𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 — juju watkins x reader!uconn!player
ꨄ — summary: a game between usc and uconn brings juju right to the girl of her dreams—literally and then a moment between the two of you during the game goes viral
ꨄ — word count: 2.07k
ꨄ — warnings: none
ꨄ — authors note: this is shorter than i wanted but it's getting me out of my slump so take it, or leave it. or don't.
for the game bit, i didn't know if it was a shooting foul or a defensive foul, so excuse that.
JuJu knows exactly who you are. She's known about you for years, followed your career, replayed your highlights; you were it for her.
In a way she hadn't thought about, it was kind of weird that JuJu “admired” someone who was only a year older than her. But, in her defense, you were basically the second coming of A'ja Wilson.
And it was also a little strange for JuJu to “admire” someone whom she could never seem to beat.
There was only one player who could block JuJu's shots, and it was you.
Every match-up between you and JuJu, you had always managed to block half her shots and walk away with the win.
It drove JuJu crazy—in the best way.
After 4 state championships and whispers about you committing to USC—which excited 17-year-old JuJu—you instead committed to UConn.
Despite being initially upset that you chose a college hours away, JuJu followed your entire freshman year. But something else happened during the year you were gone.
JuJu started dreaming about you.
And not just a pop-up of you in her dream—though that was weird too. Her dreams were literally about you.
Her sitting courtside, watching your game, then all of a sudden JuJu's on the court and you're walking towards her with a big grin.
Or, late night drives, windows down, music playing softly in the background, JuJu thinks she's by herself, then she feels someone grabbing her hand, and there you are. Holding JuJu's hand, smiling softly at her and leaning in. Then she wakes up.
It drove JuJu crazy—and not in the best way.
You led UConn to the final four, but with Paige and Azzi and the other players out with injuries, your run was ended by the Stanford Cardinals.
Still, you had an outstanding freshman year, being named Freshman of the Year, with WBCA, The Athletics and BIG EAST, along with receiving many other awards—almost as much as Paige, which you constantly bragged about.
JuJu, of course, liked every post about it, and she had fully accepted that her dreams were now full of you and were not going away. Not that she wanted them to, JuJu knew that her dreams were the only way she could be that close to you.
She hadn't planned on telling anyone about her dreams of you, but after Rayah suggested truth or dare as team bonding and Dominique asked JuJu what was an embarrassing secret she had, the dream thing just slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
And yes, it was embarrassing that JuJu still dreamt about you, even though she was technically grown now.
The team went crazy, and from then on, they constantly poked fun at JuJu by playing your highlights or turning on your games.
The first time USC faced UConn, you were out with a sprained ankle, JuJu knew you had been hurt, and even though she had tried to stay focused, she couldn't help herself and kept glancing over, something that your teammates took advantage of, and they pulled through, advancing UConn to the Final Four.
After the game, your teammates told you about JuJu constantly looking in your direction, and even though you didn't know JuJu that well, you remembered that getting to play against her was always a good time.
You hugged her after Paige, telling her that she did good, and that you looked forward to playing against her next year. JuJu kind of froze, having your hands on her waist, but she snapped out of it and smiled back at you.
JuJu won many awards and Freshman of the Year, which you liked and reposted—you were just returning the favour, you know?
That off-season, you and JuJu seemed to be meeting everywhere. Filming videos, ads and doing collabs, but JuJu still couldn't quite find the courage to actually talk to you.
She would talk around you. Then, when you were asked a direct question, she would tune out and stare somewhere else so that she didn't draw attention to herself by staring at you like a puppy.
The season started again, and you knew. It was time to win a National Championship.
It was Paige's last year, and after the devastating loss just months ago, you knew Paige wasn't leaving without a natty.
Then it was time. USC was playing against UConn.
JuJu couldn't wait. She dreamt about the moment she could play against you, remembering what you had said all those months ago. She was counting down the days till she could see you.
You were excited.
You haven't played against JuJu since high school. But you do remember always walking away with the win, and you had no doubts that this time was no different.
Practice that morning was intense, but in a good way. A way that had your muscles moving, and your brain was already starting to enter game mode.
In the locker room, KK and Paige had zeroed in on you and had started talking about JuJu.
KK slid up to your locker and said, “Soooo…”
You raised your eyebrows, “Can I help you, KK?”
Paige stood on the other side of your locker. “So, how do you feel about going up against your admirer?” Paige wiggled her eyebrows, clearly insinuating something.
You frowned, “Admirer?”
“You know, JuJu,” KK grinned
You stopped frowning, and your face settled into something between recognition and amusement, “Ohhhh, JuJu.”
Paige and KK shared a look, clearly looking for something juicy.
“What about her?” You shrugged
KK gave a deadpan look, “Girl, boo, what do you mean ‘what about her?’ ”
Paige quickly cut in, “She has a crush on you.”
You shrugged again, “So?”
Paige and KK shared another look, then in unison they yelled, “So?!”
“She doesn't have a crush on me.” Paige and KK opened their mouths to interrupt, but you ignored them and continued, “Just because you caught her staring at me during one game, doesn't mean she likes me.”
“Uh—” KK went to say something, but you cut her off again.
“And, even if she did, it doesn't matter.”
Paige and KK stared blankly at you, KK in slight annoyance from being interrupted so many times.
“We're just playing basketball, and that's all that matters when we're on the court. Not some silly crush you two think JuJu has on me.”
You looked between them, making sure the message got across, then you grabbed your stuff and walked off.
Later in the day, the team had one last shoot around before heading back to their dorms to nap, eat, shower, whatever.
You did all those things, getting well rested before the game, then fuelling your body with good food before jumping in the shower. While in the shower, you started thinking about what Paige and KK said. Did JuJu actually have a crush on you?
You weren't dumb enough to let your thoughts be all about JuJu before a game (knowing it would only distract you), but you gave yourself a couple of minutes to really think about it.
You had convinced yourself she didn't like you, especially because in the past, she seemed dead set on not having any interactions with you at all. And if you did have to talk, it was limited. You had thought that maybe JuJu didn't like you, but what if it was, in fact, the opposite, and she really liked you?
Getting out of the shower, you wiped all thoughts about JuJu from your mind and got ready for the game.
Showing up in your team gear, lash extensions brushed out perfectly, hair sleeked into a tight ponytail, your hair swinging satisfyingly behind you. Your lip gloss caught the light just right, and you took some quick pictures before the game with some early fans, then headed inside.
The girls were inside, most of them doing their pregame rituals. You did yours, then CD told you it was time to leave and start warm-ups. You all lined up and ran out.
Warm-ups were solid. Despite the initial nervousness you always get before every game, it, like always, went away by warm-ups as you got distracted by Paige yelling “Butterfly” right in your ear.
JuJu's eyes were trained on you as she watched you during your warm-ups. She had to be knocked out of it multiple times by her teammates because her staring was starting to get concerning looks from everyone around her.
Soon enough, the game started.
It was a bad game from the start. UConn just wasn't connected like they usually were. But thank God for you, right? Or thank A'ja Wilson?
You were blocking shots like they were nothing. Swatting them into the stands like it was the championship game. When you blocked the shots, you quickly grabbed the ball, kicking it out to your teammates and hoping they pulled through.
The team fed off your energy, and UConn started making a comeback. For the first two quarters, Geno had put Paige on JuJu, but after seeing the shots you were blocking, he swapped the two of you.
And then, the viral moment.
Someone on USC's team jumped for the rebound, then kicked it out to JuJu, who was on the three-point line. You knew she was gonna shoot it and had already jumped up, and just as she released the ball, you swatted it, sending it flying to the other side of the court.
And, usually, that would be the viral moment. “#15 blocks #12 JuJu Watkins,” but instead, it was the next moment that went viral.
Because of the direction you jumped, you landed on the other side of JuJu, but the force of you (basically) flying past JuJu, sent her tumbling onto her back.
The whistle blew, and you turned around to see the ref call a shooting foul on you. Now, you knew you hadn't touched JuJu, but judging by where the ref was standing, you could see why he thought it was a foul, but that didn't stop you from getting angry at how blind the ref was.
You stepped over JuJu's body, one foot planted between her legs, the other planted by her side. You stood over her, waving your hands, yelling at the ref.
JuJu was leaning up slightly, shamelessly looking up at you, like you were some kind of goddess from another dimension. From JuJu's perspective, she could see the sweat dripping down your face, and it made you look like a glazed donut. Your legs were smooth, and JuJu could see the muscle definition in them, even in your arms. Thank God for the gym. Or thank Geno? Or thank you? Either way, thank you for blessing JuJu.
Your hair was swaying slightly and JuJu couldn't stop staring, mouth agape as she half-listened to you yelling at the ref.
You didn't want to get a tech, so you turned to Geno and gestured to the ref, only to see that Geno was already making his way over, nodding his head and walking over to challenge the foul.
You calmed slightly at that and turned to JuJu, who was still staring at you like you hung the stars and the one you were still standing over. You moved back slightly and extended your arm down to her. JuJu snapped out of her awe and grabbed your hand. You pulled her up and placed your hand on her hip, tapped her twice and muttered, “Sorry.”
JuJu's face flushed as she felt your hands on her, then you grabbed her waist and moved around her, walking over to Geno and the gathered refs.
JuJu gulped, then grabbed her jersey and started fluffing it to calm herself down.
Yeah, that was the part that went viral. “#12 JuJu Watkins flustered from #15?”
She walked over to the huddle with her teammates, but gazed back at you and watched as you stood watching for the results of the challenge.
That moment. The feeling of your fingers pressed into her waist, and the slight rasp in your voice when you apologised.
JuJu was obsessed. Her dreams were nothing compared to real life. And now she wanted—no, needed—more.
UConn ended up winning. By one. 72 - 73.
It was close, but after another block from you, the ball fell right into Paige's hands. You immediately sprinted to the other end, and after Paige sent a no-look pass to you, you hit a 3-point shot and got the win.
It seems even in college, JuJu still can't seem to beat you—and she loves it.
