Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Riley went down the stairs of her house, going directly to the kitchen, knowing that her mother would already be there, with her usual lunch stored in a container, ready to take to school.

High school was exhausting, Riley would come home so tired that she wouldn't eat dinner, she would sleep without taking a shower and wake up it was time to leave again, barely giving her time to take care of her appearance, and consequently, not giving her time to have breakfast without arriving at least 20 minutes late.
Jill solved this by making quick snacks for her daughter to take and eat along the way, or at school, as she preferred.

"morning." Riley murmured, her hair still damp from the cold shower she had taken just minutes ago.
Jill didn't respond, just nodded, continuing to pace back and forth in the small kitchen.

"good morning, my little monkey" her father greeted her enthusiastically, moving past Riley to steal a piece of toast lost in the middle of the dining table.

Riley's cheeks turned red with embarrassment at the old nickname her father used.
"dad!" she complained
he just responded with a confused "hmn?" before turning around and quickly leaving the kitchen.

"Riley, where's your bag?" her mother asked softly, sounding confused and worried, Riley often forgot her things at school.

"oh! I left it in Val's car yesterday, I texted her, but she said she would give it to me today." the teenager seemed unconcerned
These days, it was also a common occasion for Val to take her home after school, Riley loved those days!
The two always went the whole way talking about everything, and once Val even gave her a kiss on the cheek after Andersen got out of the car!

"Val, huh?" Jill crossed her arms, looking at Riley with a mischievous smile, causing Riley's cheeks to turn as red as possible.
the horn of her father's car saved her, followed by a shout for her to hurry up
"See you later mom!" the girl was really surprised how she didn't stutter, but instead tripped over her own feet as she ran to the exit of the house.

"Riley! you forgot the... breakfast. This girl is going to come home fainting from hunger." Jill smacked her own forehead, knowing her daughter wouldn't eat anything at school all day,

The walk to school was noisy, his father making jokes and small talk whenever he had the chance, and Riley answering him sometimes, letting out a laugh at other times.
She loved her father, but sometimes she just wanted, no, she just need silence.

As soon as she got out of the car, waving at Bill while he made strange monkey gestures, Riley saw her; Val Ortiz.
in all of her beauty.
sitting on a step of the stairs, headphones on one side, hair combed to the right, the sun perfectly brightening her brown eyes...
damn.

"Be careful Minnesota, you're going to having a heart attack or something!" teased Dani, walking past her with a smile, quickly greeting Val before entering the school.
Then Ortiz took off her headphones when she noticed Andersen in front of her.
Riley, standing there in all her glory.
blonde hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes that Valentina had dreamed of countless times, a cute smile covered by her braces, little freckles decorating her face...
Val gasped at the sight, wiping her sweaty hands on her pants before standing up and giving the girl a quick hug.

"Hey Minnesota!" Val walked away for a few seconds to pick up Riley's bag, which was sitting on the step where Ortiz was sitting before, handing it to the Andersen.

"H-Hey! Thanks, and I'm sorry for being so careless... I shouldn't have forgotten that-" she stuttered, unable to hide her nervousness.

"Hey! It's okay. relax, shawty." Val said, putting an arm around Riley's shoulders as she guided her into the school.

what.
the.
hell.
Riley's emotions were racing back and forth right now.
Embarrassment was huddled in a corner, as pink as he could be.
Anxiety bounced from one side to the other, making plans for her future marriage and children.
Joy walked in circles, a stupid smile plastered on his face as he thought about what that nickname meant.
Disgust laughed at the Anger face, while asking for her reward for winning the bet they both made.
Sadness was emotional in a corner, right next to Embarrassment.
Envy didn't quite understand what was happening at all, and Ennui was well... being Ennui.

Fear was screaming as he ran at the same time, paranoid and worried about just...everything.

Riley's tense shoulders began to relax as the minutes passed, and apparently the captain of the Firehawks noticed this, as she was now smiling much more broadly.
today was going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

Riley walked down the long hallway lined with lockers, with the usual headphones and blonde hair tied up
but today there was something different; Riley didn't have her usual nervous smile on her face, the one that would brighten anyone's day.
Instead, she had a frown on her face, brows furrowed and eyes downcast, a thousand thoughts racing through her clearly anxious mind.

"Hey girl, how are you?" she heard a familiar voice, followed by a punch on her left shoulder
"Good morning, Dani" she replied simply, still without looking at her teammate.
"dude, are you okay? you seem kinda... dazed." Dani's voice contained a hint of concern as she looked at Riley
Andersen turned off the music and took off his headphones, putting them in the pocket of his sweatshirt.
"just... thinking, about Val." she murmured.
"well, what else do you two do other than think about each other?" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 31 a month.. "If I hear Ortiz praise you one more time around me, I'm going to have a meltdown."

"wait, what?!" Riley gasped, realizing that Dani had accidentally said that.
"well.. I need- I need to go to class!" the firehawk tried to escape, only for Riley to stop her by yanking her arm.
"Dani, lunch time has just started, if you don't tell me more about this, I will never share my sandwiches with you again-"

"Minnesota?" they both heard an all too familiar voice, freezing the two girls immediately.
Dani took the opportunity to run away, causing Riley to mentally curse her before turning to a Val with her arms crossed in front of her.

"hi, captain, m-mean Ortiz, Val! Val Ortiz!" Riley quickly turned into a mess in front of her best friend.
"Yes, that's my title, my last name and full name. are you okay?" joked Val, and at that moment the Blonde wanted nothing more than to bury herself in a hole and never come out again.

"Yes, I'm fine, sorry. just.. thinking too much, damn this is embarrassing-" Riley felt the sweat building up on the back of her neck, her cheeks were burning, and she was sure she looked stupid in front of Val.
She quickly forgot all of that when Valentina wrapped a hand around her waist, guiding her for a walk around the school.

"You know, when I'm really nervous and thinking about something, I like to walk with someone I like... I hope this works for you, you like me, right?"
Riley's heart skipped a beat, she was on fire now.
"Y-Yea! i really like you! wait... that sound weird, I-I mean-"
"it's okay Riley, calm down. and she did, took a deep breath and then let it out, until her heart stabilized.
"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Riley thought about it carefully, how could she tell it?
What was keeping her up late, making her mind become a mess and her hands ring, was Val.
Ortiz was different with her in the last few weeks, she had been getting closer
the smiles that Val gave her made her knees give way, the tone of her voice, the harmless touches, long hugs...
and the nicknames, god, the nicknames! This was making Riley so nervous, every time Val created a new one, Riley felt her heart stop momentarily.

"huh, i... just hockey and lots of chores, you know." they both knew it was a lie.
Val decided to save this to confront later, in case Riley remained so anxious.
Instead of adding anything else, Riley wrapped an arm around Val's waist too, and he could have sworn he saw his captain's cheeks flush
'It's just the lighting' Riley thought about it.

When it was time to go back to class, Riley was surrounded by her new friend, Ellie on one side, and her girlfriend, Sarah.
"soo, How was your walk with your 'beautiful and adorable goddess Val Ortiz'? " teased Ellie, before saying goodbye to Sarah, who went to her own class.

"Don't even start, Williams! Val is my best friend."
"Yea.. notice I didn't say otherwise, hm?"
Riley blushed deeply.
"Come on, Riley, has everyone noticed that she's been flirting with you for DAYS" she shouted at the end, for emphasis, laughing when Andersen quickly covered her mouth.
Riley ignored her comment and dragged her into the classroom, also trying to ignore the gurgling in her stomach as she rethought about Valentina.

an hour had passed, Riley was with her head down, lying down as much as she could on her school desk.
and then the more she thought about Val, the more she realized what an stupid she -Riley- was.
she thought about what Dani said earlier.
She thought about the way her mother raised an eyebrow whenever Riley rambled on about her idolization of Val, a knowing smile on his face.
she rethought about how Coach Roberts always caught her attention when she was distracted by staring at Val in training, telling her to keep her eyes where she should.
Riley thought about Ellie teasing her, and the looks Andersen got whenever he hung out with Ortiz.

bro.
Val was flirting with her, and she was being a fool.
the realization made Riley's eyes sparkle and your cheeks turn a deep shade of red.
What should she do now? how to flirt back? Should she flirt back?! What if it ruins the friendship? What if it ruins your hockey performance??
Riley decided she would open Google as soon as the school bell rang.

To make matters worse, everyone knew this except Riley!
the entire school, the entire team, your friends, even your parents and coach!
Was she really that oblivious?
she hadn't realized there were non-platonic feelings for Val until now, yes, she felt nervous and good around she, but that didn't mean anything, right?
It didn't mean anything that Riley felt so safe and protected and happy and calm and nervous at the same time around Val, right?
it was totally normal for Ortiz's smile to make his heart flutter, and it was totally normal for Riley to be constantly admiring Val's muscular arms and...

fuck, she really likes Val. and Val likes her too.
or.. maybe not, maybe this is all paranoia in Riley's mind, or maybe Valentina just wanted to play with her
or worse, maybe she just wanted something casual with Riley, that would certainly hurt.
What if Val was just being friendly and Riley got it all wrong?
what if-

the bell rang, loud enough to make Riley's thoughts go haywire and her head hurt a little.
As expected, Riley left the room and Ortiz was waiting outside, leaning against the wall and playing on her cell phone.
when she noticed Riley staring at her, a goofy smile graced her face.
"Hello princess, how was your class?" Val said sweetly, causing Riley's legs to almost give out.
Andersen sighed and smiled back at Val, a real smile without a hint of nervousness, different from she's usual smile.
Val's heart fluttered.

ok, it wasn't Riley's paranoia... and now she had a lot of questions to google.

Chapter Text

Riley spent the entire weekend locked inside her room, hiding under a blanket while working on her laptop.
her historic was now littered with things like.
"Am I in love with my best friend?"
"How do I know if I'm gay?
"Can girls date girls?"
"How do I know if my friend likes me?
"how to flirt with someone"
"flirting tips"
"I'm in love with a girl, being a girl, what do I do?"
"Is there a gay cure??"
"how to come out of the closet to my parents"

And she had reached three conclusions, with her two days of in-depth research on the subjects
1- she definitely was 🏳️‍🌈 she just didn't know if she was bisexual or lesbian, but that's a topic for another time.
2- she is in love with Val.
3- Val likes her too.
4 (bonus) - She doesn't know what to do.

Monday came too quickly, and she hated the moment her mother came into the room and opened the curtains on her window, causing the sun to shine on a very disheveled Riley.
the blonde immediately hid herself from the light with her sheets, just like a vampire

"Good Morning! This morning is beautiful, the birds are singing... and someone needs to go to school, hm?" Jill said, walking over to Riley and taking the sheets off her daughter.
"wake up, lil firehawk! it's time."

"mm.. I do not want to go to school" Riley murmured, eyes closed tightly as she raised her arm over her face, wishing she could go back to sleep.

"yes, and I wanted to be rich. wake up, Riley Andersen" her mother said with a hint of fun and order, Leaving his room slowly, before stopping at the door and turning to look at Riley
"oh, won't you get up anyway? Okay, I'll let the girls downstairs know you'll be missing today." Jill said, almost laughing

"WHAT?!" Riley practically jumped out of bed, her scream coming out shrill and high-pitched, staring at her mother in amazement "G-Girls?? who? when?"

"hmm, I don't know if I should tell you... your crush and some other girls came to pick you up like 3 minutes ago"
Riley's face quickly turned vibrant red at her mother's comment. she stuttered as she got up, running to the bathroom.
she took a shower quickly, brushed her teeth and combed her hair and put a rubber band on her wrist, forgetting to tie her hair back
Riley wore a long-sleeved black shirt, with a basic gray one on top, in addition to her usual jeans and a worn all-star.
Andersen grabbed her backpack and cell phone before going downstairs and finding simply Valentina Ortiz and Dani looking at her

Dani had a big smile on her face and Val just stared at her so intently, seeming almost... in awe?
Riley could have sworn she saw Ortiz's cheeks blush.
Andersen walked up to the girls, a confused look on her face, before Dani explained
"we came to get you! well, it was actually Val's idea" the firehawk received an elbow in the ribs from that, which made her hiss in pain.

Jill came out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in hand, having just taken a sip and quickly choked up when she saw her daughter
"Oh, Riley! your hair looks beautiful, dear. You should let it loose more often"

and then Riley noticed and her eyes widened, looking at the elastic on her wrist with almost dread on her face, a blush rising to her face.
She prepared to tie him up, before a hand grabbed her wrist.
"Y-you should leave it like that, Minnesota." Val's voice sounded nervously
Did she just stutter? Their gazes met, tension was obviously present in the air.
until Dani cleared her throat, urging them to go quickly

"O-Okay.. just for you." Riley whispered, looking away quickly, regret flooding her for saying that.
she was so stupid!
until Val simply smiled, her usual confidence returning as she grabbed Riley's hand and pulled her out of the house.
"Bye, Mrs Andersen! you are very kind" she shouted as she walked out the door, still holding Riley's hand, Dani close behind saying over her shoulder "Yes, and your coffee is divine!"

The three of them walked to Val's black car that was parked in the garage of Riley's house, Val slowly let go of Riley's hand as she opened the door and got into the driver's seat.
Riley opened the back door, leaving her backpack on the seat and just as she was about to sit down, Dani's voice sounded behind her
"Hey, Minnesota, go to the passenger room, I'll stay there today." the girl said, throwing a wink at a very, very confused Andersen.
The two heard Val let out a low "fuck.." and Dani let out a laugh as she pulled Riley out of the car, making the girl turn around and go to the seat next to Val.
and then Riley understood, a shy smile crossed her face as she looked at the captain beside her
'She looks so hot driving..' Riley's face turned red at the thought, but she didn't regret it in the slightest.

"ready to go?" Valentina's husky voice said, checking the rearview mirror
Riley didn't notice, but Ortiz gave a knowing look to Dani, who just stuck her tongue out in amusement.
Neither of them responded exactly, so Val just started the car and left the garage, maneuvering and taking the street to school.

"Hey Minnesota, did you know Val was really excited to come get you? I'm glad you agreed to come with us, I couldn't take this girl saying 'what if' anymore" Dani sounded amused as she leaned forward and looked at Val with both eyebrows raised.

"Jhonson, I swear to God-"

"Hey! No last names here, Ortiz!”

"Just.. just shut up" Val looked.. embarrassed?
a smiling Riley turned to Val, an eyebrow raised as she crossed her arms
"Is that true, captain?" the title came out of Riley's mouth in such a malicious way, Val was shocked by Riley's reaction
"what it was? I don't bite, I promise" the blonde continued when Valentina didn't respond, the smile only widening.
Dani stepped back, looking surprised and also pleased with Riley's reaction.
"Well, that's a shame, because I'd really love to." Val replied, taking her eyes off the road to look at Riley, before looking back at the path.
Riley's eyes widened as she uncrossed her arms, but the smile on her face didn't fade
she heard a low chuckle from her colleague in the back seat, giving her extra confidence to continue
"If you're so desperate, I can do this for you... when we're alone, of course." Riley was shocked by her own boldness, but she didn't back down for a second.
Val raised an eyebrow as she stared at Andersen, an amused smile crossing her face.

"please get a room!" a loud voice was heard coming from behind, making them both look at Dani, who was covering her ears with her hands.
the three then laughed, Val parked the car in the school parking lot, and the group got out, Dani handed Riley and Val's backpack when she got out of the car, already having her own on her back.

the walk to the entrance was fun, Dani making jokes about 'the new couple' and Riley and Val casting shy glances at each other.
Riley couldn't believe she had flirted so blatantly with Val, now it seemed like all that temporary confidence had been replaced by embarrassment and shyness.
As soon as Riley walked through the school doors, she tied her hair into a ponytail, earning a puppy-dog look from Val.
"Goodbye, beautiful blonde hair down" she whispered, causing the girl to roll her eyes and let just two strands fly in front of her face.
"better?" Riley asked, crossing her arms over Val as they continued walking.
”very!" Valentina said with a satisfied smile, giving Riley a kiss on the cheek before walking away "See you later, Minnesota!”
and then she left.
leaving a shocked, paralyzed, and completely red-faced Riley behind.
and a Dani staring at her with a raised eyebrow "pfft- wake up, Andersen, class time, remember? be gay later."

Riley swallowed audibly, starting to walk towards the science classroom, still trying to process all the events of the last hour.
'dammit' she thought, her legs almost becoming unbalanced as she entered class, walking to the chair in the middle of the room before sitting down.