Matilda's Imagines

Willow: Baby on Board

It was a rough morning at the training center. Y/n sat on the lounge couch, bouncing a fussy Willow on her chest, her usual sunny demeanor dimmed by exhaustion. Willow had been inconsolable for hours, her tiny cries tugging at Y/n's already-frayed nerves.

"Come on, Willow," Y/n pleaded softly, patting her daughter's back. "Mama's got training today. You've gotta let me put you down."

But Willow wasn't having it. The moment Y/n even thought about putting her in her stroller, the wails would start again.

Mini entered the lounge, her ever-present calming aura immediately making Y/n's shoulders relax a little. "How's it going?" she asked, crouching in front of Y/n.

"Not great," Y/n admitted. "She won't settle unless she's on me. I don't know what to do, Mini. I can't miss training, but I can't leave her like this."

Mini hummed thoughtfully, her eyes flickering between the squirming baby and the weights lined up in the corner of the room.

"Alright," Mini said decisively, standing up. "If she wants to stay on you, she'll stay on you."

Y/n blinked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Kyra!" Mini called out, causing Kyra to pop her head around the corner. "Go grab one of those baby carriers from the supply closet."

"What?" Kyra asked, confused but intrigued.

"You'll see," Mini said with a sly smile.

Not ten minutes later, Y/n stood in the middle of the gym, Willow strapped snugly to her chest in the carrier Kyra had retrieved. Willow, now content and dozing off, was a stark contrast to Y/n's horrified expression.

"You're kidding, right?" Y/n said, looking at the team gathered around her.

"Nope," Caitlin said with a grin. "You said she won't settle unless she's on you, so... problem solved."

"Yeah, plus, she's about the weight of a medicine ball," Kyra added, smirking. "You can totally do drills like this."

Y/n groaned. "This is ridiculous. I look like a walking daycare."

"More like a badass mum," Macca quipped, earning a round of laughs.

Mini clapped her hands. "Alright, enough teasing. Let's get started. Y/n, you're on ball control drills. The extra weight will actually help your stamina."

Y/n quickly realized that training with Willow strapped to her chest was no joke. Every sprint, every dribble, every pass felt a hundred times harder.

"Keep your core tight!" Mini called from the sidelines.

"Easy for you to say!" Y/n shouted back, dodging a cone while making sure Willow stayed secure.

Kyra jogged up beside her, grinning mischievously. "You know, Y/n, this is actually pretty cute. Maybe we should make it a team tradition—strap a baby to all the rookies during training."

"Yeah? You volunteering to have the next baby, Kyra?" Y/n shot back, earning a snort from Caitlin, who overheard.

"Absolutely not," Kyra said quickly. "But you're rocking it, kiddo. Willow's lucky to have such a cool mum."

By the end of the session, Y/n was drenched in sweat, her legs felt like jelly, and her arms were sore from carrying Willow's added weight during dribbling drills. But for the first time all morning, Willow was sound asleep, her tiny face pressed against Y/n's chest.

The team gathered around, clapping and cheering.

"Best multitasking I've ever seen," Macca said, offering Y/n a fist bump.

"Honestly, I think you just invented the next big fitness trend," Caitlin added.

Y/n let out a tired laugh. "Yeah, right. I'll call it 'BabyFit.'"

Mini stepped forward, a proud smile on her face. "You handled that like a pro, Y/n. Motherhood isn't easy, and neither is being part of this team. But you're proving every day that you can do both."

As the weeks went on, the team started referring to Willow as their "honorary team member." The baby carrier became a staple in the training center, and though Y/n didn't need to strap Willow on every session, it wasn't unusual to see her running drills with her daughter snug against her chest.

And while Y/n sometimes grumbled about how hard it was, she couldn't help but feel grateful. She wasn't just training for herself anymore—she was training for Willow. And with her team-turned-family by her side, she knew she could handle anything.

"She's definitely going to grow up thinking this is normal," Kyra joked one day, watching Y/n practice penalty kicks with Willow strapped to her.

"Good," Y/n replied with a smile. "Because in this family, it kind of is."