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plot: reader is in an unhappy marriage and alyssa brings a spark back to her life

trope: teammates to lovers

pairings: wbb! married! mom reader x alyssa thomas

warnings: cheating, slur, uh idk what else

a/n: y'all know i love a good mess 🤭 gabby williams or juju watkins fic next?

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It was 2023. Y/n had traded from the Washington Mystics to the Connecticut Sun. She wasn't nervous to join the Sun, despite what all the blogs said. Fans thought she and Alyssa Thomas would have issues as teammates given their history. And by history, I mean they did not like each other on the court. They were very much considered rivals.

But off the court? Y/n didn't have any problems with her and she hoped Alyssa didn't have issues with her either. They hardly ever talked outside of a court. She barely knew her. Truly, she had nothing but respect for her. She was honestly looking forward to finally playing beside her rather than against.

It was time for training camp, and y/n was running terribly late because her husband didn't want to take the kids to school so she had to do it herself. She finally got to the gym and entered, their eyes turning to her. Stephanie, their coach, didn't seem pleased. "You're late. That's not a very good first impression, y/n."

She walked over to her, deeply apologetic and it showed in her eyes. "I know, I'm so sorry. I had to drop my kids off at school."

Steph furrowed her brows, very aware of y/n's family and her husband who worked as a sports commentator. "Your husband couldn't do that?"

She glanced down at the floor unable to make eye contact out of embarrassment. Steph sighed, patting her back, "alright, don't worry about it. Get in there." Y/n nodded, thankful that this new coach actually understood her struggle. She walked onto the practice court, and Alyssa Thomas passed her a ball. "Welcome to the team."

She cracked the smallest smile, "thanks."

DeWanna ran over to her, bringing her into a hug. They went to Auburn together so they were pretty close friends. "We just talked on the phone yesterday," y/n deadpanned. DB chuckled, "that's not the same. How are you? Why are you late?"

"I had to drop the kids off at school," she explained, sending her a knowing look.

DeWanna sighed, sick and tired of him and the way he treated her best friend. "Look if you want me or my wife to take the kids to school in the morning so you can get your sleep, we can do that." Y/n smiled, patting her back gently, "I'll think about it. Thanks, D."

Their first day of training camp went pretty well. She did great defensively but her offense was poorly executed so she definitely needed to work on that. Not that she could focus on it much when she was rushing to change out of her clothes. She had to be at the school to pick up her kids because her husband was out with his friends.

As she pulled on her shirt, Alyssa had tapped on her shoulder to grab her attention. She turned around, tugging down her shirt, "yeah?" She really hoped this wasn't about her shitty shooting today or that'd be embarrassing.

"Did you wanna grab dinner with me tonight? Steph said it could uh..help us with our chemistry on the court." From the a couple feet away, DeWanna and DiJonai watching with smirks on their faces. They knew Alyssa had a thing for y/n. She had been thrilled when she heard y/n was coming to Sun.

She really wanted to say yes to that. She thought it was a great idea..but, she was still a mom and her kids came first. "I would love that but I have to pick up my kids and my husband's gonna expect dinner when he gets home so..."

"That's cool. You can bring the kids with you." DB glanced at y/n for her reaction, Nai nudging her with an excited little smile. Was she lowkey rooting for a love triangle here? Absolutely. She hated y/n's husband. She didn't forget when he was on a podcast and completely shitted on the WNBA and their players. He had no respect for his wife and it was insane to her. She was praying for her to leave his ass. And for a woman? Even better.

Y/n smiled, a little taken back by that, "really?"

"Mhm. I don't mind." Alyssa shrugged, not seeing the big deal in that.

"AT's for the kids." Nai comments with a supportive little thumbs up.

She chuckles, nodding her head, "okay, yeah. I'd love to do dinner. Do you have a specific place in mind?"

"Yeah, I'll text you the address. DB gave me your number."

Y/n smiled before rushing to grab her stuff remembering what time it was. "Shit, I'm gonna be late. Text me! I'll see you at dinner!" She exclaimed before running out.

"Okay AT! I ain't know you had game like that!" Nai grinned.

AT shot her a look, although behind that poker face she was very amused. "You need to stay outta grown folks business."

Y/n stopped outside her kids school, seeing them sitting on the steps waiting for her with a teacher standing near them. "Get inside babies!" They ran over to her car and climbed inside as the teacher walked over to the window. "I know, I'm late, it won't happen again. I'm really sorry."

"Your husband is always on time, so I'm not understanding why you're always late. Is there problems at home perhaps?"

Her kids both shared a look and quickly pulled on their seat belts. Y/n faked a smile, "no, and if there was, it's none of your business. Thank you for staying with them. Have a good rest of your day." She drove away and glanced in the rear view mirror momentarily to check if they had their seat belts on.

"How was school?"

Aria sighed, leaning her head against the window with a frown. "I miss Washington."

Her other daughter Hazel didn't feel the same way. She actually loved being in Connecticut now. She made friends easier than her little sister so that helped a little bit. But she still felt bad that her sister wasn't having a very good time at their new school. They had moved towards the end of the school year so that also didn't help much.

"I know baby, I'm sorry. But this is a good opportunity for mommy and daddy. You'll see, it just needs to grow on you." She nodded in response, looking out the window sadly. Y/n sighed, the guilt from moving here suddenly beginning to eat her up. She didn't have to leave Washington. In fact, she loved it there. Her kids loved it there. But, her husband took a job in Connecticut, and I'm sure you can guess what that made her do.

"Can we have pizza today?" Hazel asked.

"Uhm, actually, that reminds me. We are having dinner with one of my new teammates. Alyssa Thomas, you remember her?" Hazel and Aria shared a look, remembering exactly who that was. "Is she the one who bullies you?" Hazel asks.

Y/n chuckles, shaking her head in denial. "She doesn't bully me. We just get very competitive on the court. But you don't have to worry about that anymore 'cause we're on the same team now."

Aria squints, not sure how to feel. "I thought Daddy said he doesn't like her because she's a b-word."

Y/n rolls her eyes, remembering that dumb comment he made when Alyssa got a tech for pushing her down. She didn't take it personal but her husband did. "Well Daddy's stupid. He doesn't know what he's talking about. She's a good person. So I want you to promise you're gonna be on your best behavior. It's really important that she likes us."

Aria smiled, "okay Mommy. I'll be nice to her."

Hazel crossed her arms stubbornly, "I make no promises."

She pulled into the busy parking lot and her daughter's eyes widened when they seen they were at Dave & Buster's. They squealed in excitement, quick to unbuckle themselves and climb out. "Slow down!" She scolded, locking her car and taking their hands to hold onto so they didn't go running off in the busy lot.

She looked around, trying to spot AT and funnily enough her daughter did first. "There's your friend Mommy!" Aria giggled.

Y/n smiled and walked over, Aria skipping gleefully as Hazel hid behind her. "Hi, um these are my daughters." Aria smiled up at the basketball player, waving her hand, "hi, I'm Aria! And that's Hazel. She's shy." She teased, her older sister shooting her a glare. "Shut up! No I'm not!"

"Hey, watch your mouth," y/n scolded before shooting her teammate an apologetic look. "Sorry, they're just excited."

"It's okay." She reassured with a small chuckle, bending down to their height. "Hi, I'm your mom's teammate, Alyssa. You can call me AT or Lyss, whatever you prefer, whatever is easiest."

Hazel smiled softly, nodding her head, "okay." Maybe this lady wasn't so bad after her. She didn't seem at all like she saw on TV.

"Can I call you Lyssy?" Aria asked, a little lisp coming out the more she spoke. It was the cutest thing.

Alyssa nodded with a smile, "yeah you can."

"Come on Mommy!" Hazel pulled at her arm impatiently.

"Okay, okay, let's go." Y/n chuckled, holding onto her hand so she didn't go running off. Aria looked up at Alyssa as they walked, "can I hold your hand?" She nodded, holding out her hand and Aria smiled before grabbing onto it. Alyssa used her other free hand to open the door for them, y/n and Hazel stepping inside first.

They got to their seats and Aria insisted on sitting next to her new friend Lyssy. Hazel as usual sat beside her mom who sat across Alyssa. "We'll eat first and then we'll play the games, okay?" Y/n said towards her kids, and they nodded. They were hungry anyways.

"I don't know how to read." Aria whispered to Alyssa as y/n was helping Hazel go through the menu.

"That's okay. I'll read for you."

"Aria, I'll help you in a second sweetie-"

"That's okay. Lyssy's helping me," Aria replied. Y/n glanced up from the menu and smiled, mouthing a thank you to her teammate.

After ordering their food, Hazel had some questions for her mom's new friend. "Why did you bully my mom?" Y/n sighed, running a hand down her face as Alyssa chuckled. "Uhm..I don't think I bullied her. I feel like I was defending myself. Your mom isn't very innocent out there. She talks back a lot."

Her kids gasped, looking at their mom in betrayal. "You said we can't talk back so why do you get to talk back?!"

Y/n scoffed, "because I am an adult and you're children." They frowned, little glares on their faces. She turned to an amused Alyssa, "Hold on- no, no, no, you were not innocent either. In fact, most of our fights was me defending myself."

"What did you do to me in my rookie year? Answer that." Alyssa shot back with a knowing look.

Aria squints with an accusing tone, "what did you do Mommy?"

Y/n sighed, remembering what moment she was talking about. "I elbowed you in the face on a screen..."

Her daughters gasped, "mommy! That's mean!" Alyssa smiled smugly, y/n just sighed in exasperation. "You have to apologize," Aria frowned, leaning her head on Alyssa's arm.

"That was 9 years ago," Y/n deadpanned.

"You're the one who said accountability helps us grow as people. Are you a bad person?" Hazel asked, tilting her head curiously.

She huffed, hating when they used her words against her. "Fine." She turned to Alyssa, her daughter still leaning up against her arm with a smile. "Alyssa, I am sorry for hitting you in the face with my elbow..nine years ago." Aria glanced up at her, "do you accept her apology? You don't have to, it wasn't very good." She whispered, her mom frowning in offense.

"Yeah it sounded a little snobby," Hazel mumbled.

Alyssa chuckled at their little comments. "I accept your apology." Y/n sighed in relief, still annoyed that she had to give one but it was fine.

The food came and Aria had gotten a burger and fries that Alyssa cut up into smaller pieces for her so it didn't look so intimidating. Y/n took a bite of salad, not that she was very interested in it but Darren wanted her to lose weight so it was salad or nothing. She cleared her throat, "I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back. Can you watch them for a second?"

She nodded, "yeah, of course. I got them."

"Thanks."

Once she was gone, she turned to the girls. "You two play any sports?" Hazel smiled, nodding her head, "I play baseball like my dad." Alyssa raised a brow, "do you like it?" She shrugged slightly, "it's okay. I'm good at it but I like soccer more."

"I can't play any sports," Aria sighed, taking a bite of her fry.

"Why not?"

"'Cause Daddy doesn't want her to look like a boy." Hazel comments, reaching over to take one of the croutons on her mom's plate.

Alyssa scoffed under her breath. If she didn't like him before, she definitely didn't like him now. Everything she heard about this man frustrated her. He didn't even realize how great his family was. "If you got to play a sport, what would you choose? Maybe I can convince your mom to let you play."

"Basketball! I really like basketball." Aria grinned with a big toothy smile, one of front teeth missing.

"Really? Who's your favorite player? I won't be offended if you don't say me," she joked.

Aria giggles, "I really like my Mommy. She's the best player in the entire world."

Alyssa chuckles, nodding her head, "that's a very good choice."

"No, Sue Bird is the best player ever," Hazel argued.

"She is not!"

"She is too!"

"Alright, alright, how about we compromise? They're both the best players ever." Alyssa said, quickly settling them down before they got into a big argument.

They shrugged, "okay."

Y/n returned to the table, "everything good?" They nodded, and Hazel grabbed a fry to offer her. "Want a fry Mom?" She shook her head, "no, no, that's okay baby."

As Hazel rambled on about one of her teammate in baseball, Alyssa noticed y/n picking at her salad, not super interested in eating it. "Why aren't you eating? You don't like it?" Y/n glanced up, Hazel and Aria looking at them, growing nervously quiet.

"I'm just not that hungry," she lied.

Alyssa could see through her lies. She leaned over to grab y/n's salad and switched it with her plate. "Eat. I'm not gonna be satisfied until you take a bite." Y/n sighed, grabbing the fork and cutting off a piece of steak. She took a bite, and obviously it was the best thing she ate in weeks so she couldn't hide how good it was.

She tried to push it back but Alyssa pushed it back in front of her. "Keep it."

Aria smiled, taking another bite of her fry. "Can we get desert too?"

Y/n smiled, in a way better mood now. "Of course we can." Her phone buzzed and she sighed, answering the call from her husband. "Where the hell are you? Hazel had a game. I told you to take her today."

Y/n furrowed her brows, looking to her daughter, "you had a game today?"

Hazel sighed, nodding her head, "yeah..."

"Okay- okay, why are you yelling at me? No, no, I'm not doing this with you. I'm having dinner with my friend and the kids and you're interrupting. We can talk when I get home. Goodbye." She didn't give him a chance to respond, hanging up the phone and silencing it because she knew he was gonna try and call her again.

She turned to her eldest, "you wanna explain?"

"I don't like baseball anymore."

She sighed, already imagining what her husband was gonna have to say about this. He didn't even want Hazel in sports, same as Aria. The only reason he agreed was if Hazel played baseball. "You know what? Don't worry about it. We'll talk about this when we get home, okay?" She nods, sighing in relief, "okay."

"Who wants desert?" Alyssa asked, quickly taking their minds off the family issues.

"I do!" Aria giggled, leaning over to look at the menu.

They ordered some cake and it got there quick. They split it up so the kids only had a couple bites. Y/n stopped caring about her husband and finished the rest of the cake, not worried about the calories or sugar. The waiter set the tab down and Alyssa picked it up before y/n could. "Oh, no, I can pay for it. You don't gotta do that."

"I invited you. It's on me. Don't worry 'bout it." Alyssa said, setting her card down.

Y/n smiled, turning to the girls, "what do we say to Alyssa?"

"Thank you, Lyssy!" Aria giggled, hugging onto her arm.

Hazel smiled softy, already warming up to her, "thanks, Lyss."

Then it was time for the games, the girls were super excited, jumping with energy. Aria held Alyssa's hand, pulling her around, "I wanna play that one!"

She pointed to the racing ones and Alyssa knew she wasn't tall enough to actually use the pedals herself so she'd have to improvise. Y/n stood to the side as Hazel sat down in the other one. Lyss swiped the card and pulled Aria onto her lap. She let Aria control the wheel and everything as she pressed down onto the pedals. "I want the purple car!"

Y/n smiled, admiring the scene in front of her. She hadn't seen her girls so happy in months and that was all thanks to Alyssa. "I'm winning! Haha!" Aria bragged, crashing into her sister to get herself into the lead. "Cheater!" Hazel scoffed, trying to catch up again. She crossed the finish line in 1st place and squealed, turning to hug Alyssa. "We won! I did all the hard work but still, we win!"

"Mom, that's not fair. They cheated. It's two against one!" Hazel complained.

"Sore loser," Aria giggled.

"Okay, let's make it fair then." Hazel got out and Y/n took a seat, then pulled her daughter back onto her lap. "Don't cry when we beat you baby," Alyssa teased, swiping the card again. Hazel's jaw dropped, turning to look at her mom, she leaned up her ear, "I think she's flirting with you Mommy."

"You don't know what the means." Y/n dismissed, turning Hazel's head back to the screen.

"Mommy, are you gonna cry when we beat you?" Aria asked, genuinely concerned about it and Alyssa could not fight the laugh that escaped her. Her genuineness made it 10x funnier. Y/n laughed sarcastically, not amused with Alyssa's mocking laugh. "No, I will not be crying. Thank you for your concern Ari."

Hazel chose the orange car before the race had officially started. Aria and Alyssa were in the lead again. The girl glanced at them for a split second before leaning back into Alyssa to whisper to her. "We should let them win. So they won't be sad."

"That's a good idea." Alyssa whispered back, proud of her kindness.

She slowed down the car just a bit to let Hazel and y/n take the lead. They crossed the finish line in 1st and cheered. "Let's play another game!" Aria giggled, climbing off of Lyss and the woman quickly took her hand before she ran off.

They got to another game and Aria and Hazel played against each other as y/n and Lyss stood behind watching. She leaned over to Lyss, "you let us win, didn't you?"

Alyssa smiled, shrugging her shoulder, "Ari's idea."

She chuckled softly, "figured."

They played a bunch of other games, getting all kinds of tickets for the prizes. Aria pulled Alyssa over to the basketball game. "Can we play that one?!" Lyss nodded, quick to swipe her card. Aria picked up a ball and tried to shoot it but it airballed. She frowned sadly and Lyss didn't like that frown at all. "Here, I have an idea." Lyss picked up her and pulled her onto her shoulders.

Aria giggled as Lyss passed her a ball and she shot it, getting it into the hoop this time. They continued like that and got majority of them in the hoop. She set her back down but Ari insisted on being carried again so she held her up on her waist. "Let's go find your mom." Aria smiled, resting her head on her shoulder. "You're better than my dad. Mommy's happier around you."

Y/n spotted the two and smiled, waving them over. Hazel jumped excitedly, "we got so many tickets!"

"Let's go pick out some prizes," y/n spoke, pressing a kiss to Aria's cheek, the girl giggling. She made eye contact with Alyssa for a second, causing Aria to smirk. Hazel took her mom's hand and pulled her away. They scanned the tickets together and let the girls pick out whatever they wanted.

"I want that one!" Aria pointed to the Luigi stuffy and Alyssa picked it up for her.

"Oou, Mommy I want that one!" Hazel pointed to the Pikachu and y/n grabbed onto it and passed it to her. They got a couple more smaller toys before bringing them over to the desk. "I just wanted to say- y'all are legit the cutest family I ever seen." The woman at the desk said, causing the girls to giggle, glancing up their mom and Lyss for their reactions.

Y/n didn't bother to correct her. There wasn't a point. "That's very sweet. Thank you."

After that, they were on their way, the girls hugging onto their prizes with the biggest smiles on their faces. "This was the best day ever!" Aria giggled, jumping up and down excitedly. Y/n smiled, "I'm glad you girls had fun. Let's say bye to Alyssa now."

Aria frowned as Alyssa leaned down to her height. "Bye Lyssy." She awed, bringing the girl into a hug, "bye, peanut." Ari giggled at the nickname, hugging her tighter.

She pulled away and Hazel walked over with a shy smile. "Bye Lyss." She hugged her for a quick second before moving back over to her mom. "Alright girls, get in the car." She pulled open the door and they sighed, climbing inside and shutting the door.

She turned to Alyssa, reaching over to take one of her hands. "Thank you. We really needed this."

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'm glad I could give y'all a good time. You got a really nice family." Y/n smiled, nodding her head softly, "um..I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, uh, before you go. I think y'all should consider lettin' Aria play basketball. She's pretty talented..just like her mom." That brought another smile onto her face, glancing at the window to see her two girls peeking through it. They ducked down as soon as they seen her looking their way.

Aria glanced at her sister, "are they gonna kiss?"

"What? No way. That would be cheating."

Aria scoffed, "so? Daddy kisses his reporter friend all the time. Why can't Mommy kiss her friend?"

Hazel pursed her lips, nodding slowly, "good point."

"I'll talk to my husband about it," y/n replied, her smile fading just a bit when she mentioned him.

"You get home safe, alright?" She nodded and Alyssa pulled her closer before bringing her into a hug. She practically melted into her strong arms, burying her face into her neck. They stayed that way for a couple seconds before y/n pulled herself away. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," she mumbled, backing over to her door as she watched her walk away.

Aria leaned over the seat as she climbed into the driver's seat. "Are you blushing?"

Y/n rolled her eyes, leaning over to look at them. "Sit back down and put your seat belts on." She huffed, sitting back into her seat and pulling on her seat belt.

They were fast asleep by the time they got home. Y/n had to pick them up and carry them back into the house. She carried them up the stairs and set them down into their beds. After that, she went back downstairs at the same time her husband got home. He kicked off his shoes and walked over, "I've been calling you. Where the hell have you been?"

"I told you I was out with a friend and we had dinner with the girls," she explained calmly.

"What friend? I called DeWanna and you weren't with her so where the hell were you?"

"We were with Alyssa. My teammate. You remember her?" She retorts, walking to the kitchen as he followed her. "You brought my girls around that bitch?" She turned to him with a sharp glare, "watch your mouth. You don't know anything about her."

"I know she almost broke your fuckin' nose."

"So what? I almost broke hers. I don't see you using that against me." She picked up a wine glass and pouring herself a glass, frustrated with him. "She's a really good person and the girls love being around her."

He scoffed, "then maybe y'all should move in with her. I'm sure she'll do a lot better job than I ever could!"

She sighed, grabbing onto his hands, "babe, come on. Don't be like that. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just sayin', she's a good friend. It's better to have her as a friend than an enemy." He sighed, nodding his head in agreement. She smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek and resting her head against his chest. "I'm sorry. You're a good dad to our girls."

"That reminds me. I smoothed it over with Hazel's coach. We're good." He said, pulling away to open the freezer and grab a cold glass.

"About that...Hazel doesn't wanna play baseball anymore. She wants to play soccer..and I think we should let her. I think we should let both of our girls play sports. Aria likes basketball. We should let her try it out. What's the harm?" He didn't respond but she could tell by his body language that he was angry. That was what she worried about.

"You know it's bad enough Hazel is dressing like a boy. We don't need Aria to take after her." He stated, pouring himself a glass of bourbon. "What's wrong with that? They're kids. They're gonna express themselves either way. We shouldn't stand in the way of that. We should support them."

"Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want. Apparently my opinion doesn't fuckin' matter in this household." She sighed, watching as he picked up his keys and walked out of the kitchen. She followed after, "where are you goin'?" He pulled on his shoes and opened the door, "somewhere my opinion fuckin' matters."

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A week passed since that day. The Sun had their first game of the season tomorrow, and y/n was rushing to practice, again. Her girls were trailing behind her as she made her way into the arena. She walked down to the court, Hazel and Aria looking around as they followed her. "I'm sorry, I had to pull them out of school early."

"Lyssy!" Aria screamed, dropping her stuffy and running over to her friend.

Alyssa grinned, kneeling down as she ran into her arms. "Hey peanut."

Hazel walked over to DeWanna, taking a seat beside her. "Hey, Auntie." DeWanna smiled, pressing a kiss to her head, "hi, Hazel."

"Again, really sorry. Hazel got into a fight so I had to rush over to get her." Y/n explained to coach as she sat to pull on her basketball shoes.

DeWanna looked over to Hazel, disbelief on her features, "you got into a fight?"

"Did you win?" Alyssa asked, walking over with Aria clinging onto her.

"Yeah," Hazel grinned, and Lyss held her hand for a fist bump. "That's my girl."

Y/n and DeWanna sent her a scolding look and she pursed her lips awkwardly. "Actually- that's, that's bad. Fighting is bad. Don't do that."

DiJonai snickered, "what kind of fight was it? Did you throw hands?"

"I hit her with my lunchtray because she called my mom a slut after I took the last chocolate milk." Hazel explained and her mom's teammates shared a look, not exactly in objection to the fight anymore.

"She deserves it. She bullies me." Aria added, making it sound even more justified.

"Mind you, this is the same girl she has to play soccer against on Wednesday." Y/n remarked, getting up from her seat to walk over to her coach.

"Oh I gotta see that," Alyssa mumbled.

As they went on with practice, the girls were playing with a soccer ball on the side, their giggles brightening the environment. It distracted y/n for a bit because she didn't realize DiJonai calling out a screen and she ran right into Alyssa. She fell back onto the floor with a groan, splattered out on the court like a pancake.

Everyone winced, and her daughter's each looked over to see why it got so quiet. "You okay mom?" Aria asked. Y/n raised her hand to give her a thumbs up, not bothering to get up yet. They giggled before returning to their activities with the soccer ball.

Alyssa stood over her, "you good?" Y/n took a breath before nodding, taking her outstretched hand and getting up all the floor.

They kept going with practice and Alyssa sat down to the side to take a breather. Hazel walked over to stand behind her, resting her chin on her shoulder. "My dad doesn't want to come to my soccer games," she mumbled sadly. Alyssa took her eyes off the practice to look at the girl, "why not?"

"'Cause he only wants me to play baseball."

"Well, how 'bout this? I'll go to your soccer games."

Hazel's eyes brightened, a small smile finding her lips, "really?"

"Yeah. Who else is gonna cheer you on? I bet your mom embarrasses you with all her affection." Hazel groans dramatically, nodding her head in agreement. "She does! She's so embarrassing. And she's always telling me to be careful like I'm a baby bird who fell out of a nest."

Alyssa winces dramatically, "ooh, that's terrible."

"Finally someone gets it!" Hazel expressed.

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"Are we there yet?"

Y/n chuckled, glancing over her shoulder to see Aria. "We're almost there. Just a couple more minutes."

"Mommy, why is Lyssy's car cleaner than yours?" Aria asked, looking around the clean backseat. Alyssa tried to stifle a laugh as she drove, spotting y/n's annoyed expression in the corner of her eye. "Maybe 'cause she doesn't have two little girls who tear apart her car with food crumbs and sugary drinks," she retorts.

"Are you talking about me?" Aria frowned.

"No. I'm talking about the imaginary ghosts in our car."

She look horrified by her answer. "We have ghosts in our car?!"

Alyssa chuckled, "I don't think she understands the concept of sarcasm yet." Y/n pursed her lips awkwardly as Lyss reached over to casually pat her thigh.

"We have to call the Ghostbusters, right?" Aria asked, still very concerned with these ghosts.

"There aren't any ghosts, peanut. Your mom's just playing a joke on you." Alyssa said, causing y/n to scoff in offense, only for her to give her thigh a small squeeze, thumb drawing small circles along her smooth skin. Aria glares at her, "that's not funny, Mom!"

She sighed, pushing her sunglasses down, "I know. I'm sorry." She glanced down at Alyssa's hand, and she didn't bother to move it. It was the smallest act of affection. Affection she hadn't felt in a very long time. She couldn't remember the last time her husband did that...let alone drive for her. And fuck did she hate driving.

"Are we there yet?"

Alyssa stopped the car, parking them in the lot with the rest of the parents. "Yes, we are."

"Yay!" Aria giggled, unbuckling her seatbelt excitedly.

Y/n climbed out, just in a cute pair of denim shorts with her daughter's jersey, even though it was a bit too small because they got the size wrong. Alyssa picked Aria up and they walked down the field where the game was taking place. "Y/n! AT!" They looked over to see DeWanna and DiJonai waving them over. Nai had on Hazel's jersey, ready to cheer her on.

Aria jumped down to run over to DeWanna, jumping into her arms excitedly like she hadn't just seen her the day before. "You look so fine," DiJonai smirked,, taking y/n's hand to twirl her.

She blushed, "thank you, Nai."

They spotted the girls, Hazel looking over to wave at her family, still a little disappointed her dad was a no show again. But the way they cheered her on quickly distracted her from that. "That's my baby! Woo!" Y/n cheered, Alyssa's hand set on her back. Hazel groaned, looking away in embarrassment, "mommm."

Alyssa chuckled, just knowing Hazel was already mortified. She glanced around them, seeing the other mom's give strange looks to y/n. DiJonai stood beside them and quickly picked on it, shooting them all glares. "Mind your business!"

DeWanna chuckled, pulling Nai back into her seat, "alright, calm down."

Throughout the game, Hazel scored a couple goals, her mom, and her teammates cheered her on. It was towards the end of the game when things started to heat up. Hazel had waved to her mom and Alyssa after celebrating her goal. And her opponent, the same girl who she got into it with at school, had noticed.

Alyssa had an arm wrapped around y/n's waist, and she didn't shrug it off or show discomfort at all so she kept it there. In fact, y/n leaned into her with a small smile. She had never felt more comfortable than she did now. It was a good feeling. She felt complete again. She felt like her family was complete. Her husband...he was nonexistent in this moment.

Hazel took a breath, trying to remain calm and collected like Alyssa taught her. But it was becoming difficult with her bully right in her face. The blonde girl scoffs, glancing at Hazel's parents- I mean, her mom and Alyssa. "Wow. Not only is your mom a slut but she's a faggot too."

That did it. In a flash, Hazel tackled the girl onto the grass with a scream. Parents gasped at the scene as Alyssa and Y/n ran onto the field. "Take it back!" She grabbed onto her hair as the girl screamed, "get off me!" Alyssa ran over and hooked her arms around Hazel and pulled her off the girl. "Let her go. Come on. Let go."

Y/n helped the girl off the floor, "oh, my god, are you okay?"

"Hey, get your hands off my daughter!" Y/n was pushed away, stumbling into Alyssa who hooked an arm around her to keep her from jumping at that mom. "What's your problem? I'm trying to help!"

"You need to teach your daughter how to control herself! That's my problem!"

"She started it!" Hazel exclaimed, flailing around in AT's arms. "She called my mom a faggot!"

"No I didn't! She's lying!"

"Oh I'll show you a liar! You little bi-" Alyssa quickly covered her mouth before she got herself into more trouble.

"If you controlled your little homophobic daughter- which I'm sure she's picking up from you, maybe my daughter wouldn't have to exercise the right to defend herself!" Y/n exclaimed as Alyssa pulled her away before another fight started. "Come on, baby. She ain't worth it."

"Yeah and she sucks at soccer!" Hazel added.

"Alright, let's get outta here. Come on." Alyssa ushered her away, Hazel going slump in her arms, arms crossed over her chest with a scowl. "Oh, my gosh. Are y'all okay?" DeWanna asked, Aria in her arms completely confused about whatever just happened.

DiJonai held her fist for a suble fist bump and Hazel smirked, bumping her small fist into hers.

"Yeah, I'm cool. That lady trippin'." Y/n shrugged, her hand intertwined with Alyssa's.

"We still goin' out for dinner?" DiJonai asked.

"Mhm, we gotta celebrate Hazel's win." Y/n nods and Hazel smiled, very proud of herself for winning the game by 4...and winning the fight. "Can I ride with Auntie and Nai? Please mom!" Hazel begged, holding onto Nai's hand with puppy dog eyes.

She looked to DB who shrugged a shoulder, "it's cool wit' me."

"Alright, I guess you can. But please be on your best behavior." Y/n said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Hazel turned her head to look at Alyssa, "can you put me down now?"

"If I let you go..you promise you not gon' run over and tackle that girl again?" Hazel sighed, nodding her head, "I promise."

She set her down and Hazel glanced behind her but AT turned her head away, "you wanna be in air jail again?" She huffed, shaking her head, "no." She nudged her over to DeWanna, "go on. Behave."

Hazel laughs, running over to DiJonai and blowing fake jabs at her as she pretended like they killed her. Aria giggled in amusement, resting her head on DeWanna's shoulder. She sighs, "great, now I gotta babysit three kids," she jokes, making her way towards her car.

Y/n chuckles, "good luck!"

Alyssa pulled her over to her car, glad they were gonna be alone for the drive. As y/n got into the car, Hazel ran over to Alyssa, the woman looking down at her. "What is it, sweetie?" She looked nervous, fiddling with her hands. "Um..I just wanted to say thanks for coming to my game."

"Well you did come to my game so I'd say were even," she joked, quickly cheering up the girl. Hazel giggled, hugging her for a couple seconds before running back over to DeWanna's car.

She stepped back into the car, and y/n reached over to take her hand. "I really appreciate you doing all this, Lyss." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

She brought y/n's hand to her lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "You know I'ma always be there for you, right?"

She smiled, nodding her head softly, "yeah, I know."

Later that night, after putting the girls to bed, they walked downstairs. "Did you want something to drink?" Y/n asked, showing her to the kitchen. Maybe it was just an excuse to get to stay longer. "I'm good."

Typically, y/n would reach for a bottle of wine, but this time she didn't. The wine was to relieve the stress of dealing with her husband. And for the first time in a very long time..she didn't need it. Alyssa didn't stress her out. She relieved it. That was the difference. In fact, there was many differences between them. But it'd take all day to go through that list.

She turned and Alyssa's hand grabbed onto her waist, the other reaching to place on her cheek. Her breath hitched, body pressed against hers, hardly any space between their lips. "I been waitin' to do this since my rookie year." She closed the gap between them, y/n melting into the kiss. It wasn't surprising to say she hadn't been kissed like this in years.

Pulling away for air, they couldn't fight their smiles. "You uh..you wanna stay the night? I don't want you drivin' so late at night."

Alyssa knew that was an excuse and she didn't care. "I'd love to stay."

"Cool- um, let me get you a blanket and pillow. Are you okay with the couch? Cause I can take the couch if you want the bed..?" She spoke, a stuttering mess in front of her.

"The couch is fine."

"O-Okay. I'll be right back. Just-- wait in the living room." She walked down the hall to find the closet of spare blankets and sheets. She grabbed a pillow and blanket before walking back over to the living room, finding Alyssa sitting there, a picture of y/n and Darren from their wedding. "Why'd you marry him?"

She sighed, taking a seat beside her, glancing over the picture. She looked so happy in it. And she was the only one who knew how fake that smile was. "I got..uh, I got pregnant. As soon as he found out, he proposed. It was just one of those situational things. He was the first guy I ever dated so...I just thought maybe he was the one I was meant to be with."

Alyssa set the picture down and turned to her. "You think you were wrong?"

She nods, "I know I was wrong."

She leaned in closer, voice barely above a whisper, "what changed your mind?"

"You kissed me with more passion than my husband did the entire twenty years I've been with him." A tear rolled down her cheek, a tear of pain and realization. It wasn't just about passion either. It was about the genuine care Alyssa had for her. She valued her feelings, her time, her daughters. She was doing everything her husband didn't and more.

"This entire time I've known you..you've made me realize my self worth. I don't deserve to be treated the way he treats me. I don't deserve to be cheated on when I'm off at practice or watching the kids at home." Of course she knew. She wasn't stupid. She smelled the perfume on him. She seen all the signs. There was just that part of her that hoped he'd change and realize how important his family was. How important his wife was.

That part of her finally just gave up.

Alyssa cupped her cheek softly, wiping the stray tear with her thumb. "I'm sorry I didn't come for you and your girls sooner." There it was. The genuineness, the love, the caring. She didn't just want y/n. She wanted everything she came with.

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course I mean that, baby. I wanna pick up the girls from school. I wanna go to soccer games. I wanna help 'em get ready for school dances. I wanna spend the weekends with you and your girls. I wanna be in y'alls life. Not temporarily but permanently. Let me be there. Let me love you and your girls like y'all deserve."

She couldn't control the tears that fell, but they weren't sad, they were happy. Alyssa's strong arms wrapped around her. She melted into the embrace. She pulled her onto her lap, leaving a small peck just below her jawline. Y/n pulled away slowly, pushing some of Lyss's stray curls away. "I want you to be there too. And I want you to sleep in our bed tonight."

Alyssa smiled, bringing her into a kiss she smiled into. Then they heard the little voice by the stairs. "What are you doing?" It was Aria.

Y/n pulled away and jumped off her lap, quickly getting to her feet. "Uhm- nothing. What are you doing awake?"

"I was thirsty." She tilts her little head, "are you and daddy getting a divorce?"

She gulped, "w-what makes you think that sweetheart?"

Aria held her Luigi stuffy closer, "because you like Lyssy in the way Hazel likes her friend Mari." She froze, knowing she was no supposed to say that. "You didn't hear that."

Alyssa chuckles, getting up and walking over, scooping her off the stairs. "Let's get you something to drink. You want water or milk?"

Aria giggles, "can I have strawberry milk?" Lyss smiled, tapping her nose, "I think we can make an exception to that."

Y/n smiled warmly, following her to the kitchen. Alyssa set Aria on the counter and poured her a cup of strawberry milk. "So..who's this Mari girl?" Alyssa questioned, and y/n chuckled softly at her being overprotective already. Aria giggled, "she's a fifth grader and she plays on the basketball team."

"Basketball?" Lyss pursed her lips, receiving a look from y/n. "What? I'm not gon' do nothing." Y/n scoffed, "yeah I'm sure."

"Hypothetically...how interested are you in joining the basketball team?" Alyssa asked, looking to Aria for an answer.

"Alyssa-"

"What? I'm just saying, it might be good for Aria to join the team early," Alyssa shrugged as Aria smiled, taking a sip of her milk. She got a pointed look, making her smile sheepishly. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. She'll join next year." The little girl giggled, finding her mom's face amusing.

"Hey sweetheart. What would you say if me and Daddy did get a divorce?" Y/n asked.

"I don't know. Hazel says it already feels like you are." That made y/n a little sad to hear. She tried so hard to keep their marriage together she hadn't ever asked the girls how they felt about it. Aria reached over to take her hand, "I just want you to be happy again."

Y/n smiled, pulling her into a hug as Lyss rubbed her back gently. "I am, baby. I'm happy. I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Aria sniffled, on the verge of tears, "daddy doesn't treat you good. He's bad. I hate him."

"I know, baby. I know. But I don't want you to hate him because of me."

She pulled away, shaking her head. "He's not a good daddy. Hazel cries to sleep all the time because he never shows up. And I know he won't show up tomorrow." Ever since the argument, Darren refused to come home and said he'd pick up Hazel and Aria to spend the day with and so far he had only gone through with it twice. The other times he didn't show up and sometimes y/n would have to leave practice early to pick the girls up at school because he bailed.

"I don't want to see him tomorrow even if he does show up." Aria mumbled, wiping her tears to finish the rest of her milk.

"That's okay. You don't have to." She reassured, pressing a kiss to her head.

Alyssa picked her up, "let's get you back to bed, peanut."

Y/n switched off the lights downstairs and followed them up. After laying Aria down, she peeked into Hazel's room. She was sound asleep. She shut the door and took Alyssa's hand to pull her down the hall to their bedroom. She took a deep breath before turning to her. "I'm gonna call my lawyer in the morning. I'm done trying to fix it. I don't want to be married to him anymore."

Alyssa cupped her face gently, "I'll be with you every step of the way baby."

She pulled her in, it was slow kiss until y/n hand moved to the back of her neck to deepen it. Then it gets messy. She pulled away to gently nudge her back onto the bed. Y/n was just a little bit nervous. Obviously she had never been with a woman before, so this was entirely new territory for her. She hadn't once questioned her sexuality with Alyssa either. It wasn't necessary for her. She didn't care for labels. She just wanted Alyssa. That's it. That's all.

Lyss pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the side, leaving her breath to hitch with anticipation. "You ever been with a woman before?"

She shook her head, voice barely above a whisper, "no."

Alyssa smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips, hands reaching for the hem of her shirt. She pulled it over her head, discarding it to the floor. "That's okay. We'll take it nice and slow, alright baby?"

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It was morning, Alyssa stood on the porch, watching Hazel sitting on the sidewalk waiting for her dad to pick her up. They let her take a "sick" day specifically so she could have the day with him. He was supposed to pick her up two hours ago. But she was still hopeful. She figured he was probably just running late.

Aria stepped outside with a yawn, squinting at the sunlight. "Why is Mommy still sleeping?"

Alyssa scooped her up, "Mommy just had a long night. Let's let her rest." Aria hummed, eyes drooping again as she laid her head on Alyssa's shoulder. She sighs at the sight of her sister, "he's not coming, is he?"

"I don't think so, peanut."

Alyssa walked down the steps and headed to the sidewalk, Hazel looking up at her with sad eyes. Nothing needed to be said. The silence was plenty. She extended her hand and Hazel took it. She led the girl back inside and she stormed up to her room in tears. She set Aria onto the couch and turned on the TV. "Watch some cartoons. I'mma go talk to your sister." Aria nods, laying down as SpongeBob played on the TV.

She headed upstairs to Hazel's room, quietly knocking against the door. "Can I come in?" Not receiving a response she opened up the door to peek inside. Hazel was curled up on her bed, sobbing into her arms. She sighed, walking over and taking a seat, not wasting a second to pull the girl into her arms.

An hour had passed when y/n was woken up by her phone ringing. She groaned, reaching over to answer the call. "Hello?" She was far too tired to open her eyes so she hadn't even seen who it was.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know somethin' came up so I can't pick up the girls today. Tell them I'm sorry." Y/n rolled her eyes, his stupid voice sending her into a boiling rage. "God, you're such a fucking asshole."

"Excuse me?"

"You fucking heard me. I'm sick of you letting down my babies time and time again. In fact- where the fuck are you right now?" She stood up, walking over to her closet to get dressed. "I told you for the millionth time- I am busy. I can't devote all of my spare time taking care of the girls 'cause you want a fucking spa day."

"You know what? I'm not doin' this over the phone. I got your location. We can talk in person." She hung up and grabbed her keys off the table before exiting the room. She walked downstairs, finding Lyss and the kids watching SpongeBob and eating breakfast.

Alyssa raised a brow, "where are you goin'?"

"I have to take care of something. Can you watch the girls for an hour?" She picked up her purse and slipped on some shoes as Lyss got up cautiously. The energy shifted as soon as she heard her keys jingling down the stairs. "I mean- yeah, but where are you goin'? I don't think you should be drivin' in such a bad mood."

"I'll be back as soon as possible and we'll take the girls karting like their father had failed to do." She pressed a peck to her lips and was out the door, her girls cheering at the mention of karting. Alyssa snapped out of her daze and ran outside to try and stop her but it was too late. She was pulling out of the driveway and gone.

Hazel furrowed her brows, looking to her little sister. "Did Mommy and Lyss just kiss?"

Aria giggled, nodding her head, "yeah, Mommy and Daddy are getting a divorce."

Hazel hummed, "saw that coming."

After twenty minutes later, y/n pulled her car into a driveway where she seen her husband's car parked. "Hotel my ass," she muttered, climbing out and storming up to the front door. She hit the door bell and waited patiently for someone to answer.

A woman opened the door, no doubt wearing nothing underneath her robe. She knew exactly who y/n was, and that's what made her nervous. "Um..hello? Do I know you?"

"Spare me the lies. Where's my husband?" She pushed past her to walk inside, her husband turning the corner and freezing at the sight of her. "Y/n? W-What are you doing here?"

She walked over to him and slapped him across his face, the mistress gasping behind her. "That's for making your daughter cry!" She ran over to him, "oh my god! Are you insane?!" Y/n rolled her eyes, "relax princess, he's not gonna die from a slap."

His jaw clenched, reaching to grab her arm roughly, "what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Me? Oh, let me catch you up. I've finally realized my worth, and I want a divorce." She smiled sarcastically, "Are you caught up now?"

"Alright...you want a divorce? Fine. We'll get a divorce, but I'm getting custody of my kids."

She hummed, not buying a thing he said. Realistically, with all the proof she had, and majority of her income, she would win a custody battle. "Yeah we'll see about that Darren. But hey, enjoy your day off with your favorite mistress and my lawyer will send you the papers." She pulled her arm out of his grasp and backed up.

"Hey, you remember that paper I made you sign before we got married?" She asked, causing him to furrow his brows in confusion. "The marriage paperwork?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Uh, it's actually a prenup. So, good luck. I got your girl's address so I know where to send all your shit. Bye now." She smiled, waving her hand before turning and walking out. She ignored the calls of her name, amused with his panicked state.

Back at home, they were in the backyard and Hazel and Aria were trying to push Alyssa into the pool. Y/n set her stuff down in the kitchen, and hearing the little screams in the backyard, she walked out there to see what was going on. "What's going on?" They froze, and Hazel took the distraction as a chance to push Alyssa into the pool.

She fell in and the girls busted out laughing. Y/n crossed her arms, "why are we pushing Alyssa into the pool?" Alyssa came to the surface, wiping the water from her face. "Baby, help me out. They're bullying me." She walked over and took Alyssa's hand to pull her out only for her to pull in.

The girls fell to the floor in laughter as y/n rose to the surface with a gasp. "You tricked me!"

Alyssa laughed, sliding her arms around her waist. "You fell for it," she shot back. She pulled her closer, "you feel better baby?" Y/n smiled, nodding her head in response. This was her life now. Just her, Alyssa, and their two girls. It couldn't have been more perfect. Alyssa smiled, bringing her into a kiss.

"Ew!"

Y/n rolled her eyes, holding her hand out, "come help Mommy out."

Aria fell for it immediately. "Okay!" She took her hand and y/n yanked her into the water.

Hazel laughed, "ha! I can't believe you fell for that!" Too busy laughing at her sister she hadn't realized Alyssa climbed out the pool and was standing right behind her. She screamed with Lyss scooped her up and jumped into the pool.

"That was so not funny," Hazel huffed.

"It was funny when you did it to me," Lyss shot back, splashing some water in her face.

She giggled, "you should've seen your face."

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