Prompt from becauseihaveyourback on tumblr: High school Jane on a sports team and Maura doesn't know how to talk to her because she isn't comfortable with the thought of simply talking to Jane so she tries out for the team in hopes that it would impress her and she is exceedingly horrible but also exceedingly cute.
Maura Isles had never taken an interest in sports until she saw Jane Rizzoli in her softball uniform the previous school year. The two of them said hi to each other in passing and, as much as Maura wanted to talk to her, she never knew what to say to Jane. They weren't in the same classes or even the same grade, so she couldn't break the ice by asking about homework or an exam. They didn't have the same social circle, so she couldn't ask about a mutual friend and Maura knew she'd never get the nerve to actually approach Jane regardless of how friendly she seemed.
After a year of crushing on Jane without any progress, Maura decided to do the unthinkable: she was going to try out for the softball team and get Jane to notice her even if it meant having bruises and sore muscles from playing a sport she knew nothing about.
Just as Maura had expected, Jane—along with the rest of the seniors—helped the coach administer tryouts. Maura knew she wasn't going to make the team and it didn't particularly matter to her. All she wanted was a chance to be near Jane and share an interaction with her that was more than a friendly hello while walking the halls between classes.
Out of the twenty girls trying out for the team, Maura was only one out of five girls who had less than ten years of softball experience and the only girl who had absolutely no softball experience, which became evident to Jane when she noticed Maura didn't bring any equipment with her. "Don't worry, you can use mine," Jane said and when she saw Jane smile at her she knew the next two hours of tryouts were going to be worth it.
When it was time for Maura to bat, she decided to use her optimal batting stance, but the other team hopefuls laughed at her before the first pitch. "Knock it off," Jane told them on her way to Maura.
"Do you mind if I…" She was too embarrassed to ask so she motioned to Maura's hips.
"I don't mind." And she didn't mind. She had fantasized about this moment and, when Jane had her hands on Maura's hips to position her, Maura's libido went into overdrive. She had felt Jane Rizzoli's strong hands on her and she knew she'd be fantasizing about that moment for days.
With Jane now fielding, Maura's focus shifted from the pitcher to Jane in her tank top and athletic shorts. She imagined being in the locker room with Jane or working out with Jane and watching her break a sweat. Focus…on the ball, not on Jane, even if she's gorgeous and she had her hands on me earlier.
The first pitch was a ball and, because she had watched instead of swinging, she heard Jane say, "Good eye, Maur," from third base. She called me 'Maur.'
Out of ten pitches, Maura managed to hit two, but neither of her hits were enough to impress the coach or the senior girls besides Jane who purposely missed the ball Maura had hit to her in hopes of making Maura feel better about her batting abilities.
The rest of Maura's softball tryout experience was one mishap after another until the coach told the girls they'd receive a phone call by 8 p.m. if they made the team. Whether or not she'd receive a phone call was the least of Maura's concerns. She had been given a prime opportunity to talk to Jane, yet she had made a fool of herself and she wanted nothing more than to forget about tryouts as quickly as possible.
She hadn't expected a phone call, so she was surprised to hear her phone ring just before the deadline.
"Maura, it's Jane…from the softball team."
It's Jane! She tried to remain calm on the phone despite her internal screaming. "Hi, Jane. Are you calling to say I made the team?"
"You didn't, but this isn't about softball. It's kinda about something else," Jane said nervously. "I think you're cute and I just didn't know how to tell you. Do you want to do something Saturday…like a date type thing?"
"I'd love to," Maura tried to say as calmly as she could. "Jane, I—I tried out because I didn't know how else to get your attention."
"You've had my attention from the day I first saw you," Jane confessed. "Since we're being honest, it's not the norm for one of us to touch another girl while correcting her stance. I just wanted to be close to you."