watching the road, what she didn’t see was the tears brimming in your eyes.

you were overwhelmed with emotion for some reason, really wishing seeing niamh with the kids were your own.

it was until she heard a sniffle and felt the loosened grip of your hand in hers that she noticed. she glanced over quickly and panicked, thankfully able to park on the side of the road.

“babe?” niamh calls out softly, holding your hand tightly and taking off her seatbelt quickly. she ducks her head to make eye contact with you but you couldn’t look at her, overwhelmed with the feeling of embarrassment.

“hey” she gives your hand a squeeze, her free hand directing your jaw to look at her, meeting her eyes with a tearful expression.

“what’s wrong, my love?” you shake your head at her, letting out another sniffle, “nothing, i’m fine” you attempt to reassure her but she knows you too well, knowing you better than herself.

“baby, talk to me” she pleadingly whispers, you let out a shaky sigh, letting your girlfriend gently brush away the tears flowing down your cheeks.

“it’s stupid” you laugh wetly, niamh frowns at that, a scolding look almost. “nothing you feel is stupid, come on, baby, what’s wrong?” she gives you a reassuring smile, you can feel yourself calm down in an instant.

“when you were with my cousins, i couldn’t help but think about us” you said softly, almost impossible for niamh to hear but the small space in the car finally did her a favour.

“what about us, baby?” niamh digs a little further, her kind eyes making it easier to open up. “kids” you mutter, “our kids” niamh gives you a surprised expression, knowing the two of you haven’t really talked about this.

she also found it comical the two of you were parked up in a residential street 5 minutes from your home to discuss the topic.

“and i know you don’t want any with me and that’s okay, but i think the least you could do is get me a pet” you laugh wetly again, sniffling as you look at her,

“babe” she shakes her head, “are you kidding?” your eyes widen at her tone, she sounded a little offended and you were worried you overstepped.

“what?” niamh angles her body more towards you, “you really think i don’t want kids with you?” niamh’s eyebrows furrow again, face full of concentration as she analysed your facial expressions.

you shrug in response, a little hurt at the thought of niamh not wanting children with you.

“(y/n)” first name, this was serious, you thought.

“baby, i want nothing more than to have children with you, i always have” niamh pronounced, wiping away a stray tear from your cheek.

you look at her in slight shock, tracing her face for a lie and finding none, she was being honest.

“really?” you smile, she smiles back, happy to not see you crying anymore, “of course, my love, i’d get you pregnant right now if i could” she smirks suggestively, giving your hand another squeeze when she notices your pink cheeks.

“well, we better get home then” you tease, though niamh took it seriously, starting the car almost immediately and driving to your home.

literally dragging you out of the car and throwing you over her shoulder. sure, it couldn’t happen like this, but who are you to decline niamh?

—

you both discussed that children would happen a little later for the both of you, but it was certain to happen. you were both relieved to know what each other wanted.

you and niamh spent a lot more time babysitting cousins, nieces, nephews, dogs if you had to and it felt extremely natural and familiar for the both of you.

you were both excited for when those children would be yours, excited for what the future would hold.

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you know the drill - pretend it’s you! ily pernille x

liked by _jessflem and 44,232 others

niamhcharles17: trying to steal the favourite cousin status from me

view all comments

yourname: she’s MY cousin

↳ niamhcharles17: OUR cousin

↳ yourname: i knew her first

↳ niamhcharles17: baby, i came with you to the hospital

↳ yourname: go away

zeciramusovic: waiting for your turn

↳ niamhcharles17: coming soon 😏

[russo-woso]

Ooo could you do a blurb for Niamh Charles? Ive always loved the saying “eyes speak” so I was wondering if you’d maybe be able to do something related to that? Thank you love🥰

Eyes speak - Niamh Charles x reader

Summary The fans find out that you and Niamh are dating by just the way you look at each other

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“What’s been the highlight of this season?” You read out the card in front of you, looking at Niamh to see if she wanted to answer first.

Niamh was completely unaware of the question, too busy staring at you.

Her eyes were fixed on you, love clearly visible in her eyes.

“Niamh?” You asked, finding the whole thing adorable.

“What? Sorry, what did you ask?” Niamh stuttered, being pulled out of her trance.

“What’s beeb the highlight of the season?” You repeated

“It’s got to be winning the league. Five years strong.” Niamh said to the camera in front of the two of you, her eyes then landing back on you.

“Me too. Especially winning it alongside you.” You added, your turn to do love eyes at Niamh.

You said a goodbye to the camera each before you were allowed to go.

“Baby! You couldn’t stop staring, they’re definitely gonna know now.” You told Niamh, not overly angry at her.

“I’m sorry, love. I couldn’t help it. Anyway, the fans might not even pick up on it, I was just looking at you after all.”

“Eyes speak, Charles.”

—

It had been a few weeks and the video had finally been released.

You and Niamh sat cuddled on the sofa when you got the notification to say it had been released.

You immediately went to the comments, wondering what everyone was saying, but it was just filled with comments about you and Niamh.

The love eyes 💗

Niamh the entire time: 😍

May as well already get married 💍

Just announce you’re together already

You and Niamh shared a look between giggling at the comments.

“I think they know.”

“Yeah, just maybe.”

[etherealstar-writes]

I WANNA BE YOURS | LIONESSES X READER | PT 3

pairings: lionesses x reader

summary: in which you're accidentally added to a random group chat, not knowing they're all actually famous footballers, and obliviously end up having many of them competing for your love and attention.

part: three

part one here

✦ ——— ✦ ——— ✦

THE NATIONAL DIVING TEAM

brightness

we have training tomorrow

just a reminder

the REAL karate kid

ughh

kie

what's the bet leah and georgia

are gonna be a show off

while niamh's gonna be off in her own world

neev

hey! no need to call me out like that

i do focus

stairway

i am not a show off

willybum

me neither!

door knob

you guys need proof?

the imposter

damn

you guys got that athletic build 💪

the REAL karate kid

......

willybum

.......

stairway

.......

elton

.......

earpsy

.......

brightness

.......

neev

.......

lotte

.......

maya

.......

daily

.......

the imposter

YO

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE ON THIS CHAT??

elton

i think the rest are asleep

the imposter

are you guys all part of some cult omg

and why do you guys have like

group training together?

that's kinda sus

the REAL karate kid

honestly it's kinda fun and chaotic

lotte

are we all gonna ignore the fact that

nobbs has photos of georgia's and leah's muscles?

door knob

are we just gonna keep referring

the imposter as imposter?

or if anyone's gonna ask her name?

the imposter

your name's nobbs??

LMAO THE DOOR KNOB MAKES SO

MUCH MORE SENSE NOW 😭💀

also

my name's y/n

neev

that is such a pretty name

the imposter

thank you!

elton

you know

you never really answered

lotte's question nobbs ....

willybum

it's because i'm her favourite duh

stairway

um it's actually me

hence why she sent a photo of mine first

meado

and here we go again

✦ ——— ✦ ——— ✦

elton

oi

hello

@everyone

why is everyone so dead right now

earpsy

maybe it's the fact that we just finished training

the REAL karate kid

and because we actually have lives

elton

that's a lie and we all know it

the imposter

how was training?

neev

tiring

feeling quite dead rn

willybum

funny actually

lessi slipped and slammed

face first into the training mat

elton

that was the highlight of my day

the REAL karate kid

glad to know my misery

causes you guys happiness

rusty metal

guys

i stumbled upon the best photo ever

my eyes have been blessed

stairway

omg

bronzy in her active era??

daily

ooh do show

lotte

it's intrigued my interest now too

rusty metal

neev

LMAO

willybum

WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THIS

the REAL karate kid

CRYING RN 😭💀

elton

STOP 😭

this is a masterpiece

i'm saving this

stairway

she's a barbie gurl 💅

earpsy

PLS 💀

willybum

i'm blocking yall

stairway

your eyes just can't handle this much art

the imposter

hello friends of y/n!

i was trying to take photos of y/n

and accidentally clicked into here

neev

hello friend of y/n

the imposter

WHAT IS THAT PHOTO OF LEAH WILLIAMSON 😭

is this some kind of football fan cult??

some of your usernames are familiar in a strange way

idk why i can't seem to place it

elton

hmm quite strange

don't you all agree?

stairway

hmm very strange indeed

brightness

yes

daily

indeed

willybum

very

the REAL karate kid

where's y/n?

the imposter

standing in front of me

has no clue i'm on this chat

i'll send a photo

hang on

(lets just pretend they can see your face in the photo)

now she wants her phone back

goodbye strange strangers

elton

......

stairway

......

willybum

......

the REAL karate kid

......

neev

......

rusty metal

......

brightness

......

daily

......

doorknobs

......

meado

......

kie

......

earpsy

......

maya

......

lotte

......

lauren 1

......

stairway

the whole chat rn:

elton

i was not expecting this today-

the REAL karate kid

toone, this is literally the best

most dumbest thing you've done-

neev

honestly

lotte

my eyes have been blessed twice today

willybum

wow

the REAL karate kid

you can get my number wrong

anytime toone

part four here

[leah-lover]

Closed for maintenance . Leah Williamson × reader

Reader embarks on a new journey with a new club. Part 1.

My day started out like any other in the past 4 weeks. The beeping sound of my alarm wakes me up, I dread the thought of getting up even though I still do, I get my shit together, I leave for training, come back a few hours later and go to bed early.

My days have been blending in ever since that heart shattering break up. However, today had a little twist to it. As I was leaving the gym to go to the physioroom I got called into the Manager's office. Upon getting in, the coach said “hey, so I called you here to let you know that we are going to transfer you. You have been an absolute killer for our team. You will always have a place between us. The thing is your dynamic with the team has been off which has been causing some tension. And the best thing I thought to do was to transfer you this January.” Shock couldn't describe the state I was in. Running on autopilot, I got out of the coach's office, got my things and departed home without talking to anybody, which has been my pattern this past month.

My head was in the clouds for the entire drive, and when I got home I threw myself on the coach and started sobbing. About 20 minutes later I called my best friend the only person I trusted more than anything.

“Hey are you okay? The girls are worried about you, tell me what is going on please”said kristie with a worried tone

“Well tell Sam and the team not to worry anymore. Emma has decided to ruin my life and get rid of me. I won't be at Chelsea anymore. I am basically fired.” I replied, now more angry than sad.

“What the hell are you talking about? Are you transferred where? when? How ? Are you okay? Did you tell her?.” She asked.

“I think it will be announced tomorrow at the meeting. I don't know anything kristie Chelsea is home. Niamh is home. I can't live without them.” I replied, memories of Niamh and I fludding my brain.

“Sure you will. I love you bubs no matter where you go.” She said, “Me too buddy, me too.” I added, sadness creeping into my heart again.

—-------—---—------------------------------------

It has been an eventful week. It was announced that I would leave Chelsea for Arsenal. The topic has been the talk of the town. From newspapers, Instagram pages, fans on Twitter, Arsenal fans were excited to have me. However, Chelsea fans were bitter I was let go. Most of the mean comments were directed at Emma and Chelsea which I thought was fair. I was the leading goal scorer in the WSL and we were on a great track record to win the league again.

I got a new apartment, and a new car. I tried to begin again. A clear slate and a focus on winning with my new team, the gunners.

Today was the first day of practice. The girls are really nice. This team, this family, seem really gelled together and they seem to start getting me out of my dark hole.

“Hello you.” Said Beth, “I hope you are well and I well we want to let you know you are very welcome and we hope you have a great time with us here.” she added. “Me too “ I responded.

__________________________________

It has been over 2 months since that last interaction with Beth, who I can call my best friend now. Her, Steph ,Katie and I have been inseparable. Arsenal have been on a winning streak since I got here. I seem to enjoy the way they play and interact with each other.

The player I enjoy hanging out with the most is my second Captain, which I can never fully admit.

Leah has been fun, heart warming, safe and a friend and a good one. I can't let whatever is happening affect my career again. I dated a teammate before it ruined my career, or so I thought.

“Ladies, how are we feeling about a party? We won again thanks to wonderful strickers. Let's have a party, we deserve it.” Said Katie on the bus. Shortly after a plan was made.

We went to a bar, we drank, sang, danced, and it was that time of the night where I got hungry for warmth. Human connection however unmeaningful. So I kissed the first girl I fancied.

That's when I felt a hand separate me from the girl and drag me outside.

“You are drunk, let's go home before you do anything you will regret.” Said Leah with an angry tone. “ Let go of me, I am lonely. I need this, please let go.” I pleaded with the alcohol affecting my judgment.

“ You are a fool if you think I would let you put yourself in danger. You are important to me, you should know that. Now let's go.” She ordered.

“ I am not going anywhere with you, you are not my girlfriend.” I protested.

That's when she pulled me in for a small kiss. That felt reassuring but not abusive of my drunk state.

“ You are not kissing anyone or going anywhere tonight. Home it is. Now stop complaining and get in please.” She said with a pour on her face. I did as she said, my mind still on the feeling of her lips.

This is going to be a lot to unpack in the morning.

[pitchsidestories]

tied to you II Esme Morgan x Reader

masterlist I word count: 1015

a/n: just something short and sweet tonight, enjoy. 🤍

Forward knot, forward knot, then a backward knot. One colour after the other.

Esme sat alone at a table knotting strings into one of her iconic friendship bracelets. She had made a bracelet for each of her England team members so far except for one.

This one would be her last one. And it had to be the most perfect one so far.

She was fully focused on her task, trying to avoid mistakes at any cost. In fact, she was so focused that she jumped a little in her seat when Lauren Hemps voice suddenly asked: “Esme, what are you doing?“

Catching her breath from the scare, she turned around to her while simultaneously trying to hide the bracelet in her lap: “Hempo, keep building your stuff with LJ and Lucy. I need to focus here.“

She nodded into the direction of your other teammates that sat at the other end of the room, stacking bricks on bricks.

Lauren ignored her completely and reached for the bracelet: “Let me see.“

“No.“, Esme replied, not letting go of the strings to avoid tangling.

“I thought you were done with bracelets?“, Lauren asked curiously. She eyed it cautiously, taking in the different colours.

Esme smiled and pulled the bracelet out of Laurens hands: “I am. But this is the most special out of them all.“

She continued working on it while her teammate watched on, her head tilted.

“This?“ Confusion mixed with judgement.

“It’s for my girlfriend.“, Esme nodded.

“Why aren’t you making a pretty one then? The colours are so chaotic?“, the winger laughed.

“Because each colour represents a different memory…“, Esme explained softly.

Niamh Charles appeared next to them, sitting down on the table: “What does the blue stand for?“

“And the brown?“, Lauren added before Esme could answer.

“Or the dark green one?“ This question was Lucys.

Esme blushed as she found herself surrounded by her teammates: “Guys, stop for a minute. Let me breathe, okay? So the light blue one obviously represents our time at City together.“

Niamh nodded solemnly: “Okay, that makes sense.“

“But that doesn’t explain the brown and green one.“, Lauren reminded her.

“Not to forget the pink!“, Lucy agreed.

“So, I chose the brown because it looks exactly like her favourite coffee order.“, Esme started. The girls surrounding her stared down at the cappuccino-coloured strand.

“That’s cute.“, Lauren commented.

“And the rest?“, Niamh prompted Esme to go on but she quickly shook her head.

“Oh no, she’s coming. Help me to distract her girls. I’m not completely finished yet.“

She hid the bracelet behind her back while her teammates got up.

You just entered the entertainment room with two to-go cups in hand when Lauren Hemp walked briskly towards you: “Hey, y/n.“

“Hi, Hempo. What are you building at the moment?“, you asked politely.

“I uhm… uhhh.“, she replied, seemingly surprised by your question.

“We’re working on that flower bouquet.“, Lucy answered in her stead, pointing towards a collection of square brick flowers.

You smiled: “How pretty.“

"You want to help us?", Lauren asked with a friendly grin on her lips. "Sure, have you seen Esme though? I've her hot chocolate order right here?", you wanted to know, your hands wrapped around the hot drink.

"She's right..oh, I mean no.", the blonde stammered. "So Es is in the room?", you looked around curiously. "I'll bring it to her.", Niamh offered winking.

"Okay?", you had a feeling that something was off and they were trying to distract you, but you didn’t know from what. Like what was Esme doing or hiding?

"Esme is busy doing something for the lionesses’ social media.", the defender explained quickly. "Oh, I won't interrupt her then.", you declared. "Come on, let's build some flowers.", Lauren smiled warmly. How could you say no to that? Impossible, plus it was so much fun. Later in the evening Esme gave you a long hug when she entered the dimly lit hotel room you shared together.

"Hi love, thanks for the hot chocolate earlier.", the defender whispered gratefully. "You're welcome, Es.", you replied. "I've something for you.", Esme winked conspiratorially. "You do?", you raised an eyebrow at your girlfriend.

"Yes, something I promised you for a long time.", she nervously put a loose hair string back behind her ear. "Is it a bracelet?", you asked the new Washington Spirits signing audibly moved. The lionesses teammates knew you were sad about the fact that everyone received an armband by her except you. "It's.", Esme confirmed excitedly before helping you to put her handmade bracelet on.

"Thank you.", you beamed at her. "I hope you like it.", the defender responded. "It's perfect.", you assured your girlfriend who's lips formed into a beautiful smile. "You like it?" "No, I love it.", you emphasized your previous words. Your shoulders slumped while you remembered how far you'd be apart when the camp was over. "What's wrong?", Esme questioned concerned.

"Nothing, I'll just miss you.", you admitted with a heavy sigh.

"I know. I'll miss you too. But that's why I made that bracelet with these colours.", the defender confessed, pressing a soft kiss to your wrist which made your heart flutter.

Does each one has a special meaning?", you looked at her interested. She took her time to explain it to you. How the light blue string stood for your time together at City, the brown symbolizing your coffee order and many more.

"Maybe that can help for the first few weeks.", Esme ended hopefully. "And the next lionesses camp won't be too far off.", you remembered.

"Exactly and we can always call each other.", the blonde added optimistically. Her words were like balm to your worries.

"We can do this, right?" "Yes. We'll be fine. Finer than fine.", your girlfriend smirked pressing sweet little kisses on to your face making you giggle. Deep down you knew that Esme was right. Together you were capable to face everything even long distance over two continents, the love you had for each other was strong enough and the bracelet was your everyday reminder for it.

[alotofpockets]

Common ground | Part 1 | Niamh Charles x Arsenal!Reader

Where you and Niamh have to work together for a childrens event

Woso masterlist | Words: 1.4k

-----

Arsenal vs Chelsea. Red vs Blue. A must watch London Derby for many football fans. The rivalry between the two teams went deeper than just the clubs, both the players and fans of the teams had deep rivalries as well. 

While you loved playing against opponents that were a match to your own team, playing against a team like Chelsea was always tough. Especially today, were possession, shots on target, and the score were even. Anything could happen. 

Every time you tried to get the ball into their eighteen yard box, your opponents were there to block you. Most of the time it was Chelsea defender Niamh Charles blocking you. The amount of times you had gone down from her defending was frustrating, but she was good. Always keeping her tackles clean, so you wouldn’t get a free kick from it. 

The rest of the match continued in the same pattern, until Guro Reiten managed to break free in the 96th minute and hit the ball to the back of the net. You were allowed to pass the ball twice upon restarting the match, before the final whistle blew. The high pressure of the match had taken a lot out of you, so you slumped down to the ground in exhaustion.

You shook the hands of your opponents that walked by from your position on the field, too exhausted to get up just yet. Leah came to check up on you. “I’m fine Lee, thanks, just tired.” She patted your head and moved on to shake hands with the rest of the Chelsea players. 

Niamh Charles walked up to you next. “Good game.” She says as she extends her hand. You take it and let her help you up. “Thanks, you too.” With a pat to your back, she walks off to celebrate with her teammates. 

The loss against Chelsea had stung, but you truly believed that the team had given everything that they had in them. Playing against Chelsea, it was always a surprise who would end up on top. You wouldn’t meet with Chelsea for another few weeks, which was a fact you were rather happy with. 

Though those thoughts changes the moment you reached the location where you’d scheduled to meet for your charity day. You were always very involved in the London community that you had grown to call home over the years, so when they asked you for an event to bring awareness to the positive benefits between children their mental health and sport. Since you were so into the community and they told you it included kids, you had said yes immediately, without asking any questions.

That’s why you were shocked to see Niamh Charles already talking to the head of the event. She on her turn clearly had listened to the whole pitch about the event, cause she didn’t seem surprised to see you there.

“Ah y/n, great you’re here. Welcome, and thank you again for joining us today.” You smiled and shook her hand. “Yeah, of course, happy to be here.” 

“So, I was just telling Niamh about the plan for today.” She took the both of you further into the venue. She explained what today was going to look like. Both you and Niamh would spend the morning talking with the kids, having a little training session with them, and at the end of the day you’d play a small match with the kids.

You found yourself working side by side with Niamh. At first it was a bit awkward, the two of you knew nothing but rivalry, never having played for the same team before or having met outside of football. All you had to go off was the way the two of you met on the field, and with the recent events and the loss against her team, that wasn’t entirely positive. However, you were both professionals, with the common ground of wanting to help the kids today.

The day started with all the kids sitting on the field, while you and Niamh chatted with them about mental health and sports. They listened intently as you and Niamh shared your personal experiences and the positivity that football had brought to your life and mental health. 

Listening to Niamh talk about the sense of purpose and discipline football had brought to her life, had you admiring your opponent. Mental health was often a taboo topic, but she managed to talk freely about it, and in a way that had the full interest of the children in the room. 

When you stepped to the side for a quick break while the event managers engaged with the children for a bit, you and Niamh sipped on some water to the side. “You know,” Niamh said, turning in your direction, “even though we are rivals on the pitch, it’s moments like these that remind me why we play the game.”

You nod, sharing the same opinion. “Yeah, I fully agree. It is about more than just winning or losing. It’s about inspiring the next generation.” You share a smile, and look over to the group of youngsters sneaking glances your way. Sending a wave to the ones you caught. “You’re really good with them, they were fully engaged while you were talking. That’s really special.” 

Niamh thanked you for the compliment before the two of you headed back to the group. “Who is ready to play some football?” The kids start cheering loudly and you grin towards Niamh. Maybe working with her wasn’t going to be as bad as you had imagined when you first walked into the room.

You and Niamh got to work on laying out some cones for the drills you would do with the kids, they were a little different that the drills you’d normally do, cause you wanted them to be like a little game for the kids. Most of them were in the form of little competitions, so you had divided the kids into two groups, one group was coached by Niamh and the other by yourself.

After explaining the first drill to the kids, you and Niamh show them how it’s done by going first. You smirk her way when you cross the line between the cones first, “So, that kids is how you win a point for your team. Are you ready to show us what you’ve got?” 

Seeing how happy the kids were running around the field, brought you a lot of happiness as well. You were encouraging each kid running up and down the field, as was Niamh to the kids on the other team. 

After a couple more games, you deemed it time for lunch. During which you sat down with the kids and talked over sandwiches and juice boxes. When you caught Niamh’s eyes while you were both sipping on your juice boxes, the smile she sent your way got your cheeks heating up, so you quickly focussed back on the kids.

To close off the day with the kids, your team played Niamh’s team in a friendly match. The event manager handed out some shirts to the kids. When Niamh noticed the colours she turned to you, “That’s not fair, they gave us City Blue instead of Chelsea Blue.” The pout on her face was honestly adorable. 

“Now you know what it felt like to play in Chelsea socks.” She giggled remembering that part of your previous encounter. You hit her shoulder playfully, “Right, not funny. Sorry.” But honestly it was behind you now, and you both burst out laughing.

Your team ended up winning and when you and Niamh shook hands like the real coaches do after a match, Niamh said. “You guys blamed the socks, so I think it’s only right I get to blame the shirts.” You chuckle and shake your head. “Whatever makes you sleep at night.” 

After some pictures with the kids, the end of the day had arrived. You were packing up your stuff when Niamh approached you. “Today was fun, I’m glad we got paired up for this.” With a smile you agree, “Yeah, it was a pleasure working with you, instead of against you like usually.” 

Niamh was about to walk away after saying bye, but she stopped herself. “Would you maybe want to grab a bite of dinner?” After today you would love to get to know her better, and you found yourself agreeing instantly. “Yeah, that sounds nice.” Continue reading part 2!

-----

💗 If you enjoyed this fic, please consider liking, commenting, and reblogging! You can also supporting me by leaving a tip 💗

[pixiesfz]

sorry I haven’t been posting much guys I have been MAJOR busy

first meet n.c x reader

plot: how you first met your girlfriend

warning: none

Niamh sighed as she sat down next to Emma, bored out of her mind.

Just one more interview she told herself as she got comfortable in her seat.

She hated interviews with Emma, they always just asked her questions and it left her with nothing to do but just look around.

Plus Jessie had left recently and she was still trying to get used to it.

Sure she still had Z but she’s usually on the other side of the field.

The interview started and Niamh gave her fake smiles to the men and women around her before Emma started off.

She started answering questions about transfers and Sams injury and how it might cost the team but Niamh wasn’t really paying attention.

It wasn’t until you called her name.

“This question is actually for Niamh” you raised your voice whilst Niamh was looking at her microphone, her head snapping up at the sound of her name, only to be met by the most beautiful girl she had ever seen.

“Oh” she said out of realisation that everyone had been looking at her, causing a genuine laugh out of Emma.

“Tik Tok will love this” she joked lightly, gathering a chuckle out of the room as Niamh still looked at you.

She shook her head to shake any thoughts away before she smiled “uhm ask away”

You smiled before asking “How do you feel about the media’s response of the recent departure of a good friend of yours Jessie Fleming?”

Niamh could answer the question in her sleep but with your eyes staring at her she found herself stuttering “I uhm- I find that the media is correct in the way that I uhm- that I will miss one of my very good friends but I wish her the absolute best in Portland and now we share a number so uhm- that’s uhm- good”.

Niamh was blushing bright red by the time she finished her answer, she wasn’t even sure if it made any sense. Emma, next to her was trying hard not to laugh at one of her players and the fact that it was very obvious that she was nervous by you.

“thank you Niamh” you smiled and wrote down in your notepad

“Thank you” Niamh repeated before realising her mistake “I mean you’re welcome” she quickly corrected herself and decided she wanted to swallow herself whole as she saw you laugh.

“I think that’s enough” a man said from the back and Niamh had never been so grateful for that man in her entire life as she got out of her seat quickly and walked out.

Getting the answers you needed you tucked your notebook away and stood up yourself to leave, a small blush on your face as you looked back onto your interaction.

Emma wasn’t wrong when she said that Tik Tok would love the interview as screenshots were taken and Niamh’s nervous answer became popular on many platforms.

And very popular in the changing rooms.

“I have never seen you stutter so much” Guro laughed at her as Erin recreated it “You don’t get it” Niamh responded as she thought back to it.

“Caught lacking” Same yelled from the other end of the room

“I’ve heard enough from Jessie” she said, throwing her head back as she remembered her Canadian friend going through the trouble to make the video into a gif and constantly sending it to her as a meme.

“Did you at least get her number?” Aggie asked, now interested in the conversation

“What?” Niamh said “no I was so embarrassed I went straight home”

Guro dropped her mouth open “You didn’t get her number!”

Niamh winced “no…should I have?”

A loud chorus’s of “yes” followed.

“Oh”

The next time you appeared was after the national break and you had been chosen to interview on the pitch this time for one on one time with the players.

As Chelsea won on their home ground with their opponents having to wear their own socks it was a very lovely stadium, filled with Chelsea blue.

When you walked onto the pitch with a microphone and a camera man behind you Niamh’s mouth dropped.

“You’re catching fly’s Charles” Sam laughed at her friend before she followed her eyesight “who is it?”

“That’s- girl- girl interview”

“Holy shit!” Sam realised, somehow getting her friends horrid sentence “go ask for her number!”

Niamh looked at her friend in horror “no!”

“yes!”

“No!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

Sam laughed at her victory as Niamh groaned “she’s coming over anyway” Sam pointed out and the English player immediately went red.

“Hi, do you mind if we do an interview with the captain?” You asked and Sam nodded “absolutely”. and walked off.

“Nice to now have an actual conversation” you started as your camera man set up “uhm yeah”

You started your interview quickly after as Niamh took her time answering, having to stop herself from just looking at you the entire time which she failed at

When the camera turned off you smiled at Niamh who stood still, fidgeting with her hands as she looked up at you with her blue eyes.

You weren’t an idiot, you had seen Niamh in interviews and she had been a lot less fidgety and a lot more better with her words, and also her Scottish teammate had dm’d you a video of her gushing about a ‘pretty journalist’.

So you blushed before opening your mouth.

“Do you have something you want to ask me?”

[flemingsfreckles]

Pretend We’re Good

Niamh Charles x Reader

Synopsis: based off this request!

Warnings: toxic behavior from both Niamh and Reader, suggestive at the end, fighting, angsty

WC: 3.3k

A/N: this is the first time I’ve written for someone other than Jessie, but I follow Niamh as a player so idk thought I’d give it a go.

Also shout out to whoever this anon was, this song is a banger and has found its way onto my driving to work playlist which I am extremely picky about, so thanks for the indirect song suggestion! 🫶

Seeing the match announcement was one thing, actually showing up and playing it was another.

Playing England was good preparation for the Olympics, they were a quality team, you knew that, but that meant you’d have to see Niamh. That meant you’d have to mark Niamh on the pitch. It meant you’d have to give her a silly handshake before the game and wish her good luck.

You and Niamh had a complicated history. You played at Liverpool together for a season before she left for Chelsea. You had always had a flirty friendship as teenagers but it never amounted to anything.

Then when she left for Chelsea, it broke your heart. Which made you realize how strong your feelings were for the girl, bawling when she said goodbye and then again at home in bed. For hours at a time you would remain motionless on your mattress, wishing she’d come back. You had been a mess for a couple weeks not knowing how to handle losing your best friend and the girl you had seemingly fallen in love with. The two of you kept in touch but it wasn’t comparable to seeing her everyday, to being her travel roommate, to being her bus buddy.

Then you got a call a season later. A call offering you a spot at Chelsea, you barely thought about it, the club's reputation, plus being back with Niamh, you easily said yes, signing your name on the line to become a blue.

Niamh was your first call, she was ecstatic about you joining the club. It didn’t take long for the two of you to fall back into your friendship and with the friendship came the oblivious flirting.

“You two are insufferable. Will you just admit you want to makeout.” Erin had teased the two of you. Her teasing, while not appreciating in the moment, had forced you and Niamh to actually sit down and talk about your feelings. You both admitted to wanting more than just a friendship and you went on your first official date after.

The next two years with Niamh were pure bliss. You played well together, you’d spend your holidays together, you met her family and she met yours.

Everything was good, until you became unhappy at Chelsea. You were progressively losing playing time to new signings, only seeing the pitch as a sub, it was impacting you heavily mentally and hurting your playing time internationally as well.

So when you got the offer to move to the NWSL, you took it. You took it and you didn’t tell Niamh until the day you confirmed the transfer.

You had broken the news at dinner in your apartment and an argument had quickly unfollowed.

“I can’t believe you’d just leave like that!” Niamh stood from the table grabbing her plate, not offering to clear yours like she typically would.

“I’m not happy here Niamh!” Niamh would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t know you were unhappy. She’d heard you rant and complain about your playing time, your struggles in training, and she had been supportive thought it all. She just never imagined you’d go as far as to leave her, to leave her and leave the country, the continent behind.

“What? I don’t make you happy?” She screamed across the room at you.

“You do! You’re the best thing I have here!” It was all you could yell back.

The defender grew quiet, looking at you with hurt eyes. “But I’m not enough, am I?” She asked quietly.

“Niamh.” You wanted to scream at her that this had nothing to do with her, she was the only reason you had stayed at this team so long. You had been given other offers but you thought maybe, somehow you’d end up with more playing time again and you’d go back to being happy where you were but that day never came.

“No, you should go, enjoy New York. Go where someone or something is enough for you.” She slammed the door behind her leaving you alone in your apartment.

The next day, your final day at Chelsea, you showed up, puffy eyed from crying instead of sleeping all night. It was quickly picked up on by the other girls, especially when Niamh didn’t come in with you, and she didn’t show up to training.

You gathered everyone in the conference room before film review. You stood up, explaining that while you loved the friendships and connections you’ve made here, to better yourself as a player it was time to move on. As you spoke you noticed Niamh slip in through the door, she looked just as rough if not worse than you did. Red cheeks, bloodshot eyes, her hair was a mess, she wasn’t dressed for training. You finished your speech before quickly saying goodbye to everyone all the girls lining up to hug you and wish you well, all the girls except Niamh who remained seated in the back of the room.

You left the facility shortly after, taking all your belongings with you before hurrying home. You were set to leave early the next morning, your belongings to be packed up by hired movers, anything you shared to be left with Niamh. You packed up just the essentials, enough to get you through the first week of your move before you could get settled.

You sent Niamh a text, asking if she wanted to come over for a bit, thinking you could talk it out, but you got no response. The next morning you hopped on a plane, having no idea if you were even still in a relationship with the girl.

It took a few weeks until you heard from her. A drunken phone call after they had won the league. A phone call that part of you wishes never came. You could tell from her first words that she must’ve been hammered, standing outside a loud nightclub or bar. Her voice brought back all of the feelings you had managed to push down for the past few weeks. Her proclamation of love over the phone, begging and pleading with you to forgive her for her stupid behavior. She begged to have you back in her bed, saying she missed the intimacy with you, the connection. She begged for a chance at long distance, to still be the one you wanted.

You never called her back. You weren’t even sure if she remembered calling.

And now here you were, standing less than an arms length away from her as you both stood waiting to enter the pitch. When you had stopped next to her, she had looked at you, when you made eye contact she gave you a small “hello” with a look of guilt across her face.

The game was easier, it was easy to forget she was there. She just looked like any other England player. You were able to push her from your mind, putting you more at ease than you had expected to be being this close to the woman after all that had happened.

It was after the game where you found yourself in uncomfortable waters with her. You had shaken her hand last, avoiding all eye contact. When Niamh tried to speak to you, you quickly dropped her hand and then made a b-line for the locker room.

“Please wait.” Her voice pleading with you as you heard her follow you down the tunnel.

“Niamh, no.” You don’t even turn back to look at her. You couldn’t, if you looked at her your body might convince you to hear her out.

“I don’t need you back, I just want closure, you deserve closure, I didn’t give you that.”

“Do you want closure or do you just want to feel less guilty for what you did to me?” You spit back at her, turning around you watch as her already guilty looking face twists into one of anger.

“You left the country with one days notice! Don’t blame this all on me!” She shouts back at you.

You sigh, you couldn’t believe this was happening. You and Niamh, standing less than three feet from each other, face to face for the first time since she left your apartment. You couldn’t determine your feeling, half of you wanted to grab her, kiss her hard and make up for all the time you two had missed out on. The other half of you was ready to shove her out of the way, leave here and hope you’d never have to play the Lionesses again. “And you walked out! You didn’t even try Niamh!”

“I didn’t know how. I didn’t even know where to start! It was such late notice. I didn’t know what to do, I loved you, I still love you.” She’s making eye contact so intense you can’t look away. This is exactly what you feared. Unable to hold back from the girl you start rambling.

“I still love you too Niamh, you think I don’t? You’re the only reason I stayed Niamh, because I loved you so fucking much, I couldn’t leave you, until playing for Chelsea became so unbearable, I had to leave to save myself, I was ready to quit.” You feel the tears on your face, suddenly very aware that you were crying.

You had only expressed how miserable you were to Niamh on the day you told her your contract was signed. She didn’t know you were on the verge of quitting, giving up on your love for the game.

You notice some of your teammates starting to filter into the tunnel. You and Niamh both stop talking as they pass by. Catarina slows down as she walks by, you try and duck your face to hide the tears. She looks between you and Niamh, giving you both a sympathetic smile before she moves on.

“Quit?” Niamh's face matches the look of your empathetic teammates in the tunnel.

You nod, avoiding making eye contact with Niamh, not wanting her to see right through you. She could always read you, she knew, you expressed your emotions too well through your eyes.

“I didn’t know it was that bad. Why didn’t you tell me?” Niamh grabs your hand, you start to pull it away but the feeling of her hand in yours again makes your stomach flutter so you leave it. “I don’t know what I can do. But,” you feel her squeeze your hand. “I want you back, or I want you again, I’m not sure I lost you, ever I don’t know what we were doing for those few months. Please?”

“We weren’t together during those months.” Sure you never confirmed a break up but you had decided not hearing from her meant you were no longer a couple. But you also hadn’t started seeing other people, the feelings of Niamh still too fresh.

“No, I know, it’s just we never broke up.”

“Niamh, I don’t know.”

“Please don’t make me beg. Even if it’s just a night? Just dinner or drinks, I’ll pay, or we can go to my place and I’ll let you yell at me, or tell me everything I did wrong, or we can just sit, whatever, just one night, me and you can we pretend we’re good? Pretend we’re something again? Go back to how it was?”

“Niamh.” You breathed out. You knew you shouldn’t. You knew both of your behaviors were toxic, you leaving with little notice and her storming out and drunkenly calling you begging for you back. You two shouldn’t be doing this. You shouldn’t, but you wanted to. You loved her still.

You wanted to have a night with her, a date, an afternoon, something! In reality you wanted her for the rest of your life. You missed her hugs, you missed the way she kissed you, you missed the way you’d sing in the car together despite both having less than excellent voices. You missed falling asleep next to her. You missed her body on yours. You missed getting up early to make her coffee or tea and bringing it to her in bed, the way she’d sit up to sip it with crazy bed head. You missed everything about her.

You missed her and this was your chance to have her again. Even if it was just to pretend, for a night.

Niamh must’ve been able to tell you were pondering. She didn’t plea with you anymore, she didn’t beg again. She just waited patiently, studying your face, the face she’s been longing for.

“Okay. One night, like we used to be.” You finally give in.

“Really?” Niamh’s face lights up at your answer. A smile across her lips. “Okay, I’ll pick you up from your hotel? Can we have dinner? Or just drinks? Or I don’t know.”

“That sounds good.” Drinks and dinner would be harmless, a good way for the two of you to talk, in public, keep it civil.

When Niamh picked you up she was dressed up. You thankfully had dressed up as well. Subconsciously when you packed, you threw in a nice matching lace set, which you had put on underneath a simple shirt and nice pants. She had gotten out of the car to open the passenger side door, something she did when you were together.

“Thank you. Thank you for agreeing to this.” She said one back in the driver’s seat.

“Yeah.” You clasped your hands in your lap, when you were together you’d have your hand on her thigh or her hand in yours, today you kept them to yourself.

“I was thinking dinner?”

“Yeah that sounds good, I haven't eaten yet.”

Niamh nods before starting to drive to dinner. She pulls into an Italian restaurant, one the two of you had frequented while together.

When you sat down Niamh ordered a glass of wine, before looking at you. “Would you like one?”

“Yeah that'd be great.” you order the same wine as Niamh. When the glasses come Niamh holds hers up, tapping it to yours before you both take a sip and fall into silence.

You break the silence first.

You apologize for leaving on such short notice. You apologize for not telling her that you were considering leaving. You apologize for not expressing how you were feeling, truly upset at Chelsea. You apologize for never calling her, for never reaching out. You apologize for everything.

Niamh just sits, listening to you, really listening. She doesn’t interrupt, she just sits, making eye contact when you look at her. You find yourself looking away most of the time, feeling embarrassed as you list all the poor behavior, all the places you went wrong.

When you’re done, you sit back looking across the table at Niamh. Thankfully your food had arrived just as you finished apologizing and you were able to occupy the silence by eating. As you start to eat, Niamh begins to speak. She hasn’t started to eat and she’s hardly looked at the pasta in front of her.

“Niamh.” You interrupt, it was rude but you wanted to ensure she knew she could eat. “Please eat, we can talk after, don’t let it get cold.”

She nods, picking up her fork and swirling it into her meal. You eat for the most part in silence. Niamh asks a few questions about your new place in New York, your new team. When you tell her it’s going well, you’re playing more, you are often in the starting IX she replies with “I know.” When you told her you scored in your first game with them, she replies the same “I know.”

You look at her. “You keep up with me?”

“Of course I do.” She says. “I watch your games, I keep up with you, you have me rooting for you all the way across the pond. I, uh, I have your jersey.”

“Really?” You definitely didn’t expect her to own a jersey of yours. You had a couple of her Chelsea jerseys and you knew she had a couple of your old Chelsea ones as well, you just didn’t expect her to buy a new one, for your new team after what happened.

“Yeah.” She sighs.

She then begins an apology list of her own. She apologizes first for the drunken call. She had remembered doing it. She apologized for storming out on you, she apologized for ignoring you when you said your goodbyes to the team. She apologized for not reaching out, something you were both guilty of.

“I do still love you.” She ends her apology with those words.

“I still love you Niamh.” You can’t help it, you loved this woman, everything about her.

You don’t get to follow up on what that meant for either of you as the waiter comes with the bill, Niamh grabbing it before you can, when you let out a pouting huff, she just gives you a glance.

“Please it’s the least I can do, plus I asked you to this.”

“Fine.” You cross your arms. “But I get the next one.”

“The next one?” Niamh’s face breaks into a small smile, just creeping on her lips. “As in, another time?”

“If that’s something you want to do?”

“Yeah.” She says. “Does that mean, we’re…” she points a finger between the two of you.

You knew it was maybe too soon to let her back in, too soon for both of you but you really didn’t care. Sitting here being able to see her, hear her, admire her, made you miss every inch of her. You wanted her back, you needed her back. Long distance would be something to figure out, but not right now, right now you had her in front of you, within reach.

You’re not sure what to call yourselves yet, so you nod. “If that’s something you want too.”

“Yeah.” The waiter comes back to the table to give Niamh her card back. You both thank him before leaving the restaurant and heading to her car. Niamh goes to open your car door, just just barely cracks it when you push it closed.

“Hey!” She turns back to scold you, coming face to face with each other.

“Hi.” You breath out practically whispering, this was the closest you two had been in a non-match situation in months. Your faces inches from each other. You look at her eyes, temporarily getting lost in their beautiful blue color. Your trance is broke by her blinking a few times. Your eyes fall to her lips and then back to her eyes. Niamh gets the hint and brings her hands up around your shoulders, pulling you slightly closer.

“Is this okay?” She asks, looking up at you with wide eyes.

You find yourself leaning in, pressing your lips to hers, they feel better than you remember, you can feel your love for her flooding through your body, your hairs standing on edge, its electric and soft and it feels safe. You were kissing Niamh. Your Niamh. The love of your life, the girl you had waited for, the girl who was with you through your teenage years and into young adulthood. This was your girl, she was yours, you promised to never let her go again.

You kiss for a second, your front gently pressed to hers as her back is leaned up against the car. It’s a passionate kiss, both of you pouring months of built up feelings into it. When you break away you can’t hide the smile across your face and by the looks of it neither can Niamh.

“I love you.” You say.

“I love you.” She then turns opening the door again, you let her this time and you get into the car. When she climbs in the drivers seat she asks where to.

“Yours?” You suggest. “I can think of a few more ways we can make up for lost time.” You give her a wink and Niamh gets the hint, quickly starting the car in the direction of her apartment. It only takes a few turns before her hand finds its way to your upper thigh, giving it a hard squeeze.

Sure it wasn’t the healthiest way of working out your problems together, but it worked, you both got your frustrations out, you were able to express your emotions, show how much you missed each other, how much you loved each other, and by the time morning came the two of you had decided you were back together.

Girlfriends, just long distance ones.

[inuyashaluver]

Could you do one with Esme Morgan or Georgia Stanway? pls I love your fics 🤍

bucket list - georgia stanway

georgia stanway x reader

description: in which you and your best friend make bucket lists and yours leaves you both questioning the status of your friendship

warnings: quite long i think, silly silly pining, swearing

a/n: hiya!! went with g on this one as i have one for es coming sooonnn, hope you enjoy!! thanks so much for the request and the love ❤️

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

your best friend, georgia made it her number one priority to tease you. she’d like to say it was her job, no matter what you did, she’d always be there to tease the shit out of you because she just couldn’t help it.

she loved to see your shy smile or annoyed face with a groan at her teasing but she would never tell you that.

—

you grew up with georgia, best friends ever since you met at the england youth camps when she accidentally kicked a ball straight into the back of your head.

“head’s up!” a voice beckons while you chat with ella and alessia. “ow, fuck!” you let out a pained laugh, whipping your head around to see an apologetic, worried georgia running towards you.

“i’m so sorry, (y/n)” she says earnestly, placing a hand on your shoulder, giving it a light squeeze as you look at her with wide eyes. “georgia, i’m fine” you say assuringly, slightly confused at the girl’s stern expression. “let me make it up to you?” georgia pleads, taking her hand off your shoulder and letting it hang by her side. you smile at the slightly older girl, “georgia, please, you don’t have to do anything” you let out a small giggle, georgia lets out her own as well, “i’ll make it up to you, promise!” she winks, waving goodbye to you and running off towards niamh.

when you turn back to ella and alessia, they send you cheeky grins. “what?” you laugh, “nothing” they both quip, smirking at each other before passing a ball between them.

—

georgia did in fact make it up to you, the girl would buy you bags of lollies or she’d get you a drink almost everyday. every time she walked in with that bright smile, the two of you would talk for what felt like hours when in reality minutes. the two of you grew extremely close over the years and everyone thought it was so endearing that your friendship and obvious love was so strong.

through the affirmation of almost everyone of your teammates, you’d come to terms that you liked georgia more than a friend but you would never tell her that, you couldn’t afford to lose her.

throughout the years of being georgia’s best friend, you’d seen all her romantic partners come and go. it broke your heart when they came along but you always put on a brave face and a friendly smile whenever you were introduced to them.

everyone would look at you sympathetically when she’d bring her special someone along to a dinner or a party, many of them giving you long hugs to cheer you up. and every time someone did, georgia would quirk her brow and ask what was wrong only to be met with your bright smile and the shake of your head.

“nothing” you smile, driving georgia borderline insane to the point where she couldn’t sleep at the thought of your kicked-puppy expression.

—

“we need to find you someone, (y/n/n)! it’s time!” georgia slings her arm over your shoulder during an england team dinner, leah (your ultimate older sister figure) sits across from you and sends you a knowing look when you glance up at her.

“i’m fine, g” you laugh, sipping nervously on your drink when you hear her groan. “no, it’s not fine, love, i want you to be happy” she pleads, giving you a quick kiss on your temple which makes your cheeks turn pink.

you swallow the lump in your throat, tracing your finger over the rim of the glass in front of you, “i am happy, georgia, just drop it, please” you utter, feeling her eyes burn into the side of your head. georgia opens her mouth to say something more but lets out a pained yelp instead when leah kicks her under the table.

you look at georgia concerned, she just smiles at you sheepishly, taking her arm off your shoulder and placing them in her lap.

“sorry” she mumbled,

“(y/n)? come to the bathroom with me?” leah smiles, you nod instantly and the older girl hoists you up from your seat, and as soon as the girl’s arm is over your shoulder, you break down.

“i’m so sorry, darling” she mutters, running her hand up and down your arm comfortingly. your tears run down your cheeks when you make it to the bathroom, your breathe shakily as leah speaks sweetly to you.

“why doesn’t she like me, lee?” you look up at her tearfully and she’s heartbroken, pulling you into a hug. “she’s silly if she doesn’t, love” leah retorts, squeezing you gently and helping you look somewhat presentable to go back to the table.

georgia looks at you with wide eyes when you sit back next to her, your glossy eyes sending a dagger straight to her heart at the though of her making you upset. “you okay?” she whispers, “i’m okay” you smile and nod at her, quickly tapping her thigh before focusing on a conversation beside you.

—

to get georgia off your back, you let her set you up with one of her friends. when you walked into training the day after your date, she sends a wolf whistle your way.

“hello, missy, the date went well, huh? she really liked you” georgia teases, grabbing your hand with a gentle squeeze to sit you down next to her.

she sits cross legged in her cubby and prompts you to do the same.

you let out a nervous laugh, in all honesty, the date did go well but she wasn’t georgia and it killed you. you didn’t want anyone but her and you could never tell her that.

“it was alright” you shrug, georgia just shakes her head amusingly at you, “it was alright” she mocks your voice and laughs when you slap her knee.

“come on! don’t leave me hanging, love, it’s been killing me” she pleads, grabbing your hand again and holding it in her lap.

“she’s lovely, but i don’t think she’s really my type” you cringe, scratching the back of your neck with your free hand.

“not your type?” she cocks her head to the side, thinking of what to say when you look at her sheepishly.

“what’s your type then?” she questions simply, causing you to choke on nothing. her eyes widen and she passes you her water bottle, you drink from it quickly while georgia watches worriedly.

one you calmed down, you and georgia both let out little giggles.

“um, i don’t know” you exhale, “well, i hope she makes me laugh, super kind and um..maybe plays football as well?” you answered, looking right into her eyes and she just nods. “i’ll work on it, i need my best girl to have her own best girl” she teases with a wink, causing you to roll your eyes with a shy smile.

“all right, stanway, get your boots on” you pat her thigh gently and stand up, walking over to your own cubby to get ready for training.

before she walks out to the pitch, she gives you a sloppy kiss on the cheek which makes you squeal surprisingly, pushing her off you with false grimace as she laughs loudly at your expression. she completely misses how your cheeks are burning red when she runs out of the room.

she was killing you. you were killing her.

—

it was during the world cup in australia where your friendship took a complete turn. leah wasn’t there for you to confide in and it made you nervous.

during the long plane ride, the staff decided to give the team random things to do for the duration of the plane, one of them being, make a bucket list with 10 aspirations for the year.

you guys would make them on the plane and then present them to each other during dinner that night.

you and georgia smile excitedly when you’re given the colourful paper and the glittery pens, both of you wordlessly competing with one another about who would make the better one.

everyone diligently worked on their bucket lists, laughter and bright smiles filling the plane as you all wrote down your wishes for the year.

georgia, much to your amusement, tried to copy your list, claiming she was stumped.

“g! come on, man” you groan, placing a hand on her cheek as you push her peering eyes away from your paper. “love! come on, man!” she mocks, attempting to bite your hand on her cheek, you gasp and move it away from her, grabbing your paper and clutching it to your chest.

“(y/n/n), please, i don’t know what to write” she whines, attempting to grab your paper with a giggle, “just make it up then, copycat!” you stick your tongue out at her and she smiles amusingly.

she rolls her eyes at you, huffing out a sigh and writing random things down on her paper.

—

it was dinner time, all of the girls were excited to share their aspirations for the year. georgia the entire time she was awake on the plane teased you relentlessly, attempting to steal your paper, prompting you to run away from her as soon as you landed.

a lot of the responses for the lists were things like: ‘win the world cup’ (i’m sorry), ‘travel more’ etc, you were nervous to share your list, it was forward and you knew it. you just wondered what everyone would think, a specific girl in particular.

after georgia shared hers, you were the only one left, she lists you from your seat after your refusal, carrying you over to the front of the room and placing you down with a satisfied smile.

you look at everyone nervously and they all send you encouraging smiles, you take a deep breath and start.

your list too had the world cup wish, the travel wish and some other random ones you put prompting the girls to laugh. but when you got to your last one, they all smirk at you knowingly.

“get a kiss from someone i love” you say shyly, rolling your eyes at the smirks and whistles as you wave them off. georgia smiles at you when you sit beside her, “let’s help each other with our lists” she whispers in your ear, you nod with a smile, internally cursing yourself for writing your last bullet point.

—

georgia tossed and turned all night after the team dinner. you were rooming together but you were fast asleep. she smiles looking over at you bundled up in the hotel bed, taking a picture of you and mindlessly setting it as her lock screen.

the truth is, georgia has always had feelings for you, she just couldn’t admit it to anyone else because she was afraid. she would date people to distract herself from you but it just made it worse, having to imagine her lover was anyone but you was torture.

so when she attempted to set you up on dates to see you happy, she thought it would diminish her feelings for good. obviously, it didn’t, the thought of you with someone else had her blood curdling and her heart breaking all at the same time.

she rose up from her bed and looked at the small desk across the room, seeing both of your lists perched up there. she gets out of bed and takes yours in her hands, her fingers trace over your carefully crafted list, smiling at your pretty handwriting.

she takes a photo of it, making a mental note of helping you achieve everything there, even if she wasn’t the lucky one to make the last one happen. (idiots).

—

it was the next day, georgia was clingier than usual and it made you curious. when you two got to training, she had her arm around you whenever she could, making you laugh and teasing you as much as she could.

alessia and ella look at each other after witnessing each interaction, laughing at your pink cheeks for the girl that could easily be masked as exhaustion from training. you walk past the two girls while georgia trails closely behind you,

“maybe number 10 will come true, hey, (y/n/n)?” ella teases, getting a little slap on the shoulder from alessia when your eyes widen. georgia tenses and her eyes look between the two girls, then to you and back to them again. she could feel her jealousy brew, unaware that the girls were insinuating that number 10 would be her.

you send them both a little glare when georgia nears you again, they both smile and walk off. “number 10 is quite the talker” georgia nudges your shoulder with her own, “yeah, it’s stupid really” you shrug, eyes trained on both of you walking on the pitch. “it’s not stupid!” she exclaims, no hint of teasing in her tone causing you to look up at her in surprise.

“really?” your jaw is slightly slack, “really?” she mocks, you laugh instantly, there she is, your georgia.

—

that night when you both made it back to the hotel room, you both flop down on your respective beds, both of you smiling happily as you sink into the mattress.

“so..just out of curiosity, who would you want to do number 10 with” georgia’s voice breaks the comfortable silence in the room. she looks over at you nervously, you focus your attention on the ceiling when you feel your breathing slightly quicken.

“oh i don’t know” you laugh nervously, “i mean i have someone in mind but it won’t work out” you admit, a tinge of sadness laced in each word you spoke, “really?” georgia sits up, looking at you expectantly, in turn, you move to sit up too, resting your back on the head board of the bed as you look at her with an unreadable expression on your face.

“yeah, she doesn’t like me back so definitely likely it won’t happen” you sigh, avoiding looking into her eyes, terrified she would catch on to your words.

“i’m sure she does, go on then, who is it?” she smiles, moving off her bed to sit in front of you on yours.

you begin to fidget with your hands, picking the skin around your nails, a nervous habit that georgia always had to stop you from doing, she instantly moves closer and takes both hands in her own, giving you a stern but somewhat affectionate expression.

“i don’t know if i should say, i don’t want you to hate me or anything” you mumble, looking down at your entangled hands. “i could never hate you, don’t be silly, just tell me, love, this is a safe space” she smiles, running her thumbs over your knuckles.

“it’s you” your heart beats out of your chest, you can hear each frantic beat filling the room as georgia looks at you in a surprised manner. her grip on your hands tighten, “i love you” you utter, you can feel your body overheating under the gaze of georgia, her mouth is agape as her eyes trail over your features.

“i’m number 10?” she inwardly asks under her breath, but your proximity makes it easy for you to hear so you nod at her words. “you’ve always been number 10, and i know you don’t like me back and it’s okay, just please don’t pull yourself away from me” you plead, your eyes slowly brimming with tears when her brows furrow.

“woah, who said i don’t like you back?” she questions, moving closer to you so your knees were touching.

“what?” you blurt, if you weren’t already red, this would’ve set you on fire. georgia's cheeks fill with pink as she smiles at you, “baby, i’ve always loved you” she speaks earnestly and you both are swarmed with butterflies.

“georgia” you utter, “it’s always been you, love,” she declares, “i tried to distract myself from you but it doesn’t work, they’re not you” she expands, her hands intertwine with yours.

“it’s the same with you, no one comes close to you, g” you admit affectionately. both of you smile at each other knowingly, you both loved each other and it’s all that mattered at this point.

after a few minutes of just looking at each other with lovesick glances, you break the silence. “so..” you grin, georgia giggles brightly, her eyes trained on your lips for a moment before looking back into your eyes.

“can i help you with number 10, baby?” georgia whispers, your breath hitches at her forwardness, nonetheless, you nod. she smiles at you before tugging you forward, pulling you to sit on her lap. both of you look at each other shyly, this foreign yet familiar closeness somehow working completely.

you place your hands on the sides of her neck, your fingers playing with the loose hairs that have fallen from her ponytail. her hands seek refuge on your hips, her thumb rubbing back and forth over your shirt.

she looks into your eyes lovingly, seeking silent confirmation from you to see if you really wanted this. your enthusiastic smile and your excited eyes glancing between her eyes and lips said everything and more.

georgia, painfully slowly moves forward, her lips grazing yours without actually kissing you just yet. a tease, as per usual, she was still your georgia. you huff out a laugh against her lips and she pulls back to look at you amusingly,

“what’re you laughing at” she giggles, you shake your head at her and pull her forward towards you again. “you’re such a tease, stanway” you say against her lips, closing the gap and melding your lips together.

almost like you’d done it before, your lips move together simultaneously. she hums into your mouth and you smile against her, giving her your own noise of enjoyment as she pulls you closer to her, your bodies pressed up against each other.

after a few seconds, you feel her tongue lightly working its way into your mouth and you gladly accept, both of you making out until you had to pull away reluctantly for air.

she pulls away breathlessly and looks at you with blown out pupils and kiss swollen lips, almost looking into a mirror with your identical appearance. “you’re perfect” she mutters, pecking your lips a couple of times while you giggle against her, “you’re perfect” you mock her and she pinches your hip lightly, “it’s not nice being teased, huh?” you laugh, she kisses your cheek repeatedly as she lowers you onto the bed, hovering over you slightly,

“whatever, worked on you though, you love me” she cheeses out, nudging your nose with her own. “hm, i guess i do, but you do too” you smile, puckering your lips up at her and smiling when she instantly places a chaste kiss on your lips again. “yeah, i do” she whispers against your lips, settling on top of you and pulling you into a tight embrace.

—

when you both waked into training the next day with shy smiles and intertwined hands, screams and cheers echoed in the change rooms. “fuck yes!” ella screams, jumping around with alessia while everyone fusses over the two of you. somehow, leah was facetimed and the girl teared up. “my little babies are all grown up” she coos, the phone shoved into your face as you sit in georgia’s lap to talk to her.

“turns out she liked me the whole time, lee” you giggle, georgia nods instantly and kisses your cheek. leah smiles at you both, admiring two of her best friends so giddy over each other.

“i’m so happy for both of you” leah speaks full of affection, ruining the moment when her captain side comes out. “okay, love you both but, training, now!” she exclaims, blowing you both a kiss and hanging up promptly.

—

when you both got back that night in the hotel room, georgia grabs a pen and checks off number 10 on your list, giving you a cheeky smile before joining you for a cuddle in bed.

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you know the drill, just pretend it’s you, ily kei xx

liked by leahwilliamsonn and 44,232 others

stanwaygeorgia: my best girl

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yourname: you gave your best girl her own best girl, a cutie you are, stanway!!

↳ stanwaygeorgia: my cute girlfriend just quoted me

yourname: forever my number 10 xx

↳ stanwaygeorgia: honoured

leahwilliamsonn: took you both long enough

↳ yourname: i’m sorry i cried over this idiot to you for years

↳ leahwilliamsonn: here anytime, my girl

↳ stanwaygeorgia: watch it. both of you.

ellatoone: where’s the photo creds?

↳ stanwaygeorgia: tooney took this

↳ ellatoone: thanks.

[meanjeansjeans]

I've been wandering in the Carry On fandom for about a year now, and I'm pretty familiar with how things are, I think. I made this blog to finally be present in my fandoms without being recognised in real life, but I still don't know how to share my writing. It's horrible sharing it because I usually don't like people reading it (it's too personal), and now that I joined the AU fest, I think I want to share what I'm working on. (I'm not sure if I should share this anyway, but I will try to not get my work spoiled by telling you my AU)

I have this written:

As Simon pulled off his heavy, mudded shoes, he responded to all of Baz’s questions.

Yes, he walked all the way home with a broken umbrella, which he knew was broken.

Yes, he was ignoring Baz’s messages on purpose.

And, no, he was not okay.

It’s not that he feels bad about Jeremy getting married, not per se. He was not jealous or still heartbroken for the great relationship they didn’t have anymore. It was that it was the second fucking wedding he had been invited to [redacted].

Maybe they knew he didn’t have anyone to take to a wedding and that was orchestrated to mock him.

I had to ask my boyfriend (who introduced me to Carry On) if there were any more characters who were couples. I had already ran out of Penny and Shepard, Agatha and Niamh. I'm a DevNiall truther so they're already married, and Fiona and Nico too. Their love is so strong they are already together! He told me about this fanfic? Rainbow did where Simon had an ex, and I was elated!!!! I loved the concept of Jeremy and I couldn't let that opportunity go to waste.

I'm going to pretend that people will read this (my bf certainly approves of my ideas, but doesn't like tumblr:( ) and that I know what I'm doing.

Thank you for your time!

[russo-woso]

Dread || Niamh Charles

Summary You and Niamh always dread playing against each other

Red vs Blue.

Rival vs rival.

A London derby.

Arsenal vs Chelsea.

There were loads of nicknames for the match because ultimately, it was one of the most exciting games of the season.

The fans were excited for it, the players were excited for it, but you and a certain Chelsea defender wasn’t.

You dreaded the match, and so did Niamh, if not more.

Niamh was a defender, you were a striker. The thought of Niamh hurting you killed her.

You and Niamh had gone up against each other before, many times, but this time was different.

This was the continental cup final.

Arsenal were determined to keep their hands on the trophy, but Chelsea were just as determined to take it off of them.

When you awoke early on the morning of Easter Sunday, thanks to Niamh pressing soft kisses to your shoulder blade, you couldn’t help but cuddle into her, the dreaded feeling of playing against her sinking into your mind.

After a while of a comfortable silence taking over the room, you pulled away from Niamh, a serious look on your face.

“Promise me that no matter what the score is, we’ll be lying like this tonight.” You said to Niamh whilst a soft smile appeared on her face.

“I promise, love. Remember, Football will always come second when it comes to you.” Niamh told you and you nodded, agreeing with her words.

“You’ll always come first too.” You stated, pressing your lips on hers.

The rest of the morning you had free sped by and before you knew it, you and Niamh’s were going your separate ways.

————————

“Nervous about playing against Niamh?” Beth asked you, noticing that your leg was bouncing and your hands were fidgeting with whatever you could touch.

“Yeah. A bit.” You responded, sending a weak smile to her.

“Speak of the devil, she’s just messaged me to see how you are. Isn’t that sweet? I remember when you first met. It was love at first sight. And god was my ears chewed off by you going on and on about how you loved Niamh.” Alessia, who was sat next to you, teased you before telling the whole coach the story of how you and Niamh met.

It was true, Alessia had been there when you and Niamh met for the first time.

In fact, she had been the one to introduce you to one another.

You had joined the youth age groups later than everyone else but Alessia had taken you under wing and had introduced you to all her friends, including Niamh.

From then on, Alessia became your best friend, along with Tooney, the three of you becoming an iconic trio.

And you and Niamh grew closer too. Becoming friends and then realising the growing crush on her, before finally, after months of flirting with one another, Niamh asked you on a date.

That was nearly eight years ago and you’re still just in love with Niamh as if you were when you were sixteen.

“Less, stop it.” You told her, nudging her shoulder as she continued to tell embarrassing stories of you when you were teenagers.

“Yeah but I’m right in the middle of when you slipped on the ball when we were in Jordan.” Alessia said as the girls laughed.

“Well at least I didn’t have our coach performing the Heimlich manoeuvre on me because I was chocking on spaghetti. Some Italian you are.” You fired back, a grin taking over your face as Alessia’s face dropped.

“You promised to not tell anyone about that.” Alessia complained, rolling her eyes as Kyra fell to the coach floor laughing. “And I’m half Italian by the way.”

Your mind went foggy as tiredness took over it.

You rested your head on Alessia’s shoulder who immediately cuddled up to you and fell asleep.

It was a normal occurrence to fall asleep on the way to away matches, especially to fall asleep on Alessia.

Alessia and you always sat next to each other on the coaches and with your capability to fall asleep anywhere, it was normally her who had to deal with your snoring.

After two hours of sleeping, you were awoken by Kyra who was excited to play her first final for Arsenal.

Before long, you were walking out of the tunnel to complete a pitch inspection.

Noticing Niamh on the other side of the pitch, you split up from Kyra and Alessia and approaches Niamh.

A smile grew on Niamh’s face as she spotted you, opening her arms as she enveloped you in a hug.

You didn’t say anything, it was just a hug made of pure love for one another.

You broke away from the hug, reaching out to rest a hand on her cheek before pressing a light kiss on her lips.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” Niamh said, your face centimetres away from hers.

“You will. I love you, Niamhy.”

“I love you too, pretty girl.”

And with that, you went your separate ways, you going back to Alessia and Kyra, and Niamh going back to Zecira.

————————

After an eventful game that went into extra time, the full time whistle blew.

It had been one hell of a match to say the least.

With the score being 0-0 through most of the game, to Frida collapsing on the pitch, to you scoring the winning goal just four minutes before full time.

The whole entire arsenal team gathered round celebrating.

It was as if you were dual natured in that moment.

One half of you wanted to celebrate with all your teammates, but the other half wanted to go and wrap Niamh in a hug.

You opted for both. Spending time with your teammates for a few minutes before going off to find Niamh.

“Niamhy, I’m so sorry.” You began but Niamh turned around with a light smile on her face.

“Don’t say sorry, love. I’m so proud of you.” Niamh opened her arms once again as you found your spot in between them. “You go celebrate. I’ll see you at home later, okay? We can have all the cuddles in the world then. I promise.”

Niamh stuck to her promise.

As you arrived back in London that night, most of the team decided to go out celebrating but you decided to get back home, desperately wanting to see Niamh.

After lots of teasing about you and Niamh, you eventually got away from them all and drive home.

Niamh was already waiting for you in bed, burying your head in her chest as you laid down next to her.

All of the dread had gone.

You were now in your happy place. Your safe space. You were with your Niamh.

[wileys-russo]

well we know how Alessia is clumsy right? Imagine if the reader is just as bad if not worse, the two of them are a right mess when near one another. And her and Alessia are both so oblivious to their feelings for each other that the team just have to deal with these two lovestruck clumsy idiots who tip toe around their feelings until eventually something pushes them to realise and confess

bambi II a.russo

"oh less is finally here." niamh nodded over your shoulder as you choked on your mouthful of cereal, maya smacking you on the back with a concerned look as you gasped to catch your breath.

"oh god not this again." your best friend groaned knowingly as you spat out the soggy mouthful of weetbix and downed your glass of juice. "and what's that supposed to mean?" you looked at her with a frown as niamh sighed dramatically.

"you become a walking hazard around that girl. you're clumsy enough on a regular day i don't need to be worrying about you falling down a flight of stairs and breaking your arm when she sends you a smile!" niamh rolled her eyes as you flipped her off.

"you've had a crush on her for years now, why don't you just ask her out bambi?" maya asked as she took a bite of toast and you shushed her, smacking at her shoulder for the nickname you had always detested.

"i do not! you're both deluded and i wish you'd drop this. you bring it up every camp, we've been friends for years. just friends!" you huffed in annoyance, grabbing your empty plate and standing to your feet.

however what you'd failed to notice was alessia and ella making their way over toward the table, and as you turned with the intention of a dramatic storm off you felt your body collide suddenly with someone else's.

with a grunt you fell on top of them, face flushing red with embarrassment as your eyes met those oh so familiar blue ones, alessia's own cheeks tinted pink. "hi less! i'm so sorry." you squeaked out and apologized, hastily rolling off of her and getting to your feet, helping the taller girl up.

"you know if i knew that you missed me so much i'd have come said hi sooner." alessia sent you a smile which you reciprocated, the blonde wrapping you in a tight hug hello before sitting down and greeting the rest of your friends.

ignoring niamh and maya's smirks you hurried off to get ready for training, the two girls covering up their laughs with their hands as you tripped over a chair leg and almost hit the deck again before mary hastily grabbed the back of your jumper, saving you from further embarrassment.

"let me guess, just saw alessia?" "oh shut up mary."

~

"i saw you went to italy over the break, how was it?" you asked with a soft smile as you walked back to the change rooms beside alessia, the two of you having been paired up for the last drill of the day.

"it was lovely thank you, and so sunny! i miss it already i can feel my tan slipping away with every second." the blonde groaned pulling back the sleeve of her jumper with a pout, poking at her still very tanned skin.

"yeah clearly you're looking like a vampire!" you rolled your eyes playfully, knocking your shoulder into hers gently. alessia attempted to bump you back but being just as clumsy as you of course she miscalculated.

alessia missed you entirely, suddenly falling sideways and onto the pitch with a grunt, grabbing out at you to steady herself but accidentally just taking you down with her.

"and there she goes! the bigger they are the harder they fall." ella clapped sarcastically as niamh hurried over to help you up and millie hoisted alessia to her feet, the blonde striker apologizing profusely before speed walking away with a shake of her head, ella racing off after her.

"do you think they'll ever realise they're in love with one another?" millie slung an arm over niamhs shoulder as the two watched you head off toward the change room, both girls playing with you at chelsea knew you better than you knew yourself it would seem.

"god i hope so. we need them both unbroken for the qualifiers next week and if they keep up this way they'll be getting together in an ambulance!"

~

"y/l/n you're up!" the training staff called for your turn for testing, one of the last of the day as the rest of the girls sat on the sidelines chugging their waters.

with a determined nod you zoned in, acing the first few activities without any issues. only when you glanced over to the side and noticed alessia watching you intently you panicked, miss stepping and slipping on the ball at your feet you fell to the floor mid run, taking down several mannequins with you as you squealed and landed on your back with a thud.

your cheeks burnt scarlet as you heard the laughter from the sidelines instantly at your blunder, burying your face in your hands with a sigh. "come on, up you get now." you peeked out from your fingers seeing your captains grinning face staring down at you as she extended her hand.

"now mate i've seen you do some impressive falls over the years but that one, that one took the cake." leah hauled you up to your feet and patted you on the back with a laugh as you groaned in embarrassment.

"don't remind me i'm never gonna live this down."

~

"less just tell her you like her man! i don't get it." ella whispered to alessia as the two stood in line awaiting their turn to grab lunch. "shut up tooney! i do not." alessia hissed, shoving the shorter girl as she glanced around frantically, sighing in relief not seeing you anywhere within earshot.

"whatever you sayyy." ella sung out with a tut, holding her plate out eagerly as the two of them chatted with the chefs. "god that smells good!" alessia dropped her plate with a loud smash as you appeared beside her, stumbling backwards into ella and knocking her own plate down to the ground as well with her elbow.

"aw less come on!" ella groaned loudly in annoyance dragging her hands down her face, the tips of the italians ears flushing bright red as she apologised over and over to the staff who hurried to clean everything up.

"good thing you're not a goalkeeper with those hands." you joked, nudging her lightly with a soft smile trying to ease her obvious embarassment, alessia mumbling something inaudible before running off to change out of her now food stained training kit.

~

entering the change room you swore as you slipped on someones stray boot, not paying attention to where you were going, only just catching yourself from falling as the teasings exploded around you.

"i think we need to wrap you in bubble wrap bambi." millie chuckled as you sat down beside her at your locker, ignoring the comment with a roll of your eyes as you started to change into your own boots.

taking your time most of the team had filtered out for training, and you were so zoned out of it you didn't even hear alessia sit down by you at her own locker focused on plaiting her hair.

you jumped a little as she dropped her brush and it cluttered to the floor beside you, knocking you out of your trance as you tied up your laces and reached out to grab her brush.

"here less-" you straightened as the blonde bent down to grab the brush herself, causing her forehead to smash into your nose quite suddenly.

you let out a groan of pain and clutched at your face, dropping alessia's brush to the ground again as the strikers features paled in concern, her hands settling themselves gently either side of your face.

"oh my god i am so so sorry! are you okay?" "yeah...but i think you broke my nose."

~

"i seem to see the two of you so often i'm considering naming one of the benches in your honour." richard the head doctor chuckled as he opened the door, your stomach fluttering as alessia guided you inside with her hand on the small of your back, not having left your side since everything happened.

"whats happened here then?" the man sighed, gesturing you take a seat up on the table as he grabbed out some wipes, starting to clean the dried blood from around your nose as you grimaced in pain, alessia's stomach lurching with guilt as you recounted what had happened.

her cheeks flushed red as you hastily reached out to grab her hand, squeezing tightly as richard gently poked and prodded at your tender nose.

the blonde shook her head trying to ignore the tingling sensation at your fingers being interlocked with yours.

"well the good news is it isn't broken! just a little swollen." richard explained with a smile as alessia let out a sigh of relief where she was stood beside you. "certainly feels like its broken." you pouted as you poked gingerly at your face.

"but it means no playing for two weeks, minimum. one bad knock and you'll break it properly, which would mean a minimum six weeks out." he announced and your body instantly deflated, knowing that meant you'd not be fit for squad selection for the upcoming national games.

"god i'm so sorry." alessia winced and you felt her gaze pierce into the side of your head but you couldn't bring yourself to meet it, nodding at richards words and sliding off the table, dropping the strikers hand.

"thanks rich, i'll go speak with sarina." you shot him a small smile and shuffled toward the door once he'd given you an icepack and some further instructions of aftercare, alessia following after you. she stayed by your side, head racing with thoughts but remaining silent, too overwhelmed to even voice what she was thinking.

"hey, you know i'm not mad at you right?" you paused, turning to look at her with a small but reassuring smile. "no you have every right to be, i'm so so sorry." the blonde stammered out, breath hitching as you grabbed her hands in yours and squeezed softly.

"but i'm not, it was an accident. they don't call me bambi for nothing, niamh's not wrong when she says im like a walking wet floor sign; always warning everyone of the hazard thats yet to come." you joked lightly, causing the taller girl to crack a small smile.

"don't blame yourself, please. just score a few goals and help us win to make it up to me!" you smiled before dropping her hands and veering right, intending to go and find your manager.

"what about i take you to dinner instead?"

your body froze at her words, alessia nervously fiddling with her hands, almost in shock at the words that had left her mouth.

"let me take you to dinner. please, to make up for it." the blonde steadied herself and spoke with much more confidence than she was really feeling.

"like a....date?" you asked cautiously, aware that these three words could make or break everything.

"yeah, exactly like a date."

[hgfictionwriter]

Getaway

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: Jessie's in her head about your friendship and if it can be something more. Can a vacation getaway change the trajectory of your connection?

A/N: Get ready for shy, sweet, awkward Jessie doing her best to not get in her own way and win over her girl. Someone requested fluff and while this isn't quite it - it's on its way lol. No warnings for this fic.

"Um, can I get you a refill?" Jessie asked as she spied the near empty glass in your hand. 

"Only if you're getting one," you responded with a nod to the cup Jessie was holding.  

Niamh and Zee had both retired for the night and it was now just Jessie and you around the firepit of the villa the four of you were renting. Jessie wasn't a night owl and she was actively fighting the weight of her heavy eyelids, but she wanted to stay up with you. And frankly, she was a bit of a lightweight when it came to drinking as well. She was already feeling a bit of a buzz and wasn't entirely confident about having another drink. You noted her hesitation and smiled.  

"Doesn't have to be a boozy drink. I could go for a late night tea instead." 

Jessie smiled gratefully. You knew her so well.  

"Sure, let's do that," Jessie said. 

When Jessie returned a while later with two steaming mugs of tea, she also had a bag of crackers tucked under her arm and handed them to you. 

"Oh my gosh," you said as she sat up to receive the items. "How did you know I wanted a snack?" You blew on the hot beverage before taking a tentative sip. "And you remembered how I take my tea. Thank you." 

"Of course," Jessie said, hiding a pleased smile. An easy quiet fell over the two of you as you sipped your drinks. Jessie had to make a concerted effort to focus her gaze on the fire and to not stare at this beautiful woman across from her. She should really just enjoy the silence and your company, but an urge had been nagging her and her resolve was fading. 

"So, how are you liking it here so far?" She asked.  

"It's beautiful. Obviously," you responded with a light chuckle. "I'm loving it. Thank you again - to all of you - for letting me tag along on your unofficial team trip." 

"Oh, no need to thank me or any of us. We're all super glad you're here," Jessie said. She did her best to push down the awkward or self-criticizing feeling that was starting to bubble up inside of her. 

It's just Y/N, she had to remind herself so she wouldn't get caught up in analyzing her own words and actions. 

When Jessie first met you through Niamh over a year ago, you hit it off. At the time, Jessie made a point of not giving it too much headspace. It was just one meeting after all and it could have been a fluke. But when you saw each other again at another event, it became evident to Jessie that there was actually something there. Your chemistry was natural, banter was easy, and your conversation led to some deeper things and you ended up talking late into the night. Jessie was reserved, even shy, so warming up to someone so quickly and feeling comfortable wasn't the norm.  

Just as Jessie was working up the nerve to ask you for your number - an extreme rarity - it came to light that you had a girlfriend. That brought everything to a crashing halt. 

Jessie had been furious with herself for misreading your connection and for almost making a fool out of herself. She was even more upset with herself for how disappointed she felt by this turn of events. It had only been a couple of conversations and she shouldn't be so affected. Regardless, she most definitely didn't want to get caught up in any drama. So when you parted ways that night she dismissed the notion that it could've ever been anything more. She was committed to pushing you from her mind and that was the end of it. 

However, your paths kept crossing and that chemistry didn't go away. In fact, every time you talked, Jessie found that you lingered longer and longer in her mind and that feeling in her chest grew warmer and brighter.  

In time, Jessie convinced herself that being friends wouldn't be so bad. And, truthfully, it was mostly good. There were, regretfully too many, moments where Jessie had to do everything in her power to not reach out to hold your hand or to not let it show when mention of your girlfriend sent a dagger through her insides, but Jessie's life was undeniably better with you in it than even the thought of one without.  

Knowing that you'd never be anything more made things simple enough, not easy, but the lines were undebatable. However, since you and your girlfriend broke up a couple of months ago, things were different and Jessie was having more and more difficulty navigating your dynamic. The chemistry was still clear as day for Jessie, but did you feel the same? And even on the off-chance that you did feel the same, were you ready for a new relationship? And now that you'd been friends for so long, Jessie had to weigh the cost of risking your friendship. The thought of losing you terrified her.

All of the drama she'd been trying to avoid seemed to be closing in on her despite her efforts. She should really just let it all go, but it was proving harder and harder to. 

"Did you and [y/ex] ever talk about visiting here?" Jessie asked clumsily. She had to resist the urge to sigh in annoyance at herself. She watched your reaction carefully; if you were put-off or perplexed by the inquiry, you didn't let on. 

"No," you answered nonchalantly and shrugged. "She wasn't really big on travel. So, it never really came up. I've always wanted to come here though, so this is perfect." 

"Oh yeah, me too," Jessie said quickly - too quickly. She fought off the wince that threatened to cross her face. She cleared her throat inaudibly and redirected. "Um, I haven't really checked in in a while. Uh, so, how are you? You know…since the break-up." 

It seemed that no matter how many times she’d rehearsed these conversations, they just never really came out the way she wanted them to. Maybe it was a good thing she had a bit of a buzz, because otherwise she'd probably be sinking into her chair and praying to disappear at how clunky she was approaching this. 

"You're sweet," you responded with a small smile. Again, if you were thrown off by any of this, you weren't letting it be known. "I'm doing well. Honestly." Jessie didn't fill the silence that formed and you went on, dropping eye-contact and swirling your tea distractedly. "It was the right decision." 

"That's good," Jessie affirmed with a nod. "I mean, if you're not in love, no point in dragging things on."  

"Exactly. It wouldn't have been fair to either of us. And truthfully, it was a long time coming," you said returning a nod. You let out a quick exhale and sat back in your chair, a faint smirk now forming on your face. "And what about you? Anyone on the horizon for you?" 

A deep blush immediately began to burn on Jessie's cheeks. She forced what she hoped was an easy laugh. "Nothing on the horizon." 

You shot her a discerning look. "No one? The entire time I’ve known you you’ve never been remotely interested in anyone. So still no one?” 

"What?" Jessie defended, her voice rising in pitch. Her cheeks were on fire as she frowned at you. "I'm too busy. I'm gone like every other week, and sometimes for weeks at a time. That's not exactly the best foundation for a relationship." 

Great. Just go ahead and tell her all the reasons why you'd make a crappy partner, Jessie thought disparagingly. 

To Jessie's surprise, you smiled. 

"That right there tells me you'd be a good partner. It's very thoughtful. I mean, from what I've seen, there are a lot of others who don't afford partners - if you can call them that sometimes - the same kind of care and consideration," you relayed. "That said, life is short. Even if your schedule is crazy, if she's the right one for you, you'll make it work. And if you're the right one for her, she won't mind that your schedule is crazy. It'll make the moments that you're together that much sweeter." 

If Jessie's blush was about to fade, that last part had the opposite effect on her. All she could do was offer a tight smile. 

"I suppose that's true." 

She cleared her throat, building herself up to shift the focus of the conversation back to you.  

“Uh, you mentioned your break up was a long time coming - what did that mean?” She tried to make it sound casual, but she feared the chances of that were quite low. She added quickly, “You obviously don’t need to tell me anything. You just never really said why you broke up and I just-” 

“It’s okay. Really.” You mercifully interjected. You settled further into your chair with a heavy sigh, your gaze drawn back to the drink in your hands. You took a few moments to formulate your response. “I think it just became apparent to me that my feelings for her weren’t what they should be. She deserved more. And I do, too.”  

“That’s very mature. And takes a lot of self-awareness,” Jessie offered.  

“Thanks,” you said simply with a faint smile and a shrug.  

Jessie waited a beat to see if you would elaborate more, but you didn’t. Jessie contemplated what to say next and although she didn’t fully trust where her instincts were taking her, she went with it nonetheless.  

“Um, I know it’s only been a couple of months, but is there anyone on the horizon for you? Like, are you looking to date again?” Once more, she did her damnedest to make it sound like idle curiosity. She watched you carefully while you considered your response.  

“Mm, I’m taking my time, I suppose,” you eventually replied. “But, with the right person, I’d be all for it.” 

Jessie nodded as she continued to map out how to navigate this discussion. She wanted to push, but fear around jeopardizing your friendship confined her in a lot of ways. She had to be careful.

“And I guess you know better now what you want versus what you don’t want,” she said. You nodded as you peered over your mug at Jessie.  

“Yes, that’s true. I do.” 

Jessie was about to ask what you were looking for when your phone buzzed and the screen lit up, distracting you both.  

Jessie felt an irrational, yet thankfully fleeting, wave of jealousy come over her as she imagined the text was from your ex, as unlikely as that would be. Regardless, she studied your expression as you read the text, noting the discerning frown on your normally gentle features.  

“Everything okay?” Jessie asked.  

“Oh, yeah,” you replied, your frown dissipating as you locked your phone. “My sister’s just making some questionable decisions. Nothing serious,” you assured with a chuckle, “but she felt compelled to tell me.” You drained your drink, setting it down on the table. “It's 1:30.” You announced as you held up your phone to show the time. No wonder Jessie was so tired. "What time did we want to head out tomorrow?" 

"About 9," Jessie replied, now suddenly struggling to stifle a yawn.   

"Okay, shit. Sorry - I kept you up. I know you normally go to bed a lot earlier than this," you apologized. Jessie was quick to dismiss the notion. 

"Not at all. Well, yeah, I go to bed earlier normally, but we're on vacation. I didn't even realize it was so late," she said, hesitating for a moment before going on. "And I always enjoy our conversations." 

"Me too." 

Jessie could've beamed. It wasn’t much, but it made her happy nonetheless. She smiled, but tried to tamper it.

“I guess we should try to get some sleep though, hey?” You proposed. Jessie hoped that she was right in hearing a hint of regret in your tone. Even though Jessie didn’t want the night to end, morning was going to come quickly.

She stood and began gathering up the glasses and other items.  

"Hey, I can take mine. Don't worry." You protested, but Jessie was already walking to the kitchen with all of the dishes in hand. "Gosh," you complained lightly as you followed her in, "you never let me take care of anything. I'm still not over you carrying my luggage in for me. And Niamh's never going to let me live that down. Or maybe even you, for that matter." 

Jessie was glad she was hunched over loading items into the dishwasher otherwise you would've caught a new blush forming across her cheeks.  

"You're an 'acts of service', aren't you?" You proposed as you leaned an elbow on the table to prop up your chin.  

"Huh?" Jessie asked as she closed the dishwasher door and straightened up. 

"Love language," you elaborated. Jessie started to stumble over her words when you interjected. "It can be for anything - not just romance. Friendships too. It's just how you show you care." 

"Oh, yeah I guess, then," Jessie conceded. "Um, what are you?" 

"'Words of affirmation', for the most part. 'Quality time' is pretty high too, though," she answered.  

"Oh, so we're not that compatible.” Jessie risked the joke before she could stop herself, ensuring to tack on a teasing smirk to alleviate as much weight as possible given she broached your compatibility. 

"Excuse me?" You protested with a laugh. "That's not necessarily true. I enjoy receiving acts of service. So there's compatibility there. Do you like receiving words of affirmation or do you like quality time, I guess that's the question." 

Jessie subconsciously started scratching the back of her head and averted her gaze.  

"Um, I don't particularly like compliments, but I guess it depends on context, I don't know," she trailed off. "And I'm an introvert and I need time alone, but, if I like someone I do like spending time with them." 

"Well, it's not just strictly compliments," you corrected, drawing Jessie's eyes back. "It's like," you paused briefly, seeming to contemplate something before going on, "if I say, "Jessie, even though I didn't need you to carry my luggage in, I appreciated you doing so. It made me feel welcome and cared for. You are one of the most thoughtful and sweet people I know - you are important to me and I feel lucky to have you in my life." 

Jessie's cheeks began to burn yet again. Her heart was racing and the eye contact you held quickly became too much. She tried to distract with a roll of her eyes and an amused laugh.  

"Right," she said.

Thoughts clamored in her head and no single one stood out as the right thing to say. She was aware of how too much space was starting to fill your conversation.  

"Well, I should let you get to sleep," you said softly, relieving Jessie of the task of finishing her thoughts. Jessie cursed inwardly.  

"Oh yeah, sure," she said, running a hand through her hair. "Um, well I'll walk you to your room." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She couldn't stand how awkward she was sometimes. 

"Okay." Despite the odd proposal, you accepted with a gentle smile.  

You chatted quietly as you walked upstairs, past Jessie's room and further down the hall. You should've said goodnight right away, but instead Jessie found herself drawing out your goodbye. It didn't seem like you were in a rush, so Jessie cast aside the doubt that was crawling up inside of her. 

When you finally said 'good night', Jessie wrestled with the act of hugging you or not. She debated it heavily and was outrageously close to initiating it, but when the moment came she ended up turning on her heel and giving a small wave instead. She had to resist the urge to slam her bedroom door when she got inside over how frustrated she was with herself. 

When she finally turned off the light and got under the covers to sleep, she was wide awake. The way sleep had been pulling at her prior was now fully replaced with reflections of the night and irritation with herself. She sighed and let her arms fall heavily at her sides as she stared blankly up at the ceiling. More thoughts swirled inside her head and she screwed her eyes shut before forcing herself to breathe and trying to relax.  

Despite her best efforts, she tossed and turned for a while before finally admitting defeat and pulling out her phone to pass the time. Maybe it was the lingering alcohol, maybe it was the lack of sleep, but it was after 2:30 when she pulled up her conversation with you and sent a text with a screenshot of the test she just did.  

"Confirmed. Acts of Service. And I actually do like Words of Affirmation." 

To her surprise, three dots appeared in the bottom left of your conversation. Jessie's breath caught in her throat and she remained motionless watching the dots fade in and out. 

"I knew it. So what I'm hearing is, we are compatible lol." 

Another breath caught in Jessie's throat as she read your reply. Her chest was burning and she was grateful for the fact that this was over text. She actually had the chance to think about what she wanted to say. 

"Definitely. Though I'm not surprised." 

"Tell me more." 

Jessie fidgeted as her mind churned with possibilities. This was a moment where things could change - a moment she told herself for more than a year that she didn't want or need. You were friends. Good friends. What if she misread things again - she had before. What if she ruined everything just because she couldn't control herself. 

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" 

She chickened out. 

"I couldn't sleep." 

"Apparently, neither could you." 

Jessie exhaled shakily.  

"True." 

"Well, it's silly that we're texting. Why don't you just come over." 

Jessie's brow furrowed in deep confusion as she read your text. She reread it just to be sure.  

"We have to be up early. I don’t want to keep you up." 

She was such a coward. A heavy feeling fell over her chest making it harder to breathe. She let the phone fall against her. It buzzed. 

"Okay. Well, if you change your mind, come on over. I'm not tired, so I won't be falling asleep soon anyway." 

Jessie locked her phone and set it down on the bedside table. She rubbed her temples and sighed deeply. 

The tight, heavy feeling in her chest kept growing and nagging at her despite how she was trying to breathe and decompress. Of course she shouldn't go to your room. She should just go to sleep. And of course your offer didn't mean anything. Why would it? You were friends. Always just friends.  

What was she doing?  

She wasn't sure how much time passed before she sat up in her bed. She didn't even really realize she was doing it until she was straight up and staring at the wall ahead of her. She swallowed heavily and her heart began to beat loudly in her chest as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stepped onto the hardwood. She took a steadying breath before she stood and crept over to the door, opening it a crack. She peered down the hall and saw the faintest glow coming from your room. Was your door open? 

Jessie swallowed her trepidation and began to softly pad down the hall, mindful to make as little noise as possible. As she neared your room, she confirmed that your door was ajar. Jessie's heartbeat was loud in her head now as she slowly approached the door. She knocked very faintly before pushing it open a few inches to peek inside. 

The tension that was holding Jessie's shoulders high towards her ears suddenly fell from her and she exhaled silently upon seeing you casually laying in bed under the glow of your phone and waving her in. 

"I told you I wasn't tired," you whispered as you sat up.  

"I couldn't sleep either," Jessie told you as she quietly closed the door behind her.  

A belated self-consciousness swept over Jessie at the realization that she was standing here in her pajamas, a t-shirt and shorts. She subconsciously tugged down the hem of her shorts.  

She sees you in a t-shirt and shorts every game. Calm down, she chided internally.  

Jessie quickly took in her surroundings, now suddenly unsure of what to do. Her eyes settled upon a chair at the desk in the corner of the room. She walked over there and began turning it so she could sit.  

"Jessie, don't be silly. Just sit over here," you said as you scooted over and patted the spot next to you on the bed. 

Jessie hesitated, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so she nodded and came over and daintily took a seat on the far edge of the bed. Her ears burned hot as she felt you shooting her a look, coupled with a soft laugh.  

"It's okay, Jessie. Relax. It's just me." Your voice was warm and reassuring and Jessie felt tension leaving her body once again. 

Conversation started up once more and you talked further into the night. Jessie had no idea what time it was anymore, but it didn't matter, she was happy where she was and didn't want it to end. Eventually, you laid down onto your side and propped the pillow up under your head with a yawn. Jessie was about to offer to leave when you gestured to the spot next to you. 

"Lay down. Make yourself at home," you said.  

Jessie didn't want to get too in her head about this. She did this kind of thing with teammates and it didn't mean a thing. Did it mean something now? Or was it just like with her teammates - nothing. She cast the thoughts from her head and laid down on the covers. When you told her she could get under the covers, she dismissed it and even though she was chilled, she insisted she wasn't cold.  

"So, tell me," you said when a small lull formed in your conversation later on.  

"Tell you what?" Jessie asked, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.  

"Tell me why you're not surprised that we're compatible," you responded lightly. 

"Oh," Jessie said, her mind suddenly sharpening at the twist in your conversation. Her previous nervousness returned, but this time a certain calm surrounded it. "Well, I mean, we've always gotten along really well. Friendship-wise.”

Old habits died hard.  

“Hm. That’s true,” you said quietly with a nod of acceptance. A couple of moments passed. “In terms of compatibility - love languages aside. What are you looking for? Not friendship-wise. You never say.” 

It was true. Jessie was very tight lipped about it, even with friends she wasn’t in love with. She endured relentless teasing about it, but she just didn’t like putting herself out there like that. However, right now, in the dark, lying next to you, things felt different.  

“I…,” she trailed off momentarily before finding her resolve and her voice. “I want someone who I can be myself with. Someone who will be my person. Who I can talk to about anything and everything. Who I can be vulnerable with – I have to be at my best all the time and for so many people, so to be able to let my guard down means a lot. But, just as easily, I want to be able to have silly and goofy moments together. Someone where doing something as simple as grocery shopping or cooking together can feel like an adventure. I don't know – just that one person who can be my anchor when I'm constantly on the move and trying to live up to others expectations, and I want to be that for them as well, even if I'm 1,000 miles away. No pressure for me – or her – to be anything other than who we are." 

“That’s beautiful. Truly. And you deserve that and more,” you said. Your gaze lingered for a moment before you went on. “Whoever you choose in the end is going to be a very lucky person.” 

“Thanks.” Jessie had to force herself not to protest. And I want it to be you, she thought. Instead, she said, “I mean, same with you.” 

Even in the dark, Jessie spied the small smile you gave her.  

“You’re too nice to me,” you said with a soft chuckle as you nestled into your pillow further. “Thank you, though.” 

“What do you mean?” Jessie asked. A shy smile formed on her face as she went on. “I mean, words of affirmation here, you deserve it. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met. And, yeah, I feel really lucky to have you in my life. And, um, whoever you choose to be with next…you deserve to be spoiled by them. They should take care of you,” she began to stammer, “well, not like take care of, cause you’re totally independent, which is awesome, but you know, Acts of Service.” She winced and did her best to rally and finish strong. “What I mean is they should make you feel, every day, like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to them. And that there’s no one else in this world for them.” 

“Wow. See? You’re amazing, Jessie. Honestly. Thank you. That means so much to me.” 

“Yeah, no worries,” Jessie quickly dismissed with a light laugh.  

Neither of you spoke for several moments and the tension became too much for Jessie, causing her to quickly change subjects.  

She wasn’t sure how much longer you talked, because the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes and you were fast asleep next to her. A rush of panic went through her momentarily before she just allowed herself to relax. She debated getting up and leaving, but she indulged herself instead. It was too comfortable laying here with you and, truthfully, she may never get this opportunity again. She took in your sleeping form and before she knew it she was asleep again.  

The next time Jessie woke up, the veil of relaxation and drowsiness quickly dissipated as she looked down to see that you were cuddled into her arm. Jessie lay still as she processed the situation, but couldn’t ignore the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. After a few moments, she steeled herself and began to carefully disentangle herself from you. Though she didn’t want to leave, she didn’t want to take advantage.

She took one last glance at you. The first breaks of dawn started to filter into the room, casting you in warm light. A lump formed in Jessie’s throat, the feelings inside of her threatening to overflow. Jessie turned and retreated to her own room to try to catch a couple more hours of sleep. She was positive that if she managed to find sleep, she’d dream of nothing but you.