#do-follow backlin

[cherrymangos]

the rank reset has been kinda wild

[wsoc-gay]

World Cup Results

Ona Batlle x Reader

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I don’t want to disappoint you-”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[catboygretzky]

Exyblr Dashboard Simulator based on what I personally see on sportsblr:

1/?

👑 girlbossriko follow

how many bro jobs do you think it took before riko moriyama and kevin day realized that uh.....maybe this wasn't just a bro thing

👢exyinaphonebooth follow

how many times do they have to come out and say they're like brothers before you freakos stop shipping them

👑 girlbossriko follow

????? do i know u

#it's a tumblr post about two exy players that you'lll never meet in your life it really isn't that deep

558 notes

💃fox-me-up follow

ngl that newest fox is kinda 👀

#psu lb #exy lb

8 notes

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 talk-exy-to-me

The NARRATIVE that kevin day and neil josten have........son of exy! scouting the rookie-est of rookies from fuck knows arizona........no listen you dont GET IT winning is EVERYTHING TO KEVIN and he would risk it on the foxes? And NEIL? who has only played exy for a year! NEIL Gets his attention!!!!! And hes good and he's getting better every game and he keeps bitching about kevin's ex on live tv BUT WAIT!???? NOT QUITE WHAT YOU EXPECT! Bc then neil shows up with a number on his cheek BECAUSE WELL it turns out they've known each other since they were KIDS! how is everyone not insane w me THEY'RE LITERALLY PERFECT

#where r my fellow njkd truthers #how r u all not here with me this isnt even the start #kevneil #210 #psu #njkd

102 notes

☀️ usctrojanny

every smiley blonde striker (jeremy knox) needs a brunette wet cat emotional support backliner (jean moreau)

#jerejean #usc trojans #i'm just saying 🤷‍♀️

58 notes

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

did he just......

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

guys please tell me i'm not insane

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

HE'S NEVER BEEN????? SKIIING???? KEVIN WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ?????? KEVIN PLEASE

#i i'm going insane i will literally die if someone doesn't explain this to me HE'S NEVER BEEN SKIING?!!!!

407 notes

🧚 goalie-stan

oh....i'm feeling so weak......it'd sure be nice to have a big strong goalie (renee walker) hold me up (renee if you're free on tuesday i am also free on tuesday.........on tuesday this tuesday, any tuesday?)

#literally passing out just thinking about her holding me don't call don't text i'm busy

84 notes

🌄 softkevinday follow

do u think if u offered kevin day essential oils to heal his hand he'd beat you to death

#it'd be hard for him bc he only has one hand but he could probably do it #legally this is a joke don't do this

284 notes

🗣️ jeremyknoxes follow

feeling normal

215 notes

📜 realexyblog

actually exy rpf is fine, i asked kayleigh day herself and she told me it was fine

112 notes

🐋 sexyexy

'exy is a stupid name for a sport' have you considered that a) i don't care and b) it's named that solely so i can make sex jokes about it

11 notes

🏳️‍🌈 gay4stickball follow

is he, ya know *mimes jerking off* an ncaa exy player

#i don't believe that straight exy players exist

56 notes

🙈 ittybittyminny follow

Andrew Minyard!!!!!!! 🥰🥰 short king!!!!🤏🤏😋😋 Awwwwwwww the scrunkly!!!!! 🤗🤗🤗 My boinky boy!!!!!🥺🥺 Crinkly doo,,,,shronkle scrimblo......🥺🥺🥺 rb if you'd scrunkle!!!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

📖 sapphic-exy follow

he literally killed someone

🙈 ittybittyminny follow

And? God forbid women do anything

#also no proof he did that #yeah there's proof his twin bro killed someone but that's not the same bc theyre different people #almost killing someone doesnt count

807 notes

🐦‍⬛ edgarallenexy

got told i'm problematic for liking the ravens? THAT'S LITERALLY MY SCHOOL OH MY GOD

2 notes

🌸 softexy

Kevin Day - A Study

#kevin day #psu foxes #palmetto foxes #exy #web weave #poetry #psu foxes #palmetto #edgar allen

378 notes

[yawnderu]

What if Y/N was famous in some way and Simon was Y/N’s body guard?

Like he would look at her when he thought she wasn’t looking and would secretly admire her or something?

idk just a thought 🤷‍♀️

HMMMM plagued by the mental image of this fehjbefbjh

Bodyguard!Simon would initially be annoyed when he was informed he'd have to watch over you. He's an SAS soldier, a man capable of sneaking into enemy backlines without being detected, known for being brutal and getting the job done— why the fuck is he being assigned to be a bodyguard? Yeah, yeah, you're a key witness being threatened by their enemies, he has to keep you safe... doesn't make it less bothersome, though, yet he'd never protest to his superiors. He always gets the job done, no matter how bothersome.

Bodyguard!Simon, who eventually gets more and more used to your presence. You're not as unlikeable as the media made you out to be, always writing fake stories simply to sell their shitty articles. If anything, you're the complete opposite of what he thought someone with millions of followers and a fat wallet would be.

He's staring at you while you dance with the wind, letting its flow guide your limbs the same way it's moving the fabric of your dress around, eyes closed as your mind focuses on the way the dirt feels on your bare feet. It's one of the few things that can calm you down, mind blank as you take a small break from life itself.

There's a small smile playing on his lips as he looks at you, hidden beneath the balaclava. He has seen you do this multiple times already, yet the peaceful expression on your face never ceases to make him even more smitten no matter how much he tries to push the thoughts away, telling himself he'll never see you again once his contract is done. That's fucking bollocks, he knows it.

''Come here, Si.'' You call out, arms open with a big grin on your face. You're inviting him to the little enchanted circle of beauty and peace you live in and like a pirate with a siren, he doesn't hesitate on going to you. It's a mistake, he tells himself, yet all reason is thrown out of the windows once his arms wrap around your waist tightly and he lifts you up, spinning you a couple of times just to hear the small giggles that make him feel alive for the first time.

[kamotecue]

reconciled ∞ j. fleming

pairing: jessie fleming x reader

summary: she didn’t know that you’d gotten your memories back, so she stayed away. little did she know, you remembered and that action had hurt you.

part two of here

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

you didn’t know that the girl that has been occupying your mind flew to watch the bronze match live. she wanted to watch your games, like she used to do. you were in a youth academy, and there were times you’d play against different teams.

she’d watch you tackle the midfielders, left and right. how you would send crosses to your forwards, and how you’d communicate with your team. it was something the canadian had loved about you.

you were the out-going one, while jessie was the shy one. however, there were times when you didn’t feel like talking so jessie was the one that did it for you.

“you’re lost in your thoughts, little one.” magda said as she took a seat beside you. you two were the only ones in the locker room, the rest of the starting XI were already in the tunnels.

“maybe things could’ve been different.” magda hummed at your tone. you cleared your throat before standing up.

“you’re forgetting something y/n.” magda said, as she handed you the captain’s armband. you gave magda a thankful smile before taking the armband, quickly putting it around your right bicep.

“let’s go?” magda asked, as you nodded. it was almost time for the kick-off anyways. you followed magda as she left the locker room first, as you were near the tunnel you saw glances from the australian team.

they must’ve expected magda or asllani to be the captain today, stina and frido were looking at you with pride. you were the one that completed the trio after all.

“always the one for dramatic entrances, aren’t you y/n.” frido teased, as stina snickered at her behavior.

“you know it.” you jokingly agreed, before taking your spot in front of zećira who gave you a slap on the back making you wince.

“what was that for?” you asked, as she just held her hands up.

you gently grabbed your mascot’s hand before walking towards the pitch, it was time for the game to begin. both national anthems were played, and it was the starting XI picture.

you tugged at your hoodie, quickly pulling it off before handing it to the kit man. then the kick-off began.

you watched from the backline as in the 26th minute, you saw stina go down after a bit pressure from polkinghorne. the referee had waved play on, asllani latches onto the loose ball and picks out frido who goes for a header. however, it bounces off the cross bar.

but what happens next is what shocks the stadium, there was a call for a var review to decide if it was a penalty. after a few minutes, a penalty was rewarded.

you saw the crowd went wild, the swedish fans were in joy as they could lead, but the aussie fans were in disbelief.

you stood beside your team’s goal keeper, having a small chat while keeping eye on frido who would be taking the penalty.

“you’re doing well, n/n.” zećira commented as you chuckled.

“thanks, but you’re the one that’s saving us.” you said, as zećira chuckled at your words but gave you a soft nod.

you watched as frido took a short run-up before drilling her shot low into the bottom right corner. mackenize arnold, australia’s goal keeper dived the right way, but it wasn’t enough to block the shot.

frido cheered, as your teammates huddled over her. you tapped zećira’s back as a celebration before going a bit forward.

the rest of the match ended in a blur, the whistle had blew signaling the end of the match. you watched as the rest of your team ran on the pitch, celebrating with the others.

while you stood there, trying to catch your breath. it wasn’t easy covering the distance especially with how good australia’s forwards are.

“come on, little one.” magda yelled from the other side of the pitch. you gave her a soft smile, before you went to comfort the other team.

the medal ceremony has been done, as you went around the pitch. you had jumped on stina’s back as she laughed at your behavior.

“enjoying yourself n/n?” stina asked, as you just gave her a soft smile. she wrapped her arms around your legs to make sure you wouldn’t fall off.

frido walked beside the two of you, you were all greeting the fans not noticing a certain person who looked at you in adoration. her smile was wide, seeing you enjoy life. but her eyes were on the way stina held your legs.

between the two of you, jessie was always the jealous one. despite her shyness, you would get surprised when she would publicly tell people that you were hers.

magda was the one talking to jessie, she knew about her flight and that she’d watch the bronze match. but even if you didn’t remember, she didn’t like the thought of you being someone else.

so she dismissed the thought, and bid goodbye. but you had interlocked eyes as you wondered who your captain was talking to.

stina had bent down, as you slowly got off thanking the forward before rushing to magda.

“was that jessie?” your soft voice asked, there was panic in it. magda gave you a surprised look before giving you a nod.

“did she tell you where she went?” you sighed, as she shook her head. you hummed before looking at your captain, who gave you a look.

“i’ll be back, yeah?” you said out of a rush, as you took off. you had checked the parking lot, a few fans had looked at you concerned.

you were clad in your swedish kit, the bronze medal was worn around your neck—and you were surprised that it didn’t fall off. it didn’t help the fact that it was a bit chilly outside, you were drenched in sweat as you played the full 90 minutes, plus additional time.

“freckles!” you called out, but there was no response. feeling a bit dejected, you headed back to the entrance of the building.

“i screwed everything up, didn’t i?” you asked, not noticing the canadian look at you with soft eyes. she was hidden behind the pillar, and saw you search the whole parking lot for her.

“you didn’t, i was the one who did.” jessie said, giving you a soft smile that didn’t reach her eyes. it was her fault, she didn’t made the move to contact you. she thought that you had forgotten her.

you did, the collision made you forget. however, you were on the pitch where you and jessie would practice. that was the moment when your memories came back.

and when you were cleared to train with the team again, you played your best. the amount of times where you and jessie had met on the pitch but she had avoided you. you thought that she didn’t want anything to do with you anymore.

“you remembered?” jessie asked, as you gave her a short nod.

“why didn’t you tell me?” you stayed quiet at her words.

“you didn’t approach me, so i thought that you didn’t want to be with me anymore.“ you watched as a tear fell from her eyes.

“no, i wanted everything to do with you. and i still do, but believe me i tried. i tried so hard to approach you, and i just couldn’t-“ you brought her into a hug as she buried her face into the crook of your neck. you were the taller one of the pair, it made things easier for her if she needed you to grab something from a tall distance.

“i’m sorry, i’m late.” you said, she wrapped her arms around you bringing you closer.

“i’m sorry, i didn’t do anything.” jessie said, as she pulled away. you chuckled at how cute she looked, her eyes were a bit puffy and red. you placed a comforting kiss on the crown of her head like you did before.

“can you be mine again?” jessie asked, as you hummed. her forehead was against yours, and her eyes flickered to your lips.

“always, freckles.” you said, as she hummed before pulling away.

“can you perhaps bend down a little bit, so i can kiss you?” jessie shyly asked, as you softly smiled at her. you bent down a little bit so you were in reach.

she wrapped her arms around your neck, as you held her waist. it was soft and gentle at first, before it became a bit aggressive.

she nipped at your bottom lip before pulling away, you were flushed as she looked proud of her work. your lips were a bit swollen, as you gave her a hum.

“here’s a jacket by the way.” jessie said, handing you her spare jacket. she knew you were a bit cold.

“thanks, freckles.” you said, tugging on her jacket.

[might write an alternative part—or perhaps the last part of this series]

[digdeepergravedigger09]

So I love Grian's new skin. I don't know why this is making me go nuts.

Image description below the cut.

[Image description]

A full body line drawing of Grian in his DHP uniform, holding a mug and looking bored. Next to the full body image, there are a multitude of little doodles of Grian in several different situations.

Left top scene: Grian dealing with a customer, looking bored and sliding a sheet of paper towards them. You are the pov of the customer. He is saying the following: "You need form 36F-1, not 36F. You'll have to fill out form 77L to cancel your last request, then fill our the PP-471 again, to request the form to change your permit..."

Right top scene: A doodle of Grian shooting the shit with Coppy the Copy Machine from tumblr of years past. Grian says: "-and then Doc goes on a tangent about Joe's backline!" and Coppy says, "LOL What?"

Middle left scene: Grian looking vacant, eyes unfocused, with a steaming mug that says "I don't care" on it.

Middle center scene: Grian showing off his CASIO watch.

Middle right scene: Grian eating Skizz's lunch. There is a note next to him that says "Grian Do Not Touch" with big letters, with "ISTG -Skizz" written in tiny letters at the bottom.

Bottom left scene: Grian sleeping in his seat behind the plastic glass wall. Above him there's a sign hanging that says "On Break". In the pov of an angry hermit knocking on the plastic glass.

Bottom middle scene: Grian in a framed portrait, holding his mug. It is titled "Annoyance of the Month"

Bottom right scene: An unknown hermit looking around, saying "Hello? I need a new permit!" while Grian hides under the desk pretending he's not there.

[End image description]

[yeeterthek33per]

Bittersweet Days (Charlie Grant x Reader)

A/n Requested

Warnings: a little bit of smut at the end. I've marked the section with a star so y'all can skip it if you so wish but marked the kind of end, so y'all could read the last bitty bit, so warning, teeny mention of nudity in the last of it.

Your chest is heaving as you grab one of the blue bottles from the drinks crate, squirting a stream of water into your mouth.

The subs along the line handing the current lineup their bottles during the injury check.

"I swear to fucking god, they're firing on all cylinders tonight, Asllani is on my ass like she's glued to it. I can't focus and I can't mark her either."

The game hadn't been going well. Sweden suddenly picked up the pace like they had fire lit under their asses and Sam was now down with a leg tweak after a challenge from Eriksson.

It didn't help the referee didn't do shit about it for a whole minute. Even Eriksson and Mušović were going the ref about her taking so long to call it.

Charlie hands you a sweat towel and takes the bottle from your hands when you offer it.

"Don't let her get in your head. She's just trying to pick apart the midfield. She's already gotten into it with Mini. Don't bite the bait. Stand your ground, but don't bother trying to chase her around. She's not the one you need to keep an eye on."

"Rolfö is being the biggest pain in the ass to mark. There's no way our backline can keep up with her. Hunty is the only one who can even block her from that side. Ellie's getting drawn out way too quickly, and I have to back track, and it's leaving Asllani open. It's like we're panicking."

You shake your head. What a way to celebrate your anniversary.

Charlie takes the towel from your hands as well and moves to hold your shoulders so you can sit still for a moment, ever eager to get back out on the pitch.

"Babe, you know how to keep the midfield locked, talk to Ellie, she needs you to keep her in line. If she goes, Clare covers, not you. You have to cover the top of the box, you know this." You nod, grabbing the bottle to take one last drink and Tony signals you over.

"Talk to Mini in that midfield. She can cover Asllani, but not while she's playing the way she is. She's getting pushy, and Mini is biting easier by the minute. I might have to pull Sam here, so I'm looking at Chids to replace her. She'll cover where you and Mini can't. Look for the lines, follow your lines, L/n, you got this." He claps you on the back, and you give him a tight nod.

As Sam gets walked off and you all return to the pitch, there's a higher tension in the air than before. Everything just stops functioning. It's like nobody listened, and Sweden is just blocking everything that gets sent in. Sam isn't coping, and she can't meet any headers despite insisting to Tony to let her go back on.

Alex is subbed on for Polky, but she isn't given the time or ability to get much done. Why would he push her there? Their backline won't allow for her style of play there.

In the end, it's just frustrating, and the exhaustion is setting in faster than every other match. Steph is trying to keep the backline in form, but running a full marathon at the World Cup isn't doing her legs any good either.

In the end, the moment the whistle blows at the end of the game. You all just collapse to the pitch. You'd all pushed for effort after effort, but nothing broke through. In the end, the Swedes emerge victorious.

Everything kind of just crumbles down. Sam collapses to the pitch, Steph is already on the ground by the technical lines where Tony is, who's still arguing with the ref. Lord knows why.

The man's patience when it came to terrible reffing ran about as deep as the hole you wanted to dig yourself into.

Everything hurt. Your heart, your head, your lungs, your legs. It all felt like a slap that your grandkids would feel. Like it made your father turn over in his grave.

You felt the pats on the back from some of your teammates and some from Sweden as well.

You push yourself up, legs shaky and muscles screaming at you. You go find Sam, giving her shoulder a quick pat as you kneel in front of her.

"Hey, c'mon cap, that's gotta be hurting your ass. Up we come." You pull her up and wrap your arms around her, and she just grunts and just about leans fully into you.

You walk her over to the bench, arm around her shoulder, and give her a few back pats and a shoulder squeeze, mumbling words of consolation to her.

She doesn't say much, and you leave her with a small kiss to the temple.

Charlie is the first to approach you, having spotted your hunched form and slow limping steps. You can tell she's holding back a lot more than she feels comfortable with. The tears peeking out of the corners of her eyes, and the red of her face make it obvious to you.

"Hey baby, I'm so proud of you."

You bury your nose into her neck the moment she has you wrapped up in her arms. Her hand sits at the back of your neck, squeezing at it slightly, and her other rubs circles into your shoulder blades.

You lean into her slightly, feeling your legs wanting to give out on you, and she quickly moves her arms around your waist to hold you.

You whimper, feeling your knee start to twinge more now that you aren't running on adrenaline. You'd done it in about six months ago, but the pain never fully went away, even after months of physio.

You just stubbornly chose to ignore it after not being able to play and worrying it would cost you your career.

"I know it hurts, sweetheart. It's just a little bit longer, and then we can go back and just stay in for as long as we like."

Charlie only knew because she caught you spraying the crap out of it one day with deepheat after a particularly bad training session, and the cold was starting to set in on it.

"Sorry, I know this isn't exactly the present you wanted for our fourth anniversary." You say half jokingly, and she just gives you a watery laugh, shaking her head.

"Honey, I got my present a month ago when we stepped onto the pitch together before the game in Sydney. That's all I've ever wanted."

Tears only pour harder. "We were so close, though. I could've played harder, I could've done something about that damned midfielder."

"She was just so much more physical than either of you or Mini were prepared for. There's nothing you could've done without injuring yourself or the other player."

"Me losing out on my knee would have been worth it if we had made history."

Her hands grab your face at that, bringing you to look her in the eye.

"No, it's not because we already did that. Because you already helped do that. You putting yourself out permanently should never happen for a piece of metal that will get covered in beer and put on a hook to get dusty inside a display cabinet. You are worth so much more than that. Don't ever put yourself or your career down for that."

"But-"

"No. You've worked so hard to get here. You put your knee on the line just to make the team. It's time to rest. It's okay to need a break. It's okay to say you've done everything you could. It's okay that you couldn’t force yourself to do the impossible. You gave everything, and that's what matters. Sometimes, stuff happens, and you end up outclassed."

You huff a sigh, sniffling lightly. Then slowly nod.

"Okay, okay, I see your point."

She caresses your face.

"Good. I love you."

You give what you can of a smile.

"I love you too."

----------------------

Upon return to the hotel, you're all invited for an afterparty and taking the opportunity to let off some steam, you all accept.

You half collapse on the bed in your room while waiting for the bathroom to empty so you can shower properly.

A thought comes to mind. Why hadn't you planned anything more for today?

Charlie woke you up with flowers and delivered (pre approved) breakfast. She snuck you extra coffee in the morning every day. She made sure you had your gear back clean and organised and folded while dealing with everything she needed to do as a player.

She'd made sure you both had the night together last night.

Hell, she made you laugh in one of the most heartbreaking settings a player can go through at a World Cup even though she barely got minutes on the field herself.

What had you done?

Given her a heart attack when you went down and played one game together, that and a terrible apology earlier after the game.

After chatting with Mini, Kyra, and Harper, though try as she might, little Harper wasn't as much help as the other two, you set up a roof top date, rented out one of the top suites in the hotel for the night and promised Tony more media duty for the next month than the whole team combined in exchange for the night off.

So that's where you decide you have to do something.

----------------------

You arranged a little food delivery, snuck out to drop by a few stores, and bought some last-minute flower arrangements and a few packets of rose petals.

You also stopped by a jewellery store to pick up a necklace you knew she'd been looking at while you were out on the team morning walk.

Now, you just had to convince Charlie to stay in with you without it being suspicious.

With it being about thirty minutes before the team was set to leave, you knock on the door to the room Charlie shared with Kyra, ignoring your muscles screaming at you after you'd told Charlie you'd still go with her to the afterparty.

She looked like she didn't quite believe you, and questioned your pain level but you insisted you were fine and that you were happy to go out, knowing she needed to have something to do other than the usual team stuff.

Kyra opens the door, but the moment she spots you, and you give her a nod, she turns back to Charlie. "Hey Cha Cha, your girl's here."

Charlie looks up, a smile gracing her lips but mild confusion joining it.

"I thought we were meeting down at the bus."

You shake your head, immediately having to go over the plan in your head again.

Everything was making you nervous at this point, but you had to fight for your life to not let any nervous tics show. Lord knows your girlfriend would spot them in a heartbeat.

"Actually, change of plans. I convinced Tony to let us skip and found a really nice place for us to go for dinner. I know we haven't had too much time together lately, aside from last night, which I wanted to thank you for."

Charlie's expression softens, and she hops up to come over to you, immediately pulling you in for a tight hug.

"Baby, you don't have to thank me for anything, I'm more than glad for any time we spend together. Saying that, I will take you up on that offer."

You grin and let your lips meet hers for a moment. Of course, you hear a gagging noise from Kyra.

"You two are so sweet, it's actually fucking gross."

Charlie rolls her eyes and turns back to you, arms still around you.

"Come back in about twenty and we can go?"

"Fifteen, I have to show you something first."

"Baby, c'mon, you know my makeup takes forever, twenty, please?"

She bats her eyelashes at you, and you roll your eyes lovingly and peck her lips.

"Fine, twenty."

"Whipped."

"Shut the fuck up, Kyra."

----------------------

"Okay, when you said you were showing me something, I didn't think you meant breaking onto the roof. Why are we coming up this way anyway? You're gonna get us both in trouble."

You seemingly don't hear her protests as you both walk down the hallway to the roof access.

"Seriously, I love you, but now is not the time to fulfil your 'sex under the stars' fantasy."

You roll your eyes and open the door, and start to ascend the steps. She's looking around nervously at the security cameras and nearly stops behind you.

"Y/n, seriously, you're gonna get us into shit with the hotel. We can't be up here. I love you, but why are you bringing me into this again?"

You stop suddenly and turn, grabbing her by the face and kiss her.

"Because you love me, and you follow me anywhere."

She groans, knowing full well she can't argue with you. As much as she vehemently denies it and gets teased for it, she'd follow you off a cliff or into outer space if she had to choose.

You continue up the steps, and when you reach the door to the roof, you step aside and gesture for her to go through first.

"Ladies first."

She huffs at you and moves around you to open the door.

"You're such a little shit, honestly."

Hand to your chest, you gasp softly.

"You wound me." It's said with a teasing smile.

The moment she opens the door, she freezes, tears coming to her eyes.

The roof is set out with an outdoor garden and a pergola with vines wrapping the wood. However, a white clothed table sat directly in the middle, a longer one off to the side with shared dishes that you both love and miss having now that you're away at the World Cup.

The ground and the tables are sprinkled with rose petals, and there's various vases of flowers around.

She realizes now why you'd been so insistent, and when she turns back to you, she can see only pure love and admiration radiating back at her.

The suit you were wearing was perfectly fitted, and it seems the moment she looked away, you'd clipped a small rose to your pocket.

Charlie has to tilt her head back slightly to avoid letting the tears ruin her makeup.

"Happy Anniversary, my love."

Her hand comes up to cover her mouth as she looks back at you, fighting off tears.

"Baby, did you really do all this?"

You give her a shy smile, running your hand through your hair.

"It was last minute, but lately, you've been doing so much for me, and for us as a couple, I had to do something. I love you and appreciate you so much, and I won't ever feel like I'm doing enough for what you deserve. I'd give you the world if I could."

She laughs and grabs you by the hands to pull you closer.

"God, I love you so much. You're doing so much more than you'll ever know. Happy anniversary. Thank you for doing this for us."

You smile widely and cup her cheek, giving her a quick kiss and gesture to the table.

"Hungry?"

She looks over at the food on the table set out for you and nods quickly.

"You got me my favourite comfort foods. Hell yes, I'm hungry."

You chuckle, and you both dish up from the transportable warmers.

You settle down to eat, chatting about the day and looking back on some fond memories from your early days.

"I can't believe I let you sign me up for a whole go-karting season. As fun as that was, you drive really weirdly dangerous compared to how you drive a regular car."

"Do not, I'm just free spirited when I'm in a mini race car, that's all."

"Baby, you intentionally sent someone off the track because they nudged me trying to go around me."

"That was a fair response. Thank you very much. He was an asshole and he was pretty much fine after anyway"

"The poor guy ended up with a broken arm."

You go silent for a second, and Charlie has an amused look on her face.

"But.. he tried to take you out, it was only fair." You pout.

"Yeah, but baby, you got us banned from that go-karting place for life. I'm 90 percent sure they blacklisted you, too."

"Look, I'm just saying Rich asshole wants to lay wheels on my girl. He ain't walking away without a few scars, okay? Plus, it's better than that time you got us kicked from Paintballing."

"They should've kept their dicks in their pants."

"Clearly, they had to, considering you shot all of them in the crotch."

"Their problem for not wearing the supplied crotch guards."

"Yes, and the instructor was clearly impressed with that effort."

"I did try to tell him they wouldn't stop flirting with you, so they needed a reality check. Plus, I did just say it wasn't intentionally aimed that way while we were fighting."

"They were your teammates. We were on opposite sides of the course."

Charlie pouts and moves around her food slightly.

"Still didn't stop them from trying to get your number at the end of it. I saw you giving something to them by the way."

You raise your hands slightly in mock surrender.

"I may or may not have given them the number to that radio station that broadcasts all the creepy voicemails and texts they get from guys who purposefully get given the wrong number."

Her eyes crinkle with laughter as tries to cover the sound, the melodious noise making your heart warm. You could listen to it all day, every day.

"Oh god, please tell me you've got the broadcast somewhere."

"Maybe. It requires payment for viewing though."

Charlie raises a brow at you. "Yeah?"

You tilt your head playfully. "Yeah, sorry baby, only acceptable payments are kisses."

She hums, nodding.

"Remind me later and I'll take you up on that offer."

"Aw, no fun." You pout softly.

"Baby, we're enjoying the night to ourselves. We have plenty of time for kissing."

"Speaking of, Tony knows we're not gonna be in our rooms tonight."

She tilts her head slightly.

"I may have booked us a room for the night separately."

Her heart absolutely melts at your words, and she wordlessly grabs your hand over the table.

You wiggle your eyebrows. "Wait 'til you see the room."

She giggles softly, shaking her head.

"God, I love you."

Your eyes water, heart beating faster.

"I love you too."

Should this be it? The moment you finally used that damn box that's been tucked under three layers of old socks and giving you a world of anxiety?

Not yet.

The velvet lined case was like lead in your pocket though, and if you didn't do it soon, she'd probably get sick of waiting and do it for you.

You knew she knew you were waiting to propose. She was only waiting for you to do it.

You hold it back and suck back tears before she sees them. You continue eating, and her laughter fills the air as you do everything you can to keep her laughing throughout the night.

Later on, under the caressing melody coming from a speaker you had set out beneath the table, you and Charlie sway together. The moonlight filtering through the vines of the pergola leaves a soft dappled glow across your skin and surrounds.

Your heart flutters as her hands trace the contours of your shoulders before moving back to settle on your neck.

A tender smile tugs at your lips, warmth spreading through you as you feel her fingers play with the hairs at the nape of it.

You can feel the squeeze of your fingers on her waist beneath them, holding her like you never want to let go. Your shared breath intermingles in the space between you, a bridge between your shared love making your heart race.

You take the moment to just ruminate. Your heart replays the moments that have brought you here.

The shared completion of your dreams, the laughter, the moments of disappointment, and the hard times you got stuck in that you had to work out how to navigate.

In all of it, one thing remained consistent.

Charlie.

Your rock. Your love. Your confidant. The person who stood by you at your worst and raised you up at your best. The woman you were so sure couldn't possibly return your feelings just four years ago.

And yet here you were, stood embraced under the moonlit glow of the night, just hours after a fourth place finish at the World Cup.

And yet here you were, holding the love of your life in your hands, her holding you like you'll slip away at a moments notice. That's when you know you're gonna marry this woman.

This beautiful, light, courageous, caring, kind human being was yours.

Her fingers in your hair send shivers down your spine and her lips murmuring sweet nothings to you course through your gut like your blood flows through your veins.

You live in the moment for as long you can before you can tell exhaustion is starting to set in a little between the both of you.

"Come on, love. I can tell you're tiring a bit there. Wanna head in for the night?"

Her lips meet yours softly in a brief but reassuring kiss. "I'm not done with you yet."

Your lips move to her neck with light ghostings across her skin.

"We've got time, baby, all night if you want."

Her sigh and slight head tilt urge you on.

"Lead the way then."

---------------------- **

Under the soft sheets of the bed, you lay propped up on your side, elbow holding your head above the blonde girl beside you, fingers gently tracing her stomach as the breathlessness relaxes into calm once again.

Charlie moves to turn onto her side to face you properly.

"Please tell we didn't let that food go to waste up there?"

Your laugh from there makes her pout slightly.

"I just gave you some of the best three orgasms you've had and your first thought is that?"

Your tone is teasing, and she whines, shoving you lightly.

"I just feel bad is all." You reassure her quickly.

"Don't worry, I made sure my assistants had the food wrapped up and put in storage for now."

"Assistants?" She cocks a brow and you move to straddle her bare waist.

"Yup, my assistants."

"Uhuh, also what makes you think these were the best three orgasms I've had."

You gawk slightly, hands now settling on her ribcage.

"Oh, you've had better have you?"

She braces, slightly hands settling against your wrists, knowing where this is going.

"Mhm, maybe."

Your gleam turns mischievous, and your fingers start to twitch at her sides.

"Is that so?"

Her laughter rings out as you tickle her, squealing slightly and trying to shove your hands away as you relentless torture the poor woman.

"Baby, please! I'm sorry, that was a lie! Please!"

"Oh, was it now? Who gave you the best, huh?"

"You did! you always do, nobody else!"

You slow your ministrations and lean down to take her lips with yours as she calms her breathing again.

"Damn right."

Her breathing turns to soft sighs as you trail your kisses down, resting at her abdomen, tracing the soft lines of her stomach.

It's like everything hits you all at once, the moment she's in your lap, rocking her hips into your hand, your lips trailing up her neck and she breathlessly whimpers your name when your fingers curl inside her.

The moment her legs start to shake and the high of her orgasm reaches, it's out of your lips before you can stop it.

"Marry me."

It catches her off guard, her eyes shooting open slightly as she cries out, clenching around you.

**(if you wanna read the proposal)**

Her breathing calms, and her head moves forward from having been lulled back.

"You wanna repeat that?" It's not said with anger, only a soft undertone of surprise.

Your cheeks turn red at that. You mutter it again.

"Please marry me?"

You don't expect the soft laugh that accompanies it.

"Baby, that was the most unorthodox way you could have proposed."

The tips of your ears are now burning too, and you turn your head slightly to avoid her gaze but she grabs your face and kisses you hard.

"God, yes, I'll marry you."

You grin hard and kiss her again.

You pull away, slipping out from under her to grab your discarded suit pants from the floor, digging out the box.

A soft sigh, leaving your lips as you, still naked, lower yourself to your good knee.

"I was planning on doing it after dinner, but I half chickened out, and now I'm doing this. I wanted to give you a proper proposal, one that you deserve and one that'll you'll remember for the rest of our lives. While the second half may be true, I'm disappointed for not doing it earlier."

She moves to the edge of the bed, tears starting to slip down her cheeks.

"I love you so much. You've been there for me when I wouldn't let anyone else in. You've been my rock, my whole world. You supported me when I was ready to give up. You've lifted me up when we've both been triumphant and you've given me every bit of your heart you could and I love you so much for it and I want, if you'll let me, to spend the rest of our lives repaying it by giving the same back to you."

You pop open the ring box.

"Charlotte Layne Grant. Will you do the honour of making the happiest woman in Brisbane, Australia, and marry me?"

Her laugh is choked up with soft sobs as she nods. "Of course I'll fucking marry you."

Her hands pull you up onto the bed again, kissing you hard and you catch yourself from falling onto her entirely, ringbox still in hand.

You pull away just enough, tears now streaming down your own face, too.

You show her the ring, and she finally gets a glimpse of it. It's a custom, rose gold ring with roses and a deep set diamond with two rubies set on either side at the top. There's also something engraved on the inside.

The moment she reads the inscription, she covers her mouth to stop her sobs.

You look at her worried.

"Is it okay? Are you okay? I didn't know if-"

She tackles you back onto the mattress, and you nearly fall off the bed entirely, just barely managing to catch yourselves.

"I love it, it's perfect."

On the inside, it says.

"To my love, my life, Charlotte Layne Grant-L/n"

"May you forever shine at your brightest, my superstar."

You help her slip the ring on, and her arms immediately wrap around your neck, and you bury your face in her hair, just sitting and holding her.

You finally did it.

You're marrying your superstar.

----------------------

[futfemfantasies]

“That’s your wife!” \\ leah williamson x putellas!reader

Request: “...where the reader plays for Man U or just any different team, and she’s married to Leah, and when they play eachother Leah slide tackles her hard, causing the reader to be angry as hell and limping. And fans are angry at her for doing that to her wife.”

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

It’s the quarter finals of the Euros. England vs Spain. Williamson vs Putellas. Wife vs wife. You know this is the game to win. Your older sister, Alexia, tore her ACL the day before the competition started so you owe it to her. You haven’t seen your wife Leah for most of this competition and you are itching just to see her, touch her. Obviously you’ve called and facetimed each other but it’s just not the same. You’ve been pretty down the past few days and your teammates also cannot wait for this match, so they get their vice captain back.

You arrive at Amex Stadium and you follow your teammates into the locker room. You look around for your jersey and see ‘Putellas’ with a 14 under it. A part of you feels like you’re betraying your sister, since it’s her number but you know she’ll be proud. You put your bag down and decide to take a walk out to the field. It’s still a few hours until kick off so no fans should be in the stadium. You go over to Mapi and tell her that you’re going for a walk. You slip on your slides before grabbing your phone and lanyard before leaving the locker room. You see a couple of the English girls walking around and you have a quick chat before you get a text from Mapi saying coach wants us back soon. You reply and continue your short walk. 

You follow the signs that lead to the field and as you turn the corner, you run into something, or more like someone. You look up and see those familiar ocean blue eyes you have fallen in love with. You wrap your arms around Leah’s lower back and hers go around the back of your neck. After a few more seconds, you both pull away and kiss each other for the first time in weeks. 

“Hola mi amor”

“God I missed that accent” Leah whispers as her forehead leans on mine. 

“I missed you” You say in English causing the corners of Leah’s mouth to curve upwards 

“Maybe we can go to the pitch then walk back?” Leah suggests and you intertwine your hands together before going out to the field. 

You both walk out on the pitch and take in the stadium. You look around and try and find where Alexia said she would be. You hear Leah’s camera go off and you turn around quickly with a blush on your cheeks. 

“Sorry, you looked cute”

You and Leah sit on the pitch leaving no space between each other. You get pulled from your trance when you hear your phone ring from next to you. 

“Hola...sí...bueno, adios Maps” (Hello...yes...okay, bye Maria)

“You have to go?” Leah asks sadly.

“Lo siento, coach will not start me today unless I’m back in 5 minutes” Leah eyes widen and they have a little bit of anger coming through.

“He can’t do that. Let’s get you going” 

Leah stands up and holds her hand out for you to take. You walk Leah back to her locker room where you see your friends plus some club teammates. 

“I’ll see you after?” Leah questions.

“Sí, I’ll need to comfort you after we beat you” Leah rolls her eyes at you and her teammates laugh and comment on the bold assumption. 

“Adios mi amor” 

On the way back to the locker room, Aitana texts you that you have a minute to get back. You run down the hallways and stumble into the España locker room. Jorge reminded you that he nearly benched you and you roll your eyes at the lame threat. An hour later after listening to Jorge go through tactics and how to get through the English backline of Lucy, Millie, Leah, and Rachel and the midfielders. The coaching staff leave so the players can get dressed and you feel nothing but nerves. You slip the jersey on and tie your boots when you receive a text. 

LW 🥰: good luck out there baby. not too much bc we are going to beat you. i love you so much xxxx

You reply to Leah before one of the coaching staff tells everyone to make their way to the tunnel. You do a quick prayer up to your dad then walk out with Mapi and Leila. 

Your teammates order themselves by number and you stand across from your wife as you both are the captains. You give her a wink and you see Leah’s cheeks slowly turn red. Both teams walk out and do the formalities of singing the national anthems, coin tosses and team photos. Since the coin toss went in your favour, you chose that Spain started with the ball. You shake Leah’s hand and give her the red and yellow decorated pennant while you receive a full white one. You both shake the hands of the ref before giving Leah a kiss on the cheek. 

“May the best team win mi amor”

Both teams go to their positions and the whistle blows. The first half is slow but you nearly had a goal but the VAR declared it a no goal even though Earps stopped it after a few centimetres after the line. You yell at your team to run back and when you do, the referee calls for half time. You walk into the tunnel and you feel a hand on your lower back. You look beside you and see Leah. You talk for a few minutes before going to your respective dressing rooms. 

15 minutes later, you lead your team back out to the pitch. You look over to where Alexia is and she’s cheering the loudest, along with your mama Eli and other older sister Alba. The whistle blows and Ellen kicks the ball to Beth. Around the 54 minute mark, you prepare for a corner from Mapi. She does a hand signal and you attempt to move around the England players so you can receive it. You feel hands on your hips and you look down to see the familiar white nail polish. You keep moving around so Leah’s hands get off you but she has a tight grip on you. Just before Mapi kicks the ball, you pull Leah’s hands off you and run to the edge of the box. The ball comes directly to you at the perfect height and you know what shot to do. You jump up and do a bicycle kick which flies into the top right corner. Mary has no chance of saving it. You run around like a crazy person over to Alexia and your family. By the time you get to the section, your oldest sister managed to get down to the bottom step on one leg. You attempt to go over to her to give her a hug but are stopped by the referee. 

“One more step and you get a yellow” She warned.

You roll your eyes and blow and kiss to your sister and family. As the game restarts, you notice that the England team have a little bit of anger in their eyes, especially your wife. Around 10 or 15 minutes later, you get a lovely through ball from Laia which causes you to run up the middle, straight to Millie and Leah. You manage to get around Millie but when you’re up against Leah, the next thing you see is the grass. Alexia and Alba are up from their seats knowing exactly what happened. When you don’t stand up, that’s when Leah becomes concerned. 

“I’m so sorry baby. What hurts?” When you don’t respond, your teammates call the ref and your medical team over. Your eyes stay shut as you try to control your breathing due to the amount of pain you’re experiencing. 

“I’m not going anywhere” Leah informs you but you can’t even stand to hear her voice. 

“Go away Leah”

“Baby I-”

“I don’t want to yell at you. I said go away” Your tone gets angrier and voice louder as Leah doesn’t get the hint. 

You open your eyes and see Keira and Lucy pull her away and Leah breaking down on Keira’s shoulder. From what you can see, Mapi and some of your teammates go over to Leah to give her a mouthful.

“Leah! What the fuck? That’s your wife!” Mapi yells at her.

“You think I don’t know that Mapi? I know what I did okay, I wasn’t thinking” Leah says as she starts off angry but ends soft as the incident sinks into Leah’s head.  

Leah hears the cheers and turns around to see you hopping on one foot with your arm around the medic. The two teams clapping you off the pitch makes you grateful you have close friends and family in both. For the rest of the game, Leah was unfocused as the guilt and nervous feelings inside her don’t go away. As soon as the whistle blew, Leah raced off to the sidelines but Sarina caught her just in time. 

“They took her to the hospital for checking. When we finish here, the team bus can drop you off okay?” Sarina explains. 

Leah just nods at her coach and walks into the locker room without any press or fan interactions. She took her boots off and threw them against the wall out of anger. Leah sat on the ground in front of her locker with her phone, trying to call you. It goes straight to voicemail and she curses under her breath. Leah lets all her emotions go and doesn’t even hear her teammates come in. No one speaks or even celebrates that they are through to the semi finals as they feel bad for you and are angry at Leah. She doesn’t know how much time passes until everyone hears a knock on the door. Leah looks up and sees Mapi, Leila and Alexia. 

“We are going to the hospital. Are you coming?” Alexia asks.

“I’ll be dropped off later” The three Spaniards nod and walk back to the Spain locker room. 

“Leah, one of the trainers has offered to take you to the hospital if you want to leave now?” Sarina questions and Leah agrees and quickly gathers her things before leaving with the trainer.  

On the drive to the local hospital, Leah reads twitter and everyone is mad at her for hurting her own wife, how you should divorce Leah and other nonsense. Of course, it all goes to Leah’s head and now she’s more worried than before. The trainer parks and Leah jumps out and sprints to the front desk. 

“Where’s my wife, Y/N Putellas-Williamson?”

The nurse types on the computer and finds where you are.

“Oh yes, she’s in surgery right now. The waiting room is just around the corner if you would like to stay there” Leah thanks the woman and walks to the waiting area. 

When she turns the corner, she sees your mama and two older sisters. Without saying a word, Leah sits down across from them and puts her head in her hands. Leah starts crying and she zones out until she feels a soft hand on her back. Leah looks up and sees your mum giving her a sad look. Since Eli’s English isn’t that great, she hands her phone to Leah which has the translated version. Leah reads the small paragraph then hugs your mum in appreciation. 

“Lo siento Eli” Your mum shakes her head and gives Leah a tight side hug, something Leah needed. Alba soon followed, giving Leah a hug and Alexia gave Leah a smile since her knee restricted her from going anywhere. A few hours later, a doctor comes out. 

“Putellas-Williamson?” Eli pushed Leah forward slightly as she is the only one who understands the doctor. 

“Y/N suffered a high ankle sprain which required surgery as the ligament was completely torn. We’ve put a screw between the tibia and fibula to hold the two bones together until they heal. With the right rehab and support, she should be playing again in a few months. Y/N is in room 1411 when you’re ready to go in. She’s asking for someone called Leah”

Leah thanked the doctor and went back over to your family to explain what the doctor had said. Leah suggested that Eli and your sisters go first but they all refused. 

“She’s asking for you Le, you go first” Alba suggests and Leah nods. 

On the way to your room, Leah made a slight detour to the gift shop to get you some flowers and a cute little bear holding a heart. She starts to become nervous as the room numbers slowly countdown to yours. Leah stood out the front of the door frozen. She peaks through the little window and sees you’re awake and on your phone. Leah gently knocks on the door and goes inside with a sad smile on her face. You look up and see your wife. You give her a smile and tell her to come next to you. 

Leah moves the spare seat closer to you and takes your hand in hers as she sits. She looks down to your ankle and pouts as you squeeze her hand. 

“I’m so sorry babe. I don’t usually do slide tackles and I don’t know why I did one on you and now you ca-” As soon as your lips are on Leah’s, you move your spare hand on her cheek and she relaxes instantly. 

“I’m not angry anymore. It’s the way this game works. I’ll be okay, I always am” You reassure your wife and she nods. You scoot over in the bed and pat it gently. 

“Are you sure?”

“How else am I going to congratulate you then giving you cuddles?” You ask.

“Oh I can think of something” Leah says with a slight smirk on her face. You hit Leah’s chest at the crude reply and Leah gets in next to you. 

[mischiefmaker615]

Ghost (Loki Love Story) Ch.21

Keeping his eyes adverted as best he can, praising the gods for peripherals at least, Loki took the lead in a slow pace towards the bathroom.

You got up to follow, trying to wash off a little shyness as you tried focusing on the confident side of things. He thought you as beautiful, nothing you could really think of yourself as flawed would ever change his mind in the slightest.

Taking careful steps behind him, you hugged yourself while you took in your new view up his sculpted backline and toned back muscles. He walked with no shame, knowing he looked good with each steps.. or you supposed centuries of living would eventually get rid of the shyness he might have had.

Your eyes soon traveled lower, seeming to memorize every curve and mark that had perhaps a faded scar here and there from battle. Then you saw his ass. When did he remove- never mind.. Shaped and perfect, you could already feel arousal building within you as your eyes quickly snapped up when he glanced over his shoulder to make sure you were still following. By his smirk, he turned to look forward again, knowing you had been staring.

Cocky bastard..

You stopped yourself at the door frame, hesitant as he went over a paused between the shower and the tub. After a moment while you took a deep breath, he turned and began feeling the bathtub with water, staring down into it as he gave you a side view.

Your eyes widened at the mere sigh of his cock, hard and proud, large and in charge. You couldn’t bring yourself to look away as your lips parted to gawk at it. As Loki began feeling the tub with a bit of the bath oils, he hid a grin while he spoke.

‘’you can look, but I can’t?”

Your eyes snapped to his face, seeing how he was keeping his gaze perfectly straight at the water coming closer and closer to the edge while his features stayed soft and ready to listen if you were to speak.

‘’i- a.. it’s just been awhile..’’ you said quietly, feeling your wings flex as they tried to resist the urge to wrap around you and shield your intimate parts.

‘’so someone has seen you naked then?”

You weren’t sure if it was a question or not as you hesitated, watching as he moved his hand back and forth throughout the water to feel it’s temperature. Taking a deep breath, you took the opportunity of confidence while his eyes were still away.

‘’..you.’’

Loki’s hand stilled in the water, his face still and his breathing seemed to stop while his lips parted. He didn’t speak, merely staring at the water while his eyes grew every so slightly at the memory flashbacks between each time you both have been in the presence of undergarments, bathroom routines, this morning kind of and- well.. he didn’t even remember last night but the mere thought of being present in your naked self was enough to have his cock twitch, causing him to quickly turn his back to you as if the mere reaction would offend you.

‘’I’m sorry..’’ he said quietly, for his reaction you were assuming, but the mere sight of that was enough to have confidence wash over you as you took a step closer.

The sound of the water running stopped as you approached Loki, him unaware that you had gotten closer as his hand felt around at what he was doing instead while your hand came up and reached out.

His body stilled, inhaling sharply as you rested your dainty hand between his shoulder blades. Just like this morning, his skin was soft, smooth and you felt every muscle as you ran your hand down a little, your finger tips feeling his spine and backline while your other hand came to rest on his back as well to touch him too.

Loki stayed still, breathing carefully as if one wrong move, he would scare the butterfly away. Your touch was gentle, exploring and caring. His head tilted back ever so slightly, exhaling the held breath as he savored the sensation while his eyes fell closed.

Your couldn’t help yourself, capturing your bottom lip with your teeth as you leaned forward and inhaled. He smelled of pine and masculinity, perfect as his scent filled your nostrils. After you had opened your eyes from the intoxication, you leaned forward and brushed your lips against his back, kissing the soft skin while your hands moved to rest against his hips. He had muscle everywhere as you could barely feel his hip bones beneath his toned meat.

Loki’s lips parted, breathy yet silent moans leaving his lips as he felt you move your lips over his skin, leaving open mouth kisses here and there while he stayed perfectly still to feel all of it.  His eyes squeezed shut, almost afraid you hadn’t given him permission while he felt you use your hands on his hips to turn him around slowly. His hands stayed at his side, slowly opening his eyes to look down at your awaiting eyes first.

They were full of love, fear but trust. Your body trembled every so slightly as you slowly moved your hands to your sides, biting your bottom lip as Loki looked at you lovingly.

They slowly began to fall down, a sharp inhale as he looked down at your perfect breasts- perky and reacting to the cool air of the bathroom. His hands clenched ever so slightly as he stayed still, his muscles tense as he restrained himself by the grace of the gods while his eyes traveled lower to every curve until he rested upon your cunt.

Loki’s eyes fluttered ever so slightly, exhaling slowly as he took in all of you. Every single inch with his eyes while they traveled back up to yours, a smile pulling at his lips as he could all but whisper.

‘’you’re beautiful Y/N.. absolutely beautiful..’’

With a light red hue to your cheeks, you took a deep breath and reached out, each of your hands taking hold of wrists before you slowly pulled them up to rest his open palms against your breast.

Another twitch.

Loki was gentle, his eyes falling down to watch his hands squeeze and massage your globes while you shivered at his touch. He moved his hands, his palms soft and his digits slender. His thumbs moved to rub circles around your nipples, teasing before you captured them between his two fingers on each, pinching ever so slightly to pull a whine from your lips and your back arching, pushing your chest more into his hands while yours rested against his wrists.

A smirk finally left his lips, soaking in every single reaction he could pull from you as his eyes flicked up to yours. ‘’absolutely perfect darling..’’ he breathed while you held his eye contact with a careful hand reaching behind you. You gripped the tub’s edge, never once breaking your gaze before you stepped into it and sank down slowly, the bubbles coming just high enough to leave little to the imagination at your chest.

Loki’s jaw was tight, knowing every single bit of what you were doing to him and you secretly loved it. Moving forward like a predator on the prowl, he stepped in as well, lowering himself while he advanced forward to loom over you, making you have to lean back against the tub as he gripped the edges on either side of you.

‘’you are playing a dangerous game missy, one I don’t intend to lose..’’ he lowered his voice, the new nickname sending a wave to your intimate area while he kept his body resting between your legs.

Taking that as a challenge, you leaned forward, your nose brushing up against his while you held his eye contact, just as careful as he was and enough to drink his reaction when your hand gently grasped his cock.

His body jerked, sensitive to how hard he was and his eyes squeezing shut as he sucked in a breath.

‘’I am not afraid..’’ you whisper in his ear, keeping your cheek pressed up against his as you listened to each other’s breathing, feeling the gentle caress upon your skin whenever you both would exhale.

Your hand began to slowly pump him, keeping a firm yet careful grip while your thumb would now and again rub over the tip before your hand would descend again. Loki’s hands white knuckled the tub’s edges and for a moment you feared he might break it as he slowly leaned more into your touch, allowing you control as his neck rested against yours, his chin on your back while his chest would rise and touch yours before he would exhale again.

His hips would thrust into your hand now and again while you gave him a bit more speed, loving the way you could make him feel while he gave desperate breaths against you.

‘’gods Y/N.. do you have any idea what you..’’ he breathed before his body tensed and he leaned back off of you, his hand diving into the water to remove your hand and at first you thought you did something wrong before he gave you a reassuring look.

‘’not just yet darling..’’ he said sheepishly, indicating you had almost finished him before he moved his hands to grip your legs to spread and spread a bit.

From his hesitation, you opened your lips to ask what was wrong but before you could even inhale to start speaking, his head lowered and disappeared into the water. Your fingers gripped the tubs edge, eyes wide as you searched the water he had just disappeared in while you felt your legs being moved and recognized now he had placed them over his shoulders.

‘’Loki-‘’ you began in slight panic, knowing he could only hold his breath for so long but a soft sensation against your cut had you gasp and had a lost of words.

Loki gently ran his tongue up your cunt, using his thumbs to part your folds before he began giving you long strokes. He was a god and could hold his breath far longer than any human in the word. It wouldn’t be the worst way to die anyway..

‘’L-Loki..’’ you moaned, concern leaving you as your head rested back against the tub’s edge, feeling how his tongue now flicked against your clit here and there before his lips would suckle at it. A shiver ran down your spin, feeling the arousal strengthen within you as your legs began to quiver and tense, wanting to close but fought against the urge to prevent from crushing his head.

Your wings were lifted up a bit awkwardly up your back, flowing over the tub’s edge to the ground while your back arched and your eyes fluttered shut. You then began to feel his slender finger tease your entrance, circling and barely dipping his finger in while his tongue would kitten lick at your clit.

Panting, your head thrashed side to side as your hand moved down into the water to grasp his soft hair. A growl left his lips, sending vibrations right through you that would have you squeal and moan out his name.

Almost there..

Your fingers tightened, back arched as your brows furrowed and your orgasm approached. Loki slowly glided his finger in, right up to the knuckle with ease and rubbed immediately against your special spot that was enough to send you over that beautiful edge.

‘’Loki!” you moaned, gasping as your orgasm hit you like a brick, washing over your entire body while your legs involuntarily squeezed around him.

His lips still sucked at your clit, caressing it while his tongue while his finger gave you long, slow strokes while he felt you quiver and squirm against him. you could practically feel his smirk against you as your hand squeezed around the tub’s edge, fearing you would be the one to break it.

He slowly brought his movements to a stop, helping to ride it out and leaving you a shaky mess as your hand at his hair rested at his shoulder once you felt his hands gently move them back beside his waist before he came back for air.

His face grinned, his hands landing near your on the tub’s edge while he sat up in front of her. His heart raced, relishing in the moment while you gazed at him with almost a dazed look.

‘’I am never drinking again if it means I get to remember that experience forever-‘’ he half teased, grinning and looked as if his tail would be wagging if he had one.

Before you could remark off of that, his leaned forward, his hands cupping your face before he brushed his lips against yours. Your eyes fluttered closed, enjoying how soft and gentle he was while you tasted yourself on him. sweet and salty with a small hint of the bath oils from being.. down there is what you could taste while you opened your eyes to smile at him.

Nothing could have destroyed his happiness, the grin he wore while his heart raced in his chest. His thumbs gently stroked your cheeks while you leaned forward a bit and pressed your lips against his, a bit deeper this time and earning a moan from Loki as his eyes fell shut. He deepened the kiss as well, a hand falling down from your cheek to cup your breast again which pulled a small gasp from you.

This was the perfect opportunity for him to slip his tongue into your mouth, rubbing against yours as you yielded and let him explore and massage. A groan left your mouth, vibrating against his lips that seemed to spur him on even more as his hand kneaded and squeezed at your mound before he felt your hand move between you two to grip his cock again.

His movements slowed a bit, your hand stroking him causing a bit of distraction at what he was doing before you broke the kiss to gaze up at him. Loki panted, his eyes sharing the same dazed look as you bit your bottom lip and gave a soft smile. He seemed to know what you were saying as he watched you lean back and spread your legs for him.

With barely any hesitation, Loki moved both your hands to wrap around his neck, making sure you were comfortable before he positioned his body over yours as best he could while keeping your head above the water. With an arm supporting himself against the edge of the tub, his other hand moved his cock and aligned it at your entrance.

‘’s-slowly..’’ you whispered with a bit of nervousness, pressing your forehead against his neck as you closed your eyes.

‘’darling.. I promise to be nothing but gentle..’’ he whispered before he began pushing the tip of his cock in. he sucked in a sharp breath, feeling how tight you were as you willed yourself to relax and breath. Little by little he would add an inch, pulling out before pushing back in with extremely slow movements. His muscles were tense, showing how much restraint he had on himself while a light bead of sweat shinned on his forehead.

You felt your body stretch, beginning to try to accommodate his large size with a light sting. Squeezing your eyes shut, you tightened your hold around his neck, your chest pressing up against his while his arm released the rest of his cock and moved to wrap around your waist. You wrapped your legs around him, helping to support both of you while he used his hips to push in the rest. A gasp left your lips, the sudden stretch of the rest and the sensation of being stuffed full had your eyes open and flutter.

‘’are you alright darling?” he whispered, strain in his voice as he stayed still, letting your body adjust as it gripped his dick like a vice.

‘’I’m alright.. it’s okay Loki..’’ you whispered, knowing he was fighting every instinct from rutting into you like a stallion in heat and after a moment of readjustment, the pain had subsided and your body demanded movement.

With gentle and slow thrusts, Loki pulled out just to the tip before he would push in again, a moan leaving his throat as he fluttered his eyes closed at the sensation. ‘’gods Y/N.. your so damn tight..’’

‘’s-sorry-‘’ you breath out, half listening as you hope it wasn’t a negative statement.

‘’it’s glorious darling, you practically strangle my cock.. you’re taking me so well..’’ he praised, a grin on his lips as he reassured you it was a good thing.

A blush came to your cheeks as he added dirty talk, your mind slowly beginning to form into putty as the focus of feeling took over. After every few moments, Loki would pick up a little speed, dragging his cock through you before he would thrust back in, his jaw tight while he began kissing between your neck and shoulder.

‘’f-fuck..’’ he groaned, seeming to have picked up on Midgard’s language habit as he began to quicken his pace and hold you tighter.

‘’f-faster..’’ you gasped, holding onto him tight as your pleasure began to build again while his cock rubbed up against the special spongy spot inside you.

You didn’t have to say it twice as Loki’s muscles seemed to relax as he let go a little bit of his control and began rutting, water splashing over the edge now and again while your body bounced up and down in his embrace. You couldn’t help but cuss as well, shamelessly moaning as your head fell back in ecstasy while Loki began to pant and thrust desperately.

‘’don’t ever leave me Y/N- you are so fucking perfect.. in every way..’’ he groaned, burying his face in your hair as he inhaled, a shiver running down your body before he began speaking in his native language.

You knew some of it, but a lot of what he said was lost between not being able to concentrate properly while your orgasm grew, and the rest being dirtier than Midgard’s sayings, you elected to not have your brain repeat it. His thrusts began getting sloppy, indicating that he was getting close before you felt his body press up against yours, almost pinning you against the tub’s surface while his hand moved to rub your clit.

‘’L-Loki!” you moaned, your back arching as your nails dug into his skin.

That was enough to send him over the edge and before you knew it, you both were coming at the same time. Loki’s teeth sank into the crook of your neck, seeming to hold you down like a wild animal while your claws ran against his back. Your cunt milked his cock, feeling his hot seed spill into you as he thrust it all to not waste a single drop. His thrusts began to slow once your body stopped squirming, only to twitch here and there while he came to a stop and stayed inside you.

You could feel him soften, his teeth slowly releasing you before you felt his tongue run against your skin softly, guessing there was a little blood. His hand was now shaky, gripping the tub’s edge over your shoulder while his other hand held your hip. Your legs moved down to rest on either side of his thighs, your arms unwrapping but keeping your hands gripping his shoulders while he moved his head back so he could look down at you.

You both pant, smiles triggering the other as your hand stroked his cheek while his thumb stroked the skin at your hip. His eyes were soft, full of love and amazement while your held trust and excitement. Your bodies shook a little, the water now only up to your waists while the rest probably was on the floor. Giving a small glance around at your surroundings and then between the two of you, you offer him a sheepish smile while you sit up a little, Loki making no effort to back up which resulted in your nose bumping into his.

‘’we should probably move to the shower..’’

‘’an excellent spot to continue darling.’’ Loki smirked and sat up on his heels, his hands gripping the edge to ready himself to stand.

‘’I mean to get clean Loki- the other’s will wonder where we are-‘’

‘’let them.’’ He waved it off and stood, his cock impossibly hard again which had your eyes widen and shoot up to his smirking face.

‘’it’s a meeting, it’s important.’’

‘’not as important as-‘’

‘’Loki.’’ You give him a gentle warning, sitting up and pausing as the soreness set in, your wince not going unnoticed as Loki leaned down to rest a hand at your cheek with concern.

‘’.alright, I suppose a little break is in order..’’

Tag List: @violethaze @fire-in-her-veinz

[nytb]

Savior Complex

Y/N was Barcelona's big hope after Martens left. Having come from Chelsea, she already had the experience needed to compete in the big leagues, add that to her young age, the kid had no ceiling, although the party animal lifestyle she led didn't help with team cohesion.

"You do realize that you need more than talent to make it here right?" Alexia questioned, it being more of a rhetorical question, before she walked away and continued their training drills. "Cut the kid some slack" you heard Mapi defend you "We all did stupid shit when we were young" she pleaded your case. The Barcelona captain was having none of it "I don't recall you going to parties before game-day during your time at Atletico" a dig aimed at you.

Ignoring the periodic jabs from your captain, you trained to the best of your abilities. "Y/N I want to try something new" Jona signalled to you "You're going to attack the space" he added.

Running behind the Barcelona backline was hard enough, add the drinks you had the previous night, and it sure made it a whole lot harder.

"Yup gotcha" you replied confidently, trying to hide how you actually felt.

"Sorry kid, I'm not going to make it easy on you" Rolfo declared "Captain's orders" she added looking at the midfielder who gave the Swede an approving look.

Each time you got a ball in behind the defence, the Swedish international stuck on you like glue, and when you did manage to get past her, you were met with an unforgiving Mapi.

"You good?" the defender lent you a hand, helping you up after her challenge that left you on the floor "Yup, yup" you replied cleaning yourself off "You girls are playing like it's the champions league final ya know" you added in an attempt to beg for mercy.

Alexia, who was keeping tabs on you during training approached "If only you did too" the midfielder said as she grabbed Mapi away, talking tactics on how to defend better against you.

This time, Alexia was on your team, well at least she was supposed to be. Giving you passes that made you run faster, that put you in challenging positions. Still, you ran, even when your legs couldn't keep up, until they couldn't anymore.

"Ouch" you mumbled on the floor "Not so easy huh" the captain approached you extending her hand to help you up with a mocking smile on her face. Standing back up on your own you replied "Don't pretend you’re not thrilled to see me like this" you cleaned yourself off again "Oh I'm not" the midfielder replied "I'm absolutely loving it" she added taking her position back on the field.

The rest of the training session was more of the same, brutal drills with Alexia, who pushed you more than normal, or defenders tackling you like their lives depended on it. To say that you were relieved when training ended would be an understatement.

While most of the players had already made their way to the dressing room, you stayed out on the field.

Laying on the floor, an apologetic Aitana approached "Sorry we were so tough on you today" she said as she sat down next to you "I get it" you replied "Your loyalties lie with the captain" you excused your teammates actions. The both of you stayed out making small talk until you caught your breath.

As you entered the dressing room, you caught the end of a conversation between Alexia and Mapi. "I don't get why you're so hard on Y/N" the defender stated, getting a cut throat answer from your captain "She's here to learn right?" she said, softening up on her follow up "I wish I didn't have to be so hard on her though".

Your presence was known as you responded to the captain's statement "Well luckily for you, I'm not here to be part of your little saviour complex" you said in a rather cut throat tone catching everyone off guard "If you stopped being a prick, I wouldn't have to save your ass" Alexia answered, clearly not backing down from your challenge.

Mapi picked up on the tension that built up and decided to jump in to stop it before it blew up "Ok ok- enough you two" she tried to calm the situation down "How bout we go out as a group" the defender suggested. "Pass" you replied "I have a party to go to" you added as you picked your stuff up and made your way out of the dressing room "See ya in 2 days" you peace'd out.

"It's weird that we have never partied with the party animal, no?" Patri asked, receiving a dirty looks from Engen who answered "Maybe you haven't".

Aitana, got the sudden interest to get to know Y/N's partying side "Maybe we should join her" she suggested, Engen replied "Actually, she invited me to the party"

Alexia was definitely not happy where the conversation was leading "Yeah- No, that would be weird" she answered an unasked question from her best friend that was begging with her puppy eyes.

"But, but.." the defender pleaded "Fine" Alexia finally gave in "But I won't stay for long".

Ana-Maria, who had partied with Y/N before, jumped in "So that's why she never invited you to join" she blurted out not thinking about the consequences of her statement.

"Wha-" the locker room was shocked "You went out with her before?" Patri asked. "I did too" Lucy joined, "I was curious why she didn't invite you out" she pointed at her captain.

"Yeah- I was shocked too" Ingrid added as they both laughed.

Nuria, who was Y/N's flatmate filled the gaps for everyone "Yup, definitely weird" she said "Especially when you look like that" she added.

Alexia, had no clue what her teammate was talking about so she asked "What do you mean what I look like?"

"Ale, you are Y/N's type" the fullback replied "Like, you couldn't be more her type if you tried"

"I'm pretty sure Y/N hates me" Alexia confessed. Ingrid tried to bring her captain's spirits up "Yup, because you are always so stuck up" the Norwegian stated "What if you show her your fun side" she added inviting the rest of her teammates to the party.

Multiple cocktails down, a couple of dances with random girls and two hours later, the group arrived at the disco.

Engen spotted you immediately "There she is" she stated grabbing Mapi as she made her way to you "Engeeen" you said hugging your favourite Norwegian "You made it" you looked behind her spotting some of your teammates "And you brought company" you added smiling.

Alexia had initially stayed away from your group, processing the information Nuria had thrown at her in the locker-room.

"You're overthinking it" the fullback spoke to her captain "Just go get a drink and loosen up", the midfielder initially refused her teammates suggestion until she glanced over at you dancing with some random brunette.

Nuria insisted again, pointing to the bar "Fine fine" Alexia replied before she made her way to the bar leaving the group behind.

Your drink looked pretty empty, that just meant one thing; "Time for a refill" you declared to the woman you were dancing with leaving her alone.

As you made your way to the bar, you saw a beautiful brunette, with an even better silhouette in a tight black dress "You're beautiful" you flirted with the woman placing your empty glass on the counter.

The woman turned around, shocked at the sight of your face- it was Alexia.

"You're drunk" she replied "I'm taking you home" she grabbed you by the wrist ending your night short.

"Noooo, let's dance" you stated, not realising you were talking to your captain. Alexia picked up on this minor detail, and seeing how you insisted on partying, she resorted to flirting

"I can give you a private dance" she whispered in your ear "If you come with me". The midfielder grabbed you by the hem of your shirt, leading you out of the disco discreetly.

The rest of the night became a blur. You woke up in an unknown apartment, in a bed, alone, fully clothed. "Well this is new" you stated to yourself.

Night-outs usually lead to hook ups with strangers, a different way to explore the city.

You got out of bed, appreciating the view "Where the fuck am I".

You heard sounds coming from outside of the bedroom, so you naturally followed them, having clearly learnt nothing from horror movies.

"Morning" a brunette turned around "A- Alexia?" you mumbled "Did... did we" before you finished your question your captain replied "God no" she handed you a cup of coffee "Here, drink up".

You sat on the bar stool, shocked at how your day off was starting. The Catalonian tried to make small talk.

In the middle of some weird question you interrupted her "Pardon my french, but what the fuck am I doing here?".

Getting the run down on the previous night, you blushed as you pieced the information being blurted at you with the the moments you remembered. "Wha- wait... we kissed".

Alexia laughed "Nope, that wasn't me" making you turn bright red out of embarrassment "But you wish it were" she mocked you further.

"You didn't answer my question" you attempted to change topic "So you're not as smooth sober" the midfielder teased.

"Aren't you supposed to be nagging me?" you asked confused. "Well, after seeing you having all that fun, I realised that I never showed you how to have fun with me" she attempted to speak in English as you weren't fluent in Spanish just yet.

Your bright red face signalled to a possible bad translation. "With THE TEAM" she corrected herself making you burst out laughing.

"Yeah yeah, now who's flustered" you laughed mischievously.

[otdiaftg]

The sound of a ball popping off the wall greets Neil as he steps through the back door and he follows the path to the inner court. Wymack is standing near the home bench, watching his players scrimmage and taking notes. He has his back to Neil and the noise filtering through the court vents help hide the soft pats of Neil's footsteps. Neil hangs back a safe distance and watches his teammates.

They looked so small when they were down three players, but they played with the ferocity of a larger team. Dan and Kevin were paired up on offense against the three backliners, and despite being outnumbered they put up a tireless fight. Kevin even managed to out-step both Nicky and Aaron a couple times for shots on goal. Andrew deflected all of them, but it took a couple shots before Neil realized what he was doing. Instead of clearing the balls back down the court like usual, he was firing them back at Kevin. More specifically, right at Kevin's feet. Kevin had to execute some pretty nimble footwork to avoid tripping over the ball. Andrew did the same to Dan when she finally bulled past Matt for a shot of her own. She sidestepped it, but barely, and Matt had to catch her when she stumbled. Wymack swore and turned to put his things down. As he twisted he spotted Neil, and he hesitated with his clipboard halfway to the bench. Neil expected a marching order back to the locker room. Instead Wymack snapped his fingers at Neil and jerked his thumb toward the court door. "Tell your pet psycho to knock it off before he cripples someone." "I don't think he'll listen to me," Neil said. "You and I both know he will. Now get."

Day: Thursday, January 4th Time: 7:35 PM EST

[catboygretzky]

Exyblr Dashboard Simulator based on what I personally see on sportsblr:

2/?

📜 realexyblog

haiku because exy is back:

GOD, why are my teams

SO fucking bad at exy?

FUCK this FUCKING sport.

#and i watch sports for why? entertainment? no way

243 notes

♛ queen-of-exy

I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG! KEVIN DAY IS A QUEEN SHES LITERALLY A QUEEN ITS ON HER FACE

💃fox-me-up follow

queen on the court, pillow princess on the mattress amiright

♛ queen-of-exy

ive never felt more understood, I am kissing you w tongue

#marry me tumblr user fox me up

411 notes

🌞 blonde-jeremy-knox

i'm just gonna say it. i know we're all thinking it. jeremy knox eats ass like it's his JOB.

👁 jean-mor-uhoh

babe literally no one was thinking that but i'm proud of you for speaking your truth

#we're friends but what cost. when all u talk about is jeremy knox eating ass.

31 notes

🧚 goalie-stan

#dan wilds #psu

205 notes

🌄 softkevinday follow

He lived. He served cunt. He died. He was Resurrected. Served more cunt.

#kevin day

605 notes

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

absolutely busted a fucking nut watching kevin day switch hands like that oh my god my nut was so forceful it created a new dimension.

🏳️‍🌈 gay4stickball follow

hey can i join you in that dimension

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

Sure, just bring some snacks or something

🏳️‍🌈 gay4stickball follow

hell yeah!!!!!!

#thanks youre the best do you like doritos?

197 notes

😎 foxyknoxy

the best exy team in the nation is a LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE how many of those students even go to the games when your school is full of artists and theater kids. your student section must be wACK

😎 foxyknoxy

*sorry, 2nd best exy team in the nation

#fuck you theater kids!!!!!!!! can't even appreciate a good sport !!!!! anyway go trojans

99 notes

🙈 ittybittyminny follow

Andrew Minyard should get a little bite and chew. As a reward. Maybe a small gnaw. nomnomnom Maaaaaybe as a treat he can rip a throat out, but only if he's really really good

#only if he's REALLY GOOD and maybe tests negative for rabies but whatever you can't win em all

126 notes

🏳️‍🌈 gay4stickball follow

favourite exy rarepair????

☀️ usctrojanny

ACTUALLY !!!!! was thinking about this earlier and while ive never seen anyone talk about it.......aaron minyard and neil josten would be 👀 kinda cute???

🏳️‍🌈 gay4stickball follow

omg wait why have I never thought about guys before!!!!!!!! noooo why did you say this, i can totally see it!!!!!! Neil would probably have to lean down to kiss aaron 🥺 do u think he has ever had to lean down to kiss someone 😭

☀️ usctrojanny

And obviously, u know me, im always here for a striker/backliner matchup

🏳️‍🌈 gay4stickball follow

this is all i'm going to think about for the rest of my life now, thanks, fuck you

139 notes

👅 nastyneiljosten

I want to put neil josten in a jar and shake the jar so violently he turns into sludge and then pour a drop of that sludge on to a petri dish so I can see what kind of bacteria he produces.

🦩 exyonmymind follow

what happens to the rest of the sludge?

👅 nastyneiljosten

*sluuuuuuurp* *swallowing sounds* *sluuuurp* *gargle gargle* *more swallowing sounds* yummy yummy in my tummy

487 notes

🐋 sexyexy

headcannon that neil josten is so feral bc andrew bit him and gave him rabies so now he's a literal rabid dog

👢exyinaphonebooth follow

You can't make headcannons about real people don't be freaks

🐋 sexyexy

exy players aren't real they're my little dolls that I can put into any situations I want and you can't stop me

#thanks anyway did u know andrew minyard gave neil josten rabies

143 notes

🧸 mreow-bearcats-mreow

ARE THOSE REFS FUCKING BLIND ????????!

#exy lb

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 talk-exy-to-me

Kiss cams are only acceptable during sporting events if they zoom in on two players

🗣️ jeremyknoxes follow

ok but what if they're wearing a face mask

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 talk-exy-to-me

smash your cages together obviously, don't be a pussy #love wins

🗣️ jeremyknoxes follow

fair enough

890 notes

🌸 softexy

Andrew and Aaron Minyard

#exy #andrew minyard #aaron minyard #palmetto foxes #psu #web weave #poetry

2,040 notes

[stabbyfoxandrew]

as one might expect, I am also asking for the boy with the teeth. --@quiescentdestiny

WIP Wednesday (4/3) | Vampire Andrew AU (Part 101)

Neil isn’t sure what was going on with the others all through their little impromptu practice, but it makes him feel like he’s missing something huge. Hell, he thought he was the one with secrets here. But he might not be alone. 

Actually, he’s completely alone right now. Sort of. He's in a shower stall. Which he’s incredibly grateful for. 

Hiding marks and lumps and bruises has been a struggle his whole life long. And now it’s evolved to scars. None of them are pretty and they all come with a zillion questions. That’s why throughout his time in Millport he always opted to shower last, once everyone else was through. But he’s got plenty of privacy here, so he takes advantage of it. And borrows some of Nicky’s soap. 

He’ll have to get some of his own for next time and he jots it down in his mental to-do list. Other items on this list include: finding a safe to keep his binder in, dying his hair again, and kicking Andrew Minyard in the teeth.

He doubts the rest of his team would be alright with that last thing. Maybe he’ll save that one for later. He’s still not sure exactly what Andrew’s problem is. But he knows that he doesn’t like the way the goalie looks at him. Like he wants to hurt him.

Neil knows that look. He’s seen it hundreds of times on dozens of faces. And it always ends badly. He scrubs over that scar on his shoulder and sees a flash of his father, stalking towards him with the iron. Always ends badly… 

—

After Neil is done in the shower, he quickly towels off and changes back into the clothes he wore in. Then he’s not sure what to do. Because it’s strange to just stand in here and wait. But he'd rather die than have to spend a minute alone with Andrew out in the stadium. 

So… He chooses the creepy waiting option, which gets him a weird look from Aaron, the next one out. 

“You don’t have to wait for us. The door’s right there,” Aaron says, earning him no points with Neil.

“Kind of don’t want your brother to kill me or something while Kevin’s not looking.” Neil says, making Aaron’s face twist into something grave and making Nicky laugh nervously as he comes out of his stall with his towel around his waist.

“Yeah. You’re right. You should stay here.” Nicky says. Then he winks. “You can watch me change if you want to.”

Aaron fake gags and Nicky shoves him.

“Um, no offense. But no thanks.” Neil says, closing his eyes to lean against the far wall.

“Well, shucks.” Nicky says, then there’s the rustle of clothes. “You know, Andrew’s not that bad. I think you just caught him on a bad day.”

“Oh really? He must've been having a bad day in Millport, too."

“Yeah, actually,” says Kevin from his stall. “Andrew hates planes. So the flight we had to take to get there rattled him a bit.”

“Oh.” Neil can sort of understand that, but… “So him feeling rattled by a plane means I get my ribs smashed in?”

“Wait, what?” Nicky says, and he’s closer than Neil expects so he opens his eyes to see the backliner fully dressed and rubbing his hair with a t-shirt.

“Andrew swung a racquet into my chest in Millport.” Neil tells him.

“Oh my god.” Nicky looks down at Neil’s abdomen with wide eyes. “He… didn’t really tell us that.”

“I figured.” Neil shrugs. “It’s fine. I lived.”

“Kevin, are you almost done or are you planning on using the county’s entire supply of water?” Aaron says.

Kevin huffs. “I’m almost done.”

“God, the steam is killing me.” Aaron says, starting for the door. Nicky nods and follows and Neil gets in line behind him.

“Oh!” Nicky starts as the three of them exit the locker room. “I forgot to ask, how were you able to tell the minis apart?”

“Don’t fucking call us that,” Aaron says, shoving Nicky arm. But they’re both looking at him expectantly. So Neil gives them the truth.

“Your teeth are different.” Neil says, making Nicky freeze up midstep and Aaron turn to look at him, confused.

“Our teeth.” He repeats.

“Yeah. Andrew’s are sort of pointy. Yours are,” Neil almost says ‘crooked’, but that’s a bit ruder than he means to be, “normal.”

“Oh, that’s weird. I’ve never noticed,” Nicky says, a bit of high-pitched laughter following. Neil gives him a look. He’s not sure how someone who spends a lot of time with the twins wouldn’t notice. Neil recalls the way Andrew had grinned down at him in Millport, the lights had glinted off his teeth and made him look sort of scary. Well, as scary as a five foot tall gnome of a man can be.

“Why, my ears are burning,” says a voice from the stands. It startles Neil a bit, he looks up to see Andrew looking down at him. “You three must be talking about me. How rude.”

[codename-adler]

YOUR TROJAN TEAM?!?!?! flabbergasted. sooooo many lil guys u got there!!!

mayhaps some info on #21, Levi Romanov? love the name, very intriguing <3 or any of your choice, really, whichever you feel like sharing the most!!

oh boy. oh god. Levi's such a big file. u really know how to pick 'em Roo 😂 prepare to be sick of me...... (also ty sm for being chatty n enabling <3) //official unofficial USC Trojans OCs list here//

21: Levi Romanov (22) USC Trojans Backliner

[ face subject to change]

aight let's bullet point this:

born in USA (Alaska); child of immigrants (Belarusian father (born Alaska, parents 1st gen immigrant), Dutch mother (1st gen immigrant))

5'6½" (the half inch is important)(to Levi)(not the Trojans tho)(esp. not Jeremy)

BA: Communication (USC Annenberg)

goes Pro after college

bffs: Nikita & Angie

brother-from-another-mother w/ Nikita Bailey (their mothers are bff, grew up together in Alaska); Nikita is his bff/older brother figure/idol so he joins him in playing Exy (v popular in Alaska) and follows him to USC when he graduates HS

now for the love & tragedy chaos...................

both he and Nikita have a steady relationship with their longtime girlfriends, so much so that Levi talks to Nikita about proposing to his gf after graduation

one day though the 4 of them get into a car/boating accident that kills Levi's girlfriend and seriously injures Nikita's; Levi and Nikita are somehow miraculously the least damaged

it's a rough fucking patch for Levi (and Nikita, but that's a story for another day!)

enter Angie Pullman, Trojans recruit (ask!!! me!!!)

both men are immediately drawn to her, and inevitably it ends up in a big fight that creates a (temporary) rift between Levi and Nikita

luckily it ends up being an Adam/Gansey/Blue/Ronan situation (do you see where i'm going with this?)

because the thing is, there's this guy, Anderson [subject to change] Atwell

the assistant coach

ohohoho yes

Anderson’s really been there for Levi after the accident, bc he's been much more of a confidant to Levi than any of the team's therapists, probably because he's not a therapist; and then the shit with Angie and Nikita really isolates Levi, and slowly Anderson can't help but wanting to help Levi as much as he can, more than assistant coaches probably normally feel...

so Levi's not as straight as he thought, not in love with Angie like that like he thought, much more in love with Nikita than he always thought, and definitely, definitely super hard in love with his assistant coach (you see the Adam/Blue/Gansey/Ronan pattern?) (except there is nothing whatsoever between Nikita and Anderson. in fact Nikita probably hates him a little bit actually. fr fr.)

also before anyone sends me anon hate about my own OCs, the Levi-Anderson age gap is 22-30, so calm downnnn

so yeah Levi & Anderson, once they're all in and go all out, are disgustingly happy; but the hurdles are many and exhausting (i have another ask incoming for Coach Rhemann, which will coincidentally explain really well said obstacles)

i would say, apart from Jean Moreau himself obv and Adèle Moreau, Levi is the most tragic Trojan :(

especially because he used to be such a goofy ass mf, and so hyped about Exy on and off the court, before the accident, and nowadays he's much more a shell of himself, doesn't care much about Exy outside the court, always plays his very best but his heart's not into it, feels disconnected from his team and teammates, etc.

Anderson's the one to lead him back to his love for the sport <3

Jeremy did try very hard as his captain to reignite the flame inside Levi, of course, but let's say he had a little less incentive than with the Frenchman... if ya know what i mean... but Levi's just glad even his captain never gave up on him

birthday's June 1st //lmao beginning of pride month and i didn't even do that on purpose//

originally Levi was named Reuben Muller and he was German-American? but i decided to split the character in 2 and thus Levi & Nikita were born!

his bestfriend, apart from Nikita who has known since birth almost, is Jack Driver; they hit it off instantly the first time they practice together on the court (it also helps that Jack is both a moron and a wise man. very in touch with his feelings. it just depends if his brain cells are activated or taking a nap…)

once the drama settles down Angie also becomes one of his close friends

he’s an only child [pitiful]

did i mention his ADHD? oh he has big big big ADHD… he often forgets his meds, and he’s prone to lash out (mostly at himself) or zone out, but Exy really helps a lot with both his bottomless restless energy and his self-worth <3

on the meds thing: that was such a battle. for everyone involved. Levi, the doctors, his gf, his parents, Nikita... it was just barely starting to go well when the accident happened, and well. the step from ADHD to depression is already so small, Levi had no chance. but he's climbing up the hill again now :)

so Levi's kind of the dark version of Jeremy, or like a past younger iteration of Jeremy before he got to be the Captain Sunshine we know and love (and that's partly why Jeremy has trouble connecting w him, befriend him, even look at him sometimes); he doesn't talk much anymore, except to fight and curse, but then he turns around and drops by with a pan of brownies for the new girl because he saw her eating one all alone and sad in the athletes' hall, you know? he's very hard to pin down, even more so now that the constants in his life have been taken away or flipped :/ but he's a precious dude, trust me!

[wesawbears]

At the buzzer, but here is my fic for the @daylightficfest! My prompt was: Character study of Kevin through the lens of his and Jeans relationship. Scenes from their relationship from the beginning in the Nest to their time apart at Palmetto and USC, playing pro exy and post retirement.

Enjoy!

--

“He won't last three months.”

Kevin turned to look at Marcus, disliking the mix of malice and amusement on his face. Thankfully he was a fifth year, with a pro contract to boot, and so wouldn't be around in three months to check on his bet either way. But Jean Moreau, with his guarded pretty eyes looked interesting at least, and he must be capable on the court– otherwise, the Master would not have taken him on. He at least wanted a chance to play with him before the rest of the Ravens got to him.

“He will have to,” Riko said at his other side, jolting Kevin back to attention. “The Master would not have accepted an investment that was not likely to pay itself off.” He grinned, a sharp-toothed thing that Kevin both abhorred and was drawn in by. It meant trouble, and where Riko is concerned, Kevin was bound to be caught in the crosshairs. It was his place and he knew it, but that wouldn't stop the pit of dread from settling in his stomach. He watched Riko clap his hands together. “Doesn't mean we can't have some fun in the meantime.”

Kevin followed as Riko walked up to their new charge, stopping a few feet away. He was taller than Riko, but that had never cowed him before. What did he have to be afraid of? He was King, and only the Master had dominion over him. As long as it did not affect their performance on the court, he would not intervene. 

“You are Moreau?” he said. 

“Jean-Yves,” the boy said, eyes hard and mouth set. Kevin inwardly flinched at the look of it.

Riko waved a dismissive hand. “You are a Moreau. You will learn your place or you will have it taught to you. Remember that.”

Moreau nodded and Kevin struggled not to let his relief show. He knew the time would come for Riko to take the full measure of the newest Raven, but Kevin wanted to postpone it as long as possible. 

“We'll have to see your skills on the court,” Kevin said, hoping to appease Riko. “We don't know how long it's been since you played. None of this means anything if you cannot hold your own.” The Court could hurt, but it was a cleaner pain. Different.

Moreau shot him a flat look, and Kevin did his best to match it. “I can play. Give me a racquet.”

He wasn't wrong. Kevin had to know about backliners– many Exy players made the mistake of only learning their own position, but understanding the role of each member of a team made your job easier. A good backliner had to be fast and ruthless, simultaneously focused on their mark and seeing the whole field at once. 

Kevin prided himself on knowing the measure of a player after one match. After playing Jean-Yves Moreau for the first time, he saw that he played not like he had either everything or nothing to lose. Rather, he played like it was the only thing, like he was willing to do anything to achieve his goal. He played like his body didn't matter. 

As they headed off the field, Kevin caught him by the arm. “You did well. They will do what they can to injure you. It does no good to play like that if you're only going to handicap yourself with injury.”

“Somehow I do not think it will matter if I am injured or not,” Moreau said, wrenching his arm out of Kevin's hold.

Kevin watched him walk away, unsure what he could say to contradict that.

–

Kevin glanced behind himself, checking once more that Riko was asleep. He had made this particular walk enough times to know it would be fine– Riko was a heavy sleeper, and he wouldn't be gone more than an hour. None of Jean's temporary partners, if they noticed, would dare to reveal his secret. Riko was King, but Kevin had enough standing that the other Ravens knew he could make their lives hell just as easily. So they turned away when Kevin slipped into Jean's room in the dead of night.

He sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle Jean too much. He'd taken a considerable amount of hard checks at practice that day. Not that he ever didn't. Still, Kevin knew how much worse it had gotten now that they were full members of the team. 

It'd be worse if Jean indicated that any of it bothered him, but he woke without even a pained grunt, just soundlessly opening his eyes and turning to look at Kevin. The fight, the hard edge that had been there when they met two years ago was gone, replaced with flat, empty grey. Kevin hated it, hated his part in putting it there. Still, he was here, doing what he could to get some of the light back.

“So. Three words tonight?” he asked tucking his leg up underneath him.

Jean nodded and sat up, wincing a bit at the pull in his ribs. “It would be easier to learn if you were willing to try sentences.”

Kevin sighed. Jean was right, of course, as Kevin had mostly learned Japanese by being thrown into the deep end. But this was all he had to bargain with, to get these few moments alone with him, to see that he was okay. There was a smaller, buried part of him that could admit he just wanted the closeness, but examining that would open doors Kevin knows are better left closed. It wasn't an option, to be anything but what the public required of him. Desirable. Charming. 

Straight.

So he contented himself with the lilt of syllables on Jean's tongue, the way the sound sends a lick of something up Kevin's spine. And when he's learned his words for the day and exhaustion makes his pronunciation too egregious for Jean to bear, he can curl into the warmth by his back and close his eyes, feel the rise and fall of Jean's breath with his head resting on his shoulder.

It's too dangerous to stay, but he always waits until he's sure Jean is asleep to slip away, leaving the safety of dreams for the reality down the hall.

–

It was four in the morning and Kevin was half convinced that Jean was dead.

More than half sure, if he's being honest. It wasn't fair, what he'd done, but it was the only chance he'd had. Riko wouldn't have killed him, but Kevin isn't sure that what he's been left with is any better. He only half remembered the drive, hopped up on pain and adrenaline with his wrist cradled to his chest. It felt like atonement, though he didn't think Jean would agree with that assessment. Not when he was surely experiencing ten times worse. 

Kevin's name kept him insulated from the repercussions of his actions, but even if he had been able to take Jean with him, there's no guarantee that the Moriyama's wouldn't have had him killed. At least, that's what he told himself. Andrew called it equivocating.

So he paced the length of the room that's only been his for forty eight hours and tried not to panic as his phone refused to light up with an answer from Jean. The first thing Andrew had done once Wymack had passed him uneasily into the cousins' custody was sit him down and watch as he deleted every contact in his phone of the Ravens and blocked them. He had done it– shaking the whole time, but he'd done it, understanding that he had no choice. But as he'd stared down at Jean's name, he looked up at Andrew's placid smile and shook his head.

“He needs me,” he'd said.

“He needed you,” Andrew corrected. “You left him. He will not see it otherwise.”

“Then at least leave me the option to repay the debt I owe him,” Kevin said, appealing in a language he knew Andrew understood.

Something in the desperate glint in his eyes must have convinced him, because he handed Kevin his phone back, grin growing wide.

“Playing with fire. Maybe Dan is wrong about you being a Fox after all.” 

Half sick with desperation, Kevin clicked call before he could second guess himself and waited for the beep of Jean's voicemail. He knew he probably wouldn't be coherent, but the words had been choking for him for two days, and he felt like they were going to rip him in two soon.

“Jean. I-I know you hate me, and you should- I- fuck, I left you and I'm selfish, I'm so selfish that I have to know you're okay, that you're alive. Just tell me that and I'll never bother you again.”

 He doesn't mean the last bit– Jean is too much a part of his bloodstream to ever be able to stop checking for him, at every game and gala, in every shadow and tucked into his heart when he sleeps. But he was trying to be better and that meant letting the space close as long as he knew Jean was alive.

His phone chimed three days after he sent the voicemail, and the sound startled him so much he almost smashed it against the wall. But he opens it with a shaky hand and saw what Jean wrote.

I am alive. Never call me again. Coward.

–

Kevin visited California alone for the first time during the week between Christmas and New Year's. Andrew and Neil were headed up the coast, everyone else scattered to their various homes. He'd known that Abby had been genuine in her offer for him to stay with her and Coa-his dad. But he'd stayed there in the week leading up to the holidays, and through them, and it had left both of their nerves a little raw. Besides, he had put off seeing how Jean was long enough. It was best for him to have space to settle in with the Trojans, and he'd known he was in good hands with Jeremy.

He knew it was selfishness rather than altruism that made him want to visit. A horrible voice whispered and clawed in the back of his mind, wanting to know if he's been replaced, if the rupture between them is large enough that it can't be healed. Jean had certainly had nothing kind to say to him while holed up at Abby’s. But he hoped that time and distance had done some of the work for him. Now it was up to Kevin to do the rest.

Jeremy was the one to pick him up from the airport. “Jean's sorry he couldn't make it– backliners day for pre-semester physicals. He'll meet us at the house once you're settled.”

Kevin knew a practiced lie when he heard one– he'd told enough of them himself. Jean didn't want their first meeting in six months to be in a small car with no way out. “How is he really?”

Jeremy sighed. “He's doing as good as he can? Leagues better than he was in June.”

“But?”

“But you left a hell of a lot out, man.”

Kevin nodded. “It is…difficult to explain.”

Jeremy nodded. “I'm not angry. And…neither is he. I don't think. That's probably an overstep so don't repeat that, but…just give him time.”

When Kevin did finally get to see Jean later that night, he did look good. He was no longer ghostly pale, and more present than he'd seemed in a long time. He's gained muscle back, but it sat better than it had with the Ravens. 

Jeremy, Cat,  and Laila clear the table to give the two of them a chance to talk and Kevin feels all of the words he'd wanted to say flee him.

“You're alone,” Jean said to break the silence.

“Huh?”

Jean rolled his eyes at Kevin's ineptitude. “I meant that you came alone. I'm surprised is all.”

“Andrew wouldn't set foot in California if I paid him.”

Jean shrugged. “Or maybe you don't need him the way you think you did?”

“Maybe,” he answered noncommittally. He didn't know if Jean was really past the partner system or not, but it still bothered him to think Jean has freed himself from it far sooner than Kevin had managed to. “I think we're both pretty well adjusted. All things considered.”

The weight of names and bodies hang between them. So many Ravens dead or good as, and for what? He has asked Thea once how she had moved on and she dad shrugged and said she hadn't. She just kept moving. He supposed that without something to move towards, they had been lost. Kevin had his father, and Jean…

Jean had the Trojans now. 

He looked up as Jeremy tapped on the doorframe, looking apologetic. “I'm heading up to bed. You need anything?”

“We're fine. Good night, Jeremy.”

There was something in the look that passed between them and Kevin knew. It wasn't something yet, but it would be, and he would be happy for Jean when it happened. He owed him that much.

–

Three things were true: Kevin had just won his third gold medal, he hadn't had a drink in thirteen years, and he was in a bar.

He held his hand against the cold of his glass, full of club soda and ice. His hand cramped up after a game, and the cool felt nice against his palm.

He heard someone slide next to him and even after years intuited who it was. “How did you know I would be here?”

Jean snorted. “You are not difficult to predict.”

“I wasn't going to drink.”

“I know.”

His hand fidgeted on the glass as weighed his words. “Shouldn't you be celebrating?”

“I am exactly where I want to be.”

Kevin looked over at him. Years between them and so much changed, but not Jean's eyes. The same grey, the same kind look. Despite.

“I think this is it,” Kevin said quietly. 

“Your hand.”

 It was a statement, not a question, but Kevin nodded anyway. “The doctors wanted me to retire two years ago, but I wanted another Olympics. My coach signed off on it, with the condition that I was done after this.”

Jean nodded slowly. “You should talk to Jeremy. He had a hard time when his knee took him out a few years ago. He might have some suggestions.”

“I see a sports psychologist. I've been preparing for this for a year.”

“But it's different than you thought it would be.”

There was a ghost hanging between them, an unspoken absence no one else could see. “It's easier on the court. I could manage it there.”

“You will manage without it. It can't love you back.”

“You sound like Andrew.”

“Perish the thought.”

They chuckled and the tension broke, long enough for Jean to take his glass of melted ice away. “Come. We are going somewhere else.”

Kevin stood, confused but not concerned. Even now, he would follow Jean anywhere. “It's eleven at night.”

“There are streetlights.”

Kevin stopped short as Jean made his way over to a motorcycle, passing a helmet to Kevin. “I am not getting on that thing.”

Jean laughed. “Yes you are. You drive in a car with Andrew.”

“That's different. It has doors.”

“Do you trust me?”

Kevin faltered at that, feeling too much like an eighteen year old version of himself clinging to Jean in the dark. But he found that it wasn't a question at all.

“I do.”

–

“Dad!”

Kevin looked up to see Amalia making her way through the crowd. It still startled him every day to see how tall she was getting. Her features were all Thea, but the demanding tone was him.

“Yeah?”

“Uncle Jean is here!” 

“Can't really leave, honey. Let him in and tell him I'm back here.”

She ran off and returned, pulling 6’5” of backliner through the kitchen. 

“They trust you in front of a stove?” Jean greeted. 

“I'm learning,” Kevin said. “If you're going to make fun of me, you're going to help. Chop,” he said, gesturing to the vegetables to his left. 

Jean smirked, but didn't argue, taking the knife with an air of practice. “Glad to see you haven't lost your inexplicable need to boss everyone around.”

“It comes in handy,” Kevin said without heat. “Jeremy coming?”

“He got commandeered by your daughter. She wanted to show him the tricks she taught Lucky.”

Kevin chuckled. Amalia spoiled that dog, but then, she had caught Kevin giving her a pup cup, so he wasn't totally off the hook. “Losing your husband to a dog.”

“I accepted I would lose that bargain long ago,” Jean said with a laugh.

A companionable silence passed between them, the sounds of chopping and sizzling serving as the backdrop. 

“It's weird how normal this is, right?” Kevin said at last.

“I don't know– I tend to think everything involving you is made weird.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Jean hummed, wiping his hands and turning to face Kevin. “I think the feeling you're experiencing is happiness, Kevin.”

It was rare that he took the time to take stock of his life. The years since his retirement had passed in a sea of trial and error– of becoming a better father and husband, of trying on hobbies and habits, until the patchwork he'd cobbled together resemble a life. And he was, he found, happy, against all odds. He liked getting called old by Amalia, having to squint at her phone when she showed him TikToks, yelling at Neil over the phone after a match they'd both watched, quiet double dates with Jean and Jeremy, and feeling the weight of their history melt away with the years.

Kevin was forty, and Jean was in his kitchen, and they were smiling, and they were going to be okay.

“I think you might be right.

[shmowder]

Pathologic play where the tragedians slowly fall into love with the player. Not the healer you're controlling, but the player behind the screen.

It starts with small things like reflections giving you more information than normal. You don't think much of it. Pathologic is known for its secret dialogue options at times.

Then you noticed the supposed tutorial tragedians on the street aren't exactly leaving despite progressing through the game. Instead, you can talk to them each day and receive useful information, a valuable item, or straight-up food.

How much more of a constant they've become in your quests, taking it upon themselves to lead you to place, point you towards the fastest route and even slow down time for you when you're not looking.

Only that if you do follow his advice, you notice the executioners following in your steps the next playthrough around. Unlike the tragedians, the townsfolk can see them. Your character keeps getting questioned by others on why are orderlies follow you around so much?

They keep messing with the play, and it's making Mark Immortell clearly frustrated with the mutiny and how you're clearly a bad influence on them. During one scene in the theatre, he suggests starting over so his actors may hopefully regain their senses and stop acting like your fanclub.

Maybe they find it funny courtesy to the bird mask, but they keep leaving you nuts, marbles and other valuable trading items. They blatantly cure you of the plague that one time you couldn't outrun a certain cloud, they give you immunity pills and antibiotics the more you pay them attention and indulge their fawning.

The game practically becomes a cakewalk at this point, and no amount of resetting is fixing it.

If anything, they're more like a harmless crowd of adoring fans that watch you play and cheer from the side whenever you do something cool, fawning at your every action, asking more and more personal questions to get to know you.

Both groups keep watching over you, not so subtly behind Mark's back. Letting you slip away from some dangers for simply smiling their way, throw in a wink, and there is nothing you can't get away with.

Adoring you from the backlines, dropping some bullets and a gun in a building's ground floor furniture just when you're desperate looking for loot.

A bunch of them hanging out at your permanent lair, keeping your storage sorted and just having fun being silly around the place. Some of the tragedians try to make you laugh, and others attempt to impress you with their acrobatics.

While the birdies are surprisingly more coy with their infatuation. They still attempt to play their correct roles, especially the plague executioner. But the second you pick a mean dialogue option to them, their dialogue changes and stutters, visibly deflating in sadness as they mumble the rest of their lines. Staring at you through their intimidating apathetic bird mask like a kicked puppy, wanting your approval but also wanting to be a good actor.

A lot of the more extreme shocking scenes are skipped because they feel too bad to be that mean to you. You don't get death taunting you in the marbles nest, nor does the plegue insult you in the haruspex's route each time you make progress.

Actually- it's the other way around. The plague is congrating you on your progress with a gushing fan tone, saying how they knew you were such a good job for this and they can't believe they get to act with such a talent as yourself—Hey actually do you think you can sign their mask? Oh the others would be so jealous if they knew.