Summary; The news of Jessie leaving hits you hard but your bond is stronger.
Words; 2.2k
Pairing; Jessie Flemming x chelsea reader
Warnings; just sadness (soz)
A/N; I’m not even a Chelsea fan but when this news came out about her transfer I did start crying because I know how much that team means to her and then it led me to inspiration for this blurb. This may not be accurate as to how she’s leaving but it’s how I’m imagining it because I love making people cry (sorry y’all) This song is also my favourite Noah song and I thought it fit pretty well. I'm sorry for the pain you’re about to feel but hopefully you enjoy reading it.
After a long day of training in preparation for the match in two days, all you and Jessie wanted to do was lay down and enjoy the quiet together. So after a quick dinner and some TV, it was officially time for bed and you were both more than relieved as you headed to the bedroom of your shared apartment.
You had been living together for almost a year, being together for almost 3 years now since your arrival to Chelsea in 2020 alongside her. It didn’t take long for you and Jessie to drift towards each other during training and bonding nights, eventually evolving from friends into lovers, which didn’t take long at all.
Now here you both were, cuddled up in bed together and basking in the silence after a tough training day. But as you laid your head on Jessie’s chest you could tell something was on her mind, she had been preparing to say something for the last few minutes but stopped herself before she could.
“You okay?” You sat up slowly next to her, turning your head to look at her in the low light of the room, a sliver of moonlight shining through the curtains, reaching down and placing a loving squeeze on her thigh.
“Hmmm?” Jessie looked down at you, not fully catching your question as she was in her head.
“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” You brushed a small curling back behind her hair, watching her visibly relax at your touch, a soft smile donning her face.
She inhaled quickly, thinking about how she could say what she needed to say to you, knowing it would pain you as much, if not more than her.
“I-” She paused and finally looked into your eyes. “I’m leaving Chelsea.” It was just above a whisper, but as soon as the words came out your heart dropped.
“What?” You thought for a second she might be joking, but from her expression you knew it was real. “What do you mean?” You whispered again and she looked away, unable to look at you, a tear slipping down her face. She had gotten the call two days ago from her agent, and then Emma, saying that she was being transferred and that there was nothing else to be done. She was being sold and she had no choice.
It had been eating her alive for the last two days, trying to find the right time to tell you but realising there would never be a right time.
“Is it a loan?” You asked after she hadn’t spoken again. She sniffled and continued to break at your hopefulness.
“They sold me.” Jessie spoke, dragging her knees into her chest and letting more tears fall.
“They can’t do that.” You sat up on your knees, running your hands through your hair.
“They can.” Jessie rested her head on her knees, still refusing to look at you. “They did.” She sniffled and you shook your head in disbelief.
“Where are you going? Some other club in the league?” You stood up from the bed, pacing back and forth along the side, watching Jessie sit silently on her side. “Jessie?” You called out after no response.
“Portland Thorns.” She whispered and you stopped in your tracks, heart breaking further in your chest. The room once again became silent bar the sniffles from Jessie. Tears filled your eyes and you continued to stare at her frame that became smaller and smaller as she curled further into herself.
You bit the inside of your cheek as your thoughts began to spiral once again. She’s leaving the team, she’s leaving the country. She’s leaving me.
“Baby?” Jessie’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. Your head snapped up from its focus on the bed, finding her no longer sitting there, but now in front of you after watching you zone out and your breaths become shorter and quicker.
“They’re sending you to America?” Your voice was quiet, a sob threatening to escape as more tears brimmed your eyes.
“I fought hard to avoid it. I don’t want to leave you.” Her eyes looked similar to yours as she brought her hands to your face, her gentle touch breaking you even more. Your heads found their natural place against each other, tears falling down both of your faces and arms holding onto one another.
“It’ll be okay.” You finally spoke after a few minutes, finally pulling her into a hug, resting your head on top of hers with your slightly taller frame. “We’ll be okay.”
You stayed like that in the moonlight for a few minutes before crawling back into bed and returning to your original positioning, finally falling into sleep from exhaustion and sadness.
The next morning was quieter than normal as you prepared for training. You were still thinking about what you found out last night, Jessie letting you process while also preparing how she was going to tell the team today that she was leaving.
When the pair of you arrived to training, you immediately clung to one another's side, intertwining your hands as you walked in the doors and towards the locker room. A few people were confused at your entrance, normally you two were quite disruptive, loud and separating into your little groups. But you remained close to one another and only greeted your teammates politely before returning back to silence.
“Meeting room, 5 minutes.” Emma strolled by the room and yelled through the door before continuing. One by one everyone left to follow their manager to said room, you and Jessie hung behind before leaving together after everyone else.
Two spots were available in the front on the end so you and Jessie sat down, Niamh in the seat beside you squeezed your shoulder and you smiled back at her.
“Alright, match tomorrow against United…” Emma began her talk about the plan and her lineups for the game but you and Jessie were focused on something else, holding her hand and squeezing every once and a while.
“Finally, Jessie-” Emma looked over at her, Jessie nodding as she prepared to stand, letting go of your hand and walking to the front.
“Thanks.” Jessie stood in front of the whole team who were visibly confused. “Um.” She paused, looking over to you but you were looking down at your hands to prevent yourself from crying again. “Chelsea has been my home for the past three and a half years and you girls my family. I cannot express my love and gratitude for every single one of you enough. Which,” She looked up at the roof, trying to make the tears stop. “Which is why it’s so hard to say goodbye.” A few girls gasped and the rest were in shock, no one could have seen this coming at all.
“I’ve been transferred to Portland Thorns.” Jessie spoke with slight anger in her voice and wording, communicating that she’s not happy with this news at all and it wasn’t her choice to leave them. You finally looked up at her, tears brimming your eyes again at the thought of not playing with her for the first time in three years.
Jessie had been there with you through it all; injuries, coming back injuries, being benched by Emma when she thought you weren't good enough, when you scored your first of many goals, when you were having a bad day. She was always there with you and you there with her for every high and low of life.
The meeting ended and everyone began leaving for training after stopping by Jessie to give her a hug and wish her good luck. You were the last to reach her, silently taking her hand and leading you both out to the training pitches.
Almost everything was normal, everyone was training as they always did, but there was an atmosphere and all the girls felt it but pushed on and listened to Emma.
Emma didn’t put Jessie in the starting line up or on the bench as a sub, so instead of playing one last game in blue, she stood in the stands and supported as you started for the second time this year. Since Sam did her ACL, you had been Emma’s go to as the centre forward, which encouraged you but you had a feeling you were just a replacement and not as valued as the Matilda’s captain. But a start was a start and you would take what you could get.
The game was long and tiring but with a hat trick from LJ, Chelsea had retained their top spot in the WSL table and gained another three points in their defeat over Man United.
You were walking around the pitch trying to celebrate the win and points but it was hard. Not only was Jessie leaving but she wasn’t even part of the match squad for what should have been one of her last games.
But it wasn’t long till she made her way onto the pitch and over towards where you were walking with Guro. A tap on your shoulder removed your eyes from the crowd and towards your girlfriend who was standing behind you. Immediately you brought her into a hug and she held onto you tightly.
You hadn’t spoken about it properly since that first night, waiting until this match was done so you were focused on playing and not the fact that Jessie was moving away with very short notice. So when you returned back home that night, it was time to talk.
“When do you leave?” You asked her as you sat on the couch together, your legs laid over her lap with your head on the armrest and her sitting up against the backrest.
“Preseason starts on the 5th. I’m supposed to be signing on the 1st. My flight is the day before.” Jessie looked up at the roof while you calculated how many days you would have left together before she leaves.
“That’s 9 days Jessie.” You speak softly and your eyes gloss over as you stare at her.
“I know. I pushed it back as late as I could.” She looked down at you, tears falling down her face. “I’m sorry.” She spoke and you immediately sat up, crawling over to straddle her lap, holding her face in your hands.
“You don’t have any reason to be sorry Jessie.” You looked her directly in the eyes. “It’s just what's happening and even though it’s very, very shitty,” You wiped the tears under her eyes. “It could end up being the best thing for you and your career.”
“I don’t want to leave you.” Jessie’s main concern was you and your relationship, but she had nothing to worry about.
“We’ll make it work, I promise.” You rested your forehead against hers, closing your eyes and softly holding her neck, her hands resting gently on your hips.
For the next 9 days it seemed you and Jessie spent every waking moment you could together, savouring even the smallest of moments before you begin long distance. It hadn’t been publicly announced yet but rumours began flying around about the transfer and fans were beginning to investigate.
The rumours kept growing about her transfer every day that she wasn’t featured with Chelsea and not named in the next two matches against Real Madrid and Brighton. But nothing was said from Chelsea or Jessie until the last minute and you were driving her to the airport to say goodbye.
After Jessie posted her goodbye to the club she turned off her notifications and focused on spending every last second focused on you. But you didn’t say anything on the drive, you couldn’t without your throat closing up and tears leaving your eyes.
“Don’t forget about me.” Jessie laughed as you held each other in the departure terminal.
“How could I ever Jeff?” You pulled back to look in her eyes, brushing a curl off her head. She let out another laugh but this one held a little more pain behind it. “Promise me one more thing before you go?”
“Anything.” She pressed her forehead against yours.
“Marry me?” It was a whisper from your end but made her eyes light up with both shock and love.
“Yes.” It was a simple answer but it was the right one. And good thing it was because the ring you were holding in your pocket wasn’t one you could easily return.
“Good.” You leant in and kissed her, both of her hands moved to your face and yours to her waist. “I love you.”
“I love you.” You pulled her hand down and slipped the ring on as she admired it, pulling you in for one last kiss. “Forever.”
“Forever.” She pulled you into a hug one last time before looking at the clock; it was time to go.
“Go get em superstar.” You pulled away and pushed her further into the airport, watching her walk away as you wiped the tears from your eyes.
y/n.y/l/n. posted
liked by _jessflem, niamhcharles17 and 745,985 others
you’re the greatest thing we’ve lost
once a blue, always a blue my girl 💙
tagged @_jessflem
THE END
really hoping they can cure my sickness with a win
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Words; 1.8k
Pairings; matildas team x astrid taylor (OC)
Warnings; swearing
A/N; Hi all. Hope you're enjoying this story. Just wanted to apologise for such a late update and a really short chapter but I started a second job and I've got less time to write so updates may take a little longer sorry. But I will try to keep it within two weeks of each other and write when I can so you guys can keep reading. Love you all xx
masterlist
The next morning after breakfast the team assembled for their pre match meeting where they would do last minute reviews of their opponents style of play, and plan their own around the starting lineup Tony was going to reveal.
Astrid’s prediction from the night before was proved right when Kyra’s name appeared in the midfield, a smile donning both of their faces as Astrid lightly punched Kyra’s shoulder. The rest of the line up was almost the same as it always was but with Cortnee replacing Sam’s usual position as the left forward and Charli staying in that back right in replace of Ellie who was still out with her ACL injury.
Although Astrid had yet to be named again in the starting XI since that Phillipines game, the plan involved her coming on later in the game and continuing her super sub reputation.
Arriving at Kingsmeadow again the energy was high and the team were ready for what was to come. They got ready and headed onto the pitch for the warm up, Astrid, Charli and Kyra trailing at the back of the group.
“Will you three hurry up? Otherwise you’re not part of the rondos.” Alanna turned around, yelling at the three of them who were still slowly walking out of the tunnel.
“How dare you!” Astrid dropped her mouth in shock, separating from her friends as she ran to join the team, rather ditching her friends than missing out on the only fun part of warm up.
“Rude.” Charli called out as Kyra scoffed beside her, watching the youngest player run out of the tunnel to the team on the pitch, jogging to catch up behind her.
Training like always was full of laughter and fun, slightly distracting them before the tough match but still focused on the drills ahead of them. When it began time to partner up, Astrid began walking towards Charli but was pulled away before she could even process what was happening.
“You’re with me today, chicken.” Steph finally spoke as she walked with Astrid further away from the younger of the Matildas. Astrid was confused but not complaining as she had begun to form a stronger bond with Steph through these camps and over long distance while at clubs.
“Cool with me.” Astrid shrugged her shoulders as they began their partnered drills and passing skills.
“So, how’s Hammarby?” Steph asked, looking over at the younger player.
“It’s really good, I think I’ve finally settled back into the team and the rhythm again.” Astrid smiled as she talked about her club.
“That’s good. You always want to feel good at your club and comfortable in that environment.” Steph nodded at her, happy she was content in her current club and team. “What about Sweden though? How’s living there treating you?”
“It’s fine, I’m glad I have Kyra and Nevs with me, and Charli not far away.” Astrid drifted off slightly and looked back up at Steph instead of the ball they were sending between each other.
“But?” Steph quizzed, looking her softly in the eye, Astrid pausing to think before responding.
“I don’t know. Something’s missing or off, I think. It’s just not what I’ve been used to, you know. Especially with a whole different language and customs and lifestyle; it’s just different.” Astrid shrugged casually. “But I’ll get used to it, and the weather.” She laughed with Steph who also missed the Australian sun whilst living away.
“It’ll get better, that feeling of being misplaced sorta. I promise.” Steph pulled Astrid into her side as they began to walk back to the group who were finishing up their warm ups as well.
They all returned to the locker room, changing from their training gear to their game jerseys, Astrid donning her 31 proudly as the subs exited the room, hyping up the starting line up as they went past.
Courtney and Astrid sat beside each other on the bench as they waited for the match to start. The whistle blew and the ball was taken into quick and easy possession by the Australian side, keeping it close to them and weaving through the South Africa defence. A few chances were made within early minutes, almost getting Astrid out of her seat ready to celebrate, but it wasn’t till Steph took a corner at the fifth minute that she was able to.
Steph struck with her left foot and the ball headed straight to Mary who attempted to head it in but struck the post, Cortnee saw it and quickly knocked it into the net, scoring her first international goal on the senior team.
“YES VINEY!” Astrid screamed from the bench, cheering loudly as the players on the field celebrated Cortnee’s goal; Tony also cheering loudly from his place in the tactical box.
And it wasn’t long until they were celebrating again, Cortnee knocking the ball into the net just 10 minutes later, bringing the Matildas to an easy 2-0 and getting herself a brace. Polkinghorn further advanced their lead just before halftime with a header from another one of Steph’s corners, letting the Matildas leave halftime 3-0 as they retreated down the tunnel.
While the starting XI were having their halftime meeting with Tony, Astrid took this time to practise her shots with Macca and Courtney for a few minutes before the two younger players were called over to the bench again. They discussed the tactics again for the second half and when they were both going to come on to make a difference in the game, not that there was anything wrong with how it was panning out so far.
The second half began with the kick from Vine, the Matildas once again taking quick possession and earning corners as they stayed down near the box. Caitlin was the one to give them their next goal, taking a long ball from Aivi to Steph and dancing around the defenders to send it to the right side of the net.
Astrid and Courtney got up not long after that to warm up once again, running up and down the sidelines as they watched the game progress.
At 70 minutes the Australian side made three substitutions, taking off Steph, Caitlin and Charli and bringing on Courtney, Astrid and Larissa as their replacements; the three of them quickly settled into the rhythm of the game and added to the dynamics of the players on the field.
Astrid came into the left forward position, slightly further up to where Caitlin had been playing before but somewhere she was more comfortable and was now working with Hayley and Larissa up front. It didn’t take long for Astrid to get her feet on the ball, running ahead of Chidiac who delivered it to her in open space and she slotted it past the South African goalkeeper into the bottom right corner.
The team were thrilled with her contribution so early after coming on, bringing them to 5-0 at 75 minutes in; but it’s not like they were surprised, it’s what she’s known to do.
Only 3 minutes later and the ball had landed at her feet just outside the box, but she was surrounded by defenders, all eagerly watching her feet to see where she might go. Astrid paused, lifting her eyes up to the defender in front of her before shifting it in the direction of Hayley who was free to the right of her.
She moved her left foot, indicating to go right where her eyeline was, the defender turning over her left shoulder but Astrid quickly rolled the ball under her foot and went around her other shoulder. She could hear the defender groan as she tricked her, running closer to the goal, jumping over an outstretched leg from South Africa and continuing the ball towards the goal. Striking with her right foot hard, she aimed for top bins as the keeper bent down to block a low shot, missing it completely. 6-0 to Australia.
The small Australian crowd who had gathered cheered and so did the girls as they surrounded Astrid who made her way to Kyra first like always. As they parted Kyra pointed to her mouthing, “You owe me lunch.” with a smirk. She was right so far; but so was Astrid as Kyra didn’t seem to be coming off anytime soon and they were inching closer and closer to full time.
Chloe and Sam joined the field with only 7 minutes of regulation time remaining and just minutes after South Africa scored their first goal of the match in the 87th minute after a terrific lob from Hilda Magaia.
Three minutes of injury time were given and Astrid was not ready to finish up, neither were any of the Matildas subs who felt like they had just begun to play.
And with only 40 seconds of time remaining, Courtney delivered the ball to Kyra who then shot it up the field in the direction of Astrid who had made her way into the box, watching as the ball flew in the air. There were a few defenders closing in on her but she had plenty of space, jumping into the air and joining her head with the ball, steering it hard to her left and hoping the keeper was just away from her.
She landed and looked into the net, finding the ball rolling on the ground and the net still rippling from the impact; she scored another goal and earned herself a hattrick for the first time on the international stage. A wide smile donned her face as she spotted Sam, Hayley and the rest of the team running towards her, screaming and cheering for the youngest player.
It’s a late goal and a hattrick from number 31 Astrid Taylor, the 18 year old in her 8th appearance for the Matildas.
Play resumed but not for long as the whistle blew and the game ended 7-1 to Australia, both teams immediately shaking hands with one another and their own teammates. Charli ran over to Astrid when she was free, almost tackling her to the ground.
“Just casually scores a hattrick within the last like 20 minutes of the game. Are you even human?” Charli squeezed Astrid who laughed at her.
“Fuck off.” Astrid playfully pushed her away as they began their victory lap, clapping to the crowd that had gathered for the match and waving to the Matildas fans.
“You just had to be the only one right huh?” Kyra had caught up to Astrid who walked behind everyone else taking in the post-match feeling.
“I guess I did.” Astrid casually shrugged her shoulders as she turned to Kyra with a smile.
“I’m proud of you.” Kyra unexpectedly pulled Astrid into a hug but she quickly reciprocated.
“Thank you, I’m proud of you too.” Astrid spoke as they parted, both with blushed cheeks and large smiles. “So,” They began walking again. “When are you taking me out for my free lunch?”
to be continued....
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Words; 1.5k
Pairings; matildas team x astrid taylor (OC)
Warnings; mini panic attack
masterlist
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.
to be continued...
i’m sorry but not alessia not having the update for the pink heart 💀
anyways…. praying for a stellar performance from the girlies today 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️
FINALLY!!! Kyra getting the recognition she deserves. Literally so happy for them both. (also happy i was the first like 🤭)
Summary; Y/N’s mind is overworked and tired from case after case after case and the team begins to notice, prodding her until it gets too much.
Parings; BAU team x BAU!reader, no romantic relationships mentioned. (she/her pronouns)
Warnings; angst, mentions of chronic headaches/migraines, swearing, physical and emotional pain
Words; 1.7k
No one is permitted to steal, copy, or reblog my work as their own!!
Gif is not mine. @book-place
It wasn’t unusual for Y/N to have a migraine, let alone a simple headache. She was diagnosed with atypical migraines when she was 15 and has been dealing with them since. But joining the BAU 6 months ago really seemed to ramp things up for her. Since the day she left for that first case, the severity of her headaches increased, impacting her working abilities.
She knew it wasn’t going to be an easy job, the commitments alone were tough but what was worse was trying to leave every painful detail of a case behind and move onto the next one, especially so quickly. She felt like she was doing work 24/7, whether she was on a plane flying across the country, stuck at her desk filing reports or thinking about cases when she got home. Everyone else on the team had been there for much longer than her so they had it down packed. But Y/N was still struggling, not that she would let anyone else figure that out.
She became quite good at compartmentalising, hiding her emotions from her colleagues, family and friends. But all of this stress, tension and hurt came through in her migraines. Having suffered in pain for almost 10 years already, she was good at moving through the pain, pushing it aside, but lately it began bothering her more than ever, and the team began to notice.
Derek was the first to pick up on her change in mood when she didn’t acknowledge his daily “Good Morning Firecracker”. Instead of her normal response, she flipped him the bird and kept walking to her desk in silence. He was quite insulted at her actions but took it as a bad morning. The other surrounding team members took note of this unusual behaviour from Y/N, all beginning to watch her closely.
Reid noticed her mental distance during a case when it repeatedly took her 8 seconds longer than usual to answer a question or hear her name being called.
It was then Emily who tried to comfort her, but was brushed aside and ignored by Y/N. It happened yesterday, the team were in the office, working on files from the previous case and Emily noticed the younger team member had been silent all day. She watched with concern from her desk as Y/N held her head in her hands, rubbed her temples and took painkillers every few hours. As the day ended Emily approached Y/N, tapping her on the shoulder lightly to get her to raise her head off the desk.
“What?” Y/N turned to Emily with tired eyes and an exhausted expression.
“Sorry, I just wanted to check that you were okay? You’ve been quiet all day.” Emily removed her hand from Y/N’s shoulder.
“I’m fine, Prentiss.” Y/N used Emily’s last name for the first time in months and it shocked everyone in the room. Y/N gathered her stuff and quickly left towards the elevators, brushing Emily’s shoulder on the way out. The whole team, including Rossi and Hotch who’d left their offices, stood in shock at the agent's actions. Something was definitely wrong.
~~~~~~
This morning Y/N slept in for the first time in weeks, and not on purpose. She had slept through three alarms and would officially be late for work, but it didn’t bother her. The pain pounding through her head was insufferable. It felt as if her skull was squishing her brain, waiting for it to explode. So she took her time getting ready, pausing every few minutes to sit and attempt to not pass out or throw up. Could she have just opted to take the day off? Yes. But she was too stubborn for that.
She eventually made it to work, slowly making her way through the glass doors, now almost an hour late according to her watch. But when she finally looked up from the floor, no one was at their desks, or in the kitchen, or milling around the bullpen. It was silent. As much as she admired the peace and quiet, it was bugging her, where the hell was everyone else. Curiously she made her way up the stairs, peeking into Hotch and Rossi’s empty offices, then towards the conference room that suspiciously had the door closed and shades drawn.
She opened the door slowly, expecting to also find no one, but was wrong. The whole team was sitting at and standing around the table, previously talking lowly amongst themselves.
“What the hell is going on? Why are you all in the fucking dark in silence? It’s weird.” Y/N’s voice caught the attention of her friends and boss, everyone staring at her with shock or concern plastered on their faces.
“Come sit down Y/N.” Hotch finally spoke up, his hands crossed at his chest nodding his head to the empty chair in the centre of the table.
“Fine.” Y/N snickered, moving slowly towards the chair. “What is this? An intervention?” Y/N laughed as she sat down in the chair, sliding down into a comfortable position. The room stayed silent. “Will someone please fucking say something!” She waved her hands in the air and looked to Emily, then Spencer then Derek.
“Y/N.” Derek sighed, moving away from the window where he was previously leaning, catching the attention of Y/N. “We’ve all noticed some changes in your behaviour recently and we just wanted to see what was going on.”
“Yeah.” Emily’s voice perked up from beside Y/N, moving to place her hand on top of the other agent’s. “We’re all worried for you, you haven’t been yourself. You get mad at the smallest of things, you’re constantly tired and falling asleep everywhere. Is there something you need to tell us? Are you-” Emily couldn’t even finish her sentence.
Y/N shook her head in disbelief, they probably think I’m an alcoholic or drug user. Unbelievable. “Wow!” She laughed out, snatching her hand away from Emily’s. “Okay, so how about you guys take a guess at what’s wrong with me and I’ll tell you if you’re right.” Everyone’s jaw dropped at her outburst, not wanting to say anything to make it worse. “Hm. Go ahead. Or are you too scared?” Y/N stood up from her chair.
“That’s enough Y/L/N.” Hotch sternly expressed to the agent, urging her to calm down.
“No, Hotch. I’ve had enough! This is bullshit.” Y/N began walking towards the door behind her, only to be stopped by Derek. “Move.” She argued but he didn’t budge. “Stop it Derek, let me leave.”
“No.” He uncrossed his arms, now softly holding her forearms.
“Derek,” She was really frustrated now, tears began welling up in her eyes. “I swear to god.” She shook her head at him, her voice was breaking. The physical and emotional pain was getting too much. The pounding in her head was so loud she thought her ear drums were going to burst. Derek saw her pain, swiftly moving to pull her into a tight hug, one that she didn’t reciprocate but also didn’t try to remove herself from. She broke down, for the first time in months she’d finally let go. She stood there, crying into Derek’s chest as he held her tight, protecting her, the room was quiet besides the sound of Y/N crying.
This was the first time any of them had seen her cry in the 6 months of knowing her, not even after hard cases. They looked at each other, hearts breaking for their colleague and friend. After a moment she began to move and Derek’s grip on her loosened. She wiped her bare face and held her head down as she went to sit back down. “Talk to us honey.” JJ was now in the seat beside her, stroking her back lightly.
She took a deep breath before she spoke again. “I have chronic migraines. I have since I was 15. And since working here, they’ve been worse than ever. Especially today.” She stopped, I sound so stupid, she thought to herself. Emily squeezed her shoulder encouraging her to keep going. Y/N sniffled, “I guess the heaviness of the cases, the workload, the stress has been getting to me a lot more recently. And don’t get me wrong, I love this job and you guys,” She lifted her head to look at her friends who were now all sitting or standing in front of her. “But sometimes it’s just too much and the emotional pain turns into physical which then turns into anger and a bad mood.” She looked back down at her hands, picking at her nails.
“Well why didn’t you tell any of us you were struggling?” Rossi spoke kindly from across the table, meeting eyes with Y/N.
Y/N’s mouth twists before speaking, trying to stop the tears. “I didn’t want to burden you. You guys have your own lives. And I’ve been dealing with it by myself for so long I thought I had it under control.” Her voice cracks at the end causing everyone’s hearts to shatter. How did they not see this earlier? They all thought to themselves.
“Y/N, look at me.” Derek was now behind her, she looked up behind her shoulder. “You are not a burden. You are an incredible and important asset to this team and this family. That’s what we are.” He smiled down at her.
“And that means that we’re always here for each other, good or bad.” Penelope’s sweet voice spoke next from further down the table. “Okay?” She asks when Y/N looks like she doesn’t believe her.
She stayed silent for a while, thinking about their words. Slowly she began nodding her head, careful not to increase the pain. “Okay.” She smiled at her team.
“How about you go sleep off the pain in my office for a bit?” Rossi offered, she almost rejected because she didn’t want to let them down but Rossi continued before she could open her mouth. “Just until we get a case, okay?” He hoped that would do the trick, and it did.
“Thank you.” She sniffled. “And I’m sorry for how rude I’ve been, it wasn’t intentional I promise.” She looked specifically at Emily and Derek who had received the brutal end of her outbursts.
So now the team was fixed once again, now knowing how to help Y/N on her good and bad days.
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Words; 2.9k
Pairings; matildas team x astrid taylor (OC)
Warnings; swearing, mentions of injury (no blood)
A/N; i kinda forgot to upload this earlier sorry
masterlist
Astrid was diligent with the slow and gentle rehab she had been doing, wanting to be better for the next Matildas camp only a month away now. It had been just over two weeks and she had been advised four to six for total recovery, but she was itching to be part of that squad against Canada, even if she only got a few minutes of playing time.
She worked with the physios everyday to bring her strength back up in her ankle, eventually being able to walk around without the boot after three weeks and Astrid felt good. Without there being any tears or extreme damage to the tendons or ligaments, the time frame had just been an extra precaution because of her high intensity exercise and sport, wanting it to heal undisturbed as much as it could before she jumped back into football.
By the time this next international call up was here Astrid had just begun jogging again on the pitch, passing the ball between her feet and it was like she was a different person than she had been for the past 6 weeks. She had formed a new appreciation for being able to play at the level she was and getting to do it with her best friends at a club that motivated her.
The time had come and Astrid had never been more excited to go on a camp, the senior players who hadn’t been there for the last camp returning, the squad back together again to play against Canada. They had all made sure to check in on Astrid after hearing about or seeing her injury, encouraging her to keep going and get back onto that pitch, knowing how useful her skills are when up against tough opponents.
The games were in Australia this time, meaning Astrid was finally going home for the first time since moving to Sweden, and her parents promised they would be there to cheer her on at the Sydney game.
After a long day of travel the sweden squad, plus Mini and Harper, were so happy to be back on aussie soil and head straight to the hotel. The car ride from the hotel was full of chatter, all of the players trying not to fall asleep, aiming to hold on until bedtime. The car pulled up and they started getting out of the car, going and collecting their bags from the boot to take inside.
They received their room numbers and went to drop their bags off, the rooming changing again and Astrid finding herself rooming with Kyra for the first time.
“This one's mine.” Astrid placed her backpack on the bed closest to the window.
“Oh so if someone comes to murder us they can get me first?” Kyra stood in front of the other bed, looking at the distance between the door and where she would be sleeping.
“Not what I was thinking, but sure.” Astrid shrugged with a smile. “Come on, let's go to dinner before they eat all the food.” She walked to the door with her phone and keycard, putting her arm out for Kyra to link her own. They left the room, skipping arm in arm down the hallway to the lifts, laughing as they almost tripped about seven times.
They found their way to the room that had been turned into the team dining room, being easily directed by the noise coming from the girls in there. When they walked in it seemed they were the last to arrive, not surprising of course, the pair known for being late to things all the time.
“Look who decided to show up.” The room quieted down as Sam spoke loudly, walking up next to Astrid.
“Oh Sammy, you know I like to make an entrance.” Astrid smiled at her, parts of the room laughing before they pulled each other in for a hug.
“How’s the ankle?” Sam asked as they stood together.
“Yeah a lot better definitely.” Astrid nodded, looking down at her taped ankle.
“Good.” Sam smiled. “Go and get something to eat, kid, catch up more later.” Sam nodded her head in the direction of the buffet, Astrid turning around, instantly spotting Kyra walking away with a full plate, both laughing as they made eye contact.
Astrid grabbed some food and went to sit at the table where the “original trio” and Steph sat, slotting between the two Arsenal players.
“Asteroid!” Mackenzie all but yelled across the table, reaching across for a fist bump which was returned with a smile from Astrid.
“Hey chicken.” Steph spoke from beside her, Astrid instantly rested her head on Steph’s shoulder.
“Hey Stephy. How are you?” Astrid moved her head to look up at Steph.
“I’m good, how you feeling?” Steph squeezed her shoulder.
“Real good.” She smiled and then began eating, catching up with the other girls on the table, hearing all about their time off and where they spent it.
The team had a mini bonding night, deciding to put a movie on the projector in the dining room before they all headed off to bed. Those with movie suggestions wrote them down and they were placed into a hat for a random draw.
“And the winner is…” Sam shuffled her hand around in the hat. “Hannah Montana The Movie?” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“YES!” A shout was heard and everyone turned their heads. Astrid had shot up from her seat, very happy her favourite movie had been chosen.
“Were you not like a baby when this came out?” Caitlin asked the youngest member.
“I was five.” Astrid calmly spoke. A few gasps came from the room, a lot of the players again shocked at how young she really was compared to them. “Enough with the questions, it’s movie time.” She had taken control of the remote, searching for the movie and pressing play.
Throughout the movie everyone could hear Astrid singing along, dancing in her seat and even mouthing most of the script, a few of them filming her from behind. Then came the scene in the barn and ‘Hoedown Throwdown’ began to play, Astrid let out a small squeal before standing up at the front of the screen.
She began to do the choreography while facing away from the screen, she had learnt it off by heart from the amount of times she had watched it. Everyone sat in shock as she did the dance with precision, not knowing she had it in her.
When it was done she took a bow, the group cheered and clapped loudly as she sat back down next to Charli and Kyra. The room went silent again, all paying attention to the rest of the movie.
“Nice dance moves.” Kyra leant over and whispered to Astrid after a while. Astrid just shook her head and giggled.
The movie finished and to most people's surprise they enjoyed it, something lighthearted and fun to watch before bed. Most of the girls were very tired after travel, Astrid thought she might be too but I guess the excitement of the movie brought her energy back.
Everyone began to stand, stretching out their limbs while the credits rolled, all watching Astrid who was still dancing around to the music in front of the screen, singing loudly along to the words.
The music stopped abruptly and so did Astrid’s dancing. Having enough with the upbeat song and Astrid’s energy, Mackenzie had found the remote and turned off the screen.
“I wasn’t done.” Astrid whined to the taller girl.
“Yeah you are, bedtime little one.” She patted Astrid’s head and laughed at her pout and eyeroll. Mackenzie headed for the door, Kyra coming over to push Astrid along and drag her off to their room for bed.
As per usual, when she was done getting ready for bed, Astrid’s head hit the pillow and she was out like a light, the aftermath of long travel taking control and she fell straight to sleep.
The next morning after getting ready, Kyra and Astrid headed down to breakfast with a little more energy after having slept a decent amount of hours, ready to begin training with the team.
The first match was still two days away so they had some time to work with each other after months apart now that everyone had arrived. But playing with people on the same club team definitely helps in creating rhythms and relationships on and off the pitch.
A quick gym session was first up upon arriving at the stadium, everyone working individually on what they needed to before proper training. Astrid was quick to take control of the music to play over the speakers, waiting to show off the playlist she had accumulated. It did feature a lot of Taylor, Hannah Montana and One Direction but she also added plenty of 2000s, 90s and even 80s songs into the mix for everyone to enjoy. Safe to say everyone was happy with Astrid being the DJ after seeing everyone sing or at least bop along to many of the songs. Maybe she would become the team's newly appointed DJ.
They finished in the gym and moved to the pitch, Astrid chatting with Caitlin while they walked out, catching up more than they did last night and Astrid asking about Arsenal and what it was really like. She parted ways with Caitlin after spotting Charli who was chatting with Kyra, Mini and Alex. She ran over and practically jumped on her, gripping the blonde's shoulders who let out a small scream at the impact.
“Heyyyyy, Cha Cha.” Astrid peaked her head over Charli's shoulder who shrugged the girl off and began walking away from her with a smirk. “Ruuuude.” Astrid yelled at her as she followed behind to where everyone congregated.
“Alrighty ladies, you know the drill.” Assistant coach Jens yelled out, indicating it was time to begin their session with a jog to warm up.
“Ughhhhh, I hate this.” Astrid panted out halfway during the jog. “Can I be done yet?” She yelled as they passed the coaches.
“Does your ankle hurt?” Jens raised a brow.
“No.” And she kept going, picking up her pace to make it finish faster. She all but crumbled to the ground once she reached the end of the jog, having not run that much since her injury.
“You good there?” A body covered the sun that was shining over her eyes.
“I am now.” She smiled at Kyra who was extending an arm to help her up.
Jens called them over to where they had now set up the circuit for the drills. Astrid liked this part a lot better than the initial jog, ready to hone in her skills and get back into her rhythm of passes and shooting goals.
They had gone through their regular training drills before moving to work on separate skills in groups of their field positions. So tragically Astrid and Charli had to part ways, Caitlin dragging a pouting Astrid towards the group of forwards and Charli waving dramatically as she walked backwards to the defenders.
After weeks of just doing small passes to build back up, Astrid was finally able to begin shooting goals again; the main thing she loved about playing football. One of the coaches would pass a ball to the running player and then they would shoot it in, aiming for a different part of the net each time. The goalkeepers had joined them to practise blocking the goals, Astrid was holding the lead against Sam for how many they could get past Lydia.
“OHHHHH. Another one! And with the left foot!” Astrid ran with outstretched arms after she slotted another ball past Lydia, bringing her total to 6 and Sam just behind with 5. “She’s back and better than ever, baby.” Astrid circled Sam, the other forwards watching and laughing at her antics.
“Piss off.” Sam shoved the younger striker away, taking her place to accept the next pass. With bad luck to Sam, Lydia had just tapped it away and then the whistle blew to signal the end of drills.
“Sucked in, oldie.” Astrid whispered as she skipped away to the sideline.
“Get back here you little shit!” Sam huffed and began chasing the girl with a smile on her face, Astrid panicked and began running.
“STEPHY! SAVE ME!” Astrid screamed as she approached ,the defender turning her head to see Sam chasing after Astrid. Astrid made it to the vice captain and stood behind her panting, hiding from the other captain.
“Enough you two.” Steph put on a stern voice and looked between the two players.
“She called me old.” Sam pleaded, going to speak again but Tony had interrupted her from further down the sideline.
“Alrighty, scrimmage time.” The team began walking closer to him, taking a drink and breath break. “Sam and Steph, come and select your teams.” He tossed the red bibs to Sam for her team and the yellow to Steph.
They had chosen their players, taking the defenders, then midfielders and finally their forwards. It was down to the two youngest forwards, Mary and Astrid. Steph got first pick so it was up to her, and knowing the passes Kyra and Astrid can make, it wasn’t hard.
“Astrid, you're with me.” Steph beckoned the girl over to her team, glad that it consisted of herself, Steph, Kyra, Charli, Lydia, Cortnee, Clare W, Mini, Alanna, Princess and Tameka. Sam’s team had Caitlin, Mary, Larissa, Emily Van Egmond, Emily Gielnik, Courtney, Aivi, Macca, Alex and Clare P.
The game began and Sam’s team took good possession straight away but the defence between Charli, Alanna and Steph was strong. 10 minutes in and Kyra had stolen the ball from Larissa, running with it until she could see Astrid making her way into free space further up the pitch. Kyra booted it into the air, ending at Princess who hit it with her chest towards Astrid, right foot ready to catch it.
The tip of her boot brought it to the ground so she could steady her footing, quickly sending it towards the goal through Mackenzie’s still legs, thinking she was going to send it higher like usual. The net rippled and the young player cheered, running back to her position with a high five to her teammates as she went by.
Tony blew the whistle to indicate the end of the match. It had ended in a 2-2 draw, everyone going around and high fiving each other.
“Good game, Astrid.” Sam smiled at the young striker. She wouldn’t admit it outloud but she did think maybe one day she could give her a run for her money, seeing a lot of herself at that age in Astrid.
“You too, Sam.” Astrid gave her hand a shake and a clap on the back as they began to walk to the side for a drink.
“Alright everyone in.” Tony’s voice carried through the team who began walking over to form a loose huddle, too hot to make it tight. “Well done today, very impressed with everyone’s efforts. Even after not playing altogether for a while you showed that no matter what you are a strong team. Off to recovery and then the day is all yours, I’ll see you tomorrow for match day minus 1.” Tony nodded with a smile. Everyone clapped before they made their way inside and headed straight for the cold pools.
Astrid was the first one in the pool, loving the cold water from growing up at a beach during the winter, going for swims no matter the weather. Everyone else of course thought she was crazy to enjoy the cold water and her eagerness to get in it.
The next day at training looked very similar to the day before but the physios had been keeping an eye on Astrid, being so soon off an injury. She felt great, really. It didn’t hurt and her ankle felt strong, continuing to work and train to be a sub for tomorrow's game.
An early dinner of their usual pre-match pasta night was followed by an early bed for all the players, especially for those who had travelled from overseas all but a few days ago. Everyone bid each other goodnight before retiring to their rooms.
Kyra had called the shower first, knowing from the previous night how long Astrid really did take on her skincare. Once they were both finished and had set an alarm, they lay in their separate beds, room silent, spare the aircon blowing softly.
“I think you’ll start tomorrow.” Astrid spoke, turning in her bed to face Kyra’s.
“Really?” Kyra also shifted, finding Astrid’s eyes in the dark room.
“Yeah, I mean you’ve been working really hard and I think they can tell.” Astrid smiled softly at the girl.
“Thank you.” Kyra also smiled even if Astrid couldn’t really see it. “I think Tony will put you on, make use of your ‘super-sub’ reputation again.” Kyra let out a soft laugh.
“Maybe.” Astrid shrugged under her covers.
“Definitely. I’m calling it right now.” Kyra turned to lie on her back and look up at the ceiling.
“Fine. But if you’re wrong, you’re buying me a coffee.” Astrid copied Kyra’s shift in movement.
“Deal. But if I’m right, you buy me a coffee.” Kyra spoke again.
“Okay.” Astrid’s voice was barely above a whisper as she felt herself drifting to sleep. “Goodnight, Ky Ky.” She spoke one last time before letting herself fall into the pillow.
“Goodnight, Stargirl.” Kyra took one last look at Astrid before shutting her eyes and falling asleep herself, a soft smile etched on her face.
to be continued...
Words; 1.5k
Pairings; matildas team x astrid taylor (OC), kyra cooney cross x astrid taylor (OC)
Warnings; swearing
masterlist
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.
to be continued...
Summary; Emily Prentiss and Y/N have been dating for a long time and Y/N decides it’s finally time to tie the knot.
Parings; Emily Prentiss x gn!reader
Warnings; none, pure fluff with kissing
Words; 1.6k
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It was no secret that Emily and Y/N were deeply in love with each other. When they started dating 3 years ago they were able to keep it a secret for a good few months. That was until Garcia caught them sneaking off together during a team get together at Rossi’s, outing them to the whole team. No one had a problem with it, if anything they were obsessed with their relationship and the love they had for each other. The two agents were obsessed with each other, with one another more than not.
Y/N knew they would like Emily as soon as she walked into the BAU on her first day, capturing the attention of Y/N almost instantly. That was 5 years ago, and it took them 2 years of working together and becoming best friends to realise that they actually liked each other and it wasn’t one sided pining. From then it’s been smooth sailing, rarely having fights and saying I love you within a few months.
Y/N has been planning this for a few months, even going to a specialty jeweller, creating the perfect ring for Emily. They’ve been carrying the ring in their pocket for at least 2 weeks now, waiting for the perfect moment to drop to one knee and ask the question. There have been many occasions when they’ve been ready to do it; at a fancy dinner date night, at Rossi’s with the whole team around, during a work trip to the mountains. But something has always interrupted them, stopping the romantic moment before they could ask Emily to be their partner for ever and ever.
And that leads us to today. The team had just gotten back from a case in Texas, a particularly tough one at that. The team had been investigating a number of mysterious explosions throughout a small town and when Emily almost ran into a building that was seconds away from exploding, Y/N knew. They knew that with this job, their lives could be taken away from them and Y/N didn’t want to go another day without having Emily as their wife. Today was the day.
Everyone exited the elevators, ready to see Penelope’s smiling face greeting them like always but when those doors opened, the hallway was empty. Everyone’s face fell to confusion while Y/N’s gained a smirk. The plan was in motion. Before they got onto the plane, Y/N called Penelope back at Quantico, telling her that they were finally going to propose to Emily and they needed her help. Penelope was over the moon excited, she’d been waiting for this to happen ever since Y/N told her about the ring.
“That’s weird.” Derek commented finally, stepping out of the elevator, everyone else following behind. He wandered down the hall to her lair, opening the door. “Baby girl?” She was nowhere to be found.
“Maybe she’s inside.” Emily walked towards the glass doors, pushing the open simultaneously, ready to spot the analyst wandering around or in the kitchenette. Once again it was empty.
Y/N hid their excitement, wandering over to their desk and placing their bags down. “I’m going to check up there.” They announced, nodding their head towards the stairs that lead up to the round table room where the shutters were oddly closed. Whilst walking, they reached into their jacket pocket to make sure the ring was still in there, it was. When they opened the door they were met with a very excited Penelope, she was grinning ear to ear. Y/N smiled back before she pulled them into a hug.
“Oh my god, I’m so excited! I’ve been waiting up here for so long, you guys seem to take forever.” Penelope stepped away from the hug. Y/N looked around the room, spotting flowers scattered and small candles lit.
“Pen, this is amazing! Thank you so much.” They thanked Penelope, the room looked amazing. “Now I just have to get her up here. And hope from there on everything goes smoothly.” They were getting stressed out, thinking about what they were about to do.
“Hey, it’s going to be fine. I’ve never seen two people more in love, she’s going to say yes.” Penelope grabbed their hands, bringing them back down. “Is it time to go get her?” Penelope asked, releasing their hands as they nodded. “Okay, good luck my love.” She kissed them on the cheek and walked out the door that led to the catwalk, closing it softly behind her. Y/N breathed deeply, thinking of the words they had prepared on the plane.
“Emily Prentiss,” Penelope finally appeared to the rest of the team that were milling around the bullpen. “Your presence is requested at the round table.” Penelope tried to contain her happiness, walking slowly to the steps and hiding her smile.
“Uh, okay.” Emily shook her head, walking up the stairs and passing the mysterious analyst. Her brows were furrowed as she walked to the door.
“What are you up to, baby girl?” Derek asked, wrapping an arm over Penelope’s shoulder.
“Something magical.” She smiled, looking up at the windows of the room that was still closed off to everyone else.
Emily finally approached the door, opening it slowly. A small gasp left her lips as the romantic setting was revealed. She let go of the door handle, walking further into the room. “Y/N?” She spotted them in the corner of the room, pacing nervously.
“Hi.” Y/N breathed, walking to meet Emily in the middle of the room.
“Hi.” Emily smiled at her lover, curiosity running through her veins. “Baby, what’s going on?” She chuckled nervously, interlocking her hands with theirs.
“Emily,” They paused, making sure to capture her attention, meeting their eyes with hers. “The day I met you, I knew we were meant to meet. You came into my life at a time where I really needed someone, to listen, to talk and to understand me. And you did that and so much more. You became my best friend but I always wanted more than that. And I’m mad it took us so long to realise that we both liked each other, because then we could’ve spent so much more time in each other’s arms, spilling the secrets of our hearts instead of stealing glances across the room.” They paused, watching Emily laugh.
“You, are my favourite person in the whole world, the love of my life, and I never want to spend another day without you in my arms. I’ve known that for a while, but today really made me realise that with this job our lives could be cut short at any moment.” They took a second, blinking away the tears in their eyes, taking a deep breath. “So, with that said,” They let go of Emily’s hand, reaching into their pocket. Emily’s eyes filled with tears, shock running over her face. Then they got down on one knee, looking up at Emily with a box in their hand.
“Emily Prentiss,” They opened the ring box, revealing a silver ring with a sparkling sapphire diamond. “Will you do the absolute pleasure of marrying me?” They smiled up at Emily, her hands now covering her mouth with a big gasp.
“Oh my god. YES! Yes, yes, yes!” She reached down and pulled Y/N up by their shoulders, grabbing their face and pulling them in for a passionate kiss. They split apart, smiling at each other, laughing. Emily pulled Y/N in for a hug, holding them tightly. Y/N took the opportunity to grab Emily’s waist, lifting her legs off the ground and spinning her around.
“Y/N, I love you so much.” Emily jumped down to look into her fiance’s eyes. Y/N kept smiling, pulling the ring out of the box and placing it onto Emily’s finger. “It’s beautiful.” She examined the ring.
“I got it made specifically for you.” Y/N smiled at Emily, wiping the tears of joy that had fallen onto their cheek. “I love you.” Emily leant in for another small kiss, unable to wipe the smile off of her face.
“Do they know?” She nodded her head to the blocked window, gesturing to the team who were patiently waiting downstairs. They shook their head.
“Only Pen, she set all of it up.” They pointed to the flowers and candles scattered.
“Should we go tell them then?” Emily asked, grabbing a hold of Y/N’s hand. They nodded enthusiastically, kissing her again before they walked to the door hand in hand. They were silent as they appeared on the catwalk, waiting for the team's reactions.
The bullpen was silent, tension and anticipation circling the air. When no one said anything, Emily finally shot their hands up in the air, her engagement ring shining in the light.
“We’re getting married!” She shouted into the space. The team was cheering and clapping, filling the room with happiness as the couple made their way down the stairs. Emily and Y/N were laughing at the reaction. Rossi was the first to greet the couple, kissing both of them on the cheeks.
“Congratulations!” He smiled at the pair. Hugs and laughter were shared with the team, everyone stopping to admire the ring Y/N designed, complementing them. The last person to congratulate them was Hotch.
“I’m very happy for you two.” He smiled at Y/N before bringing them in for a hug. And that’s how the night continued, laughs shared among friends as the happy couple reminisced on their relationship. It was a happy day for everyone.
how does she expect me to go on with life when she does this ??
(i’m growling)