Matilda's Imagines

Held by a family

The sun had just started to rise over the training pitch, painting the sky in soft oranges and pinks, when Y/n stepped out of the facility, her oversized backpack tugging down one shoulder. She had her water bottle in one hand and a salty snack in the other—standard survival tools for her POTS. Her steps were careful, deliberate. She'd learned the hard way that moving too fast in the morning only led to one thing.

Fainting.

She was halfway to the benches when a familiar voice broke through the quiet.

"Oi, baby physio!" Kyra Cooney-Cross shouted from across the field, already jogging over.

Y/n managed a half-smile as Kyra reached her, eyes scanning her quickly.

"Slow morning?" Kyra asked, already steadying Y/n by the elbow.

"Heart's racing," Y/n muttered. "Forgot my compression socks again."

Kyra groaned dramatically. "Mate, we've been over this! You're not allowed to forget those. It's like me forgetting my boots."

"I'll tattoo it on my forehead," Y/n joked.

"Do it," Kyra said. "Then I'll stop writing reminders on your arm like a shopping list."

"Did someone say she forgot her socks again?" Katrina Gorry—Mini—appeared with her 'mum' face already on.

Y/n groaned. "Yes, Mum."

Mini raised an eyebrow and held out a spare pair she'd pulled from her bag. "Put them on. Now. Then sit, drink, and breathe."

"You keep spare socks for me?" Y/n blinked.

"You think I don't know you by now?" Mini said with a smirk, but her voice was soft, like always.

Y/n sank onto the bench as Mackenzie Arnold wandered over, hair still damp from a shower. "You look pale," Macca said, crouching beside her. "Like... ghost pale. You okay?"

"Just the usual. Head's fuzzy. Heart's being dramatic."

Before anyone could respond, Y/n blinked hard—and the world tilted.

⸻

Kyra saw it first. Y/n swayed sideways, her Gatorade slipping from her fingers, and in an instant, she collapsed.

"Y/n!" Kyra shouted, catching her just before she hit the bench.

Mini was there in seconds, pulling Y/n flat on the grass, elevating her legs like she'd done a dozen times before. Caitlin and Alana rushed over with ice packs and towels. Macca hovered, hands clenched, not sure where to help.

"Pulse is fast, but she's breathing," Mini said, calm but laser-focused. "She'll come around."

Sure enough, after a few moments, Y/n groaned.

"Welcome back," Caitlin said softly, kneeling beside her. "You took a little nap without asking permission."

Y/n blinked up at them, eyes foggy. "I fainted?"

Mini smiled gently, brushing sweaty hair from her forehead. "Yep. Classic Y/n. Still the most dramatic member of the team."

"Even more than Kyra?" she mumbled.

Kyra huffed. "I heard that."

⸻

After lunch, Y/n was sprawled out on a beanbag in the recovery room, sipping on a hydration mix while trying to focus on the documentary playing on the TV. Her brain, of course, was bouncing between the sound of the flickering light, the texture of her jumper, and the fact that her leg kept falling asleep.

ADHD didn't clock out just because she was tired.

Macca wandered in, balancing two cups of tea. She handed one over. "Peppermint. Mini said it might help you settle."

Y/n smiled up at her. "You guys really do too much."

Macca snorted. "Nah. You're just not used to people giving a damn. That's not your fault."

Y/n blinked hard, the truth of that cutting through her like a cold wind.

Before she could respond, Alana popped in with a blanket and wordlessly dropped it over her. Then Caitlin followed, plopping down beside her with a bag of dried fruit.

"You know," Caitlin said casually, "I used to pass out during drills when I didn't eat enough. Didn't have a whole team looking after me, though."

"Bet you wish you had a Katrina Gorry," Y/n said.

"Don't we all," Alana replied.

A beat passed, then the room filled with quiet laughter.

⸻

It happened again later that week. Training was running long, the sun was hot, and Y/n had been so focused on making sure someone's knee was taped correctly that she didn't notice her own body screaming for rest.

One second she was standing near the edge of the pitch, and the next, her vision went dark.

"Y/n's down!" Caitlin shouted.

This time, it was Macca who got to her first, hands shaking as she gently turned her over. "Hey, kid, come on..."

Mini was there again, cool and efficient, barking instructions to one of the staff for cold towels and an electrolyte drink.

By the time Y/n came to, surrounded by her family of misfits and warriors, she barely had the energy to smile.

"You guys... really like catching me, huh?"

"Better us than the ground," Mini said, voice firm but kind. "But maybe we start setting timers so you take breaks."

"Deal," Y/n whispered.

⸻

That Night

Back at the hotel, Y/n sat on her bed, legs up the wall like Mini told her. A notebook sat in her lap with three reminders scribbled in bright ink:
• Take meds
• Wear compression socks
• Rest before you faint

Underneath, someone had added:
"And text Kyra when your brain is on a rollercoaster."

And below that:
"And tell Mini if you even think about skipping lunch."

Y/n laughed softly.

She may have been the baby of the team.

But she'd never felt safer.