#i get it when were blurry (which. we are a lot 😭)

[acetheta]

.

[pbaz7]

FLIGHT 2136: PART 9

paige x azzi

word count: 7.3k

A/N: I don’t even know. I’m real iffy about this (i hate it) but a lot of people wanted it so here we are lol. This is honestly a random ass chapter and it’s a little all over the place. There’s at least a common theme throughout the chapter which is good I guess! Let me know what you think :)

—————————————————————————

Paige has been chronically offline since the accident. Of course she still scrolls on her accounts but her social media presence was almost nonexistent—just a collection of sponsored ads and the occasional basketball dump that, knowingly to fans, was usually Azzi’s doing these days. If it weren’t for her teammates tagging her in posts, some people joked they’d forget she even had social media.

Because Paige was so inactive online, fans paid extra attention to her whenever she did show up. Every glimpse of her—whether it was a blurry background appearance in someone’s TikTok or a split-second cameo in an Instagram story—became something to dissect. It wasn’t just about what she was doing, but who she was always with.

Azzi wasn’t much better when it came to social media. She posted more than Paige, but that wasn’t saying much. Her feed was mostly basketball, occasional glimpses into her workouts, and sometimes a rare photo dump. But what fans noticed most was that, when she did post anything remotely fun or glimpses of her life, Paige was often in the videos.

It started subtly—Azzi posting TikTok trends with the team, Paige reluctantly included but always standing closest to Azzi. Then, she’d randomly post duets of them. Ones where Paige didn’t even try to hide her smile when Azzi pulled her into frame, or where she’d roll her eyes but still play along, because it was Azzi. Fans ate it up, stitching their videos with captions like Azzi is the only one who can make Paige do anything.

Then there were the off-the-court moments. Paige and Azzi getting caught whispering on the bench regardless of who was sitting in between them. The way Azzi’s hand would linger on Paige’s arm after huddles, or how Paige always seemed to turn to Azzi first when she was talking.

None of it was concrete. But to fans who had been paying attention, it was enough to start putting the pieces together.

The suspicion grew more on a random night after a game. KK, Aubrey, and Ice were piled in one of the team suites, Ice’s phone was propped up on live. They weren’t talking about anything in specific—just answering questions, talking about the game, and laughing about something they were trying to explain they saw from the bench.

In the background, Paige was in her own world, sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone like she didn’t even know the live was happening. Which wasn’t unusual. Paige was rarely the one front and center in these kinds of things, and the fans knew it.

But that didn’t stop them from trying.

The comments flooding in.

Pls get Paige in the camera!

Can Paige come say hi???

Ice glanced over her shoulder. “Yo, they’re asking for you,” she told Paige, shifting the camera slightly to show the fans her reaction.

Paige didn’t even look up from her phone. She just shook her head, laughing. “Nah, I’m good.”

The comments started flying in:

SHE LAUGHED OMG

She always does this 😭

Why is Paige allergic to cameras but will be in every single Azzi TikTok?

KK snickered, reading the comments in her head but not saying anything out loud. She, Ice, and Aubrey went back to talking about what happened on the bench during the game, reenacting the moment that had them in tears. The chat kept moving at full speed, fans still begging for Paige to come into frame, but the three ignored it, too caught up in their conversation.

After about 15 minutes the door to the suite opened, and Azzi walked in with Jana.

When they stepped in, Ice perked up. “Look who it is!” she said, grinning.

“Come say hi to the live real quick,” KK said, motioning for them to get in frame.

Jana, always down, strolled right over and leaned into the camera. “What are y’all doing?” she said, reading some of the comments as they flooded in.

Azzi, on the other hand, didn’t fully step in. She just popped her head into frame, flashing a quick smile. “Hey, guys,” she said casually before popping back out.

With the addition of Jana, the energy in the room picked up again. Ice, KK, and Aubrey focused on interacting with fans. The chat was flying, a mix of people laughing along and still—relentlessly—begging for Paige to get in the camera.

KK was the first to notice. She shook her head and nudged Aubrey, who glanced at what KK was pointing at and laughing. Jana and Ice caught on next, and within a few seconds, the four of them silently reached an agreement.

They all turned toward Paige simultaneously, eyes wide, lips jutted out in exaggerated pouts.

Paige, still lounging on the couch, didn’t even have to look up to know something was off. They had gotten way too quiet. With a small sigh, she lifted her head—only to be met with four identical, pleading expressions staring directly at her.

She blinked. “That looks like a scene from a horror movie.”

KK snorted, but no one broke character.

Paige let out a long sigh before pushing herself off the couch. “Alright, alright, chill,” she mumbled, as she walked toward them.

The live chat exploded:

NO WAY SHE ACTUALLY GOT UP THE POWER THEY HAVE

We finally won 😭

She stepped into the frame and forced a tight smile. “Hello,” she said simply.

She looks like she’s being held hostage 💀

Someone check if she blinked twice

Paige glanced down at the screen, reading through a few of them which were definitely inappropriate and shook her head. “Y’all are crazy,” she mumbled.

Then, her attention shifted slightly—just past the camera.

Her lips curled into a small grin, subtle at first, but it grew when her ears tinged a faint shade of red. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked. Her voice was softer, more familiar, like she had completely forgotten they were on live.

The chat instantly reacted.

WHO IS SHE TALKING TO??

Wait, what’s happening?

Y’all saw that shift in energy?? HELLO???

Just then, another voice mumbled something from behind the camera. "You look cute when you’re all shy like that."

Paige’s smile deepened as she shook her head, a small huff escaping her lips. “Did I say I was shy?” she shot back, raising an eyebrow.

WHO JUST SAID THAT??

Was that Azzi???

NAH WHOEVER THAT IS HAS HER FLUSTERED

Paige is actually blushing. I’m sick, it's not me.

Azzi’s voice came again, a little clearer this time, but still low enough that it wasn’t obvious who was speaking. "You don’t have to say it. I can see it."

Paige bit her lip, eyes flickering downward for a second before shaking her head again. “Mhm,” she hummed, her amusement clear. “That’s crazy.”

Now the fans were in full meltdown mode, scrambling to piece it together.

HELLO???

WHAT IS HAPPENING.

WHO IS SHE TALKING TO??

KK glanced down at the comments, but she hadn’t been following the chaos leading up to them. All she saw was "Who’s behind the camera?"

“Oh,” she said, reaching for the phone. “It’s just Azzi Fudd Fudd.”

She turned the camera toward Azzi, who barely had time to blink before being on the live. Azzi gave a small smile, waving before KK propped the phone back in its original spot.

OH. MY. GOD.

IT WAS AZZI LMAOOO

THE WAY SHE WAS JUST STANDING THERE?? HELLO??

Paige, babe, be so real with us right now. Like be fr.

Paige, for her part, had already retreated back to the couch, stretching out with an arm over the backrest.

Eventually, Azzi wandered over, standing in front of Paige, who tilted her head up to look at her. The fans couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it didn’t matter because Paige had that goofy grin on her face—the one she only ever gave Azzi.

Paige picked up her phone, holding it out in front of her as she showed something to Azzi. Azzi took it, leaning down just a little closer, her eyebrows furrowing as she examined the screen. The fans could see her jaw drop in mock disbelief.

“Absolutely not,” Azzi said, shaking her head with a playful, incredulous tone.

Paige looked shocked. “Wait, what?” she asked, but before Azzi responded, she was turning to walk off frame, clearly trying to hide a grin.

Paige jumped up from the couch to follow her. The camera caught her moving quickly, her hand still holding her phone as she trailed behind Azzi, just as the two disappeared off-camera.

A moment later, a playful squeal is heard, followed by Azzi’s laughter. “Paige, stop!” she yells through her laugh.

There’s a bit of shuffling—movement that suggests a playful struggle—before Paige’s voice comes through. “You act like you don’t like it.”

After that there was a soft thud, like someone bumping into furniture, then the distant click of a door shutting.

KK glances toward the door before turning back to the screen, eyebrows raised.

As time passed and Paige and Azzi still hadn’t returned, the live became chaotic, with Ice and KK taking over, entertaining fans the best way they knew how—by arguing.

“Bro, you literally just said the opposite like five minutes ago,” Ice argued, pointing at KK.

“Girl boo. No, I didn’t,” KK shot back.

“Oh my God bro yes you did,” Ice insisted, shaking her head. “Somebody roll the tape.”

Then, someone finally asked:

Where did Paige and Azzi go???

KK glanced at the chat. “Prolly with they boyfriends.”

Ice turned her head, eyes widening before she let out a snicker, barely holding back her laugh.

GIRL BE SO FR RIGHT NOW.

WITH WHO???? NAME NAMES.

ICE LAUGHING CAUSE SHE KNOWS.

Paige and Azzi somewhere laughing at us rn.

KK YOU’RE NOT FUNNY (yes you are but still).

After that live, it seemed like the fans were watching their every move. It wasn’t like Paige and Azzi were hiding anything—it was more that they weren’t about to make any official announcements, nor were they ever planning on doing anything overt in front of the cameras.

Still, the speculation never stopped. Fans were divided—some adamantly claimed the two of them weren’t even gay, others argued they were just best friends, while a small group swore up and down that something was definitely happening between them. Despite all the chatter, Paige and Azzi never commented on it. And that, in itself, said enough.

There were no denials, no confirmations, just the two of them continuing on with their lives, the bond between them only becoming more obvious with time. It was clear to anyone who paid close enough attention that Paige and Azzi were something more than just teammates, more than just friends. But until they decided otherwise, everyone would have to keep guessing.

…

The podcast started, and the two of them were settled in front of the mics, the cameras already rolling. Paige looked a little stiff at first, clearly still not quite used to the whole “podcast” thing, while Azzi was a little more relaxed.

The Overtime WBB manager gave them a thumbs up, signaling for them to just start talking, telling them they’d chime in if they needed anything..

Azzi leaned into the mic first. "Hi, I’m Azzi Fudd."

Paige raised a hand, half-waving at the camera. "Paige Bueckers."

Azzi flashed a grin. "Um so, we’re partnering with Overtime WBB for a few podcast episodes, and honestly, it’s just gonna be a yap session. Nothing too serious. Just us talking and they’re going to clip whichever parts they like."

Paige chuckled at that. "Yap session? That’s one way to put it."

Azzi turned to her with her grin still in place. "Basically what it is. And yes, you have to participate."

Paige huffed as she leaned back in her chair. "I don’t know why I got picked for this.”

"You know exactly why you got picked for this."

Paige just shakes her head, picking up some of the cards they had in front of her, flipping through them absentmindedly. She wasn’t quite sure where to start.

Azzi raised an eyebrow, glancing at the cards in Paige’s hands. "So, how do you wanna do this?"

Paige looked up, smiling softly. "You can start."

Azzi leaned forward, giving Paige a look. "Just so you know I’m not running this whole thing. I’ll let you sit there being mysterious for a little bit though."

Paige laughed. "I’m not tryna be mysterious. I’m just… tryna figure out how to talk into a mic without sounding awkward."

Azzi laughed softly. "Just act like we're on the phone or FaceTime or something."

Paige gave her a look—one silently saying, you definitely don’t want us doing that.

Azzi caught the look and rolled her eyes slightly, laughing again. "Okay, maybe let’s not do that."

Paige nodded with a grin on her face. "Exactly."

Azzi shook her head, picking up the cards in front of her. She scanned through a few trying to find one that she knew would relax Paige a little bit. After a second she turned back to Paige with a grin. “Who's the best shooter on the team?"

Paige snorted. "Me."

Azzi raised an eyebrow "So, we're starting off the first episode with lying, huh?"

"Azzi, I’m a better shooter than you."

"Really? Do we wanna tell everybody what happened yesterday after practice?"

Paige sat up in her chair as she squinted her eyes at Azzi. "You mean when you cheated and threw your ball in the air on my last shot?"

Azzi grinned. "You still missed. Meaning you lost."

Paige shook her head. "You cheated.

Azzi’s grin only grew as she shrugged nonchalantly. "You're just a sore loser."

Paige shot her a glare. "I’m a sore loser? You still can't admit I beat you in a one-on-one."

"Because you didn’t win."

Paige threw her hands up. "Bro, I was up 18-17!"

Azzi’s grin only grew when she saw Paige getting riled up. "Exactly. It was win by two. So, no, you didn’t win."

Paige let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking her head. "Whatever."

Azzi laughed, leaning back in her chair. "I’ll let you be delusional today but we both know what's good."

Paige smirked a little at this but didn't say anything back. Just raised her eyebrows at Azzi before she looked down at her cards. After a moment, she picked one out and glanced up at Azzi.

"Would you rather be stuck in a room with me or Coach for 24 hours?"

Azzi snorted, her face lighting up with amusement. She pretended to think for a moment, tapping her chin dramatically before glancing at Paige with a grin. "I don’t know man...that’s a tough one...you’d get a little annoying after like hour ten."

Paige dropped her jaw in disbelief, looking at Azzi like she’d just been betrayed. "Wowww."

Azzi's eyes sparkled as she looked back at Paige. "Still…I’d rather be stuck in a room with you, Paige."

The way she said it and the way she looked at Paige as she tilted her head slightly, made the words hang in the air for a moment. There was a beat of silence, the slight tension between them clear to everyone in the room. Paige held Azzi’s gaze, and for just a second, neither of them said anything—too caught up in the weight of the moment.

Paige’s smile faded slightly, her heartbeat a little louder in her ears. Azzi blinked, breaking the spell, and leaned back casually in her chair, her grin returning like nothing had happened.

Azzi flipped to the next card, reading it over before glancing at Paige with a curious expression. “Who's the hardest player to guard in college basketball?”

Paige barely hesitated before answering, her voice smooth in the mic. “You.”

Azzi blinked, caught off guard for a split second before a slow smirk spread across her face. “Oh?” she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Go on.”

Paige rolled her eyes at Azzi’s reaction but continued. “You’re shifty, your release time is basically nonexistent, you can get to the rim, and you never stop moving. It’s annoying.”

Azzi grinned, clearly pleased. “Annoying, huh?”

Paige nodded. “Very.”

“So what I’m hearing is, I give you problems.”

Paige scoffed, shaking her head. “Alright I never said allat.”

Azzi turned to the camera, her smile still present. “You hear that, everybody? Paige Bueckers just admitted that I’m the toughest player she’s had to guard. Basically said she can’t guard me.”

Paige groaned, rubbing her temples. “See, this is why I don’t say nice things. Your head gets bigger than it already is.”

Azzi laughed, clearly enjoying every second of Paige’s frustration, before turning back to the camera. "I swear she’s a lot nicer to me when she isn’t in front of a camera."

Paige scoffed, tilting her head slightly. "That’s funny, ’cause I was just thinking the same thing about you."

Azzi smirked. "Oh yeah?"

Paige nodded, her eyes locked on Azzi. "Mhm. You act all innocent in front of people, but when it’s just us? Whole different person."

Azzi raised an eyebrow. "What kinda different we talkin'?"

Paige leaned forward, a smile forming on her face. "The kinda different when you’re all over me."

Azzi laughed, shaking her head. "You’re wild for saying that on camera."

Paige shrugged, her smile growing. "What? It’s not like I’m lying."

Azzi tilted her head, pretending to consider if she was going to play into this with Paige. "You’re the one who gets all soft when we’re alone. Acting like you don’t melt the second I touch you."

Paige let out a soft laugh. "I don’t melt."

Azzi smirked. "You do."

Paige and Azzi exchanged a look before breaking into quiet laughter, clearly amused by how quickly their conversation had derailed.

"Now look who's flirting on camera," Paige teased.

Azzi shook her head, feigning innocence. "They can cut it out."

Both of them instinctively glanced to the side where the Overtime WBB crew stood, watching. One of the staff members, who had been jotting down notes, simply nodded. "Say no more," she mumbled, scribbling something down—probably making a note to edit out that part.

The staff member finished jotting down notes and looked up at them. "Alright, we’re going to do a speed round of questions to see how well you two know each other which should give us enough to wrap it up for today."

Paige and Azzi both nodded, settling in. Paige glanced at the paper, huffing out a laugh when she saw the question. "What’s my go-to order?"

Azzi snorted. "Chicken tenders and fries."

Paige grinned, satisfied with the answer, but Azzi wasn’t done as she adds, "She eats like a toddler."

Paige gasped. "No, I don’t! They’ve just never failed me. Gotta stick with ole-reliable when I go to new places."

Azzi shook her head, laughing, before reading the next question. "What’s my pregame ritual?"

"You always have to poop right before the game."

"This is true."

Paige continued easily, describing Azzi’s pregame routine as if she had been Azzi’s teammate for years. "But other than that, we both listen to the playlist I made, you tie your shoes a certain way, right first then left, and then you stretch longer than everybody else so you can pretend like—"

Azzi cut her off, eyes widening. "Alright, alright, let’s not spill all my secrets!"

Paige chuckled saying, “What you got opps?”

Azzi mumbles out, “Probably.”

Paige just laughed, shaking her head. She glanced down at her paper again. "What’s one of my pet peeves?"

Azzi didn’t hesitate. "When people chew too loud."

Paige pointed at her. "Facts."

Azzi looked slightly toward the camera before turning back to Paige. "Any time somebody chews loudly, she physically looks like she’s in pain. She’s too nice to say anything, though."

Paige rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it. Instead, she moved on. "Alright, what’s something I always say on the court?"

Azzi laughed instantly. "‘That’s off’—you used to only do it when you shot and knew it was about to miss but you’ve started doing it when I shoot now too."

Paige laughed. "Cause you gotta rebound more so I’m tryna help you out."

"Yeah whatever."

Paige gestured for Azzi to go next.

Azzi glanced down at the paper in front of her, skimming a few of them before asking, "What’s my guilty pleasure TV show?"

Paige leaned back in her chair confidently. "Any Bachelor or Love Island spinoff. You swear you don’t care, but then you get way too invested every time."

Azzi playfully rolled her eyes but grinned. "Okay, fair."

Paige wasn’t done. "Then you force me to watch it with you every night and start asking questions like, ‘Why did he pick her over the other girl?’"

Azzi laughed, shaking her head. "Alright you’re just adding all the extra details to these questions. "

Paige gave her Azzi smile and shrugged. "That’s the game, right?"

Azzi exhaled, looking down to hide her blush before picking her next question. "What’s something random I love?"

Paige didn’t even blink. "The smell of fresh laundry. You always say it’s one of the best smells in the world."

Azzi raised an impressed eyebrow. "I’m surprised you got that one so quick."

Paige shrugged like it was obvious. "That’s because every time you do laundry, you take a deep breath and say, ‘That’s elite’ before you make me fold em."

Azzi covered her face laughing. "Okay, stop exposing me!"

Paige just grinned before asking the next question. "What’s something that instantly annoys me?"

Azzi hummed. "When people take too long to tell a story."

Paige pointed at her again. "Oh my god bro! If you have a five-minute story, please don’t take twenty minutes to tell it."

Azzi shook her head, smiling. "She gets so impatient when people don’t get to the point. I can literally see it on her face. Then she starts fidgeting around like a child."

Paige let out a dramatic sigh. "Because why are you dragging it? Just get to the point!"

Azzi laughed, nodding before glancing at her next question. "What’s one of my biggest fears?"

Paige’s smirk faded slightly as she answered the question softly. "Not reaching your full potential."

Azzi blinked, the playful air between them shifting just for a moment. Paige held her gaze, the answer coming too naturally—reflecting the long conversations and late nights the two of them shared talking about things like that.

Azzi nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said softly before clearing her throat and forcing a smirk. "That and spiders."

Paige let the moment pass and grinned. "Yeah, those too. You basically crawled up my back when there was a spider in my bathroom once"

Azzi laughed, shaking her head. "Alright, next question."

Paige smirked. It was clear she was enjoying herself. "What’s something I do when I’m overthinking?"

Azzi exhaled, already knowing the answer. "You play with your ring on your finger and if you’re trying to not be too obvious because I’m around you bite the inside of your cheek."

Paige stared at her for a moment before grinning because of course Azzi had picked up on the second one "Okay, stalker."

"I just pay attention to you."

Paige didn’t say anything for a second, just held her gaze with that small smirk of hers.

After a beat of silence—just the two of them smiling at each other—the staff member cleared her throat. "Alright guys thank you. I think that’s good for today."

Azzi turned toward them, flashing a polite smile. "Sounds good, thank you."

Paige, however, was still looking at her, that smirk lingering like she knew something Azzi didn’t.

Azzi stood up, stretching her arms above her head before mumbling under her breath, "Stop staring at me creep."

Paige leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms—eyes never leaving Azzi. "Not my fault you’re in my line of sight."

Azzi rolled her eyes but glanced over her shoulder, seeing which staff members were still lingering around. After a second, she seemed satisfied with what she saw and then turned her attention back to Paige.

She moved closer, standing between Paige’s legs, her presence drawing Paige's gaze upward. The smirk on Paige’s face never faltered.

Azzi tilted her head slightly, a glint in her eyes as she reached out to take Paige’s hand, fingers casually playing with hers. "What?" she asked.

Paige tugged gently at Azzi’s hand, pulling her down into her lap. "I like your hair like that," she said softly, her fingers playing with the ends of Azzi's curls as she settled her more comfortably.

Paige glanced up at Azzi, smiling up at her softly. "This okay pretty?"

Azzi looked around again, checking the room before her gaze returned to Paige. She nodded, her voice quiet. "Yeah," she replied, settling into Paige's lap.

As soon as she got confirmation Paige pulled Azzi into a kiss by her jaw. Azzi’s hand instinctively found its way to Paige's cheek, her fingers tracing her face as she kissed back, both of them losing themselves in the moment for a while.

When they broke apart, Azzi whispered softly, her breath still warm against Paige’s lips, "You did well. I’m proud of you baby."

Paige chuckled, her smirk returning as she leaned back slightly. "Thank you."

Azzi raised an eyebrow at Paige’s demeanor, her tone teasing as she asked, "Did you like it?"

Paige, still with that same smirk, shook her head playfully. "Nope."

Azzi laughed, her fingers gently running through Paige's hair as she leaned in again, clearly enjoying the playful tension between them. "You're cute," she mumbled affectionately, her lips brushing Paige's temple.

Azzi’s fingers gently continued to play with Paige’s hair, a soft rhythm as they both relaxed into the moment. Paige let her head fall back against the chair completely, closing her eyes, letting the peace of the moment wash over her. The warmth of Azzi’s presence beside her always felt grounding.

Azzi, always attuned to Paige’s needs, let her take the brief moment of quiet. She shifted slightly, resting her head against Paige's shoulder, her hand still lightly grazing Paige’s hair as she hummed softly when she smelt Paige’s cologne, content to simply be there.

But the stillness didn’t last for long. A soft voice broke the moment. "Hey, sorry to bother you guys."

Azzi blinked, her eyes opening to see a staff member standing nearby. She straightened up, offering a polite smile, though there was still a relaxed air about her. "No problem," Azzi said.

The staff member looked at both of them. "Just wanted to check in to see if there's anything else from the podcast you want to be taken out, besides that one portion we already talked about?"

Paige opened her eyes, glancing over at Azzi showing she fully expected her to answer it for them.

"I think we're good," Azzi said, giving Paige a quick look to silently confirm. "Just that one part...everything else should be fine."

Paige simply nodded in agreement before closing her eyes again.

The staff member made a quick note on her clipboard. "Alright, cool. Just wanted to check in before we wrap up. You can just message us if anything else comes up."

As the staff member walked off, Azzi shifted back into a more relaxed position, her fingers resuming their movements through Paige’s hair. She mumbled, "Kinda crazy how we spent our off day working."

Paige mumbled in response—her eyes still shut. "Tell me about it."

Azzi huffed out a soft laugh, amused by Paige’s tired tone. She leaned in and kissed Paige’s neck gently, the brief contact making Paige grin.

Pulling away just enough, Azzi sat up, looking down at Paige with a small smile. "Let’s get you back to the room before you pass out sleepyhead," she said softly as she helped Paige sit up.

Paige stretched slowly, a contented sigh escaping her lips as she finally met Azzi’s eyes, still smiling. "I’m not sleepy… just...happy I don’t have to talk."

Azzi grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Whatever you say," she replied. Her eyes softened when she noticed the way Paige’s eyes were starting to droop. "You’re gonna pass out the second we get back to the room, aren’t you?"

Paige didn’t answer right away, but the lazy smile on her face and the way she leaned slightly on Azzi as they began to walk was enough of an answer. Azzi shook her head in amusement, offering her a gentle nudge as she led the way toward the door. "I knew it," she mumbled with a grin.

Once small clips of the podcast were released, the attention on Paige and Azzi only grew. The fans were watching more closely if possible, dissecting every interaction, every glance, every touch.

The two of them didn’t mind. Paige who was still reacclimating to the overwhelming attention, was more reserved around fans in general. But one thing she never did was change how she acted with Azzi. Whether cameras were on them or not, Azzi remained within reach—adjusting Paige’s hoodie strings, fixing her chain, brushing something off her sleeve. Small gestures that didn’t go unnoticed because there was no one else on the team doing them.

It was ironic, really. Fans remembered Paige playfully yelling at Ice during a livestream, claiming she hated being touched after Ice bear hugged her. Yet, with Azzi, she never seemed to mind.

Some of the more in-tune fans noticed subtle shifts in their demeanor when they were in public versus when they were on lives or behind the scenes. Paige was usually the protective one—shooting glares at the team when they bothered Azzi, draping an arm around her when she was pouring about something. But when they were at games or events, surrounded by fans, the roles seemed to reverse. Azzi subtly became the protective one.

She was the one gently guiding Paige away from crowded situations, standing just slightly in front of her when fans ran over to them too quickly, placing a hand on her lower back when the attention became too much. People other than just fans were starting to notice.

"Have y’all realized that Paige acts all big and bad with the team but the second they’re in public, Azzi’s the one protecting her???"

"No, let's talk about it bc Azzi is always making sure Paige is comfortable in crowded spaces and I think I’m gonna cry."

…

The event was supposed to be simple—meet fans, take pictures, sign a few autographs. And if this had been two years ago, it probably would have been much calmer. But things had changed.

With the rise in popularity, the number of fans crowding the venue had grown, completely filling the space with excited chatter and eager energy. People called out players' names, some holding jerseys and posters, others just wanting a quick interaction. Paige, despite being a transfer, had been welcomed with open arms. And if there was any doubt before the event, it was clear now—these fans completely adored her.

Azzi was caught up in conversation, taking pictures, signing things, flashing smiles when she needed to, but every so often, her eyes drifted toward Paige.

At first, it was just out of habit—glancing over to check in, to get a quick glimpse of her girlfriend.

But then, the crowd around Paige continued to grow.

Azzi’s stomach tensed as she watched more people press in, everyone trying to get a moment of her attention. At first, Paige didn’t seem to mind. She was still smiling, still quietly answering questions.

But Azzi knew better.

She remembered one night, months ago, when Paige had admitted, almost offhandedly, “Since the accident I get really claustrophobic sometimes. Not all the time, but when too many people are around me, and I can’t move the way I want or go where I want, it just…gets to me I guess.”

Azzi hadn’t forgotten.

Which was why she kept glancing over now, watching the way Paige’s shoulders stiffened just slightly, the way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes anymore. The way she was playing with the ring on her finger was always a clear sign of discomfort.

Azzi didn’t hesitate to make her way towards her after that. She didn’t rush, didn’t make it obvious—just started subtly making her way toward the crowd, offering a few more smiles, taking a couple more pictures along the way.

Azzi was nearly there when she saw Paige tensing as a fan wrapped an arm around her waist for a picture. It might have looked normal to anyone else, just a casual pose for the picture but the fan's arm was pressed securely around Paige’s torso, right where her scar was.

Paige didn’t say anything. She just offered a tight smile, her fingers still idly twisting the ring on her finger relentlessly.

Sliding smoothly into the group, Azzi greeted the fans with her usual warmth, her voice light. “Hey guys, how’s it going?”

The distraction was enough. The fan instinctively loosened her hold as she turned toward her, and in that split second, Azzi slid in. “Mind if I hop in for one?” she asked, flashing her grin. Before the fan could fully process it, Azzi gently moved their arm away from Paige, positioning herself in the middle instead. The way she did it was subtle—done so effortlessly that no one would think twice about it.

The picture was taken, and Azzi smiled at the fan before signing something for her.

After that she turned toward the group smiling as she said, “Sorry, guys, I need to steal her for a second,” already reaching for Paige’s hand to tug her away from the group.

Azzi guided Paige toward the exit, her hand resting lightly on Paige’s back as they weaved through the maze of people. As they neared the door, Azzi caught CD’s questioning look from nearby. With a simple glance, CD silently asked where they were going.

Azzi mouthed, Just taking a quick break.

CD gave a small nod of approval, trusting them both, before turning back to the chaos of the event.

Azzi led Paige toward the team's coach bus, still parked out front. The cool air was a welcome contrast to the heat of the packed venue, and the moment they stepped onto the empty bus, Paige exhaled deeply. They slid into a random seat, and as soon as she was sitting, Paige dragged her hands down her face, finally letting herself breathe.

Azzi didn’t say anything at first. She knew Paige needed a moment to gather herself. Instead, she just sat beside her, letting the quietness settle between them.

But when she noticed Paige starting to zone out, her eyes becoming unfocused, her fingers idly twisting the ring on her hand again, Azzi reached over and gently took her hand.

“What’s going on in that pretty head?” she asked her softly.

Paige let out a quiet breath, giving Azzi a small, appreciative smile before shaking her head. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she admitted, “I don’t know if I can do this, Az.”

Azzi’s brows knitted together as she turned toward Paige. “What do you mean?”

Paige let out a slow exhale, her fingers still playing with the ring on her finger. "I don’t know how to do this whole public figure thing anymore," she admitted, her voice quiet. "Before the accident, it was easier. Even though it was hectic, I could handle it—I loved it. But now… everything’s just harder. Social media, interactions, all of it."

Azzi frowned slightly, wanting to ease her worries. "You don’t need to be a public figure to be a basketball player P."

Paige simply gave her a look—one that silently told Azzi they both knew that wasn’t true.

Paige took a deep breath before continuing, her tone filled with frustration. "How am I supposed to be a face of a league team when I can’t even handle a crowd at a damn bowling alley?"

Azzi sighed softly before adjusting, hooking her arm through Paige’s and leaning her head against her shoulder. She reached down, replacing Paige’s hand with her own as she began absentmindedly playing with the ring on Paige’s finger, both of them staring ahead in silence for a moment.

Then, after gathering her thoughts, Azzi finally spoke. "You’re going to be perfectly fine, baby."

She paused, knowing she needed to explain why in a way that made sense to Paige. After a brief moment, she continued, her head still resting against Paige’s shoulder. "You’re so easy for people to love, to root for, to gravitate to."

Azzi lifted her head slightly, glancing at Paige before leaning down and continuing. "The moment you announced you were transferring to UConn, your name was everywhere. Every sports outlet, every social media page—everyone was talking about the return of Paige Bueckers." She paused, her fingers still gently twisting the ring. "You didn’t even have a social media presence and brands still threw the craziest deals at you."

Paige listened quietly, her chest rising and falling steadily as she took in Azzi’s words.

"You went from not being mentioned on draft boards to jumping into the first round after what…four games?" Azzi tilted her head slightly before laughing at herself. "I started rambling and kinda lost my train of thought."

Paige chuckled softly, the sound warm as she kissed Azzi’s head before leaning her own against Azzi’s.

Azzi smiled before letting out a quiet breath. "I guess my point was, I’m saying all of this to remind you that despite everything you went through, despite how much it still weighs on you. How much you still want to work on…you’re a light for everyone else. You’re a genuine person, you have the sweetest soul of anyone I’ve ever met. You’re talented, honest, and just…” Azzi pauses to gather her thoughts, silently thanking the universe for giving her someone like Paige. She continues saying, “You’re just an amazing human baby. And people don’t see that a lot in public figures these days."

Paige closed her eyes for a moment, letting the words settle.

"You could never post on social media again, you could hire a social media manager to handle everything, and people would still love you," Azzi continued. "They love you even when you don’t interact with them. Just being in the same room as you is enough for some of them. Just getting a glimpse of you—I don’t know if I’m cut out to make the decisions but if I was a GM that sounds like a damn great person to build my team around.”

Paige swallowed, her fingers curling around Azzi’s. She didn’t say anything right away, but the tension in her shoulders slowly began to ease.

Azzi squeezed Paige’s hand gently, grounding her before she continued. "No, you might not be the same Paige from high school—the one who filmed TikToks with kids after games and didn’t mind when hundreds of people waited for her and warmed her." She glanced up, making sure Paige was listening. "But this version of you? This perfect version of you that I love more than anything in this world. You still find time to make people’s day, even when you don’t realize it."

Paige exhaled softly, her body relaxing against Azzi.

"It’s gonna take time to get used to it again," Azzi admitted. "And that’s perfectly fine. Until then, just doing it in small bursts is enough." She played with the ring on Paige’s finger again. "And just so we’re clear—you are not obligated to give your time to anyone."

Paige let out a quiet huff of laughter, shaking her head slightly.

Azzi raised an eyebrow, a smile forming. "What?"

Paige turned to her, her blue eyes soft and filled with something Azzi recognized instantly. "I just love you," she whispered. "And I’m so thankful that God brought you into my life."

While Paige was saying this, Azzi's brown eyes were locked onto Paige’s blue ones the entire time. Her heart swelled, a slow smile forming as she whispered, "I love you too beautiful."

Azzi held Paige’s gaze for a moment before suddenly perking up. “One sec,” she said, standing up before Paige could question her.

Paige watched in confusion as Azzi walked toward her actual seat on the bus, rummaging through her bag. “What are you doing?” she said, brows furrowing.

“Hold on,” Azzi replied, focused as she finally pulled something out. She turned back, making her way toward Paige again, a small box now in her hand.

When she reached her, she held it out. “Here,” she said. “Open it.”

Paige looked at the box, then back at Azzi, suspicion flickering across her features. “Azzi…”

Azzi groaned, already anticipating the resistance. “Don’t be difficult.”

Paige huffed out a quiet laugh, shaking her head before finally lifting the lid. Her breath hitched when she saw the delicate silver necklace inside, a heart-shaped locket resting in the center. She blinked, stunned, before looking back up at Azzi, who was watching her with a soft smile.

“Open the locket,” Azzi said gently.

Paige carefully lifted the necklace from the box, her fingers grazing the cool metal as she unclasped the locket. Inside there was a small picture staring back at her—one of the first pictures they’d taken together. The memory was still so clear even though it seemed like two different versions of them.

A lump formed in Paige’s throat as her fingers trembled slightly, tracing the edge of the locket. No one had ever given her something like this before—something so thoughtful.

Azzi shifted beside her, watching her reaction closely. “You always say I make crowds and things like that easier,” she rambled. “So, I wanted to give you that—so you know I’m always there, even when I can’t be physically next to you.”

Paige took a long exhale, her chest tightening in a way she couldn’t quite explain. Slowly, she looked back up at Azzi, her blue eyes glistening.

“Baby…this is beautiful,” she whispered, her voice almost lost in the empty bus.

Azzi smiled and reached for the locket. “Here, let me put it on.”

Paige turned slightly, pulling her hair to the side as Azzi unclasped the necklace and carefully fastened it around her neck. Her fingers lingered for a moment, rubbing the back of Paige’s neck gently which only made her chest fill with more warmth.

When Paige let her hair fall back into place, her fingers found the locket resting against her shirt. She held it lightly, rubbing her thumb over the surface. “I love it,” she admitted, her voice softer than before, more vulnerable. “I love you.”

Azzi grinned, nudging Paige’s knee with her own. “I know.”

Paige rolled her eyes, a chuckle escaping her lips. “Bro you’re annoying.”

Azzi laughed, nudging her one more time. “I love you too, big head.”

They sat there for a moment in comfortable silence, both knowing they needed to head back inside. With a shared sigh, they stood, their fingers brushing briefly before Azzi stepped toward the door.

Just before they stepped off the bus, Paige gently grabbed Azzi’s wrist, stopping her in place. Azzi turned, a silent question in her eyes, but before she could say anything, Paige tugged her in, pressing a delicate kiss to her lips.

Azzi, of course, kissed her back, her hand resting on Paige’s hip, rubbing a few circles against her skin before she pulled away slightly. “You ready to go back to the chaos?”

Paige huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. “Not really,” she admitted.

Azzi grinned. “Too bad. I gotta go be the people’s princess.” With that, she grabbed Paige’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze before pulling her off the bus. As they neared the entrance, they made sure to drop their hands, slipping seamlessly back into the world that was waiting for them.

This time, though, Paige felt much better about everything.

[yuki8563]

🌹 + 💜 + 🕶️ Doodle Comics [ENG+中文] [9P] About -- "How to Say "Hi" to You?" ⚠️Serious Plot

After the Season 1 finale, Peri was confused, and asked that man for advice.

I thought about how to color it for a long time and I ended up choosing a lazy way and everything looked blurry haha.😂 I always think that Juandissimo and Jorgen have the most influence on Peri's growth, and when I drew this, I hope that everyone can feel the tenderness that comes from that romantic man.

(CH Ver & The rest of my thoughts about this work below)

中文放下面↓

Thoughts that came to me during the creation (if u don't have a Twitter account but curious, I'll post it here too)

This is the theme song I chose for this comic I imagined Peri sitting by the window sill and singing a gentle song softly (although the lyrics of this song are a bit sad 😭)

and here we go!

Peri was born into a happy and loving family. Everything was perfect, which made it difficult for him to understand children whose living environments were so different.]

And he is a bit arrogant, thinking that he still did everything according to the rule book and just made a small mistake. With a little more time, he and Dev will get along better. But he didn't expect that he was actually not as mature as he thought, and he was not ready for the most serious part of the guardian fairy.

Peri-Weri is not yet good enough to be recognized as "determined", but one day he will become Dev's closest Periwinkle, his family, his…father.

Why I think he would choose Juandissimo to ask for advice?

In addition to his vast experience, Juan's position is that of a "close third party" He will have a certain degree of objectivity, and combined with Jorgen's opinions, it will be the perfect corrective direction.

Regarding Dev's concerns, I didn't remember until I drew P7 that I should correct Peri's face on P1. But I wasn't actually make him make eye contact with Dev in the first place. (No need to correct!! YAY!!)

↓ This tweet affected my subconscious more than I thought 🥹🥹

Peri avoided looking because he felt a little guilty.

(Because Dev is a child, and he also paid the price for his mistakes-losing his fairy godparents)

But this is a disservice to Dev. (Dev may be used to it, but this behavior is not friendly to him, and he will not believe that such a person can be purely regarded as a "friend") If he didn't have an AU PAIRs around he might just call the police 😅😅😂😂

Why would Dev doesn't need Peri? Because Peri is not the only choice for fairy godparents, but for Peri, Dev is the only first godchild. (There are various meanings)

Also, I think Juandissimo may have learned a lot from Remy. (Because during that period he tasted defeat and failure. ) Since he is the replacement for Jorgen's wand, he will definitely be a better person in ANW. I sincerely and humbly look forward to seeing him again in Season 2.

If anyone has questions about my storyboarding… Yes, I drew a lot of hands (?) In fact, I also avoided eye contact between Peri and the audience.

↓ I love this part

[lemonisntreal]

My thoughts on Sing: Thriller! [finally]

I just want to vomit out some of the things on my mind because ohhh my god, do I have THOUGHTS-

Also! Link here to the short, for the people who want / need it 👍

NO WAY

THE BASTARD LIVES???

THE MIKE FANS WERE ACTUALLY RIGHT????

It wasn't just copium!

Kinda off topic, but this is getting me thinking on how different sized animal's seats are priced. Because they only grabbed one ticket I think, so I think they're literally sharing a seat [WHICH IS CUTE]. But does this mean that bigger animals need to buy more than one ticket? Or are all the seats just ridiculously big? Or am I crazy?

Also thinking of that one scene in Spongebob where Plankton gets sat on by Bubble Bass 😭

Tiny blurry Mike hehe looks like found footage

RAHHHHH

RAHHHHHHHH

Me when I see my fav for 2 seconds with zero speaking lines

Nana is eating also holy shit

EATING 👹

Also Eddie guiding her by the hand is sweet, I love their relationship so much aaywusjhisajhajk

He has such an obviously better relationship with her than he does his actual parents and I'm eating it upppppp

The "How hard can it be to fix a stupid tire anyway???" line was so aggressive, I'm taking this as character development !

She's an actually amazing actor in-universe and I love that

Meena Sweep

Also this set is clean as fuckkk- also a lot more realistic, but still very not LMAO

Also he's DOING A JIG AAA

The crunchy version is for my enjoyment specifically

HOLY SHIT I WAS REFERENCED /j

Also also.

Both GMO and Alice in Wonderland were really short plays from what we see, but I actually do think that this isn't how it actually goes in canon. When they're on the bus in Sing 2, the script looks pretty thick for one. And two- why would anyone pay for tickets for 4 minutes of show?

Like it just makes sense, you gotta understand my reasoning.

They couldn't put the whole 2 hours of play in the actual films, but I like to believe that's actually how it goes

That there's some story and depth to it as well [💀]

Reference. For later.

THE WAY HIS FACE SCRUNCHES DUDE DUDEUDUED

Meena Gunter and Ash are absolutely partying in the back bro

I wonder how often Meena finds herself in cars. Because like there's size, but also we know she just takes the bus everywhere. I don't think her family has a car, they all feel like they utilize public transit instead

Cars that are modified for bigger and smaller animals are probably more expensive and not mass-manufactured either

Not just height but weight limit is also something that needs to be kept in mind. Elephants are like a few thousand pounds.

I think it's just easier to have modified public transit rather than modified individual cars for that kind of load. I bet public transit has way more funding in the Sing universe because of this need too. Because there's also Rhinos, and Hippos, and Giraffes-

I'm getting lost in the sauce again.

HER NOSE SCRUNCH

She was AT that door. First one there, bouncing with excitement. Adorable. I wish Clay had speaking lines with her in this AGH

REFERENCE.

girl what the fuck are you doing here, your ass was NOT invited ‼️

The Infection AU would go CRAZY

Somebody needs to make that rightttt now, actually

I'm giving it some thought right now and how with a few tweaks this could be cool. Like I'd definitely make it so there were different phases, like the MLP AUs. And I'd keep the hivemind thing definitely, because I think that adds an extra terrifying aspect to it

Probably make the ooze stuff look more messy, eyes would be leaking the stuff, mouth.

Idk I'm just spitballing LMAO

The dog from under the table is actually terrifying

Rare sighting of angry Meena

ALSO WHY-

I have a complaint.

Why were they dancing.

For a full minute. With nothing.

No singing. Just instrumental. It dragged on for so insanely long. Like that's my one complaint about this short, is that the pacing is just absolute dogshit after they all get possessed. You can give me a Thriller reprise without making it look super awkward and boring. Why couldn't this have been a cool chase scene instead? Like actually keep up that tension you established?? Because like Crawly and Buster are just STANDING there now, and it's just like-

And then the actual chase is over so fast

Man.

HE'S SO STUPID LOOKING I'M GONNA CRY [positive]

the Borb....... [Buster orb]

I hate the "it was all a dream!" trope but I can't really be mad

I saw it coming from a mile away, and I'm honestly glad because it means that this isn't canon and we don't have to deal with random zombie shenanigans in the actual lore

Or maybe not because Crawly was literally possessed at the end but whatever. Not canon.

My final thoughts are that this was really solid! I feel well fed and very happy to get some new content of the sillies. I will most likely be drawing lots of Thriller stuff because WOW were some of those shots pretty. Overall, critically? C+ short [mostly due to that minute of almost nothing happening]. But my enjoyment level puts the grade at a B+ for me so [B is for Biased].

[h3art-love]

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ `✦ ˑ

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ `✦ ˑ

Welcome, Wanderer.

Hi, you’ve found my introduction—I’ll now be launching this blog finally… I don’t want things to be too formal, so I’m valore. You can call me Val, or heart if you like. I don’t care, but the main purpose of this blog—We arrive in my shifting and somewhat LOA diary.

I’m also autistic, so some things you say depending in how much trickery—will be complicated for me to understand.

I am also Afro-Latina, but I’m not Hispanic…I won’t explain how that works just use google! My special interests are: gaming, astrology (capricorn rising, gemini moon, and virgo mercury), the occult, and many more I cannot name because my memory likes to act fragmented.

─ ⊹ ⊱꒰☆꒱⊰ ⊹ ─

Shifting Journey So Far?

In December 2019 to be exact, I remember watching a video on YouTube and behold! Shifttok ensnared my impressionable brain, but don’t worry I wasn’t there as much I actually put more effort into doing the actual act of shifting. I started my shifting journey because of—escapism. I did get some successes…

For instance, I wasn’t actually there—I was still here, but my nose burned and, mind you, I have a very strong sense of smell. The scent that invaded my nostrils with no permission was…lavender. Yes, lavender. Then, I think, I felt the grass beneath me as my bed felt strangely pokey and extremely itchy. This was a couple years back, but it wasn’t my first shifting attempt—I just fell asleep back then.

My most confusing, successful shift I can remember was in the summer of 2023. Honestly, I’m bordering on if it was just a dream, but it was blurry at first my eyes weren’t wide awake. Then it cleared on me as if I popped on some glasses—then I fell asleep because I didn’t care, and I was very tired because of my horrid sleep schedule.

By the way, my eyes weren’t completely open they were closed. THEN I opened them which is why I said that prior. Just to clear up confusion for you!! I felt nightstand light shine on me, but at the time—I slept with the light off, so I didn’t think much of it. I woke up and it was off?

Fast foward, fall of 2024 I shift causally using loa. It wasn’t anywhere special though, but a win is a win. Where did I shift ya wonder? Oh, it was here 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️. Honestly, all I wanted was for my terrible AP bio teacher to poof for a day, and she did. Golly, I was so happy it worked. When I chatted with my classmate and teacher—they confirmed they weren’t here that day. Uhm, the thing is, I didn’t go to school that day 😭😭😭😭. Ironic, isn’t it?

Another shift, it was that SAME damn teacher I was tired of. I think this day I was taking a shower, and I didn’t contradict the thought of it. It just popped up and I’m like, “ok.” I went to bed and woke up… I was walking down the hallways, until I saw a substitute at the door?! Oh boy! A smile ETCHED itself onto my face, and happy hormones ejected themselves naturally into my immune system!!!

My reality I’m targeting is—a streamer dr where I am a rich gal living her best life with a cool fashion company, while having a delicious slow burn with her man!? Yum yum! My purpose is to just yap on here until I perma shift, and bam I’m out of this prison. I mean technically I am all the time, but eh ykwim.

At my core, who am I supposed to be?

Ironically enough, I struggled a lot with this question in my middle school years. I dissociated so much my literal x-friend, at the time, literally had to tap on my shoulder and bring me back to ground, because calling my name wouldn’t work. I slept in class so much so that’s all I became known for. I wear scars on my petite figure that I wish would fade, but oh, dear, it won’t so that’s why shifting was so appealing to me at the time. It still is now.

I know I’m meant to be a healer, and just give out love—not so much till’ my heart breaks for good, I get used to the point I cry, and so much more. I mean that’s how I got my user name—“<3 love”

Oh dear, how did this get so melancholic already? Anywho, I hope starting this blog is worth it because…Uh, I don’t have anything better to do, and my grammatical skills need some DESPERATE sharpening.

DNI LIST!

Homophobes, transphobes, racists, pedophiles, “dark romance enjoyers,” and etc…You GET the picture. I’m not going to lay here all day and list it out. Also, anti-shifters and people asking for donations or wtv…I have a very very common thing that is called brokenness, and this is just meant to be a silly blog…idk what I can do for u ngl.

I also do not want weirdos on here, but hhhh a certain type. To elaborate like before a dark romance enjoyer—I’ll keep it straightforward; think of something as grotesque as Haunting Adeline. I don’t feel like saying more lol.

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ `✦ ˑ

[puckpocketed]

bonjour, i'm from vancouver but i have the worst sleep schedule ever so with onhockey dot tv by my side i'm abt to get into the aihl. who should i root for

BONSOIR!!! rip sleep schedule . I am a devout CBR Brave blog so, there’s only one answer here <3 some propaganda for you

i have personally met our starting goaltender Aleksi Toivonen and he’s a big sweetie . it was during this year’s off-season in uhhh february? and he was hanging out at our rink getting his reps in. i barely knew about the team back then so when he said he played for them i was like !!! and he let me take a very blurry photo 🫶

we’ve always been kinda good in a way that makes people a bit mad LMAO!!! won our first Goodall Cup 2018? so if you wanna root for the team where everyone’s praying for your downfall… get in here <3

on the topic of always being good; we’re so stacked that when IIHF Worlds is on, our roster gets STRIPPED because we have a lot of Australia’s best players! this year it happened and resulted in . um. a 9 game loss streak? <3 we were DEAD last in the league for a while. but the boys came back and we clawed our way to 2nd place in our conference pretty neatly

despite being so good, our rink is SHIT. i’m so serious. as a local, i’ve been to it and skated on it. god. soft, bewretched, small ice. there’s a fucking TRENCH between the boards and the ice too… like you could lose a small earring down that gap 😭 AND during intermission our zamboni does her best but often we have issues with flooding. smallest ice surface and smallest barn in the AIHL i do believe! this is because there’s been a decades-long power struggle between the owners and the government. (the streets are saying it has also historically been a pretty unfriendly place to the hockey players because the owner’s wife was a figure skater so her and her people always got preferential treatment LMAO) ANYWAY the propaganda part is . we play and practice on this ice and in this shitty old barn and we are still TORCHING the league <3 in a way i feel like we are the scrappy underdogs (we are not. but. we are to ME!!) anyway imagine what we could do with real facilities jskdjshsklff

canberra’s a small world so this team is just a bunch of brothers playing hockey together,, i’m SO serious. we got FOUR kubara brothers !! TWO miettinen brothers. and 2 Yorks !!! GONGEOUS NEPOBABIES..!!!

we just signed Austin Cangelosi and he’s boybestfriends with our guy Jake Ratcliffe and i love seeing them gossip on the ice like two girls at a slumber party. Cangelosi is 5’7 and got 🤏 this close to the NHL during a time where size was absolutely everything. i have the scouting notes from his draft year, and his overage draft years — i think if he’d come up in this era somebody would’ve taken a shot at him in like the 5th-7th round?? but alas. smash cut to now: he’s a small, fast, skilled player and has a relentless motor. if he stays with us next year he probably contends for most points in the league. he’s very good and fun and i louve heem…

i was talking shit about the Brave Cave but i love her so bad. we have new management who i deeply despise on a moral level because they’re a property development/building company, but aside from that they’ve put staff in place to make the vibes of pre/post games SO good. we’re hoping with this acquisition we will finally get the new rink we were promised in uhhhhh 2017. but who CARE!!! right now the capacity in the Cave is about 500, but it is apparently THEE most miserable place to play in as a travelling team. we’re a very rowdy crowd. we don’t boo our guys. we are deeply intimidating down to the last small child in CBR Brave facepaint.

on the topic of vibes: there are a few personalities at the rink who are pretty much fixtures. 1) the Cow Bell Guy; which is what it says on the tin. he brings a cow bell to every game and clangs it whenever something cool happens. when i say every game i mean like. i’ve seen him on monday nights when our beer league teams play godbless. (chatted to him a few times, his kid is a hockey fanatic and an ipad baby LMAO). 2) the Screamer; also what it says on the tin. Legend has it about 15 years ago she discovered hockey in an Autism Way and now she attends every home game and stands in the exact same corner. she heckles the SHIT out of the opposing team and honestly it would be kinda offputting if it was my team she was yelling at but she’s on MY side and so she’s a hero to me <3 i initially thought she was an overenthusiastic WAG or something but. no. she’s just on the hockey freak juice.

anyway. root for MY team. CBR BRAVE BEST TEAM OF ALL TIME EVER EVER EVER AND WE GOING TO THE CUP!!!!!

jokes aside please choose whatever team u like and have fun <3

[x-0ophelia0-x]

right person, wrong time.

Pairings: Ezra Bridger x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Dramaaa

word count: 2,3K

summary: Your boyfriend gets killed while you where on a mission, betrayed by your own. Just when you thought that you could never find love again, you meet Ezra. Everything seems to go back to normal, until you see him again.

authors note: this fic is based of @shining-nebula2000‘s idea! I hope you like it 😭 should be proof read now. Also, I kinda forgot that you can’t really bleed out because of blaster fire while writing this-

never the less, here’s some dramaaa

Not as much as I originally planned to but anywayyy

enjoy <3

Hysio Asteen

Beloved son, friend and partner

Ever since that day you questioned yourself if you’d be able to love anyone else ever again.

If you’d be able to feel the happiness he provided for you.

If you’d be able to see the light and embrace it’s warmth the same again.

If you’d be able to move on, knowing that your lover‘s life was cut short due to the actions of someone who betrayed the Rebellion. 

You were out on a mission which escalated quickly. 

Hysio, your partner, had to steal some important blueprints from the empire. You two were accompanied by your teammates, ensuring your safety throughout your risky mission,

But one of them had to betray you, one of them had to raise his blaster when Hysio ran back, aiming for his heart and pulling the trigger. Ending his life just because the empire seemed more promising, safer and stronger.

Your teammates took care of him while you were petrified. 

„Hysio!“

You screamed out his name in pure shock, seeing how his body fell down. His breath was rapid, his hand trying to put pressure on the wound but nothing could save him right now. He’d die if he didn’t get any professional medical attention now. 

You ran to him, kneeling down beside him, holding him close while your tears blurred your vision. Trying to add the pressure he held over his wound with your hands, but it was too much. You couldn’t give him the medical attention he needed right now, his wound was to severe and his immense blood loss added a factor to his low survival chances.

„you.. you have to go“

He tried to say, his voice weakening more and more with every passing second. In his other hand was a stick, the one he had put the blueprints on.

He gave the stick to you, knowing that the rebellion needed those blueprints.

„you need to finish what we started.. please..“

His voice trembled, due to his pain but also him knowing that he’d die… leaving you alone.

„No!!.. you can’t ask this from me..! I-I won’t let you- I can’t let you die here!“

You cried even more, looking at him knowing that your time with him was running out. His eyes still held the same kindness for you, even in his last moments he tried his best to calm you down.

„I don’t regret anything in my life.. thanks to you“

He continued while you protested. Taking in his features, making sure that you wouldn’t ever forget his face. Just as you tried to tell the others to help you carry him to your shuttle, the sound of multiple footsteps filled your ears.

„you got to hurry..! They’re coming“

He said, his voice even weaker now. 

Everything that happened after that was blurry. Your teammates rushed to you, seperating you from him. You managed to share your last kiss with him before they dragged you away, running away from the incoming stormtroopers. 

„Hysio!.. I love you!“

You yelled as you turned your head for one last time, locking gazes with his dying form. He then smiled after hearing your words, using all of his remaining strength to yell back.

„I love you too y/n!.. I always will..!“

-

Two years passed since that day. The blueprints indeed helped the Rebellion a lot. They helped us to find weaknesses in imperial transporters, making it easier to attack them, getting our crates with much lesser losses then before. 

Your boyfriends sacrifice saved a lot of lives. Princess Leia Organa even appeared in his funeral. 

His death left you emotionally shattered. His dying form a constant element of your nightmares. Reminding you of that day.

Due to your former teammates betrayal which led to Hysios death, you needed some time to regain the ability to trust someone again. And that day eventually came. 

You were reassigned to the ghost crew. Being spectre seven, living in the ghost and also helping them on their missions. It wasn’t easy at first but they gave you the time and space you needed, never pushing you too far.

Just when you thought that you could never let anyone else in your heart again, you met him.

Ezra Bridger, Padawan of Kanan Jarrus, offered you his help to get more control over your dreams. You had told the crew about your nightmares since you basically woke Sabine up every night. Sharing a cabin with you was rough at the start.

You hesitated at first but then accepted it, letting him help you, trusting him a little bit more then the rest of your newfound family. 

And somehow you felt at ease again, at peace. Ever since you spent more time with him you seemed happier, that the walls you slowly built up started to fade away.

You didn’t want to replace Hysios special place in your heart with someone else, but you couldn’t reject Ezra neither. 

He made you happy again, helped you when you were at your worst and he even accepted the fact that you needed time to let someone else in your heart again. 

Hysios death broke you but Ezra somehow managed to fix you.

So you decided to again open up your heart for someone. You couldn’t stay this way forever, you had to move on and Ezra was the one who showed you that it was possible. Letting you feel the warmth of the light you fought for again.

You were a couple now, spending even more time together then before, going out to watch the night sky and count stars, to play with loth cats, fight against imperial inquisitors, collecting new helmets for Ezra’s silly collection, fly together to missions and having your little moments. 

Most of your activities where considered normal couple activities, one of them being to watch the night sky with him, falling asleep on his shoulder when you, again, forgot about the time. This one was your absolute favorite.

-

You two were separated for a mission. Ezra was with Kanan and the others on the Phantom while you were with Hera on the Ghost.

When they successfully stole more crates, they flew back to Atollon, where you and Hera waited for them.

You didn’t notice the person who was observing you from afar. 

The shadow that sneaked into the base, looking for one person. You.

When you saw the Phantom docking to the Ghost you ran to the ramp, waiting for Ezra to come out. And so he did. The ramp opened, revealing your boyfriend. 

The person that followed you started to walk towards you. He’d recognize you anywhere. Just when he was near enough for you to hear him if he’d talk to you, he froze. His heart skipping a beat when he saw how you ran towards the boy from the ship. Engulfing him into a tight embrace while you two shared a kiss. 

„How did it go?“

You asked.

„Like always“

Ezra answered nervously, bringing up his arm against his face, looking to the side. You took the hint that he was hiding something, or even better, didn’t want to admit something.

„hmmm.. always as in ‚we got in trouble but managed to flee always‘“?

You grinned, bringing up your hand to his chin, slowly turning his face back to yours so that you could see him better. 

„okay you’re right.. chopper had to navigate us back.. it was risky“

He admitted, not amused since he had to tell her that they were saved by chopper. This droid‘s ego grew even bigger since this happened.

„But it wasn’t my fault this time!.. Sabine decided to leave an artwork behind which slowed us down when the stormtroopers arrived.“

He added, not wanting to admit that it was also kind of his fault because he forgot to tell them that they were coming after he chased one down for his helmet. He wouldn’t tell her this detail tho, not even Kanan knows about this.

„What the.. fuck“

Your heads turned to the direction you heard the voice from. 

It was a deep and strained voice, but it was familiar to you. When you looked at the person infront of you, your eyes widened in shock and disbelief. 

It was him. Hysio. 

„H-Hysio..“

You whispered, the amount of disbelief evident in your voice.

„how.. you.. y-you died..?“

You were tense, not knowing what to feel right now as you felt multiple emotions at once. Ezra noticed it, you told him everything about him and how you thought that he died. Your mental state was destroyed and it took you long enough to even feel happiness again.

„well.. I didn’t…“

His voice was different. He still had his characteristic undertone but right now.. the only thing it did was to send a shivers down her spine.

„After you left and the troopers arrived, they took me to some medical facility. I don’t even know what they did but it saved my life…“

You were speechless. All this years and he was alive. While you thought that you had lost him forever. 

„.. at some point I wished that they would’ve let me die that day.. the things they did.. they wanted information about everyone and everything, they noticed that I wouldn’t tell them a thing and decided to use other methods.“

His voice seemed like as if he was holding something back. Some words came out through gritted teeth, you also noticed how his arm was trembling.

„..the mere thought of you gave me the strength I needed to survive that and to escape this hell at some point. Spending months to find you… just to find out..“

He now was looking at Ezra and something in his eyes twitched, the small amount of softness that they held earlier was replaced by anger and disgust.

„.. Just to find you kissing some other bastard?!“

He yelled the last part, his anger now completely on display. The look on his face while he looked at Ezra was one you never saw on him before. As if he’d be ready to kill him right now. Your were left speechless, not knowing what to do. 

Ezra once again noticed your unease, tightening his grip around you.

„She thought that you were dead.. there was a funeral that even Princess Leia attended to..“

He tried to say, but he also didn’t find the right words right now. 

„So the best thing she could do was betray me?!“

Hysio was furious, not caring at all if others heard him yell. 

„I-I didn’t.. I-„

„You what?! Saw me die and chose to let him steal you from me?!“

Hysio cut her off, stepping closer to them with each word.

„Hey! Let’s try and talk about this without th-„

„I don’t have anything to talk with you about! As for you“

His gaze moved to yours, seeing how you clinged on Ezra, tears ready to fall. 

„I didn’t think that it’d be so easy for you to forget what we had“

„Hysio.. please don’t do this..!“

You cried, not believing what was happening right now. 

„I guess I was wrong about you.“

He then turned to leave, not wanting to look at your eyes ever again. Murmuring something under his breath that was just loud enough to be heard by you.

„Can’t believe I did all of this for a fucking whore“

And something within Ezra then snapped. Even if this guy was your former boyfriend, he had no right to call you like that, and seeing how you reacted when you heard his words, it was his turn to be angry now. 

So he did what he did the best. Disobeying Kanan‘s order to not let his emotions get the best of him.

He ran to him and just when Hysio turned around, facing him, it was too late. 

He punched him straight to his face.

„Don’t you ever dare to disrespect her like that!“

Ezra yelled, ready to hit him again. But Zeb was faster, after seeing what was going on and how Ezra made sure that this guys teeth would need a dentist, he ran to him, holding his arm just before he could land another hit.

„Calm down boy.. even if he deserves that.. you shouldn’t waste your strength on him“

Hysio at the other hand didn’t care and lunged towards Ezra, punching him at his abdomen while both he and Zeb were taken aback by the sudden attack. Sabine then rushed to tackle Hysio down, holding him still while she waited for help to come. 

„You fucking asshole! You stole her.. you fucking stole her from me!“

„Can you even imagine how broken she was?! She needed over a year to openly talk to anyone here! I tried to help her.. she is happy again, I didn’t ‚steal‘ her! And.. I love her alright?!“

Hysio broke down, not believing what he was going through right now.

Zeb then let go of Ezra, letting him walk back to you while he helped Sabine holding Hysio back. You were still shocked, walking towards Ezra, hugging him while you hid your face into his neck, wanting to disappear right now.

He returned the hug, placing his hand to the back of your head, holding you gently, trying to calm you down.

„It’s going to be alright..“

While you still tried to calm down after your encounter with Hysio, he on the other hand was brought to a cabin, all alone. Sabine and Zeb hoped that it’d calm him down, but little did they know what was going on in his mind.

As much as he wanted to hate you right now.. he couldn’t. 

He still loved you.. and that’d never change.. as much as he tried to right now.

[maochira]

oops i hope u see this before u right the request but can you make it a panic attack comfort type thing? 😭 (the bigbro!karasu request? 🫶🤍)

I can't really write about panic attacks (I don't have enough experience with them) but I can do anxiety attack comfort!!

Requests open! - masterlist

Tags: gn!younger sibling!reader, reader is about 2 years younger than Karasu, reader has social anxiety, comforting, anxiety attack with hyperventilating (how I experience them)

Your parents are both busy with work, so they gave the task of grocery shopping to you and your brother. You actually didn't feel like going at all, but leaving the chore to Tabito alone just felt wrong, so you decided to come along - even though you already noticed today is not the best mental health day.

Most of the time, you manage grocery shopping pretty okay. It does drain your energy a lot, but it's nothing you expected to be as hard on you as it is today. Even if you look away, you can feel the stares of all the strangers in the store, and they feel way more judging than usual. You know that's just your mind overreacting and 99% of the people don't cate about you, but your anxiety still rises each minute.

You try to ignore it and go on with grocery shopping, thinking to yourself it won't take that long anyways. You're more than halfway through the store and there are only a few more items you need to get.

Just to feel a little safer, you grab your brother's hand and hold it a little tightly. Tabito opens his mouth and is about to tease you for holding his hand like a little child, but he quickly notices you're feeling anxious. He immediately closes his mouth again and gives you a soft smile before ruffling your hair.

"We'll be done in a few minutes," He says as he takes a look at the shopping list on his phone, "We only need seven more things. You can get through this, right? I know you can." Tabito ruffles your hair a second time and pushes the shopping cart forwards.

Your brother really thought you could get through this without any further problems. He genuinely thought you'll be fine. That's why he didn't expect you to have an anxiety attack, but the moment your breathing only gets a little heavier, his full attention is on you. Tabito has helped you through your anxiety attacks many times already, so he knows what to do.

Well, except for that all the anxiety attacks he's helped you with were at home after something triggered you there or when the stress from feeling as if you were constantly judged by strangers still overwhelmed you when you arrived at home. Because of that, Tabito has started waiting at the front door to see how you're feeling whenever you're returning home.

Being in a more busy and not-so-private space makes him panic for a moment, but he knows he has to do something to help. Your brother quickly picks you up and walks around, trying to find a calmer area in the store. Because you're hyperventilating, your vision got a little blurry so you can barely comprehend where your brother is taking you. It doesn't make you any more anxious, though, since you know he's going to keep you safe.

Eventually, he finds an empty area where he settles you down on the floor and kneels down beside you. "Hey, hey. It's okay," he tries to reassure you, "Can you breathe together with me?" Tabito takes your hand and squeezes it gently.

Shortly after, he starts counting and takes some deep breaths while encouraging you to breathe together with him so you get your breathing back in control. In between he says short phrases like "You're doing good" and "Keep going, okay?" while you're calming your breathing down.

While comforting and helping you, Tabito doesn't look away for a single moment. Any other person's eyes on you would have made you even more uncomfortable, but your brother's presence and the reassuring look in his eyes calms you down more quickly.

Even though Tabito messes around with you and teases you most of the time, he knows at which moments he has to get serious. And he'll always make sure you know he'll be there to comfort you and keep you safe.

Taglist: @luvistarzx, @kaineedstherapy12, @zyuuuu, @yerinsshi, @luvcalico, @truegoist, @vanitasbrainrot, @deerangle3 - sign up for my taglist here!

[creetch]

(Gonna send you another ask because I really wanna talk about the new Sunday leaks. HOPE YOU DON'T MIND!!)

AND I AGREE WITH YOU, THE DESIGN IS SO PRETTY, like the colours are so good?? AND WE GET TO SEE HIS WINGS TOO FHSKWKDKWJX I LOVE IT SO MUCH

But I still don't understand the astral express thing 😭 Elio said "And a brother and sister were doomed for eternal separation", which means that Sunday and Robin will never meet again. So why and how did Sunday join the astral express then? If he joins the astral express, he will still has a chance to meet Robin again

OOOOF I NEVER MIND TALKING ABOUT SUNDAY SEND AS MANY ASKS AS YOU WISH IT GIVES ME AN EXCUSE TO RAMBLE ABOUT HIM !!!!

This actually turned out a lot longer than I expected so I'll put this under a read more

The design is such a huge turn from the previous design, and I love that. The old design was almost entirely symmetrical apart from I believe the thigh belt he had, the piercings on his wings and the badge? Ooh actually I have the old design right here to look at and compare

Like LOOK HOW SYMMETRICAL THIS OLD DESIGN IS and we're going to something so massively asymmetrical?

I really wanna ramble about it but because we have so little information, like literally only his fucking in model boots for sure lol, and no information about what he'll be doing in the future so I have very little to go off, but I think this means massive change for him. To go from the way he is as an NPC design to his new playable design with an outfit that fucks on a number of levels we're looking at some pretty big character direction changing stuff

I really hoped they'd keep gold in his design, the gold suits him so well I love it so to see it still utilized in the new design is sending me to fucking Pluto

I'm still not 1000% sure that's even a ticket? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what was being said on the Telegram leaks chat, but I got the impression it was a redraw of the previous art we already got before by an artist. If so, then surely the ticket would be based on the guess that the previous artist made? Because I'm still not sure if that first art was drawn by someone who actually saw the model or not.

Unless they're super dragging us out, surely a leaker would've very simply stated 'that IS an astral express ticket on Sunday's deisgn' so idk. Maybe they wouldn't have? Maybe they're keeping that info to themselves for whatever reason LMFAO who knows

I do still think that the biggest piece of evidence we have for anything at the moment is that Death of a Crow readable, to the point that I think that even if he does join the Express it'll have something to do with Elio. Like you said, if he joined the express he'd be able to see Robin again, but the future Elio talked about was super clear that they'd be doomed to an eternal separation. People have claimed this is due to their differing paths, however they'd still be able to see one another in that case. I think it's literal. As in they will actually be physically separated.

I'm still a huge Path of Finality Sunday truther and this is honestly because apart from Order I don't see him fitting into any other path, but when we learned more about Finality this patch I thought instantly that that was the only other path I could see him treading, the only other path that would fit him. I still feel that way now.

Since there's so much conflicting information about whether that ticket is even confirmed or not I take any art with the ticket with a grain of salt because when that blurry image dropped people quickly guessed it was a ticket first and then all the art came after. I initially thought the art was drawn based off the description of Sunday's design, not the person having actually seen the model. I may be wrong but the whole thing has been so muddy that I don't know what to believe.

Even so, the art of the design will be pretty accurate because we got a description of what it looked like back on July 7th. I honestly think that until someone posts the model, we'll be in the dark. And if he does join the Express, I think there'll be more to it than just him deciding to do that, and I still think he'll be connected to Elio. I just think that readable is such blatant foreshadowing for something.

[void-galaxy-shenanigans]

for anyone who needs it, I have a milestone of realistic progress:

upgrading from an off-brand 0.7 cubic capacity microwave in silver & black that has been dying for 2 months, to a name brand (Frigidaire) 0.9 capacity microwave ¡in blue and black!

It’s a $20 to $30 difference depending on capacity. But ¿from an impoverished childhood to “yeah, I’m gonna let myself replace the breaking microwave”? ¡Milestone!

(I use the microwave as a replacement for oven/stovetop, which I don’t have access to here. A very important appliance for meal prep 😅.)

I know a lot of those “progress”/“milestone” things require so much extra money. But this was something that was already dying, & for an extra $20 I not only upgraded the size but also got a name brand in a cooler colour. It came out of a paycheck from a job on campus where my manager likes me (he is often amazed at (/pos) the ways I automatically accommodate my needs).

I don't have access to a lot of those either. But this is part one (more on that below the cut).

My room may be small & in an unsafe house (for now), but I’m building a sanctuary in here as best I can. 🥺

🎶✨🎶✨ (visual break)

¡photos! (+ sharing joy in real time) ↓

🎶✨🎶✨ (visual break)

old one (poorly taken care of due to depression but also arrived in Not Fantastic condition):

(that’s me in the reflection, intentionally hiding a bit because online/this blog’s anonymity/safety but general silhouette is fine 🤷‍♂️)

new one (including box because !! ☺):

Y’all. ¡It comes with multiple languages! 😭 (also see that sticker, translating all buttons to French (/pleasantly surprised))

It looks new, in a very fancy way I can’t articulate (probably because I grew up so poor, & microwaves were a direct ‘this is broken but it's fine🔥’ for so fricken long, so this looks really fancy to me 😅).

Also the time on there was entered manually, time here when I took the picture. The clock looks way better in person though (camera makes it look blurry/bigger text).

I’m really excited. And it’s time to heat up food, because I only ate half of lunch early to jumpstart digestive system (Adderall works but with ✨side effects��), so ¡immediate first test!

This is a big step, however simple it was (open box, remove, swap).

That said, thanks to a large check from the wreck¹, I also got a new nightstand, bed frame, & mattress². So,, apart from bookstand, our whole room will be refurnished. But I wanna wait until I can show before & after photos to share more on the upgrades there.

(¹ they “changed lanes without looking” (other driver’s words, not mine), directly into the side of my fragile 2004 that was already hanging on by a thread. I got a bit of whiplash but otherwise okay, & older brother stepped up to help us get a new (used + repaired but new to us) car.)

(² Important context: this sounds very expensive, so to be clear...replacing this spring mattress, with a “full” size bed, would have been around $400 to $1500+ for just a mattress (most common $500 to $700). But upgrading to a queen size, both mattress and frame, was $380. And that’s with being picky that it had to be a wood frame with storage/drawers underneath, and not a spring mattress (very tired of the sinkhole followed by metal biting/scratching, so only looked at foam/gel).) So between bedframe, mattress, new fitted sheets, & nightstand all rolled together, we spent about $500 to $600 (with splurging to get 2 different designed bedsets + one navy blue set). That means instead of a new mattress that dies in another 8 to 12 months and costs another $600+ to replace, we get a whole new bed (removing frame that has trauma attached) and nightstand (also has trauma attached). So it's definitely a budget ouch, but necessary & more cost-effective than the alternative, AND from money we were handed by a (reluctant) insurance company rather than out of pocket.)

[sleepyyshifts]

okay so

after i posted i went back to sleep because it was like 4-5am

and i think i shifted

but where to is the question

it was very modern like I'm sure it was modern day so I'm not sure if it was Hogwarts since my Hogwarts script is modern but not that modern

but i went to sleep and woke up in what looked like a dorm? like there were a lot of bunk beds and a lot of people my age and possibly younger/older, but it didn't really look like hogwarts...

and then we went shopping and we went to 2 stores, it feels a little blurry but i know parts of it felt so real and i was there for 2 days which is kind of a lot for it to just be a dream

yeah idk what it was

it felt too real to be a lucid dream but it also didn't feel like i properly shifted?

i haven't shifted in a while so maybe I'm just not all the way there yet, is it possible to partially shift? 😭

but i feel like I'm getting closer

I slept like really well though like best sleep I've had in a while 😭😭

that tends to happen when i try to shift like I don't think I've slept this well since the last time i shifted/tried to shift

[mo0n-water]

hello! sorry, my day yesterday wasn’t the best so i just gave up when it deleted itself but i’m trying again today! also, that grammar mistake when i said ‘do’ instead of ‘did’ is literally painful to look at, i’m sorry.

also hello to your friend, she sounds like a great person :)

i love finding comfort in art. it’s a feeling like no other when you are reading a book written in the 19th century or a poem from the 18th century or looking at a painting from the 16th century and it understands you more than your close friends or even yourself. there’s a line in a bob dylan song: ‘then she opened up a book of poems, and handed it to me, written by an italian poet from the 13th century. and every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal, pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul”, i think that describes it perfectly.

life would be boring without a healthy dose of unnecessary personification.

i completely get what you are saying with the photo, i have this photo on my phone of a clearing in the woods which is quite blurry and unremarkable to the untrained eye but it’s from the first date i ever went on. i tried to take a photo of the girl i was with but she moved out of the way and i didn’t see her again in person for months and so all i had to remember being together by was a photo of some trees and the forest floor. though i’m not on speaking terms with her anymore, i can’t bear to delete the photo because it represents a whole era of my life and as much as i’d love to forget her, i think i’d hate it if i did.

i’ve never told anyone that before, woah.

I LOVE CLEOPATRA SO MUCH. it’s such a nostalgic song.

your lyric… i wish i could hear how it was sung. the best kind of music is when you can tell that it was written by someone who felt the words they spoke and that there’s a story hidden behind every line. i think it’s special that only you will ever truly understand what your songs mean.

i think whenever anyone asks me this question my first thought will always be this stupid innocent fantasy i’ve had since early childhood of time stopping and everyone i love and have ever loved coming together and just getting to be in their presence, peacefully and without expectation. i want to dance and hug and cry and be who i am when i’m alone with them.

but more realistically, i really really want someone to give me an annotated copy of their favourite book. i’d think i’d marry anyone who did that for me.

i like being anonymous because i feel like there’s less pressure and i can ask questions i wouldn’t normally ask. i also enjoy that we both know these tiny things about each other but none of the things you’d normally know about someone you’ve had multiple ‘conversations’ with.

my favourite lyric is, like, the whole of suzanne by leonard cohen but specifically: ‘and you know that she’s half crazy/but that’s why you want to be there/and she feeds you tea and oranges/that come all the way from china’. i think a lot about why i like those lyrics is how he sings it though.

my favourite harry songs are canyon moon, fine line and little freak :)

questions for you:

- what was the moment when you realised you were no longer a child?

- what kind of old person do you think you’ll be?

- what’s your dream house like?

- what do people forget?

- what’s the first thing you think about when you wake up?

hope your week is going well xx

ps. 🌷🌺🌸🌼🌻💐

pps. you wrote a song about me?? i’m SOBBING right now, i love you

ppps. 168 HOURS

help me. i didn’t even notice the grammar mistake (i was tired) but i’m laughing so hard now… lmfao. anyway, no worries on the timing! i hope your day today was better than the one before. (i am assuming it’s mostly over, thought that’s a bold assumption i guess!)

i did write a song about you 😭 i was wondering if you’d end up seeing that post, looks like you did haha. i was thinking about anonymity & what it means to know someone, literally exactly what you said about knowing tiny details but none of the things that you’d usually know about someone.

i’ve been thinking a lot about a question you asked a couple asks ago, which was something along the lines of what’s something that everyone should know about you. i think i said something which, in hindsight, was a longwinded & romanticized way of getting across the fact that i’m an extrovert. but an actual disclaimer is that if i meet you & decide that you’re interesting, you’re gonna get a song written about you & you do NOT wanna hear it lolol

okay, about your answers! i like what you said about sharing a space with people you know. i remember when i was growing up teachers would often ask “organize a dinner party of x amount of people, real or fictional, dead or alive” & i’d always pick friends & family. people i missed, & just people who i like to see.

i’m annotating a copy of one of my favorite books for a friend right now. she’s always said that she thinks it’s be the most phenomenal gift, & incidentally what you said about the flowers inspired me to finally go & do it. i think that’s a sweet idea, & i hope someone does it for you. it says a lot about you that what you want from someone else is just their thoughts on something they care about, plain & simple & honest.

clearly your music taste is phenomenal. suzanne, my beloved… leonard cohen is just AHHHH. ahhhh. good taste in harry songs as well, but it’s hard to have bad taste in harry songs… little freak is my favorite as well!

to answer your questions:

i don’t think i can put the one about childhood on the internet, for whatever that says about my upbringing. i’ll give you an ominous overview. i was in elementary school, & my parents had me sit down in my great grandma’s wicker chair because they needed to talk to me about something. i think the fact i was in elementary school is very sad. it wasn’t the first time i thought “i need to be grown up and mature from now on” but it was the first time i actually did. sounds like the opening to a book!

that’s a bummer. that’s such a bummer. sorry lolol

next question! by G-d, i will answer this in a positive & upbeat way. i don’t know what i’m gonna be like as an old person. i feel like that’s gonna be based on how i live my life? nostalgic, i think. i’m nostalgic as is, so i think that’s gonna get more and more true the older i get. always trying to preserve things, you know? i like nostalgia. my friends say i’m pretty grannycore as is, though.

i want my great granny’s old house in kentucky. it ain’t in the family anymore but that is genuinely the exact place i want to live. i’m a bit insane about it.

uhhhh i’ve been thinking a lot about something someone said about how pain is the one thing your mind will never ever remember right, & that’s why it’s hard to learn from your mistakes. i also think people forget that life comes in cycles, it’s very cyclical in nature, & that the phases you go through are never going to stick around forever. that goes for the good & the bad, you know?

today my first thought was “i wonder if question anon ever sent that ask in,” my second was “i wonder how (best friend) is doing in japan,” & my third was “i wonder if (girl i am Still Not Over) texted me.” i feel like in general, when i wake up, my first thoughts are always about people & what they’re up to. for the record, i did immediately go to check all three of those things, so i still haven’t gotten out of bed haha.

that’s that!

questions for you:

- what’s a silly life goal of yours? (random deja vu moment accompanied this)

- i can tell you appreciate people who are thoughtful & vulnerable, so what’s another quality you’d appreciate in a friend?

- if you could host a dinner party with any guests, living or dead or entirely fictional, who would you pick?

- what the fuck is that countdown for? favorite quote?

wishing you the best!

& for you:

[base0h]

Hiii! I hope you're doing great! can I request Sabo, Law, Shanks reacting to their s/o somehow slept on the bath? They thought they were taking to long and got in (Knocking and then walking in) and saw them sleeping and slowly sinking? Take your time! And an advance thanks!

a/n - you don’t know how obsessed I am with this idea anon oh my god- 😭 tysm for this request!! You have been the source of my inspiration!! So thank you for that! 💜

warnings ⚠️ - fem reader, suggestive kinda? Not rlly 😭

- taking a bath with Sabo is literally heaven 😭

- the way he gently scrubs your back leaves you with literally flawless skin

- he washes your hair too, and treats you like the literal queen you are ✨

- so tonight, you decided to ask him to take a bath with him after he finished up his paperwork for the day

- You drew the bath, putting in a lavender scent to set the mood just right, and you stepped into the comfortingly warm water

- it was just the right temperature, perfect

- tonight, his paperwork was taking a lot longer than usual, and you had been sitting in there for around 15 minutes

- the steam that was clogging the room was almost suffocating, why were you so dizzy??

- everything was so- blurry..

- before you knew it, the back of your head hit the edge of the tub as you slowly started sinking into the water

- your cheeks were flushed, breathing labored, your skin glossy and pale, your eyelids glazed

- Sabo ran towards the bathroom, realizing the time that nearly flew by for him

- he knocked on the bathroom door, quickly stripping off his clothes as he opened it to find you steaming, sinking into the water

- panic mode

- “Y/N?! OH MY GOD!”

- he rushed so fast that he tripped on the carpet, his naked ass laying flat on the cold tile as he ran towards you

- he lifted you out of the bath, checking your chest when he realized he had been literally fondling your breasts the entire time

- internally: “WHY ARE THEY SO FUCKING SOFT?!”

- he stopped himself, trying to gently wake you up, taking you out of the room and laying you in front of the fan to cool you off

- his heart was racing, you could hear it from a mile away

- his poor innocent soul was freaking out over how he accidentally “touched you” without your permission and holy shit he was about to go kill himself for it

- your eyes slowly opened and he felt his heart immediately calm down as he squeezed your hand gently with a smile

- “What took you so long Sabo?…”

- he laughed and gave you a hug, his warm body embracing you as he sighed with relief, smelling the lavender which made him even more intoxicated

- “Sorry… I had a lot more work..”

- “I don’t think we should take a bath now-“ -Sabo

- “yeah no shit sherlock.” -you

- "Babe, you're killing all of our noses. Poor benn's gonna go and suffocate because you haven't taken a shower."

- "He's overreacting!''

- "No I'm not." - benn

- When you suggested you would take a bath with him, his face literally lit up with excitement

- he was like a little dog who was about to go on the best walk of his life

- you went to go get the water ready, using some of his favorite shampoo and soap to spoil your red-haired boyfriend

- you stepped into the warm water, and the temperature was just right

- Unknown to you, shanks had already fallen asleep again on the bed, snoring away peacefully with a half-empty alcohol bottle in hand

- minutes passed, soon it had been 15 since you'd gotten into the water, and you were already starting to feel a bit light-headed

- the steam that blurred your vision wasn't helping at all, your cheeks were pink, your eyes glassy as they closed

- you slowly started sinking into the warm water, and oh god, if shanks didn't wake up soon, you probably would make the bathtub your early grave

- the bottle slipped out of his hands, the shattering of the glass waking him up as he sat up almost immediately

- He saw the light from the bathroom and he called out your name a couple times before walking towards the bathroom, taking off his shirt

- "Sorry- I fell asl- Y/N?! OH GOD!"

- cue his internal monologue about how stupid he was for falling asleep

- He literally started slipping on the floor as he lifted your body up with his arm, carrying you out of the bath and starting to try and wake you up

- He was literally about to have a heart attack at 39- lmao

- When you started coughing, you don't even know how relieved he was, he could feel his heart start to beat normally again

- "Dummy- why were you just sinking?!" -him

- "What do you mean?! You're the one who took forever!"

- "I- ok- fine- sorry.."

- "And you still smell like absolute shit." - you (pls he smells literally so bad- like alcohol and weird old fish)

a/n - omg this idea as literal perfection anon-

[animebook-loverr]

BNHA men and fainting over fighting

Fandom: BNHA [Boku no Hero academia | My hero academia]

Characters included: Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shoto, Katsuki Bakugo, Dabi

Genre: Fluff (some cursing on Katsuki's part. Who would've thought...👀

Warnings: Way too long?!?!?!!

Midoriya Izuku

Honestly you both don't really fight

I mean how can you argue with this cutie???????

But he probably overdid it with his training again and you were worried about him. But he couldn't stop, claiming that he had to get even stronger

Which made you angry. Not at him tho! You just were worried

And then you both started...a heated argument?

Then your vision became blurry, and your head throbbed and you passed out

This bby cinammon roll at first doesn't really know what is going on at first

But once he realizes that you passed out he will immediately rush to your side

He will shake your shoulders and call you name, with small tears brimming in his eyes

At first he would blame himself

But then he remembers that you would hate that and starts calming down a bit

But still has tears in his eyes (bby boi don't cry 😭🙏)

"Sweetheart...wake up, c'mon. I-I'll even stop training!"

He picks you up bridal style and Carrie's you to bed and cuddles to your side

When you wake up you see his green haired head resting on your stomach and you stroke it softly waking him up

Deku immediately fusses over you

"Are you all right?! Do you need anything?? I'm so sorry, I promised I will watch out for myself pls don't be mad-"

For the next week you can be relax in bed honey this boi will take care of his sweetheart

He's luke an excited puppy when he tells you how he did the chores around the house and how he didn't overdid it with his training

Todoroki Shoto

How could you start an argument with tis baby??????

But for the sake of this post we will pretend that you have gotten into an argument about something stupid 😤

Shoto wanted to turn around and go for a walk, because he wanted to clear his mind when he heard a loud THUMP

He whirled around and found your face implanted on the floor

He rushes over to you but once he checks your pulse and breathing he calms down

Dude's so worried on the inside but if anyone other then you would've seen him they would be like: aren't ya worried bro???👁👄👁

But you would've notice how his blue and grey colored yes dated around the room trying to distract himself, constantly reassuring himself you're gonna wake up soon

As soon as you do you see that he has been doing the chores around the house

He sits next to you in your shared bed with the tea in your hands he has been making you

"Y/N...I'm sorry. Forgive me."

"I'm sorry too Sho...how about we just forget it?

Even tho he agreed to it he still keeps an close eye on you and as soon as someone becomes a bother to you he goes all like: piss off or I'll turn your toast (pun intended)

Katsuki Bakugo

Fights were nothing unusual between you too

Even tho he was more gentle and loving with you his hotheadadness (???) Was just a rather annoying part of him

So one day without watching his words he had unintentionally insulted you once again

After yelling he went out and left you alone

You were making dinner when you felt dizzy and dropped to the floor

Half an hour later Katsuki came back and found you like that in the kitchen

He thought that you were just being dramatic and that you wanted to get back at him

So he just rolls his eyes and calmly walks over to you

"Oi, brat. Wake up. I know that ya are just acting."

No response

"Oi!"

Still nothing

Only then does he realize what he has done

Curses. A lot. Mainly curses at him tho.

Tears were flowing down his red cheeks.

He would never dream of hurting you, but here you were unconscious because he was a proud Baka

Not that he would ever admit that tho

Mans so worried

He begrudgingly apologizes with a cute angry pout

But much like Shoto keeps a close eye on you from now on and murders fights anyone if they start bothering you

Dabi | Todoroki Touya

MARRY ME-

Ahem, so an argument is very one sided with him actually

Coz, he's a manchild and will tune you out most of the time and when he has had enough he will shut ya up with a Kith, coz it makes you flustered

Just when he turned around you were falling towards the ground

But before you can hurt your pretty head he catches you mid-fall

Mans not too worried, but worried

Has this happend before? Are you okay? Did he overdo it this time?

He will probably just lay there with you on the ground till ya wake up

And grab some snacks...maybe 👀

Once you wake up, you can just sense that he dropped his cocky boy demeanor, and can tell that he was genuinely worried and it makes melt

He kisses you on the cheek while look everywhere but your eyes and you get the hint

He's trying to say sorry

Will abondend missions with the LoV just to take care of you even tho you tell him your fine

Girl, let him take care of you it's not everyday that you see soft Dabi alright?!?!? 🥺

[bestfriend491]

just read all your fics and they’re all amazing 🥹 bp women deserve all the love!! very excited for your ramonda and aneka/ayo fics especially not a lot write for them 😭 if you are open for requests, can i request an aneka/ayo where we get to see what happens after aneka quits the dora? i really wished they kept that deleted scene in 😩 that’s all and i hope you take lots of breaks and don’t pressure yourself ��� thank you for your works!

Jurisdiction

Aneka x Ayo

Summary: Aneka's just quit the Dora Milaje. Talokan attacks are looming, and Ayo just wants the peace back.

Word Count: 3.4k

Angst with a happy ending

Warnings: None

Author's Note: Before we begin, l have to say that Introspection Part. 2 is coming out next week, and boy, am I excited 🤭 Keep an eye out for that. 😏 Also, writing this story nearly gave me a heart attack with how hard it was to get a solid plot. It nearly put me back in writers's jail, but i persevered! Okay, enjoy!

"Aneka?" The new General's voice echoed through the space she was in. Her eyes held blurry vision and she didn't know where she was.

She stood up from her position on the floor, letting the imaginary stars entertain her as she rubbed her eyes for relief.

"Aneka?" She tried again.

When the show finally stopped, she wished it hadn't. The green walls that she knew all too well welcoming her into her mind's maze of madness.

She was facing away from the contents of the room. Left to look at the cracked paint that slowly but surely chipped worse as the days went on. She felt a presence behind her.

His presence.

The presence that had been growing within her for years, maybe even decades.

He was big. Probably bigger than the last time she saw him. She couldn’t be sure.

He breathed as softly as always. Not moving. Just like usual.

With bated breath Ayo turned. Barely having room to, she went limb by limb, needing to find out how bad it was. How much damage she'd done. Needing to see if she could fix it like she usually did.

She knew it wasn't good, but when she saw him, grunting in pain more than anything, pulses of shock flowed from her heart through to the rest of her body.

He was big now. Worse than she'd ever seen him. He couldn't stand or shift, his body laying in one spot, watching her look at him.

Ayo's eyes grew wide, fixed on his state. Though she'd usually ignore him and try to leave the room to resume her dreaming, she was always aware of his connection to her. His connections to her mind and all that wandered in it.

He was the one thing that remained consistent with her. The elephant that sat in the corner of her room, absorbing all the unconfronted internal battles that Ayo fought.

Having memories of him even in her early years, Ayo knew him as her longest standing relationship with anything other than a human. Her most taxing one too.

All he usually did was stare at her with his dark eyes. The eyes of memory, that reflected all of Ayo’s worst moments.

After seeing what those eyes did at just 8 years old, she vowed to never look into them again. Staying in her corner of their shared room whenever she found herself dreaming of him again.

They were cordial roommates. Very well coordinated. Ayo knew how to get him to leave her alone and he didn't do much but grow anyway.

They'd created a strange codependency, which despite a few bad nights, worked to the benefit of them both.

As she looked at him now, helpless and pleading for her assistance; for her cooperation, she knew that it wasn't going to be an easy night.

He was blocking the door. Something that had only ever happened a couple of times. Always with bad endings to the night. It was the one thing she didn't need after the day she'd had, the rising conflict with Talokan having drained her of everything she had.

There were only two ways to get out of this.

Making him smaller, or waking herself up forcibly.

The latter would rob her of her sleep, leaving her body on edge for the rest of the night. Not a great way to spend the few free hours that she had with no new duties. But it would also get rid of him immediately. No questions asked.

The former would allow her to sleep for the entire night, resting with the animal that created this ultimatum. But it was invasive. Asking questions that Ayo couldn’t answer, or more so didn't want to answer. It required reliving moments that brought her key principles into question, inevitably exposing the holes in her idea of allegiance that she'd never been able to fill in.

Its solution was its cause. Confronting the inner debates that ran through her mind constantly. Never reaching a conclusive decision.

It was the truth that she didn't want to consume tonight.

She already knew what it would cover, the letters painted intricately on her elephant's face.

The issue that she'd been avoiding the most.

Loyalty… and all the things that came with it.

She would've much rather stayed laying awake for the rest of the night than touch that topic.

The woman was used to not sleeping anyway.

She began breaking down the green room and waking herself up in the process. Her physical body moved around to hold the support that it needed to get through without a panic attack.

But her support wasn't there.

Her wife wasn't there. She had chased her away.

All she was met with was a cold breeze forming an attack against her skin when she awoke.

Her breathing was shaky, and riddled with anxiety.

She wanted Aneka with her. She needed her with her. But that wasn't possible. The day's earlier events had ruined that possibility.

She’d pointed her spear at Okoye. Gotten every other Dora Milaje to do the same.

She’d threatened her with bloodshed, only hours after taking her position as General.

She was harsh and didn't consider the impact that this betrayal would bring. Barely minutes after burning that bridge she quickly lit fire to another. The pressure coming to an all time high.

"Beloved." Aneka had said so compassionately, voicing her concern over the extreme measures that had been threatened.

Ayo was the complete opposite. Dismissive and defensive.

"This is out of the scope of your duty, soldier." she had said. Only partially aware of who she was talking to when she saw the disbelief in Aneka’s eyes.

There was a fine line between speaking to her as a soldier and speaking to her as her wife. Aneka had addressed her as her wife, not as the General. And not receiving that same energy was disappointing at best and at worst an outright violation of the rules that they had established in their marriage.

Feeling no need to continue biting her tongue, she said the unthinkable. "And if I step outside the scope of my duty will you also point your spear at me?"

Cold metal hit Ayo’s hand just as images of her elephant crushing her had flashed through her mind. There was no breathing room. She had waited too long. Flown too close to the sun, and now she was actively falling from the sky.

"Don't do this." she pleaded, her mind occupied. She could fix this.

"Ndigqibile (I'm done)." Aneka said.

Or maybe she couldn’t; because she was.

Leaving and ignoring all Ayo’s further attempts to contact her for the 24 hours that passed.

It was possibly the fastest rise to success and fall from grace that there ever was. Ayo defenseless against it all.

Now she could barely breathe, making another attempt to call Aneka. Again she didn't answer, but instead of stopping her attempts at that point, she thought to send a voice-mail.

Starting shaky she tried to keep it short. "My love. I- uh…" eyes watering, she wiped them quickly.

"I know you're upset and don't want to talk to me. I'm sorry about what I said. I shouldn't have been so dismissive." She got stuck there and decided to send it off like that, rather than sitting saying nothing.

The clock's fastest arrow barely finished another rotation before she got a call on her beads.

'My love 👑'

She didn't let it finish a full ring before answering.

"My love?" She said, breathless and still teary eyed.

"What's got you upset?" Was all she got back.

"What?"

"Your message. I could hear that something's wrong."

Immediately Ayo tried to cover for herself, not wanting to make the few moments that this call would last for, about herself.

Aneka was clearly still mad. But she was also still a caring wife who knew every time Ayo wasn't okay.

"I couldn't sleep."

"You saw him again?"

Ayo nodded, not realising that they weren't in the same room.

"Yes." She continued.

She heard a sigh coming from Aneka. Then some movement.

"Are you still in bed?" Was the next question. When she gave her answer, Aneka began helping her calm down. Exactly like she would if she were in the palace room with Ayo.

It soothed her for a while, letting her melt into the soft bed for a while. But soon it became too calming, and she started seeing green again.

"It's happening again." She said, fear bubbling up again.

"Let it happen, beloved. Let yourself see him. Look at him." She heard.

So she did. Her body returned to the big green room with her oldest companion still there. He was only slightly smaller, still blocking the door.

Knowing that her options were limited and she actually had to face her fears, she felt almost completely bare. Her skin feeling colder than before and space feeling more limited.

"Keep breathing, Sthandwa." Her support gave her the strength to go on.

She stood again, going to him nervously as she placed her hand where his trunk started.

He didn't move, fixing his eyes to look at her as she looked at him.

His eyes were warm, inviting her to be at ease when she went through her tough memories.

When she looked deeply at those eyes, and let her subconscious take over, a bright light entered her view. The introduction to her first memory of true loyalty. Shown by her best friend.

Okoye stood defending her from a particularly aggressive bully. They were still young, so Okoye was tiny compared to them, but she fought in Ayo's honour, protecting her from harm.

It was the first time anyone did that for her. The first time that she'd felt personal loyalty being declared.

That memory was easy territory. A good opening to the more complicated things. It was the illusion that made her get comfortable, forgetting why she was there in the first place.

She wasn’t there to learn what loyalty was.

She understood and cherished the value of loyalty a lot. She was a very loyal person herself.

What kept her trapped in that room wasn't that.

It was the nuances that the rules of loyalty refused to answer for.

The memories of times where being loyal didn't help at all.

It was the one factor that she'd been avoiding for so long. Having to admit that she wasn’t as loyal as she thought.

She saw images of where it began.

In Dora Milaje training. Where for years she had been taught to protect the throne by any means. Her loyalty lying there before anywhere else. She worked hard alongside her fellow Adored Ones and they were all painfully conscious of the loyalty that this took, promising to fight for the throne no matter who sat on it.

It was the major loyalty in both her and her wife’s lives. Having to stay more loyal to the duties of the work that they did than to the people who encompassed this job.

It was harder than it looked. Never truly having full loyalty to the ones that they loved all because one never knew when it would clash with the throne that they protected.

Aneka had always been less conflicted with the decisions that being a Dora came with. Knowing herself enough to have an unspoken understanding that she was always going to connect to the people rather than the throne itself. It was a principle that she was willing to risk her job for. All possible life changes being thought out by her for if she was ever stripped of her duties.

It was why she'd so easily forfeited her years of hard work when Ayo seemed to struggle to choose between her new position and her longest standing friendship.

Ayo always struggled to choose sides; having to decide which people she’d defend if they both were at odds with each other. It was all so complicated. Something that would bring out the flaws in anyone. Something that would bring out the flaws in her.

The image of being pulled by both sides, only to tear straight through the middle in the process left her heart racing and her pores open and sweating from the anxiety that would build up.

Uncomfortable with being that uncomfortable, Ayo often avoided thinking about it at all costs.

To her, she was making the elephant that consumed the room in her head a beautiful artefact to be looked at. Avoiding it would preserve the beauty for longer.

The 'elephant' conversation came up quite often at home, as her wife did not share the same passion for observing the elephant from afar as she did. She wanted Ayo to be able to sleep in peace for the first time in a while.

It had been Ayo and the elephant from the day Killmonger was defeated.

The two had come home to the air being filled with questions. Ayo's heart wondered if the initial oath to protect the throne and only the throne was really a tactical agreement to make. Though her heart said otherwise.

She was restless for months, worried that her decision to not stand with the rightful royalty at the time was an incredible lack of judgement.

While Aneka had made the decision to go where her heart led her after that day. No matter how severe the possible consequences to her career would be.

Ayo choosing to observe her- at that point a medium sized elephant- simply took that statement from her wife and gave it a shrug. Not wanting to address how much it was weighing on her mind too.

‘It wasn’t going to happen again, so there was nothing to worry about anyway.’ Her brain told her as she laid in the green room at night. The only time that she’d ever dare entertain the idea of approaching her large mammal. She sat at one corner, trying to avoid staring at him too intensely.

He, on the other hand, watched her from the other side. He analysed her from head to toe. Not a word spoken but judgement escaping his giant eyes and entering the air.

“What do you want?” her pasted self probed, the intensity burning her from the inside.

The mammal didn’t speak, but words echoed in the room. Words formed by voices she didn’t recognize, in a language she didn’t recognize.

She couldn’t decipher precisely what the words said, but her instinct told her that her clock of avoidance was ticking.

Those nights she would wake up abruptly, breathing to connect herself back to her physical body. The message was far too clear. So clear that she didn’t sleep for a while after that. Worrying Aneka to no end.

She would often remember the eyes of the growing elephant, how desperately he wanted to be addressed, and taken care of. It was too much for her to handle.

The times that she would accidentally fall asleep, she often found herself trapped in the same cycle. Only the size of it all increased. His eyes, his aura, the message. Everything but the room that it took place in. That only grew smaller. More cramped.

Almost suffocating.

As Ayo looked at herself through his eyes now, she shed tears. Okoye appeared onscreen. The older version. The one she'd just seen the day before.

She saw the disbelief cover her face when she brought the other Dora Milaje out.

She saw all the times that Okoye chose her over everything. Then she saw a plain figure of the woman. Staring expectantly at her.

"I'm sorry!" She wept. "I don't know where my loyalty lies! I'm sorry."

Ayo felt the tears running down in her head and in real life.

"Loyalty is more complicated than that." She broke eye contact with the elephant.

That was the first time she heard a real word come out of the room and she knew it wasn't Aneka.

That only made her cry harder. The pressure of being shoved into the General position with no formal notice presenting itself.

"Ayo!"

That was her wife.

"Beloved, what's going on? Are you okay.?"

She looked up, the door no longer blocked.

Where had he gone? She had no clue.

"Ayo, you're scaring me."

Hearing her support, the door suddenly felt unimportant. She brought herself out of it.

"I'm okay," she whispered, actually wiping her tears away, "He went away."

"He went away?!" Aneka's excitement for her wife could be heard from afar.

"You did it!"

"I did." Ayo was completely shocked. He'd never gone away before. Her smile turned to a frown and she couldn't help but begin to overthink it.

"But he'll be back." She said, tensing up again.

"He probably will, beloved. But you'll just do what you did now again. And you'll do it again and again until the only memory of him will be when you're dreaming of the outside and see him doing something away from you. In the distance.

Right now, let's just be happy that he's gone for the night."

It wasn’t as cold for the remainder of the time that she called, and when she felt safe enough to, she went to sleep.

The next day, Aneka woke up to the conflicting feelings of not being sure where her and Ayo stood.

She was glad that the previous night had gone well. Happy that she'd been able to listen and support Ayo in confronting the elephant, but she still had her own full mind.

She was still battling with not knowing where Ayo’s loyalty stood. Though she put up a good front, Aneka was hurt by her wife's inability to tell her if her life would mean anything if she were to step out of line.

It wasn’t losing her place as a Dora Milaje that hurt. It was knowing that Ayo couldn’t give her a definite answer.

She trusted Ayo with her life in any other situation, but if she had to choose between her and the throne, Aneka wasn't sure if the same rules applied.

Maybe this was why she ignored the calls that Ayo had tried to send out to her when she was awake again. Maybe that is why she didn't answer the messages that followed said calls.

It was probably why she ignored the familiar footsteps that came barely an hour after the message. Why she ignored the soft knock that came through their bedroom door.

"My love?" She heard from the other side.

Silence.

"Aneka?"

Again, silence.

Until the sigh of defeat came. "Aneka, please open the door."

With a dry throat, she finally responded.

"It's open."

Ayo entered with the permission, being smart enough to have brought food and a neutral face with her. She looked more rested than before.

"Queen Ramonda went to find Nakia in Haiti."

She nodded in understanding, taking the food graciously before allowing her to sit next to her in their bed.

Instinctively she laid her head on Ayo's shoulder as she ate. The two did just that for an hour. Eat in silence.

When the food was finished they still sat, unsure where to take the conversation. Ayo wasn't oblivious to what she'd done. Just a bit unsure about how to start the conversation

"I'm sorry for not being able to answer you that night."

Aneka thought that it was a pretty good start. She hesitated, reminding herself not to dismiss her feelings with a reckless "It's okay."

She went for a more polished approach. "Seeing you so unsure about that hurt. A lot"

"I know. I'm really sorry. I trust you with my life and I want you to trust me with yours. I'd never kill you to protect the throne."

"What about Okoye?"

She took longer to answer that.

"I saw the way she looked at me. What I did hurt her. And I plan to go see her and talk as soon as I have time."

Aneka nodded, the mention of spare time making her question whether she was taking that away from her.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?"

"Probably. But the water society drama can wait."

"Should you be saying that as we sit in a house built over water?"

"Definitely not ,my love. Definitely not."

The two shared a laugh, giving themselves time to sit with each other. Just the two of them in the room. With nothing and no one else.

[sinfulwrites]

What about something fluffy, maybe first proper cuddling session with Michael (any version, or all versions) after long exhausting day? 👉👈 Or did you already write something like this?

Sorry for spamming. I should do to sleep but I can't force myself.

Hi 🥺❤ Sorry this took a while, I was at work when I got it and I wanted to give it plenty of attention 😭

I definitely had this idea in mind, and I absolutely plan to use it in a big post for all the slashers. Right now I'm only able to give you RZ Michael, because I want to get out as many requests as I can before I go to bed tonight. I figured you would like RZ's the most for now because I know we both love the big soft boys 🥺❤. Hope you like it!

Please hold me.

If your key missed the keyhole on your door knob missed one more time, you were sure you would scream. You were having the day from hell, everything went wrong today. Work was long and chaotic, you got screamed at almost all day, and every time you solved one problem two more showed up. You were so busy you didn’t have time to eat, so you were starving. You had to have had three breakdowns in the bathroom today. You forgot to bring an umbrella with you to work, and of course, it rained. So of course, you got drenched while walking into your job, and back to your car, and of course when you had to walk up your walkway to finally get to shelter under your awning, which of course sprung a leak right above the door. But finally, an act of mercy, your key slid in the keyhole and you could finally go inside.

No sooner than your soaking wet shoes meet your once clean carpet did you see your lover approaching you from the stairwell. He must have heard your struggle at the door and was coming to let you in, but you beat him to it. You could barely muster up a hello to Michael before a sob ripped through your lips and you collapsed into his chest. He was caught off guard, to say the least. He’s never heard you cry like this before. Nearly screaming into his chest as your hands clutched onto his shirt like your life depended on it. He could only think of one thing; bad day.

He didn’t think twice about it, he knelt down so he could hook his arm under your legs and lift you in his arms when your back fell back into his other arm. You dropped your bags in shock and could only gasp when you were suddenly face to face with your paramour. He met you in a short stare, yours being a lot more blurry from your tears, before pulling your face into his shoulder so you could finish crying out your frustrations while he carries you up to your bedroom. Your sobs in his shoulder made his stomach drop the entire ascend to your bedroom. How he wished to make you feel better, but he knew this wasn’t a problem he could get rid off with his hands. He felt powerless against your personal demons, but he would be damned if he didn’t try to fight them for you. Even if he had no idea how.

Michael used his foot to push your bedroom door open, and although he had to kneel a considerable amount to get through the doorway, he was determined to get you comfortable in bed. He sat down on your bed first before he navigated you out of his lap onto your back in your bed. You could only miserably whimper and wipe your eyes, and he could only watch you continue to sink into your sorrows, but he was far from giving up. He first gave you the stuffed animal you kept on the bed to hold close, which you did almost immediately when he handed it to you. You hugged it and started to rock it in your arms as the sobs started to come out of your sore throat. Michael felt like he was just making it worse, but he was still determined to do something for you. He briefly left your side, and in a rare moment of urgency for him, he raced down the stairs to fetch you your favorite drink. He sounded like a train running through your house when he rushed back upstairs but he slowed back down when he came back into your room with the glass of, remarkably, unspilled tea. When you finally sat up straight and took the cup from him, he waited for you to take a sip before turning to your drawers, where he knew your pajamas were. He pulled out your favorite pair and even a clean pair of underwear for you, and then held them out for you to take. He urged you on with little gestures before you put the cup down on your night stand and took the clothes from him. Michael finally felt some relief, you finally stopped crying. For a minute, he was beginning to think he couldn’t help you. You two shared another stare down, and now he was beginning to make small gestures to your clean clothes with his eyes. Now his stomach was starting to drop again. Were you about to burst into tears again? Did you feel better? He couldn’t understand, and it was starting to get to him.

“Michael…” You finally spoke, and he nearly jumped when you did. You could see his shoulders immediately sag in relief when you didn’t fall back into another sobbing fit. You did, however, place your pajamas beside you and hold your arms out to him. “Can you please hold me? Just… Please hold me for a little bit.”

He has never felt such eagerness to fulfill a request for you, he didn’t express this of course, but he was definitely giddy inside as he approached you on the bed and sat beside you, on your pajamas but neither one of you cared at that moment. He pulled you back in his lap before laying down on his side, keeping you close and snug with his arms and legs keeping you close and safe. Your arms and legs wrapped around him as well, slipping right into him like a puzzle piece. While you melted right into him, Michael’s mind was going a mile a minute. He was completely stiff when you both landed on the bed, but the longer you stayed connected, the more he loosened up. His hands were no longer struggling not to rip your shirt with his death grip, and soon began to smooth out and began to stroke your back in experimental strokes. He allowed his shoulders to sag once again and let his cheek rest on top of your head.

You both closed your eyes and allowed yourselves to drift off. There would be some cleaning up to do tomorrow, but it was a worry for tomorrow. Right now, neither of you are going anywhere. If you could, you both would never leave this bed ever again.