repped
pairing : pazzi
content : fluff (pazzi hard launch on national tv!)
a/n : hey heh.. here's another really short oneshot! this was written in around 30 minutes, with no proofreading and i absolutely hate it, but i hope you guys love it nonetheless! please remember that this is all fiction. thank you, enjoy reading!
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there was something about walking into the gampel pavilion like this.
the familiar smell of polished wood, the distant echo of basketballs bouncing during practice, and the low murmur of the crowd starting to settle in. it hit paige in waves of comfort and a strange sort of peace. even when she had games with the dallas wings now, uconn still felt like home.
the court gleamed the same way it always had, soft gold under the lights. the banners still hung like silent witnesses to everything they’d built there. but tonight, it wasn’t her name the crowd had come to cheer.
it was azzi’s.
she slipped quietly into her seat courtside, the same row she used to make eye contact with geno from. only now, she wasn’t here as a player.
she was here as someone’s girl.
the game had just tipped off. azzi was already in rhythm, her classic soft release, full extension, laser focus. she was all business, and it made paige ache in the way only pride could. that was the thing about azzi. every version of her, paige loved them all.
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someone a few rows up started pointing. not at the court, but at paige – her blonde hair, wrapped in her iconic low bun.
she pretended not to notice the portion of the crowd yelling her name, she just leaned back in her seat, let her jacket hang a little looser.
the second quarter ticked on. azzi hit a three in transition, her form like clockwork. paige clapped once, just once, grinning widely.
halfway through the quarter, the trojans called a timeout, as they were down by 8 points. the ref's whistle blew, and the players started jogging back toward the benches.
that's what when the cameramen found her. the jumbotron flickered, and there she was.
paige.
the paige bueckers.
big and clear, with little smirk playing at the corner of her lips.
she didn’t do anything flashy. just stood up, waving to the cameras and to everyone in gampel finally noticing her. slow and calm, she pulled the zipper of her wings track jacket down the center.
revealing bold, unmistakable letters printed across her chest in a navy, huskies-like blue, “PROUD GIRLFRIEND TO AZZI FUDD.”
there was a half-second of silence, then the place erupted into screams, with people pulling out their phones to take a video of the jumbotron, and the announcers talking about it on live broadcast.
azzi was turned toward the bench, towel reaching for her face, but the noise didn’t make sense, it was just a timeout.
she followed her teammates’ confused glances to the jumbotron first –
she saw the girl she loved, in the place she loved.
paige.
courtside.
smirking like she owned the building.
wearing that shirt.
azzi’s eyebrows lifted. just slightly, the corner of her mouth betrayed her.
then just like that, the whole team turned their heads to where the camera had zoomed in.
there she was.
seat 1A, right by the scorer’s table. stood up, hands pointing to her shirt, jacket open in full like a declaration. paige waved.
azzi didn’t wave back, but she fully clocked it.
she just shook her head, grinning like an idiot while wiping the sweat off the back of her neck.
azzi took a breath and looked away, but it was too late, kk and ice were already teasing. sarah nudged her shoulder, morgan fanned her dramatically with a towel.
“did you two plan that?" ashlynn whispered.
azzi wiped at her face, cheeks warm. “no, and she’s ridiculous for it.”
“but you love it.”
she didn’t answer, but the answer was all over her face.
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the timeout ended. they went back onto the court.
but something was different.
azzi moved looser. smoother. like something had lifted. every cut was sharper, every shot softer, every defensive slide just a little more locked in. she played like her heart had caught fire.
paige could see it from the sideline.
and she knew.
every three azzi hit after that, she shot a glance toward her. not obvious, not lingering, but enough. and paige would just lift her brows, tilt her head, and clap nonchalantly like she knew all her shots would be cash.
the crowd ate it up.
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the buzzer sounded, the final score was 78 - 64.
azzi high-fived her teammates, walking to the bench with her arms wrapped around sarah and kk's shoulders, but her eyes were already searching.
and there she was.
paige, standing again. same seat. same smile. hands stuffed in her pockets, like she hadn’t just hijacked an entire arena’s attention.
azzi jogged over and didn’t even pretend to be cool about it.
“you’re actually insane,” she said, half-laughing as she leaned over the barrier.
paige leaned in, close enough that only azzi could hear. “proud,” she corrected, dragging her finger across the words on her shirt.
azzi’s eyes dropped to read it again, and she grinned widely. “you know that’s probably everywhere by now, right?”
“good. they should know.”
azzi paused. “i missed you.”
“i know,” paige said, grin softening. “i missed you more.”
the moment hung between them, sweet and full and glowing under the gampel lights. azzi had played her heart out, but nothing beat the way paige looked at her like she was the whole world.