#but yeah that goal by colombia

[snappysprinkledog]

Those goals in the England vs Colombia game, that's why you watch football.

A beautiful goal from Colombia and a scrappy goal in the last minute of extra time by England

[crochetnerdsworld]

In Handy (Alyssa Naeher/Reader)

Y/N is the smallest/shortest member of the USWNT. Her fiance, Alyssa Naeher, is much taller. This height difference comes in handy one day when Y/N gets hurt during a game and is not allowed to put any weight on her leg.

It's a friendly during the international break. United States versus Colombia. It has been a very physical game, with yellow cards being handed out regularly. The score is 2-0 US with ten minutes left on the clock. Despite being down by two, the Colombians are fiercely determined to at least score one goal in the remaining time. 

Alyssa Naeher watches from the box as her fiance, Y/N Y/L/N, sprints towards the goal with the ball at her feet. Y/N may be the shortest USWNT member, but she is incredibly fast and handles the ball with ease. Y/N makes it to the box, with multiple defenders on her heels. She is about to pass the ball to an unmarked Mallory Swanson when a defender comes out of what seems like nowhere. The goalie watches in horror as the defender makes an illegal tackle, studs aimed directly at Y/N's ankle. Y/N crumbles to the ground with a scream, a loud whistle following. 

Goalkeepers aren't known to run, but Alyssa runs. She runs as fast as she can to her fiance's side and beats the medics there. Several of teammates are gathering around Y/N while several other are attempting to hold back an angry Kelley O'Hara, Y/N's best friend. The pair have known each other since Standford and are basically sisters. All that matters to Alyssa in the moment, however, is her fiance. 

Y/N is lying there on the field, Mal beside her, trying to keep her calm. Alyssa quickly kneels beside Y/N and takes her hand just as the medical personnel arrive. 

"Hey there, love. You're going to be alright. Try not to move, yeah?" Alyssa soothes.

"Don't think we're going to make our reservation tonight," Y/N flinches, her face pale. 

"Yeah, probably not. Don't worry about a thing. Just focus on breathing," Alyssa replies. 

The medics stabilize Y/N's leg and get her onto the stretcher. It's clear that the leg is broken. Everyone just hopes it isn't too bad of an injury. A trip to the ER is definitely in order though. Alyssa is torn as she wants nothing more than to follow as the medics begin to wheel Y/N off, but the game is not over yet. 

"Finish the game, Alyssa," Y/N orders. 

Alyssa nods, kissing Y/N's head. As Y/N is wheeled off, she takes a deep breath. She has to finish the game strong. For Y/N. 

******

Y/N's leg is broken. She is put under strict orders not to put any weight on it until it heals. At breakfast the next day, despite being given crutches, Alyssa insists on carrying Y/N downstairs. She sets her in a chair at a table with Kelley, Alex, Christen, and Tobin before going to grab her girl breakfast.

"I see you've got yourself a chariot there, Y/N/N," Alex smirks.

"Oh yeah. She won't even let me use my crutches to go to the bathroom," Y/N replies. 

"Yeah well, you're short as hell. It's coming in handy now, though," Kelley jokes.

"Shut it, O'Hara. You've got three inches on me," Y/N scoffs, "Also I'm crippled. Be nice to me," 

"Fine. Only because I love you so much," Kelley replies dramatically.

The group laughs at this. Alyssa returns with breakfast in hand. The conversation moves on. After breakfast, Y/N is once again scooped up despite her protests that she is perfectly capable of using her crutches, and carried out to the bus. Y/N soon resigns herself to the fact that she will not be using her crutches at all and that her small stature is indeed, coming in handy. 

[lavendertales]

SEÑORITA: Chapter 2

pairing: Javier Peña x Murphy!f!reader

summary: Steve offers to show you around the precinct, but he's not expecting all the teasing words and the tension between you and Javier; and neither does Javier himself.

word count: 3k

series warnings: reluctant friends to lovers, lots of playful banter, mutual pining, slow burn, secret relationship, filthy smut.

series masterlist | AO3

As it turns out, a baby living in the same space as you isn’t your biggest inconvenience.

Okay, perhaps “inconvenience” is taking things too far. Olivia has been a treat these past few days; she’s just started walking and mumbling a few words, so watching her be curious about everything and reach for things and people with her little hands has been one of your weekly highlights.

But you and Steve remain far from the good buddies you were as children, and the awkwardness that floats in the air whenever you interact is very much palpable and thick, weighing down on both of you.

Even so, you at least remain polite towards each other, and you both try your hardest to become friendly again.

Steve tells you about his time in Colombia; he tells you how he caught Pablo Escobar in his final moments and how he wished Javier was there to share the sweet victory since “it would’ve been only fair”. He mentions Javier quite a lot, actually, just like he did in his letters to you. You deduce that they are good friends, bonded by a mutual goal and plenty of tragedy, and that Javier is, despite some flaws and choices, a focused and hardworking man. Trustworthy and loyal.

In other words, a good man.

“I still have them, by the way,” you tell your brother as you take another sip of coffee.

Steve blinks in surprise. “You kept the letters I sent you?”

“Well, yeah. You’re still my brother, and the fact that you took the time to write to me when you were basically in a living hell, it means a lot to me. I was worried about you.”

The warmth that fills Steve’s body is not unknown, and yet it feels like it’s the very first time he’s ever felt it such a big wave of affection towards his baby sister.

“I figured if something were to happen, you’d be… eased,” he tries to joke.

“You’re not my favorite person in the world but I don’t want you to die. Besides, do you have any idea how expensive it is to have a funeral? Not to mention the cost of retrieving your body from there… way too much work.”

You both giggle, finding odd comfort in the rather morbid way you’re making jokes, and you finish your coffees in silence. Connie is at the park with Olivia—which you suspect was done intentionally on her part—and it’s almost time for both of you to head off to work. You actually crave the library’s welcoming silence today.

“I’ve got an idea,” Steve says, washing both cups. “The precinct isn’t that far from the library.”

“Probably ten minutes by car or so.”

“Exactly. How about you stop by at lunch? I can show you around, give you a tour.”

He’s trying, you smile to yourself. He’s trying to make things great again. You want that too, so it’s not hard to meet him halfway.

“That sounds pretty good actually,” you reply and smile when Steve does.

“Cool!”

“Can you give me a ride to work?”

“Sure thing, c’mon.”

On your way, you talk more and it becomes easier, more lighthearted. You find out that Steve wrote to your parent as well, and he also called them once a week. He talked to your mother daily during the brief time he and Connie were apart, and as you hear that, your heart sinks a little. You figure how difficult it must’ve been for both of them.

And even if you don’t say it aloud, you’re very impressed by Steve’s work in Colombia. But most of all, you’re proud of him.

“What’s Javier like?”

The question replaces the brightness on Steve’s face with a gloomy and curious expression. Much as he tries to hide it, it’s there.

“Why?” he asks flatly.

You roll your eyes, chuckling. “He’s your best friend, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Steven, I’m given to understand that Colombia was very dark. The two of you are bonded together by things that the rest of us can’t comprehend. I’m just asking out of curiosity, nothing more.”

Steve’s grip tightens over the wheel, recalling some of the events in Colombia. It was very dark indeed, but most of the time he had Connie there. Javier, on the other hand… there were times Steve feared he was drowning the more vehemently he refused any external help. All he had were his brothel girls, alcohol and cigarettes.

And Steve fears he still hasn’t recovered, even a year later.

“He’s a great guy overall,” Steve replies after a while. “Tough nut to crack and stubborn, but you can rely on him when it comes down to it.”

“He does look like he’s stubborn.”

“Have you seen much of him?”

“You mean since he introduced himself last week, then you shadily pulled him over after which he fled like the plague? Hmm, no, I can’t say I have.”

Steve coos your name, almost apologetically so, but you cut him off instantly. “Even if I were interested in him, which I’m not, what’s it to you? I get that I’m your sister and he’s your best friend and that puts you in the middle, but we’re adults. It would be none of your business.”

“True, but…” Steve huffs, struggling to find his words. “Look, I’m just trying to keep you both safe and sane.”

You frown. “What do you mean?”

“Whenever you were dating one of your bad boys, it never ended well. Remember Hyde, who spray painted dad’s car when you broke up with him?”

“Ugh. Yikes.”

“Or Mike?”

You try your hardest not to laugh. “I still can’t believe he found a skunk and sprayed it all over you.”

You suppress a giggle, much to Steve’s dismay.

“I had to sleep in the basement for a week,” he reminds you bitterly. “Wasn’t funny then, and it’s not funny now.”

“I know, I’m s—I’m sorry.”

“Ever notice how your breakups affected the rest of us, but never you?”

You shrug. “What can I say? I have a long lasting impact on these boys.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Javier’s a grown man. Those were little insecure boys. I doubt—“

“Javier isn’t fully okay after Colombia. Neither am I, really, but I’ve got a beautiful wife, an amazing daughter, and life goes on. He took it all by himself and bottled it up. Which is exactly like the kind of guy you’d fall for.”

“I thought he’s a reformed bad boy.”

Steve huffs, parking the car in front of the library and looking at you with a care he hadn’t possessed in years.

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do,” he says softly. “Not gonna do things like I did when we were teenagers. You’re a grown woman, Javier is a grown man as you said. He’s a little broken though, and you can be a lot to deal with… and I’m just afraid you’ll both end up getting hurt.”

“I appreciate your concern, Steven. But I promise you, I’m not interested in Javier like that.”

“All the women are at some point.”

“It’s a regular occurrence?”

When Steve hesitates, you get your answer. “Oh come on, it’s not like he’s some Adonis.”

“I don’t know, for a guy he’s pretty good looking.”

Devilishly handsome is more like it, you think.

“He is,” you agree indifferently, “but I’m not into it.”

“I’ll pick you up at 12-ish?”

You notice the topic change, but you don’t fight against it. “Sounds good,” you concede. Thanks for the ride.”

“You got it.”

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Before you knew it, you were back in Steve’s car and on your way to the precinct. There’s a tingle in your body that you cannot explain, but you don’t fight against it either.

“So what exactly does a consultant do at a police precinct?” you ask.

“I help with cases but I don’t actually get involved. It’s a pretty sweet deal actually.”

“So it’s basically like giving advice and adding at the end, ‘if it ruins your life, it’s not my fault’?”

A hearty laugh leaves Steve’s chest, booming throughout the car. “Basically, yeah.”

“That’s a pretty sweet deal. How are you adjusting to it after all you did… in your previous job?”

“It’s a bit boring if you compare them, but it’s a nice change of pace.”

“I’ll bet. You are, after all, America’s hero.”

“Oh, stop it.”

“Come on! You know what people are saying about you! Steve Murphy, American’s fine hero, saved the world!”

You keep teasing him till you both end up laughing wholeheartedly. It’s a sentiment you haven’t had in years, and suddenly you feel grateful and lucky to have your big brother back in your life.

Steve holds the door for you, thus allowing you to get a first glimpse into his work environment. It’s as busy as any precinct, people buzzing and moving at a fast pace without paying much attention to their surroundings.

“Here,” Steve catches your attention. “This is my office.”

You scan the cubicle, noticing the picture of him, Connie and Olivia on his desk. “Pretty cozy.”

“That one over there is Javier’s.”

The difference between the two desks is quite stunning: while Steve’s is cozy and personalized with reminders of the life he has outside these walls, Javier’s is pretty empty except a few folders neatly stacked on top of each other, a pen and a stapler. His desk seems pretty empty, and you fleetingly wonder if that reflects how he’s feeling on a daily basis.

Impossible, you think to yourself. Surely he’s a ladies’ man, and surely he’s got someone to hook up with at least, if nothing more.

“Hey Jav,” your brother’s voice changes. “You remember my sister.”

Your eyes met Javier’s for a single second, frozen-like in time, and you’re quick to notice how he shifts his gaze as farther away from you as possible. As a response, you lower your head, stiffening a chuckle.

“Hola señorita,” he tells you, even his voice distant.

There’s no verbal reply leaving your mouth. You want to say something clever and witty, maybe even sarcastic, but there is a small fraction of your slightly twisted being, deep down, which considers his greeting to be an awakening of some sort. You like how the words roll so easily down his tongue. A presumably filthy and skilled tongue.

Whoa. Where the fuck did that come from?

Okay, so you might think he’s attractive. He might be sin personified with golden skin and cold attitude, which means he can be trouble.

And you’re not looking for trouble. Not anymore.

“What brings you here?”

It takes you a bit to realize that Javier’s addressing you because he’s not even looking at you; he’s looking through a folder in his hands, seemingly doing everything in his power to ignore you.

“Steve wanted to show me around the precinct while we grab some lunch,” you say.

“Hm.”

“Oh, right, lunch!” Steve exclaims. “I got us turkey sandwiches from a nice place down the street, hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, love those.”

“I’ll be right back.”

With Steve gone temporarily, you take the opportunity to squeeze some answers out of Javier.

“Let me guess,” you start, crossing your arms at your chest and teasingly sitting on the edge of Javier’s desk. “Steven put on the big bro talk with you.”

Javier finally looks at you, somewhat surprised. “Is that a regular occurrence?”

“Oh yes. He used to do it a lot when we were teenagers. But please don’t hold my being related to him against me.”

“Wasn’t going to.”

“Thanks. He claims that I made his life miserable by bullying him when we were younger but if you’re asking me, he’s a bit of a wimp. When it comes to me, at least.”

“You do sound like a bully.”

This time you do chuckle. And if you wouldn’t have such great observation skills, you might’ve thought that Javier chuckled too.

“Did you bully him though?” he asks, voice less distant.

“Well… depends from which side you’re viewing things. I say I gave him reality checks. But this might explain why he’s trying so damn hard to overcompensate now by being ridiculously protective. He knows I didn’t like it then and it’s why we’re awkward around each other now, and yet here he is, going out of his way to keep you at bay.”

“He only asked me nicely to not hit on you.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Were you going to?”

“No. You’re not really… my type. No offense or anything.”

“None taken. But the question remains, why does my brother want to keep you at bay? Are you really that big of an asshole, Javier?”

He turns to you, studying your face properly for the very first time. You seem much sharper than any of the women he previously encountered, and for this reason he decides to be as blunt as possible with you.

“That seems to be the consensus,” he agrees.

“Cause I heard some storied from my brother’s time in Colombia. I heard about the infamous Javier Peña. Heard you were quite the hit with the ladies, but nothing short of ‘hero’ and ‘great friend’.”

Gradually, Javier becomes irritated. Reminders of his past life in Colombia and how much it took from him become a trigger, and he doesn’t want to relive any part of that.

“Are you gonna do this the whole time you’re here?” he asks you instead.

“I could,” you shrug. “I can see it gets a rise out of you.”

“And I can see why Steve said you can be a pain in the ass.”

“Ouch.”

But you smile, and paired with the way you said his full name, rolling the R perfectly at the end, it does get a rise out of him.

Frustration. The inability to act upon it. Curiosity. Forbidden fruit.

Too much contradiction for Javier’s personal taste.

“Listen,” he moves closer to you to whisper in dangerous proximity, “Steve asked me to not get involved with you, friend to friend. So that’s what I intend to do. More like not do.”

“Okay, that’s honorable, I respect that. But how much fun would it be to mess with him?”

Javier cocks an eyebrow in your direction, the faint scent of something floral suddenly invading his nostrils.

“Why would we mess with him?”

“Come on! Haven’t you ever wanted to just mess with him? Prank him in any way?”

“Not out of instinct.”

“You’re missing out.”

“And how exactly would we mess with him?”

“Do I detect interest in your voice?”

The playfulness in your voice, along with a hint of mischief, is causing Javier’s head to spin. You’re still not his type, but you sure seem like fun.

And he likes to have fun once in a while.

Forbidden fruit, he reminds himself.

“I figure if he sees me around you a lot, he’ll think we’re fucking, and based on your reputation, sounds plausible,” you ponder. “One of those veins in his head is bound to pop.”

“Shit, you’re a mean one. But I still want to respect Murphy’s wish.”

As if on command, Steve rushes back, handing you a sandwich and pulling Javier closer.

“I found this on Lieutenant Dan’s desk,” he mutters, but not hushed enough to not reach your ears.

Steve reveals a folder that you try to peak at while Javier rummages through it. Seconds later, his face brightens.

“New intel on the case,” Steve adds. “These sure would come in handy for closing the case.”

“So take ‘em.”

Both men stare at you like you just said the most outrageous thing in the world. “They’re classified, smarty pants,” Steve practically scolds you.

“So? You’re not taking them outside the precinct. You’re just… borrowing them, looking at words on a page.”

“If I close my eyes, you’re like the female version of Javier.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Why are you here, again?”

Javier’s sharp eyes cut through you like glass, but they don’t intimidate you.

“Apparently I’m the only one thinking rationally,” you retort.

With a loud grunt and a quick glance around, Javier turns to Steve. “Look, just—just stuff it down your pants.”

“What?”

“Do you wanna close the case or not?”

“Yeah, obviously, but—“

“Stuff ‘em down your pants.”

“Say that a lot to your lady friends?”

The glare Javier throws you doesn’t intimidate either. If anything, it only makes you bolder.

“If your brother wasn’t here, I would’ve told you where you can stuff that,” he grunts.

“Yeah, you’d wish you’d stuff something in this.”

“Both of you, cut it out, now,” Steve shushes you. “And ew. Why me, anyway? You pulled the same stunt back in Medellin.”

“They’ll suspect me.”

“You can’t play that card here too!”

“Spanish-speaking guy with a foreign family name? Trust me, they’ll fucking suspect me, Murphy.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”

Within a split second, you snatch the folder from Steve’s hands and, ensuring no one’s around, you tug at Javier’s belt, making enough room for the folder to slide between his shirt and his pants. Breathless, Javier can only watch in shock as you smile, so as to not raise any suspicions, and button his blazer so that the foreign element in his suit isn’t visible.

“There,” you say, “problem solved.”

“What the fuck,” Steve mutters under his breath.

“I wasn’t gonna shove a folder down your pants.”

Javier can’t think of a single thing to say. He can only watch you as you sit down, finally munching on your sandwich, and feel a concoction of feelings.

She’s not my type, he remembers.

But shit, that was hot.

previous | next

tags: @pedrostories @milkymoon2483 @ifall4dilfs @psychedelic-ink @casa-boiardi

[miroslavcloset]

The day Thomas Muller became a national hero in Colombia (South America)

Because of my husband Thomas Muller's NT retirement, I decided to remember that time when he became an icon in this unknown third-world country~

Storytime~

Get something to eat because here comes my longest post ever and one of my favorite things to ever happen in this hellhole <3

No introduction is needed for the 2014 World Cup. So let's just skip to the good part. One of the breakthrough teams was Colombia, a humble but passionate team, they were having their best run so far, and literally everyone in the country wanted them to go as far as possible.

In a country where literally every day the government makes you hate every part of living here, the NT is always a beacon of joy to make us feel proud of being Colombian. And even more now, that we had the Best goal of the match and the Top scorer of the whole tournament.

After an amazing run against teams like Uruguay and Ivory Coast, the day came, when we had to play against Brazil. I don't know how it was perceived in the rest of the world, but here in South America, almost everyone knew Brazil was winning the whole thing, even with rumors of the WC being fixed to favor them (ofc rumors or not but still).

In the Colombia V Brazil match, 3 important things happened.

Neymar was Injured

Thiago Silva was suspended via accumulation of yellow cards

And the catalyst of this story

3. An equalizer Goal from Mario Yepes was mistakenly determined as offside and annulled.

Due to this last event, Colombia was automatically eliminated without the chance of going to penalties.

THIS is Colombia's Trauma™, you can ask any of us. We even have a popular saying we use to this day because of this 'Era gol de Yepes' (Like saying that goal was always legit). But we weren't sad. We were infuriated. We demanded vengeance, we wanted vengeance (We're way too passionate about this, what do you want me to say).

After that, yeah, there were the other quarterfinals, whatever, we didn't care. All of us were waiting for the Germany V Brazil and due to the rumors I spoke about before, we were very scared of Germany losing.

As an important note here, while we were very angry, a very good portion of the Colombians just dropped the whole thing due to idk post-elimination depression. On a personal note, never in my life did I see my country in such silence. I went out to visit my family and the capital had the most depressing silence I've ever experienced. When I tell you this WC meant the world to us I was very serious, a lot of Colombians went to Brazil in buses or walking to see the matches, and some even slept on the streets or stuff like that to keep on supporting.

So, the day of the Germany V Brazil match arrived, and oh boy we didn't have an idea.

At this point, very few of us were still watching the tournament. In the beginning, they were very balanced... And then the game started.

We already knew what happened in that legendary game so let me just tell you the story from our point of view. All of Colombia was rooting for Germany, we wanted, no, we needed Germany to win. Brazil started attacking first so we were quite nervous.

Then a certain player bested Brazil's clueless defenses and scored the first one for Germany.

Everyone was celebrating as if it was our own country, we started calling other people to turn on the TV, our family, neighbors, everyone. The stores and cafeterias tuned the match to see the ones that (in our eyes) did us so wrong, get humiliated by such a great team.

Of course, almost no one knew who this guy was, but Javier Hernández (the most popular commentator here) felt exactly the same as everyone else and loved every second of that first goal, making sure every single Colombian heard this player's name loud and clear, the one that avenged us. Thomas Muller.

Here you can hear what all of us heard that day: (Turn on audio to witness the insanity)

(Sorry for the quality of the video, I know it's ass but this was a recording from a fan from a TV 10 years ago lol)

Then the goals came one after another, and the rest is history. But to us it was special, we celebrated as if it was our own country. Here are some comments from Colombians:

T: Thanks for avenging us Germany

T: Forbidden to forget this match, when all of us were German for 90Min, Thanks! (Germany x4 Trophies) I'll never get over him and neither any colombian, Thomas Muller 7-1 / 8-2

T: Muller 2014: 7-1 Muller 2020: 8-2 He's always in every historic scoring in football

T: In that match All of Colombia was Germany

And like those you can find hundreds and hundreds. The day after the match we kept on celebrating, the memes were everywhere, especially one where James (our star player) called Thomas and asked him to score against Brazil (ofc that never happened, was a silly meme that reflected the general feeling). Also, I clearly remember the news and variety shows on national channels opening their broadcast greeting in German (or at least trying lol). It was so funny and at the end, we received our NT and celebrated their progress and Germany won the cup.

Pretty much a happy ending for everyone.

[jacob-adler]

Monday — September 25, 2023

Recently, Jacob and his crew had been working overtime to finish editing one of their more recent documentaries shot in Colombia. Although he did most of his work at home, this meant that his sleep schedule was slightly askew compared to his girlfriend Kaia's, whose work always started at 9 AM. Despite being unable to drive her to work in the mornings due to his dire need of sleep, Jacob made sure he always picked her up every day at 5 PM.

That Monday was no different. It certainly felt like any other long Monday.

"Hey, baby," Jacob greeted his girlfriend as soon as he rolled up onto the driveway of her office, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "How was your day?"

"Today, time seemed to drag on," Kaia remarked as Jacob revved up the engine. "I didn't get to go out into the field at all. Instead, we had meetings and trainings all day," she added after securing her seatbelt.

"Not even for your break??"

"We ate lunch through a meeting so, no, not really," she answered to Jacob's great dismay.

"Sounds like you need a home-cooked meal and lots of rest," he decided, steering his truck in the direction of their home. "How about I cook us dinner while you take a good long hot bath? Then we can watch any movie of your liking before bed. In a fort, no less! What do you think?"

"Don't hate me if I fall asleep while you hold me during the movie," Kaia replied with a tired but cheeky smile. "I just feel so peaceful with you." Then, her smile grew a little wider. "A fort? With all the pillows and everything?" She was practically beaming by the end of it. "I love this idea."

Jacob and Kaia arrived home no more than half an hour later. And as planned, Jacob cooked while Kaia washed up.

By the time she was all clean from the day's work, Jacob had transformed their living room to become his best fort yet. Thanks to the countless times he and his twin sister, Kiera, built forts when they were little, he had developed a remarkable knack for constructing them. Even their loyal golden retriever, Cupid, now enjoyed a snug little space of his own.

But just like any movie night, Jacob and Kaia were more interested in each other than whatever was playing on TV.

Kaia gazed up at Jacob, their bodies nestled amongst a mound of plush pillows, and softly confessed, "I can't imagine a world in which you are not by my side."

"I can't believe we were ever friends and didn't even date," Jacob added.

"It was different before," Kaia mused. "I didn't look at you that way. I mean, I wasn't even dating anyone."

"How come?" Jacob's curiosity peaked, remembering having known very little of Kaia despite the two growing up in O'ahu.

"I just had different dreams back then," she mused. "I wasn't looking to settle down or have a family. It was never the goal."

Then, she looked up, and their eyes met, and Jacob could swear he'd never seen her more beautiful than that day.

"What about now?" He boldly asked. "Would you like to have a family? With me?"

"One day," Kaia smiled softly. "If you want to..."

With his arms around her, Jacob pulled her a little closer to him. He said nothing for a while, simply studying every freckle on her perfect face.

"I want to," Jacob said, at last.

"Yeah?"

Growing up, Jacob never knew if or when he'd ever settle. But it was that moment right there, with Kaia's brilliant blue eyes looking into his own, when he knew that he couldn't spend his life with anyone else but her.

"Yeah," he replied in barely a whisper, never taking his eyes off of her. "I mean, I've always wanted to have a family; it was just a matter of when, and who with."

"And what does that look like for you?" Kaia asked, her own voice matching the intimacy of that moment.

"With you," Jacob answered without hesitation. "Definitely with you. And soon. If you'll marry me," he said.

A gentle silence fell between them for a moment before he finally asked those sacred words. "Will you? Marry me?"

Kaia had not expected it, as evident by the surprised look on her face and the way she stammered slightly when responding.

"Marry y—...? Wha—?? Baby." Kaia was in such disbelief that she had to sit up straight and face him completely. "Are you asking now? Or asking if one day I will?" she wondered before a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Because yes, yes to both either way."

"Well, both..." Jacob answered, not quite having registered that his girlfriend had just accepted his spontaneous proposal. "I mean, I'd like to ask in a better setting but essentially yes, I'm asking n—..."

Then it hit him.

"Wait, what?" Now, it was Jacob's turn to sit up straight. "Did you just say yes?"

"Yes," Kaia confirmed, her growing smile now matching his. "I said yes. A thousand times yes, I want to marry you."

With one effortless scoop, Jacob brought Kaia back into his arms where she could sit comfortably on his lap. Looking more alive than when he started that very Monday, he could feel himself beaming with inexplicable joy. Cradling her face with his hands, he gently pressed his forehead against hers and softly confessed, "Fort nights have now become my favourite thing."

And with a deep kiss to seal their fate, Jacob proclaimed, "I love you, baby. And I can't wait to marry you."

[deeptrashwitch]

Something about J.J and Hesh during her three months in Santa Mónica before the main events of the game!

J.J stared at the stars in silence, simply smiling softly at the nocturne sky. She didn't move when someone sat beside her in silence. Inside Santa Mónica she felt safe, finally safe after the two years of danger.

"So, I can find you out here usually?" Hesh joked softly as he looked at the stars as well.

J.J chuckled without looking at him. "Sometimes, if I'm in a good mood to remember."

"What do you mean?"

"...While I came here, every night that I felt no danger in my surroundings, I slept in a rooftop or a tree branch." J.J said with a soft sigh. "It was something I did while I was still living in Colombia, y'know? After all that's been going on, surprisingly we see the stars again."

"Does it relax you?"

J.J just nodded and stayed looking up at the sky. Silence surrounded them, only broken by the far sounds from the night guards. Then she looked at him curiously.

"Why were you looking for me anyway? Did something happen?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I simply wondered if you wanted company."

"How come?"

"You woke me up when you came out here."

"Oh! Sorry." She said with an ashamed chuckle.

"Nah, it's okay. Do you mind if I stay with you?"

"... I'm good with that."

Hesh smiled and leaned against the wall in silence, just staying beside J.J while they looked at the sky. Then the woman started to hum softly. It was a soft melody that J.J remember from her mother, so she simply continued humming and she smiled softly.

"One day maybe you'll see the stars from the over a tree branch." J.J promised, looking at Hesh.

He smiled and looked up to the sky. "That's an odd promise."

"Yeah, I guess it is. Hey Hesh, what do you think will happen to us? To everyone in here."

Hesh thought for a second, looking down at the sleeping Fort before looking up again. For a moment he stared at the stars while he remembered ODIN's fall. Then he sighed softly.

"Honestly? I'm not sure." He admitted with a soft frown. "I guess that, on my end, I'll keep being a soldier, and maybe Logan too. What about you J.J?"

"At this point, I don't know either." She said leaning against the wall as well, suddenly nostalgic. "I've lost basically everything that...now I only have the goal of getting revenge and liberate my country. After that, I'm not sure what to do."

"Why don't you stay here? I bet dad won't have a problem with that."

"Are you inviting me to stay as a Walker?" J.J joked with a soft chuckle.

Hesh laughed softly. "I wouldn't take it like that, but I guess Logan and I already got used to have you around. Damn, you even won Riley over."

"With treats, but who counts that?"

Hesh just smiled, and after that they stayed in silence looking at the nocturne sky. At some point the two of them felt tired, but none of them moved, too comfortable there. Like that they ended up falling asleep outside, J.J resting her head over Hesh's shoulder and he resting his head over hers.

And the next morning? Logan woke up early, surprised of not seeing them around. And once he found the two of them, he just chuckled and took a picture to pester and mock Hesh later.

[uswnt5]

Yeah she wants HAO to go to Paris. HAO was like “but I just got back from Paris!”

Side note - Brazil just scored their second goal against Spain. We are really about to play Brazil in the final against a rested energized Marta.

we said this about Colombia a couple days ago, lets see how it ends haha

but yay go Brazil

[enriquemzn262]

Colombia just put its second satellite into orbit. Congrats! Even with how easy satellite launches have gotten, that's still not something plenty of nations are capable of.

Micro-satellite, but yeah, thank you! The ultimate goal is to get a proper geostationary satellite up and running, for both communications and mapping.

[caitlinclark]

frankly england dont deserve to be here nigeria outplayed them and if not for those brutal goalkeeping errors i think colombia could have beaten them its depressing seeing them get all this luck

yeah, england in general haven't been impressive (at least not at the level they were at the euros) like kudos to them for finding ways to win regardless but yeah they haven't been very great.

nigeria 100% deserved to win that game, they were absolutely the better team and it's a shame they didn't get the win. and yeah i agree about colombia too. i'm convinced that if they hadn't conceded especially that first goal, they would've won that game. they were playing so good, definitely deserved more too

[icecold24k]

Spanish Learning Diary: From Duolingo Streaks to Real-world Goals

Welcome back, everyone!

I'm here with another blog post after a little hiatus. Life can get hectic sometimes, and I admit, I've been a bit sidetracked. Maybe I need someone to help keep me accountable for posting regularly. But here I am, ready to update you on my Spanish learning journey and where I'm headed.

Since our last chat, I've been keeping busy and staying productive. I've had three lessons on Italki with my teacher from Colombia and five with my teacher from Mexico. All of my classes have transitioned to 100% conversation-based, and let me tell you, they've been a game-changer. Despite making plenty of mistakes, my teachers have been invaluable in keeping me on track. With my Spanish level inching closer to B2, these conversation classes are helping me speak more naturally and with less translating happening in my head. My ultimate goal? To speak Spanish as fluidly as a native.

Of course, I'm still keeping up with my daily Duolingo practice. It's been a trusty companion in building my vocabulary and keeping my memory sharp (I'm on a streak of 1564 days now!). Despite some criticism Duolingo gets, I firmly believe in its effectiveness. Paired with Italki, it's a winning combination for language learning.

But I'll admit, my biggest struggle right now is forcing myself to listen to Spanish outside of my classes. While I've been jamming to Spanish music, I know I need to expose myself more to Spanish audio from other sources like YouTube, TV, and podcasts. It's just a matter of shaking off that lazy streak—any tips or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Learning a second language isn't a walk in the park. Some days, it feels like a chore to crack open the books, while others, you're bursting with motivation. And let's debunk the myth right now—fluent in 30 days? Yeah, right! It takes dedication and hard work, plain and simple.

To everyone who's stuck with me this far, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm thrilled to keep learning, and next year, I'll be putting my Spanish skills to the test in South America. Exciting and nerve-wracking, I know, but I'm ready for the challenge. Please, don't hesitate to leave me your feedback, questions, or tips—it means the world to me.

Keep learning, keep growing, and hasta luego!

Jeffery

(Plug for Italki and Duolingo: If you're on your own language learning journey, I highly recommend checking out Italki for personalized lessons and Duolingo for daily practice. Trust me, they work wonders!)

[godiswithuss]

my favorite trips

- 2014 Seattle

God i fucking loved going to seattle. I was 12, the 2014 World Cup was on. i had the iphone 5c and about to go to 7th grade. i remember when we beat the netherlands on the road July 9th,2014 and the entire time in seattle we had the dream of winning the world cup UGHHHH it was beautiful 😭😭😭 I LOVE IT AND THE MUSIC FUCKING THAT ONE SAM SMITH SONG THE NOW I GOT YOU, AM I WRONG BY NICO, VINES!!! shit was amazing. i remember we were getting to vegas from behind the strip and there was we were passing by trump tower and everything and then the news hit that gotze scored that fucking cursed bitch ass goal and i was thinking like FUCK…. we’ll have another chance :/ shit was amazing though.

- 2017 Rushmore

I was 15. my first time listening to trilogy by the weeknd. i lost so much weight and was looking good, i grew out my hair. i looked SAURRR good. i had a black shirt blue jeans and black vans with some gold jewelry. i was beautiful. i remember getting ready in the hotel in south dakota and listening to house of balloons. it was euphoric it was literally fucking perfect. i was finding myself and i was young and like trying to be artsey and i even drew a purple rose in colorado. i was such a try hard but i loved it. i remember when keren was stuck because she sat on this foldable chair bed thingy and she laid in it and it fell over towards the wall and that shit was so funny she was stuck too… man THE MUSIC HAD YOU LOUGH LOUGH HAUST. oh and like XO tour life banged OMG AND THAT SUMMER I LISTENED TO LANA DEL REY IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!! + SUMMER WORKOUTS THAT YEAR WENT CRAZYYYY

- 2018 Vegas

May 2018…… yeah….. i was about to turn 16. Ye was posting on twitter. my body was looking so good and i remember i had that ck shirt with light blue jeans and cement 3s… plus i think the guitar pic tattoo. it was for my dad’s 50th birthday and i made like a little movie. i remember that black shirt blue jeans black chelsea boots, i was on twitter and was taking picture and videos trying to be artsey and deep. shit was amazing. i love 2018 ye too. OMG IT WAS MOTHER’s DAy TOO AND I REMEMBER LISTENING TO LOOK MA NO HANDS FOR THE FIRSG TIME IT WAS BEAUTIFUL 😭😭😭

- 2018 New York/West Orange

god fucking damnit. what i consider the happiest moment in my life so far. i was 16. scorpion came out literally the DAY we were leaving to NYC. i remember falling asleep on the way back to west orange from i think it was one of the first day we were there, maybe when we went to eat pupusas at the park and i fell asleep next to my dad listening to summer game by drake and i remember after july 4th we were walking back to the house after watching fireworks and blue tint by drake was blaring from a car. and that NYC day man…. colombia vs england. PARTIDAZO and there were so many colombians and they were all fine like my gawd???? and i remember wearing that pink and white polo shirt with black shorts and the white huraches??? the black argentina jersey???? LAWDDDD i was so cold 😭 the happiest moment in my life and what would come that year…. another story for another time :)

UGH and all those diner we would eat at THE TEYANA TAYLOR ALBUM HURRY HURRY HURRYYYY GAWD IT WAS SO GOOOOODDD i loved going to all those janky hotel with my family and all of us sleeping in the same room. it’s those memories that you really carry and not the ones you except to remember forever. it started raining in NYC too. the rain was beautiful. it would be hot then cold and we took a train to get there and back and it was just so big and walkable and green 🌳 i loved it so much. FUCK AND TJE 2018 WC TOO I REMEMBER HOINH TO CHURCH WHEN FRANCE WON and when we ducking lost i remember when it was official we were at a gas station and i was telling my dad like FUCK we have to wait 4 more years and i remember how hyped we were going into oklahoma and we were 2-1 up and then everything happened :,(. those walks at the gas station during a road trip, things i will always cherish. just how sunny it would be and my dad pumping gas and my sister and mother going to by snacks and i would take off my headphones after listening to music 🥲

- 2021 Miami

the “last” big major road trip… 2021 was insane, i was looking good, feeling better, passed all my classes with good grades, wasn’t talking to my ex. I WAS LOOOKINH SO GOOD, had long hair. the summer where we finally saw argentina win a tournament and i remember those penalties vs colombia on July 6th, 2021 watching it with my dad. and then we saw them win in a hotel OH AND THE SUNS WERE IN THE FINALS LIKE OMG???? i had a breakdown talking to makayla and we went to disneyland and i had a hoodie 🥲. life was good.

GAWDDD CALL ME WHEN YOU GEET LOSTT TELEPATÍA BY KALI UCHIS UGHHHH SO BEAUTIFUL ESPECIALLY WHEN I LOST MY WALLET BEFORE THE TRIP 🥲 AWWW YOU LOOK MALNURISHED

- 2022 Mexico City

[alexbkrieger13]

It’s because Germany lost to both Colombia and South Korea, two teams ranked much lower than them. In the world cup too, which makes the games be worth more points than a friendly. So very costly. At the same time they earn maybe half a point from beating Morocco, as you can’t earn a lot of points from beating someone ranked so much lower. They also has their friendlies before the world cup, losing to Zambia and only beating Vietnam by one goal was also not good for ranking points.

Colombia is interesting, because they earned a lot of points for beating Germany. But then they lost almost the same number of points from losing to Morocco. Beating South Korea and Jamaica will earn them points though, they will climb in the ranking.

Yeah Germany have been hemorrhaging points over the last couple years with their losses to lower ranked teams and after World Cup it just got so much worse for them

[manorpunk]

@kesslersymbolic replied: are there Mech Battle Arenas in the future?

There are, and they're fucking sick. Imagine, if you will, a pair of twenty-foot-tall bipedal juggernauts trading rocket punches on the Kik Plateau, an intricate dance between two Hopping Spider mechs along the limestone towers of the Ha Long Bay, or a tense game of cat-and-mouse along the snow-swept mountains of Hokkaido.

Like all ritual combat, it has its own kayfabe - the weapon selection is strictly regulated to prevent environmental damage (or, y’know, accidental manslaughter), and the average mech chassis is is mix of zinc, titanium, and aluminum. They are decidedly not military grade devices: the goal is to be cheap, lightweight, and strong enough to maybe take a little bit of small arms fire on a good day before crumpling dramatically. They are also piloted remotely, though GLNtertainment Live Streaming uses fancy camera tricks to give the impression of a face-to-face duel.

But all those minor complaints melt away when you actually sit down with a beer and a bag of lab-grown pork rinds to watch Sunny Roosevelt’s Red Rose mech put a mini-railgun slug through the Mariano Montilla (Gran Colombia’s representative in the Mech Olympics).

Maria von Zuckerberg-Lorraine says: “yeah, these things are for show. We have zero interest in any actual military application. I mean, Sovereign’s[1] sake, we already have enough trouble with the upjumped manor-lords[2] on the other side of the Rockies, we do not want to deal with Jimmy Fuckler the beverage distributor patrolling his turf with a fucking Metal Gear[3].

[1] the Sovereign is the highest deity of the State Pantheon, grandfather to most of the Tutelars, and a popular choice for casual blaspheming

[2] “manor-lord” is a derogatory nickname for the regional managers and self-appointed town governors found throughout the Midwest, Great Plains, and Atlantic South. The name refers to their supposed commonalities with the rural gentry of feudal Vassomanorialist Europe: specifically their fierce particularism, truculence, and fondness for macho warrior-king aesthetics

[3] incomprehensible

whenever I start to take this seriously enough that I psych myself out, that’s my reminder that it’s time to add something goofy. On that note, the future Olympics include mech battles that take place in ‘unpopulated’ areas like the far east of Siberia.

Sunny Roosevelt says: “I mean yeah, ‘unpopulated,’ we had to dispossess a couple thousand Koryaks, but it’s a small price to pay for mech battles. Besides, they love it. I talked to them and they told me, ‘President Sunny, we are happy to leave our ancestral lands if it means the world gets to enjoy biannual mech battles. Thank you for doing this, Sunny, you are so wise and kind.’ Anyway, my first match is tomorrow, so make sure you tune in and cheer for your president!”

[graneymar]

Hello ✨ 

Can I have Neymar x Reader that the reader is Davi's mother, but they both broke up (like Carol and Ney), but the reader still loves Ney, and when he gets hurt (2014 World Cup), the reader is with him and takes care of him all the time, making Ney realize that the person who really loves him is the reader, in the end they are back as a family again 

your writing is very good, I love it! 💗 Sorry, English is not my primary language.

#12. NEYMAR: BACK TO YOU

SUMMARY: above

WARNINGS: none

PAIRING: Neymar x fem!reader

"Look Davi, who's there?", I said smiling, pointing at Neymar. "Papai!", Davi exclaimed happily. Neymar immediately noticed us and blew his son a kiss.

The Brazilian national team was warming up for their match against Colombia that was going to start in 30 minutes.

"Oh, hey Y/N", Rafaella greeted me, giving me a short hug. She instantly took Davi out of my arms and smooched him a hundreds of times. "I didn’t expect you to come", she continued, her focus still on her nephew. I shrugged, "I felt like I needed to finally show my support as well now that they’re in the quarterfinals. It was about damn time I attend a match."

Rafa nodded, "Yeah, we've been waiting to finally see you again." She pointed at her parents that sat down right behind us. I greeted them politely before turning around to watch Neymar and his teammates.

Actually, I tried to avoid Neymar and spend as little time with him as possible. We broke up three years ago, right after I gave birth to our son. It was his decision and I still wasn’t completely fine with it if I was being honest. I tried to get over him a million times, but every time he called, even if it was only to hear his sons voice, or came over to pick up Davi, my heart still was racing; I still felt those butterflies in my stomach. We could’ve been a match made in heaven, in my opinion at least, but Neymar seemed to look at it differently. He jumped from one relationship to another, letting me think it was easy to forget about me. Yes, he hurt me, but I couldn’t even blame him. Just because I was unable to become interested in someone else than him, didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to find love and happiness.

Rafaella and I always remained good friends though. She also was the only one who knew about my feelings for Neymar. When we got drunk one time, I accidentally told her, crying my heart out.

——————————————————————————

We were all cheering for Brazil, until only ten minutes before the end of the match, Colombia had a penalty - and scored. It didn’t mean much to me since Brazil was still about to win with two goals, but I noticed the match getting wilder, the Colombians seemed to feel pressured and became more aggressive.

There were only three minutes left when I saw Neymar laying on the ground - again. He has been fouled countless times throughout the match, but I realised something was off the moment Marcelo called the doctors to come. Neymar wouldn’t stop screaming and crying, it looked like he was even unable to move. I watched the staff carrying him off the field and started panicking. Whatever just happened was far from an 'ordinary' injury, I have never seen Neymar like this before. Tears started forming in my eyes, my whole body shivered. I quickly gave Davi to Rafaella and ran down the stairs, heading right into the building. I followed Neymars screams and shouts as the tears rolled down my cheeks. "Neymar!", I shouted out when I finally found him. Staff and doctors were surrounding him. One of them tried to move Neymars leg, which had to be incredibly painful according to how he cried out. "Y/N", he mumbled a few seconds later, just now noticing I was standing beside him, "Are you crying?" Seeing him in pain, not knowing what was going on, I couldn’t hold myself back from bursting out into tears. "Bebê, não chora. Estou bem. [Baby, don't cry. I'm good]" He tried to fake a smile but the pain was clearly visible in his eyes. He got carried away again, while all I did was silently pray that he'd be okay.

——————————————————————————

"Let me help you with your stuff", Neymar said as I entered his apartment with three bags and Davi on my arm. I looked at him in disbelief. "Boy, you're in a fucking wheelchair. You won’t touch a thing, understood?" He rolled his eyes. Obviously he was annoyed at how he couldn’t help with anything, but thinking of the fact that he almost got paralysed, I preferred him being mad at me than see him hurt again. "You really don’t have to do all of this, Y/N. I would’ve called my mom or sister if I needed something", he insisted.

"Mhm, okay, and who will clean the house, who will make sure you don’t slip while showering, who will stop you from doing shit you’re not supposed to do?", I asked raising my eyebrows. Davi already found his way to his fathers lap. "Ahh, you want to shower with me?", Neymar smirked. I held back a laugh, but couldn’t stop myself from grinning widely, "No idiot, I'm just making sure you do not slip, fall and break your neck."

Now that Neymar was finally home after being in the hospital for days, I decided Davi and I would stay at his place so I could take care of him until he got better. Of course his family tried to support him too, but Neymar has always been too stubborn. He was convinced he could do everything on his own. This way, he would’ve pushed his friends and family away sooner or later. I wouldn’t allow him to do me like that, so he knew he had no other choice than let me help him.

The first week passed. I tried my best to keep the house clean, we cooked together, watched a lot of movies and played around with Davi, who was the happiest to finally have both of his parents around. Even the bond between Neymar and me became much better again. We were finally able to talk to each other and hang out without making it somehow awkward. Whenever Davi was already asleep, we would drink one or two glasses of wine, play video games or simply talk for hours. This made me realise how much I missed his presence, but also how much love I actually had left for him. And it was a whole lot.

It was in the middle of the night when I heard a loud noise. "Shit", I murmured to myself. I quickly jumped out of the bed, still tried to be as quiet as possible to not wake Davi up. Getting out of the room, I saw the bathroom lights shine from under the door. I heard Neymar inaudibly cursing himself out. "Hey there, are you okay?", I asked as I softly knocked on the door. "I'm fine", he coldly answered. I rolled my eyes at the mister showing off his attitude again. "Can I come in?"

"Y/N, I said I'm fine. Go sleep or do whatever you want", he replied in a kind of mad tone. I took a deep breath and decided to wait for him to come out, so I could check if he was actually alright.

Only a few seconds later I heard some banging again. "Okay whether you want me to or not, I'm coming in now", I warned him before swinging the door open. There he was, sitting on the floor, looking up at me in frustration and disappointment. "Where’s your wheelchair?"

"I tried to walk on crutches", he said pointing at them laying on the floor. "Ney", I started as I sat down next to him, "You know you're too weak yet. The doctor said you need to use the wheelchair for at least another week." He threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. "It would’ve been fine if there wasn’t any water on the floor. I slipped, just like you predicted it would happen", he said, a small grin formed in his face at the last part. "Are you okay though? Does anything hurt?" He shook his head left and right, his eyes wandering to the floor. "Y/N, why are you doing all of this?" My brows furrowed at his question. "You do not owe me anything, we’ve been barely talking lately and yet you are the one who’s really there for me. I'm just trying to understand where this is coming from", he explained. I softly smiled. "Remember how I said you could always count on me, no matter what? I promised you - good times, bad times, whatever might happen between us, I would always be there for you. And you know I'm not one to break promises." He chuckled, but his facial expression again turned serious in a matter of second. "But that was before I hurt you." I nodded as I got flashbacks of how broken I was after he called it quits. "To be honest, I often think back and regret it. Leaving you was probably the dumbest decision I've ever made. We could’ve been a happy family now", he said, breaking the silence. "No, it wasn’t stupid of you. There’s no reason to stick around when the love is gone. You've been honest with me and looking back, I can finally say I appreciate and respect you for it. It would‘ve been worse if you played pretend instead", I answered.

"But… but what if… what if the love was never gone?", he suddenly said. My eyes widened. What the hell was he talking about? "I broke up with you because I was naive and egoistic, not because I didn’t love you. I wanted to see what life has to offer, thought I could do better - but I couldn’t. The last days I realised that everything I was looking for the last years was what I left behind… and I'm afraid I'm not getting the chance to get it back." I swallowed hard at his words. There were only two options to what would happen now: Either I was about to become the happiest woman on Earth or this would be the biggest disappointment I experienced in a long time. "Can you please say something?", he interrupted my thoughts. "What do you want me to say Neymar? I'm confused, I'm not sure what you’re on about."

"Do you think that there’s a possibility of us getting back together?" After hesitating for a short moment, I nodded in response. His lips formed a sweet smile and his eyes lit up, "Really?"

"I've been thinking the same, I just didn’t expect you to feel this way", I told him. My heart was racing, I got absolutely weak in the knees. "I didn’t start feeling this way just now, it’s been quite a while", he admit. We simply sat there, looking deeply into each others eyes, both of us grinning like crazy. Neymar was slowly leaning for a kiss that I was about to return, when we heard some weird noises. Turning our heads to the bathroom door, we saw our toddler staying there, expressing his disgust by acting like he’s puking. "Baby, what are you doing here? Why aren’t you sleeping?", I asked, trying to hide the fact that I was slightly blushing. Davi babbled something that I was unable to understand until Neymar replied to him. "Sim", he laughed, "Mommy and Daddy like each other a lot." Davi again crinkled his nose in disgust and walked out of the room. "Get used to it, meu filho [my son]", Neymar shouted after him. I slightly slapped his shoulder, both of us bursted out into laughter.

"Where did we stop again?", he smirked before finally crashing his lips onto mine. "Another one", he whispered after we pulled away from each other.

[13uswntimagines]

It Takes 200 to Tango (Emily X Dancer!Reader)

Request: R is a back up dancer for a singer like Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga, and is dating Emily. They end up going to a club and doing the tango or something. The team is shocked emily can dance.

Author's note: So this one is a very very old request. Special thanks to @literaryhedgehog. We hope you enjoy. Hit us up with comments or requests.

You sighed at the table, taking a long sip from your beer. You wanted be with Emily on your weekend off, but that didn’t necessarily mean you wanted to be here. 

There had been a time when you were comfortable at a club, maybe when you and Emily were younger. When the two of you were still in college and you didn’t spend hours rehearsing. When you had more than a weekend together every 6 weeks. 

Your eyes followed her as she approached the bartender, ordering for her and several of her teammates. 

Being here was better than her being there without you. Even if you had to deal with bad music and people who didn’t know a jazz square from a chassé. 

“So you’re telling me Emily used to dance?” Kelley asked you, raising her eyebrow at you. 

You hummed, dragging your eyes away from your girl to meet hers, taking another gulp. “Yeah, she was a ballerina. She hasn’t told you?” 

Megan's head tilted at the information. “No. Is that why her posture is so impeccable?” 

Your shoulders lifted and fell. Emily’s posture had always been good. 

“Is that how you two met? Dance class or something?” Alex asked, wiggling her brows. “Did you teach her how to tango?”

“No. We met after she launched a soccer ball into my face,” A small smile played at your lips. “And I didn’t teach Sonnet to tango. She taught me,” 

“Taught you what, babe?” Emily asked, sliding into the spot next to you at your table, cocktail glass in hand. 

“The tango,” You answered, shifting so your arm was wrapped around her shoulders. “Taylor is still jealous I won’t dance it with her,” 

“Taylor… as in Swift?” Alex’s eyebrow arched. 

“Yeah,” you shrugged off handedly. “I’ve been one of her dancers since Red. She’s obsessed with all things romantic. Dances included.” 

“Valid. I still swoon every time I see the dancing in the Love Story music video.” Megan sighed. “That and the dance at Netherfield in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie have ruined my expectations for love.” 

You smirked. “That’s nothing compared to the Eras tour choreography. She’s letting me dance with a girl too,” 

Emily turned slightly to frown at you, setting her drink down sloppily on the table so a few drops slipped over the side of the glass.

You smirked. You always thought it was adorable when Emily was jealous. “But I wouldn’t let her put me in the tango she’s doing for I knew you were trouble,” 

“You told Taylor no?” Kelley asked incredulously. 

“Not exactly,” You said, leaning forward. “She knows that there are some things I don’t share,” 

“And the tango is one of them?” Kelley’s frown deepened. 

“Yep. My tango belongs only to Emily,” you said, moving your arm around her shoulder to trail your fingers over her skin. 

“That’s like weirdly romantic,” Lindsey chimed in, sipping her own drink. “Still, I won’t believe it till I see it,” 

“Yeah, Em is clumsy as fuck,” Kelley agreed. 

“Okay rude,” Emily protested. “I scored the winning goal game against Colombia,” 

“You whiffed so hard you did a backwards roll the last time we faced them,” Alex said looking at her nails in mock absentmindedness. “If you want us to believe you’re really that good a dancer, you’ll have to prove it.” 

“Yeah kid, put your money where your mouth is,” Kelley agreed, sharing a look with her girlfriend. “I say like… 50 is fair,” 

“200,” Emily shot back immediately. “That’s half of Y/n’s rate,” 

“Whoa, I’m not involved,” You said, shaking your head. You had learned long ago not to get involved in the shenanigans of the USWNT. The last time you had, you had ended up with blue hair and a fine from Lady Gaga’s tour manager. 

Emily shot a look at you. “You love me right?” 

You gulped, nodding. 

She leaned forward, so her grinning face was inches from yours. “Then you’re involved.” 

“I’ll pay the full 400 if you can actually dance,” Kelley shrugged, sipping her beer. “Wouldn’t want Y/n to feel cheated,” 

“200 is fine,” you said, rolling your eyes as you got to your feet, anticipating where this conversation was going, “I’m sure when we win, Emily will pay me back more than enough for making me dance - on my only day off - once we get home. Won't she?”

Emily smiled at you as she stood. “I’m sure I can make it worth your while.” She didn’t look away from you as she told Kelley what song to request from the DJ. 

Her fingers linked with yours as she guided you to the floor. 

You had never really been a fan of dancing in clubs. It was too chaotic. Too… unstructured for you to actually enjoy it. Too many people who would try to cut in like they knew anything. 

“Don’t worry, once we start, they’ll probably form a hole for us,” Emily hummed as if reading your mind. “Everyone likes to watch when people actually know what they’re doing, and you like it when people watch.” 

“That’s part of the fun of tour,” You agreed, closing your eyes as the song that was playing was slowly mixed into the song that belonged to you and Emily. 

You let the opening chords wash over you. You let the notes calm your racing heart as Adele began to sing. 

Skyfall was familiar, and you found it easy to slip into the leading role. 

Your leg slotted between hers, and you pulled her back into you. “Let’s see if you remember anything of value,” 

Your lips grazed Emily’s ear, and the shiver if sent down her spine didn’t go unnoticed. She liked the confidence that the music gave you. 

“Bold of you to assume I’d forget.” 

Your hips swayed together through the opening verse, slow, but steadily building. The warm up for what was to come. On the line before the chorus you slowly dipped Emily back, pulling her up so when the chorus hit, you both spun carried by her momentum. Her leg hitched around your hip, allowing you to lift her, even while her back toes dragged behind you in a familiar sequence. 

She twirled through and around your arms like it was second nature, and you guessed by this point in your relationship, it was. You didn’t have to think about how far to dip her as you spun, or worry about where her feet were. 

You just knew. 

It was the part of dancing that you loved. The moment where nothing else mattered besides you and your partner. The part where you didn’t have to think. 

It let your mind wander to more pleasant places. Like how Emily’s skin felt sliding against yours. How her fingers dragged against you more than they needed to as you spun her. How she completely let go and trusted you to support her weight as she leaned on one leg, the other out as high as it would go.  

It was clear she was teasing you as much as she was teasing her friends. 

You had danced with some incredibly talented people in your line of work, but that was work. Emily may not have the same level of training, but to dance with her was to dance with passion. You lifted Emily up into the air, and as the final note of the song held slowly let her slide down, eyes locked with hers. 

You couldn’t help but lean in and place a soft kiss on her lips, ignoring the clapping that surrounded you. 

“You know, you already messed up my plan for the evening. I was serious about that payment,” You said, pulling away and breathing heavily. 

She smirked, her finger catching your collar as she pulled away. “Don't worry, I’ll put my money where my mouth is.”

A low groan left your lips as she guided you back to the table where her friends were staring at you with wide eyes. 

“Pay up bitches,” 

This night was going to be very long if you had your way. 

[ms-neens]

James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond in "Come what May!"

My longest comic about the Grand Tour so far ～♡ This time Jeremy, James and Hammond head off to Britain’s number one car show! Sadly heavy traffic and certain weather conditions give them a rough time on the road...but thank goodness it’s Friday!  *✦.°

All paintings, story and text by me (February 2022 - October 2022)

Thank you very much for reading and I hope, as always, I could make you smile with it! ♥︎  This comic will be released as a real book together with my “The Long Way Home“ comic, my “Scandi Flick“ poster, more single artworks of the trio and a bit more in 2023! Please stay tuned if you want a copy of the book for yourself! ♥︎ I’d like to add the pre-release cover as well:

A few words by the author (yeah, that’s me): This time my goal was to write/create/draw a sweet, funny, and heartwarming comic about the trio focused on a simple car ride. In typical fashion of all the comics I do, you won’t find any action based scenes or rude stuff (also I’m no native speaker, but you shouldn’t notice that while reading!). As a result the trio acts a lot nicer and definitely more helpful than in real Grand Tour episodes. The three guys have a super big place in my heart ♡ and because of that, once again, all I could create is something cute and adorable (I could never be mean to them!). Also not everything can be accurate, I have never been to James’s Pub, the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, inside Jeremy’s car or at a car show myself. I had a few reference photos, but 90% of this comic is drawn by memory and how I imagine environments. Anyway, I still hope that I got everyone in character, recognisable and enjoyable for you to look at! Stuff you might have missed:

On the outside of Jeremy’s farm shop you can spot Sansa and Arya, who were puppies when I started working on this comic, so I kept them that way…I am always happy when I spot a photo of the two on Jeremy’s Instagram! ♥︎

Actually everything in that comic takes part in the past, as I was working on it way too long...

Jeremy explains that it’s lucky to turn right at the start of a journey. Of course it’s from the Grand Tour Mongolia Special.

The numberplate on Jezza’s car is a pun on "Jeremy Clarkson 1 Diddly Squat Farm", in case you haven’t already noticed. I thought that’s funny.

James talks about fish finger sandwiches, he posted about them on his Twitter and FoodTribe accounts several times in the past and it’s a really nice and easy dish I like to eat as well!

The CDs in Jeremy’s glovebox are "Supertramp - Crime of the Century", "Yes - The Yes Album", "The Who - Who’s Next", "Genesis - Seconds Out", some album by Eric Clapton you cannot read and "Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon". Despite my age, these are all albums and bands I absolutely love and I think he does as well. ～♡

I had to make something up for the broken air conditioning, something like that is always happening on their journeys (especially in James’s cars!). I’m sure after the events of the comic, it was completely fine again! ^◡^

They always take photos of themselves sleeping and post it somewhere online, this time it was my chance to draw a scene of that! I enjoyed working on that one! Hehehehe...

Jeremy and James’s painful high-five I got from the Grand Tour Colombia Special

In James’s Pub Hammond gets served Spag Bol (yeah, I have this from "Oh Cook!") and Jeremy ordered the infamous fish pie. The reason why I’ve chosen two different meals is that Richard doesn’t like fish, a running gag I keep constant in all of my comics. Also it can be taken as a reference to "The Perfect Road Trip".

James’s apron I spotted in "Lochdown", I think it really suits him! ♥︎

And this time there’s even a moral of the story: Don’t drink and drive!