idk but I’m just imagining older Val in like college or smth where her and reader hit it off and Val starts to become the center of attention on social media (kinda like those girls from the college wnba) and then the internet flips out after she kisses reader after scoring the winning goal
[Inside Out 2] Valentina [Val] Ortiz x Female Reader - "Spotlight"
Summary: Val has been thrown into the spotlight after a clip of one of her practice sessions is released online, though her presence really goes viral when she's captured sharing one of her victories with you.
Word Count: 3.22k
Content + Warnings: College AU, very brief mentions of feeling drained, corny lines at the end
- - - - [Masterlist] - - - -
[A/N]: I know absolutely nothing about hockey, so please bear with me for this one.
Enjoy!
In high school, Val had already been popular and well-liked. It was only natural, considering she was the Captain of the Firehawks, but one thing that always drew people toward her was her charm. One of the kindest, most patient, and most understanding people you’d ever meet, it was only a matter of time before you joined the people flocking to her.
You hadn’t known Val in high school, but you met her shortly after your first few days of college. You had a few classes with her throughout the week, though you didn’t meet her until your final class just before the weekend, and you were so thankful that she wasn’t one of the stereotypical popular girls who only pretended to be nice to get what they wanted. No, Val was just genuinely kind.
There was nothing to gain from her being so caring and patient with you. You hardly knew each other, after all. It seemed, however, that she ultimately did have more of a reason for her gentle nature around you, although it was nothing malicious. She simply wanted to be close to you.
You were sweet, funny, and had a charm of your own that had Val gravitating to you within just a few days of meeting. By the second week of the semester, she found herself actively seeking you out in the classes you shared, wanting to sit next to you even if you were both too busy listening to the professor to speak. In the cafeteria, you did the same, scanning through the bustling students trying to find a spot to sit until you finally found her. It brought a smile to your face every time when you’d watch as she took notice of you immediately, almost as if she had already been looking your way.
She’d smile wide, her arm already up and motioning for you to join her at her table. You knew none of her friends, but they were quick to welcome you, especially once Val admitted that you were the girl she had been talking about nonstop. It was clear right away that they were close to Val, and after learning a bit about you, it seemed like there was something they all collectively knew about you, though they never talked about it aloud. They’d only share small glances toward each other and smile before tuning back in to the conversation.
Regardless of whatever they were hiding, you didn’t question it. Instead, you kept the majority of your attention centered on Val, who always kept the conversation going with ease. Even if you weren’t originally part of what they were talking about, she still made sure you felt included.
After a week of eating with her and her friends, you finally figured out why they were so close to her. They were part of her hockey team from high school. A video had popped up on your feed, labelled as local, and that’s how you learned about how they all excelled in the sport. That’s also how you learned that Val still kept her title as Captain now that she was in college. You’d followed her on different socials shortly after meeting her, though you never really paid attention to posts beyond what you were specifically looking for.
The moment you found a clip of one of Val’s practice sessions, you instantly knew you had to see more. Every move she made, every calculated tactic and motion, she all made it look effortless. It was clear right away that she greatly enjoyed playing ice hockey. Every single video of her out on the rink captured her smile, jovial and contagious to whoever saw it. Even the moments where she was focused on scoring, she moved with carefree purpose.
It surprised you at first to see how large of a following she had, but the initial shock wore off after remembering the very thing that captivated you in the first place: her character.
The few videos on her page that weren’t revolved around hockey still reaffirmed the friendly nature that followed her around everywhere she went. It was a surprise to you that you hadn’t run across her page earlier, considering how well-known she seemed to be.
Either way, you never brought up her popularity.
She never treated you, or anyone else, like they didn’t matter to her. You didn’t want her to look at you differently if you brought up her followers. You were worried she’d think you were only getting close to her to hopefully gain attention as well, even though that was the furthest thing from the truth. You’d seen what fame could do to people, and even though Val could handle it well, there were some days where it was clear she’d been putting others first too many times.
On those days, you’d help her get away from everything and everyone else, inviting her into your dorm and spending time with her one-on-one before giving her space to sleep and recharge her social battery. When she’d wake up, no matter what time it was, she’d find you in your room and sit at the foot of your bed while you asked how she was feeling.
Without fail, she’d tell you she felt much better. Then, once she finally woke all the way up again, she’d ask if you wanted to watch a movie or go for a walk. Either way, it was an incredible feeling getting to talk to her and hear her be so open. She made you feel like the most important person on the planet every time you talked. Not once did you doubt that she cared. She made sure you knew she did.
Even when you’d talk about things she knew nothing about, she’d ask questions and throw in her own thoughts, a glint of excitement and endearment in her eyes when you’d continue to ramble on about whatever was on your mind.
Soon enough, she started to come over more often, even if it was just to sleep in the same dorm as you for the night. Months went on, and by the time your second year of college rolled around, you and Val were officially sharing a dorm. Then, a couple more months down the line, Val finally asked you to be her girlfriend. You still remember watching the relief washing over her when you said yes.
During all that time, Val’s traction online was still growing, even without her having to post. She was gaining a lot of attention from different ice hockey communities, and soon, the internet was flooded with clips and edits of her both in and out of her hockey uniform. In the videos out of her uniform, mainly when she was out walking around, you started to appear in them more and more, and people were speculating that the two of you were together.
You wanted to be open about your relationship with Val, but you weren’t sure how she’d feel about it. Every time you got close to asking if she’d want the same, your throat closed up and your words fell flat in your mouth. This was important to her, her reputation and her goals, and you knew that airing personal information out in the open hardly mixed well with such a strong media presence.
Still, that never stopped you from showing up to every single one of her games and cheering her on louder than anyone else. Regardless of how public your relationship was with her, you weren’t going to hide your support and adoration for her. She deserved to know just how appreciated and admired she was during every match.
With every holler you sent her way, you could see the confidence building, something that also became well-known by the media when they picked up on the pattern. Small jokes started online that no one, other than you, could ever be Val’s #1 fan. Your level of encouragement couldn’t be matched, similar to how no one seemed to be able to reach Val’s level of skill.
Games were passing by, and there were very few times where her team didn’t win. Day by day, her name was becoming more known, and the only path her career was headed on was the one to success. Plenty of clips and compilations were popping up on YouTube, including a couple of interviews she did after a game, and edits flooded TikTok each time a new photo was released of her. She didn’t really pay it any mind, only really caring for how you thought of her, but you made sure to tell her how proud you were of her every single day regardless of if you’d seen something online of her or not.
More fans began making edits of you as well, especially ship-based edits focused on the candid shots of you and Val together. You hadn’t even confirmed anything publicly yet, but you were sure the majority of the people making the videos wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if you confirmed their suspicions.
Traction was building, and it only skyrocketed after one of Val’s best games.
Both teams had been tied with very little time left during sudden-death, the unsureness and stress tearing and rippling through the crowd. After a penalty was called, a face-off was set up: Val and the opposing Team Captain. You could feel your joints aching from the tenseness throughout your body as you watched on from your seat. You were sure Val had this in the bag, but you also knew she had already pushed herself so far during the game. It was clear from the way her shoulders and chest rose and fell unevenly, the sweat coating her face, and how her legs trembled a bit as she got into position.
She wasn’t scared of her opponent, you knew, but she was tired, and she was going to end this one way or another. All she wanted to do was collapse and crash, but she knew she couldn’t.
She’d barely managed to steel her rising nerves when the referee blew the shrill whistle before skating back. With a practiced motion, Val struck the puck and knocked it out of the other Captain’s reach, quickly maneuvering around her and preparing herself to dodge the other teammates. It wasn’t clear to you if it was from her desire to finally rest or just her competitive nature in the rink, but she had moved so swiftly from the center that her own team fell behind, leaving her with no one to pass to.
Her eyes locked onto the goal for a moment, studying the goalie’s position within seconds and making a decision on which move she needed to do and where she needed to aim.
With a grunt, she spun and swerved away from one of the opposers, who had tried to swipe the puck away from her. Her stick swept back down to the ice and found the puck immediately again. All she could hear as she neared the net was her heart thudding in her ears. Now just a few feet away, she twisted herself to strike, raised her stick back, and took one final look at where she wanted to send the puck.
Don’t mess this up.
Don’t mess this up.
Don’t mess this up…
A small breath slipped through her lips, helping her clear her head as her stick made its way back down. Straining her ears to hear past her heartbeat, she could hear a voice hollering, one she recognized instantly as yours. A smile graced her lips.
You’ve got this.
A crack echoed throughout the rink as her stick finally met the side of the puck again, a sound that forced a tense silence to wash over the crowd. It felt like she watched in slow-motion as the puck flew through the air, the space between it and the goal closing, closing, closing…
The goalie flew towards it, arms outstretched in an attempt to catch it or knock it back. Just by a few inches, however, she missed, allowing the puck to continue flying until it hit the back of the net and dropped to the floor. Adrenaline bursted through Val’s veins, finally giving her the energy she wished she’d had just a moment ago, and cheers erupted, barely covering the sound of the final buzzer ringing out through the stadium.
Before she even glanced at her team rushing towards her, her eyes trailed over to find you, lighting up when she saw you jumping up and down and screaming for her. She watched as you stood from your seat and moved to the opening between the boards. Just as she started skating your way, she was nearly tackled in a hug, and when she looked over to try to regain an understanding of what was going on, she found Allie clinging to her and cheering as she pumped her fist into the air.
“Val, holy shit, you did it! We won the game,” she shouted, letting her go and moving back so the rest of the team could congratulate her. She hardly managed to say anything before she found herself backing away and ultimately skating straight towards you. Within moments, she lifted you into her arms and spun you around, laughing gleefully alongside you. Uncaring of the eyes on her, she eventually set you back down and took your face between her gloved hands.
She could hear the clicking grow louder and turn to her as her lips met yours in a wordless display of affection and celebration. That kiss was all she had been thinking about from the moment the buzzer went off. There was no way anyone would’ve been able to stop her from getting to you, although it was clear from the way her teammates whistled and hooted that they wouldn’t have even tried.
A few seconds passed before she pulled back to look you in the eye, her hands dropping down to rest on your hips and her head dipping down to let her forehead press softly against your own. “I knew you could do it,” you murmured just loud enough for her to hear. It didn’t seem possible, but the corners of her lips stretched up into an even wider smile. She wanted to stay there, just like that, but you managed to peek over her shoulder at her team, who – even though they were clearly supportive of the scene before them – still wanted to celebrate with Val.
“Why don’t you go share your victory with them for a bit? I’m sure they’d want to at least get a group photo.” Her smile faltered just slightly as you lightly pushed her shoulder in an attempt to get her to turn around. “But I want to stay here with you,” she mumbled, an uncharacteristically sheepish expression crossing over her features. “We share a dorm, Val. We’ll be able to hang out all night. Your teammates want to share this time with you right now, though.”
Silently, she let out a small sigh before nodding, her smile returning. “Fine, okay,” she replied, her playful tone returning. “One more before I go?” After jokingly rolling your eyes, you nodded, then closed your eyes at the feeling of her lips on yours again. Much shorter than the one before, Val eventually pulled away and gave you a quick hug before turning and rejoining her team in the center of the rink.
You’d been so caught up in the moment that you had forgotten entirely about the media.
Hardly a few days passed, however, before you found yourself staring at your phone screen, your face hot and butterflies swarming in your stomach.
Already, people had made edits and posts of the kiss, some pretending that they didn’t know the two of you were together, while some made jokes about how poorly you hid it. Your very first public kiss with Val was plastered everywhere on every app, and while it made you giddy to know that so many of her fans were so supportive, you couldn’t ignore the pit of worry building in your gut at how Val would react.
When she came home from her final class of the day and immediately made herself comfortable at your side on the bed, you blurted everything out before you got the chance to lose your nerve.
“People know we’re dating.”
The look that crossed Val’s face only added to your embarrassment.
A second passed where she only stared at you, eyes wide and focused on you before a laugh pushed past her lips. When she calmed down a moment later, she turned to find you hiding your face in your shirt. Her finger hooked over the collar of your shirt and pulled it down to get a look of your face again. “Did you not already know people knew about us?” When you shook your head, she chuckled again.
“Man, I thought it was obvious.”
“Well, I mean,” you started, trying to defend yourself. “I saw that people were assuming, but since we never really confirmed it, I just… I don’t know.”
Her gaze softened, warmth filling her eyes as she shuffled to pull you against her. “Well, now everyone knows. There’s no hiding it anymore.” Silence fell between the two of you, and you watched from the corner of your eye as her smile fell. “Is that okay that it’s public?” An immediate nod helped dilute the concern in her tone.
“Yeah, of course it is. I just wasn’t sure if you were going to be okay with it.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I’m proud to be seen with you.”
You had been moving to get more comfortable leaning against her side when she said that, the meaning behind them making you stop in your tracks. Slowly, you craned your head to look back up at her. “Really?” Her grin returned and stayed, even after leaning down to press a chaste kiss to your forehead. “Of course. I think anyone would be lucky to have you by their side, and I have been known to have pretty good luck, so…” Playfully, you scoffed and swatted her shoulder, a motion that earned you yet another snicker.
“So, you’re saying your luck is the only reason we’re together?” She shook her head, stifling another laugh. “No, not at all. I think we met and got together because we’re alike, but I just think that I’m lucky to have you. You make everything in my life better.”
She somehow always knew how to strike the most sensitive parts of your heart, even when she wasn’t trying. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes at her words, but you only managed to smile and let your head fall to rest against her chest. “You make my life better, too. Now I’ve got plenty of cool edits of me on TikTok.” It was her turn to pretend to be offended, though she couldn’t bring herself to feign it as long.
When you looked back up at her, she leaned down, planting her lips against yours again for just a moment before pulling away. “I really do love you, you know,” she partially-whispered. You nodded, humming and moving to lean your head on her shoulder.
“I love you, too.”
Started on: March 19th, 2025
Finished on: March 19th, 2025
Okay, we all know Riley is 13. This is established in the movie several times. But did we ever get confirmation that Val is 18 other than a now-deleted tweet from an account that may or may not still be up (I couldn't find it. Again, OG tweet was deleted) that people said was from by someone who worked at Pixar?
I believer it back in March but now that I'm looking at all the clues, it seems kinda dubious. Granted, shipping Riley and Val would probably be a little weird if we never saw that tweet because Val would logically have to be at least two grades above Riley if she made Captain during Freshman Year (Unless she was such a hockey prodigy that she's about to go into her Sophomore Year. And that's a giant "if").
I think the biggest reason I'm asking this is because of the movie's art book. We get all this info about her, yet we don't even really know what year she's going into.
But I just wanna say this. This isn't me trying to argue about. I'm just genuinely curious about Val's age. This isn't a ship thing. There's probably still a sizable age gap between her and Riley (in high school years) If Val isn't 18, she's probably about to be. Like I said, there's a near-zero chance of her actually being a sophomore during the epilogue. The curiosity mainly stems from me seeing the discussions in posts when I'm going through the Inside Out tag. I'm not annoyed by it. My interest has just been piqued. So if anyone has an answer or knows who the original tweeter was... tell me, I guess?
I dunno. I'm bad at endings. Sorry for rambling.
UPDATE!
I asked Dave Holstein (co-writer of the film) on twitter if there was an official age for Val and he said...
Official. For at least a majority of the film, Val is 17. Pack it up! (I stand by my earlier statements about the age gap. Freshman and Junior or Senior is kinda weird)
