Chapter Text
Ashlyn walked into the room with an annoyed expression on her face. She was heading to Kelley’s sorority house for a little birthday celebration for Kling, and she just got a text from Hope informing her that Ali was there.
That was the last thing she wanted. Although she didn’t expect anything less. The girls didn’t know about what really happened between Ali and Ashlyn, and they were all adults. The girls just expected the two to at least get along in order for celebrations to go smoothly. There was barely any contact between the two in order to avoid confrontation for a reason.
So with a sigh, she swung open Kelley’s front door, stepping inside the party.
Girls and guys from all over campus were already drunk and partying, dancing in the living room and smiling down at one another. Kling, naturally, was in the middle of all of it on the coffee table in the living room, a 21st birthday crown on her short brown hair and booming smile on her face.
Immediately, Ashlyn was engulfed in a hug as she stepped inside, smiling as Amy, Lauren, and Tobin found her and greeted her drunkenly.
“Dude!” Tobin yelled in her ear, seeing the bottle of vodka in her hand. “My hero!”
Lauren chuckled. “Tobs, you act like you need more alcohol. I think you’re good.”
“No way! It’s only eight thirty.”
Ashlyn chuckled as she looked at the watch over her tattooed sleeve. “Tobin, babe, it’s almost midnight.”
She shrugged. “What’s a few hours anyway? It’s a Friday,” she then grabbed Amy’s arm and smirked. “Come on, let’s find Alex.”
The two took off, stumbling but managing, leaving Lauren leaning on the wall and a smirking and amused Ashlyn.
Lauren chuckled at the two. “Tobin is so mellow and calm before she gets drunk. And then she turns into… that.”
“That’s why she doesn’t get drunk often,” Ashlyn mentioned. “Now come on. Let’s put this bottle into some good use.”
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Two hours later, the party was still going strong and Ashlyn had a happy buzz going. She was currently sitting on the on the counter in the kitchen, smirking down at Alex who could barely stand on her own.
The brown headed forward leaned on her legs that were hanging from the counter. “You know, Ash, you’re a real catch.”
Ashlyn smirked. “So I’ve been told, Alex. But you know Tobin gets jealous easily.”
“No!” she scoffed. “Not for me, you goofball. I mean, you don’t have a girlfriend.”
“So?”
“So why not?”
Ash sighed. She knew these questions were coming. And before she answered, she said, “I have plenty of girls that fill that void already. Why have a relationship when I can have no strings attached?”
“So you’re a slut?” Alex teased, taking another sip of her drink and looking at her through laughing eyes.
“Ha ha,” Ash shot back. “I’m not a slut. It’s not like I sleep with random people. They’re all people I know.”
“Who are they anyway?”
Ash shrugged. “That’s for me to know.”
“Anyone on the team?”
“No comment, Morgan. You’re not getting any answers out of me.”
Alex didn’t take no for an answer, standing straighter and glaring at her. “Ashlyn Harris, answer me.”
“Alex Morgan, I will not.”
Just then, Tobin showed up, wrapping her arms around Alex from behind. She seemed to sober up a bit since everyone cut her off and smiled at the glare on Alex’s face. “Ash, are you messing with my girl?”
Ash held her hands up defensively. “Never.”
“Ash has secrets and I want to know them,” Alex said simply.
“What secrets?” Tobin pressed.
Alex went on to explain to Tobin the conversation when Ashlyn took the time to look around. Her eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on the one and only Ali Krieger.
Ali was someone that Ash could never figure out. And it made her mad. It made her so mad.
Because they played on the same team, they had to get along. But they were opposites, so they couldn’t have even one conversation without fighting. Ali liked to be right, Ash just wanted to have fun. Ali wanted to be good, Ash was a rebel. Ali wanted to win every game, and not that Ash didn’t, but she was just grateful to play. She didn’t exactly take it as seriously. If there was one thing the two agreed on, it was this:
They didn’t particularly care for each other.
In fact, they barely agreed on that. Ali would claim that she hated Ash. Ash would say that she merely didn’t care for Ali’s company. Simple really.
But there was always something about Ali Krieger. Ash didn’t know what it was. Sure, she was beautiful but she would argue that everyone on her team was gorgeous. Everyone on her team was an amazing soccer player. Everyone was dedicated. Everyone was smart. So Ali was supposed to be just another girl on the team.
And yet, Ash caught herself staring as Ali laughed with some of the fraternity guys. She did that little nose crinkle thing, that stupid way she lightly threw her head back, the way she would reach out to whoever it was who was funny, grabbing his arm to keep her steady.
If there was one thing that Ashlyn knew, a drunk Ali was a touchy Ali. And she gripped her cup tightly as she watched that guy lean forward before he leaned down and –
“Ash, just tell her before she goes crazy.”
Ash tore her eyes away from Ali, frowning. How did they know about her infatuation with Ali? For the first time, she was stumped and opened her mouth where nothing came out.
The couple looked at her with confusion before Tobin added a bit more. “Your escapades, man. Alex isn’t going to let it go.”
Ash breathed in relief. “Oh, yeah, that.”
“What did you think we were talking about?” Alex asked.
Ash looked up to Ali again sneakily, catching her with her lips locked to the guy with blonde hair and a Def Leppard t-shirt. She shook the picture from her head and turned back to her friends.
“Nothing. Let’s go play beer pong or something.”
Both smiled. “Hell yeah!”
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
“Alright,” Dom, one of Ashlyn’s good friends from the boy’s team and all time beer pong partner, spoke loudly over the speakers. “You guys remember the rules? One bounce on the table and you can grab it. You have to stand behind the tape. You take turns drinking. Guys finger, girls blow. Well,” he stopped and smirked at Ash who leaned against the wall behind him, “except for Ashlyn.”
This caused a few laughs from the audience and Ash just chuckled, shaking her head. “Asshole. You’re just mad because I get more girls than you do.”
The crowd loved that one too.
Dom flicked her off. “Anyway, you guys got it?” he pointed to the competitors for confirmation.
It was Ali and that stupid blonde kid that she was making out with that was up next. Ash tried not to look at her, but she couldn’t help it. Her eyes kept meeting the brunettes and it was driving her nuts.
Ali nodded, avoiding Ash’s gaze just as much. “Got it.”
“Wanna make this a little more interesting?” The blonde kid asked.
Dom raised an eyebrow. “How so, Justin?”
Justin, apparently, just smirked. “Strip pong. The only real way to play beer pong.”
Ashlyn internally groaned. Playing against Ali was bad enough. Playing against Ali tipsy was only worse. Playing against Ali with the prospect of no shame or clothes was going to be rough.
Ali, surprisingly, met Ashlyn’s eyes with a challenge. “I’m down. Are you?”
The question didn’t seem like it was for anyone else, and it was met with such a force that Ash knew she couldn’t back down. “You’re on, Krieger. Just don’t lose your panties this time.”
That last line to everyone else was just a joke and a laugh. To the two of them, it was much more intimate, back to a few months before at the start of preseason.
FLASHBACK
“Are you shitting me?” Ali screamed at Ashlyn, shoving her into the locker room. The girl was just trying to change and Ali stormed inside, glaring at her.
Almost everyone had left by now, too tired to even shower after the third two hour practice that day. Ashlyn was too tired to fight with the brunette for the fourth time in three days. So when Ali shoved her, she barely had the strength to catch herself in the locker before falling in.
She turned, giving her a stern look. “Krieger, I’m too tired for your shit right now.”
“My shit?” the girl said in dismay. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Yes. Your shit. Back the hell off.”
Ali’s jaw tightened. “That goal wasn’t my fault. If you weren’t so keen on showing off, you could’ve easily saved that shot.”
“If you did your job, I wouldn’t have just jump five feet in the air to try to get a shot that was nearly impossible to stop. All you had to do was stick your foot out. But no. you have to make me look bad.”
“So it’s my fault you can’t do your job? That’s bullshit and you know that. You didn’t have to try to call me out in the middle of practice.”
Ashlyn shoved Ali lightly, grabbing her towel before pushing past her. “I’m going to shower.”
Ali grabbed her arm quickly. “Hell no, you’re not.”
“Excuse me, but since when did what you want become a priority to me?” Ashlyn asked, yanking her arm away. “Oh wait, it’s not.”
“You think you’re so good, don’t you? That you’re the best keeper on the team? That you shouldn’t be second?” That caught Ashlyn’s attention and her anger. She clenched her hand tighter around her towel as Ali went on. “Well guess what, Ash! There’s a reason you’re second. There’s a reason Hope will be ahead of you until she graduates. You’re not focused. You’re not the best. You’re not as into it. You don’t care. Maybe if you did, you’d have a chance. The best part about Hope is she doesn’t blame her defenders, she helps us. Big difference.”
“You act like I care what you have to say, Krieger.” Ash stepped forward, shoving the girl lightly against the wall. Ali’s back collided with it and Ash leaned forward until their faces were barely an inch apart. “I’ve never denied that Hope is good. And I’d help you if you’d listen, but I know that nothing I say can get through that stubborn brain of yours. It’s pointless. You’re the best right back I’ve ever played with, but you’re still a bitch to me and nothing about that is going to change.”
Ali was quietly glaring for a moment before what Ash said sunk in. Then, she seemed to realize their closeness and her eyes drifted down to Ash’s lips before she looked back up.
Ash swallowed, not backing away. This is what she hated. She was fine from a distance, but a close Ali Krieger was hard to stop those… internal instincts. And her instincts were telling her to kiss the girl in front of her.
“You’re right.”
Ash frowned as Ali finally, actually agreed with her on something. But that didn’t mean she understood what she actually agreed with.
“Right about what?”
“That I’ll always be a bitch to you.” Ali reached up at that line and grabbed the front of Ash’s keeper practice jersey, pulling the girl closer. Ash, as usual, was shocked at this and froze. “And you’ll always be a secret fuck buddy to me.”
And with that, their lips crashed together and Ashlyn was lost in the feeling that was the defender, her anger boiling to lust as it blinded her and she kissed the defender back even harder.
END OF FLASHBACK
They ended up in the locker room showers that day, their clothes scattered around the locker room. What they didn’t know was that the laundry kid came in to clean all of the practice clothes, and that somehow, Krieger’s thong went missing that day.
Ali blushed and glared at her, showing the challenge in her eyes. And with that, the game began.
It was close. Sadly, Ashlyn couldn’t concentrate and Dom kept scolding her because of it. He had gotten four cups so far and she’d gotten one, but just barely. And she kept forgetting the game plays that they used, getting lost in Ali Krieger.
Because as soon as Dom sunk the first ping pong ball, Ali offered to strip first. She yanked off her tank top, revealing the exact bra that she had worn the day she and Ashlyn first started this… sex/hate relationship thing. That was in the hotel on one of their away games and they ended up as roommates. Everyone thought that the scratches on Ashlyn’s body was because she and Ali got into a fight, they the two of them were happy to let the team think that instead of the less appropriate idea.
And by now, Dom was in his boxers, Ash was down to her black sliders and sports bra, and Ali was only in in stilettoes and underwear. Well the bottom half of her underwear. She was painfully naked from the waist up and Ashlyn was having trouble focusing.
Justin took the last shot that time, sinking the ball into the second to last cup that was left on Ashlyn’s side. She groaned at this, and hated the smirk on Ali’s face even more.
Dom sighed, dropping his hands to his table. “Ash, you are killing us right now.”
She grumbled back at him, downing the drink and stripping her bra off. Everyone was basically surrounding the table now, all cheering for different teams.
“Alright,” she announced to Dom. “Let’s finish this.”
“Plan B?” he said with a smirk.
She nodded. “Plan B.”
Ali leaned forward on the table, hearing their conversation. “What’s plan B, exactly?”
Just at that time, Sydney (a good friend to Ash and more than a friend to Dom) stumbled into the room and bumped right into Ali. That pushed Ali into Justin, who was too drunk to catch himself and they both fell to the floor in a pile. At that moment, Dom and Ash bounced the ping pong balls on the table, right towards the cups. There were five left, but bouncing the balls first means that if you made it, it took 2 cups, and they both sunk in. Dom and ash smirked and high fived, both winking at Sydney with a thanks ash she ran off.
Ali, by the time she got up, glared at the two of them with furious eyes. “That doesn’t count! You cheated!”
“Sydney was drunk and stumbled in,” Dom defended. “It’s not our fault that she had bad timing.”
“Yeah, Krieger. Not our fault,” Ash said as she took a small sip of her whiskey. She smiled innocently, knowing that they had the game in the bag as they got the balls back. Both Dom and Ash sunk the balls in the last cup. Ash and Dom got dressed quickly, having another unspoken plan already set.
Ali was fuming and too drunk to realize that she was drunk. Justin had hit his head and was barely aware of anything. So now, fully dressed, Ash now just smirked and winked at Ali as she and Dom walked over, pretending to go for a handshake. “Good game, Krieger.”
“I hate you, Harris.”
“Not as much as you’re about to.”
The brunette quirked her eyebrows up. Just then, Dom announced it. “Go Ash!”
They reached down, grabbed the clothes from their opponents, and ran. Everyone was laughing as the mischievous pair ran through the house. Ali, once she realized what happened, ran after Ash, pissed out of her mind.
It had been about forty five seconds, upstairs that Ash was caught. She sprinted into a random room, trying to shut the door but Ali burst through it, pushing the door harshly into Ashlyn’s shoulder to keep her from closing it.
The force was so strong that Ash hit the floor out of force and pain. It was her bad shoulder, the one she’s always had problems with, and Ali ended up slamming the door back quickly, mainly to hide her nudity, before she turned and saw the keeper on the floor. “Ash?”
She groaned, the clothes scattered about the room and her left arm grabbing her right shoulder. “Shit, that hurt like a bitch.”
It took Ali two seconds to realize. “Oh, fuck. That’s your bad shoulder.”
“Thank you, genius. Where did you get your doctorate?”
“Shut up, asshole,” Ali shot back. “Let me get dressed and take a look at it.”
“You can leave the clothes off and take a look at it,” Ashlyn said with her dizzy, pain-filled, alcoholic mind. “Just saying.”
Ali froze as she reached down to get her clothes, but she didn’t stop completely and slipped her clothes back on before sitting next to a still frozen Ash, who’s eyes were closed and she was holding back a groan of pain. She helped her into her clothes as well, but only her pants and bra before her shoulder ached too much and the keeper fell back against the carpet.
They were quiet for a split second before Ali spoke, out of the blue, “Ash, what are we doing?”
“Fighting,” she said on instinct. “Arguing. Bickering. Take your pick.”
“I mean, why?” Ali said defeated. “I get that we’re not exactly alike and we put on a front for everyone, but Ash, what is wrong with us?”
Suddenly, Ash’s shoulder wasn’t hurting anymore. Well, it was, but this conversation was so random that she couldn’t even think about her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Ali sitting with her legs crossed next to her, her fingers playing with each other as her eyes were staring down at them nervously.
“Wha… what are you–” Ash didn’t even know how to say it. “Ali, what’s going on?”
For some reason that Ash couldn’t explain, Ali tensed. And then, in a small voice, she met Ashlyn’s eyes and said in a quiet voice, “You know, that’s the first time in two years that you’ve called me Ali.”
Ash had no remark. “I – it’s just – I mean I didn’t know that I was, you know, allowed to–”
“Allowed to call me by my name?” Ali said in a slightly lighter tone.
Ash shrugged her shoulder, wincing a little. “I mean, yeah?”
Ali seemed to relax a bit at her mumbling and nervousness. “Ash, why did you think that?”
“You always say your name is Alexandra but your friends call you Ali.” She sat up slowly until they were sitting side by side. “And we aren’t exactly friends.”
With a sigh, Ali stood up and held her hand out. Ashlyn looked at it like it was poisonous, and Ali just chuckled before shaking her head. “Ash, come on. Stand up.”
She took her hand with her good one and stood, face to face with Ali now. “Okay? Now what?”
“Come here.” Ali didn’t let go of her hand and pulled her towards the random bed. Luckily, the walls of the room were bare and it seemed like no one actually lived in this bedroom in particular. Ash was on auto-pilot with Ali’s touch and her bad shoulder and the bit of alcohol and Ali sat them both on the bed, but to Ash’s surprise, she didn’t drop her hand and played with her fingers instead.
Ash waited for her to speak, and when she didn’t, Ash started. “I’m really confused on what’s happening here.”
“I’ve been terrible to you,” Ali admitted. “I really have. And you didn’t deserve it.”
That caught Ash off guard but she managed to say, “I haven’t exactly had the Nobel Peace Prize of Kindness towards you either.”
Ali chuckled. “No, but maybe we can start.”
“Why?”
Ali shrugged, refusing to actually look at Ash or answer. She had gotten sick of it and reached forward, grabbing Ali’s chin lightly and forcing their eyes to meet. “What is going on?”
Ali sighed and pushed away before turning. She propped her leg up on the bed so she was completely facing Ash. “I had a talk with HAO the other day.”
“Okay?” Ash probed.
“About you.”
Ash paused. “Um, okay. What about me?”
“You and HAO are good friends and she might have gotten sick of our fighting and bickering and sat me down to have a talk.”
Ash chuckled lightly. “I mean, I can’t tell you how many of those talks I’ve had between Tobin, Alex, Carly, and Hope. They’re all sick of it.”
“So I was thinking, I’m kind of sick of it too.”
Ash started to turn the wheels in her head, trying to figure out what Ali meant but not understanding. “We fight though. We’re not compatible. We just… it’s easier for us to be honest and fight than it is to just lie in front of everyone. That’s why we avoid each other. It’s how we keep the peace.”
“But we are compatible.”
Ash shook her head. “Have you not remembered the last two years? Did the alcohol mess with you that badly?” Ash teased, poking Ali’s forehead, causing the other girl to smile lightly and swat at her. “Earth to, Ali. You’re losing your mind.”
“Stop,” she smiled and swatted at Ashlyn’s hand again. “Ash, quit it!”
“I don’t think so.” Ash kept going though, poking and smiling as Ali laughed and pushed at her. Ash fell back with a chuckled as Ali followed. They kept poking and joking and when it finally died down, Ashlyn really looked at Ali.
She was hovering over the blonde, a small, bashful smile on her face as she chuckled down at her. There was nothing sexual about this, but Ashlyn found herself liking it. And that was weird. Ashlyn only liked Ali when it came to sex. That’s how it always was. And now…
Ali froze when she realized Ashlyn was no longer laughing or smiling. “Um, Ashlyn?”
Ashlyn swallowed nervously. “Yeah?”
There was a quiet moment between them. “Do you think we could… be friends?”
“Friends?”
“Or…” Ali shrugged casually, her hands pressing against the pillow under Ashlyn’s head. “Or more than friends?”
This was uncharted water but familiar at the same time. “I think we’ve been more then friends without being actual friends.”
Ali nodded and leaned down a little more, her eyes on Ashlyn’s lips. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’ve liked you, Ash. And it’s terrified me because I never thought of myself like that, but every time I’ve been with you, it’s been better than anything I’ve ever had, guy or girl. Something about you is just intoxicating, and the fighting might intensify it but I have to know.”
Ashlyn’s hands moved to Ali’s hips, holding her still. “Have to know what?”
Ali swallowed. “What… what it is about you that I can’t… resist. I want it to just be the fact that it’s so much more intensified because I don’t hate you. But Ash,” Ali pressed her forehead to Ashlyn’s, both their breathing becoming shallow and nervous, “I can’t hate you. And right now, all I want is to kiss you.”
There wasn’t more than one second for Ashlyn to think before she moved her hands to Ali’s hair and yanked her down, their lips pressing together. It wasn’t too fast or speedy or hot or heated. Instead, now, it was slow. They’ve never had slow. It was calm. That was new. It was relaxed. That was unheard of for Ashlyn in general. And she liked it.
Ali barely moved anything but her head, but Ashlyn felt her hands shaking next to her head. So she pulled back, reaching to grab Ali’s hands and flip them. Ali let it happen, slowly. And eventually, Ash was now on top of Ali, holding her hands with their fingers interlocked as Ali’s legs were bent at the knees, Ash between them. There was a heat that was calm between the two, the small beat from the speakers downstairs feeling like the beat of their hearts at the moment. Except to them, their heartbeats were ten times louder and thirty times faster.
“Stop shaking,” Ashlyn whispered as she pushed her hands by Ali’s head, holding them there as she leaned over the older (only by a year) girl. “You’re making me nervous. Relax.”
Ali let out an extremely nervous, more nervous than normal nervous, laugh. “I’m making you nervous? Ash, I’m panicking right now. Telling me to calm down is not going to help.”
“And my heart is beating at a mile a minute but Ali, it’s okay.”
That caught her attention. Ali squeezed Ashlyn’s hands tightly and took a deep breath. “Holy shit. Things were so much less stressful when we were mad at each other.”
Ashlyn chuckled. “You really want to go back to that?”
“I want you to kiss me,” Ali responded instead. “Just kiss me, Ash.”
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Ashlyn woke the next morning to the light in her eyes and a body draped over hers. She sighed contently in the warmth before she realized that whoever was over her, that hand was moving along an intricate path along the tattoo sleeve on her arm.
So she stirred, enough to catch Ali’s attention. She wasn’t sure what to say, considering when they have sex they always leave right afterwards for many reason: they normally don’t do it in a bed, they don’t let the girls catch them, and they don’t like each other enough to just fall asleep together.
Especially falling asleep clothed.
Last night, they kissed a lot but they also talked a lot and Ashlyn realized that there is more to Ali Krieger than soccer and school. They didn’t realize that they also had so much in common though. From their favorite food to their extremely similar brothers, they seemed to click for the first time since they met.
And now, it was completely different. Ashlyn didn’t see Ali and think of beauty and hatred. Looking at her now, she thought of compassion and kindness.
“You know, when I talked to HAO, she spilled some of your secrets to me,” Ali said with her head on Ashlyn’s shoulder, her fingers stopping the pattern and her arm moving to tighten around Ashlyn’s waist. “Like about your tattoos.”
“They mean a lot to me,” Ash said, surprisingly not mad at HAO. She was glad Ali knew. “And it’s not really a secret. I told tell a lot of people though.”
“She also told me about the closeted you.”
Ash chuckled, moving her hand to Ali’s hair and running a hand through it. “I think that everyone knows I’m not longer closeted. Neither are you for that matter.”
Ali laughed too. “I didn’t mean like that. The version of you who doesn’t just sleep with people and be the life of the party that doesn’t care about other’s feelings. She told me who you really are. And I didn’t believe her at the time.”
Ash was quiet for a moment. “What do you think now?”
Ali pushed back and turned to look at her. Ash took her in, the morning marks on her face, the tousled hair, the sleepiness in her eyes. And she decided right then and there that this was an Ali Krieger that she wanted to see more often.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” she blurted out accidentally.
Ali blushed and ducked her head, and Ash took that as a good sign instead of panicking.
“Sorry,” Ash said quickly. “But I mean, it’s true.”
“Based on that,” Ali mumbled, looking back up at her with a shy look. “I’m starting to like that Ashlyn more. A lot more.”
She leaned down and kissed Ashlyn’s cheek, surprisingly the blond because it seemed so simple, and yet it meant a lot more than normal. It meant that this wasn’t just sex which didn’t even happen yesterday, and it wasn’t just friends.
“I like you, Ali,” Ash said quickly before she could pull away. “And as much as it shocks me to admit it, it’s true. I know HAO and probably a few girls on the team knew it, but now I know that it’s true too.” She leaned forward and this time, they kissed lightly. Just a press of their lips together. “This is new to both of us, so maybe we should be smart about it?”
Ali nodded once. “That can’t be that hard to be smart, right?”