WOSO

Stargirl | Matildas x original character fic - masterlist

Gnomeo and Juliet | Alanna Kennedy x reader

it’s not your fault | Mary Earps x Reader

Joining the club | Jen Beattie x Reader

You're gonna go far | Jessie Fleming x chelsea!reader

Something out of a rom com | Steph Catley x reader

Watch my shattered edges glisten| Leah Williamson x young!reader (platonic)

So high school | Jessie Fleming x ucla!reader

CRIMINAL MINDS

Welcome home kiss | Emily Prentiss x GN!reader

Time Bomb | Criminal minds x fem!reader

love you to the moon and saturn | emily prentiss x gn!reader

goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend | emily prentiss x gn!reader

After 2 days off in Melbourne and a quick flight to Sydney, the team were officially heading into training camp for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. The first game of the entire tournament being theirs meant alot to the girls, kicking it off on home soil and starting their journey to hopefully take the trophy in front of a home crowd.

Astrid could never have imagined she would be standing here amongst some of the best players in the world, and the people who had become her family. 

The training ahead of the game was tough and tiring but all while sticking their heads down and focusing, they still knew how to have fun and enjoy this tournament as best they could. The girls made Tiktoks and other content for social media to show the fans everything that went on behind the games and get them hyped up for the opening match. 

The morning of the Ireland game Astrid became very quiet, unusually silent and disengaged from the group. The night before she had woken up many times from nightmares that vocalised all her deep down fears about the upcoming games; That she wasn’t worthy enough for the team, she couldn’t score a single goal and the team hated her for it, that she really was just a young naive girl who didn’t have the skills to solidify her place on the squad. The worst one being her parents looking down on her in disappointment for mess ups and missed shots in every game. 

Astrid was thankful that for the tournament they got their own rooms, meaning she didn’t wake someone else up everytime she shot up in bed, gasping for air between her sobs. She wouldn’t dare tell anyone what happened and explain why she was so quiet any more than saying she was focused on the match that night. A lot of those who asked simply dropped their questions after that, but Charli and Kyra were still hung up on her behaviour even hours after greeting her that morning. 

They eventually arrived at the stadium and the team's energy shifted. Everyone was switched onto the game and the tournament ahead of them. Astrid was feeling very nervous and uneasy heading into the game, but still tried her best to push past those feelings and get into the zone. 

She hadn’t been chosen for the starting eleven but was promised minutes in the second half by Tony which was all she could ask for as a young and less experienced player on the squad. Astrid noted the energy in the stadium as she walked out with the other subs, it was the most amount of support she had felt yet and the game hadn’t even started. 

It was a very tough first half, both teams fighting hard and slightly dirty but it proved how much the game meant to every single person out on the pitch. A 0-0 scoreline at half time only pushed the girls to work even harder and stronger in the second half and get some points for a lead in the group stages. 

Tony had listed when the subs were going to be made for the second half and Astrid was marked for the 75 minute mark to bring out fresh legs and her super-sub reputation once again.

The roar from the crowd when Steph made that penalty shot as captain on home soil was something Astrid had never heard before. The girls on the side jumped up and down in joy as they watched the girls on the pitch celebrate Steph with the crowd. 

Astrid had a fire burning in her belly to push further ahead and safely secure the win in the group stage as she stood on the sidelines, waiting for Cortnee to swap out with her. She ran on and high-fived the girls as she passed them, taking her spot on the left corner as Mary shifted into the middle.

Astrid hadn’t had the chance to get much of a touch onto the ball for the first 10 minutes, but it eventually made its way to the left side of the pitch and onto the feet of Steph. Astrid didn’t have a plan of how she wanted to score but she subconsciously made her way to where she knew she could catch it, somewhere her and Steph had made a connection many times in training this week. 

Her mind went quiet as she saw the ball rolling over to her feet, taking off running with it and trusting her team to keep the opposition away from her as she attempted a risky shot. Although Astrid was known for tapping it in from close distance, there was the odd time she had been able to make it from further out. This was one of those times. 

Her left foot planted itself in the ground, angling towards the goal as her right foot swung hard and booted the ball up into the air. The crowd went silent as they watched it spin in the air, everyone including Astrid hoping she had planned it well enough to catch the inside corner of the net and not pass over it. 

It felt like slow motion for Astrid as she watched it pass by Brosnan’s outstretched fingertips and landing in the white net behind her. The Australian crowd erupted once again with cheers and screams as Astrid began running down the length of the pitch towards Steph. Her smile was wide and her arms reached up to the sky, hands forming a heart shape as she looked up towards the sky. 

She looked back down and saw Steph waiting for her with open arms, Astrid jumping into them and holding onto Steph tight. The rest of the girls had followed behind, cheering for their shooting star before dogpiling her and Steph. She was encased with love and pride by her family as their supporters celebrated in the stands with them. 

They released and placed plenty of head pats onto Astrid, Steph placing a kiss to her hair before leaving her with just Kyra lingering to walk back to their places together. 

“That was fucking insane.” Kyra whispered into her ear, pulling the forward closer as they walked. “I love you.” Astrid whipped her head up with speed, staring at Kyra before she jogged off to her place in the midfield leaving Astrid to quickly run back to her place with a slightly dropped jaw.  

The rest of the game played out resulting in a 2-0 win to the Matildas thanks to Steph and Astrid, the crowd once again cheering when the whistle blew and the rest of the squad making their way out to the field, congratulating the Irish team before celebrating with their own. 

“I’m so proud of you!” Astrid felt a body jump onto her back, wrapping her legs around her waist out of instinct before turning her head to see Charli’s smiley face like suspected. 

“Thanks, Cha Cha.” Astrid smiled awkwardly up at her before she began walking to find Courtney and Kyra on the other side of the pitch, Charli still high up on her back. 

“There she is, star of the show.” Courtney began clapping as Astrid and Charli began falling into view of herself and Kyra. Charli jumped down and they all embraced in a group hug.

“Hey Stargirl.” Astrid lifted her head from the closed circle of giggles and turned to find Caitlin walking over to her with someone in a green jersey. “This is Katie.” 

“Holy shit.” Astrid cursed softly as she realised Katie McCabe, one of her idols, was standing one metre in front of her. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” She held her hand out awkwardly for a handshake but Katie surprised her by bringing Astrid in for a hug instead. Safe to say she was kind of freaking out but trying to keep her cool. 

“That goal was impressive, nice to see you’ve got a long range shot in ya too.” Katie remarked as they stepped away from each other. Astrid smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement. 

“Thanks, means a lot.” Astrid spoke again towards Katie, but she could feel her friends behind her snickering with Caitlin not so silently. 

“Of course. I hear you’re a big Arsenal fan.” Katie comments and Astrid nods her head silently. “Well, let’s just say I hope to play with you and not against you one day.” Katie smiles before saying goodbye to the group and walking off. 

“Okay fangirl.” Charli teases after making sure Katie was far enough away. 

“Shut the fuck up.” Astrid rolls her eyes and begins to walk to where the team and staff had begun gathering for post match talks. 

“Watch your mouth young lady.” Caitlin calls out from behind her with the other girls. Astrid contemplates flipping them the bird but too many cameras and eyes looking at her so she reminds herself to do it later. 

The lead up to the world cup is no easy feat, for anyone. Everything you did as players both at club and on national level in the months before mattered more than ever. And for Astrid the pressure was building up inside. 

She had made her mark in the team again at the last camp against Scotland and England, playing in the second match, assisting Charli’s first Matildas goal and slipping one of her own in. Not to mention her 19th birthday celebrated in England before she went back to Sweden and returned to Hammarby training with Kyra. 

They were in the start of the Damallsvenskan season and nearing the end of the Svenska Cupen, hoping to make it to the final and win the cup. Astrid and Kyra were both a major part of the squad, either playing full matches or close to and making an impact within the team. They continued to work well with one another, creating beautiful passes and more assist/goal partnerships than anyone else on the team. 

Their relationship outside of the game was continuing to grow with one another, but only behind closed doors. They knew what fans could be like with speculation and looking deeply into photos to find “clues” as to whether or not their close friendship had evolved anywhere further. So it was best if no one was in on their secret, not even Charli or Courtney who thankfully lived further away and didn’t interrupt their stolen moments at home. 

On the 6th of June, 2023, Hammarby had their final game in the Svenska Cup against BK Häcken for the title. Kyra had been named in the starting line up with plenty of other strong players she could create chances with, but when they got to halftime and no goals scored by either side, she was ready for Astrid to come on. 

Replacing Matilda Vinberg on the wing, Astrid came on with a fire to take out the cup and win her first trophy with Hammarby. Madelen Janogy helped them get ahead with 2 goals within 15 minutes of the second half. 

Astrid’s first goal came not long after that, a corner by Kyra’s right foot, the ball landing directly at her head as she stood close to the goal, knocking it in with precision to slip past the keeper's hands. She immediately ran over to Kyra who came in from the corner, jumping onto her and nearly pushing her down but Kyra stabilised themselves, before the rest of the team came and dogpiled them.

One more goal from Maika at 68 minutes and there was no chance they weren’t winning, the possession stayed with Hammarby and although the Häcken keeper was able to block a lot more the of the shots towards the end, Häcken wasn’t able to get any goals into the net either. The whistle blew and the team screamed in joy, running in together and celebrating their cup win. 

After the end of that cup, the Damallsvenskan was in full force and Hammarby were on a winning streak. The 4 games in the remainder of that month ended in victory for the club and happiness forAstrid for making one or more goal contributions to each of those games. 

The 3rd of July 2023 became a date Astrid would never forget. It was early morning right before they left for training when Astrid’s phone began buzzing, Tony’s contact appearing on her screen. Without hesitation she quickly accepted the facetime and held it up to see him. 

“Ah! Hello Astrid.” Tony waved through the screen. 

“Hi G-man, how are you?” Astrid waved back, a wide smile on her face but her stomach churned in anticipation.

“Very well, thank you.” Tony laughed at the nickname like every time she said it, Kyra was also shaking her head and holding a laugh from the otherside of the room. 

“Congratulations on the cup win, very deserved.”

“Thank you Tony, very happy with the result.” Astrid nodded her head and waited for him to speak further. 

“Astrid,” He began falling into a more serious tone. “My reasoning for the call is to talk about the next camp against France and also this year's World Cup.” Astrid stayed silent and nodded her head. “As a coaching staff we have never been more impressed with a person of your age and talent. You are strong, skilled, resilient and so much more. You are a large asset to the team both on and off the pitch.” Tony smiled kindly at her, watching her face light up at the compliments. 

“Thank you.” Astrid held back the tears brimming from her eyes and let him continue.

“Which is why it is my pleasure to invite you on our roster for the 2023 Women's World Cup if you would join us?” Both their smiles grew bigger and Kyra was jumping up and down in the living room for her girlfriend. 

“Yes, yes. Absolutely yes.” Astrid beamed even brighter, nodding her head up and down as Tony laughed and they wrapped up their conversation. As soon as the call ended Astrid dropped her phone and ran over to Kyra, jumping up and wrapping her legs around Kyra’s waist. “OH MY GOD!” Astrid yelled out as they spun in circles. Tears of happiness ran down her face as Kyra placed her down again. 

“I’m so proud of you.” Kyra wiped Astrid’s tears with her thumbs before leaning in and kissing her. But they were interrupted when Kyra’s phone started buzzing in her pocket. “It’s Tony.” Kyra looked from her phone back up to Astrid who was practically answering the facetime for her and pushing it up to Kyra’s face, stepping out of view. 

Astrid was half paying attention to the facetime as she stood opposite Kyra, instead thinking of her parents and how proud they would be. Wishing she could tell them but they already knew as they watched over her every single day of her life. Astrid zoned back in as Kyra finished her conversation and ran to her girlfriend with an even bigger smile.

“WE’RE GOING TO THE WORLD CUP BABY!” Kyra shouted as they jumped around in a circle holding hands before pulling in and kissing one another with pride. A morning Astrid will never forget. 

Only 5 days later Astrid and Kyra were jumping on a plane back home to Australia for their final World Cup prep match against France down in Melbourne. The flight was long but not awful, both of the girls managed to sleep a lot of the way, landing well rested and not irritable. 

They pulled up to the hotel and jumped out, grabbing their bags and moving into the lobby. Because of their club schedule the pair were once again last to arrive, after rooms had been assigned by their teammates. So it was a mystery which teammate they had been paired with until they opened their room doors and greeted their bunkmate for the next week.

Astrid and Kyra walked hand in hand while no one was around, soaking in the last minutes they could act like a couple for probably a few days. They waved bye to each other and reached their separate rooms. Astrid opened her door and pushed her way through, dragging her heavy bags in and peering around the corner. 

Sam was laying on one of the beds and looked up from her phone upon hearing the door open. “KIDDO!” She threw her phone down as Astrid appeared around the corner. 

“SAMMY!” Astrid yelled in reply as she dropped her items and ran forward tackling Sam on the bed in a bear hug. 

“UGH!Get off me you rat.” Sam laughed and pushed Astrid away and over to the bed opposite. 

“What? You’re not happy to see me?” Astrid scoffed as she flattened her hair down again, pouting playfully at Sam. 

“No, not really.” Sam shrugs playfully, pretending to occupy herself by picking at her nails and Astrid is not having it.

“Admit it Sam, I’m your favourite.” Astrid crosses her arms and raises a brow, awaiting Sam’s response. 

“Ha! You wish As-turd.” Sam retaliates as she settles back down into her previous position with her phone. Dramatically Astrid gasps with a hand to her chest. 

“Excuse me, only Macca is allowed to call me that.” Astrid mirrors Sam, lying down on her own bed and turns her head towards Sam’s bed where the captain was also looking over at the young striker.

“Whatever. How have you been? Congrats on the cup.” Sam brings them to a regular conversation. 

“Thanks. Yeah, I’m good. Excited to be back home.” Astrid speaks with a soft smile, turning towards the roof. She loved coming back home to Australia after so much time away, but it didn’t feel the same anymore. 

“Good.” Sam nods and the room goes silent for a minute. “How’s it going with Kyra?” Astrid's eyes widen and her head snaps back to Sam. How does she know?

“W-what do you mean?” Her voice wavers a bit and Sam continues looking at her phone. 

“Aren’t you guys living together? Is she making you pull your hair out yet?” Sam chuckles lightly and Astrid lets out a sigh of relief. 

“Oh yeah. Everyday.” She laughs and rolls her eyes. Phew.

“Are you ready for dinner?” Sam asks after checking the time and seeing it was time for team dinner now that everyone had arrived. 

“Yes, I’m starving!” Astrid jumped out of bed and they left the room together. 

As everyone arrived at the dining room they greeted one another, excited as always to be on camp with the people again and playing the game they love. 

Astrid sat with Kyra, Charli, Courtney, and Mary, or as everyone else called them, the babies, and they caught up after 2 months apart and loudly annoyed one another which then annoyed everyone else. 

After a night of catching up, playing games and relaxing before the week ahead of their French battle, everyone tiredly returned to their rooms and fell asleep early. 

The girls had four days together to prepare for game day and no one was messing around. Well, kinda. 

The team always liked to have fun with one another in training, laughing and giggling at one another's mistakes, pulling small pranks and teasing but most of all chatting. They loved to chat while running drills, especially Astrid and Charli. 

They could chat and chat for hours while still perfectly executing drills or simply running around the track. The other girls were marvelled with how much they could get done while talking to one another and giggling mostly. 

After four days of training it was finally match day at Marvel Stadium. The team had gone on their pre-match walk and completed their pre game training, watching the fans start to filter through and fill the seats. 

Astrid hadn’t been named in the starting 11, which slightly disappointed her but she understood that her reputation still stood as a super-sub and she was more than happy to come on towards the end and hopefully score a goal for the fans. 

And that’s just what she did. At 75 minutes her number 31 was flashing green and number 20 was red as Sam made her way to the sidelines for Astrid to come on. Astrid ran to her position as the new 9 alongside Tameka as the 10. 

It didn’t take long for Astrid to get her foot on the ball and close to the goal, after Kyra had passed it through to her and now she was 1v1 with a french defender. She battled easily and managed to nutmeg her before running around and towards the keeper. She was alone and onside and the net was clearer than ever. 

Her line was as clear as it was going to get so she went for it. Her right foot swung hard against the ball, rolling across the grass in what felt like slow motion as it rolled through the keeper's feet and past the white line. 

The crowd roared and Astrid took off running, hands reaching up to the sky and forming a hard with her hands as she ran, her teammates running behind her before she stopped and they jumped all over her. She smiled and laughed with her best friends as they celebrated and the crowd was cheering.  

The game ended in a 2-0 win and a very happy crowd of supporters celebrating the last game before the world cup starts only 6 days from now. 

The girls did their round of the stadium for the fans, taking photos and signing merchandise, making people's dreams come true. This could easily be Astrid’s favourite part of being with the matildas, watching peoples faces light up with joy over a simple interaction or wave in their direction and it made everything they go through as players worth it.

The next two weeks were a bit of a bit of a blur to Astrid. Everything happened so quickly and she wasn’t sure she was processing any of it.

The night of the accident she stayed at camp with the girls as she waited for a car to take her home the next morning. She went back into a state of shock after she told the girls, immediately making them concerned with her lack of emotion but unsure of how to help her. The morning she left, an announcement was made on the Matildas socials to let everyone know Astrid was leaving camp early for personal reasons and that was that, she was gone from camp. 

While she was being driven home her phone was blowing up with messages and comments of concern by friends and fans but she couldn’t look at them, deleting her apps all together and turning away from her phone as she watched the sights of Sydney pass by and enter the central coast. 

4 days later, the Cup of Nations ended with a win to Australia which the girls celebrated but couldn’t help feeling like a big part of their team was missing, because it was. The other three counterparts of the Sweden squad were missing their youngest member the most, sending her texts of love and support but nothing had yet to be reciprocated. 

Astrid spent quite a few weeks back home, staying with her grandparents as she couldn’t bear living in her home without them there. The funeral was small but beautiful, close family and friends coming to pay their respects as Astrid stood beside their photos and watched the event pass by. She was breaking down inside everyday, staying frozen on the outside, unable to process what was really going on and shutting herself off from it all. She laid in bed for most of the day, her grandparents bringing her food and checking on her but she didn’t seem to move much in the hours they left her alone in between.

Kyra returned to their shared Swedish apartment in time to get back to training after the international window, but what didn’t return was the childish nature she always had when Astrid was around, she was almost silent. 

Of course the club was more than understanding of Astrid’s situation, telling her to take her time and return when she was ready, but didn’t expect to see her for quite a while. Neither did Kyra. 

So when Kyra heard the lock jiggle on the front door the night after her first game back, her immediate thought was that someone was trying to break in, jumping off the couch and reaching for something to protect herself with. She stood with a floor lamp in her hands, looking down the hallway as she watched the door swing open. The lamp was placed down as a familiar head of hair was turned down to

Astrid dragged her bags through the door, still unaware that Kyra was standing in the hallway until she closed the door and turned around. Her eyes locked with Kyra’s and she felt a weight lifted off her chest. Silently she dropped her bags and began walking down the hallway, making her way to Kyra and practically jumping onto her with a deep inhale. 

They held one another tightly, Kyra slightly lifting Astrid off the floor as she tucked her face into her neck, holding on and never wanting to let go. And for the first time since they parted, Astrid let out the tears she had been holding onto back home as she leant into Kyra. 

“Hi.” Astrid let out into Kyra’s neck, taking a sharp inhale, tears running down her face. 

“Hi.” Kyra let out a breath, squeezing her tighter in the hallway. Astrid began to let go, lowering herself down to the ground and pulling away so she could look at Kyra. “What are you doing here?” Kyra moved her hands to wipe Astrid’s tears. 

“Coming back to reality.” She shook her head, hands moving to Kyra’s waist as they stood in the hallway. 

“No one expects you to, star. You can take as much time off as you need-”

“Kyra, stop.” Astrid cut her off. “I want to come back here, to training, to regular life.” She sighed. “To you.” Kyra tries to hide a smile at the last words but fails miserably. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you. I’m not me without you.” Kyra speaks and Astrid snorts as she giggles.

“That was so lame, oh my god.” Astrid leans forward, placing their foreheads together as she lets her chuckle fade out. “I need you to trust that I’m ready to come back. Because I am.” She closed her eyes and felt Kyra nod underneath her. 

“I trust you.” Kyra closed her eyes too, sighing deeply before nudging her face closer, bringing her lips to Astrids, a soft and gentle kiss to bring them back together. “Let’s get back to our normal routine then.” Kyra smiled before dragging her to the couch and pulling Astrid up to her chest, staying there for the rest of the night as they fell off to sleep together. 

The morning after Astrid had returned, the secret couple were walking onto the Hammarby training grounds together, dropping their joined hands when they saw teammates and staff ahead of them. 

“Keep this between us?” Astrid whispered to Kyra with a smile before they reached the rest of the team in the change rooms. 

“Yeah.” Kyra nodded and whispered back, agreeing to keep whatever was going on between them until they felt ready to announce their business to the world. 

The first training session back for Astrid was delayed a bit more when the coaching staff called her into the office for a chat. They wanted to check in with her and assure her that there was no need to come back just yet. But Astrid was stern in her decision that she was ready and didn’t want to miss any more football, especially with the World Cup only four months away. They were all concerned but couldn’t do anything against it, her decision was her decision. 

Astrid was back training as if she had never stopped, it might have only been two weeks away from training but she hadn’t done any form of fitness during her time off and it didn’t affect her at all. 

If anything, she looked stronger on the field. Her drills were perfect, her passes clean and her goals impressive. She was focused on being the best footballer she could be, proving to everyone that despite what has happened, she was still the same player as before. 

Tony had been notified by the Hammarby staff of Astrid’s return to training, which is why she had received a call from him at the end of her first week. 

“Hey G-man.” Astrid answered the phone after seeing Tony’s contact pop up. She heard Tony laugh through the phone at the greeting, letting out a smile herself.

“Hello Astrid, how are you?” Tony asked as she sat down on the couch, bringing her knees up under her. 

“Doing well, Tony. How are you?” She asked him.

“Good, thank you. I heard of your return to training at Hammarby this week.” Tony sat back in his own chair. 

“Yes, back and better than ever. Felt good to run on the pitch again.” Astrid nodded her head as she spoke. 

“Good, good.” He paused before he spoke again. “Now, I wanted to speak to you about the national team, and your return with us.” Astrid sat up a bit straighter as he spoke now. 

“Yep.” She responded before waiting for him to continue. 

“You know how much of an asset you are to the team, what you bring to the squad both on and off the pitch with your personality and style.” He paused again. “And we would love to have you back with us for this next camp like always, but as a coaching staff we are unsure if you are ready to return to national level football just yet.” Her heart stopped as he finished. 

“Okay.” She took a deep breath in. “What can I do to show you that I am ready? If I play this next game on Sunday, will you be able to make a decision then? How can I prove to you I am still the same player I was a month ago?” She stood up off the couch awaiting his response. 

“Astrid,” He did not expect her to fight this hard for her spot in the squad so soon. 

“Please, Tony.” Astrid was ready to beg and plead for the chance to prove herself to him and the other coaches. 

“Okay, I will be there to watch on Sunday and then I will converse with the other national staff after the game.” Tony would be lying if he said he didn’t have a bit of a soft spot for the youngest player of his squad. That is why he folded so easily to her pleading. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will not let you down Tony.” Astrid could barely contain her excitement but tried, very hard, to remain semi-professional over the phone. 

“I know you won’t. I'll see you on Sunday Astrid.” Tony smiled to himself before hanging up. 

As soon as he hung up she did a little happy dance, jumping up and down in a circle, a wide grin on her face, not noticing Kyra walking into Astrid’s bedroom after her shower. 

“What’s got you all happy?” Kyra laughed at Astrid as she paused and turned around to her with wide eyes after getting caught. 

“Nothing. None of your business, go away.” Astrid playfully shooed her hand at Kyra who stood in the doorway with her mouth wide open. Astrid flopped back down on her bed, using her elbows to prop her body up.

“Excuse me. You should not talk to your girlfriend like that.” Kyra shook her head and began walking over to Astrid. 

“Who said I was your girlfriend? I don’t actually remember you asking me to be your girlfriend” Astrid shrugged with a frown, placing a finger on her chin as if she was thinking really hard. 

“Well, in that case…” Kyra came and laid down on the bed next to her. “Can I be your girlfriend?” She pouted and fluttered her lashes, her best puppy dog eyes on show. 

“Hmmmm. I don’t know, I have to think about that.” Astrid sighed dramatically before Kyra pounced on her, droplets from her wet hair getting splashed onto Astrid as she began to squeal and laugh. “Get off me you pest.” 

“Say yes.” Kyra begged as she kept attacking Astrid with her sopping hair. 

“Fine! Yes.” Astrid yelled out and pushed Kyra off her, both now sitting up on the bed. “You can be my girlfriend.” Astrid barely had anytime to watch Kyra’s reaction because the midfielder was leaning forward and pulling her in by her face and placing a kiss on her lips. 

“Good, that’s all I wanted.” Kyra smiled and Astrid rolled her eyes as Kyra got up. “Now go shower, you stink of training.” She waved her hand in front of her nose and walked out the door. 

“I hate you!” Astrid yelled as Kyra walked down the hall, smiling to herself before flopping back down on her bed. 

After another long week of training harder than ever, Astrid found herself named in the match day squad, not back in the starting line up with Kyra just yet but promised to come on later in the second half of this semi final. 

After the first goal within 15 minutes, Hammarby struggled to find another. The coaching staff were putting off bringing Astrid in and not risking her playing too long too early in her return, but when everyone else’s shots kept falling short, they knew it was her time to shine.

She got subbed on at 65 minutes, moving into the number 9 role in prime position to take plenty of shots on goal. And that she did. Along with 3 other players, she helped advance Hammarby into the finals of the Svenska Cupen Damer, adding two more goals to her tally and impressing a certain coach in the stands. 

After the match Astrid had made her way to where Tony was waiting in the stands, waving him down with a bright smile.

“Good to see you Astrid.” He brought her into a hug over the barrier. 

“Same to you Tony. Did you enjoy the game?” Astrid asked with a smile that he reciprocated. 

“I did. Very impressive. Congratulations on making the final.” Tony was speaking and all Astrid could do was hope that he was impressed and helped him make his decision on her place in the next camp. 

“Thank you. I’m very happy with the result and my own performance.” Astrid beamed with happiness and knew that this was where she was meant to be right now, on the pitch doing what she loves for who she loves. 

“Yes, your play was very good, you’ve been working hard I can see. I know what you’re waiting for me to say but I have to converse with the other staff first, and then I will call you.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and she nodded in response. “Good game.” 

“Thanks G-man.” She called out to him as he walked off and he only shook his head in response, waving a hand up in the air as he kept going. 

She didn’t know when to expect a call from him, thinking he would take a couple of days to converse but it was only two days later when his contact popped up once again, stopping the movie she and Kyra were watching to answer. 

“Hello?” Astrid answered professionally this time. Kyra looked over at her in confusion, unsure of who she was talking to. 

“Hello Astrid. How are you?” Tony was trying to speak blandly to 

“Good, Tony. How are you?” Astrid asked, Kyra’s eyes widened as she realised who it was and what this conversation probably was about. Astrid had been acting odd since the game but not explaining to Kyra why, even though the midfielder had assumed it was in regards to the upcoming Matildas camps.

“Very good.” Tony paused before speaking again. Astrid’s heart was pounding and she began biting her nails, Kyra stopping her by taking a hold of her hand. “I have some news for you. I have talked with the rest of the coaching staff and come to a decision.”

She was too nervous to respond, squeezing her hand in Kyra’s as she waited for him to speak again. 

“We would like to see you with us in London next week for the games against Scotland and England.” Astrid practically fell apart with relief as he said those words. “Your game on Sunday was impressive and what we need going into this camp. We value your skills and determination and look forward to seeing you back with the team.” 

Tony spoke with a large grin that Astrid could feel through the phone. 

“Thank you Tony. That means a lot. And I’ll see you next week.” Astrid finally spoke, a deep breath let out and a very thankful goodbye before she hung up. Astrid turned to Kyra on the couch with a wide grin. “Looks like we’re both headed to London next week.” 

Jessie was more than kind of uncomfortable right now.  She was tired after a full day of classes and an early morning training session, wanting to flop into bed after her long day and sleep away most of the weekend. But here she was, nursing a cup of coke in the corner of a frat house and wishing she had declined the invitation to come out with half of the soccer team. 

“You good?” Teagan had made her way over, leaning against the wall and looking down at the midfielder who was seemingly lost in thought.

“Yeah, fine.” Jessie nodded her head, hiding the fact she desperately didn’t wanna be here anymore. 

“Why don’t you try and go talk to someone? I’m sure there are plenty of pretty girls catching your eye right now.” Teagan nudged her shoulder with a smirk, downing her drink before walking away again. Jessie sighed before taking another sip of her coke and walking to another section of the house where more people congregated. 

Her eyes filtered through the room, trying to take the goalkeeper's advice but giving up after noticing every pretty girl making their way over to someone else. Eventually her feet mindlessly walked her over to the back door, the glow of the pool under the moonlight catching her eye first before she spotted you. 

Your friends had practically dragged you from your dorm, insisting you had to come and party with them, but where were they? Probably inside making out with frat guys and forgetting you actually came with them. That’s how you had found yourself sitting on a deck chair outside, avoiding the loud music and heavily intoxicated 20 year olds celebrating the start of their senior year, after your friends ditched you early on.

It didn’t bother you, them leaving you alone that is. And you could have gone home but you wanted to stay and make sure your friends made it home safely. 

Jessie only saw the side of your face from how you were positioned on the chair but immediately found herself drawn to you. People may have called her crazy for falling with just one look, but when you know, you know. 

You didn’t hear the sliding door open, too busy looking up at the moon and wondering what else you could be doing right now if you stayed in bed. It wasn’t until you heard the chair beside you creek that you finally noticed her, snapping your head at the noise and becoming encapsulated by her big brown eyes and freckles immediately. 

“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.” She apologised, her eyes somehow getting bigger and more beautiful. 

“I-it’s okay.” You let out a breath. “Just wasn’t expecting anyone else to be out here.” You shared a soft giggle and she finally smiled. 

“Yeah, not really my scene.” Jessie shrugged and began sitting back in the chair, copying her movements and turning your head to face her.

“Me either.” You smiled before reaching out a hand to her. “Y/N.”

“Jessie.” She connected your hands, ignoring the tingling she felt in her fingers while you pushed down the butterflies fluttering around your stomach. 

You two spent the rest of the night talking before she offered to walk you back to your dorm, after finding out your friends had already left with guys and you were left alone. Well, not so alone now. 

The next few weeks would find you and Jessie with each other as much as possible, save for your individual classes, and you were happier than ever. You weren’t dating, no but it began to feel like it, especially when you ran down the bleachers after she won her next match, Jessie catching you as you jumped into her arms with pride. 

After almost two months since meeting you finally had your first kiss. It wasn’t super romantic but exactly how you would have wanted it to go. You and Jessie were hanging out in her dorm, you studying for an upcoming exam and her pretending to catch up on classwork but really spent the whole time staring at you. 

“Jessie.” You were focused on the millions of highlighted poems and texts that sounded you on the floor but could feel her eyes burning in the back of your head. “I can feel you staring.”

“What?” Jessie acted dumb, biting her lip to hold back a smile as she watched you turn your head, raising an eyebrow.

“You know that if you don’t get this work done you’re not playing this weekend. And I already cleared my schedule to watch you soooo.” You sat up fully, leaning back on your arms to look up at her on her bed.

“Can we not just take a small break? We’ve been at this for hours!” She whined, tilting her head at you, a fake pout accompanied by some puppy dogs eyes. 

“It’s literally been 45 minutes.” You deadpanned as you got up and jumped up to sit next to her. 

“45 minutes too long.” She huffed and you stifled a laugh as you looked at her. 

“What would you rather us do then?” You asked while shaking your head at her, letting out that laugh but stopping when her silence was noted. You looked up to find her staring, no, gazing into your eyes, a look on her face she had many times but this was the first time you noted it. She looked lovestruck. 

Your mouth opened to speak again but you were cut off when she was suddenly moving forward, one hand reaching up to hold your cheek and the other moving down to hold your waist. Before you could process anything, her lips were on yours and it was as if you had been transported into another world.

After that kiss your relationship didn’t seem to change that much, still spending almost all of your time together, though this time spending it a little closer and with a lot more kissing. Something about your relationship felt so young and naive, like you were back in high school making out at parties and never spending more than a couple hours apart from one another. 

You now went to all her training sessions, sitting in the bleachers finishing homework while she prepared for their next match. Jessie loved you just being there but was getting a little annoyed that you weren’t fully paying attention as she ran rings around her teammates in an effort to impress you. She knew the perfect way to get your nose out of your books. 

“HEY BABE!” Jessie shouted up to you across the pitch. The sheer volume and urgency of her voice caught your attention instantly, looking up to find her waving her arm comically in your direction. 

“What?” You laughed alongside her teammates who were standing on the pitch waiting for something to happen. 

“WATCH THIS!” She yelled again before running back to her starting position, eyeing up the cones and dummies she meticulously laid out and the ball that laid in wait for her. You bit back a smile at her excited nature, waiting for her to begin whatever trick she was about to show off. 

She began dribbling the ball skillfully through the first few cones that were placed closely together. Yourself and her remaining teammates watched her feet intensely, quite impressed with how precisely she was keeping the ball in and under her feet. She made it through her round of cones and looked up towards you in the stands, making sure you were in fact watching her and whether or not you were impressed. But what she failed to notice was how close she had positioned the steel dummies that were part of her second skill test. 

Everyone saw it happen before she did, running straight into the dummy, too distracted by you to realise she was running into it. You heard the ding from halfway up the bleachers and within seconds you were racing down to her on the pitch, trying to keep your laughter at bay so you could seriously check on her. 

“Jessie, are you okay?” You knelt down to where Jessie was now sitting up, legs splayed across the grass and a hand to her temple, soothing where she hit her head. 

“Don’t laugh. I was just trying to impress you.” Jessie finally spoke, avoiding your eyes and producing a pout, meanwhile her freckled cheeks were getting redder than they already were. 

“Oh baby I know. It was very impressive till… you know.” You directed her eyes back to you with a soft smile, biting your lip again to hold back your laugh. 

That night Jessie continued to pout, even when you were giving her all your attention, laying between your legs as you held an ice pack to her temple and babying her all night long even though you didn’t put the dummy there, she did. 

After graduation you moved with Jessie to England for her contract with Chelsea, you managed to land a position at the University of London, teaching in the English department, a great start to your life together in a new country.  

Jessie proposed to you in January of 2022 after three and a half years of dating, keeping it private and personal by dropping down on one knee as you were getting into bed one cold night. 

Clad in flannelette pyjamas and fluffy socks, just having got out of the shower, you walked back into the bedroom expecting Jessie to be curled up in bed and waiting for you. But as you turned the corner she was bent down on one knee and holding a ring in her shaking hands. Jessie had prepared a whole speech about how much she loves you and wants to spend the rest of her life with you but in true Jessie fashion she got nervous and the only words that came out were. “Marry me? Please?” 

You both took the next year to plan the wedding for Spring 2023 before the world cup, wanting to make sure you knew what you wanted and to enjoy being engaged before being married. 

The big day finally arrived and you hadn’t seen Jessie in more than 24 hours, both of your bridesmaid groups separating you from one another for practically the first time in almost 5 years. 

It was a beautiful ceremony filled with all for your close family and friends to celebrate your love and unite your families. You cried, Jessie cried, everyone cried. The reception though was one massive party. Everyone danced, everyone drank and most of all you got to have fun with your wife like you did back in college. 

At the end of the night, after the party ended and everyone went home, you and Jessie were sipping champagne on your hotel room floor, giggling with one another in the silent room while wearing matching pyjamas. 

“I love you.” Jessie said as she stared, no gazed, in your direction. “You’re so pretty, will you marry me?” Her words were slightly slurred as her tipsy frame swayed back and forth every so slightly. 

“Too late, already did.” You laughed as you brought your left hand up to her face, showing off both of your shining rings. “Look.” You brought her hand up too, showing her own ring clad fingers to her, shock adorning her freckled face. 

“We’re married already?!” Jessie shrieked and you knew it was time for bed. 

“Yes, now come on. Time for bed my love.” You placed a kiss on her lips before putting your flutes down and pulling Jessie up with you from the floor. You dragged her over to the large bed, crawling alongside each other to then assume your regular positioning. Jessie waited for you to get comfortable against the pillows before laying herself across your chest, her pillow. 

“Baby?” Jessie spoke after a few minutes, tilting her head to look up at you. 

“Hmmm?” You respond as you begin to stroke her hair gently. 

“Tell me about the first time you saw me.” Jessie asked before setting back down against your chest. You let out a small breath, a smile donning your face as she asked you. 

“Well, I was sitting at a party next to the pool…” 

Astrid had gotten into bed approximately two hours ago after finishing their team dinner, deciding to call it and all head up to bed. When she entered the room she was exhausted from the game and celebrating their win, but dragged herself into the bathroom for her night routine before finally flopping into bed.

But as soon as her head hit the pillow her eyes were wide open. She was so tired physically, but her mind was up and busy. No matter how hard she tried, after the first thirty minutes she gave in and decided to let it run. Thoughts began racing through her about tonight's game, seeing her family again, how she felt when Kyra hugged her after her goal and eventually she ended up back at New Years Eve.

Astrid might have been quite drunk that night, but there wasn’t a single second she couldn’t recall, especially their kiss. That kiss played in the back of her mind every time she looked at Kyra, no matter how hard she tried to push it back. Often lying awake at night after club training because of how many times they had caught one another staring before looking away as if they hadn’t been. 

She still wondered if Kyra remembered the kiss or not, never daring to ask her in the case of embarrassing herself because Kyra had no clue or didn’t want to remember it. Her feelings towards Kyra were so confusing for her brain; she was her best friend, just like Charli or Courtney. But she couldn’t deny the way her fingers tingle when Kyra laces them with her own, or the blush that begins to spread across her cheeks when Kyra compliments her. 

The thoughts continued to spiral as she laid there in the darkness. She couldn’t go on like this. So with a frustrated groan, she sat up and grabbed her phone, turning on the bedside lamp and opening Kyra’s messages. 

Starry ⭐

are you awake?

Ky ky 🪁

no 

Starry ⭐

fuck off

Ky Ky 🪁

whats up? u ok?

Starry ⭐

…

Astrid kept writing something but deleting it, unsure of what to actually say now that she had gotten Kyra’s attention. 

Kyra sat in her room a couple doors down, a similar positioning to Astrid but nervously watching as the dreaded three dots kept appearing then disappearing. So without hesitation she threw the covers off, slid on her shoes and quietly slipped from her room, making her way down the hall. 

Tap tap tap

Astrid’s head whipped up at the noise, not expecting someone to be at her door at 1:34am, dropping her phone with another half finished text and scurrying to the door. Two seconds of looking through the peephole and her door was swinging open and she had her grip on Kyra’s arm instantly. 

“The hell are you doing?” Astrid sighed as she dragged Kyra in, checking the empty hallway before shutting her door quietly. 

“Can’t sleep either?” Kyra asks as she sits down on the edge of the bed, Astrid now standing in front of her, walking softly back and forth.

“No. Thinking too much.” Astrid mumbles the end, avoiding eye contact with Kyra as she paces. 

“About what?” Kyra’s been thinking about that night just as much, wondering what it means or could mean. Astrid slows her pacing, stopping silently in front of Kyra, looking to the floor as she thinks of how to word it.

“Do you remember?” Asks timidly, looking up at the midfielder, trying to read her expression.

“Remember what?” Kyra tries to hide her smirk as she teases Astrid. 

“Don’t fuck with me okay.” Astrid is clearly stressed out of this, the biting of her nails increasing over the past two months, especially right now. Kyra is quiet for a moment.

“Every day.” It’s quick and quiet, Astrid barely hears the two words, eyes widening as she processes it. Kyra looks up with a small smile.

“Every day?” Astrid looks at Kyra with hope in her eyes, heart racing with anticipation.  

“I’ve thought about it every second since.” Kyra now mumbles, standing up to meet Astrid, stepping close to her. 

“Good.” Astrid smirked as she held Kyra’s hands in hers, both meeting each other's eyes. 

Time almost stopped as they stood there, almost slow motion as their heads moved closer together. Kyra finally took the reins and closed the gap, moving her hands to Astrid’s waist and pulling her closer. Astrid melted into the kiss, hands travelling up to hold Kyra’s face and keep the kiss going. 

It lasted longer than their first, but it was more meaningful as they stood in Astrid’s hotel room, holding onto each other as if they were afraid to let go. They broke apart when they needed air, pushing their foreheads together as they took time to breathe. It wasn’t long before Astrid’s brain began running again. 

“Kyra…” She paused, lifting her head to look at her. “What does this mean?” Worried about losing their friendship as if that could ever happen.

“I don’t know. Whatever we want?” Kyra suggests, causing them both to giggle. 

“Go back to your room idiot.” Astrid gently pushed Kyra’s shoulder with a smile. “I might actually be able to sleep now.” She laughed and Kyra raised a brow. 

“Was it that boring huh?” Kyra snickered, folding her arms over her chest. 

“I mean… it wasn’t the worst kiss I’ve had.” Astrid smirked, stepping closer. “I guess you might just have to try again, see if it’s any better.” She cocked her head to the side, expecting Kyra to come closer again. 

“Sorry,” Kyra stepped back to the door, fake yawning with a stretch. “Too tired.” She blew Astrid a kiss as she shut the door quietly, leaving Astrid shaking her head with smile and a blush on her cheeks. Safe to say she had no trouble falling asleep when her head hit the pillow this time. 

Over the next few days at camp, Astrid and Kyra seemed back to how they were before the new years kiss, practically attached at the hip and annoying their other teammates. But even with all their playing around, their minds were focused on preparing for the Spain game that was now tomorrow.  

The bus pulled up to the CommBank Stadium for their final day of training and it was like Astrid had an instant mood change, switching into focus mode as she remembered the last time up against the Spanish side. 

Astrid was determined to not let what happened last time happen again, especially now they had their full team and she personally had more experience in the Matildas squad. 

All the other girls noticed her mood change that always appeared at their final training session before a match, minimising her laughter and childlike actions and replacing them with quiet, focused actions and determination. Even separating herself from Kyra, Charli or Courtney to pair up with a new partner, today that being Clare Hunt. 

Astrid was still quiet when working with Clare for those few minutes, focusing more on her footwork being precise rather than the topics of conversation floating around them. Clare tried a few times to loosen her up, but nothing could get through to her. Her mind was set on improving any more than she could and preventing what happened last year in Spain. 

It was in the practice matches that her determination and focus was evident to everyone watching, her feet were fast, her passes clean as ever and even slotted 5 goals past Macca from various positions.

“Nice work today, Chicken.” Steph had run up behind Astrid who was the last to leave the pitch, pulling an arm around her shoulder and walking in step with her. “Clearly ready to smash Spain huh?” Steph chuckled, rubbing her hand over Astrid’s arm.

“Thanks. Don’t want a repeat of last year.” Astrid mumbled the end and Steph could sense she was still in her head. 

“Well I think that’s out of the question considering how we looked today, as a team.” Steph emphasised the word team, knowing Astrid sometimes needed a reminder that not everything was up to her. 

“Yeah. Thanks Stephy.” Astrid pulled an arm around the older girl's waist as they continued walking back to the changeroom, letting go once she spotted Kyra, sitting next to her while untying her boots. 

“Sit with me on the bus?” Kyra asked as she bumped Astrid’s shoulder, causing her to look up from her boots. 

“Of course.” Astrid smiled back, Kyra nodded and continued to pack everything up, waiting for Astrid to finish up and walk out together. They were the last on the bus meaning the seats up the front but they didn’t mind. Normally they would be singing out and dancing in their seats, bothering everyone else. But today they sat in silence, sitting next to each other with separate playlists and enjoying one another's company. 

After a few minutes Astrid kept her gaze away, slowly moving her hand, inching it closer to the gap between them and where Kyra’s hand rested, the brunette distractedly looking out the window. Her attention was called back when she felt that familiar tingle as Astrid’s fingers began to slowly intertwine with her own. 

She felt blush rise to her freckled cheeks as their fingers meddled, discreetly readjusting to comfortably lock their hands together, all while keeping her gaze out the window and upon the landscape outside. 

After returning to the hotel, the girls took to their individual rooms and showered before preparing for their pre match ritual pasta night, changing into comfy clothes before heading down to the dining room. 

Astrid was finishing up her dinner when her phone rang. She didn’t recognise the number appearing on the screen, preparing to ignore it but a part of her knew to answer it. She quickly excused herself from the dining room, stepping into an empty hallway, Steph watching her closely as she left. 

“Hello?” She spoke as she answered it. 

“Is this Astrid Taylor?” The woman’s voice sounded serious in tone. 

“Yes it is. Who is this?” Astrid leant partially on the wall, awaiting her answer.  

“My name is Kate Smith from the New South Wales police force.” Kate spoke and Astrid immediately froze, standing up straighter from the wall. “I am calling to inform you that your parents, Mark and Joanna Taylor were involved in an accident.” Astrid's heart dropped to her stomach. 

“What?” Her voice was small and shaky. 

“A drunk driver collided with their car whilst driving tonight.” Kate paused. “They both sustained serious injuries in the collision and the paramedics were unable to save them by the time they reached the scene. I am very sorry for your loss-” 

The voice grew quiet as the phone fell from Astrid’s hand, Kate still talking but all noises faded into the background as Astrid froze. In a matter of seconds her life stopped. 

She was in shock, unable to move as a tear fell silently down her face. She stood in the empty hallway as the voice filtered through her phone but Astrid couldn’t hear a single thing. Eventually Kate hung up after not hearing any response from Astrid and she was left in the silence.

Steph began to grow worried at her younger teammates' disappearance, getting up from the table and walking out to where Astrid had gone minutes ago. Her brows furrowed as she couldn’t hear her speaking to someone on a phone. Her head went around the corner first, spotting Astrid very still, staring blankly down the hallway, tears falling down her face and phone flat on the floor. She immediately rushed over and as the older girl came closer, Astrid fell back into consciousness. 

“Hey, hey. What happened?!” Steph held Astrid’s face in her hands, searching her eyes with a worried look on her own face. Astrid took a shuddered breath in as she stared at Steph, more tears falling rapidly now. 

“M-my parents-” She whispered once she found her voice, pausing to let more air into her lungs.  

“What?” Steph softly urged for her to continue, worry and panic beginning to set in.

“There was an accident.” Her lip quivered as she spoke. “They’re gone.” Astrid finally spat it out, a loud sob escaping her chest as her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, Steph going down with her. Steph didn’t know what to say, only being able to bring Astrid closely into her chest as she finally broke down. Her chest heaved as she sobbed into Steph’s chest, gripping her shirt tightly. 

“Shhhh, shhhhh. I got you, I got you.” Steph smooths Astrid’s hair, holding her tightly as her own heart broke, silent tears falling down her face as she attempts to sooth the young girl. She just let her cry and cry and cry, staying silent as she held Astrid. 

She felt so much in the span of such little time. She was sad, heartbroken, angry and lost. Astrid didn’t know what to do, her parents were gone. She was with them celebrating at her home stadium just three days ago and now they were gone. She couldn’t even think, her mind was blank as she sat there in Steph’s arms.

Her breathing went back to normal and sobs subsided, easing her grip on Steph but staying pressed to her chest and listening to her heartbeat to calm her. 

“I’m so sorry.” Steph whispered, pressing a kiss to Astrid’s head who screwed her eyes shut and fresh tears fell down her face. “Come with me puddin’.” Steph spoke after another moment of silence, wanting to get them both to a quiet place away from the team next door. Astrid nodded once and let go of the older girl’s hoodie, slowly getting up from the floor with Steph’s help, still holding onto her close. 

“Kyra.” Astrid mumbled softly while sniffling, Steph leaning closer to hear her.

“Hey, chicken?” Steph asked softly, brushing the stray hairs from Astrid’s face. 

“Kyra, please.” She whispered again as she wiped her tears. 

“I’ll text her to come up okay?” Steph picked up Astrid’s forgotten phone from the ground and placed it in her pocket with her own, guiding Astrid towards the lifts and pressing the button for their team floor. Steph quickly shot Kyra a text, telling her to get up to Astrid’s room now. 

Steph walked them inside the room and sat against the headboard of Astrid’s bed, guiding the lost girl to lay her head across her lap. Astrid held onto Steph’s legs, the older girl ran her fingers softly through her loose hair as they waited for Kyra. 

A soft knock sounded, Steph slowly moving Astrid off her lap so she could open the door. Astrid laid frozen on the bed, falling back into shock as it began to process in her mind.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Kyra panicked when she saw Steph’s tearful eyes, panting slightly from running to the room. The older girl didn’t speak before stepping out of the room, taking herself and Kyra into the hallway.

“Her parents were in an accident. Drunk driver.” The words left Steph’s lips and Kyra’s heart sunk.

“Are they okay? Did they get hurt?” Kyra hurriedly asked but as soon as she took in Steph’s expression she knew. “No.” Her voice was barely above whisper at the realisation. 

“She needs you.” Steph looked her in the eyes, Kyra nodding in understanding. She walked through the door and her heart broke even more seeing Astrid curled up on the bed facing away from her. Kyra silently slipped off her shoes before walking over to the bed, slowly laying down beside Astrid. 

Astrid felt the bed dip and a body behind her, arms wrapping around her and she could tell who it was, letting her body naturally fall back into the other. 

“I got you.” Kyra whispered, bringing her hand up to Astrid hair and running her fingers through it. Those three words brought all the feelings back to Astrid and she allowed herself to break down again, Kyra holding her tightly as she cried in her arms. 

Steph stood in the doorway watching the pair, noting how easily they slipped into the comfort of one another and how quickly Astrid could be calmed by the sounds of Kyra’s soft voice. In all honesty, Steph had never seen the pair so quiet when with one another; despite the current situation. 

They eventually rolled over and Astrid laid her head against Kyra’s chest, falling asleep to the sound of her heartbeat. Steph had left the room when Astrid was finally asleep, going to find Tony and let him know. Safe to say the man was heartbroken for his youngest player, but ready to support her however he could. 

Astrid woke up a bit later, still laying against Kyra’s chest as the soft strokes to her hair brought her back to reality. The room was silent bar their soft breaths. For the first few seconds she didn’t remember what had happened but it all quickly came rushing back.

“I should tell the girls.” Her words were soft and slightly startled Kyra who thought Astrid was still asleep. 

“You don’t have to do anything.” Kyra continued to brush her fingers through her hair, looking down at her best friend who was now staring blankly at the wall next to them.

“I want to. They’re as much my family as…” She trailed off, her eyes glossing over once again, finally looking up at Kyra. Kyra moved her hands to hold Astrid’s face, thumb swiping gently over the tears that began to fall. 

“I’m so sorry Star.” Kyra bit her lip as she met Astrid’s teary eyes, trying not to break in front of her. “What can I do for you?” Astrid shook her head. 

“I don’t even know what to do.” Astrid turned to look out the window, taking a breath in, closing her eyes and letting the breath go. Without another word Astrid got up off her bed, Kyra moving seconds behind her. 

No one expected to see Astrid after hearing news that something personal had happened, but neither Tony or Steph explained what, all thinking she would go home and have time with her family. So when they saw her walk into the common room with a blank expression on her red, tear stained face, it’s safe to say they were all shocked.

Astrid stood in the middle of the room, a large hoodie placed over her body despite the warm weather outside, holding the sleeves over her hands that played nervously with one another. Kyra stood behind her but slightly further back, giving her some space. 

“My parents… we’re in an accident.” She spoke softly into the quiet room, a few small gasps were heard, some girls were ready to ask questions but Astrid spoke again. “They couldn’t save them.” She let out a shaky breath and another tear fell as her heart shattered again by saying the words. 

They didn’t know whether to hug her or whether she needed time and space. But when they saw her eyes searching their faces, they knew. It was Cortnee who stood up first, walking over slowly in case that wasn’t what she wanted. But locking eyes with Cortnee and seeing more tears rising to her eyes again, they knew what she needed. 

One by one, the girls stood and found her in the middle of the room, piling in on top of one another and holding onto her, giving her all the love a family could provide in this time, because that’s what they were; family. 

“Courtney come on, just tell us please?” Astrid whined as she sat on the edge of her couch with Kyra, Courtney pacing in front of them. 

“Okay fine.” Courtney sat down in the arm chair across from the couch. “I’m going on loan.” She mumbled but the other girls caught on. 

“Loan?”  Kyra questioned, letting the information process in her mind as she looked at Courtney. 

“Where? Who?” Astrid asked with furrowed brows. 

“Leicester City put in an offer before the break, they told me this morning and I accepted.” Courtney looked down at her hands as she waited for further reactions. 

“How long?” Kyra asked after a minute of silence. 

“Till the end of the WSL season.” Courtney slowly lifted her head. “And then they have the option to buy after that.” She looked between her two friends who were processing the news, both silent. 

“That’s amazing Nevvy, I’m so happy for you.” Astrid stood up and opened her arms, waiting for Courtney to join her. Courtney stood up with a smile, accepting the hug and holding onto Astrid. 

“Thank you.” Courtney spoke into Astrid’s shoulder where she placed her head, the younger girl running her hand up and down her back. The two girls almost jumped when another pair of arms wrapped around them and a small laugh came from Kyra as she joined the hug.

“When do you go?” Kyra asked softly as they pulled apart but still stood closely. 

“Well I’m still training here for the next week and a half and then I’ll leave to sign there on the 25th.” Courtney relayed what she was told this morning. 

“Shit. That’s soon.” Astrid’s smile faltered as she realised how little time they had together in Sweden.

“I know. But we’ll see each other at camp like every month.” Courtney pulled Astrid into her side. 

“Enough with the sadness.” Kyra spoke sternly while putting her finger straight up in the air, scaring Courtney and Astrid. “Just means we have to do everything together for the next week and a half until Nev leaves us to our own devices.” Kyra directed her last words to Astrid who laughed in return. 

“Oh no I didn’t think of that bit.” Courtney sighed and placed a hand on her forehead in distress, genuinely concerned with how they might actually survive without her as a middle man. 

Contrary to Cortnee’s advice from over a week ago, Astrid and Kyra had yet to speak about New Year’s, or anything that happened that night, but easily returned to their usual selves and like nothing had happened. 

Astrid was still thinking about it at least once a day, questioning whether it was something or not, whether Kyra actually remembered the kiss, and what could this mean for them? The right thing to do to resolve her constant thoughts would be to just talk to Kyra about it, or at least tell someone else. But with the return to football and the World Cup looming above them, she was choosing to ignore the reality of it and keep it hidden deep down. 

After spending as much time with Courtney before she left and eventually helping her move out, it was time for the first game back. Kyra and Astrid had both been selected for the starting 11, ready to make an impact early on in the game. It’s safe to say they did. 

During the first half the pair had linked up on the left side two times, securing two assists for Kyra and a brace for Astrid, which helped the team eventually to their 6-1 win over AIK and a terrific start to the new year. 

After Courtney had left, Kyra had the thought that maybe Astrid should move in and fill the space and so that neither of them were lonely outside of training. Astrid agreed and they began the process of moving her in and getting out of her old place. 

Even now with their closer quarters, neither had yet to mention new years eve or the Fiji trip at all, pushing those few days to the back of their minds and ignoring whatever it was that happened between them. Their relationship stayed as close to what it was before the kiss, but there seemed to be a few moments of distance between them at certain times. For the most part though, the pair had acted as they always did and caused mischief to their club teammates during training sessions and weekly team bonding activities. 

After another 4 matches with Hammarby and another 5 goals added to Astrid’s list, it was time for Astrid and Kyra to jet off home and join the Matilda’s for the first camp of the year. It felt weird going off to camp without Courtney this time, Charli also taking her own flight with Mini and Harper, leaving Kyra and Astrid on the long journey alone. And without anyone else to pester or intervene, they were getting at each other's throat every five seconds, resulting in them rocking up to camp exhausted and annoyed with one another. 

Astrid was always very happy to be back on home soil, especially when they got to play in her hometown and in front of her friends and family, it was always a special time. 

The car pulled up to the hotel and Astrid and Kyra jumped out, their social media team standing outside ready to catch them, forcing smiles onto both of their faces as if they weren’t just arguing five minutes ago about something stupid. 

They were met with the rest of the girls who had arrived from overseas standing in the lobby, all turning around as they heard Kyra and Astrid walking in the front doors. 

“Cha Cha!” Astrid dropped her baggage immediately, yelling as she ran directly towards the blonde defender, a look of fear in her eyes as she spotted the young forward racing towards her. 

“Oh no.” She whispered to herself, preparing for the impact she knew was coming. Astrid all but leaped into Charli’s arms, the girl grunting as she caught Astrid and tried to stabilise herself, stopping them from falling to the ground. 

“Oh thank god.” Astrid shook her head as she jumped down from Charli, gripping onto her shoulders with wide eyes. “It is so good to see you, I have been stuck alone with her for 2 months now!” The her she was referring to stood behind them with a dropped jaw. 

“And I have been stuck with her, it’s torture.” Kyra dramatically sighed as she moved closer to the group of girls. Astrid turned around slowly, meeting eyes with Kyra who had her arms crossed over her chest. 

“I thought you chose to move in with Kyra.” Steph spoke up, pointing her attention to Astrid. 

“Well it's cheaper and safer than living alone.” Astrid shrugged her shoulders, a smirk growing on her face as she awaited Kyra’s reaction. 

“Take that back, you love me.” Kyra ran forward, bringing her hands up to pinch Astrids cheeks causing the younger girl to swat her arms away. 

“Leave me alone!” Astrid squealed as they began fighting, laughs echoing through the lobby as the other girls watched on in confusion, no one ever understood their relationship. 

“Alright, enough you two. The rooms are ready.” Steph was the one who separated them with the help of Charli who pushed them both towards their bags and handed them their individual room keys. “Everyone has their own room this time.” Steph announced to the group who all seemed happy with that, enjoying having the space to themselves. 

After a night of rest and a fuelling breakfast where they took the time to catch up, the team were headed to the stadium for their first day of training with only 3 days until their match against Czechia. 

Training went smoothly like always, the team jumping back into their rhythm instantly and enjoying back together in the Australian sun. Kyra and Astrid paired up for drills, a disaster waiting to happen, and it clearly didn’t take long for chaos to ensue. Though they enjoy one another's company, they also have a way of getting under each other's skin quite quickly. So it wasn’t a surprise when the session was stopped because Kyra and Astrid were now on the ground practically wrestling after getting caught up in each other's feet and falling over. 

A few of the older, more responsible girls ran over and began separating them, putting them with different partners and on other sides of the pitch, in hopes of creating a more peaceful, quiet session. But they still managed to find themselves communicating, loudly, across the pitch whilst they were training and still disturbing everyone. 

“Oi, you two!” Sam’s voice caught the attention of the pair who sneakily made their way back to one another and were whispering at the back of the group before Sam spotted them. Their heads snapped up at their captain and immediately stopped the chatter, their quiet laughs drifting off. Everyone else watched with smirks as Sam began to scold them. “Stop being 5 years olds otherwise you’re not playing on Thursday.” Her threat made them both visibly swallow and start to inch further and further away from each other, avoiding eye contact to avoid laughter.

The 3 days of training had ensured the team could once again come back together like no time had passed and look like they played together each day. They had their meeting that morning, where they would have a final talk about strategies and finally reveal the starting line up, Astrid sitting up the back with her other three counterparts half listening to Tony. That was until something finally caught her attention.

“As our 10 we’re going to have Astrid,” Tony smiled when he saw the young girl's head lift up, jaw dropping slightly in surprise. “You are our central attack to help Sam as the 9.” Tony concluded and Astrid nodded, shock turning into a smile on her face. Her teammates were giving her head claps and shoulder shakes while she stared at the screen, her heart beaming at the fact she would be starting a game in her home town with all her friends and family there. 

During their pitch warm up, Kyra had pointed out Astrid’s family that were sitting by one of the corners, both girls giving them a wave when they passed during drills. Astrid couldn’t have felt better than she did right now. And unlike the last time she was set to start, there wasn’t an ounce of anxiety as redid her hair, tied her boots right to left and finally put on her jersey. 

Astrid was last in the line behind Charli and Kyra, as per the 31 painted under her last name, pushing out any nerves by talking with her mascot beside her. “What position do you play?” Astrid asked the girl beside her. 

“Forward, like you!” The girl pointed up and Astrid's eyes widened as she watched the girl realise who she was, getting even more excited to be standing next to Astrid. 

“Well that means you’re part of the cool kids club then.” Astrid smiled and put out her spare hand for a high five, the girl jumping up and to hit before jumping up and down in excitement. “Unlike Kyra and Charli.” Astrid bent down to whisper but kept it loud enough for the girls to hear her. 

“Hey!” They both exclaimed but they were cut off as the line started moving and the team began their walk out, Astrid and her mascot still giggling together. 

There was so much pride behind Astrid as she walked out on that pitch, seeing the almost full stands of Matildas supporters ready to watch what would be a very intense game. 

During the first half there were so many missed chances from both teams, right from that first touch. Just too high, too far over, a really good block. It seemed nothing was going to happen for either in the first half.

Time was almost up, 3 minutes left on the clock and Astrid was nowhere near giving up on this half. The ball had fallen to Charli who dribbled through the opposition before shooting it off to Kyra in the midfield. Kyra quickly became surrounded and needed to pass it off before she lost it. She found a gap and slipped to a more central position, eying off forwards to pass it too. Courtnee and Hayley were too far back and crowded to slip it in, Sam and Astrid being the only two with a chance of getting it in. Both strikers had their eye on the ball as Kyra kicked it into the air, ready for it no matter who it decided to fall to. It looked as if it was about to fall to Sam who was ready to head it in, so the defenders and goalie headed in her direction. 

But with a slight change of the breeze and an extra step from Kyra, the ball landed to Astrid at her chest, quickly rolling the ball down to her feet. Her proximity to the next assisted greatly as she used her right foot to tap the ball forward, slipping past the hands of Lukášová and bouncing in the back of the net. 

The crowd roared in her ears as Astrid found herself running along the edge of the pitch past the crowd, proudly taking a hold of her shirt, tapping her badge as she ran. The girls had begun to chase after Astrid who had just given them a leg up in the last 2 minutes of the game. She eventually stopped and turned around to find 9 other girls about to land on her and give her more head pats than she could have imagined. 

She was beaming as they finally returned to their positions to resume play, all still with adrenaline pumping and a final fight at the end of the half. And before she knew it, Cortnee was running towards the goal, defenders trying to catch up to her before Cortnee slid the ball towards Astrid so quickly that once again Astrid was shooting the ball into the back of the net. 

A brace within the last 3 minutes of the first half, who would have thought. To celebrate this time though Astrid ran to the corner where her family were sitting, blowing a kiss up to her parents at the edge, almost buckling forward as a whole heap of bodies piled up on her back. The girls were screaming in her ear, most prominently Kyra who was the first person on her back to no surprise, Astrid dropping her off with a bright smile before both Kyra and Charli wrap their arms around the young scorer. 

30 seconds into resuming play the ref called time and the Matildas were leaving the pitch 2-nil up and hungry for more. After time for a breath and a plan revision, the girls were back on the field, an immediate change was made with Aivi to Clare Hunt, marking her Matildas debut. 

Hayley was the one who kept the fire alive early in this half, also scoring herself a brace within the first 10 minutes, giving the crowd what they came to see. Astrid, Cortnee and Katrina played 25 minutes of this half before being subbed off for fresh legs, all happy with the impact they had made to the game. 

The game ended with 6-0 in favour of the Matildas after 2 more goals from Sam and Polks, the girls very happy with their result in front of the home crowd. After their rounds to the fans, saying hello to friends and family, and their group pitch huddle, it was time for the girls to head back to the hotel for a night of rest ahead of their prep for Spain in 3 days. 

So after spending the past three weeks and Christmas with their families, it was time for the Sweden Squad to jet off to Fiji for new years, basking in the sun before heading back to the Sweden cold.

They had all departed from their closest airports, figuring it was easier and cheaper than all congregating to one airport then taking another flight from there, so they were all arriving in Fiji at separate times. 

In Astrid fashion, the youngest member was the last to touchdown and make her way to the hotel, getting slightly lost in the airport after landing, trying to make her way to the taxi departures. It also didn’t help that her bag was the last to come out from the plane, waiting almost an hour for it to appear. It was honestly a miracle nothing else went wrong. 

“Maybe we should have taken a flight together, it might have been an easier experience on my end.” Astrid spoke as she appeared behind the other three girls who were waiting in the hotel lobby for her. 

“Took your sweet old time then.” Kyra laughed while getting up as Charli raced to hug Astrid, who then flipped the brunette off behind Charli’s back with a smile.

“You know what Kyra-.”  Astrid let go of Charli and began walking closer to Kyra. 

“No!” Courtney pointed between the two girls, stopping them in their tracks. “You two will not fight while we’re here, I’m not dealing with it, this is our relaxation time.” She looked sternly between the misfits who nodded at her, holding in their laughs that threatened to escape. 

“No fighting.” Kyra put her hand out to shake, Astrid stepping forward to connect her hand to hers. 

“No fighting.” Astrid repeated before pulling Kyra into a hug as well. 

“Alright, let's get you unloaded and off to the beach we go!” Charli had grabbed hold of the bags Astrid dropped during her arrival and signalled to the lifts, everyone else following behind as they headed to their shared room. 

The rest of their arrival day was spent on the beach, soaking in more sun and swimming in the beautiful water, enjoying their time together. And after a nice dinner, followed by a bit of partying, the four players eventually made it to bed and slept well into the next day. 

The group had decided not to plan anything for the 5 days they were there, wanting to just unwind and decide on the day if they wanted to do anything. But Astrid just wanted to swim like she had the whole time she was home. 

Growing up right on the water instilled this love and connection in her, wanting to spend as much time as she could before heading back to Sweden where the chance to swim was nonexistent unless it was in the form of an ice bath. 

This was something Astrid had been pondering for a little bit, whether Sweden really was the place for her. There was much to love; she was thriving at Hammarby, she was with her best friends everyday, she was experiencing life in a new place. But like she had felt when talking with Steph a few months ago, there was something missing but she couldn’t place it. 

Her deep thoughts were rudely interrupted when a pair of hands gripped her shoulders and disrupted her peaceful float in the pool. She let out a scream and quickly stood up in the water, turning around to face the culprit that had a wide grin spreading across her face. 

“KYRA! Really?!” Astrid pushed Kyra by the shoulders, earning a laugh from Kyra and holding back her own laugh. 

“What! I just wanna have some fun.” Kyra flashed her smile and it broke Astrid, the younger girl shaking her head and biting back a smile. “You wanna play mermaids?”

“Kyra Cooney-Cross, you are more of a child than Harper.” Astrid joked yet Kyra seemed to take it as a compliment, smiling even wider. “Come on then.” Astrid nodded her head to the deeper part of the pool, taking off under the water and Kyra excitingly swimming behind her. 

Charli and Courtney watched from their pool chairs, shaking their heads at the duo and their childish nature that seemed to match one another perfectly. Everyone was marvelled at what the pair seemed to be oblivious to but wouldn't dare bring it up, waiting for them to eventually figure it out. 

New Year's Eve. The most exciting and fun night of the year, especially when you were partying it up in Fiji with your best friends.

They spent the day lounging around once again before heading off to get ready for the hotel’s party that had been set up. Before the party had even started the girls were already tipsy and borderline drunk, taking their pre-drinks a little harder than normally, but they were on holidays so why not. 

As usual, Astrid was the last one to be ready, rushing the final steps of her makeup because Charli was hounding her to hurry up so they could get down to the party. They made it down in time, nearing 11pm and the party was definitely going strong. Everyone from the hotel had gathered outside near the pool area mingling with one another, celebrating the year ahead and most of all getting drunk as hell. 

Although they were professional athletes who were on pretty healthy regimes, no one was here to stop them from getting drunk and having fun like normal young people in their late teens and early 20s. So it went without saying that there were no limits to the amount of drinks they would consume tonight.

The four of them stayed together for the first part of the night, dancing near the DJ and scouring the people around them to hopefully find someone for a midnight kiss, but very clearly struggling as they all stood in a close circle downing drink after drink. Eventually they split up, hoping to find luck by not standing together and closing off everyone else around them.

Time had passed and suddenly it was 5 minutes till midnight; plenty of time to find a random stranger for a New Year’s kiss, right? Surely it can’t be that hard to find. But yet here Astrid was, eyeing off everyone and anyone that looked like they could be her type, but finding no one to do the job. 

3 minutes. She didn’t know where the other girls were and was getting slightly overwhelmed by the people around her, she ended up retreating out of the crowd outside and finding her way back inside the hotel. 

2 minutes. Astrid finds an empty hallway to find her breath, using the wall behind her to stabilise her as the alcohol makes her head spin. The music outside had decreased in volume largely, fading into the background of her ears, instead hearing the thump of her heartbeat in her chest. 

1 minute. She had zoned out while staring at the wall opposite her, the patterns on the wallpaper seemed to be moving or maybe it was her as she swayed on her feet, her body feeling the effects of the alcohol now that she had stopped. This is how Kyra found her, stumbling down the hallway herself when she spotted a familiar face. 

“Hey there.” Kyra’s slightly slurred words broke Astrid out of her trance and turned her head towards the midfielder, a smile instantly appearing on her lips. 

“Kyra!” Astrid’s voice was high pitched as she stepped towards Kyra with a wide smile, wrapping her hands around Kyra’s neck and pulling her into a hug. 

“I thought we lost you to someone in the crowd.” Kyra embraced the hug before pulling back, Astrid’s arms staying where they were and Kyra’s subconsciously falling to Astrid’s waist. And if there wasn’t plenty of liquid courage involved, both girls would have never found themselves so close so casually. 

“Too many people and I couldn’t find you.” Astrid playfully booped Kyra’s nose, both girls laughing before focusing in on the noise coming from outside. 

Seven…six…five…

“It’s almost midnight.” Kyra whispered, bringing Astrid’s attention back to her, the countdown fading to the background once again. 

“Yeah.” Astrid breathed out. Her heart began racing as her eyes fell back on Kyra’s. 

Four…

Three…

Two… 

One… 

The group outside cheered as the clock struck midnight, fireworks going off on the beach and yet Astrid and Kyra couldn’t be less interested. 

All they were interested in was the fact they were closer than before and now their lips were touching. 

Astrid’s hands had moved up from their place on Kyra’s neck, now resting on her cheeks as Kyra held her close by the waist. 

The kiss lasted 22 seconds before they both realised what was happening and they stepped apart. The noise outside returned to its full volume as they stepped back into reality, awkwardly looking away from each other. 

“Should we…” Astrid spoke as she pointed back to the glass doors that led back outside. 

“Uh… yeah… probs.” Kyra nodded and they walked back outside, Astrid once again feeling overwhelmed with the amount of people squished together. Kyra noticed her hesitation and silently placed her hand in Astrid’s, keeping her close as they weaved through the crowd together. Astrid followed, trying to ignore the feeling of having Kyra’s hand in hers and instead focusing on finding Courtney and Charli. 

“There you guys are!” Charli’s voice was what helped them locate the two girls, Astrid and Kyra turning around instantly, dropping their hands and stepping closer to them. “Where were you for the countdown?” Charli looked at Astrid, Courtney was now talking to Kyra separately. 

“Uh somewhere over the back.” She looked vaguely in that direction before Charli spoke again. 

“Did you get your midnight kiss?” Charli teased with a big smile. Astrid paused for a second before answering. 

“Uh yeah, I did.” Astrid scratched the back of her neck. “I think I’m gonna head up.” Astrid just wanted to get away and go to bed, her brain moving too fast for her to keep up with the thoughts. 

“You sure? You okay?” Charli instantly became worried but Astrid was quick to brush her off. 

“Yeah I think I had too much, stay safe okay.” Astrid gave her a hug before weaving herself back through the crowd and back to their room. 

“Where’s stargirl?” Courtney asked as Charli reappeared beside her, herself and Kyra noticing that Astrid was now missing. 

“To bed. Said she had too much to drink.” Charli shrugged her shoulders, Courtney nodded along before taking another sip of her own drink but Kyra was concerned and slightly disappointed but kept it to herself. 

The next day didn’t start till almost 1pm when they all finally rolled out of bed, slowly pushing back the curtains to let in some light but not enough to further increase their pounding headaches. They headed straight down to lunch, hoping to soak up any remaining alcohol and cure their growing hangovers. 

A few words were mumbled between one another but it seemed like more than a few were too much energy and they fell back into silence. To be honest, Astrid didn’t have much she wanted to talk about, especially because there wasn’t much of last night she remembered. Except for a very specific moment she was very scared to bring up. 

Kyra had easily returned to her normal self by dinner time, once again acting more like a child than an adult and attempting to encourage the other girls to join in. Astrid slowly joined in with her antics and jokes, watching Courtney and Charli shake their heads in disappointment but silently hiding their laughs behind stern faces. 

It seemed to Astrid like all had returned to normal within the group, Kyra obviously not wanting to bring it up or she in fact had no recollection of the kiss, which Astrid was grateful for. But there was a feeling in her stomach she couldn’t pinpoint when she thought about Kyra and the kiss, choosing to push it to the side and continue on with their holiday as normal. 

After one last day of fun in the sun, the group had returned to the airport, dreading heading back into a cold Swedish winter but excited to return to the sport they all love so much. The flight was long, way too long, they had kept themselves entertained individually, movies and naps taking up most of the time. But they finally landed back in Sweden, more than ready to fall in their beds and sleep, especially now that it was leaning towards 11pm. Charli had taken a separate flight from the other three like usual, wanting to land closer to her home and also stay away from Kyra and Astrid who were bound to fight over something and then make up after 5 minutes. 

An uber brought them home, dropping Astrid off first before heading up the road to Kyra and Courtney’s place, the younger girl bidding them goodnight as she lugged her suitcase up the front steps. Once inside Astrid locked the door, flicked on the lights and pulled her phone out faster than ever. 

“Pick up, pick up, pick up.” Astrid paced her small kitchen as she waited for the line to pick up, looking at the small mess in her living room that she had left behind months ago, before the last Matilda’s camp.  

“Hello?” A semi groggy voice answered from the other end and a sigh of relief left Astrid’s mouth. 

“Oh thank god.” Astrid was still walking back and forth, bringing her hands up to her mouth. 

“Astrid?” Cortnee recognised the voice and quickly acknowledged the slight panic in her voice. “What’s wrong?” 

“Something happened and I don’t know what to do.” She began letting out the thoughts that had been building over the past 3 days, running her hands through her hair. 

“What do you mean? Are you okay?” Cortnee was even more worried, sitting up a little more as concern raced through her.

“Yeah, no, I’m okay. I think.” Astrid shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. 

“Just calm down and tell me what happened.” Cortnee was trying her best to calm Astrid from the other side of the phone, needing her to speak properly.

“I kissed Kyra. She kissed me. We kissed.” Astrid finally spat it out and bit her nails even more now, waiting almost 10 seconds for Cortnee to process and finally speak.

“WHAT?!” She tried not to shout and wake Charlotte up, crawling out of the bed beside her and moving outside her bedroom. “Are you serious?!” She whispered into the phone, a small smile donning her face.

“Yes.” The line went silent as she waited. “Cortnee, help!” She whined into the phone.

“It’s about fucking time.” Cortnee commented and Astrid was confused.

“What do you mean?” She paused her pacing. 

“You guys have been pining and obliviously flirting practically since the day you met, but especially over the last few months, I’m surprised it didn't happen earlier.” Cortnee tried not to let out a laugh.

“No we have not. It wasn’t even supposed to happen.” Astrid let out a frustrated sigh. 

“You didn’t do it on purpose?” Now Cortnee was the confused one.

“No… not really.” Astrid paused, letting out a breath. “It was on New Year's Eve. We were both really drunk and I don’t remember much, I don't even know if she remembers.” The familiar feeling returned to her stomach as they brought the moment up again.

“You haven't talked about it?” Cortnee asked her softly.

“No! She didn't say anything the next day or the rest of the trip, we just got back and I needed to call you.” She stopped her pacing. “I’m so sorry, did I wake you?” Astrid prayed she didn’t mess up the timezones and it wasn’t the middle of the night there.

“I was getting up in a few minutes anyway, it’s all good.” Cortnee began walking towards her kitchen and away from her bedroom door. 

“Okay.” Astrid let out a soft sigh.

“But you need to talk to her. She might remember it too but is scared you didn't or don’t want to remember.” Cortnee leant against her kitchen bench, hoping to speak some sense into Astrid. 

“But I'm scared. What if it was a mistake for her?” Astrid was confused with the feelings that were building inside her as she thought about it again.

“Was it a mistake to you?” Astrid paused at Cortnee’s words, letting her brain stop racing for a moment and focus on a single thought. 

“I don't know, I mean I don't regret it…. But I don't know what this would mean for us.” The pacing began again and her heartbeat began to quicken.  

“What do you want it to mean?” Cortnee softly asked.

“Stop asking me questions about things I don't know the answers to!” Astrid let out another frustrated sigh.

“You called me for advice!” Cortnee laughed at Astrid’s clear struggle with this issue.

“And I haven't gotten any yet.” Astrid remarked, holding back the small laugh she was harbouring. 

“What time is it there?” Cortnee asked her yet another question.

“Almost midnight.” Astrid looked at the clock on the stove.  

“You’re probably exhausted, get some sleep, when you get up, think about my questions and maybe, just maybe, you’re both ready to talk about it.” Cortnee reasoned, and finally Astrid was happy with a response. 

“Okay. Okay, I'll do that. Thank you, Viney.” Astrid smiled on her end. “Any time, star. Go to sleep.” Cortnee spoke one last time before hanging up, leaving the young forward standing alone in her own kitchen and thinking about Cortnee’s words. But she took her advice and headed off to shower and then crawled into bed, trying to ignore the growing thoughts that began racing around again.

Astrid was now home for the Christmas break, allowing herself close to three weeks before she had to return to Sweden for training ahead of the last leg of the season. Her schedule had been quite hectic since the October international window, long training sessions, four last club games and the final Matildas games in mid november. 

The best part of the games against Sweden and Thailand, were that the squad were back on home soil and with their families for longer ahead of the Christmas break.

In the match against Sweden at AAMI park in Melbourne, Astrid played a phenomenal game of football for a whole second half, bringing on fresh legs and a certain attitude that comes with playing for your country on home soil. Herself, Caitlin, Mary and Sam had managed to score and provide an easy 4-0 win over the Swedes. 

Astrid hoped her parents might have been able to make it to the game, but timing just didn’t work to get them down to Melbourne. It didn’t phase her though, she knew they were cheering from home and the next game against Thailand just so happened to be at her home stadium in the Central Coast. 

Astrid hadn’t been home in what felt like forever and the emotions hit her hard after the Thailand match. When her number appeared on the substitute board to take over for Courtnee, she could hear her family cheering louder than ever from the sideline, trying not to look over at the friends and family box in fear of distracting herself. 

But that would actually be the thing that egged her on even more. They were already leading 2-0 but that didn’t mean they had to stop there. She was far out on the right when the ball fell to her feet,not her usual position when playing for Hammarby but one she found herself falling into more when with the Matildas. 

She tried dribbling it in towards Sam who was up front but a Thailand defender was not letting up, so the smartest move was to get up near the corner and let the opposition knock it out. And that’s exactly what happened.  

The crowd cheered behind her as she walked past Steph who was making her way over to take the corner, giving each other a high five in passing before Astrid made her way to the middle, standing out just further than the group and away from opposing players like they had planned in training. 

Steph raised her hands when ready, eyeing up who was available in the box to knock it in but the Thailand players were all over the Matildas, ready to deflect. So Steph struck hard, angling the ball slightly farther over, watching it fly towards Astrid who was ready out the back. It had become known that Astrid was able to strike hard and fast from far out, as well as very close to the net. So Astrid caught the ball with her chest, knocking it down to her right boot and taking a wide step with her left. 

The crowd went silent as they watched in anticipation, the ball flying high over the players heads, slipping past the hands of the goalie and directly into the back of the net. The crowd roared in celebration, Astrid’s family jumping up and down from the box as they watched her run directly to Steph and jump onto her. 

The girls were all screaming as they ran and dogpiled the pair on the pitch, Astrid and Steph still holding tightly onto each other as the pile began to disperse. The game ended 3-0 in the Matildas favour, making sure to consolidate the Thailand players before congratulating their teammates and eventually starting their lap around the pitch.

“What a shot kid, you fucking weapon.” Astrid felt a pair of hands jump on her shoulders, turning with a smile to find Sam’s face next to her own. 

“Yeah whatever.” Astrid tried to shrug the compliment off, always very humble and quiet about her skills and rejecting any genuine praise.

“It was incredible and you know it. Go celebrate with your family.” Sam shook her shoulders and pushed her in the direction of her friends and family in the stands. She ran over while clapping to the crowd around her but was more focused on making it to her parents. 

“MUM! DAD!” Astrid smiled once she spotted the back of their heads, pulling their attention to her and away from their current conversation. She made it to the barrier and began climbing over so she could give them a proper hug. 

She always felt safe in their arms and it had been so long since the last time that every bit of homesickness she bottled up over the last few months began to come up. 

“I missed you so much.” Tears pooled in her eyes and Joanna pulled Astrid’s face out from her chest, looking slightly up at her due to the height difference. 

“Oh my darling. We missed you too.” She wiped her daughters' tears and smiled at her, Mark standing beside them with a hand on Astrid’s shoulder. 

“That was a cracking goal my girl.” Mark shook her shoulder as she laughed with him, shaking her head at him. 

“Thanks dad.” She gave him a side hug, Mark giving her a kiss on the head. 

“Clearly working hard over there in Sweden huh?” He commented and she silently nodded, a pang to her heart as she remembered again just how far away she really lived from them. 

“Yeah, guess so.” Astrid let out a small chuckle. It’s very easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of playing matches and training, that often Astrid forgot she was only 18 and living halfway across the world away from her family. But it was what she wanted and needed to do for her career. 

“Do you need to head back and get ready to leave with the team?” Her mum broke Astrid out of her thoughts, rubbing her arm gently. 

“Uh yeah.” She looked back at the field and saw them wrapping up their interactions with fans. “Are we still on for lunch tomorrow?” Astrid looked between her parents. 

“Of course.” Joanna and Mark nodded. “Go on darling, we’ll see you later.” Joanna signalled for Astrid to head off, seeing Kyra, Charli and Courtney waiting for her at the tunnel, waving over at her parents. 

“Bye.” She blew them a kiss and jumped back over the barrier, waving to a few fans who were calling out her name, stopping for a minute to take a few photos. 

“Excuse me?” A young boy called out from the end near the tunnel, Astrid turning her head to find him, walking over and bending down to his height at the barrier. 

“Hi there. What’s your name?” She put her hand out for a high five. 

“Liam.” He smiled and completed the high five.

“Nice to meet you Liam, did you enjoy the game?” She asked him, holding on the barrier to talk to him. He nodded eagerly in excitement. 

“I cheered really loudly when you scored.” He jumped up and down, Astrid laughing softly. “You’re my favourite.” He smiled largely and Astrid’s heart practically melted. 

“Well thank you Liam.” She placed a hand on her heart. “Kyra, did you hear that?” She looked over to the brunette, grinning. “He said I’m his favourite.” She raised his eyebrows and Kyra dramatically clutched her heart in pain. Astrid laughed alongside Liam as they watched Charli and Courtney shaking their heads at Kyra in disapproval. “Well Liam, would you like my jersey? Since I’m your favourite?” His jaw dropped and Astrid started to stand. 

“Yes, please.” He asked while in shock, nodding his head excitingly. 

“Okay, one sec.” Astrid ran to find a bib, putting it on in place of the jersey and heading back to Liam and his parents who were standing behind him. She was given a sharpie and put her signature under her number before handing it to him. 

“Thank you!” He looked up at her with wide eyes and a smile.

“You’re more than welcome bud.” She gave him another high five before walking down the tunnel with the girls. “Sucked in.” Astrid stuck her tongue out at Kyra confidently but quickly lost it when Kyra began chasing her down the tunnel towards the change rooms.

“You two are children!” Charli yelled as they ran down the hallway, Astrid looking back to see how closely Kyra was running behind her until she finally caught up, wrapping her arms around Astrid and picking her up and throwing Astrid over her shoulder. 

“Put me down!” Astrid pounded on Kyra’s back as the older girl just laughed and carried her into the changeroom where the rest of the team were getting unready after the match. “Please someone help me.” She cried out as Kyra continued to carry her, now spinning around in circles. 

“We’ve learnt it’s best not to become involved when it comes to you two.” Alanna snickered from the corner, Caitlin and Mackenzie laughing alongside her as the rest of the group silently agreed. 

“You all suck!” Astrid continued to hit Kyra’s back but it seemed to be no use. “Mini!” Astrid spotted Katrina walking in the room with Harper and reached her hands out to her. “Please tell your child to let me down.”

“Not my child.” Mini stated but deep down she knew that these younger players were her kids in a way, and she doesn’t like when her kids misbehave. “Kyra put her down before she throws up all over us.” Mini crossed her hands over her chest and Kyra knew that meant business. So she slowly stopped spinning and gently placed Astrid down. 

“Thank you Mini.” Astrid brushed her hair back down, gave Kyra a death stare and collected her things before walking to the showers without another word. 

“Ooooo silent treatment. In the bad books now Kyra.” Charli commented from the doorway, everyone else laughing at the midfielder standing in the middle of the room looking very lost. 

Astrid continued to ignore Kyra, not only because she was mad at her but also because it was fun to watch her walk around with puppy eyes and wait for Astrid to talk to her. Even on the bus ride, the younger took a seat next to Steph and Kyra was left to find another one to sulk in and watch Astrid from a distance. 

The next day after recovery, Astrid had been picked up by her parents and taken to lunch, wanting to catch up with their daughter after so long apart, even though they message and facetime as often as they can with the time differences and Astrid’s busy schedule. 

Meanwhile, Kyra spent those few hours thinking up ways to apologise to Astrid, something she normally wouldn't do after being childish like that. But the fact Astrid had yet to speak to her, she felt really bad and wanted to make it up to her. 

So when Astrid returned to her hotel room, she was surprised to hear a knock on her door, interrupting her packing process. She didn’t know what to expect when opening the door but it certainly wasn’t this.

“What the fuck Kyra?” Astrid struggled not to laugh at the ridiculous sight she saw in front of her.  Kyra was standing there, a pout on her face and a small cake that had Taylor Swift’s face printed on it in her hands. 

“I’m sorry for yesterday, I just wanted to have fun and I took it too far. Will you please forgive me?” Kyra finally spoke and Astrid could not believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

“You’re actually such an idiot, oh my god.” Astrid finally let out a laugh, in absolute disbelief that this was real. She pulled her phone out from her shorts pocket and took a photo of Kyra in the doorway. “I appreciate it though, thank you.” Kyra seemed to let her breath go after hearing that. 

“You’re welcome. Can I come in?” Kyra asked and Astrid opened the door wider, using her hand to gesture back into the room, shutting the door after Kyra made her way in. 

“Where did you get this?” Astrid further inspected the cake Kyra had now placed on desk, pulling out two forks from her pocket. 

“Some cake shop I found online said they did realistic photos on cakes. So I called them up and asked for a Taylor Swift cake.” Kyra spoke casually, watching Astrid’s facial expression change with every word. 

“That is genuinely the funniest thing I’ve ever heard you say, and you’ve said a lot of things.” Astrid bit back her smile. “But to be honest I was only ignoring you to see how long you could go without begging for my forgiveness. And it's safe to say I’m impressed.” Kyra smiled at her and handed her a fork. 

“Thank you. I think this is the longest I’ve gone without talking to you ever.” Kyra spoke as she ate a bite of cake. Astrid ate her own piece and thought about it. 

“I think you’re right.” She nodded before another thought popped into her head. “Should we be eating this?” She paused before her second bite, Kyra shrugging in response as she shovelled more cake into her face. 

“Who cares? We’re technically on break and we can call it a cheat day.” Astrid silently agreed with her and ate more cake. 

They sat in silence as they ate almost half of the cake together before lying back on Astrid’s bed and slowly entering food comas. 

“That was really good.” Astrid finally spoke and Kyra hummed in agreement. “Thank you for doing that Ky, you didn’t have to.”Astrid turned her head to look at Kyra beside her. 

“I had to make it up to you in some way. Thought that was a pretty good way.” Kyra turned her head and smiled at her. 

“Yeah it was.” Astrid spoke then let out a yawn. “I think it's time for a nap.” She rolled onto her side more.. 

“I’ll go then.” Kyra began to sit up, Astrid furrowed her brows at the sudden movement. 

“You can stay,” The words rushed out very quickly, stopping Kyra in her tracks. “Only if you like. You don’t have to.” Astrid corrected herself, Kyra turning to look down at her. 

“Uh… sure.” Kyra nodded and slowly laid back down beside Astrid, turning to face her body inwards and looking at Astrid. “So you forgive me then?” Kyra wanted confirmation that all was forgiven and no longer in the bad books. 

“You know… I could never stay mad at you Ky.” Astrid’s eyes fluttered shut as she found herself drifting off into sleep. Kyra bit back a smile and slowly closed her own eyes. 

“Oh…my…god.” Charli whispered as she entered her and Astrid’s shared room, trying to compose herself as she stumbled upon Astrid and Kyra asleep on the bed…cuddling… together. Throughout their food coma nap they had subconsciously moved closer and Astrid was now resting upon Kyra, who had laid a hand on her back. 

“Shhhhhh. Don’t wake them.” Mini gripped Charli’s arm, the rest of the team trailed behind them, wanting to find out where the pair of young misfits had been hiding for the past two hours and why they were yet to turn up for dinner. Most of them expected the duo to be plotting ways to mess up the other players' lives or arguing with one another over something stupid. But what they were looking at was certain to be at the very bottom of their list’s. 

“Enough gawking!” Steph had begun quietly pushing everyone back out the door, all sharing the photos with one another for later blackmailing purposes. “Leave them alone.” She reached Charli and Mini who were both trying to hold back their laughter as they urged closer to the bed with their phones, Steph gripping their elbows and escorting out of the room. 

The door closed and that’s when they both finally woke up, Astrid opening her eyes to find her arm had ended up draped over Kyra’s waist and her head resting upon her chest. She looked up to meet Kyra’s eyes, both of them very confused as to how they ended up like this, quickly separating from one another. 

“Shit, we almost missed dinner.” Kyra looked at the time on her phone, now seeing multiple messages from Charli, Mini, Courtney and even Steph asking where she was, Astrid receiving the same amount as she reached for hers.

“Let’s go then.” Astrid brushed her hair back down before standing and walking to the door, Kyra following behind. 

A week later Astrid was back in her childhood bedroom and enjoying time off from her hectic schedule, but finding herself missing the craziness of living and playing abroad with some of her favourite people. 

So it was decided among the Sweden squad that they would spend the quality time needed with their families before and during Christmas, but meet up together again to celebrate new years with one another and welcome in the new year while holidaying in Fiji. And because they were on their break, things were allowed to get a little crazy. And what happens in Fiji… stays in Fiji.

After two days of training at the stadium, game day finally came and everyone was more than ready. Especially Astrid when it had been revealed during their pre match talk that she would be in the starting line up today. It was safe to say she did not expect that, gasping in shock when Tony revealed her name and the rest of the team cheered her on. But after her performance against South Africa and during training, the coaches were more than certain she deserved it. 

Astrid was very nervous once they headed to the changeroom after a warm up, feeling the pressure she was putting on herself start to bubble up. She hadn’t started for the national team since the game she got injured in, only coming on later in the games as fresh legs and she was very worried her performance wasn’t going to meet everyone's expectation. 

Her leg bounced up and down, hands shaking slightly as she sat on the bench, everyone around her finishing up getting ready for the game. Her heart was pounding and she tried to focus on taking deep breaths but it felt like she was suffocating in the room. 

Hastley, Astrid stood up and headed for the door, ignoring the calls of her teammates asking where she was going. She didn’t even know where she was going, just knew she needed to get away from everyone for a moment. An empty hallway away from the noise of the stadium was all she needed, stopping and leaning up against a wall finally being able to breathe properly. 

For a few minutes she basqued in the quiet, letting her thoughts go and emptying her mind of anything that would prevent her from having a good match. That was until she heard footsteps approaching and getting closer to her. She didn’t react, just kept her eyes closed and fell farther into the wall. 

“Hey.” A soft voice and instantly Astrid felt a wave of calm fall over her. Kyra. Astrid opened her eyes and met Kyra’s worried face. 

“Hi.” Astrid’s voice was barely a whisper. “Sorry.” She avoided Kyra’s eyes and looked down at their feet. 

“Don’t be. Just had us worried is all.” Kyra confessed and let out a soft smile. “You okay?” She asked softly, not pressuring her to respond fully. 

“Yeah. Just needed a second.” Astrid looked back up at Kyra and gave her a tight lipped smile. “Nervous.” She spoke again and Kyra just nodded. 

“You got this.” Kyra spoke into her eyes and Astrid nodded along with her, feeling her heart rate slow and more air coming back into her lungs. “Come on.” Kyra held her hand out for Astrid and waited for her. 

Astrid silently took her hand and they began walking back down the tunnels, the noise from the teams and the fans in the stands growing louder as they approached the line ups, slotting in behind Katrina. They dropped their hands quickly, Astrid sending a quick thumbs up to Charli further up the line who was looking at her with worry. 

Before she knew it, both teams were standing in position and ready to start the game, the anxiety from before now replaced with adrenaline. The whistle blew and immediately Astrid was focused on the game, running down to her position on the right side, sharing the front with Sam. 

Denmark took possession very quickly, leading the scoreline with a goal from Karen Holmgaard within 47 seconds. Astrid and Sam watched with disbelief from the other side of the pitch, knowing this would set them up for a long and hard game. 

The Matildas almost get a chance to equalise soon after, Steph sending a ball for Sam who knocked just too high over the goal and missing their chance. But Astrid is really making her mark early on with early touches and creating amazing chances for Sam in the centre. But still, nothing managed to make its way past the Denmark defence and into the back of the net. 

The half time whistle blew and the only thing the Australian could take from it was Mini’s yellow card. That didn’t stop them becoming even more motivated to turn the rest of the game over to their side. After Tony’s speech, a water break and some refocusing, the team was ready to get back out and win this match. 

The second half, Astrid was fueled with more energy than she’s ever had even though this was the longest she’s ever played for the national squad. But there was a hunger for her to equalise and overtake the Denmark side early on and take the lead. 

Astrid watched the pass from Tegan to Mini to Hayley and kept her eye on the ball, running closer to the ball and trying to keep her distance from the defenders. Hayley came close to the goal but there wasn’t enough of a clear shot for her, eyeing where Astrid was positioned near the goal and going for it. Hayley shot the ball low through the middle of two defenders and it ended at Astrid’s left foot, taking less than a second to tap it in gently past the keeper's legs and against the back of the net in the 53rd minute. 

As soon as it made it past the white line Astrid beelined it for Hayley, the two players jumping into one another over excitement for their shared goal. The rest of the girls came over screaming, piling on top of the pair and giving well deserved head pats for their fantastic footwork. 

The girls began to disperse, Charli and Kyra hanging back to give the 18 year old striker another hug before returning to their places and just like that Astrid had helped them equalise early on. 

It took another 10 minutes before Caitlin scored one of the most chill, easiest goals ever. After being thrown back in by Charli, Caitlin bounced it off her chest and passed to Mini and Hayley before the ball was sent back to her. She easily dribbled it through the defenders, basically a 5v1 at that point, before nutmegging Sørensen and letting it roll into the goal, deflecting off the fingertips of Christensen and hitting the net. 

The game ended in their favour, 4-1 to the Matildas after Mini and Caitlin scored within a minute of another and a full international game under Astrid’s belt. After congratulating each other and consolidating the other team, it was time for the post-match huddle, Astrid slipping in between the other two goal scorers of this match. 

“Sam, Steph,” Tony began. “This is your team, your talk tonight.” He smiled at the two captains who were side by side. 

“Um, me and steph were just saying the second half is what we’re about. Like, we're a pressing team and we live and die by it.” Everyone was nodding in agreement at Sam’s words.. “So it was really fucking cool to see us all going for it. And I think we’re gonna concede chances. Maybe we concede one, but the way we pressed and covered for each other.” Sam looked around the circle. “That’s what this team’s about. So we need to bring that for 90, but that second half was incredible,” Sam looked over at the goalscorers that were holding onto each other. “So well done girls.” She looked over at Steph to continue. 

“Yeah, the end was a really mature performance, as well.” Steph was moving her eyes to reach everyone in the circle. “Having five at the back defending how we did, how we organised, that’s how we’ve got to be major tournaments, that’s what it’s about. Sometimes we’ve just got to get the win and I thought we did that really well, so, good performance.” Steph concluded and everyone turned to Tony for the final words. 

“Freaking solid performance, fantastic night. Good job everyone.” The captains had said everything that was needed to, so he was more than happy to show his excitement and happiness, finishing up the huddle and leading everyone into celebration. 

The excitement over their win continued into the changerooms and eventually on the bus on the way back to the hotel. But it was safe to say Astrid was exhausted after playing a full 90 minutes for the first time in a while, beginning to fall asleep against Alanna’s shoulder. So as they arrived at the hotel, the blonde defender had the pleasant job of attempting to wake the teenager who seemed very happy against her in the seat. 

“Hey, Asteroid.” Alanna nudged her gently, Astrid groaning as she began to wake up. “We’re back at the hotel.” Astrid began to open her eyes more, seeing Alanna and a few of the other girls look down at her. 

“Coming.” She spoke softly, waving them off. They nodded and began walking off the bus, but there was someone still lurking, waiting for her. 

“Need a hand?” Kyra asked her, Astrid looking up as she retrieved her small bag, sending Kyra a tired smile.

“Thanks.” Astrid reached for Kyra’s hand and pulled herself up, bag and phone in her other hand. They began walking off the bus, always last but somehow always together.

A few hours later the team were boarding a plane and heading straight to Denmark ahead of their next game. A lot of the girls were tired from the match and the past few days of travelling, except those younger players like Astrid, Charli, Kyra and Courtney who were still somehow on a high. They sat in two rows with Charli and Courtney behind Astrid and Kyra so that they could talk to one another between the seats. 

The chatter between them didn’t last long though as exhaustion finally caught up to the main culprit, Astrid, as she found her head inching closer and closer to Kyra’s shoulder. Kyra was quick to welcome the action and soon found herself falling asleep alongside her for the remainder of the short flight. 

As the flight came to an end, Charli called upon the older girls who were slowly getting up from their seats to witness the sleeping pair. They of course were taking photos and videos of them, admiring their cute positioning, before Steph came forward and attempted to wake them up. Steph was gentle with her approach, tapping on both of their shoulders before calling out to them. 

“Kyra, Astrid, time to get up guys.” Steph spoke softly, letting out a giggle when Astrid only began to nuzzle herself further in Kyra and stayed asleep. Steph tried once more but no luck as the duo didn’t respond again. 

“Okay, my turn.” Mackenzie had gotten up from her seat and gently pushed Steph aside. She had a smirk on her face as she approached the duo, stepping into Charli and Courtney’s now empty row, placing both hands on the tops of their seats from behind.

“Wake up!” The goalkeeper almost screamed as she violently shook their seats, instantly scaring Kyra and Astrid awake at the intense motion. They both let out a small scream as they woke up, gripping onto their seats with racing hearts. The shaking stopped almost instantly as Macca doubled over in laughter at their reactions, the remaining team members also laughing as they watched on. 

Astrid panted while looking around for the culprit and when she spotted Mackenzie almost on the floor whilst laughing, it took everything for her to not jump straight over Kyra and tackle her. But Mackenzie was running for her life down the aisle, getting off the plane fast and avoiding Astrid’s rage. 

“I’m going to kill her.” Astrid muttered to herself while collecting her bags from under the seat, Kyra snickering at her and moving around in silence. 

“Maybe tomorrow after you’ve slept it off.” Steph’s voice came from just ahead, the last one waiting for them to get off the plane. “Let’s go, you two.” She began walking to the exit, Kyra and Astrid walking behind her while yawning. 

The high from winning was back at breakfast the next day after a night of rest, and Astrid was warmly welcomed into the dining room when she finally made her way down. She tried to just collect her breakfast and sit down at the table she normally did but was interrupted by multiple pats on her back or head and everyone continuing to congratulate her on her hat trick yesterday. She made her truce with Mackenzie but still pondered silently on ways to get her back when she least expects it. 

She finally made it to her seat between Charli and Kyra, immediately digging into the food she had been thinking about since she woke up. Astrid managed to eat her breakfast without interruptions, only talking occasionally with the girls at her table before cleaning up her spot and returning to her room. 

She was rummaging through her bags for her training kit when her phone began to vibrate. Reaching in her hoodie pocket to find her mum’s contact lighting up the screen. She moved to sit on her bed before answering the facetime.

“Hi mum!” Astrid smiled at her through the screen. 

“Oh hi my darling. Have I woken you? Is it still too early there?” Joanna asked, worrying she had yet again messed up the time zones. 

“No, I just got back from breakfast.” Astrid reassured her. 

“Oh good. I’m sorry I didn’t call last night after the game, but it was so late here and when we woke up it was the middle of the night for you and…” Joanna rambled. 

“Mum, it’s fine. I knew you would have called sometime today. Besides,we were on the plane within a few hours anyway.” Astrid sat up against the headboard, watching her mother’s face visibly soften at the sight of her daughter. “What did you think of the game?” Astrid always valued her parents' opinion of her performances, knowing their kind words would diminish any anxiety or worry in herself. 

“Oh Astrid!” Joanna exclaimed, Astrid giggling at her reaction. “We have never been so proud of you! You were absolutely incredible my darling.” Joanna beamed for her daughter and her accomplishments. “You should have seen your dad and I last night, on the edge of our seats and off our bums within seconds of all your goals!” They both laughed on either end of the phone.

“I can imagine.” Astrid laughed once more, imagining just what she had described. “Thanks mum.” Her voice fell quieter with a small smile on her face. 

“Dad at work?” She asked. 

“He is, but he promised he would call later when he gets home and hopefully you're not training or anything by then.” Joanna explained and Astrid nodded from her end. 

“Okay, I’ll let him know when I’m finished up for today.” Astrid smiled softly. “I-” She was cut off by the door opening, turning her head to see who it was. 

“Okay, it’s been more than 10 minutes since you said you were getting changed and-” Kyra stormed playfully into the room, stopping when she saw Astrid sitting on the bed, looking up at her and still not dressed in her training gear.

“Say hi to mum while I finish getting ready.” Astrid simply turned the phone in Kyra’s direction, Joanna waving with a smile through the screen. 

“Joanna! How are you?” Kyra snatched the phone and waved excitedly at the woman, Astrid finding her clothes behind her suitcase and heading off to the bathroom to change. 

Through the closed door, Astrid could hear Kyra and Joanna talking to one another about the game and other random things before she exited and silently watched from the doorway. Kyra and Joanna laughed with each other over the phone, Astrid’s heart warming at the interaction. She checked her watch and realised it really was time for them to get going.

“I thought you said I was going to be the one to make us late, now it looks like it’ll be you.” Astrid walked over to sit beside Kyra, falling back into the frame. 

“Well how could I deny a chat with the one and only Joanna Taylor.” Kyra scoffed, turning to smile at Astrid. “But if you insist we must go…” She shrugged her shoulders with a pout. 

“Well, although I don’t mind our reputation of being late,” Astrid raised her eyebrows at Kyra. “I’d rather not prove the girls right and let them go on about it all session for once.” She argued with Kyra who seemed to agree with a slight nod. “Sorry mum, but we do have to go now.” Astrid took her phone back from Kyra’s hands.

“I’ll talk to you later then darling. You girls have a good day and say hi to Charli and Courtney for me please?” Joanna smiled at her daughter and her best friend who now wrapped her arms around Astrid’s neck.

“We will. I love you.” Astrid blew a kiss through the screen, Joanna catching it and placing it on her cheek. 

“I love you too.” They all waved at each other before hanging up. 

“Get off me you monkey!” Astrid laughed as she tried to peel the arms off her but Kyra persisted, gripping tighter while laughing with her. “I’m serious!” Astrid tried to get up off the bed. 

“Carry me.” Kyra stood with Astrid who paused for a second before bending down and waiting for Kyra's legs. 

“You’re so annoying.” Astrid grunted as Kyra was now fully on her back, holding arms tight around her legs to hold her up. “At least open the doors for us then.” Astrid turned her head to look up at her, Kyra nodding in response, reaching forward to pull the front door open and making sure it fell shut as they left. 

They had successfully made it down to the lobby with Kyra still on Astrid’s back, meeting the team who were waiting for them like always. Charli laughed as she saw Astrid beginning to struggle under the weight of Kyra, snapping a quick photo for later purposes. 

“Okay Kyra, seriously get off me or we’re both going down together.” Astrid panted from underneath the older girl. 

“Fine.” Kyra huffed before jumping down and Astrid let out a sigh of relief as she stood up straight and cracked her back. 

“Thank you.” Astrid smiled at her before they both turned their head towards someone clapping their hands at them. 

“You two! Let’s go!” Katrina was the last one standing at the entrance, everyone else now outside waiting on the bus for them.

“Coming mum!” Kyra and Astrid sang out in sync, laughing as they ran to the older woman who was shaking her head and walking out the door. 

Successfully the team made it to their recovery session being held at the Viborg Stadium ahead of their next match, everyone piling inside their gym to complete their recovery individually. 

Astrid spent the whole session singing and dancing more than actually recovering, annoying everyone with her karaoke of Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift, before the coaches told her to get on with her workout or she was in trouble.

Recovery ended the way it always did, with the ice baths/pools. And of course like always Astrid was one of the first in there, teasing everyone who took their time and didn’t embrace the cold like she did. But it came to an end finally and they were all encouraged to go enjoy their free time before the next two days of training ahead of the match against Denmark.

“Who’s up for exploring the city?” Teagan posed the question to everyone once they had returned to the hotel and now congregated in the common room, most people nodding or humming in agreement. Astrid and Kyra looked at each other with the same thought on their minds. 

“Astrid? Kyra?” Charli caught the attention of the girls. “You guys coming?” She asked and they looked at each other once more, silently communicating and Charli stood there waiting. 

“I think we’re going to head off on our own.” Astrid finally spoke. “Kyra owes me lunch.” Kyra nodded at Astrid’s statement, watching Charli’s face fall even further into confusion. 

“I lost a bet, so now I buy her lunch.” Kyra simply stated and stood up waiting for Astrid to follow her. Astrid nodded and stood next to Kyra.

“Alright, guess I’ll see you two later then.” Charli shook herself back to reality and stared at the two people who were famous for bickering, waiting to willingly hang out with one another. “Be safe.” She added as they left. 

“We will.” They called out in sync as they left the hotel, everyone in the room watching on in slight confusion. 

“That was weird right?” Charli spoke into the room, looking at everyone’s faces. 

“Very.” “Yes.” “Let’s hope they don’t kill each other.” Different voices rang out before everyone began laughing and preparing to explore on their own accord as a team. 

The pair walked around the streets close to the hotel for a while, trying to spot a quiet yet decent looking restaurant. 

“How about this one?” Kyra pointed up at the sign, attempting to read the Danish but because she didn’t know any part of the language it didn’t really work. Astrid let out a small laugh and pushed Kyra closer to the entrance. “This one it is then.” She murmured as she pushed the door open for the both of them. 

“Oh thank god.” Astrid silently let out as they opened the menus once they found a table, grateful to find English translations underneath the Danish food listings. 

A server came over to the pair and once he realised they couldn’t understand him, he simply asked them to point out the items they wanted and he scribbled them down quickly. Astrid and Kyra were slightly embarrassed at the situation but quickly began laughing over it. 

They talked on and off while eating about random things that were going on and checking in on one another's families. But they were already around each other so much they didn’t need to constantly fill the silence. 

Kyra stuck to her promise and paid for the whole lunch, both of them thanking the staff before heading out of the restaurant and back onto the streets of Denmark. 

“Oh thank god!” A loud voice came from behind Kyra and Astrid, a familiar pair of arms wrapping around both of their shoulders and slotting themself between them. 

“Jesus Charli.” Astrid sighed, turning her head towards the blonde. “What are you going on about?” Astrid sent a quizzed look to Charli and paused the three of them on the street. 

“You guys spent over an hour together alone and didn’t kill each other.” Charli exaggerated, Kyra and Astrid both rolled their eyes at her comment. “It’s a miracle!” She laughed and removed herself from both girls. 

“Leave em alone Charli.” Mini’s voice piped up from behind them, all three turning to see Harper sitting on her hip and the rest of the team walking close behind them. 

“Harps!” Astrid took long strides to reach them, Harper’s little face lighting up at the sight of Astrid, almost jumping out of her mothers arms and into Astrid’s open ones. 

“Weeee!” Harper squealed and giggled as Astrid carefully swung her around in the air before placing her on her hip, Harper instantly snuggling up against the youngest Matilda. The team began their walk back to the hotel after finding Kyra and Astrid, all feeling a little tired after the late night flight and early morning recovery.

A lot of the team chose to hang out together in the main conference room of the hotel, now that it had become their designated hang out room during free time, either just chilling on their phones or playing games with each other. 

Though Astrid, kyra, Charli and Teagan had taken the task of entertaining Harper so that Mini could take a nap. It was a fun yet hard task to complete, Harper often had a lot of energy and an inability to stick with one activity for too long. 

So like always they started with physical games to tire her out, chasing her around and losing their own energy in the process. Then they moved onto any toys mini had left with them, spending their time playing barbies or dolls and then finally putting on a disney movie they would all enjoy. 

So that's how mini found them all after an hour, fast asleep on couches and bean bags with Inside Out playing over Charli’s laptop, and Harper laying over Astrid’s chest. She thought there was no harm done so she left them there, reminding herself to come back and retrieve them all before dinner.