#Georgia City Scores

[dallasoverdueessay]

I LOVE WALKABLE CITIES. I LOVE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

#the city i live in scores 70/100 in walkability #which is so much better than where i've lived for majority of my life #and even better than my hometown actually too #and where i lived in georgia had the worst public transport despite being in metro atlanta

[trulyhblue]

Carded

Alessia Russo x Aussie! Arsenal! Reader

Warnings: Little bit of angst, fluff, coarse language, suggestive if you squint.

Masterlist

________________________

Alessia were a bit like Katie in the sense of your aggression — or, rather 'passion' as you put it gently — on the field.

Arsenal had a rocky start to the season, with a loss against Liverpool to being dubbed as 'second-halfsenal', as your fans and rivals alike found the comedy in your troubles. There was no technical malice behind the name, the girls would joke about it ever so often during training, but that didn't stop the hidden linger of doubt among the team. As the season proceeded, with the crucial derbies of both Chelsea and Tottenham, you started to notice how it was having a negative effect on your girlfriend.

You grew up in Melbourne, Australia, playing for your local club before being scouted by recruits when you were in High School. You joined Melbourne Victory at Seventeen, playing alongside your future Matildas teammates, Kyra and Courtney. The three of you went to school together, before graduating and parting ways. While they moved to the Sweden league, you chose to head to Bayern Munich, where you spent four years strengthening your skills and gaining wider international attention.

The move was incredibly difficult. You did not understand a word of German walking into your first day, and still struggle to communicate in the foreign language. It definitely helped when Lioness player, Georgia Stanway transferred from Manchester City, and you ended up spending a lot of time with the English girl.

Due to this connection, you had met the other Lionesses by association, one girl sticking out to you specifically.

You had properly met Alessia in a friendly match against your two National teams. It hadn't taken long for you to realise your feelings for each other, but the timing never seemed right. She was in Manchester, playing for United, and you were in Germany, both consistent in your hard work for your respective teams.

You both were called up for the World Cup squad, you playing as a regular starter in the Midfield. From your early career, you always had a deep-rooted chemistry with Kyra and Courtney, so the opportunities the three of you created set the scene for your forwards up front. It was heartbreaking losing to England in the Semi-finals, especially in a home World Cup. You remember how Georgia sat with you after the game, waiting until she knew you were okay before she went off to celebrate.

You reciprocated the kindness by watching the final, feeling upset for the Lionesses when the score did not turn out their way. The two of you wondered what the next step was for you.

You had trouble mulling over the end of your contract, knowing Georgia had just renewed hers. After the World Cup, the recognition of the public had a great turnout, and your agent was met with many expressions of interest.

When Arsenal's name popped up on that list, you knew it was a no-brainer.

You and Alessia had both transferred in the same week, Kyra a few weeks later. The blonde and you moved in together, having both no place to live and hit it off from there. Now, a few months in, you've never been happier.

"Alright girls, we can do this." You heard Kim shout from beside you. Alessia was holding your waist, fiddling with the hem of your shorts as the team huddled around each other.

"Go out and set the scene. First tackles, first corners, everything, alright?"

You were versing Chelsea, the London Derby, in a sold-out Emirates, and you could feel the nerves radiating off Kyra from in front of you. Kim was the Captain today, her Scottish accent shouting as both the starting eleven and subs hugged one another. The lead-up to this game was beyond stressful, the pressure of starting in such a critical game building on Alessia and you over the past few days. The whole ordeal was daunting, having not ever played in a derby of this significance before.

"London is Red, girls, let's go!" Katie shouted, earning the huddle to disperse as everyone took their starting positions.

You could feel the sweat compile over the creases in your hands, wiping them twice over before jogging to your place on the wing. You found yourself looking out to the crowd, waving at the group of fans chanting your name. Erin Cuthbert was quick to join your side, standing close by as the cheers grew louder in anticipation.

Alessia was upfront, watching you with adoring eyes. You offered her a tight-lipped smile, pursing your lips and blushing when she sent a toothy grin and thumbs up your way. However; the moment was short-lived as the referee was quick to blow her whistle, commencing the game.

It was apparent that Chelsea was not expecting the energy Arsenal brought to the game. Errors and miscalculated passes were being carried out left and right, the chemistry between both sides slipping beneath the heightening apprehension.

“I'm here!” You called, speeding along the wing as Katie hesitated on the other side of the pitch. The Chelsea girls had left your front wing open, crowding in the midfield, evidently oblivious to the mistake they’d produced. You heard Emma Hayes yelling to cover your end, but Katie had already seen you, crossing the ball to your end. Cuthbert was on your tail, trying hard to stub your sprint in an attempt to stuff you up.

Victoria was to your right, onside yet swarmed with about three defenders. Beth was not far behind; Chelsea defenders were swarming the box in a desperate endeavour to clear Arsenal’s attempt.

You had no other choice but to nimble the ball through Fleming’s legs and towards Vic, who helplessly maneuvered the ball through the maze of defenders before passing to Mead. Cuthbert had put her hands behind her back, using her body to shield Beth’s fake attempt at the goal. You watched with your breath hitched as Beth powered the ball to the goal, observing the swift motion of the back of the neck.

Alessia was the first to wrap your arms around you, holding you up, carrying you over to where Katie was gripping Beth for dear life.

The rest of your team celebrated around you, screaming among the thousands of people in the crowds, smiles etched on all your faces.

“You’re doing so well.” Less yelled, hoping you’d hear her praise over the booming echo of cheers circling the Emirates. She knew you heard her from the blush that spread your cheeks, making your already flushed face all the more flustered. Your girlfriend wrapped her hands around you, swaying you from side to side one more time before you patted her back and let go.

Her eyes watched your figure jog back to your spot near Cuthbert, who pushed her way into your shoulder before the whistle for the restart blew. You tried your best to ignore her antics, using your legs to propel you towards the ball.

Turns out, Chelsea didn't like what you just did.

Erin followed you up and down the pitch, tugging your shirt everywhere she went. Whenever you tried to run forward and make a chance for your team, the Scottish woman would yank you back, locking her arm around your body, keeping you glued to the sideline.

Chelsea evened the score only a couple of minutes later. The sweat dripping down your forehead was enough to tell anyone how hard you were trying. Erin wasn't the only one giving you grief; Fleming was always a few metres away, darting through the midfield easily without you to worry about.

You were finally given the ball from a cross from Victoria, who mustn't have realised how cornered you were. You hadn't left the sideline in twenty minutes now. Fleming was now to your left, running up against you with Erin’s arm holding your waist. You struggled to keep the ball at your feet, the crowd watching in delight as the three of you battled it out alone.

You had managed to dart the ball between Jessie’s legs, causing an audible reaction from the fans, but it seemed that your face was too preoccupied with meeting the grass to soak up any type of honour you were receiving.

You felt the ground against your cheek, your body falling from stubs to the foot. You groaned at the instant pain up your leg, causing you to hold your shoe and roll onto your back. The adrenaline from the game made the pang bearable, but you knew the tackle was far from clean way before the whistle had blown.

“Oh, get up. What a fucking baby.” You heard Erin say, her Scottish accent full of malice.

“I didn't know Chelsea hired my Nephew.” An Irish accent quipped nearby. “Cause all he does is throw a tantrum when he doesn't get what he wants.”

“It was clean.”

“Oh, fuck off, you slimy t—”

You didn't get to hear the rest of their dispute, too busy nursing your foot with your hands. Steph had broken the two up, ordering Katie to run back to the other side. Sam Kerr was also around, kneeling beside you amidst the strain.

“You ‘right, mate?” Your Aussie Teammate helped you up, holding out her hands and rubbing your back as you regained balance. The Skipper had been your mentor since you joined the Tillies. The older woman was an idol of yours, and you looked up to her despite the few years between you.

However, you couldn't respond to Sam in time, for she was pushed away harshly by a certain blonde, her blue eyes reeling with anger at the sight of the tackle you endured.

“Stay away from her, Kerr.” She snarled, using her arm to support your weight onto one foot. You put your hand on her chest, shooting a silent apology to Sam, who shrugged nonchalantly before sauntering off.

“Y/N, are you alright?” The referee asked the yellow card still in her hand. You knew you had the power to play it over the top, but this game was everything to you. You didn't want to be subbed off any time soon.

But your girlfriend wasn't having any of it.

“She,” Less pointed to Erin, who was standing by a regretful Fleming. “Needs to be sent off for that. She's been harassing Y/N all game. It was obviously on purpose. Did you see it? It was stubs to the—”

“Lessi, stop, it's alright. I'm fine.” You swapped glances from your girlfriend to the Ref, who was still looking at you for reassurance in regard to your physical wellness. “I’m fine.” You repeated, and the whistle was quickly blown for a free kick, and a yellow toward Cuthbert.

Alessia looked down at you cautiously, eyeing your leg and the slight weariness in your step. “Are you sure?” She asked.

When you nodded, she jogged over to her position once more, sighing at your stubbornness as you prepared for your kick.

Ilestedt’s goal only a few minutes later sent all of the girls into a frenzy. You sprinted over to the Swedish player, jumping onto her back and kissing her head, laughing as you felt the rest of your team surround you in hugs and celebrations. The screams and cheers in the stands were phenomenal. No one expected the Reds to be beating the Blues so early into the game.

Erin was hot on your tail when Caitlin punted the ball towards you. You made the sprint down the line, your Aussie teammates Steph and Caitlin both yelling out for a pass. You were about to boot it behind you, where Steph was waiting for the assist when you felt your legs give out for the second time that game. The grass met your face, the power of the fall leaving you in shambles, the ball long forgotten by the time your hand shot up to the blood running down your nose.

Steph was by your side, forgetting all about the game still in play. Alessia had gained possession of the ball, holding it in her hands by the time you had sat up, the whistling blowing when the Ref noticed the amount of red spilling down your shirt.

“Move your hand.” Steph uttered, holding your face and using her own shirt to hold your nose. “It’s not broken.” You did as you were told, your nose warm at the contact of the ground, only slightly sore. She looked up to Kim, who you knew was fuming underneath her worried gaze.

“I don't want to be subbed off.” You said, and you saw Kim nod, agreeing before storming up to the Referee, who was talking sternly to Erin.

Beside her was Alessia, with her arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed into a furious knot, you watching in horror as a yellow card was shown her way. Katie had made it just in time to take her away, gripping the girl’s shoulders and guiding her towards you.

The medics had come on to see to your nose whilst handing you another shirt to change into. They assessed the blood, which was slowly halting, and declared that you had just knocked it. You told them you didn't want to go off, and with a nod from Katie and approval from the Referee, you stood off the field patiently before you were allowed back on.

During those painstaking moments, you pondered on what Alessia had said that made her get the yellow. You knew Erin was already on thin ice, and in yesterday’s training, Jonas had said that if given the chance, Alessia was to take the penalties. You knew the English girl. She was never much of a violent person on the field, choosing to stay calm and collected rather than angsty and irate when something didn't go her way.

But in games like this, where everything was on the line, it was hard to deny the apparent tension behind her actions. When it came to you, she’d sacrifice everything. For you, she’d take a million yellows if it meant sticking up for you.

You had sprinted up near Fleming when the girls ran towards your goal. The stadium stood in anticipation, the adrenaline of Arsenal’s streak pumping through their cheers. Alessia found the ball under her feet, her shot hitting the back of the net with a swish. You couldn't hear anyone but yourself, the pain and exhaustion from the half leaving your body the very moment you wrapped your legs around Less’s waist.

The girl held you up with her hands, holding under your thighs, squishing the skin just under your arse before putting you down. You laughed at her cheeky grin, relishing the private moment between the two of you before the rest of the girls stampede their way around you.

“LESSI RUSSO!” Beth screamed, hugging the two of you as she jumped in excitement. Arsenal were beating Chelsea — the top of the ladder — three-one going into the second half. If they scored once more, it’d be the Blue’s worst defeat in five years.

The thought was the utmost motivation.

You would be lying if you said you weren't surprised to find yourself walking back on in the second half. Your nose had stopped bleeding during half-time, but the ache was still attending when you made your way to the wing.

Just before you went out, you felt familiar hands grip your waist, pushing you against the wall of your cubby. You saw Alessia’s glare eye your kit and the way she licked her lips at the sight of your flushed countenance. Her starved eyes roamed your face. Your lips met hers in a hungry kiss, knowing the rest of the girls were in their own world as they prepared for what was to come.

“You’re playing really good.” You said, holding her biceps, your finger drawing circles against her skin.

Alessia hummed, meeting your lips again, nipping your bottom lip before pulling away. “So are you, baby. ‘Making me so proud, you are.”

The compliment went straight through you. Her eyes continued to linger on you as you walked back out onto the pitch. You swallowed any pre-existing desire you had for the girl as Jessie Fleming walked by your side, offering you a curt, determined smile, then going stone-faced.

The rivalry in the second half displayed by both sides was nothing in comparison to the anger radiating in the last forty-five minutes of the London Derby.

Katie and Caitlin both got cards in two minutes of each other. Lauren James, Chelsea forward, fifteen minutes later. Illegal tackles were thrown left and right, pushing, shoving, ploughing everywhere you looked.

Emma Hayes must've thought Erin would've been sent off if been marking you for another second. Jessie was a much cleaner opponent, but as the time ticked over, the end of the match and the taste of victory near, the Canadian found haste in her decisions, making a rather late decision in tackling you near the sideline.

“Fuck, sorry.” She spoke, and while remorseful, she seemed too engulfed in the loss to speak much truth. She took her yellow graciously but made no attempt to reconcile with you. She walked over to Sam, who gave her a scornful glare, making the younger girl cower. You took your time getting up off the grass, stretching out the tension in your hamstrings before straightening back onto your feet.

On her way over to you, Alessia shot the dirtiest glare she could muster towards Fleming, not realising that many fans would catch the interaction on their phones. She made her way over to you, kissing the top of your forehead, making no endeavour to hide her public affection towards you.

Your relationship with Alessia was extremely private. You didn't want the public to know every detail of each other, and how you lived day to day in each other’s company, but that didn't mean you didn't like to tease your relationship over social media every once and a while. The Arsenal girls were all for a photo dump on Instagram, and many of the fans had caught onto your close proximity in some of the photos.

One of them in particular caused the rumours of your relationship to form. It was in Katie’s dump, a couple of weeks after your move to Arsenal. A group of girls were all sitting together in a booth, somewhere in a random London pub, but there wasn't enough room, leaving you to sit on Alessia’s lap when the photo was taken. From there, everyone assumed the two of you were dating, and while neither of you confirmed anything, it wasn't a secret you were trying hard to keep.

The game proceeded and not long after, an easy penalty was given to your side after a Chelsea defensive miscommunication. It was Alessia who took it, and the crowd made deafening sounds of joy as the Reds crowded around each other in celebration.

You were beating Chelsea 4-1.

The feeling was euphoric. Nothing could beat the sour, everlasting annoyance planted on Cuthbert’s face. Nothing could take you away from the overwhelming happiness that overtook your body when the full-time whistle blew, leaving Arsenal in glee at the massive takedown on the reigning top-of-the-ladder.

Alessia was up against you the moment you met each other’s glance. She pulled you off the ground, spinning you around in circles, making you squirm and squeal as she tickled your sides.

“You did so well, baby.” She sounded, her breath tickling your ear. You shivered, trying hard to hold in your yearning. Alessia knew how to rile you up, hands coming up to glue to your shoulders, massaging the knots that had formed from the tiresome run you just had. You groaned at the relief. Alessia smirked at the whines coming from your mouth.

“All for me, baby?”

You hid your face in her chest at that, face red at her undistinguished connotations. She laughed, holding your chin, placing a quick peck on the side of your lips, pulling you back into her afterwards.

You waited until she was soaking up the silence, a small smile decorating your sweaty face.

“Did it all for you, Lessi.”

____________________________

#arsenal wfc #caitlin foord #arsenal #beth mead #chelsea #chelsea women #jessie fleming #katie mccabe #katie mccabe x reader #kyra cooney cross #erin cuthbert #sam kerr #millie bright #emma hayes #auswnt #lionesses #kim little #alessia russo #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo x y/n #laia codina #vivianne miedema #championsleague #barclays wsl #wsl 23/24

[katelynnwrites]

We’ll Be A Fine Line (We’ll Be Alright) | Felicitas Rauch

warnings: descriptions of blood, injury and general angst along with mentions of smut

word count: 4612

summary: feli accidentally injures you during an international game

a/n: happy monday. i’ve actually always wanted to write this prompt so i’m pretty excited about this. also i couldn’t resist adding that last part, i’m not sorry 😂

You love international breaks. The chance to represent your country on the world’s stage is not something you would ever take for granted.

After you made the move to Germany, to play for VfL Wolfsburg, international breaks become even more special.

They become one of the few times you’re able to be in the country of your birth, with the friends you have grown up with.

This time, you’ve been given an even more special chance, a rare opportunity to play against your German, Wolfsburg teammates.

You’re especially looking forward to playing against one particular teammate.

She’s a defender and you’re a striker. It’s a cliche really.

Ahead of the upcoming Arnold Clark Cup, your girlfriend had bet you that you wouldn’t be able to score against her and you had countered her bet with your own, that she wouldn’t be able to prevent you from scoring.

The reward of the bet is interesting, that the winner will be able to do anything she likes with the other.

And you really really want to win. The thought of being able to have your way with a certain Felicitas Rauch being more than enough incentive for you.

******

England playing against Germany is the last fixture of the tournament so playing against Feli isn’t really on your mind yet.

You do however, text her frequently and in return, receive a constant stream of TikToks that she has found funny.

You’re laughing at one of them when Georgia plonks down in the seat next to you.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘Nothing Georgie.’

‘Aw come on! You’re never here anymore and now that you are, you won’t even tell me what you’re laughing about.’ Georgia pouts.

You soften at her words and quickly unlock your phone, showing her the video Feli had sent you.

The Manchester City player chuckles.

‘That is funny.’ She says and you laugh again.

‘I didn’t know you had a dog though.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes you? Your lockscreen is a brown poodle.’ Georgia says in confusion.

‘Oh! She’s not exactly my dog.’

‘Okay…’ Georgia’s confusion only increases and she makes to ask more questions only to be unable to do so because Sarina starts giving instructions.

As you listen to your coach, you glance down at your lockscreen of Cinnamon before unlocking your phone once more, this time to look at your wallpaper.

It’s a good thing Georgia had only seen your lockscreen because your wallpaper, a photo of Felicitas kissing you would have been a lot harder to explain.

******

It had completely slipped your mind to tell your England teammates about Feli.

There had just been so many things going on, your recent move to Germany, a new apartment for you to settle, a new style of play for you to adapt to and your struggle to learn a new language.

Your relationship with Feli had started amongst all that and before you knew it, months had passed by.

How could you tell them about your German girlfriend now?

******

On the contrary, Feli’s national teammates know all about you.

So many of them played at Wolfsburg with you and the rest have heard all about how head over heels Felicitas is for you.

They would never miss an opportunity to tease Feli who is usually reserved and a tad shy.

The perfect opportunity lies in whenever she calls you.

Somehow even when you are countries apart, you always manage to make your girlfriend blush.

Her German teammates love you for that and you frequently get sent photos of Feli’s red cheeks during the international breaks.

******

Having headed up to your hotel room early, you make the most of your roommate’s absence to call Felicitas.

She answers almost immediately, her smile being the first thing you see.

‘Hi my love.’

‘Hello.’ She greets, cheeks already dusted with pink from the term of endearment.

You grin, ‘How’s England treating you?’

‘Good but I miss you.’

‘I miss you too Feli but we’ll see each other tomorrow.’

‘I can’t wait.’ Your girlfriend murmurs.

She adjusts her phone, giving you a glimpse of her surroundings. It looks like she’s out on her hotel room’s balcony.

Having finished propping her phone up, she cheekily asks, ‘Ready to lose?’

You laugh, ‘You wish.’

‘Liebling, being able to do whatever I want to you is pretty good motivation. There’s no way that I am losing.’ Feli states.

Confidently, she adds, ‘I’m sure you’ll like what I have planned.’

‘Well as nice as that sounds, I think that both you and I will prefer what I have in mind for when I win.’

There’s no mistaking the tone in your voice.

Feli swallows hard, her blush intensifying as she stammers, ‘S-Sorry liebling. No can do.’

You giggle and your girlfriend looks away in embarrassment, clearing her throat.

‘I love you but I won’t be losing. You’ll see.’

‘We’ll see.’ You agree.

You’re content to just look at her but you hear the door of your hotel room opening.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you Felicitas.’

Feli nods, having heard your roommate from her end of the call.

‘Ich liebe dich. I’m really excited to see you.’

She ends the call, just as your roommate enters the room fully.

‘Who were you talking to?’ Leah asks curiously.

‘A teammate from Wolfsburg.’ You answer honestly.

‘She speaks German to you?’

‘She’s trying to teach me to pick it up faster. I’ve not been too good at it so far.’ You laugh self deprecatingly and your roommate giggles.

‘Are you feeling okay about playing against your club teammates tomorrow? It must be a little weird for you.’ Leah asks, unintentionally slipping into her role as captain.

‘It is but I’ll be okay Lee. We had a conversation about it before I left Germany. We promised that there would be no hard feelings and we’re actually quite looking forward to it.’

******

Sarina and the other coaching staff had asked you about how your German teammates at Wolfsburg played. You had given them as much as you could, telling them about your personal experiences with their playing styles.

They have also come up with their predictions for Germany’s starting lineup.

It’s no surprise to you that they think Feli will be playing.

Your girlfriend had gone from being left out of the 2019 World Cup to being Germany’s starting leftback and you could not be any prouder of her.

You see the work she puts in day in and day out and you know that she deserves to be there.

When you arrive at the stadium, you see that Sarina is right. Feli is starting for Germany and as you line up near her in the tunnel, you give her a brief hug that lets her know that you are proud of her.

You know that the extra tight squeeze she gives you in return means that she understands and is proud of you too.

******

Ellen White scores first, with you assisting her goal.

You can’t help but smirk at Feli as you walk back to your position.

She rolls her eyes at you and later when you’re within earshot, reminds you that you haven’t won the bet yet as you weren’t the one who scored.

******

The rest of the game goes as expected, with Germany playing physically and England playing the ball forward as much as possible.

Your Wolfsburg teammates have landed quite a few tackles on you but have helped you up each time.

You don’t take it to heart, having expected it already. It’s not like you have not done your fair share.

Playing in Germany has rubbed off on you and you now have a tendency of being a little more physical.

You haven’t had any direct contact with Felicitas though, the defender being kept occupied by your English teammates.

By the 94th minute, you know you’re going to win. While you yourself have not scored, Millie and Fran have added to England’s goal tally.

Lina Magull scoring in the 41st minute is not enough for Germany.

You’re thinking about ways to somehow convince your girlfriend that you’ve won the bet anyway as you begin lining up for a corner.

It’s in Germany’s favour but you’re not particularly worried, knowing that Mary has the safest hands around and that this corner will probably be one of the last actions of the game.

Feli’s taking the corner and you focus back on the game just in time to see the ball fly.

You jump up, along with everyone else but Leah is the one who gets her head on the ball.

She clears it and then you’re off, sprinting clear of the other players. Maybe you would be able to win your bet properly.

The ball gets passed to you and you make a run for the goal, only to be taken out a fraction of a second later.

You scream.

There’s no other way to express the horrific pain you are in.

You’re not even aware of the way your body curls in on itself or the way your hand blindly clutches at your injured ankle.

Sobbing into the grass, you cry out again as gentle hands turn you over.

If your eyes weren’t squeezed shut, you would see that your girlfriend looks like she’s about to throw up.

‘I didn’t mean to. Oh my god I never meant to hurt her.’ She repeats, over and over again.

Feli is inconsolable, shaking all over as she looks at you on the ground.

Your English teammates push her away, in their rush to get to you.

She doesn’t register Keira shouting at her or Lucy holding the ginger back.

Laura grabs her and moves her aside, just enough so that she can still see you but not be in the way of the worried England team.

‘She’s going to hate m-me.’ Felicitas stutters.

‘Hey Feli she won’t. It was an accident.’ Laura tries but Feli isn’t hearing any of it. She trembles harder when Laura hugs her tightly, the Eintracht Frankfurt player doing her best to keep her friend’s breakdown from the cameras.

The German players gather around Felicitas, helping Laura to block her.

Your English teammates are trying to do the same for you.

You’re still crying, unable to answer any of the questions the medical staff are asking you.

‘Feli.’ You whimper.

‘Felicitas.’ You plead again.

Leah squeezes your hand. You hadn’t even realised that she’s holding your hand.

‘Yes. It’s Felicitas Rauch that tackled you.’ Leah tells you, thinking that it’s what you want to know.

It isn’t.

‘I want Felicitas. I want my girlfriend.’ You beg.

Leah blinks but doesn’t question you, knowing that you are in no shape to properly answer anything.

She just gets you your girlfriend.

******

‘She didn’t mean it.’ Alex Popp states, as Leah approaches.

‘I hope not. Rauch needs to go to her girlfriend now.’

‘No. I can’t be near her. She won’t want me there.’ Feli cries, furiously shaking her head.

Leah glances at you and then back towards her before firmly saying, ‘Look I don’t know you. But she’s in a lot of pain and asking for you so I’m bringing you to her whether you like it or not.’

******

‘Liebling, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I should never have gone in for that tackle.’ Felicitas rushes out.

‘Feli…’ You gasp and your girlfriend chokes back a sob, taking your hand in hers.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to but Feli it really really hurts.’

You’re trying your hardest not to cry more but a few tears slip free anyway.

The expression on your girlfriend’s face looks like heartbreak but she whispers, ‘I know. I know. You’ve got to let the medics take you off the pitch now okay?

Trying to be brave, you nod and the medical staff takes it as their cue to put you on the stretcher.

‘Please don’t leave me.’ You beg and Felicitas scrubs her tears off her face. She angrily thinks to herself that she doesn’t have to right to cry.

‘I promise. I’m right here liebling.’

Her gaze remains on your face but the briefest glance at your bloodied and bruised ankle, now visible thanks to the medical staff who had removed your boot and rolled down your sock makes her want to be sick again.

Feli’s face is pale and tear stained but she never lets go of your hand.

She’s right beside you, holding your hand and walking off the pitch with you.

The referee decides to end the match there but that doesn’t matter to your girlfriend who would have walked off the pitch anyway, regardless of what the referee and coaches had to say.

******

Your girlfriend is carefully stroking your hair, doing her best to soothe the pain she had unintentionally caused you.

The bed you are sitting up on is cold but Feli’s hands are warm. You try to focus on that, letting her familiar touch give you some comfort.

The medical staff are examining your ankle now but by just looking at it, you think that there’s little chance you would escape with a mild injury. You are sure you would be on the sidelines for a while.

When your team doctor looks up at you and gives you a little head shake, you know your suspicions have been proven.

‘I’m really sorry but you’re definitely going to have to go to the hospital now. We’ll contact your club and let them know.’

‘How bad is it?’

‘A few months out at least. Your ankle is badly sprained and the hospital will give you a more thorough x-ray but from what I can tell, it’s been fractured.’

Your face crumples and you bury your face in Feli’s shoulder. Her arms wrap around you, holding you close.

‘I’ll give you a moment.’ The doctor murmurs before leaving.

‘I’m so sorry.’ Felicitas breathes.

You cry even harder, the throbbing pain in your ankle doing you no favours.

Your girlfriend inhales shakily, kissing the side of your head before beginning to pull away.

You stiffen the instant you feel her loosening her grip on you.

Your eyes widen in fear and you panickedly ask, ‘Feli w-where are you going?

‘Don’t you want me to go? I’m the reason you can’t play let alone walk. I hurt you liebling.’

‘No. You didn’t mean to. Stay please. I need you. Please Felicitas, don’t go.’

‘I won’t.’ She whispers, her heart breaking all over again as she realises exactly how vulnerable you are.

‘You promise?’

Your girlfriend hugs you close, ‘I promise. As long as you want me here, I’m here.’

******

You don’t want Felicitas to leave your side. You think she understands as well because she’s still sitting by the side of your bed and holding your hand when you wake up.

Her Germany kit has been replaced by a hoodie and shorts so you think that one of her teammates must have helped her out.

The German player’s eyebags have always been pronounced but the sleepless night she has had have made them so much darker, like bruises under her eyes.

‘You’re awake.’ She mumbles, when she feels you moving around.

You frown, trying to wiggle your toes only to fail. The new cast on your leg sees to that.

You don’t remember it being there so you assume that the doctors at the hospital must have done it after you had taken the painkillers which knocked you right out.

‘Felicitas? Does this mean I’ve won my bet?’

‘The bet? Liebling, that’s what you want to talk about right now?’ Feli’s tone is incredulous and surprising to you.

‘Why not Feli?’

‘Because I hurt you. My mistimed tackle broke your ankle.’

‘Fractured.’ You correct but your girlfriend winces all the same.

‘You are here because of me. You won’t be playing for three months. Can you please yell at me? Be angry at me liebling.’ Felicitas insists.

‘No.’ You answer simply.

‘No?’

‘I’m not mad at you. I know that it was an accident. You would never hurt me intentionally.’

‘I would never and it was an accident but please be angry at me. I deserve to have you hate me.’ Your girlfriend begs.

‘No. I will never hate you Felicitas. I love you. You’re the love of my life.’ You easily say.

The words come naturally to you because it’s all true. You know it in your heart.

Felicitas bites back a sob, ‘I love you so much. You’re the love of my life too.’

‘Don’t hate yourself Feli. It really was an accident. An unfortunate one but an accident nevertheless.’ You softly plead.

Your girlfriend exhales shakily, leaning in close and pressing a kiss onto your forehead.

You shiver, closing your eyes and soaking in the feel of her lips on your skin.

‘Feli?’ You breathe.

‘What is it?’

Your request is barely audible, ‘Can you kiss me please?’

Felicitas kisses your cheek carefully in response.

‘A proper kiss Felicitas. I-I haven’t had one of those for weeks and I miss it. I’ve missed you.’

You’re so shy that prior to the events of the last twenty four hours, Feli would have teased you before showering you in as many kisses as possible.

But now she quietly checks, ‘Are you sure? I have missed you so incredibly much but I don’t want to cause you more pain.’

‘You won’t. Felicitas I know you won’t.’ You swear fervently and your girlfriend gives in.

Her lips brush against yours gently and so tentatively that it makes you want to cry.

‘More. Please Feli please.’

Felicitas can’t deny you. She has never been good at doing so but now she finds herself completely unable to even try.

Her hands cradle your face tenderly and she gives you the most loving kiss she can.

You would have cried if the door of your hospital room didn’t open. As it is, Feli pulls away from you with a sharp jerk.

‘Okay then…Is this a bad time?’ Leah asks.

Behind her, Alessia and Tooney’s faces are tomato red from the display of affection. It makes you giggle.

‘No. I’d say come in but you’re already inside.’ You joke.

Leah laughs and places the bouquet of flowers she had been holding on your bedside table.

‘They’re beautiful, thanks Lee.’ You genuinely tell her.

The England captain smiles at you, ruffling your hair in the manner that only an older sister does.

Alessia and Ella settle themselves onto the couch along the side of your hospital room and you give them a warm smile.

Felicitas stands awkwardly beside you and as Leah starts telling you about how the other England girls will be along any minute, she murmurs, ‘I’ll give you a moment liebling.’

‘No don’t go. Stay. I’d like you to meet my national teammates.’

Your girlfriend hesitates and you add, ‘They’ll be nice to you, I promise. You can tell them what the doctor said because I was asleep for most of it.’

‘Okay…’ Feli sits back down by your bed and you grin, reaching out to intertwine your fingers with hers.

Leah looks at you expectantly and you sheepishly grin at her.

‘I’m sorry for not telling you earlier but this is my girlfriend. I always meant to introduce you guys to her but I guess she made her own introduction.’

All three of your national teammates chuckle at your sense of humor.

‘Nice to meet you.’ Feli cautiously says.

‘It’s nice to meet you too Rauch. Next time have a less dramatic introduction okay?’ Leah teases.

You laugh and Feli has a tiny smile on her face when she agrees.

******

You think your hospital room must be the noisiest one around. You’re actually worried that the nurses would kick all of your fellow players out.

When Laura Freigang arrives, bringing a pack of Sharpies along with a couple of other German players, the noise level gets even higher.

Your friends argue over who gets to sign your cast first but you put a stop to it.

‘My girlfriend gets to go first.’

Laura hands the Sharpies over without protest.

Felicitas takes it and after a reassuring nod from you, goes over to the end of your bed, where your injured foot is propped up on a pillow.

Gingerly, Feli begins to draw.

She sticks her tongue out in concentration and everyone in the room can see your obvious heart eyes.

Kathy takes a photo subtly.

Felicitas finishes soon after, pressing a kiss onto your forehead before sitting back down at your side.

There’s a small grin on her face and you look at your cast to see a brown dog.

‘Is that meant to be Cinny?’

‘Yeah.’ Feli’s smile widens and you laugh.

‘Thank you.’

There’s a moment where it’s just the two of you in your little bubble before Tooney loudly says, ‘My turn now!’

******

As your fellow players continue to talk, you can see that your girlfriend is exhausted. She rests her head on top of her folded arms that are on your bed.

The dark circles under her eyes are worrying you.

You know she hasn’t slept since before the match so you decide that despite how well meaning your England teammates and Feli’s national teammates are, visiting hours for you are over.

It doesn’t take much convincing on your part. All you had to do was tell a half truth and say that you are tired.

Leah wrangles the English players out and Sara Doorsoun shepherds the German players out so that you’re left alone with your love.

Feli anxiously smooths loose strands of your hair out of your face.

‘You’re tired? Do you want to sleep more liebling?’

‘Only a little and I wouldn’t mind another nap but that’s not why I asked them to leave. I asked them to leave because you need to sleep.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes you. Now get in with me.’ You insist.

The hospital staff had informed you that you wouldn’t be discharged till later in the day so you could let your girlfriend get some rest first.

Felicitas hesitates, eyes flicking down to your injured foot. Your friends have seen to your cast, ensuring that it is now thoroughly decorated.

‘You won’t hurt me. There’s a pillow propping it up so I’ll be okay.’ You assure her, already shifting to the side of your hospital bed to make space for her.

It takes you lifting the covers and staring at her expectantly for her to tentatively settle down beside you.

‘I missed you.’ You mumble into her shoulder.

‘Ich liebe dich.’ Feli promises and you give a contented sigh once you bury your face into her neck.

Inhaling deeply, you begin leaving little kisses on her tanned skin.

Your girlfriend lets out a soft moan.

‘Liebling…now’s not the time or the place.’ She breathily says.

Drawing back slightly, you sheepishly mumble, ‘Sorry.’

Felicitas carefully scoots closer to you, so that your back is pressed against her.

She kisses your shoulder, pushing your hospital gown to the side so that she has access to a larger expanse of skin.

‘Feli this isn’t fair.’

Your voice is tight and it’s taking every ounce of your self control not to turn around and kiss her silly.

‘I thought you said that this isn’t the time or the place?’

‘I’m sorry.’ Your girlfriend apologises but you can feel her smile against your shoulder so you know that she isn’t sorry at all.

Felicitas presses another kiss onto your skin and you audibly groan, ‘My love you’re supposed to be sleeping.’

‘Soon. But first I need you to know.’

‘Know what?’

‘You win the bet. I’m yours.’

You smile, turning to face her with some difficulty.

Your girlfriend’s smile matches yours and you can’t resist tracing her dimple with your finger. It makes Feli smile wider.

‘I had a plan but it’s got to wait a while.’

‘What did you have in mind?’ Feli asks curiously.

You blush furiously and quietly admit, ‘I wanted to fuck you in the shower.’

Your girlfriend giggles.

‘Shower sex? Liebling, that's what you want?’

‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Don’t feel like you owe me anything, especially sex.’ You quickly tell her.

‘Liebling no. I want to. I just- You didn’t have to make a bet to have sex with me. In the shower or anywhere else. It’s actually kind of hot.’ Feli murmurs.

She brushes a feather light kiss against your nose.

‘You’re really hot and I kinda sorta am always at least a little turned on by you.’ Your girlfriend happily confesses.

Your eyes widen and your blush that you don’t think can get any darker, does.

‘How about this? When your ankle heals, you can fuck me in the shower as many times as you’d like. But when we get back home, as your ankle is healing, I’ll give you the shower sex that you want.’

‘Really?’

‘I promise liebling.’

‘Okay. Now I’m really looking forward to getting home.’ You breathe.

‘Me too.’ Feli agrees.

You can’t resist kissing her affectionately.

Her eyes shine a little and you find yourself kissing her again, whispering against her lips, ‘Felicitas it wasn’t your fault okay? It was an accident.’

‘Okay.’ Feli quietly answers.

‘I mean it.’ You emphasise, wanting your girlfriend to know that she doesn’t have to blame herself.

She gives you a tiny nod in response, ‘I know you do.’

‘Are you gonna sleep okay? I’ll be here if you have nightmares…’

Your girlfriend exhales in surprise. There’s no way you could know that unless Sara had told you.

And her friend had.

When Feli had been distracted earlier, Sara had taken full advantage and confided in you that when she brought a change of clothes for your girlfriend, Feli had admitted that she could not sleep without hearing your scream of pain.

Her guilt ridden nightmares are the main reason for the dark circles under her eyes and you needed to help her see that she had absolutely no reason to feel guilty.

Feli takes your hand in hers, ‘I won’t. I know I didn’t mean to injure you and I know that you aren’t angry at me. It wasn’t my fault but I will definitely be working on my slide tackles from now on.’

‘Good.’ You whisper, giving her another kiss.

You try to pour all your love for her into it, needing her to know how much she means to you.

Felicitas must feel it because she sighs into your mouth, her entire body relaxing.

She wraps her strong arms around you, letting you find comfort in her embrace and in her effortless ability to make you feel safe.

And loved. So incredibly loved.

The painkillers have eased the throbbing pain in your injured ankle but it’s Feli’s presence that helps you get through the remaining ache.

Your girlfriend takes in a deep breath, soaking in the moment.

It’s brought to an end by her yawning loudly.

She tries to stifle it but fails, the resulting tinge of pink on her cheekbones making you giggle.

‘Love, get some sleep please.’ You instruct and Feli huffs a laugh, kissing your forehead protectively before finally, finally letting her eyes slip close.

******

If she spends the flight home thinking about how best to pin you against the bathroom wall and fuck you gently with her fingers, all while making sure that you keep your weight off your injured ankle and are in no danger of slipping, well she would just say that she’s being thorough with her preparation.

German Translation:

liebling - love

ich liebe dich - i love you

#feli rauch #felicitas rauch #felicitas rauch imagine #felicitas rauch x reader #feli rauch x reader #feli rauch imagine #dfb frauen imagine #dfb frauen x reader #gerwnt x reader #gerwnt imagine #vfl wolfsburg frauen x reader #vfl wolfsburg frauen imagine #woso x reader #woso imagines #woso imagine #katelynnwrites #woso #uswnt imagine #uswnt x reader

[leveloneandup]

Emily Sonnett (left) can only watch on as Christen Press finds joy in bending the ball into the back of the net | Georgia Soares

[I]n the Northeast of the United States, another photograph that Soares holds dear is of Christen Press scoring her first NWSL regular season goal for Angel City FC, at Audi Field, in 2022.

"I will never stop talking about the Christian Press picture, because that picture really really changed my life, like photography-wise," said Soares. "I always say that I was in the right moment at the right time, for the goal. Because I was never able to get another goal like that ever again."

Soares' gift for composition comes out this photo, as all the components to frame a spectacular goal come together and interact. Striker, goalkeeper, defender, ball, post, net, pitch, fans, grass, sun, air, and magic. You name it, it's in the photo.

In particular, it is the juxtaposition of the expression on Press' own face with that of the defender, Emily Sonnett, and goalkeeper, Aubrey Kingsbury. The playful cheek to pull of such a technical strike, at the expense of the opposition, is conveyed beautifully. Soares captures it expertly.

"That picture is very special for me. I love the picture. Especially because it was her first coming back to the NWSL, and then after that, she got injured. That picture holds a really good place for me."

Source: Squad Depth

#christen press #angel city fc

[canichangemyblogname]

People need to realize the label "terrorist" is, more often than not, a political label. When you point this out, people often accuse you of terrorism apologia, but it's actually quite the opposite.

If we were to- say- define a "terrorist group" as "a non-governmental organization that violently targets civilian populations as a tactic to score political points, often relying on 'propaganda by deed,'" many more people and groups would be included under this definition. It would rightfully exclude the Ukrainian military as it engages directly with the Russian military, in direct contrast to Russia's rhetoric, while it would rightfully include groups like the KKK, which has been excluded from official terrorist organization lists.

It is not a perfect definition, but it is one of many working definitions proposed to counteract current political labeling. Current political definitions and usage often result in organizations like the PLO being included on the list for a year before the US government waived it or non-violent protesters in Georgia, USA, being hit with the label. It also leaves out several groups of violent extremists, providing them with more of an air of legitimacy and more discretion in their operations than those groups with the label.

Labeling a group as a "terrorist" group often legally allows a government, like the US government, to heavily surveil the group's members, freeze group and member assets, imprison group members, and engage with the group militarily. The label also often serves to justify any treatment of group members under a government's authority, like denying them due process. Some will argue it is a necessary evil. Others will point out how many men have been released from places like Guantanamo without charge. Or how the US "No-Fly" list appears to racially profile people and primarily target Muslims.

As long as labeling a group "terrorist" allows a government to legally circumvent certain rights, like that of a free and speedy trial, it will be used politically and ideologically, often against civilian separatists and opposition to the state, as we see in Georgia's Stop Cop City protests. But the US is not the only country that does this. Nor is it the only country primarily focusing on Islamic Extremism to the detriment of National security and democracy.

"Terrorism" is the pretext, but involvement in "terror"-related occupation has objectives other than stamping out terrorism. Just as there are socio-political gains in labeling common Georgian protesters as "terrorists," there are geo-political gains in the primary focus on Islamic fundamentalism and violence, like an unwavering international gaze on the Islamic world and multiple different military occupations in the Islamic world. If people's gut assumption is that Muslim = terrorist, they won't think twice about something like US military strategies in the Islamic world. It has led to 30% of Republicans and 19% of Democrats supporting things like the bombing of the fictional nation of Agrabah in polls. It has also led to US militarized counterterrorism in 85 countries worldwide with limited Congressional oversight and next to no public knowledge.

When I point this out, most people like to straw-man my argument to assume my goal is to let listed terrorist organizations prance around and kill people indiscriminately. The goal is not the absence of justice, but strengthening protections for the accused so a label is not an automatic guilty sentence. No government or military should simply be able to invade another to play judge, jury, and executioner on the people of that country. Morally. They also shouldn't be able to justify suspending due process for anyone. It sets a precedent.

Additionally, the goal is not to let a terrorist organization operate without impunity, but to admit that the "War on Terror" was a failure, in large part due to its violent and indiscriminate strategies. That is the second thing people need to realize.

This theoretical war against this nebulous force has been nasty, brutish, and long. It has also been ineffective. The "War on Terror" has only contributed to more violence and extremism worldwide. In fact, terror-related incidents have increased fivefold worldwide since 2001. The number of existing terror groups is at the highest level since 1980, and they've seen their numbers swell. And they have become increasingly transnational.

We've learned that it is impossible to win any terror-related "conflict" without destabilizing a nation or region. It is impossible to win any terror-related "conflict" without inflicting a tremendous number of civilian casualties, especially due to modern governments' aggressive military strategies. It is also impossible to win. Period. You cannot defeat terrorism. An organization, sure (although only about 7% of terror organizations have been quelled by military action). Terrorism itself? No. Mostly due to the diversity, scope, and decentralization of the threat. It is simply not possible to eliminate armed terror groups through the use of force and armies. It's quite literally counterintuitive.

The Hot War on Terror replaced the Cold War on Communism. And leading powers in the Global North are repeating the same failed tactics they used between 1950-1990. An overemphasis on military force to achieve state goals (most terror planning *does not* take place in a dedicated physical location, which military force primarily addresses). Neglecting non-military instruments of statecraft (terrorism is a tactic, not an ideology, so you can't "war" against a tactic). Focusing so narrowly on military action, you practically ignore other foreign-policy goals (like economic and political stability, anti-corruption, and nation-building because terrorist groups thrive in instability and disaffection). Creating the state's enemies of the future (see: arming Afghan rebels to fight the Soviets). And disowning and contradicting their country's own stated moral values to achieve its goals abroad.

Declaring war on terror is nothing short of a forever war. It ends only when counterterrorism measures stretch governments so thin they collapse.

#international relations #tw: terrorism #tw: long post

[misery-has-no-company-now]

i doubt you do but do you have any crumbs of sippi angst,,,…,.;.

Eeeee sureee

I can make crumbs of angst for any state so don't worry about that (:

He sometimes blames himself for the high crime rates in some of his cities - though the cities themselves tell him not to be - since it's his people so he thinks it's his fault [poor baby] and feels his inability to stop it makes him a terrible state

Everyone just assumes that because his state is poor, it means he can't do anything right [though most of the south knows otherwise] so they kind of assume he can't do anything with government funding and they think he's just lazy [poor guy works harder than a lot of them] so all that makes him very sad ):

With the exception of the south and some of the NE states, many states just think that he would want something from him if they were his friend [speaking from the experience of one of my friends who grew up poor and couldn't just many friends because so many people just assumed she would use them to get the things she didn't have the money for] so they avoid him and because he's one of the few states that don't have more than a few friends or so who are not from his region (as in the south) and that too he is the only one of those states who isn't like that by choice, he can sometimes feel very lonely and gets upset that he can't be - as per what he thinks - as good as everyone else is.

Sometimes he considers himself useless and a failure whenever he sees a state-wise ranking score and he is usually in the lowest because he feels he'll never be good enough and that he shouldn't be the personification of a state since he can't do anything right [Loui, Georgia, and Texas have tried to hug these negative thoughts out of him, but it usually comes creeping back every time he sees himself in the dead last of something good - especially stuff related to education because he really loves children and feels sad that he isn't able to do more for them.

I don't have more right now, but I hope this will suffice, and I'm so sorry for how long it took me to answer this 😭😭

#welcome to the table #wttt #wttt mississippi

[alexiabae]

BROWNIE; lucy bronze x fem!reader PT.1

Summary: in which lucy called reader brownie.

Warnings: fluff.

Note: English is not my first language.

not my gif.

"Brownie! Do you want play fifa with me?" Lucy came to the play room, putting herself behind the sofa, putting her hands there.

Y/N rolls her eyes and turned her gaze from her book, looking at the old player.

"You want that I play because I'm bad on it." Y/N mumbled.

Lucy leaned her elbows on the sofa and give her an innocent smile.

"Pleaaasee!" Lucy begged, making a brief pout.

Once again Y/N rolled her eyes. "Fine." She mumbled, putting something for the page she is reading and closed the book, putting it on top of the table.

"Yay! Let's go." The defender says, extending her arm towards Y/N, who accepts and they walk to another different zone of the room where Leah, Keira and Georgia are. "Move, Walsh! I found someone else to play against." She said to her girlfriend.

Keira gave Y/N a small smile and move to another sofa, near of them. Y/N sat down where Keira was before, next to Leah and grabs the play command.

"We trust you." Leah patted, giving her a reassuring smile.

"You do bad on trust me." Y/N muttered, Georgia snorted, who later let out a whine when Leah hits her. Y/N painted a smug smile on her lips and looked at Georgia. "How much games do you won?" She asked at her.

"One." Georgia muttered, earning a snort from Leah.

"Shut up. Y/N choose team." Lucy command, she chose team, Manchester City. So Y/N changes the league and decided choose Manchester United. "Spicy, I like it." The defender muttered.

"United forever." Y/N muttered, looking briefly at Lucy, who rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Even if you play for Chelsea?" Lucy comments, singsong.

"Even." Y/N said confidently at them. They laugh to Y/N's antics. "Also you signed for Barça, so don't tease me about it." She comments.

"And you will be signing for Arsenal, silly." Keira points out, chuckling.

"Yeah Keira, that you will play forever for Manchester City, we got it." Y/N teases her, earning laughs from they all, including Keira.

"Focus on the game, Y/L/N." The midfielder said, laughing.

The game started, the first possession of the ball for Lucy. Y/N bite her lower lip concentrate, trying to defend the first attack from the rival team.

"You have improved." Lucy comments. "Usually I scored soon when I play against you." The brunette teases Y/N.

"Well, Erin, Pernille and Sam teach me. So for their patient with me, it's the less I can do, stop the ball when the opponent shoot." Y/N said, biting softly her tongue between her teeth.

"Hey, I teach you too." Leah intervenes by her side.

"Yeah, and if you complain we need mention Jordan too." Y/N muttered, smiling softly when she almost score a goal. "The next time I will score." She threatened jokingly at Lucy.

"We will see it." The defender said.

Y/N turned to look at Leah and Georgia, they have a playful smile on their faces. So Y/N made a brief pout.

"You don't trust me?" She said to the pair.

"You are playing better than last time we played. So I have a brief hope that you win." Georgia admitted, patting Y/N's shoulder.

"If you say that I'm better playing FIFA than Jordan, I will choose you." Leah smugly said.

Y/N made a pensative face while she plays, her thumbs moving the joystick.

"You two are good at it. But right now Jord is not here, so I choose you, Leah. I hope you do a good job on cheering on me." Lucy paused the game, making Y/N furrow looking at her. She have her head down. "What are you doing?" Y/N asks.

Lucy raised her head and she was giggling, just like Keira, Georgia and Leah.

"Stop making comments please. You are distracting me." Lucy whines, unpausing the game and playing again.

Y/N made an indignant face. "It's not my fault that you encounter my comments funny." She said, taking the ball from her and going to her goal.

Lucy growls when Y/N scored the first goal. This one was in shock looking the screen while the play repeat. Alongside them, the three girls cheer loudly at Y/N.

"Babe! You are supposed to cheer on me, not Brownie." Lucy complain, looking at her girlfriend.

Keira rolls her eyes, hugging her for the shoulders. "Lu, she scored her first goal. Let her enjoy it." The midfielder muttered, kissing her cheek.

"Yes, Lucy. Leave me enjoy it. Also I told you, the next time I approach your goal I score and BUM, I did it." Y/N said, dancing on the spot where she is sitting.

"Whatever." The brunette mumbled, already annoyed that she is losing another game and with the person that it's worse in this videogame.

"Don't be mad at me, Bronze. You wanted me play, so right now I winning, and if I win... I'm better stay quiet." Y/N said in a low voice when Lucy gazes her in form of warning, knowing very well the next words that she could use, so Y/N choose another words.

"Where is your boyfriend? I call him to take you out of here if you win this match." Lucy threatened jokingly.

"I don't know, we are not together, so knowing him, he is working on that hotel where he started on January." Y/N muttered, her jaw clenching a little with the mention of her ex boyfriend.

The four stayed quiet, Y/N could feel their gazes on her, less Lucy, who is playing too.

"When did you break up?" Georgia asks kindly.

Y/N made a grimace with her mouth, shrugging her shoulders. "Two months and half."

"That long?" Leah speaks this time. "Why do not you tell me before?" She hugged Y/N for her shoulders, leaning her head there.

"Because it doesn't hurt at the moment or right now. The relationship was broken for a long time." Y/N confessed, scoring another goal, again she is surprised that it happened.

This time Lucy looks at her with a sympathetic smile. "But are you okay?" She asks gently.

Y/N erased the smile, nodding with her head to her question.

"Y/N..." Keira warned her, knowing the girl from a long time, she knew when she is lying.

"Really, I'm fine. I just feel a little resentment towards him. The hypocrital promised things and later he sleep with another woman. But surprisingly it didn't hurt too much, so enough of asking please." Y/N said in a serious tone.

Y/N saw how Lucy's eyes darkened with the mention of him cheating on her. She looked to Keira, the same look on her eyes.

"I'm fine girls. Don't mind this subject." Y/N said, unpausing the game once again.

"That moron..." Leah mumbled angry, still hugging her.

"I think Beth will be happy to hear that Y/N is single." Georgia said, trying to change the subject.

Y/N snorted. Actually she knew about the crush that the blonde has on her. Well, they always have a flirting friendship, but it intensify when Beth broke with Daan.

"I don't like women, sorry." Y/N hummed, her gaze focusing on the player that she is attacking Lucy's goal.

"Are you sure?" Leah said in a suggestive tone of voice, making Y/N laughs.

"You are the last to try on it. I saw you like a friend and if I like girls, you aren't my type." Y/N admitted. She heard how Georgia and Keira laughed, probably for Leah's reaction at this.

"Yeah? And who could be your type?" Leah asks indignant.

"I don't know, I never thought about it. Maybe Fran, her features are super cute. And she is smart." Leah punched her arm.

"I'm smart too. And I'm beautiful." The blonde said.

"Why is she taking it personally?" Y/N asks rhetorically at the others three.

"It's Leah. She didn't accept a no for an answer." Keira comments, snickering.

Y/N bite her lower lip, pressing the circle button to center the ball and later press quadrate. She stood up and raised her hands up.

"YEEEES! What happened Bronze? I can't hear you." Y/N teases, looking at her. She walked towards Lucy and sat down on her lap.

Lucy looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You having luck, that's all." She muttered.

"I can't believe that I'm not her type..." Leah mumbled. Y/N rolls her eyes, letting out a smile that only Keira and Lucy saw, making the women laugh.

•••

The first friendly before the Euro against Belgium, they won. Y/N doesn't play that game, but she cheered her teammates from the stands, like the others who didn't played too or was subbed off. When Beth came from a substitution, she sat down next to her.

Then they have some days off before the next friendly match with the Netherlands. Y/N traveled to her hometown, in Manchester. Coming back two days later to St. George Park.

The first training session after the little break, it was more intense, but Y/N feels like if something happened without knowing what exactly was. Her roomie that week was Leah, and Y/N noticed that she was a little tense, her clenched jaw delate it. That and that Y/N knew very well her. But Y/N doesn't asks what it's happening, so she just joked with Beth and Rachel.

That night, Y/N woke up with noises from their teammates from the next room. With her eyes narrowed, she noticed that Leah was awake, looking the wall in front of her.

"Leah?" Y/N called her in a raspy voice. But her friend turned to look at her and put her index finger on her lips, indicating that she needs be quiet.

Y/N reincorporated frowning on her bed, leaning her back on the headboard, just like Leah. They are like that a while, Y/N wasn't listening to anything and when she was to speak again, she hear it.

"I'M DONE, LUCY! I CAN'T ANYMORE. YOU SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME. BUT ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?! BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO ANOTHER CLUB, AGAIN. I DON'T STOP YOU, I DIDN'T IT BEFORE AND I DON'T DO IT NOW. BUT YOU ARE THE ONE, WHO PRESSED ME TO STAY IN THE SAME CLUB." Y/N hear Keira's voice. Her usually raspy voice was more broken, her anger was most present on every word that she pronounce.

"I'M SORRY, OKAY? AND I LOVE YOU, THAT IS WHY I'M COME BACK! BUT I DON'T FEEL GOOD, IT'S NOT FEEL LIKE BEFORE. YOU KNOW IT AND I KNOW IT." Lucy shouted back.

Y/N looked at Leah, and she saw how the blonde was biting her lip with an anguish face.

"THAT IS ALL? THIS IS OUR FINAL?" Keira questioned, after that Y/N heard silence until someone slammed the next door.

"I'm going with Keira." Leah let her roomie know in a deep voice. Y/N watch how her friend stood up and grabbed a pair of shoes and kissing Y/N's cheek, she went away.

Y/N bite her lip and stood up too, she didn't puts her shoes on or grabbed her phone. She only grab her key card and get out from her room. Y/N turned to the left and walking briefly, she stood up on the door, knocking softly the door.

"It's me Lucy." Y/N said kindly, knowing that probably her teammate wanted be alone. But the woman behind that door, opened it. Y/N watches how a lot of tears rolled for Lucy's cheeks. "Lucy..." Y/N whispered, hugging the woman immediately.

She pushed her softly inside of the room and closed the door with her foot.

"I-Its don-ne. W-we break u-up." Lucy said between sobs.

Y/N remained silent, just hugging her and letting Lucy will vent, not minding her now wet t-shirt. The defender hugged her tightly, hiding her head on her neck.

"I'm sorry Brownie, I'm better now. You should probably go, it's late." Lucy said after a long time, separating from the hug cleaning her dry tears from her cheeks.

"I don't care about the hour. If you need me I'm here. Do you want stay with me? I'm sure Leah won't go back to sleep tonight." Y/N proposed.

"It's fine. I will stay with Rach, I'm sure she will be okay with it." Lucy muttered, giving Y/N a lipped smile.

"I'm no going to pressure you, but if you change your mind, you know." Y/N said, hugging a last time the defender and going out after give her a short pat on the shoulder.

Y/N walked to her room and watch how a few of her teammates run to their rooms. The player rolled her eyes.

"I have seen you." Y/N hummed, watching how Beth, Georgia and Ellie showed their head from the bedroom where they hide. Y/N walked towards them.

"Is she okay?" Beth was the first in asking.

"She will be." Y/N muttered, leaning in the door frame.

"Leah is with Keira, right?" Georgia asks this time. Y/N nodded.

"Since Leah is with her, you will be alone. Do you want I stay tonight with you?" Beth suggest, leaning in the door frame too, crossing her arms.

Georgia and Ellie snorted by their side.

Y/N let out a playful smile.

"You can stay, but with a condition." Y/N said, raising her index finger to Beth's face, who nods excited. "Give me a lot of cuddles."

"Deal." The striker said with a big smile. "Ladies, have a good night." She said goodbye to the other two while she passed her left arm around Y/N's shoulders, starting walk to her room.

Y/N laughs with her antics and said goodbye to the other two, who was teasing Beth. She opened the door with her key card and enter inside with the blonde behind her. She lie down on her bed and opened her arms towards Beth, who closed the door and took off her shoes and lay down next to her, accepting Y/N's embrace.

•••

The day to play against Netherlands came and the mood was a little better, just a little.

Keira and Lucy broke up and all of them found it at the same time thanks to they two. So, Keira asks Y/N if she could change of room with her, and of course the mentioned accept.

Lucy sleep with Y/N every night the rest of that week. It started when the first night Y/N saw how Lucy cried trying hard to hide her sobs and Y/N lie down next to her, holding the woman between her arms. Their bond get more stronger since some of them kept apart Keira and Lucy and few of them stay separately with them. Leah of course stayed with Keira, after all was her best friend and Y/N stayed with Lucy, trying distract her with some stupid fifa games or reading her the book she was reading or sometimes she let Lucy grabs her hand and let her play with her rings while she spoke with Rachel, who was with Lucy too.

When they approached the empty stadium where they are play, Y/N is sitting next to Leah, dedicating some time alone since everything happened.

"Well, captain. Let's go to win." Y/N said, standing up and extending a hand towards her.

Leah grabs her hand with a big smile and stood up. "Let's go."

They walked out of the bus hand in hand, letting it out when they saw the camera man, not wanting the fans speculate about them, though Y/N didn't mind if they speculate or not. So they walked side by side inside of the stadium, going to the locker room.

Y/N went to the bench with her number and let her things there, she was between Beth Mead and Alex Greenwood. She grabs her headphone and went outside with some of them. When they are outside, they saw that the Netherlands squad was there divided into small groups.

"Do you want meet your new teammate?" Beth asked at Y/N, signaling with her head to where a tall blonde was approaching them.

"I think that I don't have option." Y/N muttered, smiling timidly to the new person when she finally approached them.

"Hi!" She greeted them, then she turned towards Beth and hugs her. "Ready to lose Mead?" She asks teasingly, separating from the hug and hugging Leah.

Beth snorted. "You wish that we lose. But I'm ready. By the way, she is Y/N. Our new member club." She introduced her to the blonde.

"I know who she is Beth, we played against each other. But nice to meet you. I'm Vivianne but you can call me Viv." The Dutch said, hugging the girl briefly.

Beth rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "I know that we played against her. But you don't meet her properly, so I just making the introductions."

"What's up babes?" Another tall blonde came behind Viv, hugging Leah.

"You are tanned." Her friend blonde comments, separating from the hug and inspecting her. The blonde Dutch laughs, shrugging.

"Look Jill, one of your crushes will be playing the next season with us." Beth said, exposing at her ex teammate.

Y/N saw how Jill blushed, looking at Y/N and later Beth, at this one look badly. Leah and Fran snicker by their side.

"Beth!" The blonde whined, punching Beth's arm hard. "Please, ignore her." Jill muttered smiling shyly, looking at Y/N.

Y/N had her cheeks red too, but she shakes her head softly. "If it makes feel good, Beth have a crush on me too." She delated her friend, shrugging.

"Y/N!" This time Beth whined, her freckled face turning red.

Jill and Y/N laughed. The new Arsenal player extended a hand towards Jill, who accepts it.

"She likes boys, Roord. So I recommend you don't get your hopes up with her." Beth comments, passing her left arm around Y/N's shoulders.

"Well, I don't mind if I need try with someone like her." Y/N muttered, blushing a little more, just like Jill, but she painted a smug smile and looked at Beth.

Leah turned frowning towards Y/N. "Is she your type?" She asked offended, with her hands on her pockets.

Fran and Y/N snickered, looking each other knowingly what would happen next.

Y/N made a gesture with her mouth and nodded. Leah gasps.

"We are blondes! Why am I not your type?" The defender points out.

"Because I saw you like a friend!" Y/N exclaimed, moving her hands to made her point.

"Accept it, Williamson." Jill patted Leah's shoulder, laughing when the blonde removed it.

"Aww, is Leah sad?" Beth teases her friend too.

"Shut up, Beth. You aren't her type too." Leah bite back, giving her a smug smile.

Beth's smile disappear slowly, processing her words and when she processed turned to look at Y/N pouting.

"Don't be so mean with her." Y/N scolded at her friend, passing her arms around Beth's neck and putting her hands on her head, pushing her head towards hers. "Ignore her, she is jealous." She muttered at Beth.

Leah rolls her eyes and started talk with Fran, Viv and Jill.

Keira joined Beth and Y/N's hug and leaned her head on top of them. "It's time to annoy Leah? I'm in."

"Thank you so much, friend." Leah emphasized the word friend. Keira went towards the blonde and hugged her arm, leaning her head on her shoulder. The blonde remained her hands on her pockets.

"Well, we are going. It's time to prepare." Viv said. "Nice to meet you, new teammate. Good luck." She hugged all of them briefly and went away with Jill, who waved with her hand at them.

"Why are you frowning?" Keira asks at Leah.

"Because Y/N said that Roord could be her type." Fran comments, laughing.

"C'mon, accept it." The midfielder muttered, taking her away from them.

The three stayed looking how their teammates approached another zone while they talk.

"She will be mad when she find out." Fran hummed, going with Millie and Rachel.

Beth looked at Y/N curiously.

"I like girls too." Y/N confessed shyly.

Beth painted a big smile on her face.

"I know that my attempts were not in vain." The striker said, kissing her cheek reassuringly. "Then, you have a crush on Leah or not."

Y/N blushed. "Before. Right now I was telling the truth." She admitted, the pair starting walk inside again.

"Right now I understand Fran. She will be mad." Beth said, agreeing with Fran's words.

•••

The match went incredibly amazing. Y/N played the full 90th minutes, helping to her teammates to score. It was amazing how England started losing and then win the match for 5 - 1.

When Lucy scored that beautiful goal, she was the first to run towards her, jumping on her arms. Also she saw the gesture she made with her hands and laugh.

"You are the best." Y/N said in her ear.

Lucy grabs the girl on her arms and let out a soft laugh when she heard what her friend told her.

"It was a center." Lucy simply said, putting the girl on the ground, hugging her with a few members too. Y/N kissed her neck briefly and went away, not noticing how Lucy swallowed hard and bite her lip, looking how she left.

After the match, they all went to the locker room to celebrate a little. Y/N was enjoying it and noticed that Leah was a little quiet, so she decided grabs her arm and move to another part more silently.

"It's everything okay?" Y/N asks, hugging Leah for her waist and leaning her head on her shoulder.

Leah doesn't answer right away. She puts her arms around Y/N's middle and leaned her head on hers, letting out a stressed sigh.

"This week has been crazy. And this match, like every other was important, but without disparage the others rivals, Netherlands was a good rival to see how truly we are. I have an eye on Keira too... I need talk with Lucy and I miss pass time with you. I don't know... I just want take a breath without nobody needing me." The blonde whispered, caressing Y/N's back mindlessly.

"Do you want that I spent this night with Keira and you with Lucy?" Y/N proposed.

"Not really... I want spend it with you, forget everything else and laugh without worries. Just like this past times." Leah muttered.

Y/N raised her head, a little confused and worried for Leah's reaction. "Leah... You are a great captain, and I'm sorry that comes the responsibility of making media or holding meetings. You are strong and if you think that you can't, talk with us or Sarina. Because I think that with you, all of us could win whatever tournament that you lead us." She reassured her friend, kissing after her forehead.

"You are the best, Y/N/N." Leah said, smiling sincerely.

Someone behind them cleared her throat, making the pair of friends to turn towards her.

"Sorry to interrupt but Keira and Lucy are arguing." Georgia fastly said, scratching her neck.

Leah let out a sigh and remove her arms from Y/N's middle. Y/N followed her teammates when they started walk towards another room that with every step they could hear their shouts.

The blonde opened it angrily, slamming the door towards the wall, making Lucy and Keira stop shouting. Their faces was red from the angry and madness that they feel.

"Keira! Accompany me now!" Leah ordered leaving the room. Y/N followed with her eyes how Leah turned to the right, Keira going after her and then a door closed.

Y/N looked inside again and saw how defeated Lucy looked. The defender sat down in a bench and miserably let her head down between her arms, passing her hands for her hair, intertwining her hands together.

Georgia and Y/N shared a look. "I'm staying with her Gia... Don't worry." Y/N muttered, side hugging the young girl. She nods and with a last look towards Lucy, left the room.

Y/N walked slowly towards Lucy and sat down by her side, passing an arm about her shoulders, squeezing it.

"I'm so tired..." Lucy whispered after a while, wiping her tears and looking at Y/N. "I love her and hurt me that we finished like that. I never thought about us ending... But I guess I was wrong." The defender said, leaning her head on Y/N's shoulder.

"You two are strong and will remain love and affection, I'm sure that it what need its time." Y/N whispered, reassuring her.

"I hope you are right." Lucy chuckles softly. "For Leah's sake." She added, making laugh at Y/N. Lucy raised her head, giving at her friend a greatful smile. "And thank you, you are always by my side and I know that of the two of us, Keira is your friend."

Y/N shakes her head. "You are my friend too, I don't level all our friendship, then Leah could win." She admitted, making laugh her with the last comment.

"I guess Brownie have preferences." Lucy teases her, squeezing Y/N's knee.

Y/N snickered. "In the past maybe." She muttered, looking away with this confession.

Lucy grabs her chin gently and put it to her direction, her gazes founding each other.

"Well, she have lucky." She simply said, caressing Y/N's chin with her thumb softly.

Y/N focused her eyes on Lucy's face, appreciating her freckles spread across her cheeks. Her smile was painting a small smile, showing her white teeth. The light shine on her eyes and Y/N saw how her colour is blue, rarely Y/N appreciates her color eyes. And she still didn't have put on her piercing on her nose.

She unconsciously leaned slowly towards her lips, pecking it softly. It was a touch but that made Y/N separate immediately, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Lucy! I don't pretending to offend you." Y/N apologies quickly, mentally cursing herself. She stood up abruptly and went towards the door, opening it.

Lucy stood up too and fastly grab her wrist gently with a hand, turning her. "Hey... It's okay. You haven't done anything wrong." The defender whispered, caressing with her thumb Y/N's palm.

"Y-Yes I do! You are crying and then I kissed you! And then you just got out of a relationship. It's bad, really bad." Y/N said in a rush, avoiding Lucy's gaze.

The British grabs Y/N's face between her hands and wipes the tears that started to fall.

"Listen to me." Lucy began to say. "You haven't done anything wrong, okay? If you want, we could talk it another time, more relaxed. But please, don't blame yourself." She said, kissing her forehead lovingly.

Y/N nods slowly, inside her was a mess right now but Lucy managed to calm her down.

"I think I come back with the others." Y/N whispered when Lucy kissed her forehead. The defender nods, patting her shoulder briefly and giving her a reassuring smile.

"I accompany you." Lucy said in a raspy voice.

They walked outside and went towards the locker room, Leah and Keira was there with Georgia and Millie. The captain watches them enter there and when she saw Y/N's red eyes immediately went towards her, worried.

"Hey... What happened?" Leah asks, hugging her.

Y/N stayed quiet, not wanting confess what really happened. When Leah notices that Y/N was not to answer, she separated from the hug, putting both hands on her shoulders and looked her face, before she can asks again, Lucy spoke for Y/N.

"It's my fault Leah. We talk about some personal things and she has unburdened." Lucy added quickly by their side. Leah looked at her suspicious but nodded slow buying, this time, the lie.

That night Y/N stayed with Beth, not wanting see Leah, Keira or Lucy. So she asked Georgia if she can stay with Lucy, for her luck this one accepted.

Beth gets out from the bathroom and went to Y/N's bed, laying down while hug her from behind.

"Is everything okay?" Beth whispered, kissing her shoulder.

"I think I like someone." Y/N whispered back, timidly.

Beth squeezes her side, indicating her that if she could turn around. Y/N did it.

"Who is she?" The blonde asks soft, looking her.

"I wish that it would be you." Y/N said, putting her hands on her face and letting out a muffled sigh.

Beth giggles. "I wish it too." She tried lighten up the mood. "I promise you that I don't be mad." She said sincerely, embracing the girl with an arm.

"I think I like Lucy..." Y/N trailed off, still with her hands on her face, adding a shade of red to her cheeks.

Beth stayed quiet and hugs her more, kissing her head. "It's not a bad thing that you like her. But I can understand how you are feeling."

"I kissed her before." Y/N admitted embarrassed.

"No way!" Beth said laughing. Y/N take off her hands from her face and looked at her with raised eyebrows, holding her laugh. "I'm sorry, but it's funny." She said between laugh.

"I have not found it funny. I felt really bad actually." At this Beth stop laugh, giving her a lipped smile.

"She isn't in a relationship anymore. It's recently but she is single." Beth reassured her friend.

"But Keira is my friend, Beth. I know her since I have sixteen years. And then I kissed her ex. And add that I'm starting liking her." Y/N says, hiding her head on Beth's neck.

"She is your friend, she would understand. Do not go to repress your feelings and put Keira's before yours." Beth reprimand her.

Y/N just sighed, closing her eyes tired.

•••

The next days they have another days off, this time Y/N stayed St. George Park alongside of another teammates.

When the trainings come back, Y/N's mood change. She was more quiet, passing her time with Beth and whatever this one was at the moment. Y/N avoided Leah, Lucy and Keira. At first the blonde let her, but when the third day saw that Y/N was acting the same, she confronts her.

"What happens with you?" Leah questioned, sitting in front of her during lunch time.

Y/N sighed, looking at her. "Meet me tonight here and I tell you everything." Y/N promised her.

Leah nods and grabbed her hand, kissing her palm. At that moment Keira approachs the table, sitting next to Y/N with her plate. The blonde notices how Y/N tensed up a little.

"How is my girl?" Keira asks Y/N, passing an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm fine." Y/N answered quietly, giving her a lipped smile.

Keira looks at Leah questioning, the blonde shrugged and made a gesture that won't ask.

Leah and Keira began a conversation while Y/N eats and listened. Soon Georgia, Rachel and Millie joined them, Y/N saw how Lucy looks at her and when their gazes collided, the defender gifts her a reluctant smile, Y/N looked away with her cheeks reddened.

Leah kicked softly Y/N's leg, calling her attention. Y/N looked to where she is, seeing her eyebrows raised in question mode.

"I finished. I'm going to rest a little before the next training." Y/N said standing up, grabbing her things and going away without waiting for Leah's answer.

Without Y/N knowing, Leah stood up too. At first she was going to talk with Y/N, but then stopped when her gaze found Lucy looking for where Y/N went. So Leah grabs the empty chair next to Lucy and pushed it back and sit.

"I don't know what happened between Y/N and you. But I know that you are involved. Whatever it is, take care of her. Because you knew the reason." Leah said in a deep voice.

Lucy swallowed, looking at her. "Maybe I knew the reason. And believe me when I told you that I'm taking care of her. If you found the reason, I hope you don't freak out and pay your anger with her." Lucy said calmly, raising from her seat and going out too, letting a speechless and confused Leah behind.

Lucy decided go to Y/N and Beth room, knowing that the first was on her room and the blonde was with a few of their teammates. She knocked softly to the door, whispering that it was her.

Y/N opened it, revealing a shy face. Lucy smiled, leaning on the doorframe. "Do you want talk?" Lucy asked softly.

The other shakes her head but opened her door more for Lucy to enter. "No, but I think it was necessary."

Lucy walked inside and closed the door, following Y/N and sat down next to her.

"That kiss rounded your mind, hum?" The brunette asks.

"Yes. Don't you?" Y/N said.

Lucy nods. "It's the only thing I think about." She admitted.

"I'm sorry..." Y/N apologies again, looking the floor.

Lucy gets more closer and put a hand on her knee, squeezing.

"I liked it." The defender confess shyly.

Y/N raised her head and looked at her, seeing Lucy's red cheeks. "Really?"

The brunette nods, affirming once more.

"I guess pass time with you made me realized some hide feelings." Lucy confess.

Y/N bites her lower lip plethoric, hearing what Lucy was telling her.

"Can we cuddle?" Y/N asks shyly, not wanting hear more because maybe the moment would be ruined.

Lucy lays down and opened her arms, inviting Y/N to lie down. And that's what exactly Y/N did, lie down between her arms and letting out a quiet sigh when Lucy wrapped her arms around her.

"I don't know what would happen this summer. Especially in the month of the European Championship, when we are going to be together. But I'm going to get carried away and I hope you too. And if something happen between us, I will receive it with open arms." Lucy whispered, caressing her arm while she speaks.

Y/N raised her gaze towards her, seeing that Lucy did the same. "If something happen between us, I need talk with Keira. I think she deserves know it." Y/N said, playing with Lucy's necklace.

The defender nods. "Of course. And I would do it with you." Y/N smiled when she heard it.

•••

That night Leah waited the last on the dinning room, seeing how their teammates went to sleep or some of them talk on some of their room. Y/N sat down next to the blonde when everyone get out.

"Hi." Y/N greeted, putting her elbow on the table and leaning her head on her hand.

Leah smiles. "Hello." Instead she crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward, looking at her.

"Promise me that you're not going to be mad at me when I tell you everything." Y/N said, making Leah that she needed promise her that.

Leah frowned but nods.

"Okay. A year ago I experienced my first kiss with a woman. It was during a game from Oskar's friends. I think I always knew it, but never accept me, I don't know why. I always had fights with me because... In the past, you attracted me. And it confuse me a lot, it was a point that I don't know if it was friendship or something more. I never commented it with you because I was scared. Right now I know that you never would be mad at me for this, but my teen version have another opinion." Y/N explained calmly.

Leah looked at her perplexed, not knowing very well how to react to this new/old information.

Y/N decided keep talking. "I like Lucy and the last time that Keira and her argued, I kissed her." She said in a low voice. Her gaze turned down, not wanting see Leah's face.

"That's why you avoided us." Leah said after a while. Y/N nods, affirming what she said. "Y/N... In my fucking life I would judge you." The blonde said firm, making her look at Leah surprised. "I liked you on the past too. But I saw you too hetero so I didn't say anything because of fear." Leah snorted at this. "About Lucy, I think deep down knew this. You two have a special bond and she calling you Brownie every time she saw you, didn't help."

Y/N changes her hand for Leah's shoulder. "What about Keira?" She whispered.

"About Keira... I think you need talk with her, something I know you will do. But not matter what happens, you'll have my support." Leah gave her opinion, knowing that Keira would support or hate her.

"See why you are the best captain ever?" Y/N raised her head, putting her hands on Leah's face and spreading kisses for her face, making the blonde giggles.

The next encounter against Switzerland, they won. Y/N played fifty minutes, not really bad her performance. And like that last friendly soon came the first match of the Euro against Austria.

It was emotional. Y/N was starting that match and she was next to Beth when the anthems sound. When it was England's turn, all the British people sang the anthem, it was magical.

Y/N played the full 90th minutes. Her presence in the midfielder was spectacular, her connection with Keira and Georgia made it easy. When Beth scored, Y/N jumped on her back, screaming how proud of her she is. They won just by a goal, but enough for them to win the first three points.

In the second match against Norway, it was a show by England. Y/N once again played the full 90th minutes, participating on two assist that help Beth and Ellen White to score. In every hug that they have everytime that one of them scored, Lucy always hugged Y/N from behind, sometimes kissing her neck. Leah notices it and sometimes help distracting Keira or putting herself between the pair and her friend.

After that game, Lucy and Y/N pass more time together. It was simple meetings. Y/N teases Lucy during Fifa's games or Lucy enjoying the silence when Y/N was reading, sometimes she asked her if she could read loud to her.

Since the next day was the last game of the group stage, against North Ireland, they travel to the city that they will play. That night Lucy was Y/N's roomie, something that neither of them complain.

"You think that we could win this tournament?" Y/N asks in a small voice during the process to get sleep.

Lucy turned towards her even if the dorm was dark. "I think we can do it." She admitted. Biting her lip, she thought if she stays on her bed or go to Y/N's.

Y/N hummed, moving herself in the bed. "I'm nervous." She said after a while.

Lucy chuckles and stood up, going to her bed. "Move, I'm going to help Brownie get some sleep."

Y/N whines when she heard how Lucy referred at her. "I don't know why you call me like that." She muttered, settling better when the other lay down next to her.

Lucy snorted. "Simple. The first time I saw you, you was eating a brownie."

"And so simple." Y/N mumbled, earning a pat from Lucy on her ass. "Hey!"

"Next time think better." The defender muttered, hugging her from the waist, leaning her head on top of her head.

"If we win tomorrow, I probably pass out from the emotion I would feel." Y/N said dramatically, earning the laugh from the other.

"If you pass out I will save you." Lucy whispered.

"How? Giving me air to my lungs?" Y/N joked.

"Maybe." Y/N swallowed when hear her said it in a deep voice. She puts her right hand on her cheek and closing the distance, she pressed her lips against her.

Lucy puts her hands on her waist immediately, bringing her closer. Y/N leaned her head to aside to give her more access to kiss her properly.

"You feel good?" Lucy asks after kiss some time.

"Yes. I think that we need go to sleep." Y/N said, Lucy agreeing with her.

"Goodnight Brownie." She whispered, kissing this time her forehead.

"Goodnight The Best." Lucy laughs at this.

•••

England passed like leaders. They would play against Spain, a hard match. It would be complicated but not impossible.

Y/N was sit down in her bench, she will start this game too. Leah was stood up giving them a brief but effective speech.

"Let's go, girls! Show them that we are playing in home!!" Leah finished, clapping.

They followed her actions and soon they all was standing up in the tunnel alongside the Spanish players.

Lucy approachs Y/N to wish her luck, giving her a hug and a kiss on her cheek.

"I'm playing by your side. I think I have plenty of luck." Y/N jokes, giving her a pat on her arm.

The defender smiled, slapping her ass playfully. Lucy walks to the last line, founding Keira's eyes on her. She cleared her throat and moves her gaze, positioning herself behind her. For her luck, they walked to the pitch, the public giving them the welcome.

After hear anthems, choose part and give support to each other, they all positioned themselves in their positions.

England's players knew from the start that they would have the ball, so they studied some different methods. The principal mistake of Spain this tournament was that they conceived a goal in the first minutes of the game. It happened against Finland and against Germany, with Denmark they have more luck and not conceived a goal. But this time, England joined to score a goal from the beginning, starting the illusion and the desire of the public.

It started from Mary Earps, who passed the ball to Leah. Y/N made the uncheck that the blonde saw immediately, so in a long ball that fell to Y/N's feet, she dribbled Irene and after Mapi León, who almost take off the ball, but Y/N won the battle and then was the goalkeeper, she saw that Sandra Paños was a little out of position so Y/N bounced the ball into the goal.

Y/N ran towards the stands happily, her teammates following her. Georgia was the first to reach her and after Beth that jumped on her back. Leah grabs Y/N's face between her hands and smiling widely she kissed her nose, hugging her later.

Keira patted her head with affection, instead Lucy waited for their teammates to separate and hugs her, telling her how proud she feels towards her.

"It's not like that goal that you scored against Netherlands, but something it's something." Y/N said, hugging Lucy back.

"Shut up. It's was beautiful too." The defender comments, separating from the hug.

When Lucy walked to the initial position she saw that Keira was once again, looking at her. She made a mental note that she needs talk with her after.

The match finished with surprisingly England's lost. Spain scored two goals, one in the first half from Patri Guijarro and the second in the second half from Athenea del Castillo, someone that Lucy had nightmares from the past encounter in February and this game wouldn't be different.

Spain passed to the semi-finals against Sweden and Germany against France.

England's players watch how Spanish players celebrate the victory, Patri Guijarro was the MVP of that match.

Y/N was laying down in the pitch, crying watching how the opposite team was celebrating. Leah approached her, sitting there with her.

"We give everything." The blonde whispered, leaning her elbow on Y/N's leg.

Y/N bites her lip, feeling how her tears was rolling down for her cheeks. Keira approachs them, bending down and wiping Y/N's tears.

"Maybe it's not time to say it, but if it make you feel better, I did it." Keira started said in a more than usual raspy voice. "I know that Lucy and you have something. I noticed it a few days. Today I confirmed and I want to say that it hurt me but I'm nobody to say that you can't start something with Lucy." Keira says, still wiping her tears.

Leah looked at her proudly, so she patted her back letting her know that.

Y/N opened her eyes and with a blurry vision saw how the midfielder was giving her a painful but reassuring smile.

"We only kiss." Y/N whispers embarrassed. "We are getting carried away."

"That's good." Keira whispered back, leaning her head and kissing her forehead. Then she went towards Leah to hug her and went away, inside of the stadium.

"What happened?" Y/N asks Leah unsure.

"Friendship." The blonde simply said, standing up and extending her hands towards Y/N, who accept it.

•••

October 2022

Lucy was going to play a Champions League game group stage against Manchester United. It was the second game of the group and the first leg that it was in Manchester.

They was going to the stadium in a concentrate mood, maybe they shared some words, but little.

Lucy's phone sounded indicating that someone sent her a text. She unblock and a smile appears on her face when read the name.

Brownie

Good luck The Best! I'm not gonna lie. If you win it hurt me because your rival it's MU and you know that it's the team I support since I was little.

I wish I could be there! But tomorrow I will play against Real Madrid in Madrid, so all the luck for you and your teammates! I will be cheering you from the distance!

Y/N xo.

"Who made you smile like that?" Fridolina Rolfö asks curious. She was sitting on the bus next to the defender.

Lucy shakes her head, smiling like a fool. "It's complicated. She is someone special but we have not leveled our relationship." She explained timidly.

Frido laughs softly. "If that someone makes you smile like that, it's something obvious. But it's cool that you two take your times." The blonde reassured her, giving a lipped smile to the defender.

Lucy typed quickly an answer and blocked her phone. "She is from Manchester and I will play against her favorite team. She just warned me about it." She said with a smile on her face, something that happened lately when she talked about Y/N.

Frido gave her a toothy smile. "Is she a football player too? It's okay if you don't want tell me." She said, letting the other know that for her was okay if Lucy doesn't want talk about the mystery woman.

"She is... It's Y/N Y/L/N. This season she signed for Arsenal and tomorrow she will play against Real Madrid." Lucy said blushing. At that moment they arrived to the stadium.

"I know her! Pernille introduced me her a few years ago. She is a lovely person. And funny." Frido exclaims excited. Lucy nods, totally that's the definition of her girl.

They both stood up and get out from the bus, walking side by side. In front of them was Mariona laughing at something that Ana said. After letting their things in the locker room, they went to the pitch and saw Manchester United's players.

Lucy watches how the majority of her teammates went to hug Ona Batlle, the Spanish defender that play for Manchester United. Instead she went to greet Lucy Staniforth, Ella Toone, Alessia Russo, Mary Earps and Millie Turner among other.

They talked for a few moments before Lucy went to some of her teammates, some of them injured like Alexia for example.

"It's good come back home?" The Spanish player asks her, looking the stadium and then at her.

"It's good, even if just a day." Lucy admitted, knowing that her family will be there later.

Alexia smiled, patting her shoulder with affection. "Family?" Lucy nods. "That's good. Leila and Laia will be here too. I guess Vicky too but commenting it with some sports channel."

"They are playing amazing. I'm glad for Vicky that she have some friends there, she is a amazing person." Lucy comments, walking inside of the stadium with Alexia.

Alexia smiled at this. "She is. Also it's Ona too. I'm happy that they have each other."

"You are a caring person." Lucy points out. She noticed it the few first days. The woman, even if she is injured, she needs go to the building for rehabilitation and work other things. Alexia was always asking her if everything was okay or if she needs something that asked her.

The captain shrugged. "What can I say?" She said, smiling shyly.

The match went incredibly well for Barça. They won 4-0, two goals by Oshoala, one by Salma and one by Aitana. Lucy played the full 90th minutes and gave an assist to Salma.

Once they are in the locker room, Lucy grabs her phone and saw a lot of notifications from Y/N. Basically she was commenting the match with her, something that she does often, even if Lucy was involved in the game. The defender bite her lower lip smiling, reading every text message.

"Who are you talking to?" Patri approachs her, wiggling her eyebrows.

Lucy looks at her laughing. "My girlfriend." She said shyly. It's the first time that she calls Y/N her girlfriend. And it feels so good.

Patri smiled excited. "I guess she can't come tonight." She wondered, hitting when Lucy nods.

"She plays tomorrow in Madrid." Lucy muttered, passing her tongue for her lips.

At this Patri opened her eyes surprised. "It's from Arsenal's team?" Once again Lucy nods. "Who? I mean, if you don't care tell me who she is." The Balear said, hiding her curiosity at the final of the sentence. "Auch!"

Alexia and Mariona heard what Patri said and both hit her on her arms. "Patri, let her alone." The Catalan warned.

Lucy chuckles when saw Patri's pout. "It's okay, girls. She is Y/N." She said at Patri.

"Aitana's crush!?" At this Patri immediately puts her hands on her mouth, blushing furiously. Lucy raised her eyebrows, biting her smile. Instead the other two glaring daggers at Patri. "Forget what I said!" She said and then ran away, scared.

"It's fun that a lot of players have crush on her." Lucy comments, letting them know that she isn't mad for this information.

Mariona turned towards her, smiling. "Physically she is beautiful. But if you have the opportunity to meet her, it's inevitable not have a crush on her." She gave her opinion.

"Do you know her?" Lucy asks curiously.

Mariona nods. "Yeah. Actually a lot of us know her. We are from the same age and we have met several times on youth teams." She explained.

Lucy hummed, smiling. "What about you?" She asks at Alexia.

"I met her in the Champions League's final. She was the first to congratulated us. A good person from the little I could see." The midfielder said.

"What would happens if I bring her some day to meet you all?" Lucy asks them, curious.

Mariona snorted. "Probably Aitana would pass out." She jokes.

#woso x reader #woso imagine #woso #lucy bronze #lucy bronze x reader #lucy bronze imagine

[icarusxxrising]

Important, PLEASE Read and Share.

TW // Violence and Police Brutality.

Protesters in Atlanta Georgia are being threatened on bogus charges by the state.

For the past 2+ years, protesters in Atlanta Georgia have been protesting and camping out in the Weelaunee Forest, Atlanta's largest remaining green space. With so little of these vast spaces left, and more being taken, it is so important to save what we can.

The Atlanta Police Foundation chose the Weelaunee Forest to establish a massive training complex which would include fake city like buildings for Police training, which is why the project has been dubbed "Cop City". This training facility would no doubt be used to increase the militarization of the Police, and add to the harassment and brutalization both black communities and protesters face when trying to live and exercise their rights.

The facility would be built adjacent to a majority Black, working class community that was not only promised the forest for trails and park space, but would surely be subject to even more policing instead of a Third Space* they can use as a community.

The facility would desecrate 87 acres of land, spanning over 381 acres, and costing around $90 million dollars that could have gone back into community projects and care instead of further the subjugation of the working class.

Police have been extremely violent towards the dubbed "Forest Defenders", raiding the forest multiple times to shoot pepper balls at nonviolent protesters and also destroying shelters, water/food storage, and even purposely destroy Jewish religious sites, including a Sukkah that was built for Sukkot and was destroyed by police in a raid 2 months after, along with a large Menorah which "disappeared". The forest camps has become an important religious site for Jewish people in and around Atlanta, as more than 60+ Jewish People have traveled to the forest for Shabbat, with hundreds more joining the live stream for Shabbat.

The forest is not just important for nearby Black and Jewish communities, the Defenders adding shelters, cafeterias, and even a small stage venue in the forest in an effort to Squat the forest has provided local homeless communities with a warm place to eat and shelter. The forest has transformed into a safe space for the community as Defenders educate each other and the Atlanta communities on first aid, cultural differences, leftism and anarchism in practice, and more.

Following violent interactions with Police, protesters have responded by burning down construction equipment (with no construction workers nearby), and throwing rocks at Cops who attempted to get close to harass the protesters. When it comes to the safety of our planet and communities, property is replaceable.

However, a life is not. On January 18th, 2023, a nonbinary anarchist eco activist, who was knowledgeable as a street medic and worked tirelessly as a forest defender, was shot and killed by Georgia State Troopers during another raid on the forest. Their name was Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán.

Police claimed Tortuguita shot first and injured a trooper, which the media picked up and began to circulate. However, multiple autopsies have confirmed not only did Tortuguita have no gunpowder residue on their hands, but Tortuguita was shot while on their knees, hands in the hair, surrendering to Police. Autopsies also concluded Tortuguita was hit with at least 57 gunshot wounds across their entire body, showing Tortuguita was executed by a police fire squad.

Police body camera footage also showed a Cop admitting that the Troopers had "fucked up their own guy", which authorities of course dismissed and refuse to participate in proving their innocence that they're so sure of.

In response to this, protesters took to the streets and burned a cop car, leading to police arresting 40+ activists. Police also arrested, threatened, and intimidated anyone who was peacefully discussing and sharing information about Tortuguita's murder on the streets of Atlanta, attempting to silence anyone who was even peacefully raising awareness.

Atlanta Police also conducted a random raid of a legally operating Bail Fund based in Atlanta, The Atlanta Solidarity Funds. The raid came as the Atlanta Solidarity Funds was legally raising money and awareness to help with Bail and Legal Defense, as protesters who were arrested peacefully were being charged with Domestic Terrorism, and now RICO/Racketeering charges. The Atlanta Police claim that the Bail Fund was laundering money, but other Bail Funds are calling this out as an obvious act of intimidation since absolutely no stories or proof has been released in conjuction with these financial charges.

There's a lot more, this has been going on for years, but one thing is certain. If we do not stop this here, they will tear the forests in your cities down and continue to militarize the police, furthering the oppression of the working class and continuing to make Black and marginalized communities lives hell.

Please read up on what has been happening in Atlanta because there's way more than the bits I talked about here. The Forest Defenders have been through so fucking much, and they still have a lengthy battle. But you cannot kill an idea. You can follow the Atlanta Solidarity Fund and the Forest Defenders on Social Media to keep up with them.

PLEASE boycott when possible, or be extremely vocal, towards the companies backing cop city. PLEASE tell them they have Blood on their hands.

Please continue to raise awareness, and follow Cop City closely. Please Read and Share.

#stop cop city #cop city #defend the forests #defend atl #defend the atlanta forest #defend Weelaunee #fuck cops #police brutality #acab #1312 #blm #blacklivesmatter #black lives matter #anarchy #anarchism #leftism #leftist #save our planet #eco #save the earth #antifascism #antifascist #anticapitalist #anticapitalism

[atlurbanist]

A new report looks at the hot spots of Atlanta's heat exposure

I like the looks of these recommendations from a recent report about Atlanta's heat risk. Cool roofing for low-rise buildings would be a great program for Atlanta!

As the effects of climate change produce hotter weather, it's important for us to find a way to benefit from the cooling power of urban trees while also adding affordable density in walkable formats near our transit lines.

Check out this map of heat exposure at the neighborhood level in Atlanta from the report. I'd love to see an interactive overlay of this with the satellite images:

I'll forgive this next slide for pegging the property between the Mercedes-Benz stadium & Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) as a high density neighborhood -- no one lives here.

Focus instead on the potential for a cool roof on the giant, sprawling GWCC! That would be great.

This report was funded jointly by Council's Liliana Bakhtiari and Matt Westmoreland.

Here are the recommendations:

1. Increase total tree canopy across atlanta by about 350,000 trees (average of 1,400 per neighborhood). Tree investments should be prioritized in neighborhoods with a total vulnerability score of 8, 9, or 10. All trees added by the city should be positioned to shade impervious surfaces, which will also maximize benefits for stormwater runoff.

2. The results of this heat risk assessment directly support the city council's recently adopted goal of 50% tree canopy cover as a minimum for all neighborhoods. To achieve this level of tree canopy cover, policies for protecting existing canopy will need to be strengthened and complemented with new policies and programs designed to increase tree canopy cover and to replace trees in the public right of way when lost to extreme weather or disease.

3. We recommend cool roofing for all low-rise buildings (4 stories or less). Assuming an average roof area of 1,000 square feet, meeting this recommendation would require about 940 buildings/houses to be converted to cool roofs per neighborhood, on average.

4. The number of cooling centers for extreme heat events should be expanded and targeted to neighborhoods with the highest total vulnerability scores. All cooling centers should be equipped with backup power generation and the capacity to operate during an extended blackout period. The provision of water and ample recharging stations for communication devices can further enhance population resilience during extreme heat events. We recommend that a citywide heat surveillance system be deployed with a density of at least three weather stations per neighborhood with 2,000 residents or more and real-time public reporting of weather conditions. We further recommend that the city stablish a program to evaluate the performance of heat management investments over time.

#atlanta #urbanism #urban heat islands #climate change #urban planning

[softguarnere]

Like A Girl (Like A Man)

Shifty Powers x ofc

Chapter 19: A Native American in Paris

Summary: When he returns, he hands Zenie a postcard with a picture of the Eiffel Tower on it. “It’s not as good as having a picture taken in front of it, but, you know, I thought that it might be somethin’.” A/N: When I first started writing this fic, I always imagined D-Day as the beginning of a "Part Two" in the story. Regardless of what act we're in, this definitely feels like an intermission point for me. So I just wanted to take the time to say thank you for sticking with me this far, and I hope you'll hang around for the rest of the story <3 Warnings: mentions of war, drinking, implied sex Taglist: @latibvles @lady-cheeky @liebgotts-lovergirl @mrs-murder-daddy @lieutenant-speirs @ithinkabouttzu

France, 1944

Passes all around! It’s so much different from life back at Toccoa. It feels so long ago now that Zenie’s hands would clench into fists at her side when Captain Sobel would make up some excuse to revoke her pass. Maybe this is to make up for the fact that they got so few of these back in Georgia.

Paris is the keyword floating all around the barracks. All Zenie’s friends score passes to the City of Light. After the dreary days of sitting in mud in Holland, the prospect of exploring the city seems like a marvelous makeup for the eighty-something days stuck waiting. Zenie finds herself with a forty-eight hour pass to the famed city in her hands. The idea of someday getting the chance to brag to Marilyn that she visited the Eifel Tower makes her laugh. Then Shifty meets her eye from across the room and announces that he also has a pass to Paris – and on the same day as her. And suddenly the city that Zenie has hardly ever spared a thought for seems brighter and full of more possibilities than anything Marilyn used to describe while fawning over her books.

Especially because they still haven’t been alone.

Having friends is such a change of pace from Zenie’s life before running away. She loves them, and being with them. Lately, however, it seems like she can’t get a second away from them.

Mourmelon-le-Grand for R&R. Except the Rest in “Rest and Relaxation” has somehow turned into preparing for a football game that Zenie cannot seem to come up with a good enough excuse to not play in.

“Look,” she finally tells Babe one day in the barracks when he won’t stop pestering her about it. “I’m no good at football. My older brother played baseball, so that’s what I was taught. It’d be different if you wanted me to be a pitcher.” Or if we were playing any game that wouldn’t get me tackled, crushed, and exposed, she doesn’t add.

Babe swats his hand, pushing away her words. “Well lucky for you, you’ve got me to teach you. And I’m great at football, Tommy. I could have you ready for this game in a matter of days.”

“You tryin’ to get little Tommy a Purple Heart by getting’ all his bones crushed, ya mean?”

Everyone in the barracks jumps at the sound of a familiar voice – one whose absence has been heavily felt.

“Bill!”

The Italian spreads his arms as wide as his smile as he fully enters the room. He’s limping, but it doesn’t damper his smile. “What? Ya think you’d never see me again or somethin’?”

“Didn’t know how long ya were gonna baby that leg,” Babe quips, ducking when the taller man makes a move to affectionately ruffle his hair.

“Baby it? Yeah right. You know who you’re talkin’ to, Heffron? I made ‘em cut the cast off early so I could get back here and keep your ass in line!”

“Yeah, and God knows we needed that, because he keeps trying to get Tommy killed,” Joe says from his place on his bunk.

A cloud of seriousness crosses Bill’s face as he turns to her. “You really that bad at football?”

Well I should be, considering that I’ve never played, Zenie thinks. Instead, she nods. “The worst.”

“Someone could probably fix that. Not right now, though.” His smile returns as he glances over their group, a glint in his eye. “Any of you up for a little trip to Lulu’s?”

In the moment, there’s nothing particularly special about Lulu’s or the night that they spend there. (Besides, maybe, the fact that Bill missed the party with the Red Devils, and they feel the need to make up for all the fun he missed.) They drink too much and dance too fast and sing too loudly. On the way back to barracks, they cling to each other and laugh brightly as they haul each other home – a real team effort. With promising days of R&R ahead of them, they go to bed, already thinking of having this kind of fun night after night.

The place is a frenzy of excitement. The football game creeps ever closer and practices pick up with the mounting tensions. (Personally, Zenie’s not sure why anyone would worry when Joe Toye is playing for their team.) Passes are being taken into the cities, and each time a group of soldiers returns to brag about the fun he had, the harder Zenie’s heart pounds in her chest when she thinks about how she and Shifty both have passes to Paris.

“Two more days,” she notes as casually as she can in line for breakfast one day. “Never heard of half the places people are talking about.”

“Me neither. But a lot of the fellas seem to think it’s mighty fun there. Lots to do.”

Zenie hums in agreement. “Probably a lot of walking around the city.”

“Probably.”

“Lots of time to talk.”

As he scoops eggs onto his plate, Zenie catches him biting his lip. It doesn’t hide his smile. “Definitely.”

Lucky does not even begin to describe how Zenie feels when she learns that she and Shifty seem to be the only ones of their friends to have passes to Paris. After every chance that she might have had to speak with him has been thwarted, part of her is on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop, expecting something else to keep them apart.

They leave the barracks amiably enough. They make small talk as they board the train and make their way towards the city.

“This is my third time,” one of the soldiers in their train car brags as they ride. He quirks an eyebrow at them. “You ever been to Paris?”

“Never,” Zenie replies as Shifty shakes his head.

The soldier only nods. “Well, it doesn’t disappoint, I’ll tell you that much. You just have to know all the right places to look if you want to have a good time.”

“I think we’ll manage.”   

And they do. Shifty has already seen the city while out on a different pass with Popeye. Once they get off the train, though, he only smiles at Zenie and lets her take the lead, making suggestions about the fastest way to get places as they go.

As they weave their way through the people and the streets, they talk. Not in the way that Zenie has been waiting for them to, but at least they’re talking. More than they have been lately, too, which is enough for her. It’s enough just to see him smile at her as he regales her with stories of what he and Popeye saw and did while using their passes, and she tells him about Marilyn’s travel books that her sister would stare at for hours at night. It’s enough for their fingers to brush when Shifty buys a piece of pain au chocolat, then breaks it down the middle and hands her half. It's enough to watch his eyes light up when she uses a gentle finger to wipe a smudge of chocolate off his upper lip. This is what she imagined when she pictured them having a secret relationship. This is what she’s been missing.

But, she has to remind herself, this is what Shifty was worried would get them caught. The memory of that night at the brothel makes her chest ache. He didn’t think this would be possible until after the war. And maybe he still doesn’t want it until then. She won’t know until they get to talk – really talk.

“It’s big, ain’t it?” Shifty asks when they stop in front of the Eiffel Tower.

The famed tower is impressive. With the elevators not operational, though, there isn’t much to do but stand under it and admire it from different angles. Zenie tries to soak it up in her mind so that she can remember it later.

“Here.” As if he can read her mind, Shifty steps away, heading towards an older woman with a cart. He counts out some money and hands it to her. She smiles as she hands him something. When he returns, he hands Zenie a postcard with a picture of the Eiffel Tower on it. “It’s not as good as having a picture taken in front of it, but, you know, I thought that it might be somethin’.”

“It’s perfect,” Zenie rushes to assure him. “Thank you, Shifty.”

 The Virginian smiles, his cheeks tinged pink.

“You know,” he says. “If you’ve seen everything that you want to, I know somewhere that we can go. Away.”

As if to prove his point, a group of American soldiers walks behind them. Zenie and Shifty might have come here alone, without any of their other friends, but they’re not truly alone. Not yet.

Zenie pockets the postcard. “Lead the way.”

People bustle up and down the streets, laughing as they go. A few little kids point at her when they spot her, yelling in their excitement. It’s a bit like being back in Holland – well, the better part of being in Holland, when all the people had come out to welcome them with open arms. Zenie always makes sure to smile back, and salutes them just for the fun of it. It’s a nice distraction from the clammy feeling in her palms as she waits.

She spins around as the door of the hotel opens. Every time she’s hoped that it’s Shifty returning. This time, it really is him. He nods to her and flashes a key.

Up and up and up. The only sound on the stairwell is that of their boots echoing against the walls as they climb. Zenie glances at Shifty every now and then, feels him doing the same to her, but neither makes a move to speak. Maybe, like her, he’s trying to work out everything that he wants to say.

Peeling paint covers the door to their room. It’s at the end of the hallway, secluded, quiet. Zenie still glances over her shoulder as Shifty opens the door and ushers her inside.

This room is nothing like the one they talked in that night at the brothel. Whereas that room was dark and contained only a bed, this one is full of light and has not only a fluffy looking bed, but a vanity and a small doorway that leads to a bathroom. Something about the place makes it feel warm, and not just in temperature.

Closing the door behind her, Zenie stays in place even as Shifty walks further into the room. He glances back at her and, like that night at the brothel, gestures toward the bed.

“You wanna . . . ?”

The bed is just as fluffy as Zenie suspected it would be. It dips under their weight as they seat themselves. Also like that night, and against her better judgement, they sit close to each other. Really, what reason is there to not? Just like back in the foxholes of Holland, their knees bump into each other. They leave them there, pressing into each other.

This won’t be like last time, Zenie assures her heart as it pounds against her ribcage. Well, last time they had been holding hands when Shifty dropped the news –

No, he didn’t drop the news. He didn’t even get to finish what he wanted to say because Earl had started firing his gun and they had to leave the building. He was going to ask her to wait. And now . . . ?

She tries to find something to say, anything. They both start to speak at the same time. Words overlapping, they pause, each offering the other a small smile.

“Sorry,” Shifty says. “You first.”

Her first, with hardly a word at the ready. She says the first one that comes to mind, which is the only one she can properly associate with the whole situation that’s been playing out these past few months.

“I’m sorry. I wish we could start over.”

Slowly, Shifty nods. “Me, too. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He pauses, pushing a short sigh out through his nose. “When I was tryin’ to ask you to wait until after the war, I thought that I was protectin’ you. From this – “ He gestures around the room. “ – The sneaking around, and all that. But I didn’t consider, see, hurtin’ your feelings indirectly. I wanted to tell you, when I realized what had happened. But I could never seem to find you by yourself . . .”

Zenie cringes at the memory of dodging Shifty’s presence, of not meeting his eyes or looking directly at him until that night at the pub when Skinny asked him what he wanted to do after the war.

“That was my fault, and I’m sorry. I –“ She has to laugh, almost, at how stupid it seems now, to have been avoiding him. “ – I was trying to protect myself, and instead I ended up hurting you. And I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to.”

Silence falls over them. Then, like that night at the brothel, Shifty holds out his hand. There is no hesitation on Zenie’s part; of course she takes it, intwining their fingers together and relishing the feeling it sends down her spine.

“This is what we’ve been missing,” she realizes aloud.

Shifty nods. He lets out an unexpected laugh, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I was gonna put this off until the end of the war. Coulda been doin’ it the whole time.”

“But you were right to be worried. About being caught, I mean.”

“Maybe. After everythin’ we’ve been through, though, is it really worth the wait?”

This time, Zenie tries to take in the full meaning of his words instead of just assuming she knows what he means, or what’s about to happen.

“What do you mean?”

“The end of the war might be a long way off, you know,” Shifty says. “And, I don’t know. After all we’ve been through, I guess I’ve realized that nothin’ is for certain.” He pauses and meets her eye. He stares so deeply into her that it feels like he’s trying to read her mind. “I don’t mind it – the sneakin’ around, I mean – if you don’t. And the end of the war . . . Well, if you want, we can figure it out when we get there. Whenever that may be.”

Her heart lurches, ready to take the plunge with him.

“You want us to court?” She clarifies. Nothing will be left to chance or interpretation this time.

“Yes.”

Going with Shifty Powers. Of course she will, and she tells him as much. She only wishes she could tell her past self, all the way back in Toccoa, that this was coming; that version of Zenie would have never seen this coming.

Her hands shake. She wonders if he can feel them trembling against his. A laugh, a sigh of relief, and a jubilant cry all gather at the back of her throat. When she opens her mouth, she’s not sure which will come out.

“You know,” she says instead. “I think you’ve just made me the happiest girl in Paris.”

Shifty grins. “Zena, when we make it out of this war, I’ll make sure you’re the happiest girl in the whole world.”

The rest of the war, Zenie prays, will be kind to them.

With the forty-eight-hour pass, they don’t have to wait until the end of the war for Shifty to make her the happiest girl in the world. Alone in their hotel room, with nothing but a slant of moonlight that sneaks in through the crack in the curtains, they make up for all their lost time.

The next morning, they discover that the towels in the bathroom are just as fluffy as the bedding. The soft, white fabric leaves little trails of fuzz covering their bodies, and they giggle as they gently swat each other, trying to remove it.

Putting on her uniform after the night they have feels strange. For a day, she’s been Zenie again. Her performance has enjoyed an intermission. Now, as they wander the streets of Paris one last time before boarding the train that will take them back to Mourmelon-le-Grand, she’s stepping back into her role and heading into the second act as a changed woman.

Changed for the better, she hopes.

#band of brothers fanfic #shifty powers #shifty powers x ofc #shifty powers x original female character #band of brothers #band of brothers x ofc #oc zenie mcglamery #my writing #like a girl (like a man)

[new-berry]

Anthony Gordon. Part of his campaign to be selected for England he authorised this - look I follow entertainment, I know when someone has allowed People to leak the story

This is a cut and paste so no pics:).

Anthony Gordon has five days off — not that it looks that way.

The air-conditioning cannot stem the sweat and the whirring of the treadmill does not drown out the thoughts turning in his head.

It is June 2023 and the Newcastle winger is on a short holiday in Dubai. Hours earlier, he scored his first goal for the club against Chelsea, sweeping home on the season’s final day in a 1-1 draw. The next week, he is due to link up with England’s under-21 team at the European Championship in Georgia. Five days — his first break since January’s £45million ($57.3m) transfer from Everton — seems scant respite before a 50-game season.

“It’s tough to get out of bed to do roadwork when you’ve been sleeping in silk pyjamas,” the legendary middleweight Marvin Hagler once said. But Gordon, a boxing devotee, does not yet feel that luxury has been earned.

Friends jog sedately on the neighbouring machines, describing a gym buddy who is “running with a point to prove”. On other mornings, he rises early to put on his football boots and do doggie sprints — a punishing series of shuttle runs — on a patch of grass outside.

Since he was a child in Everton’s academy, Gordon has written down short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. During this particular cardio session, he runs through his aims as he elongates his strides. Six months into his Newcastle career, it is time to accelerate.

“I’m going to help England win the Euros.”

“I want the No 10 or No 11 shirt at Newcastle.”

“I’m going to score this number of goals.”

“I want a senior England call-up.”

Halfway through the season, the 22-year-old is on track to hit almost all those targets. Despite the club’s difficult winter, Gordon has arguably been Newcastle’s player of the season so far — it took until December before he recorded two consecutive Premier League games without either a goal or an assist. In the FA Cup third round, he delivered the sort of harrying derby performance which begins to stitch names in the fabric of a club. At the club’s Darsley Park training ground, coaches describe a relentlessness to his self-improvement, a player who has to be dragged off the pitch in case of overexertion.

“He’s obsessed with being the best; it physically hurts him if he hasn’t been the best in training,” says a member of his tight-knit inner circle, speaking anonymously to protect their relationship. “He has that personality. Everything’s a game. Everything he has to win.”

That even extended to table tennis matches on his summer not-quite-holiday, chewing out friends who dared to challenge him. Like his adoptive city, he is direct, uncompromising and industrious.

Reader, boxer, aspiring Grandmaster, these are the edges behind this season’s explosion — and the secrets to the psychology which keeps him on the treadmill.

“The biggest thing for me was that he was always searching to go to the next level early,” says David Unsworth, Everton’s former academy head and interim manager. “At under-16s, he was desperate to get into the under-18s. As soon as he was in the under-18s, he was trying desperately to come with me (in the under-23s). As soon as he came with me, he was desperate to get into first-team training.

“That desire to get to the next level is something you can’t really instil in people.”

Gordon has always known where he wants to go. As a young teenager, he spoke in absolutes, with certainty. “When I play for Real Madrid,” was one example of an early dream.

Self-belief is not always easy to come by, especially when you have to fight for recognition. At 11 years old, Gordon was rejected by the academy of his boyhood club, Liverpool. He was not immediately snapped up by Everton either — their development centre initially released him before they were urged to reconsider by respected Merseyside scout Ian Duke.

Goodison Park is just a five-minute stroll from his mother’s house in Kirkdale and ahead of one pre-season game, Gordon was spotted walking to the ground with his boots under one arm. But there were no guarantees he would even make it this far.

Though his attacking talent was always recognised by Everton, there were long-standing doubts over his slender physique and work rate. While several others in his cohort were offered a professional contract by the club, he was initially just offered a lesser scholarship.

On the pitch, he was a match-winner,” says Unsworth. “The biggest problem we had with him was his stamina. So he played a lot of left midfield, on the left of a three, but he would just die on 60 minutes. He would look like he was being lazy and couldn’t get back, but it wasn’t that, he had just emptied his tank because he put so much into the first hour.”

In the summer of 2017, with his charge just 16, Unsworth took matters into his own hands at a pre-season boot camp in Spain. The most common word used to describe these few days was “beasting”. Misplaced passes and minor positional errors brought the burn of push-ups.

“He could be so harsh,” Gordon recalled in 2020. “It felt like an army camp. It was my first involvement with the under-23s and physically and mentally, I was drained. I matured into a man that week. We always had a good relationship off the pitch and (Unsworth) always told me how good I was, although you forget about that when you lose the ball in 80-degree heat and he’s making you do push-ups.”

The results began to follow. Still mostly playing for the under-18s that season, Gordon scored 14 goals in 15 appearances, along with four assists. A trademark attacking move still seen at Newcastle — drifting infield before curling a shot towards the far post on his right foot — was on full display.

He also made his first appearance for the first team — a brief substitute appearance against Apollon Limassol in a Europa League dead rubber. On that night, his callowness was evident— his shorts virtually down to his knees, a pair of Next boxer shorts on full display.

Though there were no issues with Gordon’s display, it would be almost two years before his next first-team appearance. It is hard to break through at Everton. Despite traditionally having one of the Premier League’s stronger academies, the club’s long trophyless run affects opportunities — they are less likely to blood youngsters in the cup, while managerial turnover means coaches are less likely to consider the potential long-term benefits.

In 2018-19, Gordon made the step up to the under-23s, helping Everton win the Premier League 2, and rival clubs were beginning to take notice. Strikingly, the calibre of sides after him included German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, whose interest was firm and sustained.

Gordon decided to stay — a combination of his “homebird” nature and assurances by then manager Marco Silva that he would soon be part of the first-team setup. At Everton’s Finch Farm training ground, Unsworth took the lead in poring over the physical data of the club’s starting attackers with Gordon — the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin — to provide a model for the teenager’s burgeoning work rate. Director of football Marcel Brands, who arrived in June 2018 having previously overseen PSV’s highly-rated academy, was also a major fan.

The chances, however, did not come. By the time lockdown hit in early 2020, Carlo Ancelotti had taken over from an embattled Silva, but his man-management style typically favoured established professionals. Gordon took matters into his own hands.

Moving out of the family home during lockdown, Gordon shut himself away in a house previously rented by Mohamed Salah with former Liverpool prospect Bobby Duncan and another friend, Callum Webb, who worked as a personal trainer.

For three months, the group did nothing but work — weights, circuits, runs around the local golf course. They hired a private chef to cook meals. Each night, ahead of the next day’s triple session, Gordon brought his notebook so he could research Webb’s planned exercises. For a player not yet established at first-team level, his initiative was striking.

Impressed and with his fitness levels among the best in the squad, Ancelotti handed him his first Premier League start in the first game of Project Restart. This was no easing in — but a Merseyside derby against title-chasing Liverpool. Just over a week after the 0-0 draw, Gordon delivered his first Premier League assist against Leicester.

Yet, that summer, Gordon again found his pathway blocked — this time by a global superstar. When Colombia international James Rodriguez arrived at Goodison Park, the teenager was uncowed. “I’m better than him,” was his attitude, revealing he knocked on Ancelotti’s door, a manager at that time with three Champions League trophies, to ask for more minutes.

Ancelotti admired Gordon’s chutzpah, but with Everton doing well in the league midway through 2020-21, the manager sanctioned a January loan. The reality was closer to a cattle market.

Around 25 clubs expressed their interest, including half the clubs in the Championship. From abroad, Hamburg and Wolfsburg were also serious contenders. Amid the battle was Bournemouth head coach Eddie Howe, keen to take him to the south coast, though the club’s Premier League status meant Gordon would not be assured game time.

On deadline day, the winger elected to join nearby Preston having given manager Alex Neil his word earlier in the window. In hindsight, the decision appeared a mistake. Neil was sacked soon after Gordon’s arrival and despite the teenager winning man of the match in an early fixture televised on Sky Sports, new boss Frankie McAvoy switched to playing five at the back. Gordon ended up appearing in just 11 Championship matches and the Champions League felt a world away.

“There is never a bad loan for a young player in terms of your long-term career,” says Unsworth. “Anthony went there, he was training with the first team, he didn’t play a great deal, and that probably fuelled his desire even more.” He was right on that.

“The Championship is a whole different world to the Premier League,” Gordon said afterwards. “I was getting used to that and thinking, ‘This is not where I want to be’. That’s where you see a lot of young players either push on or fizzle out. I wasn’t going to be the one to fizzle out.”

Back in Liverpool, it is fight night. If Gordon returned to Everton in search of fireworks, then this was a place to find it. Liverpool is a city with a proud boxing history, producing world champions such as John Conteh, Tony Bellew and brothers Liam and Callum Smith, who both grew up in the same Kirkdale neighbourhood as Gordon.

This evening, it is Peter McGrail in the ring, the super-bantamweight and former Olympian boxing to protect his undefeated record. He wins handily, comfortably inside the distance, and trainer Paul Stevenson begins the debrief, wanting to set his fighter free into the night. Afterwards, in walks a teenager.

“Peter is friends with Anthony, but I hadn’t met him before,” says Stevenson. “He just came backstage and asked if he could do some sessions with me. He said he’d done it as a kid, was very enthusiastic, and wanted to improve cross-discipline. So he came in and was good. Boxing is a very technical sport. If you follow advice, you get better quickly.”

When Gordon signed for Newcastle, Kieran Trippier joked that he better be wearing his boxing gloves after a testy duel at St James’ Park earlier that season. In truth, the new arrival had more than a puncher’s chance. Stevenson was impressed with what his new charge showed.

“You’re always careful with new boxers not to overload, but I found he could take a lot on for a novice,” he says, revealing no other footballer had ever come to him for similar training. “He already had some skills which were transferable — agility, athleticism, physical intelligence — but I think the boxing helped his football.

“It’s a very explosive sport, the amount of brain power which goes into it, if you’re doing it properly, there’s no sport like it. The speed of thought and technique — you don’t just think of your own moves, you think of your opponent’s next moves — and you’re doing it quickly and you’re doing it with pain. Then add the amount of determination and resilience you have to have and you can see why he was attracted to it as an athlete and as a performer.”

Gordon credits the sport with helping his confidence and self-esteem as he adapted to senior football, but also more tangible footballing effects.

“A family member actually said to me after I started boxing that my whole football game changed and I didn’t really notice it until he said it,” Gordon told TNT Sports in 2021. “I was like, ‘You’re right’. I like tackles now and I like contact.”

After signing for Newcastle, Gordon asked Stevenson if he could recommend any local trainers to continue boxing and was given the number of a gym in Peterlee, though he has not continued the sport since moving to the north east. But that was still a first-team breakthrough, two years, and £45million away.

Back in the summer of 2021, after Ancelotti’s sudden departure to Real Madrid, strong interest came in again, with Hamburg close to taking him on loan. But after a strong pre-season, new manager Rafa Benitez refused to sanction any departure. For the first time, Gordon was an established first-team player.

What happens when you summit the mountain but cannot see the view?

Everton started to struggle as Gordon began to flourish, slipping from the top half of the Premier League to the relegation zone. Though he only managed four Premier League goals in 2021-22, the eye test showed a player bearing much of the creative burden, with his interventions also including a crucial winner against Manchester United as Everton scrapped for survival.

Shuffled between left wing, right wing, No 10, and even makeshift striker, Gordon was picking up bruises but also bouquets. By this time already a regular of Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 squad, his breakthrough season brought further attention from clubs aware of Everton’s parlous finances.

Chelsea came in with multiple bids that summer, with Thomas Tuchel wanting to transform him into a wing-back. Everton had engaged in negotiations, but it is understood that Richarlison’s sale to Tottenham Hotspur significantly diminished their desire to sell — late chairman Bill Kenwright did not want two stars to leave in a single window.

Nevertheless, things moved quickly by January, with Everton continuing to struggle both on and off the pitch. Newcastle agreed a £45million deal, to be paid in a lump sum to help Everton’s FFP, and amid a situation at Goodison Park which was growing more toxic, Gordon was suddenly no longer a boy clad in royal blue.

The thorny circumstances of Gordon’s exit are still painful for both the club’s fans and the player himself. Everton put out statements saying Gordon had not reported for training while he was negotiating a transfer in London at the request of owner Farhad Moshiri and Gordon admitted his hurt at the club’s curt 59-word departure statement.

Twelve months on, it is evident that the move suited all parties — Everton received a large sum for an academy product and have re-emerged stronger, Gordon had a more stable environment, and Newcastle had a long-term target.

For a little while, however, it looked as if Tottenham were Newcastle’s main rivals. Director of football Fabio Paratici, noticing Gordon’s defiance in a 5-0 loss at Spurs in March, later described the winger in transfer discussions as his “favourite player in the Premier League”. Antonio Conte was also a fan, with multiple discussions taking place between both clubs and Gordon’s representatives.

Ultimately, however, the choice came down to the winger. Gordon was won over by Newcastle’s trajectory — his admiration for Howe, the style being played, and the club’s rapid improvements — and was earmarked by recruitment staff as a priority target.

Some fans were sceptical — seeing a player whose goals and assists record did not match up to their Champions League pursuit and who had been rubbed up the wrong way by his on-pitch scrappiness. But Gordon was betting on himself. He always had.

In many ways, Gordon’s first months at Newcastle were reminiscent of his frustrations at the start of his Everton career. Despite his physical training, Howe’s system demanded a higher work rate still, an evolution of the off-ball skills which initially attracted Newcastle. The tactics also bore a weight — moving to a possession-based side for the first time in his career. The initial minutes were not what he anticipated.

“I would say last year it was difficult because I had to come in and sort of swallow my ego a lot,” he told the Newcastle programme earlier this season. “People talk about ego as a bad thing, but it’s not. None of us get to this level without having an ego.

“But I think I came in and expected a lot of myself and the way the team was, with the momentum they had, it was always going to be difficult. But I was a bit naive to that, so it was accepting that and moving on quickly and just accepting that it wasn’t going to be easy.”

These exasperations came to a head against Brentford in April, when Gordon, having delivered an impressive cameo off the bench, was substituted himself with moments remaining. He cast off Howe’s attempted greeting and threw himself into his seat, seething. Howe ground his teeth at the impudence. Sources from both the player and club side insist the incident was forgotten about within 24 hours, but its symbolism remained — the impatience of unfulfilled expectation.

It is undeniable, despite his goal on the final day of the season, that it was a frustrated Gordon sprinting on the hotel treadmill, running towards a future which he cannot bear to wait for. This is the natural by-product of a psychology which the player himself describes as fixated, with his obsessive, driven personality leading to an intensity which can be misperceived from afar.

As well as the Brentford incident, take the ire among Newcastle fans after his win-at-all-costs display at St James’ Park for Everton last season, or the anger from Everton supporters when he was open to furthering his career in the north east.

“I get really obsessed with things,” he told Newcastle’s website in September. “Whatever is on my mind for those couple of weeks, I’ll buy all the gear, research every detail of it — it’s just my personality.

“I think that’s a good thing because I don’t just settle for being average at something — I want to be the best at everything I do. It’s a good mindset to have, but I think it stresses the people around me out.”

That manifests itself in physical preparation — holiday doggie sprints before breakfast — but also his downtime. While on international duty at the Euros, Gordon replaced black and white stripes with black and white checks, challenging the entire squad to games of chess.

Several footballers play — AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic a notable example — with the blitz and rapid formats pushing players to make quick decisions. That chess is boxing without the violence also appealed. The only opponent he could not vanquish was team doctor Matt Perry — who was on a “different level” to anyone else in the squad.

In Georgia, staff members were impressed with the extent to which Gordon had matured since his early days in the international setup. Reflecting his importance to the squad, Lee Carsley trusted him with a crucial tactical brief — a false nine role which did not come naturally. The tournament, however, was a blinding success — securing two goals and an assist, the tip of England’s spear as they won the tournament.

Most encouraging of all was the development of two areas of his game — link-up play and finishing — which playing through the middle forced him to develop. UEFA awarded him player of the tournament, joining a list of luminaries such as Petr Cech, Fabio Cannavaro, Luis Figo, Andrea Pirlo. Goal one — complete.

“I’ve always said he can play left, he can play right, he can link, he can play 10,” says Unsworth. “He can actually play in the midfield three. But when he develops physically, upper-body wise, when he becomes a real mature man, I think he’ll actually end up as a striker if I’m being honest with you because he’s got everything and he’s good in the air as well.”

He pauses, before adding: “You know, the thing with Anthony, he’s a very intelligent footballer both on and off the pitch. I found that quite endearing to be honest. He would always ask the question ‘Why?’.”

It is a question Gordon has never stopped asking. He is a voracious reader, constantly making his way through sporting biographies, psychology manuals and leadership theory, with a half-finished text always found on some surface at his home.

Kobe Bryant’s book, The Mamba Mentality, is a particular favourite, outlining not just his dedication, but also his resilience — the NBA’s all-time leader in missed shots, but also fourth on the all-time scoring list. In the difficult periods of the past 18 months, one suspects it helped.

Another of Gordon’s hobbies is snooker — the winger playing a range of cue sports from a young age — with seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan another hero, despite his clear differences from Bryant.

The Chimp Paradox, written by O’Sullivan’s sports psychiatrist Steve Peters, is another well-thumbed book, which has helped him separate the emotional side of his brain (the chimp) from the analytical part (the human). Pivotal, Gordon found, was how to control and train the chimp — making instincts your best friend rather than worst enemy is pivotal to a footballer forced to make both quick decisions and exist in the public sphere.

It is a window into his process. After completing each book, Gordon will steal nuggets of information he feels can help him — a magpie mentality as well as a mamba.

“I found it to be very easy to try and get Anthony to focus because he was desperate,” says Unsworth. “And when you are desperate to do something, certainly when you back that up with the individual talent, 99 times out of 100, you will succeed.”

In the past year, the 22-year-old has left his boyhood club, acclimatised to another, brought himself to the edge of the England squad and, in recent months, become a father.

Life, like Gordon himself, is relentless. But this is a psychology that knows little else. There is nothing to do but get back on the treadmill and start sprinting. It is not yet time for the silk pyjamas.

#fic rambles

[laimabynight]

Epitaph 'LA by Night'

Name: LA by Night System: Vampire The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition Type: Campaign Duration: 7 Months Storyteller: Teros Players/Roles: Flaumkönig: Franz Albrecht Richter, Tremere Strohhalm: Madeleine White, Ventrue Crapman: Antonio di Giovanni, Giovanni Me: Camilla 'Georgia' Soledad, Brujah Start: The Prince summoned four young Cainites to look into suspicious activity within a hospital. This leads them eventually to a abandoned church which holds something horrible. End: A radical faction of the local anarchs want to get the Camarilla out of the city, by force if necessary. The four Cainites find themselves in the middle of the fighting, and a bloody score is settled. Greatest Hits: 1. The relationships between the character. Fighting and forming a bond was great. 2. The beach episode. 3. The whole trip to Vegas. 4. Almost hooking up with the antagonist. 5. 2000s Tuner Aesthetic. 6. LA is just an amazing city for VTM. 7. THE FEELS!!

#campaign #camilla 'georgia' soledad

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.16 (after 1970)

1977 – Assassination of Kamal Jumblatt, the main leader of the anti-government forces in the Lebanese Civil War. 1978 – Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro is kidnapped; he is later murdered by his captors. 1978 – A Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashes near Gabare, Bulgaria, killing 73. 1978 – Supertanker Amoco Cadiz splits in two after running aground on the Portsall Rocks, three miles off the coast of Brittany, resulting in the largest oil spill in history at that time. 1979 – Sino-Vietnamese War: The People's Liberation Army crosses the border back into China, ending the war. 1984 – William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Lebanon, is kidnapped by Hezbollah; he later dies in captivity. 1985 – Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut; he is not released until December 1991. 1988 – Iran–Contra affair: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States. 1988 – Halabja chemical attack: The Kurdish town of Halabja in Iraq is attacked with a mix of poison gas and nerve agents on the orders of Saddam Hussein, killing 5,000 people and injuring about 10,000 people. 1988 – The Troubles: Ulster loyalist militant Michael Stone attacks a Provisional IRA funeral in Belfast with pistols and grenades. Three persons, one of them a member of PIRA are killed, and more than 60 others are wounded. 1995 – Mississippi formally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was officially ratified in 1865. 2001 – A series of bomb blasts in the city of Shijiazhuang, China kill 108 people and injure 38 others, the biggest mass murder in China in decades. 2003 – American activist Rachel Corrie is killed in Rafah by being run over by an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer while trying to obstruct the demolition of a home. 2005 – Israel officially hands over Jericho to Palestinian control. 2010 – The Kasubi Tombs, Uganda's only cultural World Heritage Site, are destroyed in a fire. 2012 – Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar becomes the first batter in history to score 100 centuries in international cricket. 2014 – Crimea votes in a controversial referendum to secede from Ukraine to join Russia. 2016 – A bomb detonates in a bus carrying government employees in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 15 and injuring at least 30. 2016 – Two suicide bombers detonate their explosives at a mosque during morning prayer on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing 24 and injuring 18. 2020 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interest rate to 0–0.25%. 2021 – Atlanta spa shootings: Eight people are killed and one is injured in a trio of shootings at spas in and near Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. A suspect is arrested the same day. 2022 – A 7.4-magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, killing 4 people and injuring 225.

#Events

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Glory (1989, Edward Zwick)

24/01/2024

Glory is a 1989 film directed by Edward Zwick about the first volunteer fighter unit formed by African Americans in the United Army during the American Civil War.

The film is inspired by the personal letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who led the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment from its formation in February 1863 until the attack on Fort Wagner in South Carolina, where he died during the assault in July of the same year.

Among the awards received, the film received five nominations for the 1990 Oscars, winning three as best supporting actor for Denzel Washington, best cinematography and best sound.

On September 17, 1862, during the American Civil War, Captain Robert Gould Shaw was slightly wounded during the Battle of Antietam and returned home to Boston on medical leave. During a ceremony in November of the same year, he met the abolitionist Frederick Douglass and at the request of Governor John Andrew, accepted the task of training and commanding with the rank of colonel the first regiment of African-American men of the Union Army.

The men are informed that due to President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, the Confederacy has declared that all captured black Union soldiers will be returned to slavery and the white officers under their command shot.

In the subsequent clashes, the regiment gained the valor and respect of the white soldier and Shaw proposed himself to General George Strong as the first attack force on Fort Wagner, as part of the campaign to secure the port city of Charleston.

The officers are aware that breaking the fort's defenses will not be easy; in fact the fortress had previously been attack by a white regiment but without success (First Battle of Fort Wagner). A front-line force of the 54th, with supporting white companies, begins the Second Battle of Fort Wagner.

The film budget was $18 million and filming took place in Georgia and Massachusetts from February 9 to April 27, 1989.

Rotten Tomatoes indicates that 93% of 40 selected critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 7.9 out of 10.

#glory #film #1989 #edward zwick #union #american civil war #Robert Gould Shaw #1863 #south carolina #62nd Academy Awards #denzel washington #1862 #Captain #Battle of Antietam #Boston #frederick douglass #John Albion Andrew #Military rank #Colonel #union army #emancipation proclamation #abraham lincoln #confederate states of america #George Strong #charleston south carolina #First Battle of Fort Wagner #Second Battle of Fort Wagner #georgia #massachusetts #rotten tomatoes

[leveloneandup]

2022 PHOTO CONTEST: GEORGIA SOARES

Walk us through the journey to taking that winning photo.

I had always wanted to shoot Christen Press, but she was in Europe for a while, COVID was going on, and things just hadn’t lined up. But I checked the NWSL schedule and saw Angel City was playing in DC, so I knew I had to go. It was a midday game, and the light was beautiful. I didn’t like much that they put us photographers off to one side, though, packed in this little corner.

But I remember for that goal, Christen Press had the ball, and I was just following what she was doing. I thought I was going to lose focus as soon as she stepped behind the post, but I kept tracking her through the net. It wasn’t supposed to work, but I just kept clicking. I went to check the photos and just thought, ‘No way.’ I quickly took the card from my camera, put it on my computer to see it on a bigger screen, and when I looked at the picture, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe I had been able to get that shot. I was just shaking my head, and I texted my friend saying, ‘Wow, I believe I just took the best shot of my life.’

It’s been great to hear the different reactions that people have about your photograph. From your own perspective – as the person who snapped the photo – how do you feel when you see it?

I feel joy, and I like that you can see the range of emotions that happen when someone scores a goal. I still can’t believe I got the composition just right. You get to see Christen smiling as she’s about to score, and the pained reaction of the defender. I don’t have another picture that I took that compares to that one. Everything aligned just perfectly. I could have lost her behind the post or the faces could have been blurry, but everything worked out.

—Georgia Soares/georgiasoaresphoto via CLUBELEVEN

#christen press #angel city fc

[athenswrites]

Captain Gavin Johnson [NYTF]

“Don’t EVER tell me how to do my fucking job! I don’t need help! I can do it my-fucking-self! Get out!” The door slammed open, and David’s protests were drowned out by Gavin’s shouting. He snatched a file from his brother’s hands, before shoving the former-Captain-turned-Councilor out of Command Central. Gavin took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders back, brushing off his slightly-wrinkled uniform, regaining his composure. "All of you. Inside." (Knight of Dawn, unknown chapter)

Quick Facts...

Full Name: Charles "Gavin" Johnson

Pronouns: he/him

Title: Captain of the Royal Guard of the State of Georgia (Formerly: Commander of Special Operations)

Gender: cismale

Sexuality: good question (Pansexual)

Birthday (Age at start): December 11th, 2161 (50)

Parents: Xavier Johnson (deceased), Elora "Emme" Ellis Johnson (deceased)

Siblings: David Rorric

Spouse: Marcie Augusta Olson

Children: Gretel Savannah Olson, Hansel Columbus Olson, Grady Juniper Yensey (adopted)

Notable physical features: freckle!, usually has ears fully loaded with jewelry, tries to present himself as having his life together (doesn't)

Personality: cheerful, generally easygoing unlike that excerpt, resourceful, loyal to his family, passionate, impatient, funny

Extended Introduction...

Gavin Johnson is the Captain of the Royal Guard, rising to the position after his older brother, David, was elected to the Council. Although his start into the military was rocky, Gavin has proven himself to be a capable leader. Unlike his older brother, Gavin was a unplanned surprise, ten years later, but his parents were still happy. Most of his childhood was spent in his brother's shadow, especially as military strategy and skill was not something that came natural to Gavin. He spent almost 4 years in the Academy, almost dropping out twice, and only managed to score an Army position because of his family name. Still, Gavin worked hard, moving his way up through the ranks and eventually becoming Commander of the Army under his father's time as Captain (so yes, at one time, there were three Johnsons within the 5 highest ranking military officers). Then, the Atlanta City Council bombing occurred, shaking the Royal Guard to its core, especially as its own members were involved in the planning and execution. Wracked with guilt, Captain Xavier Johnson "committed suicide", leaving David and Gavin to pick up the pieces of a falling-apart military and family. At this time, Gavin became Commander of Special Operations, as the only person David trusted to keep order. Under David's command, the Royal Guard went through major changes for the better. Gavin inherited this well-rebuilt military when he became Captain, as David became Councilor. To most characters, Gavin is the father figure in the Palace, and can befriend almost anyone he comes across. He is married to Marcie Olson and has two kids with her, Gretel and Hansel, but also adopted his best friends' daughter, Grady Yensey, after their untimely deaths defending Queen Adele.

NYTF WIP Intro

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