Woso-Fan13!

[woso-fan13]

Masterlist

Updated: 10 August 2023

USWNT

Make A Wish

The 3 P's

Everything is Going Swimmingly

Syrup & Strollers

Sleepless Sleepovers

Directions

Even if You're Little, You Can Do a Lot

What's In a Name?

Peanuts & Paramedics

Roadtrip

Roadtrip Part 2

Stuffed Rabbits & Regression

It's Not Drugs (At Least Not The Ones You're Thinking)

Everything Was Not Fine

New Year’s Eve

Adventures in Lelavators

Concussions and Cuddles

Baby Bunny

Catching Flights (And Also so Many Feelings)

It’s Fantastic

Fevers & Favorites

Trouble

Rough Day

WOSO

A Pale Face and Red Circles on your Cheeks

I Don't Really Know, But She Seems Fine

This is a Nightmare

WHUMPTOBER 2022

Number 1: A Little Out Of The Ordinary

Number 2: Nowhere To Run

Number 3: Hair's Breadth From Death

Number 4: Dead On Your Feet

Number 5: Every Whumpee's Needs

Number 6: Proof Of Life

Number 7: The Way You Shake And Shiver

Number 8: Everything Hurts And I'm Dying

Number 9: The Very Noisy Night

Number 10: Poor Unfortunate Souls

Number 11: 911, What's Your Emergency

Number 12: What Could Go Wrong?

Number 13: Can't Make An Omelette Without Breaking A Few Legs

Number 14: Die A Hero Or Live Long Enough To Become A Villain

Number 15: Emotional Damage

Number 16: No Way Out

Number 17: Hanging By A Thread

Number 18: Let's Break The Ice

Number 19: Enough Is Enough

Number 20: It's Been A Long Day

Number 21: Famous Last Words

Number 22: Pick Your Poison

Number 23: At The End Of Their Rope

Number 24: Fight, Flight, Or Freeze

Number 25: Silence Is Golden

Number 26: No One Left Behind

Number 27: Pushed To The Limit

Number 28: It's Just The Tip Of The Iceberg

Number 29: What Doesn't Kill Me

Number 30: Note To Self: Don't Get Kidnapped

Number 31: A Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Sicktember 2022

‘Do You Know How To Take Care of a Sick Person?’

Homesick

Painkillers

Hangover

'Great. Now I Have Your Germs All Over Me.’

Sick on Vacation

A Cry for Attention

Intense Coddling

Home Remedy

Excessive Use of Tissues

Emergency Room

Stress Induced Illness

Pet Allergies

‘I Might Be A Teeny Tiny Bit Sick, But It’s Fine.’

Frostbite

Care Package

Syncope/Fainting

Upset Stomach

Whining/Crying

Cold Sweat

‘Does this look infected to you?’

Common Cold/Flu

Tepid Bath

‘I Need You To Pull Over!’

Taking a Sick Day

Tickle in the Throat

Sleepless Night/s

Chronic Illness

Lethargy/Exhaustion

‘Get Back in Bed!’

[woso-fan13]

2024 Whumptober: 17

No. 17: NOWHERE ELSE TO GO

Ruined Map | Shipwrecked | "We had a good run."

It didn’t even take a minute for things to change completely. Your team is in possession of the ball and you’re not far from the opponent's goal. 

And then a pass’s intercepted. 

In less than a minute, the ball is at your opponents feet in front of your goal. In less than a minute, the ball is hurtling towards your goal and slamming into the back of the net. 

In one minute, you go from confident to completely defeated. 

In one minute, you go from a World Cup contender to a team that didn’t even make it past the first round. 

No one knows what to do, no one knows how to react. Because, in less than a minute, everything changed. 

You plop onto the ground, seemingly emotionless. In actuality, you have so many feelings that you can’t process them, let alone express them. 

Another body sits beside you, a more controlled descent in comparison to your fall. Kelley’s sitting beside you, giving you a sad smile before wrapping an arm around your shoulder. 

“We were so close,” you whisper. 

Kelley nods, silent for a moment before speaking, “we had a good run, buddy.”

[woso-fan13]

2024 Whumptober: 16 (Arsenal)

No. 16: NECROSIS

Swamp | Wound Cleaning | "No, I can't feel anything."

“MAMA,” you heartbreakingly sob, “MAMA, MUMMY, HELP.”

Two steps of footsteps hurry to you, unsure as to what they might find. Leah and Lia look to where your small body is on the pavement, knees scraped from an apparent fall. Tears are racing down your face, although neither woman can be quite sure if they’re from your injury or from the shock of the fall. 

“Oh, bug,” Leah reaches you first and quickly scoops you into her arms, “did you have a little fall?”

You whine, pressing yourself closer to your mummy. You needed her to know that, no, you actually had a big fall and you’re quite ouchy from it. 

“I know,” she coos, pressing kisses to the tear tracks on your face, “I know. Mama and I will get you all cleaned up.”

Mummy carries you inside and into the bathroom, attempting to set you on the countertop. You whine, holding tighter in an attempt to stop her from setting you down. 

Getting the message, Leah puts the lid down before taking a seat on the toilet with you planted in her lap. Your tears have slowed slightly by this point, now just a steady leak as opposed to the sobs from earlier. 

Mama comes into the bathroom with the big box with all of the bandages. It’s your favorite box ever, because it has all of the coolest stickers. 

She kneels in front of you, gently touching your knees as she looks at the scrapes. They’re barely noticeable, to be honest, but they’re a big deal to you so Leah and Lia are going to treat them as such. 

Mama scrunches her face before speaking, “these are some nasty cuts, sweetheart, let’s get you all cleaned up.”

It takes about five minutes for her to wipe the cuts clean and put bandages on them. The first two minutes consist of her having to talk you into letting her clean your cuts and the last minute consists of you debating which bandages you should pick out. You eventually decided on the animal bandages, proudly sporting one on each knee. 

Mama and Mummy spend the rest of the afternoon and evening fussing over you- carrying you everywhere and giving you lots of extra snuggles and kisses.

Totally worth the skinned knees. 

[woso-fan13]

Whumptober 2024: 15 (uswnt)

No. 15: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

Painful Hug | Moment of Clarity | "I did good, right?"

After years of hard work, you finally made it to the big stage, the World Cup. The US had been dominating and you had scored a few goals that lead to the team being here- in the finals. Not only that, you had been chosen to play the full 90. This was unheard of for someone of your age, but you were so grateful for the opportunity. 

The first half came and went in a frustrating blur that ended with no goals for either team. You jogged to the bench, grabbing your water bottle and sipping as you scanned the crowd. Your eyes were glued to one specific section, scanning where other players’ families and friends sat, and where old teammates were to cheer you all on. Your eyes frantically scanned the seats until they landed on the two empty seats. 

You knew your parents weren’t going to show up, they rarely did. You didn’t even want them to show up, they always had critiques for you. Still, though, you wanted them there. 

An arm wrapping around your shoulder pulls you from your thoughts, Mal siding up to you. 

“I’m sorry,” she says simply. 

You sigh, “I knew they weren’t going to show up. I’m just disappointed, I guess.”

She nods her head silently, allowing you your moment to wallow in pity. 

Eventually, still keep her arm around you, she guides you to the locker room. There’s the usual game review, planning for the next half, and hype session, but you can’t pay attention to any of it. It’s silly really, you think, that the people who thought about you the least spent the most time occupying your head. 

There’s still a few minutes left before the game resumes, and Mal drags you out with her to say hi to your old teammates. A smile grows on your face as you think of the girls waiting for you, and you and Mal climb the barricade to see them. 

Alex, Kelley, Christian, and Tobin all manage to get seats together, and you and Mal hurry to them before throwing yourselves at them. You have just a minute before you need to be back down on the pitch so you allow the girls to praise the two of you before climbing the barrier and jumping back down to the pitch. 

You turn around to wave one last time when something catches your eye. The two seats that had been so obviously empty were now occupied. The occupants looked unwilling with pinched faces, but they were there. Your parents had finally shown. 

It’s like a match had been lit under you during the second half, determined to make your parents proud. Your passes were strong and accurate, and you raced down the pitch effortlessly. The whole time, your eyes would migrate to the stands, trying to make eye contact with either of them. You never did. 

Still, though, you pushed through the fatigue that threatened you, pulling air into your lungs when you felt like you couldn’t. Pumping your legs just a little bit harder. And it all came to a head when the ball landed at your feet in the final moments. 

You act on autopilot at this point, rearing your foot back to slam the ball into the back of the net. It’s silent before the crowd roars. You scored. Not only that, you scored the only goal in the final seconds of the World Cup. 

You were tackled instantly, teammates piling on you. You laughed with them, a grin on your face. Pushing your way slightly out of the center of the group, you looked to the stands. 

The seats were empty. 

The rest of the game finishes quickly, and you don’t pay attention as you do a quick lap of the pitch. You’re led through the medal ceremony, and, once again, Mal has to wrap an arm around you and lead you away.

She takes you to where the four women had gathered on the pitch, pushing you into the nearest arms. Despite how dirty and sweaty you are, you feel multiple arms wrapping around you. 

All of the girls are talking about the highlights of the game, the love of the sport in all of them shining through. Their voices grow and overlap until you chime in in a quiet voice. 

“I did good, right?”

The conversation stops. No one knows what to say. They had heard about your complicated relationship with your parents and they had seen them today, but they assumed that the thrill of all of the events had outweighed everything. 

Clearly, it hadn’t. 

Christen takes your shoulders, pulling you so you were standing in front of her. She squats slightly to be at your height and locks eyes with you before speaking. 

“You did so, so good, sweetheart. We’re all very proud of you.”

That’s exactly what you needed to hear, throwing yourself into her embrace for just a second before pulling away. 

“We just won the World Cup,” you almost whisper in awe. 

[woso-fan13]

Whumptober 2024: 14 (Barca)

No. 14: LEFT FOR DEAD

Hunting Gear | Blackmail | “Because I want you to know what it feels like to be haunted”

Frido and Ingrid share a look, communicating across the gym. They’ve been watching as you work yourself way past your limits, and they’ve been trying to hold themselves back from saying something. 

You started playing with Frido on the national team when you were 15, and the two of you clicked instantly. As time went on, she introduced you to Ingrid. The women adored you, and you them. They were overbearing and overprotective, but you wouldn’t change it for the world. The two women became your family, and they were a big part of why you joined Barca. 

Ingrid and Frido knew this. They knew that you probably would have preferred to stay closer to home, to stay at teams that weren’t as good as Barca but were near family. Instead, you took the leap knowing that the two women would catch you. 

So, as they watched you work yourself to an unhealthy place, they couldn’t help but feel like it was their fault. There was a clear understanding as they locked eyes- they got you into this situation and they would be the ones to help you out. 

“Skatt,” Ingrid breaks the silence, interrupting your workout, “come sit with me for just a second.”

You want to protest, but you know that Ingrid hasn’t phrased it as a question on purpose. You would end up sitting with her, it was easier to not argue. 

As you got up, Frido stood and grabbed a water bottle before taking long strides across the room. She nudged you from where you had sat, scooting you so you were sitting in between them before passing you the water. 

“Älskling,” Frido pauses to ensure she has your attention, “Ingrid and I love you very much, and we care about you. You know this, yeah?” 

You nod your head, staring at your feet. You can’t look at them. 

“I’m saying this because I love you and I care about you, Y/N, you need to take a break.”

At the use of your full name, you look up at Frido. This was serious. Both Frido and Ingrid used almost exclusively pet names for you, so hearing your name was somewhat shocking. 

“Søta,” Ingrid pulls your attention now, “you’re working yourself too hard. You need to rest before you hurt yourself.”

“I’m not going to hurt myself, I promise. I need to keep practicing, though, please don’t make me stop,” you beg. 

Both women watch as your eyes well up with tears but you force yourself not to cry. 

Frido slings her arm over your shoulder, pulling you against her side. For a brief moment you tense up before you relax fully against her. Your voice wavers as you begin to speak.

“Everyone here is so good. I’m trying so hard to keep up and I feel like I’m always two steps behind them. I can’t take a break, I can’t. I’ve worked too hard for them to cut me.”

Silence, for just a moment. 

“They’re not going to end your contract,” Frido reassures you. You lean into her slightly more, relaxing at the way her chest vibrates as she speaks, “you’re a good player, and you’re going to be a great player. But you’re not going to get there by overworking yourself and burning out.”

You want to protest, you really do. But your body is slumped onto Frido as she supports your full weight and Ingrid is gently rubbing your back with her warm hand and it’s the best you’ve felt in weeks. 

You shake your head slightly, pulling away from Frido. 

“I’m not going to burn myself out, but I need to practice. I need to get better if I’m going to be the best.”

The two women look at each other again, clearly unsure as to what to do next. Eventually, Ingrid stands and holds her hand out to you. You give her an uncertain look. 

“We’re going to find Ale,” she insists, “if you’re not going to listen to us, you’ll have to listen to her. And I don’t think your captain will like to hear about your reckless behavior.”

Your eyes widening slightly is the only show of fear. You don’t think Ingrid will actually tell Alexia, but you can’t be sure. You’re in so deep now, though, that you don’t really have a choice. 

You reach your hand out, latching onto hers and being pulled to your feet. The two of you look to find Frido standing up and following you. You hear her clicking away on her cell phone and you cast a questioning look.

“I’m just calling Magda,” Frido says offhandedly, “Ingrid’s right, I don’t think either of your captains would like to hear about your reckless behavior.”

You freeze now. The tears that you have worked so hard to push down are spilling onto your cheeks and you’re loath to stop them. 

Ingrid releases her hand from where you’re clutching on to hers only to pull you into a tight hug. Your arms wrap around her, fists tightening around the material of her shirt. 

Footsteps approach from behind you before a hand lands on your back, nails scratching up and down your spine. You melt into Ingrid as Frido continues, the two women keeping you confined from the world for just a moment. 

Eventually, your tears fade and you pull away from Ingrid just enough to tuck yourself under her arm and into her side. Frido takes your other side, wrapping her arm over you. You’re easily a head shorter than both of them and something about it makes you feel so safe. 

The women begin directing you towards the locker room, clearly ready to get everyone’s things and head home. You knew you weren’t going back to your apartment- not that you really wanted to. Maybe you’d go with Frido, and settle on her sofa. You could doze as she made you food that tasted like home. Or maybe Ingrid would take you home, tucking you into the corner of her sofa and tasking Mapi with distracting you while she made you hot cocoa. 

Or, maybe (you secretly hoped) that the two would take you back to Ingrid’s apartment and cocon you in the middle of them. You could relax surrounded by your family. And, after taking one look at your red eyes, you knew Mapi would be up and busy in the kitchen. She’d give you space with the women that you needed before appearing in the door with a tray of some sort of comfort food that she would deposit before grabbing the remote and turning on some mindless tv for the four of you. 

“You know,” Frido’s voice breaks the silence, “if I had known all it took was a little bit of blackmail to make you take a break, I would have done it ages ago.”

Thinking back that night, you would have to disagree with her. It wasn’t the blackmail that made you stop, it was the comfort that you knew was coming. 

The comfort that embraced you as you leaned into Frido and Ingrid, watching as Mapi tried to get Bagheera to sit- a trick she claims to have taught him. 

This was so much better than upsetting your captains.  

[woso-fan13]

2024 Whumptober: 13 (Arsenal)

No. 13: TEAM AS A FAMILY

Familial Curse | Multiple Whumpees | "Death will do us part." 

Bad things happen in threes. 

One: Leah tore her ACL. You had held your breath as you watched, instantly knowing what had happened. Everyone knew, but no one would say it. 

Two and Three:  Beth tore her ACL, then Viv did. The whole Meadema family had gone down as, again, you watched. 

You watched as Viv fell to the ground and breathed a sigh of relief, immediately berating yourself after. But you had known that someone would tear their ACL and you were selfishly glad that it wasn’t you. 

And then you saw Laura go down. 

Four. 

The cycle resets. Two more must be coming. 

For so many months, the four girls rehab and eventually return to the pitch. You watch as everyone’s healthy and all ligaments stay in one piece. Maybe you were just being overly superstitious. 

Vic isn’t even on the ground before you know it must be the three letter word that everyone is dreading.

Five.

You spend months cautiously watching your teammates, waiting for the next one to fall. You hate yourself for wanting one of your teammates to suffer from a possibly career ending injury, but you knew it was coming. 

But Laura was back on the pitch and Vic was running again, and everyone was fine. 

Until, six. 

Bad things happen in threes. 

One: your opponent had intercepted a pass directed towards you. 

Two: you took off after the ball, racing towards the opposite side of the pitch. 

Three: your opponent backheeled the ball and you pivoted to try and intercept the pass when you felt a pop. 

One: Leah

Two: Beth

Three: Viv

Bad things always happen in threes. 

One: Laura

Two: Vic

Three: Y/N

[woso-fan13]

2024 Whumptober: 12 (uswnt)

No. 12: STARVATION

Underground Caverns | Cannibalism | "Just a little more."

“I know, buddy,” Tobin almost has to shout for you to hear her over the roaring crowd, “I know you’re tired, but we gotta finish this game.”

The minutes feel like hours as you watch the clock slowly count down. Your face is red as you focus on pulling air into your lungs. The game was almost done, and then you could finally rest. 

You pushed yourself past the point where you thought you could go, spikes digging into the pitch with a newfound energy. As the minutes left turned into seconds left, your legs burned with a ferocity that was only matched with the burning in your lungs. But you pushed through, until the whistle blew and you collapsed to the ground. 

You’re allowed to rest for a few minutes, at one point a sports drink being passed to you. This time speeds by, and soon two pairs of feet appear in front of you and a hand reaches down. 

“C’mon, sweetheart,” Christen’s soft voice breaks the silence, “just a little more and then we’ll get you home.” 

You sigh, latching onto Christen's hand and allowing her to pull you to your feet. You wobble slightly as you regain your balance. Having played the full 90 in 5 games this month alone, you were exhausted. 

Tobin’s face contorts into a pitying smile before moving to squat in front of you. You smile before wrapping your arms around her neck and tightening your legs around her waist. Standing up, she adjusts you slightly before setting off. 

The three of you make a quick lap of the pitch, waving and taking a few photos. As soon as the stands begin emptying out slightly, Christen and Tobin make their way to the tunnel to head back to the locker room. 

At this point, you were simply along for the ride, head heavy on Tobin’s shoulder as your eyelids grew heavier. Your breathing transitions from long, slow breaths to the puffy breaths that indicate you're seconds away from sleep. You could finally rest. 

[woso-fan13]

2024: Whumptober 11 (L.W.)

No. 11: SEEING DOUBLE

Convenience Store | Loneliness | “Leave no trace behind, like you don't even exist.” 

Leah bursts into the room you shared at camp, not bothering to knock before throwing the door open. Looking into the room is like looking at a before and after picture, one half of the room pristine and seemingly untouched, while the other half had her clothes strewn around. 

But your half shouldn’t have been pristine. Because just an hour ago Leah had come back to the room to grab her missing shin guard and your clothes were strewn around, mingling with her clothes. You had left your damp towel on the floor from your morning shower, and the room felt comfortably lived in. 

Now, it felt cold and uninviting. Leah could see no trace of you, nothing you had left behind. It was like you were a figment of her imagination that had vanished suddenly. It was like you had never existed in that space. 

Leah searched for anything that would have told her where you could have gone. Leah searched for anything to prove that you had even been there. There was nothing. You had simply disappeared. 

[woso-fan13]

2024: Whumptober 10 (Beth/viv)

No. 10: BLOW TO THE HEAD

Slurred Words | Passing Out from Pain | "I can't think straight."

Injuries are common in football, and even more common when someone’s as accident prone as you are. Most are scrapes and bruises, and there’s always some sort of turf-burn. There are more serious injuries though, broken bones and torn ACLs. And, of course, head injuries. 

Most injuries seem to happen during games, when you’re overworked and dealing with constant nasty tackles. Getting hurt in practice wasn’t as common. Getting hurt during a water break during practice was unheard of until now. 

You could have sworn that the bench came out of nowhere, but one second you were walking and chugging your drink and the next you were lying on the ground, wiggling as pain shot through your head. And you quickly regressed, taking a deep inhale before crying loudly. 

Beth dropped her water, hurrying over to you when she heard that sound. She knew that cry all too well, and she knew that that cry meant a very little y/n.

—-

You had gone through a multitude of exams with the physios before your Mummy had scooped you off of the hard table and taken you back to the locker room. She quickly gets the two of you rinsed off in the shower and dresses you in a diaper and pajamas that she had pulled out of your diaper bag. Swinging the multitude of bags over her shoulder, Beth picks you up and carries you to the car. 

An hour later, you were propped up against Mummy’s chest, lying comfortably against her on the sofa. Your ouchie head was feeling the tiniest bit better after taking your medicine, but the cuddles were definitely helping you the most. 

“Bug, look at the screen,” Mummy prompts.

Your head feels too heavy to pick up yourself (plus, Mummy’s doing such a good job holding it already) so you just turn to face her phone. 

Your little face lights up when you see the picture, becoming excited when you realize it’s not just a picture of Mama, but the tiny version of Mama who’s stuck in the phone. 

You babble at the phone halfheartedly, Beth and Viv only able to make out about a quarter of what you’re saying but nodding along to your slurred words. 

“My sweet, concussed baby,” Mama coos at you through the phone. 

You’re not really sure what that big “c” word means, but you know ‘baby’ and you confidently mumble it back to her to ensure that you are, in fact, her sweet baby. 

Mama’s still cooing at you over the phone, speaking words that you can’t understand but sound really pretty in your ears. And Mummy’s rubbing her hand that’s not holding her phone over your belly and it tickles just a tiny bit in the way you like. 

Maybe it’s all of the love, maybe it’s the head injury, but it's probably a combination of both that causes your eyes to get really heavy as you become so sleepy that you relax fully into Mummy and drift off. 

[woso-fan13]

2024 Whumptober: 9 (aus)

No. 9: OBSESSION

Broken Window | Bruises | “Frame me up on the wall, just to keep me out of trouble.” 

You were frozen in fear, your eyes rapidly darting around to see all of your teammates. No one had noticed yet, but you were sure that they would be livid when they realized. There’s no way they couldn’t be- you were standing there, staring at the remnants of a broken window which scattered around your feet. 

Specifically, it was the broken window from one of Harper’s doll houses, but you still broke something that didn’t belong to you. It was your fault- you should have been watching where you were walking- and you were prepared for whatever the punishment would be. 

“You alright there, joey?” 

You look up when you hear the voice, locking eyes with Mini for just a moment before looking away. Maybe she was talking to someone else. 

She wasn’t talking to someone else. 

She clarified this by walking over to you, stepping over the now slightly damaged doll house before gently gripping your elbow and leading you away from the other girls. 

She looks at you closely, watching as your eyes fill with tears and your lip starts to wobble. The mother in her is screaming at her to take care of the scared kid, and she just does that. No questions asked, she pulls you into a tight hug. One hand stays pressed firmly to you back and the other guides your head into her neck. 

Safely tucked away, you lose your composure for just a moment, a half dozen tears slipping out of your eyes. You blink rapidly, pulling away. Mini just looks confused at the total change in attitude. 

Until Kyra appears behind your shoulder in the background, picking up the doll house and showing Mini the broken window. She looks from the window to the house and back again before popping the window back into the frame. 

“I don’t care about that stupid toy,” Mini starts, breaking the silence. 

You look surprised and confused- all feelings that you shouldn’t be currently feeling and Mini feels her heart break the tiniest bit more. 

“I don’t, really,” she insists, “Harps barely plays with it, I’ve only ever seen her use it twice. I doubt she would even notice if it was gone.”

“I’m sorry,” you say lowly, “I didn’t mean to break it, I promise. I’ll replace it.”

“For the third time, I don’t care about that toy. Besides, Kyra’s already fixed it. Everything’s good, bubs.”

You’re frozen again, but not in fear this time. You’re stuck in your place as you work to process what she just told you. 

“You could break every window in my house, and I would still love you, buddy. You’re basically my kid, got it?”

Mini pulls you into a tight hug, pulling you slightly closer when she feels like you might try to pull away. 

You’ll deny it until the day that you die, but, just for a moment, you didn’t care about that stupid toy either. 

[woso-fan13]

Whumptober 2024: 8 (Arsenal)

No. 8: SLEEP DEPRIVATION

Isolation Chamber | Forced to Stay Awake | "Leave the lights on."

Your chin nods down to your chest for the fourth time in the last ten minutes before jerking back up. Your dark-rimmed eyes force themselves open. It’s only a matter of time before you fall asleep. 

“Bug,” Leah interrupts your attempts to stay away, slipping into the seat next to you on the bus, “it’s okay. Close your eyes and get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there, yeah?”

It’s meant to be reassuring. And, for just a moment or two, it is. But then you look at her and all you can see is the disappointment that you know she must be harboring for you and you force your eyes open just a little more. 

There was an hour left on the bus ride. One more hour, and then you could go to your car, drive home, and curl up in your bed for as long as you wanted. One more hour until you weren’t on display for your teammates. 

Leah sighed softly as she watched you, seeing the thoughts racing through your head. She knew you were beating yourself up for missing that goal, but it wasn’t your fault. She knew you thought you were the reason that your team lost. Leah knew that you thought everyone blamed you for losing. 

No one did. 

It was a bad game on everyone’s part, and they had all chalked it up to being overworked and underestimating their opponents. No one thought it was your fault for missing the penalty. No one, except for you. 

So your teammates sat and watched as you forced yourself to stay awake, exhausted from the game and the long day but refusing to give in to the comfort of sleep. Refusing to give into something you wanted so badly as a way of punishing yourself. 

Leah stepped out of her seat and into the aisle. She reaches a hand and latches onto your arm, pulling you with her and shushing you when you start questioning her. She settles into the seat that you had previously occupied, leaving her back against the window and stretching her legs over the seat next to her. 

“C’mere, kiddo,” she says, reaching out to try and tug you onto her.

You try to protest and pull away. Leah’s not having it. 

“Yes, Y/N,” she insists, “come here.”

She tugs you firmly so you’re laying on top of her, wrapping her arms around you. She feels your body almost trembling from the tension you're holding. 

Leah keeps her hold on you tight, running one arm gently up and down your back. She whispers quietly to you, telling you unimportant things to distract you. She continues her ministrations until she can feel you relaxing. More and more, you melt into her, finally releasing a sigh into her chest that seems much too big to come from someone so young and innocent. Leah presses her lips to your hair when she hears this, her heart breaking. 

You’re unaware of the way she’s holding back tears as your eyes slip shut and- finally- stay shut. 

[woso-fan13]

2024 Whumptober: 7

No. 7: ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES

Unconventional Weapon | Magic with a Cost | "It's us or them."

Alex and Kelley make eye contact over your head, fighting to keep their composure as they watch you squirm in your seat. 

Your eyes are glued to the floor, refusing to look at either of the women. 

“You know,” Kelley starts, “just because you don’t want to do something, doesn’t mean you won’t have to.”

“Mommy,” you whine, stretching out the word, “don’t wanna!”

“I don’t know Kel,” Mama says, “she says she doesn’t want to go to bed but she seems pretty sleepy. What do you think?”

“No nap!” you shout, your frustration clear. 

Mommy gives you a look, quickly silencing your complaints, “certainly sounds like she needs one.”

You try to slip out of your chair at that point, determined to run away. You frantically toddle about two wobbly steps before arms scoop you up. You look up to see Mommy cradling you like she used to when you were a baby. 

It’s comfortable, you can admit that. And the way she starts pacing around the room is making you feel a little sleepy. And your eyelids start drooping just a little bit as she starts patting your bottom and whispering quietly to you. 

But you’re not that sleepy, and you’re a big girl. You don’t need a nap. 

But now Mommy’s coming at you with her secret weapon and you don’t even bother resisting. As soon as the tip of the bottle is in your mouth, you latch and start suckling lazily. 

You’re asleep before the bottle’s empty. 

[woso-fan13]

2024 Whumtober: 6

No. 6: NOT REALIZING THEY'RE INJURED

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms | Healed Wrong |  "It's not my blood."

“Y/N, por favor, open the door,” a soft voice begs, “it’s just me and Ingrid, let us in.”

You can barely hear Mapi over your heavy breathing and the panic rushing through your head. You couldn’t focus- you couldn’t breathe- and her voice just mixed into the cacophony that was overwhelming you. Somehow, though, you were able to reach enough to unlock the door. That's all you could do. 

Ingrid had heard the lock turn, instantly reaching for the handle and breathing a sigh of relief when the door cracked open. She pushed it open carefully, not sure where you were and not wanting to hit you with the door. 

Mapi came up behind her, pushing the door open carelessly and racing into the room. She dropped to her knees right beside you, hands hovering over your arms. She looked to Ingrid with a look of sheer panic- one that Ingrid would have teased her about in a different situation. 

Instead, Ingrid entered the room and directed Mapi behind you, taking your pliable form and moving you so you were sat in her lap. You leaned against her chest, and her arms quickly wrapped around you, squeezing tightly. 

Ingrid spoke calmly in front of you, words you could quite make out but that were comforting nonetheless. Her hands rested on either side of your face, forcing you to look at her while she gently guided you into taking deep breaths. 

Eventually, you had your breathing back to a relatively regular state, and Mapi questioned you quietly. 

“What’s going on, hmm?” she hums, “what’s got you so worried?” 

Ingrid begins stroking one of her hands through your hair as you process Mapi’s question and consider your response. She smiles at the way you lean into it. 

“I- I start today.”

“You do,” Ingrid agrees in a low voice. 

“I start today,” you repeat, “I start today and I need to be good,”

You can feel Mapi’s arms squeeze you the tiniest bit tighter before she responds, “you will be good.”

You shake your head, “you don’t know that.”

“We do,” she persists, “Ingrid and I. We know you will play the hardest that you can while you’re out there today. And that’s the best you can do.”

“But I might not be good enough.”

“We might lose,” Ingrid agrees, chuckling at the wide-eyed expression you make in response, “but that doesn’t have to do with you. We come out here to play as a team, and the results of a game are never the direct reflection of one person.”

You sigh, knowing she’s right but not wanting to admit it. The silence that follows forces you to break. 

“I’m scared,” you whisper. 

Ingrid joins the group hug at this point, embracing you in between the two of them. 

“It’s okay to be scared, I still get scared for games,” Mapi tells you, “but you can’t lock yourself away because you’re scared- it’s not good. You need to come to us, okay?”

Having been drained from your emotional morning, all you can do is nod while you yawn. 

“Get some sleep, we’ll wake you before warmups.”

[woso-fan13]

Whumptober 2024: 5 (Barca)

No. 5: SUNBURN

Healing Salve | Heatstroke | "If my pain will stretch that far." 

Alexia should have said something sooner- she had seen the signs. She had seen the way you struggled to keep up with your teammates in the Spanish sun, your body clearly not adjusted to these temperatures. She saw the way you used water breaks to try and catch your breath as opposed to actually drinking water. 

And, yet, she didn’t say anything. She didn’t want you to think that she was undermining you, or that she thought you were too young and inexperienced to take care of yourself. She trusted you to know your limits. She should have known you would push yourself. 

You all but collapse onto the bench in the locker room, face red. Your teammates pass by you, checking on you quickly before getting in the shower. Alexia delays her shower, sitting in front of her locker and watching you. Something feels off, and she’s not quite ready to leave you alone. 

It’s for the best, as Alexia watches your breath hitch before you lean over the edge of the bench and throw up onto the floor. She’s moving swiftly towards you before you’re even aware of your actions, and she’s able to catch your weak body as you almost topple off of the bench. 

She hauls you to your feet, forcing your arm over her shoulder and all but dragging you towards the showers. She stops at the first open stall, turning the water on cold and sitting you on the floor. She pulls your jersey over your head and does the same to herself, leaving you both in sports bras and shorts. 

—-

Alexia had managed to get the both of you showered, dressed in clean clothes, and out to the car thanks to some help from your teammates, and she shoots Olga a text before heading home. 

Not even bothering to swing by your apartment, she takes the two of you straight to her house, leaving your bags in the car and all but carrying you inside. 

Olga had been busy since receiving the panicked text from Alexia, the sofa having been pulled out into a bed and a thin sheet covering the mattress. A lined wastebasket sits on one side of the bed, along with water bottles sitting on either end table. 

Alexia manhandles you onto the bed, positioning you safely in the middle before heading into the kitchen. She greets Olga warmly, before heading to the freezer and pulling out three ice pops. Raising her eyebrows at Olga and gesturing with her head, it’s clear of her plan. 

Not five minutes later, you’re settled in the middle of the couple, ice pop in your mouth as a fan blows cool air over you. 

[woso-fan13]

Whumptober 2024: 4

No. 4: HALLUCINATIONS

Hypnosis | Sensory Deprivation | “You're still alive in my head.” 

Gravel crunches under Leah’s feet as she makes her way to you, a sad smile on her face as she settles herself on the grass. 

“Hey kiddo, it’s me again- by myself this time. I had to talk about a dozen of the girls out of following me to come visit you. 

I don’t have much to share, but I just wanted to stop by and see you. We all miss you so much at training, it’s not the same without you. It’s quiet. It’s obvious that something is missing. 

We won our game last weekend, 3-nil, Less and Beth both scored. It was against City- Viv says hi by the way. She’s doing great there, as much as Arsenal misses her. Misses both of you, really. 

Everyone else is good. Training’s been tough recently, but when is it not? Everyone’s healthy and well on the way to recovery now, so we’re all doing okay. We miss you though, even with your questionable music in the gym and your endless babbling.”

It’s quiet for a moment, the world reflecting. After taking a deep breath, Leah finishes. 

“Alright, buddy, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you next week, alright?”

She presses her lips to her fingers, moving to press her hand lightly against the stone that marked your final resting place. A single tear dripped down her cheek, and she was quick to wipe it away. 

She props the flowers she had been holding in her lap up, making sure they’re properly displayed before taking the bouquet that she had brought last week. 

She stands up, wiping her hand on the back of her pants to brush off any dirt. She stares at the ground for a final moment before sighing. 

“I love you, kiddo.”

[woso-fan13]

Whumptober 2023: 3 (Barca fc)

No. 3: SET UP FOR FAILURE

Fingerprints | Wrongfully Arrested | "I warned you."

A series of loud knocks on the door has Mapi groaning as she forces herself off of the sofa. After a long practice, a hot shower, and a nice meal, all she wanted to do was lay on the sofa with Ingrid until she could go to bed. But the banging didn’t stop and continued to grow louder and more frantic. 

Mapi pulls the door open a touch, peeking out before yanking it open the rest of the way. On the other side of the door you were slightly hunched into yourself, tears and sweat mingling on your face. Mapi freezes, unsure as to what happened to you and what to do. You’re frozen too, seemingly disassociated from the situation. 

It’s silent for a moment until footsteps approach from behind Mapi, Ingrid’s head popping over her shoulder before reaching around Mapi and reaching to you. One hand lands on your shoulder, the other resting gently on your face. 

This seems to break you out of your trance, your eyes lifting from your shoes to meet Ingrid’s, the pitiful look in your puffy eyes and red nose melting Ingrid’s heart. She can’t see you like this, though, so she pulls you into her, one arm wrapping tightly around your back while the other presses the back of your head to her chest. You’re cradled protectively in her arms, her head dipping to press her lips to your hair as she whispers quietly to you in a blend of English, Spanish, and Norwegian. You can’t make any of it out, really, but you relax into her anyway. 

At some point, Mapi must have regained her senses, as you feel a hand come to rest on your cheek, slowly coaxing your head out of Ingrid. You turn to face her, being rewarded with a gentle smile and kind words as you rest your cheek onto Ingrid, still slumping into her for support. One of Mapi’s hands continues to cradle your face as the other appears in your sight line with a warm washcloth. She moves slowly, allowing you time to pull away before gently wiping the tears from under each eye. She moves to your cheeks and forehead, running the damp fabric down your nose and wiping the snot that was approaching your upper lip. Pulling the towel away just enough to fold it in half, Mapi finishes cleaning the lower half of your face with the clean space. 

You release a sigh as she finishes. Your eyes are beginning to droop at this point. 

Mapi and Ingrid work together to get you through the house and towards the bedrooms, skipping past the spare room you normally sleepover in and leading you into their bedroom. Wordlessly, they get you changed into a comfortable pair of pajamas that you must have left behind at some point. They don’t even bother getting you to brush your teeth or wash your face before they direct you into the middle of their bed and get you snuggled under the covers. 

The two women are already ready for bed themselves, having gotten ready before settling on the sofa earlier, so they waste no time in climbing into their respective sides of the bed and encasing you in the middle. Their gentle reassurances and warm touches quickly soothe you and your breathing gets heavier until you’re fully asleep. 

Mapi and Ingrid, on the other hand, are fully awake and livid.  They can guess what happened with almost complete certainty. More so, they can guess who happened. 

They so badly want to yell, they need to express their anger and frustrations and they want to do it loudly and directly. But no sooner do they begin to whisper to each other do you begin moving slightly in your sleep, a small frown appearing. 

Mapi settles on expressing her frustration another way, pulling out her phone and opening messages. Scrolling through her recent messages, she taps on a conversation and sends a simple message. 

“I warned you this would happen if you pushed her too far.”

[woso-fan13]

Whumptober 2024: 2 (uswnt)

No. 2: TRUST ISSUES

Amusement Park | Role Reversal | “You got away with the crime while the knife's in my back.” 

There was a reason that you never liked to go to amusement parks- namely, the annoyingly long lines. So when the team decided to have a day out, you were hesitant. Nevertheless, you agreed and had been having a fun day. 

The day got even better when you wandered to a stand to get some water and bumped into a soccer fan who happened to work at the park. He instantly recognized you, asking you for an autograph. You had opened your mouth to agree when he offered to exchange an autograph and a picture for an exclusive fast pass for you and your teammates. 

It was pure luck. 

You agreed, snapping a quick picture and following him to what you believed to be a help desk. As you got closer, he placed a hand on the small of your back, quickly propelling you forward. You stumbled over your own feet. 

You didn’t want to go with this man anymore. 

This man definitely wanted to go with you, and he wasn’t planning on anything messing this up. 

Your eyes are wide in terror, trying to work out how to draw attention to yourself that would allow for someone to notice and come help. You grow nearer and nearer to the edge of the park, the crowds slowly dwindling. 

“Y/N,” a voice bellowed- it must have been your guardian angel coming to save you. 

You whip your head around. Not an angel, but Sonnett was looking pretty perfect at this moment in time. 

“Em,” you shout, turning quickly from this man and tucking yourself under her arm. 

The glares he was receiving from Sonnett were enough to send him scurrying on his way, but Emily’s arm never loosened from your shoulder. She held you close, pulling you tight to her chest and wrapping her arms around you. 

“You’re okay, Y/N,” she whispered, feeling your tears soak her shirt.