Five Centimeters per Second || Salma Paralluelo
Pairing: Salma Paralluelo x Russo!ReaderÂ
Summary: Where Alessia Russoâs younger sister gets transferred to Barcelona, but Salma never expected to develop feelings for her.Â
Note: English is not my first language.
Wolfsburg was never the kind of city that appeared on postcards. Small, cold, with orderly streets and a frequently overcast sky, it carried an almost industrial airâlargely due to the presence of Volkswagen, which seemed to pulse at the heart of the city. For many, Wolfsburg was just a place of work, of predictable routines and quiet days. For others, it was a safe harbor, a calm space away from the pressures of big cities. Some called it boring, but for those who knew how to look with affection, Wolfsburg offered something rare: a quiet sense of belonging.Â
The fans of VfL Wolfsburg lived for the team with intensity. They werenât the loudest or the most famous, but they were loyal. The city breathed football in silence, like someone guarding a treasure without needing to show it off. On match days, the streets near the stadium came alive. It was there that you had found one of your homesâwithin the four lines of the pitch, wearing green with pride for nearly three years. Seen as a model captain, with few yellow cards and only one red, earned for arguing with a biased referee.Â
For you, Wolfsburg was more than a cityâit was a feeling. When you first arrived, everything was new and a little cold, different from what youâd known in London. But little by little, the corner cafĂ©s, the intense training sessions, the locker-room friendships, and the solitary walks along the Mittellandkanal etched an unexpected affection into you. Wolfsburg had embraced you when you were still trying to prove yourself, when everyone doubted youâwhen even you did.Â
You fell in love with the dedication of the fans, the way children recognized you on the streets with stars in their eyes, and the respect you felt within the club. It was hard to explain: Wolfsburg wasnât the most beautiful place, but in a way, it was comfortable. Like an old coat that still kept you warm.Â
And maybe that was what made the goodbye even more bittersweet.Â
The invitation to play for Barça FemenĂ was a dream you hadnât dared imagine years ago. It was a rare opportunity, a chance to grow, a whole new world to explore. And yet, the joy carried a trace of melancholy. Wolfsburg wasnât just a place where you had playedâit was where you had grown. It was where you had become you.Â
In your last week before the move, you walked through the city with different eyes. Everything seemed more alive, more important, as if the details were begging to be memorized: the bikes leaning against the squares, the smell of bakeries in the morning, the sound of autumn leaves being swept away.Â
You felt gratitude. You felt pride. But you also felt the weight of leaving something behind. Wolfsburg would always be part of your story.Â
You knew your first days in Barcelona would be hard. You had prepared for that. It wasnât just about the language or cultural differencesâafter all, youâd faced similar challenges when you left London for Germany. What really made you nervous was everything at once: a new country, a warmer and more vibrant climate than Wolfsburgâs cold rigidity, and, most of all, the need to meet and connect with new people.Â
This was Barcelona. Barça FemenĂ. The club where some of your biggest inspirations playedânames you had admired since the start of your career, like Alexia Putellas and Aitana BonmatĂ. The idea of sharing the pitch with them seemed surrealâand, in a way, terrifying. As if, suddenly, you were no longer just a distant fan but part of the universe that had once felt unreachable.Â
For someone as reserved as you, forming bonds was already a challenge.Â
Surprisingly, the first steps were lighter than you expected. Settling into the training center, you ended up bonding with some of the younger playersâgirls who, to your shock, saw you as a role model, an inspiration. And that scared you more than any tactical adjustment. You, an inspiration? You, who still carried so many insecurities? Players this talented shouldnât be looking up to you, you thought.Â
Over time, slowly and carefully, you built friendships in the locker room. Some took longer, as expected, but little by little, you began to feel part of that vibrant group. There was connection. There was affection. There was trust.Â
There was just one thing you didnât notice as clearly: someone was watching you with more than just friendship in mind.Â
Salma Paralluelo had been fascinated by you since the first training session. Vicky and Esmee, always observant, quickly caught onto the way the Spaniard looked at you and wasted no time teasing her: "Thatâs not just admiration, Salma." To them, it was obviousâthe forward had developed a crush. Something that, at first, Salma herself thought was just a phase, a fleeting admiration. But as months passed, she began to realize it wasnât that simple.Â
What bothered her most was the mystery around you. No one knew if you were seeing someone, if you were in a relationship, if there was someone waiting for you in another country. Your guarded nature kept you protectedâbut it also stirred unease in her.Â
What Salma didnât know was that you had been silently carrying a crush on her since that epic match nearly three years ago, when you faced each other for the first time in the Champions League.Â
Your closeness grew naturally, and even though Salma tried to control her feelings, there were moments when jealousy slipped throughâespecially when Jana shamelessly flirted with you just to mess with her.Â
It was supposed to be a quiet eveningâmovies, popcorn, the girls sprawled across your apartment. Jana was lounging on the couch, her legs casually draped over your lap, while you grumbled about having to face your sister Alessia in the Champions League final.Â
"Youâre so spoiled," you complained, pushing her legs off.Â
"Then you shouldâve thought twice before getting comfortable with me, Russo," Jana shot back with a smirk, before a pillow smacked her in the face.Â
You rolled your eyes and headed to the kitchen to refill your water glass, oblivious to the watchful gaze following you. When you turned around, you found Salma standing there, expression unreadable, a faint weariness in her eyes.Â
"Hey, you okay?" you asked, genuine concern in your voice. "You look a little off. If you want, you can sleep in my roomâno problem. Iâll share the guest bed with someone else."
Salmaâs stomach twisted. That was exactly what bothered her: the thought of you sharing a bed with someone elseâwhen what she desperately wanted was to be in that spot herself.Â
"Just a headache," she lied, avoiding direct eye contact. "Maybe from the sun during training."Â
"Sun? It wasnât even that hot today," you countered, suspicious. You stepped closer, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You sure thatâs all it is?"
Salma held her breath. The proximity, the light touch, the tenderness in your voiceâit was hard to stay composed. She blinked, forcing herself to focus on your eyes and not your lips.Â
"Youâre actually warm, sweetheart,"you murmured, a small smirk playing at the corner of your mouth. "Sure itâs not something⊠more serious?"
Salma stepped back, needing space to breathe, but you seemed determined to uncover the truth.Â
"Salma, talk to me," you insisted, still smiling, but with a gaze that pierced through her defenses. "As cute as it is seeing you flustered, I want to make sure youâre okay."Â
Then, Salma decided sheâd have her fifteen seconds of courage. She needed to silence youâjust for a moment, she needed your words to stop.Â
She took two firm steps forward, grabbed the collar of your jacket, and pulled you into a kissâclumsy, urgent, brimming with months of pent-up nerves and desire. You froze for a second before tangling your fingers in her braids, deepening the kiss and drawing a soft gasp from her.Â
When you finally pulled apart, your hand still cradled her face gently.Â
"So thatâs what it was? Jealousy, sweetheart?" you whispered, brushing your lips against her cheek. "You know I see Jana like a little sister, right?"
Embarrassed, Salma buried her face in your shoulder, trying to hide her burning cheeks.Â
You smiled, running your fingers tenderly through her dark hair. Maybe you still couldnât put everything into words, but deep down, you both knew: this wasnât just a passing crush.Â
It was the beginning of something neither of you was ready forâbut both of you wanted to live.Â