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plot: skylars patience gets tested with their newest rookie on the team

trope: rookie x vet

pairings: wbb! rookie! black! reader x skylar diggins 🫦

warnings: foul language, implied mature themes

a/n: this was fun to write, love me some skylar 🙂‍↕️ y'all will be getting shakira austin next xx

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"Yo, we neighbors. What's up, Niks?" Y/n grins, her new teammate turning to look at her, mirroring her grin. "This is crazy. I didn't know you lived here too." She laughed, bringing her into a hug. They had a couple run ins in college as y/n was coming out of Villanova. She was probably the only one that the UConn team actually liked.

"I kinda expected it, just not on the same floor." She replied, turning to lock her door. "You got a car?" Nika glanced up from her phone to shake her head. "No, not yet. I was gonna take an Uber." Y/n picked up her bag and pulled it over her shoulder, "oh, no need for that. I got a car. You can ride wit' me."

"Seriously?"

"For sure. Us rookies gotta stick together."

When they stopped to get coffee, y/n noticed a pretty older woman stepping out of her car from her mirror. She poked her head out, not caring that they were in a drive thru. "Hey mama! You single? Can't be walking around lookin' that fine!"

She got the lady to smile, shaking her head in amusement as she stepped inside the establishment. Y/n sighed, "damn, that's how it is? Okay. Usually I get a phone number or somethin'." Nika snorts, already obsessed with her new teammates personality. "You have a thing for older women and it's actually concerning."

She grins, "thank you."

"Girl, where was the compliment?"

They pulled up to the Seattle Storm facility and climbed out. She let Nika lead the way 'cause she wasn't about to embarrass herself getting lost. "Be a gentleman," Nika said, gesturing for y/n to the door for her. She grinned, pulling open the door and letting her inside before walking in herself.

The whole team was there waiting for them, getting up to greet their rookies. Y/n set her stuff down at her locker and her eyes landed on Skylar Diggins, the woman hugging Nika. She smirked as the vet turned to greet her, extending a hand. "What's up, shorty?" Nika gulped, the whole team going silent to wait and see what Skylar was gonna say to that.

"Excuse me?"

"What? I ain't mean to be disrespectful-- it's like a compliment 'cause you fine as fuck." Some jaws dropped, and eyes widened at her boldness. Skylar sighed, deciding to just let it slide because she was a rookie and clearly needed to learn some manners. "Alright, I appreciate the..compliment. But, don't ever call me that again, okay? I ain't your shorty."

Y/n nods, shaking her hand with a smile. "No problem, mama."

Skylar took a deep breath, the sounds of Nneka and Ezi horribly attempting to hold in their laughter filling the room. "I'm not your mama either."

She pursed her lips, "cool wit' me. So, what should I call you? You seem very against nicknames."

She scoffed, holding a hand on her hip, "I'm not against nicknames. I'm against your little pet names. Just call me by my name or Sky."

She nods once again and Skylar turned to walk away as she spoke again. "Alright, I gotchu baby."

Sky held up a finger in front of Nneka, "not a word." As soon as she walked out, they busted out laughing.

Even through practice, she didn't stop there. Everyone had a nickname. The amount of times Nika had to get y/n's attention because she kept staring at Skylar like she wanted to devour her was exhausting. And it just kept getting worse from there.

"Yo, Sky!" The vet sighed deeply before turning around to walk over to her rookie. She couldn't just ignore her, no matter how badly she wanted to. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

She smirked, looking her up and down, "you like younger women?"

Skylar rolled her eyes, "do you have any appropriate questions?"

"Oh yeah, for sure. Could you push up against me more when you're guarding me in the paint?" The most annoying part about this was that she was being dead serious. Skylar just turned and walked away, not wasting her energy entertaining this. "That's cool. Playin' hard to get. I respect it."

Nika pointed to the chair in the corner, "timeout!"

She groaned, walking over to sit in the chair, smirking when she got a good view of Skylar stretching. Nika shot her a glare, "turn around!"

She sighed, turning the chair around to face the wall. "How am I supposed to take notes now?"

"Use your imagination! You're pretty good at that!"

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's the last time I'm buying you coffee."

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"Thanks for the coffee, honeybunch." Nika smiled, taking the tray into her hands.

"I really hate that name."

"Taste of your own medicine," she teased, taking a sip of her coffee.

They got to the practice facility, entering the lounge where they seen Skylar and Jewell sitting at one of the tables. "It's your favorite rookies," y/n grinned as Nika set down the tray of the two extra coffees. "My honeybunch bought coffees," she said.

Skylar grinned, raising a brow, "honeybunch?"

Y/n groaned, shooting her teammate a glare. "You said you wouldn't embarrass me in front of my woman." Nika shot her an innocent little grin. She faked a smile and passed Skylar a coffee of her own, "that's for you mama. Anything you want, I gotchu. Coffee, breakfast, dinner, you name it, I'll get it. You from Indiana, right?"

She received a skeptical nod, "yes.."

"They got cornfields and shit, right? My college roommate was Mexican, I could make you some bomb ass elote. Anything for my favorite vet."

Jewell snickered to herself because she knew Skylar was fighting for her life trying not to break this girl's heart. She forced a smile, "that's very sweet but it's not necessary. Thank you for the coffee though."

"This one mine?" Jewell asked, pointing to the last one.

"Actually- that was the backup in case my lady didn't like the first one," y/n said casually, leaning against the table behind her. Skylar just took the coffee and passed it to Jewell who was more amused than offended.

"I better go get dressed. I'll see your fine self in practice mama." She smirked, shooting her a wink before making her way out of the lounge.

Skylar takes a long sigh as Jewell and Nika snickered. "That girl has no chill."

"With the way she acts, you'd think she bagged Rihanna," Jewell comments.

"You can't blame her though. Skylar is gorgeous." Nika added, receiving a smile from the vet. She was definitely going to brag about that to y/n later. "Don't you start flirtin' too. I can only take so much."

Nika laughs, deciding to be a little instigator on behalf of her friend. "So basically...you're okay with y/n flirting?"

Jewell pursed her lips, laughing awkwardly, "careful, Nika." Skylar just picks up her coffee and walks out, no response.

Nika grins, "that's basically a yes."

After practice, Skylar, Nneka, Ezi, Mercedes, and Jewell decided that they needed to give the rookies some duties. "They all gotta get different duties though." Nneka said as they were sitting in the lounge trying to come up with ideas.

As they came to a decision on each duty, Jewell realized she didn't want to be the one to tell y/n what to do. Mostly because she probably wouldn't listen. "Y/n isn't gonna listen to me, so we gotta assign someone else on her."

Skylar furrowed her brows, noticing the way all their eyes flickered to her. She scoffed, "what? No. Absolutely not."

"She'll listen to you though!" Jewell pointed out, the others nodding in agreement.

She looked to Nneka for help. "I'm not doin' it. That girl is way too unhinged for me. You can handle her."

Skylar groaned, "this is some bullshit."

In the locker room, y/n was watching as Nika tried on her clothes. They had completely opposite styles. Nika wanted to see how she'd look in y/n's style. And obviously she looked good. "You pull it off better than me, I can't lie," she chuckled. Nika grinned, picking up her phone to snap some pictures of herself.

Skylar walked in, immediately getting y/n's attention without trying. "Rookie duties. You gotta take my clothes to the dry cleaners and bring my jersey to my place."

Nika furrowed her brows, turning around curiously, "what are mine?"

"Take that up with Jewell." She nods, continuing to change back into her own clothes so y/n could have hers back.

Y/n smirks, not really caring about the rookie duties. "I get to know where you live?"

Skylar pursed her lips, "yes. Don't make me regret it."

She nods, running her tongue over her lips, trying to conceal her smirk. "Yes ma'am."

"Wipe that smirk off your face."

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Y/n woke up to a call from Skylar. It was the morning before their regular season game against the Washington Mystics tomorrow and practice was in less than two hours. She needed a ride, and of course y/n would say yes immediately. She had already been stopping by her place a lot since she had to drop her off clothes or pick them up. They also happened to live in the same building, Skylar was just a couple floors up.

She knocked on her door and Skylar quickly ran over to get it. She pulled it open and stepped out, shutting it and locking it after that. "Thanks for this. My car's in the shop right now."

"It's all good. You know I gotchu baby." She turned around, a little too close to y/n. The rookie backed up to give her some space. Even though she flirted relentlessly, she was always respectful, not wishing to cross any boundaries unless Skylar wanted her to.

She still hadn't ever insinuated that she wanted anything with the rookie. She hadn't ever entertained her flirty behavior. But, she didn't say she was uncomfortable, or bothered by the flirting. She didn't ask her to stop. And typically y/n would've stopped by now, if it wasn't for the fact that she noticed Skylar liked the flirting. From the ways she bit back smiles, to the way she looked at her after she said something flattering.

She led her down to her car, pulling open the passenger door for her. "Thank you." Did Skylar enjoy the attention? Yes. Was she gonna admit that? And fuel y/n's ego even more? Absolutely not.

It was mostly quiet, only because Skylar fell asleep and y/n didn't want to wake her up. She pulled into a drive thru and ordered them some breakfast and coffee. She continued to drive them to the practice facility as Skylar continued to sleep. She parked into her usual spot and reached over to tap Skylar's shoulder. "Hey, we're here baby."

Skylar rubbed her eyes tiredly, sighing softly, "oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"It's okay. I didn't get much either. That's why I'm sleepin' on the bus." She assured before grabbing the coffee she got for her. "I got you a coffee and some breakfast in case you hungry." Skylar cracked a small, barely visible smile. "That's really nice. Thank you." Y/n smiled, nodding her head, "it's no problem. I always make sure my girl is fed."

Skylar just shook her head, fighting a smile as she gathered her stuff, "you're so irritating."

She grabbed her bags and even went to take Skylar's bags. "Can't strain them muscles baby. We need you shootin'." She didn't even fight it. The rookie chasing her had it's perks.

They got onto the bus and Skylar took a seat in her usual spot, sipping on her coffee. Then she noticed y/n sitting alone in the back of bus. She'd been pretty lonely without Nika lately. Skylar sighed, internally battling with herself before getting up and walking to the back. She stopped near y/n, the rookie glancing up at her with tired, but flirty eyes. "What can I do for you? I'd love for you to climb on this lap but there's people watching...wouldn't be very appropriate."

Skylar rolled her eyes, silently wondering how this girl was still flirting almost half asleep. She pointed to the empty seat beside her. "Is this seat taken?"

"Fortunately not."

She hummed, taking a seat and y/n generously pulled the blanket over her lap to share. Skylar smiled softly, pulling out her breakfast sandwich to take a bite. Two bites in, y/n was knocked out. Jewell had leaned over the seats to snap a picture of her before Skylar shooed her away. They were all very confused, given Skylar always made sure she was the farthest from y/n during the trips, whether it was the bus or plane.

It wasn't even ten minutes Jordan and Jewell glanced back at the two before seeing y/n asleep, head laid on Skylar's lap as she slept too. Jordan was quick to grab her phone and snap pictures of this. "She's definitely gonna use these as her screensaver," she mumbled as she got the best angle of this.

"I can't wait to tell Nika about this," Jewell grinned.

They got the win in Washington, and it was a big deal for y/n who beat her career high. She ended with 15 points, 3 assists, 10 rebounds, and 1 steal. She was proving exactly why she deserved her spot on the team. She had some good moments with Skylar in the game. Whether it was catching her assists, or hyping her up after a tough basket. Skylar mirrored her energy as well. She probably cheered the loudest when y/n shot a logo three.

They were slowly becoming more...comfortable with each other on the court, and off.

The next day, they were in New York for a game against the New York Liberty because the commissioner just thought it was a fantastic idea to give them back to back away games. Note the sarcasm. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't a very good game for any of them. Nobody really stood out. Nobody was too thrilled with the way they played, so it wasn't a surprise for some of the players to hold a sour mood.

They did get to stay in a nice hotel for the night before they had to be back in Seattle tomorrow, so that was something. At least it was for y/n. She was always super excited to see what fancy hotels they'd stay at. On their way up to their floor, she glanced over at a very frustrated Skylar. She was not in a good mood, at all.

They stopped at Jewell's floor and she mumbled a "goodnight" before stepping out. The next floor was Ezi's and Jordan's. They said their "goodnight" before stepping out to leave y/n and Skylar. It stopped at theirs and they both stepped out, y/n following Skylar because she was holding her bags for her.

Skylar unlocked her door and pushed it open before turning to y/n and reaching for her bag but the rookie held it away. "Look uh..if you wanna talk, vent about the game, or anything, I'm here." She nodded slowly, taking in her words. She wasn't used to her being so serious, and mature, so it was a nice change. She returned her bags and stepped away, her room just a couple doors down.

Nothing else needed to be said. The rookie walked away, going to her room and immediately jumping onto the bed.

She showered, got changed into something more comfortable before she received a knock on her door. She got up to unlock the door, pulling it open and Skylar just walked in, rambling as she did so. "I just don't understand what the fuck I was doin' out there. I don't think anyone knew. I know I can do better. I know we can do better. We have all the factors to win, and it's just not clicking."

Y/n shut the door, listening as the vet ranted, getting comfortable on the bed like it was hers. "It's still early. You gotta give yourself some grace," she added, taking a seat on the bed.

Skylar looked up at her, brows furrowed like she actually had the audacity to say that. But, she wasn't gonna go off on her. She was still a rookie. "No. I don't give grace. I don't take grace. I beat myself up, and it works. You should try it 'cause you was playin' like you was learning to walk for the first time."

She pursed her lips awkwardly, very taken back by the criticism. "Good to know."

"Don't take it personally, rook." She sighed, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to find a better way to put it. "I just..I want you to be better out there. I seen you in college. I know how good you are. I know you see what the other rookies are doin' and I know you can do what they're doing, and probably even better."

She nodded, genuinely invested in what her vet had to say. Though, she was a bit surprised Skylar could read her so well. "Yeah, I get what you're sayin'."

"Yes, and I don't want to compare you to the others, like Clark or Reese, but you are just as good as them. You should be in the record books. And that's where I wanna take accountability because I know I'm not doing the job I should be doing as a vet to help you improve, and to make sure your transition to the pros goes as smooth as it can."

"I appreciate you sayin' that. But, you don't gotta take any blame. You've been an amazing vet to me. I'mma take your words to heart and I'm gonna put in more effort to build my chemistry with the team." She spoke, reaching over to take Skylar's hand, and she didn't pull it away. "I want to play my part and contribute whatever I can to you."

Skylar nodded slowly, before pausing, realizing how she worded that. "You mean to the team?"

She shook her head, "no, I mean to you." It only confused Skylar even more. "I see what you're doin', the effort you put in to this team. I see how much you're trying, and I see how frustrated you get when the effort isn't reciprocated. I know you want to win. I know you only want the best for everyone on the team. You give out so much love, and you don't get it back as much as I think you should. As much as I think you deserve."

She didn't say anything, too in shock. The way y/n was able to read her and explain exactly how she was feeling without needing to ask. She just knew. It made her feel good. It made her feel validated. But, she had to remember, no matter how emotionally mature y/n was, she was still just a rookie. She couldn't catch feelings for her rookie. "I uh- I really appreciate that, rook."

Y/n sighed, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "Why you gotta call me that?"

Sky laughed softly, "call you what? A rookie? Nneka calls you that too."

She scoffed, looking down at her, "yeah but I ain't got a thing for Nneka. I got a thing for you."

She knew that already. She just tried to ignore it. It worked, up until now. Now she had to acknowledge it. Biting back a smile, she shook her head, "you're just a baby though..like..you still got breastmilk on your lips."

She scoffed, almost amused by her excuse. "So, what? 'Cause I'm young you think I can't handle an older woman?"

"Absolutely." She nodded, chuckling in amusement. "You don't know what to do wit' all this."

That really set her off. She did not like when women said that to her. It's happened far too many times and she proved herself each time. "Well how am I supposed to prove myself if you won't let me?"

Skylar sat up, brows perked up, "and why would I even let you do that? How do you even know I like you back?"

She smirked, "I'm sorry-- do you really think I'm stupid? You think I don't see the way I make you feel. I would've stopped flirting a long time ago. Then I realized, you like it. You like attention I give you. You enjoy how much I yearn for you and that's why you haven't asked me to stop. It gives you a power trip." She didn't receive a response, the woman just laying back down and staring at the ceiling. Y/n leaned over her, an idea coming to mind. "How 'bout this. So we both get something we want."

She raised a brow, intrigued to hear what she had to say. "I'm listening."

"I'll take your mind off the game, and if you're still not interested in me, I'll leave you alone. That's what you came here for, right? For me to take your mind off it." Skylar hummed, leaning up, gazing into the rookie's beautiful, soft eyes. They were filled with yearning, with desperation to finally have her. She was obsessed with Skylar, from the very moment she saw her. She had to have her. Even if it was only for one night.

"I still don't think you can handle-" unable to finish, lips were pressed to hers, the rookie pushing her legs apart to get in between them. It got messy fast. She moved her kisses down her neck, smirk pulling at her lips, beyond cocky in this moment. "You so fuckin' fine."

She pulled away to pull her sweats down her legs, tugging her panties along with them. "Why so quiet? Thought you said I couldn't handle all this. Not gon' talk your shit no more?" She voiced, pulling her shirt over her head so she was completely bare under her.

Skylar rolled her eyes, internally scolding herself for giving a cocky rookie so much power over her, "and you said I was on a power trip."

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