Media & The Madness Of It All

media & the madness of it all 📸

part four :)

pairing: kate martin x female!reader

part one. part two. part three. my masterlist!

summary for part three: coach bluder talks with you and kate during practice :)

themes + warnings: fluff and mentions of potential media issues

POV: first person.

word count: 1.0k

author’s note: i wasn't sure if i was going to do a part four, but better late than never! i might do a part five of kate's perspective too perhaps :) enjoy and ignore any typos per usuallllll!

•••

“yeahhhhh, syd!” monika cheered, celebrating the blonde’s three point shot as the rest of the team dribbled around, practicing. “affolter, you can’t hold herrrr,” caitlin yelled in response, jumping around excitedly as syd high-fived coach raina. “that’s my dawg!” kate continued the praise, cheering as i sat a couple rows back from the floor of the arena, legs criss-crossed and typing away in the slightly uncomfortable blue arena chair, clearing out my uiowa email inbox. i used to sit courtside during practices, but, i learned the hard way that working on my computer and sitting courtside during practice drills rarely ends well.

i was covered in one of kate’s older iowa sweatshirts and her extra pair of sweatpants. back in the locker room, kate could tell i was ready to change out of my media day clothes, so she offered me some of her extra team ones—which i gladly accepted. coach bluder and jensen were huddled over in the corner, looking through some old plays they’re likely considering putting back in circulation before agreeing and moving off different directions.

“alright, beautiful, beautiful work everyone, i’m handing you over to coach lindsay for strength work,” coach bluder called out, beginning to walk towards where i was sitting from across the court. she pulled kate along with her, breaking her out of a side conversation with gabbie. kate and i got back to the gym about an hour ago, and it was clear bluder and the staff were letting us cool off a bit before talking about the situation—mostly kate, in all honesty. the team was always good with emotional awareness and communication, and kate was often one who internalized things until they built up later, so blowing off steam was the right move. 

the pair was now almost next to me as i closed my laptop, hunching over it as i smiled weakly at coach bluder. kate came to sit next to me, rubbing my knee reassuredly as bluder stood one row below us, close to eye height for kate and i. 

“okay, so i already talked to mon and caitlin a bit about this earlier,” she spoke, her voice slightly elevated because of the noisy basketball players, but still relatively reserved in attempts of protecting our privacy, “and i really want to say how sorry i am, again, that you both had to go through that. i spoke with jeneane beck in the admin office; she controls external media for iowa, and her office was able to get the situation under control, for the time being.”

upon hearing that, kate and i both exhaled deeply, feeling inexplicable relief as our eyes caught each others before turning back to bluder’s. i pulled her hand from my knee to interlock our fingers, my thumb running up and down her pointer finger, “how?”

“jeneane is incredible at her job, and when they spoke with the outlet, it became clear that the footage was just as incriminating for the reporters as it was harmful to you both. so, the great news is that footage won’t be airing any time soon. the question is now if you all have anything else you’d like to say publicly about the situation? jeneane advised it against that if i’m being honest, though, because it will draw more attention. but, i do want to give you all the opportunity as it’s your experience.”

kate and i had talked briefly about if we wanted to address it publicly in the lockeroom earlier, while she was helping me clean my face up and reset after everything. she was a bit more adamant on speaking up about the situation then i was because i’d felt like it had already taken so much of my energy, and kate was overprotective more often than not—it was just her nature.

“i honestly think it’s okay, i’d rather just let it go,” i said, looking at bluder as she nodded, her signature slight frown on her face. “yeah, i’m cool with that,” kate concurred, sensing my exhaustion as she leaned back in the chair, her eyes trained on me briefly before turning it back to bluder’s.

“alright then. we’re about to dismiss to the lockeroom so i’ll give y’all a few moments before we circle up,” bluder stated, tapping both our knees gently before turning away and progressing down the stairs. kate and i echoed thank yous at her before i turned my body to her. her eyes were observant, but also soft, and i could sense the defeat in them. my leg brushed upon hers as i scooted closer to her.

“i’m so tired,” i complained, resting my head on her shoulder, my voice hushed, feeling more relaxed now that it was just her and i. despite being in the gym with the rest of the team, kate’s presence had the unique ability of making me feel calmer and more at ease—which i was grateful for. “me too, baby,” she whispered, as i closed my eyes, “good news is we’ve only got about an hour of practice left and then we’re heading to the hotel.”

“oh my god. it’s really already five?! i gotta stop working in full screen mode,” i laughed, my body feeling lethargic at the thought of being in bed, “i’m going to fall asleep before they can even bring us the food, i hope you know that.”

“oh, i know, baby, i know. it’s okay, i’ll wake you up,” she laughed, pressing a kiss to my head as i melted into her arms. we sat like that for a minute or two before bluder called her down to join the final huddle for the day. 

•••

A Bronze // Esme Morgan

Being Lucy Bronzes younger sister was fantastic yet hard at times.

Lucy was a loving, caring and proctective (!!) sister - she would do anything for you. You loved her with your whole heart and playing football at a professional level together has always been a dream of yours.

When you got your first call up, she was the first person you called. Same thing with your call up for the euros and same thing now with the world cup.

You were beyond excited. There was only one problem.

With Lucy being in Barcelona and you being in Manchester you haven‘t had the chance to tell her that you were in a relationship. It wouldn‘t feel right telling her through the phone - your excuse. At some point there was a (high) chance that she would jump into a plane and fly straight to you.

To be honest you haven‘t told her yet because you‘re scared. Scared of her reaction or rather of her behavior towards Esme. She would rip her head off. And you really-really liked Esme. Nobody besides a few of your City teammates knew about you.

"Not kissing you all day long will kill me" Esme whined as she pulled at the hem of your shirt. Your arms looped around her neck "Don‘t be so dramatic" you chuckled. Esme fake gasped while clutching her heart, making you laugh. Her favorite sound.

Arriving in camp was a relief. You and Lucy were glued to the hips, updating on your lives. It was nice to see and talk to her in person again. Until now you never realized how much you missed her.

The first few training sessions went smooth. Esme and you kept things professional - acting like friends. Yet sometimes you caught yourselves staring a moment to long at each other. You would sneak lingering touches when nobody was watching or kiss in empty rooms. You couldn‘t help it you were just so in love with one another.

"What would you think about if we told Lucy?" you asked as you sat down at the table. The table was still empty only Esme and you already sitting there with plates in front of you. "Tell Lucy what?" Said person asked. Esme chocked on her water. She didn‘t mind telling her yet she feared Lucy kind off. "Luce! Hey" you smiled through your nervousness. "Tell Lucy what?" her tone was rough. She hated when she didn’t know things- especially when they involved you, her little baby. "Oh nothing! No worries" smiling, you tried to convince the defender. Of course with no luck. "Y/n" she grumbled. "I‘m dating your sister" Esme blurted out. The whole dining room went silent. "Does she have death wishes?" someone gasped. Jordan was standing behind Lucy who was about to explode. "Come again?"

"I am dating Y/n" she took your hand to emphasize her words.

Something clicked inside Lucys mind. You dating someone? No absolutely not. "Do not touch her!" aggressivly, she parted your hands. "Y/n? Is this true?"

"Yes" you looked down, not because you were ashamed but because you felt horrible. You knew Lucys eyes would tell you that she‘s hurt because you didn‘t tell her. And you also knew that her eyes would be full of fury. "Lucy I-" abruptly, lucy shoved her plate to Jordan and grabbed Esme by the collar of her shirt. Even though the blonde was tall enough to have her feet on the ground it was still intimidating as hell. "Lucy!" you yelped. "You better leave my sister alone or you will have some real trouble. Understood?!" your attempt to break them apart was as successful as a shark trying to climb up a tree. pretty much impossible. "I'm not afraid of you" the audacity to talk only made Lucy angrier and made you smile bright. Nobody ever tried to fight your sister for you.

"That‘s enough!" Millie and Rachel grabbed Lucy and shoved her the other way. Lunch was over for her. "Fuck. Are you okay?" Worry laced your voice as Esme was free. Her hand rubbed her neck while the other one was shaking. "Ye-yeah" you pulled her down to sit. "Jordy, could you - you know?" Jordan gave you a nod before your attention was back on Esme.

Lucy was sitting in the gym trying to calm herself down. It was hard. You‘re her little girl how could she not be mad. She was hurt that you didn‘t tell her. She was mad at the fact you were dating someone. not because of a relationship but of the risk of you getting hurt. The worst pain for her isn‘t any physical, seeing you cry/hurt that‘s the worst pain.

One of your first matches for the senior team ended with you being hospitalized due a head injury. The cry of pain which left your mouth was horrific. It haunted Lucy for months. "Hey" a calm voice said. Jordan. "Here‘s your food" carefully, she sat the plate down. "Thanks"

While they ate in silence Lucy appreciated Jordan being there. "I‘ll tell you that because i'm your friend", the villa player started as they finished their meals, "that was such a shit move" which ended with a smack to the head for the Barcelona player. "It’s your sisters girlfriend"

"She‘s too young for a relationship" Jordan looked at her with her 'seriously?' expression. "Esme is not good enough" again, Jordan looked at Lucy with the same expression. "Well. Let‘s look at it from this perspective: would you rather have a total stranger to be with y/n?" No reply. "That‘s what I thought."

"Doesn't mean I approve it"

"You don't have to approve it, at least for now but for starters you can respect them."

Only a grumble was heard.

"For what it’s worth, I think they‘re good for each other"

"I don't"

The next few days Lucy didn‘t talk to either one of you yet she watched from afar. It stung. After not seeing each other for months she was now ignoring you for who knows how long. It made you sad and angry.

"You look hot" you said to Esme as there was a water break. "Than-" she started, her cheeks turning crimson. you didn‘t mean that kind of hot in the moment. Yes, Esme was hot in your eyes but - "Let me help you" with a quick squeeze of your bottle you splashed her face with water. "Hopefully, you don‘t become a mermaid" you laughed referring to H2O, a series you love. A loud gasp escaped the blonde who was chasing you by now. "Arghh come here" the defender smacked her arms around your hips, turning you around so you could face her "that wasn‘t nice, baby" she tried to have a stern face but was failing miserably. "ooopsie" catching her off guard as you pressed a kiss to her cheek, you entangled your body from her arms and ran away again.

Beach day with the team; while some of your friends were walking to the ocean others were talking or playing in the sand (tooney and lessi) whereas Esme and you sat in the sand enjoying the sun. The blonde was hugging you from behind as you laid your back on her chest. Under the sun rays she looked like a goddess. You fell in love with her all over again. "You should stare at the ocean not at me" your girlfriend whispered so she wouldn‘t ruin the vibe "you‘re way more beautiful" was your only reply. As she locked eyes with you you saw the way they lit up after your confession.

Even though you were with Esme and/or the team most of the time your heart was still broken. You missed your best friend. And your girlfriend could tell. She saw the way you would look at Lucy - she would never look back at you. She saw the way your mind was spinning, thinking about If you should approach Lucy. When Chloe (your roommate) told Esme that she heard you crying in the night the defender decided to take the problem into her own hands. It was hurting you - so it was hurting her.

"Lucy! Wait" the blonde pleaded as she saw Lucy alone. "What?" her voice wasn‘t angry or rough, it was normal yet her facial expression was stone cold. "Look, If you don‘t like me that’s fine but ignoring y/n isn‘t. It‘s her first world cup.. you should support her." Lucy didn't want a lecture so she turned around, ready to walk away. "Do you know she requested number 12 on her jersey because of you?" That statement made her stop in her track. "It was your number at the World Cup 2015. She admires you and it hurts her that you don‘t talk to her." Deep breaths, Esme, you can do it. What Esme was about to say took a lot of courage to say out loud but she knew she had to tell Lucy. "I love her, okay? I really do. She- she doesn't know that I do but I do. And I want to make her happy but she‘ll never be fully happy If you aren‘t in her life. So please.. just talk to her."

Lucy thought about Esmes words and how true they were (If someone asked her, she would never admit it). As well she talked to Jordan about them who agreed with Esme (like everybody would) and as the night went on Lucy was determined to work things out with you.

After training was finished the next day you found yourself sitting on the pitch, starring into nothing. You were exhausted. Physically and mentally.

As soon as you felt a presence beside you, you knew who it was. It was the one person you desperately wanted to talk to you. There was a silence for a few minutes. Lucy had to sort her thoughts before she could start her apology.

Esme was standing with Hempo, Chloe and Alex. Even though she knew that Alex was talking, she couldn‘t listen. She tried but her gaze kept glanzing to you. "Are they gonna make up?" Lauren asked as she saw Esme looking towards you. "I hope they do."

"I‘m so proud of you." the Barcelona player started "and i‘m sorry" she wasn‘t looking at you and you weren‘t either. You both starred straight forward. "You were a bitch" you stated. "All- all I wanted was your support" tears started to build up but you didn‘t dare to let them leave your eyes. "I know and i‘m truly sorry but you have to understand-"

"What?! What do I have to understand?! You should love me unconditionally! Not matter what," your voice started to get louder with each word.

"Stop right there! I won‘t be accused of not doing so. I was there when you had your first football match. I spent hours playing with you. I was there at every important game of yours." by now her voice was also loud. "It was me who was there every step of the way. It was me!" Well, the tears you tried not to spill were running down your cheeks faster than you liked. "Then what do I have to understand?" your voice was back quiet. Small. "I am your big sister. I need to protect you" her voice level back to normal. "Esme won‘t hurt me" you laid your head on Lucys shoulder while her arm went around your back. "I know. She‘s a good one" your gaze wandered to your love who was already looking at you with a smile on her face. "She is"

Maybe things weren‘t fully solved yet, but for the beginning it was a step in the right direction. And with the Bronze sisters back as a team and a World Cup ahead it could only get better.

—————————

hiiii, could you write something for protective matthew knies :))

protective!matty headcanons, mk23

matt knies is the boyfriend, actually

maybe you’re a little accident prone (this is incredibly self indulgent)

so he isn’t just protective in the sense that he’s dealing with other people or PR, but he’s physically protective over you too

he realized very early on that you seemingly didn’t care to pay attention to what you were doing, ever.

you walked straight into a patio door and then stood back, chuckled and then opened and walked through the door, just completely unfazed

so he’s started trailing behind you to be your eyes and protect you from random things

he doesn’t even realize it sometimes.

you’ll drop something under the table and he’s covering the corner of it with his hand while you go under to get whatever fell

he only realizes he even did it when you actually end up knocking your head on his knuckles on your way up

he’ll pull you back into his chest by your collar like a cat when you’re about to trip over something

if he’s walking in front of you he’ll kick stuff out of your way and keep his head down so your feet are in his peripherals

you’ve fallen off the bed, so now he just has you on the side by the wall (though you were originally very stubborn about which side of the bed you got) or he just lays directly on top of you

if you’re ever spending the night with the tavares’ since he moved up to toronto, he’s trying to inconspicuously always be the one to take your shirt off cause the basement ceiling is low and he knows you’ll go too fast and punch it so hard your hand swells

when he takes you skating the first time he watches you extremely closely

he’s consistently reminding you that you cannot take things out of the oven without the oven mitts on

if you’re making pasta or something he always lurks until it’s done boiling so he can strain it for you (and make sure you remember to turn off the stove)

if you go for a walk together he’ll always hold your hands or put his arm around your shoulders or keep his hand on your lower back or neck so you don’t stray away

he’s told you before that you need blinkers and break lights (he’s right, however you slap his arm for saying it)

if he’s talking you to the mall (especially somewhere like the eaton centre) he never strays from you

that’s one of the only things you noticed, because very early into your relationship he came into a lingerie store with you and you told him maybe six times that he could wait outside if he wanted

he was so obviously flustered but he just kept shaking his head cause he knew that you’d forget that he was sitting on his phone and go to the next store without him

you honestly thought he just wanted to partake in dressing room endeavours until he did the same thing at a kitchen supply store in which he looked so bored he might’ve actually shed a tear (dressing room endeavours he got regardless, he wasn’t gonna complain about it)

it finally clicks for you that he does all these things when someone on the team sees him pull you away from a curb before you can trip over it and comments about how grossly in love you are and how well he knows you

“you two are disgustingly cute,” “what’s that supposed to mean?” “he didn’t even look up from his phone! just grabbed you like it was an instinct. happens all the time, too. it’s like you’ve been engraved into each others brains or something,” “… huh,”

matt blushes harder than he ever has “don’t read too far into that,”

on top of this, he’s also protective of you when it comes to media, especially when he gets to the nhl

the leafs media is pretty brutal, and he was actually forewarned by multiple teammates to ignore any and all press releases or reporters on twitter so he knew the two of you would have to stay more or less private

he has an instagram story full of sweet pictures of the two of you but all of which include less than half of your face and no @

your account is kept private, but the photos there are more relationship confirming, obviously (some of them he is heavily teased for. cooley has your notifs on just so he can comments ludicrous shit)

if you’re in any wag group photos you ask not to be tagged and his number / last name is always covered

he actually goes to aryne to ask for advice if ever you do want to be more public (he leaves it entirely up to you) and she thinks it’s the sweetest thing ever that he wants to make sure nobody makes an issue for you

if ever you do get found out against your will, he’s probably more nervous than you are and he’s making you promise not to hide it from him if someone ever says something

if someone asks about you in a scrum he’s always so excited to talk about you but he keeps it very short and sweet in case he’s accidentally giving you away

the best way to put it is private, not hidden

cause in another life he’d be boasting to everyone about how amazing his girl is, so he doesn’t want to hide you completely but he prioritizes your personal life and protection over his need to brag

he’s also very protective of you in the conventional way, meaning about other people in person

the first fight he gets into in the nhl is because someone chirped him about you

you were by the glass during warmups and he basically spent half of his allotted time parked in the corner flirting with you like a complete idiot

obviously someone will notice, that’s a little strange behaviour

unfortunately that someone isn’t well known for keeping their mouth shut

it’s his first fight, so he absolutely got his ass handed to him, and you were in the press box just aggressively rolling your eyes

if ever you’re out for drinks together or even with the team he’s like your shadow

downtown toronto is not the place for someone unfamiliar with the area to be left, so you’re kinda glad for it

that’s until he’s a little past tipsy and he’s glaring at every man from ages 19-40 in the bar the second they come near

he sends poor mitch a cold stare after he asked you if you liked being at the game and you were like matthew it’s mitch??? mitch marner??? toronto maple leaf mitch marner, your alternate captain??

he does the same to a middle aged man who comes beside you to order a drink and mind you, the guy hardly even notices you’re there

“i don’t trust him,” “he’s fifty!”

you don’t really get it until it comes in handy and then you never complain again

if he actually feels like he needs to be protecting you he sobers up extremely quickly and suddenly your sweet, usually angel boyfriend actually seems his size

the only time he’s had to step in he was promptly laughed at cause of his age, only for the guy to look behind you, and be met with a table full of the maple leafs staring at the commotion

you quickly learn that the unspoken rule where players protect their rookies certainly extends to the rookie’s girlfriend

one time he had to go to the bathroom at an mlse event and rather than leave you for what ended up being a minute and a half at best, you were given a body guard out of jake mccabe

easily the most awkward experience of your life, but hey! now you’re best friends with jake mccabe

if you’re on a walk or something and there’s commotion in front of you or someone strange looking is walking behind you, matty is suddenly very hungry and you’re taking the nearest right into the door of a diner until things calm down

“do you want dinner? im hungry,” “matty it’s one in the afternoon we just ate,”

that’s actually how you found your favourite spot for date nights, cause he bought a slice of pie and you swore he could’ve eaten the whole thing if it was put in front of him

he’s always calling you on roadies to ask how your day is going, and then he’ll immediately ask if anyone’s been giving you trouble

“anyone giving you a hard time? guys in your dms i get to fight off?” “well, jacer [tavares’ son] is becoming quite the flirt. he drew me a flower n’ said it was pretty like me” “oh, so i’ve got some competition?”

he’s never weird or jealous about it, but he knows you’re very non confrontational so he tries his best to make sure you’re not uncomfortable without sounding like he doesn’t trust you

he’s never been angry with you about it, so you eventually realize that he’s just incredibly and fiercely protective of you and you come think it’s sweet over time

from here

see, now i want to see a mic’ed up reader-

Mic’ed Up: Y/n L/n

Summary: This is what happens when you give an 18 year old a microphone

. so

. it’s common knowledge that you talk a lot, both on and off the field

. to keep feeding all the Y/n fans with content, the videographer and social media manager of the US Women’s National Team decide to team up

. and create the beauty known today as “Mic’ed Up: Y/n L/n

. aka the most common things you can hear from Y/n during a practice

. “Alyssa! Will you be in goal while I shoot? I need to practice my amazing skills before we start”

. “Y/n I saved all your shots last time we did this”

. “I don’t know why your shouting that, it’s not necessary information”

. “Kelley will you give me a piggyback ride if I promise to give you some of my m&m’s after practice?”

. “You lied last time! You didn’t give me any m&m’s!”

. “I tried to! You took like three handfuls and I’m nice but not that nice”

. “Lindsey watch this- oh get megged”

. “Imagine getting megged, couldn’t be me”

. “Imagine if I just scream at the defenders, do you think they’d be too scared to try and stop me from getting past them?”

. “Trinity you wanna know what I heard from Julie the other day? So apparently the new intern-“

“Y/n! It’s your turn, pay attention!”

. “Yo I’m tryna get to the ice cream man after this, Sophia you wanna come?”

. “Rose try to get the ball from me, ready? 1, 2.. sike get megged”

. “What a loser”

. “I’m gonna get you, I’m gonna get you”

. “Y/n can you shut up for two seconds”

. “That’s not how you flirt with someone Alyssa, gosh”

. “Yeah you don’t have the ball now, what are you gonna do you little shit”

. “Y/n! Was that you that just poured water down my neck?”

. “No Alex, and I’m offended you even think that of me”

. “Y/n! Did you just pour more water down my neck?”

. “Alex, I think your age is getting to you, it wasn’t me”

me rn laying in bed being miserable bc i just made a 94 on a test instead of a 100

me when im not at the top of my class