#can she get homoerotic with it or something. anything else...

[warriorprincesstramp]

evil queen horny for rumpelstiltskin is so. not it... girl pleaseeeeee PLEASEEEEEEE

[theskyexists]

Ok looked at all the vampire f/f books listed on sappfic.com or whatever and. Thats not a lot comparatively and also I had an idea! Who wants to read the one scene i already wrote for it

[pbaz7]

ONE SHOT: GRAVITY

paige x azzi

warning: sexual content (lowkey crazy)

word count: 15.6k

A/N: This is lowkey crazy. It wasn’t supposed to be this long but I wanted to follow their prompt fully because they included so many details🥹. This is for whoever asked me to write them in a homoerotic friendship with jealous girlfriends and hella tension. I hope I brought your vision to life 🫶🏼. Also the sexual content is a little crazy just a heads up ✨ it’s what they asked for 😀 Them love reacts better be long because this was rough

—————————————————————————

The first time Paige met Azzi, it was like something in the universe clicked into place. It wasn’t anything dramatic—no lightning bolts or instant sparks between them—but there was a certain ease between them that Paige couldn’t ignore. It was during a Team USA training camp, and while most of the other girls were politely navigating introductions, Paige, in true Paige fashion, latched onto Azzi like they’d known each other forever.

“Alright I guess I’m stuck with you,” Azzi had said after Paige had followed her to nearly every drill, every water break, and even halfway to the locker room. There was a teasing edge to her voice, but the corners of her lips twitched with the beginnings of a smile. A real smile. Not the polite kind she gave to everyone else, but something softer, something that would eventually become just for Paige.

Paige, of course, had grinned wide, completely unbothered by the jab. “Don’t worry you’ll get used to it,” she’d said with a shrug, already acting like they were inseparable. And, as it turned out, they were.

From that moment on, they’d been each other’s shadow. Azzi liked to pretend Paige’s constant attention annoyed her, always throwing in a sarcastic comment or rolling her eyes when Paige got particularly clingy. But anyone who knew Azzi well enough could see the way her expression softened whenever Paige was near. She didn’t just tolerate Paige; she thrived with her around.

Over the years, their friendship grew deeper, more complicated in ways neither of them could have predicted. It wasn’t just the jokes and playful shoves or the way Paige always knew how to make Azzi laugh, even on her worst days. It was the way they existed in each other’s space so naturally, so effortlessly, that it almost felt like breathing and breathing got a little harder when the other one wasn’t around.

At first, the lines they crossed were small, so subtle they could almost pretend they weren’t there. Azzi’s hand lingering a second too long on Paige’s shoulder during a team huddle. The way Paige’s voice softened when she spoke to Azzi, even when she was in full-on competitive mode or yelling two seconds before. Then there were the private moments—stolen late-night conversations where the rest of the world faded away, leaving just the two of them and whatever unspoken thing pulsed between them.

Neither of them addressed it. Why would they? What they had felt perfect as it was. They leaned into it, basked in it, even as it made their exes irritable or filled with discomfort.

“How can you not see it?” one of Paige’s exes demanded once, her voice rising with frustration in the middle of Paige’s room. “The way you two look at each other—it’s like I don’t even exist when she’s around!” Paige had shrugged off the accusation, the same way she always did. She wasn’t about to dissect her relationship with Azzi for anyone, least of all someone who clearly didn’t get it.

Azzi had similar run-ins with her own girlfriends. One had even gone as far as to call Paige a “third wheel,” which made Azzi laugh harder than it probably should have at the idea of Paige being the one who was the third wheel. “Look if you’re insecure,” she’d said coolly, “then maybe this isn’t going to work.” It hadn’t.

Through all the breakups and messy accusations, Paige and Azzi never changed. They stayed in their little bubble, handsy and playful and just a little too intense, but never quite crossing the line. It was safer that way, they told themselves multiple times. Safer to stay in the gray area, where nothing could go wrong and everything stayed perfect.

Except, now, they were older, so things were starting to feel different. Heavier. The looks lasted way too long. The touches lingered with a heat that left both of them feeling uncomfortable.

Now, as juniors at UConn, Paige and Azzi had built something unshakable—at least, unshakable to them. Paige, a red-shirt junior after tearing her ACL the year before, had made her way back to the court with Azzi as her biggest supporter every step of the way. They had been through it all together: the grueling practices, the late-night study sessions, the euphoric wins, the heartbreaking injuries, they have spent almost every memorable moment of their lives by one anothers side. Yet, for some reason neither could articulate—or maybe they just didn’t want to—they refused to fully cross the line and be together.

Which left them here: two college athletes in their 20s, in the best shape of their lives, with years of unresolved tension simmering between them. It was almost comical when Paige thought about it. How many times had she walked into Azzi’s dorm, knowing full well that she wasn’t going to be able to do what she wanted.

Living just a few doors down from each other didn’t help. If anything, it made things worse. Proximity was its own kind of torture. Paige would find herself drunkenly walking past Azzi’s room after a night out clenching her jaw at the thought of knocking.

Whenever the two of them were in the same room, everyone else might as well not exist. It was a phenomenon their teammates had long since grown used to, though it still sparked the occasional teasing when one of them was being unreasonably jealous. At parties, team meetings, or even casual hangouts, Paige and Azzi had this way of orbiting each other. Sometimes it was as simple as the way Paige would lean in close when Azzi spoke, her eyes fixed on Azzi’s lips the entire time. Other times, it was the way Azzi’s hand would find Paige’s arm, her fingers wrapping around her bicep as if it was her right to do so.

Their teammates noticed. Their friends noticed. And, of course, their girlfriends noticed.

It was a source of constant arguments for both of them. Paige’s girlfriend, frustrated and teetering on the edge of insecurity, had confronted her more than once. “Why do you even need me if you have her?” she’d snapped during one particularly heated fight. Paige had stared at her, dumbfounded, because what was she supposed to say? What did she expect her to say? That she didn’t need Azzi? That she could go a day without thinking about her, texting her, missing her when she wasn’t around?

“You’re overreacting,” Paige said, her voice clipped. “Azzi’s my best friend. I’m not about to change how I am with her because you don’t like it.”

Azzi’s girlfriend expressed similar frustrations, accusing her of being “too close” to Paige, of crossing lines that no one else seemed to get away with. Azzi had brushed it off just as easily as Paige had, if not easier. “If you can’t handle me having a best friend, then maybe I’m not the type of girl you’re looking for,” she’d said coolly, shutting the conversation down before it could spiral.

And so the cycle continued. Arguments, tension, half-hearted apologies, and a refusal to change. Because the truth was, Paige and Azzi didn’t see anything wrong with the way they were. To them, it was just how they worked. How they had always worked. They weren’t going to apologize for it.

But deep down, they both knew it wasn’t that simple. It wasn’t simple at all really. They were completely in love with one another.

For now, though, they kept pretending. Pretending that their girlfriends’ constant jealousy didn’t irritate them. Pretending that their late-night conversations and far too intimate inanimate behavior was completely innocent. Pretending that they weren’t both standing on the edge of a bridge waiting for something inevitable to plunge them into freezing water.

Because once they jumped, there would be no going back, no pretending it didn’t exist anymore. And maybe—just maybe—that’s exactly what they were afraid of.

The dorm common room was lively with chatter and the soft clinking of LEGO pieces filling the air as KK, Ice, and Jana sat at the table, deeply engrossed in their latest construction project. Paige, however, was sprawled on the couch, absentmindedly scrolling on her phone. Her girlfriend, Kehlani, sat beside her, the two of them technically together but clearly existing in separate worlds at the moment. Kehlani had been trying, unsuccessfully, to get Paige’s attention for the last 15 minutes, only to give up and return to her own phone in silent frustration when Paige was incessant that she was doing something important.

The atmosphere shifted the moment Azzi walked in. Dressed in her usual athletic wear and exuding her effortless confidence, she greeted the group at the table saying casually, “What are y’all building now?” KK mumbled something about a Star Wars set, but Azzi was already moving past them, her attention zeroing in on the couch—and on Paige.

“Hey,” Azzi said with a grin, walking straight up to them as if Kehlani wasn’t even there. Without hesitation, she plopped down on the couch, her movements familiar. In one smooth motion, she grabbed Paige’s knee, parting them just enough to slide her own legs in between, draping them comfortably across Paige’s lap.

Kehlani looked up from her phone, her eyebrows furrowing as she watched the scene unfold. But she didn’t say anything. This was tame compared to some of the things she’s witnessed.

Paige, on the other hand, chuckled softly, locking her phone and setting it aside. “Hello to you too,” she said, her tone teasing.

Azzi grinned, leaning back against the arm of the couch. “I missed you,” she said casually, her eyes locking with Paige’s. “I haven’t seen you all day.”

Paige’s focus was now fully on Azzi, something Kehlani had been desperately trying to achieve. “You’re the one who’s been busy,” Paige shot back with a playful smirk, her hand sliding over Azzi’s leg as she adjusted it, pulling it more securely into her lap. The movement was instinctive, practiced—like they’d done this a hundred times before.

Kehlani’s grip on her phone tightened. She glanced between them, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Do you need me to move over?” she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.

Paige blinked, as if remembering for the first time that Kehlani was even there. “Huh? Nah, you’re fine,” she said quickly, brushing off the question. Her hand, however, didn’t move from Azzi’s leg.

Azzi leaned her head back against the couch, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “You’re being dramatic, Paige,” she teased, ignoring Kehlani entirely and going back to their original conversation. “I wasn’t even that busy today.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Paige quipped, her fingers absentmindedly tracing circles on Azzi’s shin.

From the table, Ice shot KK a knowing look, raising an eyebrow as if to say here we go again. KK stifled a laugh, shaking her head as she turned back to the LEGO set. They’d seen this dynamic play out too many times to be surprised anymore.

Kehlani, however, was visibly uncomfortable, shifting in her seat and staring at the two of them like she was waiting for something—anything—to break the tension. But nothing ever did. Everyone knew this was just how they were. What no one could quite figure out, though, was why either of their “girlfriends” put up with it.

It wasn’t like Paige or Azzi had ever pretended their relationships were sacred. In fact, both had made it crystal clear on more than one occasion that they wouldn’t hesitate to walk away and that this was just something casual for when they were in season. “If you don’t like how we are, we can end it,” Paige had once said, almost nonchalantly, during a heated argument. Azzi wasn’t any different, offering Kali a similar, “You really don’t have to stay.”

But for whatever reason—whether it was the allure of dating two of UConn’s biggest stars or simply the hope that things might change—Kehlani and Kali stayed around. They endured. They tolerated. Even when moments like this made it painfully clear they were never going to be anything more than someone to turn to here and there when the tension became too uncomfortable to sit with.

Paige licked her lips absently, lifting her hips slightly to adjust Azzi’s legs again, which were still draped over her lap like they belonged there. Her hand gave an idle squeeze to Azzi’s calf before she glanced up. “You busy tonight?” she asked casually, her attention fixed entirely on Azzi.

Azzi tilted her head, her brown eyes drifting down to Paige’s hand on her leg. “Why?” she asked, her voice laced with flirtation.

Paige smirked. “Whatchu mean ‘why?’” she shot back, leaning into the word with a playful edge.

“Why are you asking me if I’m busy tonight?” Azzi pressed, a smile on her face, clearly enjoying the banter.

Paige rolled her eyes, leaning back against the couch. “I’m tryna come over,” she said simply. “Maybe watch a movie or something.”

Azzi chuckled softly, like she knew exactly where this was going. “You fall asleep every time,” she pointed out, her gaze flicking back up to Paige’s.

“Probably because you always pick boring-ass movies,” Paige said, a huge smile on her face.

Azzi’s laughter followed quickly. “You picked the last movie,” she countered, her voice full of mock indignation.

Their back-and-forth was so effortless, so locked into their own little world, that it took Kehlani a moment to realize they’d completely forgotten she was even sitting there. But she hadn’t forgotten. Not for a second.

“What if I want to hang out with Paige tonight?” Kehlani interjected suddenly, her voice cutting through the conversation.

Azzi froze, but only for a moment, her expression unreadable as she leaned back and waited for Paige’s response. She didn’t need to say anything—she already knew Paige would.

Paige turned her head, finally acknowledging Kehlani for the first time fully since Azzi had walked in. “Come on,” she said, her tone light, almost dismissive. “You’ve been with me all day. We can just hang out tomorrow.”

Kehlani’s mouth opened slightly, her brow furrowing as she processed the casualness of it all—the way Paige said it like it was obvious, like it wasn’t even up for debate.

Kehlani’s voice was sharper now, her frustration rising. “What if I don’t want to hang out tomorrow?”

Paige shrugged, unfazed. “Then we’ll hang out the next day.” Her tone was calm, almost too calm, as if she couldn’t understand why Kehlani was making this a bigger deal than it needed to be.

For some reason, that made it worse. Kehlani’s frustration boiled over, her voice rising just enough to catch the attention of KK and Ice at the table. “You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t just about hanging out, Paige!”

Paige exhaled, visibly trying to keep her cool as she leaned back against the couch, her hand still casually draped over Azzi’s leg. “Look, I’m not about to argue with you in front of everybody right now,” she said evenly.

Kehlani crossed her arms, leaning forward slightly. “What? You embarrassed?”

Paige let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head as if the question was almost laughable. Her hands remained where they were—comfortable, unbothered, still casually resting on Azzi, who hadn’t even looked up from her phone since the interruption. “No,” Paige said. “I’m just not about to argue with you right now.”

But Kehlani wasn’t backing down, she never did, her voice rising again as she tried to provoke Paige like always. “Right, because Azzi’s here. You don’t want to look bad in front of her, huh?”

Paige’s eyes flicked to her briefly before she shook her head again, her voice calm. “Come on, don’t make me do this to you in front of everybody.”

Her words, said so casually yet so definitively, made Kehlani’s face flush with a mix of anger and humiliation. KK, Ice and Jana exchanged awkward glances, clearly trying to stay out of it but they were struggling to hold in their giggles.

Azzi, still scrolling on her phone, finally shifted slightly, glancing between the two of them before giving Paige a subtle nudge with her foot, like she was silently telling her to chill. Paige glanced at her, the smallest smile tugging at the corner of her lips before she turned back to Kehlani.

“You good?” Paige asked simply, her voice a little softer. It wasn’t a question that invited a real argument—it was a question that implied this conversation was over.

Kehlani’s lips pressed into a line as she sat back, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. She didn’t say anything else, but the tension in the room was thick, her frustration hanging heavy in the air.

Azzi shifted slightly in Paige’s lap, breaking the silence with a small sigh as she finally spoke. “Y’all good? Or can we go back to pretending this isn’t super awkward?”

KK, Ice, and Jana��s laughter finally filled the room as Paige and Azzi went back to their conversation.

“Alright so, what’s the move?” Paige asked, her voice low as she shifted slightly, her arm still resting over Azzi’s leg. “Your room or mine?”

Azzi smiled, tilting her head as her eyes dropped to Paige’s hand absentmindedly tracing patterns against her skin. “Mine. Obviously.”

“Obviously? Az bro, please. My bed is bigger. Way more comfortable.”

Azzi’s lips quirked. “Your bed’s overrated and I can never wake up on time in there with those black out curtains.”

Paige raised an eyebrow. “One my bed isn’t overrated and you know it. Two, I can't handle your non-existent curtains. It wakes me up too early.”

“I know you can’t handle it,” Azzi teased, her smirk growing. “You whine about it every single time. It’s cute, though—makes me think you just like finding reasons to stay.”

The room seemed to grow smaller at that, the air between them growing a little tense. Paige’s laugh came a little too late, her fingers tightening slightly around Azzi’s leg. “Don’t flatter yourself. I stay for the snacks.”

Azzi tilted her head, her gaze flickering to Paige’s lips before settling back on her eyes. “You sure about that?” she asked, her voice dipping lower.

Paige held her gaze, her smirk faltering for a split second as her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “Pretty sure. You don’t have anything else I want.”

Azzi leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’ve always been such a bad liar Paige.”

Across the room, Jana stilled mid-motion, her hand hovering over a Lego piece as her eyes darted to the two of them. KK and Ice exchanged a look, KK mouthing a silent “Yikes” before turning back to their project.

“You’re ridiculous,” Paige said, shaking her head with a soft laugh, but the way her fingers brushed over Azzi’s leg a little higher betrayed her.

“Ridiculous enough to keep you coming back,” Azzi shot back.

Paige opened her mouth to respond, but her breath hitched when Azzi added, “But I get it—you gotta keep up appearances. We’ll see later.”

Paige’s jaw tightened, her laugh coming out strained. “Yeah we’ll see later.”

That was the moment Kehlani finally broke, the tension in her chest snapping. She stood abruptly, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.

Paige barely looked up, still holding Azzi’s gaze. “You good?”

Kehlani let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, I’m great. Just remembered I’ve got somewhere else to be.”

Azzi finally turned her head, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at Kehlani. “You sure?”

Kehlani ignored the comment, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. “Have fun tonight Paige. Looks like you already are.”

Paige’s smirk faded as she watched Kehlani walk out, the door slamming harder than it needed to. For a moment, the room was quiet, save for the faint sound of KK, Ice and Jana pretending to be preoccupied with their Legos.

Azzi broke the silence, her voice light. “Think she’s mad at me?”

Paige chuckles, leaning back against the couch. “She’s mad at me,” she muttered, though her hand stayed firmly on Azzi’s leg.

“Can’t blame her,” Azzi said softly, her eyes locking with Paige’s again. “I’d be mad too if I had to watch this.”

Paige’s breath caught, her fingers flexing against Azzi’s skin before she forced herself to look away, her jaw clenching so tightly it ached.

Jana raised her eyebrows, fully catching the moment and glancing toward KK and Ice like, Are we really going to pretend we didn’t hear that? But Ice just shook her head, mouthing, Let it go.

Paige finally exhaled, her voice low as she tried to steer the conversation back. “So…whose room is it gonna be?”

Azzi’s grin returned. “Yours,” she said. “But only because you’re such a baby about my blinds and I’m being nice.”

Paige huffed out a laugh, holding out her hand to Azzi. “Let’s go before you say something else that gets me in trouble.”

Azzi took her hand, standing up and leaning just close enough to murmur, “Maybe I can do something this time instead.”

…

The glow of the TV screen cast a faint light across Paige's room, illuminating the two of them as they lay side by side on her bed. The random movie playing in the background barely registered to either of them, its plotline easily forgotten beneath the quiet hum of tension that seemed to follow them everywhere.

Paige had ditched her hoodie the moment they got comfortable, leaving her in a fitted black tank top that clung to her toned frame and a pair of loose gray sweats that hung on her hips. Azzi, meanwhile, had claimed one of Paige’s XL hoodies she stole from the storage closet—navy blue with "UConn" printed across the chest—and it practically swallowed her, the hoodie just long enough to hide her pajama shorts underneath.

For a while, they sat in relative silence, their occasional comments about the movie mixed in with quiet chuckles.

Paige adjusted her position, shifting slightly to lean back against her headboard. Her hands slid behind her head, fingers lacing together as she let out a content sigh. The movement caused the hem of her tank top to ride up, revealing a strip of skin just above the waistband of her sweats.

Azzi’s gaze flicked downward, the motion unintentional at first—but once her eyes landed on the exposed skin, they lingered. The way Paige’s muscles shifted with each breath was almost hypnotic.

Without fully thinking about it, Azzi reached out, her fingers brushing lightly over the bare skin.

Paige’s head tilted down, her brow lifting as her eyes met Azzi’s. “What are you doing?” she asked softly, her tone somewhere between amused and curious.

Azzi didn’t stop, her fingers tracing slow, lazy patterns along the line of Paige’s stomach. Her touch was featherlight, sending a trail of goosebumps in its wake. “What does it look like I’m doing?” she replied.

Paige shifted slightly, her stomach tensing under Azzi’s touch. “Looks like you’re trying to distract me.”

“Distract you from what?” Azzi asked, a smile forming on her face. Her eyes flicked up to Paige’s, the challenge clear in them.

Paige exhaled, a small, breathy laugh escaping her lips. “From this terrible movie you picked.”

Azzi snorted softly, her fingers still moving in slow circles. “You picked the movie,” she corrected.

“Well, you didn’t stop me,” Paige countered, her voice soft but strained as she shifted again, her arms dropping to her sides. Her hand moved instinctively, fingers lightly wrapping around Azzi’s wrist to still her movements.

Azzi’s smile deepened, her thumb now brushing deliberately against Paige’s skin. “You gonna stop me?” she asked, her voice dipping lower, the question feeling heavier than it should have.

Paige stared at her, the air between them growing impossibly thick. “Should I?” she asked back, her voice quiet, almost a whisper.

For a moment, neither of them moved, the only sound in the room being the faint dialogue from the forgotten movie. Azzi’s fingers stilled against Paige’s stomach, but she didn’t pull away, her gaze locked on Paige’s like she was daring her to make the next move.

Paige’s jaw tightened slightly. “You’re gonna start something we can’t finish,” she murmured.

Azzi didn’t respond right away, but the glint in her eyes said more than words ever could. Instead, she moved, her weight shifting as she climbed on top of Paige, settling herself comfortably in her lap. She straddled Paige’s waist effortlessly, her knees sinking into the mattress on either side of her.

Paige didn't even react. So used to having Azzi on her like this but this time her eyes narrowed slightly in curiosity when Azzi grabbed the loose string of Paige’s sweatpants.

Azzi’s fingers toyed with the string lazily, looping it around her finger as if she had all the time in the world. Her expression was calm but her eyes burned with unspoken intent. “Who says we can’t finish it?” she finally said, her voice low, almost a purr.

Paige let out a breathless laugh, her gaze locked on Azzi’s. “You’re bold tonight,” she said, though the small smile tugging at her lips betrayed any attempt at sounding unaffected.

Azzi just smirked, her head tilting slightly. “I’ve always been bold,” she said, her hands still playing with the string.

Before she could push it further, Paige’s hands came up, wrapping around Azzi’s wrists firmly but gently to get her to stop. Her fingers slipped between Azzi’s, interlacing them as she guided their hands away from her waist. Paige looked up at her, the smile on her face soft but her grip strong.

“You’re gonna get us in trouble,” Paige murmured, her voice strained. She didn’t look away, her thumbs absentmindedly brushing against Azzi’s knuckles.

Azzi leaned in closer, their faces now only inches apart. “Trouble?” she repeated, her breath warm against Paige’s skin. “I think you like trouble.”

Paige’s smile widened slightly, her eyes dropping to Azzi’s lips for the briefest of moments before flicking back up. “Maybe,” she admitted, her voice low. “But not when it comes to you.”

Azzi raised an eyebrow, her smirk growing. “Especially when it comes to me.” she challenged back, her fingers tightening around Paige’s in response.

Paige didn’t answer immediately, her gaze searching Azzi’s face like she was trying to decide how far to let this go. Eventually, she exhaled sharply, shaking her head with a laugh. “You’re gonna be the death of me,” she said softly.

Azzi smiled, leaning back slightly but not moving from her spot. “Good thing I’ll make it worth it,” she replied.

Paige’s brow lifted at that, her lips curling into a grin. “Oh yeah? How you gonna make it worth it?”

Azzi leaned forward again, closing the gap between them just enough for her voice to drop. “That depends,” she said, her gaze locked on Paige’s. “What do you like?”

Paige blinked slowly, her smirk fading as her expression grew more serious. Her eyes searched Azzi’s, studying her, trying to gauge just how far Azzi was willing to take this tonight. The air between them was too thick, and for a moment, Paige almost didn’t answer. But then she sat up slightly, her confidence returning as she spoke.

“I like being in control,” she said simply.

Azzi’s head tilted at this, her lips curving into an intrigued smile. “Yeah?” she asked, her voice soft, almost coaxing.

Paige just nodded, her jaw tightening at Azzi’s tone as she kept her eyes on the curly haired girl, daring her to react.

Azzi hummed thoughtfully, her smile growing as she shifted her weight, pressing down just slightly to remind Paige of the position she was in. “What kind of control?” Azzi asked, her tone full of curiosity.

Paige let her head fall back slightly, her tongue running across her bottom lip before she looked up at Azzi through her lashes. “All of it,” she replied.

Azzi exhaled a short laugh, her eyes flickering with interest. “All of it,” she repeated, as if testing the words on her tongue. She leaned in closer, her lips just barely brushing the shell of Paige’s ear as she spoke. “What if I told you I like being submissive P?”

Paige’s brows raised slightly in surprise, her hands instinctively tightening their grip on Azzi’s. “Do you now?” she asked, her voice filled with curiosity but tinged with amusement.

Azzi pulled back just enough to look Paige in the eyes, her gaze steady. “I do,” she admitted, her voice softer now but still filled with confidence. “But no one’s ever been able to make me submit before.”

Paige’s fingers twitched where they were still holding Azzi’s hands, the slight movement enough to catch Azzi’s attention. Azzi glanced down at their joined hands, a small smile playing on her lips as she lifted them and guided Paige’s hands under her hoodie, placing them firmly on her waist.

The warmth of Azzi’s skin under her palms sent a jolt through Paige, her jaw tightening almost involuntarily. She shifted her hips beneath Azzi, trying to find some semblance of restraint, but the pressure between them only heightened the tension in the room. Their eyes locked, the silence between them speaking volumes as neither of them looked away.

Paige, unable to hold back any longer, tugged Azzi closer by the front of her hoodie, the sudden movement leaving no space between them. Azzi’s lips parted slightly, her eyes flickering with something playful as she whispered, “You want me.”

It wasn’t a question—it was a fact, delivered in that same confident tone Azzi always carried.

Paige chuckled softly, the sound low and rough, her grip tightening on Azzi’s waist. “No, I don’t,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Azzi raised a brow at her, the corners of her lips curling into a smirk. “Right,” she said. “And the sky isn’t blue.”

Paige’s smirk widened as she tilted her head, leaning in slightly, their faces barely inches apart. “You want me,” she countered, her eyes boring into Azzi’s.

Azzi let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “I don’t,” she denied, though her voice betrayed her, softer and less certain than it should’ve been if there was any truth to the words.

Paige’s gaze dropped to Azzi’s lips for a fleeting second before returning to her eyes. “Liar,” she murmured, her hands sliding ever so slightly higher under Azzi’s hoodie, her fingers pressing gently against her ribs.

Azzi swallowed, her breath getting stuck for a moment before she forced herself to smirk again. “Prove it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, the challenge clear in her tone.

Paige considered Azzi’s words for a moment, her eyes flicking between Azzi’s lips and the playful glint in her eyes. “We’ll get in trouble if I do,” Paige said.

Azzi tilted her head, her smile never falling as she leaned down. She stretched out over Paige’s chest, her weight settling comfortably as if she belonged there. Her lips hovered near Paige’s neck now, close enough that Paige could feel the faint brush of her breath.

Azzi didn’t say anything. She just lingered there, her nose grazing the edge of Paige’s jaw as she breathed her in, taking her time like she had all the patience in the world. The warmth of her closeness, the soft scent of her, was enough to send Paige’s pulse racing, her heart pounding so loudly she knew Azzi could feel it.

Neither of them spoke. The silence between them was heavy, but not uncomfortable—an unspoken understanding settling in the air that they went far enough today. Paige’s hands, still resting under Azzi’s hoodie, started to move, her fingers tracing slow, absentminded patterns along the curve of Azzi’s ribs. The light pressure of her touch seemed to ground them both, though Paige’s own heart was far from calm.

Azzi sighed softly, her breath warm against Paige’s neck as she nestled closer, her face burying deeper into the curve of Paige’s neck. Her weight was warm and familiar, her presence something that felt so natural.

The movie played on in the background, long forgotten. The screen’s flickering light painted their quiet moment in soft, shifting shadows, but neither of them noticed. Azzi’s breathing began to slow, her body relaxing fully against Paige’s.

Paige, too, felt herself drifting, the tension she always carried melting away as Azzi pressed into her. Her fingers still moved lightly against Azzi’s ribs, though her motions became lazier, slower, until they stopped altogether.

And just like that, they fell asleep.

…

The sharp flick of the light switch broke the quiet of the morning, alternating between brightness and darkness like a strobe. Paige groaned in protest, her face scrunching up against the sudden intrusion. With a low grumble, she shifted, her arms wrapping tighter around Azzi, who was still lying across her.

Without fully opening her eyes, Paige let out a frustrated huff and shifted their positions, rolling them over so that she was sprawled on top of Azzi. She buried her face in Azzi’s neck now, trying to shield herself from the offensive light.

“Seriously, Isuneh?” Paige muttered, her voice muffled and rough with sleep.

Azzi stirred beneath her, blinking awake slowly at the movement and the flickering light. She shifted, her hands lightly resting on Paige’s back. “What’s going on?” Azzi mumbled, her voice groggy.

Ice leaned casually against the doorframe, a smirk on her face as she flipped the light switch again. “Paige, Kehlani’s here,” she said. “Figured I’d spare you the argument today and come wake you up before I let her in.”

Paige groaned louder at this, her forehead pressing deeper into Azzi’s shoulder. “Turn it off. I don’t care,” she grumbled, her words barely audible.

Azzi’s lips quirked into a sleepy smile, her hand brushing lightly against Paige’s side. “Paige…” she said softly, trying to coax her.

When Ice flicked the light switch one more time for good measure, Paige let out another groan of annoyance, her fingers digging lightly into Azzi’s waist. “You’re dead to me,” she muttered toward Ice, though her face remained firmly hidden.

Azzi chuckled, now fully awake, her hand lazily tracing patterns along Paige’s back. She lifted her head slightly to glance at Ice. “I got it,” she said, her voice still soft and groggy. “Just give me five minutes.”

Ice raised a brow at the scene, the sight of Paige practically plastered to Azzi’s chest. But she said nothing, instead letting out a small laugh as she locked the door before shutting it behind her.

Azzi sighed, leaning her head back against the pillow. She reached for her phone on the nightstand, squinting at the screen. It was still early—way too early for any of this.

“Paige,” Azzi murmured, glancing down at the girl now sprawled across her. Paige didn’t respond, her body still dead weight against Azzi’s as if she had every intention of going back to sleep.

“We’ve got time,” Azzi said gently, her hand sliding up and down Paige’s spine. “Practice isn’t for another hour and a half.”

Paige shifted slightly, her arm tightening around Azzi’s waist as she mumbled something incoherent.

Azzi smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair from Paige’s face. “Go back to sleep grumpy,” she murmured, her voice calm.

Paige grumbled again, adjusting herself one last time, her breath evening out as she settled back into Azzi.

Azzi let her head fall back against the pillow, her fingers continuing to trace lazy patterns along Paige’s back. The warmth of their closeness and the quiet rhythm of Paige’s breathing lulled them both into an easy calm. Just as Azzi predicted, after about five minutes, Paige’s breathing evened out, signaling she’d fallen asleep again.

Azzi sighed softly, glancing down at the girl draped across her. Moving from under Paige without waking her was easier said than done. Every time Azzi shifted even slightly, Paige’s fingers instinctively grabbed at her, like she was tethered to her.

“Of course,” Azzi muttered under her breath, stifling a small laugh.

Finally, with painstaking slowness, Azzi managed to slide from under Paige and get up without disturbing her. She lingered for a moment, her gaze softening as she adjusted the blanket over Paige before grabbing her phone off the desk. Moving quietly, she slipped out of the room and shut the door gently behind her.

The sight in the living room made her stifle a laugh. Ice was leaning over the kitchen counter, her chin propped on her hand, clearly half-asleep. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was only still awake to keep Kehlani from trying to go in the room.

Azzi chuckled, padding over to the counter. “Ice, go back to bed,” she said softly, her tone more amused than anything.

Ice blinked up at her, barely awake. “Oh my god I love you,” she mumbled before trudging off to her room, shutting the door behind her with a lazy swing.

Azzi turned toward the couch, where Kehlani was sitting, her arms crossed as she glanced up at Azzi. Her eyes flickered over Azzi’s frame—the oversized hoodie clearly belonging to Paige, paired with her pajama shorts just barely visible underneath.

Azzi walked toward the door, her steps casual. “You should let her sleep,” she said simply. “We’ve got practice later, and we’re traveling for a game tomorrow. She needs the extra rest.”

Her comment was purely practical, as always—Azzi thinking about Paige’s well-being like she always did. But Kehlani’s expression shifted, the neutrality of her gaze hardening slightly.

“I think I know what my girlfriend needs,” Kehlani said, her tone sharp.

Azzi stopped mid-step, turning slowly to face her. She didn’t say anything at first, just blinked at Kehlani blankly, her expression unreadable.

Kehlani’s posture stiffened, and the silence between them stretched for a moment too long.

Azzi tilted her head slightly, her calm demeanor never faltering. “If you say so,” she finally said, her voice almost dismissive. Then, without waiting for a response, she turned back toward the door.

The tension in the air was unmistakable, but Azzi had no intention of indulging Kehlani’s obvious irritation. Instead, she opened the door quietly and stepped into the hallway, leaving Kehlani sitting there, stewing in her own thoughts.

Azzi sighed as she opened the door to her room, only to freeze when she saw Kali sitting on the edge of her bed, arms crossed and her expression carefully neutral. It wasn’t unusual for Kali to speak her mind, but this was unexpected. Kali wasn’t like Kehlani—clingy and almost possessive. She had her own life and usually didn’t hover. So to find her waiting here now surprised Azzi.

“Hey,” Azzi greeted casually, recovering quickly as she walked toward the bed. She was determined to get at least 30 more minutes of sleep before practice.

Kali didn’t respond right away, just followed Azzi with her eyes as she flopped face-first onto the bed, mumbling into the sheets, “What’s up?”

“Where were you?” Kali asked, her voice calm.

“Fell asleep in Paige’s room watching a movie,” Azzi mumbled, barely lifting her head.

Kali’s tone didn’t change, but her next words were deliberate. “Kehlani texted me at a god forsaken hour. Said I should come ask you about it. Any idea why?”

Azzi let out a short laugh, turning her head just enough to glance at Kali. “I have no idea why that girl does anything she does.”

Kali tilted her head slightly, her expression sharp but not angry. “She thinks there’s something going on between you and Paige. And you know I agree with her.”

Azzi groaned, burying her face back into the pillow. So much for sleep. She pushed herself up on one elbow, her eyes meeting Kali’s. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you—me and Paige aren’t fucking.”

Technically, Azzi wasn’t lying. She and Paige had never had sex. Sure, there was that one truth-or-dare kiss her freshman year, followed by a couple of hazy, alcohol-fueled kisses later that night. But that was years ago, and nothing had happened since then. So when she said it, she meant it.

Kali, however, didn’t seem convinced. “Then why can’t you two back off each other a little? Ease our minds.”

Azzi sighed, sitting up fully now, as she regarded Kali with a steady gaze. “I’m not going to stop being close with Paige,” she said, her tone softening slightly. “Because that’s part of who I am. If that’s a problem, I get it. But I’m not changing that.”

Kali’s expression hardened slightly, her arms crossing over her chest. “How are you ever going to have anything serious with someone if you refuse to change the way you two are together?”

Azzi shrugged. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

What Azzi didn’t say, though, was the truth buried deep in her chest—the truth she never admitted to anyone. She already knew where she’d end up. She knew Paige was the one she’d eventually take seriously. They both knew it, even if they didn’t say it out loud. That was the plan: give themselves time. Time to be young, to experience other people, to live a little before stepping into something that would consume them both.

But Azzi was certain. It would always be Paige.

Kali sighed. “When you said casual girlfriends, you meant it, huh?”

Azzi leaned back against the headboard, her lips quirking up slightly as she hummed in response, offering no further explanation.

Kali got the hint. She stood, smoothing her shirt and offering Azzi a small smile. “Alright. Well, I’ll let you get some sleep.”

“Thanks,” Azzi murmured, already sliding back down under the covers. “I’ll text you later.”

Kali nodded and let herself out, the door clicking shut softly behind her.

Azzi exhaled deeply, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before letting her eyes drift shut.

…

Things like that continued for a while—Paige and Azzi, stuck in each other’s orbit, getting closer with every passing day. Each interaction carried a little more weight, a little more intensity, and each time, it was harder for one of them to back away. Their words were more suggestive now, even in front of others. The team had noticed too, making bets on when the two would finally stop dancing around each other. They’d dubbed it “the finish line,” one night and no one believed it was far off.

Right now, though, Paige, Ice, KK, and Kehlani were crammed in Paige’s car, parked in the lot outside of Crumbl. The car smelled like cookies and laughter filled the small space as they did a “review” of the new flavors on Ice’s TikTok Live.

Ice sat up front next to Paige, her sore knee propped up as she balanced a cookie box on her lap. Kehlani and KK shared the backseat, KK practically bouncing with excitement as she waved around a piece of the new S’mores flavor.

“Ya’ll, this one is insane,” KK yelled, breaking off a piece and leaning forward to shove it toward Paige’s face. “P boogers you gotta try this!”

Paige chuckled, keeping one hand on the wheel even though the car wasn’t moving. “KK, I’m driving. Can you not?”

Ice glanced at her and snorted. “First of all, you’re parked. Plus, the comments are saying you need to give your official take.”

Paige groaned, finally turning toward KK and taking the piece of cookie with an exaggerated eye roll. “Fine. Gimme.”

KK grinned victoriously and leaned forward, scrolling through the TikTok comments. “They’re saying the S’mores one is the best so far, but someone just called the Churro flavor a ‘sleeper hit.’ Thoughts?”

Paige chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. “Okay, yeah, S’mores is cool, but I’m team Churro on this one.”

As Paige finished her sentence, KK’s eyes widened as she leaned toward Ice’s phone. “Azzi’s in the chat!”

Ice immediately perked up, glancing at her phone screen and smirking. “Azzi! Boo! Why didn’t you come with us?” she said, dragging out the words in mock disappointment.

“Lame,” KK added, her voice loud and dramatic. “BOOOOO!”

Paige chuckled, shaking her head. “Yeah, you’re boring, Az. Can’t even show up for cookies?”

Kehlani stayed quiet in the backseat, but her eyes flicked toward Paige, noting the way her tone softened just slightly when she said Azzi’s name.

A moment later, a new comment popped up on the live. Azzi’s verification checkmark made her words stand out, and Ice read them out loud: “I’m not boring, Paige.”

Paige laughed, her eyes lighting up as she leaned closer to Ice’s phone. “Sure you’re not. What’re you doing right now, then?”

KK nudged Ice whispering. “She really out here having a one-on-one convo like the rest of us don’t exist.”

Ice snorted, but Paige ignored them, waiting for Azzi’s next reply. It didn’t take long.

“Just laying down,” Azzi wrote in the chat.

Paige grinned, shaking her head. “See? BORING. What’d I say?”

Another comment quickly popped up: “I’m recovering from practice, Paige. Some of us are human and don’t have unlimited energy.”

“Excuses,” Paige shot back, laughing. “I think you just wanted to miss out on all the good cookies. KK, pass me the Snickerdoodle.���

KK handed Paige the cookie but pointed dramatically at the screen. “Azzi, if you’re seeing this, they’re roasting you in the comments, too. One of them just said, ‘Azzi’s too cool to eat cookies with them.”

Paige tilted her head, reading another comment that Azzi wrote. “I’m not too cool for cookies. But Paige never saves me any, so why bother?”

The live erupted in “oohs” from the chat, and Paige’s jaw dropped. “First of all, I always save you something.”

Azzi’s response popped up almost immediately. “Lies. Where’s my cookie, then?”

Paige rolled her eyes, smirking. “I’ll bring you a cookie later. You’re lucky I’m nice.”

“Only to me,” Azzi wrote.

Ice and KK exchanged a knowing look, both laughing under their breath. Ice leaned forward, resting her elbow on the center console. “Yo, she’s bold for that one.”

KK smirked. “I think they forget this isn’t a private conversation.”

Meanwhile, Kehlani had fully reclined in her seat, scrolling through her phone and making no attempt to engage.

Paige read the comment aloud, her smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “That’s ‘cause you are my favorite person, Az.” Her voice carried that teasing, flirty tone she didn’t bother hiding anymore.

The live chat immediately blew up:

“PAIGE WHAT?!”

“She really said it!”

“This is the content we needed!”

Azzi’s response came almost instantly. “Your favorite person? Then why am I at home while you’re out eating cookies without me?”

Paige laughed, breaking off a piece of the S’mores cookie. “This is for you, Azzi. See?” She held it up to Ice’s phone, angling the camera toward it. “Consider yourself taken care of now.”

KK leaned in dramatically, her mouth hovering near the cookie. “I’m about to eat this for her since she didn’t show up.”

Azzi’s reply was short and direct: “KK, touch it and see what happens.”

Ice practically wheezed, clutching her chest. “Not her threatening people in the live chat.”

Paige tilted her head at the camera, grinning as she scrolled to Azzi’s next message before responding out loud. “Then what do you call this?”

Azzi popped back into the chat: “It’s called keeping people in line for you. You’re welcome.”

Paige shook her head, laughing softly. “See, that’s why you’re my favorite.” Her voice dipped slightly, playful but with an undertone that made KK and Ice share another quick glance.

Azzi replied almost immediately: “Say it louder for the people in the back.” The double not lost on Paige.

Paige leaned a little closer to the camera, her grin widening. “Azzi’s my favorite,” she said, dragging out the words in a teasing tone. “Happy now?”

KK threw her hands up. “Alright, we get it! Paige is Azzi’s biggest fan. Moving on…”

But Paige wasn’t done, and neither was Azzi. The next message from Azzi caught Paige off guard: “You should tell me how much you like me later. Maybe in detail.”

Paige’s eyes flicked down at the screen, her lips twitching as she fought back a smile. “Oh, you want details now?” she said, leaning into the moment. “Like what? Should I write it all down for you?”

Ice and KK immediately burst into laughter, KK pointing at the screen. “Bro, Azzi’s got you blushing on live. This going to be everywhere.”

Paige ignored them, her attention locked on the next comment Azzi sent: “I don’t need it written down. You can just show me.”

Her breath hitched for a moment, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from fully smiling. “Az, we’re on live. Not FaceTime. Chill.”

The chat went into full chaos mode:

“SHOW HER WHAT???”

“Azzi please, we can’t take this!”

“Paige is GONE.”

KK was practically in tears now.

Paige groaned dramatically, finally tearing her eyes away from the screen. “Azzi, I swear. You’re banned from the next live. You’re worse than Ice.”

Azzi’s last comment appeared on the screen: “You love it.”

Paige chuckled, running a hand through her hair. “Alright, next cookie,” she announced, trying to change the subject. But her cheeks were still tinged pink, and the chat wasn’t letting it go anytime soon.

Paige chuckled, running a hand through her hair. “Alright, next cookie,” she announced, trying to change the subject. But her cheeks were still tinged pink, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

Azzi popped back up in the chat: “You’re cute when you blush, P.”

Paige immediately groaned, her face heating up even more. “Azzi, pleaseee,” she said, unable to hide her smile as she glanced at the screen again.

The chat exploded with chaos:

“AZZI STOP, YOU’RE KILLING US.”

“Ole girl in the back is mad.”

“Just kiss already.”

Azzi wasn’t about to let up as another comment popped up. “Only if you come over later,” she wrote.

Paige shook her head, biting her lip to keep from smiling too much. “Azzi, you’re actually the worst,” she replied, but her tone betrayed how much she was enjoying it.

KK chimed in, pointing at the screen. “I don’t know if you're seeing it but they saying you’re on a leash, P boogers.”

Azzi replied: “You don’t seem to mind when I’m ‘the worst.’”

Paige blinked at the screen not even addressing KK, her laugh low. “Azzi…” she warned, but there was no real threat behind it.

Azzi replied back: “What? Just telling the truth. You like me this way.”

Paige leaned back in her seat, covering her face with one hand, fully laughing now. “You’re unbelievable,” she said through her laughter.

Ice, who had been watching this unfold with growing amusement, nudged Paige’s arm. “You gotta fight back, you’re looking weak on live.”

Paige glanced at Ice, shaking her head, but her smile stayed. She turned back to the camera. “I’m not even entertaining her anymore,” she said, though her blushing cheeks said otherwise.

Azzi’s next message popped up: “Yeah, you will. Later.”

Paige pressed her lips together, struggling not to laugh again, but her blush deepened. Before she could respond, Kehlani, sitting quietly in the back, spoke up, her tone dry and serious. “Oh, why stop now? You might as well just FaceTime her at this point. We’re all here for the show anyway.”

The air in the car shifted. Ice and KK exchanged glances, but the laughter that had been flowing just moments ago came to a halt. Kehlani’s words hung in the air, her eyes fixed on her phone as she spoke.

Paige’s smile faltered slightly, sensing the tension in Kehlani’s voice. She quickly shifted in her seat, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. “Kehlani, relax,” Paige said softly, but the underlying unease in her voice didn’t go unnoticed.

Azzi’s final comment popped up in the chat: “Just don’t forget my cookie please.”

The chat exploded again, but the playful vibe was gone now. Paige let out a soft laugh at Azzi’s humor, her blush still lingering, but the mood had shifted. “Alright, new flavor, let’s go,” she announced loudly, trying to shift the focus as the car fell into a quieter tension.

…

When the live ended, Kehlani didn’t hold back. She leaned forward in her seat, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Paige through the rearview mirror. “So you’re just openly flirting with her now?”

Paige’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, her knuckles white as she kept her eyes on the road. KK and Ice sat frozen in their seats struggling not to laugh knowing how this was going to end. Paige didn’t want to have this conversation—not here, not now, and definitely not with an audience.

Taking a steadying breath, Paige glanced at the mirror, careful not to meet Kehlani’s gaze. “We can talk about this when we get back,” she said calmly.

Kehlani scoffed, throwing herself back against the seat and crossing her arms tightly over her chest like a child. “Oh, it'll be a lot more yelling than fucking talking,” she muttered, her voice sharp.

Paige’s jaw tightened, the muscle ticking as she clenched her teeth. She didn’t take her eyes off the road but finally responded, her voice laced with warning. “What did I tell you about doing this in front of people?”

Kehlani let out a bitter laugh, her head tilting slightly as she gestured vaguely toward the car. “Oh, but you can flirt with Azzi in front of three thousand people, huh? That’s perfectly fine?”

Paige’s gaze snapped up to meet Kehlani’s through the rearview mirror, her expression hard. “Stop,” she said simply.

For a moment, Kehlani opened her mouth like she was going to say something else, but the sharp look Paige gave her was enough to make her think twice. She pressed her lips together, the silence in the car growing even more as they continued the drive.

When they returned to campus, Paige immediately headed to her room, hoping to avoid any more conflict. Kehlani followed, slamming the door behind her as she stormed in. The tension between them was thick, the unspoken frustration that had been building for days now ready to spill over.

Kehlani didn't waste any time. “If you want to fuck her, just get it over with so you can get it out of your system,” she snapped, her voice filled with bitterness. Paige’s expression immediately hardened. She had been holding her tongue but had so much pent up frustration she didn’t care anymore.

Paige turned to face her, her eyes narrowing. “Watch your fucking mouth Kehlani,” she said, her voice low and full of warning.

Kehlani sneered, crossing her arms. “Oh, so you have a reaction now? I just have to say something about Azzi to get you to finally react, huh?”

Paige rolled her eyes, exasperated. “You’re being ridiculous. I’m not doing this with you.”

Kehlani scoffed, pacing in frustration. “You’re seriously just gonna keep playing it off? Like nothing’s happening between you two? How long do you think you can keep this up before it blows up in your face?”

Paige stayed leaned against her desk, arms crossed over her chest. Her voice was calm when she replied, “Look, I’ve been upfront with you from the beginning. If you want to walk away, do it. I’m not forcing you to stay. I told you from the start this was casual.”

Kehlani whipped around to face her, her tone sharp. “It’s not even casual anymore, Paige. At least back then we’d fuck or something after we argued!”

Paige let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “Is that what this is about? We don’t fuck anymore?”

Kehlani's jaw tightened, her voice rising with indignation. “Do you even know when the last time we were together was?”

Paige shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed by the question. “Nope. But I’m sure you're going to enlighten me.”

Kehlani stepped closer, her eyes flashing with irritation. “It was after the team went out drinking,” she snapped. “You and Azzi were all over each other all night because you were drunk. And you didn’t even care who saw.”

Paige raised her brows slightly, but she didn’t interrupt.

Kehlani stepped closer, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and frustration. “We argued about it when we got back, and you wanted to shut me up, so you fucked me. That’s the last time, Paige. Do you even care?”

Paige groaned, rubbing her temples. “Lani, I don’t even know what you want me to say right now.”

Kehlani's voice sharpened. “Are you getting it from her now? Is that why?”

Paige let out a long, exasperated sigh. “I’m not fucking Azzi! Jesus Christ!”

Kehlani let out a bitter laugh. “Stop being a coward and admit you want to at least. Just say it.”

Paige froze for a moment, her patience finally snapping. She straightened up, her eyes locking with Kehlani’s. “Alright. Fine. I wanna fuck Azzi. Is that what you wanna hear?”

Kehlani blinked, momentarily stunned but unwilling to back down. “Say it again, Paige. Say it like you fucking mean it.”

Paige scoffed, shaking her head. “You’re fucking crashing right now bro.”

But Kehlani stood firm like she always does, crossing her arms. “No, Paige. Say it. Don’t half-ass it. I want to hear you say it.”

Paige’s frustration boiled over, and her voice rose as she snapped. “Yes, I want to fuck Azzi! I want to fuck her every time I look at her!”

Kehlani raised an eyebrow, unmoved. “Keep going.”

“What?” Paige snapped, incredulous.

“You’ve been a coward this whole time. You finally grew a spine—don’t stop now. Keep going. What else?” Kehlani’s voice dripped with venom.

Paige leaned forward, her voice escalating, almost shouting now as she spoke her mind but wanted to shut Kehlani up in the process. “I think about doing the nastiest shit you can imagine to her, okay? Is that what you’re deranged ass wanted to hear? Is that good enough for you now?”

Kehlani smirked, clapping her hands together slowly, the sound cutting through the tension. “Fucking finally. There it is. At least now we’re finally being honest.”

Paige glared at her. “Fuck you, Kehlani,” she spat.

Kehlani snorted, shaking her head as she turned toward the door. “Nah, Paige. You’re saving that for Azzi, right?”

Ironically, as the words left her mouth, the door swung open, and Azzi walked in, her eyebrows furrowing at the scene in front of her.

Kehlani chuckled darkly, shaking her head as if the situation was some cruel joke she was in on.

Azzi’s gaze bounced between the two of them, her tone cautious as she took in Paige’s demeanor. “Uh... should I go P?”

Paige’s entire demeanor shifted the second she saw Azzi, the hard edges of her anger softening, though her tension was still noticeable. “No, Az,” she said quietly, her voice noticeably softer. “It’s fine. We’re done.”

Kehlani scoffed, her laugh sharp and bitter. “Oh no we’re not done, but you should stay,” she said, gesturing to the room. “Come enjoy the show. Paige was just telling me all about how much she thinks about fucking you. Weren’t you, Paige?”

Azzi didn’t flinch. Her expression tightened as she looked at Kehlani, but there was no shock in her eyes.

Paige didn’t say anything, her jaw tightening.

Kehlani wasn’t done, stepping closer, her arms crossed as her voice dripped with sarcasm. “What? Too shy to say it now? You weren’t shy five minutes ago. Go ahead, Paige. Tell her.”

Paige’s eyes darkened as her patience snapped. “Kehlani, shut the fuck up.”

Kehlani laughed coldly, tilting her head. “What, you can’t tell her? Can’t tell her how you were just talking about all the nasty shit you want to do to her? Go on, Paige. Please don’t stop now.”

Paige took a step forward, her voice low. “We’re done, Kehlani. Get the hell out.”

Kehlani stared at her for a moment, a cruel smirk tugging at her lips before she turned to Azzi. “Just a warning,” she said, her voice light but toxic. “She gets a little rough when she’s upset.”

With that, she walked out, the door clicking shut behind her, leaving an almost deafening silence in her wake.

Azzi stayed rooted in place, her eyes locked on Paige, who was visibly trying to hold herself together, her shoulders tense and her jaw clenched. Azzi’s brow furrowed in concern as she cautiously stepped closer. She reached out, her fingers brushing against Paige’s hand as if to ground her. “Paige,” she said gently, “Talk to me. What’s going on in your head right now?”

Paige took a deep breath, the sound shaky as she stared at the floor for a moment. Then she met Azzi’s gaze, her eyes were dark with a look Azzi hadn’t seen before. “Az, you need to leave,” Paige said, her voice low and rough. “If you don’t, I’m going to do something we’ll regret.”

It wasn’t a plea; it was a warning.

The air between them grew heavier, the tension almost suffocating. Paige’s frustration and anger were palpable—every argument with Kehlani, every unresolved feeling about Azzi, every ounce of sexual tension she’d been bottling up for weeks—it all felt like it was seconds away from exploding. She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t breathe.

But Azzi didn’t step back. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into the faintest hint of a smile. “Do it then,” she said softly, her voice carrying a challenge she hadn’t fully thought through.

The second the words left her mouth, Azzi realized she should’ve thought about it a little more.

But Paige’s reaction was immediate, almost primal. Her hand shot up, wrapping firmly around Azzi’s neck as she pushed her back against the wall with a force that sent a picture frame rattling. Azzi gasped softly, her wide eyes searching Paige’s for a split second before Paige leaned in, her lips crashing against hers in a kiss that was rough, hungry, and completely consuming.

Azzi’s initial surprise melted into something deeper, her body responding instinctively as her hands grabbed at Paige’s waist, pulling her closer. Paige’s grip on Azzi’s neck tightened as she deepened the kiss, her desire building as she couldn’t get enough of Azzi. Each brush of their lips, each shift in their embrace sent a pulse of heat through Paige’s body. She was losing herself in the moment, in the touch, in the taste of Azzi.

The kiss wasn’t gentle or careful—it was unapologetically passionate. It was everything they had been holding back for years, all the longing, all the frustration, all the stolen moments finally manifesting. Azzi could feel Paige’s hunger, the intensity in every movement. She could feel Paige’s breath against her skin, could feel the heat in her hand as it gripped her neck, holding her in place with a possessive energy that sent shivers down Azzi’s spine.

Azzi’s hands squeezed Paige’s hips, urging her closer, pulling her against the heat of her body. She loved the way Paige’s fingers tightened around her neck, the way Paige’s body moved against hers with a sense of urgency, as though they were both starving. The aggression, the way Paige was pushing her into the wall—it felt exhilarating, freeing. Azzi had always known Paige had it in her, but now that it was happening, she could hardly believe it.

The world outside the room, outside this moment, ceased to exist. It was just them. Paige’s hand, warm and possessive around her neck, the way she kissed Azzi like she was afraid she might disappear if she didn’t hold on tight enough—Azzi was completely intoxicated by it. She wanted more, needed more, and with every passing second she was reminded that this was everything they’d been denying for so long.

Paige’s breath hitched as she pulled Azzi’s hair roughly, exposing more of her neck. Azzi gasped at the feeling, a mix of surprise and excitement flashing in her eyes. Paige’s grip tightened on Azzi’s hair, pushing her head back more as she traced her lips down the sensitive skin of Azzi’s neck.

Paige's lips were messy, marking every inch of her neck. She could feel the heat radiating off Azzi’s body as she kissed her harder, deeper, moving against her with an intensity neither of them had expected for their first time. When she pulled back for a moment, her voice was rough, the question slipping out without a second thought.

“You aren’t cheating, right?” Paige asked.

Azzi nodded quickly, her hands grabbing at Paige’s, urging her back to her neck. “No," she whispered, "I’m not.”

Azzi’s words were barely heard before Paige tugged harder on her hair, guiding her back, her lips attacking Azzi’s neck again. Paige’s hands gripped Azzi’s body tighter, not letting go, as if marking every inch of her skin as her own.

Azzi melted into it, her body arching toward Paige’s, having craved the roughness for so long, the need that was building between them.

Before Azzi could even process what was happening, Paige’s hands were at the back of her thighs, lifting her effortlessly off the ground. The strength in Paige’s grip made Azzi's heart race, and she couldn’t help but feel a rush of pride that Paige’s athleticism was coming into play at the moment. She wrapped her legs around Paige’s waist instinctively, pulling her closer, the kiss deepening as Paige’s hands roamed over her butt with desperation.

Azzi could feel everything building, the need between them undeniable. Paige didn’t pause, didn't even hesitate, as she walked them over to the desk. Azzi’s breath hitched when she felt the edge of the desk press against the backs of her thighs, and Paige, without breaking the kiss, placed her gently yet firmly on top of it knocking a few things over as she did so.

Azzi gasped, her hands grabbing at Paige’s shoulders to steady herself. She didn’t know what was more exciting—the feeling of Paige’s body pressed against hers, the heat radiating between them, or the way she was being handled.

Paige pulled back slightly, her gaze dark, filled with an intensity Azzi had never witnessed before. Azzi was breathless, her body humming, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she looked up at Paige, waiting for whatever came next.

Paige’s eyes never left Azzi’s as she spoke. “Take off your shirt.”

There was something in the way Paige said it—something possessive and undeniably intense—that made Azzi swallow hard. She felt the weight of the command settle into her chest, her heart hammering in her ears as her breath caught.

Without hesitation, Azzi pulled her shirt over her head, feeling a shiver run through her as she caught Paige’s gaze, the hunger in her usual soft blue eyes making her pulse quicken. Azzi knew it was different now. This wasn’t the teasing, the slow build-up. This was something primal and she was willingly volunteering herself for it.

She let the fabric fall to the floor, her hands shaking slightly but not from fear—more from the anticipation. Every muscle in her body was tuned to Paige, waiting for her next move, her next command. In that moment, she didn’t want anything more than to be exactly what Paige wanted.

Paige's hands moved quickly, pulling Azzi's hips forward just enough so she could stand between her legs, their bodies barely apart but still aching for more.

Without warning, Paige grabbed Azzi by the neck, her grip firm, pulling her into another kiss that was desperate and unrestrained. The urgency in the kiss was undeniable, a silent plea for release as Paige's body pressed into Azzi's. Paige was fighting to control herself, to not be aggressive as she could be, but the tension inside her was too much-every muscle, every nerve, was on fire with the need to close the gap between them.

Her lips moved hungrily against Azzi's, breathing in the taste of her like it was the only thing that could calm the desperate ache inside. Paige's hands gripped Azzi's sides, her fingers digging in as if she might never let go, as if this moment was the only thing that mattered. Their breaths mingled, heavy and fast, as Paige pressed closer, her chest brushing against Azzi's, the heat between them only amplifying the intensity of the kiss.

Azzi's hands slid to the back of Paige's neck, pulling her deeper, her body arching toward Paige's.

Paige yanked Azzi's head back again, her grip tight as she started to assault Azzi’s neck again. The raw tension between them was undeniable. But then, Azzi let out a soft moan at the feeling, a sound that was so sudden, so unfiltered, that it stopped Paige in her tracks.

It wasn't just a sound. It was a plea, a release that vibrated through the space between them, and when it escaped Azzi's lips, it shattered Paige's control. The way it rang in the air, the desperate vulnerability in it. Paige's jaw tightened, her whole body going rigid.

She pulled back quickly, struggling to catch her breath. Paige clenched her jaw desperately trying to hold on to whatever semblance of self control she had left. But she was failing. Without a word, she turned away, her steps almost urgent as she walked toward the closet.

"Take everything off," Paige's voice was rough.

Paige reached into the closet, her fingers brushing over a few bags, before pulling out a sealed box that she began taking to plastic off of.

Azzi didn't hesitate. She undressed quickly, following Paige's command without a second thought. Every movement was fluid, driven by a mix of anticipation and the sharp heat that still pulsed between them.

As soon as she was bare, she walked over to the desk, sitting back on it, the cool surface pressing against her skin, contrasting with the heat radiating off of her.

She watched Paige intently, her eyes tracing every movement as Paige got completely undressed before stepping into a harness and adjusting it.

Paige's every action was deliberate, her fingers brushing against the fabric, pulling at it slowly to make sure everything was in place as her eyes raked over Azzi’s body as she did it.

Something about the sight has more pooling between Azzi’s legs. Paige is scarily calm right now which terrifies and excites Azzi at the same time.

As Paige walked toward Azzi slowly, her gaze never left brown eyes. When she reached her, she leaned in just enough to let her voice drop low. "You wanna feel me, Az?" Her words were a tease, full of promise, and the way they hung in the air made Azzi's heart skip.

Azzi nodded, almost too quickly, her throat suddenly dry. She didn't trust herself to speak—her body ached with a need for Paige and Paige only.

Paige's lips curved into a smile as she reached up, brushing her thumb across Azzi's lip. The touch was soft and gentle, yet somehow possessive, and without thinking, Azzi parted her lips and took it into her mouth.

She sucked it in slowly, her eyes never leaving Paige's as she swirled her tongue, feeling the heat of Paige's gaze searing her skin.

Paige watched her intently, savoring the sight, before sliding her thumb out of Azzi's mouth. She dragged it slowly down her jaw, the pads of her fingers tracing lightly across her skin before finally resting at Azzis center where she began to trace small agonizingly slow circles against Azzi.

Azzi's breath hitched, her jaw tightening as the circles only further deepened the ache in her stomach. Each movement, each second that passed, stretched the tension unbearably, the pressure building in her chest. The way Paige took her time, making every second feel like an eternity, had Azzi biting down on her lip to keep from reacting too loudly.

Paige's thumb circled lazily along Azzi's center, her touch soft. She was watching closely for every little reaction: the sharp, ragged inhale, the subtle tremor in Azzi's body, the way her lips would part as she tried to hold in the sounds threatening to slip out. Each moment, each subtle movement, felt like an eternity as she pieced together what Azzi loved like it was the easiest puzzle in the world.

Azzi's breath caught as Paige pushed against her a little harder, her eyes fluttering closed involuntarily. Paige's eyes darkened as she saw the way Azzi tried to bite down harder, a silent battle the girl was having to remain quiet for some reason. Paige couldn't help but chuckle a little at this.

"You know it's not going to matter in a few minutes, right?" Paige's voice was calm as she said it, but there was a bit of an edge to it, a silent promise to Azzi that she wouldn’t be able to stay quiet even if she tried. Still, she continued her slow, torturous circles, watching for the breaking point.

Azzi opened her glossed over eyes, meeting Paige's gaze. Her voice was barely a whisper, but there was a challenge to it. "You like to hear it?"

Paige nodded, her breath shallow. "Of course." The simple words hung in the air, full of desire.

It was as if Azzi had been holding her breath, saving it for this exact moment. Not two seconds later, the sound escaped her lips-a soft, almost angelic moan. The sound was almost too beautiful for how quiet it was.

It was enough for Paige to not want to wait anymore wanting to hear so much more spill from Azzi’s lips.

So she swipes the top of the strap against Azzi a few times to make sure she’s ready for it before she’s pressing forward, sliding in halfway before pausing to make sure she’s ok and giving her some time to adjust.

“Oh fuck-“ Azzi immediately gasps at the feeling pulling Paige’s closer to her by her shoulders.

Leaning over her a little now Paige begins slowly rolling her hips careful not to go in all the way yet.

Paige mumbles against Azzi’s neck where she’s planting kisses and sucking on the already marked skin. “Does that feel good pretty?” As Paige says this her fingers tangle in Azzi’s hair tugging at it to expose more of her neck as she continues working in and out of her.

“Mhmm yes—feels…feels so fucking good. Oh fuck.” Azzi’s face twists slightly as Paige pushes all the way in hitting somewhere deep in her stomach.

Paige reaches down with her free hand to rub circles against Azzi again as she picks up the pace of her hips.

With every movement, Azzi whimpers. The breathy noises music to Paige’s ears, urging her on. Paige pushes Azzi’s legs further apart, eventually making her wrap her legs around her waist as the new position allows her to work deeper into Azzi.

Azzi who’s never felt anything like this whimpers out “Fuck yes…gimme more Paige…harder please baby” her moans getting louder as she grasps at the shelf behind her trying to find anything to anchor herself.

Paige immediately obliges to the request grabbing Azzi’s waist pulling her into her more as she works in and out of her at a faster pace.

Azzi smiles at this for a second before her jaw drops as she fights to keep her eyes locked on Paige.

Paige feels like she can come undone just by the look on Azzi’s face. The way her brown eyes are locked on Paige’s blue ones, struggling to keep her breath makes Paige fall in love with her all over again.

Paige moves herself closer to Azzi so she can whisper in her ear. “Mhm you so fucking pretty taking it like this baby...you like it when I fuck you like this Azzi?”

"Yes- fuck... Yes I love it so much—" Azzi’s arms wrap around Paige’s shoulders, her nails digging into her pale skin as the blonde moves into her at an unreasonable pace making her see stars.

Paige groans at the feeling of Azzi’s nails digging into her as she rests her forehead on her shoulder.

Azzi continues gasping, her breathing sharp as she tightens her hold on Paige anchoring herself to something real. Her chest rising and falling in quick succession, pulse hammering in her ears, drowning out everything but the feeling of Paige inside her.

"Shit…I've wanted this for so long," Azzi whispered, her voice trembling.

Paige pulled back from Azzi’s shoulder to rest their foreheads together. Their breaths mingled, hot and unsteady, as they locked eyes, both panting at Paige’s movements.

Paige's lips curled into a slow smile, her voice low and a little breathy, laced with a possessiveness that makes Azzi weak. "Tell me what you mean, baby."

Azzi's heart fluttered at the sound of Paige’s voice. Her entire body seemed to hum with the weight of the question. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering the fragments of herself, feeling her body continue to pulse at Paige who hasn’t slowed down for a second. Her hands move to Paige's face, fingers trembling as they cup her jaw, bringing her closer, as if she couldn't get enough of the warmth, of the weight of Paige's presence.

"I've wanted you to fuck me just like this," Azzi panted, the words spilling out in a rush. “Touched myself thinking about how you would feel.” Her grip tightened, nails gently grazing Paige's skin who has slowed her movements easing all of it in and out at a steady pace.

Paige's smile deepened as she looked at Azzi, her voice dripping with something almost dangerous, like she knew exactly what Azzi needed. "It's all mine, baby?" Her lips barely moved as she whispered them.

Azzi's breath hitched, her whole body answering the question before her words could as she felt something pool on the desk under her.

She nodded, forehead pressing against Paige's, her eyes rolling back as she gave in to the overwhelming flood of emotions.

"Use your words for me, baby," Paige murmured, a soft pressure against Azzi's jaw, urging her, coaxing the confession out.

Azzi swallowed hard, her pulse thrumming in her throat, before she finally gave in to the truth of it all, letting it tumble out in a breathless confession. "It's yours, Paige. Fuck yes, it's all yours baby."

Azzi's hands are steady on Paige's face, her fingers tracing the soft line of her jaw. The heat radiating between them is undeniable now, but it's not just physical-it's everything they've been holding back. Azzi’s legs are still wrapped around Paige’s waist, their bodies pressed together, the only space between them the shared breaths that are only becoming more ragged.

The world outside them has faded completely. All that's left is the sound of their hearts racing, the intensity of their eyes locked in a silent battle. But Azzi can feel it. She can feel Paige's jaw tighten under her fingers, feel Paige's slight hesitation to speak.

"Say it, baby," Azzi breathes out, voice rough, pleading. The words hang between them, as she dares Paige to cross the line they've been dancing around for so long. The unspoken truth that neither has allowed themselves to fully acknowledge-until now.

Paige's jaw tightens more, her mind fighting against the pull of the confession. She knows, deep down, that once she says the words, there's no taking them back. No turning away from what it means. Her eyes search Azzi's, a mix of fear, longing, and something else-something so much deeper. Azzi's brown eyes are full of hope, desperation, and a promise.

Azzi leans in closer, her breath catching in her throat. "Please... Paige..." she whimpers, as though the words might shatter if she says them too loud. "Say it. Please. I need to hear it baby.”

For a heartbeat, Paige hesitates. But having Azzi like this completely bare for her taking everything she’s giving her makes something stir in Paige. The fear, the uncertainty, melts away. She licks her lips slowly, never breaking Azzi's gaze, and the words come out like a release, a truth finally allowed to breathe.

"I love you, Azzi," Paige whispers, keeping her voice low. "I fucking love you." Paige says again as she rolls her hips into Azzi perfectly. The words feel almost foreign on her tongue, but they taste right. They feel like everything she's been holding back for so long, all the quiet moments, the stolen glances, the touch that said more than words ever could.

Azzi's breath hitches, her eyes going wide not just from the feeling of Paige hitting deep inside of her but from hearing those words fall from her lips for the first time the combination of them both leaving her breathless.

She can barely hold back the rush of emotion that crashes over her. "I love you so fucking much, Paige," she murmurs, her voice breaking on the edge of the confession. It's everything she's wanted to say to Paige since they were teenagers.

Azzi's fingers trace Paige's face gently, her heart pounding as if it might burst from her chest. "I love you," she whispers again, this time, the words are like a devotion to Paige.

Paige presses her forehead to Azzi's, her lips just inches away, her breath mingling with Azzi's. She could lose herself in this moment forever. "I love you so much Azzi," she breathes, her voice full of everything she's kept locked away.

Paige can feel herself building at Azzi’s words, the weight of the moment, the way the harness was rubbing against her. She doesn’t think she’s ever felt this turned on before, she’s never felt this pull in her stomach from just fucking somebody else.

Before Paige embarrassingly comes undone before Azzi she’s pulling out completely causing Azzi to immediately whine at the feeling as she looks up at Paige with desperation.

Paige didn’t give Azzi a chance to say anything before she was lifting her off the desk.

Without missing a beat, Paige walks over and gently lays Azzi down on her back on the bed hovering over her as she locks eyes with her.

Paige whispers out. “Wanna feel all of you when you finish for me.”

Azzi hums at this, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she looks at Paige. Her fingers threading through Paige’s messy hair.

Without saying anything Paige presses back inside of Azzi completely making her arch off of the bed letting out an almost pornographic sound. Paige leans down pressing sloppy kisses to Azzi’s chest leaving new marks further down as she starts rolling her hips into her again.

Azzi’s mouth falls open at the feeling, her body picking up right where it left off a few seconds ago. Paige’s eyes hold Azzi’s as she wraps her hand around her throat again squeezing just tight enough causing a whimper to fall from Azzi as she flutters her eyes closed at the way Paige is controlling the situation.

Not liking that she can’t see Azzi’s eyes anymore Paige whispers out “Look at me Azzi baby.”

Azzi's eyes immediately flutter open, the command in Paige's voice making her head spin. Her gaze locks onto Paige's, but her vision is hazy, her eyes watering at the spot Paige is hitting over and over.

Paige smiles, it’s a knowing grin, as if she knows exactly what she’s doing to Azzi and she shakes her head as if to tell Azzi it's not time to break yet.

"No, not yet sweetheart," Paige murmurs, her fingers tightened against Azzi's throat like a warning.

Azzi's throat tightens as she tries to speak to break the tension, but her voice falters.

She shifts beneath Paige, her head trying to turn to the side, desperate for some escape from the intensity of the moment. But before she can move too far Paige tightens her hold to keep her in place.

"Don’t look away from me when i’m talking to you Azzi” Paige's voice is calm, but there's an edge to it now, making Azzi's breath hitch in her throat as she nods.

At this Paige takes her hand off of Azzi throat and moves it down to her stomach where she presses down slightly feeling every thrust.

Azzi immediately moans at the pressure as she locks her ankles around Paige’s back not allowing any room between them.

"Mm- fuck, Paige. I’m so close. Don’t stop���please, don't stop just like that." Words are just tumbling out of Azzi now as she wraps her arms around Paige’s shoulder holding her against her completely as Paige picks up her pace to something almost ruthless.

Azzi’s hand immediately tangles in her hair trying to pull Paige closer as she sucks on her pressure point.

Paige brings her hand up, carefully interlocking it with one of Azzi's that isn’t tangled in her hair, her breath warm against Azzi's neck as she mumbles, "I'm so close, baby." Azzi nods in response not able to form a words, her legs tightening around Paige's waist, pulling her even closer.

All that leaves Azzi’s lips are whimpers and moans as Paige moves into her. Paige keeps her pace until Azzi’s body starts to tremble under her and she feels the movements get a little harder as Azzi tightens.

“Ohmygodohmygod…fuck..fuck” Azzi screams her fingers tightening in Paige’s hair as she releases all over the sheets. Paige squeezes their interlaced hands as she keeps moving, still chasing her own release, mumbling out, “Hold on baby I’m right there.”

Despite her sensitivity Azzi presses her heels into Paige’s back pulling her closer and not long after Paige is groaning out a “oh shit..fuck Az..fuckfuck” before she’s slumping on top of Azzi.

The room is filled with the sound of their breathing, both of them lying there, skin still warm and sticky, bodies tangled together in the aftermath. For a moment, neither of them moved, as if both of them were trying to process the intensity of what had just happened. It was different, undeniably so. Different than any other time with anyone else. This wasn’t just physical.

After some time of laying there, Paige shifted slightly, her lips brushing against Azzi’s shoulder. “Imma pull out now, okay?” she murmured, her voice soft and low.

Azzi’s hands shot up to grab Paige’s shoulders, halting her immediately. Paige froze, lifting her head to meet Azzi’s gaze. There was something almost pleading in her eyes, a vulnerability Paige hadn’t seen before.

“Not yet,” Azzi whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

Paige smiles as she gazes down at her. “Can you keep going?” she asked, her tone laced with both amusement and awe.

Azzi nodded, her breath catching as her hands slid down Paige’s back. “Yeah,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing. “I just... I don’t want this to end yet.”

Paige chuckled softly, leaning down to press a lingering kiss to Azzi’s lips. “You’re something else, Az,” she said against her mouth, her voice warm.

Azzi smirked faintly, her hands curling into Paige’s skin. “Yeah, and you love it,” she shot back, though her voice trembled slightly when Paige adjusted her hips.

Paige didn’t deny it. Instead, she shifted, one of her hands trailing slowly down Azzi’s side. “Alright,” Paige murmured, her lips grazing Azzi’s jaw before trailing down to her neck again. “Guess I better make it worth your while.”

Azzi’s laugh turned into a quiet gasp as Paige started to move again, her hands gripping Azzi's hips as she eased her back into it. But then Azzi couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped her, the sound muffled behind her hand. Paige paused slightly, raising a brow.

“What’s funny?” Paige asked, her voice low, breath still hot against Azzi’s neck.

Azzi shook her head, though the grin on her face betrayed her amusement. “It’s just—” she laughed softly again, tilting her head back slightly to meet Paige’s curious eyes. “Your cross necklace. It’s just... dangling there. Right in my face.”

Paige looked down and noticed the small silver cross swaying between them. She couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her. “Yeah, that’s probably not the vibe right now,” she muttered.

Azzi smirked, clearly enjoying the irony. “It’s definitely a choice,” she teased, her breath hitching as Paige’s fingers tightened against her skin.

“Alright,” Paige said, grinning as she moved her hand to Azzi’s chin, tilting her head slightly. “How about I fix that for you?”

Before Azzi could respond, Paige pulled out and flipped her over with an effortless motion, Azzi’s stomach now against the bed. Paige hovered over her, her cross now out of Azzi’s sight. Paige leaned down, her lips brushing against Azzi’s ear. “Better?”

Azzi swallowed hard, her smirk faltering as Paige’s hand slid back to her waist. “Yeah,” she breathed, her voice suddenly softer. “Much better.”

Paige chuckled, her lips trailing slowly down Azzi’s jaw. “Good,” she murmured. “Now stop laughing and focus, Az.”

Azzi smiled faintly, but her next laugh dissolved into a sharp inhale as Paige reminded her exactly what kind of focus she meant.

…

Later that night, Paige and Azzi lay side by side, their shoulders brushing, hands intertwined as the quiet of the room settled around them. The adrenaline had long worn off, leaving them in a haze of warmth and exhaustion.

Azzi let out a soft laugh, her thumb brushing over the back of Paige’s hand. “I need a shower,” she murmured, breaking the silence.

Paige’s eyes were half-closed, her voice barely above a mumble as she replied, “Same.”

Azzi turned her head slightly, glancing at Paige with a teasing smile. “You’re actually disgusting,” she joked.

Paige cracked one eye open, the corner of her mouth twitching into a lazy grin. “You loved it,” she fired back, her voice low and raspy but filled with clear amusement.

Azzi laughed again. “Unfortunately,” she said, shaking her head dramatically, “you might be right.”

Paige gave a low chuckle, squeezing Azzi’s hand gently. “Might be? C’mon, Az. Own it.”

Azzi rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips. “Fine. I loved it. Happy?”

“Very,” Paige murmured, her voice already trailing off into something quieter as her head tilted toward Azzi’s.

They stayed like that for a while, the silence between them comfortable, the warmth of their connection lingering in the air. Paige stared up at the ceiling, her breathing finally even as her thumb absently traced circles against the back of Azzi’s hand.

“Wait,” Paige started, her voice soft but curious. “What happened to Kali?”

Azzi, who was half-drifting into sleep, let out a quiet laugh. “She was sitting next to me when you were on live,” she said simply, her tone amused.

Paige chuckled, shaking her head as she glanced over at Azzi. “Yeah, that tracks.”

Azzi gave Paige’s hand another squeeze, her voice softer now, as though she didn’t want to disturb the moment too much. “So?” she asked, her words a quiet nudge, a question hanging between them.

Paige turned her head to look at her, her expression calm. “So,” she echoed, meeting Azzi’s eyes. “I love you, and you love me.” She paused, her lips twitching into a faint smile. “So… we’re going to do this?”

Azzi studied her for a beat, her own smile forming slowly but surely. She nodded, her gaze steady. “Yeah, I think we are.”

Paige’s lips curved fully now, her hand tightening slightly around Azzi’s. “Yeah. I think so too.”

Azzi’s smile grew wider at that, something soft and unspoken passing between them as she shifted a little closer, her shoulder brushing Paige’s. “Good,” she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper.

…

When Paige and Azzi finally mustered the energy to get up and head to the shower, they didn’t expect to be greeted by half the team. Unfortunately for them, the door opened just as KK, Aubrey, and Jana barged in, looking for snacks or whatever excuse they’d come up with to snoop once Paige and Azzi gave signs of life in the team group chat suspiciously at the same time.

The room fell silent for a split second before KK’s jaw dropped dramatically. “Girl, boo! Y’all were supposed to wait one more week!” she yelled, throwing her hands up like they had committed some unforgivable betrayal.

Meanwhile, Aubrey punched the air in celebration. “Let’s gooo! I told y’all!”

Paige groaned, scrubbing her hand down her face. “You bet on us?” she asked, her voice exasperated but not surprised.

Aubrey grinned, shameless. “Of course we did! Do you know how obvious y’all have been? And I knew I’d win..”

Jana, always the blunt one, crossed her arms and looked between Paige and Azzi. “Y’all are gross,” she said, though the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her words. “Like, really. You couldn’t wait even a little longer?”

Paige rolled her eyes, leaning against the doorframe. “Y’all done?”

Azzi, on the other hand, was struggling to keep her laughter at bay as she wrapped an arm around Paige’s waist. “Alright, out. We have a shower to get to, and unlike y’all, we don’t have bet debts to settle.”

KK smirked, raising a brow. “A shower, huh? Together?”

Paige pointed toward the door, her expression flat. “Goodbye, KK.”

Laughing, the group finally started to file out, with Aubrey grinning at Paige on her way out. “Congrats, by the way. About time y’all stopped torturing yourselves.”

As the door clicked shut behind them, Paige let out a long sigh, her head dropping to Azzi’s shoulder. “I swear, I’m not leaving this room for a week.”

Azzi chuckled, pressing a kiss to the side of Paige’s head. “It’s gonna take more than a week for all this to go away.”

[compress1repress]

can we get reader who is bffs/fwb with tashi, who gets dragged to the hotel by tashi saying she’ll feel safer with her there! the boys are hot anyway, and there’s two of them. and the rest is history??🥰🥰 maybe texting and fic if possible?? love u!!

hiii sorry for this I'm honestly not sure if this is good 😭 i haven't done x reader in a while but i did love this idea <3 inserting yourself in the hotel scene yayy, and being homoerotic bffs with tashi.. yayyy

reader x tashi x art x patrick

this part is barely text fic so i have a quick part two that's full text fic, it's these four but established relationship version -> [part 2]

cw: mature content, no full smut but slightly nsfw, 4k words

It was complicated. Tashi was complicated. You were best friends. You were more than that. It's not particularly surprising that you're sort of in love with her. Even if you weren't definitely and extremely bisexual, it would probably be impossible to ignore the magnetic pull towards Tashi.

She's beautiful, the kind of beautiful that really shouldn't be allowed. She's also talented, once in a lifetime talented. But everyone knows these things. They don't know the Tashi that you've become intertwined with.

She's a sore loser, maybe because she rarely ever loses. For some reason you find it endearing, when she starts sulking during monopoly, glaring at everyone as if she'll kill them once she goes bankrupt.

You've caught her cheating at monopoly before, hiding fake money, tucking it under her thighs. Not that you were staring at her thighs. When she saw you notice she'd given this look like 'so what'. You'd just smiled, immediately cracking her as she smiled back.

It was special, when you got to share things with Tashi. When she was throwing daggers at everyone else and you got to have that secret knowing smirk. You ended up helping her cheat, slipping money under her legs, knuckles grazing at the warm of skin.

That was another thing. People thought Tashi was cold. They had no idea.

She ran hot. At sleepovers you used to pretend to shiver so that she'd help you warm up. The shivering never worked, not on its own. She always made you ask for it. She was mean like that, not letting you hide behind anything. You always ended up asking, and she always ended up wrapped around you. She was kind like that, sharing her body heat.

The best thing about Tashi was how perceptive she is. It was also the worst. It made for good tennis, perhaps that's where she honed her skill, she always knew people's weaknesses. Their strengths too. When Tashi gave a compliment you knew it was real.

It was part of how they became friends, on the same highschool tennis team. Mainly it was that you were the only one Tashi could even properly play with. She always won. But it took longer with you, and you could bring out this state in her, the one where she loses herself in it.

That was what started it, her pulling you aside saying 'you're pretty good'. You flushed, and the more you got to know her the more you knew how much she meant it. That's what made it so difficult, so confusing after things got weird at that party.

It was a stupid highschool affair, someone turning 18. You weren't drunk, couldn't be because you and Tashi just had one beer to share between you. Still, you felt tipsy, placebo effect or not. Tashi was relaxed too, playing with a bead at the end of your braid, letting you rest your head on her shoulder. Both sat on a couch just observing the room.

"You know, I think you might be the only person here that isn't fucking boring," Tashi had said out of nowhere.

"You're my favourite person," you'd said back. You and Tashi essentially saying the same thing to eachother, just in different ways.

You both knew it.

Tashi had given you a soft smile, the one she saved for special occasions, and maybe you had technically started it, but it had been an accident. You wanted to give her a kiss on the cheek, something to express how glad you were to have Tashi.

You were tipsy, or just clumsy, or your barely buried subconscious desire was too close to the surface. You ended up at her jaw, just below her ear lobe, pressing your lips there for a moment. It was quick, it was nothing. You expected her to snort, make a comment like 'how are you this drunk from half a beer?'

Instead, Tashi's breath hitched, barely audible but you heard it. The hand playing with your braid gently pulled, and Tashi tilted her head ever so slightly, more of her long neck on display. You remember short circuiting, just thinking: Oh my God.

You followed the suggestion, your head lowering. You had licked your lips, pressing another kiss against her, this time properly on her neck, you felt her pulse thrumming at your lips. She was excited. Or, fuck, was Tashi nervous.

As you pulled off there was a damp mark where your lips had been, and something possessed you to blow at it. Tashi shivered. It had set you on fire, that you'd elicited this full body reaction in her. Then she'd looked at you again, eyebrows furrowed like she was trying to figure something out.

She'd grabbed your hand pulling you up off the couch, not saying a word as she dragged you to the upstairs bathroom. It was thankfully empty, Tashi shoving you inside with her and locking the door.

She pressed herself against it, bringing you close against her. You had stared, just for a moment before she reached a hand to the back of your head pulling you against her neck again.

You did the same as before, pressing kisses at her jawline then down her neck, careful not to suck and leave a mark. She was breathing out but nothing like that full body reaction from before. You turned it up a notch, scraping your teeth at her neck, then licking a stripe up it before blowing cool air again. There it is. The shiver.

Suddenly she'd pulled away, glaring at you, "where the fuck did you learn to do that?"

You don't know what you'd expected her to say. Definitely not that.

"What do you mean?" You genuinely didn't understand.

"That thing, the making me shiver thing," she explained.

"I don't know, it's not exactly rocket science," you shrugged, confused why that was what Tashi is focusing on. You should've been grateful you suppose, that she cared about where you learnt that more than why you were doing it to her.

"You know that's not what I mean, I'm asking how you knew to do that?" She'd been getting frustrated with you, "who taught you?"

You almost laughed out of shock. There's no way. Was Tashi getting jealous?

"Nobody taught me," you assured, "I don't get why you're mad."

"I'm not, I just don't like when you don't tell me things," her glare had softened.

"I'm not secretly hooking up with someone who's teaching me kissing tricks, and it's insane that you would immediately assume that," you responded, half amused half annoyed, "you know I tell you everything."

Mostly, everything.

"Alright, I just didn't expect it, so I was wondering where you got it from," Tashi had shrugged then, forced casual.

Was she just testing you?

"I didn't get it from anywhere I just did it because I wanted to, not everything is so calculated," you lashed out slightly, "I don't know why you had to bring me to the bathroom to cross-question me about my imaginary hookups?"

"I'm still not so sure they're imaginary," Tashi had smirked now, "it felt very experienced."

"Tashi, are you being serious?" You knew there wa something else behind her words but you're just not sure what.

"Here, let me show you," then she'd leant in to your neck, licking all the way up to your jaw. You braced yourself for the cold air but she held out, giving a quick bite to your ear.

You felt her there, waiting for her to whisper something, but again, she held out. Her hand reached for your chin, tilting your head for you, her teeth grazing at you. Then she had bitten down at your neck, harder than you had to her, it shocked you so much you couldn't prepare when she licked at the bite, finally blowing cool air. You shivered like she had, the feeling travelling from the top of your head down your spine.

"Does that feel inexperienced to you?" She finally whispered in your ear.

"Tashi, really, I'm not hiding any stories from you."

She stepped back, looking at you, "I know."

"Then what-" what's the point of all this? You had wanted to say but there was a loud knock at the door. It startled you both.

"Chloe's mom is coming home early, we need to get out," somebody called from the other side.

That had been it. Kind of. Neither of you spoke about it. You didn't do it again. You didn't kiss. Nothing else, until summer, where there was another big thing that you couldn't even really think about.

You guess it's not a big deal. Girls often kiss at parties when they're drunk, it's not even gay really because it's usually for male attention. It doesn't exactly fit your situation. You weren't drunk, it wasn't even a regular kiss, and if it was for attention then why had you gone to a private bathroom?

Whatever, it was normal female friendship stuff. Or it would be if you weren't so in love with Tashi, but that's not her fault.

You can push it down most of the time, just happy to have her as your best friend. Living off the occasional hint at something, the idea that maybe there's something else there other than friendship.

That's why you agree to go with her to the hotel room, because you can't really say no to Tashi. Besides, the boys are cute, at least from what you'd observed as they spent the whole night staring at Tashi. You don't blame them.

You meet up with Tashi, she's in shorts and a hoodie, same as you. She's so effortlessly beautiful.

"Are you sure they won't be disappointed?" You ask again.

"Stop fishing for compliments," Tashi bumps her shoulder into yours.

"I'm not," and really you aren't, Tashi must see it on your face.

"You're hot shit, they thought one hot girl was turning up and instead they get two," she links arms with you, "how could they possibly be disappointed?"

You smile at her, "I guess with you there, it would be pretty hard to dampen their mood."

"You don't need to compliment me back," Tashi grins, "I know how you feel about me."

She'd been doing this more often, these type of jokes. If joke is even the right word. You can't really tell if it's Tashi's usual self-confident teasing, or if she's really trying to get at something.

It's like with the text, 'they seem like their friendship might also be a little closer than most'. What the fuck does also mean? Is Tashi acknowledging the weird thing that has settled between you both? Or is she just playing with you?

"Do you want to have a signal for when you want me to leave?" You check.

"Why would I be kicking you out?" Tashi questions.

"I don't want to cockblock you and your threesome."

"I never said threesome, I just said I didn't want to choose," she says like it's obvious, "three's a crowd anyway."

"As opposed to, what?" You want to clarify, surely not understanding her.

"Well what comes after three?" She rolls her eyes at you, holding up four fingers.

"I don't think the purpose of that phrase it to encourage a foursome," you say, voice louder than you mean, "you know, two's company and three's a crowd. No mention of four."

"Guess we'll have to figure out what four means ourselves then?" She smiles, a playful thing that you can't help but return.

Tashi has you wrapped around her finger, you laugh "I guess it is a noble scientific endeavour."

Tashi just gives you a nod, "finally, you're getting it."

She's being blasé but you can see the relief in her eyes when you start playing with her, when you return her attitude.

When you knock at the hotel door you both listen to the sounds of the two boys frantically cleaning up and whisper arguing. It's weirdly endearing.

The door flings open and you take them both in as they do the same with you.

The darker haired one speaks first, a massive smirk on his face, definitely fire, "you brought a friend?"

"Problem?" Tashi raises an eyebrow.

The blond, ice, cuts in now, "no, of course not, the more the merrier."

"So, are you going to let y/n and I inside or have we interrupted your private time?" Tashi looks between them.

Ice laughs, moving to the side letting you both in, and fire keeps his smirk, replying, "you're welcome to interrupt our private time whenever you like."

Ice turns to you, holding a hand out, "I'm Art."

You can't help but laugh, he's putting on a really great performance at being sweet and polite. Like he's so much better than his friend, even though he'd also invited Tashi to his hotel room with the obvious intention of fucking her.

"Are you seriously trying to shake my hand?" You ask and he drops his hand, you feel a little bad, "I appreciate the politeness but we're in a shitty hotel room, not sure airs and graces are needed."

Fire laughs and Art gives him a glare, you glare at him too, "not going to introduce yourself?"

"I would but I'm scared you'd make fun of me too," he holds his hands up in surrender, "you have incredibly high greeting standards."

You just roll your eyes looking to Tashi, "that's Patrick," she provides, "the one who promised there'd be beer."

"Hey, give me a chance, you just got here," he moves around some trash on the dresser, retrieving two cans, "here, we'll have to share."

You sit next to Tashi on the floor, one beer between you and the other between Art and Patrick, who sit opposite.

You start to relax a bit, not sure why you'd come in so grumpy. They're actually quite charming, and Art's performance of sweetness does actually work on you; his fluffy hair, earnest smile, and the blush on his cheeks.

You even like Patrick, although he's sort of an ass, but then again you'd been kind of an ass too so it balances out you suppose. He's undeniably charismatic, and his stupid smug smile is annoyingly attractive.

Tashi was right though, there's definitely something between them, a closeness and a tension. That's what's most interesting to you.

"You share often, then?" Tashi teases, holding the beer but clearly talking about girls.

"We don't actually have to share that often," Patrick smirks, probably going to make a further comment but you cut in.

"I'm surprised, it seems like you go out of your way to share, isn't that why you've pushed your beds together?" You'd been waiting to point it out.

"We wanted more space," Art explains. Sure, there's a little more floor space, but definitely less sleeping space for them both.

"Art gets scared at night, it's best to have me close by," Patrick grins, trying to sling an arm over Art, who immediately shoves him off.

"Not true," he grumbles, and it's cute that he's actually getting worked up, as if either of you believed Patrick.

"Nothing wrong with sharing a bed, we do it all the time, right y/n?" Tashi smiles at you, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Nope, she is not bringing that up.

"Right, we have a lot of sleepovers," you smile in return, a warning look in your eye that you know only Tashi can read.

"Like pillow fights in your underwear type of sleepovers?" Patrick smirks.

"Patrick," Art practically whines, clearly embarrassed to be associated with him, although you know he's thinking about it too, "you can't say that, stop being pervy. Girls don't actually do that shit."

Oh God, if only he knew. You wish it was just a pillow fight in your underwear.

"Hey, I'm a fan of equality, I'd be happy to share some of our sexy dorm sharing stories in exchange for theirs," he says, like he's such a gentleman.

"There aren't any stories," you and Art protest at the same time, it makes Tashi and Patrick laugh.

"Really?" Tashi gets in first, targeting Art.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Art does seem genuinely confused, maybe there isn't anything going on.

"I just find it hard to believe that nothing has ever happened between you two," she shrugs.

"Well that's how it is," Art says back, simply.

Tashi obviously catches something on Patrick's face that is gone by the time you look, because she pushes, "c'mon tell us, and if it's good we'll give you a story of our own."

"Tashi," you warn her.

"It's fine, I doubt their story is any good," she tries to reassure you.

"It was when Art and I were twelve," Patrick starts and Art immediate cuts in.

"Do we have to?" He's going pink as he glares at Patrick.

"I know you want to hear their story as much as I do, don't lie," Patrick teases and Art gives in, hiding his face in his shirt already.

Patrick tells you both about teaching Art to jerk off. He's got this proud look on his face, like it's one of his greatest achievements, and Art just shrinks further into his shirt. He occasionally chimes in, corrects Patrick when it's getting too embarrassing. Art is awkward about it, but it doesn't seem painful for him.

The whole story is actually quite sweet, really, and they have the excuse of being young. Not like you.

"Cute," Tashi tells them both, obviously satisfied with it.

"Glad you enjoyed, guess that means you'll be telling us yours," Patrick sits up straighter, ready to listen.

You can't even cut in, or say anything because Tashi is blurting it out, "this summer I gave y/n her first orgasm."

Jesus Christ. You didn't know she'd get right into it.

Surprisingly Art chimes in first, giving you this devastated look, "you didn't have an orgasm until this summer?"

"I've had sex I just didn't, you know, get there," you stutter out, trying to be chill. It feels easier to focus on that part of embarrassment, than to think about the Tashi of it all.

"And you never masturbated before?" Patrick also clinging onto this part of the story.

"I have, I guess I wasn't doing it for long enough," you don't really know how to answer this.

"I don't think she even knew that she hadn't," Tashi jumps in, "I asked if she'd had one before and she said she wasn't sure, so I told her that she'd know if she had."

"And then what, you gave her some directions?" Art asks, trying to pretend he's not interested by keeping his face neutral.

"I lent a helping hand," Tashi smiles, that same proud look that Patrick had on before.

It's all flashing in your mind. It just started with a conversation, Tashi asking if the guys you've slept with have ever made you cum. You said you didn't think so. The phrasing of that had Tashi latching on, digging in until you admit you've never been able to.

You touching yourself, showing Tashi what you'd normally do. Then she'd asked if she could touch you, show you a better way and of course you said yes. You came fast, probably more from the fact that it was Tashi than any special technique.

Ever since it happened you've felt on fire from every touch Tashi gives you, craving more. Most of all, you just want to kiss her. It seems insane to have done all that and still never kissed. It's all you can think about.

"And I thought ours was scandalous," Patrick teases and it brings you back to reality. You don't know what to say or do, just sitting there mouth glued shut.

"Our story was honestly nothing," Art laughs, still a little shocked by what Tashi said.

This time you do catch Patrick's face, the way he disappears somewhere for a moment. You thought Art was where your miserable solidarity would be found, but that look on Patrick's face when Art said it was nothing. You know that. You get that.

You give him a smile but he just shakes his head, all soft. It's maybe a little weird that this makes him all the more attractive.

"Beer's done," Tashi adds abruptly and now everyone is silent, unsure where to go from here.

Then she's standing, moving to the bed, tapping it as she sits, "well, c'mon."

"Who should we...?" Art asks a trailed off question. It's one they're all thinking; who's supposed to be kissing who?

"It's too soon to know, I think we should try some things out," Tashi offers.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Patrick regains his smug grin.

"Makes sense to me," Art nods furiously.

You laugh, their desperation is so obvious. Either way you scramble to move to the bed mere seconds after they do. You're just as desperate to take any slim chance of kissing Tashi that you can get.

You sit on the bed, it's Art then Tashi then Patrick then you. You all wait, Tashi clearly having control over the room. She leans in for Patrick before turning and locking lips with Art.

Both you and Patrick just watch. It's complicated. You feel a surge of jealousy, a need to shove Art off and take over. You also just want to watch these two hot people make out. You want to join. You want to kiss Art. You want Tashi. Hot. Complicated.

You look at Patrick, he must be feeling the same. Fuck it. You up the ante, swinging your legs over Patrick, straddling him and bringing him in for a kiss. He smiles into it, holding you close and slipping a tongue into your mouth. He's good at this.

So good you get lost until you hear Tashi hum, both you and Patrick breaking away just in time to see Tashi pulling away from Art.

She takes you in, and maybe it's wishful thinking but you see that swirling jealousy and desire in her eyes as she looks you up and down. You lick your lips and she stares at you as she leans in to Patrick.

You watch them, both gorgeous. Tashi lifts her legs up onto the bed, bringing her knees underneath her. It gives Art space to shuffle closer to you, bringing you out of your trance.

He takes your lips, and he's desperate, a little more gentle than Patrick. There isn't that much difference between desperate and passionate, but they are still distinct.

It happens gradually so you barely notice, but Tashi and Patrick are kissing closer and closer to you both. Patrick's ear grazing at your cheek until you're side by side. It must be Tashi that manoeuvres it, because somehow Art's lips move from yours to Patrick's in the blink of an eye.

You watch, knowing that Tashi is on the other side, watching the same as you. Art is less gentle than he was with you, and Patrick is more so. Art pushes forward and Patrick gets sloppy, his tongue licking at Art's face between kissing.

You can feel Patrick getting hard beneath you, and one look at Art's crotch tells you he's not doing any better. Their eyes shut, and their faces flushed. They want this.

You could watch this forever but Tashi is clearing her throat and they pull apart. Looking at her, then you.

Tashi stands up, escaping through the gap between the boys, grabbing your hand to bring you up with her.

Standing above them she says, "it's pretty late, we should go."

Both boys stutter out some type of confused complaint, but they blend together.

"Just play some good tennis tomorrow and maybe you'll see us again," Tashi suggests then looks between them both, calculating, "actually, whoever wins gets both our numbers."

Tashi is pulling you out of the door before you can hear their full reaction.

"Isn't that a bit cruel, only letting one of them see us again," you ask.

"That was just to ensure they actually do play good tennis," Tashi whispers even though you're halfway down the hall now, "we'll be seeing both of them again, trust me."

"Oh we will?" You laugh at her assumption.

"You clearly enjoyed it," Tashi observes the state of you, "your nipples are hard."

They are. You're so fucking horny right now you could die. And you still haven't kissed Tashi.

"It's cold," you offer weakly.

"Well, if you want me to cuddle you to warm up, you know you have to ask," she grins.

She looks so good like this, her lips swollen, her eyes sparkling, the way her hair is slightly messy from the kissing. It's unfair how beautiful she looks, even in fluorescent hotel lighting. It's unfair that you still haven't kissed.

You haven't spoken so Tashi asks again, "you want me to warm you up?"

"I want you to kiss me," spills out of you.

Tashi doesn't move, she just looks at you a moment, then nods. You take it. The chance you've been wanting.

You grab her face pulling her into you, then walk her backwards so she's pressed against the hallway wall.

"Finally," Tashi breathes into your mouth, "I've been waiting for this."

"Then why didn't you do it?" You ask back, pulling away and just stroking at her cheek.

"You know I like it when you ask for things," she offers, which is true. But it's not the whole story, and having her up close, really looking in her eyes, you suddenly get it.

"You were scared too," you grin, and Tashi shrugs, a weak smile on her lips, it's incredibly sweet, "you shouldn't have been, I wanted this for ages."

You kiss again, to make up for all the times you didn't.

"At least if they play bad tennis tomorrow, we'll still have this," Tashi comments into your mouth.

"They won't play bad tennis," you muse, because you know it's true.

"I know," Tashi smiles, she just wanted to compliment you, "we should actually head back now."

She says it reluctantly but she's right, if you want to actually make it to that match you should probably get to bed. If you can even sleep, so wired from kissing Art and Patrick, from watching them kiss eachother. From kissing Tashi.

"I suppose we get to have this and that," you gesture back down the hall, clear who that is referring to.

"Is it a little greedy?" Tashi asks with a laugh.

"Oh most definitely," you answer, linking arms with her as you finally head to bed.

They don't play bad tennis the next day. They play good tennis. Almost great tennis even. Patrick wins and he's not even that mad when you both also give Art your numbers anyway.

Hard to be mad when you all promise to hang out that evening, to finish what you started in the hotel.

The rest is history.

----

an: hope this is okay!! full text fic part 2 set a while after this should be posted in a moment

[patiencespardon]

hopping onto my oft-forgotten tumblr during alectopause to talk about something i've been mulling over re: mythology, namesakes, and foreshadowing in tlt.

so here, have a rambly mess of classics, nomenclature, dooming and un-dooming characters, and cornplating about ianthe. enjoy??

obligatory disclaimer: tlt is obviously its own property and is most certainly not a one-to-one retelling of anything in particular.

however!! as we all know, tazmuir loves a good reference, and in particular, a good name reference. often, we've seen those names foreshadowing (usually bad) events that happen to the characters that bear them. some examples:

protesilaus: from πρῶτος, first, is the first to die in both tlt and the iliad. both pros also have wives named mia and laodamia.

palamedes, who was almost diomedes: from two mythological clever smart boys (cf homer, hyginus, apollodorus). also, palamedes (myth version) def gets murdered.

pyrrha: from πυρρός, red-haired (well, yeah), relations to achilles (cf hyginus) and neoptolemus (originally pyrrhus), as well as to epirote king pyrrhus, whose battle casualties led to the term "pyrrhic victory."

camilla: from camilla in virgil's aeneid, another fantastically capable warrior maiden who makes a devatasting eleventh-hour sacrifice after getting stabbed. rip sweet princess :(

plenty more from other works (see: dulcinea, augustine, paul). point being, this is a trend, and it's often oof ouch.

anybody else i'm forgetting? anybody missing? oh, hi, ianthe, didn't see you over there!

ianthe is a character who's been a thorn in my theorizing side for years. and her name is no different!

perhaps the simplest explanation is that her name is just meant to be an aesthetic choice, not a referential one. we know from nona that the twins' mother is called violabeth. presumably, coronabeth is named after her mother, à la priamhark - harrowhark. and ianthe, likely derived from the greek ίανθος, violet, is a good tie-in to both their mother's name and the third's house colors.

in all fairness, that's probably it. but stick with me here!!!

there is an ianthe in mythology – in book 9 of ovid's metamorphoses, to be exact. and the really interesting thing? that ianthe gets a happy ending.

iphis and ianthe is a super interesting story. to sum up: iphis is born afab but is raised male, falls in mutual love with schoolmate ianthe and the pair are engaged, laments being afab and longs to be a man so the marriage can come to fruition. isis intervenes, iphis is metamorphosed into a man, and the pair happily marry.

so, elle, this is very cool and all, but does this have anything to do with tlt ianthe? if there are parallels, they're certainly significantly less obvious compared to, say, mr. "dies first" protesilaus.

the connections are loose, but, dare i say, they are...there?

i+i is one of the only extant mythological examples we have of homoerotic desire, which feels very on the nose for tlt lmao

we also have this emphasis on marriage in i+i, with ianthe in particular "keenly [seeking]" a marriage that iphis is trying to delay. someday she's going to marry that girl? anyone?

most importantly: we have a clear emphasis on gender. while it is more in relation to iphis than ianthe, iphis does wonder whether "either" of them could be changed, and there are clear anxieties and discomfort around gender presentation and social ramifications of gender that line up very well with tower prince, naberius-soul-concoction ianthe.

I find ianthe very interesting in relation to this naming trend for two reasons. ianthe, unlike any other character with a "myth" name, doesn't have a clear connection to her namesake. and mythological ianthe, unlike any of the other namesakes, is a relatively "happy" story.

is this in service of saying that ianthe is bound for a happy ending? well, no. of course, I think ianthe is a very likely candidate for the alecto wedding, and, while I would be absolutely shocked out of my seat if she ended the series alive, it's somehow on-brand for her in my mind for her to live as much as it is for her to die. but i'm also team ianthe-was-originally-abella, per the gtn naming system guide, and abel is notorious for, uh, not getting a happy ending.

what this is hopefully in service of saying is that I find it really interesting when references do and don't apply. when I initially made the ianthe-ianthe connection in my brain, I dismissed it out of hand – ianthe, love and light, bestie, is doomed! of course she has nothing to do with one of the few hopeful, happy stories in the greek and roman mythos!

but the more I think about it, the more I realize how perfect this is for her. she isn't like the other mythologically-named characters, all of whom are named for characters in mythological epic, those big, classic, dramatic narratives of homer and virgil.

no, ianthe is from the metamorphoses. the epic written by the guy who is clever, cheeky, who knows rules and epic convention so well that he flouts and plays with them where he pleases. ovidian epic, the metamorphoses, is in itself a metamorphosis and collision of genres and tonalities and styles. this isn't the story of a hero. this is the fucky, wonky, anti-epic epic that doesn't fit into any tidy boxes.

sounds familiar?

this is, as I said at the top, completely and utterly cornplating at this point. but I just think it's so silly goofy and absolutely sensical for this series to have this mythological naming trend, to buck that trend, only to have this understanding that the trend has indeed not been bucked on account of a character's own trend being bucking all the trends.

and as for the saint of awe herself? whatever big dramatic horrible thing she does in alecto is anyone's guess. she's metamorphosing, baby. nobody can quite pin her down, and if ovidian references have anything to say about it, that's entirely by design.

anyway I Just Think She's Neat. if you've made it all the way here mwah lots of love for reading my silly rambles <3

[thelonelyshore-if]

How did the ROs figure out their queerness?

Give us the thoughts king 👀 if its not spoilery of course

Ahhhh thank you both so much I love love love thinking about this. The ROs mean so much to me and I love thinking about them as people, with all of the experiences that comes with it. Answering below the cut because this is gonna be an essay <3

Beck - ever since Beck was little they knew that sometimes they felt like a boy and sometimes they felt like a girl and sometimes both or neither or something else entirely...but they also didn't fully realize that not everyone felt that way. If her sister got mad at her for stealing & wearing her clothes it was because her sister was mean, not because she was 'supposed to be' something else. If her parents got on their case for not conforming; well, their parents were always on their case. Not anything different when it was because they caught them kissing a boy. It wasn't really until late middle school that Beck fully understood that they were different.

To this day they don't really have the words to describe their gender. They just know it changes, and they do what they can to broadcast that to the people around them. Most people don't get him, but that's nothing new. His sexuality is even more complex too describe in exact words, for him, but he knows he's been attracted to all sorts of people. Queer fits, and he doesn't really feel the need to try to define it further than that.

Croft- unlike all of the other ROs, Croft is from modern day and unquestionably grew up on tumblr lmao. They are very knowledgeable about the spectrum of gender and sexuality. Unfortunately how they figured out that they're trans is a spoiler (it's a story that will be much more fun to read in game lol), but they figured out that they're on the ace spectrum in high school. All of their friends were obsessed with dating and sex and they thought they'd lost their minds. And then eventually (after answering one too many "who do you have a crush on???" questions) they went. Wait a second maybe I'm one one who's different here.

In college, though, they fell desperately and unquestionably in love with their only long term partner to date. She was mysterious and beautiful and a self-described witch...and one of their best friends. Croft was obsessed and realized that maybe they aren't actually fully asexual. Clearly there's the potential for attraction, if they're connected enough to someone. So they mentally adjusted the label they use to demisexual and went on their merry way.

F!Jay- gotta split Jay up because it deeply depends on their gender. But, as I think I've mentioned before, when f!Jay and Yasmin were younger teenagers they had a classic homoerotic teenage best friendship going on. Jay had a massive crush on Yas, they cuddled and held hands all the time, they were each other's first kiss (to ~practice~ ofc). And it was all totally platonic, because they were both girls!!!

Spoiler alert: it wasn't. When Yasmin and Seth started dating Jay felt weirdly jealous and brokenhearted. She talked to her mom about it, and Grace was just like. Honey. Baby girl. And Jay was like but I don't even like girls like that!!! She was in denial for a bit until she joined the co-ed baseball team, realized she spent a bit too long admiring all of her teammates in a way that definitely wasn't platonic, and then went. Oh. Huh.

M!Jay- he really doesn't think about this sort of thing the same way his female counterpart does. Jay is a pretty damn emotionally intelligent guy...but he doesn't really do introspection all that well. So his own path to self discovery was a lot more like. Damn my teammates have nice form. And look great in their baseball pants. And then proceeded to not really think all that deeply about it until he was (unknowingly) fawning over how good one of their male teammates looked and Seth was just like........."bro I love u no matter what you can tell me if you're gay."

And Jay was just silently like. What the hell do you mean I had a crush on your girlfriend for years. And out loud was just like. "I just respect him as a player I don't think he's hot." And Seth said "..........ok." Then Jay went home and thought about it longer and also went. Oh. Huh.

Perri- when it comes to their sexuality, Perri has always kind of suspected? They fall a little bit in love with everybody. Especially people who are nice to them. Not in a way where they assume people are flirting. In fact, Perri doesn't think they've ever been flirted with. No way. They're too awkward and weird. (Perri needs better self confidence). But people are just so pretty, and funny and sweet and interesting...and gender has never really been a limiting factor on that. They really figured it out definitively in middle school, though it took them until high school to actually put it into words and tell other people about being queer.

For Nonbinary!Perri, their gender journey was significantly more complicated than figuring out their sexuality. They tried on a couple of different identities and labels throughout their later middle school years. Having Beck as a best friend kind of made them actually think about their gender and how unhappy they were being seen as their assigned gender. They wondered if maybe they were just the opposite gender and were trans, but that made their skin crawl in the same way. They didn't want to be defined as anything, really. Just themself. So eventually they just figured that their gender is as queer as their sexuality and left it at that.

Ravi- okay so. I can't say a lot about Ravi because of spoilers. Which I'm very sorry about. BUT what I can say is that, for a long time, he figured he had to be gay. He had a boyfriend he loved, after all. If he's a guy attracted to other guys, then there isn't really any other option...right? Even if he noticed girls & other people the exact same way as he did most other boys. It wasn't the same as the heart-pounding, life-ending near obsession he felt for the boy he loved.

After his ex died, Ravi settled on the fact that he'd never fall in love again. (The man has a big storm coming). It wasn't until chatting with Jay and Yasmin about their own queerness that he realized that being bisexual was even an option. He felt kind of silly, after that. Of course it was. He quietly adopted the label and went about his day. It isn't like it matters, since he'll never date anyone else ever again ;)

Yasmin- probably had the easiest time of figuring herself out, save for maybe Croft. Yasmin is, if nothing else, deeply self-confident. She understands herself in a way few other people really do. She's known since she was little that she liked girls as well as boys. She has a distinct memory of telling her parents that she was going to marry Princess Jasmin someday. Her parents acted weridly concerned, until Yasmin clarified that it meant she'd have a pet tiger. They didn't realize that the 'marry a princess' part was just as important as the 'pet tiger' part.

As she grew older she understood that her attraction wasn't really limited to gender...but she still assumed she'd probably marry a man. It's still Easthaven, after all. Plus her parents weren't...the most accepting people in the world.

If Jay is a woman they had their 'friendship', and it made Yasmin blush and her heart beat faster, but she never really thought much of it. Yas is much more comfortable in her sexuality now--in the sense that she's not afraid of what the town would think if she dated a woman or nonbinary person--but...she's in a similar boat as Ravi. Never gonna have another long-term relationship, so it isn't really an issue? At least, that's what she thinks ;)

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

Chaggie AU where Vaggie is a member of a holy order devoted to slaying monsters. As part of her becoming a holy knight, she must commune with an Angel to be granted their divine power... only something goes wrong with the ritual, and the being that appears before her is none other than the Princess of Hell.

Lute: “Gay?! She’s supposed to be HOLY!”

Adam: “Yeah, hot.”

Lute: “…let. Me. See. That. SuMMOnINg sCRiPTuRE.”

Adam: “Sure thing dude. Here.”

Lute: “This isn’t a holy rite, this is… WRITINGS OF SAPPHO!”

Adam: "Heh, heathen and homoerotic. WLWhoops?"

-

Charlie: “You should really be more careful next time!"

Vaggie: "Uh."

Charlie: "Lot’s of other demons would be thrilled to get yanked into the mortal world without a circle of binding to hold them- especially by someone as cute as you-

Vaggie: "Excuse me?"

Charlie: "And when I say thrilled, I mean in the blood and guts and screaming kinda way, NOT just in the 'can feel hellfire in my cheeks' kinda way. Safe summoning is important!!”

Vaggie: “Why’re you drawing the circle in yourself, then. With your… claws.”

Charlie: “Because you didn’t?” (dusts fire off her hands) “Anyway you should be good now, ask me anything!”

Vaggie: “You’re seriously not taking advantage of being summoned but not bound?"

Charlie: "I'm taking advantage of the view!"

Charlie: (beat)

Charlie: "Of the, mortal world, I am enjoying the pretty scenery."

Vaggie: "It's dark."

Charlie: "I'm enjoying the beautiful knight. Night. Night without a 'K'. Not knight like YOU'RE a knight, not that you aren't beautiful-"

Vaggie: "I'm. What."

Charlie: "The one who should be talking now! Not me. I think I've done enough talking for now. I think I'm good on having said stuff recently. I think I should be quiet for a bit."

Vaggie: (gay) (not immune to adorable ladies) "WHY are you here. You're not, what I expected."

Charlie: “I'm not the usual demon- As hell princess I get first dibs on all summons! After dad anyway.”

Vaggie: (of COURSE she's a princess) “Why answer this one.”

Charlie: “You’re missing an eye? It looks painful?"

Vaggie: "...so?

Charlie: "?? I thought maybe you wanted help with that.”

Vaggie: "It's a penance. You can't help with it."

Charlie: "oh."

Vaggie: “...That’s it? You're not here for anything else?”

Charlie: “….”

Charlie: “You um. You look very cool in that armor.” (cringes) “Awesome.” (cringes more)

Vaggie: “Are you a siren or a succubus or something.”

Charlie: “What!? No! No I’m just, I just think girls are hot! Cool! You look great!! …girls all look great, and you’re a girl, and you…”

Vaggie: “…”

Vaggie: “Do you need any demons slayed?”

Charlie: “Ahaa, no.”

Vaggie: “Holy quests completed?”

Charlie: “No?”

Vaggie: “Are you gonna eat me.”

Charlie: “N-not on the first date- I- OH YOU MEAN ACTUALLY-? No no no! I don’t, I’m, I don’t eat souls. Or people.”

Vaggie: “So what’s the catch here. The price.”

Charlie: “Nothing. I just wanted to help.”

Charlie: “Okay and maaaaybe have a nice conversation for once. Kinda short on them in hell.”

Vaggie: “… is there ANYTHING I can help you with?”

Charlie: “Well I just broke up with-”

Vaggie: “I’ll kill them.”

Charlie: “-and I could really use a date for the ball, I mean! No killing needed!! Dad isn’t going again, mom’s um, busy. And it’ll be a lot less awkward if I already have a dance partner, you know?”

Vaggie: “You want me to find you a dance partner.”

Charlie: “Oh no I, I was hoping- do YOU dance?”

Vaggie: "Me."

Charlie: "If you want to?"

Vaggie: “You’re asking me to go to hell.”

Charlie: “Shit. Right, dumb idea. It’s my home but, yeah. It’s not like anyone enjoys being here.”

Vaggie: (fuck she's cute) (fuck she's SAD)

Vaggie: “No one does? What about you?”

Charlie: “I… just wish the people would be nicer. A place is the people who live there, right?”

Vaggie: “…”

Vaggie: “I’ll come.”

Charlie: “You wha?”

Vaggie: “I’ll come to the dance.”

Charlie: "But- hell! Why-"

Vaggie: "Hell’s a better place than I thought."

Charlie: "You've never even BEEN here!"

Vaggie: "I've met you."

Charlie: ".... I'm not... the usual demon."

Vaggie: "I'll take my chances. I'll need to borrow a dress though. All I have up here is, armor."

Charlie: "I can, I can change that. A dress. N- no problem."

Vaggie: "It's a deal then." (holds out hand) "A dance for a dress?"

Charlie: (takes her hand and shakes it eagerly while bowing) "ITS A DATE!"

Vaggie: (chuckles) "Yeah, I guess that's a better word for it."

Charlie: "And I PROMISE when we dance I WON'T trample your toes with my hooves!"

Vaggie: "... should I just keep the sabatons on?"

Charlie: "I promise to find you a dress that goes good with your armored shoes so your toes don't get trampled on."

Vaggie: "We're gonna be quite the pair, aren't we."

Charlie: "Heheh~"

-

Lute: "WHAT HAPPENED WHY WAS THERE FIRE AND BRIMSTONE INSTEAD OF HOLY LIGHT WHY WERE YOU COMMUNING WITH A FIEND SO LONG IS IT DEAD DID YOU KILL IT???"

Vaggie: "Does taking her heart count?"

Adam: "Whoooo VaGEEE! Totally FUCKED that demon huh!!"

Vaggie: "Mm, not totally sir."

Vaggie: (smiling) (softly to herself) "Not on the first date."

[wisteriasymphony]

I have some ideas(?) for the main three as presented in Stellar Force that I want to get out before tomorrow proves anything wrong. These are half predictions based on design & posing, and half far-fetched hopes for what we could have if the writers for this team are any good. We know the main trio is named Miki, Mayotte, and Yu Lu, and while I'm not positive on who is who for the first two I'm pretty sure the boy in black is Yu Lu, Anyways, we'll assign Miki to the girl in yellow and Mayotte to the boy in red for now.

Miki, in a perfect world, would be a little more than just the bland generic take on the "sporty girl" I would expect the show to do (ex: optimistic, peppy, motivates others). She's a bit of a brute, introduced blasting way-too-loud rock music from the speaker in her room and playing air guitar as she gets ready for school. Miki is loud-mouthed and a little bossy in a way that's a lot more overt than any of Marinette's similar flaws (Marinette being a control freak is something you have to sort of read into a little to find), but very determined and her grandiose ideas about being mega cool and competent and rock 'n' roll as fuck are never entirely unsubstantiated because she's got the very typical shōnen protagonist power of being able to do whatever she puts her mind to. She's not exactly bubbly or friendly and can often intimidate her more timid peers, but she can get along just fine with most people.

Mayotte, then, is the lancer to Miki's protagonist and her rival in everything. He's also characterized as sporty and cocky, hence why putting him in an impassioned platonic rivalry with Miki would be a no-brainer. The trick, however, is that they are never once treated as though they are on unequal ground. Mayotte will trash talk Miki and her skills here and there, but it will never be on the basis of Miki being a girl. While you could argue that maybe acknowledging sexism as an issue is important, I disagree on it being done here because Mayotte not being misogynistic about his rivalry with Miki would be incredibly refreshing to see. Mayotte respects Miki as his competitor deep down, and they always push each other to be better. They bicker over strategy at times and can get into slapstick-y cat fights, but they ultimately understand each other better than anyone else.

Another important key to the rivalry: There is nothing romantic between Miki and Mayotte whatsoever. At all. EVER. Not even hinted. Not even the sort of shonen homoerotic rivalry, no no. They would totally die for one another, yes! But it's platonic.

Yu Lu, on the other hand, is the third of the group and thus the one forced to be a mediator. He's very shy and soft-spoken and might even be hesitant about all the mech stuff at first (and, if not, he's the nerd who knows everything there is to know about mechs). He brings a sensitivity and patience that neither Miki nor Mayotte have and over the course of the series will become the de-facto "friend to everyone" as his arc to become less timid goes on. I could see him being gay, hence why I would pair him up with Mayotte eventually.

Anyway, as for my final prediction, the blonde and blue eyes + the tidbit that this takes place at an international school gives me the sinking feeling that Miki will also be a wasian protagonist. With prominently white features. Yeesh.

[yelenabelovasbxtch]

Hoop Dreams

a/n: Took a hiatus but @yelenaslyubov inspired me to come back and write a story !! I hope you enjoy. Submit something good in my requests and maybe I'll do it...👀

Jock Kate Bishop X f!reader

Word Count: 3158

Warnings: Smut ! kinda homoerotic friendship vibes to start. 18+

Summary: Everyone except you and Kate can see you are both very clearly in love with one another.

If anybody knew what it was like to be in love with your best friend and everyone but you knew it, it was you. On the outside, to basically anyone who looked at the two of you, you were unequivocally in love. To you, she was your best friend, someone you’d do anything for, anytime, anywhere and did she make you feel like you were on the top of the world every time you saw her? Yeah maybe. But she’s your best friend. 

You and Kate met a little over 2 years ago and while you were often crossing paths before that, you never seemed to directly make contact. Until one day you had a conversation with her and from there on it was like you were making up any excuse imaginable to bump into her again. That probably should’ve been your first sign that you had a crush but at the time you just thought you finally found someone you clicked so well with. After a few more convos here and there you finally decided to find her on Instagram and one DM later the rest was history. You guys have talked every day since then. Kate played on the basketball team at your college, you worked on the game day operations team as floor director for that team. It’s honestly surprising that it took 2 years at the school for your paths to cross. It was usually your favourite part of your week getting to watch Kate hoop. She was by far the best player on your team averaging 28 points per game. As floor director you get to be in charge of how things happen and making sure they all run smoothly such as player intros, halftime contests and post game interviews. So you tried your best to watch her play as much as you could but sometimes you get caught up doing bigger responsibilities that get poured on your plate. 

Today, you were up in the broadcast booth where the cameras and commentators were running up a last minute message request to read out at the end of the fourth quarter. One of your other close friends Yelena worked one of the broadcast cameras. Yelena has been a long time friend, and one of those people that are outside of yours and Kate’s friendship who clearly see what you two can’t. 

“Hey Lena, how’s the game going from up here.” You say after climbing 3 flights of stairs to get to her. 

“Pretty good, your girl is just crossed someone to hit a bank 3” she says with a wink. 

You roll your eyes at her comment but couldn’t help but smile after watching the replay on the video board. 

“Looks like she’s going for a new season high” she says as the number next to Kate’s name goes up to 36. 

“Whole lotta game left, maybe career high.” You replied as you saw the minutes wind down in the 3rd. 

“Do you have anywhere else to run to?” Yelena asked. 

“Not right now”

“Sit and stay for a minute with me then I’m lonely sometimes up here.” She says with her goofy ass grin. 

You smile and shake your head as you pull up a chair next to her. Kate hits a buzzer beater middy to finish the 3rd and you’re smiling ear to ear. 

“Look at you y/n”

“What?”

“Your stupid grin.”

You just stare at her pissed off as she laughs. 

“Come on- when are you going to admit that the air is thick and the tension is there every single time you guys hang out.” 

“Lena it’s just not like that, we’re just friends. Besides, I don’t even know if she likes girls, we’re close but she’s only ever really mentioned men since I met her.”

“Y/n c'mon you can’t be that nice at basketball and not be gay.” She said with a laugh. “We all know Paige Bueckers and Azzi aren’t foolin’ anyone.”

“Uh huh”

“Either way y/n/n, I see the way she scans the arena for you when she’s on the bench.”

“Well if that’s true, then I better get down there so she can see me can’t I.” You say in a snarky tone. 

“Leaving me for your girlfriend, typical.” She says jokingly. 

“She’s not my girlfriend Belova.”

“Yeah whatever, I just know that in 2 minutes when that clock winds down to zero you’re the first person she’s looking for.”

“Guess we’ll see” you say and shrug. 

You made it back down the floor level with 30 seconds left on the clock. As time winds down, her teammate inbounds the ball to her as she slowly takes it up the court and lets the time fall off. They were already up by 18 at this point and Kate had a career game with 48 points. 

You’re walking down past the courtside seats as the buzzer goes off and she sees you from the other end of the court. The two of your bodies relax as your pupils dilate at the sight of one another. You both walk together with haste and you give her the biggest, sweatiest hug. 

“Congrats on your new career high Kate” you say to her as she holds you tighter in her arms. 

“Thanks y/l/n. Hit that bow & arrow celly just for you tonight.” She says jokingly with a wink. 

Kate’s teammates come rushing over and empty their Gatorade bottles over her head as they all jump celebrating her new record. The media quickly rushes in and you lose sight of her as they pull her aside for the post game interview. 

You see her motion one second to the media as they’re putting the headset on her.

“Y/n! Y/n!” She says calling over to you, “don’t leave, imma come find you after this.”

You softly smile and nod your head at her and go start listening to how your crew is doing on the walkies. Post game can get a little hectic so it’s not the end of the world if you need to lock in for a second and finish your game day duties. 

The two of you were taking sneaky glances at one another while you were both working. You loved watching her bask in all her success with her team and the fans. She loved watching you just do what you're great at too. Her hitting a career high was nothing compared to the dopamine she knew she was going to feel celebrating it with you tonight. 

Kate finished up her interviews and you watched as she tossed her towel over her shoulder and walked over to you collecting papers at the scoring table. 

“Here” Kate says, opening her hand to you. 

“What?”

“Let me carry those for you.”

“Kate you just played a whole game, I think I can manage a few papers on my own.”

Kate rolled her eyes and extended her hand again, putting emphasis on it this time. 

You gave her an “are you serious” look and knew she wasn’t going to give up so you smacked them down in her hand. 

“Ow papercut!” She says “haha kidding”

You’re shaking your head with a smile on your face. She’s the goofiest person you know but it is one of her most adorable traits. 

Kate walks with you back to the main office to put the papers away and like a golden retriever, she is immediately intrigued by everything surrounding her. 

“Wowwww what’s this!!” She said pointing at about 50 different things. Most people would get annoyed with someone asking 101 questions but with her you could do it forever. It's part of what makes you guys such good…friends. 

You went to put away your walkies and ear pieces but the basket the extra cases go in was on a High shelf. You kept jumping trying to grab it but your finger tips could just barely graze the bottom of the box. Kate saw you struggling and came over to help. You were on your tippy toes when all of a sudden she was right next to you, towering over you grabbing the basket. You were looking right up at her, nearly a couple inches from her face as she looked down at you. 

clears throat “thanks” you say. 

“What are tall friends for!” Kate says in a super excited voice. For a second there, Yelena got in your head. But Kate clearly not seeing the same thing to you just said that there is nothing there between you two and you were clearly right. 

“Don’t you need to go shower”

“What do I smell or something y/l/n?” She said with this stupid cocky smirk on her face. 

“Yes. Like ass - go shower” 

Kate’s smile just drops off her face as she lunges towards you and wraps her arms around you. 

“Ew Kate stop!!” You were saying as she was laughing wrapping her sweaty arms around you. “You didn’t seem to mind earlier, what’s the problem now?”

“Earlier I was impressed with your new career high. Now it’s old news”

“Wowwwwww” she says with her mouth wide open “guess I’ll just have to drop 50 for you next week to love me again” 

“Make it 55” you said with a wink. 

“Done.”

“You did look good out there today though seriously.”

“Is that all I am to you y/n? A piece of meat?” She says sarcastically with a fake gasp. 

“Yeah basically”

“Wow okay well then how does this make you feel?” She asks and flex’s her arms. 

“Oh- so very aroused” you say overly sarcastic

“Thought so.” Kate replied as you both giggled at each other. 

“Sooo since I helped you carry all those super heavy papers are you going to help me grab my stuff from the bench and bring it back to the locker room?”

You stare at her and roll your eyes as you reluctantly say “I guess so”

At this point the two of you have been doing crap in the office for so long that almost everyone has cleared out from the stadium. You head back out there to grab her warm up shirt and other items as you walk back through the tunnel to the change room. She opens the door as you stand outside. 

“Come on, what are you doing?”

“I’m allowed back there?”

“Yes y/n, besides nobody’s even here they all showered and left already.”

“Okay if you say so…”

You walked back with her as she threw her stuff in her stall. 

“I’m going to shower, you gonna wait for me?”

“Sure yeah”

“Okay cool, feel free to hang out in my stall I’ll be back in a bit.”

You sat there looking at all of the stuff people had in their stalls. Kate didn’t have too much, it was honestly fairly organized, you were surprised. She had a couple of pairs of shoes, water bottles, extra shorts and shirts and at the very back of it, a polaroid of you taped for her to see before every gameday. The thought of her looking at you before she steps on the court every time made you blush a little. 

“Y/n can you come here!” You hear yelling from the showers. 

You walk over and ask her what’s up. 

“Can you grab me some extra soap? This one ran out. It should be in the closet to the right of you”

“Sure” you reply and go grab some. You walked over to her shower stall and pushed the curtain aside just enough for your arm to squeeze through without seeing anything. “Here you go”

“Thanks babe” she says as she grabs it. Her hand grazes yours and you can’t help but all of a sudden feel a little nervous, chills running down your spine. Fuck Yelena. She majorly got in your head. Did you have feelings for Kate? You don’t want to ruin your friendship and she clearly doesn’t like you like that so stop thinking like that!

“I’ll um be back in the locker area” you say with a slight voice crack

“Ok!”

You’re scrolling TikTok to try to take your mind off of whatever the hell that was that just happened when Kate walks out into the changeroom, wrapped in a towel with wet hair. You cross your legs and clear your throat before saying anything.

“You’ve been acting weird today, is everything alright?” She asks.

“Yeahhh, I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Women problems?” She says looking over at you with a smirk and a laugh as she reaches to grab her clothing. Her silver chain dangling down as she bends back up.

“What? Pffft. No. Why would you say that?”

“I’m kidding…I know you can’t have woman problems when you’re too busy being in love with me.”

You feel a lump in your throat develop and Kate lets out a laugh insinuating she was kidding but then gives you a weird face when it wasn’t immediately reciprocated. 

Kate leaves for a second and comes back around the corner wearing only a sports bra and a clean pair of basketball shorts.

“You need to relax y/l/n. You are seriously tense, let me help.” she says as she comes behind you and starts rubbing your shoulders.

The slight touch had a pool developing in your pants. Not good, so not good. 

She is working your shoulders and neck and starts rubbing down your chest a little, you let out a little whimper hoping to god she didn’t notice. “That feel good?” She whispered in your ear, you could feel her warm breath making all the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

“Mhmm” was all you could get out. You could feel her smirk from behind. 

All of a sudden you felt her lips ever so slightly graze your neck. And then again, and again as she left a trail of kisses down to your shoulder. You let out another moan at the feeling that you have been craving since the day you two met and you just didn’t know it. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this.” she whispers. 

Kate spins you around so you’re facing her. Her soft lips connect with yours as her hand comes up to your neck and runs through your hair pulling your face in tight to hers. 

“Me too” you gasp out in between kisses.

She pulls you up not breaking your make out session and gently slams you against the lockers. You could feel her tugging at the hem of your shirt wanting it off. You pull it over your head so quickly as Kate immediately starts kissing down your chest. You feel her left hand go around your back and in one quick motion unhook your bra perfectly as it falls to the floor. 

“Wow, you are gorgeous.” she says as she takes you all in. “I have been dreaming about this forever.”

“Oh yeah?” You reply in a flirtatious tone. “What happens in your dreams?”

“Well pretty much exactly this…and then maybe something else…” She says as her finger tips graze the inside of your waistband. Seeking your approval with a simple look, you quickly nod your head yes. 

Kate’s hand quickly sinks into your pants, as she slowly starts to rub between your lips. She manages to find the perfect spot to make you squirm from her touch. 

“That feel good, baby?”

“Y-yes, s-so good.”

You feel Kate push a finger in and your knees nearly buckled from under you. You try to hold yourself up as soft moans escape your lips. Kate kissing you as her fingers make you feel unspeakable things. It felt like Kate knew your body like it was her 100th time doing this. She just knew all the right places to rub and the speed that you needed her at. 

She puts another finger in you and you moan her name loud enough that anyone outside of the changeroom could hear. “Shhhh baby” she says. 

Her hand thrusting into you as she leaves small hickies on your neck for anyone to see. 

“Kate- I’m getting so close.” You mumble out.

“All I want. Is to feel you cum all over my fingers.” she says in the most insanely seductive tone.

You were pushed to your edge the way she was speaking in your ear and released all over her. Her thrusts slowing down as your body starts to give out; she catches you and brings you over to her stall to sit down. 

You catch your breath for a second as you look over to see her throwing on her shirt. Fuck she looked hot in the sports bra. The way her arms looked and how toned she was. 

“Leaving already?” You ask her.

“No baby, just getting my things together so we can go back to my apartment and I can treat you properly.”

“That wasn’t proper?” You say with a laugh.

“y/n, you have no idea the things I’m going to make you feel tonight.”

Fuck that confidence was hot. She was hot. How are you just now discovering this after being friends with her for this long. 

You just stare at her in awe of that performance and what she just said.

“Here’s the plan baby, we are going to go back to my place and hop in the shower together. I'm going to make you cum in the shower this time, so hard that when I take you for a nice dinner afterwards, walking is going to be a challenge. Then we are going to come back to my apartment and I am going to kiss every inch of you, tell you how beautiful you are and hold you until you fall asleep in my arms.”

You just look at her and nod your head in approval. 

“Let’s go love.” she says, extending her hand to help you up. She hands you your clothing as the two of you gather all your stuff to head out.

Kate grabs your hand and holds it tight as you walk out of the changeroom to go back to her place. As soon as you turn the corner to leave, there stands Yelena looking at the two of you walk out of the changeroom disheveled and holding hands. 

“I KNEW IT” she screamed. 

You were practically hiding in your shirt from her as Kate just smirked and looked at you and looked back at Yelena. 

“It’s always been her, what can I say?” Kate says to Lena.

“Be safe you two, I don’t want to be an aunt just yet.” She says as she walks away.

You both laugh and head out. Looking over at Kate still catching glimpses of one another when the other isn’t looking. Fuck she really is the one. 

Taglist: @yelenaslyubov @youreatotalposer @jeyramarie @flosbelova @bridgecitybrad @justthis-stuff @chloe7076 @ailenepuff @ravenclawbitch426 @mellowladyangel @amcg0605-blog @kassies-take @yelenaswife1996 @wandanatchick @lilroachsworld @inluvwithfictionalwomen @x666hours @natashaswife4125 @onetruwhore @karmasgxrl @hopelesslyfallenninlove @setsuna1415 @swiftdazer @imobsessedwithmilfss @madamevirgo @louisprettybab @splatalia-jumpanova @jediluka @t00manyfand0ms @oohlala666 @kates-abs-slay@scmg11@uselessgaez @katebishops-simp @d0ingitwithpassi0n @wuwu96 @ar23northlondon-forever

[frownyalfred]

Are Cheating Clark: this grabbed my brain and won’t let go, but Lois is a very good, badass reporter. She’s been to war zones, and to military camps. Once she realizes what’s going on (because she’s too smart to not figure it out), she sits Clark down and shows him just how much homoerotic subtext/implications there are through history between soldiers/warriors.

“There’s no shame in finding something special with someone who fights along beside you, Clark. Honestly, I expected it sooner. Am I a little upset that your biology didn’t pick me? Yeah, sure. But it’s not anything I can control, or you. I’ll get over it. It just means you’re human after all.”

She puts her hands on her hips and stares down one of the most powerful beings on her planet.

“If you fuck anyone else, though, I will NOT be happy.”

Lois Lane giving her husband the most frightening, overly-detailed hall pass of all time is SO funny to me, even though it's angsty. Like, alright, you get a pass this ONE time because your Kryptonian cells say you need to fuck your best friend! But if your little cells keep saying you need to fuck the rest of your friends, I will carve them out of you with Bruce's Kryptonite :)

Girlbossing and managing her husband's affair, that's absolutely Lois.

[livesworthlivingau]

Behind the Vale Chapter 18

ISAT/Two Hats Spoilers as always! CW: Homoerotic fight scene What? Who said that?

"Hmmmm…" [You ponder deeply, looking over the collection of daggers on display at the town's blacksmith.]

"What's up? None speaking to you?" [Nille chimes in, noticing the look on your face. Does having a mouth again really make us that easy to read?]

"No, they aren't… I'm not sure a dagger feels right anymore."

"Oh? Well what else would you get? I can't exactly see your scrawny butt using a big hammer." [She teased with a smirk. You rolled your eyes some.]

"Riiight, and who destroyed that sadness standing over you when we first met~?"

"I had that under control! I was just making it think it had me!" [You both laugh, even she couldn't pretend that was true.]

"But to answer your question, I'm not quite sure, something agile still but…"

"How about a rapier?"

"NO! No no no! The Housemaiden uses one of those."

"… And?"

"… Just… I'd rather not… Have that constant reminder." [She rolls her eyes but drops it. It seemed the only thing preventing another talk was the fact you were in public.]

"Okay, uhhh... Oh! What about one of those?" [She asked, spotting a rack with several whips hanging off of them.]

"Oh… Oh yes, that actually sounds nice~." [You say as you walk over to it, glancing about at them all hanging, finding a lovely looking one with lightless and darkless diamond patterning across its whole length.]

"I think this will do perfectly~."

---------------------------------------------------

[The sound of 3 booming CRACKs sound out in a row as you try to snap your new whip across the practice targets setup. You manage to split the first in half, but your swings go wide on the follow ups, missing the other two.]

"Hey! Not bad! You're a natural at this!"

"Not bad?! I only hit one blinding target!"

"... Vale, have you ever used a whip before?"

"Not that I can recall, no."

"Uh huh, and you just expected to be great at it first thing?"

"I mean, I used paper craft pretty well first thing~."

"Well yeah, that was instincts. If you're a paper type now, that's gonna come a lot more naturally. Stress of combat and all, you don't think you just act."

"Hmmm... You make a good point... Maybe there's some more sadness nearby we could try and track down?"

"You wanna go hunting sadness' now?!"

"Well how else am I going to get better at this?" [Nille smacks her own face gently in a facepalm before sighing out.]

"Alright, alright, if you're set on this..." [She begins, placing a hand on your shoulder.]

"Now think fast!" [She shouts before using her other arm to scoop under your leg, suddenly lifting you over her head and tossing you over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.]

"WH-HEY?!" [You cry out, tumbling across the grass and sliding to a stop. You look up at Nille, her hammer now out, playful grin on her face.]

"If you're so set on a fight, I'll give you one pretty Vay~!"

"N-Nille?! Y-You can't just toss me like that!!"

"Actually I can, pretty easily in fact!" [She beams with a bright laugh, your face burns in a fluster as you grumble, readying your new whip, holding your other hand in a paper sign.]

"F-Fine! But you asked for it!"

"Don't hold back for me now Vale, I won't for you!" [She remarked with a wink, then suddenly rushing towards you.]

[You step back in surprise, not expecting her to actually approach with such intent. She raises her hammer, preparing to swing. You finally snap out of it and bring your hand forward, summoning a shield like before. Nille's hammer swings right through it, dampening the blow but still sending it slamming into your side, knocking you over and tumbling a bit again.]

"Ack! H-Hey!!"

"Oh come on, you're paper type now, you barely felt that!"

"Y-Yes but STILL!!" [You shout, more so protesting about getting tossed around than anything else. She pays no mind to your pleas as she begins to rush at you again. You wonder how she's so blinding fast with that massive hammer.]

"Gonna have to go on the offensive soon~!" [She taunts at you. Alright, we can figure this out, there's got to be some way we can slow her down somehow... Wait, didn't Odile have a craft like that? Yes! We've seen it countless times! You take a breath for a moment, trying to replicate the ritual she performed when using it, sending a lethargic wave towards Nille to help weigh her down some.]

"Oooh, got some other tricks up your sleeve?" [She calls in surprise, though it doesn't seem to affect her as much as Odile's ability did. It would have to do for now, taking a defensive stance and flourishing your new whip. She swings high as you duck below, swapping her momentum to slam down before you barely manage to jump back out of the way.]

"C'mon! Go on the offensive Valey!" [She encourages, you snap your whip forward, coiling it around the neck of her hammer. With a heavy tug and pulling paper gesture, you manage to yank it free from her grip, tossing it upwards and spinning off behind you as you watch it fly overhead.]

"Hah! What are you gonna do no-ACK!!" [You begin to tease, turning back to Nille who was suddenly moments away, tackling into you and sending you both sliding across the ground, skidding to a stop. You stare up at her in stunned silence. She chuckles some, seeing your face.]

"HAHA! Here's a tip, Vay. Never let your guard down." [She teased... then perked up some, noticing your face with her own darkening, quickly getting up off of you... Our face feels hot. Are we blushing?...]

"Heh, uhh... Sorry about that, got a little carried away there." [She mumbled some, holding out a hand to help you up, taking it and easily getting lifted off the ground.]

"But good hustle! Seems like you got a few new moves to work with!" [Her face is still dark, she's trying to change the subject, you recognize this tactic... Why is our face burning?! You try to shake the sensation away.]

"R-Right~! Guess we won't have to worry much next time a sadness comes around~!" [You remark, desperately trying to slip the mask back on. You both stand in awkward silence for a moment.]

"... W-We should probably get back to the Inn."

"O-Oh yes! I'll uhh... meet you there, I wanted to stop by the local tailor first~."

"Oooof course you do."

Get ready for some new official outfit designs next Vale chapter~

[openthefobwatch]

I went to see mincemeat yesterday, because I had to see the love of my life, Emily!Monty, one last time (paid full price as well, being gay is so expensive), so here are some thoughts/tiny little details I noticed because if it's my last trip I have to be obsessive about it:

-When Reggie interrupts Monty during god, that's brilliant, he makes a sort of 🙄 face to Charlie, like he's known this man all of (6 years and) 5 minutes and he's already acting like they're best friends. (Well, Charles is certainly *his* best friend...) It's very sweet.

-The fact that he knew Charlie was connected to the air force despite, again, 5 minutes. Did he just see a hot guy and immediately find out everything he could about him?? And still get it wrong lol

-This is not news but my god, Monty is sooo fucking touchy (in both senses of the word ig but I mean physically) like he's constantly got his arm around Charles's shoulder, which isn't easy considering the height difference between him and (especially George's) Charlie but the man is determined. For 'father's never been prouder' he practically leaps into his arms. Like do you two wanna be alone??

-When Bevan walks in after the film script thing and Charlie jumps, Monty gives him a little pat on the shoulder, which is cute, like even when they're arguing he's still caring towards him.

-The 'and I'm sorry about the father thing... bit weird☹' line didn't get a huge number of laughs yesterday, which is an absolute crime imo because it's probably my favourite line in the play. I love how bashful he is, how it's like a rare moment of clarity and he recognises how bizarre the whole thing is but goes right back to it afterwards. Comedy gold. But then the scene moves on quickly so there's not much time for laughter ig.

-Okay, onto something that isn't Monty. This was my first time seeing George as Charlie, and it was interesting seeing a softer, more reserved version of the character. Crazy how the same lines can sound so different depending on who's saying them. I didn't properly appreciate just how batshit unhinged Seán's interpretation was until I saw this one. Monty (here we go again) seems more protective/encouraging towards this Charlie whereas with Seán there's more of a (vry homoerotic) clash of wills.

-Chloe is the only actor who's been in every single show I've seen, and I have to say she's one of (if not the) strongest in the cast. Every single character is played to perfection, every single joke lands.

-Anyway ik we knew this already but Emily's singing voice is soo beautiful and it kills me that there's no recording of her gahh I could listen to her all day. Oh well I suppose we'll always have the west end live 2024 video.

Can't think of anything else to say so I'll leave it there. Will probably take a bit of a step back from OM now but I think it's one of the most wholesome, most beautiful and most inspiring things I've ever been obsessed with, so I'm very grateful to have found it.

[hyperfixated-homo]

heyyy !!! here for the ow ship ask game- could you do some headcanons for romantic mauga/doomfist? i see nobody talk about them but i love them so bad,,,

rarepair req!!! new ship to me, hope i do them justice for you <2

I'm doing an Overwatch ask game! Send me a ship (platonic, romantic or otherwise) and I'll return some funky hcs!

Headcanons under the cut.

Romantic Chainfist Hcs

(I think that's the name? Let me know if I should be calling them something different)

Their relationship isn't so much a relationship as it is a situationship. They're not really dating, but they like to flirt fight. It's vaguely homoerotic. They make everyone uncomfortable <3 but honestly they do that even WITHOUT talking to each other, so they don't care

They both have a sort of instinctual need to act like the bigger man, so they often try to one up each other. Initially it's that they're fighting over orders, and over time it changes to fighting over being the "man" in the relationship. Who's paying the bills, who's taking the other on their not-really-dates, etc etc

They like to spar. Neither often find people that can match them in physical combat, so fighting each other gives them a rush that they don't get to experience with anyone else. They keep score over time- it stays consistently even

Mauga flirts condescendingly. He calls Akande pretty or strong or smart, but always with a mocking undertone

Akande doesn't flirt, he degrades. Constantly reminding Mauga of his place, or vaguely threatening him

Both of them pretend that they don't care about the other's words. But it does affect them

Sombra gets wayyyy too many details on their relationship from Mauga. She hates it, but she hates it MORE when Doomfist shares anything. Can her coworkers be normal for two minutes, PLEASE

I think they'd keep an open relationship. Would probably find it hot too

Akande is the world's most stubbornly dedicated man. He doesn't take much time to chill- luckily he has Mauga to drag him away from work to relax a bit

Mauga is one of the few people who can make Doomfist break composure in serious moments. He's made Akande smile during meetings before

They need to make special requests for beds in order for both of them to fit

Ahh, can't think of anything else right now. I hope this suffices! Honestly I can't think of headcanons so much as just A General Vibe,,, like the image that popped into my head when I saw this ask was just Mauga pinning Doomfist to the wall with one arm, smirking, while Doomfist stares back impassively. That's just the entire vibe I'm getting here

Hope you enjoyed <3 honestly I'm interested in what kind of things you think of when you consider their relationship

[possamble]

i wonder if you have any thoughts about how marcille always seems to dislike it when falin wears men's clothing ( i bet she wears it out of its comfiness rather than because she prefers masc style tho, although i hope both lolol) and super short hairstyle

I wonder if it's just her interest in cute feminine fashion in general or maybe there's something more

For the clothes, at least, it's like... Marcille is probably more horrified by the clothing being actually made for and marketed to men than anything else. I bet she'd be fine if Falin wore the exact same things but they were in the women's section, or at least, branded unisex. She would be so so silly about arbitrary stuff like that in a modern setting.

The hair I think is a tangled issue of Falin's resemblance to Laios getting a little too obvious for Marcille's mental health, and Marcille's own very intense relationship with how (female) mages should treat their hair. Also, since it's mostly a joke doodle, I kind of took it as a flanderized Bad Taste Marcille being horrified by a woman with short hair because she buys into gender norms. Some people are... weird about what women do with their hair and unfortunately I can fully see how Marcille can be weird like that in a vacuum joke setting.

(there's also something to be said about how this kind of femininity policing could also be used as plausibly deniable homoerotic subtext. like, girl, why do you care that much about how cute another girl looks? hm?)

[wannabebardrambles]

caitlin live reacts - ch 24? i think

pls enjoy the beginning of a LOT of me freaking out over aelys and katari interacting with girlhood. shout out to jon and will two men who are making me feel so many feelings abt girlhood ur doing great

KATARI. You scared the SHIT outta me babes and it was just to continue ur homoerotic spar teaching??? Insane. good for u

“I told you a long time ago your magic is your own. Im glad you’re finally starting to see that” UGH ur honour they are BEST FRIENDS

Damien is so snarky and so done with their bullshit and so iconic and love love LOVE

‘Break’ BABES

VALOR. Shes both breaking my heart and making me laugh constantly with this needing to touch someone thing

Aelys and Valor cosplaying at peopling I adore them

‘Are you okay?’ ‘No are you?’ ‘No’ ‘okay’

‘How are you doing’ ‘im here’ ‘I am…also here’

‘Im content’ YOU DID A CANNIBALISM

You did a CANNIBALISM that is NOT A COMPROMISE

Ngl aelys I don’t think anyone DESERVES this fate

DIABOLICAL. V A L O R ilysm

Jon called YouTube his fave <3

Love watching the champions in hysterics while everyone else tries to fix the tech lmfao

Katari is afriad of dogs I LOVE HER??? Bc dogs know themselves and she doesn’t??? And they bark loud

Shes a WORM PERSON

Aelys being afriad of bugs is so funny bc ABSOLUTELY SAME except earwigs are on my (very short ) list of tolerable bugs bc their name is funny. Idm them and I love centipedes and millipedes thats abt it

Aelys’ priorities are amazing

Theagus has an insecurity complex abt being a flightless bird that’s wild babes u can TALK

‘What r u doing we didn’t do that before…I don’t mind… I just wanna be in on the bit’

‘I thought you might be a blue sky to my storm cloud but I don’t think you are’ HELPPPPPPPPPPPPP

Im fucking deceased

‘Of all the things I was made to do…all the things I was made FOR, in my youth, this is the one I think should be mine to bear’ UGH

‘I think I can help ur bones conduct’ CONDUCT WHATTTTTTT

The copper bones are so fucking insane I am never getting over this happening

Can conduct and project negative energy - can conjure negative energy over 30 ft range. Same effects as unarmed strikes

U just…made Damian throw up. Thats so fucking funny. With the time travel.

1plr temporal anchor will regenerate 1 spell slot if another spell used that turn/round 

We do what we do because it makes us mean something. I am what I have built myself to be

‘Dark star’ - in Theagus’ letter

‘Every single mark you make is a part of your history…carve it or someone else will’

Other brand - suresh ? Those born to wield magic? Committed to pain and bound? Dangerous and seen as such? Sounds shit

They didn’t

‘He deserved it’ ‘no he earned it’ ‘We do not deserve anything. We are what we do’

Katari and Aelys BESTIEISM

‘Im gonna do this, I never got to do this, ok. Im gonna build a pillow fort’ HELP

‘HE THREW A CHAIR AT MY HEAD BC HE COULD SO I TURNED HIM TO DUST BC I COULD’ ’x used something.. a weakness of mine’

SOMEONE GET AELYS BESTIES UGHHHHH

I love aelys crashing out to synnove over this bullshit 

‘Seems interesting’ - Aelys on friends

[bonesbonesbones69]

A GTN Fanmix

It's done!!! I can't believe it. I spent so much time on this, I had so much fun. I'm still doing final touches on the HTN playlist but it will also be done so soon. For now: Gideon.

Track list:

The Legend of Chavo Guerrero (The Mountain Goats)

Bitter Rivals (Sleigh Bells)

Hast Though Considered the Tetrapod (The Mountain Goats)

Mark on You (The Mountain Goats)

End Love (Ok Go)

Clear the Area (Imogen Heap)

Ask (The Smiths)

Anything For You (Ludo)

Everything I Am is Yours (Villagers)

Matilda (Alt-J)

Bleed Out (The Mountain Goats)

I know that's a lot of mountain goats. But this is my playground and I'm doing whatever I want, and you can't stop me.

Song breakdown under the cut! I get wordy, i've put a lot of thought into this playlist. Like a really embarrassing amount of thought. It's long. but also truly optional, this playlist can be enjoyed without my deep dive!! Enjoy!!

Yesssss you looked under the cut! Welcome to every thought i've ever had.

THE LEGEND OF CHAVO GUERRERO - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

One thing I love about GTN is Gideon vs. her comic hero fantasies. It's heavily themed throughout this playlist, so we're starting with the concept.

I lose my mind thinking about Gideon spending her whole life dreaming about BEING someone and MAKING SOMETHING of herself through living out the action hero stories in her comics. That's what it means to be important and wanted, to fight and win and be covered in babes. Like they do in the comics.

Lyrics:

Before a black and white TV in the middle of the night I'm lying on the floor. I'm bathed in the light The telecast's in Spanish. I can understand some And I need justice in my life; here it comes

And then of course in the months between when she leaves the ninth and when dies, she lives the action comic hero scene by devoting herself dramatically to her necromancer and dying in battle for her - a short and tragic twist on the glorious victory found in comics, but also exactly what Gideon wanted from the comics: meaning to her actions. Being someone and making something of herself.

That shit makes me emotional so we're starting here, with the legend of chavo guerrero, and Gideon's childhood hero dreams.

BITTER RIVALS - SLEIGH BELLS

Ok the playlist is about "Gideon as the Action Hero" but its ALSO OF COURSE about Gideon + Harrow's relationship because I have the same disease about it that you all do. If you clicked down to read this stupid fanmix deep dive I can guarantee you also have this disease. the disease where we love Gideon + Harrow's relationship.

So here's a song about it :)

You are my bitter rival But I need you for survival

What else can I say??

This playlist is more or less chronologically aligned to GTN itself, which is something I love doing with playlists. Accordingly, this ones about them hating each other (yet... homoerotically?) and being inextricably tangled in each other at the same time. but don't worry, I have some gooier songs later.

HAST THOU CONSIDERED THE TETRAPOD - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS (AGAIN)

But not yet! Before we get to gooey love songs we have to listen to more child abuse songs.

Held under these smothering waves By your strong and thick-veined hands But one of these days I'm going to wriggle up on dry land

And it's also about maladaptive daydreaming and the persistent belief that there is a better future for you out there!!!

Playlist title is taken from this song - "I am young and I am good" as a self-identifier in the context of escaping and growing beyond an abusive household feel so right for Gideon, who is hungry for glory, but even more hungry to just be useful and acknowledged. To show that she is good and be validated as good. She hasn't had much opportunity in her life so far, which is SO unfair, because she is young and she is good!

MARK ON YOU - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS (GET USED TO IT)

When this is over, when we leave this all behind us Deep in the moonless night, when the rescue team finds us It's gonna get so dark for you I'm gonna leave a mark on you

What's perfect about this song is how threatening it is, and the implied violence... but also how in the same breath it implies an emotional footprint and no violence is ever confirmed. Do I even have to say that it's on here as a one-two punch referencing both harrow + Gideon's fighting and ALSO Gideon's sacrifice?? Of course that's why it's on here!!

It also gets bonus points for being off of the mountain goat's album 'bleed out', which was inspired by classic action movies. The action movie vibe comes through in the song, and therefore is a beautiful head-nod to Gideon the Action Hero at the same time as its a tragic foreshadowing to the nature of the mark that Gideon does in fact leave.

END LOVE - OK GO

Ok we're getting a little romantic. It's time for some songs about BUILDING TRUST ON PURPOSE

Cause no one's gonna save you, if you don't swim for the boat No one's gonna save you, if you won't take the rope No one's gonna find you, when you're hiding in the dark No one's gonna find you

The most romantic shit in the world to me is the combo of Harrow choosing to be vulnerable on purpose, and Gideon being so ready to accept and guard that vulnerability. Harrow's choices to let Gideon in are of course so delicious because theyre marinated in how absurdly difficult it is for her. And she does it so deliberately. She does it because she NEEDS to. Because the alternative (not having Gideons partnership) is so much worse. And that's romantic to me.

ASK - THE SMITHS

If there's something you'd like to try If there's something you'd like to try Ask me, I won't say no, how could I

Ok cmon. Right??

It's the other overwhelmingly romantic thing. The thing where Gideon is so ready to be there for harrow, when she's given the opportunity. When she's asked. And this is also STILL about having to be vulnerable and purposeful to build trust. Or the bomb will get you, or the whatever.

CLEAR THE AREA - IMOGEN HEAP

Ok here's the thing - I don't believe in criticizing your own art. Like posting something and saying 'oh its so bad' or pointing out all the stuff that didn't turn out right. It's self-defeating to give everyone the first impression that the thing you made is bad, before they have a chance to create their own impressions.

HOWEVER

The tone of this whole playlist is whack. Each song alone is great, but overall, the vibe is kind of sappy and idealistic and sweet - which feels so disparate from the tone of Gideon herself. I stand by the song choices I made but god I wish the vibe was more defensive, more funny, more bitter, more irreverent, more STUPID. ‘Bitter rivals’ is the only song on this playlist with the energy I dream of. I looked at some other riot grrl music but couldn’t find anything I loved. Ok I got so mad about this that I made a second playlist just now with only 'Gideon vibes' and no songs that have anything to do with shit that actually happened in GTN. Its here, it took 10m, and its very good.

Anyways, I’m telling you now because the song 'Clear the Area' is truly guilty of being too sweet and sincere.

Having said that, it absolutely belongs on this playlist anyways and I will defend it!

You find your way back down And I'll keep the area clear. When you find your way back down, in one piece Then I'll just be waiting here, right here.

This incredibly soft song is still solidly on the track of 'building trust on purpose or else the bomb will get you'. even more than that, it's about protecting and loving someone who is so wrapped up in their own shit that they do a very bad job of reaching out. and what about that DOESNT belong on a GTN playlist!!!

ANYTHING FOR YOU - LUDO

I don't have specific lyrics I want to share out for this one, but the entire thing as a whole deserves some attention: the singer lists fantastical and daring and victorious scenarios that they, clearly an adventurous hero, has completed, and then easily says that they'd give away all best things from their adventures for the song's subject.

It's an "all in" pledge that fits comfortably in with the cavalier oath. It's the commitment!! The gravity of devotion!!

and it's ALSO ABOUT IMAGINING YOURE A HERO yes thats right we are BACK to Gideon and the Action Hero. The song doesn't actually say that all the scenarios are imagined, but the variety and fantasy hint that they could easily be imagined. At the very least, they're supposed to make us think about adventure stories and that's good enough for me.

A fun little bonus for this one is the line "but the best story I could ever tell is the one where I am growing old with you," which I'm calling out because I get a little kick out of the 'growing old' theme. There's also a line in the legend of chavo guerrero, "I don't know but i've been told, it's real sweet to grow old". Between these two songs, the easy coupling of 'I dream of heroic deeds' with 'I will grow old' is... I mean.... tragic. I'm having fun, are you having fun?

EVERYTHING I AM IS YOURS - VILLAGERS

This is one of the first songs I put on this playlist. It's significant that this song has stayed on so long, I started seriously working on this playlist a month ago (in tandem with an HTN playlist) and i've removed and replaced most of the songs I started with.

There were times when I did consider removing it - I wondered if this song was a little redundant with 'anything for you'. Both are songs about devoting yourself fully to someone else. But what this song has that 'anything for you' doesn't, is the idea that 'everything I am' comes with the bad as well as the good. It's a promise and also a resigned statement.

I find it hard to say what's going on inside Got these little walls, couldn't break them if I tried But I promise I'll be true. And I promise I'll be right Sickness and in health. In the darkness and the light I give you every side 'Cause everything I am is yours

MATILDA - ALT J

OK WAIT HEAR ME OUT WAIT HEAR ME OUT WAIT WAIT IM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS ONE

It's a little high concept but whatever this is my playlist and I can do whatever I want!! you're welcome its not another mountain goats song.

The song Matilda by Alt J is not only a classic indie hit from 2012 with lyrics so warbly theyre basically nonsense, it is also explicitly about the ending to the 1994 action film 'Leon: The Professional'. Which I am about to talk about, so if you don't want spoilers, don't read the rest of this section!

So what happens at the end of the professional (and i'm stalling writing the sentence in case you are trying to skim over this to avoid spoilers), is that Leon (the professional himself) dies taking out an enemy with a grenade. This action saves the life of a young girl (Matilda) who he's taken under his wing, and who has brought new meaning into his life. Before blowing himself up, he hands the pin to the enemy, saying 'this is from Matilda', it's beautiful i cried blah blah blah

Put the grenade pin in your hand, so you understand who's boss. My defeat sleeps top to toe with her success Oh this is from, this is from, This is from Matilda

By now we're all on the same page, it's a song about dying so that someone you love will stay alive and finding meaning and purpose in that action, it's a song about what happened at the end of GTN.

AND it's a song about an action hero

AND it is itself the artistic reverb that the action hero had throughout pop culture!!!

Alt J saw 'the professional' and thought holy shit thats meaningful i'm gonna write a song about it. Gideon read comics and thought holy shit thats meaningful someday im gonna put my own life on the line for a necromancer. Then she DID, and DIED. Which is INSANE and I cried way more than I cried at the professional.

And the playlist ends on the next song for the exact same reason.

BLEED OUT - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

What can I even say!! I'm only gonna quote a couple lyrics here but I could really go line-by-line for this entire 7 minute song.

There was a chance we'd make it through this It's safe to say now that we missed it And I will never lose hope, and I haven't lost hope I'm just realistic I will go down punching, but I will go down and my corner man won't bring me back around Bleed out I'm gonna bleed out

This is the second song on this playlist from the action-movie inspired album 'bleed out', and this song is about the endings to action movies where the heroes die. It's about the trope that happened to Leon and Gideon. It's a little tongue in cheek, it's funny, extremely genre-savvy, long, slow, and sad.

The tone, content, and meta commentary about action heroes all make this one of my favorite songs on the playlist.

Every story needs a child who believes The brave hero's gonna be just fine You only have to check the papers to see Some of these children end up just like me Bleed out I'm gonna bleed out

I was sooo close to naming this playlist “every story needs a child who believes” but it’s a mouthful. So let’s just take a moment here, deep in the playlist footnotes, to think about it.

Are you thinking about it? I'm thinking about it.

Anyways, that's the whole playlist. If you read this (any of it), thank you, I love you. I am going to miss this playlist now that I'm casting it out into the wild. But it's time. I think it's complete.

See you again when I get the final touches on the HTN playlist. which has just as many mountain goats songs. and is even better ;)