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plot: in which, she never forgot about her favorite rival

trope: former friends/rivals w. benefits x lovers

pairings: wbb! reader x candace parker

warnings: foul language, a glock ☺️

a/n: alright so, alyssa thomas won the vote 🙂‍↕️ drop the names y'all want in the next vote 🫶🫶

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"What's the goal here? 'Cause this is giving, "I wanna get fucked tonight," and I'm lowkey living for it."

Y/n slid on her red bottom heels and grabbed her phone, on FaceTime with her best friend since high school. "The goal is to go support women's sports." She said casually, grabbing her keys and walking out of her apartment. She had a place in LA but mostly lived in Illinois near her family.

"Why you lyin'? You know you there to get Candace back."

"No- I am there to support Candace because she would do the same for me." She walked over to her car and pulled open the door, stepping inside. "Alright. I gotta let you go, I'm drivin'. Love you. Watch the game."

She got to Crypto arena, a little bit early cause she wanted to catch warmups. They showed her to her seat, which was courtside. Chicago Sky was on the court warming up. A couple fans and such came over to her asking for pictures that she gladly agreed to. It got the attention of the Sky players and they immediately got excited at the sight of the legend.

Angel made her way over before anyone else got the idea. "Hiii. I'm Angel." Y/n smiled, getting up to hug her, "hi darling. It's nice to meet you. I wish I met you sooner."

"That's what I'm sayin'! We gotta get you to some Sky games." Angel grinned, pulling away so she didn't hug her for too long. "You win tonight and I'll make sure I get some seats," she countered. Angel raised a brow, needing some confirmation before she went crazy tonight. She was determined to get y/n at her games. "For real?"

"Of course. Besides, you know I like spoiling Parker's day. It's a favor if anything." She smirked, sitting back down but still giving Angel all her attention. She just didn't wanna stand for too long in these heels. Angel chuckled in amusement, holding her hand on her hip. "Y'all still beefin'?"

"A rivalry never ends," she shrugged.

"Can I just say, you look gorgeous. Like, the fit, the hair, the face card- it's all eating. I hope I look that good at your age." Y/n chuckled softly, beyond flattered by her words. "You're very sweet. Thank you baby." She took her hand to give it a squeeze as Angel tried not to freak out.

"You're welcome. I hope you enjoy the game tonight." She returned to warmups and that's when a couple of her teammates made their way over to greet the legend.

She got all kinds of attention, even shown on the big screen twice. Her presence got a loud ovation of cheers. She didn't play for Chicago or LA, but she was one of LA's biggest rivals. The Minnesota and LA fued was a big deal back then when y/n and Candace were playing. Despite the fued, she was still a big deal to LA after playing in USC during her college days.

Candace had no idea she was there. She had a ton of things to do, and...nobody told her. So, when she got out to the court, specifically to her courtside seats, it was a shock when she stared straight ahead and made eye contact with a woman she hadn't seen in person since 2018. Y/n truly had no idea their seats were directly across from each other, but it didn't fail to make her chuckle. The only thing separating them was the basketball court.

Candace tried to focus on the game, but that was troubling knowing y/n wasn't very far from her. She knew y/n was there to support. That was obvious. They were always very supportive about big achievements in each other's career. But, it still caught her off guard. The least she could've done was give her a call and let her know she was gonna be there. Not just show up with no warning. And looking that good? Even worse.

What the hell was her problem?

During a timeout, she took her eyes off her phone to look at y/n again. She was already looking at her. The next thing she did was lean forward, elbows digging into her knees as she smiled, waving her fingers in a teasing manner before winking. "I'm gonna kill her," Candace mumbled under her breath.

Halftime came soon, and with that, Candace jersey retirement. The media crowded up on the court, blocking y/n's view but she could do anything, Candace's daughter Lailaa walked over to her and took her hand. "Come on. She wants you there." She stood up and followed her onto the court, the girl leading her over to Candace.

Candace took her hand, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "we'll talk later."

She hummed, pulling her hand back to her side before a camera caught that.  "Don't doubt it."

She watched with a smile as Lisa Leslie introduced Candace. "Well hey everybody." Y/n whispered a little "hey" under her breath, just taking her all in from the small distance between them. "So normally I go off the cuff, off the dome, no pen like Jay-Z but today I decided to write a couple words so you'll have to excuse me."

Y/n felt a camera on her, but it didn't wipe the smile on her face. She couldn't be nonchalant during this moment. "As a kid from the Chicago land, my idea of Hollywood was through basketball. It wasn't the glitz or the glam, or the red carpets. It was like the 80's, Kareem and Magic, the showtime Lakers. It was the early 2000's back to back with Smooth Lisa Leslie, DeLisha Milton-Jones, and Michael Cooper. It was the Kobe and Shaq era of the three-peat in the early 2000's."

"It was Love & Basketball, because who didn't wanna be Monica Wright?" Candace's eyes flickered to y/n momentarily, getting that pretty smile out of her. She knew that was y/n's favorite movie.

"LA was about ball. So in 2008 when the lottery was between Chicago and LA, a kid from the Chicago land, Midwest, I was a little partial. I wanted the balls to fall in LA's court. I wanted to be out west. I wanted to be here where all the eyeballs, all the lights, where there's ginormous shoes to fill. When I landed here, Michael Cooper said to me, he said Silk- that was my nickname, "if you win here you're a champion forever." So there's one thing on my mind. And we got that. We got that championship." She pointed up to the 2016 championship banner, gaining cheers from the crowd.

"You know it's so interesting because I think moments like these are so nostalgic. I remember being in the back with Smooth for your last game here at Staples. And you looked at me and you told me, "hey yo, it goes fast. Enjoy it." I remember you back there in that tunnel telling me that." She looked at Lisa who smiled, eyes filled with nothing but pride.

"Now flash forward twenty years, and we're here. And I think the thing that I've learned through all the ups and downs, wins and losses, injuries, difficulties, highlights, records, rivalries." She smiled and pointed to y/n, the camera immediately panned to her and the crowd got even louder. "It's about enjoying the process. Enjoying the journey. Um, I appreciate all of you all for making it special. I appreciate the people that fuel my purpose and my passion."

She paused, looking to y/n once again and this wasn't even included in the speech she wrote down. It wasn't words for the people. It was words for her. "I appreciate that woman right there for fueling my competitive fire from 2008 to the day she retired. I appreciate her for sticking beside me even when she hated me. Thank you for being here, and giving me my flowers, y/n."

The crowd cheered again and she smiled, blowing a kiss to Candace. She mouthed an, "I love you," with heart hands.

"You know I'm extremely humbled to have number 3 up there, amongst the greats. And I don't take that for granted. I do not take that for granted at all. I say thank you for this celebration. It means the world to me. I seen a bunch of familiar faces that helped me throughout my journey and I'm just grateful for my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, my opponents, my favorite rival, the ownership- the entire Sparks organization, my Adidas fam, my Turner fam, doctors, physical therapists, shoot even the refs. I appreciate them as well." Y/n chuckles, not even sure she could say that. She wasn't even sure she liked a single ref in the WNBA.

"You know the biggest thing is to always have a foundation in the little things. And this jersey going up in the rafters is no different. They say athletes have two deaths. One being when your career ends. But I look at it as two lives. It's never easy to put the ball down and move on from your first love but to simplify what I learned throughout my career here in LA, through basketball, through it all, is what I'm gonna carry to the next phase of life. Which is joy." She glanced at y/n momentarily, the woman's eyes already on her. Nobody else seemed to notice the quick looks, the smiles they shared, but Lisa did. She saw them in 2008, and continued to see them now.

"I choose to enjoy the big and the small moments. So, I'm grateful for those ping-pong balls all the way back in 2008. Putting me in the purple and gold. But I was wrong, LA isn't just about ball. For me anymore, it's now where we can home and we will forever call home. So thank you so much. I love you all. I'm so appreciative, and I can't believe it. Thank you. Thank you." The crowd cheered, y/n clapping her hands with a proud smile. Candace reached over to give her hand a small squeeze.

They listed some of Candace's big accolades before lifting the banner. She reached for y/n's hand and it was there, intertwined with hers in a second. Lisa glanced at them and smiled, getting a couple flashbacks of the good days. She hoped tonight they could finally get over their petty rivalry and finally let themselves give their all to each other. Basketball was the only thing keeping them apart and now they were both retired from it. That was a sign. It was finally their time.

After that, Candace tried to get her to come backstage but she declined, insisting on staying to watch the game because she paid good money for her seat. It was an excuse, obviously. A couple minutes into the fourth quarter, Candace came back out, returning to her previous seat to continue watching the game. Although her eyes darted to y/n every couple seconds.

The game was good, but LA was losing. Angel was going crazy in the fourth. Nobody could stop her. She was making sure y/n was gonna be at those Chicago games. They beat the Sparks 92-85. It made y/n a little happy to see them lose. It was the rivalry in her. She couldn't help it.

She caught up with Angel after, the girl making sure to get her number so they could communicate. Y/n had to applaud her. She was smart. A business woman. She could've just talked to her through Instagram but nope, she made sure to get her number. And of course, y/n gave it to her. It was very unlike her to give her number out, but she really liked Angel. She wanted to do whatever she could to guide the next generation of players.

As everyone was so focused on Candace, she used that to sneak out without the woman noticing. It was definitely gonna piss her off but she didn't care. She wanted to be back at her apartment in the comfort of fluffy socks, boxers, and a shirt. She also craved a burrito, and pineapple soda.

Two hours passed, she was slumped on her couch watching a TV show her friend suggested. It was called Love Island. She was maybe two episodes in and wasn't sure how to feel about it. She wasn't much of a reality TV person. Mid-scene, there was a knock on her door. She couldn't help but raise a brow. Nobody besides her friend and her mom knew where her apartment in LA was.

She shut off the lights and walked over to her closet, going to the safe to grab her gun. She had a history with stalkers. You could never be too safe, especially with the crime in LA. She walked over to the door, gun in hand, deepening her voice to soud more intimidating. "Who is it?"

"It's Candace. Put that away." She scolded, already knowing her far too well to know what she had in her hands.

Y/n huffed, locking it back away before switching the lights back on and opening the door. "How do you know where I live?"

"Your mom told me," she smiled, letting herself in.

Y/n groaned, shutting the door and locking it. Candace kicked off her shoes and unbuttoned her top, getting comfortable. She pulled it off and unbuttoned her trousers next. "You got some spare clothes?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, beyond confused. "I'm sorry- why are you at my house uninvited?"

"Oh, so now we care about invites?" She turned around, only in a pair of boxers and a black push up bra, completely shifting y/n's focus. "'Cause if I recall, you showed up to my jersey retirement uninvited. No warning. Just popped up in pinstripes and Louboutins." Y/n gulped, quickly going to the closet and grabbing some shorts and a t-shirt she always had put away in a guest needed a spare. She tossed them at Candace who smirked, "sure you don't want me to stay like this?"

"I see your lack of decorum hasn't changed." She shot back.

Candace smiled sarcastically, reaching behind her to unhook her bra. She pulled it off and y/n couldn't even hide her smirk. It would've went unnoticed if Candace didn't study every inch of y/n's features. She pulled on the shirt an shorts, even though she knew they'd be off by the end of the night. "You wanna talk my decorum but you decided to wear the tightest trousers created tonight."

Y/n shrugged, a small smile pulling at her lips, "I'm allowed to show off my body. I worked hard to look this good. Especially for this ass."

Candace chuckled softly in amusement, "I know, I miss it."

"This is a cute reunion and all but I think you should go," she dismissed, walking back to her living room but Candace grabbed her hand to pull her back. Y/n stood, and Candace got behind her, chest pressed up against her back, arms slid around her waist. "No. You're not gonna get outta this. I haven't seen you in seven years and you just show up outta nowhere looking just as good as the day I first saw you."

"I'm tired of playing this cat and mouse game, Candace. We're getting too old for that." Y/n whispered, shivers slipping up her spine at the feeling of Candace's breath on her neck.

"Oh, baby. This ain't cat and mouse no more. I'm done with that. I know why you came. It wasn't just to give me my flowers. It's 'cause you missed me. You missed my body. You missed how good I make you feel." She whispered, hands slipping under her shirt that happened to be one of the free t-shirts they had on the chairs at the arena.

"That right?"

"Yeah, that's right. And I'm all for it. We ain't playin' ball no more. There ain't shit holdin' us back." Y/n smiled, placing a hand over Candace's, the other reaching up to lay on her cheek, encouraging the neck kisses. They were soft for the first five seconds before they got more rushed, more aggressive and hot. At one point she felt a little bite, teeth grazing over her skin. "I'm not lettin' you go nowhere again."

Y/n turned around, a flustered mess and Candace had barely done anything yet. "I missed you, Candy."

She smiled softly, bringing her body closer. "I missed you too, baby." She lightly tugged on the yellow shirt, a smirk pulling at her soft lips. "Am I still your Ace?"

"You're always my Ace."

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