*DISCLAIMER*
These imagines are a work of fiction. Any previous partner, spouse, sibling, child etc. are not taken into account most of the time. I have NOTHING against Dansby's wife - this storyline is just for the imagine! Enjoy!
(Also, Dansby's real name is James, which is referenced a couple times, for those who didn't know :) Dansby is actually his middle name)
Set in March 2024
Y/N walked through an empty Wrigley Field on a chilly March day wandering to her office. Opening day was a couple short weeks away and she still had some things to take care of.
When she was hired as the new team trainer, she hasn't expected to have her own office, or to be treated with so much respect. But the Cubs organization really outdid themselves when it came to how they treat their staff.
Just before she reached her office, she heard the faint sound of batting practice coming from the field.
Y/N made her to the dugout, emerging to the field to see who was out there. Sure enough, she saw her childhood best friend, Dansby, getting in some extra swings before the season.
The relationship between Dansby and Y/N was complicated. They loved each other as friends - nothing more. At least it seemed.
From day one Y/N knew she loved Dansby more than a best friend kind of way. And Y/N was always sure the feeling was mutual.
Until Dansby met Mallory.
And they fell in love.
And lived happily ever after.
Since their wedding a couple Decembers ago, Y/N and Dansby stopped speaking, after Y/N wasn't invited per Mallory's request. Hell, now that they were both on the same team it seemed like they still couldn't interact with each other.
And something about the way Dansby was practicing right now captured Y/N's attention. He was always an amazing baseball player - #1 in Y/N's eyes since the beginning.
After a few moments of peaceful watching, Dansby took a break and began to make his way towards the dugout where Y/N was sitting. She was momentarily looking away from Dansby and hadn't noticed he started to make his way towards her. When Y/N looked up, she noticed Dansby was closer.
Y/N hopped up and stood face to face with Dansby. They stood staring at each other for a moment before they both lightly laughed.
"Hey, Y/N/N," Dansby said, using the same nickname for Y/N he'd been using all those years ago.
"Dans." Y/N said, using her nickname for him. She wrapped her arms around the man and brought him in for a hug, as he immediately hugged the girl back.
The pair stood like that for a moment - the familiar, yet foreign feeling gesture feeling comforting for the both of them.
"I miss you." Dansby and Y/N said at the same time, followed by a laugh. The pair pulled away from their hug and made their way to the clubhouse to walk around inside.
"So fill me in on what's been going on." Y/N said. Dansby let out an airy chuckle and cracked his knuckles.
"Well, I'm getting along with the guys in the team great, I bought my own house, I'm searching for a dog, and I didn't think I'd be navigating Chicago on my own when I decided to sign here, so there's a lot of new things. I'm having to learn," he responded. Y/N's head whipped around towards him, and she cut him off by standing in front of him.
"By yourself?" Dansby sighed and looked at his feet, and scratched the back of his head. "There's a lot to say. Lunch?"
——————
The two were sat at a small, homey cafe downtown, where they requested a private room in the back, as Dansby started on filling Y/N in.
"Everything was going great. I really thought I loved Mallory. She seemed perfect, my family loved her, she's a woman of faith, the total package," he started as his words made Y/N's heart squeeze as Dansby talked about his love for another woman. "And then everything changed. I started to notice her being gone early in the morning and getting home late at night. Too late. One morning I noticed she hadn't come home from the night before which isn't like her at all. Then, I found her rings in a cup in the bathroom." He said, all with a straight face.
Although Y/N hated Mallory already, she couldn't help but feel terrible for Dansby.
"So long story short she was cheating on me with none other than my teammate, Cody Bellinger-" Y/N's eyes widened and she spit her water all over the table. Dansby stared at her with a shocked face before he bursted out laughing. Soon after, Y/N joined in too. It took a few minutes for the pair to calm down, and when they did, they felt as though they were 16 again back in Georgia.
"I'm sorry about all that, Dans. Truly" Y/N said. Dansby let out another laugh,
"Oh no you're not, Y/N/N. You hated her because she was so jealous of you." Y/N made a funny face at him.
"Jealous? Of me? I never even met her." Dansby looked down at his hand, trying to think of what to say next. When he finally looked up, he looked Y/N in the eyes.
"Yeah, you didn't meet her, but there wasn't a day that went by when I didn't mention something about you." Dansby said honestly. "Y/N, I loved you. You were my first love in high school. And when I told Mallory that, she couldn't accept it. And I'm so sorry that I didn't invited you to the wedding. I was too caught up in loving Mallory, that my love for you went out the window." Y/N was stunned and didn't know what to say next.
What Y/N failed to mention to Dansby during their reconciliation was that she currently had a boyfriend who was also in the MLB.
"Dansby, I-"
"No, Y/N, don't say anything, really, it's okay. I know you never felt the same about me, and I accept that." Dansby said truthfully. Y/N rapidly shook her head no.
"Dans, that's not it at all. You don't understand the love I have for you, Dansby. Since we met at 4 you've been the only man I could truly love. But after Mallory, I did give up on you. On us. And I have a boyfriend now, Dansby." When Y/N broke the news, she could see Dansby tense. He slowly shook his head unable to say anything.
The pair were sat in silence for a few moments before Y/N spoke again.
"It's Max." She whispered. Dansby made a confused face as the pair made eye contact. "Max Fried. He's my boyfriend." There was another quiet moment as Dansby nodded once again. "It's long distance and it does honestly suck. But I'm happy. And I hope you are too for me." Dansby rolled his eyes.
"Oh, yeah, let me just be so happy for you for dating my best friend after I said I loved you-"
"No!" Y/N exclaimed. "You don't get to do that, James. Don't pretend like we've been glued to the hip all these years and we know everything about each other! You were the one who left, not me! You chose Mallory over me, and I'm really sorry that didn't work out for you, I am, but I moved on with my life! I got over it because I loved you so much. So don't come in here and pretend like I was the one who crushed you." And with her final words, Y/N threw a $20 on the table and stormed out of the cafe.
——————
2 Weeks Later (Opening Day)
Wrigley field was buzzing with fans as the Cubs went into the bottom of the 8th, leading 2-0 over the Brewers.
Y/N had dealt with only a couple of injuries today, mainly sore shoulders from not being used to playing 100%.
She was in the clubhouse packing her stuff when she heard commotion from the field. She ran up the steps of the dugout to see Dansby on the ground after being struck with a pitch in the face.
The two hadn't spoken since their argument a couple of weeks ago, but right now Y/N needed to do her job as a trainer. She ran to the field before anyone else could get there to analyze Dansby's injuries.
"Dans, it's me. You need to sit up so I can check you out." Upon hearing Y/N's voice he slowly sat up. Immediately his eyes were black and his nose was pouring blood. She grabbed a towel and put it against his nose.
When they made eye contact it took everything in Y/N to not kiss him. She sighed and smiled at the man.
"On the count of 3 we're gonna stand up okay? 1, 2, 3." Y/N and Dansby got up at the same time and she walked him to the dugout where he was getting further evaluations. Moments later he was being rushed to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.
When the game ended, Y/N packed her things and rushed out of Wrigley to the nearest hospital where Dansby would be. When she walked in, Y/N went to the front desk and asked for Dansby's room. She then made her way through the hospital to him.
When Y/N got to the room, she prepared herself for the conversation that would soon be happening.
Y/N walked into the room and saw Dansby looking pretty beat up.
"Reminds me of the time this happening with Arizona." Y/N started as she made her way towards Dansby. He laughed as best as he could.
"Feels like another lifetime, huh?" Dansby asked. Y/N sat down in a chair next to Dansby's bed.
"Can I cut to the chase?" Y/N asked as Dansby smiled.
"That's how you always were, Y/N/N. Go ahead." Y/N took a deep breath before starting.
"James Dansby Swanson, you are my first love. My first crush, best friend, whatever. It was always you. And yeah, it really did kill me when it seemed as though you were pushing me out of your life, but man I still loved you. And the last time we saw each other was terrible. And not like how I pictured us meeting again. And I would like to try again with this, in any way, if you're up for it." Y/N said in one breath. It took Dansby a moment to respond, and all he did was pat the bed, signaling for Y/N to get in.
She carefully slipped into bed with Dansby and he wrapped his armed around her while she did the same.
"I want to try again, Y/N/N. However you want. I still love you, and I'm ready whenever you are. I don't want to lose you. I can't." Y/N smiled at Dansby's words and buried her face in his chest. They sat in silence for a moment before Y/N reached up and kissed Dansby. He was shocked for a moment, but when he realized what was happening, he kissed Y/N back.
After a minute of kissing Dansby suddenly pushed Y/N back.
"Y/N! What the hell! I go on and on about Mallory cheating and you just kissed me! So what are we doing, Max-" Y/N cut off Dansby's rambling by placing her lips on his and giving him a sweet kiss, in which he did kiss back. When they pulled away, Y/N couldn't help but start to giggle.
"Dansby, honey, Max and I are done. We called it off right after we had our argument." Dansby stared straight faced but shook his head and laughed after a minute.
"So are we starting over?" Dansby asked. Y/N smiled, but shook her head.
"Nah, we're gonna remember this and tell our children our story one day." Y/N replied and laid her head on Dansby's chest, feeling it vibrate as he laughed.
"Oh, so we're having kids now? Are you gonna marry me first?"
"I don't know, Swanson. I can't marry a man who's been divorced." Dansby let out a big laugh that time.
"Y/N L/N, you are an impossible woman. And I love you for that you know." Y/N smiled and kissed Dansby once again.
"I know. And I love you, James Dansby Swanson."