&&&. UCONN!PAIGE BUECKERS x READER

❛ DRUNK AND NASTY ❜ happy halloween, subway surfer

this has to be the cutest pic ever....

(them being GONE AF gets me ever time)

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 — juju watkins x reader!fwb

ꨄ — summary: a fwb situation with juju turns into something more when she spots you, drunk and laughing, with kiki rice

ꨄ — word count: 3.6k

ꨄ — warnings: drinking, smut, choking, hair pulling, fingering, juju is a eater, scissoring, i think that's it

ꨄ — authors note: can y’all tell i’m in my juju era right now?

first time writing smut, if it's good tell me, if it's bad lie to me. but it is my first time so don't have high expectations

also, please answer this because i need feedback. do y'all like the backstory's or are yous just thinking ‘shut tf up and get to the point?’ please let me know

you have me

#1 Whitefish, Montana

“You haven’t had your first kiss?”

Azzi flushes. It’s bitterly cold outside, her eyes and cheeks stinging from the harsh wind blowing in their faces. Azzi doesn’t mind, though. It’s another excuse to scoot in closer to Paige, to tuck her hand in the crevice between the older girl’s ribs and elbow and burrow the two of their bodies as close together as she can. And although the two of them are shivering, noses turning numb, neither of them make a move to go back inside. Out here, under the deep blue sky and the glow of the stars, it feels like it’s just the two of them in the world.

But now, she slightly regrets cuddling this close to Paige, because her heart is pounding so fast she’s sure the blonde can feel it, even through the thick layers of their jackets.

“No,” Azzi answers truthfully.

Paige’s eyebrows fly up. She has a beanie pulled untidily over her blonde hair; the dark navy of the fabric complements the bright blue of her eyes, and her ears are turning a little bit pink from the temperature. Azzi has always liked masculine guys, the football players at her school, but there’s something about the feminine prettiness of Paige that makes her mouth go dry. “No wayy. You haven’t had your first kiss?” Paige repeats.

Azzi pulls her hand away from Paige’s body to cross her arms over her knees, huffing. “No,” she says again, more irritatedly this time. “Stop asking. Why is it so hard to believe?”

Paige’s lips pull into a soft smile. “Don’t be like that. Come back here.” She grabs Azzi’s hand and brings it to her lap, rubbing the younger girl’s palms with her fingers to put some warmth back into her system. “I just can’t believe it.”

“I’m not tryna rush or anything,” Azzi explains, trying not to think about how good Paige’s touch feels on her bare skin. “I just wanna make sure it’s with someone I actually like, you know?”

Paige harrumphs. “You’re such a romantic,” she scoffs, a slight tease in her tone. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Azzi’s shoulders tense up, her body going stiff. “It is to me.”

Paige falls silent for a moment. Seeming to sense how seriously Azzi takes the matter, Paige squeezes her hand apologetically. “‘M sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s just - you don’t wanna set yourself up for disappointment, ya know? Cause sometimes you’ll really like someone and think your first kiss will be all that. And then you kiss them and it’s not even that good. And at the end of the day it might not even mean anything to the other person,” Paige rambles.

“Paige.” Azzi reaches over and fixes her beanie, tucking away the flyaway strands. “It’s okay. You don’t gotta defend yourself to me.” The back of her hand brushes Paige’s cheek, and Paige’s breath hitches.

“Who was your first kiss?” Azzi knows she shouldn’t ask, that hearing Paige’s answer will stir up some weird feelings in her, although she’s not quite sure yet why the image of her best friend kissing another person makes her chest burn.

“I don’t know. Some person at a party,” Paige says casually.

“Do you regret it?” Say yes. Say yes. Say yes.

The blonde shrugs. Oh. “Not really. It was good experience at least.”

“Oh.” Azzi fiddles with the top button of her jacket, unsure of what to say. Paige seems content with her minimal response, and they fall into silence. Sighing, Azzi leans her head against the older girl’s shoulder, who shifts so that her cheek presses against Azzi’s forehead. Azzi wonders why they seem to fit so naturally together, why the warmth of Paige always makes her feel so hot.

“Girls! Are you out here?”

They both freeze as the sound of Azzi’s grandma’s voice cuts into their silence. Staring at each other for a half a second, they both burst into silent giggles as they make an unspoken agreement to stay hidden on the roof.

“Girls? It’s time for dinner!”

Azzi accidentally laughs a little too loud, and Paige immediately clamps a hand over her mouth as they both start to shake uncontrollably. Azzi’s grandma groans before they hear the sound of a door clicking shut.

“Bro, you’re so loud,” Paige complains, taking her hand away from Azzi’s face and leaning into her space. Azzi looks up at the same moment, and suddenly their faces are a lot closer than she’d anticipated. They’re so close that their breaths make a single smoky cloud in the cold air between the two of them, and suddenly Azzi is hyper-aware of the proximity of their mouths. She looks down, swallowing when she realizes that Paige’s lips are a little bit chapped, and a lot of bit pink.

Paige smiles brightly at her, teeth crooked, and before Azzi can stop herself or think anything through, she’s putting both hands on Paige’s face and placing her lips tentatively against her mouth.

The older girl is frozen at first, hands hanging awkwardly in the space between them and face still, but when Azzi sighs a little into her mouth, it seems to break her out of her trance. She suddenly responds enthustically, one hand grabbing the lapel of Azzi’s jacket to pull her impossibly closer and the other hand slipping behind Azzi’s head. Her fingers are cold as they tangle with the baby curls at the nape of her neck, but Azzi thinks it’s the best thing she’s ever felt.

It’s a mess at first. Paige turns her head right at the same time Azzi turns left, and their noses bump hard into each other. But they laugh it off and continue kissing, mouths eager and hearts beating hard against their ribs, wholly in sync. Their first kiss is awkward and inexperienced and chaotic, but it’s even more novel and thrilling and perfect.

When Azzi pulls away, panting, Paige chases after her, pressing another kiss to her full lips before Azzi puts a hand on her chest and forces her back. “I need to catch my breath,” she laughs, and Paige settles to grab Azzi’s hand and kiss her knuckles one by one instead.

“Am I a good kisser?” Paige says confidently, a joking glint in her eyes.

“No,” Azzi teases, smirking at the way the blonde’s face immediately falls, her smile quickly turning into a pout that shouldn’t look adorable to Azzi but irritatingly does.

Both of them still light headed and dazed, they lean against each other quietly, staring out at the trees and the little bit of blue on the horizon. “Oh my god, I just took your first kiss,” Paige says after a moment, realization and panic dawning simultaneously in her eyes. “And you said you wanted it to be with the right person. Fuck. Did I just ruin your first kiss?”

“Paige.” Azzi cuts her off. She nudges her best friend, who finally meets her eyes. “Yes?” she asks meekly.

“Shut up.” Then Azzi is kissing Paige again, and the older girl turns into putty.

Later, when they climb back down and get an intense talking to for disappearing for four hours, she makes eye contact with Paige and they both blush, looking away. Azzi’s just kissed Paige for the first time, and she doesn’t know how she’s gone 17 years of her life never experiencing such a thing. Because now that she knows what Paige tastes like, she doesn’t think she can ever live without it again, and the realization is heavy on her heart.

#2 Storrs, Connecticut

Azzi’s first time at Ted’s is a Tuesday evening.

She doesn’t even know how they ended up here - she was supposed to be visiting Paige and sleeping over at her dorm, and all Paige was supposed to show her around Werth again and downtown Storrs, and maybe fit in a workout or two. Katie and Tim would probably blow a fuse if they’d discovered that Paige had conned her way out of leading the tour and into leading their way inside the campus bar.

One thing Azzi has learned is that Paige is clingy when she’s drunk. Her hands haven’t left Azzi all night - they’d been touching her back lightly when she’d introduced her to the rest of the team, and lightly gripping her waist as they ordered drinks. And Azzi doesn’t even know how 19 year old Paige charmed her way into getting the both of them alcoholic drinks, but it seems to be a frequent occurrence for Paige because this definitely doesn’t look like her first time.

Not to mention that the two of them hadn’t had the conversation yet about where their relationship (if it could even be called that) would stand once Azzi came to UConn. And they surely hadn’t discussed PDA or how lowkey they were planning on keeping it - but the way Paige is now whispering into her neck, lips wet as they skim across her collarbone, makes Azzi thinks it’s probably much too late to even have the conversation anymore.

“Are you always this way when you’re drunk?” Azzi asks, amused, after Aubrey calls Paige over to introduce her to her friends but Paige merely shakes her head and burrows her head further into Azzi’s neck.

“Whatchu mean?” Paige slurs, pressing one final smacking kiss to the underside of the younger girl’s jaw and drawing back to admire her with a tired smile.

“You always touchy like this?” Azzi cocks an eyebrow light-heartedly, her tone teasing, but the gravity of her underlying question is impossible to miss.

“Only with you, mamas.” Paige responds, a quizzical look in her eyes. “No one here compares to you. Don’t even know what any of em look like, to be honest.” She makes steady eye contact with Azzi as she responds, the honesty written across her face. Her hair is sticky against her sweaty forehead, and Azzi gently combs it away from her face. “Maybe it’s time to head back,” she suggests.

“You didn’t even drink anything,” Paige prods. “You sure you don’t wanna stay a bit longer?”

“I had a couple shots.” Azzi leans in to whisper the next part into her ear. “But I came to Storrs to spend time with you, not get drunk off my ass in a bar.”

“Oh.” Paige’s face drops. “Shit, Az, I didn’t even think about that. I shouldn’t have gotten this drunk.”

Azzi kisses her cheek. “It’s okay. I don’t mind taking care of you.”

“Mm.” Paige throws herself at her, and Azzi groans at her weight as she supports the both of them. Arms slinging across her neck, Paige nuzzles closer. “My girl always takes care of me so good.”

Azzi’s stomach turns over at the pet name. My girl. As if. But tonight’s not the time to wonder about the ever lingering question of what exactly she is to Paige, so she pushes that to the back of her mind with all the mental strength that she has.

Back in their dorm room, when they’ve gotten ready to sleep, Paige climbs on top of Azzi, sitting herself on the younger girl’s lap. “Princess so pretty,” she drawls, hands cupping Azzi’s cheek as she presses sloppy kisses across her face.

“Don’t even try anything on me right now,” Azzi laughs. “I’m not letting you get any.”

Paige’s eyebrows furrow. “Why not?” She asks, sounding genuinely offended.

“You’re drunk and I’m tired.” Azzi loses herself in one last kiss that Paige presses to her mouth, even letting the blonde’s hands travel up her shirt and across her chest a little before pushing her away gently and pulling the sheets over her. “Learn your lesson and don’t bring me to the bar next time.”

Paige rolls her eyes, feigning her grumpy act as she flips to the other side of the bed. Azzi rolls her eyes fondly, slowly beginning her count. She doesn’t even make it to five before Paige flips back over and scoots closer to her in the bed, throwing her arm across her waist and slipping her leg between hers. “Simp.”

Paige’s breath is warm across her neck. “Shut up,” she mutters, but she doesn’t deny it:

#3 Raleigh, North Carolina

Azzi needs a blanket, a warm cup of tea, and a very, very thick book.

She’d been determined to play despite the stomach bug she’d gotten last night, but when half time rolled around and her stomach had began cramping even more, she’d started to regret her decision. But she’d shouldered the pain and forged on, not wanting I told you sos from the coaches or Paige.

Paige. They’d both been in a bad mood all day, and they’d gotten into an argument right before warmup. It had been their biggest one in a long time, and Paige had been uncharacteristically aggressive all game, seemingly funneling her anger into sneering and harshly bumping shoulders with the other team. Safe to say, she was pissed. Even on the bench, the tension in the air had been thick as they purposefully ignored each other instead of the familiar banter everyone on the team had grown accustomed to.

Azzi looks around, noting the absence of blonde hair. She was probably still singing shoes and jerseys outside. Sighing, she settles into her seat and leans into Caroline next her, preparing for the long two hour bus ride to the airport. Usually she’d be sitting at the very back, reserving a seat for Paige. On return trips they preferred to fall asleep on top of each other instead of participating in the rest of the team’s antics, but today Azzi has had enough - She’d tried to talk to Paige in the locker room after the game, but the blonde had been petty and blown her off, muttering things about being busy and we’ll talk later. Which would be fine and all if Azzi hadn’t seen her five minutes later talking to one of the team managers, a long conversation completely unrelated to basketball. Busy, my ass. Azzi had walked past the two of them, purposefully scoffing loudly and feeling the burn of Paige’s stare on the back of her head as she’d left the room.

Azzi’s almost asleep when she hears a commotion outside the bus, followed by the click of the bus doors closing. Paige waves goodbye to the fans through the window before turning around and making her way down the aisle, eyes flicking back and forth as they search. Her face goes soft when she finally spots frizzy dark hair poking up from one of the seats.

Azzi blinks sleepily as Paige walks by her. Half expecting Paige to be petty again and ignore her, she snuggles back into Caroline to try and return to her nap when she feels a gentle tug on one of her braids. Eyes opening, she catches a glimpse of Paige’s soft, worn smile aimed at her before she disappears down the aisle to sit at the back of bus.

“Damn. Y’all make up quick,” Caroline mutters, having been victim to their fight when she’d made the unfortunate decision of sitting between the two of them on the bench.

“We didn’t,” Azzi groans, pulling her hood over her eyes. They don’t fight often, but when they do it’s intense and drawn-out - as conflicts often are when between two immensely stubborn people-and Azzi is too tired to deal with the after effects now.

“Well, Paige can never stay mad at you for long anyways,” Caroline teases.

Azzi doesn’t bother trying to argue. They both know it’s true. And besides, she’s the one who should be mad.

༉‧₊˚✧

“You wake her up.”

“No, you wake her up!”

Azzi is going to kill her teammates.

“Bro, she’s gonna slap me if I wake her up.”

“You’re not the one who has to sit next to her for another hour!”

“Let’s switch seats then.” Paige says, sounding all too pleased with her solution.

“Hell no. I am not sitting next to KK. She drools in her sleep!” Caroline argues back.

“Fine, then you take Aubrey’s spot, and Aubrey will sit next to KK.”

“You’re not about to rearrange everyone on this bus just so you can sit next to your girlfriend and make creepy goo goo eyes at her while she’s sleeping.”

“Bro, just wake her up.”

“I’m gonna strangle both of you,” Azzi groans, rubbing the sleep from her eyes to see an irritated Caroline crossing her arms and a sheepish Paige hovering over their aisle who emits a quiet “Sorry.”

“What’re you guys going on about?”

Caroline slumps down in her seat in defeat. “Paige wanted to wake you up to force you to take medicine, but I told her not to. You’re welcome for nothing.” She shoots a glare at her older teammate, who shrugs.

Azzi sighs at her girlfriend. “You know better than to wake me up.”

“Would you rather not take it and throw up all night again?” Paige bites back.

The thought of bending over the toilet and puking her guts out for another nine hours makes Azzi physically wince. “Fine,” she relents, and Paige brightens up, returning in a few seconds with two pills and a bottle of water. Azzi gratefully accepts the medicine. Paige lingers for a moment, mouth opening as if to say something, but then decides better of it and returns slowly to her seat.

“Are you stupid?” Caroline hisses once Paige is out of earshot. Azzi looks at her friend, confused. “She’s trying to apologize, dumbass.”

“I didn’t hear a ‘Sorry for being stupid and disagreeing with you earlier and then ignoring you’,” Azzi says pointedly. “I want a real apology.”

“You guys are actually impossible,” Caroline mutters.

Azzi thinks that’s it until Paige reappears a few moments later with a crumpled up Jimmy John’s bag. “Are you hungry?”

Azzi crinkles her nose. “Where’d you get that from?”

“I saved it from earlier. You can have the rest. I’m full.”

Azzi accepts the bag and puts her headphones back on.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that, Bueckers,” Caroline snickers. With a loud groan, Paige flips her off and walks back sulkingly to her seat once again.

Azzi thinks she can finally return to her blissful sleep until a finger is tapping on her shoulder aggressively. “Yes, Paige?” The words are barely out of her mouth before a blanket is shoved into her hands.

“Figured you were cold.” There’s real worry in Paige’s eyes now, that getting Azzi’s forgiveness might be a little harder this time. “And here’s my travel pillow. If you wanna use it.” She looks like a wounded puppy, standing there awkwardly, and Azzi can’t help but roll her eyes and smile a little.

Azzi squeezes Paige’s fingers as the pillow passes between the two of them. They’re okay. Paige breaks out into a grin, staring at Azzi hopefully until Caroline stands up abruptly, interrupting their moment. “Oh my god.” She makes a show of aggressively collecting her things. “I can’t stand you guys. Y’all are fucking disgusting. Take my motherfucking seat, Paige.”

“I mean, if you insist.” Caroline is barely out of the row before Paige is shoving past her and plopping down on the seat, immediately lifting up the arm rest and tugging on Azzi’s arm. Shaking her head in disbelief and cussing under her breath, Caroline accepts her fate next to KK.

“Az, I’m sorry.” Paige pokes her cheek where her dimple usually is. “Come on, baby.”

“What are you sorry for, Paige?”

Paige takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry for getting mad at you before the game. I’m sorry for not sitting next to you on the bench and forcing Caroline to sit between us. I’m sorry for saying I’m busy when I wasn’t because I wanted to avoid talking.” She peeks at Azzi when she finishes, hoping she covered everything.

“Pretty good for the first try. You’re learning,” Azzi says jokingly. Her mood turns slightly more serious. “That hurt me, though, when you blew me off like I didn’t matter. Like we didn’t matter.”

“I was being petty,” Paige says honestly. “I regretted it as soon as I did it, but I should’ve apologized right away instead of being a bitch. I’m sorry.”

Azzi’s gaze softens. “Okay. Thank you for the apology.”

“Are you still mad?” Paige asks carefully.

Azzi squeezes her thigh. “No, as long as you give me the window seat on the way back.”

Paige’s shoulders relax. “Good, because you looked really cute sleeping and it was super unfair for Caroline to get to be next to all that and not me.” Smiling to herself, Azzi curls into the familiar warmth of her girlfriend’s arms, tucking her head under her chin. Humming contentedly, Paige sweeps her fingers in gentle circles across her neck, lulling her back to sleep.

#4 Tampa, Florida

As soon as the ball leaves Paige’s hand, Azzi knows it’s going in.

She’s running to her girlfriend, throwing her arms around her shoulder as the buzzer sounds and cheers erupt in the arena. Paige stands still, a dazed look in her eyes, sweat gleaming on her forehead and chest.

“Paige,” she breathes. “Paige, we fucking did it.”

And then Paige is looking her in the eyes and crying, and soon Azzi’s crying as the team gathers around them, jumping and hollering.

UConn: 80, USC: 77

UConn wins its 12th national championship.

“Oh my god,” Paige repeats, disbelief still evident on her face. “Oh my god, we did it.”

The next hour is a whirlwind. There’s a lot of confetti, and a lot of cheering, and a lot of pictures. KK forces Azzi to film a Tiktok with her, and this time Azzi doesn’t really complain, not when she gets to hold the trophy that she’s been dying to touch for the past 10 years of her life. By the time they start to head back to the locker room to get ready for press, Azzi’s sure her voice is long gone.

Before she even crosses the doors, there’s a hand grabbing her waist and pulling her into an empty room. It’s Paige, the first time she’s seen her since the game ended, who’d been pulled away to do endless interviews. Her eyes are shining and still a little bit wet, her smile the widest Azzi has seen in a long time. The silence around them is a little bit unsettling after being surrounded by the constant roar of the arena for the entire night, but Azzi doesn’t mind.

Paige fists her jersey and pulls her near, kissing her roughly. They’re a mess of spit and teeth and tongue and wandering hands, and Azzi can’t think of a more perfect way to end the night.

They separate in a bout of giggles, still reeling from the events of the night. “Paige Bueckers,” Azzi says softly. “You are a winner.”

Paige rolls her eyes, bumping her nose gently against Azzi’s. “So are you.” And Azzi doesn’t think it could be possible, but Paige’s smile grows even bigger. “God, I’m so fucking happy.”

Azzi laughs. “I like you like this.” Paige, with flushed cheeks, a light in her eyes that can only come from loving what she does (winning) with who she does it with (Azzi and em), sparks something deep and warm inside of her that blooms slowly across her chest before reaching and lighting up every cell of her body.

“Yeah?” Paige murmurs against her lips, pressing another chaste kiss to her mouth. Her eyes are glazed over, her movements clumsy, and Azzi swears she’s high on serotonin. “Swear imma give you another ring, pretty girl. Just wait.” She kisses Azzi again, savoring the taste of getting to experience everything she loves in one night.

And if later, when they show up to do press with swollen lips, Paige’s hair mussed up and Azzi’s jersey fully untucked, neither of them can really find it in themself to try and hide it anymore.

༉‧₊˚✧

“Let me undo your braids.”

It’s 3 AM, and Azzi feels like she might crash at any moment. But she wants to have one more thing to close the night on a perfect note, and what better than their post game tradition?

Paige lies on the bed. Her shirt is wet from her freshly showered hair, long legs splayed across the white sheets. “Only two days in my life will be better than today,” Paige says as Azzi starts to work on her hair.

Azzi lightly scratches her scalp, and Paige leans into her touch. “And what’s that?” she asks teasingly.

“The day I win a gold medal,” Paige says confidently. That’s a good one. Azzi would like to win a gold medal too - preferably with Paige by her side, like they’d won the national title. “And?” Azzi prods.

“The day we get married.”

Azzi thinks that it shouldn’t be that big of a deal - that Paige has just won the title she’d been working for for 5 years after being sidelined by countless injuries, yet she’s still thinking about Azzi. But it does, and Azzi realizes with a startling thud of her heart that this is the girl she’ll be spending the rest of her life with.

Paige looks up at her, her long lashes fluttering prettily across her cheeks. “Your silence is a little bit disconcerting,” she jokes, and Azzi shakes her head fondly before giving her a spider-man kiss. “We are getting married, right?”

“Of course, stupid,” Azzi says fondly, rubbing her thumb across her cheek. “Where’d you even learn that word?”

Paige looks slightly too pleased by herself. “I saw it on Tiktok the other day.”

“You and your fuckass Tiktoks,” Azzi groans, pushing her girlfriend across the bed. “Maybe try picking up a book for once. Our kids gotta learn how to read.”

Our kids. Paige closes her eyes and indulges in the sweet vision for a moment - of her and Azzi turning a house into a home, of little miniature Azzis running around the house that she can spoil stupid. It almost takes her breath away, how even just thinking about it evokes overwhelming desire that floods through her veins. There’s nothing she wants more.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Paige opens her eyes to find Azzi hovering over her, bottom lip trapped between her teeth.

“I want you,” Paige says simply.

Azzi giggles, pinning Paige’s hands above her head. “You have me.”

“No.” Paige leans her forehead against Azzi’s. “I want you. All of you. Every day.” She swallows thickly, eyes searching the deep brown ones that she’s memorized. “Forever.”

“Like I said.” Azzi breathes. “You have me.”

Title: Let Me Sleep

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Reader

Fandom: UConn’s women’s basketball

Rating : General Audiences

Word Count: 2.7k

Summary: is sleep too much to ask for…

Paige Bueckers is the human equivalent of a golden retriever. Loud, affectionate, and seemingly immune to exhaustion. I, on the other hand, am not.

This becomes a problem every weekend when she didn’t have practice or games, she wakes up at the ass crack of dawn, blasting music or throwing herself on top of me to get me out of bed. It’s also a problem late at night, when my only goal is to shower and pass out, but she and our friends have other plans—like tonight.

After an exhausting volleyball practice and an eight-hour shift at work, all I wanted was silence, a warm shower, and sleep. I walked into our apartment fully prepared to collapse face-first into the mattress.

But instead, I was met with chaos.

Paige, KK, Ice, Jana, and Aubrey were gathered in the living room, the glow of a ring light illuminating their faces as they talked animatedly to one of the phones propped up in front of them.

They were on live. Of course.

“Baby!” Paige practically launched herself off the couch when she saw me, nearly tripping over her laptop charger in the process. “You’re home!”

“Yeah,” I muttered, voice heavy with exhaustion as I dropped my bag by the door. “Unfortunately.”

KK snorted. “Oh nah, she’s on her last leg.”

“I am,” I confirmed, rubbing my eyes. “Why are y’all screaming?”

Aubrey grinned. “We’re debating self-defense moves.”

Ice held up a Lego set. “And building this.”

I blinked. “…What?”

“They’re gonna try the moves on each other,” Jana explained with a shake of her head. “And Ice is building a house. With me.”

“Multitasking,” Ice said proudly.

I sighed, already regretting my life choices. “I’m going to bed.”

Paige pouted. “Noooo, don’t leave me.”

I gave her a blank stare. “Paige, I just worked for eight hours after a full morning practice. I want to sleep.”

“You can sleep here.” She tugged at my wrist. “C’mon, I promise I’ll be quiet.”

“Now that’s a damn lie,” I deadpanned.

The live chat must have heard because the comments started flying:

“She already knows Paige be lying, LMAOO.”

“Nah, you should sleep there just to prove how done you are.”

“Golden retriever gf and black cat gf fr, fr.”

“It’s giving y/n is a single mother rn.”

Paige ignored them, pulling me toward the couch and plopping back down with her laptop. “Here, cuddle me so you’ll be comfy.”

I was too tired to argue, so I let her maneuver me onto her lap, arms loosely wrapped around her shoulders as she settled back against the couch.

The moment my head hit her shoulder, I was gone.

I woke up to muffled voices, but I barely registered them.

Paige’s arms were still wrapped securely around me, her warmth cocooning me in a way that made it impossible to move. I buried my face deeper into her hoodie, inhaling the familiar scent of her detergent.

Somewhere in the background, KK’s voice rang out. “Wait, wait—yo, the chat is killing me right now.”

I frowned, cracking an eye open. Paige was still typing on her laptop, completely unfazed by whatever was happening. KK, Ice, Jana, and Aubrey were still talking animatedly to the iPad.

They were still on live.

I groaned softly, shifting against Paige. “Y’all are seriously still streaming?”

Paige rubbed my back absentmindedly. “Mhm.”

Jana smirked. “The chat’s been going crazy over you.”

I frowned. “What?”

KK cackled, reading out comments.

“She deadass knocked out while they screaming their lungs out over Legos and self-defense.”

“Bro, she’s strong cause I could nevaaa.”

“Paige, she’s sooo done with y’all.”

“It’s giving power couple.”

“They’re gonna make edits of them, I just know it.”

I groaned again, squeezing my eyes shut. “I hate all of you.”

“Love you too, baby,” Paige cooed, pressing a kiss to my temple.

The chat exploded.

“PAIGE PLSSS.”

“She’s so whipped.”

“Nah, I need me a Paige.”

“Paige doing work with y/n in her lap gives.. a single mother vibes.”

“Somebody que up Reba McEntire.”

I sighed, too tired to care. “I’m going back to sleep.”

Paige chuckled. “Go ahead, baby. I got you.”

And just like that, I was out again—chaos and all.

Sometime later—maybe an hour, maybe longer—I woke up to the sensation of being lifted. Paige’s arms were steady as she carried me toward our bedroom, her steps careful despite how exhausted she had to be by now.

“Mm,” I mumbled sleepily, cracking my eyes open just enough to see her face. “Live’s finally over?”

She smiled down at me, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Yeah, baby. Got my homework turned in on time, too.”

I hummed in approval, letting my head rest against her shoulder as she set me down on the bed and pulled the blankets over me. The room was dim, the soft glow from the hallway light casting a shadow across her face.

“Hold on, ma,” she murmured before disappearing into the kitchen. A minute later, she returned with my cup, filled to the brim with ice water. She set it down on my nightstand, her fingers brushing against my forehead as she leaned in. “So you don’t wake up thirsty.”

I blinked up at her, my heart doing an annoying little flip at how effortlessly sweet she was. “You’re the best.”

Paige smirked. “I know.”

I reached out, grabbing her wrist before she could turn away. “Come lay down.”

She hesitated. “I’m not really sleepy yet.”

“Don’t care.” I tugged her toward the bed. “Just come cuddle.”

That was all the convincing she needed. Paige climbed in beside me, her arm slipping under my waist as I curled into her side.

“Okay, but what are we watching?” she asked, grabbing the remote.

I thought for a second before grinning. “Turn on something from Disney Jr.”

Paige gave me a look. “You deadass?”

I nodded. “Yep. Something nostalgic. We can make fun of it while we watch.”

She rolled her eyes, but the fondness in her expression was undeniable. A few moments later, the familiar theme song of Little Einsteins filled the room. I snorted.

Paige smirked. “Classic.”

For the next hour, we laid there, half-watching, half-talking about our day. I told her about how my legs were still sore from practice, how I nearly cussed out a customer at work, and how I saw a dog that reminded me of her on my way home.

She told me about her classes, the new drill Coach Geno had them running, and how she was convinced Ice was going to drop out of school and become a full-time Lego builder.

By the time the clock hit 4 a.m., our words had slowed, our sentences broken by long stretches of silence. Paige’s fingers traced lazy circles against my back, her breath warm against my temple.

“You tired now?” I murmured.

She exhaled softly. “Yeah, baby.”

I nuzzled into her chest. “Finally.”

She chuckled, pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead. “Goodnight, ma.”

“‘Night, Paigey.”

And just like that, we drifted off, tangled in each other, with Little Einsteins still playing in the background.

---

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

                 -Thank You For Reading!🩵🩶

                             -prettygirl-gabi🎀✨️

ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴜᴍᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴍꜱ ✌︎︎ ᴊᴜᴊᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴋɪɴꜱ

pairing | juju watkins x usc!cheerleader!reader

genre | friends to lovers, college au, fluff, slow burn

warning | hella dialogue

word count | 2.3k ish

contains | mutual curiosity, awkward reunions, playful banter, usc campus, mentions of sierra canyon, future friends-to-lovers

from the sidelines | this is honestly my first thing on here lmfao, i’ve been on wattpad for a long time. sorry for any inconveniences… i kinda write how i talk. i love stories where nobody falls in love overnight. this is about realizing the person you’ve been walking past for years might’ve been meant to stay. i hope y’all love these two as much as i already do.

———————————————————————————

you officially met juju during your freshman year of usc. well… officially. because if you were being honest, you’d known of her long before that.

back at sierra canyon, everybody knew juju. if you didn’t know her personally, you definitely knew her name. every monday morning there’d be somebody talking about how many points she’d dropped over the weekend or posting another clip of her crossing somebody so bad they almost needed directions back to the bench. she was already becoming juju watkins before the rest of the country caught on.

and then there was you.

you weren’t dropping thirty points a game or getting interviewed after every matchup. you were one of the varsity cheerleaders. loud enough for people to know your face, but never loud enough to be the headline. your friday nights were spent throwing signs on the football field, your winters belonged to basketball season, and your biggest concern was making sure your bow stayed straight through halftime.

truth be told, the two of you existed in completely different worlds.

you’d pass each other in the hallways every now and then. she’d have headphones on, backpack slung over one shoulder, walking like she had somewhere important to be. you’d be running to practice with your teammates, laughing loud enough to earn a few looks from teachers.

the closest thing to an interaction you ever had happened during a basketball game your junior year.

your team had just finished performing at halftime, and while everybody else rushed toward the tunnel, you stayed behind to grab the pom-pom somebody accidentally left on the baseline.

when you looked up, juju jogged right past you.

“…my fault.”

that was it.

you figured that’d probably be the last time you’d ever see her. until… you committed to usc as a cheerleader.

she committed to usc as… well, juju watkins.

the first couple weeks of college were exactly what everybody warned you they’d be. orientation, moving into the dorms, learning your way around campus without looking completely lost. every building somehow looked the same, your student id disappeared at least twice a week, and you were convinced usc intentionally made freshmen walk a marathon every day.

basketball and cheer shared the galen center, but your schedules rarely lined up. whenever basketball practice ended, cheer practice was usually just getting started just like today.

basketball practice had just wrapped up so that meant cheer practice was about to start.

the hallway outside the locker rooms was crowded with athletes trying to get wherever they needed to be. coaches were yelling, managers rolled carts full of basketballs down the hall, somebody was blasting music through a speaker that definitely wasn’t supposed to be in the building.

you were trying to fix your ponytail while walking.

which… probably wasn’t the smartest idea. your backpack kept sliding off your shoulder, your warm-up jacket was halfway zipped, and the bag of sour gummy worms you’d bought between classes was sticking out of the side pocket.

before you could shove them back in somebody stopped in front of you.

“…hold on.”

you looked up.

juju.

she tilted her head like she was trying to solve a riddle.

“…you went to sierra canyon.”

you blinked.

“…yeah?”

“you the girl that used to always have them sour gummy worms?”

…

“…what?”

“at school.”

you stared at her.

“…that’s how you remember me?”

she shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“you had them every day.”

“juju…”

“what?”

“i thought you was finna say you remembered me ’cause i was cheering at every game.”

“…nah.”

“…”

“…the gummy worms.”

you couldn’t even stop yourself from laughing.

“bro.”

“i’m serious.”

“out of four years…”

“mhm.”

“…you remember candy.”

“they was the sour ones.”

you covered your face.

“you are actually ridiculous.”

she smirked.

“am i wrong?”

“…no.”

“exactly.”

you shook your head, reaching into your backpack before holding the unopened bag out toward her.

“since they made such a lasting impression.”

she looked at the bag.

then back at you.

“…you sharing?”

“don’t make it weird.”

she took it anyway.

“appreciate you.”

“yeah, yeah.”

she looked at the gummy worms then back at me.

“i’m not gon’ lie,” juju admitted. “i been trying to figure out where i knew you from for like… two weeks.”

“two weeks?”

“every time i’d walk past you i’d be like…” she pointed toward you. “‘i know her from somewhere.’”

you laughed again.

“and your conclusion was candy?”

“my memory a lil… off.”

“…clearly.”

she nodded in defeat.

“you still cheering?” she asked.

you looked down at your uniform.

“…nah, i just wear this for fun.”

she rolled her eyes.

“alright.”

“yes, i’m still cheering.”

“that’s what’s up.”

“you still playing basketball?”

“…you funny.”

“i try.”

she looked at the practice clock hanging down the hallway before clicking her tongue.

“coach probably wondering where i’m at.”

“and mine probably is too.”

“guess we should stop standing in the middle of the hallway then.”

“probably.”

a second… maybe a minute passed before she pulled her phone out of her sweats.

“lemme get your number.”

you raised an eyebrow.

“…for?”

“in case i randomly remember something else about you.”

“oh lord.”

“i’m serious.”

“that’s concerning.”

“just put your number in the phone.”

you laughed under your breath before taking it from her.

“if the next text i get got anything to do with gummy worms…”

“can’t make no promises.”

you handed her phone back.

“bet.”

“bet.”

you took a deep breath as you finally started walking toward opposite ends of the hallway.

after maybe… ten steps… you heard her call your name.

you turned around to the unopened bag of gummy worms being thrown towards you.

you caught it against your chest.

“keep ’em.”

you furrowed your eyebrows.

“…i thought you wanted them.”

“i did.”

“…?”

“just wanted to see if you’d actually share.”

you stared at her for a second before shaking your head.

“you annoying.”

she started walking backward down the hallway with that same little grin still sitting on her face.

“see you around, gummy worms.”

“girl bye.”

———————————————————————————

from the sidelines | this is just part one, i promise there will be more than dialogue!!! bare w me.

&&&. PAIGE BUECKERS x ACTRESS!READER

❛ THE TONIGHT SHOW ❜ you plan on making it worth my while?