uhh hi!!

lanie | she/her | 25 former college softball player. current med student. wings and valks fan. azzi fudd lover.

[ctrlurjoy]

TRANS PEOPLE BELONG IN SPORTS. TRANS PEOPLE BELONG.

[akaz2908]

[peach4pazzi]

dear miss azzi

paige bueckers x azzi fudd

tags: teachers!pazzi, oblivious!azzi, friends to lovers

chapter 12: happy last day of school, azzi

then, for the first time, azzi noticed what the flowers were wrapped in. she huffed a laugh. “did you wrap these in the school newspaper?” she asked.

ao3 link masterlist

happy last day of school, miss azzi nation <3 i'll miss this story

[soloey]

weren't we the salt in the sea? (part 7)

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five. part six is linked in part 5

ao3 link here

pairing: paige x azzi

word count: 14.8k

plot synopsis reminder: wings!paige x singer!azzi. azzi's album went viral when people realized the songs were about paige. fought & decided to be Friends. their definition of friends is pretty bad.

other: second to last chapter! everyone cheer.

the three things people usually advise before going on tour are as follows: one, drink water like a motherfucker; two, expect exhaustion; three, prepare for anything. 

the thing people did not warn azzi about, unfortunately, was how badly the adrenaline makes you want to fuck something. nasty. 

something about thousands of fans screaming, dancing, and syncing the rhythm of their heart to the beat of your music controls your insides in a way you can’t anticipate. walking offstage, it never feels over. the crowd howling and clapping and pleading, the crazy thrill of endorphins and pumping blood and sore throats– the buzz lingers, rushes delightfully from throat to fingertip to gut to knees. it begs for release. 

which, of course, was just great. because paige was hundreds of miles away in miami, balling out and making women wet or whatever they did at unrivaled, and azzi was in stupid brooklyn.

every show, as soon as her feet hit the backstage floor, she imagined paige rounding the corner so she could jump her bones. and, of course, paige wasn’t there, because she had a real-life job with real-life responsibilities. 

so every show, azzi felt wildly pent up down and wildly let down. 

it solidified in azzi’s mind what she already knew; the fact that she had hundreds of beautiful women around her at all times, had dozens of chances to let herself run amok, but she only wanted paige– 

on an unrelated note, the shit with her mother was dying down. for about two weeks after it happened, azzi had been sick to her stomach. she’d completely ignored everything related to it as much as she could, which paige had called “unhealthy avoidance” but which she called “being resourceful”. 

the plus of being famous was that she had a publicist, a pr team, and a manager, and they bore the brunt of dealing with magazines, websites, and social media. it helped azzi find solace in her everyday, able to ignore the heat of the topic and the backlash of her own emotions.

the minus of being famous was that when the adrenaline wore off after the shows, and she was all alone at night in her hotel shower, she cried against the wall until her skin pruned and her lips began to peel. 

going from one extreme to the other was brutal. growing up, she’d always judged celebrities for getting addicted to drugs, for making dumb decisions. she understood them a lot better now. having the high of performing ripped away from you, especially when you didn’t have a solid foundation in the background of your life, was ruthless. 

she smoked more than usual to ease her nerves, but tried to drink extra water and take more vitamins to make up for it. it probably wasn’t working, but she didn’t really care. 

paige could always tell. they talked for a few hours during the day, mostly paige because of azzi’s vocal rest. somehow paige knew, though, how to differentiate her silences. when it was needed, or when it was bad. 

she demanded azzi’s location so that she could send her little surprises in every city. tea for her throat in philadelphia, warm cookies in newark. when she’d stayed in boston for a week, paige had written letters to her hotel room. it alleviated a bit of the burden from azzi’s shoulders, and quietly, it made her heart burn beats inside her chest. 

she really just wanted to hold her, to be able to come back at the end of the week and seal their lips together. she wanted to be in paige’s bed, wrapped up in her arms, limbs intertwined. she wanted to fuck her, torturously slow and ravenous, until the tension bled out from her body and she could rest in peace. 

the truth was that her guard had been up since her mother showed up, and hadn’t come back down since. 

it was her worst nightmare. she didn’t want to think about it. not only did it happen, but the whole world knew about it. the whole world knew things about her intimate life, knew the way her parents thought of her, knew things that took her years to confess to even her closest friends. 

touring gave her a bubble to exist in– nobody spoke to her about it directly. she could almost slip into her stage persona entirely, pretend like nobody in the audience had an internet connection. in the moment, it was all music and sound and love, and everything else kind of fell away. she loved it. she craved it. it made her feel insane. 

and then it didn’t.

“azzi,” mackenzie said quietly, rousing her from her thoughts, “hey. you okay?”

“yeah,” azzi said automatically, blinking back into the conversation. she sought out her straw and took a sip of her iced coffee, swirling the caramel flavoring around her in mouth. 

“you sure? you look like you’re zoning out.”

“it’s good,” azzi waved her off quietly, “just thinking about the show later. brooklyn and all that.”

mackenzie stared at her. “the show’s gonna be great like always, az. you don’t have to worry about it now.”

“i know,” azzi nodded. “sorry, go on.”

mackenzie looked at her for a moment longer before sighing and beginning her rant again. she was saying something about how difficult it was to relinquish power to other people when you start your own company, and azzi listened silently and nodded along when appropriate. 

“and, cayden, you say–”

“caymen,” mackenzie corrected.

“right,” azzi said drily, “caymen doesn’t know as much about the ins and outs of linkedin as you or destiny.”

“it’s really ridiculous,” mackenzie complained, “he keeps trying to reach out to people like a fucking ai chatbot. nobody even checks their linkedin inboxes, especially not student athletes. i’m like, dude, you need to go to straight to the fucking source.”

“who still even uses linkedin?” azzi muttered. 

mackenzie fixed her with a look. “the rest of the working-class world, azzi. not everyone is a famous songwriter. speaking of which, linkedin is giving me a free trial of premium.”

“congratulations!” azzi said pleasantly. she drew a smiley face in the condensation on her coffee cup. 

“no,” mackenzie rebutted, “it’s dumb. i don’t care about that nonsense. i have better shit to do than worry about the ins and outs of linkedin premium. why does everything have to be premium these days? can’t anyone just make money on their own anymore?” 

“late stage capitalism,” azzi agreed, “gotta love it.”

“you and paige make all your money from late stage capitalism. of course you love it.”

azzi frowned. “my merch is affordable! and i use pricelocking on ticketmaster!”

mackenzie cackled. “i’m fucking with you. how is paige, by the way?”

azzi made a mental note to donate to the ali forney center later. “she’s good. busy.”

“so are you,” mackenzie noted. 

“astute observation.”

“you guys haven’t met up since you went down to her place, right?” 

“no,” azzi confirmed, “we’ve been calling, though. it’s nice.”

“she’s gonna come see you in atlanta? when’s that?” 

“another month. i’m gonna see her a week before that in miami, though, when i have a short break. gonna get food with her friends and– her family and stuff.”

mackenzie nodded. she finished her coffee, knee bouncing beneath the table at the sound of her straw grasping for droplets that no longer existed. her eyebrow twitched in the way azzi knew meant that she was about to say some bullshit.

“don’t do anything too exciting,” mackenzie sighed, “you need your voice.”

“shut up,” azzi grumbled. “we haven’t– not since–”

“i know you know phone sex exists.”

azzi flushed. her stomach twisted, suddenly hot. her voice dropped to a whisper, careful not to be overheard by anyone else. they were at a random cafe in the city, but it was brooklyn, chronically online central. she’d asked to sit in the far back so that nobody recognized her, but if they talked too loud, her voice was fair game. 

“she’s so exhausted after her games, and she’s so busy at night.”

mackenzie raised an eyebrow. “i’m sure she could get over it. twenty four hours in a day. you don’t want to eat her alive when she’s all frustrated and sweaty after playing?”

“no,” azzi confessed, “i– i don’t want to take time away from her recovery. she needs to rest.”

“so do you, and you still want her knee-deep inside of you.”

“shut it,” azzi hissed, looking around. “i do, i just– she hasn’t brought up anything like that since everything with my mom. i think she’s waiting for me to initiate.”

mackenzie sobered up instantly. “speaking of,” she began gently, “how are you doing with that?”

azzi fidgeted with a ring on her finger. bad, was the truth. 

“i’m seeing a therapist twice a week,” she muttered. “it’s nice.”

mackenzie went silent, letting her control the conversation. 

“it’s so hard because, like, it was everything i ever wanted. my mom coming to my concert, saying she supported me. wanting to reconcile. apologizing. except, she wasn’t. and i realized, as soon as i had what i wanted, how little it all meant.”

she sighed. “i’m used to not having a family, mackenzie. and i’m used to being disappointed by her. but it was still horrible. and then, like it couldn’t get any worse, she’s out calling me slurs to the press and now everyone knows i have fucking mommy and daddy issues.”

that was the nice way of putting it. in reality, it was like her guts had been ripped from her and left on the street, wet and red and throbbing and shiny and loose like here, isn’t this pathetic, look at this, look at the mess of her insides. and she just had to walk around like everyone hadn’t seen them, hadn’t stepped on them, like they weren’t walking around with bits of her stuck in their shoes and stamping her into the cracks of the pavement. 

“you have a family, azzi,” mackenzie said quietly. she reached a hand over the table and gently touched azzi’s wrist. “you always have.”

azzi blinked. her eyes felt sore. “i love you,” she said.

“i love you too,” mackenzie cracked a smile, “and i’m gonna kill both of those stupid cunts.”

azzi snorted. “get in line.”

“and do you know what could be a really great outlet for this stress?”

“i swear to god, if you say–”

“phone sex!”

“i’m going to kill you.”

____

“how was brunch with mackenzie?” paige asked, sipping a protein shake. she was still in a white fitted shirt from her morning’s workout session, hair down loose and spilling across her shoulders. 

the miami sun, even in january, had been doing her favors. she was deliciously tanned in a way that azzi said pissed her off. the comment made her want to get even tanner. in a normal way. even now, the sun was draping her in warm colors from her apartment window, making her shoulders shine. she hoped azzi was paying attention.

“it was good,” azzi replied, a second too late. her voice sounded a little tight through paige’s ipad. “she’s getting pretty busy with her business. we talked about that, mostly. the coffee was pretty good. reminded me of that spot we used to go to in college.” 

“oh, shit,” paige mused, “i haven’t thought about that place in forever. i wonder if that old guy still works there. bro is probably twenty years past the retirement age.”

“he said it was his life’s passion,” azzi shrugged, “you like basketball, he likes putting an insane amount of flavoring in his iced lattes.” she was in some hotel room, sitting in a desk next to her bed. the white comforter looked starchy and uncomfortable, and paige wished she could offer her own as a replacement. 

paige snorted. she took a long sip of her drink. the pink sludge tasted just about as nothing as usual. being an athlete was so annoying. 

“she still talking to that guy?” paige asked, curious. 

azzi grimaced. her lips curved into a slight pout, and paige made a mental note to make her make that expression more often. it was cute. maybe she should start bringing up garbage disposals or fruit flies more often. 

“no,” azzi said sourly, “he kept driving under the influence and calling her when he’d wreck.”

eugh. paige made a face. “that’s horrible. is she okay?”

“yeah, she wasn’t too caught up on it.”

“gonna send her a gift basket or something. i feel like that at least deserves a visa gift card and some doritos.”

“she’ll kill you,” azzi warned, but she was smiling. 

“that’s my cross to bear,” paige shrugged. she sipped down her smoothie again and studied the way azzi’s baby hairs stood in a few different directions. it was alarming how that made her want to kiss her five ways until sunday. 

of course, everything made her want to kiss azzi five ways until sunday these days. paige couldn’t believe they’d ever gone so long without being apart. nothing felt right.

azzi noticed her staring. “what?” she asked quietly. 

“you look really pretty.”

azzi scowled, running a hand over her hair, but paige knew she liked the compliment. “whatever,” she grumbled. “how was practice?”

ugh. practice. paige sighed, flashing back to the disgruntled hours of the morning. “coach was mad. we really shouldn’t be losing these games, i don’t know why we can’t click. i don’t know. i kept trying to focus, but i couldn’t lock in today.”

“what was, like, going through your head?” azzi asked, resting her chin on her palm. 

paige felt her cheeks warm. she flexed her shoulders, running a hand over the back of her head. “uh,” she stuttered, “not much.” her voice came out too small. she mentally cursed. 

like a release from stress, she’d been thinking about azzi. she didn’t really know when it started, but at one point, she was irritated, and the next moment she was calming down thinking about azzi. halfway through practice, she’d started reliving a time when she’d showed up to azzi’s house in new york. 

physically, the team had been working on connections, passing and setting up shots. mentally, her brain had been somewhere in the city, watching the six o’clock sun paint lines across the skin of azzi’s back. pressing a light kiss to her shoulder, hoping it wouldn’t rouse her. unable to stop herself from taking what more of her she could get. 

she’d thrown the ball three feet to alanna’s right, and her mind had been watching azzi’s lips open and close as she gasped with paige’s hand tucked between her legs. the curve of her tongue. the slight gap between her two front teeth. 

she’d smoked a layup, and her mind had been on how azzi’s hips felt under her hands as she rocked them back and forth on her own thigh. how they’d felt wet, in the shower after. how they’d felt warm, covered in her shorts as paige kissed her goodbye. 

paige missed her so badly. 

azzi raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at her, and her heart thumped a little sickeningly in her chest. love, her internal monologue supplied. i know, she told it. shut up. 

“ah, nothing,” she shrugged, hoping her face didn’t give her away. she didn’t want to say anything too serious, too intimate. it wasn’t fair for her to force any kind of unnecessary feelings on azzi, not while she was still processing everything that happened. one “i miss you” could lead to “i love you”. paige didn’t want to get in the way of her family stuff. not again. 

“what?” azzi pressed. “what were you thinking about?”

azzi’s baby blue camisole on the floor. dark curls pressed against her chest. kissing her hard in the elevator. the fan on azzi’s ceiling spinning in circles as paige’s thighs tightened around her head. 

“you,” she said. honest. 

“me,” azzi repeated. her fingers drummed against her cheek, and paige followed them with her eyes. azzi’s touch was always soft. “me… in what context?”

“i’on know,” paige mumbled, distracted, “last time i saw you in new york.”

azzi’s jaw dropped. “paige. you had a bad practice because you were turned on?”

“what?” paige yelped, “no!” 

“the last time you saw me in new york”, azzi mocked. “when i ate you out twice?”

“that was like, one half an hour of the wonderful, innocent day we spent together.”

“paige, seriously, i think we were at it from ten at night to three in the morning.”

“no, because the making out in the middle of things doesn’t count, and– az, how do you even remember that?” 

“you were horny at practice,” azzi ignored her to laugh, clear and bright and annoying. 

and sure, that was part of it, but it had been more romantic in paige’s head. she’d been picturing azzi to help herself get through a rough day, wasn’t that nice? she huffed. “practice was frustrating–”

“sexually.”

“azzi!” paige’s face burned. “whatever. it’s been a while. so i want you. is that a crime?”

she hadn’t meant to be that direct, but it was the truth. 

“you want me,” azzi repeated, pleased. even when she was trying to piss her off, she made paige feel like a little kid with a crush. 

“of course i do.”

“when?” azzi grinned. 

paige huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes. she hadn’t really thought about when they’d be intimate next, and figured that azzi hadn’t, either. she’d been helping azzi through her shit, focusing on basketball. they both knew sex was off the table for the time being. 

azzi raised an eyebrow. “i’m not joking.” 

paige sobered up. her face suddenly felt heavier. 

“you– what?” she asked, dumb. her gut tightened.

“tell me what you were thinking about,” azzi’s voice was smooth, dangerous. she leaned forwards, towards the camera. 

paige swallowed. was she breathing too loudly? she nervously glanced out the window of her apartment, seeing nothing but an empty parking lot outside. lord, as if someone could read her lips from four floors down. she was being ridiculous.

she gathered herself and met azzi’s gaze. “kissing you. in the elevator. in the morning when we woke up.”

“i miss kissing you.”

paige laughed quietly. “i know you do.”

azzi blinked at her. “i like it when we’re kissing and you grab my ass.”

jesus. something twitched in paige’s gut.

“mmm,” she hummed, noncommittal. “there’s a lot to work with."

azzi grinned. “i train glutes.”

“it’s been there since before you started that.”

“i also like it when you slip your thumbs under my waistband,” azzi continued, “it feels good.” her eyes were dark. paige’s stomach clenched at the sight. 

“you make a sound when i do,” paige’s voice came out low, raspy, “drives me crazy. you’re so…”

azzi tilted her head. “your turn. what do you like?”

paige’s tongue darted out to wet her lips. she spread her legs a little, unconsciously. a million images flashed through her head– everything, was the answer, but she knew that wasn’t what azzi wanted to hear. she liked when azzi got fed up with her bonnet at night and broke apart their kiss to toss it off after it slid too far back. she liked when azzi moaned her name and her voice cracked because she could barely take it. she liked when azzi was the little spoon and pressed her ass back into paige, hinting. 

“when i’m on top,” paige started, slow, “and i have my thigh between your legs. and i grind down into you. and you stop kissin' me to throw your head all the way back.”

“you like that?” azzi drawled, leaning back. she exhaled softly, fingering the bottom of her shirt. 

“yeah,” paige breathed. it came out more whisper than word. she followed azzi’s movements with her gaze. 

“what else?”

“when i reach up the back of your shirt,” paige muttered, “and run my hands up your skin. and you shiver, and you fold into me. and i undo your bra.”

through paige’s ipad screen, azzi’s eyes looked extra dark. slowly, she reached behind her back. paige watched the material of her shirt shift, loosen. her heart felt heavy in her chest. it pounded like a kickdrum as she drew in a sharp breath. 

she needed to keep talking. she had to. “i like when i can finally touch you, and i move my hands to your front. and i like to kiss you a little slower as i touch your chest, so you can focus on my fingers as they grasp you.”

azzi exhaled louder, this time, chest visibly rising and falling. she kept her eyes on paige as she trailed her fingers to her stomach, under her shirt. paige watched the motion of her hand slip up, up, and under her bra. fuck. paige’s thighs ached badly with the need to clench together.

her eyes bored into the screen like it would cave in, like the glass would fissure into fractals and fall away so she could reach right through. half of her couldn’t believe that azzi wanted this. the other half didn’t give a shit. 

“miss the way you feel,” she whispered. “your nipples under my thumbs.”

she talked at a measured pace, deliberately drawing it out, watching azzi’s movements correspond to her words. “circling them.”

azzi’s lips parted. 

“pressing into them.” 

azzi exhaled deeply, blinking once, twice. paige reveled in it. she’d known for a long time that she’d gotten azzi riled up when she started blinking faster. 

her voice was smooth and low. “does that feel good?”

azzi inhaled. she nodded. paige watched the fabric of her shirt jerk as she kneaded her tits. it made her head feel fuzzy. she wished it were her so badly, but the sight of azzi touching herself was intoxicating. paige had a thing for watching women come. there was an adrenaline to it, a high when she knew they couldn’t help themselves from cresting, when she had the effect on people that made them forget themselves and succumb to their desires. 

“i miss taking my time. workin’ you up,” she continued, “running one hand down your stomach.”

azzi’s knuckles shifted lower. “down to your waist.”

finally, she caught a sliver of azzi’s fingers peeking out from the hem of her shirt. delicately, they pushed under her waistband and dragged to the side. paige watched her stomach clench, imagined the heat of her touch and how it must be shooting straight down between her legs. 

“miss seein’ you. all of you,” paige muttered, hoarse and honest. she bit her lip and drank in the sight of azzi before her, stupid facetime image from the waist up. it wasn’t enough. she wanted more. 

azzi’s eyelids fluttered imperceptibly. her fingers twitched at her waistband. 

“you wanna see all of me?” she asked. she sounded saccharine, sultry, like something right out of paige’s nighttime fantasies. paige swallowed, hard, and fought to keep her breath steady. 

“so badly,” paige admitted. 

a small smile lifted the edge of azzi’s mouth. paige wanted to press her lips there again and again until she couldn’t tell which parts of herself were her own. 

azzi stood up. her head cut out of frame, and paige wanted to complain but azzi grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one smooth motion. paige’s mouth felt suddenly dry.

the pale light of the hotel room should have washed her out, should have made it feel sterile and gray. of course, common sense never meant much when it came to azzi. mid-day light poured in from her window, warm and soaking between the crevices of her muscles. paige wanted to run her tongue everywhere she could see. 

“damn,” paige muttered. the action had left azzi in her tan bra, unclasped in the back, and her shorts. with a slight of her smooth shoulders, the bra slipped off azzi and onto the floor. 

paige could feel her heart hammering through her body like it was trying to escape. she swallowed again, tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip. the sight of azzi’s tits was never any less invigorating than it had been the first time she’d seen them (azzi, tipsy, in a bar bathroom. pulling her shirt up and asking paige if she should get her nipples pierced. paige had tripped over her own two feet and fallen into a running sink). 

azzi made a face at her and she giggled like a fucking schoolgirl. through the screen, she watched her drag the chair she’d been sitting in off to the side, giving paige a clear view of the hotel bed behind her. azzi turned so that her back was to paige and hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her shorts, teasingly bending down so that her ass was pushed into the camera. 

paige resisted the urge to wolf whistle. instead, she bit into the side of her cheek so hard that it hurt.

azzi repeated the action with her underwear, and paige forced her eyes away as her face burned. she’d seen it a million times. she’d seen this exact thing in person. but they weren’t together, physically.

something about it being one level removed, through the screen, made it infinitely hotter, overwhelmingly so. it was another level of exposure, of putting herself out there. it made paige feel even more wanted, azzi going out of her way to initiate it. she bit her lip harder, eyelids falling to half mast. 

“like what you see?” azzi purred, ridiculous. she cocked a hip, showing off the broad expanse of her backside, and paige held back a groan. how did she even look like that? was there a perfect ass factory she’d gone to before meeting paige? should she double check the dr. miami records?

“‘course i do.”

“good,” azzi smiled, smug. she turned back around and backed up onto the bed. her knees hit the side and buckled, and she took a seat on the comforter. paige watched intently as it bent to her form, dipped to meet the curve of her hips. “keep talking.”

paige swallowed. “you look beautiful.”

she did. the bodied form of her figure made paige want to choke on her own spit. her strong, muscled thighs, the silver chain pierced through her navel that quivered with her breath. the curves of her ribs, the fullness of her breasts and her hardened nipples. her broad, soft shoulders and those fucking arms. azzi had always been more of the biter, but paige was beginning to understand the appeal. she wanted to sink her teeth right into the side of her neck, hear her gasp and moan and choke. 

she looked beautiful and it was devastating, like each part of her was pulled from the depths of paige’s mammal brain and welded together to create her ultimate bane. paige was so fucking weak. 

azzi rolled her eyes. “what are you gonna do about it?” 

paige drew in a slow breath, eyes unable to stop raking across azzi’s form. her thighs were pressed together. that needed to change. “if i was there i’d kiss you,” she mused, “start slow, soft. probably too slow.”

azzi lifted her fingertips to her mouth, brushing over her lips. “i’d stay there for a while because i miss you. just kissing, and kissing, while my hands wandered around your body.”

something molten stirred in paige’s gut. she shifted in her seat, leaning forwards with her elbows on her knees. anything to be even a modicum closer to azzi. 

“i like riling you up so you kiss me harder. when i squeeze your ass, or run my nails down your stomach. your whole body trembles and you press into me. it’s so hot,” paige breathed. she watched azzi’s fingers trail their way down her neck, between the valley of her breasts, to claw down her own stomach. azzi’s mouth fell open, jaw tipping up at the sensation. 

“if i was satisfied, i’d finally move down. kiss the sides of your mouth. your dimples. your jaw.”

hand back up, tracing a line between the corner of her lips and her jawbone. 

“i’d press my mouth into your neck. up and down. over and over, both sides. kiss you. use my tongue. suck. leave a mark.” paige pronounced every consonant as clearly as she could, each word carefully formed to punctuate its meaning. “bite.”

azzi’s breath hitched, and she scraped her nails down her throat to her collarbone. her fingers splayed out, searching, squeezing her throat gently as her eyes fluttered shut. 

something hot leaked into paige’s boxers. “just like that,” she breathed, “perfect.”

azzi choked out a small sound, and paige felt violent that she couldn’t swallow it with her mouth. “down to your collarbone. your chest. trace around your nipple. back up.”

every command, azzi followed. paige took it in hungrily, watching each microexpression cross azzi’s face at each sensitive area, watching her eyes darken, watching the way her hips shifted minutely to try to relieve some of the pressure no doubt building in her cunt. paige wanted, as usual, to devour her. 

“wish that was me,” she muttered, “wanna be all over you.”

“please,” azzi whispered. something in paige’s spine liquefied. 

“i’d kiss my way over to your shoulders. down your bicep,” paige continued, “take my time with the muscle there. down your forearm. to your hand.”

azzi’s chest swelled with her sharp inhale as she dragged her nails over, around, down. “i’d kiss every knuckle. each fingertip. up and down. the outside of your wrist. turn it over. the inside.”

azzi shivered as she caressed each tender place. paige loved it. she loved that she was causing every bit of the reaction, that azzi was touching herself but she was controlling every part of it. 

“and i’d kiss all the way back up. from the tip of your hand to the top of your shoulder.” 

the hand travelled up, faltering for a split second. “back to your chest. and up.”

“and back down, to your nipple. and up. never too long in one place. just enough to make you really, really crave it. so i know you want it.”

azzi’s eyebrows pinched together. “paige.”

“between your tits. down to your waistband. back up. one side of your stomach. the other.”

azzi obeyed, the muscle of her gut tensing again. her chest pushed up into the touch, body visibly needy. paige thought she could get off just like that, by watching azzi want so desperately. 

“paige,” azzi repeated. her fingers jerked towards her core, and she balled them into a frustrated fist. 

“again,” paige replied. azzi let out a strangled groan, trailing her fingers from the hollow of her neck to her navel, skimming across the expanse of her stomach. 

paige’s voice was low, raspy. “you look so pretty when you want me this bad.”

azzi keened, her head lolling to one side. her thighs began to part, just a hair, but she squeezed them back together. that wouldn’t do. 

“if i were really there, i’d do the same thing with your legs,” she muttered, “go down each one to your ankles. kissing you, and kissing you, and kissing you.”

azzi bit down on her lip, frustrated with the teasing. she didn’t move her hands to her legs, and paige hadn’t expected her to; she just wanted to rile azzi up, to make her think about torturous touching and devastatingly slow intimacy. 

at the look on azzi’s face, it was clear that her goal had been achieved. a thrill shot down paige’s spine. she decided to give her a bit of relief, finally. “open up f’me.”

azzi’s shoulders visibly relaxed at the command. her hands found her knees, slipped between them, and pushed her thighs apart as they slid closer to her core. the sight hit paige like a freight train, cunt shining filthily in the light, inner thighs sticky with evidence of want. she wanted to bury her face there, breathe in the heady scent of her and consume her entirely. her tongue twitched in her mouth like a caged dog, wanting on instinct to devour. 

azzi’s adductors flexed with the movement, and paige’s blood rushed south and pulsed. 

paige watched her lean back, resting on one arm, with her free hand hovering to the side of her entrance. she felt lightheaded. angel, her brain supplied. you’re literally just looking at your girlfriend’s cunt, another part of it chimed in. not your girlfriend. she bit her lip.

“if i was there,” she continued, drawing in a shaky breath that she hoped azzi didn’t notice, “i’d take my time on your inner thighs. start at your knee. move in. get closer to where you want it.”

azzi dragged her hand from her inner knee to the crevice of her hip. 

“just like that,” paige praised, low, “use my lips, my tongue. leave a mark. get closer, and closer. and pull away. and repeat.”

paige could continue like that forever. telling azzi what to do, working her up, bringing her right to the edge of something more and then denying it. seeing azzi grow increasingly restless, bothered, needy. it was everything she wanted. if she were truly there, she’d go on and on. take her time. dismantle azzi inch by inch, kiss by kiss, touch by touch, until she was out of her mind. until she begged for it. until she forgot her own name. 

she longed to break azzi down completely, stripping her of any of her worries about her job, her family, anything external, and leaving her the bare bones of human desire and want. 

but she wasn’t there, and they hadn’t fucked in so long, and while she wanted that madly, she also wanted azzi to know that she would give her whatever she needed before anything else. azzi was trembling, nipples hard and straining, leaking onto the hotel bedsheets. her baby hairs were escaping in wild flyaways, her lips dark and pink for how much she’d been biting them. she looked positively wrecked, and paige needed to fulfill her desires.

“please,” azzi whispered, as if on cue. her fingers stroked herself dangerously close to her core, through the slick that gathered on her inner thighs. “need it.”

paige’s voice was treacherously hoarse. “need who?” she deliberately rephrased the question to remind azzi that there was no thing that could help her. it was paige. it would always be paige.

“you,” azzi breathed, followed by a deep inhale. she blinked rapidly, knees twitching slightly with the effort of holding back. 

“you can have whatever you want,” paige said. honest to a fault. i love you. “go ahead.”

azzi made a sound of relief, fingers shooting to her entrance. 

paige’s chest hurt. she loved her. just watching her was a blessing. getting to experience her like this was a dream. she would always give azzi anything she desired. 

“c’mon, baby,” she encouraged her, “touch yourself however you need me.”

azzi whined, and paige’s gut seized. her core twitched. “you know what i’d to do you. i’d give it to you nice and gentle. work you up. kiss you. draw circles on your clit.” love you. 

azzi touched herself, fingers working her clit, sloppy noises slipping out of her throat. paige vaguely wondered if this was recommended against by her vocal coach, but she decided it wasn’t important. 

“keep it slow, baby,” paige instructed. she watched, transfixed, the way azzi circled herself. where she spent a little more time. the point where she started, where she went. how her fingers dipped into her wetness for a split second, coating herself in slick. the way her eyes fluttered shut at the feeling. 

she let azzi go on, listening to the soft noises falling from her lips. she stared intently at the rise and fall of her chest, the spill of her breasts, the gentle motion of her wrist. her slack jaw, her back shoulder trembling with the effort of keeping herself up, her abs clenching with each slight motion. every piece of it was enthralling, enchanting. paige was under her spell, blessed to be able to consume the sight in front of her. 

her boxers felt like a hot mess. she shifted her weight around, pleasure radiating from her center as she pressed down. she exhaled deep and ragged.

“little faster,” she murmured, “little more pressure.”

a punched-out moan wrenched itself from azzi’s throat as she obeyed. paige’s own hips begged to jerk up, to release pressure. the sight of azzi’s fingers speeding up and the obvious pleasure on her face was overwhelming; her head swam forcefully as she drank it all in.

“how does that feel?”

azzi nodded, eyes still shut. even just focusing on her face, paige could still see her arm muscles rippling as she touched herself. fuck. 

“good,” she drew out. “so good f’me, huh?”

azzi nodded again, eager. fuck. paige could tell that she was still holding back, that she still wanted more. god, that was hot. paige blinked rapidly, hips twitching.

“you look so fuckin’ good,” she muttered. “so beautiful. so fuckin’ perfect.”

azzi inhaled desperately, her fingers inadvertently moving a little faster on herself. paige was thrilled. she made azzi want to touch herself.

thinking about all of it– the noises, her face, the undulating rhythmic motions of her pleasured body– was– yeah. the resulting head rush made paige’s lower lip sting until she realized she was biting it. 

“stop,” she ordered. “up and down the sides.”

a strangled sound escaped azzi’s lips. her fingers spread herself apart for a moment before stroking down her labia. up. paige knew it would heighten her sensitivity, and grinned when she gave the command for azzi to resume touching herself and azzi whimpered. 

“that feel good?”

“mhm,” azzi sighed, breathless. 

“how good?”

“really good.”

paige hummed. “and who’s making you feel like that?” azzi’s cunt visibly clenched, and her breath hitched. paige took the space before she added on in a mutter, “faster. a little harder.”

azzi’s jaw dropped, perfect pink lips wet and swollen. her fingers sped up, pressing deeper into herself, and she struggled to respond in anything but a high pitched whisper. “you.”

“say my name.”

“paige,” azzi breathed. it sliced through paige like a molten blade, and she ached with the need for relief, bad. she swallowed and wrote it off, not wanting to divert any attention away from azzi. 

out of the blue, a memory hit her; a few months ago, azzi had confessed that she liked to watch paige get off. 

she finally slipped a hand overtop of her shorts. 

she palmed herself lazily, slowly dragging down between her legs then back up, as she unabashedly watched azzi finger herself. it felt good, the light pressure, and she could feel how damp her boxers had become even through the second layer of fabric. she twitched against herself. 

azzi let out a sound like a wounded animal, eyes squeezing shut and head throwing back. “jesus christ.”

“you like that?” paige drawled, biting her lip. “me watching you? getting turned on by watching you fuck yourself?” she pronounced every consonant of the word fuck, making it sound as filthy as possible. it sent a shiver through azzi that she reveled in. 

“making me cum without even doing anything,” she continued, shamelessly watching azzi’s cheeks grow pink. her lips lifted into a teasing smile. “pillow princess.”

azzi’s eyelids fluttered, and she slowly brought herself back to staring at paige’s fingers moving, long and thick, over the crotch of her shorts. “more,” she whispered. 

“for who?” 

azzi did a jerky half-nod, half-headshake. she swallowed like it pained her. paige’s chest warmed with endearment. poor azzi, who was so overwhelmed that she didn’t even know what she wanted. she decided to have mercy on her and give her both. 

“c’mon, baby,” she purred, “you can gimme a little more. go ‘head.”

azzi slipped her fingers down into her cunt before bringing them back up, touching herself with reckless abandon. her chest rose and fell in shaky heaves, the elbow she was resting on trembling. 

breathing deeply, eyes hooded, paige slid her hand under her boxers, reaching for the wet heat that demanded pressure. 

“keep them on,” azzi blurted out, begging. her eyes widened, like she didn’t even know what she was saying. 

she must have thought that paige was going to take off her pants. paige’s hand stilled before reaching her cunt, and she groaned aloud. clearly, azzi was getting off on the power dynamic; herself fully naked, exposed, and touching herself without restraint versus paige, clothed and demanding. 

“you are so hot,” she professed in a raspy whisper. her heart swelled to three times its size, overwhelmed. “my girl.”

“yours,” azzi repeated. her eyes were closed. paige’s chest throbbed violently. she wanted to push, wanted to make her say it again and again and again until her voice box collapsed and she couldn’t physically keep going. instead, she drew in a sharp breath and ignored the flipping in her stomach to slip half a finger into herself, thrusting shallowly. 

she didn’t touch herself like that often, and pulled back out to mirror azzi’s actions on her own clit, but slower. every micromovement was a course of pleasure, already sensitive and swollen. her limbs felt heavy, blood pooling down to her gut as her brain went hazy.  

azzi looked like she was approaching the edge, hips bucking up, moans pulling from her lips. 

paige twitched, wanted to press inside of her, wanted to see her ass against her hips. wanted to hold her to her chest as she fell apart. 

“you wanna cum f’me?” she asked, voice low. her own pleasure gave it a dangerous edge, a slight shake. she knew azzi loved her voice like that, sensual and slow, knew it drove her insane. 

azzi’s only response was a gasp, a resounding groan. her wetness was becoming audible through the speaker, the glistening slick erotic as she kept fucking herself. paige’s hand on herself pressed in harder. 

“so good,” she purred, “so pretty. so fucking hot. so fucking good.”

azzi squirmed on the bed, shifting to get an impossibly better angle. her only acknowledgement of the praise was a desperate look directly at paige, a glance down to paige’s shorts, a tensing of her lower abdomen. 

paige made a mental note to keep her shorts on more often. something about watching the bulge of paige’s hand under the material seemed to get azzi more riled up than usual. 

“that’s it, pretty,” paige continued, sliding her fingers back and forth across her clit, “keep going. just like that.”

azzi whimpered, thigh muscle clenching, pupils blown and dark. she looked fucking gorgeous. 

“god, i love when you touch yourself for me,” paige muttered, “love watching you feel this good. are you feeling good for me?”

she was close. paige knew it. it showed in the jerkiness of her movements, her rapid breath, her eyes fluttering between open and shut. she didn’t need to answer the question, but paige would make her. 

“tell me,” she commanded, gentle. she kept her tone low, constrained. “tell me how it feels.”

azzi drew in a strangled breath. focus on anything else must have been near impossible for her, trying to draw herself together to do anything but let her body crash over itself. 

“good,” she choked out, voice high-pitched and tight. 

“you needed this?”

“yes,” azzi breathed, “so badly. all the time.”

“all the time?” paige laughed. she pressed into herself a little harder. fuck. “so needy.”

azzi’s movements stuttered before resuming. “fuck, fuck, fuck,” she whined, quiet. 

paige waited a beat. “i’ve been thinking about you ever since you left,” she muttered, “you drive me fucking insane.”

azzi’s whole body tensed. “ah– i’m gonna– fuck–”

“i can’t cum without thinking about you.”

“please, i’m gonna–”

paige’s spine turned to liquid at the words coming out of her own mouth, at azzi’s reaction. at knowing she had azzi balanced on the edge of the knife, full and ripe and ready to slice open at any instant. 

i love you so fucking much, she wanted to say next. she didn’t. but she knew what would do it for azzi. she paused for a moment, letting time dangle on the edge of the fraying string. watching azzi swing, swing, swing. 

“i watch recordings of your concerts.”

swing. 

the mention of work made azzi hesitate briefly, confused. paige crowed. she had her right where she wanted her. 

“i lay in my bed at night.”

swing. 

azzi listened intently, waiting for the inevitable ball to drop. paige fought off a violent crest of pleasure staring at her fingers, which kept circling and circling her glistening clit like a satellite. 

“with my hand down my underwear.”

swing. 

as azzi realized where she was going, she inhaled so sharply that paige’s own stomach lurched. 

“and i think about dropping to my knees, right fucking there.”

fuck, azzi mouthed, eyes squeezed shut. she fucked herself harder, faster. paige’s mouth was talking of its own accord, fully lost in pleasure. her head swam in furious circles. she had one objective only. one goal.

“and making you cum in my fucking mouth. in front of everyone.”

“ah-,” azzi cried. 

“cum.”

azzi’s hips slammed upwards, towards the ceiling. a shameless wail tore free from her throat. paige watched the pleasure rush through her like a wave, her limbs tensing and twitching, her jaw wide open. she felt it in her own gut all the same, her mind unable to dilute the raw eroticism of azzi cumming for her, and she hissed and jerked forwards as her own cunt pulled her over the edge. 

head spinning, she blinked rapidly. she kept touching herself, working herself through, as she watched her lover recover. azzi was still panting, chest heaving, nipples hard. she’d leaned back, and paige had a marvelous view of her aching heat and the lines of her abs as she tapped herself through the aftershocks, not denying herself a single moment of pleasure. 

“so good. so perfect,” she mumbled. azzi made no signs of hearing, but paige knew she liked it. 

paige got the sudden urge to cover azzi’s body with hers, to lay on top of her and kiss her senseless. she drank in each inch of azzi, exhausted and perfect, and slid her fingers back out of her shorts. there was a napkin near her ipad on the table, and she grimaced as she wiped herself off of her own fingers. she’d have to wash her hands after this. 

leaning forwards, she watched azzi blink herself back into consciousness. 

“feel good?” she teased, resting her elbow on the table. 

a small smile grew on azzi’s face. “shut up,” she muttered. “‘t was so hot.”

“you were so hot.”

paige imagined herself kissing the warm skin of azzi’s shoulder, stroking her arm. azzi scrunched her face up like she was embarrassed, but didn’t respond. 

after a few more moments of silence, azzi shifted herself up and back over to her phone. she picked it up and collapsed back on her bed on her side, curling up on top of the covers. paige was remarkably endeared by the soft squish of her cheek against the pillow. she wanted to kiss it. 

they stared at each other in silence for a moment, just smiling. nothing needed to be said, really. paige felt fulfilled, mostly. it was nice to be intimate in that way, nice to be able to take care of azzi. her core still felt sensitive and ached pleasantly. 

azzi had been a little off recently, ever since what happened with her parents. every moment that paige could take to help her, to make her forget what’s on her mind, to guide her through it, she would take it. it was so fucking frustrating to be so far apart, to not be there for her at all hours of the day.

but azzi was living her dream, and she deserved it. it was scary, and a little horrible, but it was wonderful nonetheless. and paige was living her dream, too. there was just something missing from it. 

“i really miss you.”

it came out quietly, more vulnerable than paige had intended. in the vast scope of her feelings, it felt small and fragile. 

“i miss you too,” azzi frowned. she opened her mouth to speak again, but paige beat her to the punch.

“like really. not just–” her face felt warm, “this.”

azzi’s face softened. paige watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed, gentle and intimate. she longed to be able to have that of her all the time. 

“i know,” azzi murmured, “i’ll see you soon.”

“not soon enough,” paige replied, and how true it felt overrode how trite it felt. 

“baby,” azzi said, like it hurt her. paige’s heart squeezed something ridiculous. it was stupid. she was grown. she didn’t need to miss someone so badly. especially not something that wasn’t hers to hold. 

and– well. she knew that she was in love with azzi. that wasn’t new. but it was no longer something she could push down. she wanted azzi, like this. all the time. in gentle mornings, in angry afternoons. she wanted her in the kitchen, sweating over a pan, outside killing bugs. she wanted her washing her calves in the shower, wanted her singing in the living room, wanted to say i love you and kiss her after a long day. she wanted to fight with her about miscommunications, to reconcile and slowly forgive her because she couldn’t stay mad. 

and she wasn’t stupid; she knew that between their careers they would never have that domesticity in the traditional sense. 

but wouldn’t it be something? to excuse herself from team dinner and say my girlfriend is calling. my wife is calling. to introduce herself to a camera and gesture to azzi beside her and say this is my lover. i love her. just to breathe her in without wondering if she’d ever have to forget her scent again. to love her simply. without fear.

wouldn’t it be something beautiful?

—

after touring new england, the miami heat was enough to plaster azzi’s freshly-done hair to her forehead and really piss her off. she’d driven with her crew down to atlanta, then immediately gotten on a plane to miami international. she wanted to think positively of the little palm tree decals on the floor, or laugh at the tourists who were somehow sunburnt in the middle of winter, but the muggy outside air seemed to press through the cracks of the building and suffocate her. 

she was still getting used to travelling in disguise, and it was really beginning to piss her off. she felt like she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. she checked her shoulder at every turn. she adjusted the sleeve of her t-shirt like it was offensive, pulled her shorts down her thighs like someone would recognize her from the freckle behind her knee. 

seeing paige behind the wheel of her car, blonde and brilliant and beautiful in the sun, made it all worth it. 

paige’s face split into a majestic smile as her gaze landed on azzi, and azzi’s stress evaporated into thin air. her breath caught in her chest, suddenly giddy. god, good god, she’d missed her. paige scrambled out of the car to grab azzi’s things from her, already opening the trunk to throw her things inside. 

“hi,” paige breathed as their hands brushed. 

“hi,” azzi repeated, smiling ear to ear. 

azzi slid into the passenger seat as paige closed the trunk. the car smelled good, and upon investigation, azzi discovered one of those air freshener things dangling from the rearview mirror. she couldn’t quite place the scent, but it was clean and sweet. 

paige crawled back into the driver’s seat with a gentle sound, door thunking behind her. she turned to look at azzi, lips curved in an almost nervous smile. azzi studied her for a second. her hair was a little messy, dark marks under her eyes like she hadn’t been sleeping very well. she’d managed to put on some mascara, eyelashes curled up and making her wide-eyed stare towards azzi even more stark. 

they looked at each other, stupid, for half a second. then azzi fisted her hand in paige’s shirt and yanked her in, kissing her deeply.

paige relaxed under her touch, kissing her firm but slow. god, it was good. “i missed you,” she mumbled against azzi’s lips. “how was your flight?”

“shut up,” azzi grumbled back, and paige grinned. azzi kissed it away, shifting closer, hands finding the back of paige’s neck. she swore paige’s touch was softer than she remembered, each press of their lips together meaningful and devastating. when azzi was done, she pulled away but stayed close enough to breathe in the same air. 

she searched paige’s eyes. paige winked. she couldn’t resist giving her another peck. 

“you missed me too,” paige said, not a question. 

“shut up and drive.”

paige smiled, a little crazy, and turned towards the road. as soon as the car was in gear, her hand found azzi’s thigh. not squeezing, not searching. azzi exhaled and fell back deeper into the car seat, her heartbeat spiking every time she thought too hard about it. 

it was funny how, through all their domesticity, azzi still felt like she had a crush on her. they’d seen each other for god knows how long in total, done everything there was to do, and the sight of her in the driver’s seat still made azzi a little giddy. she liked that premise. she made a mental note to see if she could write about it. 

she dropped her stuff at paige’s apartment in miami, which looked to have been recently cleaned. she teased paige about it, and paige just shrugged with a grin and said had to clean up for my lady, to which azzi had gotten warm and not been able to respond. my lady. 

she wanted that. she wanted to be paige’s lady, to have paige be hers. she just didn’t know how to go about it. she’d been the one to end it, so she should be the one to ask for it back? but she’d hurt paige, so maybe paige needed to be the one to decide that they could try again. it made her head hurt. was there a right way for it to happen? did paige want that? did she have a plan? was she waiting for azzi? 

mid ushering her back into the car, paige stopped and looked at her.

“wait, az, there’s something on your face.”

azzi’s eyes widened. what could possibly be on her face? she hadn’t eaten all morning, hadn’t done anything messy. she reached up a panicked hand to her cheek. “what?”

paige grabbed her face in her hands before she could reach it herself and planted a long kiss on her lips. 

“me,” paige grinned, eternally proud of herself. 

azzi narrowed her eyes, but her lips twitched upwards. 

“you’re awful. that was awful.”

“yeah, but you got to kiss me, so i know you don’t care.”

“you and this fucking ego,” azzi grumbled, “you’re nothing special.”

“oh, that’s not what you were saying on the phone the other week,” paige said jovially, shaking her head as she moved to get back into the car. 

azzi rolled her eyes. “ego,” she singsonged again. 

paige ignored her, turning on the ignition of her car. she buckled herself in, and azzi did the same. azzi’s mind drifted briefly, wondering if she should have brought a bottle of water to keep her throat moist. would she have time to squeeze in a workout today? would unrivaled let her use their facilities to train with paige after lunch?

“hey,” paige said, quieter. “how are you feeling about this?”

this? what was this? the car? the trip? their relationship?

azzi blinked at her. 

“lunch,” paige clarified, “with my family.”

oh, shit. right. azzi had almost forgotten about the goal of this trip, why they weren’t just cuddling on paige’s couch and watching a movie. 

how was she feeling? not nervous, then, because she hadn’t been thinking about it. not exactly excited. azzi had been around some of paige’s family before– her parents, stepparents. ryan and lauren. drew. some more than others. they’d gotten along well, especially the younger siblings; she’d kept up with them and wished them happy holidays throughout the years until she and paige broke up. 

azzi had never been overly drawn to paige’s parents. she had four, and azzi barely had two. her mom and her stepdad were nice, but azzi couldn’t stomach being around them for long periods of time. she’d been pretty reserved around them, electing to let paige talk as much as possible, which she now regretted. paige’s dad and stepmom were a bit more comfortable to be around, for no discernable reason, but she still hadn’t exactly felt like a part of the family throughout the years. 

which was mostly her own fault. it wasn’t easy to relax into someone else’s dynamic. it wasn’t easy being asked questions and freaking out after every one, not sure if they’re trying to degrade you or shame you somehow. it was hard to divulge information to people when she wasn’t sure that it wouldn’t be used against her another time, if anything were to go wrong. and things had gone wrong. which, in retrospect, probably made them think about her even worse. 

okay, now she was nervous. 

“um–” she mumbled, “who’s coming, again?”

“my mom and my stepdad. lauren and ryan. drew’s came down, too, he–” paige’s voice cracked, “he missed you.”

okay, now she felt like shit. 

“right.”

paige’s hand squeezed her thigh. “i’ve already told them about– everything,” she said, careful. “like we talked about. they know about your parents, and the album, and that we’re okay now. they were really understanding. they’re really excited to see you.”

azzi was saved from having to respond via a loud ping from her phone. it was tiktok link, sent by mackenzie, with no caption. she clicked on it, curious. 

the opening shot was paige, crowded by reporters and looking agitated. “azzi fudd,” she said, quietly, “is none of my business. nor yours.” in the back, fucking orbiter sang quietly– even anxious pups need the moon. 

a clip of paige knocking sophie cunningham on her ass, pissed off. i howl for you. a clip of azzi from the viral video of her singing lovesong at the festival. i sing to you. a montage of screenshots of paparazzi photos of paige showing up at azzi’s apartment, of paige outside azzi’s hotel the night of her ysl party, likes on each other’s recent posts. i circle you.

“bro, was that me?” paige asked. 

“don’t call me bro.”

“azzi, my sweet love. was that me?”

“i don’t know, bro.”

“bruh.”

bruh, azzi typed back to mackenzie. 

mackenzie: Dude, look at the likes

azzi muted her phone as she went back to the video. 376.2k, the number above below the heart read. jesus christ. she did herself a disservice, and she opened the comments. 

which could mean nothing.

they matt damon’ed her ass. damn. she turned her phone right off. she opened it again to dislike mackenzie’s message. then, she turned it off for real. 

“baby,” paige tried again. azzi bit back a smile. “was that me?”

“no. you’re you.”

“i’m not above domestic violence.”

“that’s for sure. you’ve already choked me.”

“and it made you cum, shut up. can i please be nosy? what was the video of me?” paige pestered her. 

azzi sighed, resting her head against the window. “just some stupid tiktok edit that mackenzie sent me.”

“was it a thirst trap?” paige smirked. “i get a lot of those.”

“no,” azzi rolled her eyes. she made a mental note to look up paige thirst traps later. “just another ship edit. it went viral, that’s why she sent it to me.”

paige snorted. “classic.” her eyes lit up, “oh, hey, i forgot to mention, ryan’s bringing his girlfriend. her name is celia, and she’s pretty cool.”

“oh, nice,” azzi said, “is lauren still dating her boyfriend from last summer?”

“thank god, no. drew’s got a girlfriend now, though. but she’s not coming.”

“damn, that doesn’t feel right. they’re all so old now,” azzi frowned. she could picture drew’s baby face, his first day of middle school. his dark, shining eyes, the way he looked at paige like she held the secrets to the universe. it was sweet. it used to make her a little sick. she missed it, now. 

“well,” paige shrugged, “that’s what happens when you grow up.”

address me, said the elephant in the room. 

azzi stole a glance at paige, who was already looking at her out of the corner of her eye. they both quickly looked away. 

the car braked to a stop in the parking lot of a restaurant. azzi checked her phone for the time. 

two fifteen. they were fifteen minutes early. good, she thought. i won’t have to walk in to everyone already being there. she shuddered at the thought of entering with everyone’s eyes on her, searching and scanning her, scouring her face for the sign of any emotion but happiness. 

can we leave? she wanted to ask. “cuban sandwiches. nice,” she mumbled instead. paige smiled in response, getting out of the car. 

the restaurant was small, diner-esque, and it didn’t even look like somewhere that hosted reservations. the floor was colorful tile, murals stretched from wall to wall, and the chairs, tables, and bar were a sweet chestnut color. there was a tangy, rich smell in the air, and it was oddly comforting. azzi breathed it in deeply. 

paige’s hand found hers and squeezed. azzi’s anxiety dissipated for all of four seconds before she saw that paige’s family was already all gathered at a table in the back corner. shit. wonderful. it was show-up-early-to-lunch-tuesday. 

just like azzi had feared, every single person’s eyes were glued to her. paige was taller than her, dressed in a light blue shirt that was totally eye-catching and sporting neon fucking shoes, but nope. azzi was where everyone was looking. she managed a small smile in their direction and forced her hand up to wave. hey guys. nothing to look at over here. just another day. 

paige had clearly been to the restaurant before, and, after smiling at her family, she turned behind the counter to dap up the waiter. he made a comment about her wnba season and winked in azzi’s direction, making a comment about her pretty girl. azzi’s grip tightened on paige, and her cheeks warmed. 

it was something that never changed. other than when she visited dallas, azzi hadn’t gotten to experience it much, but it was still true; paige was universally beloved everywhere that she went. azzi sometimes forgot that paige had that effect on other people as well as herself, always the social glue and the life of the party. people gravitated towards her. she was just so good. 

azzi wore her smile on her face like a spinning top, wobbling but true. paige didn’t let go of her hand for a singular second as they waded over to the corner of the restaurant, even when she reached around the table to give those she could brief side hugs and exchange pleasant greetings. 

they sat down. lauren sat across from azzi, with drew at the head of the table on her left. paige sat to azzi’s right, celia to her right, ryan at the other head. paige’s mom and stepdad were next to lauren, catty-corner to azzi. unconsciously, she squeezed paige’s hand. 

she expected paige to squeeze her back subtly, but paige paused her greetings to turn towards her and press a lingering kiss to her cheek instead. she caught her eye as she pulled away, reassuring. azzi nodded. 

she looked back up, anxious to see if anyone had noticed her nerves. to her surprise, everyone had busied themselves with the menu, or the napkins, or their phones. she blinked a few times in surprise. alright. 

she swallowed. swing big, she instructed herself. “mrs. bueckers, how’s work going?”

paige’s mom’s face lit up. azzi studied the apples of her cheeks, the way they shone under the light like paige’s did. her face was softer than paige’s, lived-in. 

she launched into an explanation of corporate finance, what it was like working with representatives for big firms. azzi found herself listening genuinely, not just politely. she asked questions and laughed. the metal bars shackled to her chest loosened, and she felt like she was able to breathe a little bit better. 

by the time paige’s mom was finished, they’d segued into talking about the internships celia was looking into for the summer. paige was oddly inquisitive, and her and celia’s personalities flowed well together. paige had never really talked about her, and azzi wondered when they’d gotten to know each other so well. 

celia, for her part, was the only family member who kept looking at azzi when she thought azzi wasn’t paying attention. she had a pleased smile on her face that she was clearly trying to hide, but azzi couldn’t place it. 

well, the only family member other than drew. he asked azzi nervous questions, and she tried to return the favor. was he playing any sports? what were his friends like? did he play any video games? did he have a least favorite teacher in school?

in turn, he asked azzi about what it was like to be famous, how she played so many shows without getting tired. azzi made direct eye contact with him and tried not to think about how those same eyes used to look in a much smaller face. it was unsettling how much he’d grown. lauren, too, and ryan. 

what settled the bile in her throat was that drew seemed nothing but timidly excited. his countenance showed no lingering distaste or hesitation. he didn’t seem to resent her for breaking his sister’s heart, and nor did anyone else. their entrees came and left, and paige’s knee never moved from hers below the table. everyone got the chance to talk, nobody fought, and azzi even slipped a few jokes in. 

regardless of how her body relaxed, she still felt bug-eyed. she caught herself repeating the table’s laughter, smiles, and pleasantries over and over in her head like she was studying for a quiz, stuffing information together and trying to mop up what leaked through. like there was something to fail. 

paige gently elbowed her in the middle of ryan’s discussion about his upcoming sports season. she leaned into azzi’s ear, lowering her voice. 

“you okay, baby?”

azzi nodded, keeping herself focused on the conversation. 

“relax,” paige whispered. azzi nodded again, but paige frowned, dissatisfied. “hey,” she muttered intently, jostling azzi’s side. azzi looked over at her, lips thin. “you’re doing great, baby. relax,” she repeated. 

her eyes searched azzi’s, scanning her face. i’m serious, azzi could tell she meant to say. you’re safe. 

slowly, gently, the last bits of azzi’s hesitation fell away. paige leaned in and kissed her cheek. her face pinkened. 

ryan coughed. “lovebirds,” he tried to partially mask. 

“shut up, ryan. don’t make me bring up you and celia during the last cabin trip,” paige tossed her napkin at his shoulder. he frowned, protesting. 

“i don’t know what you’re talking about,” celia said, throat tight. 

paige’s mom raised an eyebrow. “should i be hearing this?”

“it’s nothing,” ryan said at the same time paige said gleefully, “nope.”

azzi snorted. “be nice,” she muttered.

“well, azzi, i really have to tell you just how good it is to see you again. i know it’s been a while, but you’ve become such a sweet young woman,” paige’s mother turned to azzi, a gentle smile on her face. “you always were, of course, but it’s even more evident now.”

azzi felt a smile grow on her face, embarrassed at the attention. “thank you, mrs. bueckers, it was great to see you guys again and catch up. i like being around everyone,” azzi said. she found herself surprised that she meant it. 

“we’ll probably see you around again soon,” paige’s stepdad added, “we might be able to catch you at one of your shows near us.”

azzi waited for the ice-cold shock of dread to course through her veins. it didn’t come.

she smiled. “that’d be great. it would be so cool to have you there.”

paige’s mother rested her chin in her palm. “i really am so happy for you, azzi. you’ve always been so talented, and it’s so much fun to watch you succeed. whenever we used to get you back in college, you were always so shy. it’s like seeing a whole new woman. it’s incredible how much you’ve grown.”

azzi searched her chest for panic at the perception, for the urge to overanalyze the sentences for deeper meaning. she found nothing but a quiet pleasure. 

blinking, she shrugged and smiled bashfully. lauren and drew looked at her and exchanged a snort at the look on her face. 

“so, azzi, if paige doesn’t mind me asking,” paige’s mother glared playfully in paige’s direction, “how exactly did you two reconnect?”

paige choked on the water she’d picked up to drink. azzi side eyed her, quickly. you said you’d told them everything, she wanted to complain. then she thought about paige telling her mom that they’d kicked paige’s hookup out of her hotel room so they could hatefuck, and she felt a little more empathetic. 

she wondered if paige’s brain was also replaying azzi biting into paige’s collarbone, stripping her shirt off, muttering hate you while blinking away tears of admission. 

“uh,” azzi started. her hair suddenly felt a little too warm against her scalp. “we both use this stylist sometimes, brittany. she didn’t know that we knew each other, and she invited us both to sit at a fashion show with her.”

“new york fashion week,” paige clarified, “she’d actually lent azzi some of my clothes for an interview a bit before.”

“you guys fit in the same clothes?” drew asked. “azzi’s got really big arms.”

“what the hell,” paige complained, “i’m the basketball player. this is ten pounds of straight muscle.” she flexed her arms underneath of her shirt, and azzi thought briefly about tearing it off so she could stare at it in peace. 

paige’s stepfather piped up. “so, you guys saw each other and just picked up where you left off?”

well.

“pretty much,” azzi laughed. she stole another glance at paige out of the corner of her eye. the blonde’s cheeks were warm, and she was trying to avoid eye contact with azzi. when her free hand came up to tug at her ponytail, azzi fought the urge to lean over and kiss her cheek like it was something violent. 

she looked back over at paige’s parents. their eyes were soft in the yellow restaurant light, understanding, as they watched paige get nervous. it was a look of love, of acceptance. it was so casual that it made azzi’s gut wrench, sudden and jerky. a wave of nausea overcame her, mouth wetting, jaw clenching.  

on the table, paige’s phone vibrated. azzi looked down out of the corner of her eye to read the text. 

ryan: Soooo are you guys dating again or

at the opposing head of the table, ryan was smirking as he looked at paige for a reaction. paige rolled her eyes at him, hand shooting out to lock her phone so that azzi couldn’t read it. 

it was so easy. they were joking about it. something about that hit azzi, low and sharp. she sucked in a breath.

it was nothing to them. it was normal. their worldview operated within a frame of paige likes women, paige sees women, it’s the way the world works. 

azzi didn’t have to hold herself back from kissing paige’s cheek. she didn’t need to make herself look perfect to make up for some imagined fault. paige’s parents didn’t care where she’d been, what she’d done. after everything, all that mattered to them was that paige loved her, that paige was happy. it was reflected in paige– that warmth, that forgiveness, that unconditional love.

it was so easy. it was so unfair. 

the tears came to azzi’s eyes before she realized she’d summoned them, and she swallowed angrily as she tried to blink them away. jealousy, she realized, and it didn’t make her feel any better. 

ryan: O shit is that a bad subject

paige scanned the message and nearly hurt her head whipping it around towards azzi. azzi’s stomach flipped, and she stood up abruptly, turning away. paige could not see her tearing up. she didn’t want her to think that anyone had done anything wrong. 

“i’m going to use the bathroom really quickly! i’ll be right back,” she said as cheerfully as she could manage. 

she berated herself mentally as she made her way to the bathroom. she’d known how this was going to be coming into it. the tears stung at her eyes more strongly, cheeks wetting with it as she swung open a stall door and locked herself inside. 

“fuck,” she muttered to herself, looking up at the ceiling. stupid, she felt stupid.

was it enough? was it enough that it was breaking her heart? how much longer would it be before she could do this normally? would her body betray her like this forever?

everyone else was having a normal meal, and she could pull it together. she made a fist and pounded it against her hip, begging the feeling of fingernails clawing into her chest to go away. her tears had dried up, replaced by self-frustration.

it was so steady. paige was a grown woman who saw her family maybe once a month, but it was so normal. azzi’s life was bus, hotel, perform, crash, interview, write, repeat. adjusting to the calm of this environment was strange but gratifying, but for that to be compounded with yet another contrast– the one that hurt the most– was difficult.

a soft knock sounded from the door to the stall. 

not now, she pleaded with the sky. 

“azzi?” paige’s voice came through the cracks in the metal, small and vulnerable. azzi wiped the wetness from her cheeks and unlocked the door immediately, pulling a smile to her face at the sight of the blonde. 

“hey,” paige said. 

“hey,” she replied, “what’s up?”

“you okay?"

“yeah!” azzi said brightly. “why?”

paige’s blue eyes searched her face, her eyebrows twitching. azzi felt like a marionette on fraying strings, drawn up precariously. 

paige surged forward and wrapped her in a hug. “c’mere,” she muttered into azzi’s neck, burying her face there. 

the effect was instantaneous. azzi’s shoulders melted, hands coming up to hold paige’s waist. 

paige loved so much it was overwhelming. she overflowed with it, spilling it into azzi’s chest. she saw azzi so tenderly, saw the world so tenderly; it was like each and every thing had given her life, like everything mattered in ways that azzi had never been able to comprehend. azzi couldn’t believe that she’d ever made herself go without her. 

azzi’s shoulders shook with the effort of holding back her tears. it’s fine, she consoled herself, literally everything is fine. 

“too much?” paige mumbled. azzi shook her head. never, never. 

paige pulled back, keeping her hands around azzi’s waist and stroking it comfortingly. “baby,” she whispered, “what’s wrong?”

“nothing,” azzi maintained, voice thin. she tried again for a smile. 

paige frowned. “azzi.”

“paige.”

“it’s me,” she whispered gently. “it’s just me.”

azzi swallowed, relaxing. she blinked rapidly. “i–” she started, and her words failed her. “i don’t–”

“take your time.”

azzi nodded, looking up at the ceiling. paige’s fingers drew slow shapes against the fabric of her shirt, grounding her. 

“it was good, it was really good. everyone’s great,” she started. 

“but?” 

she shrugged. the enormity of her feelings, of an entire lifetime of shame and hiding, couldn’t really fit in the confines of a sentence. how was she supposed to say this isn’t normal, where is the yelling, where is the hopelessness, where is the guilt? how could she tell her i love you so much it feels like i should be punished for it?

“too good,” she admitted. 

paige’s voice got quiet. “okay.”

“it’s really fine,” she rushed to clarify, “it’s really okay. it just– like– hit me out of nowhere. everything was going great, i promise, everyone’s wonderful. it’s just this feeling of, like, nobody’s judging, after everything. and i’ve never–” her voice cracked, “i’ve never had that, so. it’s just– it’s just uh. yeah.”

paige’s face drew up with worry, eyes full of a quiet concern. but she didn’t press. didn’t ask. she nodded. 

“got it,” she murmured. “i’m sorry.”

“don’t be– don’t be sorry. you didn’t do anything.”

“i know,” paige said simply. she didn’t take it back. they looked at each other, soft and wordless, and azzi felt something inside of her click into place. 

leaning forwards, she pressed a kiss to paige’s lips. paige drew her closer as they parted, pulling her back in for another, another. azzi’s worry slunk away, replaced by thoughts of love, love, love. paige was what was real. 

when they finally stopped, paige’s lips were pink and she was flushed down to her neck. her pupils were a little larger, blinking slowly. azzi marveled at the effect that she still had on her, so long into knowing each other. paige, always with an outgoing attitude tried on for size, soft and pliant and nervous. 

she wanted to say it. paige looked at her similarly, swallowing. time passed. 

“thanks for checking on me,” azzi cleared her throat, stepping out of paige’s grip and out of the stall. 

paige’s voice lowered. “of course.”

“we can head back,” azzi added. regardless of the fact that neither of them had used the bathroom, they washed their hands and headed back out. if anyone at the table had wondered about what they were doing, they didn’t show it. 

paige’s stepdad held up the check. “you’re back just in time. we just paid!”

“what?” paige complained, “i told you i was going to get it.” azzi felt secretly annoyed for not paying it herself before anyone noticed. 

“no, i was going to get it,” ryan joked. paige threw another napkin at him, which he dodged. 

“let me get the tip,” azzi insisted, before paige could volunteer herself.

“what– no! baby,” paige pleaded, trying to pray azzi’s hands away from searching for her wallet in her purse. 

“i’m going to get the tip,” she repeated, “cash is getting put on this table. don’t put anything on the card.” she pulled a couple of twenties from her wallet and tossed them onto the table. 

“thank you, azzi. you didn’t have to,” paige’s mom smiled at her. 

“thank you. this was wonderful. the food was great, and i had such a good time.” she meant it. she really did. 

the rest of the family stood up and made their way out of the restaurant, paige and azzi following behind. paige’s mom turned towards paige. “i’ll see you at the game tomorrow.” she gave her a hug. “our jerseys finally came in.”

“dude, i know, they take so long to ship,” paige frowned.“and azzi,” paige mom beamed, drawing her into a similar hug. “we’ll see you sooner rather than later, i hope. let us know when you’re free.”

“bye, azzi,” drew gave her an awkward side hug. she did the same to ryan and celia, who waggled her eyebrows at azzi as they pulled away and looked over at paige. azzi, in turn, flicked her eyes to ryan, and celia shrugged. 

azzi moved to hug paige’s stepdad while paige spun drew around in a circle. “hey, if you really want to come to a concert, just let me know the date. i can arrange tickets for you. i’m already doing it for her,” azzi said, nodding towards paige. 

“she can afford it herself,” ryan scoffed.

“but that’s what you do for people you care about,” paige’s mom admonished him. 

“that sounds great,” paige’s stepdad smiled. “i’ll ask paige to send me your number, so i can let you know.”

“anything you need,” azzi promised, “seriously.”

he thanked her, and they waved as they went their separate ways. the group of paige’s family headed across the parking lot to their own car, and two arms wrapped themselves around azzi’s waist from the back. 

“paige,” she complained. 

paige kissed her neck. “that was so much fun. they loved you. drew was so happy that you talked to just him for a while, i could see it on his face.”

azzi released a long breath, letting herself fall back into paige’s arms. “he’s so cute. he was so funny talking about his math teacher.”

“bro needs to lock in,” paige groaned.

“you were the same,” azzi reminded her, laughing. 

“whatever,” paige grumbled, “let’s go back to the car..”

“okay.” they separated, heading back into paige’s car. azzi buckled her seatbelt out of habit as paige keyed the ignition on. 

the car was silent as paige plugged instructions into her phone, and azzi stared out the window. she watched from a distance as ryan and drew chatted aimlessly, hopping into their own vehicle, at celia adjusting her braids in the reflection of the back door, at the parents having a discussion by the license plate. people from all parts of the country, coming together to exist as a family. 

it had been hard for a brief moment, but overall the meal had been near-perfect. everyone was kind, everyone liked to talk. azzi felt safe to exist as herself. there was still a bit of caution in her brain, but her heart couldn’t lie. 

watching them, azzi didn’t feel an ache. she felt like coming home. 

generally, being a part of this family didn’t feel like something unattainable, didn’t remind her of what was taken from her. there would always be moments of hurt, and no family was perfect, but it was present. she was free to exist without fear. she thought about her mother’s last words to her– 

i know we’re not perfect, honey, but we’re family. doesn’t that mean anything to you? we’re trying. 

it didn’t. it meant nothing to her. the concept of family, blood related family, made no difference. this family, these people who loved each other, who were open and calm and bickered like the world wouldn’t end if they disagreed, meant something. it opened up a part of azzi that she’d been shutting down, just a crack. 

“they’re really accepting,” she admitted quietly, “it’s really nice.”

“yeah,” paige smiled, “they’ve been there for me through a lot. so have my dad and my stepmom. no pressure to see them again anytime though, seriously.”

azzi sent her a grateful look. 

“hey, just wondering,” paige started carefully, “i know you haven’t seen your brothers in a while. and you don’t have to, at all– you don’t know what they’re like now, and they still live with your parents, and– well– have you ever thought about reaching out again?”

azzi’s heart squeezed in her chest. “yeah. i might.”

“sure,” paige said easily, not pushing any farther. the directions popped up on the car’s console, and she moved to apple music to choose a playlist to listen to. a song came on that azzi used to love in college, and she laughed as she recognized it. it was chill, a guitar-driven love song with a steady beat. 

“we’re on the seabed,” she sang under her breath, “dancing in the bay.”

paige grinned from ear to ear at her reaction, pleased that she enjoyed the choice. azzi rolled her eyes with a similar smile on her face. there wasn’t thing about her that paige didn’t seem to remember.

the song played out for a little, and they sat and listened. it felt right, just sitting there with paige. listening to a song she used to adore, full and fresh off a good hangout with good people. azzi regretted that she’d ever have to leave. 

it hit her, then, what this was. azzi was now fully integrated back into paige’s life. she’d met her teammates, her old friends, her family. they were far beyond pretense of being casual, beyond pretending like this wasn’t something deeper than what they were calling it. fuck. what was paige thinking? azzi hadn’t integrated her into her social circles the same, even though it wasn’t fully possible. 

azzi should set up a hangout with mackenzie, she thought, or dorka. everyone who’d filled in the cracks that had been created when she’d left paige. 

she stole a glance at paige, stupidly soft in her bright blue shirt. paige was already looking back at her with a strange look across her face, like she was deep in thought. 

“what?” azzi asked quietly.

paige chewed her lip for a second, contemplating. 

“i just want you to know,” she started slowly, “that i don’t ever want to make you feel unwanted or unloved ever again. i don’t want to make you have to fear that.

azzi’s heart skipped a nervous beat, and she blinked. “i know. same goes for you.” 

“no, i–” paige cut herself off, frustrated, “like, in any situation. i don’t think– i don’t want– fuck.”

“what?” azzi repeated, confused. 

“fuck,” paige muttered, again. “i didn’t want to– here– but–”

she buried her face in her hands. azzi looked around. was there something she was missing?

paige cleared her throat and put her hands down, shoulders adjusting. “i mean never. and i know we were stupid once, and we did this before with our guards not fully down. but this time– swear, this time feels different. and– shit,” she tore her eyes away from azzi, looking up at the ceiling, “this is so hard.”

azzi’s heartbeat rang through her entire head. she felt like she was buzzing. 

“azzi,” paige exhaled. she forced her gaze up to meet azzi’s again. her voice when she spoke was quiet and vulnerable. “would you want to try again?”

a wounded sound escaped from the depths of azzi’s throat. would you want to try again? would you want to try again? the words pounded in an echo in her mind. her hands clenched. her stomach swooped. paige felt it too. paige forgave her.  

“would you let me?”

“azzi,” paige turned towards the steering wheel, voice punched out, “i want you so badly. so badly. it’s driving me crazy.”

azzi drank in the lines of her body, slumped and almost defeated with it. like the weight of the love she was carrying physically hurt. 

“i want you,” azzi whispered. paige’s grip on her own shorts tightened. she pressed her lips together.

“you’re sure?”

“it’s all i ever want. always you,” azzi confessed. 

at her words, paige melted. she turned back towards azzi, eyes shining. azzi unbuckled her seatbelt and surged forwards, embracing her fiercely. mine, her head said. mine, mine, mine. her head rushed with it, squeezing paige even tighter. paige’s hands were somewhere around her back, pulling her as close as she could possibly get her. finally, finally, they could touch each other without reservation. 

when azzi’s core started to ache at how she was bent over, she pulled away. she sat back in her seat, a dopey smile on her face. mine. 

paige seemed to be having similar thoughts, because she leaned over towards azzi and kissed her cheek repeatedly. “my girlfriend,” she sing-songed as she finally moved to buckle herself in. 

azzi rolled her eyes. corny. she said nothing, body feeling like she was floating away from herself. jesus christ. she was a grown woman. a renowned artist.  she’d been fucking paige for half a year. she’d been in love with her forever. she could chill out. 

we’re dating, her brain reminded her. “holy shit,” she muttered. 

paige burst out laughing. “holy shit!” she affirmed, “this fucking rocks.”

“of course it does,” azzi tried to sound annoyed, but she couldn’t stop grinning. “i’m great.”

paige shook her head and turned up the music. “oh my god, i can’t wait to tell everyone. i mean, just our friends. not everyone.”

azzi thought about that stupid edit of them that she’d seen earlier. about how many likes were on it, how much support they had. half of her wanted to keep it that way– speculation, privacy. but the other half of her knew how well it would be received by most people. and she was tired of hiding. 

“everyone…eventually?” she asked carefully. 

paige’s hand froze on the clutch. “no rush.”

azzi nodded. she tried to hide her smile behind her hand so she looked less ridiculous. 

eventually.

[fuddsprincess]

[hcneymooners]

the thing that infuriates me most about the sophie cunningham of it all is how profoundly performative the league’s response has been.

they were perfectly willing to respond to the alleged “backlash” surrounding paige and angel’s wager, and to make jonquel apologize for comments that were removed from their context during an all-star weekend stream - comments that ultimately have no meaningful bearing on the future of the league or any substantive impact on anyone’s life. yet when people ask the league to address the blatant transphobia being expressed by a player they are paying millions of dollars, suddenly the response is, “this is a new expansion of the league.” that is not an answer.

and then there is the argument itself, which is what frustrates me most about people like sophie cunningham, because there seems to be an almost complete inability to step back and consider what they are actually advocating for.

in the context of the wnba, there are not young girls in these professional locker rooms. there are adult women. so when the argument is specifically being made about transgender women allegedly entering wnba locker rooms and harming young girls, what exactly are we talking about? the hypothetical being presented is not grounded in the reality of the league or its locker rooms.

but more importantly, i think people are deliberately missing the larger point when they invoke the alleged protection of women and children. the issue is not whether a transgender person could theoretically be present in a recreational environment where children are playing sports. obviously, transgender people exist in every part of society. the issue is that you are taking the threat of sexual violence—which is very real—and assigning that threat disproportionately to a population that is not responsible for the overwhelming majority of it.

the people perpetrating sexual violence against women and children are overwhelmingly cisgender, and disproportionately cisgender men. so if your stated concern is protecting women and girls from sexual violence, why are transgender people being positioned as the central threat? why are you constructing elaborate hypothetical scenarios around a population that represents such a small proportion of the world instead of addressing the people who actually perpetrate the violence you claim to be so concerned about?

that is where the fearmongering becomes so transparent to me. you’ve taken a real and horrifying problem—sexual violence against women and children—and attached it to a marginalized group that has already been culturally constructed as suspicious. suddenly the conversation is no longer about preventing sexual violence. it is about whether transgender people should be allowed to exist in every day life. and because the original justification was “protecting women and children,” anyone who questions that premise can then be accused of opposing their safety.

and the consequences of that rhetoric do not remain confined to transgender women. once you establish that “woman” is something that must be externally verified in order to determine who belongs in an environment, you inevitably create a system in which women themselves become subject to suspicion: women with masculine features, women with higher testosterone, women who simply do not look the way someone expects a woman to look. we have already seen female athletes questioned, investigated, humiliated, and subjected to invasive scrutiny because somebody decided they did not appear feminine enough.

that is the contradiction i cannot get past. you cannot claim that you are protecting women from sexual misconduct while advocating for systems that make women more vulnerable to having their bodies inspected, questioned, exposed, and policed. you cannot say you are protecting young girls while creating an environment in which the solution to a hypothetical threat becomes determining of who is sufficiently female to belong in a space. eventually, someone has to decide what qualifies as “female enough”. and once that happens, women who fail to satisfy somebody else's arbitrary standard of femininity become collateral damage.

we have already seen how quickly this logic can be applied to women who have never had anything to do with transgender politics at all. imane khelif is a particularly obvious example: a woman who became the subject of global speculation about her sex because she did not conform to someone's expectations of what a woman should look like. that is the problem with turning femininity into a qualification that other people are entitled to authenticate. eventually, the question will stop being “how do we protect women?” and will become “which women do we believe are really women?” and it already has.

if your concern is genuinely about sexual violence, then talk about sexual violence. talk about the people who commit it, talk about why women and children are so often harmed by those they already know and trust, talk about institutional failures that allow abuse to continue. but do not take a problem overwhelmingly perpetrated by cisgender people, particularly cisgender men, and use it as an excuse to portray transgender people as uniquely dangerous. that is not protecting women and children. in fact it’s doing quite the opposite.

[soloey]

the kaitlyn chen highlights are literally my favorite thing about this season i think. like im so moved. i love her so dearly & im so happy for her

[alwaysstaypink]

K9’s most recent tiktok post 🥹

Those are actually Azzi’s babies mann 🙁🥺

[buffalo1221]

can you fix a broken heart

synopsis: years after giving birth azzi tries to reclaim her three point competition crown, while paige tries (and to no one’s surprise, fails) to keep her hands to herself.

cw: suggestive language & smut (minors dni)

wc: 14.5k

a/n: as promised… a glimpse into the future of our favorite couple. hopefully this helps with the post all-star weekend hangover and double wings loss.

BONUS CHAPTER

Azzi let a three fly from the left wing.

The ball barely finished snapping through the net before Sarah whipped another one into her hands. Azzi caught it on instinct, set her feet, and shot again.

Swish.

The arena was still filling but it already carried that familiar All-Star Weekend buzz.

Another pass came from Sarah and Azzi almost let it sail right past her shoulder.

“Get it together, Fudd,” Sarah laughed as the ball skipped across the hardwood.

Azzi jogged two steps, scooped it up before it reached the baseline, and shot her teammate a look over her shoulder.

“I know, I know.”

Sarah snorted. “Apparently you don’t.”

Azzi shook her head, trying to focus as she returned to her spot beyond the arc. She let another shot go, watched it splash cleanly through the net, then immediately looked back toward the tunnel leading into the seating bowl.

Still nothing.

An arm slipped around her shoulders followed by Gabby’s voice asking, “Where’s Paige and Nika?”

“Oh,” Sarah sang dramatically. “That’s why your head’s in the clouds. You’re looking for your lover girl.”

Gabby laughed and Azzi shoved her off.

“You two are insufferable,” she complained. 

“And yet,” Sarah said, spinning another ball in her hands, “we’re not incorrect.”

“Whatever,” Azzi sighed, unable to stop the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth. “They should be here by now.”

She knew she sounded a little whiny, because Gabby patted her shoulder placatingly. 

“You know Nika probably made Paige stop to buy her food before finding their seats,” she said with all the assurance of a woman who was one hundred percent right.

And all Azzi could do was laugh because, unfortunately, she knew Gabby was correct. 

Sarah sent a pass back to Azzi, nodding at her to lock in again and keep shooting.

“So,” she asked, “is the whole gang coming or just those two?”

“I got everybody tickets,” Azzi said. “So they better be here.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Gabby whistled. “Because we going outside after you win this thing.”

“I know that’s right,” Sarah agreed with a holler.

Azzi just smiled, shaking out her shoulders as she let another shot sail. She watched it slip through the net before turning back to her friends.

“I have to win it first.” 

Sarah actually scoffed. “Please be serious. Girl, you’re shooting forty-three percent from three this season. I don’t even know why they’re holding this competition.”

Statistically, Sarah wasn’t wrong, but the knot sitting low in Azzi’s stomach didn’t loosen.

The Storm were having one of the best seasons in franchise history and Azzi was having the best shooting season of her career. She was back in MVP conversations—something she hadn’t expected to happen again. Not since becoming a mom. A year ago, she’d simply been grateful to feel like herself again, because her first season after coming back from pregnancy had been…rough. There really wasn’t another word for it. Her body hadn’t felt like hers. Her legs had been heavy. Her shot had abandoned her just often enough to make her wonder if she’d ever truly get it back.

The second season was better, although still not up to her usual standards. Azzi had stopped overthinking and basketball had started to feel  instinctive again, instead of something she had to consciously fight her way through.

This season, though? Her third season back on the court? Everything had finally clicked into place.

Her body was fully recovered. Her confidence had returned. Sleep had become more consistent, though it was still largely ruled by a tiny dictator with magnificent curls and an uncanny ability to wake up at six o’clock on the one morning everyone wanted to sleep in. She’d found her rhythm again, both on and off the court, and it showed every time she stepped onto the hardwood.

Still, nothing quite compared to shooting underneath the All-Star lights in her own city. But reclaiming the three point contest crown—something she’d already won multiple times—somehow felt harder than winning it the first time.

Before her pregnancy, Azzi had owned this competition. She’d collected three-point titles the way some people collected souvenir magnets from their trips abroad.

And tonight was her chance to win it back.

She caught another pass from Sarah, settled her feet, and dropped a dime in from behind the arc.

“See?” Sarah said. “You’re literally fine. You got this, Fudd.”

Azzi gave her friends a tight smile and blew out a breath. “I appreciate the blind confidence.”

“It isn’t blind,” Gabby retorted. “We’ve had to rebound for you after every practice the last two weeks. It’s actually kind of annoying.”

Azzi opened her mouth to shoot back a witty comment when a high, excited voice echoed across the court.

“Mommy!”

A split second later two little arms collided with her knees.

Azzi grinned, immediately abandoning the basketball to bend down and scoop her daughter into her arms.

“There’s my girl,” she said, pressing a loud kiss into the top of a head full of impossibly thick, dark curls. “Hi, baby.”

The little girl, Azzi’s spitting image, giggled so hard she squealed. She wrapped both of her arms around Azzi’s neck and squeezed as if they hadn’t seen each other in weeks instead of that morning.

And just behind her, Paige came jogging onto the floor slightly out of breath.

“Nika,” Paige hissed, her cheeks pink from sprinting down half the arena stairs. “You can’t run away from Mama like that.”

Azzi smiled so hard her cheeks ached. It still amazed her sometimes how quickly seeing the two of them could settle her. Five seconds earlier she’d been thinking about shooting percentages, money balls, and reclaiming titles.

Now all she could think about was the tiny warm body clinging to her and the woman slowing to a stop in front of her, still carrying what appeared to be enough snacks to feed an entire elementary school classroom.

Paige had somehow managed to run down the stairs while holding a water bottle, an overflowing box of popcorn, two hot pretzels, an assortment of prepackaged candy, and a fluffy bag of pink cotton candy.

And Azzi was sure that the gray backpack slung over her shoulder contained even more food. Only Paige could make a diaper bag look sexy.

“Hi,” Paige said softly as she stepped in, slipping an arm around Azzi’s waist before kissing her. It was a quick kiss—the kind that had long since become second nature—but it still eased the last of the tension sitting between Azzi’s shoulder blades.

“Hi, baby,” Azzi said, giving her wife one more kiss before turning to pepper kisses across her daughter’s cheeks until the little girl dissolved into uncontrollable giggles.

“Mama!” Nika squeaked.

Azzi smiled, then looked over at Paige.

“What took you two so long?”

Paige glanced down at the grocery store of snacks clutched in her arms.

“Nika wanted to get a few snacks before the game.”

Gabby threw both hands in the air, both amused and also victorious.

“I knew it!”

Sarah wandered over and before Azzi could protest, plucked Nika from her arms.

“Aunt Sarah!” Nika squealed, immediately burying her face into Sarah’s neck.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Azzi deadpanned. “Abandon your mother.”

Nika didn’t even look up, but Azzi didn’t miss the way Sarah grinned smugly.

Paige chuckled before turning back to Azzi, using the rare moment of quiet between them.

“How’re you feeling, baby?”

Azzi exhaled. “Nervous,” she admitted sheepishly, hoping her wife didn’t notice her pink cheeks. 

Paige studied her for a second before reaching up to smooth an invisible wrinkle from the sleeve of her warmup shirt.

“You just have to remind them who you are.” Then she looked over at their daughter. “Right, Nik?”

From Sarah’s arms came an enthusiastic little nod, followed by, “Yesh!”

“Tell Mommy who she is,” Paige encouraged.

Nika cupped both hands around her mouth and yelled in her raspy toddler voice, “Azzi Fucking Fudd!” across the otherwise quiet stretch of hardwood.

Silence fell. Complete, devastating silence. 

Judging from the alarmed and guilty expression on her face, those were not the words Paige had expected their daughter to say. Her wife  looked like Azzi had just caught her posting another sleeveless renovation on TikTok—something expressly forbidden in their marriage— while Gabby folded cleanly in half. Out of the corner of her eye, Azzi could also see Sarah’s shoulders shaking as she tried to hold in a laugh.

Azzi blinked once, then very, very slowly turned her head toward her wife.

Paige had gone pale. Ghostly white to match the fresh longsleeve Jordan shirt she had on under her new All-Star Fudd jersey. 

“Before you say anything…” she stuttered.

“Oh, I am absolutely going to say something,” Azzi hissed. “What the hell are you teaching our daughter?” 

Paige winced and threw her hands up in surrender.

“So… you know how the team was on that three-game road trip last week?”

Azzi narrowed her eyes and nodded, allowing her wife to keep breathing for the time being. “Yes. I remember missing my wife and child but taking comfort in the fact that I knew said child was being well looked after…”

“Right,” Paige nodded. “Well, Nika and I missed you so much, baby, so I may or may not have let her stay up late to watch the games with us.”

“And…”

“And, um…she may or may not have picked up some new vocabulary?”

“From her aunts, right, P?” Gabby asked, clearly stepping in to bail out Azzi’s wife. 

Teammate loyalty apparently meant nothing.

“Definitely them,” Sarah agreed, trying to bail the blonde out. “I’ve, uh… I’ve definitely heard Nai yell that before. Stewie too.”

Azzi knew what they were doing by trying to pin this on Paige’s friends. She glanced between all three of them before looking back at her daughter, who appeared completely oblivious to what she had said. She could only imagine the cheers Nika got when she yelled that in front of her aunts during a game.

Truthfully, Azzi wasn’t upset: how could she be? Between the Storm and Paige’s friends, Nika spent most of the basketball season surrounded by professional athletes and passionate sports fans with extremely colorful vocabularies. It was more of a surprise that it had taken this long. 

Azzi was honestly just grateful their daughter hadn’t repeated some of her own questionable word choices over the years. And really, so long as she didn’t repeat them at daycare, what was the harm? 

Paige stepped in again, sliding her hands into the pockets of Azzi’s warmup hoodie to tug her closer. Azzi let herself be pulled, drawn in by the alluring look in her wife’s baby blue eyes.

“You’ve got this, baby,” Paige said quietly, just for her. “Show them who Azzi Fucking Fudd is.”

Azzi smiled, feeling Paige’s confidence seep into her bones. Over the years she’d been infinitely grateful for the way Paige had been able to inject that into her through the ups and downs.

“Thanks,” she whispered, sharing a look with her wife despite the chaos raging around them.

Paige squeezed her hand before reclaiming their daughter from Sarah.

“Come on, baby girl. Let’s go watch Mommy win this thing. Give her a kiss for good luck.”

She brought Nika over, and Azzi reveled in the sensation of her daughter’s tiny—and sticky—lips pressing a kiss to her cheek. She buried her face into Nika’s neck, memorizing her still sweet baby smell. It calmed her almost as much as Paige’s unique and wonderful scent did. Azzi was so fucking lucky.

“Bye, Mommy!” Nika waved enthusiastically as she and Paige made their way back to the stands.

“I’ll see you in a little bit,” Azzi promised, blowing a kiss as she watched Paige walk toward their seats, weaving through a few rows until they reached the large Fudd-Bueckers crew.

Azzi couldn’t help but smile to see every single one of Paige’s friends-–her friends now too—wearing some variation of her jersey. It didn’t surprise her, seeing as they’d all been showing up for each other for years. But the sight of her wife, daughter, parents, and their closest friends packed into the same row, all proudly wearing her name across their backs, made her feel some type of way.

Luckily, that feeling of calm was still there, settling her nerves an hour later when Sonia Citron—the last shooter before Azzi was up—made nearly every shot. Azzi was so hyped cheering for Sonia that she’d lost track of just how many buckets her friend had hit. But when the final shot splashed through the net the scoreboard flashed her total and the arena erupted. 

Sonia had only missed four shots. It was not only a new record, but one that was going to be damn near impossible to beat. 

Gabby let out a whistle beside Azzi as Marina yelled, “Damn, Citron!” 

Azzi’s heart pounded in her chest, knowing her odds for winning had just gotten infinitely smaller. The shooters before them had put up respectable scores but none that Azzi was particularly worried about. She’d known before tonight that Sonia would probably be her biggest competition. Watching her casually dismantle the other scores only confirmed it.

She peered over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Paige standing a few rows back, Nika nestled in her arms clapping excitedly and waving. Paige gave her a big grin and a nod, and Azzi felt it cut through the tension hovering over her.  

“You got this, Fudd,” Sarah said beside her, giving Azzi’s shoulder a nudge. “Go show ‘em who my shooter is.” 

Azzi exhaled slowly as Sonia returned to the bench with a wide grin.

“Good luck,” she mumbled, dapping Azzi up.

“You know,” Azzi hummed. “I liked you a lot better about sixty seconds ago.”

Sonia just laughed and shoved her onto the court. “You’ll get over it.”

Azzi shook her head in amusement as she jogged onto the court and made her way toward the first rack, swinging her arms to get her blood pumping. As she stepped onto the corner spot the basket suddenly looked smaller.

It always did under pressure, but this felt worse. All the eyes on the arena—and on national television—were on her as everyone waited to see whether she could reclaim her title. 

She took a deep breath and held it in her lungs before exhaling. Glancing across the court she found Paige looking at her, wearing a confident smile like she already knew Azzi was about to bring home the crown.

And who was Azzi to let her wife down? 

The horn sounded and she plucked the first ball from the rack, relishing the feel of the worn, pebbled leather on her palms. She rose and released it… and instantly knew it was off. 

As expected, the ball hit the front rim and went skittering across the court.

Around her, the crowd groaned and inside, Azzi had a similar feeling. She could only afford a few misses. 

The second shot felt better coming off her finger tips, but as she turned to grab the third, she heard that one clank off the rim too. The audible gasp from the crowd informed her it didn't take a favorable bounce. 

Azzi’s stomach dropped. Two shots in and she was already close to losing. Part of her wanted to laugh. Of all the times to forget how to shoot a basketball, this was certainly not ideal.

She reached for the third ball, spinning it once in her palms. 

And then a tiny voice cut through the noise of the crowd. 

“Go Mommy!”

Her head instinctively turned and she saw Nika balanced on Paige’s lap with both of her hands cupped around her mouth.

“You got it Mommy!” 

On the shot clock, the timer was counting down. The noise in the arena was loud. The lights were bright. But Azzi caught Paige’s eye for half a second, and everything else fell away. Her wife simply smiled the same smile she’d worn before every big game for years.

You know who you are.

And Azzi did. She was a WNBA champion and multiple season MVP. An olympic gold medalist. And a fucking badass. 

Determined, Azzi looked back at the rim, grit her teeth and grabbed another ball. 

The third shot was nothing but net, as was every shot after. By the time she reached the money ball rack her rhythm was back. Ball after ball disappeared through the net and the crowd grew louder with every make.

The fourth station arrived and while she was still money, she knew the math without looking at the scoreboard. She could only afford one more miss.

Azzi rounded the corner toward the final rack. Her arms were on fire, her legs burning, but time was running out. She grabbed the first ball and released it only for it to miss the rim completely. The crowd groaned again as the scoreboard flashed what she already suspected.

There was no margin for error. She needed to hit every remaining shot.

The arena fell strangely quiet as she plucked the next ball off the rack and let it sail.

Swish. Swish. Swish. 

Everything came down to one basketball.

The title. The crown. Her pride. The seventy-five thousand dollars certainly wouldn’t hurt either. Especially since she’d been eyeing a new outdoor patio set. One made out of brazilian walnut that Paige told her would cost a zillion dollars to make.

Azzi grabbed the last ball from the rack as the clock ticked down from two seconds. Legs bent, she jumped up and let it fly. Time seemed to slow as the ball arced impossibly high before dropping cleanly through the center of the net.

The arena exploded with noise and Azzi threw both hands into the air before she even saw the scoreboard. She’d done it. She’d won again. 

Sarah was the first one to slam into her, followed immediately by Gabby with a bone crushing hug. 

Somewhere behind them Sonia was laughing and shaking her head. “I hate you,” she said affectionately as she came in for a hug.

“Better luck next time,” Azzi smirked, giving her a high five as Sonia congratulated her. 

“You earned it, Fudd.”

The words barely registered before another blur came flying across the hardwood.

Paige.

She didn’t slow down. She crashed into Azzi with enough force to make her stumble backward before wrapping both arms around her waist and lifting Azzi clean off the floor.

“I told you,” Paige shouted, spinning her around in the air, a beaming smile plastered on her flushed face. “That’s my girl!”

Azzi laughed and grabbed at Paige’s shoulders to steady herself as the arena swirled around her in a blur.

The motion was familiar, transporting her years backward to another celebration in Seattle, though this one was Paige’s victory. Back then they’d only just told the world they were together when Paige had kissed her in front of thousands of fans. And back then, Azzi had wondered what their future might look like.

She could never have imagined this. This life.

Not the quiet evenings spent together rocking on the front porch swing Paige built herself, or the sweet proposal when Paige got down on one knee on that porch and asked Azzi if they could keep choosing each other forever. 

Certainly not the pregnancy that had humbled them both. Morning sickness that lasted all day. Feeling at odds with her body for nearly ten unbearable months. Thirty-six exhausting hours of labor where Azzi nearly passed out from pushing and not eating and Paige nearly passed out when she saw the size of the epidural needle. 

And then holding their daughter, their tiny and perfect angel. They had nestled together in the hospital bed, both of them crying tears of joy as they counted her fingers and her toes and traced the curve of her eyebrows and the slope of her nose.

Azzi could never have envisioned Paige becoming so aggressively and obsessively committed to baby-proofing that she’d installed cabinet locks on cabinets that contained absolutely nothing. Azzi had found corner covers on literally anything that even resembled a corner, and doorknob covers on every door the day they came home from the hospital, like their daughter would be able to reach them anytime soon. 

There had been nights they’d laughed until they cried because Nika had somehow managed to take her diaper off and soaked her entire bed with pee. And that laughter had turned into groans when Nika grew and her antics evolved; like when flushed an entire roll of toilet paper or proudly announced at preschool that her mommy was the “best basketballer ever.”

There had been rehab sessions after injuries. Championships. Losses. Mundane grocery runs and sleepy Sunday mornings. There had been a million ordinary moments that had somehow become the extraordinary life they’d built together.

Sometimes—not often but occasionally—Azzi found herself remembering that morning years earlier, when her sink had been misbehaving and she’d felt defeated. And she’d called Big Buckets Home Repair. It scared her, in those moments of reflection. The idea that one twist of fate could have changed her life and she wouldn’t have had this. 

This incredible, amazing life. 

Paige finally set Azzi back on the floor, both hands still cupping her face.

“I told you,” she said, beaming so brightly it made Azzi’s chest cinch. “I told you. I told you, baby.”

Then she threw one fist into the air. “That’s my wife!” she hollered to anyone who looked like they might be listening. “Azzi Fucking Fudd!”

Azzi burst out laughing. “Now I know exactly where our daughter learned it.”

Paige only grinned and tugged Azzi back in before she could retreat. She planted a kiss on the crown of Azzi’s head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mhm,” Azzi hummed. 

“If we’re being honest,” Gabby cut in, squeezing Azzi’s shoulder and bending close so she could be heard over the din of the crowd, “she probably hears worse from us in the locker room.”

It truly amazed Azzi how willing her friends were to come to Paige’s aid. Unless they were in the mood to roast her, though even that was usually a joint effort. 

But Gabby wasn’t wrong. 

Considering their daughter spent half the season traveling with the Storm during road trips, she’d become remarkably fluent in locker room vocabulary. It was something Azzi was choosing not to think too hard about until after All-Star Weekend.

“That’s… unfortunately true,” Azzi admitted, reluctantly letting herself be pulled from the warmth of her wife as fellow league players swarmed around her. 

It took a few minutes for the chaos to settle.

Her teammates finally stopped squeezing the life out of her, photographers grabbed a few last shots of her with the trophy, and arena staff began resetting the floor for the next event as Holly stepped over for an interview. 

She had just started answering a question when a familiar little voice rose above the noise around them.

“Mommy!”

She looked over in time to see Nika barreling toward her, tiny legs pumping as fast as they could carry her before she crashed into Azzi’s knees and wrapped both arms around them. 

A few feet behind her, Marta stepped onto the court wearing an apologetic expression, already reaching out to retrieve the escapee. But Azzi only laughed and waved her off. She handed the trophy to Paige, who was standing just out of frame, and bent down to scoop Nika into her arms, settling her against her hip as the little girl immediately buried her face in the curve of Azzi’s neck. Nika’s curls tickled her cheek, her small fingers tangled into the collar of Azzi’s jersey. 

After all; Nika was part of this victory too.

There’d been a time when winning had felt like the most important thing in the world, when every title and accolade was needed to build her legacy and prove who she was. When that was all that Azzi felt she really had in life. Now, standing beneath the bright arena lights with her daughter clinging to her, the victory felt meaningful in an entirely different way.

Nika was still too young to understand shooting percentages or championship legacies, and she would definitely remember the snacks she forced her Mama to buy more than the contest itself. But she had watched Azzi struggle, work, and eventually stand at center court holding a trophy. Azzi hoped their daughter would carry that with her. 

She finished the interview with Nika tucked against her side, one hand rubbing gentle circles over her back, and found that talking about the win came more easily with the reason it mattered most resting in her arms.

After wrapping up the interview Azzi thanked Holly, slipped her hand into Paige’s and let herself be tugged towards the second row where the rest of their friends were waiting. 

DiJonai appeared first, screeching “We going outside tonight!” 

Azzi laughed and nodded in agreement as her daughter wiggled out of her arms. “I think that’s the plan.”

“It better be,” Nai said with a grin, pulling Azzi into a tight hug and congratulating her. 

As the excited conversation continued around her, Azzi’s attention drifted across the court.

Nika had somehow escaped again. This time she was dribbling a ball alongside Phee’s kids and little Julien—who wasn’t so little anymore—all of them zigzagging across the hardwood with absolutely no concern for the crew trying to set up the next event. 

Azzi sighed and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Nika! Come here!”

“I’m right here!”

Azzi turned to find Nika Mühl standing three feet away with a perplexed expression. 

Azzi smirked. “No, I need Little Nika. Not Big Nika.” 

Nika groaned. “I hate being called Big Nika,” she complained.

“You have literally only yourself to blame,” Azzi said, unable to hide her grin. “You should’ve thought about that before you changed my kid’s name.”

“I didn’t!”

“Debatable.”

“It is literally not debatable,” Nika shot back with a laugh, though they all knew the truth. 

Technically, their daughter’s name wasn’t Nika. On paper, she was Maya Nika Fudd-Bueckers.

They’d chosen Maya because they loved it. Aside from it being a pretty name, Maya Moore  was a UCONN legend, Azzi’s mentor, and Paige’s favorite player growing up.

Nika had been tucked neatly into the middle spot.

Their friends loved to joke that it was because of the bet Paige lost years earlier with Nika Mühl. But that had never really been true.

Well… Not entirely.

Mostly, they’d chosen it because there simply wasn’t a world where Nika Mühl wasn’t woven into the fabric of their family. She’d been one of the first people to love Paige unconditionally, one of the first to embrace Azzi without hesitation, and over the years she’d somehow become indispensable to both of them. 

Nika was the person who showed up wherever they asked, and oftentimes when they didn’t. The person who dropped everything when one of them got hurt and who somehow managed to make every room louder and every hard day lighter. The person who came over and did laundry and dishes and then poured shots when their four month old angel baby wouldn’t sleep and Azzi and Paige were literal zombies.

There had never really been another choice for godmother.

Looking back, though, Azzi might have reconsidered if she’d known Nika would immediately launch a full-scale campaign to convince everyone to ignore the name Maya entirely and call their daughter by her middle name.

Now, almost everyone in their lives referred to the pair as Big Nika and Little Nika. Azzi had eventually come to accept it. Big Nika absolutely had not.

“It’s disrespectful,” Nika muttered.

“It’s accurate,” Paige retorted, giving her best friend’s shoulder a playful shove. 

“Whatever,” Nika grumbled. “You enjoy this too much. You’re just lucky she’s so cute.” 

As if hearing her cue, Little Nika abandoned the basketball entirely and toddled toward them.

“Hi, baby girl,” Paige said, crouching just in time for their daughter to launch herself into her arms.

Azzi held out both hands to pull her from Paige but Nika immediately buried her face deeper into Paige’s shoulder and shook her head.

Azzi gasped dramatically, though she was entirely unsurprised.

“So this is how we’re doing things now?”

She could see Paige biting the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh as their daughter peeked over her shoulder just long enough to nod.

Azzi placed a hand over her heart.

“No. That’s fine,” she laughed. “I just carried you in my body and suffered for nine months. No big deal.”

Paige lost whatever internal battle she was fighting to maintain her composure and started laughing outright. “I think she’s just tired,” Paige tried, cooing, “Right, Lil Nik?” 

“Sure, we’ll go with that,” Azzi huffed, knowing Paige was the preferred parent. “I think she’s playing favorites as usual.”

“She would never,” Paige said, failing spectacularly to sound convincing.

Azzi narrowed her eyes and shook her head as Paige bounced their daughter on her hip. 

“I’m going to take her home,” Paige said, leaning over to plant a kiss on the corner of Azzi’s lips. “Your parents should be getting back to the house soon, and this one is about thirty minutes past bedtime already.”

As if on cue, Nika yawned. It was huge, a dramatic toddler yawn that mirrored the ones Paige did when she was playing around with their daughter.

Azzi smiled and gently rubbed her back. “Probably a good idea.”

“I’ll get her settled and then I’ll meet you guys out.”

“Okay, baby. Thanks.”

Paige stepped closer, slipping the free hand that wasn’t supporting their kid around Azzi’s waist. “I’m so so proud of you, Az.”

The words were soft and simple. They still filled Azzi with unbelievable warmth, inflating her like a breath of fresh air. 

“I love you,” Azzi said. 

“I love you too,” Paige whispered, leaning in for a kiss. 

Azzi happily obliged, then pulled back to kiss the top of Nika’s head.

“Bye, baby girl,” she said into her mess of curls. 

“Bye, Mommy,” the sleepy girl mumbled. 

She watched them say goodbye to the rest of the crew, Little Nika giving out high fives and hugs before Paige started to make her way up the stairs toward the tunnel, their sleepy daughter on one hip while the oversized bag of snacks bounced gently against the other.

For a long moment Azzi simply stood there with the trophy tucked under one arm, watching the two people she loved most disappear from sight.

Years ago, she’d thought happiness would feel like championships.

Trophies and confetti falling from the rafters.

Those things were great. But standing in the middle of an All-Star court, watching her wife carry their daughter home while promising to come back and celebrate later, Azzi realized she’d been chasing the wrong picture all along.

This one was so much better.

***** *** *****

Summit & Slate was louder than Paige remembered which seemed impossible seeing as she and Azzi usually only went with their loud as fuck crew. Then again, the lounge was currently packed with half of the WNBA and an assortment of friends and influencers.

Music pulsed through speakers and every booth was packed shoulder to shoulder with enough players and their entourages to make the space feel like one giant reunion. Every few feet Paige recognized another face, and after all the years she’d been around the WNBA through Azzi, she didn’t even think twice before exchanging hugs, handshakes, and high fives on her way through the crowd.

“Congrats, Paige!” Rhyne called.

“Tell Fudd she was unconscious tonight,” Juju said as they slapped hands.

Paige grinned, promising to pass the well wishes along.

She made her way through the thick crowd, shaking her head in amusement. It still caught her off guard sometimes, how naturally she’d become part of this world. A world she’d once dreamed of being in, albeit as a player not a WAG. She wouldn't trade it for anything, though. And, in her opinion, she was an excellent WAG.

Her gaze swept over the bustling room until she landed on a familiar semicircle of people squeezed around an oversized leather sectional tucked into the far corner.

The scene looked exactly like she’d expected. Stewie and Marta were arguing about something with Sarah animatedly chiming in. Gabby was doubled over with Nika in laughter, while DiJonai forced shots into everyone’s hands. 

And right in the middle of it all sat her girl. Her Azzi. 

Azzi looked absolutely stunning, mid-laugh when she glanced toward the entrance and their eyes met; the smile on Azzi’s face changed instantly. 

The wide, celebratory grin softened into a fond smile meant just for Paige. Azzi stood before Paige could even move toward her, crossing the room in a series of staggering steps likely caused by the collection of empty glasses on the table. 

Azzi jumped and Paige easily caught her, wrapping both arms tightly around Azzi’s waist. Her wife melted into her as Paige gave her a lingering kiss.

“There’s my champ,” she whispered against Azzi’s lips. 

Azzi rolled her eyes. “Don’t even start.”

“Hey, you reclaimed your crown, baby. You should be proud.”

“I am,” Azzi said, leaning to rest her head on Paige’s shoulder. “Plus the seventy-five grand doesn’t hurt.”

At that, Paige groaned. She knew exactly where this was going, recalling their highly animated discussion the previous week about new patio furniture and how much the lumber alone would cost. She’d ended the conversation by saying Azzi had to win the three-point contest for Paige to even consider it. 

“Bro, is that really where your head is at right now? Patio furniture?”

Azzi pulled back and shrugged, a mischievous smile springing from her dimple. “You promised.” 

“I promised to consider it if you won,” Paige countered.

“Well… start considering it, baby. I’ll send you my inspo pics and we can talk about dimensions tomorrow.” 

Azzi grinned and kissed her, and Paige let herself be pulled across the room to where their friends were waiting, content to follow Azzi anywhere. 

Arguing, though a form of foreplay these days, was pointless in this matter. If she resisted, Azzi would just threaten to order something online and Paige would rather die than have some half-assed machine manufactured furniture on the deck she spent a whole summer building.

“Ay there she is!” Gabby shouted, raising her beer as Paige and Azzi made their way over. “Drinks are on your wife tonight, Paige!” 

“Damn right!” DiJonai yelled, shoving two shot glasses in Paige’s hands that she quickly downed. “Seventy-five grand richer!”

Azzi groaned dramatically and burrowed herself in Paige’s shoulder. Though she’d accomplished nearly everything possible in her career, Paige knew her wife was humble as always. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Azzi hummed before pointing a finger around the group. “Just please don’t kill me on the bar tab.”

“No promises,” Sarah shrugged. “We’ve waited years for this opportunity.” 

“I literally pay for your drinks almost every night out,” Azzi scoffed.

She smacked Nika to nudge her down the sectional and then sank down onto it. Paige followed, wedging herself into the spot between Azzi and Stewie. 

Stewie draped an arm around Paige with comfortable ease. “Actually, Paige usually pays,” she corrected, leveling her wide-eyed gaze at Azzi.

“That’s because Paige always slips her card to the bartender when I’m not looking,” Azzi grumbled. 

It was a playful bone of contention in their relationship, though Azzi had come to accept it; Paige liked taking care of the people she loved. She always had, and if she was being honest, she knew that quality was one of the things that had endeared her to Azzi all those years ago. Besides, if she really wanted to split hairs, they shared a bank account anyway. 

“It would be disrespectful not to,” Paige retorted, laughing as Azzi shook her head in mock defeat. “You think I’m gonna let my girl or her friends pay for their drinks?” 

Her friends who were literal millionaires. 

Still, Azzi didn’t fight her. Her expression softened again. “How’s Nika?”

“Out cold.”

“Already?”

Paige nodded. “Your mom had her asleep before I even left the house.”

Azzi smiled softly, likely thinking about how close her parents were with their daughter—her mom especially. “That tracks.”

Paige knew how important it was to Azzi that her parents and brothers were a core part of the life they had built together. Despite the distance between everyone, the Fudd family still made multiple trips to Seattle each year, both during the basketball season and in the off-months. And Paige and Azzi made sure to take Nika out east to visit her grandparents as often as possible. Drew usually joined them on those trips once or twice a year, and it warmed Paige’s heart to know that she and her brother had been fully embraced by the entire Fudd family. The loneliness that had settled into their hearts when their dad passed away had transformed as they were welcomed into Azzi’s extended clan, and though Paige still missed her dad, she thought it made her extra appreciative of the love that she had found in her life.

“She also told me to tell you congratulations again, and that she and your dad can’t wait to bring Nika to the park tomorrow.”

“I knew she’d spoil her all weekend,” Azzi said with an eye roll. 

“That was never in question.”

From the other end of the couch, Marta leaned forward. “How’s Nika? Still waking up in the middle of the night?”

“I’m doing great,” Nika answered without missing a beat. “Actually, I could use another drink.”

Marta didn’t even look at her. “I was asking about Little Nika. Unless you also have trouble sleeping through the night like a toddler does.”

Nika glared at Marta. “I hate when you guys call me Big Nika.”

Azzi didn’t miss a beat. “You are literally the only person to blame for that.”

“Whatever,” she grumbled, knowing she had no one to blame but herself. “At least she’s my partner in crime.” 

That was certainly true. There was no telling what they’d come back to whenever Nika babysat. Though their one rule, keep her alive, was something Nika always adhered to. And Paige absolutely delighted in seeing the bond between her daughter and her best friend grow deeper and deeper with each passing month. 

Paige reached into her pocket to pull out her phone. 

“She’s doing a little better sleeping through the night,” she said to Marta. “In fact…speaking of the tiny criminal…” She unlocked it and turned the screen toward the group. “Look what Azzi’s mom sent me.”

The photo showed their daughter sprawled diagonally across the middle of her bed, one arm wrapped around an oversized stuffed penguin while the other still loosely held a half-read picture book.  She’d apparently lost the battle against sleep while reading.

Her dark curls were wild, one sock was missing, and she was drooling a little onto the pillow: she looked absolutely perfect. Though Paige might be biased, given that her daughter was Azzi’s spitting image. 

“Awwww,” Marta sang immediately.

“Oh my God,” Sarah said. “She’s getting so big.”

“I don’t like it,” Gabby declared. “Can she stop growing up? Julian too. Why do they have to get so old.”

“I tried asking already,” Paige admitted. “She very emphatically told me no.” 

Stewie took the phone and pulled it close to her face, smiling. “She’s basically your tiny clone, Azzi.”

Azzi leaned over and studied the picture for a moment. “She’s sassier though.”

Paige snorted. “That’s debatable, babe.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Azzi shot back, giving Paige’s thigh a firm squeeze. 

Knowing it was important to pick her battles if she wanted to get her head between Azzi’s legs later—and she very much did want to get her head between her wife’s thighs later—Paige clamped her mouth shut and slipped her phone back into her pocket. 

Her eyes drifted around the table finding nearly every glass was empty, and she clapped her hands once.

“Okay,” she said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Who needs another drink?”

A chorus of voices answered at once and Paige’s eyes widened as she tried to keep track of the orders being shouted over one another.

“I’ll have another shot of Tequila,” Nai said. 

“No, don’t listen to her,” Stewie demanded with a laugh, pointing at DiJonai. “She’s cut off from tequila.”

“I am not.”

“You absolutely are.”

The table kept bantering, finally deciding as a group that Nai was cut off from tequila because there was no way she’d make it to brunch the next day if she kept drinking at that rate. Even with the IV she had scheduled for the morning. 

Paige somehow managed to memorize the increasingly ridiculous list of drinks before looking back toward Azzi.

“You want another, champ?”

Azzi nodded, not even needing to give Paige her order.

Paige grinned, looking at the slight haze in Azzi’s eyes already. It was clear she was a few drinks behind her wife, and she was determined to catch up. She leaned down, cupping the side of Azzi’s face before pulling her in for a kiss.

It wasn’t quick, but it wasn’t showy. Just long enough that when she finally pulled back, Azzi’s cheeks were faintly pink.

“Be right back, beautiful”

Azzi caught her wrist before she could turn away, mumbling, “Hey.”

Paige looked back expectantly.

“I love you.”

The words were quiet enough that no one else heard them, though the fervent lip readers would easily pick them up if caught on the StudBud’s stream.

Paige smiled anyway.

“I love you too,” she said softly. “So proud of you.” 

“Thanks.” Azzi let go of her hand. “Now go get me a drink, woman.”

Paige laughed and gave her one last peck on the lips before weaving back into the crowd toward the bar, already mentally calculating just how catastrophic this tab was about to become. But hey, celebrating her wife reclaiming her three-point competition crown seemed like as good a reason as any to devastate her credit card.

By the time Paige reached the bar she had been stopped four more times. When she finally squeezed into an opening at the bar top, she waited a moment before catching the bartender’s eye, and then again while he finished pouring three espresso martinis for another group.

“What can I get you?” he asked, a bit breathless when he finally made his way over.

Paige rattled off the lengthy order from memory, clearly catching the bartender off guard.

“You remembered all that?”

Paige shrugged. “My wife and her friends are in the WNBA. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

He laughed and jotted it all down, checking a few times to make sure he had it right. Paige nodded when he finally did and slid her credit card across the sleek marble bar top. 

“You got a tab that’s under Fudd right now?”

The bartender hit a few buttons on his computer before nodding.

“Can you move it to this card?”

“You sure?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Paige grimaced, wondering how bad the damage already was for him to be making that face, but she supposed it didn’t really matter. She couldn’t remember the last time she had to check her bank account before making a purchase—and it wasn’t just due to the fact that she was married to a WNBA star. Big Buckets, both the business and the TikTok channel, had taken off in recent years, which afforded Paige more time at home with Nika and the ability to travel with Azzi more often. 

Gone were the days of picking up endless jobs to make ends meet, or working late hours to make sure a project was done so she could pick up another one. She was grateful for the financial security, and for the sense of equity that the success of the business brought to their marriage. Paige had no problem bringing in less money than her wife but she took pride in knowing that she was contributing, and that whenever Azzi decided she was done hooping professionally it wouldn’t impact their lifestyle. 

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she confirmed.

“Fair enough.” He shrugged and took her card. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though!”

As he disappeared down the line, Paige leaned against the bar and glanced back toward their table. She could just make out Azzi’s laugh over the crowd, loud and unchecked, and made a note to get a round of water for the table too. 

She was thinking about how she hoped Nika would sleep through the night when she felt a light tap against her shoulder.

When she turned, she found herself looking at a woman around her age with a friendly, slightly flushed smile. She was cute, clearly a couple drinks in, and there was a spark of recognition in her expression that made Paige immediately start trying to place where they’d met.

Before Paige could figure it out, the woman spoke.

“Sorry… are you Paige? From Big Buckets Remodeling?”

Paige had to physically stop herself from groaning. Well…That narrowed it down. They hadn’t actually met. 

These days it was about a fifty-fifty shot between people recognizing her because was married to Azzi Fudd or because she’d accidentally gone viral again installing floating shelves in a cut off tank top.

“Yeah,” Paige said with an easy smile. “That’s me.”

“I knew it!” the woman said excitedly, clapping her hands. “My name is Callie by the way. My roommate sends me your TikToks all the time.”

“The remodeling ones, I hope.”

“Mostly,” Callie replied, though her tone suggested otherwise. As did the way her green eyes traveled down Paige’s torso. 

So, definitely the thirst trap edits, then. God, Paige’s life was so embarrassing.

“What are you doing here?” the woman asked. “WNBA doesn’t seem like it really overlaps with renovations.” 

“Here celebrating my wife,” Paige said evenly. 

Callie smiled, humming, “That’s exciting.”

Paige didn’t quite buy it. She wondered if this woman truly didn’t know who her wife was or if she was just pretending not to. It didn’t matter because regardless, she had no shot in hell. 

“I’ve actually been looking for a contractor,” Callie admitted, absentmindedly tucking a lock of auburn hair behind her ear. “I’m looking to renovate my master bedroom. It’s pretty outdated and could use some life breathed into it.”

Oh. 

Well that’s not subtle, Paige thought. She blinked, swallowing down the awkward lump in her throat. 

“I’d be happy to recommend some companies to you.”  

Callie stepped closer. “I was kind of hoping you could help me out…”

“We’re pretty backed up right now,” Paige replied politely while subtly angling her body toward the bar, hoping the universal language of ‘you’re standing too close’ came across.

It didn’t. 

Instead, Callie laughed and lightly touched her forearm. “You seem like you’re worth the wait.” 

Paige instinctively shifted her arm away and glanced toward the bartender. The individual drinks were finished. Unfortunately, he hadn’t even started on the round of lemon drop shots she’d ordered. 

Fantastic.

Normally Paige would have shut this down a lot faster. The woman was flirting even though Paige had casually mentioned her wife, which crossed a line as far as Paige was concerned. But this was Azzi’s world, not hers. She had no idea whether this woman worked for a team, the league, a sponsor, or knew someone important. She wasn’t about to make a scene that could somehow find its way back to Azzi.

Instead, Paige just smiled tightly and drummed her fingers on the bar top while looking around for literally anyone that she even remotely recognized. 

Callie grinned and opened her mouth to ask another question, lifting her hand toward Paige’s arm again. But before she could make contact, Paige felt a warm hand settle against the small of her back.

Knowing exactly who it was, Paige smiled without even turning around.

“I was wondering where you disappeared to,” Azzi said casually.

Her voice was perfectly pleasant. Her smile was perfectly pleasant. The way her fingers dug into Paige’s waist possessively? That was slightly less subtle.

Paige had known her wife long enough to recognize the signs.

Azzi wasn’t angry or really even upset, though she might be if she knew the full situation. She was just staking a tiny claim.

And Paige, much to her own embarrassment—and maybe because the shots she downed upon arriving were starting to take effect—found it ridiculously attractive. She tried not to think about what happened last time someone hit on her in a bar in front of Azzi. But she failed spectacularly at keeping the memory at bay, recalling the way Azzi’s hand dipped into her boxers on the way home.  They had hardly been able to wait to get home and pay the babysitter before Azzi had full on jumped on her; eating her out on the couch before Azzi riding Paige’s fingers while they were surrounded by children’s toys and boxes of sponsor swag. 

Steadying her racing heart, Paige reached down to intertwine her fingers with Azzi’s, and planted a kiss on her cheek. 

“There you are, baby,” Paige cooed, pulling away to stare at her wife with a fond smile. 

After a moment, a throat clearing pulled her back to reality. Paige turned back to the woman with an apologetic smile.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “This is my wife, Azzi.”

The woman’s eyes widened. 

“Oh.” She looked between them. “I… I didn’t realize you were married to Azzi Fudd.”

Paige couldn’t help but flash an amused smile. 

It wasn’t a secret. Azzi appeared in approximately every third TikTok, half the Instagram posts, and almost every holiday photo Paige had ever uploaded. Regardless, it shouldn’t matter who she was married to; being married was enough to mean off limits. 

Beside her, Azzi slid her free hand into the hair at the base of Paige’s neck, gently scratching her fingers against her scalp. Paige had to fight not to visibly shiver, knowing her wife was well aware of the effect of that action.

Azzi leaned close enough that only Paige could hear her. “So this is why you’ve been gone so long?”

Her voice was low and teasing. Paige felt her pulse tick up a notch at the implication. 

“I was just being polite,” she whispered back, ignoring the other woman completely. Azzi was the only one who mattered. 

In acknowledgement of Paige’s focus, Azzi casually twisted her fingers and pulled the hair in her grasp. Paige’s eyes fluttered, heat blooming inside her. 

“I noticed,” Azzi said. “You’re always too nice to people.”

“Our drinks weren’t ready,” Paige explained, though an explanation wasn’t really needed. This was basically foreplay now. 

After a moment Azzi straightened, looking back at the woman with the same easy smile she’d been wearing all evening.

“Can we help you with something,” she asked pleasantly, “or are you all set?”

Callie immediately realized what was happening.

“Oh!” She laughed awkwardly, her nervousness evident. “I’m… so sorry.”

“No worries,” Paige said warmly. It was best if the woman went on her way before Azzi truly decided to get possessive. 

“I wasn’t trying to—”

“You were,” Azzi replied. “But it’s okay. I trust my wife.”  

And now Paige was fully wet. Fuck.

The woman smiled sheepishly. “Well… Uh… Congratulations on the win today”

Azzi’s expression didn’t change: her lips were still pulled into a tight smile, her teeth gritted together. 

“Thank you,” was the clipped reply she gave. 

After another flabbergasted and awkward apology, Callie disappeared back into the crowd. Paige waited until she was completely gone before looking sideways at her wife.

Azzi was staring after her.

“What?”

Narrowing her eyes, Azzi shook her head nonchalantly. “Nothing.” 

“Nothing?” Paige quipped.

“Nope.” 

Paige bumped her shoulder. “I love it when you get jealous. I almost forgot what it’s like when you go all posessive.” ”

A bigger lie had never been told. She was absolutely aware of her wife’s possessive streak. And while she would never intentionally do anything to provoke it, that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy watching Azzi stake her claim when someone else was dumb enough to ignore the wedding ring and the repeated mentions of her better half.

“I’m not jealous.”

Paige had to bite back a laugh at Azzi’s attempt to play it cool. She tucked her lips into her mouth and nodded. “No?”

Azzi crossed her arms. “No.”

“You looked a little jealous, baby,” Paige teased, brushing her thumb against Azzi’s cheek. “It was hot.”

“Well you looked a little bit too married for someone to be hitting on you,” Azzi huffed, holding up Paige’s hand with the flashy wedding band for emphasis. As if Paige needed reminding. She never forgot who she belonged to.

Paige laughed. “There’s my wife.”

“I’ve been your wife all day,” Azzi retorted.

“Yes, but this is the version who gets all hot and possessive when someone flirts with me.”

Azzi rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t jealous.”

Paige hummed thoughtfully. “If you say so.”

Azzi stepped closer until they were nearly touching again.

“Whatever,” she drawled, running a hand along Paige’s arm. “Don’t pretend you don’t like it when I get jealous.”

“Oh, I love it,” Paige shot back with a smirk. 

A slow smile spread across Azzi’s face and she leaned down until her lips brushed Paige’s ear.

“Just so we’re clear…” Azzi’s voice dropped another octave. “I fully intend on you showing me exactly who you belong to when we get home tonight.”

A rush of warmth simultaneously climbed straight up Paige’s neck and dropped between her legs. If her boxers weren’t already wet from Azzi tugging on her hair possessively, they certainly were now. 

Her pulse jumped embarrassingly fast. After a few seconds of trying to form a coherent sentence, she was just opening her mouth to answer when the bartender called her over.

“Your timing is unbelievable,” she mumbled.

The bartender smiled and set two trays down, each one filled with an assortment of drinks and shots. 

Paige exhaled, still trying very hard not to think about what Azzi had whispered, and reached for the overloaded tray of drinks.

“Come on, trouble,” she said, sliding one tray to Azzi who happily took it with a coy smile. “Let’s go celebrate.”

When they reached the sectional where the rest of their crew was gathered, everyone started reaching for glasses before Paige even set the tray down.

“My heroes!” Gabby announced, plucking her vodka soda from the tray.

“I thought you got lost,” Sarah grumbled, grabbing her margarita.

“I almost did,” Paige replied, shooting her wife a playful grin.

Stewie took her old fashioned with a grateful nod while DiJonai immediately began handing out lemon drop shots. 

Within a minute, everyone had a fresh drink and a shot in hand.

Gabby stood up, lifting her glass toward Azzi. “To the queen of three pointers and the People’s Princess!” 

“To Azzi!” they echoed while clinking the glasses together in a messy chorus.

Azzi shook her head, laughing as she tapped her glass against everyone else’s.

“I love you guys,” she stated, the words sticking together slightly. “Thank you all for coming out to support me. It means a lot.” 

“We know,” Nika said. “That’s why you’re buying.”

Laughter rippled around the group as everyone threw back their shots and then started to settle back into the couch. Azzi naturally started to slide into the empty spot beside Paige, but Paige wasn’t having it. 

Before she could sit, she caught Azzi’s wrist. “Come here,” Paige said, reaching for the commanding tone that she knew got Azzi going.. 

“Paige!”

Instead of repeating herself, Paige gently tugged until Azzi lost her balance just enough to fall sideways into her lap.

A chorus of exaggerated “ooohs” immediately rose from around the table but Paige didn’t pay them any mind. She just slipped an arm around Azzi’s waist, smiling as she leaned close enough for only her wife to hear.

“You weren’t going anywhere tonight, baby.”

“Oh?” Azzi’s wide eyes flickered with amusement. “I thought I was supposed to be the possessive one.”

“Well, I learned from the best,” Paige shot back. “Besides, have you fucking looked in a mirror today?” 

A slow grin spread across Azzi’s face. 

Maybe it was the champagne. Maybe it was reclaiming her crown. Or maybe it was the way Paige was doing absolutely nothing to hide how much she wanted to devour her on the spot. 

Whatever it was, something in Azzi shifted. She resituated until she was straddling Paige’s lap, one hand resting lightly against Paige’s shoulder, the other holding her drink as she leaned close.

“You sure you didn’t want that girl from the bar to keep you company tonight?”

Paige laughed quietly. “Not even a little.”

She could read the playful challenge in Azzi’s burning gaze, the warm brown replaced by blown out pupils. 

“The only hands I want on me belong to my wife,” Paige said softly, her tone velvety smooth as she felt Azzi shift on her lap like she was searching for friction. “And I am very much looking forward to having them on me when we celebrate your win later.”

“My parents will be sleeping down the hall,” Azzi warned, because they had decided it would be better to spend the weekend in their own home than at a hotel. 

“Guess you’ll just have to be quiet, baby.”

Paige paused for a beat before adding with a teasing smile, “Any chance they gave your prize money in cash? Because I would love to make it rain on you. I’ve never fucked you in a pool of money before.” 

It was, perhaps, the only place Paige hadn’t fucked her wife. 

Azzi just laughed, shaking her head, but Paige’s own joke immediately betrayed her. Her mind wandered somewhere it absolutely shouldn’t have, conjuring images that sent another rush of warmth to her already throbbing cunt. She took a sip of her drink in a futile attempt to distract herself.

But the gauntlet had now been thrown, and Azzi was nothing if not competitive. She smiled in that affectionate and devious way that still managed to make Paige’s heart skip. 

“What I really want is for you to bend me over with the strap when we get home. Think you can do that?”

Paige’s heart seized in her chest, her brain short circuiting as the words—combined with Azzi shifting her hips once again—made their way in. Exhaling deeply, Paige let her head drop against the cushion behind her. 

“Fuck, Az,” she hissed, glad that Stewie and Nika were in a conversation of their own and not paying attention to the way she was completely unraveling right next to them. “You’re killing me, baby.”

Azzi grinned mischievously and rolled her hips in a way that might have been accidental, might have been teasing. Regardless, Paige's breath hitched. She tightened her grip on Azzi's waist, her fingers digging in, and Azzi made a soft sound in the back of her throat.

“Can’t we just go home right now, Az?” 

“And miss my celebratory party?” Azzi deadpanned, her expression shifting into one of mock shock.

Paige sighed, knowing she was falling into a trap. Still, she wasn’t willing to let Azzi off the hook that easily. Setting her drink on the table beside her, Paige let her hands wander to the back of Azzi’s thighs and pulled her in tighter. 

“Fine,” she hummed. “We can stay, but I’ma need a taste right now to hold me over.” 

Before Azzi could respond, Paige pulled Azzi down, hand sliding to cup the back of her neck, and claimed her mouth. Azzi tasted tart like lemon drops and her lips parted immediately, eager and open. Paige took advantage, slipping her tongue inside and deepening the kiss with a slow and deliberate thrust that made Azzi whimper and clutch at her shoulders.

She was dominating and she knew it, but she also knew Azzi loved her like that. Azzi's hands tangled in Paige's hair, pulling slightly, and the sting sent electricity down Paige's spine. She wanted more. She wanted to be home, wanted the strap-on in her dresser drawer, wanted Azzi above her, sinking down onto it while Paige watched her come undone.

At the thought she groaned into Azzi's mouth. She wished they were there now so she could pull Azzi down onto her dick, get so deep inside her that Azzi couldn't remember her own name. Her hands slid down to grip Azzi's ass through the fabric of her skirt, pulling her closer and grinding her down against Paige’s thigh. Azzi gasped, breaking the kiss for half a second before Paige chased her mouth to swallow the sound.

A minute passed, maybe two. Time always lost its meaning when Azzi was wrapped around her and Paige was content to be lost in the heat of Azzi's mouth and the filthy, desperate thoughts of what she was going to do to her wife later. 

“Get a room!”

The wolf whistle cut through the sexual haze like a knife and Paige froze, breaking the kiss, breathing hard, her forehead pressed against Azzi's. Azzi was gorgeous, her lips swollen and glistening, her chest heaving. They were both flushed and disheveled.

“Fuck,” Paige muttered, not letting go.

Azzi laughed, breathless, her fingers still twisted in Paige's hair. Her cheeks flushed pink as she looked over Paige’s shoulder. 

“Ok there’s Sonia,” she stated much louder than necessary when her eyes landed on the Storm coach across the room. “I promised we’d say hi.”

Before anyone—Paige included—could say another word, Azzi dragged her off the couch. Wiping the back of her hand across her mouth to rid it of Azzi’s lipstick before they talked to her literal boss, Paige tried to control her racing heart. But before  they reached her coach Azzi turned them and led Paige down a dark hallway.

It looked familiar, and Paige was about to warn Azzi that she really didn’t want to fuck her wife in a bathroom again, when Azzi surprised her once more by veering to the right. They disappeared down a different hallway before Azzi yanked open a door and shoved Paige inside. 

As they stepped into the room, slamming the door soundly behind them, Paige hazarded a glance around. She grinned when she heard the lock click. It was some type of office, probably the club manager’s if she had to guess based on the general vibe. One wall was lined with an assortment of filing cabinets and bookshelves. On the other sat a small leather couch with a glass coffee table in front of it.

And in the center of the room was a large wooden desk.

Paige’s eyes widened, a wicked grin splitting her lips as she guided Azzi toward it, turning her and pressing the front of her body against the dark oak. Azzi's breath caught as Paige pushed into her from behind, her palms traveling to Azzi’s shoulders where she found the thin straps of her crop top.

Heart surging in her chest, Paige eased one strap down with excruciating patience, her mouth tracing the same path as she peppered Azzi's shoulder with unhurried kisses. She repeated the motion with the second strap, following the trail with her tongue and reveling in the way Azzi’s breath was uneven.

She gripped Azzi's hips loving the way Azzi’s body always felt delicate in her hands. Delicate and so fucking strong. She could feel Azzi’s moan vibrate against her lips as she sucked at her neck. Azzi trembled when Paige dipped her hand lower, slipping beneath the waistband of her miniskirt. But she only teased, cupping Azzi through her underwear. 

“Want me to fuck you, don't you, baby?” she murmured against Azzi’s warm skin, pressing the pad of her finger down to apply more pressure.

Azzi's nod came instantly, pink color flooding her cheeks. Paige grazed her mouth along Azzi's spine once more before rolling her hips forward to seek friction herself, the hitch in Azzi's breath sending a rush of thrill though her. Azzi’s arousal was already evident, the dampness pooling between her legs leaving no room for argument.

Azzi lolled her head back onto Paige's shoulder. “Seems like you want to fuck me,” she shot back, though the moan that escaped her when Paige captured her earlobe between her teeth took all the fight out of the words.

“I dunno, Az,” Paige mumbled, her hand finally sliding beneath the waistband of Azzi’s panties. Her fingers found Azzi's slick heat effortlessly, and discovering just how wet her wife was for her drew a guttural sound from Paige's throat. “Seems like she’s waiting for me.”

It always drove Azzi insane when Paige talked about her pussy like that. 

“Only you,” Azzi confirmed, the last of her resolve disappearing when Paige’s other hand came up to knead her exposed breast.

Content to draw it out, Paige answered with a lingering kiss to her jawline and a firmer stroke against her clit. Azzi's hips jerked before Paige anchored them against the desk with her own.

“Please, P,” Azzi pleaded. “I need you.”

“I know,” Paige assured her. Her touch alternated between everything and nothing, collecting the wetness at Azzi's entrance before circling back up to trace dizzying patterns that left her writhing against the wooden desk. “I’ll take care of you, baby,” she hummed. “Don’t I always? Don’t worry.”

Clearly desperate for more, Azzi pressed her hips back into Paige, reaching behind her to tangle her fingers in Paige's hair and tug her mouth back to her throat.

Paige complied without hesitation, dragging her tongue from Azzi's collarbone up her neck as she smiled against the thundering pulse she found there. God, she loved to see Azzi flushed with wanting, loved the way her wife gave herself over to the sensations.

“All those people in that arena today,” Paige whispered huskily, her teeth grazing warm flesh as her hands and lips claimed every inch of Azzi's body. “They all want a piece of you. But I’m the only one who gets to see you like this,” she cooed, her voice thick with need. “I’m the one who gets to make you fall apart.”

“Fuck, Paige,” Azzi whined, melting as Paige's fingers circled her clit, her body shaking beneath the touch.

Paige pressed her mouth to Azzi's shoulder, biting down until a mark bloomed beneath her lips. She soothed it with her tongue, trying to calm her own racing heartbeat because watching Azzi unravel fed something primal inside her.

A moan ripped from Azzi’s throat as Paige tugged roughly at her nipple.

“Need my fingers inside, baby?” Paige prodded, dipping one inside just enough to tease her. “Ready for me to reward you for that win?”

Azzi nodded and Paige shook her head in mock disappointment. Azzi recognized the warning immediately when Paige withdrew her fingers.

“Words, Princess.”

Her grip tightened in Paige's hair as she pleaded, “Inside, P. Please, baby. I need to feel you—”

Her words cut off with a strangled cry when Paige pressed her fingers insistently against Azzi’s clit, rubbing harder than before.

"There we go," Paige soothed, her lips brushing Azzi’s sweat-slicked skin. "Lean forward for me, baby."

Azzi obeyed, allowing Paige to guide her over the desk, her palms flattening against the wood and her hips lifted. Paige moaned at the sight of Azzi bent over in front of her. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead before surging forward.

She hooked her fingers into Azzi's underwear and dragged them down slowly, groaning at the strand of arousal that stretched between the fabric and Azzi’s cunt before it snapped. When the pretty lace fell to the floor around Azzi's ankles Paige went for the skirt next, dropping it to the ground before Azzi awkwardly kicked her way out of it.

The sight in front of her was almost too much. Paige pressed her hips against Azzi’s ass, grinning when Azzi instinctively thrust backward to meet her.

Even after all these years married and raising a child together, they still couldn’t get enough of each other. Paige had the sense they would never be able to get enough of each other. She knew she would still want Azzi when she was ninety years old and couldn’t even walk anymore. 

“Fuck, Az,” Paige moaned. “I can’t wait to make you feel good, baby.”

Paige was gone now, drunk on her own desire, consumed by the need to make Azzi cum. Her hands gripped Azzi’s waist, her knees nudging Azzi’s legs farther apart as her fingers resumed rubbing slow circles over her clit from behind.

Her body burned from the inside out, tension coiling low in her gut as she caught Azzi’s eyes in the reflection of the window behind the desk. Azzi looked fucking perfect. Tousled hair, bitten lips, pupils blown wide, her throat glistening from Paige's attention.

Paige could have stared at her all day but Azzi clearly had other plans, because she reached back to pull her in again. Happy to oblige, Paige latched onto Azzi's neck once more as her fingers slid through her folds, one slipping inside without resistance.

The penetration wrenched matching moans from them—Azzi's a desperate cry of pleasure and Paige's an astonished groan at the way her wife clenched around her finger.

With her free hand Paige cupped Azzi's breast, her thumb sweeping across the sensitive nipple. Azzi gasped, her forehead dropping against the desk as one arm shot forward and sent papers scattering to the floor.

“Paige,” Azzi warned, lifting her head.

Paige pressed her back down with a hand between her shoulder blades, shushing her.

“Our bar tab alone tonight will be enough to remodel this entire office,” she hissed, too far gone to care about whatever destruction they caused.

She slid her hand up Azzi’s back until her fingers could weave into her wife’s thick hair. She tugged gently, guiding Azzi to lift her chin.

“Look at me,” she demanded, her voice raspy with need as Azzi met her gaze in the reflection of the window. “I wanna watch you come for me.”

“Fuck,” Azzi cursed when Paige added another finger, thrusting deeper. “You’re so fucking deep.”

The whimpers and strangled moans spilling from Azzi’s lips as Paige fucked her sent another rush of heat between Paige’s legs. Her boxers were absolutely soaked and she started grinding her hips against Azzi’s ass in search of her own release.

Heat licked at Paige’s skin, sweat coating every inch of her as she pounded into Azzi, scissoring her fingers and drawing filthy moans from her wife. Paige abandoned Azzi’s breasts to slip her hand around and press against her swollen clit, her hips still bucking against Azzi’s ass.

With a shattered gasp, Azzi choked out, “I’m close, P. So close.”

Paige nodded, her hips slamming harder, pushing Azzi against the desk. “I know, baby,” she rasped, her teeth sinking into Azzi’s shoulder as she hovered on the edge of her own release. “Give it to me, Az. My perfect girl. Come for me.”

Azzi shattered with a silent convulsion, words failing her completely, and Paige collapsed against her. Her mouth worked messily along Azzi’s neck while her fingers gradually eased her through the aftershocks, making sure to prolong Azzi’s pleasure as long as possible. Paige panted against Azzi’s ear, her breaths coming fast and ragged as she found her own release simply by grinding against her wife. Like a teenager. Whatever. Her wife was fucking hot. 

After a minute their racing hearts finally slowed. Azzi pushed herself off the desk and turned in Paige’s arms. With a grin, she leaned forward and captured Paige’s lips in a deep kiss. Paige slipped her palms beneath Azzi’s thighs, effortlessly hoisting her onto the desk before stepping between her legs. Still lost in the haze of post-orgasm bliss, Paige attacked her chest with open-mouthed kisses, sucking one nipple into her mouth and grinning when it drew a sharp gasp from Azzi.

Pressing a hand to Paige’s shoulder, Azzi created a little space between them.

“Someone is going to be very upset when they come into work Monday morning and realize someone got defiled on their desk,” Azzi panted, applying firm pressure to keep Paige at bay.

Paige chuckled.

“Defiled is a bit much,” she grinned. “It was really more of a celebration if you think about it.”

Azzi laughed and allowed Paige to help her off the desk, both of them still breathing as though they’d just run sprints.

“But if you’d like to continue defiling this office,” Paige said, her voice dropping low as she tugged Azzi forward by the wrists before spinning her around, “I’d love to eat you out on this couch.”

With a gentle push she guided Azzi down onto the leather couch.

“Paige,” Azzi warned, though her legs opened instinctively. Paige took it for the invitation it was.

“Yes, baby?” she teased, dropping to her knees and tugging at Azzi’s hips until she sat at the edge of the couch, her glistening cunt on full display.

Paige pressed soft kisses up Azzi’s thigh but stopped when her mouth hovered over Azzi’s clit.

“You were saying?”

Paige knew she looked like a cocky little shit, grinning smugly up at her wife who was spread out on the couch before her. She also didn’t care, because her wife was spread out on the couch before her. Her fingers, long and pale against brown skin, gripped Azzi’s thighs tightly as Paige simply smirked, one eyebrow raised while she waited for instructions.

With a groan, Azzi grabbed Paige by the head and shoved her between her legs.

“Just fucking eat me.”

Paige didn’t need to be told twice. With a low and approving hum she dove in, her tongue dragging flat and broad through Azzi’s slick folds, savoring her. Azzi’s hips bucked off the leather, a choked cry tearing from her throat as Paige wasted no time finding a rhythm with long, firm strokes that had Azzi’s thighs trembling around her ears within seconds.

“Fuck, Paige,” Azzi gasped, her fingers tightening in Paige’s hair and pulling just enough to sting. The pain felt so good. “Right there. Don’t stop, baby, please.”

Paige groaned against her, the vibration making Azzi writhe even more. She focused on the spot that always made her wife see stars, circling and flicking with the tip of her tongue before closing her lips around her and sucking hard.

Azzi’s back arched off the couch, one heel digging into Paige’s shoulder blade, but Paige held her Azzi’s hips firmly in place.

The office filled with the sounds of Paige’s mouth working her over, the creak of leather beneath Azzi’s shifting weight, and her gasping pleas echoing off the walls. Paige was relentless, driving her toward another orgasm with single-minded focus, her own arousal throbbing between her legs as she felt Azzi begin to unravel.

“Come on, Az,” Paige mumbled against her, the words muffled. “Give me another one, baby. Wanna feel you come apart on my tongue. Wanna taste it.”

Azzi’s grip in her hair became almost painful as her entire body went rigid.

“Paige. I’m gonna—”

“I know,” Paige urged, refusing to let up. “Let go for me.”

Azzi came with a scream that Paige could only hope the walls were thick enough to muffle, her body convulsing as she rode out her release.

When Azzi finally collapsed against the couch, her chest heaving, Paige pressed one last kiss to her inner thigh before looking up with dark, satisfied eyes.

“Definitely a celebration,” she repeated smugly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “A top-notch celebration.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Azzi laughed weakly, one arm draped over her eyes. “But I love you.”

“Love you too,” Paige whispered, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Do you think we have time for round three before they start looking for us?”

“Absolutely not,” Azzi said firmly, pushing Paige back with a grin.

“Fine,” Paige groaned, rocking back on her heels as she reached for Azzi’s underwear. “Here,” she said softly, guiding the fabric back up Azzi’s legs with far more care than she’d shown taking it off.

Azzi leaned into her and rested her forehead against Paige’s.

“You’re gonna be the death of me.”

Paige shrugged. “You started it.”.

“How did I start it?” Azzi demanded her eyes widening in outrage. 

“Um, looking fine as shit while winning the three-point contest on national television?” Paige shot back, grinning as she found Azzi’s shirt and handed it over. “How was I supposed to keep my hands to myself?”

Azzi laughed and shook her head. “Whatever.”

She grabbed the shirt and pulled it over her head.

Once Azzi was dressed and both of them looked decent—mostly—Paige caught her around the waist and pulled her close again. Not because she wanted more but because she desperately wanted one more quiet moment before the chaos of the club swallowed them whole again. With what waited for them the following week, who knew when they would get another chance like this.

She cupped Azzi’s jaw, her thumbs tracing gentle circles along her cheekbones and kissed her slowly and deeply. There was no urgency now, only tenderness and gratitude. Azzi’s hands came up to rest over Paige’s heart and Paige was certain she could still feel it racing.

It was on the tip of her tongue to spill the words that were swirling around her brain; to say how excited she was for everything ahead of them and how happy she was with their life together. To thank Azzi for being her partner and praise her for being the fucking goddess she was.

“Hi,” Paige whispered instead, softly brushing a kiss against her lips. 

Because Azzi knew all of it. After all; they were sharing this life. Walking through it together. And Paige let her know it every opportunity she got.

“Hi yourself,” Azzi breathed back with a smile.

After pressing one last kiss to Azzi’s forehead, Paige threaded their fingers together and led her out of the office. They navigated through the crowd toward the VIP section where DiJonai spotted them first, leaning over the table to say something emphatic that sent Nika into a fit of full-body laughter.

“There they are!” Gabby’s voice cut through the noise, sharp and knowing. “The disappearing act returns!”

“Sonia came over here looking for you,” Sarah said with a raised eyebrow, her grin wicked. “Thought you were going to talk to her?” 

“Be honest,” Nai said with a laugh. “You two went and fucked in the bathroom again, didn’t you?”

Paige’s eyes widened in shock because that was one time, years ago, and they had been discreet. Or at least she thought they had. And also, technically they hadn’t just fucked in a bathroom. Though that detail didn’t seem like it mattered at the moment. 

“Yeah, what’s the plan, Bueckers,” Nika cajoled with a teasing grin, shoving her shoulder. “You trying for baby number two tonight?”

Azzi laughed and clearly without thinking opened her big beautiful mouth. “Oh, that ship’s already sailed,” she said.

Paige felt her entire body go still as the group's mouths simultaneously fell open. Around the table, six different faces slowly shifted from amused to confused.

“What does that mean?” Gabby hissed, her eyes narrowed in confusion. 

“No, but actually…” Sarah interjected. “What?” 

Marta looked between the two of them, always calm. “Paige?”

Big Nika sat forward so quickly she nearly spilled her drink. “Hold on. Hold on.” She pointed at Azzi. “Are you pregnant? Have you been drinking non-alcoholic shit all night?” 

She reached for Azzi’s abandoned glass, the ice long melted into the remnants of the drink.

“No,” Azzi answered immediately, shooing Nika’s hand away and lifting her drink as if to remind everyone that she was currently shitfaced. 

“Then what ship sailed?”

“What the fuck are you two grinning about?”

The questions came rapid-fire, overlapping so much Paige couldn't even tell who was saying what. Her pulse ticked up with excitement.

She looked at Azzi, trying to get a read on her wife. This hadn't been the plan. Then again, plans had a way of going astray whenever Azzi and shots were involved. Azzi gave her the slightest nod, and Paige felt the weight in her chest lift. She reached for her drink as Azzi shifted so she was no longer straddling her.

“So I guess we've actually got one more thing to celebrate tonight,” Paige said, lifting her glass.

The table went completely still and Paige found herself wishing she had a camera to capture the absolutely stunned expressions staring back at her. She looked at Azzi one last time for confirmation and found nothing but certainty and love in her wife's glassy eyes.

“We got the official call today,” Paige continued, her smile growing wider. “We've been going through the adoption process, and in about a week… we're flying to Portland to meet and bring home our son.”

For one fleeting second no one moved. The only sound in their quiet corner of the bar was a collective gasp.

Then the entire section exploded.

Gabby and Sarah screamed, jumping to their feet, followed immediately by Stewie. Nika lurched up next, throwing her arms around Paige so hard she nearly dropped her drink, while beside them Marta was already wiping at her eyes.

DiJonai shouted something completely unintelligible that ended with, “Let's fucking goooo!”

After hugging Paige so tight it left her gasping for air, Nika grabbed Azzi by both shoulders and hauled her off the couch into another crushing embrace.

“You guys are getting a little boy?” she confirmed, her eyes flicking between them and shimmering with unshed tears.

Azzi laughed and nodded, unable to fight the grin that spread across her face. “Yeah. We're getting a little boy. Fudd-Bueckers, party of four.”

Nai was already flagging down a waitress to order a bottle of champagne, arguing with absolutely no one that this was an even bigger celebration than Azzi reclaiming the three-point crown, while Paige launched into the details.

They'd only gotten the official confirmation that morning while Paige had been helping Nika color a good luck card for Azzi at the kitchen table. They'd already told the Fudd family and Drew,  and had planned to surprise everyone else with a picture in the group chat next week after they picked him up from the hospital.

But as Paige looked around the table she remembered that these women were family too.

They were the ones who'd brought meals after Little Nika was born. The ones who'd babysat on short notice whenever Paige and Azzi desperately needed a spontaneous night out. The ones who'd shown up after heartbreaking losses and championship celebrations alike, both on and off the court.

By the time Paige finished explaining the long and exhausting adoption process they'd spent over a year quietly navigating, everyone had finally settled down enough to breathe again.

Nika cleared her throat very seriously. “Niko,” she announced, “is an excellent name for a boy.”

Paige didn't hesitate, pointing a warning finger at her oldest friend. “Hey, Nika. Have you ever thought about just shutting the fuck up?”

The table erupted with laughter again.

“Yeah, Nika,” Gabby hollered. “Paige's barely out of the doghouse from the first time you stole one of her kids' names.”

And because literally no one at the table had any regard for Paige's wellbeing, Stewie leaned forward thoughtfully.

“I've always liked Stuart for a boy's name,” she said casually. “You could call him Stew for short.”

Paige buried her face in her hands and groaned. Her friends were absolutely trying to get her murdered.

Luckily, Azzi just laughed beside her, completely unfazed by their antics after all these years.

“Absolutely not,” Azzi shot back. “We're taking no suggestions. We already have a name picked out.”

“Oh, come on,” Sarah protested. “You have to tell us.”

“No.”

“Fine,” Sarah huffed. “I'll just get it out of Paige later. She can't keep a secret for shit when she's drunk.”

Beside her, Azzi watched Paige spiral with barely concealed amusement. Paige knew she was an easy target after a few drinks, but she also knew Sarah wasn't actually serious. Azzi reached over and hooked a finger through one of Paige's belt loops, gently pulling her closer.

“Want to bet on it?” Nika chimed in like the little shit-stirrer she was.

“I swear to God,” Azzi said, clearly trying very hard to sound stern as she looked at Paige with wide eyes, “if you make another bet with any of these idiots about naming our second child…” She exhaled as if she were gathering every ounce of patience she had left. “I will end you.”

Paige felt entirely too pleased with herself.

“I don't know, baby.” She shrugged as innocently as she could. “I think I could probably talk my way out of it.”

Azzi sighed, shaking her head. “The only thing your mouth is capable of doing to get you out of trouble doesn't involve talking.”

“Oh yeah?” Paige grinned, delighted and deeply amused.

Azzi dropped her head into her hands for a second before looking back up.

“Just shut the fuck up and kiss me,” she said, grabbing the front of Paige's shirt and tugging her closer, “

“Yes, ma'am,” Paige mumbled with a smile before closing the distance between them.

Around them, their friends groaned dramatically.

Paige didn't care. She had everything she'd ever wanted, a perfect life. And next week, when they welcomed Timothy Robert into their little family—because Azzi had very annoyingly vetoed Kyrie—it was only going to get better.

[graybuckets]

all it was was all about you

dallaswings!paige bueckers x dallaswings!azzi fudd

wc: 4.1k [ao3 link]

contains: domestic fluff, established relationship, stupid little lesbians aww

summary: paige and azzi are both finally in dallas and azzi isn't having a very good day. she comes to spend the night at paige's. paige is apparently too busy playing minecraft to get in bed with her, but she eventually has something to show her.

a/n: Sighs really loud idk this is kinda some bullshit the prompt was so cuteness thank u anon but its so short im sorry guys. was gonna make it j a drabble but i dont give a fuck im calling it a oneshot

Azzi is irritated. She’s tired, and her hip randomly is hurting, and practice tonight felt like it was dragging on forever, and she nearly had gotten into an accident driving back to her apartment because apparently no one knows how to drive in Dallas. And she had gotten home and realized she was out of shampoo, so she had called Paige and asked if she could just shower at hers, and Paige had said of course. So she had showered and dressed herself in one of Paige’s old shirts and scrunched product into her curls and smoothed lotion over her skin. And she had gotten into Paige’s bed. And Paige has yet to join her.

She’s playing Minecraft. Minecraft, of all things. She’s playing with KK and Sarah, Azzi thinks, and she’d like to say it’s endearing and she misses when all four of them were in the same place doing the same thing instead of being halfway across the country from each other, but she’s finding it hard to think anything about this is cute when her legs have never hurt this badly in her life and all she wants is for Paige to crawl into bed next to her and hold her.

The lighting in her room is soft. The windows are dark outside and so it’s just the glare of Paige’s monitor and the warm light of a floor lamp in one corner of the room to illuminate where they are. Paige laughs at something Azzi can’t hear and it feels like the bedsheets are suddenly prickling against her skin. She furrows her brows. She’s laying on her side, staring blankly at Paige’s closet door, silently deciding between yelling, crying, or leaving.

Paige laughs again, harder this time. Azzi lifts her head off of her pillow to glare at the back of her head. She wishes her girlfriend could read her mind, could sense the irritation and the need clinging to her like sharp seeds stuck to skin. Her bun is a mess beneath her headset and it shakes a little with more laughter. Azzi sighs a little. “Paige?”

To her credit, Paige immediately straightens at the sound of her own name through her headphones. She turns to look over her shoulder and lifts the cup of her headphones off of one ear. Her side profile is lined with the sharp light of her computer, washing her out, making her feel so far from Azzi. There’s a glare in each lens of her glasses. “What’s up, baby?” She says it sincerely.

Azzi blinks at the outline of her face once. She props herself up a little more, elbow dragging up, her brows furrowing. “When are you coming to bed?” The same words have left her mouth multiple times since she herself had crawled underneath the covers. Each time, they’ve become less soft, the fraying edges of them hardening a little more into something closer to annoyance every time.

Paige’s head twitches as she turns a little to glance back at her monitor. She pouts, turning to look at Azzi again, blue eyes shining gray in the light from her computer that can pass through them. “Give me, like, ten more minutes, Az,” she says. It’s slightly pleading.

She’s turning to face her monitor again before Azzi even answers. She frowns at the back of her head, watching her settle her headphones back over her ears again. She looks soft, and that’s what’s so infuriating for Azzi. She’s wearing a worn t-shirt and pajama pants and her hair is washed and up. Azzi knows she smells like the nice lotion she’d forced Paige to buy for herself because she liked how it smells. She would like to be smelling that now, thank you, instead of trying to chase the scent off of her pillow case. “You said that ten minutes ago,” Azzi grumbles as her head finds the pillows again.

Paige laughs a little. Her keyboard and mouse click quietly. Azzi glares at the closet door, curling her legs into herself under the covers. The soft rustling nearly drowns out the sound of Paige on her computer. “I’m- I’m doing something, it’s taking longer than I thought.”

Azzi squeezes her eyes shut. “Tell KK and Sarah to finish it,” she says, face screwed up. Her head hurts in the way it always does when she’s too tired. It’s a dull ache, running from the base of her neck to her eyes, and she just knows the comforting weight of Paige against her back and the sound of her even breathing close to her ear would send it away.

“We’re not on the same world,” Paige confesses, laughing a little. And then there’s a momentary pause and she’s laughing harder. Azzi knows one of their friends has cracked a joke and the fact that Paige is laughing at it makes her even more irritated. It’s not even because she feels left out. She’s just annoyed that it’s not her that’s being given Paige’s attention, that she’d rather laugh at some stupid joke than be with Azzi. “We’re on different worlds, we’re just talking. I’m almost done, I swear.”

Azzi says nothing in response. Paige clearly doesn’t pick up that Azzi is genuinely irritated at this point, because she just goes right back to playing Minecraft, giggling at whatever Sarah and KK are saying and making her own jokes Azzi only half-gets. She pulls the covers up to her chin. They’re soft and smell just enough like Paige to feel like they’re teasing her.

She’s been laying in Paige’s bed for upwards of half an hour when she decides she’s over it, when her skin feels hot because of how annoyed she is that she’s not receiving Paige’s attention and instead is laying alone in a cold bed with light splashing over her despite it being too late for this. She huffs to herself and starts to get up out of the bed.

She doesn’t really have a plan, and when she catches sight of herself in her bonnet and Paige’s old clothes in the mirror held up on the wall, she knows she looks a little insane. She’s just rolled out of bed and she looks the part. The soft bags lining her undereyes are visible even from where she stands. She frowns a little at her own reflection, at the shine of her skin and the pout of her lips and the set of her eyes.

Azzi hasn’t even gotten to the door to leave Paige’s bedroom before the blonde is noticing her attempt at absence. “Azzi, wha’d’you need?” Her voice is tinged with laughter, bright and a little energetic and so far from what Azzi wants to be wrapped up in right now that she can’t even bring herself to lean into the sound of it. She just stops, hand not even reached out towards the door, face still a little crumpled with frustration.

“Sleep,” she says. She looks over her shoulder. Paige is looking at her, a little confused, still smiling slightly. She’s doing that thing again where she lifts one side of her headphones up and Azzi hates her body for betraying her when it runs a little warm at the way she looks doing that with her glasses on. “‘m going back to my place, can’t sleep here. See you tomorrow, love you,” she says, turning back over her shoulder again.

The sound of shuffling at a desk, of things being placed down and abandoned as a body lifts itself out of a chair. “No, no, Azzi, no,” she says. It’s almost cooed, which makes Azzi bite the inside of her cheek. She’s being petty and she knows it. She doesn’t care. She reaches out to grab the doorknob. “Don’t leave. You should’ve told me I was actually keeping you up, I thought you were chillin’ waiting for me.”

Paige’s steps are quiet against the carpet but still quick. Azzi can sense her coming up behind her as she starts to pull the door open, can feel her soft heat trying to cling to her body in the way she always likes. “I keep asking when you’re coming to bed ‘cause I just wanna go to bed ‘cause my day’s been shit, but I get it if you wanna play with them. I’m just gonna sleep at mine.” She twists the doorknob and it clicks a little with the force at which she completes the action.

Arms around her waist. She pulls the door open, but it’s no use, hallway dark and lifeless in the yawning doorway as Paige presses her front against Azzi’s back. Azzi’s mind goes just a little fuzzier at the feeling. “No, no, ‘m done. I’d rather go to bed with you now than keep playing and go to bed without you.” Paige tucks her face into Azzi’s neck, mouth soft on the skin there. Azzi is so tired. She stays still in Paige’s hold, hand dropping from the door, just staring out into the hallway. “Will you stay? Please? I wanna cuddle.”

She huffs a little, but Paige readjusts her arms to pull her just a little more flush against her, and Azzi is finding it harder and harder to scramble and hold onto her irritation. “Now you do,” she mumbles. Paige laughs a little into her. The sound should probably just make Azzi more annoyed, but it’s so quiet and almost pleading that she has to squint her eyes and screw up her face to stop herself from fully melting back into Paige.

“Don’t be that way, please,” Paige murmurs. Her arms, grown from their thinner shape in college but still lithe as they snake around her body, move to settle her hands on her hips and turn her around. Azzi lets herself get flipped. Her face is still screwed up as she faces Paige. Warm hands slide from her hips to her lower back.

Paige squints back at her from under the frame of her glasses. It’s incredibly endearing, to Azzi’s dismay. Her hair is a little messy from taking her headphones off and her pajamas are so big that they’re almost dripping off of her and Azzi does love her so much. Paige’s hands move from her back to her face, palms flat and warm, fingertips gentle on her skin. Azzi just looks at her.

They both stand there for a few moments. Azzi’s resolve slips away from her like meat off a bone. She tries to stay squinting at Paige, tries to convince her she’s still annoyed, but she doesn’t think she’s doing a very good job. Paige’s expression softens into a half-smile and she smooths her thumbs over the thin skin of Azzi’s undereyes. “Can I show you what I was making?” Her smile turns a little more sly as she asks.

At this, Azzi scoffs, rolling her eyes. She’s smiling with it, unfortunately, and so it doesn’t really hold much weight. “Dude,” she says. Paige laughs a little. The shape of her mouth is gummy. Azzi is already losing her exasperation.

“No, you’re gonna like it, I promise,” Paige says. She repeats the motion of her thumbs, pads of them gentle against Azzi’s tired undereyes, a physical attempt to lull her into giving in. Azzi scoffs again. Paige’s smile turns crooked. “I promise! Come look, mama, please, and then we’re going to bed. Together. You’re staying ‘cause I wanna cuddle you.” She pouts a little at Azzi, bottom lip swelling as she draws her brows from under the frames of her glasses.

Azzi stares at her for a few moments. At the shine of her bright irises, warmed to something just bluer than a gray in the warm light of the bedroom, at the broken pieces of hair too short to be collected into her bun that hang around her face, at the way she’s looking at Azzi and holding her face and standing so close to her. Her chest is warm. She sighs. “Okay, fine. But it better be quick, ‘cause I wanna go to bed.”

Paige brightens. “It will be,” she says, eyes crinkled to thin crescents. Her hands slip away from Azzi’s face and reach down. The weight of Paige’s palm is familiar in Azzi’s and she lets herself be led back into the room, towards Paige’s desk instead of the mattress still rumpled with her attempt at escape. The monitor is bright and Paige’s headset is set haphazardly on the keyboard. She pushes Azzi lightly to get her to sit in the chair and picks up the headphones.

“I gotta go guys, it’s bed time in Dallas. Love you, talk to you later,” Paige says into the microphone. Tinny voices spill out of the ear pieces, saying words Azzi can’t decipher. Paige holds one up to her ear to listen as Azzi lowers herself into the chair, looking up at Paige. The older girl laughs a little. “No, shut the fuck up. Y’all just mad ‘cause you don’t got game like I do. I’m turning off my video games to join a beautiful woman in my bed, fuck you guys, goodnight,” she says, and then she leans across the desk to reach the mouse and hangs up on a call.

Azzi laughs quietly despite herself. She looks up at Paige, who’s still looking at the monitor, a slightly sheepish expression gripping her face. It’s illuminated palely by the light of her computer and Azzi grins a little at the way she looks. “What am I looking at?” Paige clicks around with the mouse for a moment and unpauses her game of Minecraft.

“Here, let me show you,” she says, settling herself behind Azzi. Her arms come around either side of her, one settling its long fingers against the keys and the other resting against the mouse. She rests her chin against Azzi’s shoulder over the back of the chair. Azzi smiles a little at the way Paige so easily envelopes her, at the way she exhales a nearly silent laugh and Azzi can still feel it close to her ear. Paige starts walking her character towards a structure made of pink wood. “Okay, so this is our house.”

Azzi’s mouth twitches with a smile. She’s being shown the house she’s assuming Paige, KK, and Sarah had been working on. She’s surprised it’s so pink. “It’s nice,” she praises, taking in the large windows and grand roof and the decoration lining the outside of the house. It looks nicer than anything she thinks the three of them could come up with. “You used a tutorial for this?”

Paige laughs quietly. “Only a little. The back looks like shit, ‘cause I got bored before it got to the back. And the inside. But I wanted to do the inside myself, anyway.” Azzi laughs, too. Paige sprints towards the front, taking Azzi up to the door inside. She stops in front of it. “Look,” she says, raising a hand off of the mouse to point at the screen. There’s a pale sign next to the doors, and in dark, blocky text, it reads: “fudd-bueckers house :) <3”. And Azzi remembers that Paige wasn’t playing with KK and Sarah, and so “our house” really could only mean one thing.

“Oh, it’s our house,” she says dumbly. There’s a stupid smile crawling up onto her face. It’s almost embarrassing, how quickly she finds everything Paige does endearing, how she’s so in love with her that her face is heating a little because she had built them a house to live in in a video game Azzi wasn’t even playing with her.

Paige scoffs quietly, but it’s teasing. “Yeah. What’d you think I meant?” Azzi says nothing. She just stays grinning at the computer screen, watching Paige lower her hand again and hit the door open. “And I made it outta the pink wood for you.” She walks into the house.

“It’s nice,” Azzi compliments again. She tries to stop how big her smile is from bleeding into her voice, but she thinks she’s mostly unsuccessful. Paige turns around herself to shut the door behind her. An amused noise comes out of her throat and settles in the dip of Azzi’s collarbone.

The keys click softly as Paige leads them farther into the house. Azzi is led to an area she thinks is a kitchen, clean, white blocks lining the walls and a white door acting as what she thinks is a fridge. “Look, this is the kitchen. We have a- so there’s a bar, and an island with some stools. And then I also gave us two sinks, ‘cause I know you want two sinks in a kitchen,” Paige explains as she runs around.

Azzi’s mouth twists with an even bigger smile. “I do,” she agrees, because she does. She doesn’t even remember bringing that up to Paige. She finds it stupidly sweet, though, that Paige remembers that. Such a silly detail to keep locked away. She cocks her head slightly to the side and it rests gently against Paige’s.

She’s run to another area, this one with stairs circled around what Azzi believes to be a coffee table. Paige turns to look at the wall in front of it. “Then…here’s our living room, we got a big ass TV to watch stuff on. And I put the boxing painting on it ‘cause it’s like we’re watching a game.” She punches aimlessly at the television and Azzi laughs a little. Paige snorts softly with her. “Then…you come up the stairs, you got our dog,”

Azzi squints at the screen, an amused smile finding her warm face. Paige crouches in front of the brown and white dog sat at the top of the stairs with a purple collar. “You named it Rufus?” Paige just laughs and starts to feed the dog a piece of raw meat. Azzi snickers.

“Sarah told me to do it,” Paige says, running past the dog and into another room. “Then…this is our bedroom. And look. I put our beds next to each other.” She says it suggestively, voice going low around the stupid smile dragging her voice up, and Azzi laughs. “I thought a pink bed and a purple bed next to each other would be ugly, so we both just have a gray one, but I gave us both little nightstands with a pink and a purple flower. So we know which side is ours.”

And true to Paige’s word, Azzi notices the flowerpots placed on top of the blocks on either side of their bed, one with a pink tulip and another with a round flower of a lavender color. “That’s good,” Azzi praises quietly. Paige makes a sort of self-satisfied sound and then leaves their bedroom.

She goes further down the hallway. “Then…here’s the kids’ room,” she says, turning into another room, and Azzi starts cheesing so hard she thinks Paige can probably feel her smile where their heads are touching. Paige leads her character into a room with carpet and chests and bookshelves, and it’s so stupid, but Azzi goes so soft as Paige walks them around the room.

Azzi laughs a little. “Paige, there’s, like, four bunk beds.” She points at the screen, towards the corners Paige has tucked a large amount of beds into the room meant for their future children.

Paige snorts. “You’re not tryna have eight of my kids?” She knocks her head to the side, gently coming into contact with Azzi’s before letting their heads just rest against each others’ again. Paige laughs a little. “I took a buncha beds from a village and I just…I needed to use ‘em up. We can have a reasonable amount of kids and they can use the extra beds for…I dunno, jumping on.”

Azzi screws her face up to keep from bursting out laughing. She holds her breath for a few moments, feeling the way Paige is still breathing evenly against her, listening to the sound of the keys, feeling the warmth of her own chest. “That’s nice,” she eventually says. Paige makes another satisfied sound.

Paige walks back down the hallway to the stairs to mess with the dog. “And…yeah. That’s our house tour. Wha’d’you think?” Azzi sits there and watches, amused, as Paige makes the dog stand up and sit down over and over as she waits for Azzi’s approval. The dog’s nametag flashes at Azzi again - Rufus, she’s reminded - and she grins stupidly.

“You’re such a…gay nerd,” she eventually lands on. Paige grunts in protest. Azzi laughs a little, looking at their dog on the screen, feeling the warmth of where their heads come together and where Paige’s arms brush hers to reach around her. Paige stops messing with Rufus.

“Bro, I sit here and I build us a beautiful house with my bare hands, and I decorate it the way you would want, and you call me gay and a nerd.” She’s grumbling. It makes Azzi laugh, the sound bright and real, lighter than the way she’s felt for most of the day. Paige huffs close to her ear. “My girl ungrateful as hell. Prolly can’t even wife her up, ‘cause she’d just call me a gay nerd for asking to marry her.” She can feel Paige start to straighten back up from leaning over her and she laughs.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. It’s nice, Paige.” Paige fully parts from her now, a grin lighting Azzi’s face, laughter spilling out of her. She turns around the chair to look up at Paige, blonde brows drawn and bottom lip sticking a little bit out again. She crosses her arms. “Stop, now you’re the one pouting. I’m sorry! I love the house, P, it’s really nice. I’d love to live there with you. Stop it, babe, stop looking at me like that,” she says, still giggling through it, and Paige breaks a little to laugh with her.

Paige points a little over Azzi’s shoulder towards her monitor. “Do you actually like it?” She’s smiling a little as she asks, almost giddy. It’s adorable. Azzi can almost feel the press of her own dimples digging into her molars because of how hard she’s grinning.

“Yes,” she answers, and Paige’s smile turns a little lopsided and gummy. Azzi reaches her hands out in a silent ask. Paige answers by holding her own out and grabbing Azzi’s. “And I like that you were still thinking about me. I was lonely in bed without you, ‘m glad you were at least thinking about me while playing,” she says softly, still smiling.

Paige looks at her and her pupils are so large and round that Azzi can feel her own heart swelling a little at how sweet she looks. “‘m always thinking about you,” she says, voice quiet and sincere, hands warm where they’re held in Azzi’s.

Azzi doesn’t remember how she had gotten annoyed at Paige for this in the first place. “Aw, my little gay nerd,” she all but coos, and Paige laughs a little, looking down and away from her. Azzi smiles at the soft warmth of a blush that just barely pricks her cheeks from underneath her glasses, strawberry against cream. “I really like it. Thanks for showing me.”

Paige looks at her again. She smiles, almost sheepish, and Azzi pulls on her hands a little to get her to stumble closer to where she sits in the chair. Paige bends over and presses a chaste kiss against Azzi’s lips, both of them smiling a little, and Azzi is pleased to note that she really does smell like the nice lotion. “Time for bed?” She asks the question against Paige’s lips. Paige just hums.

She turns her PC off first, and then she walks over to the floor lamp to turn that off as well. Azzi watches her from her chair with a smile. She only gets up when she remembers she probably doesn’t want to try and feel her way to the bed through the dark, walking towards the bed in comfortable silence. “Y’know, I could think of many, many things to do to you in that bed that wouldn’t be nerdy.”

The lamp switches off. The room is dark now, Azzi climbing up onto the foot of the mattress. “Would still be gay,” Azzi counters as she wades towards the head of the bed while on her knees. The comforter is soft and swallows her actions, making them slow and lazy as she gets closer and closer to the top.

Paige groans. “I can’t win,” she complains, and Azzi laughs as she flops down into bed with her, her weight familiar and comforting as they sift through the mess of the covers until Azzi’s back is pressed against Paige’s front. She’s warm, and she’s happy again, and Paige is softly sighing close to her ear. She laces her fingers through Paige’s where they lay splayed over Azzi’s abdomen. Paige gently squeezes them back through the dark.

[azzi355]

[akaz2908]

[gaycriminal46]

Gabby x Kaitlyn

A duo I didn't know I needed.

But man did I need them.

[girliblue]

'can i have this dance?' - 7/?

pairing: paige x azzi💕

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

Summary: Azzi loved weddings, had loved them since she was a kid and religiously watched ‘say yes to the dress’ with her sister Olivia.

And now this time next year, Olivia would be getting married. Azzi should be thrilled, should be over the moon really. She loved her sister, and she loved her soon to be brother-in-law, Jared, almost as much. So why wasn’t she excited?

The answer was three words. Paige fucking Bueckers.

Paige - - Azzi’s infuriating, arrogant, utter arch nemesis that she couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with. Also known as Jared’s sister/best woman.

So, also known as the best woman opposite her maid of honor, meaning she would be impossible to ignore in the entire team leading up to the wedding.

Forced to co-host events, an unresolved past history, their families about to become one and confusing feelings that arise only when the two girls are around one another. What could possibly go wrong?

… or, the enemies to lovers fic that i randomly got inspo for :)

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

a/n: so this is part one of the september visit! and as a PSA - all-star was in early august in the 'cihtd' universe!

thank u all SO much for the love on chapter six!! it srsly means more than u know, and im super grateful :)

im ngl this is not well edited AT ALL, so pls send me any errors and I will fix them (and ill come back to fix anything that needs assistance LOL)

here's a link for reference of the 'lyss moment' for anyone that wants a visual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31QihKxjzts 🤗

enjoy!!💕

tw: mature content (18+)

wc: 11.7k

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

'cinderella' - mac miller ft. ty dolla $ign

"i been waitin' all year for this moment, I been picturin' you takin' off your clothes for me...

seven: the first time 

Azzi stepped off the train, her small purse slung over one shoulder and her phone held in front of her, the walking directions to the bar still pulled up despite the fact that she was already ten minutes later than she was supposed to be.

Fashionably late, as her grandmother would say. She had no one to blame but herself though, because she missed the train she should have been on, the one Olivia did make, because she napped for too long and didn’t get ready early enough. 

Her kitten heels echoed up the stairs as she weaved her way past the crowds of people heading in the opposite direction. It took some speed walking and only one wrong turn before she finally found the correct bar. It was the rooftop of a hotel in Manhattan, and according to a TikTok Olivia had sent in the group chat three weeks ago, it supposedly had the best espresso martinis in all of New York. Judging by the crowd waiting near the elevator, plenty of people seemed to agree.

Janelle gave her a bear hug as soon as she saw her, “Girl it’s been too long!” 

“I know.” Azzi laughed into the embrace before squeezing her back. “I've just been so busy.”

“Here, sit down.” Janelle motioned toward the empty chair beside Olivia. 

Azzi slid into the seat, setting her purse on the back of the chair before leaning over to steal a quick side hug from her sister. “We all have so much to catch up on.”

“Oh, I know,” Janelle continued, pointing dramatically between the two sisters. “We'll get to your life in a second. Liv was just filling me in on wedding stuff.”

“Oh gosh.” Azzi leaned back with an exaggerated sigh. “What now?” She teased, though to her sister’s credit, she hadn’t been too wedding obsessed the last few times they had seen one another.

Olivia smiled as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the engagement ring Jared had given her catching the warm string lights hanging overhead. “I need people to start RSVPing, like, yesterday,” She said, reaching for her espresso martini. “I have to send everyone that's coming all the hotel information for Maui, and I can't really do that until I know who's actually going.”

“Yeah, so how does that work?” Azzi asked, resting her elbow on the table. “Do you just... rent the whole place out?”

Olivia nodded, “It's a buyout, and because we're not booking it years in advance like most destination weddings, they need a pretty accurate head count sooner rather than later.”

“Speaking of,” Janelle said, taking a sip of her espresso martini. “Why is it so soon? You’re not knocked up, are you?” 

Azzi tensed, and she could see Olivia’s expression shift too, so she naturally did whatever she could to take away any of her sister’s discomfort. “You can see that she’s actively drinking right now, right?” She deadpanned, motioning to the martini Olivia had already made a noticeable dent in before she'd even gotten there.

Janelle rolled her eyes, “I’m obviously kidding, my gosh. Tough crowd.” 

Olivia cleared her throat, probably to stifle any rising emotion. “My dad’s trial isn’t going well. So we decided to schedule it as soon as we could, so y’know…”

“Got it.” Janelle's expression softened immediately, all traces of her teasing disappearing. “Sorry. I honestly didn't put two and two together. Didn't mean to bring down the mood or anything.”

“No, you're good.” Olivia offered her a reassuring smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. She wrapped both hands around her martini glass, absentmindedly tracing the rim with her thumb. “It's just still hard to talk about.”

“Well,” Janelle reached across the table, giving each of the sisters' hands a quick squeeze, “I'm always here if you guys need anything.”

They caught up for a little after that, mostly about wedding planning and the promotion Janelle got at work - - which was part of the reasons for them getting together this evening. 

It didn’t take long for the topic Azzi had been dreading to be brought up. “Now I wanna hear all about all-star weekend.” 

“Oh God.” Olivia groaned, dropping her forehead to the table. “I can’t do this right now.”

Azzi couldn't help but laugh at her sister's embarrassment. “Yeah, Liv had herself a time.”

Olivia groaned louder, her voice muffled against the tabletop. “Stoppppp.”

“A time?” Janelle raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

“It means I got hammered, was kicked out of the club, and was acting a mess in front of a ton of professional athletes.” Olivia said.

“Bro, literally no one knows about that. You're fine.” Azzi rolled her eyes, reaching over to nudge Olivia's shoulder. Then she looked back at Janelle. “I keep trying to tell her it's not that big a deal, but she's too embarrassed to believe me.”

Janelle laughed, nearly sloshing her drink as she set the glass back down. “Oh my God. What the fuck happened?”

“Well...” Olivia sat up, apparently gaining her usual confidence back, smoothing a hand over her hair. “Azzi wouldn't know.”

Azzi's eyebrows shot up. “What? I took care of your ass all night. What're you talking about?”

“Yeah,” Olivia said, unable to fight the smug smile spreading across her face, “but before that...” She drew the moment out just enough to make Azzi suspicious. “...you were all over Paaaigeee.”

“What?!” Janelle's head whipped toward Azzi so fast it was almost comical. “Since when do you two get along?”

“We don't,” Azzi lied a little too quickly, her eyes dropping to her lap as she reached for her drink. “She's being dramatic. Paige offered to help me take care o' Liv. That was all.”

Olivia gawked at her, “Sabrina said you guys were already together!”

Azzi kept her gaze locked on her espresso martini, trying to figure out the best way to navigate a topic she had successfully been avoiding, given that she had hardly seen her sister since they got back from Houston. She chose the route of feigning indifference, shrugging and twirling a curl around her finger. “I dunno, sometimes we like to fight. It was prolly ‘cause of that.”

“Were you hammered too?” Janelle asked.

“Not as bad as this one,” She cocked her head toward Olivia, “But I was definitely drunk. And prolly being all attention seeking.” 

She decided not to express how she really only had a couple of drinks, and the only thing she had been feeling was an all-consuming arousal for Paige. Because, for obvious reasons, she had no intention of telling anyone about this newfound development in her life. She would uphold the facade that she hated Paige, that everything about her irked her. 

Granted, a lot of things about Paige still irked her anyway. “Alright, subject change. Who’s ready to order an app? I’m starved.” 

—------

Despite having a strong start to the season, the Liberty were now in a three game losing streak. It was taking its toll on the team, who all had more than enough of losing to teams they shouldn’t be losing to. 

Azzi threw herself back into her training. Which meant that on the one off day she had in God knows how long, she spent the entire afternoon with her trainer Jalen at the practice facility. 

Tash came for about an hour or so, the two women mostly working on shooting drills together. And by the time the pair finished with their session, Azzi was exhausted. She barely had the energy to listen to the latest of Tash and Izzy (Izzy took too long to answer Tash’s text yesterday and you would think the woman cheated based on the vet’s reaction). 

“I’m just like, I know you had a chance to answer me before you go on that plane! So why didn’t you?” Tash spoke animatedly across from Azzi in the locker room. 

Azzi stopped listening shortly after, instead she unlocked her phone while she waited for Tash to finish either ranting or packing up her things, whatever came first. 

She had a missed call from Olivia, a few texts from her publicist, some from her team group chat, and one from Paige. 

paige bueckers 😾🫪🤮💩

call me on ur way home 

Now, Azzi was bothered by this text. Okay, not actually bothered, but it was still annoying that Paige had become this familiar with Azzi’s schedule. And learning to not loathe the idea of having a mid-day call with Paige, learning that she was actually fine with the idea, was extremely confusing.

“Uh. Azzi?” Natasha's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Are you listening?”

“Hm?” Azzi blinked a few times before looking over. “Sorry, zoned out.” She grabbed her gym bag with one hand and her now-locked phone with the other. “You ready?”

Natasha laughed, shaking her head as the two of them headed toward the parking lot together. They talked about practice for another minute or two before splitting off toward their respective cars, exchanging quick goodbyes before climbing inside. Only when Azzi successfully made her way onto the traffic-filled streets of Brooklyn, did she call Paige. 

“So I have a proposition.” Paige said as soon as she accepted the call. 

Despite not being able to see her face, Azzi could hear a tinge of nervousness in her voice. “Proposition? That’s a big word.”

“Hey, I’ve been reading, remember?”

“Have you? ‘Cause you told me you were gonna update me when you kept reading, and last I heard you were on chapter two.”

“Three!”

“Oh, sorry. Three.” Azzi shook her head and bit back a smile, grateful that the blonde couldn’t see her amused expression. “What was the proposition then?” A long exhale could be heard on the other end of the call, and Azzi immediately took back being grateful for not being able to see one another. She had found that Paige was rather easy to read, or Azzi had a knack for knowing what she was feeling based on her face, and not being able to see those expressive blue eyes was making this more difficult. “Paige? You still there?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Paige’s voice crackled slightly through the speaker, followed by the sharp sound of her clearing her throat. She sounded smaller than usual, a far cry from her typical swagger. “‘m actually coming in the night before the fifth. For a dinner I have with Unrivaled people.”

“Oh?” Azzi said, her brows knitting together in confusion. 

“Yeah, well, anyway.” Paige trailed off, the sound of rhythmic tapping, almost like a nervous habit, audible in the background. “My assistant is tryna book me a hotel room, but I wasn’t sure…”

“Sure about what, Paige?” Azzi pressed, not wanting to fill in that blank on the off chance she was misreading this entire exchange. 

“If I should stay in a hotel or not.” The words were rushed, almost tripping over each other as Paige finally spit them out.

“Oh. Oh.” Azzi’s eyes widened, her heart practically skipping a beat. A flush crept up her neck, warming her cheeks despite the car's air conditioning. “You wanna stay with me or something?”

“I mean, yeah. If that’s cool.” There was a softer level to Paige’s tone that caught Azzi off guard, a glimpse of the less-confident Paige she wasn’t used to seeing. “But I don’t have to, obviously. Don't make it weird.”

Azzi thought it over as she pulled to a stop at a red light. Even though she was more than preparing herself to see Paige again, she hadn’t thought about the older woman staying the night. And despite normally hating when her plans were altered, she didn’t actually hate the idea. Azzi was working on taking risks, and even if this whole thing turned out to be a disaster, at least she tried.

Figuring she’d put Paige out of her misery, Azzi finally answered her a moment later. “Yeah, that’s fine. You can stay.” 

“Shit yeah.”

“Oh my God, why are you like this?”

——

Azzi spent the entire morning of the day Paige would be arriving trying to pretend it was just any other Thursday. She threw herself into lift, trying to occupy her mind by reaching a new pr and talking with her teammates. 

She had a physical that afternoon, where she kept her focus on her health - - something she did often, anyway. Between the routine tests, answering the same questions she answered every season, and talking with the medical staff about how her body had been feeling lately, it was easy enough to keep her mind elsewhere.

The only part of the day she had nothing to do but think about Paige’s arrival had been while Paige was at her dinner. She didn’t realize the extent of the Unrivaled dinner until Natasha told her about the details, since she would be in attendance too. It was a bunch of investors and players that had equity in the company, all at some high-end restaurant in Manhattan. Paige hadn’t answered her much throughout the day, but Azzi chalked it up to her flying in and then having to quickly get ready for the event.

Of course everyone she knew was busy that evening too, so she quite literally was left sitting in her living room with her thoughts. Her book wasn’t holding her attention, she didn’t have much of an appetite, and she felt like she reached the end of instagram with how long she had been on the app.

She was mindlessly scrolling through the Instagram stories of the people she followed when it happened; a story, posted by Arike, of everyone at that damn Unrivaled dinner with their drinks raised toward the center of the table, glasses clinking together while someone behind the camera cheered. It took Azzi less than a second to find Paige among the crowd, drink in hand and smiling for the camera.

She clicked on the next one, which was posted on Arike’s close friends instead. It was a video of Paige and Phee, each with a tray of shots in one hand, and an individual glass raised in the other. 

Oh so it was that kind of dinner. Azzi was fucking livid. How dare Paige invite herself to stay at Azzi’s place, where they would presumably be doing something physical, and show up drunk? Especially while Azzi was at home sober? 

Impulsively, Azzi took a screenshot of Arike’s story, then opened her texts with Paige. 

azzi fudd

Attachment: 1 photo

r u fucking kidding me with this? 

ur just gna show up at my house fucked up?

ur weird for this dont bother coming 

She slammed her phone down on the nightstand as soon as she sent those series of texts. Anger was simmering in her chest, threatening to pour over any second. She felt like an idiot for feeling so strongly about this, for allowing Paige of all people to bring her to this point of frustration. 

She stormed into the bathroom that connected to her bedroom, aggressively beginning her skincare routine. It wasn’t that she had gotten ready for Paige to come over, she hadn’t even chosen an outfit yet, but she purposefully kept on her makeup from the day to look decent enough for when Paige arrived. 

The micellar water she was using to take off her mascara made her eyes burn, and she was grateful for a distraction, despite how painful it was. But her thoughts kept trickling back to Paige, out and about, drinking, doing whatever she wanted while Azzi was the idiot who waited up for her. 

Maybe Paige didn’t think anything, well, physical, was going to happen. Maybe she thought their newly formed friendship meant she really was just going to spend the night. Maybe Azzi was just an inexperienced girl jumping at the chance to sleep with someone who seemed at least semi-interested in her too. 

Somewhere in her subconscious, she assumed that Paige would have responded by the time she finished getting ready for bed. However, when she returned to the charger, not one notification was waiting for her. Huffing as she crawled beneath the covers, Azzi accepted defeat. She flicked off her light switch, shut her eyes, and prayed sleep would come quickly so she could do her best to forget. 

——

A loud buzzing from her bedside table jolted her awake, causing her to gasp obnoxiously the way her mother used to when she would wake her up in the middle of the night. Eyes squinted, she blindly reached for the light switch beside her bed, wincing when both bedside lamps turned on. Then, she found her phone, using too much force to unplug the charger, and subsequently ripping the plug out of the wall too. “Fuck my life.” She grumbled to herself.

paige bueckers 😾🫪🤮💩 was the contact that was currently disturbing her beauty sleep, and Azzi had half a mind to flat out decline right then and there. But when the call was about to go to voicemail, she impulsively answered, curiosity outwinning her stubbornness. “What?!” She barked, negating a greeting.

“Please don’t kill me.”

“What does that mean?” Azzi rubbed her eyes, still processing the fact that she was even awake right now. “Plus ‘m already mad at you.”

“I know, that’s why I figured it couldn’t get much worse than this.” Paige laughed, mainly to herself because Azzi was not finding her amusing. When Azzi remained wordless, Paige let out a long sigh, “I’m outside.”

Azzi’s head snapped up even though Paige couldn’t see her. “Outside o’ my apartment?”

“Mhm. Lemme up?”

Azzi huffed, her tone sounding bratty even to her own ears. “No.”

“No?”

“I’m still mad at you.”

“Azzi I swear I didn’t drink. I put that shot down after, Arike was just adamant about taking that stupid boomerang.” Paige rushed out, and even though her anguish was almost palpable, she didn’t sound intoxicated. 

Briefly, Azzi hates herself a little for knowing the difference in Paige’s voice from when she was drinking compared to when she wasn’t. “How do I know you’re being truthful?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.” Her voice was pleading, desperate almost, and Azzi secretly felt powerful at the thought. The thought that Paige was equally as desperate to see her again. “Please let me up.”

Truth be told, Azzi was already opening her building’s app to let Paige inside. Even though she was mad at the girl, she wasn’t a monster that would leave Paige out on the street - - especially after purposefully not booking a hotel room to stay with her in the first place. (This was what she was telling herself, at least). “Fine. It should be open.”

“Fuck, thank you. I’ll be right up.” She hung up before Azzi could say anything else. 

And then the panic set in. For starters, Azzi’s room was a mess. She stood quickly, taking the giant pile of clean clothes that were resting on the foot of her bed and shoving them in the closet. She barely got the door closed, but at least the mess was out of sight. Then she made her bed, put away the piles of books on her nightstand, and tossed the empty coffee cups there into the trash of her bathroom.

Then she made the mistake of looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, and a new wave of anxiety hit. Since she humbly assumed she wasn’t getting laid tonight, Azzi went to bed looking far differently than she would have preferred. She first grabbed her eyelash curler from the makeup stand on the counter, curling her lashes and throwing on a light coat of mascara. The only lip product she had readily available was a tube of aquaphor, so she squeezed some out to put a coat on plump lips.

Satisfied with the way her face looked, she frantically took off her bonnet, then her tshirt and literal granny panties, while simultaneously re-opening her closest doors. By some grace of God, the pile of clean clothes didn’t come tumbling out, though one wrong move and they would end up everywhere. She opened the drawer inside where she kept her (few) matching pajama sets, and chose a matching black silk one from target. She closed the closet doors again, then moved to her dresser. Her underwear drawer was a disaster, but she found a silk thong that was also black, one that she could easily pretend she just happened to be sleeping in.

She put the thong and silk shorts on first, but stilled when she went to throw the button-down short sleeve pajama top over her head. She couldn’t just not have a bra on, right? She didn’t want her nipples to be shown through her top, regardless of whether or not anything sexual was about to happen. In a rash decision, she opened the drawer filled with her bras, choosing the one her hand found first.

It was white and lacy, but it was semi-comfortable and she didn’t really have time to think it over anyway. Just as she got the clasp done, a knock sounded on her front door. “One second!” She shouted from her bedroom. She walked toward the kitchen and put the pajama top on at the same time, trying to catch her breath after the tizzy she had just put herself in.

She took one final deep breath before opening her front door. The first thing she processed was the duffle bag across Paige’s shoulder. The next was Paige’s outfit; a grey suit, one that exposed the valley of her chest and contrasted nicely against pale skin. She looked good, with her hair in an up do that appeared to be held together by a large claw clip. 

Paige spoke first, a little exasperated, “Can I come in?”

Realizing she had been staring, Azzi turned quickly to hide her brush, leaving Paige to her own devices to follow her inside the apartment. “Yeah, sorry.” She heard the door close behind her, but she didn’t turn around until she reached the counter of her kitchen. “D’you want water or something?”

When she allowed herself to look over, Paige was putting her bag down next to the shoe rack Azzi kept by the door. “‘m fine.” Paige bent down to untie her sneakers, and Azzi looked away quickly when she realized the action exposed even more of Paige’s chest.

She made herself busy by pouring herself a glass of water. The brita was almost empty, so she went to the sink to refill it. She was mid-turning off the faucet when she felt a weight behind her, the scent of Paige’s cologne filling her nostrils. Azzi closed the lid to the brita, but didn’t turn, afraid that Paige would somehow be able to sense how nervous she was.

“Hey.” Paige tapped on her shoulder, “Turn around f’me?” Azzi listened, the brita now abandoned inside her kitchen sink. Paige looked her up and down at least twice, a small smile appearing on thin lips. “You woke up looking like this?”

“Yup.” Azzi said, popping the ‘p’. “That surprises you?”

“Knowing you, a little.”

“Please, you know nothing about me.” It’s a lie, and they both know it. Besides their pasts being long intertwined, Azzi had been opening up to Paige more than she had with anyone else in a really long time.

“Really?” Annoyingly, Paige didn’t fall for Azzi’s gimmick. Instead, she leaned forward so her hands met the kitchen counter, her arms caging Azzi in. The action was audible due to Paige’s suit jacket bunching at her shoulders, and Azzi resisted the urge to flatten the wrinkles there. “Maybe I should get to know you more, then.”

Azzi huffed, but her body remained perfectly still. She could feel her heart racing in her chest, still so damn nervous for what was, hopefully, about to happen. Although she was still putting on an appearance of indifference, any frustration she had felt earlier was long gone, instead replaced by all consuming anticipation. “I’d be okay with that.”, is what she settled on. 

Paige smiled, dropping her arms from the counter, and holding a hand out. “Then let’s go to your room, yeah?”

Once again letting out an annoyed huff, Azzi stayed in place. “I wish I had a breathalyzer or something.”

The amused smirk on Paige’s face fell, with blue eyes widening so that her pupils were blown. “Fudd, ‘m bein’ serious. I wouldn’t, y’know, take advantage o’ you like that. I swear.”

Azzi felt her foe-pissed off expression dissipate. She hadn’t meant to insinuate any of that. Paige might have been a lot of things, and might make Azzi nervous for a lot of reasons, but she knew she would never use her for something as intimate as sex. Or, she at least trusted Paige not to do that. And in Azzi’s book, trust was not given out lightly. “Okay, yeah. I believe you.”

Paige visibly relaxed, “Good. Now lead the way, princess.”

Azzi rolled her eyes, brushing past the blonde. “Oh my God.” 

“What? You don’t like when I call you that?”

“Jus’ stop talking.” Azzi said, though she meant the exact opposite. She still found herself thinking about the filth Paige had spewed in her ear during their makeout back in Houston. Each time it made her skin burn just thinking about it, knowing there had to be so much more to discover, considering how little they had actually done in hindsight. Her bedroom door was left ajar, so she stood to the side so Paige could enter first, then closed the door behind her. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess.”

“It’s really not.” Paige looked around the room like she was taking it in, and it daunted on Azzi that she had never been in here before. “We really don’t gotta do anything.” Paige said quietly, sitting on the foot of her bed. “Don’t wanna pressure you or anything.”

Azzi, digging deep to find a semblance of confidence, took a few steps forward, stopping right next to where Paige was sitting. It was like deja vu, standing above Paige like this again, though this time she was more nervous than the last. She blamed it on the lack of alcohol, because this time the build-up gave her far more opportunity to think or second guess herself or do something stupid like turn Paige away.

Trying to ignore those fears, Azzi lifted a slightly trembling hand to the top button of her pajama top, batting her eyelashes at Paige. “I want to.” After undoing the first two buttons, she stopped, deciding she wanted far less light than what was currently on in her bedroom. She moved to find the light switch, but stilled when a strong hand caught her wrist.

“Where ‘you going?” Paige practically grunted out.

“Turning the lights off. Relax.” Azzi shrugged her hand free, then successfully turned off both lamps by flicking off the switch. The only light remaining was coming from the small nightlight next to her bathroom door. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah.” Paige nodded, making grabby hands toward her. The action would’ve been bizarre if it was anyone else, but with the way Paige was looking at her like she wanted her, sent a jolt of heat through her. “C’mere.”

Azzi returned to her original spot, but when she reached Paige, the older woman stood. “You want me in charge again?”

“‘In charge’ isn’t the way I’d put it.” Azzi said, perching her hands on her hips dramatically. Her voice was quieter than she meant when she added, “But, yeah. You can… do whatever you want.”

Paige’s entire demeanor lit up at that, “Don’t gotta tell me twice.” She started to unbutton her suit jacket, her eyes darkening as she said, “Sit on the bed.”

“A ‘please’ wouldn’t kill you.” Azzi complained, though she did what she was told. 

Only after she sat, her ass barely making contact with the bed, did she realize how the positioning was rather seductive. With her hands resting on the comforter, she had accidentally arched her back in a way that exposed her cleavage, the two open buttons of her pajama top leaving little to the imagination. 

“What?” Azzi teased when she realized Pagie was staring. She glanced down at herself, before looking back up with a satisfied smirk. “You like what you see?”

“Oh, ‘m so fucked.” Paige rushed to undo the buttons of her jacket, fumbling with the fabric over her shoulders as she tugged it off in a hurry. She was left in just her suit pants, her bare chest exposed. Well, except for her nipple covers, which caused Azzi to essentially laugh in Paige’s face when she noticed them. “Um, why’re you laughing?” Paige said with a confused (although adorable - - again, not that Azzi would ever admit that aloud) pout.

Azzi pointed toward her chest, “Nice pasties.”

Paige looked down, then let out a short chuckle of her own. “Oh, shit.” She took them off carefully, wincing at the adhesive pulling on her skin, then tossed them on top of Azzi’s dresser. God, Paige was something else. Visually speaking, at least. Standing there with her hair pinned up, her nipples hardened now that the covers had been removed, she looked ethereal. 

Stepping back in front of her, Paige mirrored the way Azzi had stood earlier, towering over her as she reached for the remaining buttons on Azzi's pajama top. Her hands stopped just short of touching them. “Can I?”

Azzi nodded, “Mhm.” 

Paige’s fingers were cool against caramel skin, taking her time as she undid each button. Azzi helped her slide the material off fully once she was done. A surge of confidence burst through her when Paige completely stilled in place, her eyes locked on Azzi, back arched and white lace bra accentuating her full breasts. “Okay, there’s no way you slept in this.”

Azzi’s mouth twisted as she fought off a smile. “God forbid a girl was hoping she’d have a nighttime visitor.” The smirk on her lips vanished the moment Paige got on her knees, her hands resting on the mattress beside Azzi’s hips. 

Paige flashed her a small smile. “Hi.” Her hands found Azzi’s waist, pulling her forward so she was completely on the edge of the bed. 

Faces a mere inch apart, both women remained in limbo, letting the tension between them continue to build. Azzi could practically feel it in her chest, could feel it in the way her chest was rising and falling rapidly with each breath, breasts barely contained by the bra she haphazardly chose earlier. 

“Hi.” Azzi whispered back. She kept her hands at her sides, unsure where to even touch Paige at this point. She was waiting, impatiently waiting, for Paige to kiss her. To hopefully experience a kiss unlike anything she had felt before, other than the last time they had been face to face like this. 

It took another few seconds, but finally Paige leaned forward that extra inch, their lips simply brushing one another at first. Azzi, deciding she was done exhibiting restraint, tugged Paige closer by the back of her neck, their lips meeting for a second time, but with more passion and heat and something more exchanging between them.

She decided that Paige wearing makeup was a game changer, and she absolutely would be asking her to do this again next time (if there was a next time, of course). The feeling of glossed lips against hers was almost indescribable. Paige’s hands tightened at her waist as she deepened the kiss, her bare chest meeting Azzi’s bra-covered one. The contact made it so their chests rose and fell together as they continued to kiss one another, rarely coming apart for air.

Sick of keeping her hands to herself, Azzi wrapped her arms around Paige’s frame, trying to find her hair, but stopping when she realized it was being held up by a clip. When Paige broke the kiss so they could catch their breaths, Azzi brought one of her hands so it rested just beneath Paige’s hair clip. “Can I take this out?”

“Yeah, sure.” Paige rushed out, opting not to wait for Azzi to remove the clip before kissing her again. Azzi loved the feeling of her fingers raking through blonde locks, loved it even more when Paige groaned as she brought manicured fingers to tug at her lower scalp. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just exploring the feeling of making out with one another. Paige’s tongue kept slipping in and out of her mouth, tracing her bottom lip, sliding against the roof of her mouth, against her tongue. 

When impatience took over, Azzi pushed Paige away by bringing a hand to her chest. “Want more.” She whispered. 

“Okay,” Paige leaned back on her knees, “But ‘m takin’ my time with you.” Azzi quite literally shivered at those words, more heat coursing through her at the way Paige was looking at her when she stood again; like she was hungry for her. “So fuckin’ hot, damn.” Paige said. Strong hands found Azzi’s, tugging her upwards with a surprising amount of force. 

The abruptness of the movement made it so that Azzi was flush against Paige, whose hands landed on the backs of caramel thighs. Azzi could feel her rubbing slow circles against the warm skin there. Taking another moment to just soak it all in, she interlocked her hands behind Paige’s neck and studied her face. Her lips were kiss-swollen, blue eyes significantly darker than before. “What now?” Azzi heard herself ask. 

“Now,” Paige started, removing her hands from Azzi’s thighs. Instead, she brought them to ghost against Azzi’s bare lower stomach, her pointer fingers dipping just below her waistline. “I take these off,” She kissed Azzi’s cheek as she pulled on her shorts, “Imma lay you down,” She kissed Azzi’s jaw next, “And Imma make you feel good.”, she said, right in her ear. 

Azzi swallowed thickly, desire clouding her usual urge to remain poised. “Do it.” She said roughly. Paige’s fingers were warmer than earlier, a little calloused against her skin as she began to slide the silk fabric of Azzi’s shorts down her legs. She was taking her time, which was partially attractive from how attentive she was being, but also taking away from Azzi’s plan of getting more. She stepped out of the fabric as soon as it reached her ankles, “Please, Paige. Want more.”

“Okay, okay. Here,” Paige made quick work of unzipping her pants and stepping out of them, leaving her in just a pair of calvin klein boxers. Despite how quickly the blonde was moving, Azzi managed to trace her figure with her eyes, another wave of want hitting her from seeing Paige like this. She watched as Paige climbed on the bed, first on all fours, before settling with her back against the pillows by the headboard. “Want you on top, okay?”

God, Azzi was about to go fucking feral with how turned on she was. Paige was laid out for her, naked save her for boxers, her face already flushed and features blown. She didn’t say anything at first, she simply crawled onto the bed, swinging a leg over Paige’s, then settling so she was comfortably straddling the other woman. She felt like she was on cloud nine, straddling Paige like this, her hands rubbing up and down Azzi’s bent thighs again. “This good?”Azzi asked in the most sultry voice she could muster. 

“Yeah, you’re perfect like this.” Paige’s hands slid further up, pressing against her lower back so that Azzi started to lean towards her. “C’mere,” She whispered, and Azzi listened, bringing her curls to one side with the hand not pressed against Paige’s shoulder, freeing her face and softly connecting their lips. 

Paige’s tongue slipped into her mouth, the feeling both warm and exhilarating at the same time. She kept her mouth parted as she allowed Paige to set the pace, allowed Paige to lick into her with palpable desire. The first grind of her hips against Paige’s pelvis was nothing but sheer relief. The moan that escaped her was almost pornographic, but Azzi couldn’t bring herself to be embarrassed, not when Paige groaned right back, and not when it felt that good. 

The thin silk of her thong made it so that the material was bunching against her clit, her movements against Paige prompting waves of pleasure to start to crescend. Two large hands found her ass after a few rounds of Azzi’s grinding, and Azzi let her take control. Paige set the tone so it was slower, but the added pressure of her guiding Azzi made it so that her cunt was sliding against even more of Paige’s waist. 

Azzi lowered herself slightly, moving her lips to trail down a pale jaw and neck. She found a spot to take purchase next to Paige’s ear, teeth and swollen lips sucking at the spot. When she added her tongue to the mix, Paige’s hands tightened their hold against Azzi’s ass, her hips bucking upward unexpectedly. 

“Azzi,” Paige said suddenly. Hearing her name exit the blonde’s list halted her movements entirely. 

She sat up fully, “Yeah? Is something wrong?”

Paige smiled at her, a full and toothy grin taking over her face. “Nah, jus’ wanna move ya a little.” She brought her hands to Azzi’s hips, “Can I?” When Azzi nodded enthusiastically, Paige huffed out a laugh, then lifted Azzi up. At the same time, Paige bent one leg, then placed Azzi so her core landed on the muscle of Paige’s quad.

“You want me here?” 

Paige nodded, her voice rough as she commanded, “Ride my thigh, baby.”

Azzi shuddered, physically shuddered, hearing the pet name slip from Paige’s lips. She watched something flash through blue eyes, and though she knew Paige hadn’t meant to say it, she still really fucking liked hearing it. Knowing she couldn’t verbalize any of this, Azzi surged down to kiss Paige fiercely, and simultaneously grinded down on Paige’s flexed thigh. 

And oh. She immediately understood why Paige had placed her there. The feeling of a muscular quad against her core sent Azzi reeling. She moaned against Paige’s lips, her mouth parting to accept Paige’s searching tongue. The grinding was similar to before, but Azzi felt her mindlessly begin to counter Paige’s steering of her ass, trying to speed up and search the high that was building in her abdomen. Her lips brushed Paige’s as she pulled back to whisper, “Holy shit.” 

Paige smirked, moving her thigh so it met Azzi’s dripping, thong-covered entrance with slight force. “You close?” 

Azzi nodded adamantly, “Y-yeah.” Her voice came out shaky, her breaths starting to become more rapid. Her grinding was almost erratic now, her forehead dropping to Paige’s shoulder and eyes squinting shut in pure bliss. “I’m almost there.”

“You got it, keep movin.’”

She felt, rather than saw, Paige’s hands slip between her thong and the swell of her ass. The contact was almost bruising, with Paige alternating between squeezing the fat of her ass with both hands and flexing her fingers once Azzi’s cunt made contact with her ready thigh. “Swear, ‘m right there.” Azzi choked out, “But I might… need more.”

Paige kissed her neck, which was the part of Azzi that was closest to her lips. “Wanna ride my fingers?”

Azzi blushed at how forward Paige was being, but deep down she was dripping wet at the mere thought of that. She lifted her head from Paige’s shoulder, “Yes please.”

“I gotchu.” Paige slipped her hands out from Azzi’s thong, then tapped once on her hip. “Can you take this off f’me?”

“Okay.” Azzi rolled off Paige’s lap, sat on the open side of the bed, leaned back as casually as she could, and slid the now soaked material off her body. When she turned again, Paige sat up to meet her, moving the decorative pillows on the bed so she could remain more upright. 

The blonde lay in a manspread when she gestured for Azzi to come back, “C’mere, ma. Wanna feel you so bad.”

Azzi wasn’t sure if she just had a thing for dirty talk, or if it was hearing these rather filthy words slip from Paige’s lips that was making her this aroused; either way it was really doing something for her, and she couldn’t fight off the smile that emitted from hearing Paige want her so openly. 

She straddled Paige’s lap again, her hands toying with the wire of her bra. “Should I take this off?” 

Paige gently moved her fingers out of the way, her own moving to find the clasp of it. “Here, lemme.” And of course, because she just had to be a stereotype, Paige managed to unclip her bra on the first try. “‘m so good.” She whispered, almost to herself. 

“Shut up and take it off.” 

“Yes ma’am.” Paige gently guided the straps off Azzi’s shoulders, handing it over to Azzi, who practically chucked it to the side. Slightly nervous and with her bottom lip caught between her teeth, she watched Paige take in the sight of her bare chest for the first time. Her hands found Azzi’s mid-back, both thumbs brushing brown nipples simultaneously. “Beautiful.”

Azzi tried so hard not to have an outward, physical reaction. Deciding she didn’t want to wait any longer for Paige’s fingers inside of her, she took matters into her own hands. She pecked Paige’s lips once, then braced both hands against her shoulders. She adjusted her spread legs so that her entrance was open and wet, waiting for Paige. “‘m ready.”

Paige squeezed her ass with her left hand, a gasp escaping Azzi at the feeling. “Love these pretty noises you make f’me.” Paige said into her ear. She brought her flexed middle and pointer fingers to Azzi’s entrance, stilling when she was about knuckle-deep. “Can I keep going?”

“Yes.” Azzi breathed out before Paige had even fully finished asking the question. “Want more please.”

“Good girl, using your words.” Paige kissed the divet in her jaw, then pushed her long digits inside of Azzi the rest of the way. Azzi stayed there for a moment, adjusting to the feeling and letting her brain process the fact that Paige’s fingers were inside of her. Paige kissed her jaw again, then the side of her neck. “You can take it, start movin’ baby.”

God, hearing Paige call her that was fucking everything. Azzi took a final deep breath before starting her movements. The first time felt good, the way she lifted herself up and back down Paige’s long fingers, getting used to the feeling. The second time was better, Paige’s fingers reaching deeper inside with the added force of Azzi’s hips.

The third time was heavenly. Paige met her movements halfway, her fingers sliding through Azzi’s hole and grazing spots inside of her that felt euphoric. Azzi increased her pace, riding Paige’s fingers, eyes shut in pleasure and her forehead finding Paige’s shoulder again. 

For the next minute or two, the only noise in the bedroom were Azzi’s breathy moans and the wet sounds emitting from her cunt. Paige broke the relative silence by tugging on the back of Azzi’s neck, forcing eye contact. “Can I lay you down?” 

Azzi stopped, her voice sultry as she said, “Yeah, but stay inside.”

“Whatever you want.” Paige rushed out, then guided Azzi off her. Her two fingers remained inside of Azzi’s pulsating cunt as she helped the younger woman get situated. Paige positioned herself next to Azzi’s side, her lips grazing Azzi’s ear, “Relax f’me now. Imma take over.” 

Then she started fingering her, her pace slower, but with added force. Paige’s lips were back on her, and though Azzi tried to kiss her back, she had to keep pushing away when pleasure took over and she couldn’t catch her breath. 

“Oh, Paige.” She moaned out, far louder than she had been previously. Paige’s free hand was circling her clit, the movements persistent and fast around the bundle of nerves. “I’m gonna - - fuck.” 

Azzi titled her head back against the pillows, painted toes curling, waves of pleasure consuming her. She had never finished from being fingered before (she wasn’t even sure if she’d ever finished from penetration either), and the feeling, despite being foreign, felt good. 

Paige kept going, and Azzi was about to ask her to stop when something… happened. Paige lowered herself, her mouth just barely near Azzi’s cunt, her tongue finding Azzi’s nearly throbbing clit. And while still fucking Azzi with her fingers, the pressure to her clit changed things. “Oh my God, Paigeuh!” 

And then she felt it. She felt herself cum against Paige’s hand. She felt that warm sensation curdle through her belly down to her toes. She felt Paige continue to suck at her clit, felt the waves of her release continue to spike through her body. She felt everything. 

And Azzi Fudd had officially confirmed that she had never finished properly. Ever. 

Finally able to form words, Azzi pushed at Paige’s shoulder, her breath hitching. “Wait, stop. Please.”

Paige immediately withdrew, sensing the shift. She moved upright, hovering on her forearm above Azzi with a look of concern. “Hey, hey. You’re okay. It’s okay.” Her voice was soft, shedding the sexual edge it had moments before. “In through your nose, yeah?” Paige demonstrated the motion, with Azzi following shortly after. “‘n out through your mouth.”

Azzi exhaled, and it helped, especially when they did the exercise a few more times together. But each time her mind circled back to her jarring realization, and how mortified she felt about having to be calmed down in the first place, her breaths would start to quicken again. A thousand questions circled her brain, and her body felt too hot and overwhelmed, and Paige was still inside of her. 

Paige pressed a barely there kiss to her shoulder, her thumb rubbing soft circles against the younger woman’s forearm. “‘m right here, Azzi. Just breathe.” 

Azzi was convinced her brain needed to be studied. Something had to be fundamentally wrong with her, because here she was again, settling at the sound of Paige actually using her government name. A name rarely used by Paige, and each time it brought her back to reality. God, she was fucking pathetic. 

They laid there in silence for a while, Azzi still coming back down to earth, and Paige attentively waiting for her. She looked down at her naked body crumpled against her pillows, with Paige still hovering above her, her blonde hair a mess and concern etched into her features. The combination of everything that just happened sent embarrassment ripping through her, and she brought a palm to her forehead as she nervously started to giggle. “Sorry, that was so embarrassing.” 

“No, no, you’re good.” Paige reassured her, though when brown eyes met blue, Azzi could tell she was still worried. “What just happened?”

So, she was definitely not about to tell Paige the truth. She was planning on taking this to the grave; the fact that she just had a minor freakout over realizing she had never finished quite to that extent before, at the ripe age of twenty-six. Definitely not. “I’m fine, sorry.”

Paige’s fingers stopped their scratching, “Was it somethin’ I did?” 

“Nooo, not at all.” Azzi sat up fully, once again becoming painfully aware that she was completely naked. She settled for tucking her knees against her chest, figuring it was the least awkward position she could manage. “It wasn’t you.”

“But, Azzi.” Paige said her name again, this time like it physically pained her. “How could it not be?”

Fuck. Fuck her life. She was going to have to bite the bullet, wasn’t she? She could let Paige think it was because of something she did, but the way Paige looked like she was actually hurting at the thought - - yeah, Azzi was going to have to sacrifice her dignity. 

“Fine.” Azzi muttered, mostly to herself. “We haven’t really talked about this before, but like, y’know that I’ve never been with a girl right?” 

Paige nodded, “Yeah, I know.” 

“So… all of my sexual experiences have been with men in the past.”

“Yeah…?” 

“Well,” Azzi rubbed the back of her neck, realizing she was going to have to spell this out clear as day for Paige to understand. “Men aren't exactly known for being experts on women's bodies.”

“Right…?”

“Oh my God, Paige.” Azzi spoke in an exasperated tone, her arms gesturing at her sides for emphasis. “I’ve never cum like that before!” 

A wrinkle appeared between Paige’s brow from her confusion, and for a moment there was nothing but silence filling her bedroom. It was almost laughable how quickly Paige’s face changed once she processed what that meant, her jaw dropping in pure shock. “What?!” Paige’s eyes widened, a delighted, cocky smile taking over her face. Fucking piece of shit. “No way!” 

“Yes. Way.” Azzi grumbled, tucking her arms tighter around her chest. “Don’t make fun o’ me.” She could feel the pout on her own face, but it was genuinely the only expression she could uphold without feeling like she might die of embarrassment. 

Then, because she is the worst person ever, Paige giggled. A giggle hardly describes the child-like laugh that she apparently couldn’t hold in, with Paige falling back against the headboard, clutching at her stomach. “Sorry, Ion even know why ‘m laughing! I jus’ wasn’t expecting that I guess.” 

Azzi groaned loudly, “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

“Dude, it’s really not that big ‘o deal.” Paige sat upright so her line of sight was even with Azzi’s. “I’m more laughing ‘cause that was basically nothing.” She cupped Azzi’s jaw, and then she kissed her. Azzi let out a surprised hum, not expecting thin lips to press against her own when the moment was no longer. But she allowed it, allowed Paige to slip her tongue inside and practically suck on her face. Because she loved it, loved being treated like this. Paige was the one to initiate them breaking apart, though their lips were still close when she added, “We’re jus’ getting started baby. You got no idea what’s coming.” 

Azzi smirked, “Hopefully me.” 

“Whoa!” Paige laughed. It was dorky and way too loud, but Azzi was fucking revelling in the way she caused Paige to laugh that much. “The princess has jokes. Who knew?” 

With a scoff and a roll of her eyes, Azzi removered herself from Paige’s grasp. She climbed out of the bed as gracefully as she could muster, though her legs were a little shaky as they made contact with her floor. She reached for her previously discarded pajama top, sliding the material over her shoulders, and started to button it back up. “Imma use the bathroom.”

“‘Kay.” Paige said, her arm propped behind her head as she opened her phone. 

Azzi gathered the rest of her discarded clothes, then entered her bathroom and closed the door shut behind her. The second she flicked the light on, she leaned forward, practically clutching the bathroom counter with dear life. She examined herself in the mirror, and couldn’t help but laugh to herself at how disheveled she looked. 

Her hair was a frizzy mess, her lips were still swollen, and there were faint marks on her hips. She liked those marks, and even if they were from Paige’s hands holding her rather than her lips, she surprisingly liked seeing the proof of what had just happened on her skin.

She couldn’t have been in the bathroom for longer than five minutes, but by the time she peed, got re-dressed for bed, and brushed her teeth, Paige was no longer in her bedroom. Confused, Azzi followed the trail of light that was emitting from the hallway. 

She physically swallowed in order to hide her disappointment, because she was greeted by the sight of Paige, dressed in a tshirt and sweats, laying down with a blanket on her living room couch. Unsure if Paige hadn’t heard her enter the room or was merely ignoring her, Azzi cleared her throat. “You sleeping out here?”

“Yeah. You don’t got a guest room, right?” Paige said casually.

Oh. So she was never actually planning on sleeping in her bed with her. Got it. “Sorry, some of us don’t have full blown bachelor pads.”

Paige’s brows raised, an amused smirk pulling at her lips. “I do not have a bachelor pad.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Azzi flicked off the hall light, then gave one last look over her shoulder. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Fudd.”

———

Azzi left before Paige woke up the next morning. Even though the game wasn’t until seven that evening, she had a busy day filled with training and recovery to attend to. So she left Paige, who appeared to be slumped awkwardly on her living room couch, to fend for herself. 

She discovered she sort of liked the feeling of having this secret that no one knew about. She wasn’t a stranger to keeping secrets, but this one wasn’t hurting her at least. It was just hard to explain, and (for the most part) purely sexual. It was freeing, and she liked it.

When she got back to her apartment to change for the game, she expected Paige to be long gone. But somehow, the blonde was still there. Azzi heard the sound of her shower running the moment her apartment door opened, “Bitch didn’t even ask if she could.”, she grumbled to herself.

She was freshly changed in her tunnel fit and eating a pre-game meal at her kitchen counter when Paige finally exited the bathroom. She was clad in her own tunnel fit that was, well, not Azzi’s favorite thing in the world. “Oh my God, why’re you in a canadian suit?”

“Pretty sure the phrase is canadian tux,” Paige corrected, then shook her head like she hadn’t fully realized what Azzi had said. “What, you don’t like it?”

Now, Azzi was pretty sure Paige could pull of anything. She had seen an outfit or two pop up on her feed that Paige would wear, ones she wouldn’t quite wear herself, but somehow Paige still looked good. But Azzi always made it her life’s mission to humble Paige, so there was no chance she would ever say any of that. “It’s just… a lot of jeans.” 

“C’mon, I know you like it.” Paige sauntered into the kitchen, stopping next to where Azzi was seated, leaning against the counter. “You look pretty.” 

Azzi blushed, tucking her chin against her chest. Her outfit wasn’t anything crazy, just a white cropped halter top with a pair of black jeans. But the way Paige lowered her voice to provide the complement, and the way she brought her fingers to toy with the strap of her top, Azzi almost shivered from the intensity of it all.

She cleared her throat and stood quickly, moving to place her empty bowl in the sink. “When do you leave?”

“Um. I dunno. Whenever you do.” 

“What?” Azzi’s head whipped toward her. “We can’t leave at the same time, what if someone sees?”

Paige’s confusion only became more apparent as she said, “Actually, I was hoping to go with you.” 

“Paige, you can’t be serious.” Azzi ran a hand over her braided bun, “We can’t be seen together in public.” She let out a long sigh, then took a few steps forward until she was stopped in front of the other woman. “I think we should have some ground rules here.” 

“Okay. Like what?”

“For starters, which should be obvious, no telling anyone about this.” She gestured between the two of them. “Not even that we’re friends or anything.”

“So we still act like we hate each other? In public and shit?”

“Mhm.” Azzi raised a brow, “You haven’t said otherwise to anyone right?”

Paige shook her head, “No, I wasn’t sure if I should.”

“Good. Don’t.” Azzi nodded, more to herself than anything. “Okay, rule number two is we still need to fight around other people.” 

Paige’s face practically lit up, “You sayin’ I should pick a fight with you today?”

“Nothing crazy, but yes.” Azzi’s stomach twisted in a mixture of excitement and also concern for what that could possibly mean. “And the last rule is we can only be…” Her voice trailed off as she suddenly felt insecure, not wanting to flat out label whatever the fuck was happening between them so bluntly. “We can only be intimate when it’s jus’ us two.”

Paige, who most likely wasn’t processing the full extent of what Azzi had meant, scoffed. She took a final step forward and planted both hands on Azzi’s hips, her touch warm against Azzi’s exposed skin. “I would hope so.” She removed one of her hands, choosing to cup Azzi’s jaw instead. “Can I add a rule?”

Azzi rolled her eyes, trying not to show just how exhilarated she was from Paige casually touching her like this. “Depends what it is.”

“No being intimate,” There was a glint of mischief in blue eyes when she started, and okay, maybe she did understand what Azzi was alluding to before. “With anyone else.”

Azzi really should be used to this game of push-and-pull when it came to Paige, but somehow she still found herself caught off guard often. There was something to be said for how she was able to keep her composure, because deep down she was ecstatic to hear this. Between the two of them, she figured it would be Paige who was sleeping with other people. 

Especially after Azzi’s confession from last night, she was confused as to how Paige possibly thought there was anyone else. But the knowledge that Paige wasn’t with anyone else was the perfect motivation for her to lock in for tonight’s game. “Okay, that can be rule number four.”

—------

Azzi had seen a lot of drama unfold in real time in the world of womens basketball. It was deep down one of her favorite parts of the league, watching as her friends, rivals, acquaintances all had some of the most insane lore she had ever heard of with one another. 

She never thought she would be an actual part of that insanity, but here she was. Playing against her formal rival’s team - - her formal rival who made her cum so hard she cried the night before. And, her rival who was still a public enemy of hers. 

The Sparks season had been subpar for the most part, and it seemed that the Liberty were about to pull away with their third win against the western-conference team this season. But, not without a relentless performance from Paige Bueckers. Eighteen points already going into the second half, and she had yet to let up despite the twenty-seven point deficit LA was enduring. 

After the disaster of the last time they played one another, Azzi was not assigned to guard Paige. Though, this time, Paige also wasn’t assigned to Azzi. They had limited interactions for the first half, save for a loose ball they both lunged for, which resulted in a jump that Paige ultimately won. (Azzi rarely put effort into trying to win mid-game tips. Spare her, she was a princess after all, and that was a fight she was really not interested in partaking in). 

LA did come out with high-intensity at the start of the third quarter, though that wasn’t a total shock. Paige was at the forefront, running the point with a command that Azzi, for once, admitted to herself that she found hot. 

And because there always had to be some form of headline-inducing incident when their respective teams faced one another, something happened that was one hundred percent incriminating. That was almost an understatement. 

It started with an inbounds play, in which Marine passed the ball to Jonquel in the paint. Jonquel drove to the basket, but with some contact from Cam, she missed, sending the ball flying and loose. Now, when Azzi Fudd saw a loose ball in her general vicinity, it was like everything else faded. 

In a split second, three things happened at once. One - - she lunged for the ball, ignoring the potential repercussions and attempting to somehow pull the ball into her possession. Two - - another body collided with her back, sending her flying forward, the ball slipping out of her grasp, and forcing her to land abruptly on her stomach. Three - - the body of whoever knocked the ball out of her hands landed square on top of her, someone else’s chest forcefully making full contact with her back. 

Whoever it was had more of a chance to recover, because she only felt their chest on her back briefly, before they maneuvered themselves to land on their forearms above her instead. Then, their hands made contact with her sides, helping guide her upward. At first, she was incredibly confused, fully prepared to get up on her own. The angle was awkward, prompting the two women to take a few steps forward together as they both got to their feet. Then, once she was standing fully, an unfortunately familiar laugh sounded in her ear, and Azzi felt her face turn ghostly white. 

Her head whipped to the side, her eyes widening when she realized Paige not only just helped her up by the waist, but her hands were still on Azzi’s sides. “Get off me!” 

Paige dropped her hands, somehow keeping her face neutral. “What? You told me to pick a fight!” 

Fortunately, due to the ongoing professional basketball game they were avidly participating in, Azzi didn’t have time to think over how probably incriminating that interaction just was. Instead, she sprinted to the other side of the court, a loose ball foul being called, meaning it was LA’s possession. 

Unfortunately, the contact did nothing to help the continuous injury she had been suffering with her wrist. She tried to flex her fingers, but stopped when the pain only worsened. Returning her focus on guarding Rae, she did her best to ignore the throbbing sensation. 

She was almost at the finish line, almost able to make it through the end of the game just barely getting by, when it happened. She went up to block a layup from Rae, and despite successfully smacking the ball away without a foul-call, using her right hand wasn’t the smartest choice.

She winced as soon as it happened, tucking her wrist to her chest. New York’s team of trainers, who had been aware of the lingering issue for months now, were at her side almost as soon as the ball went out of bounds. 

They subbed her out, and she went right to the locker room to get evaluated. Everything felt like a blur, and Azzi laid there with her arm on the armrest of the recliner, barely paying attention while the medical team examined her. “We definitely need to have the team doctor do an x-ray.” Lacy, the head trainer on their staff, informed her. “Sit tight while we get the machines ready, okay?” Azzi just nodded, her brain entirely elsewhere. She knew the constant falls were only worsening the injury that never quite healed, but she really thought she could push through the rest of the season. Especially with New York’s chances of making a run in the postseason, now was not the time to be dealing with a broken wrist. 

“Azzi, your sister and her fiance are outside.” Melanie, another staff member who had been attending to her, said. “Do you want to see them or should I tell them to wait?”

Knowing she was going to have to face the couple sooner or later, Azzi gave another dull nod. “They can come in.” 

Obviously there were a lot of emotions flowing through Azzi as she processed the possibility of this injury being season-ending. Adrenaline had yet to settle, and she was still a little out of it. 

So, when Olivia entered the locker room with a freaking Sparks jersey on, a luminous ‘5’ apparent in the middle of it, Azzi couldn’t help but bark out, “What the fuck is that?”

Her sister barely made it three steps into the room before freezing. “Huh?” She looked down at herself, then back up at Azzi. “What’s wrong?”

“Your jersey, babe.” Jared offered, stepping past Olivia in order to reach Azzi, giving the front of his own shirt a tug. He was wearing one of the Liberty’s ‘New York or Nowhere’ long sleeves, the custom ‘35’ stitched across the back after he’d had it made a few months earlier. “We switched this time,” he said with a grin. “I’m repping you, don’t worry.”

Azzi scoffed, purposefully not looking over at her sister again, even as she eventually made her way over. “Thank you, Jared.” She put on her most abrasive voice, “Will you please tell my sister I will not be speaking to her until she takes that Jersey off?”

“Oh, so it’s like that?” Olivia scoffed. “Fine. Jared, will you tell Azzi that I haven’t been to one of Paige’s games all season, and we’re here to support both of them?”

Jared dropped his head into both hands. “I knew this was bouta happen.” He muttered, his face red when he stood fully again. “And ‘m not getting in the middle of this.”

A tense silence filled the room for a moment, and Azzi quite literally forgot where she was until Lacy returned to her side with the x-ray machine in tow. “Excuse me,” She said to Olivia, who was naturally standing in the way of the giant machine. “Sorry, just have to get past you.”

“Oh, sorry.” Olivia stepped back, her new spot making it so Azzi literally had nothing to look at besides the putrid yellow and purple jersey. “So you think it’s broken?”

Azzi knew the question was aimed at her, but she was too overwhelmed with both her anger at her sister and the situation at hand to respond. Lacy, who then assumed the question was for her, spoke while she slid Azzi’s arm into the machine. “Based on her pain levels and the swelling, there’s a possibility. We’re about to find out.”

Azzi kept perfectly still while the machine captured various angles of her wrist and arm. Laying her arm flat so the back of her hand was against the floor of the machine hurt like a bitch, but she powered through for the sake of getting an answer sooner. 

“So, we have to send these to the radiologist, who won’t be in until the morning.” Lacy said. The athletic trainer finally gave Azzi permission to remove her hand from the machine. She handed over a splint next, one with velcro straps across the top. “Wear this for now, and we’ll call you as soon as we hear from Dr. Rivera.” 

Azzi accepted the splint, beginning to undo the velcro so she could slide her injured hand through. “Can I leave then? Games over anyway.” She gestured toward the television above her, one that was displaying the Liberty’s victory celebration that was taking place without her. 

Switching places with Lacy, Melanie handed Azzi her belongings that had been left behind in the locker room. “Are you okay to drive?”

“Shit, I came with Sab.”

“We can drive you.” Olivia said. She took the Jordan duffle from Azzi, “I mean, if you don’t want to wait and all.”

Azzi agreed, and even though she was still livid with Olivia, she would prefer to get home sooner rather than later. She remained rather silent in the back of Jared’s truck, only adding to the conversation when it was completely necessary or when Jared spoke directly to her.

When they got to her block, a few thoughts hit Azzi at once. She knew her sister would want to help her get situated, to make sure she was okay even if they were in the midst of a sister spat. But, she humbly assumed (and hoped) that Paige would be back soon, and the dead last thing she needed was for Olivia to discover Paige at her apartment. 

Because of their rules. Obviously. Not for any other reason.

“I’ll be fine to stay by myself.” Azzi said as Jared pulled to a stop. “I’d rather be alone, actually.”

“You sure? I really don’t mind.” Olivia turned around from the passenger seat to face her. “At least let me carry your bag up.”

“I’m good. My arm still works.” She muttered, slinging said bag over her left shoulder. “I’ll text you guys. Thanks for driving me, Jared.” She didn’t wait for a response before slamming the car door shut, practically speed-walking into her apartment building. 

She was mid-unlocking her door when she got a text from Paige. 

paige bueckers 😾🫪🤮💩

u okay? i can get a hotel room if u want to be alone 

Azzi dropped her duffle by the door, reaching for her water bottle and then treading towards her bedroom. Trying to type with one hand, let alone her non-dominant one, was challenging. Besides it literally being hard to type like that, it also gave her way too much time to process Paige’s message than normal.

Because, for whatever reason, she still wanted Paige to stay over. She wanted the girl to distract her, both with her normal annoying tendencies that bothered her on a good day, and with (hopefully) continuing their exploration of one another’s bodies. Sue her, it had been a long day. 

But then she really thought about Paige offering to get a hotel room, and paused. Was this her polite way of saying she didn’t want to have to deal with Azzi right now? Would seeing her in a potentially vulnerable state break the rules they had just come up with? 

A second and third text came through before she had the chance to answer.

paige bueckers 😾🫪🤮💩

im coming over 

u can kick me out if u want but id like to make sure ur alive first 

Azzi stared at the messages. Once again not sure why she was even putting up a fight in the first place, she conceded. 

azzi fudd

okay 

but i’m not in a good mood so don’t push it 

paige bueckers 😾🫪🤮💩

u got it baby

azzi fudd

paige.

paige bueckers 😾🫪🤮💩

what?

azzi fudd

nvm 

just get here soon

"i yell your name, Cinderella, never gonna find nobody better, all my life..."

---------

a/n: thank u sm for reading!! next chapter/part two soon 🤗

[lesbiannieism]

if no one else got me kaitlyn chen got me

[akaz2908]

[pbnba]

cynthia cooper just gave us a team with gabby stewie and paige i can't believe this is my life