(Find the TikTok reference;) )

"I'm glad the injury isn't too serious," I said genuinely, closing the door to the doctor's office behind us as I carried a small bag with Mapi's medicine in my hand.

"Mhm. Me too," the blonde sighed, suddenly stopping and throwing me a serious look. "But you don't need to take care of me. I'll just call my mom, I'm sure she won't mind."

"It's 11:27 and your parents live in Zaragoza," I unnecessarily reminded the Zaragoza native of her hometown after quickly checking the time on my iPhone. "She wouldn't be here until way after midnight and you need someone for the night. Let me do it, please."

"There are just so many things left unsaid between us," Mapi interjected unsurely, nervously turning her left crutch in her hand. "We can't just pretend nothing happened."

"Can we just prioritize your health right now?" I begged the injured blonde, despite knowing that she was right. "Let me just help you until you find someone else and afterward you can still tell me to fuck off, okay?"

Mapi's eyes uncertainty wandered over my body until she exhaled loudly, firmly grabbing the crutch again. "Vale."

Even though it wasn't the answer I had anticipated, I slowly followed her to the waiting area, consisting of a few uncomfortable wooden chairs behind a glass door, which allowed us to get a good look at the people inside.

"Look how adorable," I grinned, pointing at Ingrid and Laura, who had fallen asleep, the blonde's head resting on the Norwegian's shoulder.

"Aww no," Mapi laughed, desperately trying to open the door while holding both her crutches. "Now I feel even more terrible that they waited with me."

Awoken by the loud sounds of Mapi's unsuccessful attempt to enter the room, Ingrid was slowly opening her eyes as I reached over the Spaniard's shoulder to assist her in pushing the door open.

"Are you ready to leave?" I asked the sleepy Norwegian international once we had reached her.

"Mhm," she replied tiredly, gently nudging the sleeping German next to her. "Laura, wake up."

However, the tall blonde didn't even think to her eyes but instead buried her face even deeper in the Norwegian's neck. "Ingrid," she grumbled quietly, causing Mapi and me to burst out laughing.

"Yes, that's me," Ingrid said in a serious manner, still trying to wake Laura up. Meanwhile, Mapi and I earned a furious look from an older woman, but at least our laughter seemed to be the reason Laura started rubbing her eyes. With a big yawn, the German lifted her head off Ingrid's shoulder as she scanned her surroundings confusedly, seeming as if she had forgotten where she was.

As soon as her eyes met Mapi, the last few hours seemed to come back to her and she concernedly straightened herself up. "Omg, Mapi! You're back! What did the doctor say?"

"I have a grade 1 ACL sprain, which means I'm out for the next 10 weeks," Mapi sighed uncomfortably, her gaze falling to the ground to hide her watery eyes. "Honestly, I don't even want to think about it. Let's go home."

Thirty minutes later, we had finally managed to pull Mapi into the backseat of Ingrid's small car once again and were just about to leave the parking lot, when our comfortable silence was interrupted by a loud grumbling sound.

"Oops, that was my stomach," Ingrid giggled, steering the car through the gates of the hospital parking.

"I'm hungry too," I admitted, quickly glancing at my watch. "But it's too late."

"No offense, but if I'm pulled into this car by you guys one more time you might have to take me back to the hospital," Mapi joked, her injured leg resting on my lap with my hand placed on it for better stability. "But I could eat as well."

"There's a McDonald's drive-through near us," Laura suggested after checking her phone. "It's open for another hour."

"Jonatan would murder us," Mapi hesitated rightly as we had to follow a strict nutrition plan.

"He can't kill us if he never finds out," Ingrid shrugged unbothered. "And I'm not gonna be standing in the kitchen for another 30 minutes when I get home to prepare some disgusting tofu for the 5th time this week. Give me the directions, Laura."

"You didn't cook any tofu at all this week, that was all me," Laura laughed as she turned on Google Maps. "Turn right at the next intersection."

"You still forced me to eat it!" the Norwegian international complained, doing as she had been told and harshly turning her small vehicle around.

Mapi's gaze wandered back and forth between them before she leaned closer to me. "They're arguing like an old couple," the Spaniard whispered with a huge grin on her face.

"I know, right? It's hilarious," I smiled back, unlocking my phone to look at the menu. "I haven't been to McDonald's in ages, I don't even know what to get."

"I want a McFlurry, but I don't know which one," Mapi announced, glancing at my phone screen. "Do they still have the Oreo one?"

"Let me check," I mumbled, scrolling down the menu of all the unhealthy food. Mapi had been right, Jonatan would absolutely murder us if he found out. Just when I reached the dessert section, my screen changed.

Syd <3 is calling.

Both Mapi and I stared at the screen, knowing each reaction would pop the bubble in which we had been living today, the one where everything seemed okay between us. However, I knew that Sydney's name would be enough to burst our small bubble as it reminded us of everything that had happened between us.  

"Is Syd calling you too?" Laura asked, turning around in her seat, catching the both of us still staring at my phone.

"Y-yes," I stuttered, unsure how to react.

"I'll text her that we're gonna call her back later, we're almost at the drive-through," Laura shrugged, while Mapi silently leaned back in her seat, pulling out her own phone.

"Can you guys tell me what you want so I can order?" Ingrid demanded as the fast food restaurant came into sight.

"I'll have a cheeseburger and small fries," Laura replied without giving it a second thought.

"6 chicken nuggets and small fries for me," I said unsurely, glancing over to Mapi who was still looking at her phone silently.

"One oreo McFlurry and a medium fries," the blonde Spaniard finally said without returning my glance.

"That's not a real meal," Ingrid laughed as she pulled into the drive-through.

"It is!" Mapi eagerly defended herself as she shot the Norwegian an angry glance. "I'm gonna dip the fries in the ice cream, it's the best!"

"Eww," Laura and I exclaimed synchronically, while Ingrid tried to get us to be quiet so she could let the window down.

As the dark-haired Norwegian was ordering, my gaze shifted back to Mapi. The Spanish defender's head was laid on the window of Ingrid's small car as the Spaniard was looking outside. It seemed as if she was lost in her own thoughts, which most likely consisted of two specific Germans. One of which she seemed to really like even after all that happened, but the other.... she despised her.

Mapi's little self-reflection session was interrupted by Ingrid receiving the food out of the little window and distributing it to us.

"What do I owe you?" Mapi asked her ex-situationship while she was dipping her first fry in the ice cream cup.

"It's on me this time," Ingrid smiled politely, earning yet another angry look from Laura. If it was up to the blonde German, there definitely would be no next time.

"Gracias," Mapi mumbled, putting the soaked fry in her mouth. "Hmm. Delicious."

"You can't seriously tell me this combination is supposed to taste good," I interjected, looking at the blonde defender in disgust.

"Wanna try?" Mapi offered with a big smile on her face, hoping deep down that I'd turn her offer down so she could have more to herself.

"Why not?" I shrugged, the sole thought almost being enough to make me retch.

The tattooed defender dipped an extra large fry in her Oreo McFlurry, thoroughly swirling it around in the ice cream before she brought it in my direction. "Quick, it's dripping!"

Hesitantly, I scootched closer and slightly opened my mouth in the process. The Spaniard brought the fry up to my mouth for me to cautiously take a small bite of the potato.

"You need to eat all of it or we'll make a huge mess in Ingrid's car," Mapi whispered urgently, gesturing to the dripping ice cream.

"But I don't li-" Mapi interrupted my complaint by stuffing the remainder of the disgusting combination in my mouth. Her fingers lightly touched parts of my lips, making them tingle and crave more, even though it meant I had to swallow the soggy piece of potato.

"Do you like it?" Mapi smiled at me expectantly, cleaning her sticky hands with a napkin.

Sometimes you can choose to not be a dick.

"Yes, thank you."

In an attempt to get rid of the nasty aftertaste in my mouth, I ate another chicken nugget while looking into the front of the car. Suddenly, a huge smile grew on my face. "Laura, your mouth is covered in burger sauce!"

"Shut up, it is not!" my friend protested, hurriedly checking the extent of the mess in the front camera of her iPhone, only to realize that I had been right.

"Here, let me help you," Ingrid giggled, grabbing a clean napkin out of the brown paper bag our food had come in. The dark-haired Norwegian gently put her left hand on Laura's cheek while wiping the orange sauce off the German's lips, her eyes resting on them for a little too long.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you two were a couple," Mapi chuckled unknowingly, causing both of our friend's cheeks to turn bright red.

"That's absolute bullshit," Ingrid laughed nervously, instantly removing her hand from the German's face. "You know Laura is straight, right?"

"For real?" the Zaragoza native raised an eyebrow, slightly leaning closer to Laura. "I've always got gay vibes from you, but I guess I must have been wrong. Which is weird, because usually, my gaydar is correct."

Amused, I sat back as I let my gaze wander back and forth between the three of them, wondering whether I should intervene to save Laura.

"No, you're right," Laura mumbled quietly, beating me to the punch.

"I knew it!" Mapi triumphed with confidence, while Ingrid's jaw dropped.

"S-she is?" Ingrid asked doubtfully, her gaze finding the German. 

For an instant, their eyes stayed locked, until Laura averted them, nodding shyly. "Yes. At least I think so."

"Oh," Ingrid simply said.

Nothing else.

The dark-haired Norwegian stayed quiet while the rest of us looked at her, expecting a reaction from the normally so kind and supportive woman, but after a while, she simply cleared her throat. "Ready to leave?"

Needless to say, the drive to Mapi's home was extremely awkward and I was thankful when the colorful building finally appeared in front of us. Even though it meant, we had to pull the Spaniard out of the car once again, but luckily we were more practiced this time and managed to get it done in almost no time.

When I unlocked the front door to the defender's apartment, we were instantly greeted by a loudly meowing Bageehra brushing around our legs.

"Shit, I haven't fed him," Mapi panicked, hurrying to the kitchen as fast as she could.

"Let me do it," I stopped the blonde Spaniard, having followed her closely. "It's late and you need to rest, go to your room already and I'll help you once I'm done here, okay?"

Nodding uncertainly, Mapi turned and limped her way to her room while I opened the cupboard with Bagheera's food in it. Luckily, I knew where everything was and the black fur ball was soon enjoying his late dinner.

"Sleep well, Bagheera, " I said, gently petting the hungry cat over its back before I unsurely made my way over to Mapi's bedroom. The familiar environment made me feel as if I never left, but I knew the bubble would once again pop when I entered the blonde's room. I found her sitting on the edge of her bed, still dressed in her game shorts and her sports bra.

"It hurts so much, I can't even undress by myself," Mapi admitted as she slightly lifted her head, the movement exposing a face covered in tears. "I- I feel so helpless."

"Oh, Mapi. It's okay," I softly tried to calm the agitated defender down as I slowly approached her. "You're not helpless, because you're not alone. I'm here with you and I won't leave your side as long as you need me to. We have three working ACLs among us and one that's just slightly damaged. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?"

"I guess if you put it that way it doesn't," Mapi chuckled sadly, wiping one of her tears away. "But Emi... do you mind sleeping on the couch?"

And just like that, the bubble burst.

"Of course not," I replied absentmindedly, grabbing the crutches from the side. "Now, could you stand up once again? It will be easier to get you changed."

Nodding eagerly, the blonde defender clumsily arose once again. "Your stuff is still here, you know?"

"I would surely hope you didn't throw it away," I chuckled lightly, awkwardly pulling the game shorts down to help Mapi change into something more comfortable for the night. "Where did you put it?"

"It's - uhm- it's right where you left it," the Spaniard admitted quietly, trying to pull her sleeping shorts up.

Shocked by her answer, my eyes searched for the blonde's, an almost inaudible "why" escaping my mouth.

"I- I just knew you'd need it again someday. Putting it somewhere else seemed pointless, especially because nothing else could fill the void," Mapi sighed truthfully, nervously running her hand through her dyed hair. "Your toothbrush is still in the bathroom too."

Her openness took me aback, leaving me absolutely speechless as I made my way over to her closet, stumbling right into a big black suitcase on my way.

"Are you going on a trip?" I laughed awkwardly, breaking the silence that had laid over us after her confession.

"What? N-no it's still there from the international break," Mapi mumbled, her gaze glued to the floor. 

"So, the real reason my things are still here is that you were too lazy, right?" I jokingly tried to lighten the conversation up, opening the glass door to her big closet, one of the shelves behind still holding all of my things.

But something seemed different.

"Wait!" I suddenly exclaimed, breaking out in laughter. "You tidied them up!"

"You left a huge mess," Mapi defended herself with a big grin on her face, grabbing her crutches back. "And now get changed, I want to sleep."

10 minutes later, I grabbed a spare blanket from Mapi's bed, knowing that the cushions on her couch would be enough for me. "Do you need anything else from me?" I wondered, gently tucking the blonde under her sheets.

"No, I don't think so," Mapi smiled sleepily, her eyes falling shut. "Thank you so much for everything, Emi...I- ... thank you."

"Of course. Good night, Mapi," I replied, softly brushing over the defender's hair before turning the lights off and quietly making my way out of her room. Once I had reached the couch, I let myself fall on the soft material, trying to comprehend the events of the day.

In a way, it felt like nothing had changed between us, but instead, everything around us had. After all, we were obviously still the same people we were a month ago, just with a lot more damage. A part of me hoped, that we would be able to overcome everything, but the rest of me knew it was almost impossible. At least, at the moment. Getting Mapi back on the pitch was more important than anything else.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated audibly, pulling me right out of my thoughts. As I reached for it, I saw that a new message had popped up on the Lock Screen.

[2.12.2024; 1:47:56] Mapi <3: come back?

Despite my earlier thoughts, I was back in the blonde's room in no time.