Ramblings.

ice, with her magnificent hearing, perks up from the kitchen island. "yeah, p," she says. "when you gonna lock it down?"

paige is deeply unimpressed with their ganging-up-on-her skills and even more deeply tired of having the same conversation. "shut up, bruh," she says, loud enough that the whole room knows she's addressing it.

but since when has she been able to quell her friends' curiosity with anything other than answers?

"she likes you," jana drawls, locking her eyes on paige's with sharp determination. "you just gotta ask to make it official."

"wait, what're you so afraid of?" kaitlyn asks, sipping some hot chocolate she made herself. it's not even her apartment. "it's azzi. you guys are, like, soulmates."

"'m not afraid of anything," paige hisses. "just drop it, guys, she'll be back any second."

"you kissed her already, didn't you?" kk chimes in from her spot on the floor.

paige's face cycles through a record number of expressions in the brief second of silence she has before the room erupts in shrieks and accusations.

"you what??"

"when???"

"you didn't tell me??"

"paige!!"

"are you serious??"

"how do you know, kk??" nika asks.

kk flashes paige a sheepish smile that does nothing to placate the plots of murder swirling around in paige's mind. "well yesterday i came home and... it wasn't my fault, okay, they were so quiet i thought no one was home, but when i went into my room, the two of them--"

"shut UP, kamorea," paige snaps. she glances, panicked, at the front door. any second now, azzi would be back.

"you were FUCKING???" aubrey squeals.

"NO!!!" paige yells, jaw dropping in horror.

"no, no, no," kk assures her. "they were just cuddling in bed and, like, whispering to each other."

"oh," caroline says. paige can hear the disappointment in her tone, and she resents it. "that's normal."

kk shakes her head. "not their normal kind of cuddling. like, real close and intimate. like paige's arms--"

paige buries her face in her hands. "can we PLEASE stop talking about this," she begs.

she can tell by the sound of her intake of breath that nika is about to add something to the conversation (and paige's humiliation), but then the front door handle is turning, and everyone's heads are turning with it to see azzi step back into the apartment, two heavy plastic bags clutched in one fist.

azzi looks like a deer caught in headlights, eyes flicking from person to person, clearly unsettled by the way they’re all laser focused on her. "uhh..." she says. "what?"

"just copying paige," ice says, and paige groans.

"leave me the fuck alone," she mutters.

azzi pays the comment no mind, walking over to the kitchen island to put down the bags of delivery. "okay, well. lemon pepper here," she says, taking out one carton and putting it down on the surface as hungry teammates swarm the kitchen. "this one is cajun," azzi says. before she's even done unpacking the bags, ten hands have wings in them.

by 1 am, the last of their teammates have gone home or to bed, and paige and azzi are alone on the living room couch.

paige is laid out on top of azzi, ear pressed flush against her chest where she can hear her heart, and azzi is carding her fingers through soft, blonde hair.

paige's mind is running through the conversation from earlier, a frown forming and settling on her face. she lifts her head to look at azzi, her bottom lip jutting out in an unintentional pout.

"when you gonna let me ask you to be my girlfriend?" she asks.

azzi raises her eyebrows, caught off guard. "uh," she offers. "eventually."

paige wilts, her eyes going flat and unimpressed. "azzi," she says. azzi just looks at her. paige's face flickers with emotion again, and then she's pouting. "pleaseeeeee," she whines, voice going high and annoying in that way she only lets it around azzi. "i wanna be your girlfriend so bad," she says.

paige grins at the clear effect the confession has on azzi, the corners of her lips tugging upwards against her will. they sit in the aftermath of paige's words for a moment, hearts beating furiously against each other. then azzi sighs. "eventually," she says, looking away. "just not yet."

paige wiggles a bit on top of azzi. "why?" it's so hard to know what azzi is thinking sometimes, even for her. even for paige.

"i just..." azzi trails off, still not looking at paige.

"hey," paige says, and then she surges forward to press a kiss into azzi's cheek. she warms at the way azzi's breath hitches in pleasant surprise before pulling back. "just tell me what you're scared of."

azzi meets her eyes again, pursing her lips in adorable concern. paige really, really likes her.

"things will be different," azzi says. "and i like the way things are." she runs her hands over paige's arms, which she knows paige loves. "and i don't see what the rush is, anyway. i'm not going anywhere."

and i'm not seeing anyone else. neither of them would dare to. and neither of them even want to—that much, paige is sure of.

paige sighs. "but i wanna be your girlfriend," she repeats, her childish pout making a reappearance.

this time, azzi lets herself fully smile, dimple and all. "i wanna be your girlfriend, too, paige," she says softly. "eventually."

paige knows the conversation is over. she presses a kiss to azzi's other cheek, for balance, and settles her face into the space between azzi's shoulder and neck.