Tales of the Tournaments

July 9, 2023

USWNT vs Wales, PayPal Park, San Jose

0-0 at halftime

Alyssa Paola Thompson was, to put it mildly, nervous.

She'd spent the last twenty minutes with her heart pounding in her chest as she raced around the field, trying to find the ball, trying to score. Before that - well, she'd been doing much the same, but it had been interrupted by her collision with the Welsh girl. Woodham, that was her name. Lily Woodham.

Now, just as the halftime whistle shrieked across the field, there was a sense of urgency again; for the second time, a Welsh player had been taken down by one of the Americans. 

Alana Cook had done her best to slip away unobtrusively, from where Carrie Jones was currently being examined on the field by medical personnel, but she hadn't gone totally unnoticed. AT had seen her, and she wasn't the only one.

"Alyssa. Alana. Come with us right now."

AT turned to look at Lindsey and Alex. It was Lindsey who had spoken, the captain's armband showing very clearly that she was to be obeyed. Lindsey was glaring at Alana, whose first instinct was to bolt.

Quickly, AT stepped to Alex's side, not wanting to come between Lindsey and Alana in...whatever was about to happen. "Tia, I'm sorry," she whispered, and Alex put a reassuring hand on her head.

"I know, Alyssa, I've got you. Thank you for listening, good girl."

Alana, it transpired, didn't feel like listening. She edged away toward the bench, grabbed firmly by an annoyed Kelley O'Hara.

"You heard the Captain, Alana. Locker room. Move."

Alana struggled in Kelley's grasp, but had no choice but to allow Kelley to lead her after Alex and Lindsey. AT was walking with Alex, head down, feeling nervous. 

"Alana Simone Cook, corner, now."

Alana sputtered. "Lindsey!"

"That's Captain to you, and you heard me. Corner. Now. Kell, take her."

Kelley nodded, and propelled Alana into the nearest corner, face to the wall. "What the hell has gotten into you, Alana? You know not to disobey the Captain, especially when you've fucked up. You're not a rookie, you were even a Captain at Stanford yourself. You know better." 

Alana sighed, shoulders slumping as she relaxed into Kelley's hold. "I...don't know, Kell. I just don't want to be in trouble."

"Well it's a bit late for that, when you kicked that girl in the head," Kelley said tartly.

"Come on, as if you've never done that," Alana retorted.

"And I got punished for it, just like you will be. You don't use my fuck-ups to excuse your own," Kelley replied. "I learned better. It's about time you did." She sighed as the younger girl kicked at the wall. "What did the wall do to you?"

"It exists."

"You're not setting a good example for AT, you know."

"I didn't hear Lindsey put her in the corner," Alana sulked, and Kelley rolled her eyes.

"Maybe that's because she did as she was told when she was asked the first time. You could try not being a brat, Alana."

Alana shrugged. "Sorry, it's on my card."

Kelley snorted. 

"That explains a lot."

While Alana was sassing Kelley in the corner, Alyssa was sitting on Alex's lap on the bench, leaning into her Tia's arms. "I thought we weren't supposed to talk in the corner, Tia Alex."

"You're not usually supposed to, mijita. But good luck getting Alana to shut up," Alex said with a rueful smile. "So Lindsey's letting it go, hoping Alana will have run out of sass by the time she's let out, so she can take her spanking properly."

AT swallowed nervously. "Alana's got to be spanked for kicking down the other girl," she ventured, and Alex nodded, stroking AT's hair gently.

"That's right, mijita. We don't do things like that."

The teen sniffled. "What...what about what happened with me?"

"Mhmm." Alex gave AT's shoulder a sympathetic pat. "What do you think, mijita?"

"I hurt her. A lot, even though I didn't mean it. I wasn't trying to be a bad girl, Tia Alex, she was just there all of a sudden," AT swallowed nervously.

"I know, Alyssa, sweetheart." Alex cuddled AT reassuringly. "I know it was an accident. But what do we say about watching where we're going?"

AT hung her head. "I have to know who's around me even when I'm going for the ball." 

Alex nodded. "Now, no one's angry with you, Alyssa. We know it was an accident, and you're being a good girl and not arguing what happened," she said gently. "But you did break a rule, even by accident."

AT shivered. "I'll be good for you, Tia Alex," she said meekly, and Alex nodded, giving Alyssa a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, mijita. That makes things so much easier, for both of us."

"Tia Alex?"

"Hmm?" Alex squeezed AT's shoulder supportively.

"Do...do me and Alana have to be spanked right now?"

Alex shook her head. "No. Not now," she promised. "I didn't plan on giving you two spankings today, mijita."

AT froze, remembering.

Oh.

She'd taken her first maintenance spanking from Alex the day they'd arrived in camp, and as promised, it hadn't been too bad, just enough to warm up her bottom a little bit. The sting wasn't bad enough to impede her playing, it had disappeared within a couple hours, by the time their first practice was over, and AT had been well behaved and attentive enough during practice that day (and for several days after) that she hadn't required extra attention.

She'd half forgotten her second spanking was due today, the game having put it to the very back of her mind.

"You...you said you would spank me after the match, before we went to get on the plane," AT remembered, looking up at Alex nervously. "And that it wouldn't be bad because I'd be asleep on the flight mostly and by the time I woke up it would be all gone. But now..." 

"Now you've earned yourself a proper spanking, mijita," Alex said, not without sympathy. "It's going to have to be harder. But I promise, this still isn't going to be the worst thing ever. You've been in much worse trouble before and survived, remember?"

Slowly, AT nodded, blinking back tears. "But I don't want a real spanking, Tia," she whispered. Then her cheeks flushed, realizing she'd practically quoted Alana. "I'm not arguing, I'll be good," she added quickly. "I just..."

"I know, mijita. I know," Alex soothed her. "Shh, it's okay, I know you weren't arguing or sassing me. It's okay to not like it, sweetheart, it is a punishment after all. But you don't have to be afraid."

AT nodded, and when Alana was released from the corner a short time later, the girls were given juice boxes to hydrate up before the match resumed.

“Neither of you are finishing off this half,” Lindsey told AT and Alana sternly as the girls drank their juice. “You’ll be subbed out before the final whistle.”

“What? No!” Alana burst out, but Alex gave her a quelling look. 

“You don’t tell the Captain ‘no’, Alana Simone.”

“Fine,” Alana sulked.

AT just squeezed the last of the juice out of her box, sipping it through the straw and swinging her legs anxiously. “Lindsey? Captain?”

Lindsey’s expression gentled as she turned away from Alana. “You okay, kiddo?”

AT swallowed nervously. “Are you mad with us?”

Lindsey shook her head. “Mad? No. A little irritated with Alana’s bratting, she should put a lid on it if she doesn’t want to dig herself a deeper hole. She probably does want to, though,” Lindsey said dryly.

Alyssa blinked. “Why would she want more trouble?”

Lindsey sighed. “It feels good for brats to get attention, even negative attention is better than no attention,” she explained. “And she’s probably suffering from pre-tournament jitters and needing an extra thorough spanking to settle her down.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense,” AT ventured. She wrinkled her nose, not liking the sound of needing extra big spankings to be settled enough. “I’m glad I’m not that, though.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being a brat, any more than there is just being a regular submissive,” Lindsey added. “It’s just who Alana is, so she needs the extra attention, and that’s okay. Do you understand?”

AT nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. “I’m okay with not playing the full minutes,” she added softly. “We weren’t good girls. Even if it wasn’t on purpose. And besides it’s really hot and I’m starting to get tired,” she admitted. “Though I think I can play for a bit more, if it’s allowed.”

“It’s allowed. You’re not halftime subs,” Lindsey promised. “Come on, let’s go back out there and play, and try not to worry too much about after, okay? Just try to stay out of any more trouble.”

“Yes Captain,” AT agreed, earning a warm smile from Lindsey as she led the girls back out on the pitch. Alex, though, was a halftime sub, making way for Trinity Rodman.

Alyssa fell into line with Sophia Smith and Trinity, rather than Alex, making up the third of their trio of forwards. The three young players quickly meshed, and for the next twenty minutes, AT settled back into the game, trying to find just the right way to get the US ahead.

A few minutes after the hour mark, a substitution was called for; Savannah DeMelo went in for AT.

Reluctantly, AT broke away from the game and exchanged places with the older, but newer national team player. She felt a little disheartened at not having made more of an impact in the game, but knew that wasn’t all up to her. 

There was still time for the US to score, to come out ahead. It just wouldn’t be Alyssa doing the scoring.

So she ventured into the locker room and found Alex there. 

On the bench next to Alex were Alyssa’s maintenance paddles.

Both of them.

AT swallowed hard. She’d only felt the leather one so far. The wooden one was about the size and weight of a hairbrush back, smaller but heavier than the team paddle, and AT flung herself into Alex’s arms, burying her face in Alex’s shoulder so she didn’t have to look.

“Does it have to be both, Tia Alex?”

“It has to,” Alex confirmed softly, giving AT a gentle squeeze. “But it’s still going to be all okay, mijita, I promise. You’re okay, Alyssa, honey, Tia has you, just breathe.”

AT nodded. “When?” she asked quietly, feeling nervous.

“Not until the match is over,” Alex said. “When everyone comes back.”

AT nodded reluctantly. Still, she supposed that meant she could have cuddle time with Tia Alex until it was time, then, and Alex didn’t seem disinclined to relinquish Alyssa anytime soon. She curled up in Alex’s lap, letting Alex soothe her.

Before long, Alana came into the locker room with Andi Sullivan, subbed off in favor of Emily Sonnett and Kristie Mewis, respectively, in the 79th minute.

“Trin scored,” Alana informed Alex and AT. “Wales hasn’t got anything yet.”

Yet. There was still time. Still, the news that the US were finally up 1-0 due to Trinity Rodman buoyed AT’s spirits a little bit.

“Do you think Wales is going to?” AT asked Alana.

“Wales couldn’t play their way out of a paper bag without Jess,” Alana said scornfully, and AT remembered that Jess Fishlock was Alana’s OL Reign teammate. The Welsh star was important to the team, but a minor injury had sidelined her from the friendly, though she was there to watch.

“That’s unkind, Alana Simone,” Alex remarked, keeping her tone even, and Alana sighed.

“It’s true though.”

“Their keeper’s been doing pretty well,” Alex replied. “Do you want to go to the corner again, Alana?”

“No,” Alana muttered. “Sorry.”

She didn’t sound particularly sorry, but Alex let it go.

When the final whistle blew on a 2-0 victory for the USWNT (both due to Trinity Rodman), Lindsey appeared. “They want us all out there right now.”

Alana reluctantly let Andi pull her back outside, and AT walked with Alex. There were photos to be taken, questions to be answered. This was the sendoff match after all. Soon they would be leaving for Auckland.

AT felt more and more nervous as the media circus went on. Eventually, she felt Alex tap her arm and lead her away, with Alana in tow. “We don’t have much time to take care of this,” Alex said as they returned to the locker room. “I don’t have time to take care of both of you before we leave.” She sighed. “Maybe we should have taken care of you earlier, mijita.”

“I’m sorry, Tia Alex,” AT said, sucking on her lip worriedly.

“You go ahead, Alex. I’ve got this one.”

The familiar voice made Alana whip around, eyes wide. “Jess! What are you doing here, you’re injured, you didn’t play, you--”

“Minor injury,” Jess said. “And I don’t think taking one brat over my knee is going to aggravate it further. Especially when the brat in question is you.” She looked firmly at Alana. “You’ll behave for me, won’t you, Alana Simone?”

Something in the Welsh woman’s eyes told Alana there was only one acceptable answer. “Yeah…yes, ma’am, I’ll behave.”

“Good girl,” Jess said with a slightly sardonic expression. “I hope you don’t mind if I borrow your team paddle, Alex? I see you had your own setup for the little one already.”

“Help yourself,” Alex said, fishing the paddle out of her bag and handing it over to Jess. “Come on, Alyssa,” she added, softening her tone. “Let’s have this over with, shall we? You don’t have to look at what Jess and Alana are doing, if you don’t want to.”

AT nodded, grateful that they were on opposite sides of the locker room from Jess and Alana now. The rest of the team had made a discreet exit, keeping others out.

Alex settled AT over her lap, patting the seat of AT’s shorts gently with her hand. She gave AT nine fairly mild spanks with her hand, and AT clung tightly to Alex’s leg.

“Ow…Tia…” She whimpered more from the sensation itself than from actual pain, knowing those swats had just been to start getting her warmed up. Alex ran a hand over AT’s back, then gently tugged the teen’s shorts down to her thighs. AT squirmed harder.

“Tia, please, I’m sorry, I’ll be good…”

“I know, mijita. Our little Alyssa is so good,” Alex murmured softly. “I know, I know. Just let Tia finish, hmm, and it’ll be done soon?”

Sniffling, AT nodded. She wrapped one hand tightly around her Highland coo plush when Alex fished it out of her go bag. “Sorry,” she whispered, and Alex nodded, resting one hand on AT’s back as much to comfort as to hold her in place as the leather paddle began its descent.

Six swats to each bottom cheek had AT in tears, and three more swats to each sit spot made the teen sob anxiously. But at least her panties were still up, she thought, vaguely hopeful.

Her hopes were dashed. Alex slipped AT’s panties down, giving her bare, very pink bottom a gentle pat. “Okay, mijita,” she said softly. “Almost done. Tia’s got you, just hold tight to me.”

“O-oh…” AT swallowed hard as the smooth, oval wooden paddle came to rest on her bottom. It felt like a hairbrush back, and she shivered, holding tightly to Alex.

“Breathe for me. Nine left now, mijita.” Alex spoke soothingly, and AT tried to get her breathing under control before the first hard spank landed.

“Owww, Tia!!” AT sobbed anew as eight more followed, peppering AT’s bottom with the firm spanks. She kicked and squealed, but soon it was over, and Alex gently pulled her panties and shorts back up, gathering AT into her arms.

“There, there, I’ve got you, mijita,” Alex soothed Alyssa, rocking her gently. “Tia’s here, sweetheart.”

AT sobbed in her arms. “Sorry, I’m sorry I was so bad today, Tia,” she wept. “I’ll be good forever, for the whole World Cup, I swear.”

Alex chuckled softly, kissing AT’s forehead. “I believe you mean that, mijita. And even if you can’t quite get there, it’s still all going to be okay. No more spanking for now, sweetheart, you’re all finished, it’s all okay.”

AT nodded, noticing that she could still hear the team paddle smacking Alana’s bottom, and Alana sobbing breathless apologies.

“M-Mummy, sorry,” Alana cried, not realizing her slip until she heard Jess’ chuckle and felt Jess lift her up, kissing her cheek gently.

“Mummy knows you’re sorry, my little one,” she soothed. “But you must be a good girl for Alex and Lindsey now, and mind them, alright? Mummy and Mama can’t go with their little one. You have to play nicely with the team.”

Alana blushed red. “Jess, please--”

“I didn’t start it,” Jess said, giving Alana’s bottom a gentle pat before she righted the younger girl’s clothes. “Tziarra and I told you that we’d be Mummy and Mama for you whenever and wherever you needed. We’re not going to be mad with you, bratling ours.”

“Yes Mummy,” Alana sighed, realizing she’d been outwitted. She snuggled into Jess’ arms, glad to have Jess’ support for as long as it was allowed.

Finally, though, Jess nudged Alana to her feet and led her back across the room, returning the paddle to Alex. “I’d better not keep you any longer, you might be late.”

“We can’t have that now, can we,” Alex said. “Thanks for all the help, Jess, and I hope you feel better soon.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck with the World Cup. Better you than the English anyway,” Jess snarked, and Alex laughed.

“Alright, come on girls, time to go.” Alex led a repentant Alana and AT out to join the rest of the team as they piled on the bus for the short ride to the airport.

Auckland awaited. For AT and Alana, it would be a less than comfortable journey, but they both felt reassured in their caregivers’ love, knowing all was forgiven.

When they finally boarded, AT was settled between Pinoe and Alex with her stuffed reindeer, Lavender, tucked into her arms. She hugged the lavender-scented plush close, lulled to sleep by Lavender’s artificial heartbeat, and before they’d been long in the air, AT was sound asleep and dreaming of Auckland, and a reunion with her Captain Tia.

Hopefully, Ali wouldn’t be too mad if she knew what AT had gotten herself into. But that remained to be seen.