I Hate That This Intro Scene Was Cut Because

i hate that this intro scene was cut because 🥵

HELLO?????????

I'm a believer of "if it's over, isn't mean to be" so congrats on your break up babe.

As u want to put your anger out, can u give us a revenge blurb? Like, reader discover her bf lied to her after they break up and now she's paying back. Choose a hughes and put them on a fight

P.s.: we love you ❤

a/n this is kinda what you mean, but genuinely i can’t fight fighting scenes so it’s kinda lead to black if you know what i mean. anyways here’s a lukey blurb, also strong platonic relationships with some players!

Your mouth had gone dry when you seen the Instagram post. It was your freshly ex-boyfriend in Malibu with a new girl, only a week after your breakup. As far as you knew, Chase was in Malibu to complete a few things for work. Instead, you were sure that he was only doing one this, getting his dick wet.

Which is what led to the situation you found yourself in now. A crowded bar on a Friday night in New Jersey, tucked under Luke’s arm. He invited you to join the team on a night out, which you hesitantly accepted. You had met the team under numerous occasions, considering you had been close friends with the Hughes brothers your entire life.

“Where’s your puppy dog?” Simon asked, promptly getting elbowed by Luke. “Broke up,” You had replied back, shrugging slightly. Luke squeezed your shoulder, giving you a sincere look. Simon looked curious, considering that since he’s met you, you’ve only been around Chase.

“Went to Malibu to get his dick wet, so I called it quits.” Your voice has a cold hearted tinge to it, watching as Simon raised his eyebrows. “Oh, well, I was just confused because he’s here, and I seen him with another girl so I figured-“

“He’s here?” Luke asked, looking around the bar area. You tensed up, remembering the previous conversation you had with Luke. The conversation where he said that he wouldn’t hesitate to start a problem.

Jack somehow squeezed his way next to you, Dawson following suit behind him. “Who’s here?” Jack asked, looking up at his brother with a confused glance. “Chase and his Malibu Barbie,” You replied, rolling your eyes.

“Deadass?”

“I see them - is that them?” Dawson asked, pointing to the couple that was about to approach the group. “You good?” Luke leaned down, whispered in your ear. You nodded, chugging the rest of your drink.

“Oh! Y/N! I would’ve never guessed to see you here!” Chase exclaimed, his voice slurred due to the amount of alcohol he most likely had consumed. “You mean the bar that I introduced you to?” You laughed, moving your eyes to the confused blonde next to him.

“Sorry, I’m Y/N. I’m the girl that he was dating when he flew to Malibu to fuck you,” You held out your hand, watching as a disgusting look took over her face. You shrugged, glancing up at Luke.

“I’m guessing you’ve fucked the whole group by now, right?” Chase asked, spit flying out of his mouth with his words. You could see Jack and Dawson take a small step further, separating you from Chase. “Not yet, getting there though,” It was a lie, but just enough to fuel Chase with anger.

“Fuckin slut-“

“You wanna take this outside kid? Or you wanna get embarrassed in here? I’m willing to do both,” Dawson shouted loudly, pointing his finger in Chase’s face.

“I’m not scared of you little hockey boys. You can’t even fight on ice-“ Chase’s words came flying as he stepped towards the boys. You deepened yourself further into Luke’s grasp. He wrapped his free arm around your waist, holding you against him tightly. Luke glanced over at Dawson, nodding his head towards the door.

“Alright let’s go, come on,” Dawson sarcastically laughed, him and Jack dragged Chase out of the bar. Which left Malibu Barbie awkwardly standing in front of the group.

“I’m sorry, did you have something to say too?” You asked her, tilting your head slightly. “You guys are aggressive maniacs.” She scoffed, turning on her heels to walk off.

Once she was out of your sight, you let out a deep breath. “You okay?” Luke mumbled, turning you to look at him. You nodded, tucking some of your hair behind your ear. “Yeah! Yeah, I just need another drink.” You told him.

“Bass! Princess needs another drink,” Luke spoke, catching Nate Bastian’s attention. “On it!”

You were lucky to become so entertained within the group of the New Jersey Devils. There were many strong platonic relationships, along with a growing romantic one for the youngest Hughes brother. Tonight solidified the lingering feelings that were trapped away in a locked safe. Feelings that would soon unravel.

His Little Girl Is Not Yet a Warrior

Jake Sully x Daughter! Reader

Plot: You are Jake and Neytiri’s only daughter. You and Lo’ak disobey your parents and travel to a dangerous cave where you fall and hurt yourself. Your dad rescues and comforts you while you’re being healed. The two of you have a discussion around your safety.

Warning: blood, injury

You and Lo’ak laugh as you race each other through the thick forest. Your chest burns and your legs are starting to ache, but you refuse to quit. He might be older, but you are for sure faster and you are gunna prove it. You pick up speed and manage to pass him for a second before he inches in front of you and tags the tree marked as the finish line.

“Ha! Point for me baby sister,” Lo’ak says with pride as he jogs in place and pants from exhaustion.

“Yeah yeah whatever, I almost had you at the end there,” you reply with annoyance.

You often hung out with Lo’ak while Neteyam was out hunting and going on missions with your parents. The two of you had not yet become warriors, meaning you had to miss out on all the important missions. Despite how incredibly annoying Lo’ak was as a big brother, you had a connection with him because you both felt like you were living in Neteyam’s shadow.

Lo’ak was the middle child, often ignored unless he was causing trouble… which he usually was. And you were the youngest, always sheltered despite being better at hunting than most kids your age. But for the most part you accepted it, knowing you would prove your worth when the time came.

You bend over with your palms resting on your knees to catch your breath after the race. Just then you got the bright idea to prank Lo’ak. It would be the perfect revenge for when he scared you earlier this morning. You place your hand to your chest and start to breathe heavy, as if you are struggling to get air through your lungs.

“Y/N, you okay?” Lo’ak asks with concern, but you don’t respond.

He runs over to you to see what is wrong. He takes your hand and lifts your face to look at you. “Do you need to sit down?”

“Gotcha!” You shout in his face and push him backwards. He stumbles and falls to the ground.

“No fair, you’re playing dirty!” he yells while sitting up.

“Looks to me like you’re the only one playing in the dirt big brother,” you tease him before holding out your hand to help him up.

Lo’ak takes your hand and proceeds to yank you down onto the ground where he is.

“Another point for me… you never learn,” Lo’ak throws his head back in laughter.

You playfully slap his arm and you both laugh with each other before taking a break to figure out what to do next.

“Wanna head back?” You ask.

“Nah, it’s not even close to eclipse. If we go back now, grandmother is going to force us to do those chores we forgot about.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right. Hmmm, we could check out that cave we found that one time when we were hunting!”

“I don’t know… Dad said we werent allowed to go there without him cause the terrain seemed unsafe. He would kill me if I took you there.”

“You scared or something?”

“Im not scared, I’ve just been on thin ice with Dad lately… I’m trying not to screw up again.”

You give him an annoyed look. You couldn’t believe that out of all the times Lo’ak would want to start a clean streak, it would be now.

He rolls his eyes at you. “Of course you don’t get it, mom and dad let you off easy. Me? Not so much.”

You knew that he was right… your brothers always got into more trouble because your parents gave them more responsibility. But you weren’t giving up that easy. You put on your best pouting face and look up at Lo’ak.

“You and Neteyam got to go with dad last time and he made me stay home. You said the cave was so cool, I just want to feel included.”

Lo’ak looks like he is thinking the decision over. You slip your arms around his waist to hug him and plead. “Please big brother? I’ll love you forever.”

“You already love me forever.”

“I’ll love you forever times infinity.”

After several moments of silence and contemplation, Lo’ak agrees.

“Fine, I’ll take you. But no playing around while we’re there, okay?”

“No playing around, got it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Lo’ak calls to his ikran and hops on. Then he takes your arm and helps you up as well. You sit in the front of him and he holds onto your stomach with one hand to keep you in place while holding the reigns with the other.

You were used to riding as a passenger because you had yet to pass your iknimaya. But the time would come soon, and you couldnt wait to have your own Ikran. Maybe then, you’d be treated a little more seriously. For now, you enjoy the feeling of the wind on your face as you lean into your brother’s chest and begin the journey to the cave.

You arrive at the cave opening and Lo’ak helps you down.

“Hold my hand the whole time, okay? I know the path, but I dont want you to fall.”

“Okay,” you respond and you take your brother’s hand.

Lo’ak begins to lead you deeper into the cave and you look up and around in awe at the colorful crystals surrounding you. “Its so beautiful here.”

“I know right, look at these cool structures over here,” he says while pointing to the left.

“Woah!” You exclaim. Lo’ak smiles at you, feeling happy that you are enjoying it already.

You reach a leveled platform in the cave and he releases your hand. “You can walk here on your own, but be careful. Step lightly.”

Excitedly, you leave his side and walk around to observe all the intriguing shapes and patterns on the cave walls. You stop and stare at one structure with spirals and shimmering purple stones. Pandora was your home, but there was always new things to explore… even more beautiful than the last. You turn back to glance at Lo’ak and see that he is admiring the illuminated stones on the ceiling.

After looking around a bit more, you see that there is a small pool of water to the far right of the area. A pond in this cave? So cool. You walk over to it and kneel down to get a closer look. There are tiny fishes swimming around, creating streams of bioluminescence the water. You dip your hand in and let them graze your fingers as they swim. It tickles, which causes you to giggle.

At the sound of your laugh, Lo’ak turns to see what you’re doing. “Y/N! Get away from there, it doesn’t look stable!” He yells.

“Huh?” You ask and you swiftly stand and move to turn towards him. But as you shift your weight, your foot slips, causing you to fall further down into the cave. Your body scrapes against the rough walls but you barely feel anything with the adrenaline from the fall.

“Y/N!” Lo’ak screams.

You finally stop sliding and your body hits the cave floor hard. You grunt in pain, putting a hand to your head where it hurts.

Lo’ak runs over, carefully slides down to where you are laying, and puts a hand behind you to support your head while he examines your body. His eyes travel to your legs. “Shit, this cut is bad.”

You look down and see a gash running from below your right knee to the middle of your calf. You barely felt it before, but once you see the blood, the pain begins immediately. You wince and feel the tears rising up.

Without question, Lo’ak turns on his comms and calls for your father.

“Dad!”

“Lo’ak?”

“Y/N’s hurt… it’s a huge cut on her leg.”

“Where are you?”

“We’re at the old cave. I know we shouldn’t be here, Dad. I’m sorry.”

“You should have something to wrap her cut in the pouch on your ikran saddle. Don’t move her, go get it and bring it back to her. I’m coming right now. Copy?”

“Copy.”

“Let me talk to her.”

Lo’ak connects the comms to your ear. “I’ll be right back,” he says before leaving to start climbing the cave walls.

“Dad?” You call to your father.

“Hey babygirl, I’m coming to get you. How you doing?”

“My leg is cut, there’s so much blood. And my head really hurts.”

“Lo’ak is getting something to wrap your leg and stop the bleeding. Take deep breaths, okay? I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.”

Lo’ak comes back quickly, trying to be extra careful around the slippery, unstable edges. He jumps down to where you are, kneels in front of you, and lifts your leg onto his thigh. He wraps it carefully and tightly with some cloth. You hiss in pain as the fabric touches the wound and stings. The blood quickly stains the cloth, but it was the best he could do for now.

You turn to your brother apologetically, tears now streaming down your face. “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you to bring me here.”

“It’s okay baby sister, don’t worry about it,” he assures you as he wipes your tears and rubs your back.

“Dad is gunna be so mad that we came here. I’m so stupid.”

“He could never be mad at you. I’ll take the blame,” he says as he moves to sit behind you, pulling you into his lap and being extra careful around the more smaller cuts and scrapes on your body.

You and Lo’ak always bicker and tease each other, but you know he would do anything for you. This was a clear example of that. He is selfless when it comes to others, and you feel guilty that he is willing to do this for you.

“Thanks Lo’ak. You can have all the points, okay?”

He laughed in response. “Don’t mention it.”

“It hurts,” you cry.

He places a hand gently on your head to soothe you. “I know, Dad is gunna be here soon and then they can fix you up.”

You close your eyes and wait for your father to arrive. After about 10 minutes, you hear the screech of his ikran and the flapping of it’s wings above.

“Lo’ak! Y/N!” He shouts.

“We’re down here, dad!” Lo’ak replies.

You hear your father run across the cave floor and carefully slide down to meet you. Lo’ak moves aside so your father could get to you.

“Daddy!” you cry. Feeling the tears well up again at the sight of him.

Jake puts a hand on your cheek, “I’m here, babygirl.” He moves to your leg immediately and carefully removes the blood stained wrapping to examine the wound. Blood continues to pool out.

“Fuck,” he blurted out in shock at the sight of the gash, forgetting to censor himself around his children. “That’s gunna need stitches, baby.” He tosses the bloody bandage to the side and begins to wrap it with a new one.

You groan at this statement, anticipating more pain when you get home.

“We gotta get you up this ledge,” he says as he helps you up. He drapes your arm over his shoulder and grabs your side. You hiss from the contact of your scrapes with his body.

“I know it hurts, we’ll be home soon” he says to you before turning to your brother.

“Lo’ak, go up first so you can help her.”

“Hop on one leg baby, I got you” he says to you.

They manage to hoist you up over the cave ledge and your father starts to carry you over to his ikran.

He turns to Lo’ak in the process, “what the hell were you thinking? I told you never to come here without me or your mom, and you took Y/N with you?! What if something worse had happened?”

Lo’ak looked ashamed, but prepared to be scolded as he was so used to it. “I know, I’m sorry Dad.”

“You clearly don’t know, cause you did it anyway. I’m gunna deal with you when we get home,” he says sternly.

“It’s not his fault, Dad. I begged him to bring me here, he didn’t want to.”

Lo’ak raises his head to look over at you in surprise. His expression turned worrisome, wondering what his dad would say.

Jake looks down at you in his arms in frustration. “Alright, we’ll discuss this later.”

You squeeze your eyes shut and bury your face in your dad’s chest, wanting to cry once more. Your wounds are painful… but surprisingly not as painful as getting your brother into more trouble with your dad.

He presses his comms and calls to your mom. “Neytiri, do you read me?”

“Ma Jake, did you reach them?”

“I got em, she cut her leg badly but she’s alright.”

Your mom sighs in relief. “Thank you, great mother.”

“We’re on our way back now, meet us there when you can,” he tells her.

He secures you on his ikran as best as he can and you all take off towards home.

Your grandmother immediately gets to work once you arrive back at the village.

“Lay still my child,” she says to you.

“Grandmother, how much is this going to hurt?”

“Only a little stinging. Once this is over, I will give you something to numb the area. You will not feel the stitches after that.”

You nod to her to continue the treatment.

“Squeeze my hand when it hurts, sweetheart” Jake tells you as he moves to sit beside you. You nod and interlock your fingers with his, preparing for the worst.

“Take a deep breath,” Jake tells you as he breathes deeply, instructing you to follow. He rests his available hand on your heart, mindful of the way it is racing. You feel calmer already, grateful for his presence. “It’ll be okay, I’m right here.”

As your grandmother disinfects the wound, you feel the painful stinging and you grip your father’s hand tight while squeezing your eyes shut. He rubs your back to soothe you.

Mo’at reaches for a small bowl and passes it to Jake. “Ma Itan, rub this generously on her smaller wounds,” she instructs her son-in-law.

Jake obeys and releases your grip to begin placing the medicine gently on each of your cuts and scrapes.

“Does that hurt, baby?” He asks with concern.

You shake your head and he gives you a light smile.

Your grandmother was right, you barely felt the needle from the stitches. Your dad talked to you the whole time to distract you from it. Once it was done, he picked you up and carried you to bed.

“It’s been a long day, we’ll talk in the morning” he tells you as he leans down to kiss you on the forehead.

“I’m not tired,” you lie. You were exhausted, but you needed to speak to him now.

“Hm, I would’ve thought all that crying you did earlier would tire you out” he teased playfully.

“Stay with me, dad? Just for a little while and then I’ll sleep.”

“I’ll stay with you for as long as you want me to, my love.”

He pulls you into his lap and hugs you tight. You let your body relax into his hold. “I’m sorry, I really am. I didn’t mean to make you and mom worry.”

“I know,” he assures you as he holds your head to his chest and tucks your stray hairs behind your ear.

“Don’t punish Lo’ak, he was just trying to do something nice for me.”

“I know.”

You looked up at him in surprise. “You know?”

He laughs lightly. “You cant fool me little one, I know your brothers take the fall for you sometimes. You give em those eyes, and they can’t say no to you.”

“What eyes?”

“The ones you’re giving me right now,” he says before placing another kiss on the tip of your nose.

Your father’s affection makes you feel so much better. You smile and lower your eyes, your face feeling warm from embarrassment.

He let out a deep sigh. “What should I expect though. You are my daughter, trouble calls and you answer I suppose.”

Your smile starts to fade. “It’s not like I wanted to get into trouble.”

“Then why? Why did you convince your brother to take you to do something that I specifically said not to. I told all of you that it wasn’t safe.”

“Because you took Neteyam and Lo’ak there last time. I had to stay home, it’s not fair dad.”

“They are older than you.”

“I’m only 2 years younger than Lo’ak, but you treat me like im a baby.”

“You’re MY baby.”

“Im serious, Dad. Even now, you’re not listening to me.” You sit up and cross your arms, wanting to create some distance between you two. You continue. “Admit it, it’s not cause I’m young. It’s cause I’m a girl, you dont think I can handle it.”

It hurt Jake to hear you say this. Had he let his little girl think she was not good enough?

“That’s not true, Y/N.”

“Yes it is! But I’m a good hunter too, even if you don’t think so! And in a year, I’ll pass that test and have my ikran, and then you cant keep me trapped here.”

Tears begin to roll down your cheeks and you quickly wipe them away, not wanting to show more weakness in front of him.

Jake’s expression softened at the sight of you. He hated that he made you so upset. And he hated that you felt trapped. Had he been going overboard?

“Come here,” he says as he opens his arms for you.

You shake your head in defiance, not wanting to give into him.

“Please, baby? I’m sorry, just come here.”

You began to uncross your arms but your father closes the gap before you have the chance to. He pulls you into a hug and rubs your back. It feels nice to be back in his arms. No matter how mad you were with him, you always felt so much comfort in his embrace.

“Y/n, I know you’re capable. I know you’re a great hunter… and you’re right, maybe I did shelter you a little too much.”

Your expression turns hopeful, surprised that he agreed with you.

He continued. “But… that doesn’t give you the right to disobey me and put yourself and your siblings in danger. Can you understand that I need to protect you?”

“Yeah,” you reply while lowering your head, not wanting to face him.

He lifts your chin so that he could see your eyes. “I’m sorry that I made you think you weren’t good enough to be out there with me and your brothers. And I’m sorry that I don’t consider taking you more often.”

You look up at him as he says this and tears start to form in your eyes again. You blink and they fall down your face.

“You are enough, and you can do anything you put your mind to. Don’t let anyone make you think differently, not even me.”

You smile at him brightly, appreciative of his apology and wise words. “Thanks, Dad.”

Jake cups your face in his hands and wipes away the wet streaks with his thumbs. “There’s that smile, so beautiful. Where’d you get that from?”

“Mom, I think” you say while grinning.

He smiles at you. “Definitely from mom.” He sighs deeply and you both sit for a little while in the silence. “You’re still so little, even though I know you’re getting older. It’s scary sometimes, I just don’t wanna lose you babygirl… but I know I’ve got to let you go at some point.”

You wrap your arms around his waist and squeeze him tight. “I’m not going anywhere right now, daddy.”

Jake chuckles and squeezes you back while running his hand over your hair. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Okay, promise me something?” he asks while he holding out his pinky.

You sit up and stare at him intently, waiting to hear the rest.

“Promise me that you wont do something dangerous like this again… and as long as it’s safe… I’ll promise to take you with me on the next mission.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. You need to know what it’s like out there.”

You gasp excitedly and hook your pinky onto his. “I promise.” You connect your thumbs together to seal the deal and he brings your hand up to his lips.

“…after your leg heals up of course.”

“Oh… right,” you reply as you slump over in disappointment.

Jake throws his head back and erupts in laughter.

“Not funny!” You yell.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry. It’ll heal in no time, sweetheart.” He pats the spot next to him. “Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

I’m a Warrior Like You

Pairing: Jake Sully x Daughter! Reader

(Gifs by World-of-Pandora)

Plot: You are Jake and Neytiri’s only daughter and youngest child. You disobey your father’s orders and leave home to join the mission where you put yourself in danger. He saves you and you have a fight when he gets home.

Warnings: violence, family conflict, angst

Note: single quotation indicate inner thoughts; double quotation indicate spoken dialogue

You and Lo’ak sat crosslegged in your family’s tent at High Camp, waiting for Neteyam to return with news from the war party. As his figure appeared at the entrance, you both got to your feet anticipating his report.

“Teyam, what’s going on?” You asked him without hesitating, curious to find out what the mission was.

He paused to take a breath after running all the way back. “Cargo train is on schedule to come through pretty soon. It’s carrying weapons and all kinds of materials. We’re gunna stop it on the route and steal as much cargo as we can before they hit us back.”

You and Lo’ak exchange a look. You both knew that hitting a cargo train was huge. They go incredibly fast and don’t do unplanned stops until reaching their destination. They wouldn’t be expecting an attack.

“When do we head out?” You ask Neteyam.

He quickly glances at his brother with an expression you don’t quite recognize. He hesitates a little with his response, which is different from the conviction he had less than a minute ago. “Um Dad’s waiting on a report from Tarsem, and then he’ll give out orders any minute now.”

You run over to the weapons shelf to grab your bow and secure it on your body. Lo’ak and Neteyam watch you and you can already tell what they are thinking without having to ask. ‘So that’s what this is about,’ you think to yourself. You speak before either one of them could say anything.“Dad is gunna let me come this time, he has to.”

“I don’t know, baby sister. Don’t get your hopes up,” Neteyam warned while giving you a sorry look. Your father rarely lets you join the war party like your brothers. You were the youngest. But you’ve been practicing your flying and hunting everyday. It was only a matter of time that he let you come on the mission. And this one was big… they would need as many eyes in the sky as possible.

“If you guys are going on this mission, then so am I.”

Lo’ak shot one more skeptical look at Neteyam and shrugged. They could think whatever they wanted, but you didn’t care. A few moments later, Jake came sprinting into the tent. His eyes scanned the area to take a look at his children, and they settled on his eldest first. “Okay, we’re moving out. Neteyam, report to Tarsem. He will put you and the other young hunters in position. Follow his orders.”

“Yes sir,” Neteyam replied with a nod before exiting the tent.

He turned to Lo’ak next. “Lo’ak you’ll be spotting from above and calling in any enemy aircrafts. You know what to do.”

‘So do I,’ you think.

“Wait for your mom’s signal and then head out, copy?”

“Copy.” Lo’ak’s eyes linger on you for a while while he is exiting the tent. You give him the slightest nod, letting him know that you would be okay. You watch him leave and then turn back to your father. He is now reaching for his rifle and checking his ammo. You wait patiently for your order, but it never arrives.

Without even looking in your direction, Jake begins to walk out of the tent. You couldn’t believe he was doing it again. ‘Theres no way he’s going to ignore me,’ you think. You run after him and clear your throat. Suddenly there was a lump that wasn’t there before. You remember that every other time up until now, you had stayed home while your parents and brothers went on missions. You never complained, only obeyed. But today was going to be different. Today you were ready, and you were certain of it.

“Um Dad, what about me?” But no response. ‘Is he too preoccupied? Or is he ignoring me?’

“Dad!” You shout, which finally gets his attention and he looks in your direction, waiting for you to speak. You can’t tell what the expression on his face is. ‘Is he annoyed?' You don't know and you don't care. His eyes travel down to your body, like he is only now noticing that you are equipped with your bow. You swallow and speak.

“What should I do? I can get in position with Lo’ak when it’s time,” you offer.

“No babygirl, stay here with your grandmother.”

“What?”

“You heard me, y/n. I don’t have time to argue with you right now, get back inside.”

You open your mouth to protest, but he interrupts before you can. “Don't make me repeat myself, you understand me?”

You said nothing, only stared at him while your bottom lip started to quiver.

“Do. you. understand me?” He said once more, but much slower and harsher. ‘What was this tone? He had never spoken to you like that before. Why was he being so mean?’ You were fuming with anger. Why was he so unwavering in his decision? You hesitated for a little, considering talking back. But you knew this wasn’t the time or place, it would only make him mad. So you swallowed your pride and answered him.

“Loud and clear,” you say through gritted teeth, making sure he knew how you felt about the situation. Without another word, he mounts his Ikran and takes flight. At this point, you are fighting back tears. You couldn't believe he would force you to stay home once again while everyone else was out fighting. But you knew one thing... there was no way you were going back inside.

Everyone had already left, and your grandmother was stationed in the healing and recovery tent. You could leave and no one would even realize you were gone. You moved swiftly because you knew that if you gave yourself more time to think, you would talk yourself out of it.

You ran to your ikran, which was already saddled up. It provided for a smooth mount. You connected your queue with hers and felt her deep breathing through tsaheylu. “Okay girl, let’s do this,” you tell her. And within seconds, you were off gliding through the air.

Lo’ak had left a good while ago, but that didn’t matter. You knew exactly where to meet and you would catch up to him in no time. You often listened in on the war party’s strategic meetings. Not only were your senses keen, but you were also good at staying hidden and evading anyone before being caught. It served you well.

You eventually spot Lo’ak and circle around, greeting him. A smile lit up his face and he looked excited to see you. You had to admit, it felt good to be out here with him; it was exhilarating.

“Y/n! Dad let you come?”

“Yeah, he gave me orders right after you left,” you lie.

His smile of excitement turns into a skeptical smirk. “Bullshit, then how come he didn’t just tell us to leave together?”

You rolled your eyes in annoyance at how quick he assumed you were lying. You thought about continuing the lie but ultimately decided against it and admitted the truth. “Alright fine, he told me to stay home. But I left anyway.”

He put his hand up to his head and groaned. “Jesus, you’re done for.”

“I’ve always done what he asked of me and this is the first time I’m doing something for me. He can’t be that mad.”

“I don’t know sis, first offense is always worse cause he expects more from you. Take it from me, a repeat offender," he warns with his palms up in the air.

You hate to admit it, but Lo’ak might actually be right about this one. You really didn’t want to disappoint your father, but you felt like you would be easily forgiven. Yeah you snuck out, but you were being safe and useful. You decided that the reward was worth the risk. “Don’t worry about me,” you tell Lo'ak.

“Okay come on, I’ve been circling the area.”

“Anything, yet?”

“Nah.”

After waiting for what seemed like five minutes, you spotted something down in the forest. “Lo’ak, AMP suits 9’ o clock.”

“Holy shit, I didn’t even see em.”

“Hurry up and call it in. Or do I have to do your job for you again?”

“Damn sis, go easy on me. Maybe Dad should have you out here."

You smiled at him proudly. You’d call it in yourself but you left your tech at home, which was an amateur move on your part. Oh yeah, and there's also the fact that you weren’t supposed to be there and your dad would kill you if he found out.

Lo’ak pressed the mic on his comms and called to your father. “Devil Dog come in, this is Eagle Eye.”

“Eagle Eye, send your traffic.”

“Got eyes on two AMP suits, carrying heavy gear.”

“What’s their position? Over.”

“About two klicks south, right past the old cave. Over.”

“On my way. Over.”

Lo'ak turned to you next. “Y/n, you should probably get out of here before Dad sees you.”

“No way, things just got exciting.”

“It’s your funeral.”

“We’re so far away from the action, it’ll be fine. I’ll leave before he-

“Eagle eye come in, this is Devil Dog.” The sound of your father's voice interrupted you.

“I read you," Lo'ak responded.

“We’re taking fire over here, I won’t make it to you. Abort the mission and get to cover!”

“Copy that!"

"Alright baby sis, we gotta go," Lo'ak said to you.

“Wait, we can do it.”

“What?”

“Dad can't get here in time, but you and I can do it.”

“I like a little adventure as much as the next guy, but that plan is actually insane.”

“It will work. You saw all that gear they were packing, it's a major jackpot. There's two of them and two of us. If we attack from above, they won't even see us coming. They won't have time to hit us back."

“I don't know about this. Usually, I'm the one doing stupid shit. Who are you?”

You ignored his joking demeanor, you were serious. “Aren't you tired of being overshadowed and ignored?”

“Yeah, I guess?”

“I don't know about you, but I wanna prove what I can do. And I know I can do this.”

He looked like he was thinking it over, going through all the scenarios in his head. And then finally he agreed. “Okay.”

“Okay?” You repeated.

“Let’s do it.” You knew you could count on him, he always had your back. The both of you began to dive down into the forest, getting closer to the targets.

“How’s your aim?” You asked him.

“Could be better.” Suddenly he was worrying you.

“That’s not what I wanted to hear, big bro.”

“Don't worry, I got this.”

“That’s more like it.”

The two of you go over the plan a few times while flying to the location. Hidden amongst the trees, you would aim your bows and take them out simultaneously as they were walking in your direction. If either of you failed, it would alert them to your position and trigger a counterattack. So you knew you couldn't fail. You took a few deep breaths, all your training had prepared you for this moment. You lined up your arrow and signaled for Lo'ak to do the same. "On me," you whispered. He nodded in agreement. Then you mouthed a countdown silently and… released.

You watched as both arrows instantaneously pierced the glass of the suits and the bodies that inhabited them. The machines, no longer having someone to control them, fell to the ground with a huge thud. You and Lo'ak looked at each other in amazement. He put a finger to his lips, telling you to stay quiet. You waited for a while in silence, wanting to make sure they were dead. When it felt safe, you jumped down from the trees, leaving your ikrans perched. Creeping up behind the machinery, you confirmed the kills. "Oh my god,” you exclaimed, in disbelief that it actually worked.

"We actually did it! Woohoo!" Lo'ak yelled while raising his arm to give you a high five. You slapped his hand with yours and pulled him in for a hug. "Hell yeah, I knew we could do it!" You cried. The smile on Lo'ak's face was big and bright.

"Okay, now let's see about the gear," he reminded you. You nodded in response. You were about to begin opening cases of weapons when you were interrupted by the loud whirring of a helicopter approaching. You looked to the sky to see where it was coming from. ‘Oh no.’

“Shit! Run back to the Ikran, go!" Lo'ak screamed.

Without another word, you took off running as fast as you could. Why the hell would you leave the ikran so far away?! You weren't thinking.

"Call Dad!" You screamed over your shoulder at Lo'ak, but you couldn't see where he was. Your vision was blurred and your legs felt like jelly from the adrenaline. An explosive hit the ground by your feet, flinging your body into the air. You hit the ground below with incredible force. And then there was just darkness.

***************************************************************

“Y/n! y/n! Baby, wake up please!” You slowly opened your eyes and your father's face came into focus.

“Dad?”

“Oh thank god, what the hell are you doing here y/n?!”

Then you remember where you were and what you did. You opened your mouth to speak, but it was difficult to talk. “I just... wanted to help.”

You moved to sit up, but dizziness overtook and there was an aching pain in your head. ‘And where was Lo'ak?’ you wondered. “Woah not so fast, I got you.” Your dad said before he scooped you up in his arms and began to run.

"Dad."

"Yes, baby."

“My head hurts.”

“You must have hit it pretty hard. But you know who I am and where you are, so that’s a good sign.”

“I’m sorry. Are you mad?”

“Never mind that. I’m gonna get you home now. Just try to stay awake for me okay?”

“Okay.” But you could already feel your vision getting blurred again, and your eyelids felt extremely heavy. The last thing you remember is your father calling your name before the darkness.

***************************************************************

You opened your eyes to the ceiling of the tent. You were lying in one of the bigger hammocks at home, and there was wrapping all over your body. You guess that's where you were wounded. You notice that your head no longer hurts like it did before. Grandmother must have healed you. You begin to sit upright. “Ma ite, you are awake," your mother said softly with a smile.

“Mom?”

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. Where’s Lo’ak?”

“He is with Neteyam, he is alright.”

“And Dad?”

“He is taking care of the aftermath of the mission, he will be home soon. You hit your head, we were so worried about you.”

“I’m sorry, mom.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to scold you. I’m afraid your father will do enough of that for both of us.”

“You don’t agree with him, do you?"

“That doesn’t matter right now, my love. You know how much worse this could have been. You are never supposed to go off on your own, even if your brother was with you.”

“I know.”

The screech of your father’s ikran echoes throughout the cave. Your heart begins to race. ‘Be strong, be strong,’ you repeat over and over in your head. Your mother gives you a concerned look before she leaves the tent to greet your father.

“Hey sweetheart, where’s y/n? Is she feeling okay?” You hear him ask her. 'So he is worried about me, that's a good sign.'

“She’s inside. She said she feels much better… Jake go easy on her for now, she’s still recovering.”

'Uh oh,' you think. Your father enters the tent and walks over to you.

“Dad.”

"You feeling better, honey?" You nod, taken aback at the question.

“What were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous that was?!"

“Yes sir."

“You deliberately disobeyed my direct order and put yourself into harms way!”

“You refuse to let me come on missions! I was just trying to show you that I can handle this! The mission was going fine, I just got ahead of myself at the end and… I messed up okay! I know that!

“There’s a reason I told you to stay home.”

“Really? What is it then?! Because whenever I ask, it seems to just be cause you said so. I have listened to you every time. I have obeyed every order from you. And the one time…”

“You’re not ready.”

“I’ve passed every test a warrior needs to pass, Dad. I am more than ready.”

“You don’t understand the gravity of what you've done. What if things were worse? I need to be prepared to get all of you out of there if something goes wrong. If I don’t even know where you are, let alone that you’re out there at all… how am I supposed to make sure you’re safe? Did you think about that?"

You said nothing.

“No, cause you didn't think at all. If you can’t even follow simple instructions at home and trust my authority, how can I expect you to do that on a mission?”

“So, you’re authority at home now too?" You don't know why you said that. You just wanted to get back at him.

“You’re grounded. If you think you’re leaving high camp in the next century, you’ve got another thing coming.” He turned to leave the tent.

‘He can't keep me here,' you think to yourself. “We’ll see,” you mutter under your breath.

He turned back towards you. “What did you just say?”

‘Fuck.’ “Nothing.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Stop treating me like a little kid.” You don't know why you kept talking back. You were just so upset, you couldn't sit there in silence like a little soldier.

“So grow up, and stop acting like one! You made your choice and now here come the consequences. But you can’t even take em like the so-called adult you wanna be. Instead, you’re throwing a tantrum cause you didn’t get your way.”

“I'm not throwing a tantrum. I’m yelling because I’m just as good as Neteyam, but you don’t respect me enough to let me show it.”

“Guess what sweetheart, you gotta give respect to get respect.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You wanna know why Neteyam got to go on all the missions? Because he listened and acted responsibly when I asked him to. Because I know I can trust him. I can’t say the same for you.”

“Jake!” Your mother hissed at him. She knew he went too far with that one.

That hurt… a lot. “I hate you!” You screamed, tears welling up in your eyes. You looked up at the roof to slow the process but you knew that if you blinked or thought about his words, the tears would fall. You refused to let him see you cry. You refused to let him know just how much he hurt you. So you ran out of there as fast as you could.

You couldn’t even see where you were running to, but you ended up in Neteyam’s arms. He must have been there the whole time… listening to the entire argument. You tried to push him away but he held you tightly against his body until you stopped fighting him.

You let it all out, all the tears you were holding in. He held your head to his chest as you cried and ran his hand over your hair. Lo’ak appeared next. You were sure he got his ass chewed out too, but here he was to comfort you. You released from Neteyam’s hug to look at him. “You okay?” you ask, examining all the wraps on his body.

“I’m fine sis, don’t worry about me.” He wiped your tears away with his hand and tucked a few of your braids behind your ear. Neteyam’s arm was still around you, and you didn’t want him to let go. Both your brothers knew what it felt like to get scolded by your dad, so it warmed your heart that you weren’t alone right now.

“It’s okay baby sister, he won’t be mad forever. It will blow over soon,” Neteyam comforted.

“Whatever, I don’t care.” You lied, you did care. You had never had a fight with him like this. He was always so gentle with you, it felt like your special bond was breaking.

“Come on, let’s go find Spider at the lab. He’ll cheer you up,” Lo’ak offered.

“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea," Neteyam chimed in.

You appreciated that they didn't tell you ‘I told you so.’ So you nodded and agreed to go, taking Lo'ak's hand and following behind him.

“Neteyam.” You heard your father say from a distance away. It sounded like he was trying to speak quietly.

“Yeah, dad?” He replied.

“Just make sure she’s okay. And come back for dinner.”

“I will Dad, don’t worry.”

Jake probably thought you didn’t hear him say that. You could not believe he had the nerve to yell at you like that and then act like he cared.

Neteyam and Lo’ak ended up being right, Spider did get your mind off things. You told him all about today’s mission and he went on and on about how cool you were. He was a great friend to you, like another older brother… only smaller.

When you and your siblings returned home, you joined your parents for dinner. Everyone made small conversation, but you ate in silence. Your dad kept trying to catch your eye, but you tried twice as hard to avoid his gaze. You lost your appetite and could barely stomach the food, which was unfortunate because it was your favorite dish. You were sure your mom made it, especially for you.

You weren’t about to let your father think you were still affected by him, so you ate your dinner as quick as you could. You hoped that you could trick your brain into thinking you weren't feeling sick to your stomach. But that ended up backfiring because your dad reached over and refilled your bowl once it was finally empty. There was no way you could eat a second serving, so you accepted defeat and put the bowl down. Both Jake and Neytiri looked over at you in surprise. “Actually, I’m full,” you admit.

“Oh, I’m sorry sweetheart. You ate so fast, I thought you wanted more,” he explained. That was the first time you made eye contact with him all evening. He had a sad look.

“Ma ite, don’t force yourself if you can’t eat anymore,” your mom added.

“Thanks, it was delicious mom. May I be excused? My stomach is a little upset.”

“Of course, my love," she said. Your parents gave you a look of concern before Mo’at interjected. “Shall I have a look at you, my child?”

“No grandmother, I’m okay. I’m just going to go rest.”

You went off on your own for a while, trying to occupy yourself with a million different things… like sharpening your knife and continuing to bead a necklace you had been working on. You stayed away for as long as you could before accepting that you had to go home at some point. Just as you were about to enter the tent, you stopped short. Your parents were talking… about you.

“Ma Jake, you were much too hard on her," your mother said.

“I can't let her think she can talk back like that and get away with it. Her attitude is out of line.”

“Hm… I wonder where she gets it from.”

“She wants to be treated the same as her brothers but when it comes to discipline, I’m too hard on her?!”

“She is used to being your little girl. If you yell at her like that, what do you expect is going to happen?”

“Why is she so eager to go out there on missions? She’s just a kid!”

“Our kids see Toruk Makto, the great warrior and the fearless Olo’eyktan of our clan. They just want to be like you and live up to your name. Neteyam and Lo’ak were like this too. Why would it be any different for y/n?”

“She’s not ready. She’s stubborn and she doesn’t listen. I can’t have her out there, it’s too risky.”

“No, she’s headstrong and she has been blindly following your orders without question... until today."

“What?”

“I know you are upset that she disobeyed you. But you know that you cannot keep her sheltered here forever. It is not the way.”

Your father began to say something but your mother cut him off quickly and continued.

“And this is not about her not being ready. She is more than ready. This is about your fear. She is your only daughter and she’s growing up. You are afraid to lose her and that is okay. But be honest with yourself and be honest with her, or she will end up resenting you for it.”

“Fuck, I just don’t know how to do this baby. It was so much easier with her brothers.”

“She doesn’t need a sergeant Jake, she just needs her father. That’s all you need to be. Show her that you care before trying to reprimand her. Right now she’s hurt and embarrassed, and you need to go to her and make it okay.”

“You always know the right thing to say.”

“I know, I'm amazing. Now go find our daughter.”

'Shit, he's coming,' you think. And you run as fast and as quietly as you possibly can. You went to a hideaway that you made with your brothers. The adults weren't supposed to know about it, but they did anyway. You were sure he was going to follow you there. You pick up the jewelry you were working on before and act busy, facing away from the entrance of the hideaway.

You hear him approach. “Sweetheart? You in here?” You don’t respond, wanting to hurt him like he hurt you.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you like that, it wasn’t okay.”

You’ve been replaying that fight over and over again in your head all day and trying to hold it together. Now that he was addressing it directly, you felt like you wanted to cry. ‘No, not now please. Not here in front of him’ you told yourself. You could hear the leaves on the ground crunch beneath his feet. He had entered the hideaway, but you couldn’t see because your back was turned.

“Please turn around, I just wanna talk about it,” he pleaded. He sounded desperate but you wouldn’t give in that easily.

“What is there to talk about when you won’t listen? It’s your way or no way, I should know that by now.” Your voice was trembling, you were so anxious now that you were being confronted by him. You couldn't hold back the tears.

“I’m ready to listen, okay? I promise.” Based on what you overheard between your parents, you knew he was being sincere. But you wanted him to suffer just a tad bit more.

“Come on, I’m trying here. Please look at me?”

But you couldn’t stay mad for long, no matter how hard you tried. You turned on your heel and faced him finally, but your eyes stayed at your feet. “Babygirl,” he called to you. His voice was different this time… softer and almost broken. When he called you that, it felt like suddenly everything would be okay again. And all you wanted to do was run to him.

You rose your head to look up at him. At the sight of your tear-stained face, he instantly dropped to his knees and opened his arms without saying a word. “Daddy!” you cried while running to him. Your little body hit him with so much force, he almost fell backward. But he held you tight, stabilizing the both of you and placing kisses all over your cheek and temple. Your crying became audible, but it sounded muffled against his body. It was like you were letting out all that you’ve been holding in today. It’s been such a long day.

“Shh, I’m here. I got you now,” he soothed you softly while running his hands over your hair. Your airways felt tight and it was difficult to breathe normally while you cried this hard.

Jake could feel you hyperventilating against him, so he motioned for you to take deep breaths with him. When your breathing returned to normal, he lifted you off the ground and began to walk over to the corner; taking a seat with you on his lap. The tears kept flowing while you spoke.

“I’m sorry… I talked back to you,” you cried.

“I know baby, it’s okay. I’m sorry too.”

“You are?”

“Yeah. I said a lot of mean things to you back there, and I wish I could take it all back.” He cupped your cheek with his hand and the warmth of his skin was so comforting.

“I’m sorry I said that I hated you, I was just so mad at you. I didn’t mean it.”

“I know you didn’t. But even if you did hate me, I’d still love you.”

“Even after what I did today?” You looked at him with surprise but then lowered your gaze down to your lap, suddenly feeling ashamed.

“Look at me,” he ordered. His voice was stern but still soft, so you obeyed.

“There is nothing you could say or do that would make me stop loving you. No matter how upset I am, or how much we argue with each other… my love for you will never change. Because you’re my daughter, and I love you unconditionally. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now tell me what was going through your head today.”

“I just wanted to prove myself to you and show you that I could do it. And I know now how dangerous it was to go without informing anyone. And how dangerous it was to attack without orders. But Dad… we did it! We took out those guys so fast. We just weren’t prepared for the counterattack and everything got screwed up.”

Jake let out a deep sigh before speaking. “Babygirl, you don’t have to do things like this to prove yourself to me. Although you’re younger than Neteyam was when I let him on his first mission, you surpassed him in skill when he was this age.” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“Then I don’t understand. You know I can do it, so why won't you let me go?” Your mother said it was cause he was scared, you knew that now.

“Because I’m selfish.”

“What?”

“You’re still young, but you’re growing up so fast. I wanted to shield you from this war as much as I could. But it was foolish of me to think that I could keep you from being anything less than what you are. You’re a warrior like me. That’s what you’re meant to be, as long as you want to be.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Mhm. Your mom and I were talking it over and I couldn’t understand why I became so angry that you would even think of doing something like this. And she said it was because I was scared of losing my little girl. And she was right.”

You placed your head on your dad’s chest, wanting to comfort him like he was doing for you. He looked down at you and smiled, then continued to speak.

“When I saw you with your bow today, all dressed for the mission… I just wasn’t ready to send you out there. And when Lo’ak called me and told me that you were there with him, it felt like my heart had stopped beating. Thank goodness Lo’ak was fine when I got there, but to see you lying there unconscious… was one of the scariest moments of my life.”

He must have felt your tears on his chest because he looked down again. “Daddy, I’m really sorry that I put us in danger today. I didn’t want to make you and mom scared. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, y/n. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset by telling you all of this. All that matters is that you’re safe now.”

“Thanks for saving us."

“I’ll always come and save you kiddo. Anyway, I want you to know that you are ready. It was me that wasn’t ready to let you go.”

You took a deep breath and you felt like a weight had been lifted off your chest. You could breathe again. “I feel like I’ve been fighting to be seen by you. Trying to live up to not only you, but Lo’ak and Neteyam as well. It was so hard, Dad.”

“I know baby, you can stop fighting now. You’ve worked so hard. You have exceeded my expectations, and you make me proud every day. I see you.”

Once you hear these words, you are overwhelmed with emotion. You started to believe you would never hear your father say this. You hug him even tighter and you feel his strong and steady arms around you.

“Will you forgive me for how I acted?” He asked.

“Of course I will, I love you.”

“I love you more.” He gave you another kiss on your forehead.

“Wait, this means I’m not grounded anymore right?”

He chuckled. “You are no longer grounded. But don’t think you can get away with that little attitude in the future.”

“And I can go on missions from now on?”

“For now, you’ll go on the ones I let Lo’ak go on. But you know you can’t pull today’s shit again.”

“I know.”

“You guys will follow orders, and always have your communication devices on you. No rogue missions, no impulsive decisions. Any slip ups from either of you, and you’re staying home. Copy?”

“Copy.”

“Good girl. How’s your head and stomach feeling?”

“So much better now.”

“Good. Oh and for what it's worth... I saw those AMP suits in the forest and your aim was spot on. We got the gear too, so thank you for that.”

“Yes! I knew it!”

“Alright alright, you got your skills from your mom…”

“And my attitude from you?” You cut in.

He laughed lightly. “I was gonna say confidence, but yeah that too. You’re definitely my kid,” he said while messing up the top of your hair.

“Dad!” You groaned.

“Come on, I’ll change your wraps before bed. I’m sure your grandmother’s probably sleeping by now.” And he knelt down in front of you so you could hop onto his back for ride like when you were little. You climbed on, wrapped your arms around his neck and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“Now you gotta redo my hair too.”

“Alright, I got myself into that one. Let’s get outta here.”

He carried you out of the hideaway and you made your way back to your tent. A father and his little warrior.

can we just talk about how cute it was when jj was hugging his parents while asking where katya was

with time 🩹

part one :)

my masterlist :)

pairing: caitlin clark x iowa-state-wbb-player!reader

summary: you and caitlin play against one another in the annual rivalry game between iowa vs. iowa state, and things go south, fast.

themes + warnings: initial fluff and then straight up angst...contact injury, anxiety, cursing, and suggestive content.

word count: 2.1k

author’s note: you would not believe how long this took my NARP (non athletic regular person) headass to write. shoutout to pookie @ccphiliafilms for helping me figure out all the details i needed! 🤞🏾 i won't lie i'm not sure when part two will be out but i hope u enjoy part one in the meantime :) feedback appreciated as always and apologies for typos if there are any!

•••

the sound of dribbling basketballs, rowdy fans shuffling to their seats, and the band’s instruments rang through carver-hawkeye arena in early decemeber as the iowa and iowa state’s women’s basketball teams shot around, warming up for the annual cy-hawk rivalry game. in the corner of the court, you squatted to the ground, re-tying your shoes. as you finished tying your left shoe, footsteps swiftly made their way up to you from behind.

“looking real unprepared over here,” caitlin grinned, as you looked up at her, rolling your eyes. you placed your arms on your thighs before standing up properly. “you talk a lot of shit now but let’s let the numbers talk at the end, huh? shouldn’t you be getting warmed up instead of bothering me?” you responded calmly, tongue rolling over your top teeth briefly, now standing and looking cait directly in the eye with eyebrows raised and eyes daring her to keep pushing you.

you and cait had been dating for almost two years, having met through mutual friends and hitting it off instantly. your mutual love for and dedication to basketball was one of the things you initially bonded over, and it also meant that the annual rivalry game between iowa and iowa state got even more competitive–which, one could ask how that’s even possible for caitlin. cait loves getting under your skin, talking shit, and riling you up–whether that’s on or off the court. but, despite all of her cheap talk and jokes, when she loves, she loves hard. she’s definitely more excited about playing you in an actual game, more so than she is about the prospect of beating you. but, beating iowa state would be a welcomed bonus, and her competitive headass would never admit that she had a softer spot for you on the court.

cait’s cocky demeanor persisted as she closed the already small gap between you two, her lips close to your ear, her breath hot on your neck, “you know i love you, but you’re getting annihilated out there, baby. just like you all did last year.”

“shut up!” you scoffed, laughing as you moved your head away from hers, pushing her torso away as she stumbled back laughing. “i’m going to win,” she said seriously, eyebrows raised, baiting you. “prove it then,” you retorted, grabbing an unattended basketball and dribbling it mindlessly. cait grabbed your free arm, pulling you towards her again as you sighed, “i know something else i can prove to you, hmm? matter fact, i proved a lot of stuff last night if you don’t rem–” she whispered, voice deep as she fought back a smile.

“alright, enough,” you scoffed again, whispering, “you’re not getting in my head. and, if i remember correctly, i wasn’t the one begging last night so let’s be clear.”

“alr-,” cait began before kate yelled her name, causing you both to look over at the dirty blonde who was standing near from the forming team huddle. you shook free from caitlin’s grasp, the brunette willing letting go as she fixed her loose ponytail. “go. i’ll see you out there,” you smiled mischievously, shooing her away as you backed up, now dribbling the ball between your legs. cait rolled her eyes, “oh, you’ll see some things,” she mouthed at you childishly before jogging away, causing you to laugh before you shot the ball. it swished in by the time cait made it to the huddle; jada and molly parting to create space for her as the time for tip-off neared.

eventually, your coach, bill fennelly, called your team over for a huddle of your own. this game was always super fun, but it was difficult nonetheless, particularly when it was iowa’s home court and not your own. you’d been here many times, though, with caitlin as she shot around late at night if it was open; you would often shoot around with her which would usually end up in a competitive yelling match and you both laughing so hard you couldn’t breathe. you both talked a big game, but at the end of the day you were simply each other’s ride or dies. you’d seen and experienced a lot of stuff together, particularly because of cait’s rise to fame, and that made your relationship all the stronger. at the end of the day, cait is and will always be your overprotective, overly-cocky, crazy, beautiful girlfriend. you loved her passion and she loved yours.

•••

by the middle of the second quarter, the game was intense, close, and physical. iowa had 23 and iowa state was behind by three. there had been a fair share of turnovers and uncoordinated plays which left the hawks, predominantly caitlin, on edge. it was now an iowa posession, and cait was bringing the ball up the floor. gabbie and kate were in their respective corners, being guarded heavily and clearly not prepared for the ball yet. hannah was positioned further back, parallel to the paint as iowa state center audi crooks guarded her intensely. sydney had more time to get into position parallel to the free throw line, prompting cait to throw the ball to her. you were defending syd hard from behind her, attempting to make sure she couldn’t pass the ball to gabby. syd, seeing that most of her other teammates weren’t easily open, pivoted her body to her right in attempts of getting the ball off to gabbie, who’s defender had eased up on her in attempts to guard caitlin.

in an ideal world, that play should’ve moved smoothly and syd would be coming out with an assist. but, the blonde pivoted her body with such a considerable amount of force and her elbow pushed out first, piercing you directly in the sternum, completely knocking the wind out of you. you tripped backwards, tripping on audi’s feet in the process which plummeted your body to the ground. hard. you landed on your back, your head harshly reverberating against the laminated floor. audible gasps from the audience rang through your ears, head pounding, and the bright lights making your vision more blurry. your eyes watered and the deep breath you attempted to take sent shock waves of intense pain through your chest. yells of frustration and concern echoed from the iowa state bench as you laid on the floor, unable to get up. the waywardly thrown basketball flew over you as your chest ached beyond belief, face scrunched in pain, tears brimming at your eyes.

all you could think about was the intense pain coming from practically your entire upper body as your ears rung, the sounds of noisy arena fading away as you tried to control your breathing. the piercing sound of the ref’s whistle cut through the noisy arena barely seconds later. cait jogged quickly over to you, kneeling at your side with eyes widened and locked on you as your teammates circled around you as well.

“what hurts? what hurts?” cait questioned, her voice wavering as she attempted to hide her frantic state. but, her locked jaw and worried eyes gave it away easily.

you attempted to speak but it came out more like a strangled gasp as the deep breath you took caused reverberating pain throughout your chest. cait’s right hand loosely touched your waist as her eyes scanned over your body. you attempted to lift your head off the floor and realized upon doing so that it made everything much worse. cait used her left hand to gently hold your head as you laid it back down against her palm, releasing a lot of the weight from your neck as she held you gently. “it…it hurts to…br-breathe,” you winced out, caitlin’s stomach turning in knots as the athletic trainer and conditioning coach, along with the head coach and associate head coach, came over. your teammates had taken steps back to make space for them, some of them trickling back to the bench.

“honey, i’m gonna need you to step back for me,” your athletic trainer, tessa, spoke to caitlin, looking into the disheveled brunette’s eyes. caitlin nodded, still somewhat in a mild state of shock as she removed her hands from you gently. she paused for a second after standing, her heart beating intensely from the exhaustion of the game, and more so from seeing you on the floor, plagued with pain and tears rolling down your cheeks. she knew it was an unintentional foul by syd but seeing you take the physical repercussions of it was maddening. you were lying there, unable to get up on your own, and that made cait’s mind spin. the uncertainty of your health fueled her anxiety and wracked her brain.

the iowa players had already returned to the bench, but kate lingered near the court until caitlin was ready to return, making sure her best friend was okay. upon seeing her reluctance to leave your side, the dirty blonde jogged over, placing a hand on cait’s shoulder, whispering something in her ear before guiding her slowly back to the iowa bench.

“kate, i’m going to fucking throw up,” cait whispered, head tilted into kate’s ear so the cameras couldn’t easily decipher what she was saying as they paced across the court, kate’s arm over her shoulder as the brunette leaned forward slightly with unease. “i know, i know, it’s fucking terrible, but she’s going to be okay, she is…she’s resilient,” kate assured, rubbing her hand up and down caitlin’s back momentarily, jada coming up from behind to rub caitlin’s shoulder.

“yeah mhm,” caitlin answered unconvincingly, a knot forming in her chest as her face heated up uncomfortably. she fought back tears as she grabbed her water bottle from one of the staff members, moving to sit on the bench. you were still on the ground being tended to, and the majority players and staff from both teams stood waiting. caitlin pushed her head into her hands, tears brimming at her waterline as kate sat down next to her.

“i’m good,” cait expressed flatly before her best friend could say anything.

“bullshit.”

“okay, fine, i’m not. but what can i fucking do?!” caitlin responded exasperatedly, “she’s fucking down and i can’t-”

“you don’t do anything,” kate answered, moving her head to look in the brunette’s eyes, “you let it hurt and know it’ll be somewhat alright. it’s terrible, you don’t need to pretend like it’s not.”

“kate, she has to be okay—i can’t think about if… i can’t figure out-” cait began to ramble, waves of anxiety racking her body before she stopped herself from speaking, going silent and her eyes going somewhat expressionless. she took a deep breath, staring out straight in front of her. she hadn’t looked towards you directly since walking away, it was too painful. kate was used to seeing her best friend compartmentalize during games, but this was to another degree. “caitlin, talk to me.”

before she could respond, sighs of relief echoed from the crowd along with claps as you were helped to your feet by the athletic trainer and conditioning coach. you limped off, with them helping you keep balance, towards the locker room and the arena erupted in louder applause as caitlin pressed her hands into her knees so hard it almost left an imprint. her eyes squeezed shut, and she leaned back in the chair, feet dug into the ground.

as you made your way out of sight, bluder called out a “huddle up,” as iowa state continued their already ongoing huddle, fans chattered, and refs discussed. caitlin stood up, pulling at the ends of her shorts, her body radiating anxiety. before she could move towards the huddle, the assistant coach, raina, pulled her back; her hand loosely on cait’s wrist. “are you sure you can and want to go back out there right now?” she asked sincerely, looking directly into caitlin’s eyes as caitlin’s face scrunched slightly but her body remained stoic.

“i can’t sit on that bench, i’ll go insane,” she answered straightly, hands on her waist as she rocked on her heels slightly.

“caitlin.”

“i’ve got this, trust me, please,” she requested with more emphasis this time, retying her ponytail as raina’s finger tapped on her clipboard. “okay, alright, if you feel you’re ready you can go but i’m watching out for you, okay? this game isn’t more important than your well being.”

“thank you,” she replied quickly, moving over to the huddle without a second thought. lisa was in the middle of a motivational speech, and kate stood next to caitlin, hand pressed against her back firmly to remind her that she was there. caitlin mentally dazed in and out of the huddle, listening for any important information about upcoming plays but still subconsciously wracking her brain over whether or not you’d be okay.

•••

part two :)