onsomenewsht - Tumblr blog

onsomenewsht · 8 days

Text

this was so fucking soft, I'm emotional

Golden Key To The Sweet Life

It wasn't planned for this to be so long but I reaaally got carried away here and I honestly could have wrote a helluva lot more. I guess I have a habit of writing extra long fics when I'm down, I'm sorry!

There was something intoxicatingly endearing about the way Alexia interacted and whole-heartedly cared for her family and friends' children. Not to say you expected anything less, but you had been addicted to seeing it when you first met her and you are still addicted to it, if not more, now that you were a good few years into your relationship with her. Everytime you saw her with another's child, or when she would visit the Barca youth teams, or simply just talk with a young fan who gazed up at her like she was the Queen of the world, something ignited in your heart. Something strangely akin to the feeling of being homesick.

Over the course of your relationship, you two had had countless conversations about having children in the future. However, it was always ended with you both saying 'one day', it was never a concurrent topic. It was a dream, an ideal, never a reality.

But you just could not get it out of your mind anymore; the thought of her with your own children infiltrated your mind everytime you looked at her.

"Ale, I think I would like to have children soon."

It was blurted out whilst you both manuevered around the kitchen as you made a birthday cake for your friend's son and Alexia prepared some other small dishes to take along to his party. You saw the taller woman freeze in your peripheral vision but you were too nervous to look at her, so you continued mixing the ingredients in the bowl, acting as if you hadn't just said the words she'd secretly been thinking recently too. Then, to your surprise, she marched over, took the wooden spoon from your hand, placed it back in the bowl, and tenderly cupped your face.

"What do you mean?" She asked in an odd tone, scarily similar to the one she used when you would argue. It was hushed, flat, low, and slightly strict.

"I, um... I think we should talk about... us having kids together. Soon." You replied, your cheeks red under her hands. Her nostrils flared and her eyes went slightly wide.

"You mean that?" The look in her eyes was almost pleading, and it gave you a bit of hope.

"Yes, I do." You cover her hands with your own. "I really want to at least talk about it, properly, with you. Not right now, but soon. Please."

She stays silent for a few more moments. You both just look at each other wordlessly, but you are frustratingly unable to understand the countless emotions in her eyes right now. That is until she moves suddenly, picking you up and hugging you tightly, burying her face in your neck and releasing a shaky breath. There are words being mumbled into your skin but you can't hear them too well, too busy focusing on the feeling of her around you and the prospect of the future you'd dreamed of since you were young happening sooner than you thought it ever could.

"Ale, I can't hear you." You laugh lightly, but then your breath catches in your throat when she moves her head back to look at you with tears glistening in her eyes. "Oh, Ale."

"Yes, yes, yes. I want children with you, soon, I really do." Alexia whispers as she presses her forehead against yours, her eyes squeezed shut to keep in her emotions. "Nuestros propios hijos pequeños. No se me ocurrió nada mejor." (Our own little children. I couldn't think of anything better.)

That was the moment that decided it all, the moment that sealed and stamped your future. A few months later and you had gone through the early processes of reciprocal IVF. Your individual health screenings had thankfully given positive results that would ensure your plans for the process could go ahead.

It had been a worry for both of you, admittedly more for you, and there had been multiple sleepless nights and midnight discussions to quell your worries. Your decision to carry wasn't one out of convenience for Alexia's career, it was something you were certain on since you had your first thoughts of being a Mother, but that didn't stop Alexia from worshipping the ground you walked on at the selfless decision.

As Alexia had been there to comfort you, listen to you, and reasurre you when you had appointments and insecurities, you were there for her and squeezing her hand during every injection she had, as well as her egg retrieval appointment. She had been worried for quite some time about it, but in the room, she felt quietly excited. All the moments she'd imagined of herself with children of her own felt within reach now. The tears in her eyes weren't from discomfort or pain, they were from hope and excitement of what was to come.

Unfortunately, the first transfer didn't result in a pregnancy. It was heartbreaking of course. You both knew the chances of it working first time weren't that high, but that didn't soften the blow any less. It took about a week before the melancholy lingering in the air of your home left, but after spending crucial time together to come to terms with the news, you were both ready to begin the process again.

This time around, on the 11th day after your second transfer, you woke up with a strange, knowing feeling in your gut. Alexia had left some time ago for morning training, she had woken you up briefly with softly whispered words and a kiss to your forehead, before you fell back to sleep. But as you properly woke up, a thought immediately washed over you. It caused a little bit of anxiety and you probably should have waited until Alexia got home, but you had to find out before you got her hopes up. You bet that she hadn't properly let you in about her heartbreak the first time so you wanted to do everything to prevent her from feeling how you guessed she did.

So, throwing caution to the wind, you went to the medication cupboard and grabbed an emergency box of hCG urine tests before rushing off to the bathroom. You hadn't checked your phone at all this morning, you hadn't eaten or drank anything, you didn't even know what time it was. There was one thought and one thought only that consumed you.

Once you had prepared it all, you set the strip down on the counter and washed your hands. You sat in unbearable silence for about twenty seconds before you heard the front door open. A shocked gasp left your mouth before your hands could cover it and stop the sound.

"Just me, amor!" Alexia called out softly in case you were still asleep.

She headed straight to the kitchen for a snack, not knowing the huge secret you were harbouring just metres away in the downstairs bathroom. You figured there was no escape now, you just had to bite the bullet.

"Alexia, come here please!" You shouted in an unsure, breathless voice, unable to move from your spot on the bathtub rim with a shaking hand over your mouth still.

Alexia frowned at the slightly panicked voice shouting her, so she quickly made her way to the room you were in, chewing through half a mouthful of banana as she went.

"Sí, bebé, estoy aquí, what's wro-" She cut herself off when she noticed you and the test on the counter. Her eyes widen, causing you to panic.

"I am so sorry for doing it without you, I just had a really weird feeling and-"

Alexia shushes your tearful ramble and sits beside you, wrapping one arm around your back and ushering your face into her chest with the other that she places on your cheek.

"No, no, no apologies, I am here now. No apologies, just calm down." She whispers gently as the hand on your back slowly rubs up and down. Her eyes stay wide and focused on the strip on the counter, unsure of how long it's been there but she dispels her anticipation and focuses on you. "You say you felt weird, in what way?"

"I, I don't know, I... I just woke up with a strange feeling in my stomach, like in my gut. I had to do a test, even just one of these ones and not even a proper pregnancy test, I just had to know." You speak anxiously, moving your face back from her chest to wipe at the tears on your cheeks.

"Okay, that's okay. This feeling, is it like a sick feeling or a thought?" Alexia questions, tucking some hair behind your ear.

"A thought, a gut feeling." You sniffle, resting your forehead against her neck.

"Okay. I want you to know I'm not mad or anything like that. I'm just happy to be here with you for this." She reasurres you, pressing a firm kiss against your hairline.

"I am too. But... if it hasn't worked again, I didn't want to disappoint you." You mumble insecurely, fresh tears falling again.

"Hey, no. Don't think that. I could never be disappointed with you, I would only be disappointed with the world. Not you, never you. Never ever. I promise." Alexia responds in a stern but soft voice, squeezing you tight against her.

"Thank you. T'estimo, Ale."

"I love you too, so much." She smiles at you when you look up at her again. Quickly, she kisses you lightly once, before grabbing the box of tests off the counter. "How do we read this? What number means pregnant?"

You grab your phone and get up the screenshot you'd taken minutes earlier of which measurements meant what.

"Twenty-five means pregnant." You show her the image and she reads it carefully, over and over and over, giving you insight into how desperately she wants this.

"How long has it been going?" Alexia asks, her leg beginning to bounce as the nerves creep in.

"Maybe two minutes or more? But I think we should wait a bit longer to make sure whatever the result is is certain." She nodded in agreement and put the box back down, gently using a hand to tilt your chin to look up at her.

"Remember, amor, whatever this result is, it is still early. It has only been eleven days, there is still a chance, okay? If it's good, that's amazing and we will ring the nurse to try and get an earlier blood test. If it's not good, it's okay. We will deal with whatever happens." Alexia softly reminds you, a reminder for her too, to not get too disheartened (though that it is impossible in such a situation).

"I know. I have to be though." You say the last sentence ever so quietly, but Alexia catches it. She has no more words to say though, still so unsure what the 'right' way to go about this new life experience is.

Silence falls over the room, settling heavy over you both as you hold each other and think through your individual prayers to the world in your minds. It's not until Alexia grows impatient that she stands up and takes a deep breath, standing in between your legs and cradling your head.

"I adore you, guapa. Whatever this little thing says, I will still adore you. I will probably love you more after this no matter what the result is." She states.

You nod, tears still present in your eyes, and stand up beside her. With one arm wrapped around each other, you both smile, before turning your attention to the test on the counter. The air is still in the room, the world paused and faded, all the attention on this tiny strip that held the most important information in the world.

"Twenty-three." You mumble dejectedly. Alexia grabs your phone and gets up the screenshot.

"Mira, bebé, it says anything here is a 'grey area', it's still higher than we would expect and we are doing this early. I think that could be good news." Alexia explains shakily. Once you've read through the information on your phone, your head whips around to look up at her. She meets your gaze, a small and positive smile gracing her face. "I do think we should ring the nurse."

"Really?" You choke out with a quivering bottom lip, desperately trying to suppress the wave of hope that washed over you at Alexia's words.

"Yes, really."

"Oh my." You breathe out, knocking your phone out of her hand carelessly as you hug her tightly. "I might be pregnant."

"You might be pregnant." Alexia repeats in a shuddery voice, eyes stuck staring at the small test on the counter that might just have changed her world for the better.

Thankfully, to prevent days of anxious anticipation, the nurse agrees to carry out a blood test the following day. It's a game day for Alexia but luckily it's at home and later in the evening. She could be going into it with the excitement of an expecting mother, or she could be filled with suffocating disappointment. It's a contrast she doesn't want to think about, the game later that evening the last thing on her mind as her hand holds yours tightly on the drive to the appointment.

Her hand doesn't leave yours unless it's absolutely necessary, and even then she's very hesitant. But, as you lay on the bed with a hand over your eyes whilst the other is still held by Alexia, a heavy feeling of dread and doubt settles. The past 24 hours had been overwhelmingly positive; neither of you allowed a moment to think anything negative. Maybe it was naïve to do that, but the prospect of it all was so utterly exhilarating that you hadn't allowed yourselves to think of the next mental steps if it you weren't pregnant.

Now though, you were drowning under the weight of it all. Alexia had noticed, of course she had, but she was suffocated by her thoughts too. There was nothing either of you could say, it was simply just a waiting game.

Waiting, waiting, waiting, the ticking of the clock on the wall being a constant reminder of the meaningful depth of the moment. Time was a precious thing, of course, but right now it felt like the biggest dampener of all.

Neither of you knew how long you had been sitting silently for, plagued by the scale of the event, but then the nurse walks in and announces she has the results, causing you to snap out of your mindset.

"Are you ready to find out?" The nurse asks, offering no hint of emotion.

"No." You whimper almost silently. Alexia turns to you and goes to comfort you immediately, but she's interrupted.

"It's good news."

Your hand falls from your face as you sit up fully, eyes wide and tearful. Alexia can't tear her eyes away from you until you nudge her, bringing her back into the room.

"I can confirm you are indeed pregnant."

Your body collapses in relief and you fall back against the bed, hands covering your face again as you sob happily. Alexia rolls you onto your side and rests her forehead against yours, tears also falling from her too.

"Tienes un bebé ahí dentro, amor." Alexia cries, almost in relief. One of her hands is on top of your head whilst the other rubs up and down your side comfortingly. "Nuestro pequeño bebé. We are a family now."

You both relish in the great news until you calm down enough to allow the nurse to give you advice on ensuring your health is as best it can be for your pregnancy to go as smoothly as possible.

Later that day, when Alexia scored in her league game at the Johan, you shook your head disapprovingly when Alexia surreptitiously rubbed her hand over her stomach whilst gazing at you in the audience as she walked back to her position. Nobody knew about the news, nobody could know for weeks, and Alexia was pushing her luck with the celebration. You couldn't stay angry for too long, never towards Alexia, and all thoughts of irritation were forgotten when, at the end of the game, she ran up the stands, enveloped you in a tight but sweaty embrace, and whispered the most heart-warming words you'd ever heard her say in your life. People gave you puzzled looks when you pulled away from her with tears in your eyes, but that didn't matter. The bubble that the two of you had was perfect.

Alexia took the advice of the nurse a bit too literally. As if she wasn't doing it already, she did everything possible for you. Cooking meals full of the right nutritions, buying the best pregnancy vitamins, trying to do all the house chores herself (you couldn't let that one slide though), and sometimes literally carrying you whenever she could. On a bad day, did it wind you up? Yes, but she had the best intentions and when the hormones weren't overriding your mind, you appreciated every single act of care and kindness from her.

As you got closer to the 7 week mark when you would have your first scan, your anxiety grew tenfold. You were a stickler for doom scrolling, and varying websites and forums had argued a thought that was the root of your worry: the chance of miscarriage was higher with IVF. Alexia of course tried to dispel your concerns, but unfortunately this was one of them things that you just couldn't get over.

So the relief you felt at the first ultrasound when it was confirmed your baby was growing strong and healthily, was overwhelming. And as soon as you heard the heartbeat, you were a goner. Whether it was the hormones or just how much this meant to you, the overjoyed tears didn't stop all day. Leaving the building with a recording of the heartbeat and a strip of ultrasound photos, neither of you can recall a time where you were happier.

Keeping such a huge secret felt impossible. You had told your parents and Alexia had told her Mum and sister a few days after you found out just so you had a support system in case anything went wrong. The senior staff of the team at Barcelona also knew in case Alexia had to put everything on hold in case of an emergency, and it was the same with your work. But other than that, everyone else was none the wiser.

At least, that's what you thought.

"Amor, I have something to admit." Alexia sighed as you both climbed into bed one night during your eighth week of pregnancy.

"Hm?" You hummed, laying down and resting your head on her shoulder.

"Don't be mad." She grimaced, one arm behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling. You frown and hold yourself up on one elbow, your other hand landing on her cheek to turn her face to look at you.

"Tell me. I doubt I'll be mad." You told her softly, and your smile automatically decreases her worries.

"Well, Mapi was the one who helped with my injections whenever I was at training." You nodded affirmatively. "I may have told her... today, at training, that you are pregnant."

"Ale, when are you going to tell me about this geeky smile that hasn't left your face?" Mapi teases her best friend as both of them tidy up the field after training.

"There is nothing, Mapi." Alexia argues, but the aforementioned smile graces her face as she does so.

"Come oooon! Tell me, I think I have a guess, but I want you to say it." Mapi grins, throwing an arm around Alexia's shoulders and nudging her in the ribs.

"I can't tell anyone yet." Alexia mumbles.

"Say it, Ale." Mapi sings in her ear. "I will not tell anyone, I promise."

"You tell anyone and I will kill you, María." Alexia says sternly, standing with her hands on her hips and glaring down at her.

"No, won't tell anyone." Mapi puts on an innocent face as she holds her hands up in surrender.

"Vale." Alexia sighs, looking down at the ground for a moment before turning back to Mapi with the biggest smile she's shown to her. "We are almost eight weeks pregnant."

Mapi screams out of pure excitement and jumps onto Alexia, the taller woman not expecting it which led to them both toppling to the grass in the middle of the empty pitch.

"I knew it!" Mapi shouts, shaking Alexia's shoulders which makes her laugh, pushing Mapi off of her hips so that they lay beside each other. "You are going to be a Mamá!"

"María! ¡Calláte! What did I just say?!" Alexia shushes her desperately, slapping her shoulder.

"You said you're having a baby! I'm gonna be a tía!" Mapi laughs giddily, kicking her legs like a child.

"I should never have told you." Alexia grumbles, crossing her arms over her chest to try and convey a stern, angry look, but it's completely futile.

"I am so happy for you. Nobody deserves this more than you." Mapi rolls onto her side to look at her best friend. "How is she doing?"

"She's so great. So happy. A little bit sick, but handling everything so well." Alexia closes her eyes as she thinks of you and the strip of ultrasound photos hanging on your fridge.

"I have no words, Ale. You both deserve it so much, to be this happy. I'm so proud of you." Mapi states, pushing away her childish side to try and have a proper moment with Alexia.

"I didn't do anything, it's all her." Alexia jokingly deflects, not wanting to get emotional when anyone could walk out and catch them.

"Ay, I didn't stab you at training for nothing." Mapi grins again.

"Sí, I guess." Alexia murmurs with a shy smile. "I am so excited. My own lit-"

"¿Qué están haciendo ustedes aquí?" A voice shouts from the door of the main building.

"Vamos. You both invite me around for dinner soon so we can celebrate and talk more, sí?" Mapi suggests, leaping up and offering a hand to Alexia who nods and stands. "¡Capi va a ser Mamá!"

You tilted your head at Alexia and smiled widely at the adorable story.

"I don't mind, Ale. She's one of your best friends, and she did help us get pregnant, technically." You told her, placing a reasurring kiss to the corner of her mouth. "But that girl cannot keep a secret. I bet Ingrid already knows."

"I knew she would tell Ingrid. But if she tells anyone else I will strangle her." Alexia grumbled with a disapproving look on her face to which you quietly laughed at.

"No you won't. I can't have my baby mama in prison for attempted murder." You joked, poking at her cheek to get her to smile, which you succeeded at.

"You are right. Por supuesto." Alexia whispered, leaning up to meet your lips in a gentle kiss. When she pulled away, she gazed at you so lovingly that it took your breath away. "Venga, lay down and get comfy. You need sleep to look after our chiqui."

You smiled bashfully and lay on your side facing away from her, to which she shuffled up behind you and draped an arm over your side. Her hand settled on your stomach of course, a new gesture you could never get over, so you covered her hand with yours and squeezed it.

"You are going to be the best Mami, Ale." You whispered, Alexia immediately smiling into the back of your neck and placing a few kisses there.

"Tú también." She mumbled, speaking her beliefs whole-heartedly.

Due to Alexia's busy schedule and her understandable defiance to miss an appointment, you both didn't have an aligned day off together for another scan until the fifteenth week of pregnancy. In the past two weeks, you had both told everyone in your life that you were expecting a baby. It was difficult to do since Alexia had to travel a lot, most of the time it was you meeting up with family or friends with Alexia on a FaceTime call, but it was still incredibly special nevertheless.

Today though was an important day; not only a check-up for the baby and yourself, but it would also be the day to found out the gender. You weren't too fussed about finding out or not, but Alexia was not a very patient person, she would plan out every step of her life if she could. So it was an easy decision, you would have the check-up scan, do a blood test, then go about the rest of your day whilst waiting for an email from the nurse.

Seeing the baby much more developed and bigger was of course an emotional moment, nothing in your life so far could compare.

"Míralo, dios mío. Mi bebé." Alexia said quietly, clutching your hand as she gazed at the screen showing the ultrasound. "I am so glad it is just one."

You laughed and shook your head at her comment, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't feel the same.

"They have your legs, Ale." You smiled softly as you watched your baby kick their legs away on the screen. It wasn't possible to feel yet, but you knew in a few weeks time you would be in endless amounts of pain as the aforementioned legs kicked at you all over.

"They better like football." Alexia stated, again making you laugh.

"If they don't, you can't walk out on me." You warned her teasingly, but she took it too seriously.

"No, never, amor." She frowned, lifting your hand and pressing a firm kiss to the back of it. "They will just have to live with their Mami shouting about it every week."

"By the time they're born, it'll probably be the only sound that soothes them to sleep." You said.

The thought of that makes her smile and she falls into a daydream about it - her baby laying on her chest whilst she watches a football game, dressed in matching Barça shirts, desperately trying to keep her running commentary quiet for the baby and for you who was sleeping in the bedroom, and-

"Okay, let's do the blood tests now."

An hour later and you both were walking around Barcelona, looking at the city you love and where your family would grow. It was a waiting game now, you could get any email any second. Your plan was to wait for it to be sent, then go into a bakery and show the worker the email who would be able to give you some kind of baked treat with either blue or pink in it. Simple, yes, but it would be a moment for just the two of you (and the baker, you supposed) that you would remember forever.

So, some time later when Alexia's phone pinged with the email notification and she confirmed who it was from, you both smiled excitedly and immediately began heading towards the bakery. You picked up the small cake, thanked the baker who congratulated you many times, before heading home.

Once you were in the comfort of your own kitchen, you grabbed a fork each and sat down at the island, unable to keep your eyes off each other.

"Whatever it is, I am so happy to be doing this with you." Alexia states softly, taking your free hand and holding it tight on top of the counter.

"There's no one I'd rather do it with." You respond matter-of-factly.

"Me too." Alexia murmurs, raising your hand to her mouth so she could kiss your ring finger. "Ready?"

"Yes, come on, let's do it!" You urge her excitedly, unable to contain yourself.

"Vale, vale." Alexia laughs. "I count down from tres, sí?" You nod, a nervous smile on your face. "Tres... dos... uno."

Both of you dig your forks into the cake, cutting a chunk out to reveal that it's-

"¡Chiquitita!" Alexia shouts, jumping up from her chair. You grin at the news and at her reaction, but rather than reacting like Alexia, you simply eat the forkful of cake. "Bebíta, why are you not excited? We are having a baby girl!"

"I am excited, but I have cake in front of me, I'm not gonna just let it sit there." You say, to which she laughs and comes over to wrap her arms around your neck from behind. "A little girl, hey?"

"Sí, una niña pequeña." Alexia sighs happily, tears in her eyes as she rested her forehead on your shoulder. "I can't believe it. It feels a bit more real now."

"It was very real for me when I was throwing up every morning." You scoff, Alexia laughing again. "I get what you mean though. It feels different now that we know it's a girl. She."

Alexia hums in agreement, smiling when you offer her a forkful of cake. She accepts it and nods approvingly at it, making you grin again.

"What is that thing people say? When they have a baby and they want it to be a footballer? I think it is... project Putellas."

"Well, if she wants to be a footballer, she literally has the best person in the world to learn from." You tease, raising your free hand that wasn't devouring the small cake to rest on her forearm. "You just might want to start off by differentiating between an actual football and the shiny gold ones on display in the lounge. I have no doubt a small and excitable toddler who has a Mami kicking football around the house all day will find a golden ball very fascinating."

"I will make sure. But she can kick them all she wants, I will just get my revenge when she wins one in the future." Alexia grins, making you giggle as you squeeze her arm. "If she doesn't like football, I will only be upset for a tiny bit of time. I would just want her to be happy of course."

"She'd still go to every one of your games and would want to go with you when you aren't playing. Just like you and your Papi." You remind her gently, to which she smiles a little sadder this time, but nevertheless hums in acknowledgement.

"Ah... she. I cannot believe it." Alexia slides one hand down to rest on your ever-growning yet still small stomach. There was a bump, but in the majority of your clothes it wasn't quite visible yet.

"Now we have to start thinking of names." You say, finally turning your attention away from the cake and spinning around in the chair to face her. She groans and pulls you to stand up, then taps the back of your thighs to urge you to jump into her arms, to which you do. "What's up with you?"

"Names is the hardest part." She grumbles, leading you to the bedroom where she places you down gently on the bed before cuddling up next to you.

"Well, get thinking, guapa. We have a little girl on the way!"

At the 24 week mark, you both decide it's time to announce it to the rest of the world. It's been amazing having it be a secret purely between you and the people you love most, but your bump is getting a bit more noticeable now and you want to be able to go out without covering up so much.

Alexia posted a simple picture to her social media of the baby's cot in the nursery, along with a tiny Barcelona shirt in it of course, and tied it off with the most recent ultrasound photos set beside the jersey. She wasn't one for sharing much of her private life, so that's all she gave. No date, no gender, no confirmation of how far along you were, and to some people it wasn't even clear if it was you or Alexia who was pregnant. The media's reaction was funny to sit back and watch as you lay in bed together that night, and it made to be even more entertaining when Alexia told you she had been lightly scolded by the club for the lack of context, but her argument was that people should know she wouldn't be playing if she was pregnant. This social media speculation was followed by a post from Barcelona making it clear that Alexia wasn't pregnant, putting all the rumours to bed at the expense of the Barca PR management who had possibly grown a few more grey hairs after the whole fiasco. But it was funny to watch and it made for a great memory, you wouldn't have it any other way.

Now, the baby has started moving more, so much so that Alexia can feel it when she holds her hands against your bump. From the moment you first told her you could feel the baby moving, she had desperately wanted to feel it too. There was a worry in the back of her mind that she wouldn't bond with her baby like a second parent figure should, considering she wasn't the one carrying. Even though the baby would genetically be hers due to the type of IVF you chose, you would bond with the baby on a whole other level that she wouldn't experience.

So, she was desperate to feel the baby move against her hand because it would be her first chance of physically experiencing the baby, unlike you who had been through that from the early days of pregnancy with the typical early-stage symptoms. When she did, when she felt the first tiny but powerful kick against her, she immediately began to cry. She didn't really clue you in on why she had such an intense reaction, not that you discredited it of course, but you had an inkling that it meant much more to her than she would ever admit.

It was rare for pregnancy to be so smooth-sailing though. As the weeks went on and your baby girl grew bigger and stronger, all whilst the both of you remained healthy, it was like the doubtful and anxious thoughts slowly left. Until you noticed something.

You were sat at dinner with your friends before all of you were due to watch Alexia and the team play a Copa del Reina game at the Johan. You were taking a backseat from the conversation for a few minutes when a frightening realisation hit you. You frowned, holding your hands against various places on your bump, looking for a major sign that you hadn't felt in... how long? You couldn't even remember. And that was when it felt like your heart stopped.

"Chica, ¿estás bien?" Your friend asked quietly from beside you, thankfully nobody else taking notice.

"Yeah. I... I don't know." You answered shakily, hands unmoving from your stomach as you closed your eyes tight to concentrate.

"¿Es el bebé? ¿Qué ocurre?" She questioned in hushed tone.

"I... I can't feel her move." You mumbled, trying to suppress the tears already brewing. "I... she's normally moving all the time. But I haven't felt her move... at all today."

"Vale, vale. You want to go to the bathroom, somewhere private?" She suggested, to which you nodded desperately. "Okay. Let's go."

You both stand up, you still in your panicked daze as she comes up with a reason for you both to be excused, before quickly leading you to the individual bathroom at the back of the restaurant.

"I'm scared." You admitted to her, hands still firmly planted on your lower stomach where the baby normally would kick.

"It's okay, tell me what's wrong, yeah?" Your friend said, her hands on your shoulders to try and keep you grounded.

"I was just sat there and then, then I realised my baby hasn't, I haven't felt her move for a while. And now I can't remember the last time she moved. I was really tired yesterday and normally before I go to sleep she starts kicking a lot, but I don't think she did it last night because I fell asleep really quickly when her kicking usually keeps me up for a while and now-"

"Ay, calm down, chica. Take some breaths, do it with me, you need to calm down." You nodded and began to do as instructed, easing your breathing but not your anxiety. "What would you like to do? Don't feel like a burden, this is your baby you're talking about and if you are worried about her health then you must do whatever you feel you need to do to ensure she's safe."

"I... I need to talk to Ale. But she has an important game, I-"

"Alexia would want you to tell her. Forget her work, this is family. This is her little girl too, she would never play football again if it meant you and your baby were safe. Wouldn't she?" You nodded reluctantly, the tears now falling uncontrollably. "Sí. Will she be at the stadium yet?"

"Um..." You got your phone out to check the time, seeing a text from the woman mentioned who confirmed she was at the stadium without you even asking. "Yes, she's there."

"Okay, chica, I could drive you to the nurse now and you call her in the car, or I drive you to the stadium so you can be with her. Whatever you prefer, sí? Anything."

You forgot the rest of the world around you outside this one bathroom, possible solutions and outcomes passing by so quickly and convoluted it was almost impossible to land on one. Was it serious enough to pull Alexia out of a game? Were you just overthinking? Or could this be a genuine problem with the baby?

Ultimately, this was not a risk you could take.

"I need Ale. I need to talk to her." You decided, focusing on your breathing again to try and quell the nausea your anxiety was causing.

"Okay, I will drive you to the stadium. You take the keys and go straight to my car, I will tell everybody else that the plans are cancelled."

From that moment on, it's like your mind goes into shock. Everything is a distant blur, even the feeling of Alexia's arms wrapped tightly around you and Eli and Alba's hands on your back when you meet them at the stadium. You give a stuttered explanation to them, which makes Alexia's heart drop and she squeezes you tighter. She whispers words of comfort and reassurance of course, but if someone held a gun to your head and forced you to recount what she said, you'd be screwed. For all you knew, she could have said anything in the world, and you'd have no idea.

Eli and Alba drove you to the hospital whilst you and Alexia sit in the backseat, no words exchanged (or at least that's what you remember). The cityscape passed by fast as you stared blankly out the window, the moment feeling so surreal it felt as if you were living a nightmare. Your hand clutched tightly onto Alexia's, the only feeling that kept you in touch with reality as every memory you have so far of your unborn child played out in your head like a montage straight out of a film.

Images of you and Alexia in the bathroom with the test strip, you both at the blood test finding out you were 100% pregnant, having the first scan, telling your loved ones, finding out it was a little girl-

She doesn't even have a name.

She can't slip away without a name. That's unfair.

She cannot be taken away from you before you have even met her. Is the world that cruel?

"Amor, we are here." Alexia's hand leaves yours to brush away a few tears you hadn't even realised were falling. "How do you feel?"

"How... how am I supposed to feel?" You reply, almost in a whimper, and Alexia immediately understands what you mean.

"I know." Is all she says, unbuckling your belt for you.

"We will wait here." Alba smiles reasurringly at you, squeezing your knee then Alexia's.

"No hay mal que por bien no venga." Eli states, and that ignites a tiny spark of hope inside of you. (Every cloud has a silver lining.)

Hand in hand, you and Alexia walk into the Maternity ward and explain the situation to the receptionist who tells you again and again that the right thing to do was come in for a check-up. Alexia guides you over to some seats, her eyes constantly searching over your face as her arm wraps around your shoulders.

"I love you." Alexia whispers the only words she can think of right now, because what else is there to say?

She kisses your forehead before letting you tuck your face into her neck, and that's how you stayed the whole time waiting. Just in each other's arms, knowing that you had each other no matter the result of the day. The rest of the world went away; the confines of the hospital, the endless electrical sounds of machines and technological devices, people walking back and forth down the corridors, the sound of doors opening and closing, everything slithered away until it was just the two of you. No thoughts about anything else - football, family, media - solely just the two of you in this white sterile room, waiting on news that would shatter your world or paint it gold.

When your name was finally called, some unknown amount of time later, you shared a glance with Alexia, both of you holding an elixir of emotion in your eyes, before following the midwife to a patient room.

Again, you explained the situation to her whilst Alexia sat on a chair in the corner of the small room, the taller woman fidgeting anxiously as she can't be beside you to hold your hand. The midwife explained that she would do a number of tests on you first to ensure you are healthy, before doing an ultrasound for the baby.

Alexia watches with tears in her eyes as your tests are done, feeling somewhat relieved to hear there is nothing wrong with your health. Though her dread increases tenfold when the midwife brings out the ultrasound, and due to it not being a purpose-built ultrasound room, there is no large TV screen for her to see. It's only a small screen for the midwife to view, which makes her feel even more ill if that was possible. She subtly takes a few deep breaths to control herself and the nausea plaguing her whilst the midwife sets up the small machine and spreads the gel on your lower stomach.

The seconds leading up to the probe being pressed against your skin seemed to stretch indefinitely, like the laws of time bent just to purposely suspend the moment more. She held her breath, hands clenching and unclenching on her thighs as her eyes focused on you, her heart poised on the edge of a cliff between joy and utter despair. Every moment of her life so far felt like it had been built up just for this one moment here, like some sick trick of fate, until-

"And there is your baby girl, her little heart beating away happily."

There she was on the sonogram screen, perfectly fine, just getting on with her life like she hadn't caused the single most panic and fear either of you had ever felt, the tiny being causing a whirlwind of emotions before she was even born.

You broke out into deliriously relieved laughter, head thrown back against the bed as tears fell, whilst Alexia put her face in her hands and cried silently.

"Ale, come here." You plead, looking at her broken figure in the corner of the room.

Alexia instantly jumps up from her chair and goes over to you, cradling your face and ushering mumbled and scattered words of affirmation and reassurance. You both break indefinitely more when your baby's heartbeat echoes through the room, almost like her way of announcing herself and saying: 'I'm here to stay!'

The midwife explains that the reason for not feeling her move is because your placenta is positioned at the front of your stomach, meaning little girl is moving against that which subdues the feeling. But, you rest assured, because you both leave the hospital with a new and stronger recording of her heart beat and some updated photos of her. Eli and Alba spot you both heading back to the car with huge, relieved smiles on your faces so they jump out of the car to greet you. You can tell from the way Alexia deflates into her Mother's arms that the day had exhausted her just as much as it had you, and that plants a seed of doubt in your mind.

Alexia notices this as you both sit in the back of the car on the way back to the stadium, a frown forming on her face as she squeezes your hand.

"Why are you sad, amor?" She whispers to make sure only you hear it. You shake your head and look out the window, now a little embarrassed about the whole day. "Tell me, please."

"I just feel ridiculous. I pulled you out of your game for no reason." You mutter, humiliation settling in your chest.

It wasn't just Alexia who you had disrupted, it was her family, your friends, the whole of the Barça team and staff, their fans, and so many other people around the world who had been left disappointed and confused as to why she had suddenly pulled out of the match day squad. You let your anxieties get to you and ruined what was meant to be a good day for you and many other people.

"No. You had every reason to be worried. And I am so relieved you told me so that all three of us could be there for you. It is so important that you did that, no matter if the baby is healthy after all." She raises your hand to her mouth so she could kiss it softly, before placing it on your thigh and covering it with both of hers. "The fact you dropped everything and focused on our daughter is already a sign of an amazing mother. You both are so much more important than any game of football - league game, cup game, champions league final or world cup. I would do anything to make sure you are both safe, and that's what you did. As soon as you noticed something could be wrong, you did everything to keep her safe and find out she is healthy. I could never thank you enough for that."

She squeezes your hand periodically as her wide eyes assisted her in getting her point across - there was layer after layer of love present in them and when she looked at you like that, you could never doubt her.

"I really was worried. For like two weeks straight, she's been moving and wriggling in there constantly. And then all of a sudden she stops, I didn't feel a thing. Not even hiccups. It was terrifying." You say shyly, Alexia nodding in understanding. She goes to say something, but stops herself when Eli starts.

"Trust me, chiqui, I am proud of you. Ale is right, you are already displaying amazing habits of a good madre. You did the right thing and we are all so proud of you and happy that you spoke up about it. We would do anything if it meant my hija en lay y nieta pequeña were safe and healthy."

Is there any higher praise than that from a great mother already? That meant the world to hear from Eli. It almost entirely dissipated the regret you felt. You did the right thing.

"Mami is right. You are part of this family now." Alba adds, Alexia gazing at you proudly.

"Grácies, us estimo a tots." You reply confidently in Catalan, hoping it conveyed how grateful you were for them all.

Unbeknownst to you, that day plagued Alexia for almost two weeks. She thought about it every night before she went to sleep even when you were in her arms, she thought about it during training, when she stepped on the pitch, but she suppressed it. You had so much to focus on and worry about, you were growing a human for heaven's sake, she had to be strong for you and show that you can rely on her when you need it.

But, that all came falling down one night.

She had one bad game, missed one penalty, and it destroyed the demeanor she'd worked so hard on building. They didn't even lose the game, they drew 1-1 with the chance of bettering themselves for the second leg a week later, but no words could be said to make her feel any better.

The moment the final whistle blew, her face remained stoic and free of emotion. It remained that way in the changing rooms, when she met you and her family after the game, on the drive home, and all through her nightly routine. It killed you to see her like this, knowing in her mind she was reducing herself to something so miniscule and inadequate, you had to at least try and get through to her.

"Ale?" You whisper as you lay beside her on your side. She's in the same position but facing away from you, and you know it's another attempt at keeping the world locked out of her mind. "Alexia, talk to me. What do you need?"

"Estoy bien, vete a dormir." Alexia mumbles, lightly squeezing your hand that rested on her waist.

"No. Look at me, Ale." You demand gently, pulling on her hip so that she lays flat. She averts her eyes away from you, but you notice that they are bloodshot red, like she'd been silently fighting off tears. "What's going on in that mind of yours?"

"I... uh, maybe... maybe a lot." She chokes out, resting her forearm over her eyes, her final attempt at fighting this losing battle on her own.

"Let me in." You urge her, taking her wrist and moving her arm away. "Come on. Tell me what's wrong."

"There... there is too much." Alexia says, almost in a whimper. "There is so much happening in my head."

"We can try and unpack it, hey? You're not going to be able sleep like this, you never do, so let's try and sort through some of your worries." You sit up against the head board and move her so that her head rests on your thigh. You recognise that she needs a few moments to collect herself, so you let her do that, silently combing a hand through her hair until she was ready.

"Well, first, I played like shit." She chuckles in spite of herself, making you smile sadly and lean down, despite the awkward angle and your bump, to place a kiss on her temple. "But... I can't change that now. That... it caused me to feel like this, but I'm not really thinking about that anymore."

"What are you thinking about, my love?"

"I... the baby." She sighs, bringing a hand up to her face as she turned to hide in your leg.

"What about her?" You probe carefully, your free hand subconsciously falling to your bump.

"We thought... we thought we lost her."

That statement breaks her, her first time saying it out loud, and now her body shakes as broken sobs rip through her.

"I know, Ale, I know." You shift back down the bed so that you can hold her. She tucks her face into the space between your neck and shoulder as her tears wet the pillow. The arm of yours she wasn't laying on wrapped around her, holding her tight against you, turning to place kisses under her ear. "She's okay, we saw her and heard her, she's healthy. In fact, I can feel her wiggling around in there. Here, give me your hand." She leans back so that she can see you place her hand over where the baby was moving at the side of your stomach. You pause for a few moments, Alexia waiting with bated breath, desperate to feel her daughter once more. "Oh, there she goes!" You smile brightly as a hard kick hits against Alexia's hand, who laughs breathlessly at it. "See? She's alright, isn't she? If you listen closely, you can hear her saying 'Mírame, Mami, I'm okay! Don't cry!'"

Alexia laughs again, though it sounds more like a choked sob, and buries her face back into your neck.

"You..." Alexia breathes out, smiling again when she feels another kick. "You are both perfect."

"Mm, I think you're pretty great too." You tease, nuzzling your cheek against her hair. "Is there anything else you're worried about?"

"Y-yeah." She mutters, her thumb stroking over your skin. "There's just so many worries I have. Not about her, not really, but... what if I'm not good enough?"

You'd be lying if you said you weren't shocked to hear that. And it breaks your heart.

"Ale, look at me." You place a hand on her cheek when she moves away to meet your eyes. "Why do you think you won't be good enough?"

"I can be a mess. I get frustrated easily and I have no idea how to care for myself, how can I care for a tiny, innocent baby?" She spits the words out like she's disgusted at herself and it's almost unbearable to hear.

"Alexia, you are being unfair to yourself." You state, hearing her sigh frustratedly. "I can be a mess too, I get angry too, you're only human, Alexia. You know how to take care of me, you do it so well, no one has ever treated me better than you do. You have so much love to give and I cannot wait to see you become a parent. I wouldn't want to have children with you if I didn't think you were good enough. In fact, I think you're going to be an amazing parent. Every step along the way already, through my pregnancy and the process of getting pregnant, even before that, I knew you were going to be great. And that belief only grows stronger whenever I see you with other children, like Mateo or my friends' kids. I don't have a single doubt about you, not one."

"But what if I don't bond with her?"

"Love." You sigh, holding a firm kiss against her forehead. "You will. I know I'm the one carrying her, but she's your baby just as much as mine. She's got all your genetics, of course you're going to bond with her." You poke her in the side teasingly, pulling a half-hearted chuckle from her. "I know she will adore you so much. She'd be crazy not to. You do realise you're gonna be the cool parent out of us two?"

"What?" She asks humourously.

"You're definitely the cooler parent out of us, think about it! Imagine her seeing you play football on TV every week, people with your name on their shirts, whole stadiums chanting your name, trophies and medals all around the house, she's gonna go to school and be like 'My Mami is famous!'" You grin whilst speaking, delighted to her Alexia laugh like she normally does.

"Stoooop." She groans, but you know it's in good nature. Another sigh leaves her lips, but this time it's a little less heavy and a bit more content. "You will be cool too."

"Thanks." You laugh and from that you feel her smile into your skin. "Do you feel a little better, cariño?"

"Sí. You are magic." Alexia responds, her head a lot less clouded. Now, it's filled with pictures of her little family of three, and it cheers her up more than anything ever has. "I love you. Thank you for... for everything, amor. Seriously."

You roll back onto your side, Alexia doing the same, and your hand falls to her neck. Your foreheads rest against each other, Alexia's hand still lingering on your bump, and you smile at the lighter look in her eyes.

"You don't have to be strong all the time. You can let go- you need to let go sometimes." You remind her, and when she goes to reply to that, you speak before she can as you know what she's going to argue. "Ah, no, I'm not hearing it, I know what you were going to say. And it's not true, it's not fair on you. I'm your partner after all, Ale. Yes, I'm carrying a baby, but that doesn't lessen any of your problems. I will always have time for you, Alexia, whatever you need, whenever you need it."

Alexia finally backs down and allows your words to mend the cracks in her mind, getting rid of that doubtful devil on her shoulder.

"Thank you. Just... thank you." Alexia mutters, seemingly allowing her post-match exhaustion to overpower her.

"Anytime, I promise. Now get some sleep, alright? You've kept me awake past my bedtime, even little one has stopped her night-time kicking now." You joke, glad to see she mirrors the smile you have and her body relaxes, the tension from the match and the past weeks finally leaving her. "Te amo. Siempre."

By the time June came around, Barça had basically wrapped up every single competition, it being yet another clean sweep for the record-breaking team. That included the Champions League, to which you had to almost force Alexia to go out and celebrate with her team, your argument being that it would be the last chance she got before her life was filled with baby bottles and diapers instead of shot glasses and night clubs.

It was fortunate that the team had done what they did when they did, because it was like once the clock struck midnight of the month of June, your baby girl had decided she'd had enough of her comfy little home and wanted to see what the real world was like. One minute, you were using the bathroom in the middle of the evening at home, the next minute you were in a patient gown on a hospital bed clutching Alexia's arm with one hand and some gas and air with the other.

There were thirteen hours between your waters breaking and the first cry of your daughter. Alexia had tears in her eyes the moment you stepped into the hospital room, but that was nothing compared to the tears that fell like a waterfall when your baby was placed on your chest. She rested her temple against yours and gazed down at the tiny being that you both had created. In her mind, she knew there was no better sight.

Once the initial check-ups were done for both you and your daughter, the business calmed down and it allowed for Alexia to hold her for the first time. Your little girl weighed a mere 6 pounds 11 ounces, but those numbers didn't do it justice - she looked miniscule in the arms of Alexia.

"Hi." Alexia croaked out in a tearful voice, making sure her arms were steady and that her little girl was positioned correctly. Yet to have her first sleep, the baby's brown eyes stared widely up at her Mami.

"Suits you." You commented tiredly, thoroughly exhausted but there was no way you could rest right now when this sight was beside you. You wouldn't miss it for the world.

"Bon día, A-" Alexia glances up at you briefly. "Are we still choosing that name? I think it's perfect for her."

"Yes. So perfect." You smile at your two favourite people.

"Bon día, little Anaís." Alexia whispers, using the back of her index finger to run it ever-so-gently along her daughter's cheek.

It's such a sacred moment for Alexia, like it would be for any parent, as she cradles her new little bundle of joy against her chest. Being able to put a face to the name you'd chosen a few months ago now, putting a face to the offender of the brutal blows her Mummy had been subjected to for two months, and finally bonding with her child - it was all overwhelming in the best way possible.

The weight of her daughter in her arms brought a greater comfort than anything in her life. Every tiny feature, from the delicate curve of her little button nose to the hands that fidgeted delicately against Alexia's chest, is a glorious sight to behold. Alexia feels her heart grow impossibly bigger as she traces the outline of Anaís' face with trembling fingertips, already trying to commit every detail to her memory.

You watch along in silent awe, your eyes glistening with unshed tears at the sight you'd been desperate to see for so long. There is so much admiration and wonder in Alexia's eyes, and you felt your love for the two humans in front of you reach limits you never thought it could.

"Come here." You say, shuffling over to one side of the bed and patting the free space now available. Alexia nods, eyes unmoving from the baby in her arms, and moves slowly and carefully to lay next to you. "Oh, look at her, Ale."

"You did amazing, amor. So strong and so incredible. Look what you did." Alexia praises you and kisses your forehead for what must be the thousandth time that day. You smile and lean your head to rest on her shoulder, one of your hands coming to rest on the back of Anaís' head. "Our little chiqui. Dios mío, she is so small."

"I can't believe those tiny feet almost broke my ribs." You say, giggling along with Alexia as she laughs too and holds both of Anaís' feet in the palm of her hand.

"I love her already." Alexia states, able to stroke one thumb over both of her feet.

"Me too." You hum, adjusting the small knitted hat that covered her head. "She has your eyes."

"Mm, those are definitely Putellas eyes." Alexia grins, gasping quietly when Anaís' tiny fist curls around her pinky finger. "Amor, mirar."

"I see." You watch the interaction in awe, feeling so blessed in this moment. "I told you she would adore you. She's so at peace with you."

Alexia smiled tearfully in reply as Anaís' eyes slowly fluttered shut in her arms.

"I adore her too." Alexia whispers, then she turns to look at you. "Thank you for giving me the greatest gift of all. I'm so proud of you. So so proud."

You smile bashfully at her words and turn to hide your face in her shoulder, stifling a yawn. The exhaustion was really hitting you now, but who in their right mind would pass up a moment like this?

"Thank you for being the best partner I could ask for. I wouldn't have gotten through it without you." You mumble into her jumper, wrapping a hand around her upper arm and settling down more.

"We must dress her in the Barcelona onesie when we take her home." Alexia states with a smug smirk, causing you to laugh and shake your head a little.

"There's no point even arguing, is there?" You say, giggling when she hums a polite no. "Fine, I'll allow it."

"We have to teach her early, amor." Alexia argues.

"Of course we do." You say sarcastically, a yawn slipping out of you.

"You can rest now. I will take the first shift, hm? You sleep as much as you can." Alexia suggests, glad to see you nod. "Want me to stay here?" You nod once more, and a content smile settles on her face. "I love you, rest well."

It takes a little while for you to fall asleep, not able to get fully comfortable as you harbour a lot of pain and achiness, but you eventually do and it warms Alexia's heart to see. Anaís had fallen asleep too, taking her first ever nap in her Mami's arms, and Alexia doesn't think she's ever felt such peace.

She takes the opportunity to photograph the occasion with a selfie of the three of you, before sending it to various people: Eli and Alba, your family, your closest friends, and lastly her teammates who were currently at training. They must have all seen it at the same time as her phone immediately started blowing up at the influx of overjoyed messages. Each one is filled with so much love and delight for you both, and that paired with the messages from Eli and Alba cause her to tear up once again. She wasn't sure how she had any tears left to be honest, it had been an emotional day and it seemed like it wasn't ending anytime soon.

The next day, after getting the all-clear, you were allowed to take Anaís home for the first time. Eli and Alba had been there waiting, making sure the house was tidy and cosy so that you and your little family could live as stress-free as possible (if that was a thing with a newborn) whilst you adjusted to your new way of life.

You settled on the sofa beside Alexia's mother as the now-abuela held her granddaughter for the first time. The look on Alexia's face as she placed a sleeping Anaís in her arms was one you'd never forget. It was priceless, there was so much pride present in her eyes and you were so glad for her sake that Alba was filming the moment. Next, it was Alba's turn to hold her, who also shed a few tears when she held onto Anaís for the first time, joking that she was glad she put no makeup on otherwise her mascara would stain the soft white blanket wrapped around the baby. Unexpectedly, as Alba cradled your daughter and conversed quietly with Alexia, Eli shuffled closer to you and hugged you tenderly, whispering the sweetest words you'd ever heard from her into your ear. There were so many core memories being created at once it was near impossible to keep up with everything, but you realised in a quiet moment in the middle of it all that you had finally achieved the life you wanted. This was it; you'd done it.

You stayed in your social media free bubble for a week, until you and Alexia decided it was time to confirm what everyone thought anyway. It was the same day that Barça had their penultimate Liga F game, the first game for the club since Anaís was born. As there would only be more speculation when Alexia wouldn't be named in the match day squad, both of you and the club decided today would be the best day to do it. When you were pregnant, you made an agreement that Alexia would continue playing until the baby was born, where she would take however long she wanted off to be with you and your daughter. And in the end, that agreement worked out perfectly.

So, Alexia posted yet another simple photo to her social pages, this time a selfie of her exhausted smile and the back of Anaís' head as she slept on her chest, the little girl of course adorning the Barça jersey featured in the initial pregnancy announcement photo. She did caption it this time, writing 'Nueva mascota del Barça' meaning Barcelona's new mascot, followed by two red and blue love hearts. You smiled when you saw the online reaction, sitting and scrolling through it whilst you fed Anaís and Alexia napped on the sofa beside you.

Throughout the week that followed, you both thought it was time to allow people outside your immediate family to visit. That meant that almost everyday there were new guests over. The most excitable one was of course Mapi, it was hard to keep her calm and quiet enough to let her hold Anaís but once the baby was in her arms, she immediately fell silent as she simply admired her. You, Alexia, and Ingrid all shared shocked looks at the scene in front of you.

"Buena, Ingrid, there is your solution to her constant talking." Alexia joked with a grin, making Ingrid roll her eyes.

However, Mapi's reply caught everybody off guard.

"Sí, elskling, we will talk about it later."

You had to hold back the laugh that threatened to burst out when Ingrid and Alexia's eyes widened so much that they almost popped out of their head. It would only be a matter of time before those two had children anyway, you secretly knew it. Anytime one of their friends announced they were having children, you could see the desire for the same thing in their eyes grow everytime. Whether they both knew they felt the same or not, you definitely could picture it in their near future.

Alexia missed the final game of the season too of course, but with it being a home game at the Johan, you urged her to go and watch it so that she could be part of the post-game presentations and celebrations. She was reluctant to do so, she hadn't really left your side for long since before you gave birth, but the smile on her face as she got ready to leave let you know you'd made the right decision.

"Say bye-bye to your chiqui." You say quietly, presenting a sleeping Anaís to Alexia where she was waiting to say goodbye at the front door. She smiles brightly and wraps an arm around you, looking down at your daughter's face that seemed to change everyday.

"Adiós mi niña, volveré pronto." Alexia whispers, leaning down to press a very light kiss to her forehead. "And you, I will be back as soon as I can."

"I'll be okay, Ale." You giggle, Alexia grinning and hugging you into her side. "Enjoy it. Promise me you'll make the most of it?"

"Eh, I will, but I don't want to be out too long." She shrugs a shoulder, leaning down to kiss you softly.

"Why not?" You wonder with a frown, and from that Alexia can spot the speckles of insecurity in your eyes.

"Because I just want to be with you and Anaís. I'm not worried about leaving you with her, not at all, but there's nothing better than being with you both at home. I love it." Alexia admits, washing away any doubts you had and replacing them with the most adorable confession. "It's true. I will be gone for only a few hours but I will miss you both so much."

You gaze up at her, your heart so full, and lean up to peck her lips softly.

"We will miss you too." You tell her, watching on adoringly as Alexia raises a hand and gently takes hold of one Anaís' tiny hands. The difference in size is so big that it's absolutely adorable, making you smile and lean your head into Alexia's neck.

"Mi familia perfecta." Alexia murmurs, stroking her thumb over Anaís tiny fingers and kissing your forehead. "I don't want to leave."

"We'll be right here when you get back. Go celebrate you and your team, it was another amazing season and they'll want to catch up with you. We've kept you locked up here long enough." You joke, Alexia smiling and shaking her head.

"They won't want to know about me, I will just get a million questions about you and Anaís."

"We both know you'd happily sit there for hours talking about me and Anaís, it's all you do." You catch her out, but she just shrugs and smirks.

"Why would I want to talk about anything else?" She says smugly, but she means it genuinely. You are the best things in her life. "But fine. I guess I will go. If anything happens, please ring me immediately?"

"Yes, Ale." You roll your eyes and kiss her quickly once more. "Now go. Alba will be here any minute, I'll be okay."

"I know you'll be okay. Love you." Alexia smiles, opening the door but lingering in the doorway as she stares at you lovingly.

"I love you too. You look beautiful." You tell her, smiling humourously when a light blush covers her cheeks.

"This is what I look like when I can shower and I'm not covered in baby sick, if you remember." She winks.

"I remember it very well." You smirk, stifling a laugh when she grins knowingly. "Now go, you'll be late."

She puts on a very dramatic sad frown and steps out of the house backwards, turning around just as Alba pulls up and presses her horn.

"Alba! Anaís is sleeping, are you stupid?" Alexia snaps quietly at her sister who jumps out of her car with a grin.

"She's still asleep, stop stalling and go." You tease, ushering her away with one hand as Alba skips over and completely disregards Alexia in search of you and Anaís.

"Where is my favourite sister with my favourite baby?" She grins, shoving past her actual sister and walking straight over to you.

"Nice to see you too, Alba." Alexia grumbles, though there is a tiny hint of a smile on her face as she watches you three.

"Have fun at your game, Tata." Alba waves behind her dismissively and embraces you carefully, kissing your cheek before turning to Anaís. "Hola, belleza. Oh, she is so cute."

"Alexia, you're gonna be late." You laugh as she comes over to join you, standing behind you and Alba and wrapping an arm each around your shoulders.

"But this is so much better." She groans. "I have been to plenty trophy celebrations, what is one more?"

"That's so humble of you, Ale." You scoff jokingly, grinning at the disapproving look on her face and kissing her cheek.

"Mami will be mad if you stand her up, Tata. Now go. Angry Mami is scarier than you when you are angry."

That seems to shift Alexia into gear as she begrudgingly pulls herself away from the mini group hug and walks with a childish pout on her face back to the door. You wave at her as she walks out and she blows a quick kiss at you before closing the door gently behind her.

Alba kindly offers to look after Anaís so that you can take a relaxing bath before the match kicks off, and afterwards you feel ten times more refreshed and calm. When you're finished, you join her on the sofa and chat with her whilst Anaís sleeps peacefully in the space between you both. You feel completely content there, catching up with Alba whilst your baby snoozes away and Barcelona score what seems like goal after goal. Every so often, the broadcast will show Alexia sat in the stands and you have an inkling that she's overcome with the same feeling you have as she sits there calmly with a hint of a smile on her face instead of the stormy and stoic look she normally wears whilst watching a game.

Once the match ends, the players celebrate on the pitch for a little whilst the ceremony gets prepared. Various awards from the season are given out, Alexia receiving a few as expected, but what you don't expect is the large hamper of baby supplies and other things such as clothes or sweets treats that is handed to her. She laughs at it and holds it up in front of the camera for a photo, but underneath the mask for the camera you can see the pride in her eyes and the utter joy on her face at the acknowledgement given to her.

"Did you know about that?" You ask Alba, who grins slyly at you.

"It was Mapi and Jana's idea." She tells you.

It's a wonderful surprise nonetheless, and from the quick glance you get at it, it looks like it contains genuinely useful stuff along with some treats that you'll devour once Alexia brings it back home.

Shortly after that, the trophy ceremony commences and you beam as Alexia collects her medal before picking up the trophy and taking it over to her teammates. You'd seen her do this multiple times, and of course she obviously seemed overjoyed each time, but as you watch this particular celebration, there's a new, unrefined look on her face, almost like she's letting her happiness consume her instead of dimming it a little to keep her persona.

When she comes home later, an endless amount of gift bags in her arms, she frowns at the unexpected silence of her home. She thought she would walk into the sounds of you and Alba laughing and chattering away like you often did together, so the stillness of the house comes as a surprise. Dropping all her bags off in the kitchen, she wanders into the lounge that was lit up by one lamp in the corner of the room. She squints a little, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, and spots you lay on the sofa with a blanket over you as you sleep.

"Hola Tata." Alba smiles at the sight of her sister in the doorway of the living room. "She fell asleep after the broadcast ended, so I took Anaís to her nursery and stayed in there so she could rest."

"Is she okay?" Alexia asks, concerned, happily accepting a restless Anaís when Alba offers her.

"Sí, sí, she is fine. Just tired. I think chiqui needs feeding, I changed her diaper but she is still a bit unsettled." Alexia nods in agreement and grabs a fresh bottle from the steriliser. "Would you like me to do anything? I have dinner with friends later so I will need to leave soon."

"No, it's okay, Tati. Thank you for coming over today and keeping them company."

Alba watches on in astonishment as Alexia expertly prepares a bottle of formula for Anaís with only one hand.

"Of course. It was so fun spending time with your girls." Alba states, pausing for a moment before walking over to her older sister and hugging her tightly from behind whilst being mindful of her niece.

"¿Tas bien?" Alexia frowns, leaning her head against Alba's when the younger woman rests her chin on her shoulder.

"Sí, simplemente estoy orgulloso de ti." Alba tells her, Alexia chuckling shyly. (Yes, I'm just proud of you.)

"Grácies, Tati." She mumbles, smiling down at Anaís when she mewls quietly.

"I was going through some old photos before and I realised that this little chiqui looks just like we did when we were babies." Alba reveals, lightly tracing her finger over the curve of Anaís nose.

"Really? You have to send me them." Alexia says as the timer goes off, telling her that the bottle was ready. "Put your hand out." Alba does as she says and laughs quietly when Alexia tips a few drops of the milk onto her hand. "Too hot? Too cold?"

"Just right, I think." Alba shrugs, unattaching herself from Alexia. The older woman presses the lukewarm bottle to Anaís' lips, a tiny proud smile growing when she immediately settles and starts drinking. Alba can't help but be fascinated again. "I can't believe you're a Mami now."

"Me too." Alexia mumbles, eyes unmoving from her daughter who seems much more content now that she's being fed. She glances up at Alba, a little confused when she sees her eyes have turned glossy. "Tati?"

"Papa would be so proud." Alba blurts out, a down-turned smile on her face due to the array of emotions overcoming her.

"Alba." Alexia smiles sadly, finding herself beginning to react exactly the same as her sister. Her eyes glimmer in the light of the room when she looks back down at the little girl in her arms. "I wish he could meet her."

Alba sniffles and walks back over to Alexia, slinging an arm around her shoulder and kissing her cheek.

"He would have been an amazing abuelo, right?"

"Sí." Alexia whispers breathlessly, looking up at the lights for a moment to blink away her tears. "Go to your dinner, Tati, stop making me cry."

"Vale, I'm going." Alba laughs, giving her another cheek kiss and squeezing her side tightly before stepping away. "Te veo pronto."

"Buenas noches, disfruta tu velada." Alexia follows her to the hallway and watches her leave, smiling brightly as she steps out of her house and closes the door.

That smile stays on her face as she walks silently back to where you slept in the lounge, then sits down carefully next to where your head lay as Anaís carries on feeding. You had your face buried in the couch cushions, a blanket pulled up to your shoulder and your hands tucked under your chin. Alexia sighs contently, maybe a little too loud, as it seems to wake you.

"Ale?" You rasp, leaning your head back a little to glance up at her through one eye.

"Sí amor. You can sleep more if you would like, I have the baby." Alexia whispers. There's a piece of hair that's fallen onto your face that she would swipe out of the way for you if her hands weren't full with a tiny feasting baby.

"When did you come home?" You wonder, rubbing your eyes.

"Not too long ago. Alba left just now."

"Oh god, I can't believe I fell asleep while she was here." You groan, a little embarrassed at the fact you had just abandoned her for sleep and left her with your baby.

"No, it's okay, she was more than happy to look after Anaís. She said she took her up to her nursery and just relaxed in there with her." Alexia tells you as you hide your face back into the sofa pillows. "If you fell asleep, that means you needed it. It's absolutely fine, amor, don't be embarrassed."

You nod and rest there for a few moments, before deciding to sit up and snuggle into Alexia's side. She smiles down at you and kisses your forehead, the pair of you sitting in silence for a little while as Anaís drinks.

"Did you have fun today?" You ask, fiddling absentmindedly with the hem of Alexia's shirt.

"I did, it was very fun. I got a lot of gifts from fans and the staff for Anaís. Also a lot for you, not many for me though." She frowns and you laugh at the sight as well as the disheartened tone to her voice.

"I guess you're just not so popular anymore." You tease, kissing her jaw just as Anaís finished off the bottle. You took it from Alexia's hands and placed it on the floor so that she could burp Anaís, watching on as she carefully positioned her so that she was sat up on her thigh with a hand holding her front to support her and the other gently rubbing up and down her back. "Remember when you thought you wouldn't good enough? You're a pro, Ale."

"Hm. I still worry that sometimes." Alexia admits sheepishly.

"Why?" You wonder quietly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezing once.

"I think it is just a general worry. But you do a great job of telling me otherwise. We don't know much about her personality yet but you and her make being a parent easy." She states softly, glancing down at you with a blissful smile on her face.

Out of all the places she's been, all the things she's seen, everything she's achieved and the once-in-a-lifetime experiences she's lived, these moments right here could never be topped.

"That's very adorable of you to say." You murmur, forever enamoured by how soft and affectionate she can be with her words. "I can't wait to see what she's like when she grows up."

"Me too, but she can't do it too fast." Alexia grumbles, once again making you laugh as you quickly wipe a bit of spit-up away from Anaís' mouth. "Before we know it she will be moving out."

It's said with a dejected sigh, and this time you laugh at Alexia instead of with her.

"You do realise she's not even three weeks old? She's not gonna be packing her bags and leaving next week, Ale." You say with a grin, giggling as a small smile breaks onto Alexia's face despite her trying to stop it. "We have at least eighteen years before we need to worry about that."

"I know, I just don't want it to happen ever."

You hum in agreement, before noticing the slight redness to Alexia's eyes.

"Have you been crying?" You ask her, sitting up a little more so you could look at her properly.

"Only a tiny bit, Alba made me cry before she left." Alexia chuckles lightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, she... she started talking about our Papi and... how proud he would be now that I have you and Anaís." Alexia replies, the same feeling from before taking over her. You smile sadly and wrap an arm around her shoulders, kissing her cheek.

"He really would." You whisper.

It falls quiet again, the only sounds being the tiny burps that Anaís lets out every so often, you and Alexia laughing quietly everytime. She grows tired after a little while, so Alexia cradles her back into her arms and you both watch as she quickly falls asleep in the company of her parents. It's a sight you don't think you could ever get sick of; it's perfect.

"It was nice seeing you so happy today." You say quietly to Alexia, not wanting to wake Anaís up.

"I am always happy, amor." Alexia replies in a confused tone.

"I know, but just seeing you at the game earlier, you seemed a different kind of happy."

"Because I have everything I have ever dreamed of now."

You might not have believed her at first - did she not already have that with all she's accomplished with football? But the way she looks into your eyes as she says it with so much earnest and love and a thousand other emotions swirling in her hazel orbs when she gazes at you, you might just believe her.

And two years later as you bake another cake, this time for Anaís' second birthday, a past memory - which seems incredibly distant now - washes over you. You mention it to Alexia, who's eyes light up instantly, though she doesn't immediately say what's on the tip of her tongue. You manage to coax it out of her, and this time around it's your turn to be completely caught off guard.

"I think we should have another soon."

You look up at her, surprised but completely on board with the idea. You say just that to her and afterwards, it goes quiet again as you stand doing your individual baking jobs with shy, excited smiles on your faces about the prospect of being parents again and growing your family. Anaís was such a happy and easy child, of course you'd have another if the next one turned out to be anything like her. And seeing Alexia with a newborn again? Absolutely.

However, you recognise a pattern in your family decision-making process.

"If we only want two kids though, we should probably stop baking cakes."

#this i like #alexia putellas x reader #just feelings all over the place #just too cute #waiting in line

730 notes · View notes

onsomenewsht · 9 days

Text

You weren’t born here. You weren’t raised here. But you made a life here.

you had no reason to hit so hard

Homesick

summary: home is where the heart is

warnings: angst? it’s got a happy ending though dw

a/n: ale ale ale, oi oi oi

word count: 463

As the plane taxies to a halt on the runway, a surge of anticipation ripples through you.

After a year away, the prospect of returning filled you with excitement, trepidation, comforting relief. The memories of your departure linger like ghosts in the back of your mind, reminding you of tearful goodbyes, salty kisses and promises to stay strong from across the Mediterranean.

But now, as the doors of the aircraft swing open and you step onto the tarmac, those memories fade into the background. All that matters is now, the feeling of solid ground beneath your feet and the knowledge that you were finally back where you belong.

As you make your way through the airport, every familiar sight and sound sends a jolt of nostalgia coursing through your veins. The scent of freshly brewed coffee from the café near Gate C, the sound of the baggage carousel whirring to life, each one felt like a welcome homecoming.

You weren’t born here. You weren’t raised here. But you made a life here.

Barcelona, with its winding streets steeped in history, its vibrant culture, its ability to welcome you with open arms and warm smiles.

The city that taught you freedom. Offered you new opportunities. Presented a real sense of belonging.

The city that gave you Alexia.

So amidst the hustle and bustle of the terminal, there was one sight that stood out above all others, standing there with a bouquet of flowers in hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears and her smile brighter than the Spanish sun.

You’ve never once missed the rain since Alexia first smiled at you. Green is now your favourite colour. Your opinion on tomatoes has changed in a way you didn’t expect.

“Welcome home,” she says, her voice soft as she pulls you into her arms. She almost drops the bouquet. Sunflowers are in season.

The feeling of her embrace is like home in itself. Warm, familiar, and comforting. In that moment, the weight of the past year melts away, leaving only the overwhelming sense of solace and joy at being back in her arms after so long apart.

Tears well up in your eyes as you hold her close, drinking in the sound of her laughter and the scent of her perfume. It was as if no time had passed at all. As if you had never left. And in that very moment, surrounded by the everyday ticking of the airport, you knew that you were exactly where you were meant to be.

Barcelona gifted you the world.

“I missed you,” you whisper, your voice cracking ever so slightly as you press your forehead against hers.

“I missed you too,” she replies, her breath warm against your ear. “But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters”

#this i like #alexia putellas x reader #just feelings all over the place #waiting in line

375 notes · View notes

onsomenewsht · 9 days

Note

bracelet+hoodie+braid - aitana bonmati

All Locked Up (Aitana Bonmatí x Reader)

[WOSO Masterlist]

The first thing that registers is the pounding of your head.

Groaning, you lift a hand to rub at your face.

Only for the second thing to register when a sharp pain flares up at your wrist and your hand hits resistance before it can reach its destination.

“What the--” you mutter, staring at your hand with wonder. You give your limb another tug but still it goes nowhere.

Following the silver bracelet on your wrist, you trace it to a sleeping form next to you.

Peacefully closed eyes, button nose, hair done up in neat braids, yeah, you’d know that face anywhere.

“Aita.”

Your best friend murmurs incomprehensibly but doesn’t stir.

You sigh, nudging her again. “Aita!”

This time you get a tiny mumble, the other girl’s eyebrows furrowing as she fights to stay asleep.

“Aitana wake up!” This time your words are paired with a harsh yank of the bracelet on your wrist, Aitana’s hand consequently raising up as a result.

With a sputter the brunette wakes, lurching up so suddenly you almost clash heads.

“Ugh,” she groans, clearly feeling the effects of partying last night as much as you. “Why are you yelling so early in the morning?”

“It’s nearly noon,” you point out.

Aitana rolls her eyes at your correction. “Whatever. My question still stands. Why the yelling?”

“I don’t know, Aita, you tell me. Why are we handcuffed together?”

The footballer’s eyes stay narrowed for a second.

It’s clear when your words finally hit.

“Why are we what?!”

She seems frantic when she notices the predicament you’re in, ignoring your hisses of pain when she starts yanking her arm back with vigor.

“Stop it!” you yelp, free hand clamping down on Aitana’s wrist to stop her from detaching your hand from your body.

“Give me the key!” she all but shouts.

You give her a look. “You think I’d wake you up if I had the key? Honestly-- Wait why do you think the handcuff’s mine? For all I know it could be yours!”

Aitana tries to shove you in retaliation but all it does is yank her on top of you when you fall over.

“Why hello there,” she chuckles, wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

“Do not even think about it. You’re not getting anywhere near my pants until we get out of these cuffs.”

Aitana lets out a groan when you shuffle your way out from under her.

While you reach for your phone in hopes of piecing together your night, Aitana snags a discarded hoodie from the foot of the bed.

You give her a look. “What do you think you’re doing with that?”

“I’m cold,” she points out like it’s obvious.

You roll your eyes at her. “And how do you think you’re going to get it on?”

Aitana opens her mouth, retort ready to fire before she realizes you’re right. Her mouth snaps shut with a click.

Sighing, you scoop up a blanket and drape it over her shoulders.

You pretend not to feel something when her free hand grazes yours and she murmurs a soft ‘thank you.’

Some day the two of you will have to sit down and actually define what you are.

Some day.

But not today.

You have more pressing things to do.

Like kill Patri and Claudia.

When Aitana frowns at your declaration you shove your phone into her hand.

“I swear to god, when I find them--” you huff.

Aitana’s silent as she reads through your text chain with the older of the two. Clearly sent sometime after the two of you got home and passed out, the texts read as follows:

[when you and aitana gonna get together]

[?]

[are you ignoring me :(]

[haha blame claudia]

[dunno where she got the cuffs didn’t ask but it was a great plan]

[have funnnnnnn]

[no freedom until you figure things out]

Clearly you’re going to need to re-educate Patri on what an “emergency key” means. Because sneaking into people’s houses in the middle of the night to handcuff them is definitely not in the handbook of uses.

Aitana seems to agree as she all but shoves your car keys into your hands.

“You hit high, I’ll hit low. If we double team one of them, the other will definitely break too.”

#this i like #aitana bonmati x reader #cuffed to aitana bonmati?#sign me up #waiting in line

447 notes · View notes

onsomenewsht · 9 days

Text

moral of the story, get a tattoo to get a girl!

Tattoos & (Badly Kept) Secrets || Alessia Russo x Reader

Summary: Grace Clinton cannot keep a secret, and Alessia is wondering why you failed to mention your new tattoos.

Warnings: I swore once at the very least, a little bit suggestive, unedited & sleep deprived writing

Word count: 3.3k words

As you made your way towards Alessia Russo’s front door, you had only one thought on your mind.

Grace Clinton could not keep a secret.

You and Alessia had been friends for a long time, ever since you’d played football together in college for three years.

Since both of you had come from England, the two of you, and Lotte, had bonded well over your shared home. Alessia had been there for you when you were homesick, or when you had a bad game, or simply when you needed a hug.

You’d never told anyone, but you’d secretly developed a crush on the girl throughout your time in college together. You couldn’t help the way your stomach would flutter every time Alessia grinned at you, her dimples and shiny, bubbly eyes never failing to make you feel fuzzy and warm inside. You couldn’t help how you held on a little tighter to her when she gave you a hug, or the way you yearned to lean into her with every small touch between the two of you. You wanted to spend all of your time with her, as stupid as it sounded.

You’d thought that you’d have gotten over your feelings after Alessia had graduated the year before you had. You had had two years alone in college, without Lotte and Alessia by your side, and you had somehow managed to flourish despite how lonely you’d felt. Hell, you’d even managed to forget Alessia enough to sleep with someone, and had a short fling with another girl in your senior year of college.

You’d signed to Arsenal out of college and had joined Lotte as a defender. You had nearly forgotten Alessia by that point, until you’d had to face Manchester United. The moment you heard Alessia’s familiar giggle, seconds before you’d felt her strong, familiar arms envelop you in a hug, you’d known that you still had feelings for her. Your cheeks had reddened, so much so that some of your teammates had made fun of you afterward.

Despite having beaten your team, Alessia had invited you over to her home after the match for a movie night. It was a tradition that you had started in college, with each game being followed by a calm movie night in one of your dorm rooms. It had started when Alessia had realized how nervous you got for each game, always stressing over your performance.

Since she’d realized that movies and comfort managed to calm you down and ground you, she’d always invited you over after a match. Apparently, that wouldn’t be changing, even now that you had moved on from college and had found other ways to deal with your intense nerves.

When Alessia had signed for Arsenal, you’d been over the moon with excitement. You, Lotte, and Alessia had gone out the night that the news had been shared with the team to celebrate the occasion. You were incredibly excited, until it was also announced that you’d be going out on loan to Tottenham Hotspurs to improve yourself further as a defender.

You’d been disappointed in the announcement, but not surprised. You’d also been relieved, as you weren’t sure how much longer you could hide your ever-strengthening feelings for a certain blonde.

And so, while you’d been incredibly disappointed, you’d also known that it was for the better. You’d taken the loan in stride, promising to work on yourself as best as you could, both in the game of football, but also on your feelings and your management of how you felt.

During your time with the Spurs, you’d achieved a consistent starting position, and had begun to outshine some of the other players. You’d befriended many of your teammates, but had become especially close to Grace Clinton, who was also on loan. The two of you always seemed to be partnering up together for drills and had even begun spending time together outside of training.

However, while your football skills improved, you continued to struggle over your feelings for Alessia. Even now, she made you come over once a week for a movie night, staying true to the tradition the best she could.

You had begun to relish the movie nights between the two of you, as Alessia was always very cuddly with you. You took each and every opportunity to hold her close, to allow her to tuck her head into your neck, or against your chest. It made it all the more harder to battle back your feelings, but the warmth and happiness you got from holding onto Alessia was entirely too enticing for you to reject.

Realistically, you should have known that Grace wouldn’t be able to keep a secret from Alessia Russo.

Still, you’d been surprised when Alessia had texted you an hour before your pre-scheduled movie night. The text had been short and to the point, and you could imagine her frowning face on the other side of the screen as you’d read the condemning words–

“How come you never told me about your tattoos?”

It really shouldn’t have been that serious. You’d gotten a few tattoos during your time with the Spurs, and all of your teammates had seen them, since they’d all seen you change in the locker room.

Normally, you would have told Alessia about your tattoos, since the two of you told each other “everything” (save for your feelings for her, of course). However, you also knew that Alessia would want to see them, and the placement of said tattoos… made that difficult.

You had gotten two on your back, one of which was along the length of your spine, and one which was lower on your back, to the left.

Sure, like anybody else that you’d ever been teammates with, Alessia had seen you without a shirt on. It had never been a big deal, and you’d never paid attention to it before, in all of your time as a footballer.

However, the thought of the girl asking to see your tattoos and peeling off your shirt for her to see, and for her to specifically pay attention to what she saw there… was almost too much for you to think about. The thought set every nerve ending in your body on fire, and you could barely tolerate the idea of the situation.

And so, you’d never told Alessia about your tattoos. It was a secret, but a secret which had seemed small in comparison to the other secret you kept from the blonde.

However, as Alessia appeared in the opening of her door as she opened it, you realized that it was not, in fact, a small secret.

“Hey, Less.” You said, almost shyly. You weren’t sure what kind of Alessia you were walking up to. The usually bubbly girl had her arms crossed in front of her chest and her blue eyes narrowed down at you. The look was so intense that you could feel the heat rising up to your cheeks, reddening evermore when Alessia took a second longer to respond to you.

“Show me the tattoos.” She sounded almost stern in the way she spoke, so much so that you had to fight back a nervous chuckle.

“Less,” You protested, your amusement obvious in your voice. “What ever happened to good morning, hello, maybe ‘Oh, my bestest, most favorite friend how have you been’?!’

Alessia frowned, taking a step towards you and reaching out a hand. Her fingers bundled in your shirt and tugged at the material there, signaling for you to take it off. You gently grabbed her hand with your own, wrapping her fingers up in your hand and pulling it away.

“How about we get settled, first?” You asked, a little surprised by how forward Alessia was being. Finally, she sighed and nodded very slowly, using the grip you had on her hand to tug you through the hallway and towards her familiar living room.

You tried to ignore the way the skin of her fingers felt against your own as she fixed your grip. She intertwined your fingers, and you felt your heart flutter nervously in your chest.

If you hadn’t already been blushing, you sure as hell were now. You were very, very glad that Alessia was facing away from you, as you assumed that you were as red as a tomato by this point.

The girl, seemingly unaware of just what she was doing to you, pulled you over to her couch. It was a couch that you’d sat on many times, often cuddled up to the blonde forward. However, you don’t ever remember being this nervous as Alessia sat down and pulled you down with her.

You settled on the seat next to her, the outside of your thigh brushing against hers, a fact which you were almost-painfully aware of. She’d let go of your hand by now, but you barely noticed it with how hard you were trying to remain composed. Between the way Alessia had asked you to take your shirt off, the way she’d balled her fist in the material of your top, and then dragged you over to the couch…

To say that you were struggling to stay calm was a massive understatement. You were grateful for the blanket Alessia draped over your laps, as you were able to tuck your nervously quaking hands beneath the fabric.

Slowly, you managed to slow your racing heart enough to take in the things which Alessia had set up. There were bowls with snacks in them on top of the table in front of the couch the two of you sat on. You’d expected Alessia to pick up the television remote and press play on a movie, as was usual. However, silence prevailed throughout the room, and you glanced over to the side to see what Alessia was doing.

You hadn’t expected the girl to already be looking at you.

“... Um- Less?” You sounded uncertain, and you tilted the rest of your body to face the other girl. “Is there a reason we aren’t currently watching a movie?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your tattoos?” Alessia didn’t answer your question, ignoring it in favor of asking her own. Once again, you were surprised by the forwards’... well, forward-ness, and you took a second before responding.

“They’re not even that cool, Less. I didn’t think it was worth mentioning,” You lied, forcing your voice to remain much more nonchalant than you felt.

“So why has everyone else seen them? I’m your best friend, and yet I had to learn you’d gotten new tattoos through Clinton?” Damn Clinton and her inability to keep a secret! You scrambled for an excuse, having to take another second before you responded to Alessia.

“Really, Less. They’re kind of lame, honestly. You wouldn’t like them.”

“I like anything that has to do with you. Show me.” Alessia didn’t miss a beat, her baby blue eyes narrowed at you in a way that suggested you were better off giving in than continuing to argue.

With a soft sigh, you turned around and slipped your fingers beneath the hem of your shirt. Then, you pulled it upwards, the newly exposed skin of your back breaking out in goosebumps. You turned your head, trying to survey the blonde’s expression, but you couldn’t exactly get a good glimpse of her face.

For a second, all you could see was the side of Alessia’s face, which gave away nothing as she gazed at the expanse of your back. You couldn’t see her, but you could feel her gaze on your skin; you could sense her eyes tracing line after line of ink.

For a second, all you could hear was the sound of your own heartbeat in your ears. Its pattern reminded you of a cartoon, with the way that it was thumping harshly in your chest.

Then, you felt Alessia’s fingertips graze against your spine, physically tracing the lines of the tattoo there. You couldn’t stifle the gasp which broke free from your lips, your entire body tensing Alessia’s touch against your will.

Alessia immediately withdrew her hand as you sucked in another breath.

“No, it’s okay. You just… spooked me, is all.” You sounded breathless, even to your own ears. Alessia responded with a light hum, before her hand was back on your back.

With one finger, she began to lightly trace the tattoos there, from the top of your spine, to the tattoo which was lower on your back. Slowly, you began to relax beneath the other girls’ gentle ministrations.

The two of you were completely silent, with you clutching tightly onto the fabric of your rolled up shirt as Alessia touched your back in ways that you’d only ever been able to imagine. As her fingers dipped ever lower, you couldn’t help but shiver.

You didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved when the warmth of Alessia’s fingers finally left your skin. Allowing your grip to loosen on your shirt, you felt the material drop back down to cover your torso. You took a deep breath as you prepared yourself to face your crush and to push down your feelings for her, which bubbled so close to the surface that you swore they would explode.

As you turned, however, you weren’t prepared for just how close Alessia’s face was to your own. The other girl had pushed herself up onto her knees, leaving into your personal space as she’d examined the lines on your back. Her cheeks were, to your surprise, red, and her lips were parted.

Her eyes were darker than you remembered, the pupils seeming… almost enlarged as she looked at you. She was so close to you, in fact, that each puff of air that escaped her parted lips blew against your own.

You yearned to move forward, but years of self-restraint had you doubting yourself. Alessia, however, had no such troubles as one of her hands lifted to oh-so-gently cup your chin. Her eyes stayed on yours, giving you plenty of time to speak up in case you were uncomfortable.

“I-” Alessia’s voice was overwhelmingly soft, almost yearning as she spoke. “I’ve been wanting to do this forever. Is this okay?”

It was as though that was all that you needed to hear. Before you were entirely aware of what you were doing, you were leaning forward and pressing your lips against Alessia’s. It was a motion which you’d imagined a hundred times over, in a hundred different situations, and one which you had shamed yourself for an equal number of times.

Now, however, your imagination didn’t compare to the real thing as your eyes fluttered closed. Alessia kissed like nobody you’d kissed before. Her lips were unbelievably soft as she lipped at your top lip, pillowy against your own.

Your mind had practically melted, unable to comprehend that you were kissing Alessia. You were kissing the very same Alessia who had made you speechless with just a laugh, the same Alessia who had given you a hug when you’d accidentally killed your favorite plant. You were kissing the same Alessia who had been there when nobody else had been, who you’d longed for before you’d even known what longing had meant.

Slowly, your hands began to wander, reaching out to touch Alessia’s waist. You attempted to tug her further towards you, to maximize the contact between the two of you. The other girl allowed you to pull her closer, and her upper body rested against your own, pressing against you in a way that had you yearning for more.

One of Alessia’s hands still cupped your jaw, holding your head in place as she began to utilize her position to take control of the kiss. She bit, albeit very gently, at your bottom lip, and dipped her tongue into your mouth as you gasped. She licked into your mouth again, beginning to explore the area there as her other hand also took the time to travel across more of your body.

You gasped yet again as Alessia’s free hand teased at the bottom of your shirt, her fingertips just barely brushing over the skin of your stomach. You’d always been sensitive there, and had to resist the urge to try to push your abdomen into Alessia’s touch.

Slowly, Alessia pushed further and further into you as you parted your legs to allow the forward to sit between them. Her hand left your jaw to allow both of her hands to wander beneath your shirt, her fingers dancing across your ribs, and then your abdomen, and then upward. She grasped at your breast over the fabric of your bra, squeezing hard enough to make you gasp yet again.

You were turning into a puddle beneath the older girl’s movements, desperate for more and more and more. It was as Alessia dared to press her leg further against the junction between your legs that you let a moan tumble from your lips. Alessia swallowed the noise as she continued to ravage your lips with her own, and she pressed her leg further against your core.

You were all too aware of how wet you were but, just as soon as you began to roll your hips to grind against Alessia’s limb, the girl was gone.

You heard Alessia let out an awkward squawk as all of her body weight left you, leaving you suddenly cold before you, too, were being tugged off of the couch. You let out your own unceremonious cry before your body collided with Alessia’s. You were lucky to have your fall broken by Alessia, as you were now on your stomach on top of the other girl, who let out a groan and a wheeze.

It took you a moment to realize what had happened. Alessia, ever the clumsy person, had lost her balance on the couch and had sent the both of you tumbling off of the piece of furniture. As you realized what had occurred, a laugh burst out of you. You heard Alessia giggling as well and, for the first time in a long time, you felt like you were well and truly satisfied and happy.

As your laughs died down, you opened your eyes to see, yet again, that Alessia was already looking at you.

“You’re really pretty, you know that?” The compliment took you by surprise, but had you leaning down to press a soft kiss against Alessia’s lips. This kiss was different, filled with more love than lust, and you savored the kiss all the same.

When the two of you parted, it was you who spoke first.

“We have to do that again.” You decided, and Alessia giggled beneath you once more.

“Oh, absolutely. What are you doing tomorrow?” Alessia asked, and you shrugged.

“Nothing, I don’t think. I train with the Spurs, but my afternoon is free.”

“Would you like to go on a date with me?” Alessia asked, somehow managing to take you by surprise. Perhaps, because you’d nearly fucked on her couch, you’d thought you were passed the whole “timidly asking to go out with each other” stage. Apparently, you’d been very wrong as you observed the way Alessia’s cheeks warmed beneath your gaze.

“I’d love to.” You confessed, and Alessia grinned.

“Yay!!” Alessia cheered, before shoving you off of her. You rolled, landing on your back on the hardwood floor, grinning like an absolute fool.

Against all of the odds, the girl who you’d had feelings for since before you could remember returned those feelings. You could hardly believe it, especially as Alessia pulled you up to your feet and onto the couch once more. The girl leaned back against the side of the couch, and encouraged you to sit between her legs and lean against her front.

Once the two of you were comfortable, Alessia finally started the movie.

Grace Clinton could not keep a secret, but you didn’t mind that fact as all as you enjoyed all the perks of your usual movie night, complete with the occasional lovely giggle and kiss from the girl you’d loved since the beginning of time.

#this i like #alessia russo x reader #just too cute #waiting in line

774 notes · View notes

onsomenewsht · 17 days

Text

yes ma'am 🫡

god i’m so gay for her

#woso world #leah williamson #talented brilliant incredible amazing show stopping spectacular never the same totally unique completely not ever been done before #unafraid to reference or not reference put it in a blender shit on it vomit on it eat it give birth to it

365 notes · View notes

onsomenewsht · 18 days

Text

rumors are true, this is my family

That's How You Know It's Home

Lia Wälti x Russo!Reader

Word Count: 938

The Thing About Families (Part One) // And The Things You'd Do (Part Two)

[WOSO Masterlist]

You’re comfortable when you wake. Your face is tucked into a neck, a warm body pressed to your front, fingers gently sifting through your hair.

You let out a happy hum, the gentle massage doing wonders for your pounding head.

Rarely finding the ability to wake at your own leisure, this is one of the only positive things about finding yourself out with a cold. It’s been only two days, but you’re already finding yourself replenished by the extra hours of sleep.

Another happy noise comes out of your mouth when the hand finds a particularly tender spot on your head. You’re slowly drifting back off to sleep when soft musings hit your ears.

“You’re cuddly when you don’t feel good.”

It’s almost comical the speed at which you throw yourself backwards at the sound of the voice.

A familiar blonde gives you a toothy grin from across the bed, fingers fluttering in a mini wave.

“Alessia, what are you doing here?” you groan, fixing your sister with a glare before smashing your pillow across your face. If you try hard enough you might just be able to smother yourself to death.

Deft fingers think otherwise, quick to lift the cushion off your face.

“I’m here to provide the best care for my favorite sister, of course.”

“I’m your only sister.”

Alessia shrugs. “My point still stands.”

When you finally muster up the strength to get out of your bed, it’s almost as if you’re transported 20 years into the past. You can’t seem to take a step without the shadow of your sister following after you. It starts with your trip to the closet. You don’t think much about Alessia trailing you to grab a change of clothes, but then she bumps into you at least five times as you try to pull your jumper on.

It only gets worse when you try to make your way to the bathroom. It’s already hard enough to ignore the eyes burning into your face through the mirror as you try to brush your teeth, but the crux of your issues comes when you try to give her the hint to give you space, heavily implying she might be more comfortable waiting on your bed only to be hit with a simple “no thank you, I’m fine here!”

When it looks like she’s going to follow you into the shower you finally put your foot down.

“I’m sick, not invalid. Let me shower in peace.”

“With Lia out on injury and you being… you,” Alessia ducks to avoid your swatting hand, “we weren’t going to take any chances.”

It takes a minute for you to digest what exactly she’s telling you. And when it sinks in, you know you’re going to regret asking the clarifying question. “We?”

Lia’s waiting in the living room when you and Alessia eventually leave the bedroom.

You’re relieved at first to see your girlfriend hasn’t drifted far, but the good feelings are quick to dissipate at the sight of a familiar menace sitting on her other side.

“Don’t you have a home? Or other Aussies to bother?”

Kyra sticks her tongue out at you, shuffling closer to Lia’s side.

You give Lia a look but she shrugs. “They brought us pastries.”

“From that place across the stadium?” you raise your eyebrow, noting the logo on the bag set upon the table.

Alessia presses a chocolate croissant in your hand, a kiss against your check, and then slides right into a spot next to Kyra on the couch. “Like I said, anything for my favorite sister.”

You eye the pastry with distrust but begrudgingly take a bite when Lia gives you her perfected ‘mom’ look. “Let me guess. Kim sent the two of you?”

Your sister scoffs. “I take offense to your tone of voice.”

Alessia falters at the look you give her. Kyra receives an elbow from the forward, something which she responds to with a hard shove. Alessia goes tumbling to the ground, but not before Kyra tries to give you an innocent smile. “Leah sent us!”

Instantly you’re choking, hacking through your mouthful of croissant. Lia gives you a comforting rub on the back, but it does little to soothe your racing heart.

“Relax babe. Katie sent them.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

With a nod from Lia, both Alessia and Kyra go scurrying to your kitchen. You’re too drained to even question what they’re up to, eager to cuddle into the arms that Lia opens for you.

Lia drops her voice when you get near, making sure she can’t be overheard by the other two. “Don’t tell your sister, but we’re supposed to babysit the two of them. Captain’s order.”

You’re not sure if you’ve heard her correctly, but the grimace on Lia’s face is all you need to know you’ve heard her exactly right. “Babysit?! Babe, you’re injured, I’m sick. Together we’re like half a person at most. How in the world are we supposed to supervise these hyperactive children?”

As if to prove your point, something loud crashes in the kitchen, instantly followed by bickering from the two younger girls.

“Look what you’ve done!” Alessia hisses.

“What I’ve done? You spilled the flour!”

It doesn’t even take a minute before Lia’s sighing and pulling out her phone. “I’ll get some reinforcements.”

---

When you open the door half an hour later to see your vice captain, you almost slam the door in her face.

“Lia! Adding another child for us to babysit is the opposite of helping!”

In her defense, Leah doesn’t look happy to be here either.

#this i like #lia walti x reader #just too cute #and funny #i love my family #waiting in line

514 notes · View notes

onsomenewsht · 18 days

Text

in my bookcook, this is a win win

Permanent Fixture

summary: you get tattoo for alessia

warnings: none

a/n: thanks for the request!

word count: 493

Alessia sits at the kitchen table flipping through a cookbook trying to decide what to cook for dinner.

She made pasta yesterday. Steak the day before. Fish the day before that. No one tells you that the most boring part about being an adult is deciding what to eat every night.

She supposed she could let you choose for a change. She shakes her head instantly at the realisation she’d be living off of chicken nuggets and curly fries for the rest of her days. The unique consequences of sharing her life with a Williamson.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening catches her attention, and she looks up to see you walking in. Talk of the devil.

“Hey, you’re home early,” Alessia says, a smile spreading across her face as she gets up to greet you.

“Yeah, I wanted to show you something,” you replied, your eyes sparkling with excitement.

Intrigued, Alessia follows you into the living room, where you turn around, revealing your back.

“Babe, I’m about to start dinner” she deadpans as she tries not to get distracted by the skin you have on show.

You turn and confusion is etched across your features. “What? No, I’m not trying to fuck you. I mean, I will, for sure. After dinner. But this isn’t-, just look!”

Alessia raises an eyebrow, her lips twitching with amusement. “Alright, alright” she says, stepping closer to get a better look, at, she wasn’t quite sure.

But then she sees it. Among the various patchwork designs, one stands out. Something that wasn’t there when you left for work this morning. A number, her number.

Alessia’s eyes shimmered with emotion as she reached out to gently trace the fresh lines. “I… I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, her voice choking up with emotion.

“A thank you would be nice” you tease as you lower your clothes and turn to face her again. “I’m joking. I wanted to surprise you,” you explained, feeling a rush of warmth at the sight of her reaction.

Alessia pulls you into a tight embrace, burying her face in your shoulder. “I am surprised. So surprised” she murmurs, her words muffled against your skin. “I love it”

“I was hoping you’d say that, because I’ve been told it won’t come off in the shower” you laugh as you wrap your arms around her and kiss the top of her head. “Now, what has my little lady chosen for dinner today, hm?”

She lifts her head to look at you, “I was thinking about letting you pick. The cookbook has been very uninspiring”

“Yeah? Do we have nuggets in the freezer?” You ask, hopeful. And all Alessia does is narrow her eyes at you. She knew this was a bad idea.

“And sex after?” You add as you peel yourself away from her and head to the kitchen to find some oven ready items.

Well, you win some, you lose some.

#this i like #alessia russo x reader #just too cute #waiting in line

518 notes · View notes

onsomenewsht · 18 days

Text

(extremely talented, creative) stalker

alexia putellas x reader

based on this and a poem from when i was little. i chose alexia because she fit the character more and i rushed this immensely because i was being pestered for attention by multiple creatures. oh and i went for something decently light-hearted bc these hozier fics have been affecting my soul and ruining my spotify daylists.

happy monday people x

p.s. not proof-read because it's lunchtime and i'm hungry (edit: i just did my proof-read now and i've realised that it was in fact not lunchtime??? it was past lunchtime and i was just zoned out!)

Alexia doesn’t care much for art. Sure, she admires the effort, the time such talent sits behind a canvas and marks something that was once blank until others begin to value it. She agrees with the masses about the beauty of quaint watercolour paintings of the coast, and she lets Mapi rave about charcoal and graphite and oils as if she understands what is so special about the varying media.

She knows she is only here today because the art is about sports. The gallery seems almost reluctant to allow the athletes in, worried they have brought with them their football boots and cones to dribble around, but it would be bad practice to prohibit the muses from the collection. She isn’t an idiot, though, and she knows that no amount of forced reading about the artist and other sophisticated matters will slip her seamlessly into the crowd.

There are lots of people; people she has never heard of, but make it clear they are far superior to her by the way in which their eyes politely drop to the tattoos inked onto her calloused hands. Their skin is soft, accustomed to the stems of crystal champagne flutes, and the drawings that hold so much personal meaning to the footballer are scrutinised to the point of silent… offence.

So much for appreciators of art, she thinks to herself, counting down the minutes until it is acceptable for her to leave.

With a huff and a vow to never – no matter how much she earns – forget where she has come from, Alexia staggers, uncomfortable in these particular heels, towards the painting she deems easiest to understand.

It is the largest in the room: deep, crimson reds on top of familiar greens, streaks of gold falling out of a ponytail.

Call Alexia egotistical, but anyone would be drawn to a painting of themselves.

The artist has done a good job, she guesses, not entirely sure if there is a deeper meaning behind the grass stains on her socks or the crumpled shading of her Spain jersey. It is a little creepy that someone she does not know has captured her likeness so expertly, so practised.

“The nose isn’t quite right,” a voice says beside her.

Alexia turns in surprise, amused enough by the stranger’s observation to examine her painted face, eyes not drawn from how majestic her image is beginning to seem. She sees no obvious issue, and so she replies, “I think it’s fine.”

“Just fine?”

She is still staring at herself, now impressed by the grandeur of the painting; its size, its quality. “Well, I am unsure how someone painted me so accurately when I was never called in for a… I don’t know, a consultation? And it seems a little weird to me that my hair is loose, because I tend to slick it back so it doesn’t fall out of my ponytail, and, you know, I always have something written on my boots, but otherwise, it’s fine. I doubt anyone here has ever watched a football match, so none of this will matter to them.”

“It doesn’t bother you that someone might pay millions for a painting that you have deemed not-quite-right?”

The voice is somewhat too interested, and suddenly Alexia swivels around to face its owner properly, worried she has spoken her mind to a journalist.

“Those millions go to a charity that will improve women’s sports every–”

You are definitely not a journalist, although once, when art really wasn’t paying, you had off-handedly typed out a few articles for one of the bigger galleries.

Alexia knows you are not a journalist because you are dressed to be in front of the cameras, not behind them.

Your hands hang by your sides, but in a rather unnatural manner as though you are itching to do something else, and she is briefly overcome by the horror that you seem elegant enough to be a potential buyer. Has she put you off?

“Oh,” you interrupt, “don’t be so profound. Sometimes you footballers sound like change-making machines.”

“There is change to be made,” she responds indignantly.

“Hence the exhibition,” you allow with a little smirk, nodding towards the rest of the room. Although the biggest of the collection, you had asked for your painting to be displayed in the corner; a filter, in a sense, to ensure no one throws money at the largest thing in the room just because they can. “It creeps you out to be painted?”

The question is curious, but Alexia no longer feels like she has been caged in an interrogation room.

She thinks about her answer for a moment, torn between returning to gaze at the expanse of the scene in front of her or staring at you, wondering if you count as one of the works of art on display.

“I have never met the artist,” she explains neutrally. You laugh, and it sounds infused with champagne and nervousness. “What? It’s like having a stalker. An extremely talented, creative stalker, but someone who studies me in secret nonetheless.”

“No, I understand. She must have researched you until the ends of the Earth.”

“The artist is a woman?” She isn’t sure she is surprised, but she asks you anyway, wanting to anchor you to the spot.

“Alexia, this is an exhibition for women’s sports.” Your point is valid, but you have said her name and she is far more intrigued by the way that had sounded to praise you for your intelligence. You let out an airy breath and click your tongue. “I’d even say, given by the way she has painted you from the back, that the artist fancies you.”

“It’s the squats,” she easily replies with a giggle. “Who is the artist?”

You take a step towards her, the sharp points of your heels clacking against the concrete floor. She follows your index finger to the white plaque beside the canvas, reading the name written in small, black letters.

“I haven’t heard of her.”

Alexia sounds so thoughtful that you have to hide your smile behind your palm, coughing to provide an excuse for the action.

“Because you’ve heard of quite a few artists, haven’t you?”

“I know the main four.”

“The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?”

“No.”

Again, you laugh, and it is melodious and rich and Alexia wants to hear it for the rest of her life. Which is not normal, she tells herself, because you are some loaded stranger and she is only here for another hour before she can escape back to the pitch and her teammates who like her tattoos and admire her and respect her hard work without seeing her as some tacky social-climber who scrounged an invite to an area of society where she is institutionally unwanted.

“Picasso,” she then offers, rather petulantly, looking at you with a childish frown. In her head, she estimates the distance between your bodies, noticing how you have not returned to your original position.

“Ah, well done. He’s quite niche.” She doesn’t appreciate the teasing, and so she steps sideways to… put a stop to it somehow. Obviously, the plan had never truly been formulated, and it comes across as a half-lunge to push you away, but then you are swinging your arms as though the conversation is boring you and she desperately wishes you’d stay put.

“What do you think about the painting?” she fires into the shortened space between you, the question wrapping around you like a rope that ties you to the spot.

“It’s boring.” She scoffs, because after all, it is a painting of her. “The poor artist must have been tortured by the task, having to force her eyes to stay open while watching football matches.”

And if Alexia were not so distracted by the way your swinging hand has begun to brush against her own, she would probably catch you out there and then.

(But your touch is electric and she is otherwise engaged.)

“Like, come on, can’t the sports photographers just get their pictures blown up? No one needs such an outrageously huge portrait of Alexia Putellas in their home, or stadium, or whatever. I reckon the artist is now regretting the angle she painted from, anyway, in case some pervert with more money than sense bids for it and hangs it up in his bedroom.”

“Bedroom?”

The tips of Alexia’s ears go red, a stark contrast to the expensive silver hoops she sports, and you stop your fidgeting, hand resting on top of hers – perhaps unintentionally – as her misunderstanding wedges an awkward pause into the middle of your rant.

“Sorry,” you apologise, “that was probably not the best thing to say, considering it’s a painting of you.”

Alexia runs through what you have said, hoping her subconscious has caught it while her mind was preoccupied with what your sexual orientation might be. “Why have you come here if you are so against the principle of it?”

“I was required to,” you explain, through half-gritted teeth and a jaw that tenses with leftover annoyance from a conversation you had with the coordinator.

Seizing the opportunity to get a humorous punch back, Alexia quickly fumbles out a, “someone’s important.”

She’d celebrate her victory over you, the way you blush in embarrassment, if you hadn’t started anxiously playing with her fingers. Suddenly, the air that bridges the gap between you is set alight and Alexia stares at where you are connected.

You hastily pull away. “Sorry,” you say for a second time. “I have to sell this, and I’m nervous.”

“Sell wh– The painting?”

“No, Alexia, I’ve been sent by Real Madrid to hold you hostage so I have to sell this act.” Briefly, fear washes over the footballer’s face, tanned skin paling at the idea that you have a weapon concealed in the satin folds of your dress. Then, your hand makes a decisive movement and your fingers are intertwining with hers before she can run to safety. “I thought it was best to lure you in by flirting with you.”

“You’ve been… flirting with me?”

“God, imagine if I actually were here to kidnap you.” You hold up your joined hands so that she can see for herself. “Is your weakness women who bully you?”

She blushes again, unsure how to handle what you have insinuated.

Alexia grasps onto what little dignity remains and straightens herself, shoulders rolling back as she emulates the confidence she has been painted with. “Only pretty women,” she drawls.

She is about to use whichever line appears in her mind first, completely unashamed by it because she has guessed you would tease her no matter what leaves her mouth, but some evil, cruel person clinks a small fork against their glass, clearing their throat, and your hands quickly return to your body, your attention drawn away from the conversation.

“Thank you all for coming,” announces the event coordinator, clearly gearing up for a speech. “There will be time for more chatting later, but I cannot resist showing off our most talented artist any longer.”

You roll your eyes. The expression is directed at Alexia, who chuckles privately, sunshine blooming in her chest that you have spared a silent comment just for her.

“Y/n, darling, where are you?”

An authoritative gaze searches through the crowd and lands on you.

The dots connect, Alexia begins to feel like an idiot, and you are sashaying away before she can ask you to stay.

#this i like #alexia putellas x reader #just feelings all over the place #im weak for a good alexia putellas malfunctioning in front of a pretty girl #waiting in line

487 notes · View notes

onsomenewsht · 19 days

Text

somebody to you // o.batlle x engen!reader

o.batlle x engen!reader

based on this request!

this didn’t turn out as fluffy as i originally planned but i think there’s still a healthy amount.

featuring some google translated norwegian and spanish so apologies for any mistakes.

when ona first laid eyes on you, she thought you were ingrid. your dark hair was in a ponytail and your back was to the spaniard but she recognised the norwegian accent when you spoke to another member of the medical team.

so when ingrid finally arrived at the training grounds, ona was understandably confused. but her confusion didn’t last long as mapi dragged you into the lockeroom, announcing that you were the newest member of the medical team and that you must be referred to as doctor engen at all times.

ona immediately took note of the way you swatted at mapi’s hands, stuttering out that they most certainly did not need to call you that, as your cheeks turned redder by the second. she then watched as your eyes flickered around the room, your entire body relaxing once you’d spotted the familiar faces of frido and caro.

you rushed over, throwing your arms around them both. it was only then that ona realised that whilst you and ingrid had very similar faces, you were not very well matched in the height department. both frido and caro towered over you, as did your sister, and it was something none of them ever let you forget.

“vamos, chiqui!” you heard mapi exclaim before her hands were on your shoulders. “you must meet everyone!”

even though ona had never met you before, by the time you’d reached her, she could tell that you’d had enough so she settled for a wave and a warm smile. and the relief that settled on your face was perfect. and you scampered out of the room before mapi get her hands on you again.

the next day, you had approached ona, apologising for being rude and ignoring her. you weren’t really sure what it was about ona but the way she smiled and reassured you that it was okay, had you realising that there was something about her. something different.

so when ona offered to show you around barcelona, you instantly agreed, ignoring the butterflies in your stomach and waving to her as she headed off to get ready for training.

“what was that?”

you turned your head, narrowing your eyes at mapi. “what was what?”

“that.” she said simply, waving her hand around the space between you where ona had previously stood.

“oh, ona offered to show me around.”

“i was supposed to do that.”

you shrugged. “not anymore.”

needless to say, ingrid was shocked when mapi had informed her of your plans. due to your shyness, you had been miserable at the last club you worked at. the players there often mistook your shyness for rudeness, meaning they rarely interacted with you unless absolutely necessary.

making friends never came easily to you, not everyone was patient enough to wait around for you to grow comfortable and as a child, ingrid was your only true friend. shyness had plagued you since birth and whilst your experiences with it shaped you as a person, you’d become an extrovert any day if you were given a chance since they always seemed to have the most friends.

at first you assumed that everyone was only being nice to you because of ingrid and the last name you carried, because they didn’t want to make things awkward for her by being rude to her little sister.

and even a week later when you and ona finally found time to see the city, these thoughts plagued your mind and you felt yourself spiralling. everytime ona spoke to fill the silence, you panicked because you obviously weren’t speaking as much as you should be. but when you did speak, you stumbled over your words, spoke too fast, and half the time you didn’t know what to say.

so in your mind, the entire day was a massive failure. and at some point during your time together, you realised how much you actually liked ona. and maybe that’s what made you worse. but you knew that you’d ruined it and when she pulled up outside ingrid and mapi’s apartment building, you politely said goodbye before heading inside as quickly as possible.

“hola, chiqui!” you heard mapi shout as you closed the apartment door behind you. she appeared a minute later, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. she frowned when she finally looked at you. “er du ok?”

the tears you’d been holding back fell like a waterfall and you ran into the spare bedroom that you had been occupying since arriving in barcelona.

you had always envied ingrid’s likability and along with that, her relationship with mapi. they were so happy and in love that you almost hated them for it. almost.

no one had ever loved you. most certainly not enough to ever learn your native language. and you weren’t sure that anyone ever would.

your sobs soon turned to shaky breaths and you pushed yourself up on the bed when you heard the bedroom creak. through teary eyes, you watched mapi slowly push the door open, arms filled with various snacks as bagheera wandered in behind her.

“ingrid is not back yet,” she told you, making sure bagheera wasn’t in the way before kicking the door shut. “we do not have to talk but if you want to, i am here, vale?”

you nodded silently, picking bagheera up once he’d gotten close enough to the bed as mapi got comfortable next to you, dropping the snacks between you both. you eagerly reached for one of the norwegian snacks ingrid had insisted on buying in for you.

“is everything okay?” mapi asked after a while of silence and seeing you glance at your phone a few times. “did ona do something?”

you shook your head. “no, no, ona was perfect. i—i was the problem. i think that she might think that i am weird.”

“maybe she did not notice the things you did,” mapi shrugged and you looked at her. “when we first met, i did not think you were weird. you were shy, sí, but not weird. i did not notice the way you acted until you pointed it out to me, maybe it is the same with ona.”

ᡣ𐭩

mapi’s words rang through your head the next day as you sat on the sidelines of alexia’s individual training session, your eyes drifting over to where the rest of the team were training every now and again to admire ona.

little did you know that she was doing the same thing. except she was watching with bubbling jealousy at every laugh you let out and how easily your hands freely roamed alexia’s leg as you assisted her stretches.

but she swallowed her feelings since you were just doing your job and she was desperate to keep the girls in the dark. especially ingrid. so ona turned her attention back to training and managed to successfully keep you at the back of her mind.

you however had struggled to do so and alexia’s teasing had been relentless. between the end of training and leaving the building, she’d somehow roped mapi into it as well.

“i was not staring!” you protested quietly to the two older women as you walked towards the cars. “i was just checking that she was not hurt.”

they stared at you blankly and the blush on your cheeks deepened. mapi nudged your side and nodded over at something. “well maybe you should go check that she is still coming tonight.”

you muttered a few norwegian curse words under your breath but walked towards ona anyway, ignoring the snickers from the spaniards behind you. and the way ona smiled at you when you stopped in front of you had butterflies flying around your stomach and it took you a minute to realise that she was actually speaking to you.

“sorry, i wasn’t actually listening.” you said quietly, face flushing again as she laughed softly.

“i was asking if you were okay yesterday, you seemed jumpy in the car.”

“oh! no, yes, i was fine. it was–it was nothing,” you tucked a piece of hair behind your ear before pointing over your shoulder. “mapi is doing a number check for tonight, she wanted me to ask if you are still coming.”

ona nodded. “i am.”

“greit. i guess i will see you tonight then.”

much to your dismay, the rest of the day seemed to last forever. and when the time for the girls to come over finally rolled around, you were a giant ball of nerves although you weren’t really sure why.

and for everytime ingrid or mapi answered the door to someone who wasn’t ona, you could feel yourself physically deflating. of course you greeted everyone with a smile but you struggled to hide your disappointment so you hid in the kitchen, busying yourself with preparing the snacks.

around ten minutes later, you heard someone enter the kitchen. before you could look at who it was, they pinched your waist and laughed at your yelp.

“mapi!” you hissed, rubbing at your skin and glaring at her. “gå vekk!”

“tu novia está aquí,” she whispered to you, jumping out of the way as you swung for her. “so you can stop being grumpy now.”

“i repeat, maría, gå vekk. go away. irse.”

she held her hands up in surrender and backed out of the kitchen. you moved to carry on transferring the chocolate chip cookies from the baking tray to the plate, humming quietly to yourself.

once you’d finished, you picked up the plate, and turned around. only to bump straight into someone. you gasped, your grip tightening as another pair of hands steadied you.

“i’m so sorry, i didn’t hear you come in,” you said quickly, glancing up then doing a double-take when you saw who it was. “you almost ruined the cookies.”

“lo siento,” ona smirked as you playfully glared at her. “you bake?”

“i had a lot of free time in norway and i wanted a productive hobby,” you shrugged. “i made ingrid’s birthday cake once.”

“kirsebær, where are the cookies?!” you heard mapi cry dramatically before ona could say anything. you watched in amusement as mapi re-entered the kitchen, inching her way towards you. “i have been waiting all week for these, give them here.”

you rolled your eyes but handed the cookies over to mapi, who scampered away before you could change your mind. you motioned for ona to follow you and chose to ignore the way mapi grinned at you as you realised the only two spots left were next to each other. with a another glare sent mapi’s way, you sat down and for the second time that day, ignored the butterflies in your stomach at how close you and ona were once again.

as the night progressed, you grew more relaxed and comfortable with the team, but your face still flushed bright red at the flurry of compliments you got for your baking skills.

“she is just so talented.” mapi cooed, reaching over to pinch at your cheeks.

you glared at her and slapped at her hands, poking your tongue out as ingrid told her off. at that point, the early morning you’d had was starting to creep up on you and about halfway through the movie jana had chosen, you could feel the exhaustion taking over your body.

without thinking, you rested your head on ona’s shoulder, feeling her tense up almost immediately. just as you were about to move away and apologise, she slipped her arm around your waist and pulled you closer.

if you weren’t already half asleep, you probably would’ve noticed the way ona kept glancing at ingrid. but your sister was far too engrossed in the movie and it really wasn’t unusual for the team to be affectionate with each other. and as ona looked around, she realised that no one was actually paying attention to the two of you.

bagheera jumped onto your lap then, waking you up just enough for you to move your hand to stroke him and for you to realise that ona was drawing patterns along the sliver of skin that was showing on your lower back. you resisted the urge to push her hand further up and chose to nuzzle a little further into her, sighing quietly in content.

ᡣ𐭩

as the weeks flew by and you settled more and more into your new life at barcelona, the more time you spent with the team and with ona. and somewhere along the way, you’d decided that having ona in your life as a friend was better than not having her in it at all.

so you buried your growing feelings for her, shaking your head whenever mapi insisted that ona felt the same way, that she was so sure of it. whilst you desperately wanted to believe it, you just couldn’t. ona was pretty, popular, and funny. you were just ingrid’s little sister and you had been for your entire life. nobody ever chose you.

“i think you should tell her.” alexia said quietly, pulling you from your thoughts. you withdrew your hand from her knee, letting her manoeuvre her leg into the next stretch.

you glanced over your shoulder to see ona stood with pina and patri, the three of them laughing at something. “why? i am happy with being her friend, i do not want to ruin anything.”

alexia frowned but seeing the look on your face, decided not to say anything else. the rest of the session was completed in relative silence, something that hadn’t happened in a while.

later that night, you declined ingrid’s invitation to join her and mapi at the new restaurant down the road.

“are you sure?” she asked for what felt like the millionth time as she slipped her shoes on.

“yes, i’m sure,” you laughed quietly. “i really do not want to third wheel and i invited ona over anyway.”

ingrid froze before approaching you slowly, standing behind where you sat on the sofa. your eyes fluttered shut as she ran her fingers gently though your hair. “i am glad you have her, elskling.”

“me too.” you whispered, smiling as ingrid leaned down and kissed your hair.

“don’t wait up for us,” she told you. “ona can stay the night if she wants.”

“yes but you must behave!” mapi called from somewhere else in the apartment. “all activities must be rated pg!”

“oh my god, maría, cállate!” you snapped, attempting to stand up only to have ingrid push you back down.

“please do not kill my girlfriend,” she whispered before turning around. “maría, we have talked about this, please leave my sister alone!”

you could hear mapi snickering and looked back at ingrid. “if you do not want me to kill her then you should leave right now.”

she ran her fingers through your hair again and as soon as mapi walked in, dragged her out and then you were alone. well, for a minute or two.

you could hear talking and then the door opened again, mapi’s voice ringing through the empty space. “ona’s here, kirsebær!”

with a roll of your eyes, you pushed yourself off the sofa and made your way to the front door. you greeted ona with a smile and slammed the door in mapi’s grinning face.

“i brought food,” ona said and you turned around. “pizza is your favourite, right?”

you blinked quickly, feeling your face heat up. “uh, y–yeah, it is. um, follow me. i don’t know about you but i am starving.”

within five minutes, you and ona were sat on the sofa, the pizza box warm on your lap as a telenovela played on the tv in the background. you were halfway through your second slice when you noticed ona looking at you.

“what?” you asked, wiping at the corners of your mouth in case of any lingering sauce.

much to your surprise, ona’s face flushed the same shade of pink that yours usually would. you turned to hide your smile, realising that you’d caught the spaniard staring at you. you knew that if it was the other way around and ona caught you staring at her, you’d be dying of embarrassment so you let it be.

time always seemed to fly whenever you were with ona and more often than not, the two of you got caught up in whatever you’re doing and never checked the time.

and that night was no different.

it was around halfway through the third movie when you finally checked your phone, eyes widening at the time. you promptly shoved it in ona’s face as well, gaining the same reaction.

“you are not driving home,” was the first thing you said, pushing yourself up. “you can stay tonight but we must make our escape now. ingrid and mapi probably won’t be much longer and mapi will not leave us alone if she finds us so vamos.”

it wasn’t the first time ona had spent the night so when you got into your room, you handed her the spare clothes she’d left behind and headed into the bathroom to give her a bit of privacy and change yourself.

when you re-entered, you found ona looking down at a picture frame, the grinning faces of you and ingrid as kids staring back up at her, the two of you sporting matching norway football kits.

“why don’t you play?” she asked as you walked towards her, gently taking the frame from her hands.

“i was not very good,” you admitted. “i am not as graceful as ingrid. i tried to kick a ball and fell over it. and when i did get the hang of kicking the ball, i almost broke ingrid’s nose so mamma banned me from ever kicking one again.”

“i think she made the right choice,” ona laughed and you put the picture frame back. “you must miss them. your family.”

you shrugged slightly, turning on the tv and flicking through netflix. “of course i do but honestly i missed ingrid more.”

there was a look on your face that ona had never seen before so she quickly dropped the subject, pointed out a good movie and all but dragged you down into the bed next to her.

the skin on your thigh tingled where it was pressed against hers, your stomach flipped everytime she laughed at something in the movie, and when she slipped her hand into yours and entwined your fingers, you were surprised you didn’t explode. and in that moment it hit you like a ton of bricks.

you were inexplicably in love with ona.

and you didn’t really know what to do with that information. especially when you weren’t really how the spaniard felt about you. all you had was the insistence of mapi and alexia. but that wasn’t anything really, they didn’t know for sure. did they?

ona squeezed your hand, noticing that familiar look etched onto your face, a look that meant you were getting lost in your thoughts again. you hummed slightly, turning your attention to her and immediately regretting it.

you swallowed thickly. ona’s face was mere inches from yours and you could hear mapi’s voice in your head, screaming at you to kiss her. and when you noticed the spaniard’s eyes flicker to your lips, you felt a sliver of confidence.

so before you could talk yourself out of it, you leaned in and closed the gap, connecting your lips sweetly. it only lasted for a few seconds. the realisation of what was happening had you pulling you away, an apology at the tip of your tongue as you searched her eyes in case you did anything wrong. but just as quick, ona’s hand was cupping your jaw and pulling you straight back in.

it was a dream. you had to be dreaming. you’d fallen asleep and were having the best dream ever, that’s what you told yourself. and that’s what you let yourself believe until you felt ona tugging at your waist. your heart pounded in your chest as she pulled you onto her lap, your arms wrapping around her neck to pull her as close as you possibly could.

a fluttery feeling in your stomach grew with every movement of your lips and just as you started to move your hips to get the friction you so desperately needed, the front door flew open, crashing into the wall.

mapi’s drunken giggles and ingrid’s harsh whispers filled the quiet apartment as you quickly clambered to lay next to ona. her eyebrows furrowed and she looked at you in confusion until the door handle started moving.

the door opened ever so slightly but was closed just as quickly, the sound of ingrid quietly scolding mapi in norwegian making you giggle.

“what is she saying?” ona asked you in a hushed whisper.

“nothing interesting, just telling maría to leave us alone.” you whispered back.

the spaniard hummed and the two of you laid in silence for a few moments before she was reaching out to grab at your wrist. “ven aquí.”

you rolled over, throwing your arm over her stomach and resting your head in the crook of her neck, letting the tiredness take over you without much of a fight.

when you woke up the next morning, you panicked for a second feeling something pressed right up against your back. but then you remembered everything that had happened and suddenly the presence was a welcomed one.

you cracked an eye open to see ona’s phone a few inches from your face, her head resting just above yours as she scrolled through her instagram.

“bon dia,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to your head after you groaned softly. “we should do something today.”

you hummed, eyes fluttering shut as you nuzzled into your pillow. “ask me out after, s’too early.”

ona laughed and kissed your head again, moving her free hand to stroke your hair. within seconds you had drifted back off.

ingrid’s voice is what woke you up about half an hour later. the bed next to you dipped and you groaned again. hearing ingrid laugh, you reached out blindly, wafting your hand around until you smacked her leg.

“always a morning person, aren’t you elskling?” she teased and you kicked at her this time.

“go away ingrid, m’tryna sleep.” you muttered.

“no. we all have a day off and the weather is beautiful, we are going out for breakfast. all of us.” your sister’s voice held a tone of finality that you couldn’t argue with.

“okay,” you whined slightly, leaning forward to push at her. “bare kom deg ut.”

ingrid held her hands up and quickly slipped out of the room. you sighed in relief at the fact that she was gone and the fact that it could’ve been mapi who had proposed the idea.

it didn’t take a lot of coaxing for ona to get you out of bed. with the promise of a kiss as soon as you were ready, you jumped up and ona watched in amusement as you practically sprinted around, re-emerging from the bathroom about ten minutes later fully dressed and wide awake.

you wasted little time taking her up on her promise, pressing your lips against hers as soon as she stood up from your bed. a knock on the door made you pull apart, a small huff escaping you.

“vamos, pájaros del amor!” mapi chirped through the wood. “i am hungry.”

you rolled your eyes but grabbed your phone, passing ona hers before swinging the door open. mapi opened her mouth but ingrid yanked her away, not letting her say anything to you.

ona wrapped her arm around your waist and pulled you along behind them. thankfully, they chose the cute little cafe down the road, a five minute walk from the apartment.

somewhere along the way, ingrid and ona had taken the lead, chatting happily as you ended up stuck with mapi, who grinned at you smugly. “i told you so.”

“shut up maría.”

#this i like #ona batlle x reader #just cute

731 notes · View notes