Skipper's Kid

She's Made it Home

"—Y/N? Kiddo?" Katie waved her hands in front of your face, frowning when you continued to stare straight ahead. "Um, Kimmy? Yer' kid's lost."

The Midfielder was instantly on the bench next to you, pulling your head to rest on your chest. "Come here, baby."

"Wha—?" you jolted at the sudden touch, relaxing once your mom's familiar scent wafted to your nose.

"Look at me," the captain cupped your face in her hands as Lotte gently held your twitching hands. "Yer' gonna do great out there, alright? If anyone's givin' ye' a problem, you've got the Gunners and the Gooners. We're right behind ye', sweetheart, so go out there and show the Blues what yer' made of."

Jen raised her eyebrows. "Ye' forgot the most important thing."

"What?"

"An angry mama Kim Little."

The Skipper stuck out her tongue. "Ha, ha. Now, ye' ready, honey?"

You smiled awkwardly "Mmm... y‐eaaah."

"Oh my—just get yer' arse into that tunnel before I shove ye' out that door."

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"KID!" you'd just finished your quick, light-hearted conversation with Guro when you'd been tackled to the floor. "Ye' never visit! I've missed ye'!"

You couldn't help but grin. "Hi, Erin."

The Midfielder wrapped her arms around you. "I'm so proud of ye', kiddo. Ye' have no idea."

You were 98% sure that you were blushing. "Okay, mum."

"Seeing ye' walkin' out behind yer' mum... it was somethin' special, Y/N. Her, Jen, Lisa, and everybody else on the national team is so, so proud," Erin was uncharacteristically serious, shaking her head in amazement. "Savour this moment, kid. These are the memories you'll look back on when yer' older."

You shoved her away playfully. "Okay, ye' sap, let's hurry up and play so we can kick yer' arse."

She chuckled. "Whatever ye' say, Y/N. We all know that the Blues are the true victors."

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It was all fine and dandy until the jeers reached your ears. It had started off small with just booing, but then it had escalated into full-on insults. And then, in your opinion, the worst one of all: the traitor chant.

It was interfering with your ability to effectively save the ball. You couldn't catch it to save your life. The best you could do was stick your hand out and hope the ball would bounce off your fingertips.

"Y/N, kiddo, you're okay," Steph pulled you into the briefest of hugs whilst Beth advanced into the Blues' 18-yard box. "Ignore them. They're all a bunch of nobodies who don't know what the fuck they're saying. You're doing great, okay?"

You mumbled out a half-assed yes, but you couldn't ignore the chants growing louder behind you.

"Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!"

Strph shook her head. "Y/N, don't listen to them, they—"

"TRAITOR! TRAITOR! TRAITOR!" the overwhelming number of Chelsea fans behind you grew louder, sending fear and guilt spiraling into  your chest. That was, until the wave of negative emotions came to an abrupt halt.

"Y/N'S HOME!" a section of Gooners yelled, loudly enough so that even you could hear from the opposite side of the stadium.

Then the clapping slowly started. "SHE'S HOME!"

The Gooners all cheered, the sea of red up on their feet. "SHE'S MADE IT HOME! SHE'S MADE IT HOME!"

Your lip quivered as a small but genuine smile appeared on your face.

Then, loud enough to completely drown out the opposition's fans: "Y/N'S MADE IT HOME!"

You were very aware of the fact that you were up on the big screen, so you did your absolute best not to crack. But in the heat of all the mixed emotions you were feeling, you could have been ugly crying. You didn't really know, but Arsenal's amazing fans had done enough to make you almost forget about Chelsea's fans. Almost.

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Arsenal had ended up demolishing Chelsea in a massive 4-1 win, much to the Jonas' and the team's excitement. You, however, were mulling over your own thoughts when the final whistle blew.

As you passed Sam, she ignored your polite "good game" and barely even glanced in your direction. Millie outright walked away, Guro attempted a small smile but failed, and Niamh couldn't even meet your eyes.

Clearly, your former teammates did not want to be around you any longer than they had to. Only Jessie genuinely smiled, the Canadian giving you a sweaty hug and a pat on the back. And Erin. Who could forget the Erin Cuthbert who was strangely all-smiles as she proudly declared to the world that she'd witnessed Kim and Y/N Little sharing a pitch?

"It was so cool," Erin was bouncing around like a little kid on caffeine. "Ye' and yer' mum together on the same team!"

"Thanks, Ez," you patted her on the shoulder. "Shouldn't ye' be goin' now? Emma seems a wee bit pissy right now."

"Yeah, probably," the older Scot hugged you tightly before giving you a noogie. "Ye' better call me later!"

Your mom approached, a tired smile on her face as she ruffled your hair. "Ye' ready to go, kiddo?"

You glanced around the Emirates, frowning when you heard a particularly nasty remark thrown your way. "Yeah, let's go."

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Opening social media was a mistake. A big one. You'd been flooded with negative comments from angry Chelsea fans the moment you clicked on Instagram, and they became harsher as you scrolled through.

You'd chosen to sit alone towards the very back of the bus, a pitiful attempt to get your teammates to leave you alone in your weakened state, but alas, it didn't work.

"Hey, kiddo?" Alessia questioned, offering you a soft smile which you hesitantly tried to return. "Can I sit?"

You shrugged, shifting slightly so the Striker couldn't see what was on your phone. "Sure."

She was quiet for a moment. "Listen, Y/N... we're all very proud of you. You know that, right?"

You gave a small nod. "Yeah."

"It's difficult to play against your former club, to see your teammates, to see the fans," she continued. "I know that feeling. I know it hurts. It's really tough. But you've got us, and you've got the Gooners. If you need someone to talk to, just give any of us a call."

You swallowed. "What about—"

"The media?" The Englishwoman seemed to know what you were thinking. "They're all a bunch of low-lives who don't know shit. Don't take anything they say to heart, because a lot of people just want reactions. Just don't go on socials for a week or two, it'll blow over once something else interesting happens."

You leaned onto her shoulder tiredly. "Thanks, Less."

Alessia smiled fondly, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. "Anytime, kid, anytime."

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Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!