#the look on Rodri’s face

[pensat-i-fet]

Baby face Grizi 👶

[libraryofloveletters]

Hallways Hold Our Secrets

Jack Grealish x Fem!Reader

Warnings: reader is rodri's sister, secret relationships, jack is sooo nervous, they're terrible at hiding their relationship, big brother!rodri, awkward family dinners, alcohol and the consumption of, some cheekiness from jack and some brotherly teasing from rodri.

Word Count: 3.9k

Author's Note: I cannot believe it took me so long to write jack. also shout out to pooks for the basis of this idea + this gif has literally nothing to do with the fic. jack is just sexy that's all (also look at my other mans in the corner even tho I be wanting to beat him up sometimes)

---

The message pops up on the top right corner of your laptop, you're certain it appeared on your phone as well but you're hoping he doesn't notice it.

Can I call you?

You click on it, typing back a response; I'm with him. Can it wait?

His reply comes just as fast; Just for a minute, I wanna hear your voice.

You shut the laptop, leaving it on the kitchen table. "Just gonna borrow this for a minute," you tell your brother as you grab your phone off the counter; he had been using it to get the recipe for dinner tonight since his was charging.

Rodri smiles, nodding. "Sure."

You disappeared around the corner, clicking the contact that frequents your call log. It barely got rang twice before he answered.

"Hi love," he sighs, as if he had dropped down to the couch. You smiled to yourself, leaning on the wall in the hallway. "Hi you."

"I miss you," he says, the words tugging on your heart. You could imagine the pout on his lips; coincidentally, also his favourite pose when he takes selfies.

"I saw you today, Jack." Your response comes out as a whisper, not wanting to be overheard.

"I know, is a man not allowed to miss his girlfriend?"

Once again, his words bring a smile to your face; girlfriend. That's what you were, even if it was a secret.

"You are," you smile.

Jack sighs, picking at his cuticle before he speaks again. "I wish you were here, I could use the company."

Man City had faced their first loss in a while. After being on a winning streak and the return from the treble winning season, this one hit them especially hard. To lose at home was even worse, it dug into them, rightfully so.

All of the boys were in a bad mood, Pep digging into them about what went wrong didn't help either. You had waited outside of the locker room in hopes of catching a quick moment with your boyfriend but he walked out with your brother who was more than ready to leave.

"Hermanita! Come taste this!" Rodri shouts from the kitchen and you sigh. "Me too, but another time, okay? I have to go."

"Yeah," Jack sighs, "I love you."

"Me too," you smile, hanging up before slipping your phone into your pocket. You walked into the kitchen, a smile on your face as your brother held the spoon out to you.

You tasted it, nodding. "It's good, needs a bit more pepper though."

"I thought so too," he nods in agreement, adding the rest of the chopped peppers that were sitting on the counter. "Where'd you go?" He asks as you return to your spot at the kitchen table.

"Needed my hair tie," you fib and his brows furrow. Your heart pounds in your chest when you notice his look, praying he didn't over hear your conversation. At the moment, it didn't occur to you that you had taken your phone with you and your lie made no sense.

"Your hair is untied."

"Yeah," you nod, "I couldn't find one."

Rodri nods, dismissing your words as he goes back to dinner, trying to finish up the last of it. Eventually he joins you at the table, your brother sits across from you, picking at the leftover pasta on his plate. "So, are you seeing someone ?"

You freeze, nearly choking on your juice. "What? Why would you ask me that?" You rubbed at your chest, looking at him with what you were certain was a confused look.

He shrugs, stabbing a piece of pasta. "You're 25, done university.. just seems like time to move on."

Your brother's displeasure with the last guy you dated was not something that he hid very well. He was a grade A douchebag, snotty and stuck up; when you look back, you wondered how you put up with all of his nonsense. You two dated from your second year of university up until right before your graduation.

During your last semester of university, you had taken a week off and came down to visit your big brother in Manchester. The break up was getting to you and it seems like everything around was a constant reminder of your wretched ex.

Rodri had taken you along with him to one of their home games, having you watch what your big brother does up from the stands as if you were 12 again, and afterwards you had gone down to find him and meet some of his teammates.

That was the first time you met Jack.

The two of you clicked instantly; a match made in heaven. From your personalities, to your sense of humour, to the way you dress and down to the way you texted were identical. You suited each other to a T.

It seems you two figured out as much as you went from not knowing each other to speaking every single day after you left Manchester.

Your older brother was aware that you and Jack were friends, but he didn't think much of it. He saw that you got along with quite a few of his teammates, which made him very happy.

What he didn't know was that you and Jack were more than friends.

Jack had come down to visit you during one of your off weeks. He didn't mention it to Rodri nor did you. The two of you decided that it would be your little secret until you've finished university and you can decide what to do from there.

It was just easier this way, there weren't any complications or strings attached if you decided to split up at the end of your semester.

You didn't realize that you'd find yourself in Manchester nor did you expect to fall in love with the midfielder so quickly.

Nodding, you clear your throat. "I will."

"I'm just happy you're over him, he was shit." Rodri says, clearing the table. You can't help the laugh that you let out, leaning back in your chair.

---

Match day; your favourite day.

The Etihad was full from top to bottom, the crowd cheering their names, hoping that the team brings home a win. To nobody's surprise, they managed to bring home a win and four points.

You had gone down, waiting for your brother as they got cleaned up after the game. You were taking a photo of their treble wall, all the photos of them smiling and celebrating with their trophies.

The familiar scent of his cologne makes you smile, you can hear his footsteps and you figure he'll appear next to you, not pinch your hip and scare you.

"Dude!" You jumped, swatting his hands away. Your boyfriend smiles, his arms around your waist, pulling you into him.

"It's just me, relax," he whispers, chin on your shoulder. As the words leave his mouth, you melt against him; you can feel the warmth from his body, the mix of cologne trying to mask the sweat from 90 minutes on a pitch usually disgusted you but with him, it was tolerable.

Jack spoke, pulling you from your thoughts. "What are you doing out here?"

"Taking a picture," you lifted your phone to show him, flipping the camera to take a photo of the two of you. Both you and Jack make his favourite face; that duck face and then another one with you two smiling, and one more of him kissing your cheek.

His fingers mindlessly drumming against your stomach, looking at the photos on the wall when you snapped back to reality.

You weren't in your little bubble of safety with him; anyone could see you, your brother could see you.

It seemed unreal that you were 25 and still sneaking around, hiding your relationship from your big brother but it would be easier if you weren't dating his teammate.

You stepped away from Jack abruptly, the man's brows pulled together and there's a confused look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Someone could see us," you step further away, creating some distance from the two of you. Jack looked even more puzzled than he did before.

"And that would be the worst thing because.." He trails off, looking at you. You roll your eyes, leaning on the wall as you look at him. "You know, 10 would look much better on you." He nods towards your jersey, there's a cheeky grin on his face and you roll your eyes yet again.

You had worn your brother's jersey, as you do most match days. "16 looks perfectly fine on me, thank you for your input."

"You'd look sexy in a plastic bag, babe. Just saying 10 would be better on you."

You don't get a chance to answer, your big brother comes around the corner. His hand rests on Jack's shoulder, patting it firmly before slinging it over his shoulder.

"What's going on here?" Rodri looks between you two and you shake your head. "Just saying hello to your sister," Jack says, smiling at his teammate.

Rodri hums, nodding as he glances between the two of you. "Did y/n ever tell you about that chocolate cake she makes?"

"No," Jack shook his head, "I don't think so." - A total lie. Jack has had that cake so many times before and you had even gone as far as giving him the recipe, which was a secret.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow? I'm sure y/n won't mind making it, would you?"

You shrug, "yeah I don't mind, but I'm sure Jack has plans."

You glance between your brother and boyfriend, wondering what the sudden dinner invite was about. It wasn't that Rodri and Jack didn't get along, because they did. It just struck you as odd because it's not one of the guys Rodri typically hangs out with outside of work related events.

"I don't," Jack smiles at you. "I'd be more than happy to come over. Should I bring something?"

"No, man. Don't worry about that, come over for 8."

"Sounds good," Jack nods, smiling as he walks off.

You look at your brother, arms folded over your chest. Your eyes narrowed on the man, trying to figure out his motive. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Rodri asks and you nod towards Jack. "The dinner invite."

"I can't invite my teammate to dinner?" Rodri's brows furrow, looking back at you.

"You can. Just find it odd, considering that you and Jack aren't close like that."

He shrugs, "just felt like having some company over. Other than your ugly face of course." There's a smile on his face as he looks at you. You pinch his side, the man pulling you into a headlock as you two walk down the hallway.

---

Shirt covered in butter, flour and eggs and you had finally put the cake into the oven to bake. Your phone buzzes once on the counter as you tidy up. It buzzes again, then again and again.

Finally, you set the rag down and walk over to check who it was.

From Jack: Babe!!!

From Jack: I'm freaking out bro

From Jack: I don't know what to wear

From Jack: *1 Image Attachment* Should I wear this??

The series of messages left you confused, as did his outfit choice. Jack had sent you a photo of the ugliest Gucci shirt he owned and there were quite a few of them in his closet.

To Jack: That is the ugliest shirt I've seen in my life.

From Jack: That's fucking rude

To Jack: Also why are you freaking out?? It's just dinner.

From Jack: Can you please just come help me??

To Jack: I have a cake in the oven

From Jack: So ??? Please come. It's an emergency.

You sigh, walking down the hallway to your brother's room. You knocked, waiting for them to answer before you peek into the room.

"I ran out of sugar and I need it for the icing. I'm gonna run to the store, can you keep an eye on the cake? It's got a timer running so just take it out when it's done."

Rodri nods, trying to make up his bed "Sure, don't be too long. It's almost 7."

"Yeah, I'll be back soon." You picked up his car keys off of his dresser. "Love you!" You called as you walked out of the room.

"Drive safely!" He shouts back and the front door slams shut.

It was a 15 minute drive to Jack's place, the elevator ride up felt like longer and you tumbled through your purse to find the key Jack had given you to his apartment.

"Where are you?!" You shout, setting your bag on the table, kicking your shoes off.

"Bathroom!" He calls back and you find your way to the bathroom. Jack's back was to you, shirtless and quite tanned for a guy living in Manchester. You find yourself leaning on the wall, watching as your boyfriend tumbled through one of the drawers for something.

Jack chuckles, "I can feel you staring."

"So?" you smiled at him when he turned to face you. "I can't stay long, so what do you need help with?"

He walks over to you, his arm looping around your waist. "I can't kiss my girl hello?" He asks, leaning into you. His cologne overpowering any other scent, the familiar smell made your head spin.

"You can," you smiled, holding his jaw gently as you kissed him. "Okay come on though, let's pick something out." You hold his hand, pulling him back to his bedroom.

Jack sits on the bed, watching as you search through the closet for something for him to wear. "I really don't understand why you're so freaked out for dinner. You've had dinner with Rodri before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but at work stuff. This is different."

"How so?" You set a few choices on the bed. "I'm sure he's gonna be in sweats, Jack. No need to stress yourself out."

Jack looks over at you, "yeah but he invited me to his house. You're my girlfriend and he's your big brother. Even if he doesn't know, I want to make a good impression."

"That's sweet, now put this on." You smiled, handing him a forest green short sleeved button up you pulled out of the depths of his closet.

While Jack was getting ready, you searched through the drawers for a shopping bag you were sure he had left around. When you found out, you tumbled through his cupboards for a bag of icing sugar you knew you had left there and then you opened the fridge to get the butter.

"What are you doing?" Jack asks, appearing in the doorway.

"I told Rodri I was going to the store, I can't go back empty handed."

"So that means you need to take my butter?" He looks at you confused, fixing the sleeves of his shirt. You nodded, smiling at him as you walked to the door.

Jack follows behind you, watching as you put your shoes back on. "I've seen your bank account, you can afford to buy another tub of butter," you patted his chest, giving him a quick kiss before heading out.

When you returned home, the house was quiet. "Rod?" You called, walking into the kitchen to see your cakes on the stove cooling and the back door was open.

"Hey," your brother stepped back inside. "You're back."

"What's going on? " You look at him confused. "Why were you outside?"

"I figured we could eat outside tonight, it's nice out."

"Okay then," you turn your attention to your cake, starting on the icing. "Did you get everything you needed?" Rodri asks, scooping some icing up on his finger.

You smack his arm, the man smiles and sticks his finger in his mouth to taste the frosting. "I did."

"Okay, I'm gonna go take a shower." He kisses your cheek, walking off towards the bathroom. You rolled your eyes at your brother's theatrics and finished up on your cake, frosting it and sticking it in the fridge for the time being.

By the time you finished tidying up and setting up the last of what was needed for dinner, it was a few minutes to 8 o'clock. Rodri finds his way back to the kitchen in slacks and a polo shirt.

"You're dressed up," you glance in his direction, setting the last glass into the dish rack. "We have company coming, I'm not gonna eat dinner in sweatpants, y/n."

You chuckled, remembering what you had told Jack earlier. "Okay whatever you say."

The doorbell rings, Rodri makes his way over to open it and let Jack in. The two of them made small talk in the entryway as you wiped your hands on the kitchen towel. Upon finding the men, you realized both of them were far too dressed up for you to be in sweatpants.

"I see I'm undressed." You announced, making your presence known.

"Hi y/n," Jack smiles at you, handing the bottle of wine over to Rodri.

"Hi Jack," you smiled back at him, as if you hadn't seen him 40 minutes ago. "I'm going to go change, I'll meet you guys outside."

You left them to make their way outside while you attempted to pull together an outfit as quickly as possible. You pulled your hair out of the falling apart ponytail it was in and put on a sundress before making your way outside.

"Wine?" Rodri asks, after pouring some into Jack's glass. "Yeah, please." You smile at your brother, sitting in the chair that was on the left; between Jack and Rodri who were across from each other.

Dinner was quiet, the 3 of you chatting about life, football, the upcoming matches, your plans come the fall. Rodri lets you and Jack speak, it's like you had forgotten he was there altogether; it didn't take a scientist to see the chemistry between you two.

You and Jack were comfortable in each other's space, joking around like you had known each other for years, the type of thing you'd only see with a couple.

After dinner wrapped up, you cleared the table and brought the cake out. You cut three pieces, handing them over to the boys before sitting down and taking your own piece.

Rodri takes a bite, looking over at his teammate who does the same. "How is it?" He asks Jack.

The man nods, "good, it's great." He smiles at you and you return the gesture, taking a bite from your own piece.

Rodri nods, the fork in between his fingers as he points between you and Jack. "So.. how long has this been going on?"

You coughed, rubbing your chest after you almost choked on your cake. Jack on the other was completely pale, as if all the blood had drained from his body.

He starts, glancing between you and Rodri, unsure what to say. "Wh-uh.. what are you talking about?"

Rodri rolls his eyes, as if Jack thought he was stupid. He knew the two of you were seeing each other, it was painfully obvious. He had a suspicion and tonight's dinner was either going to make or break the thought. It just slapped a big old confirmed stamp on the two of you.

"I'm not blind, you know. I do pay attention, even when you think I'm not." Rodri says, looking over at you with an accusatory look on his face. You bite back a shy smile, lips pressed together as you look away from your older brother. "Plus, your bedroom is next to mine, y/n. Having him on speaker all night isn't exactly the slickest way of hiding a relationship."

You and Jack chuckled, looking at each other. "It's not that we didn't want to tell you-" "It was y/n's idea not to tell you." Jack butts in, throwing you under the bus so to speak.

"Shut up!" You groan, shaking your head. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," you glance in the direction of your boyfriend. "I just wanted to see where it goes, if I'd stay in Manchester or not."

"And are you?" Rodri asks.

You take a moment to think, nodding. "Yeah, I think I will be."

"Good," your brother reaches over, patting your hand. "Does he treat you well?"

You rolled your eyes at his cliché question but you nod. "He does."

Rodri turns his attention to Jack. "If you hurt her, I'll hurt you." He tells his teammate, earning a laugh from Jack but you look at your boyfriend. "No, he will and I'll let him."

"Oh..." Jack looks between the siblings, jaw hanging open a bit. "Okay then."

The rest of the evening was quiet, you two gave Rodri a few details from your relationship, how long you'd be together and a few other things like that before you took the cake back inside.

Jack had gone to the bathroom and your brother finds you cutting another slice of the cake, putting it into a Tupperware bowl in the kitchen. "What are you doing?" He looks at you, confused.

You return the look, "packing a piece of cake for Jack? There's more than enough, Rod. You can have more tomorrow." You chuckled, putting the bowl into a bag.

"I don't think your clothes are gonna fit in there," Rodri tells you, leaning on the counter. You look at your brother, confusion all over your face. "What are you talking about, dude?"

"Go pack your bag."

"Are you kicking me out? I thought you were cool with-" "No dummy, I'm telling you to go spend the night with your boyfriend."

"Oh!" You laughed, walking over to give your brother a hug. "You're really okay with me dating him?"

"Would he have been my first choice? No, I thought you'd date a doctor or something boring like that but as long as you're happy and he treats you well, I'm 100% behind it."

"Okay," you smiled, kissing his cheek before running off to your room.

Jack and Rodri were in the entryway, your bag tossed over your shoulder as you skipped down the hallway towards them. Jack reaches for your bag, taking it from you.

"Thanks man," Jack nods at his teammate, Rodri smiles at him. "Anytime, take care of her, yeah? Drive carefully please."

"I'm a fantastic driver," Jack says, and you and Rodri exchange a look before laughing. Jack rolls his eyes, already knowing what you two were thinking. You hugged your brother once more, saying goodnight to him before heading down the driveway with him.

Once you were in the car, Jack looked over at you with a cheeky smile on his face. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Shut up," you smiled, reaching over to hold his hand.

--

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[devilishchaos]

Heyy idk if u take requests but can u do where the reader have a girl with ruben and they’re celebrating the ucl win on the pitch etc and the their child starts playing with ronny and they assume that the girl and ronny have a tiny crush on eachother yk cute moments etc🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Moments like this | Rúben Dias Imagine

Rating / genre: pure fluff

Pairings: Reader x Rúben Dias

Warnings: use of pet names "babe", "baby"

Word Count: 1 059 words

AN: Hello! idk if I take requests, I received this one and this is my first ever request, I loved it and thank you so much. <3 I unfortunately don't speak portuguese so I used google translate, if you find any mistakes don't hesitate to let me know. On another note - I absolutely love Ronnie and everybody from City! I kind of added a little bit more plot so I hope it is okay and I also made it kinda long, like why am I like this? but hey I loved working on this, so I hope you enjoy it :) x

p.s. while I was working on this Mr. The Sexiest Man Alive posts this picture..like sir, are you trying to unalive me or sth..respectfully tho..Rúben stop playing with me and let me have your kids <3 :p x

This is a work of fiction. The story, names, characters and incidents either are product or the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

“Is your missus here tonight?” John asked his best mate Rúben, from across the room, as all Manchester City players were getting dressed in their kits and were preparing to attend the Uefa Champions League final tonight. Rúben turns away from his locker, trying to brush out a crease that had formed in his shorts. 

“Yes, she flew with the kids. They landed, like two hours ago.” He tells him, going to the mirror to begin fussing with his hair, even though he would just be pushing it back out of his face anyway. “This puts even more pressure. I’m basically obliged to perform well.” 

“She flew alone with two kids for what four hours?” Bernardo joins the conversation, grinning at Rúben. “She is a wonder woman.” 

“She definitely is!” John agrees, walking over to pat Rúben's shoulder comfortingly but he shakes his head, already nervous at the idea of his kids watching him. After the loss in the final 2021 and in the semi’s in 2022, Rúben promised his family to win the next time around. And now it was hitting him hard - he never breaks his promises. The pressure was definitely skyrocketing through the roof. 

*

It all happened very fast. You needed a couple of seconds to process that Rodri in fact had scored a beautiful goal. Which meant that City took the lead 1-0. There were approximately 20 more minutes and if City were able to handle the tension, that meant that the guys would complete a treble. You knew what that meant to them, to Rúben. Everything was at a very high stake. Your stomach was in knots and your leg bobbed up and down with anxiousness as you were looking at the clock, counting down the seconds until the end of the match, until the referee's final whistle. 

After what felt like the longest extra time that you’ve experienced in a match it was finally over, when the end of the match was announced everybody in the VIP sector (the families of the players) stood up and raised their arms in joy, cheering in excitement. 

“George. Azlia. Come on! Let’s go congratulate daddy!” you took them by their hands and somehow managed to get down to the pitch. 

The three of you push your way through the crowd on the soccer field. It was hard for you to see the way in the ocean of bodies. Then John taps lightly on your shoulder and points at a gap you can pass through. That’s when you see him. He has his back turned to you, engaged in conversation with a staff member. He doesn’t see you, but it’s like he feels you coming, and turns around, his gaze landing to you. Without looking back at the man behind him, he excuses himself and starts making his way over to you. 

“Papai!” George screams as he breaks away from your hand and runs to your husband, obviously he can't contain his excitement anymore. Rúben kneels down to be on the same level as him and he runs straight in his arms. You picked up Azlia as she was struggling to keep up with your pace with her little feet, because you wanted to get to Rúben faster. 

As you finally reach him you walk right into his open arms, your hands fisting his jersey. It feels so good to be holding him. 

“You did it! I’m so, so, so proud of you, amor! You did so good! I’m so happy for you! A treble, wow..unbelievable!” you said quite loudly in his ear with a smile that hurt your cheeks. 

You raised your head a little and he bent down a little, so you could share a kiss. As you pulled away, you gave him a kiss to the side of his mouth and ran your fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. 

“Eu te amo, meu amor.” he said to you, looking directly into your eyes wanting to look into them forever. 

Not breaking eye contact you replied just a heartbeat later “Te amo mais.” 

“Da-da,da-..” Azlia babbled in your arms, reminding you guys of her existence. 

“Eu também te amo, princesa.” Rúben said as he kissed her chubby cheeks. 

*

The awarding took place very quickly. You moved away with the rest of the wives, girlfriend and family members of the players and found yourself jumping from conversation to conversation. Everyone was so excited. Except the kids. They didn’t understand what was happening and just ran away the second the ceremony was done. 

You were frantically looking for Azlia when you felt two big, strong hands on your waist, bringing you into a hug from behind. 

“What are you doing, love?” Rúben asked with amusement. 

“I’m looking for Azlia! I can’t find her! George ran away with Roman and Riaan, and I swear Azlia was standing right beside me and now she is gone.” you said while turning in his arms, to face him. 

“Baby she is a one-and-a-half-year-old, with tiny little legs. How far can she go?” he chuckled, as you continued to search for her with your eyes. 

“Oh, there she is. Taking pictures with the other kids.” you finally spotted her, taking a picture with Kyle, his sons and Ronnie. 

“Baby, chill. These kids are having the time of their lives. They can’t stay in the same position for more than 10 seconds. Look at them running around!” Rúben assured you. That made you smile, but not as much as when you watched Ronnie chasing Azlia around and the two pig tails on top of her hair were bouncing with every step she took.

“Aww, look babe, Ronnie is showing Azi his medal. How cute!” you pointed at them for Rúben to see. 

“He is now putting his medal on her..” Rúben stated quite shook “Yo, Foden, watch your son!” he then shouted in Phil’s direction, who stood all the way to the other side of the pitch. 

“Rúben! Oh my God! Baby..they are kids..” you hit his chest lightly, bursting into a fit of giggles. 

“I have a medal, too..I’m gonna go show it to her.” and with that he left you watching him attempt to come close to Ronnie and Azlia, but when they saw him approaching them - they ran away laughing.

[its-time-to-write]

this is 100% self indulgent. no one asked for this except me and I have zero excuse for how it turned out. i have no defense, no witty rebuttal, no nothing. i wrote this because i wanted to, and at the very least i hope this inspires someone to write their borderline-self-insert fic and post it publicly.

this fic is set after season 3. enjoy😂

(oh now might also be a good time to mention how much I love Man City. bc it’s a lot.)

can’t hear my thoughts (i cannot hear my thoughts)

Calling Lake Como beautiful is like saying space is big. It’s true for sure, but it feels like an understatement. It’s June and the weather is absolutely gorgeous, perfect for the wedding you’re attending. It’s for two good friends of yours, and it’s going to be a party full of football royalty. You’re mostly excited to see friends who are WAGs from other teams who you’ve connected with over the past year and a half.

Oh, and you suppose it will be a nice vacation with Jamie, too.

You’re staying at a beautiful hotel that’s been open since 1910, and you swear you’ll never stay somewhere as beautiful again.

“Getting ideas for the house?” Jamie teases, and it sends a thrill down your spine with the way he refers to his house as your collective home. 

You grin as he spins you around the Suite Greta. Everything is golden, from the drapes to the pillows to the sun catching on his face.

“No,” you reply, “but maybe for a vacation home?”

Jamie laughs as he catches you up in his arms. “I could see us here in the next off-season. Not sure we’d get out much,” he muses and you wrap your arms around him as tight as they can go.

You’re here for a full week but Isaac’s wedding is only one day. You and Jamie have plans to see everyone who’s in town, as well as have some time to yourself.

“Sasha wants to go out for dinner tonight,” you tell Jamie as he unpacks his suitcase.

“Girls only, or will Jack be there?”

“Let’s see,” you hum as you scan the group chat. “Isabel said she and Erling will be there, so looks like it’s a couple’s thing. That’ll be fun, right?” you ask with just a hint of anxiety. Jamie and Jack are friends, they’ve run in the same circles for years, but you’re not sure how he’s going to feel about being outnumbered two to one, City to Richmond, at dinner.

“As long as Rodri ain’t there, I’m fucking chuffed,” he says as he lays out his suit on the bed.

“Chuffed? Is that a thing you say now?” you ask, flat on your back on the bed.

“Yep,” he replies. “I’m posh now, babe. Sorry you Americans can’t do it as well as we Brits.”

“I have it on good authority that we do it very well,” you smirk. “But I don’t think that’s something you’ll get to experience tonight. I haven’t seen Sash or Isa in ages, so we’ll probably talk for a long time and then I’ll be tired when we get back to the room.”

Jamie groans. “You’re sadistic, woman. The shit you put me through.”

You smile and remind him, “You’re the one who picked me, remember?”

—

Jamie is technically the one who picked you. You had just moved from America to London, got a temp job at a Richmond FC, and the rest is history. You don’t work at Richmond anymore, haven’t for a while, as you’ve been able to start your own thing in between attending matches and events and whatever else Jamie’s invited to. Being Jamie’s girlfriend is a full-time job on its own, and he definitely spoils you beyond what you’re used to. He’s the one who bought your dress for the wedding and it freaked you out just a little bit until you called Sasha (an angel, by the way) who laughed and talked you off the ledge. 

“Comes with the territory, babe. They’re just boys with more money than they know what to do with. Jack’d buy me the moon if he could figure out how. Enjoy it. It’s been a while since anyone’s seen Tartt this happy.”

So you do. You had been living together for almost a year now so you’d think that a dress wouldn’t push you over the edge, but there you go. You’re trying to be calmer about it. It’s better ever since you met Sasha and Isabel. 

You had been stuck in a room while Jamie talked to his old manager, and they had noticed your deer-in-the-headlights expression. You’re right in the middle of the two, age-wise, and from similar enough backgrounds.

“Here’s my number. Come over to my flat tomorrow for brunch. We’ll get you settled, babes,” Sasha had said. You went and it had been amazing to finally make real friends, even if they were technically on the opposing team. 

You’re excited to see them, excited for Isaac to finally get married, and excited to spend a full seven days with Jamie by your side. It’s going to be the best.

—

You enter the venue arm-in-arm with Jamie, practically dancing across the grass. The sun’s shining and there are all sorts of people you know and love. It feels a little surreal to be here. 

Earlier, back in the room, you had slipped into your dress carefully to avoid getting makeup stains on the front. The skirt fell just at your knees and puffed out ever so slightly, with thick straps instead of regular sleeves so you could fully enjoy the warm weather. 

“Do a spin,” he had said, voice full of glee. You’d acquiesced, twirling around to let the blue tile print billow out before he caught you, kissing your shoulder so as not to ruin your makeup. 

Now, you’re holding onto him and trying not to wrinkle his linen suit when you hear someone shout your name. 

“Sasha!” you screech, running toward her as best you can with your shoes on the grass. You squeeze each other into a tight hug, uncaring about about the state of her hot pink dress. 

“Hey man,” Jack says to Jamie, who grins and shakes his hand. “You’d think they haven’t seen each other in fucking ages.”

“It’s been twelve hours,” you say. “And before that it’s been like two months. Anyway, don’t you two have some football to discuss or something? Or headbands? Or-”

“Really short socks,” Sasha helpfully supplies. 

Jamie shakes his head. “Fuck off, Attwood.”

“Fuck you, Tartt,” she replies. 

“Oi, you two wouldn’t even be friends if it weren’t for me. You could be a little nicer,” Jamie says. 

“Oh is that Hughes?” Jack asks before either Sasha or Jamie can escalate. Their entire friendship is based off sniping one another and neither you nor Jack are particularly in the mood for it today. 

Jamie turns to look. “Oh mint, looks like things are starting. You saved us seats?”

“Yeah, with Haaland and Isabel,” Sasha returns, linking her arm through yours. “C’mon, did you get yourself a parasol?”

—

It’s the most beautiful wedding you’ve ever been to. Stella looks stunning in her gown, Isaac stoically sobs his eyes out while Colin surreptitiously hands him a tissue. Even Roy seems to be having a good time, but then again Keeley once told you that he “really fucking loves weddings.” You hadn’t believed her, but his lips are in a straight line instead of a frown so maybe she was right. 

There’s a group of City and Richmond players together, and it’s a little strange to see how friendly they are off the pitch. Dani is explaining something with lots of hand gestures to Phil while the rest of the group jokes around. 

Sasha sneaked you and Isabel away to get drinks for yourselves and you were about to get away unnoticed when Erling caught Isabel’s arm and asked for a drink too, so now you’re ordering for your boyfriends as well as yourselves. 

You don’t really care, there’s a part of you that’s reveling in the sheer joy of being young and hot. Sue you. 

“Cosmo, please,” you say while the girls order drinks of their own. Sasha raises an eyebrow so you shrug and say, “Jamie likes what he likes.”

She rolls her eyes and scoffs “Tartt,” but it’s with the affection of an older sister so you elbow her and ask, “What did Jack want?”

She makes a face. “Heineken. He also likes what he fuckin’ likes.” 

You wheeze out a laugh as Isabel comes to join you. She smiles as she sips from something lavender colored in a martini glass. She cuts an elegant figure in her yellow, billowy dress. You smooth your dress and open your mouth to say something when a voice calls your name. You look to see your ex walking up, hand-in-hand with his wife. You know, the one he left you for. 

“Jake,” you say in surprise. God, you need your brain to form coherent thoughts right now. “What are you doing here?”

He grins, far too wide and goofy to be real. Not like Jamie, you think. 

“Oh, you know, Emma’s loosely related to the bride on her dad’s side. She asked for an invite, so here we are. Who are you here for? Bride or groom?”

“Both, actually,” you reply automatically. Jake’s words are grating, not so much in content as they are in tone. He always had a way of saying things condescendingly, like everyone else was a stupid little kid. 

“Oh,” he says in what you think is supposed to be surprise, “that’s funny. I didn’t know you knew anyone out here. You’ve been living in England all alone, right?”

Emma just hovers by Jake’s shoulder. She’s not contributing anything to this conversation except a snooty little smirk. 

“No,” you say. “I’m not alone. This is Isabel, by the way.” You look around for Sasha, but she’s disappeared. Smart girl. 

Isa doesn’t extend her hand. “Nice to meet you,” she says and Jake takes her at her word. He puffs up his chest a little bit as he asks, “Where are you from? You don’t sound British.”

“We’re from Norway,” a voice behind her says. “I’m Erling.”

Sasha has reappeared with Jack, Erling, and Jamie in tow. You mentally congratulate her with a well done, Sash as you feel Jamie’s arm loop around your waist. 

He feels like a solid wall against your back, a glimmer in an otherwise garbage moment. 

Jake takes stock of the three men who are looking at him with less-than friendly stares. You’re not sure what Sasha told them, but you’re absolutely positive Jamie recognizes Jake. You can practically feel the hairs on his arm bristling. 

Jake finishes his assessment and deems it appropriate to talk. “So, how do you all know each other?”

Jamie scoffs and looks away, while Jack stares at Jake like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. 

You wonder what it is with your affinity for J-names. 

“We’re footballers,” Erling says before anyone can take more offense. 

“Premier League footballers,” Jamie adds, as if it means anything to Jake. 

Jake’s American, like you, and he’s never been much for sports anyway. He wouldn’t even recognize David Beckham if the man were standing under a poster of himself. 

Jake says, “Right. Hey, weren’t you on one of those trashy dating shows?” and Jamie stiffens. 

Sasha mutters, “Fuck’s sake,” under her breath as Erling and Isabel take pointed interest in something in the distance.  

“No,” Jamie replies shortly. “The fuck were you talking to my girl?”

Jake looks to you in surprise. “Oh! You two are together? That’s… well, that’s… I guess I just didn’t expect her to be whoring around like that. But hey, move to another country and all morals go out the window, right?”

That’s the thing about Jake. He never speaks as if he’s actually trying to be offensive. He just says what’s on his mind. And you’re a little concerned that what’s on his mind is going to land Jamie (and quite possible Jack) in jail. Neither of them are especially known for backing down from a squabble. “Cut from the same cloth,” Pep was rumored to say. 

“Fuck off, mate,” Jack interjects. “Just fuck off. Everyone here loves her, and you can’t talk about her like that.”

Your ex reevaluates the situation at hand and decides the best thing to do would be to take Emma’s hand and walk away. 

“Strange that his wife does not speak,” Erling remarks. 

You grimace. “You could’ve stopped at ‘strange.’ No idea what I ever saw in him.”

Jamie has a crushing grip on your waist so you wiggle a bit to get him to loosen up. 

“Prick,” he mutters. “How the fuck did he even get here, anyway? He’s in fucking America.”

“His wife’s loosely related to Stella. They asked for an invite,” Isabel volunteers. 

Jamie rolls his eyes. “Oi, if he tries to talk to you again, I’ll grab Roy and we’ll fucking kill him.”

“Yeah, ‘cause McAdoo’s never been above a little violence at a party,” Jack grins. 

You return his smile and say, “Thanks, but I’m pretty sure his mother-in-law would kill you.”

Erling huffs out a laugh. “Never a dull moment in the Premier League, is there?”

Isabel grins and loops her arm through his. “I’m tired of all this,” she says.  “Let’s go dancing. There’s a band and we don’t have to think about anything other than celebrating, yes?”

“God yes,” says Sasha.

Jamie still looks murderous, but you squeeze his hand once and whisper, “I’m fine, babe. It’s fine.”

He looks like he wants to argue, but he lets you pull him along to the dance floor with the group.

— 

There are so many people that you don’t even catch a glimpse of Jake and Emma. You’re not sure what they’re up to, and fairly certain they don’t know anyone else here. You on the other hand, are living your best life as Jamie sings along to “Ain’t No Mountain.” He’s swinging your arms around as he sways in time to the music. You just let him lead you however he wants. The song ends and he presses his lips to your ear so you can hear him over the sheer volume of everyone talking. “D’you want a drink? I can go get you something.”

You nod and mouth my usual, please, so he salutes and begins weaving his way through the crowd. You watch him as long as you can before spinning back around with a smile.

A smile that quickly fades when you realize Emma is right in front of you.

She says, “Cute dress,” and for a moment, you believe she’s being sincere but then she follows it up with, “Did you borrow it from your grandma’s closet? I’ve seen people do that.” 

Right, because grandmas are known for wearing dresses like this. 

“What? No, Jamie got it for me,” you say. 

“Oh cute, is it from Walmart? I think I saw something like it there last week.”

Emma is trying to draw blood. You suppose she’s taking her shot now as opposed to back then because she thinks there’s no one around to call her out. No one who knows her. 

You say, “They don’t have Walmart here,” instead of “It’s Dolce & Gabbana,” because the second phrase would make you sound like a prick. There’s a part of you that wants to be a prick, though, wants to channel that part of Jamie that’s ruthless, vicious and cruel, messing with the opposition before he cuts them down. 

The first time you saw it, it was hard to believe the Jamie on the pitch was the same Jamie who played with your hair while you cooked, or put a sticky note on his fridge titled “Babe,” detailing everything you’d ever said you liked. 

Emma sees she’s not getting to you, so she changes tactics. “Must be hard being here without any friends,” she remarks. “All alone. And you’ve never been especially extraverted. Are those people the only ones here you know?”

God, Jamie, where are you?

You open your mouth to respond but are cut off by someone with a distinctly midwestern twang say, “I heard one of my favorite countrywomen was here.”

You turn to see Ted Lasso grinning at you in a black suit. It’s the same smile you remember, albeit his eyes are a little sharp. You’d bet anything he knows exactly what’s going on between you and Emma. 

“Ted!” you smile as a rush of relief floods your system. You step into his arms for a hug as he says, “Hey, sweetheart. How’ve you been?”

“Oh, you know,” you say. “Kind of great, actually. I wondered if you were going to be here! Have you seen Jamie yet?”

Ted shakes his head. “Y’know, I haven’t. Why don’t we find him together?” He offers you an arm and you take it gratefully, choosing not to spare Emma a glance.

“She seems like a real bucket of laughs,” Ted remarks.

“You have no idea. That’s my ex’s wife.”

Whatever Ted thought you were going to say, he certainly wasn’t prepared for that. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before settling on a short, “Well I’ll be danged.”

You laugh and stand on tiptoes to try to see Jamie. You don’t see him, but you catch a glimpse of an especially tall, blond head.

“This way,” you tell Ted. You brush past Phil who smiles at you, past Colin and Michael, and past someone you’re pretty sure is a Beckham.

You make your way to Erling and Isabel as they dance to the music in their own corner.

You frown. “Have you seen Jamie?” you shout. 

Isabel shakes her head. “He was looking for you,” she calls back.

“Oh,” you say, “Ted, this is Isabel and-”

“Erling Haaland,” Ted says, hand outstretched. “Pleasure to meet you, son. Big fan of the way you play the game.”

You miss Erling’s response, startled by a hand on your shoulder. You turn to see Sam standing behind you.

“Sam!” you exclaim with a grin, “You look so handsome!”

Sam returns your grin and strikes a pose. “I’ve been sent on a very important mission. I am to retrieve you and bring you to Jamie and I am under no circumstances allowed to let a small rat man named Jake speak to you.”

You raise an eyebrow. 

“Jamie’s words, not mine,” Sam clarifies. “Although I must admit, I have seen this rat man. I do not like him very much.”

“You and me both,” you agree. You wave to Isabel and pat Ted on the arm before following Sam.

He leads you away from the crowd of people to a stone path illuminated by small lights. This can’t be right, you think but Sam points down the path and says, “This is where I leave you.”

He turns to leave then changes his mind and spins back around. “It was lovely seeing you today, albeit for a short amount of time. I hope I will be seeing more of you while we are here. It is not often I meet someone who makes Jamie more tolerable.”

He speaks with a touch of humor and it’s just enough to dispel any apprehensions about what’s waiting for you in the dark. 

You say, “Thanks Sam. Love ya,” which he returns before he disappears back to the main party.

You take a breath and head down the steps.

It’s dark, the light barely shining enough for each step, but as you get farther you see a shadowy figure sitting on a bench under a tree. You smile. You can tell exactly who it is by his silhouette.

Jamie stands as you get closer and pulls you into his arms.

“Thought we’d sneak away to make out a bit,” he says. “And maybe to you wouldn’t yell at me in front of all our friends.”

You groan. “What did you do? Please tell me it has nothing to do with Roy. Or Jack. Oh my god, did you two start convincing people you were separated at birth again? Because it’s really only funny one time.”

“Well…” Jamie hedges.

You pinch his back. It’s the only part of him you can reach at the moment. “Jamie Tartt, you’d better tell me what you did right now or so help me you are going to be sleeping on the couch for the rest of our lives.”

“Oi, don’t fucking do that!”

He reaches back to grab your hands and holds them flat on his chest. “We- Roy, Grealish, and me, might have gotten your prick ex kicked out.”

“You what?” you gasp.

Jamie starts speaking in a rush before you can say anything else. “Look, y’know how protective Grealish gets, especially because Sasha fucking loves you, and then Roy heard that your prick ex was here (not the twat ex) and he said it’s easier for him to get in and out of fights on account of him being a fucking manager but then Grealish said that it’s pretty much expected that fights happen so might as well and anyway, no one’s gonna fuckin’ snitch on any of us because (hate to break it to you babe), but you’re, like, everyone’s kid sister. They’d fucking kill for you so it’s possible that we channeled that into threatening to break all of his bones if he ever ended up in the same country as you again.”

You’re processing all of the things Jamie said plus the incredible speed at which he said them, so all you can manage is a single “Okay,” before he’s talking again.

“Ehm, it’s also slightly-fucking-possible that someone did break his foot.”

“What?” you all but shout.

“Coordinated effort between Isa and Haaland,” Jamie says. “Lad’s a fucking wall, don’t know if you’ve noticed.”

“Jesus, Jamie,” you groan. “I don’t know if I should kiss you or pinch you again.”

“You can do both,” he suggests.

You sigh. “I’m going to kiss you. Like, a lot. And I’m not going to worry about getting caught and after we’ve snogged like a pair of kids in high school- sorry, secondary school, then we’re going to eat a bunch more food and dance with our friends. And if you want to get sloshed, I promise I will only take funny videos for myself, and I will not send them to your mum this time.”

Jamie says, “Liar,” as he kisses the tip of your nose.

“Fine,” you concede, “I will most definitely send them to your mum. And Simon. We’re on a group chat.”

“Not even gonna fucking ask,” Jamie says as he threads a hand through your hair so he can get at a better angle to kiss you.

—

You wake up the next morning (ahem, afternoon) to Jamie’s foot in your face.

“Excuse me, sir,” you say.

He hiccups himself awake. “Yeah?” he rumbles. “What fucking time..?”

“Late, I assume,” you say.

He groans and flips himself around so your heads are on the same side of the bed. He wastes no time in tangling your limbs together.

“Oi, koala boy. Some of us have morning breath.”

“No y’don’t babe,” he mumbles.

You scratch his head and a shudder runs through his body. “I know,” you say, “my breath is perfect. I meant you. I just didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“Cruel woman,” he returns before lapsing into silence. The sun slips through the curtains, and you’re sure it’s going to be another gorgeous day

“Jamie,” you begin then stop.

He says, “Yeah, love?” while looking up at you with his gorgeous blue eyes and you take a moment to freeze this image in your head. 

Jamie Tartt, in bed, hair tousled from sleep. Pillowy white duvet, golden freckled skin, warm body pressed to yours.

He kisses your shoulder, rousing you from your thoughts. 

“Jamie,” you say again, “I wanted to say-”

“Don’t,” he interjects. “You’re not fucking allowed to say thank you for the bare fucking minimum.”

“But it’s not,” you reply, opting to skate over the fact that he apparently can read your mind. “Bare minimum is like, making sure I’m not alone with him, not getting your friends together to scare him off and break his foot.”

Jamie’s been kissing your skin wherever he can reach as you speak, so his words are interspersed with pecks. “Technically, the foot was an accident. Ask any one of our witnesses. And besides, they’re your friends too. You’re the one who got ‘em all to like ya despite the fact we’re mortal enemies on the pitch.”

“You’re the one who goes tanning with Jack,” you remind him.

“Lies told by the press,” Jamie grumbles. “This is my natural sexy glow.”

You say, “Okay little British boy,” as Jamie decides that his current position is not enough and he wants to lay on top of you.

He says something but his face is buried in the crook of your neck, so all you can feel is vibrations.

You ask, “Hm?” so he lifts his head.

“What if it were us next year?”

“Tanning or breaking feet?”

“Getting married.”

Jamie goes back to having his mouth on your neck as if the air weren’t just punched from your lungs.

You’re quiet long enough that he lifts his head again to ask, “Is that good quiet or bad quiet?”

“Good!” you hastily confirm. “Good, but, babe- you haven’t even asked me yet.”

He says, “I’m going to,” as if you should have known already. 

“Okay,” you breathe, “can you give me like a little heads up or something so my nails are done?”

“Uh-huh,” he says, “At the end of the week. Been planning it. Ring’s in my bag, even asked Stella if she’d be pissed that it’s the same week she took on the most un-sexy last name in history. She said she don’t give a shit as long as it’s not at her actual wedding. So.”

“I love you,” you tell him. “Not just because of yesterday or right now. I just think you’re great.”

“I am great, babe,” he says like it’s obvious. “Picked you, didn’t I?”

You crack a smile. “Alright, that’s enough out of you. Do you want to get out of bed or go back to sleep?”

“Sleep,” he replies immediately. 

“Thank God,” you groan, “I didn’t want to move. You’re like a weighted blanket.”

“It’s me sexy muscles,” Jamie says. You wiggle under him to get more comfortable.

“Uh huh,” you agree, but the words are hardly out of your mouth before you’re both back to sleep.

[pedripics]

Pedri: "I think I'm a lot more dangerous as a playmaker"

(Mundo Deportivo - July 3, 2024)

De la Fuente said in the run-up to the European Championship that Pedri had to find himself. And he seems to have found himself.

"I'm feeling very well, with much more confidence, with a lot of desire and above all with the desire to continue in this dream of winning the Euro, which I think we have the team for it."

In order to find yourself again, you have had to make several changes.

"Yes, I changed my nutrition, my physical preparation, I started to do pilates and I've done a lot of different things to try to find something that suits me. I think I've found it."

And some ideas that Ferran passed on to you. Soak in ice-cold water for one minute a day.

"Yes, although I don't think it's really necessary here because it's so cold. In the mornings we always go into very cold water for one minute. It's good to wake up, to wake you up and to get you ready for the day."

It's been a long time since you've been with the national team. Has this change of context been good for you?

"Above all to get away from it all. It's true that in Barcelona I had injuries and relapses, but I wanted to come to the national team, to be here in a training camp with my teammates. I feel very comfortable and I'm getting better every day."

Playing more vertical.

"That's right. A lot of coaches throughout my short career have asked me to do that. They've told me to get into the box a lot more, that I have to score goals and give assists. In that position it's much easier. Also, here I can play with Morata, who fixes the centre-backs very well. For a '10', having a striker like that makes everything much easier. It's a spectacle to play with Morata."

Which attacking midfielders does he look at?

"There are players who may not play in that position but have the qualities of a playmaker, like Musiala, a player who may play as a winger but can play inside. Or Wirtz himself. They are players who have been playing at a very high level for many years and you learn from them."

Musiala and Wirtz. Both will be opponents on Friday.

"They are having a spectacular Eurocup, especially Musiala. Wirtz is also playing very well. Let's hope we can neutralise them in the best possible way. It's clear that our midfield is also very strong and I think we have the best player in the world in that position, Rodri."

Called to be, surely, the stars of the next decade. Pedri, Nico, Lamine, Wirtz, Musiala… They will face each other for the first time. Are you looking forward to it?

"Yes, it's going to be a match where the neutral spectator, the one who doesn't belong to either team, is going to have a great time. It's going to be amazing. It's going to be a match with a lot of magic, a lot of dribbling, a lot of possession. I think it's going to be a hard-fought match and hopefully we'll take it."

Dani Olmo and Pedri also complement each other on the pitch

"Yes, at the last European Championship and at the World Cup we met on the pitch many times.He is a player with whom I enjoy playing together and I hope we can do the same at this European Championship."

You must have heard about the curse of the host at the training camp.Spain have never beaten the host country.

"I've always said that there's a first time for everything and hopefully this is it. It's a curse that sometimes scares people, but not us. It motivates us a little bit more to try to put an end to that."

Beyond the cliché of an early final, are the two best teams in this European Championship facing each other?

"These are two teams that have been very consistent, both in the group stage and in the round of 16. We've always played the same way, the same football, scoring goals and winning games a bit more calmly. That's why it's going to be a spectacular game."

Is there any other team that has caught your eye?

"Switzerland. We knew beforehand that they were a difficult team, but they are having a spectacular tournament and they are a tough opponent."

Their group is usually made up of Fermín, Lamine, Nico, Ferran, Dani Olmo… At 21 years of age, he's already one of the veterans.

"I get into the rondos before Nico because I'm from November, imagine that. We are always together. With Ferran and Dani Olmo we like to banter, we like to joke around. But when the match starts, the jokes are over and we play."

[findingnemosworld]

𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 - 𝐫𝐮́𝐛𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐬

・𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬

( 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭/𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟? )

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐧

( rúben, I'll have your babies, give me a chance )

Tonight was a very big night for Rúben, he was being honored by UEFA for his incredible work in Manchester City as well as his national team, and he along with his wife were going to attend - while he was adjusting the buttons of his shirt, he hears a soft thud followed by a groan which sent him flying out of the bathroom in a hurry to check, and there she was, his wife of two years who has been carrying their baby girl for nearly five months struggling to zip the dress she was wearing. " Baby, are you ok? "

She shoots him a glare, " Do I look ok? " she asks in a satirical tone.

Rúben was aware that it was her hormones talking so he smiled and made his way over to her, " What's wrong? "

She gestures to her bump, " Ask your daughter, she wants to join in on the celebration "

The Portuguese chuckles, kneeling down then placing his hands over her bump and it seemed that their baby knew, as she decided to kick once again which made him smile, " Princess " he said with a gentle tone, " Hi there, I know you're as happy as I am but we don't want to upset your Māe now do we? "

She smiles at the sight, threading her digits through his hair. " I'm definitely feeling the after effects "

" Tell you what princess, if you remain as quiet as you can. Tonight I'll tell you a story, the story of how a young boy from Amadora had somehow managed to win over the prettiest girl in the neighborhood he lived in " He states, looking up to his wife with a soft smile.

" I think she only listens to you " She said.

He stood up, and carefully turned her around to zip up her dress, he placed a soft kiss on her shoulder then said, " We can apologize and stay home, if you're tired "

She shakes her head in refusal, " I want to be there, to boast and brag about how my husband is the sexiest most talented defender Portugal has ever produced "

He groans in response, nuzzling his face in her neck " Babe, don't do this to me "

She giggles, " Come on handsome, I need help with my shoes "

They were finally dressed and ready to go, Before they enter the limo he looks at her. " If at any point, you feel uncomfortable you let me know and we go home " he said, " I mean it "

" I promise, we'll be ok " She assures him.

He nods, stroking her bump. " Remember princess, make sure Māe is happy at all costs "

She giggles and pecks his lips, " She already is "

_____________________________________________________________

Y/N and Rúben were seated next to Rodri and his girlfriend Laura, the latter had leant closer and gushed over Y/N's bump. " Did you two decide on a name yet? " she asked her, Y/N shakes her head with a soft smile, " Not yet, we did however decide to give her his mother's name as a middle name "

" I can send you over a few lists that I saved " Laura whispers with a giggle, " Rodrigo was the one who saved them and sent them to me "

" Aww, so cute, I am sure you two will have the cutest babies " Y/N gushes.

It was time for the ceremony to begin, and just as Rúben along with his Manchester City teammates stood up on the stage and were asked to give a few words, Rúben grabs the microphone to speak. " I would like to thank god, my family and every single person that has believed in my ability but most of all, I would like to thank the most hardworking person I know " he looks at her and beams, " My beautiful wife Y/N who's currently housing the greatest blessing I can ever hope for, our baby girl, without her - I wouldn't have been able to push through this year, so thank you "

Y/N claps her hands then mouths, " I love you "

Laura leans closer, " That was so cute "

" He wants to kill me " Y/N laughs.

Rúben was then lead back to his seat and smiled, " How are you feeling? "

" I'm feeling good and apparently so is your baby, she felt the love " She giggles.

He pecks her lips then strokes her belly, " That's all I can ask for, all these trophies mean nothing if I don't have you "

" Aw baby, I love you " She smiled tearfully.

" I love you too " He smiled.

[fallinforerling]

So proud of our boy 🫶

It gave me an idea for an imagine or whatever, if youd like

Being one of erlings best friends and being there to support him for the final and him being super overwhelmed by the victory and his feelings, spilling the beans to her on the pitch after the match 🤌🩵

Lots of love to you xx

heart rush - eh

ೃ⁀➷ erling's masterlist

ೃ⁀➷ erling's taglist

ೃ⁀➷ masterlist

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

It all felt like a blur. One moment he was on the pitch, following the ball, waiting for the right opportunity to make an assist that would win them the Champions League, or even better, make the goal of his career so far. Then, in what seemed like a mili-second, Rodri took the chance and made all of his dreams a reality.

They were the UCL champions. Finally. 

He ran after his teammates, shouting at the top of his lungs, hugging every single person that crossed his path. He couldn’t believe it. The sequence of greeting, accepting the medal, cheering on a cloud of confetti with all of his team, looking at the screaming fans, and feeling like his face would split in half from all the smiling passed quickly. 

He wanted to see you. He knew you were near, next to his family. The adrenaline rush was so high that he felt like jumping in place. Once he finally saw you running across the pitch towards him on your Man City shirt, smiling as beautifully as always and shouting his name, he knew he needed to do something. Anything.  

“Erling! You did it!” Was the first thing he heard falling from your lips before your body practically slammed itself against his. He hugged you so tightly that he was afraid he might actually crush you. 

When you separated, he didn’t think twice. He just held your face with both hands and went for a kiss. Only when he had his lips against yours did he realize what he was doing. But he didn’t have time for regrets; he only laughed when he let you go, not knowing what to expect.

“I…” He started, still holding your face, trying to find the right words to excuse himself in case you were mad.

“I’m so proud of you.” You said instead, the smile never leaving your face. Then you were the one going in for a kiss, having to tiptoe a bit to reach. This kiss was less effusive, but still full of something he knew was mutual.

So he wasn’t only winning the UCL today. 

The moment, as intimate as it could be in the middle of a pitch full of people, lasted a few seconds more before teammates, photographers and family came by, cheering and hugging him. He saw you stepping back with the same sweet smile, hugging one of his sisters and greeting other family members of close teammates. 

After he had done all the basic photos that he was asked to pose for, he called you. You turned, hiding his last name on the back of your shirt with your hair. He pointed to the trophy, which was resting on the ground, waiting for the next player to pick it up. Someone (probably his father) has put a Norway flag on your shoulders, and when you jogged towards him, he never felt prouder.  

“Wanna take some pictures with it?” He said once you made it to his side, pointing to the trophy again. 

“Of course I do.” Both of you seemed a bit nervous to actually speak, but once you squated next to it, he felt like you both knew what to do. 

You fixed the flag around his shoulders while he held you by the waist, both grabbing the holders and smiling at the cameras. A few flashes later, he helped you lift it. Both of you kissed it, still looking at the camera. Then you turned to look at him, holding his gaze, he felt the need to kiss you again. 

He knew it was very possible for a couple of videos of him kissing you were already up there. But if he did this, the photos would most definitely make it to every single page and it was going to be official.

There wasn’t anything else he wanted more. So he leaned at the same time as you, both kissing for a brief moment for the cameras. He heard cheering on the back, and once you were done, Rodri patted his shoulders so he would be able to take photos with his family. 

Still wrapped around the flag, you both walked back to his family, hugging each other and chatting like nothing happened. Well, like nothing new happened. Alfie stared at both of you for a moment before letting it go, like he knew this would happen eventually.

Hours later, his predictions were certain. There were videos and pictures everywhere of the moment you ran into each other and kissed. Hundreds of people were wondering if you had always been his girlfriend instead of his friend. Then the photos started to also make their way into every single page that popped up on his homepage. They complimented your reaction, your beauty, the way you both looked at each other, when he carried you around the pitch, and how cute it was when you fixed his Man City hat and kissed his cheek. Everyone was happy for him. 

He was happy for himself. 

What a day to be a winner.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚⋆·˚ ༘ * ERLING’S TAGLIST

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[canirove]

My neighbour Rúben | Chapter 18

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Masterlist

“Rúben…”

“Uhm…”

“I thought we were watching a movie. Netflix and chill, you know?” I giggled.

“We were. But the movie is boring and I’ve missed you. Kissing your neck is way more entertaining.”

“I was away for just two days, and you are doing more than just kissing my neck.”

“My hand may be going places, yes” he smirked. “Do you want it to stop?”

“I don’t, no.”

“Good” he said, going back to what he was doing.

“But maybe we could go somewhere a bit more comfortable?”

“My sofa is very comfortable.”

“I know, but…” I said, biting my lip to try and stay focused. “I like your bed better.”

“Alright then” he said, picking me up and carrying me over his shoulder.

“Rúben!” I said, laughing and hitting him on the back, his reply being pinching my butt. 

When we made it to his room, he threw me on the bed, following right after and putting himself on top of me, kissing my lips, my jaw, my neck, his hand going everywhere under my clothes.

 “Where did all this motivation come from?” I whispered.

“You.” 

That was his only reply as he started undressing me, leaving kisses everywhere.

“Wait” I said after he got rid of his t-shirt. “I want to see you. Like, properly.”

“Ok” he said with that smirk of his, moving us both so I was sitting on top of him. “Better like this?”

“So much better” I said, running my fingers over his arms. “You are unreal, you know?”

“What?” he laughed, his thumbs making circles on my thighs and sending goosebumps all over my body.

“You are unreal. Look at this” I said, my fingers now on his chest, following the shape of his muscles. “This can’t be real. And this…” I said, now touching his abs. “Even while laying down they look perfectly defined.”

“There is something else that is gonna get perfectly defined if you keep moving like that.”

“What?”

“You haven’t noticed where you are sitting, have you?” he said, trying to hide a smile.

“I… Oh.”

“I don’t mind it, tho. I like it.”

“I also like the idea” I said, feeling my face burning.

“Then you know what to do.”

“I actually don’t” I chuckled.

“I’ll guide you” he said, grabbing my hips with his hands and moving me against him, the feeling making us both gasp. “Do you trust me?”

“I do, Rúben. You know that I do.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Are you nervous?"

"A bit, yeah, not gonna lie. You?"

"I'm shitting myself" Lucy said. "Imagine that you and Rodri don't like each other!"

"We will, don't worry." 

"Ah!" she half screamed when someone rang the doorbell. "That must be them. How do I look?"

"Beautiful. What about me?"

"Gorgeous" she said with a big smile before going to open the door. "Hello, Rúben. Hello, you."

"Hello, you" Rodri replied. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too" Lucy said, leaning forward to kiss him. 

"If you'll excuse me" Rúben said behind them, rolling his eyes and walking into our apartment. "Hi there."

"Hi" I replied. "Am I also getting a hello kiss?"

"Of course you are" he said with that smirk of his that I loved so much. Behind us, we could hear Lucy giggling like a teenage girl. "I didn't know they were so..."

"Cheesy?" I chuckled.

"Yeah" he said, turning around to look at them. Rodri had both his hands on Lucy's bum, firmly grabbing it while kissing her. "I thought we were going out for dinner, that dessert came after."

"Are you jealous, Dias?" Rodri asked.

"He's actually right" Lucy said, running her fingers up and down his chest. "We'll continue later."

"We better" he replied with a mischievous smile, taking her hand and walking towards the lift.

"Kids" Rúben sighed, rolling his eyes again. "Shall we?" he said, offering me his arm, this time making me giggle like an idiot.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"We need to do this again" Lucy said. After a very successful dinner, we had gone back to our apartment to have one last drink. 

"We certainly do" Rodri said, kissing her. They had been like that all the time, constantly kissing and being affectionate with the other. PDA wasn't an issue with them.

"Yes, we do" Rúben said, trying very hard to not roll his eyes while they kept kissing. "But now it's time to go home."

"What? Already?" Lucy said.

"Already. We have training tomorrow first thing in the morning, and remember what Pep told us" Rúben said, looking directly at his teammate. "No extra activities."

"What does that mean?" Lucy asked.

"No sex until we've played on Sunday. That game it's all or nothing, we must be focused" Rodri said.

"Really? He forbade you to have sex?" she said.

"He just suggested it, but yeah" Rodri shrugged.

"I don't like him" Lucy replied, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"I'll make up for it, I promise." And then, they were back at it, kissing and not caring that Rúben and I were in front of them.

"Rúben, why don't you help me tidy up?" I said, getting up from the sofa and picking our glasses.

"Gladly" he grunted.

"Why are you acting like this? Are you jealous about Rodri not having eyes just for you anymore?" I asked him when we walked into the kitchen.

"I'm not jealous, put that eyebrow down" he said, trying not to smile.

"Then what is it? You aren't against PDA."

"I'm not, no. But they are too much."

"Maybe. But they look so happy... And Lucy deserves it."

"She does. They both do, to be honest."

"Should we let them alone and enjoying themselves for a bit longer?" I asked.

"And do what while we wait?" Rúben said, slowly moving towards me.

"I don't know" I shrugged. "What they are doing looks interesting."

"It is very interesting. Do you want me to show you?" he replied, now being the one arching an eyebrow.

"Go ahead" I said as he lifted me up and sat me on the kitchen's counter, my legs around him. 

"Comfortable?"

"My butt is getting a bit cold"

"Then I better start making you hot" he said before kissing me.

"Wow, wow, wow" Lucy said behind us. "Not in my kitchen!" 

"We haven't had time to do anything. Yet" Rúben said. We had been kissing for less than a minute when she came in. Or at least that was what it felt like.

"Good. It's time to go, come on."

"Already done with your make out session?" Rúben asked, helping me get down from the counter.

"I'm afraid so" she replied. 

"At least they got to enjoy one" I said to myself.

"I heard you" Rúben whispered to my ear as we followed Lucy into the living room, pinching my butt and making me jump. 

"Everything ok?" Rodri asked.

"Peachy" Rúben said, laughing at his own joke.

"Will I get to see you tomorrow?" Lucy said, hugging Rodri.

"Not sure. We need to be focused, remember?"

"Meh, meh, meh" she replied. "No sé cómo voy a sobrevivir a esta noche sabiendo que vas a estar durmiendo al otro lado de esa pared y que no podemos estar juntos."

"Si ella puede sobrevivir todos los días, tú también" Rodri said, kissing Lucy's nose.

"What did they say about you?" Rúben asked me. "I only understood half of it."

"Lucy was complaining about knowing that he was going to be sleeping on the other side of that wall and not being able to be together. And Rodri said that if I could do it daily, so could she."

"Have you ever felt like that? Like... Wanting to be with me, knowing that there was just a wall between us, but not being able to?"

"Yes, sometimes. Especially when you were mad at me."

"I was never mad at you. Pissed, definitely. But not angry. You didn't do anything wrong" he said, putting a lock of hair behind my ear and looking at me in a way he hadn’t before. 

"Sorry for ruining the moment, guys. But we were going, right?" Rodri said.  

"Sadly" Lucy sighed.

"Sadly" I repeated, though only Rúben heard me.

"Good night, neighbour" he said, kissing my cheek. "Don't stay up until late gossiping about us."

"Never" Lucy said, giving Rodri one last hug before we watched them both leave.

[httpsdana]

Since it's the father's day tommorow(at least for me), can you do something with Julián Álvarez? Having a secret child with him and letting everyone know during the ucl final would be super cute.

I totally didn't have a dream about this and now needed it to be written lol.

Champion~Julian Alvarez

*GIF isn't mine. credits to the owner*

FIRST REQUEST FOR JULIAN OMG. I LOVE THIS BOY SM. anyways I don't think tomorrow is father's day here but we move on I'm writing this. this is rushed I'm sorry but hope you enjoy <33

you can request from my prompt list

this is my master list

players/drivers I write for

y/n and Julian had a child of 6 months now. The couple were young and definitely didn't expect a baby at such a young age, but they never regreted it. Their child only made their bond stronger.

They went public years ago, before Julian had all the attention on him like now. But they never posted anything about their child, wanting their kid to have a peaceful and normal childhood before being dragged into the life of social media

"if we win tonight, everyone's knowing about our baby boy" were Julian's words before leaving for Istanbul.

y/n wanted Man City to win. She wanted to see her boyfriend winning 4 trophies this season. She didn't mind showing off her kid and she was actually quite excited

y/n watched the match from the locker room. not wanting her child to hear all the noises from the stadium. They weren't as loud in the lockers.

"yes!" y/n screamed when Rodri scored the opening goal, feeling her heart beat against her chest rapidly.

Her child, Diego, looked up at her with wide eyes, before he started giggling. y/n smiled and leaned down to were he was sat in his car seat that they got.

"they're almost there mi amor. they're almost there" she mumbled, soothing his brown hair with her fingers

He was a mini version of Julian, same smile same eyes same hair and same everything. She was glad he for these these features from his father

y/n jumped up as the final whistle was blown. Tears started streaming down her face before she grabbed her child and started kissing his face

"they did it baby. they're champions" she mumbled, showering his fave with kisses

She wiped her tears and waited a bit before she was allowed on the pitch

As soon as she stepped on the field, Julian's eyes were on them. He ran to them, giving them a huge hug.

"you did it baby. you're a champion. for the fourth time" she whispered in his ear, tightening her grip around his neck

He pulled away and kissed her lips passionately. Wiping her tears away and kissing her cheeks. He took Diego from her arms and grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers

"lets introduce him to the team yeah?" he asked with a smile. y/n nodded and walked with him.

Everyone was surprised to see Julian with a kid, but they all welcomed him with love.

the comments consisted of "he's just like you" or "what a cutie he is" or "congratulations! he's gonna have the best parents"

"oh my god Julian you have baby?!" Ronnie, Phil's child, said in pure shock. y/n giggled at the young boy, scooping him in her arms and lifting him so he was at the same level as Diego

"yes Ronnie. this is Diego" he moved Diego closer to him, in which Ronnie leaned in and touched his hair

He gasped in surprise

"his hair is so soft. not like yours" he said, keeping his fingers in Diego's hair

y/n laughed at his comment, before kissing his cheek and putting him down

"let's take a picture with the trophy" Julian said, walking to were the trophy was

The picture was taken and posted on Instagram hours later, and the love Diego got from Julian's fans was undescribable.

[footballerimaginess]

Bestieee fluff one with Ruben about yesterday's victory

Word Count: 390 Standing up in the stands at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, being surrounded by Ruben's family. When Rodri's goal hit the back of the net, you cheered ever so loudly. Hugging everyone in sight that you could physically grab.

"Yessssss" you jumped up and down as you cuddled his brother and felt you'd hugged everyone around you, kissing each other too. The next twenty minutes you were so nervous every time Inter Milan came forward, you'd never felt nerves like it. Football wasn't something you had always loved, but since being best friends with Ruben when you met him in Portugal this was when you fell in love with it. The referee finally blew the whistle on the game as you cried as the tears rolled down your face, tears of joy as you just got to witness the greatest night in the club's history. Peeling yourself away from Ruben's family as you ran down from the stand as you followed on from all of the other family and friends. "I can't believe this, I don't think I have cried this many happy tears before" his mother replied. "Oh come here" you pulled her in for another cuddle as you could also feel even more tears coming down your face. The players got their medals and you were allowed to go and see the players. Running on and standing back away from the family as you gave Ruben some time on his own with his family. "Hey" you whispered as you gave him the biggest cuddle as you fell into his arms. "I am so proud of you" you cuddled into him, smelling his sweaty football shirt. "Thank you, I am so happy you managed to come and see me" you smiled as you finally peeled yourself away from him. "I couldn't miss this for the world Rube" you grinned as you looked at the medal that was hanging around his neck. "God just get together already" you turned and heard Kalvin shouting as you blushed so hard. "Piss off you" Ruben waved him off as you were now feeling slightly embarrassed. "Maybe we should just get together" Ruben smirked as a smile grew on your face. "Oh that sounds like a good idea" you grinned as you cuddled him again as he pressed a kiss on your head.

[sports-on-sundays]

idk if you’re taking requests but could you do a fluff with rodrigo riquelme where him and the reader enjoy a rainy day indoors

rainy days / Rodrigo Riquelme

Summary: sunny!Rodrigo x girlfriend!cloudy!reader - A little bit of rain won't stop you and Rodri from having a fun day together. Fluff so sweet it might rot your teeth.

Warnings: thunder & lightning

Requested?: Frick yes!

Author's Note: My friend, I'm so happy someone requested for him that I probably actually blushed when I opened my inbox and saw this. I am your certified no. 1 Roro girlie, here at your service! 🫡

Just as you enter the living room where Rodrigo has been waiting for you for the last half hour to finish getting ready, it starts raining.

"Nooo!" you whine, your hands going to your face in dismay. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Rodrigo sets down his phone, frowning, looking out the window. "And it looks like it won't be stopping anytime soon... Look at all those dark clouds over there!" He leans back at an angle to get a better view.

You plop down next to him, crossing your arms, and murmur, "And I got all dressed, too, in this brand new dress. Now I have to go change, since we can't even go out..."

"Hey, wait," Rodrigo says, turning to look at you for the first time since you entered the room. "You don't have to go change. You look lovely in that dress."

"Don't be silly. It's a sundress. I'm not going to be wearing a bright yellow sunny sundress when it's pouring outside and we're stuck indoors!"

"Aw!" he grins, his eyes sincere. "Why not? I'm here, and I think you look adorable in it. I'm certainly impressed, even though you took an hour and a half getting ready."

"You sure?"

"Of course I am!" he laughs, pulling you into a hug, kissing your cheek, like he's snuggling with a teddy bear. "I'm so glad you decided to wear that dress, rain or shine!"

"Well..." you smile softly, blushing deeply. "I was hoping you'd think it's pretty."

"See?" he grins. "I do, so there's nothing to worry about. And I'm sure we can find plenty of fun things to do inside. Come on!" He grabs your hand, pulling you up to stand with him.

He leads you to the dining room, where he has your picnic blanket and lunches on the table. You click your tongue in disappointment. "We can't even have our picnic."

But Rodrigo looks at you with cheery eyes. "Sure we can!"

"Rodrigo, it's pouring!"

"We can have it inside!"

You frown, crossing your arms, and say bluntly, "That's stupid."

"No, it's not. Come on." He picks up the lunch and goes to the living room. He lays out the soft blanket on the floor and lays the food out. "No reason we can't have it right here. Here- and I'll open the windows, too, for some fresh air."

"Wait, no-" you suddenly say nervously, sitting down on the blanket.

He stops with his hand on the window's handle. "Why not?"

"I..." you hesitate, before continuing softly "What if it turns into a lightning storm...?"

Rodrigo smiles softly. "Then I'll close them. We'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

"One hundred percent," he chuckles, opening the windows. As he sits down next to you and begins taking out the food, you have to admit, the breeze does feel nice, and you like the sound of the rain outside.

So you sit together and eat your indoor picnic, and once you finish, Rodrigo lays down and pulls you down with him, murmuring, "Wanna just cuddle?"

"Sure," you chuckle. You have a very cuddly boyfriend.

So you just lay together, arms around each other. You rest your cheek against his chest as he runs his fingers through your hair, and you both stay silent, just contently listening to the pattering of the rain falling outside.

Suddenly, though, there's a loud crack of thunder, and you flinch, letting out a little squeal, and automatically take two fistfuls of the soft pullover sweatshirt Rodrigo is wearing.

He chuckles softly, leaning away a bit to look at you. "You scared?" he asks teasingly, but also softly.

"Can- Can you just close the windows please?"

He smiles and nods, before hopping up to do so. Once they're closed, he asks, "You're scared of thunderstorms?"

You pout a little, sitting up on the blanket. "Maybe."

"Aw," he grins. "Cutie."

You lick your lips, rolling your eyes, and cross your arms. "Whatever."

But suddenly, lightning flashes, and you jump again, biting your lip nervously, before tucking your knees to your chest and resting your face in your arms.

"Hey, hey," Rodrigo says gentler, sitting next to you. "It's okay..." He wraps his arms around you, which does add a lot of comfort. After a while of him just holding you, he says, "Hey, why don't we do something to get your mind off it? Why not play a board game or something?"

You swallow and nod, before clearing your throat and saying, "Alright. Sounds good to me."

He nods. "M'kay. You wait here; I'll be right back with a board game for us to play, yeah?"

You nod, and he's off. But only for a moment, because soon he's back with a Sorry! box in his hands. He sits down next to you, and you're just beginning to take the board out of the box when suddenly, there's another loud crack of thunder, and a second later, the room goes black.

"Rodri!" you gasp, clinging to him, burying your head in his chest.

He laughs softly and rubs your back. "It's okay. The electricity just went out, is all... There's nothing to be scared of... I'm right here..." he soothes gently.

The fact that Rodrigo knows you also have a fear of the dark- that's really not helping your situation. "But... what if... I don't know..." you sigh, leaning away. "How are you not scared?"

He shrugs with a little smile. "I like storms. And there really is nothing to be scared of. The chances of lightning hitting us is so incredibly low, there's no reason to worry."

"But..."

"Hey." He gently tilts your head up to meet his sincere eyes, which you can just barely see in the dark room, with the electricity now out. "Chin up, princess. Your crown is falling," he teases.

You sigh with a nervous smile and nod.

"And do I look scared?"

You frown. "No."

"Then there's no reason for you to be scared, either."

You pout. "That's not fair for you to say. You're, like, a footballer and travel and stuff. You do scary things all the time."

He grins. "Have I ever been killed playing football? Have I ever been killed flying in a plane or driving in a bus? Clearly not, because I'm sitting here right now looking at the most beautiful girl in the world. So what makes you think that we're going to get killed in a thunderstorm?"

You shrug with a more genuine smile. "Nothing."

His grin widens. "There you go. Besides, I think we're far too important to get killed in such a dumb way as getting struck by lightning. You know? I think we've got far more life to live than that."

Now you match his grin. "Alright, alright. You've won me over. Now, you're getting pretty obnoxious: just looking at me so cute, and not even kissing me or anything."

He giggles a bit and says, "Well, sorry!" before cupping your chin and leaning in for a kiss, spreading his sunny, cheery, happy-go-lucky aura around you, despite the rain and wind and thunder and lightning outside.

When he pulls away, you're about to lean in for more, but just then, he slaps his thighs and says, "Now, let me go get a candle, so we can get to playing Sorry!"

You smile softly as he walks off with a skip in his step.

Oh, Roro.

Soon, he's back with the candle. It takes him four tries and some taunting giggles from you until he's able to light the match and the candle before it going out first. When he finally does, he lets out a relieved sigh and says with a laugh, "Finally!"

"'Finally' is right! Rodrigo Riquelme, public enemy number one- when it comes to matches!"

He grins and nods, very, very, slowly and carefully setting the candle down next to the playing board, before you get playing.

You end of beating his socks off in Sorry!. "There!" you grin, setting your last piece in the 'home' tunnel. "Professional Hasbro Sorry! player right here! No, no, really, it's okay- I can give you my autograph!"

This, though it's not particularly hysterical, sends your boyfriend into a fit of laughing. He just tends to find you funnier than most people. One of his friends could say the exact same thing, and he might give a small chuckle.

And you laugh with him, because you love the sound of his laughter.

Finally, he begins cleaning up the board, a smile still lingering on his face, as he says, "Look at us. A pro footballer and a pro board game player. Power couple one hundred right here."

"You got that right," you chuckle, before a sudden, big yawn comes on you.

Rodrigo looks up with a little sparkle in his eyes. "You getting sleepy?" he asks as he closes up the Sorry! box.

You shrug, smiling back. "Dark, gloomy days make me more tired."

"Gloomy?" he asks, standing up. He holds his hand out to you, and pulls you up to stand as well. "I don't think this day has been gloomy at all."

"What do you mean? The weather is crap."

He sets the board game box on the end table by the couch, before coming back to you and linking his arms around your back, looking you straight in the eyes. "Gloomy is the last word I would use to describe seeing my gorgeous girlfriend in such a pretty dress," his voice softens, and so do his eyes as he continues, "It's the last word I'd choose for having a picnic with her- indoors or not, or getting to cuddle with her. I would never, ever say getting to joke around with you, and laugh with you, is gloomy. I think getting to spend time with you, playing a board game, is the exact opposite of gloomy, actually."

You grin and throw your arms around him. "I love you so much! You know that?"

He kisses your cheek with a loud 'mwah!' before promptly lifting you up and bringing you to the couch. "I love y-"

"Now what are we doing?"

"My goodness!" he laughs. "You don't even let me say it back!" he jokes as he lays down on the couch, letting you lay on top of him.

"Okay, okay, sorry. Say it back."

"I! Love! You!" he giggles, and in between each word pecks your lips. "Now, I think it's time for you to go to sleep, sleepyhead."

You smile, nuzzling into him. "Alright. I'm down for that."

"Good," he whispers with a content sigh, before his hands begin absently loosely braiding your hair.

Your eyes flutter closed, and just as you're drifting off to sleep, you feel a sleepy sigh from Rodrigo, and you're not sure if it's his voice really, or just a fragment of your sugar sweet dreams, but you perceive the soft whisper from Rodrigo murmuring, "Oh, Y/n. Whatever would I do without my Y/n?" and his soft lips kissing you goodnight.

[didishawn]

I dreamed the night with something similar and would like to place a request: Rodrigo de Paul comments on his storie praising his body, Yn shows Pedri and this becomes a confusion during Barcelona x Atletico de Madrid. The stress of the game becomes violent sex after the match. forgiveness for English translated by Google

saludos desde Brasil ❤️🥺✊🏻

Dios, como amo a Rodri

Cuidado con el 7 (Pedri x Reader) smut

Warnings: misunderstandings, Rodri de Paul vs Pedri, smut, rough, fights, maybe some DE Paul x Reader, there could be a part 2 with the three of them if anyone wants it

Masterlist

"Pero bueno, que cuerpazo, ¿no?" that is all it takes for Pedri to turn to you with an alerted look, you are just lazily laying on the coach on your phone. (oh well, what a great body, hm?)

He recognises the voice, of course he does, one of your greatest friends, World Cup champion, Rodrigo de Paul doing such comments towards his girlfriend, she giggles.

He scoffs, you pause the story and turn to him "¿Todo bien, Pepi?" (everything good, Pepi?)

He doesn't answer, rolling his eyes.

You shrug your shoulders, you guess he is another one of his moods, you keep on watching your friend's story.

"Madre mía, que maravilla, que rica que estás, boluda, no se como no te probe antes" (my goodness, how wonderful, you are so delicious, girl, I don't know how I didn't taste you before)

The weird man talks like that to the asado he shows off on the next story, the definition of food porn, you tell him just that and he answers inmediatly, starting an even weirder conversation.

Pedri passes by you, frowning as he looks the name of the Argentinian man on your screen, but doesn't stop to read.

That night, he fucks you hard.

Your brain hasn't really catched up on everything that has happened on the last couple of hours.

Atlético de Madrid vs Barcelona, one of your dear friends against your boyfriend. Everything during the game went good, Barça won and you were happy for Pedri, you went down to meet him, maybe even see Rodri.

You saw the two men, facing each other, Pedri looks mad, Rodri confused.

"¿Pero que os pasa?" you ask, they both turned to you. (what is going on?)

"Decime vos. A mi me vino tu noviecito a preguntarme qué por qué coqueteo con vos y que si habíamos chapado" Rodri explained, you turned to Pedri, wide eyed. (you tell me. Your little boyfriend came to me to ask why I flirt you and if we have fucked)

"Pedri! ¿Qué cojones?" (what the fuck?)

"¡Escuche como te lo decía!" (I heard him tell you that!)

"Así por saber, ¿decir que?" you asked (just so I know, say what?)

"Que tenías un cuerpazo, que que rica estas y que no sabe como no te probó antes" (that you have a great body, that you are so delicious and that he doesn't know how he didn't taste you before)

Rodri laughted out "Naah, pará, esto es buenísimo" he turned to you "¿Se lo decís vos o se lo digo yo?" (noo, stop, this is great. ¿Do you tell him or do I do it? )

Yours and Rodri's explanations were not enough to cease Pedri's jealousy, so now wonder how you are here, body against the door in some janitor's closet, Pedri fucking you, hard and fast from behind. He enjoys it, really, so do you, having your boyfriend's hard cock almost destroying your insides.

"Te parecerá bonito, ponerme celoso con ese amiguito tuyo" he groans into your ear, just being inside of you makes him want to cum. "Pero tú sabes que solo yo te puedo follar así como te gusta" (real pretty, making me jealous with that friend of yours. But you know only I can fuck you how you like)

There are marks on your neck, deep purple bite marks, your ass red from the slap of his hips against it, his fingers are marked on your fingers.

You feel his balls hit you, your hands against the door, so is your face as you try to muffle the sounds coming from your mouth, you are a whining mess, groaning, moaning and grunting. His fingers almost hurt your clit, yet all you can feel is pleasure as he plays with it.

Your juices go down your thighs, you have already cummed in so little time, there is no way you have been at it longer than twenty minutes, you can still hear some shouts from players on the back. You really hope Gavi is not waiting for you.

"Lo adoras, ¿no? Que te folle aquí cuando cualquiera nos puede encontrar, deseando que tu amigo el campeoncito pueda ver a quien le perteneces" (you love it, don't you? That I fuck you here when anyone can find us, wishing your little champion friend can see who you belong to)

"Pedri!"

"Shhh, de verdad no quieres que nos escuchen, ¿hm?" (shhh, you really don't want anyone to hear, hm?)

You hake your head, but even you in your hazed mind know that anyone who passes by will know what is going on in the closet as Pedri's hard thrusts have the door rustling.

The stimulation on your clit, the hard thrusts, the kisses, his hands, him, finally pushes you over the edge, you cum once more around him, your walls once more tightening on him for what must have been the third time.

He groans into your ears, his release finding it's way deep inside you, you are so full of him, he pants, the two of you are truly breathless, he kisses your cheek.

The two of you walk out together, hand in hand, you can see Rodri from afar, he waves at you with an ample smile, winking an eye, Pedri's grips tightens on your grip.

Mierda, shit - you think

This is not over, you are sure of that.

[cloudsspoke]

Though the final match between Argentina versus France has been dubbed by the majority of people as the best World Cup Final, personally this is the best match throughout World Cup 2022, or more like, the most unforgettable one.

The altercation between players started after what Lea did to the Dutch’s bench. Things escalated quickly from that moment. It got worse because Lahoz gave them 10mins additional times and once it ended, the 2nd brawl happened almost instantly.

Dunno what the hell is wrong with that Bergwijn guy 💀🤬.

It’s a good thing Ota came right on time. It looks as if he noticed Bergwijn’s movement and Ota used his body as armor to protect his teammate from violent Bergwijn. We never know which player Bergwijn intended to hurt when he suddenly marched into the players’ mob like that (there’s Macca and Lea right there, Bergwijn proly wanted to hurt them).

This post is solely to capture the fight scenes, for the penalty shoot-out scenes read here.

The game ended after Lautaro successfully converted his penalty kick. The Dutch players got to see El General do this ‘Roman’ celebration right in front of their faces.

But the next fight happened exactly after that. Well, actually there are 2 fights happened at the same time.

Scene #1 was when Lahoz gave Dumpfries red card and Dybala was seen happily mocking Dumpfries. His mouth and his gesture showed that he told Dumpfries to go home. Dumpfries fumed and marched to probably kill Dybala, but Tagliafico shielded Dumpfries from doing that.

can someone tell me what Papu posted on his Instagram story that day 🤔?

Meanwhile, the other scene involved Noa Lang who pushed Paredes and Papu who pushed Lang back.

From this angle we can see how Tagliafico held Dumpfries off with all his might.

It’s a never-ending drama that we saw one after another. And again, in between Argies’ celebration, Messi came to Van Gaal and this whole thing happened:

I know we should respect the elder, with Van Gaal being the senior coach and all that, but at this moment, somos todos Rodrigo De Paul. I can imagine De Paul proly said: “Ay, señor this is what happens if you talk too much about us. See, now you make Leo angry. Jajaja~ Enjoy your exit, señor. Chao~”

And while Rodri loved every second of provoking Van Gaal, our Angelito came to pull Messi away from the altercation. He’s our MOM, okay? Fide is truly the MOTHER ANGEL 👼 of this chaotic group. First, he protected Enzo from Dumpfries, then protected Enzo from hearing DIbu’s cursing, and at last, when everyone tried to calm the shit out of Leo with no success, somehow as soon after Fide stepped in, just like that the altercation ended.

And of course, being such an Angel as he was, Fide took a moment to hug Frans Hoek 👼❤️♥️(The Dutch’s GK coach, who used to work with both Van Gaal and Fide in United)

Not only did Messi pay a ‘friendly’ visit to The Dutch’s bench, but our beloved Dibu too, this time we all could hear his direct message clearly.

Impressive.

My favorite moment?

It’s when Dibu joined his teammate’s celebration and half-joking cursed Enzo for his failed penalty attempt. Di Maria stood there watching that moment smiling, but he saved Enzo from Dibu’s wrath when Di Maria pulled Dibu into a hug, gave Enzo an exit to escape from Dibu.

***

Talk about La Scaloneta destined to be World Cup champion cuz it’s been written in the stars, there are 2 things I found that are interesting from this match against Nederland.

First, when Lahoz yellow-carded Gonza for protesting just 3 minutes after Gonza came to the pitch to replace Molina. That yellow card banned Gonza from playing in the next game, in case the Argies advanced to the Semifinal round. But that didn’t stop him from executing the penalty kick.

With his success, along with Leo’s, Lea’s, and Lautaro’s, La Scaloneta did advance to the next round, where they won easily against Croatia, and Gonza was benched without major problems. Meanwhile, during Argies’ last, final game against France when the victory had to be determined through a penalty shoot-out, we got him ready, unpunished, and he did his job well once again.

*

And then we have Dybala 💎. People have been asking and waiting for when he will play. His chance came to light with Argentina’s victory over Nederland. Fun fact, his first-ever World Cup debut was in 2018, the same game against Croatia when he came to sub Tevez, only this time the Argies won 3-0 and advanced to the final.

And as we all know, in the Final match Scaloni put him in to prepare La Joya to take part in the penalty shoot-out. He didn’t waste that chance. He helped Argies to get the World Cup trophy, despite only playing for no less than 20mins throughout the whole tournament.

The reason why I mentioned Dybala in this post is because of what he revealed later that he remembered what Dibu said to Enzo: "kick the ball to the center". I can say that Enzo’s failure during the match against Nederland somehow helped La Joya to convert his kick successfully.

***

If you think the drama between Argentina players and The Dutch ended on the field, nope. It continued even during the post-match interview session.

Dibu, they hear you: Lahoz announced retirement and Van Gaal too.

🇦🇷✨🏆

[julianalvarez9]

birthday boy / julian alvarez

authors note: this is for my little boy 🥹 prob shit ending cause i got distracted and didn't finish it on time and then lost motivation but :( wanted to post something for him

word count: 0.9k

summary: you plan a secret party for his birthday, with help from a few of his teammates (who didn't even knew that it was his birthday, in the first place)

julian and you had been together since your teenage years. you'd been with him through it all, on his good and bad days, but most importantly, when he had to leave argentina to live in manchester, where his new club was situated. moving to england had been hard for him: not only because of the language barrier, the weather and everything he missed from home, but mostly because of his friends and teammates back at river. julián was a very introverted person while getting to know people at first, not really the kind of person to start conversations with someone he doesn't know. he likes to stay back, watch from the sidelines and learn from the others.

though everything had changed since the world cup. being one of the strikers from the national team, an essential piece into the starting lineup once the initial shock of the loss against saudi arabia had passed, and key factor for the obtention of the trophy, he was put onto the spotlight and his talents were appreciated worldwide. still, he remained the same when he came back, only talking when necessary and almost every time, about what happened on the field. and because of that, almost no one at the club knew that today was his birthday.

even though you didn't mind throwing a party only for you two -his family had come with him to england, but due to a few family matters had to go back to argentina sooner than expected-, you knew that days like today only made him more homesick, missing his country and everything that was familiar.

julián had left for training earlier this morning, after eating a special breakfast in bed you had cooked for him, and that's when you started to work on his surprise party. you went to pick up the cake you had previously commissioned and a few party supplies that you were missing, like balloons and number candles that counted 23, to commemorate how many trips around the sun he had completed. you had told a few of his teammates to come by, mostly the ones that spoke his mother tongue, who he had connected the most during his stay at man city. ruben and rodri had assured you that they would kept the secret, while at the same time being the ones in charge of slowing him up a bit, to prevent him from coming home too early, before everything was set.

a few hours had passed, and you texted the guys that it was okay for your boyfriend to come home. dimming the lights, when he came back it seemed like you weren't home at first.

"¿amor? ¿estás en casa?" (love? are you home?), julian called, dropping his bag and shoes beside the door, his voice resonating on the walls of the seemingly empty house. you were finishing the last couple details, that's why it took you a bit longer to answer his questions. "¡acá!" (here!) you replied to him, him quickly directing his steps towards the living room, where your voice had traveled from. you heard him laugh when he entered the room, touching the wall to try and find the light switch. "¿por qué están las luces apagad-" (why are the lights off-?) he asked, not finishing the sentence due to the newfound surprise revealed once the lights were on again: his girlfriend and his teammates, who he had seen last not even an hour ago. "¡sorpresa!" (surprise!) you all exclaimed, and the smile that was painted on his face made you feel all warm inside.

"¿esto es para mí?" (is this for me?) he asked, still incredulous about it all. it hasn't like he hadn't had surprise parties before, but it seemed like you had definitely caught him by surprise this time. while he looked at the living room, all decorated with balloons and posters that had spiderman and the world cup in them, he greeted his mates with handshakes and pats on their backs.

"claramente es para el cumpleañero, ¿para quién más sería?" (of course it's for the birthday boy, who else would it be for?) you reassured, high-fiving ruben in the process because your plan had succeeded, and julian looked happy about it. "i can't believe you're all actually here!" he beamed, talking with his broken english so john, jack and phil, who had been dragged by the spanish and portuguese players, could understand. "i can't believe you weren't going to tell us that today is your birthday!", argued man city's number 5, face filled with fake annoyance at your boyfriend for keeping the information to himself. it was funny to see how flushed his cheeks got after hearing that, knowing that he was too shy to actually strike a conversation with the guys about something that wasn't football related.

"we would never reject a chance to have a cheat day" jack laughed, eating some chips that you had put on a few bowls for them to eat. "aparte, tu novia nos dijo que el pastel tendría dulce de leche, así que teníamos que venir" (also, your girlfriend told us your cake had dulce de leche, so we had to come) rodri joked, and even though half of the ones invited didn't understand what he had said, julian and you laughed.

you had been afraid that he wouldn't like the surprise, thinking that you had overstepped in a way, though he would never get mad at you for doing something nice for him. but after seeing his smile shining so brightly during the whole party, you were sure that he had actually liked it. and hopefully, after such a fun evening filled with laughter and food, you wished that he would feel a little less homesick too.

+ BONUS

yourusername

Liked by yourusername, philfoden and others.

yourusername feliz cumpleaños al mejor de todos 🥹te seguiría a el fin del mundo hasta que seamos viejitos 🤍 te amo juli (happy birthday to the best one there is 🥹 i'll follow you to the end of the world, until we're old 🤍 i love you juli)

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juliaanalvarez casa va a ser donde estés vos, gracias por hoy 🤍 (home is wherever you are, thanks for today 🤍)

yourusername 🥹🥹

philfoden you'll have to invite us more often 🙏🏻

juliaanalvarez 😆😆

yourusername consider it done!!

rubendias más dulce de leche y mate 🧉

yourusername rubendias consider it done too 😂

[the-offside-rule]

Rodrigo Riquelme (Atheltico Madrid) - Falling For You

Requested: no

Warnings: none

The summer sun bathed Madrid in a warm, golden glow, casting long shadows across the city as the day stretched into evening. Rodrigo Riquelme, now a rising star at Atletico Madrid, leaned back in his chair in the living room of one of his teammates, drinking up the bottles of Estrella Galicia. The lively hum of the city outside and the excited chatter amongst his friends had served as the perfect backdrop for his thoughts, which inevitably drifted to her. His mind always drifted to her

Y/n

They had met years ago, when they were just kids. They were two promising talents in the Spanish junior squads. Rodrigo, with his flair and creativity on the pitch, and Y/n, who played with a precision and fire that made her a force to be reckoned with in the Barcelona Femení. Their connection had been instant, a bond forged in the shared intensity of their training sessions and the countless hours spent together during youth camps. As the years passed and their careers took them in different directions, their paths rarely crossed outside of the national team camps. She in Barcelona, he in Madrid. It seemed they were always just a few hundred kilometers apart, close enough to imagine, but too far to see regularly. The texts they once sent regularly became spontaneous, and it stayed that way until the next summer.

Summer was different. Summer brought with it a sense of freedom, a chance to reconnect with friends and memories from a time before professional obligations took over. Every summer, Rodrigo wondered if this might be the summer they'd find a way to spend more time together, and every summer, the opportunity never seemed to present itself. Until now.

Rodrigo was the first of his teammates to leave the house. He was meant to do a recovery session tomorrow and he wanted to do it eearly and get it over and done with. "Vamos, todos saldremos esta noche, únete a nosotros. No nos quedaremos mucho tiempo." Antoine, his french colleague said. Night had fallen, and the city had come alive with its usual vibrancy and Rodrigo couldnt help himself. Something was telling him to head out. And so, Rodrigo headed out with his team and decided to hit the town for a night out. It was rare for him to let loose, especially during the season, but summer provided a brief respite, a chance to unwind. They settled on a popular club in the heart of the city, a place known for its lively atmosphere and good music.

As they approached the entrance, Rodrigo’s eyes were drawn to a familiar figure standing under the neon lights. Y/n. She was standing with a group of friends, laughing at something someone had said. The sight of her sent a rush of emotions through him, ones he had tried to push down for years. But seeing her now, looking so effortlessly beautiful, brought everything back. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should approach, but before he could decide, she looked up and their eyes met. Her face lit up in recognition, and she waved him over with an excited grin.

“Rodri!” She called out, her voice cutting through the noise of the crowd. “What are you doing here?” She grinned, pulling him in for a hug. “Just out with some friends.” He replied, trying to keep his tone casual. “Same. It’s been too long! You should join us.” Rodrigo’s heart skipped a beat at her invitation. This was what he had always hoped for; a chance to reconnect, even if just for a night. “I’d love to.” Inside, the club was packed, the music loud and the lights flashing in time with the beats. They found a corner where they could talk without shouting over the music, and soon, they were deep in conversation, catching up on everything they had missed in each other’s lives.

Rodrigo couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was even more captivating than he remembered. There was a warmth in her eyes, a confidence in her smile that drew him in completely. “Do you remember that time in the junior squad-” Y/n said with a laugh. “When we snuck out after curfew to get churros?” He chuckled, nodding. “I do. We were almost caught by the coaches, too.” Y/n's hand rested on his thigh. “Yeah, but we ran so fast, I think we could have beaten our own records that night.” Rodrigo looked down to her hand. Scars from times boots had trambked them, her nails slightly longer and painted with a fresh French tip. "You okay?" She asked, noticing he has zoned out. "Of course, I think the drink is just starting to hit." He chuckled.

As the night progressed, the drinks flowed, and the group moved to the dance floor. Rodrigo wasn’t much of a dancer, but with Y/n, it was different. They moved in sync, caught up in the music and the atmosphere around them. At one point, she pulled him closer, her smile playful. “You’re not too bad at this, Rodri.” She winked. “Not as good as you." He replied, his voice low, the proximity making his heart race. He spun her around, but as she got dizzy, she fell into him. His arm wrapped around her waist as his free hand found their way to hers. She placed her hand gently onto his shoulder and danced along with him. "No me tientes." He murmured into her ear. "No estoy tratando de." She replied innocently. "No eres un angelita."

"No?Qué soy yo entonces, Roro?" She rasped as she swayed her hips into him. A lazy grin appeared on his lips. "Eres un mal pensamiento en mi cabeza." Her gaze guided down to his lips and back to his eyes. "Lo siento, Roro." Both her hands hung around his neck and shoulders as she swayed out of him lazily. "No te disculpes. No me importa tenerte en mi cabeza." Their lips brushed against one another, one wrong move and they would be touching.

The night seemed to stretch out forever, yet passed in a blur at the same time. They danced, they laughed, and for the first time in a long while, Rodrigo felt like there was no one else in the world but the two of them. As the club began to wind down, Y/n suggested they get some fresh air. “How about we grab something to eat? I’m starving.” Rodrigo nodded eagerly, happy to extend their time together. “There’s a McDonald’s not too far from here. Let’s go.”

They walked through the quiet streets of Madrid, the city now more serene after the high energy of the club. The neon signs of McDonald’s welcomed them, and they placed their orders with the casual ease of old friends. They found a table in a quiet corner and settled in with their food. The atmosphere was relaxed, comfortable, but Rodrigo could feel a nervous energy building inside him. The alcohol had loosened his tongue, but it was more than that—he was tired of holding back what he felt.

"So, how is barcelona treating you?" He asked, sipping his milkshake. "Treating me well. I think Chelsea wants to buy me though." She shrugged. "I don't mind where I go." Rodrigo placed his milkshake onto the table. He swallowed hard. She was going to leave for good if she ended up in Chelsea. No more random house visits when he would be playing anywhere near her. He wouldn't have the chance. "Why would you move to London?" He asked. "Maybe the boys are nicer there." She replied, melancholy lacing her words. "What's wrong with the boys here." She couldn't bring herself to answer. She was drunk, yes, but not drunk enough to ramble on about her feelings for him. She looked down to the tray in front of her, fries sprawled over it.

“Y/n-" He began, his hand taking her's. “What's wrong with the boys here?" She looked up at him, her eyes curious but encouraging. “They're nothing like you." He took a deep breath, his heart pounding. “Then just love me. Just fall in love with me. I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember." Her eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, she didn’t say anything, just looked at him as if processing his words. Rodrigo felt the world stop, waiting for her reaction.

“You don't have to say anything-” He paused, his thumb now rubbing her soft skin. “But it’s true. Every summer, I hoped we’d have more time together, and every time we did, it just made it harder for me to forget how I feel about you.” Y/n was silent for what felt like an eternity, and Rodrigo’s nerves began to fray. But then she smiled, a soft, almost relieved smile, and reached across the table to caress his cheek. “Rodri-” She said quietly. He hummed in response. "I think you'd should tell me this when you're sober." His eyebrows scrunched. "I don't have the courage without the alcohol. At least if you reject me now, I can blame the drink." He squeezed her hand. "Run away with me." She chuckled. "What? Move to Atletico?"

"Exactly." She blinked a few times, taking in his suggestion. "Roro, I couldn't. I won't. I love Barcelona too much to do that." She replied. "But, if they do intend on selling you, I am begging you move to Atletico." She bit back a smile. "Let me think about it." Rodrigo looked down to her lips and without thinking, he leaned across the table and kissed her. It was a gentle, tentative kiss, as if testing the waters, but when she responded, it deepened, turning into something that spoke of all the years of longing and unspoken feelings.

When they finally pulled back, both were breathless, their foreheads resting together as they smiled. "Is that enough time for you to think?" She shook her head. "I need a little more time, but as for this-" Y/n paused, her hand still holding his. "I don't need to think about this at all." Rodrigo smiled, his heart feeling lighter than it had in years. “I'd hoped you wouldn't."

They stayed there, talking long into the night, making plans, sharing dreams, and basking in the newness of a love that had been years in the making. The city outside continued to hum with life, but for Rodrigo and Y/n, time seemed to stand still in that small corner of the world.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

The next morning, as the sun began to rise over Madrid, Rodrigo and Y/n found themselves walking back to their hotel, hand in hand. The city was just waking up, the streets slowly filling with people starting their day, but for the two of them, it felt like a new beginning. As they reached her hotel, Y/n turned to him with a smile. “This summer is going to be different, isn’t it?” Rodrigo nodded, his heart full. “Yeah, it is. And I can’t wait to see where it takes us.” They shared one last kiss before parting ways, knowing that this was just the start of something beautiful. As Rodrigo walked back to his hotel, he couldn’t help but feel that, for the first time in a long time, everything was exactly as it should be.

[canirove]

My neighbour Rúben | Chapter 17

Author's note: Sorry about this chapter being extremely short. I tried to think of something to add, but my brain is fried this week 😅 We only have four chapters left after this one, and I promise you they are way better and that important things are happening!

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"That was a nice car, wasn't it?" grandma said when I arrived at her house.

"It's just a car" I shrugged.

"Is it his? Did he drive you all the way from Manchester?"

"Who?" I said, playing dumb but already feeling my face burning.

"Your neighbour. The one you definitely don't fancy."

"Who do you not fancy?" grandad asked, showing up out of nowhere.

"Her neighbour."

"Rodri?"

"I already told you it's not him, grandad." 

"But you said his name starts with an R and he is the only one."

"And she also said that he wasn't a player. But that car was very football player like. So big and expensive..."

"You are not going to let it go, are you?" I said, letting out a big sigh.

"We are noisy, sweetheart. What can I say" grandad shrugged.

"Well, if you want me to ask him to get us some tickets for the City-Arsenal game, you better behave yourself."

"Wait, wait, wait" grandad said. "Seriously?"

"Yep. Next to Arsenal's bench if you want."

"I won't say another word, then" he said.

"Does that mean that you will finally invite us to visit you?" grandma asked.

"Only if you behave."

"We will. Won't we, love?" grandad said.

"We will" she smiled.

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"It'll be ok, sweetie" grandma said, giving my hand a little squeeze.

We were back at my parent's house. My old house.

My mother was throwing a party to celebrate her 50th birthday, and she had somehow convinced my dad to let me come. Apparently, he had relaxed a bit since I had gotten a job even if it was as a nanny. But with him, you never know. 

"Oh, you came!" my mother said when she saw me, giving me a hug.

"I promised I would, didn't I?"

"Thank you" she said, whipping away a tear. "You look so good. You are like glowing, which means that you must be happy."

"I am, yes. Happy birthday" I said, giving her my present.

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything! Can I open it now?"

"It's your birthday. You can do whatever you want" I smiled.

"Oh, darling! It is beautiful!" my mum said.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it! Since when do you have good taste picking gifts?" she laughed.

"I had a bit of help" I confessed. 

"Well, then tell you helper thank you from me" she said, hugging me again.

"I will."

"There you... Are" my father said from behind my mum.

"Hello dad."

"Hi" he said. 

"Look at her. Doesn't she look good?" my mum says.

He just nodded, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Let's go sit and catch up for a bit before the other guests arrive" she said, grabbing my arm with one hand and my dad's with the other.

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"So you got yourself a job, uh?" my father said. The party had been going for a few hours, and that was the first time he had talked to me directly, probably encouraged by the couple of drinks he had had.

"Yep."

"A nanny for a posh divorced woman."

"She isn't posh. She comes from a family like ours."

"But she still is divorced, isn't she?"

"She is, yes. Is that a problem?"

"No, not all" he said, taking another sip from his drink. "And you teach piano to her daughter."

"I do."

"Is she good?"

"She isn't bad, gets everything pretty fast. But she's more interested in football these days."

"Football" he snorted. "That will take her nowhere." 

"But at least she is doing what she likes, not what others like."

"I'm sorry" my dad muttered after a couple of minutes of awkward silence. 

"What?"

"I'm sorry" he said again. "For what I did to you. I shouldn't have been so... You know."

"You shouldn't have, no."

"Do you think... That maybe one day... We'll be able to... Have a normal relationship?" he asked, nervously playing with his glass.

"You already said sorry, which is the most difficult part. So maybe."

"Good... Good" he said, going back to the party. 

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"He said sorry?" 

"Yep."

"It's a beginning" Rúben said. While I was with my family he had stayed in London meeting with some friends, and now he was also driving me back together to Manchester. 

"Yeah" I sighed. "But I don't think he'll like you."

"Why not?" Rúben chuckled.

"He thinks football players are dumb, earn way too much money, and that it is a pointless career choice."

"He isn't wrong about the money. But I'll prove him wrong about everything else" he said with that smirk of his.