scribblesofagoonerr - Tumblr blog

scribblesofagoonerr · 2 days ago

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updated version :)

where’s dumb and dumber? | chaos fc

summary: monkey gets homesick and needs to speak to leah to reassure her, but then her and kyra continue to try and cause trouble down under—monkey becomes the protective guard-dog when kyra gets injured during the match

pairings: monkey!reader x kyra cooney cross | monkey!reader x leah williamson | monkey!reader x katie mccabe | monkey!reader x arsenal wfc

thanks to @wosov and @alotofpockets and @lvnleah as always for helping me out with ideas along the way and giving me the confidence to post!

The next morning, it’s like nothing ever happened.

You bounced around the breakfast buffet like you didn’t spend half the night curled up against Kyra’s chest, thumb tucked firmly in your mouth.

“Monkey, are yer gonna come and eat yer breakfast?” Katie called, hands on her hips as she watched you dart between the juice station and the cereal bar like an untamed toddler.

“I’m not hungry,” You mumbled, scuffing your foot against the floor.

Katie raised an eyebrow—the kind of look that says she’s not about to argue—and crossed the room in two strides, steering you gently but firmly by the shoulders towards the table.

“Yer need to eat, little lady,” Katie said, her voice leaving no room for debate.

“But I don’t wanna,” You huffed, dragging your feet like you’re being marched to the gallows, but Katie doesn’t let go.

“Yer need to eat, Monkey. No arguments,” Katie plonked you down in a chair, crouching to your level as she tucked a loose bit of hair behind your ear, “Last night was hard, yeah? I get it. But yer can’t skip meals ‘cause yer don’t feel like it.”

“But my cereals’ almost soggy,” You whined, poking at the bowl miserably.

“That’s because yer left it,” Katie replied, still patient but firm, “Now come on. Sit up properly and eat, please.”

“Monkey, come on, let’s not be difficult,” Katie said patiently, though a warning edge crept into her voice, “Come on, just small bites, little lady.”

“... Two bites,” You tried to bargain, giving her your most pitiful look.

“I’m not compromising, Monkey. It’s important. We’ve got a match today—you need your strength,” Katie reminded you.

You glared at Katie with all the fire of a furious toddler, “I don’t wanna!”

“Monkey, please, come on yer need to try and eat something at least,” Katie tried again, her patience fraying but the second, “What about some toast if yer don’t want cereal?”

“Katie’s right, Monkey,” Caitlin chimed in gently from across the table, “You need to eat. It’s important.”

You turned sharply, shooting Caitlin a death glare, “I DON’T WANNA!” You kicked your chair back, the legs screeching against the floor.

Katie caught you before you could launch yourself out of it, hauling you onto her lap, “I know yer don’t wanna, little lady, but yer ‘ave it to eat something.”

You thrashed weakly, face crumpling, and buried yourself into her chest, “I don’t wanna eat,” You mumbled miserably, thumb sneaking back into your mouth.

It was at that moment that Kiim walked nearby, and your whole body tensed immediately, trembling against Katie, “Hi, Monkey. How’re you feeling this morning?”

“Mornin’ Kim,” Katie greeted politely, keeping you settled on her lap as you whimpered slightly and tried to shield yourself from the Scottish woman, “Yer gonna say ‘ello to Kimmy, eh, Monkey? I bet yer she could get yer to eat, couldn’t she?”

“No,” You mumbled, shaking your head and shoving it into Katie’s chest to try and hide away from the Scottish woman, “I… I don’t wanna! I don’t wanna!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re alright,” Katie reassured, her arms tightening around you protectively as she sent Kim an apologetic look, “There’s no need to get upset, little lady. You’re okay.”

“It’s alright, Katie. I didn’t expect her to warm up to me so easily after… after what happened,” Kim admitted, her face crumpling with guilt as Alessia walked over, slipping an arm around her shoulder and gently steering her away.

“Yer know, Monkey,” Katie exhaled a sigh, brushing a strand of hair out of your eyes, “Kim feels terrible about what happened yesterday. Maybe yer might wanna cut her a break, eh?”

“She’s a meany, and shouted at me,” You mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard by anyone else other than the girls sitting on the table, which just so happened to be Katie, Cailtin, Steph and Kyra, “I don’t like her anymore! No, she’s a meany! She’s not like Shrek anymore!”

“What?” Caitlin furrowed her brows in bewilderment, “Look here, trouble, if you don’t eat, then you can’t play in the game later. How about that? You eat, and you won’t have to be benched then. Deal?”

“No deal,” You firmly shook your head in disagreement, “I’m not eating stupid breakfast! I want sweets instead!”

“You can’t have sweets before breakfast,” Steph added, “If your Mum were here, then she’d say the same thing, wouldn’t she?”

“How about we call her and see what she thinks?” Caitlin chimed in, noting the way that Katie was yet to even touch her own breakfast, in favour of trying to coax you to eat your breakfast, “Katie, if she’s not gonna eat hers, then you might as well eat your own.”

You glared at Caitlin like she’d single-handedly offended you with that comment alone.

“Come on, little lady,” Katie murmured, lifting the spoon and holding it in front of you before looking at Caitlin, “She has to eat, Cait. How ‘bout we try it like this then, eh?”

“No,” You glared at the cereal like you had a personal vendetta against it, “I don’t wanna eat stupid breakfast. You can’t make me!”

You continued to remain firm about not wanting to eat breakfast. You sat there in a sulk, arms crossed over your chest, as Katie did her best to try and coax you into eating it.

“Come on, little lady,” Katie tried her best, not quite ready to give up on trying to get you to even eat a spoonful at this point, “Yer don’t have to eat all of it. But just a few mouthfuls, please?”

“No!” You exclaimed, stubbornly, shaking your head and keeping your mouth shut.

“Please, Monkey?” Katie was reluctant to give up just yet, “How ‘bout I do yer a deal? A few bites, and then… then yer can even have some pancakes!”

“Oh, yeah, cos’ that’s really the way to do it,” Caitlin huffed, rolling her eyes, “Bribing her won’t work, Katie.”

Katie exhaled a sigh and looked at Caitlin, “Well, do yer have any better ideas instead then?”

“Monkey,” Caitlin fixed you with a firm look, moving to stand up from her chair, “You’ve got two choices, you either eat your breakfast, or you don’t. But you’re not gonna be able to play in the match if you don’t eat it.”

“No!” You suddenly lost your temper as you picked up the bowl of cereal and launched it straight at Caitlin, “No! W… Why don’t you fuck off back to Australia you fucking kanagroo!”

The whole room froze.

Caitlin’s cereal-dripping face was a picture of pure, stunned disbelief.

It was like your anger went from zero to ten in a space of a minute.

Nobody knew what to say for a second as everyone just stared at Caitlin in shock.

“You’re horrible! I don’t like you. You hurt my Auntie Wally!” You fired insults at the Australian women, who stood there, frozen, “You’re a meanie! I don’t fuckin’ like you! You fuckin’ stupid head!”

Steph gasped, and Kyra couldn’t help but quietly snicker.

“You’re mean an’ horrible, and you can’t tell me what to do!” You continued to throw insults at Caitlin, “You smell like dumb, stupid Vegemite!” You scrambled off Katie’s lap, and stood glaring at the Australian woman.

Caitlin turned to look at her girlfriend with gritted teeth, “Are you really going to let her speak to me like that?”

“Yep, yeah, got it. I’m on it,” Katie murmured, raking a hand through her hair, “We’re going.”

Caitlin just stood there, milk dripping off her chin, “I… I swear this kid hates me,” She muttered.

“Alright, that’s it,” Katie exhaled a sigh, hauling you up and throwing you over her shoulder as you kicked and flailed like a feral cat, “Come on, Monkey.”

“No! No! Put me down! Put me down!” You screeched, continuing to pound your fists on Katie’s back, “Let me go! N… No! Put me down! I hate you, Caitlin! You’re mean and horrible!”

“Katie,” Caitlin called after in a tight, strained voice.

Katie didn’t even turn around, just threw a hand up, “Yep! Yeah, handling it! Handling it!” Before continuing to carry you off to a quieter part of the hotel, ignoring the punches you landed on her back.

Kyra couldn’t help but snicker to herself at the sight of Caitlin covered in cereal and milk, “You look hilarious right now.”

She found it funny, at least it was until Steph smacked her upside the head, “Stop laughing pest, or you’ll be joining your menace of a best friend over there.”

Kyra’s eyes went wide, “Forget I said shit,” She mumbled, shrinking back into her seat as she picked up the spoon of her cereal and started to eat again.

“Put me down! Put me down!” You wailed, hammering your fists on Katie’s back, “You’re being a meanie! I don’t like you anymore!”

Katie carried you off like it didn’t even bother her as she found a quiet corner and plopped you down on a nearby chair, “Right, little lady, listen ‘ere, yeah? We’re gonna have some quiet time away from everyone else—”

“No! No!” You screeched. You didn’t want to be sitting in a corner, and you certainly didn’t like how Caitlin was trying to tell you what to do, “I don’t wanna sit ‘ere! You can’t make me!”

“Monkey, I need yer to calm down,” Katie said in a gentle tone of voice, “I can understand that yer upset, but yer know it’s unkind to call people names like that, don’t yer?”

You didn’t care, though. You didn’t want to even listen. You just started to kick the wall in anger.

“I DON’T WANT QUIET TIME!” You screamed, wriggling like an eel in her arms, “I DON’T WANT YOU! I WANT MY MUM! I WANT HER! I DON’T WANT YOU! I HATE YOU!”

“Monkey, listen to me,” Katie kept her tone of voice calm despite your initial anger, “It was really unkind to speak to Caitlin like that. You don’t call people names, and you definitely don’t throw food at people either.”

You glared at her, your chest heaving, “I don’t care! Caitlin’s stupid! She hurt my Auntie Wally and she’s a big, dumb, stupid head! She smells like stupid Vegemite and I hate her!” Your bottom lip wobbled dangerously as the tears began pouring down your cheeks.

Katie caught your flailing hand gently, holding it firmly but kindly, “No hitting, little lady. I know yer mad, but we don’t hurt people when we’re upset, okay?”

You struggled against her grip, chest hiccuping with sobs now, hot, miserable tears streaking down your face. You didn’t want to listen. You didn’t want to calm down. You just wanted Leah. You wanted everything to stop feeling so… wrong.

Katie knelt down in front of you, still holding your hand, still so annoyingly patient even though you were being an absolute nightmare, “Monkey, I know yer upset right now, and that’s okay. But throwing things and shouting nasty words isn’t how we show we’re upset, alright? Yer can talk to me, or yer can try, but we don’t hurt people, even with words.”

You sniffled, hiccuping again with your fists curled into tiny balls of fury, “Nooo!” The tears streamed down your face as you sobbed, “I want my Mum! I want her now!”

Katie crouched lower, trying to make herself smaller and less threatening, rubbing your hand in slow, calming circles even as you tried to pull away. Her heart cracked right open seeing you so overwhelmed and hurting, “I know yer do, Monkey, and I know it’s hard being away from home, isn’t it, hm?” She asked, pausing as you nodded faintly, “How about we give her a call as soon as you’ve calmed down, eh? I bet she’d love to speak to you before the game kicks off.”

“I wan… I want to speak to her!” You demanded, the tears still spilling down your cheeks, “I don’t want you! I want my Mum!”

Katie nodded, like you hadn’t just tried to rip her heart out with those words, “Okay, okay, and you can. But I need yer to calm down first, alright? We don’t want yer Ma to be worried about you, do we?”

You let out a hiccuping sob, fists rubbing furiously at your eyes as the fight started to drain out of you, leaving behind a shivering, weepy little mess. Katie lowered herself to sit cross-legged on the floor, arms open in silent invitation.

You hesitated for half a second before crumbling entirely, launching yourself into her lap and clinging to her like a koala while big, wracking sobs shook your whole body as you buried yourself into her.

“Hey, yer alright, little lady. I know it’s a lot, and I bet you still feel overwhelmed by it all, don’t you, huh?” Katie murmured, tucking your head under her chin as she gently rocked you side to side, “Yer just got a lot of big feelings right now. It’s alright. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

For a long few minutes, that was all it was��just you sobbing your heart out and Katie holding you tighter every time you threatened to wriggle away. Slowly, your breathing began to hitch less and less, until you were just curled against her, shuddering and sniffling.

“You’re not a meanie, Auntie Katie,” You mumbled hoarsely, thumb creeping back into your mouth.

“I know,” Katie kissed the top of your messy hair, “Thank yer, little lady. And yer know… Caitlin’s not a meanie either, so how about we apologise to her as well, hm? I think she’d really like that, cos’ yer don’t mean them words, do yer?”

You shook your head miserably, rubbing your thumb against your lap as you sucked it, the comfort of it grounding you a little.

“No…” You mumbled around it, voice thick and cracky, “I… I didn’t mean it. I was just mad…”

“I know yer were,” Katie said gently, rocking you side to side, “Yer were upset, not thinkin’ straight. That’s alright. But we can fix it now, yeah?”

You nodded slowly, cuddling tighter into her chest, “Do I ‘ave to apologise to Caitlin?”

“Well, I think it would be good if yer could,” Katie murmured, holding you for another second, giving you the time to breathe, before she gently eased you up so she could look at you properly, “I think yer really hurt Caitlin’s feelings with what yer said. And the fact yer threw yer breakfast on her as well, eh? I think she’d appreciate the apology, Monkey.”

“... Fine,” You reluctantly agreed.

“And what do you say to her?” Katie coaxed you into saying the right words.

You took a deep, shaky breath and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“Good girl,” Katie smiled warmly, brushing your hair back of out of your red, tear-streaked face, “We’ll go and find Caitlin in a bit and yer can tell her that, and I’ll be right there with yer, alright?”

You nodded again, feeling the beginnings of the shame bubble up in your chest—but Katie squeezed your cheeks softly, stopping it before it could hold, “No more tears, yeah?” She said firmly, but kindly, “We all have our bad days, Monkey. Even me. But we’re strong enough to get through them, aren’t we?”

“I know,” You mumbled, sucking your thumb harder, peeking up at her with wide, water eyes, “I… I miss my Mum, and my sister. I… I didn’t think I would miss them this much. I just want to speak to them.”

You missed Leah and Buddy so bad, it felt like an ache in your ribs.

Katie held you tighter, now standing up with you still in her arms like you weighed nothing, “We can sort that out, but I would really like it if yer could apologise to Cait, first, yeah?”

You buried your head in her neck, clutching handfuls of her hoodie.

“Come on, it’ll be easy and then we can get your Ma on FaceTime, yeah? She’ll wanna see that sweet face of yers,” Katie encouraged, smoothing a strand of hair out of your eyes.

“... Okay,” You reluctantly agreed, nodding so hard that you almost unbalanced yourself, making Katie laugh properly for the first time today.

“There she is,” Katie grinned, giving you a little jostle, “Our silly little Monkey—much better when yer laughing and not miserable, eh?”

“Come on, yer know what to do, don’t yer?” Katie gently steered you back into the room, her hand warm on your back. You spotted Caitlin still standing awkwardly by the table, dabbing at her cereal-soaked shirt with a damp towel.

You hesitated, glancing up at Katie with wide eyes, “Do I ‘ave to?”

“Yes, Monks’ yer do,” Katie said firmly, giving you a knowing look, “It wasn’t kind, was it? Yer need to make it right, please?”

“... Fine,” You muttered, dragging your feet towards the Aussie girls.

“Good girl. Go on, then,” Katie encouraged, giving you a little push forward, “Yer will feel better afterwards.”

Blushing with shame, you shuffled over to Caitlin, “Um, Caitlin? I’m… I’m sorry,” You mumbled, your voice barely above a whisper.

Caitlin crouched slightly so she wasn’t towering over you, “It’s alright, Tiny,” She said softly, kinder than you deserved, “I know you didn’t mean it.”

“I was just… annoyed, and I don’t like being told what to do,” You admitted, staring down at your feet and refusing to meet her eye.

“Don’t we know it?” Steph called out, clearly amused.

You glanced up and scowled at her, “Rude,” You grumbled under your breath.

“But true, ain’t it?” Kyra chimed in, grinning cheekily.

A hiccuped sob escaped you, and your thumb found its way back into your mouth. Caitlin gave a little sigh before opening her arms slightly, “Come here, Tiny.”

You didn’t even think—you launched yourself at her, clinging tight and burying your face into her shoulder as fresh tears spilled down your face.

Caitlin awkwardly patted your shoulder but didn’t push you away.

Katie smiled fondly, ruffling your hair, “I’m so proud of yer for apologisin’, Monkey. That was brave.”

“Oh, and you totally didn’t put her up to it?” Caitlin teased, peeking up at Katie.

“I don’t know what yer talkin’ about. It was all her,” Katie said, trying—and failing—to look innocent, “Now then, it’ll still be quite early back home in London, so we might have to wait until your Ma and little sister are awake in a bit, yeah?”

You felt slightly disheartened, but you knew with the time difference, it would most likely not be possible for either of them to be awake yet, “Yeah, I know… Maybe later.”

“Can I have a chocolate muffin?” You perked up at the sight of the chocolate muffin, your eyes lighting up with hope as you shot Katie a pleading look, “Can I? Can I? Please, Auntie Katie! Please?” You whined, your fingers tugging desperately at the sleeve of her hoodie.

Katie chuckled softly, shaking her head with a knowing smile, “When yer didn’t even eat breakfast?” She teased, her tone light and amused, “I don’t think so, little lady. Maybe when you eat lunch first, yeah?”

You let out a dramatic sigh, slumping into the chair next to her, “... Fine,” You muttered, crossing your arms and pouting as you tried to suppress the urge to whine—all you wanted in the world right now was that chocolate muffin, but you knew Katie wouldn’t budge.

The group of you—Katie, Caitlin, Kyra, Steph, Teyah, Alessia, Vic, and you—had settled at a cosy little cafe. The air was filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods, a warm hum of quiet chatter surrounding the table.

“Have a look at the menu, Tiny,” Caitlin gestured to the menu that was placed in front of you, “Let us know what you want to eat, and we’ll go up and order it.”

“What I want is a chocolate muffin,” You muttered under your breath, barely even glancing at it, “I don’t want stupid lunch.”

“Nice try,” Katie remarked, as she scanned the menu and contemplated what to order, “What about a sandwich?

Steph nudged you lightly, “Keep it simple, yeah? Ham and cheese?”

“Sounds like something your Mum would order,” Vic chimed in.

“... Whatever,” You grumbled, chucking the menu aside as you sat there, arms crossed over your chest and a glum expression on your face.

The rest of the girls were deep in conversation and laughing at some private jokes. You weren’t really paying attention to them; instead, your mind was fixated on the low growl coming from your stomach—of course, you were hungry, but you also really wanted a chocolate muffin.

Not a dumb sandwich.

A member of the staff approached the table, crouching slightly to your eye level with a bright smile, “Would she like this to keep her occupied?” She offered kindly, holding up a kids’ activity pack, “We know how hard it can be for kids’ to wait for their food.”

Katie opened her mouth to politely decline, half-execting you to take offence at being treated like a toddler, but when she glanced at you.

You were already sitting up with wide eyes practically vibrating with excitement, “Ooh! What is it?!”

“I don’t think—” Katie was cut off, not having chance to finish the rest of the sentence you had snatched the pack from the waitress with both hands, tearing it open like it was Christmas morning,

“Gimme! Gimme!” You cried, seizing the pack of crayons and immediately setting to work colouring in a cartoon puppy on a skateboard, “I dibs the red!”

Alessia, Kyra, Vic and Teyah were all grinning, finding the situation funny as Katie leaned back in her chair with a soft, helpless laugh.

“Better than needing her iPad to keep her quiet,” Caitlin murmured.

Vic grinned in amusement, “She’s definitely an iPad kid, ain’t she?” She nudged Teyah, who snorted in laughter.

“Oh, she definitely is,” Caitlin agreed.

“Why didn’t we just give her a colouring book to save the expense of a meltdown?” Steph joked, sharing an amused glance with Katie.

“Would have been so much easier,” Katie murmured in realisation.

“I’m starvin’,” Kyra complained, patting her stomach for emphasis.

“Come on, pest,” Caitlin grinned, wrapping an arm around the younger girl as she walked over the counter with her.

Katie stood up from her seat, “Right, I’ll get you a sandwich and a lemonade, yeah?” She double checked before standing up, “Stay put here, no trouble, alright?” She reminded you, before walking over to the counter.

You huffed, slumping further down in your chair, “Yeah, sure, not like I’ve got much choice,” You muttered under your breath, sure you had one small wobble yesterday, but why did everyone still insist on treating you like some vulnerable kid?

You were the same age as Teyah, yet you were practically being handled with kid gloves, and it wasn’t fair.

You only wanted a chocolate muffin.

“What’s with the face, grumps?” Teyah asked, noticing your sour expression.

You shot her a scowl, your lips curling downwards, “Bore off,” You muttered, still pouting.

“Ouch, I’m just tryin’ to make conversation,” Teyah replied, her voice light but clearly amused, “You’re seriously sulking over a chocolate muffin?”

You crossed your arms tighter and shot her another glare, “Fuck off, Teyah,” You grumbled, feeling the irritation rise.

“Hey, whoa!” Steph cut in, a hint of disapproval in her voice but also an amused look in her eyes, “There’s no need for the language, Monkey.”

“But Steph, she’s annoyin’ me!” You huffed, not even bothering to look at Steph as you shot Teyah a dark look, “An’ she’s pickin’ on me! It’s not fair!”

Teyah raised her hands in mock surrender, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth, “Alright, alright. I’m sorry, no need to throw a tantrum,” She grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief.

Katie returned a few moments later with a tray of food and drinks, placing them in front of you with a soft sigh, “Here yer go, one sandwich and a lemonade for the sulking, muffin-craving gremlin.”

You eyed the sandwich begrudgingly but didn’t touch it right away. Instead, you picked up the lemonade, taking a small sip as the cold sweetness distracted your for a second. As Alessia, Steph and Teyah all went up to order their own food, leaving you with Katie, Caitlin, Kyra and Vic.

“Happy now?” Katie asked, sitting back down and giving you a knowing look.

You wrinkled your nose, still sulking, “I wanted a muffin, not… this,” You gestured at the sandwich, “I don’t even like ham that much.”

“Surely not,” Caitlin gasped in mock offence, “Careful, if your Mum hears that then you might be disowned,” She joked.

You stuck your tongue out at her, slumping even lower in your chair. Worst. Cafe trip. Ever.

You clutched your phone tightly as you hit the green button, your heart hammered against your ribs as Leah’s face filled the screen, and the tears started, “Mum!” You blurted.

“Hey, there’s my girl—Hey, hey. What’s with the tears?” Leah said, her voice instantly softening as she leaned closer to the camera, “What’s the matter?”

“I… I just miss you. Both… Both of you so much!” You sobbed.

“Oh, sweetheart. I know, baby. We miss you too,” Leah’s eyes softened even more, “Buddy’s been asking about you non-stop. Only a few more days and you’ll be home with us both, yeah?”

A squeaky little voice suddenly chimed in from somwhere off-screen, Monks’! Mummy! ‘Ook, its Monkey!”

Leah turned her head, laughing as she lifted Buddy onto her lap, “Look who is it, Bubba. See? I told you we’d get to talk to your big sister soon enough.”

“I miss ‘ou, Monks’!” Buddy chirped excitedly, face pressed right up against the camera.

“I miss you too, my favourite little buddy,” You said through sniffles.

“Don’ be sad, Monks’ dat no good,” Buddy pouted, peering up to look at Leah, “Mummy! ‘Ou hafta tell Monks’ to stop bein’ sad!”

“I’m not sad, Buddy. I just miss you and Mum so much,” You wiped your nose with your sleeve off your hoodie, “I’m gonna get you a present before I come home!”

“Wow, ‘eally?” Buddy gasped in amazement.

“Uh huh! Of course I am!” You nodded along in agreement.

“That’s so kind of your big sister, isn’t it, Bubba?” Leah cooed, smiling but gave you a knowing look over Buddy’s head, “Don’t go wasting all your money, Monkey.”

“I know, I know. I won’t,” You reassured her, “Not like I have access to all of it anyway, do I?”

“And whose fault is that, eh?” Leah teased, raising an eyebrow, “Now—please tell me you’ve been behaving yourself?”

You pulled a face, “What d’you take me for, Mum?”

“Monkey,” Leah deadpanned.

You hesitated, glancing sideways at Katie, who was still pretending to look busy across the room.

“Have you spoken to Katie already?” You asked suspiciously.

“No, I haven’t—” Leah narrowed her eyes, “Oh, what did you do?”]

“I… I didn’t mean it,” You admitted, looking sheepish, “But you know I don’t like being told what to do, and er, well… I flipped.”

“Monks’,” Leah exhaled a sigh, giving you a knowing look, “What’ve we talked ‘bout, you need to control your anger, my girl. You need to reign it in, you can’t fly off the handle. What happened this time?”

“Okay, so I maybe threw my cereal… at Caitlin. But she had it coming!” You rushed out defensively, “And I weren’t even allowed a chocolate muffin the cafe! How’s that fair? Mum, I just wanna come home—I’m miserable here, and I don’t like it!”

“Monkey, calm down—” Leah began, but you were already off.

“No! I don’t want to be here! Why can’t I come home already? I miss you!” You exclaimed, rambling ten to the dozen, “Why can’t I just hop on a plane and come home!”

“And me, Monks’!” Buddy cried.

“And you too, Buddy,” You sniffled.

Leah sighed, adjusting Buddy on her lap, “It’s just a couple more days, sweetheart. Then you’ll be home. But you’ve got a game to play tonight, yeah? We’re gonna watch it, aren’t we, Bubba?”

“Yeah! ‘Ou gots to kick da ball, Monks’!” Buddy insisted, “An’ score goal!”

I’ll try my best for you, Buddy,” You managed a tiny smile, “If I score, I’ll even dedicate my goal celebration to you!”

“Uh huh!” Buddy cheered, clapping.

You wiped your nose with your sleeve, sniffling as a small smile crept onto your face for the first time all day, “Love you both.”

“We love you too, my girl,” Leah said softly, “Now go and show them what my girl can do, yeah?”

A smile began to appear on your face, “Okay… I’ll try!”

“Go, Monks’!” Buddy cheered, waving excitedly at the screen.

You gave one last little wave before ending the call, hugging your phone tightly to your chest for a moment, breathing in the comfort of home even from thousands of miles away.

From the other side of the room, Katie leaned against the wall, arms folded across her chest as she watched you quietly.

She knew she should probably tell Leah about the accident, and everything else but part of her wondered if it would be better to wait until the airport. There was no point stressing Leah out before the game?

Maybe it could wait. M

Maybe if you kept your head down for the rest of the trip, she wouldnt have to say anything at all.

Katie sighed to herself, running a hand through her hair.

But with you? Trouble was never far away.

Your phone buzzed again, snapping you out of your thoughts. Frowning, you picked it up and saw another incoming FaceTime from Leah.

You answered, and this time, Leah was alone—Buddy’s wild hair nowhere in sight.

“One more thing,” Leah said, smiling fondly, “Katie’s there with you, yeah?”

You glanced at her over your shoulder, “Uh huh.”

“Put her on a sec, baby,” Leah murmured.

You handed the phone over reluctantly, shooting Katie a warning look that she just grinned at.

Katie took it with a small, wary smile, “Alright, Leah?”

“Thank you,” Leah said immediately, her tone of voice earnest, “I mean… For looking after her last night. I know she can be a handful when she gets in one of her moods.”

Katie chuckled, tipping her head back, “She’s not been that bad. Just… Well, Caitlin got the brunt of it this morning with the whole, cereal casualty.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Leah laughed quietly, “Why am I not surprised it’s my girl pulling something like that?”

You huffed from your seat, crossing your arms.

“And you—” Leah said, snapping her attention back to you, her voice dropping into that Mum tone that brooked no argument, “Sort yourself out, Logan. You’re representing Arsenal, yeah? Not just yourself. I don’t want to hear any more about tantrums or throwing things, understood?”

You mumbled something under your breath.

“Uh, uh, louder please,” Leah said, pursed lips and a look that you didn’t want to mess with.

“Yes, Mum,” You grumbled.

“I mean it, Monkey. Knock it off, or you’ll be grounded before your plane even lands back at Heathrow, understood?” Leah questioned firmly.

Katie muffled a laugh behind her hand.

“Good girl,” Leah said, her expression softening again, “Now go play your game. I’m proud of you, Monkey. Always.”

“Love you,” You whispered.

Leah’s smile remained, “Love you too, my girl. We’ll be watching.”

Katie handed the phone back as the call ended for good, ruffling your hair on the way past and laughing when you batted her hand away with a scowl, “Come on, Monks’,” She teased, “Let’s go make sure you don’t end up chuckin’ a football at anyone next.”

“Are you okay now?” Kyra plonked herself beside you on the bench in the changing room ahead of the match against the A-League team.

You exhaled a sigh, raking your hand through your hair, “... Yeah, I just… I miss my Mum. It’s tough being so far away from her.”

“Oh,” Kyra’s face softened, smiling gently, “You’ll see her soon in a few days, though, right? We just gotta get through this match first!”

“True, and I did speak to her, and my little sister, so I feel a bit better now,” You explained to your best friend, “I just�� I didn’t realise how much I would miss them both, cos’ you know… I’ve never been away from home, this far, without my mum, like ever.”

Kyra draped her arm around your shoulder and pulled you in close, “You’re gonna be alright, Monkey! Being away from family… It’s tough, but you will see them before you know it!” She reassured you, sweetly, “Besides, I have the perfect distraction…”

“What?” You looked at your best friend in curiosity.

“Well, I was thinking that we could prank another one of the girls,” Kyra nudged you lightly with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “Whatcha say? It’ll help you take your mind off feeling homesick!”

You looked a bit more hesitant to agree with Kyra, “I dunno. What if it backfires like the last one did, though?”

“We’re your sense in adventure,” Kyra teased with a cheeky smile, “Relax, Monks’. It’ll be fine! It’ll be fun!” With that being said, she slid her phone out of her pocket and began to scroll through her TikTok feed, “Oi, Monkey. This’ll take your mind of things—take a look at this!”

“What?” You questioned, looking at the Australian girl in confusion.

“Here,” Kyra didn’t waste time to not-so-politely shove her phone in your face, “See this? No way people are actually believing this! It’s ridiculous, right?”

You peered at her phone, staring down at an edit put together by a fan speculating that you and Kyra were together, “Ridiculous, indeed,” You muttered, and you couldn’t help but crack up in amusement, “Are you people seriously thinking that me and you, are anythin’ other than best friends? There’s no way people believe this!”

Kyra snickered, nodding along with your words, “I know, right? We’re literally just best friends!” She found the humour in the situation.

It was typical of the fans to freak out about something like this, and even seeing a slight interaction between you both was bound to send them into an absolute frenzy. You found the idea of Arsenal fans seeing your friendship with Kyra and labelling it as a relationship hilarious.

“These people are mad,” You murmured, shaking your head as you slid Kyra’s phone back to her, “We’re nothing but platonic, chaotic, little shit, best friends.”

And then you had a sudden idea.

“Let’s wind them up,” You came up with the thought, grinning at the older girl as you throw your arm over her shoulder and pull her into a playful headlock, “I mean, like let’s give them what they want!”

Kyra managed to wrangle herself out of your grasp, scrunching her face up at the idea, “Ew. I mean, no offence, Monkey, but you know you’re my best friend and I… I don’t see you that way,” She resisted, pulling away from you, “I mean, not like you’re pretty, cos’ you are, but… It’d be weird, wouldn’t it?”

“Wha—No, no, I don’t mean like that or nuffin’! I just mean winding them up and making it seem like it!” You rolled your eyes, quickly grabbing your phone out of your shorts pockets before tapping on the Instagram app, “I know the perfect photo to use as well when we went out!”

You scrolled through various photos into your photo gallery until you found one which you thought would be perfect, “Yes! ‘Ere this is what I’m talkin’ about!” You exclaimed, grinning like an absolute madman.

“Glad to see you’re feeling more like yourself,” Vic noted your brighter mood, walking past and ruffling your hair.

“Get off, Pancake,” You groaned, batting her hand away and scowling at the older girl.

“What?” Vic looked completely bewildered at the nickname.

“Never mind,” You mumbled, slumping further in your seat on the bench, and continued to upload the photo to your Instagram story, which would no doubt get the attention of everyone–maybe you should put a bet on who will message you first about it?

“Come on, girls, let’s go!” Kim gestured to you both, motioning you all out of the changing room to start the warmup before the game kicked off.

“Comin’, Kimmy!” Kyra replied playfully, bouncing up from the bench.

You, on the other hand, were a bit more hesitant to go near Kim, still as you nodded.

Thankfully, Katie, who wasn’t far behind, noted your stand-offish behaviour and squeezed your shoulder, “Come on, little lady. It’s gonna be grand. Yer gonna have fun out there!”

You begrudingly nodded, dawdling out after the rest of the team as you began to take part in the warm-ups, and of course, you paired up with Kyra.

“I don’t know if it’s a wise idea you two being stuck together,” Alessia teased, eyeing you both with a bit of suspicion, “No more pranks today, yeah?”

“We’re innocent, Lessi,” Kyra answered, pretending to look as innocent as anything.

Alessia scoffed, shaking her head, “Yeah, right. I don’t believe that for a single second!”

“God damn this ball keeps deflatin’ on me!” Katie shouted aloud—loud enough that you were able to hear it from your position on the bench, where you’d unfortunately spent the best part of the whole game.

You definitely weren’t a fan of that, though.

“I’m so bored,” You complained, not expecting to find yourself sitting on the bench at all.

At least Alessia had scored and Arsenal were taking the lead so far.

“So you keep saying,” Steph teased, ruffling your hair as she had not long been subbed off along with Alessia.

“It’s just not fair. I should be starting in this match!” You kicked the seat in front of you, “Screw Jonas!”

“Careful, he might hear you,” Alessia whispered cautiously.

“I’m sure you’ll be subbed in soon enough, Monkey,” Steph told you.

“Suppose so. I guess I’m better off here, away from them pesky seagulls…” You grumbled. You weren’t a massive fan of the birds flying around, “They’re a bit feral, ain’t they?”

Steph leaned forward and squeezed your shoulder, “That’s the spirit!”

“Whoa—Shit, Kyra!” You hissed, eyes wide as you watched Kyra be involved in a particularly nasty foul from the opposition that ended up with her laying on the ground, “What the fuck? Nah seriously, that… They’re just gettin’ to walk away? That’s some fuckin’ bullshit, ref!” You growled, standing up from your seat with clenched fists.

“Hey, hey, easy, tiger. You don’t want to get yourself booked,” Steph reminded you, keeping a hand on your shoulder to keep you grounded, “She’s alright, there’s no need to get up all guns blazing.”

“What the hell, ref? Are you blind?” You shouted at the referee, outraged at the lack of a card, “You’re an absolute melt to not see that foul!”

“Monkey, calm down,” Alessia tried to tug your arm and get you to sit back down, “Don’t cause a scene, sit back down, yeah?”

“The ref needs a pair of glasses,” You grumbled, reluctantly slumping back down in your seat, “Is she okay? I… I should be over there!”

“You can’t run onto the pitch, Monkey,” Steph told you in a sft tone of voice, “She’ll be alright, don’t worry—”

Of course, Steph went quiet the minute that a stretcher was brought out.

“She’s… She’s not fine! See? It’s serious, Stephy!” You were standing back up, more determined to race over to the player who sent your best friend to the floor, “Just wait until the final whistle, and I’ll be ‘aving words with that girl!”

“Alright, Rocky, pipe down,” Alessia grinned, amusedly, “If I were you, though, I’d sit down before the ref decides to book you for causing a commotion on the sidelines.”

“That’s a great new nickname for her, Lessi,” Steph added, smirking.

You could say you were at least feeling relieved when the older girl gave a cheeky smile to the camera’s.

“See? Told you she’s fine, she’s just dramatic,” Steph retorted, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, fine, whatever, but I’m still gonna have beef with that player!” You were more than insistent, standing back up and more than ready to scrap with the said-player, “How could she be so stupid to hurt her like that! What the actual fuck, that fuckin’ idiot!”

“Monkey! No! Sit down!” Alessia took her turn to tug you back down, “You need to stop looking for a way to cause trouble and just sit down!”

“But… they hurt Kyra,” You murmured, looking over to the other side of the pitch to check up on your best friend, “They don’t even care about it either!”

“Relax, Monkey. Kyra is absolutely fine, but you need to control your temper, otherwise you’re gonna end up getting booked,” Steph reminded you, keeping a firm tone of voice, “It’s a good job you’re not on the pitch, otherwise you’d have been sent off by now.”

“They… They hurt Kyra,” You repeated, not entirely happy that the player got away with it like she did, “How is that fair!?”

“Look, she’s about to come off now. So just… Chill for now, yeah?” Steph gestured to Kyra being subbed off for Laila Harbert, “Sit down, guard-dog.”

Your outburst seemed to get the attention of your head coach, who was glaring at you, which didn’t really bother you, because you would quite easily glare back at him if you had the chance.

“Are you alright?” You wanted to desperately make sure that Kyra was really okay, despite fact that the medical team checked over, and they even brought a stretcher on.

“I’m fine, relax guard dog,” Kyra joked, plonking herself down on a seat beside you, “You know, if fans have seen your outburst then it’s just gonna give them more reason to speculate the rumours of us dating,” She joked.

“Whatever, let them speculate all they want,” You grumbled in response, “I’m just a protective best friend, that’s all.”

You were almost entirely convinced that you weren’t getting on the pitch at all. But luck was on your side, apparently.

“Logan,” Jonas called aloud, getting your attention, “Go start and warm up! You’re going on to replace Caitlin!”

“Yes! Now that’s what we’re talkin’ about! Get in!” You jumped up from your seat.

“Told you. Go shine, star girl!” Alessia teased.

You had a sudden fear as you saw the seagulls start to swarm the pitch, “Actually, uh, on second thought, y’know, I… I’m not sure I wanna with all the birds flyin’ around.”

“You’ve changed your tune all of a sudden,” Steph teased.

“Go on, Logan, stop time wasting. We have a match to win today, not tomorrow,” Jonas clapped his hands together, already impatient.

You rolled your eyes, “Calm down, I’m goin’,” You muttered, pulling a face behind his back, “Geez, the dude’s actin’ like it’s the freakin’ Champions League final.”

“Logan! Get a move on!” Jonas barked, sharper this time.

“You know you’re not allowed to speak to me like that, right? I’ll get my Mum on you!” You shot back, hands on your hips, cheeky as anything, “I only ‘ave to make a single call to her.”

“Monkey…” Alessia whispered, shaking her head, tugging your sleeve, “Just go and warm up. You don’t want to make it worse. He already seems like he’s in a bad mood.”

“And with that attitude, you can sit back down,” Jonas declared, shooting you a glare, “You’ll be lucky if you get any minutes next season at all, the way that you’re going.”

#scribbles yaps 🗣️

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