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queertazsecretsanta · 4 years

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A gift for @pri-the-writer, created by @deadbonessinderhellaton!

The Engagement Zone

Summary: Everyone’s favorite roller derby team, the Amnesty Valley Rollers, find themselves facing off against a formidable opponent who’s using a crazy new type of play! How are the Rollers ever going to best them, and look good doing it in the process? Aubrey asks for help. Dani talks tactics. Hollis makes the switch.

Notes: Aubrey’s bummed in the beginning but Dani gets her revved up again, t for swearing, some derby contact and hits but it’s all pg; nothing too wild, Trans Duck Newton, one of my biggest concerns was making sure that I showed off everyone’s derby names, after that it was describing cool derby moves, stuff like ‘plot’ came in after that…..

Part 1

Aubrey hadn’t realized just how hot she was until the water hit her face. She gasped at the chill–tilting her head back to let the last few droplets roll down her neck. You know, in this context, the bathroom is kind of freeing, she thought idly. There wasn’t anyone to see her splash water all over the floor as she cooled off, no one to see her trying to catch her breath. No one to catch her like this.

Shaking the water off her hands, she pulled out a few paper towels from the dispenser on the wall and began to rub them over her face. We’ve only been playing for an hour, she thought to herself, but it feels like it’s been days. It wasn’t the team’s fault - as the captain of the Amnesty Valley Rollers, Aubrey made sure that everyone on the roster had practiced every drill, wall, formation, and potential outcome that they could come up with, and the wins that they had scored from the previous pre-regional games were proof of that. It’s those fuckin’ Hornets, she thought bitterly. We’ve never been up against anything like them before, and it’s not like I have drills for teams who play like this-

You could have, if you thought to plan for this. A voice, one not unlike her own, cut through her thoughts. Now they’re left flailing out there in front of everyone, all thanks to their loyal, brave captain. Slowly, she lifted her head up to face her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It’s not the team’s fault, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. And it’s definitely not the Hornets fault. She put some of the towels under the running faucet and pressed them to her eyes, desperately trying to ignore the burning sensation in the back of her throat. The whole team had worked so hard, trusting my training to get them this far. They gave me everything.

“Hey.”

Dani’s figure appeared in the mirror, spattered with water from the messy cool-down earlier. In lieu of her typical long peasant skirts - the kind that Aubrey thought looked funny on herself, but that Dani could really rock - her girlfriend was decked out in the Amnesty Valley Rollers’ red and black uniform. She had a bad case of helmet hair, but to Aubrey, it didn’t matter - Dani always looked amazing. In her hand, a bottle of water was dripping with condensation. “Hey, Jake brought drinks for everyone, and I wanted to make sure that ‘The Lady Payne’ didn’t miss out,” she joked, referring to Aubrey’s derby name. Her crestfallen expression gave Dani pause. “Is- is it a bad time? I can head out if you need me to.”

“No,” Aubrey said after a moment. “No, you’re fine.” She pushed off from the sink and slowly rolled over to where Dani stood, holding out the bottle to her like she was passing a baton. She drank down half of the water before wiping her mouth with her wrist and giving a refreshed sigh. “You’re a lifesaver, babe. I was starting to melt out there.”

Dani laughed, and even through her guilt, Aubrey could feel her stomach flip. “Yeah, when you’re on roller skates and fighting your way through a crowd of people twice your size, you might get a little winded.”

“It’s not my fault everyone in West Virginia is gigantic! That mountain air does something to you all. ” She brushed an especially wild piece of hair behind Dani’s ear and brightened at her answering smile, “Besides, I think it’s actually because I have my super hot girlfriend as the brains and brawn on my team. That’ll take the wind out of anybody.”

“You know what they say about flattery, Aubrey Little.” Gently, she took Aubrey’s hand and grinned. “It will get you places.”

“I’m not kidding,” Aubrey said. “You’re the one out there selling candy bars for our annual fundraiser, or teaching people how to stand on skates during the recruitment drives, or helping me come up with new plays. We would have never gotten this far without you.”

“You save that sweet talk for your speech after we get to regionals. I want to be recognized for my contributions.”

Her comment brought Aubrey back to reality in full force, with the knowledge of what she had done sinking in. She glanced away from Dani and took a sip from her bottle. “Yeah. Regionals.”

Dani stared at her in confusion. “Aubrey? What’s wrong?”

Aubrey wasn’t great with words at the best of times, let alone in times of derby-induced panic. But whenever Dani used that tone–gentle and understanding and wanting to help–the words in her chest got knocked loose. “I… I fucked up. Back in the final part of the last period, the other team set up a trap, and I fell right into it. And I cost the team twenty points.” She let out a nervous laugh. “I-I panicked, because I couldn’t get out even when I started hip and shoulder checking. And it wasn’t like anybody on the team could come and help me because they didn’t even know what to do, because I didn’t even teach them what to do!”

Dani waited patiently until Aubrey stopped speaking. When she herself started talking, it was slow, as if she was trying to figure out what to say. “Well, yes, Aubrey. The Hornets are using zone play, which is completely new to us. There isn’t really any way short of weird, like, time-travel shenanigans, that you could have taught the Rollers how to deal with it.”

On a surface level, Aubrey was aware that Dani was just trying to help. She was more than grateful for it - Dani always had a way of finding the right things to say and the right ways to say them - but just the fact that Aubrey knew she was right made her feel like crumbling even more. “Yeah, but it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve heard of it. The big derby blogs have been talking about zone play since the beginning of the year, and three other teams in last year’s Nationals championship used it, and I chose to think that we weren’t gonna see it this early in the season. You can say I couldn’t know, but it’s my job to know. And now we’re gonna lose the whole season because of it.”

“Aubrey…” Hesitantly, Dani looked at Aubrey and spoke quietly. “Being twenty points behind the other team is not a death sentence. I mean, it’s not good, but we’re at halftime right now. We have, like, an hour left in the game. An hour and a half if we can get it to overtime.” She reached over and took Aubrey’s hand again, giving it the smallest of squeezes. “I know it looks bad, but it’s not over just yet.”

Aubrey allowed herself a glance at Dani. She knew it - she had that beautiful, stubborn, determined look on her face, the one that she got when she couldn’t be convinced of anything else. Aubrey sniffled hard and sighed. “Okay. Say we somehow figure out how to get past the Hornets’ blockers in the first loop. How do we get past them in the second loop? Or the third?”

“Mmm…” Dani looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought. “Well, what is it they’re doing that’s throwing us off, and what do you need when they’re doing it?”

“What they’re doing down there, zone play - it’s this thing where the blockers work more to try and control your moves than to physically stop you, like they’ll stop on their skates in front of you, or surround you so that you’ll move slower.”

“Huh.” Her brow furrowed as her gaze focused on something behind Aubrey. “Huuuh.” Slowly, she put one skate in front of the other, gently rolling around the room as she thought out loud to herself.

Aubrey watched intently as Dani did this. It wasn’t the first time that she’d reached out to her girlfriend for suggestions, and with Dani’s knack for tactics, she was sure that it wouldn’t be her last. To Aubrey, it made sense - Dani put just as much sweat, blood, and tears into the team as any of the other players did. If she could get them through everything else, she could get them through this, too.

After a few minutes of silence, Dani spoke. “Well, the whole idea of zone play is to control the jammer, right? What if you could get rid of that control entirely?”

As Dani explained her idea, Aubrey’s eyes grew wider and wider in excitement. The team might not have recognized how to take on the Hornets’ style, but it wasn’t like the Amnesty Valley Rollers had forgotten how to play. And this made sure that the Amnesty Valley Rollers’ skills were used. It was quick. It was decisive. It was brutal. Most important of all, it used their strengths and took advantage of the Hornets’ weaknesses, all the while ensuring that the Amnesty Valley Rollers didn’t need to know how to combat zone play. “Babe,” Aubrey breathed. “You’re a genius.”

Dani turned bright red as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shrugged. “I watch a lot of derby footage.”

“Damn! Maybe I need to start doing that more, iron out my skills and all that.”

“Believe you me, it has nothing to do with skills, if your footwork on the track is any proof.” Gently, Dani reached out to brush a stray wrinkle from Aubrey’s uniform. “Just next time, don’t be afraid to ask us for help, ‘kay?” Ignoring the look of surprise on Aubrey’s face, she continued. “We’d hate to have you worrying by yourself and feeling the weight of the world. We can all come up with something together if anything comes up.” At this, she smiled. “Kind of like we did now.”

Aubrey could feel herself growing heated and red under Dani’s gaze. They had been dating for about two years now, but sometimes Dani did these things that just left Aubrey a gooey mess. She met Dani’s gaze and grinned. “Hell yeah, we did. But next time, I’ll see if I can’t keep you guys in the loop more often instead of like-” she winced. “Running off to avenge you all, like in Braveheart. You ever see that movie?”

The sound of skates slamming down on linoleum echoed in the distance, growing closer and louder with each step. Jake Coolice appeared in the doorway. “Aubrey, Dani, Madeline wants you to know that you have about thirty minutes ‘til halftime’s up and we start the third period. ”

“JAKE!” Aubrey’s shout sent Jake rolling backwards and bumping gently against the tiled bathroom wall. “Can you get the team together for a meeting before we start up again? Dani just came up with a really good idea, and I want to give it a shot…”

Part two

Aubrey had never been more terrified in her life.

Okay, so maybe there were moments in her life where she had been just as terrified - boarding down Death Mountain with Jake came to mind - but here, in the engagement zone, facing down the Hornets again, this particular moment stood out. Worst-case scenarios flooded her mind. What if I trip? What if the team loses track of me? What if the Hornets go and did something else entirely and they screw up our plan?

She forced the knot that tensed in her belly down and let out a nervous sigh. Just concentrate on the plan, Aubrey reminded herself. Dani had gone over the whole thing in detail during the suit-up and, as a consequence, her words echoed through Aubrey’s mind. The most important thing about this, Dani had told her earlier, is that you have to know exactly where Jake and I are, and we have to know where you are.

She could see the two of them behind her, on her far right. So far, so good, she thought to herself. In front of her were three of the Hornets’ blockers. Right in front of her, to her left, was one - NEST IN PEACE, their jersey read. To her right and further up ahead was another - MISBEEHIVING. That’s not a hornet pun, Aubrey thought irritably. They have a theme, they should stick to it! Furthest ahead, on the left, was the final blocker, a tall, wiry guy. Their jersey read KEITHING IT REAL across the back, in bold block letters. Guess they ran out of ideas.

Dani had mentioned it earlier, and now Aubrey could see the zig-zag pattern that their team set up in. I know for a fact that that’s a trap. I guess I could try to go around it, but that might throw off Jake and Dani…so the trap it is. Aubrey leaned to her left and made as if to bank between NEST and MISBEEHIVING. Immediately, the three Hornets swarmed in on her. KEITHING slammed on his brakes, forcing Aubrey to slam on her own and taking the proper fall position. MISBEEHIVING swooped in from the right, blocking off Aubrey’s escape, and while she couldn’t turn around, she could hear NEST directly behind her. Once their ranks were formed, KEITHING started picking up his speed, but only barely. The other Hornets blockers followed suit, leaving Aubrey cocooned in the middle.

If I weren’t so pissed off, she mused, I could appreciate this more. It was brilliant - by closing off her escapes and controlling her speed, they could ensure that she didn’t pass their blockers or inhibit their jammer. Not to mention they could easily push her out of bounds if she tried to break free. Ignoring the sound of her heart pounding in her chest, she sighed nervously. Now I just have to wait for-

“AUBREY, LOOK OUT!”

Jake raced in from behind on Aubrey’s right, Dani skating frantically to keep by his side. With a mighty whoop, he swung his left hip at the blockers surrounding Aubrey, sending them flying. NEST was forced backwards, teetering wildly in an effort to keep their balance. MISBEEHIVING flew past the ring’s boundaries, landing in the track’s middle circle. With a groan, MISBEEHIVING regained their stance and started their clockwise loop around the track. Aubrey herself was trying not to whoop out loud - the same team that had devastated the Rollers in the first half were barely hanging onto their–

WHAM!

Right, she thought dazedly as she was bounced back from the impact. That guy. KEITHING skated in front of Aubrey, glaring over his shoulder at her. He’s the ‘mimic my every move’ guy, right? So he’s just gonna do that again. Leaning to the right, she made to skate around him. Immediately, he caught up to her, slamming hard on his breaks, making Aubrey fly back, her eyes wide and her chest heaving. So I probably have about thirty seconds left before his teammates finish recovering and meet up with him, she thought in dismay, and then…. She racked her brain for ideas, searching for weak spots in his wall, but all that she generated was the droning static that came with panic. In the distance, she could already hear skates rushing up to meet him…

“Aubrey!”

A blur of black and red flew past her right. Her team colors. They were moving slow enough that she could make out the name on the back of their jersey: SEAL THE DEAL. Oh. That’s Jake, then. Directly behind him was another player with a black and red jersey, and a blonde ponytail that was long enough to flutter in the breeze, but not long enough to block out the name on the back: DA-KNEE YA. As she rolled by, she jerked her head to the right and gave Aubrey a knowing glance. Come on!

Ohhh. Realization hit Aubrey like a wave as she reached out and grasped Dani’s hips, coasting forward on her momentum. From the corner of her eye, she could see KEITHING scrambling to catch up with them as Jake battered him back. The Hornet needn’t have bothered - she and Dani were already leagues ahead. Once safely past him, she tilted her head back to look at Aubrey. “You ready?”

No, Aubrey thought. “Yeah!” Aubrey said. In response, Dani nodded in response and returned her focus to the track, bending her knees a little to give Aubrey the room for what she needed to do. Guess I can’t make Dani do this by herself, Aubrey thought nervously as she drew herself closer to her girlfriend. With as much effort as she could muster, she pushed off from Dani’s hips, rocketing herself past her girlfriend, past the Rollers’ other two blockers, and past the Hornets’ final blocker and their jammer.

She broke out of the engagement zone in no time, her lungs and skates screaming with the crowd as she darted forward. Upon rounding the track, she was able to see a little more of the action occurring behind her. For all of the hell that the Hornets’ strategy gave them, it was evident that they still needed to work on it. They had put only one of their blockers with their jammer, leaving them helpless against the onslaught that the Amnesty Valley Roller’s other two jammers, DUCK AND COVER and NIGHT OF THE LIVING NED, were laying down. From her vantage point, Aubrey could see the Hornets’ blocker slam on their skates in front of them, just as KEITHING had done to her earlier. Duck didn’t even stop skating to sweep them aside with a devastating shoulder check, the trans pride flag that he wore around his shoulders fluttering dramatically behind him. Meanwhile, the Hornets’ jammer - SUPERFLY, according to their jersey - was flitting about behind the two of them, fruitlessly trying to break through their wall. In an attempt to free them, the Hornets’ other three blockers had joined the fray, Jake and Dani following after to try and stop them. Quickly, the players became enmeshed in a pit of flailing limbs, flying skates, and shouted swears. And they say derby’s boring, Aubrey thought smugly.

From the middle of the pit, Aubrey could see a black and yellow something fly forward - the Hornets’ jammer cap. The blocker - no, the pivot, she realized in horror - in front of Duck and Ned caught it effortlessly and slid it over their helmet, taking off immediately from the mass of players. Even from her distance, Aubrey could see Jake and Dani talking with each other as they raced after the pivot, literally strategizing on the fly. For her part, she leaned forward and desperately worked to increase her speed, but it wasn’t long before she heard the sound of skates behind her. In no time at all, the two of them were neck and neck, racing towards the start of the engagement zone. From what Aubrey could make out, they were short, muscular, compactly built, and fast as hell - the perfect pivot, essentially. Driven, too - they barely even acknowledged Aubrey as they barreled down the track, concentrating entirely on passing her and navigating the track. Not a bad idea, Aubrey thought, To see who’s up ahead. She herself checked the track. First up was Dani and Jake blocking-

Wait. Aubrey cut her speed, letting the pivot skate past her. “You go on ahead,” she said politely. Jarringly, it was the only time that Aubrey found herself able to generate a reaction from the pivot: they looked back to give her a confused, annoyed glare, but a reaction nonetheless. Shrugging, they turned around and continued racing ahead…

Straight into Dani and Jake.

Aubrey counted herself lucky to catch sight of it all as she skated past. It was something straight out of Derby 101 - the Hornets’ pivot shoulder checked and thrashed against the wall that Jake and Dani had forged, but it was clear that the two weren’t going anywhere. It was now that Aubrey could get a good look at their jersey name - MAULLIS. Jake held steady throughout their assault, never flinching when checked and delivering blows back with deadly precision. Holding out on the other side was Dani, keeping the wall up throughout it all, shouting out commands and calling to Jake for help when she needed him. She was cool under fire, never once showing panic or unease, and maintaining the situation with a sort of casual grace. Just like off the track, Aubrey thought proudly.

The two didn’t say much to Aubrey while she passed them. She didn’t mind - they seemed preoccupied. Guess I’ll be too, she thought as she saw the Hornets’ blockers up ahead. KEITHING had joined ranks with NEST IN PEACE again, abandoning the zig-zag pattern of zone play to stand side-by-side, the two of them wearing a look suggesting that they were eager for revenge. Oh, so now they’re doing walls, Aubrey noted with irritation, before shrugging. Nothing we can’t handle.

As she raced ahead, a voice cut through the cheers of the audience, the muffled curses of the players, and the squeal of skates on the floor below:

“Give ‘em hell, Aubrey!”

Seconds before impacting the Hornets’ blockers, Aubrey beamed. “You know it, Dani!”

~~~

Glossary:

Flat track: A roller derby track that is…flat. It’s often made with masking or duct tape.

Blocker: They try and stop the other team’s jammer from passing them and scoring points against their team, while trying to advance their own team’s jammer. There can be four of them on a track at a time. They don’t have any symbol on their helmet cover.

Jammer: The point scorer in roller derby, so to speak. Their job is to pass the other team’s blockers and score points for their own team. They’re identified by the star on their helmet cover.

Pivot: Someone who can serve as a blocker or a jammer. They can serve as a jammer if the jammer gives them the star cap. They’re identified by the stripe on their helmet, unless they’re wearing the jammer cap.

Engagement zone: the ten feet of space where blockers and pivots can block, serve hits, and prevent jammers and pivots from passing blockers. Outside of it, only jammers can block, hit, etc. each other.

Quick rules:

An average game lasts about four periods, each period being thirty minutes each, with the first and second half having two periods each.

The goal is for each team to aid their jammer in passing other team’s blockers, and by doing that, score points for their own team, while preventing the other team’s jammers from passing their blockers.

Don’t hit anyone in the head or the stomach.

#pri-the-writer #deadbonessinderhellaton #queercandlenights #taz #the adventure zone #aubrey #dani #danbrey #fic #submission

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