#art tashi Patrick

[idciminlove]

Take a Slice

Part Two - Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

f!reader x Tashi Duncan x Art Donaldson x Patrick Zweig

Cinnamonacid on AO3

warnings- age gap, inaccurate tennis stuff, performance anxiety, etc.

You have an audience at the final match.

Song inspo: Yeah x10 - Challengers soundtrack

𝙽𝙲𝙰𝙰 𝚆𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗'𝚜 𝚃𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚜 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚜

𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑

You took a deep breath, preparing to enter the court. This was it. The final match of the NCAA tournament and your chance to win it all.

Your opponent was a senior from Stanford who had won the championship last year. She had much more experience and talent. Everyone’s expecting her to win. For some reason, that made you a lot less nervous. All the pressure was on her, after all. And you’ve always liked being the underdog.

Your coach patted your back, murmuring words of encouragement to you. The next thing you knew, you were walking onto the court, hearing your name announced.

There were so many people there, it was overwhelming. You let your eyes fall to the crowd, plastering on a smile despite how your heart was racing, and your chest felt all tight, like you couldn’t breathe. Tashi was watching. She had to be.

You put your racket bag down, zipping it open and taking a deep breath. She won’t be watching you. She won’t be rooting for you. No one expects you to win this. They don’t matter.

There’s only two people you’re winning this match for. Your mother who worked constantly not only to get by, but to provide for you and scrape together enough to pay for your lessons. Who stood by you and did everything she could for you. While she wasn’t watching in the crowd, you knew she was watching on TV. You made sure to wave to the camera, making a little heart with your hands.

You sauntered onto the court, stretching your legs, and getting into position. You took a deep breath, feeling your trembling hands clench the racket.

Breathe..Just breathe. You reminded yourself, letting your eyes fall to the most important person there. Annalise. She’s your motivation, your will, your everything. You weren’t able to win doubles with her, so you at least owe her this much.

She smiled at you, giving you a thumbs up. You grinned back. I’ll win for you, sweet girl.

–

You were reminding Tashi of Patrick with how much you were grinning. You were practically beaming with every serve you returned, every point you scored, and every hit against the ball. It made sense. You had nothing to lose. No one expected you to get this far. Not after that injury or the low tier school you were playing for. All the pressure was on her. You knew that, and you were using it against her.

It was brilliant. Brilliant, beautiful, and bright, just like you. Just like the match that was being played out before her. It had been so long since Tashi had seen such fire and ambition in anyone. Not only were you pushing yourself, but you were pushing your opponent, making her compete and forcing her hand. You were showing her that she was no longer on top, that she had to fight tooth and nail if she wanted to win. And if you were going to go down, you’d go down swinging.

Tashi moved her head back and forth, her eyes following the ball. She watched as you sprinted, jumped and even slid on the court to keep the ball in, she listened to your pretty little grunts and groans, studying your hits. Your fronthand, your backhand, analyzing everything she could. She could feel her heart racing, adrenaline and dopamine rushing through her. She could see herself in you, and for a moment, just a moment, it felt like she was playing again.

–

𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝙿𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝

Sweat trickled down your nose. You were soaked. Not only from the California heat, but from how hard you’ve pushed yourself. Your arms were aching, your fingers stung from how hard you gripped the racket, and your knees were skinned from the few times you slid to save the ball. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that you were about to win. It had been close all game, with the both of you neck and neck in winning points and sets, but you had finally scored the match point, and it was your serve.

You ran your tongue over your teeth, bouncing the ball as you debated on where to hit it. You smiled at your opponent one last time, before you threw the ball in the air and raised your racket in the air, hitting the ball as hard as you could. You readied yourself, watching as the girl chased after the ball, before it changed direction and bounced past her.

You paused in shock, realizing that you had actually won. Then, for the first time in the tournament, you let yourself find her in the crowd. There she was, the one and only Tashi Duncan, sitting at the center of the row at the edge of her seat, her sunglasses slightly falling down her nose. You couldn’t help but smile.

The eye contact you two made only lasted for a moment, because the next thing you knew, your teammates had jumped over the stands and were now rushing over to you. Annaliese was the first, throwing her arms around you, the rest of them following suit.

Holy shit. You did it. You actually won.

–

Art agreed with Tashi. You were very talented. He also agreed with Patrick that you were a pretty thing, running around in that too tight tennis skirt, but there was something about being here that made him feel bad. Maybe it was because the last time he had watched a women’s tennis match here, it ended with Tashi on the ground, sobbing and clutching her knee. Maybe it was the guilt he felt.

But why was he guilty? He didn’t know. It could be because he wasn’t as enthusiastic to be here, after swearing off tennis years ago, and no matter how intriguing or tempting you may be, he refused to let himself get drawn in. Or it could be how he had given up all his morals and previous views on marriage and family to finally accept the truth. Was this another truth he was refusing to accept? That he wanted this young woman he hardly knew?

No. He couldn’t. He shouldn’t. But as you scored that final point, he looked over at the two sitting beside him, and he knew he was fucked. Tashi was on the edge of her seat, digging her nails into the arms of her chair, lips parted, chest heaving, a hungry look in her eyes, and Patrick was slumped back, thighs spread, undoubtedly hard.

Art felt his heart racing, a tent growing in his pants as well. Fuck.

–

It wasn’t until half the stands were cleared and you were escorted away that Tashi moved, getting to her feet and grabbing her bag. Art straightened up, gazing over at her. “Where are you going?”

“To get her number.”

[chuwenjie]

CHALLENGERS

[userscully]

ZENDAYA, JOSH O'CONNOR and MIKE FAIST in CHALLENGERS (2024, dir. Luca Guadagnino)

[ace-with--a-mace]

bitches be like "we need more evil women in media" and they cant even handle tashi duncan from challengers (2024)

[harrytheehottie]

this scene has been playing on loop in my mind since i first watched it . it’s like a drug.

[ofinkandust]

[mrgaretcarter]

Challengers + I'm Your Man by Mitski

[yasminhananis]

like what if i was a boy and i didn’t know how to say i love you besides stealing your clothing

[irlplasticlamb]

for about fifteen seconds there, we were actually playing tennis. and we understood each other completely.

prints + merch + comm info pinned to profile :)

[cuntylestat]

everything is sex, except sex, which is about tennis

(youtube)

[idciminlove]

Take a Slice

Part One - Miracle

f!reader x Tashi Duncan x Art Donaldson x Patrick Zweig

Cinnamonacid on AO3

warnings- age gap, inaccurate tennis stuff, etc.

You love tennis. You devoted your life to it, watching, practicing, and playing it every single day. You never thought it could love you back. You never thought they could love you back. Not until you caught Tashi's eye.

𝙽𝙲𝙰𝙰 𝚆𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗'𝚜 𝚃𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚜 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚂𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚜

𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚍, 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚊 

𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟸𝟷𝚜𝚝, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟸

𝟿 𝙰𝙼

 Anxious chatter resonated inside the bus, echoing off the walls. You did your best to ignore it, resting your head against the window, watching the buildings blur by and listening to music instead. Unfortunately, you were unable to ignore how your stomach was twisting with nerves. You felt sick. You tried to focus on the song playing, shutting your eyes.

 You imagined yourself with the racket in your hands, hitting the ball as hard as you could. Getting aces, scoring points, and winning. Positive imagery, like your coach would say. Visualizing the best possible outcome. What you’re good at. What you can do. What you’ve worked so hard to do. 

 Someone grabbed your shoulder, shaking you and making you jump. You opened your eyes and pulled out an earbud, gazing up at the culprit. Your teammate. 

 “You know I heard that Tashi Duncan and Art Donaldson are going to be at the matches today, and Patrick Zweig, too.” 

 “It’s not surprising. We’re going to their alma mater.” You shrugged, playing it cool, as if what she told you didn’t make you ten times more nervous, as if you hadn’t been obsessed with them ever since your early teenage years. Especially Tashi, who you idolize completely and may or may not have contributed to your bisexual awakening. 

 “Well, aren’t you nervous? I mean, if they see me mess up-”

 “Don’t worry. They didn’t go to our school, they’re not rooting for us, so they don't care. They won’t be watching us, It’ll be fine.” 

 Out of the corner of your eye, you caught someone smiling at you. Your hitting partner,  doubles partner, and best friend, Annaliese.

 “Maybe you can get Tashi’s autograph after you win.” She chimed in, reaching across the aisle and nudging your foot playfully with hers.

 You couldn’t help but smile back. “Maybe.” 

–

 Patrick groaned as he leaned back in his seat. The past few matches had been a shitshow. All three girls from the same college had lost badly and another girl from that same school was coming on, ready to be thrown to the wolves. 

 “Ugh, I can’t watch anymore. This is just depressing. It’s a miracle they even qualified. Let’s take a break and wait for some other schools to play, grab some lunch or something. I’m starving.” He remarked. 

 Tashi sighed in annoyance, but she knew he was right. So, she began to collect her things. She grabbed her purse and right as she stood up to get out of her seat, the players for the next match were introduced. She glanced over at the court, gazing over at the girls briefly, before she paused. 

 There was something familiar about the player for the losing school, but she couldn’t place it. Tashi watched as she strided onto the court, beaming as the announcers introduced her. She waved and blew kisses to the crowd, smiling from ear to ear, as if she hadn’t just witnessed her friends get destroyed in their previous matches. She was different. She was confident. Or at least, she was pretending to be, putting up a front and hiding her fear. Unlike her peers, who were practically shaking in their boots whenever the ball came near them.

 “Tash, c’mon let’s go. I don’t want to sit around and watch another blood bath.” Patrick called out to her, but she didn’t move, focused on the girl on the court. 

 She turned away from the crowd as she unzipped her bag, pulling out her racket. Tashi watched as she stretched, studying her and her figure. There was a tattoo on her upper back, between her shoulder blades of a smiling sun. 

 And then it clicked. 

  Sunshine.  

  Growing impatient, Patrick began to take off. Tashi grabbed his arm, stopping him before he could walk away. “Wait, I know her.” 

 “What?” He stopped, dumbfounded. 

 “I know her. She won the Junior’s US Open in 2020. Sunshine. That’s what they called her.” 

 The last time Tashi watched her, she liked what she saw. She even thought about recruiting her, but she was far too busy juggling careers, helping Art finish out his last season, training Patrick for his next, while also navigating her marriage after what went down at the Challengers at New Rochelle. She followed her through articles and posted statistics, until she heard about her knee injury a few months later. It was devastating, a tragic end to her career before it even started.

 But there she stood on the court, as good as new, like it had never happened. 

 Intrigued, Patrick sat back down beside her, watching the match unfold. She had grown since Tashi had seen her. She was even more beautiful, more strong and more explosive, her thighs bulging as she ran to return the serves. Her technique had improved as well, her movements much more methodical and precise. She was perfect. 

 The match went by quickly, with her winning every set. Once it finished, Tashi gazed over at Patrick, who seemed completely awestruck by the match that just occurred. 

 She smirked at him. “Looks like we found their miracle.” 

–

 Tashi stood in front of her mirror, rubbing cream over her legs. She ran her fingers over the scar on her knee, before pulling away. 

 “Hey.” Art greeted, entering their bedroom.

 Tashi glanced over her shoulder at him. “Hey. Patrick ran to the store, so he won’t be here for a while. Is Lily down?” 

 “She’s knocked out cold. All that splashing around in the pool must’ve gotten to her.” He remarked with a small smile. 

 She hummed in response, screwing the jar close, and shutting the bathroom light off. Art gazed at her warily, trying to get a read on her. “So, how was your day? How were the semifinals?” 

 “It was good. Stanford made it to the finals.” She took a seat on the bed, next to him. 

 “That’s good.” He curled his arms around her and kissed down her neck. 

 “Yeah, but there’s this girl from the opposing college that I’ve got my eye on. She won the Junior open back in 2020. She’s pretty good. I think we’ll have fun watching her tomorrow.” 

 She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. Art didn’t miss that look in her eyes. He didn’t miss that hunger. That fire. He hadn’t seen it in a long time. He thought finally, after all the awards he and Patrick had won, she would be satisfied. Ready to settle down once and for all. But it seemed like this girl really did a number on her. 

 He hopes that nothing more will come from this girl after the match tomorrow. That she’ll watch, get her fill, and let it go. That she’ll stay happy with her life as it is now, working with the foundation and continuing to coach young girls there, and putting her family before tennis. Art trusts her. He knows she’ll do the right thing.

 So why can’t he fight the dread gnawing at his chest?  

[birdmans]

[scre6m]

We're not talking about tennis. What the fuck else do I have to talk to you about?

CHALLENGERS (2024) dir. Luca Guadagnino

[vanesawye]

new challengers (2024) promo photos !

[blusandbirds]

i don't know why i am the way i am, not strong enough to be your man

challengers (2024) // not strong enough (boygenius)

[riickgrimes]

I know who you are. You're Fire and Ice, right? Which one's which?

CHALLENGERS (2024) dir. Luca Guadagnino