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plot: in which, a game of truth or dare leaves rhyne wanting caitlin's girlfriend to be hers

trope: teammates to lovers

pairings: wbb! reader x rhyne howard/ reader x caitlin clark

warnings: foul language, c*nnor mention, cheating

a/n: as expected, rhyne won the vote 🙂‍↕️ creds to ciaraloveswbb for the idea 🫶 who do y'all want for the next vote?

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It was 2019, and of course y/n had been selected with Caitlin to play for team USA. They had a rest day basically and Aliyah thought I'd be a good idea to invite all the girls over to talk and play games. They couldn't exactly drink either being underage and all. A couple of them went, some of them unable to join because they were sleeping or just didn't want to stay up too late. Caitlin and y/n weren't those people.

They got there when their teammates Rhyne and Naz did. Y/n really liked Rhy. She thought they had a lot of common and played very similarly. Their chemistry on the court was great. But of course, the best person she had chemistry on the court with was Caitlin, her girlfriend since freshman year of high-school. They weren't out to everybody, but people close to them knew.

"I brought Uno." y/n announced as she walked into Aliyah's hotel, Caitlin's arm around her waist.

"I'm the best at Uno." Paige stated in a cocky manner as she sipped on her shirley temple.

"You just made that up." Rhyne shot back, grabbing some of the chips on the bed as y/n settled on the floor next to Paige. "Why would I make that up?" As those two started bickering, y/n was shuffling the cards together as they all gathered on the floor with blankets and pillows. Caitlin wrapped her arms around her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Hey, hey, hey, that's cheating!" Paige accused.

"What?" Caitlin laughed, not seeing a problem with her actions.

"You can see the cards!"

"I'm not even playing. I suck at Uno." Caitlin defended, even though she wanted to play, she wanted to be close to her girlfriend even more. Y/n smiles as Caitlin holds her closer. She passed out the cards, leaning over to let Rhyne get her own. Paige scoffs, "why does she get to pick her own?" Y/n shot the blonde a look, "cause she ran suicides wit' me and y'all didn't."

Paige held her hands up in mock surrender, "you were the one who sassed coach, not us."

"Oh please. I only said what everybody was thinkin'." She muttered, passing out the rest of the cards before picking out her own.

"Cait, why didn't you run suicides with her?" Aliyah questioned.

Caitlin shrugs, "I'm not suffering the consequences of her acting like a brat. I already deal with that on the daily basis. I don't need to be punished for it." Y/n smiles sheepishly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "It's true. I love being a brat. It's exciting."

"Not when you're acting like a brat on the court." Rhyne shot back playfully to bring a smile out of her.

She shrugs, leaning into her girlfriend. "You love it."

The game ended up heated, y/n and Paige arguing in the end because she won and Paige accused Caitlin of helping her cheat. "Let's play something else!" Naz proposed. It finally got the two to quiet down. "Truth or dare?" Hailey proposed.

"I like dares," y/n shrugs, all for the game and they eventually all agreed to it.

"Let's use a bottle." Aliyah grabbed a bottle on the table and set it in the middle of them. "I'll go first." At some point, it was y/n's turn. She spun the bottle and it landed on Rhyne. "Truth or dare, Rhy?" Rhyne smiled shyly, "um..truth?"

"Am I your favorite teammate?"

She chuckled before nodding her head, "yes, you are."

Rhyne spun it and it landed on Caitlin who immediately answered with dare. She knew exactly what to say because the fact was, Caitlin was always touching y/n in some way and it became concerning at some point. "Okay um...I dare you to not touch y/n for the rest of the night."

Caitlin's jaw dropped, "what?"

"Are you gonna die without touching her?" Paige chuckled.

"Maybe." Y/n smiled, and pressed a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek. "It's fine. It's just until we get back to our room." Caitlin sighed and scooted away from her, keeping a distance so they didn't even brush arms.

Eventually they got to Paige, who tried to spin it so it landed on y/n and she was successful. She wanted to be a little messy tonight, so she knew what to say if y/n said either. "Truth or dare?" Y/n hummed in thought, "dare. Momma ain't raised no bitch." Aliyah grinned, applauding her words, "period."

Paige wore an evil smirk on her face before she said it. "I dare you to kiss Rhyne. On the lips."

Everyone's eyes widened as y/n and Rhyne locked eyes. The blonde smirked when she seen it. It wasn't even something she saw. Her girlfriend Azzi saw it when they were on FaceTime and the two had jumped in to say hi. She just wanted to see if she was onto something. Y/n looked to Caitlin for permission and she had really contemplated it. "I guess I can allow it. It's just a game, right?"

Rhyne nodded to reassure her and Caitlin shrugs, "go for it."

"Oh shit," Naz quickly reached for her phone to record this.

Y/n smirked, brushing her hair over her shoulder before she crawled over to her teammate. Rhyne was tense but immediately relaxed when y/n placed a hand on her shoulder and the other on her cheek. Aliyah covered Caitlin's eyes for it. She leaned in, pressing their lips together hungrily. Rhyne's hands flew to her waist to pull her in. Y/n could help but deepen it. Rhy was such a good kisser she could keep going until she couldn't breathe.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Caitlin said, holding Aliyah's hands over her eyes, surprised they were still going.

Y/n smiled and pulled away, sitting back down. "You happy now, Paige?"

Paige smiles, "I'm satisfied."

Rhyne wasn't. She wanted more.

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It was 2025 now. It had been years since that night. Y/n and Rhyne weren't that close anymore. They'd run into each other a lot, but they didn't keep in contact often. She'd been in the league for a year now, drafted by Connecticut Sun in 2024. She requested a trade to be with her girlfriend in Indiana, a trade that was granted to her. Only, nobody knew Caitlin was her girlfriend. Not even their teammates, just the select few Caitlin trusted.

It was something Caitlin and her team approved to help her image since she was getting so popular. She'd have a PR boyfriend, and that boy was her friend from college, Connor. He agreed to it for the fame and money. Y/n didn't agreed to any of this but Caitlin convinced her of it. She said it'd only be for a year and then they'd stage some public break up and she'd claim y/n as her girlfriend a couple months after.

It had surpassed a year.

Y/n was getting tired of it. She didn't even want to be in Indiana anymore. She lost all love for basketball. All her friends were Caitlin's friends. She felt so disconnected and alone. It sucked. It was a horrible feeling. She hated it. She missed the old days in college and high school when Caitlin wasn't scared to touch her or kiss her in front of teammates.

She felt isolated.

It was May 22nd, the day of the Fever vs Dream game. Rhyne looked forward to the Indiana games. Not because of the team, or fans. Because of y/n. She always looked forward to seeing her. She never stopped thinking of her, thinking of that kiss during a silly game of truth or dare. She should've left it alone. Dropped it. But she couldn't. She wouldn't stop until she got her. Unfortunately, the only thing getting in between them was Caitlin Clark.

It was infuriating, truly. To see y/n be hidden in her own relationship. It disgusted her. She couldn't image doing that to the girl she loved. She wanted to save her from that. But everytime she tried to talk to her, Caitlin was there. She was always there. She knew y/n liked her. There was no way she didn't. Rhyne watched the video back, a little too much, but she saw it. She saw the way y/n melted into her touch. She could still feel the way y/n's little gasp when she pulled her in. She could still feel the warmth of her tongue. There was no way y/n didn't think about her, or the kiss.

Y/n was walking out for warmups and spotted Rhyne shooting 3s. She ran over and playfully tried to block her. Rhyne laughed, not paying attention to that anymore. "You play too much." Y/n grinned, bringing her into a hug. "You love it."

"Y/n!" Caitlin beckoned her over and y/n sighed, pulling away from Rhyne. "I'll see you later."

Rhyne smiled, rubbing her waist, "see you."

The game started, and before that y/n walked over to greet Rhyne on the court, sharing a little hug with her. Caitlin took her hand to pull her away and pointed over to where her position was. "Focus, okay?" Y/n sighed and nodded before Caitlin moved to get in her own position. She didn't like to be bossed around by her girlfriend. That was probably her least favorite thing about being in Indiana. She didn't have to worry about that in college.

It happened in the first quarter. The altercation. One minute, Caitlin had the possession, Rhyne was guarding her, and the next? Rhyne was getting in her face, both of them having words for each other. Y/n ran over, not sure what happened. She pulled Caitlin away, unsure what was happening or what was said. If it was up to Caitlin, she would've kissed y/n right in front of her just to rub salt in the wound. She wasn't fucking stupid. She knew all about Rhyne's little crush on her girlfriend.

Hours after the game, y/n was laying in bed with Caitlin, the brunette turned on her side fast asleep. She carefully slipped out of bed and changed clothes. Thanks to Allisha, she got Rhyne's address after the game. She got an Uber, and it took her downtown to an apartment building most of the Atlanta team reside in. She called Lish who rushed downstairs to let her inside.

"What took you so long?" Lish asked, leading her to the elevator.

"Sorry, Cait wanted to celebrate the win. Is she still awake?" She tucked her hands into her sweater pockets as Lish clicked the button to her floor, the same floor Rhy lived on. "She should be. She don't know you're comin' though. I didn't tell her nothin'."

"I'm just here to talk though so.." Lish nods, faking a smile because she saw through that. "Mhm."

They stepped out and Lish pointed to the door down the hall. "That's hers. Good luck." Lish smiles before walking back to her own place.

She took a breath before walking over to her door and knocking on it. A couple seconds passed before she heard the locks. Rhyne pulled the door open, very surprised to see her. "Um..how'd you knkw where I live?" She pursed her lips, "uh- Lish told me. I hope that's okay. I wanted to check on you. You looked pretty bummed out after the game."

Rhyne fought her smile before pulling it open wider to let her inside. She pulled off her shoes and set them to the side. "I think everyone gets a little bummed out after losing, but I appreciate you checking on me anyways."

"I like your place. It's nice."

"Thanks."

"Wish I had my own place," she mumbled, glancing over the Legos on the table.

Rhyne furrowed her brows slightly as she walked over to the kitchen to pour her a glass. "You don't?"

"Not really. Caitlin insisted I move in with her. I like living with my girlfriend but...sometimes you just need a break, ya know?" Rhyne passed her a glass of water that she gladly took while mumbling a thank you. "I get it. I mean..you guys have been together for a while, right?" Y/n sighs, not sure if that was a good thing anymore. "Yeah."

"Uh..I wanted to apologize for Caitlin about what happened-"

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'm over it."

She set the glass down, not sure what else to say. Rhyne couldn't hold it anymore. She had questions. Lots of them. "You ever think about that night? Truth or dare?" Y/n's eyes flickered up to her, and she shifted uncomfortably. "Uh..sometimes. I guess I miss when we were all close like that. I barely talk to Paige anymore. I don't talk to Hailey at all. I'm not that close with Aliyah. I'd say she's closer with Cait. And we hardly talk at all."

"It doesn't have to be like that."

"Yes it does."

Rhyne walked around the island, and y/n took a step back to keep a fair distance. "Why?"

"You know why."

"No, I don't. Tell me why."

"Cause you don't want friendship wit' me." Her lips curled up to smile a tiny bit, not about to deny that. What did she have to lie about? "Really? What makes you think that?" Y/n couldn't look at her, something that bothered Rhy just a bit. "I seen the video. So has Caitlin. She doesn't think it's a good idea for us to be friends."

Rhyne sighed, annoyed with constant mention of Caitlin. "Why do you let her treat you that way?"

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Come on, don't lie to me. I know all about this PR bullshit. She's ashamed of you." Y/n shook her head, not believing that. "No. No, she's not." Rhyne rolled her eyes, taking another step to take her hand. "Yes, she is. You know it. I know you do. That's why you're here. You want out." She tilted her head back up so she could look at her when she spoke. "You want me, the same way I want you. 'Cause you still think about me. You still think about that kiss, the way I made you feel during it. I can give you that again, baby."

Y/n took a breath, feeling Rhyne's thumb brushing over her knuckles. She missed her touch. Deep down, she knew she was right. She read her like a book. "Truth or dare, Rhy?"

Rhyne squints, "dare."

"I dare you to kiss me."

With no hesitation, she crashed their lips together, hands sliding around her waist. She smiled into it, body melting into her touch. "Show me what I been missin', Rhy."

She slipped her hands lower, grabbing onto the back of her thighs to lift her up. She carried her to her room, laying her down on the bed and standing up to pull her shirt off. "I'll treat you so much better than she ever did." Her eyes softened, and Rhy leaned down to press a kiss to her soft lips. "You're so beautiful."

"Make me forget about her."

"I'mma do better than that."

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It was All Star weekend. Rhyne hadn't heard from y/n in weeks, and that went for Caitlin as well. But she knew y/n wasn't avoiding her on purpose. She left the Fever as well, requesting them to politely waive her. She moved all her stuff out of Caitlin's place, not before she broke up with her. And she took a vacation with her family and friends from back home. She needed to figure out who she was again. She needed to love herself. She couldn't do that without being surrounded by the people she loved most.

The only person she'd been talking to was Paige. She reconnected with her again, Paige being the one to suggest the family vacation. She also convinced her to sign with Dallas Wings to finish off the season. It was announced the day before All Star Weekend. Speaking of All Star, y/n came back to Indy for it. Well, mostly because Paige insisted she come to Azzi's party.

She got dressed up and took an Uber to the party. Walking in, she was greeted by a whole bunch of people she didn't know but clearly they knew who she was. "Y'all know where Azzi at?" A girl pointed to a section over and she thanked her before headed over there. She got there, Azzi spotting her and grinning, "hi! Come here!" Y/n moved through the crowd and Azzi embraced her with a smile. "I'm so glad you made it! You look so pretty!"

"Thank you! You're gorgeous."

"Thank you. Come on, I want you to meet some people."

An hour passed, and the Studbudz had arrived with their stream. Y/n was dancing with Paige and Angel, and they caught her on the stream. T pulled her to the side, sharing a hug with her even though they barely knew each other. It was all love. They praised y/n on the stream too when people were hating on her for leaving the Fever in the beginning of the season. "Come say hi to the stream!"

She moved her drink behind her before waving to the stream. "Hey stream!"

"You look good as fuck!" T grinned, looking the taller woman up and down. "Can I get your number?" Y/n smiled, chuckling nervously, "I'm taken, sorry boo." Natisha raised her brows in shock, "damn, I thought you was outside?"

"I'm gettin' snatched up tonight."

She soon ventured off to find the bar and get herself a drink. "I hope you was talkin' bout me when you said you was taken." She didn't fight her smile, turning to see Rhyne standing beside her, a drink in hand. "If you'll still have me." Rhyne chuckled, taking her hand and bringing her in to connect their lips without a care in the world about people watching. "I'll always have you."

"You not mad at me?"

"I would never be mad at you for healing yourself, baby."

A few minutes later they found themselves back on the stream dancing with Court and T. Rhyne had her arm around y/n as they did. She drunkenly pressed a kiss to her head, "this is my girlfriend, y'all. Ain't she pretty?" Y/n blushed and Rhy pressed a kiss to her cheek with the biggest smile in the world.

"I know that's right! Claim yo' woman!" Court exclaimed, always quick to hype up some couples.

It felt nice to finally be claimed. To not be hidden. To not be a secret.

Rhyne wasn't ashamed of loving her.

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