#arsenic-and-coffee

[noirgasmweetheart]

We see Peter Lorre suffer onscreen so often, and he rarely gets any sympathy from anyone besides the audience. So I really treasure this cute moment from "Passage to Marseilles." Not the least because out of context, you can imagine this as any number of other PL characters who could use a blanket and some cocoa.

A few ideas off the top of my head:

When Cairo met Wilmer: During some misguided treasure hunt in the tropics, Joel Cairo almost dies, and is rescued by a young man named Wilmer Cook. The rest is history.

The Baron is retrieved from the Wild Goose: ...and already talking about getting back on track with plans before they even get him onto a stretcher.

Ugarte was only mostly dead! "Ugarte is dead" my ass. If Strasser executed Ugarte before extracting the location of the visas from him then he's an idiot, and if he tortured him to death in one night then he's incompetent. So after Rick and Louie declare their beautiful friendship, they make a stop at the jail to free the tight-lipped prisoner, and bring him to Ferrari's to recuperate in hiding. Now that he's at his lowest and literally stripped of everything he had, Ugarte actually has impressed everyone.

Johnny West is just hung over: Icey is trying to sober up her boyfriend yet again. Johnny eagerly drinks the offering, only to realize that it's coffee and not booze.

Leyden needs coffee: ... or it's Corny Leyden, after attempting to pull an all-nighter working on his new book about Dimitrios. A member of his house staff gives the unkept artist some much needed caffeine and informs him that he's got a press conference in twenty minutes.

Dr. Herman Einstein: ...is sleeping in the Brewsters' basement, either during or after the events of the film. The aunts announce that coffee is ready, and Elanie brings the hung-over doctor a cup.

Vicky Emmric: ...has talked Lottie into camping out at the cemetery overnight with hot cocoa. This is his way of coping with his friend's confession to murder and going to the gallows.

Feel free to add your own ideas.

[discordiansamba]

It's easy to see Keith and Pidge having a jokingly antagonistic relationship in the accidental paladin Matt AU... although he does have to be let in on the joke by Matt because it at first flies over his head and he actually believes that his friend's little sister hates him and thinks he's a bad influence.

but once he understands. it's very funny. That's right. I'm the bad influence in your brother's life that has converted him to the way of the jock. To a life of delinquency. Never mind the fact that I only enrolled in the Garrison a full year after he did. It's retroactive influence or something. What are you going to do about it? Math me to death?

(Pidge responds by picking up a math book and chucking it.)

[kiaroscuro]

Continuing my trend of sorta-watercolor backgrounds, have a thief in his natural habitat. Like many birds, he is decked out in his most prized and shiny possessions and is trying to elicit the attention of a possible suitor, though the suitor appears to be unamused. Oh, the poor thief; maybe next time will work out better.

(otherwise known as: Ganimard isn't being paid nearly enough for all of the hairs he's loosing while chasing Lupin)

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Smiler's Otherland -- Weapons!

We've done the domains -- time to cover Smiler's marmalising arsenal! Well, if you can call it that, given these weapons are all nonlethal unless Smiler's in their version of Hysteria Mode... These admittedly got covered pretty well in the original post, but I wanted to expand a little bit upon what each one does (both in normal and Hysteria modes) and what their upgrade paths might look like --

Vorpal Spoon: As previously indicated, this came about because I needed an equivalent to Alice's famous Vorpal Blade, and since Victor got the Vorpal Fork thanks to his big fight scene in Corpse Bride involving him using a barbecue fork...well, I guess Smiler wanted to complete the cutlery set. XD

Look -- An oversized silver spoon with a black handle grip (with little yellow spirals painted on it, natch) and a twisted slatted "neck" (the part that actually connects the handle and the bowl) -- it's supposed to look like a heartline roll, which is the first inversion on the Smiler coaster. The bowl itself is a bit oversized, and would probably be engraved either with spirals, or the full-on swirly-eyed Smiler logo.

Effect -- Not having any sharp bits like the Blade or Fork, the Spoon is instead a stunning weapon -- Smiler bops enemies on the head with it, and they freeze for a few seconds, unable to move, while swirls go around their heads. Perfect for giving Victor or Alice the chance to get in close with a more lethal weapon! The Hysteria Mode version would still stun the enemy, but also cause damage as Smiler hits harder.

Upgrade Path -- Like the Vorpal Blade and the Vorpal Fork, the look of this weapon doesn't change as you upgrade it -- instead, the trail it leaves as Smiler swings it and the spirals that appear around bopped enemies changes. I'm thinking we start with simple black spirals, then move to purple, yellow, and finally a whole rainbow of spirals.

The Inoculator: One of the elements of the Marmaliser, and probably one of the most famous, since -- well. Big needle full of mind-control juice! That grabs people's interest! This is the equivalent of Alice's Pepper Grinder or Victor's Wedding Wine, functioning much like the latter.

Look -- A big old syringe (about the size of the Pepper Grinder) with a copper needle and plunger and a glass barrel full of yellow liquid (Joy Serum). The serum drains as Smiler presses the plunger, and will need a few seconds to refill -- longer if Smiler empties it completely.

Effect -- Smiler can depress the plunger to squirt out the serum onto enemies -- any enemy hit by the stuff ends up covered in dripping yellow liquid for a short time, and during that time, is friendly to Smiler (and Victor and Alice, if they are present). The enemy will also attack other enemies if they are present. The Hysteria Mode version is a full on "needle jab" attack, where Smiler gets in close and actually injects an enemy with Joy Serum -- this causes the enemy to take some damage from getting stuck, but also turns them completely yellow and makes them fight at Smiler's side for longer.

Upgrade Path -- The needle and plunger go from copper, to silver, to gold, to black; the barrel gradually gains some minor decoration in the form of swirly engravings, and the Joy Serum inside gets more and more excited, going from just plain liquid, to bubbling a bit, to actively fizzing, to occasionally having the Smiler logo fade in and out of it.

The Tickler: Another Marmaliser element, big fuzzy rollers designed to tickle people -- though I wouldn't be surprised if most people looked at them and thought "car wash." :p This is the equivalent of Alice's Hobby Horse or Victor's Grim Scythe.

Look -- The ride Tickler is made up of big car wash brushes; mine is a paint roller. XD Specifically, it's a long black pole with a large fuzzy yellow roller mounted on the end. Just -- picture a paint roller, yeah.

Effect -- This is another weapon designed to stun -- Smiler hits enemies with it and rolls the roller over them, and they get incapacitated for a short time with laughter, as shown by little yellow "ha ha ha"s coming out of their bodies. It's got better reach and stuns for longer than the Vorpal Spoon, but Smiler can't swing it as fast, or move as fast while they're using it. Like the Vorpal Spoon, the Hysteria Mode version of the attack has Smiler hit harder and more aggressively, actually causing damage while also stunning the enemy for a bit longer.

Upgrade Path -- The pole goes from plain black, to black-and-white-striped, to black-and-yellow-striped, to black-white-and-yellow-striped. The roller, meanwhile, goes from plain yellow, to yellow-and-black-striped (like it's presented in The Smiler Game), to black-white-and-yellow-striped, to black-white-yellow-and-purple-striped.

The Flasher: Another Marmaliser element, and the one that most people I think would be fine skipping, as it does involve being flashed with bright light. This is what makes The Smiler fandom not great for anyone who doesn't like or can't view flashing images! This functions much like Alice's Clockwork Bomb or Victor's Altar Candle.

Look -- A medium-sized yellow box covered on all four sides and the top with light bulbs -- a set of six to a side. The bulbs blink on and off occasionally.

Effect -- Smiler puts this down on the ground, holding a small black switch in their hand as they then move about freely. The Flasher will remain where it is placed, with bulbs blinking on and off randomly to attract enemies. After thirty seconds, or when Smiler presses the switch, the box will let off a brilliant flash using all its bulbs at once, then explode, stunning all nearby enemies briefly. It can also be used to hold down switches temporarily. In Hysteria Mode, the explosion is accompanied by flying glass from the bulbs and thus actually causes damage. (I know the Clockbomb Bomb doesn't really have a "Hysteria Mode" equivalent like the main weapons, but I still like this idea.)

Upgrade Path -- N/A -- as the Clockwork Bomb has no upgrades, neither does this. (Given it can literally blind enemies from the start, does it really need them?)

The Giggler: Another Marmaliser element, this one being tanks full of laughing gas sprayed at riders as they pass. This one doesn't get a lot of love -- I think most people are more into the Inoculator's Joy Serum -- but I like it as it's fun and, from what I can see, the gas itself is the ride's explicit purple element. :) It's the equivalent of Alice's Teapot Cannon or Victor's Quill Bow.

Look -- A small tank about the size of the Teapot Cannon, with a black top and bottom over a clear glass middle, showing the purple Giggler gas. A black handle with a trigger is attached to one side, and a black nozzle on a short flexible black hose is attached to the other. Smiler holds it by gripping the handle in one hand and holding the nozzle with the other.

Effect -- Smiler can depress the trigger in the handle to release clouds of gas from the nozzle, which then drift toward nearby enemies -- the longer they hold the trigger, the bigger the resultant cloud, and the faster it moves. Any enemies hit by the cloud end up tinted purple with a purple "ha ha ha" over their heads, and, like with the Inoculator, end up friendly to Smiler and will attack other enemies for them. The clouds have better reach than the Inoculator and can go through barriers, but the tank empties faster than the syringe and takes longer to refill -- it's best used with large groups of enemies, as the clouds can affect multiple enemies at once. The Hysteria Mode version would have Smiler getting up closer to give enemies a bigger dose of gas straight in the kisser, causing damage from lack of oxygen but also making the enemies brighter purple and keeping them loyal for longer.

Upgrade Path -- The top, bottom, and handle of the tank go from black, to white, to yellow, to yellow-and-black-striped; the actual tank gets engraved swirly decorations, then an engraved Smiler Logo with a hazardous X on the bottom, like can be seen in the front in this Tower Times picture; and the nozzle and hose go from plain black, to black-and-white-striped, to black-and-yellow-striped, to black-white-and-yellow-striped.

The Hypnotiser: The final element on the Marmaliser, and probably the other most famous/liked one of the lot, basically just a lot of spinning spirals and other patterns designed to, well, hypnotize. This would be the equivalent of Alice's Umbrella or Victor's Sketchbook.

Look -- A large disc on a black pole, printed with concentric white, yellow, and black spirals (much like the eyes in the logo), which spins at a steady rate.

Effect -- Smiler can pull this out and use the disc to reflect back projectiles or as a defensive shield. It also has a chance of distracting enemies so they don't attack, leaving them open to another weapon. The Hysteria Mode attack would be -- hmmm. Maybe if Smiler pulls it out, it can frenzy enemies into attacking whoever or whatever is closest? (Again, I know the Umbrella doesn't have an Hysteria Mode attack, but come on, it's fun.)

Upgrade Path -- N/A again, as the Umbrella never gets upgraded. (Though if it did have one, I'd imagine the spirals would get more complex -- maybe it would start with just black and white spirals and gradually add the yellow?)

Whew -- I think that covers all their current weapons pretty thoroughly! Once again I count myself lucky that the ride's various "Marmaliser" elements could be so easily converted to weapons. :p Next time in Smiler Otherland news, we'll talk outfits! At least, those outfits I've managed to figure out...

[butch-himbo-king]

I loved ur "getting really into juice lately" tag on that one poll. I'm more of a fun little coffee drink person, but juice drinks really are just fucking delicious.

i can respect a coffee drink. had a huge coffee phase in high school and kinda made myself hate it bc i way overdid it. only time i drink a coffee drink now is when my gf has made or gotten herself one and i have to take the obligatory gf tax sip of hers

[my-52-weeks-with-christie]

Rough on Rats: One Doctor's Suspicions

Dubious of Gertrude’s lucky escape, Dr. Kaltenbach swiftly sussed out Gertrude’s choice of water over coffee was inconsistent with her regular suppertime eating habits. With this nugget of knowledge stuck in his craw, Dr. Kaltenbach continued to care for the rest of the poison-stricken Taylor family — who now needed to contend with making funeral arrangements for their patriarch, Dillon. And…

[rainbowgod666]

Okay hear me out.

If you got stuck in the Madness combat universe what would be your plan in order to survive the longest

Alright so

Gun

Try to befriend the clown

Reach the point where the entire cast is cool with me

Improbability drive bullshit

Flip off the auditor

Learn to do the Funny Volcanic Bullshit my OC can do, possible because of aforementioned Improbability Drive

Gun and other weapons

Make melee weapons with obsidian

Yes i am gonna make them in the moment in case someone needs Melee Weapon

If cannot do steps 6 thru 9 because OC exists, rely on him to explain things roto the cast

If step 10 is possible, and i get funny powers (again, totally possible because improbability drive go brrt), keep a Nexus Artifact in case someone of the main charachters needs a powerup. Maybe 2 if tricky and hank wanna fight

DO WHAT COMES NATURAL

[fantomevoleur]

((SO I FOUND THE DEMON HUSBAND AT A BOOKSHOP TODAY AND YOU KNOW WHAT?! I NEEDED TO REUNITE THE TRICKSTER WITH HIS BELOVED PERSONA SO HE’S HOME NOW!!))

[commissionsdarian]

Darian. why the fuck is the priest in the front room. you're meant to be back up, you're actively fucking us up

It's an old house, thought it could do with a bit of exorcism

[saleeba]

wilo in this new vid 😩🫶🏽😩🫶🏽😩🫶🏽😩🫶🏽😩🫶🏽😩🫶🏽😩🫶🏽😩🫶🏽

[bluejayscrying]

All healed up Jason who just decides to move back into Wayne manor, and he suddenly takes up his role similar to a 1950’s Housewife with a weapons arsenal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason in the morning dropping his brothers off to school: I made Lunch you better fucking eat it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ jason in a floral apron making cookies?? Bruce just thinks he’s hallucinating for the first week because that cannot be his murder son

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

he doesn’t even tell anyone he’s back. He just snuck in and took up residence in the kitchen at 1am, making pancakes until the morning

Tim, who only knew Jason through stories and rumours and snuck down the stairs for midnight coffee: who the fuck is that??

[persona-m4a]

umm I don't think those starbucks cups are worth it y'all

[festus-eats-tabasco]

Let’s talk more about accents in the Riordanverse!

• Percy with rounded New York vowels and that quick run-together way of saying his sentences. Percy with an accent you can’t quite place until he orders some coffee or water.

• Annabeth with a Virginia drawl and long vowels that don’t quite go away, even after years on Long Island Sound. Annabeth, who will randomly spit out phrases like “nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs”, whose cup always fills with sweet tea in the mess hall/

• Carter with a fairly standard American accent until he pronounces a word so bizarrely it’s clear he must have learned it halfway across the globe. Carter, who gets slightly antsy in the same place for too long and goes to language classes at night just for an excuse to practice.

• Sadie with a London accent that’s begun to fade after years in Brooklyn House, who accidentally says “cheers” when people hold the door for her. Sadie, who skips over her t’s and who drops consonants and, like Carter, isn’t exactly sure where her home is.

• Magnus and Alex with strong Boston accents and nasally a’s that Hearth is glad he can’t hear. Magnus, whose accent gets stronger in battle, who intentionally leans into it when he’s on the West Coast. Alex, who makes people guess where she’s from and tells them something different every time, who argues with Magnus over whose accent is stronger.

• Jason Grace with languid California vowels, who drops the end of every word when he’s relaxed and over-enunciates when he’s in charge. Jason, whose accent is only present when he’s comfortable.

• Leo Valdez with a Texan accent to boot and quick clipping consonants, whose accent sounds nearly the same as Annabeth’s to the untrained ear, but insists that they’re completely different every time someone brings it up.

• Hazel Levesque with a thick New Orleans accent, whose vocabulary is peppered with French and old-fashioned phrases and the occasional Southern saying. Hazel, who sticks to Deep South manners (and passive-aggression, when necessary), who orders in French when she goes to a bakery and watched old black-and-white movies when she feels homesick.

• Frank, who sounds American except for when he says “sorry”, who speaks a bit of Canadian French (which Hazel hates, because she can’t understand it), and gets teased every time he says “about”.

• Piper with a slight valley-girl sound that she’s worked hard to get rid of, but tends to slip into when she’s tired or angry. Piper, whose voice becomes sweet and soothing in charmspeak, who understands every fluctuation and intonation and how to use them to her advantage.

• Nico di Angelo with a seemingly standard American accent, until you pick up on the odd transatlantic pronunciation or Italian rolled “r”. Nico with an arsenal of phrases so jumbled and eclectic that people do a double take when he talks.

Just. Yeah. Riordanverse accents.

[theerurishipper]

Twitter AU Masterpost

I decided to compile a list of my Twitter posts, and just put in a little summary of what goes on in each so anyone who wants to can find whichever one they want.

Now also on AO3:

Part 1

Damian bullies Bruce and Dick messes with him, Bruce simps for Superman on main and Clark and Damian take on a hater in the replies, Jason wants to be verified and his siblings bully him a little.

Part 2

A fan of Nightwing's gets a picture of him and Robin and Red Robin battle it out in the replies while Flash stirs up shit, Donna posts a picture of Dick and the Fab Five take on a hater, Damian texts Dick about his profile picture, a lucky Gothamite snaps not one but two pictures of Batblob.

Part 3

Nightwing posts a picture and the people of Bludhaven take the time to appreciate him, Red Robin reminisces about kicking Red Hood and Red Hood gets bullied some more, Batman posts a picture of baby Robin!Dick and everyone coos over it, Riddler questions how Batman got his Twitter handle.

Part 4

A warning is issued for Gotham vigilantes about Batman and Catwoman getting busy and Nightwing's trauma about this is addressed, the debate over Batman's sex life is put to rest, Talia issues a clarification and sets the record straight, Gotham discusses Bruce's emo era.

Part 5

Lex hateposts about superheroes and Bruce annihilates him in the replies, there's an investigation into the matter of Luthor's handle, a mysterious troll makes an appearance, Dick questions Clark, Bruce reveals his and Clark's shenanigans from Dick's Robin days, and a hater is given even more power.

Part 6

Lex is salty and Lois and Clark tear him apart, Superman posts a picture and is accused of plagiarism, Nightwing starts a trend, Babs takes issue with her overuse of coffee being questioned.

Part 7

Oracle and Red Hood reveal the story of why Joker is banned from Twitter, the people of Gotham reminisce about an old tradition, Bruce gets roasted by Alfred, Damian has a wholesome interaction.

Part 8

Damian bonds with Dick and gets trolled by Steph, Spoiler finally creates an account, Spoiler poses a question to the people of Gotham, Batman is bullied by his kids and a billionaire.

Part 9

Spoiler gets a present, mistakes have consequences, Red Robin questions Nightwing's decisions, a resident of North Dakota has a life changing experience.

Part 10

Some well-meaning Gothamites stand up for Red Hood and Oracle gives a history lesson, an old face makes a less than triumphant return, the fab five have some fun, a relatable photo of Batman reveals something more and a new player enters the picture.

Part 11

Harley Quinn beats up Joker, Flash is disgusted by Nightwing, Batman's hypocrisy is revealed, Superman has some fun at Batman's expense.

Part 12

Black Canary fondly remembers a better time, Green Arrow confronts Batman, Green Arrow issues an apology, Oliver schemes and plots, a well-kept secret is finally revealed.

Part 13

Arsenal reveals a personal secret, the people discuss some new revelations, the fab five weigh in on Arsenal's problems, Nightwing takes a stand.

Part 14

The Gotham villains share some opinions, Two-Face and Riddler have an argument, Flash finally picks a side, Green Arrow evades responsibility.

Part 15

Some observers share some hot takes, the Superfam witnesses a breakdown, Lois asks Bruce for help, Dick puts an end to the ongoing feud, everyone starts to move on.

Part 16

Deathstroke shares a story of a failed assassination, someone loses their Twitter privileges, the Court of Owls tries to recruit Nightwing, Talon gets more than he bargained for, some very recent history repeats itself.

Part 17

Bruce is a meme, The League has some concerns about their monthly budget, Nightwing's personality confuses everyone who knows him.

Part 18

Bruce's mistakes reveal his most defining character trait, an early present for Superman causes chaos in the present, Superman's reactions to the goings on lead to some pleasant destructive results, Bruce's inability to understand memes is discussed

Part 19

Red Hood shares an embarrassing opinion, Red Robin starts an argument, Superman wins massively, the superhero community can agree on one thing.

Part 20

The villains discuss their least favorite Robin, Nightwing defends his pettiness, Red Hood endures some misplaced blame, Tim explains his masterful plan, Jason finally gets a win.

Part 21

The Court of Owls is humbled, Nightwing's friends face a problem, a culprit is found responsible, Arsenal gets in hot water.

Part 22

One of Bruce's childhood obsessions is revealed, Riddler tries to call out Batman and runs his mouth online, Riddler issues an apology, the Wayne kids' comments about Bruce eccentric habits reveals their own inadequacies.

Part 23

A tweet is posted by a concerning individual, the heroes find a surprising ally, Superman is the victim of a prank, Superman fires back.

[kyracooneyx23]

You're My Little Secret - Kyra Cooney Cross

Kyra Cooney Cross x lionesses!reader

summary - kyra's coming to arsenal and none of the girls know that you already know each other very, very well.

warnings - nothing except its kinda crap, lot's of rambling. (let me know if you want me to make this a series)

Kyra Cooney Cross was Arsenal's latest signing, the young Australian leaving Hammarby to come and play for one of the biggest clubs in England. Most of the girls had known for a while now about her joining you since before the world cup.

Since the news was properly announced, Caitlin and Steph had made sure to send multiple essays on all the group chats about making the girl feel as welcomed as possible.

Unlike Kyra who had already played for two clubs, Arsenal becoming her third, you were much like Leah Williamson, you'd been with Arsenal since you were 8 and had risen up to the top through the academy and now were a frequent starter for the senior team.

Arsenal had become a home for you, and you never planned on leaving. All the girls had become your family, every single one of you shared a special bond. That's what made Kyra coming to Arsenal so awkward.

You didn't mean to keep such a big secret from everyone, you and Kyra had just wanted to stay private. No one knew, not even Katie who was like your older (extremely annoying) sister or Vic who was your best friend. Kyra hadn't even told Mini and Charli. You just never felt the need to tell them.

Only one person even knew the two of you had met before, but she didn't have a clue that you were together.

Even when they would constantly pester you, trying to get you to go on dates you just let them go on, always ignoring them.

But still after over a year of calling Kyra your girlfriend, not a single person knew about the countless kisses the two of you had shared, or all the nights you'd spent with only each other.

Nobody knew all the coffee dates or the late-night walks.

Nobody knew of the hours you'd spent on facetime when you were away from each other.

It was hard acting like you hadn't already known the girl for 2 years and been dating for 1 and a half of them. But it was better that way. You'd seen how crazy fans went about trying to prove that Katie and Caitlin were dating and the stress that had caused on their relationship, and all the times when they felt like they had no privacy. You and Kyra didn't want that. If you didn't tell anyone, not even your teammates and friends, there was no chance of the public finding out as long as you stayed discreet. But that was easy considering the two of you had a long distant relationship and no fans even knew the two of you had ever spoken to each other.

It was going to be harder now though.

Kyra had received many offers from clubs around the world, but when Arsenal had offered it was a no brainer that she would join the red and white team. She would do anything to be able to spend more time with you, a nice change to the normal distance in your relationship.

A few days after the news Kyra had joined was announced, it was her first day at the club. And for you it was your first time seeing most of the girls as you had been out since the end of the world cup with a minor ankle injury missing out on the games against Linköping and Paris FC in the champions league qualification.

Vic was the first person you greeted as she walked in, practically dragging her feet along the ground. You leaped onto your best friend wrapping your legs around her, forcing her to give you a piggyback.

'Get off me Sunny.' She groans trying to shake her body and get you off. You just wrapped your arms tighter around her neck resting your chin on her head.

Sunny was the nickname you had received when you had begun properly playing with the senior squad. The girls had been talking about you when the topic of your bubbly personality came up. You can’t remember who, but someone said something relating you to the sun and ever since then the name Sunny had stuck.

'But I haven't seen you in ages.' You complain before giving up and sliding down her body and landing on your bottom on the floor. A small pout on your lips. 'I hate you.' It was meant to just be a whisper but she still heard you, resulting in a kick in the head.

'Get up you big baby.' The Dutch girl demands, and you do as she says following her to the room where most of your teammates already were.

You go around the room giving everyone a hug, except for Steph and Caitlin your favourite people to annoy on the whole team. You tugged at both of their hair as they were facing away turning away almost immediately and diving into conversation with Beth and Leah.

You didn’t get to say much though, as a pair of hands turn you back around and your greeted by two pissed of Aussie's faces. Y/n L/n,’ you wince at the full name, the girls only ever saying it when you were in trouble, ‘we haven't even said a word to you and you're already annoying us.' Steph gives you a stern glare and you smile sheepishly.

It was well known by almost everyone that you loved to annoy your older teammates.

'We've only just gotten away from Kyra and now we have to deal with you, and her when she gets here too.' Caitlin groans, 'Do you reckon Jonas will let me resign and go play in a foreign country?' You grin cheekily at her, knowing that she really loved you. Katie often joked that you were like Caitlin's child as you always came to her whenever you had problems, and she always had your back.

'It's ok Cait,' You say, giving her a light pat on her shoulder 'I know you hate to admit it, but you love me.' She rolls her eyes at you wrapping you up in a headlock, you wriggle around, making weird, suffocated noises as you try to escape her grasp.

It's almost like fate that Katie walks in in that exact moment, you slip out of Caitlin's grasp and sprint over to the older Irish girl. 'Katie, you need to sort out your girlfriend.' You tell her urgently 'She was trying to kill me.' Katie laughs, looking over at her girlfriend who is back talking to Steph. The Ireland captain was used to the playful banter you and Caitlin had, often having to be the one to step in when you both took it a bit too far.

'Do I not even get a hello?' She teases you causing you to roll your eyes and poke her in the stomach. 'Oi, I'll get Caitlin to put you in another headlock.' She threatens.

'Please. No!' You plead, putting your hands up in defence before running over to Lotte. You slung your arm over her shoulder. 'Carlotte Mae Wubben-Moy.' You grin watching her face to see her reaction at her full name.

'You know how much I hate it when you call me that.' You don't have time to respond to her when Steph and Beth come and join the two of you.

'Is she annoying you as well?' Steph asks Lotte, giving her a sympathetic look as she sees your arm over her shoulder and your signature cheeky, smug grin that you always have whenever you are annoying someone. 'God you and Kyra are going to get along like a house on fire.' She tells you, her face slightly scared as she thinks of all the pesty things you and Kyra would do upon meeting each other.

Little did she know that you and Kyra already got on.

You’re about to respond but don’t get to as Jonas walks in. A hush settling in the room.

'Hello girls.' The Swedish man shoots everyone a smile as you all move to sit down on the chairs so you're facing him 'Special welcome back to Sunny, so nice to see you again after the break, congratulations on your success at the World Cup, you played brilliantly,' the mention of the world cup sends a stinging pain through you. You still hadn't fully recovered from the loss in the final to Spain, you were so close to winning and were still devastated that you couldn't get the result. 'Before we properly talk about the season ahead and reflect on the games against Paris fc and Linköping, I'd like to welcome our newest signing who I am sure will play a massive part in helping to lead us towards success. I am sure you already know who she is but please welcome Kyra Cooney Cross to the Arsenal family.' Everyone claps and some people even cheer as the Aussie comes into the room.

You almost immediately make eye contact with her who had been searching for you the moment she walked in. You have to bite your lip to hold back a large smile.

You hadn't seen her since the Lionesses had played the Matildas in the semifinals. You had been too busy recovering from your injury so you could be back in time for the start of the season to have time to properly catch up with her, so it took all your self-control not to get up and run into her arms.

She goes and sits with Caitlin, not wanting to make it weird if she went and sat with you.

You turn to Alessia who is sitting next to you, the two of you have a short conversation while Kyra is settling in, before you have to listen to Jonas talking about important stuff, but it was pretty much the same talk he had at the beginning of every season.

When he lets everyone go and do a light gym session, before proper training after lunch, you are almost immediately on your feet and heading into the gym.

You talk to Alessia but are hardly paying attention waiting for Kyra to come out wanting to say hi to your girlfriend. When she does, she's with Steph and Caitlin who are pointing at all the girls, probably telling Kyra all their names and stuff about them. You'd already done that over face time.

When Steph points to you and Alessia, you make eye contact again. This time you smile and wave at them. Kyra says something to them that you can't hear but they begin to walk over to you.

'I don't know if we should be doing this.' Steph says anxiously, who you can hear now since they were getting closer.

‘Doing what.’ Your girlfriend asks.

‘Introducing you and Sunny, you’re the biggest pests in the world.’ Caitlin tells her.

'We'll probably end up regretting this moment when they start stealing our boots every training session' Steph says and you grin at the left back.

'That's such a boring prank, I've got much better ones planned already.' You laugh and Caitlin rolls her eyes.

'Kyra this is y/n, but everyone calls her Sunny, Sunny this is Kyra.' Caitlin says to the both of you. It was weird hearing people introduce the two of you like you were strangers, but you played along with it anyways, not wanting to raise suspicions.

You pull her into a hug, and she wraps her arms back around you in return. You almost melt into her warmth, the familiar smell of her perfume consuming your nostrils. You could stay in Kyra's arms forever, but you know it would look weird if you stayed like this for too long.

'Nice meeting you.' Kyra says holding her hand out for you to shake. Her acting skills were terrible, she sounded like a robot, and you had to hold your breath so you wouldn't laugh at her.

'I look forward to playing with you this season.' You say back, knowing you probably sounded just as awkward as she did. You shake her hand, and she smiles slightly when she sees one of her rings on your finger. When you let go of each other Kyra turns to greet Alessia, this time the interaction seems more natural.

'It's going to be a tough race to see which one of you is more annoying.' Steph tells you as you and her watch Kyra interact with Alessia. You're not trying to look like a lovesick puppy, but as Caitlin looks at you from the side it's all she can think of, she tells herself she's just seeing things though, you can’t be looking at Kyra like she’s your long-lost lover. Right?

'I need the toilet.' Kyra whines to Steph after a while as the five of you are walking to the weights area of the gym.

'I'll show you where they are.' You say almost immediately, cringing at how eager you sounded to show a girl, who supposedly you were only meeting for the first time, where the toilets were. You played it off though missing Caitlin's small frown of confusion before she shrugs and says she'll meet Kyra at the cafeteria at Lunch.

'Don't get up to any mischief.' Steph tells Kyra in a way much like how a mother would talk to a child 'you don't want to make a bad first impression.' Kyra nods and you both watch as the two older Australians walk away.

'Lessi, you coming?' You ask the blonde striker, who shakes her head. 'I'm going to go and see Lotte.' She says leaving you and Kyra alone.

As you and Kyra walked off, you felt almost giddy. You had time just the two of you for the first time in ages. When you were out of sight from everyone else, yours and Kyra's hands intertwined.

'I've missed you so much.' She whispers a small smile cracking on your face.

'I've missed you more baby.' You say, turning around and holding open the door for her stepping to the side so she can enter. 'I'll wait out here for you.' A small frown forms on her cute face.

'I don't really need the toilet.' She tells you as though it was obvious 'I just wanted to spend time alone with you.' She steps closer to you placing a hand on your arm.

You two had been in moments like this too many times to keep count, but that didn't stop your heart from racing. Every time you were with Kyra, whether it be on facetime or in person, you'd constantly be questioning how you got so lucky to have a girl like her.

When she's so close to you that your chests are basically touching, you close that small gap placing your lips on her. Your hand holds the back of her neck, keeping her as near as possible, whilst hers sneak underneath the fabric of your training top running up and down your back. The contact of her skin on yours gives you shivers, turning into putty at Kyra's touch.

As the two of you were sharing a passionate moment, Steph and Caitlin were doing warmups in the corner of the gym, their voices were hushed but intense.

'I don't know, Steph.' Caitlin whispered; her brow furrowed with suspicion. 'Did you notice how they were acting before? It was just… off.' Steph nodded thoughtfully, adjusting the weights before her next shoulder press.

'Yeah, it was weird. Like they were trying too hard to act normal.' She glanced around before leaning in closer. 'Do you think they're hiding something from us? Like, maybe they knew each other before, and they've been keeping it from us this whole time?' Caitlin eyes widened with realization.

'I think you might be onto something. How else do you explain why Sunny was so eager to take Kyra to the toilet. and the way she was looking at her.' They exchanged knowing looks.

'Should we ask them about it?' Steph asked her Aussie teammate who just shook her head.

'Let's just see how the next few days go,' Caitlin says, not wanting to jump straight to conclusions 'There's probably nothing even going on and we're just overthinking. Sunny can be very friendly, that's probably it.' Steph hums in agreement the two of them changing the subject to Steph's upcoming wedding.

Back in the toilets you and Kyra were still making up for lost time. The two of you had moved into the bathrooms, you were sitting on the sink your legs wrapped around Kyra's torso. She had undone your plait, so your hair was now loose, all knotty from her hands being tangled in it.

When you pull away Kyra's eyes are glued to your face. The midfielder memorising every single detail almost as if she was never going to see you again. 'God your gorgeous.' She mumbles placing a light kiss on your jaw, you lean your head back a slight sigh of pleasure escaping your lips. Kyra uses this as an opportunity to place wet kisses all along your neck but you're quick to push her away knowing it would look strange if you came out of the toilets with fresh hickies littering your neck.

'Not now.' You tell her when she pouts, your quick to slide off the sink and readjust your t-shirt. 'We should get going before anyone notices we’ve been gone for a while.’

‘But I’ve only just got to see you.’ She complains clinging to your arm like a koala clings to a tree. ‘five more minutes? She begs giving you puppy eyes that you normally found it very hard to say no to.

‘I’m sorry Ky, but we really got to go otherwise they’ll start wondering where we are.’ It takes a minute of persuading Kyra, and then fixing your hair and hers before you’re walking back out to where everyone else is.

‘I’ve never heard anyone call you Sunny before.’ Kyra says.

‘Really? Surely you’ve heard someone call me it before, everyone does.’ You say slightly shocked, even your parents had started calling you Sunny.

‘Nope, never have.’ The Aussie answers ‘I think I’ll stick with babe and my love. You know, the names only I can call you.’ She sends a wink your way and you shove her lightly.

'Who said I wasn't seeing anyone else?' A teasing grin plasters your face as you joke with Kyra, her face turning stone cold.

‘I’ll take my ring back; I’ve been wondering where that was for a while now.’ She warns making you laugh.

‘Oh yeah.’ You’d almost forgotten about the ring ‘I think it looks better on me though. I even put it on my middle finger so I could do this.’ You flip her off making her jaw drop.

‘That is not the way you should be treating your amazing, super-hot and funny girlfriend is it?’ She teases ruffling your hair.

‘C’mon Ky.’ You sigh, undoing your hair again and re-plaiting it ‘That’s the second time you’ve messed my hair up already today.’ She laughs.

You are back in the gym now, hopping onto the bikes to do your warmups while Kyra leaves you to go back to Caitlin. When you get off the bike you grab a mat to do your stretches, alone until Vic comes next to you.

‘I’ve been looking for you for ages.’ She says sitting next to you watching as you stretch. ‘We need to do our pull-up comp, you may have beaten me last year but I want revenge.’ She grins and you roll your eyes.

‘As if. I love your confidence though.’

‘I’m serious, I’ve got this one in the bag.’ Vic tells you one you've finished, you and Vic make your way over to the pull up machines. Manu noticed the two of you getting ready and since last year, when you two had started the pull up competition everyone had been placing bets on who would win.

‘Everyone, Vic and Sunny are doing the pull up comp.’ The Austrian shouts catching most people’s attention.

Kyra was with Caitlin and Katie at the far side of the room, but still heard the goalkeepers loud shouts. ‘What is that?’ She asked the older pair.

‘When Vic joined last year her and Sunny did a competition to see who could do the most pull ups. Sunny won and Vic is determined to win this year.’ Katie says, catching Kyra’s interest. She’d love to see her girlfriend doing pull ups with her muscles on full display.

'Let's go watch.' Kyra insists, not leaving the others much a choice as she's already gotten up and started walking over.

'Someone's a bit eager.' Katie chuckles to Caitlin.

'Yeah.' The aussie responds, though her voice is only a mumble as her thoughts were still thinking about her and Steph's conversation from earlier.

When the trio reached the pull up machines, you and Vic were mid argument about who was going to go first. 'I won last time so I should get to pick.' You stated, restating your argument for the 100th time.

'Exactly.' Vic sighs, 'You won, so you don't need an advantage.' Everyone groans, some people who had gathered round to watch debating walking away if the two of you were going to keep going back and forth arguing the same points.

'Do you want to do this or not?' Manu asks the two of you, standing in between you to temporarily stop your bickering. 'Because if you carry on we're going to have to go outside before you can actually do the comp.'

'Fine.' You spit giving Vic a nasty glare 'You can go first, but you'll still lose.'

'Will not.'

'Will so.'

Will not.'

Will s-'

'Can the two of you shut up for once?' Lotte interrupts and you look around noticing that Lia, Sabs and Stina had all returned to their workouts.

'Sorry guys.' You apologize before walking over to the bar and getting your grip ready. When Manu says go you start, at first its easy and you breeze past the first 8, but then your arms begin to ache and you slow down each pull up becoming harder and harder.

'C'mon Sunny!' People begin cheering, their shouts getting louder as you get to your 15th, you use all your leftover strength to do one more before collapsing.

After catching your breath, you get up, sending Vic a cheeky smile as she gets on the bar ready to have her turn.

You spot Kyra watching from afar with Caitlin and Katie, not knowing that the girl was replaying your pull ups in your mind. The whole time she had been practically drooling over you, mainly your biceps that were on display.

No one had noticed the midfielders lovestruck expressions as she watched her girlfriend work out.

Everyone except Steph.

When Kyra notices you staring she smiles, dimples forming on her cheeks. She walks over to you and you've completely forgotten about the competition, unbeknownst to the loud cheers as Vic also reaches 16 pull ups. People sighing as she's unable to complete a 17th.

'Maybe I should get some bars so I can see you do that every day.' Your girlfriend whispers in your ear when she reaches you a small smile breaking onto your face.

'You enjoyed that did you?' You tease flexing your muscles causing Kyra's cheeks to get a light pink tint and her to stumble on her words.

You pull your sleeves back down when Vic wraps her arms around you. 'Were you even watching Sunny?'

A feeling of guilt washes over you as you realise you were too caught up with Kyra to watch Vic have her turn.

'Yes...'

'You little shit.' Vic gasps when you fail at lying 'I think you should be disqualified...' She turns around to everyone else 'Who else thinks Sunny should be disqualified?' she shouts everyone immediately agreeing.

'You guys.' You wine, hurt by their betrayal 'You don't even know why Vic thinks I should be disqualified.'

'Yeah but it's worth it to see you mad.' Katie laughs causing you to flip her off. 'I wouldn't be doing that if I were you.'

Later, when everyone was outside doing drills Steph and Kyra were distanced from the the others. The older girl asking Kyra about how she was settling in so far.

The left back, who had not been able to stop thinking about how you and Kyra had been acting strange decided now would be a good time to ask about you.

Steph leaned forward slightly, her expression curious yet casual. 'You and Sunny seem to get along really well. Do you like her?'

Kyra felt a pang of panic shoot through her. She hadn't expected Steph to pick up on anything. She tried to keep her voice steady, hoping that Steph was just being curious. 'Oh, um, Sunny? Yeah, she's… she's nice. We get along.' Kyra's words stumbled over each other, her mind racing for a suitable explanation.

Steph raised an eyebrow, her gaze penetrating. 'You seem a bit flustered,' she remarked softly, a knowing smile playing on her lips. 'Is there something you're not telling me?'

Kyra's heart sank. She hadn't planned for this conversation to take such a turn. You would kill her if Steph found out. She glanced around nervously, hoping no one else was listening in. 'I… I don't know what you mean Steph.' she managed finally, trying to keep her voice light despite the knot of anxiety in her stomach.

Steph leaned back, still smiling knowingly. She knew Kyra was hiding something. 'Come on, Kyra,' she said gently. 'I can tell when something's up. You can talk to me.'

Kyra sighed inwardly, knowing she couldn't keep denying it. She glanced over at Sunny, who was engrossed in her phone, oblivious to their conversation. 'It's… it's not like that,' Kyra began awkwardly, her cheeks flushing. 'We're just got along straight away.'

Steph's smile turned into a grin of amusement. 'Uh-huh,' she teased lightly. 'Sure, just friends.'

Kyra felt a mix of relief and nervousness. She hadn't intended to reveal anything, but now it seemed Steph was onto something. "I… I really mean it, I think that we're going to be close, that's all.' Kyra insisted, hoping her voice sounded convincing.

Steph chuckled softly, shaking her head. 'Okay, Kyra,' she said, her tone affectionate. 'Whatever you say.'

As they continued the drills, Kyra couldn't help stealing glances at you, when you looked up and caught her eye, you gave her a happy smile. Kyra thought Despite the awkwardness of the moment, Kyra couldn't deny the warmth she felt knowing that Steph suspected something, even if she hadn't outright admitted it.

[wileys-russo]

maternal instinct (5) II a.russo

maternal instinct (5) II a.russo

"-and then finish it with a fist bump." you returned to catch the last few words of gio's sentence, sending him a smile where bella was perched happily on his lap.

"uncle gio taught me a secret handshake." bella grinned as the boy sent you a wink and tickled the five year old who laughed and fought to pull his hands off.

you'd all spent the morning at bella's own game where her team had won 4-0 and your daughter even managed to earn herself player of the match, which of course meant mcdonalds afterwards as a reward.

alessia had needed to leave before the final whistle so she'd get to her own game in time, but you made sure to film everything she missed which you had no doubt bella would make her watch at least five times later on.

alessia's brother gio and dad mario had come to bella's game as well, which the girl made sure to tell her entire team meant they needed to play well as you buried your face in your hands out of embarrassment and alessia merely laughed in amusement as you blamed her for your daughters competitive drive.

"future captain of england in the making." alessia teased as you sent her a playful glare and smacked her knee, sipping at the iced coffee in your hand as you all cheered when bella's team lined up for kick off.

hours later now the four of you were seated together at alessia's game, arsenal with a saturday afternoon fixture for once and the weather actually quite sunny meant it was a warm one.

"here babe." you sat back down in your own seat and handed bella a drink, watching in amusement as she sipped and pulled a face. "this is water!" bellas jaw dropped in disbelief, alessia's dad chuckling beside you.

"yeah it is, because you need to stay hydrated." you laughed, pulling her cap down over her face as she huffed and moved off gio's lap, slumping down in her own seat with a frown.

"drink please." you warned, nudging her as the girl sighed dramatically but popped the straw back in her mouth, sipping for awhile and handing it back to you as you carefully put it on the ground beneath your feet.

"stop pulling faces." you chuckled at her scowl, tugging her cap back down over her face again as she huffed and smacked your hand away, pushing it back up so she could see, body covered in an arsenal home jersey with russo 23 proudly on the back, matching the ones which both you and gio also sported.

"you know bella if the wind changes and you're making a nasty face, it gets stuck like that...forever." gio warned as the five year old looked up with wide eyes, her gaze turning to you next for confirmation as you nodded your agreement.

"look bella, lessi drinks her water!" mario pointed out where both teams had quickly huddled for a drink break and a brief discussion as one of the girls from the other team was being assessed for injury in the middle of the pitch.

"yeah see, she needs water so she can keep running and running and running." you grabbed your daughter and helped her to stand on your knees as bella hummed.

"mama is pretty fast." bella nodded in agreement as alessia looked upward, clearly searching for all of you in the family and friends section, bella waving like a madwoman as your girlfriend spotted her and grinned.

you smiled softly as bella stuck her arms out, making engine noises with her mouth as alessia laughed and mirrored her movements, sending bella a thumbs up and you a wink as the whistle was called to resume play.

"mama's gonna do it! she's gonna score!" bella gasped with delight a short while later, her water completely gone now as gio had challenged her to a chugging contest earlier which you were surprised hadn't resulted in either of them becoming completely drenched.

how comfortable bella had become around alessia and how easily she'd adapted to calling her mama over the last six or so months had warmed your heart, and sure enough your girlfriend found a gap and she was off in a flash of blonde and red, peeling down the sideline with the ball at her feet.

flicking it seamlessly across to beth her shot was blocked but it meant the rebound landed right back at your girlfriends feet, alessia not wasting a second booting it with all her might and you watched with baited breath as it sailed through the air and swooshed right in the top corner of the goal.

a mighty cheer echoed around the stadium as everyone leapt to their feet in celebration, alessia's arms shooting out as she raced around like a plane sending your daughter into a fit of happy giggles.

"air russo! air russo! air russo!" bella chanted, gio joining in as they both jumped up and down clapping and you grabbed your phone to take a quick video to show your girlfriend later on.

alessia's goal put the gunners in front 2-1, then in a matter of minutes which felt like hours with the ongoing offensive attempts from the opposition, the full time whistle finally sounded and you exhaled in relief.

"and to think, you were once a liverpool fan." marios arm wound around your shoulders with a tut as you shook your head, the team in question being who arsenal had just beaten.

"is there anyone she's not told that to? i was a child i didn't know any better!" you sighed, smiling curling into your features as bella and gio jumped around celebrating. "well some children know better." mario teased as you elbowed him softly.

"aren't you a man united fan?" you quipped back as he whistled and held his hands up in surrender, unable to argue the fact.

"can we go see mama now?" bella asked impatiently awhile later as you'd had to practically hold her back while alessia made her way around the pitch signing things, wanting to give the blonde some time and space to do so without bella attached to her leg.

"yeah babe we can go and see mama now." you smiled, taking her hand and leading her down toward the barrier, catching alessia's eye who held up a finger and turned away, smiling for a photo with a fan before making an apology to the small crowd still waiting.

you showed your pass to security who let you through the barrier gate, joining a few of the other girls and their families who were gathered on the pitch.

spotting alessia bella wasted no time tugging her hand from yours and sprinting off, meeting her halfway as your girlfriend scooped her up. "well hello mutant." alessia grinned, hoisting the girl up on her hip and arriving in front of you.

"hi big foot!" bella grinned back, poking alessia's nose who gasped and blew a raspberry on your daughters cheek making her squeal. "you're all sweaty!" bella whined as alessia hugged her, purposefully rubbing her cheek against bellas shoulder and putting her down as the girl started to wiggle.

"you can go say hello bell." you chuckled catching bella waving through the strikers legs to a few of alessia's teammates she'd come to know quite well.

"but no being cheeky!" alessia called after her in a playful warning as she took off, sending you both a thumps up and almost tripping over as lotte hurried to catch her.

"you know less i think she might be catching your clumsy." you hummed with a disapproving shake of your head, smile on your lips as your girlfriend rolled her eyes playfully and drew you in for a hug.

"she's right you are sweaty." you mumbled feeling the taller girls body vibrate with quiet laughter. "mm but you love it." alessia teased, kissing your cheek as the two of you broke apart.

"your dad and gio send their love, they had to race out to beat traffic to get your mum from the airport." you explained as the blonde nodded, advising she'd call them later anyway as her fingers intertwined with yours.

"the girls are going out afterwards, dinner and drinks." alessia started and you could already tell by the adorably nervous look on her face where this was going. "then you're going too, match winner." you assured before she could say another word.

"but bella-" "will understand."

"you could both come, a few of the others are bringing partners anyway!" alessia perked up hopefully as you sent her a smile. "a five year old at a bar with a bunch of drunk footballers?" you chuckled as the girl deflated a little with a nod of understanding.

"i'll tell them i'm not going." "less, you're going." "but-"

"no, you're going. baby i love you very much and so does bella, but we get to have you all the time. we know we have to share every now and then!" you smiled reassuringly as alessia sighed, slumping her taller body into you for another hug, hands settling on your hips as yours wound around her neck.

"you have tomorrow off yeah? we can all spend the day together then, tonight you need to be with the girls and celebrate the win." you gently scratched at the base of her neck with your nails like you know she liked, squirming a little as she puffed out air into your neck with a nod.

"part of being a parent is compromise. bella might seem a bit upset that you're not going to be home tonight, but she'll forget about it in like an hour you know what she's like." you chuckled as alessia nodded again and stood up straight, pecking your lips quickly in a silent thank you.

“a family day…i can’t believe i have a family.” alessia whispered to herself with a shake of her head in slight disbelief. “well unless you’re some weird sort of alien then i’m pretty sure you’ve always had a family?” you teased as her big blue eyes flickered to you and her lips curved into a smirk.

“cheeky girl.”

"can we make pizzas for dinner? please!" a tiny bundle of red barreled into both of your legs. with one arm slung around your knee and one around alessia's bella wiggled her way in between the pair of you with hopeful eyes.

"listen mutant-" alessia started, crouching down to be at eye level with the five year old as you sent leah a wave who gave you a smile a few feet away.

"i'm gonna go out for dinner with the team tonight and you're gonna head home with mummy. but i'll be there when you wake up!" alessia assured as bella's smile faded. "do you have to?" bella asked with a disappointed frown, alessia looking up at you as you nodded encouragingly.

"yeah i do. but hey tomorrow how about we have a bella day? we can all hang out all day, just the three of us. do whatever you want!" alessia offered, using her thumb to shift bellas pout away as the five year old hesitated for a moment.

"can we go get breakfast? and ice cream? and flowers? and kick the ball in the park? you said you would teach me the back heel!" bella burst out in one very fast sentence, clasping her hands together with puppy dog eyes as alessia let out a laugh.

"yeah we can do all of that, and then make pizza for dinner. i promise!"

"do you promise to come kiss me goodnight when you get home? even if im asleep?" bella asked hopefully as you melted, running a hand through her hair fondly as alessias own face softened and she nodded.

"yeah bells, i promise."

~

you looked over at your phone as it vibrated, startled a little by the sudden message this time of night as you grabbed it and frowned.

iMessage from; leah at 11:23pm incoming.

"incoming?" you mumbled with a frown of confusion, jumping again as there were a few loud sharp knocks on the door, kicking off the blanket and hurrying over as they sounded again.

glancing out the peephole you relaxed once you saw who it was, unlocking the door and pulling it open as alessia practically fell inside and you grabbed her arm to steady her.

"jesus less." you shook your head as she straightened up with a big dopey grin, clearly far from sober as you closed and relocked the front door.

"baby theres one thing you have to know!" alessia slurred slightly, poking your nose as you smiled and raised an eyebrow curiously.

"this was not my fault."

"oh is that so?" you smiled, her hands finding home on your hips as she leaned into you and nodded.

"scouts honour!" she held up two fingers making you laugh. "you're an idiot. you know that?" you smiled pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"and you're beautiful. so, so, so, so, so, so so so beautiful!" alessia grinned a big dopey smile, squeezing your hips and leaning in for a kiss which you turned your head and had it land on your cheek.

"did you just pie me!" the blonde gasped as you smacked a hand over her mouth and glanced toward the living room door which remained closed. "kiss me properly!" alessia yanked your hand away and scowled.

"less bella is asleep!" you shushed her in warning as the girl merely scoffed and pulled a face. "kiss me. right now!" the blonde demanded, crossing her arms and you couldn't help but smile as she swayed to and fro slightly.

"your mouth smells like a bar cart. clean your teeth and then i'll kiss you!" you flicked her nose and turned to sit back down on the lounge to finish the movie you'd paused. "alessia!" you squealed as suddenly a body tackled into you sending you flying over the arm rest and smacking down on the sofa.

"kiss me!" alessia yelled as you smacked a hand over her mouth, eyes darting toward the living room door and holding your breath, exhaling tiredly as suddenly it swung open and a small body appeared, teddy in hand.

"you woke her up dickhead!" you whispered with a scowl, smacking your girlfriends shoulder who gasped and rolled off of you, promptly dropping to the floor. "mama?" bella yawned, wandering over as alessia groaned and rubbed her tailbone.

"daughter!" alessia sung out happily, taking bella off guard as she grabbed her and engulfed her in a bear hug, laying the two of them down on the floor and repeatedly kissing her head.

"my daughter. can i say that? oh im saying it anyway! isabella i love you so much." alessia cried out as you sighed and bella gave you a strange look, wiggling her way out of the strikers grip.

"is mama okay?" she directed the question to you as alessia was busy listing off everything she loved about both you and bella, still laid down on the floor with her arms over her face.

"mama is fine, she just had a special drink at dinner which makes her act a bit silly." you explained, taking your daughters hand and starting to lead her back toward her bedroom. "oh shes drunk!" bella realised with a nod as you gave her an incredulous look.

"who taught you that word?" "grandma!" "of course she did."

"hey she promised she'd kiss me goodnight!" bella reminded, hovering in the living room door, alessia still preoccupied with her drunk emotional rambling as you sighed.

"mama will come kiss you goodnight when we go to bed." you gently promised bella, tugging on her hand and sighing in relief when she made no move to argue, allowing you to tuck her back into bed without another word, eyes already fluttering closed as you smoothed her hair away and kissed her forehead.

"i love you to the moon and back mummy, big foot too." bella mumbled tiredly as you backed up toward the door. "we love you just as much babe, maybe even a little more." you promised, bella now dead asleep again making you chuckle and gently pull her door closed.

you frowned as you returned to the living room and your girlfriend was not where you'd left her, a crash in the kitchen having you hurry in that direction.

"when did you change?" you asked in disbelief, her dress gone and now replaced with a large baggy t-shirt covering her body instead. "i put clothes on fast. take em off even faster!" the blonde winked which ended up as a blink as you covered up your laugh with your hand.

"what are you doing now?" you sighed as she rummaged around in the fridge, grabbing out an odd variety of ingredients. "makin food. m'hungry!" alessia mumbled out, mouth full of ham as you grimaced and pulled yourself up to sit on the counter.

"go watch your movie babe, i got this!" alessia snapped her fingers confidently, stumbling slightly and knocking the chopping board down to the floor with a clatter that had your head whipping around to check bella was still asleep.

"i think you need some supervision, and no knives or stove!" you warned the older girl who grumbled something under her breath, grunting as she bent down to grab the chopping board.

"whose the chef here missy?" alessia wagged her finger at you as you shook your head with a smile. "whose the sober one here missy?" you mocked back in the same tone, watching as she returned several items to the fridge and seemed to settle for a ham and cheese sandwich.

"i wanted pasta." the blonde grumbled with a huff. "theres leftover pasta in the fridge!" you laughed quietly as her head snapped around to look at you in disbelief.

with a roll of your eyes you hopped down, returning the ham and cheese to the fridge and feeling your girlfriend hug you from behind, slouching over as her cheek pressed against your shoulder and you pulled out the tupperware of leftovers.

"whose the chef now?" you grinned as she let go of you and took the container from your hand, surging forward to press her lips against yours and nearly sending you toppling backwards into the fridge.

"alessia!" "love you, so so much." "eat your pasta you freak." with a chuckle you pulled yourself back up onto the counter again as she stumbled her way over to the microwave, not bothered with a bowl and putting the entire container in to heat up.

"hello gorgeous." the striker mumbled, hugging your torso as she slumped over again and rested her head against your stomach. "hi baby." you smiled, twisting your fingers through her hair and scratching at her scalp.

"so what happened to 'i'll just have a drink or two' hm?" you hummed, feeling her hand slip up the back of your top and trace circles on your lower back.

"i did! then i had a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and then i lost count." your girlfriend slurred voice muffled as her face was still pressed into your stomach making you chuckle.

"didn't you say you get dreadful hangovers?" you questioned in amusement as her pasta beeped and she pulled herself back. "no! me? never." alessia grinned, reaching up to pinch your cheek and stumble over to the microwave.

"mmm good, because we have a long day of activities and you know bella isn't one for a sleep in!" you tutted and if alessia heard you she made no move to respond, sighing happily as she shoveled a mouthful of pasta into her mouth and quickly spat it back it out.

"urgh less!" "too hot!" "thats disgusting." "no its actually pretty good, want some?" "do i want some pasta that you just spat back out of your mouth? no thanks love." "hey i've put plenty of things in my mouth that you don't mi-" "alessia!"

the blonde giving you a cheeky grin you left her to it, going to check on bella before the pair of you headed off to bed yourselves, knowing occasionally your daughter had a habit of sleep walking which meant she'd end up asleep curled up in her wardrobe.

thankfully she was still sleeping soundly in bed when you poked your head in, one leg kicked out of the side of her blankets making you smile, a habit she'd picked up from her dad who told her from a young age it was the only way to sleep at the 'perfect temperature'.

closing her door again you noticed the lights behind you were off and you assumed your girlfriend had taken herself off to bed which is where you headed next.

"oh my god." you covered your mouth in disbelief at the sight before you, alessia passed out on top of the covers, one hand gripping the half eaten container of pasta and the other around a water bottle, mouth just ajar as her chest rose and fell.

with a snicker you shook your head and confiscated the pasta, hurrying off to the kitchen and dumping the remains into the bin, leaving the container in the sink to be dealt with tomorrow.

returning to the bedroom you carefully tugged the water bottle from the blondes hand, placing it down on her bedside table. "lessi." you whispered, shaking her gently as she hummed and rolled onto her side.

"babe, you've still got your makeup on." you poked her back as she mumbled something incoherent and sighed. knowing she'd wake up already feeling horrid you headed for the bathroom, grabbing a pack of makeup wipes and returning.

"less, come on love." you chuckled, gently rolling her over onto her back and sitting on the edge of the bed as one of her eyes cracked open and she muttered something that was not english.

you only hummed in agreement, carefully wiping off her makeup as she continued to mumble, not a single word of it making sense as your smile grew in amusement.

"kiss." the blonde managed out as her other eye opened and she blinked sleepily, fisting your shirt and tugging you downward as you indulged her with a few sweet pecks to her lips and pryed her fingers off, returning the wipes to the bathroom.

with a struggle you managed to get the taller girl to wiggle and shift herself so the pair of you could at least be half under the covers.

a few seconds of peace passing in the dark your eyes closed tiredly before there was a grunt and your girlfriend suddenly rolled over to practically lay herself on top of you, face burying in your neck as your hands slipped up her top and scratched her back.

"you're lucky i love you russo."

~

"good morning!" your eyes fluttered awake at the thump of your door opening, footsteps sounding before a little blonde head popped up at the end of the bed with bedhair and a grin, pulling herself up.

"morning babe." you smiled, alessia still dead to the world next to you, laying on her stomach now as bella thumped herself down on top of you, hugging you tightly as you attempted to smooth out her wild mess of hair.

"is big foot dead?" the five year old frowned, poking at the strikers back beside you who only grunted. "no she's just sleeping, i think you should wake her up. the special way!" you encouraged with a grin, settling yourself back into bed as bella's face lit up happily.

"really?" "really. its a bella day today right?" "right!"

with that she jumped off the bed as you winced but she seemed fine, disapearing out of the room on the hunt for what she needed.

"lessi baby." you started softly, laying back down and slotting your body into hers, softly kissing her neck, not even a flinch.

"time to wake up love, we have plans to get ready for." you cooed in her ear, placing a few loving kisses to shoulder as your hand moved to rub slowly up and down her back. "don't care." was all you received in response alongside a troubled sigh.

"yeah you do baby. i really really think its in your best interest if you get up now!" you spoke gently, hand moving to rest on her hip now as you again shook her body.

"no." alessia huffed grumpily, rolling to face away from you. "alright, well can't say i didn't warn you." you sighed in defeat as you heard bellas footsteps making their way back toward your room.

your smile widened seeing what she had in her hands and you shuffled across a little to give her more room as she climbed back onto the bed.

your hand shot out to steady bella who stood to her feet and nearly fell backward before she found her balance, and then she pounced.

"wake up! wake up! wake up! wake up! its moooorning!" bella sung out at the top of her lungs, jumping up and down on top of alessia who moaned, arm slithering out of the covers to try and push her off.

"no come on!" your girlfriend groaned as bella smacked the wooden spoon against the pot in her hand, causing even you to wince as a deafening noise filled the bedroom and alessia grabbed her pillow, shoving her head underneath it in an attempt to block it out.

"happy sundayyyy! happy sundayyyy! happy sundayyyy!" bella continued to sing and jump, banging her spoon against the pot as you chuckled and rolled onto your back to stretch out.

"please make it stop." your girlfriend begged quietly beside you, her attempts to throw bella off useless as the five year old plopped herself to sit down on alessia's back, still singing and bashing her pot as she bounced up and down.

"afraid i can't, its a bella day so she chooses when she stops." your hand slipped under the pillow to honk the footballers nose as she smacked you but missed, hand thumping against the mattress while you sat up and slipped out of bed.

"pancakes?" "pancakes!" bella cheered in agreement, clearly happy to forgo her original plan of the three of you going out for breakfast.

despite her self inflicted pain you did feel a bit sorry for your girlfriend and you knew rushing her out the door to a cafe would only worsen her mood and impending hangover.

"big foot get up! big foot get up! big foot get up!" bella chanted, now back to jumping up and down on the bed and still smashing her pot and spoon as you chuckled and left the pair of them behind.

"bella, babe please just give me five more minutes of sleep, come and have a cuddle?" "no! get up lazy, i'm in charge today!"

~

"mummy come run with us!" bella called out, practically hopping up and down on the balls of her feet as her and alessia stopped their training for a water break.

"i'm horizontal running." you called back, laid down on a picnic blanket in the park, sunglasses covering your face which was bathed with the warm glow of the early afternoon sun.

"that is not a thing!" alessia laughed, a squeal leaving your mouth as she squirted her water bottle at you and you winced at the cold droplets which rained down onto your sunkisses skin.

"i'll leave the running to you footballers." you dismissed with a wave as your girlfriend shook her head with an amused smile.

"less!" you squealed again, pushing yourself up onto your elbows and dropping your sunglasses down to glare at her as more water was sprayed in your direction.

"hey that one wasn't me." the blonde pointed accusingly at bella beside her who gasped and pushed at her leg. "was too! mummy shes lying." bella protested, stomping her foot and glaring up at alessia who pulled a face, spraying her bottle at the five year old instead.

"oh look mutant its raining!" the blonde gasped, sprinting off with a grin as bella chased after her, own bottle in hand and trying to get her back as the pair of them raced around the park spraying one another.

with a chuckle you adjusted alessia's shirt which was tucked under your head as a makeshift pillow, both her and bella in sports bras and shorts as they chased one another for awhile before eventually returning to actual training.

"then you flick it back and...cele!" you watched with a smile as both alessia and bella sprinted around in circles, arms shot out straight like planes, bella having been begging your girlfriend to teach her a back heel ever since she'd watched a few of alessias matches back.

"you forgot to show her the part where you miss the easy goal first!" you called out teasingly, alessia scowling at you playfully before her attention was captured by bella again and you closed your eyes.

however your lack of watching had meant you'd missed alessia call over your daughter and whisper something in her ear, the two of them growing bored of football and advancing slowly toward you.

"get her!" your eyes shot open at that as you pushed the sunglasses up onto your head just in time to see bella jump on top of you, alessia following suit.

"no! no no no please." you begged as both girls fingers jabbed into your sides, your body thrashing as alessia held you down with a grin, your laughter filling the air as bellas own little giggles joined in.

"mission completed mutant!" alessia high fived the younger girl as the two of them finally ceased their attack, bella running off to kick the ball again as you struggled to catch your breath.

"stop using her to gang up on me russo!" you kicked her as you panted, sides aching from laughing so hard.

"never gets old." alessia grinned cheekily, hovering over you and sweetly pecking your lips a few times as you shook your head and flipped her off, still trying to recover.

"stop kissing her and come play football!" bella groaned, hands on hips with a frown as alessia glanced at her over her shoulder. "you've been told." you clicked your tongue, alessia sloppily kissing your cheek before pushing herself back up.

"hey bell do you wanna learn how to do a front flip throw in?" "alessia shes five!" "joking! only joking!"

~

"thank you." alessia smiled as she tapped her card to pay, your hands full with your own and bellas ice creams as your girlfriend took hers and followed you outside where your daughter was sat at a table waiting.

"mummy!" she gasped in disbelief as you took a bite before handing the cup of soft serve to her. "what? parent tax!" you shrugged as bella huffed, cradling her ice cream protectively with a mean glare.

"less!" you gasped next as your girlfriend leaned over and took a bite from yours, causing bella to giggle and give her a high five. "what? girlfriend tax!" the blonde smiled smugly, licking her own ice cream as you shook your head.

"bella!" alessia laughed as the girl grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand downward so the five year old could sneak a bite of her ice cream. "what? kid tax!" the girl grinned clearly pleased with herself.

"oh kid tax is it? little monster." alessia pushed a finger through her ice cream and swiped it onto bellas nose who squealed. "what are we putting on our pizzas?" your daughter asked once you'd wiped her nose clean.

"bella we're eating ice cream and you're already thinking about dinner?" "not me! my tummy monsters hungry, and he wants pepperoni on his pizza."