The volleyball match playing on the tv is mostly meaningless but somehow, the team still manages to pick sides.
There's a betting pool out of nowhere and Lea just heard someone (likely Klara) bet on the next player to absolutely face slam into the floor.
There's takeout boxes surrounding the area that Lea tries to pick up on the way to the kitchen but some of them still have food in them so she leaves them be.
As she washes her hands, she glances at the clock.
It's getting later and later and while she doesn't really mind the team being over, she keeps checking her phone.
She knows you've got rehearsal tonight and she knows it usually runs over quite a lot but she can't help but think that you should have texted her by now.
You usually do, waiting around on the street for her to come and drive you home.
But as the hours tick on and the hands on the clock begin to change, the text from you is nowhere to be seen.
Lea keeps frowning as she stares at the textless phone in her hands, waiting for something to happen as she picks her way through the pile of footballers currently invading her sitting room.
"Fry?" Giulia offers and Lea takes some, if only to stave off the pit in her stomach.
"You okay?" Giulia continues," You look...not great..."
Lea allows a wry smile to appear on her face though her guts swirl with indecision over letting you be or calling you this instant. "Fine," Is what she replies instead," Just...got something on my mind."
Giulia's shoulder nudges hers. "I'm here if you want to talk. I can help."
"I know. Thank you."
But it's not exactly something Lea can kind of dump on someone. Not really, anyway. It would involve a lot of awkward conversation and probably a good deal of parenting books that neither of them would really want to buy or read.
"Oh come on!" Someone's outrage is enough for Lea to snap out of her thoughts though and turn her attention back to the volleyball match where someone has just managed to score a point after a good seven minutes of nothing.
The noise raises to a crescendo as the overlapping voices of Lea's team fills the room. It's enough noise to drown out the sound of the keys in the door.
You step through it to carnage.
You're fairly certain no less than three football players have their feet up on the coffee table that Lea doesn't even let you put a mug on, let alone your dirty feet.
There's takeout boxes everywhere and the distinct smell of something that had been deep fried.
"Do I get dinner too or am I stuck with the leftovers?"
And just like that, the noises disappear entirely.
Heads snap to you. Eyes are narrowed. Someone chokes and spills their drink all down their white t-shirt.
"Lea...how did a ten year old get into your house?"
"I'm thirteen!"
Your sister stands...You want to say she stands gracefully but all that grace disappears the moment she tries to start playing Twister to get out of the pile of footballers surrounding her.
"You didn't text."
"Noah's mum offered to drive me."
"You got into a car with a stranger?!"
"No, I got in the car with Noah's mum. You've met her. You liked her."
"I haven't met her."
"You did. At the autumn showcase. The woman you sat next to? Who told you that she liked your shirt? That was Noah's mum."
"Just because I had a two second conversation with someone, doesn't mean I want you getting in the car with them!"
"Yeah, well, she offered. I said yes. And look, I'm home. Nothing bad happened."
"That's not the point! I was worried sick! I was about to-"
A throat clears behind you both and wordlessly, your sister turns around.
"What's...going on here?" Glódís asks," You know the ten year old, Lea?"
"I'm thirteen!"
"My sister," Lea ignores you in favour of answering," I was going to introduce you to her earlier but someone didn't tell me when she needed to be picked up."
"Noah's mum drove me!"
"That's not the point!"
For a moment, it looks like the two of you are going to devolve into bickering again but Lea smiles fondly at you with an eye roll and she ruffles your hair lightly.
"Your food is in the microwave. Two minutes in. I put your drink in the fridge. Bottom shelf."
You press a big, wet kiss onto her cheek just to be annoying and head off into your room to put your stuff down and change.
"I didn't know you had a sister," Glódís says, her eyes watching you go.
("I did!" Klara yells in the background).
"Yeah..." Lea watches you go too. "She moved in with me in August for school."
"For school?"
"The Munich Conservatory opened up a young academy for under eighteens. You were meant to apply yourself and go through interviews and auditions but..." She shrugs. "They came to her and handled everything. No formal application, no interview, no audition. They wanted her and..."
Glódís smiles. "She wanted them?"
"Mum and Dad were happy to let her go so long as she moved in with me."
"And that's where she was? At the Conservatory?"
"She had practice. They've got a winter showcase coming up and expectations are sky high. I said I would pick her up when it was over. She usually texts me but..." Lea rolls her eyes with a shrug. "You saw what happens."
"What instrument does she play?"
"Clarinet," You answer.
No one had even noticed you entering the room. Your takeout box is steaming and you hold out your can of drink for Lea to open for you.
"And also the piano," You continue," But I'm the first chair clarinet."
Glódís flashes you an awkward smile. "I...don't know what that is."
"That's fine," You say breezily, easily picking your way through the sea of quiet, frozen footballers to take the empty seat your sister was in," Neither does Lea."
"Hey! I know what it means! It means you're very, very good at clarinet!"
You grin easily at Giulia. "She must have only learnt that last week."
Lea groans, heads buried in her hands as the team's laughter echoes around her.
"You see what I have to deal with?" You say to no one in particular," She's so dramatic."
"You should come visit us in training," Klara grins," I've never seen Lea like this before."
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the team finds out about your potential relationship at the same time as everyone else
the chill of december bites at your skin as you step off the plane, a light fog of condensation forming with each exhale.
cairo airport is filled with activity, a stark contrast to the quiet ache in your chest from leaving barcelona behind for the break. everyone else scattered to their families..alexia to her parents, mapi to her sisters.. ingrid tagging along with mapi.
however, you made a different choice. you texted lena as soon as the winter schedule was released, your fingers shaking with equal parts nerves and excitement as you hit send. her response had been almost immediate:
yes, come to me.
the cab ride to the german resort in egypt feels longer than it is, the traffic weaving around you in a rhythm you can’t quite predict. your mind drifts to her…how her voice sounded over the phone just the night before, soft and inviting despite her latest recovery session.
you remember the way she laughed when you told her you’d packed her favorite chocolate from spain, calling you “extra” with a playful tease.
when you finally step into the lobby, obi is already waiting with lea. she stands near the entrance, her dark shirt hanging loosely on her body, her hair tied back in a simple ponytail.
obi’s eyes light up the second they meet yours, a warmth there that makes the entire journey feel worth it. she doesn’t move right away..her lips curl into that familiar smile, the one that always tugs at something deep inside your chest, and then she steps forward.
“you’re here,” she says, as if she needs to convince herself this isn’t just another late-night call or grainy video chat.
“i’m here,” you echo, your voice quieter, carrying all the weight of missing her and finally seeing her again.
she pulls you into her arms before you can say anything else, her grip firm but tender, as though she’s afraid you might disappear if she holds too tightly. the scent of her shampoo..something citrusy and sharp..mixes with the faint chill on her skin, and you close your eyes, melting into the familiarity of her embrace.
obi’s hands trace soothing lines along your lower back, and for a moment, the rest of the world fades. it’s just you and her, breathing each other in.
“you must be exhausted,” she says when she pulls back slightly, her hands still resting on your shoulders. obi’s eyes scan your face like she’s memorizing every detail all over again.
“i’ve had worse travel days,” you joke, but lena shakes her head, her lips quirking in mild disapproval.
“you never let me take care of you,” she mutters, almost to herself, before lacing her fingers with yours and tugging you toward the elevator.
“no hey for me?” lea jokes.
“how could i forget about my favorite person here!” you laugh, pulling lea into a tight hug.
“hey!” lena says which gets a good laugh out of lea and you.
the ride up to obi’s room is quiet, save for the faint hum of holiday music filtering through the speakers. lena leans against the wall, her thumb absently brushing over your knuckles.
you don’t say much..it’s a comfortable silence, the kind that comes with knowing someone so intimately that words aren’t always necessary.
once inside the room, lena drops her small bag near the small table and immediately turns to you. she’s always been like this…direct, unguarded when it’s just the two of you. she steps closer, her hands finding your cheeks, her thumbs brushing lightly over your skin.
“you’re really here,” she whispers, and this time it sounds more like a confession, a quiet marvel at the reality of it.
“of course i am,” you reply, your voice steady even though your heart is racing under her gaze.
“you think i’d spend with anyone else?”
obi’s smile softens, and she presses a kiss to your forehead before resting her own against it.
“you have no idea how much i’ve missed you.”
you think you do. you’ve felt it in every passing day since the last time she came to barcelona to see you, when you had to say goodbye in the quiet of your apartment, neither of you wanting to let go. you feel it now, in the way her hands linger on you like she’s trying to make up for lost time.
“probably as much as i’ve missed you,” you say, and it earns you that laugh…the low, melodic one that makes your chest feel impossibly full.
“impossible,” she teases, before finally pulling away just enough to guide you to the bed.
you lay down cuddling with her for a brief moment before you have to go outside for more activities. the both of you talk lightly, just discussing things that maybe you guys didn’t on the phone.
she mentions lea and kathi’s terrible jokes during her recovery sessions. there’s a tenderness in her voice whenever she talks about her friends, and you’re grateful her friends has been there for her during the times you couldn’t be since you played in barcelona.
after a night out, where lena djs with her friends while you just sit with lea by the bars in support.. you feel the exhaustion from the trip begin to creep in, but lena seems to notice before you can say anything.
she nudges you gently, her arm wrapping around your shoulders as she takes you back to your shared hotel room.
“sleep,” she murmurs, her voice low and soothing.
“i will still be here, i am just going to the bathroom to get unready.”
maybe five minutes later.. you feel yourself getting pulled into her arms, in this secret little world you’ve built together in egypt while the time lasts.
throughout the next week in egypt felt like a dream. the kind of dream you never wanted to wake up from or escape. you and lena spent days exploring, stealing moments for yourselves, surrounded by her closest friends.
the most thrilling part of it all? riding dune buggies across the sprawling sands. the powerful machines roared as you navigated the uneven terrain, the wind whipping against your face as lena rode beside you, grinning like a kid who just found her favorite candy.
somewhere in the golden expanse of the desert, lea insisted on capturing photos of everyone. lena was her usual reluctant self, but you? you were feeling the sun on your skin, the freedom in the air.
when lea aimed the camera your way, she didn’t even have to ask you to stand still when you started walking so you had your own individual pictures.
the timing of the pictures couldn’t have been more perfect..your hair moved gently in the breeze, and the sunlight painted your skin with a radiant glow, setting you apart from the vast golden orange backdrop of sand.
“oh wow this one’s stunning,” lea grinned, showing the screen to lena first. obi’s eyes lingered on the image a moment longer than necessary, a small, almost imperceptible smile pulling at her lips before she nodded.
“you’re posting that, right?” lena asked, her tone teasing but edged with sincerity.
you did. how could you not? it was the kind of picture that didn’t come around often. within minutes, your feed was getting notifications.
what you didn’t expect was for some eagle eyed fans to piece together that lena and lea had posted stories from the exact same desert in the same hour. while neither of them appeared in your photo, the connection was made…three high-profile football players in the same place, at the same time?
the internet was quick to notice.
still, everything was manageable. until lena, in true lena fashion, decided to break the silence. obi’s comment on your post was simple, direct:
hot
that one word sent shockwaves through your notifications.
suddenly, the noise grew louder. fans were scrambling for answers, dissecting every post and interaction…or lack thereof. you and lena had never made a habit of commenting on each other’s photos, not publicly, at least.
sure, you liked her posts, and she liked yours, but it was subtle. this? this was anything but subtle. you were not mad at lena, in fact, you kind of enjoyed that people were starting to know about this.
the first text came late that night. your phone buzzed on the nightstand as you lay beside lena, who was lazily scrolling through her own notifications.
ingrid.
ingrid: what are you doing in egypt with obi?
ingrid: nothing wrong! i didn’t think that you guys even knew of each other
you stared at the screen for a moment, debating your response. lena noticed, leaning over to catch a glimpse of her old wolfsburg teammate texting you.
“are you going to answer her?” she asked, her voice calm but curious.
“not yet,” you murmured, locking the phone and setting it back down. lena chuckled, pressing a kiss to your lips before tossing your phone to the side.
the texts didn’t stop there. by morning, your phone was flooded…alexia, salma, frido, ewa. all of them had the same question:
alexia: what's going on?
ewa: i see you guys 😏😏
salma: so what are you doing in egypttt!??? 😏😏🤨
fridolina: since when did you and obi start dating?
later, lena posted her slideshow on instagram. a collection of moments from the trip since its your last day here: the sunset over the desert, the group at dinner, her in the pool.
however, it was the last photo that threw everything into chaos. the picture was taken by the dj booth, all of you in one frame. lea stood between phil and fridolin, and lena stood on fridolin’s other side.
there you were, at the end, lena’s arm draped comfortably around your shoulders, your head leaning against hers.
the comments exploded.
HELLO???
wait… are they together?!
obi and y/n?? since when??
HOW DID WE NOT SEE THIS COMING?!
THE HARD LAUNCH OKAYYY
lena smirked at the influx of attention, but you could feel the tension brewing in your phone as it buzzed relentlessly on the table. by now, the barcelona group chat was probably in flames.
you could picture alexia starting her own mini investigation, salma and frido laughing at the absurdity, and ewa typing out a flurry of messages just to be nosey about her old teammate and new teammate being together.
“they’re not going to let this go, you know,” lena said, her tone light as she scrolled through her own growing list of missed calls and texts from her bayern teammates like kathi, tuva, and georgia.
“i know,” you sighed, running a hand through your hair.
“but we’ll figure it out when we get back. you to munich, me to barcelona.”
lena smiled, pulling you closer.
“as long as i have my beautiful sexy girlfriend, then i am okay.”
you giggled.
back in barcelona, a week after you and obi left egypt.. the locker room is quiet as you push the door open, though the quiet feels almost… staged.
your footsteps echo slightly as you step in, and the moment you glance up, you realize why. every single one of your teammates is staring at you, arms crossed, smirks plastered across their faces like they’ve been waiting for this exact moment.
“so,” vicky starts, leaning against her locker with the kind of casual confidence that spells trouble.
“how was egypt with your new girlfriend?”
you roll your eyes, already regretting every decision that led to this.
“good morning to you too,” you mutter, heading straight for your locker, hoping and praying that they’ll let it slide.
they won’t.
salma snickers as she moves to sit beside your locker, her grin way too wide.
“you’re not even going to deny it, are you?”
“what’s there to deny?” you sigh, pulling off your hoodie and grabbing your training shirt. your hands move a little quicker than usual, like if you’re dressed fast enough, they might lose interest.
they don’t.
“what’s there to deny?” ewa repeats, feigning shock.
“you’ve been secretly dating obi, and you think we’re just going to let that slide without asking questions?”
you groan internally but keep your face calm, pulling your shirt over your head and starting on your socks.
“it’s not a secret anymore, is it?” you reply, your tone steady, but the small smile tugging at your lips betrays you.
“how long?” ewa presses, leaning forward.
“and don’t even think about lying.”
you glance up at her, then at the rest of the team, who are all waiting, some sitting on the benches, others leaning against lockers, every single one of them focused on you.
alexia, standing near the door, raises an eyebrow as if to say, you might as well tell them.
“four months,” you say finally, your voice even.
the reaction is instant. gasps, laughter, and a mix of disbelief ripple through the room.
“four months?” frido exclaims.
“and you didn’t tell anyone? not even us?”
“i told esmee,” you admit, earning a collective groan from the group.
esmee turns her head away from the team, hoping to not become the center of the teasing since she didn’t spill your secret.
salma throws her hands up dramatically.
“esmee doesn’t count. she’s your best friend here.”
you shake your head, tying your laces as you prepare for the next wave of teasing.
“obi and i wanted to keep it private for a while,” you explain, keeping your voice calm despite the heat rising to your cheeks.
“it’s long-distance. clearly since she plays at bayern. we wanted to make sure it worked before people started asking questions or… making assumptions.”
that quiets them for a moment, and alexia nods slightly, her expression softening.
“that makes sense,” she says, her tone understanding.
“it’s a lot of pressure, especially with both of you playing in different places.”
you give her a small, grateful smile before aitana pipes up.
“but you’re terrible at keeping secrets, you know that, right?”
the whole room erupts in laughter, and even you can’t help but join in.
“apparently,” you admit, grabbing your water bottle and heading toward the door.
“hey, for what it’s worth,” vicky calls out as you reach the exit,
“you make a cute couple. but don’t think this means we’re done teasing you.”
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warnings: slight homophobia and angst but with a happy ending
word count: 791
summary: you're far from perfect but lea loves you for it
a/n: the fifth installation of my 'the anthology' blurbs series
feral was the word your teachers used to describe you as, all untidiness and chaos.
you know your parents would describe you similarly, if you spoke to them anymore.
your girlfriend, lea, is the complete opposite. always neat and polite.
she is patient too, one of the many reasons she is such a brilliant striker. she can be counted on to wait for the precise moment to do what she is so well known for.
but her patience is also for you.
your parents hate you for being gay, hers accepted her wholeheartedly.
accepted you too, once the blonde introduced you as her partner.
it had scared you terribly at first, given you so much anxiety that this would be the second family you lose but lea soothes it all easily with sweet, gentle words of reassurance and love.
the german woman always knows the right words to say to you. how to calm you down is practically her special talent, given that she is the only person in the world who can do so.
she’s level headed and cool under pressure. once again the complete opposite of you, off the pitch.
you have your father’s temper and on occasion, your mother’s mean streak. both of their characteristics had greatly shaped your childhood.
it was an angry household that you grew up in, one that you have done everything to escape.
but the effects, despite your best efforts, linger.
you yell when you are scared and cornered. you’d rather deal with everything on your own, no matter how much you are struggling, than ask for help.
it took lea a while to figure you out.
to learn that you don’t intend on hurting her but rather, don’t know how else to react.
so it’s with patience that she teaches you to talk to her, to let her help you instead of shutting her out.
to let you know that she doesn’t expect anything in return because she loves you.
you and all your imperfections.
the way your parents raised you made you think that you owed someone every time they did something for you but your lea shows you otherwise.
she never asks for anything in return. only hopes that you let her love you and be there for you.
so you do. even if it means relearning things you have done your entire life.
you will let down your guard for lea because you love her too.
the bayern munich player has never caged you, never hurt you and never called you crazy, like a lot of people did when you were growing up.
you’re by no means an easy person to like. you’ve never made friends easily.
it had taken a few months for you to become at home, with the rest of your teammates.
you’re cold and clinical on the pitch and that’s the only side of you the fans see so you understand why you’re not a favourite like the blonde.
you can be mean and you can be petty. lea doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body.
in fact, you’re actually quite sure that a resentful thought has never once crossed her mind.
for you, showing kindness had to be learnt. it is innate in the german forward and with every day that she is by your side, she shows you that you can learn it.
it’s because of her influence that you snap less at people and instead, laugh a lot more with them.
you will never understand why lea with her beautiful blue eyes and bright smile that lights up anyone’s day fell for you like she did and chooses over and over again to love you.
it makes you the luckiest person in the world.
you know that most people who don’t know you, think of you as intimidating. with opponents, it’s in your favour so you are okay with it.
but lea’s never thought so.
‘who’s afraid of little old me?’ you used to think to yourself as you grew up in your loud and angry house.
you kept the peace there at the expense of your own, pushing down your emotions just so you didn’t upset others.
lea’s shown you that you don’t need to do that anymore.
she won’t leave you. not when you are happy or content and certainly not when you are mad or anxious.
so ‘who’s afraid of little old me?’
it’s not lea. your lea’s never been and never will be.
instead, she sees the best in you.
with soft kisses and steady affection, nights spent safely in her arms and dates where your love for her only grows, the striker brings it out, so that the rest of the world can see it too.
