The Athlete (Lady Gaga x Reader)

35

"On your marks." Well, here we go again. "Get set." Bang!

I start running, focusing on my breath and heartbeat. No extra breath here or there. Back to Olympics-Mode. Run as if your life depends on it. Well, at least I know no zombie would get me if I ever happen to be chased by one.

I'm running on the track furthest on the right, meaning I can't see what's going on behind me. There's also no one in front of me, making it quite hard to estimate if I'm doing well or just decent.

Nearing the end of the track, I can see someone approaching in the corner of my eye, causing me to press that turbo button and cross the finish line. 19.20. That was hella good. I didn't expect to break my record again so only 0.02 seconds difference is pretty fucking awesome. I don't think anyone will get past my time.

Turns out I was right about this because there was only one run after mine. Nobody got my time before I ran and no one from the last run set a better time.

The next one up is Long jump and here I make it to the top five, something I am completely fine with, since I didn't even expect to get ranked this high up in long jump.

I also finally can make out what the words written onto the sign Stefani is holding are, and I immediately blush as I realize the letters form 'Y/N I WANNA HAVE YOUR BABIES!!'

Okay, now Jonah and Bobby are gonna be having a lot of work the next days. "I'm gonna take a shower, guys, I'll be back in ten," I announce once the award ceremony is over. Jonah is already talking to someone who seems to be looking important, so I figure he's talking to a potential sponsor.

I quickly take a shower and then head back to the group. Avery has also joined us somewhere around the award ceremony and I'm glad he made it. Let's just say he had a little panic attack at first but he seems to have calmed down by now. At least a bit.

"We ready to head off?" I ask, seeing that everybody already has their stuff gathered and Jonah is done talking to the guy from earlier.

"Yeah, we're all ready to head off," Jonah announces, putting his phone into his pocket. With that, we head off. Stefani was dropped off by her driver so I decide to drive her home since we wanted to talk either way.

"I have issues," Stefani says once we are seated on her couch. Both of us have a glass of wine in our hands. Her legs rest on mine.

"Me too," I reply, letting her know that we both are just people. "No, I mean real issues. Like I have mental health problems and am in body pain all the time. I want you to know that you don't have to do this. I can be a handful." It pains me that she is in pain all the time. I knew about those issues before she told me, having watched her talk with Oprah back in 2020 as well as 'The Me You Can't See'.

"Hey," I say, placing my hand on her thigh. "I know. But I want you to know that I will try everything to make you feel at least a bit better. I'm willing to do anything. And I can be a handful too." I give her a soft smile.

There is silence for a few minutes, neither of us is saying anything. I look down at my hands. "I lost my son." I eventually say, not even realizing what slipped out of my mouth. I never told anyone about that. Not even my own mother knew. The only people who knew about it are Danielle and me.

I breathe in, trying to hold back my tears. "James. His name was James. Back in 2019, Danielle had a miscarriage." I feel Stefani shifting, moving closer to me, the heat of her body providing a little comfort. I feel a tear rolling down my face. "She was four months pregnant. Everything looked well and then..." I take in another shaky breath.

"We had been together for about one and a half years when she found out she was pregnant. James wasn't planned, but we thought we could do it, and then it all went black. Suddenly there wasn't a heartbeat anymore." A few more tears escape my eyes. This is the most painful memory I have.

I don't like crying in front of people. It makes me feel vulnerable. Sharing how I feel deep down isn't something I enjoy doing, people have something against me if I tell them.

"September 28th. That's when Danielle had the miscarriage." I go on. I've already started sharing, so why stop? If I talk about it once, I don't have to talk about it another time.

"Danielle and I took a time-out for about six months. I cut, I didn't eat. I shut everyone out. She helped me back up and we continued living as if nothing happened, ignoring our problem. Then Stefania came into the picture and our lives went into different directions. We're on good terms but James will always be between us. He is a part of who we are."

Stefani hugs me and pulls me into her, my face buried in her shoulder, staining her top with tears.

"I got you, Y/n. Let it out." She whispers and I start sobbing, while her hand gently rubs my back. "I'm sorry." I manage to get out between sobs.

"No, no, no, honey, there's nothing to be sorry for." She soothes me. "You can talk to me if you want, but you don't have to."

I pull back and take a very deep breath, trying to put myself back together again.

"You, know. This is the first time I told anyone about this. And I hate to talk about it. No one knows about it. So, I trust you with this, please don't use it against me." I speak, having myself fully back together again at this point.

"My mouth is sealed. And I promise I won't use it against you. You've gone through something I can't even imagine. You're safe with me." Stefani assures me and wipes the leftover tears from my cheeks.

"And I'll try everything to make you feel just a bit better." She repeats my words from earlier and I give her a small smile. "You're special," I tell her. "No one has ever been so gentle with me. No one cared about me the way you do. I've never felt loved like this."

A/N I'm sorry this one is so short but I hope you enjoyed it either way. 

love y'all

-L