#Lace Basketball Shoes

[ohbueckers]

WHAT’S MY NAME? you got that something that keeps me so off balance. baby, you’re a challenge. let’s explore your talent.

THIS IS PART TWO! part one here. pairing, paige bueckers x tutor!oc. notes, blah blah blah place name proper name backstory stuff. warnings, sexual content & interruptions.

“—and she literally asked me what my name was. you heard that? and was dead serious, too.”

the team—well, most of the team burst out into a fit of laughter, their voices echoing through the locker room. it was game day—the same game paige had invited liana to. the same game the blonde paid for liana to go to. they’d only talked about a handful the past few days, the two of them shamefully finding excuses to text each other. the last thing they’d talked about was the game, the blonde confirming everything. in her own words, the girl needed a good ol’ uconn women’s basketball experience.

“man, what’s the point of being famous if people don’t even know who you are?” ice snickered, shaking her head as she pulled her jersey over her head. nika leaned back against her locker, her laugh coming out in short, breathy bursts as she tried to catch her breath.

paige let a small smirk tug at the corners of her lips, trying to play it cool. but deep down, it was bothering her more than she wanted to admit. she was paige bueckers. everyone knew her name. and yet here was this girl, this ridiculously pretty girl, who had managed to make her feel like just another student. that wasn’t supposed to happen, but it felt good in a way.

she pushed the thought away as the team continued to poke fun, turning her attention to her shoes, making sure they were laced up tight. they would be playing maryland, and although paige thought it would be an easy dub, she hoped liana wouldn’t be in viewpoint. she wouldn’t be able to focus that way.

“yo, paige.” kk’s voice cut through the laughter, her tone a bit more serious. paige glanced up, catching the way kk hesitated before she spoke again. “i don’t know if this matters to you or whatever, but… i think liana might be seeing someone.”

the words hung in the air for a moment, and paige’s grin faltered just slightly. she raised an eyebrow, waiting for kk to continue.

“like, there’s this girl me and aubrey saw her on campus with the other day. and she’s been checking her phone a lot when i’m around,” kk added, her voice low as if she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. but paige caught the implication, her attention immediately shifting to aubrey.

she turned to her teammate, her eyes narrowing just a bit. “you saw her too?”

aubrey looked up, hesitating for a moment before nodding. “yeah, i saw them together a couple of times. seemed like more than just friends, you know?” she tried to put it into perspective for her, but paige didn’t even look like she was listening.

for a second, paige let the thought sink in. another girl, huh? she didn’t know why, but it almost made her smirk. this wasn’t some random guy she could brush off. it was another girl—competition, maybe, but also an opportunity. it didn’t shake her confidence; it only made her more certain of what she wanted.

“bro. i don’t give a fuck about none of that.” her voice was a slight mumble. her tone easy, dismissive. she didn’t care who liana was seeing. if anything, the idea of a challenge made this more fun. “she can have my cake and eat it, too.”

more laughs, because paige truly is just ridiculous. then nika, ever the one to call out paige’s chaos, jumped in. “okay, messy boots. do you even have time for a girlfriend right now?”

“who said anything about a girlfriend?”

azzi raised an eyebrow from her seat, studying her best friend’s face. she couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but something told her that this girl, liana, was consuming her thoughts way more than a regular amount.

paige adjusted her jersey, her mind already shifting back to the game. she needed to focus. there’d be time to deal with liana later. for now, it was all about basketball.

fortunately, the team lucked out and the game against maryland went down exactly as paige had expected—an easy dub, with the final score settling at 80 to 48. she wiped the sweat off her brow as the final buzzer sounded, her grin widening as the cheers of the crowd washed over her.

after the game, paige made her way to the sidelines where a cluster of fans waited, eager for autographs and pictures. she always made time for this part. it was grounding, in a way, reminding her why she did this in the first place. plus, it was fun. she smiled as she signed a few basketballs, shoes, and chatting easily with her supporters. she even spotted a little girl in a uconn jersey who blushed so hard she could barely speak when paige hugged her. she loved these moments. they made the grind worth it.

“paige, you did amazing today!” one fan gushed, shoving a poster her way.

the chatter almost always overlapped. “appreciate it,” paige replied, scribbling her signature. she tossed a few jokes, snapped some pictures, and soaked in the attention. but even with the crowd in front of her, her thoughts kept drifting to liana.

luckily, the girl had been out of sight during the game, so she was mostly out of mind. mostly. paige couldn’t help but wonder where she was—if she’d seen the game or if she’d already left.

as if on cue, paige caught sight of a familiar figure approaching from the edge of the court. her heart did a little flip that she wasn’t ready to acknowledge, so she focused on finishing up an autograph, trying to play it cool. but as liana got closer, paige found herself fumbling with the sharpie, her fingers betraying her nerves. she cursed under her breath, quickly adjusting her grip and finishing it off.

finally turning to liana, she shot her the biggest smile, her hands playing with the cap. liana’s eyes swept over her, taking in the sight of paige in her jersey, her arms still tense from the game and too buff to stay cordial. the girl’s breath hitched, and there was a moment where paige swore she saw something in her gaze—something like admiration, maybe more. it made paige stand a little taller, a little more ego-fulfilled because of what she’d picked up on.

“well, look who decided to show up,” paige teased, twirling the sharpie between her fingers as if she hadn’t just fumbled it a second ago. “you come to support your student, huh? very admirable of you, teach.”

liana smiled, her eyes still lingering on paige’s arms purposefully before meeting her gaze. “gotta support my students, right? especially the ones who are a little… extra credit.”

paige chuckled, not being able to contain her shit-eating grin as she rocked back and forth on her feet. she tipped her head back, maintaining eye contact the way she always did. “extra credit? i’ll take that as a compliment.” paige patted her chest, more specifically, her heart.

“ you should,” liana shot back, her voice light, eyebrows raised and teeth showing in a way that made paige’s chest tighten. it almost felt too good.

for a moment, paige forgot about the crowd around her. it was just liana and her, standing there in the aftermath of a game that didn’t seem nearly as important as this moment. she peeped how liana’s gaze lingered on her jersey, her arms, and even the construction of her face.

“so, listen,” paige started, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. liana stepped closer, moving out of the way so someone could get past them. she couldn’t help but feel a little bit exposed under paige’s eyes, but she liked it. not only was she taller, but she looked down at her like she was prey. liana wondered if she looked at everyone like this while talking to them. “a few of us are heading to ted’s after this. you should come.”

liana hesitated, just like before, but paige could tell she was considering it as she stuttered. “i don’t know…”

paige didn’t let her finish. “bring her.”

liana’s eyebrows shot up, clearly taken aback. “what?”

“the girl you be with,” paige said, her voice steady and accent heavy. “she can come. jus’ want you there.”

liana’s expression softened. paige bueckers had been asking about her. if not that, someone had obviously known she’d cared enough to report back. liana continued to look at her, a mix of surprise and something else that paige couldn’t quite pin down. but whatever it was, it made her feel like she was winning. and paige liked to win.

“alright,” liana finally said, her lips curving into a small smile. “maybe i’ll stop by.”

“good,” paige replied, her grin returning full force. “i’ll see you there, then.”

ted’s was buzzing by the time paige and the team settled in. the usual crowd filled the bar—uconn students, locals. the team had claimed their spot, laughter spilling from their table as they recapped the game and teased each other over everything from missed shots to the post-game interviews. paige was in the middle of telling a story, spinning it out with her usual charm, but her eyes kept darting to the entrance. she was waiting, though she’d never admit it.

it had been about 30 minutes when she saw liana walk in. but she wasn’t alone. a girl followed close behind her, as expected, and paige took her time sizing her up, sucking in a breath.

naomi had brown dreadlocks that hung just past her shoulders, neat and well-kept. she wore a black tee that clung to her frame, paired with simple jeans and boots that looked worn in but sturdy. her presence was different from liana’s, who had changed into a mini skirt and a crop top—more solid, less playful. it made paige’s fingers itch to push at that calmness, to see what it would take to crack it.

as liana and naomi approached the table, paige kept her expression neutral, leaning back in her seat, arms crossed like she was just another teammate hanging out. no big deal. but anyone who knew her knew that she was anything but unbothered right now.

“hey, guys,” liana greeted, her voice warm as always as kk pulled her into an informal side hug, the rest of the team welcoming her normally, some a little more hyper with liquid courage. naomi stood beside her, offering a polite nod to the group.

paige took in the scene, her eyes flicking between the two. landing on liana, she let out a, “hey,” her tone casual. “nice to meet you.” that one was for naomi, paige’s head jerking up in an acknowledgment nod.

“same,” naomi replied, her voice smooth and even, her gaze briefly scanning paige before settling elsewhere.

introductions were quick, and soon enough, naomi found herself caught up in a conversation with aubrey about some mutual interest that paige couldn’t care less about. she watched as aubrey expertly engaged the girl, pulling her into the group with ease. aubrey had always been good at that. it was all too convenient, really, how aubrey was handling the distraction, and paige didn’t miss the cheeky smile aubrey sent her over naomi’s shoulder. it was a silent you’re welcome that paige shook her head at.

with naomi’s attention diverted, paige turned fully toward liana. the energy between them shifted slightly, becoming more charged now that there wasn’t anyone watching too closely. paige leaned in just a bit, enough to close the gap. “drinks?” the blonde suggested, chuckling at liana’s immediate nod as she slid in next to her, dragging the menu in front of her.

“you not a usual?” paige asked, eyebrows furrowing as she looked over her shoulder and at the menu. there was a sense of curiosity beneath her casual tone, a question of why someone like liana wasn’t a regular in a place like ted’s.

“nah, i don’t go out often,” liana replied. she picked up the menu, perfectly manicured fingers following under the words and scanning it like she was genuinely considering her options, but paige could tell her mind was elsewhere.

paige made the connection easily—it explained why she hadn’t seen liana around before. she leaned back slightly, taking a moment to study her profile. something she’d grown accustomed to. “makes sense,” she said, her voice more thoughtful now. “probably why i haven’t seen you around.”

liana nodded, still looking at the menu. “yeah, i’m usually busy with work. tutoring and stuff.”

paige’s curiosity peaked, and she turned her gaze and body more fully on liana. “so, how do you know naomi?” she asked, her tone carefully casual, though the question held more weight than she let on.

liana hesitated for a moment, then shrugged, her expression slipping into something a little more guarded. “we met through mutual friends. it’s… nothing serious,” she added quickly, her voice firm, as if she needed to make that point clear.

“right,” paige replied, her eyes lingering on liana, catching that hint of uncertainty beneath her words. was she lying? why’d she feel the need to?

liana met her blue hues, her lips curving into a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “right,” she echoed, though there was a slight tremor in her voice. they both knew what she was trying to convince herself of, and it wasn’t quite working.

a couple more drinks in, liana and paige had loosened up a mile. they talked about where they were from, life on campus, their experiences obviously extremely different, and the blonde had even gotten around to asking her about her tattoo. the one behind her ear. it was some intricate thing her mom used to draw before she passed—right before her first year.

somehow, the deep conversation topics hadn’t made anything awkward or less easy to talk about. it was too easy. and in all honesty, quite scary.

“you looked really good on the court tonight,” liana admitted, her voice softer, more personal as she let her eyes roam over paige. definitely liquid courage, but there was denying they’d had the same amount, and there was no mistaking the interest behind those words, the way her gaze lingered a little too long on paige’s arms, her legs.

“liana!” paige groaned, sitting back in her chair as a sheepish smile took over her face. it was the kind of grin that she tried to hide but couldn’t quite manage, not when liana was looking at her like that.

“what?” she responded, her tone innocent enough and high-pitched through a giggle, though her curls bounced with each turn of her head, making it clear she knew exactly what she was doing.

“you can’t say stuff like that,” paige muttered, though her grin only widened, betraying her words. she leaned in, elbows resting on the table, her eyes locked on liana’s like a challenge.

“why not?” liana shot back, leaning against her elbow, her voice dropping into a teasing whisper. somehow, her eyes looked more doe under the dimly lit bar, more seducing you could say. “you don’t like compliments?”

paige’s eyes narrowed, but there was no malice behind it—just the spark of a challenge she was more than willing to take on. “i like them just fine. but coming from you…”

she arched an eyebrow. “what about me?”

paige chuckled, shaking her head slightly. “you know exactly what i’m talking ‘bout.” she didn’t back down despite being ultimately defeated by liana’s boldness tonight. she could get used to it.

liana’s smile softened, the teasing edge still there, but there was something more genuine beneath it. “maybe i do,” she admitted quietly. she turned away, paige licking her lips as she studied the way her lips wrapped around her straw, and—yeah, that was it.

paige reached out, her fingers brushing against liana’s as she pulled her out of her seat, not bothering with excuses anymore. the need to be alone with her, to be away from naomi and her glances every couple minutes, was too strong to ignore. and it’s not like paige hadn’t thought about doing this since the moment she laid eyes on her, so…

liana was on her in an instant, pressing paige’s back against the single bathroom wall. her hands were everywhere—fingers threading into paige’s braids, tugging just enough to make her groan into her mouth. paige’s hands found liana’s hips before strolling down to her ass, lost in the sloppiness of the kiss and everything it brought—like another heartbeat. paige’s grip tightened on her thighs, pulling her closer, up into her arms and onto the sink.

liana was perched on the edge of the sink, legs pressed against the porcelain. it was a cold contrast, but the least of her worries. the kiss grew more desperate, more consuming, until paige pulled back slightly, her breath ragged, her eyes practically aching.

“you want this?” paige asked, her voice low, fingers already moving underneath liana’s skirt, seeking and teasing at the same time.

but just as her hand slipped higher, liana’s fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her. “it’s wrong,” liana whined slightly, as if it was hard to physically not do this. her eyes searched paige’s, trying to find a reason to stop, but it was clear she was struggling.

paige’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, her breath still coming in short, sharp bursts. “she your girlfriend?”

liana shook her head, the motion almost frantic, her curls bouncing with the movement. “no,” she whispered, the word barely audible above the pounding of their hearts.

the blonde’s lips curved into a slow smile. “then there’s no home to wreck,” she murmured. the moment those words left her mouth, it was like their thoughts snapped back into place, sharper and more urgent than before.

liana didn’t protest again. instead, she pulled paige closer by the collar of her shirt, the movement making her gasp, tongue poking the inside of her cheek with a smirk. paige’s hand found its way back under liana’s skirt, fingers grazing over the fabric of her underwear, teasing her.. make her squirm.

“look at you,” paige taunted, watching liana’s reactions. she slid her fingers back and forth, deliberately avoiding where liana wanted her most. “so wet already…“

her breathing picked up, hands gripping the edge of the sink as she tried to ground herself, her body betraying her, though. “paige, please…” she whispered, the desperation clear as day.

paige’s reaction was more than just one of satisfaction. just earlier this week she’d been asking what her name was, and now she was moaning it. her fingers finally slipped beneath the soaked fabric, finding her heat. she traced the outline of her folds, slow and deliberate, making liana whimper with every touch. her face stayed pressed into the blonde’s shoulder, the smell of some expensive cologne and fresh laundry filling her nostrils. she wanted every part of her.

paige didn’t make her wait any longer. she slipped one finger inside, feeling the tight warmth as liana clenched around her. she added her middle finger, her movements slow and deep, making sure she felt every inch. “so tight for me… say that shit again.”

liana took a moment to process what exactly she wanted her to say, her mind not even on the right planet. catching on, she moaned out a soft, “paige…” and she groaned. she started to thrust, her fingers moving and stopping at the base where her silver rings were. they curled up at one point in a come hither motion, the sensation causing liana to screw her eyes shut, mouth open pornographically wide.

liana moaned loudly, her back arching as paige’s pace quickened, the sound of their bodies filling the small bathroom. her thumb found her clit, rubbing tight circles that had liana gasping, her nails digging into her shoulders. “yes… right there… don’t—mm.. stop,” liana panted, her voice breaking with every thrust.

paige’s fingers worked relentlessly inside of her, her pace quickening as she felt liana tighten around her. she leaned in closer, her breath warm, and whispered in her ear, “i’m fuckin’ splitting you open, baby. you feel that?“

liana could only moan in response, her body shaking as paige’s thumb circled her clit with perfect precision, eliciting a different sound between each movement. she was right there, so close to coming, her mind completely lost in the moment. but just as she felt herself tipping over the edge, a sharp knock echoed through the bathroom door. “liana? you in there?” naomi’s voice cut through to the both of them, pulling liana back to reality with a harsh jolt. if that wasn’t a slap in the face, she didn’t know what was.

“fuck,” she mumbled, frustration clear in her tone as she clung to paige, trying to keep herself grounded in the moment, even as her mind screamed for her to get a grip.

paige’s own frustration mirrored liana’s, looking back at the door. she pulled her hand back with a quickness, watching liana struggle to catch her breath, deciding to help her down from the sink. she steadied her as if nothing had just happened between them, proceeding to follow up with a few lingering kisses on liana’s lips. intimate, sure—but blondie couldn’t resist.

“imma’ text you, alright?” her words were casual, but the look in her eyes wasn’t.

liana nodded, trying to get her thoughts in order, but she was still reeling from how quickly paige could shift from intense to gentle. it was throwing her off balance, and she didn’t like that. how does she do that? how does she make me want her even more everytime she says something? she knew she needed to get out of there before naomi started asking questions, but the entire situation didn’t feel real. they’d have some unfinished business to take care of by fate.

at the door, liana couldn’t help but fake a pout, a small attempt to regain some control, even if it was just a tease. but then paige stuck her fingers in her mouth mindlessly, licking them clean with wide eyes. liana’s mind went blank for a second, her first instinct being a gasp, heat flooding to her cheeks in a swarm as she swatted at paige’s arm. “you’re so—” she started, but paige’s low giggle cut her off, dodging the hits. god, she’s infuriating. infuriatingly cute.

“go on,” paige urged with that damn smirk, and liana knew she was right. she needed to walk out first, leave paige to follow behind like nothing had happened.

with one last look, liana stepped out of the bathroom, her heart pounding. as the door closed behind her, she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.. not look suspicious.

naomi was waiting just outside, looking at liana with a questioning expression. “you good?”

she forced a smile, nodding quickly. “yeah, just… needed a minute.”

[caitlinsclark]

GOOD LUCK BABE! caitlin clark PART II. YOU CAN SAY THAT WE'RE NOTHING caitlin clark x reader ✰ bree's notes: tw: A MAN A MAN A MAN A MAN A MAN (sorry just had to add that) enjoy my loves!! I've missed writing for you fr <3 word count: 4.7k series masterlist masterlist and tag list

The sound of things in your bag clunking together echoed throughout the hallway as you ruffled through them, a breathless groan that reiterated all the building frustration from your day prior. In the haste of escaping the stressful situation, you'd forgotten your sneakers. 

You could play barefoot right? It wasn’t technically an advantage, you tried to reason with yourself internally to not have to enter the apartment again. 

What a joke, you scoffed as you rubbed your forehead, feeling like an intruder in your own home. With one hand on the door knob, you sighed and pushed it open quickly, believing that the quicker you did it the quicker it would be over.

Luke called your name when you passed by him sitting in the living room, his stupid bouquet of flowers clutched dramatically to his chest where his heart was rumored to be.

Of course, they were still in perfect condition too. You bitterly mumbled under your breath as you went right into the bedroom, ignoring his half assed attempts at reconciliation. 

“If those flowers even get near you,” You gently pet the cat lying on your bed as you whispered, “I’m blending them into a smoothie and he’s gonna drink it.” Your voice heightened in pitch toward the end, an affectionate boop on the nose to the furry animal before you went into the closet to retrieve your shoes. 

You were rustling around when something dropped, an echo of a hollow box hitting the ground grabbing your attention. It was a small felt box, something that didn’t belong among the shoes in the closet and definitely not something of yours. 

When you bent down to open it, you found yourself wishing you had gone with the decision to play barefoot. The intimidating glimmer of the diamond ring sucking all the light from your body, completely opposing how reflective it was.

Basketball clearly hadn’t taught you enough defense, leaving you startled when Luke had entered the room. The sudden imposing figure in your line of vision had you gasping, quick reflexes kicking in and throwing the ring into your bag to hide it. Your foot kicked the empty jewelry box underneath the dresser just in time for him to turn the corner.

Luke stared hard at your agitated figure, suspicion lacing the words he spoke, “You’re back. Let’s talk.”  He turned around without another word, assuming you were going to follow.

It didn’t seem to be a question, and you weren’t going to let it be. Especially with the frazzled buzzing of your head that had skyrocketed to a pulsating sensation.

“Nope, I can’t do this now.” The ring felt heavy in your bag, an unpleasant and scarily unwelcome milestone that prompted your blood running cold. Your sensible mind told you that it was your shoes adding that weight, but your mind didn’t let up.

Your feet carried you hurriedly out of the door again, not even taking a second to pett the whining cat near the door on the way out. That’s how you knew you were absolutely fucked.

The pounding in your head may have been attributed to the upcoming stakes of the game, but you feared it had more to do with the metaphorical weight making it difficult to get a full breath in. The pressure that lingered as a reminder of the man living in your apartment, if the 5 missed calls lighting up your phone and the ring stowed away in your bag weren’t enough.

You tried to sit in your car for more time than you wanted to admit, an attempt at collecting yourself before facing any of the cameras. Flashes that would probably read directly into your soul, prompting narratives that might not only be speculation and hearsay.

The physically sickening feeling was almost a happy distraction from the grief your mind had been relentlessly succumbed to since the phone call with your mother.

You couldn’t quite place what changed when you entered the building, what had your buzzing senses slowing to a steady and comforting pace but it surely couldn’t have been the entrance of your best friend to your left.

You gasped at the smug smirk on Caitlin’s face as you took in your correlating outfits, not torn away from her despite the flashing cameras. It made sense why she’d asked earlier if you had tan heels as you took in her tan pantsuit.

“You look amazing,” She hummed, grabbing both your hands and spinning you wistfully toward the press. She left you laughing and holding onto her arms for stabilization as you slowed to a stop.

Caitlin gladly indulged in your hands on her biceps, leaving a lingering warmth even after they slid down to her elbows. 

You wiped your forehead dramatically, letting out a puff of air at the show you two had just put on for the cameras, “I wonder where I got the recommendation from.” With an inability to take a compliment, you hid your warming face from her despite the smirk she held, signaling she’d already caught you.

One of your arms nudged her own wordlessly and she childishly did it back to you. You stumbled in your tall heels, saved  like clockwork when she pulled you against her before you could fall the other way, quick and effortless like the action took no thought.

You continued side by side walking down the hallway when Caitlin carefully linked your arms together. You turned your head at the contact and gave her a small adoring smile, one that had her turning to direct her grin at the ground so you wouldn’t see her red cheeks behind her hair.

The harmonious glimmer in the air was something you only felt in Caitlin’s presence, a bond that went unsaid as you both had learned each other too well. A blissful comfort your mind and body welcomed after the anxiety your prior day.

Warm ups came and went, a fleeting comfortability of distraction that went all too fast. As you walked off the court, the prominent cameras and microphones flocked to you as if they were seagulls fighting over a scrap of food. 

Your head hadn’t cleared since the discovery you made in the closet earlier, added with the pressure of their cameras pushing into your face. You tried to find something to train your eyes on, something to focus on and keep your nerves down.

You realized how bad of an idea that was when your other option was Caitlin as she waited, with her unwavering and intimidating attention focused on you. Her stature exuded confidence, legs spread as if she owned the space, her arm laid on the back of the chair beside her with a powerful grip on the metal that had the veins in her arm showing.

“Sorry, could you repeat that?” You slowly blinked at the reporter, licking your lips to get rid of the dry feeling in your mouth. The brunette watched you shuffle on your feet, a nervous tell.

A gasp left your lips when a water bottle entered your side view, too focused on avoiding Caitlin’s distracting gaze to notice that she’d waltzed up with her water bottle for you. Her eyebrows were raised in an expectant manner when you took more than a second to grab it, simply knowing you all too well. 

You laughed and took it from her with a gentle ‘thank you’, ignoring the rush of giddiness when she decided to stay against your side as you took a small but much needed sip. 

The reporter repeated his question and put the mic toward your own mouth once he finished, though you deflated at the clearly narrative driven journalism that he showed.

“Do you think Liberty is coming into the match today looking down on your team for the previous three losses?” 

You resisted the urge to side eye the brunette to your left, who you felt gently squeeze the arm behind your back in a silent acknowledgement hidden from the cameras.

“I don’t think they can look down at us, most of us are pretty tall,” You shrugged off the question, sharing a mutually playful and amused look with Caitlin beside you. Her hand moved to rest on your back in encouragement, another small squeeze that was hidden from the reporters, meant for only the two of you.

The man looked down, an attempt at hiding from the antagonizing laughs that the rest of the journalists let out. Your head turned, your temple resting on Caitlin’s shoulder as you tried to hide the unprofessional giggles you were sharing with your teammate.

Your laughter died down slowly when Caitlin lifted her phone up to her mouth like a microphone, mocking the media right in front of their faces, “Pressing question, what is your favorite movie of all time?”

You leaned into the device, now putting your hand on her shoulder to get closer to the microphone, “My favorite movie of all time is Spider-Man.” Caitlin nodded as you spoke, eyes trained on you with an intent expression at your answer.

“That upside down kiss scene changed my brain chemistry, how do you even realistically do that?” You added absentmindedly with a laugh, noticing immediately how the athlete beside you perked up like a dog who’d heard a box of treats shaking.

“I think I can hang upside down from the hoop, if you wanna try?” Caitlin smirked at you, a cockiness tainting her words that had you wanting to melt into the floor.

Her brown eyes basked in the shy tilt of your head away from her as your cheeks warmed at the words. You stumbled for some kind of response and could only settle for a dismissive laugh despite a few seconds of troubleshooting.

“Stop,” Your words were cushioned with a laugh, hands gently pushing her stomach to get some distance, ignoring how much muscle you felt in such a small interaction. 

You fumbled with your hair, suddenly feeling hot and ] went back to looking at the camera to calm the increasing and intimidating beat of your heart. With a small sigh, you tried to move past the light-hearted teasing she always hit you with, but her comforting warmth against your side sucked you further in. 

It was in her nature to be an instigator anyway, you tried to tell yourself as you gave your full attention to the journalist.

If only you knew that everything she’d said to you in the last three years had been anything but light-hearted. The line of Caitlin’s teasing had been long forgotten in her mind when her words had simply become scattered truths disguised with a playful attitude.

She rocked back and forth on her heels silently and tried not to pettily pull away from your alluring presence, feeling rejected yet accepted at the same time. She couldn’t find it in herself to tear apart from you, too comfortable in the warmth of your touch. Perhaps she had earned a sadist title as she let herself fall into you once again, knowing damn well you weren’t hers. 

And it was a brutal reminder as you swallowed nervously and made the decision put some separation between your bodies.

The nerves began to set in as you sat in the locker room, messing with your hair as you tried to mentally prepare. Caitlin watched you from her corner, ignoring the way her teammates giggled at her repetitive glances in your direction.

Erica leaned over to whisper to Aliyah as Caitlin finally stood up and trailed across the room to sit next to you, the two giggling like school girls over gossip. The glare that the point guard sent them only made them laugh more, hiding behind their hands to communicate. The brunette’s scrunched up face was a dead giveaway to her worry for you, only hearing bits and pieces of your conversation on the phone.

“They were brand new flowers, Luke,” You insisted quietly, set on not allowing him to make you feel bad. This piqued Caitlin’s interest further when she realized what you were talking about, trying to tie her sneakers silently. She couldn’t help the way her eyes still flew to you.

“I can get you new flowers, I don’t know how to fix this,” He sounded anxious and it made your guilt spike up. You tried to ground your spinning head and give yourself a subtle reminder that this was a matter of ignorance, not incompetence. 

The confusion in his voice seemed genuine, as if he was searching for a way to read your mind. Maybe you hadn’t been clear enough?

You rubbed your forehead, your closed eyes being hidden from the light not doing much to ease the headache forming, “It’s like if I threw away a Play Station gift card you hadn’t used yet because I assumed it was expired.” 

The immediate ‘oh’ that left his lips in understanding was bitter sweet, an exhausting cycle of having to dumb things down as if you were babysitting a child and having to teach them respect and consequences.

“I’m sorry I made you upset,” He followed up and you felt like all the explaining you had just done had tumbled down upon analyzing his wording, “You know I’ve just missed you so much since you went pro, I don’t wanna fight when we barely talk as it is.”

The physical therapist would have yelled at you with the way your head fell aggressively back against the lockers, posture slumped and eyes still shut to shield yourself from reality. Defeat consumed you, the circles your mind had been running in paling in comparison to the circles you’d been talking in with Luke.

The hand holding your phone tiredly fell down to rest on the bench despite Luke’s voice still sounding from it quietly. There was no flinch when the device was taken from your hand, a familiar soft grasp settling on your wrist that assured you who it was. You assumed she had hung up for you when his voice was cut off abruptly.

“You’re gonna do great,” Caitlin’s voice was still easily recognizable behind your closed eyes, like a song you knew from the first beat. She didn’t miss how your lips quirked up.

“And whatever, or whoever,” the words were absolutely bitter to Caitlin’s own ears, “is upsetting you isn’t important right now.”

You peaked one eye open to glance sideways at her, “Sounds like the easy and confident words of a record breaking rookie expecting a triple double tonight.” 

“It’s whatever,” she brushed off what you said, more focused on your nerves than her accomplishments. It left you baffled, shoving her shoulder to which she grasped your hand to defend another attack. 

You still scoffed, giving her an incredulous look as if she’d just offended your first born, “That’s ridiculous, be proud of yourself for five seconds please.”

She silently counted five seconds in her head and you squinted at her unimpressed as you realized what she was doing. When the five seconds was up, you couldn’t help but share a laugh at her persistent sarcastic nature with a slight shove to her shoulder.

“You deserve more than five seconds, Cait,” You scolded, but laughed with her regardless.

“You should trust me, we’ve got this,” She barely acknowledged the praise and put her hand on your knee, you didn’t have to look away as you laid yours on top, “Ready?” 

The nerves regarding the game seemed to dissipate, insignificant when she held out her hands and pulled you up from the bench to chest bump quickly. You landed on the ground with a breathless chuckle, turning your attention to Coach as you prepared to go out onto the court.

The game started off with a buzzing crowd and ethereal energy that didn’t seem quite real. Fans were donned in an overwhelming amount of red, eager bodies jumping at the sight of the team exiting the tunnel.

You and Caitlin had been bouncing off each other since the first whistle blew, handing the ball off to her and watching as she drained her first 3 pointer only 30 seconds into the game. 

Only 5 minutes in and you couldn’t help but nudge Caitlin’s side with a glimmering smile as you passed her on the court, finding it impossible not to soak in the glory of a great lead and defense so far. 

The scoreboard still lead in Fever’s favor, reading out a cheerful sight of 15-6. The straight set look on her features broke when she looked at you, sharing the moment of excitement bashfully with no extra convincing, just the influence of your smile.

By the end of the first quarter, Fever was still off to an 8 point lead. This had you and Caitlin conjoining hands excitedly when the buzzer sounded, a quick celebration amidst the chaos of the crowd and game.

The second quarter was a give and take, feeling like every shot you made, Liberty would quickly answer back with. It’d grew to a score of 33-32, Fever being only one point ahead. That was until Sabrina stepped back to drain another three, putting Liberty in the lead and lighting another fire within the players on the court.

Your eyes subconsciously flittered around until they landed on the number 22 jersey you always looked for. Finding her gaze already on yours was comforting, like she knew you needed that subtle pick me up.

3 minutes into the last quarter and you could tell that your team was giving its all. With a close score in Liberty’s favor of 66-57, it was safe to say that the final 7 minutes were crucial.

You were already on the move to the opposite end of the court when a missed shot by Thornton bounced off the rim and fell into Caitlin’s possession, marking the triple double she had been working towards.

The crowd’s screams bounced off the walls, echoing and hurting your ears in a way that you welcomed gleefully as you cheered along.

Even though you were still running toward your own basket, Caitlin caught the moment as you turned your head back in her direction with a proud glimmer shining in your eyes, a look only reserved for her. The point guard was thankful for the fact that you’d needed to turn away so she could focus back on the game. And not on the way that a new fire had ignited within her just from your wordless praise.

The ball in her hands passed to yours flawlessly, charging up to the basket as the cheers from the fans watching continued relentlessly. The whistle blew as you attempted your layup, a foul called on Thornton in your favor with the referee granting two free throws.

The roars of the crowd couldn’t stop Caitlin from taking advantage of the whistle to jog over to you, being the first to check on you despite being the furthest away. She knew what she had just accomplished, but the way you were holding your arm with a slight grimace was more of a priority.

Caitlin thought of the cameras picking up on the hand that she kept on the arch of your back all the way to the free throw line, but she truly couldn’t find it in herself to care.

“You okay?” She spoke lowly, eyebrows furred in concern as her eyes flickered over your face, lingering on the taunting view of your lips, so close yet so far.

You weren’t focused enough to notice as your hand squeezed her arm, the excitement of her triple double ranking far higher than preparing for the shots. 

She set her hands on her hips and stepped back to watch you closely, less fueled by the score and more by the fact that you were the one shooting. The brunette put her arms out when the crowd continued to go wild, a clear gesture to silent the cheers and they somehow listened. Peering eyes watching her but she only focused on giving you a small nod of encouragement, now ready to take your shots and thankful for her dissipating the distracting screams. 

The crowd’s energy roared again when you’d drained both shots, another push toward closing the gap in score during the intense back and forth. With only nine seconds left and a 5 point advantage, Fever was running like a cohesive machine. The crowd began cheering when Liberty’s shot bounced off the backboard and Caitlin grabbed the rebound eagerly, only dropping it when the final buzzer sounded, marking the official victory for your team.

You hopped into her open and awaiting arms the second she’d dropped the ball, a bundle of force that she welcomed and expected. Her arms came to wrap around your thighs, lifting you so high up in the air that you had to squeal and hold onto her shoulders. 

Your forehead leaned to rest on the top of her head, “You are unreal.” Your voice amounted to less than a whisper, encompassing how proud of her you were. 

It was terrifying how simple it was to tune out the booming volume of the crowd for Caitlin when you spoke to her in that reserved, soft voice. The brunette didn’t answer verbally, setting you on the ground gently and burying her face in your chest. Her arms slid up to your waist and you loosely wrapped yours around her upper body, cradling her head against you as you swayed back and forth.

She let herself be consumed you for just a moment, a moment where Luke didn’t exist and you were celebrating as her girlfriend. The familiarity of her body against yours could’ve had her fooled, an unsaid and unaddressed intimacy you’d both been lacking with others. 

But for that split second, it went beyond words, a conscious choice to bask in the victory with only one another. Caitlin couldn’t keep the grin off her face and neither could you. Her touch only heightened the bliss you were working off of as the team retreated back to the locker room.

Caitlin was busy looking at the reporters in front of her and you took the chance to fondly flutter your eyes over her features, an enamoring glow radiating through her smile that only a win could provoke.

Her arm hung around your neck and yours around her waist, footsteps in a slow synchronization as you took your time walking down the hallway.

“I can’t believe we did that,” She breathed out, using her arm to pull your face just a little too close to hers in a fleeting moment of pure adrenaline.

You couldn’t help but admire how humble the girl in front of you had grown to be, a remarkable sense of team in a game that some played selfishly.

“Yeah,” You pretended to think and savored her gaze concentrated on your expression, “I guess you did enough to make it a ‘we’ situation.” One of your free fingers poked her stomach, indulging when she sunk right back into your side after shying away.

“Triple double, how does it feel?” A reporter cut in, walking backwards to match the pace of you and Caitlin. You cheered, your hands circling your mouth to echo the sound even louder as Caitlin laughed.

“Like another one of these,” She tugged you closer underneath her arm to make a ‘W’ with her hands, covering your overly cheesy grin from the camera, “Shoutout to the fans though, they kept us going in that second half.” The brunette couldn’t help but add humbly.

Entering the locker room felt like an orchestrated sneak attack, Caitlin thought as you lead her into the abnormally quiet area. Her teammates sat with incriminating grins, Coach standing at the front of the room with two empty spots directly beside her.

Like clockwork, the pair of you sat beside one another, a bashful grin appearing on Caitlin’s face at the building anticipation. You couldn’t help but join in on the giddiness, tinting her cheeks red when you gave her a teasing nudge.

The entire room was watching the two of you silently, fondly eyeing one another.

“First time for a rookie to get a triple double in franchise history!”

Screams erupted before Coach Sides could finish her sentence. The two of you being bombarded by a flood of cold water, courtesy of the bottles held by your teammates who ran around like sugar crazed children in the name of Caitlin’s accomplishment.

She leaned back against you fully, letting the water rain down on both of your bodies. Though the liquid was freezing enough to leave you shivering as it dripped down your jersey, you only focused on the warmth of Caitlin’s back against you and her radiant smile as the team cheered her on. 

Your loud and proud hollers were her favorite. Your voice standing out to her more than the rest of the room, prompting the bashful grin and light flush of her cheeks as she rested her head back against your shoulder.

The towel you wrapped gently around her shoulders was a weak comparison to the way you’d been wrapped around her. She tried to imagine the feeling again, the ghost of your touch haunting her the second it strayed away.

She got pulled around the room by the rest of the team, but her eyes refused to stray from you every few seconds. There had only been one person she wanted to celebrate with and she was currently packing her back in the other corner. “Good job everybody,” Caitlin called out, holding up the basketball in her hands toward the rest of her team with her radiant smile on full display. 

“Did you wanna do something after we get done with press?” She passed the ball back and forth between her hands, her nervousness making her movements rapid and causing her to stumble slightly.

“The franchise record breaker doesn’t have a hot date to tend to tonight?” You squinted, fumbling around with items in your bag, oblivious to the exasperation coating Caitlin’s features.

She had one particular in mind, she just wasn’t sure if the other party would consider it a date. Her hands clutched the towel on her shoulders to gain some self control back.

She’d went to open her mouth to reply, aiming to not sound overly desperate. The idea of desperation flew out the window when a tiny clink traveled into her ears courtesy of the small object that slipped out from your bag. 

You had no idea, rambling on about how proud you were, something about taking time to appreciate herself. But nothing could be heard over the deafening ringing intruding on Caitlin’s senses, eyes zoned in on the diamond ring staring tauntingly back at her. A nod to a milestone that she would never reach with you.

Caitlin stayed painfully still, not even allowing her eyes to stray from the sight, scared that moving would make this moment set in reality. You were a blissful level of unaware of the war going on in her head, while the sides of morally right and corruptively gray teetered back and forth.

“Alright,” You breathed out as you hiked your bag up on your shoulder, ignorant to the glittering ring just centimeters from your foot, “I could use a drink.”

With an expert like timing, the girl waited for you to head toward the door, back facing her for just enough time to allow her to scoop up the ring in her grasp. She squeezed her eyes shut as she rose to her full height again, a silent prayer for a good segway into playing this off.

“You coming?” You turned around to ask, facing Caitlin just in time to see her standing up in a rushed movement. One hand fiddled with her hair while the other was gripped in a fist, clasping tight to hold in all the secrets that threatened to break loose.

“Coming.” Her legs carried her to you with no further hesitance, a pit of dread slipping into her stomach, in unison with the harrowing ring sliding achingly into her jacket pocket.

taglist: @lovermcres @glorioushamsterqueen @miedmead @blueagle45 @pbloverr @cavillary @elizabethkitley @1-800-fantasy @into-f0lkl0re @mysticchildsuit @sapphicmermaid @ureleesian @stydiaownsmyheart

series taglist: @wnbaforthewin @stefanshope @sewiouslyz @kaelaheartsyou @caitlin-clark-obsessed @trinscam @julienbakerloverr @muhlsfilm @paigebueckresfan8282 @sadie-bug7 @madismadmad @dinosaurstrandedonnublarisland @kenzlovesyou @zolofts @gaydonutdino @jujubuckets @elliewilliamsthang @princes21w @bookendsandbrokenhearts @mayghosts @isntthatsweetiguessso @cookiecrunchyum @hellokitty-6996 @slutforpaige @the-other-half @simp4panos @charlottehughess

[strawberryspence]

I love the headcanon that Steve takes care of everybody and when he gets home, Eddie takes care of him. But I love it more when Steve doesn’t really know?

Like yeah, sometimes before he goes to work Eddie makes him sandwiches for lunch but that’s only because he was already making one.

Yeah, ever since Eddie and Steve started living together, it seems like Steve’s shampoos are bottomless. Steve found out that Eddie buys the shampoo so he never runs out, but that’s only because Eddie likes it for his long hair.

Yeah, Steve knows Eddie hates doing the laundry. But sometimes when he comes home, his work clothes have been folded and have been cleaned already. But that’s only because Eddie’s already doing a load.

It doesn’t really click with Steve, that this one person who loves him, is taking care of him. Maybe it’s the lack of caring from his parents, or maybe it’s because he grew up alone. But it’s not clicking to him.

It clicks for him one afternoon.

The sun is beaming high in the sun, but there’s a lovely breeze sweeping that keeps them cool. Lucas and Mike are screaming at each other as they pass the ball at each other. It’s not the best team up, but it’s not really a great practice if it’s just Steve and Lucas. So they’ve somehow convinced Dustin and Mike to come, in exchange of Steve finally trying to learn D&D.

Steve’s wiping his sweat with his shirt as he watches Dustin explain the science behind basketball. Something about velocity and gravity and mathematics. Steve’s trying his best to ignore it.

“Steve!” He hears Eddie call from the sides. He’s been sitting there the whole time, watching and laughing.

Steve jogs closer to his boyfriend, who immediately hands him a hand towel.

Steve blinks at the towel, “What’s this for?”

“For your sweat, sweetheart.”

“Oh.”

Steve reluctantly wipes his sweat with it. Maybe Eddie packed a towel for himself and decided to give it him instead. He knows Eddie also hates sweating under the sun.

“Water?” Eddie looks up at him with a smile, a bottle of water in hand.

Steve squints at him, worry clear on his face, "What about you? It’s pretty hot, baby.”

Eddie smiles at him, “I bought one for myself. I bought that one for you.”

Huh. That's... great.

“Thank you for bringing me water. I forgot to pack myself one.”

Eddie smirks at him, but there’s something endearing twinkling in his eyes, “I know. You always do. You always pack for the kids and me and Robin and then forget about yourself.”

The sentiment could melt him, there and then. But instead, Steve looks around, checking his surroundings before he kisses Eddie’s cheek in gratitude. Steve turns so he can go back to the boys who’s still fighting over the science behind basketball when he hears Eddie running after him.

“Stevie! Wait!”

He turns, watching as Eddie runs up to him, “Yeah?”

Steve’s eyes widen in surprise when Eddie suddenly kneels in front of him. There’s a drumming in his heart that makes him feel like he’s having an actual heart attack. He knows— He knows that Eddie’s not proposing to him on a random Saturday morning, in a random basketball court in the middle of Hawkins. There’s also the fact that they can’t actually marry each other. But with Eddie kneeling in front of him, Steve feels an intense longing for a ring on his finger.

Steve blinks back into reality when he feels Eddie’s hands against his feet. Eddie is— Eddie is tying his shoes for him???

When he finally comes up again, Eddie is smiling at him, big and gummy and brighter than the whole sun, “Your shoe laces are untied. I think I forgot to re-tie them this morning before we went out.”

“You’ve been tying my shoes? Every morning?” Steve whispers, disbelief laces unto every word.

Eddie nods at him, there's an expression of pride on his face, “Every morning since we started living together.”

And here’s the thing, Steve thought he was doing a good job hiding it. He does know how to tie his shoe laces, but he does it super slow and has to redo it multiple times. It’s one of the things that makes him feel— dumb. Like he's an actual idiot. How could Steve fight monsters and he can’t fucking put the bunny’s ear into the other fucking loop? He doesn't know who to be mad at, no one really taught him how to do it. He learned it from a book in the library with no visuals.

“I— I— I don’t know what to say.” Steve stutters, “How do you even know that? I’ve never told anyone.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I won’t tell anyone.” Eddie shrugs, smiling at him, “I saw you one morning struggling to do it. I think I heard you singing that bunny song and I thought I’d make your life a little easier by tying it, so you can just slip into it, ya know?”

“Oh.” Steve blinks back at him, the tears starting to pool on his eyes, “Thank you.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to thank me for taking care of you. It’s my favorite thing to do in this whole world.” Eddie stares at him, brushing a few wisps of hair out of his face.

With the way Eddie is staring at him, he already knows that Eddie knows what he’s thinking about, what the tears in his eyes signify.

“Go play with the boys. They’re suspiciously quiet.” Eddie snickers, “We’ll talk when we get home, hmm?”

Steve searches in his eyes, there’s a morbid part of him that thinks Eddie is realizing that he doesn’t want to be with Steve anymore. Maybe he's realizing how much of a burden Steve truly is. But there’s nothing in Eddie’s eyes that says that. There’s only love and warmth and tenderness all mashed together in two sparkling brown eyes.

“Okay.” Steve answers quietly.

“Okay.” Eddie pats his cheeks before walking back to the place where he’s sitting.

And Steve walks back to the kids and they start playing again. When he looks at Eddie, Eddie’s always tracking him with his eyes, smiling and waving at him as soon as their eyes meet.

They’ll talk later. They’ll talk about how Steve doesn’t know what it feels like to be cared for, and how his parents ruined him. They'll talk about how Steve is cared for now, that their own little found family cares for him so much. They'll talk about healing and changing.

But for now, the fact that Eddie— a person that truly loves him— takes care of him without wanting anything in exchange, is more than good enough.

[aewinty]

Can’t get enough of you

Caitlin Clark x reader

Synopsis: After breaking up with you to focus on her career, Caitlin finds herself in a predicament as she believes she has made the wrong decision. Despite your transfer out of Iowa, she is desperate to get you back.

Warnings: Use of YN, angst, happy endings, not really proud of this one, kinda rushed, not proofread

Word count: 2.7k

Masterlist

Caitlin Clark was an intense player. Whenever she spoke, it was always laced with a specific purpose. Even her posture screamed cold: back rigid, arms crossed, and eyes peered straight ahead. Those who attempted to strike up conversations were often met with short responses without intent to continue.

You were the complete opposite, light, soft, and warm. No one would ever believe that out of all people, Caitlin Clark was drawn to you. At least, they believed that when they only witnessed her “game form”, as she liked to call it.

With you, Caitlin could let loose; she could take time to decompress without feeling the burden of her rapid life. As time passed, you could see Caitlin’s walls slowly come down and she became softer. Her cold demeanor changed to an inviting one once in your presence. It was no surprise when the both of you ultimately got together.

Following the exposure of your relationship, it became Caitlin and YN: YN and Caitlin were called for the press conference, YN and Caitlin were invited to the game, and YN and Caitlin were spotted at a restaurant together. However, with the growing success of women’s basketball, the future of both of you was brought up.

While you appreciated the duo that you and Caitlin formed, it seemed that Caitlin thought differently. Caitlin wanted to make a name for herself. She didn’t want to be “YN and Caitlin” forever; she wanted to just be “Caitlin Clark”, “CC”, anything that showed individualism. With you, Caitlin believed she could never do exactly that.

Eventually, after strained fights and late-night arguing, Caitlin broke up with you, believing you had no place in her future. After your break up, it was awkward, to say the least. The tension was strong in your team and you couldn’t bring yourself to confront Caitlin about it. During these days, the dynamic that your team shared crumpled, influencing the competitions that you played in.

Therefore, you decided to enter the transfer portal, believing that your time at Iowa was done. From there, you piqued the interest of Geno Auriemma of the University of Connecticut. It was a risky decision to transfer right before your senior year in college but you were eager to get a fresh start. Within a month after your breakup, you were out of Iowa and in Connecticut.

At Connecticut, you just clicked with your teammates, joining their lingo quickly. After gruesome months of adapting to your new teammates, you found yourself facing your old Iowa team in the Final Four.

—

April 5th, 2024

The air in the locker room was thick with tension and stakes were high for this game. It was already an accomplishment that your team made it to the Final Four despite facing multiple injuries, but that all added to the pressure you felt to win the game. Ever since the news of your transfer was released, the media, instead of following the “YN and Caitlin” agenda, it became “YN or Caitlin”. Recent articles endorsing the latter phrase made you believe you had to prove that you could be someone, without Caitlin.

And finally after a few minutes of silence, your team was called to take the court. You quickly got into your position, wiping your hands on the bottoms of your shoes before kneeling down to meet Caitlin’s level. Not only were you playing against Caitlin, but you were guarding her.

Near the end of the fourth quarter, the score read 69 to 71, Iowa taking the lead with 10 seconds left. The ball bounced against your hand quickly as you read the court. Once seeing an open path, you raced towards the basket, jumping up and pushing the basketball towards the backboard.

As you were in the air, you saw Caitlin from your periphery pushing up and slamming the ball down, causing you to topple down with it. You slid across the floor and rammed into the support structure, having the wind knocked out of you. You tightly closed your eyes before widely opening them, taking seconds to catch your breath. In the background, you heard the buzzer go off, distant cheers being heard. Clutching your head, you looked up to see Caitlin towering over your body. A brief moment passed before she offered her hand towards you.

Your teammate, Paige jogged up to you, pulling you up while asking if you were okay, but all you could do was collapse in her arms. Once you registered what was going on, tears started to run down your face as you clutched Paige’s jersey, desperate to hold onto something before you fell. You were too embarrassed to even turn around to look back at Caitlin. Paige’s strong arms held you up and her hands ran down your back in an attempt to comfort you. After a few moments of pure silence despite the raging cheers and laughter in the background, you and Paige began to walk back to the locker room.

The locker room was silent, but occasionally interrupted with hiccups and sniffles. Unlocking your phone, you received an influx of notifications highlighting the last moments of the recent game. Closing your eyes once again, you shut off your phone, desperately trying to distance yourself from the media.

At the press conference, the mood was dim while you sat next to Paige, the girl feeling a similar mood to you. While reporters droned in the background, you continuously replayed the game in your head, nitpicking details that could be fixed.

“This next question is for YN. How does it feel to play against your old team and do you regret transferring, especially after this recent game?” The reporter questioned.

You aimlessly answered: “I feel disappointed in myself and there were many things that I could’ve executed better or we could’ve executed better as a team. Although we lost to them, I don’t regret transferring to UConn from Iowa.”

The reporter probed for an explanation, “Why not?”.

You sighed, “I guess the team dynamic just felt off in Iowa; it didn't feel like I was one of them.”

The reporter relented, continuing on to his next question: “How does it feel to play against Caitlin Clark, especially after being around her enough to know her game?”.

Your eyes grew distant and you spoke “Caitlin’s a great player. It’s an honor that I was able to play with her and against her. Unfortunately, I was unable to read her sufficiently, this game, but I will look forward to playing her in the future.”.

Your words burned against your throat. You wanted nothing more than to scream how selfish you thought Caitlin was, how brutal she could be, and how she left you standing there like you were nothing to her.

But then again, you wanted to cherish her, to fall into her arms after a bad day, to tell everyone how she was nothing more than a softie inside, and to go back to her each day she wronged you.

The reporter nodded at your response and after a few more questions were directed your way, you were free to go. You and Paige trekked the halls, heading back to the locker room to get changed. When you heard a familiar voice, you knew Paige heard it too by the way she slid her arm around your shoulders, pulling you towards her chest.

While passing by the Iowa team, a few of your old teammates offered you a sympathetic smile which you couldn’t bring yourself to return. Caitlin followed her teammates’ eyes and turned around to catch you, but by that time, you had already turned away and walked further down the hall. Her eyes longed on your figure and she was desperate to at least catch your glance for one last time, but you didn’t turn around. Following her team, she turned back once more to stare at your back before turning to the front to catch up with her friends who were celebrating.

——

Without the sport of basketball, there was nothing you could indulge in to get your mind off Caitlin. Before, you were able to distract yourself by practicing for your upcoming game or watching film. You never thought to give yourself time to process your break up.

Caitlin was the first girl you ever had a relationship with. She taught you how to kiss, how to have sex, and how to genuinely love someone. Caitlin was the light of your life and countless times, you told yourself that you could never imagine a world without her. But here you were, lacking the girl who would once call you hers.

Oftentimes, your teammates came to check up on you, to urge you to come out of your room, but they were always met with silence. One night, Paige just stepped into your room and sat next to you on your bed, enjoying the sounds of the night with you. Something about it was so comforting and you found yourself breaking down. You cried for losing the game, for ending your college career without a win, for not having the courage to find support, but you especially cried for still loving Caitlin after all this time. And all Paige did was comb your hair gently and occasionally wipe your eyes from the tears rolling down your face.

After letting your emotions free, you found energy to continue on with your usual team. You wanted to enjoy your last few weeks with your friends before you were off to the draft and wouldn’t see them constantly again. Laughing with your friends, you felt yourself slowly feeling more content.

——

It was a quick transition before you found yourself standing in a hotel in New York, almost a three hour drive from your college teammates. Thankfully, you, Aaliyah, and Nika had Paige and Azzi to support you guys. Although you were sure that Paige would be drafted at least in the top 5 picks, she opted to stay back in Connecticut for her fifth year, claiming that she wasn’t done there.

Nevertheless, you carried on with your declaration to the draft being revealed. Afterwards, it was all a blur, riding to New York, arriving at the academy the draft was being held at, watching Caitlin getting drafted as first pick, and getting drafted as seventh pick yourself.

At the after party, you found yourself sipping champagne and celebrating with your college teammates. Laughter ensued and you felt yourself getting more comfortable, snapping quick pictures with your friends. After a while, you got up, claiming you had to get water.

While pushing through the crowd to grab a water bottle, you felt a figure push up against you. Looking up, you caught Caitlin’s eyes peering down at you.

“Hey”, you offered with a tight-lipped smile, a bit startled at the close proximity between you guys

Caitlin had to physically restrain herself from just grabbing your arm and leading you away after hearing your voice. “Hey.”, she responded.

“Congrats on getting drafted first pick. I've always known that you could make it.” You said while reaching in the fridge, grabbing two water bottles and offering one to Caitlin.

“Yea, you too. Hey listen, can I talk to you for a bit?” Caitlin said almost pensively as she fidgeted with the cap on her water bottle.

“I’m not sure we should talk especially after that last game..” you trailed off, laughing to yourself when you saw blush rising across Caitlin’s face in guilt. “Nah I’m joking yea, we can talk, Caitlin”.

It was almost criminal the way her name rolled effortlessly off your tongue and Caitlin had to take a moment to refocus herself. Gesturing for you to follow her, Caitlin led you to a less crowded area away from pondering eyes.

Caitlin felt her mouth run dry when the both of you shared eye contact. Squirming under your gaze and rubbing her neck bashfully, she started: “When I broke up with you a year ago, I thought I needed to focus on myself and my future, to make a name for myself in the league, you know.. to find success by myself.”

You nod slightly, probing Caitlin to continue.

“But I realized that I was selfish to think that. I thought I knew what I wanted, but the truth is for a while, I haven’t felt myself. The time without you has made me realize how much I rely on you. I thought I could do it on my own, but I can’t do it without you. I miss you; I miss us.” Caitlin let out in a breath while playing with the rings on her fingers.

“Caitlin, it wasn’t fair that you did that. I had a career too, but I believed that we could do it together. Honestly, I’ve been trying to move on from you, but I caught myself still thinking of you. I miss us too, I never stopped loving you.”

Caitlin found the courage to look up at you after your response. “Can we start over? Slower this time?”

You nodded before feeling someone grapple your arm to drag you to play beer pong.

“Wait”, Caitlin paused, grabbing the wrist of your arm. “When can I see you again?”

Turning around again, you said “We play each other May third, I’ll see you there?”.

Caitlin grinned in agreement and dropped your wrist, letting you disappear into the crowd of people. She took a moment to recollect herself and brushed her hair back while blushing to herself at the thought of you.

——

May 3rd, 2024

After the game, you lined up, slapping the opposing team’s player’s hands, some even patting your back in recognition. Once you reached the back of the line where Caitlin was standing, she offered her hand out to you. Instead, you pulled her into a tight hug, still high after the adrenaline of the game. You felt Caitlin’s hands grapple at your back, returning the embrace for at least a minute. Before pulling away, you whispered in her ear that you would meet her outside. Grinning, Caitlin made her way back to her team’s locker room.

While heading back to your own locker room, you felt your phone buzz, indicating you had a new notification. Opening up your phone, you saw:

Paige Bueckers

Paige Bueckers sent an image

THE YN hugging Caitlin Clark? Hello?

KK Arnold

Oop tea… 👀

YN LN

Erm what business you have being all up in my face like that.. Fan behavior..

Paige Bueckers

Girl bye.. don’t act like you’re all that

YN LN

Don’t play cus I don’t see you in the W..

KK Arnold

Don’t clock her like that

Azzi Fudd

💀💀 what are y’all doing this time.

Azzi Fudd replied to Paige Bueckers

Wait pause we DO have to talk about you hugging Caitlin 🤨🤨

YN LN

:)

Giggling to yourself, you pocketed your phone and headed to the showers. After showering and changing out of your jersey, you slung your bag around and headed outside. There, you found Caitlin waiting for you, also freshly changed into a hoodie.

“Yours?” You asked.

Caitlin grinned and nodded at you, holding out a hand for you to take which you gladly accepted.

—

Caitlin unlocked the door and held it for you while you stepped inside. The lighting in her house was hazy, making a comforting and intimate atmosphere. Caitlin led you to the living room where she plopped on a couch and patted the seat next to her, silently telling you to sit down. She turned on a random movie before throwing the remote to her side and pulling your legs to rest over hers.

Laughing slightly, you laid your head on the back of her couch and attempted to focus on the movie. After a while, it started to bore you so you opted to stare at Caitlin. Feeling your eyes on her, Caitlin turned to look at you and glanced down at your lips.

Licking them for a second, your hand made its way to the back of Caitlin’s neck, pulling her in but hesitating for a moment to question if it was okay. Caitlin responded by meeting your lips with hers. At first, the kiss was soft and hesitant, almost like exploring new territory, before you deepened it.

Pulling away, Caitlin giggled breathlessly, asking “what happened to taking it slowly?”

Toying with the fabric of Caitlin’s shirt, you responded firmly yet sincerely “I just can’t ever get enough of you.”

Grinning, Caitlin pulled you back in, muttering against your lips: “Oh my gosh just kiss me again”.

[foreingersgod]

Reader is best friends and played basketball with Caitlin in highschool and was really good. Ended up going to Iowa State bc Iowa was more focused on recruiting Caitlin. Reader transfers to Iowa and she and Kate are instantly smitten with eachother, but they are both very oblivious to the other’s feelings. Que Caitlin having to step in as wingwoman for her two idiot best friends

Smitten . KM

pairing: kate martin x reader

synopsis: kate takes a liking to you and caitlin plays wingman

A/N: NOT PROOFREAD

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

“are you ready for your first day?” caitlin sing songed as you guys got into her car.

��ready, but nervous” you said from the passengers seat, duffel bag at your feet as you chewed at your fingers anxiously.

“you’ll be great, everyone is going to love you”

“how do you know?” buildings and other cars rushed passed in a blur as you looked out the window.

“because you’re my best friend” she looked over to you briefly “and i know the girls, they’re gonna see exactly what i see in you, ok? don’t worry”

you nodded while still trying to distract yourself with the commotion outside. it was going to be your first day on the team with iowa, having transferred there just recently. you had played basketball with a different school but you felt limited and a bit far from home (and your best friend) and had decided that going to iowa would be best. caitlin was ecstatic to have you join the team, and you were too, but having to meet new people was always difficult for you. playing with a whole different group was going to be a big adjustment.

the car ride felt longer than it should have until you arrived at the gym. caitlin escorted you through the doors to show you around and get settled. she led you to the locker room, getting you acquainted with your designated locker.

you unloaded the contents of your bag and organized everything in hopes that it would make you feel more at home. it didn’t really do much, but at least it looked like you fit in. while you were finishing everything, lacing up your shoes and freshening up, caitlin hung around to talk to you. she gave you the full run down of drills and schedules for practices.

“and i think you’re really gonna like the-” caitlin said, pausing when the doors to the room opened “oh, hey kate!”

kate? caitlin mentioned her once or twice

“we were just about to head out to meet you guys,” you watched caitlin speak as a tall blonde came around the corner. she was already suited up in uniform, hair pulled back into a messy braid. she walked over to where you stood near the lockers “but since you’re here, this is the newest addition to the team! kate, this is my friend YN, YN this is kate!”

she looked down at you, being a few inches taller, and you blushed almost instantly. her smile was contagious, lips pulled tightly into a grin. there was a comforting look in her eyes as well, they flickered as she studied you.

“hi” she breathed, tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip “it’s really nice to meet you”

“yea, you too” you swallowed hard as her gaze shifted from your face to the rest of your body, lingering on your shorter figure.

she had muttered something to caitlin along the lines of i’ll see you guys out there, before abruptly leaving the locker room without another word. you couldn’t really place it, but there was something about her that made your heart flutter.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

“come on, YLN” kate taunted you playfully from behind you. you hate just attempted a 3 point shot and failed miserably. you might have been good at layups, but in all honesty you weren’t very good at deeper shots “you can do better than that!”

“i just can’t seem to get my form right, like i don’t know, there’s something wrong” you sighed, fetching the ball. “i don’t know how you and caitlin make those”

“mind if i…?” she trailed motioning to the ball, you nodded and passed it to her.

“be my guest”

the ball bounced off the court and into her hands with ease, fingers pressing into it gently to get a good grip on it. you stared, admittedly, as the veins along her wrists strained when she grabbed it. kate took a step back off the line, knees bending and getting into the perfect form for a 3. her tongue stuck out slightly, a habit you quickly noticed she had, as she took her shot. and of course, it fell through the net with ease.

“see,” she scrunched her nose, turning back to you “easy!”

“yea ok” you scoffed and rolled your eyes

“i think it’s just your form” kate tried to reassure you “your arms aren’t in the right place”

she bounced the ball back to you, telling you to try again but to change the way your elbow was angled. despite changing the entire position of your arm, kate still told you that it wasn’t right.

“i can show you, if you’d like?” she shuffled behind you again.

“it would be much appreciated” you sighed, frustrated that you couldn’t do this on your own.

body hovering against yours, kate extended her arms around you to place her right arm underneath yours. she she held the underside of your elbow in her hand to demonstrate where your arm needed to be, left hand guiding yours to the ball. she was now almost completely pressed against you, so close that you could feel her breathe tickle the hairs of your neck.

“just like this, see” it came across as a whisper, her mouth inches from your ear. she helped you make a practice shot, arms still guiding yours. “annnnddd-yea! you got it!”

her voice wavered, realizing she was still cradling your arms. she stepped away from you, a sad sigh threatening to spill from you at the loss of contact.

“you’re like a natural” she smiled awkwardly, scratching at the back of her neck.

“because of you” your cheeks heated up “thanks, kate”

“no problem”

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

it was 7pm on a thursday, blankets on the couch and a pizza box in front of you. you and caitlin had made it a habit to do weekly movie nights at your apartment since your transfer. when everything got hectic on the team, you both wanted to make sure to keep your friendship strong outside of basketball.

“i don’t want to go to practice tomorrow” you mumbled through a mouthful of pizza as the credits to the movie rolled.

“why not?” cait shut off the tv “you’ll get to see kate again!”

you furrowed your eyebrows “what are you talking about? i’ll get to see everyone”

“yea, but especially kate” she said, matter of factly.

“why are you being weird? did kate do something, im confused?”

“oh come on” she put her slice of pizza back in the box, closing it. she leaned back against the arm of your couch as she nudged your shoulder “you really don’t know what i’m talking about?”

“uh, no”

“YN, you’re like in love with her” a coy smile made its way on her lips as you stuttered to find a response.

“what?” you almost choked on your slice of pizza “i’m not! what makes you say that?!”

“you’re always touching up on each other and looking at each from across the room. the sexual tension is like, through the roof”

“you’re crazy”

“be real, YN” she sat up fully, looking you in the eyes “you can sit here and lie and say that…but we all see it. and kate does too, i bet she’s just been waiting for you to say something”

and oh did caitlin know what she was doing. she knew that kate felt the exact same way. when they’d hang out after practice, have a pep talk, anytime you weren’t around caitlin would do the same thing. she’d sneak in comments about you and say how you were practically begging for kate to say something. it was all a plan, convince you both to speak up about your true hidden feelings and then BAM! you’d be dating in no time.

you said nothing, looking down into your lap as you picked at your nails anxiously. you’ve definitely always liked kate, more than any of the other girls, but you had just assumed it was a close friendship. the touches and the glances that caitlin talked about were certainly there, but that was normal wasn’t it?

so all you did was shake your head, making up some excuse as to why you were just friends. then you quickly shooed caitlin out before retiring to your room for the night, laying awake thinking about what she had said. maybe she was right, maybe you needed to face your true feelings and talk to kate.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

tonight marked your one year of playing with iowa and making some of your closest friends. in honor of this milestone, you and the team were going out to celebrate. they had insisted on going out to dinner at a nice restaurant just downtown from your apartment.

you wore your nicest clothes, cleanest shoes, and used all your expensive products to make sure you looked great. the hours leading up to the dinner, you were absolutely beaming with joy. the girls had taken you under their wing and taught you so many things so you were really excited to celebrate tonight.

dinner was an absolute dream. the girls had made it such a wonderful night; there was good food, good conversation, and a few of them had even got you a little something to tell you how happy they are to have you as a friend. after finishing up your meals and paying, everyone started to wind down for the night and slowly dwindle out. you, caitlin, and kate were the last ones to leave. it was growing late and you were ready to go home, planning on just walking back to your place.

“i’m gonna dip,” caitlin pulled her keys from her pocket “kate do you want a ride back?”

“no i-uh, i think i’m gonna hang back, you go ahead” she said as caitlin walked over to the parking lot. kate glanced over at you nervously as you pulled your jacket around your shoulders.

“i thought you and caitlin carpooled? are you sure you don’t need a ride?”

“really, i’m fine. i was actually hoping i could walk with you?” she sucked in a breath “if that’s ok, i kinda wanted to talk to you…in private”

you nodded, “oh! yea of course!”

flashbacks of the movie night with caitlin last week flooded your brain. you thought of how you laid awake, thinking of how you were going to tell kate how you felt. the fear of being rejected made it hard for you to find a time to confess, you had been waiting for months now to do it.

maybe this is a sign you thought.

the sky was a deepening blue as the sun was finally setting, stars twinkling brightly. the air was starting to cool as you and kate began walking down the street to your apartment. there was a decent distance between the two of you, walking silently next to each other.

“so, what did you want to talk about?” you began.

“right,” she muttered, scratching the back of her neck “i don’t really know how to…how to say this”

she stopped abruptly on the sidewalk causing you to become worried. you stopped as well, trying to read her face for some sort of emotion.

“just say what feels right, you can tell me anything, you know”

you pulled your jacket tight around you in an attempt to shield your body from the cold. you watched as kate looked down at the ground then back at you, irises looking into yours. he nose was red, probably from the cold or maybe it was from all the sniffling. you couldn’t tell if she was crying or nervous, but you felt extremely worried. was she actually sad? had you done something wrong?

“YN, i…” she bit her lip, another sniffle taking over her “i really like you. like more than just friends”

suddenly the world stop, your heart stopped beating in your chest. it wasn’t just you who had the idea, it seemed.

“and before you say anything, i just want you to know that no matter how you feel, i won’t be mad. i don’t want this to ruin our friendship or make things awkward, but i just had to tell you. i don’t think i could’ve kept it to myself for much-”

“kate stop talking” you blurted out breathlessly, stumbling towards her slim figure.

your body collided with hers, making you both wobble backwards. shaking hands found a comfortable place on the sides of kate’s face as you pulled her into you, lips fitting onto hers. naturally, she was surprised, eyes flickering shut as she melted into you. her hands gripped the sides of your waist, keeping you close to her.

“i really like you, too” you pulled away, gasping for air.

“oh thank god” she let her forehead fall against yours “i know i said i wouldn’t be mad, but it would have been horrible if you had said no”

“you don’t have to ever worry about that” a small laugh escaped from your lips.

there was a slight moment between you, something peaceful and serene. a moment where you just started at each other and smiled, foreheads still touching, bodies still pressed together. she closed her eyes, shaking her head with a smile.

“what?”

“nothing,” kate stepped back, taking a hold of your hand “it’s gonna sound weird, but caitlin was the one who told me to say something to you. and i thought she was crazy because i didn’t think you’d have any feels for me like that, but here we are”

“wait, caitlin told you that i probably had feelings for you too?” you said.

“yea, she was insistent that i talk to you, why?”

“because,” you smacked your palm to your head in astonishment “she’s been pestering me for months to admit that i was ‘in love with you’”

kate smirked, throwing her head back and laughing. she seemed so content, despite being here in the freezing cold on a silent road in the middle of the night. she seemed relaxed and satisfied, she was glowing.

“wow,” her hair moved gracefully as she shook her head “our wing-woman, huh?”

“yea i guess so” you returned her smile, forcing yourself into her arms.

you had asked her (so sweetly that she couldn’t possibly say no) to come home with you. neither of you had any idea where the night was taking you, but you were both too exhilarated to let it end.

thank god for caitlin.

[soobszzn]

storage room smooch

synopsis: you want to show your super sporty and athletic boyfriend yeonjun just how supportive you can be.

pairing: jock!yeonjun x reader

genre: mostly fluff, established relationship

content/warnings: lots of kissing, lots of making out, reader doesn’t want to get in trouble, mildly suggestive at the end

wc: 1.3k 

a/n: dedicated to R🌹

-

“choi yeonjun, fighting!” you exclaimed at the nervous boy fiddling with his shoe laces. he had a few minutes before one of his weekly tournament games, yet was glued to your side. he stood up straight and let out a sigh.

softly smiling at your boyfriend, you began adjusting his basketball jersey while he took a few deep breaths. as talented and athletic as he was, he still got so nervous before every game. you made it a point to support him at each match, cheering him on by the sidelines. 

you took some time to admire him in his jersey, which perfectly showed off his sculpted muscles. part of the reason you loved watching his games so much was because his flawless figure was on display for everyone to see. yeonjun huffed and snapped you out of your trance.

“you’re gonna do great, you’re the best one on the team.” you said encouragingly, affectionately pinching his cheek. he chuckled and smiled back bashfully, mouthing a “thank you.”

“i got this!” yeonjun chanted to himself, lightly jogging in place and taking a few quick breaths. prepared to return to his team, he kissed you quickly on the cheek and jogged towards the now gathering group across the gymnasium. you situated yourself in your usual spot on the bleachers, with a perfect view of yeonjun whenever he was on the bench.

-

you knew it was normal for some matches to go poorly, but it was bad this time around. it seemed that team synergy was off and nobody was performing their best - not even yeonjun, who was visibly upset.

you watched your boyfriend worriedly, his coach and fellow teammates looking defeated. apart of you felt a bit useless, as the only thing you could do from the sidelines was cheer loudly alongside other spectators.

down by almost half the points of the opposing team, and seeing your boyfriend so troubled, you decided to take matters into your own hands. you noticed his team start to migrate into the boys’ change room for their short halftime break. 

springing to your feet, you quickly walked along the gym perimeter and made a beeline for yeonjun, who was taking his time getting off the bench. as you approached, he looked up and attempted to shoot you a reassuring smile, although you knew he was bothered and slightly embarrassed at his current performance. then, ever so swiftly, you leaned in and pecked him on his forehead in an attempt to lift his spirits. yeonjun’s eyes widened in surprise.

you didn’t plan on keeping him long from his team, and you weren’t even sure if you were allowed on this side of the gymnasium. a short and sweet act of encouragement was all you intended. but it seemed yeonjun had other plans.

before you could even pass him by and get back to your seat, yeonjun grabbed your arm in urgency and pulled you towards him. he lead you to the slightly opened gym storage room not too far away, sneaking the both of you inside.

the storage room was dimly lit and you could only make out a few features of your boyfriends’ face. suddenly, you felt his hands cup your cheeks. he inched his face closer to yours, allowing your lips to meet.

despite being taken aback, you happily and willingly kissed him back. his plush lips were soft and sweet, and you could feel him smile against your lips. then, his hands fell to your waist, as you allowed your hands to roam his already dishevelled hair. this intimacy with yeonjun was pure bliss and you enjoyed every second, but reality settled in and you pulled away quickly.

“oh my god! what if someone sees! is your team looking for you? what about your coach!?” you blurted almost too loudly.

“everyone’s busy doing their own thing, i don’t think they’d notice me missing.” yeonjun laughed as he attempted to pull you close again, obviously still distracted by your lips. you shot him a look.

“im serious, jjun. go back to your team. they need you.” your boyfriend groaned in a way that confirmed your suspicions. “i don’t want you to get in trouble.” you continued.

“you were the one who distracted me!” he argued jokingly as he ran a hand through his hair. he prepared to leave your safe haven in the storage room, and he instructed you to follow a few seconds after. he gave you one last peck and winked as he slipped out and went back to his team.

-

you didn’t want to claim the team’s comeback as your own doing, but the coincidence was almost comical. you watched in awe as the team continually racked up points in the last two quarters of the game. yeonjun’s energy and vibrancy had returned, moving swiftly and confidently on the court. although they didn’t win this time, they caught up quite impressively with only six points separating them from a win.

unfortunately for the two of you, yeonjun’s short absence during halftime didn’t go unnoticed. even though both his team and coach acknowledged the reappearance of his athletic prowess, they didn’t appreciate the tardiness. after the game, yeonjun was tasked with cleaning up the gymnasium before the caretaking staff arrived. this meant that he had to stay an extra while and the two of you couldn’t go directly back to yeonjun’s place.

“i’ll help you out.” you announced, as you stepped towards the boy picking clutter off the gym floor.

“no no no, i can do this. maybe you should head home first.” yeonjun protested, swiping a bead of sweat off his forehead.

“i was the one who distracted you anyways.” you teased, flashing him a cheeky grin. admitting defeat, yeonjun smiled gratefully.

“lemme just go change out of this uniform. be out in a sec!” he responded, hurriedly rushing back into the change room.

as you waited, you began filing the ball racks back into the gym storage. yeonjun didn’t take very long, returning back in his school uniform, hair still dishevelled. his white button up was messily tucked into his grey slacks and his tie wasn’t properly done up. even though he looked incredibly hot in his basketball uniform, you couldn’t help but enjoy this messy look of his.

and man, did you want to kiss him again.

he let out an exhausted sigh as he made his way towards you. “thank you for helping,” he said quietly. you shot him a meaningful look.

he glanced at you confused. “what?”

you grinned almost deviously, taking his hand and leading him back into the storage room. you yanked at his tie, pulling him closer to you and then pressed your lips together, more eagerly than he did before. yeonjun gasped into the kiss, but settled into it almost immediately. 

your eagerness had him pressed up against a storage shelf littered with gym class equipment. you rested your hands around his neck, gently playing with locks of his hair. he held you at your waist, hands occasionally wandering.

each time your lips threatened to separate, they’d be drawn right back together. the soft sounds of lips smacking filled the dull room, and your breaths became increasingly louder.

in the midst of lip-locking, you pulled away to compliment him. “you did so good today,” you breathed out. he kissed you once more.

“i could only do it because of you,” he pulled away this time, before cupping your face again and pulling you deeper into the kiss.

your hands now roamed his messy locks just as you did before, blissfully allowing yourself to indulge in your handsome boyfriends’ plush lips even more.

yeonjun pulled away again, and you almost whined at his absence. but, before you knew it, he started pecking at your cheek and moving downward. he began slowly leaving longer kisses on your neck, and you found yourself needing to stifle any noises.

“not here, yeonjun!” you exclaimed.

“then hurry and help me finish cleaning up.”

[hcsiqs]

16, kate martin, 🩹 ? love love love your writing

| expert at sorry

• pairing: kate martin x fem!reader

• prompt: “i want to hate you. but i can’t. and that—that sucks.”

• warnings: angst with no happy ending

awww thank u sm that means the world to me!!

You had moved to Vegas after college to have a fresh start. You had gotten a well paying job in your field and had made all new friends. It was nothing like college, which was exactly what you needed and wanted.

To not have to see Kate’s face everywhere you turned, to hear about how good she had played in a game, or being forced to go to her games even after the two of you broke up so your friends could go see Caitlin Clark shoot from the logo.

You could just live your life by focusing on your work and going out with friends at night. And now the people around you cared so much for you, even if you’ve only known each other for a little amount of time, you’d consider them your closest friends.

They met you at your worst and have helped you everyday to feel better about yourself and get you out of your shell.

“You look so sexy!” Andriana gasped as she turned you around to get a full look at your outfit. You had on a black see-through lacy top, a red bra underneath, and then a black mini skirt paired with black shoes.

“All the girls are gonna be begging to take you home,” Olivia giggled as she ran her hands down your arms.

“Thank you,” you shyly smiled, accepting their compliments, “And the both of you! Hottest couple of the century,” you smiled looking at them as Andriana’s hand found itself firmly planted on Olivia’s hip them both leaning into each other.

“Ok come on let’s go!” Devon yelled as she twisted the keys around her finger, trying to shoo everyone out of the apartment.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Y’all had been out for a couple hours and the loud music and lights were staring to get to you. Girls had came up to you and flirted but none of them were Kate.

Even after she had done you so wrong you still wanted to be under her arm, the place you found most comfort. But of course that would never happen.

You hadn’t heard anything about the blonde since March Madness as you had ignored every piece of basketball media because it hurt you too much. So, when the dj announced the Las Vegas Aces were there you weren’t expecting the next line to come out of his mouth, “And everyone’s favorite rookie, Kate Martin!” as cheers filled your ears you felt your heart practically stop.

“Y/N, are you ok?” Devon asked pulling your eyes away from the place that you had heard her name announced. “Y/N.”

“Yeah, Yeah, I’m good,” you gave a tight lipped smiled, “I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” you her as you pointed to in its vicinity.

“Do you want me to go with you?” she asked, her voice still laced with concern.

“No, it’s ok,” you nodded your head, “Be right back,” you told her before exiting the sweaty crowd of people and beelining to the bathroom.

Your eyes began to sting with the tears trying to make their way down your cheeks. It was crazy how one name could send you down this spiral.

As you made your way to the bathroom you, you failed to realize a blonde following behind you. But, when you entered the bathroom you caught a glimpse of her in the mirror standing a few feet behind you. “Kate,” you said after turning around to meet her blue eyes, the ones you had originally fell in love with. “I didn’t know you got drafted, congrats,” you crossed your arms over your body, suddenly aware of how exposing it was.

“I—uh—I didn’t know you moved here,” her hand reached to the back of her neck, “I wasn’t even sure it was you who I was following.”

“So, why’d you follow me?” you asked, pushing your hip against the sink.

“I don’t know. I just,” she paused trying to find the right words, “I fucked up, Y/N.”

“I know,” you nodded your head biting your lip trying to keep your voice stable. Finally after all these months you were hearing what thought you wanted to hear, but now that you had it, you weren’t sure if this is really what you wanted. Closure, that is, because it means it would all be over.

“I said really shitty things to you—,” she was cut off by someone entering into the bathroom and silently apologizing for interrupting, “Do you wanna go somewhere else?”

“We can go outside,” you told her as you pulled your phone out sending a quick text to your friends. You then followed her through the crowds until you were outside in the warm atmosphere of Las Vegas.

“I shouldn’t have said those things,” you noticed the way she still played with her fingers out of nervousness, “They weren’t true. You didn’t add stress to my life, like you were the only thing that didn’t give me stress. I just took all of my anxiety out on you and I’m so sorry,” she finished.

You stood quiet trying to figure out what words to say. You had been avoiding eye contact practically the whole time she was talking, just trying to soak in the sound of her voice.

“You probably hate me,” she ran her hand through her long blonde hair.

“I don’t hate you,” you shook your head finally meeting her gaze, “Trust me, I want to hate you. But I can’t,” you bit the bottom of your lip trying to keep it from going into a frown and allowing the tears to spill out, “and th—that really fucking sucks. Because you ruined my self image. I believed all those things you said,” you felt a tear fall down your cheek and immediately wiped it away. “I’ve spent months trying to rebuild myself from the way you left me.”

“I’m so sorry Y/N, and I will be for the rest of my life,” she stepped closer to you, but you still kept your arms around you almost as if they acted as a barrier.

“Did you really believe all those things you said to me?” your voice broke as the tears clouded your eyes and stared to stream down your cheeks. She immediately brought you into her grasp, her hand racking through your hair.

“No, no,” she shook her head before lying her chin on top of your head. You stood there crying into the shirt of the girl who had made you hate yourself and think that you were the problem in everything. “None of what I said was true. I was just scared shitless and I took it out on you. I should’ve never done that baby,” the familiar nick name slips out of her lips, and it sounds so right on her tongue that it takes all your strength to push away from her and not melt into her.

“You can’t call me that,” you stood back, wiping the tears from under your eyes, the mascara on the sides of your fingers.

Kate nodded her head, “Do you,” she started, “Do you think we will ever get back together?” she asked and you could hear the vulnerability in her voice.

“Not right now,” you shook your head, “I’m not saying never, but right now. No, I think I still need time.”

“I’ll wait,” she whispered. As you went to respond your friends came out of the club and stared at the two of you.

“Ok,” you nodded before walking over to them and waving a small bye to her before walking off.

Honestly it felt like a weight had been taken off your chest. You weren’t being weighed down by the blonde anymore.

And you were honest about maybe trying again in the future. You would just have to see a difference in her for it to happen.

[mopopshop]

could you do a DT fic where diana and the reader both play on the mercury and are like a power couple? always having matching fits, cute post game interviews with their kid, and just overall fluff.

Goals (Diana Taurasi x OC)

this probably isn’t my best writing 💔💔 i hope y’all still enjoy it tho and give feedback if you’d like

You’re in the locker room, lacing up your shoes, getting ready for another game with the Phoenix Mercury. The familiar buzz of excitement fills the air as your teammates chatter and laugh around you. But your focus is elsewhere—on Diana, who’s sitting across from you, tying her own shoes with that same intense determination you’ve always admired.

“You ready, Lex?” Diana asks, her voice pulling you out of your thoughts.

You smile and nod. “You know it”

Diana flashes you that signature smirk that makes your heart skip a beat. You two have been a power couple on and off the court since  you transferred from Atlanta and joined the team, your chemistry is undeniable. The media loves to talk about it, but to you, it’s just the way things are meant to be.

You go through your pre-game rituals, stealing glances at Diana whenever you can. She catches you once, winking playfully, and you feel a blush creep up your cheeks. The connection you share is unspoken yet so powerful, a bond that translates into every pass, every assist, every basket on the court.

The game is intense, as always, but you and Diana are in sync. You feed off each other’s energy, making plays that leave the crowd in awe. You love the adrenaline, the rush of the game, but most of all, you love the way Diana looks at you when you both know you’ve nailed it.

When the final buzzer sounds, you’ve won convincingly, and the arena erupts in cheers. You and Diana meet at the center of the court, sharing a quick kiss before heading to the locker room. The crowd goes wild every time, and tonight is no exception.

In the locker room, the team is celebrating, but you and Diana have something special planned. You’ve both coordinated your post-game outfits—color-coordinated in the team’s colors, with complementary designs. It’s a little thing, but it’s one of the ways you like to show your connection.

As you step out for the post-game interviews, hand in hand, you see Olivia waiting for you next to the team manager with a big smile on her face. She runs up to you, and you scoop her into your arms.

“How was the game, babe?” Diana asks, pinching Olivia’s cheek.

“It was awesome! Plus I got feee candy!” Olivia exclaims, her excitement contagious and you and Diana burst into laughter. 

The reporters gather around, cameras flashing. One of them asks, “Lexie, Diana, how does it feel to play so well together on the court and be such a strong family off it?”

You glance at Diana, and she gives you a nod. “It’s amazing,” you say. “l mean.. all I can say is how lucky we are to be doing it together”

Diana adds, “This game it’s.. it’s our passion, but family is everything.”

One reporter asks Olivia, “Do you want to play basketball like your moms?”

Olivia looks away shyly when answering the question .“Maybe..”

You and Diana laugh, and Diana says, “Whatever she chooses, we’ll support her 100%.”

After the interviews, you head home, where the three of you settle into your cozy living room. Olivia snuggles between you and Diana as you watch a movie. Halfway through, Olivia falls asleep, her head resting on your lap.

You look over at Diana, who’s watching you with a tender smile. “I love you, Lex,” she whispers, her voice soft and full of emotion as she leans over Olivia and gives you a quick peck.

“I love you Di”

———

[loserharrington]

eddie is interesting to me because for someone who rejects social norms and is anti-conformist, he is SUPER driven by stereotypes.

we see it mostly in him disliking basketball players despite their other interests (including lucas who is both nerd AND jock), testing erica on her dnd knowledge because she’s young, and thinking nancy was some straight laced goody two shoes (enough that it’s shocking to him that she owns guns). also with steve in the way he had yet to see how much he changed as a person since high school even though he’s long fallen from popularity and dustin evidently talks about how much he looks up to him all the time. (you’d think he’d take dustin’s word for it considering the type of person dustin is.)

it’s almost like he has a black and white way of thinking. despite all of the evidence there that these people can’t be checked into one box, he continues to believe that they can only be one way.

i just think it’s interesting that he makes assumptions about people in the same way they make assumptions about him, but turns around and rants about much he dislikes the fact that people misjudge him and the people like him for their interests.

if he had lived, i could see him going through a self discovery arc (similar to steve’s) and learning that stereotypes aren’t always true and people aren’t what they seem at face value. and i think he believes that he already knows this, but his behaviors tell otherwise.

he already started to see this a little bit when he spoke to chrissy. how he thought that she would be “mean and scary” only to find out she’s sweet and kind. he then finds out steve is actually a “good dude” and not who he expected him to be.

as he meets the rest of the characters and sees how all these different types of people interact with each other in harmony, he might be shocked to learn that he’s not who he thought himself to be either

[moralesluvr]

˚ʚ workout ft. miles morales ɞ˚

♡ pairings & aus: earth42!miles morales x fem!black!reader ♡ warnings: some swears, a little suggestive ♡ summary: you tell miles as a joke that you think you're stronger than him, so he takes you to the gym as a challenge to complete one of his workouts. ♡ a/n: need this man as my gym buddy BADDDLYYYY ♡ got a request? | masterlist ♡

"BABY, ION' THINK YOU KNOW WHAT YOU TALKIN' BOUT."

Miles chucked as his thumbs continued to click away at his controller, curses occasionally leaving his lips as he shot at something on the TV. You were propped in his lap as he played, his arms wrapped around your waist as you would adjust your position on his thigh every once and a while.

"No, Miles, I know it. I'm way stronger than you." You boasted with pride, the sound of your boyfriend's doubtful scoff filling your ears. He heard you pout in response, so he put his controller down and let his character run free as he turned you around, face meeting his as his hand placement relocated to your lower thighs.

"I love you and all," Miles started, and you could practically see the snicker in his voice, "But you not stronger than me, mami, I think we both know that."

"Yes I am." You insisted, "Have you seen my legs?"

Miles tuts at you with a laugh, squeezing the soft skin of your thigh that he was holding, "Nuh uh, we not jus' talkin' 'bout legs, I mean everything."

"But since you insist you stronger than me...we finna go to the gym. You and me."

Your eyes widened, the realization of your predicament hitting you like a train. Uncomfortably, and also out of doubt, you slid off of Miles' lap and placed your hands on your stomach, face puffing, "Can't go. 'M sick."

"Bae, you know you not sick." Miles snorted as he stood up, eyes placed on you carefully. The gleam in his eyes told you that he wasn't taking no for an answer, so you sighed and threw your head back at your fate, wallowing to your drawers to find workout clothes to wear.

Miles was already dressed for the occasion, clad in a white compression tee and basketball shorts. He sat back on your bed until you found a pair of Nike pros and a Lululemon top he bought you a while back. Your face shone of embarrassment when Miles peeped that the tag was still on it.

"Baby, you mean to tell me you had me buyin' that ugly shit just for you not to wear it? Oh nah, you gon' start workin' out with me now." He rose an eyebrow at you, and you gave him a light chuckle,

"It's not ugly! And workin' out around other people makes me anxious, they always be starin'." You shrugged, slipping off a pair of Miles' shorts as they pooled around your ankles. Stepping out of them, you jumped to get your Nike pros on, making Miles chuckle. You frown.

"Nothing is funny."

"What's funny is you tryna get them lil' shorts on." Miles snickered, hand up to his mouth as he flashed you all of his pearly whites. You gave him a nonchalant shrug as you ripped the tag off of your shirt, taking your old one off and slipping it on, "Not my fault. My ass is just fat."

"Can't even argue with that." Miles agreed, making a smirk dance on your lips as you finished putting on your clothes, finding a pair of shoes to wear as well. Finally, you stood up, grabbing a hair tie and scurrying over to where your boyfriend was sitting on the bed.

"Tie my hair up?"

Miles gives you a nod, a rasp lacing his voice as he tells you to come to him, so you do, and he places you in his lap as he pulls back your braids, securing them into a ponytail. You turn around to face him, rubbing your head, "Damn, I said tie my hair up, not tie my braincells up! Why is it so tight?"

"Want it to fall out?" Miles questioned you inquisitively, and when you shook your head no, he stood up with you and murmured an 'Exactly', making you roll your eyes.

He grabbed his keys and wallet, hand intertwined with yours as you left your lone apartment. Anxiety played on your nerves as you made your way to Miles' car, where he opened the door for you as you climbed inside.

The ride on the way to the gym was fairly silent, other than the music that was bumping through the speakers, which you would occasionally bop your head to.

Before you knew it, you had arrived, and you were freaking out on the inside. This whole idea of who was stronger had easily become a nuisance, all because of a joke, but you knew better to say it anyways, because you knew how your lover was.

But, you got yourself into this mess, so you didn't really have anyone else to blame.

You and Miles quickly checked in, setting your belongings into a cubby. As he locked it, he looked down at you, "So, where we goin' first, ma?"

"Um.." you looked around, mainly for anything that looked like it didn't have a lot of people watching, or occupied there. "Squats?"

Miles chuckled, and you froze.

This was not going to go well.

You both made your way to the squat station, where Miles stood by the rack of weights as you took a deep sigh, walking up to the bar.

"What do you start with?"

"Huh?" You murmured, making Miles roll his eyes as he leaned on the rack.

"Baby, what's your starting weight. As in, how much do I need to put on this bar for you to not fall over and bust yo ass."

Your lips flattened out at him as you flipped him off. He didn't retaliate, as his victory would be enough retaliation for your response, so he just grabbed two fives and slid them on each side.

He then walked behind you as you picked the bar up with your shoulders, the 55-pound weight resting on you.

Miles stood behind you carefully, arms at either side of your waist as he gave you an encouraging, light pat on your behind. You sucked in a breath and squatted, quickly popping back up as you smiled to yourself, hanging the bar back up on the rack.

The weight eventually piled up, until a 45 and a 25 were on each side of the bar, making you wince underneath the weight. Your boyfriend did nothing but encourage you as you started to squat, the weight making your knees buckle as you popped back up, letting out a strong wheeze. You stepped away from the rack and placed your hands on your hips, leaning over as you look up at Miles, who laughed,

"You did good, babe," He started, "But that's my starting weight."

Sighing, you caught your breath, not even caring that Miles inevitably beat you in your challenge, you were just happy that you got to show him that you were strong. Maybe not as or stronger than him, but you did have your own level of strength that you could be proud of.

But, out of your curiosity, you turned around to see Miles literally repping your weight. He just kept adding plates like a madman, until the bar was practically filled to the brim. That's when you saw him grow tired, the bar clanking against the rack as he stood up, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"How...how much was that?" You asked him, and he gave you nothing but a mischieveous smirk as he spoke,

"505."

You groaned at him, "Fine. You won."

"Hm, what was that?" He asked you, holding up a hand to his ear as you rolled your eyes at him. You didn't feed his ego, instead, you just reached up on your tippy toes, granting a warm kiss on his cheek,

“You win.”

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 ☻ thank you for reading!

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑-𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓🕷️: @queenesther996 // @wydney // @rinnyisnothere // @brieryann // @starhrtz // @daisydark // @randomhoex // @solanawrld // @whore4hobie // @tanakaslastbraincell // @simp4miguell // @nyrovi3 // @aziulsworld @enchantingfoxsparkles // @mancerseedu // @cafehyunji @personofyou // @mcdvsr // @calliarlerte // @pr0wlerpunk @tzuyuzzs // @clearskiiiess // @vienreina // @pixqlsin /// @stvrgrl // @zerosinterweb // @mookiebut // @urmotherswhor3 // @cumbermovels // @asmobeuses // @yanghees // @popeheywardssecretgf // @mxspiderman2099 // @scryarchives // @rksses // @mmst4rz

𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ✎: @ilyless // @milesmolasses // @laylasbunbunny // @all444miles // @thecoloredpages // @bl00dsuccker // @adoremvney // @anikaluv // @qtdenks

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @enj4i // @chaoticevilbakugo // @motheroffae // @luci1fer // @art-598

[merakiui]

can u elaborate what happens next after floyd gets your number in the infirmary 🥺🥺🥺🥺 like does he try to get closer to you more but in his own floydie way?

He texts you really silly, one-off things. A blurry picture of his lunch. A screenshot from an online shoe catalogue, followed with a which one u think?? Pictures of Jamil he took during basketball practice. You appreciate that last one, slyly saving them to your phone.

The awkward thing is that Floyd doesn’t really know how to get close to you. He doesn’t have any sort of plan or approach. He just pops up when he feels like it. The same applies to his sporadic messaging. One time he even texted you a grocery list for the lounge. T_T you can’t believe he’s essentially using your contact like it’s a digital notepad. Floyd can’t really explain his interest in you. When Azul or Jade asks, he just shrugs and says, “Shrimpy’s interesting.” And that seems to explain enough, but they do raise eyebrows. It’s been weeks and his interest in you hasn’t worn off even slightly.

He knows one of the few ways to get you to keep him around is to be an utter pain. Constantly seeking you out. Sitting by you at lunch. Chasing after you when he spots you in the courtyard. Passing the basketball to you during practice in hopes that you’ll come down from the bleachers and take him on. He does all of these things, but you only ever seem interested if it connects to Jamil. Which makes sense. You like him. That’s apparent.

Floyd doesn’t realize his efforts come from the heart until he’s confronted about it. Jade doesn’t bother veiling it in complicated words. It’s more of an observation than anything. He comes out with it: “You’ve taken a liking to the Ramshackle Prefect.” And Floyd knows the deeper meaning laced within plain words: You like them and it’s not platonic. He laughs in Jade’s face. Like you? Yeah, right. That’s a lame joke.

So why can’t he stop thinking about that short exchange in the days that follow? Like you… Does he really? Is that what this is? Floyd’s never really liked anyone before—not romantically, at least. But then it becomes clear. All of the things he’s doing. He wants to be noticed and talked to. He wants you to look at him in the same way you look at Sea Snake.

He’s in love.

[erikahenningsen]

10. regina/janis

10. “I won’t let you.”

This is so not Janis's scene. Which is a weird thing to say, considering she's in Damian's house. But things have changed a lot in the last few months.

When Janis decided to forgive Cady at spring fling, she didn't realize she would be inheriting all of Cady's friends, too—people Janis previously found to be profoundly annoying, but most of whom turned out to be okay.

Still, she really has to ask herself how she ended up here, at a rager thrown by Damian, who has somehow become close with Shane Oman, with three-quarters of the North Shore basketball team, the mathletes, Gretchen Wieners, Karen Shetty, and Regina fucking George.

Janis enjoys a good party, but the combination of the jocks chanting chug, chug, chug and Damian and his theater friends belting out showtunes is giving her a headache.

She's looking for her jacket, ready to head home, when she sees Regina, stumbling a little as she tries to jam her foot into her shoe.

"Untying it first might help," Janis tells her, finally locating her jacket thrown over the banister, buried by three other jackets.

Regina makes an annoyed huff, but she does untie her shoe before finally sliding it in and re-lacing it. When she rights herself, the first thing Janis notices is how she sways a little where she stands, face flushed the way it gets sometimes when she's had too much to drink. (How Janis somehow knows this is beyond her.)

The second is that her car keys are in her hand.

"You're not driving yourself home, are you?" Janis asks cautiously.

"What? Yeah, I am," Regina says, rolling her eyes a little as she reaches for the front door.

Janis maneuvers herself so she's blocking Regina's path. "Slow down there, Justin Timberlake. You're drunk. You can't drive."

"I'm fine," Regina insists, irritation starting to color her voice. "Move."

"No."

"Janis! Get out of my way. I'm leaving," Regina says, drawing out the last word, like Janis is stupid.

Janis shakes her head. "I won't let you."

Regina's eyebrows rise. "You won't let me?"

"Nope," Janis tells her. "You know what it's like to get hit by a reckless driver. You want someone else to experience that?"

This seems to give Regina pause. Janis waits as the gears in her brain turn, slowed by alcohol.

"Ugh, fine," Regina grumbles. Then she pulls out her phone and starts clumsily tapping at the screen.

"What are you doing?" Janis asks.

"Calling an Uber, officer," Regina says.

Janis has no idea what possesses her to say, "I'll drive you home."

Regina blinks at her once, twice. "What?"

"I can drive you," Janis tells her. "I'm heading out anyway, and you're on the way, so..."

It's not that she and Regina aren't friends, but they're not exactly friends, either. They're still figuring out how to navigate that awkward space between being everything and nothing to each other. But this shouldn't be weird, right?

Right.

"Okay," Regina says after a moment. "Don't kill me."

Janis rolls her eyes and opens the front door. "Right. You're more of a do-it-yourself kind of girl."

Janis walks slowly to her car, Regina stumbling after her, walking gingerly on the frozen grass, breath curling like smoke in the winter air.

Janis turns on the car and blasts the heat once they're inside, slowly backing out of the driveway, maneuvering between the cars parked at the curb.

"It's cold in here," Regina complains like a petulant child.

"It'll warm up," Janis replies through gritted teeth. She contemplates making a joke about Regina being a frigid bitch, but decides against it.

"My car has heated seats."

"You can take off a star when you write your review."

Regina tilts her head back against the headrest and sighs. "Are you still seeing Grace?"

The question catches Janis completely off guard. "What?"

"Are you still seeing—"

"I heard you," Janis says. "Um, no, not anymore."

"Hmm," Regina hums contemplatively. "Well, there are lots of other girls out there. You'll find someone."

"You sound like my grandmother."

Regina huffs irritably. "I'm trying to be supportive."

"Yeah, and it's freaking me out, honestly," Janis tells her. If someone had told her even half an hour ago that she'd be talking to Regina about girls in her car, she would have laughed.

"Well, fine," Regina says, crossing her arms. She actually sounds a little hurt. And for some crazy reason, Janis doesn't want to hurt Regina's feelings.

"But, um, thanks," Janis says. "It just didn't work out."

Regina rests her head against the window, breath fogging the glass as she speaks. "You're hot and smart. You'll be okay."

Janis is grateful that she's pulling into Regina's driveway, because her instinct is to slam on the brakes. "What?"

Regina looks at her. She looks exhausted. "What?"

"What did you just say?" Janis needs to hear it again, for some reason.

Regina pauses to think. "You'll be okay."

"No, before—you know what? Never mind." Janis cuts the ignition. "Here you are, Cinderella."

Regina frowns. "Does that make you the pumpkin?"

Janis ignores the question. "Good night."

But Regina doesn't get out. She looks down at her hands, twisted in her lap. "Thanks for driving me home."

"Well, I didn't want to be an accessory to vehicular homicide. I'm applying to colleges, and that would look bad."

"Right," Regina says. She looks at Janis again, searching her face for something.

Janis isn't sure why the air in the car suddenly feels so charged, and it occurs to her that this is the longest she's been alone with Regina since middle school. She has the crazy thought that she's missed Regina, actually.

Finally, Regina pops open her door. "Well, thank you," she says quietly. "Good night."

"Night," Janis echoes, watching Regina disappear into her house.

Janis sits for a few minutes in her car in the driveway, trying to untangle the strange feeling in her stomach. Finally, she turns on her car, resolving to tuck this weird night in the file in the back of her brain labeled times Regina seemed human.

[bucknastysbabe]

hi cal! i love your page sm. i wanted to request more chubby bucky (i’m so obsessed & haven’t seen him in a min) also make sure to take care of yourself and have a good day/night 🩷

HI!!!! Sorry I’ve been such a spazz and awful about my page and askbox I’m in my new era blah blah but YES! CHUBBY BUCKY! Thanks for the well wishes I’m trying to practice ~self care~ and ~time management~ mwah mwah much love. So let’s say this just in the same universe as Poolside Blues!

Rating: Explicit

Tags: TW: body dysmorphia, obsessive thoughts, negative body talk, Muscle chub Buck, Bucky’s shit self esteem is saved by sunshine gf, holiday weight gain, Bucky being a stubborn mf, switch!Bucky, reader has empathic projection, horny texts, body worship, WE LOVE SOFT PARTS AND STRETCH MARKS ROUND HERE, teasing, sub space, daddy kink, pnv!sex, cuddles and fluff, Bucky is just a big cuddly tiger kitty

“Bucky if you stare at the scale any longer I’m going to break it. Holidays are over, you can get back to being in the gym twenty-five eight.”

Bucky eyed his petite girlfriend, frowning from the doorway to the bathroom. He palmed his stupid fucking gut and sighed, he actually had to suck in to see the number! This is why Bucky hated the holidays. Besides being cold. James Buchanan Barnes very much disliked the cold, one could assume why.

He could handle the residual un-moveable pudge leftover from Hydra’s ever consistent tinkering with his bodily functions. But then it all started with Halloween. Wanda and his girlfriend loved to bake. So he’s getting force fed cookies. Then they need to decorate, go to functions, give out candy. No time for gym.

Bucky grumbled and stepped off the scale, padding to his closet. He grumbled more, “Stupid turkey holiday.” Great yes, the holiday known for feasting. Pumpkin spiced everything in his vision. Bucky had a weakness for pumpkin, his ma made good spiced bread. He took a short vacation with his lovely little angel to the mountains. He tried to rationalize that hiking and marathon sex would make up for the amount of food he had ingested.

Tony Stark of course had a grandiose Thanksgiving celebration. Bucky tried to keep it light, he did, he really did. But every refusal got sad eyes or downright offense. The former winter soldier was belly up by the end of the night, all gym plans out the window.

Christmas fared no better. His best gal absolutely adored Christmas. It was the first holiday she’d experience not as an asset to Hydra, just like Bucky. So instead of RUNNING or LIFTING, the Brunette was shopping and ice skating. He’d already gone up a size in clothes December 3rd to be exact. Bucky correctly guessed he would go up another post-Christmas.

He’d whinge and rant to Steve, the blondie listening and telling Bucky to chill— it’s not like anyone thought it was bad. Bucky exasperatedly shouted, “I’m like a goddamn balloon! I don’t need to be on missions like this! I’m going to Bruce, jerk.”

“Punk.”

Bruce didn’t help either. Just said once he got back into a routine it would come off and he’d be at his regular weight. Refused to give Bucky Ozempic either. Some kinda doctor he was, his patient was obviously distraught.

“Are you dressed yet?,” she hollered.

“Give me a second!,” Bucky pouted.

He was going to pout today. Go to gym, get anger out, and pout. So he shimmied on some catastrophically tight basketball shorts and the biggest shirt he could find. Luckily it covered him up. May or may not have been a panic buy. Bucky cursed some more sitting on his bench to lace up his shoes, stupid gut getting in the way.

Red faced and irritated he snarked, “Happy now princess? I’m going to the gym, nothing is stopping me, I will be going to work out.” She grinned and watched him grab his bag, slapping a round ass cheek on his way out. Bucky shuddered at the wobble. Her familiar rasp rang out, “Nice ass baby! Go get em!”

He was too old for this. Technically his girl was ten years his junior if you took off the cryogenic time. He loved her dearly, always bubbly, somehow remained optimistic after all she’d been through. But the little freak liked Bucky’s pudge, loved it. Always grabbing up on it.

Bucky took the stairs to the gym. He needed it. The brunette thought with a smirk that if he had a nickel for every time he had to remove her hands from his ‘handles of love’ he would’ve been a millionaire back during the Depression. He grimaced at the feeling of his chubby tummy and thick thighs.

Finally. He’d made it. Gym time.

Not a soul in sight, Bucky could just relax and get his frustrations out. With a fuck-ton of a cardio and some toning exercises— really didn’t need any muscle to bulk him out more. He felt a bit peaceful for once, a strange bravado coming over him. The soldier stretched his unused muscles and did a bit of breathing exercises.

God, he already felt lighter. Maybe. Maybe he would take a picture and see if the camera made him look different. Bucky’s therapist already hammered him about his ‘body dysmorphia and negative self-image’.

Taking a peak about and tying his hair half up, Bucky propped the camera at a flattering angle and yanked off his shirt. He refused to look in a mirror for the holidays unless he was clothed. Fiddling with the inane controls, the man finally had the thing on a timer. He pulled off his shirt and tried to pose, straighten up his back again.

The flash went off and he ran to the phone, hit send, then sat down on a nearby bench to look fully. The brunette had to keep his ‘body positive!’ thoughts at the forefront. His chest and legs looked good. Face didn’t look too puffy thanks beard.

Disgust picked the earlier bravado up and hulk smashed it. Buck’s eyes were glued to his rounded belly and fat hips, a muffin over those horrid shorts. There, oh my god, there were stretchmarks on him? Bucky never had stretchmarks! Not the red kind! But there they were— mocking him. Ragged lines on his hips and sections of stomach.

He deleted the picture, feeling horrid. He should run more. But not before the pings blowing up his phone. She was strange and texted in 5 different messages that could’ve been sent in one singular text.

“Babbbbyyyy omg you’re so hot”

“Fuck, I’m getting all flustered in this debrief.”

“Look at that pretty body. Wanna lick those pretty stripes, tiger.”

“I’m so horny lmfao get your ass back to the room in 30. I’m gonna fucking ride you so goddamn hard.”

Bucky blinked a bit, feeling himself perk up. He still was a overblown balloon, but at-least the weirdo he loved enjoyed it. “Tiger huh,” he murmured, scratching at the sensitive marks. Bucky had a time limit now, snatching his gear up and stuffing it into a bag, hustling down the stairs to his room.

“Hey Buck,” Sam’s voice was a blur as Bucky entered his room. He smirked a bit hearing a muffled, “Weird ass.” The super soldier kept his mind on the prize— getting the daylights fucked out of him by his girls. Nope he wasn’t going to pay attention to the chafe on the inside of his thighs one bit. Okay...maybe he’d powder the area after the shower.

All he had to do was wait now. Wait. Not get nerved about his very naked body. He felt like a pile of exposed lard but it’ll be okay. Yep. Bucky would be fine. Pussy would fix his problems. As long as she played nice and didn’t tease. That rendered Bucky into a teary, babbling mess. Either he was always a masochist or Hydra made him into one but God— sometimes when she got mean he saw stars.

The door busted open, Bucky feeling relief at her grinning face. She gently closed it behind her, stripping easily while throwing her panties at him. He caught the material, moaning softly as she growled, “See what you did to me in the middle of that debrief? Had to cut it short my pheromones were so bad.”

Bucky inspected the panties, eyes fluttering at the slick wetting the cloth. He gripped and inhaled, hand flying down to soothe his cock. A lithe body crawled to the end of the bed, the soldier flushing as she seated herself in between his thighs. Keeping him in fucking missionary, her manicured nails spreading him a bit. He gasped, body jolting at the exposure.

Her perky tits heaved as she groped at his thighs and slid down to get handfuls of his round ass. Bucky threw his head back and moaned, “W-What are you up to?” Earlier mentioned pheromones were making his body keyed up and sensitive, pupils likely swallowing up blue eyes. She leaned forward, taught body against his cock.

“Mmm- I don’t know really. You just looked so delicious,” she kissed his belly and cooed, “I know you’re upset with yourself right now, Buck, you’re fucking gorgeous. Holiday weight or not. But I’ll even go to the gym with you, know I’ve been a distraction.”

Bucky slurred a name, hands reaching for her waist, she was so sweet. He sighed, “I enjoyed you as my distraction, best disss-traction everrr. Fuck you’re makin’ me horny babydoll.” She crawled up his bigger body to plant a kiss on Bucky’s swollen lips before sliding back to her place. His cock leaked when she giggled, “I know, poor baby’s all achy for me. But I wanna do something first.”

She slid palms up and down Bucky’s muscled arms, soothing him a little. Then the she-devil gripped his chunky love-handles and shook, watching with poorly-disguised glee. Bucky whined, “Baaaby, stoppp, it’s awful!”

“Think of them as tiger stripes, they’ll fade out when you drop weight,” she dug under where his belly hung a bit and traced at his most sensitive stretch marks. Bucky let out an indecent noise, thrusting up into her sweet touch. The fellow avenger cooed, “S’that feel good tiger? Need some lotion. Pretty boy.”

Bucky outright whimpered when her hand wrapped around his weepy cock, already slick from copious pre. She slowly moved her hand, praising him. Pretty boy, smart, handsome, good, kind, helpful.

He was going to bust a nut before anything happened. Bucky barked, “B-babe, stop! Stop!” Her pretty brows knitted together, hand jerking away as she asked, “What’s wrong bub?” He panted, “Gimme a second, w-wanna fuck you so baaaad.” She gently stroked the outside of thick muscled thighs, padded with love in her opinion.

“Thought I was going to ride you?,” she asked, face beginning to flush.

Bucky shook his head, managing to push himself up to get face-to-face. His soft body filled the tight space between them, making her whimper now. Bucky used one hand to caress the side of her face, the other massaging her pretty tit. Long lashes fluttered, her lips falling open.

Score. He managed to somewhat fumble through the pheromone fog.

Bucky rumbled, “Nuh-uh, all this talk about my body and you don’t want me to pin you down and fill your pretty pussy up? Hm sweetheart?” He punctuated the sentence with a deep kiss, the sweet thing easily giving up to him. It was fun when she played mean but Bucky had more experience— he could play his girl like a fucking fiddle.

“C’mon,” smack, “use your,” smack, “words baby,” smack smack. She didn’t want to stop kissing, sucking on his bottom lip as he pulled away. She blushed, embarrassed on how fast the situation had flipped. His girl whined, “Yeah, c’mon fuck me, fuck me full daddy.” He grinned and laid back, strong arms pulling her atop him.

She squealed, eyes widening. Bucky purred, “You know what to do, Daddy’ll let you on top.” He bit his swollen lip again watching the tip of his clock get swallowed by molten heat, the pair of them shuddering in ecstasy. Her little hands planted on his chest, panting and whining at the fullness. He’d get to work, holding that pretty waist and fucking up into her tight cunt.

It wasn’t long before she was crying out and laying atop his body, gasping, “Y’feel so good! Ah! Soft and oh god s’fucking hard!” Bucky sucked at her neck and thrust into her with downright pornographic slaps. He grunted and gasped, legs wonderfully getting another workout.

He murmured into her ear, a hand stilling all that writhing the poor thing was doing, “Yeah doll? Daddy fucking you good? Feels good to lay on Daddy and get your pussy pounded huh?” She sobbed, clenching and spilling tears on his neck, “Yes daddy! Yes! Don’t stop, fuckfuckfuck, s’rubbing my clit! I love you Daddy!”

Bucky’s eyes crossed for a second. What?

The evil flab that curses his very existence is a free clit rubber? He moaned in delight. Bucky changed their position some to milk out that new fact. Might as well abuse it before it’s gone. His baby was clinging to him now, mewling his name, pussy spasming sporadically. Bucky tilted her head up, melting at her pretty eyes. He rasped, “Come for Daddy baby, know you’re close, let go babydoll.”

He was grinding the tip of his cock into her soft spot while cooing at her. She hiccuped on a sob, the entirety of lean frame tightening down on him. His baby was a lot stronger than she looked. He could feel her core clamp and soak his cock, sending Bucky reeling into his own orgasm with a hoarse shout. He whimpered at the feeling of his balls drawing painfully tight, emptying all he had pent up.

They laid in a pile of sweat and spend, probably love. She was still subbed out, nuzzling into Bucky, only making a soft noise when his soft cock slid out. The brunette guessed it was his turn to return her earlier favor. He felt like the man of the hour. Crazy little kitten thought her geriatric overweight cyborg assassin was hot. Even with the holiday pounds.

So he pressed little kisses, rubbed her back, waxed poetic nonsense of his love for her. Bucky was a lover boy back in the day, just a little rusty, not like his Babygirl was on planet Earth right now anyways. She murmured into his neck with a dopey smile, “Tiger.”

Once again, crazy fellow asset saving Bucky’s wavering self-esteem. How lucky was he?

[misguidedasgardian]

I want to steal the bride (2)

2. Desserts, Yi-ti and old things

MASTERLIST

Summary: Aemond finds himself without you for the first time in ten years, so he starts to realize certain things 

Pairings: Aemond Targaryen x BestFriend!Reader, Cregan Stark x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Cursing, Aemond goes around hehe, Criston is sort of a red flag, but that is nothing new, since its an adaptation of the movie, I will be using sort of stereotypes, and there are some jabs about marriage and married men in this part.

Wordcount: 3.8 k

Disclaimer: This is a direct adaptation of the movie “Made of honor” and its script! also the pictures of the header aren’t mine, I took them from Pinterest 

Notes: UPPSSSS

It hasn't even been a week, and Aemond already missed you terribly, he had barely spoken to you, you whined with him about not getting service anywhere, and you were almost always disconnected from him

But he had his weekly meeting with his friends and his brother, and he was ready to play basketball and keep his mind off of things for a while

He met with his brother Aegon, and his friends Criston and Adam Velaryon 

“So, how was the old man’s wedding?”. teased Aegon

“You would have liked it, the bride I mean”, he muttered while tying up his laces of his shoes 

“What was this one? the fifth?”

“Sixth actually”, he said, Aegon chuckled

“For the gods!”, he laughed, “I’m guessing you went with Looooove”, he teased

“Yes, next wedding you go instead please”, he said seriously

“Oh please, you love to find any excuse to take her everywhere”, he mocked, they walk back towards the group and find the guys arguing

“I'm not gonna be able to play today, man. My back”, whined Addam

“If we don't have a fourth, we're gonna end up with Tiny Shorts Guy”, complained Criston

“How's it going?”, Larys Strong appeared with a basketball in his hands, he was known on the court for not being very handy with the ball, and for wearing booty shorts when he played, it was not pretty, “need another?”

“No, our friend Ramsay, with longer shorts, is coming”, said Aemond, he laughed and left, cleary not getting the hint

“No he is not coming!”, remembered Addam, Myranda signed him up for some art-walk thing”

“Art walk? Are you serious? Tell me something, what do you think Myranda did with his balls when she cut them off?”, mocked Criston

“Gods”, mocked Aemond, I go to art walks with (y/n) all the time”, he defended 

“Oh, come on, guys, marriage isn't that bad”, defended Addam

“I agree”, said Criston, playing with the ball in his hand, “without marriage, there'd be no divorce. So, without divorce, I wouldn't have my condo in the Vale”

“There you go”, laughed Aegon, “Good one” 

“I'm serious, man. You're missing out on the best parts of life”, continued the only current married man in the group, now speaking only to Aemond and Aegon, “the most important part of life”

“This coming from the guy whose wife won't let him go to bars”, said Aegon

“Hey, I thought we weren't gonna talk about that, huh?”, he said back, “and besides you are you to talk?”, asked Addam, annoyed, “you are single and you've been single ever since… What was her name, in sophomore year?”

“Um, Cer-, Cerse….Ceresse!” said Criston mockingly, everyone laughed, except for Aegon

“Ceresse, that's it!”, laughed Addam, “Ceresse dumped you for him sophomore year”, he mocked pointing at Aemond

“You've never been the same. You haven't been able to sleep”, mocked Addam

“Scarred”, mocked Criston

“Yeah. You have no idea how nice it is to have someone who's gonna be there for you, no matter what, forever”, concluded Addam

“And you don't know how nice it is to sleep with a different girl every night”, snapped Aemond

“That's true”, said Criston

“Nice rebuttal”, peached in Larys

“You know, you got the best of both worlds, Aemond”, said Criston

“It's true. I can sleep with whoever I want, but I still get to hang with (Y/N) afterwards. It's a perfect setup”, he said with the brightest of smiles, only thinking of you

“Well, maybe not for her”, muttered Addam, Aemond’s smile got wiped out pretty quickly

“What's that supposed to mean?”, he asked

“Come on, Aemond. She's a woman”, continued Aegon

“Yeah, I got that”

“You sure?”, mocked Criston

“Yeah”

“Dude, she's pushing 30. You think her idea of happily ever after is coming home to you and hanging out after you got laid?”, mocked Aegon, Aemond frowned 

“Makes you think, right?”, asked Larys, sneaking into the group

“Yeah”, nodded Addam

It did made him think

You had never shown yourself annoyed when he discussed his conquests with you, you loved hanging out with him on fridays, and… anytime, yes you were annoyed when he asked you to go to his grandfather’s weddings with him, but… anyone would, right?

With a sigh, he picked up the phone, and dialed you

It rang a couple of times, until you picked up

“Hello?”, he asked enthusiastically

“Hey”, you whispered lowly

“What’s going on?”, he asked, “were you sleeping?”, he mocked 

“Its very late here Aem”, you whined 

“How's the weather in White Harbor?”, he asked

“It's great. Only I'm in Winterfell”, he had woken you up, you were exhausted 

“Oh, right. Right”, his smile didn’t waver as he listened to your voice, “So, it's sunny”, he assumed 

“It's 3 in the morning”, you whined

“Oh, right. Sorry. So it's dark”, he said

“Yeah”

“Hey, have you seen the Big black wolf yet?”, he didn’t hear anything back, so he just dropped it, “I know, a terrible joke. Anyway…”

“Is there something important?”, you asked, falling asleep with phone in hand 

“Yeah, you'll never guess what happened”, he said with an enthusiastic tone

“What?”

“They filled in the pothole”, he said matter-of-factly

“The pothole?”, you asked, frowning

“On 83rd”

“Terrific. Hey, Aemond?”

“Yeah?”, he asked

“I'm gonna go back to sleep now”

“Oh, okay. Sure”, he said, finally catching on

“Love you”, you whispered, and Aemond jumped on his seat, it wasn’t the first time you had said it, but clearly it played with his mind

“Good night. Call me Tomorrow”, he said but you were already gone, and he hadn't said it back

He was more confused than before

He loves hearing your voice, and he missed you, but he didn’t know what to think, he didn’t even know what he was hoping for, what he expected with just one phone call, if that could give him more clearance 

It hadn’t

No, he shook his head, he couldn’t, no, he couldn’t

You were his best friend 

But his male friends were right, you… were a girl… a woman, you have had boyfriends before and it's not going to be long before you get another one, maybe one day you’ll get married…

The thought frightened him, he realized with surprise

The thought of being without you scared him to death

So he came to a conclusion…

A bad one…

He invited the last girl in his little black book, to meet her in the vintage store you both liked going to, it had to work… You were going to move on from him, and even though that scared him, he had to be prepared

He was with women all the time, he was going to prove everyone else wrong, he could get girl-friends….

“This stuff's all old”, Jeyne mumbled, looking everywhere, bored out of her mind

“Yeah. That's the point”, he answered, she looked back at him and shoot him a wink and a smirk

“Let's go to Fendi”, she said, perhaps it was a mistake to tell her how much he gained

“Fendi? No. No, no”, he said dismissively

“Yes!”, she shrieked 

“We're here. Let's just stay here”, he said, trying to convinced her

“I'm not into old stuff”, she whined like a little girl

“Why are you talking like a six-year-old?”, he said, immediately regretting his choice 

“I'm not”, she answered sharply

So the next day, he invited Floris to the famous bakery, to try his luck

“This line is too long. Can't we just go somewhere else?”, she asked, anoyyed

“No. This is the best bakery in the world. That's why it's worth waiting in line”, he said simply, but as she looked terribly annoyed, those stilettos she was weaning weren’t making her any favors to stay for two long on her feet, he tried a bit harder

“Come on, we'll play a game. Wanna play a game?”, that seemed to pick her interest

“Yeah, we can play a game”, she said, visibly more engaged

“Okay, good”, he said, now more confident, “Tell me what to order”, he teased

“Why?”, she asked back

“We are playing, that’s the game! you'll see. It'll be fun.Make a suggestion.

“A cookie”, she suggested

“No, no, you have to be specific, like what type of cookie?”, he pushed

“A really big cookie”

Alright this was a bad idea 

“Aemond, your phone's ringing”, said Alys Rivers, the girl he had been seeing every week, he ran back from the bathroom to pick it up, it was you! it had to be you

“Hello?”, he desperately asked into the phone, but there was no answer, only noise, “Hello?”, he asked, but no answer

“What's wrong?”, Alys asked when she say him sighing loudly and desperately

“Missed an important call”

“That's because you're an important person”, she teased. He looked at her, she was gorgeous, he liked having sex with her

“Do you like Yi-ti food?”, he asked curiously 

Half an hour later he was sitting on the same table he used to sit with you, and Alys was right in front of him

The cart was approaching and she smiled widely

“Hey, come to mama”, she giggled, “Uhh, we will have, um, two fried dumplings, two of the wontons, and six of the, uh, fried porky thingies”, she ordered

“Yeah, but that's fried”, he said, annoyed, once her order was on the table, she grabbed a fried piece with her chopsticks 

“Come on”, she teased

“It's not healthy”, he said seriously

“Have some of the fried. It won't hurt you”, she insisted, nearing the fried piece into his mouth. She dropped it, making the piece fall into his pants and staining them

She gasped apologetically

“Sorry…”

“Thank you”, he said, rolling his eyes

This was a bad idea 

It’s been weeks, he had dated, actually taken on dates, many women, and none of them, not one, had made him feel the way you do

He missed you

He realized there was no replacing you, there is no other woman he rather be with… and… that was driving him insane

So today he decided to calculate the hour properly, and call you early, it was nighttime still, but at a  night he knew you were going to be awake 

But it was a glitchy call, he knew it from the beginning

“Hello?”, he tried, rubbing his forehead

“Hey. Hello?”, your voice, so beautiful and melodic, it made Aemond feel like everything was well, like he was at peace, relaxed 

“Hello?”, he repeated, “Love?”

“Hello?”, you asked back

“Hey”, he said, excited of actually being able to talk with you

“Aemond? Aemond, is that you?”, you asked, “Aemond?”

“Hello?”, he asked, annoyed

You could barely hear him, you were on a two day trip to a castle on the outskirts of Winterfell, it started pouring, the road was a mess and you were surrounded by huge cows, they were everywhere

“Hello?”, you asked back, actually, the thought of hearing your best friend right now is just what you needed, but you couldn’t

“You're cutting out. I can't hear anything you've said”, you whined, “I'm stuck in a thunderstorm. I'm surrounded with a herd of cows. Listen, I'll call when I get to the hotel”, you tried to explain

“Love, I can't hear you”

“Aemond?”, you asked, “Hello?”

“Hello? Hello?”, you were interrupted, and hang up when someone knocked on the window of your car, you smiled apologetically, and found yourself in front of the most handsome man you had ever seen

“Oh Hello”

“You lost lass?”

. . .

“Oh, I hate Winterfell”, whined Aemond and threw his phone away to bag, it was basketball day again, and he need to get ready

But his mind was thousand of miles away

As the days passed he realized there was no other like you, you are the only one he liked to hang around with, he loved being with you, he… he loved you 

And the thought scared him

“C’mon C’mon C’mon!”, called Criston, but Aemond was barely able to move before Addam snatched the ball from him 

“We're having a hard time”, mocked Criston, “We're having a hard time”

“Oh, yeah? Want a hand?”, asked aegon, who got the bal and had no problem avoiding Aemond and threw a three pointer from half the court

“Give it up, baby”, he mocked

“Come on, Aemond. Aemond, Aemond”, called Criston, but Addam intercepted him

“Easy”, he mocked, Aemond tried to grab him, tired of failure

“Aemond, foul. That's a foul, Aemond”, called Aegon, “what's the matter with you today??”

“I don't know”, he whined, stopping in the middle of the court, “I think I might have feelings for (y/n)”

“Oh, come on, come on. Let's just play”, mocked Criston, but Aegon and Addam shared concerned looks 

“It's just... without her, something's off”, he explained, like it pained him, “It's got me thinking that, maybe, there's more to life than just sleeping around”

“I don't understand”, said Criston

“I-I'm not following”, muttered Aemond

“Come on, let's just play”, dismissed Aemond 

“I know exactly what you mean, Aemond”, said Addam with a shy smile on his face. Aegon and Criston shared concerned looks and passed the ball to each other

“I'm gonna tell her, when she gets home… I'm gonna tell her that I wanna be with her”, he said with a wide smile, “nothing about marriage, just be together”, Addam’s smile wiped out pretty quickly

“Yeah, that's romantic”, mocked Aegon

From hare, and for the next few weeks he still had ahead of him without you, he could breathe a bit more easy

. . . 

You have one unheard message.

A message from you! Aemond was so excited when he heard it

“Hey, Aem, I'm back. Gods, I cannot wait to see you! I don't care what you're doing tonight, cancel it. We're going to dinner”,  he smiled at the sound of your voice, this was going to be perfect, he knew exactly what he was going to say. “Meet me at that new trendy place next to the small Bravoosi  place we hated that used to be the Mantari-fusion place we loved. Meet me there, at 8 o'clock. I have so much to tell you!”

He had heard the voice message like eight times already while ha changed clothes, he was so so excited, he had his apartment cleaned, his suits pressed, his cologne, - the one you liked- stocked, his hair fixed, tonight, he was going to tell you that he had feeling for you, that he wanted to explore it further

With any luck, he was going to take you back to his palace for the night

You were going to be the first woman even going up there

And he was okay with that 

He entered the new place, it was very nice, as could turn into a date kinda nice, he looked at the flowers he bought on the street for you, and took a long breath as he told your name to the receptionist who led them to the back of the restaurant 

And there you were, gorgeous, like always

He could recognize you everywhere, anywhere 

But as he catched your glance and you smiled at him, you look back to someone else, and there it was, some guy, tall handsome, he hadn't seen him, instead he hugged you and kissed your neck

Fuck no

No no no no

Who was that?

he got so distracted that he didn’t see the waiter coming at him at full speed

They clashed scandalously, plates flew as the flowers and Aemond fell to the ground, not very elegantly, on top of the poor waiter

“AEMOND!”, you called, running to him. He was whining on the floor, “Aemond. You okay?”, you asked sweetly

“I'm all right. Are you all right?”, he asked, turning to the waiter who was moaning and wheezing in pain

“I think I broke a rib”, you helped Aemond up from the floor, and he smiled apologetically at you 

“His rib. I'm fine. I'm fine”, said Aemond, helping the poor waiter up on his feet, he was fine, he hoped 

“Are you okay?”, you asked to Aemond

“I'm so sorry”, muttered Aemond, the manager approached you

“I'm sorry, sir. Here are your flowers”, she said apologetically, trying to grab them front he floor

“Oh, but…”

“You had flowers?”, you asked him

“No, they're not my flowers”, he said dismissively

“They're your flowers. Those are yours”, said the waiter, grabbing his side

“I didn't have flowers”, fought Aemond, grabbing you softly and walking away from the scene. He finally turned to you and smiled

“Hi. It's good to see you”, he purred softly, his eye shining excitedly

“I missed you”, you admitted, hugging him quickly, “there's someone I want you to meet”

Aemond wanted to be the one that broke a rib

“Oh, good”, he said, not expecting you to notice the change in his demeanor 

“Aemond, this is Cregan”, there it was, this tall, handsome, beautiful man

“oh”, they shook hands, and Aemond didn’t know what to think

So fifteen minutes later, with a drink in hand, Aemond was pinching his own leg under the table, because he wanted to scream 

“It started pouring and suddenly it was just me in a field of cows…”, you laughed, Aemond watched in horror the way you were looking at that man, “of course, we're in the North there are no street signs anywhere and it's getting dark…”

“I think she thought she was in some bad werewolf movie”, he chipped in, and Aemond even hated to hear the sound of his voice, "Stay off the moors, lassie.", he continued

He only had eyes for you

“So, anyway, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Cregan comes riding up on horseback”, your eyes are finally back on him, so he had to muster a weird smile. You laughed excitedly, Aemond had never seen you like that, “Can you believe it?”, you asked him “A horse! And asks me if I need any help”

“Wow!”, he said, faking it, not that you’d notice 

“You were a lady in distress. What was I gonna do?”, he said, Aemond wanted to throw up

Dammit Cregan, we are in a public place! Aemond was sure that if a policeman would have been here he would have arrested him, for public indecency and being a creep

“It was right out of a Valyrian novel”, you said lovingly, you could see that Aemond wasn’t that invested, so you smiled at him, what he had said that you where a “love slut” came back to you, “So, anyway, he shows me to this charming little inn where he proceeds to buy me the most awful dinner I have ever had”, you said, with a bitter taste in your mouth

Probably Aemond thought this was stupid, that you were being silly 

“Right. Okay. Aye. It was pretty bad, even by Northerner standards”, Cregan agreed with you

“Then, we just spent the next month traveling around the country, getting to know each other, and visiting museums. It was…”, you sighed, looking into Cregan’s eyes

“It was perfect”, he said right there with you, looking into yours

“So, when it was time for (y/n)  to leave, I just… I don't know, I just… I couldn't let her go”, Cregan finally found it in himself to look at Aemond

“Ah…”, he muttered

“So, I got down on one knee…”, you smiled widely, showing Aemond your hand, and the huge rock that decorated your ring finger

“And he proposed, and I accepted”, you said excitedly

Aemond was never a man who let himself be controlled by his emotions, that being said, he never thought he even had a nervous breakdown, or a panic attack… until now

He felt his heart beating sot wrongly he thought he was going to pass out 

“Wow, that's just… It's huge, it's…”, he couldn’t stand it, his legs were getting numb

“So, the wedding's coming together very quickly”, you continued

Oh suit fuck, shit, he started looking for the emergency exit, couldn’t find it anywhere 

“Ah, it sounds like it”, he managed to say, his mouth was dry

“We're gonna get married in Winterfell, at Cregan's parents' summer home”, you continued, another nail on his coffin

“It's gonna be a pretty small thing. We can't expect too many people to make the trip overseas in just a fortnight”, Cregan chipped in

“A fortnight”, he said, trying to calm himself

“Right!”, you said

“That's two weeks”, he said seriously

“It's crazy, isn't it?”, you asked him, he seemed to notice how incredibly nervous you were

“Have you ever been to Winterfell, Aemond?”, asked Cregan

“You know, I haven't”, he said, trying to smile, but his cheeks were numb too

“You should see the little church where we're exchanging our vows in”, that smile on your face, Aemond’s heart broke, if he could be the one that caused it, it was so beautiful and bright, filled with love, “It's the same church that Cregan's parents were married in”

“It's pretty spectacular. Just across the loch from our distillery”, of course

“Distillery?”

“Yeah, Cregan's family owns the largest whisky distillery in the North”, you said with a knowing smile

Did you expect him to like this Cregan person?

“Aemond, look…”, oh shit, he thought, “If you were getting married I'd expect to be your best man”, you said surely, and he paled even more, “Aemond… will you be my maid of honor?”, you asked excitedly 

“Your maid of honor?”, he asked, it felt like the knife this Cregan guy had plunged into him, was being twisted, he got up, he needed to get out of this place, he needed to run,t o scream to

He turned and BAM

He crashed against the same waiter, both ended up in the floor covered in some warm soup

“Oh, I'm so sorry”, he whined

“WHAT IS IT WITH YOU MAN?”, he screamed high pitched

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[foreingersgod]

So so you wanted a small town reader request so I thought of this one. She she’s from a southern small town and plays basketball for the SEC team of her state, she really made a name for herself there, but wants to broaden her horizons so she enters the transfer portal and somehow ends up in Iowa where meet Kate who is OBSESSED with her southern accent. Then it’s just Kate trying to show her interest bc reader is totally oblivious until one of their teammates says something

Southern Charm . KM

pairing: kate martin x reader

synopsis: after transferring to iowa’s basketball team to broaden your horizons, you end up meeting someone who changes your life

A/N: i got a request to do another country fic like this one with kate, so expect one with ‘country kate’ here soon!

also, i’m not very proud of this one so i’m sorry if it’s genuinely shitty lol :’)

NOT PROOF READ

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

ever since you were little, maybe 7 or 8, you were fascinated with basketball. growing up in texas you were exposed to a large following of sports and hard core fans. your family was always repping the pro and college teams of your state with pride, attending several games throughout your childhood. basketball in particular held a special place in your heart. you remember watching the university of texas’ basketball games with your dad, absolutely enthralled by the game. it didn’t take long for your parents to get you involved in the sport. you played in small teams as a kid then on your schools girls basketball teams in middle and high school. and with a lot of hard work and determination, you got into the university of texas to play on their women’s team.

while playing for the university, you made quite the impression on basketball fans. you were quick, had unbelievable stats, and extremely adaptable. you were a pretty valuable player in most eyes. but after two years at the school, you started to feel restricted. there wasn’t a whole lot for you to improve on your skills so you made a drastic decision to enter the transfer portal.

it was an emotional decision. realizing you would be leaving teammates behind as well as your home state was hard, but you longed for something greater. not long after entering the portal, you had transferred to the university of Iowa. you were ecstatic despite having to move away. it was time to broaden your horizons and hopefully expand upon your skill set.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

you had arrived in iowa around a week ago and you were still adjusting. figuring out where all of the buildings were, where the dining halls were located, was a lot for you to handle. hell you could barely remember how to get to your dorm at this point.

you haven’t even met your new teammates, practices not starting up for a couple of days. the anticipation had you extremely nervous.

what if they didn’t like you?

what if they thought you sucked?

the days leading up to your first practice were consumed with these uncontrollable thoughts. but as you laced up your shoes and grabbed your duffel bag, heading out the door, you felt those nagging thoughts dissipate.

when you arrived for practice, opening the large metal doors to the gym, it almost felt like you were right back at home. you wandered over to where the team was warming up, hearing the squeak of the polished floors. quickly, looking up from her clipboard, bluder spotted you a few feet ahead. she met you on the sidelines to officially greet you for your first day.

“ah, YN!” she announced, grabbing the attention of the other girls “nice to see you again, glad you could join us. let’s get you introduced and settled in”

her smile was welcoming as she motioned for the girls to huddle up. everyone gathered around, you being the center of attention as you looked around awkwardly.

“team, i’m sure you’re all aware of our newest member, YN” lisa said “let’s be kind and supportive and help her get settled in on her first day alight?”

everyone nodded “great. YN, would you like to introduce yourself?”

you took a deep breathe as you studied their faces timidly, fidgeting with your fingers and trying to think of something to say.

“um, yea” you managed, hoping you sounded confident “i’m YN, i just transferred from the university of texas..and i’m-uh-really excited to get to know you guys”

the team offered their hello’s, walking up to you one by one to shake your hand politely and introduce themselves. they were all incredibly sweet right away, telling you you’d fit right in and complimenting your skills. you went down the line, excited to get acquitted with the team.

then, at the end of the line, stood kate martin. you had seen her play and you thought she was amazing so you were excited to finally meet her. she approached you with the most genuine smile, eyes lit with zeal.

“hey,” she spoke up, offering her hand to you “i’m kate, it’s nice to meet you YN”

you smiled back at her “it’s nice to meet you too! you’re a fantastic player, i’d be lyin’ if i said i hadn’t been excited to meet you!”

“i’m flattered, really, thank you” you could feel her hand linger on yours as she pulled away from the handshake “so texas, huh? i caught onto the accent!”

you both laughed “yea, i’m from a small town not too far from campus, so i got that signature dialect”

“i think it’s really cute,” she looked down, avoiding your gaze “think it suits you”

“thanks, kate” you blushed, smiling at her once more before bluder summoned everyone to resume warmups.

what a sweetheart.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

it had been quite sometime since you had finally settled into your new team. there was a lot of awkwardness and uncertainty, but you had started to feel like this is where you were meant to be. and like you had hoped, there was so much more room for you to improve rather than back in texas. you were playing amazing games, beating your own records and personal highs on a regular basis. going to iowa was truly the best thing for your career.

you had also grown really close to the girls since arriving. kate, especially, was like your best friend. she had always been so kind and sweet to you. at some point in your friendship, you started to develop a decent crush on the girl, but you had always assumed that she didn’t feel that way about you. so you stayed quiet as to not distrust your connection.

but recently, things have been a little off with kate. she often avoided you during practices and didn’t stay to say goodbye when you left. both things she did on a normal basis and now she just stopped doing it all together. she didn’t even bother to text you or ask about your day, nor did she laugh when you said things funny (she’s always giggled to herself when your accent was thick). you were beginning to wonder if you did something wrong.

it had been weeks of her dismissive behavior and you were starting to miss your best friend. your heart ached at the thought of her not liking you anymore. so you devised a plan to meet her during her extra early practice one morning and confront her, hoping to figure out why she wasn’t giving you the time of day.

it was about 7:00 in the morning, much too early for your liking. you’d never understood why kate, amongst others, wanted to be at practice an hour earlier. but you had managed to get out of bed at 6, suiting up and sneakily heading to the gym. you hoped you could catch her off guard, maybe surprise her so she’d have no choice but to deal with your confrontation head on. you were approaching the doors of the locker room, about to open the door, when you heard kate’s voice echo from inside. freezing in your spot, you shamefully eavesdropped to see what she was talking about.

“no! i’m not going to do that!” she exclaimed.

“why not?” you heard another voice, from the sounds of it, it must’ve been gabbie. “you’re like obsessed with her, just go for it!”

“i’m not obsessed, ok? there’s just something about YN that drives me crazy and i like her so so much, but i’m sure as hell not going say that right to her face!”

you went numb hearing your name fall from kate’s mouth. you tried to move closer to the door, wanting to hear what she was saying a little bit better, but you tripped over your own foot causing you to lunge forward. the doors to the locker on went flying open, your stiff figure busting through the entrance as you immediately gave yourself away.

you stood, completely unable to move as you looking up into the vastness of the locker room. sure enough, there were gabbie and kate, sitting in front of you. their eyes were wide seeing you burst through those doors, realizing they had just been caught talking about you. and it was no secret that you had heard almost everything they were saying.

“i’m so sorry!” you rambled an apology “i was just about to come and talk to kate, but then i heard my name, and i really didn’t mean to intrude like this i’m so embarrassed”

kate sat, also embarrassed as gabbie spoke up.

“i’m going to give you guys some privacy” she said “i think there’s a lot that kate needs to say”

and with that, she walked out of the locker room, leaving you and kate in awkward silence. you walked over to where she sat on the bench to take the seat next to her. she looked at you, hardly able to make eye contact.

“i’m sorry”

“for what?” you asked

“i shouldn’t have been talking about you behind your back. i had no idea you were gonna be here, not that that makes it ok-”

“kate, it’s ok” you placed a hand on her shoulder “i was here early cause i needed to talk to you, but i shouldn’t have stuck around to eaves drop”

“what did you need to talk to me about?”

you sighed, suddenly wishing you didn’t have to bring it up in the first place “it’s just that i’ve felt like you’ve been avoiding me and purposely not talking to me so i wanted to ask why…but i think i already kind of know why…”

“yea” she replied, voice cracking “you weren’t supposed to find out like that”

“if it’s any consolation…i feel the same way” you removed your hand from her shoulder, taking her hand in yours. gentle fingers ran over hers soothingly.

“you-you do?”

“mhm” you grinned “i’ve been too afraid to say anything cause i didn’t know if you felt the same and i didn’t want to ruin our friendship”

she didn’t say anything, just sat looking into your eyes. there were no tears, no anger in her eyes, just a certain longing that only you could recognize.

“i think im in love with you”

“you don’t have to say-”

“no i mean it” she continued “everything about you, from the moment i met you, i’ve been in love with. you’re perfect and funny and gentle, you have the cutest accent i’ve ever heard, and i don’t think i can handle being just friends”

“kate i think i’m in love with you too” happy tears welled in your eyes as you inched closer to her, feeling her breathe on your skin.

“can i kiss you?” she asked, but she didn’t even need to, you would’ve done it anyways.

“please”

and finally, your lips met in the most gentle yet passionate kiss. teeth clashing at the urgency of it, both of you so eager from waiting so long for this moment. you wished you could’ve stayed like that forever. nonetheless, she pulled away breathlessly, forehead resting against yours as you smiled at each other.

“it’s that southern charm” she joked, large hand resting against your cheek “you’re irresistible”

you laughed, pulling her into another kiss, trying to savor this moment for as long as you could.

[orange-demons-deactivated2024]

Ed's Outfit 1 and Outfit 2

Soo...what kicked this off was me looking at Ed's outfits and relating them to real boxers and trainers. I've just been passively watching boxing videos and noting the stylistic choices Capcom decided to use for Ed and Balrog. And how some things so minor to Ed can still be used as a way to show character growth.

This little rant is going to be focused on Outfit 2 and a little on Outfit 1. Not so much so Outfit 3.

The first major thing I noticed was his Red Gloves in Outfit 2 and I originally thought they were the ones with the velcro strap that most Boxers today use. But they're actually the lace-up ones, that a lot of old-school boxers use.

Lace-up gloves usually require the help of another person to lace up them up for you. This is usually fine in a gym or before a fight, but it can be a pain when training alone. They’re slower to put on and take off, so they are not ideal for shorter bursts of training.

Lace ends could cut opponents, so the gloves are usually taped up at the wrist when fighting.

Glove tape is intended to prevent scratches, scrapes, and cuts from loose laces or velcro. It secures the lace or velcro in place, ensuring the gloves stay in place for the duration of the match. Lastly, glove tape offers an extra level of wrist support.

Storywise, I believe Balrog would've laced them up for Ed and taped down the laces every time Ed would've put this outfit on.

And you can see it in this shot of his gloves.

Another interesting detail about his gloves that Capcom included was the NS on the tape.

Of course In-Game it's meant to represent NeoShadaloo. But there's a purpose for signing the tape in Real life.

In boxing, this is done to ensure that the hand wraps are not tampered with after being inspected and approved by a boxing official. The official’s signature on a boxer's tape confirms that the wraps comply with regulations and haven’t been altered to provide an unfair advantage or added protection.

This has to be done when they are in the room or else they'll make the fighters do it all over again.

I could imagine the officials being on Ed's ass about this when the news broke out that he was training under Balrog. Moreso, not to lead into any foul play.

I'm not going to go too in-depth about the boxing Ed uses but know that because he doesn't have any formal padding in his Outfit 1, his fighting is considered bare-knuckles.

Bare-knuckle fighting today is growing popular in the underground scene.

And since Ed isn't hanging around Balrog like he used to, he probably opted to just use his wraps as the only form of protection for his hands.

ps. But boxers in the ring still wrap their hands before putting them in gloves to prevent any injuries to their hands.

Of course, in Ed's Outfit 1 he's dawning on some Boxing boots, but I can't say the same for his Outfit 2.

Most boxing boots are lightweight and they have a flat bottom to help boxers pivot and rotate, for technical movements. 

But for day-to-day training, the tread at the bottom of the shoe gets worn down fairly quickly and boxers burn through multiple pairs within a year.

The only downside to them is that they are pretty expensive so most boxers would save them until they step into the ring.

And although they have a high top, the shoes don’t provide a lot of support for the ankles. 

And since Ed doesn’t burn through many pairs of clothing like he used to in SFV, it seems reasonable that he would have a couple of official boxing shoes other than the ones shown in Outfit 1.

Another common shoe that boxers like to train in is Basketball shoes. 

Most boxing shoes that have a low top, still have a flat bottom and in the pictures above, it looks to be thicker. 

Like I mentioned before in SFV, Ed grew up relatively fast and he mentioned in his arcade mode how he kept growing into a new set of clothes every month.

Personally, I don’t think Balrog would’ve gotten Ed any official boxing gear until he settled into his own body. So basketball shoes are the way to go. 

It’s also good for newer boxers because of the density and weight. They typically protect the ankles, the bottom of your foot, and the sides a lot more than a boxing boot would. 

For someone starting off in boxing like Ed, getting the ability that he needs on his ankles, being able to move well without the fear of injury, and the bonus of moving around and performing fast, rapid movements, when he changes it out for a boxing boot, theoretically he would’ve been able to move quicker. 

And with Ed’s playstyle, he's seen to be pretty light on his feet. 

Wearing compression pants can help people check their form and correct things that don’t look right. Like if their knees are buckling, or if the athletes are staying upright, etc. 

Performance: Compression pants are specifically designed for athletic activities. They provide a higher level of pressure to the legs, which can help improve blood flow and reduce muscle fatigue.

Recovery: These pants can aid in faster recovery by reducing inflammation and assisting the lymphatic system in draining lactic acid built up from exercise.

Support: They offer more support and stability, which can help with balance and proprioception during a workout.

Overall a good piece to add to one’s collection for working out.

Boxing-wise, there isn't really much to say about the other pieces of clothing in his Outfit 1 and Outfit 2.

If it wasn't obvious, Ed's Outfit 2 was a redesign of his SFV outfit. And this also seems to be an outfit one would use to train in the gym in, rather than in the ring.

Mostly because of the regulations of wearing a shirt and compression pants.

Ed did mention in the Official SF6 news that he did want to look like Balrog and how much Ed idolizes him, so I thought that was cute.

And that's what mostly inspired me to drop this as I'm currently stressing about my clinicals to start. haha. Don't procrastinate kids. Time to disappear again!

Also, I was supposed to do one with Bosch specifically, but I can't really get behind his VA defending a gRapist.

How to wrap hands in boxing: Everything you need to know on how to wrap hands | DAZN News US

What is the purpose of pro boxers writing on their handwraps? - Poe

What is written on the taped-up hands of mma fighters and why? - initials gauze | Ask MetaFilter