𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄
𝐈𝐓 was July 11th. sage's birthday and coincidentally, the euro finals. the current england team carried the country to the finals, something that hasn't happened in over fifty years.
it was warm outside, people were going around praising the team and overall everyone just seemed so much happier.
sage felt the happiest. she was blessed to see twenty-two with her daughter by her side. mason had lived up to his promise, trying his hardest to fix whatever he broke between the two in the past.
'family sleepovers' were more frequent, each time swapping houses. sage felt like she was actually getting the love that she deserved.
the mother-daughter duo were currently at the playground in their apartment complex. sage had promised azelia a go on the swings before they left to go watch the game.
of course, azzy was in a full england kit with the words "MOUNT 19" on the back of her shirt and some all white jordans. sage was wearing the same, but threw on some denim shorts and air forces.
the young adult was taking videos of azelia for memories, before mason texted her, asking where she was. she replied with a simple 'on my way' and hustled azelia into her car seat.
——
wembley was packed. people were everywhere, trying to get a glimpse of their favourite players. sage thanked god that she had access to the player's car park as she tried to find a spot.
behind her, azelia was wide awake even though she was out cold only fifteen minutes ago. after unbuckling azzy, she made her way through the stadium with her all access pass on show.
the two found the players doing a few laps of the pitch. the already energetic child decided to join in with the small team. after a series of 'happy birthday's' being thrown her way, she thanked the team and took a seat next to gareth.
"so, are you and mason okay now?" he asked, a small hint of concern lacing his voice. he always had a soft spot for sage, he saw her as a daughter, unlike any of the other player's girlfriends.
"you could say that, yeah. i know he's really trying. i appreciate it so much."
"i know you do, just make sure to keep azelia in mind. having her grow up in an unhealthy environment isn't good for her," he advised and wished her a happy birthday before going back to his team.
——
it was half time and the boys were one - nil up. the italian team had been playing dirty, anyone could see that. the amount of fouls the ref had turned a blind eye to was unbelievable.
after a while, both full time and extra time had passed, it was now one all and mason had been subbed off for jack grealish. southgate also made the stupid decision of putting rashford, sancho and saka on last minute to take penalties.
sage knew this could go either way. following the racial abuse some team members had been receiving, them missing a crucial goal wouldn't help.
she had to admit, pickford was a 10/10 goal keeper. he saved almost all of italy's penalties and the ones he didn't save had gone wrong anyways.
there was one penalty left to take, this was the one. if saka scored, then they'd win. the teen put the ball on the spot and did a mini run up before booting it as hard as he could. the ball flew over the goalie's fingers, hitting top bins perfectly.
he did it.
he scored the winning goal for england in the euro 2020 finals. sage was in shock, but insanely proud. she always saw saka as her little brother and was so happy he achieved something so big.
the pitch was split in two, one half salty italians were kicking at the grass, mad at their loss. and the other was full of the england team, jumping and congratulating the midfielder.
——
mason stood on the pitch with azelia in his arms doing a post match interview. "obviously this was a massive win, how do you feel about it?" the reporter asked, shoving the mic near mason's face.
"great, obviously. i think due to personal reasons, i've been so much happier, which has made it easier for me to do better. and i honestly couldn't have done it without my teammates, my manager, and little azzy here. she always pushes me to do the best i can. i just want to make her proud, you know?"
mason had almost forgotten about sage's surprise so he quickly ended the interview and jogged over to his 'girlfriend.'
he watched her laugh and joke with his teammates, something his past girlfriends would never do. he could faintly hear foden wishing her a happy birthday with his hand on the small of her back, which pissed him off a bit.
but he trusted sage, knowing she would never.
"hey azzy, should we go tell mummy what her surprise is?" he turned to his daughter with a genuine smile gracing his a at lips.
"yeah!!"
-::-
lmao im sorry i got lazy :/
but i made sure we won
the euros :)).
