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sweetascherry1 · 3 months ago

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I’ll be watching you — Lee Byung-hun

Description: Over the years your fans has slowly watched you and Lee Byung-Hun fall in love. They finally get to see you guys working on a project together for the first time since G.I. JOE. What even better? The promotion for the Netflix hit Squid Games.

Parings: Lee Byung-Hun x Actor F!Reader

Warnings: Some use of Y/N.

2013 G.I. JOE Retaliation Promotion.

The bright lights of the cameras shined on you and your co-star, while the interviewer asked you basic questions.

“So how did the two of you feel with this new casting. Mr Lee who had already played in the original G.I. Joe movie and you who has just now made her debut.”

You look to Byung-hun silently pleading for him to take on the question first. Luckily one look your way and he knew your silent question. Something you had found yourself grateful for.

“The entire cast is full of amazing actors, who are so caring and gentle.” Slowly you felt your nails picking at your cuticles as you thought of your answer. “I had a lot of fun working with these guys — and everyone on the crew makes it so fun.”

You didn’t noticed at first, and honestly neither did the interviewer. He was so slick with the way he slid his hand into yours, stopping your bad habit. Giving your hand a gentle squeeze before you answering as encouragement.

Your voice didn’t waver as you let the warmth of his hand bring you back to earth.

“Working on a project this big, with these actors who I truly admire is something I’m so excited about. This my ‘debut’ and it’s crazy to me that this is all really real.”

Before the interviewer could ask his next question Byung-hun didn’t think before keeping your conversation going. Helping your nerves.

“Going Hollywood is definitely something that is nerve wracking. I remember how crazy the whole thing was for me.”

Your little smile at him made the fans go crazy when the video came out. The hand holding, and little gentle reassurances he would do throughout the entire thing was something fans couldn’t get enough of as they would re-watch it over and over.

—

Photos flashed everywhere, blinding you as you stepped onto the movie premiere. Your dress was gorgeous, just like you. Your hair and makeup styled perfectly, you had honestly felt like a princess.

And in true prince fashion, Byung-hun stepped in when he saw you picking as your nails again.

Smiling at the photographers, he grabbed your hand. Leaning down to whisper in your ear; “your hands are too pretty to mess up. Squeeze mine instead.”

When he straightened his posture, and smiled once again for the cameras, as if nothing happened, you couldn’t help but think maybe that’s when you first felt it.

Devotion, wrapped in admiration.

He had helped you so much with your anxiety, some would say it was inevitable to favor him. “Thank you.” All he did was simply squeeze your hand back.

The blinding lights going crazy over the hand holding. Surely it would cause rumors, but for once you didn’t let it get to your head. Simply holding his hand instead.

—

For Lee Byung-hun, he had only thought of you as a co-worker. While your admiration for the man was so obvious, he couldn’t help but thing it was a silly crush you had because he helped you in tough situations.

He kept it professional, denying at friend invites you sent him, or any drink you’d offer him. Though he changed perspectives after watching you most recent single interview.

“Many of your fans are interested with your relationship with your co-star Lee Byung-hun. Can you elaborate on it?”

Truth was you felt nervous at this question, you didn’t know the right way to answer. Though you knew you wanted to be honest and not let the rumors continue, even if it may disappoint some.

“Ah, well truth be told there is no relationship I can really explain. This movie is the first time I’ve had such a big role.

While filming, it’s true I had quite a few scenes with Storm Shadow, more often than not. While filming those scenes I’d watch the way Lee Byung-hun embodied his character.

It was something I was truly impressed about, and so since our characters were so intwined with each other — we were paired for most promotional videos.”

You took a deep breath before continuing, grateful that the interviewer didn’t interrupt.

“During our first promo video, I was extremely nervous. This is such a big film and I was so in my head — seeing this my co-working held my hand to help with my anxiety.

People who support me loved it. Was all for it, but all it was, was him helping a co-worker out. The same thing happened at the movie premiere.

While on that carpet my heart was pounding and he was there to offer support. That’s all, the rest is rumors. I simple just admire him and someone to learn from.”

You felt a little shaky but ultimately felt better after clearing air. In your eyes Mr Lee Byung-Hun was uncomfortable about the rumors. That’s why he wouldn’t ever socialize much with you, so you had felt proud of yourself for putting an end to it.

On the other hand, him hearing you say you only admire him from a person to learn from had hit him hard. A person he knew actually looked up to him. It was an honor, one he had became proud of.

So when he saw you next, he didn’t beat around the bush.

“I’m a person you admire?” You didn’t have a crush on him like he originally thought, and that’s the moment he wanted you be your friend.

That’s the moment he had devotion towards you. Devotion wrapped in friendship.

—

Your final cast interview. It was a long experience, but an unforgettable one. This whole movie had became something you truly loved, cast included.

“Each of you will read out a card, and say the answer within ten seconds. If you get it, you’ll gain points. Whoever has most wins.”

A simple game to finish it off. Easy peasy.

To the right of you, Dwayne went first. “In ten words, explain the film.” He read off before hurrying to put ten words out.

“Cobra.” One finger up. “Escapes.” Another. “While. Joes. That. Are. Left. Fight. Back.” One last word, but just before he could think of it — getting stuck the timer went off.

The whole crew laughed at his disappointment, and then next was your turn.

“I’m nervous.” You gave one deep breath before reading out your card. “Why should you watch the new movie.”

One. Two. “Have you seen this cast?” Five. Six. “Just look at Dwayne’s muscles.” Everyone laughed.

Dwayne got a little red, causing a little teasing. It was a good moment, a happy moment. So why was Byung-hun laughing?

In fact as it was a viral clip, not you teasing Dwayne, no it was Lee Byung-hun reaction that was viral.

“Have you seen this cast?” Byung-hun kept his entire focus on you, not even looking away once when you spoke. In fact throught most of the interview, he barely paid anyone else much attention. “Just look at Dwayne’s muscles.”

A bitter feeling bubbler under his skin, as he felt his blood hot. His jaw visibly clenched, as he glared at the man in question. Before looking you up as down, his fist the next to clench. Not a single laugh leaving his lips let alone a smile.

It went very viral, and Lee Byung-hun didn’t even try to deny what they were saying. Jealousy, yes. Though it wasn’t because he was romantically interested. He just felt a sense of belonging over you. Not in a toxic way, or at least not in his eyes.

Truth be told you only mentioned to him simply because you didn’t want him to be mad at you.

“What that video going around about?” A simple question. He was in your living room, laying down on your lap, eyes closed while you mindlessly scrolled through instagram.

Instantly he knew what you were talking about and once again he didn’t defend himself.

“I didn’t like how you mentioned him.”

“His muscles.”

A scoff slipped past his lips, “I have those too, you know?” He sat up, and didn’t hesitate to lift his shirt up to show you. His abs briefly capturing your full attention.

“Yea but there’s already enough rumors about us.” That was true, and he knew that but he just didn’t care.

“Let them talk.” He brushed a hair out your face, “we’re friends, and friends go over co-workers.”

Friends, neither of you doubted the word. But we’re friends so devoted to one another? So admirable to the other? So protective? Yet the word was never doubted.

—

Over the years

Over the years, neither of you worked on a project again. That didn’t matter, your friendship was still so ever strong.

Often at each other’s house, getting food, attending events. All your fans had was an occasional post about the other.

Once you posted putting a pretty pink bow in his hair, his face was in complete annoyance.

“Byung-hun. Look at me!” He knew you had your phone recording and he debated on weather or not to snatch before looking at you. Ultimately he settled for a glare.

“My pretty princess.” Oh he just might kill you. His head tilted as suddenly you felt a little hotter as he look up at you. Like he was going to devour you alive. “Princess? I’m the one that pampers you—“ before he could continue the video went black.

It was a fond memory of your and you had posted it. As expected whenever a post involving the other popped up it blew up.

Though his comment made even more chaos. As he so much loves to do. No joke, before he made the comment he laid on your bedroom floor breaking silence as he watched the video.

“How can I make this more chaotic.” You couldn’t help but sigh at him.

I dream so often of shutting your mouth. Any ideas?

It went crazy. Then again you’ve done that before, comment a wild thing on his post.

For instance, he posted a picture of himself sweating. Chain dangling (one you got him) and a devilish smile.

Have my kids, I’ll never talk back.

Yea?

You had purposely also sent him a private audio message, cat calling him.

The uproar your fans had, oh well let’s just say many articles broke out.

It was honestly fun, watching your fans want something so bad and just dangle it. Made the two of you feel euphoric on the power.

Yet that wasn’t the only thing you two had found euphoric.

Eventually at one point the two of decided to drink and drink. None of you think before you both crossed a line that was already so faded.

You kissed, and then kissed. Until you ending up the next morning both naked in bed.

The two of you decided for the best that none of it ever happen again, but even though you didn’t — it doesn’t mean you two forgot. In fact neither of you can look at wine the same.

Though, y’all’s restraint fell apart eventually as the two of you kept ending up in each other’s bed.

Most people wouldn’t be shocked if they knew, but oh the two of you were dumbfounded on why you guys could resist each other.

So began your friends with benefits era. A classic.

As that era ended, you both realized you had wanted more, so eventually causal dating was the next step for the two of you. In private of course.

—

Promotion of squid games

You and Byung-Hun both sat in front of cameras. Each looking at fan made videos. It was nice to see such creativity, or that what you thought going into this.

As the first video played, with weird dancing and animation, you couldn’t understand how Byung-Hun could keep a straight face.

“That was for sure… interesting.” The side eye you gave him, and then the camera was definitely clipped.

“I feel wrong.” Is all you had simply said. Which was true. “Definitely love the work put into this, and I think it’s cool how people made this. Just… not my cup of tea.”

A few more weird videos broke out, and some nice one with people singing the theme song, and etc.

The next fan video was an edit of the two of you. Simply just watching each other as the lyrics in the video played. Romantics clearly intended.

It didn’t surprise the two of you. Byung-hun turned his head to you, laughing a little.

“You know, a lot of our fans watched this show for us being in a film together. Yet our characters actually despise the other.” Your smile felt contagious to him as you laughed back.

“Are we the problem?”

The man simply nodded his head back before the two of you watched the next video.

—

Instagram

Liked by byunghun0712 and 345k others

yourusername Coming soon! ⏰

Username1 Ah! So exciting

Yourbestfrienduser MOMMY?!

byunghun0712 is this how I find out?

Liked by Yourbestfrienduser

Username2 OMFG 😭

Username3 so proud to Stan her

Liked by Yourusername and 455k others

byunghun0712 how come you never buy? @ yourusername

Yourusername cause I’m spoiled.

Liked by creator

Username1 see how me and him both eat McDonald’s? Meant to be trust

Yourusername honestly you’re so real for that.

Username2 AH, I love you in squid games

Username3 Frontman ❎ Hotman ✅

—

Lie detector interview.

“We are going to give you a set of questions, please answer yes or no.”

Nerves picked at your skin as your watch Byung-hun opposite from you.

They would start with true or false trivia, before going into more detail questions. He gave you a reassuring smile before reading out the first words.

“Is your name really Y/N?” Easy. “Yes.” The detector person gave a thumbs up and he went onto the next question.

“Is it true that you play in squid games season 2?” Another easy one. “Yes.” One more true or false. “Is it true you are very nervous?” The look you gave him was the most ‘duh’ bratty attitude ever.

“Yes.”

“Okay, now onto the actual questions.” He looked down at his card, almost laughing before reading it out to you.

“Have you ever injured yourself on the set of squid games?” You knew exactly what he was thinking about, and it took you a moment not to laugh as well.

“During one of my earlier scenes, I was drinking wine, that I thought was grape juice.” Byung-hun placed a card over his growing smile as you continued. “Well no one actually thought I was drinking actual wine. Nor did I. So I ended up getting a little flushed and tripped off my chair spraining my ankle.”

Amusement wouldn’t even began the joy your co-star had as he remembered the day he carried you back to your trailer.

“Did you have to learn Korean for this film.”

You tilted your head as you thought about it. “I didn’t learn it for this film, but I had learned it a while ago to surprise you because I felt bad you had to translate your thoughts before saying them.”

Lee Byung-hun remembers the first time you spoke to him in Korean. In fact he thinks that was the moment he fell in love with you.

You two had become the definition of she fell first but he fell harder.

You use to mess up so much, and he always loved it. Now you’re pretty fluent but he loves the moments where you ask him for help.

“Tell me more about your character.”

“I play a foreign player, that is intended to remind Gi-Hun about Ali. When I get into the games lots of drama, funny and stressful things begins to happen. I don’t wanna spoil it.”

“Well you passed!” As your began to unhook yourself from the machine, “not a single lie.”

“Not like I could.” You would rather be seen as the honest person you were anyways.

You had asked your co star similar questions but one was a heavily asked fan question.

“What’s your relationship with Co-Star Y/N L/N.” Even you began to feel nervous. Dating. You two were dating and had went a very long time keeping your confirmed relationship private.

But, as you both looked at each other you both knew there wasn’t a point in keeping things a secret.

“Dating.”

Let’s just say the PR for squid game was better than gold.

A/N: I have so many WIP, but no motivation to finish them 😭. So this is my very half attempt to get out of this writing slump! Otherwise I might go insane.

#lee byung hun #front man #lee byung hun x reader #frontman x reader #squid games #GI Joe #storm shadow

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beelinx · 4 months ago

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heyyaaa! If you have time in ur schedule, could you please do ‘protective boyfriend’ head-cannons or a blurb for Tsukishima and Osamu? (I humbly ask of you if you’re able to and if you can Matsukawa or Tendo as well😔🙏ONLY IF YOU WANT TO THO)

remember to drink water heh

haikyuu men as protective bfs <3

ft. tsukishima, osamu, matsukawa, and tendou !

note: honestly it was sm fun to write this, but i think most of this is ooc and over exaggerated 😭 anyways chat think of this as a new year's gift ! 🥳 warnings: annoying men... mention of tits in osamu's. use of babe, bitch, and prude in tendou's. use of babe in matsukawa's. ooc tendou and matsukawa probably 😖 fem!reader !!

✧｡ kei tsukishima

going to your boyfriend’s volleyball matches was always a fun experience. the electricity and passion some players exuded was truly contagious.

also, you got to see him being all hot and sweaty.

definitely an amazing time!

everyone in the sendai frogs were always incredibly welcoming to you, too. his teammates even ask about you when you’re not there (or, at least that’s what tsukishima tells you). regardless of whether or not he’s telling the truth, you would say you do feel truly welcome and comfortable around there.

today was match day. you made sure kei had everything ready, though it’s not like he’s the type to be forgetful or anything. still, he lets you fuss over him all you want without uttering a complaint (which you know must have been truly difficult for him).

once you got to the location where his team would be playing, he bid you goodbye with a short peck on the cheek. his teammates waved to you, too. there were two new teammates, just as kei had told you. you recognized kentaro from highschool, and though he still had the same grumpy attitude, he was nice enough to you. the other guy, though… you had no clue who he was.

settling on a seat with a decent view of the match, you prepared yourself for the exhilarating time you were probably about to have.

and that you did.

the sendai frogs won 2-1, and you really couldn’t have been happier. well, actually, it felt as if you were about to have a heart attack throughout the duration of that whole game. everytime kei jumped up to block a powerful spike you felt your heart jump. you imagined any doctor would think you’re close to having your heart malfunction.

you basically raced out of the audience seats, already ready to jump into your boyfriend’s arms and congratulate him with many kisses and hugs that he will probably complain about. whatever —he can mutter all the complaints he wants about pda and stuff, but you’re too happy to not smother him with love.

one problem, though.

you could not find him anywhere.

no matter, you figured he was probably in the changing room or something. you could just wait outside for him for a bit, and if he didn’t come out, you’d go look for him.

meanwhile, tsukishima was trying his hardest to not blow up at his new teammate.

“is she your friend, then?” he asked him. it was probably his 100th question regarding you at this point, and he was well past his tolerance limit.

“no.”

“so… your sister?”

tsukishima scoffed, you two didn’t even look alike. “no.”

“jeez, no need to be so harsh, dude. i just think she’s hot,” the guy stated, while changing into a clean shirt.

koganegawa, who’d been listening in, cheerfully piped up. “well, she’s his girlfriend! so i don’t think tsuki appreciates that very much.”

the guy’s eyes widened. “oh. i didn’t know dude, my bad.”

tsukishima cast him a cold glare and resumed changing without another word.

you were getting antsy waiting for him. what is taking him so long? you were bored. well, you figured enough time had passed that it’d be okay for you to go looking for him, so you did. but, while you were heading his way, you bumped into a man.

“oh! i’m so sorry! i was distracted,” you apologized deeply.

“it’s no problem, really. i-” the man said, before stopping abruptly.

“...is something the matter?” you asked, noticing the way the man’s wide gaze roamed over you.

a sudden grin appeared on his face, his expression resembling one of someone who’d just won the lottery ticket.

“you’re absolutely gorgeous.”

you sputtered, taken aback by his directness. “oh uh… thank you?”

“can i have your number?” he asked, smirking at you.

“i have a boyfriend so uh…”

“awe come one, he doesn't have to know, right?” he chuckled. suddenly, you recognized the man in front of you. this was tsuki’s new teammate, the one you didn’t know anything about. he saw you with tsuki before the match, so why would he be asking you out? surely he knew you were his teammate's girlfriend?

“come on, just your number, yeah?” he persisted. “you’re allowed to have friends, aren't you?”

you laughed awkwardly, “well i um…”

“move.”

your boyfriend's harsh voice saved you from answering. the guy’s head snapped back, towards his teammate who was now towering over him. he suddenly seemed incredibly flustered, as if he hadn’t been expecting to be caught.

“oh, sorry man. i was just-”

“hitting on my girlfriend?”

“n-no! we were just talking, right?” he said, directing his question towards you.

tsukishima didn’t have to wait for your answer, he knew well enough what this man’s intentions were. “i would suggest you leave her alone, unless you’d like to make this a bigger problem than it has to be.”

the guy hesitated for a second, before he finally spoke. “y-yeah, of course. my bad.”

he scurried away, not without taking a few looks back at you two. your boyfriend scoffed, seemingly angrier and more upset at the situation than you were.

“that was hot.”

tsukishima’s widened as he snapped his head towards you and stared as if you were the most insane person he’d ever met.

“excuse me?”

“you’re hot when you’re protective,” you giggled. “do that more often.”

he raised a brow at you. “you’re crazy.”

“aww, that’s mean!” you fake pouted. “you have to make it up to me now.”

he tilted his head quizzically at you, deciding to humor you. “how?”

you grinned from ear to ear. “let’s go shopping!

noticing the way your eyes sparkled as you suggested that, he couldn’t possibly say no.

he rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses. “fine,” he agreed. “but we’re eating first. i’m starving.”

✧｡ osamu miya

most of your dates with osamu were indoors, in a private space where the only people around were you two. just relaxing with you is his favorite type of date. still though, he loves to spoil you. so, that’s exactly what he’s doing today.

“‘samu this is too much,” you’d told him.

“nonsense,” he replied simply. “i’m your boyfriend, therefore it’s my duty to spoil ya, isn’t it?”

“but this,” you said, signaling to the expensive outfit he’d bought you. “this is too expensive.”

he simply shook his head. “get dressed, yeah? i’m taking ya out.”

all you could do was roll your eyes and try to smother the grin that was threatening to come up.

the outfit he’d bought you was nice, really nice. you’d seen it at a store before, and you couldn’t help but think it was incredibly beautiful. he’d noticed, apparently, as he’d bought it without even taking note of the price tag. it was also kind of revealing, but nothing all that scandalous. you felt beautiful, really. you took note to make sure to be extremely grateful to him.

osamu loves cooking for you, he really does. he’s basically become your private chef, which works out since you also adore his cooking. tonight, however, he was temporarily relinquishing his title and taking you to some expensive restaurant. though he’d try to deny it, this was more a treat to him than to you. after all, he’s the one practically drooling as he looks over the menu.

you giggled as you looked at him, quickly scanning over the menu and deciding on what you’d be having.

“hello, are you both ready to order?”

you tilted your head up to look at the waiter, straightening your back as you realized you’d been slouching. “oh, yes, thank you,” you replied, quickly listing off your order, pointing at the items in the menu.

when you turned to look at osamu, he was staring daggers at the waiter. you frowned and kicked his leg under the table. he coughed awkwardly and listed off his order, too.

“what was that?” you asked, both concerned but also slightly amused.

“my order?”

“don’t mess with me, ‘samu.” you threatened.

“he was starin’ at ya.” he answered simply.

“well. yeah. i was ordering.”

“no, i mean like… staring at ya,” he emphasized. osamu sighed, “put this on.”

he took off his jacket and handed it to you. “ya can take it off when we leave. or we can ask for a different waiter.”

you scrunched your eyebrows. “‘samu i really don’t think-”

“he was starin’ directly at your tits.”

your eyes widened. “oh!”

“yeah, so unless ya want me to bust open that guy’s head, please wear this for now.”

it was impossible to smother your grin as you put on his jacket. you giggled softly, “you’re so cute when you’re mad.”

he rolled his eyes lightheartedly, “sure.”

“oookay, here we go,” said the waiter as he returned minutes later. he gave osamu his food wordlessly, maybe too intimidated by the way he was glaring at him, or maybe just because he didn’t care.

“and food for the beautiful lady!” he chuckled as he placed your food in front of you. osamu’s jaw tightened. you looked down to your plate awkwardly.

“...thanks,” you said, starting to eat.

the waiter didn’t leave. it seemed he was waiting to say something, but didn’t. he hesitated, and once it finally seemed as if he was going to get the words out, osamu cleared his throat.

“we’re all done here, no need to linger,” he grumbled.

the man seemed taken aback by osamu’s hostility. you kicked him underneath the table again. “of course. right. i’ll be back later with your check.”

osamu hummed in reply. when he turned back to you, he was scowling. his silly face almost made you forget immediately about the awkward interaction that just took place. almost.

“you looked so mad, ‘samu. i almost thought you were gonna walk out of here.”

he looked at you as if you were a lunatic, then turned his gaze towards his food. “no jerk could ever make me waste food.”

you laughed. of course, nothing could ever come between osamu and his love for food. not even an annoying waiter. you suspected that, if an apocalypse ever took place, he would also prioritize his food over anything. except maybe you.

“when we’re done we should go get dessert. not here, though. i don’t want to see that fucker again.”

all you could do was laugh and roll your eyes at his pettiness.

✧｡ issei matsukawa

matsukawa is an easy going guy. he doesn’t lose his temper that easily. he doesn’t get mad over silly jokes. he lets maki tease him, doesn’t he? he tries his best to keep his composure during games. he even keeps his cool when his little brother is being all pissy. and yeah, he might get pissed at kentaro every once in a while, but who wouldn’t, what with that guy’s attitude and all?

that is the mantra he keeps repeating to himself over and over as he watches some jackass try to put the moves on you.

okay, well, that jackass is actually a really good friend of yours.

…which actually might make it all worse for him.

he can’t insult the guy or fight him, he’s your friend after all. at least that’s what you think. you seem blissfully oblivious to the guy’s painful crush over you.

matsukawa figures he can either break the news to you, or let you remain happily unaware.

or better yet, a secret third option!

he can just break the guy’s jaw and make him never bother you again.

actually, that one might be a little extreme.

well, he had to do something. watching that jerk trying to get all touchy touchy with you pissed him the fuck off. even more than kentaro’s snarky comments.

“babe,” he called.

your head snapped towards him, your mouth immediately twisting into a delighted grin at the sight of him.

“issei!” you exclaimed. “i didn’t know you’d be here today. i thought you were hanging out with maki?”

he was, but maki had to leave early for a job interview. the detail didn’t matter, though. “oh, i just missed you so much i had to come back to you.” he snaked his arms around your waist, burrowing his head on your neck.

you slightly scrunched your eyebrows at his odd behavior. it wasn’t like him to act this way.

“i hope maki isn’t upset that you ditched him to hang out with me.”

“oh, not at all! he knows how important it is for guys to hang around their girlfriends.” he said, adding emphasis on the last word as he pulled away from you. he stared down the guy and pushed his shoulders back to appear taller. though it’s not like he needed to, mostly anyone can confirm how intimidating matsukawa can be thanks to his height.

your friend laughed nervously. “y-yeah.”

matsukawa wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “we should go on a date, then. what do you feel like eating?”

“oh, we were actually just about to go have lunch,” your friend chimed in, his voice suddenly sounding sure of himself.

matsukawa cast a dismissive glare towards him. “well she’s my girlfriend, isn’t she?”

your friend scoffed, “i don’t think-”

“perfect, then!” he interrupted your friend before he could object. “let’s go, babe. we can go to your favorite place. my treat, of course.”

“o-okay?” you replied, confused at the interaction that had just taken place.

you let matsukawa drag you all the way to the parking lot before pulling your arm away.

“what the hell was that?” you exclaimed.

“what was what?” he said, already seemingly back to his normal attitude.

“you were so rude to him!”

“i don’t think you should be friends with him anymore.” he simply answered, not exactly taking into account your previous comment.

you sputtered before finally saying, “since when do you have a say in who i’m friends with?”

he cast his gaze on you, soft, despite the current conversation. “i just don’t think he’s good company to have around.”

“what do you mean?”

he sighed, before finally admitting, “he’s in love with you.”

you blinked repeatedly at him in shock. “he is?”

“yes, and i don’t like that.”

you opened and closed your mouth, unsure on what to say.

“i didn’t know.”

“i know.”

both of you stood silently in the parking lot, before he finally gave in and spoke first. “i don’t want to control who you are or aren’t friends with. it’s not my job,” he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “but i don’t feel exactly comfortable having you around him, knowing his intentions and all.”

you stared at him before meekly replying, “okay.”

he tilted his head, “okay?”

you nodded. “i understand what you mean. i, uhm… i’ll have a chat with him, to see if he does have feelings for me. i’ll cut him off if he does, because i don’t think i’d feel very comfortable around him then either.”

matsukawa nodded too. “alright. let’s go have lunch then. i think the place closes earlier today.”

you paused, “actually… can we go to the new place that just opened up nearby instead? i’ve been wanting to try it out.”

he laughed, “sure, whatever you say.”

✧｡ satori tendou

parties are fun, aren’t they? all the people, blasting music, drinks, and more, make an amazing atmosphere for those who enjoy it. and halloween parties are even better! who doesn’t enjoy a fun costume?

tendou can’t really say it’s his atmosphere. he also wouldn’t say that he fits into the group of people who don't like them. he’s just… okay with them. though, for you, he’s more than okay with them.

he let you put him in some cheesy halloween costume. a chef, you told him. you were dressed as some rat, though he thought you looked way too gorgeous to be called that. you had insisted the idea was cute, it was from a movie, after all. and, while he wasn’t entirely against the idea to begin with, all your insistence convinced him he had no way out of it either way.

“don’t you like it when i pull on your hair?” you had teased him. “it’s the perfect role for you.”

“and that is why i’m buzzing allllll my hair off.”

“don’t you dare!”

so, here you were. a big halloween party, both of you matching in a couple’s costume. he looked okay, but you… you looked absolutely breathtaking. before you left you had made a comment about being a sexy mouse, chuckling afterwards. a reference, he figured. he’d have to make you watch the movie with him later.

he definitely wasn’t the only one who thought you looked amazing. you know, taking into account the guy that was practically hanging onto you for dear life.

immediately, once he noticed that and how uncomfortable you looked, he rushed over to save you.

“ohhh, what do we have here?” he asked, trying to keep his tone light to hide his clear annoyance.

“oh, hey dude,” replied the man, having a noticeably slur to his words. “just tryna convince this babe to give me a little kiss, or come to the bathroom with me for some fun, ya feel me?” the man laughed, the smell of alcohol so strong he bet everyone in the party would have smelled it.

tendou narrowed his eyes. “personal space sure is a fun thing, huh!” he said as he grabbed the man from his shoulders and tried to get him away from you.

the man pulled away and got closer to you once more, making you scoff in irritation, trying to pull him off once more. “ugh, this asshole just grabbed onto me while i was getting a drink!” you complained, turning your attention back to the man. “and i already told you, i have a boyfriend!”

the man faked being upset. “he doesn’t have to know, gorgeous. now stop being a prude bitch and-”

tendou’s fist moved faster than the man’s mouth.

the man stumbled back, caressing his jaw in shock. you scurried far away from him, standing behind tendou, whose fake cheerful attitude was long gone.

he turned back to look at you, his face laced with concern.

“i’m fine,” you told him. noticing his doubt, you added, “i promise, okay? i’m fine.”

he nodded, seemingly convinced for now. and turned his attention back to the man.

it was almost like a switch turned on, really. first he was sweet and worried about you, then he returned to his mocking face. you figured it was an act, though. he wasn’t the type to get incredibly angry at others. but he messed with you, so tendou would probably murder the guy if he could.

the man spit into the ground and scoffed, “what the hell is wrong with you, man?”

“ohh, you know, i was just testing my theory on how many hits it would take for a pervert to get knocked out!” he fake-giggled. “do you want me to keep going?”

the man’s scornful gaze was casted onto tendou, who didn’t really seem like he was joking.

“you’re creepy as fuck man,” coughed the man, “and you’re insane. dunno why she’d choose you.”

“well i know why no one chose you,” tendou said, dragging the last word in a mocking way.

“let’s go.”

tendou snapped his head toward you, his wide eyes curious as he tilted his head.

“huh?”

“i’m tired. i just want to get some sleep,” you said, your voice so quiet you could’ve been an actual mouse. it broke his heart, really. how excited you were for the party, just to have your mood destroyed by some random creep.

he blinked at you, then blinked at the man, before abruptly standing tall. he decided it was best if he let the man be, and put his focus towards bettering your mood. you could watch that movie you referenced before, but you’d have to stop and buy snacks first. no matter, you are in dire need of more snacks in your pantry, so it’d work out.

his looming frame towered over you as he replied, already set on his plan, “okay, let’s go!”

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omen-archive · 17 days ago

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Campaign 3 At A Glance

Ever wonder what the top spell cast during Campaign 3 was? What about who rolled the most nat 20s, how many healing potions got used, or how long Bells Hells were adventuring for? At long last, we are thrilled to share ~C3 At A Glance!~

Before we get started: all of this data is available at omenarchive.com/c3, and there’s MUCH more��each of these categories is linked to a page with detailed breakdowns, rankings, time stamps, transcript excerpts, descriptions, and the like. For now, though, we wanted to give you a basic tour of what’s new.

(This is a long one—click below to keep reading!)

Let’s start with time. C3 took place over 1,205 real-world days, mapping to a round 100 days in-game: from 17 Brussendar to 24 Quen’pillar of 843 PD (dates confirmed by CR). That’s a little over 14 weeks, or three months.

The campaign ran 506 hours, 36 minutes, and 9 seconds long. The average episode was 4:11:12 long, with an average gameplay length of 3:46:50. Our total gameplay time spent with Bells Hells was 421:43:21, which is about 17.57 days.

The top episode for critical successes was C3E120, with 18 PC nat 20s, and the top-critting PC was Orym, with 89. All in all, Bells Hells rolled 519 natural 20s... and 336 natural 1s, with Orym again taking the lead at 57.

The party cast 1862 spells and 1162 cantrips, with the favorite spells being Sending, Cure Wounds, and Detect Thoughts, and the favorite cantrips being Guidance, Druidcraft, and Prestidigitation. The top caster was Imogen with 667 spells/cantrips followed by FCG with 574.

We’ve got every spell logged, which means lists of top spells/cantrips by caster! Yes, even Ashton (thanks to Pass Without Trace). There’s too much to summarize, so see below for details—it's worth a look. And visit each individual character’s page for their full list. (Chetney / Laudna / Dorian / FCG / Braius / Fearne / Imogen / Orym / Ashton)

Time for some battle stats! First, it’s worth noting that we’ve divided up the data to clarify which stats refer only to Bells Hells, which include guests, and which are for the campaign as a whole. In some cases, we’ve listed both overall rankings and BH-exclusive rankings.

Our top damage dealers for C3 were Imogen (5271 HP), Orym (4321), and Ashton (4081). The top BH episodes by damage dealt were C3E120 (3231 HP), C3E117 (936) and C3E91 (904). Collectively, BH + guests dealt 26493 HP of damage.

That damage added up to 225 kills by BH + guests, with the top killers being Ashton (38), Imogen (37.33), and FCG (31.5). Matt asked “How do you want to do this?” for 88 of those kills.

As for damage taken, Ashton and Orym lead the pack with 2651 HP and 2440 HP. The top BH episodes by damage taken were C3E120 (1239 HP), C3E091 (950), and C3E80 (614). In total, the party (including guests) took 16991 HP of damage.

Over the course of the campaign, 34 healing potions were used, 243 HP of suffering were transferred, and PCs gave out 5862 HP of healing. The top healers were FCG (1451 HP), Trist (770), Deanna (711), Dorian (706), and Fearne (443).

Of course, the campaign wasn’t without casualties. There were 61 KOs during Campaign 3, with Orym knocked out most often (10 times) followed by Ashton and Fearne (9 times each). C3E033 and C3E091, the two Otohan fights, led in PC KOs, with 9 and 8 respectively.

There were 10 PC deaths, 3 of which were permanent. Interestingly, Ashton is the only PC to have died more than once (neither time in combat!), and Imogen and Dorian are the only founding members of BH never to have died at all.

Now, here comes the fun stuff! They say the dice tell a story, but numbers do too.

We’ve collected data—lots and lots of it—on things like which maneuvers Orym used most often (Goading Attack, 66 times, and Bait and Switch, 41 times), how many times Imogen and FCG read minds (67 and 24 respectively), and how many times Laudna used her Form of Dread (41).

We’ve also got detailed data on uses of Sending (159, with 91 by Imogen) and Druidcraft (53, 50 by Orym), instances of Fearne’s Wild Shape (58, 28 of which turned her into animals like a slow loris and a giant shoebill), and Ashton’s rages (gravity was the most frequent type).

Plus, of course, kisses, of which there were a heartwarming 81.

We highly recommend clicking through to the main pages for each of these data types, as there’s a LOT more than meets the eye.

During the course of the campaign, Chetney carved 42 items, Laudna called people capable 29 times (26 of them were Imogen), Dorian used Bardic Inspiration 21 times, Imogen had 17 dreams, and FCG and those who loved him said “smiley day” 88 times.

FCG also baked 34 items and made and/or inspired 68 mentions of their flesh tongue, as well as 35 references to the planet being flat. Sorry, Matt.

Braius painted 7 portraits (we have time stamps!), Imogen’s eyes flashed 31 times (we have descriptions!), and Fearne successfully stole 30 items (she probably still has most of those!).

She also referred to herself by eight titles, our favorite of which is Professor Princess Fearne Calloway, Fey Scion of the Ancient Flame.

As for Ashton, they said “fuck” a total of 1401 times, plus 329 more in Taliesin’s character narration. We’ve got a list of them all.

The Quintessence Array was used ten times, on eight objects and two people. Delilah Briarwood was mentioned 152 times, and the Matron of Ravens 211 times. (Those are both subjective numbers—check out our charts for detailed lists of occurrences.)

1531 items were exchanged, and the episode with the most items exchanged was C3E012 Make it Fashion, with 67 items.

There were 89 whispers, Sam wore 22 different shirts with the cast’s faces on them, Marisha waved 14 fans, and Matt made 81 beautiful battle maps.

We saw 42 beloved PCs, all of whose first and last scenes are catalogued here.

Last but not least, Matt facepalmed a grand total of 343 times, with the most facepalmworthy episode being C3E032. We don’t know about you, but we think it’s time for a full rewatch. Is it Thursday yet?

#critical role #cr3 #bells hells #bell's hells #omen archive

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sunsburns · 1 year ago

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kiss of life (ii.)

pairing: luke castellan x aphrodite!daughter reader

kiss of life masterlist

summary: i actually suck at writing summaries but basically this is part two of part one of that soulmate au fic i posted a week ago lol

—or: luke castellan is being haunted by kronos and... well, you.

word count: 6.42k

warnings: sorry for any spelling errors, i haven’t checked yet, suppperrr angsty, luke castellan pov as he's slowly being corrupted by kronos, long reading time, descriptive injuries, blood, pre-tlt, luke is stubborn and a dick, loser!luke, annabeth smacking some sense to luke, grover being an icon, reader is lowkey unreliable tbh... cliff hanger (again... lmfao sorry)

a/n: part two!!! thank you guys for all the love on the first part! i am so grateful for everything and i love reading all the comments and reblogs. i hope this one doesn't end up flopping lmfaooo. i honestly wanted this to be a short angsty fic but i got carried away and now i'm planning a whole multi-part fic for this, phew. anyways enjoyyy <;33

At eighteen, Luke was cursed with nightmares.

They clawed at the edges of his mind, threatening to unravel the fragile front of peace that he had fought so hard to maintain. Each night, he would awaken drenched in a cold sweat, the echoes of his tortured dreams lingering in the corners of his mind like a haunting melody.

The Hermes cabin, once a sanctuary from the outside world, now felt like a prison, its walls closing in around him with each passing moment. The moon, a silent witness to his torment, cast its ethereal glow through the window, illuminating the slumbering forms of campers. Some were children of Hermes, like himself, bound by the tenuous ties of blood and kinship. Others, however, were unclaimed, their parentage shrouded in mystery and uncertainty.

And as Luke lay awake in the stillness of the night, a sense of loneliness washed over him like a tidal wave, drowning him in a sea of doubt. In the depths of his troubled sleep, he could feel the tendrils of darkness closing in around him, threatening to consume him whole. And try as he might to deny it, he knew that his nightmares held a deeper significance, a harbinger of events yet to unfold in the shadowy pits of fate.

His nightmares were callings. A taunting voice would echo through the corridors of his mind, its insidious whispers weaving a thought of deceit and manipulation. It masqueraded as a voice of reason, a beacon beckoning him towards a destiny that promised demigods everything.

At first, Luke dismissed it as nothing more than the ramblings of a tortured soul, the byproduct of his own restlessness. But as the whispers grew louder and more insistent, he could no longer ignore the chilling realization that they were something far more sinister—a call to arms, a summons to embrace his role as a harbinger of the new world.

The nights he wasn't shaking from night terrors, he was tossing and turning at the thought of you. And he didn’t know what was worse. He couldn't escape you. The haunting image of you lingered in his mind even during sleep — your lips, your eyes, your skin, your voice, and that shared scar and your demise.

But at least, you'd given up on him by then. Your persistent efforts to reach out to Luke gradually dwindled into nothingness. Though you were still everywhere, a shadow that seemed to torment his every move, you no longer gave him even a fraction of your attention.

Gone were the days of you seeking him out, your footsteps no longer echoing in the halls of Camp Half-Blood in search of him. You refrained from asking for Chris's help, no longer burdening him with questions on Luke's whereabouts. The notes you once left behind were now relics of a time long past, their words fading with each passing day.

And as the full moon rose once more over the waters of the lake, you no longer waited by its shores.

Luke turned in bed, his mind restless as he tried to shake the image of you. He pulled the covers tighter around himself, seeking comfort in the warmth they provided, but the chill of unease still lingered in the air.

His gaze drifted across the row of beds, each a testament to the diverse personalities that inhabited the Hermes cabin. The floor was strewn with a chaotic array of sleeping bags, toys, and discarded clothing, while a collection of rocks adorned one corner near the closets, and drawings adorned the walls.

Despite the usual chaos that reigned during the day, the cabin now lay quiet and still. The children of Hermes, along with the unclaimed children and the ones of minor gods, had finally settled into the embrace of sleep.

But amidst the calm, a sense of unease gnawed at Luke's consciousness. He couldn't shake the feeling that had settled over him after he noticed the empty bed and the slightly ajar door.

Luke pushed back the covers and rose from his bed. His footsteps echoed softly as he made his way toward the empty bottom bunk, hoping not to wake anyone. The sight of an old penguin stuffed animal discarded at the foot of the bed made him edgy. His eyes trailed to the traces of blood splattered on the hardwood floor, stark against the dim light filtering through the cabin windows.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Luke picked up the toy, its soft white and black material now stained with crimson. Clutching it tightly in his hand, he made his way out of the cabin, the urgency of his steps echoing in the stillness of the night.

He knew all too well who the missing camper was – five-year-old Penelope, one of the newest arrivals to Camp Half-Blood and possibly one of the youngest campers. Found wandering alone in the woods near the camp hill just a week ago, she had been brought to safety by a group of fellow demigods on a quest. Luke couldn't shake the resemblance she bore to a younger Annabeth, with her wide eyes and insatiable thirst for knowledge. He wouldn't be surprised if Athena claimed her as her own one day–that is if he ever found her.

Luke's worry for Penelope weighed heavily on his mind, a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest as he combed through every inch of camp. The traces of blood he discovered fueled his unease, each droplet a stark reminder of the dangers lurking just beyond the safety of the camp's borders.

In his search, Luke traversed familiar paths and hidden corners, his footsteps echoing in the quiet stillness of the night. He scoured the armour, the climbing wall, and the camp store.

Luke had known all about campers disappearing, whether it be on a quest or to escape and try to live a normal life with humans that never really lasted long enough as monsters would dwell within the shadows outside of camp.

It was in the dim glow of the kitchen lights that Luke finally caught a glimpse of Penelope, perched on the counter in her pyjamas, her hair adorned with two loose pigtails. A sense of relief washed over him at the sight of her safe and sound, yet it was short-lived as he noticed she wasn't alone.

His hand hovered over the door, hesitating as he listened to the soft murmur of conversation from within. With a steady breath, Luke pushed the door open ever so slightly, peering through the crack to catch a glimpse of Penelope. And you.

You, who looked older than when you first met in the infirmary. There was an air of maturity about you, a gracefulness that hadn't been there before. Your features seemed more refined, your presence commanding attention in a way that spoke of inner strength and resilience. Luke couldn't help but notice how your beauty had blossomed, surpassing the standards of mere mortal allure. It was a beauty that seemed to defy classification, uniquely yours yet undeniably captivating.

Despite this, Luke sensed a shift in your demeanour—a resignation, perhaps, to the reality of his ignorance. You had lost any hope you once harboured for him. His guarded nature would forever keep you at arm's length. And while part of him knew that this was for the best, a small, almost imperceptible part of him couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.

For in the crossroads of his heart, amidst the shadows that threatened to consume him, there lingered a faint glimmer of longing. The thought of being intertwined with someone who could offer solace in his darkest moments, who could bring light to the depths of his despair, held an undeniable appeal. And as much as he tried to deny it, the chance of you approaching him once more tugged at the fringes of his resolve, tempting him to let down his guard and allow you closer than he ever dared to imagine.

"So, you wanna tell me what you're doing up this late?" You approached Penelope with a gentle smile, a cookie in your hand as a peace offering.

Your words hung in the air, gentle and coaxing, as you tried to draw Penelope out of her shell. Luke watched from the shadows, his gaze flickering between you and the young camper, a sense of admiration stirring at how you spoke to Penelope.

Penelope hesitated, her gaze shifting between the cookie in her hand and you.

"You don't know?" You persisted, your voice a soft murmur that carried a hint of playfulness. You settled beside Penelope on the counter, your posture was relaxed as you leaned in closer to her. "Is it... a secret?" you whispered.

Luke noted the subtle change in your demeanour, the way you seemed to adapt effortlessly to Penelope's shy nature. It was a side of you he hadn't seen before, one that resonated deeply with him.

As Penelope nodded in response to your question, you continued, your tone gentle and reassuring. "Let me tell you a secret," you offered, holding up your pinky finger as a symbol of trust. "I am the best secret keeper in this camp. I pinky promise."

After a moment's hesitation, Penelope tentatively reached out, her tiny finger linking with yours in a hesitant pinky promise. A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips.

Penelope murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I got hurt."

"What?" You gasped in genuine concern, your eyes widening as you shifted your attention to the young camper. "Can I see?"

Penelope nodded silently, her arm outstretched towards you. Luke observed from his vantage point, his heart twisting with worry as he noted the faint hint of red near Penelope's elbow.

You took Penelope's arm into your hands gently, your touch tender and reassuring as you rolled up the sleeves of her pale pink pyjamas. Luke couldn't help but notice the familiarity of those pyjamas, a subtle reminder of Annabeth's kindness and resourcefulness in making Penelope feel at home.

"Oh, wow, that looks like it hurts," You remarked softly, your brows furrowing in sympathy as you retrieved a first aid kit from the nearby cabinets. "You're handling it very well," you praised Penelope, your tone gentle and encouraging. "So brave of you."

Penelope watched you attentively as you began to clean her wound, her small frame tense with discomfort. "I don't feel brave," she admitted quietly.

"No?" You glanced up at her, "why not?"

"I miss my mommy."

Her words were tinged with a sense of longing that struck a chord with both you and Luke.

Luke chewed on the inside of his cheek, his thoughts drifting to his own longing for his mother. Penelope's admission resonated with him deeply, reminding him of the ache that never truly faded, no matter how many years passed, no matter how deep he tried to bury it.

It was a sentiment shared by every demigod at camp, a silent ache that echoed through the cabins and training grounds. Yet, it was a pain rarely spoken aloud as if verbalizing it would make it all too real, too unbearable.

The yearning for a parent, for someone to fill the void left by their absence, weighed heavily on each camper's shoulders. It was a burden they carried silently, masking their vulnerability with bravado and determination. But for Penelope, the longing was raw in its innocence.

At just five years old, she was too young to fully comprehend the extent of her emotions. She couldn't grasp the complexities of her situation, the world of gods and monsters that surrounded her. All she knew was the absence of a mother's embrace, the absence of a comforting presence to soothe her fears and wipe away her tears.

It was a pain she didn't deserve, a burden too heavy for such a young soul to bear. The gods, in their arrogance and indifference, seemed oblivious to the lives they had shattered, and the pain they had inflicted upon their own children.

"Yeah?" You responded gently, "How much do you miss her?"

"This much," Penelope replied, her small hands spreading wide.

"Wow! That's a lot," you remarked, a sombre note underlying your tone as you processed Penelope's words. After a beat of silence, you shook off the heaviness of the moment and mustered a smile for her. "There we go. All cleaned up," you announced cheerfully, pressing a bandaid onto her elbow.

Penelope's smile widened in response, a glimmer of gratitude shining in her eyes as she kicked her feet. In a quiet voice barely above a whisper, she murmured her thanks to you.

"So, you wanna tell me how you got hurt?"

"I don't know." This had been the most Luke had ever seen Penelope talk, and while her voice was still timid, the words slipping out hesitantly, she seemed to confide in you. "I woke up because my arm hurt."

"The cut was just there?" You asked, and when she nodded, you hummed sympathetically. "...I get those too, you know."

Penelope's eyes widened, "You do?"

"Yes," you affirmed with a soft chuckle. "A lot of people do. You get them from your soulmate. Did your mom ever tell you about soulmates?"

"Sometimes."

"Well, a long time ago, humans used to have four arms, four legs, and two faces," You explained.

"What?"

"I know, right? Super freaky. So freaky that Zeus decided to split them in half. So, now we have two arms, two legs, and one face."

"What happened to the other half?"

"That's our soulmate. Our other half. And Aphrodite gave us a gift to help us find our soulmate." The smile that had adorned your face slowly waned, "Every time you get hurt, your soulmate gets hurt too."

"Is that why you have a cut on your face?"

The question lingered, hanging in the air like a whispered secret. Luke held his breath, his gaze fixed on you, waiting for your response. But instead of answering, you reached out to Penelope, a bittersweet smile gracing your lips as you guided her off the counter.

"Let's get you back to your cabin."

Your words were gentle, a soft reassurance for Penelope's sake, but Luke could sense the undercurrent of sadness that ran beneath them. As you led Penelope away, Luke's heart ached in a way that felt so familiar yet foreign at the same time. It burned the same way it did when he returned from the quest when he hated the world and everyone in it, but this time, the only person he could find himself hating was himself.

He retreated from the door, clutching the stuffed animal in his hands. He felt a fleeting reminder of the times he would hide from the monsters with Thalia.

Luke's mind swirled with discordant emotions, each thought a whirlwind of uncertainty. He knew he didn't deserve your answer, didn't deserve the solace of your words. He had made it clear too many times to count that he never wanted a soulmate, never wanted you.

But despite his protests, despite the walls he had built around his heart, Luke couldn't deny the tug that pulled him to you, the hunger in his soul that refused to be ignored. It was a longing he couldn't shake, a yearning that whispered of a connection he dared not embrace. Knowing that keeping you away was the only way to protect you from the darkness that lurked within him was what kept him sane.

"Luke?"

The sound of his name tore Luke out of his thoughts like a violent gust of wind. He spun around, finding you standing on the porch to the kitchens, Penelope at your side. She held your hand, a small beacon of warmth and light in the dimness of the night.

It seemed too perfect, too surreal, and Luke couldn't help but feel a pang of disbelief. Were you trying to kill him? It had been too long since the last time he spoke to you, let alone stood so close to you, and here you were, the epitome of what a demigod should be, even if you were still in the dreaded bright orange camp shirt.

"Hey," he managed to say.

You continued to descend the stairs, each step cautious and deliberate. "What- uh, what are you doing up?"

"I was actually looking for Penelope." Luke motioned to the girl hiding behind your legs. When he caught her eye, Penelope grinned and let go of your hand, darting over to Luke and jumping into his arms. He lifted her easily, a small smile tugging at his lips as he handed her the stuffed toy she had left behind.

"Oh." You hummed, "I didn't know you're a Hermes kid?"

"I'm unclaimed," Penelope chimed.

"For now," Luke's voice was gentle as he held Penelope in his arms. "And what were you doing up?"

"I was looking for a bandaid. I got lost." Penelope's words were punctuated by a soft yawn, and she nestled her head against Luke's shoulder, her exhaustion evident in every movement.

You hesitated, your gaze shifting to meet Luke's. "I found her by the canoes... near the dock."

The silence that settled between you felt heavy, suffocating almost as if it threatened to engulf you both. Luke found himself wandering back to the memories of you waiting for him at the dock during the summer nights and the regret that weighed heavily on his heart for never approaching you. He remembered the countless times he stood among the trees, watching you from afar, paralyzed by his own insecurities and fears.

Were you waiting for him there tonight?

No, you couldn't have.

Guilt gnawed at him, threatening to consume him whole. "Listen, I-"

"I'm gonna go." You cut him off abruptly, your voice carrying a hint of tension. "Counsellor duties and all. I've got cabin checks in the morning so... you know, I gotta print papers... and stuff..."

Luke frowned at your lame excuse. "It's midnight."

"It's never too early to start now." You huffed defensively. "Bye, Penelope."

"Bye," Penelope mumbled sleepily, her hand lazily waving in your direction as you walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the night and the trail leading to the Aphrodite cabin.

As they made their way back to the Hermes cabin, Luke held onto Penelope tightly, feeling the weight of her small body in his arms. The night air was cool against his skin, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of shame for the unease he noticed in you earlier. He wanted to say something, to bridge the gap that seemed to have formed between you, but the words remained trapped in his throat.

Once they returned to the warmth of their cabin, Luke moved with a careful grace, mindful not to disturb the sleeping campers around them. He gently placed Penelope back on her bed and tucked her in. But as he began to step away, her small hand shot out, wrapping around two of his fingers. Luke froze, eyes wide with surprise.

"Luke?" Penelope's voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut through the silence of the cabin like a knife.

"Yeah?" Luke's voice was equally quiet.

"I think your soulmate is really cool."

Penelope's words hung in the air, a simple statement that carried more weight than he could have ever anticipated.

Seven hours later, the memory of your face lingered in Luke's mind like an unshakeable ghost. Tossing back and forth in his bed, he tried to rid himself of the image, but it clung to him like a shadow. Each time he closed his eyes, your face flashed before him, haunting his thoughts. Even when he turned away, the spectre of Kronos lurked in the depths of his subconscious, a reminder of the choice that still loomed over him.

As morning broke over Camp Half-Blood, Luke found himself seated at the breakfast table, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of his fellow campers. Annabeth's presence brought a brief distraction.

She slid into the seat in front of him during breakfast and gave him a strange look, slightly out of breath from the morning rush, a half-eaten apple in hand.

"Hey," she greeted him, her voice carrying a note of concern. Pausing to tie back her braids, she studied him intently. "Who you looking for?"

Luke's response came too quickly, "No one," he replied, his voice strained. Thankfully, Chris had left earlier because he was in charge of the climbing wall in the morning, he wasn't there to tell Annabeth that Luke had been looking for you. His eyes scanned the sea of faces in the dining hall, a futile attempt to catch sight of you amidst the crowd. He felt pathetic. "What's up with you?"

Annabeth raised her brows. "Archery? Together? Remember? Or did you forget?"

"No. I didn't forget."

She only stared at him, skeptical.

"What?" he asked, "why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Oh, I get it," Annabeth's smirk hinted at a newfound understanding, her eyes sparkling with amusement. She let out a laugh, the sound echoing through the dining hall, as she shook her head and rested her chin on her hand. "How long are you planning to keep this up for?"

Luke frowned, confused.

"This entire act you have with... you know," She didn't need to say your name for him to catch on. "It's getting out of hand, no?"

"I..." Caught off guard by her directness, Luke hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Choosing to play dumb, he feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right." Annabeth's knowing look pierced through his facade. She was always too perceptive for her own good. Fixing him with a narrowed gaze, she gave him a playful kick under the table, the impact enough to draw a startled reaction from Luke. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she took another bite of her apple before teasing him further. "Well, Grover said you're killing yourself."

"What?" He blinked at her, taken aback, "I'm not killing myself. Grover's just being dramatic."

"I don't think so." She said, slowly, carefully forming her words. "I mean, if I had a soulmate..."

Luke's defences bristled at the mention of soulmates, a topic he preferred to avoid. "Is this all you wanted to talk about?"

"I'm allowed to worry, "Annabeth reminded him, her words tinged with a gentle insistence. "Family, remember?"

The word 'family' carried weight, a reminder of their shared history and the bond they had forged over the years. It was a phrase Annabeth often employed to coax Luke out of his shell, to encourage him to confide in her. When they were younger, 'family' meant everything to Luke, thanks in no small part to Annabeth's influence.

"You don't need to worry," Luke assured her, though uncertainty gnawed at the edges of his resolve. "I know what I'm doing." But did he? Luke longed for the simplicity of a time before he met you when the idea of having a soulmate seemed like a distant fantasy. Now, every decision he made, every scar he bore, carried weight, knowing it could impact you in ways he couldn't comprehend.

"The least you can do is get to know her before she leaves."

Her words struck a chord within him, prompting Luke to cast a discreet glance around the dining hall, searching for you amidst the bustling crowd again.

"She's leaving?"

"Not forever, "Annabeth clarified with a chuckle, "Just on a quest. Search and rescue. Nothing fancy."

"...How do you know this?" he said after a moment.

"Chiron told me," Annabeth shrugged nonchalantly. "He also told me to tell you that the ceremony is tonight. I hope that doesn't kill you."

It did kill him a bit. At least, it felt like it did. Luke Castellan moved through camp with a sense of urgency, his strides purposeful yet tinged with a hint of apprehension. His fingers, calloused from years of wielding weapons, throbbed with a dull ache with the burn from the bow and arrow.

Shoulders tense, skin prickling under the relentless glare of the sun, he scanned the bustling campgrounds.

The weight of his bow rested heavily on his shoulder, the familiar weight offering a semblance of comfort amidst the chaos. With practiced precision, he counted the arrows in his quiver, his movements fluid and sure.

Then, he heard it—the sound that drew him like a siren's call. Your voice, lilting and laughter-filled, cut through the clamour of the camp, pulling him toward you like a magnet. There you stood, leaning against the doorway of the Hephaestus cabin, a clipboard clutched to your chest as you exchanged banter with Atticus, the skilled swordsmith whose craftsmanship had forged Luke's sword.

There was something different about you today, something delicate, more approachable than he had ever seen before. Last night, with Penelope, you had worn a similar expression—gentle, caring—but it was a side of you that Luke had never been privileged to witness. With him, you had always been guarded, reserved, as though afraid that he would cut or maim you.

As you scribbled something onto your clipboard, Luke found himself intrigued by the way your smile softened. It was a stark contrast to the confident facade you often wore, and for a moment, Luke felt a pang of guilt for pushing you away so soon.

Unbeknownst to you, you were drawing closer to Luke with each step, your path inexorably leading you toward him. Part of him craved to reach out, while another part hesitated, unsure of how to talk to you after all this time.

"Hey," Luke finally managed to utter as you drew near, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

You paused, a hint of surprise flickering across your features as you registered his presence. "Hi?" Your response was tentative, laced with a hint of confusion. After a moment's hesitation, you glanced down at your clipboard, "I'm not changing my rank on your cabin. I know three is low, but I was being generous."

A ghost of a smile tugged at Luke's lips. He was all too familiar with the chaotic nature of Cabin Eleven, where overcrowding was the norm and taking turns on the sleeping bags was treated as a game. "No, no. I just..." He trailed off, suddenly realizing he hadn't thought through the purpose of seeking you out. "I think we need to talk."

The confusion in your expression mirrored his own, and for a moment, there was a palpable sense of uncertainty hanging between you. "Talk?" you echoed.

Luke nodded, his gaze meeting yours earnestly. "Yes."

"You want to talk...? To me?"

"I hope it's not that bizzare."

He tried to smile for you, but it felt wrong. Luke couldn't shake the weight of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach. He knew all too well that he hadn't been the embodiment of an ideal soulmate. In his mind, there lingered a pervasive belief that you harboured nothing but hatred towards him, something that you made obvious with every interaction between you two.

He wondered if this was the way you felt during the days he avoided you.

Luke had noticed the shift. There was a calculated recklessness to your actions, a deliberate disregard for your own well-being that bordered on self-destructive. You stubbed your toe on roots and table legs, tugged too hard at your hair, and scraped your knees. You started to pull your punches while sparring with Clarisse, just enough to ensure that he felt the sting of every blow. You never blocked a hit in the face, a twisted satisfaction in the knowledge that your pain mirrored his own. Together, you would limp into the infirmary, bloodied and bruised where you'd be grinning far too wide, barely offering an ounce of guilt when Luke held ice to his face.

You lowered the clipboard from your chest, letting it rest against your side as you faced Luke. The warm rays of the sun filtered through the dense foliage above, casting dappled shadows that danced across your features and forced you to squint against the brightness. The noise of children's laughter and the sound of feet pounding against the earth filled the air.

Your voice cut through the noise, "You've made it pretty clear that you want nothing to do with me, Luke," you began, your words carrying the weight of unspoken hurt. "You can't blame me for being surprised."

As you began to walk toward the next cabin, Luke fell into step beside you, "Can you just give me a chance—"

"I think you're too late for that."

"I know, I just—" Luke's words faltered, his thoughts tumbling over one another in a desperate attempt to articulate his feelings.

"I have nothing to say to you," you declared abruptly, stopping in your tracks and turning to face him. Luke skidded to a stop just in time, his gaze meeting yours as you regarded him with a mixture of sadness and frustration. "Seriously. I understand, okay? Did I come on too strong? Maybe. Yeah, I'll admit that" you acknowledged, your expression softening slightly. "Maybe coming to you hours after your shit quest was stupid, but I gave you space when you asked—"

"I just wanted to wish you luck on your quest," Luke interrupted, his voice gentle yet tinged with a hint of remorse.

With a quiet "Oh," you stepped back, your eyes momentarily averting his gaze. Were you embarrassed? Were you disappointed? Did you want to fight?

"Sorry," you mumbled, your voice tinged with uncertainty. "Thanks. I'm, uh, I'm seeing the Oracle after this. So... not technically a quest yet."

"It's your first one, right?" Luke's voice softened, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

"If you're worried about getting another scar, don't worry, I doubt it's anything dangerous," you reassured him, though your words held a hint of hesitation. There was a fleeting moment where your gaze lingered on him as if expecting a sudden change in his demeanour, but Luke remained still, his expression unreadable. "I just need to find Eros and go from there."

"Eros?" Luke's pace slowed, curiosity dancing in his eyes as he raised his brows in interest. Yet beneath the surface, a seed of annoyance sprouted, tendrils of jealousy winding their way through his thoughts. Your quest sounded far more intriguing than his own, and a bitter brew of envy churned in the depths of his stomach. Despite his inner turmoil, he attempted to play it off with a forced chuckle. "Has Cupid gone missing?"

"Apparently," you muttered bitterly under your breath, the resentment palpable in your tone. Luke sensed the edge to your words, though he pretended not to notice.

You sighed, "Is this conversation going anywhere? I really need to finish these cabin checks. I'm busy enough as it is."

Your words held an unspoken plea for him to leave, and though Luke understood, a pang of disappointment nagged at him. He couldn't entirely blame you; after all, he'd been an ass for months.

Both of you hesitated just outside the door to cabin eight, and Luke could feel your eyes on him. When you began to step away, his hand shot out, wrapping around your wrist. You froze, eyes wide with surprise.

“I also wanted to thank you,” He said, words rushing off his tongue.

“For what?” you asked.

“For last night.” He wasn't sure why he brought it up, why he felt like he needed you to know. "With Penelope."

"It was nothing," you said, voice barely audible. "We gotta look out for each other, right?"

Then, you left, you hurried up the short staircase to the cabin door, barely sparing him a glance before knocking. From his place, Luke could hear someone welcoming you into Artemis's cabin. He watched you until the door was shut behind you, vanishing you from his sight.

As the ceremony approached, the hues of twilight painted Camp Half-Blood in a golden glow, a serene yet foreboding atmosphere enveloping the surroundings. Luke's unease mounted with the setting sun, casting stretched-out shadows that seemed to carry something unnoticed. He couldn't shake the image of the figure from his nightmares, its monstrous visage haunting his thoughts with each passing moment. Yet, amidst the creeping darkness, there was an allure to the unknown, a temptation that beckoned him; its words, its promise of seeing the truth.

His gaze remained fixed on the white marble archway, half-expecting the nightmare to materialize at any moment, its twisted form emerging from the shadows with outstretched fingers. However, it was you who appeared, ascending the steps with graceful determination. Your presence seemed to dispel the shadows, bathing the surroundings in a radiant glow that eclipsed the fears that had once gripped Luke's heart. You were a blinding vice.

"Didn't think I'd see you here."

A sudden jab to his side sent him recoiling, a sharp pain shooting through his ribs. Luke winced, his gaze flickering to you as you flinched, subtly reaching for your own side. Quickly diverting his attention, he focused on the girl who had spoken.

Clarisse arched a brow at Luke, a smirk dancing on her lips. "Jumpy."

"Give him a break," Chris interjected, joining Luke's side and draping an arm over his shoulder. "Luke had a rough night, he lost a kid."

"Is that so?" Clarisse's grin widened. "And Chiron doesn't know? I'm assuming he doesn't otherwise, he wouldn't have picked you for this."

Luke scoffed and crossed his arms, "I'm the best swordsman at camp."

Clarisse's sarcasm was palpable. "Oh, I don't doubt it. The most humble, too," she retorted, unfazed by his glare. "But let's face it, a search and rescue isn't exaclty your thing anymore. You're more of an action kind of guy. You live off the glory of victory. Chiron knows that."

She was right, Chiron did know that. Which was why he rarely requested Luke to stand in unless there was a catch. Then, the flames in the torches flickered to life, and silence enveloped the candidates. Each demigod chosen by Chiron swiftly took their place, standing tall and resolute by a marble pillar, eager to showcase themselves as the prime choice for the quest. Anything for Kleos. Anything for glory.

Chiron nodded, his gesture sharp and decisive, as he placed a firm hand on your shoulder before addressing the assembly.

"The Oracle has confirmed that this quest is a search and rescue," he stated, casting a brief, confident glance in your direction. "One where you will use all your best efforts to bring Eros back to the safety of Mount Olympus and restore the lost balance. I'm sure you know where to find him." His gaze then shifted to the rest of the candidates. "Here, I have selected some of our most compelling candidates from which you will choose one to join you on your quest, ensuring your success. Annabeth Chase, Atticus Brang, Chris Rodrigues, Clarisse La-"

As Chiron listed the candidates, you carefully evaluated your options, your eyes calculating. In the dim torchlight, Luke could just discern the thin line etched across your face, stretching from the end of your brow to your-

"I choose Luke."

The ensuing silence felt like something they could all drown in, leaving everyone stunned. Even Annabeth raised her eyebrows in surprise, though there was a glint of amusement in her eyes as she spotted Luke's bewilderment. Surely, he must have misheard. There couldn't possibly be any way you had chosen him, could there?

Chiron turned to you, his tone measured. "Are you sure?"

You never shifted your gaze from Luke, who refused to meet your eyes as he stared fixedly at the pillar across from him. Yet, the clenching of his jaw, whether from anger or annoyance or something else, was enough to elicit a satisfied smile from you.

"I'm sure," you affirmed.

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oh-no-its-bird · 3 months ago

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Celebrating my 21'st birthday by posting an obnoxious amount of

Warring States Hatake OC things !

Continuing the warring states era Hatake oc train as I try to fill up all 21 slots for the clan !!! I honestly don't know if I'll make all 21, but I'd like to at least give them all names, just to make the world feel lived in. I might ask someone else to donate an oc or two in the future to guest star in the cast, idk

But anyways !!!! In a clan who loves to adopt, it stands to reason that they ofc have people among them who weren't born Hatake.

With that said: Pyromaniac explosion enthusiast Hatake who was a failed bloodline theft anyone ???

Both Sora and Tsuki are pretty fucking horrendous towards Tetsuo, but in large part it's Tsuki leading the charge. Sora follows his lead, as he's the first friend she made in the clan. They're honestly pretty close

Meanwhile: Sora remains the biggest Haruka fan ever. Being saved from the bloodline thief camp by the woman really cemented her in her mind as her hero.

After Sora lost her arm at 12 when playing with an explosion seal she'd explicitly been told not to play with, Tsuki proposed they learn to do hand signs together.

Sora would eventually be able to figure out how to do pull off a jutsu with only one hand, but it takes a long time to get there— and even when she is there, it still takes longer than if she had 2 hands. Working with Tsuki, they can both pull off just about any jutsu as fast as any one person can. Faster, even

Top ten images taken 5 seconds before disaster...

I was gonna draw 2 more pages for this, of the actual drowning attempt, but I got tired and wanted to post this today so you get a summary of what comes next instead. (Maybe I'll finish drawing it and post it separately another day)

Tsuki and Sora bullied Tetsuo pretty relentlessly till the boys were about 13, when Tsuki took things a step too far and basically tried to drown Tetsuo. Tetsuo fought back, beating both Tsuki and Sora's asses pretty soundly— and catching Haruka's attention in the process.

Seeing Tetsuo fend off the other two made up Haruka's mind, and she declared he'd be her new heir. Which he... didn't actually want to be. Oops!

Sora was pretty effectively scared out of bullying Tetsuo any further, and Tsuki mellowed out a good amount— though he remained mischievous, but that was pretty standard for him.

The blue tint of Tetsuo's skin would fade only some months later as he grew out of his Hoshigaki traits and into his Hatake blood. This also helped to lessen teasing from the other kids, along with the whole "he's the new clan heir now" thing.

Good for him.

The next day Tetsuo is super pissy and sleep deprived while Tsuki is suspiciously smug and well rested. On the bright side, Tetsuo has officially learned his lesson and will now refuse to let Tsuki ever give anyone anything he's drawn ominous spirals on.

As adults, Tetsuo and Tsuki are... fine, honestly. They're friends, in a way. Might even be counted as close— or as close as you can be, with Tsuki.

The fact that Tsuki got himself permanantly posessed by an Uzu spiral demon on that mission gone wrong in Wave doesn't make things as complicated than you'd think. Tetsuo seems to often land himself in the position of acting as Tsuki (and often times Sora's) handler.

I had a few more things I wanted to draw, but ran out of time. I'll probably just try and draw and post it later. No Sora piercing lore, Daisuke introduction post or full Tetsuo drowning comic for you!!! (Yet)

Umm final thoughts:

Tetsuo is doomed to forever be surrounded by maniacs

Early Konoha oc art pt. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

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lunarriviera · 1 month ago

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I'm watching Guardian right now but the god awful CGI is making me laugh during serious moments. help.

legit reaction tho, almost all the CGI is truly hilaribad, especially during the first few episodes (that whole water demon/spirit thing? wow. just…wow) (and chu shuzhi's puppet ksdhfksfd whyyyyyyy)

BUT. here's the thing about guardian: 1) try to think of its kitsch as a feature, not a bug. just go with it, lean fully into all of the cringe. shen wei's dorkiness. dixingren being meteor-mutated aliens imprisoned underground. snake lady. talking cat. zhao yunlan's terrible hair (that at least will change). just EMBRACE it. that way when the very sharp knives suddenly come out and start flashing, in classic cdrama style, you will be completely taken aback and gasp in shock, and, not long thereafter, begin to weep and not stop until 3 days after you've seen the last episode. because, if you truly accept the initial lunacy of guardian, eventually it WILL gut you like a wriggling fish.

also 2) it's much easier to accept the rocky production values if you make mental allowances for how the company went utterly bankrupt midway through filming; the only reason guardian ever got finished AT ALL was that the cast and crew basically decided to work for free on an insanely accelerated schedule, during which all the actors are having to wear their own clothes. (fortunately for zhu yilong he had kept a bunch of pieces from modeling shoots, so he's able to fabricate some kind of more or less consistent Look for shen wei—like the painted-on blue suit with its inexplicable ass chain. mad drip.)

like. everyone knows this already so i'm sure you do too but there's a reason they have one (1) good piece of music (the opening song) and that's about it: they just flat ran out of money. this had some good results (we never have to see chu-ge's puppet again) and some not so great ones (i won't spoil you but let's just say it involves internal organs). ultimately, guardian only knows how to do three things but it does those superbly well: a) zhu yilong and bai yu staring at each other with ravenous desperation, like they're gonna die if they can't breathe the same air forever, b) a time-loop script that really comes through in the back half, and c) related to both of these, an ending that WILL make you throw objects around your home and then immediately read the novel/a bunch of fanfic. the good news is it's an amazing novel (though very different) and the fanfic is sine qua non. (also you get two ships for the price of one so don't sleep on chuguo.)

these are my 7 am thoughts on guardian. i wasn't sold on it at all until about a third of the way through but by then i was clutching it to my face sobbing and begging it to never end. guardian is weird like that—either you're gonna fall for it so hard it will change your entire media life (the way btvs or x-files did for fans in the 1990s) or you'll wind up dropping it. which is fine! for brilliant cgi you can watch like, idk. the expanse or something. (and fwiw i laugh at serious moments ALL THE TIME, my film students really hate it. i feel like it's a gen x coping strategy but they're alpha and very Earnest and Sincere.)

tldr watch guardian at least until you get to the kitchen scene before you decide. then you'll know if it's right for you. love you madly!! <3

#镇魂 guardian #shen wei #zhao yunlan #zhu yilong #bai yu #yes unspeakably bad cgi among its many other flaws #but those last few episodes WILL take you OUT #guardian will ruin your life if you let it inside

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lanf1an · 4 months ago

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SEASONS lando norris x fewtrell sister pt.2 - january 5 2025

pt.1 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 pt.7 pt.8 pt.9 pt.10

wordcount: 1810

The door of the ski lodge burst open, making you look up from your drink. Max appeared, the rest of the group having found Lando and you, waving and dragging his snowboard behind him, with Dylan close on his heels. Flo and Cisca followed.

“Absolute perfection out there,” Max declared, his grin as wide as the horizon. He dropped into the chair across from you and immediately launched into a story about his wipeout. Dylan followed, unstrapping his boots with practiced ease.

“Max, you forgot to mention the part where I saved your ass after you faceplanted.”

“Details,” Max said with a dismissive wave before turning to Lando. “Hey, Lan, you know what I’ve been thinking? Quadrant should sponsor Dylan.”

Lando raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Why not?” Max said, gesturing toward Dylan. “He’s Red Bull-sponsored already, and he’s basically a legend. Plus, Dylan would kill it in the merch.”

Dylan laughed, shaking his head. “I appreciate the thought, but I’m not exactly esports material, and I think Lando’s got the whole ‘speed’ thing covered.”

Lando leaned back in his chair, considering. “It’s not a bad idea. Could bring a new vibe to the team, snowboarding isn’t racing.”

“Exactly!” Max exclaimed, clearly pleased with himself.

The conversation drifted as the group packed up their stuff and made their way back to the lodge. You watched Dylan joking with Cisca, Cisca had dragged Dylan into a conversation about snowboarding tricks and she was clustered to his lips, he was laughing as he sketched a move with his hands.“You’ve got to teach me that,” she said, eyes wide with excitement. “Anytime” Dylan said with a grin. his easy charm blending seamlessly with the group, and you couldn’t help but feel a swell of affection for him.

Later, back at the lodge, Magui arrived, her presence lighting up the room. Lando was quick to meet her by the doorway, pulling her into a easy kiss before taking her coat. They looked perfect together, the F1 driver and the model—a picture straight out of a magazine. Their reunion was quiet and easy, as though they were used to these quick and fleeting moments together. This time she was also only staying for a few days.

You turned back to the kitchen, focusing on the mugs of hot chocolate you were preparing. Dylan leaned in the door opening, watching you with a soft smile.

“Should I take over?” he asked. “You’ve been hostess of the year this trip.”

You laughed, handing him a steaming mug. “I think I’ve got it under control. Go mingle.”

He gave you a mock salute and wandered back to join the others

You busied yourself setting the table for dinner, Lando helping.

Dinner was a lively affair, with Max recounting his earlier escapades and Cisca chiming in with sarcastic commentary. Magui's laugh ringing out at all the right moments, but mostly at Lando’s stories, which were less frequent since they were having quiet conversations with the two of them, keeping to themselves, her hand resting on Lando’s arm as if it belonged there.

As the evening wore on, the group moved from dinner to games and then to music and dancing. The wine flowed freely, laughter and warmth filling the lodge. By the time the night wound down, most of the group was sprawled across the couches and floor, drowsy but content.

You found yourself beside Lando on the couch, the fire casting a warm glow over the room. He leaned against the armrest, his half-empty glass of wine dangling from his fingers. His gaze was fixed on the flickering flames.

“You okay?” you asked softly, tucking your feet beneath you.

Lando turned to you, his usual smirk replaced with something quieter. “Yeah. Just… thinking.”

“Dangerous territory for you,” you teased, nudging his shoulder.

He huffed a laugh. “You’re hilarious.”

You sat in comfortable silence for a moment before he spoke again, his voice quieter. “Do you ever feel like… like you’re just going through the motions?” Lando asked suddenly, his voice low. “Like you’re living the life everyone expects you to, but it’s not really yours?”

You blinked confused, caught off guard by his sudden unexpected choice of subject. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, swirling the wine in his glass. “Magui’s great. She is. But sometimes I wonder if we’re together because we want to be or because it just… fits the narrative. F1 driver and model. Picture-perfect.”

You didn’t respond immediately, sensing he needed to say more.

“You and Dylan…” Lando continued, his voice tinged with something you couldn’t quite place. “You guys are so natural. You actually know each other, and it works. It’s real. I want that. Something real.”

“Lando…” you started, unsure of what to say. “You’ll have that too. You’ve never even wanted that yet—focusing on racing, and look where that’s brought you.”

“You know what, Fewtrell? You’ve got it good with Dylan. That’s what I want. Someone who actually gets me. Not just someone who… looks good on my arm.” Lando repeated himself.

“You’re drunk, Lan.” you concluded.

“No, I mean it. F1 relationships… they’re all the same. Shallow. Temporary. But you and Dylan… that’s real. I want that.”

You sensed he wasn't going to give it a break. You gave a short laugh, shaking your head. “Lando, you haven’t even been looking for something real.” you also repeated yourself, hoping he would hear it now.

He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve been focused on winning races and kissing other girls in clubs,” you shot back, tone light but edged with meaning. “You don’t get to complain about not having something real when you’ve never made room for it.”

Lando winced, the guilt flashing across his face. You know you should judge him for it—anyone else, and you probably would have. But you also knew his world was different. A life on the road, racing nearly every weekend, with a level of attention and temptation most people couldn’t imagine.

You softened slightly. “Look, I know it’s hard. F1 relationships aren’t exactly a blueprint for stability. You barely see each other because you’re always traveling, and there are... distractions. But if you really want something real, it’s not going to fall into your lap. You’ve got to make space for it.”

“How do you know I haven’t?” he said defensively, though the edge in his voice was weaker now.

“Because I know you,”

His shoulders sagged, and the guilt returned, more evident this time. “Okay. Maybe I haven’t. But I want it now,” he said, quieter, almost like a confession.

You raised an eyebrow, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “Oh, so now you’ve decided you want it all?”

He frowned slightly, unsure where you were going with this.

“You know, the McLaren constructor’s championship, driver’s world champion…” You gestured vaguely, your tone laced with playful sarcasm. “You can’t have everything, Lando. Life doesn’t work that way.’’

Lando leaned his head back against the couch, his gaze flickering to you. “You’re probably right.”

“Of course, I’m always right,” you said, sticking out your tongue, having had enough of this serious conversation this late at night, sleepiness taking over.

He glanced at you, a faint smirk forming. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

— London, november 14 2015

At sixteen year old, it had felt like a disaster. Not in a catastrophic way—nothing earth-shattering had gone wrong—but in a teenage life it was one of the worst things. Her first time with her then-boyfriend, a sweet enough guy who she thought had cared. She’d expected… something. Fireworks, a sense of closeness, maybe even just a feeling of satisfaction. But all she’d been left with was disappointment and a desperate need to shake it off.

When Max hadn’t answered her texts, she’d turned to the one other person who always seemed to know what to say—or at least how to distract her.

Lando had shown up within ten minutes of her cryptic “What are you doing right now?” text, a bag of chips in one hand and a pack of her favorite chocolate in the other.

“Alright,” he’d said, flopping onto the couch beside her. “What’s up? Max is out of commission?”

She hadn’t meant to tell him. She’d thought maybe they’d just watch a movie or play a game so she’d feel distracted. But the words had spilled out before she could stop them.

“It sucked Lan,” she admitted, her voice cracking between a laugh and a cry. “I thought it would be… I don’t know. Better.”

Lando blinked, clearly trying to process what she’d just said. “Wait, are you saying—”

“Yes,” she interrupted, burying her face in her hands. “And don’t make it weird, okay?”

“I’m not making it weird,” he protested, though his tone was slightly higher than usual. “I just… wasn’t expecting that.”

She peeked at him through her fingers, his expression a mix of surprise and something she couldn’t quite place. “What, you didn’t think I’d ever have sex?”

“No, I mean—yeah, obviously, you would. I just didn’t think…” He trailed off, ruffling his hair awkwardly. “Never mind. What happened?”

And so she told him. About the awkward pauses, the fumbling, the little to no attention for her, and the overwhelming sense that something was missing.

“It’s not supposed to feel like that, right?” she asked, her voice small.

Lando had been quiet for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t think there’s a ‘supposed to.’ It’s different for everyone, but… yeah, it probably shouldn’t feel like that. You want me to go beat him up? I’m not that big, but I’m scrappy.”

She huffed a laugh, leaning back against the couch. “Great. Glad to know I’m just unlucky, then.”

“Hey,” he said, nudging her with his shoulder. “It’s definitely not you. Sometimes it’s just… the wrong person. Or the wrong timing. Or both.”

“Thanks, Dr. Norris,” she teased, but her smile was genuine.

They’d spent the rest of the night watching the movie and talking about everything and nothing. By the time he got up to leave, the heaviness in her chest had lifted, replaced by a warm sense of gratitude.

As he slipped on his jacket, he turned to her, a familiar smirk tugging at his lips. “Can’t believe the first time your first time isn’t with me, it doesn’t work out. Mistakes, Fewtrell.”

She rolled her eyes, groaning. “Oh my god, Lando.”

“No, seriously,” he continued, winking as he opened the door. “We could have had an actual good first time, you know. Just saying, everything’s better with me.”

“Get out,” she said, throwing a pillow at him as he laughed and ducked out of the room.

But even as the door clicked shut behind him, she found herself smiling, shaking her head at his ridiculousness. Only Lando could turn a moment like that into something lighthearted without dismissing how she felt.

—

WN: Hi guys!! Thanks so much for reading!! Hope you like it! Let me know what you think, not my favorite chapter.... but bear with me please!! I'm open for all suggestions and feedback! Posting part 3 tomorrow!

tl: @ash88-yep @lewishamiltonismybf @harrysdimple05

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hereforuconnwbb · 2 months ago

Text

Unexpected Halt - CHAPTER SIX

paige x azzi (pazzi)

au fic!

~paige plays for uconn and azzi plays for stanford~

word count: 7.1k

warning: language

hey guys sorry for the wait just been caught up with some stuff along with having mind blanks while writing this chapter 😃 i feel like this chapter is js all over the place... but hopefully yall enjoy it 🤞🏽

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azzi sat in her car, hands still resting on the steering wheel even though the engine was off. The airport lights glowed dimly outside, casting soft reflections on the windshield, but all she could focus on was the emptiness settling in her chest now that Paige was gone. She exhaled, her fingers tightening slightly around the wheel before she leaned back against the headrest. It felt weird, sitting here alone after spending the last couple of days wrapped up in Paige—both literally and figuratively.

Her phone buzzed in the cup holder, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Paige: just boarded, baby. i’ll text when i land 😘

Azzi bit her lip, warmth flooding her chest at the casual way Paige called her that. It still felt new, but she liked it—loved it, actually.

Azzi: okay, have a safe flight 💗 miss u already 🫂

She stared at the screen for a moment longer, rereading Paige’s message before sighing softly and setting her phone aside. She needed to get back to the dorm, but she wasn’t quite ready to leave just yet. Instead, she closed her eyes, letting the lingering traces of Paige—her warmth, her scent, the way her arms had felt around her just minutes ago—wash over her one more time before she forced herself to start the car.

—------------

Azzi drove back to the dorm, her thoughts swirling around the same familiar feeling of emptiness that followed Paige’s departure. She couldn’t help but feel a little down as the distance between them grew with every mile. It wasn’t like she hadn’t prepared for this moment—Paige had to go back to Storrs, and their time together, however perfect, was always going to be short-lived. Still, it didn’t make it any easier.

When Azzi finally parked and walked into the dorm, she sighed, kicking off her shoes and leaning back against the door. The whole place felt quieter now, emptier without Paige’s presence filling the space.

Caroline, who had been sitting at the kitchen counter with her laptop, glanced up from her screen as Azzi shuffled in, the sadness on her face immediately apparent.

“You okay?” Caroline asked, her voice soft but knowing.

Azzi didn’t bother hiding it—she was exhausted, emotionally drained. “Yeah, just… it’s just weird, you know? Being here without her.” She dropped her bag on the couch and sank down next to it, resting her head in her hands for a moment before looking up at Caroline.

Caroline nodded, getting up and coming to sit beside her. “Yeah, I get it. Long-distance stuff is tough. But hey, you two have something real, right? You’ll make it work, I promise. It’s just a little rough right now, but it’s not forever.”

Azzi tried to muster a smile, but it felt forced. “I hope so. It’s just… I miss her already.”

“Of course you do.” Caroline gently nudged her. “But, hey, you’ve got a piece of her still, right?” She gestured to the hoodie that Azzi was wearing, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

Azzi looked down at the hoodie, a soft blush creeping onto her cheeks. She hadn’t realized until now that she was still wearing it—Paige’s hoodie, the one she’d insisted Azzi keep. “It’s not the same,” Azzi mumbled, but even as she said it, she felt a comfort in the fabric, like it still carried a piece of Paige’s warmth.

Caroline laughed, but it was light-hearted and teasing, meant to lift Azzi’s spirits. “I’m just saying… you’re basically wearing her, so there’s that. If I were you, I’d take advantage of that. It’s practically a hug every time you wear it.”

Azzi couldn’t help but chuckle at that. It wasn’t the same as being with Paige, but it did make her feel a little less alone. She stretched her arms out, letting herself fall back onto the couch. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Caroline plopped down beside her, leaning back and turning her gaze toward the ceiling. “I’m not saying I told you so, but… you two are adorable. Don’t worry about the distance. It’ll be hard, but you’ve got this.”

Azzi smiled, feeling a little lighter. Caroline always knew how to make her feel better. But still, she couldn’t shake the longing she felt for Paige. It would be hard, but as Caroline said, it wasn’t forever. And for now, she had the hoodie, the memories, and a relationship that was only just beginning.

“I’ll survive,” Azzi said, finally feeling a bit more at peace with the situation. “But yeah… this whole long-distance thing? Not my favorite.”

Caroline gave her a soft smile. “We’ll get through it together. And who knows—maybe it’ll make the times you do get together even more special.”

Azzi nodded, her thoughts already drifting back to Paige and their last moments together. She couldn’t wait to see her again, no matter how hard it would be. And with that, she felt a bit of hope return. Maybe it would be tough, but they could make it work.

She sat in silence for a moment, letting the quiet settle around them. Her mind wandered back to the memories of the past couple of days, and she found herself smiling softly. Despite the distance, despite the goodbye, she knew what she had with Paige was real. And that thought, however comforting, didn’t completely erase the ache of missing her.

Caroline, noticing the change in her expression, nudged her again. “You’re still thinking about her, huh?”

Azzi nodded slowly, not even bothering to deny it. “Yeah… I just can’t help it. I don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to normal now, you know? It feels like something’s missing.”

Caroline let out a breath and leaned back into the couch, her hands tucked behind her head. “I get it. But you’ll find your balance again. You’ll get through this.”

Azzi looked over at her friend and smiled a little, grateful for her comfort. “Thanks, Carol. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Caroline smirked, her eyes narrowing playfully. “Probably mope around here being all sad and dramatic, just like you’re doing now.”

Azzi rolled her eyes but laughed, appreciating Caroline’s lighthearted teasing. “Shut up. I’m not that bad.”

“Please,” Caroline grinned, “we both know you are.”

Azzi tried to shove her but ended up laughing even harder. “You’re impossible.”

But as the laughter died down, the room seemed to settle into a comfortable silence once more. Azzi’s eyes drifted to the window, where the faint lights of the campus outside flickered in the night. She could still feel the pull of Paige, even though she wasn’t physically there. And it was strange—she didn’t know how she’d gotten so attached to someone so quickly. But it was more than that. There was something about Paige that felt different, like they fit together in a way Azzi hadn’t known she needed.

“You know,” Caroline said, breaking the silence, “you could text her, you know? It’s late, but it might help, just a quick ‘good night’ or something.”

Azzi hesitated, her fingers hovering over her phone, but she still wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure how to make the distance feel smaller or how to make the longing go away. But Caroline was right—it couldn’t hurt.

She unlocked her phone and began typing.

Azzi: hey, just wanted to say goodnight. Hope you’re getting some sleep in. I’m thinking about you 💗

She read it over a few times, her heart fluttering at the thought of Paige reading her message. After a brief pause, she pressed send.

Azzi let out a breath, feeling a little lighter, and dropped her phone onto the couch beside her.

Caroline glanced over, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “There you go. Now you just have to wait for the ‘goodnight’ back, and it’ll make everything feel a little less far away.”

Azzi nodded, lying back and closing her eyes. “Yeah, maybe it’ll make the distance feel a little smaller.”

“I’m telling you,” Caroline said with a grin, “you’re already on your way to being a pro at this long-distance stuff.”

Azzi chuckled softly but didn’t respond. She was still thinking about Paige, even as she tried to relax. The wait for a reply felt like it stretched on forever. But the thought of Paige’s response kept a smile on her face as she settled back into the couch. Maybe it wasn’t perfect yet, but they were figuring it out together. And that was enough.

After a few minutes, her phone buzzed. Azzi sat up, quickly grabbing it and reading Paige’s message.

Paige: goodnight, beautiful. sweet dreams, i’ll be thinking about you too. sleep tight 💗

Azzi’s heart fluttered at the message, the words comforting her in a way she didn’t expect. She replied almost immediately.

Azzi: sweet dreams, babe. talk to you soon.

She set her phone back down, her heart warm. Caroline smiled knowingly from the other side of the room. “See? You’ve already got it handled.”

Azzi just smiled softly, feeling the ache of missing Paige still there, but somehow a little less heavy. As she leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes, she let herself hold onto that last text—those words, that feeling of Paige thinking about her too. It was enough for now.

—------------

Paige sat back in her seat as the plane began its descent, her stomach fluttering slightly. It had been a quiet flight back to Storrs, the hum of the engines filling her ears, but her thoughts were a million miles away, back in California with Azzi. Even though they hadn’t said it aloud, she could feel the weight of their connection, and it lingered with her through the entire flight. As the plane touched down, her mind wandered back to the moments they shared—the warmth of Azzi’s smile, the way her arms had held her so tightly, and the soft kisses they’d exchanged. Paige felt the ache of missing her already, even though it had only been a few hours.

She pulled out her phone as soon as she got off the plane, fingers hovering over the screen. She wanted to message Azzi, just to hear from her, but the text felt too formal. Instead, she sent a quick, more casual message, hoping to hear from her soon.

Paige: hey baby i just landed in storrs. was a long flight, but ill message you again when i get to the dorm, hope you’re getting some rest

She smiled at the message before slipping her phone back into her pocket. Paige then grabbed her luggage and made her way outside to catch an Uber back to campus. The cold air hit her as soon as she stepped outside, and she pulled her jacket tighter around her, glad to be back in familiar surroundings. As she climbed into the car, she couldn’t help but think about Azzi again. It was strange—she’d only been gone for a short time, but it already felt like too long.

—------------

The drive back to campus was short, but Paige couldn’t help but replay the last few hours in California. She had never imagined feeling so connected to someone so quickly. The trip had been perfect, despite the bittersweet goodbye at the airport, and now, even though they were apart, Paige felt closer to Azzi than ever.

As the Uber pulled up to the dorm, Paige thanked the driver and grabbed her bags, heading inside. She pulled out her phone to check for any messages from Azzi, but saw that her last message had been sent hours ago. She hadn’t heard back from her, which made sense since it was still early in California. Azzi was probably still asleep.

Paige smiled to herself as she walked into her room, setting her things down by the door. She took a deep breath, feeling the exhaustion of the flight settle in, but the moment she stepped into the room, the emptiness hit her. She missed Azzi already.

With a sigh, she collapsed onto her bed, picking up her phone again to send a quick follow-up text, hoping to hear from Azzi soon.

Paige: finally back at my dorm and just dived into bed 😂but yeah im missing u like crazy already princess…

She hit send and placed the phone on the nightstand. Paige lay back, staring up at the ceiling, her mind still on Azzi. It was strange being back here without her, and even though she had only just left, Paige was already counting down the days until they could see each other again.

—------------

Paige had decided to get up to try to finish unpacking her bag when she heard a knock at her door. She turned, already knowing who it was before she even opened it. Sure enough, KK was standing there, looking smug as ever.

“Look who finally decided to come home,” KK teased, stepping inside without waiting for an invite.

Paige rolled her eyes but grinned. “Yeah, yeah. I made it back in one piece.”

KK plopped down on Paige’s bed, stretching out like she owned the place. “So, how was Cali?” she asked, her tone casual but laced with curiosity.

Before Paige could answer, the door opened again, and a familiar voice rang out.

“Did I hear something about Cali?”

Paige’s head snapped toward the door, and the second she saw who it was, her face lit up. “Ice!”

Ice Brady stood there with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, looking relaxed but slightly tired from travel. Paige didn’t hesitate to cross the room and pull her into a quick hug.

“Finally back, huh?” Paige grinned, stepping back. “It’s been way too long.”

Ice smiled. “I know. Rehab back home took longer than I thought, but I’m all good now. Been itching to get back.” She looked between Paige and KK. “So, what’s this about Cali? You were there?”

Paige scratched the back of her head. “Uh, yeah, just for a few days.”

Ice raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “And you didn’t tell me? You know I was in Cali too, right? We could’ve linked up.”

KK smirked, leaning forward like she was waiting for this moment. “Oh, trust me, Ice—she had company.”

Paige shot KK a glare. “Not like that,” she muttered quickly, but it was too late. Ice’s interest was already piqued.

Ice’s smirk grew as she looked back at Paige. “Ohhh? Who was the lucky company?”

KK didn’t even hesitate. “Azzi.”

Ice blinked, then laughed like she didn’t believe it. “THE Azzi Fudd?” She stared at Paige like she had grown another head. “Stanford’s Azzi? One of the greats?”

Paige groaned, knowing exactly where this was going. “Can we not—”

“No, no, no,” Ice interrupted, her grin growing. “This is crazy. How did I not know about this? You and Azzi are a thing?”

“We’re not a thing,” Paige insisted, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

KK scoffed. “Yeah, okay. You should’ve seen her, Ice. So whipped,” she said dramatically, nudging Ice. “They were together the entire time. And the way Paige talks about her? It’s insane.”

Paige groaned again. “We’re just friends.”

KK’s smirk widened as something clicked in her memory. She glanced at Paige’s neck and then snapped her fingers. “Hold up.” She turned to Ice, eyes shining with mischief. “You know what I just remembered?”

Paige stiffened. “KK, don’t—”

“Those marks,” KK said smugly. “I saw them clear as day when we Facetimed while you and Azzi were having breakfast.”

Ice’s jaw dropped. “Oh, no way.” She looked between KK and Paige, her smirk matching KK’s now. “Paige. Paige. Tell me right now. What kind of rizz do you even have?”

“I didn’t—” Paige started, but KK cut her off again, laughing.

“Azzi stayed the night before that morning I called, by the way,” KK added, throwing a knowing look at Ice. “So if we connect the dots here…”

Ice and KK exchanged glances before turning back to Paige, both waiting for an explanation.

Paige, beyond flustered, ran a hand down her face. “Y’all are literally the worst people I know,” she muttered.

—----

KK and Ice burst into laughter, clearly having the time of their lives at Paige’s expense. Paige tried her best to ignore them, but her phone buzzed, catching her attention. She quickly reached for it, already feeling a rush of warmth in her chest as she saw Azzi’s name pop up.

Azzi: sorry P i knocked out after i last messaged u but its good to hear you arrived safely and im missing u like crazy too 💗

A soft smile tugged at Paige’s lips as she quickly typed back, her fingers dancing over the screen.

Paige: nah u good Az. u sleep well?

She couldn’t help the small, giddy feeling that bubbled up inside her as she hit send. As she waited for Azzi’s reply, she unconsciously leaned back into the couch, her heart fluttering a little at the thought of the messages.

Just as Paige began to zone out, her phone buzzed once again.

Azzi: i did but wish i woke up next to u instead ☹️

The words hit Paige like a warm wave. She let out a quiet sigh, grinning like a lovesick fool as she typed her reply.

Paige: aww princess, me too… i miss you and your kisses 😔

Paige was lost in the moment, so she didn’t notice KK and Ice smirking knowingly at each other. Their teasing glances shared a silent agreement as they leaned in, straining to get a look at Paige’s phone.

“Princess?” KK said in a teasing voice, loud enough for Paige to hear. “Would you call me princess? Sounds a bit couple-y to me.”

Paige’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushing as she quickly locked her phone, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Ice chuckled, shaking her head. “So you miss her kisses, huh? I didn’t know people who were ‘just friends’ kiss,” she teased, her voice dripping with mock innocence.

The teasing didn’t stop there. KK stood up dramatically, putting her hands on her hips as she broke into a sing-song voice. “Paige and Azzi, sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

Paige groaned, sinking deeper into the couch, desperately trying to act nonchalant, though she could feel the heat creeping up her neck.

“Stop! We’re just friends!” she muttered, but it was clear from her flushed face that she wasn’t fooling anyone.

Ice and KK exchanged amused looks, clearly not buying it for a second. “Sure, Paige,” Ice said with a wink. “Just friends.”

“Tell us more about this ‘friendship’ you have with princess,” KK teased, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Paige just groaned, burying her face in her hands, as the teasing continued. She knew she couldn’t hide it forever, but for now, she wasn’t quite ready to let anyone in on the secret just yet.

KK and Ice weren’t letting up anytime soon. They were having way too much fun watching Paige squirm.

“So, let’s get this straight,” Ice started, crossing her arms with a smug grin. “You call her princess, you miss her kisses, and yet… you’re just friends?”

KK scoffed, shaking her head. “Paige, come on, at least try to make the lie believable.”

Paige groaned again, dragging a hand down her face. “Can y’all shut up?” she mumbled, refusing to look either of them in the eye.

KK smirked. “We could, but where’s the fun in that?”

Ice leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I just gotta ask—how did you bag Azzi? THE Azzi Fudd?”

Paige scoffed. “I didn’t ‘bag’ anything. There’s nothing to—”

“Mhm,” Ice interrupted, unconvinced. “Right. You just, what? Accidentally tripped and landed on her lips?”

KK gasped dramatically. “Wait, Ice, don’t you remember? Friends kiss all the time. It’s totally normal.”

“Oh yeah, totally,” Ice played along. “I always kiss my ‘just friends’ and call them princess.”

Paige shot them both a glare. “Y’all are so annoying.”

KK just smirked. “And you’re so whipped.”

Before Paige could argue, her phone buzzed again. She glanced down, instantly softening as she saw Azzi’s name.

AZZI

ur so cute 🥹 wish i was there with u right now

Paige bit her lip, trying to suppress the giddy smile threatening to break free.

PAIGE

ugh stop ur making me all soft 🙄 i wish u were too, princess 💗

Just as she hit send, she realized KK and Ice had leaned over again, trying to peek at her phone.

“Uh-uh!” Paige yanked her phone away, clutching it to her chest as the two burst out laughing.

KK shook her head. “Oh yeah. She’s gone.”

“I’ve never seen her like this,” Ice said with a smirk. “This is history in the making.”

Paige rolled her eyes, standing up before they could tease her any further. “I’m done with y’all.”

But she couldn’t stop the warmth in her chest, the way her heart fluttered just thinking about Azzi. Yeah… she was whipped.

She could feel her face getting hot from all the teasing, and she was honestly over it.

“Okay, okay,” she said, trying to sound firm, but the giggle escaping her only gave her away. “You guys need to leave. I have, uh, stuff to do.”

Ice raised an eyebrow. “Stuff?” she teased, drawing out the word with a knowing smile. “Like texting your princess?”

KK snickered, giving Paige a playful shove. “Yeah, babe, you go do your thing. You know, the one where you’re sending hearts and ‘miss you’ messages.”

“Baby,” Ice added, winking exaggeratedly. “I’m sure your baby can’t wait for you to text her back. We wouldn’t want to keep you from that.”

Paige, already turning bright red, pointed to the door, her voice slightly muffled as she tried to keep her composure. “Get out, you two. You’ve ruined my whole vibe now.”

KK smirked, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Oh, we’ve ruined your vibe? Really? That’s a shame, babe.” She threw a dramatic wink at Paige as she walked toward the door.

Ice followed, still grinning. “Don’t forget to tell princess I said hi, baby.”

Paige groaned, covering her face in embarrassment. “I hate you both.”

But despite her words, she couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. The teasing, though relentless, was kind of endearing in its own way. She just hoped Azzi didn’t find out about this conversation.

Once Ice and KK had finally left, Paige collapsed back onto her bed, letting out a long breath. She grabbed her phone again, about to send Azzi a quick message, when she paused, smiling at the thought of her.

Yeah, things were definitely different now. And she was more than okay with that.

—------------

The next few days passed in a blur of messages, late-night FaceTime calls, and stolen moments of laughter despite the miles between them. It didn’t take long for them to settle into a routine—Azzi would text Paige in the morning before practice, Paige would send her something cheesy in return, and then at night, they’d call, talking about everything and nothing until one of them inevitably started dozing off.

But tonight, the call was a little different.

Azzi was propped up in bed, her phone resting against her pillow, watching Paige with a mixture of amusement and fascination. Paige, in the middle of a Fortnite solo match, was completely locked in, her brows furrowed in focus as she maneuvered through the game.

Azzi wasn’t even playing, but she found herself getting into it, reacting to every moment like she was in the game herself. “Oh my God—babe, behind you!”

“I see it,” Paige said, her voice tight with concentration as she built a quick wall and edited through it, taking out an enemy in one clean shot. She grinned at the screen, clearly proud of herself. “Let’s go.”

Azzi, who usually didn’t care much for gaming, actually felt a little thrill. Maybe it was just because it was Paige playing, but she could see why people got so into this.

Paige smirked at her through the screen. “You’re kinda invested, huh?”

Azzi huffed. “You’re making it look fun.” She paused for a second, then hesitated before saying, “Should I get a PS5?”

Paige nearly dropped her controller. “Wait. For real?”

Azzi shrugged, playing it cool, even though she was already considering which version to buy. “Yeah, I mean… you can’t really teach me over FaceTime. Might as well just play with you and put those ‘skills’ you taught me back in your room at the tourney to use.”

Paige’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Azzi. Azzi. Yes. A hundred percent yes. I will carry you in duos, don’t even worry about it.”

Azzi rolled her eyes but smiled. “We’ll see about that.”

“No, I’m telling you right now,” Paige insisted. “I got you. I’ll turn you into a Fortnite pro.”

Azzi laughed, shaking her head. “Alright, alright. I’ll get it tomorrow.”

Paige clapped her hands together in excitement. “Oh my God, I’m so hyped.”

Azzi just smiled, loving how animated Paige got over things like this.

They stayed on FaceTime for a little while longer, Paige still playing as Azzi watched, commenting every now and then but mostly just enjoying the way Paige lit up when she won. Eventually, Azzi started yawning, and Paige decided to let her sleep, though not without a soft, “Goodnight, baby.”

—------------

Azzi had fallen asleep on FaceTime, her soft breathing filling the quiet space between them. Paige smiled at the screen, watching the way Azzi’s face relaxed in sleep. She still had the faintest pout on her lips, probably from complaining about how she was finally going to buy a PS5 tomorrow so they could play together.

Paige bit her lip, an idea forming in her head. Azzi was not about to spend her own money on this.

Carefully, she muted herself and opened a new tab, scrolling through different sites until she found what she was looking for. She quickly placed an order, shipping it directly to Azzi’s dorm.

Once the confirmation email came through, she grinned, already imagining Azzi’s reaction. But there was one problem—Azzi could not find out before it arrived. And that’s where Caroline came in.

She pulled up their messages and fired off a text.

Paige: yo u up?

Caroline: its literally 1am what do u want

Paige: favor 🤗 i need u to distract azzi tmrw morning before she tries to go buy a ps5

Caroline: ??? um why

Paige: i already bought her one lmao its getting delivered tmrw morning but i need her to stay in the dorm so she doesnt go buy one herself

Caroline: LMAOOOO ur so down bad 😭 u rlly couldnt let her buy it herself??

Paige: no??? why would i let my girl pay for smth when i can do it for her 🫡

Caroline: nah ur actually sick like head over heels HELPPP ok fine ill keep her in the dorm but u owe me cause she might kill me for holding her back

Paige: appreciate u bestie 🫶🏼

—------------

The next morning, Azzi was up, pulling on a hoodie and grabbing her keys. But just as she was about to leave, Caroline popped up in her doorway.

“Hey, wanna help me with something real quick?” Caroline said, not-so-subtly blocking the exit.

Azzi raised an eyebrow. “Uh, I was just about to head out—”

Caroline shook her head. “No, no, you gotta help me first. My laptop’s acting up, and I swear you’re like the only person who can fix it. Just like… give me like 30 minutes?”

Azzi sighed but relented, setting her stuff down. “Alright, but after this, I’m going.”

Meanwhile, Paige was sitting on her bed, refreshing her email like crazy until finally—

Your package has been delivered.

She smirked and quickly messaged Caroline.

paige: package delieved, u can let her go now 😈

caroline: i hate u

paige: thank u carol 🥺🥺

caroline: literally die

Caroline turned back to Azzi, who was still frowning at her laptop. “Actually, never mind, I think I fixed it. You can go now.”

Azzi blinked. “Huh? You think you fixed it? What was even wrong with it?”

Caroline shrugged. “Dunno, but it’s all good now. Have fun buying your—uh, whatever you were getting.”

Azzi gave her a weird look but grabbed her keys again. She barely made it two steps outside before she noticed a package sitting at her door.

Frowning, she bent down and picked it up. There was a small note taped to the top.

“for my princess, no need to buy one when i already got u covered. now we can run duos later. love, paige”

Azzi just stood there, staring at the box, before a huge smile broke across her face.

She picked up the package, rereading Paige’s note at least three more times. Her princess. She shook her head, biting her lip as warmth flooded through her chest. Paige was too much.

She carried the box inside, setting it gently on her bed like it was something fragile.

Caroline, who had been watching from the doorway, let out a dramatic sigh. “God, you are so gone.”

Azzi rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop smiling. “Shut up.”

Caroline stepped into the room, arms crossed, a knowing smirk on her face. “No, ‘cause tell me why Paige literally texted me in the middle of the night, 1am to be exact, begging me to stall you this morning ‘cause she refused to let you buy it yourself.”

Azzi paused, looking up at her. “Wait… she told you to distract me?”

Caroline snorted. “Uh, yeah. She was stressing over it. Said, and I quote, why would I let my girl pay for something when I can do it for her?”

Azzi’s face burned at that, and Caroline lived for it.

“Aww,” Caroline cooed, grinning. “You’re blushing. That’s so cute.”

Azzi groaned, shoving her face into her hands. “I hate you.”

Caroline laughed, plopping down on the bed next to the box. “Yeah, yeah, but for real, Paige is so down bad for you. Like, the way she was acting last night? Insane. The girl was refreshing her email like every five seconds waiting for the delivery confirmation.”

Azzi peeked at her through her fingers. “She was?”

Caroline scoffed. “Obviously. She’s obsessed with you. I mean, she literally bought you a PS5 just so y’all could play together. That’s girlfriend of the year behavior.”

Azzi’s heart melted, her fingers tracing the edge of the box. She knew Paige cared about her, but hearing it like this? It made her feel all warm and giddy inside.

Caroline nudged her. “So, what’s the move? You calling your sugar daddy to thank her or what?”

Azzi groaned again. “Never call her that ever again.”

Caroline cackled. “No promises.”

Caroline’s laughter echoed in Azzi’s ears as she grabbed her phone, unlocking it to pull up Paige’s contact. She couldn’t stop the grin that tugged at her lips as she hit the facetime button, watching the screen light up with Paige’s name.

It only took a few seconds before Paige’s face popped up on the screen, her bright smile instantly making Azzi’s heart flutter.

“Hey, princess,” Paige greeted, her voice soft and warm, just like always.

Azzi couldn’t help herself; she smiled even bigger. “Hey,” she replied, her voice cracking slightly as she held up the PS5 box for Paige to see. “You didn’t have to do this. This is way too much.”

Paige’s eyes widened, her grin only growing. “I wanted to. You deserve it. Plus, now we can finally play Fortnite together”

Azzi’s heart melted at the excitement in Paige’s voice. “I’m just… I’m so speechless. I mean, this is… this is insane. I was literally just about to go get it.” She pulled the box closer to the camera, shaking her head in disbelief. “You really didn’t have to do this.”

Paige’s expression softened. “But I wanted to. You’re worth it, Azzi.”

Azzi’s chest tightened, the affection in Paige’s words making her feel like she was floating. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

Paige chuckled, her eyes bright. “Yeah, but you love it.”

Azzi laughed, shaking her head. “I really do.”

She reached to start unboxing the PS5, pulling the lid off carefully as Paige watched eagerly through the screen. “I can’t believe you did this for me. You’re just… amazing.”

Caroline, who had been watching quietly, pretended to gag loudly from the doorway. “Oh my gosh,” she said, dramatically clutching her chest. “You two are too much.”

Azzi laughed, rolling her eyes. “Shut up, Caroline.”

Caroline smirked and raised her hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I’m leaving. You two are about to start getting all sappy again. I can’t be a part of that.”

“Good idea,” Azzi said, still smiling at Paige through the phone. “Go away.”

Caroline let out an exaggerated sigh, turning to leave. “I’m just gonna go throw up in the hallway. Bye, lovebirds.”

Azzi laughed, shaking her head as Caroline disappeared. “Sorry about her.”

Paige grinned. “No worries my love. Now, where were we? Oh yeah, I was about to say how cute you look unboxing your PS5.”

Azzi’s cheeks warmed at the compliment. “You’re too much,” she murmured, her fingers carefully pulling out the console. “But I really do appreciate it. I’m gonna make you proud when we play together.”

“I know you will,” Paige said softly, her gaze never leaving the screen. “I can’t wait to see you play. You better be ready to get carried.”

Azzi laughed, shaking her head. “We’ll see about that. I’ve got some skills up my sleeve.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing them.” Paige’s smile was soft but sincere. “I’m really glad you like it, Azzi. You’re worth it all.”

Azzi’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “You really know how to make me feel special, don’t you?”

“Only the best for my princess,” Paige teased, her voice full of affection.

Azzi rolled her eyes, but the smile never left her face. “Well, I think I’m officially spoiled now.”

Paige winked. “It’s just the beginning.”

—------------

Azzi had already set up the PS5, the console glowing softly in the background as she adjusted the controller in her hands. She glanced at the screen again, still smiling at Paige.

“Okay, I think it’s all set up. I’ll hop on tonight after practice and some schoolwork. Gotta get everything done first,” Azzi said, a small laugh escaping her lips as she leaned back on the bed, still looking at Paige’s face on the screen.

Paige smiled, her eyes soft. “I can’t wait to play. It’ll be so much fun. Just don’t work too hard, okay? You deserve some downtime.”

Azzi chuckled, nodding. “I won’t. I promise. I’ll be ready to carry you in duos later.”

“Oh, please,” Paige teased, a playful smile tugging at her lips. “I’ll be the one carrying you.”

Azzi laughed, shaking her head. “We’ll see about that.”

Paige’s expression softened as the conversation started winding down. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? I love you, Azzi.”

Azzi’s heart fluttered, and she smiled, her gaze warm. “I love you too babe.” She blew Paige a kiss through the screen, the gesture feeling sweeter every time they did it.

Paige caught the kiss, pressing her hand to her cheek, her smile growing even wider. “Got it,” she said, giggling softly. “I’ll be waiting for you tonight.”

Azzi’s smile mirrored Paige’s, her eyes sparkling with affection. “I can’t wait. Talk later, babe.”

“Later, princess.”

With one last smile, Azzi ended the call, her heart full as she set her phone down. She looked over at the PS5 again, feeling a warm rush of happiness. Not just from the gift, but from everything. The thought of tonight, playing with Paige, made everything else feel like it could wait.

—------------

Later that night, Paige lounges on her bed, PS5 controller in hand, her phone propped up beside her with Azzi on FaceTime. It’s their first time playing Fortnite together, their first time as a duo, and Paige is already taking her role as Azzi’s personal coach way too seriously.

“Alright, princess, we’re landing at Slappy Shores,” Paige announces, marking the location on Azzi’s map. “It’s got solid loot, and we can rotate to somewhere else after we clear it.”

Azzi, brows furrowed, mumbles something about just trying to survive. “Why do I feel like I’m getting thrown into war without training?”

Paige snickers. “Because you are. But don’t worry, I got you.” and almost immediately, Azzi panics. “Wait—there’s someone near me!”

“Where?” Paige’s voice sharpens as she glances at the minimap, already sprinting toward Azzi’s location.

“I—I don’t know! They’re in this house—I think?”

“Geez, Azzi, which house?” Paige groans but still rushes over. “Okay, okay, just build—”

“I don’t know how to do that yet!”

Paige groans louder. “Oh my gosh—”

A gunshot rings out. Azzi shrieks. Paige sees her health bar drop and swears under her breath. “Shit, shit, shit— I got you, hold up.” She rushes into the house, shotgun in hand, and one-pumps the opponent instantly. “Sit the fuck down,” she mutters as she smirks at the screen before crouch-spamming on the downed player.

Azzi laughs. “Why are you doing that babe?”

“It’s called asserting dominance.”

From outside Paige’s room, Ice and KK happen to be walking past when they hear the commotion. At first, it’s just muffled yelling—nothing out of the ordinary for Paige—but then they catch the teasing tone in her voice. Curious, they stop and listen.

“Princess, you gotta pick up this medkit.”

Ice and KK immediately share a look.

Princess.

Again?

They haven’t forgotten a few days ago when they caught a glimpse of Paige’s messages, teasing her endlessly about the very same nickname. And now? Now Paige is saying it out loud, all soft and natural like she doesn’t even realize it.

“Who you think she’s talking to?” Ice whispers wiggling her eyebrows.

They both already know the answer.

KK smirks. “Only one person gets the princess treatment.”

Deciding they’ve heard enough, the two of them push Paige’s door open without warning.

“Well, well, well,” Ice drawls, leaning against the doorframe. “Who’s the lucky person getting the royal treatment?”

Paige startles, nearly dropping her controller. “What the—? Get out.”

KK just grins. “Ohhh, just friends, huh?”

Paige glares. “Yes, dumbass.”

Ice tilts her head. “Yeah? So if we check your FaceTime right now, it’s not Azzi?”

Azzi, still very much on the call, looks both amused and mildly horrified. “Uh… hey?”

Ice and KK break into laughter. “Knew it.”

“You two are fucking annoying,” Paige mutters, face heating up.

KK grins. “Not our fault you make it so easy. ‘Princess, pick up this medkit’—”

Paige groans, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at them. “Out!”

Ice and KK dodge it, cackling as they retreat, satisfied with their discovery. Paige turns back to her screen, rubbing a hand down her face.

Azzi just smiles. “So… just friends, huh?”

“Azzi,” Paige warns, but she’s already grinning.

—------------

A few games later, Azzi’s eyelids start to droop. She’s been trying to keep up with Paige’s frantic pace, but it’s been hours of non-stop Fortnite and her exhaustion is catching up with her.

“Alright, princess,” Paige says, glancing over at her phone. “This is our last one. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Azzi yawns, covering her mouth. “I’m good, I swear. Just… one more.”

Paige chuckles, knowing full well Azzi doesn’t have it in her, but she plays along. “Fine, one more, but if you start falling asleep mid-game, I’m calling it.”

Azzi nods, though her head keeps dipping forward. “Okay… deal.”

The duo loads into their final game, and despite Azzi’s tiredness, Paige does her best to guide her, calling out directions, teaching her how to build faster, how to aim better, all the little tricks that would make her a Fortnite pro in no time. The banter continues, a little slower now, but still full of the playful energy that comes with spending time with someone you care about.

As they enter the final circles of the game, things get heated. Azzi’s eyes widen when they realize they’re one of the last teams standing.

“Oh my God, Paige, we’re gonna win.” Azzi’s voice is full of disbelief, her earlier exhaustion pushed to the back of her mind.

Paige grins, adrenaline kicking in. “You bet we are. Stay behind me, princess. I’ll clear the way.”

The last few moments are a blur of fast building, gunshots, and strategic moves, but finally, after a few well-placed shots, the enemy team is down.

“We did it!” Paige yells, her voice filled with triumph. “Let’s fucking gooooo!”

Azzi bursts out laughing, her tiredness completely forgotten in the rush of their win. “We won! I can’t believe it!”

“I told you we’d make a great team,” Paige says, her voice proud but soft as she turns off the PS5. “I knew you had it in you.”

After a brief moment of silence, Paige sets the controller aside, rolling over onto her side. “Alright, we’re done for the night. Time to sleep.”

Azzi, following Paige turning off her console, already curling up under her blanket, doesn’t even hesitate. “Yeah… but, thank you again Babe. For the surprise today. I really loved it.”

Paige smiles, a little shy at the compliment. “Of course, I’m glad you liked it. You deserve it, Baby.”

Azzi smiles back, her voice softening. “I don’t think you realize how much that meant to me.”

Paige’s heart skips a beat, and she can feel the warmth spreading through her chest. “I just wanted to see you happy.”

The call continues, both of them now lying in their beds, the dim light of the screen the only thing illuminating their faces as they settle into the calm of the night.

“I know,” Azzi says quietly, her voice getting softer. “You always make me happy.”

Paige feels a surge of affection at her words, the butterflies she’d gotten earlier returning in full force. “I’m happy too, Azzi… being with you, I mean.”

Azzi’s smile is almost audible as she replies, “Me too.”

For a while, they just lay there in silence, the sound of each other’s breathing calming them both.

Then, just before they drift off to sleep, Azzi murmurs, “Goodnight, Babe.”

“Goodnight, princess.” Paige’s voice is a whisper, warm and tender, and it lingers in Azzi’s ears through the screen as she drifts off to sleep, feeling safe and loved, her heart content in a way it never had been before.

And just like that, the night falls quiet, but the connection between them remains strong, stronger than ever.

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#paige bueckers #azzi fudd #pazzi #paige x azzi #pazzi fics #uconn #uconn wbb #uconn huskies #uconn women’s basketball #wbb

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