#three nations one goal cup

[pedripics]

Pedri's unwavering obsession with bald men and going bald - a thread

He loved Iniesta so much, that as a kid he asked his dad to get 'Iniesta's haircut', not realising that Iniesta is simply bald

He dedicated a goal to his cousin... because he is bald

the cousin (Abraham) in question:

(yes apparently the obsession runs in the family)

His WhatsApp profile picture is this edit of him being bald with a moustache

(he told this story twice, once live on national television and once on youtube lmao)

Pedri promised to shave his head THREE times so far:

EUROs 2020:

World Cup 2022:

EUROs 2024:

This time he even got Lamine involved:

He also said recently that he dreams of going bald one day????

If you are bald, the chances are high that he's gonna love you

[wsoc-gay]

World Cup Results

Ona Batlle x Reader

Summary: It seems as though you and Ona make big decisions after big matches.

(This was originally going to be longer, but then it became too long. So, instead, I am breaking it into two parts, second will be out soon.)

You and Ona had met during her time playing at Manchester United while you were still at Arsenal. Arsenal was your childhood club you had made your way through the youth system until you finally made your full-team debut at 16. As growing through the Arsenal ranks you also were an up-and-coming player in the England youth system making your international debut at just 17. 

You met Ona when you were 18 after she had first arrived to United, one of your best friends from the National team, Alessia, introduced you two after a match. From that day forward you two were nearly inseparable. For your years in England, it was a relationship full of afternoon drives after training and early morning goodbyes to be back to London in time for the next, but nevertheless you two did it because you truly fell for each other fast.

It was three years later that Ona decided she wanted to return to Barcelona, she wanted you to come with her, but you were hesitant at first. Your whole life was in London all you ever knew was Arsenal, but also you two weren’t public and you weren’t sure about the swarm that would come from it. Your families and friends knew about your relationship, but with how young you both were you wanted to keep it out of the spotlight, you didn’t want the media focused on your relationship over your football. However, after a year of playing in two different countries you decided you had enough a followed her to her home.

You were one of the best players in the world at the time, so it did not take a lot for you to get a contract from the Catalonian club. While you still weren’t saying anything about your relationship to the public fans quickly started to notice the undeniable connection between you two, the walks into matches, the looks during training, Ona always being your first hug after scoring, and everything in between. You slowly started to be less secretive about your relationship until the only thing keeping fans from knowing you were dating was a kissng photo. 

It now was the 2027 World Cup final; you and Ona had been together for 7 years and were now meeting for the second time in a World Cup Final. You hugged and placed a kiss on the short Spaniard’s temple during the prematch pitch inspections, but then went on your way as you both were here for business.

You scored early into the match, just a mere 15 minutes in is when you broke the deadlock. It was a brilliant through ball from Kiera that you were able to calmly finish past Cata, you immediately ran towards the corner flag to celebrate in front of your country’s fans as your teammates chased after you.

It wasn’t long after that Aitana scored the tying goal and brought the game even going into halftime. The speeches weren’t long, both teams knew what they had to do going into the second half. It was tight for the majority of second half, Spain doing what they do well and passing around your team, but you and Kiera used what you’ve learned there to hold them. 

It was the 87th minute that La Reina, herself, scored the winner for Spain. The English team and fans could do nothing but tip their hats to the Spanish captain as it truly was the perfect goal to win a World Cup with, a beautiful passing display starting with their backline which found their captain sitting alone at the top of the box and hit a first time shot perfectly into the top corner. 

As soon as the whistle blew you fell to the ground with your head in your hands sobbing, severely disappointed for now the second time. So close to being on top of the world but failing right at the summit. 

Ona knew better than to come comfort you right away, in the years of you playing together and against she learned that more than comfort at first you simply needed time to yourself. If she were to come over to you now you would’ve just shoved her away and told her to go celebrate. 

It was after the medal ceremonies when she came and found you sitting on the turf knees tucked tight against your chest. She sat down next to you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders to pull you against her chest, “I’m so proud of you, mi amor,” She kissed your head.

Whenever you lost to the brunette, she always followed it up with this comment. She knew better than to apologize for winning as you would never take this from her. You let out a light chuckle, clearly still emotional, “Still can’t quite beat you, can I?”

Ona let out a breath when she heard you laugh, she was hoping to lighten the mood a bit, but didn’t expect for your comment to be the one that did it, “You’ll get to try again in four years, don’t worry.”

You sat up straight and turned so that you were facing he Spaniard, “You know if I can’t win them, I’m glad you’re the one beating me.”

She smiled and her cheeks reddened slightly at the comment. It was true if you weren’t the one winning you were glad the love of your life got to accomplish what was both of your dreams, “I take home the World Cup medals you bring home the Ballon D’ors.”

You laughed again, “I’ll see what I can do about that.” At just 26 years old you had won the last two Ballon D’ors, but you knew as well as anyone that after a World Cup year it would almost inevitably go to one of the winners.

“I think I know what could make you feel better,” You gave her a suggestive look, she leaned into whisper in your ear, “Vamos a tener un bebé.”

You couldn’t believe what you just heard and leaned back in shock, “What did you just say?”

Louder and in English this time, “Let’s have a baby.” 

The comment was dropped slightly to the Spaniard’s own surprise. She wasn’t expecting to say it at this time, but she had been thinking it for a while now. It slipped out in the moment of pure joy for her, and she couldn’t imagine a time better than coming off a World Cup win to start their family.

The topic has come up many times throughout your relationship, but always ended on saying that it was something for the future. Ona knew she wanted to carry for you both, but you always settled that it was something for the future, you didn’t want to interrupt the Spaniard’s career. However, there simply was nothing more than either of you wanted than to have a family one day, to get to see your love encompassed into a family. Both of yours love for family was one of the reasons you first fell in love, nothing came before family for either of you and that would one day include a family of your own. 

The conversation on the field quickly was pushed aside as you joined Ona and some of her Spanish teammates on their post-World Cup holiday. It was a vacation full of boats, sun, and many, many, drinks. You all had all agreed it was one of the nicest holidays and breaks from football you had in a while.

After returning from you holiday you both returned to your normal lives of training and preparing for matches. The topic still hadn’t been brought back up until one day after returning from training you noticed Ona was a bit quieter than usual at dinner.

“Is there something bothering you, mi amor? You’re quieter than usual.”

 “No, nothing is wrong,” Ona looked down at her plate as she spoke, in the tone reserved for when she was upset over something. It was quiet, slower, and slightly sharper causing her accent to come through a bit more in her English words.

“Babe, I can tell something is wrong, please tell me,” You were nearly pleading with her now, as your eyes searched her expressions for any details and as your mind raced through the contents of your day in efforts to find what had upset the short brunette.

She continued to look down at her plate, “It’s nothing I promise.”

Ona stood up from the table and collected the plates before walking into the kitchen and over to the sink. She began washing the dishes as you followed her to the kitchen. You stood a few feet away leaning against the counter, you didn’t want to startle the smaller girl by touching her, “Talk to me please, I want to help.”

She kept her focus on washing the dishes and spoke softly as if she was worried for your response, “I just thought we would talk about starting a family soon, but you don’t seem like you want to.”

Ona didn’t look towards you, but saw you freeze as soon as the words left her mouth. She was worried about your response so continued cleaning the dishes as if she hadn’t just dropped the one thing that hadn’t left your mind since the final. 

You walked over to her and gently reached for her chin to turn the Spaniard to face you, “What did you just say?” You said hushed, but sternly.

Ona’s cheeks flushed under your hand, “It’s just that you seemed excited at the final when I brought up having a baby, but you haven’t mentioned it since and I seriously meant it,” She began rambling when you suddenly cut her off with a soft kiss to her lips.

You leaned back slightly enough that she still felt your breath against her lips, “Sounds like were going to have a baby then.”

The shorter woman placed a hand against her chest and leaned back slightly with a big smile plastered against her face. Your free hand found its spot wrapped around her waist you hold her upright, “Really? You want to have a baby?”

You moved your hand holding her chin to the small of her back and pulled her flush against you, “Of course I want to have a baby with you, I didn’t want to bring it up because I didn’t want it to seem like I was pushing you. I don’t want you to feel like you have to put your career on hold for this.”

Ona’s hands found their place around your neck as she leaned into place a kiss to your cheek, “I don’t want to tell our kids stories of us playing, I want them to be able to be there, to be able to experience it themselves.”

You leaned in to passionately kiss her then pulled away with a gleaming smile, “Sounds like were going to have a baby then.”

You began the reciprocal IVF process almost immediately, both of you getting tested and screened to make sure that you both were in good enough health to begin the process. These thankfully all came back with positive results allowing for you to continue forward. 

There was worry and stress looming throughout your house during the early stages of the process. Many nights spent talking through fears and uncomfortable conversations which always ended in you both feeling more optimistic and hopeful.

Ona was there to hold your hand for every injection you took, and you were helping her with everything in the house to give her as little stress as possible. For every appointment she had you were sat right there next to her just as she did for you. You both knew that no matter what you were there for each other, and you’d be okay.

The egg retrieval day was stressful, you were worried about the procedure and weren’t quite fully sure what to expect, but as always Ona was right there for you calming you down as your leg bounced in the waiting room. Once you were in the room and the doctor walked you through what would happen you were much less stressed and more excited than ever to get further in the process.

After the first implantation you had to wait two weeks for the blood test to find out if it had stuck. It was a very anxious two weeks for you two full of trying to find ways to distract yourselves, and of Ona claiming she had symptoms even though you both knew it was too early for that. 

On the fourteenth day you were sat in the waiting room with your knee bouncing like there was no tomorrow. You wanted to be strong for Ona, but you knew you both were just as nervous as one another. The Spaniard was brough back alone at first to get the blood draw, but then was led to the room where you’d wait for the doctor.

Once you were brought back into the room you walked beside the bed your girlfriend laid on and took a hold of her hand. 

You brough the back of her hand to your lips to lay a kiss before you stood to look at her, “If we don’t get the news, we’re hoping for we’ll be okay. I’m still so proud of you and it won’t be your fault.”

Ona had a slight pout on her face and looked up at you with those deep brown eyes you had fallen in love with all those years ago, “I really hope it worked.”

You let up a small smile at her as you leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, “Me too baby, but it’s rare it sticks on the first try. We’ll be okay no matter what, we can try again whenever you’re ready if we have too.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you-”

You cut her off before she could finish, “You could never disappoint me, mi amor. I love you no matter what and I’m right here through it all.”

You both felt like you were drowning under the weight of the anxiety in the room but knew that no matter what either of you would say in that moment nothing could quite calm the nerves you both were feeling. 

You could’ve sworn time had never moved slower, as you stood there waiting for the doctor. There were so many times in your life, on and off the pitch, that you have wished to be able to freeze time and stay in those moments forever, but now more than ever you wished time would pass by sooner. You both wished to escape the anxious feeling deep in your bodies and for the doctor to come in and tell you the words you’ve been awaiting since beginning the process.

You were beginning to zone out, imagining a future with Ona and your family, when suddenly a slight knock on the door led in a woman dressed in a white coat holding a folder, with what you assumed were the results.

You were stood there trying to read the expressionless face of the doctor standing before you, trying to gauge any sense of what she was about to tell you both. “Are you both ready?”

Ona looked up at you, “God, I don’t know if I’m ready.”

You moved your hand to rub it along the side of Ona’s face when the doctor spoke again, “Trust me you want to know.”

Ona’s head whipped around back to the doctor, you swear she could’ve gotten whiplash, “What?”

“Congratulations, you’re officially two weeks pregnant.”

Ona collapsed back onto the bed as tears immediately filled both of your eyes. You had a hand covering your shocked expression, and Ona had one covering her tearful eyes. 

You leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple, “You did it, mi amor, we’re going to have a baby,” You whispered through tears.

She looked up at you with matching tear-filled eyes, “Lo hicimos, hay un bebé ahí adentro,” You hand found its place on the side of her face as the other one still hasn’t let up its grip on her hand. 

Once you both were recovered enough to refocus on the doctor, she explained further into what expect for the coming weeks and advice on keeping Ona as healthy as possible for the baby.

You listened as closely as possible as you knew you were going to do everything you could for them both, starting now.

[meazalykov]

the stylist

aitana bonmati x actress!reader

summary: you're used to this, she isn't. she asks for you help in one of the biggest moments of her life.

it’s 2020, and you’re in barcelona for a collaboration between the football club and the spanish film industry—a whirlwind of press, promotion, and bridging two seemingly different worlds. 

you're used to the attention, the cameras, the lights, but something about stepping into the club’s facilities feels different, exciting.

the air is filled with energy as you watch barcelona’s women’s team train, the players effortlessly weaving around each other, laughter mixing with shouts of encouragement and reassurance. 

that's when you see her—aitana bonmatí. she’s different from everyone else on the pitch, even from the other players who are all exceptional in their own right. 

there’s something about the way she moves, a certain fluidity and elegance, every step calculated but not forced. her focus is razor-sharp, but when she laughs, it’s like watching the sun break through clouds. 

you’re captivated, and you don’t even realize you're staring until your assistant nudges you, bringing you back to the present moment.

the actual collaboration project is a chaotic blur of scripts, media appearances, and photo ops with the team. and then, you get the chance to talk to her. aitana is quieter than you imagined—thoughtful, a little reserved, but there's a spark in her eyes that you can't ignore. 

she teases you for not knowing much about football, and you tease back, pretending you don’t know who she is when, in reality, you’d already spent hours watching clips of her play. 

one conversation turns into two, then three. before you know it, you’re staying longer at the training grounds, just to catch a glimpse of her or to share a quick chat over coffee.

it doesn’t take long for something to blossom between you. it’s like everything clicks into place, like you were always meant to find her in this way. 

by early 2021, you’re together, stealing moments between your busy lives—you, jetting off to film sets and premieres; her, dedicating every ounce of herself to the sport she loves. despite the chaos, every time you’re together, it’s just... easy. simple.

you learn quickly that loving aitana means living in the moment. she teaches you to embrace the small things, to find joy in an early morning run along the beach, or in a lazy afternoon spent watching the waves lap against the sand. 

and you, in return, show her the magic of your world—the glitz, the glamor, and the art of bringing stories to life on screen. in the end, it's not about your worlds; it’s just about the two of you, finding pieces of yourselves in one another.

by 2023, things get even crazier. 

it’s the year of the women’s world cup, and aitana is on fire. as part of the spanish national team, she trains harder than ever, and you watch from the sidelines, cheering her on in stadiums from new zealand to australia, wearing her number and beaming with pride. 

every pass, every goal feels like a triumph, and when they finally win, you’re there in the stands, screaming and crying as they lift that trophy into the air. it’s a moment you’ll never forget: aitana, surrounded by her teammates, glowing with pride, holding the world cup above her head like a queen with her crown. 

you rush down after the match, and when she finds you in the sea of friends and family, she pulls you close, her sweat and tears mingling with yours as she kisses you deeply. 

“we did it,” she chants in catalan, and you know she means all of it—not just the world cup, but everything leading up to that moment.

it’s a whirlwind from there. aitana’s name is on everyone's lips. every headline praises her for being one of the best midfielders in the world, and talk of the ballon d’or starts almost immediately. 

the idea of winning such a prestigious award is exhilarating—and terrifying—for aitana. 

she’s humble to a fault, always quick to deflect praise, always wanting the spotlight to be on the team rather than herself. and while the world hypes her up, aitana becomes more nervous as the ceremony approaches. 

one night, she confesses to you that she feels overwhelmed by it all. 

“what if i don’t deserve this?” she asks, and you just shake your head, holding her close as she wraps her arms around you tightly. 

“are you serious? of course you deserve this. you deserve everything, aitana,” you tell her, and you mean it more than anything.

then there’s the matter of the ceremony itself. it’s in paris, and it will be one of the most glamorous nights of the year. 

aitana hires a stylist, wanting to make sure she looks her best, but every fitting seems to leave her feeling more out of place. the dresses are either too flashy, too revealing, or just... not her. 

you’re on set, filming for a movie during most of this, but every time she calls you, you can hear the frustration in her voice. she’s worried about standing out for the wrong reasons, about wearing something that doesn’t feel true to who she is.

when you finally wrap up filming, you decide to head back to barcelona early, just to be with her. you find her one evening, sitting on the floor of your shared apartment, surrounded by garment bags and fabric swatches, looking utterly defeated. 

“i just want to feel comfortable,” she admits, the vulnerability in her voice breaking your heart.

you smile, tilting her chin up so she looks at you. 

“you know you’re dating a professional, right?” you tease, and she laughs, but there's relief in her eyes. 

“i've done this a hundred times. let me help you.” 

together, you dive into the chaos of dresses, sketches, and fabric samples. you know aitana better than anyone, and you know exactly what would make her feel beautiful and confident. 

you pull out a stunning black dress, elegant and understated, with just the right amount of sparkle—a shimmer that catches the light without being overpowering. 

“try this,” you say, holding it up to her.

when she slips into it, it’s like everything clicks into place. the dress hugs her perfectly, shimmering around her frame like a sky full of stars, the black fabric cascading down like liquid silk. the muscles she has fit into the dress stunningly.

you watch as aitana turns in front of the mirror, a smile spreading across her face, the confidence you knew was there all along finally showing. 

“you look breathtaking,” you say, coming up behind her and resting your hands on her waist. in the mirror, you see her bite her lip, trying to hold back tears as she turns to face you.

“thank you,” she whispers, and you know she’s thanking you for more than just the dress. for supporting her, for believing in her, for always being her anchor through everything. 

“i’m so proud of you, aitana,” you tell her, pulling her into a hug, feeling her warmth, her strength. 

masterlist

[uniquedinosaurdreamland]

Ingrid Engen & Mapi León x Reader

-Annoying-

yay (kind of hate the ending but lol)

Ingrid Engen & Mapi León x Reader -Annoying- 🩷

🌸

“Who pissed in your coffee this morning sunshine?” Lucy smirked as she caught sight of you walking into the change room with a scowl covering your face. “Where are the other two, thought you guys were attached at the hip.” Lucy continued to tease.

“I can’t deal with Mapi right now, so I am going to stay far away from her otherwise I will kill her.” You said to your national teammate trying to control your emotions and stay calm. The morning started like any other waking up between your two girlfriends, engulfed in warmth until you all had to get up and get ready for training.

You don’t know why but Mapi had woken up in an extra annoying mood and her sole purpose was to make you want to pull your hair out. She knew how much you hated to be poked and tickled so all she had been doing those exact things, in the bathroom, when you were making coffee, when you just passed each other in your morning routines and even when you were walking down the stairs causing you to almost slip as well as lose your shit. Mapi had also turned to making fun of your height, you were only a few centimetres shorter then the older women but that was enough for her.

You had grown up with three older brothers who took pride in how ticklish you were and who sit on you and poke and prod until you couldn’t breathe. They had traumatised you so much that you hated anyone even making the movement of poking or tickling as it made you squirm. Yet Mapi didn’t care, loving your pouting face when she did it.

She had riled you up so much you had decided to drive yourself to training instead of getting driven by Ingrid. “You're an idiot.” Ingrid directed to Mapi, shaking her head as she watched you pull out of the driveway.

“Come on, it was just a joke, Corazón.” Mapi said, trying to defend herself.

“You know how much Y/N hates you poking and tickling her, and yet you continued.” Ingrid replied, grabbing her keys from the counter to take the other car to training since you had taken the main one.

“She’ll get over it.”

You in fact did not ‘get over it’ instead you worked hard to ignore your Spanish girlfriend through the entire training session, moving away when she stood too close, ignoring her calls from across the field, deciding to only speak to the older woman when you were placed on the same team for a game at the end of training.

Ingrid watched from the sidelines with Frido and Keira sat on either side of her, she laughed lightly as you scored a goal moving to high five your team members except for Mapi who had her hand up for you only to get brushed. “What's up with your girls?” Frido asked.

“Mapi was annoying Y/N and now Y/N won’t speak to Mapi so I’m just leaving them to sort it out, like always.” The three watched as Mapi ran by you pushing out a finger to hit your side, you scowled, hitting her hand away while Mapi smirked back winking.

“At the World Cup Ella and Alessia tried to tickle Y/N, she almost killed them. Lucy can vouch for me, she was the one having to hold little miss sunshine back from strangling them.” Keira said remembering the time you had been napping on one of the couches at national camp and Ella and Alessia had woken you up by tickling you under your arms and around your neck.

“Mapi needs to learn when to stop and she will learn her lesson once she takes it too far. Y/N did grow up with three older brothers.” Ingrid said shrugging her shoulder, she’d seen enough of Mapi teasing you and she knew you always got the last laugh.

Not even a minute later Mapi had snuck up on you and proceeded to tickle you, you let out a scream as you tried to get out of her tight grasp. You had finally been pushed over the edge and once you finally got out of her grip you turned around using all your force to tackle your Spanish girlfriend to the ground. Mapi wasn’t a typically ticklish person but you knew of the one spot on her neck that was very ticklish.

So with Mapi’s arms pinned under your knees your hands made their way to that spot that made the defender laugh and squirm underneath you. Mapi begged you to stop, being too weak from being tickled to throw you off. After a few moments she finally mustered the strength to get her arms from under your knees to grab your waist and flip you over onto your back.

“Calm down mi amor.” Mapi laughed as she now had your hands pinned down.

“I hate you.” You said through gritted teeth.

“I am sorry I have been annoying you. I will stop now if you calm down.” Mapi said looking down at you with her signature smirk plastered on her face.

“I hope you know I will get you back.” You stared back up at her as she got off you offering you her hand to be pulled up.

“I’m sure you will Cariño.” The slightly taller woman said, pressing a soft kiss to your hairline, smirking as she noticed you trying to hide your smile at the action. The whistle had been blown to end the game without you two realising so you both started to walk to your other girlfriend who stood talking with Frido and Keira waiting for you both.

Mapi stopped to talk as you grabbed a water bottle to drink from, before you made your way to the locker room you had one last plan. Turning to Mapi once again who had her back faced to you, you put your foot up and pushed it into the back of her knee successfully giving her a dead leg. You laughed loudly as her knee crumbled, with the mix of the dead leg and the hard training session her leg wasn’t working.

You weren’t sticking around to deal with Mapi’s annoyance, ignoring her colourful language and laughing as Ingrid hit her on the back of the head running to fall into step with Lucy. You were quick to move to the shower once you got back to the locker room. You had finished getting dressed in your (Ingrid’s) hoodie and some shorts.

“You are annoying.” Mapi said as the three of you said your goodbyes and moved to the parking lot to head home.

“I know.” You smiled back. “But I’ll go get some stuff for dinner on the way home, so you can’t stay mad at me.” You said as you walked to the car you had taken while Ingrid and Mapi walked to the other one.

Starting the car and pulling out, sending light smiles to the fans that were hanging around the entrance. Your shopping trip was quick, grabbing the last few things to make your mum's famous soup recipe before making your way back home. Quickly grabbing your training bag and shopping bags from the boot you unlocked your front door and headed into the kitchen.

Blowing a kiss to Ingrid who sat on the couch reading a book, not knowing where your other lover was but just figured she was in your shared room somewhere. Not having to start dinner for another two hours you put all the groceries away before moving to the couch flopping down so your head was sat on Ingrid's lap.

“Hei Kjære.”(Hello Darling) Ingrid smiling down at you moving to press a soft kiss to your lips, you smiled against hers as she pulled away to continue her book. You smiled as Bagheera jumped up onto your lap, your fingers threaded themselves though his fur getting a satisfied purr from the cat.

You were too focused on Bagheera to notice Mapi finally made her way from the bedroom to the lounge. The older woman smiled at the scene in front of her before moving to take Bagheera away. “Hey, give me my precious boy back.” You whined as Mapi moved the now sleeping cat to his bed.

“No cause you need to hug tu novia.”(your girlfriend) Mapi smiled, moving to lay down.

“You're annoying though.” You looked up at her teasingly.

“Lástima.”(Too bad) Mapi said before running full speed ahead to launch herself on top of you. Immediately burying her head into your neck, your hands made their way up her hoodie to scratch her back lightly.

“Why can’t you get along like this all the time.” Ingrid said, looking down at the two of you.

“Because my love, Maria is like a child she needs attention all the time and she thinks in order to get the attention she wants she has to poke and tickle.” You smiled up at your Norwegian lover, Mapi didn’t seem to like your comment as she grabbed onto your sides and dug into them with her fingers.

You immediately tried to get her off and you did which meant that Mapi was now on the ground. “I take it back.” Ingrid mutters under her breath as she once again watches the two of you get into a play fight. Which ends up with you over Mapi’s shoulder as she pokes you in the stomach over and over.

“STOP PLEASE STOP.” You yelled.

“Say I am the best most amazing person ever.” Mapi said, stopping her movements for a moment.

“No.” You squealed again as Mapi started to poke you again, not letting you move down from over her shoulder as you banged on her back. “Fine, you are the best most amazing person ever. Happy.” And with that you were placed back on your feet.

“Very.” Mapi looked down at you, as you moved to get out of her grip and return to your position on the sofa she pulled you in and connected your lips. Mapi moved to deepen the kiss, your legs feeling weak as she squeezed your hips, but before she would get carried away you pushed her away gently.

“I have to get dinner ready.” You said simply pecking her lips one more time before moving to the kitchen, Mapi happily making her way over to Ingrid to cuddle into her side.

You spent the rest of the night eating and watching a new movie that Ingrid had picked out, you were first to call quits and head to bed finishing your night routine before hopping into bed while your lovers finished the movie. An hour later the movie finished and Ingrid and Mapi headed up to bed, catching sight of you snuggled into the sheets made their hearts flutter.

Ingrid climbed into her side on the left after she was finished, closely followed by Mapi who took her side on the right on either side of you. Ingrid and Mapi’s hands intertwined over your waist as Ingrid snuggled into your neck and Mapi pulled your head gently to rest on her chest, the three of you now in a deep sleep tired from the fun but annoying day you had.

[alotofpockets]

Final four | Leah Williamson

Pairing: Leah Williamson x Dutch!Reader

Summary: Playing against your girlfriend was never easy, but playing against her team for a spot in the final four of the nations league was tough on another level.

Woso masterlist | Words: 1.8k

-----

Playing for a different country than your girlfriend meant that you would have to play against each other from time to time. You had never been a fan of having to play against her, since it always meant that only one of you could win. Playing with Leah was much more your cup of tea. Arsenal was where the two of you had met and fell in love, you had played there together for years now. 

Going into the Nations League, you knew that you were going to be competing in the same league, but you cursed yourself when you found out that both The Netherlands and England had been drawn into group A1, meaning that even if everything went well for both your teams, only one of your teams was going to make it into the final four. 

You were nearing the end of the group stages, just two more matches to be played, Scotland vs Belgium, and The Netherlands vs England. The Netherlands and England shared the first position in the group, only England taking the lead on goal difference, meaning that the winner of tonight’s game was going to qualify either Leah’s team or your team.

In the locker room you were gearing up nervously, your mind stuck on the fact that it was going to be either you or Leah. You sat in your cubby next to Viv, the only person who knew exactly how you were feeling. While neither her or Beth were captaining their teams, she was in the same boat, it was either going to be her or her girlfriend moving up in the competition. Viv was a close friend of yours, as you played for the same club and county, you had known her for years, and she knew how to read you well. “The high’s and low’s of football are so close together. I know it seems stressful right now, but no matter what happens, it is going to be okay.” She said with a reassuring hand on your knee. “Thanks Viv.”

You didn’t feel like you should be the one giving the pre-match speech right now, but as the captain it was your duty to do so. “Alright team, listen up.” You stood in the middle of the room. “This is a big game. As you all know, only the winner gets a spot in the final four. We have been performing well, but don’t forget that they have been as well. I want each and everyone of you to give it your all out there.” You looked around at your team proudly. “Let’s show them what we’ve got. Team on three.” Everyone stood and put their hands together, “One, two, three.” You count off, and the room fills with one loud “Team.”

The team starts lining up in the tunnel, you put your game face on and try to get in the game zone mind wise. The England squad lines up next to you, this was really happening. When Leah stood next to you she reached out her hand, with her head still facing the field in front of her. You take her hands, and give it a squeeze, before looking up at the sky and closing your eyes. The moment of the two captains was of course filmed as the camera crew was ready to film the teams entering the field, a moment that you would forever treasure no matter today’s outcome. 

With one last deep breath, you let go of Leah's hand, as you both lead your teams out onto the field. Both national anthems are sung, and one more quick team huddle was held, before you made your way to the middle of the field. You shake hands with the referees as well as Leah of course. 

Before you walk back to your respected places on the field, you give her one last hug. “Give it your all.” You whisper in her ear. She gives you a final squeeze with the words, “You too.” While it was stressful playing against your girlfriend, it was reassuring to you to have moments like this with her before.

The teams were well matched, possession of the ball was switched around constantly. It was getting frustrating for you as a forward to not get the ball further onto the field than a little past the halfway line before it was intercepted by an England player. 

When Jackie intercepted the ball from a bad pass between Keira and Georgia, she lifted her eyes to see you running along the flank. Her pass came in your direction, and with a perfect first touch, you managed to run forward. It was the first time either team had really been able to build up an attack, and you wanted to make the best of it. Though before you could build up further Leah slid in with a slightly late tackle, making you crash into the ground. “Shit, are you okay?” Leah was by your side instantly, her hand placed on your back as you fell face first onto the pitch. The referee blew the whistle for a free kick, while you answered her, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Leah helped you up and patted your back. 

Sherida lined up to take the free kick, and you made your way into the penalty area with the rest of your teammates who had already made their way over. Since the game had been so even, without any shots on goal, this free kick from a promising position had to be taken advantage of. So, when the ball came soaring your way at the far post, you headed it with all the power and spin that you could give it. You didn’t see the ball hit the net, but by the eruption of the crowd you knew you had scored. Your teammates flooded in around you, patting your head and cheering you on. “Come on, let’s keep this up, ladies!” 

Sadly your lead on the opposition wasn’t for long as Alessia made the score not even two minutes after your goal. The half time whistle sounded and the score was still level as you made your way back into the tunnel. Time in the locker room flies by, after short pep-talk and some hydration, you head back onto the field. 

The sixtieth minute was coming closer and subs from both teams were warming up along the sidelines, getting ready to replace some of the tired legs on the field. The speed of the game seemed to pick up again after the substitutions were made, as England came charging forward. Beth tricked one of your defenders and the goalkeeper by making it seem like she was going to set up Alessia with the ball, but taking the shot herself. Her ball hit the back of the net, way out of reach for Daphne. 

Your team wanted to get the ball moving again quickly, waiting in the middle of the field for the whistle to blow. Luckily it didn’t take long for Daan to shoot the ball over the top, for Damaris to pick up. Damaris ran forwards as Mary came charging forward to get the ball, with one swift motion she lobbed the ball over the English goalkeeper, to once again make the score level. 

Both teams were fighting for the goal to put them ahead again, but as the minutes passed by, that goal didn’t seem to come. The ninety minutes had been played, you had just four more minutes of added time before you would have to go into extra time, something you really weren’t hoping for. You knew your teammates well and could see that they were exhausted from the match already. 

You were in the last minute of stoppage time when Vic managed a clean tackle earning her the ball. She looked up and kicked it to you, but you were quickly surrounded by England jerseys, so you passed the ball off to Esmee. The young player didn’t even look before lining up her shot, knowing that if she took her time she would be surrounded the same way as you were. You watched the ball fly into the penalty area where Viv and Damaris were ready to head the ball towards goal. It was Damaris who managed to connect her head to the ball. Time seemed to slow down as the ball moved towards the goal, and right over the tips of Mary’s stretched out hands. It sped up again once it hit the back of the net. 

Damaris ran to the  rest of the team at the sidelines, with all the players on the field following behind. Ending in one big group hug, with people jumping on each other, and tumbling over in excitement. A stoppage time goal to send you through to the semi-finals. 

Celebrating that moment with your team came first, but once you stepped away from the group, you looked for Leah instantly. You found her standing on the other side of the field, her hands on her thighs as she was leaning over in defeat. While you were happy for your team to make it to the next round, you were also gutted for her. 

You hug the England players you meet on your way to her, all of them being your friends as well, since you’ve been with Leah for years. When you made it to your girlfriend she had fallen onto her knees in the grass with tears falling down her face. You sit down on your knees in front of her and wrap your arms around her, “You played so well, darling.” You knew that no words were going to stop her from feeling this tough defeat, but you wanted her to know that she did good. “Made your team, and your country proud.” She buried her head into your chest, and you held her while rubbing your hands up and down her back. 

When Leah’s tears stopped flowing, the two of you sat down together. You wiped the tears of her cheeks, “I know that right now it might not feel like it, but you can be proud of yourself for your performance during this competition, both as an individual player, and the team captain. I know that I am, Leah, I am so proud of you.” 

Even though the defeat stung, Leah wanted to make sure that you knew that she was happy for you. “We’ll since we’re on the topic of being proud.” She started and you saw a slight smile appear on her face. “You did incredible, and you deserve to be a part of the final four. I am very proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself as well.” She hugs you tight, before pressing a kiss to your forehead.

While playing against each other wasn’t easy, you knew that you would always be happy for the other, be supportive, and be proud of each other, no matter what. Your love for each other was bigger than the highs and lows of football.

-----

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[pixiesfz]

this isnt really a request with an idea but please more jessie 😭🙏

Killing two birds with one stone I am here, I got a request for a jersey swap fic so here we go!

jersey swap? j.f

plot: you and Jessie have always had on field tension but one game when you ask to swap jerseys, she finally makes a move.

warning: smut, obviously I like writing a dom Jessie 🤫. Let’s pretend Sam wasn’t injured for the Canada vs australia match, bi-sexual reader! (Taking inspo from this one tik tok I saw about Lia Walti which made me cackle)

Some matches were more interesting than others you had realised in your second year in of playing at arsenal wether it was against Chelsea or you were playing with the Matilda’s for your national teams.

Nothing had changed within the games except for the fans, since the World Cup people started to know your name and your whole life story but what they loved most of all was seeing you on the pitch with Jessie.

Wether it was Chelsea vs Arsenal or Australia bs Canada the fans loved watching your interactions and your team mates did to.

It was your Australian captain who always whispered jokes into your ear that took the most pleasure out of the two of you.

“I love Canada” you admitted as your team sat on the ferry “why it’s cold” Hayley shivered from behind you “but it’s just so cozy” you smiled as you cuddled into yourself.

“Is that why your always tackling Jessie, cause she’s cozy” Sam teased as she shook your shoulders “no” you said “I tackle her cause she’s good and she’s too nice to tackle me back” you said with a small smile and Sam and Hayley laughed.

“No but seriously what is it between you two whenever you play” Mary asked as she came over “Oh my little Mary, my young prodigy” you started and she rolled her eyes

“Y/n seriously I want to know, I’m also not that young I’m three years younger than you”

“Exactly you’re an infant”

You smirked but gave her an option to lean onto your should “I’m actually not sure how we started it” you admitted “we both had our debuts for Chelsea and Arsenal on the same day and were put on each other we both wanted to make an impact I guess”

“You made an impact all right, two yellow cards” Sam laughed “You’ve had this tension ever since, even when you were dating that Tom guy” she said.

You hid your head as you looked down remembering why the relationship failed, you couldn’t admit you were not sexually attracted to Jessie and he left, funny since later you had found out he had cheated on you with a girl who had been on 2 episodes of love island.

“Yeah well I’m not dating him anymore so” you trailed off and the three girls nodded “Do you think the tension will ever ease off?” Mary asked and Hayley laughed “I think once they finally sleep together-“

“Hayley!” You scolded her “what?” She shrugged “it’s true, even the fans can see it” she defended herself as you scoffed “do you even remember the World Cup!?” she practically now yelled

“Both of your hands were practically around each other when you were on the ball” she said and you laughed “sorry if I just wanted to get possession of the ball so we could score goals”

“We pass with our feet not our hands y/n/n” Mary said and you closed her mouth “hush little one” you said quickly and she shook her head out of your grasp.

“Admit to me you’re not sexually attracted to Jessie Fleming”

“I’m not attracted to Jessie Fleming”

“Now I thought your New Year’s resolution was to stop lying” Sam stepped in and you threw your head back “No you know what I’m going to be nice” you said

“At the game I’m going to ask to switch jerseys as an act of kindness” you smiled and Hayley rolled her eyes “that’s not what I would do” she warned and you shook your head

“Trust me it will work, we will be best friends by the time you know it”

“So you won’t mark her on the pitch?” Sam asked

“Do you want us to lose Samantha?” you shot back and she laughed “anyways” you said standing up “I see Mini standing alone so I’m gonna make sure Kyra hasn’t accidentally fallen off the ferry and drowned”

You ended up finding the girl in the captains area with a bawl of lollies in her hand.

“Don’t tell Katrina”

When you finally made your way to the stadium later the next day you grimaced at the floor “fake grass” you groaned and Polks laughed at you “not a laughing matter” you said and walked into the rooms.

You felt the stadium grow as Canadian watches and a few lucky Australian fans made their way into their seats.

You were tying up your boots when you felt a presence behind you “hey skipper” you laughed as Sam sat next to you “I just wanna say no reds” she said “I know they’re out for blood since World Cup okay and I don’t want a pissy Jessie coming back to Chelsea”

“No reds got it, what about a yellow?” You asked with a cheeky smile “I’ll allow one” she said and you acted like a two year old who got told they can get ice cream.

You both laughed and Sam pushed you out “cmon idiot”.

In the line up, you were out the front behind Ellie when you felt eyes burning into your head, you knew it was Jessie so when you turned around and saw her you just smirked which made her roll her eyes and look back at her team.

“Cheeky” Hayley said from behind you and you just shrugged your shoulders.

You went to your mark on the field where Jessie was as she looked concentrated “stop frowning Jessie it will give your face lines” you told her and she looked back at you “are you talking from experience or?” She questioned as she looked at your forehead and you laughed.

“Let’s just play for now okay and then you can think about my facial features later”

The game wasn’t different than usual, you and Jessie were on each other hot, whenever one of you had the ball the other was quick to try and get you down or stop you from a long kick.

You were a bit more touchier with the legs though as One time you nut-megged her own ball through her feet “come on” she complained as she was to far behind you to stop your assist to Sam’s goal.

You turned to Jessie “you know I can take a tackle Fleming” you teased and she crossed your head at you “Just play the game y/l/n” she said and you smirked from next to her “I seem to be the only person who is”.

Jessie was rough after that, she knew she couldn’t let you get away with anything else, so next time you had the ball she was quick to kick out from under your ankle as you hit the ground, accidentally taking her down with you, automatically you turned over on top of Jessie and you watched the ref walk over to you and the Canadian.

You looked down at the brunette who was still on the floor “did I get into your head?” You whispered before sitting up and reaching your hand out for Jessie to use but she got up herself causing you to roll your eyes and shrug it off.

The red pulled out a yellow for Jessie who shook her head “Still winning” she reminded you with a smirk and you smirked back “ooh she’s coming out of her shell”.

When the game finally finished and Canada came on top you shook all the players hands, lingering on Jessie’s before you joined some of the girls on a lap.

You saw a sign that made you laugh

Australia vs Canada

Nah.

Fleming vs y/l/n!

You smiled as you looked for Jessie and found her with her captain who was having her send off.

“Fleming!” You called out to her and she turned around with furrowed brows “what?” she asked and you smirked “come look at this” you said and turned your head back.

She followed you to the sign and also chucked a smile at it as people quickly grabbed their phones to take pictures of the two of you smiling at the sign as you laughed at each other.

You saw Hayley looking at you with a knowing look in the corner of your eyes before you remembered “Wait Jess” you said before she left, not realising the nick name you let out “yeah” she said “I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to swap Jerseys, last game after all before we face each other off in Olympic hopefully” you asked and Jessie’s cheeks blushed “yeah sure, need some more in my collection honestly”

Your heart raced as you saw the Canadian take off her top, you secretly took a look at her abs as she did so, you don’t know why you waited until she took hers completely off before you took yours off until you hear a whistle from the crowd you laughed and took yours off.

Jessie’s blush grew as she took no shame in staring at your body and your waist.

“Nice tattoo” she muttered as you held your shirt out for her, looking down you looked at your flower tattoo under your sports bra “thanks got it for my mum” you smiled and she gave you hers.

“Ready for the photos” you smirked and she nodded.

When you put them on you heard some fans scream out and you both turned around, you in front of Jessie as she saw her name on your back.

She lingered before stepping next to you and you smiled for some photos before a professional photographer came and you smiled again, one photo where Jessie was looking at you.

You both parted ways after as Jessie kept her eyes on you, pupils diluted as Sam went up to her “good game” she said and Jessie kept her eyes glued onto you and your back.

“She’s staying at the Grand Heir Hotel” she smirked before smacking her Chelsea team mate on the back and walking off with a smile.

You got some shit from the team when you walked in with Jessie’s shirt on, especially from your Arsenal team mates who were whisper shouting.

Sam walked over to you where your cheeks were blushing “I may have told Jessie where your staying” she admitted and you widened your eyes “why?” You asked and she shrugged her shoulders “just cause” she said and walked away.

“Samantha!” You called but she walked away.

You couldn’t help the smile that crossed your face as you turned back to your cubby.

You had showered when you got home and hanged Jessie’s shirt up in the open wardrobe so you could still see it as you lied on your bed.

It was about 10:00 when a knock on your door started. Furrowing your brows you got up and opened it to see a slightly puffed out Jessie Fleming.

“Do you know how hard it was to figure out which room was yours?” She asked out of breath “I’m sorry?” You replied and she nodded “you should be” she said as she made her way in.

“Jessie-“ “call me Jess” she cut you off “what?” You asked and she nodded “I liked it” she said “when you called me Jess”

You smiled “okay Jess” you repeated “what are you doing here?” You asked and she looked around until she found her shirt in your wardrobe and grabbed it and threw it to you “put it back on” she said as she stepped closer to you “excuse me?” You asked and she repeated again.

“Jess I’m in my pajamas I don’t have a bra on” you admitted and she smirked “put it on” she repeated and you grew hot.

fuck she looked hot right now, you thought to yourself as she looked down at you.

“Don’t act like you didn’t hear me” she whispered into your ear and you tried not to shudder at her words. “Do it for me” you whispered back as you looked into her hungry eyes, her pupils were dilated and you were sure yours were too.

Jessie gripped the edge of your white T-shirt before grazing her fingers underneath and hitting your bare skin but she kept eye contact.

“I want you to know that I’m going to fuck you, giving me that yellow today and egging me on, I’m not letting that pass today” she said as she grabbed your waist under your top and pulled you closer to her so that your lips were practically touching.

The feeling in between your legs was aching, you needed her.

“Take off my top Fleming” you told her before you stepped back, getting bing her room.

She smirked before grabbing the ends of your shirt and pulling it over your head, looking at your boobs before lightly pressing on them them “you’re beautiful” she said as she kissed on them, leaning your head back you groaned and she tugged on your nipple.

“No noise until my name is on your back” she ordered and you nodded “so loud on the pitch but I can make you silent with just one touch” she cooed and you closed your eyes out of pleasure, trying to not make any noise.

When Jessie pulled your arms up and slipped her jersey over your head you bit your lip and looked down at the jersey.

“Did you know I’d react like this? She taunted as she planted kissed on your neck “Did you know that I’d want to fuck your smirk out of you” she planted more “Did you know that sitting on top of me in the middle of the game would make want to kiss you right then and there” she taunted as she sucked on your skin, marking you.

“Jessie” you muttered out in pleasure as she walked you to the bed and through you on the mattress. You were so wet you didn’t know if she could see it through your grey tracksuit pants or not.

“We’re keeping to top on” she said as she leaned over the op of you and finally brought her lips to yours and kissed you, you let her take dominance of the kiss as her hands roamed your body until they reached your pants.

She looked at you for permission and you nodded “I need your words y/n” she said and you looked at her “yes”

“yes what?” Jessie taunted and you squirmed under her touch as she traveled her hand from your waist and teasingly down your pants without touching your pussy which you craved.

“yes please fuck me with your finger, mouth anything” you groaned out and Jessie smirked.

She returned her lips to yours before she grabbed the edge of your pants and slid them down, her moth following her as she kept them on you, trailing kisses along the jersey and until she hit your undies.

“Lace” she smiled “did you know I was coming?” She asked “I may have gotten a hint” you admitted and Jessie moved her hands up to squeeze your butt as she jerked your body up towards her,

“My favourite colour is blue” she fainted as she played with your blue lace underwear “too bad I have to take them off” she said as she blew on to your pussy and you moaned.

You were pulsing, searching for any friction.

Jessie slowly pulled your underwear down before she spread your legs apart and slid a finger through your folds.

“So wet, just for me” she said before leaning in and pressing her tongue through you, making you throw your head back and your back arch which she responded with putting her hand on your stomach and pushing you down so you couldn’t move.

She kept on going until you started moaning her name “Jessie- Jessie fuck keep going” you whimpered as she shot her head up, her chin covered in your juices.

“Turn around” she ordered and you did and she walked away “Jess” you nurtured and she walked back up to you “I’m not leaving don’t worry” she assured you and pressed her lips into yours as you tasted yourself.

She walked away as you heard her rummage through her bag she brought with her, you smiled to yourself as you saw the glimpse of the strap she held in her hands before stepping into it.

“Who’s name is on your back?” She asked you, her voice darker than usual “yours” you muttered out before she tapped your entrance with her cock “but louder than that baby, who’s name is on your back?” She asked again

“Yours” you moaned out louder and she slapped your ass making you whimper “exactly” she said before pushing in to your entrance.

“Fuck Jessie” you screamed out her name as she grew her paste wuick almost giving you no time to adjust.

“New question” she said as she moaned, the strap rubbing against her clit as she thrusted into you.

“Who’s cock is going to make you cum?” She asked as she somehow went quicker making you moan out in pleasure, your hair was up in a pony tail so she grabbed on to the end of your hair and pulled you back so your face was reaching the roof.

“That wasn’t an answer” she said and you closed your eyes “Yours Jessie, your cock” you whimpered out and she let go of your hair.

“You going to come with me” she demanded and you nodded “make me cum” you whined and she went in Harder and pressed you down more into the mattress.

It wasn’t long until you felt a coil in your stomach “Oh fuck, I’m bout to come” you repeated and you heard Jessie’s whimpers “me too, come with me” she said and you both let out moans as you came together and rides out your highs together.

You both stayed there until Jessie slowly pulled out and slowly rubbed her fingers over her last name on your back.

She then helped you go on your back as she leaned down and kissed you softly.

“Can we do that again?”

[jonasiegenthaler]

What are the best games for a newbie hockey fan to watch to see that patented 1386 chemistry

ooh this was a fun one anon, thank you! this is more like, foundational (imo) games of the "this is nico's team now" era more than anything. but this did get. Very Long. so sorry about that lol

20 APR 2021 - NJD @ PIT: to me, really truly the start of a new era, couple games removed from moving zajac and palmieri at the deadline, in the middle of a 15-game (kinda, they had one win so like, is it really a win) losing streak. down 6-0 at the end of the second period they score 6 (!!!) goals in the third period and fall juuuust short of a comeback leading to this moment

29 APR 2021 - PHI @ NJD: the first of 3 games against philly because covid season was a fever dream individually great games from jack and nico but more importantly one of my favourite hughes to hischier power play goals of the season

19 OCT 2021 - SEA @ NJD: cursed jack shoulder injury game so like, maybe don’t watch it, BUT one of many captain games from nico, absolutely killing it once jack went down, played incredible defensively and kept the team afloat in jack’s absence

31 DEC 2021 - EDM @ NJD: honestly this game has everything (except defense)! jack goal! nico goal! dawson goal! jack ot goal! surprise hugs!

02 JAN 2022 - NJD @ WSH: the very first jack to nico overtime goal! against the caps! rejoice! (and sheldon keefe take notes)

22 JAN 2022 - CAR @ NJD: pride night game, jacknico(sevo) pp goal, post-win shenanigans, lots of them!

24 FEB 2022 - NJD @ PIT: 3 point games for both jack and nico, and 2 (!!!) power play goals, fun game, we love wins, we love pp goals, we love wins with pp goals

22 MAR 2022 - NYR @ NJD: of the ‘prom pose across the ice blown up into a mural at the prudential center where people now take couple photos’ fame. historic night for devils nation, and therefore the world. but also just. such a good game, made you believe in the team and the core (and then they lost 5 of the next 6 because they wouldn’t be the devils if they didn’t). top 3 hischier to hughes goals. the perfect game. obligatory fuck the rags.

28 OCT 2022 - COL @ NJD: second game of the 13 game win streak, we didn’t know what to expect and they gave us an absolute defensive masterclass from nico and a jack power play goal as a treat

disclaimer: not gonna put every game of the win streak here but like. you should watch all of them. just for the pure joy.

10 NOV 2022 - OTT @ NJD: another jacknico ot goal! i.e. things you love to see! truly bonkers overtime, if you don’t want to rewatch the full game just watch the overtime because akira subbed in with like 10 minutes left in the third, ice cold, held it down with ottawa pushing and played SO well in ot

17 NOV 2022 - NJD @ TOR: nico goal, jack ot heroics, and a little hurt/comfort, yknow, the good stuff

15 DEC 2022 - PHI @ NJD: my mind retconned this one as a win and turns out they did lose BUT it is a win solely for nico going after tk in jack’s honour, juicy narratives

07 JAN 2023 - NJD @ NYR: jack going nuclear, jacknico power play assists to jesper (big three goal!) +++ jacknico overtime goal which, okay, sevo scored the goal and neither of them got an assist on it but it’s the essence of it all. also burger king jerseys my beloved.

16–24 JAN 2023: the stretch from the sharks game to the vegas game where they were inexplicably red hot on the power play/6v5 and dougie’s shot was automatic and they put us through an absolute roller coaster. 

23 FEB 2023 - LAK @ NJD: hughes to hischier! with the net empty! with like 40 seconds to go in the third and then dawson gets the ot winner and it’s beautiful and life is wonderful and everything’s perfect.

25 FEB 2023 - PHI @ NJD: 2003 cup anniversary game! jack goal! nico goal! something something passing the torch, something something looking up at the rafters hoping that’ll be your name up there someday

22 APR 2023 - NJD @ NYR - GAME 3: jack power play goal pulling them right back into the series what a game what a time <3

28 NOV 2023 - NYI @ NJD: hughes to hughes to hischier power play goal, that’s family baby! also of course “nico is a horse” game because why be normal about your captain when you can do whatever jack’s doing.

09 MAR 2024 - NJD @ CAR: first jack to nico 5v5 goal! put it in the history books! One of the few bright spots from last season that’s hopefully gonna carry forward this season, jack and nico finally starting to click at 5v5.

22 MAR 2024 - WPG @ NJD: unremarkable in the grand scheme of things but so many power play goals, therefore so many jacknico moments, bon appetit <3

[manias-wordcount]

Drinks with a Devil (Mephisto Pheles)

Kinktober 2024 Day Three: Biting/Marking

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

You think you’re tipsy by now. No, not think- you know you’re tipsy by now. But arguably, it’s not your fault.

The two of you were just supposed to be talking over dinner. He just invited you one day with the promise of an entertaining and “productive” night when it came to both of your futures and goals. And naturally, you accepted. Simple as that, really. And when the day came, he just took you to a private room at his place where there was a spread already laid out for the two of you. A cute little traditional Japanese-style dining room designed after the customs of a nation he loved so dearly.  

And over dinner, he made great conversation. Even when the things you both were conversing about didn’t feel so pleasant. And even when you weren’t exactly sure you could trust him on his words. After all, he would weave stories into his speech. It’s in his nature. Exaggerations and lies and occasional truths and half-truths being sprinkled in here and there is an action that comes to him like second nature. And sometimes, he would smile knowingly whenever you would talk too. Like there was a secret about you that only he knew about. A secret that he was one day going to let you in on. But only one day. Though at the same time, he was an encouraging host. An inviting one. A great one.

Because not only were you served the most delicious delicacies you have had in a while, but you found that whenever you would empty your cup, he would always be right there- filling it up with another round of warm sake for you to enjoy. So soon enough, one cup turned into two. Then three. Then four. And perhaps a shot or two of whatever spirit he had stored by the table. And maybe something else that couldn’t quite remember. But it’s not your fault that you ended up this way. Honest. Because at this point, it almost seems he planned for this to happen. Like he wanted this to happen.

“Mmm…I’ve been looking forward to this, you know?”

Like that was the whole reason he invited you over in the first place.

“Mephisto…” You whine his name softly through ragged breaths, unable to bring yourself to raise your voice louder or put any more behind your words. You squirm slightly against him, but there’s an arm tightening itself around your waist that keeps you from moving too far away. After all, he needs you to be still. He said that to you earlier- that you have to be still for him. Otherwise, he would run the risk of hurting you more than he initially intended to. Not that it mattered much for him, of course. “Mephisto, please!”

He’d be able to have his way with you no matter how much blood he draws.

At your cry, the man in question makes a sound of acknowledgment, but he doesn’t stop what he’s doing. Instead, he just continues to occupy himself with your neck. Kissing at the parts that were once exposed by your attire for the evening. Licking at the sensitive spots across your throat. And of course, sinking his teeth into your flesh and sucking hard while one of his hands travels and teases its way up your dress from the bottom.

The pain his actions caused you nearly forced you to sober up very quickly. But he was even quicker with placing more bottles and glasses of booze against your lips before you could truly start coming down from the very sweet, warm, buzzy feeling that your previous drinks imparted onto you.

Though truly, all of this started tonight when you began to sway while sitting on your floor cushion. Your vision was swimming a little by this point. And some of your words started to slur together. But you were supposed to do another shot with him. He insisted, after all. Though when you seemed too reluctant to pick up your glass, he beckoned you over to his side of the table and placed you on his lap. The next thing you knew he started groping you over your clothes and promising to treat you well if you’d promise you’d be his for the night. And at this point, you only half-remember the response you gave him. But you know it made him happy judging by the image of the self-satisfied smirk you recall him giving you. But now that he’s gotten started, you’re not sure you can quite handle what it means to be his. Even if it’s just for a night. 

Because when he kisses your neck? The kisses are soft- like any lover’s should be. But when he bites it? He bites like the demon he is. He bites using his canines to dig in, and he uses the rest of his teeth to leave big, nasty indents and grooves that he promises will go away eventually. He bites hard enough to draw blood and licks that same blood up with his tongue and an all too satisfied smile. And he bites hard enough to cause you to whimper and whine and groan in pain while he makes some claim about how he needed to do this. About how he had to.

“I simply just cannot help myself, my dear,” He had once murmured in between the hickies delivered to your skin. The pleased hum in his voice and the rustling of fabric as your body presses against him fills the room. He has you right where he wants you. Right where he wants you. But is this right where you want to be? “This was far too good of an opportunity to pass up on. You understand, don’t you?”

You don’t understand. But at the same time, you feel like you do. You’ve heard the way he was purring at you all night. You’ve seen the way he has looked at you before this night. You’d be stupid if you said you’ve never realized that he was being more than obvious when he was flirting with you. Still, you had been alone with him before. He has so many chances to do this to you. To do this exact thing to you. So why now? Why after all this time?

And why is he marking your skin and your body like you’ll still be his after tonight? Why is he treating you like something to be claimed? Something to be owned. By him and him alone.

You whine and thrash when he bites over a particularly sensitive part of your neck- the junction between that and your shoulder. He’s quick to hush you with soft praises you could never imagine coming out of a demon’s mouth. Things that are so sweet and so tantalizing that you would have nearly fallen for him if the part of your brain that was still a little more sober than the rest of you decided to give in. But you saw the way those devilish eyes looked at you. You know what he’s like. You know what he’s truly like. 

But you were stupid enough to drink from a demon’s cup. You were stupid enough to let your guard down in front of one another and let yourself become completely and utterly vulnerable.

So is it really all that surprising that you’re just now realizing that perhaps you’re stupid enough to enjoy this too?

[flemingsfreckles]

Be a Good Teammate pt.3

Jessie Fleming x USWNT!Reader (also Seattle!Reader)

Read Part 1, Part 2

Preview: You and Jessie face off in the NWSL

Warnings: very minor injury, bloody nose

WC: 3.6k

A/N: okay so I sort of lied, this was supposed to be the part where they grab dinner but then I sat down to write it and it was going to be way too long for one part, so here’s part 3. Part 4 will be the dinner, I promise.

A short day later and here you were, lined up in the tunnel, staring at the back of Nikki’s head while you shook out your legs, alternating side to side. You hated standing in the tunnel before a game, it gave you too much time to think. Thinking about all the details, all the moves, all the plays. You easily got into your own head, you worked yourself up. Even though you knew all those feelings would disappear as the game started, you couldn't shake the feelings. This time, it was especially bad, the words of your coach running through your mind. You couldn't let her down, you had promised you’d have your act together, and you did, you thought. Practice yesterday was a little rocky but you were back to playing closer to yourself, it felt comfortable again. 

You heard the noise of boots against the concrete and you saw Sinc walk up, leading the rest of her team to line up next to yours. You watched the back of the first three players walk by following in line before you recognized the back of Jessie’s head. She ends up stopping only slightly in front of you. Keeping your head forward, you let your eyes wander over to her, not wanting to make it obvious you were looking over at her to the players behind you. Looking up and down you take in her frame for the first time since in San Diego. As if she can feel your eyes burning a hole through the back of her head you see her begin to turn in your direction. Not wanting her to see that you had been watching her, you snap your head down, looking at the floor and pretending to shake out your ankle again. 

You pick your head back up but keep your eyes glued to the back of Nikki’s head. You can see in your peripheral that Jessie’s head is still turned toward you. Giving in, you turn slightly instantly making eye contact with her. The eye contact only lasts a moment as she spins back to face forward and you do the same.

Both captains begin walking forward, you follow in line through the tunnel before splitting off to each side of the pitch. You line up, stand through the national anthem, take your starting XI photo and then stand around as the captains meet with the officials.

“Are you and Jess friends again?” Jordyn asked as you both stood watching the officials talk with Sinclair and Fishlock. 

“I don’t know, we've talked a bit recently, but friends I don't know.” Yes you wanted to sit here and tell Jordyn that you were friends but you didn't know how Jessie felt about calling you friends again so you weren't going to assume you were. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason, she mentioned you talked with her after the gold cup game and then just saw you two doing weird staring in the tunnel.”

“I wasn't staring.” You try to defend yourself but Jordyn begins heading to her pitch location, you follow running to the far side of the pitch. You look across the pitch to the other side, seeing Jessie standing across from you, you should not be surprised but it just kicked in that you'd be marking her most of the game, again.

The first half of the game goes about as smooth as you could hope, you feel like yourself again playing. That isn't to say the game itself is easy, Jessie was keeping you on your toes, most of the time you were able to keep up with her, only once letting her get a perfect long pass, leading to a goal. The score was 1-0 in favor of Portland as you headed into the locker room. 

The mood of your teammates varied, some of them frustrated, some annoyed, others showing little to no emotion as you entered the locker room. You couldn't help but feel a bit out of place, you were feeling satisfied, dare you say a little proud of your performance, Portland is a good team, you were keeping up for the most part. Specifically you had been playing like you knew you could. Your teammates were spread across the locker room stretching, snacking, talking to each other, you took the break to sit down off to the side, sipping from a gatorade. Your coach came walking over, stopping in front of your cubby.

“Are you doing alright today?” She kept her voice low, out of ear shot of any of your fellow players.

“Yeah, I feel like myself again.” You're hoping she noticed as well and that she wasn't about to break the news that you'd be subbed out for the second half, a small pit of nerves starting to grow in your stomach.

“It looks like it, you're doing well, I know Fleming can be hard to mark, not much you could do on the long ball. I just still wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

“I’m good.” She doesn’t say anything else to you, turning away to go talk with the other coaches. You continue to keep to yourself, waiting for the rest of halftime to be over.

You head out on the pitch and the game starts back up again. In the same fashion that Jessie had, a couple minutes in you're able to get the ball away from her and enough clearance to send it long toward the goal, bouncing off the head of Jordyn and into the goal. You run, celebrating in the arms of Jordyn and Alana. 

The game continues on, not much excitement, no goal scoring chances being made by either team. The ball goes out off the foot of your teammate. The ball is thrown in, bouncing up off a Portland player sending it high in the air in your direction. In an attempt to knock it to a teammate you jump, Jessie having the same idea, also jumps. Her body crashes into yours, her head coming into contact with your face as you both come down.  Upon your feet coming back to the ground you drop to your knees, hand covering your nose as the pain makes your eyes begin to water. The ball no longer in your section of the field Jessie doesn't move far from you. She places her hand on your back and sends a shout to the official to get them to pause play.

“I’m so sorry.” You hear her say, you don't see her as your eyes are clamped shut in an attempt to ease the pain coming from your nose. 

You hear the whistle and before you know it the training team is kneeling next to you, trying to pull your hand off of your face. You only open your eyes when they start talking to you, asking if you're okay. You glance at your hand, seeing the trails of blood running down your palm and dripping into the grass. You’re handed a water bottle and told to take a sip, you do before spitting it out, the flavor tasting like metal. You get handed a wipe to clean up your hands, nose, lips, and chin where the blood had covered.

The training staff make you sit back on your butt as they continue to look at you. One member of the staff feels up and down your nose, he comments that it doesn't feel broken which you are grateful for, you didn't want to deal with a crooked nose or needing surgery. Rolls of gauze are shoved into your nose and an ice pack is being pushed onto your face causing more pain as they have you hold your head back but you're not going to complain. Now standing over you is Quinn, the rest of the team gathered by the bench chatting. You catch a glimpse of Jessie in the Portland huddle, her head still turned back toward you watching you be tended to. 

“Are you good to stand up?” The trainer to your right asks, she holds out more gauze to you, you take it, placing the bloodied gause from your nose into her gloved hand.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just some pain.” You stand up with the assistance of Quinn and the trainers. They hold on to you, pulling you off to the side of the pitch.

“You can’t go back in while you're actively bleeding.” 

“I know.” You roll your eyes, hating that rule right now. The pain was bad but it’s not like it was your legs or something essential to playing. You stay standing as you wait, swapping out your gauze once more, less and less blood coming out of your nose. Your team returns onto the pitch, the game resuming. It’s hard having to stand and watch, especially as your team is down a player, tied with only a few minutes to go.

Being down a player does not go in your team's favor as Portland is able to move the ball up the field, slotting it past your keeper and into the goal, taking the lead.

You watch for another two minutes before you take out the gauze in your nose, not replacing it this time as the bleeding has stopped. You turn to the trainer, letting him look at your nose one last time.

“You’re good, no more blood. You're probably going to have two black eyes when you wake up tomorrow though.” The trainer informs you as he takes the ice pack and gauze from you.

You thank him quickly before running and getting the attention of the official to confirm you could re-enter the game. She nods you on and you take off across the pitch. The game only had a few minutes left in regular play. Those minutes end and you now have 8 minutes of stoppage to play through, probably 5 of those being due to your nose. Your team tries to tie it up, having a few shots on goal but to no success as the final whistle blows. 

Instead of immediately going to tell the other team ‘good game’, you head over to the bench, grabbing another ice pack to hold to your face, your nose still throbbing. Ice pack in hand and pressed to your face you start making your way over to some of the Portland players, first seeing your fellow US teammates, then making your way to the other players, most of them asking how your nose is. You tell everyone its fine, adding that it's hopefully not broken.

Once you've talked with the majority of Portland and had your own teammates check in on you, you see Jessie standing with her fellow Canadians from both her team and yours. You haven't yet gotten to talk with Jessie, congratulate her on the assist and the well played game. Not wanting to interrupt her conversation with Quinn, Jordyn, Sinc, and Janine you just stand off to the side, trying not to make it obvious that you are waiting for her.

Jessie notices you standing alone, she excuses herself from her national teammates, stating she needs to go apologize.

“Hey.” Jessie approaches you, a sympathetic smile on her face. “How’s the nose?” She gestures to the ice pack you're holding.

“It hurts.” You state the obvious looking back at her. “They don't think it's broken though so that's good.”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She apologizes for the second time today.

“It's fine Jessie, seriously don't worry about it, we both went for the ball.” You know she wouldn't intentionally have hit you, even if you were no longer friends, she wasn't like that. “Now if it was broken, I’d feel different.” You joke at her.

“You’ll probably have a nice black eye or two tomorrow eh?”

“That's what I’ve been told.” You hoped that everyone's statements wouldn't be true but you knew you were likely to wake up with a shiner, feeling the under of your eyes already a bit swollen. You both stand there, letting silence creep up, not knowing what to say next. You take the ice pack off your face, holding it in your hand as it is losing its temperature. Jessie takes a sip from her water bottle, just looking at you.

“Hey are we getting a UCLA alumni jersey swap?” The silence between you is broken and you both turn to see the Thorns social media manager standing in front of you, a large camera around his neck. You look down at your jersey, checking if any blood had gotten on it earlier in the game, thankfully there isn't any. Not knowing what to say you turn back to look at Jessie.

“I mean we can, if you want?” Shrugging her shoulders as she says it, it appears she doesn’t care either way. Part of you wishes she did care, you want her to want to swap jerseys with you. 

“Why not?” Agreeing, you move one hand to the collar of your shirt, the other to your back pulling it up and over your head. Jessie does the same only she pulls hers from the bottom causing it to turn inside out. She goes to hand it to you and realizes it’s inside out, quickly taking it back as she twists it to be right.

You watch her carefully as she manipulates the fabric, you couldn’t help it. Her toned stomach and shoulders on display without her shirt, the way her forearm muscle popped out as she worked to fix the shirt. You hear the click of the camera and realize it’s going to be obvious you were staring in the photo. You glance away not needing any more evidence of your crush.

Jessie reaches out, this time with her jersey the right way and you pass her yours. You both grab the tops of them, holding them out in front of you to display each other's name and number. Once the photographer takes a few photos you turn back toward Jessie, bunching up the shirt before putting it over your head and your arms in. She does the same with your shirt. You’re hit with the smell of Jessie. Sure it was mixed with the smell of her sweat but it still smelled just like her. It reminded you of being in college, even the sweat part, you had spent plenty of time together you both drenched in sweat that it brought fond memories to the surface.

Memories of laying on the field after practice just enjoying the sun, driving together to and from practice, windows down in the car, nights spent studying in hotel room floors on away trips, all of the memories of you and her, all attached to that smell.

“Thanks girls.” The camera man turns away walking over to where Jessie's teammates were starting to make their way around and into the locker room.

“I should probably go.” Jessie turns to see her teammates heading in. 

“Yeah of course.” You debate telling her you'll see her later for your dinner plans but decide against it, not wanting to bring it up on the spot. 

You turn to head to your own locker room. You sit through a quick team meeting, which consists of a quick recap of the game, where everyone did well and where there needs to be improvement. Your coach informs you that she’s canceling practice for the following morning, wanting everyone to have the day to recover and take a break. A few of the players begin to make arrangements to travel home that night no longer having an obligation to stay in Portland for an extra day. Your roommate was one to decide to leave, meaning you'd have a quiet hotel room to come back to at the end of the night. The meeting ends and everyone scatters, some girls going to get showers, some packing up, some going to begin their recovery.

You head to the physio room, they look over your nose again, confirming that they don't believe it's broken. You get handed some pain meds, told to keep icing it on and off, and to meet back with the trainers tomorrow before you head home. You hop off the table, and grab another ice pack on your way back to the changing room.

Returning to your cubby, you start grabbing your towel and clothes to shower and change. You curse yourself earlier for wearing jeans as your pregame outfit. As you grab your clothes out of your bag you see your phone light up. Grabbing it you begin reading the texts. 

Jessie (USA): Any chance I could get a raincheck on going out?

The text from Jessie stared back at you. The excitement drains from your body, your heart feeling heavy as you read it over and over. 

Jessie (USA): Sorry to cancel our plans, just not feeling going out after the game, would much rather throw on sweats and sit on the couch.

You understood, of course you did, having just ran around with her the whole 90, you can see why she’s tired. Your legs are starting to feel tight, you always run more than usual when you’re marking Jessie who seems to easily cover 95% of the field. The weather probably didn’t help either, no one wants to get dressed up to go out after running around in the cold all afternoon. You couldn’t lie, sweatpants sounded perfect right about now. 

Jessie (USA): Can we do takeout at my place or something instead?

Relief washes over your body as you realize she still wants to see you.

Jessie (USA): Sorry for all the texts.

“Yo Fleming get your head out of your phone, I’m talking to you.” Your head snaps up at the mention of Jessie’s name. You see Jess Fishlock staring at you. You look at her confused.

“What?” You’re more responding to the fact that she just referred to you as Fleming and less asking for her to repeat what she had said to you previously. She grabs her own jersey top, giving it a tug before pointing at your chest, you connect the dots seeing why she called you what she did, you’re still wearing Jessie’s shirt.

“We’re going out, we lost but we still want to enjoy the trip, are you in?” She repeats her question to you, a couple other members of the team now watching you awaiting your response.

“No, I actually have plans.” A collection of  ‘ooo’ and a couple whistles come from your teammates around you.

“Must be a hot date with whoever she’s been texting so damn much.” Jess’ wife, Tziarra, teases.

“She was texting someone on the bus ride too, smiling at her phone and everything.” You shoot a glare at Alana who shouts out from across the dressing room. Your face is now starting to blend in to match the red thorns jersey.

“It’s not a date, I’m just catching up with Jessie.” 

“Hard to argue that it's not a date when you're wearing her jersey. Just saying.” Tziarra comments, her eyebrows raising with a hinting look. 

Not responding, you take the collar of the Thorns jersey and rip it over your head, throwing it with some force into your locker.

“Not a date, we’re not even really friends.” You emphasize throwing your hands out in display that you no longer had her shirt on. 

You grab your towel and phone, opening it to respond to Jessie.

You: Yeah that's fine, I wouldn’t want to be having to ask our server for a bag of ice every 20 minutes anyway.

You put your phone back into your cubby and head to the shower. You take a quick shower, rushing a bit, wanting to get out of the stadium and back to the hotel so you could put on sweats that you had waiting for you. You hop out, wrapping yourself in a towel and head to get changed. 

Jessie (USA): Do you still like Thai food? I know a pretty good place.

You:  Yeah that's great. We're headed back to the hotel in the next few and then I can head your way.

You put your phone back and let your towel fall, change into your clothes and then sit down waiting for the rest of your team to be ready to leave. 

It only takes a few minutes until everyone is walking out to the bus. Thinking you'll have a seat alone again you prop your legs up again. Your lounging state only lasts a minute before Fishlock is picking up your legs, throwing herself down in the seat next to you.

“Not friends and not a date huh?”

“I told you earlier no, She and I just got back into contact.” Trying your best to stop the teasing that you fear will never end from your team.

“Where are you going to dinner? Is she taking you somewhere romantic?”

“We’re not going out anywhere, we're doing takeout.” Jess lets out a laugh at your response, quickly covering her own mouth.

“So not a date, you're just going over to her place? Whatever you say.” You see her eyes roll. She leans over and whispers. “Hope you packed some cute underwear.” You hear the comment but it doesn't comprehend what she was implying. 

“She has a girlfriend.” The only words you think to respond, not having anything else to defend yourself with. You prop your legs back up on her since she was the one to move them, if she wanted to sit there she'd have to deal with it. You grab your phone seeing Jessie had sent you her address and a message to just let her know when you had arrived. You feel nerves begin to rise in your stomach, you're not sure why though, like you said, she has a girlfriend, it's not a date.

[leveloneandup]

Christen Press is a changed person as she nears return from injury: ‘I enjoy my life more’

Christen Press hasn’t gone two years without a soccer game since she learned to walk. So when she was laid up by a torn anterior cruciate ligament that took four surgeries and nearly 25 months to repair, she decided to make use of the free time she never thought she’d have.

As a result, the player who returned to training with Angel City this month is not the same one who was carried off the field eight games into the team’s first season.

“I definitely feel like this is the best version of me that I’ve ever known. And I hope it continues to evolve,” Press said Saturday in an interview that was heavy on smiles and optimism.

“I don’t know if I would say I’m a better person. I am a more grounded person. I’m more peaceful. I’m more at ease with myself. I’m more self-aware. I enjoy my life more, absolutely.”

It would be hard for her to be a better player than she was two years ago. A two-time World Cup champion and Hermann Trophy winner whose 64 international goals rank ninth in U.S. women’s national team history, Press was arguably in the best form of her life when she sustained the first major injury of her career.

At first she expected to be back in time for last summer’s World Cup. Then she thought maybe she could play in this summer’s Olympic Games. But the injury proved to be stubborn, and doctors had to go back in three more times for additional repairs.

She’s now 35, and it’s uncertain how her reconstructed knee — and the rest of her body — will hold up when she returns to the field. That question probably will be answered during one of Angel City’s three Summer Cup games, which will be played during NWSL’s seven-week Olympic break.

Given what she has gone through already, Press is confident she can handle whatever comes next.

“Every single day when I go out to the field I asked my knee, ‘Are you ready?’ It’s out of my control in a lot of ways,” she said. “It’s not, ‘Oh, you’re back and everything’s easy.’ My career will never look like it did.

“I want to make it back. I want to see if I can be good.”

Angel City could certainly use the help. The team went into the Olympic break having won only one of its last nine games, falling to 11th place in the 14-team NWSL with 10 games to play.

Press is likely to be ready for significant playing time when the season resumes in late August, but she might not be the only addition to the roster. With the transfer window opening soon, Angel City is nearing deals on two significant summer signings, said one person close to the team who is not authorized to speak publicly on personnel matters.

Despite the injury, Press was never really inactive. Physical therapy after each operation ate up much of her time, and she said she still does four to six hours of daily exercises just to keep the swelling down.

“Honestly, it’s a full-time job for her,” said Sarah Smith, Angel City’s director of medical and performance.

Still, she used the opportunity to work on other things as well. Press said she started therapy — the mental kind, not the physical kind — last September.

“I was like, ‘Well I have all this additional time that I can’t be on the pitch. What can I do with it?’ ” she said. “And I had a lot to work through, like my childhood, but also a changing life.

“Being healthy and strong has been my whole career, right? But it hurt to go up and down the stairs. It was a very big shift in identity.”

She has also devoted more time to the eclectic business empire she and her partner and former teammate Tobin Heath are managing, one that includes RE—INC, a gender-neutral community-driven fashion brand, and the RE—CAP Show, the couple’s entertaining award-winning podcast on women’s soccer.

That has given the whip-smart Stanford graduate a jump-start on the next phase of her life, though she’s not sure when that phase will begin in earnest. Her Angel City contract expires at the end of the season, but Press said that if her knee holds up, she’s not putting any limits on how much longer she might play.

“There’s part of soccer that has been really hard that I don’t miss. And then there’s simultaneously a deep longing and a sadness for not being in the game,” she said. “My body’s craving competition. It’s like a dichotomy.”

If the last two years have produced nothing on the soccer field and have been mostly painful off it, mentally and physically, they’ve been invaluable in many other ways. She’s grown. She’s become stronger, smarter, healthier and wiser. And she promises that’s going to be good for everyone — but especially for her.

“There’s pain and there’s also an opportunity,” Press said. “I have this ideology that things don’t happen to you, they happen for you. So I always ask myself, ‘What’s the gift of this?’

“It’s a happy story. It’s life, you know. It’s happy and it’s sad. [Am I] a better person?’ No, I’m different.”

[wileys-russo]

golden boot, golden girl II r.daly x reader

this started off as a blurb but about 2.3k words later, it's a fic 🕺

golden boot, golden girl II r.daly x reader

"go on girls push up on em, hug em tight!" katie cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted to you all from the corner as you began to shove in as close to the goal as you could get. you were two down and though you refused to check, you knew your time to get anything on the score sheet was running out fast.

as katie connected for the kick the ball came in hard and fast, angled almost perfectly for you to get your head on it and hopefully send it into the back of the net. 

however you felt an elbow dig into your back and with a half step forward you lost your footing, falling to the ground and glancing up to see the ball fly right over you toward the back post, quickly kicked out of play by a defender as the final whistle sounded and the crowd errupted with cheers, the villa players all running to celebrate with one another in the middle of the field.

letting out a deep sigh you rolled onto your back and stayed laid down on the pitch, feeling the warm afternoon sun bathe your face as you covered your eyes with your arm. "come on up now, no time for sulking." manu kicked gently at you as you lazily swatted her foot away and mumbled something she didn't quite catch, the older woman retreating to console the rest of your team.

"hey you, you played really well." another gentle poke to your side. 

you removed your arm and squinted one eye open to meet the caring and concerned gaze of your former team mate, jordan smiling sympathetically as she sat down beside you on the pitch. "i missed three sitters and gave away two free kicks, one of which was scored from!" you grumbled in annoyance, slumping your arm back over your face with a sigh.

"that doesn't mean you didn't play well, the better team just won." jordan poked teasingly again at your side, the older girl having been somewhat of a sisterly figure in the years you'd played together you knew she didn't mean anything by the comment. 

"i am at least glad you're getting the minutes you deserve jordy." you pulled yourself up into a sitting position, the older girl wrapping you in a tight hug before excusing herself to celebrate with her team as you once more flopped back down onto the pitch. 

much as you were at first angry and disappointed when she'd informed you of her transfer, with time you understood why it was needed, and her successful season had only confirmed it for you further.

"oi lazy, the grass called and complained you're squashin it!" a much less gentle kick to your side had you glancing up at the grinning irish woman who offered you a hand. though you should have known better than to accept, as just after your fingers touched she was quick to drop her grip, sending you stumbling back onto your bum.

"mccabe!" you brushed yourself off and glared up at her, kicking your legs out to try and sweep hers out from under her but you were much too slow as she sent you a cheeky wink. 

"come on then, up we get now!" with that she grabbed your hands again, this time properly pulling you up and slinging a strong arm across your shoulders. 

marching the two of you across the field she talked your ear off about not being so hard on yourself, which given the nature of the fact you were your own harshest critic, was a speech you'd heard after almost every match you played. and if it wasn't from her, it was just coming from someone else.

after shaking hands with most of your opposition, exchanging friendly end of season small talk with those you knew well from playing at a national level, you found yourself again sat on the pitch but this time sandwiched inbetween leah and katie, across from you were rafa, beth and viv, the six of you sat in a circle soaking up the sun and discussing your upcoming planned holidays during the off season.

"how's it feeling?" you quietly murmured to leah glancing down at her bandaged knee where her crutches lay beside her, resting your head on her shoulder. even without needing her to confirm you knew she wasn't okay, but you'd also known her long enough to know she wasn't someone easily pushed into opening up. 

"physically? it's alright. everything else? story for another time." the blonde pressed a kiss to your forehead, affectionately patting your leg and nodding for viv to give her a hand up. as your circle dispersed you wandered around looking around for the one person you were yet to speak to, who was also the one you'd been dying to all match.

"hi squinty." tattooed arms wrapped tightly around you from behind, rough but warm lips pressed a few soft kisses to your jawline as you spun around in your girlfriends hold. "you promised you'd stop calling me that." you huffed, smacking at her shoulder as the blonde grinned, loving nothing more than to tease and wind you up and boy was she good at it, and in any way that she wanted.

"well if you wore your contacts when you played or your glasses every other day, i wouldn't need to, would i?" rachel teased, hands moving to rest on your hips as she pushed you softly into the barrier behind you, pressing her body into yours and leaning in. you closed your eyes expecting her lips to touch yours however they simply pressed a kiss to your cheek and she stepped away.

"sorry i can't be seen snogging losers, its bad for my reputation." she shrugged crossing her arms over her chest as you rolled your eyes. but your girlfriend knew she was the only person who could get away with sledging you after a loss without you taking it personally, she was avidly also your biggest supporter and made sure not to let you forget it.

"didn't realise your reputation as a naff muppet would be affected by kissing a cute girl." you shot back jumping up to sit on the edge of the barrier, crossing your own arms over your chest with a satisfied smirk. "oh a naff muppet she says does she?" rachel scoffed, slotting her body inbetween your legs as you nodded in confirmation.

"yeah look i've actually been meaning to end this-" you gestured between the two of you, "-we had our fun and all babe but really i'm just...i'm just too out of your league. i can't keep settling it's a bad look, fitties have to date fitties and..." you trailed off, looking her up and down with a wince.

"you were the best 557 night stand i ever had kid." you continued dramatically with a sigh, placing your hands either side of her face and squeezing her cheeks as she stared blankly back at you, waiting patiently for you to finish. 

"it's not you it's me. ahh i like you too much, i'm holding you back. what else? oh! in order for us to be a better we, i have to be a better me." you paused to think before continuing, finishing with a beaming grin at the unimpressed look on the older girls face. "are you done then?" she quipped with a roll of her eyes.

"yeah i think that pretty much covers it?" you stroked your chin mockingly, looking off into the distance with a contemplative hum. though you let out a yell as suddenly you were looking at the ground again, your girlfriend easily slinging your smaller form over her shoulder.

"rach! put me down." you couldn't help but laugh as the blonde smacked playfully at your bum with her free hand. "i will, gonna water board you in this cooler here first though." your girlfriend replied, waving to your team mates who called our their usual teasing remarks, you flipping them off as you were carried past. 

"wait i have to go get my stuff!" you tried to jump down as she walked off the field and toward the villa change rooms, though her hold on you only tightened. "as the one whose just been dumped i get to go first thanks." 

~

"kiss it!" you struggled underneath the taller girl as she sat on top of you, arms firmly pressed to the bed by her knees as she grinned, the seasons golden boot trophy held tightly in her hands.

"no! i refuse." you pressed your head back into the pillow, shaking your head from side to side as she wiggled the shoe shaped piece of silverware in your face. "baby you either kiss it willingly and i get off ya and we go to dinner, or we continue on like this and you miss out on your pizza." the blonde shrugged, looking down at you.

"are you threatening me right now?" your eyes narrowing at the thought of missing out on eating at your favorite restaurant. 

the two of you hadn't been on a proper date in what felt like months, and rachel had made sure as soon as the fixtures for your final game of the season came out she had a table booked and your evening plans locked down.

though that's not to say the blonde wouldn't keep her word and make you miss out. both of you hot headed and quick to rise to a challenge, sometimes your arguments could last days without either of you willing to compromise, both just as stubborn as one another.

"no i'm promising." your girlfriend smirked, hands resting either side of your head as she slowly lent down, ghosting her lips over yours without any actual contact and pulling away with a teasing smile, wiggling her trophy mockingly in your face once again.

"fine." you muttered with a glare, quickly pecking the cool metal and trying to sit up but your girlfriend pushed you back, head thumping into your pillow. "no, a proper kiss." the girl smiled smugly, feeling your body let out a deep exhale of annoyance beneath her. 

"i am not snogging your trophy just to placate your inflamed fragile ego!" you warned seriously, eyes glaring daggers up at her, only spurring her on further. "well then you're also not getting your pizza baby." rachel shrugged simply, holding out the golden boot expectantly as you threw your head back and let out a loud frustrated groan.

"this is for you, my beloved bella italia." you looked up to the ceiling and spoke, dedicating your actions to your favorite italian restaurant, properly macking on with your girlfriends trophy for a few seconds.

"i hate you daly." you huffed, shoving her harshly off of you as she collapsed onto the bed, clutching at her chest to try and catch her breath, loud booming laughter echoing around the room. "i'm hiring someone to come and take that and throw it in the river when we're in portugal!" you warned bluntly, sitting up and glaring down at your still laughing girlfriend.

"she didn't mean it don't worry you're coming with us to portugal." rachel whispered reassuringly to the trophy in her hands, stretching over to place it down on her side table and grabbing at the back of your shorts as you rolled your eyes and tried to leave, pulling you back down onto the bed and trapping you in a tight hug.

"kiss me like i'm a golden boot." the blonde whispered seductively before her face broke into a grin and she pressed her lips to yours, cold hands wandering up your jersey as her tongue slid into your mouth, your hands pressing on the back of her head to deepen the kiss only spurring her on further.

"you're insufferable." you pulled away, gently biting down on her bottom lip as you did, the girl on top of you holding back a moan. "you're insufferable." she echoed back, a pause lingering between the two of you before your mouth curled into a smile and you pushed your head up to continue the kiss.

your golden boot winning girl, and you couldn't be prouder.

[outsideratheart]

Decisions, decisions (Alexia Putellas x reader)

A/N: Chapter 2 in the Legacy series

You wish you could say you had been able to put your departure from Ajax to the back of your mind as you prepared for and played the World Cup with The Netherlands. The team had made base in Paris for the last two games of the tournament. It was a city you had always found peace in whenever you visited.

So far The Netherlands had reached the semi finals after beating Japan in the round of 16 games thanks to two penalties from you and then you beat Italy in the quarter finals with goals coming from you and Viv. Most of the world hadn’t seen you play with you playing in the Dutch league but this tournament it seemed that everyone had eyes on you.

The semi final was something that you found incredible difficult. Madgalena Erikkson did a very good job at marking you, in fact you had less touches in that game that you had in any other game throughout the tournament. It didn’t matter though because Jackie managed to score in the 99th minute, a goal which you somehow assisted. It was a goal that would send you to the World Cup final. As you embraced the woman that had been stuck to your side the entire game, she whispered something in your ear that you didn’t expect.

You’ll make my job hard next season if you go to arsenal.

It wasn’t public knowledge that you planned on leaving Ajax. The fans had doubts every summer transfer window because they knew you deserved to play at a higher level but you never gave then any reason to think you were planning on leaving them. 

A few days later the team had a day off and whilst you did spend the day with them, you were ready for some time to relax so you and Viv went back to the hotel with the promise that you will meet back up with the team later for some food.

A couple of hours later you no longer want to be alone so you to go to Viv’s room 

“Are you ready for the final?” Viv asked as the two of you took refuge in her room.

The national team were your family but they could be a bit much sometimes and Viv shared your need for peace when things got too hectic. She could also tell something had been bothering you but she wasn’t one to push when you weren’t ready to talk about it. 

When Viv gets only a hum in response she notices that you have your attention on the phone in your hands. It was obvious that whatever you were reading made you feel uneasy because your eyebrows furrowed, something that happens when you’re thinking deeply.

“Y/N” Viv’s words fall on deaf ears. It is only when she throws Flip at you do you look up at her before going into the bathroom.

Something was definitely wrong. Your eyes were glassed over. 

There on your phone was the headline that sent your thoughts running a hundred miles an hour and led you chest to feel like it was being weighed down by an anvil.

JOHAN CRUYFF’S DAUGHTER TO FOLLOW IN HER FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS.                            WILL SHE SHINE BRIGHT OR SETTLE IN HIS SHADOW?

Viv knew the struggles you had been facing and whilst Barcelona was a dream she knew you had been struggling with thought of being in a city that held such strong memories of your father. 

There was a sense of betrayal in your gut. You wasn’t sure if it was someone within your management team, Barcelona or Arsenal but now the world was talking when you wanted this topic to remain silent.

When you re entered the bedroom it felt smaller than before. Viv didn’t know what to say and within seconds her decision to comfort you is taken away from her because Danielle and Lieke come barging in. Both of them, oblivious to what they were walking into, make it clear that you are to rejoin the team. Viv tries to tell them that you aren’t feeling it but you cut her off.

“Actually I have somewhere else to be but it’s on the way so I’ll walk with you” 

The three Dutch women give you a shared look. You didn’t have any media or appearances because today was the mandatory day off so where could you possibly be going.

The four of you walk along the streets of Paris for twenty minutes before you bid your farewells. Viv and Danielle didn’t know the significance of the hotel you were stopping at but Lieke did. 

“This is where some of the Spain girls are staying. Are you going to see anyone in particular?” Lieke knew this is where some of her friends are staying. Their World Cup journey may have been over but they were still football fans and they wanted to support their club team mate in what could be one the biggest games of her career. Lieke of course thought there could be other reasons but whenever she brought it up she got shut down very quickly.

“A friend” you reply was short and gave very little away.

It wasn’t a lie. You were going to see a friend, you just wasn’t stating which Spanish player you were going to see. Whilst Danielle had your attention, Viv told Lieke about the article that had changed your mood drastically. Your best friend has a feeling who you were going to see given that you had kept very close eyes on a certain Catalonian during the tournament and said woman had been pestering her for your phone number but she didn’t want to get involved. Lieke knew she would have to let this play out organically even if it would be painful to watch.

It’s save to say Lieke had to do a double take when she saw a group of familiar faces walk past her. 

“Lieke!” 

“Alexia” 

She wasn’t who Lieke expected to see on the streets of Paris. If Alexia was here who had you gone to see at their hotel. It is pure coincidence that her club team mates were on their way to a restaurant close to hers so they walk together. 

“I saw the article. How is she?” 

Alexia had put herself in a difficult position. She wanted to be your team mate but given her own loss she wanted to make sure you were ok. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have strangers constantly remind you of the person you have lost.

“That depends on why you’re asking. Do you want to know because part of you cares or because you want to know her decision?” 

The brunette regretted the way she interrogated you that night is Barcelona. Even though you offered her a fresh start, she hated to think that you saw her as Joan Laporta’s spy. Even if you didn’t sign for Barcelona she hoped that you could be friends.

“Lieke, I told you I’m sorry for what I did in barcelona and to answer your question, I’m asking because well, because I care about her. she—“

“Ale are you talking about Y/N again” Mapi comes out of nowhere “You know if you like her then you should ask her out. Don’t pry Lieke for information”

“That’s not what I’m doing” Flush floods Alexia’s cheeks.

“Y/N’s ok, I think” Lieke ignores Mapi’s teasing and answers Alexia’s question “She‘s actually at your hotel. I thought you might have been going to see you but you’re here” 

Alexia wonders why your best friend thought you would be with her? 

“Why would she have come to see me?”

“Alexia you are Barcelona and between you and me, I think she is leaning towards joining us. You also know the pain she feels on a daily basis” 

Alexia rarely spoke about her father but the loss was known within the team. 

“I would be there for her” she barely knew you but this much she was certain on.

“I know you would”

Meanwhile you sat in the lobby of a hotel you had no right to be in. You needed to speak to someone that knew you but that you didn’t have any responsibilities with, at least not yet. You had kept in contact throughout the competition, both been the outside perspective that the other one needed.

Now you had to remember which room she was in and pray that you don’t rub into any of her team mates. You wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries.

401, 402, 404 and then 405, her room. You knock quietly hoping not to interrupt anything or risk waking her up if for some reason she is asleep. After knocking for the third time with no answer you take it as a sign that you showing up uninvited wasn’t a good idea. When you are half way down the hallway you hear the door opening.

“Y/N is that you?” The Spanish accent is thick but easily understandable.

“I was just leaving, sorry to bother you”

“Don’t be silly, come in”

“Thank you Tana”

It felt strange to be in her hotel room and you didn’t know where you should sit so you choose to stand against the TV unit.

Both of you wait for the other to speak which leads to silence. It’s not exactly comfortable but it’s not awkward either. A few seconds pass and both of you start laughing to fill the empty space.

“It got out” 

“I saw. Are you going to say anything” Aitana asks and she gets a shake of a head in response.

“I just want to play football. It’s all i‘ve ever wanted and now I’m a story”

The small Catalonian hands you a bottle of water out of the mini fridge.

“Can I ask you a question as friend and not as a player?” You ask her.

“You mean a player who plays for Barca?” The look she receives gives her the answer “Right now I’m your friend”

“Before I start I want you to know that I haven’t made up my mind yet but if I were to sign for Barcelona would they be able to get over my last name?”

Your team mates up until now had always let you be your own person. Ajax and the National team meant a lot to your father but you were never compared to him within the team. One of the reasons why is because they met him. The got to know Johan the supportive father but in Barcelona they only knew or knew of Johan Cruyff the legend, the man who invented Barcelona football.

“Your last name means something to the club and the team. If you sign for Barcelona you will become a part of our family. Some of the girls may freak out at the beginning. They will ask you questions about him but they mean nothing by it”

“You didn’t. I’ve known you for a few years now and you never asked about him even though I know you are a huge fan. You wear his number for god’s sake”

“I am huge fan of your fathers but when Barcelona first asked me to work with the foundation and work with you, that is what really excited me. I am a Y/N Cruyff fan first and a Johan Cruyff fan second”

“That’s not true” you laugh at her effort to make you feel better.

“It’s an even tie. I guess what I’m trying to say is I got to you know you as a person. At the minute the girls don’t know you like I do but once they do I promise they won’t see you for your last name”

“Ok”

“Ok? So does that mean you’re coming to Barca?” The young midfielder couldn’t help herself. She wanted you to come to the team for more reasons than one.

“Nice try. I have a few weeks to make my decision”

Not wanting to overstay your welcome given that you weren’t invited in the first place, you thank Aitana for listening before bidding her farewell.

“We are going to Ibiza after the final. If you want to you could join us and get to know your my team mates you know just in case you join us. Feel free to invite some of your friends too”

“I just might take you up on that offer Aitana. Thank you again. I’ll see you in a few days, maybe”

“Good luck for the final”

If only her well wishes worked. The Netherlands end up losing 2-0 in the final against the United States. It was a heart breaking loss but you chose to focus on what you could learn from the game and be proud of the fact that you made the World Cup final in the first place. It would hurt for a while but you could think of worse places to wallow than in Ibiza with your closest friends and those that could soon be your new team mates.

[meazalykov]

invisible string theory

lena oberdorf x uswnt!lyon!reader

part one - part two - part three

summary: you're with her now, but you've known of her for longer than that.

warnings: long chapter since I have to split this up into three parts, changing things that happened irl just a tiny bit for the plot of this, google translated language.

the pathway of your career was never simple, or original. 

growing up in the states, you participated in many youth programs. sacrificing a chance at a normal childhood, you took the chance to fulfill your 5-year-old self's dream. 

before you know it, you’d grow up to be the best teenager in the country– in terms of soccer. 

just before going into high-school, you were called up for the usynt for the first time. your parents wanted to see you happy, so you were sent into homeschooling. 

it wasn’t easy leaving public-school. you barely had time for your non-soccer playing friends and eventually– you seemed to forget about them. your friends and teammates on your club and national teams were your new priority. 

breaking records on the national level, it seemed like the youth team was too easy for you. 

and then 2018 came along, when you were 16 years ol–  

well, not yet. just a day before your 16th birthday, in January 2018, you were having your debut on the uswnt. 

against denmark, you were thrown into the game in the 50th minute, not long after halftime. being an attacking midfielder, you were expected to contribute to any attack or opportunity given for you. 

playing with the current world champions intimidated you. your new mentor, christen press, noticed this when your leg and foot tapped against the grass as the both of you waited to get subbed in. 

“hey! you gotta relax.” christen whispers over the crowd, her tone stricter than usual which causes your leg to stop tapping.

a goal came from mallory pugh that same second, so you were distracted for a few seconds celebrating. 

luckily, this gave you enough time to take deep breaths.. something your sports therapist recommended for situations like this. 

“i will, sorry.” you quickly spoke after, moving your tongue to press on the inside of your cheek. you didn’t notice how nervous you could’ve looked from the outside. 

“you don’t need to apologize, you’ll do great i promise!” she patted your upper back a few times before the ref blew the whistle for the subs. 

after the whistle blew in the 93rd minute, you breathed a huge sigh of relief. most of your older teammates ran to your side to congratulate your contributions to the 5-1 win. 

1 goal and one assist on your senior team debut didn’t happen to players everyday, especially to newly 16 year olds.  

a year later, after 16 more caps, happy tears ran out of your eyes when your coach, jill, called you. 

this wasn’t too long after you made your professional club debut for sky blue fc, or what is now referred to as gotham fc. jill let you know that you were going to the world cup!

now being 17 years old, you were the youngest person on the uswnt roster to play in the women's world cup ever. 

being referred to as “baby blue” by the rest of the team, due to your age and the club you play for, they all made an effort to make sure that you had the best experience for your first world cup. 

you attached yourself to christen, megan, alex and tobin when it came down to needing mentors to guide you in france– and your closest friends mallory, tierna, and rose. 

in the football world, you’re treated like an adult. something you struggled with. 

your parents, siblings, and other relatives came to france to support you on your journey– but due to the everyday training (twice a day), media days, strict meal plans, and mental stress before the tournament– you couldn’t see them at all. 

thankfully, they were able to see you along with the rest of the world during the group stages. 

against thailand, you scored a goal with three assists after you were substituted in the 60th minute. the 13-0 win gave you a rush that would last throughout the entire tournament.

you didn’t play against chile, or sweden. sitting on the bench and observing your team was enough for you though– they’ll call you whenever they need you. 

one moment throughout the tournament, there was a four day break between the group stages and the round of 16. 

adidas, the brand you chose to sign for, wanted to do a photoshoot with many internationals who signed their brand. the world cup is the only chance they’ll be able to do this collaboration– and with fifa's approval– over 20 players from different countries are there in a big conference room, ready to get their picture taken. 

standing in the red uswnt kit, you felt intimidated– unaware that you could’ve been the most intimidating. 

unfortunately for you, lindsey and you were the only americans at this photoshoot. you attached yourself to the blonde before she was pulled away by staff. this left you alone sitting on a random chair– at a random table. 

(i know giulia gwinn is signed for nike, but pretend she is signed to adidas for the plot)

“um– hey?” a girl your age– or maybe a bit older– with blonde hair stands in front of you with a confused, yet amused, expression. 

your eyebrows knit together as you respond back with a smile, “hi!” 

before the blonde could say anything, you turn your head to see a table card in the middle of the circle table. its labeled under germany so your eyes widened before you quickly stood up from your chair. 

“oh my goodness i’m sorry– i just found a random seat to sit in because i’m bored.” you talk a bit more than necessary, afraid that you did something disrespectful.

“its totally okay– i’ve been wandering around myself– i’m giulia!” she reaches her hand out, her german accent strong. 

you reach your hand out to meet hers, “i’m y/n. i’m with the us team.” 

giulia smiles, “i know– its hard to not notice the current world champs in the room.” 

you smile, your social anxiety fades as you engage in a conversation with the german footballer. 

“so when are you getting your pictures done?” giulia asks, wanting to continue the conversation with you. 

“oh i had my individuals and duo pictures with horan done earlier– i’m just waiting for the big group photo we have to take in–” you check your apple watch, “20 minutes.” 

“oh same!” giulia says, looking down at your apple watch too, seeing that it's 11:40am. 

“congratulations on getting on top of group B, i watched a little bit of the game during my lunch break yesterday!” you compliment as you cross your arms naturally. 

“thank you! it wasn’t easy.” giulia smiles.

“i feel you.” you relate. 

before you could talk to giulia more, another girl jogs up towards the two of you. 

she is wearing the same german kit as giulia, so you know she is her national teammate. she's taller than you, brunette, and you figure that she has short hair, since her hair was tied up in a small bun. 

the brunette looked very cute, but you brushed that thought aside. you have no idea what her name is and you need to put all of your focus on the world cup. 

“Da bist du ja! Ich habe dich gesucht, aber ich sehe, du hast einen neuen Freund gefunden.“ (There you are! I've been looking for you, but I see you've found a new friend.) the brunette nudges giulia’s shoulder, looking at her before looking at you with curiousity. 

“relax! this is y/n.” giulia waves her hand towards you. 

“hey.” is all you say, smiling at the cute girl. 

“hey.” she responds, smiling with the same cheeky smile you had. 

“wer ist das? sie ist süß” (who is that? she is cute) the brunette says to giulia. you didn’t understand german, but you could tell that she was asking a question through the tone of her voice.

giulia rolls her eyes before giggling, 

“this is y/n, like i told you. she plays for the united states.” giulia responds in english, which you’re grateful for. the girl looked you up and down for a few seconds before talking to giulia in german again.

over giulia’s shoulder, just 20 feet behind her, you see horan waving her hand for you to come to her. you look back at the german girls, hating to cut them off from their conversation. 

“sorry girls but i have to go. it was so nice meeting you giulia!” you quickly hug giulia, and she hugs you back tightly before you walk away. 

ten days later-- when jill called for you to warm up in the final against the netherlands, your legs felt like pencil lead that could’ve snapped in half. 

in the 75th minute, the united states were up by 2. however, the euro champions against you had a point to prove. they weren’t going to let themselves lose the world cup without a fight. 

tobin heath got injured during the semi-finals and doctors made it clear that she couldn’t play the full 90 minutes in the final, so jill made the last decision to call you up. 

every commentator on broadcasts, radio stations, and television networks were wondering why jill was putting you– a seventeen year old with no world cup experience– over people like carli lloyd who's on the bench.

you couldn’t make a single mistake on the pitch. your mind repeated that sentence back to you as you warmed up with sprints and stretches on the sidelines. 

five minutes go by and you’re on the pitch. focusing on the ball, you made beautiful passes to the forwards and midfielders around you.

when your eyes were on the ball, it was distracting from the neverending stadium around you. 

blocking out the noise of the crowd and the pressure of the moment, the 83rd minute comes along. krieger pushes the ball away from a dutch forward and launches the ball in the air towards rose lavelle, the girl who scored the second goal moments before. 

rose, being closed in by dutch defenders, passed the ball behind her to kelley o’hara. kelley saw you were free and there was open space between you and her, so she launched the ball towards you. 

this was your chance. usually, you never tried to seek personal glory. however, something changed when that ball hit your ivory colored cleat.

your feet take the ball towards the goal. veenendaal, the dutch goalkeeper, sets herself up in a ready position as she sees her defenders failing to take the ball from you. 

as you race closer to the goal, the crowd gets louder. the orange defenders close in but you dribble around them effortlessly, a skill uswnt fans love seeing from your younger self. 

an oranje defender hit your body from the left side but it was too late. your foot was angled on the left side of the ball, making the outside of your right foot clear to launch a powerful shot at the goal. 

veenendaal dived a second too late, the ball hit the lower corner of the net, going in for the third goal of the world cup final. 

you didn’t take a moment to process your thoughts before you lifted yourself off of the grass and sprinted towards the corner of the pitch, the same corner megan raphinoe celebrated the first goal at an hour before. 

your hands were spread out wide as tears threatened to pour out of your eyes in joy. the look of happiness that you’ve never felt until now. 

“Y/N L/N THE YOUNGEST GOALSCORER IN A WORLD CUP FINAL!!” commentators screamed on television broadcasts as your teammates, both on and off of the pitch, ran to you and squeezed your adrenaline filled body. 

one month later, you’re back home in new york city. the rush of winning the world cup is still fresh– along with your popularity in the community skyrocketing due to your amazing world cup campaign. 

you missed france already-- a little too much. the bond you’ve had with your uswnt teammates there was indescribable. 

the world cup distracted you from your unfortunate situation at gotham fc too. 

you’re an amazing player and the world cup showed the world that, but your coach at gotham seemed to have an agenda against you. 

at first, you didn’t think so. you arrived at gotham six months ago and started for the first few games in the NWSL season, but it seems like the coach forgot about you after. 

the defensive style of the squad is something you didn’t prefer as well. your play style fit well with an attacking style of play, but your coach didn’t want that. 

after being benched for the big game against san diego wave, you had enough. 

your agent and yourself filled a request in to transfer clubs or go on loan. 

luckily for you, many clubs all over the world wanted the best U17 player. 

when lyon came knocking on your door, you were happy to accept a year long loan deal. 

at first, moving across the atlantic scared you. your older sister, whos much older than you, agreed to live with you until you’re eighteen that january, but you’ll be far away. 

however, lyon is the best club in the world. you would never say no simply because you were “a little uncomfortable” with the move. oh well, football comes with uncomfortable events.  

the uncomfortable events paid off well, since you're a starter for the champions league final against wolfsburg.

twenty minutes in, and you nearly had an opportunity to have the first goal of the final.

the ball was at lucy bronze's feet. you were free to accept her pass and did so. before you could pass the ball up to sommer-- Alex popp knocked you from behind and you were on the grass.

you were okay, and you got up fine afterwards. in fact-- you felt like that knock helped your nerves from playing your first champion's league final at the age of 18.

minutes later, sakina had the ball which prompted you to push forward. ingrid engen from wolfsburg kept her eyes on you, since she knows how fast and precise you were with the ball.

sakina tried to pass the ball up to kumagai, but pernille harder takes the ball. luckily, you were able to side tackle the ball from her. she fell, but you were at the ball so no yellow card was needed.

the noise around you were coaches yelling and players shouting at others in many languages. french, german, swedish, dutch, you name it.

its 2020, and there was no crowd due to covid. the empty chairs made it easy for your voice to echo.

you were close to being fluent in french after living in lyon for the last year, and having sakina and selma as your closest friends, so you opted to yell out to your teammates in that language instead of english--where the whole pitch might understand you.

renard had the ball with no wolfsburg player coming at her, so she took her time deciding on who to pass the ball to.

her pass to buchanan was clean, but svenja huth takes the ball from lucy as she runs to the middle.

svenja tries to pass the ball but it goes back to the defender in navy blue, renard.

the tall defender launches the ball at you running towards the right side. cascarino and you swap places as your feet quickly get inside of the box with the ball.

your left foot shoots the ball but the ball hits off of repohl-- wolfsburg's goalkeeper's, foot. the ball bounces towards le sommer, who shot the ball into the goal at the 25th minute.

le sommer high-fived you and hugged you as you both ran back into your positions. all season at lyon, you've had the highest number of assist-- and the third highest amount of goals.

the french club hopes to buy you from gotham, if there is no issue. your contract does say that there is no buy option involved, but they hope to try.

in the 44th minute, everyone was struggling to get their feet onto the ball. you were standing directly in the middle outside of the box when the ball was bounced back to you.

your left foot, your non-dominant one, launches the ball into the goal at a lightening speed. ingrid and alex popp didn't have the chance to stop you before your teammates screamed in celebration.

"when it fell-- it fell kindly for the american international who scores the second goal for lyon." a commentator speaks to the television audience as you ran to hug majri.

before the end of halftime, as you're ready to head back out onto the pitch, you frowned in realization.

after this fun season, you'll head back to the united states with a coach who wants nothing to do with you. you tried to stay optimistic and think about everything after the final is over, but the end of the season is in 45 minutes plus extra time.

"y/n bébé, garde la tête haute, tu as déjà marqué" (y/n baby, keep your head up, you've already scored) cascarino says as she places her hands on your shoulders. you relax into her hands as your head turns to face her stressed facial expression.

"ce n'est pas ça, je ne veux juste pas te quitter après ça" (that's not it, i just don't want to leave you after this) you whisper. your head leans back onto cascarino's head as she sighs.

"garde espoir, Lyon est content de t'avoir ici. Peut-être trouveront-ils un arrangement avec ton club d'origine" (keep hope, Lyon is happy to have you here. Maybe they will find an arrangement with your original club) cascarino whispers before you both jog out to the pitch.

"maybe.." you whisper to yourself after cascarino jogs away from you.

nothing much happened after halftime started, until alex popp scores a header. you weren't too afraid, since lyon are still up by one, but it's anyones game with thirty minutes left.

subs were made in the sixty-first minute for wolfsburg, so you stand beside cascarino to talk to her. as you look ahead at ewa leaving the pitch, you spot a familiar face entering.

the girl with a determined look jog onto the pitch, and you continue to look at her as she scans around the field. your mind itches, you know you've seen this girl somewhere before.

as she turns around with her back from you, you see 5 oberdorf.

again, you have no idea on who she is. you haven't played against wolfsburg until now, so maybe you played against her national team before? you had no idea.

wolfsburg had more possession this time around. you made a few tackles and won a few duals, but the german club was hungry to score an equalizer.

lucy got the ball away from pernille and passed the ball up to you.

you ran with the ball up the field. you dribbled around ingrid and alex popp effortlessly and your next move was to pass up to le sommer who was free.

all you heard was sakina yell "derrière toi!" (behind you) before you saw someone's leg coming from under you. your first reaction was to jump as the persons leg tripped you onto the grass.

your arms stopped your head from hitting the ground, but you turned to see that it was "oberdorf" who side tackled you.

"that should've been a yellow." you groaned to yourself as you stood up and wiped the grass stains off of your navy blue shorts.

"it was all ball, so no." oberdorf said back. your head quickly turned to her as she smirked at you.

so she's german.. hm. you thought as you recongized the accent.

a few minutes later, as lucy was preparing to throw the ball in-- oberdorf marked you as she stood beside you, not giving you a chance to escape her defense.

"get off of me!" you quietly said when she tried to hold your arm.

"lena, mark her!" ingrid yelled out as you quickly moved back to where lucy might throw.

you were sweaty at this point, but not too tired. a goal before halftime was what you needed to recharge your motivation and energy.

"you aren't getting another goal passed me." oberdorf says quickly. you shake your head as you look at her. the audacity.

"who are you talking to?" you snap.

"you." she smirked.

"well, oberdorf-- if you look at the scoreboard, you guys need another goal to equal us." you say as you both push back with bouhaddi, lyon's goalkeeper, was ready to hit the ball up the pitch.

"my name is lena." she scoffs as you went to saying her last name instead of her first.

"well, lena. its nice to meet you." you look ahead to see bouhaddi's kick.

the ball goes up to cascarino who heads the ball over to kumagai. you ran closer to offer help away from popp, but lena is chasing you.

the japanese decided to kick it back to renard so you move back to your natural spot. oberdorf follows you since she is assigned to mark you.

"what do you mean its nice to meet me? you met me last year." the german comments.

your mind seems to ease at this, you know that you've met her somewhere, and its fortunate that lena knows.

after a few minutes, you couldn't respond to her since the game is heating up. lucy cleared the ball out a few times, which caused a bunch of throw ins to occur.

fridolina rolfo almost scored after kicking from outside of the box, but the ball came straight to you. your body turned quickly, so her shot deflected off of your back and away from a chance of goal.

"where did we meet?" you ask as you end up near her again, waiting to defend the ball away from a free kick for wolfsburg by their goal.

"the adidas photoshoot during the world cup." she quietly says.

your conversations were quiet, since the empty stadium could echo your voice loudly if you were loudly talking.

the free kick was cleared by renard, but being on wolfsburg side of the pitch made you concerned. if lyon kept this up, wolfsburg might equalize.

luckily, in the 87th minute, lyon had a corner kick.

the kick was taken and it landed at your foot. you shot the ball towards the left side of the goal but it deflected off of janssen's foot.

the deflected landed on the back foot of gunnarsdottir and landed in the goal for the third goal of the final.

the group hug was filled with shouts that echoed throughout the stadium. after hugging dottir, cascarino and sakina patted your back as they jumped up and down around you.

"three goal contributions! you are insane." sakina says with her strong French accent, you smile as the end of the game is nearing. wolfsburg will have to pull of a miracle to beat lyon now.

in the last minute of extra time, oberdorf had you marked again. remembering what she said earlier, you smirked as you looked at her tense body position.

"I might've not scored against you, but I did get another assist." you say.

lena looked towards you with a straight face before responding, "ha ha" sarcastically.

when the whistle blows, you run to selma bacha who was on the line ready to be subbed in. she held you tightly as you repeatedly yelled, "we did it! we did it!"

after ellie carpenter hugged you for your one goal and two assists, you saw lena pulling pernille into a quick side hug.

saying that you didn't look at lena differently than all of the other girls would've been a lie. you found her attractive, and you know she knows she's attractive. that smirk wasn't fooling anyone.

"hey, great game lena." you said as you quickly hugged her. playing all 90 minutes made you tired, but you were okay since you're a champion's league winner.

she hugged you back. not to be weird, but you liked the way she smelled.

"thank you. can I have your shirt later?" she asks. you smirk at the idea of her wanting to swap jerseys with you.

"sure, as long as I can have yours." your eyebrows knitted together as you put your hands on her shoulders. lena smiled through her sad eyes and nodded her head at you.

part two here

<3

[baddestbittyontheblock]

mapi león fic recs

you are responsible for the content you consume‼️

❁⊰ spilling the tea mapi león x fem!reader

❁⊰ one night stands mapi león x reader | 18+., heavy smut, mentions of casual sex, choking

❁⊰ just business mapi león x fem!reader

-a businesswoman reader who is accused of being a golddigger by the team

❁⊰ some days are harder than others mapi león x reader | contains some details of mental health issues and insecurities

❁⊰ socializing problems mapi león x reader | not fluff at all, accidental confession, teenager love, a bit of headcanon, reader being a stupid curious, mapi confessing unintentionally, also mapi being an assertive/passive person.

-You are secretly Mapi's love and you have negative impressions about her.

But that ended when Maria accidentally left her sketchbook on the bench at the locker room.

❁⊰ three is better than one alexia putellas, mapi leon x female!reader | smut

-Mapi invites Alexia to join you two.

❁⊰ disobedience mapi león x reader | smut

-a little blurb/ or headcannons about Mapi being a dom, like what pushes her buttons and what punishments she likes to give out?

❁⊰ everything and more mapi león x reader

❁⊰ the swap mapi león x reader | fluff, suggestive content

-why are suddenly being woken by your cat screaming and not her laying on your chest?

❁⊰ you made your mark on me mapi león x reader

-you fuck up the arrangement

❁⊰ mapi ficlet mapi león x reader

-reader gets sent home from the World Cup through an injury and mapi looks after her

❁⊰ "Go to sleep, I will not leave you alone." mapi león x reader

-reader is a war time reporter assigned to Ukraine

❁⊰ too much teasing mapi león x reader

-reader plays for the lionesses and they have a secret relationship going on, during the euros and the lionesses find out about the relationship and tease her about it

❁⊰ mapi ficlet mapi león x reader | fluffy, mapi being protective

-reader gets injured in the last game of the season for barca and is worried about not being able to play in the wc because of the injury.

❁⊰ shyness is nice mapi león x reader

-a shy and swedish reader. mapi wants to know more about them.

❁⊰ woso couple things mapi león x reader | just mapi dating headcanons, fluff, suggestive content

-If there was one thing Mapi loved most, it was being in your arms

❁⊰ if i was a man mapi león/alexia putellas x readers | talk about the Rubiales case and it's a longer oneshot than usual

-OCs are sisters, face claims are the women in the picture underneath: Luisa Ruiz Moreno is a journalist and is dating Mapi Leon, Elena Ruiz Moreno is a football player for Barcelona and Spain, she's in a long-term relationship with Alexia Putellas

❁⊰ one night stands (pt:2) mapi león x reader | literally just sex and a tiny bit of fluff. Minors dni.

❁⊰ teasing m.león x i.engen x reader

-being taller than Mapi and tease her about it but being shorter than Ingrig and then get tease by her >>>

❁⊰ the kit switch mapi león x reader | implications of intimacy, offhand mention of blood

-“Took you long enough!” You heard someone laugh from across the locker room. Looking up, you saw Mapi standing in the doorway looking adorably smug.

❁⊰ rules are meant to be broken mapi león x reader

-The Spanish national team are in Italy for a friendly, the game just played ended in a 1-1 draw, goals coming from you and Alexia. Both teams had just congratulated each other on a good game of football. The Spain girls now standing with their families. They watch as you and Alexia swap shirts, the later quick to wear yours.

❁⊰ please mapi león x reader

-mapi does CPR on R

❁⊰ powerful mapi león x reader

-Powerful. That was one word you could describe your girlfriend.

❁⊰ collision madness mapi león x reader | mentions of blood, swearing, slight smut implication, teeny bit of playful grop!ng

-in which mapi and the reader are secretly dating, and both play for Barcelona. during a game against real madrid, the reader gets into a nasty collision with the goal post after being pushed into it during a corner. mapi gets extremely protective and angry, earning herself a red card.

❁⊰ mapi blurb mapi león x reader

-mapi x reader where they play each other in the uwcl final. after the game reader asks for mapi’s shirt but mapi is confused as she already has loads. reader replies that she wants to see how good her new colours will look on her. mapi finds out there that reader is joining barca

❁⊰ so it goes (part 3) mapi león x reader | minors dni(swearing, sexual content, phone sex).

❁⊰ like a best friend mapi león x reader | 18+ minors dni, if you don't like butt stuff, do not read this. Cunnilingus, fingering, butt plugs.

-maria buys you a birthday present, then shows you how to use it.

[claireelle18]

Lucky Charm

Prompt: When no one knows that they’re secretly married, but after scoring in the Stanley Cup playoffs he sees her in the stands wearing his jersey and holding the kid no one knows he has…and he’s almost knocked on his ass because he can’t take his eyes off her, and the moment is featured on national TV.

The day had been a long one of keeping up with the rambunctious toddler. Of course she wouldn’t exchange it for the world. Between the two parents, she agreed to be the stay at home mom while he provided for them.

It was a last minute decision to be down there at the arena, let alone up against the glass. She wasn’t sure how her girlfriend managed to get the tickets, pretty sure she had them, but the other guests bailed on her. 

“Linds, I can’t come! I’ve got no one to watch Salem tonight.” 

“Sage, just bring her! I have enough tickets for all of us. She can sit between us. Besides I bet she would love to see her Daddy play!” Salem had just recently turned two-and-a-half, and had only seen her Daddy play on tv and during the open practices.

“Sails you wanna go watch Daddy play?” She giggled and clapped. 

“Daddy?” The toddler questioned her mama.

“Yeah, baby. Daddy is at work. Want to go see him?” She nodded, and clapped more. “Okay, fine Linds we will see you there! Text me the tickets!” 

“Yay! I promise you’ll have fun!” 

With the heavy amount of traffic, both automobiles and pedestrians, it took a little longer to get past security than originally planned. Which meant warm ups were just wrapping up when the pair met up with the friend. “Hi ya Salem!” Salem laughed and waved hi back to her Aunt Linds. “You just missed him, but he will be back out soon.” 

The two women chatted as Salem watched the lights and people all around her. He wasn’t a starting player for the game, so she observed him on the bench. He was so sucked into the game, not knowing she was there, so close. 

First intermission came in a flash. He had a few shifts during that first period, and she could see how as the game progressed he became more comfortable. Before anyone knew it, second period was under way. Now they would be scoring on the goal the three sat behind. Sage cradled Salem on her hip as she wasn’t tall enough to see over the boards the action of the game. 

Her wedding ring glittering off the arena’s obnoxiously bright lights, casting tiny rainbows across the floor, as she held onto her daughter. Her daughter’s wide cerulean blue eyes captivated by the speed of the men whizzing around the large frozen sheet.  “Daddy! Daddy!” The young girl cheered as she caught her first glimpse of him, her long dark curls bouncing as she squirmed around.

He was back across the ice, then back in front of her again. His next shift he lead the puck, finding the back of the net past the Avalanche’s Georgiev. As he comes around the back of the net in a celly, he sees both, and cannot take his eyes off of them. 

His teammates flock around him, and he almost gets his ass slammed down to the ice because he gets run into. His only savior being Yanni Gourde and Adam Larson catching him. Even then he cannot seem to break the little trace he’s in. “If you’re watching this round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you may have just witnessed Vince Dunn almost get taken out by teammates because something outside the rink, in the crowd is distracting him,” an announcer calls. 

No doubt that would be the hockey meme of the night, and for the weeks to follow. The Kraken social team was quick to use the gif made from it to post about taking the lead. 

@seattlekraken: “us when we realize we have the lead currently” 

Salem squeals again in excitement as she sees him smiling at her. She can hear the clicks of cameras sounding off around her as he smiles at them. Sage’s jersey proudly representing her last name of Dunn, and Salem’s with Daddy across the back and Vince’s number. He blows Salem a kiss and a sticking tongue out face, causing the previous reaction to repeat, before skating off. 

After winning the game, which gave the Kraken the lead in the series, the biggest question was asked during the interview, “what was that almost landing on your ass about?”

“Well, I-uh…I honestly didn’t expect to see my wife and our daughter standing there right behind the glass,” he smiled. “It definitely caught me off guard, in a good - I mean great way.” 

“So that was your daughter?” A report repeated. 

“Yes, my wife and daughter were here tonight. Now if you don’t mind, I would love to go see them, so please one final question.” He bounded off, in search of his favorite people. Adam had her outside the locker room, chatting and occasionally bouncing Sails up and down. 

“Daaadddyyy!” She screamed when she spotted him, taking off from everyone else. 

“Hey my little pumpkin!” He grabbed her kissing her cheek. “I see you came to Daddy’s work!” She nodded vigorously. 

“Come on you three, take a family picture!” Linds cheered, pushing Sage into her family. A few photos snapped of the little family.  “Glad you were able to not cause too much chaos tonight,” Sage teased Vince. “Even if you’re still leading in PIMs this season.” He jokingly goes to nip the tip of her nose in retaliation and Salem pushes his face. “Bad daddy. No bites!”

*New Instagram Post - posted photo series of Sage and Vince with Salem’s face not shown, back of her jersey is though* 

@vincedunn: “you could say I had my lucky charms in the building tonight”

Comment reply: @sagedunn: “yeah we know you mean @adamlarson 🙄” 

Reply: @vincedunn : “if I meant him then why are you sporting my last name on that jersey then? 😜😘” 

Reply: @sagedunn: “that’s because he’s forced to work with you” 

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 12)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (12)

Masterlist (other parts here)

(**Going to slow down posting just slightly to once every day or two, rather than multiple in a day. People need time to read them! Thanks for all of the love! Inbox is always open for banter. x **)

Lucy and YFN were making out slowly, just inside the door of her hotel room. Their first date could only be described as perfection from her eyes. YFN had butterflies most of the day as they’d been flirting with each other as if they were school kids. But it was better than that. With the pact of no sex, they were free to flirt and tease and frustrate the other. Three days would be a long time for them.

After the barbecue the night before, they both realised that perhaps they should wait a few days longer until YFN checked out of the hotel as they almost broke their pact that very night, without even having their first date. And so, chivalrously, Lucy had made sure she arrived safely with the promise that she’d pick her up in the morning for their date.

And that she did. And there she was. Beautiful, grinning. Her knee was strapped heavily, and she was wearing a pair of comfy shorts, a white Nike shirt, and cream hoody. Her hair was neat, her middle part separated perfectly, and her glasses were YFN’s favourites. The clear ones with the big frames. Her smile was intoxicating, and YFN loved how all of her face smiled, not just her lips.

Their first date was at a park and even with Lucy’s knee, they’d managed to make the most of it. They found a tree and settled under it, Lucy had packed a picnic blanket and food for them. Lucy settled against a tree and YFN settled against her. They laid around just talking, sharing their histories, goals, motivations, passions. YFN gave attention to her knee and they talked about those issues and Lucy’s lack of proper health care for her knee, as female footballers weren’t looked after back then, and still weren’t to the proper standard. She was trying to change that.

They read their books together silently, cuddled or laying on each other, stroking each other anywhere and everywhere. They fed each other from the charcuterie, fruit and cheese boards that Lucy had packed. At one stage, Lucy fell asleep with her head on YFN’s outstretched legs as she stroked her hair. YFN smiled and kept stroking, continuing to read her book.

When Lucy needed to stretch her muscles out and to give her knee movement, YFN joined. Around lunch time they packed up their things and went for a slow walk around the lake in the park, just enjoying each other. More often than not, they would be finishing each other’s sentences or knowing what the other was thinking or feeling. Somehow, however, they still managed to surprise each other. Perhaps it was the difference in nationality, or perhaps it was just… them.

For lunch, Lucy had booked them into her favourite restaurant, and had requested the little secluded booth in the corner. They ordered far too much and shared everything. Lucy and her condiments were going to be the death of YFN, and she said as much as she wiped sauce off her face for the third time.

And then, they were driving home, singing loudly and terribly, letting their happiness out.

And then, they were saying their goodbyes for the day.

And then, they were slowly making out, their bodies pressed up against each other, heads tilted. God, it was so good that Lucy needed to shift her glasses to the top of her head mid kiss so they could better press their heads together. They eventually slowed down and parted their swollen lips, breathing heavily and feeling tingly.

“Thank you for today, Luce,” YFN whispered, their foreheads still pressed together.

“You’re welcome,” Lucy responded automatically.

YFN pulled her head back to look at her. “No, Luce,” she said, wanting her to understand. Her hand cupped her face, thumb stroking her cheek. She looked into those intelligent green eyes. “Thank you.. thank you for the best day of my life. Thank you.”

This time, Lucy took her time to respond rather than give an automatic response. Their eyes speaking volumes. “It was for me too,” she said huskily. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning whenever you’re ready. Please be safe tonight. I’m always just a call away.”

YFN made sure Jordan looked gorgeous. She was in a tight, black dress with heels and her blonde hair was straightened. She looked so different compared to the sad Jordan she’d seen on the beach. This Jordan was much happier, and even tipsier.

“Christ, she’s goin’ tah be drunk before we even get there!” Katie exclaimed. Jordan and YFN had decided the more company, the better. She and Caitlin were coming out also, along with some new friends YFN had met recently, Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema. They were all several drinks in and finishing getting ready. They arrived at the pub late and made up for lost time with immediate shots. YFN spoke to Beth and Viv, learning a lot about them. They spoke about their recent ACL injuries which they’d done at almost the same time, and how they’d supported each other through it. YFN thought they seemed like the perfect little jigsaw pieces for each other, Beth was the chatty one and Viv tended to be more on the introverted side… until she’d had a few drinks. They were all having a good banter, Katie encouraging them all to have more shots. Caitlin dragged Jordan up to dance against her will, leaving Katie and YFN both hanging off each other cackling at Jordan’s attempt to dance next to a twerking Caitlin. They all had their turns up dancing and soon enough, they were joined by even more female footballers who must have heard about the night out from one of the girls. Apparently, it was a regular spot of theirs. YFN had so much fun chatting to the newcomers and drinking with Jordan, that her heart felt full. They’d also been quite successful, managing to get the numbers of a few single women for Jordan.

Soon enough, Katie had found out about the wing-womaning and stood on a bar stool, giving a speech to her girls like she was captaining a team. “Alright girls, team mission. Spread out, I’ll go left back, our mission is now to find chicken a girlfriend-” Jordan dragged her from the stool and they were all in stitches from laughing so hard at the wasted Irishwoman. YFN managed to find something that looked like a captain’s armband, and she wrapped it around Katie’s bicep to even more laughter. She’d never had so much fun in her life.

YFN could feel her phone buzzing in her pocket, the girls had been drunk posting photos all over Instagram and tagging her. YFN posted a few herself, one with just her and Jordan, and others with the whole crew.

As she posted, she saw notifications that caught her eye, one in particular.

*Lucy Bronze MBE tagged you in a post.*

“Back home with my loved ones.”

*Katie Zelem liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Leah Williamson liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Fridolina Rolfo liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Lauren James liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Alexia Putellas liked a post you’re tagged in.*

The post was a photo dump of her time in England over the past few weeks, one of the photos was of YFN and Lucy with her nephew when he had hi-fived them after fixing his knee. It was a cute photo, presumably taken by her mum or Jordan, and the way Lucy was looking at YFN when she was hi-fiving the little boy was full of love.

She wasn’t surprised that Lucy had posted a photo of her, she had asked her during their date if she minded. Lucy had been serious when she’d said she wanted to show her off to the world, and this was perhaps one of the softer ways to do it, starting with one photo that could be mistaken for friends. She couldn’t help but smile and immediately liked the post, tempted to comment but unsure if she should. She’d also been tempted to text Lucy but they both knew a little space was always healthy. Jordan came up behind her for a cuddle and saw the post over her shoulder. Suddenly she was being teased by a few of the girls, her face reddening in response. Apparently it was something called a “soft launch.”

The mood dropped a little as another group of female footballers entered the pub, one of which was Leah.  Jordan was caught by surprise, but she was so far into the drinks that she said she didn’t care, and they continued with their night. Regardless of their relationship, Leah was still one of the Arsenal girls and so they all went over and had a chat at different stages.

Jordan and YFN were on the dancefloor, dancing closely when she put her mouth to her ear.

“Are you going to Spain to be with Lucy?” She asked, slurred.

YFN gave a soft look. “I’m not sure yet, Dory. I’ll definitely visit her. But I thought you were going to show me Birmingham? I want to see you play!”

Jordan gave a big grin and a triumphant, “Yes, mate!” as she kissed her on the cheek. YFN had never had a best friend before, but Jordan sure was getting close.

YFN leant down to Jordan’s ear as they swayed to the music. “Do you like any of the girls we spoke to?!”

Jordan shook her head. “Honestly no. They’re all attractive to be fair, but no one really special yet. Not like you and Lucy.”

“Don’t-”

“-I know, I know. Don’t compare to you and Lucy. You two are an exception, but still, I can dream!”

“What about sex? A one-night stand might be good?”

Jordan nodded. “Yeah, I want that. Let’s find that.”

YFN looked around for a victim and spotted Leah staring at them with that famous frown of hers. Oh, she was jealous, YFN realised. Only then did she notice how it must have looked between her and Jordan. Did she not know she was with Lucy?

With an encouraging word, Jordan built the courage to go and talk to a girl who’d been staring at her, flirty. They’d already chatted earlier in the evening, so she was one of the numbers Jordan already had. She was also the person that Jordan had been most keen on, as drunk Jordan was not so subtle.

YFN made her way back to the table for a breather and a drink break when she again opened her phone to more chaos. She only looked at the most important ones.

*Beth Mead tagged you in a story.*

*Beth Mead liked your story.*

*Millie Bright liked your story.*

*Lucy Bronze MBE liked your story.*

*Katie McCabe tagged you in a post.*

*Grace Moloney liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Caitlin Foord mentioned you in a comment.*

*Lucy Bronze MBE liked your story.*

*Lucy Bronze MBE liked a post you’re tagged in*

The notifications went for days. Then she noticed a message she didn’t want to see. The username was again slightly different, but it was obviously the same person. She knew she should delete it and block her like the other times, but having had a substantial amount of alcohol already, she opened the message.

Kristie-Bronze1995: *Sent a photo*

The photo was of Lucy and YFN at the restaurant the day before, Lucy kissing her cheek.

Kristie-Bronze1995: *Sent a photo*

The photo was of Lucy laying on YFN in the park, sleeping while she stroked her hair.

Kristie-Bronze1995: You fucking Australian slut. I know where you are. I know what you’re trying to do. Lucy is mine. She’s lying to you. You need to stay away from her and leave the fucking country or I’ll make you wish you had.

YFN shivered, feeling violated and sick. “Hi,” a soft voice came from beside her. She jumped slightly. Quickly screenshotting the messages, she put her phone away and looked to Leah who was standing beside her, looking a little awkward and slightly tipsy. She was grateful for the distraction.

“Hi Leah! How are you doing?”

The two were intoxicated enough to embrace even though they didn’t know each other.

“I’m good, yeah. Just out with the girls.” She gestured to her group which was segregated from Jordan’s wing-woman group.

“I had no idea how popular this place was, I feel like you all have shares in it or something,” YFN laughed. She knew Leah wanted to ask her something and was trying to make her feel at ease. She liked Leah. Everybody had nice things to say about her, Jordan included.

“Yeah,” she laughed weakly. “Are you guys having fun?”

“Of course! It’s a bit hard not to when you’re around this bunch,” she said, gesturing to the group and noticing that Katie was again on a stool shouting with Caitlin encouraging her from below.

“Have you known Jordan long?”

“Honestly, no. We’re new friends. She’s the first friend I made when I came here, and she introduced me to so many people. She’s great.”

“Yeah.. she is. So you’re just here on holiday?”

“I’m unsure at the moment.. working it out.”

“And you came alone?”

YFN gave her a questioning look as Leah realised she’d been too forward. She answered anyways. “I came alone. I’ve made friends, and even managed to start dating someone so I’ll probably stay longer than I intended.”

She put that out there, waiting for Leah to ask who she was dating. She didn’t. Instead she shifted uncomfortably. Then she noticed Jordan flirting with a girl and looked at YFN, confused that she didn’t seem upset. “Wait.. you’re not dating Jordan?”

“Dory? No.. no, I love her. She’s a really good friend. But no.”

“But then who… oh! Lucy?”

“How did you know?”

“You were at her game. And she posted you on Instagram. Are you dating Lucy?!”

YFN nodded, feeling a little excited that she was now able to say it. “It’s very fresh, though. We’re exploring the idea.”

Leah looked relieved, and then happy. Most of her awkwardness and tension disappeared. “Oh, wow. She’s been single for so long…” She trailed off as her mind went somewhere. YFN remembered then that Leah was Keira’s best friend. Her eyes flicked back over to Jordan and the girl who were now even closer. She looked back at YFN like she wanted to talk, to ask her about her ex, but she stopped herself. They didn’t know each other well enough. She started to get a little awkward again, obviously trying to avoid looking over at Jordan.

“Anyways… it was nice to chat. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“I’m always here for a chat, Leah. Thanks for coming over here.” YFN gave her a kind smile and as Leah walked away, she could only feel empathy for her. It was clear where her heart was.

Leah re-joined her group and immediately took a shot. YFN looked over to Jordan who was almost about to start kissing the random woman. She knew her friend needed the one-night stand for her own sanity and confidence, but it felt wrong to her that she didn’t know about Leah’s obvious feelings.

Her phone buzzed.

*Leah Williamson started following you.*

Kristie-Bronze1995: *Sent a photo*

The photo was of YFN standing in the pub, staring at her phone just before Leah had walked over.

She looked up, startled. She was here.