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heeseungiez · 3 months ago

Text

RESOLUTION 4) maybe get a boyfriend?

pairings! park sunghoon x fem!reader x park jay x sim jake x lee heeseung

synopsis! park sunghoon always preferred admiring you from afar. because to him, you were untouchable. as the daughter of his career’s biggest sponsor, he was scared that the smallest slight upon your person could make your father withdraw. but you were not the fragile pretty flower sunghoon thought you to be. it was only his luck that you ran right into his arms when you didn’t know what to do about the rest of his friends.

content warnings! smut (mdni! 18+), swearing, angst (i tried), fluff, unprotected sex, public sex, everyone is a loser, polyamory, ...

word count! ~15k

a/n! i've never been very good at writing endings... </3 but thank you guys so much for reading !!! i've seen everyone rooting for jake, but uhh... i've had a bit of a different idea for the endgame "relationship" from the very start

currently playing . . . good so bad by zerobaseone

masterlist

Good morning, Decelis!

The first term is almost over, and I’m really glad all the tea is piping hot to keep us warm through the winter.

XO, Miss Decelis

It was time.

The conversation the four boys feared had to be had. Especially when Heeseung kept trying to corner you in the school’s hallways while you pretended he didn’t exist, and Jake could not keep his hands off you with overly excessive PDA. Jay was your friend, but he kept looking for you in any room he entered, the single night you spent together still playing in his mind and haunting his dreams because that was all he got — he was nothing but a casual fuck to you, one and done, and it was still all his fault.

Sunghoon had been observing his friends for a while. He could see all of them become more pathetic as time went on. But it was natural, when you began hanging out with them, and neither Heeseung or Jay cursed you out for it — instead, they sought your presence.

The thing was, Sunghoon had most of his information from Jake since Heeseung and Jay kept mostly quiet. But he knew basically everything, the filthy details beyond Miss Decelis gossip. You shared everything with Jake. Despite not being in a relationship, you were honest with him about all the things that went on in your life. So it was a known fact to them that you slept with Jay. That Heeseung was still trying.

And Sunghoon wanted to laugh, remembering their silly promise that was now being stomped upon as if it never happened because his friends were idiots.

Not to mention those dumb as hell rules they had around you when they were freshmen. Jesus Christ.

They were idiots who were always obsessed with you.

But Sunghoon understood why. Way before he met them, he knew the charm you had was enchanting. Like a lady spider creating a thin yet durable web around them, meant to ensnare and never let go.

This was you.

Not a random girl the four of them met at parties and hooked up with (at different times, obviously). You had been in their lives for years.

Sunghoon had known you since he was twelve, probably. He didn’t remember the exact date when he met you, but you were both children back then. You were taller than him back then, too, if he remembered correctly. He was a figure skating prodigy, and you were the daughter who had to tag along because there was nobody to look after you on the weekends.

You had an ability to make Sunghoon not feel alone whenever he saw you back then. You always played around with him while other kids were apprehensive. You also didn’t see him as competition, so being his friend was normal.

Then your father applied him to Decelis Academy for high school with a letter of recommendation, adding that he would cover any expenses necessary for Sunghoon’s studies while the school would have a national champion as its representative. Which was how you ended up introducing him to Heeseung, Jay and Jake.

Even though you didn’t speak to them and they mainly ignored you, you made sure to bring Sunghoon to them on your tour. You greeted Jake amiably enough and then you introduced Sunghoon saying that you thought they’d get along well.

And they did.

Especially Sunghoon and Jake. They clicked instantly.

You were the force that connected them, and now you had enough power to pull them apart as well.

So they really needed to talk.

Well, not Sunghoon, not really anyway, but he was convinced it was the better thing for them all.

So when Sunghoon finally got to the boys’ favourite hangout spot after figure skating practice, he clasped his hands together.

“Y/N,” he said as he sat down, looking at each of his friends to begin the conversation as if it were a business meeting. No beating around the bush. Just a proper conversation between friends who liked the same girl. “We gotta stop avoiding the topic,” Sunghoon sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“No clue what you’re talking about,” Jay mumbled demurely after the mention of your name.

Jake already knew what Sunghoon was thinking. The two practically shared one brain cell, so he simply glanced at the figure skater with a gaze that said: “Not you too,” but then he nodded because Sunghoon’s gaze replied with, “Are you really surprised?”

“I didn’t do anything though,” he added out loud, so Heeseung and Jay could understand at least a part of the mental conversation. “But the three of you are pissing me off.” He shrugged.

“You like Y/N but you’re a dick.” He pointed at Heeseung with honesty that made the aforementioned boy flinch. “You like Y/N but you missed every chance you did have.” Sunghoon turned to Jay, earning a nasty glare. “And you’re all good but these two seem like even bigger losers,” he said to Jake, who grinned in response.

“Shut up. Y/N’s just pretending she doesn’t want me,” Heeseung said confidently, and Jake snorted.

“He’s lost it,” Jake claimed. “Heeseung being delusional is a rare occurrence. I need to savour this moment.”

“I know she wants me,” said Jay, and to this, Jake couldn’t entirely say no. You had slept with him once, you could do it again. Though you haven’t.

And Jake realised that it really didn’t matter to him because, at the end of the day, you always came back to him. You could destroy him, tear his heart into pieces, and he’d still crawl on gravel just for you. That’s how bad it was for him, and he couldn’t fault his friends for feeling the same way.

They were one. Even if they were each vastly different. This group of friends was created through fate. Connected together, and likely with a string that began with Y and ended with OU.

If it wasn’t for you, Heeseung would never befriend Jay and Jake, no matter how awful his reasons were. And if it weren’t for you, Sunghoon would never be introduced to them.

You put them together, and they had to stay that way.

Sunghoon bit his lower lip. Did you at least view him as a friend? He could never speak to you properly these days.

“Look,” Jake spoke up, shaking his head. In his mind, he was a selfish bastard who wanted to keep you all to himself, but these were his friends, and he loved them too. They were not going to fight each other over you. They’d rather avoid it, no matter how unhealthy the lack of confrontation might be. “As long as we don’t have a repeat of Bin from last year, I think we’re good.”

Bin was a girl they all liked enough to want to be with, and it seemed she liked them back. But when the gossip about them spread through school like wildfire, she could not handle that.

You were the centre of Miss Decelis for years. (Jay kept true to his word and told no one about your secret.) The last thing you would care about was people whispering about you being with all of them at once.

If you agreed to it.

Sunghoon hadn’t even begun properly speaking to you yet.

“Y/N is different,” Jay affirmed. And while each of the boys wanted to have you for themselves, they knew that unless you chose one of them specifically, all of them still had a chance.

A laugh bubbled up in Heeseung’s chest. “Have you guys ever noticed that the five of us are basically the centre of Miss Decelis? Even if she talks about others, we probably racked up the highest mention count.”

Jay ran a hand through his hair as the only one who knew why. He grinned with feigned nonchalance. “Our lives are clearly the most interesting among the other Decelis losers.”

“Mean,” Jake said and shook his head. “I didn’t have that many mentions until…” you, he wanted to say, but didn’t. The message was clear regardless.

“‘Cause you’re boring.” Heeseung rolled his eyes playfully. “Y/N makes you more fun… which is not something I thought I’d ever say.”

“You’re down bad for her, buddy,” Sunghoon sighed and patted his friend’s shoulder sympathetically. But at least he got to be with you.

Jay didn’t touch another woman in weeks because of you, and Heeseung couldn’t stay still without having his dick wet since he couldn’t have you. Each of them dealt with their feelings differently, and Sunghoon just didn’t have any time because he’d been training for an upcoming national competition.

One that you would be at because you said so. You and your father would both be there to watch him perform. So he needed to be at his best. Not just to win, but to prove himself to your family once more, to make sure he wouldn’t be abandoned and thrown to the streets (which would not happen).

“Realistically, the centre has always been Y/N and the two of us,” Heeseung said, pointing at himself and Jay. “Do you think we ever did something to this girl? Who even is she? And why attack Y/N when… you know.”

“I guess it’s just some slighted petty bitch,” Jay replied as if he didn’t know the truth and shrugged. “Maybe it’s someone from our childhood that all three of us ignored back then.”

“But wouldn’t that also include me?” Jake added, a confused pout plastered on his lips. “Since I was always with you.”

Sunghoon nodded. He wasn’t as involved with the three guys when they were children, but Jake was right. If it was from childhood, even Jake would be included, right?

“Nah. You’re always too nice. To everyone. Especially Y/N. She was just pretending,” Jay reasoned. Because surely, the guys would believe that. “Maybe she was pissed at us and then accidentally took it out on some poor rando and now we got Miss Decelis on our ass.”

Heeseung chuckled. “I’d like to see that. Pissed Y/N has to look hot as fuck.”

“She’s more cute when she’s pissed,” Jay spoke absentmindedly, and the three guys glanced at him with question marks behind their eyes. “What? Haven’t any of you pissed her off yet? Just me?”

“I don’t talk to her much,” Sunghoon said plainly.

“Do I look like I could piss Y/N off?” Jake questioned with a raised brow.

“She just ignores me unless I literally beg for a restraining order. I wish she would at least get angry at me.” Heeseung scoffed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m actually surprised you don’t have one yet,” Sunghoon thought aloud, and Jake laughed, fist-bumping the figure skater.

Heeseung glared at both, but it was light-hearted. “Whatever.”

Look. You were not supposed to tag along to the ice rink with your father. But it had been a while since you saw Sunghoon ice skate, and you always loved to appreciate him from a distance. He was the unreachable ice prince wherever he went, and that whole image fascinated you.

But his figure skating was beautiful. He would always get lost in his choreography and his movements. Every detail mattered, from head to toe. The smallest movements of his fingers were perfectly controlled, too.

You watched him in silence while your father spoke to his trainer on the side, both of them speaking about the plans for the upcoming national competition.

Sunghoon was already training, going through the same exact training session he must’ve for the past month or more. He barely had any time due to it all, and so you barely saw him outside of school — not that you two spoke anyway. But you liked catching glances of him. Hearing his voice every now and then.

He was your friend before you introduced him to the other guys. You knew that it would create a rift between you, but you also knew that he would be much better off with Jake than you. It was just something about the both of them that made you think they were destined to be friends.

Now, this was the longest you got to be around Sunghoon.

He didn’t notice you as you sat on the bleachers, smiling to yourself because you liked to watch him grinning from ear to ear as he did the thing he loved most — figure skating. He was lucky enough that it had the possibility of giving him a career that would secure his life for decades to come.

Even then, when you two were children, Sunghoon mentioned he also considered getting into acting one day. Which would be amazing. Especially with a face like his, he could be as popular as Song Kang or Cha Eunwoo.

When the set was over, you started clapping. Initially, you didn’t want to announce your presence to the boy, but you couldn’t help it. He was too good not to show your appreciation of his talent. And then there was that small, proud little smirk on his face when he was done, knowing he did well.

He startled slightly, glancing toward you. Eyes widening even more, you knew he wondered why you were here, watching him. So you smiled and waved to beckon him over like you two were fourteen again and your father was just settling the Decelis scholarship with Sunghoon’s parents.

“Y/N?” His full eyebrows arched as he gazed at you, and you grinned.

“Hello, Hoonie,” you greeted sweetly. “It’s been a while.” You didn’t mean generally seeing him or talking to him. Watching him figure skate — the last time you had done that was a year ago. It was a competition (you went to every single one you could).

“Yeah.” He nodded, confusion lacing his every movement even as he ran a hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes. “Is there a reason why—”

“I just wanted to see you,” you spoke frankly, shrugging. “Do you remember the last time we were here like this?”

“We were fourteen,” Sunghoon said, chuckling. “But yeah. I do.” How could he forget? It was the day you admitted you didn’t know how to ice skate, so Sunghoon decided to teach you a bit. And once it was all over, you somehow ended up talking about how another thing you’ve never done was kiss a boy.

If Sunghoon hadn’t been a coward, he could’ve kissed you then. But he didn’t. And sometimes he still thought about it and regretted that moment.

“A lot has changed since then,” you said, reminiscing. Four years could be compared to a whole century when you’re a teenager.

Sunghoon hummed in agreement. “Are you better at ice skating?” he asked.

“Much.” You grinned proudly.

And Sunghoon didn’t need to ask about the kissing. He already knew the answer to that. Sighing internally, he sometimes wished he could go back and be the first boy you ever kissed. But he couldn’t travel in time, so he was stuck here. The two of you at eighteen, barely speaking together.

“Would you maybe… want to hang out after my practice is done?” he asked cautiously, expecting a rejection to protect himself from being hurt. “If you’re planning to stay here that long, of course.”

You smiled softly, nodding. “I am. I missed watching you figure skate. You’re constantly getting better,” you praised his skill. “We could go to that waffle place my dad used to take us to after your practice.”

“Yeah… that sounds good.” Sunghoon nodded, cursing himself for not being a better friend to you. But he had been scared of what could happen if he did. Maybe he’d have noticed there was something wrong in the years coming up to the moment that changed the trajectory of all their lives.

Maybe if he noticed and put a stop to it himself, Heeseung and Jay would still dislike you, Jake would still fear talking to you, and Sunghoon would have you all to himself. But a string of completely different decisions led to the moment of you and him right here, right now, trying to build a bridge over the canyon you had created to help him find friends — better friends than you thought you were.

Now it would be up to you both whether said bridge would be the most unstable, made out of thin ropes and wooden planks, or if you’d opt for one made of stone and cement.

You were with Jake when Sunghoon approached you the next time. The two of you were working on a project for English class, and Sunghoon found it as the perfect opportunity to use his inability to learn English as an excuse to spend time with you.

Which you didn’t mind in the slightest. You loved English, and you were happy to explain anything Sunghoon was struggling with while Jake nodded along with a spark in his eye as he gazed at you. There was a different kind of calmness to you when you could delve into a topic you were knowledgeable about.

“Future perfect tense is not that used, to be honest,” you said, to make Sunghoon feel better. “Nobody casually says sentences like I will have gone home by the time you finish practice.”

“I still want to be better,” Sunghoon sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I just feel so lost whenever I travel abroad for figure skating competitions.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, glancing at Jake to silently ask whether Sunghoon ever shared this information with him. Jake’s shake of his head was small.

“I can tutor you, Hoon,” you said with a soft smile. Because to you, Sunghoon was still your friend, even if you barely spoke. “I have less extracurriculars than Jake does, so I have the time. I don’t mind it.”

“Are you sure, Y/N?”

“No, of course not. I’m offering because I don’t want to do it,” you said, rolling your eyes playfully. “Just say if you want me to tutor you or not. It’s on you. We can meet almost whenever you have free time.”

Jake nudged Sunghoon’s shoulder with a supportive grin. “C’mon, you need it, bro.”

“Okay. Yeah. Sure. We can do it. I just have a lot of—”

“Training, I know.” You nodded, biting your lip. “But we’ll figure something out, it’s fine. I can just… pick you up after your practices or something.”

Good morning, Decelis!

It seems our ice prince is not so icy after all. He’s been caught laughing with the one and only Y/N as they exited the ice rink yesterday.

Are you all thinking what I’m thinking?

XO, Miss Decelis

“Go on a date with me.”

You startled, looking up at the boy who just approached you in the corridor. You were just trying to get your textbooks, but he closed your locker right in front of your face to get your attention, staring at you pleadingly with his hands hidden in his pockets.

“What?” you asked, tilting your head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

“Go on a date with me,” he repeated slowly, ready to spell it out for you.

You laughed. “Jay–”

“I’m serious, Y/N,” he said, running a hand through his perfectly styled dark hair. Today, it was slightly falling on his forehead, and he had to constantly push the hair out of his eyes. “Go on a date with me. Please.”

“I don’t really have time—”

“Sunghoon will survive if you miss one tutoring session, trust me.” Because of course, Jay already knew your schedule — hopefully from Sunghoon. “Please,” he kept begging, staring at you as if his whole life depended on you saying yes. And a part of you wanted to say yes, that part of you that used to have a crush on him, but you two just made peace and became friends.

“This is ridiculous, Jay,” you scoffed, shaking your head. “You don’t actually like me. What happened last time was just— I don’t know, but you don’t want me, and I’m doing fine with Ja—”

“Don’t say that,” Jay cut you off. “Don’t say his name when I’m trying to ask you out. Besides, you don’t know how I feel, so why do you keep assuming?” He ran a hand through his hair again, clenching his jaw. You watched him in confusion as frustration took over his features because he needed you to believe him.

“You are right. I don’t like you. How I feel about you is something way beyond that, and I hate the fact that I can’t look at you without thinking of that time, and that I keep replaying you saying that you used to like me in my head. So just do this one thing for me, please, because I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.”

Rendered speechless by Jay’s confession, you had a hard time coming up with a proper response. Park Jay had feelings for you?

“I swear to God, Y/N, I am going to drop on my knees and—”

“No, Jay, stop. I will go with you,” you said finally, to stop him from making you feel even worse (read: to stop him from making your heart beat loudly in your ears). You bit the inside of your cheek, your stomach tight with knots. “I will go with you,” you repeated, looking into Jay’s eyes.

“Really?” The hope in his voice made your body feel warm, and you nodded to further affirm your decision. You were going on a date with Park Jay.

“But after Sunghoon’s competition,” you said decidedly, pursing your lips. Jay was right. Sunghoon could miss one tutoring session, but you’d rather if he didn’t. After the competition, he’d have more time, and that way, you could both tutor Sunghoon and then go on a date with Jay.

Ultimately, Sunghoon’s tutoring sessions were just an excuse.

He knew.

You and Sunghoon only met up twice a week, so it was obvious that you used him as an excuse to not go on that date with Jay and postpone it for some time. He didn’t mind it, but he kind of enjoyed being the guy in the middle. Or maybe it was just the fact that you wanted to spend time with him, and not Jay.

He liked watching you as you scrunched your nose and furrowed your brows while staring at a textbook while trying to figure out the best and simplest way to explain something to him. He liked the way a tiny smile graced your lips once you came up with something and looked at Sunghoon with your big eyes. He liked the way you moved closer, leaned into him, and pointed at his notebook to start your explanation.

Maybe he should be listening to you as you tried to show him the ropes of creating sentences in passive voice and using them, but if he was completely honest, it went in through one ear, and out through the other. All he could do was stare at you and your side-profile and be in disbelief over how pretty you were.

He understood what Jake saw in you a bit too well. Sunghoon would want to kiss the earth you walked on, too, if he was in Jake’s position. But you didn’t seem interested in Sunghoon the way he wanted you to. Your smiles were always friendly, your gaze kind, but you did not look at him the way you regarded Jake. Not even the way you looked at Jay.

Sunghoon, to you, was just Sunghoon. The kid your father was sponsoring. And he hated it. Why did you, of all people, have to be immune to him?

“Are you spacing out again?” you asked softly. Your eyes were glued to Sunghoon’s face and he blankly stared ahead, though at first his attention was purely on you.

Gulping, Sunghoon shook his head. “Sorry. I just… can’t seem to focus today,” he made a half-assed apology, but you smiled and let him be. Your mind already had a proper excuse made up for him anyway.

“The competition is pretty close, huh? Must be nerve-racking,” you said, placing your hand over his. The squeeze was purely sympathetic, it meant nothing more — at least Sunghoon thought so — and when you didn’t let go, it momentarily short-circuited his brain. “You’ll do great, Hoon. I know you will. And I’ll be there with you the whole time as well.”

Sunghoon stared at you. He wished he could tell you how much he liked you, but he was afraid. He always had been afraid. At first his reasons were rather selfish because he didn’t want to lose your father’s support if things didn’t work out between you, but now… Now he feared your rejection even more than anything else in the world.

Not even the idea of losing the upcoming competition scared him as much.

“Thanks.” Sunghoon slightly pulled away from you for his own sanity, but you noticed the movement and a small frown graced your lips. Perhaps he even saw a flicker of hurt in your eyes, too.

“Okay, then,” you said, clearing your throat. “I’m sure you want to focus on your training more than English, so we can end today’s session early.”

Sunghoon blinked at you. He had hurt you without realising it, and now he didn’t know how to fix this without babbling out the thoughts that truly went through his head. He could do nothing as you stood up from your seat, packing your bag to leave the library.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Hoon.”

Just like that, you left.

And Sunghoon hadn’t said a word to stop you.

An exasperated sigh left his lips once you were gone. He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

Why was it so hard for him to speak whenever you were around?

Sunghoon’s competition was happening a week after the new year. Nothing in between mattered much. The tutoring sessions came to a halt with the Christmas break, but Sunghoon and his family were still invited to the huge Christmas party that your parents organised. Obviously, the Lees had to show up, and so did Jake and Jay’s families. Nothing much happened except for Heeseung trying to talk to you while Jeonghyeon actively did everything in his power to keep his cousin away from you.

Then it was the Parks, Jay’s family, who organised a large New Year’s party where you spent the day surrounded by all four guys as they desperately fought for your attention. It was Heeseung who stole your New Year’s kiss as well, but you didn’t bother fighting him since Jeonghyeon, Jay and Jake’s glares were scathing enough.

So now you sat inside the packed stadium filled with figure skating fans and many girls from Decelis Academy as they held huge pickets and flags with Sunghoon’s face plastered on them as if he were an idol, cheering for him. You had to bite back your smile as you watched Sunghoon cringe the moment he stepped on the ice and the girls began squealing.

You watched him prepare, doing practice laps and some figures as he tested himself on the ice. It took a few minutes for him to finally settle in the centre, eyes fixating on you in his starting position.

He whispered, “Wish me luck,” and winked at you, which could’ve gone unnoticed had you not been captivated by him the whole time. Gulping, you licked your lips and nodded.

You recognised the song that started playing from the many practices you had visited simply because you wanted to. Because you could. A soft melody of a song he chose, called Moonstruck. His figure was impeccable.

The moment he started moving, the whole stadium silenced. There was nothing else but Park Sunghoon and the rink that he danced on, every movement graceful and meticulous from his toes to his fingers. Every detail mattered even if he was merely spreading his arms. His body followed the rhythm, and you understood what your father had seen in him all those years ago when he chose to take the small boy under his wing and help him become better at figure skating.

The applause that followed was deafening. But you couldn’t bring yourself to move as you saw him bow after the song ended. Even as he made his way toward his mother from the ice. Even as he, eventually, approached you and your father to head toward the chairs with the other contestants, waiting for his score.

It was high. Highest of the day so far, but there were still some contestants left, so it couldn’t be definitively said that Sunghoon won.

You chewed on your lip as you watched him, nervosity coursing through your veins. Sunghoon deserved to be first place. Even your father seemed to think so with the huge grin on his lips as he regarded Sunghoon with immense pride.

And, an hour later, you were indeed running to him to throw your arms around his shoulders for winning gold. Sunghoon was smiling widely. His parents were elated. So was your father. The success meant a huge door had opened for Park Sunghoon, the figure skating prodigy. But you only cared about him.

Jumping into his arms, you tightly wrapped your arms around his neck. “Congratulations, Hoon! You did it! You’re a national champion,” you spoke into his shoulders while the boy held onto your waist, keeping your body in the air.

“I knew you could do it.” You pulled away from him with a smile, still holding onto his arms. And Sunghoon stared at you, in the intense kind of way that you never saw him do before. “Hoon?” you asked, worrying if he spaces out again.

“It’s because of you.” He slapped away your concern with a lopsided grin, his eyes never leaving yours. “I wanted to do my best for you,” he mumbled softly, and you tilted your head to the side.

“Why would you—”

But Sunghoon cupped both your cheeks by then, planting his lips on yours. A collective gasp went through the crowd within the stadium as they saw you. Not just on the podium, but also on the huge screen as there had been a camera on Sunghoon the whole time.

“I really, really like you, Y/N,” he said after he pulled away, and your eyes widened. Everything was captured on camera.

You couldn’t exactly say you didn’t like him back, though. It would be a lie to say that Sunghoon didn’t have an ability to make your heart flutter. You liked him a lot. But you also liked Jake… and Jay wanted to take you on a date. And Heeseung — well, you hated how often you tended to think about him, too.

“I—”

“Erm.” You recognised your father’s voice from behind. Turning to face him, your cheeks burned. Sunghoon didn’t just kiss you in front of a whole stadium — he kissed you in front of your father.

Fuck.

His arms were crossed, and you stepped in front of Sunghoon just in case your father were to berate him.

A smile spread across his lips instead, though.

“I already considered you a part of the family, Sunghoon, but this is a truly pleasant surprise,” he said, grinning at you and the figure skater. “Although I expect Jay’s and Jake’s parents will be very disappointed to know. They were rooting for their sons.”

You glanced at Sunghoon but he didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he smiled even brighter, his eyes and nose scrunching in the most adorable way possible.

“So you don’t… disapprove of me dating?” you asked your father, raising a brow.

The man chuckled and shook his head. “Why would I, Y/N? Your mother and I just want you to be happy, and we know that Sunghoon is a good boy. I support it,” he said, patting the top of your head affectionately.

“You’re serious?”

“Very,” your father agreed. “Now come, your boyfriend has to do some interviews and get some photos before we all leave to celebrate the victory and the amazing news.”

“O-okay,” you stuttered, your eyes latching onto Sunghoon. He smiled and took your hand in his.

“Well, girlfriend, will you follow me?” he said rather jokingly, but to everyone around you, that seemed to be the new reality.

Park Sunghoon was now proclaimed your official boyfriend.

Good morning, Decelis!

Surprise, surprise! It’s our princess and the ice prince, after all. A fitting pair, I’d say. I wonder what happened during the winter holidays?

XO, Miss Decelis

“Do you ever take a break?” Jay approached you, glancing between you and his phone. “Do you still need to keep this up?”

You shrugged in response, already aware of what he was talking about. “I like it. There’s just something about messing with other people’s business that’s quite freeing,” you said, grinning.

Jay rolled his eyes. “And yet you keep writing about our business.”

“Is it really that bad if I haven’t said anything negative?” You pursed your lips, tilting your head to the side with your eyes fixed on Jay. “I haven’t badmouthed you in ages.”

The pout your lips formed made Jay glare at you light-heartedly, and you giggled.

“Good. ‘Cause this would be hella awkward if you did.” Jay pointed at himself and you. Because, yeah, he was taking you out on a date. Despite your ‘relationship’ with Sunghoon.

The guys were doing whatever they wanted. So were you. And between the five of you, your description of a relationship status was a venn diagram with you in the middle.

You pushed Jay’s chest with a roll of your eyes. “So, where are you taking me?” you asked, and the boy grinned.

“Somewhere you’ll like,” he said before examining your fit. It was casual, but not too casual to make him assume that you didn’t care. You wore a long-sleeved white dress speckled with blue flowers, and a black winter coat to keep you warm in the freezing weather.

He, as usual, wore loose black jeans, a black shirt and coat, looking like the heir of a million dollar company — which he was. His cologne was different today, but you liked it regardless. Perhaps Killian?

When you made your way to his car, he opened the door for you before getting in himself. You grinned at his gentlemanly antics, but he said nothing — as if it was completely normal and expected of everyone. Perhaps to him, it was.

Nothing was said between either of you when Jay drove. Music played softly from the radio, but neither of you dared to break the silence. Between the two of you, it wasn’t necessary to speak. In that way, he was similar to Sunghoon (and occasionally Jake, but Jake usually loved chatting with you about random things).

Jay spoke up only when you were almost at your destination.

“So, a little background information,” he said with a chuckle, the car nearing a parking lot. “You know how my house is eery and lonely whenever it’s just me there?”

You scoffed. “How could I forget?”

“Well.” Jay glanced at you, a corner of his lips lifting in a soft smile. “My parents agreed to let me get a pet. And I was thinking of getting a cat.”

“What?” You turned to face him, but Jay was already parking in front of an animal shelter, grinning. “You want to adopt a cat?”

“Yep.” Jay nodded. “And I want you to choose which one.”

“Jay…” This was a pet that would be with him for as long as it lived, and you weren’t sure if you making the choice of which cat it should be was a smart decision. The cat should like him first.

“I trust you. Besides, if it’s a cat that likes you, then I’m most definitely going to like that cat.” He grinned. “Because it’ll have great taste.”

“Jay.” Your cheeks heated up at the comment, shaking your head.

“You know that’s also why I disliked you so much before?” He chuckled, shaking his head as he reminisced of his younger self. “Because you were so stupidly pretty and my parents were obsessed with you and everything about you. It just… annoyed me.” He parked the car, running a hand through his hair as he turned the ignition off. “And now that you’re not pretending and are finally yourself, it makes you even more attractive.”

You giggled. You didn’t know what took over you in that moment, but you giggled, hearing Jay call you attractive. “Stop.” You tried to lightly slap Jay’s shoulder, but he caught your hand, intertwining your fingers.

“I’m serious, Y/N. So yes, I want your help choosing the cat that will live in my home because hopefully it will make you want to come over more often.”

There was that sly smirk you would expect from Park Jay, and you rolled your eyes. “What makes you so sure I even like cats?”

“Everything about you screams cat lover, darling. Don’t play dumb.” Jay stared into your eyes, and you couldn’t look away as his dark gaze pierced through you. “C’mon, let’s go get a cat,” he said with a smile.

Jay opened the door of the car for you, and then he held open the door inside the animal shelter as well. The smell of animals hit your senses like a truck, but not necessarily in a bad way. You just weren’t used to this many animals in one place.

Seeing them in their enclosures, you had the urge to adopt every single pet in the shelter, but you couldn’t do that. Instead, you glanced at Jay, who pointed toward the cats. Not many words were exchanged between the two of you as you walked, each of you examining the cats with soft smiles on your faces.

Though there was one in particular that caught your attention. A black cat continued staring at you as you moved across the shelter, and you couldn’t help but feel a pull toward her.

A black cat would be such a perfect choice for Jay. You knew it.

Tapping his shoulder, you grinned and pointed toward the enclosure. “I like that one,” you said, immediately going to her.

You dared to stretch out your hand for the cat, waiting for a reaction. She stretched her body and walked toward your hand with a low meow before leaning into your hand, begging you to pet her.

An even bigger smile broke out on your lips. “Hello, little one,” you whispered, scratching her ears. “How long have you been here?” you asked.

“Three months,” Jay responded from behind you, reading a sign by the enclosure. “Her name is Byeori.”

The cat looked at Jay when she heard her name spoken out loud, and she meowed again, this time to get Jay’s attention to be on her.

He joined your side to try and befriend the cat himself, and she did not fight him in the slightest. As if sensing what kind of person Jay was, the cat let him pet her, purring.

“She has good taste,” Jay chuckled, glancing at you. “I think she chose you first.”

You bumped his shoulder with yours, giggling. “So we’re taking her home, right?”

“To my home, yes, I think we are.” Jay nodded.

Heeseung was desperate.

He didn’t know why he stood in front of the door to your home all on his own.

You seemed happy with whatever you had with Jay, Jake and Sunghoon. But he wanted to be a part of it. If there was one thing Heeseung hated, it was being left out. He understood how he must’ve made you feel in the past now.

It was a horrendous feeling. One that clawed on your insides, coating your skin and never quite letting go. You had all of his friends now wrapped around your fingers and he… he also couldn’t stop thinking about you.

When you opened the door, you wore sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. Glasses loosely hung on your nose, and your hair was tied in a simple knot to keep your hair out of your eyes.

This was the version of you he was familiar with. A remainder of the old you that would never disappear. Somehow, Heeseung appreciated it even more than the new you.

“What?”

“Is anyone—”

“No, my parents are at work, why—”

“Okay.” Heeseung slipped inside past you, closing the door behind himself. Your eyebrow rose as you eyed him.

“Heeseung, what—”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Your mouth practically dropped to the ground the second he fell to his knees with his head hung low, repeating the words: “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“Hee—”

“I’m sorry for treating you like the biggest asshole known to man when we were younger.” Heeseung didn’t let you interrupt, looking up at you through those big Bambi eyes of his. “I’m sorry for making you feel unwanted, and for leaving you out of everything I could because I was a stupid kid. I’m really sorry.”

“Heeseung, what are you doing?”

“I want us to start over. To be better.” And he genuinely meant every word. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much all of a sudden, but he wanted you to be in his life as more than just the girl that ignores him whenever you’re in the same room. He had to make sure you would understand how truly deeply sorry he was and how much he wanted to start over.

You stared at him. Blinking a few times, you weren’t sure how to react at first. This was what you had wanted for a good part of your life. Heeseung wanting to be your friend. You did not expect him to beg for it on his knees, but it did bring you a twisted sense of satisfaction.

Besides the confusion, a lopsided grin spread across your lips. There was a strange allure to this Heeseung. Desperate just to be near you, and a part of you wanted to take advantage of it. But could you do it? What would that mean for you and Jake? Or Sunghoon? Or even Jay…

“Get up, Heeseung,” you said firmly, crossing your arms. “Get up before I do something really stupid, please.”

Those big eyes that stared at you through long lashes made your expression soften. But Heeseung heeded your command and stood up, towering over you once more. “Y/N—”

“We can start over,” you replied with a nod. “I can forgive you, I think. Over time.”

Sighing in relief, Heeseung nodded. “That’s all I need.”

Good morning, Decelis!

Did we all just collectively hallucinate, or did Y/N truly enter the school with all four of the Decelis heartthrobs by her side?

XO, Miss Decelis

“Jake— ah,” you moaned when he nipped at an especially sensitive spot on your neck. He found the time to come to the library with you before your tutoring session with Sunghoon, and you couldn’t deny him.

His hands were on your hips, pressing you against the wall of the library firmly, keeping you in place as his mouth roamed your skin. Your uniform’s blazer was already on the ground, and Jake let go of your hips just to undo the buttons of your shirt.

“I missed you,” he murmured, kissing the soft skin of your breasts where they were not covered by a bra.

He felt your chuckle vibrate through your chest. “Jakey, we haven’t seen each other for two hours,” you said.

Instead of responding, he hummed, going back up to capture your lips with his. There was a sort of desperation in the way he sucked on your lower lip before you allowed him full access to your mouth. Your hands tangled in his soft locks, and you pressed your body closer to his, to feel the bulge in his crotch on your stomach.

“I just need you,” Jake spoke against your lips, and the heat that spread through your body made you nearly combust. “You mean so much to me, Y/N. You have no idea.”

“And you mean a lot to me, too, Jake.” You pulled away from him for a bit, to look into his eyes. To let him know how serious you were. Jake had always been good to you, no matter your situation. And you cared for him deeply.

A tiny smile tugged at his lips as his eyes explored yours. He didn’t want to say it out loud, but knowing that you started talking to Heeseung made him strangely anxious. He liked to think he wasn’t jealous, but out of all the guys, Heeseung had always been the hardest to compete with. “You will always come back to me, right? No matter what happens?”

You nodded. “No matter what happens,” you agreed at the moment. But later, when you would think about this, it would scare you. Terrify you, in fact. Because you weren’t ready to think about what it meant.

Jake kissed you again, letting your hands do the work and unbuckle his belt. His trousers were off within seconds, and his hands roamed down your body to the wet panties underneath your skirt, grinning into the kiss.

It surprised you when Jake suddenly grabbed you by the thighs, lifting you from the ground, your back pressed against the wall as the only support for your body other than Jake. But he lined you up perfectly with his cock, letting you slowly take him in as his arms strained to keep you from falling.

His groan was music to your ears, the sensation of his length filling you up slowly rendering you silent, though you were used to his rougher ways by now, too.

“Fuck, Y/N, you’re so perfect,” Jake let you wrap your legs around his hips, his hands moving to your ass to have a proper grip on your body before he started moving.

“Jake, please,” you begged for him to do something now that he was fully inside you. “I need you.”

Jake buried his head into the crook of your neck. “I need you more,” he replied before pulling out and thrusting even deeper inside you as if it was possible.

You felt him in your stomach, in every bit of your body and in the marrow of your bones. Jake moved leisurely, but each thrust was powerful enough you felt like you would erupt any second.

“Jake, oh, fuck.” You bit your lip to be quieter, barely remembering that you two were still inside the public library, having sex in the section with prehistoric textbooks that nobody ever used. “It’s— so much.”

“You can take it,” he huffed out, focusing more on pleasuring you than anything else. “You’ve taken more.”

Yes, you have. But you were not inside a library before and didn’t need to be able to walk out of there. Nor did you need to get through a tutoring session afterwards.

The next powerful thrust made your head spin, pleasure tinged with pain as it seemed that Jake would not stop any time soon.

Your body went limp in his arms. “Jake. Jake. Jake,” you repeated his name, unable to finish the sentence you wanted to say.

You cummed around his cock, and he wasn’t far away, capturing your lips again to contain the moans that would otherwise leave his mouth as his semen filled you up. (You started taking birth control after Jake’s birthday.)

“I love you so much, Y/N,” he mumbled in a daze, and part of you wasn’t sure if you heard him correctly. But, to make it worse, he repeated the words: “I love you.”

You weren’t ready to hear that yet.

When Jake let go of you, you stared at him with your eyebrows furrowed and lips slightly parted. “Jake, you don’t know what you’re saying,” you claimed because people tend to say stupid things after sex, right? He wasn’t thinking clearly.

“That’s just how I feel about you, Y/N.” Jake shook his head, attempting to wrap his arms around you, but you didn’t let him, stepping back.

The single action made Jake’s movements stutter. His eyes searched yours with hurt written all over them, and you bit your lip. Your heart raced in your chest almost as fast as your thoughts.

“You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted to be honest with you,” said Jake in an attempt to salvage the situation, but it was too late. You were panicking. You cared about Jake, but did you love him? You couldn’t say.

And maybe it was the worst possible thing to do after a person confesses their love to you… but you ran. You fled as fast as you could, completely forgetting that you had a tutoring session afterward, or anything else whatsoever.

Sim Jake loved you.

But you were a fucking coward.

You haven’t been to school in days, claiming a mysterious illness that left you bedridden. Sunghoon had tried to ask Jake if he knew anything of your whereabouts as you seemingly didn’t reply to anyone. He tried asking Heeseung and Jay after he grew truly desperate, but to no avail. You weren’t responding to them, and Jake generally refused speaking about you.

Sunghoon didn’t know what happened between the two of you, but it had to be serious if Jake refused to tell him about it. You had been ignoring Sunghoon since the one tutoring session you stood him up on and never texted him back after he asked if you were okay.

All your friends claimed you were still alive, just not feeling well. Jeonghyeon and Ning were the only direct contacts anybody had to you.

Heeseung tried knocking on your door, but you never responded yourself. Usually, it was your parents, and they always had an apologetic kind of look that said you refused to see him. But, to be fair, apparently, Jeonghyeon hadn’t seen you in person in days either.

Despite knowing all this, Sunghoon wanted to try his luck. He knew that skipping school as a scholarship kid was the worst thing he could possibly do, but he needed to make sure you were okay. Everyone thought you were his girlfriend, and him knowing nothing of how you were doing drove him nuts.

The staff at the hotel let him pass easily, already familiar with him as both your father’s ward and Heeseung’s best friend. Sunghoon greeted them all with a polite bow and smile, rushing toward the elevators so they wouldn’t question why he wasn’t at school.

Getting to your floor came to Sunghoon automatically as he had been there countless times as a child, still remembering his excitement whenever his parents agreed to let him play with you while they were talking to your father. Those were probably his happiest moments as a child figure skater. Even if it was just the two of you playing hide and seek around the house.

He didn’t expect much when he rang the bell. Why, of all the people that came to visit you, would you open the door for him?

You did, though. In an oversized T-shirt and shorts, thick glasses hanging on the tip of your nose. The look on your face told him you were contemplating slamming the door in his face, so Sunghoon strategically put his foot on the doorstep, knowing you would never try to hurt him, especially to just close a door.

“Hi,” he said quietly.

“Hi,” you echoed. “Why aren’t you at school, Hoon?”

“I had to make sure you’re okay.” Sunghoon ran a hand through his hair, gazing at you. There was a sadness that laced your voice, and he noticed your eyes were red from crying. But judging by the movie playing in the background, Twentieth Century Girl, he guessed that was why.

You pressed your lips together and smiled. “I’m fine,” you sighed. “I’m just not ready.”

“Ready for what?”

You frowned. “Do you want to come inside?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Sunghoon nodded, slipping inside the hallway with your approval. Wordlessly, you led Sunghoon to the living room space, where the movie played on a large screen.

You had a whole set up of pillows and blankets on the sofa, so you sat down on the ground in front of it, patting the spot next to you.

When Sunghoon sat down, silence engulfed the both of you. You didn’t say anything and neither did he. You just watched the movie together as your head dropped to his shoulder, more tears making their way to your eyes despite the scenes being seemingly happy.

When you spoke up, Sunghoon didn’t know how to react at first. “You don’t really like me, right?” you said.

Sunghoon turned to face you, baffled by the question. “What do you mean?” He tilted his head to the side, in disbelief over the question. “Of course, I like you. I always have.”

“But not… not like that.” You pointed at the movie as if it was hard for you to explain in words.

“Yes, like that,” Sunghoon said firmly, shaking his head. He dared taking your hand in his and intertwining your fingers. “Since we were kids, Y/N. I was just… scared. Still am. What I did after I won the competition… I just wanted to be brave for once.”

You looked down at your legs, hugging your knees to your chest. “But—”

“I’m sorry for not showing you earlier. But it’s always been you. Even for Jake, I think.” Sunghoon shook his head and chuckled. “It’s actually what we initially bonded over, you know? Just… you.”

“Please, don’t.” You averted your gaze.

Sunghoon squeezed your hand, placing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “It’s such a weird thing for me to say but… we all like you. In our own ways, Y/N. Jake, me, Heeseung, Jay. In the end, it’s on you if you want any of us or all of us, really, but we’ll be here for you. No matter what happens.”

The phrase, no matter what happens, was what made you truly cry. Sunghoon had no clue what he did, but regardless, he wrapped his arms around your shoulders, letting you cry your heart out onto his shirt. He held you tightly, not letting go. He never wanted to let you go.

You had to go to school eventually.

With Jeonghyeon, Ning and Hanbin right by your side, you did everything you could to catch up on classes you’d missed, avoiding Jake as much as you could.

You missed him, but you weren’t quite sure how to deal with the knowledge of his feelings toward you. Could you accept it? Could there be something more? How did anyone even know if they were in love?

Attraction was one thing, but love…

Still, Jake was everywhere you went. Not just him, though. Sunghoon, Heeseung and Jay were with him, too. And it was difficult to ignore the stares all four boys gave you whenever you were in the same room.

“I think I fucked up,” you said to your friends during lunch, shaking your head. Realistically, you knew you fucked up. There was no other way of calling it. Because you slept with Jake, Jay, almost with Heeseung, and Sunghoon liked you.

It’s not a situation the younger you would ever imagine yourself in, but your resolution not to care about much has clearly gone awry. Maybe you should’ve cared.

“Yeah. I think telling Heeseung you could forgive him was a mistake, too,” Jeonghyeon replied automatically.

“Not what she meant,” said Ning knowingly, glancing toward the table with the four Decelis heartthrobs. “They all look like kicked puppies. It’s kinda sad.”

“Well, wouldn’t you be if you and all of your best friends liked the same girl?” Hanbin asked with a raised brow. “And she’s not doing anything much about it either.” He gave you a pointed look.

You sighed, playing with the ends of your hair. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Do you remember Bin from last year?” Ning asked, her eyes widening slightly when she remembered that you were not at Decelis during the time.

You did remember, however. As Miss Decelis, you remembered everything. You attacked the guys quite a bit during the time since all you had was anger — not even toward them. But from what you understood, it was Bin who broke off everything as she didn’t like the way the other Decelis students treated her.

“I read Miss Decelis,” you claimed falsely, a tense smile plastered on your lips.

“Right. Who didn’t.” Ning nodded, pursing her lips. “But this is kinda what they do, no? They get obsessed with one girl and then she’s the one who suffers. I think you should just… try to get out of that while you can.”

“But… they’re my friends,” you said quietly, incapable of letting it go. The younger you had always wanted to be able to say that. To call the four of them your friends. And now that it was true, how could you just throw it away?

“That you fucked.”

“Please, don’t say that,” Hanbin said, face contorted in disgust. “We don’t need to acknowledge it so openly.”

“I actually didn’t—”

“Yeah, yeah. Only Jake and Jay, actually, but it doesn’t change much. Remember that half the country thinks you’re dating Sunghoon and that the whole school has seen you with Heeseung?”

“Why do we have to talk about this again?” Jeonghyeon’s brow rose, his nose scrunched.

“Because I don’t know what to do,” you said.

“And we’re supposed to help you how?”

“By shutting up.” Ning glared at Jeonghyeon. “Y/N, babe, you’re thinking too much,” she said, grabbing your hands in hers. “Just do what feels right in your heart.”

You blinked at her, face blank. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m trying to be romantic here. You’re ruining it.”

“Well, that’s your first mistake.” Hanbin shook his head. “Trying to get Y/N to be a romantic.”

“Fine.” Ning rolled her eyes. “Who do you like spending time with the most? Like, who makes you feel giddy and excited to be with them, you know?”

Jake. That was the first answer that came to your mind. He always knew how to make you laugh. He made you feel special, and his teamwork was incomparable. But the more you thought about it, you realised you also loved to have Sunghoon by your side. He understood you so well. And Jay made you feel safe in a way you had never experienced before. He was always making sure that you would never get hurt, even if it was the smallest thing known to man, like stubbing your toe. Heeseung managed to make everything feel more exciting. He could make your heart race like no other.

“They all do,” you said, “in their own ways.”

Ning was speechless. Following your gaze toward the four boys that were conversing with one another, she let out a huff. “Then I can’t help you, girl. You need to talk to them yourself.”

“They’re all losers anyway.” Jeonghyeon rolled his eyes.

Hanbin chuckled, nudging the boy with his shoulder. “And you’re better how?”

“Well, first of all—” and Jeonghyeon continued to name all the reasons he considered himself better than his slightly older cousin because in reality, he cared for Heeseung as a brother. Sometimes, he just really could not stand him and how idiotic he could be.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Sunghoon asked for the millionth time today as the two of you sat in your bedroom with English textbooks spread over your floor. For reasons, you were still avoiding staying in the library for too long.

“Yes, Hoon, it’s okay. My parents aren’t gonna be home until later, so nobody cares. Calm down,” you replied for the third time (without exaggeration) within the span of fifteen minutes. “Unless you’re planning something other than studying, it’s totally fine.”

Sunghoon’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not—” he bit his lip, flustered by the remark. “Just because I said I like you— that’s not what— Y/N…”

“I’m joking, Sunghoon,” you said, a lopsided grin decorating your lips. “You can only get a kiss if you can get this exercise correctly.”

“Huh?” Sunghoon blinked swiftly and several times, gaping at you.

Teasing him was your new favourite activity. He was a confident fraud at school, you concluded, because the boy you knew was nothing like the Park Sunghoon from Decelis Academy that made it onto Miss Decelis many times before.

You started coming to peace with the fact that you truly liked each of the boys for different reasons. But you were most drawn toward Sunghoon and Jake. The two boys were the same in so many ways that they made you feel similar but different. And being with Sunghoon made missing Jake somewhat easier.

“Here.” You pointed at the empty worksheet in front of him. “If you can correctly fill it, you get one kiss.”

“Are you serious?”

You nodded. And, as proof, you leaned in to give Sunghoon the lightest peck on his lips. “Very serious.”

“I’m a genius,” he said, in English, grabbing the worksheet with newfound fervour that made you laugh.

Sunghoon grinned at you, a genuine toothy smile that was rare from him, and then he put all his focus on the work you gave him. His brows furrowed, and he bit his bottom lip in thought.

It took him ten minutes to fill every sentence, but he kept looking at you to gauge whether you approved of his answer or not. You could not bring yourself to scold him and make the judgement for himself. Especially because he did fill everything correctly.

Sunghoon chewed on his lip, glancing at you expectantly while pushing the finished worksheet toward you. The grin that made its way onto your face couldn’t be contained, merely because you were proud of his progress.

“You really are a genius,” you said.

“So… my kiss?” Sunghoon spoke eagerly, and you giggled.

Beckoning him closer with your index finger, you watched as Sunghoon scooted closer to you on the floor. He used his legs and arms to push all of the textbooks and papers you had spread out before out of the way. Biting his lower lip, he stared at you.

“Are you sure?” he questioned uncertainly.

You nodded.

”Can I kiss you?” he asked again because he wanted a verbal answer. “Use your words, Y/N.”

“Yes,” you whispered. “Yes, you can kiss me, Hoon.”

Smiling, Sunghoon cupped your cheek with one hand before leaning in and hungrily capturing your lips with his. It was a different kiss to the one you shared after he won the figure skating competition. This kiss felt real. Something both of you were doing consensually.

“I want you to be able to always talk to me,” he said in between small pecks, his lips moving to your neck. He bit at the tender skin, smirking when you whimpered. “Don’t ever hide from us, again, okay? No matter what happens, Y/N. We want to be here for you.”

“I—” you paused when you felt Sunghoon’s soft lips against your shoulder. “What if I can’t…” you began, grabbing Sunghoon’s cheeks to make him look into your eyes again. Both your pupils were blown wide as you stared at each other. “Jake—”

“Will still love you whether you choose just him or all of us,” Sunghoon finished for you, finally aware of what had transpired between you. “We’re just the pathetic bunch of guys who lost their minds over one girl. You’re the one who calls the shots.” He grinned, kissing you again, though with much more passion to show you just how much he meant his words.

Placing his hands on your hips, Sunghoon waited for your reaction. He waited for what you would do. And it pleased him when you moved even closer, your hands raking through his locks.

It was you who began unbuttoning his shirt, and it was you who let him pull your t-shirt over your head. He groaned when he saw you were not wearing a bra, your nipples hard in the cold air. He could not resist the temptation to palm your boobs, listening to the small breathy sounds that left your lips as if you were simply an instrument he was playing.

Sunghoon’s lips were stuck to yours, shifting only enough to allow you to sit on his lap, your bare stomach pressing against his clothed but very hard dick. There were thoughts he had that he could not share with you nor his friends, but Sunghoon was convinced it should’ve been him to take your virginity. It could’ve been him who took your first kiss, too, but he was an idiot.

He had regrets to make up for, and you sat right in his lap, ready for whatever was to come.

When he pulled away from you for a bit, it was to show you how sex-crazed his expression was. “On the bed, now,” he commanded, not giving you much space to object.

You thought he wanted you to lie down on your back, but the opposite surprised you. Sunghoon was the one to do so, his head hitting your pillows. “I want you to ride my face,” he said, and you blinked at him several times, processing his words.

“What—”

“Have you not— oh, you haven’t.” Sunghoon came to the conclusion himself, watching the lost expression on your face. He chuckled and licked his lips. “Take the rest of your clothes off, Y/N.” A command. Again.

You obeyed instantly.

Sunghoon bit his tongue, hissing at the sight of you. “Beautiful,” he murmured to himself before pulling you to him. ”Just kneel above my face, Y/N.”

“But isn’t that dange—” You felt so embarrassed over the fact you were still so inexperienced despite the time you had spent with Jake.

“You can’t hurt me,” Sunghoon said, determined to be right. At least he could have one of your firsts. Even if it was riding his face. “Trust yourself, and trust me.”

“Okay.” You chewed on your lower lip.

Your movements were slow, but Sunghoon’s hands were on your legs, holding them apart and positioning you above his face with a satisfied grin.

“Now sit. Let me taste you.” There was an edge to his voice that made it hard to question him. You did as you were told, a gasp instantly leaving your lips when you felt his tongue lap at your pussy, his nose hitting your clit.

Sunghoon groaned, mesmerised by the sweet taste of you. He knew you were a fast learner the moment you started grinding your hips on his face. His tongue did wonders, filling you more than you would’ve thought possible, and whenever you had the urge to press your thighs together, Sunghoons arms were right there, keeping them apart.

His rhythm matched yours, and he enjoyed every moan that left your lips. “Hoon, fuck, yes, that feels good,” you murmured through the haze of pleasure, doing your best to keep it together.

“I’m— close,” you breathed out, the knot inside your stomach slowly untangling. Sunghoon’s movements became more erratic then, wanting to make you cum on his face.

“Sunghoon!” you exclaimed when you finally came undone, still riding off your high on the figure skater’s face, feeling his proud smile. “I need you in… inside,” you said, certain that you sounded pathetic, but Sunghoon hardly thought so.

He didn’t waste any time, flipping you to your back, his strength slightly surprising you. His trousers were gone within seconds, andthe sight of his pink tip covered in pre-cum made you salivate, but that was perhaps for another time.

You held your breath as Sunghoon hovered over you, teasing your entrance with his cock. Shooting him an annoyed look, he chuckled at your reaction before thrusting into you in one powerful movement. It made you lightheaded.

“So… tight,” Sunghoon groaned, and you wanted to say he could’ve at least eased his way in, but you kept your mouth shut. “Is this okay?” he asked anyway.

“Yeah,” you replied, shimmying your hips to spur him on. The way he filled you felt amazing, but you needed him to move. “Sunghoon, please.”

Smirking, he leaned toward you, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. It was a stark contrast to his next action as he completely pulled out and then slammed his cock inside of you again. The squelching sound of your pussy was almost unreal.

“You’re so wet for me,” Sunghoon hummed, hands moving to your hips to hold your body at an angle that allowed him much better access. “So tight.”

He did not go easy on you, setting a rough, fast pace that made your insides turn to mush. But the pleasure was immeasurable. You could barely register the tight grip he had on your hips; it was most definitely going to bruise.

Your room was filled with the cacophony of your whimpers, Sunghoon’s groans and skin slapping against skin until your brain could barely register anything but the tsunami building inside of you, threatening to spill over any second.

“Sunghoon— oh,” you moaned pathetically, clutching your sheets desperately. “I’m— fuck— so close.”

His pace only turned more rabid and messy when you said it, chasing his own climax with you.

“Sunghoon!” you screamed when the pressure was finally too much. Your body trembled with ecstasy while Sunghoon didn’t let up even as you went limp in his arms.

He leaned down to press his lips to one of your boobs, biting down on your nipple, smiling at the exhausted breath that left your mouth. Your walls squeezed Sunghoon’s dick so deliciously it was not surprising when he came not long after, pulling out swiftly, his cum splattering messily over your chest and stomach.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he mumbled, momentarily letting himself collapse on the bed next to you. Not entirely to relax, since he immediately chased the touch of your lips on his, and you couldn’t deny him. “Let me clean you up,” he said against your lips.

You expected him to go to your bathroom and bring back a wet towel, but instead, when he got off the bed, he hauled you into his arms. You yelped, once again blown away by Sunghoon’s sheer strength.

He carried you to the bathroom with ease, laying you down in the large bathtub that only a five-star hotel like the one from the Lees could have inside a penthouse.

“I’m still not used to this,” Sunghoon said, glancing around the bathroom that was larger than his bedroom. But it didn’t stop him from doing what he intended.

What you thought would be quick aftercare turned into Sunghoon starting a full bath for you, cleaning your whole body and massaging your limbs until you practically fell asleep inside the bathtub.

He only got rid of the sweat from his own body, focusing mainly on you. He wanted to show you that at the end of the day, his world was truly revolving around you.

He may have denied it in the past simply because he was scared of what it would mean for him, but some things were worth being courageous for. Caring for you was one of those things.

When the two of you were children, you cared for him, and now it was his turn to return the favour. He needed to protect you from all the bad and be with you through all the good. And he didn’t even care if, in the end, you’d choose someone else.

It was Sunghoon who convinced you to talk to Jake.

“I’m so sorry for running away,” you apologised softly, afraid of making eye contact with Jake.

“No, I’m sorry—”

“Don’t.” You shook your head, glancing at Jake, your eyes firm. “Do not apologise for being honest about your feelings,” you said, brushing your hair out with your fingers.

Jake chewed on his bottom lip as he eyed you.

“I just— I don’t know… I feel awful. And guilty. Have I been leading you on this whole time? I don’t even know what it means to love someone and you—”

“No, Y/N, you haven’t,” Jake reassured you, reaching out for your hands. He held onto you tightly, forcing you to look into his deep brown eyes. “You’ve been very clear about not wanting a relationship. It’s my fault for—”

“No.” You shook your head again, yanking your hands out of Jake’s grip only to cup his cheeks. “Don’t say it’s your fault for having feelings, Jake. I— I know I care about you, too. I care about you a lot. You make me happy, and I want to be around you almost all the time. And I don’t know if that’s love, but if that’s how you feel about me, too, then that is not a fault.”

Jake pressed his lips together, a downturned smile gracing his features — it almost resembled a pout. “You also make Sunghoon really happy, did you notice?” he asked quietly. “He smiles a lot more around you.”

“I also care about Sunghoon a lot, but—”

“You should choose him,” Jake said at once, and you gaped at him in surprise.

“Jake… don’t say that.” You closed your eyes momentarily. “I can’t just choose. Not between you. You guys are friends.”

“Then don’t choose,” Jake sighed. “Just be with us. We’ll give you anything, Y/N. Just… please, don’t leave.” His eyes were these big, brown, sad pools that were sucking you in, and the only thought left in your brain was to kiss his pouty lips.

“I won’t leave,” you said, your smile rueful. “Not again.”

“You promise?” Jake grabbed your hands again, trying to get you to pinky promise, but you shook your head.

“I don’t think I’m fit to promise anything,” you said. “But I will do my best.”

“Then that’s all I need.” Jake squeezed your hands in support before leaning in for the kiss that you were not able to stop thinking about. “I’ve wanted to do this for the past week,” he mumbled, giggling against your lips.

“It doesn’t matter if you love me back or not, Y/N. I can love you enough for the both of us,” he said, a determined look on his face.

It was in that moment when you realised that maybe, after everything, you were in love with Sim Jake. Although it didn’t feel like fireworks or the way many people described it in books or movies, the certainty that there was someone who would always be in your corner, someone who made you feel safe to be yourself and who would never judge you was just as strong.

Jake wasn’t just a friend you cared about. He was a friend who would support you no matter what, and so much more. And you wondered if this was the feeling people got when they found the person they would forever consider their soulmate.

“Jake?” you whispered softly.

“Mhm?” he hummed.

“I think I love you, too.” The bright smile that graced your lips made Jake’s heart race. “But I don’t know how we should— I feel like everything is a mess. What about Hoon? And Jay? And—”

“I won’t make you choose, Y/N. If you don’t want to let them go, then don’t. We’re fine with it, I promise. As long as you don’t leave.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. Because I don’t think I can let you go after this.” Jake ran a hand through his hair, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“Then don’t.” You smiled.

Good morning, Decelis!

Who’s ready to party? I heard that the Chois are planning to start off the Lunar New Year with a bang.

XO, Miss Decelis

When Yeonjun claimed to have a special guest performance at his party, the last thing people had expected was for Bang Chan (a Decelis alumni), Seo Changbin and Han Jisung to appear on stage as a group called 3Racha. Their songs were actually amazing, but this was kind of their debut among the Decelis Academy students as nobody knew that they were a part of the underground scene for the past two years aside from Yeonjun, apparently.

You were getting a drink for yourself when he approached you with a grin. “You seem busy tonight,” he said, pointing toward a corner where four boys stood, all waiting for you to join them once again.

“Do I?” You raised your brow at him, and he let out a light-hearted chuckle.

“I’m glad you’re having fun, darling,” Yeonjun said, ruffling your hair teasingly. “Just no funny business in my house, okay? At least not without me.”

You rolled your eyes at the last remark. “You wish.”

“I really do.” Yeonjun shot you a wink, donning a lopsided grin. He avoided the slap you aimed at his shoulder, and disappeared into the crowd with a salute. “See you around, Y/N.”

“I don’t like the way he looks at you.” You recognised Sunghoon’s voice, surprised by it at such close vicinity. He had been standing in the corner with Jay, Jake and Heeseung not so long ago, but now he was right next to you. “Was he flirting again? Should I tell him to fuck off?”

“Hoon.” You looked at the figure skater, amused by the way his whole face was contorted by jealousy. His lips formed a slight pout and his brows were furrowed as he glared into the crowd where Yeonjun left. “He’s just teasing me. It’s fine. Yeonjun’s my friend.”

“But you said he was your first kiss,” Sunghoon pointed out because he had been curious a while ago and actually asked. “And Miss Decelis—”

“That was months ago. It doesn’t matter.” You shook your head. Back then, you just wanted to lose your virginity, and it did not matter to whom that would be. You got lucky when it ended up being Jake. “Yeonjun and I are just friends.”

“I know, I trust you.” Sunghoon looked at you, an adoring glint in his brown eyes. “I just don’t trust him. To be fair, I don’t even trust myself,” he sighed.

You chuckled, letting your head fall on his shoulder. “We’ll be fine, Hoon. All of us.” Glancing toward the other boys, you saw them talking to each other, laughing about something Heeseung said. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Can you tell the guys, so they don’t have to worry about me?”

Sunghoon gave you a tight-lipped smile, showing his dimples, and nodded.

“Thank you.” Kissing his cheek, you parted ways with him again, heading upstairs to find an empty bathroom.

But you never made it to one, someone yanking you inside an empty room by the wrist. You were going to blow up at the person for the gall they have to do this, but when your eyes fell on a familiar figure you thought you’d never see again, you froze.

Your brain entirely malfunctioned at the sight of Yoo Namsoon, one of the girls who made your high school experience hell. She was not the one who pushed you into the pool last year, but she did watch, doing nothing to stop it.

“How cute,” she said mockingly, eyeing you from head to toe. Your outfit did not fit the version of you that she knew from last year. “You think now that Heeseung and Jay finally don’t hate you, you’re something more?”

You wanted to protest. To disagree because that was not it, but your mouth could not generate any words as you stared at the girl. Her arms were crossed and her glare deadly. All you could do was chew on the inside of your cheek, your fists clenched to the point you felt your nails digging into the skin of your palms.

“Ah, that’s not why, is it?” Namsoon’s lips formed a self-satisfied smirk as she eyed you. “I know exactly what you are.” She let out a taunting laugh, stepping toward you. She knew you had nowhere to go. The door was behind her, and she would not let you run.

You know nothing about me, you wanted to retort, but the sounds were still not coming out of your mouth. You looked like a fish on dry land, opening and closing your mouth in a pathetic attempt to face one of the many ghosts of your past.

“Still the poor little Y/N, I see,” Namsoon said, enjoying the look of terror on your face. “Or… should I call you Miss Decelis, now that I figured it out?” She feigned a pout. “I wonder if the guys know. They might not appreciate the fact that this whole time, it’s been you, trying to make them look bad.”

You couldn’t breathe. The whole room was spinning despite how hard you tried to focus on Namsoon and how much you wanted to scream at her. All you could do was just stand in place, helpless and weak against one of the girls that nearly ruined your life.

“What?” Namsoon tilted her head to the side, giving you a pitying look. “Can you not speak for yourself?”

“I—”

The door burst open, stopping you from saying anything.

“What the fuck is going on?”

Heeseung had yet to speak to you alone since you reconciled with Jake. These days, you are always with someone. Whether it be the other guys or Jeonghyeon, Ningning and Hanbin. It was obvious you were closest with Jake and Sunghoon, but you quite liked spending time with Jay, too. It was your relationship with Heeseung that was still strained because of the past that haunted it — which was also entirely his fault.

But he really wanted to talk to you. He was just still building up the courage to do so. Which was strange since Lee Heeseung wasn’t usually the anxious type of guy who needed to properly think of what he would like to say to not sound like an absolute asshole.

“Heeseung!” Jeonghyeon’s voice took him out of his stupor. His cousin stared at him with panicked eyes, grabbing at his arm while frantically looking around. Jeonghyeon’s face dropped when he spotted only Jake, Jay and Sunghoon with Heeseung.

“Jeonghyeon, what’s—”

“Where’s Y/N?” he asked instantly, still looking around as if you would sense his panic and suddenly appear out of thin air.

“Sunghoon said she went to the bathroom, why—”

“We need to find her. Now.” Jeonghyeon pulled at Heeseung’s arm, which now fully had the attention of the other three guys, each staring at Jeonghyeon with raised eyebrows.

“What’s going on?” Jay asked, tilting his head to the side.

Jeonghyeon gave Jay a helpless look. “I heard someone say they saw Yoo Namsoon here,” he said, knowing that Jay was the only one who would truly understand his words. “We have to find Y/N.”

Yoo Namsoon was a familiar name to Heeseung. He remembered the girl from last year. They’d hooked up at a party once, and what he mostly took out of the whole encounter was her endless questions about you. He never quite figured out why she wanted to know so much about your childhood, though.

“Fuck,” Jay cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. “I thought she was out of the country?”

“No, that’s just Min Jiseo, since she was the one—”

“Wait, are you guys talking about the girls who got expelled for bullying?” Jake’s brows furrowed as he finally caught up to the several random names that were being dropped in the conversation. Then his eyes furrowed when he remembered the main reason why he’d known the name. “Min Jiseo… she was the one who pushed Y/N into the pool,” he said, his smile dropping.

“Yoo Namsoon was one of her best friends,” said Jeonghyeon, affirming the statement with a nod. “And right now, she’s somewhere at this party, and I can’t find Y/N.”

“Fuck,” Jay repeated again. “Let’s… let’s just all look around. One of us has got to be able to find her, right?”

“I’ll go upstairs,” Heeseung said instantly, knowing the house the best since he’d been to the house more than the few times the Chois organised parties. Choi Beomgyu was his friend, after all.

“We’ll look around,” Sunghoon agreed.

Heeseung ran toward the stairs, colliding with Beomgyu. “Hey, dude. Chill. What’s up?” The shorter guy’s laid back attitude only seemed to irk Heeseung more, but he stopped to respond regardless.

“Have you seen Y/N?”

“Oh, yeah. I think I saw someone pull her in one of the empty rooms. Was a bit weird, but I didn’t wanna pry.”

Heeseung blinked at Beomgyu several times. “You didn’t wanna—” Sighing, he shook his head. “Okay, thanks.” He wanted to think Namsoon hadn’t got to you yet, but he had a bad feeling about this.

Heeseung opened the door to every room he could until he found the right one.

“What the fuck is going on?” he asked, faced with Namsoon’s back.

You stood in the middle of the room, rooted in your spot. Eyes glossy with unshed tears, Heeseung’s immediate response was to push past Namsoon and wrap his arms around you. He ignored Namsoon’s scornful gaze and the scoff she let out.

“Should I tell him, or will you, Y/N?” she asked tauntingly.

“Heeseung,” you murmured against his chest, but he shook his head, glaring at Namsoon.

“Well, isn’t this just so cute.” The girl rolled her eyes. “But she hasn’t told you that she’s the one who’s been shit-talking you for years to the whole school, has she?” Namsoon tilted her head, smirking. “Little Y/N trying to pretend to be something more as Miss Decelis.”

Heeseung licked his lips but didn’t react. He didn’t want to give Namsoon the satisfaction. It was certainly a conversation for later, but not now. “Who the fuck cares?” He feigned nonchalance. “Just get the fuck away from us, Namsoon. Nobody wants you here. You’re just a self-conscious bitch, and it shows. It’s pathetic.”

The offended gasp Namsoon let out made you chuckle against Heeseung’s chest, and he pressed you closer to him, creating a sort of shield between you and the girl who came to the party just to terrorise you.

“Whatever. I’ll just tell everyone else.”

“You won’t be telling anyone anything.” Jay appeared in the door, blocking the path for Namsoon. “Nobody’s gonna believe shit you say because if you haven’t forgotten, you got kicked out of Decelis for bullying.”

“Choose your next actions carefully. Because I have Y/N’s father on speed dial.” Sunghoon showed his phone from behind Jay, peering into the room. Jake was there, too.

That seemed to knock some sense into the girl. You still remembered your father threatening to take legal action against the families of anyone who would dare hurt you in any way. You hated that other people were fighting your battles, but your whole body felt numb the moment you saw Yoo Namsoon.

Her derisive laugh made you look at her. “Did you sleep with all of them? God, Y/N, out of all the things I’d expect from you, homie-hopping is definitely not one of them.”

“It’s hardly homie-hopping if we’re all fine with it.” Jake rolled his eyes. “Now get the fuck out while we’re being nice.”

Stepping to the side to create enough space for Namsoon, they pointed at the door. She glanced at you one last time, her spite seeping through every pore in her body, before finally leaving. “You’re all insane,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Are you okay?” Heeseung let go of you, only for his hands to cup your cheeks, examining your entire face. “She didn’t hurt you or anything, right?”

You shook your head. “She didn’t touch me,” you whispered, practically collapsing in Heeseung’s arms from the imagined lack of oxygen in your lungs. “I think she just wanted to prove she still had an effect on me.”

“Y/N.” Heeseung held you tightly.

“I’m sorry,” you said, shaking your head.

“For what?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“Then don’t be sorry,” he said. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He should’ve known you were Miss Decelis, now that he thought about it. It explained why the blog centred around you most of the time — and not necessarily in a good way. “I’m the one who should be sorry. For a lot of things.” For ignoring you. For not noticing what you were going through. For refusing to see how amazing you were and making you feel like you were less.

“Yeah. If anything, we’re the ones who should be sorry.” Jay chuckled, approaching you and Heeseung.

They didn’t have to be, though. You already forgave them.

“But we’re here for you now, Y/N.” Jake smiled, stealing a kiss from you in front of everyone. “You can always talk to us. As your friends. Or your boyfriends. Whatever you wanna label it.”

Sunghoon cleared his throat. “Technically, I’m the boyfriend,” he said matter-of-factly, raising his hand.

“Piss off.” Heeseung rolled his eyes.

You giggled, watching them pretending to fight over you. Hopefully, none of you will ever have to explain the relationship to any of your parents.

Good morning, Decelis!

It seems the rumours have reached you all. I guess one day, even this blog would have to come to an end. It is only fitting that it happens now, when the very reason I started this blog for has been resolved. If you can call it that.

I doubt most of you will miss me anyway. XO, Y/N.

tags: @moonpri @strxwbloody @starsenha @chaconadine @in-somnias-world @tmtxtf @missychief1404 @mitmit01

#enhypen #enhypen fic #enhypen ff #enhypen x reader #lee heeseung x reader #heeseung x reader #heeseung fic #sunghoon fic #park sunghoon fic #sunghoon x reader #park jongseong fic #park jongseong x reader #sim jake fic #sim jake x reader #sim jaeyun fic #haia writes

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dawn-moths · 3 months ago

Text

“Seasalt, Sun, and Someone You Love”

Dabi/Touya x Female Reader

word count: 5,000+

(You and Touya enjoy a little weekend getaway at the beach.)

tags: 18+ content! minors dni! Celebrating the 3 year anniversary of my “A Storm Pairs Well With A Cerulean Gaze” series, soft touya, reader is fed, slight finger sucking, size difference, smut at the end, showering together/shower sex, aftercare.

*ao3 mirror*

***

The water lapped, slow and gentle, along the shore, clustered constellations of shells scattered across wet sand, gulls cawing as they soared over the horizon in search of their next opportunity to feast. It was the perfect day for the beach, an azure sky painted with fluffy white clouds far off in the distance to border the sea, the ocean’s breeze kissing your warm skin as you lay beneath the afternoon sun.

Touya was perched under the umbrella, choosing to bask in its shade while lounging back in one of the chairs you two had carried over from the quaint little Airbnb you’d rented for the weekend, the bungalow sitting just one block off the shore.

You’d tried to coax him into the sun a couple of times but he’d just tugged down his shades, looking at you with all that bright sapphire blue, and said something about how the UV index this time of year wasn’t good for his tattoos. You’d actually been surprised with how serious he’d been about applying sunscreen beforehand, though with all the pale skin that hosted the inky artistry, you figured he had a couple reasons to want to stay protected.

And, truthfully, Touya had never been an avid beach-goer. To him, big bodies of water were really only good for one thing, and he’d left that singular, dark purpose back in his old life— in Dabi’s life. The one he swore he’d walk away from for good once he’d gotten a chance to escape it with you.

You’d practically had to beg him to take you down to the shore, or to tag along at all, since him and the height of summer didn’t often mix very well for several reasons. But you’d promised to make sure you guys would have an umbrella, and sunscreen, and that you didn’t have to stay for the entire day like most of the visiting tourists tended to do.

“Plus…” you’d attempted to entice him, “I just bought a new bikini and I really wanna wear it before the summer’s over…” It was baby blue, and if you knew one thing about Touya, it was that seeing you wearing his favorite color undeniably did something for him.

You’d been laying out on your beach towel for a while, napping under the sun, turning over every so often and peeking your eyes open to catch Touya staring at you in that cute new bathing suit.

Sometimes he’d try and act like he hadn’t been looking, quickly flicking his gaze to the rolling waves and taking another sip of his beer, maybe turning the page of the beat up old paperback he’d brought along with him for good measure. Other times he’d hold your gaze as it peered over your heart-shaped shades, one corner of his lips quirking up into a smirk that told you he was wishing you two weren’t out in public right now for reasons you were far too familiar with.

“Babe, c’mon,” he eventually beckoned you. “You’ve been out there for like an hour now. Why don’t you come and get something to eat? Cool off a bit?” Slowly, and only slightly reluctantly, you obeyed, pushing up from your soft resting place among the sand to saunter under the umbrella and join him in the shade.

“Here—” He reached into the little pull-along cooler you’d carted down the block and grabbed a bottle of water for you, handing over the ice cold beverage before urging you to take a seat on the towel spread out on the sand in front of his chair. You got down two big gulps of the water, refreshed by its chill and the veil of shade you now sat under, before you heard the telltale popping of the cap on a tube of sunscreen.

“Sit still,” Touya muttered as you glanced over your shoulder at him, a dollop of the lotion already in his palm. He began to rub the sunscreen into your back, massaging it into your shoulders and spreading it down your arms, slipping his long, warm fingers beneath the dainty strings of your bathing suit to make sure not a single inch of your precious flesh was missed.

“I already put some on before we left this morning,” you reminded him through a bit of a whine, about halfway done with your water now and starting to feel your stomach rumble, needing something more substantial to make up for all the energy the sun had stolen from you.

“Yeah, but that was this morning,” he grumbled, his touch making you flinch slightly as he reached your lower back, one of his hands hosting cold fingers from where it had been gripping his drink. “Trust me, babe. You’ll thank me tomorrow when you don’t wake up feeling like your skin is sandpaper from the burn.”

You sat patiently until Touya finished applying your sunscreen, having also finished the last of your water bottle by the time he was done, and then returned to the beach chair next to him as you’d originally planned.

You unzipped the lunch pack and pulled out two sandwiches, passing one to Touya, the one doused in extra-spicy hot sauce (you didn’t even have to guess which one was which despite them being almost exactly the same as his was a vibrant orange color around the edges where the hot sauce had soaked into the crust of the bread), as well as a container with the honeyed peaches you’d prepared the night before. You both kept your meals close to your chests as you ate, already feeling the eager gaze of hungry seagulls locking in on your food as they began to circle overhead.

“Ah, man…” you eventually whined after digging through the additional contents of the lunch bag again. “I think I forgot the napkins…” Now, once you ate the peaches (because you’d also somehow forgotten the forks, too) your hands would end up all sticky and slippery, collecting grains of sand that felt impossible to get rid of no matter how many times you brushed your hands together or wiped them on one of the towels.

“Guess you could go rinse ‘em off in the ocean,” Touya suggested. But then, as you continued to pout, staring down at your share of the fruit as if wishing you could will it to float into your mouth on its own accord, Touya wiped his spicy fingers off on the cleanest-looking edge of one of the towels and plucked up the container of peaches from your lap. Your mouth was already halfway to asking what he was doing before he held a glistening amber sliver between his thumb and forefinger and urged you to open your mouth for him.

As you let him feed you, lowering your head a fraction to where his hand was offering the morsel as his elbow rested on the arm of the chair, you looked up at him through your lashes, savoring the way the salt of his skin mingled with the sweetness of the peaches as you took both into your mouth, even going so far as to shyly, teasingly, suck the sugary juices from his fingers on the last bite.

You didn’t miss the way he was clenching his jaw, clearing his throat to suppress a moan as the sight of you, at the way your tongue felt curling around his long, slender digits, making them even wetter and stickier than before.

You flashed him a coy little grin before leaning over to place a peck to his cheek, knowing full well how much you’d gotten him worked up from that little stunt alone. That was ok though. He’d get you back later tonight once you two found yourselves in the comfort of your private little bungalow.

Touya narrowed his eyes at you playfully and said under his breath, in a voice low enough to be a whisper, “You are so…” but didn’t seem intent on finishing that sentence when you slid your shades back onto your nose and grabbed his hand, clasping your fingers with his, and casting him a mischievous side glance as you leaned back in your chair and pretended you were in the mood for another catnap.

Touya flipped up the armrests on the chairs that were in between you two, leaving no barrier and allowing him to sling his arm around your shoulders and tug you closer to his side, your chairs so close together they practically became a bench.

Now you really could fall asleep again, lulled by a satisfyingly full stomach and all the warmth that enveloped you, the natural scent of Touya’s skin mixed with sunscreen and seasalt and spices left over from lunch all mixing in the air around you.

Another peaceful hour passed, you resting comfortably against Touya while he read a few more chapters of his book, just listening to the rolling ocean waves and the steady beating of his heart, soothed by the slow rise and fall of his chest.

But Touya knew it was only a matter of time until you wanted another change of pace. You had yet to go into the ocean and he knew there was no way he was letting you wade in alone, inevitably dragged in after you to make sure you didn’t wander too deep and get swept away by any strong current, as well as to make sure every set of eyes that landed on you and your cute little bathing suit knew that you were taken— you were his— so they better not get any ideas about approaching and attempting to make any flirtatious smalltalk.

When you began to stir and asked him with a tinge of sleepiness to your tone, “Wanna go for a walk?” Touya was just relieved he still had a little more time before he had to face the sea.

“You wanna go for a walk?” he asked you in return, as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard you right, and once you gave him a cute little smile and a nod he marked his page, closed his book, and stood to help you to your feet where you stumbled a little as the sand shifted beneath your step.

Before you could fully lure him out into the sun, he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at your various backpacks and bags and asked, “Is our stuff gonna be ok just left unattended like that?”

You told him it would be fine, that there were plenty of other people around to look out for it, and plus, you hadn’t brought anything too valuable along anyway. Even so, Touya hesitated. He’d lived so long in the worst parts of town, used to the fact that if anything even remotely worth stealing or selling was left just laying around it would be swiped within five minutes and gone for good. Sometimes he had to remind himself (or, more often than not, you had to remind him) that he didn’t live like that anymore.

Not only did you two now live in a safe, clean part of the city, but here, now, on this vacation, it wasn’t likely very many desperate criminals were skulking around looking for trouble. Not in the height of the season with crowds so dense it sometimes became hard to maneuver through them.

“C’mon,” you beckoned him, reaching for his hand and feeling a little lighter once he took it, allowing you to begin leading him away from his post of guarding your belongings. “We don’t have to go very far. There’s just a nice breeze right now and I wanna take a closer look at the water.”

As you strolled along you tried to tune out the excited screams of playing children and instead focus on the tranquil lull of the waves, pointing out sea shells that had washed ashore that you liked and gasping when you turned around one time only to see Touya holding up the abandoned, prehistoric husk of a horseshoe crab, every stretch of sand breaking way to a new bout of nature’s treasures.

Before he even had time to realize it, Dabi had found himself wading into the ocean up to his knees, you having lured him towards the water’s edge. You’d said you didn’t want to go in too far, the fear of possibly encountering a shark or any other sea creatures too scary to even consider, but against Touya’s initial feelings on the matter, he ended up scooping you up and running out further into the deep with you. Far enough away to grant the two of you a little bit of privacy from the other sea-going strangers, at least.

“Touya, no!” you shrieked once your body was nearly fully submerged, squeezing your eyes shut as if not seeing all that shimmering blue would make your fear less intense, you and him some of the few brave enough to venture this far out. Though, seeing as you’d been the one dragged out into the swaying, salty waves after all, you could hardly consider yourself brave in this instance…

“It’s ok, baby,” Touya said, and you could hear the way he was smirking in his tone, confidence and mischief colliding. Your grip around him tightened, hands clasped behind his neck as you tried to press yourself closer to his body as if allowing any room between the two of you would result in being whisked away by a rip current. “I got’cha.”

Finally, once you’d gained enough courage to open your eyes, Touya felt you relax a little. Glancing behind you at the shore, you could still see the amalgamation of people going about their business— children chasing each other and building sand castles while their parents tried to lounge under candy-striped umbrellas, a group of high schoolers playing volleyball further back on the sand, a man pulling along a cooler on wheels and shouting about ice cream, his enthusiastic calls just barely reaching your ears this far out.

“See?” he said, nudging his nose against your cheek. “Not so scary, is it?”

You shot him a look that you meant to be unamused, but he only took as adorable, letting out a light chuckle as he pressed a gentle kiss to your warm, damp forehead, readjusting his grip under your thighs to make sure he could still hold you securely as your feet likely wouldn’t reach the bottom if he let you go.

The two of you took a moment to stare out at the open water stretching on towards the glittering horizon for a bit, the chaos of the shore fading away in your soundscape until it felt like it was just you and Touya and the entire ocean to yourselves.

You could feel the vastness, like liquid infinity. You could feel the steady drumming of Touya’s heart as your sun-kissed skin turned cool under the water against his chest. But Touya’s hands, even beneath the salty waves, remained warm, or at least warmer than your skin felt where they touched you. Those hands were your own little piece of eternal summer.

After a while, the lifeguard with the glossy blonde waves blew his whistle, calling both of your attention and forcing you back to shore as he waved you towards the beach. When the water reached your waist Touya let you walk on your own, though kept his fingers intertwined with yours all the way back to where your towels and chairs awaited your return beneath the shifting shade of the umbrella.

Touya went to check your things, make sure everything was still there, and you resisted the urge to tell him you told him so once he’d confirmed that everything was, in fact, just as you’d left it.

Sunset was only a couple hours away now and, while you would’ve stayed there with him until dark, until the moonlight turned the waves from clear aquamarine to shining silver, the fact that dinner time was quickly approaching and you two were out of the food you’d packed, you figured it was probably time to call it a day and head back to the bungalow to shower off and get cozy before prepping the night’s meal together.

Touya did most of the heavy lifting when it came to carrying your things, but you tried your best to do your part too. Luckily the Airbnb wasn’t far, and as you two laughed about the flock of seagulls you’d seen swarm a group of teenagers on your way off the beach it helped pass the time it took to walk back even faster.

“If I were the kid with the freckles,” you said through a giggle, “I would’ve thrown that sandwich as far away from me as I could. The birds can have it!”

“Yeah, well, I think he tried that,” Touya recalled, also laughing a bit, “but it hit his friend with the spiky blonde hair in the face and then they all started swarming him instead.”

“Oh, yeah!” you said, bursting out in a fit of laughter again just by reimagining it. “Oh my god, he was so mad! He started screaming so loud at his friend we could practically hear him all the way down the block!”

You were laughing so hard you nearly dropped the backpack cooler you had slung over one shoulder, its weight pitching you forward a little and almost causing you to fall, but Touya quickly threw one of his lanky arms around your waist to help right your stance, readjusting the backpack over your shoulder before you continued on.

“Anyway,” you told him, wearing one of those bright smiles that filled him with more love and warmth than any summer day, “thanks for coming here with me. I had a lot of fun!”

Touya smiled, soft and genuine, and replied, “Of course, baby. I had fun, too.”

Once you two reached the bungalow you were relieved to unload all the supplies you were carrying, letting out a sigh of exhaustion now that you both felt significantly lighter.

“I call the shower first!” you declared, but Touya caught your wrist before you could take even another step closer to the bathroom. Confused, you looked up at him and started to say, “What’s wrong?” but only got about half of the first word out before his mouth found yours and his tongue was coaxing your lips apart for him to get a better taste of you, the dam that had been holding back all his desire for you today reaching its breaking point.

Melting into his kiss, you felt Touya’s grasp on your wrist loosen, though only long enough for him to tug you in closer by your hips.

Once he broke away, leaving you breathless, the glowing sapphire in his gaze had been reduced to thin rings encircling his dilated pupils, so much wanting flowing through them like a flood. Then he murmured, low and sultry, “What? You mean you don’t want me to join you?”

You felt that familiar jolt of warmth roll over inside of you, causing your next shallow breath to catch before you swallowed hard and agreed, “Ok… Yeah… Together then…”

Touya led you by the hand into the bathroom, testing the temperature of the water until it felt just right, then stepped into the shower so he could help you in after him. He let the water run over you both, drenching you from head to toe, chasing away the sand and the salt, before pressing your back against the cold tile running up the wall, causing you to gasp and flinch as he leaned in for another kiss, this one a little rougher than the last.

His hands began their careful, meticulous charting of your body, playing with the thin strings of your bikini bottoms before tugging the bows loose and letting the soggy spandex fall to the floor, kicking it towards the back of the shower as his fingers began their slow journey down the planes of your figure, gliding over the curve of your tummy, traveling lower, and beginning to tease at your slick folds, sliding two fingers between the petals of you and pulling a breathy moan from your lungs as the rough pads of them ghosted over your sensitive, needy little bundle of nerves.

Your hips tried to rock and buck into his hand, chasing the promise of pleasure you knew those fingers could give you with only a little more pressure, but Touya pulled away just enough to tease you as he gave a sinisterly playful little taunt of, “Ah-ah-ah. Patience, baby. Promise I’ll make it worth the wait.”

“Promise?” you pressed, the word coming out as a pathetic little whine.

“Of course…” he assured you, once again continuing his slow and steady ministrations, his lips now leaving a trail of kisses down your neck and shoulder. As he slipped one long, slender finger into your fluttering little hole, he murmured in your ear, “Don’t I always?”

Your answer to that question came out as a high, clipped moan, your silky walls attempting to pull his finger in even deeper, craving something bigger and longer to fill you up. One finger became two, Touya skillfully massaging your insides and curling against that spot deep inside of you that had your stomach clenching and your legs starting to shake, making you fear you’d soon be in need of assistance when it came to supporting your own weight.

“Touya—!” you gasped, clutching his shoulders. With just his fingers alone he could torture you in the most delicious, addicting ways. It was so easy to forget these were once the hands of a criminal, the hands of an arsonist, the hands of a killer. The way you bent and arched under his touch, the beautiful sounds he pulled from your pretty little mouth, every time he touched you like this it felt like Touya was proving to himself over and over again that he’d changed. That he’d been able to leave the past behind.

Because how long had it been now since he’d tasted bitter ash and the metallic tang of someone else’s blood on his tongue, smelled death wafting through the air as his silhouette was framed against the roaring flames he’d conjured with the strike of a match and the absence of remorse?

Long enough that it almost felt like a different lifetime.

Long enough that he didn’t miss that side of himself anymore.

Because why did he need to rely on Dabi to bring him some sense of sick satisfaction when he had you, his sweet, perfect little angel who’d pulled him from so much fear and hurt and darkness?

“Please, Touya—” you continued to beg as he watched you with that half-lidded gaze. Enraptured. Entranced. In complete control. “I need—” You bit your lip as you felt his hard length pressing up against your hip through the thin material of his swim trunks, Touya rutting up against you as some threads of that control frayed and began to unravel.

“Yeah?” he baited, voice low and even as his fingers continued their overstimulation of your slick sex. “You need what?” His breathing was starting to come out in uneven puffs, exhales stuttering as he grinded his clothed cock harder against you, a dull imitation of pleasure that could never even come close to what your cunt would grant him.

He loved to do this to you. Make you say it. Loved to hear the way your voice broke with humiliation and desperation as you told him just how badly you needed his cock inside of you like those were the only words you knew, the only words that mattered to you.

And it would only be after you spoke those words that he’d give you what he already knew you so desperately wanted.

You knew the rules of the game just as well as he did. Sometimes you’d try and cheat. You’d try and find some loophole or blindspot even though Touya almost always ended up three steps ahead of you. Today though…

Today you were only interested in doing whatever it took for you to win.

“I need your cock, Touya— I need—” But he was already acting before you’d even finished telling him exactly what he wanted to hear, grabbing the back of your thigh, hitching your leg up over his hip, you trying your best to hook your knee around him to gain any sense of purchase, but you needn’t have worried. Just like carrying your things back from the beach, Touya would lend you the extra strength that you lacked if you started to struggle.

Pulling down his swim trunks and tossing them towards the back of the shower to join your bathing suit bottoms, Touya slid his velvety cock between your silky folds, biting his bottom lip as he groaned out a clipped, “Oh, god, baby— Feels so good—” your sweet moans harmonizing with the rough edges of his voice.

You could already feel your legs shaking, your grip on him slipping a little as the warm water continued to wash over your bodies. Hitching your leg up a little higher, Touya lined himself up with your tight little entrance, nudging the tip in and feeling himself flood with that familiar euphoria that only you could give him. Your little nails were digging into his back, fighting the urge to writhe as he slid further in, inch by inch, his free hand lending support against your lower back as he helped keep you upright, able to move and position you in any which way he pleased.

Once he was fully inside he took a moment to let you adjust to the sweet sting of the stretch, his lips pressing tender kisses to your neck and the underside of your jaw, his body caging yours, radiating heat, a stark contrast against the cool tiles your back was pressed against. Right before he prepared to start moving, he reached the hand at your back upwards and tugged at the strings of your top, leaving you both vulnerable and bare to each other, all the different pieces tangled together in a pile of blue now.

His hips began to roll, slow and controlled, his grip on your thigh and back becoming harsher the quicker his pace grew, likely leaving bruises there in the shape of his fingertips, periwinkles and lilacs and navies, so many shades of blue, as if trying to brand the color into the very fiber of your being.

“Touya—” you gasped, feeling yourself getting close, fearing you’d soon lose the rest of your dwindling ability to stand. “‘M gonna—!”

But then you were coming undone, holding onto him for dear life, the anchor that made sure you wouldn’t drift too far out to sea, Touya’s hold on you a sure, steady thing as he gave the next few thrusts he needed to meet you at your peak, biting back his own whines and moans until he just couldn’t contain them any longer, throwing his head back as he filled you with more of his sticky, molten warmth.

Slowly, carefully, after he pulled out of you, he helped lower you down to the shower floor along with him, keeping you as close as he could, letting you lean back to rest against his chest as you both caught your breath, his fingers tracing light, abstract patterns on your hip as you felt the rhythm of his heart against your back, your head resting in the crook of his neck, feeling like you could close your eyes and just float away.

But once Touya was able to regain some of his senses he knew he still had to make sure you both got clean, so he helped you back to your feet once you felt like you could stand and washed your hair for you. He lightly scrubbed all the salt and sand from your body, his hands never more gentle than when his intention was to care for you, his most precious girl in the entire world. Your little hands helped work shampoo into his own inky locks as he bowed his head to you, the usually gravity defying spikes now sticking flat against his forehead and the back of his neck, a silent reminder that only you got to see him like this.

Once the two of you were clean and wrapped up in fluffy towels, Touya insisting on drying you off once you stepped out of the steamy room, helping you change into your comfy clothes, which consisted of your favorite cotton sleep shorts and one of his big t-shirts that was branded with a metal band he liked, the soft fabric smelling of him, the two of you headed back out into the kitchen to begin prepping dinner.

You’d been teaching Touya more recipes lately and it was fun to cook together. It was becoming a part of your normal daily routines. While you waited, you sat out on the back deck together, the mouth watering aromas drifting out through the crack you’d left open in the sliding glass doors, and you watched as the sun set on yet another day you’d been lucky enough to spend together.

“Oh, I almost forgot…” Touya suddenly said, reaching into the pocket of his pullover hoodie and holding something in the palm of his closed fist. You leaned closer to him, curious, and he opened his hand to show you what he had. “When I saw this on the beach earlier it made me think of you, so I grabbed it.”

Touya placed a piece of sea-glass, turquoise and vaguely heart-shaped, into your little palm, your fingers loosely closing around its water-smoothed edges.

“Thank you, Touya,” you cooed, leaning over to press another gentle peck to his cheek. “I love it.” But no matter how many little treasures or trinkets Touya could collect, the fact that you got to share moments like this was the thing you cherished most of all.

***

(Hello and thank you so much for reading! The three year anniversary of the original series in which this fic is set is today and just last week was three years since I began writing and sharing my fanfics, so I want to take this time to give everyone who’s read and supported my work a huge thank you!! Your nice comments really mean a lot to me and if you regularly like things on tumblr or leave comments on ao3 know I notice you in my notifications and it makes me very happy when I see your usernames <3

Anyway, this was just a short lil something but I have a couple more little date fic ideas for this AU that will be coming in the future. I’m actually going to be getting really busy this year with a lot of new life changes, so while the frequency at which I post fics might be a little bit less for a while, please be patient with me while I catch my bearings lol.

I love writing in the fanfic community. I love reading in the fanfic community. I love all the fic writers and fic readers and being a part of all of this has brought me joys that I can’t even begin to accurately articulate. So, again, I just wanted to give another big thank you for all the support over these last three years. Here’s to many more! <3)

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91dawsonmercer · 8 months ago

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𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆:𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐗 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄

"I can't this week, Y/N. I'm sorry. I forgot and made plans with Ryan and Austin."

"You forgot? Bullshit, Erik. You 'forgot' the last three fucking weekends. All the poor girl wants is to spend time with her dad and all you care about is going out and getting wasted."

"I'll make it up to her. I got to go."

He ends the call and I sigh locking my phone. Three weekends. Three weekends in a row 'plans' have somehow came up and he can't get his daughter like he's supposed to. But he doesn't care, he's not the one that has to try and come up with an explanation for his three year old daughter to not know that daddy would rather go and get boozed up then to spend time with her.

I cleaned the house and applied for a few other jobs while waiting for Odessa to wake up. "Mommy!" Odessa yells, running into the kitchen. "Hi Dess. How did you sleep?" I ask as she climbs up onto my lap. "Good. When is daddy coming?" "He isn't, baby. He has work stuff to do." "Again?" I nod and she cuddles into me. "We'll have fun here, I promise."

Odessa 'helped' me make breakfast and we ate before she went to go play in the toy room. I cleaned up the mess from cooking and could hear her laughing but didn't think anything of it until I heard Jack talking.

I made my way back to the toy room and she was sitting in small ball pit with her ipad.

"Hi mommy!"

"Hi. Who called who, hm?"

"I called her. I hope you don't mind."

"No, Rowdy. I don't. I just wanted to make sure she didn't spam call you again."

Odessa looks down at her ipad and smiles.

"Daddy has work stuff again, but mommy said we'll have fun still."

"Seriously?" I could hear Luke in the background and the sound of Jack most likely punching him.

"Is momma still there?"

She nodded and I walked over and sat down beside her.

"Call me when she goes down for her nap. I want to talk to you about something."

"What?" Odessa asks, causing Jack to make a face at her.

"Doesn't concern you, nosy."

"I will. I-"

My phone started ringing and I stopped myself when I realized it was one of the jobs I applied for. "I have to take this. I'll be back."

I got up and walked out of the room, answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Y/N?"

"Yes, speaking."

"This is Sarah. I'm calling about the remote job you applied for. Are you available to talk?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"We're impressed with your resume and would like to offer you the position. It's a remote role, but there's a catch. We're transitioning to a hybrid model, and eventually, we'd like you to be based in our Newark office. Is that something you'd be open to?"

I paused, processing the information. Moving was not something I had considered, but the opportunity was too good to pass up and we would be close to Jack and Luke. "I… I think so," I stammered. "Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Of course, take your time. We'll send over details via email. Let us know your decision by the end of the week."

"Thank you so much. I'll get back to you soon."

After the call I walked back to the toy room and Odessa was laughing about something Jack or Luke did.

"What are the weirdos doing, Dess?"

"Dookie fell."

"How many times do I have to tell you that it is either Lukey, Pookie, or Lukey Pookie, and that Dookie isn't an option."

Jack and I laughed and she just made a face at Luke in response.

"What was that about, Y/N/N?"

"What the call?"

"Yeah."

"A call back from one of the remote jobs I applied for that is apparently going hybrid."

"Is it close to you?"

"It's actually in Newark."

"What!? Y/N, you have to go for it."

"I know, Luke. I probably am. I just have to talk to Erik about it."

"Erik can go fu-"

"Yeah, understandable." Jack says, cutting Luke off. "Well, we have to go get ready for practice. We'll talk to you guys later. Love you guys."

"Love you too."

"Bye, Rowdy!"

"What? What about me?"

"Hm.."

"I'll remember that next time we are babysitting and you want something but Jack forgot his wallet."

"Don't worry, Dee. I never leave the house without it. Keep the Dookie hatred alive."

Luke groaned and punched Jack as he ended the call.

The rest of the day was spent playing and chasing after Odessa. She's asleep for the night and Jack and I are facetiming.

"Alright. I'll let you go to bed."

"Wait. What did you want to tell me earlier?"

"Right. I think you should take Erik back to court and go for full custody."

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"I don't want her to grow up without a dad."

"He isn't even driving ten minutes and picking Dee up on his days, Y/N. If Erik isn't making an effort now, what makes you think he'll do so when you move?"

"I know, I know. I just… I don't want to be the reason Dee grows up without her dad. I don't want her to resent me for keeping them apart."

"I understand that," Jack said softly. "But you also can't keep waiting for Erik to change. Odessa is just going to keep getting let down. Maybe going back to court will be the wake-up call he needs to step up."

I stayed quiet thinking about what Jack had just said, and deep down I know he's right.

"Think about it, okay? Talk to Erik, and if nothing changes, maybe it's time to consider your options."

"Okay. Thanks, Jack. I appreciate your advice, as always."

"Anytime. I'm here for you, no matter what. Goodnight."

"Night."

Days pass and Odessa is at daycare since Erik finally agreed to meet up with me so I could talk to him about going back to court.

"So what exactly is so important that you couldn't just tell me over the phone?" He asks, sitting down in front of me.

"Hello to you to. I want to go back to court."

"There's no point. I'll make this whole thing easy on you and sign away my rights right now."

"Are you serious?"

He nods. "I don't want to be a father, Y/N. Not like this. I thought I could handle it, but I can't."

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away. This is what I wanted, isn't it? To have full custody of Odessa, to not have to rely on Erik for anything. So why does it feel like I've lost something important?

"Fine," I say, my voice steadier now. "I'll have my lawyer draw up the papers."

Erik stands up, his eyes avoiding mine. "I'll sign them whenever you're ready."

As he walks away, I'm left sitting there, feeling a mix of emotions. Relief, sadness, anger… But mostly, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

#dawson mercer #dawson mercer x hughes!reader #dawson mercer x reader #new jersey devils #nhl au #Daws🤍🧸#⋆⋅☆⋅⋆𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐔⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

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hockeyandhrsepwr · 2 years ago

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Always You

Quinn Hughes x reader

** I had a bunch of ideas for this but didnt want it to be too long. Enjoy:) **

-> gif from Pinterest

You and Quinn had been close friends since childhood, with his family moving a street over from yours in Toronto. Being in the grade between Jack & Quinn, you ended up around them lots, walking to school together & playing outside whenever the boys weren’t playing hockey.

Hell, Jack was your first kiss during a party when you were 13, egged up by your mutual friends and a game of truth or dare. But it was always Quinn.

From as early as you can remember, you’d crushed on the older boy. There was something about him that had always drawn you to him. Brushing it off as nothing more than a childhood crush, you didn’t do anything, until it was too late. One day you’re chilling in their basement, trying to figure out how to tell one of your best friends that you really like him, next thing you know, Quinn’s telling you he’s going to Michigan for the National Development program for the next two years.

It was tough seeing him go, and you cried hard when you said goodbye, but keeping in touch wasn’t a problem. You still had Jack and Luke who were basically your brothers by that point, & Quinn came back to Toronto when he had breaks, the few that there were. After your 16th birthday rolled around the March after he left, and you got your licence, you took your shitty, beat up old car (and Jack) and made the trip down to surprise Quinn one weekend.

Two years flew by, & despite his hectic schedule and all his new friends and experiences, your friendship stayed strong and you talked almost every day. You even went to his prom with him, where some prodding from Brady led him to tell you that he was in love with you. A long conversation later, he finally kissed you and asked if you would be his girlfriend.

The two of you knew it would be hard, with him heading to Michigan in the fall and then on to the NHL while you still had another year of high school and then University. But you were determined to make it work. and honestly, nothing much changed. You already talked everyday & hung out when he was back in Toronto, dating just meant that the two of you snuck off more to spend time without Jack or Luke, and you made a trip out to the lake house that summer.

That summer brought another bittersweet goodbye, as the Hughes family made the move down to Michigan when Jack started in the program. On one hand, you were losing your second family, on the other now you would always have someone to stay with if you wanted to visit Quinn. And visit you did.

Your grade 12 year was hard academically, but you worked your butt off to be able to have one weekend a month where you would hop in your car & jam out for a few hours while making the drive down to see Quinn. Your family had moved closer to London because of your Dads new job, so your drive was only 3 hours instead of the 5ish from Toronto. Your parents didnt love you driving cross border, but they were glad that Ellen & Jim were around when you were there.

The visits were timed for home game weekends and you finished classes at noon, so you’d drive down Friday afternoon & be there when jack & the boys got out of school so you could hang out with them for a bit, drive in to Ann Arbour to watch the game & then spend the rest of your evening with Quinn in his dorm. Friday nights weren’t too crazy because the boys had another game Saturday.

Saturdays were spent catching up with the rest of the Hughes and exploring with Quinn before another game and parties afterwards. Sundays brought goodbyes and promises of see you soon before you’d head home in the afternoon. It was difficult but you wouldn’t change it for anything.

At the same time, you were applying to universities & waiting anxiously to hear back. You applied all over the country, but your heart was set on one. UBC had been your dream school for as long as you could remember. It was where your parents studied, where they fell in love, and had some of the best programs in the world. You had worked your ass off for the last three years to be able to apply early decision to their Commerce program, and if you get in, there’s was no question of where you were going.

Quinn was declaring for the draft that year, which brought more concern from friends and family. “What will you do if he ends up…” was a phrase you heard often over the course of the year, but your response was always “we’ll figure it out” because you knew you would.

The weekend you visited in January (2018) you finally had that conversation with Quinn. After his game Friday, you were in his room when you got the notification. UBC release early application decision. Terrified, you couldn’t bring yourself to check. As much as you wanted it you were afraid of what moving clear across the country would do for you & Quinn. You told him your fears, that the distance, time difference & uncertainty of where he’d be after he joined the league, coupled with you being there for four years would be too hard for the two of you.

“I’d wait my whole life for you if I had to” he told you and you believed him without a shadow of a doubt because you’d do the same. His reassurances made you feel better, and you opened the portal. Accepted. All those years of working had paid off, and you cried. You & Quinn would figure things out, but you were headed to your dream school and he was headed for his dream.

Within a week you had solidified your decision and were bound for Vancouver come September.

That June, you accompany him to Dallas for the draft. As things get underway you sit there, squeezing his hand. The first few picks happen and you can’t help but be relieved that he’s not headed clear across the country. He’s projected to go top ten so when Vancouver come to pick seventh, you hold your breath. Surely you wouldn’t be that lucky.

Quinn Hughes.

You don’t think you’ll ever forget the feeling that hearing his name called by the Canucks brought. He wraps you in a hug & whispers in your ear “told you it’d all work out” before hugging his brother & parents & heading down to the stage. You’re so proud of him, but more than that you’re excited for what the future holds, especially with the two of you in the same city. There’s always the possibility of him being traded before he ever get to Vancouver, but you’re hopeful.

Two weeks later you’re officially a high school graduate & it’s time for summer. You split your time between your home in London & visiting the Hughes lake house, spending as much time with all your friends and family as you can before heading off to Vancouver. Quinn heads back to Michigan for his sophomore year & you head west.

That year was hard, really hard. Being away from your family for the first time, you and Quinn struggling to find time to talk to each other and the time difference meaning accidental calls in the middle of the night, all balanced with your classes and trying to get involved on campus, late nights in the library, pressure from your new friends to go out with them, missing everyone and an overwhelming amount of assignments leads you to a breakdown first semester.

It hurts Quinn that he can’t be there to hold you as you sob on the phone, but the five hour flight between Detroit & Vancouver is just too much. He knows that your relationship is putting extra strain on you, but he can’t even fathom breaking up or taking a break because that would break him. Slowly you’re able to sort your head out, and as your first semester draws to a close you’re doing much better and have a handle on things.

Excited to see your family and Quinn, you jump on the first flight you can after finishing your finals, bound for Toronto. You were heading home to London and Quinn planned on coming up for a bit since he saw his family pretty often, but then he was chosen for the World Juniors squad. Thankfully it was in Buffalo, so you celebrate christmas, and on the 26th make the drive down. Youre able to spend a week there, cheering Quinn on & hanging out with Ellen & Luke.

It’s during this week that Quinn tells you that he’s signing with the Canucks at the end of the Michigan season.

You needed the break & went into your second semester feeling strong and more confident in your ability to manage everything. Winter in Vancouver is fairly mild and soon enough, Reading Week arrives in February. Many of your friends are heading south for a bit of sun, but you head to Detroit. Michigan have back to back home weekends and Jack’ll be around too.

During the week you spend time with Quinn, working on assignments while he’s in class & just enjoying time together, also visiting the Hughes household and hanging out with Jack & his friends there. Sunday you fly back to Vancouver, ready to finish out your semester.

A few weeks later you get the call. It’s official, Quinn’s coming to Vancouver. You borrow a friends car & are waiting for him at the airport. You’d think it’d been months if you’d seen your reunion in the arrivals area of the airport, not mere weeks.

Quinns thrown right into the Canucks and the adjustment to the pros is hard, but knowing you’re only 20 minutes away makes it easier for him. You spend as much time together as you can, with you acting as tour guide & showing him around your favourite spots in the city.

Your friends don’t understand how you don’t miss him too much when the team goes on road trips, but two years into your relationship & you’re finally in the same city for an extended period of time & can see him mostly whenever you want so a week or two apart doesn’t phase you.

You get close to the team, always Quinns date to functions & occasionally spotted around the arena. Petey becomes a good friends of yours since he’s rooming with Quinn & you spend enough time in their apartment.

Many of the fans & people online come to know you as “Quinn’s girl”. Any home game you’re right behind the bench, cheering your heart out for the Canucks and chirping the opposing team (especially if its Ottawa. Brady & Josh hate playing in Vancouver because of you.) Once Jack gets to the NHL ooh boy. That man knows no peace when the Devils play Vancouver. It’s one of the only away games you ever go to (if they play in Jersey) mainly because you get to see the rest of the fam.

I mean you grew up in Toronto & around these boys. You couldn’t not take an interest in hockey. At that point you know someone on every team through Quinn & spend your time terrorizing them when they’re at Rogers. The fans absolutely love it though. Hell, half of your friends are hockey fans now, forced to watch games when the Canucks are away or Jack and Luke play.

The two of you spend summers back east, between working, visiting family & days at the lake. You’re able to get internships that are remote so you could still work on your career plans but enjoy your summers , and by the end of your third summer you have a job offer from a firm in Vancouver. Fourth year brings lots of fun & final memories with your college friends before you all split off to different parts of the country.

The end of Quinns third year in the league comes at the same time as your graduation. His family & yours come out and Quinn drags a bunch of the team with him too. When your name gets called out, that section is by far the loudest of the day.

Your friends are convinced that he’s going to propose that weekend. In fact, many of them are surprised that you aren’t already engaged, you’ve been together for 5 years at this point, but both of you are still young. You have had the conversation, but you know that you’re going to be together forever so the timeline isn’t that important.

What he does ask you that weekend, is to move in with him. You’ve spent the last 3 years living with your friends close to campus while Quinn’s been living downtown near the arena. It’s an obvious yes, especially since you spend almost every night there when he’s home anyway. You spend the week with your families and move into a new apartment, excited for what’s coming next.

Living together isn’t seamless, but you & Quinn make it work. The beginning is difficult, not having your own space but soon you fit into each others lives easily. You work during the week & go to games if they’re at home, you spend time exploring new areas around the city & nearby & you fall more in love with Quinn every day.

He brings you coffee in bed each morning because he’s up for workouts, date nights at home cooking dinner and lots of fun over the summers with family & friends. Winter trips to the mountains when you can and fall in the city, you usually separate in the heart of summer since you can’t take that long off & he’ll head to Michigan but it doesn’t phase you.

Which brings you to today. It’s late April & its been two years since you moved in together. Quinns killing it for the Canucks, breaking records & their season has just ended, you’ve just been promoted and life is going well.

The city is coming more alive as winter’s on its way out, you're getting ready to take a few weeks break & head east to see both of your families. Luke has made his NHL debut & the Devils have made the playoffs so you’re going to cheer your boys on.

You’re making dinner when you hear the front door open & Quinn comes through the door after final team meetings for this season.

“Hey babe” he comes up behind you and gives you a kiss before heading into your bedroom to shower & change. You pour another glass of wine as you stir the pot, your go to playlist on with a mix of soft pop, indie and chill country coming through the speaker. Ten minutes later Quinn comes back out & you hold up a spoon for him to taste the sauce.

“Few more minutes” you say as he tastes it & he nods. “Delicious”

The two of you stand there at the stove, his arms around your waist as he sings along with the music softly & you sway. A few minutes later, the song Never seen anything quite like you starts & Quinn reaches over & turns off the stove.

He pulls you towards your living room and you laugh as he pulls you into a high school style dance where you just sway & shuffle in a circle.

The song plays in the the background as you stare up into Quinns eyes and he sings along, more grateful than ever that you found him. The love you have for this man knows no bounds and he’s still giving you butterflies & making you feel giddy with just a look after seven years.

He sings along with the song and you feel every word in your soul.

I think I want you more than want

I know I need you more than need

I want to hold you more than hold

When you stood in front of me

I think you know me more than know

And you see me more than see

I could die now more than die

Every time you look at me

Well I've seen you in jeans with no make-up on

And I've stood there in awe as your date for the prom

But then he switches it up

“I’d be blessed as a man to see you in white”

Wait what?

he pulls away and sinks to one knee in front of you, and your hand comes up to your mouth. Reaching into his pocket, he takes out a gorgeous simple ring

“When I first came to Vancouver, everyone kept asking what my first big purchase was going to be. The day I signed my contract I bought this. I’ve known since I was 16 that I was in love with you. That love has only continued to grow & I want nothing more than to spend every day for the rest of my life loving you. You’re my light in the dark, the one I look for in a crowd, the only person I always want around. It’s always been you.

It’s a privilege to call you mine, but it would be an honour to call you my wife. So y/n my love, will you marry me?”

You hiccup out a yes, tears streaming down your face & you sink to your knees beside him

“I love you so much” you pull him into a kiss. He slips the ring onto your finger & pulls you to him, pressing kiss after kiss to your face. You giggle & say

“A thousand times yes, in every universe”

Xxx

Note: if you were wondering the actual lyrics are

"I'm blessed as a man to have seen you in white But I've never seen anything quite like you tonight"

#quinn hughes #quinn hughes x reader #jjwritesshit #vancouver canucks #hockey imagine #nhl fic #hockey blurb #quinn hughes imagine #quinn hughes fic #x reader #song fic ish #the script #never seen anything quite like you

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belaofarc · 9 months ago

Text

Couch endeavors ౨ৎ

ೀ Stepdad! John wick x reader pt 2

Summary: after last week's encounter all you can think about was how it all started between you and your step dad John. (5k words)

TW: Stepcest. Strong language. NSFW. Large age gap.

Note: hii lovies <3 I know it’s been a long time, but who knew applying to college would be harder and more tiring than ACTUALLY being in the college smh.

It’s been months since you and your now step dad have started the problematic relationship between the two of you. At first you hated him… but now… all you can think about is that fateful day

when it all first started…

….

you had just got out of school.

you and your best friend Cassie, were walking out of the school building waiting outside to be picked up by y’all’s respected parents.

The wind is blowing , making you shiver a bit.

“I’m so damn happy today is Friday, what are you doing tonight?” Cassie asked while staring at the other kids walking off into each car.

“I don’t know honestly, probably playing sims 4 all weekend… the usual”

you say as you sigh.

“I know it’s like we are finally in high school and there are no parties to ever go to when you need them.”

Cassie complained whilst checking her phone.

You scan the place before speaking.

“I know right, like you see in every teenage movie they have some sort of glow up and go to a party and somehow end up almost sleeping with their crush until the nerdy boy they hated then befriended is there somehow, and they decide to run off with him.”

you ramble on about whilst still standing there waiting to be picked up.

“No cause it’s the fact you know the plot of every 80s movie by heart”

Cassie says as you chuckle.

“I guess it’s another win for the virgins this week”

Cassie says sarcastically,

You start to tap your foot while analyzing the kids going in and out the building, as you feel a bit antsy at the thought of finally going home.

you see a black car pull up and instantly realize it’s your stupid step dad. Only one person has that type of nice car you just can’t not remember.

Ever since your mom started prioritizing your step dad over you, you've disliked the man ever since.

John wick… what a name… rolls right off the tongue if you think about it hard enough…

you let out a big sigh and roll your eyes.

He finally pulls up,

“Bye pookie”

Cassie says as you lean in to hug her goodbye.

You start walking over to the car,

“Text me!!” you called out one last time while getting into the passenger seat,

your step dad pulls off, as you're still situating yourself in the seat.

You throw your book bag in between your legs.

“Hey John…” you said awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

“Hey kiddo, how was school?”

He asked while patting your thigh.

you freeze a bit, your thoughts racing as you realize what he just did.

His huge muscular hands compared to your thigh.

you instantly start to blush and turn your head towards the window so he can’t see your whole face lighting up in embarrassment.

you didn't want to admit it but you kinda liked the attention….

“ NO! You can’t…

You can’t… you hate him… but do I reall- yes you must ! It’s because of him your mother never has time for you anymore”

you thought to yourself, trying to reason with yourself whether you should like John or not.

“Wouldn’t you like to know…”

you replied with a scoff, and continuously stare out the window trying not to pay any attention to the man.

He sighs, opening his mouth preparing to speak…

It takes a few minutes for him to reply, you could see the sadness in his expression.

“I… look… I know you're not happy your mother and I are getting married but I promise I’m not trying to destroy your relationship with your mother… We both care about you deeply.

I just wish you’d open up more,

Now that I’m your step dad I just want what’s best for this family.”

He lectured, while continually driving.

Where? God knows.

you rolled your eyes, and scoff turning your head to look at him.

“Since you wanna know so bad, it was pretty okay. Kinda boring but other than that, I got a 98 on the math test we took today.”

you replied without giving any thought to what he had just said.

“Good job, kiddo” he gave you a small grin, and patted your upper thigh.

you couldn’t help but feel some sort of energy … not the normal kind.

But you decided to just shrug it off cause it’s out of your reach, you’ll let this pass.

“ how about we go get something to eat to celebrate, a little father and daughter bonding time. it’s on me.”

you nod your head as a response and pop in an earbud.

You connect your earbuds to your phone and turn on

“Swallowed my key” by slater.

32 minutes later y'all end up at The Cheesecake Factory.

You sit there in the parked car registering how and why your step dad whom you hardly know just took you to your favorite restaurant,

You both step out of the car and start walking towards the door.

He ends up at the door first and opens it for your.

“Ladies first!” he chuckles.

“You’re such a geek.” you scoffed and walked inside.

you walk over to the desk waiting to be seated,

John followed close by.

It turns out John was taking y'all there anyways and had already called ahead for a reservation.

He tells the desk man his last name, the waiter picks up two menus and tells y’all to follow him.

y’all finally arrive at the table.

Yall both sit down and the waiter pulls out his notepad, placing 2 straws down on the table.

“What would you two like to drink?”

Asked the man with a big grin.

“I’ll have a water with extra lemon”

Replied John with a sour face.

“I’ll have a sprite”

You answer while playing with the straw on the table.

“Perfect, I'll have those out as soon as they're done!”

The waiter turns to look at you and winks.

He finally walks away.

you could tell John saw what the waiter had done and now he’s all pissy.

“Sooo… what cheesecake do you want when we’re done ?”

John asks awkwardly… trying to break the ice.

“Oreo…”

you say plainly scrunch your lips up, and look around at your surroundings.

“Great choice!”

He replies with a reminiscing grin of assurance.

you could tell he wants to get closer to you but you just can’t… you hated how he came in between you and your mom.

You’re spaced out in Thought until John broke the silence by clearing his throat and stroking his beard in thought as well.

you were a bit startled but you couldn't help but stare at him… the longer you observed him the more reason you understood why your mom wanted to bag the man, I mean Christ…. His phyzic, his raven black hair… his dangerous ey-… you shake your head at the thought of you starting to like your step father…

“I mean yeah he was handsome, but… maybe… just maybe I was misjudging him… “

He finally realizes you are staring at him, he flashes you a bright smile.

you decided to flash him one back.

“You know… your a very pretty girl”

He compliments you while chuckling and looking away from your eyes in embarrassment.

You could tell his cheek were red and flushed,

“Thank you…”

you honestly started to blush until you realized he’s literally your moms fiancé, and your step dad.

No matter how much you couldn't stand either of them you would never…

Maybe… just maybe…

Y’all sit in silence until the waiter arrives,

And place the bread and drinks in the middle of the table.

“Are y’all ready to order?”

The waiter announces while holding onto his notepad and pen waiting to jot down the orders.

“Uhhh yes”

John mutters then tells the man his order.

you could tell John was staring into the poor man’s soul with Ill intent.

you couldn’t lie, it kinda made you blush at how possessive he was over you.

You kinda liked this side of him.

you thought to yourself until you realized the waiter had handed a piece of paper to you.

John quickly snatched it out of your hand and crumbled it, placing it in his pocket.

He places his knuckles in front of his mouth and clears his throat.

“You won’t be needing that...”

you wince at John with confusion and anger.

He’s already taken plus he’s not even my real father… Why does he get to play god with my love life?

Just as you started to open up he pulls this.

you got annoyed and hesitatingly tell the waiter your order, as he’s jotting it down,

He then walks off with a confused and frozen face.

“Why did you do that… he could’ve been a nice guy.” you complain to John while pouting.

“You don’t need distractions from father and daughter bonding time.”

John replied with a smile and pats your hand which was was reaching for

a piece of bread.

“If you saw so..”

You roll your eyes at his reply.

He got sick and tired of the silence between you too so he decided to ask you random questions about yourself to break the ice.

“What’s your favorite artist…”

you looked him dead in the eyes and you realized he’s serious about this.

you sigh and comply with the chitter chat.

“Lana del Rey, maruex, the smiths… the usual.”

you reply, trying not to sound too boring.

“Ahhh yes the smiths that brings me back, I actually met Johnny murr”

He replied while reminiscing.

“No way!! That’s so cool…. I hope that didn’t sound sarcastic”

you giggle

“But genuinely that’s cool as fuck.”

He chuckles and tilts his head.

“He was a pretty cool guy not gonna lie.”

He replied

“What’s YOUR favorite artist?”

You asked whilst staring into his beautiful dark brown eyes.

you wanted to know about him… you hated to admit it but the fact he’s actually taking time to know you actually makes you a bit sympathetic again.

He was so perfect, so mysterious you couldn’t even be mad at him for too long.

Also not to mention I’d be awkward to make a fool of yourself…

“Why do I care about this all the sudden…”

you thinks to yourself, a bit conflicted at how you feel about the man.

“Well… it’s a pretty hard question but probably… the talking heads…”

“Amazing pick choice !! I love their one song,

psycho killer, but once in a lifetime is also really good!”

you enthusiastically replied, you could never pass up a good conversation about music you enjoy.

“You have amazing taste sweetheart.”

He grinned.

you instantly started to blush, you can’t believe he called you that, I mean he’s your step dad of course it has no romantic meaning behind it… but you kinda wish it did.

“Favorite show?”

He asked, tilting his head and clearing his throat yet again.

“Ermmm probably what we do in the shows… it’s my favorite!! I always loved the thought of vampires”

you replied while smiling at the thought of him being so interested in your interests … you hated it but he had this.. energy when you’ve been around him long enough,

Almost like you're hypnotized.

The waiter finally came back with the food.

About time…

After eating your meals and taking your desserts to go y'all finally walk out of the restaurant,

As you're going down the steps he reaches to grab your hand.

You decide to comply not to make it an awkwardly uncomfortable experience.

He digs in his pocket to grab the car keys to unlock the car,

he walks you over to your side of the car and opens the door for you.

you couldn’t help but smile at the gesture…

It’s the small things that count.

you hop in and wait for him to get in.

“Thank you John…”

You smile while buckling in your seat belt.

“Your welcome princess.”

The way he says it comes naturally off his tongue.

“Can I play some music?”

You tilt your head as you ask.

“Yeah sure go ahead, princess.”

He replied handing you the aux cord,

You instantly pull out your phone and connect it, it takes you a while but you then decide to play,

“Burning desire” by Lana del rey.

About 30 mins later y'all arrive home, you get unbuckled and grab your stuff to exit out of the vehicle, when he grabs your hand and pulls you to stay in the car a bit longer.

y'all sit in the car for a bit in silence for what feels like forever, you could tell John wanted to say something but was nervous to say it.

Hell It made you even more nervous.

He sighs and turns his head, taking initiative and leans in to kiss you,

After a bit You realize what’s going on, the cute pet names, the way he was so protective, it finally all made sense.

You snap out of it and realize this is real… you're actually kissing your hot step dad, you decide to deepen the kiss.

John puts his hand to cup your cheek.

He finally breaks the kiss and looks at you, staring at him always gives you butterflies now you're only inches apart.

you're dazed… did you really just kiss your step father… outside of the house… what if your mom saw!?

“I’m sorry… I just had to let that out.”

John confessed while looking straight ahead trying to not look at you, he felt a little bad for the sudden kiss but he just wanted to let you know how he genuinely felt.

The passion he felt for you all thought he knew it was wrong.

“… honestly I liked it…”

you confessed sheepishly, still shocked at the encounter.

You grab his hand before he could move once more, you decide to quickly reach over to his side to kiss him one last time on the cheek.

“John… we should really get inside before mom gets suspicious.”

He lifts his hand up to his cheek to where you kissed him.

In a bit of a daze he smiles at you.

He looks around for a bit, still a little nervous on what his next move was.

John grabs both of your food and opens his door to hop out.

You collect your items and open your door making your way to the house door, you stand there waiting for him to follow.

John grabs the keys from his back pocket to open the door, the jiggling keys making you wish you had him all to yourself.

No stupid mom to take him from you.

He finally gets the door open,

your mom comes from the kitchen and greets y’all, she walks over to John.

“I hope you had a good time baby!”

She exclaimed to you whilst grabbing onto John.

You look back and realized they are kissing and laughing,

you couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

“What if that was me…”

you couldn’t get the thought out of your head.

you head up the stairs into your bedroom.

you trip over a cord and turn on the light.

Plopping onto the bed and pulling out your phone and started messaging your friends about the encounter.

They all agreed it was extremely strange but whatever he’s hot …

you get up off the bed and decide to shower, after today's endeavors, you need to cleanse yourself.

You pull out your boom box and connect your phone to it,

You turned on

“Les” by childish gambino.

Turning up the volume to half way to not get yelled at by your parents.

You go over to the sink to brush your teeth,

Now going over to the shower.

you start to undress and hop in,

And start doing your routine.

finally done, you decided to turn on some Jonathan Bree to get you in the mood to be alive, you feel numb, the feelings you have for your step dad is not normal but… you can’t help but feel angry, resentment, jealousy, all consuming you.

you dried off and put on a white colored lacy nightgown that went down to your knees.

you go back to the bathroom to do your nightly facial routine.

Until you hear a knock at the door, it’s your mom.

“Hey honey.”

She spoke softly.

“Hey mom…” you replied back awkwardly,

Ever since y’all been distant it’s been so strange to speak to your mom like how you used too.

“How was dinner with John?”

You stopped what you were doing to look at her.

“It was nice, he’s very kind.”

You turn back around and continue your routine.

“I know it’s been a while since we last spoke alone, and I didn’t know how to tell you this but I’m going out of town for a couple days for work. And I want you to be good while I’m gone, it’s only gonna be you and John here. And if anything happens please don’t be scared to tell me.”

You nod your head in agreement.

She walks over to the door

“I love you honey, goodnight I’m going to sleep. Have sweet dreams.”

You nod and

She finally walks out the door, closing it behind her.

You put away your lotions and walk over to the door to

headed downstairs to get a glass of water.

Every step makes you feel weightless just thinking about you and your step father alone all weekend.

you joilt up when you realized your step dad is in the kitchen as well.

He’s leaned against the counter drinking a glass of what looks to be tea.

you walk in, and when he sees you he snaps out of his thoughts.

“Hey…”

He says clearing his throat after taking yet another sip.

“Hi”

You replied monotone.

“What are you doing up so late kiddo?”

He asked you curiously while stroking his beard.

“Grabbing some water…”

You say as you grab a cold water bottle from the refrigerator.

“It’s always good to stay hydrated…Your gown is very pretty.”

John says as he walks closer to you.

“…Thanks…”

you could tell there is an awkward feeling in the air from earlier, you hated it but what’s done is done.

“Wanna watch a movie?”

He asked, looking at you curious with his eyebrows furrowed.

“…. Uhhh sure…. What about mom?”

“Trust me, when she’s sleep, she’s dead asleep.”

“Oh”

you say as you take a sip of water,

John grabs a bag of popcorn and tosses it into the microwave.

you decided to walk over to the couch and take a seat.

He waits for the popcorn to get done and pours it into a bowl, he finally makes his way over to the couch and sits down to the left side of the couch and scoots a bit closer to you.

“… sooo what movie are we watching?”

you grab a bit of popcorn.

He reaches for the remote and turns the tv on flicking through the movies.

“I was thinking of a scary movie.”

“Sounds good.”

you continue to reach for the popcorn.

About half way into the movie y’all both find yourselves cuddling next to each other.

His hand on your knee while your leg is stretched over his lap.

You had the urge to just lean your head up and kiss his handsome face.

But you fight it off, find some dignity you thought to yourself.

you instantly snapped out of your thoughts when you realized there's a sex scene on the tv.

you can’t help but feel awkward at the thought

Of watching this whilst you're sitting next to your step dad of all people plus ealiers encounters, you decided to excuse yourself to the restroom.

As you walked into the downstairs bathroom, you stared at yourself in the mirror feeling a bit nervous and awkward to even step a foot back into the living room.

you couldn't help but wonder what the sex is like between him and your mom, it makes you sick.

you turn the faucet on and cup the water to splash onto your face… you still feel like you're on autopilot.

Dry heaving over the sink.

A couple minutes go by and you finally talk yourself into heading back, until you realize he paused the movie.

Right in the middle of it.

you awkwardly sit on the end of the couch not wanting to be too clingy, or show any attention to yourself.

He then pats the couch at the spot you were just in to signal you to go back to cuddling with him, you decided to comply and Scoot back and go back to the usual position but this time it was different the air was thicker and you noticed his hand was positioned on the upper part of your thigh instead of your knee.

The sex scene plays out for what feels like forever.

You could tell he was thinking about something the way his breathing is shifted, and heavy.

He starts rubbing your thigh up and down, causing you to freeze.

you looked down and noticed he has a bulge, you couldn't tell if he’s hard or what but the light from the tv screen lights the curve perfectly.

Curious, you decided I’d be a nice idea to tease him, and placed your hand near his boxer shorts.

He adjusted a bit, you look up and notice he’s a bit flustered.

you decided you wanted to see if he’d bite, you just wanted to know if your mom married the sweetest, most faithful man in the world, you wanted to break him, you wanted to see his dark side for once.

you peeked your head up a bit to kiss him on his cheek.

“Thank you for suggesting we watch A movie… daddy.”

He looks at you a bit puzzled, he tries to speak but starts to choke instead.

“I-I”

Was all he could stutter out, the random change of emotion from you was very noticeable and confusing.

you could tell he’s flustered at the nickname.

you decided to go even deeper and placed your hand above his boxers… slowly making your way to his bulge and caressing it.

you couldn’t help but blush at how huge it felt.

He takes a deep breath, you could tell he’s getting even harder just by your touch.

He understands your memo and drags his hand up your body onto your chest, trying not to be too fast, he decides to rub the lower part of your breasts.

At this point it’s driving you crazy, you need him… every inch, you could feel yourself getting wet just thinking about it.

you then made your way back up to the top of his boxers and placed your hand inside gently rubbing his cock, your eyes still on the movie.

you made your way to the tip and you realized he has pre cum already and you haven't even done much.

you bit your bottom lip at the thought of his cock being in your mouth…

“Fuck~” he gently moans, as he tilts his head back.

He finally reached inside your nightgown, flicking your right nipple, every touch making you get wetter and wetter,

He starts making circles around the sensitive buds, causing you to jolt.

Making you want to break down right then and there and drop to your knees.

So you decided to do so, at this point there's no point of return yall both knew y’all had this chemistry.

This secret y’all both could just share… between daughter and step father.

you stands up and gets onto your knees, looking up at John with pleading eyes.

His head nodded in agreement.

you then pull his boxers down to his ankles,

His cock springing up as it’s finally freed from the torture of conseslment.

your eyes widen at how huge it is…

Just earlier you were plotting his murder now you're on your knees begging for your step fathers cock.

you lean in to give the tip of his cock a kiss, your hand grabbing not even nearly the entire thing.

you then make your way to the base and lick it all the way back to the tip, every inch making you crave more.

You start to make out with the base of his cock, the taste driving you crazy, wanting nothing more than to just have his cock be yours and only yours forever.

You then lift your head up a bit to get a good look at it, the thick veiny cock towering over your face, intimidating yet breathtaking.

Losing your virginity to your step father was definitely not on this year's bingo card.

you then place both hands on each side of his cock jerking up and down in soft motions,

Placing yet another kiss on the tip.

Finally opening your mouth to take in his huge length, hardly getting past the tip you're already concerned about how it’s all gonna fit but this is what you wanted… you can’t back away now.

Still placing both your hands around his dick to cover the parts you couldn’t fit around your mouth, you start bobbing your head up and down the length you can take.

Turning him into a groaning mess.

you take it out and let out a soft moan, your left hand tight around the base as your right is pumping it up and down.

your mouth is all covered with spit and pre cum.

His cock was so big you didn’t even know if you could fit it inside your cunt.

Wondering if y’all would even be able to go that far without one of them getting hurt and or getting caught at some point.

you spit on John's cock while continuing to pump his it up and down, he raises his hand to caress your cheek as you slide your tongue along the side of his thick cock.

Savoring every inch,

“Good girl.”

He praises you as you continue to slurp up and down.

you couldn't get enough of it, you just wanted it all to yourself, at this point you resented your mother, how lucky you were to have such a handsome and loving husband but also a big dick in bed and loads of money.

you then take his dick whole again but this time attempting to push yourself further along it, until you're a gagging mess and can’t go further .

He then places his hand on your head and grabs a bit of your hair, forcing you to go up and down at a faster pace, tears streaming down your eyes.

The way he’s looking into your eyes, you could tell he was starving for more… he wants you… every little moan from your pretty little mouth.

He finally let’s go and you pops his cock out your mouth,

Absolutely drooling and mesmerized and heaving for air.

you wanted nothing more but for him to cum deep inside you.

Babies ? you didn’t mind at this point,

Whatever you could do to keep him in your life as much as possible.

“Get up princess”

John ordered.

you obeyed and got up onto your feet, he signals you onto his lap.

you dropped your panties, and slipped out your nightgown.

You climbed onto him placing one arm around his shoulder, the other one caressing his face.

His hands were placed on the sides of your hips.

The movie still playing in the background,

He leans in to kiss you, placing his tongue onto yours.

The taste of each other's saliva combining was enough to make him combust right then and there.

you become more hypnotized as you moan into his mouth, and place sloppy kisses all over his face, he instantly starts groaning whilst grabbing at your ass. And places soft yet firm slaps onto it.

Each bounce makes him wish he could take you right then and there without caring what your mother thinks.

you pause and look into his eyes with despair…

“I need you …. John… please…. Please daddy.”

you beg as you place another kiss onto his lips.

“Are you sure.., what if it hurts… your only so young”

He questions in a worried voice.

“Please...”

He sighs but he complies, he takes his cock and starts gliding it along your wet cunt, causing you to jolt at how good it feels.

The thought of losing your virginity to your step father was just enough to drive you crazy, what would your mother think if she saw y’all like this… she’d be furious.

But fuck it… it’s too late.

John then lines his cock along your tight slit, causing you to cover your mouth from the pain.

He isn’t even half way in until you start biting your lips from how much the pain was.

He decides to leave it there, until you get more comfortable with the length and decide to move on your own.

He didn’t wanna hurt you, that was the scariest scenario to him, not wanting to scare you but also wanting to absolutely destroy your cunt.

He places a kiss onto your forehead.

“You're so beautiful…. ever since I first met you that day, I’ve wanted you.”

He confessed while caressing your cheek with his left hand whilst the right is on your ass.

“To be honest… I resented you because I thought you were trying to steal my mom from me…

But now I can understand why she was so obsessed over you”

Y’all both start to giggle and share another kiss with one another .

“I could never do that to you princess…”

He whispers softly.

you finally decide you are ready to take his full length or… at least try?

As you glide down you can’t help but tear up a bit, whimpering at the pain, John then starts to coax you to make you feel better.

It hurt so bad but felt so good you just couldn’t stop, every inch filling you up in all the right places.

Due to the exstacy all you wanted to do was moan as loud as you could, fuck your mom and her sleep.

John realizes you're too hypnotized to snap out of your own world. He places his mouth on yours, so you’d be able to whimper and moan into his mouth not to wake up your sleeping mother.

you finally reached the end of his full length, grateful that you made it this far, but now you have to go back up.

your eyes tearing up a bit,

Dreading but also enhanced at the feeling of it.

you sit there for a bit just staring into his beautiful dark eyes, whilst rubbing the side of his face.

“You're so handsome…”

you confess.

you then lean in for another kiss,

Your tongues exploring each other yet again, every time making them feel pure bliss.

The way his warm mouth mixes perfectly with yours, was enough to drive you crazy.

You raised his hand up to your left boob and start playing with the bud,

Causing you to moan a bit louder into his mouth.

Saliva dripping from your mouth from the sloppy make out.

You pause and look at his lips how perfectly crafted they are.

How his features just compliment each other so well.

Until you speak.

“Daddy…”

You looked at him with soft eyes.

“I don’t think I can take it all.”

“Shhhh”

He hushed as he reassured you it’s all okay, and you can start when you're ready.

Taking initiative, you lean in for another kiss and start to lift your body up his cock, every part making you teary eyed yet satisfied.

“Oh daddy…”

Y’all start groaning in unison as the friction causes y’all to heat up.

He notices your hair in your face, and moves it aside.

He grins whilst staring at you, you can’t help but blush, the way his eyes Pierce into your soul.

you lead back causing your head to fall back whilst closing them at how good and stimulating it felt to have his cock finally satisfying your urges.

The way it’s so lengthy and huge makes you feel like the luckiest girl in the world, you can’t help but feel like it’s a dream from how too good it is to be true.

you fasten your pace, your mouth half way open and drools dripping from your pretty mouth, causing him to groan at the sight.

He makes his hand down to your thigh and reaches your clit, rubbing circles along the sensitive buds causing you to jolt and instantly place your hand on your mouth to stop you from moaning too loud.

Your muffled moans causing him to want nothing more than to cum inside that pretty tight cunt of yours.

The way it’s so wet, you can hear the noise it makes as he’s entering you.

Each flop caused you to Shriek at how he was bruising your young cunt to no return.

“I love you so much daddy”

you say as your practically out of breath panting from the increasing of your pace,

“I love you too kiddo”

He breathlessly blurts out as he’s in pure bliss.

Every thrust made him fall deeper and deeper into lust.

He leans his head towards your chest to

Take one of your nipples into his mouth, causing you to moan, you practically looked mindless the way you were relentlessly riding his cock, mixed with the stimulation of his mouth in your nipple.

Every thrust caused him to want to release his load.

He starts humming to the Rhythm that you created between y’all two.

“Please daddy… fuck…”

you whispered in his ear causing him to close his eyes at the blissful sound and sight of him fucking you.

The sound caused you to become nervous from how loud it was but also not caring anymore.

The ending credit song in the background was just the icing on top.

Times like this you wanted nothing more than to just stay at home for the rest of your life.

you make your way to the base yet again but this time they’ve reached their breaking point, you realize y’all both are finally reaching the point for y'all to both climax you instantly lift yourself off his thick cock, causing him to then cum on your back.

Y’all sit there, dizzy and light headed.

Your brains still foggy from the climax,

John leans in for another kiss, you complied and kissed him yet again,

The way they connected so perfectly melts your heart.

He finally breaks the kiss and peepers one onto your forehead.

“Smart girl…”

He whispers as he gently traces his fingers along your face.

you kiss him softly on his cheek and yawn.

John then realized the movie was finally over.

He picks you up and Carries you up the stairs to your room, he places you onto the bed and cleans you up.

He sits on the side of the bed and leans down the kiss your head,

“Good night princess, have sweet dreams my love.”

He peppers one last kiss and gets onto his feet to head out until you call out for him.

“Please lay with me for a bit… please John…”

you say as you ruffle around in your sheets.

John, with a sigh, makes his way over to the other side, scooting closer to you to cuddle under the covers.

you turn over and look at him, his warm embrace giving your butterflies.

you starts playing with his hair,

“You're so handsome John…”

“Thank you princess.”

#john wick imagine #john wick x reader #john wick x you #keanu reeves #⋆keanureevesw1fe #fanfic #keanu reeves fanfic

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halfagonyandhope · 2 days ago

Text

ignite the stars │ch. 20

first chapter (x); previous chapter (x)

Satine Kryze is an internationally-recognized scholar in genocide studies who recently resigned from the Department of State over her concerns regarding the agency's ethics. Ben Kenobi is a tenured professor at Georgetown University studying the use of religion to justify military conflicts. Once high school sweethearts, the two haven't spoken since parting ways for university. That is, until Satine accepts a research fellowship - at Georgetown.

---

Satine officially moves into Ben’s Old Town Alexandria apartment that weekend. Some of her furniture and other household items they decide to donate, mostly the pieces she’d picked up in grad school as thrift store finds that have seen better days. Other items they move into storage. While they haven’t talked about it yet, they share an understanding: his two-bedroom apartment will suffice for now, but someday they want a proper home, one that they own. So those items moved into storage - those are an investment in that future, one that Satine hopes isn’t too far away.

A few things she does take with her, such as her desk and sentimental knick knacks like sandbakelse tins. The tins are small and bowl-shaped with ornamental ridges used for making holiday cookies, and she’d been gifted them by her adoptive parents. Satine doesn’t celebrate Christmas, of course, but she thinks maybe this year she can get Ben on board with helping her try to bake the cardamom- and almond-flavored cookies.

Somehow, she doesn’t think he’ll be too opposed.

Her birthday arrives shortly after her move, aligning this year with the summer solstice. Ben wakes her with the sun, kissing her and bringing her to ecstasy before the sunrise is complete.

As they lie together afterward, his thumb traces over her ring, and they kiss lazily but longingly.

They don’t end up moving far from bed that day, and he makes good on his promise from Valentine’s Day to see how many times he can bring her to climax. While they rest in between, they search for job openings and create a list of the institutions to which they want to apply.

One of particular interest has just been posted at Harvard. It fits Satine’s skillset a bit more than it does Ben’s, and they decide she should apply.

“It’d be a homecoming of sorts,” Ben says. “Really not that far from Andover.”

“I wonder how many of our classmates ended up at Harvard? I can’t fathom we’d be the first.”

“Some of them absolutely should not end up anywhere near Harvard,” says Ben, and Satine laughs. “But in all seriousness, Massachusetts would be a good choice. We wouldn’t have to worry about state politics there.”

It’s clear where his mind is headed, and Satine looks over at him.

“Do you want children?” she asks, curious.

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I just know I want the ability to protect you if you were to get pregnant and can't - or don't want to - continue the pregnancy.”

And at that she closes the laptop and sets it on one of the nightstands, leading to a tangle of limbs and bedsheets.

After, while still breathing heavily, Satine responds, “I’m not sure about children, either. At the moment I feel...ambivalent. But if you were to eventually decide wholeheartedly that children were not something you saw for yourself, I would not be disappointed.”

“I feel similarly. It’s not a dealbreaker for me either way, nor will it become one.”

And they resume their search for jobs, opening the laptop again. They find a posting at Princeton, this one more appropriate for Ben’s background. “How would you feel about New Jersey?” he says.

“Padma would be thrilled,” says Satine. “Isn’t she a Princeton alum?”

“She is indeed,” Ben confirms. “But I asked about your feelings, not Padma’s.”

“I don’t know much about it,” says Satine honestly. “Beyond that it’s not a long trip by train into the city. That could be nice, especially if we’d like to see a show at the Metropolitan Opera.”

“Or Broadway,” he suggests. “Moulin Rouge! is still playing, and the protagonist is named Satine.”

She quirks a brow. “How do you know so much about Broadway? Were you secretly a musical theater kid and never told me?”

He laughs. “I’m a bi cliché, I suppose,” says Ben, shrugging. “Musicals are fun,” he adds. “Romance, drama, intrigue, suspense - and dancing! What’s not to like?” He clears his throat. “Although maybe not Moulin Rouge!; it’s very Orpheus and Eurydice coded.”

Satine sighs. “Satine dies in the end, doesn’t she?”

Ben grimaces. “Perhaps we should avoid that particular show,” he admits.

“Let me guess. Her pain and eventual death further the character development of the male protagonist,” Satine quips, “and the plot was thus lauded as 'poignant' and 'innovative'?”

“You’re not wrong,” says Ben. “But the one thing they get very right is that her love interest adores his Satine.” He closes the laptop and sets it aside again. “Allow me to demonstrate?”

He pulls the sheets back, crawling between her legs, kissing her inner thighs.

She sighs like it’s a chore, but then cannot contain her laugh.

“Very well,” she says, and she can’t keep the smile out of her voice. “You’ve dug yourself quite deep, and I’m looking forward to seeing how you crawl your way out.”

“Challenge accepted,” Ben says with a grin, and then his lips are on her.

She arches into him.

---

Before June ends, they apply to the respective positions at Harvard and Princeton. The postings don’t close for several weeks still and are being reviewed on a rolling basis until that point, but it’s a relief to be planning, to have concrete steps to take.

Meanwhile, Ben takes the first steps to put their backup plan in motion.

“I think the most expedient way for me to obtain a resident permit would be to apply for an engagement visa,” he tells her one evening as they are preparing supper. Satine has graduated to being able to boil noodles without supervision, although his words distract her momentarily, and she lets the water bubble over onto the hot stove, and it hisses at her angrily.

Ben reaches over to turn the burner temperature down.

“Obviously, before I do that, we should have jobs lined up. And the thing about this particular visa is that we’d actually need to marry within six months of arriving there.” He holds her gaze. “So if you have any qualms about the actual tradition of marriage itself, now would be the time to voice them.”

Satine stirs the pasta noodles. “No qualms,” she whispers. “Not on my end, at least,” she adds, this time more sure.

He gives her a confused look. “Are you implying there would be qualms on my end?”

She sets down the pasta fork. “No,” she says immediately. “I mean. Yes?” She sighs. “It’s just - you’re ready to move across the world for someone who can’t even vocalize how she feels about you. You honestly don’t have qualms about that?”

Ben considers this. “No,” he says eventually. “There are many ways to communicate, and words are just one way to do so. You show me how you feel about me every day, in other ways. The rest…that I can wait for.”

She leans her shoulder against his, ducking her head to smile. Then she picks up the pasta fork again. “Good,” she says, beginning to stir. “Because the other day I saw a posting at the University of Oslo within their Department of Political Science. Starting in the spring, they need a lecturer for their Peace and Conflict Studies master’s program.”

He nudges her back. “You should apply. I’ll update my LinkedIn page and make some connections to look for remote work.”

“They have courses and programs in English at the University of Oslo, too, you know. So you could teach, if you want to.”

His eyes light up at this, and Satine smiles.

“Forever a teacher at heart,” she says.

“I’ll learn Norwegian, too,” he promises. “I happen to have a live-in tutor who I think could get me fluent in record time.”

She snickers. “What is it with you and sleeping with your language instructors?”

“Polyglots are intelligent, and intelligence is sexy,” says Ben.

Satine drops the fork, and it clatters on the stove. “You think I’m sexy?”

He rolls his eyes. “How have we not established this by now?” he says. “That insecurity complex of yours will just not be tamed.” So he pulls her against him, his hands on her ass. “Darling, you are the most gorgeous, intelligent, and - yes - sexy creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. You literally make me weak in the knees.”

Satine kisses his collarbone, mollified.

“I like when you call me ‘darling’,” she murmurs, turning back to the stove.

“Good to know, darling,” he breathes into her ear.

---

The next day, they sit side-by-side at the kitchen table, ready to submit their applications.

“On three,” Satine says.

“On three or right after?”

She looks at him, exasperated; he’s messing with her and wearing a shit-eating grin.

She hits submit without counting down.

“Hey!” he says, mock affronted, and then Satine reaches over to tap the mousepad of his laptop, also submitting his application. “And again - hey!”

She sticks her tongue out at him, and she considers the image they present: two PhDs, applying to jobs at Harvard and Princeton, while simultaneously appearing to the rest of the world like they are twelve years old. Ben seems to be thinking along the same lines because he bursts out laughing.

Satine mirrors him, doubling over as she snickers.

---

Ben ends up hearing back first.

Princeton wants to schedule a phone screen interview, which eventually takes place in mid-July. They go into campus that day so he can take the call from his office phone, and Satine tries not to listen in from her office next door.

She fails miserably.

Ben, of course, is a natural at the interview process. He’s charming and doesn’t have any problems conversing with someone he’s just met: he chats with the interviewer about the Premier League and what Arsenal’s chances are come the start of the season in August. And he’s practiced his responses to typical questions asked during such screenings, so he doesn’t use filler words as he searches for the next phrase.

In her office, Satine sets down her pen as he begins to answer the next question.

“Yes, absolutely. My family right now is my fiancée, and she’s excited about the possibility of moving there. The campus of course is beautiful, and she’s a fellow academic so she understands the appeal of me working at an Ivy.”

The interviewer must ask for more information because Ben gives a mini-elevator pitch of her work. Satine thinks her heart might explode at the pride in his voice.

“Potentially,” says Ben in response to another question. “She’s also on the job market right now, so we’re exploring options and seeing how everything shakes out.”

The call wraps up soon after that, and Ben immediately appears at her door. Satine looks up. “How do you think it went?” she asks, standing to give him a congratulatory hug.

“Mission accomplished in that they know you’ll be tagging along if I get the job. They requested your CV, but they sounded like they knew of you already.”

“I meant about you,” says Satine. “This was your interview, after all.”

Ben’s face heats, and he ducks his head. “I think it went well,” he admits.

Satine kisses his cheek. “Humble man. When do you hear back? About next steps?”

“A couple weeks. They have a lot of candidates to screen first. If I make it, it’ll be a remote panel interview, and then after that if my name is still in the mix, there will be a two-day campus visit.”

“They’ll call you,” Satine says. “Your interviewer was a fellow Gooner, for God’s sake. What a story that would be, if the Arsenal can help you land a job.”

Her email pings at that moment, and Satine leans over her desk to check if it’s important. At seeing the sender’s address, she moves around the desk to look at the screen properly, and she opens the email.

She looks up at Ben.

“They want to set up a screening call with me,” she says, hardly believing it, letting a smile cross her face. “At Harvard.”

---

The following week, it’s Satine’s turn to take the screening call. She and Ben return to campus, and she shuts the door to her office to make sure she’s not interrupted.

She’s no stranger to interviews, of course, and she’s prepared just as she has for her previous ones. Though this call is likely to be more on the business-y side of things, discussing items like benefits and salary expectations, Satine has prepared scenarios for every question they could possibly ask her.

They do end up asking about her salary expectations, and they also ask about her research and service. And when they ask if she has any questions for them, she’s prepared.

One of the questions she asks is to get the interviewer’s opinion on the strengths of the department. The interviewer gives a fairly standard reply about the quality of the campus, and Satine sees her chance.

“I’ve only ever heard great things,” she says, “and my partner and I are from the area, so we’ve heard a lot. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to potentially move back. Kind of like an academic homecoming.”

The interviewer is excited by this, so Satine gets to explain that she and Ben had gone to high school at Andover and that Ben is currently a professor at Georgetown. Her heart races as the interviewer seems genuinely interested in the courses he’s taught. And - sure enough - the Harvard interviewer asks if she can forward Ben’s CV.

Before the interview ends, Satine asks about next steps. Harvard, too, is in the early stages of screening applicants, and she won’t hear back about a potential second interview until August. But Satine can relax - she’s made it through the first hurdle, and she thinks it was good enough.

When Ben asks how it went, she tells him this, and he crosses his fingers, holding them up for her to see. “Sending good vibes out into the universe for us both,” he says.

She nods. “But in the meantime…wine?”

He agrees. “Definitely.”

---

The following week, they both get emails inviting them for a second interview.

Satine’s arrives first, but she’s meeting Breha for lunch and can’t tell Ben right away. So she excitedly shares the information with her friend instead, and Breha orders a decadent dessert for them to split to celebrate.

Breha laughs as they dig in. “So your backup plan for the NSF was Harvard?” she asks. “I don’t know if that’s brave or foolish. Both, maybe?”

“Try ‘calculated’,” says Satine, and she finally moves her left hand into view so that Breha can see.

Breha’s jaw drops. “Oh my god,” she says. “Oh my god, Satine!” And she pulls Satine’s hand toward her to better view the ring. “I need to hear everything. How did he propose?”

“Actually, I did,” Satine says. “But he had the ring with him when I asked him, so it was kind of a mutual thing.”

“It’s gorgeous,” says Breha. “He has very good taste. I mean,” she adds, gesturing at Satine. “Obviously he does. But look at you! Actually living outside of your work for once! I’m so happy for you, truly.”

“I’ll take the compliment, however backhanded it was.”

Breha rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean. I feel like I’m obligated, as your friend, to say that you seem to be moving a little fast - but honestly, fuck that. You dated this guy for two years in high school, right? So it’s not like you don’t know him.”

Satine nods. “We dated for two years and were close friends a year before that, and we were in the same social circles a year before that,” she confirms. “So I know him. And he hasn’t changed. Not in any way that matters, that is.”

“So if you get the job at Harvard, is he coming with? Like spousal arm candy?”

Satine cackles at this image. “Ben would actually think that’s fucking hilarious. But, yes, that’s the goal. He’s actually hoping to hear back about a similar interview at Princeton soon, so God willing one of us will get an offer that’s open to bringing on a plus one.”

“If your department at Georgetown got their heads out of their asses, they’d just hire you on full-time,” says Breha. “But they really haven’t given you any indication that they will? Even after you booked that major keynote address?”

Satine sighs. “Nothing solid enough to bank on,” she admits. “So Ben and I have backup plans. And backup plans for those plans.”

Breha takes another bite of the dessert. “Well, wherever you end up, I’ll come visit. I’ve got to make sure Baby Organa is cultured and well-traveled. Obviously.”

Satine grins. “Is the morning sickness any better?”

“Not at all.” Breha makes a face. “I’m so ready to be done with the first trimester.”

“Oh yes, I’ve heard the swollen ankles are a big improvement over the morning sickness,” Satine says in mock seriousness.

“Don’t remind me. But I shouldn’t complain. I’ve wanted this for so long.”

“You can still complain,” says Satine with a smirk, and they both laugh.

---

When Satine arrives home, she shares the news with Ben. He kisses her fiercely in congratulations, and she fills him in on the details of the interview set for next week.

“Oh,” she adds. “I told Breha about our engagement, which means that Bail likely knows by now. And if Bail knows, then Padma does, so you should expect - ”

Ben’s phone lights up, signaling an incoming call.

“ - a call from Anakin,” finishes Satine.

Ben cracks a smile at this. “Should we bet on if he’ll be upset that I didn’t tell him right away, or will he offer to throw us a party?”

“I’d put money on the latter. But pick up the phone, Ben.”

As it turns out, Satine is half-right: Anakin is initially shocked that they’d let a month pass without looping him in, but he mentions in the next sentence that he and Padma are already planning a celebration for them. Ben smiles as he ends the call, but before he can put his phone away, it chimes, signaling an incoming email. He looks up at Satine.

“We’ve got a lot to celebrate, it seems.” And he shows her the email.

He, too, has been invited for a second interview.

---

Both virtual panel interviews are scheduled for the first week in August, Ben’s a day before Satine’s.

They practice scenario-based questions on the Metro and then bus ride into campus: Describe a time you made a mistake and how you handled it. Tell us about a time when your work priorities changed unexpectedly and you had to pivot. How have you handled disagreements with colleagues in the past?

As he answers, Satine files these pieces of information away. Each piece is a data point of the years she’d missed, a key to understanding the journey he’d undertaken the days they’d been apart.

She doesn’t have pointers or advice; he’s clearly rehearsed these responses before. He knows what he is doing.

When they arrive on campus, Satine kisses his jaw and wishes him luck. He squeezes her hand, and they go into their respective offices.

---

The next day, Satine thanks the Harvard interviewing panel and exits the videoconferencing software, leaning back in her chair and letting out a deep sigh.

Ben peaks his head into his office, and she smiles at him, inviting him inside wordlessly.

“Sounds like it went well,” he hedges, sitting in the chair in front of her desk.

“As you no doubt heard, I suspect they have their concerns about why I wanted to leave government to transition to academia.”

“You handled that question well,” Ben says. “And, honestly, given the way that the American federal government has behaved itself the past decade or so, I don’t think they'll blame anyone for wanting to leave federal employment.”

“Fair point,” Satine acknowledges.

“So you’ll hear back next week about an on campus interview?”

She nods. “They’re narrowing it down to three candidates for campus visits. Let’s just hope they’re not planning an internal hire, meaning all this is just for show.”

“Every job candidate’s worst nightmare,” agrees Ben. He stands and extends a hand. “Come on,” he says. “The surprise engagement party that Anakin and Padma are throwing us awaits.”

---

Satine is normally wary of parties: she doesn’t like small talk or loud noises or being crowded. But their engagement party is none of these things.

Padma and Anakin live a few blocks away from Breha and Bail in the Embassy Row neighborhood. Though Satine still feels a little out of place approaching the affluent neighborhood, it doesn’t make her as uncomfortable as it had the last time.

Maybe she’s run out of fucks to give.

Less pessimistically, she realizes it likely has more to do with the camaraderie she knows is waiting for her within the townhouse. Yes, she’s always been close with Breha, but now she has a community - Bail and Breha and Padma and Anakin and Quinlan and Asajj - rather than just a sister.

Her heart twists at the thought of potentially being forced to leave this all behind.

She supposes she once had a community, back in Bosnia - but she can’t remember any of it. And life in Norway was really all about survival. Satine loves her adoptive parents, but she hasn’t been close with them in years. And she’d moved around so much after high school, first to California and then to Oxford and then to Chicago before DC, that she never had a chance to put down roots.

Of course the moment those roots would begin to grow would be the moment she’s forced to contend with pulling them up.

But she pushes this thought out of her mind as Anakin opens the door and sweeps her and Ben into a big hug, practically pulling them across the threshold. He’s chattering so quickly Satine can hardly follow - “Breha and Bail are here, but Ventress and Vos couldn't make it; hard to fly back from fieldwork in the middle of the summer” - and she and Ben exchange an amused glance. Anakin leads them into the kitchen, where their friends are waiting amongst balloons and other bright decorations. Someone places a rhinestone tiara on her head, and Anakin and Bail set off confetti cannons.

One of these detonates directly over Satine and Ben, showering them in glitter.

“It’s a good look on you, O.B.!” says Anakin. Ben sighs, resigned, but he leaves the glitter in his hair, and Satine can’t help but smile whenever she catches a glimpse of it.

After getting hugs and congratulations from everyone, Satine makes her way over to Breha and Padma, who are comparing notes on their pregnancy experiences so far.

“Gingivitis,” says Padma. “I did not expect gingivitis!”

Breha nods. “They really don’t prepare us well enough with what will happen to the body. My face has started to freckle, and it's not like I've been out in the sun much this summer. Apparently that’s also a thing that happens with pregnancy? It’s called melasma, I guess. Pregnancy mask.”

Satine doesn’t miss a beat. “Some people lose teeth while pregnant,” she says nonchalantly.

Breha gapes at her.

“I majored in anthropology in undergrad. I had to take human osteology.” Satine shrugs.

“Ah,” says Padma, hands resting over her swollen abdomen. “So I have to ask: why would pregnancy result in losing teeth?”

“Well, it ideally shouldn’t,” says Satine. “But the growing fetus needs calcium. And bones are a source of calcium, so the fetus will get the calcium from your bones if you don’t have enough in your diet. If the bone resorption happens in the jaw, you can lose a tooth. Or several.”

“Yikes,” says Breha. “Good incentive to make sure I actually take those prenatal multivitamins, I guess.”

"Agreed. My due date cannot come soon enough."

Satine grins. "Next month, right?"

Padma smiles back. "Thank goodness," she confirms with a nod.

Then Padma leans closer.

“So why human osteology?” she asks Satine. “I can’t imagine that was a required course for anthropology majors.”

Satine laughs. “It wasn’t. At the time, I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist. I ended up choosing something far less morbid.”

Breha snorts into her soda. Padma’s laugh is more proper, but just as genuine.

---

The following week, Satine receives an invitation to interview in person at Harvard.

The week after, Ben gets a similar notice to interview at Princeton.

They compare the available dates from which to choose.

“Since they aren’t covering travel for the spouse,” says Ben, “we may as well pick the same weekend. Minimize our days apart.”

Satine nudges him with her elbow. “Why, Ben Kenobi - if you keep up that kind of talk, people might actually think you like me or something.”

“Satine, we’re engaged.”

They get distracted for quite some time after that.

Later, each of them wearing significantly fewer articles of clothing than they had been before, they decide to schedule their interviews for the first Thursday and Friday in September.

Satine closes her laptop, feeling nervous.

“We’re going to be fine,” Ben says, and Satine nods, believing him.

He pulls her close.

---

The semester begins at the end of August, and Georgetown's campus returns to a hive of activity.

Asajj and Quinlan return from fieldwork, and both immediately admire the ring that Ben picked out for Satine - Quinlan even more so than Asajj, which amuses Satine greatly.

That Friday, the junior faculty - including Anakin, who is starting the second year of his postdoc - go out for drinks. Anakin doesn't stay late, as Padma's due date is approaching and he doesn't want to be away from her for long in the case she goes into early labor, which - according to him - is common when carrying twins.

Later, after switching from the bus to the Metro, Satine leans her head against Ben's shoulder as they make their way home to Old Town.

---

“How did it go?”

Satine collapses on the bed in her hotel room, still fully clothed in her pantsuit and heels, phone to her ear.

“Ben, they literally scheduled my visits to the washroom. That’s how packed the itinerary was.”

“I’m sure you stunned them regardless of how tired you feel.”

“And tomorrow morning is the job talk, so even more to look forward to.” She rolls over onto her stomach. “How was your day?”

Ben considers this. “Probably about the same as yours, I’d imagine,” he eventually says. “No red flags. I suspect some typical department politics but nothing glaring. I’m sure the faculty were mostly on their best behavior today, but they did indeed behave themselves.”

“That’s better than what I got. One of the tenured faculty I had a one-on-one with tried to explain a recent book he’d read to me. He got it wrong, and he dug his heels in. I knew, of course, that he was wrong because I wrote the book he was talking about.”

She has to hold the phone away from her ear at the strength of his laughter. When he pulls himself together, he asks, “Did you tell him that?"

"Better to wait until after I get the job offer," she says, and Ben just laughs harder.

When his laughter subsides, he asks, "But beyond that? How was it?”

“The usual. Meeting after meeting with various different faculty. I’d done my prep, so I could talk about their work. As you know, every academic loves to talk about their own research, so I’m sure I’ll get glowing reviews from all of them.”

“That’s my girl.”

Satine smiles. “I actually liked meeting with the students most,” she admits. “They set aside an hour for upper-level students to ask me questions. Seems like they get to weigh in on the ultimate hiring decision. They were far more interesting than the faculty.” She breathes in. “It actually gives me a little bit of hope,” she admits. “Hearing about their ideas and what they want to do after graduation. I think I needed that.”

“You claim not to enjoy teaching all that much, my dear, but I’d argue you were born for it.”

“You may be more right than I’d care to admit. I connected with some of the students on LinkedIn in case they ever needed advice. I don’t usually do that, and it wasn’t just because I wanted to be in their good graces.”

“I’m proud of you,” says Ben. “I know you did a wonderful job, and I’m sure tomorrow will go just as well.” He pauses. “Did they take you someplace fancy for dinner tonight?”

“The faculty club on campus for lunch, and then, yes, someplace I’ve already forgotten the name of for supper. Thank goodness they had vegetarian options.”

“Princeton gave me lunch at the faculty club, too! The faculty who ate with me from the department pointed out this ancient fellow from the chemistry department who apparently eats there every day. Can you imagine?”

Satine rolls her eyes. “He’ll die alone in that ivory tower of his.” Then she becomes more serious. “The department chair asked about you, you know,” she says. “It was clear they’d looked at your CV. They mentioned a few classes that they thought you might be interested in teaching.”

“Sounds promising. And the entire search committee here knows of you. It feels a bit like I’m marrying into academic royalty, the way they talked about you.”

“You’re being hyperbolic.”

“Not at all,” he assures her. "I also, conveniently, received an email from Serenno today describing the raise that will go into effect for my salary starting next term. I checked discretely with some other faculty in the department, and they didn't get a similar email."

Satine understands. "So he's aware you're interviewing, and he wants you to stay."

"It's a step in the right direction," says Ben. "But it means nothing if they're not willing to bring you aboard." He’s silent for a bit before he speaks again. “I’ll let you go so you can rest. Call and leave a voicemail as soon as you’re finished and on your way tomorrow. I might still be in meetings, but I want to know as soon as you’re done.”

The light in the hotel room catches Satine’s ring. “I miss you,” she murmurs.

“I’ll see you late tomorrow evening. I promise.”

“And I’ll hold you to it.”

She can hear his smile in his response. “You better.”

---

Satine has already given a version of this job talk before, back when she was interviewing at Georgetown and elsewhere, so it’s easy and natural to step into the role of lecturer again. She may not love teaching, but she’s damn good at it.

There’s an incredibly good turnout for her job talk, and that, strangely, gives her more confidence rather than less. It means the department advertised the talk - and it means that students are interested enough to take time out of their schedules to attend. Satine won’t make them regret it.

Satine is thrilled to get multiple questions during the talk itself, and several hands immediately fly up as she concludes her presentation. She calls on the first student, buoyed by their interest and the fact that the difficult part of the talk is over.

The student asks an astute question about navigating the field of genocide studies given current global events. It’s an intentionally loaded question, though Satine is sure the student doesn’t know exactly how loaded it is for Satine specifically.

She ponders how to answer for a few seconds before giving a nuanced reply. “I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear,” she adds. “I also know that probably brings up more questions than it really answers. But maybe it’ll be your job to answer those questions someday.”

The student beams at her.

And Satine begins to think that maybe - just maybe - she will be able to put down roots here, too.

#satine kryze #obi-wan kenobi #star wars fanfic #obitine #the clone wars #alternate universe #ptsd

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