#footballandfanficsharveyelliott

[football-and-fanfics]

An Alphabet of Prompts - A

⚽🖊️⚽🖊️⚽🖊️⚽🖊️⚽🖊️

Who: Harvey Elliott Prompt: A - Anxiety Requested by: anonymous Warnings: mentions of anxiety and PTSD-like symptoms

A/N: this is my first time writing for Harvey, so hope you're feeling I'm portraying him right 😁

⚽🖊️⚽🖊️⚽🖊️⚽🖊️⚽🖊️

It was a knock... just a knock. That was what Harvey kept repeating to himself to attempt to calm his fears. And it was only just a knock, he already barely felt it anymore, but it had been a hard tackle nonetheless. And a hard tackle to that ankle...

He usually didn't think much about his injury of a year and a half ago anymore, but this tackle, he received during Liverpool's match of two nights ago, took Harvey straight back to that day against Leeds United. Suddenly he felt the pain and fear he had felt back then surge through his body again. How it had hurt so unbelievably much, how he had feared his career was over even before it had properly started, and how he had screamed.

Getting such vivid flashbacks from getting caught by a 'simple' tackle, caught Harvey completely off guard. But what scared him even more were the flashback recurring in the days after the match. A few times a day, even the smallest things could trigger yet more flashbacks. From holding a pair of scissors to something someone said, it would all take Harvey straight back.

---

"Are you alright, Harv? You've been quiet these past days." James slung an arm around the youngster's shoulders as they made their way back to the dressing room from the training pitch.

Even though the question took Harvey by surprise, he was secretly glad James asked it. "N--no... not really." He halted, letting the rest of the team pass by before he continued. "Remember that knock I took during the match a few days ago?" "Yeah," James frowned, "that was a nasty tackle. Especially to your left ankle."

Harvey looked up at James, stammering, but unable to get any words out at first. "H-how did you know?" He finally recollected himself. "It was the only thing I could think of to get you as unsettled as this," James answered compassionately, "I saw it in your eyes the moment you got back to your feet. I had hoped it was just one evening, one bad night's sleep, but it's more than that isn't it?"

Harvey swallowed hard. James' assessment of him was spot on. "I'm having flashbacks..." His voice sounded small and shaky. "The smallest things take me back. A sound, an item, a word someone says..."

James tightened his arm around Harvey's shoulders. "That was a horrible injury you sustained, and I've always admired how you dealt with it, but you can't deny it was very traumatic. Have you... truly allowed yourself to get over it?" Harvey mulled those words over for a few seconds, before he nodded slowly. "I've been so focused on healing physically, that I didn't pay enough attention to healing mentally." "That's what I think, yes," James said softly, "and the realization of that always comes a little while later."

Harvey felt like a balloon deflated inside of him. He suddenly realized that what he was feeling, what was happening to him right now, could all be explained. He wasn't going crazy, it was actually very logical this would happen sooner or later.

"You know the team's here to help you, right?" James said quietly. "Yeah," Harvey nodded, "and I appreciate that." "Good." James gave Harvey's shoulder a gentle, fatherly pat. "Because we all hate to see you hurting. Talk to someone, please." Harvey quietly agreed, thankful for James' words and support. "It's the first thing I'll be doing when we get back inside."

Tags: @evie-pr, @auawdo, @meteora-fc, @stonesyyyy, @drizzyreese, @hbstre, @liverpoolfanfiction, @sternennebel2001, @mrswinksy, @themoon-shines PL / LFC tags: @ella33, @candlelitutopia, @percervall

Add me to the tags list | General masterlist