#lindsey morgan x reader

[desperate-gay]

Pent Up Energy

Alex Morgan x fem!reader

a/n: 100% based off the game last night

SMUT 18+

Beads of sweat roll down the side of your head from the exhaustion. Colombia has decided not to play cleanly, instead wanting to be as physical as possible and you were bearing the brunt of it. Only 20 minutes into the game you have gotten tackled at least 3 times, each moment being more brutal than the last.

Luckily, there hasn’t been too much conflict between anybody, but that’s until your thoughts are interrupted by a bunch of shouting. Looking over to the left, you see your girlfriend stepping in the face of a Colombian player as the rest of the visiting team tries to meddle in. You quickly rush over to stop Alex, noticing she’s getting more heated every moment.

Slipping your way through the multiple bodies, you place your hand on the forward’s chest, gently pushing her back. You try your best to defuse the situation, but she just ignores you and continues to yell at the player, earning her a yellow card from the ref.

When she notices your hand on her chest, she wipes it off while scoffing before walking away. Trinity notices and quirks an eyebrow towards you, but in response, all you do is take a deep breath and shrug.

After the halftime whistle blew, Alex stayed clear of you. Usually, you both pep each other up for the next half but instead, she stayed quiet and to herself until everyone was sent back onto the pitch. Horan pats you on the back, giving you a sympathetic smile before running over to her position.

The game never dims down with players all showing their fiery side, specifically Alex and Trinity. That ends up playing a part when they both end up getting subbed out at the seventy-second minute.

“You played well.” You whisper, brushing your hand against Alex’s passing body. She spares you a quick look before walking off and onto the bench. Sighing, you lean down to fix your socks and peek your head over to your girlfriend only to see her staring into space with a stoic look.

The rest of the game is grueling but rewarding as you have beaten Colombia and are advancing to the semifinals. After an hour or so you’re boarding onto the bus, taking an open seat and hoping for your girlfriend to join you. Sadly, when she gets on, she doesn’t even glance toward you and decides to sit several seats behind you.

Slightly frustrated with the brunette, you huff and drop your head back against the cushion of the headrest before being interrupted by a giddy smile. You can’t help but smile back at the sweet girl.

“Hi, Naomi.”

“Hey, what are you doing once we get back to the hotel?” She asks while readjusting herself and setting her bag down by her feet.

“Well, I was planning to see if I could room with Alex, but it doesn’t seem like she wants anything to do with me at the moment.” You send Naomi a weak smile which she returns with a sympathetic one.

“Nonsense, we all know Alex gets moody at times but never directly at you. I’m assigned to be her roommate so why don’t we switch? I heard you got Soph anyway.” The defender digs in her bag, pulling out a keycard and holding it out to you.

You wearily accept the card with a small thank you and give her yours in exchange. For the remainder of the ride, Naomi helps you cheer up with a few stories and jokes about her little hangouts with some of the team.

“Time to cheer up the monster.” You groan in which Naomi just laughs and offers you a hand to stand up.

“I believe in you. Go save your knight in shining armor.”

“More like my beast.” You grumble, receiving chuckles from some of the girls who have overheard, none of them being Alex, thankfully, as she is still getting off the bus.

Walking into the hotel, you make your way to your room and are met with your girlfriend soon after. You shyly glance at her and see her confused gaze.

“I thought I was roomed with Girma?” Alex frowns while you give her a look of slight discomfort.

“Umm, Naomi wanted to trade so she could room with Soph and I thought rooming with you would be nice. I could go switch it back if you want.” You whisper, slightly scared she doesn’t want you near her and your voice might betray you.

“No, just stay with me.” The girl mumbles, opening the door with her key and rushing in with her baggage.

Your eyes follow her movements like a lost puppy while you stand by the door. Alex takes in the silence and looks up at you, stopping her scavenging in her back.

“What?” She asks, looking at you with an annoyed expression. You swallow back your nerves before making your way over to the bed and getting everything that you need out of your bag and ready for the night.

The thick silence lasts for around twenty minutes before you begin to feel irritated. Alex is in the little kitchen, leaning against the counter and looking at her phone.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” You finally ask gently, trying your best to keep your growing frustration with the striker at bay.

“Nothing.” Her tone remains empty, clearly not wanting to open up.

“It has to be something. You’ve been avoiding me all day, along with being quiet.” You explain, walking over to her but still keeping a little bit of space between the two of you.

“I told you, I’m fine.”

“Alex, you did amazing out there today, we won 3-0 and we’re advancing. If it’s about the card-“

“It’s not about the fucking card!” Alex finally snaps, dropping her phone on the counter and looking at you with a fiery gaze, but it doesn’t tear you down.

“Then tell me what it’s about, please. I can’t have you concealing all this anger. It’s not fair to you or me.” You try, voice becoming more and more desperate.

“Just shut up,” Alex warns, clenching her jaw as her hands tighten on the counter while shifting her eyes away from you.

“I’m just trying to help-”

Your sentence is cut off when your girlfriend storms over to you and she reaches out, gripping your jaw while pinning you against the wall. You look up at her with wide eyes, taking in her appearance. Wet hair, red cheeks, a zip-up training kit covering her body, and blown pupils.

“I said to shut up.” She grits, her hand never leaving your face. Her eyes look down at your lips for a split second and you luckily notice.

Without warning, she smashes her lips onto yours in a harsh kiss. Nothing about it is sweet or romantic. Both your tongues and teeth clash together like you’re trying to see who can last longer to this roughness. The hand on your jaw leaves and finds a new place around your neck, controlling every movement of your head.

“God you’re so hot. You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to have you all to myself again.” The taller girl rasps against your lips before moving down to nip at your neck.

While she attacks your neck, you finally put two and two together. You realize Alex may have been aggravated by this game but all of her pent-up anger mainly resulted from a little sexual frustration. With the NWSL preseason starting and the Gold Cup, you both have been busy at training camp and too exhausted to even think about starting anything.

But with Alex, she needs an outlet after she’s played, which is mainly sex. She can finally have total control of something and that something being you. You’re at her total submission, allowing her to do whatever she wants to you and making you do whatever she wants to her.

Her lips disconnecting from your neck pulls you out of your thoughts. You look up at her with your doe eyes and watch as her tongue licks her lips while she eyes you up and down.

Soon her hands grip your waist and tug you over to the bed. She sits at the end of the mattress and leans back with her hands holding her up while you remain standing in front of her.

“Strip,” Alex demands, watching as you slowly grip the bottom of your shirt and cautiously pull it over your head. When she takes sight of what seems to be a new bra, she sits back up and grips your naked hips.

“If you need to use me, use me, Alex.” You say boldly, returning her lustful gaze. Her jaw almost drops before she quickly starts unbuttoning your jeans and yanking them down so you’re only in your bra and panties.

“Get on the bed.” When you don’t immediately do as she says, she pulls you down herself making you squeal in the process. “When I say to do something, you listen, got it?” You nod your head, earning you a satisfied grin.

Alex’s body hovers over you with her wet hair curtaining any view other than her face. You blindly reach down and tug on the zipper of her hoodie, asking if you can take it off. She swiftly sits up and removes all of her clothes, leaving her bare.

“I guess I should take these off you now, shouldn’t I?” She taunts, hooking her finger on the waistband of your panties and letting go of them with a sharp snap against your skin.

“Please, Alex. I need you.” You whine, bucking your hips closer to her hand. She chuckles before leaning down and kissing on your chest. Her hand reaches around your back and unclips your bra, letting it slide down a little before taking it off altogether.

Instead of moving down, her lips move up your neck and to your ear. “So beautiful, I can’t wait to have you trembling underneath my touch and screaming for me to let you cum.” Her breath fans against your ear while her breasts are smushed against yours. She tugs on your earlobe with her teeth before sitting back up, admiring your body.

“I bet you’re already wet for me even though I have barely touched you. You probably like me roughhousing you around to my pleasure. So obedient for me.” You moan as she carelessly speaks of you while trailing her finger down the center of your stomach.

“Alex, baby, I need you. I need you to touch me, please.” Your body squirms while she continues to trace her finger down to your core.

She finally dips her hand in and spreads your arousal around, completely lost in her head on how wet you are. Her finger teasingly dips into you but only for a split second, causing you to whine out.

“God, I’ve missed this pretty pussy so much.” Your girlfriend groans before angling her arm in an awkward manner and plunging two fingers into you.

Her body leans down so her lips can latch onto your breasts, leaving hickeys anywhere she pleases. Moans spew their way out of your mouth at the long-needed pleasure, but her thrusts are nowhere near fast enough to get you off, mainly because of the way her arm is angled, so you reach down with a huff and kick off your panties, leaving no restraint for Alex.

“Faster.” You pant, rolling your hips with each thrust of the forward’s hand. She chuckles and moves her arm lower so she can pump in and out of you at an ungodly pace.

“Is this what you want? Want to get fucked so hard you won’t be able to think properly, huh?” She questions without her fingers even stuttering. The loud wet noises of her thrusts echo throughout the hotel room along with your whimpers and moans.

Her finger reaches a point inside of you that has your head spinning. The build-up in your lower stomach becomes more apparent as your core tightens around your girlfriend’s digits.

“I’m gonna cum, baby.” You moan, digging your nails into her bicep, leaving dark crescent indents in her skin which she loves.

Suddenly, the pressure in your stomach subsides due to Alex pulling her fingers out, making you whine at the sudden emptiness.

“You’re not gonna cum that easily, sweets. I still have so much I want to do to you.” She says in an uncharacteristically sweet tone while placing a kiss on your cheek.

Both of her hands rub up and down your sides as she kisses from your sternum down to your thigh. She bites at the inside of your skin before soothing the sting with her tongue. Alex looks over and sees your hands clenching and unclenching the sheets below you while your breathing picks up in impatience.

“So beautiful.” She whispers against your thigh before pushing it open with her large hand and latching her mouth onto your core. She lets out a low groan at the taste of you while dipping her tongue into you.

Your hips twitch into her as her tongue laps around your clit, sucking and licking the swollen surface. Your girlfriend’s hands lay flat on your stomach as she pushes her head further into your wet heat. Subconsciously, your legs begin to close in on Alex’s head as the familiar knot in your stomach returns.

Just as your hips begin to rise to your release, the brunette once again detaches herself from you, making your orgasm fade away. Tears start to build up in your eyes in frustration from the denial, but Alex wipes them away with her thumb.

“It’s okay, baby. You’re doing so good for me.” She coos, placing a few pecks on your lips in reassurance. “Do you think you’ve been a good girl?” She asks, pulling you to sit up so you’re both facing each other.

“Yes, yes, I’ve been a good girl.” You nod, nuzzling your face into her neck for some sort of comfort.

“I think so too.” Alex brushes your hair behind your ear once you pull back to look at her. She grabs the back of your neck and brings you into an intoxicating kiss, roaming her tongue inside the roof of your mouth

Alex pulls you onto her lap without breaking the kiss, placing you onto her slanted thighs due to her sitting on her legs. You grind slowly against her, attempting to get some kind of friction as your chest presses up against hers. Your girlfriend smirks into the kiss, feeling your arousal smear across her skin.

She slips two digits back inside of you, curling them into your g-spot. A loud moan escapes your lips as your legs tighten around her waist, causing the heels of your feet to push into her back. Your hands also find their way to her shoulder blades, leaving dark red scratches as she pumps her fingers into you.

“Right there.” You gasp as Alex thrusts her fingers into the perfect spot. The bed frame pounds against the wall from your girlfriend’s digits bouncing in and out of you.

“You’re close, aren’t you?” She whispers into your ear, pressing a sweet kiss under it to your jaw. You quickly nod your head as your eyes squeeze shut with a loud moan, enticing the girl below you to thrust faster.

“I’m gonna, oh god, ‘m gonna cum, baby.”

“Cum for me.”

Your walls clamp around Alex’s fingers as a flow of juices runs down her hand while you moan in ecstasy, grinding down to push you through your orgasm.

Once your hips stop, she pulls her fingers out of you and places them in front of your mouth. You obediently open and suck, licking off all your arousal while swirling your tongue around them. She watches you with blown-out pupils and a slacked jaw.

“If you think we’re done after you just did that, you’re sorely mistaken.” Her arms wrap around her waist and slam you back onto the bed, making you giggle at her riled-up nature.

The next morning you make your way into the breakfast lobby with Alex’s arm around your waist. Right as everyone catches eye on the both of you, a bunch of whistling and whooping sounds through the room.

“Get it, Morgan. Didn’t know you could do all that.” Trinity cheers while smacking on her gum with a smirk.

Everyone gets their little comments in while your girlfriend just smiles smugly and continues to kiss your temple with her arm remaining on your shoulders. In your flustered state, all you do is hide your face into her neck and try to avoid all of the attention.

#alex morgan x reader #alex morgan smut #alex morgan #naomi girma #trinity rodman #lindsey horan #woso x reader #woso fic #woso imagine #woso smut #uswnt #uswnt x reader

[wososage]

One Step at a Time: USWNT x Reader

Summary: Y/N plays in the opening match of the world cup but it isn’t sunshine and fairy tales. Y/N does everything they can to hold their shit together and help the team. 

Warnings: sorry this is very very sad because i need to write out my sad emotions and this is a little bit me writing my life into an imagine… italics are Y/N’s internal monologue

Word count: 1234

Y/N POV

Step One: get to the lobby of the hotel before the bus is supposed to leave

Just put one foot in front of the other. Take the elevator, not the stairs. Save your energy for the game you are going to need it. Are my headphones on? Are my sun glasses on? Follow the team out of the hotel. Ignore the fans. Ignore the media. Get on the bus and sit in your seat.

Step Two: Get to the start of the game without crying

Chill playlist only. Focus on good deep breaths. Keep your eyes closed. Imagine today being a better day. Your family is in the stands. They can’t wait to watch you do what you love. They are so proud of all of the hard work it took you to get here. They will go crazy if you score a goal today. Do the same routine you always do. Take the picture frame out of your bag. Remember that you are playing for those who can no longer be here. Take the necklace off and put it on the picture frame. Get dressed. Warm up. How do the muscles feel? How do the joints feel? Is blood sugar okay? Are electrolyte levels okay?

Step Three: Be the player that the team needs you to be

We all line up. The whistle blows. 

Time to push forward. I am open. The ball is at my feet. The keeper is off their line. Chip the keeper Y/N. Holy shit. It worked. I just scored. Everyone is running to me.

“That was amazing Y/N!” Alex yells in my ear.

“Y/N you are the best!” Lindsey says joining the swarm of people hugging me.

I look up to the sky with tears in my eyes.

This is for you. It's always for you.

“Come on guys,” I say. “There is a lot of game left to be played.”

Line up for the corner. Have a plan to lose the defender. Never lose sight of the ball. Run towards it. Jump high. Redirect to the back post. 

“Fuck yeah!”

“That's two Y/N!”

“Y/N is unstoppable!”

Don’t get cocky. Stay humble. Stay true to yourself.

“Y/N! Push forward.”

I can see what is about to happen. Stay on side Y/N and everything will work out. Run. Get your ass there. Just get a toe on the ball. The keeper can’t stop you. Redirect. Don’t add any power.

“Hat trick! Hat trick! Hat trick!”

“Y/N! You are the love of my life!”

The whistle blows and I just sit on the ground and cry. I should be happy right now, but instead I am so sad. 

This is not how the world cup was supposed to go.

Step 4: Put on a happy face until the public can’t see you

“That was an amazing way to start the world cup,” Vlatko says to all of us in the huddle. “I am proud of all of you. Y/N, congrats on the hat trick. Everyone, enjoy this moment. The rest of the world cup starts tomorrow.”

“One more thing before everyone starts to look for their family,” Pinoe says. “Y/N get in the middle. You know how birthdays work on this team.”

Everyone sings happy birthday to me and then we head over to the friends and family section. 

Seeing everyone so excited that their family is here makes me happy. It’s great to see everyone in such good moods.

“Y/N where is your family?” Sonnett asks. “I wanna say hi to them!”

“They’re in America,” I tell her quietly, trying to not cry. “They aren’t coming to any of the games.”

“That’s okay,” Sonnett whispers in my ear while giving me a hug. “All of our families will support you and be your family during the tournament.”

“Thanks Sonny”

Step 5: Get through media as quickly as possible

Heif takes me to the mixed zone, where I am presented with the player of the match trophy.

“Y/N,” A reporter says, getting my attention. “After your goals and after the game you seemed emotional. Could you speak on what emotions you are feeling and what has been going through your head throughout the game?”

Do I lie or do I tell the truth?

Lie.

Truth.

Lie.

Truth.

Lie.

Truth. The truth will come out eventually so there is no point in lying now.

“Yeah, there definitely are a lot of emotions when it comes to playing in the world cup. Most of the game I kept telling myself to be that player that my teammates need me to be. Every goal was such a whirlwind. They were all split second decisions that worked out in the team's favor. Before every game, I remind myself of all the people I play this sport for. All of the people who would be proud of me for fighting for my dreams. After the goals, I was thinking who I was scoring for. The ones who would be going crazy if they were able to watch this game. I am sure if you were to ask anyone on the team, they would say that they compartmentalize during games and tournaments. I am no different. But once that final whistle blew, I let myself think about the things I’ve been blocking out during the game. I let myself sit in the emotions I was putting aside in order to be the player the team needs me to be.”

“Y/N, is there anything you would like to say to your family right now?”

It’s okay to cry. Everyone will understand.

“Yes. Unfortunately, my family was not able to make it out to the world cup, so they are back home watching this on TV. Before… Before we left the hotel I got a call from my family. There was a family emergency. So to my family: I am very sorry that I am not able to be there to support you right now. I know what you are going through feels unreal and unimaginable. I love each and everyone of you. Please take time for yourself and make sure you are doing okay. And I hope that watching the world cup brings you a little bit of light in this very dark time. Those goals were for Reagan, Chase, and Cole. I will fight to win this world cup for you and for them. And I will be back in a month to give all of you hugs.”

Step 6: Let the team in. Let the team support you.

I am sobbing by the time I get back to the locker room. Almost everyone is either in the showers or the ice bath. I get to my locker and suddenly I am filled with rage. I punch my locker over and over again until I am pulled away by Aubrey and Naeher. I collapse in their arms and just sob.

Nothing in the world feels okay.

By the time I have calmed down, the entire team is sitting in their lockers silently. Patiently waiting for me to talk to them.

“My brothers died today,” I say, my voice raw. “I found out right before we got on the bus. I am staying for the rest of the world cup. My family will be staying in America. I need to win this for them.”

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #alyssa naeher #aubrey kingsbury #Alex Morgan #Lindsey Horan #emily sonnett

[fcbfemeni-11]

What could’ve been (USWNT)

Jessica, caped as the next big thing, is in the form of her life going into her first ever world cup. The twenty-one year old is scoring every time she plays. However, during the USWNT send off game against Wales everything changes.

*This font is used to represent commentators speaking*

We’re playing Wales today, in our send off game before the world cup. I’m really excited because it’s my first major tournament and i feel so confident in my ability right now. I’m playing freely and with a smile on my face, that’s the reason i’m in good form. I don’t want this to end. I want to keep improving week after week, game after game.

Before the match, each of our names were called out individually and we walked to the pitch, i just gave the fans a small wave whereas Trinity danced and Sonnett done Sonnett things.

Me and Mal have such a good connection both on the pitch and off. Shes my big sister so when she got injured it hurt everyone. Shes here today watching, which is nice.

I started the game in a forward line of Sophia and Alex. I took up the spot on the left hand side. Usually i play as a number 9, but like both Soph and Trin I am able to play out wide too. I’m also wearing Mal’s number for the world cup, to have her with us despite her not physically being there.

The first half of the game absolutely flew by. There were no clear cut chances for either side. The game was pretty limited in chances as the middle of the field was packed with players, so the majority of the game was played there.

To start the second half Trinity came on for Alex. I let her go down the middle for a change as I was enjoying myself on the left.

We kept pushing for an opener and after many attempts we finally broke the deadlock in the 76th minute. Trinity scored and Soph got the assist. As soon as the ball hit the back of the net Trinity peeled away towards the fans and I ran up behind her, jumping on her back as the rest of the girls came and hugged her.

“Sophia Smith, you are incredible.” I said as i walked back with the Portland Thorns forward.

“Stop hyping me up.” She said while chuckling. She then playfully pushed me away and then once we all returned to our half the game restarted.

At this point we were in total control of the game. Everything was going perfectly. Key word: WAS.

As the 80th minute hit, Lindsey played a ball over the top of the Wales defence, which i ran onto. I went to cut inside so i could shoot on my right foot, but just as i changed direction i felt excruciating pain in my right knee which caused me to fall to the ground in tears.

“This isn’t good for the US. After losing Mal they won’t want to lose Jessica, too.”

“This looks really bad, Alex. The youngster is clearly in a large amount of pain and her teammates look very worried. Lindsey immediately signed towards the trainers.”

I gripped my right knee with my hand as i sat, crying due to the pain. I wasn’t alone for long at all as Soph came and sat beside me, resting her hand on my arm, trying to comfort me even in the slightest. She didn’t speak to me, she knew i didn’t want to speak so she didn’t. I love that about her, she doesn’t push, she just knows what to do always. She is my best friend.

As i was laying in tears i heard Lindsey screaming for the trainers who were over in an instance. A few of my teammates came over, giving me their support but a few struggled to watch and turned away at the sight of me crying.

“I need you to sit up.” The first trainer said to me, but i didn’t move nor did i even look at her. Instead i lifted my shirt up over my face and lay there.

“Jess…” Soph whispered as she pulled my jersey from my face.

“I can’t.” I said weakly.

“You’ve done your ACL.” The other medic told me and my heart broke. My dream was crushed, right in front of my eyes.

“Jess..” Soph began to speak but i stopped her by giving her a small smile. One which she understood as she knew i didn’t want her sympathy, not on the pitch anyway.

“How do you know?” I heard Soph ask one of the trainers, trying to remain hopeful but there was no hope.

“I’ve seen this before, plenty of times. I saw the way she went down, it’s clear. Obviously a scan will reveal the extent of it, but it’s definitely an ACL.” The trainer told Soph who sighed.

I didn’t speak nor did i look at anyone. I stared into the sky, tears continuing to roll down my face as i was lifted onto a stretcher and taken off the field and into the locker room.

“Look, based on the reactions of her teammates, i’m going to assume Jessica’s injury is not a good one and she may very well miss the world cup.”

“It’s a real shame. The whole world was excited to see her shine on a world stage. Shes one for the future, that won’t change. She’s got so much talent which won’t just go away. She’ll come back stronger. She’s a phenomenal athlete. Her teammates will be devastated for her, they were all so happy for her.”

No one’s pov

Sophia informed all of her teammates and the coaching staff of Jessica’s ACL injury and in that moment everyone’s hearts broke. Mal, who was sitting with the team immediately got up and walked down the tunnel.

Straight after the restart Trinity pounced on a mistake from the opposition and what she done was so moving. She ran towards the camera and stood, making a J with her fingers and kissing it. She then held up nine fingers. Her celebration clearly dedicated towards Jessica.

End of pov

I was sitting in the locker room, well i was given a brace which dosent let me bend my knee as well as crutches, for now. I was sitting down, my back against the wall when the door opened. I expected to see a trainer come through but when i saw Mal i felt so relieved. She sat down beside me and placed an arm over my shoulder. She kissed the top of my head and then i rested my head on her shoulder.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it, so i won’t ask.” She said and i gave her a thankful smile.

“However i do have one question. We’re both out of the world cup. Do you want to travel with the team to watch? Vlatko asked me, before the game, if i wanted to. I wasn’t sure but i figured now we could both go.” She asked me and i smiled, for the first time since going down injured. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people who just radiate nothing but happiness.

“Yeah. I would like that, a lot.” I said.

“I’ll let Vlatko know.” She said and i felt her move.

“No. Stay. Don’t go.” I begged.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She promised.

“What is the score?” I asked softly.

“Two - nil. Trin scored, dedicated her goal to you. She he,d up the number nine, for you and then made the letter J with her fingers.” I love my teammates so much.

“Nine isn’t my number. It’s your number. My number is nineteen.” I said, shrugging slightly.

“Not today it wasn’t.” Mal said back.

“Only because you weren’t playing.” I said and Mal chuckled knowing she wasn’t going to win this.

~

The game did eventually finish and as you would expect everyone gives me their sympathy in the locker room, as expected. I received strong support and encouragement from every single member of the team, from the players right to the staff. That is something i am very thankful for.

Thanks to them, i know that this setback will only make me stronger. I know i’ll come back better than ever before and more ready than ever, too.

I know both the national team and my club, in DC, will support me all the way. I know the fans will stick by me and i know my teammates will too. Luckily for me i have both Trinity and Sanchez to annoy in DC, which will help me a lot.

I guess now the world cup is a question of, what could’ve been…

#woso soccer #woso x reader #uswnt players #uswnt imagine #uswnt x reader #uswnt #uswnt woso #mal pugh #lindsey horan #ashley sanchez #alex morgan #sophia smith

[reminiscingtonight]

WOSO [Masterlist]

Note: DO NOT REPOST AND/OR TRANSLATE MY WORKS ANYWHERE. Reblogging, commenting, and liking is enough.

Updated 4/24/24

Lindsey Horan

Sofia Huerta

Alex Morgan

Emily Sonnett

Leah Williamson

Rose Lavelle

Ona Batlle

Alexia Putellas

Lia Wälti

Ana-Maria Crnogorčević

Alessia Russo

Aitana Bonmatí

Christen Press

Steady Love // Pt. 2

Lucy Bronze

Half A World Away // Pt. 2

Millie Turner

Begin Again

Katie McCabe

A Lesson In Sharing

Steph Catley

Australia

Jana Fernández 

Camera Shy (Blurb)

Mapi León + Ingrid Engen

Three’s Not A Crowd

Leila Ouahabi

Love At First Flight (Blurb)

#Ace links #Ace's masterlists #woso x reader #lindsey horan x reader #christen press x reader #sofia huerta x reader #alex morgan x reader #emily sonnett x reader #leah williamson x reader #lucy bronze x reader #rose lavelle x reader #millie turner x reader #ona batlle x reader #katie mccabe x reader #alexia putellas x reader #lia walti x reader #ana maria crnogorcevic x reader #steph catley x reader #alessia russo x reader #jana fernandez x reader #mapi leon x reader #ingrid engen x reader #aitana bonmati x reader #leila ouahabi x reader #kyra cooney cross x reader

[s1ater]

time doesn’t stop.

pairings. bellamy blake x fem!reader

about. you attempt to make up with bellamy

warnings. foul language, gif not mine, set at s3e9/10

ricky rocks. missing bellamy hours

for a long time, a lot of people thought it’d always be you and bellamy. and for a long time, you believed it’d only always be you and bellamy.

it was only after mount weather did the pressure and realization of how hard a relationship really could be in living hell came to light; especially after a gunshot wound and many promises to keep one another alive.

you were fools to believe that dating was even a possibility beneath the pressures of trying to survive and play hero—that’s what you thought anyway.

you were ready to let go. ready to move on to callings of death that had been in your head the moment you had laid foot on earth. you had done many bad things that had ended you up in a cell block back at arkadia. some things that people believed were considerably valid for a punishment of death, which you were never really ready for up in that cell. but right then, right on earth and out of a cell, you were ready to die.

you had cursed yourself when you woke up days after, patched up, and relieved from the bullet a mount weather guard shot at you. you were alive, and all curtesy of abby griffin, an angel in disguise, as bellamy thought.

but that bullet changed so much, and created a great amount of damage that not even abby could relieve you from.

he moved on fast. or more of what you thought was fast.

you had left, leaving him angry and in desperate need of something with the amount of ties he still held to you. bellamy had never felt so much attachment to one person other than octavia. but with both of you gone, off with your curious minds in search for something that neither of you had found yet, leaving him alone, he had to find something to occupy himself with.

you just weren’t content with the idea of him kissing another girl.

but he didn’t know you anymore.

it wasn’t until you finally went back to arkadia to find several crazed chipped adults, including your own savior, abby, who rather seemed in need to kill you—did you come to realization that your time there and playing hero was not over.

“what the fuck was that?” you yelled into jasper’s ear as he drove the rover as fast as he could, away from the detrimental chaos that seemed to have erupted the moment you got there.

“hard to explain.”

“well find a way,” you looked down to raven and then to the back of the rover where camp was getting smaller and smaller till the only thing you could see was forestry. “i’m gone for-”

“yeah, that’s right, y/n, you were gone,” jasper finds his voice and yells back. “a lot happens around here if you hadn’t noticed.”

your disappearance hadn’t just affected bellamy, and you were now just beginning to realize it.

you could understand; jasper was holding a lot on his shoulders and the tension of you and then almost getting shot didn’t help the situation, “jasper, i’m sorry.”

“i’m not the sorry you owe it to.”

you frowned, immediately thinking of bellamy. you kept your mouth shut from there on out and let jasper guide his way toward a cave where the rest of your group was supposedly camped out at.

the moment you got there, you could tell everything was tense, even by the split second of seeing octavia walking away with bellamy on her tail before realizing the rover was there.

he squinted at you, before recognition kicked in and he realized exactly who he was looking at as you got out of the rover and moved quickly to open the back with jasper, helping him the best you could with hauling raven from her deadened position, “need your help! we have to get her inside before she wakes up!”

“were you followed?” bellamy trudged his way toward the two of you before taking raven into his own arms, clearly having a better chance of carrying her than the two of you combined.

“maybe, i don’t know.”

you stepped back, looking at bellamy’s face and the way he transfixed into taking lead so fast. his face was all beat up with fresh cuts and light bruises beginning to kiss his skin. it made you narrow your brows due to the last time seeing him, he wasn’t in this rough of shape.

he glanced to you one last time before walking to the cave, jasper following after him.

your head turned to octavia now, who you immediately reached out for as did she, “i have to leave.” her arms were wrapped around your neck, making it easy for you to hear the solum tone shoved deeply in her throat.

“don’t go now,” you shook your head in the hold you both had on each other. “you shouldn’t be alone, not with all that’s going on. not after lincoln.”

your words made the both of you cringe but they didn’t scare her off like you had half expected. she pulled away, nodding before walking into the cave with you.

“i told you on the radio, raven is not raven anymore. jaha has been chipping everyone,” jasper shifted nervously, keeping eyes on the frail girl while he tried his best to catch everyone up. “jaha is using the chips to control everyone. you swallow it, you forget who you are and you see this thing; alie. it made raven slit her own wrists.”

you watched raven carefully as jasper continued to speak on how he was trying to help her. you were losing your mind and couldn’t understand how your previous biggest problem—pike—just got blown out of the water and turned ten times worse.

“you say a chip, maybe it’s like the one clarke carries,” your eyes met jasper’s, “after lexa died clarke carried a chip that she gave to me for safe keeping,” you were quick to pull it out of your pocket. “this?”

jasper shrugs, “not exactly.”

and suddenly raven was on her feet and running, causing all of you to haul after her like a chain reaction. bellamy rung his arms around hers, attempting to restrain her as she looked around anxiously.

“if raven finds out where we are, so will alie and she’ll come for her,” jasper stabbed a reaper stick into her neck, causing her to drop from consciousness once more.

you all huffed and raven was once again hauled into bellamy’s arms. you frowned, suddenly getting an idea, “we have to leave,” your eyes were trained on raven.

“why, she doesn’t know where we are.”

“but i know how to fix this and where to find clarke.”

**

“you came back.”

you glanced up to bellamy who sat across from you. no one had said a word within the time you had all gotten within the rover to get to nyla’s location. not until now.

“why wouldn’t i?”

“you tell me,” his eyes were soft on you but the tone of his voice was condescending and hurtful—he wanted to hurt you.

and you understood why.

“‘time doesn’t stop,’” you looked to your hands as you mumbled the words before gaining enough courage to meet his hard, but eager eyes. “you remember when you first said that? ‘time doesn’t stop, not for me, not for you, not for anyone’… you’re good with your words.” an airy laugh came past your lips as you reminisced about bellamy when you all first landed and he gave a lot of leader speeches to the 100.

you couldn’t help but feel sadness seep in at all corners of your soul of how long ago that was and how your problems dealt with actual people and not a.i.’s.

“time doesn’t stop and i couldn’t handle that, bellamy. i wanted it to, but it just didn’t and i… gave up.”

“on us,” he clenched his jaw, hating how he felt sympathetic for you, hating how he wanted to hold you.

his mind thinks to the gun shot wound, and the blood that stained his hands as he kept pressure to your stomach, watching life fade from your eyes. he wasn’t scared of anything, but you dying proved that statement wrong.

“god, bellamy, i never wanted to.”

“i have a hard time believing that,” he frowned. you could tell he was trying to hide his emotions the best he could by the way he bit his tongue and was so overall tense. “you never looked back.”

“but i did,” you leaned forward, touching his face lightly to which made him slightly flinch, no longer used to the feeling. you almost pulled away but the touch with your finger tips turned to the palm of your hand, hovering over his fresh cuts. “i always did.”

“then you should have come back, should have said something.”

“i am back, i promise, bellamy. i’m back now.”

you could tell he didn’t trust those words even though he wanted so badly to lean into it—to put trust that you were really there and would stay there till the end of your days.

he leaned back, his eyes watching you gingerly, trying to decide on how to feel and what to say, but he just nodded, mumbling, “okay.”

you accepted that as good as mutual ground between you two could get. bellamy was a stubborn person at nature and it was hard to let people back in when they were traitors to his soul, but him defying his morals the best he could just for you was a sign of something positive.

especially when he reached for your hand, and held it tightly between the two of your bodies.

“now, are you going to tell me about your face?”

navigation.

@thecraziestcrayon @mynewnamedoesnotmatter @cc13723things @black-rose-29 @reality-runaway @let-love-bleeds-red @rudypankowisdaddy @the-anxious-youth @kitkat-mini @deadbeatbarb @phantompogues @rowena-ravenclaws-diadem

#bellamy blake angst #bellamy x y/n #bellamy blake oneshot #bellamy blake x reader #bellamy x clarke #bellamy blake imagine #bellamy blake #the 100 x reader #the 100 imagine #clark griffin #lindsey morgan #marie avgeropoulos #octavia blake

[moosealecki]

Cordi x Micki - Unexpected Reunion

| ・゜゜・． we all love a little POV of characters returning, so here is my little blissful moment of writing one of my favorite duos on the show Walker. Not my best written work, just some dribble Drabble

| pairings; cordi x micki

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

It was a normal Wednesday for the Texas ranger. Waking up and starting his daily routine.

Shower, dressed, bed made, and children fed.

“I’ll be working late tonight but call me if either of you need me.” kissing the top of Auggie and Stella’s head. Slipping on his hat and hopping into the truck as he drove out of the driveway. Upon arriving at the station, he didn’t think anything out of the ordinary. Walking inside the doors he made it over to his desk.

Few hours of rolling, it was now nightfall.

“Hey, a couple of us guys are going out to grab a drink, you want to tag along Walker?”

“Uh-no, I got a ton of paperwork to do, you guys go ahead. I’ll catch up later,” he said, never looking up from the screen.

“Right, don’t stay glued to that screen all night Walker, you deserve a break too.”

Cordell didn’t respond, only focusing on the computer screen. He was now alone in the station, it was quiet. He could hear the door opening and then closing as he let out a brief sigh. “Guys, seriously I’m fine.” He said again looking up only to his surprise it wasn’t the guys but Micki.

Standing to his feet quickly but in what felt like slow motion, Micki had a small smile on her lips as she waved. “Walker, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She teased, Cordell finally catching the breath he was holding as he walked around the desk. He wasn’t sure if he was seeing things or if she was there. Almost hesitate to even hug her.

“M-Micki...” he mumbled out before finally lunging forward to wrap his arms around her. Closing his eyes he couldn’t shake the feeling this wasn’t real; she wasn’t back.

“Walker, don’t tell me you got all soft on me after all this time.” She pulled away, gripping his shoulders as she poked at him.

“What are you doing here? I mean great you’re here but.”

“No, I know what you mean, I have honestly been asking myself that same question.” Looking down as she sniffled a bit, it was hard for her to be here after leaving years prior. “ I meant to call to check in, but Walker. Cordell, I’m engaged, and I had a baby, things happened that I’d never think would.”

“No, no listen to me, I’m happy for you, proud of you, okay? It’s not your fault, I could’ve reached out to you too, just been crazy around here, with the kids, and losing the ranch, it’s a lot to process but I’m glad you are here. Remember you are family Mik, always will be.” he pressed his own hands against both sides of her shoulders, squeezing them in reassurance.

She would smile fighting back the tears that threatened to surface. Sniffling again, she opted to smile nervously instead. Nodding her head.

“Mik, I’m stoked you are here, but why are you here?”

“Cordi, I’m here because I need my best man woman, to walk me down the aisle, I need you.”

His eyes were wide for a moment, scratching the scruff on his face. “I- I mean are you sure? I uh- never turn down a good wedding.”

Punching his arm, she nodded. “Wouldn’t want it any other way, Beau.”

“Then count me in Flor.”

#walker family #au cordell walker #cordell walker fanfic #cordell walker #jared padalecki #lindsey morgan #micki ramirez #cordell walker x reader #walker fanfic #walker texas ranger #spnfamily #spn fanfic #supernatural fan fic #supernatural

[carelesslywriting]

Treat You Better - Raven Reyes

I'm so sorry for the long wait for my requests! Moving took a lot more out of me than I thought it would. I'm back now and this is part 2 of 10 to my 10 Days of Music! There are still open prompts on my pinned post you can request your favorite characters to. I'm still taking general requests as well!

Masterlist Here

Word Count: 2086 Trigger Warnings: brief mentions of war Note: These imagines are my own work and I do not consent to distribution of my work elsewhere!

“Raven, can you do it?” You raised your eyebrow in surprise as you walked into the tent that your best friend Raven was in, noticing Finn. 

“Of course she can,” You intervened, knowing they were talking about the bomb that needed to be placed on the bridge. You could easily guess that they intended on using gunpowder and the rocket fuel from the crashed Exodus ship to do just that. 

“Y/N,” Raven said gently, with the subtle implication that you could tone it down a notch. “I can do it.” 

The next thing you know, you and Raven teamed up to go extract the fuel. You knew how dangerous and risky it was, but you didn’t care. You hated watching how Finn treated Raven, and you hated even more watching Raven cry to you as she had to watch the man she fell in love with, slowly fall for someone else. As you both briskly walked towards the crashed ship, Raven looked over at you with sad eyes, looking down slightly as she started to speak.

“You know, he didn’t even hesitate when Clarke fell, it wasn’t even a split second, he just went.” She spoke, voice slightly trembling.

“Raven, you don’t deserve this. I know everything that he did for you on the ship, how much you love him, but I hate seeing you so hurt and torn up over him. You deserve someone who won’t lie to you, who only thinks about you, who will treat you way better than he can,” You replied gently, hoping what you said wouldn’t hurt her even more. 

“I know, Y/N...” Raven trailed off, “He’s the one I want though.” You could tell from her face as she said that, that her belief of that was slowly fading away by the day. 

You left the conversation at that, as you both arrived at the crashed ship. Raven asked you to stay back as she extracted the rocket fuel. She had her space suit on in the process, and you watched as she carefully filled the container she brought for the fuel. You’ve known Raven just about as long as she’s known Finn. Hell, you even knew about the spacewalk because you helped Finn coordinate it for her. You knew the Finn who was up on the Ark, and the Finn that’s down here now, falling in love with Clarke... you feel like you barely know him now. 

You’ve had a crush on Raven for longer than they’ve been dating, but you couldn’t ever let her know because you knew she liked Finn. Despite that, you truly felt like she was spending all her time in the wrong situation now, and a part of you wished she would realize your feelings for her. You know you could treat her better than he can. You absolutely hated all the wasted crying when you should have asked her to be with you instead at the very beginning, before Finn got the chance to swoop in just to break her heart.

“I got it!” Raven exclaimed, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

“I knew you would,” You smiled. “Let’s get back, we need to make that bomb and get it on the bridge fast if we want any chance at surviving.” 

You got back to camp and Raven instantly went to work, and you helped out where you could to get it done in record time. From there, Raven explained how it would work to activate it to you, Finn, and Bellamy. It did use the rest of the gunpowder, but it was a hail mary effort so there would be more fighters. 

“So, which one of you is planting the bomb?” Bellamy asked. You watched as both Raven and Finn hesitated, so you immediately stepped up.

“I will,” You said confidently. 

“Y/N, I got it,” Finn replied, looking a bit nervous as he said it. 

What’s he even trying to do, save face with Raven by looking brave? You rolled your eyes at his comment. Before you could say anything back, you noticed Bellamy’s nose start to bleed. 

“Bellamy, don’t touch anything,” You said, backing up slightly as he noticed the nosebleed. You still weren’t sure if you were immune or not since you haven’t been around anyone exposed. 

“Be ready to go in 10 minutes, I’ll get you a shooter,” Bellamy said, quickly leaving. 

Finn left right behind him, not even saying a word to Raven.  She sighed, looking down sadly again as she started to get everything packed up. 

“I could treat you better than that,” You muttered under your breath, absolutely irritated that Finn would leave without saying a word. You didn’t even realize you had said it out loud. 

“What did you say?” Raven asked, looking confused. 

“Nothing, just talking out loud,” You tried to play it off, unbeknownst to you that Raven had heard exactly what you said. “I’m gonna go check to see if Bellamy got a shooter, I’ll be right back.” 

You left the tent quickly, embarrassed that you had even said that out loud, and even more embarrassed that Raven might have heard. You walked around camp, spotting Finn carrying off Bellamy to the dropship after what looked like a conversation with Jasper. You walked up to Jasper, confirming he was the only shooter not sick and that he was going with you to plant the bomb and detonate it. You didn’t even bother to wait for Finn as you went back to the tent with Jasper to grab the bomb from Raven. However, when you got back, the bomb and Raven were nowhere to be seen. 

“Damn it!” You shouted, looking at Jasper. “Let’s go, she took the damn bomb herself.”

You ran after her, Jasper following behind at a slightly slower pace as you searched for Raven. You couldn’t slow your pace as you ran to the bridge, worried about Raven and hoping she was alright. You finally got to some cover right by the bridge, giving Jasper a minute to catch up to you. You could vaguely see Raven putting the bomb together, however, something seemed off to you. That feeling was confirmed the moment she collapsed right after putting the lid on the aluminum can. 

“Jasper, stay here. When I tell you to shoot, blow it up,” You yelled, already running towards Raven to grab her. 

You could hear the war drums off in the distance, getting closer and closer as you got down onto the bridge where Raven was. You saw the blood as you picked her up without hesitating, slinging her arm around your right shoulder and grabbing the gun she brought with her around your left. 

“Raven, you’re okay, we need to get to cover,” You spoke, wrapping your arm around her waist and going as fast as you could to the rocks off to the side. 

“You didn’t hesitate,” She whispered, gripping onto you and using all the strength that she had in her to help you get safely to cover. “You could get sick, and you didn’t hesitate.”

“You didn’t have to do this alone, I promised I wouldn’t let you down,” You spoke, setting her down with you behind the rocks. “Jasper, blow it!” You yelled, grabbing onto Raven as an attempt to shield her sick body. 

You heard the first two shots of his gun go off, but you knew they didn’t hit when there was no explosion. Shit. 

“Raven, stay down,” You said, moving to the side and standing up, resting the gun against the top of the rock to try and get a shot.

You heard one more shot go off, and it was still a miss. You lined up the shot, taking a deep breath, shooting, and ducking back down the second you heard your gun fire. The next second felt surreal as the ground shook slightly, the massive explosion causing a ringing in your ears as you held Raven in your arms. It worked! Jasper and now Monty slid down to where you and Raven were, helping you carry her back to camp as quick as possible. 

You were all cheered on as you arrived back inside the walls, Finn coming over to take Raven and pick her up to bring her inside. You sighed as you sat down for a minute, taking in everything that had just happened. The bridge was only going to be a distraction, but all you cared about right now was Raven getting better. You gave Finn five minutes before heading into the dropship to check on her and make sure she was okay. As you started to walk in, you heard Raven talking to Finn. 

“You hesitated,” You heard her say. 

“What?” Finn asked, confused. 

“When Bellamy asked who was gonna take it, you hesitated.” Raven paused. 

“It’s what people do when they’re considering something that might blow them up, right?” Finn remarked. 

“Y/N didn’t. You didn’t hesitate when Clarke was falling. You knew she had the virus and you caught her anyway.” Raven answered matter of fact, hurt in her voice. 

“Raven-“ Finn was cut off. 

“You didn’t hesitate.” She stated again. 

“Raven, I love you,” Finn spoke.

“Not the way that I want to be loved.” You decided to walk in after that, watching as Raven told Finn it was over. You saw her give her raven necklace back as she looked at you, and then Finn walked out. 

“You saved my life,” Raven spoke, a small smile on her face. “You never hesitated with me.”

“I’d stop time for you Raven,” You replied, gently grabbing her hand. “I’m sorry about Finn.” 

“Don’t be,” She replied, squeezing your hand gently. “Someone will treat me better than he ever could. It hurts now, but I didn’t deserve what he was putting me through.”

“No you didn’t,” You agreed. “You know I’ll always be here for you.”

“I know, you’ve proved it to me time and time again.” Raven paused, silence taking over both of you for a couple moments. “I should’ve chosen you,” She then said out of what felt like nowhere. 

“What?” You asked, stunned. 

“Y/N I know you’ve liked me, what I’m trying to say is I like you too. I heard you in the tent, saying you would’ve treated me better, and it really made me think about the choices and decisions I’ve made.” Raven answered, lacing her fingers with yours gently. 

“You’re so special to me Raven, I don’t ever want to see you hurt again.” You spoke gently, giving her hand a little squeeze. “I need you to get better so we can talk more about this when you’re feeling one hundred percent. Please get some rest.”

Raven nodded, slowly drifting off to sleep. You stayed awake, not leaving her side the entire time she rested, getting her fluids and helping her up as needed. After another day, she was finally feeling better and able to leave the dropship. You both had a small amount of downtime, so you laid down in her tent together, Raven resting her head on your chest. You knew she was still deeply hurt by Finn’s actions, but her attitude seemed different around you now. She was relaxed, and genuinely smiling while you two talked. 

“Y/N, I want to know what it’s like to be treated better, I want to love someone as deeply as they love me, and I want to be genuinely happy. I want to be with you,” Raven confessed, looking up into your eyes. You leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. 

“I want to be with you too,” Raven smiled at that. “Let’s take it slow,” You followed up with. 

“Slow works for me, but there’s one thing I want to do,” Raven said, reaching up to gently put her lips onto yours. 

Her lips felt so soft, and you found yourself melting into the kiss. Her hand cupped your cheek as she deepened the kiss, and you could feel the passion from her. She pulled away a moment later, nuzzling her head back into your chest and holding your hand as she sighed a breath of relief. You didn’t know where this relationship was going to take the both of you, but you knew you would never do her dirty the way Finn did. You knew you were going to protect her with everything in you. The two of you dozed off for a quick nap, content with the way everything ended up playing out. 

#the 100 #the 100 raven #raven #the 100 imagines #the 100 one shot #imagine #the 100 x reader #lindsey morgan #raven the 100 #the 100 oneshots #the 100 one shots #imagine if #raven reyes one shot #raven reyes oneshots #raven reyes oneshot #raven reyes imagines #raven reyes the 100 #raven reyes #the 100 raven reyes #raven reyes imagine

[sickoherd]

RAVEN REYES — just for her.

fluff

summary: just a cute little drabble

no pronouns for reader mentioned.

era: s1 camp

warning !! swearing

"hey, reyes?"

the brunette turned at the sound of your voice, so soft, for her. you were often known throughout camp for your rude mouth, but for her, you had a soft spot.

in your eyes, raven reyes deserved the world. her shitty boyfriend certainly wasn't willing to give her that, so you took it upon yourself.

you'd dated girls before, but none as smart or beautiful as raven. she was like a breath of fresh air, someone you could be yourself around.

"uh- hi y/n!" raven smiled at you, making your heart sing. in return, the smirk you returned it with completely melted her.

"i made you something."

she could see that you were holding something behind your back, but hearing that it was for her and you made it filled raven with butterflies.

"turn around."

the gentle yet commanding tone you used was something raven loved, and she complied without hesitation. A few seconds later, the mechanic felt a slight weight around her neck.

looking down at it, her heart was racing. a necklace, with a raven on it.

“Y/N this is beautiful, thank you!”

the kiss she gave you was the only thanks you needed.

#raven reyes #the 100 #the 100 fanfiction #the 100 x reader #raven reyes x reader #lindsey morgan #raven reyes fanfic

[13uswntimagines]

13 Eras of Us Era 2: It’s The First Kiss, It’s Flawless, Really Something, It’s Fearless (Taylor Swift X Morgan!Reader)

13 Eras of us Era 1

This is the Era where R and Taylor finally get together. There is a little spice (very clearly marked). R and Alex start to work on their issues, and we learn a little bit more about R's past... situationships. The team learns about "burrito girl" and Kelley saves the day and keeps things on track.

August 2016

And isn’t it just so pretty to think 

All along there was some invisible string

While August was turning out slightly better than July, it was still weird. 

It was weird being at camp when you weren’t on the roster. Weird being around the people you called friends when most of them weren’t talking to you. 

But what made matters worse was that you had been called in hours before camp started. You had blindly thrown random clothing into a suitcase, rushing to not miss the flight Christen, Alyssa, and JJ were on, all while calling your teammates to find one willing to watch your dogs on such late notice. 

Part of you even considered calling Tony, the bodyguard who had strangely stayed in town despite Taylor’s departure, hoping that maybe he could at least check on them until you could guilt one of your teammates into taking them. 

The older couple that lived next to you would let him in, you knew. 

You had given Mr. And Mrs. Rossi keys two days after you had moved in when they brought over a pan of ravioli and introduced themselves. 

You were just lucky that Niki Stanton had answered you just before you boarded the plane with a yes, so you hadn’t had to ask. 

You didn’t want to bug Taylor more than you had to. You didn’t want to assume that Tony would want to help you. 

You sighed, tugging the special 3rd knot on your cleats to make sure it was tight. 

It wasn’t like you would actually be training with the team. You would be there to partner for drills. To make sure that everyone else was prepared to face Ireland. 

The only problem was that it seemed like no one wanted you to partner with them.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. 

Rose and Emily had sent you regretful smiles as Jill directed you to pair with one of the forwards for a passing drill. Alex had already been claimed by Lindsey and Tobin and Christen had chosen each other. 

It left you on the bench, trying to pretend like it didn’t hurt that the rest of the team had lost so much faith in your abilities that they wouldn’t even look in your direction. 

You blew out another breach, checking your left cleat again. 

“Can I partner with you?” Mal asked sheepishly, blocking the beating sun from your face. 

You squinted up at her, your lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “Don’t know if you wanna risk my bad luck rubbing off on you,”

“You don’t have bad luck,” She said, her lips also lifting. “But I will take some of your magic if you’re offering,” 

“You never could get enough,” You wiggled your eyebrows. 

“You’re too much,” Mal chuckled, shaking her head. 

There was a glint in her eyes, one that reminded you of long summers at U15 camp flirting over ice cream cones, and talking about what the future held. It reminded you of an easier time before you had been crushed by expectations. Before there were any expectations. 

You weren’t sure if the feelings you had harbored were real, or just a figment created by excitement and feeling free for the first time. What you did know was that while your feelings had long since mellowed into platonic, the comfort her friendship brought you was still as strong as it ever had been. 

If you couldn’t be on the pitch, you would make damn sure she had the debut of her lifetime. 

She deserved that, and hopefully, you would prove yourself to the coaching staff and be allowed to rejoin the team. 

She grabbed your arm, and dragged you to your feet.“Come on, I don’t want to be late for my first practice,” 

You made a low noise of agreement, trudging after her. 

“Don’t look so glum,” Tobin said, nudging your arm as you stepped into line beside her, across from Mal. “It doesn’t suit your sunny personality,” 

You pulled a face at her, catching the ball with your right cleat as Mal sent it your way, and you tapped it to your left foot and sent it back. “I think a majority of my energy has been sapped by all of my friends hating me,” 

“They don’t,” Christen said simply, flicking her own ball back towards Tobin. 

“We could never hate you,” Alex chimed in, catching a pass from Lindsey. 

“Cause I’m really feeling the love,” You grumbled back, staring at the ball instead of meeting your sister's eyes. 

You could feel their gazes glued to you, and you could imagine the looks on their faces. 

You didn’t need to see it. 

“Alright ladies,” Jill clapped her hands, drawing the group's attention. “Let’s start with passing drills. Midfielders will pass to their forwards, and forwards will attempt to score while the defenders will try to stop you,” 

She gestured towards the line of waiting defenders on one side of the goalpost, and the 3 keepers waiting by the other. “If you score, you get to keep the point. If you don’t, the defense keeps it. The side with the most points at the end will get to skip 2 laps on the conditioning run at the end of practice,” 

Your eyebrows furrowed. 

Jill didn’t usually run drills like this. This was something reminiscent of one of Roary’s drills. 

She couldn’t have been talking to him, but if she was... If she listened to his opinion, then maybe what he said was true. 

Maybe he really did have the power to make or break you. 

It sent an unpleasant shiver down your spine. 

You didn’t want to think about the… thank you you might owe him. Or how his suggestion of extra sessions might actually help. 

“Likewise, the keepers will also try to stop you so select the best shot, not just the easiest,” Jill continued, and you blinked back to yourself. “Questions?”

You shook your head along with the group. 

It didn’t matter who had come up with it. All that mattered was that you showed Jill that you belonged on the roster. That you made her regret not including you. 

“Ready to put on a show?” Mal bumped you as Lindsey and Alex started the drill. 

Alex easily outpaced Becky to get into position, but Lindsey had a harder time faking out Kelley, taking an extra second to make the defender step before she sent a perfect through ball into Alex’s path. 

“Always,” You breathed out as the ball left Alex’s foot, sailing through the air before pinging off of the crossbar. She ran a frustrated hand through her hair, and you dragged your eyes away to look at Mal. “Don't miss,” 

A devilish grin took over Mal’s features. “Don’t worry Ducky, I can’t miss with your magic,” 

She winked at you, and you rolled your eyes. 

You hated that nickname. Not as much as others you had been given. Not enough to ask Mal to get rid of it, not when she liked it so much. 

You stepped up to the ball and focused on Emily across from you as Mal did the same with Abby. 

Nicknames could wait until after you had shown them all why you belonged. 

OoOoOoO

You let out a long breath, standing over the ball as you stared at goal. 

You could hear your teammates behind you, chatting as they packed up their gear, but you did your best to tune them out. 

It didn’t matter to you that practice had ended nearly 15 minutes ago. All that you cared about was scoring from the spot. All you cared about was making sure you never missed another penalty again.

You took three steps back, your eyes flickering to the ball and then back towards goal. The back netting fluttered gently in the wind, like waving hands in the stands. 

You blew out one more breath and leaned into your run, counting down in your head. 

Your eyes never left the net as you took your three-step run up and blasted the ball toward the top right corner. 

It hit the net with a satisfying woosh, sending ripples through the material and rattling the woodwork. 

“Not bad,” 

You blinked at the approaching voice, turning to face the new number-one keeper of the USWNT. 

“Oh, thanks,” You nodded, blushing slightly and running a hand through your hair. You headed towards the goal to collect your ball and shoot again. 

You didn’t really interact with Alyssa, even in Chicago. Her quiet confidence always intimidated you. 

“Mind if I stand in goal for you?” She asked, trailing after you. “I wanna get some reps in,”

You paused, blinking at her. “You don’t have to do that for me,” 

She sent you a small smile. “I know. I want to,” 

You swallowed, flicking the ball up to your hands and tossing it towards her. “If you really want to,” 

“I do,” Alyssa caught it easily, looking at you for a long second. “When you send balls to the top right corner, you tilt your hips to the left in your run-up. It gives you away,” 

Your eyebrows furrowed. You didn’t know you were doing that. 

“Try to stay square,” She continued. “It’ll make it harder to read you,” 

You hummed, biting the inside of your lip as you stepped back towards the spot. 

She rolled the ball towards you, and you carefully positioned it where you wanted it, and took three big steps back. 

You twisted your hips, trying to remember to keep them square as you did your run-up. 

Your eyes fell to the ball, and you let out a long breath, doing the countdown on your head as you dragged your gaze to meet Alyssa’s in goal. 

You leaned onto your toes, doing your run-up and forcing your hips to remain parallel. 

Now that you were in step, you could feel what Alyssa was talking back in the way you wanted to pull to your left for the windup. 

Your foot contacted the ball, and you watched as it flew much more slowly towards Alyssa’s outstretched fingertips. It brushed past her, landing in the net with a much less satisfying swish. 

“I just feel like I don’t have as much power,” You said, watching as Alyssa got back to her feet and fished the ball out of the back of the net. 

“I save goals, I don’t make them,” Alyssa shrugged, rolling the ball back in your direction. “You could ask maybe Pino or your sister,”

Your nose scrunched at the options. 

You would rather gargle thumbtacks than do either considering Pino was still pretending that you didn’t exist and Alex was… too much. 

She was trying too hard, pushing too much and it made you suspicious. Why did she care now when she hadn’t before? When she had been ignoring you since the ball left your foot in Rio? 

When the two of you had been at odds since she left for Berkeley?

“It was just a suggestion,” Alyssa said quickly as you tapped the ball back towards the spot. 

“I know,” You mumbled, repositioning the ball with your hands. “I’ll probably ask Mal later. She’s always been better at PKs anyway,” 

Alyssa hummed in agreement. She didn’t know you well enough to argue, and you seemed pretty close with the new striker. You had perked up considerably after partnering with her during practice, and the two of you had been unstoppable in the new set of drills Jill wanted to try(even if Jill made you sit the scrimmage out). 

She hoped that helping you with your PKs would only add to the good mood you had been riding. She hoped it would help to alleviate the dark cloud that had been following you since the Olympics. 

You were young and under more pressure than anyone your age should ever be placed under. As the captain of your club team, she felt it was her duty to actually do something about it. If that meant standing for a million of your PKs until you felt comfortable, then that’s exactly what she would do. 

You lined up behind the ball, squinting at it. She noticed how you tilted your hips back and forth trying to figure out the mechanics of your kick. 

It amazed her how easily you could adjust, and how smooth you made it look. 

If you could get rid of your little tells, you would be deadly in front of the net. Just as deadly as you were during normal play. 

She watched as you leaned forward on your toes, your feet shuffling as you prepared to kick. 

“Hey you two, we’re going to leave soon,” Alyssa blinked up at Kelley’s voice, just as the ball left your foot. 

She missed your kick, and the ball sailed easily into the net to her left. “We were just finishing up,”

Your shoulders rolled, and it looked like you wanted to argue, but no words left your lips. 

It worried her how much you sunk into yourself at Kelley’s appearance. How your good mood vanished in a second. 

She shared a look with Kelley over your shoulder, noting the worry in the defender's eyes. 

At least someone else saw it too. 

“Come on, you can sit by me at lunch,” Alyssa said, wrapping an arm over your shoulder and guiding you towards the bench with your gear. “We can talk more about ball placement,” 

You made a low noise and allowed her to pull you back towards the team. 

You would take any help you could get. 

 *****

“Where’s Ducky?” Mal asked as she set her plate down on the table beside Lindsey’s, leaving an empty chair on her other side for you. 

She thought practice had gone well, and the good mood you gained through practice stayed with you to the weight and film sessions that followed it. You seemed excited about dinner, hyping up Chef Teron’s cooking and promising that you would join her after you took a shower. 

“Ducky?” Kelley frowned, taking the seat opposite of her. 

“Y/n,” Mal said, glancing up at the defender.  “She found a baby duck at our first camp together,”

It was the truth, even if it wasn’t the entire story. Kelley didn’t need to know exactly how the nickname had been earned anyway. Mal was sure she wouldn’t want to know…

Lindsey shot her a look. A warning of sorts that while Kelley didn’t know the story, the full extent of Mal’s relationship with you, Lindsey definitely did. 

“Em’s not here either. I’m sure they’re just late. You know how they get when they’re together,” Lindsey said, dragging her eyes away from Mal to look at Kelley. 

Kelley shrugged. “It’s entirely possible,” 

You and Emily were known to get into trouble when the two of you were together. 

“What’s possible?” Emily asked, appearing through the meal room door alone. 

“That you and Y/n are late because you two are nuts when you’re together,” Lindsey said, stabbing a piece of her chicken. “It's why Paul banned it at u20 camp,” 

Mal rolled her eyes. “No. He stopped putting them together after Y/n was up for three nights straight because she lost a bet,” 

“That’s true,” Emily shrugged. “She was on the phone with the mysterious Taylor when I left. I didn’t want to wait for her anymore,” 

Kelley’s eyebrows furrowed. “Who?”

She had never heard of Taylor before. 

Emily's shoulders lifted and fell again. “The girl that Y/n isn’t dating but pretty much is,” 

“I’m not dating her,” You grumbled, finally joining the table. 

Mal frowned when you took the seat between Kelley and Emily instead of the seat she had saved for you. She slid the plate she had made for you across the table nonetheless, and you nodded in thanks. 

Emily rolled her eyes, ignoring the way you glared at the side of her head. “She flew to your apartment because she was worried about you, and then went to a shitty game that you only played in for 22 minutes,” 

“I scored a hat trick,” You muttered, stabbing at the pasta Mal had grabbed for you. “It wasn’t that shitty,” 

“I’m sorry, what?” Kelley blinked at you. 

She was usually the first person you told things to, despite how… strained things were between you and your sister at times. It felt very strange to her to be out of the loop. 

You let out a suffering sigh. “It’s nothing. Emily is just blowing everything out of proportion,” 

“Am I?” Emily asked incredulously. “Let me repeat, a girl flew across the country to see you because you were sad,” 

“She’s my friend,” You muttered. 

“Ok,” Kelley said, holding up her hand to stop whatever retort Emily was about to make. “It was very nice of your friend to visit,” 

You hummed, seemingly mollified. “It was. She got to try her first burrito,” 

“What kind of person has never had a burrito?” Lindsey snorted. 

And your shoulders lifted and fell. “She’s from Pennsylvania. I don’t think they’re popular there. Or in Nashville,” 

Emily opened her mouth like she was going to protest, but a sharp look from Kelley had her closing it again. 

The way to get information out of you was to drop the pressure, and let you share what you felt comfortable with, even if it wasn’t the juicy details that anyone really wanted. 

“Does she live in Nashville now?” Kelley asked, pretending like she wasn’t invested in the answer. 

Your nose scrunched, and you chewed your food thoughtfully. You had only visited her in Nashville so far, but you knew she spent a larger amount of time in New York. 

 “At least part-time,” You said, stabbing another set of noodles. “She splits her time between there, LA and New York,”  

“Nice, kid,” Kelley hummed. 

“It’s good to make friends,” Mal added, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, as you smiled brilliantly at her. 

She would believe you when you said that this… Taylor was your friend. After all, she was just your friend too. 

“What about friends?” Alex asked, appearing at the table, and placing her plate down next to Mal. 

“We were just talking about Y/n’s new friend,” Emily said, waggling her eyebrows. “Apparently she never had a burrito before she met your sister,” 

A disgusted look crossed Alex's face. “If that’s a sex thing, then I really don’t want to know about it,” 

“It’s not,” You huffed. “I think about more than just sex you know,” 

“You do? I’m shocked,” Alex deadpanned, and the table burst into bemused laughter. 

“You forgot that she thinks about soccer,” Emily cackled, nudging you. “And the dogs,” 

“Ah yes, the pack of mythological creatures,” Alex said, rolling her eyes. 

“So dogs, soccer, and sex. Seems pretty reasonable to me,” Kelley flicked the side of your head, and you jerked away from her. 

“I fucking hate you guys,” You ground out, stabbing another piece of your chicken, more bitterness than you meant leaking into your tone.

Mal’s head tilted to the side, as the comment only earned more laughter from the table. She noticed something she couldn’t place in Alex’s expression as the giggles died down. 

“I think she thinks a lot about penalty kicks too,” Lindsey added, chuckling. “It was all her and Alyssa would talk about at lunch,” 

Your face twisted into a grimace, and Mal knew at once that you didn’t find it funny. She saw Kelley’s arm shift next to you like a hand was placed on your leg to keep you from pushing yourself out of your seat. 

Alex’s eyebrows furrowed at the comment, and she leaned forward in her chair. 

“Your hips twist to the left when you aim for the top right corner,” She said, her voice going oddly gentle. “If you twist your plant foot outward, it’ll counter it so you can keep your hips square and still have the same power,” 

You froze, your forks halfway to your lips, and your back went rigid. 

It was one thing for Alyssa to offer her help, and another for your sister to do it. 

You bit back your retort that Alex had missed her kick too, that she was no better than you, and forced your fork to your mouth. 

You weren’t in a position to deny help. Even if you didn’t really want it. 

“I can show you later if you want,” Alex continued, seeming unphased by your stiffness. 

“Sure,” Your voice squeaked as you agreed, your eyes dipping. 

Alex’s smile was blinding. “Awesome. We can do it after dinner and before movie night,” 

Your chin barely moved as you nodded in agreement, chewing on your bite. 

Taking pointers from Alex was not a top thing on your to-do list. 

*****

“I just feel like it cuts my power in half,” You sighed, running a frustrated hand through your hair and turning away from the little goal the staff had set up for you. 

“You just need to find the right foot angle so your hips can get around it,” Alex positioned her hands as she explained it. “Just play with it for a bit. I’m sure you’ll get it,” 

You could feel her eyes on you like you were a specimen under a microscope, but you didn’t look up to meet her eyes. 

You couldn’t meet her eyes. 

It reminded you too much of when you were young. Of the hours the two of you would spend in the backyard, critiquing each other play after play. Of the summers you spent under the hot sun, practicing skill after skill until you could take out every other player you faced. 

It reminded you that Alex was more than a teammate. And that was too much. 

“Y/n,” Alex said, her voice going very soft, her hand landing warm and grounding on your shoulder. 

You sucked in a shaky breath. The two of you hadn’t been this close since she left for college. You hadn’t let her this close to you. 

“I’m fine, Alex,” You muttered, trying to shrug her hand off, but she didn’t let you. 

“You’re not,” Her fingers tightened on your shoulder. “And part of that is my fault,” 

Your jaw clenched. “You didn’t sky your penalty,” 

While Alex’s kick hadn’t gone in, it hadn’t been taken nearly as badly as yours was. The keeper had beaten her, while you had simply beaten yourself. 

“No,” She agreed softly. “But I also didn’t make sure you were ok afterward,” 

No. Afterward, everyone split off into different directions to handle their grief. Alex didn’t even say goodbye to you before flying out of Rio. 

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m an adult,” You said, finally looking up to meet her eyes. The eyes were a near-perfect replica of yours. “I’m fine. I’m playing well, and I’m showing everyone that I deserve to be here,” 

Alex nodded. 

She couldn’t disagree that you had been on fire since camp started. That the connection you and Mal had on the pitch was proving to be lethal, and that she was sure Jill regretted that you wouldn’t be eligible for the game against Australia. 

But she could see that you were not fine. 

She wished you trusted her enough to admit it. 

“You might be an adult, but you’re still my little sister,” Alex said, her voice still soft, but determined as she squeezed your shoulder again. “And I want to be there for you,” 

“Now you want to be here for me. Now that everyone is watching you care. Now when it’s convenient,” You muttered, finally pulling yourself free of her hand. 

Her eyes snapped towards you, and the bitterness in your tone. “What?”

You paced towards the ball, taking extra time to fish it out of the back of the net, watching it as you directed it back towards the penalty spot. 

“You care now because that’s what you think is expected of you,” You said finally, your voice barely above a whisper. “You care because it’s convenient for you now that we’re in the same place. When I go back to Chicago, you’re going to go back to not giving a fuck,” 

“Let’s get one thing straight,” Alex growled, catching your wrist, and whipping you around to face her. “I have never not given a fuck,” 

Your jaw worked like you were contemplating the next words to come out of your mouth, and you slowly looked up to meet her eyes. 

They weren’t the icy stone that she expected or the cold blue that she had become accustomed to. 

They were a deep turquoise, vibrant, and… open. Vulnerable in a way they hadn’t been since you were 9 years old. 

“You just left me,” You said. “And then I was alone,”

Something dark lingered under your words. Something that she knew you weren’t saying. Something that she had a feeling was far deeper than what happened after the Olympics. 

“You have never been alone,” Alex grit out, the hand on your arm tightening. 

You rolled your eyes, ripping away from her grasp for the second time. “Whatever Alex,” 

Alex opened her mouth, a scathing retort on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t let it fly. She paused, watching the way you focused back on the ball. You flicked it up onto your toe box, juggling it a few times before you let it fall perfectly on the penalty spot. 

She recognized the movement. It was the same one you used when you were young, and you felt too vulnerable to talk. When you needed to control your emotions. 

She let out a long breath, calming the agitation still simmering in her chest. 

You wouldn’t respond to anger and harsh retorts. No. She had to take a more gentle approach. One that wouldn’t threaten your vulnerability. 

“I shouldn’t have left right after the game in Rio,” She said softly, taking a very slow step toward you. “I’m sorry that I didn’t stay to make sure you were alright,” 

Your shoulders rolled, and you positioned yourself to take another kick. “I didn’t need you to stay,” 

“I also should have checked on you after we got back, instead of just assuming that you were fine,” She pushed on as if you hadn’t spoken.

A strange sort of grimace flashed across your features. One you tried to smother as you did your signature run-up, keeping your hips square (and turning your foot out slightly wider) as you took your kick.

The net swished as the ball made contact, banging into the top right corner with a satisfying rattle. 

It was still amazing to her how quickly you could make adjustments. How easy it was for you to figure out the body mechanics to make a slight change work. 

She took another step towards you. “I know I haven’t been there for you, but I want to be. Not because I think it’s what’s expected of me, but because you’re my sister and I love you,”

She wanted to reach out and catch your shoulder again. To force you to look at her, but she knew that wouldn’t help. 

All she could do was watch as the words filtered through your brain; as you worked them over in your head; as you realized that she wasn’t looking for a fight or defend herself and your posture very slowly relaxed. 

“There’s an app,” Alex continued, taking the last step towards you, getting so close that she was nearly brushing your back. “It tracks miles, and fitness, and calories, and I think it could help us reconnect if you want to try it,” 

She could see the way your jaw worked, as you stepped away from her to collect the ball from the net again like you were chewing on her both words and her offer. 

The offer she meant to make while the two of you were still in Rio. 

She waited as you rolled the ball out of the net, flipping it between your feet for a long minute before you finally looked up and met her eyes. “Ok,” 

She nodded, more to herself than to you, just thankful that you had responded at all. She hadn’t expected even that. 

“I love you,” She repeated softly, reaching out and catching your hand and squeezing in 3 slow pulses. 

You squeezed it in return. “I love you too,” 

The slight reluctance in your tone bothered her, but she would take what she could get with you. It was more than she had gotten in a very long time. 

You cleared your throat, breaking the comforting silence that stretched between you. “When I want to kick it left, would I just angle my plant foot in the opposite direction?”

She blinked, once, twice, 3 times. “Yeah. It’ll help you prevent your hips from telegraphing,” 

You hummed, turning away. 

She should have known that you wouldn’t comment further. That you would turn back to football as soon as you could. She knew it wasn’t personal. 

But she wished it didn’t sting as much. 

******

You glanced down at the new addition to your right wrist, shaking your hand and testing how much the little watch slid with the movement. You had been playing with it since Kelley passed it to you at breakfast. 

You didn’t know that Alex’s app required a stupid piece of jewelry, but you hadn’t had the heart to take it off yet. Not when she was actually trying. 

It was still irritating to you, and you worried that it would get in the way during your afternoon practice and lift session, even if you wouldn’t be allowed to join their walkthrough. 

You didn’t want to break it before you really got to use it. You didn’t think that your Red Stars salary would stretch enough to cover a new one. Not when you were planning extra trips to New York. 

You sighed, grabbing your cup of green juice and taking a large sip. 

You were probably going to have to budget more as it was. Flights weren’t cheap, and neither was food, or a hotel (even if Taylor insisted you could stay with her. As her best friend).

“Hey kid,” Jill said, knocking on the Hotel lobby table. “Got a second?”

You gulped down the liquid and gestured towards the empty couch across from you. “Always coach,”

She smiled and settled into the seat. You leaned forward in your own, your drink landing on the table with a thunk. 

“We’re placing you on the active roster for the game against Canada,” Jill said. “Roary said that you had been making slow improvements, but I wanted to see for myself. You’ve proven that you deserve the spot,” 

“I…-“ You blinked at her. “Thank you. I will not let you down,” 

She waved you off. “I’d like to see some nice linking with Mallory and your sister. I want to really push Trancredi and Chapman,” 

“I can do that,” You nodded seriously. You knew you could get balls to Alex and Mal. You knew you could stretch the defense. 

You were a menace on the pitch, especially when you had something to prove. 

You had everything to prove. 

“I know,” Her lips ticked up and she reached across the table to pat your knee as she stood. “Go eat. You’ll be joining full team practice after lunch, and dawn will have my head if you pass out,”

You matched her smile. “Yes, coach. Thank you,” 

“You’ve earned it,” She said, turning and heading off towards the meal room, but she paused before she exited the lobby. “And stop hiding from your friends,” 

You blushed but nodded in agreement anyway. She winked as she left, and you couldn’t help the bubbling laugh that left your lips, undeterred by her request to stop icing out the team. 

She invited you because she wanted to see your progress herself. She wanted to see if you were progressing as slowly as Roary said you were, and you had proven that you weren’t. You had proven you were an asset. 

You had proven them wrong. 

The elation filled your chest, like champagne in a shaken bottle and all you wanted was to let it out. You wanted to tell someone. 

Well, not someone. You wanted to tell Taylor. 

She was the one who convinced them that you could prove them wrong after all. The one who had been there for you, even before you took the penalty kick in Rio. 

You grabbed your green juice from the table and pushed yourself up from the armchair, pulling your phone out of your pocket as you hung a left down a side hallway by the meal room so you could have some privacy before you faced the rest of the team. 

You easily flicked through your contacts, pausing over the one you had recently changed from blondie to Athena after the goddess of wisdom, and pressing it gently. 

“Hey, what’s up,” Taylor’s smiling face met you after the second ring. “Everything ok?” 

“Better than ok,” You nodded excitedly, flashing her a brilliant grin. “Jill added me to the active squad, and I’m playing in the game on Saturday against Canada,” 

Her eyes lit up. “Oh my god! That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you!”

Red leaked into your cheeks. “Thanks,” 

She hummed, her smile shifting into something softer, silence stretching between you for a long second. 

“What time?” She asked, and your eyebrows pulled tightly together. “What?” 

“The game,” She said, the soft look never leaving her eyes. “What time is it on?”

“6ish I think?” Your voice tilted up in question. 

The truth was you didn’t actually know what time the game was on. You didn’t know what time you needed to be on the bus, or when warmups started. 

It was the nice thing about camp. 

You never had to think about a schedule. You just went with the flow.

“I’ll look on the USWNT website,” Taylor rolled her eyes affectionately at you. 

“Good plan,” You said, your head bobbing. 

You opened your mouth to add a quip, but the sound of your name interrupted you. 

You blinked up at the new voice, suddenly realizing that your side hallway wasn’t as private as you thought it was. 

“You’re going to miss lunch,” Mal said, and you wondered how long she had been standing there. How long had she listened in? 

You waved her off. “Just save me a plate,”

You could eat after you were finished with your call. 

“No,” Mal glared at the phone in your hand.  “come on,” 

“You’ve gotta go,” Taylor interjected softly before you could send whatever whippy retort was on your tongue towards Mal, pulling your attention back to the screen. “We’ll talk later, I promise,”  

“I’ll see you later,” You sighed, waving towards Taylor before hanging up, a millisecond before Mal peeked at the screen. 

“That was rude,” You grumbled, slapping her arm when she was close enough. “I was having a conversation,” 

“Well, you were late,” Mal said, rolling her eyes and hooking her arm through yours to pull you tightly to her as she dragged you towards the meal room. “And you get grumpy when you don’t eat,” 

You got more grumpy when you didn’t get to talk to Taylor, but you didn’t voice that thought. 

You didn’t need anyone else questioning your relationship with Taylor, not when she was very firmly your friend. 

OoOoOoO

September 2016

Is it cool that I said all that?

Is it too soon to do this yet?

Cause I know that it’s delicate

The craziness that was August simmered down considerably as soon as September started. It was like the sudden chill in the air was a balm to the insanity that always accompanied the stretch to the playoffs.

With Chicago at the very bottom of the table, well besides Orlando, you knew that your season would likely end in 4 games. It should have made you feel bad, but it didn’t. All you could muster was a strange sense of… blaséness. 

You didn't have it in you to care after the loss of the Olympics. Not in a league that didn’t matter. 

It wasn’t like you were playing for Arsenal. 

What you did care about was that you had earned your national team spot back. 

With 2 assists and a goal yourself against Canada, you had solidified why you deserved your callup. That was before you found out that Taylor was there. 

Things only got better when you got to see her after the game. When you got to hug her and hear her say how proud she was of you. When you got to solidify your plans to see her when you played against Sky Blue. 

Nothing could dampen your… excitement, not even Mal (drunkenly) hanging off of you during the post-game dinner celebration. 

That carried over into your upset win over Portland with Chicago, and the week of practice you had between them and your game in New York. 

And now, sitting in the back of a dark dive bar in Tribeca, trying to ignore your drunk friends (teammates and foes) celebrating, your excitement. Your happiness was nearly palpable. 

Taylor was going to swing by before you left, and the two of you were set to hang out tomorrow too.  

But still, you couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling in the back of your mind. Of the butterflies that fluttered in your chest each time you so much as thought about Taylor. 

You tried to slam a lid on it. To shove it into a little box, because you knew that if you let it out, you would fuck up your friendship. 

It was how you saved your friendship with Mal after all wasn't it?

You had swallowed the lump in your throat, and taken the little piece of her that she gave you. You had even listened to her talk about him while the two of you cuddled. 

But it was different because you weren’t sleeping with Taylor. 

“Hey, sorry I’m kinda late,” Taylor said, just as a hand landed very gently on your shoulder. 

Your lips instantly ticked up at Taylor’s voice and you turned towards the back of the bar to greet her (slightly surprised she hadn’t come in the front). “Hey, no worries,”

You pushed yourself to your feet and pulled her into a tight hug. Your nose pressed against her neck, and you tried not to think about how the scent of lavender and something so innately Taylor put your swirling thoughts at ease. 

You leaned back with a genuine grin, and slid her the drink you had ordered for her “Old fashion right?”

She frowned but took the drink anyway. “How did you order this? You’re not 21 yet,” 

You shrugged and slid back onto your stool. “I didn’t have to order it,” 

She took the stool next to you, her eyebrows lifting. 

“Really I didn’t,” You said, reaching for your own glass. “The losing team always buys the first round at least,” 

She eyed it warily as you brought it to your lips, taking a sip of her own.

“It’s water,” You said before she could ask. “Because Kelley and Christen strongly disapprove of underage drinking,”

“I do too,” Taylor hummed, leaning closer to you so she could hear you over the bar noise. 

“I know,” You said, sending her a cheeky smile. “How was the studio? Cooking up something good?”

She took a sip of her drink. “I think so. I can show you some of them tomorrow,”

“That would be cool,” You nodded, your eyes flickering towards your teammates. “There’s also a cool little brunch spot in TriBeCa. It’s called the bus stop,”

“I’ve heard about it,” Taylor hummed. “It’s like two blocks from my apartment,” 

“I can pick you up tomorrow and we can go,” You said, watching Taylor carefully. “Roary gets upset when I skip out early,” 

You didn’t want to be too… forward. 

You didn’t want to tip the hand on your feelings when you knew she didn’t feel the same. 

“That should work,” Taylor agreed, without even blinking. “I’ll let Jason know you’re coming and I’ll text you directions to the back entrance,” 

“Jason?” You smirked, trying to keep your voice neutral, and wiggled your eyebrows to complete the effect. “Have a boyfriend you’re not telling me about?”

She was your friend you reminded yourself. You weren’t allowed to feel upset if she was dating someone. She probably wasn’t even interested. 

“No,” Taylor chuckled around a sip of her drink. “Jason is my head of security. He’ll let the team know that you’re not just some random fan,”

“Have many of them knock on your door?” You asked, your smirk widening into something that reminded her of a Cheshire Cat grin as you nudged her shoulder gently. 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” She sighed heavily and a dark look crossed over her features (making you instantly regret the joking tone you had used). “It’s only gotten worse lately, especially since the video came out,”

You grimaced, your nose scrunching adorably. 

You thought the entire handling of the situation by Kanye’s camp was fucking disgusting. You thought he was a total narcissistic creeper and a douche. 

You had already gotten your national team teammates to agree not to listen to it. 

“If he’s ever at a game, I’ll put a price on who can peg him in the head more times,” You Promised with a short nod, and it earned you the desired effect of her giggle. “But seriously I think it’s fucking gross and that he needs to get a life,” 

“I appreciate that, but I don’t need you to fight for me,”  She said, laying a hand on your shoulder. 

“I know,” You nodded. “But I will anyway. A man should know how to treat people,” 

You would always be willing to defend her honor, just like you would defend Mal or any of your teammates. 

Well, maybe this wasn’t like Mal. You didn’t crave Mal’s soft smile or… praise like you did Taylor’s. You didn’t need Mal to acknowledge your bravery like you wanted Taylor to…

God you were really starting to lose the plot. 

Taylor was your friend. 

“I appreciate it,” She said, red coloring her cheeks. “Anyway, what are your other plans for tonight?”

“I’m going to help Christen drag the team back to the hotel, and then I’ll probably crash,” You shrugged, gesturing towards where Christen and Kelley were dancing with Huerta and Sam Kerr. “This way I’m actually awake to hang out with you tomorrow,” 

Taylor’s lips quirked up into a teasing grin. “I do prefer you conscious,” 

You wiggled your eyebrows, shifting on your stool to block Taylor from the view of your teammates when you caught Christen's eye. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t trust them, you just wanted to keep Taylor to yourself. You didn’t want to have to share her. 

“I didn’t know you owned anything other than sweatpants,” Taylor continued, gesturing towards the dark blue jeans you had accented with a pair of Batman Nikes.

You took a sip of your water to cover the light pink that dusted your cheeks. Maybe you had dressed up because you knew you were meeting her at the bar. “We won, so I had to wear something other than warm-up gear. Christen picked them,” 

Christen had helped you because you didn’t actually know how to put an outfit together. You wore sweats because they went with everything. You didn’t have to think about things matching. 

So by the 3rd try, the forward had taken pity on you. Picking a Manchester City jersey to go with your dark pants and your Nike kicks. 

Taylor hummed, smiling very gently at you like she was reading your mind. 

Really, she was fighting to keep her eyes from tracing your arms where you had rolled the jersey sleeves, and from dipping down to where your jeans hugged your ass. 

“Will you be back to your normal style tomorrow, or is she going to pick your outfit again?”

You rolled your eyes at the playful question. “Depends, do I get anything if I dress up?”

“I’ll buy you breakfast,” She smirked and you chuckled, more red bleeding into your cheeks. “Or brunch,” 

“I think that sounds like a fair trade,” You chuckled, nodding along. She giggled at you, and it was like music to your ears, even against the backdrop of the noisy bar. 

It made your smile broaden, just like it always did. It shouldn’t fill your chest with so much pride that you were the reason she was giggling. 

You really needed to get a handle on yourself before you did something stupid that pushed her away. 

You needed to make sure you wouldn’t ruin your friendship. 

You didn’t know what you would do if you lost Taylor. 

********

“I don’t think words can describe how adorable she is,” Taylor sighed towards her phone, taking a sip of her red wine. “I swear she blushes every time I so much as look at her,” 

It wasn’t her first glass of the night. It wasn’t even her second. 

She had opened the bottle as soon as she had gotten back from the bar, and now it was verging on halfway gone. 

She could feel the effects starting to take place, the way it loosened up her muscles and tongue. The way she couldn’t stop gushing about everything that had happened with you up to this point, not that her best friend was in the dark. She had been telling Selena about you for months, recounting each interaction the two of you had from the texting to the pillow fort cuddles. 

Selena hummed, taking a sip of her own wine on the other side of the phone. “I’m surprised considering how… fierce she was on the field. She almost murdered someone today,”

Taylor rolled her eyes. 

You had gotten in a defender's face after a bad tackle just outside of the box, turning angrily towards the reff when no yellow card followed the challenge. 

“That was a bad call and the reff knew it. The defender came in studs up and ruined a good through ball opportunity,” She said. 

Selena raised an eyebrow. “You know you sound like you’re speaking a different language right?”

It was something that had been happening more frequently. Taylor explaining soccer plays and referring to teams using phrases that Selena had never heard before. With all the time the singer had been spending with you, it shouldn’t have been surprising that Taylor would pick up on the dialect that was always on your lips. 

That didn’t mean that Taylor’s best friend couldn’t tease her for it. 

“Y/n was right to get upset. The defender could have hurt her,” Taylor reiterated seriously. 

“I’m sure,” Selena’s tone dripped with sarcasm as she studied her for a long moment. “When are you going to admit that your sudden interest in soccer is because you’re interested in her,”

Deep red immediately bled into Taylor’s cheeks, setting her face aflame.

 “I've already admitted that,” She muttered, hiding behind a sip. 

“Let me rephrase then,” Selena said, a trading smirk on her lips. “When are you going to admit it to her, because no offense, but she obviously hasn’t gotten the message yet, even after you continue to fly out to her games,”

Taylor choked on her wine, “I thought she finally understood tonight. She saved me a spot away from her teammates so we could have privacy, but then she said something about us being best friends when she walked me to the car,” 

“You’re going to have to be more direct,” Selena said, as Taylor took the last sip from her glass. 

“It’s just…” Taylor sighed, setting the empty glass down. “She’s still so young. She just turned 19. I don’t want to… I don’t know, pressure her into something,”

“I don’t think you are,” Selena said slowly, her lips pursing. “You’re both adults who can consent, and even though you’re older, I don’t think there's an unfair power dynamic happening. You’re her sister’s age right?”

“Yes,” Taylor nodded. 

Her and Alex were both born in 1989, and actually, your sister was older than her by almost 6 months, and you were very much an adult. She had made sure of that, refusing to even pursue a friendship until you were 18. 

“Then it’s not like you're some older woman trying to take advantage of her,” 

“No, I’m not. I would never,” Taylor immediately agreed. 

She would do anything to make sure you weren’t being taken advantage of. She knew how powerful existing dynamics could be, and she did her best to avoid their effects. 

You had to consent at every stage, even your friendship. 

“Then there you go,” Selena shrugged, wiggling her fingers at the screen. “Now can you please stop with the pining and make an actual move? It’s less fun than it was before,” 

Taylor threw her head back with a groan. “But how,” 

She had literary flown across the country because you had been added to the starting lineup for the national team and you still didn’t catch the message. 

Selena chuckled. “You’ve literally written a song about it,”

Taylor groaned again. 

She knew the song that Taylor was talking about. She could hear How you get the girl ringing in her head. 

But this was different. 

You didn’t even know about the pressure that had driven them apart. The demands that her management had of her. The complications of her… profession made it impossible for them to be together in the way that she wanted. 

And she hadn’t communicated that nearly as well as she wanted to. 

“That was different. I fucked up and Diana wouldn’t talk to me,” She said softly, 

“But you know the basics. It’s even raining,” Selena shrugged for a 3rd time, smiling impishly at her. “It doesn’t have to be complicated,” 

Taylor bit her lip. 

Selena made it sound simple, but maybe it was. 

“You’re right,” Taylor hummed, a plan forming in her mind. “I'll call you later. After,” 

Selena smirked. “Good luck with lover girl, but I don’t think you’ll need it,” 

“Thanks,” 

******

Taylor shouldn’t have been shocked by how easy it was to get into the hotel that the team was staying at. She shouldn’t have been surprised that the teenager behind the front desk gave her a room number with very little persuading. 

There also hadn’t been any security on the elevator. Or on the floor, your room was on. 

It was a little scary that she could get to you with literally no one stepping in, but considering your frequently snarky comments about how little people actually cared about you and the league, she should’ve expected it. 

If you said yes. If you started a relationship with her, she would have to do something to put a barrier between you and the fans. 

You probably wouldn’t like the idea of someone trailing you around, like Jason and her team trailed her, but it would be necessary. She would have to talk to Jason about it. Maybe Tony would be up for the job, you seemed to like him anyway. 

Finding your door was as easy as getting the number from the receptionist. 

But she paused in front of the ugly red door, her heart pounding on her chest. 

She swallowed hard, lifting her hand and knocking three times on the door. 

She had no reason to be nervous. You loved seeing her, and it wasn’t like you could bring one of your… conquests to a hotel room you shared with a teammate. 

It would just be your sleepy smile that would meet her. The one where your eyes crinkled and you ran a hand through your ever-unruly curls. 

But it wasn’t your tired smile that met her. 

Instead, it was Christen’s Press’ wide smirk, as the older forward opened the door. 

“So you’re the mystery girl from the bar,” Christen’s chin tilted towards her as she leaned against the doorframe. “I thought I recognized you,”

Taylor’s fingers wound into her cardigan, and she swallowed trying to get some moisture in her suddenly dry throat. 

“Is Y/n here?” 

Her voice came out shaky, horse. 

Christen bit her lip, watching Taylor closely like she was a specimen under a microscope. 

“She is not,” She said finally, her arms crossing over her chest, almost defensively. 

“Oh,” 

Taylor’s whole being deflated. 

If you weren’t here, then where were you? Who were you with?

Christen glanced into the room behind her. “She should be back soon though. Wicked started at 8, and she swore it was only a 3-hour show with a thirty-minute intermission,” 

Taylor’s eyebrows furrowed. “She’s on Broadway?” 

You insisted that you hated anything with a plot, but Broadway musicals had a plot. You had also told her that you were just going to hang out at the hotel with your friends. 

Why had you lied? 

Taylor could see the pity in her eyes, and she hated it. 

“Yeah,” Christen nodded once. “She sees at least one show every time she’s in New York. It’s like her 8th time seeing Wicked, but it’s her favorite,” 

“Oh,” Taylor breathed out. 

A pained look crossed Christen’s face, and she shifted on the door frame. 

“I’m sure you’ve heard about y/n’s reputation. I just…,” Christen’s voice was soft, hesitant even. “If… you woke up alone… or if she promised you something…”

Taylor frowned immediately shaking her head. “We didn’t-. She didn’t-. I wanted to talk to her about our plans for tomorrow,” 

Relief washed across Christen’s face. “Good. The two of you looked adorable in the bar, and she wouldn’t shut up about you. She has a habit of ruining things she thinks she doesn’t deserve,” 

Taylor’s eyebrows furrowed. 

What did Christen mean? What did you ruin? 

“You said she’s seeing Wicked tonight?” Taylor asked, her head tilting. 

Jason should be able to get her close to the theater before they let out. Maybe she could catch you. 

Christen nodded, sensing that Taylor was already forming another plan. “Yes. Jackie Burns is playing Elphaba and she’s one of y/n’s favorites,” 

“Thanks,” 

Taylor was already turning away from her, phone in hand. 

Christen caught her arm before she could retreat down the hall, and Taylor met her deep green eyes. “Just… treat her right, ok?”

“I will,” 

Both women felt the weight of the words. The promise. 

“There will be a hoard of angry footballers with a bounty on your head if you don’t,” Christen’s lips cracked into a smile as she released the singer. “Y/n doesn’t just let anyone close to her,”

“I know,” Taylor matched her grin. 

Taylor had already gotten close to you. Closer than you had let nearly everyone before her. Now she just had to actually get you to agree that your relationship was more.

She would, and then she would protect your relationship and you with everything she had. 

******

Sometimes, being a professional soccer player was… strange. 

Strange because you played on a well-known team, but that you could easily disappear into a crowd. Strange because strangers on the internet all so many opinions about you, but none of them actually knew you. 

They didn’t know how much you loved musicals because it let you escape the truth of your own reality for a few hours. They didn’t know how much you loved the way the skyscrapers were accented against the star-dotted sky. How the billboards lit up the sidewalk and the pedicabs and taxis when you stepped out of a show. 

How the rain made the lights twinkle like the street was covered in fairy dust. 

How the cool October air filled your lungs as you shoved your hands deeper into your pockets as you left the Gershwin Theater. 

You would stay and stand at the stage door, but it was already nearing midnight. You promised Christen you wouldn’t be back too late, and the dollar pizza guy around the corner from the hotel closed at 1. You would not be missing out on a greasy one-dollar slice. It was tradition after all, and you already had Jackie Burns’ signature on a framed shirt. 

Plus the rain made anything but finding the subway entrance something you wholeheartedly didn’t want to do. 

“Y/n,” 

You dipped your head at the call of your name, slipping further into the crowd and leaving the theater. 

You didn’t think that anyone would recognize you. They rarely ever did, but then again your face had been plastered all over the place since Rio. 

You weren’t in the mood to deal with fans anyway, even after a solid win over Sky Blue. Not while you were getting soaked. 

“Y/n, wait!” 

You pulled your hood over your head, ignoring the way it pressed into your damp curls, and hunched your shoulders in an attempt to make yourself disappear. 

You just needed to get around the corner of the Barclay building and cut between the hotdog cart and Juniors and you would be safe in the subway station. Away from prying eyes and the drenching rain, and back towards the team hotel in SoHo. 

“Y/n,” 

The voice was even closer, and a hand caught your arm just as you made it to the corner, pulling you to a dead stop. You let out a long, weary breath, painting a million-dollar smile on your face as you turned. 

Yelling at a fan wouldn’t go over well. 

But it melted as soon as you saw exactly who had grabbed you. 

“Taylor?” Her hair was plastered to her head, her dark gray cardigan soaked through, and her blue eyes accented by running makeup. “Where is your coat? What are you doing here?” 

“I need to talk to you,” 

“We need to get you out of this rain,” You muttered, ignoring her. You yanked your zipper down, and tugged your arms out of your jacket, tucking it around her shoulders and pulling the hood over her head. “You’re going to get sick,” 

You caught her hand after you zipped the coat around her and began to drag her towards the subway. 

At least the 51st station was heated. 

“Y/n wait,” 

Her slippery fingers tugged on yours, trying to slow you down. Trying to stop you. 

“No. It’s like 50 degrees out here and raining,” You grumbled, not even looking at her. 

How had she found you? Why was she out in the rain looking for you? What if she got Pneumonia because she chased after you without a coat?

You were trying to remember what Alex and Kelley always said about rain and cold, after rain games. You were trying to remember how Alex would get you warmed up when you were young. 

“Y/n, stop,” Taylor tugged at your hand again, and you glanced over your shoulder at her, still refusing to stop pulling her towards the subway. 

“What? I don’t want you to get sick and die,” You bit back, as the rain got harder, bouncing off Taylor’s hood in large, heavy drops. “Why would you come out here without a raincoat or an umbrella? Or-,”

Taylor jerked you towards her before you could finish, and before you could process what was happening, her lips met yours, stealing the end of your sentence. 

You blinked, your lips frozen for a long second, taking in the feeling of Taylor’s warm lips accented by the cool drops of rain. 

It was like your brain had short-circuited. 

You couldn’t kiss back, or pull away (even though you didn’t want you). All you could do was stand here, mouth halfway open, blinking owlishly at her. 

Her thumb brushed against your cheek as she leaned back, her eyebrows furrowed with worry that she had crossed a line. “Y/n,” 

You blinked again, water dripping off your lashes. 

Taylor kissed you. 

She kissed you in the rain. 

Taylor liked you. 

But she hadn’t said that. She hadn’t said anything. 

You blinked for a third time, tilting your chin up and leaning forward to connect your lips again.

 Taylor sucked in a breath before gently returning the kiss. 

Your lips moved together like they were made for each other. It was slow and warm, and… wet, accented by the rain dripping down your faces. 

Your hands found her waist, your fingers squeezing her hips, and hers tangled in the soaked baby hairs at the back of your neck. 

It was a perfect first kiss. Something out of a fairytale, or one of Taylor’s songs. 

You finally pulled away, breathing heavily through your nose, almost like you had run a full 90. 

“It’s raining, and I don’t want you to get sick,” You mumbled, leaning in and pecking her lips again. 

“Jason and the car are that way,” She said, gesturing back toward the theater.

You lifted your head in that direction, noting the sleek, black Escalade among the yellow cabs. You couldn’t see who was inside, but you knew that that would be true even if it wasn’t nighttime and pouring with the blacked-out windows. 

It had to be worth more than pretty much everything you owned, and you were soaked through. 

It would ruin the interior, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to afford fixing it.

Taylor shivered though, and you sighed, nodding. “Let’s get you warmed up,” 

“You need to get warm too,” Taylor hummed, trailing her hand down your bare arm and catching your fingers. “I have towels in the car,” 

You squeezed her hand, letting her lead you towards the car. The door was open by the time you got to it, the back seat already littered with black towels and a blanket. 

Taylor slid in first, and you followed after her, wiping your curls out of your eyes, and allowing her to wrap a towel around you, even though you didn’t feel cold. 

“Back to your apartment?” The bulky blonde man in the front seat asked, turning to look at Taylor. 

“I have to go back to the team hotel,” You said before she could answer him. “I’ll get in trouble with the coaching staff if I don’t go back, and it’ll upset my teammates,” 

Taylor’s hand landed on your thigh, squeezing gently like she was telling you that she would take care of it. 

“The hotel it is,” The man smiled, turning back towards the steering wheel, and flicking one of the buttons near the center console. More heat began to flood the car, as it inched forward. “Traffic is pretty bad with this rain, so it’ll be a bit,”

“Thanks, Jay,” Taylor sighed, grabbing the blanket and tossing it over the two of you. “We’re not in a hurry,” 

He glanced up at you in the rearview mirror. “Would you like me to put up the privacy curtain?”

Taylor’s lips curved into a playful smile, and she squeezed your thigh again. “No. Not tonight,” 

You raised an eyebrow at her. 

Did she do this often? This couldn’t have been the first time she was with someone in the back of the car. 

The thought made your stomach tumble.

Maybe the kiss wasn’t because she wanted something more, but because she wanted… sex. It wouldn’t be a shocker with your reputation. You were easy, always up for a lay. She just wanted to blow off some steam. 

You shut down that thought. 

It didn’t matter. 

“Are you warm enough?” Taylor asked, and your eyes snapped up to meet hers. 

“Hm?” your eyebrows furrowed deeper. 

You didn’t feel cold. 

She reached up very slowly, brushing a stray curl from your forehead and laying a thumb very gently on your lips. “Your lips are still trembling,” 

You leaned into the warmth of her hand, unable to stop yourself. “Oh, I’m ok. I’ve had to play in the rain before. This isn’t that bad,” 

She looked unconvinced, her other hand adjusting your towel so it covered more of your frame. “You shouldn’t have given me your jacket,”

“You shouldn’t have been out in that without one,” You shrugged, earning an eye roll. 

“I had important things to talk to you about,” She said, her thumb dragging from your lips to brush your cheek. 

Your lips tilted into a teasing smirk. “I don’t think we actually talked,”

“But I think you got the message,” She murmured, completing the circuit with her thumb back towards your lips. 

“Did I?” Your eyebrow quirked up at her. 

She tapped your lips, before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to them. You couldn’t help the way you leaned into her, and kissed back, even if it had warning sirens blaring in your head. 

You would ignore the gnawing feeling that this would ruin your friendship and that Taylor would leave when she was done with you 

“You did,” She hummed as she pulled away, her thumb gliding across your cheek again. 

She sounded so sure of herself. Far more sure than you felt. 

Maybe Emily was right. 

Maybe you should just go with it.

OoOoOoO

You let out a long breath, leaning your forehead against the cool, hotel room door, watching as little water droplets slid down the smooth, red surface. Your hand rested on the handle, but you had no intention of opening it.

Not yet. 

Not while your head still felt like it was in a blender. 

Not while you were still reeling from the feeling of Taylor’s soft lips pressed into yours. Of her thumb making circuits from your cheek to your lips and back. Of her blue eyes staring at you like she could see beneath your skin like she wanted you more than she wanted anything else. 

But she couldn’t want you. 

She probably just wanted to… experiment, and your reputation made you an easy choice. 

You blew out another breath, hoping that the feeling of it leaving your lungs would help steady the shakiness in your knees. 

It was embarrassing, but you had been fantasizing about what her lips would feel like, how she would taste, for a long time. And now that you had actually tasted them, well, it was a craving you weren’t sure you’d ever be able to satiate. It would be so much worse when she decided she didn’t want you. 

You watched a water droplet slide down the door, lazily making its way around a chip in the paint. 

But maybe she did want you. 

You had chased you down in the rain, without a jacket, after all, and kissed you in the street like she didn’t care who was looking. 

You let out one more breath, fishing the key card out of your back pocket and pressing it against the lock until it clicked. You let your forehead push the door open, only lifting it after you had stepped inside the hotel room. 

You weren’t surprised to see that the lights were still on, and Christen was still sitting up in bed a book in her hand and her reading glasses still firmly in place. 

“I was about to send out a search party,” She hummed, catching her bookmark from the nightstand and carefully placing it into the book. It was only then that she looked up at you, a frown pulling at her lips. “Why are you all wet? Where is your jacket?”

You had the decency to send her a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. I got distracted and then Tony’s pizza stand was closed so I had to go to the corner slice in Tribeca. I lost my jacket somewhere along the way,” 

You pulled your sodden Manchester City jersey over your head. “Do you think it can be saved?” 

Christen rolled her eyes and pushed herself to stand, crossing the room to the small closet and pulling out a hanger. “Let’s hang dry it, and we’ll see,” 

You followed after her towards the bathroom, turning it the right way out and gingerly sliding it onto the hanger. “It has to be ok. Bronze is my favorite and my parents finally got a name right,” 

She took it from you and hooked it around the shower curtain rail. “A true miracle that I’m sure Alex had nothing to do with,” 

Alex couldn’t have had anything to do with it. You never told her that you liked Bronze. You had only told Rosie. 

Though you weren’t sure how your parents had picked the right one…

She turned back to you, her eyes flickering to the skin just above your lips. A smirk broke across her face and she reached up to brush her thumb over your cheek. “Is that lipstick?”

You jerked your head away from her. “No,” 

There was no way Taylor’s lipstick could be on your soaking-wet skin. Not with the way the rain had drenched the two of you. 

Except… 

your eyes closed. 

Taylor had kissed your cheek before you exited the car. You slipped out of the Escalade under the awning of the hotel, safe from the rain. 

“Let’s get the not lipstick off of you then,” Christen hummed noncommittally, pulling you closer to the sink. “How did you get so soaked?”

You waited until she turned away from you to dig into her makeup bag to answer, contemplating the words that you would say. 

Surely her advice would help too, but then her girlfriend would probably tell your sister. 

It would be easier if you just kept it all to yourself. If you just followed Emily’s advice and went with it. 

“I got distracted and the corner slice doesn’t have indoor seating,” you said, eying the bottles she was pulling from her bag, dabbing a cotton ball on the top. “What’s that?” 

“Makeup remover,” She hummed, her fingers catching your chin and tilting it so she had a better view of the offending red on your lips. “It must be waterproof, so this is the only thing that will get it off unless you want to dye the sheets red,”

Your nose scrunched at the acrid smell on the cotton ball as she very gently began to swipe it against your lips. You let your eyes slide closed, trying to ignore how small it made you feel. Trying to ignore how much it reminded you of when you were little. 

But it was too late.

You could feel the ghosts of her hands drawing across your cheeks in quick, practiced movements, and practically hear Alex’s “hold still little monkey,” ringing in your ears. You could see the soft smile that always played at her lips and the way her blue eyes focused as she helped you. 

“Hold still little monkey, I’ll be quick. I promise,” 

They were memories you didn’t want to remember. They brought a warm, protected feeling to your chest that you wanted to forget. 

The betrayal that followed would hurt less if you forgot if you didn’t remember the safety and care that had never been a question before it. The feelings that you were searching for in one bed or another. The feelings that you were convinced you would never feel again.

But then you met Taylor, and she made you want to believe you were wrong. 

“You’re good to go,” Christen said, pulling you back to reality. 

Your eyes blinked open, and you sent her a charming smile as you pulled away. “Thanks,”

She nodded back at you, watching you for a long minute like she wanted to say something she wasn’t sure about. 

“What?”

“Your hair is sticking up,” Christen quirked a small smile at you, and your eyes flickered toward the mirror, frowning.

You were sure that’s now what she was going to say, but you were grateful that she didn’t voice whatever thought she had.

But she was right. Amongst the mop of curls you had been letting grow since the undercut disaster of the 2015 World Cup, several were sticking up at strange angles. The one at the crown of your head standing straight up in a semi-hilarious impression of alfalfa from the little rascals. It was probably due to the water and wax that you always wore on game days to keep it out of your eyes mixing. 

They would be a bitch to fix in the morning if they dried like that. Maybe you would just wear a beanie over them instead of putting in the effort to fix them. Or maybe you would just chop them all off again.  

You reached for one of the small white hand towels, tossing it over your wild, tangled, soaked curls and dropping your pants with the other in a fluid motion. “I should dry off,”

Christen rolled her eyes, entirely used to your antics after spending a season in a locker room with you, and many more of being on the national team. She was just thankful you had a bra and boxers on. “And maybe get rid of the sex hair so the media doesn’t have a field day,” 

You wiggled your eyebrows at her, pushing her towards the bathroom door. “Well, what would they do with my reputation then,” 

Realize you’re not what you present yourself as Christen thought wryly. 

She wondered if Taylor had figured that out yet too. That you hid your sunshiney personality under a brash and untrusting exterior. 

The girl had gone chasing after you in the rain after all, so maybe, just maybe, she saw you for what you really were. And hopefully, she was prepared to give you what you needed. 

What you clearly didn’t feel you had the right to crave. 

******

November 2016

Windows flung right open, autumn air, 

Jacket ‘round my shoulders is yours

It was a strange feeling, being on the East Coast and it feeling like home. 

You had been raised on the West Coast. You spent the majority of your time in the center of the country, but somehow, you found yourself craving the crisp autumn air that only existed in the east. 

There was the possibility that you were just drawn to the city. That you were addicted to how into the game fans got, starting up chants for you even though you were on the opposing team. But there was also the slight chance that your new-found love of the city was directly tied to one of its most beloved inhabitants. 

You and Taylor had only grown impossibly closer in the time since the kiss. The flirty texts between the two of you were more frequent as were the half-dressed locker room photos and videos of you dancing at practice. The calls had also increased to the point where you almost always fell asleep listening to her slow breathing, and woke up to a good morning. 

But despite your increasing closeness, the two of you hadn’t defined what you were. And you had absolutely no clue where you stood. 

You pulled your knee closer to your chest, resting your cleat-covered foot on the bench next to you, and undoing the three special knots you always put in your custom red laces. 

You were thankful that camp was over. That you would get to spend some time in the city after the win. 

“Is there a reason you were terrorizing Colombia? Or was it just for fun?” Emily smirked, appearing on the bench next to you. 

You raised your eyebrows at her, a cocky smile pulling at your lips. “Do I need to have a reason to play well?”

“No,” Emily shrugged. 

It wasn’t your fault that their entire back line had crumbled under your and Alex’s pressure. It wasn’t your fault that Christen had cut through them collecting the balls you sent her way. 

It wasn’t your fault that the keeper had missed the chance to save 4 of your shots. 

“The crowd certainly enjoyed the display,” Rose added, sitting on your other side, effectively trapping you between them. “Just seems like your celebrations were a little too on the nose for you not to be… directing them at someone,” 

You rolled your eyes. Just because you blew a kiss towards a section of the stands after your 3rd goal, didn’t mean that it had been directed. And just because the chanting of your name only got louder after that didn’t mean it had been for them. 

Well, it didn’t have to mean it was directed, even if you did have a person in mind to receive it. 

No one else had to know that. 

“It was the section who did the Morgan magic chant,” You mumbled, pulling off your cleat and lining it next to the fancy pair of Vans you had chosen for tonight. 

“Got a hot date?” Emily asked, nudging your shoulder with her own as Rose turned from the two of you and became engrossed in a conversation with Sam. 

“Something like that,” You mumbled, moving on to your other cleat. “I’m still not sure… where I stand. With my friend.”

“The one you’ve been sending half-naked photos to?” Emily wiggled her eyebrows at you. 

You would never live down the after-training snapshots you had taken or the pictures from the weight room that you had sent off. 

You nodded reluctantly. “We’ve been more flirty since September,”

“Since the kiss?” She asked, watching as you shed your game shorts and grabbed a pair of jeans instead of your usual post-game sweats. 

“Yes,” You nodded, pausing for a second and biting your lip. “But I just… I’m going to fuck this up,” 

You ran a hand through your messy hair, still damp from the post-game shower. 

“You’re not,” Emily rolled her eyes, and she stole your shirt from your locker before you could pull it over your head, forcing you to look at her. “You’re doing pretty well so far. Just don’t make it complicated,” 

You met her eyes, swallowing hard. 

“Just go with it,” You repeated her own advice back to her. 

You were just having dinner and a movie night with Taylor. It would be familiar. Easy. 

It didn’t have to be complicated. 

“Exactly,” She agreed, tossing your shirt at you. “You seem to be going with the flow pretty well,” 

You pulled the green material over your head, reaching into your locker for your trusty hair wax, rubbing it between your hands, and trying to smooth out your hair. 

You glanced down at your phone when it buzzed. “Speaking of going with it, I’ve gotta go,” 

You slid the device into your pocket along with your wallet and hooked your fancy watch on your wrist. You shoved your feet into your Vans and sending a wink towards Sonnett. 

“I’ll make sure your bag makes it to Kelley. Tell Taylor I said hello,” She smirked, patting your back as you headed towards the locker room door. 

You looked over your shoulder at her. “No,” 

Before slamming the locker room door shut. 

You turned the corner, finding a quiet place in the hall, and leaned against the cool brick of the stadium, hoping no one would see you. 

Maybe you had directed your hat trick kiss towards where you knew a specific person was watching. 

You pulled your phone out of your pocket and opened your messages. 

You loved Emily, and Rose. You really did, but their propensity for butting in while you were texting had been particularly grating after they found out who you were sending messages to. 

They had already gotten a hold of your phone twice. Once they tried to call her and the second they sent a string of cryptic texts that had Taylor convinced you had gotten hurt at practice. It took you almost 3 hours to convince her that you were actually fine. You had even had to put her on the phone with Luke from the physical therapy staff to convince her that she didn’t need to fly in from Nashville early. After that, you stopped texting around them altogether and changed your password to a 37-digit code. 

Plus, Mal glared at you whenever you were on your phone. 

Athena 👸🏼: Tony and Jason are taking me to the back tunnel by the car. Do you want to meet us there, or do you want us to meet you somewhere else?

Your eyebrows pulled tightly together and you looked away from your phone and down the long hallway. 

You certainly didn’t want her to be anywhere near the locker room where your sister and your nosey teammates were. You weren’t ready to… share Taylor with them yet. You weren’t ready to answer questions when you weren’t even sure where you stood with her. 

Your relationship felt… fragile… and you weren’t ready to mess that up yet. 

Soccer hottie ⚽️: Stay put, I’ll meet you there. 

You pushed yourself off the wall, turning to your left and strolling down the maze of hallways. You didn’t need to look at the signs to know which way to go, you had been to Red Bull (and snuck out of it with company you wanted to keep away from prying eyes) enough that you had the layout memorized. 

“Hey hotshot,” 

“Hey,” You smiled widely as you rounded the corner and Tony came into view. 

You had been seeing him far more frequently since the kiss. Part of you thought it was because he just lived near you in Chicago. He liked the same smoothie place you did and frequented the same restaurants. 

But a smaller part of you wondered if Taylor had something to do with it. 

“I thought you would be waiting with Tay,” You said as he squeezed your arm, pulling your overnight bag from your shoulder and slinging it over his own. 

“She sent me to come find you,” Tony said, a teasing smirk pulling at his features. 

You knew it wasn’t you he was teasing. 

“I don’t need a babysitter,” You sighed, running a hand through your still-damp hair, brushing the unruly curls from in front of your eyes. 

“She was impatient,” He shrugged, unbothered by (or entirely used to) your protest, gesturing to the barely noticeable clear earpiece in his right ear. “I offered to find you and give her an eta,” 

The wire disappeared down the back of his shirt where you were sure it connected to a radio. You rolled your eyes. 

Maybe you should be flattered that she wanted live updates of your whereabouts, but you couldn’t help the sinking feeling in your chest that she didn’t think you were capable of making it to the car tunnel on your own. 

“I told her I was on my way like 2 minutes ago,” You huffed, glancing behind you. 

You hadn’t taken long after the game to exit the field. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. You finished the obligatory lap and then stayed to sign autographs for the fans that had cheered for you all game. 

You rushed through the showers after Vlatko’s post-game droning and changed quickly. 

“I know,” Tony agreed, falling into step beside you as you continued down the corridor. “She’s just excited to see you. You put on quite the show,” 

You wiggled your eyebrows. “The crowd got into it and that made scoring and setting up my friends more fun,” 

Tony made a low humming noise as he stepped in front of you, pushing open the double doors that led to the private car tunnel so you didn’t have to. 

You barely stepped through before a body collided with yours. 

Your hands caught Taylor’s hips as you stumbled, and she wrapped you in a very tight hug. 

“I missed you,” She mumbled, and you felt a hand on your back to steady the two of you. 

You hummed, tucking your nose into her collarbone and squeezing her. “I missed you too,” 

It was true. 

It had only been six weeks since the last time you saw her in person, and you talked at least once a day, but it was a feeling of longing that saturated your being. Her presence was a deep… need that seeped into your bones. 

It was a little alarming how… dependent you felt.

The two of you embraced for another long moment, and you let the smell of coconut and lavender from her perfume wash over your senses and soothe the post-game dip that always prickled your brain. 

“You played so so well,” She said, pulling away, a wide smile radiating off of her.

You let your own cocky grin pull across your features. “Thanks, I like to get the crowd fired up,” 

“They were electric,” She hummed, letting her hand trail down your arm and landing lightly on your stomach. 

You opened your mouth to respond, but Your stomach ruined the moment with a loud rumble. 

Taylor frowned. “Have you eaten today?” 

“Not really. I had lunch and then just a protein bar and a veggie shake,” You shrugged, sending a guilty look her way. “I don’t like to have a lot in my stomach during games,” 

It was a bad habit you had picked up in highschool after a very hot game in August ended up with your pasta lunch making a reappearance in a sideline trash can. 

“There’s a fantastic Italian place by mine?” Taylor offered, almost shyly as your stomach rumbled again against her hand. 

You leaned in and pressed a very sweet kiss to her lips, unable to resist, and enjoying the light red that dusted her cheeks. 

Your hand slipped into her back pocket, and you sent her a cheeky smile. “Lead the way then,”

OoOoOoO

Dinner with Taylor was absolutely incredible. Well, confusing for you, but amazing nonetheless. 

The restaurant she had chosen was small, intimate, and expensive. You looked through the entire menu, choosing the cheapest pasta you could find, even though you fucking hated pesto because it was the only dish that wouldn’t mean you would have to raid the Chicago locker room for snacks when you got back. 

It hadn’t mattered because Taylor paid anyway. 

Conversation flowed between the two of you like water. It was so easy to talk to Taylor, and you were slowly growing addicted to making her laugh. 

It was exactly like it had been before the two of you shared the kiss(s) until you got back into the car. 

She had been very… handsey in the ride back. And you had been handsey too, your fingers dipping past her skirt to squeeze her ass at every opportunity. 

Things hadn't slowed down in the elevator, and you had attacked her neck as she fished out the key to her apartment. 

You were growing addicted to the taste of her skin as well. 

She pressed you into the island, her lips dragging down your neck and towards your collarbone as soon as you were through the door. 

That’s when the anxiety clenched in your stomach, thinking of the way your heart pounded in your ears when you walked out of the tunnel and into a stadium, your eyes trained on the jersey numbers in front of you. 

You needed a way to slow her down. To… delay the inevitable. 

You saw your pale, terrified face in the reflection of her sliding glass door, and it felt like a lightbulb flashing in your brain. 

“Want to go swimming?” You asked suddenly, and her hands paused on your waist as her lips ghosting just over your pulse point. 

“What?”

You felt her lips curl into a frown against your skin.  

“I didn’t take my post-game ice bath,” You said, pulling away, so you could meet her eyes and gesturing towards the city lights glinting off of her infinity pool. “and your pool should be cold enough,” 

Her eyebrows knitted tightly together. “You want to go swimming in October, in New York? Wouldn’t you rather continue this?”

You shrugged, painting a charming smile across your face (hoping she wouldn’t see through it).  “When else will we be able to enjoy a view like this,”

Her lips turned even further down, and your heart beat a little bit faster. 

You didn’t want her to think you were rejecting her. You weren’t. You just…

“You don’t even have a bathing suit,” She said softly, and you could hear the hesitation in her voice. The concern. 

You needed to redirect her. To make her think that everything was ok so you didn’t lose her. 

“I don’t need one,” You wiggled your eyebrows and caught her fingers, tugging her towards the sliding glass door. “Come on,”

The view was even better from outside, the lights of the city twinkling in time with the stars and reflecting off of the pool back at you. 

“Let me at least turn on the pool lights,” She grumbled, reaching for a small remote on one of the lounge chairs. “Wouldn’t want you to miss the edge and get hurt before the end of the season,” 

You smirked, releasing her while she squinted at the clicker. 

***SECTION CONTAINING SLIGHT SMUT***

You easily slipped out of your shorts and pulled your shirt over your head, leaving you in a pair of boxers and your sports bra as you stepped towards the infinity pool. “Don’t mess with it for too long,” 

You didn’t wait for her to respond before diving into the icy water. 

It immediately prickled at your skin like a million tiny needles, pulling the air from your lungs and giving you the sensation of the world's worst brain freeze. You kept your eyes closed, forcing yourself to relax against the painful assault, letting yourself sink to the glacial blue tiles on the bottom of her pool. 

You could visualize the heat seeping out of you and into the shimmering floor, and you allowed yourself to give in to the sensation. To imagine it was the tension in your muscles, the aches that always came after a game, slowly leaching into your frigid surroundings. 

Letting the water numb your anxious mind until all that was left was a serene sense of calm. 

It felt familiar. Good in a masochistic sort of way that you couldn’t accurately put into words. 

Your brain absentmindedly reached its countdown from 45, and you pushed yourself off of the bottom. 

You let out a long breath as your head broke the surface, wiping your curls out of your eyes, and turning towards Taylor. 

She was at the edge of the pool, the remote hanging loosely in her hand, her wide eyes glinting off of the fairy lights strung along the balcony and over the pool. 

“You coming?” You asked, plastering a playful smirk across your lips. “Or are you just going to stare?”

Her mouth opened and closed, reminding you of a fish. 

You rolled your eyes, gilded towards her, stopping at her feet and looking up at her through your lashes. 

You dragged your fingers along the seam in the tiles and gently laid your hand on her foot, trying not to smirk at the shiver that ran down her spine. “It’s kinda lonely in here,” 

She blinked at you, slowly pulling her shirt over her head and dropping it behind her. 

You couldn’t help the way your eyes dragged down the newly exposed skin of her collarbone, between her breasts, and down to the waistband of her jeans where she was thumbing the button there. 

All of your attention was glued to her as she slid the material down her long legs, revealing creamy skin that made your mouth water accented by the deep blue material of her underwear. 

It stirred butterflies in your chest like the sight of no other woman had. You wanted her like you had never wanted anyone. 

Not even Mal. 

“It’s unfair how hot you are,” Taylor mumbled, settling on the edge of the pool, her legs bracketing you as she slid them into the frigid water. 

You ran your fingers up her calves and onto her thighs. “You’re not bad yourself,” 

She rolled her eyes, reaching down and smoothing your curls off of your forehead, dragging her hands down your face to cup your cheeks. Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. “It’s criminal how much you show your abs during games,” 

You shrugged, floating closer to her and letting your thumb toy with the elastic on her underwear. “Sweat burns when it’s in my eyes. Plus the fans like it, and so do you,”

Taylor made a low noise, drawing you closer to her, so you could feel her breath on your lips. “You’re a tease you know?” 

“You dig it,” You smirked, leaning in the final centimeter to connect your lips in a slow kiss. 

You couldn’t help the low sound that came out of the back of your throat as her tongue gently pressed against your lips, and you opened them to meet her. 

She tasted like red wine and strawberries and something that was so… Taylor. 

It was sweet and spicy and addictive. 

And it made you want her. 

You pulled away when air became an issue, trailing down her cheek to her neck, under her chin, and lavishing the skin you found down by her pulse point with your tongue. You enjoyed the way you could feel her heartbeat, how you could feel it quicken under your ministrations. 

You tried to keep your mind focused as you made your way down her neck, to her chest. You tried to focus on the softness of her skin and to memorize the way it tasted. To imprint in your mind how your tongue glided in velvet skin. 

You tried not to let your thoughts drift towards how a soccer ball felt at your feet. How you were still working on how to twist your hips to not give away which direction you were going to kick. How you needed to point your toes to perform the newest trick you were learning. 

Her fingers tangled in your hair, weaving through the wet curls close to your scalp and pulling you impossibly closer. 

You mouthed the edge of her bra, placing feather light kisses in a line between her breasts (paying special attention to the barely visible freckle you found there), ghosting down her stomach, and landing on the elastic of her underwear, letting her hand guide you where she wanted you. 

You looked up at her, meeting her hazy blue eyes. “Are you sure?” 

Her fingers tightened, pleasantly scratching your scalp. “I’ve never been more sure,” 

Your lips tilted into a devilish grin, your body sipping lower into the frigid water. “As you wish,” 

*****

Taylor panted heavily against you, each breath warming your neck as you spun in slow circles in the cold water. Her legs wrapped tightly around your waist, and your hand worked slowly between your bodies, bringing her down from her orgasm. 

You had lost track of what number she was on. Actually, you had lost track of pretty much everything after her underwear came off. 

It didn’t matter how hard you fought to stay present, you couldn’t help the way your brain slipped away. How your thoughts slid from Taylor the second you were level with her center. How the all-encompassing butterflies in your stomach fluttered away and you faded into familiar sensations and your thoughts turned to soccer. 

You knew it was weird to be working through a double-pivot formation while you were having sex. It was weird for you to be thinking about ball rotations and through passes or lineups for upcoming games while you were getting a girl off. 

Except it’s where your mind always went. 

Taylor made a low noise against your throat, and your fingers stopped gliding through her velvety folds. Your other arm tightened around her as you pulled your hand away, bringing it to your lips and lightly sucking your fingers. 

You sighed at the taste, sweet, salty, and a little tangy, happy that Taylor's pool was salt water instead of chlorine. It would have made this entire experience much less enjoyable. 

“Don’t do that,” Taylor said, her nose nudging the space under your chin. 

“Hm?” You hummed around your finger, your abs flexing as she shifted. 

She reached for your wrist, pulling your finger from your lips. “I need a minute before I can go again, and you make it hard to wait,”

You leaned in and connected your lips, your tongue probing at her bottom lip and gently slid your tongue in when she parted her lips. Her hips rolled and you flexed your abs to give her a better surface. 

“I can’t help it,” You smirked as you pulled away. “You just taste so good,”

She shivered against you, but you weren’t sure if it was from overstimulation or the cold. 

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up,” You said, walking towards the pool stairs. “And you can recover,” 

Her legs tightened around you as you carried her up the steps, and her head rested on your shoulder. “I forgot how strong you are,” 

You made a low noise, focusing on your feet so you didn’t slip and send you both back into the freezing pool. 

“Where is your bathroom?” You asked, carefully sliding her glass door open and stepping into her apartment. “I don’t want to get water everywhere,” 

“Down the hall to the left,” She said, lifting an arm to gesture down the hallway, but not moving her head from its safe space between your neck and shoulder. “It’s through my bedroom,”

You nodded, easily making your way through the hallway, across the dark carpet of her bedroom, and into the massive master bathroom. 

You set her down on the Marble counter you found there, placing a light kiss on her head before you turned away towards the giant bathtub, and began fiddling with the golden faucets. 

It took you a second to make the water a good temperature and to flick the drain plug before you returned to her, slotting between her legs again.

“Do you want a drink or something?” You asked as she pulled you back in for another kiss.

“I’d love one,” She breathed against your lips. “I have wine in the fridge,” 

“I’ll go get it,” You hummed. “You just stay here and look pretty,” 

Her mouth curved against yours, and you finally pulled away, kissing her nose before you padded off toward the kitchen (ignoring how she tapped your ass as you left). 

It felt like a weight left your chest as you exited her bedroom, and you took a long breath as you made it to the kitchen. 

There had to be something fucking wrong with you. 

You had a naked woman two rooms over. A woman who had gone skinny dipping with you. A woman who was recovering so you could give her another orgasm. And here you were, doing your best to stall. Trying to quell the growing dread in your stomach. 

You shook your head, going to the wine fridge and pulling out the half-full bottle of red you were sure was the one Taylor wanted. You also grabbed two water bottles and found a wine glass in the cabinet. 

Just because you had hooked up with her… were actively hooking up with her… didn’t mean that she wanted your relationship to change. 

You took another deep breath. 

Being weird about any of this would just make it worse. 

You could be normal. 

You could save your friendship. 

You turned from the kitchen, slowly making your way back to the bathroom. 

Taylor smiled softly at you when you returned, holding out her arms to you. “I can’t believe you never took your clothing off,” 

You painted an easy smirk on your lips, setting the bottles and glass down on the counter before, letting her wrap her arms around you. “You were distracted,” 

She hummed. “You’re… very good with your hands,” 

You wiggled your eyebrows, leaning in to peck her lips before you turned away. You turned off the water in the tub and held your hand out for her. “Get in first. I’ll pour you some wine and join you. This way I can show you the other things my hands are good at,” 

She rolled her eyes, but let you guide her into the tub, sighing as she immersed herself in the warm water. 

You waited for her to get settled before you poured her half a glass of wine and passed it her way, and you grabbed a bottle of water for yourself, cracking it open and taking a very long sip. 

Taylor made another low sound, and you felt her eyes on you, following every movement. You flexed your arm and abs for effect as you finished off the bottle. 

You smirked at her as you pulled it away from your Lips, setting it on the counter. “Lean forward so I can get into the tub,” 

She eyed you, shaking her head. “This is a clothing-free zone,” 

“Is it?” You asked, cocking your head to the side. 

She hummed. “It is. I can’t believe you still have boxers and a bra on,” 

“You were distracted,” You shrugged smirking devilishly at her, placing the bottle on the counter and easily slipping out of your soaked boxers. “Something about the water being too cold,” 

“Try freezing,” She huffed, her eyes tracing the newly exposed skin of your thighs (your muscles standing out because of the cold), up towards your hips, taking a large sip of her wine. “But you warmed me up,”

“I’m good at that,” You murmured, pulling your bra over your head and stepping towards the tub. “Please lean forward so I can get in,” you 

“You are,” She breathed out as you slid into the tub behind her. She shifted so your thighs could encapsulate hers. 

Your arms wrapped gently around her middle, your palm laying flat on her stomach and your chin resting on her shoulder. 

You would have laughed at Taylor being the little spoon (because you were the shorter of the two of you), but you liked holding her. You also liked that the only places she could reach were your arms and legs. 

Safe territory. 

Territory that put you in control of the pace. 

“It’s unfair how you look so good, and how good you are,” She let out another breath, wiggling so her back was pressed more tightly against your front. 

You made a low sound, rubbing your hand up and down her stomach, your fingers just barely brushing her pelvic bone on each pass. 

You didn’t like how… pronounced they were. It was something you knew you would have to address at some point but now did not feel like the right time. 

“You’re pretty gorgeous yourself,” You murmured into her neck, kissing behind her ear, and letting your lips travel lower to the special spot you had found near her pulse point. 

Her head tilted to give you more room, and her hands fell to where your knees were bracketing hers just below the steamy water. She pressed very gently into a dark bruise forming on your calf from a mistimed tackle. “You have no idea what you do to me. How much those stupid videos your teammates are always taking make me want you,”

You smirked against the soft skin of her neck, letting your tongue linger for a long second as your left hand dipped even lower on her stomach. 

You knew the videos she was talking about. The ones that always seemed to catch you with your shirt off because you preferred to train that way. You hated when the damp material of your training top clung to you, so you normally forgoed one unless the media team was filming some behind-the-scenes stuff. 

“I’ll have to send you my own videos now that I know you like them,” You said, dragging your lips up her neck towards her ear, and very gently letting your teeth close around the soft tissue. 

She released a shakier breath as your fingers found her clit, and began rubbing very gentle circles. “I’d like that,” 

“You got it,” You hummed, pressing a little harder, and dipping down towards the heat that had nothing to do with the bath water while your other hand sliding up to her chest to toy with her nipple 

You smirked when her wine glass shook dangerously, the red liquid tipping out of the top as your fingers curled, pressing into the very special patch inside her. 

It reminded you of when a ball tipped off of a keeper's fingers. How it bobbled before landing back on the grass. How you always held your breath to see if it would land on the right side of the goal line. 

It was the perk of playing in Chicago, you supposed, that you had Alyssa as your starting keeper. You always felt like the ball was safe in her hands. You felt comfortable taking chances because you knew she was capable of cleaning up any messes you made. That her and JJ would protect the goal well enough that you could push forward. 

Taylor tensed around your fingers, and the glass finally fell, landing thankfully in the water instead of crashing to the ground outside of the tub. 

You kept your pace as she rode out her orgasm, your eyes focused on the red dissipating into the water until she finally relaxed against you. You finally pulled away when you were sure she was finished, kissing behind her ear and listening to her labored breathing as she came down. 

Her head turned, and you laid a kiss on her cheek. “You made me spill my wine,” 

“Oops,” You chuckled, not at all sorry, tweaking her nipple again before letting go and resting your hands on her stomach. 

She giggled in response, swatting your knee and then soothing her hand over a large bruise forming just below it. “Behave,” 

“I’m not known for behaving,” You said as she reached over and grabbed the fallen glass before either of you could accidentally break it. “It’s why the equipment staff are always following me around with extra shirts,” 

“Try for me?” She asked, her lips curving into a smile you hadn’t seen her send to anyone else, making you melt. “I don’t think I have any more orgasms into me tonight,” 

“Whatever you want,” You agreed, laying another kiss on her cheek. 

She hummed, leaning back into you, and you tightened your arms around her. 

You wondered if you should suggest that the two of you clean up and get ready for bed, but you didn’t even know if she wanted you to stay. You didn’t know if you would be welcome now that the two of you were done. 

You had never not snuck out after. You didn’t know how any of this worked, and you were too afraid to ask. 

“Just give me a few minutes and I’ll return the favor,” She mumbled. “You deserve it,” 

You shook your head, tucking your nose in the space between her neck and shoulder. “I’m good. I got enough watching you,” 

She sucked in a breath.“Are you sure?” 

You hummed, kissing the junction where her neck and shoulder met. “I’m good. I’m with you,” 

It was the truth. 

It was easier this way. You knew how to deal with things this way. 

She made a low noise of agreement. “Let’s just sit for a bit then, and then we can get cleaned up and go to bed,”

“Whatever you want,” You placed another kiss on her velvety skin, content to follow her lead. 

Maybe you would get to keep your friendship after all. 

***END OF SLIGHT SMUT***

OoOoOoO

Mornings were always your favorite. 

You loved the way soft light fluttered through curtains, casting a candle-like glow on the room around you. The way the oranges and yellows melted into brilliant white, chasing away the darkness like lanterns in a cavern.

It reminded you of when you were little, cuddled up to Alex after a nightmare. She would run a hand through your hair, and tell you stories into the early hours of the morning, insisting that tales of Knights and Princesses could chase away the monsters that haunted your dreams. 

“Just close your eyes monkey. I’ll protect you. Always,”

She made you feel safe. The rise and fall of her chest allowing your restless mind to relax.

It was no different here in Taylor’s bed, wrapped in perfect white sheets, her arm draped around your middle, her head resting on your shoulders, and her soft breaths tickling your neck at each exhale. Your bodies were pressed together, and you could feel her bare legs tangled with yours. 

She made you feel safe and warm and like you mattered and that fucking terrified you. 

It kept you up long after Taylor’s breathing turned deep and heavy, staring at the ceiling like it would give you the answers you were searching for. 

You kept your arm wrapped around her, your fingers playing with the very tips of her hair and drawing shapes on the skin of her bare back. 

You had to fight the urge to flee as soon as you were sure she was asleep. The urge that you had always indulged with your hookups. The one that meant you would never have to face the consequences of a hookup. 

But Taylor wasn’t a hookup. 

Even if she didn’t want a relationship, if you got to hold her like this, then you would accept whatever little part of herself she was willing to give you. And that terrified you too. 

You promised yourself you wouldn’t do this again after-. 

You let out a long breath from your nose. 

It wasn’t fair for you to think about that… relationship. If you could call it that. 

You should go before Taylor woke up. Escape before you ruined this like you ruined that. 

“I can feel you thinking,” Taylor mumbled against your neck, her lips tickling your skin. 

“Sorry,” You murmured, running your fingers very gently over the skin of her back and laying a kiss on the top of her head. “Go back to sleep, it’s still early,” 

She shifted against your shoulder, tired blue eyes peering up at you. “What time is it?”

You squinted at the clock on her bedside table. “Just after 6,” 

She groaned. “Why are you awake?”

“Habit,” You said, looking back up at her ceiling, ending the debate in your brain. “I have to go to team recovery?”

It wasn’t a total lie. You did have to pick up your kit bag from the hotel, and you liked to do morning jogs after games to work out your muscles, but really, you needed… separation to quell the monster threatening to rip your lungs into pieces. 

You didn’t know how to not ruin your friendship. How to navigate your feelings without losing her. 

You needed to go for a run, to feel the ache in your chest and your legs to help you figure out what the fuck you were supposed to do. But at the same time, you didn’t want to leave. 

You refused to let her become another hookup. You would just run for a few hours and then return. 

You weren’t running like you did with the others. You were just… catching your breath. You were just getting your head straight. 

“The cold plunge you took last night wasn’t recovery enough?” Taylor asked, smirking up at you. 

You let your lips pull to match her expression. “Unfortunately no, but I can bring lunch back here when I’m done?” 

“I think that sounds like a fair trade,” She said, leaning up on her arm and pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. 

“Does it?” You wiggled your eyebrows at her. 

“Hmm,” She made a low sound, connecting your lips again. “Do you have time for a shower before you go?”

You chased her lips with a teasing smirk as she pulled away. “I think that can be arranged,” 

OoOoOoO

“Is there a reason you’re running a one-woman marathon, or are you just trying to make it impossible for Al to beat you this week?” Kelley’s voice cut through the running commentary in your head, and you blinked up at her from where she stood on the steps next to a big Chelsea market sign. 

You glanced down at the smartwatch on your wrist. You didn’t remember putting it on. It had become such a normal part of your morning routine that you didn’t think about putting it on anymore. You had honestly forgotten that Alex was getting alerts about your run until Kelley mentioned it. 

You tried not to think about the connection it had to your sister. You only paid attention to the stupid app when it alerted you that you were losing anyway. 

“Is that why you decided to join me?”

“I know you like the Chelsea market and running the high line,” Kelley said too casually, falling into step beside you. “I joined you because you and your sister only run long distances when something is bothering you, and I thought you would prefer me over Alex,”

You glanced at her, but she adamantly kept her eyes ahead of her. It felt purposeful like she didn’t want you to know she was watching you. 

You were very glad that Alex hadn’t decided to come herself, or that she had been talked out of it. 

“And you thought I’d want to talk,” 

Kelley shook her head. “No, but I do have a way with Morgan women, and I figured I’d support you,”

“Hmm,” You hummed, unable to stop the slight smile that cracked across your face. 

She would never let it go that she was basically your celebrity crush before you met her. You had been obsessed with college soccer when you were young, and Stanford had always been your favorite team. 

While things had changed significantly since her and your sister started dating (and you actually met her), she thought it was hilarious that both of you had been in love with her at some point. She also thought it was hilarious that she was you quote-unquote gay awakening, but you really didn’t like to think about that. 

You let out a long breath as the two of you jogged another few blocks, enjoying the sounds of the city around you. It was strange, but you already associated the city with Taylor. 

“There’s a girl that I really like,” You mumbled, as you both passed a dumpling stand. “I stayed the night,”

Kelley made a low sound next to you. They all knew you met up with someone, but no one knew exactly how that night turned out. And you staying was kind of unheard of. “And you two slept together?” 

You opened your mouth to answer but closed it quickly. Did it count if you never took your clothes off? Did it count if you didn’t let her touch you?

“You got her off like with the others?” Kelley amended, after a quick glance your way. 

“Yes. Then I stayed, and we cuddled,” You admitted, your voice going very soft. “All night,” 

You felt like you were in a weird dichotomy. Sex with Taylor was supposed to feel different because you felt so deeply for her. 

You thought it would because the before was so romantic. You thought it would because you wanted her like you had never wanted anyone before. 

But the act itself had felt… almost routine. It was like you were on autopilot. It was the same as it had been with every other girl you had been with. 

Her body responded the same way theirs had, and it had been so easy to get lost in your own head. 

It was only when she pulled you to her chest afterward. When she kissed your cheek and let you wash her hair before you got out of the bath. When she held you for the entire night, you ran your fingers down the line of her spine. 

It proved that she wasn’t like the others, and you let yourself enjoy the intimacy. It was why you stayed. 

She was still your friend. 

You spat the word in your mind. 

You didn’t want to end up in the no man’s land between friend and more than friend. Not again, the first time nearly ended in disaster, saved only by your mutual love of soccer and the goal of winning the World Cup.

You and Taylor didn’t share the same… uniting factor. 

And with the feelings bubbling in your chest, you knew you would never have the strength to walk away if that's what she asked of you. 

“So this is more than a one-nighter?” Kelley asked though she was already sure of the answer. 

“I think?” You nodded. “I’ve never…I don’t know how to do this, so I called Emily for advice,” 

Kelley’s nose scrunched. She knew how close you and the blonde defender were, especially since the two of you had been going to youth camps together since she could remember. She also knew that Emily knew more about the mysterious Taylor than she did. 

“This is the hypothetical friend that you didn’t think you were dating who had never had a burrito?” 

You hummed again, smiling at one of the dollar slice guys as you passed his little alcove. “I don't want to fuck this up, and I thought Emily would help. She didn’t,” 

“What did Emily say?” Kelley pushed. 

Your shoulders lifted and fell. “To just go with it,” 

Kelley couldn’t help her frown. That had to be the worst advice known to man, and Sonnett should have known. “So you slept with her, even when you weren’t sure you wanted to?”

“I wanted to,” You said, your voice going very soft. “I just…-“

You didn’t know how to explain that you got so caught up in your head that the experience felt like every other. That it was robotic and routine and expected. 

“It felt… generic…when I did it to her. It’s not supposed to be routine when I do it to her.” 

Kelley caught your arm and pulled you to a stop. 

“Sex isn’t something you do to someone. It’s something you do with them,” She said seriously, brown eyes boring into yours like she was trying to read your mind. “It’s a mutual activity,” 

It was a terrifying prospect that you didn’t know that, and it sent red flags twirling in Kelley’s head, especially when you shrugged it off. 

“I like her, so it was supposed to feel different,” You muttered, pulling your arm out of her grasp when the crosswalk sign came on. 

It was supposed to be emotional and you were supposed to feel connected. You should have been so hyper-focused on every movement, every twitch of her body that the world faded into nonexistence. 

You shouldn’t have had to stop yourself from running through lineups in your head halfway through. You shouldn’t have felt like the only important part of the experience was the finish. 

What the fuck was wrong with you?

She sighed but followed after you as you jogged across the street. “And it didn’t?”

“Before did,” You said, keeping your eyes focused on the sidewalk in front of you. “And so did after,” 

“But the middle?” She asked. 

You shook your head, unwilling to put into words that you were too defective for it to be anything more than a quick fuck. 

Taylor deserved better, especially since the way she held you made you feel so… safe. The way she cuddled into you made you feel loved. More loved than your tongue could ever make her feel. 

“And that freaked you out?” Kelley asked, as you finally slowed your jog to a walk. 

You scratched the back of your neck, noting the annoying way your hair rubbed against the skin there. You really needed to get it cut. 

It wasn’t the connection that freaked you out, it was the prospect that you could now lose it. That you were fumbling around with no clue how to move forward, liable to fuck up something that had just started. 

You weren’t even sure if it was something. You had no clue where you stood. 

She looked at you like you weren’t a broken toy, and one misstep could prove her wrong and send her running. 

“I don’t know how to do this. It’s why I avoided sleeping with her in the first place. I was doing the friend thing well, and now… I have no idea what’s next,” You murmured, barely above a whisper. So quietly that you weren’t sure if Kelley heard you until her hand found your arm and gently pulled you to a stop yet again. 

“I think we can agree that Emily’s advice wasn’t great,” She started, making eye contact with you, and squeezing your arm gently. “I think what you should focus on are the things you do like to do with this girl. Do those take slow steps, and communicate with her. It’s a relationship, not a race,” 

“Slow steps,” You repeated, turning the words over in your mind. 

“Yes, and communication about what you like or don’t like and what you want or don’t want. Figuring out if you’re friends or more than friends would be a good place to start too,” The defender reiterated with a nod, emphasizing the back half of her sentence. 

She knew how much of a people pleaser you were, and how often you set aside your own feelings to make other people happy. If it happened with simple things like you refusing to stop Emily, Rose, and Lindsey’s teasing when it became too much because they were “still having fun” then she feared what other things you were willing to let go. 

You swallowed hard and matched her nod. 

You could do slow steps. 

You ran a hand through your sweaty hair, glancing around you. At least your slight crisis had landed you in Mulberry Street. 

“Do you wanna grab a snack before I head back? I told her I would bring her something for lunch after team recovery,” You asked, gesturing towards one of the many Italian restaurants surrounding you. 

Kelley raised an eyebrow at you. “You told this girl that you had training the day after a game and she believed you?” 

“I don’t think she knows that much about footy,” You shrugged. “She’s more of an American football fan,” 

Even if Taylor had played when she was young, you knew her knowledge was pretty limited. 

Kelley cracked a smile at you and nodded toward the restaurant you had pointed out. “As long as she’s not an Eagles fan, we’ll be fine then,”

You made a low sound of agreement knowing Kelley wasn’t as serious about Football teams as she was about premier league teams. Her main concern was that you were treated well after all anyway. 

OoOoOoO

You had calmed down significantly by the time you made it back to Taylor’s apartment, but Kelley had always had that effect on you. 

She had been the one who helped you breathe before your first cap (along with Alex, though you hated talking about it). She was the one who talked you down after you tore your Achilles during the World Cup. 

She always knew exactly what to say, and this was no different. She made you laugh and slipped in little pieces of advice without forcing you to ruminate on the situation. She made you believe that you could talk to Taylor and it would work. 

And as you sat across from Taylor while she snacked on the penne à la vodka you had picked up for her, your confidence didn’t waver. 

Kelley swore it would only take 5 seconds of bravery. 

“Are we dating now?”

Taylor paused, chewing her bite and swallowing as a perfect eyebrow arched in amusement. “Do you want us to be dating?”

You frowned, you hadn’t been expecting a question back. You thought it would be just a simple yes or no. 

“I think so,” You said slowly, meeting her eyes.  “I don’t know how to date,”

Her head cocked to the side. “You’ve never dated?” 

“Not really,” You shook your head, scratching the newly shortened hair at the back of your neck. “Besides a weird situationship, it’s all been one-nighters, so I’m not sure how any of this is supposed to work,” 

Taylor put her fork down, and she leaned a little closer to you, frowning. “Hold on, your realest relationship was a situationship?” 

“Yes,” You said sheepishly, your fingers digging more harshly into the back of your neck as you felt heat crawl up your cheeks all the way to your ears. 

“Why?”

It was asked with a giggle, but it didn’t rub you the wrong way. Taylor wasn’t making fun of you. 

You cleared your throat, eyes flickering away from her and back. “She was straight, and one of my friends,” 

It was a hard thing to admit, that you had fallen into a friends-with-benefits relationship with one of your closest friends, and that you hadn’t been able to keep your feelings locked away in a little box. You let things go too far. You let yourself believe that your favorite striker would leave her perfect boyfriend. 

You let yourself believe that she would return your feelings and pick you. 

She didn’t, and you had sworn off relationships after that. 

Why would you get involved when everyone always left?

“We were under a lot of pressure in the U20s and it was a good way to blow off steam,” You continued, your voice going soft. “Things just… went too far and ended messily,”

“Situationships usually do,” Taylor said gently, reaching across the island to place a careful hand on your arm. 

“We stayed friends though. We had to, because of the team” You murmured. “Eventually I just got over it,” 

Taylor hummed, her thumb lingering on a thick scar on the inside of your elbow. 

It seemed to her that a lot of your stories ended with you just getting over things. She wondered if you ever actually processed them, or if you just enjoyed pretending it never happened. 

“And now we link up really well,” You finished with a shrug, an easy smile returning to your features. “Anyway, back to the question. Are we dating?” 

Taylor felt her lips tilt up in return. “Again I’ll ask, do you want to be?”

“We’re going in circles,” You sighed, dragging your hand from the back of your neck up through your newly trimmed curls, thankful Kelley had stopped with you to get it cut on the way back to Taylor’s apartment. 

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Just answer the question,” 

Your nose scrunched. Had you not just explained that you didn’t know how to date? You didn’t even know what it entailed. 

How would things change? What would she expect? 

But she was looking at you with so much softness, so much… understanding. It made something tug in your chest. 

If you were going to try dating anyone, you wanted it to be her. 

“Yes,” You breathed out, fighting to keep your voice even and steady. 

“Then we’re dating,” Taylor shrugged, picking up her fork. “Easy,” 

“Easy,” You mimicked, trying to ignore Emily’s voice ringing in your head. 

It didn’t have to be complicated. 

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #woso x reader #taylor swift x reader #taylor swift imagine #13 eras of us

[thinkingaboutjaedyn]

i'm your biggest fan [j.shaw x morgan!child!reader]

prompt: after jaedyn's great performance at the game against argentina, you become her biggest fan.

author notes: been trying to get back to writing more and finally got some inspiration. i have been wanting to write a child!reader fic forever, blame @/woso-dreamzzz because im in love with her child!reader fics so bad. this is me trying to make myself feel better after that shit ass usa vs mexico game 🤗 so enjoy! P.S. the reader is like around five in this.

you're standing on the pitch after the usa vs argentina, happily following around your soccer aunts. this game was one of the best lately. your throat was dry from all the shouting and cheering you have been doing. especially when your mother scored a banger in the nineteenth minute. of course you weren't only cheering only for your mommy, getting loud for all your soccer aunts too. like blondie lindsey and tiny rose. that doesn't mean you haven't been focusing your attention on the new girls though; they are officially your soccer cousins now since they are all too young to be aunties in your opinion.

one new girl in particular has caught your attention. the way she has been performing so strongly throughout the whole match has you obsessed with her. not that you understand soccer tactics or anything, but even a five year old knows good play when they see it. you screamed her name the loudest (right after your mommy's of course); jaedyn. not only was jaedyn the cool new girl who your mommy says is going to the next big thing for the team, but she also wears the number above your mommy's new one. you honestly hated the new number because your mommy is number thirteen, not seven but you can't seem to understand whatever rule your mom told you about because it's too much for your brain so you don't think about it. the only good thing that came out of the change is the fact your mommy's cubby is next to jaedyn's.

the moment you spot the girl in the question as you follow around lynn, who just stopped to talk to crystal about the game, you slip off to where jaedyn is which wasn't a hard task. just having to go through a few legs with some quick "hi!"s in-between.

finally you make it to where jaedyn is sipping on her water bottle. she looks so cool even when just standing around. it seems jaedyn doesn't spot you, so you just do the ol' tug them by the shorts trick and her eyes look down at you.

"oh? hey mini morgan," her smile is like the sun to you. her tone sounds so chill and cool that you try to copy her. "hi big shaw!" you say. your words coming out way less cool than hers but it was worth the effort. the american player lets out a short laugh, ruffling your hair that's in pigtails. making it a bit messy, but you don't really mind. it's jaedyn doing it so why would you?

"big shaw? i'm the only shaw around here, so shouldn't it be shaw the first?" you nod at her words already. "okay, shaw the first, can you teach me how to shoot a banger?" you ask. looking up at her with high exceptions already. the way you say your words make her laugh loudly which confuses you. why is cool girl jaedyn laughing? is it because she thinks you can't score a banger too? or maybe she's like a magician and can't reveal her secrets.

you lean more towards the magician theory, saying, "i promise i won't tell anyone about it! so you can keep your shooting superpower hidden." jaedyn just shakes her head before crouching down to your height. "you don't have to keep it a secret. i think everyone already knows," she whispers, "but yeah i'll teach you. just make sure to ask your mommy." you let a excited gasp as you whip your head around. looking for your mom across the pitch. your expert alex morgan finding eyes locate her easily. turning your head back to look at jaedyn with a smile. you hold out your pinky finger, "pinky promise?"

"pinky promise," jaedyn accepts your declaration of confirmation as she locks her pinky finger with yours. "thanks shaw the first!" you shout at her after pulling away. already running quickly to go ask your mommy to let jaedyn to teach you how to score bangers. hopefully she doesn't question why didn't you just ask her since you wouldn't want to break it your mommy that jaedyn is just cooler. your mommy is still one of the coolest though.

you almost bump into the legs of naomi on your way to your mommy, but dodge quickly with your great dodging skills. naomi even said you might be a defender in the making once. the loud voice of yours can be heard to everyone around you as you finally reach your mommy.

"can big shaw teach me how to score bangers, please!" you shout out happily. your mommy just chuckles before patting the top of your head, "of course, baby."

and that was possibly the path to you being a future forward. all thanks to big shaw.

#uswnt x reader #alex morgan x reader #jaedyn shaw x reader #jaedyn shaw #alex morgan #woso x reader #woso fanfics

[futfemfantasies]

“She’s my daughter too!” - Alex Morgan x reader

“That’s the problem, I don’t think Charlie has ever seen me play for my national team” You take a breath as you fight back tears and loosen you hand around your phone.

“You know I want her with me and the girls” You faintly hear the room door open and close due to being on the balcony. You turn around and see your roommate Steph and best friends Mackenzie (Macca), Caitlin and Alanna.

“She’s my daughter too! My name is on the birth certificate just as much as yours. Hell, she has my last name. I think you forget that sometimes she’s mine too”

Too angry to hear your wife, you hang up and sit on one of the plastic chairs. You don’t see it but your friends give each other a look and Steph decides to go out and comfort you. You breakdown in her arms and the rest come out for support.

“Why d-doesn’t she trust me w-with Charlie?” You ask your friends with bloodshot eyes.

“We aren’t sure what’s going on y/n/n but we all know one thing, you are an amazing mum. Nothing is going to change that” Alanna mentions, putting a hand on your knee.

“Thanks Lanz”

Macca offers to join the four of your friends for a walk and maybe some ice-cream on the way back from the place downstairs. You respectfully decline and the girls leave, giving you a tight hug each. You decide to have a long, hot shower before cuddling up in bed for a quick nap before dinner.

On the other side of the globe, Charlie had woken up hearing your voice on the call. She then proceeded to start crying because she couldn’t see you in the room. Charlie looked everywhere and in all the drawers and cupboards she could open and still nothing. While this was happening, Alex slipped on one of your Matilda’s hoodies and moved to scoop Charlie into her arms.

“Smell like mama” Charlie mumbles into Alex’s neck.

“We can call her later if you want baby” Charlie’s eyes light up and a wide smile spreads across her face.

The pair get ready before going downstairs for breakfast with the team. Alex walks into the meal room with Charlie on her hip, scrunching the yellow, green and grey material tightly in her small hands. Kelley catches sight of the mixed matched outfit and is about to say something before Alex gives her a stern glare. Alex grabs her vegan breakfast and some pancakes for Charlie before sitting with Kelley, Sonnett, Lindsey and Kristie.

“You ditching us for the girls down under Al?” Kelley teases.

“Never. Charlie’s missing y/n and she stopped crying when she had this so” Alex shrugs.

“I think Sam was saying she hasn’t seen Charlie since she could just walk” Kristie mentions earning a slight nudge, as to tell her to shut up.

Alex begins to think how long ago that was and it was at least a year ago, if not more. Alex realises what she’s don’t and she feels sick to her stomach. She pulls Charlie off her lap before taking the hoodie off and giving it to her. Alex grabbed her phone and moved to the side of the room before making a call.

You finish dinner when you see your phone ring from beside your plate. The photo of you and Alex on the beach pops up and you know she’s FaceTiming you. You decide to ignore it for now and call Alex back later. After a quick talk from the manager, you were all allowed a free night. Steph informs you she’s having a movie night with Caitlin and a few others if you wanted to join. You decline as you have to call Alex back.

You eventually get back to your room and you flop on the bed. You press the FaceTime button and put your arm behind you, slightly flexing your tattoo sleeve and muscles.

“Hey ba- oh my god” You laugh and take a screenshot of Alex’s face.

“What’s up Al?”

“I’m sorry for everything. I don’t mean to keep Charlie with me all the time. I’m just so used to you being here with the Wave. I didn’t give it a second thought. I’m really sorry baby”

“Hmm, it might take a little more than that” Alex rolls her eyes and calls Charlie over. She flips the camera and Charlie races over to Alex, as fast as her little legs can take her. You see something in Charlie’s hands and notice it’s your Matildas hoodie.

“She wouldn’t stop crying until I wore it” Alex mentions.

You talk with Charlie and Alex for a few hours until Steph came back in the room. You all talk for a little while longer until you and Steph both yawned.

“Mama and Aunt Steffy go to sleep now?” You looked at the time and realised you all talked for the last 2 hours or so.

“I have to go bubs so I can be ready for my game tomorrow”

“Okay mama. You call before play?”

“Of course I will. Te amo mucho princesa” Alex smiles at the interaction out of cameras sight.

“Te amo Mamá. Bye Aunt Steffy! Love you”

“See you soon baby girl, I love you too” Steph gets up from you bed and mentions she’s having a shower.

“I love you baby. I’m going to make it up to you both when you get home” Alex promises.

“Can’t wait my love”

You end the call and look up at the ceiling with a smile on your face. When Steph comes out of the bathroom, you two wind down before eventually going to sleep.

You finish the Cup of Nations on a high. You not only win the entire cup but get Player of the Tournament and the golden boot after scoring 7 goals in 3 games. You pack your suitcase and put your trophies plus your winners medal safely between clothes. You go down to the lobby and see most of the team there as some as staying behind to see family. Since it’s late at night, the bus to the airport is quite and most people are exhausted from the last 10 days.

After check in, customs and security lines, you and Emily arrive at your gate with 10 minutes to spare. You put your bag in the overhead and get comfortable in the seat. You pull out your phone to send Alex a quick text.

Hola mi amor, I’m finally on my way home. See you and princesa very soon. I love you Ale xoxo

See you soon baby x We can’t wait to see you

A short 18 hours later, you land and feel more tired than before the plane ride. After leaving the plane and getting your suitcase from the carousel, you text Alex to see where she is since Emily already left with her girlfriend.

Hey babe, I’m in the arrivals part. Where are you two?

Turn around x

You follow Alex’s instruction and you see Charlie running towards you. You meet her half way and lift her up in the air before you give her the tightest hug. You don’t realise you’re crying until you feel someone wipe your tears from your cheeks. You open your eyes and see Alex looking at you with sad eyes and a pout sporting her lips.

“No cuddles for me?”

“There’s always cuddles for you my love” You move Charlie to your hip and kiss Alex softly before giving her a hug.

“Let’s get you home”

Alex takes your luggage from beside you and you carry Charlie out to the car. You buckle Charlie in when she immediately grabs your hand tightly.

“Sit with me Mama” You nod and move around to the other side to put your seatbelt on.

The whole journey home consists of you holding Charlie’s hands and you both falling asleep. Alex stops at a red light and asks you a questions and when she doesn’t get a response, she turns around and sees you two cuddled up together. She takes a quick photo before driving the rest of the way home. Alex parks the car in the garage and goes to unbuckle Charlie when you tighten your arm around Charlie protectively.

“Hey, babe it’s just me” Alex reassures you.

“I’ll get her Al”

Alex gets your bag and starts going inside the house. You walk around to Charlie’s side and lift the toddler out of the car seat.

“We home Mama?”

“Yeah baby, we’re home”

You walk into the house with a half asleep Charlie resting on your shoulder, when you feel your shirt getting wet. You calm Charlie down before asking what’s wrong.

“What’s wrong bubs?”

“Missed you Mama” You pout and kiss her temple.

“I’m not going anywhere for a long time baby. I’m staying right here”

y/ninstagram story

#woso imagine #woso x reader #womens soccer #woso imagines #woso #alex morgan x reader #san diego wave #uswnt x reader

[thatsdemko]

lie detector - c.pulisic

masterlist part two

requested: n

parings: Christian pulisic x athlete!reader

warnings: just a cliff hanger + it’s short

a/n: I’ve had this idea in my head for so long and yes don’t worry there will be a part two! whether you voted y or n on my poll here it is hehehe

you dated Christian years ago. things ended on good terms, and you couldn’t have been happier for each other. you never deleted the photos from your Instagram, as you must have forgotten they existed, so when the World Cup was going on, people were digging deep on Christian and found the old photos that still lied on your account. ever since then, you’ve received numerous follows, dms, and comments.

you weren’t someone who wasn’t used to cameras. in fact, you played for the United States women’s national soccer team. you were used to being framed next someone like Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe. you just never expected to be sitting in your current interview hooked to a lie detector being asked the question you dreaded the most.

“you dated this man right here, correct?” Linsey horan pushed the photo in front of your face allowing you to get a closer look at the brown eyed and brunette haired captain of the United States men’s soccer team.

“Yes, that’s Christian pulisic.” you said, you tried hard to remain calm, but you could feel sweat starting to build up at your forehead watching Lindsey giggle at the card in her hands.

“do you regret breaking up with Christian?” she set the card down shooting you a look, “I so badly want to know the answer.” she rested her chin against her knuckles anxiously awaiting for your response.

“umm,” you chuckled nervously trying to stay still so the reader could get a good indication on your pulse, “yeah I do. he was truly an amazing boyfriend and I wish him well in whatever comes next for him.”

Lindsey shot her head immediately over to the reader who nodded, “she’s telling the truth.”

“yes! the internet is going to go psychotic.”

—

christian saw the interview. his family, friends, and teammates had all sent him the video of you and Lindsey doing the lie detector test.

“he was truly an amazing boyfriend and I wish him well in whatever comes next for him.” the words replayed in his head like a broken record. he couldn’t get those words out of his mind, it had been over a week since the interview and he was so hung up on it that the next move he made, he didn’t even know he did it.

“hello?”

“is it bad that I miss you?”

#christian pulisic #christian pulisic x reader #christian pulisic one shot #christian pulisic imagine #christian pulisic x you #christian pulisic blurb #christian pulisic smut #football #football oneshot #football imagine #football imagines #football smut #football one shot #football blurb #football blurbs #football fic #football drabble #Chelsea #imagines

[gamergirl929]

Seven Minutes In Heaven (Kristie Mewis x Reader)

SO, long time no see y’all it’s been a while, a long while, and I’m happy to be back, hopefully for a while this time. Now this started as a test fic, so I hadn’t planned on posting it, but after multiple asks and comments on my post, I’ve decided to post it... Be gentle, it IS FAR from perfect, I’m just trying to get the gears in my brain turning again... 

So without further ado, here it goes... PLEASE let me know what you think. 

After being dragged into a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven by Emily Sonnet, you somehow end up in the closet across from the woman you’d been crushing on since you joined the USWNT, and that woman was Kristie Mewis. 

You fidget nervously, your throat bobbing as you eye the room of your teammates intently.  

You weren’t exactly sure how you’d gotten roped into this, but the second ‘let’s play seven minutes in heaven’ left Emily Sonnett’s mouth, everyone squeaked, the aforementioned turning your way with a grin.  

“Well, what do you say newbie?” She asked with a wink, and you shrug, your eyes darting nervously around the room filled with half of your teammates.  

Emily leans close, whispering in your ear.  

“Come on, you know you want to, and Kristie is playing.” She sings in your ear, and you blush, your eyes darting to the blonde she just mentioned, the woman giggling at something her Lindsey had said.  

Emily nudges you, her brows wiggling suggestively, and you roll your eyes.  

If there was one person you didn’t want to know that you had a crush on Kristie Mewis, it was Emily Sonnett, because, as you’d expected, she teased you relentlessly about it.  

It was no surprise that, as you were a rookie, you were much younger than Kristie, who was currently 32, whereas you were 24, leaving an 8-year distance between the two of you.  

However, even with the age gap, you still developed a crush on the older woman, something you’d become unable to combat.  

“SOOO?” Emily says, giving you a nudge.  

You roll your eyes, before letting out a huff.  

“Fine.”

Emily throws a fist in the air, the woman with one goal in mind, and that was to get you and Kristie Mewis alone, together in the closet.  

                                                           ***

It wasn’t long before Kelley O’Hara joined in on the fun, along with Alex Morgan and a number of other veterans.  

Though several of your teammates had been paired together, more often than not, when the closet door was opened, they were just sitting there, deep in conversation or giggling about something unheard by the remainder of you.  

That, however, wasn’t the case when the door was opened for Alex and Kelley, their cheeks flushed red, the two breathing heavily.  

“Goddamn.” Emily snickered, earning a flick on the head as Kelley made her way passed, her opposite hand linked with Alex’s, their fingers intertwined.  

Thankfully, for you, you had yet to be chosen, but out of those remaining, Kristie had yet to be chosen as well, something that made your heart race.  

In that moment, you’re pulled out of your daze, however when Emily and Lindsey are paired together, the pair blush profusely as they make their way into the closet.  

Your eyes widen when you feel someone take a seat on the bed beside you, that someone making your chest tighten.  

“I know that look.” Kristie says with a smile and your brows furrow, your throat bobbing.  

“Wh-What look?” You stutter, the blonde nudging you, your cheeks heating up.  

“You don’t want to play, do you?” She asks and you clear your throat, your attention focused entirely on your hands as you pick at a hangnail nervously.  

Yous shrug.  

“Not really.”  

Kristie hums, giving you another nudge to get your attention.

“Then why’d you agree to play?” She asks and you again shrug.  

“Peer pressure?” You say, cringing, the blonde detecting your obvious lie.

Your cheeks flush and she smirks.  

A millisecond later her eyes widen, her smirk turning into a grin.

“Oh my god.” She squeals, her hand resting on your forearm, goosebumps, that you hope she doesn’t notice, sprouting across your skin.

“What?” You ask nervously, swallowing hard.

“You want to spend some alone time with someone in the closet, don’t you?” She teases, your entire face flushing the tips of your ears burning as you gape at the woman, who takes your silence as a yes.

“So?! Who is it?!”  

You chuckle, your eyes darting away nervously as you try to think of something, ANYTHING to say.  

It’s in that very moment that Trinity knocks hard on the closet door, which opens moments later to a disheveled and red-faced Emily and Lindsey, the taller of the two adjusting her shirt.  

Emily grumbles under her breath as she and Lindsey crawl out of the closet.  

“That wasn’t seven minutes in heaven, more like 5 minutes.” She mumbles.  

It’s then that your attention is turned back to the blonde beside you, the woman frowning.  

“Is it Em?” She asks and you clear your throat, your mouth opening and closing repeatedly, your silence ‘answering’ Kristie’s question.  

You stiffen as her arm slips around your middle, the woman wrapping her arms tightly around you.  

“I’m sorry.” She whispers in your ear, her hot breath making your breath hitch.  

You’re unable to find your words, simply leaning into the blonde who pulls back a beat later, the woman smiling softly.  

“You, okay?” She asks and you nod, cracking a small smile, your heart warming in your chest.  

The clearing of a nearby throat pulls your attention away from the blonde, your eyes widening when you realize basically everyone in the room is looking your way.  

“Well, if they’re already hugging out here, what do you think they’ll do in thereee?” Trinity sings, the rest of the team giggling.  

Your eyes widen, your chest tightening.  

“Wh-What do you mean?” You ask, turning to look at Kristie who glances at you. 

Emily smirks, holding up a slip of paper, your name scrawled across its surface.  

Lindsey beams, holding up her own piece of paper covered in Kristie’s neat handwriting.  

“You’re up newbie, now get in there.”

                                                           ***

You clear your throat as the closet door shuts on both you and Kristie, the two of you sitting cross-legged in front of one another, your bare knees brushing every so often with each movement.  

Kristie hums.  

“I’m sorry.”  

Your brows furrow.  

“For what?” You ask, your head cocked slightly to one side, something that makes a smile stretch across the woman’s face.  

“About Em.”  

You shrug.  

“It’s okay.”  

Kristie leans forwards, her hands resting on top of your own, your throat bobbing as you swallow hard.  

“Are you sure?” She asks softly and you nod, a smile stretching across your face.

Kristie gives your hands a pat before leaning back, her back resting against one of the closet walls.  

“So, what do you think of all this?” She asks, motioning around the small space and you chuckle.  

“Never thought I’d be in THIS position after joining the national team.” You smile, glancing at Kristie who lets out an adorable giggle.  

“What, you’re not into kissing your teammates?” She jests and you shake your head, your cheeks flushing.  

“I’m not into kissing, well, anyone really.” You shrug and Kristie’s brows furrow.  

“What do you mean?"  

You turn your head, your cheeks flushing a deep shade of red when you realize what you’d just confessed.  

Your mouth opens and closes for a moment before your tongue swipes at your lips.  

“W-Well...” You stutter, taking a deep breath before you finish your sentence. “I’ve never—No one’s ever wanted to kiss me before.”  

The blonde silently studies you for a moment before she sits up, leaning towards you.  

“Seriously?” She asks and you shrug, the tips of your ears on fire as you flush with embarrassment.  

In all honesty, you hadn’t planned on confessing one of your deepest ‘darkest’ secrets to the blonde, but you felt so at ease with her that you couldn’t stop yourself from sharing it.  

“You have to be kidding me...” She mutters, and your brows furrow.  

“What?” You ask and she shakes her head, as if in disbelief.  

“I’m sure there are plenty of people who want to kiss you.” She whispers and you shake your head rapidly.  

“There really aren’t.”  

You suddenly become very interested in your hands, which are currently resting in your lap, your fingers playing together nervously.  

“That’s ridiculous.” She scoffs, your head snapping upwards, your eyes locking with hers.  

Your breath catches in your throat when she leans forward, gently cupping your cheek, your skin flushing beneath her touch.  

“Kris?” You whisper, the blonde’s thumb running along your bottom lip.  

“It’s ridiculous, because there is someone who wants to kiss you.” She whispers, her blue orbs darting from your Y/E/C eyes to your lips and back.  

Your heart pounds wildly in your chest, the butterflies in your stomach flapping their wings ecstatically.  

She traces your jawline with her index finger, the woman leaning in, her nose brushing your own.  

“I’ve wanted to kiss you, for a really, really long time.” She mumbles, your eyes fluttering shut in anticipation as the woman begins closing the gap between you.

“TIME’S UP!”  

The two of you spring apart, your eyes wide and cheeks flushed as you turn towards Emily Sonnett, who’s wearing a cheeky grin.  

“What was going on there?” She teases, and you clear your throat, your mouth opening and closing as you try to find your words.  

“Well, nothing now.” Kristie gripes, shooting Sonnett a glare.  

Kristie shoots you one last glance, the woman frowning as she slips out of the closet, your eyes downcast as you follow suit, the moment between the two of you passing by, along with, what you expected, would be the final moment between the two of you.  

                                                           ***

Needless to say, after that you didn’t feel much like sticking around, slinking back to your room with your proverbial tail between your legs.  

You stare up at your darkened ceiling, unable to sleep, thoughts of Kristie’s lips against your own plaguing your mind.  

You’re pulled from your thoughts by a soft tapping against your door, a huff leaving you as you roll out of bed.  

You grumble as you shuffle towards the door, certain that it was your roommate, Lindsey Horan, behind the door, the woman most likely forgetting something in the room that she hadn’t taken across the hall to Emily’s.

You jerk the door open in annoyance, your eyes squinting as the hotel’s hallway lights pour into the room.  

“Linds?” You mumble, digging your fists into your eyes in an attempt to clear your vision.  

“Guess again.”  

Your eyes widen when your vision clears, revealing Kristie Mewis standing before you, the woman shuffling from foot to foot.  

“Kris, what are you--

You’re cut off when the woman takes a step into your room, her hands cupping your cheeks, her nose again brushing yours as she leans in.  

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I couldn’t stop thinking about kissing you.” She confesses as you lean back against your hotel room’s wall, your heart pounding wildly in your chest.  

However, before Kristie can close the distance between the two of you, someone clears their throat.  

“You know, you could at least shut the door.”  

The two of you again spring apart, Kristie’s gaze murderous as she glares across the hallway at Emily Sonnett, the blonde smiling around her toothbrush that was hanging out of her mouth.  

“I swear to god, I’m going to kill you.” Kristie growls, mumbling under her breath as she advances on the blonde, flicking her in the head.  

“Linds! Help!” Emily cries, earning a snort from within the hotel room.  

“No, you’re the one who keeps cockblocking them, you’re on your own Em.”  

Kristie pulls the blonde into a headlock, digging her knuckles into the top of her head as she growls angrily in her ear, words that you can’t quite make out.  

Eventually, Emily wiggles free and runs into her room, slamming the door shut behind her, Kristie glaring at its surface for a moment before she turns to you.  

She rubs the back of her neck in embarrassment.  

“She, really knows how to kill a moment, huh?” She asks and you nod, your arms crossing across your chest.  

The two of you stare silently at one another before Kristie frowns.  

“Goodnight, Y/N.” She whispers and you smile.

“Goodnight, Kris.”  

The woman slowly shuffles down the hallway, sparing one glance over her shoulder at you, before she turns down the hallway and out of sight, your head hanging low as you turn on your heels and slip into your hotel room, again, unable to get the thought of what it would feel like to have Kristie’s lips against your own.  

Unbeknownst to you, across the hallway, Lindsey’s blue orb is peering through the peephole, the woman turning towards Emily, her eyes aflame, something that takes her aback.  

“What??” Emily asks innocently, and Lindsey’s eyes narrow.  

“You’re going to fix this.” She growls and Emily snorts.  

“I didn’t even do anything.” She shrugs, squeaking when Lindsey threatens to throw a cleat at her, the blonde shielding her head.  

“Okay! Okay! I’ll fix it!”

Lindsey nods.  

“You better, or I’m never kissing you again.”  

Emily pouts, her arms crossed.  

“Fine."

“What was that?” Lindsey asks as she crawls into bed beside the blonde.  

“I-I mean, right away darling?” She grins, earning an eye roll from the blonde beside her.  

“That’s what I thought you said.”  

                                                           ***

As to be expected, the following day you were quiet, unwilling to voice your opinion on plays before the game, and unwilling to lift your gaze from the green beneath your feet, something that earned Emily a glare from basically everyone on the team.  

“We have to fix this.” Lindsey says from her place on the sidelines, the blonde watching as Kristie gazes longingly across the field at you.

Emily’s head cocks to one side.  

“I thought you said I was supposed to fix--”

Lindsey shakes her head, waving a dismissive hand in her direction.  

“I know I did, but I can’t trust you to not cockblock them again.” She says, shooting the defender a glare, the woman smiling innocently.  

“I would never!” She gasps, her hand on her heart.  

Suddenly, a yellow vest flies in her direction, smacking her in the face, a vest previously being worn by Kelley O’Hara.  

“Yes, you would.” She says, giving the blonde a shove, nearly pushing her off of the bench she’s sitting on.

“Hey!” Emily pouts, her former Washington Spirit teammate patting her on the head.  

“So, what were you thinking?” Kelley asks Lindsey, her eyes boring into the back of her head.  

Lindsey sighs, her shoulders sagging.  

“I have no idea.”  

Kelley strokes her chin, her eyes downcast as she stares down at the green field beneath her cleats.  

Lindsey too is stroking her chin, focused on the ground beneath her feet, the woman humming.  

A beat later two pairs of eyes widen, both women snapping their fingers, shouting at the same time.  

“I’ve got it!”  

                                                           ***

You were confused, incredibly confused, how could you not be when you’d received an urgent text from the team’s group chat, urging you to make your way to Emily’s hotel room, for what, you weren’t quite sure.  

You screech to a halt when you realize Kristie Mewis is standing just outside the hotel room’s door, her brows furrowed.  

When she sees you, she clears her throat, holding her phone up.  

“You get the text too?” She asks and you wordlessly nod, the two of you awkwardly staring at one another before the door’s pulled open, revealing nonother than Emily Sonnett, the woman sighing deeply.  

“Come in, there’s something we have to show you.”  

You glance Kristie’s way, the two of you sharing a confused look before you make your way into the hotel room, all eyes on the two of you step further into the room.  

“What’s wrong?” You ask nervously, attempting to swallow the lump in your throat.

“We have to show you something.” Kelley says somberly, your brows furrowing in question.  

The defender nods.  

“The both of you.”  

You glance Kristie’s way, the blonde shrugging, the woman obviously just as confused as you were.  

“Well, what is it?” You ask, the team pointing towards the closet.  

“It’s in there.”  

You swallow hard, your throat bobbing, thoughts of the nights previous playing in your mind, thoughts of what nearly happened between you and the woman standing beside you plaguing your mind, similar thoughts plaguing her mind as well.  

You clear your throat, nodding towards the closet.  

“After you?” You say with a small smile, and she waves her arm towards the door.  

“No, after you.”

You huff, shuffling towards the closet slowly, the blonde right behind you.  

It’s when the closet door is open however that you’re roughly shoved from behind, you and Kristie nearly falling into the closet, the door slamming shut behind you.  

“What the hell are you guys doing!?” Kristie says, trying to shove the door open, but unfortunately, it’s being blocked from the other side.  

“You’re not coming out until the two of you talk.” Lindsey says through the door.  

“Orrr you could cut to the chase and just—OW!” Emily yells, the sound of a soft smack sounding from beyond the door.  

“Shut up.” Lindsey growls.  

“You didn’t have to hit me so hard.” Emily mumbles.  

“Just TALK IT OUT.” Kelley yells from the other side of the door, Kristie sighing in defeat as she turns towards you, the two of you lowering yourself to the floor, sitting much like you had a few nights ago.  

You nervously stare at your hands, unwilling to look at the woman sitting in front of you, the older woman studying you silently.

Kristie rubs the back of her neck.

“Uhhhh...” She starts, her voice piercing the silence within the closet.

“Today was a good game, huh?” You ask, the blonde smiling before she nods.  

“It was. Your crosses were great.”  

You smile, your cheeks flushing.

“Not as great as your corners.”  

“Ummm, that is NOT the type of talking you should be doing!” Kelley yells through the door, and you cover your face with your hands, hiding your flushed cheeks, missing the small smile that plays on Kristie’s face.  

“Honestly, my corners could’ve been better... I was, kind of distracted today.” She mumbles, your brows furrowing as you uncover your face.  

“What were you distracted by?” You ask, your head cocking to one side.  

Your eyes widen when the woman scoots closer, her voice dropping below a whisper, as to not be heard by your teammates on the other side of the door.  

She takes a deep breath, her eyes fluttering shut.  

“You.”  

Your eyes widen, your heart stuttering in your chest.  

“M-Me?” You stutter the woman chuckling.  

“Yes, you.”  

You wiggle under her gaze, the small smile on the woman’s face growing.  

A surge of courage rises within you, and you shrug.  

“To be honest, I was distracted by you too.” You mumble, the woman’s breath catching softly.  

“Why were you distracted by me?” She asks hopefully and you inhale deeply, holding your breath in an attempt to settle your nerves.  

You move closer, your knee brushing hers.

“I think you know why.” You say, your voice barely above a whisper.  

Kristie stares at you silently for a moment before she leans forwards, her tongue swiping at her lips, her blue orbs flicking from your eyes, to your lips and back.  

“Why were you distracted by me?” You whisper, a smirk stretching across her face.  

“I think you know why.” She repeats your statement, your heart skipping a beat.  

Your breath hitches in your throat as the woman grabs a fistful of your shirt, giving you a gentle tug forwards, your lips finally meeting hers.  

The kiss was everything you wanted and more, the taste of her lips was intoxicating, the feel of them moving against your own made your skin tingle, goosebumps rising on your flesh as her hand releases your shirt and falls to your waist, her fingers prodding into your hips.

She’s about to pull back, but you chase her lips, your fingers tangling in her soft blonde locks as the two of you kiss softly.  

Reluctantly you part, only to lean back in once more, your lips lightly brushing.  

“W-Wow.” You stammer, panting heavily, Kristie’s lips splitting in a grin.  

“Yeah... Wow.” She whispers, wrapping her arms tightly around you.  

You’re so focused on the woman in front of you that you don’t hear the cheer from your teammates on the other side of the door, Lindsey and Kelley high fiving, as their plan had been a success.  

Meanwhile, in front of the closet door, Alyssa Naeher rolls her eyes, though she’s unable to keep herself from smiling despite the fact that she’d literally been used to keep the closet door held shut.

“Can I move now?”  

From within the closet, you can’t help but giggle, the woman whose forehead is resting against your own giggling as well, the laughter of your teammates making your smiles widen.

“They seriously used Allyssa to block the door?” You giggle and Kristie nods, her shoulders shaking.  

“Yes, yes they did.”  

You hum, bumping your nose playfully against hers.  

“Hopefully next time, they won’t have to lock us in a closet to get us to kiss.” You smirk, the blonde biting her bottom lip.  

“Oh, they won’t have to.”  

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #kristie mewis x reader #kristie mewis imagine #I need any and all feedback

[reminiscingtonight]

Get Got

Rose Lavelle x Morgan!Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: The way Alex’s Snacks episode instantly inspired a couple fics...

[WOSO Masterlist]

Rose has been squirrely since you got up this morning. 

After your late night in LA you decided you deserved to sleep in a bit, given your practice had been moved to the afternoon. This meant that Rose, ever the morning person she is, was already up and running around the house by the time you graced her with your presence.

Blinking owlishly, you yawn out a “good morning” and give her a kiss when she presses a warm mug of coffee into your hands. 

“Sleep well?” she asks, fingers toying with the ends of your hair. 

You hum in response, not missing the way her feet are tapping at the ground around you. The last time she was this full of energy she kept you in bed for nearly an entire day, only letting you out of the room when you finally tapped out, body fully cramped out by all of the pleasure she was happily giving you. But given that you had to be at training in less than an hour, you knew neither of you had time to work out all of her energy. 

Rose hasn’t seen much of the field after returning from camp with a bit of a leg problem, so it made sense that she seemed to have so much energy. What didn’t make sense is the way she keeps switching through the songs on your brief drive over to training. Or the way she can’t seem to sit still in the locker room. 

Even Megan seems to be taken off guard, throwing her sock at Rose’s forehead the third time your girlfriend runs a lap around everyone as you all change into your workout gear.

“Have you listened to Sammy’s podcast yet?”

Her comment comes just as you trudge onto the field, lightly jogging your warm up.

You shake your head, laughing at the crinkle between her eyebrows. “Babe, I’ve been with you all morning.” You briefly remember your sister telling you something about finally being invited onto your friends’ podcast, but to be honest you hadn’t really planned on listening to her episode until later in the week during your free time. Obviously you wouldn’t plan on skipping it, but the two of you had your own lives, not everything you did had to revolve around each other.

Before you can ask Rose about her question, Sonnett’s crashing your solitude, throwing an arm around each of your shoulders. “How are my favorite midfielders on this fine April day?”

“Don’t let Lindsey hear you say that,” you snort, shrugging the blonde’s arm off of you.

Sonnett looks like she’s about to say something else, but a quick elbow into her gut by Rose quickly shuts her up. You frown, tilting your head in question at your girlfriend, but she pretends not to notice, starting on a random tangent.

You don’t have a chance to question either of them, as Laura’s quick to call in the team and start doling out exercises. 

By the time someone else brings up Sam and Lynn’s podcast, you had already forgotten about Rose’s weird behavior.

It’s near the end of practice. Half of the girls were already back inside, getting iced and doing a quick recovery session. You and some of the others had stuck around to help clean up the field before heading their way. 

Sofia slinks up next to you, handing you one of the cones on the ground. You give her a nod in thanks, quick to move onto the next cone. 

“Did you know you’re dating an evil mastermind?” Sofia chuckles.

You’re not really sure what prompted her to say that, but you can’t help but laugh and give her a grin. “Tell me something I don’t know. Rose is an evil mastermind but at least she’s an evil mastermind who loves me and wouldn’t dare to prank me lest I make her sleep on the couch.”

You love Rose for so many reasons. Like almost too many to count. But that girl was a bit of a monster when it comes to pulling pranks on all of your friends. The couple of years before you officially began dating was a bit rough, you not ever knowing if you would be met with “friend” Rose or “in a pranking mood” Rose every time you saw each other. It’s been three years since, and “girlfriend” Rose was much more likely to treat you to chocolates and flowers than try to pull a quick one on you.

“What a shame her leniency doesn’t extend to the rest of your family.”

When you look at her with a confused face, Sofia’s quick to meet your expression with one of her own. “I’m assuming you haven’t listened to Alex’s Snacks episode yet?”

When you shake your head, she’s quick to pull out her phone. You’re a bit amused to see the episode sitting paused in her Spotify, but she must’ve been listening to it before coming to practice.

Sofia rewinds a little bit, having nearly finished the episode already.

You’re greeted with your sister’s raspy voice as she presses play. 

It’s all the typical stuff you were expecting. Some talk about Taylor Swift, Alex’s favorite songs from her album, Rose’s obsession with Taylor Swift conspiracies--

And that’s when you hear it.

“Yeah, but you can’t ever trust what she says. Like do you think she’s telling the truth?”

“Hot take, you can’t trust Rose.”

By the time Alex’s done detailing her run-in with Rose and Sonnett during camp, you’re laughing so hard that you have to wipe tears from your eyes. 

It’s often a rarity for you to not be in camp, but you had missed this past one due to a slight injury that’s been healed since. Everyone’s been home for a couple of days now, but this is the first time you’re hearing about any pranks being pulled against Alex.

“Did she actually--” you question, still trying to catch your breath. 

Sofia nods, still grinning like crazy. “Alex got a little pouty when she realized they were playing her.”

Sometimes Rose and Alex’s relationship made you want to laugh. When Rose first met your sister she was terrified. Not even dating yet at that point, you had to reassure Rose time and time again that Alex didn’t hate her. And look at them now. Now most times you have to reassure Alex that Rose didn’t have it out to get her. 

It’s all done in good spirit, but it looks like you’re going to have to convince Alex not to eye your girlfriend with distrust again the next time you’re all in the same room.

The two of you are still joking about it when you roll into the recovery room. 

It’s a bit cute how Rose perks up when she sees you, hands instantly making a grabby motion. Sofia takes one look at the brunette before breaking out into laughter again, pushing you towards your girlfriend before going to the other side of the room. 

Rose frowns after the defender, unfortunately still stuck in her compression boots. She opens her mouth to question Sofia, but you press a kiss to her forehead before she can say anything. 

Your kiss does its job, pulling Rose’s attention back to you. 

Although she looks up at you lovingly, she’s quick to narrow her eyes at the amusement dancing around your face. “Okay, what did Sof tell you.”

“Babe, you and Sonny need to stop tormenting Al.”

“Alex needs tougher skin,” she snorts in response, instantly knowing what you’re referring to.

“She got got!” Sonnett adds, throwing her arms up in celebration. 

You roll your eyes in amusement. “Go away, Son.” You turn back to Rose. She’s looking a little smug at successfully fooling your sister again. “Don’t go acting like you weren’t terrified of her when I was introducing you as my girlfriend for the first time.”

“Alex is scary,” Rose nods. But the smirk is quick to come back. “Until she isn’t.”

Sonnett lets out a hoot in agreement, giving Rose a fist bump. 

Sometimes you wonder why you’re friends with literal children. 

And then you remember that children are fun to fool with too, and it makes everything so much better. 

“You know, she’s not wholly convinced that you aren’t dating me as some way to prank her.”

It takes a second for your words to sink in, but when they finally do, Rose is sitting up in alarm. “Wait, what.” 

You let out a hum as you stand up to go to your own table. 

“That’s a joke, right?” she nervously chuckles, unable to go after you while she still has the boots on.

With your back to her, you don’t have to worry about hiding your grin. All she can see is your shoulders as you shrug, making your way to the other side of the room. 

“Babe! That’s a joke, right?!” Rose’s half terrified voice follows after you. 

Alex is going to have a field day when you tell her about this later.

#rose lavelle x reader #rose lavelle imagine #woso x reader #woso imagine #uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #Ace writes

[s1ater]

death era.

part seven of n/a.

ricky rocks. no thoughts

one day. one day left till they’d be at terminus. athena feels her whole body itching at the matter that what was once an idea, a nightmare, something that was breathing down her neck as she tore each and every individual map down—is now a reality.

she’s ahead of the pack today. they leave her to herself, let her do her own thing as if she has now earned the privilege of privacy after these few days.

she digs her feet into the rotting wood of the train tracks with each step, thinking of how she even got to this point. this was the first time she could really hear her thoughts, therefore the first time she could really look over the reality of everything.

she was shot. and now she’s civil with the man who shot her.

it all happened so fast.

“wait.”

bellamy’s call caused her to stop in her tracks and finally look up upon what stood in front of her, clear as day; a tall bricked bridge, looming over the railway.

“fuck,” she swears under her breath at the obstacle in sight. this was not on any of the maps.

“well, what now?” murphy sighs, speaking the real question at hand.

it’s silent as they all think of the burdening reality, “we could go around,” raven rubs the side of her face as she stares at the eyesore looming in their path and hears the unmistakable sounds of walkers coming from within. “there’s no telling how many are in there. better safe than sorry.”

“going around will only make our trip twice as long. we can’t risk going off of estimated time that our group is on,” bellamy shuts the idea down, clenching his jaw to the interference.

“bellamy, that’s insane,” murphy shakes his head, extending his arm out to the brick. “we don’t know how many are in there, in fact we don’t know how long that tunnel goes. we could get stuck.”

“we’ve dealt with worse.”

they all feel frustration to his reluctance at the risk. there was no understanding to why he was so persistent on this; bellamy was always so cautious and always so careful, so why now was he letting his guard down?

he was getting anxious.

“athena?”

“yeah?”

“what do you think?”

she bites the inside of her cheek, what she thinks, they’re not going to like. she still fixates on the wall and the more her silence coats the air, the more her answer becomes clear. through the tunnel.

“it’s too risky,” raven is quick to interject as if stopping athena’s irrational thinking. “it’s clear as day what’s in there.”

“but if you want to get where you’re going; on time, and ahead of the game; the tunnel,” athena clutches her gun tightly before turning to finally face them. “walkers are easy to clear, if there’s anything worse than that, it’ll still take less time than walking around.”

“ahead of the game?” echo arches her brow, facing the girl better. “what do you mean?”

“terminus will know we’re coming if your friends are already there. they’ll be on guard and waiting,” she’s shifting, unsure how they’ll take her skepticism. “if they are… what i hear they are, we’ll want to be ahead of the game.”

“and what exactly are they?” murphy frowns hard, hating that she’s now just voicing her thoughts of doubt to this sanctuary.

“something i’ve been trying to stay away from.”

he stares at her before shaking his head at the vagueness, “you both are dumbasses,” murphy turns to the group as a whole. “i’ll take the time, you’re not dragging me through the damn thing.”

“i think murphy’s fear of the dark is coming to haunt him.”

“shut up,” murphy rolls his eyes, “you want to go through that, echo?”

“nope.”

“so, i guess it’s settled,” raven looks to them all. “we’ll go around. unless you two still care to travel through.”

athena unintentionally looks to bellamy who already stares back. they say nothing.

“neither of you are disagreeing,” octavia looks between the two of them, almost sounding confused. “why?”

“o, it’s not the worst idea,” bellamy’s hand clasps her shoulder, giving her the big brother sympathy smile. “what’s the worst that can happen?”

she looks at him tightened features of frustration. she hates how stubborn he is, especially in situations like these where there is no time to waste, “this better not be for her.”

her. that seems to pull on something in his mind which makes his softness falter, “i’m going. if any of you want to come, you can. otherwise go around and we’ll meet at the end or terminus.”

there’s a visible grumble between each of them.

“you too then?”

athena looks surprised when they look to her. she presses her lips into a thin line, trying the best she can to look sympathetic—failing, “we’ve gotta start this departing process sooner or later.”

octavia scoffs, but it’s sad, “yeah, i guess so.”

“god,” echo is the first one to move, marching straight to athena. her eyes rack her up and down as she advances to the her with unintelligent intentions.

she almost flinches when echo reaches her hand out with a gun as an offering, “i trust you more than him to give me back this gun. don’t be any more foolish than you have been deciding to go in there.”

they stare at each other, unblinkingly. this is an act of civility. this is an act of respect. athena takes the gun, nodding in appreciation.

“may we meet again, young goddess.”

**

“the first time i’ve seen you to be in such a rush like this was when you shot me.”

“sometimes, you just can’t waste time,” he doesn’t even try to seem sympathetic toward his very extreme and recent mistake.

athena stays silent and her mind goes back to moments before, when they all parted ways and she could hear octavia whisper in his ear—mentioning someone, mentioning the her that could be making him so restless.

“who’s clark?”

he seems to choke at the question at hand.

athena wouldn’t care. she doesn’t. she wasn’t even sure why she was attempting to make conversation—but it made this trip in the dark easier.

“what?”

“listen, i don’t particularly care for your personal life, bellamy… but i want to know. all this for a girl?”

“all this for family,” he corrects her fast. “not just for a girl.”

she scoffs, “right.”

“why do you care?” his tone is more sour than predicted, because he’s offended now; offended for her prying on something that didn’t concern her.

“i don’t.”

“you do,” he smiles in annoyance but she can’t see due to him following from behind. “you just can’t believe that other people want to actually be with other people. be honest, you can’t stand the matter of trust and compatibility because of whatever issues you dragged in from before the fall.”

she clenches her jaw tightly at his words, pushing her teeth together in order not to retaliate. it takes everything in her to keep walking in a line and not turn to sock him in the face.

he didn’t know her. he didn’t know what she went through to get to this point. he doesn’t understand what it’s like to be her. she kept wrapping those words around her mind, over and over, trying to justify whatever it was that she was feeling. trying to not fall guilty to his words for being so untrusting.

he realizes his foul words once five seconds of silence settles in and she continues to keep her mouth zipper shut. he almost regrets it.

athena now begins to question why she decided to travel with him alone. she was hoping to be alone with her thoughts, that the level of trust they had in her would allow her to go by herself in this dark and cold, cold tunnel.

trust.

bellamy must have had the same idea. but there they go, once again, intruding in on one another.

athena kicks her feet into the train tracks as she walks with her flashlight lighting up the ground and the rusty old rails left from previous society. she keeps her eyes on the ground, swallowing the irritation of the truth tightening around her lungs.

“woah,” she feels a sudden pull on her shoulder to stop walking and suddenly, clear as day, she can hear all the walkers even more clearly, in need for hunger. “pay attention.”

her eyes raise to realization of the cement pile right in front of them that must have collapsed from the ceiling above. she shines her flash light around, getting a clear speculation of the environment and the possible dangers.

bellamy’s hand still clutches her shoulder as he does the same before pushing her behind him. she watches him with curiosity once he pulls out a knife from his belt, walking to the side of the debris, where open space laid, “follow me, carefully.”

she did without thought, pulling out her own blade in pursuit. the dead are buried deep in the pyramid of collapsed remains, making their limbs inaccessible, but their mouths still equally at advantage. it’s no problem to bellamy. he stabs them straight through the skull like light work, athena only follows.

the cut path through the rubble is eventually stopped short, causing them to climb up the uneven and rocky path. the real problem is then displayed from above.

“shit,” she drops her hands in a distraught feeling.

there had to have been more than twenty walkers roaming at their feet, taking notice fast to their presence due to the light bellamy shown on each of them.

“we don’t have enough amo for this.”

he looks back at her and she can already see the mock in his eyes, “well, good thing clearing walkers is easy.”

she returns the look with a narrowing one, “after you then.”

he smirks at her, looking like the cocky son of a bitch she first met, “thought you’d never ask.”

she smiles back with annoyance as he pulls out his gun and nods. he begins to take shots from above before ascending down the rubble, hitting each walker in the head. athena does the same but doesn’t move from her high end position.

this was the first time she had seen him put in real work. there was always sight of walkers on their trek, but there was never a sweat with the six of them. but now, bellamy was resilient and crazy efficient considering the clear amount of dead outnumbering to him.

“you gonna stay up there all day or are you going to help me?”

“i’m doing more work than you,” the next bullet she shoots goes close to bellamy’s head, hitting a walker in the throat that was close to grabbing him. he connects eyes with her before stabbing it in head.

she changes the clip once she begins to shoot blanks, taking a single step forward in doing so—but the ground beneath her feet becomes uneven and suddenly gives at her weight, sending her down the crumbled cement and against a wall.

she swears, crying out in pain at the sudden realization of the large amount of debris trapping her foot to the ground. she tries to yanks at her limb, trying to pull it from the stuck position, but she only realizes it’s permanent.

“fuck!”

“athena?” she can’t see bellamy, but she can hear him and the confusion riddled within his voice. “athena, what happened?”

she grunts at the discomfort, trying to situate around the remains pinning her to the floor, “fuck, i’m stuck.”

she can hear him and the way he shifts around and back up the hill of breakage, before finding her in the position that she was in. he looks at her, almost like he’s disappointed, “oh jesus, athena.”

she lets out a laugh that came from her throat, one that wasn’t intentional and didn’t really even sound like a laugh, but more of a gasp of air. she clutches her ribs, finding a new pain and hurt.

“yeah, yeah, please just-” she coughs and then grunts again in attempt to pull at her leg, “please just help me.”

he stares at her, wide eyes now, as if terrified upon this conclusion. he couldn’t process the unfamiliarity of the so sudden desperation in her voice. he was still getting used to any sound coming from her mouth in the first place and he hadn’t even really heard her speak that much since…

“are you just going to stand there or..?”

he moves, carefully walking down the new shifted path from her fall, “are you okay?”

his question shocks her. she’s unsure whether or not she hit her head on the way down, “yes.”

“you don’t look okay.”

“i’ll feel much better once you get this damn rock off my foot.”

“okay,” he nods, shifting further down and closer to her so he can examine what pinned her down. he looks at her, taking in the expressions of pain that crossed her face before he finally wraps his fingers around the main rock weighing her down. he pulls, giving it all he can, but it fails and any sign of budge, only goes back down on her foot.

“shit,” she sinks at the realization, pressing the back of her head against the wall.

“i can try again-“

“no,” she sighs, clutching her ribs harder. “it wouldn’t even budge, it’s not worth trying again.”

“what do you suggest then?” he stares at her with sympathy clouding his eyes—it makes her sick. “me not trying again is me-“

“bellamy,” she waves his words away, “bellamy, behind you.”

he looks quick to see the head of a walker, pressing against the small wall of debris separating them. he moves faster than she can focus, moving back over the mountain and toward the hungry hounds of death. there’s more gunfire and unpleasant sounds that send her into a spiral of reality that she would probably die like this.

no, you’re being silly.

why’s everything so suddenly hot?

“athena,” he’s in front of her again, his hand grabbing onto her forearm. “let’s try this again,” he nods, waiting for her to nod back or give him some sign of compliance.

“fine.”

he again, tries to lift the large piece of cement, but again, fails. he takes a seat across from her, rubbing his mouth in thought. he looks beyond frustrated now.

“i’m fine. i’ll be fine.”

“shut up,” he doesn’t care for any variation of reassurance or sympathy she had for him. that only meant she was giving up and that lead to those words. “you can barely breathe. you probably broke a rib or two by the way your dumbass is holding yourself.”

“piss off,” she exhales sharply. “just leave me.”

“shut up.”

he hates how easily she gives up. he doesn’t understand it.

“bellamy, be honest with yourself. you never needed me,” she huffed. “all you had to do was follow the damn train tracks. you don’t need me. face it, the dead will get me before you get this damn thing off me.”

he stares at her strangely, like she was out of her mind. he had never seen her like this; not in this delusion that somehow made her look so soft. he didn’t understand how she so easily was accepting of this; accepting this seemingly inevitable death that had been following her around. he can’t help but think this is his fault.

“i’m not going to leave someone who obviously needs help.”

“are you talking about now or when we first met?”

both.

bellamy had a nose for those kinds of things—when people are in desperate need of being saved and athena practically reeked of the need for saving. not saving from someone or something, but from herself.

“i’m fine.”

“stop saying that,” he eyes her hard now. she wants to get away from it; from the way he looked so disappointed in her. “you’re not going to die today, i’m not going to let you.”

“why do you care?”

he bites the inside of his cheek to stop from almost smiling, “i don’t.”

“fuck you.”

“let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, princess,” he stands, once again trying to pry the object from her foot. “we still gotta get out of here.”

“bellamy, stop, bellamy,” her voice becomes petrified to the realization of the sudden build up of walkers around them. “bellamy look!”

he swings up fast, firing an empty gun with desperation till a loud sound of someone else firing rounds pierces both their ears. bellamy is fast to hunch over athena at the sound before it stops and a sharp laugh fills the air.

“and you fuckers thought this would be the faster way.”

**

the campfire seemed to have been even more chattier than usual, especially after the rescue operation the rest of the group had executed on athena and bellamy.

after twenty minutes, they had been able to wrench the piece of wreckage from athena’s foot with not just bellamy, but echo and murphy. there was an immediate relief and a reality check upon realization that she wasn’t dying and she must have seemed like a complete fool in front of bellamy.

she only had two broken ribs like bellamy had guessed, and once raven did the best she could to bandage her up, they set up camp right in the stone tunnel.

“how about you little goddess? you never told us your story.”

it takes athena awhile to realize raven’s the one talking to her with a smirk that could be mistaken for a smile placed on her face. it caused her breathing to become uneven, still not used to the presence and mock of another human being. she almost found it to be more horrifying than a walker—human judgment.

athena never thought the day where she’d have to speak the words of what she had done aloud would come. it was her worst nightmare, having to admit what she did. she thought she’d have time, a long time, or forever for that matter. 

she stays silent for the longest time to the point that raven begins to think she didn't hear her until she utters the words everyone else usually does, “it doesn’t matter.”

bellamy realized that athena’s mouth once again became a steel trap upon the arrival of the others. while murphy, echo, and him pulled the large debris from her foot, her panic had flown away like a bird and she once again soaked in her silence. he wonders if in the small moments of delusion she had before hand, whether or not he could have gotten this story out of her himself.

“hey, just because you went through hell a little more than usual today, doesn’t give you a free pass,” murphy scoffed even though him of all people would use the same phrase—until echo nagged on him long enough—having her own phrase at hand.  

“past is important, without it what’s the point of living? it makes you who you are.” 

she used it many times on him even though echo wasn’t one to be interested in other people’s lives, especially murphy’s, but she valued memories and past—she couldn’t imagine trying to disregard it.

“well there really isn't a point in living, at this point, is there?” athena glanced back once hearing it, missing half of their eye rolls. she was putting up a front that began to resemble more and more like murphy’s and they weren’t about to go down that rabbit hole again. “you don’t want to know my story.”

“you really must be fun at parties.”

“the funnest,” she mumbled, staring down at the fire despite never had been to a party of any kind, maybe a birthday or two, but never a generic party. 

“no, but really,” murphy mumbled, “what happened to you?”

“i bet she was a rich pretty girl,” raven mumbled, smiling at the slightest as she stared at athena, hoping for some rise out of her. “who had a princess life with everything handed to her.”

“did you have a boyfriend?” murphy was looking to add on. everyone knew taunting was one of the best ways to get answers if nothing else was working. “i bet you did. probably super hot right? football captain, probably had a couple of scholarships too, huh? told you he loved you second date, bought you a promise ring and made promises that someday the two of you would get married but… that didn’t exactly goes as plan, you know what i mean?”

athena looked up, slightly confused as to what was going on. she was familiar with the feeling of being taunted, manipulated into getting answers and anger, but it was strange. she had never experienced something like it, like this in a very long time. the nature of it was very off-putting and she almost thought it wasn’t real.

bellamy shared a look with echo who seemed just as lost to murphy’s plan while octavia found entertainment in it. she herself wanted to know the truth, the answers to athena’s past so bad, she could hardly care for how they got it out of her.

“i bet he left you-” “murphy,” bellamy gave him a pointed look, telling him to knock it off because in the off chance that all words coming from murphy’s mouth were true.

“no,” athena shook her head to the slightest, “you really want to know?”

they all looked to her and she raised an eyebrow to which they all gingerly nodded, aside from bellamy who narrowed his brows at her, not believing this to be the best decision, but murphy had once again proved to be the master of manipulation. 

it was silent and athena adjusted herself, preparing to unleash the horrid truth of her past, something she wished not to do. but a strange feeling in her chest wanted her to prove herself… that she didn’t have it as easy as murphy had guessed and her life was anything but romantic.  

“i lived a basic military life just like you guys did,” she wiped her mouth, hating the gross feeling that collapsed around her with the sudden reminiscing. “we moved around a lot, i was put into camps, i was taught to shoot a gun, to use a knife… all that basic combat bullshit that never seemed useful until now.”

her lips slightly twitched upward in a smile, thinking back to all the labor she underwent that she used to think was so useless—thinking all of it was for nothing…

“my father seemed to have known it before anyone else,” she had her lips presssed together, now focusing tightly on the campfire and nothing else. it almost made octavia stop her from continuing, suddenly knowing that there was some large variant of grief within this story. “i didn’t have a boyfriend and i’ve never even came close to saying i love you to anyone. he shoved us into a bunker before any of that… could happen i guess—me and my sisters and my mom... before we even knew. thought he was crazy.”

“you have sisters?” murphy quirked a brow, adjusting himself against the log he was leaned up against. 

“used to.”

“what do you mean ‘used to’?”

“he killed them.”

it's silent and their stomachs swell to the painful truth, something unexpected. 

bellamy looked up rather quick, almost shocked by her words just as the rest, but he resisted making any other movements that would clarify how taken aback he was by how straight forward she was—by the way there was no sign of emotion in the core of her voice.

“there was a night when the generator shut down halfway through dinner and everything was dark, so dark,” her voice suddenly layered over with hurt and almost fear that it made octavia worry, it made her want to cover her ears. “he told us to stay in our rooms and i was just sitting there in silence, in darkness, and then the screaming started.

“i knew he was coming for us all after he killed my mother, and then hera. he knocked on each of our doors and once he was at ophelia’s, he killed her with an axe before she could even process,” pause, athena inhaled, her voice leveling onto a different tone, deeper, suppressing any sound that clued to weakness. “see, i was smart, he knew i was smart, he always said i was his stupid fucking prodigy child. that’s why i ran.”

and then silence, again. 

but murphy was the only one brave enough to keep talking, not brave but the only one who didn’t have enough courtesy to keep his mouth shut, “so what happened?” echo nudge him, but he ignored her, continuing to speak, “i mean, you didn’t run, you couldn’t have.”

“you’re right,” she looked up, “i killed him, and then i ran.”

“just like that?”

“just like that. me or him, he knew that,” athena inhaled, straightening out her back as if she was done with story time, “it was a final test and only one of us could walk out of that bunker alive.”

it was then that everything seemed to have made sense for bellamy. as he stared and analyzed more closely with the fire dancing up the side of her face as she sat calmly, he then knew, and understood.

this is what she needed to be saved from.

being a heavily raised military kid already meant you were held dead inside from all the training they pounded down into your brain, all the people you met, screaming in your face, you grew up fast.

bellamy usually felt no remorse for anyone; what happens to you, happens to you for a reason. whether that being karma or just the simple fact of needing to learn a lesson, but what happened to athena, shouldn’t happen to anyone.

he felt remorse for her. especially after remembering what he had said in the tunnel.

be honest, you can’t stand the matter of trust and compatibility because of whatever issues you dragged in from before the fall.

wow, that was really kicking his ass.

“i’m not like any of you, and i never will be. i cant help someone out of the goodness of my heart, especially now, because my father taught me the biggest lesson of all; you can’t trust anyone, not even those closest to you.”

navigation.

@thecraziestcrayon @mynewnamedoesnotmatter r @cc13723things @black-rose-29 @reality-runaway @let-love-bleeds-red @rudypankowisdaddy @the-anxious-youth @kitkat-mini @deadbeatbarb @phantompogues @rowena-ravenclaws-diadem @ritz-hell-hotel @fruitiseavey @kayalect @strnqer @mystic-writings @moonlighy @straightzoinked @thelaststraw3 @alexxavicry @esposadomd @lupinsluvbot

#bellamy blake #bellamy blake oneshot #bellamy blake x oc #bellamy blake angst #bellamy blake x reader #bellamy blake fanfiction #bellamy x clarke #lexa the 100 #the 100 x reader #the 100 imagine #the 100 #clarke griffin #raven reyes #marie avgeropoulos #lindsey morgan #octavia blake #john murphy #bob morely #echo #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #the walking dead x the 100 #fear the walking dead imagine #fear the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #the walking dead #madi griffin #commander lexa

[jessicaaatje]

Pulling A Morgan

Preath x uswnt, preath x baby!reader

Special for this moment, my beginning of a Preath serie =)

Summary: Everybody knows Christen Press is out for an ACL tear. But what if there was more than just a tear in the ACL?

Warnings: There is most of the time chat conversations.

'Babe, let me help you', Christen said to Tobin who was getting the groceries inside of the house.

'No Chris, you stay on the couch and let your body heal', Tobin shaked her head.

'But-'.

'No, no and no, if you aren't taking care of yourself, what would happen to the baby?' Tobin asked Christen.

'Okay'.

-------------------------------

20 weeks into the pregnancy

Espn.com:

Is soccer forward Christen Press, really only out of the game thanks to an ACL tear or is it something more?

Soccer player for the USWNT (United States of America Women National Team) and Angel City -Christen Press - got recently an injury and now she is out for give or take nine months. But fans are speculating if there is more than just an ACL tear.

Another star from the USWNT - Alex Morgan - suffered also a time ago from an knee injury, but apperently she was also pregnant in that time.

Is Christen Press doing the same, if yes, who is her lover?

----------------------------------

25 weeks into the pregnancy

USWNT groups chat:

Kelley: Is it true, Preath? Is Christen Pressnant?

Alex: Kelloggs, what is Pressnant?

Kelley: You know, Press and pregnant makes...

Emily: Pressnant!!

Becky: You guys are children.

Alex: Me?

Becky: No not you, Alex.

Mallory: Wait, wait, Press is pregnant?

Emily: Haven't you read the news the last five weeks or something Mallory?

Mallory: Yes, I have but I skipped the rumors, you never know if it is true...

-----

Mallory x Preath group:

Mallory: Christen you are pregnant and never told me?

Mallory: Am I going to be a sister?

-----

Meanwhile...

'Tobs, they figured it out, what should I say?' Christen said to Tobin while reading her messages at her phone.

'Nothing yet, we are going to let them in the dark for a few more minutes', Tobin replied while smirking a little bit.

-----

USWNT group chat:

Emily: PREATH!

Emily: ANSWER US!!

Emily: NOW!!

Lindsey: Sonny don't send one word in every message please, it's annoying.

Emily: But they need to answer!

Lindsey: Let them be

Alyssa: Guys, it's literally night time, why are you awake?

Kelley: Just because!

Emily: We let Preath live 5 more weeks!

Emily: Now they need to tell us!!

Tobin: SHUT UPPPP!!!!

Kelley: Where is the chill Tobito??

Christen: I'm pregnant.

All members: Congrats!

Kelley: FINALLY!

Emily: FINALLY YOU TOLD US

---------------------

30 weeks into the pregnancy

Espn.com:

It appears the fans were right, Christen Press - soccer star- is indeed pregnant. Congratulations from us.

It also appears that Press took her best friend Tobin Heath to the ESPY's as her date. In an interview, she viewed her and Tobin Heath into a power couple. So Preath shippers, you ship has sailed!

-----

Fox News:

It appears that Christen Press is pregnant and dating her fellow teammate Tobin Heath. Not only had Christen Press an ACL tear, but she pulled an Alex Morgan with turning pregnant in the recovery time of this injury.

But congratulations Christen Press and Tobin Heath, I wish you guys many happy years together!

-----------------------

35 weeks into the pregnancy

'Welcome girls, family members, and friends', Tobin began.

'This is the time for the gender reveal' Christen continued.

'Only five weeks left and this little person', Tobin says, looking at the belly from Christen, 'comes in to the world'.

The mother from Tobin and the father from Christen walked together with two confetti poppers. At the count of three the gender would be revealed.

'1'

Everybody gathered around.

'2'

Christen and Tobin holded eachother.

'3'

The confetti was all pink and white. Meaning it was a girl.

'We have a girl', Christen said.

'WE HAVE A GIRL!!!', Christen yelled.

While others yelled: 'IT'S A GIRL!!'

'Kelley, Alyssa, can you come up for a sec?' Tobin began.

'We couldn't choose one godparent out of all the awesome friends and family members we have, so here we have two' Christen finished the sentence.

'Alyssa, if anything goes wrong, you are the most collected person and I trust you with my life and now also with my daughters life', Tobin said, 'Kelley, however I just think sometimes, why are you making these decisions, and I would never trust you with a small child because you will make a terrible influence, but Christen trusts you so I need to trust you too, so I trust you with my daughters life'.

Tobin took a deep breath and continued: 'So hereby I say officially you two will be the godmothers of this sweet child'.

-------------------

40 weeks into the pregnancy

'Toby, the baby she's coming', Christen said while laying her book down.

'What?' a confused Tobin asked.

'The BABY is COMING'.

'Ohh okay, let's get you to the hospital' Tobin replied still not realizing the severe of the moment.

'OHHH SHIT THE BABY IS COMING', suddenly Tobin yelled.

While running to the car while helping Christen, Tobin called Alyssa, one of the godmothers of the baby: 'ALYSSA SHE IS COMING, CALL KELLEY'.

-----

Instagram

~christenpress:

Posting a picture with Christen in the hospital bed and Tobin next to her inbetween is a little baby.

Caption: We welcome our new daughter, y/n, to this world

~tobinheath:

Posting a picture with Tobin holding y/n for the first time.

Caption: My favorite girl after ~christenpress

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All news channels:

Congratulations Christen Press and Tobin Heath, with a healthy baby girl.

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#christen press imagine #christen press x reader #uswnt imagine #uswnt x reader #preath imagine #woso x reader