#also nothing to do with wcbb

[obsessive-evie]

PART OF ME WANTS TO WALK AWAY TIL YOU REALLY LISTEN I HATE TO LOOK AT YOUR FACE AND KNOW THAT WERE FEELING DIFFERENT CAUSE PART OF ME WANTS YOU BACK BUT I KNOW IT WONT WORK LIKE THAT HUH

[goldfades]

★ RIZZLER P ─── PB⁵ (part 2/2)

౨ৎ ─ summary | part one -> y/n is a youtuber and on the cancelled podcast, she reveals she has a crush on paige bueckers. y/n gets invited to her first game of the season and they have a lot of fun! part one!!!!!!!!!!!

─ warnings | literally nothing but banter and fun, slight paige slander (but its from kk and ice so its ok), idk what else. oh brooke and tana being protective but its in a sweet way. also i love this mini series i loved it

─ ev's notes | sooo im trying out a semi-new format, lmk if yall like it!!!!!!!

⇨ missing out on updates? check out my wcbb masterlist!

Paige 💕 (paigebueckers) started following you.

Paige 💕 wants to send you a message. Hey, I heard you were into D1 basketball players? 😉

The message stuck out to you, your stomach dropping as you read the message request. You couldn't help but grin as you read her playful message, the nervous energy in your stomach now morphing into a thrilling anticipation. With shaky hands, you tapped on the message request, your heart pounding in your chest.

You couldn't believe Tana's advice had actually worked ─ talking about them on a podcast was the best rizz, apparently.

With trembling hands, you typed out a response, trying to come across confident despite the fluttering of nerves in your stomach.

Y/N 🎀 hi, you saw the episode?

Y/N 🎀 god i'm so embarrassed, sorry if you keep getting bombarded with questions from my fans lol. they mean well i swear 😫

You exited out of Instagram and tapped on iMessage, quickly getting into your group-chat with the girls.

we ❤️ white claws

y/n | GUESS WHO DM'D ME

tana | PAIGE BUECKERS???????

brooke | it better be paige or ur just blue balling us atp

y/n | yes it was paigeeee! *sends screenshot*

brooke | omgggg she's flirting with you!!!!

tana | what did i say bro?? what did i say?????

y/n | tysm tana ur literally the fucking best

As you were typing out your message to the groupchat, your phone buzzed. You looked up at the message, a smile spreading on your lips.

Paige 💕 Haha, yeah, I saw the episode. Don't worry about it, it's all good :)

Paige 💕 And no need to apologize, ur fans are really funny lol

You closed your phone, shutting your eyes as you swallowed a squeal of excitement.

The thrill of talking to Paige was almost overwhelming, but in the best possible way. You'd thought she was attractive since you'd first gotten into basketball back in high school (yes, it was because of your ex but that's besides that point), and it was surreal now that she was not only talking to you ─ she was hitting on you.

──

It had been a few weeks since you'd began talking to Paige and since then, you'd exchanged phone numbers and were talking every single day. She was sending you good morning texts, she made sure to do an fit check every morning, and you found yourself eagerly awaiting each message from her. The thrill of talking to Paige hadn't faded; if anything, it had only intensified as you got to know her better.

However, you knew since the season was beginning she wasn't going to be as free as she was before. You didn't mind, of course ─ you were just happy you were able to talk to her at all. These last couple days had been busy for her and you hadn't been able to talk to her, but this morning you'd gotten something in the mail that you were sure you didn't order.

You ripped it open to reveal Paige's jersey, and it was even signed at the bottom. You couldn't believe it, your heart swelling with warmth at the unexpected gesture from her. Holding the jersey in your hands, you couldn't help but smile at the thoughtfulness behind her gift.

As if on cue, your phone began buzzing in your pocket and you pulled it out. You quickly accepted the Facetime, a grin on your face as you answered.

"Oh my god, you're insane."

"What? You got the jersey?" Paige feigned shock, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she grinned at you through the screen. "I have no idea how that got there."

You chuckled, shaking your head in disbelief. "Yeah, I got it. Thank you so much, Paige. It's... it's amazing."

Paige's smile softened, her eyes warm with affection. "You're welcome. I just wanted to show my appreciation for you, you know?"

You felt a swell of warmth in your chest. "Well, it definitely made my day. Thanks, P. I really mean it."

Paige smirked as she took you in through the Facetime. "So, I guess you'll have to wear it to my games now, right? You can't let this signed jersey go to waste."

"Is that an invitation, P?" You teased, raising an eyebrow playfully as you grinned at Paige through the screen. The idea of attending Paige's games in her signed jersey filled you with excitement, and you couldn't wait to cheer her on from the stands.

Paige chuckled, her smirk widening. "Yeah, you down? You know our first game's on Thursday night, I'll get you floor tickets and everything."

You didn't think she was serious but the more you thought about it, the more you realized she might actually be serious. The excitement bubbled up within you at the thought of attending Paige's game, especially with floor tickets.

"Are you serious?" you asked, a hint of disbelief in your voice.

"Well, uh. I know it's a long flight but I wanna see you. I'll fly you out, I'll show you around and we can spend some time together, and stuff." Paige's usual confident demeanor was replaced with a touch of nervousness, her eyes searching yours for a reaction.

"Paige, are you sure?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. The idea of spending time together in person was both thrilling and nerve-wracking, and you couldn't believe that Paige was offering to fly you out just to see her.

Paige nodded, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "Of course, I would. I mean, if you want to."

"Yeah, of course I would. You're sure?" You spoke softly but earnestly. Flights were expensive, especially when they were as last minute as this.

Paige let out a dramatic sigh as she nodded. "Yes, bro. Yes or no?"

"Yeah, of course. Gosh, so impatient." You teased as Paige laughed through the Facetime.

Paige chuckled, her laughter filling the screen as she rolled her eyes playfully. "Okay, good. Now show me how my jersey looks on you, put it on for me."

You blushed slightly as you nodded, taking the jersey as you walked up the stairs of your house. You couldn't believe it ─ you were flying out to meet Paige in less than a week. You were going to meet Paige Bueckers in less than a week.

──

"Y/N L/N is flying out to see your ass?" KK's voice sounded shocked as sat up on the bed, her eyes wide and her jaw slightly dropped in disbelief.

Paige kept her eyes on her phone as she nodded slowly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She tried to keep the whole nonchalant thing going up but her friends could see right through it.

Paige couldn't help but smirk at KK's shocked reaction, though she attempted to maintain an air of nonchalance. "Yeah, she is," she replied casually, her fingers tapping away on her phone.

"She's coming to watch us play, like on Thursday?" KK repeated slowly as she tried to process the information, her eyes still wide with astonishment. "Seriously?"

Paige shrugged, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Yeah, seriously. Why is it so hard to believe?"

Ice, who had been lounging next to KK, chimed in with a smile. "Sounds like you're getting serious, P. Bringing her to a game? That's basically a relationship milestone."

Paige rolled her eyes playfully at Ice's comment. "It's not like that, Ice. We're just friends."

"Does she know that? You're such a fuckboy, Paige." Ice rolled her eyes as she exchanged a look with KK.

Paige couldn't help but laugh at Ice's teasing, though she couldn't deny the warmth spreading through her chest at the thought of you. "Trust me, Ice, she knows. And I'm not a fuckboy, I'm just... being a good friend."

KK chuckled, nudging Ice playfully. "Come on, Ice, let's not scare Paige away from the relationship talk."

"Bro, fuck off," Paige groaned as she sighed, leaning back in the gaming chair.

Paige knew she liked you but at this point, she'd only been texting you for a month and before she could be official with you, she'd have to spend time with you in real life. Plus, you lived in California and long distance was not the ideal for her.

"Are we getting those live show tickets or..." KK began as Paige sent her a glare. She put up her hands in defense as Ice let out a small laugh, shaking her head in amusement.

"Don't worry, we can ask her Thursday," Ice teased as she leaned back in the bed, her grin widening.

"Bro, you better leave her alone-"

"Ooo, she's getting possessive already. You have to remember it's Y/N, bro, she's definitely going to have some fans too." KK laughed, joining in on the teasing with a playful smirk.

Paige rolled her eyes at her friends' banter, though she couldn't help but feel a hint of amusement at their antics. "Guys, come on. Let's not make a big deal out of it."

KK chuckled, nudging Ice with her elbow. "Oh, come on, Paige, we'll behave."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Paige retorted as the girls laughed.

──

Y/N 🎀 posted on her story !

You were incredibly nervous and the noise of the crowded stadium didn't do much to calm your already frayed nerves. It was your first time meeting Paige in person, and the anticipation had been building up inside you since the moment you boarded the plane to Connecticut.

The plan was to originally go to a pre-game dinner but it didn't really work out because of the traffic and the hectic schedule leading up to the game. Instead, Paige suggested meeting directly at the stadium, where she would give you a tour and introduce you to some of her teammates before the game started.

As you made your way through the crowds, your heart pounded with nervous excitement. Thoughts raced through your mind, wondering if Paige would like you in person as much as she seemed to over text, if you would have enough to talk about, and if you'd be able to keep your nerves in check. You were a nervous wreck, your stomach twisting in anxiety.

You couldn't help but feel a knot forming in your stomach as you scanned the crowd, searching for Paige among the sea of faces. Suddenly, you spotted her standing near the entrance to the court, her eyes scanning the crowd with a look of concentration. Your breath caught in your throat as you made eye contact, and a wave of relief washed over you.

God, she was even more attractive in real life. Her hair was in her signature braided ponytail and had worn some light make-up, her lashes long and her cheeks pink with blush.

Paige's face lit up with a bright smile as she caught sight of you, and she began weaving her way through the crowd towards you. Your nerves melted away as she drew closer, and before you knew it, her arms wrapped around you in a light embrace.

She was even taller than you expected ─ she practically towered over you, but her embrace felt warm and comforting. As she pulled back, you couldn't help but admire the way her eyes sparkled with excitement as she scanned your outfit.

"You're wearing the jersey!" She exclaimed as her eyes took you in, she had no shame in the fact she was checking you out. You didn't miss the way she bit her lip and how her eyes lingered, your face flushing with warmth at her gaze.

"Yeah, I wanted to show my support," you replied, trying to keep your voice steady despite the fluttering of nerves in your stomach. "Plus, it's pretty comfy."

Paige grinned, her smile widening at your response. "Well, you look amazing in it. Maybe even better than I do," she teased, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

You couldn't help but laugh at her teasing, your blush deepening as you looked up at the taller girl. "You're such a flirt,"

Paige bit her lip as her head fell back as she laughed, her laughter filling the air around you and sending a shiver of excitement down your spine. "Nah, I wasn't even trying that time."

Before you could reply, you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around to meet the gazes of two girls and a boy, their expressions nervous and excited. "Oh my god, we are such big fans!"

You smiled instantly as you turned your attention toward them. "Aw, thank you, guys. That means the world, would you like a picture?"

The trio's faces lit up with excitement as they nodded eagerly. "Yes, please!" one of the girls exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.

"Can she take the picture?" One of the girls asked as she gestured toward Paige. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, her hands in her pockets as she exchanged a glance toward you.

"Uh, sure."

You and the fans gathered closer, posing for the picture as Paige stepped back to frame the shot. With a quick press of the button, the photo was taken, capturing the moment. As the fans thanked you both and walked away, chatting animatedly amongst themselves. You glanced toward the blonde as she began laughing, shaking her head.

"What?" You asked as she drew closer to you.

Paige shrugged. "I just kinda forgot you're like famous, or whatever. It kinda gives me like... an ego boost, not gonna lie."

You couldn't help but laugh at Paige's comment, her candidness adding to the lightheartedness of the moment. "Why?"

"You're like this really pretty girl who's super funny and has like, a whole fanbase. And you flew out to see me, you told everyone on your friend's podcast that you had a crush on me and now you're here, just casually hanging out with me, wearing my jersey like it's no big deal," Paige explained, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

You laughed at her explanation, feeling a warmth spread through you at her words. "Well, to be fair, you're also this incredible basketball player who's basically taking the WNBA world by storm. And you invited me to your game, so I'd say we're pretty even."

"You're boosting my ego even more though, I hope you know that," Paige replied with a playful grin, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

You chuckled, feeling a sense of ease settle between you. "Just returning the favor," you teased, nudging her playfully.

"Okay, I'ma let me show you around now," Paige grinned as she gestured for you to keep walking. Her hands found your waist and began guiding you through the halls, her touch unexpected but undoubtedly welcome.

You couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement at the contact, her touch sending a jolt of electricity through you. With Paige's arm around your waist, guiding you through the busy stadium corridors, you felt a sense of intimacy that was both thrilling and comforting.

──

As you sat in the stands, surrounded by cheering fans and the energy of the game, your heart raced with excitement. You stole glances at Paige on the court, marveling at her skill and grace as she played. Despite your nerves, you couldn't help but feel a sense of pride knowing that you were there to support her.

She was so attractive (even while running around and sweating), she reminded you how much you loved hoopers. The way she moved, the intensity in her eyes as she focused on the game, it all captivated you. Even in the midst of competition, she exuded a confidence and poise that was undeniably attractive.

Your eyes stayed on her the entire game, not paying much attention to anything else. You were so enamored with Paige that you hardly noticed the passage of time. Every movement she made seemed effortless, every shot she took seemed destined to find the net.

As the game reached its end, with the score neck and neck, Paige seemed to rise to the occasion, her determination shining through in every play. And when she sank the winning shot in the final seconds of the game, the crowd erupted into cheers, the sound reverberating throughout the stadium.

You couldn't help but leap to your feet, cheering along with the rest of the fans as you watched Paige celebrate with her teammates on the court.

As the crowd began to disperse and the energy of the game slowly subsided, you made your way down to the court, eager to congratulate Paige. As you approached her, a wide grin spread across her face, and she pulled you into a tight hug, the euphoria of the win still palpable in the air.

Paige didn't care if people took pictures or if people decided to gossip about it later; all she cared about was you being there in that moment.

"You looked really good out there," the words came out of your mouth before you could really process them. Paige pulled out from the hug with a laugh, her arms still around your shoulders.

"And you looked really sexy in the stands, wearing my jersey." Paige smirked playfully, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she teased you.

"I felt like a NBA trophy wife, I was clapping all cutesy cause I knew people were taking pictures of me," you quipped, feeling a rush of excitement at Paige's playful banter. Her laughter was infectious, and you found yourself grinning in response.

Paige chuckled, giving you a playful nudge with her shoulder. "Well, you definitely looked the part," she teased, her tone affectionate as she leaned in closer to you.

You laughed along with her, feeling a sense of warmth and comfort in her presence. "Guess I'll have to start practicing my trophy wife wave for next time," you replied with a playful wink.

"Ooo, next time? Does that mean you'll visit me again?" Paige teased, raising an eyebrow playfully as she looked at you.

You couldn't help but feel a surge of affection for her at her words. "Of course," you replied, your voice filled with sincerity. "But only if you make me a WNBA wife, P."

She squinted as if she was thinking about it, earning a playful shove from you. "I'm just playing, you're the only girl."

"I'd hope so," you scoffed as you playfully rolled your eyes, unable to hide the smile tugging at your lips.

Paige grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, lucky for you, you're my favorite girl," she replied, her tone soft and affectionate.

"So there are other girls?" You teased as she groaned playfully, earning a laugh from you. "I'm just your favorite-"

"That's not what I meant, you're the only one who's wearing my signed jersey, that I sent directly to your house and you're the only one who gets good morning texts and fit checks." Paige countered, her playful smirk widening into a genuine smile.

You couldn't help but laugh at her response, feeling a sense of warmth and happiness fill your chest. "Yeah, I guess you're right," you replied, your tone light and teasing.

Before Paige could reply, she saw Ice and KK approaching from behind you. She sighed as you turned around, meeting their excited gaze.

Paige sighed playfully as she turned to greet Ice and KK, who were clearly eager to join in on the conversation. "Hey, what's up, you two?" she greeted them with a smile, her eyes flickering with amusement.

Ice and KK exchanged a knowing look before KK grinned mischievously. "So, are we interrupting something here?" she teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Paige rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the smile tugging at her lips. "Y/N, this is KK and Ice. Don't worry about them though, they're just stupid freshman who think they're the shit-"

"Bro, says you!" KK shouted as you laughed, exchanging a smile with Ice.

"I know who you guys are, P talks about you a lot," you said, offering a friendly smile to KK and Ice. "Nice to finally meet you both."

KK's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, really? What does she say about us?" she asked eagerly, leaning in closer with a playful grin.

Paige let out a groan, shooting you an amused glance before replying, "Only good things, I promise."

"Yeah, she loves you guys." You smiled as you glanced between Paige, KK, and Ice. "Always talking about your antics and how you keep things interesting."

"She talks about you too, like nonstop." KK began before she earned a shove from a very flustered Paige.

Ice continued, "We thought she was lying until we watched your episode with Tana and Brooke, then we were confused cause you like Paige?"

"Why are you saying it like that? Paige?" Paige mocked Ice, earning a laugh from you and KK.

"Cause Y/N's like a whole baddie, like a 20/20 and you're just like... mid at basketball," Ice explained as Paige sent her a playful glare. "People are gonna be really confused until they see how much you make, then they'll be like ohh,"

"Shut up, bro," Paige replied, but there was a fondness in her tone as she exchanged playful banter with Ice. "It's not about basketball skills, it's about the person."

"Sure, sure," KK chimed in with a grin. "We all know you're a catch, Paige. But hey, if Y/N's into it, who are we to judge?"

You laughed at the girls banter, exchanging a smile with Paige as Ice and KK did the same. "Y/N, we have a question."

"Oh no, bro," Paige groaned as KK nudged her slightly, telling her to be quiet as you nodded, laughing softly.

"Can you get us tickets to Tana and Brooke's shows? Please, we really really wanna go," KK asked, her excitement palpable.

You couldn't help but chuckle at KK's eagerness. "Sure! I'll reach out to them get you guys some," you replied with a smile, already mentally making a note to message Tana and Brooke about it later.

Paige rolled her eyes playfully. "Great, now you're getting my girl to do favors for you," she joked, earning a laugh from both you and KK.

"Your girl?" Ice responded as she raised her brow. "Okay, I see you P, already locking it down."

Paige's cheeks flushed slightly as she playfully nudged Ice. "Shut up, Ice. You know what I mean."

KK leaned in with a mischievous grin. "Oh, we know what you mean, Paige. You're just too scared to admit it."

"Okay, well. Thank you so much, Y/N, you're even more stunning in person. I'll leave you guys to it, now," Ice smirked as she grabbed KK and began walking off the court, toward the team.

Paige let out a sigh before she turned over to meet your eyes, a softness to softness to her expression that made your heart flutter. "Sorry about them, they're like that all the time," she said with a chuckle.

You shook your head with a smile, feeling a sense of contentment settle over you. "No, no, they seem really sweet. They remind me of Tana and Brooke though," you laughed as Paige nodded.

"Uh, sure!" Paige teased as you shook your head in amusement. "I need to go take a shower but um, maybe you can come over?"

Your smile widened at the request as you nodded. "Yeah, sounds like fun."

Again, her hand found the small of your back as she led you toward the team. She was soon reminded of a team celebration they were planning on doing later and the girls insisted on bringing you, she realized that you had become their favorite, too.

But she couldn't blame them, you were perfect.

──

tana mongeau (tanamongeau) started following you. Brooke (brookeschofield) started following you.

tana mongeau wants to send you a message. hurt her and you die, got it blondie ?? not joking btw

Brooke wants to send you a message. Heard you & Y/N had a fun time this weekend! You seem like such a sweet girl, would love to have you on the pod sometime. Promise we'll keep it PG 🤗

Brooke Oh and go huskies!!!! 😁

Paige glanced at her phone with a slight groan, shaking her head. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me,"

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[imaginespazzi]

Part 2: If Only You'd Been Here

Masterlist - Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7

Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you (but ain't nobody love you like I do)

(In which a sadistic writer tortures her beloved ship a fair amount and maybe her readers too)

Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd

Themes: Angst, Pining, Hurt/Comfort and maybe Fluff if you squint

Words: 6.5K (someone please be proud that it is in fact shorter 🙈)

TW: Swearing, Alcohol, Injuries, Alludes to Sexual Content

A/N: Good morning my lovelies <3 Just a couple of things I changed that you should know before you read. If you follow WCBB, you know UCLA didn't win the Pac-12 tournament in 2023 but in this universe they did. You also probably know they lost in the NCAA tournament last year to SC in the Greenville region but in this universe, for plot purposes, they're gonna be in the Seattle region. I kept their seeding and who they were playing vague because it was gonna get too complicated to figure out. Also if you saw my list of part titles a while ago, no you didn't lol. As always, feel free to know what you liked, what you didn't, and anything you'd like to see in future parts. And as you're reading, let's just remember y'all love me and everything I do is for the plot. Happy reading and have a wonderful week lovelies!

December 2022

The distinctly “car” smell of her car is starting to make Paige more than a little nauseous. Going by the way Drew is pouting in the passenger seat, he’s also clearly over it. They’ve been driving in circles for what feels like hours. At first, still enamoured with being allowed to sit in the front, her little brother had gone along with her ridiculousness. Now, as they approach maybe the 12th or so lap around the neighbourhood, he seems less than thrilled. 

“Alright let me out and you keep driving,” Drew says, fiddling agitatedly with his seatbelt, “I think I’m gonna puke.”

“Well hold it in,” Paige retorts unhelpfully as they re-round the block. She keeps her eyes focused on the road, ignoring the glare her brother sends her away. He takes in a dramatic breath and leans back onto his seat. She grips the steering wheel tighter as they pass the house again, still not brave enough to pull into the driveaway of a place she’d once considered just as much a home as her own. 

Drew lets out another groan, “I shoulda just stayed home.”

“Well you didn’t-” Paige’s reply is cut off by the sound of a phone call reverberating around the car. The CallerID reads “Azzi (DON’T YOU DARE IGNORE)”, a name the younger girl had plugged in herself with a warning look the day Paige had left LA. Chewing whatever dry skin is still left on her bitten-to-death lips, Paige clicks accept on the call. 

“What number lap is this?” comes Azzi’s exasperated voice and Paige can’t help the smile that creeps onto her face. 

“Oh you know my car’s feeling the need to exercise today,” Paige hums back, suddenly feeling a lot lighter than she had just a couple of seconds ago. Sometimes, she’s not sure how she managed to go a year with this constant heavy weight pressing down on her ribs, and no Azzi to slowly ease her out from under it. 

“Azziiiiii,” Drew whines dramatically, “please come save me. I’m gonna die in this car.”

Affronted, Paige splutters, “nobody forced you to come.”

“You begged me to come,” her young brother quips back and it elicits a laugh from the girl on the other end of the line. 

“I did-”

“Paige,” Azzi cuts her off, “just come inside okay? You’re wasting gas for nothing.”

“I- it’s just-,” Paige’s hands tighten even more around the wheel, as she stops on the sidewalk, switching on her turn signal, but still not entering the driveway. She leans her head against the wheel, overwhelmed by emotions she can’t quite name. Drew places a comforting hand on her back and she sends him a reassuring smile, trying to shield her younger brother from the havoc in her brain. 

“Hey,” Azzi’s voice floats through the fog, “it’s just me okay? Me and you and us. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

It’s like a child being soothed with their favourite binkie, that’s what Azzi’s promise feels like to Paige. She finally turns into the driveaway, and both Drew and Azzi cheer in tandem. The knot in her chest loosens just a little bit at that because the large crowds that scream for her make her feel adored, but this, her own personal cheer squad for her littlest of achievements, well it makes her feel loved. 

“Freedom,” Drew yells as he practically flings himself out of Paige’s barely parked car. She rolls her eyes fondly at her mini me as he dramatically pretends to kiss the ground. It’s a small distraction from the memories that are swirling like a tornado in her mind. Minnesota is home, it’ll always be home but this place, this had been her safe haven, something she could hold onto at a time where everything else was slipping out of her hands. And then, like a fool, she’d let go of it. 

The door opens even before they’ve made it halfway to the door and Azzi’s brothers run out into the front yard. Jon pretends to take pictures and José practically falls to his knees as they swarm around the blonde. 

“Paige, Paige, can we get a picture or an autograph please,” they yell teasingly, “please Miss Bueckers we’re your biggest fans.”

“Move over boys,” Tim Fudd’s booming voice hollers, as he swats his children away, “her biggest fan is actually me eh Paige?”

The girl in question nods solemnly, her smile stretching the full length of her face, and both Jon and José let out a groan as their father beams at Paige. And then Katie’s there, not a hint of anything but pure happiness on her face as she wraps the younger girl into a hug. Paige melts into the embrace, trying her hardest not to burst into tears. Because all she can think about is the hundreds of calls and texts from Azzi that she’d left unanswered, all she can think of is Azzi's devastated face as she’d told Paige about just how hard she’d tried and that wretched ache of i don’t deserve this i broke your daughters heart wraps itself around Paige’s  heart. 

Over Katie’s shoulder, Paige watches as Azzi finally walks out into the law, her cheeks immediately turning red from the cold. The younger girl winks at Paige with a radiant smile, before giving all her attention to Drew who almost trips as he excitedly launches himself into Azzi, tiny hands wrapping around her waist. Paige watches, still buried in the warmth of Katie’s arms, as Drew animatedly tells Azzi all the stories he possibly can and Azzi nods along emphatically as if she’s being told the most important facts of her life. And Paige takes a snapshot of it to add to her ever growing collection of moments i just knew. 

***

January 2023

“Call her.”

Paige doesn’t bother replying, burying her face further into her tear-soaked pillow. Maybe if she ignores her teammate, Caroline will get the message and go away. The earth-shattering pain that she’d subdued for the last couple of months had finally reared its ugly head. And that too at the worst time possible, when her team needed to be a source of strength and with cameras catching the teardrops falling as she mourned the loss of not being able to play in the epic UConn-Tennessee rivalry. She’d done so well at holding it in, breaking apart only a couple of times, sometimes alone and sometimes with Azzi on the other end of the line. Until tonight, when the bright lights and roaring crowd had reignited the itch to just fucking play ball. 

“Paige,” Caroline says again, “stop being stubborn and call her.”

“She has a game tomorrow, she doesn’t need my dramatic ass worrying her right now,” Paige replies, getting into a sitting position when she realises the other girl isn’t about to just let this go. 

“You’re eventually going to call her. The two of you haven’t gone one day without talking to each other since this summer,” Caroline gives her a look, a hint of a smirk play on her face when it tints Paige’s cheeks pink, “seriously, just call her.”

It’s not that Paige doesn’t want to. She’d scrolled through her contacts and stopped at Azzi’s one too many time’s tonight. And each time, just as her fingers had hovered over the green call button, she’d felt guilt claw at her neck. Since she’d shown up in LA, Azzi had shown up for Paige every step of the way, checking in regularly, listening to Paige vent her anger at the world and whispering words of comfort that only sounded true when they came from Azzi’s mouth. Sometimes, if she tries really hard, Paige can feel the ghost of Azzi’s arms wrapping themselves around her shoulders, just as they had that one night in LA when Azzi had held her, so delicately as if she was made of porcelain, through the worst of her breakdowns. 

“She needs to focus on her game,” Paige says after a moment. 

Caroline sighs, mind wandering to the countless texts on her phone from Azzi begging her to take care of Paige and to let her know when the blonde wasn’t doing okay, “I know but she’d want you to call her if she knew. You need her.”

“And where was I when she needed me?” it’s the word need that triggers it, the quick snap because it’s all Paige has been able to think about lately. 

Without basketball, she’d had far too much time on her hands and she’d ended up going down a spiral of watching Azzi’s games from her freshman year, something she’d religiously avoided doing when they had happened live. At first, it had just been this immense feeling of pride, seeing her best friend be the college basketball phenomenon Paige had always known she would be. She’d shoved away the envy of it was supposed to be us that immersed her seeing the way the Bruins celebrated their new star player, and just let herself be happy in her best friend’s happiness. 

And then something changed around at the beginning of January 2022. It had only lasted a couple of games, but Azzi had hit a wall. Threes were short, cuts were made at the wrong time and she kept on getting lost on defence in a way that was very unlike her. And all Paige could focus on, eyes glued to the screen, was how completely and utterly exhausted Azzi looked during that stretch, despite the fact that she’d just come back from winter break. The smile had vanished off her face, replaced by stress lines Paige wished she could go back in time and erase. 

It wasn’t until she’d binged through all the games, cheering silently as Azzi slowly returned to form, that the realisation had hit Paige. She’d been slapped with the memory of a store decorated brightly for Christmas and a familiar voice calling her name, as she’d purposely walked the other way, pretending she hadn’t heard and the more than deserved i’m done trying text that had followed right after. For a year, perhaps longer, Paige had convinced herself that she was the only one who had lost something, she was the only one who had a right to hurt, to break. And still, she thinks she’d take all of that pain again a thousand times, if it means she could erase the fact that in all of her self-pity, she’d broken Azzi too.

“Where was I when she needed me?” she repeats again to Caroline, as the brunette stares at her in confusion, “the answer to that Carol, is that I was anywhere but with her.”

Caroline’s eyes soften in realisation as she takes a cautious step towards Paige, “oh P don’t do this to yourself.”

“I want to call her,” Paige confesses in a whisper, tears brimming in her eyes, “it’s the only thing I’ve wanted to do all day and maybe- maybe I should have but I’m just- I’ve been so unfair to her.”

“You were hurt Paige.”

“I know- I know that. But so was she. You don’t- god Carol- you don’t even know the things I said to her before she left for LA. And she’s still here,” the first tears fall from her blue eyes, and then the next and the next until there’s a steady waterfall streaming down her face, “you know I almost didn’t let her in when she first came over this summer?”

Caroline doesn’t say anything, choosing instead to come sit next to Paige and wrap her arms around the point guard. 

“I didn’t answer her calls or her texts for a year and still, still she’s picked up every call, replied to every text I’ve sent her since summer. I know- I know I need her and she’s going to be there of course she is. But when she needed me, where was I?” Paige drops her face into her hands, “I just- I don’t deserve her.”

There’s a moment of silence as Caroline rubs Paige’s back and lets the older girl wallow in her guilt. And then she reaches for Paige’s phone on the nightstand, ignoring the little grunt of protest. When the screen lights up, there’s already a notification of new messages from Azzi and Caroline can’t help but smile. 

“I think,” she begins softly, “Azzi’s a smart girl so maybe give that tiny little brain of yours a little bit of rest and let her decide who deserves her,” she hands Paige her phone “let her be there for you. I think maybe she needs that too.”

Caroline gives Paige’s shoulders a little squeeze before heading out the doors, giving the older girl a moment of privacy. Paige sighs, getting herself comfortable against her pillows, and rubbing away her tears, before finally giving in and pressing the facetime call button. 

“Do you want a distraction or do you want to talk about it?” Azzi says as soon as she picks up and Paige can see the concern etched all over her face.

“Or maybe I’m perfectly fine?”

“Ah we’re playing the pretend game tonight. Should have cleared your throat for a second longer maybe Miss Perfectly Fine, your eyes are red as fuck and you sound like a dying cat.” 

“Wow, that was rude. Maybe I’m sick?” 

“With what? The “lies to her best friend” flu?”

“That UCLA education has you making up illnesses now? Damn Az, you’re supposed to get smarter in college.”

“You’re so funny, like so funny,” Azzi huffs sarcastically before they both dissolve into giggles. It’s always just been so easy with them. And Paige’s isn’t a poet, but if she was, she’d write sonnets about the sound of Azzi’s laughter, and the way it makes the corner of her eyes crinkle. 

“I watched the game,” Azzi says after a second, “and I saw you.”

Paige smirks, “so you didn’t actually watch the game, just stared at my gorgeous face the whole time?”

“There’s that comedian streak of yours again.”

“Hey you’re the one who said you were watching me instead of the game. But who could blame you really?”

“I didn’t-” Azzi rolls her eyes, as Paige’s cocky smirk deepens, “stop it.”

“You can admit I’m a pretty girl Az,” she teases, delighted when it makes the younger girl blush. 

“Fuck off, you have enough people telling you you’re a pretty girl.”

“Yeah but it means more coming from you,” she says quietly, biting her lip. It’s not the kind of thing you’re supposed to say to your best friend, at least not in the soft, wanting way that Paige says it. Except they both know that the lines in their friendship are far more blurred than they should be, even if they've both done a pretty fantastic job at ignoring that kiss. Paige had learned over Christmas that Azzi was exceptionally good at the pretending part, moving away the moment Paige’s hands lingered a little longer than they should, changing topics if they even got anywhere near addressing the something between them. It shouldn’t have hurt but it did and Paige doesn’t understand how she can so desperately miss something that she never even had in the first place. 

“So distraction then?” Azzi says after a second, changing the subject back to her initial question. 

Paige closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath, “it was just- it was a lot tonight. I didn’t realise I was being that obvious.”

“You weren’t. I just know you a little too well.”

“These are my favourite types of games, you know. The rivalry, the crowd booing my name and getting the chance to quiet them, that’s- that’s the type of game players live for and I just- I miss it Azzi. I miss shooting, I miss defending, I miss just standing on the fucking court sometimes. I miss playing basketball. So. Fucking. Much,” a fresh set of tears leak out of Paige's eyes, as her free hand fists at her bedsheets. 

There’s silence as Paige’s words linger in the air. In a way it’s freeing to be able to say it out loud, to just let herself feel how she feels instead of fighting them. 

“You’re gonna miss it every day until you play again,” Azzi says quietly, her own voice thick with emotions, “and it’s not really gonna get easier until you get it back. But when you finally do, just- just imagine it okay, your first game back. The feeling of the crowd. Dribbling up the court. Making that first shot as everybody loses their minds. Finally just playing the game you love. That’s when that feeling of loss will finally go away.”

Using Azzi’s steady breathing as an anchor to still her erratic heartbeat, Paige lets herself get lost in the picture the younger girl has just painted for her. She lets her mind run to the future that lies ahead of her and if she focuses hard enough she can almost hear the Gampel crowds roaring as she finally returns to the court. 

“It’s kinda really fucking annoying how you always know what to say,” no it isn’t, it’s the only thing that’s keeping Paige going these days. 

“Surviving an ACL injury will do that to a girl,” Azzi says with a pained smile. 

That’s not it Paige thinks, it’s not experience, it’s you and I really wish you were here. But she can’t say that, so she changes the subject instead. 

“Tell me about your game tomorrow.”

They both settle back into their pillows, getting into more comfortable positions. Azzi tells Paige all about her upcoming game and then moves onto another topic, then another and another and another. They’ll wake up tomorrow morning to phones that died and no memory of when they’d fallen asleep. And then they’ll remember who was on the other end of the line, and if that makes them smile a little too hard, well that’s just another thing they’ll pretend didn’t happen. 

***

March 2023

It’s only natural that when Paige finally feels like she can learn to live with just having a little bit of Azzi, that the world would show her just how wrong she could be. She’s been in a much better headspace these days, her knee finally starting to feel like itself again, bit by bit. The guilt of not being able to help her team is still settled into the pits of her stomach but even with that, she’s reached a sort of acceptance. And while she’s still struggling to fight the part of her heart that wants so much more, she’s learning to be content with just having her best friend back.

It’s that little bit of time in between conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament when it feels like the calm before the storm and it’s the first weekend since before the season that the UConn team finally gets to go out and let loose for a bit. They’re riding the height of winning another Big East title and even if it’s a little bittersweet that they did it without her, Paige is beyond the moon happy for her team. 

She turns up the music in her room and changes the lights for the sake of a little ambience, before sitting down at her desk, to call Azzi and do what little of her makeup she knows how to do. Normally she’d get one of the other girls or Kayla to do it, but she’d rather sacrifice a flawless makeup look then miss out on having Azzi tease her about how she still didn’t quite know how to do her eyeliner properly yet. 

The fact that it takes Azzi longer than the third ring to pick up should be Paige’s first warning sign but instead she’s sucking in a deep breath at the sight of her best friend who looks breathtakingly beautiful tonight. Paige’s heart stutters as she takes in Azzi’s face, the light layer of red lipstick (that Paige wants to kiss off), the blush-tinged cheeks (that Paige wants to caress delicately) and the perfectly done mascara on her eyelashes (that Paige wants to feel flutter against her own skin). 

She lets out a low appreciative whistle, “celebrating that Pac-12 championship in style huh?”

“Something like that,” Azzi bites her lip and really that should have been warning sign number two, “was there- was there something you needed?’

“I can’t just call you?” Paige asks, noticing the tension on Azzi’s face, “are you busy?”

“No it’s not-”

“She is actually,” a different voice cuts in aggressively and Azzi immediately gives whoever it is an exasperated look. Paige doesn’t know who it is, but she guesses it’s one of the UCLA players. It’s no secret they aren’t huge fans of her. They’d made that much clear the few times they’d met Paige during September, always regarding her with a wary eyes. It wasn’t their fault really, Paige understood their protectiveness, in fact she appreciated it more than they would ever understand. 

“Chill Angela.” 

“Are you not busy then?” the other voice who Paige assumes is Angela Dugalic says, clearly a little annoyed. And then Azzi’s phone is being shifted away from her and instead it’s Angela’s face that covers Paige’s screen. 

“Oh,” the blonde manages to get out, taken aback by the sudden change, “hi Angela.”

“Hi Paige,” the other girl says, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. 

“Angela,” there’s a clear warning in Azzi’s voice and Paige already knows, even before the words are let out into the open, that whatever Dugalic is about to say is going to tear her apart. 

“Azzi has a date tonight,” Angela pronounces the last words with a gleeful lilt. 

The world spins and Paige’s head spins with it, as she grips onto her desk for some semblance of stability. She can hear Azzi spluttering in the background as she tries to get her phone back but it’s of no use as the UCLA forward powers on. 

“With a really pretty girl,” Angela smirks at the camera, clearly trying to prove something, “Zoe’s really wonderful. You’d like her, Paige.”

Zoe. Recognition registers in Paige’s brain. She remembers seeing the name flashing on Azzi’s phone a couple of times, accompanied by a photo she never quite caught a glimpse of. But as she tended to do with most phone calls that came during her time with Paige, Azzi had simply just declined the call and texted whoever that she’d call her back later. And so Paige hadn’t really bothered caring about Zoe, chalking her up to being some random friend Azzi had made. But fuck, maybe she should have cared. 

“And Azzi really likes her I think. They’ve been tiptoeing around it for ages you know? But we all knew it was only a matter of time.”

A strangled noise escapes Paige’s throat and she tries her best to disguise it as anything but the cry of despair it is. It feels like there’s a thousand knives digging into her skin, pressing harder and harder until she has no blood left to bleed. 

“They’re gonna make the cu-”

“Give me my phone back Angela,” Azzi’s voice cuts in harshly and Paige hurriedly rushes to contort her features into a smile right before the camera’s back to facing her best friend. 

“So you’re all dressed up for a date then?” Paige manages to get out and the word date sounds like bile on her tongue. 

“Doesn’t she look lovely?” comes Angela’s voice again; the girl seemingly on a mission to break Paige as much as possible, “give her a proper look Az.”

“Angela,” Azzi hisses through gritted teeth. 

“N-no show me the fit,” Paige counters, because that’s what a best friend’s supposed to say right? Show me how fucking perfect you look for a girl that’s not me

Azzi hesitates, swallowing nervously, before she takes a couple of steps back so the camera captures all of her. And Paige wishes she’d never asked to be shown in the first place, hell she wishes she’d never bothered to call tonight. Because she thinks the image of Azzi’s casual light blue jeans and simple green off-the shoulder top will be etched in her mind forever, captioned with the words not for you. 

“You look lovely Azzi,” she whispers quietly, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Zoe won’t be able to keep her fucking hands off of you,” Angela supplies and this time the glare Azzi shoots her is murderous. 

“I think I hear Emily calling your name Angela.”

“I don’t-”

“Yes,” Azzi says pointedly, “yes you do.”

Angela rolls her eyes but doesn’t protest this time. She turns to the phone with a devilish grin, clearly feeling accomplished in being a menace, “nice talking to you Paige.”

She waltzes out, leaving Paige, Azzi and a silence that feels like it could drown them. 

“You could have told me,” the blond says after a second, averting her eyes from the screen, “aren’t dates the kind of thing best friends are supposed to tell each other?”

“Paige-”

“It’s good though- you-uh- you deserve a night out.”

“P-”

“Listen, I uh- I’m going out too so- I- umm- I better get going but-,” Paige takes in a deep breath, “have a- have wonderful time on your date Az.”

She hangs up before Azzi can reply, the concern in the younger girl's eyes becoming too much to bear. For a moment, she stares straight ahead at the wall, just processing. And then she lets herself fall apart. 

***

It’s 1 a.m., Paige is drunk and miserable and so fucking tired; it’s an extremely dangerous combination. Aaliyah and Amari had practically had to carry her to her dorm because she’d been stumbling far too much and everyone was worried she’d eventually fall flat on her face. Personally, Paige thought they just didn’t have enough faith in her. She wasn’t even that drunk, she couldn’t be. After all she could still feel that stupid Azzi-sized scar on heart and wasn’t the whole point of being drunk supposed to be not being able to feel? But she has to be drunk because sober her would know better than to do what she does next, would know better than to call Azzi when she has no control over herself. 

“Paige? Is everything okay? Are you okay,” Azzi’s voice is filled with concern when she answers.

“Azziiiii,” Paige slurs, “areyoustillwithyourdate?”

“What?”

“Are. you. still. with. your. date?” Paige pronounces each word slowly. 

“I- yeah. She’s in a different room. Paige, are you okay?” 

“Interesting,” the blonde remarks quietly, “you never picked up her calls when you were with me. And we weren’t even dating.”

She hears Azzi’s breath hitch on the other end, can almost picture her doing that nervous swallow of hers, “ I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“You didn’t care if she was okay then? Those times she called you?”

“That’s not- she didn’t call me at 1 a.m.” the younger girl justifies hollowly. 

“Bullshit,” Paige scoffs, “1 a.m. isn’t even that fucking late. Why is it so hard for you to admit you care about me waaaayyyyy more than you care about Zara or whatever?”

“Zoe. You’re drunk Paige, go to bed,” and Paige really should listen to the edge in Azzi’s voice.

“Where did y’all go?” she asks lightly, changing the subject, “c’mon Az, best friends share their date stories right?”

“Baltaire,” Azzi relents, choosing to let this battle go. 

“Oooh that restaurant we passed that one time wow,” Paige coos, “too fucking bad you hate fine dining huh? But she wouldn’t know that now would she? Because she doesn’t fucking know you.”

“Paige please,” Azzi breathes out quietly in a pained voice.

“But you know who does know you? Me. And I would have never taken you to some boring old fancy ass piece of shit restaurant like that.”

“Don’t-”

“I would have taken you on a picnic. Do you remember that park you loved, the one by my air bnb? There, that’s where I would have taken you. And I’d have gotten you supermarket sushi even though I fucking hate that shit but I know, I know, you like it. And flowers. Did she get you flowers? Because I- I would have. Roses and peonies and lilies, a whole fucking bouquet.”

And Paige is crying again, for the second time tonight, one hand gripping at her phone as the other one tries to wipe away the frantically falling teardrops. 

“And we’d stay at that park til the sun goes out and I’d take a polaroid of you in the sunset and I’d keep it forever. I swear Azzi, I’d keep it forever and I’d put it on my wall.”

“Paige,” Azzi whispers, as if it’s the only word she knows, as if it’s the only word that matters. 

“I’d bring my laptop so that when it finally gets dark, we can watch a movie. You choose Az, whatever you want. And I’d get distracted and start playing with your hair or something and you’ll pretend it’s annoying you but you’d be smiling. Fuck I love your smile.”

“You can’t- you can’t just say these things Paige.”

“Why not? It’s the truth right- why can’t I say the truth?,” Paige says petulantly, “but hush okay I’m not- I’m not finished yet. And then, then we’d just lie under the stars and it'd just be you, me and the sky. Perfect.” 

Azzi lets out a broken sob and Paige hates it, she hates it but she keeps on talking. 

“And then I’d take you home and I’d kiss you,” she whispers the last bit like a confession, “everywhere. Fuck, I’d make it so good for you Az. So good. Everything you wanted, everything you needed, I’d give you all of it. I’d make you come apart on my fingers and then my tongue-”

“Shut up,” Azzi’s voice is suddenly cold and frosty and it feels like all the heat has been sucked out of Paige’s room as well, “shut up, shut up, shut up.”

“Azzi-”

“No,” Azzi all but yells, “you don’t get to say all of that to me.”

“Then who does? Her? Zia or whatever? Who the fuck even is she?” Paige spits out venomously.

“Zoe. Her name is Zoe and you wanna know she is Paige?” 

She should say no. She should apologise for interrupting Azzi’s date and hang up the phone, but no, Paige doesn’t do any of that, “enlighten me why don’t you.”

“She’s the girl who was there,” Azzi says, her voice cracking, “she’s the girl who held me last year when I was going through the worst time of my life. She was there when I couldn’t make a fucking shot and I thought maybe I’d never be good enough. She was there when I let the pressure and the media and all of it get to my head. She was there when I was crying my eyes out over losing the one person I was sure would always stay. She- she’s who you were supposed to be because she was there, and you weren’t.”

Paige isn’t sure if it’s the bitterness behind Azzi’s words or the brokenness of her sobs that is the reason for the ache in her own chest. All she knows is that she still remembers tearing her ACL, and she doesn’t think it hurt as much as this. 

“It was supposed to be you,” Azzi sniffles, “I wanted it to be you. Because I’d have let you- fuck- Paige- I’d have let you take me on a picninc and if you brought me sushi I’d have brought you your favorite mac and cheese. I- I know you don’t really care about flowers so I’d get you chocolate, the rum-filled ones that you love. And that sunset polaroid would have been a selfie of us, where you’re kissing my cheek and I’d have it framed. I’d pick out a movie but first- first you could watch whatever basketball game was on and you’d get exasperated when I don’t know the team because I’m literally a basketball player,” she lets out a wet laugh, “but I know you secretly like explaining the NBA to me. And then- then I’d have let you take me home and I’d let you take everything. Whatever you wanted, it’d be yours.”

The vivid image of a date that never happened fills every inch of Paige’s brain. She feels like she’s in a bad dream, trying so hard to reach for a happiness that keeps on evading her grasp. 

“But you weren’t there then Paige, and you aren’t here now.” 

“Azzi-” Paige chokes out. 

“Go to bed Paige,” the younger girl says, her voice shaky but adamant, ‘Get some sleep. Maybe you’re drunk enough that you won’t remember this when I call you tomorrow.”

“Right. So we’re gonna pretend this never happened. Again. We’ll just keep on pretending forever I guess,” Paige retorts bitterly. 

“Yes, we will. Because if I stop pretending, I don’t think I’ll be able to survive.”

***

The buzzer rings around Climate Pledge Arena as the UCLA women’s basketball team loses in the Elite 8 on a last second buzzer beater. Azzi’s face contorts into one of sheer disappointment, and in the stands, Paige feels her own heart drop. She’s not one to root for a team outside of her own and god knows what would happen if Nika found out that she’d been screaming her head off each time the Bruins, or at least one specific Bruin, scored, but for Azzi, well, there’s not many of her own rules that Paige follows when it comes to her best friend. 

It had taken a fair amount of convincing on Paige’s part to even be able to come to this game. Everyone had wanted to leave immediately after the Sweet 16 loss but Paige had insisted they needed to stay in Seattle, do something to get the team’s mind off of the terrible end to their season. And that wasn’t a complete lie because even if she hadn’t been able to help when they needed it on the court, she could try and help boost morale. But she knew her teammates weren’t fooled. They knew the schedule just as well as she did and they knew exactly what or better yet, who she wanted to stay for. 

On the court, Paige can tell Azzi’s fighting back tears. The brunette had given it her all, scoring an efficient 34 points and really the game could have gone any way. That last minute heave from the opposing team really probably shouldn’t have gone in, but at the end of the day the NCAA tournament was a lot about skill but also a little about luck. But Paige knows, Azzi isn’t thinking about any of that, too busy finding a way to blame herself even though she’d had a near perfect night. They were just too similar sometimes. 

Azzi’s eyes flicker through the stands, clearly looking for a familiar face. Paige resists the urge to run on to the court and pull the younger girl into her arms and soothe away the defeated look in her eyes, if only for the fact that Azzi doesn’t actually even know she’d figured out a way to stay back for this game. Despite being in the same city, they hadn’t been able to spend nearly as much time together and while Paige’s teammates had tried to be of some help, Azzi’s teammates had seemed determined to pull her away as much as possible. All of that on top of the fact that they’re still playing that stupid game of pretend had left Paige wanting for just one moment alone for the two of them. 

As soon as the UCLA team starts heading back to their locker room, and the crowd starts leaving, Paige scurries towards where she knows Azzi will be. Their assigned locker room isn’t that far from where UConn’s had been and Paige gets there in almost record time, her mind firmly planted on being there for Azzi. She’d missed so many opportunities, but this time, this time she’d be there. 

Azzi’s leaning against the wall, her eyes closed and Paige has to take in a breath at the sight of her. Sweat sheens against her tan skin and her gameday braids are falling apart just a little but still, she’s perfect. Before Paige can take a step towards her, there’s another girl, all dark hair and long legs, brushing past her, rushing to get to Azzi’s side. It’s like the world has stopped and yet is spinning too fast all at the same time, as Paige watches this girl, Zoe, pull Azzi, Paige’s Azzi, into her arms. 

After the night of the date (and everything else they’re ignoring), Paige hadn’t bothered to bring it up and Azzi had never said anything about it again. Naively, the blonde had thought that maybe that meant nothing much had transpired after the date, silently patting herself on the back for possibly even having had a hand in that. Except, the way Zoe holds Azzi isn’t fucking platonic and the way Azzi relaxes in Zoe’s arms, isn’t fucking friendly. 

“I”ve got you Az,” Zoe whispers into Azzi’s hair and Paige wants to die. She should look away, she should walk away but her feet seem to be glued to the ground. And she remembers the way Azzi’s eyes were searching the crowd and oh- she’d been looking for- Paige can’t even let herself complete the thought because she’s sure she’ll burst into flames the second she does. 

“I’m really glad you’re here,” Azzi says quietly to Zoe. To Zoe, and not Paige. If she could feel anything beyond the dagger twisting in her heart, maybe Paige would hear the way there’s still a tinge of disappointment in Azzi’s voice, as if she’s wishing it was someone else. 

It takes Zoe pressing a kiss into Azzi’s forehead, eliciting a sigh from the brunette for Paige to finally tear her eyes away. Her feet finally move and then she’s running faster than she has in a long time, ignoring the way it causes her muscle to ache. She can’t tell if her rapid blinking is to usher away the tears or to try and prevent the memory of Azzi with some other girl from welding itself into her eyelids. It blurs her vision and in the speed of things, she can barely tell where she’s going. Paige runs chest-first into a wall, bruising her elbow. Her phone slips out of her hands, falling to the ground with a loud thud, the screen protector cracking into pieces. 

And when Paige looks at the mess of her phone on the floor, she thinks it couldn’t possibly have cracked harder than this silly little stupid heart of hers.

[nicky35]

Nah we got smut with Paige that has nothing to do with her on there, people yelling about pazzi shippers and I’m like damn😭

Also I don’t mean this in a shady way, I’m newer to wcbb but to the other anon’s point about Nika is there a reason why people are like big fans of her? And her and Paige? Like I get they’re called the twins but like they said, I don’t think she posts much or is the a number one player or anything (no shade lol). I’m just confused as to what the obsession is? I genuinely don’t get it!

no she was not. i have some older moots who have a special attachment to nika but that has more to do with years of watching her and this team. i genuinely cannot find any reason why someone who just started watching in the last year would gravitate towards her as a player for any reason besides her being white and pretty.

li and paige carried that team last year. also paige seems just as close with li as nika. pretty sure the twin nickname had more to do with them being in the same grade, same position and two of the only white girls on the team.

[female-buckets]

the other thing about NIL with women’s basketball that makes me sad is that it favors like the pretty, conventionally attractive femme girls. Like the Cavinder twins are so far from the best in the league, but they’re the most famous bc of how they look. And HVL, Angel, and Cam Brink are great, but they’re also most popular because of how they look.

I’m not against any of them getting attention, but you don’t see this problem in men’s basketball. Every famous NBA player absolutely deserves it, and it doesn’t matter what they look like

I wish women’s basketball players could get fame purely based on their play on the court, and nothing else. I feel like Caitlin might be the only player truly only celebrated for her play, but she had to break every record known to man to do it, AND you still have assholes on social media commenting on her appearance

Caitlin is normie feminine but I don't think normie feminine is enough anymore.

Somehow, girls and young women developed psychotic levels of body dysmorphia after the pandemic lockdown. And now gen-z is obsessed with plastic surgery and "angel skulls" and hyper-femininity. WCBB's target demographic is gen-z girls so that's the audience NIL players have to brand themselves around.

Then it just becomes a pink feedback loop between what fans expect and what players do to meet those expectations. The top NIL players have to look and act like e-girls to get that kind of money. I honestly think WCBB fans and players need to take a break from each other. The year-round obsession with teenage girls is getting weird. It's WNBA season. It's time to watch sweaty grimy "witch skull" veterans yell and spit and hit each other.

[star-girl69]

tbh I think if anyone is gonna understand the power of tiktok its gonna be geno/the uconn staff since it's been the driving force behind the major boost of popularity in wcbb and the wnba- and even tho it's coming from tiktok the amount of receipts + the fact that it's leaking off of the app and getting to the maryland sheriff's department/uconn campus police shows that it's more than js "haters being haters" iykwim

on the topic of q lying to her family, I think it's definitely possible since her brother asked to hear "both sides of the story" when he reached out to Mariah, but the fact that her brother has been told the full story + her cousin was literally in the live listening to so many different people's experiences and literally SEEING the receipts in real time shows that tbh they probably are starting to figure out the truth? if they didn't know it alr that is.

I popped into the live for a quick second and it was mostly people sharing their experiences + talking about pls not spreading rumors (cause some ppl were saying that q called Paige the f slur??? which they confirmed is not true [at least to their knowledge]), but im BEAT so its time for me to lay back and do nothing LMAO

also YES literally- ik damn well they all probs got a lot going on rn (kk literally soft launching her relationship, paige literally teleporting around the country for all her side quests while her n azzi deal w all the speculation of the 'secret' [cause a lot of ppl think it's abt the 2 of them])- lets not harass ppl who aren't openly supporting q rn, cause they probs have a lot to think abt and consider since q is someone they genuinely knew on a personal level <3

xoxo, drama anon <3 (i sometimes forget to sign these LOL)

NO WAIT BC YOURE SO RIGHT THO yeah so true omg GENO AND LIKE OTHER COACHES PLS PLS PLS TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY I BEG!!!!!

i just… oml… this situation has been like blown out of the water it’s crazy how much has happened in the span of like 2 days i cant

q’s family needs to step up, i don’t care if they publicly make statements about what happened but at the very least don’t make videos SUPPORTING q

OMG???? girl if that’s true then 😭😭 q just needs to like… stop maybe? lol

OH MY GOD YOU LITERALLY GET ME DRAMA ANON. YOU AND I ARE ON THE SAME WAVE LENGTH I STG

like they actually KNEW q!!! they are the ones who are actually dealing w this pls give them so grace i stg!!!!

it’s ok i know it’s you most of the time lol 😭🫶🫶

[a-walk-in-silence]

A Small Place In Brooklyn

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1,049

Summary: You tell Steve about your plans to move to a tiny apartment in Brooklyn where the two of you can be alone without the rest of the Avengers breathing down your necks.

Warning: Nothing but tooth-rotting fluff and a crying Steve

Prompt: A Million Dreams - The Greatest Showman

A/N: Hey! This is for @loserparker‘s 3k writing challenge! I hope you all enjoy this and the momentary break from the WCBB angst, lol. So again, enjoy the story and the pure fluffiness! Also this is really short compared to the 6.3k I just posted yesterday but like the fluff makes up for it, okay?

Key:

Y/N - Your Name

Bold Italics - Song Lyrics

Italics - Thoughts

Song Inspiration:

A Million Dreams - The Greatest Showman Official Cast Recording

I close my eyes and I can see

The world that’s waiting up for me

That I call my own

Steve sighed in contentment, leaning back into the couch. In front of him was a wall of glass that allowed the eyes to take in the ever glowing New York City. No matter the time of day, there were always lights and hustle and bustle.

“You know,” Steve said, wrapping an arm loosely around your shoulders, “Manhattan is pretty great. Coming from Brooklyn and all, this isn’t a half-bad place.”

You hummed in response, leaning into him and resting your head on his shoulder. “I’m sure Manhattan’s got nothing on Brooklyn in the 40′s.” He chuckled in response, rubbing small circles into your shoulder with his thumb.

“No, this is better than Brooklyn,” he finally responded after a few minutes of silence. “This feels like home. Sure, Brooklyn had my family and Bucky, but something was always missing. Now I’ve realized that it’s you, Y/N.”

There’s a house we can build

Every room inside is filled

With things from far away

Special things I compile

Each one there to make you smile

On a rainy day

“You sure? ‘Cause I was looking for places in Brooklyn, that way we can get out of Stark’s hair.” He instantly sat up, which left you to have to also sit upright. “I know it’s not much, but I did find an apartment near where your old place was and-”

His lips were pressed against your own in a short yet very sweet kiss. “You’re amazing, Y/N,” he said softly, cupping your face with both of his hands. “But are you sure you’d want to go all the way to Brooklyn? I mean, it’s Brooklyn.”

A laugh escaped your lips as you shake your head at him. “You’re acting like we’re moving across country, Steve. Like you said, it’s Brooklyn, and it’s practically right down the street from here. Besides... I’ve already started getting some stuff together in some boxes in my room. There’s a small box with some of your stuff from before the war. It took a lot of time to find it but... come on!” You grabbed his hands from your face and tugged him off of the couch. “Let me show you some of the stuff I found.”

They can say, they can it all sounds crazy

They can say, they can say we’ve lost our minds

I don’t care, I don’t care if they call us crazy

Runaway to a world that we design

The two of you arrived to the room that you occupied while staying in Stark Tower. You pushed Steve towards your bed to sit down before going to your closet and pulling out a box from the top shelf and setting it on the bed. “It’s not much, but I figured there were some things you’d want to move into our apartment if you come along with me.”

You opened the box and pulled out several of the items that used to belong to Steve. The first of the items to be pulled out was an old framed photo of a pre-serum Steve and Bucky Barnes. Next came his compass which, inside, held a picture of Peggy Carter. You couldn’t feel jealous over a picture. Peggy had meant a lot to him, but now he was with you, and you knew he held room in his heart for both of you.

Finally, the last item you pulled out of the box was a folded American flag. “Is that-” Steve started, but you interrupted him.

However big, however small

Let me part of it all

Share your dreams with me

“It took Stark and I weeks to track down your father’s flag from the war. Several times, we were lead into a hoax, luckily no money went down the drain for it. Finally, we tracked down the Carter-Sousa family and found out that they had the flag the whole time. Apparently Peggy took it in after you passed,” you said, sitting down next to Steve in the bed. “We have his medals in the box, too, but I figured you would want to see this first. We can frame it in one of those flag frames that they have nowadays if you want.”

You glanced up at Steve to see the tears forming in his eyes, staring at his deceased father’s flag. “I-I... Thank you, Y/N. This means the world to me.”

Gently, your hand cupped his face, wiping away the tear that managed to escape and start heading down his cheek. He gave you a grateful smile, and you couldn’t help but feel your heart melt with so much love and adoration for the person in front of you. “So what do you say to the apartment? It’s not much, I know that, but I’m willing to make it work if you are.”

I think of what the world could be

A vision of the one I see

A million dreams is all it’s gonna take

A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make

Steve’s lips pressed against your own. The kiss was different from ones the two of you had shared before. Most were sweet, chaste kisses made in secrecy since neither of you were big on public displays of affection. But this one felt different. It was filled with passion and a promise for a future where you can be together, maybe even a family one day.

“I can’t imagine a more perfect place to start a home,” Steve finally said once he separated from the kiss. His forehead rested against your own as your heavy breaths filled the otherwise silent room. “I love you. I don’t know what I did to be gifted such an amazing person to have by my side yet here you are.”

“I love you, too, Stevie.” You kissed his nose before leaning back a little so that you could take in his entire face. Smiling at him, you bopped his nose with your finger. “This feels like a dream come true.”

He hummed in response before dragging you back down into a kiss. Yeah, you thought, I could spend the rest of my life like this and never feel tired or regretful.

Tags:

@loserparker @youreafangirl-harry @thedaydreamingwriter @starksparker

[soapiestauto780]

Just more WCBB ideas

Also dark….

I’m sorry….

My katana felt light in my hand as I slowly pushed the sharpened blade into the mercenary’s throat causing more blood to spew from his arteries. The smell of iron was rich and my body stained black and red from the countless lives I’d taken today.

I kept pushing the blade into his skin until it hit the stone-laid wall behind him and his head finally rolled to floor making a hollow thud when they finally met.

Behind me, I heard a shrill scream erupt from a voice I knew very, very well.

I pulled my blade from the wall and turned eye to eye with a whimpering Ruby Rose. Her face held a terrified expression as she stared at my skin and I had a feeling I knew why.

All over my body, dancing like flames from a campfire, were shadows darker than any black imaginable.

“Soapie? Is that you?“ I heard her tiny voice ask me cautiously.

I grunted in response before I took a step forward.

I watched as her panic started to set in and she drew her weapon before she herself stepped back.

I breathed in deeply before I spoke. “I guess it only gets easier the more you do it.” I said softly as I examined my blood soaked blade.

She was shaking like a leaf, her voice trembling as she spoke, “What happened to the Soap I knew?”

I laughed. “What are you talking about? I’m standing right here.”

“The Soap I know isn't a murderer!”

“The Soap you know has always been broken since before you even meet him.”

“I just watched you murder your own family! You aren't the Soap I know! The Soap I know is kind and try to negotiate before resorting to violence.”

“The time to negotiate has long since passed with these people. This is what happens when people burn a child home down around him.”

“You know that no good will come from unnecessary bloodshed. You know that peace is our only option. You wouldn’t do this, you are not a monster.” 

I laughed maniacally before I responded. “Haven’t you heard? I’m not a monster,” I said, my head tilted, my smile deranged like a madman, “I’m a demon.”

I took a step forward, my weapon ready to strike, and was met with a bullet to the head. My silver aura stopped the round in its tracks but the force of the impact still knocked me back, pulling me back to my senses.

I released my blade and dropped to my knees. I screamed something unholy on the way down. I clutched my head in agony as I desperately tried to seal away the darkness dancing on my skin.

I don’t know why Ruby didn't shoot again, if she did, the bullet would have killed me as my was down while I resealed the darkness; all I know was that when I finally managed to do so, it was daybreak and I was all alone surrounded by nothing but corpses yet again.

[obsessive-evie]

i feel like one of those baby mascs that lowers their voice and makes it all raspy to try and get bitches rn

[obsessive-evie]

WILL YOU KISS ME ON THE PORCH IN FRONT OF ALL YOUR STUPID FRIENDS IF YOU KISS ME WILL IT BE JUST LIKE I DREAMED IT WILL IT PATCH YOUR BROKEN WINGS IM ONLY SEVENTEEN I DONT KNOW ANYTHING BUT I KNOW I MISS YOUUUUU

[goldfades]

𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐒 ─ KM²⁰

౨ৎ ─ summary | REQUESTED: "Okay there's a criminally low amount of Kate martin fics like that's literally my wife 😞 buttt my idea is Kate x reader where reader plays another sport at Iowa and gets injured at a game and Kate is js there with reader and takes care of her after the diagnosis. I js reinjured my knee for the 4th time and would love sum like that 😭🙏"

─ word count | 886

─ warnings | cute teasing/banter, mentions of injuries (duh), pretty much nothing but sweet, tooth-rotting fluff!

─ taglist | my wcbb taglist is in my bio! fill it out to be tagged:)

─ ev's notes | hope you heal your knee, nonnie! hope this fic made you feel better:) MY FIRST WCBB REQUEST!!!!!!! i'm so happy, please send in moreeeee! also so happy it's for kate my love, she is so nucnuncexijizjiuncru. anyways, enjoy!!!!!!!!

"I'M FINE, REALLY." YOU TRIED TO pry Kate's hands off your hips as she led you into your dorm.

You couldn't help but laugh at Kate's concerned expression. You'd just twisted your ankle and could barely walk. You were on strict instructions from the doctor to stay off the ground and most importantly, stay off the field.

And knowing Kate, she would make sure that you followed those orders because you didn't, you'd get hurt again. You were stubborn and she knew that, but she was equally as stubborn when it came to taking care of you. She cared about you deeply, and sometimes her worry could be a bit overwhelming, but you knew it came from a place of love and genuine concern for your well-being.

As she helped you settle onto your bed, you couldn't help but appreciate her persistence even if she was a little overbearing.

Despite your protests, Kate insisted on fetching ice packs and pillows to elevate your injured ankle. She hovered around you, fussing over every detail, making sure you were as comfortable as possible.

With a sigh, you finally relented, accepting her help and allowing yourself to relax. You knew that with Kate by your side, you'd recover in no time. Plus, having her around made the whole situation a lot more bearable.

As she sat beside you, you couldn't help but smile at her, grateful for her support. "Thanks, Kate," you said softly.

She glanced back at you, a smile playing on her lips. "You don't have to thank me, that's what I'm here for. How's it feeling now?"

You shifted slightly, testing your ankle gingerly. "It still hurts a bit, but the ice is helping. And having you here definitely makes it better."

Kate let out a small laugh as she shook her head. "You're such a flirt, you know that?"

"Oh shush, you love it." You teased back, a smirk playing on your lips.

She rolled her eyes with a smile, but you could see the warmth in her gaze. "Yeah, yeah, I guess I do," she admitted, her tone teasing.

You leaned into your bed, trying to ignore the pain that was still lingering in your ankle. You couldn't believe this was your second injury this season ─ at this rate, you weren't gonna play for the rest of the season.

You yawned as you glanced at the clock in your room before snapping your head back to Kate. "Kate! You're gonna be late for practice, get up!"

Kate laughed a little as she shook her head. "I told them I'm not going."

You scoffed as you raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You what? Since when do you skip practice?"

Kate shrugged nonchalantly. "Since my girlfriend decided to twist her ankle and needs me here to take care of her."

You couldn't help but smile at her words. "Kate, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine on my own."

She gave you a pointed look. "And you'll be even better with me here. Plus, me missing one practice won't kill me."

You chuckled, realizing that arguing with Kate was futile when she had made up her mind. "Alright, alright, you win. But only if you promise to make me some of your famous hot chocolate later."

Kate grinned. "Deal."

As you settled in with Kate by your side, you couldn't help but feel a wave of warmth wash over you. With her there, even the pain in your ankle seemed more bearable.

"Thanks, Kate," you said softly, squeezing her hand.

She smiled back at you, her eyes filled with reassurance. "Of course, that's what I'm here for."

She squeezed you in closer as your head fell on her shoulder. "I can't believe I'm not going to play in next week's game."

Kate knew that this was going to be hard for you, a twisted ankle wasn't going to heal as quickly as you wanted. Kate wrapped her arm around you as you leaned into her shoulder. "I know, it sucks," she said empathetically. "But your health comes first, always. And hey, you'll be back on the field before you know it, kicking ass like you always do."

You sighed, leaning into her warmth. "I just hate feeling so helpless, you know? I want to be out there with the team, not stuck in bed."

"They'd want you to recover. You can't help them by playing when you're injured and then getting more hurt ─ it won't do anything." Kate murmured, running her fingers through your hair soothingly. "You'll be back before you know it. And in the meantime, you've got me to keep you company."

You grinned, feeling a little lighter at her words. "You're right, I shouldn't worry too much."

She pressed a kiss to the top of your head as you leaned into her touch. "You shouldn't, I promise you will heal and be back in no time."

You nodded, taking comfort in her reassurance. "Thanks, Kate. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She smiled, her blues eyes soft with affection. "You'll never have to find out, because I'm not going anywhere."

You leaned in closer as Kate reached for the remote on this night stand. "Now enough with this sappy stuff, what do you feel like watching tonight?"

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[imaginespazzi]

BESTIE! It is good to have you back around. Anything new or just crushed w school work?

First of all, happy W Playoffs Semifinals Day 1 ! And lets go Liberty! (though in all honesty I like all the teams left overall). Cant wait to watch and Im just hoping for no sweeps after the 1st rd provided no 3rd game. Which, if youll allow a soapbox moment, all the series should be at least 5 games and automatically have games at both places! Hill I will die on

Argh. Yeah my final Mystics thought/sentiment basically boils down to ~well better than nothing~ Really curious to see the rules/system the leagues organizes re expansion along w the next draft! Ok slightly surprised by Curt getting the axe but was really floored by Spoon. I guess those organizations seem known for some odd, not necessarily beneficial decision making though.

Its so odd to see her in action in Kentucky gear! Superficial, and maybe Im still just adjusting, but I feel like the VT colors suit her appearance more than the royal blue. I do feel like the weirdness and finality of the change is probs kinda hitting Kitley as official practices for next wcbb season begin, so funny that you mentioned. In fact I saw somewhere on here that she was listening to what was formerly her "Georgia" playlist recently. Though w this girl and her emo ways w music, I dont really know how much meaning to quite attribute to that. And at least just going off my personal observation within the general world of college athletics, this is def the time of year where the recognition of change/a fresh start really sets in for players. And Im sure its true in a sense for Liz, as she realizes that its the fall but for the first time she isnt going back to school. Would think that the playoffs and knee rehab are a providing a decent distraction though!

GH Ch 10 🤌. Possessive Stephie was a great laugh and the beginning of Pookie dramatics + contract discussion have me eager for the next read! (Uncle Drew 🥹)

BESTIE HI so I'm like years too late to answering this but hey at least I'm here!

Lmao choosing tonight to answer this is actually really funny cause in hindsight you did get half of your wish! The Liberty made is so fun to root for them in the semis and have now decided they are going to make is so difficult to root for them in the finals. I was a little conflicted to begin with an after this first final...yeah maybe I need to cool off lmao.

Also a great day to answer this cause we do know the rules now and well....was that late run that established absolutely nothing worth only having ~10% of a chance of getting Paige Bueckers, Mike??? T-Spoon getting the Axe was an insane choice and I have no idea what the Sky is thinking with that. Curt was also such a random choice but mayhaps LA will get Stephanie White now (I say because I can't stand the idea of her going to the Fever)

It's definitely strange not seeing her in the VT uniform and the blue is pretty but just doesn't feel like her yet. And while not the biggest thing, I'm sure it's one of those tiny changes that adds to Liz probably feeling a little bittersweet about this whole time.

Ah yes...the next read that I totally have made so much progress on mmhm

[goldfades]

★ RIZZLER P ─── PB⁵ (part one)

౨ৎ ─ summary | y/n is a youtuber and on the cancelled podcast, she reveals she has a crush on paige bueckers. this unfolds a series of events which ultimately ends with y/n at one of uconn's games. part two!!!!!

─ warnings | mention of vaping and white claws, lots of banter, also sm tana and brooke content its insane (cause im obsessed w them, what can i say?) nothing else!!!!!

⇨ missing out on updates? check out my wcbb masterlist!

"SO YOU'VE ALWAYS known that you were a little... fruity?" Tana's voice came out amused as she sipped on her White Claw, looking back at you.

Brooke's attention was on you as well as the girls exchanged looks before laughing. You sipped on your own White Claw as you thought about the question before nodding, a smirk on your face.

You pulled in the microphone before answering the question, "Yeah I guess so, like... when I was in middle school I really liked this girl and then I just kinda knew."

"Was that like, the earliest memory? Or..." Brooke asked as she drank her Alani, her attention centered around you.

"God, I actually believe I'm saying this on the podcast," You paused before letting out a small podcast. "No, my first crush was on Bella from Twilight."

"You're kidding!" Brooke giggled as all three of you laughed.

"I mean, I guess you knew she was gay when you first saw her. Your gay-dar is that great, huh?" Tana joked as she took another sip of her White Claw.

"Hey, my gay-dar is top-notch," you retorted with a grin, leaning back in the couch. "But seriously, it's funny how those little moments stick with you, right? Like, even before you fully understand what it all means."

Tana nodded, her expression turning more thoughtful. "Totally. I remember being drawn to certain things, certain people, and not fully getting why until later."

"It's like our subconscious knows before we do," Brooke added, taking another sip of her drink.

"Exactly!" you chimed in, feeling a sense of camaraderie in the conversation. "And then looking back, it all starts to make sense."

"So is your type still the cool, effortless girls or..." Tana raised her brow with a smirk as you laughed, feeling a blush on your face. She had to bring this up, especially because you'd began sending her 50 edits a day.

Brooke's eyes widen in surprise as she glanced back at you and Tana, an amused look in her eyes. She hummed as she sipped on her drinking, Tana took a hit of her vape as you sighed.

"Can't believe you brought that up," you mumbled into the mic as Tana bursted out laughing.

"Of course, I brought it up!" Tana exclaimed between laughs, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Bro, don't be shy it's the podcast. It stays between us, promise."

"Shut up, Tana," you mumbled as Brooke snickered. "Okay well my type has always been basketball girls. Like always, my first girlfriend played basketball but she didn't go D1. My second girlfriend did go D1 but she didn't make it into the WNBA,"

"Not you dissing your ex's," Tana laughed as you rolled your eyes, but couldn't help but chuckle along with them.

"Hey, I'm just stating facts here," you replied with a shrug. "But yeah, there's just something about basketball girls. Maybe it's the confidence, the athleticism, or the height, I don't know. It's just always been a thing for me."

Brooke nodded in understanding, her expression thoughtful. "I get that. There's a certain vibe they have, you know? Plus, there's nothing like watching them dominate on the court."

Tana grinned, taking another hit of her vape. "Well, looks like the fans have uncovered your type. Now we just need to find you the perfect basketball-playing, D1 and WNBA-bound girl. Oh wait,"

"She already did," Brooke grinned as she glanced toward you. You sent her a glare before she put her hands up in defense, "What! We need interesting topics."

"Bro, it's Paige Bueckers or whatever her name is," Tana spat out as you sent her a glare before throwing your head back in embarrassment. The girls laughed loudly as you resisted a smile before shaking your head.

"Yeah, yeah, so funny" you muttered, feeling your cheeks flush with embarrassment as Tana and Brooke continued to tease you mercilessly.

Tana shrugged, unfazed by your reaction. "Hey, you said it yourself, she's the perfect basketball-playing, D1, WNBA-bound girl, right?"

You couldn't argue with that logic, but you still couldn't help but feel a bit flustered by the teasing. "Yeah, but she's also, like, a superstar athlete. And like... she lives in Connecticut,"

Brooke chuckled, reaching over to pat your arm reassuringly. "Don't sell yourself short. You never know what could happen and pretty privilege is real, I'm sure Paige would fly out for you."

"I mean she followed you back on Instagram," Tana added as Brooke stifled a laugh, her eyes twinkling mischievously. You felt your embarrassment deepen at the reminder.

"Okay, okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves here," you interjected, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks at the mention of Paige's Instagram follow. "Just because she followed me back doesn't mean anything."

"Sure, sure, keep telling yourself that," Tana teased, a smirk playing on her lips.

You sighed, shaking your head in mock exasperation. "You two are relentless, you know that?"

"But that's what friends are for, right?" Brooke replied with a grin. "Paige if you're listening, Y/N's in desperate need of a girlfriend so-"

"Shut up, Brooke!" You groaned as Tana laughed loudly, her amusement evident in the way she doubled over.

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it," Brooke shot back, still grinning ear to ear. "You never know, Paige might be listening and thinking, 'Hmm, maybe I should slide into her DMs.'"

You rolled your eyes, feeling the heat rising in your cheeks. "Yeah, right. More like she's listening and thinking, 'Who are these weirdos talking about me on their podcast?'"

Tana finally composed herself enough to speak. "We're not weird, we're just... enthusiastic. Oh and hot,"

"Yeah, because that's definitely going to win Paige over," you quipped, a playful grin tugging at your lips despite your embarrassment.

"Oh abso-fucking-lutely, hello. Have you looked at yourself recently?" Tana gestured toward you with a smirk, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "I mean, who wouldn't want a piece of that?"

You couldn't help but laugh at her boldness, shaking your head in amusement. "Alright, alright, enough with the flattery. Let's get back on track before this podcast turns into a matchmaking show."

Brooke chimed in, her grin widening. "But wouldn't that be fun? We could be like the queer version of 'The Bachelor.'"

You laughed at the thought, but quickly shook your head as the whole room erupted in laughter. Brooke looked confused as she mumbled "what?", the whole room laughing.

"Nothing, you're just cute," you took a sip of the White Claw as you tried to stifle your laughter, feeling a warmth spreading through your cheeks.

──

"Damn, she is hot," Paige mumbled to herself as she scrolled through your instagram, zooming in on your pictures as she took you in. Ever since the episode was uploaded, TikTok made it a point to let Paige know that the Y/N L/N had a crush on her.

Now, she's heard of you before. You were close with those Triplets from Boston (she couldn't think of the name right now, something with an S) and best friends with Brooke because of your older sister. They'd both went to the U of A and were in the same sorority, and they became inseparable. You made your own YouTube videos and had a massive following which made Paige a teensy bit nervous.

That was before she looked at your Instagram, because holy cow were you gorgeous.

And apparently, KK and Ice were huge fans of you too, so they were fangirling. They'd sent her the podcast link as soon as it dropped and were freaking out, trying to play matchmaker between you and Paige (they needed tickets to the Cancelled live shows, and this was the easiest and cheapest way). They'd also managed to send her tons of edits of you, as well ─ she underestimated the power of edits until right now.

At first, Paige had brushed it off, thinking it was just another internet crush blown out of proportion. But now, as she found herself scrolling through your Instagram, she couldn't deny the flutter of excitement in her chest.

She paused on a picture of you smiling, your eyes crinkling at the corners, and couldn't help but feel drawn to you. There was something about your energy, your charisma, that seemed to leap off the screen and capture her attention.

Paige shut her phone as she bit her lip, thinking about her next course of action.

──

we ❤️ white claws

y/n | guys paige liked my story y/n | like the thirst trappy one

brooke | UR KIDDINGGGGG WHAT THE FUCK

tana | whatd we tell you 🥰 talking abt them on a podcast is the ultimate rizz

y/n | no im freaking outttt what the fuck y/n | what do i do

y/n | guys pls tell me im freaking out

tana | idk, text her?

brooke | yeah! y/n ur a cutie pie n she already made the first move, it's pretty a safe bet to say she likes u

tana | or at least thinks ur super sexy

y/n | im scared

tana | of what??? 😭😭😭 get yourself a white claw, and hit some blue razz and TEXT HERRRRR 😫

brooke | what she said !!!!!!

──

Paige skimmed through the comments as she laid back on her couch as Ice and KK talked about whatever topic they were on. Paige had been distracted this entire live and everyone could piece together why ─ anyone would be distracted if someone as popular as Y/N had a crush on them.

Lost in her thoughts, Paige barely noticed when Ice nudged her and asked if she was okay. She quickly snapped out of her daze, offering a distracted smile and nod before turning her attention back to her phone.

"P, the fans wanna know how you feel about the recent Cancelled episode." KK wiggled her eyebrows through the screen as Ice laughed.

"Bro, I know you were gonna bring that up," Paige said with a chuckle, shaking her head in amusement. They really wanted to go to one of the Cancelled live shows, huh?

"She's fine as hell, I think that's like... what I feel right now." Paige shrugged nonchalantly as she smirked, feigning indifference but unable to hide the hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Ice and KK erupted into laughter, clearly amused by Paige's candid response. "Whoa, straight to the point, I see," Ice joked, flashing a playful grin.

Paige couldn't help but laugh along with them, feeling a sense of lightness wash over her despite the nerves fluttering in her stomach. "Hey, I'm just being honest," she replied, trying to play it cool.

Ice leaned closer to the camera, his expression playful. "So, does this mean you're gonna slide into the DMs?"

Paige shrugged, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Who knows? Maybe I already have."

"Rizzler P is back, whew," KK exclaimed, her excitement palpable even through the screen. "We're definitely getting those tickets to the show now, Ice."

Paige grinned at KK's enthusiasm, feeling a rush of excitement despite the nerves dancing in her stomach. "Hey, don't get too ahead of yourselves,"

"Already protective of your girl, P?" Ice teased as she raised her eyebrows, earning a laugh from KK.

"Bro, shut up," Paige mumbled as she shook her head, wetting her lips as she glanced up at the screen.

──

↳ eliana 🐬 here ya guys go... paige's got our girl cheesin :)

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[a-walk-in-silence]

Did It Feel The Same?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Gender neutral!reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Summary: Steve Rogers was your everything, but he wasn’t yours. And now he’s gone. So now you’re left alone to deal with old memories and suffer alone by yourself.

Warnings: Mentions of suicide, lots of tears, one (1) curse word

A/N: So I’m finally rewriting the fic that got deleted! Honestly idk if it’ll be anything compared to what it was but hey, we’ll see what happens! Honestly I’m happy with where it’s come and it’s much longer and sadder so hahahaha, sorry everyone. Also sorry for two updates in 2 days, I just needed to write this ‘cause I’m going on hiatus for the next two days cuz of the holidays (which means no WCBB Pt. 3 until at least Thursday! Sorry folks!)

Key:

Y/N - Your Name

L/N - Last Name

Italics - Memories

“Steve?” said the shaky voice of Peggy Carter as she leaned closer to the mic. Static filled the air as her eyes closed, a small whimper escaping her throat. “Steve?”

Your mind muddled together as you slowly fell against the closest wall, sliding down to your knees. You couldn’t believe it. He was gone.

Captain America was gone.

You curled your knees up to your chest, holding your head in your hands. You heard the door close, and you assumed it was Colonel Phillips leaving the room. But you didn’t dare look up. Everything was shaking, your body, your hands, your head, everything.

How could he possibly be gone? You had seen him through this. The two of you had become very close friends through it all, even after a small fight. So how, how could he just go?

“The name’s Y/N,” you said, a smile tugging at your lips as you looked at the boy who stood in front of you. Your eyes trailed over his entire body, taking in the boy who stood no taller than 5′7″ and weighed no more than 100 pounds. “You must be Steve Rogers. Where’d Agent Carter go?”

He was clearly flustered, though you couldn’t place why. His blue eyes glanced everywhere but where you were. You couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he was acting. “I, um... she said she was grabbing the doctor, I think? Told me to uh... um... find someone... Agent L/N?”

“Well, kudos to you, Mr. Rogers. You found me.” You patted him no the shoulder before giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Come on, I’ll get you prepped for the serum injection. And, don’t worry, Mr. Rogers. You’re in safe hands.”

He practically choked as you calmly lead him through the compound hallways. You couldn’t help but find his awkwardness adorable. There was just something about him that made you want to be closer Steve.

You couldn’t help the sob that escaped your throat as you continued to hold tightly on your head. A pair of arms wrapped around you tightly, but you didn’t look up to see who it was. You couldn’t even think at the moment. All you knew was that this person was also crying, just not as loud as you.

They calmly rubbed your arm, trying to find comfort in the fact that you were both hurting beyond belief. It was hard to think of anything comforting in the lost of your best friend and love of your life.

You wanted to scream at the person, yell at them until your throat was raw. You hated being comforted when there was nothing that would change the pain that you felt. But you didn’t, you simply let them hold you as you sobbed uncontrollably.

“Hey, Y/N? You in here?” came the voice of Steve, walking through the munitions room. Curled up in the far corner, you let out a small whimper, trying to wipe away the tears that covered your face. You didn’t want to see him, especially like this.

Footsteps walked over to your current location until a hand touched your shoulder. You quickly shoved his hand away, standing up to your full height and glaring down at him. “Go away! I don’t want to see you! Just go away!”

He looked flabbergasted to see your anger written so clearly across your face. He couldn’t understand what was possibly possessing you to scream like you were. “Y/N, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“Just go away!” you screamed. You shoved against his chest, but he barely bulged an inch. As a last resort, you threw a slap across his face, finding your mark against his cheek.

His entire head moved with your slap. You quickly pulled your hand away and turned away from him, tears streaming down your face. You couldn’t bring yourself to tell him that you were sorry, nor why you slapped him. How could you possibly tell him that it was jealousy that fueled your tantrum? How could you tell him that you had seen him with Private Lorraine earlier, and that you had seen the way he looked at Peggy? How could you tell him that he was slowly killing you?

You listened as Steve started to walk away. However, the moment he believed he was out of earshot, you heard him mutter, “What the hell is their problem?”

Anger boiled through your veins as you grabbed a tray full of several small tools with varying degrees of sharpness and danger. You threw the whole thing in his direction. Although nothing actually hit him, you saw as he visibly flinched and turned to look at you with wide eyes.

“I hate you!”

After a few minutes, your sobs finally subsided and you managed to look up, meeting the sad eyes of Peggy Carter. She offered you a weak smile, although you both knew that neither one of you was capable of an actual smile at this moment. Everything hurt, and you were sure she was feeling similarly.

“Peggy,” you mumbled, trying not to burst into tears on the spot. “Peggy, how could he do this to us? Why did he have to play the hero like this? Why did he have to put in the water? Why? Why is he such an idiot?”

“I know... I know Y/N...” She brushed a shaking hand over your cheek, wiping away tears. “He is... was...” Her voice choked up, but she continued on. “He was too good for his own benefit. I... I’m going to miss him, too.”

You nodded your head along with what she said. The two of you continued on with your conversation, talking about some of your favorite memories with Steve, stopping every once in awhile to cry together.

“Steve?” you asked quietly, walking up to the soldier as he sat alone in the records room. “Steve... I’m... sorry,” you mumbled, kicking at the air in front of you. “I’m sorry I slapped you. And I’m sorry I threw the tray. And about saying I hate you. I don’t... I just...”

He quickly got to his feet. Once, what felt like a long time ago, he stood around your height. Now, he towered over you at an astounding 6′2″. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t... I should have listened when you said you wanted to be alone. I shouldn’t have pushed you when you clearly wanted to be alone.” He stood awkwardly in front of you, unsure of what to do. “You don’t have to tell me what happened until you’re ready, ya know?”

You smiled sadly up at him, nodding your head. “Yeah, I know. And... I want to tell you, Stevie, but I can’t. Not now. Maybe... maybe after this war stuff is over. We can talk about it over a pint or something... even though you can’t get drunk.”

The two of you laughed over that, neither one of you making eye contact still. Once your laughter ended, silenced dictated the space between the both of you. Neither wanted to be the first to speak, but, luckily, Steve decided he would talk. “Can we hug it out and promise to never fight like that again? Friends can’t be doing that to each other, after all. Plus I’m being shipped off tomorrow. Don’t want to leave this unresolved.”

A laugh escaped your mouth before you could stop it. You nodded to his request, falling into his open arms. “I promise, we’ll never fight again.”

Both yourself and Peggy eventually left the floor of the control room and joined the rest of the members of the SSR as they cleaned up the mess that remained of the last standing Hydra base.

You made a promise to Peggy that, if you two ever lived in the same city, you would make a promise to live together so that the two of you were never alone for along. You gave her your New York home address, and she gave you a phone number so that you could always reach her.

Colonel Phillips, who stood on the other side of the room, waved you over. You smiled sadly at Peggy and started to walk towards the Colonel before you heard a voice behind you that caused you stop in your tracks.

“Who were they to the Captain?” asked the voice of one the men who was working on cleanup. You wanted nothing more than to turn around and snap at them, but a voice started to talk.

“They were his best friend, especially after the lost of Sargent Barnes. Steve trusted and loved no one more.” Peggy sounded so thoughtful and sad with the sentence she had just uttered. “They were everything to the Steve. He thought the world of them.”

Colonel drove the car, his foot pressed onto the gas pedal. You held onto the back of his seat for dear life, praying that he wouldn’t crash you into the plane or drive you off the cliff. Steve sat up front, and Peggy to your right.

“Keep it steady!” Steve shouted, getting to his feet. He was about to jump when Peggy suddenly stood up.

“Wait!” she cried. He turned around, confused, until she pulled him down into a kiss. Your heart broke in your chest, unable to comprehend what was happening in front of you. “Go get him.”

Steve’s shocked eyes moved over you and the Colonel. You wanted so badly to tell him everything and beg him to stay, but your voice failed you. Instead, the Colonel spoke up.

“Ain’t neither one of us gonna kiss you.”

His eyes meet yours, and you could swear that you saw sadness in his eyes. But you couldn’t be certain, because he quickly turned around and jumped onto the landing gear of the plane. Colonel Phillips quickly slammed on the breaks, trying to steer the car so that it didn’t go over the cliff. But all you could focus on was the plane as it flew further and further away, carrying away the man you loved.

You couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach that that was the last time that you’d see him. Biting your bottom lip, you watched the plane grow smaller and smaller and your stomach practically did flips in your stomach.

Steve blinked groggily, sitting up in bed. He glanced around the beige room that he happened to be. In the background, a radio droned on, talking about some baseball game. Listening closer, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. It sounded like the Dodgers game of ‘41. How?

The door opened in walked a person who looked strikingly similar to you. “Y/N?” he asked, his voice choking up for a moment.

They looked at him like he was a complete stranger, their eyes filled with confusion. “Who?”

He shook his head, trying to shake off the confusion of the situation. “Where am I?”

A smile pulled at the corner of their mouth as the walked over to the bed, setting a glass on the bedside table. “You’re in a recovery room in New York City,” they replied calmly, taking a few steps back.

“Where am I really?” Standing up, he brushed off his pants, as if they could possibly have anything on them. “And don’t say New York. That’s the Dodger’s game from May of ‘41. I know ‘cause I was there.” He took a step towards the person, causing them to lean against the wall. “Where am I?”

“Captain Rogers,” they said, voice edged in a warning tone.

“Who are you?” he practically shouted. Suddenly, two men in all black suits came bursting into the room. He looked completely shocked at their intrusion before he went running at the closest wall, breaking free of the room.

He didn’t know where he was running, but he just ran until he somehow ended up on the streets of New York City. Only, it was far from the New York he remembered.

The city was filled with bright screens flashing with advertisements and neon lights that would have blinded him if it hadn’t of been for the bright sun overhead already doing so.

“At ease soldier!” came the voice of a man as several black fancy looking cars circled around him. Men with guns came out, holding guns in his direction. Meanwhile, the speaker was a dark-skinned man with an eye patch over his left eye. He calmly walked over, holding his hands up defensively. “Look, I’m sorry about the show back there, but we thought it would be easier to break it to you slowly.”

Steve stared at the man like he was insane. “Break what?” His heart pounded in his chest as he looked around at these streets he once knew. What the hell happened?

“You’ve been asleep, Cap. For almost 70 years.” Shock wrote itself over Steve’s face as he looked at the man before going back to examining the city. “You gonna be okay?”

He forced a nod, his mind flying to Peggy. Was she alive? And what about Y/N? Did they manage to live? “Yeah. Yeah, I just... I had a date.”

The man patted him on the shoulder, nodding his head solemnly. “Come on inside with me, I’ll tell you everything you missed. I’m Director Nick Fury, by the way.” He lead the man back inside the building and into a room that sat a glass tabletop in the center with several chairs surrounding it.

He motioned for Steve to take a seat before taking the one right next to it. Steve reluctantly sat, giving a confused look to Director Fury. “Where am I? And what happened to my friends? Like... Agent Carter and Agent L/N.”

“This is S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Fury responded, turning his attention to the tabletop. “As for Agent’s Carter and L/N... well... let me show you. Files on Agent Carter, Peggy.”

“Captain Steven Rogers does not have permission to view files.” An electronic voice filled the room, causing Steve to look around in complete shock.

“Director override. Fury, Nicholas J.”

“Confirmed. File access: granted. Welcome Director Fury.” Suddenly, the table top showed pictures of Peggy and Steve’s heart stopped in his chest, staring at the woman whom he had a date with. His eyes softened considerably as several more pictures of her appeared, watching as she progressively aged the further along he went in the pictures.

Suddenly, a file with words written on it popped up, and Fury took over reading. “Agent Carter, Peggy. One of the main founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. alongside Howard Stark. After you disappeared, she worked in New York under the S.S.R. and solved missions until she was moved to Los Angeles to work under Daniel Sousa, who she would eventually go on to marry. She had three kids and is currently in a retirement home in D.C. where she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.”

Steve took a sharp inhale of breath. Peggy was still alive, and he couldn’t be more happy. However, his happiness was quickly dulled when his mind drifted to you. “What about Agent Y/N L/N?”

Fury looked reluctant to do anything before he swiped away all the information on Peggy and sighed to himself. “Files on Agent L/N, Y/N.” Before the computer could speak about Steve not having access, he started speaking. “Director override. Fury, Nicholas J.”

“Confirmed,” said the female computer voice. “File access: granted. Welcome, Director Fury.”

Steve turned his attention to the table and looked at the black-and-white picture of you that sat on the table. You were smiling, but something was off with the picture, almost as if it had been forced. It was one of only two pics in the folder, the other being one of you and Peggy. You were situated in a chair while Peggy stood over you shoulder, a hand placed on your shoulder. Both of you looked serious.

A panic took over Steve’s entire being. Why were those the only pics of you? You did live, didn’t you?

“Are they-” Steve started, but a document suddenly popped up.

“Agent L/N, Y/N,” Fury read, his eyes filled with pain. “Returned to their New York apartment after the war was won. Lived with Peggy Carter until Peggy left for Los Angeles. When Agent Carter returned... she found a letter from that they had left for her. She found them in the bedroom and...” he trailed off, unwilling to continue on.

Steve’s heart broke into a million pieces. You had killed yourself? He didn’t realize it at first, but tears were starting to stream down his face. It wasn’t until the tears started to cloud his vision that he quickly wiped them away. “Can I be left alone?” he asked, trying to keep his steady. He wanted to be strong, but he was faltering to remain calm.

“Yeah, I’ll be on the other side of the door, Cap. We’ll take you to where you’ll be staying in New York once you’re ready to go.” He stood up to leave but paused, turning his attention back to Steve. “Take all the time you need. It’s a lot to take in.”

With that, he left Steve alone in the conference room. The moment the door closed, he lost his composure and broke down in tears. He held his head in his hands, unable to process your death. How could they just do this? How could they ever feel so unloved and alone that they felt like this was their only option? How could they be gone?

Y/N L/N was gone.

The realization punched him harder than he would like to admit. An ugly sob pulled itself from his throat as he clutched at his head tighter, unable to cope with his feelings.

“The name’s Y/N,” they said, smiling brightly at Steve. He was in complete shock at the person who stood before him, unable to comprehend how someone so amazing could just... exist. Yeah, Peggy was beautiful, but you? Everything about you was... perfect. As if you had been handcrafted by God himself. “You must be Steve Rogers.” Their voice pulled him from his state of shock, glancing up to meet their Y/E/C eyes before glancing back at his feet. “Where’d Agent Carter go?”

“I, um... she said she was grabbing the doctor, I think?” He tried desperately to get his thoughts to form compete sentences, but their laugh made it that much harder. “Told me to, uh... um... find someone... Agent L/N?” He prayed he had gotten the last name right.

Luckily, they smiled at him, nodding their head. “Well kudos to your, Mister Rogers. You found me.” They put a hand on his shoulder before giving it a tight squeeze. “Come on, I’ll get you prepped for the serum injection. And, don’t worry, Mr. Rogers.” Their eyes flashed him a wicked smile, a smirk sitting on their perfect lips. “You’re in safe hands.”

He couldn’t help the choke that escaped his lips at their remark. Once again, they laughed, making his brain go fuzzy. All that he could think about was how he wanted to be closer to this person, whoever they were. He wanted to know everything about them, learn all their secrets and what made them tick. He wanted them.

He wanted you so badly in this moment. He wanted to know so much. He wanted to know why you did it. He wanted to know why you chose to leave the world when you were so young and able. He couldn’t bare to think of a world where you weren’t around anymore.

Through his panic, one thought crept in his mind. You must of felt similarly when he had crashed the Valkyrie into the ice caps. You must of cried for him, like he cried for you now.

Did it feel the same?

Tags:

@thedaydreamingwriter @starksparker

[a-walk-in-silence]

We Can Be Beautiful (Pt. 5)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 6.3k

Summary: Heathers AU. You were used to the quiet life in Sherwood, Ohio. Albeit, you were bullied, but it was nothing compared to the shit storm that was about to happen when one boy showed up with an air of mystery around him.

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of date rape (n o t h i n g happens, I promise), underage drinking, implications of sexual activities (again, n o t h i n g happened), name calling, bullying, homophobia, manipulation, character death, gun-related violence, self flagellation

Prompt: “You’re the one I choose”

A/N: And here is Part 5 of WCBB! Woohoo! Halfway point! Yes! This is for @gab-spidey‘s 2k writing challenge! Honestly, I just wanna thank everyone for coming along for this ride and, again, thank you all so much! Here’s to the next few parts getting finished eventually! Once again, I’m reblogging suicide hotlines after this goes up. If you guys ever need to talk about something, my inbox and messages are open to the public and I will gladly talk to anyone who needs a shoulder to lean on. Thanks for reading! Also, just as a PS, the warnings are getting longer and longer and, hopefully, they’ll chill out for a bit in the next part (one can hope).

Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

Key:

Y/N - Your Name

L/N - Last Name

Y/N/N - Your Nickname

Italics - Writing in Your Diary

Bold Italics - Speech of Deceased

Song Inspiration(s):

Blue - Heathers Cast Recording

Blue (Reprise) - Heathers Cast Show Clip (turn up the volume on this one, it’s a clip recording and not the best audio wise but the song is important)

Our Love Is God - Heathers Cast Recording

You fingers silently drummed across your knee as you sat between people sobbing uncontrollably into their handkerchiefs. Try as you might, you couldn’t bring yourself to look up at the open casket sitting at the front of the room, which, inside, contained the dead body of Natasha Romanoff. You couldn’t quite kick away the nagging voice in the back of your head, telling you that this was all your fault. And yeah, okay, it was.

You did kill her, after all.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the service came to an end. You quickly jumped to your feet and left the building, being one of the first to leave. However, unbeknownst to you, Peter had followed right behind you and grabbed your arm before you could get far.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said, pulling your body towards him. You glanced up at him, trying to not lose your shit while standing in the middle of the small grass area in front of the church. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen in since school let out on Friday.” He brushed a piece of your hair that had fallen out of place behind your ear. “Everything good?”

“Yeah, of course,” you replied, offering him the best smile you could muster at the moment. “It’s just been weird, ya know? My parents have been hovering over me for the past week over the whole suicide thing.” You got onto your tiptoes and pressed a firm kiss into his lips. “I promise I haven’t been avoiding you. Just dealing with issues with Nat’s death, ya know?”

He opened his mouth to talk when a voice interrupted you. “Y/N!” your mother called, coming to your side. “Darling, how are you doing?”

“Hey, ‘Mora, come on. The girl just lost her best friend. I’m sure she’s doing great,” said your father, a sarcastic tone taking over, before smiling. “Say, who’s the fella?”

You shifted awkwardly on your feet before offering them a smile. “Mom, Dad, this is Peter Parker. He’s-”

“We’re kind of dating at the moment,” Peter said over you, quickly cutting you off before you could register what he even said. “It’s a little early on but it’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. L/N.” He held out a hand to the two of them, maintaining the worlds most purest smile.

Your mother raised an eyebrow at the both of you before cautiously taking his hand in a handshake. “Well, I’m Y/N’s mother.”

Your dad, meanwhile, gave the worlds most toothiest grin before grabbing Peter’s hand. “You’re a Peter? I’m a Peter! That’s really interesting that my daughter would go after a Peter, don’t ya think so, ‘Mora?”

“Peter Jason,” your mother said, clearly exasperated. “We’ll just head out, leave you two to... talk. I hope you can join us for dinner one night, Mr. Parker.”

With that, your parents left, allowing you a moment to catch your breath. With that, Peter turned towards you and offered his arm. “Come on, let’s ditch this place and go to my house. We can watch some TV, maybe unwind a little. Afterwards, I can take you home. I’m sure you need a moment to think.”

You gave him a thoughtful smile before grabbing his arm, wrapping it around your shoulders firmly. “Sounds good to me, anything to get me away from my parents for a little while.”

He chuckled softly. “Ya, they sound a little overbearing. And you dad is... very eccentric.”

“Mmm... That’s Peter Jason L/N for you,” you replied. “He’s always been a big joker and doing things just to confuse everyone around him. Recently, he picked up reading spy novels even though he hates him. He finds it funny. As for my mom, she had a rough childhood, so I suppose it’s understandable why she’s overbearing. Terrible stepdad and all that.”

Peter gave you a confused look, his eyebrow raised in question. “What happened with your mom’s side of the family?”

You sighed, leaning into his side as the two of you walked over to where Peter’s motorcycle was parked. “Her dad passed away while she was really young. Murder, never solved. Then her stepdad showed up, married her mom. And then she died a month later. My mom was left in his care with a crap ton of step-siblings, like my Aunt Neb. They all fought for his attention. She never really explained much outside of the sibling rivalry.” You shrugged nonchalantly. “Nobody’s life is ever perfect, and my mom’s is definitely not an exception.”

Peter plopped down onto his couch and you joined him, curled up into his side. He smiled down at you sweetly, wrapping an arm around you securely. “What should we do, darling?”

“Mmmm.... There’s always television. Maybe we can count how many news channels Sharon Carter went to, crying about Nat.” The two of you laughed for a moment, peaceful in your domesticated bliss.

Finally, Peter grabbed the TV remote and turned on the small box that sat in front of the couch. The two of you flipped idly through several channels, tallying how many were talking about Nat compared to how many had a sobbing Sharon.

Apparently, Sharon Carter had made it to no less than 10 news stations, one of which was a Spanish broadcasting station, where the only discernible words being Nat’s name and Corn Nuts.

“Alright, alright. Turn it off,” you laughed, pulling the remote from his hands. He pouted at you, acting wounded that you would ruin his fun, but didn’t fight you when you turned off the TV. “God, she has no shame,” you said, shaking your head in utter disbelief. 

“Hey dad, just got back from Nat’s funeral and I brought home my girl,” said the voice of Tony Stark, walking over to the two of you as you lounged on the couch. You quickly sat up, trying to hide the fact that you were clearly flustered to see him once again.

“Didn’t hear you come in, son,” Peter stated, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you back into his side despite your obvious discomfort.

His dad only chuckled to himself. “Yeah, sorry about that, pa. How was work today?” He took only a beat of pause before going into a rant about his work. “I was working on a new invention today when some of those damn protesters showed up, complaining about how my weapons and such are not ‘environmentally friendly’. Those damn hippies act so damn entitled sometimes, it’s infuriating. This isn’t the damn 60′s anymore!”

“You mean those old broads that camped outside of the house last week?” Peter questioned, clearly not happy with the “old broads”.

“The same.” Tony snorted before sitting down on the arm of the couch, throwing a look in your direction. “Say dad, can my girl stay over for dinner tonight? I’m sure she’d have fun.” Both of them turned their attention towards you, waiting for your answer.

“O-Oh,” you said, trying to fill the silence. “My mom’s already got dinner plans. She’s, uh... making my favorite meal. Ya know, spaghetti. Lots of oregano. Tastes great.”

You wanted to slap yourself. Why did you make up such a stupid lie? Sure, okay, Peter and his dad had a weird bond with one another. And boy would it make life awkward. But you definitely didn’t have to lie like this.

Peter gave you a semi-forced smile, pulling you into his arms. “Really? That’s your favorite dinner? Remind me to make it for you one night. Sounds like something mom would have enjoyed, but last time I saw her, she was waving out a window in the lab from Texas. Isn’t that right, Dad?”

Tony gave Peter the worst look possible, mixed between a glare and a smile, and the look nearly made your heart stop. Several seconds of tense silence passed before Tony responded. “Right.”

“I-I should go.” Your interruption turned both of their gazes towards you. “My parents are probably worried sick and all so... ya know. I should head home.”

“No, of course. I’ll drive you home.” Peter hopped up off the couch and held a hand out to you. “I’ll be home whenever, dad.”

Tony only grunted in response. As Peter dragged you away, you couldn’t help the thought from creeping into your head. If you ever married this boy, you would most certainly not let his father talk at your wedding.

“Y/N! Phone for you!” your mother called from downstairs. You groaned, sitting up, not realizing that you had passed out shortly after Peter brought you home. You grumbled incoherently as you made your way downstairs to answer the phone.

“Hello?” you asked, rubbing sleep out of your eyes.

“Y/N? Is that you?” Jane asked, clearly upset.

Hearing how upset your friend, well, ex-friend, was, caused you to wake up. “Jane? What’s wrong? What happened?” You didn’t even realize you were rambling until she started talking again.

“Y/N, please shut up and just come down to the cemetery, please. It’s an emergency, and you’re the only one who can help us. Please...”

You pursed your lips together, throwing a glance at the clock that sat on the wall. 9:45 pm. Surely your parents would understand since it was an emergency. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there soon, just sit tight, alright?”

A reassured sigh came from Jane’s side of the phone. “Thank you, Y/N. You’re a lifesaver. We’re by Heathers grave and we’re in Thor’s car. Please hurry.” With that, her end of the line went dead.

You placed the phone back on the receiver before turning to your mother, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, a displeased look settled on her face. “You’re heading out? Again?”

“Mom, it’s an emergency. Something might have happened. I’ll be back before you know I’m gone, I promise.” Her lips pursed, clearly not impressed with your attempts to reassure her. “Mom, she could be in trouble. I swear, I wouldn’t go if it wasn’t an emergency.”

Finally, she sighed, motioning for you to wake past her. “Fine, go.” You gave her a smile and started to leave, but she stopped you with a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, Y/N/N,” she said, her voice softening. “You know I worry about you, right?”

“I know, mom, and I’m grateful. Truly, I am.” You pecked her on the cheek to prove it. “I’ll be back home before you and dad even know I’m gone. I promise.”

She smiled, a soft, barely noticeable smile, but it was still there nonetheless. “You’re a great kid. Go on, hurry back home, do I make myself clear?”

You nodded and gave her a final kiss on the cheek before leaving the house, running towards the cemetery that was, thankful, just two blocks down the street.

“Y/N!” Jane said, waving to you, her hand sticking out of the driver-side window of Thor’s cherry red sports car sitting in the grass of the cemetery. You approached the scene in front of you, slowly drinking it all in.

On the ground was Thor, face-down in the ground, looking as dead as a rock. There were a few rustles in a bush just about 30 yards away, but you quickly blocked it out, choosing to ask the obvious question. “Is... is Thor-”

“Yeah! He’s fine!” Jane quickly said, rolling down the window a bit so that she could look at you. “He’s passed out. So like, I came here with Thor and Bruce and Shar to pour a bottle of Thunderbird over Nat’s grave, kinda like a goodbye from her friends, ya know?” Her eyes glanced to Thor, passed out just a few feet in front of the bumper of the car. “Well, Thor and Bruce drank it all and... they’ve been really grabby. Shar went to try and get Bruce to calm down but-”

“Wait, wait, wait. Why did you call me then? After everything that happened at Bruce’s party, I figured-”

Awkwardly, Jane leaned back from the window, her fingers fiddling together. “W-Well... Thor promised to leave me alone if, ya know... I called you here. So I panicked and I called! I’m sorry!”

Your mouth dropped open in pure shock from her answer. “Wha- Jane! You... avoided date rape... by offering me up for date rape?”

She grimaced to herself, her fingers still fiddling together. “Well, when you put it that way it just sounds ugly,” she mumbled, clearly trying to make it to where she didn’t feel guilty about the situation.

“I’m leaving,” you muttered to yourself, turning to leave. However, Thor, who had previously been on the ground, was now on the hood of the car, smiling sweetly at you. “Heyyyyyyy Y/N,” he said, his words slurring together. “I waited for youuu cutie. 10 whole beers.” To further his point, he held up both of his hands, wiggling all 10 of his fingers towards you.

“Enough! I said I was fucking done, Bruce!” came a shout from the same bushes that you had heard rustling from earlier. Turning, you watched as Sharon emerged, brushing off her skirt as she stormed away, followed by a stumbling Bruce.

“But baby-” Bruce whined before spotting you. Quickly, a huge smile spread over his features. “Hey, lookie, it’s Y/N! Maybe she can help me find release.”

You physically grimaced, taking a step away from the two drunk jocks. “You both have left hands, can’t you use those instead?” you said, trying to bargain with the two of them.

“But I want youuuu,” Bruce slurred, leaning heavily on the hood of the car while Thor, meanwhile, gathered his wits and started to swagger over to you. “Come on, don’t hurt their feelings.”

“Their?” you questioned, taking another step away from the two as they tried to close in again.

“My balls!” Thor piped up, motioning to his pants where, unfortunately, a small tent was starting to appear. “They need relief from a pretty girl! Even a nerdy girl like you!”

“Yeah!” Bruce added, coming to stand a few feet from Thor, trying to corner you between the two of them. “They’re so blue for you, Y/N. My hands are rubbing like a cheese grater, it’s sooo uncomfortable. Please?”

Once again, you found a sour look sprawled over your face. “Shar, Jane, please let me into the car,” you shouted, even if you were being cornered in the opposite direction of the car. Maybe you could make a run for it. They were pretty drunk...

“Sorry!” Sharon shouted from the car. ���The car’s staying locked while they can still get in!”

You looked around desperately for an escape before your eyes caught onto a glass bottle, half full of liquid and sitting haphazardly in the dirt, but the contents were very clearly booze. You managed to get past the two of them and retrieve the bottle, holding it up like an offering. “Look here, Thor and Bruce! Booze!”

The two of their faces broke out into huge, sloppy, shit-eating grins as they eyed up the bottle. “Thank you so much, Y/N!” Bruce shouted, practically running you over to grab the bottle.

“You’re so welcome!” you shouted, stepping away from the two as they fought over the liquid remaining in the amber bottle. Finding the situation perfect, you finally slipped away, up the hill that lead back to the main road.

As if a saving grace, a familiar figure was leaning against a black motorcycle. You sighed happily before letting his arms envelope you. “You look like hell,” Peter murmured, brushing a hand through your hair.

“How’d you know I was here?” you asked, snuggling your head into his black-clad chest. “I didn’t tell you-”

“Your mom told me. I called, asking for you, and she told me you went to the cemetery to save Jane from an emergency,” Peter replied, twirling a piece of his hair around his finger. “Figured it sounded fishy so I came to investigate to see you escaping from the cemetery.”

You shake your head, leaning into him. “I just want to go home, Pete. Can you drive me?”

His lips pressed against the top of your head. “Of course, beautiful. Just make sure you tell me what happened tomorrow at school, got it?”

A laugh escaped your throat as you looked up at him. “Yeah, okay. I promise.”

Dear Diary,

You could call last night a close call. Yeah, close call. Definitely would have ended differently if my mom hadn’t told Peter where I was or if I hadn’t of found that bottle just sitting there. I can’t help but think that Nat was the only person keeping Thor and Bruce in check, and now she’s dead. So now the school is defenseless to their libido.

“Having second thoughts, bitch?” asked a voice that caused you to tense. Following the voice was a fit of coughing. “You know, I blame you and your beau for the fact that I’ll be coughing up Drano for all of eternity. Do you feel guilty yet, Y/N/N?”

You grimaced to yourself before finally allowing yourself to look up from your journal. You could practically see Nat standing there, wearing her silk red robe that she died in. Her body was littered with cuts from the glass that she landed in, and her eyes were completely white.

Choosing to ignore the phantom now standing over you, watching you, you turned your attention back towards you diary.

I know I didn’t technically kill her, but I can’t help but feel like I did. I feel bad for it... but not as bad as I should. And that’s what scares me. Maybe that’s why I feel like she’s standing over me, dictating everything I do.

You glanced up from your journal again to find Sharon and Jane digging through Nat’s locker, clearing everything out into a box. Your hands balled up into fists as you slammed your diary shut and stalked over to them. “Hey, I hope you guys are planning on apologizing for acting like Grade A Bitches last night.”

“Hey,” Sharon said, turning around to point a finger into your chest. “We’re cleaning out Nat’s shit right now. Show a little respect, why don’t you?”

“Y/N, tell her to get her little slutty hands off of my crap,” said dead Nat, now standing right behind Sharon as she dug through her locker. “Y/N? Y/N/N, make her stop it now!”

“Shut up!” you shouted, clearly distressed from the voices filling your head.

A pair of hands shoved you roughly, dragging you back to Earth. You glared at Sharon who was practically seething in your direction. “No! I won’t shut up! Never again!” Her hands fumbled in her blonde hair, dragging out her bow and replacing it with Nat’s red scrunchie.

Jane grabbed Sharon’s arm, trying to stop her. “Shar, that’s Nat’s-”

An animal-like snarl came from Sharon, causing Jane to flinch away. “Shut up, Jane! Nat’s gone, and someone needs to replace her! And it’s going to be me so shut the fuck up!”

Your mouth dropped open in shock, staring at Sharon like she was crazy. Replace Nat? How could anyone want to ever replace her? “Shar, please don’t do this,” you mumbled.

A scoff came from the blonde as she turned her back towards you and pulled more crap from Nat’s locker. “Whatever. You should worry less about me and more about your reputation, bitch. Didn’t you hear? Thor and Bruce were talking about your little three-way last night.”

“Three-way?” asked the voice of Peter from right behind you, causing you to jump. You turned to look at him, and you couldn’t help but nearly cry from the look of pure pain that had etched it’s way across his face.

“No, Peter, please... There was no three-way! Nothing happened last night, I promise!”

“Really?” Sharon asked, slamming Nat’s locker shut, causing you to flinch once more. “I remember it differently.”

As if on cue, Thor and Bruce came walking down the hall with a boy, who you could briefly remember being named Clint, following them. “A sword fight? In her mouth?” Clint asked, his jaw completely slack at the idea.

“Oh yeah,” Thor said, smiling. “A big sword fight in her mouth! It was crazy crowded!”

“Yeah, but then, after the sword fight, we bent her over backwards like origami!” Bruce added.

Peter’s hands clutched into fists as he grabbed onto the back of Bruce’s jacket at his comment. You reached out to grab him, despite the tears threatening to spill over, but he was well out of your grasp. “Don’t talk about Y/N like that!”

Thor pushed Peter’s hands away, standing next to Bruce in a protective way. “Don’t complain when you’re girls a fucking slut-”

Peter’s fist connected with Thor’s face, causing him to fall back to the ground. However, before he could react, Clint was suddenly holding Peter’s arms behind his back, which left him open to be attacked by both Bruce and Thor.

“No! Stop!” you shouted, trying to push through the crowd that was starting to gather, but Sharon grabbed you forcefully, throwing a wicked smile towards you. You fought against her, but she had a death grip on both of your shoulders now.

“Stop this nonsense right now!” shouted the voice of Principal Fury as he pushed through the crowd. “Odinson, Banner, Barton, my office, now!”

The crowd dispersed just as quickly as it had formed. Meanwhile, Fury had to fight to remove Bruce from Peter while two other male teachers had to help in hauling off both Clint and Thor.

You went to walk over to Peter who laid prone on the ground, tears burning your eyes, when a hand suddenly grabbed you. You turned quickly to see Bruce smiling, a horrible glint in his eyes. “Whore,” he whispered before being dragged away.

Being called a whore was the final blow, and it made you finally break down in tears as you dropped to your knees in front of Peter, helping him sit up. “P-Pete?” you mumbled, brushing his brown curls from his face to take it all in. His lip was split in more than one place, and a bruise was already starting to form on his cheekbone. You were sure there were more bruises if one looked at his arms and chest, but you weren’t about to look right now. “A-Are you okay?”

His arms wrapped around you tightly, and you could feel him shaking. “Y/N...” he mumbled, breathing into your hair. “How are you?” he asked, clearly ignoring your question.

“I-I’m okay,” you mumbled. “I... I’ve been called worse a-and... y-ya know, everything’s awesome.” You broke down in full sobs in the middle of the deserted hallway. For some reason, all of the teachers were long gone, and you and Peter were long forgotten. “I-I’m sorry for crying...” you mumbled, trying to bring yourself back together and failing miserably.

His hands brushed through your now messy hair, trying to soothe you. “You don’t deserve to cry,” he muttered, holding you tightly. “I swear, I will end this all. All of it, tonight. You...” He pushed you away until you were at arms length, looking into his brown eyes as he gave you the best smile he could muster. “You’re the only thing that’s right about this broken world.” His hand brushed a piece of hair behind your ear before cupping you face. “So cry, it’s okay. But come tomorrow morning... all of this will be long behind us, okay? Do you wanna know why?”

You slowly nodded, rubbing away the tears that were making trails down your face. “Y-Yes,” you mumbled, giving him a verbal confirmation to continue on.

“Because, Y/N, love like we have doesn’t come around often. Our love is special. Our love is God, and our love will fix all of this, okay?”

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. “O-Okay,” you mumbled, allowing yourself to revel in the thought. Maybe he was right. Maybe your love was strong enough to stop it all, make all of the pain and misery just... go away.

Suddenly, a thought dawned on you. He never answered your question earlier. “P-Pete?” you asked, crawling back over to him and curling up in his arms. “You never answered me... are... are you okay?”

You glanced up to see him smiling down at you. “I always thought I would be alone, like... Like I was a frozen lake. No one would ever be dumb enough to try and go crack the ice, but... now I’m realizing that I’m not. I can feel myself getting better, and it’s because of you. Now... now I know that I’m not alone, never again. I won’t be alone because I’ll have you.”

“Yeah... we’ll never be alone,” you smiled softly, running your hands through his hair.

“Y/N...” he mumbled sweetly before pressing a kiss into your forehead. “I want to see you tonight. I’ll sneak over to your place, okay? Say around 8-ish?” A nod was all you could do to answer him, and he continued on. “Until then, we should probably get to class, yeah?”

And so, that’s what the two of you did after a quick stop by the nurse so that way you two had a valid reason for showing up late to class.

“So what’s the plan to get back at Bruce and Thor?” you asked, leaning closer to Peter as he sat on your bed.

He smiled before pulling out several items from a brown paper bag. “We’re going to fake their suicides,” he replied simply. “I’ve got our Stud Puppie magazine, a Joan Crawford postcard, mascara... Ah, and the piece de resistance, mineral water.”

You giggled, staring at him as he put the items back in the bag. “Yeah, so, what? Do you need a forged suicide note then?”

“And for you to make a call to the boys to go behind the school so that we can set up the joke,” he responded, grabbing your bedside phone and setting on your bed.

“But why are we going to such great lengths? I mean, how are we going to make it look like they’re dead?” You grabbed the receiver, ready to make the call once he explained it all to you.

He watched you for a moment before grabbing two guns from... somewhere. You physically flinched at the sight of the weapons. “Peter, I thought our Bonnie and Clyde adventures were done. I don’t-”

He placed a finger to your lips to silence you. “Relax, we’ll fill them with Ich Luge bullets.” At your confused look, he smiled. “They’re tranquilizer bullets. My granddad scored a shit ton back in World War II. The Nazis used them to fake their own suicides when the Russians invaded Berlin. The darts should knock Thor and Bruce out long enough to make it look like a suicide. Once they come to, they’ll be the laughing stock of the whole school.”

Still confused by the whole concept of Ich Luge bullets, you forced yourself to nod along with what he was saying. “Yeah, okay, makes sense,” you said, more to assure yourself than anyone else. “So, we need a suicide note.”

Peter nodded, grabbing your notepad so that you could write. “Just make it sound really sappy. Remember, it needs to sound believable. And you can pick whichever of the two you want to write for.”

Nodding, you turned your focus on your diary as you scribbled out a suicide note in Thor’s handwriting.

Bruce and I realized the moment that we could not share our forbidden love that we would have to die instead. Though we will miss the joy of being in each others arms, we cannot continue to live in a world where we have to act like beer-guzzling jackasses. Thus, we have chosen to die rather than live in a disapproving world.

“Look good?” You asked, showing the note to Peter.

He instantly broke out into a huge smile, carefully tearing the paper out of your journal. “Perfect,” he replied, folding it in half and adding it to the bag of goodies that sat on the edge of your bed. “Now we just need you to call Thor. Tell him to meet behind the school at dawn.”

Nodding, you quickly dialed the number to Thor’s house, crossing your fingers that he would be the one to pick up.

After a few rings, there was finally an answer. “Yeah-lo?” came the voice of Thor, and you had to fight the urge to sigh in relief at the fact that he was the one to answer.

“Hey, Thor?” you asked, twirling a piece of your hair around your index finger. “It’s Y/N. So... I was wondering... How did you and Bruce know it was always a fantasy of mine to take two guys at once?”

“Dude, dude!” said the muffled voice of Thor, clearly trying to get Bruce’s attention. “It’s Y/N!” You tapped your fingers against your knee, waiting for them to decide to talk. “So, uhhh, I guess it was a lucky guess?” Thor said, finally sounding clearer.

“Well...” you drawled out, throwing a look at Peter to see him laughing. You threw a pillow at him before continuing the conversation. “If you want it to come true... Meet me behind the school with Bruce. At dawn.”

There was a choking sound from the other end of the line before Thor started talking. “Yeah, uh-huh, sounds good.” Before you could hang up, you heard him practically shouting to Bruce. “Bro! Free pussy! And we don’t even have to buy it a pizza! Punch it in!”

You cringed to yourself before hanging up the phone. “They’ll be there,” you said, placing your phone back on your nightstand. “That was hell.”

Peter laughed, drawing you into him as he pressed a firm kiss to your lips before pulling away to smile down at you. “Y/N... our love is a powerful thing. We can start and finish wars.”

Resting your head on his shoulder, you couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, our love is what killed the dinosaurs. The world needed room for us.”

“You bet your ass it did,” he mumbled, pressing a kiss into the top of your head. “Hey, gorgeous.” You glanced up at him to see him staring at you seriously, yet his eyes were also filled with so much adoration. “I worship you, and everything that you are. I’d trade my life for yours if it was necessary to see you alive and happy...”

You pulled him into a kiss, silencing his words. He hummed in response, which was one of the few sounds made between the two of you for the rest of the night as you both eagerly awaited morning to put your plan into motion.

“So why did we steal your dad’s car again?” you asked as you both pulled into the school parking lot, just before dawn broke.

“The motorcycle’s great and all, but the car’s better for if we need to hide after our plan has been enacted.” You raised an eyebrow at him, not necessarily aware of why you’d need to hide if the bullets were just going to knock them out. Still, you didn’t question him and, instead, followed him out of the car and to the meeting spot.

You handed the bag of goodies off to Peter before grabbing the gun from him. “Just remember,” he said softly, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear, “I’m just behind that tree right there. When we shoot, you try and shoot Thor and I’ll get Bruce, got it?” Accepting your tiny nod as an answer, he kissed the top of your head. “Alright, they should be here any minute now so I’m going to go hide.”

With that, you were left alone in the small little clearing just a few feet from the main road. You decided to make a circle that surrounded you in the dirt, pretending it was your safe zone that Bruce and Thor couldn’t cross if they wanted to.

The sound of approaching footsteps made you lift your head up from your feet to see the two jocks coming down the small slope, practically tripping over one another to make it to where you were.

“Hey, Y/N,” Bruce said, a bright smile filling his features. “How’re you doin’?”

“Bro, cut the small talk,” Thor said, slapping Bruce with the back of his hand. “Do we just whip out our dicks or what?”

You fought every impulse to shudder or cringe at Thor’s blunt words. You forced a playful smile onto your features, meeting his muddy brown eyes. “Take it slow, Thor. I want the two of you to strip for me.”

They both laughed, clearly excited by the prospect of stripping for you. Thor started to tear of his own clothes before remembering that you said to take it slowly. He looked physically pained by the notion of strip-teasing for you, but he still slowed his movements down.

Bruce, however, looked a little more confused. “What ‘bout you, Y/N?” he asked, slowly removing his jacket.

“Well...” you said, voice barely audible to the two of them, “I was hoping you could rip my clothes off me... sport.”

Sport? Sport? Was that really the best word you could come up with in the moment?

Despite the fact that you felt like a complete idiot by calling them sport, they still nodded along and stripped faster until they both stood in front of you in their underwear.

“On the count of three, you both can come at me and take off my clothes. Ready?” They nodded eagerly and you forced a smile. “One... Two...”

“Three,” said the voice of Peter, coming from behind the tree, gun raised. You grabbed your own gun and aimed at Thor, firing one of the Ich Luge bullets into his shoulder. Meanwhile, Peter hit Bruce right in between the eyes.

Thor screamed at being shot and tried to run away, but Peter fired another shot into his back, causing him to fall face-first into the ground.

You found yourself staring at Bruce, as blood pooled around him in the forest ground and you suddenly felt sick. You fell to your knees, cupping Bruce’s face. “Bruce? Bruce? Oh my god. Peter-”

Hands hauled you off the ground, pulling you away from the scene. “We have to go, come on,” he muttered in your eye, practically dragging you all the way back to the school. Practically frozen, you let him do so.

You just killed two more of your classmates. 

Once back in the car, you finally released all of your feelings all at once. “God! I’m so stupid!” you shouted as Peter started the car so that music was playing in the background. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him grab a cigarette from his dads glove compartment.

Absentmindedly, you grabbed the lighter from the car, staring at the orange metal. Before you were even aware of what you were doing, the lighter was pressed into the palm of your hand, and you were screaming from the pain.

Peter quickly yanked the lighter away from your burning flesh before placing the end of his cigarette against your palm. You whimpered as he leaned back, his cigarette burning through the car.

“Fucking Ich Luge bullets? Why am I so stupid? Why would I ever believe such a stupid lie?” you mumbled, more to yourself than anybody else. You held your hand close to your body, trying to ignore the mind numbing pain that originated from your burnt hand.

“Maybe because you wanted them dead,” Peter said, earning him a glare from you. “Oh come on! Ich Luge bulelts? If something sounds too good to be true, usually it is! Don’t play so naive, Y/N! Your mind wanted to believe the bullets were tranquilizer bullets because your thoughts are too icky and impure. You wanted them dead just as much as I did.” With the end of his statement, he tossed his half-gone cigarette out the car window before turning his attention back to you.

“No I didn’t!” you shouted, clearly exasperated by his remarks. “No one deserves to die, Peter!”

“Yes you did! Don’t lie to me! They made you cry! Besides, they’re just a bunch of-”

You covered your ears with your hands, despite the pain it caused you, and started making random noises to block out his talking. He groaned in response and tried to talk louder, but you only matched him in volume until you both were practically screaming at one another.

“Enough!” Peter shouted, removing your hands from your ears and silencing you with a kiss. You pushed against him slightly, trying to fight the kiss before finally relenting to his lips and the sweet feeling of being enveloped in his strong arms. In fact, you even found yourself kissing him back despite the anger you felt boiling beneath the surface.

Once deeming you calm enough, his lips left yours, brushing the hair out of your face. “Come on,” he mumbled, lips a few inches from your own. “It’s already done, okay? So let’s just go somewhere. I’m sure they’re going to cancel class today anyway.”

You nodded slowly before you relaxed into the passenger seat of his dad’s car. Your mind whirled with thoughts, primarily ones centered around Bruce and Thor. Once again, someone was dead, and you helped cause it. You killed two people today, and now you had to pay the price.

“Peter?” you asked quietly as the two of you drove through the practically empty roads of the town. “Can we go and grab ice for my hand?”

“Of course,” he responded, looking visibly more relaxed and less on edge. “I’m sorry about your hand, by the way.”

Tags:

@gab-spidey @daringbanshee @genzbitch @youreafangirl-harry @thedaydreamingwriter @starksparker