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plot: in which, gabby tries to get her ex back during all star weekend

trope: exes to lovers

pairings: wbb! french reader x gabby williams

warnings: foul language, angst, alcohol use, anxiety, sexual implications

a/n: happy halloween to those who celebrace! it was close but gabby won the vote so here y'all go 🙂‍↕️ italics = french 🫶 now, who do y'all want for the next vote?

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The first time they met was overseas. Let's go back to that before we visit the present.

Y/n walked into her local coffee shop, and smiled at the cashier who she seen almost every morning. She ordered in Turkish, it wasn't the best but it was pretty good for not being there very long. She went over to her favorite table in the corner to wait and pulled out her iPad and headphones to continue one of her designs. She had ideas pouring out for her clothing line, a clothing line she had yet to actually start but it was a work in progress.

Gabby walked in, ready to order a quick coffee to go until she noticed the outrageously beautiful girl in the corner. Her name had been called and she stood up to get her coffee. Now was her chance. This was nerve wracking. She was always so awkward when it came to approaching women. Y/n picked up her coffee and plate of sweet treats when suddenly a woman walked into her direction, spilling it all over her chest and dropping the plate.

"Oh, my god. I am so sorry." Gabby gasped, quickly reaching for some napkins. "I didn't see you."

Y/n squints, not bothered by the spills, more so focused on the women. She looked so familiar. "Do I know you? I feel like I've seen you on the television.." Gabby chuckled awkwardly, shaking her head. "No. I uh- I work in sales. My parents made me do french fry commercials as a kid so you probably recognize me from that."

She chuckled in amusement, "okay. That's fun."

"Here, I'll order you a new coffee and pastries that aren't from the floor." She smiled and returned to her seat, not before sending an apology to the cashier for the mess. It was a minute or two when Gabby joined her at the table with her same order and a coffee of her own. "Thank you." She handed her the coffee and took a glance at the pin on her bag, it was the pride flag, right beside the little pin of a basketball.

"You like basketball?"

"I do, yes. I used to play as a kid."

Gabby smiled, surprised she had gotten this far. "That's cool. I used to play as a kid too. I don't anymore though- obviously, in the sales game." She hummed, not sure why she kept emphasizing her job in sales. Gabby noticed her iPad and seen the design of a dress. "What do you do? Fashion designer?"

"Uh, yes. I have a clothing line."

"Awesome. Do you have a card? I'll buy something."

"Uhh- I left them at my place. But, I can give you my number instead." She reached into her bag and grabbed a marker. She reached over to take Gabby's wrist and wrote down the numbers. "I like your accent. French?" She nods, stuffing the marker back in her bag. "Yes. Born and raised. I like yours as well. American?"

Gabby chuckled, "uh yes, American and French."

"I knew I heard an accent hidden in there. I love that. Best of both worlds. My best friend is American. She's the best. I love Americans. Great basketball players. Their fashion is amazing too." Gabby grinned, really surprised this was going so good. She wasn't even five minutes in and got a phone number and the l word. Okay- it was technically being used as a plural, but, it still counted.

They talked for two more hours before they conveniently had to leave at the same time for work. A couple more hours went by, and y/n walked out to the court with her team for warmup when she noticed her. Gabby Williams, in the opposing teams jersey. She walked over and tapped her on the shoulder after she shot a 3. She turned, eyes immediately going wide. She chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. "Caught me."

"Sales, huh?"

She smiled sheepishly, "...jersey sales." Her eyes glanced down, finally noticing her also wearing a basketball uniform for the opposing team. "That clothing line doesn't exist, does it?"

She shifted uncomfortably, rubbing her wrist, "...it's a work in progress."

Back to the present.

It was a complicated situation. It happened during off season. Their breakup. It was honestly out of nowhere. Gabby was beyond confused. She had no answers either. She called. No answer. She texted. No answer. She sent gifts with notes. Flowers with notes. DMs that weren't answered. She even tried to go to her apartment only to see she had moved. During games when their teams played against each other, she tried to go to her hotel after. She was never there.

But, she had a chance now. All Star Weekend. She knew Y/n was going to be there because she texted her best friend Kayla McBride to ask. It was the first time she had actually gotten a response from her when it came to y/n. She was beyond relieved that Kayla was helping her out. She was going as Kayla's plus 1. And given she hated being on camera, Gabby was going to use the Studbudz 24 hour twitch steam to her benefit. It was the only to get y/n alone so she could talk to her.

The downside? The fans watching that stream.

Nobody knew they were broken up. And Gabby wanted to keep it that way. Over the years they had pieced it together. The way Gabby would look at her, and talk about her with stars in her eyes. She'd promote her clothing line, and wear it to games. She'd brag about being the reason y/n came to the W. She had talked about how she convinced her to take her talents to America. The little moments they shared during their time on the national french team only confirmed it for the fans.

Y/n was glued to Kayla's side the whole time. Gabby knew it'd be hard to pull her away. She got to the carpet, spotting y/n answering some questions for the reporters and such. It was when she stepped away, she glanced over her shoulder and spotted Gabby already looking at her. She was surprised. Not to see her, but to see her wearing an outfit she designed. It was a design that was specifically made for Gabby. She just had no idea how she got her hands on it.

She smiled, not wishing to look upset with her in front of the cameras. The last thing she needed was headlines about them posted everywhere. It didn't help that she was the most camera shy person ever. She hated being on camera. It gave her the worst anxiety. Kayla took her hand to keep her going on the carpet, and keep her distanced from Gabby in front of all those eyes.

Thankfully for Gabby, the Studbudz, Court and T did not know about the breakup either so they went about it like the couple was still together. Kayla didn't mention anything, nor did y/n. Court came up to her at some point to apologize for hitting on Gabby or something like that. She just smiled and nodded, just wishing they'd move the camera away from her.

When they left, Gabby found her. She was quick to turn the other way but Gabby was quick to follow. She took her hand to pull her to the side away from people. "I do not want to speak to you. Can you stop following me?" Gabby scoffed, "uh-no. I can't. You owe me an explanation."

"I don't owe you anything."

Paige happened to walk by, and Gabby immediately grabbed the girls arm to stop her. "Paige. If your girlfriend breaks up with you without saying anything, she owes you an explanation, right?" The blonde blinked, not sure what to say that wouldn't upset the both of them. Y/n rolled her eyes, annoyed her teammate was brought into this. "Why are you bringing her into this? She's clearly had one girlfriend her entire life. What would she know?"

"Damn, okay." Paige mumbled, not sure how she caught a stray there.

"That doesn't matter. You don't just get to break up with someone and not give them a reason why." Gabby argued and the blonde tried to walk away but was pulled back in.

"I'm done with this conversation." Y/n pushed open the doors and Gabby was right behind her, Paige following because she was leaving through there anyway. "There wasn't even a conversation. You barely spoke to me." Gabby took her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction of her friends. She didn't fight it to avoid making a scene in front of the stream. But she was not pleased with it.

Gabby shut the doors the bus, not allowing her to leave. "Where does this bus go?" She asked the driver, frustrated with her ex separating her from Kayla.

"To the hotel, ma'am."

"Can you talk to me now?" Gabby asked. She crossed her legs and looked away, giving no response.

Paige awkwardly sat across them, wishing she had stepped on another bus, but then again, her girlfriend was going to love to hear this. "Maybe you should just give her some space?" She suggested.

"I've given her months of space." Gabby scowled, and y/n smiled bitterly staring out the window. "It's hardly space if you've been stalking me for all those months."

"She's being impossible."

"Oh, I'm sure."

Gabby blinked, "what is that supposed to mean?" She received no response, again.

They got back to the hotel, and y/n went to Kayla's room so Gabby wouldn't know where hers was. She got changed for the after party and Kayla got there to pick her up. She knew Gabby would think she's at the Nike party so she was safe tonight. It was maybe two hours in, Gabby showed up. She took y/n's hand and pulled her out to the balcony for privacy. She figured since y/n was drunk, she'd open up to her.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"You were taking shots with T, and dancing with Angel- very inappropriately, might I add." Y/n rolled her eyes, not even remembering any of that or being on camera. T and Court said they'd keep the camera away from her as much as they could. "I don't want to talk to you, Gabrielle. What aren't you understanding?"

"The full name is crazy."

She huffed, going to walk away but Gabby grabbed her waist to pull her back in. "Wait, wait, wait. I don't wanna fight with you. You're right. For whatever I did, you're right. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did. Please, just tell me what I did so I can make it better. I'll do anything. Baby, please. I need you back. We've been through too much to end it like this."

"I'm drunk. I want to go." She pushed away from her to go back to the party and find Kayla.

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Night two. Gabby wasn't giving up. This was the night she was getting her girl back. The first stop? The coach party. She knew y/n was going to be there with Kayla. It didn't take long to find her through the crowd of people. She reached for her arm to turn her around and suddenly y/n pulled her in front of her. "Camera."

"I'll get you out of here." Gabby assured, taking her hand to lead her through the crowd, away from the live stream. They got outside and y/n shuffled through her bag to grab her meds. "You okay?" She swallowed the pill and washed it down with water. It was just for her anxiety. "I'm fine. I just- I really hate that camera. I'm so embarrassed about last night. Everyone's talking about it. The world has seen me down shots like water."

"Just take a breath. You're fine." Gabby brought her into her arms, rubbing her back gently to soothe her. She instantly calmed down in her embrace. "I got you, baby."

"I don't know how I let Kayla convince me to come here. I should've just stayed in Dallas." She sighed, pulling away from Gabby to leave this party. She quickly ran after her, reaching for her arm. "Wait- wait, where are you going?"

"Azzi's party. I promised Paige I would go."

"I'll go with you."

They immediately got separated at the party. Gabby was being pulled for pictures and y/n wandered off. Azzi found her, and took her hand, "come with me!" She pulled her through the crowd, right into the doors of the kitchen where Gabby was already standing, Paige right beside her snacking on some appetizers. "Okay. You two are gonna talk this out and once you do, we'll let you out."

She held her hand out to her girlfriend, the blonde too busy stuffing her face. "Paige- drop the chicken wing."

She dropped the bone and put another one in her mouth before taking her girlfriend's hand. "Sorry." She cleared her throat, "y'all heard her. Fix it. I'm tired of y'all draggin' me into your arguments. Kiss and make up." Azzi smiled before pulling her rambling girlfriend out of the kitchen.

Y/n glanced at the chef and he wasn't paying them no mind. "Pretend I'm not even here," he mumbled, focused on his food.

"What did I do wrong?" Gabby asked, desperate for answers.

"I gave you an out, Gabby."

"What?" She shook her head, beyond confused. "Why would I need an out?"

"When I was in France to visit my mum, you didn't pick up, you didn't call me. It was bad enough you didn't go on the trip." Gabby sighed, "I was busy," her voice was barely above a whisper. She knew it was a terrible excuse. "So, I broke up with you. I saved you the hassle of being with me. I saved an argument, because I am tired. I'm tired of giving my years to someone who is not willing to give me the rest of theirs. It wasn't easy. I loved you. I still love you. But, I can't be with someone who doesn't want to be with me, let alone see themselves marrying me."

"That's not true! Look, I get it, baby. You felt neglected. You felt unimportant. I am so sorry I made you feel that way. I have no excuse other than my obvious negligence. I've learned my lesson. Going months without you- it's not something I ever want to do again. It is the worst feeling in the world. I never want to feel that way again, and I never want to make you feel that way either. I'm so sorry, baby."

"You should forgive her. I would." The bus boy added before his friend was shoving him out with an apologetic look.

"I just want you to love me, Gabby."

"I do. I do love you. Not just now. I'll love you for the rest of my life. I wanna keep you around forever, baby. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I don't see a future without you. Please, forgive me. I need you." She held out her hand, silently pleading for her to take it. For her forgiveness. For her love. She couldn't go on without it.

She took a breath before she lifted her hand from her side and took Gabby's hand. She sighed in relief, immediately pulling her in for an embrace. She buried her face into her neck, clinging onto her body and she reciprocated. "I love you so much." She pressed a kiss to her neck and down to her shoulder. Y/n smiled softly, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I love you too, Gabrielle."

Gabby pulled away to press a soft kiss to her lips, just a quick one. They weren't PDA people. "You gonna cheer me on tomorrow?"

She smiled sheepishly, "I'm supposed to cheer Paige on but..oh well, she'll live. I need to root for my girlfriend." Gabby grinned, wrapping her arms around her again and spinning her excitedly. The doors open, and Paige immediately ran to get some more wings. "Thank god. Y'all was takin' forever. I'm starving." Azzi rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's dramatics, "what she means to say is, we're so happy for you two."

"That too," Paige mumbled, taking one of the trays for herself. "Happy for ya teamie."

"Thank you. I don't know how you deal with her. Half a season and I'm ready to retire." Y/n joked and Azzi laughed as Paige frowned in offense, wing sauce on her lips. "Hey!"

"You okay if we leave early?"

Azzi nods, "oh, you're good. We just needed you here for this. Go enjoy the rest of your night together." Y/n shared a hug with the UConn player and her teammate before stepping out of the kitchen, Gabby following right behind her. They were leaving just in time. The Studbudz had just gotten there with their stream having the time of their lives.

"You sure you don't wanna stay for a little bit?" Gabby asked.

"Uh, no. I'm just not feeling it. But, you can stay if you want. I'll get an Uber." Gabby shook her head, slipping her hands around her waist. "No way. I'm following you whenever you go. I'm not letting you out of my sight baby." She pressed a kiss to her cheek before taking her hand to lead her through the crowd. The stream caught a glimpse of them but that was all.

They got back to the hotel and y/n let Gabby come to her room. She was pressed against the wall, lips colliding with her girlfriend in a passionate, messy kiss, hands feeling along her body. She was immediately lowered onto the bed, without warning Gabby dropped to her knees, a lustful glint in her eyes. Y/n scooted back nervously, "uh- are you sure? I should shower first-"

"It's been months since I've had a taste of you. I don't care about a shower." Gabby grabbed onto her thighs and yanked her back to the edge of bed.

"We should take it easy though, right? You have a game tomorrow."

"I have a game." Gabby smiled, pushing her thighs apart and pressing a kiss to her knee. "You don't."

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