welcome!

 a/n: this is a lengthy chapter and i guess a bit slowburn with a bit of world-building (?) so just buckle up cause it’s a looong ride but i hope u think its worth it

⋆˙⟡♡ "Nana, please, just hold still." You heard the exhaustion and exasperation in your own voice before you could soften it. You took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to keep yourself patient as your sister moved restlessly in her seat.

Sometimes, you couldn’t find it in yourself to be in a good mood in the morning no matter how hard you tried, especially when you’ve had maybe three hours of sleep and your body was still sore from your performance the night before. You usually still tried to stay composed and to not let the exhaustion get to you but ever since that night, it felt like your patience had worn even thinner. You figured that it was perhaps due to your frustration with yourself or maybe it was just how that night left you feeling uneasy. Whatever it was, it had been affecting your mood.

Your fingers worked through your sister's hair, fixing it into a braid. You decided on nothing elaborate today, just a simple hairstyle that would survive the school day without falling apart. 

“Just stay put please, Aina,” you pleaded, tone getting annoyed. “Rocío is leaving soon and I don’t want you to go to school with messy hair.”

Aina sighed dramatically. "But why can't you take me?" she said with a tone of annoyance. "You never take me to school anymore."

A pang of guilt pierced your heart, sighing through it. Aina wasn’t wrong. It had been a while since you took your little sister to school. You probably didn’t think about how much it meant to her; you just knew it was difficult for you to keep up with it. You needed those one or two extra hours of rest before your shift at the coffee shop and Rocío  was more than willing to take Aina for you. Even if you wanted to, you knew realistically that you’d tire yourself out if you promised to bring Aina to school more often, and that would just put you in an even more sour mood.

You steered her attention elsewhere. "Your birthday is coming up," you said, tone lighter, and felt genuinely pleased with yourself for the redirect. "You’re turning eight, almost a big girl now. Have you thought about what you want to do for your birthday? Want to invite some friends over and I can cook your favorite meals?"

It worked immediately. Aina forgot whatever speech she'd been building about you not taking her to school more often; she turned around to face you, which you hadn't quite anticipated mid-braid, but you managed. She looked up at you with those eyes of hers — wide and glassy like a puppy dog.  "Well," she started, a smile already on her face. "I don't really want a party..."

"No party?" You asked, urging her to turn around so you can continue fixing her hair. “How about a mini party with you, me and Rocío ? Like we did last year for Christmas?”

"No." She shook her head, seemingly set on something else. "What I actually want… is for you to sign me up to be a mascot for a Barcelona game."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "A mascot?"

"Yes." She nodded, very certain. "You know, the kids who walk out with the players at the start. Matteo from school did it last season and he said his mum just entered him in a raffle. He got to go on the pitch and meet the players and show up on TV and everything. He told me he even got a high-five from Lamine Yamal, which is cool and all, but I wanna meet Aitana."

You opened your mouth, already doing the mental calculation of how hard it would be to actually get a slot through a raffle. Surely, there were also a bunch of kids in Barcelona who wanted that opportunity. "Aina, a raffle means they draw names at random, I can't guarantee—"

"I know what a raffle is, YN," she said, with a small eye roll. You chuckled at the expression but felt a bit guilty cause you were certain she picked up the eyerolling from you. You mentally noted to be more careful about rolling your eyes around her especially when she was at the exact age where she absorbed and copied everything.

"I just want you to try," she added, and the eye roll was gone, replaced again by those huge, pleading eyes. "Please."

Something in your chest went soft. You reached out and pinched her cheek gently. She scrunched her nose but didn't pull away. "Okay, cosita," you said. "I'll try."

She threw her arms around you, hugging you tightly, pressing her face against you as she did. You held her, resting your chin on top of her head, already worried about this whole raffle thing before you could even look into it. After a while, you could hear Rocío  emerging out of her room, already holding Aina’s backpack.

She smiled at you two. “Ready, Nana?”

Aina pulled away but not without giving you a cheek kiss. "Yesss, okay, bye YN." She said merrily before running off to take Rocío ’s hand.

You gave Rocío  a small, grateful wave and she gave you a nod that suggested she understood completely. As the door closed, you felt your shoulders slump and an exhale make its way out of your lungs. 

How am I going to get her that slot?

⋆˙⟡♡ As soon as the morning rush at the coffee shop calmed, you grabbed your phone and began researching on this whole mascot raffle thing. You were now on the page of the agency that handled the raffle. You scrolled back to the top of the page and started again, certain you must have missed something, because surely the process could not actually be this convoluted. 

But it was, in fact, this convoluted. The more you read, the less it made sense. You groaned in frustration.

"You know," Rocío  said from behind you, stacking the last of the clean glasses into their spot. "You wouldn't have to be standing there torturing yourself over a raffle if you would just talk to a certain someone."

"Don't." You didn't even look up from your phone, rolling your eyes. "Don't start with me right now, Rocío ."

"I'm just saying—"

"I know what you're just saying." You scrolled further down the page with a growing sense of despair. "Why is this so complicated? I have to sign-up on their website to get to an email with the online form which I have to fill out and submit just to get the details on when the physical sign-ups would be, where I still have to queue, and all of that is just for the chance that my sister gets to stand next to a footballer for five minutes."

Rocío  leaned against the counter with her arms crossed, shaking her head "If only there was a much simpler solution available to you."

You locked your phone and dropped it into your apron pocket. "Absolutely not. I’d rather fill up a hundred forms and stand in a line for two hours than do what you’re thinking."

She sighed through her nose. You made a mistake telling Rocío  about that night at the club, thinking naively that sharing it would make you feel better. But since that night, Rocío  had been bringing it up at every opportunity she could, insisting that you should try to message Alexia or whatever.

"YN, honestly," she said. "I don't understand why you’re acting like it was  such a catastrophic thing. She asked for your name. She didn't ask for your bank details or your home address or your email password or anything that should have sent you running out of that room."

You shook your head. "It's not about what she asked," you said, picking up a cloth and running it along a section of counter that was already perfectly clean, just needing something to do with your hands. "It's about the principle of it. I work very hard to keep things separate — who I am at work and who I am everywhere else. That line exists for a reason. It's why none of the Somni girls come to the apartment anymore, even if I love those girls dearly. I just…  I don't mix those parts of my life and it's why the whole thing works at all. It’s how I protect Aina from ever finding out," You pressed the cloth a little harder into the counter. "The moment you start blurring that line, shit gets messy and right now, messy is the last thing I need."

Rocío  was quiet for a moment, watching you clean a counter that did not need cleaning, exhaling. "What exactly do you think Alexia Putellas is going to do with your first name?" she said, not unkindly but just inquisitively.  "Hunt you down? Steal your identity? Blackmail you in front of Aina?" 

You stayed quiet, not looking at your best friend because you knew she was making a point. And you hated it when she was right. 

Rocío tilted her head. "She probably just thought you were attractive and wanted to know who you actually were. Maybe she just wanted to ask you out."

That was the point at which Rocío's argument fell apart.

"She wouldn’t want to actually date me. And quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to go on a date with her either," you said, with a dry laugh. "I told you… it was supposed to be harmless. A small crush on a client, something fun, a way to blow off some steam when I could without it meaning anything.”

You exhaled, shaking your head at yourself. “And then I let my guard down for five minutes and nearly handed her myself on a plate." You said. “This is why I can’t allow myself to let loose and have nice things. I can’t control myself once I do.”

Rocío and you fell silent for a moment. You sighed.  "Besides," you added quieter, "she hasn't come back anyway. So it's done."

Rocío made a sound that managed to communicate considerable skepticism without using any actual words. Then she straightened up and picked up a water pitcher to fill up the customer's empty water glasses. 

"Well, good luck with the mascot registration, then," she said with a fake pleasant tone. "Because I will tell you, that child could not stop talking about it the whole way to school this morning, on and on about the players and the pitch and meeting Aitana. So, you better be sure you’re getting that slot.”

You sighed. 

⋆˙⟡♡ You owed Rocío a very nice dinner for this.

She had agreed to cover for you during the morning shift at the coffee shop without too much negotiation, which either meant she was feeling generous or she felt guilty enough about all the Alexia comments and was doing it to make it up to you somehow. Either way, you were grateful.

You had set your alarm for an ungodly hour, barely slept a wink, dragged yourself out of bed, and spent twenty minutes in the kitchen making sure Aina's breakfast was ready before she woke up and that you at least had a quick shower.

Then you left the apartment, stepping into the cold of the early morning, the sky still grey and the streets quiet. The offices where the physical registration was being conducted were not nearby. 

Of course they weren't. 

Which was why you were on the metro by six, standing because the seats were already taken by other people who looked equally as tired as you were, holding the overhead bar and trying to mentally prepare yourself for whatever queue situation you were about to walk into.

Your body ached more than usual. Last night had been brutal in a way you had not anticipated. It was a bachelor party for a group of rich, finance dudes so Pilar was extra highstrung, making sure everyone did their numbers well. 

And by some unlucky fate, one of your co-workers had gone down during warm-up, tripping off of the stage and landing on her wrist. You, being the only girl who knew her choreography having done it before, was now tasked with performing it, on top of all of your other numbers. 

So, here you were, calves practically throbbing and a headache beginning to develop. The fact that the guy beneath you in one of the seats thought it’d be smart to chow down on what smelled like a purely onion sandwich, the pungent smell wafting to you, making your head throb even more.

I could have just asked Alexia for a favour, said a small, unhelpful voice somewhere in the back of your mind. That way I wouldn’t have to worry about this.

You shut it down immediately. No. Absolutely not. 

You were not going to be the person who leveraged a moment of weakness — a lapse in professionalism, a line you should never have crossed — into a personal favour. 

Most especially, you were not going to let Aina's name be connected, even loosely and privately, to that part of your life. Your sister existed in a completely separate world from Somni and everything that came with it, and that was not a boundary you had any intention of softening, not even for something she wanted this badly, not even when the alternative was standing in a queue at six in the morning with what you were increasingly certain was the beginning of a headache forming somewhere behind your eyes.

You were going to do this the right way.

The metro doors opened and you joined the stream of people moving toward the exit, adjusting your bag on your shoulder, preparing yourself for whatever was ahead. You just really, deeply hoped the queue wasn't as long as you feared it was going to be.

⋆˙⟡♡ Aina’s shrieks pierced your ear.  Your sister excitedly jumped up and down the couch after you had told her that you’ve gotten the email that confirmed that she was chosen for the mascot position for Barcelona’s next game. 

If her shouts from getting the signed shirt and armband didn’t wake up the entire apartment building, the shrieks from now certainly would have startled them. 

Nana, who was wearing the signed shirt like a dress and a Barcelona-themed party hat, was jumping up and down, clearly filled with glee. “Best birthday ever! Best birthday ever!” She chanted.

Rocío excitedly joined in on the chanting, grabbing your sister off of her bed so they can now prance around hand-in-hand in circles as they chanted together. You sighed, feeling a deep satisfaction settle inside you watching your sister so happy, giving yourself a pat in the back.

“YN, join us,” Rocío  said before continuing in their circular chant session.

You shook your head at the offer and laughed. “C’mon, Nana, you still have to blow your birthday candles.”

She ran up to you, hugging you tightly. “No need, YN. You made all my wishes come true already.”

You bent down to hug your sister tightly, feeling warmth spread through you. Maybe all the hard work and effort was worth it because nothing could replace this feeling. 

⋆˙⟡♡ The morning of the game, you were up before your alarm.

You laid in the dark for a few minutes, looking over at Aina who was in her princess pajamas, still sprawled beside you. She had begged you last night to sleep in the Alexia shirt but you refused. You were only realizing now that your sister had still stubbornly managed to sleep with Alexia’s armband hanging on her small arms loosely. 

You sighed as you got out of bed, heading for the shower. You already took the night shift off at Somni the other night for Aina’s birthday which meant that you could not have taken a night off last night. This meant that not only were you tired  but also that you had to wake up earlier than usual to scrub off the remnants of your heavy performance make-up and the body glitter you all had to wear.

You had been thinking about today all week, excited for Aina but anxious about seeing Alexia again. 

The Somni costume and make-up was enough to differentiate your real self from Rubi. In all your years performing, no one has recognized you outside of Somni. There would be times where regulars of the club would find themselves in the coffee shop you worked in and they all looked at you with the expression of unfamiliarity.

But then again, none of them got that close for that long. None of them has seen you without a wig.  It was just Alexia. 

And that was why you were roughly scrubbing the body glitter off of you so hard you were practically peeling off the first layer of your skin as you did. Taking an extra precaution to scrub off anything that could connect you to Rubi.

That also meant dressing as far as you could from Rubi. You didn’t put any make-up, just a light balm and concealer under your eyes, and you borrowed Rocío’s clothes — a loose Barcelona shirt and cargo pants. You looked at yourself in the mirror for a long moment.

You looked okay, which was good. The last thing you wanted was to stand out; you just wanted to blend in. And thankfully, you did. You looked just like someone's random older sister at a football match, which was precisely what you were, which was precisely the point.

You went and made breakfast, bracing yourself for the day ahead.

⋆˙⟡♡ By the time you arrived at the stadium, Aina was practically bouncing with excitement, nonstop yapping about how excited she was to finally meet Aitana. She had been good and behaved over breakfast, contained enough to sit down and eat, but the moment you'd left the apartment, her energy had accelerated steadily and has now officially gone off the rails.

You took her hand, making sure she wouldn’t break free and run off. She held your hand but she was looking everywhere at once: at the stadium exterior, at the other children gathering near the designated entrance, at the staff in their bibs with their clipboards, at everything with the wide-open attention of someone who wanted to memorize all of it simultaneously.

"YN, look, that's where they come out," she said, pulling your arm in one direction. “That’s where we’re going to go.”

You nodded as you got your wristbands from the staff, trying to pay attention to both the staff and your sister, who was still going on-and-on about everything she saw. 

"And look at the size of this stadium! It’s massive, YN!” She beamed. “Everyone is going to be so jealous at school when I tell them all about today.”

She giggled, which was a good sound, and you squeezed her hand and tried to let some of her excitement be contagious. 

Still, there was that anxiety of seeing her again.

She probably won't even look at you, you told yourself to calm down. And if she does, she wouldn’t know who you were.

The noise level in the room shifted as soon as the players arrived. The kids collectively cheered as they arrived, tugging on their parent’s arms, gushing as they arrived.

“YN! YN! It’s Alexia,” Aina said, excitedly pointing.

You followed your sister’s gesture and that’s when you saw her.

You knew exactly who you were looking at and yet it took a while for it to register that that was the same Alexia you knew. Because the person walking out in the Barça training kit with her hair scraped back in a tight ponytail and her eyes already somewhere past the room looked so disarmingly different.

At Somni, she was so loose and easy-going, eyes dark and fixated on you. Seeing her now felt somewhat unfamiliar. You carefully looked at her, watched her eyes level and distant, as if already focused on the game ahead. She took a deep breath before finally greeting the kids nearby, crouching down, smiling at them. Even her smile looked so different, bright and wide, so professional.

Your attention was interrupted once the staff took Aina, shuffling her into a line.  She looked back at you from where she was made to stand, giving you a thumbs up. You chuckled, waving one last time before you moved to the side along with the other guardians.

You watched Aina talk to the player beside her, excitedly bouncing and likely already talking the player’s ear off. You sighed and turned to head out, not sparing Alexia another glance.

It was good that Alexia did not recognize you, that she didn’t even look your way. It was safe that way. 

And yet… part of you couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

⋆˙⟡♡ Aitana had been paired with kids before. It was a regular enough fixture of the pre-match routine that she had a general approach to it: smile, crouch down to their level, ask their name, keep it warm and simple because they were usually too starstruck to do much more than stare at her for the first thirty seconds anyway.

This one was different. The little girl had begun talking before Aitana even had an opportunity to crouch down.

"Hi, I'm Aina which kinda sounds like Aitana but everyone calls me Nana and I'm so excited to meet you, I've been excited since my sister told me I got in and that was already a few days ago so I've been excited for a while—"

Aitana blinked and let out an easy laugh, a bit overwhelmed at the kid’s obvious excitement. "Hi, Nana. I'm Aitana." She interrupted, not knowing when else she could have an opportunity to speak in between the kid’s rambling.

"I know! " Nana exclaimed, raising her hands up. "You're my favourite player ever!"

"Yeah?" Aitana said with a smile.

“Yes, you’re my favorite because I really want to be a midfielder like you!” Aina said with a small jump. “And also, because you’re the smallest one in your team like how I’m the smallest in my team!”

Kika, who was just behind Aitana heard the statement, and chuckled. “How about me? Am I your favorite too?” She asked Nana.

Aina hummed, genuinely thinking for a while. “I think you’re my fifth favorite.”

Kika laughed at the honesty, feigning offense. “Just fifth?”

Aina, oblivious to Kika’s acting, listed them down. “Yes, it goes: Aitana, Alexia, Patri, Salma, and then, Kika!” She said excitedly before remembering. “Oh you know, my sister got me a signed shirt from Alexia for my birthday too but —”

Aina paused, unsure of whether or not she should continue. Aitana furrowed her eyebrows. “But what?”

“I’m starting to think it isn’t real,” she answered in a quiet voice, looking back to check if you were there. “Cause when I told my classmate Matteo about it yesterday. He said those shirts cost a lot of money and well… my sister has no money.”

Aitana found the little kid’s honesty amusing, chuckling a bit at the candor. “You know what, I think your friend Matteo is just jealous.”

Aina pouted. “Yeah?”

Aitana nodded. “Let me tell you what, how about I give you another shirt later and we can take a photo so that your friend Matteo wouldn’t ever doubt you.” She smiled. “As long as you can wait a bit after the game.”

Nana nodded immediately, doing a little hop in her place. "Yes! Please! I would really love that!” She stuck out her hand towards Aitana. “It’s a deal”

"Deal." Aitana kept her voice serious, acting as if it was a serious negotiation, shaking the little girl’s hands. “Okay, just behave now and I promise, I’ll give you it later. Good?”

Aina saluted and stopped jumping, standing up straight. Aitana laughed and took her hand. “Okay, let’s go, Nana. Let’s win this game.”

⋆˙⟡♡ Aitana grabbed a marker from Irene as she continued to explain why she was asking everyone around for a marker.  “She might genuinely be one of the funniest kids I've met in a long time so I just felt like I had to give her something."

“Yeah, she’s hilarious," Kika added, in the middle of getting changed. “She told Aitana she was her favorite because she was the smallest in the team.”

Esmee and Alexia laughed. 

Aitana frowned and added. "Which is crazy because I'm not even the smallest. Vicky is shorter than me,” she said. “Plus, she said it was because she wants to be a midfielder too but of course, you only heard the short part.”

Kika gave her a teasing shrug and Aitana rolled her eyes but laughed. She sat down on the bench near the lockers, propping the shirt on her knee, signing on the back of it. “Okay, now, I gotta give it to her and take a photo so that her classmates wouldn’t think it’s fake.”

“Fake?” Patri asked.

“Yeah, apparently her sister bought her a signed Alexia shirt for her birthday." She looked towards Alexia’s direction to make sure that she was listening. "And now she thinks it’s fake because her classmate said so.”

The people nearby gave their awws, feeling bad for the girl. “Her classmates are just jealous,” Patri commented before pausing to think. “Though, the shirt might actually be fake. I saw someone selling a shirt on ebay that I apparently signed and the signature looked nothing like mine.”

Alexia laughed, shaking her head, turning back to Aitana. “How old is she?” She asked in the middle of undoing her boots.

"Seven, I think?" Aitana answered, throwing on a fresh shirt. “You should meet her too, Alexia. She said you’re her second favorite player.”

Kika scoffed. “Lucky you, I’m just her fifth favorite.”

Patri laughed. “How about me?”

“Third.” Aitana and Kika answered at the same time. 

Patri smiled before turning to Kika to tease her. Alexia chuckled. “Yeah, I should give her something too, just so she can flex on her jealous classmates,” she joked, standing up to borrow the marker from Alexia.

Aitana stood up and readied the shirt, hanging it on her forearm. “I’ll head on outside cause I don’t want to keep the kid waiting,” she said. “But I’m telling you: you’re going to love that kid. She’s like a puppy dog.”

Alexia chuckled. “I bet.”

⋆˙⟡♡ Aina was practically bursting with excitement in a way you have never seen her before. You could tell she was trying to contain her energy, stay patient, but it was obvious how hyped she was.

The Barcelona social media manager had approached you after catching part of Aina and Aitana's interaction from a while ago, finding it adorable and asked if she could film a short clip of Aina receiving the shirt for a Children's Day post. You agreed, and she positioned herself between you and Aina to get the angle she needed, which was just perfect cause now you could hide behind her just in case Alexia passes by.

Soon enough, Aitana came out, a shirt in hand. Aina exclaimed the player’s name, rushing over to hug her tightly. Aitana chuckled, crouching down to hug your sister. You watched from behind the social media manager’s shoulder, smiling warmly at the interaction, watching how your sister’s eyes practically sparkled as she talked to the footballer. You couldn’t hear much of what was going on but Aitana was genuinely listening and chatting with your sister, genuinely enjoying the conversation and even laughing at Aina’s statements.

Rocío always joked that Aina got all the humor and the charm but you never found it offensive because she was right. That girl was just so loveable even when she was brimming with energy.

You finally stepped forward when the camera lowered, reaching them just as Aitana straightened up.

"Thank you, Aitana." you said, and meant it thoroughly, shaking her hand as you did. "She won’t ever forget this. I bet she won’t let us forget either. She idolizes you so much.”

"I believe it," Aitana said, with a chuckle. "She reminded me of myself at that age, honestly, just eager and full of energy.”

She looked down at your sister, giving her a small cheek pinch. “Nana here told me that she plays midfield too,” she gave your sister another smile before looking back at you. “You should look into La Masia for her training. Might be worth the shot.”

You nodded. "I'll look into it."

Aitana opened her mouth to say something else, then glanced back toward the door. "Oh — wait.” She said, turning to the social media manager, stopping her from packing up the ring light. “You should keep filming.”

The staff looked at Aitana who simply explained. “I told my teammates about Aina, and Alexia said that she’s coming out to give Aina something too."

As soon as you heard Alexia’s name the same nervous feeling returned to your gut. You shook your head. "That's really not necessary—" you started.

"Alexia is giving me something too?" Aina exclaimed loudly with amused disbelief. She spun around to look at you with the biggest smile on her face. “YN, did you hear that? I’m getting something from Alexia too!”

You closed your mouth, forced a smile, and gave a stiff nod. As soon as the social media manager turned the lights back on, you told Aina to wait for Alexia and very deliberately moved behind the social media girl, who had her phone raised again, and stayed there, watching Aitana pull your sister into one last hug before disappearing back through the locker room door.

You took a deep breath. Calm down, you told yourself. She has no idea who you are or what you actually look like. It’s no big deal. 

But all that self-soothing proved useless as soon as Alexia came through the door, causing your heart to beat at an unhealthily fast rate

She had changed out of her kit, wearing their sleeveless training kit, showing off her arms. Alexia’s hair was still damp at the edges from the shower. Even without make-up, she looked breathtakingly beautiful. She gave the lingering staff a brief, polite acknowledgement and then her attention settled on Aina, who was looking up at her, eyes wide and teeth bared into a huge toothy grin.

You moved, quietly, directly behind the social media manager, moving even further away just to be safe. Though, at that distance, it meant you couldn't hear a word of what they were saying, which was its own particular frustration, but it was the safest option.

Aina greeted Alexia, rushing into a hug. Alexia crouched down as she took your sister into her arms, hugging her warmly. You watched Alexia smile at Aina as the two began to talk, handing her a shirt, which garnered her another hug from the little girl.

"Aitana tells me you already have my signature," Alexia said as she slowly pulled away from the hug, tilting her head a bit.

Aina nodded. “Yes, I have three.” She said before holding out the shirt Alexia just gave her. “And now four!”

Alexia looked a bit taken aback, chuckling, thinking to herself that maybe this little girl’s sister had gone a bit crazy with a Sharpie one night. "Four? That’s a lot! You’ll have your own Alexia collection soon,” she joked.

Aina smiled but something about it carried a hesitation. She paused, looking behind her to see if you were within earshot before moving closer to Alexia. “Well, I’m not sure if it’s real,” she said to Alexia in a small, guilty voice. “My classmate Matteo said that maybe my sister got scammed on the internet since he doesn’t think the signatures are real but please don't say anything because it'll really hurt her feelings. I bet she saved a bunch just to buy me those."

Alexia gave her a small, exaggerated pout, tilting her head. "Really? What makes him think that?" she asked, feeling genuinely bad about the situation. "Maybe your sister really did get it for you though. Has she ever met me before?"

Aina shook her head vigorously. "No, my sister doesn't even watch football anymore cause she’s always working," she said bluntly with a sigh. "But she said she bought the shirt and armband online and that the paper was from when she met you at a restaurant. I don’t know if the last part is true either."

Alexia nodded slowly, manufacturing a thoughtful expression. "You know what, now that I think about it, I think I did sign something for a girl at a restaurant once," she said, which was a complete lie, but the alternative was letting this child go home thinking her sister had wasted money trying to make her happy, and she wasn't going to do that. “And I think the girl did look a lot like an older version of you!”

At the end of the day, at least, she’d have one real signature, Alexia thought to herself. I’m not crushing this kid’s happiness.

Your sister immediately perked up, eyes widening. “Really? Then that might be her! Everyone does say we look alike!” she exclaimed. “I really had my doubts, Alexia. Cause it was just on this crumpled receipt and Matteo said she might have just traced your signature or something."

Alexia laughed but paused, expression turning serious for a moment, as a memory snagged in the back of her head. She furrowed her eyebrows together, blinking as she remembered the interaction she had backstage, from the time the other Somni girls asked her to sign a receipt for Rubi’s sister. 

Alexia tilted her head. “Did it say anything on the paper?”

Aina nodded “It said: Força Barça, Nana!” 

"Nana," Alexia repeated. When Aitana had mentioned the name Aina earlier, it didn’t really bring up any recollection with Alexia. It was a common enough name. But Nana was something she remembered. She looked past Aina's shoulder, scanning, but couldn't find you. She brought her attention back to the girl in front of her, keeping her expression easy so Aina wouldn't notice anything had shifted. "Where's your sister now?"

Aina turned around. She looked around before finally locating you, hiding behind the social media manager. You watched helplessly as her little arm went up, finger pointing directly at you with an innocent smile on her face, totally unaware of the fact that you were practically panicking at that point.

What’s worse was the social media manager shifted just enough to expose you.

Alexia looked up. Her eyes found yours and her face went very still. You looked away, fixing your gaze somewhere past her, jaw tight. She held the look for one more second before returning her attention to Aina, and whatever she had just recognized, she kept it entirely to herself, her expression resettling into a warm smile.

She continued to engage Aina for another few minutes, talking to her about football, the match. The conversation went on and at some point, Alexia gave the social media manager a thumbs up, as if signalling them to wrap up. The girl in front of you turned off the small ringlight and lowered the phone before walking off, leaving you completely seen. 

Alexia looked at you once more from across the small distance between you. Without the wig, without the makeup, without any of it, you looked so different that she understood immediately why she hadn't placed it sooner. If it hadn't been for Aina and the receipt and the name, she likely wouldn't have connected it at all.

"Aina," she said, glancing down at your sister, "why don't you introduce me to your sister?"

Aina nodded before turning around, rushing towards you. She came back to you with her arms occupied with the merch from both Aitana and Alexia, absolutely beaming with pride. You smiled at her, still avoiding Alexia’s gaze, crouching over to take the stuff from your sister’s arms and carefully placing it into your totebag.

Alexia trailed just behind Aina. Close enough now that she could see the resemblance clearly: same hair, face shape, same lips. Alexia smiled at her own observation, eyes flickering across your face, biting her lip to stop herself from smiling too widely.

“Alexia, this is my sister,” Aina announced with excitement. 

You straightened up and looked somewhere in Alexia's general direction but not making eye contact. “Thank you. Aina is a big fan.”

"Of course." Alexia glanced down at Aina. "You should come to watch more games, Nana. I’d love to see you again.”

Aina grabbed your arm immediately. "Hear that, YN? Alexia wants to see me again!”

You smiled at your sister but internally you were cursing at the situation, fairly certain Alexia had just heard your name loud and clear. "Yeah, of course, we will," you said, already reaching for Aina's hand. "Okay, we should get going. We don't want to keep Alexia. I'm sure she's very busy.”

Aina was a bit startled at your urgency but just nodded and agreed. You turned already, holding Aina’s hand in yours, ready to leave. “Say goodbye, Nana.”

Aina, thankfully, didn't put up a fight this time. "Okay," she said agreeably but not before letting go of your hand and running back to Alexia to give her another hug. "It was really nice meeting you, Alexia!"

Alexia hugged her back, laughing softly. "You too, Nana."

You gave Alexia a brief nod, eyes down, and turned for the exit with your sister’s  hand back in yours. Aina was still craning her neck back, looking behind at Alexia, reluctant to let the moment end. 

Alexia waved at her. "Bye, Nana!"

You kept walking, focusing on the exit.

“And bye, YN.” Alexia followed up.

You didn't turn around, just kept your eyes on the exit and your pace steady, like you hadn't even heard it.

Shit.

⋆˙⟡♡ "Bye, YN," Rocío repeated back to you, mouth wide parted in disbelief. She huffed, nodding as if impressed with it. "Oh, she's good. That's slick. Really cheeky."

You groaned and dropped your face back into the throw pillow. As soon as you got home, you’ve been wanting to tell Rocío everything that happened but Aina took up most of the conversation, yapping on and on. Thankfully, she got the idea to call her friends and tell them about it too which finally gave you an opportunity to recount what happened to your best friend, still in disbelief.

"How am I this unlucky," you said, muffled, into the cushion. 

"Unlucky," Rocío repeated. "How is that unlucky?”

You groaned, lifting your head up and reaching over to the pizza box on the coffee table, pulling out a slice that had gone a bit cold. You noticed that Aina’s  Aina's plate was still sitting there mostly untouched. You sighed, figuring you’d let her talk to her friends first and just remind her to finish it later.

“I mean unlucky in a sense that nothing goes how I want it,” you explained. You were interrupted mid-thought by the sound of Aina’s loud laughter from her room. You sighed. “At least one of us is pleased with herself.”

Rocío  smiled in the direction of the door, chuckling. "Imagine how much happier she'd be if you started dating Alexia."

You turned to look at her flatly. "You gotta let that go. You're constructing an entire narrative out of nothing."

"Out of nothing," she said, giving you a look. "The woman came back with gifts for your sister, fully made out with you, then recognized you out of your Somni costumes, and made it a point to let you know that she was going to remember your name. Clearly that’s not nothing.”

You stared blankly at Rocío  who rolled her eyes. “You can’t seriously tell me that you think she isn’t a little bit interested at least.”

You shook your head. “No, I know she is but she’s interested in Rubi, not me. That's an important distinction that you keep choosing to ignore." You scoffed. “And well, if Rubi is the kind of girl she likes, then the real me is certainly not going to catch her attention.”

Rocío  waved her hand dismissively. "I think you're being ridiculous.”

"I'm being realistic. " You took a bite of the cold pizza, chewed, swallowed. "Besides, I've seen the kind of girls she goes for. Her ex was really into fitness, like seriously into it, marathons and pilates and all that. While I’m here on the couch with you, eating my third slice of cold pizza.”

Rocío chuckled but shook her head. “Please, I know you have this whole self-deprecation thing going but you literally make money off of how fit you look.”

“That’s different,” you responded. "Anyway, whatever, the point is that I’ve seen her ex and she could not be more different from me."

Rocío was quiet for a moment, and you thought maybe you'd finally managed to close the conversation, until she said slowly, "How do you know all that about her ex?”

You stopped chewing, not answering. Rocío shook her head and pointed an accusatory finger at you.

“You sly woman,” Rocío  said with a chuckle. “You totally stalked Alexia and her ex.”

"I wouldn't use the word stalk—"

"You absolute hypocrite," Rocío interrupted, tone delighted. "You sit here telling me that you don’t like that she recognized you, that you don't like her, or that it’s not happening, meanwhile you've stalked her enough to know about her ex going on marathons.”

You shrugged.  "I was just curious," you said with a small voice. 

"You actually want her," Rocío said simply. "You’ve got an actual, massive crush on Alexia Putellas.”

You put the pizza down and exhaled slowly before rambling. "Fine, okay, I think she's hot and she kissed me so fucking good that I started seeing stars and yeah, I did find it cute that she took the time to greet and talk to Aina a while ago even if she didn’t know her and yes, I kinda think I really like her. Are you happy?" You looked at Rocío but before she could say anything, you went on. "But what exactly am I supposed to do with that? She’s this famous football star and I’m a stripper. If she does like me, it’s lust and nothing more.”

"You don't actually know that," Rocío said, more gently this time, knowing that there were times you had opened up to her about your worries of never finding anyone who could like you for more than just your body. 

"I know enough," you said, shrugging. "And even if I didn't, getting closer to her is a risk I can't afford. You know that." 

You leaned back into the couch. "Besides, it doesn't matter. She hasn’t shown her face in the club anyway. If there was any interest before, it’s gone now.”

⋆˙⟡♡ You didn’t tell anyone else about how Aina met Alexia, especially not your co-workers at Somni. They had more than enough questions about the last time Alexia visited and you didn’t want to add more to that.

Thankfully, the interest in Alexia died off and most of them left you alone.

“Chiqui,” Adriana said, walking over to you from where you were standing in the dressing, in the middle of wiping off her make-up. “You did well tonight.”

You smiled, taking off your wig and placing it on the wig holders. “Thanks. The new choreography was so fucking hard to learn but I guess I figured it out eventually.”

Adriana hummed, tilting her hair slightly. “Yeah, but to be honest, I still like your old solo better. I think that one was way sexier,” she nodded, and waved her hand like that wasn’t the point.  “Anyway, I just came over here to ask you something.”

You paused from changing out of your costume, eager to just get home already. “Yeah?”

Adriana bit her lip, already smiling. “So, Alexia…”

“No, no,” you shook your head at Adriana, in the middle of putting on a tanktop. “I told you it was nothing. She’s just a client.”

Adriana nodded. “Good, cause Lorenzo’s cousin is moving to Barcelona soon and I thought maybe we should go on a double date. All four of us.”

You squinted. “Didn’t you say it was over for you and Lorenzo?”

The girl shook her head dismissively. “Whatever, it’s complicated,” she groaned. “Anyway, are you up for it or not? She’s really cute and very much your type.”

“I don’t know, chica. I mean, I barely have any time and you know how Aina gets when I don’t spend my weekends with her,” you said, trailing off a bit. 

“C’mon, YN. It’s been a while since you and I hung out outside of work,” she pleaded. “And Lorenzo’s cousin is really hot too. She’s like… an Italian Alexia Putellas.”

You scoffed. “An Italian Alexia Putellas?” 

Adriana rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean – athletic and hot with great abs,” she tried to explain before simply stating again, as if it was a selling point. “An Italian Alexia Putellas.”

You rolled your eyes, putting your costume back onto a rack. “I don’t know why you’d think —”

“You ladies talking about me?” 

The voice came from just behind the costume racks. You were startled, instinctively covering yourself even though you were already fully dressed, and turned to find Alexia Putellas standing there looking thoroughly amused.

She was wearing loose jeans and a cropped, black cardigan that exposed a sliver of her stomach. Her brown hair framing her face. She had an amused look on her face, clearly having heard part of your conversation. You and Adriana exchanged a glance.

Right beside her was your club manager. "Alexia's teammate is getting married," Pilar said, cutting straight to it the way she always did. "She stopped by to book a date and thought you'd have some input on the lineup." She looked at you pointedly. "Since you've been here long enough to know what works."

You looked again at Adriana who just gave you a shrug but had a small smile on her face “I, uh… me?” You asked, pointing at yourself. “I don’t… usually…”

"You've been here over half a decade. You'll manage." Pilar was already typing something on her phone. “I’ll leave you two to talk about it.”

She thanked Alexia before walking off, already typing away on her phone like she always did. You stared after her for a moment, then turned back to Alexia, who just gave you a meek smile. You gestured for her to wait as you chased  after Pilar whose eyes were still on her phone.

“Pilar,” you said, waiting for her to stop in her tracks, just out of earshot from Alexia. She looked at you, raising an eyebrow. “Pilar, you know I don’t do… client relations.”

Pilar scoffed. “Client relations? What are we – a Fortune 500 company?” She said sarcastically “It’s no big deal. Her teammate is having a bachelorette. All they want is just to see new performances, different from last time. Just string together some new and some old performances and call it a day.”

You paused, nodding. “Can’t I just text you my suggestions? I mean, you usually take care of events like this cause I don’t really have much free time and I gotta go home and take care of—”

“Aina, I know, I know,” she said, nodding understandably. “Look, Alexia requested that you coordinate with her. You specifically. I’m not gonna waste time explaining why that is. You’re smart enough to know why.”

You blinked. “What?”

Pilar tucked her phone under her arm and gave you a look that was almost fond, in her particular way. "YN. The woman is infatuated with you." She said it plainly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm not asking you to do anything complicated. Talk to her, find out what she's looking for, pass it to me and I'll handle the rest. She's paying well. If you help coordinate it, I'll split the managing fee with you."

You went quiet, doing the math without meaning to. Aina's tournament was coming up and you had most of it covered, but new boots would certainly be a great gift to surprise her with.

"Can I go now?" Pilar continued without waiting for your answer. "I've got a situation with the laundry service. Sol's boots came back still smelling like absolute shit and there’s no way I’m paying that much for boots to be coming back still stinking."

You nodded, looking back at Alexia now who was now talking to Adriana, laughing easily at something Adriana said. 

“And YN,” Pilar said, drawing your attention back to her. She put a hand on your shoulder and squeezed. "If I were you, I'd just enjoy it." 

She walked away, already calling someone as she did. You stood there for another moment, then headed back to Adriana and Alexia.

Alexia turned her attention back to you and gave a smile. “So, are we sorted? Are you up to help me with this bachelorette?”

“YN’s been here as long as I have," Adriana offered cheerfully. "She'll know exactly what to put together."

You nodded slowly. Alexia's gaze stayed on you, unhurried, and she said, "Yeah, she looks like a girl with great taste." Her eyes scanned you before settling back on your face and gave you a crooked smile.

Adriana widened her eyes. She mouthed oh my god at you from just over Alexia's shoulder. “Anyway,” she said out loud. “I’ll leave you to talk. Lorenzo’s picking me up.”

Adriana gave you one last wink before heading back to her station to grab her bag. 

You turned to Alexia and you nodded. "Okay, we should probably go over what you're looking for quickly cause I do have to get home soon,” you said. “It is a bit late.”

"Honestly, I mostly took care of it with Pilar already: pencil-booked and paid the deposit." She slid her hands into her pockets, easy about it. "Why don't I drive you home? We can talk about all the preliminary stuff on the way to your place."

You pressed your lips together. The sensible part of you already had a whole list of reasons to say no. First, she was a client. And that you’ve blurred enough lines as it was. Lastly, there was no real benefit to getting entangled with a famous footballer.

But the other part of you was much louder. It was too busy noticing how good she looked and thinking about how much you'd secretly wanted to see her again to even listen to the logical side of you.

You figured you'd spent enough time being sensible.

You gave her a small smile. "Yeah, okay."

⋆˙⟡♡ As soon as you got into Alexia's car, you pulled out your makeup wipes and started scrubbing your face clean, cursing yourself for not doing this sooner.

Alexia glanced over but said nothing. "Let me just input your address," she said, tapping at her GPS.

You stuffed the used wipe into your bag. "I’m kind of regretting giving you my actual address now,” you joked, looking over at her as she input it. “You're not going to turn out to be some crazy axe murderer, right?"

Alexia laughed softly. "Do I look like an axe murderer to you?"

"I genuinely don't know what axe murderers look like," you said. "Maybe they look like you do."

She chuckled, shaking her head, and you settled into an easy quiet before you broke it. 

"So… bachelorette party, huh?" you asked.

"Yeah." Alexia's expression warmed, nodding her head. "Our goalkeeper, Cata, just got engaged. She missed Irene's party and had massive FOMO, so I figured I'd put together something for her. It’s gonna be my engagement gift."

You hummed, nodding. "And you want a different lineup of performances?"

Alexia began pulling out of the lot, brow furrowed in thought. "I'm not entirely sure yet. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it." 

You hummed, tilting your head, biting your lip. You hesitated before finally saying. "For a second, I thought you were just finding an excuse to see me again."

She smiled at the road. "Hmm, well, seeing you again is a nice bonus."

You went quiet, feeling the blush spread through your cheeks. You bit your lip and looked out the window, trying to hide your pinked face. Alexia noticed and smiled to herself.

"So," Alexia said. "How's Aina?"

You smiled, feeling a bit warm at the mention of Aina, flattered Alexia had remembered her name. If Aina knew, she would be pleased. "She's okay. She still can't stop talking about the game." You nodded. "She wears your captain's armband to sleep, you know."

"That's so cute." She said, pausing before asking. "So, do you two live with your parents?"

You frowned at the mention of your parents. "I thought we were here to talk about the bachelorette." You said simply.

"You look tired," she said easily, shrugging one shoulder. "Work stuff can wait. Let’s just chat, get to know each other."

You hummed, pausing before shaking your head. “No, we don’t live with our parents.”

“Why is that?” She asked, eyes still on the road.

“Oh, uh, they passed.” You said simply, looking down into your hands. No matter how long it’s been, talking about your parents. It never got easy. 

“I’m sorry,” Alexia said, the car coming to a halt as you reached a stop light, she looked over to you, eyes sincere. “I had no idea.”

You shook your head. “No, it’s fine, it’s been years anyway,” You said, brushing it off. “So, yeah, it’s just me, Aina, and well, my roommate. We’re kinda like a small family.”

Alexia nodded. “Oh,” she said with a tone you could not decipher. “That’s good. So, uh, how long have you been with your roommate?”

"It’s been a while since she moved in with us," you responded, not catching what Alexia meant. "Honestly, she's been with us since I was twenty. So, I really can't imagine not having her around."

Alexia nodded slowly. The car went silent for a moment, except for the sound from Alexia’s GPS. She hesitated before asking. “So, doesn’t she get jealous? Like, considering what you do for work?”

You frowned, pausing before looking over at Alexia in confusion. “Why would she be jealous…”

Then it clicked. You looked at her, and the realization broke across your face in a smile you couldn't help. "Oh, you’re fishing," you said. "You are absolutely fishing right now."

"I'm just asking," Alexia said, trying to look casual and nonchalant about it but you could tell she was bluffing.

"You're trying to find out if I'm single." You said, just making it clear.

"...and what if I am?" Alexia responded, a smile growing on her face.

You laughed, shaking your head. For one, there was no way in hell you and Rocío could ever date; you were practically sisters at this point. Secondly, the fact that Alexia Putellas seemed a bit jealous for a moment….

"Alexia. I wouldn't have kissed you if I wasn't." The words left your mouth before you could think better of it. You felt your face go hot but you didn’t take it back. You really didn’t want to bring up the kiss and yet your mouth got the best of you.

Alexia glanced at you, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, and you quickly looked away.

"Well," she responded, tone light. "I thought maybe that's why you ran off so fast."

You sighed and shook your head. "No. No, that's not…" you exhaled, trying to get your thoughts straight before responding again. "Alexia, I don't usually do that with clients. I mean — I've never done that with a client. I should have been more professional. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Hey." Her voice was easy, looking over at you. “Relax."

You stopped, biting your lip.  She turned to look at you at the red light, and her expression was warm and sincere.  "It was nice," she said simply.

You held her gaze, taking the moment for what it was. Looking at her, face illuminated by the street lights and the faint red of the stoplight, accentuating her features. You cherished it: a girl driving you home, telling you she liked kissing you, making you feel giddy in ways you haven’t felt in such a long time. You wanted to hold it a little longer.

Unfortunately, your stomach growled and ruined the moment..

You covered your face with both hands. "Oh my god,” you said, embarrassment rushing through you. “That was not — that was not a fart, I need you to know that."

Alexia bursted out laughing, so much so that she almost didn’t notice that the stoplight had gone green. As she calmed down, she said, “Chica, you didn’t tell me you were hungry.”

You just realized that you hadn't actually eaten anything since noon, when you and Rocío split a sad little sandwich at the café before your shift. You meant to grab something before your shift at Somni but it must have slipped your mind.

Your stomach offered another confirmatory rumble.

Alexia tutted her tongue. "That's it. I'm not taking you home like this." She was already signaling to change lanes, going the opposite direction from what was directed in the GPS. "There's a place I know that's still open. Come on, my treat."

"I have to be up early," you said, waving your hands to gesture refusal "I still have to prepare Aina's breakfast —"

"I'll buy enough so you don't have to cook in the morning." She glanced at you, easy, like it was already settled. "You can't go to sleep on an empty stomach."

You looked at her biting your lip before letting yourself smile. There was just something so attractive about a girl who wanted to be with you so much that she’d find a solution to your excuse. You deserved to revel in it for a moment so you nodded and leaned back into your seat.

"Okay," you said. "Let's go."

⋆˙⟡♡ You moaned embarrassingly loud at the first bite of the fried chicken.

Alexia grinned across from you, her own wing already half-eaten. "Right?"

"This is so fucking good," you said, still chewing, covering your mouth with your hand.

"I know." She reached for a napkin, looking genuinely pleased with herself. "My nutritionist is gonna kill me if she finds out I’m eating fried chicken past midnight in the middle of a season.”

The place was small and loud, wedged between two clubs, full of drunk people who were too drunk out of their minds to notice that Alexia Putellas was sitting in the corner at 1 in the morning, splitting a plate of chicken wings with some random girl. 

You looked at her and thought about how absurd it was seeing her like this. The whole La Reina thing had always seemed like football hyperbole to you until you saw her like this, in an ordinary place, and understood that it wasn't really just about football at all. She had an almost regal aura, the type that just exuded effortless confidence. It didn’t feel like she belonged here.

She caught you looking. "What?"

"Nothing." You dropped your gaze back to your food. "I just didn't picture you as a fried chicken at one in the morning kind of person."

“Oh trust me, I’m not usually. I typically stick to a diet plan from my nutritionist.” She leaned back slightly, amused, tilting her head to the side. "But what did you picture I was like?"

You thought about it genuinely for a second. "I don't know. You seem like the person who only wines and dines,” you answered. “You know, steak, halibut, filet mignon.”

She fully laughed, her laugh melodic. “Filet mignon? I look like I only eat filet mignon?”

You couldn’t help but smile but still rolled your eyes. “I meant… it just seems uncharacteristic of you to be into fast food. At least from what I hear about you.”

“From what you hear about me huh,” she said, raising both eyebrows, face amused. “And what have you heard?”

You just gave her a shrug and continued to eat your chicken, afraid to accidentally slip and reveal that you have been secretly stalking her online since the first time you met. You didn’t want the fact that you did have a crush on her to get to her head.

“Well, I guess you’d learn there are a lot of things about me that might surprise you.” She said, a smile playing on her face as she took a sip of her water.

"Yeah? Like you regularly take strippers out on fried chicken dates?" You responded quickly.

She nearly choked. You watched her grab a napkin, pressing it to her mouth, shoulders shaking even as she tried to compose herself. She chuckled, coughs coming out as she did. She shook her head.  “I mean, I don’t but….” She coughed a bit more, making you chuckle to yourself. As soon as she calmed down, she exhaled and gave you a look, eyes slightly squinted. “Wait, so, this is a date?”

You could feel yourself blush, ashamed at the fact that you said that, but you just tried to play it cool, just giving the Catalan another shrug.  

She shook her head slowly, still smiling to herself. "You can call it a date," she nodded. "If you want to."

You put down the chicken wing you had been munching on onto the paper tray before grabbing a paper towel to wipe the sauce off of your hands. You sighed, shaking your head. "I don't think I want my first date in years to be me in an old, ratty tank top at a fried chicken shop full of drunk people."

Alexia’s eyes widened, in disbelief. "Years?"

You scoffed but felt a bit embarrassed. "I'm busy, okay?" You reached for your water. "I have a little sister and two jobs. You try living my life and let’s see if you’ve got time to date.”

Alexia held her hands up in surrender but she was still smiling, and you looked away feeling your energy shift a bit, suddenly feeling out-of-place. She must have noticed your expression because her face grew serious, straightening up her posture.

“Well, you know,” she started, tone careful. “If I were to actually date you, I’d take you somewhere more special, not some small chicken shop. If you’d let me, I’d love to—”

“It’s getting late,” you interrupted, nodding and avoiding her gaze. As much as you enjoyed tonight, how you were able to get to know her more, you knew that hoping for anything more than this was foolish. 

This wasn't going anywhere real. Not beyond this booth and this chicken and whatever had already happened between you. The distance between your lives wasn't the kind of thing you could close just by wanting to.

When you finally checked your phone, you sighed, seeing that it actually was way too late. "I really have to go."

Her face dropped but she just nodded. “Yeah, okay,” she said, nodding. “I’ll just order something for Aina then we can go.”

You crossed your arms and nodded, giving her a small smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes.

⋆˙⟡♡ Rocío headed to the moka pot, pouring herself a cup of coffee, looking curiously at you as you took out the reheated chicken from the air fryer. She furrowed her eyebrows together. "Fried chicken for breakfast?" Rocío asked. 

"Complaining?" you said, moving past her to the fridge. 

"No, just surprised." She turned to watch you, brown hair in a bun that bounced slightly as she walked towards you. "Good tips last night, I assume?"

You grabbed the orange juice and poured yourself a glass. "You could say that." You said with a suggestive tone.

She frowned and opened her mouth as if to say something but Aina came padding out of her room, hair still damp and unbrushed, nose already sniffing about. She stopped in the middle of the kitchen and looked at you.

"Do I smell chicken?” She asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, come, have some, I just heated the chicken up.” You smiled. “I packed you some for lunch too.”

Aina beamed, giddily getting into her chair, grabbing one with her tiny hands. “I thought you didn’t want me eating too much unhealthy food,” she said, sauce all over her mouth. 

You smiled. “I had some last night after work and thought it’d be unfair if you didn’t have any.” You responded. 

Rocío looked at you over the top of Aina's head with an expression that communicated that you were going to sit down and tell her everything the moment that child was out of earshot. You took a long sip of your orange juice and gave her a small smirk without saying anything at all, which she understood to mean she was completely right.

⋆˙⟡♡ You weren't supposed to be here today.

You had Mondays off and you usually spent your free day either catching up on sleep or treating yourself to a self-date or even a massage, if you had the money. Instead, you were coming to Somni to have a client meeting with Alexia.

Not that you had any complaints. You were going to get paid to plan and well, being around Alexia never really was all that bad. So, when Alexia asked if she could come over to continue planning, you didn’t hesitate too much.

The club was in its pre-shift chaos when Alexia arrived, walking up to you in your area where you were lazily scrolling through your phone and sipping on your coffee. To Alexia, the sight of you was a sharp contrast to everyone else who was moving in every direction, zipping each other up in costumes, gluing lashes and having multiple, overlapping conversations.

“Girlfriend alert,” Sol blurted out as she passed by your station, borrowing your setting spray without even asking.

You looked up from your phone to see Alexia walking towards you, dressed in a sleeveless black top and baggy jeans sitting low on her hips, waist showing and arms bare. Two of your coworkers noticed her before you could even get to her and you caught your co-worker’s looks as you did. You were going to hear about this later.

She smiled, then let her eyes drift around the room, taking it in. "Gets busy here, huh?"

"That was why I asked you to meet earlier," you said, and then immediately softened it because you hadn't meant it to come out quite that way. "It gets hectic here at this time."

"Yeah, but I really couldn’t meet any earlier. I had crazy meetings," She said with a shrug. Her eyes scanned you as she said it. 

You were out-of-costume today but you were slightly made-up today. You were wearing a strappy, black top and jeans. You didn’t have much product on your face since on your days off, you liked to let your skin breathe but you did have some tinted moisturizer and a light lip gloss. 

Alexia smiled, thinking to herself that she liked this version of you more. "We kinda match," She said instead, gesturing towards your outfits. “That’s cute.”

You chose not to engage with that particular observation but that didn’t make you blush any less. "Uh, I think we should go to the private room," you said, gesturing to the private rooms. "We're not going to get anything done out here with all this happening."

She nodded and let you lead the way.

⋆˙⟡♡ You headed to the same room you were in before. You pushed the door open and crossed to the light panel on the wall, turning on only the fluorescents instead of the red lights. You didn’t want to create too much ambience like you did last time.

Alexia closed the door from behind her. You settled onto the couch and pulled up your notes app, waiting for Alexia to sit next to you. Instead, she drifted toward the costume racks, fingers trailing along hangers, carefully looking through the clothes. 

You just let her explore, figuring it’d be less unnerving than with her sitting next to you, hazel eyes gazing at you as she did.

"Tell me about Cata," you said. "What does she like, music-wise? What kind of energy is she?"

"Uh, well, upbeat?" Alexia said, still moving along the rack, not looking at you. "I know she likes reggaeton, pop. Y’know, energetic music." She paused somewhere in the middle and her hand stopped moving, and then she turned around holding the Little Bo Peep costume out in front of her on its hanger, apron and crook and all. Her face beamed with amusement "Please tell me this is yours."

"No way. That was Sol’s," you said, waving the costume off dismissively before continuing in your questioning. "So... Cata likes upbeat, maybe something more dance-heavy. Would you want it to stay mostly in that lane or would you want a mix of different styles, because I was thinking of pulling in one of Sol's other pieces, there's this burlesque number she does with a giant martini glass. It’s very theatrical and classic but I do think it costs a bit more, given all the work that goes into it.”

"A mix sounds good," Alexia said, barely paying attention as she returned the costume to the rack. "Whatever you think works. Keep your solo in though. I liked it."

You made a note. She was already moving further down the rack. You watched her for a second before looking back at your phone.

A sound escaped Alexia’s lips, something that sounded a lot like delight, like she found something interesting. You looked up and she was holding out a blaugrana bikini top and tiny matching shorts, clearly a nod to Barça. "Did you–”

"Absolutely not,” you responded, interrupting her. “One of the retired girls wore that. It was from when I was new and before Pilar took over. The old director thought sexy and vulgar were the same thing. That whole performance involved sitting on giant footballs and making sex faces. I don’t think anyone liked the idea except him?”

Alexia laughed, shaking her head at the ridiculous idea. You smiled but tried not to get yourself too carried away from the planning.

"Have you worn any of these?" she asked, still at the rack.

You looked up at Alexia who was already anticipating your answer. She pouted a bit and raised her eyebrows. “C’mon, YN. Indulge me,” she said.

You couldn’t help the smile on your face. You looked down on your phone before rolling your eyes, standing up with a groan. “Fine, just cause you asked nicely.”

You walked towards the other rack beside it. You didn’t have to look for too long because it was immediately apparent what it was. You pulled it off of the hanger and showed it to Alexia

It was a neon pink, high-cut one-piece with ankle warmers tucked into the inner part of the hanger. It looked exactly as bad as you remembered.

Alexia stared at it, looking amused and full of disbelief. "That's an eighties workout instructor outfit."

"Well, It was an eighties workout themed dance," you said, sighing. "My first solo piece. I want you to know that I genuinely almost quit after my first performance. It was so, so bad.”

Alexia chuckled, nodding understandingly. "What kept you?"

"Pilar took over shortly after and retired the whole concept immediately." You put the costume back on its hanger, which was where it belonged, in the past with the rest of that era. "She had an actual vision. The old director just had a permanent boner and no taste."

Alexia laughed but then went quiet. You were half-way back to the couch when you heard Alexia hum. You looked back at her, seeing a small smirk on her face, eyes looking at you with a look you couldn’t figure out.

You tilted her head at her, waiting for her to say what she wanted to say.

"I want to see you in it," she said finally.

You shook your head and put a hand up at her. "No,” you said with finality. “Absolutely not.”

"Just to see what it looks like,” she asked again. “Please?”

"You're looking at it right now." You gestured towards the hanger. “You put it on if you want.”

She bit the inside of her lower lip and the pout resurfaced, eyes pleading. "It's for the bachelorette," she tried. "I need a full sense of what you can do."

You gave her a frown. "That doesn't follow logically."

She just looked at you with a pleading look. You looked away and shook your head, mostly in disbelief with yourself that for a second, you almost let a thirty year old giving you puppy dog eyes convince you to wear that.

"It probably won't even fit the same," you commented.. "I was like twenty when I last wore it."

Alexia shrugged. “I mean, you won’t find out if you don’t try.”

You looked at her and she just looked back at you, already waiting. Something told you that you weren’t going to get any planning done tonight if you didn’t give in to this one request.

You groaned.

"Fine," you said. "But you have to agree to actually plan after I try it on.”

Alexia nodded. “Of course, of course, this is all just part of it.

⋆˙⟡♡ The outfit fit better than you expected and now that your body had grown more mature, it looked even better than before: tighter across the chest and fuller through the hips. You took one last look at yourself in the mirror before adjusting your hair slightly. 

You bit your lip, thankful that you looked pretty good because part of you was worried that you’d look ridiculous, and ridiculous was the last thing you wanted to look like around Alexia Putellas.

You pulled back the curtain from the make-shift changing area and immediately saw Alexia who was now sitting on the seat in front of the stage, sitting forward to face you, alert in a way that was so genuine that it almost made you laugh.

When she saw you, her whole face beamed and she smiled, eyes taking you in as she did.

"Okay," you said, crossing your arms. "You've seen it. Can I change back now?"

Alexia stood up. “No!” She said, taking a step towards you. “I want to see your dance.”

"I don't remember the dance,” you lied, shaking your head

Alexia shrugged. “Then just show me what you remember."

You shifted your weight, suddenly self-conscious and shy. "I don't have the music either."

Alexia chuckled before walking towards you, gently taking your hand and guiding you to the stage. “I have a good imagination,” she shared as if to convince you. “I’ll fill it in.”

You stood there on the stage and looked at her and thought about all the perfectly reasonable things you could say next, all the ways you could redirect this back toward the planning you were supposed to be doing, and then you thought about the fact that it was your day off and you had come in anyway and she was sitting there looking at you like you were the most interesting thing in the room without apparently trying to, and you thought, fine. 

No harm in letting yourself have fun.

“Uh, I guess, there was some of this,” you said, starting off the choreography.

You did a power-pose before continuing the bits that you remembered. It was awfully a lot like those old workout shows except with way more bending over, squats and rolling your hips. Back then, you felt so grossed out every time you were performing it but now, with Alexia, you were kind of enjoying doing parts of the dance as you narrated.

"This part," you said, demonstrating a sequence of counted squats paired with a hip thrust on each beat. "I remember clearly that this was the part that got the most applause"

Alexia tried not to laugh, biting her lip. You pointed at her. “I’m serious,” you said, still laughing. “It was a banger.”

Alexia finally let herself laugh, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of it all. “There’s absolutely no way that this is the actual performance.”

You stopped and gestured at her. “Exactly!” You exclaimed. “I’m telling you. The old Somni just did a bunch of horny bullshit.”

Alexia continued to laugh. You smiled and stepped off the stage and talked directly to her chair, holding out your hand. "Yeah, you're doing this with me,” you urged. “You made me wear this. It’s the least you can do.”

She shook her head and yet allowed you to drag her on stage with you. "I don't know any of it."

“Just think that I’m those instructor ladies and follow,” you said, putting your hands on your hips. 

Alexia sighed, shaking her head but she smoothened her jeans before she got into the same position as you. You instructed her to spread her legs wide before telling her to follow your steps. Alexia did it with some self-consciousness and hesitation.

“Don’t think too much about it,” you reprimanded. “Just try it.”

"Okay, okay, I’m trying.” She said, chuckling. “It’s not exactly easy to do this in jeans.”

“Wanna switch outfits?” You joked.

“Sounds like a threat,” she quipped back jokingly.

You nodded. “It absolutely is. Now, lock in.”

Alexia followed along, struggling to keep up but you made her do all the squats and high kicks anyway. In the middle of it all, there was more laughing than dancing. You stumbled through it but by the time you got to the squats so deep that your bum touched the floor, Alexia was laughing so hard that she was inconsolable, clutching her stomach as she knelt on the stage.

You eventually gave up, sitting beside her, laughing together at the ridiculousness of it all. At this point, you two were too tired and out-of-it to even continue planning.

And yet, you couldn't make yourself care about it even a little bit.

⋆˙⟡♡ The planning sessions happened more often. 

You were seeing Alexia almost every other day, talking and laughing the entire night, barely getting any planning done which gave both of you an excuse to keep seeing each other to actually “plan.”

But you didn’t really mind. Hanging out with Alexia made going to work so much more enjoyable, even if it meant going home later and feeling more physically tired the next morning. 

All of it seemed worth it because every morning after those late-night sessions, you would wake up with an easier feeling. You seemed to have a much lighter disposition too.

You didn’t bother telling Rocío too much about it. You didn’t need her further feeding into your delusions. The last thing you wanted was to be carried away, and actually let yourself get too invested with Alexia. For now, it was light and fun, nothing too serious.  Just like you intended it.

And it worked out pretty well. You managed to keep it a secret and to convince Rocío that the reason why you were coming home late was because of some new promo Somni was doing. Rocío somehow bought it.

Which was why it was so shocking when Aina seemed to notice it before Rocío could even grow suspicious.

On your day off, while you were preparing dinner, Aina watched as you hummed along to the song playing on the speakers. She tilted her head, trying to make sure she was seeing and hearing you right. 

“YN,” she called over from her seat on the dining table.

You looked over to her, raising your eyebrows inquisitively. She paused, hesitating for a while as if she wasn’t sure how to ask, before continuing. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Rocío, who was setting up the table, let out a snort once she heard Aina’s question. You let out a nervous chuckle as you fully turned your body to completely face her, eyebrows furrowed. “Seeing anyone? Why would you think that, Nana?”

You turned back to the tomatoes, shaking your head, hiding the fact that your face was starting to grow pink. From her seat, Aina continued to just look at you, barely paying attention to the video playing on her iPad. She shrugged. “You seem happy lately.” 

You kept your eyes on the food. "What? But I'm always happy,” you tried to sound convincing but even you knew that you weren’t selling it.

"No, I mean like." She said, explaining as she pushed the stray hair from her face. "You’re like a different happy."

"Nothing's different,” you responded with a lighthearted tone. “Maybe I’m just excited for you to taste this pasta I’m cooking.”

Aina hummed, not buying it. You turned to check her reaction. She was looking up, as if thinking to herself. Rocío gave you an amused smile, now incredibly intrigued with the topic, looking at you with an expression of disbelief.

“No, cause you’ve also been coming home later,” she said. “When I wake up in the middle of the night to go to you, you’re usually in bed already. But lately, you don’t get home until even much later.”

Rocío chuckled. “You’ve got a point, Nana.”

Aina nodded, looking validated. “And the other night, YN, I was pretending to be asleep beside you when I heard you giggling while looking at your phone,” she said more accusatorily. “And I’m sure you weren’t just looking at memes.”

You sighed, trying to think quickly, wiping your hands on a kitchen towel. "I… have new friends at work. One of them sent me a funny photo,” you lied.

Aina squinted, still not buying it. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you had a girlfriend.  It’d actually be nice for you to have some romance in your life.”

At this point, Rocío was fully laughing at the sound of the little girl talking so maturely. Aina looked over to her then at you, shrugging as if she didn’t understand why you two were laughing at her. “I’m serious,” she commented, frowning and shaking her head. “I might get a partner before you do at this point, YN,” she looked pointedly at Rocío. “You too, Rocío.”

You and Rocío exchanged glances, as if you couldn’t believe what Nana was saying. 

You chuckled, thinking that you certainly had to be more careful around your sister now.

⋆˙⟡♡ You smiled to yourself as you read Alexia’s text after that night’s performance. She instructed you to wait for her in the private room, which was now becoming your regular space.

You changed out of your costume hurriedly and headed to the room, waiting patiently as you sat on the stage where you two usually liked to sit. Alexia showed up soon after, carrying a heavy-looking totebag, bearing a smile already.

You smiled at her, feeling your heart flutter as she flashed her smile at you. Alexia was so good-looking that you weren’t sure when you would get used to it. Weeks later and she was still giving you butterflies just by smiling at you.

“Took you long enough,” you jokingly said.

She shrugged. “Sorry, I had to get something from the car before I headed here.”

You raised your eyebrows, waiting for her to elaborate. 

She stopped in front of you before grabbing a bottle of wine from her tote bag. “Thought we could do some wine tasting,” she handed it to you before taking another one out of the bag. “I figured out you could help me decide which wine we should have for Cata’s bachelorette.”

You looked at the bottle then back at her and the giddy look on her face. “Pretty sure wine tasting  requires more than two bottles," you said to Alexia who was now sitting beside you on the stage. “You just wanna drink, don’t you?”

“And you don’t?” Alexia counterd

You chuckled. “Never said that.”

Alexia chuckled, pulling out two flimsy-looking, plastic wine glasses out of her tote bag and a wine opener. She smiled and took the wine bottle from your hand, opening it up and pouring you both a glass. 

You took yours from her. “Plastic wine glasses?” you said as you made a face at her before taking a sip of the wine.

She rolled her eyes. “Awful lot of complaints from a girl who's drinking 200-euro wine for free.”

You stopped drinking, shaking your head. “200 euros? What business do we have drinking wine that costs that much while on the floor of a strip club?”

She gave you a shrug and a chuckle. “I told you – wine tasting.” She gestured for you to clink glasses. “Salut.”

“Salut,” you said with a small smile, clinking with Alexia before taking another sip, finally able to appreciate it more now. “Mmm, smooth.”

Alexia nodded before grabbing the other bottle and opening it up. “Guess how much this one cost.”

You glanced at the bottle, seeing a familiar label, chuckling to yourself. “Oh I know a 7-euro bottle when I see one,” you smiled. “I’ve finished one of those all by myself several times before.”

Alexia smiled. “Then consider this a reunion between old friends.”

After you finished your glass, she refilled it with the cheaper wine. You swirled it around your glass, mimicking an actual wine taster, sniffing it before drinking it, smacking your lips pretentiously. “Ahhh, yes, tastes like supermarket wine.”

Alexia took a sip of hers and shook her head. “Personally, I don’t think I can tell that much of a difference,” she commented.

“Maybe that’s because the 200-euro one is something you’re used to,” you responded. “I can definitely taste the difference.” 

Alexia shrugged. “I like it better with some Pepsi anyway.”

You chuckled, rolling your eyes before trying to finish the wine from your glass just so you could taste more of the expensive one. It wasn’t everyday you could enjoy good wine with a gorgeous footballer.

Alexia took one more sip of hers, eyes fixed on you, before asking. “So, why don’t we make this wine tasting a bit more interesting?”

You hummed. “Hmm, are you gonna tell me you got some tapas hidden in that bag too?”

Alexia laughed. “Unfortunately not,” she said. “I meant… maybe we should get to know each other. Ask questions while we drink.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t we been doing that? I don’t think we’ve planned anything in the last few meetings we’ve had just because all we’ve done is get to know each other.”

She shrugged. “Not enough. All you talk about is work.”

You hummed, thinking as you sipped on your wine. “Okay, let’s do it only if we’re back to business next session. No more impromptu dance sessions and wine tastings.”

Alexia chuckled. “Yeah, promise.”

⋆˙⟡♡ The rules to Alexia’s drinking game were simple. You asked each other questions and if you didn't want to answer you drank instead without having to explain.

It started light. She asked you about your best and worst experiences working at Somni, about how you ended up here. She asked about Aina, how it felt like raising her, and how you met Rocío. On the other hand, you asked her about if all the fame and accolades got to her head. You asked about dealing with fans, the pressure of football.

But after you were halfway through both wine bottles, the questions got more personal and intimate, forcing you two to even drink more too.

Alexia hummed, an expression on her face that told you she was about to ask something scandalous. “Hmm, have you ever felt yourself get aroused while performing for a client?”

You hummed, making her wait for the answer. “I guess you can say that,” you responded, not wanting to drink. Alexia waited for you to elaborate but you waved her off. “You only asked if I had been and not how it was like.”

Alexia bit her lip, eyes heavy with inebriation and playful look on her face. At this point, she was resting on the stage, partially laying down and propping herself up with her hand by her side. “I have a good guess as to who though.” She said with a wink.

You rolled your eyes. “You’re too conceited.”

Alexia just chuckled. “Okay, your turn.”

You hummed, thinking your question through. You looked at Alexia, who was anticipating your question. You moved your head closer to her. "Is there actually a bachelorette or is it mostly just an excuse to come see me?"

Alexia’s smile dropped for a moment before it came back, a bit shyer. She chuckled as she looked down at her glass, just briefly, and then back at you. 

"I mean, there is a bachelorette,” she paused. “But… the planning is mostly bullshit.”

You chuckled. Alexia bit her lip. “Is that embarrassing to admit?" she asked, blush spreading across her face. You held the answer and sat with it for a second. Then you picked up your glass and drank.

Alexia widened her eyes, realizing she had wasted her question. “No, no fair,” she said. “You knew that wasn’t an actual question.”

You gave her a coy smile and a shrug. “Sounded like an actual question to me,” you chuckled. “My turn again.”

Alexia sighed, rolled her eyes but gestured for you to go on. 

You looked at her. The wine was sitting warm in you and you were suddenly aware of how close she was and of the way she was looking at you. You smiled at her before looking away again.

You paused before you finally asked. "Why didn't you just ask me out?" you asked. "Instead of making up this whole elaborate reason to see me."

Alexia looked at you for a moment before looking away again, shifting her focus on the wine glass. She swirled it around a couple of times. "Well, if I did," she said, pausing to lock eyes with you. "Would you have said yes?"

You held her gaze for just a moment, looking between both her eyes as she looked at you with a sincerity that could not be faked. You smirked at her before finally raising your glass to your lips, taking another sip.

Alexia exhaled a short disbelieving laugh, shaking her head. "That's not fair. This really is not fair.”

“You gotta learn your lesson, Putellas.” you teased.

“I’m drunk,” she reasoned out, pouting. “It’s hard to keep up with this game, okay?”

“You made it!” You countered.

Alexia huffed. “Well, I still hate it.”

You laughed at her. “Okay, my turn again.”

Alexia sighed and waited.

You leaned in closer to her, making her wait for the question. "Is it obvious…" you started. She turned to look at you, waiting, eyes flickering between your eyes and lips. You smirked before continuing. "Is it obvious that I want to kiss you right now?"

Alexia’s eyebrow raised a bit, smiling to herself. She held your gaze before putting down her glass then taking yours, setting it aside with hers. Then she just looked at you, biting her lip.

“Well?” you prodded. “Is it —”

Suddenly, Alexia grabbed your face, capturing your lips with hers. She moved closer to you and you let her, holding onto her shoulders now. Alexia snaked her arm around your waist, gently laying you down onto the hardwood stage as she made her way on top of you, parting your legs so that she could slot herself between it.

Her kiss wasn’t tentative at all. You could feel it: all the tension from the last meetings you’ve had in this room, the fact that neither of you acknowledged in detail what happened between you two before. It felt like she was holding onto it for so long and was letting all of it out now.

Alexia’s left hand found its way under your shirt, gripping your waist with a firmness that felt almost possessive. You felt her tongue swipe against your lips, waiting for you to part her lips more as her tongue entered it. You moaned as she deepened the kiss, arching your back into her.

You pressed your tongue firmly against hers, following her lead. Alexia’s moan vibrated in your mouth. Alexia’s lips gave yours one last peck before she pressed one on the cheek beside it, then your jaw, then your neck. A sharp inhale left your mouth as you felt her mouth form a suction on your neck, kissing it in a way you were certain would leave a mark.

You wrapped your arms around her, overwhelmed with pleasure. Alexia put both her hands behind you before swiftly and effortlessly lifting you up and smoothly changing your positions so that you were straddling her lap.

Her hands now settled on your hip, just above your denim shorts, gripping tightly before guiding your hips to grind against her lap. Alexia continued to kiss your neck as you did, a string of soft moans escaping your mouth.

You began to move your hips on your own, settling nicely with one of her thighs slotted in between your legs. You continued to grind against her, biting your lip and tilting your head back in pleasure. Alexia’s hands now moved to the bottom of your tank top, pulling it upward to take it off, leaving you completely topless.

“No bra,” Alexia hummed it against your neck, not as a question, more as a statement. She pulled away to look at you, to take in the sight of you, pupils practically blown out at this point. “You’re so gorgeous.”

Before you could react, her hands were on your body as she captured your breasts with her mouth. You moaned louder at the sensation of her warm mouth on your nipple, continuing to grind against her as you felt her tongue move against it, moving in circles before flicking it up and down.

You felt her bite at it lightly, eliciting a louder reaction from you, before wrapping her mouth once more around it. Alexia’s other hand moved onto your other boob, squeezing it against her hand before rolling your nipples with her hands, pinching lightly at it to mimic what she was doing with her mouth.

You were so overwhelmed by the sensation and the feeling of Alexia pleasuring your chest that it took you over a minute to realize that your phone was ringing. You frowned to yourself at first, thinking about what was making that annoying sound, before finally realizing that it was your phone.

Your eyes opened quickly, tapping Alexia to stop, getting up so fast that the room tilted a bit as you did. You grabbed your top from the stage floor, haphazardly covering yourself up with it, as you crossed the room quickly, rummaging through your bag to get your phone.

You cursed once you saw the time on the blindingly bright screen. It was almost 5 am – the time you typically woke up to prepare for Aina’s day. Rocío was calling.

“Hola? Yeah, is Aina okay?” You said, clutching the top closely to your chest.

“Yeah, she isn’t up yet,” Rocío said in a hushed but concerned voice. “Where are you? I woke up and you still weren’t here.”

You bit your lip and looked over at Alexia who was looking at you from the stage, looking equally frazzled. “I, uh —” You stumbled for a reason. “I was with a client.”

Rocío went silent. “It’s Alexia, isn’t it?” She asked. 

“Well,” you said, nervously bringing your thumb to your mouth, slightly nipping at the nail. 

“So, Aina was right,” Rocío said, tone pleased but also accusatory. “God, I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this from me. I hate you, ugh, but whatever, that’s besides the point. Aina’s gonna wake up soon and I don’t know how to explain to her why you’re not home yet at this time.”

“Uh, just tell her I went on a run,” you responded as you struggled to singlehandedly put your top back on. 

“A run.” Rocío deadpanned. 

“I don’t know, Rocío, but I’ll be there soon. Just take care of it before I get there,” You said, hurriedly grabbing your stuff, slinging the bag on your shoulder before hanging up. 

You turned to Alexia. “I, uh, I gotta go.”

She didn't argue. She was already reaching for her phone. "Clearly, I can’t drive us but I can book an Uber. I'm taking you home."

"You don't have to do that, I can book it myself.” You said, scrolling through your app lists.

"You're not getting a cab at four in the morning by yourself." She said it plainly, not like a discussion. "I’m gonna make sure you get home safe."

⋆˙⟡♡ You sat beside Alexia in the back of the car with her jacket pulled around you, watching the blocks go past, neither of you talking.

She was warm beside you, her arm against yours. She was looking straight ahead, watching the street.

When the car pulled up outside your building she got out with you, which you hadn't expected. You thought she was literally just going to drop you off. Instead, she shut the door behind her as the Uber drove off.

“How are you getting home?”

She shrugged casually, both hands in her pockets. “I can just get another Uber.”

You nodded, biting your lip as you stood facing each other on the sidewalk in front of your place, feeling the cold morning air nip at your exposed cheeks. 

"I should go up," you said as you took her jacket off, handing it back to her.

She nodded as she took it from you, not moving yet. She gave you a small smile and an expression you could not read. "Say hi to Aina for me,” she said.

You looked at her flatly. "I will absolutely not be doing that,” you responded. “She has no clue you and I are… hanging out. And if she finds out, I doubt I’ll ever hear the end of it.”

Alexia laughed. "Fair point."

After the chuckles dissipated, you both just stood there for a moment longer, as if neither of you knew what to say at this point. You crossed your arms, starting to feel more of the cold against your skin without her jacket. You watched a car pass on the street behind her before awkwardly looking down on your feet, trying to piece your words together as you did, still feeling a bit light-headed from the wine.

"Look," you started, trying to sound firm and serious. "I like this. All of this, the last few weeks, I've liked it more than I probably should have let myself." You nodded, watching Alexia’s expression. 

You sighed, looking away again, feeling uneasy with the way those hazel eyes looked at you so earnestly. "But I have a life that I actually have to be present for,” you continued. “I have Aina; she relies on me. I can't just lose track of time because I'm having a good night and roll through the door at four in the morning like I don't have anyone counting on me. I'm not in a position to be careless about it." 

You stopped. You hadn't entirely meant to say that much. But now, it was out there and you felt slightly exposed by it. You nodded, almost to yourself, as if urging you to get it done and over with.

“And quite frankly, I can’t keep playing flirty event planner anymore. I really enjoy it – I promise I do – but I don’t think it’s good for either of us to keep up this illusion that this is going somewhere,”  you said, exhaling as you locked eyes with her again.  “I just need you to understand that,"

Alexia was quiet for a moment. She hadn't looked away from you and there was nothing defensive or hurt in her expression. She looked like she was actually listening to what you were saying and taking it in, trying to understand your situation.

After a moment, she nodded. "I understand," she said.

You looked at her and nodded. "Good."

She gave you a small shrug then a small smile. "So then let's do it properly."

You frowned. “What?”

"No more showing up after your shift when it's already late. No more pretending the bachelorette is the point when we both know it's not." She said it calmly, like she'd been thinking about it too. "Let me take you out on a real date. I'll pick you up, we'll have a proper night, and I'll have you home before the clock strikes midnight.” She chuckled at her own joke.

You bit your lip, certainly not expecting Alexia to actually ask you out. You had said to yourself that you weren’t going to let yourself get too deep into this thing with Alexia, that you were going to keep your walls up and your boundaries clear. And yet, as she said those words, you felt an immense wave of relief, as if your subconscious had been waiting for her to ask you that.

"A real date," you said, almost to yourself as if just to hear it.

"A real date," she confirmed.

You stood there on the pavement outside your building, the wine mostly worn off now, the morning quiet enough that you could hear yourself think. 

You looked at Alexia again, taking the look of her in, and just how different she looked now. You noticed how the early morning made her hair look lighter, how she looked softer at this hour, how her eyes had a different glean to them.

You were used to seeing Alexia in the dark of the club, to seeing her as a client and to keep that line between you clearly drawn. And yet here she was – standing outside with you in the early morning, looking at you with the most genuine expression you had seen. You were, quite literally, seeing her in a different light.

And something about it was making it harder for you to stop yourself from giving in.

"Okay," you said quietly. "I'd like that."

The smile that crossed her face was small, almost private and restrained, as if she was trying hard not to react too much. "Good," she said with a nod. “That’s good.”

You felt your own smile grow on your face before you could stop it. You looked down at the pavement for a moment because looking at her again. "Good," you said back.

You stood facing each other awkwardly, not moving or saying anything for a moment. You laughed first, feeling a mixture of giddy and awkward at the situation. She caught it and smiled again, wider this time.

"I’ll text you the details," she said with a smile. “But for now, maybe you should get to your sister.”

You nodded. “Yeah,” you said as you took a couple steps back toward your building, biting your lip. “Guess this means I’ll see you soon?”

Alexia smiled wider. “Guess you will.”

You bit your lip, nodding before fully turning to walk back to your building. “Good night, Alexia.” you said one last time as you looked back at her.

She chuckled. "Good morning, YN."

a/n: ack long ass chapter. i'm sorry it took so long but i hope it was worth it. barely had time to proofread; ill do it after i post hahaha anyway, please comment if u want to be added to the taglist to be notified for the next part!

taglist: @krazyyoung @hjjc23 @putellasgirl @x-ani @l4c1f3r @ihavenolife1234 @liverpoolfan96 @natalia-alianovna-romanova84 @charlotteonpoint @vlt503 @mywomankatarina @ravenfcb @ainsley9967 @jenny0818 @fluffykitten11 @coxlong @ainoha @oohtobeagooner @justareader7 @sannyone @littlelvmb @sevenbasquiat @hella-hecka-gay @yamaris-reputation

I can't thank @muffinpink02 enough for their help with this. Seriously. This fic wouldn't be on paper without her. For over a year she's read and reread this I don't know how she has the patience.

And I would have probably had a mental health crisis without the therapy sessions she's delivered at 2am.

Also, more for you. Thank her for the smattering of smut in this because the thing would be a 12a rating if it was up to me alone. She's a real one ✌️

As ever, here's the song the fic is based on. And yes. The Mamma Mia version. The only correct version.

I'm sorry for taking so long with this, but I assure you the next 2 parts are written and scheduled to be posted so there will be no 18 month wait! (this time) also, the other parts need to be read for this part - it wont make much sense otherwise.

Alexia had always wanted kids.

If you’d asked her even before she realised she wanted to be a professional footballer, or had any chance to think of what she wanted her life to look like.

She knew she’d wanted kids.

When she realised that she was gay, it had never entered her head that her future wouldn’t involve her having children. Not even a barrier to overcome.

Her childhood with Alba. All of her tios and tias. Having 4 houses in town to call her own and wander into, whenever she wanted. Door always unlocked. Finding a cousin in the square to kick a football around with without having to arrange beforehand. Huge family dinners that lasted hours.

That's what she wanted for her kids.

A big family.

Full of love.

And food.

Loud and chaotic.

When she met you, she didn’t realise it, but that dream changed.

It was a difficult enough change for you to be settled into Barcelona from your nomad life. She knew you’d given up a lot to be with her. For gods sake you’d literally broken up for over a year because Mapi had made a comment about you being wifed up.

There was nothing more cementing in life than kids.

So yeah, the dream had changed. When she met you. Her heart literally left her chest and attached itself to you. It was dangerous, having her heart wandering up and down mountains, outside of her body and unable to be protected.

And it scared her.

She thought she was actually going to die the day that your mum told her you’d gone missing on Everest.

She couldn't explain in words how much she loved you. You stole the breath from her lungs with a simple look.

Her knees weakened watching you stir your tea in your pajamas on a Sunday morning, all soft and sleepy.

Your easy nature and thoughtfulness powered her to be a better person.

Your humour made her sides hurt with laughter. Your kindness was quiet, unassuming and ever present, she thought it was the stuff people used to write poems about.

So no. Her dream changed. You never mentioned wanting kids. And all she wanted was you.

So it was simple.

She would be the cool gay Tia. Though. In her family, there were only gay Tias. A whole team of them in fact.

She was fine with that. She really really was. But then she’d started to notice how you’d gaze adoringly at kids in the supermarket, how you’d look after your faux nieces and nephews in Mario's kids - taking a moment to press a kiss to their heads or double knot their laces before taking them to the park.

How you’d facetime your own nieces and nephews religiously, pulling faces to make them laugh from miles away.

She let herself hope, then.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

You’d started to drop hints, but she didn’t want to scare you off. You started to discuss ideas for the future, flippant comments made about growing into your home.

But she never let herself hope too much.

She was a professional footballer, and you still worked in the mountains.

It wasn’t a realistic goal at that time, so there was no point in worrying about it.

It was when she'd noticed your postcards on the fridge. The 7 postcards you had sent her, well 6 sent and 1 hand delivered. They'd been the staple of your Barcelona apartment and now your rural home. 

But now, she noticed, 3 of them were covered, by a paper crinkled and covered in a messy splodge of paint, magnets holding it up crookedly, she couldn’t even guess what it was supposed to represent.

Just as she reached a hand out to straighten it when you’d bumbled into the room, arms full of shopping.

“Ey, Love, there you are! Come help, muscles.” you’d teased as she relieved your arms full of groceries and started to help pack them away. She nodded her head over to the fridge,

“Amor, qué es eso” “Huh?” you’d glanced over,

“Oh, I was painting with Mario and the kids today, and Bruno made it for me! Isn’t it great! It's me and you! He’s like Banksy!” you’d replied, so enthusiastically it made her heart melt, and she couldn’t do anything but smile and agree, even if she couldn’t decipher any image from the mess on the fridge.

She pressed a deep kiss into your lips, breathing you in as she closed her eyes.

You got lost in the kiss, trying but failing to pull away as Alexia deepens it, pushing you against the counter and slipping her tongue into your mouth. As she finally pulled away you took a second, dazed,

“What was that for?” you’d asked, breathlessly. 

“Because I love you.” was the only reply she could think of giving.  

Charming smile delivered as standard. Not wanting to blurt out, ‘love of my life, think! That could be our kids' art on the fridge!’.  

She knew you needed to come to her. You needed to make that decision for yourself. She knew what you wanted before you did.

But she didn’t want to push you.

She knew though, deep down, that covering those postcards meant something more.

When you’d asked her if she was ready. Somewhat out of the blue that night in bed. She was taken aback, as though her body wasn’t ready for how full of love it was.

It was the easiest yes of her life. And as she held you, later that night. After you’d both tried to defy science and make your own babies. She couldn’t believe all of her dreams had come true.

Alexia wasn’t a religious woman.

Not particularly, she’d gone to church as a child, but soon fell out of that after her papi had passed. She didn’t know what she believed in really, but that night, with you in her arms gentle breaths hitting her neck as you slept, she found herself closing her eyes and praying. She didn’t ask for anything, no. She found herself saying thank you.

To whatever was up there. Thank You. For this perfect life, with everything she could have ever dreamt of and more.

But now.

At this moment.

Months later.

She pinpoints that moment as the moment things started to fall apart.

All she could do was ask, why?

As she held your trembling body tightly against hers, in the darkness of the room, the sounds of your sobs breaking her heart into a million pieces, as she rocked you and tried to settle you. Every now and again mumbling through your tears, mindless mumblings of despair, questioning what you’d done wrong to deserve this. 

Her strong wife.

Her strong English wife who never let herself cry.

Who always had the answer.

Who was always the protector.

Destroyed in her arms.

A shadow of the woman she knew you to be.

She found herself closing her eyes again, her own tears leaking out, and speaking to God again. But this time, Why? she thought.

Willing anything for an answer.

Anything.

Anything to soothe your pain. 

What have we done wrong? Why would you do this to us? She doesn’t deserve this, Why, Why, Why?

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had all started to change, months ago.

You knew Alexia was a planner.

You were both the same that way, but she took it beyond. She lived on a rigid schedule, meals planned, hours planned, training sessions planned, she had to, that's why she was La Reina.

Her life had been carefully planned since she was 6. It was a schedule of success.

You planned too. You had to. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail and all that. But you were a bit more fast and loose with your schedule. You may decide at the last minute to wander into the wilderness, but you would always have the right kit.

When Alexia sat you down, the same week after Man V Woman aired, after your midnight confession of wanting to start thinking about children, your wife's organisation shocked even yourself.

You’d come home from teaching a night class about fire starting, expecting a quiet house with Ale watching a replay of her latest UWCL game as standard.

And yes, you were met with a quiet house, but instead of the glow of the TV you expected and your Spaniard muttering to herself, you found a projector set up, a whiteboard with some sort of timetable worked out, and… yes.

Your Spaniard muttering to herself.

Pacing.

You dropped your bag to the kitchen floor (she hated that. That's why you did it) and knew she was lost in her head when she turned but did not scold you.

“Hola, Love… what’s all…” you vaguely gestured towards her complicated set-up.. “This?”

“¡Amor, estás en casa! Bien!” she’d bound over to you and man-handled you onto the couch, moving to stand in front of you like you were back in school and she was a teacher.

“This is our plan!” she presented to you, proudly. “Our plan?” “Si, Si, mirar…” she clicked a remote that she apparently had hidden in the waistband of her joggers, the projector came alive and the room was bathed in the white glow of the screen, you looked up and saw…

‘Project Putellas 2.0’

Plastered across the screen in the most basic clipart word 1992 had ever made, your wife not giving Bill Gates a run for his money.

“...Putellas 2.0” you read aloud to yourself as Alexia nodded eagerly, eyes not straying from your face, you turned your attention to her, “What was the first project Putellas?”

“That was you! Obviously.”

“Obviously.” you deadpan.

“Yep! Mapi helped me with that one when I was planning on asking you to marry me. She showed me how to add a pie chart! Look!”

“You had a powerpoint for our engagement?” you asked, amusedly, as she clicks through her adorable slideshow, nodding at your question, you can’t help but continue “Did your powerpoint include the bit where you were so nervous you dropped the ring into the lake and then cried when I jumped in and found it?

“Shut up, I cried ‘cause I was happy and you were naked.”

“I didn’t pack a swimsuit! But, of course. tonta yo…. Oh! Picky bits!” your attention was grabbed by the coffee table which you just noticed Alexia had set out small bowls of food, as you realised you hadn’t eaten anything yet for dinner. “My favourite!”

“You know I hate it when you call it that. It’s Tapas!” you rolled your eyes at her as you stuffed some olives into your mouth “you pick at it though”, you’d grumbled through a mouthful, ignored by your wife,

“I thought we could go through my proposals and I knew you’d come back silly and hungry. Fire does that to you.” she added, affectionately.

But something she’d said slightly dampened your silly mood.

“Proposals? Ale, this isn’t a business decision….”

“No, No, I know but… Mi Amor there is so much to plan. Look…” she started to click through her presentations, shuffling next to you on the couch, 

“I have plotted both of our periods so we know when we're…you know… good to go, this is a list of donation services we could use, and look, this page is about all the different reproductive clinics in our area, and these are the clinics in England near your mamas, I know you get weird about Spanish hospitals… 

I have your schedule here and you’re booked up for the next 12 months but i’ve highlighted in red what Mario could do without you, maybe we should get that apprentice you’ve been considering, they could help him....and this is my schedule, obviously I’ll miss a large portion of a year, maybe 18 months, but If we decide i’ll carry then it would be best if I was inseminated in June because then it would coincide with summer breaks and my return could be the following year…”

You tried your best to not be overwhelmed by the information you were presented with, lists, bullet points, pie charts, google reviews, there was even a page dedicated to car seats. But it all got the better of you…

“Ale, Ale, Ale,” you interrupted her rambling about the best fertility doctors in Catalonia… “stop.”

She looked at you, wide eyed, cheeks slightly flushed and hand still raised with the remote to the projector. “Si?”

“Ale. Do you want a baby with me?” you asked, simply.

“Que? Of course I do!” she looked affronted at being asked the question.

“Okay, good. Me too.” You'd pressed a quick kiss to her lips at that, a small win. 

“Do you want the donor to be a stranger or someone we know?”

Her response came quickly, somewhat shyly…  “a stranger. I don't want anyone else involved, this is our baby.”

“Good. I agree.” another quick kiss. 

“And you do want to carry that baby or do you want me to?” That was a bigger question, and she hesitated.

“Amor, it is not that simp…”

“It is that simple. What do you want?”

“I honestly don’t…” you knew your wife. and you knew what her heart wanted, she just didn’t want to admit it. She would perceive it as selfish. Which you knew it wasn't.

“Ok, I’ll go then. Ale. Can I carry our baby, please?” you’d interrupted, as she looked at you with her mouth gaping open, you choose to continue to give her a moment to process, 

“You have a time-limited career, Ale. I don’t want you to miss any of it. No more than you've already had to. Not for something that I can provide. The outdoors will always be there for me, I’ll be walking around til I’m 99.” she still sits still next to you, eyes giving nothing away, “

That's the practical. And on the less practical side... Ale. I want this. I want to do the most natural thing a woman can do, what type of explorer am I if I don’t explore this! And… I want to have your baby growing inside me. I want to feel baby Putellas kick me in the night, I want to make you go for ice cream for me at 4 am, I want to hold your hand while I'm in labour, and I know how supportive you’ll be I just… I want that…” you’d finished, you don’t need a slideshow to make a convincing argument.

Her eyes became glossy now, “You’d do that for me?” she croaked out, voice betraying her…

“No” you replied, “I’d do that for us.”

And that's when your weepy wife broke down in tears, throwing herself into your chest as she cried tears of joy.

“Amor, I really really want that too… I do. I want to see you pregnant with mi bebe, I want to look after you, after you both, to do it all… I just… I do not want you to feel like you have to, because of my job. I can take time, I can. But now you say that you want to... i just… thank you, gracias, gracias...”

“Listen. You do not need to be thankful. Ever. Ok? This is our family. Si?” she nodded and pulled herself from your embrace, but not moving very far, “Now. We’re going to eat these lovely picky bits you’ve made us,” you ignored the pinch to your side with a laugh,

“and I’m going to drink 2 bottles of wine while I still can... and we’re going to go through your slideshow, and then we’re going to try to make this baby…”

“Amor, I don’t think we’ll be able to tonight, it’s late, I will ring as soon as they open and make us appointments first thing though… Oh.” she blushed at your arched eyebrow as she realised what you meant, before she shook it off and pulled you to straddle her lap.

Your wife was easier to turn on than a light switch, and an eyebrow raise was often all she needed, even if her eyes were still puffy from crying.

“I think that sounds like a fantastic plan, Amor.” her large hands reached around your back and moved to settle on your bum, stroking the skin at your waist as she went, sending shivers up your spine as you leaned in to connect your lips,

“One problem though” she whispered, and you felt her breath on your mouth as you moved to kiss her,

“I think your plan may be backwards. Baby making first.”

Your eyes shot open as instead of the feeling of warm, pillowy lips you expected to be met with, you were suddenly mid air, your amazonian wife standing, your legs automatically wrapping around her as you squealed and she walked you towards the stairs.

“Ale, Mi Vino!” and after a quick detour to the kitchen, with you still in her arms, now armed with a bottle of red…

“Let’s go make a baby, bonita.”

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

You’d started straight away.

Alexia really had done a fantastic job with her research.

God, you loved your perfectionist wife. 

You’d attended the top-rated fertility clinic in Barcelona not two days later.

The cosy office-like building shocked you.

“What did you expect, Amor?” your wife had laughed at you as you started at some goldfish floating happily in the large fish-take in the waiting room. “I don’t know… more… sterile… more, masked doctors?” you’d shrugged in return, though she should have been used to your fear of foreign hospitals, that didn’t stop her eye roll as she concentrated her attention back into the booklet she had been pouring over.

You felt okay here though.

It felt more like a teachers office than a medical waiting area.

So you watched the goldfish quite contentedly, floating around without a care in the world. Alexia's hand firmly on your thigh as she read the 1000th piece of literature she’d found in the last week. Seemingly deciding to start preparing for your family the same way she would the champions league final.

“It’ll be fine, Amor.” your wife reassured, looking up at you, squeezing your thigh gently, eyes unable to hide their excited glint.

Dr Garcia was a kind woman. Younger than you expected. But with wise eyes and soft hands.

... Maybe you wouldn’t mention the hands thing to your wife.. Who looked stressed to death in her little stool next to where you lay in the reclining chair. Gripping your hand tightly.

Dr Garcia pulled your top back down after wiping up the cool gel on your stomach. Your stomach still felt sticky and you hated the way your shirt clung to the remnants of the substance.

“Venir, let’s sit where it’s more comfortable.” she’d gestured you both over to the other side of her modern office, a couple of couches and a coffee table, the type of environment that was versatile, good for sharing good news, delivering bad, and everything in between.

As you sank into the leather sofa, you laughed to yourself, yeah, this was definitely not the NHS.

You needed to ask your wife how much this was costing.

“So, señoras. Firstly, don’t look so worried…” she immediately took the tension out of the room with a gentle smile, and you felt your wife deflate next to you, hand easily slipping into yours and pulling it onto her lap.

“Mrs Putellas, everything looks fantastic. Really. You’re fit, young, honestly, absolutely no issues with your reproductive organs that I can see. You reported you have regular periods?” she asked you, directly, to which you nod and she notes that down, “I’ll send these bloods off but with your lifestyle and condition, I have no problems continuing with you being the carrier for this embryo.”

You’d noticed that she never said baby, maybe it was a medical thing, to detach yourself when things could go wrong. Everything was ‘embryo’, ‘egg’ and ‘donor fluid’.

“So… now we have that cleared up…” she took out some pamphlets, which you swore you’d already seen in Alexia's glove box this morning, “how would you two like to progress?”

She must have seen your confused face as she nodded at you to speak.

“Well is it not just… like a turkey baster situation?”

“Amor!” Alexia hissed at you, growing red at your turn of phrase. But Dr Garcia laughed her easy laugh, “Don’t worry Mrs Putellas I’ve heard it all before.” she turned her attention to you, “It can be. If that's what you like. I notice you have both indicated that you want an anonymous donor, we can sort that no problem. What you’re referring to is a Doctor Assisted Insemination. And absolutely we can do that.” you’d nodded, you’d read about that.

“The other opinion you have is IVF. Now usually I wouldn't recommend it. Mrs Putellas your eggs are viable and you shouldn’t have issues in becoming pregnant through insemination. The reason I mention it is because it is often a choice taken by same-sex couples.”

You looked over at your wife, and she had a look on her face that you recognised, a longing look, the same look she’d get at the beginning of your relationship when you would tell her you were set to leave again.

“Why do they choose that?” you’d asked, because you were pretty sure your wife already knew the answer and you wanted to be clued up.

“Because we are able to take the eggs from one partner, fertilize them here in a lab, and then transfer them to your womb to impregnate you.”

Now, you had never thought about having kids until you met your wife. And you were somewhat of a luddite, spending most of your time in nature, you could be accused of not keeping up to date with current affairs.

You knew science was amazing, you had seen reports back at home about people's journeys with IVF and the amount it cost.

But you didn’t know you could carry your wife's baby.

You felt it happen. Like you would a new challenge in the wild. That suddenly, your world tilted and this was about to become your focus. Your obsession. This is what you wanted.

“I want that one.” you’d stated, firmly. Looking directly at Dr Garcia as though willing her to tell you there was a barrier, even if she was the one to tell you this even existed in the first place.

When she simply smiled and nodded at you, you turned to your wife.

“Ale, I want to do that one. I can have your baby Alexia. Yours. Can we do that one?”

She had that lovesick look in her eyes, like you were saying everything right. But she was always more practical than you, and she turned to the Doctor.

“Dr Garcia, doesn’t that have more side effects for the person who is carrying?”

You knew it did, or else she wouldn’t have asked, and you promise, you did listen as the Dr explained the injections, the side effects, the risks.

But you didn’t care.

You could do this.

You could carry Alexia's baby.

“... the other thing to consider is the cost. IVF can be very expensive.” that caused you to pause. You had always had a weird relationship with money. Alexia was rich. No two ways about it. You did very well, especially since you were thrown into semi-fame after your TV appearance. But it paled in comparison to your wife's earnings.

You were married, you knew the money you had was shared with your wife. But you would never spend what you deemed as her money. She hated it. And it had caused more than one argument between the two of you.

“That isn’t a problem.” she assured, shutting the Doctor down before you could ask more. You let it go this time. Dr Garcia had a fantastic ability to read a room and took a moment's leave to sort something out at reception, an obvious ploy to give you a moment alone.

As soon as the door clicked closed behind her you turned to Alexia, trying to hide the desperate look on your face. “Ale, any baby that we have will be our baby. But I want to carry your egg. I want a mini you. A baby that is both of us.”

She took your face in her large hands, and pressed a kiss to your lips, “Amor… I want that so much.” there was a but coming, “but… there are risks. Risks for you. Not just physical but... mental. You are my priority. You know that, right?”, she was being deadly serious.

She knew you. And she knew that you had a habit of just ignoring problems. You respected mental health in others. You were aware. But she knew you didn't think it was ever anything that would affect you.

You nodded, your foreheads bumping at your close contact, “I do but Ale, I can do this. I really really want us to do this. Would it be possible with the season? They have to harvest your eggs don't they?” she scoffed at that, she’d made it abundantly clear over the last few days that she wouldn’t be letting football get in the way of your family.

And you’d clearly been listening more than she’d thought.

“That's not a problem, Amor. I would just have to tell the physio I was taking hormone injections so I don't get pulled up on a drug test,” she’d let a smile tease her lips, “... Are we really doing this?” she had a giddy smile and you could feel the excitement coursing through her veins.

“We are, we really, really are.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You think you would have hated Alexia in school.

If you’d met when you were teenagers, all angsty and moody.

You’re fairly certain you would have hated her.

She was one of those girls who was perfect. Did anything they put their mind to seemingly without effort. Would get an A on the pop quiz about a brand new subject. Just good at everything she did.

If Alexia couldn’t carry on being a footballer, she should be a professional egg farm.

Dr Garcia had told her so.

Ok so, no.

That’s maybe not what she’d said exactly, but that’s what you’d heard. And the way your goody-two-shoes wife practically peacocked out of Dr Garcia's office, that’s what she’d heard too.

Obviously, it's a good thing you met your wife after you’d shedded your judgey teenager hormones because as soon as you met you saw her as the beautiful, hardworking, relentless, strong woman that she was.

She’d done the daily injections like in the same manner a drill sergeant would. She’d googled all the right foods to eat and exercises to do. She was wonder woman, and you loved her.

Which is why you indulged her preening over her apparently perfect and numerous eggs which had been successfully harvested.

“Did you hear that bebe? An abnormally large harvest she’d called it? Did you hear?”

“I heard Amor. I am very proud of your egg production.”

Alexia had completely missed your teasing sarcasm, as she often did, and blushed with the compliment. 

“I’m proud of myself too.” she’d whispered into your knuckles as she brought them to her lips to drop a kiss there as she drove home.

Idiot.

It was your turn now, you had started to take hormone injections which would prepare your womb. And after you got the call from Dr Garcia to confirm that you had a large number of viable embryos, it was go time.

The insemination was quick, in and out the clinic within 15 minutes, slightly painful but mostly just unpleasant; “Just like if a man made you pregnant, Amor!” Ale had teased.

You wouldn’t know anything for a few weeks, and everything continued as normal. You attended Ales games, you worked day trips with Mario. But you couldn't help it that you found yourself cradling your stomach at times, wondering what was going on in there.

That question was answered just under two weeks later. When you woke up to a familiar, dull tugging behind your navel.

And your stomach dropped with disappointment.

When a trip to the bathroom confirmed your suspicions that you had started your period, you blamed your hormone injections for the tightness you felt in your throat.

You tried to ease yourself back into bed without disrupting your wife.

You did, you wanted her to have a restful night's sleep without feeling the disappointment you did, but she had a sixth sense and rolled into you as you lay down.

“Porque estas despierta mi amor?” she mumbled sleepily, before her sleep-addled brain caught up “espera, ¿estás bien cariño?” as she sat up, moving you into her arms.

“I’m okay Ale.” you muttered into the darkness of your bedroom,

“I just got my period.”

You felt her deflate underneath you, disappointment palpable, even if you couldn't see her face.

“That's okay, Amor. It’s okay.” her hands creating soothing circled on your bare arms.

“Dr Garcia said it is early, and it could take a few attempts. It's okay, Mi Amor. Wait here… I will get you some pills for your cramp…”

You knew she was right.

But it didn’t help to quell the suffocating disappointment you felt.

Weeks passed and you took more hormone injections, gels, and tablets.

They interrupted your menstrual rhythm and, in turn, put your hormones on a roller coaster ride.

Alexia was there every step of the way. Injecting your stomach when you couldn’t face it. Always leaving a kiss in the wake of the needle mark. Calling out of training when needed, thinking about what you’d need before you even knew yourself. Always with whispered plans for the future pressed into your skin. 

You felt the excitement bubble in your stomach as you imagined her as a Mami. She would be such a good Mami. Which you told her, regularly, to which her eyes would shine as she looked at you as though you placed the stars in the sky and replied ‘really amor? Do you think so?’ with childlike wonder. Like she didn't believe you could think so highly of her.

The thing about being on hormone replacement and menstrual suppressants for months means that your body will naturally change. 

Your body was getting ready to have a baby, you had stopped some of your more strenuous work with Mario, which has assisted in areas that used to be muscle, softening into soft curves and rounded edges.

Your thighs had softened, stomach had curved slightly, and your breasts swelled so much you hadn’t worn a wired bra in weeks.

You weren’t a vain woman. Not at all. But you have had a very active life. Your body wasn’t a source of pride for you, it was a tool that you needed to climb that peak, wade in that river, and cross that desert.

You knew your body would change, it was changing to suit its new requirements, you understood that, it didn’t take you by surprise.

What did take you by surprise, however, was Alexia's reaction to it.

Especially after she returned from 2 weeks with the Spanish National Team, video calls being the only contact you’d had in that time. And, you suppose, you had changed a lot in that time.

You found her hanging around in the bedroom when usually she would be catching up with a game in the living room, finding reasons to be in the bathroom when you went to shower, on one particularly obvious occasion, you caught her laying on your favorite sleep shirt and after watching you for 10 minutes looking for it, finally interrupting you by whining it was bedtime and to just sleep topless.

When you relented and snuggled into her embrace, Alexias hands settling on your hips, which had become her new favorite spot, you felt the fabric beneath her back.

“Ale, it’s here!” you’d cheered, trying to pull it from under her body with great difficulty. “Oh. Oh yes, there it is.” she yielded, grumpy look on her face which you couldn’t help but question.

“What's going on Putellas?” you’d asked with an arched eyebrow. “You’ve been being weird for days.”

“I have not!” she’d blushed beet red.

That was the thing, you knew your wife was ogling you, to be honest you were used to it.

There wasn’t a subtle bone in her body.

And you had a very active sex life, something that hadn’t diminished at all in your years together.

What was new was that every time you caught her looking, her eyes darted away, as though she’d been caught doing something illegal.

“You have, Mi Amor. You’ve been staring at me” you pressed, “Oh qué, ¿entonces ya no puedo mirar a mi esposa?” she responded in rapid spanish, which she often did when she was defensive.

“That's what is weird about it! Of course you can! Why are you looking at me like you shouldn’t be?”

Her face at this point was an impressive shade of lobster, and she covered it with her hands and groaned into them “Amooooor, bastante.”

“If you don’t tell me then I’m putting my shirt on.” you threatened, teasingly, moving your arms up to put on your shirt, which was quickly plucked out of your fingers and thrown across the room.

“no quiero que pienses que soy un asqueroso.” she’d mumbled, eyes down into her own chest.

You took a moment to translate her words, and confirmed to yourself that your wife was ridiculous.

“Ale, look at me please…Ale.” She looked up, firmly keeping her eyes on yours, not letting them drop to your bare chest which, in her defence, must have been difficult because you were sitting on your haunches, slightly raised above her.

“Alexia Putellas I could never, in my whole life, think you were a creep.” you’d assured her, to which she’d nodded, but still looked so adorably unsure, bottom lip pulled into her mouth as she chewed.

You knew your wife enough to know she could be prudish at times, she wouldn’t express herself about what you suspected was going on.

“My body has changed, Ale. I have noticed. You are my wife. Of course you can notice. You can look, baby. I am yours to look at.”

“I don’t want to… you know… make you feel objectified or anything…” she’d mumbled, eyes still stuck firmly on yours.

“Pero?” you’d prompted

“...pero… eres tan sexy”

The compliment made you preen, and you grasped her hands in yours and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

You deepened it, your tongue seeking permission as you felt the vibration of her groan through your connected lips.

“... so I gather that you don’t think it makes me a creepy kinky weirdo that I'm insanely turned on by you right now? Like, I was thinking about your thighs today and Mapi hit me in the face with a ball.” she confirmed, as you pulled away from your kiss, leaving her breathless.

“No. No I do not. It makes me feel sexy and wanted.”   

“Bien.” she moved in to take control of the kiss this time, the confident version of your wife returning. “Because you are sexy”... a kiss pressed to your lips…”and wanted”.

As your lips connected again you raised your joint hands and guided hers to cup your swollen, bare breasts. 

Nipples erect from the chill of the room, you felt the heat from her palms spread through your whole body, settling into your core. “Just be careful Ale, they’re more…tender… more sensitive than you're used to” you practically purred into her mouth, her ministrations already sending a current directly between your legs.

“Oh dios mio” your ridiculous wife groaned as she carefully massaged her two new favourite things before eagerly dipping her mouth to capture one of your perked nipples.

“Fuck.” You groaned as your hand automatically tangled in her blonde locks. 

Your core throbbed harder as her warm mouth consumed your sensitive flesh, gently tracing her tongue over your breast, before pulling away. 

She used her stupid, athlete strength to move you onto your back gently and sat back onto your thighs.

There was no shame this time, as she practically consumed your body with her eyes.

You honestly felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.

“See Ale. You can look.” You husked a little shakily now.

“Oh Amor, voy a hacer más que mirar.” She practically growled, wolfish grin on her face, cocky Alexia back in full force. 

And god.

She did more than look. 

Your breath hitched as her large hand began to snake down your body, gliding her fingers along your soft skin, leaving goosebumps in her path.

She stopped just below your belly button before giving you another gentle kiss. 

Then her fingers dipped lower. 

“Oh,” Her cocky smile widened when she felt just how quickly your body had reacted to her. “Already?”

Your eyes only slightly roll at her cockyness. “Yeah, well. Have you seen you– oh, my god!” 

Your words are caught in your throat as your wife easily presses one large finger inside of you.

Her own groan drowned out yours before she slid a second digit in.

She easily captures your mouth with her own, swallowing the whimper that escapes you. Her kisses are soft, just like the fingers inside you, there's no rush, no big show, just slow gentle thrust that makes you clench desperately around her. 

She gives you another gentle kiss before she starts to shift her body down your own, peppering soft kisses down your chest, over your stomach, then along your thighs before she presses a kiss on your wet lips, and slowly dips her tongue, parting you and capturing your swollen bud between her lips. 

You never did manage to put your sleep shirt on that night.

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