hypnobyl:

Carter looks adorable with his cheeks painted with red and blue stripes, an over-sized jersey drooping over his shoulders and covering all but an inch or two of his shorts. He clings to the railing, for once completely at ease within a crowd. Cat snaps a few discrete pictures in between glancing down at the field. The National City Nightingales are tied, one-to-one, with the Metropolis Meteors, and the game time is rapidly ticking down.

The woman wearing the number on Carter’s jersey sprints down the field, deftly kicking the soccer ball to and fro, around opponents and between legs. She’s tall, blonde, and leggy; her thighs ripple with muscle, and her calves look hard enough to cut diamonds. Cat nibbles on her lower lip and watches DANVERS instead of the game as a whole.

Kara Danvers, number seventeen and forward for the Nightingales, is Carter’s favorite player. Not only does he have her jersey, but his room is covered in her pictures and his corkboard hosts every article he can find on her. For his upcoming birthday, Cat has negotiated an interview with the professional player so that Carter can meet his idol. Having a piece in the Tribune about female athletes will fit in well with the next issue as well. She bets Danvers will photograph well.

In the last few moments of the game, Danvers fakes to the right, dodges to the left, and shoots to the upper righthand corner of the net. The Meteors’ goalkeeper trips over her feet in a last ditch attempt to keep up with the ball; the effort is wasted, as the ball nests into the net. The crowd roars, and Carter jumps and pumps a fist in the air. She wishes she’d brought him to a game sooner, but she worries about him, perhaps too much.

Because of his autism, he tends to get overstimulated. This sort of environment should be a hornet’s nest for him, with the people bumping into him, the constant din of shouting fans, and the abundance of sights to feast his eyes on. She’d thought they’d have to spend most of the game in the car, only entering the arena for the interview after most had left. She’s proud to see how well he’s handling this, and she wonders if she shouldn’t buy a season pass for them. Although she doesn’t care about soccer, she cares about how much he does.

He hugs her fiercely as the fervor of the match dies down, and she leans to kiss his unkempt crown of curls. He murmurs gratitude into her stomach, drawing back a moment later to take her hand and tug her toward the merchandise stall. Because he’s done so well, she allows him to select one item for Danvers to sign during the interview and then leads him toward the locker rooms.

Danvers meets them just outside fifteen minutes later, her hair still damp and her face glowing. The win seems to have invigorated her, as Cat can’t imagine being so energized after such a physically grueling game.

“You must be Carter,” Danvers says, squatting down and sticking her hand out.

Carter hesitates a moment before shaking hands. Cat gives him a moment to speak before interjecting.

“He’s very glad to meet you. You’re his favorite player.”

Danvers smiles brightly. “That so? Well, thank you.”

“Is there some place quiet we can do the interview.”

“Oh, yeah.” Danvers gestures down a hallway. “Some offices aren’t being used right now. We can just choose one.”

“Do you mind if I record the interview?”

Danvers shrugs and walks them to the nearest room. Flicking the lights on, she gestures for Cat and Carter to choose a seat. Cat waits for Carter to make his selection before sitting down as well.

“Go for it, I guess.” Danvers spins a chair around, sits down, and leans her arms against the back.

Cat sets a small recorder on the table and presses the red button. “First, thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I know you must be busy.”

“Never too busy for a fan.” Danvers smiles again at Carter, who still can’t manage a response.

The interview is short and sweet, and Danvers has a slew of positive, inspiring answers. When Cat reaches her final question, she glances at Carter. He had wanted to ask this one, but he shakes his head. She understands how overwhelming this must be, so she doesn’t pressure him.

“How does being autistic impact you as a professional athlete?”

This time, Danvers takes a few seconds to think. “I think… I think being autistic has helped, really. Sometimes, people can be mean about it, but I see things in ways that other people don’t. I come up with plays that my teammates wouldn’t have even thought about.”

“Like at the end,” Carter finally speaks up. He watches his fingers fidget. “That double-feint was cool.”

“Right!”

Cat sits back and lets them chit chat. She has all the responses she needs to write a nice article promoting the team, the stadium, and Danvers as a player, and she aches with happiness to see Carter open up. He’s a bright boy, so smart and sensitive, but so few people get to see that side of him. Perhaps there’s simply something about Danvers that evokes trust; Cat knows she’s likely a little bias, as she finds Danvers exceedingly attractive, but Danvers has this impact on other people as well.

“If you ever want to come and kick the ball around, you definitely should.”

Carter grabs Cat’s hand. “Could I?”

Cat rubs her thumb along the back of his hand. “Of course, although we shouldn’t impede her training.”

“I’d love to have you back.” There’s an awkward pause as Danvers inhales and seemingly fumbles with her next few words. “Both of you.”

“You should come to dinner with us. We’re celebrating his birthday this evening.”

“I don’t have a present for him…”

“I’m sure he understands.”

Carter nods, his eyes darting up for a moment. “Please?”

“Okay.” Kara stands. “I need to put something nicer on.”

“You look wonderful,” Cat says, a bit too quickly. She straightens. “What I mean is that we don’t want to inconvenience you, and there’s no need to go out of your way, especially when you look like… like you.”

“Okay.”

Cat had always been glad to support Carter’s interests without being too personally attached, but for the first time, she finds herself loving soccer just as much he does.