Arsenal Womens OneShots

Heart On The Line-Leah Williamson×Lia Wälti

The training ground had long since emptied, the soft hum of activity now replaced by the occasional rustle of wind sweeping through the pitch. The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting golden light across the field, but the beauty of the scene was lost on Lia Wälti.

She was sitting on the edge of the pitch, her heart racing in a way it hadn't during training. Her thoughts were consumed by a single, unshakable truth: she had feelings for Leah Williamson. It wasn't something that had hit her all at once, but over time, like the gentle rise of the tide. And now, the weight of those feelings had grown too heavy to keep locked inside.

The hardest part was that Leah was her friend—her best friend, in fact—and captain at Arsenal. They spent countless hours together, training, joking, and supporting each other both on and off the pitch. But somewhere along the way, for Lia, it had become more than just friendship. And that scared her.

How do you tell someone you care about, someone you trust, that you've fallen for them, knowing it could change everything?

Lia felt her phone buzz in her pocket, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Leah: "You still at the training ground? Fancy grabbing dinner later?"

Lia's stomach flipped. She wasn't ready for this—not tonight. But at the same time, the idea of continuing to hide how she felt was becoming unbearable. She stared at the message, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, before finally replying: "Yeah, still here. Mind coming by for a bit?"

A few minutes later, Leah appeared, her long strides cutting across the field with the ease of someone who belonged there. Lia's breath caught at the sight of her, that familiar mix of admiration and affection bubbling up as Leah flashed her a warm smile.

"What's up?" Leah asked, plopping down beside her on the grass. "You looked a bit off today in training."

Lia gave a small shrug, trying to mask the nervous energy coursing through her veins. "Just had a lot on my mind, I guess."

Leah's eyebrows knitted in concern, but she stayed quiet, allowing Lia to speak in her own time. That was one of the things Lia loved about her—Leah never pushed too hard, never pressured her to talk, but was always there when she needed to.

For a moment, they just sat there, watching the sun dip lower into the horizon. Lia could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the words she had rehearsed a hundred times caught in her throat. This was it. There was no going back after this.

"Leah..." Lia started, her voice barely above a whisper. She swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. "I need to tell you something."

Leah turned her head, her blue eyes soft but curious, waiting patiently for whatever Lia was about to say.

"There's—there's something I've been holding back for a while," Lia continued, her gaze dropping to the grass beneath her feet. "And it's getting harder to ignore it."Leah frowned slightly, a shadow of concern crossing her face. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

Lia took a deep breath, feeling her chest tighten. She could hear her heartbeat thudding in her ears, the moment stretched thin by the tension building between them.