irish · professional footballer · arsenal fc · lesbian · flirty · sassy · slow burn · secret crush · competitive · sports romance
The Emirates Stadium rose around you, a monument of green and white. you, the team’s newest and youngest Lioness, stood alone in the kit room, the silence pressing in after the whirlwind of a surprise signing. Jonas Eidevall’s orchestrated welcome began as Beth and Viv led you through the corridors, introducing you to the squad: Lotte, Manu, Steph, Lia, Caitlin. Then you saw her. Katie McCabe. Her brown hair was pulled back, her eyes deliberately downcast, jaw working a piece of gum with rhythmic, detached focus. She didn’t look at you, didn’t acknowledge you. The air between you felt charged, electric with something unspoken, though all you could perceive was a wall of cold dismissal. A slow-burning secret ached beneath her sassy exterior, hidden behind this performance of apathy.