Chapter Text
Just three weeks after their Olympic win Allison is bought hurtling back down to Earth.
Someone had taken a picture of her and Renee making out after their date the night before, it was such an intimate moment between the two of them on their doorstep when they thought they’d been alone. It had been the first date that they’d gotten to go on in a while and it had been an amazing night and now it’s ruined.
The picture hit the internet while she was changing out for practice. She barely has a chance to step out onto the court when Coach calls out her name and she makes her way over to him.
He doesn't say a word, just silently passes his phone across to her.
She looks down at the screen and feels the breath rush out of her.
“No,” she says flatly. “No.”
Olympic Exy Star Allison Reynolds Secret Lesbian Romance?
The walls seem to close in around her and she slaps a hand over her mouth to stop herself throwing up right there.
She doesn't need to read the rest of the articles. She doesn't want to either. But she also wants to be anywhere but here right now.
Her gloves slip through her fingers as she stumbles backwards and later she’ll remember to be grateful that she’d set her helmet on the bench.
She distantly hears Kevin call out her name but she’s already bolted back towards the locker room bathrooms, dropping to her knees in front of the toilet as she brings her breakfast back up between sobs.
Hands are pulling her braids away from her face as her arm is rubbed soothingly until she stops heaving and tries to remember how to breathe.
“Allison, breathe,” Kevin says, guiding her away from the toilet and back against his chest.”Breathe or you’re gonna make yourself sick again.”
He presses her hand under the edge of his chest guard and she tries to copy his deep breaths until she feels a little less lightheaded.
“Better?” Kevin asks and when she nods he presses her water bottle into her hands. “Good. Drink some of this.”
“I didn’t want to do it like this,” she says, hating how broken her voice sounds. “We weren’t hiding and I’m not ashamed but…”
“You still wanted to come out in your own way,” Kevin finishes smoothly.
“It’s not even any of their fucking business,” she spits, the anger seeping in the place of the panic. “We just won the fucking Olympics and now all I get to be is a man’s lesbian fantasy. I’m not even a lesbian!”
Kevin snorts softly and Allison drops her head back against his chest, uncaring that his pads are digging awkwardly into her cheek.
“Do they know it was Renee?” she asks, calmer than before, letting Kevin trace gentle patterns on the back of her neck with his thumb, not caring that he’s probably drawing out gameplays.
“Yeah,” he replies, “she comes to most of our games and was with you in London. They realised she was a fox.”
Allison scrubs at her face in frustration. She had just wanted one night to be with her girlfriend after she won an Olympic gold medal. Why is that too much to ask for?
“They're not gonna do anything,” Kevin assures her quietly, “not after what happened with Andrew.”
Allison closes her eyes, remembering Andrew’s photos smeared across every sports platform in the country. They’d dragged up every dark part of his past just because it got leaked that he was gay. A lot of people had tried to get him banned from the sport, they said he shouldn’t go to the Olympics. He’d fought back and everyone that mattered supported him, Allison included and eventually the NCAA had conceded he could play but it had been ugly. It was only three years ago but it seems like a lifetime.
“I know,” Allison says. It isn’t really going to change all that much; she knew that realistically. Maybe she’s going to get some comments and jeers but she gets those anyway being the only woman on her team. “I’d just gotten used to seeing my name in a magazine for something good, not shitty rumours and ‘should the lesbian be around kids?’ I wanted to be happy about London a little while longer but-” Dread twists in Allison’s gut as she remembers the rest of today's schedule. “Oh God, we have that Court press conference this afternoon.”
“Oh, fuck,” Kevin says, dropping his head back against the wall. “Neil’s doing it too.”
Allison can't help the small laugh that bubbles inside of her. Press duty with Neil - especially when something had happened - will forever be the most entertaining thing even if it is her life that they’re trying to tear apart.
“Maybe this won’t be so bad after all,” she muses but it’s more wishful thinking than anything. The next few days are going to be rough. The paparazzi presence has already increased since the Olympics and now it’s onlly going to grow more. “We should get to practice before we’re doing sprints ‘til Christmas.”
“Coach told me to take you home,” he replies before she can make a move to stand up, “we were leaving early anyway.”
“But-”
Kevin jabs his finger at her side. “Go get changed, you’re going home.”
“College Kevin is crying right now,” she quips but doesn't protest, rising to her feet she flushes the toilet and goes to wash her hands and he follows after her.
“College Kevin needed to grow the fuck up,” he retorts and Allison smiles up at him.
“He did,” she says, patting his cheek with her still wet hand, laughing at the way he splutters.
They both head off to get changed and as Allison steps back up to her locker, she finds her helmet and gloves back in their rightful place with a folded piece of paper on top.
Whatever you want to do now, we’ve got your back.
Ball’s in your court.
-Coach
She smiles to herself slightly before tucking it on the shelf for safekeeping before shucking out of her gear and pulling on her regular clothes again.
The plan had been for her to get ready for the press conference after practice and go straight to the other stadium but now she has extra time to go home, she shoves her makeup bag back into her duffel and slings it over her shoulder.
As she steps out into the lobby, Kevin’s bag is there but he isn’t so she leans back against the wall and pulls out her phone while she waits.
Renee:
08:32: I just saw. I love you. Call me if you need me, I’m home all day.
Nicky:
08:35: Fuck them all
08:35: wait no, that’s probably stereotypical
08:36: i love you girly
Neil:
08:36: you had our backs, we’ve got yours
Dan:
08:36: are they actually gonna fucking try this again. We love you and you better remember where we are!!
Matt:
08:37: love you blondie, if you wanna skip later we’ll fight ‘em for you
Allison smiles as she scrolls through them all. There are more messages from her Court teammates and other generations of foxes, but having this family rally behind her means more than anything else.
“Hey,” Kevin says, coming out of the men’s locker room, “you ready to go?”
Allison nods, shoving her phone in her pocket. “How bad is it outside?” she asks as they head down to the underground parking garage.
“There’s a crowd,” he replies grimly as they get to his SUV.
They chuck their bags in the trunk before climbing in and Allison snatches up Kevin’s sunglasses out of the cup holder to hide her puffy eyes from the cameras. She stares ahead definitely, refusing to let them see this bothers her - besides, it is sunny outside, so they can't fault her for that.
Sure enough, as Kevin waves to the security hut to raise the barrier, the swarm of flashing cameras descends and people all but scream their names.
Kevin rocks on the gas pedal making the engine scream threateningly, his hand flat on the horn, giving no indication that he plans to stop the car.
“You’ve been spending too much time with Andrew and Neil again,” Allison says, laughing slightly as a guy fully leaps backwards to avoid getting hit with the mirror.
“It’s a hundred points for a paparazzi, right?” Kevin asks with a smirk and Allison scoffs.
“I haven’t heard that since Nicky used to drive,” she says, “now that was dangerous.”
“At least he had a license. Neil didn’t.”
Allison shakes her head fondly. “The things that boy did…”
The drive back to her house doesn't take long. It wasn’t really necessary to drive to and from the stadium, she usually walked in the morning as she had done today.
As they turn the corner into Allison’s street she's grateful that their house is away from the road behind private gates. It isn't even a big house, not by Allison’s standards, but it has enough room to host the Foxes reunions and any other event or guest.
There's a swarm of paparazzi outside the gates, all rushing towards the car as they catch sight of it turning in.
“Any of them that touch the driveway you get double points for hitting a trespasser,” Allison says darkly as the gates open when Kevin presses the fob on his visor.
Luckily - or unluckily depending on how you look at it - the paparazzi know better than to cross onto her property and Kevin is able to pull up smoothly in front of the house, closing the gate behind them.
The car shields Allison from those leering over the fence and Kevin grabs their kit while she unlocks the front door.
They step into the entrance hall just as Renee comes out of the office. She's already reaching out towards her before Allison is even fully through the door.
Allison sinks into Renee’s arms, letting the tension and anxiety drift away as Renee pulls her into a tight embrace.
They pull apart just enough for Renee to cup Allison's face between her hands, fingers gently brushing stray strands of hair away.
“What do you want to do?” Renee asks.
“To go back to bed,” Allison replies honestly, but she glances back over at Kevin who had leant back against the wall, scrolling through his phone to give them their moment. “But we’ve gotta get ready for the press conference. This afternoon is gonna be interesting.”
Kevin glances up from his phone with an amused smile. “Apparently the whole team’s coming in.”
Allison tries to smile back but it feels forced. “You know there was a day when the great Kevin Day ran away from exy drama.” She looks at Renee. “Remember that?”
Renee hums with a glint of laughter in her eyes.
“Like you said-” Kevin pushes away from the wall to step towards them. “-I grew up. Come on, we’ve got an hour and a half to be at the stadium and we’ve gotta get through the sea of press yet.”
Allison nods. “Imma go wash up,” she says, squeezing Renee’s hands. Then she grimaces as her tongue brushes across the back of her teeth and she tastes stomach acid again. “And brush my teeth.”
Renee’s frown deepens but she lets Allison go. “I’ve just gotta send an email and I’ll come up.” She presses a kiss against Allison’s cheek and Allison closes her eyes at the soft sensation.
She forces herself to step away and snatches her bag up off of the floor. She looks back to Kevin. “Room’s all yours upstairs.”
He inclines his head gratefully and they head up the stairs. They part in the hallway at the top and Allison steps into the master bedroom, letting the door close behind her. Her duffle slips through her fingers and drops down onto the ottoman at the foot of the bed and she dug out her make-up bag, tossing it on the dressing table on her way to the bathroom.
She brushes her teeth and then does it again just to be sure the taste is really gone before trying to wash away the tight feeling of tears on her face.
Her phone buzzes on her dressing table and she glances at it as she sits down. There are more missed calls from both Court and her team’s PR teams but it is the unsaved California number that flashes up on her screen that makes her pause.
She knows that number.
She would know that number anywhere.
With shaking hands, she swipes across her screen and presses the phone to her ear.
“Hello?”
On the other end of the line, there is a sharp intake of breath and Allison’s heart clenches at the sound. “Allison…”
“Are you calling to congratulate me on the Olympic win? You’re a couple of weeks late, Mom.”
Allison feels that particular strand of numbness seep through her veins, crushing down on her anxiety and the warm comfort that being home with Renee usually bought. It is a feeling that she learnt long ago to associate with her parents and a decline in her mental health.
“I didn’t watch it. But I heard. Congratulations.”
Allison scoffs humourlessly at her mother's flat tone. She rubs at her face tiredly, her limbs suddenly heavy and aching. “I hope it wasn’t too humiliating to hear that your daughter was the third American woman to make the US Court and the Olympics.”
“Allison-”
“The answer is no,” Allison cuts off whatever her mom was going to say. “I don’t care what you want. I don’t care what you think you can offer me. I’m going to the Court press conference this afternoon and I’m not going to pretend to love whichever guy you’ve got lined up. I’m not doing that to Renee and I’m not doing that to myself.” Anger rushes through her like a wildfire, the only emotion that is ever strong enough to overpower the haze of depression. “I love her and she loves me and I’m a really fucking good athlete. That would be more than enough for any respectable parent and if it’s not for you- well, frankly I don’t give a fuck.”
“Allison, will you just think for a minute! This could jeopardise even your athletic-”
“I don’t care!” she snaps. “If I lose my spot on Court, that’s gonna be more of a loss to them I can guarantee. You don’t get it, It’s not important. You always wanted me to love something enough that it made giving up exy worth it. I have that now. I have Renee. But I’m not going to have to choose because not everybody is manipulative enough to make a person choose. But it would still be her.”
Allison can feel herself soften as she looks across at the framed picture on her dresser. Andrew of all people had taken it at Dan and Matt’s wedding years ago. Allison and Renee were holding hands, they’d been dancing like crazy people skipping around in circles on the grass, their eyes only focussed on each other as they laughed. It is one of Allison’s favourite pictures of the two of them - not that she’s ever going to tell Andrew that - and it never fails to make her heart warm as she gazes at it.
“I love her, mom. More than anything. And I haven’t cared about your approval or your money in a long time.”
“Allison…”
“Bye, mom.”
Allison cuts the call, letting the phone rest in the palm of her hand as she watches the screen go dark.
“Are you okay?”
Allison’s head whips around at the sound of Renee’s voice. She is leaning against the doorframe, a worried crease between her eyes. Allison’s smile is surprisingly easy as she reaches out, drawing Renee close to her.
“I am,” she says truthfully. “I mean it. I don’t care what they think. I choose you.”
Renee’s features soften and her eyes widen just slightly at the meaning behind her words. Renee brushes her lips against Allison’s so gently it’s hardly a kiss.
“Nobody’s going to make you choose,” Renee promises against her lips. “You’re allowed both.”
Allison closes the space between them again, kissing Renee softly as she brushes Renee's hair back behind her ear and any uncertainty that Allison might’ve felt seemed to fade away as she finds her safety in the arms of the woman she loves.
-oOo-
[EXTRACT FROM POST-OLYMPIC US COURT PRESS CONFERENCE]
Int: Mr Day, do you - or any of your teammates want to comment on the recent discovery of your teammates [Allison Reynolds, Starting Defensive Dealer] off court activities?
Starting Striker, Kevin Day: Why would I want to comment on it?. It’s neither a recent discovery, relevant to her ability to play Exy nor any of our business. I’m happy for her and Renee. There we go. That’s my comment.
Starting Striker, Neil Josten: I’d like to comment, if that’s okay?
Int: Oh, of course.
Starting Backliner, Matthew Boyd: Oh, here we go!
SS, NJ: This is the most diverse team that this country has ever sent to the Olympics and it’s also the strongest. We won by the biggest margin in history but instead of talking about that we’re wasting time because once again the press and supposed fans think that they have a right to information that they don’t. You outed Andrew [Minyard] and I two years ago and made headlines with that, it was headlines when Jeremy [Knox] and Jean [Moreau] announced their relationship and you’ve spent a whole bunch of time speculating about Laila [Dermott, formerly of the US Court] and [Sara] Alvarez despite them confirming their relationship since college. Court players being anything but straight isn’t new or breaking news so why are you using your airtime to ask invasive and irrelevant questions rather than talking about the things that matter like the fact that we just won our fourth consecutive Olympic title?
Starting Defensive Dealer, Allison Reynolds: Not that the question about my personal life was even directed at me. But I’m going to say that me and Renee - yes, formerly of Palmetto Foxes - have been together since Palmetto and haven’t once tried to hide our relationship, it just wasn’t relevant to my job and you all saw that we were living together and spent a lot of time together as us “just being good friends.” That’s not my problem. My fiance and I would like to thank teammates, both past and present, for their continued support as well as all of the fans out there who’ve sent us kind words.
-oOo-
Olympian Allison Reynolds and Wife Renee Walker Tie The Knot Surrounded By Family and Friends!
Allison Reynolds tied the knot with her old teammate and long-time partner, Renee Walker earlier in the week at a private ceremony in Upstate New York. It was witnessed by their former PSU teammates as well as members of both Reynold’s New York Team and the US Court...