Chapter Text
Ashlyn sighed as she watched Ali storm off angrily and she rubbed her cheek where the brunette just slapped her.
Around her, people were dancing and joking and laughing, but she had gotten into yet another fight with Ali. Was that a surprise, not really. If they didn’t fight, then they didn’t associated. They rarely agreed on anything. In fact, there was one thing that they did agree on: they were attracted to each other.
For some damned reason in this damned universe, Ashlyn couldn’t get Ali off her mind. In the past year they’ve been together, people have claimed that their relationship might be unhealthy or a bad idea, and they broke up in order to see if it would be better to be friends. But instead, they hated anyone they dated and kept coming back to each other. So now, here they were, again, with another fight and Ashlyn had to find a way to make Ali forgive her, again, before she made another mistake, again.
Just as she tried to come up with an idea, she was bumped into and thrown against the wall. She turned to glare at whoever did it, but froze and laughed when she saw Alex and Tobin, completely and totally caught up in each other’s lips rather than on anything around them.
She rolled her eyes. “Tobin, I need to talk to you.”
Nothing. They just kept making out. Ashlyn cleared her throat, and again, nothing. So she sighed and slapped Tobin, in the back of the head, who had Alex against the wall.
“Hey!” Tobin pulled away from Alex, glaring at Ash. “What the hell, man?”
“Ali is mad at me.”
Alex laughed. “So? That’s normal for you guys.”
“Did you see where she went?”
Tobin shook her head. “We didn’t even know you two were at the party today, so…”
“We’ve been kind of busy,” Alex implied, laughing at Tobin’s blush.
Ashlyn decided to leave the two be, grabbed a shot off the counter, downed it quickly, and took off through the party.
As they got through college, the parties got crazier and crazier. Sydney and Dom were making out in the kitchen for all eyes to see, similar to Tobes and Al. Kelley was dancing on the kitchen table with Morgan Brian and Kling, all three obviously wasted. The rest of the team and many other students weren’t going to remember the night, and that’s what made this interesting. And yet…
“Where are you, Ali?” Ashlyn whispered to herself, glancing around.
For an hour, Ashlyn walked around and joked with friends, getting more and more frustrated with her girlfriend and more annoyed as the time went on. Ali was the one that wanted to come to this. Ali was the one that wanted to get out on a Saturday night, and she was nowhere to be found, leaving Ashlyn on her own. Granted, she was a great partier so it didn’t really matter for her entertainment, but she kind of wanted to make out with someone right now, and God forbid she picks someone other than Ali.
She was talking to Dom about the game yesterday when suddenly a pair of arms snaked around her waist. But it wasn’t Ali. She smiled at the person though.
“I found her,” Kelley yelled in her ear over the music. “Ali. She’s out back.”
“Doing what?”
“Volleyball with some girls from class.”
Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “Volleyball? Are you kidding me?”
“I don’t know if she wants you out there right now or not. What did you two even fight over?”
Ashlyn sighed and turned, leaning against the wall beside Dom as Kelley posted up next to her. “Her brother called and interrupted us earlier and I might have gotten pissed about it. She just puts me second sometimes, really bad times. It’s just stupid shit.”
“Nothing new,” Dom chuckled.
“Funny. Where is your girlfriend, Mr. Perfect?”
He opened his mouth and then shut it, realizing Sydney had disappeared too. “Fuck. Hold on.”
“That’s what I thought,” Ashlyn smirked as he walked off. She turned back to Kelley. “And he thinks I have relationship problems.”
“You do.”
“Do not.”
“You and Ali are like ticking time bombs.”
“Well, it works,” Ashlyn pointed out. “At least it does until she decides to be unreasonable and stupid.”
Kelley rolled her eyes, taking another sip of her drink. “I’m sure that will fix everything. Call her stupid and she’ll coming running back into your arms.”
“Just relax, Kel. I’ll figure out a plan when I see her. Now that I know where she is, I have to give her time to cool off.”
“Well, she seemed comfortable with that Jessica girl, that’s for sure.”
And Ashlyn was off in a heartbeat after that. Hell no to everything that Kelly just said.
She burst outside to the grass fields where they had the volleyball courts set up. For some reason, the girls all decided that stripping was in order. So everyone playing was in their sports bras, regular bras, and their freaking underwear. Or, in Ali’s case, the red thong that gets Ashlyn going like a dog in heat.
“Fuck my life,” she said to herself as Ali jumped up and spiked the volleyball down to the other court, cheering with her team as they scored.
Ashlyn stood and watched with her jaw clenched and her arms crossed. One of the girls noticed her and pointed it out to Ali, and then it seemed that the brunette’s mission was to turn the blonde on in every way possible. It was a bit extensive, and Ali was pulling out all of the stops. Except when she hugged Jessica, the very girl she was clinging to all night. That’s when Ashlyn lost it. Because Jessica slapped Ali’s butt as she walked away and Ashlyn stormed down there.
“Ali!” Ashlyn called, trying to control her temper but she knew it wouldn’t last long.
The defender sighed and looked up as a few of the girls joked about her being in ‘trouble’. “What is it, Ash? We’re playing.”
“Right,” Ashlyn scoffed. “Playing. How about you focus on the ball instead of Jessica and I might believe you.”
Ali rolled her eyes. “Seriously? I do the same stuff with Kelley and HAO.”
This wasn’t going to end as smooth as Ashlyn wanted. “Look, I know you’re pissed at me, but that doesn’t mean you have to go and flirt with some desperate bimbo in order to get back at me.”
Jessica glared at her. “Excuse me?”
“Ash!” Ali glared. “Are you going to be this childish?”
“I’m not being childish. I’m making a point. You’re flirting with her to piss me off.”
Ali raised her hands and dropped them just as dramatically. “Oh, fuck off, Ashlyn. I’m seriously just playing and we were going to head back inside in a bit before you got your boxers in a twist. You always freak out over the stupidest shit.”
Ashlyn wanted to rip her hair out. “Ali, can we just – God, can we just talk for a minute before I want to just shoot myself in the foot.”
“That’s a sight to see,” Ali said, causing the other girls to laugh around her. But she shrugged and walked towards Ashlyn, grabbing her clothes and slipping on her pants and shirt. “But fine. Let’s go talk before you kill one of my friends.”
They walked down the path from the backyard to the small forest on campus and they slipped away into the darkness, the lights from the house was the only thing that kept them from tripping. Ali stopped at one of the larger trees, leaning against it and then smirked at Ashlyn.
The blonde took the look by surprise. “Um, what?”
“Nothing,” Ali teased.
“Nothing?” Ashlyn repeated. “Really? Did you forget the past hour? Where you slapped me? Ditched me? Flirted with Jessica? Or was that just my imagination? Because I know I’m not crazy.” She looked at Ali again, studying her and how her demeanor did a one-eighty turn around. “Seriously, what the hell, Ali? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ali reached forward and pulled Ashlyn towards her until the taller girl’s hands rested against the tree and their bodies pressed together. “Ashlyn, calm down. Yes, I was mad at you. But I’m over it.”
Ashlyn glanced at her girlfriend and she knew that look. Ali wasn’t drunk, but she was tipsy. And the way her eyes were hooded over, the way that she gripped Ashlyn’s jacket teasingly, running her fingers along Ashlyn’s side, the blonde knew that Ali wanted something, and she knew exactly what it was. Even after the stress and dramatics, Ashlyn still thought Ali was the most beautiful thing in the world, and it was frustrating and satisfying at the same time.
She swallowed, pressing her forehead to her girlfriend’s. “God, you make me so mad but you make me want to kiss you until I can’t breathe.”
“And sometimes, you piss me off until I never want to talk to you again, but I know I’ll miss you.” Ali wrapped her arms around Ashlyn’s shoulder, running her finger through the blonde’s hair. “It’s what we do, Ash. We make each other mad. But you know, I don’t mind it when you take your anger out on me too,” she hinted with a small glint in her eyes.
“I know,” Ashlyn sighed, pressing herself into Ali until the girl was squished between the blonde and the tree. Ashlyn buried her face in Ali’s neck, breathing her in as she trapped Ali’s hands in hers and held her against the tree helplessly. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
Ali turned her head until her mouth was by Ashlyn’s ear. “Bring it on, stud.”
-----------------
Ashlyn was breathing heavy on the dirt, staring at the starry sky above her through the tree leaves. Ali was next to her, panting just as hard, if not worse. Actually, it was probably worse.
“Holy shit,” Ali breathed, her hand going to her hair.
They were both naked at this point, lying on the clothes that they had dropped to the dirt. They were completely hidden by the forest, and could barely even hear the party going on many yards away, and Ashlyn never wanted to leave. She turned to her side, cupping Ali’s cheek and bringing their lips together again.
Ali moaned but it was full of exhaustion as well. “Ashlyn, baby.”
“Hmm?”
“I need a break.”
Ashlyn kissed down her cheek and her neck, sucking on her sweet spot and causing the hickey to grow even worse. “So take a break.”
Ali’s legs rubbed together as Ashlyn’s other hand moved across her naked chest and stomach, dancing across her skin.
“That’s really hard to do when you’re doing this.”
“So just let me do my thing,” Ashlyn whispered in her ear. “And I promise you that it’ll relax you.”
“It’s the last part that I don’t think I can handle,” Ali insisted, whimpering when Ashlyn grabbed her hands and held them down on the clothes, sliding on top of her. With her hands pinned and her exhaustion, she was at the keeper’s mercy. “How do you even have the energy to keep going?”
“Because unlike you, I only came once.”
“I didn’t opt for the third time.”
“Don’t worry.” Ashlyn kissed her lips lightly. “It was my pleasure.”
Ali squeezed her hands, asking for her girlfriend’s attention. “Don’t you think we should talk before we get carried away, you know, again?”
Ashlyn sighed. “Ali, come on. Having you like this does not make me want to talk.”
“But we need to.”
“Fine,” Ashlyn groaned, rolling off of her and onto her back dramatically. “But you have to make it up to me.”
Ali sat up and grabbed her shirt and pants, slipping them on for the third time that night along with the rest of her underwear. Ashlyn followed her lead reluctantly and got dressed, but she finished early and ended up just watching Ali as the poor girl struggled to even stand up straight.
Eventually, Ashlyn just walked over and helped her, slipping the shirt over her head. “Are you sure you want to talk?”
Ali nodded. “I mean, we really need to.”
“But do we really? Can’t we just…” Ashlyn leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Ali’s, “Kiss and let things go.”
“We’ve let things go for a year now.”
“And it’s worked pretty well. We’re still together at least.”
Ali rolled her eyes but kissed her anyway, one quick one. “And nothing has changed since day one. So just shut up and follow me. We’re talking about this.”
Ali grabbed Ashlyn’s hand without another word and took off. It had been two hours since they had disappeared and many of their friends had plenty of comments about the disheveled clothes and hickeys but Ali just brushed them off, claiming that the two were going to find a room. Kelley had plenty more to joke about but Ashlyn glared at her as they passed and headed upstairs.
They found a random bed, didn’t know who it belonged to, and plopped down on it side by side.
“So,” Ali started, but she didn’t continue.
That caused Ashlyn to raise her eyebrows. “So, what?”
“What are we?”
“Girlfriends,” Ashlyn pointed out. “I mean, that’s what we’ve been for a while, Ali. In case you missed it. We do go on dates and have sex and kiss and cuddle and watch movies and shit.”
“So why do we fight all the time?”
Ashlyn smirked. “Because our makeup sex is amazing.” She leaned in and barely kissed Ali’s neck before the other girl moved out of her grasp and stood. Ashlyn gaped at her. “Ali? Really?”
“Really.” She crossed her arms where she stood, staring Ashlyn down. “When I said I wanted to talk, I meant it.”
With a surrendering hand gesture, Ashlyn leaned back on her hands and nodded. “Okay, say what you want to say then.”
Ali took a moment before she started on a rampage. “Okay, I get that we started off rocky. We fought and fought until it would explode into sex and then we ignored each other for weeks afterwards until it happened again. That happened for two years, and for some reason, those times with you stuck with me. Obviously, now, I like you. But this fighting is… it’s exhausting, Ashlyn. It’s tiring. And I think that you just, you just thrive off of it.”
It took a while for Ashlyn to realize that Ali was waiting for her to correct her. “Oh, um, no?”
Ali sighed. “Very convincing.”
“It’s not that I like it either,” Ashlyn said quickly. “But we got together because of fight. We’ve fought all the time. And it’s not like its constant. We’re good most of the time. A lot of people don’t believe that, but Ali, we don’t just fight.”
“I know, but sometimes–”
“It’s because you over think it,” Ashlyn said as she sat straighter. “You overthink everything. Like wonder what we are. Wondering if we’ll be together after you graduate. Always worried about what others think. Ali,” she reached forward and pulled Ali towards her, letting her hand rest on Ali’s hips. “This relationship is between us. Why do you let everyone else influence it?”
Ali shrugged shyly. “I just want this to work.”
Ashlyn sighed. “Look, I know I’m not the best girlfriend material. I can be possessive and jealous, but you have to understand why when you look at yourself in the mirror, Ali.”
The brunette blushed above her. “We have a lot of work to do. I know our relationship isn’t just physical, but a lot of it is, and there has to be a balance.”
“We can find it.”
“And trust.”
“I do trust you.”
“Do you?” Ali asked, pulling away. “Because you claimed earlier that I had a thing with Jessica.”
“I was just frustrated. I hadn’t seen you in an hour at that point and I walk out there to see you almost naked with a girl who has a massive crush on you.” Ashlyn wrapped her arms around Ali and pressed her forehead into the defender’s stomach. “I know I shouldn’t react the way I do, sometimes, I mess up a lot, I have issues, but somehow you make things better. And I will try to find a balance, to calm down, to not let my temper get away from me. Because, Ali,” Ashlyn pulled back and looked up at her. “I love you, baby, and I don’t want to lose you.”
Ali’s eyes widened to the size of the sun. “What? You… you love me?”
Ashlyn nodded. “Yes. I absolutely do.”
“Wow. You really love me?”
“God, Ali,” Ashlyn laughed, falling back against the bed. “How many times are you going to make me say it?”
Ali straddled her hips, a beaming smile on her face. “I mean, I like the way it sounds. You can’t blame me.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know that feeling, would I?”
There was a kiss that took place after that, a small smile put into the kiss as well, and when Ali pulled back, her eyes were shining. “I love you too, Ashlyn.”
“Yeah,” Ashlyn said casually. “I thought so.”
“So, we’re good?”
“As good as we normally are,” Ashlyn said quietly, kissing Ali’s forehead. “But you’re right, we do have a lot of work to do.”
Ali agreed. “But we can do it?”
Ashlyn kissed her lightly again, pulling Ali to her chest and held her tightly. “I think we can, princess.”