needhumanheat
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It felt supremely selfish to hope that Gemma loved her during these terrible few days. But it also felt— precious, in a way. Alice never wanted to be loved so much, all the time, until Gemma came back into her life. It was why she so needed to be there tonight, at the hospital. It was why she climbed the stairs to Miss Welton’s office. And really, Alice was pretty sure it was why she’d done everything single thing she’d done in her life: to get here.
(Or, what if Alice and Gemma were together by the time Gemma's injury happened?)
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But ever since Ted arrived, ever since Gemma came back into her life, Alice found herself wondering if maybe it was finally possible to change. To get better, after all this time, after the years of, yes, embarrassment. She couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it ever since— that risk it took to blossom, and whether it was worth it. Alice was beginning to suspect that it was.
She tried her best not to think too hard about what that might mean. She tried even harder not to think about Gemma.
(Or, Alice as she grows through the season. Gemmalice slow burn.)
Bookmarked by needhumanheat
28 Sep 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
this is so beautiful
return to this whenever you need to feel something -
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Summary
“Didn’t know you lived in my neighborhood,” Gemma said, watching the receding forms of Alice’s fellow coaches plus Shannon head up a side street to the left.
“Didn’t you move south after we recruited you?” Alice asked. “So isn’t it technically my neighborhood?”
Gemma waved her off. “Semantics. My neighborhood, your neighborhood. Maybe it’s just ours, hm?”
(Or, another version of what could have happened after pub clean-up.)
Bookmarked by needhumanheat
20 Sep 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
beautiful piece of writing, left me overwhelmed with emotion
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Summary
“Be careful,” Ted told Alice as the women got further away, their shadows dancing in the reflection from the streetlight off the cobblestone. “And remember, you can always stop—”
“Thank you,” Alice interrupted, conscious that Miss Welton, Coach Beard, and Lizzie were watching. “I’ll be fine. We’ll see you there.” She turned towards Lizzie, so she only heard Ted sigh and didn’t see it. “Ready?”
Lizzie grinned, distinctly not looking ready for a run in her outfit from the pub, her jacket pulled tight against the night. “Ready, Coach.”
Alice managed to crack a smile in return— and then they were off.
(Or, instead of taking the car, the Lady Greyhounds convince Alice to run with them. It goes about as well as you'd expect, and also, somehow, better than you'd hope.)
Bookmarked by needhumanheat
19 Sep 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
“You could’ve.” Alice was surprised by the tenderness in Gemma’s voice. “I would’ve waited for you.”
~
Gemma’s soft breathing filled the rest of the emptiness. Alice forgot the sound of that, too. She had the stray thought that she wouldn’t ever again— forget.
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Gemma laughed. It was the only sound on the street. At this hour, it also felt like the best sound in the world.
~
“Alice.” It was the softest way Gemma had said her name since they were twenty-one.
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Bookmarked by needhumanheat
23 Aug 2026