Matilda's Imagines

Bad day, not bad you

Y/n was already on edge when she woke up.

Bad sleep. Foggy ADHD brain. Her shirt tag was scratchy, and the dining hall ran out of the cereal she liked.

It didn't help that her boots felt too tight. Or that Macca accidentally stole her hoodie. Or that Kyra made a joke about her hair looking like a bird's nest.

"Shut up, Kyra," Y/n snapped, harsher than she meant to.
Kyra blinked. "Whoa, sorry gremlin—just teasing."
Y/n huffed and shoved her earbuds in.

By the time warmups started, her chest was tight. Her brain was buzzing with static. And the match hadn't even started.

⸻

The second half of the friendly game against a scrappy U23 team was where it all came undone.

Y/n was getting targeted.
They knew she had a short fuse. The opposition bumped her shoulder every pass. Elbows nudged her ribs. Sly comments followed every play.
"Oh, calm down, kid."
"Still playing with floaties?"
"Maybe this game's a little too grown-up for you."

She tried to block it out. She really did.

But then one of them tripped her—on purpose. Y/n slammed into the ground, scraping her knee.

And when she got up, red-faced and shaking, they laughed.

Something snapped.

⸻

Before anyone could stop her, Y/n was screaming.
"Touch me again and I'll end you!"
She lunged, fists clenched, fury pouring out like a volcano.

It took two players and one ref to hold her back.

And then—Katie was there. On crutches. On the field. Moving faster than anyone had a right to on one foot.

"Y/N!" she barked, in that signature McCabe tone. "Breathe. Look at me!"

Y/n's whole body was trembling, jaw clenched, eyes wild.

Katie got close—slow and sure. "You're okay. You're safe. Don't let them win by losing your head."

Caitlin reached them seconds later, worry written all over her face. "Come on, baby girl. Out of the game. Let's cool off, alright?"

"I—they started it! I didn't even—!"
"You're not in trouble," Caitlin said firmly. "We've got you. But you need space."

Y/n hesitated, breathing hard, until Katie gently pressed her forehead to hers. "Come off the pitch with us. You're not alone. Not anymore."

And finally, Y/n nodded.

⸻

Back in the changing rooms, Y/n kicked her water bottle across the room before collapsing on the bench, tears in her eyes.

"I ruin everything," she mumbled. "I'm a freak. They're never gonna want me on the team."

Katie sat beside her, crutch balanced awkwardly, and took her hand.

"You're not a freak. You're just... full of fire. Same as me."

"And fire needs handling," Caitlin added, sitting on her other side. "Which is why we're here."

Katie smirked. "Trust me, Caitlin's had plenty of practice putting out my fires."

"You say that like I don't carry a bloody fire extinguisher around every day," Caitlin muttered.

Y/n snorted through her tears. "I hate that you're both so good at this."

"Yeah, well," Katie shrugged, "we claimed you. You don't get a say."

⸻

That night, the team didn't bring it up. Kyra offered her hoodie without a word. Macca snuck her extra dessert. Alana flopped down beside her and let her braid her hair (a known peace offering).

And when bedtime came, Y/n found Caitlin already fluffing her pillow and Katie handing over a weighted blanket.

"You had a bad day," Caitlin said gently, tucking her in. "That's all. Not a bad you."

And with her head resting on Katie's shoulder and Caitlin softly running fingers through her hair, Y/n finally fell asleep.

Not calm. Not perfect.

But safe. Loved.

And seen.