#thats a lot of fics. cries

[raspberrysmoon]

adjusted my blocktag lmao i like becky barnes too much

[lunarharp]

Scrappiiiees i love kitchen :)

[dipplinduo]

L

L

(Context: Sweet & Sour Dipplins, Chapter 13)

My best typo in S&S D as of yet, ladies, gentlemen & folks.

[hischierlovebot]

Now that I have two hrpf fics out there, I think it is safe to say the floodgates have opened and you will see me around quite a bit

[vcutparis]

i whole heartedly had the maternal aunt awakening for the kids. LIKE FROM THE FIRST SCENE WHERE THEY SAID FAMILY MAN TRAITOR AND WENT BACK YO GO HSUHSUHSUSHUS SHUSHSUSHSU IN THE CORNER!!!!! I JUMPED AND GIGGLED LIKE A MANIC AS IF I KNOW SHIT BRO 😦?

I LOVE!!!!! I LOVE!!!!!!! I REPEAT !!!!! I LOVE THE KIDS (and their dad but anyways)

i ahve a lot of thoughst and lets jot it down in the tags muehehehhehe (aw hell naw man tumblr ate my fav tag : is doctor hwa single. or rich momma sophie? help a med kid out!!!!) ALSO ALSO THANK YOU FOR THE CONTRIBUTION TO ATEEZ FIC COMMUNITY WE CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE YAY!!!

the parent trap | KHJ

part 1 of the Night in Hollywood!series

☆ trope: exes to lovers!au, divorced!au

☆ pairing: producer!hongjoong x designer!reader, dad!joong x mom!reader

☆ warnings: nsfw (mdni), swearing, mentions of food, mentions of food poisoning, female desc. reader, drinking, suggestiveness, smut, slight!breeding kink, oral sex (f. receiving), overstim, unprotected sex (wrap before you tap!) nipple play, titty sucking, marking, praise, slightdom!joong, blond!joong bc that itself is too much for me, mentions of (early) pregnancy, you’re both in your early thirties and make an unbelievably stubborn couple in this!

☆ synopsis: AS DIVORCED PARENTS to two twin daughters, you and hongjoong have your fair share of work cut out. Driving to piano lessons, cheering at hockey games, drop offs at each other’s houses, it can all be a little much. But could a relaxing summer retreat as a whole family possibly rekindle past emotions you’ve swept under the rug? . . .

☆ word count: 18.1k

☆ playlist: soulful strut by young-holt unlimited, l-o-v-e by nat king cole, just the way you are by billy joel, slipping through my fingers by abba, this will be (an everlasting love) by natalie cole

☆ a/n: it’s finally here. I can’t believe I’m writing this and saying it’s finally here oh my goodness. first off, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported me with the series so far (shoutout to @kitten4sannie , @byuntrash101 and especially @desirehorizon for being amazing!) everyone’s sweet comments have been greatly appreciated, and I just hope this silly little fic brings a smile to your everyday lives.

ty for making writing worth it as a writer. now cue the opening credits!

“ABSOLUTELY NOT” Hongjoong says.

“But dadd,” she whines, clutching the wrinkled pamphlet closer to her chest. Eunseo’s small hands are covered in purple doodles her sister drew using a glitter pen. 

“Why not?” the girl complains, shrugging her shoulders. 

He sighs, pushing his glasses up with one hand as he continues typing away at the important document the producing company sent him on his laptop. He tries his best to reason with the child.

“Because, baby…” pausing to think for a moment before responding. “It would be hard for your mom and I to find a time that fits into our schedules. I’ve got work, and she must be busy as well.” 

Eunseo glares at her father’s excuse. 

Okay, yeah, the man knows it’s somewhat of a lie, himself. 

She continues to protest by shoving the advertising pamphlet in her dads face and blocking his view of the screen. Thankfully, Hongjoong is used to these sort of work distractions, expertly avoiding her by craning his neck sideways and continuing to type away.

“But dad, it’s an amazing cottage resort! They’ve got a lake where you can go swimming in, a forest hiking trail, a bonfire to roast marshmallows and even a diner less than fifteen minutes away! So if you end up burning the camp food like last time, we can just order and eat in! Isn’t that great?” She beams. 

He stops typing for a second, fingers hovering over the keyboard as he gives his first born a look that makes her immediately break into a sweet smile, batting her lashes and flashing him a look of innocence. 

“Please?” She begs, standing on the edge of her feet as she gazes up at him. “The last time we went was when Eunbyul and me were toddlers.” 

And how on earth could any dad’s heart not melt at the sight of his daughter trying to convince him about one harmless vacation? 

Hongjoong wheels his office chair back, turning so he could look her in the eyes properly and tuck a stray hair behind her ear. 

“Listen honey, I’m sorry, I really wish I could, but…” he trails off, looking back at the open tabs and file documents displayed on his computer.

Turning his head around and upon seeing a frown form on his daughter's face, he quickly reassures her. 

“Once you finish your final piano recital tomorrow and your mom picks your sister up to take her to her hockey game, how about we go fishing the weekend afterwards?” he suggests, brows raising. “That’ll mean I have just the two of you all to myself.”

Eunseo mumbles under her breath, quiet but insistent enough that he catches it. 

“But we’re supposed to be a family of four.” 

She sulks, thinking of how that would leave you, her mother, left out of their plans. The arms holding the pamphlet up, ultimately fall down in defeat. 

He places a peck on her forehead, patting her on the back. “You know, if you can get your mom to say yes, then I’ll think about it” he chuckles, knowing the highly unlikely probability of the event.

Adjusting his glasses, the producer goes back to his work, peeking his daughter slugging away from the corner of his eye. 

Eunseo slumps her shoulders in defeat as she walks out of her dads office, turning the corner to see her twin sister, Eunbyeol, pressing her ears near the door with her neck outstretched. Clearly she’s been caught in the middle of trying to overhear their conversation. 

The twin younger by fifteen seconds quickly rushes over, waiting expectantly.

“So? What did dad say?”

Eunseo exhales, throwing the information pamphlet away on the wooden floors and slumping against the living room couch. 

“He’s totally not buggin. Said he wants to take us fishing next weekend instead. Just us three.” she grumbles. 

Eunbyeol scrunches her nose at the idea. 

“But dad sucks at fishing.”

Her sister groans, kicking her small feet against the couch in frustration. “I know!” Eunbyeol starts to worry, coming to sit beside her.

“Then how on earth are we going to get mom and dad to get back with each other again? They haven’t been in the same room since we were like, five!”

Her twin sister scoffs, “First, we gotta get them to have a proper conversation with each other. They barely even talk when they drop us off at each other's houses.”

Nobody truly knows why you and Hongjoong had divorced so suddenly when the girls were young. Not even themselves.

All they were used to were cold stares and one word replies shared amongst their parents, refusing to find harmony in their co-parenting.

Frankly, your girls have had enough of the performance you were both trying to maintain, looking past your expressions to realize you and your husband still held feelings for the other. It was only a matter of time and place in order to set you two up together, thus, the idea of an intimate, family getaway came into their minds. 

After a few moments of letting her words hang in the air, Eunbyeol’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. 

“That’s it!”

The older twin looks up quizzically, watching her sister jump off the couch and gaze at her excitedly. 

“We’ll just have to force them to meet each other! We can always guilt trip them for dropping us off at their houses and making us play alone!”

Eunseo rolls her eyes at the idea. “Right, and how are we going to do that dummy? The only reason they’d do that, was if it was an emergency.”

Whoever said twin telepathy wasn’t a thing was a liar, because the second Eunseo catches onto what her sister is saying, the twins share a look of pure mischievousness, the gears in their brains working together as one. 

With hushed whispers and quiet giggles, the twins immediately begin conducting their plan in secrecy near the corner of the living room, backs turned and in the middle of discussion when Hongjoong walks out of his office with an empty coffee mug. 

“What are you guys doing over there?”

“Leave us alone! Family man traitor!” Eunbyeol shouts, holding a slightly hostile grudge to her father before turning back to whisper to her twin. 

Hongjoong shakes his head, sighing as he heads into the kitchen. 

“Then it’s perfect! I’ll stay here with dad once my piano recital is over, and then when Mom picks you up for your hockey game tomorrow, we’ll try convincing them together!”

Eunbyeol nods her head in agreement, eyes lighting up with excitement as she whispers in a hushed tone. 

“And once both events end, we’ll pretend to be so sick that they have to take us to the nearby hospital.”

The other twin smirks. ”Where we’ll end up guilt tripping them into taking us to the cottage.”

They double high five in victory at their flawless plan, already waiting for tomorrow to come as soon as possible.

“A summer cottage?” you repeated, brows raising at the idea as you made a left turn onto your street. 

Eunbyeol nods eagerly from the back seat after getting picked up, having ranted on and on about the ad in the pamphlet since the moment you saw her.

“It's an amazing establishment mom,” She boasts, making you laugh at her words while parking the car and unbuckling your seatbelt.

“They have everything you could possibly think of!”

“Oh, really?” You say skeptically, opening the door for her. 

Eunbyeol is lost in the middle of passionately describing all the relaxing activities you could do by yourself, or rather per se, with a special partner together. 

“There’s couples hiking retreats, couples canoeing, couples yoga… did I mention couples hiking retreats?” She confuses, retracing her words. 

You roll your eyes and smile, keys jangling as you walk through the entrance of your apartment flat while balancing the bags and items in your hands.

Being a wedding dress designer and yet picking up your daughter from your ex-husband's house could’ve been ironic to some people. But after having split with Hongjoong since the girls were so young, you came to grow fond of having some independence as a divorcee, channeling your main focus into setting up your own bridal shop downtown.

It was through that hard work and focus that you did it all by yourself with no additional help.

You’d be lying if you said you haven't opened a bottle of red wine some nights due to loneliness as a divorced single mother, but at least that was what you had your daughters for.

You made sure to work just as hard as you did enjoy playing and spending time with them. After all, they were the light of your life and purpose for living.

Balancing the pizza you picked up on the way home, you set it down on the kitchen island, telling Eunbyeol to go wash her hands in the sink. The girl doesn’t stop ranting.

“There’s usually only two rooms in the cottage, so you’ll have to sleep together with dad, but I guess you won't mind, would you? After all, you were once married” She rolls her eyes, reaching for the soap.

You shake your head with a sigh. ”What is up with you and getting me and your father together in the same room?” you muttered as you took out the plates and utensils. 

Eunbyeol eventually walks back to you, wiping her hands on her baggy jeans before sitting on the kitchen stool. 

“It’s not that I’m obsessed, Mom. Actually, Eunseo and I are just dying to get away this summer now that school is over.”

Turning around from plating the pizza and salad, you chastise your daughter, telling her to sit with her bum flat on the stool so she doesn’t fall. She immediately listens, carrying on with her persuasion. 

“We just want you and dad to get the chance to relax as well, that’s all!” her mouth full from a bite of hot, greasy pizza. 

You smile, wiping your washed hands on the kitchen towel and coming over to wrap your arms around her affectionately. 

“Spending time with you and Eunseo every week is how I relax,” you assured her, smothering your baby with kisses on her cheek.

Byeol lets out a squeal of annoyance, taking another bite of her pizza. “You’re squishing me!” She tries hiding her smile, failing when you lean in closer. 

You pull back in laughter, ruffling her hair as you walk away while reminding her.

“Oh! Don’t forget you’ve got your hockey game tonight!”

Byeol chews faster, munching on the soft crust and counting down the hours on the kitchen clock. 

She smiles to herself. 

“Don’t worry, I know!”

“What do you mean you need to go to the hospital?” Hongjoong asks in a worried voice, standing against the women’s washroom stall. He holds Eunseo’s congratulatory flower bouquet for first place in hand, feeling the stares of multiple women passing by, clearly judging him for being in the ladies room with them. 

“Honey, is everything all right?” He asks worriedly. A string of groans come from behind the door.

“You need to leave!” one old lady thrusts her walking cane at the father, lips pursed in dissatisfaction. 

Eunseo did such a phenomenal job tonight for her piano recital, that Hongjoong was shocked to see his daughter clutch her stomach first thing after running down the steps of the stage, dashing to the washrooms.

He whips his head back. “My daughter’s having a bit of a situation in here, okay miss? Have a bit of understanding!” He barks frustratedly out loud to the onlookers before speaking softly back to the stall door. 

“Eunseo, baby, talk to me, is everything alright in there? Are you sure you need to go to the hospital? Is it that bad?” 

The girl continues her acting performance, letting out fake groans while typing furiously on her cellphone. 

“Oh the pain! I think I might have food poisoning, dad!”

Seolie: How far along are u

Byeolie: Mom’s outside, banging to come in. 

Seolie: same, I told dad I needed to go to the hospital.

Eunseo lets out another groan of pain, causing Hongjoong to worry even more. 

“That’s it, Eunseo. Let me in and help you” he decides, searching his bag for a painkiller or at least some sort of medication for relief. 

The girl frantically checks her phone, eyes lighting up at the new message. 

Byeolie: Mom’s getting the car to take me to the hospital. I’ve got her convinced to call dad soon.

Eunseo types as fast as her small fingers can move, even faster than when she performed her piano solo from before. 

Seolie: Then what do I do????

Hongjoong gets slightly suspicious at the lack of sound coming from the stall, calling to his daughter again.

“Eunseo? Everything alright?”

At the next notification, the girl makes up her mind, getting the signal from her sister. 

Byeolie: play dead. Mom calling soon. See ya there.

The actress gets into character, gaining her composure before unlocking the washroom stall and holding her stomach as she stumbles into her dad’s surprised arms. 

“Eunseo!”

She wails, falling limp. “Oh, dad! Please! Take me to the hospital, it hurts too much!”

It’s truly a mystery which parent she got her acting skills from.

But she doesn’t have to tell him twice at that point. The man is already piggy backing his fainted daughter and sprinting out of the ladies washroom, reassuring her with soothing comments as he makes a beeline for the parking lot.

“Stay with me baby!” He huffs, unbeknownst to Eunseo who peeks one eye open. 

Only after he straps his daughter in the backseat and is turning on the engine does he receive a sudden phone call from you, pressing the speaker for the whole car to hear your panicked voice. You break the news to him first. 

“Eunbyeol’s severely sick. She fainted right after her hockey game.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened. “What?”

You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “She was holding her stomach saying she ate something wrong. Is Eunseo okay?” 

Hongjoong puts the stick into drive, backing out of the parking lot and replying in a hurry.

“She’s hit with the same thing right now. I’ll meet you at the Hospital in ten” he grunts, sweat forming on his brow as he speeds through traffic, not caring if he gets a ticket. 

Had he looked in his rear view mirror, he would have seen Eunseo sagging near the car door, clutching her stomach with a small grin on her face.

You never liked the hospital. 

The sounds of babies crying and hospital beds wheeling become the background noise, shifting nervously in your seat that was in the emergency pediatrics unit waiting area. 

Hongjoong has his eyebrows furrowed, hunched over one seat beside you as he hangs his head in his hands, knees bouncing up and down. A middle aged nurse nasally calls on the next family waiting from the front desk, boredom laced in her voice. 

You sigh, uncrossing your legs and choosing to bite at the fingernail on your right hand once realizing you’ve already done the same to all the ones on your left. 

“It’s all my fault.” Hongjoong confesses, suddenly sitting still. 

You glance to your left, watching as he sits up slowly. 

“Last thing they ate together would’ve been at my house. I probably made them sick with something I fed them,” he dejects, hanging his head down in shame. 

“It’s all my fault, god I’m so stupid!” He beats himself up. 

You have half the mind to snap at your ex-husband, anger already filling up inside you earlier when you heard Eunbyeol suggest it was something she ate at her dad’s house. You really did want to yell at him for being so bad of a chef that he sent his own daughters to the emergency pediatrics unit, undeniably relieved that Seonghwa was working tonight’s shift. 

But those cruel words sitting on the tip of your tongue are thrown away when you glance down to see your ex-husband missing a shoe on one of his feet. 

Hongjoong rushed over here so fast with Eunseo that he left his shoe behind like some sort of fairytale, Cinderella. He hasn’t even realized he wasn’t wearing one right now.

You exhaled, knowing that if there's one thing you’ve learned while parenting, it was that to have patience and understanding was a virtue. Even for your ex-husband.

“It’s not your fault,” you sighed, staring at your hands folded in your lap. 

It feels awkward when Hongjoong stops tugging at his blond locks to look at you in surprise, continuing to speak as you place a gentle hand on his thigh. 

“That could’ve happened to anyone. We don’t know yet if it was because of the food. Let’s just pray and wait and see” your voice being a sign of reliability to him. 

The man is a little shocked at your supportive nature to tell you truthfully. He delivers all the things he needs to say through his grateful gaze alone, reciprocating a small smile. 

“Didn’t think I’d see you guys tonight.” Seonghwa chuckles, walking in before Hongjoong has the chance to reply. He comes from the patient's room wearing his dashing, white doctor's coat. “Together, at that” he mumbles under his breath before looking up and flashing you a polite smile while giving his worried friend a soft pat on the back.

Hongjoong holds his breath when he asks: “How are they?”

“Better,” he tells him, flipping through some papers on his clipboard. “But it was a big shock to their bodies. They need some rest at the moment.” 

The pediatrician tries not to show his smile, standing in front of you and Hongjoong while hiding his expression behind his clipboard as per his niece’s request.

To be fair, if someone had told Seonghwa earlier that evening that he would receive a fifteen minute pep talk from his best friend's twin daughters that day in the emergency unit, he would’ve laughed in their faces. 

Alas, life was always filled with surprises. Here’s what went down thirty minutes earlier in the hospital room:

“We’re trying to get them back together,” Eunseo announced confidently, sitting next to her sister on the hospital bed. 

Eunbyeol nodded, eyeing the dumbfounded medical professional standing in front of them with his clipboard tucked under his arm, hands in his pockets. 

“So.. you guys don’t need an IV drip?”

“It’s this whole entire thing, Uncle Hwa, we’ll explain to you later.”

It took a minute before Seonghwa reclaimed his composure as an adult, chastising the twins for pulling a false alarm over something like this. He made sure to make them promise him they wouldn’t do something stupid like this again. But after that, of course Seonghwa is immediately pairing to help them with their plan on getting his best friend back together with his ex-wife. The man is just tired of watching Hongjoong beat himself up half the time about missing you. 

“So you essentially want me to lie about the fact that you guys don’t have food poisoning, and were just faking this whole thing so your mom and dad would have a reason to see each other.” 

The twins nod, one of them pointing out. “And make sure to tell them we’re fine of course. Maybe throw in we’re like, really sick, but that we’ll live so it’s best if we get rest.”

“At like a cottage or something” the other chimes in, wiggling her eyebrows at the hint. 

The doctor sighs, scratching his neck sheepishly. 

When Seonghwa leads you and Hongjoong into the hospital room, both of you feel awful seeing your babies laying in their beds, dressed in the children’s gowns. 

Eunbyeol peeks open her eyes first, voice hoarse (she practiced). 

“Mom? Dad? Is that you?” she groans, pretending to clutch her stomach in pain. 

Both you and Hongjoong rush to each child, grasping their hands and stroking their heads softly with sympathy. 

“Hey baby, I’m here” you coo.

“I’m so, so sorry girls, it was probably all my fault. I should’ve never cooked for you guys earlier today.” their dad cries out painfully, looking down in shame.

You come to stand beside him, reassuring them both. “But what’s important is that you guys get better now. We want to make sure you get the rest you need” you say, making eye contact with your ex-husband. 

Seonghwa clears his throat, crossing his arms as he flashes a wink to the girls behind your backs. 

“They seemed to have been mentally exhausted as well,” He asks on purpose, watching as you and Hongjoong share a look with each other. “Have they been receiving proper familial support at home?” 

“I can’t even remember the last time I saw my parents in the same room together.” Eunseo weakly admits, showing a faint smile. 

As parents, you and Joong feel the most amount of guilt anyone could ever feel. You realize how exhausting and stressful the pickups and drop offs to each other's houses could’ve been, especially when you two were so busy with your respective jobs to spend time with your daughters now that it was summer break for them. 

Hongjoong smiles, holding both their hands and making a promise to them. 

“Make sure to rest you two. Tell me, is there anything you guys need right now? Anything you guys want I'll make sure to get it for you.”

”Do you guys have crunchy ice?” Eunbyeol blurts out loud, breaking her weak facade. 

Eunseo almost wants to shoot a glare at her sister but she realizes both of you are still looking at them. 

“I can get you some ice!” Seonghwa quickly assures you and his nieces, mouthing to them good luck for support as he shuts the door behind him. 

You sigh, coming over to stroke Eunseo’s hair and caress Eunbyeol’s hand. 

“Well? Is there anything else you guys need from us?” Hongjoong states, eyes soft in sympathy. You nod, waiting to hear their response.

“Let us know girls, anything at all.”

Eunbyeol and Eunseo finally take their chance, sharing a hesitant look before speaking at the same time. 

“We want to go to the cottage”

“Together,” Eunseo says.

“As a family.” Eunbyeol adds in.

You and Hongjoong share a silent look. 

Later into the night, the twins are finally discharged from the hospital, deciding that they would stay at Hongjoong’s mothers apartment which was closest nearby, considering they were both tired and immediately needed a place to rest. 

The car ride home is awkwardly silent, even as the kids are (what you think) to be fast asleep, hockey gear and a bouquet of flowers riding with them in the backseat.

It was at their request for you to drive them to their grandmother's house, wanting both their parents with them till the ride home. Hongjoong settled on driving your car and dropping all of you off, planning to take a taxi back home and pick up his own car in the morning. Despite your protest on how inconvenient that was, he insisted as he didn’t want to disappoint the twins.

But suddenly the man begins to regret his offer, currently driving in complete silence on the highway, eyes facing forward and shoulders tense. Quiet FM nightly jazz plays from the radio. 

You’re sitting passenger seat up front with him in what feels like forever, looking solely at the reflections in the window, the street lamp lights scattering across your face as you travel through the nighttime traffic. It’s awkward being together like this.

You hear him clear his voice, speaking softly so he doesn’t wake up the girls.

“So, are we really considering that cottage retreat?” he glances back at you. 

You sit up, straightening your back and exhaling as you secretly wanted to have avoided that topic of discussion.

“We can’t Hongjoong,” you reasoned, shaking your head. “I couldn’t possibly take a whole vacation from the dress shop. Not unless I had someone take care of it for me, which my staff probably aren’t ready to do.” you explained, voice tense.

Hongjoong nodded, understanding your point of view. “I realize that. I’ve got a few projects I have to record and demo with Eden.” he tells you, an arm placed on the wheel with his sleeve rolled up. His veins become perfectly outlined as he passionately tells you about his producing job.

He’s so hot like that.

Jesus what were you thinking? Cursing your mind as you clear your voice and try to change the topic.

“How’s everything been going then?” you say stiffly. He nods, still awkward with sharing conversation with you. 

“Um, it's going good. You?” he asks.  

“Fine.” you swallow. 

Silence prevails. He’s first to speak again, building the courage to say the next thing in his mind. 

“I’m willing to put things on hold if I need to.” He confesses. 

Hongjoong continues to drive normally after having said that. Now it becomes your turn to stare at him now, watching how he glances at the side mirror, switching lanes swiftly like the pro-driver he was. 

“What do you mean?”

“Honestly, I think it would be good for the girls,” he admits, calling you by your name. Even hearing him call you your name feels weird. It feels foreign, like it almost wasn’t yours. 

“Hongjoong-” you warn, shaking your head at the warry possibility. 

“Just hear me out, alright?” He states firmly, making you quiet. 

He glances back into the rear view mirror, watching your girls peacefully asleep with their heads leaning against each other. 

“It’s been almost seven years. Seven years since they’ve last seen their parents speak to each other without breaking into a fight. Tonight was the first time they saw us together without having to plan a drop off and pick up in god knows how long.”

Hongjoong licks his lips, gripping the wheel as he emphasizes. “Seven years since they’ve gotten a goodnight hug and kiss from us at the same time in one place.”

You scoff, turning to face him properly this time. “I don’t know why you’re acting as though we can make this request of theirs come true Hongjoong. This is a big deal-”

“It is a big deal!” he exclaims, trying to get his point across. “I can see how badly our daughters want us to both be in their lives more, to acknowledge the fact that the other still exists after splitting apart.”

He sighs. “Us, not acknowledging each other’s existence at all is worse than if we had to see each other regularly.”

You bite your lip, getting angry. “So what Hongjoong? You’re saying you want to suddenly play family with them at the cottage?”

You shrug your shoulders. “Do you really think we can pretend to be normal parents to them without fighting like we are now? There’s a reason why our current schedules work. Don’t make me seem like the bad guy for not wanting to take them.” You glared, pointing a finger at him. His jaw locks. 

“You fully knew the lifestyle changes we would need to make as a couple when you signed those legal papers—”

“Well then did you also predict everything that happened after you brought me those papers?” He spits like venom, gaze hard as he clenches the wheel.

You blink your eyes at his words, pressing your knees together at his sudden attack. 

You don’t remember clearly if you even meant what you said at the time when you threw those papers at him seven years ago. But all you still know is that Hongjoong was just as stubborn as you were, making up his mind to sign them in the end regardless.

Looking in the rear view mirror, you muttered to him quietly. 

“Don’t raise your voice. The kids are sleeping.”

Their dad scoffs, muttering a sure, under his breath as he switches lanes. 

The kids were in fact, not sleeping, and very much awake. Eyes closed but ears wide, as they were listening in to the first real discussion their parents were having in so long. Or perhaps it was an argument?

At the right turn into his mother’s apartment’s underground parking lot, Hongjoong shuts off the engine, getting out of the car without another word and shutting the door in your face. 

You pinched the bridge of your nose, hear the back door open. 

You watch in the corner of your vision as his demeanor immediately changes, softly caressing Eunseo and Eunbyeol’s hair. 

“Hey girls, we’re here now. You gotta wake up.” He coos.

They yawn theatrically, pretending to stretch their arms. 

“So soon?” Eunbyeol mumbles.

A few feet ahead, you see your mother in law walking out from the elevators, a knit cardigan wrapped around her small frame. You smiled, getting out of the car and greeting her first. 

“We’ll leave Eunbyeol’s hockey gear with you for the night if that’s alright Mom-” 

Hongjoong’s words are cut off as the woman who birthed him walks straight past him, ignoring him and immediately taking you in her warm embrace, eyes forming crescent moons. 

“How are you my dear?” she asks, causing you to smile and hug your mother in law affectionately. “It’s been so long, I’ve missed you so much!”

Despite the break up between you and Hongjoong, you were thankful for one thing, and that was the fact that your relationship with Hongjoong’s family stayed strong, especially with Mrs. Kim.

“I’ve missed you too” you tell her genuinely. “I’ve been good, I’m just sorry for dropping them off so suddenly at your place,” You say, feeling apologetic for waking her up late into the night. 

“We had a bit of a situation,” you explain, watching as Hongjoong collects their things. 

She shakes her head, reassuring you. “Nonsense! Why would you be sorry for that.” she grins, turning her head at the car. “And where are my girls, may I ask?”

At the sound of her voice, Eunbyeol and Eunseo dash out from the back seat and into their grandmother's welcoming arms, pressing soft kisses to her cheeks.

Hongjoong is the only person that stands all alone, awkwardly holding the bouquet of flowers with heavy hockey gear and a duffle bag perched on his shoulder. 

“Oh, how I’ve missed my little squirrels!” she exclaims using their signature pet name and happily reuniting with her grandchildren. 

She turns her head, face falling at the sight of her son and lips pursing into a frown. 

“And where on earth have you been? Not giving me a call!” she snaps, slapping her son on his back. Eunbyeol laughs out loud while Eunseo tries to keep her giggles in. 

You hear your ex husband protest to her while you close the back seat door. 

“OW! I’ve been busy alright?” he mumbles, massaging his sore arm. 

Your mother in law takes both the twins hand’s on each side, nodding her head to you. 

“Leave all the kid’s stuff to Hongjoong, he’ll take care of it darling” she smiles sweetly, sending a glare to her son to take a hint and be more of a gentleman to you. She walks away with her smiling granddaughters, exchanging light-hearted giggles and excitement. “Bye, mom!” The twins wave back. 

Hongjoong cranes his head up, sighing at the ceiling before taking Eunseo’s piano bag that you were holding in your hand in one swift motion, walking reluctantly behind the three. 

“Stay here. I’ll drop them off.” he briskly walks away, leaving you stunned. 

Hongjoongs words from before can’t help but replay inside your head as you wait for him to come back down. 

Before you guessed it, it was already the ride back home, and the car was painfully silent once again. In reality, you were each thinking deeply to yourselves about the possibility of the cottage retreat. Could you really be a mom and dad together as a couple to your kids?

“Are you giving your plants enough water?” He brings you out of thought, the car slowing down as he turns onto your street. 

You look up, giving him a confused look. 

Hongjoong nods in direction, following his eyes to look at the measly, dying flower pot perched on the steps of your flat’s entrance as the car stopped to a halt. “You know, it’s really hard for plants to die when they’re outside.” He says in amazement at your shit gardening. 

You scowl at him, asking him when he became such a plant expert all of a sudden. 

He continues to poke fun at you, smirking when he undoes his seat belt. Hongjoong suddenly leans over to help you unbuckle your own, face dangerously close to yours as he lowers his voice. 

“Unless their owner just really sucks at taking care of them.” 

His eyes gaze into yours for a split second, feeling your face heat up from the proximity. You let out a tiny gasp for air when he leans back in his own seat. 

“Fuck off” you replied harshly. 

“You should give them some more care,” he suggests, ignoring your swearing. 

You don’t reply to his stupid comment, refusing to look at him as you get out of the car. 

“I can go in by myself” you press, adjusting the strap of your purse on your shoulder. You didn’t think it was necessary to draw out your time with this man any further.

Hongjoong straightens his dress shirt as he moves to your side of the car, shoving his own car keys in his trousers as he locks your doors and hands over the keys. You take them hesitantly, watching as he rests against the car door, strong arms crossing against his chest. 

“Think about it at least.” he mutters to you. 

You look at him, eyes shutting softly when you realize he was still talking about the cottage getaway. Sighing his name is exasperation, you run a hand through your hair. 

“Hongjoong-”

“Would it kill you to spend a week with me and our daughters?” He scoffs as he asks you straight up, looking at you in a way that makes you hesitate to say your next words. You observed one hand come to shuffle with the silver lighter in his trouser pockets. 

You stayed silent for a moment, genuinely thinking back to your daughters and what this meant to them if you went. What this would mean for you two as well. 

Finally, you look up to him, returning his gaze.

“I need time.” 

He nods, face serious. “I understand.”

“Let me think about it.” You mumbled. 

And with that you turn around, walking up the steps to your front door. At the sight of your flowerpot, you quickly remember his comment and snatch it in your hands, slamming the door shut to Hongjoong as he finally lets a soft grin break out on his face. Letting his back come up from leaning against the door, Hongjoong nods his head, satisfied enough at that answer, as he walks silently down the road while opening his Uber app. 

At least you’d give it some thought. 

Okay, maybe now you’ve given it too much thought. 

Sipping your fifth glass of wine of the night, you’re sitting, back hunched over with your knees tucked into your chest on the breakfast table chair, zoning out as your best friend Sophie continues barking at you and your inconsistent commitment. 

“I don’t even understand why you’re considering going! Does the man realize what it takes to leave your own shop for a full week?” she fumes, adjusting her royal jelly sheet mask while cursing at your ex-husband for pressuring you into going to the family retreat. 

“Not everyone can just pack their bags and go swimming at the cottage, Jesus Christ” she rolls her eyes. 

“He didn’t pressure me,” you told her pouting. “He wants to do it for the kids” you mumbled looking down as you defended him. 

You invited your best friend Sophie over to your apartment that evening for your weekly slumber party, a time you each looked forward to dedicating a bottle of wine and chardonnay over some gossip, spilling all the uneventful drama in your lives. 

Perhaps you revealed too much drama to your best friend tonight. 

“I don’t think I would mind going, to be honest” you hiccup, words slurring. “I haven’t had a vacation in so long, Sophie, and the girls really want to go! I would feel bad for leaving them with nothing to do this summer.” confessing through the alcohol. 

Cheeks flushed, you sigh as you play with your silk robe mindlessly while Sophie shakes her head at you, one hand coming up to snap at you and bring you back to reality. 

“Hello? Earth to Ms. Divorcee?” She sighs, rolling her eyes in frustration. “You said you wanted to set boundaries with him! To cut the line straight and keep your distance so you could get over your feelings for him! Show him who’s boss!” 

“He said he’s willing to put his music projects on hold for us,” you muttered quietly, the thought making your heart weak as you smiled at the memory of Hongjoong teasing you about your flower pot. Your chest blossomed with warmth now. 

Sophie sighs, shaking her head as she thinks just how differently you were feeling four wine glasses ago.

“Listen, honey, I’m just warning you in advance” she sips the golden liquid in her glass before placing it on the table. 

“Take it from a girl who’s had three divorces. I mean look at me! I’m still somewhat young, I’ve got no kids, no responsibilities, filthily rich, and not once have I had to pay for my own divorce settlement fees!” 

You nod mindlessly, eyes blinking softly under the bright kitchen lights. 

“What you need is a provider, sweetheart,” she crooned, caressing your head. 

“A guy who won’t leave you stressed and unimpressed like Hongjoong does.”

You continue mindlessly nodding your head at her words, ears perking up when you hear small footsteps come down the stairs. 

“Hi mom, Hi aunt Sophie.” Eunbyeol greets, eyes glued to her iPad that Eunseo trails after from behind, whining how it was now her turn to play Super Mario.  

“Hi girls,” Sophie replies like the cool, hot aunt she is, eyes shut as she’s concentrating on giving herself a collarbone massage right now. 

“Hey sweetheart,” you mumbled, smiling at your daughters standing near the fridge getting a glass of water. 

“Say, did your dad tell you guys anything about the cottage?” You blurt out loud, avoiding the look that Sophie gives you. Eunbyeol looks up from the glowing screen, ears perking in interest. “No, not much, why?” 

Eunseo snatches the iPad from her twin, coming over to you. “Did Dad say we’re going?” She asks enthusiastically, eyes widening. Sophie is quick to assure them. 

“Now of course not girls, your mother here was just-”

“Oh fuck it, why not?” you say confidentially, shining a bright smile. “Let’s go to the cottage!” You exclaimed in drunk excitement, all three girls staring at you with their jaws hanging at your sudden profanity as well as your final decision. 

Oh, how dangerous the effects of a bottle of wine were. 

Eunseo and Eunbyeol immediately embrace each other in a passionate hug, squealing in excitement that their plan actually worked. You and Hongjoong were now both convinced. “Oh my gosh, we’re going to go as a family!” They cried in happiness. You giggled at their joy, reciprocating their enthusiasm.  

Sophie leans back in her seat defeated, shaking her head with pursed lips as she picks up the whole Chardonnay bottle and sips it. 

“Oh whatever. . . This isn’t my problem anyways.” 

When Hongjoong drops by the next morning to pick up Eunbyeol and Eunseo from your house for the weekend, he can’t lie but be a little heartbroken at the way his daughters ignore his kiss to them first thing. They instead, immediately shove the cottage advertising pamphlet in his face with victorious grins. 

“See! We told you mom would say yes!” 

“Say yes to what?” He pouts, avoiding the paper and obsessively trying to peck a kiss to each of his daughter's cheeks. The idea of going to the cottage almost slipped the busy man’s mind after almost a week of no news from you. 

“What’s so important that you guys don’t even say hi to me anymore?” he sulks.

Eunseo giggles, fighting back her laughter when her dad tries to tickle her with his kisses. 

“We’re going to the cottage!”

Hongjoong stills himself, leaning back to make sure he heard her correctly. 

“We’re what?”

Eunbyeol, taking after her mother, has a cheeky expression on her face as she places her hands on her hips and sasses her father. 

“Pack your bags and swimming shorts, daddy, we’re going on a family vacation!” 

In perfect timing, you manage to stumble out your front door, coffee mug in hand and mid-yawn when you realize Hongjoong is already staring at you in shock. 

“What?” you snap, still grumpy from your slight hangover. “You’ve never seen a woman wake up before?” You replied, asking your kids if they packed all their stuff. 

The twins watch as their dad stands up from his crouched position. 

“You’re going to go to the cottage?”

At Hongjoongs words you freeze, everything coming back to you all at once. The wine, the twins, the promises, it hits you like a moving truck. 

“Well…”

“No take backs mom! You said it yourself last night that you were excited to go to the cottage!” One of the twins pointed out. 

Hongjoong doesn’t take his eyes off of you. 

“I-I did say that, didn’t I?” You chuckled sheepishly, toes curling at the rookie mistake you made in parenting 101: saying yes when you should’ve said no. 

Your ex-husband quickly tells the kids to put their things in the trunk, promising he’ll be right with them after talking to you. As Hongjoong dashes up the stairs in his white polo golf shirt, you feel slightly exposed being in only your silk slip dress and robe. 

“I didn’t realize you’d be here so early” you mumbled, looking down at your toes. 

He ignores you. “So I’m guessing we’re going then?” He smirks, looking at you with an expression of undeniable cockiness and peaked interest. 

You shrug nonchalantly. “Let’s surround the focus of this trip towards the kids” you remind him, straightening your back.

Hongjoong nods, agreeing with you wholeheartedly. “Of course, that was my intention from the beginning,” he smiles. 

You swallow the lump in your throat, unnoticing his stare drop at your breasts perking up from the cool morning air. You jump in surprise as you hear the honking of the car. 

“Come on, love birds! We gotta go back to dad’s to get our swimming stuff!” Eunbyeol cackles, leaning from the backseat into the driver's seat window. Eunseo already begins journaling in her hello kitty note book, an organized list of what she’ll need to bring to the cottage.

Hongjoong looks back at his daughters, before looking back at you with a smile. 

“Let’s keep in touch about details, alright?”

You nod silently, gripping your mug. At the sound of your nextdoor neighbor coming out, Hongjoong contemplates for a moment before quickly leaning forward, shielding you from their view with his backside. Clearing his throat, Hongjoong nods his head to the inside of your house, leaning forward to whisper to you. 

“Think, um, you should get inside, it’s getting cold,” he mutters, his dimples faintly showing. You glare up at him, “I’m going to say goodbye to my own daughters”. Still clueless to what he was referring to. He grins, shrugging his shoulders before looking at you. 

“If you insist. Just thought you wouldn’t want your neighbor to see what I can see, would you?”

You gasp at his words, looking down at your chest to see what he means before wrapping your robe around you. You quickly waved goodbye to your girls before you shut the door in Hongjoong’s smug face. 

It’s now become the second time you’ve done that.

Thankfully, the next time you see Hongjoong you’re wearing a much more appropriate outfit. In a white cotton blouse and casual jean shorts, your effortlessly chic vacation outfit was the only highlight today, considering the day you had been internally dreading for so long was finally here. 

You tried to take deep breaths while scurrying all over your house and finishing some last minute packing. Reassuring yourself that a family getaway couldn’t kill you. 

Right?

Reservations at the cottage were made over the phone last week, booking a house with the perfect lake side view, access to the forest trail and close proximity to the offered activities. It would only be a seven day stay, both in your respective rooms, (you clearly emphasized you and Hongjoong had to have separate ones) while the twins would lodge together. You had no intention of interacting with your husband alone together on this trip, apart from the quote on quote, ‘family bonding times’ you promised your daughters. And yet why were you here sweating nervously like a sinner in church?

“What a hot lady!” Eunbyeol wolf-whistles at your outfit when she walks through your bedroom doors. You jump at the sudden entrance, realizing Hongjoong was already here to pick you up with the girls.

A pair of black designer sunglasses slightly too big for her sat perched on her nose. Eunbyeol smiles before jumping onto your bed of clothes. You already know Hongjoong must’ve spoiled her and her sister with those, buying them a pair each.

“C’mon Byeol, off the bed” you quipped, packing your toothbrush as she reluctantly slugged off the covers. 

Your suspicions of Hongjoong buying them designer items are correct when Eunseo walks in, classily perching her matching white ones on her head before chastising her sister's tasteless compliment. 

“Elegant. She’s Elegant, Byeol. You don’t just go around wolf-whistling at people.” she rolls her eyes. 

“You look very pretty by the way, mom”

You smiled, nevertheless pleased at both their compliments and thanking them before going back to doing a last minute check of your things. 

Sun cream, clothes, makeup bag, swimsuit…

At the thought of your swimsuit you immediately blush, thinking back to how Sophie forced you to borrow her yellow bikini that left very little to the imagination. Despite your protests that you wouldn’t be needing it, she insisted. 

Hongjoong is last to walk through your front doors, swinging his car keys around his index finger and calling to his three girls from the downstairs foyer of your apartment. The man is clearly excited for the trip, he can’t lie. 

“Come on ladies, we’re gonna miss the chance to swim in that lake if we don't leave soon!” 

Hongjoong is your typical dad, except for the fact that he does not mess with dad!fashion. The producer is dressed classily from top to bottom in a loose-fitting designer button up with a pair of reformed denim pants, his pearl earrings and gold piercings complementing his outfit perfectly. 

Kim Hongjoong didn't play when it came to fashion. Even as a father. 

“Coming!” You exclaimed, ushering your kids out of your bedroom and making your way down the stairs with your suitcase. Seeing that it would only be a week at the cottage, you tried to pack light, though you may have to reconsider that thought with the way you struggled to lift the case properly. 

“Need some help?”

A strong hand comes to help you, immediately inhaling the scent of Hongjoong’s cologne as he brushes his knuckles near yours. “Here, I’ve got it” he assures, making you step back and admire your undeniably fine husband. 

Ex-husband. You meant Ex-husband. Scratch out the fine as well. 

You watch from behind as he struts out the foyer, smiling and joking playfully with his twin daughters, carrying your luggage out the door with them. 

What was this trip doing to you?

Once you’re on route to the cottage resort and the GPS is set, the car is blissfully quiet, each and every one of you surprisingly at peace. Jittery excitement still lays deep in your daughters' minds as you overhear them talk about what they want to do first once they arrive. 

Hongjoong’s 2000s soft rock and ballad playlist is playing quietly throughout the speakers right now, relishing in the music as luscious, green trees flash by you from the passenger window. 

While Byeol and Eunseo distract each other on their own, Hongjoong turns to talk to you. 

“I’m not going to lie, it’s been forever since I’ve been on a road trip” he smiles.

You copy him, feeling good in the moment. “Same, I don’t remember the last time I went to one.” you confessed, thinking only of all the times you had in the past when you were a child and as a teenager. 

Even back to when you were a young college student, wide eyed and so innocent to the chaos of your first college retreat with Hongjoong. That was the summer you two began dating, and boy were you fools in love. You cautiously look to your husband driving, bringing up past memories.

“Do you remember that one college retreat we went on during second year?” 

The corners of Hongjoong’s lips are already grinning upwards, smiling as he reciprocates your expression. 

“Right, like I could forget that summer” he replies sarcastically, gripping the steering wheel. 

It’s an easy memory to digest. A time when you were both so young, filled with nothing but dreams and passionate love for one another. Love so deep, that you remember the nights you’d spend locked up with Hongjoong under the sweaty bed sheets inside your cabin, blissfully making love until the sun would rise and he would finally kiss you to sleep. Perhaps, it was that summer when you realized you were going to marry and be with Kim Hongjoong forever someday. 

Though it’s too bad, someday already passed. 

“Do you remember when Seonghwa got so drunk he ended up confessing to Jieun in front of all the girl’s sleeping cabins?” Hongjoong snickers, relishing in the embarrassing memory his friend always hates him for bringing up. You laugh out loud, remembering the memory. “Oh my god, yes!” You turned to face him, shaking your head. “In nothing but his underwear, right?” 

Hongjoong nodded, smiling with one hand on the steering wheel as he drove.

“Didn’t he end up jumping into the lake afterwards? With you having to go in and save him as well?” You share your laughter with one another, catching up on past memories as your twin daughters listened attentively in the back, reliving them with you together.

That's what makes the hour and half drive from the city into the wilderness feel so short, finally pulling into the graveled parking lot of the vast cottage resort. White suburban cottages lined along one another, a good amount of distance in between each for every family staying. 

As Hongjoong parked the car, the view outside was so glorious you had to hold your breath. Glistening clear blue waves in the lake reflect the bright sunshine from above. A light breeze is present today with the way the willow and oak trees swayed gently. 

“It’s beautiful” you gasped from as far as you got out of the car, stretching your upper body with eyes closed as you inhaled the fresh air. 

Hongjoong stills his movements, shutting the door before replying with his gaze caught at your backside.

“Yeah, it is” he smiles.

Both of you turn around at a loud voice coming from behind. “We’re gonna explore the campsites and souvenir shops first!” Eunbyeol shouts as she runs away with her sister's hand in hers, towards the wooden cabin that's settled further away. 

“What about lunch?” you call to them. 

“We’re not hungry!”

Hongjoong tells them to be safe, and to stick around nearby. You smirked, helping him unload the trunk as you told him. “They’ll be fine. They’re probably too excited to even think right now” you giggled, bumping shoulders with him. 

You feel the tension that was once so strong between you two fade slowly, walking up the wooden steps of your lodge and exchanging conversation with each other.

“Hey, I just want my babies to be safe” he admits, a grin on his face as he holds the cooler in his hands. You chuckle, shaking your head at his protectiveness. 

“Here it is!” he exclaims, setting the suitcases in the front foyer as he opens the door. “Lodge number 1117”

The two story cottage is larger than it appears from the outside, having a modern yet rustic interior that you and Hongjoong admired. It had everything you would need, from a well designed kitchen area to a cozy living room space.

“It’s perfect, the kids will love it” you beam, looking at the hanging hammock chair in the corner of the living room and the gray stone fireplace. It fit perfectly for your family. 

Hongjoong smiles, sunglasses perched on top of his head as he sets the luggage down near the kitchen. Walking up beside him, you help him unload the cooler and ice boxes first, settling into your new home for the next few days. 

“I’m guessing you still drink?” you ask, looking in his direction as you unloaded the case of beer you saw him bring from the trunk.

He gestured to the booze. “C’mon, it wouldn’t be a vacation without it, would it?” 

You wholeheartedly agreed, placing a few in the fridge before you shut it closed. 

“Hopefully, this time we won’t end up shit faced like we did back in college” you laugh, turning to face him. 

“I can already picture that time we got so drunk from that bottle of tequila my friend brought, we snuck out of the campsite and went to the forest and got lost.” you spoke, the memory a little foggy but nonetheless fresh in your mind. 

Hongjoong smiles, listening as you speak.  

“There wasn’t anything but trees and bushes in that forest!” You exclaimed, shaking your head. “What did we even do there?” 

Hongjoong replies nonchalantly, folding the cardboard box in his hands.

“I’m pretty sure we fucked.”

You momentarily freeze at his words, before letting out a soft awkward laugh, causing him to look up. 

“No we didn’t, Hongjoong” you immediately deny, not believing his words. But your brows began furrowing at the foggy memory, starting to realize you really couldn’t trust your alcohol tolerance, now as an adult and even back when you were a college student. Did you guys have sex? In a forest out of all places?

Hongjoong leans against the kitchen counter, across from you as he crosses his arms in front of his chest and smirks smugly. 

“Nope, I distinctly remember it” he recalls, taking a step closer so he was now in your space. 

“I held your hand in mind as we walked up that trail by the cliff. And gosh, were we horny that night, because I remember you complaining about all that dirt you got on your knees from giving me the greatest head i've ever experienced in my entire life-” 

Slapping your hands over his mouth to stop him from going on, you blushed as you glared at him. 

“Jesus christ,” you mumbled, rolling your eyes before confessing.

“I get it, we fucked.”

Suddenly, you and Hongjoong break out into giggles like varsity sweethearts again at the story. Though embarrassed and cringing internally from the way you acted as young adults, it was nice to share them together now. At the proximity in which you’re standing in, you can't help but stare at each other softly. A hand wraps around your waist, making your breath hitch as he pulls you closer. 

“What are you doing?” you grin, watching him.

He looms over you, able to tell that something sits right at the tip of his tongue that he hesitantly decides to say. “I’m pretty sure,” he mutters, staring at your face and cautiously grazing the skin under your blouse. You feel your breathing speed up. 

“I also held you like this in my arms as you were leaning against that tree” his grip gentle and immediately transporting you back to the scenery that night. His sharp tone contrasts his touch. 

“Yknow, the one we fucked against?” he teases to you one more time.

The scent of burning campfire. A cold, midnight breeze. The feeling of the rough cedar tree against your back as Hongjoong thrusted inside you with every delirious snap of his hips, holding you close while he fucked you to oblivion with only the forest animals standing witness to your sinful actions. The film replays like a cheesy R-rated romance movie in your mind. 

“Did you, now?” You gulp, looking up at him as you adjust to the foreign feeling of his touch on your hips. 

“Yeah. I remember it all” he states, smirking down at you with an intense gaze.

The memory dies down when you catch yourself staring at his lips, arms finding their way around his neck as he dives down to whisper softly to you.

“Do you remember too?” He asks.

How he held you in his arms. How he whispered in your ear while you came around his cock, drool and traces of cum littering the corners of your mouth while Hongjoong didn’t care if you were stretching his flannel from how hard you were tugging at the material.

You nod. “I do,” you muttered, lashes fluttering as you felt as though your heart wouldn’t stop beating. “I remember you kissed me on the lips,” you confessed. 

Perhaps you wanted him to do it again right now. 

He looks in your eyes, searching for your approval that you desperately give, breath hitting each other's faces as he slowly leaned down to try and connect your lips. His chest is pressed against yours, and you begin to realize you haven’t shared the same breath like that in so long. You were so close to kissing right then and there.

If only you leaned in closer…

“We’re back!”

You push Hongjoong across the kitchen, shoving his hip painfully into the marble counter and ignoring his high-pitched groan of agony as you immediately look away to avoid suspicion, continuing to grab the beer from the icebox in front of you.

“Girls!” you exclaimed, voice wavering. 

Of course, Eunbyeol and Eunseo walk in with matching postcards and goodies from the souvenir shop in their hands, their sunglasses perched on their heads as their eyes lit up with excitement. They were still oblivious to the fact that they almost caught their parents about to make out in the kitchen.

“Dad, this place is amazing!” Eunbyeol deadpans, telling her father. “They even have jet skiing on the other side of the lake! We gotta go now!”

Hongjoong clutches his hip, pursing his lips as he hides his expression of pain and surprise. 

“Really? That's great sweetie”

Eunseo however, is quick to catch on.

“What were you guys doing?” she looks at you suspiciously. Her words hang in the air for a moment. 

“Were you guys about to kis-”

Hongjoong and you frantically scurry to find a plausible excuse, shuffling awkwardly. 

“I was helping your dad unload the cooler” 

“I was helping your mom get something out of her eye”

Both girls stare at you meekly. Eunbyeol scrunches her nose. “Huh?”

Plastering on a fake smile, you briskly leaped over the luggage nearby, ushering them upstairs before they had the chance to ask anymore questions.

“I think it’s time to unpack your things.” you watched their eyebrows quirk at the way you pushed them out the kitchen.

“We can do it on our own, mom! It’s really no big d-”

You clamp Eunbyeol’s mouth shut with your hand, blushing profusely as you walk away with them. 

Hongjoong stands there alone in the kitchen, rubbing his hip and wondering what the hell just almost happened.

The next few days, you and Hongjoong don’t discuss the incident between you two. Rather, the beginning of the trip after that event has become a painful performance trying your best to be eerily polite yet distant to each other in front of your children, as if that would make you forget the fact that you two almost kissed in the kitchen.

“Could you pass the sunscreen, honey?” Hongjoong would say awkwardly, turning his back to flash you a cheery smile on the lake deck as Eunbyeol and Eunseo watched you interact while floating in the cool, summer waters. 

You passed the bottle to your ex-husband while maintaining awkward distance. “Of course, darling!” 

“Thanks honey!”

“No problem sweetheart!”

This resulted in Eunbyeol and Eunseo looking at their parents in horror, the youngest twin muttering under her breath as they discussed an urgent change of plans.

“We have to get them to stop being weird.”

Apart from that, the ‘family bonding time’ promise to your daughters was maintained, and each day was an adventure for all of you in terms of what you would do together next. An accumulation of forest trekking, water-skiing and outdoors barbeques on the patio of your cottage made everyday feel more and more special for your girls, seeing how they relished in having both their parents with them at the same place and time. It became moments of peace and resolution that eventually became special for you and Hongjoong too. 

“I hope we stay here forever,” Eunseo blurted out one evening after a blissful day near the lakeshore, watching as the sun began to go down. She was busy licking the sticky sides of her melting ice cream cone in one hand, the other one held in yours. 

Hongjoong and Eunbyeol were a few feet ahead, laughing loudly and holding hands as they compared their fruit popsicles with one another to see whose was bigger. 

“You and Byeol would eventually get sick of going to the lake all the time” You smiled, the corners of your mouth turning up before her next words made the strings of your heart tug. 

“Sure, but at least you and dad could be together with us too.”

You watched as she ran up to her sister and dad, joining in on their fun as she began boasting that her ice cream was better than theirs. Hongjoong’s smile is the biggest you’ve ever seen it to be, looking down at his girls with a golden tan from the past few days spent outside, and hair slightly damp from swimming. 

Any person could tell the love in his eyes was as pure a father’s love for his girls could be. 

Her words stuck with you until that very night, where after dinner, board games, and much pacing back and forth in your own room before getting into bed, you decided to cautiously approach Hongjoong’s room on the opposite side of the second floor.

Bare feet padded across the wooden floors as you peeked through the sliver of the open door.

He's wearing an oversized sleep tee and blue pajama pants, getting in some nighttime reading before bed. His glasses are perched on his nose, intently reading his paperback novel. He looks as domestic as a husband gets. 

At the sound of your steps though, he sits up from his relaxed state on his bed, one arm that was supporting his head coming out as the other hand settles the book down on his abdomen. He looks surprised to see you. 

“Hi” he states, looking at you. 

“Hey”

Hongjoong’s expression immediately softened at your figure, watching as you shuffled awkwardly in front of him. The room is quiet. 

“Can I come in?”

“Of course,” He nods, setting his bookmark in the spine of the cover and turning his attention to you, offering you to take a seat on his linen covers. You see his polaroid camera with photos taken of Eunbyeol and Eunseo perched on a desk nearby. 

You don’t see the ones he secretly took of you, as those are in his drawers. 

“Don’t tell me you can’t sleep by yourself” he gently teases before watching as your smile doesn't reach the ends of your eyes. You wrap your silk robe closer to your body, feeling sort of vulnerable. 

“How do you like the resort so far?” He asks, watching as you played with your fingers absentmindedly. “Is the room okay?”

“It’s wonderful Hongjoong, better than I could ever have hoped for.” You spoke up, telling the truth.

It’s hard to arrange your thoughts in your head when it’s just the two of you in his room. The kids were already fast asleep. Now was your chance to just tell him how you felt. Why were you hesitating so much?

“Hey, look at me.” Hongjoong’s soft voice calls out to you, a protective hand coming out to caress the back of your head in habit. He can tell you want to say something, and the gesture makes you emotional, remembering how he always used to do that to ease your nerves when you were younger. 

“What’s wrong? Am I making things uncomfortable on the trip?” he worries about the boundaries you established with him at the beginning, watching as your lip begins to quiver and the emotions suddenly overcome you. 

“I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry.” you sniffled, tears forming near the brim of your eyes as you looked up at the father of your children. 

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, shifting through the covers over to you. “Woah, hey, shh that’s alright I got you” he coos, immediately going into dad mode and embracing you in his arms, letting your head rest against his chest. 

The action is natural, no longer foreign or weird, and you silently thank him for leaving reassuring circles on your back. Husband or not, Hongjoong would always be your best friend first. You had forgotten how much you missed this comforting side to him.  

“Tell me what you’re sorry about” he states, chest tightening at your wet cheeks before he slowly raises your chin to look him in the eyes. 

“For being mean to you for so long” you sniffle, a weakened state of emotional guilt eating away at you. You let him watch you carefully.

“I’ve been thinking about how happy the girls have been during this trip. A-And it kills me that we’ve been fighting for the past seven years, and that they’ve grown up seeing such bad parts of ourselves, of my own self” you ramble, confessing how you felt. 

You look up. “They’re happy because we’re together Joong. Because we’re not fighting or avoiding each other like we used to do before.”

He watches as you look up at him with tears forming in your eyes. 

“You’re such a good dad. And I realized you deserve to hear that.”

At the sounds of more sniffles, Hongjoong finally speaks, smiling as he brushes stray hair from your face. 

“I wouldn’t want anyone else but you to be the mother of our children, I hope you know that”

His truthfulness throws you off guard.

“I’m sorry too” he sighs, letting you sit up straight and look him in the eyes properly. “I haven’t been the best partner either, baby. We were both mean to each other.” he says, brushing a tear away from your face.

“I’m pretty sure you’ve thrown a hair dryer at me once before as well” he attempts to make you laugh, affection blooming in his chest when he sees he succeeds, wiping your tears. 

“But I already knew how you felt, sweetheart. I always know” he smiles, eyes mirroring a weak ache in his heart.  

“Married or not, we were once friends. And now we’re family” His voice turns deep, strong and dependable like the father he’s become.

“We can start over” you tell him, smiling as he folds his hands over your palm. “We can always do better from now and going forward. For ourselves, and for Eunseo and Eunbyeol.” 

Hongjoong nods, hesitantly for a split second before he leans over to press a soft kiss to your cheek, showing a gesture of affection that you longed for so long.

You shut your eyes, the kiss making your heart flutter. 

“Friends again?” He whispers, though silently wanting something more. 

You sighed, pulling him in closer to embrace in a hug. “Friends” you nodded while inhaling his comforting scent. 

The next morning, and for the rest of the remaining trip onwards, you and Hongjoong’s relationship dynamics did the equivalent of a 180 degree turn. 

It’s hard to believe you two really just wanted to be ‘friends’

Eunbyeol and Eunseo could tell by the way you talked to each other more, noticing you share more secret glances and fleeting touches that were innocent to the eye, but concealing a longing that you both tried to hide. You knew you couldn’t get carried away. You and Hongjoong were simply resolving a rough patch in your parenting. Not getting back together in a relationship. 

But after spending more time together while Eunbyeol and Eunseo became occupied on their own, it was hard keeping the interactions to a justified amount. Long walks in the forest, evenings spent cooking together, even cuddling together on the couch during family movie night. Thinking your kids were too busy watching the vintage Disney movie play on screen, when in fact, the real love story they were more invested in was happening right in front of their eyes, watching their parents falling in love again.

This led to the last event in their plan that they hoped would finally seal the deal. 

On Saturday night, the last night of your trip before you had to go back to the city, you and Hongjoong are surprised to find mini invitations left on your beds, scribbled in glitter pen and cursive handwriting reading out the following:

Gourmet Dinner Date for 2

Time: 7:30 pm

Location: Outdoor patio 

Dress code: Formal and Classy

You and your husband chuckled at the cards left on your beds, suddenly finding a twin each by your side and ushering you to get ready. 

“Do you and your sister even know how to cook dinner, Eunbyeol?” You questioned as your daughter rushed to push you into your walk-in closet, forcing you to get ready. 

She huffs, placing her hands on her hips looking offended. 

“At least my cooking skills don’t take after Dad’s, mom.” She mumbled, choosing your shoes for you. “Have some trust in a girl!”

Meanwhile, Hongjoong gets pampered by Eunseo in the other room, though in reality, her blunt critiques on her dads fashion are bruising his pride at the moment. 

“Dad, you have many normal clothes to wear. You have to chill with the ripped baggy jeans.” she demands, trudging through his closet to find something formal for him to wear. 

He begins to protest but his daughter shakes her head. “You’re supposed to look good for mom!” she huffs, searching on her own. At Eunseo’s words, the man starts to slightly worry, scratching the back of his head. 

“You and Byeol are gonna join too, right?”

She stops for a second, looking back to her father as she avoids the question and instead retorts back. 

“It’s just a date, Dad. Relax”

Back to what was happening in the other room at the end of the hallway, you huffed in frustration when you walked back into your closet after Byeol rejected another one of your outfits for the dinner date. 

“I have nothing else to wear, sweetie, these are all the clothes I have.” you came to terms with a hand coming to your forehead after having searched in despair. 

The ten year old shakes her head before pushing you out of the way and digging deep into your suitcase. She reveals a delicate piece of material you didn’t even realize you packed. 

“We got some help from Aunt Sophie and Uncle Hwa to pack you guys clothes that you could wear for a special occasion.” she wiggles her eyebrows, a smug grin on her face as you gap in shock. 

You inspect the dress, lips parting in disbelief as you feel the material. 

“I haven’t worn this since I was in college.” You uttered softly to yourself. 

At one longing look of the short dress, you shake your head, walking back into the closet to find something else. “I-I can’t wear this Byeol, what would your dad think?“ you asked nervously.

“Dad said he thinks your boobs looked hot in this dress so Aunt Sophie and I picked it specially” she looks up at you, proud of what she just said.  

You whip your head around, mouth hanging open in shock.

“Byeol! Where did you hear that from?” 

She sighs. “Dad had one too many drinks this one time and started talking about you guys back in college” she explained before shoving the infamous black dress in your hands. 

“Talked a lot about how pretty you were,” she draws out her words in a teasing voice. You curse your husband for his mistake.

You bite your lip as you stare down at the fabric in your hands. 

It was undeniable. You knew you looked amazing in this dress. You could testify from the amount of times Hongjoong ripped it off of you after countless night out’s filled with sexual tension and playful flirting. For god's sake, Eunbyeol and Eunseo could’ve almost had another sibling thanks to that dress.

“Fine.” you muttered bashfully, turning away as you walked into the closet to change. 

“But I’m just gonna try it on.”

Thirty minutes, one mental breakdown and too many outfit changes to count later, you walk down the stairs wearing the dress Eunbyeol had successfully persuaded you to wear. 

What do you know, the kid was right. Your boobs looked amazing in that dress. 

Not just your boobs, your whole body looked incredible with its strong curves and the beautiful fill it gave to the dress, making it slightly tighter than when you wore it as a twenty year old, but still all the more mature and sophisticated. You really did look hot.

Eunbyeol rushes down the stairs before you, catching up with her sister to inspect her job on their fathers preparation. 

“Well?” She says expectedly, looking at her dad. “Let’s take a look!”

He sports a simple yet timeless white collar dress shirt, the first few buttons undone as he wears a form fitting black dress-vest that accentuates his waist, dress pants paired to go along with it. Though simple, his silver rings pulled the outfit together, making him just as good looking and sophisticated as you were. 

Hongjoong’s back faces towards your front, watching as the man nervously shuffles his hands in his pockets.

“How do I look guys?” He gulps, adjusting his collar and sweeping his blond hair back. 

Eunseo rolls her eyes, a grin on her proud little face. “Do you even have to ask, dad?” She’s more than confident in the outfit she and Seonghwa coordinated together. 

He chuckles, shaking his head as he nervously tells them. 

“I want to look good for your mom, you know what I mean? She's a difficult woman to impress sometimes.”

“I’m difficult?” You tease, walking down the last few steps of the stairs. 

The man turns his head around, losing his breath at the sight of you standing there in front of him, wearing that dress that he hadn’t seen you wear for so long, looking breathtaking in every possible way. 

“Hi” you grinned softly, feeling sort of shy.

The way you fit in that dress made an insatiable hunger fuel inside Hongjoongs chest, eyes gazing at the way you strutted over in the black, lace covered material with your hair tied back and glossed lips turned upwards as your dimples showed. He breaks from his admiration when you quirk a brow at him, making the man almost fall to his knees and stutter uncontrollably. 

“I-I No I didn’t mean that-“

You giggle as you bravely take Hongjoongs hands in your own, shutting him up as you turn to your daughters standing in front of you, starstruck at your aura. 

“Outside, right?” you winked at them. 

“Right this way!” Eunseo enthusiastically leads you out back to the outdoor patio, a perfect view of the garden and lakeside coming into effect. Hongjoong slips his hand from yours, and slides it across your waist, pulling you into his side. 

“My parents are too cool” Eunbyeol sighs under her breath, watching from behind in awe.

Your ex-husband makes you swoon when he leans in to whisper softly. “You look breathtaking, sweetheart.” feeling an immense sense of pride at how lucky he was to make you the mother of his children. 

You blush, turning to him to whisper playfully back. 

“Not bad yourself.” 

You both look forward when you come to a stop at the patio steps, sheer amazement at the full preparation your daughters did for this event. Fairy lights were hung around the area, a table with two chairs on either side placed with a white table cloth and a bouquet of freshly hand picked flowers from the forest, battery powered candles that were sold at the souvenir shop lit in the middle and glowing softly. 

Eunbyeol dashes to the door when it rings, making you and Hongjoong furrow your brows. 

“Is someone here?” he asks, watching Eunseo fold a napkin over her arm like the pro waiter she was. The other one walks out, an oily fast food paper bag in her hands as she smiles. “Dinner is served!” 

“Turns out that diner 15 minutes away also delivers!” She chuckled, helping her sister plate the two cheeseburgers, fries, and vanilla and strawberry milkshakes. 

You and Hongjoong continue to watch in stunned amazement as the girls prepare the not exactly gourmet(?) but still impressive meal in front of you, their small hands working swiftly. 

“You guys prepared all of this?” You asked, getting a little emotional. They grin proudly, nodding their heads. “We called the place earlier and planned it all by ourselves!”

You pressed a kiss to each of their soft cheeks, thanking them both as Hongjoong did the same. 

“What did I do to get so lucky with my girls?” he smiles, ruffling their heads. 

“What about you guys?” You asked, watching as they slowly backed away to give you two some privacy. 

“Natalie and her mom invited us over for dinner and a sleepover tonight at her cottage,” Eunbyeol smiles. At the mention of their newly made friend that they had gotten close to over the week, Hongjoong looks at you then back at them. 

“What? But- ”

She cuts him off, rolling her eyes. “Her mom said it’s totally fine with her. She’s only two cottages down, and she’ll make sure we’re back in time again for tomorrow when we leave!” 

The two girls smile in excitement, though the both of you have your parental instincts kick in. 

“Please?” they begged, wanting you to let them go so that they could do this for you guys as much as they wanted to do it for themselves. “She’s waiting for us now!”

Hongjoong feels guilty. “C’mon, you guys should still join us!”

Eunseo immediately shakes her head, declining the offer. 

“Tonight is all about you guys. We don’t want to intrude” she chuckles, bumping shoulders with her sister who chips in.

“We’ll text you guys in the middle to let you know everything’s good of course” 

You and Hongjoong smile, a feeling of immense proudness overwhelming you from seeing your daughters act so grown up. There wasn’t anything else you felt grateful for more. 

“Thank you girls.” you muttered softly, watching as they flashed you a wink before hurrying out through the backyard door. 

“Don’t get all kissy in the backyard!” Eunbyeol teases, making cheesy smooching sounds with the back of her hand as her sister rolls her eyes and shoves her out. 

Before you know it, you’re left standing with just the sound of smooth jazz playing on the patio speakers and the buzzing of the summer cicadas. 

“She takes after you, I hope you know that” You told Hongjoong softly.  

He chuckles, “Not as much as you.” He gestures to the table. “Shall we?” 

And that’s how the next few hours seem to pass by without even realizing. 

You see, there was a reason why you fell in love with the man sitting in front of you, and you’re just beginning to remember it now. Being with Hongjoong felt as if the moment was everlasting, and you could testify that from the amount of laughter and deep conversation that was shared over dinner, bringing you to sit on that patio until the sun had set. Every so often you’d smile again at the thought of the twins preparing this all for you. 

“I don’t remember the last time I’ve been on a date like this” You blurted out after laughing about something, taking a sip of your strawberry milkshake through a straw. 

“Oh, so we’re going on dates now, are we?” Hongjoong grins, making you roll your eyes at him. 

You lean forward on the table cloth, watching as a glimmer passes through your husband’s eyes while he sits back in his chair, cocking his head to the side as he clears his voice. 

“But you’ve gone on dates after we split, haven’t you?” he asks, leaning forward in interest now, letting his chin rest on his palm. 

You shook your head slowly.

“Nope. Not since signing those papers” you revealed. 

Hongjoong furrows his brows in surprise. “And why’s that?” 

You suddenly didn’t have an answer. “I-I don’t know, I just…” You began, watching how he looked at you with an unreadable expression. You smiled, looking down and suddenly feeling embarrassed. 

“I guess I was too focused on running the bridal shop, I couldn’t find the time to.” You use as a cliche excuse. 

“Bullshit” he retorts back immediately. 

“It’s true!” You protested, throwing a fry at him that he dodges, landing on his finished plate. 

“You always did say back when we were younger that you wanted to be a designer. And look at you now” he admires, letting the candle lights shine a youthful glow to your face. 

“You always said you wanted to become a music producer and write your own songs.” you reciprocated, smiling as you soaked in the presence of one another. “And here you are now.” 

You think for a moment before asking the same question. 

“How about you?” 

Hongjoong silently shakes his head as his answer, though silently thinking about something else. The music changes to some old Billy Joel song in the back. You don’t realize it, but Hongjoong smiles to himself when he realizes the girls added it to the playlist. Of course they had to, it was one of the songs you played at your wedding. 

“What were we thinking when we got married like that?” You asked out loud, looking at how far you’d both come. You definitely skipped some of the order of the stages of a normal relationship. 

“I mean, we had no money, no prospects. Hell, we didn’t even have a car, Hongjoong!” you realized.

Your husband laughs, sitting straight and letting some skin show through his unbuttoned collar. 

“We were young” he justifies. 

“Yeah, and stupid too,” you pointed out, feeling the summer breeze pass by. It felt good to sit here like this with him.

You wondered, could sitting here like this with Hongjoong be a regular thing? After this trip, would you be able to walk back into each other’s lives again like this? 

As both parents and lovers?

Hongjoong brings up something you wouldn’t have expected him to. 

“Do you remember when we first found out about Eunseo and Eunbyeol?” he questioned softly, looking at you. 

You blink, taken aback. Suddenly you’re back in your college dorm washroom, sobs wracking through your body as Hongjoong who had only just sent his first few mixtapes to recording stations and companies nearby, pulled you close into his chest, eyeing the two lines left on the counter while he caressed your back. Only twenty years old and figuring out what you wanted to do with your lives, you were suddenly stuck in a sudden situation that had made you feel like your dreams would have been given up on completely. 

“I do,” you told him, pulling yourself from the memory. 

“I remember because in that moment I felt like the whole world was caving in”. You laughed, though it wasn’t fully cheerful.

“I don’t regret it, though” Hongjoong replies after some thought, gazing at you with truth in his eyes. 

You shook your head. “Of course. Neither do I.” 

It was a blessing to have two beautiful daughters as the product of your love.

“I don’t regret you either.” Hongjoong states.

You lock gazes, unable to take your eyes off of his face. 

“I loved you when I first met you and I still loved you when we divorced,” he says all at once, making your breath hitch and heart waver. 

“Don’t say that.” you tell him, looking away and suddenly reminding yourself you’re still divorced from the man sitting in front of you. 

How could he still love you after all this time? How could you feel the same about him?

Hongjoong continues, shaking his head as he bites back the lodge in his throat and makes up his mind. He has to tell you. 

“Truthfully, I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you.” 

Don’t do this to me you begged silently.

“I’ve hurt you just as much as you’ve hurt me.” He swallows, thinking back to the times you already knew he was referring to. The times where you fought to the point where there wasn’t even anything worth fighting for anymore. 

“But you have given me the greatest gifts of my life.” He smiles, holding his tears back.

“And for that I will always love you.”

You push your seat from the table, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and wanting to avoid him.

“I can’t do this anymore.” you dejected, walking away from the patio and from Hongjoong.

There wasn’t anything else you could fake anymore. You couldn’t bear to hear the man you once loved, possibly even still love, say these things like he had a dagger lodged in his heart. Didn’t he know he was only going to do the same to you?

Hongjoong is quick to catch up, holding onto your wrist and turning you around, that your back collides with the nearest wall inside, pressing your fronts together and closing the distance.

“Why do you always run away from me? From the possibility of us?” He exclaimed, voice breaking. His heart crushed at the way you turned your head, hot tears already clouding your vision. 

“Because ‘us’ can’t happen again, Hongjoong!” You cried, staring up at the man you once promised your life to.

“Don’t you get it? Us going on this trip isn’t a sign to get back together. What would we do seven years after breaking up?”

“We could do it” He states firmly, staring you down, both your chests heaving.

You bite your tears back again. “No we couldn’t, honey. We would be pretending to think we solved our marriage. What would we do about our daughters? After putting them through our constant fighting— ”

He slams his lips to your own, shutting you up as you painfully resist his touch. Your hands came up to push him away, but at the sudden gesture, you’re already giving in and sobbing softly, letting him hold you for just one last time. 

Your lips mold so perfectly, it almost hurts how much you missed this feeling. To have him slot his arms around your waist, pull you in close, and cherish you. You almost forgot this feeling. 

He pulls away softly, watching your lashes flutter, pleading to you for a chance as he leans closer, making your breath hitch. 

“We could be together as a family again,” he states firmly, your name leaving his lips in a desperate plea. “We never know if we try—”

You drown out his words, looking up with tears falling as you cut him off. 

“Seven years ago I gave you those papers to sign, thinking that you would’ve chased after me,” 

Hongjoong holds his breath, watching as the next words stumble from your mouth. 

“I realize now, how stupid I was to think that.”

“I didn’t know you wanted me to chase you”

Shoving his chest away while mustering the last of your strength you uttered. “Of course I wanted you to chase me.” You let go of his hands. “It’s too late either way”, walking away from the defeated man.

Hongjoong stands alone near the patio entrance, watching his tears fall to the wooden floorboards. Holding the ring he had kept hidden in his trouser pocket, he plays with it in his fingers, silently wishing he had given it to you sooner. 

It rains the next morning on your departure back to the city. Perfect, considering it reflects the sudden storm of utter depression that falls upon your family. Long gone are the cheerful giggles and longing stares that were shared between you and Hongjoong during the ride to the cottage. 

There was no room for that, not after last night.

Eunbyeol and Eunseo sat slumped in the backseat, rain hitting the roof of the car as they mindlessly played on their cell phones. Really, they were peeking from behind every so often and watching their parents sit in the front seat with tension so thick, you could’ve cut it with a knife. 

What had they done wrong? They planned the trip, the activities, the dinner— it was all perfect. And yet why were you still fighting with each other? 

These questions racked in their brains, baffled to have witnessed the sight of their parents refusing to talk to each other after walking back from their friends' sleepover. 

Eunbyeol and Eunseo felt as useful as matchmakers without a couple, feeling their efforts all gone down the drain. 

At the sudden ring of your cell phone, you pick up, answering at the voice of your assistant. 

“I’m driving back up right now”

Hongjoong continues focusing on the road, the occasional wiping of rain from the windshield wipers on the front window. 

“Yes. That’s okay, I'll take care of it.” You muttered, glancing at the rear view mirror for a moment. Your twin daughters immediately sigh, having an idea of what to expect when you say those familiar words. 

“Thanks for letting me know.” 

You hang up the phone, 

“One of us isn’t going with you, are we?” Eunseo asks, making you look back at her with a sigh. 

“No, you’re not” You confess, apologetic. ‘I’m sorry honey. I really am.”

You look back facing the front, swallowing as you told Hongjoong. 

“You’ll have to drop me off at the studio. Some things aren’t working out with the client so they need me to come in and take care of it.”

He nods, unphased as he continues to look straight. 

“Will you be fine with the girls?” You asked carefully, watching them as they were slumped in the backseat.

Hongjoong grips the wheel before turning to you. 

“I‘ll be fine. Don’t worry about it” sending a small smile, though it doesn’t fully reach his eyes. 

The twins thank god that at least neither of them had to choose to go back home with either parent. 

They would’ve hated that more. 

After barely being able to depart and say goodbye to your daughters in front of your studio, holding them close for a warm embrace and thanking them for an unforgettable weekend, Hongjoong drives off with his daughters, an empty feeling cascading his thoughts. He puts on a smile still, trying to cheer up his girls. 

“What do you want to do first when we go home? Want to unpack and then eat? We can eat and then unpack. Or we could- ”

Eunseo crosses her arms, having been fed up for far too long.

“Dad, you must be out of your mind.” 

Hongjoong stills, furrowing his brows and peeking at the first born who crosses her arms, holding an attitude. 

“Eunseo, what are you- ” 

“You’re telling me you and Mom just spent a whole entire week together at the cottage, had the best time of your lives since separating with one another, and now you’re just going to go back to not speaking or talking to each other again?”

Hongjoong blinks at his daughter’s sudden outburst, already making a turn into the driveway of his house.  

Eunbyeol now reciprocates her twin, looking at her dad as she slouches beside him, coming near the front seat area. 

“She’s got a point dad. Do you really just not love mom anymore?” She worries, looking up at him genuinely concerned. 

Hongjoong doesn’t know how to answer these sudden questions right now, stuttering to reply.

“Me and your mother are fine!” He lies, trying to reassure them. “That trip wasn’t just for us, it was also for you two to enjoy— ”

Eunseo asks the million dollar question. 

“If you still love Mom, why are you letting her go a second time?” 

With the engine turned off, it's gone silent. Two pairs of eyes staring at their father, awaiting his response. 

“Well? Are you going to chase after her or not?!” Eunbyeol groans, her fathers lack of response making her pull her hair. 

They were right. How could he have made the same stupid mistake twice?

Hongjoong struggles to put the keys back in the engine, telling them to put their seat belts back on. Their eyes begin to glow with hope.

“Do you girls mind staying at your uncle’s for a bit?” He asks hurriedly, punching into his cell phone to call his brother for a favor as he pulls out of the driveway. Eunbyeol squeals, hands clamping over her mouth as her sister speaks on behalf of them both. 

“Dad, if you don’t drop us off and get your butt over to mom’s right away, I’m gonna report you to child services.” she threatens, watching as he steps on the accelerator, heart pumping so fast as he smiles through the rear view mirror.

You sighed, holding up your cellphone to your ear. 

“Call me once she approves the design then,” you told your assistant through the receiver, one hand looking over the sheets of paper, highlighting the changes to the new blueprint. 

“Alright then, bye.” 

After hanging up the phone, you rubbed your temples, head pounding as you tucked the files back into the folder. 

The clock in your studio showed the hands about to reach seven pm. A few hours had already passed since coming back from your trip to the cottage, trying to forget everything by burying your focus into the new dress prints a client of yours requested, remodeling them after the original was rejected. 

Fingers worked away swiftly, comparing textiles and fabrics as you looked at the piles of papers and messy sticky notes in front of you. But yet the gears in your mind seemed to churn achingly slow, sighing as you repeatedly told yourself the same thing. 

Just focus on the dress, focus on the dress, focus on the dress.

Don’t think about him. 

The task is impossible. Your mind can’t help but slip back to what your relationship has become with Hongjoong, and what you were going to do now that those seven days were over. For so long you had deprived yourself from indulging in your love life, prioritizing taking care of Eunseo and Eunbyeol while juggling your job as a designer. Had you been doing it all wrong? 

Hongjoong’s words repeat in your head like a broken record player. 

I will always love you

Lies. That promise couldn’t be kept. Your divorce was a clear outcome of it. You and Hongjoong were two people not meant for one another. You were too different, all you would do is hurt one another, make life an unbearable living hell—

And yet you missed him. You missed Hongjoong so much. 

What was fucking keeping you from loving him? Was it your stubbornness? Was it really the fact that he didn’t chase after you? Or was it none of that and just your own self being stupid?

The front door of the studio opens, pulling you from your thoughts as you got back to the sketches. You called up from your desk as you worked quietly. 

“The studios closed for the- ”

Heavy breathing. The man who just walked in catches his breath from dashing out of his car and up the three flights of stairs, driving through almost an hour of traffic in pouring rain to be here in this moment with you.

“Hongjoong?”

He’s drenched, making a mess on the floor of the studio as the droplets fall softly one by one. 

Suddenly he's striding over to where you’re sitting in long steps before slamming his lips against yours. The kiss throws you off guard, the shock of his cold hands cradling your face makes you close the gap unknowingly. 

Linking your arms around his neck while kissing back passionately, you let your hands rest on his shoulders, pulling back for air as you panted heavily, catching your breaths and looking at each other with pure love and lust. 

“Why are you here?” you asked, feeling dumb because your heart already knew the answer. His hands wrap around your waist, desperate as if you would leave him again. 

But he’s just so fucking tired of that now. He just wants to love you now.

“I lost you once.” He breathes, eyes watering.

“I’m not going to lose you again”. 

Suddenly, everything that kept you from being with each other is thrown away. 

That hate, that fear, everything is gone because you realize you still needed each other. You’re still the same twenty year old couple standing in that dorm washroom, holding each other close and knowing it’ll be okay because at least you had each other. 

You grasp onto his damp shirt, pulling him down with such force that your lips meet again, taking charge as you finally allowed him to have you. 

“You’re a fucking idiot” you whined between kisses, curses escaping your lips when he softly bites the flesh of your neck to test the waters. “I hope you know that”

He agrees wholeheartedly, nodding as if he was already getting pussydrunk.

“I’m an idiot” he mumbles to himself, letting it escape his lips like a mantra. Well, he was stupid enough to only chase after you this late, so if his wife told him he was an idiot, then so he was.

“Let me prove how much I love you,” a hand comes to graze near the collar of your shirt. 

You gasped, watching as Hongjoong lifted you from your seat and rutted his hips against your core pathetically, your ass digging into the edge of the table.

“Here?” Your eyes widened, watching his expression turn dark. He presses kisses on your collarbone, making your hands grasp the wood for support. “Hongjoong wait,” you exhaled in a deep breath, heart beating against your chest.

But he doesn’t give a shit. He’s tired of waiting. 

“It’s been too fucking long” he protests, ripping your top off. You’re dizzy from how abruptly he’s stripping you, latching onto his shoulders for support as you wobble from him unzipping your jeans and pushing them down, exposing you in nothing but your underwear and bra. 

And like the good little whore you are, you immediately spread your legs, letting Hongjoong get a view of the embarrassingly wet patch leaking through your panties as he’s crouched down to let you step out of the denim near your ankles.

Holy fucking shit

You stand bashfully, toes curling from how exposed and vulnerable you were being the only one naked. 

“Please?” you asked nicely, letting your foot rest on his shoulder as your pussy was now on full display for him.

You don’t have time to even finish the last word before Hongjoong dives in, lapping at your soaking cunt and humming in pure ecstasy at the taste. The muffled vibrations make you throw your head back, tugging on his locks to shove his face further. 

Hongjoong’s hands press into your thighs that cage his head in, leaving a grip that you guarantee with littering the flesh with red splotchy bruises. Did you mind? Not at all.

When his tongue pokes at the gummy flesh of your walls, you let out a full moan, echoing throughout the studio as the air begins to smell like sex. 

“Right there, yes” you urged him, leg beginning to shake from how weak it was getting. 

He's so invested, you fear he might suffocate any longer if he doesn’t pull back for air. So you grasp his head, pushing him away from his meal while you both gasped lightly.

You watch him wipe his slick covered chin with the back of his hand, not breaking eye contact as he stares. 

“You were just begging to be fucked for all these years, weren’t you sweetheart?” He teases. 

Though you wanted him to lap at your juices until you came, you knew you needed to still feel his cock inside after so long. 

Your fingers played with the hem of your underwear, smiling back at your husband. 

“And you were just begging to get a taste of this pussy, weren’t you, Joong?” wiping that smug grin off his face.

”Lay down for me” he demands, getting up so that one hand finds its way to the back of your bra to unclasp it. The other clears half your desk covered in wedding dress blueprints and sketches, making sure nothing would make you uncomfortable before he fucked you on that mahogany surface so all you’d remember would be his name. 

And people said romance was dead. 

When the bra slides off and your bare back hits your desk, you suddenly realize what Hongjoong’s intention was when he ordered you to do that. 

Soft mounds spill out as your breasts take their natural form, giving Hongjoong the perfect view of your tits. Pervert. 

He immediately latches his tongue on a nipple, taking his hand and playing with the other, twisting painfully. 

A cry escapes your lips, parting them open as you let him play with them as much as he wanted to. He smiles against the motherfuckers, knowing that shut you up perfectly. 

“Are you ready for me to fuck you now?”

“Please, Joong, I need you” you whined, submitting yourself to your husband. He already knows you’re in need of one last kiss, coming up to give his wife what she wants by slotting his lips against yours again, this time much harsher. 

“Tell me so that I treat you good, baby” he mumbles, pulling back and making you clench your thighs together. He undoes his shirt in the meantime, unbuckling his belt and pressing a sweet kiss to your cheek when you sobbed. 

“Fuck me, please” 

His fingers slide your panties to the side to press his aching tip to your wet core. 

“Like this?” He teases.

“Inside, Hongjoong” you emphasized, meaning what you said with the way your nails dug into a pile of papers nearby. Biting your lip from how sensitive and needy your cunt was. 

“I know, I know,” he murmured, smiling to himself after messing with you. 

“I just missed this pretty cunt” before in one strong thrust, Hongjoong’s bulging tip enters inside your walls, giving you a stretch you forgot how much you loved. You whined softly. 

“Shit” he curses, relishing how the buildup finally led to this moment. 

The man is ravenous, but he’s genuinely trying his best to ease the painful stretch as you adjust to his thickness, nipping your neck in a trail of hickeys and love bites posessively.

With every thrust he makes, you arch your back, pencils and papers shuffling near by you. 

“Fucking look at my wife” he admires proudly, watching the woman he loves bounce her tits at every thrust of his cock. 

“S’too much” you caved in, shaking your head at the stimulation. 

You claw at his arms, head turning to the side as your eyes roll back from pleasure. 

“I know, mama, I know” 

He grabs a tit in his left hand, the right one coming down to play with your clit, pressing slow circles near where you were connected. 

“Fuck, I missed these” He rasps, savouring the feeling of your soft flesh in his hand, making you throw your head back. 

“Missed how they looked when you were pregnant” he says, thinking of how ethereal you looked when you were knocked up with his kids. 

“God, at this point I’m gonna get you fucking pregnant again” Hongjoong grunts, snapping his hips deliriously back and forth. He envisions you round and full, fulfilling his inner fantasy. 

“Shut up.” You spat, breaking the mood as you bit your lip to suppress a moan. He almost laughs when you then crane your hips back to give him easier access to keep penetrating you. The desk shuffles. 

“Your mouth is saying one thing, honey, but your body is saying something else” 

After hearing his words, you suck him in further, both of you now getting close. 

“M’close. M’so close!” you whimpered, sitting up so that now Hongjoong could hold you in his arms, caging your body so his cock could stuff you better. 

Your mouth hangs open in silent bliss, hands scratching his back. You leaned into his ear, making the final chord inside him snap. 

“Make me cum, daddy” 

And just like that, you’re clenching around Hongjoong’s massive cock as a creamy white ring begins to form. Hot ropes fill you up inside, tangled in a sweaty mess as he purrs, caressing the back of your head again in habit. 

“So fucking good, sweetheart. You did so good for me”

The sounds of your breathing fill the studio, a pencil or two rolling quietly away on the ground from being shoved off the desk. He shakes his head when you try to pull your sweaty bodies away, hair sticking to your neck but feeling the way he refuses. 

“Just let me love you,” he mumbles into your shoulder, dick softening inside you. “Just for a moment.”

You’re too tired to say anything back, so you finally give in. 

Seven years passed by you two without even realizing how much you still loved each other. Though you wouldn’t be able to get that time back, for once, there was something that you and Hongjoong agreed upon. 

You had no intention of wasting that time any more. 

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄:

Months later, and it still takes everything in Eunbyeol and Eunseo hearts to not scream at the sight of their parents when they walk hand in hand, smiling happily in public as they pick their daughters up from the first day of school. 

The girls jump into their parent’s embrace, eying the two silver rings they now wore proudly together. 

“How was school, darlings?” Hongjoong asks, pressing a kiss to Eunseo and Eunbyeol. 

“It was fun! We watched a documentary about lovebirds” she smiled, looking back up. You laughed softly.

“Which reminded me to tell you,” she grins, watching as you, her sister, and father all looked at her. 

“I hope you know that getting you and dad back together was my plan from the start.” she confesses, smirking at Eunbyeol who scoffs, crossing her arms. 

“Nuh uh, this was my idea first!” 

Before her sister could yell at her twin, you jumped in. 

“Plan? What plan?” You asked quizzically, both you and Hongjoong standing there confused.

“To get you guys to fall back in love again, of course!” Eunseo smiles, both her and her sister now giggling softly together.  

“How am I just finding out that there was a plan?” Hongjoong mutters, scratching his neck in confusion. You turned to the two girls, stopping in your tracks on your way to the car

“When did you two even think of all this?” grinning in astonishment as you felt Hongjoong slot his hand and intertwine it with yours. It felt natural now.

“Yeah, I'm curious too” he states, leaning close and becoming intrigued.

Your daughters look at each other before smiling. 

“It’s a long story.”

But at last, time is something you finally now have as a reunited family of four, walking back to your car, holding hands with a twin on each side.

Listening carefully, as your daughters start from the very beginning.

taglist: @vent-stink @dazzlingstarrs @vcutparis @xpixie @potatos-on-clouds @showingmafandomlove @bibbleypoof @kpop-will-kill-me @avantalem @beabatiny @gabrielle-brugger @nsixns @amaranth1ne @stayminho @myblovedjyh @kkeshia @rebekah-reads @yoonbroom @4kwp @butterflydemons @iwaizumiismybae @soobinsputnik @stayatinykatsy @atitties @justconniez @kitten4sannie @ghostskilledmyaddiction21 @cheolsthicthighs @morethingsfandom @geminiml95 @byuntrash101 @quailbagutte @syubseokie @newworldwritings @urmom26john @sleepy-kat-here @pearltinyy @hjshyhyssnmgwyjh @cursedeastern @starryunho @piratekingateez2001 @jiminbility @paumll @drinkingrumandcocacola @roomsofangel @channies-bbg-room @meanaonthemoon @teeztopia @pommelex @kiln9z @sanhwalvr @youresolivlie @edawg77 @a-0206 @summer-gyu @bvidzsoo @yoongzsmile28 @tournesol155

[gaywineauntsstuff]

Listen I love the ‘dicks being ostracized from his family and self destructs’ trope in fics however

I would like an inverse just once (I could write it but I want this fic to be good so I can enjoy it and I am not the greatest writer) where everyone blows up at him and flat out lays into him and he just goes… okay… if that’s how you feel?

Takes himself off of the patrol routes and rosters. He’s off the emergency calls and his ‘call for city wide emergency’ has been down graded to ‘call for world wide emergency’ he’s no longer on comms with oracle

He stops offering assistance to the other kids teams, doesn’t send info for investigation and doesn’t go within 100feet of Gotham.

Takes himself off the den-mother, baby sitter, trainer for all the younger teams lost that involve any and all bats

In the beginning he vacates his apartment and temporarily moves in with Donna in New York and things are good because of course they are. They’re Dick and Donna a world doesn’t exist where they aren’t okay.

And then his presence in New York leads to a lot of the og core five titans interacting and they realize that they miss each other like hell and start to work together more and more. Until news sites are like ‘teen titans grown up??’ ‘Original titans spotted doing hurricane aid in Florida!’

Because Dick loves his family but he knows when to bow out. And he chose the family he made in the new teen titans.

And then one day one of the bats track him down in nyc and breaks into what is now Dick and Donna’s apartment and are ready to argue that they need him back and need him there for a huge Gotham wide event.

And Dick says ‘sure okay let me get my stuff and we leave in half and hour’ as soon as the first sentence is out

No convincing or begging or asking for money (cough Jason cough)

Dick is patched into their comms and he’s working efficiently except he’s not… acting like himself.

He’s collaborating with whoever they tell him too, no problem, he’s discussing ideal plans and co-ops and teams and how to best get it under control.

But he’s talking to them the way he talks when he’s offering aid to teams he’s not a part of.

Like the hero version of an acquaintance and no one can call him out on it because he’s doing good work. Work that’s on par with his work before this whole fiasco. He explicitly isn’t letting their personal issues affect his work.

He’s speaking but not talking

And Bruce remembers this… he’s probably the only one who does because last time he was the only one included. The last time Dick acted like this is when he first visited Jason and him after he had been fired.

Whenever Bruce was in the room and Dick was forced to speak with him, the conversation never strayed past business casual especially around Jason.

Batman and Nightwing got into screaming matches

Bruce and Dick were strangers

And now they’re back to this, 7 kids later, a million ends of the world stopped, they’ve bled together, cried together and clung to each other in pure relief after they managed to clutch victory.

And Nightwing was treating Batman Inc like a new team stepping onto the scene.

Once they’ve secured everything and managed to keep Bruce from self destructing and making it worse. Dick just leaves and tells oracle that he’ll send over his debrief in 3-5 business days and it was nice working with them.

And then he’s gone

No cave, no manor, no Alfred, no med-bay because Dick doesn’t stay places he’s not welcome.

And after they all talk about that and how weird it was and Bruce reveals Dick did this before when he was Nightwing after Bruce fired, where Dick Grayson didn’t know Bruce Wayne.

And one of the kids asks when he broke and stopped the act and Bruce just says ‘the day he found out Jason died’

And the Batkids kinda freak bc what do you mean?? What is he only going to come back when someone dies? Thats not? There has to be another way?? And Bruce is like yeah no idea sorry (bc he’s helpful like that)

So then Steph the next day resolves to go visit him, Tim isn’t the only professional stalker. And she finds Dick and Donna’s apartment and well it’s daylight and she’s in civvies she’s if she climbs in through the window she might get reported to the NYPD and she doesn’t wanna get arrested or shot to door it is!

And so she goes and knocks and Dick opens the door and just lights up

Something something this is such a nice surprise something something it’s so good to see you.

Dick had taught Donna how to make some of his mother recipes when they were kids. So now whenever they’re together for a long time they cook together.

So Dick who is usually living in a cluttered apartment with no clean dishes and an exclusively grab and go food is now trying to force feed her some of his cooking.

Because he picked up the habit again since he’s the better cook between him and Donna.

And it’s delicious and he wants to catch up and hear everything that’s going on in her life, is she working with new people, dating anyone? How is her relationship with her mother etc etc.

It’s a nice day and she stays late and never confronts him on anything until she sees how long ago the sun set and she needs to get moving.

He hands her paper with his number and makes her promise not to give it to the others or she will lose access to it, he offers to help her on a conditional basis as nightwing but only her, she can call him about the rest if it’s an end of the world or they’re near death and need immediate aid.

And that’s like the fic because the key to winning nightwings assistance is like breathing (optional) but if you’re Dicks family you have to care or else. He’ll love you and help you, when you need it but he won’t tie his life up with yours, he’ll spend his time with people who value his opinion and the person behind the mask.

Anyway cue all the Batkids trying to do what Steph did and fail because they’re neurotic shits who think bonding involves doing casework together or a steak out.

(The next person to crack it is Damian, completely unintentionally he has a fight with Bruce and can’t ask him how the fuck he’s supposed to solve this equation in the new stupid way they’re teaching him no he can’t use the old method they’re supposed to show their work so he pulls up to Dick and Donna’s in a ratty ass hoodie like plz wtf do you mean you work top down explain Grayson- and dicks like awww no problem kid)

[rrickgrrimes8]

Your Bear Part II

summary: you are found (part I)

Joel Miller x daughter!reader, Tommy Miller x niece!reader

warnings: angst, reunion, violence, infected, happy ending :))

not sure if i like this as much as the first part but i hope yall do. i just want to thank you all for the response to my past few fics (especially your bear). its been unreal. i stopped writing for a while and these were my first ones back so this was an insane response to it! thank you so much for your love and appreciation it really does mean a lot!

also! i tagged basically everybody who left a comment asking for part 2 - sorry if thats annoying idk ive never done a taglist before. thanks for the comments tho :) 

masterlist

request guidelines (new)

requests are open

word count: 2.3k

22 Years Ago...

The world around you screamed for help. People ran around, skin on fire, missing massive chunks.

You wailed as they passed, hands tightened around your ears. You just wanted to find help. You wanted to save Sarah. This wasn’t what you expected.

“D-ad,” You cried, hiccupping, “D-addy!” You missed his touch. You missed his voice and his face. His laugh. You just wanted your daddy.

But which way had you come from?

You stood, idle, in an alley way you didn’t recognize, a man lay a few feet beside you. Blood seeped from his neck, running to kiss the tips of your shoes.

He twitched.

Your breath caught in your throat, the hair on your neck stood high. “D-daddy,” You whimpered, quieter than before, “Please.”

He looked at you now. His face grotesque, the shape of jagged teeth marked his greyish skin. White, stringy tendrils extended out of his mouth as he crawled to you – his legs being left behind as he did.

You screamed when his nails scratched against your shoe. In the panic, your bear fell from your grasp, landing in the bloodbath.

You tried backing up from the monster, but his hand stopped you. His claws captured your ankle.

You didn’t realise you were falling until your back hit the wet ground. You let out a shriek as he trailed up your body. “P-please,” You sobbed, “D-ad! D-addy!”

The creature didn’t even flinch. He opened his jaws further, searching for your small neck, ready to mark you just as he had been.

But a shot sounded off and his weight settled on your petite body.

A strong force tugged him off you, the same force pulling you into their arms. You wailed, fighting against the stranger’s grip.

“It’s okay, sweetgirl, you’re okay,” She told you, rushing you away from the scene, “You’re going to be okay; I promise.”

x

You didn’t know what to make of Jackson. It was nice, you supposed. Weird though. It felt like what you imagined before felt like. Not that you remembered much. You remembered how loud cars were, how the TV remote worked, how to strum a guitar.

You remembered your sisters voice, her hair, how smart she sounded even if you didn’t understand a word.

You wished you remembered your dad. He was a blur to you. Like you had missed a chapter of a book and now a new character had no face. You remembered his laugh though. It was sweet, slow. Like a lullaby. You recalled being held to his chest and feeling the vibrations.

You wished you remembered your dad. 

Sarah had settled in quickly, at least that’s what you thought. She was happy to be around people other than her mom (you tried not to internalise it all that much).

In the week since you arrived Sarah had grown attached to the strangers that took you under their wing. You still weren’t so sure. But when Sarah made grabby hands to the older man and all she got was a dejected smile in response a part of you hurt. You didn’t understand why.

They’d kept their distance or rather he had. Ellie came round every day. She loved Sarah. She loved you, even if, like Joel, you were a little rough around the edges.

But for a reason unbeknownst to you Joel couldn’t be in a room with you for longer than five minutes. You didn’t let it bother you too much. You couldn’t. You didn’t want to make trouble and get the pair of you kicked out or worse separated. 

Ellie had come to you earlier that day, smile wide, cheeks rosy. She had a glint in her eyes, a plan. One you really didn’t want to know about nor be a part of.

Excitedly, she told you about the couple who lived across from her and Joel - his brother. Tommy and Maria and the somewhat new addition of Lily, their little girl. Ellie had told them about you - although missing out some of the major minor details. They agreed to have you over she had said. And despite the age difference between Lily and Sarah the older girl was excited to meet her.

So, there you stood, Sarah shielded from the cold into your chest. You raised your hand awkwardly, knocking a little harder than you expected.

A woman opened the door. She was beautiful, smiley, friendly. You couldn’t tell if that was a façade or not. That made the nerves in your stomach stiffen. “C’mon in, sweetheart,” Maria ushered you inside after she confirmed it was you.

You forced a smile for her, “Nice place.”

Maria nodded, looking around the room proudly, “Thank you.” She urged you to take a seat, letting you know her husband, Tommy, was just dressing Lily.

“So, you’re younger than I thought you would be,” She confessed, “Not to be rude or anything.”

“No, it’s okay,” You cleared your throat, sitting opposite her, Sarah making a home on your lap, “I’m 27.”

“Wow,” She smiled, “And what about her?”

You stroked the top of Sarah’s head, where her hair had slightly begun to grow, “Couple weeks now.”

Maria shifted ever so slightly in her seat, unspoken sympathy in her eyes, “And the father?” You stilled, escaping her gaze you looked towards the coffee table, taking inventory of the odd books they had. “I’m sorry,” She spoke quietly, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“N-no,” You cleared your throat sheepishly, “There isn’t... her dad did what he had to.” You still remembered his screams.

“I’m sorry,” Maria frowned, hands soothing over her jeans, wishing Tommy would appear to aid the situation.

“Don’t be,” You said earnestly, “He got us here, right? One way or another...” Maria wasn’t sure you really meant that. The lost look in your eyes told her what she needed to know. As did your shaking knee. You’d give anything to have him back. She bit her lip, somewhat guessing the rest.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” A males voice cut through the tension, “Wouldn’t stop squirming for the life of me.”

Maria chuckled opening her arms to grab Lily, introducing you as she did. He blanched hearing that name. He near screamed seeing that face - your face but so much different, so much more mature.

Tommy blinked a few times, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. He whispered your name carefully, as if you were a wild animal, prone for violence.

Maria gave him an odd look, moving Lily over to you and Sarah. “And this is our sweetheart, Lily,” She told you as Lily began fussing relentlessly in her arms, desperate to touch the baby.

“Baby,” She cooed.

“Yeah, that’s right,” You mused, croakily, inching closer to the pair, “This is Sarah, Lily.”

Tommy wanted to throw up. He felt it dancing up his throat, teasing his uncertainty. He felt stuck. He truthfully didn’t know what to do or what to say. Should he straight out ask you? You didn’t seem to recognise him though. Maybe it was a clone? A doppelgänger? Should he run over to Joel’s for safety away from this confusion? 

Joel.

Did Joel know? He had to know. He needed to know.

“Tommy what’s wrong?” Maria called to him. He choked a little, eyes trailing over to the plaque that watched over their new life. The plaque he knew had no place for your name. He knew it. You were here.

Maria followed his gaze, a weird feeling in her chest as she saw her husband so unlike himself. She read Joel’s daughter’s name. Sarah. Was he freaked out because they shared the same name?

She gulped - it wasn’t just the baby whose name was shared but yours too it seemed. You couldn’t be, right? No- You died. Joel was so sure you died and despite all Tommy had told her, all the hope he had for you, she always found herself on Joel’s side. Funny that. Any other situation she would’ve made a point to oppose the eldest Miller.

But now... You were just five. You couldn’t have survived on your own. You wouldn’t have had a life in this world.

But again, hadn’t you said you were 27?

“Go,” She told him, firmly, “Make sure.” Tommy nodded, failing to hide his tears as you watched in confusion and darted out of the room with a sense of urgency that unsettled your stomach.

“Is everything okay?”

Maria’s attention snapped back to you, “Fine... everything’s fine.”

A disconcerting feeling swam under your skin and a sudden resolve to flee hit you. “I- We should probably go,” You mumbled, bringing Sarah to your chest once more.

“Wait, please,” She attempted, “Just wait.”

You shook your head, apologising softly before rushing out of the house. You caught eyes with two men across the road - Joel and Tommy. They stood on his porch, seemingly arguing with each other.

You spotted Ellie watching through the window, a guilty look on her face - what had she done?

The brothers stared at you as you left the home. Their eyes didn’t leave you for a second. Tommy called your name, desperately but when he moved to catch up with you, Joel pulled him back.

He clenched his jaw as you rushed back to your home, out of sight. “She was my niece, Joel,” He scowled, “My fuckin’ family too.”

Joel shook his head, shaking off the shame Tommy was trying to force on him.

“You don’t get to keep this kind of thing from me,” He yelled, “You- You are unbelievable, Joel.”

“Unbelievable?” He mocked, “Is it so unbelievable that I didn’t want to advertise to the whole goddamn town that she was my daughter when, hell, I don’t even know if she really is!”

“Bullshit,” Tommy spat, “You’re not stupid. You knew. Of course, you fucking knew. You knew like how I knew. One look. That’s all it woulda took you. No… you knew. You were just too scared - like always. And that, your selfishness, takes us all down with you.”

“Fuck you,” He grunted, storming back inside.

“Christ,” Tommy mumbled, turning back to his own home. 

You had a baby.

You were here, alive.

x

You steered clear from the group for a little while afterwards. The whole situation made you heart clench. It felt like a game that you didn’t know the rules of, but they did. All of them did and they were careful not to reveal anything. But you wanted to know - you needed to.

You knew it involved Joel or at least you felt like it had to. The way he looked at you when you first met. The way he spoke. The way he shook. It had to be him. He had to be the answer.

You gave up on your attempts to avoid them when you came to that realisation.

The same realisation that brought you here, at his front door in the middle of the night. You shyly knocked a few times - no response. You repeated the action with a little more force, a little too much. The door creaked open on the contact, but no one came to greet you.

You sucked in a harsh breath as you debated entering. The door was open right? Fair game? Silently you forced yourself to step inside.

Their home was dark - one lamp lighting a whole room. You frowned looking over to it. Someone had to be here, right? Where else would they be so late?

And then you saw him. Joel. The contradictory man. He was asleep. His body was sprawled all over the couch, an empty bottle of God knows what lay beside him as did what looked like... a bear?

Shakily, you took a step forward, his name dying in your throat as you saw the bear in a better light.

It was... yours.

Why would Joel have your bear? The bear that when you were a child was essentially an extension of you. The bear that chased away all the bad dreams. The bear that your dad had gotten you - your dad.

You gulped - the bear you hadn’t seen since the night you lost everything. Since the night you almost lost your life.

Joel shifted in his sleep, pulling the bear close to his chest, careful of its head as if it was a baby. Your eyes burned. A gasp escaped your lips. You could read the chapter now. You can see that character’s face - your fathers face.

Different but the same.

“D-dad,” You whispered before you could stop yourself and backed away.

Your back met the door, slamming it shut. The man jolted awake, alarmed eyes frantically searching the room before landing on you. They grew small, weaker, like he wasn’t all the way there.

Joel watched you closely, taking note of your falling tears, he spoke your name. You choked on a sob, hand clasping over your mouth. “Baby,” He shot up before he had a moment to think and approached you.

You didn’t flinch away, like he expected. You didn’t stop crying either. You studied him now. The wrinkles. The scars. The grey hairs. The same look in his eyes.

“How long have you known?”

He flinched at that. Your voice so familiar, so broken. “Since we met,” He didn’t have to try too hard to understand what you were getting at. He felt shameful, though. This shouldn’t have been the way, right? This felt too casual, too unknown.

You wanted to ask more, yell at him. Beg him to tell you why it wasn’t the first thing that he told you. But you didn’t. Instead you put one foot in front of the other, until you were mere inches from him. “Dad,” You shuddered.

He hadn’t realised how much he missed being called that, how much he missed being your dad.

“Babygirl,” He took your face in his hands, “My baby grown up.” He watched you closely, tears welling up, “I’m so sorry, babygirl. I’m sorry.”

You shook your head, slamming yourself into his chest, “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“Oh, baby,” Joel wrapped his arms around you, hand cradling the back of your head.

“With me, babygirl,” He smiled for moment before letting it fall, “Don’t go away again, babygirl, never go away again.”

You smiled into his chest, whimpering softly, “I won’t, dad, I promise.” 

x

@meli-blacky @zaweashtonslover @3zae-zae3 @bbciwp @cloudroomblog @white-wolf-buckaroo​ @iguessweallcrazyithinktho​ @myboyfriendisbigfoot​ @mell-bell​ @hummusxx​ @sleepdeprived-barelyalive​ @dilfsaremyfavourite​ @specialagentmonkey​ @slutforstark @lizlil​ @unsaiduglywords​ @ellaprime7​ @aphrcdites​ @zynbsblog​ @imonmykneessir​ @mandowhatnow​ @tomorrowseverything @livelovemusic0996 @icarusthefoolish​ @b-bloop @leemirna​ @hexaecana​ @littleshadow17​ @sgt-morgan​ @adorreeabbie @abbiesxox​ @leviackrmnss​ @eternallyvenus​ @hai-kbai​ @daydreamerblues​ @abbyrxx12-blog @montenegroisr​ @chxosunbound​ @shqwqrma​ @littlemissporter @wonwoosthetic @riri53 @softsakusas​ @prettysbliss​ @katiemars @kik51199 @stupidthoughtsinwriting​ @ellele19 @newavenger @19891213​ @dgraysonss​

[logansargeantsbabymom]

Yours For The Taking

Lando Norris x Fem!Reader x Carlos Sainz

Genre: SMUT

A/N: As much as I don't feel ready to come back, I feel bad the longer I take off so after the results on my poll, here is this fic. Who knows, maybe how this one does I might post (my personal favorite) another fic later during actual day hours.

Follow my instagram account (THATS STRICTLY FOR THIS BLOG) for updates on when i post and fun stuff like that!

Instagram

F1 Masterlist

3rd Person POV

It was a hot July Sunday in Miami, and the Formula 1 race had just concluded. Lando had just achieved the unthinkable. He didn't just make it to the podium; he won the Miami Grand Prix, securing his first-ever grand prix victory. As he stepped out of his car, he knew that this day was about to get a lot more exciting. He had made a bet with his best friend and rival, Carlos, and now it was time to claim his prize.

Lando found Carlos in the paddock, a tall, handsome Spaniard with thick brown hair and a mischievous smile. "I can't believe you did it, my friend," Carlos said, clapping Lando on the shoulder. "You drove like a demon out there. Now, it's time for you to enjoy the rewards." Lando felt a rush of anticipation as Carlos continued, "Y/N is waiting for you at my place. She's all yours for the night."

Lando's heart raced at the thought of finally being with Y/N, the stunning (your/age) woman who had captured his desires. "Let's go then," he said, his voice eager. "I can't wait to show her just how glad I am that I made that bet."

They arrived at Carlos' luxurious apartment, where soft music played in the background and the air was heavy with anticipation. The room was dimly lit, creating an intimate atmosphere. Lando's heart pounded as he entered, his eyes scanning the room for Y/N.

There she was, standing by the window, a vision of beauty in a sheer black lingerie set that left little to the imagination. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders, and her eyes sparkled with desire. Lando felt his breath catch as he took in her perfection.

As Lando approached, Y/N smiled seductively. "Congratulations, Lando," she purred, her voice like velvet. "I've been waiting for this moment. I'm yours for the taking."

Lando wasted no time, pulling her into his arms and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Their tongues danced together as Lando backed Y/N up against the wall, his hands roaming over her body. Y/N moaned into his mouth, her hands tangling in his hair, pulling him closer.

Lando broke the kiss, trailing hot kisses along her jaw and down her neck. He nuzzled her soft skin, inhaling her scent, before latching his mouth onto the sensitive spot below her ear, sucking gently. Y/N arched her back, a soft whimper escaping her lips as she felt the wetness between her thighs grow.

"You like that, baby?" Lando murmured, his voice deep and gravelly. Y/N nodded, breathless, her hands urging him closer. Lando grasped the hem of her lingerie top and pulled it up over her head, baring her perfect breasts. He sucked a hard nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it as he played with the other between his fingers.

Y/N cried out, her head falling back as Lando continued his oral assault. His hands roamed lower, cupping her ass and pulling her tight against his hardening cock. She ground her hips against him, seeking friction as her pussy throbbed with need.

"I need to taste you," Lando growled, his breath hot against her skin. He sank to his knees in front of her, pulling her panties aside. Y/N's heart raced as she felt the cool air on her exposed pussy. Lando gazed up at her, his eyes dark with desire, before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on her swollen clit.

Y/N gasped at the contact, her hands grasping Lando's shoulders as he began to explore her with his tongue. He lapped at her folds, savoring her taste as he flicked his tongue over her sensitive bud. Y/N whimpered, her hips bucking involuntarily as Lando suckled and nibbled, driving her wild.

Lando inserted his fingers into her slick heat, pumping them in and out as he continued to work his magic with his tongue. Y/N cried out, her knees buckling as she felt the coils of pleasure tighten within her. "That's it, baby, cum for me," Lando urged, his voice hoarse. "Let me taste your sweet pussy."

Y/N's world exploded as she came hard around Lando's fingers, her juices flowing onto his tongue. He moaned in response, lapping up her essence as she rode out her orgasm. She felt weak at the knees as the pleasure waned, Lando's strong arms supporting her.

"My turn to pleasure you," Y/N said breathlessly, pulling Lando to his feet. She pushed him back onto the nearby couch and straddled him, grinding her slick pussy against his throbbing cock through his pants. Lando groaned, his hands grasping her hips as she rubbed against him, leaving him desperate for more.

Y/N unbuttoned Lando's pants, freeing his hard length. She stroked him slowly, enjoying the feel of his thick cock in her hand. Leaning forward, she whispered in his ear, "I've been thinking about this cock all day, imagining it buried deep inside me."

Lando's eyes rolled back at her words as Y/N lowered herself onto him, taking him inch by inch until she was fully impaled. She paused for a moment, savoring the feel of him stretching her, before beginning to move, rising and falling on his shaft.

Lando's hands grasped her breasts, kneading them as Y/N rode him, her head thrown back in pleasure. Her nipples rubbed against his chest as she moved, the friction sending sparks of pleasure through her body. "Fuck, you feel so good," Lando groaned, his eyes fixed on the sight of Y/N's breasts bouncing above him.

Y/N quickened her pace, her pussy clenching around Lando's cock as she neared the edge again. "I'm close," she whispered, her voice breathless. "Cum with me again." Lando nodded, his hips thrusting up to meet her frantic rhythm.

Together, they soared, crying out each other's names as pleasure ripped through them. Y/N's pussy contracted around Lando's cock, milking him as he filled her with his hot cum. They stayed joined, catching their breath, before Y/N collapsed against Lando's chest, a satisfied smile on her face.

But Lando wasn't done with her yet, and neither was Carlos, who had been secretly watching the entire time, stroking his hard cock as he enjoyed the show. "I think it's time to take things up a notch," he said, stepping into the room.

Y/N's eyes widened at the sight of Carlos, her body thrumming with anticipation for whatever was to come. Lando grinned, a wicked gleam in his eye as he helped Y/N off the couch. "Let's move this party to the bedroom."

They entered the dimly lit bedroom, where Carlos had prepared a few surprises. Lando pushed Y/N onto the bed, her wrists finding the waiting handcuffs as she spread her arms out above her head. The cool metal closed around her wrists, securing her in place. A blindfold was then placed over her eyes, heightening her senses as she waited, breathless with anticipation.

Lando and Carlos hovered over her, their lips brushing hers, their hands roaming her body. She couldn't tell who was doing what as they teased her, driving her wild with desire. She felt lips trail down her neck, hands squeezing her breasts, and then a wet warmth enveloped her nipples as they were sucked and licked.

Y/N moaned, her back arching as she begged for more. She felt fingers tracing the outlines of her ribs, the soft swell of her stomach, before dipping lower to tease her aching pussy. A finger circled her entrance, teasing her, before pushing inside, joined soon by another, stretching her, making her cry out.

"You like that, baby?" Lando's voice asked, his breath hot against her ear. Y/N nodded frantically, her hips bucking to meet the thrusting fingers. She felt the bed dip as one of the men moved, and then a hard cock teased her entrance, rubbing against her soaked folds.

The blindfold and handcuffs heightened her senses as Y/N felt the thickness of Lando's cock push inside her. She cried out, her body accepting him, stretching to accommodate his size. "Fuck, you feel amazing," he groaned, his hips slowly working his cock deeper inside her tight heat.

Lando set a relentless pace, his cock plunging in and out of Y/N's willing hole. She matched his movements, her hips pushing up to meet his, needing more. Her juices flowed freely, coating Lando's cock as he thrust into her over and over.

Carlos stood at the end of the bed, stroking his hard length as he watched the erotic display. "She's so fucking hot like that, tied up and blindfolded," he said, his thick Spanish accent sending a shiver down Y/N's spine. "Now, let's really drive her wild."

Lando withdrew from Y/N's pussy, leaving her whimpering at the loss. But then she felt a different sensation as Lando positioned himself at her mouth. She opened willingly, moaning at the taste of her pussy on his cock as he fed it to her.

Lando began to thrust into her mouth, his hands tangling in her hair as he set a steady rhythm, fucking her face. Y/N relaxed her throat, taking him deep, feeling the head of his cock bump against the back of her throat. She sucked and licked, reveling in the sensation of having him fill her mouth.

Carlos positioned himself at Y/N's entrance, teasing her wetness with the tip of his cock. "Mmm, I can't wait to feel this tight pussy around my dick," he said, his voice filled with hunger. With one smooth thrust, he sheathed himself inside her, filling her to the brim.

Y/N cried out around Lando's cock, her body overwhelmed by the sensation of being so full. Lando held her hair tightly, controlling the pace as he face-fucked her, his hips meeting Carlos's in a delicious rhythm. Y/N felt like she was in a erotic trance, her body on fire with pleasure.

The men picked up the pace, their thrusts becoming harder and faster. Y/N felt herself spiraling out of control, her body being used exactly as it was meant to be. She whimpered and moaned, blindfolded and helpless, at the mercy of these two handsome racers.

Lando came first, his cock throbbing as he spilled his seed down Y/N's throat. She swallowed eagerly, loving the feel of his release. Carlos continued to pound into her, his cock slick with her juices and Lando's cum. "Fuck, I'm close," he grunted, his hips slamming into Y/N's.

"Cum inside me," Y/N begged, her body craving the feel of his release. "Fill me up." Her words sent Carlos over the edge, and he thrust hard into her, holding still as he emptied his balls deep into her waiting womb.

Y/N felt the warmth of their combined release inside her, her body pulsating with the aftershocks of her own orgasm. She was utterly spent, her wrists sore from the handcuffs, her body glistening with a layer of sweat.

Lando and Carlos released her from her restraints, gently removing the blindfold. Y/N blinked up at them, a satisfied smile on her face. "That...was incredible," she whispered, her voice hoarse from the face-fucking.

Lando grinned, kissing her softly. "We aim to please," he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "But I think it's time for round two. I have a feeling tonight is just getting started."

And so, their erotic adventure continued deep into the Miami night, each new moment more pleasurable than the last. It was a night Y/N would forever cherish, a reward for Lando's victory that neither of them would ever forget.

-------

taglist:

@luckyladycreator2 @itsmiamalfoy @jeffs77 @ilivbullyingjeongin @forevercaffeinated-lee @daemyratwst @gulphulp @callsignwidow @f1wintermoon13 @teenwolf01 @victoriassecret101 @hiireadstuff @formulaal l l @kazza72584 @zabwlky1999 @dark-night-sky-99 @rougekiki @xoscar03 @jess-wither @bountychanti @dhanihamidi @tellybearryyyy @a-panseuxalmess @love-simon @tallrock35 @iiaik0ii @Milkyymelanine @ilovsyou3000morgan @styl1shl1v @eddieharrington @hellowgoodbye @kazza72584 @norstappenvibes

[luvhughes43]

how does her injury happen/her brothers reaction

im going to be writing an in-depth fic for this aswell but with finals the next two weeks i dont have a lot of time! so here's some thoughts!

the injury itself happens during one of her competitions. it's her first season without her abusive coach, and so the pressure was on blake to win because her old coach was notorious for producing winners.

anyway! she agitates her back (which is an injury she's always had troubles with. she sprained it and it never properly healed due to her training) during her short program. she doesn't tell anyone about the injury because she needed to prove she could win. so she competes anyway...

everything's going fine in her long program, until shes almost at the end. she has a short sequence of jumps and she lands the first one fine, until she moves onto her next jump and completely falls out of it.

she falls on her back and shes literally sobbing out in pain on the ice clutching her back. she tries getting up but can't, and thats when the medical team rushes out.

reactions!

jack: actually freaking out. thats his twin! as soon as he sees that shes slow to get up hes rushing his whole family out of their seats so that he can get to her.

when he finds out how serious the injury is hes so upset. hes not allowed to see blake right away, and so hes literally cursing out loud in the hallways.

quinn: hes in shock. he doesnt really say or do anything right away, just sort of letting jack order him and everyone else around. when he finds out its serious, his hands are shaking but he tries his hardest to stay collected for jack who's literally panicking

luke: blake is luke's second mother! when she cries, he cries. and so when he hears her sobbing on the ice he's tearing up and immediately asking his family if she's going to be okay. he doesn't really know what to do when the doctors tell them its a serious injury. he just sits with blake and tries to distract her from the pain/realization that she may not be able to skate anymore. they watch tiktok's or something on his phone.

[sleepiestwizard]

okay im gonna put all my thoughts about the hotguy zinethology on here based on the incoherent ramblings my friends received while i was reading it

(obviously spoilers below the cut)

okay so first of all the first part was SO fucking funny i cried laughing multiple times

the first time i saw cute guy i SCREAMED

HOTGUY TRYING TO GET CUTEGUY TO JOIN HIS UNION AND GRIAN JUST GOING. NAH. WAS SO FUNNY

@cornpapers draws scar SO pretty

mumblr is SUCH a funny name 10/10

the "dont you think cuteguy and hotguy having matching names and outfits is queerbaiting" post is SO FUNNY

THE GRIANVERSE

SHE'S HERE !!!!!!! ARIANA GRIANDE !!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. GRIAN LOOKS LIKE THE SAD HAMSTER

REALLY GOOD PANEL

this whole comic was so funny i loved it loved the cub

THE EMAILS PART WAS ALSO SO FUNNY

this is such an interesting and fun way to tell a story i loved the email part

in general the posts and stuff were SO funny and very realistic for the internet 😭

yeah

grian desperately trying to not let scar reveal his identity 😭😭 girl (this also hits so different now after reading the whole thing btw.)

the comparison to a wild horse in this first fic also killed me

i can't really put a lot of images but there were some really classic superhero comic looking panel that i thoroughly enjoyed

scar tangled in his own grappling hook. classic. very funny

I LOVED THIS FIC SO MUCH. scar voice this is gonna ruin the tour. grian voice what tour. scar voice the world tour.

scar saying he's playing volleyball. haikyuu reference!?!?!?

just putting this here

LOVEDDDD THIS GEM DESIGN

moon mask i immediately called pearl yes pf course

GRIAN REFUSING TO SHOW EACHOTHER THEIR IDENTITIES AGRHRGRHRVH

"you and your cuteguy" arggrgrhsggrgrhgr

murder camel REAL !!

I DIDN'T TRUST THIS FOR A SECOND. PEARL AND HER SOUP I DONT BUY IT

"i cant believe you guys fucking killed jimmy solidarity" <- actual message i sent to mochi

SCOUR KNOWING SCARS NAME. AGRHSGRHRGRHV

i literally had to Go Take A Walk after this fic

i really like how the pearl thing was resolved in this it felt like such a good act 2 reoccurring villain exit. very superhero comic/movie like or even dnd like

'vincent berger' made me laugh

ZEDDIT

MOCHI FIC !!!!

first off every single fic has SUCH a cool cover i love them all

poor grian has ptsd :((

i LOVEEE how mochi writes angst always they're so good at it

the fact that he never found jimmys body immediately made me call the fact that he wasn't really dead and would come back btw

gem would lovee to drive grian slowly crazy tbh

"IVE COME TO PICK UP MY BIRD" AGRHRGRHGRHRVRBTBJRG

JUST LOOK AT THAT GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW !!!!!!!

i was going insane at this point

this whole zine had me feeling like that meme thats like first i laughed.. then i serioused (the first part was SO funny and then golden era was psychic damage /pos)

IMPULSE :D

GEMPEARL <33 they are so everything to me

SCAR WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE SUSPICIOUS POSSIBLY EVIL FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY ON YOUR BODY. SIR.

NOT THE DESTIEL MEME

they look SO fucking cute

both scar and grian look sooooo scrumptious in this comic argh

THE MIND CONTROL. THE. RHE MIND CONFNTOL.

THESE 2 FULL PAGES ARE ABSOLUTELY SO INSANE. I WAS AND STILL AM FOAMING AT THE MOUTH

THIS IS SO. GOD THIS

THE WAY GRIAN JUMPED AND SCAR JUMPED AFTER HIM. THEYRE CRAZY !!!!!!!

THE WIPING THE BLOODY NOSE AND THEN SMILING LITERALLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!

HE TOOK THE MASK OFF

mumbo <3

THE HUG. ☹️☹️☹️

great big beautiful tomorrow :((( the parallels :((

GRIAN BEING TOO FLUSTERED BY SCAR KINDA FLIRTING THAT HE DIDN'T REALISE HE WAS DROPPING HINTS ABT HIS IDENTITY WAS SO FUNNY

cutiebird..

scar playing w his hair when cuteguy was hurt :(( so cute

REALLY FUNNY

THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS ☹️☹️

the tcg voice: theyre holding hands.. i want them dead

SKIZZ !!!!

ETHO !!!!!!!!!!

awhh skizzly :((((

THIS IS SO UPSETTING

"It's our Impulse, Gem" IM SO UPSET SHUT UP

god the way she puts on the mask and immediately is emotionless im gonna throw up

OBSESSED. THEY'RE EVERYTHING TO ME

im so obsessed w this cuteguy i love him

grian voice omg im the only bitch serving cunt in this place im so embarasseddddd

they are serving SO much in this comic

ETHO EYHO ETHO ETHEO

SCAR APPOINTING GRIAN AS LEADER. EARURGRHVRH THEY'RE EVERYTHING

READING THIS WAS SO CRAZY IT LITERALLY FELT LIKE WATCHING ENDGAME

JIMMY SOLIDARITY !!!

MUMBO JUMBO !!!!!

impulse thinking about skizz as he's dying :(((((

HE DID IT ALL FOR SKIZZ :(((((((((

i was so upset this made me sob like a baby

SOUP GROUP :(((

SKIZZLY!!! :(((

warden :/

SCAR PEARL INTERVIEW :( HOTGUY RETIRING :( I LOVE THEM

THE CHEMICAL MUTATING PEOPLE IS JUST ESTROGEN BEING A GIRL JUST DOES THAT TO YOU

grian and scar playing volleyball is that a haikyuu reference....

OH THIS PEARL IN THIS COMIC IS REALLY GOOD

cuteguy is so spiderman coded

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW !!!!!! WE'VE COME FULL CIRCLE !!! SOBBING !!!!

god all in all this was so crazy. it was such an obvious labour of love and everyone who was involved with it did such a good job and obviously put so much love into it AND IT WAS WORTH IT !!!! insanely good work thank you to everyone for doing this and sharing it for free?? @hotguycomiczine y'all are crazy. incredible work <333

[whydoyoucare866]

The Night We Met

PAIRINGS:

Titans! Jason todd x reader

SUMMARY:

Bruce has taken in Jason Todd as his youngest son and the new robin some months ago, Bruce's goddaughter also came back to Gotham after being away for a year.

Some months after meeting Jason she starts a friends with benefits relationship with him, suddenly Jason has to move to the Titans tower and two weeks later Bruce sends her too, but, why is Jason ignoring her and acting like he doesn't know her and why does it get worse when Rose Wilson arrives to the tower??

A/N: I finally figured out a song to base this chapter off, I’m sorry I went so off with their conversation and didn’t really get anywhere with it, I just really want them to bond and I don’t think ahead of writing I just start and see where it takes me, I know this can be really boring but I want this to be a LONG fic and a slow burn and that can’t happen if the whole plot happens in two chapters so bare with me please!

TWS: slow burn, angst, blood, canon violence, mentions of death, anxiety, jealousy, friends to friends with benefits to enemies to lovers?, maybe death of a main character (haven't decided yet) change of plot

Keep in mind that English is not my first language, I also know nothing about guns, human anatomy or fighting in the language so I'm sorry if I make a lot of mistakes

Gif credits to Titanstv on Pinterest

Story Masterlist / Main Masterlist

You felt a throbbing pain in your head and started slowly opening your eyes and becoming aware of your surroundings, you were trying to figure out how long you had slept for since according to the sky it was night now and you didn't know if it was the next day now or if you had just slept some hours, now that you think of it, you didn't actually remember falling asleep either, well thats what happens when you cry too much after not sleeping for two days i guess, you decided that you would really love a glass of water right now and started making your way to the kitchen, you hoped no one was awake or at home, after your whole emotional moment with Bruce and Alfred you realized how embarrassing it had been to cry your heart out in front of someone who did not even know you and how much of a big deal you had made things that seriously were not that deep, then you cried more of embarrassment, and then you realized how much of a baby you were being, and realized you were really sleep deprived and really needed some sleep.

You arrived to the kitchen and just as luck would have it, there was no other than Jason Todd, the guy who had to awkwardly witness a girl he didn't know sob her eyes out but while thinking about it you realized that making it a bigger deal than it was would only make it actually embarrassing and would probably ruin any chance of friendship with that guy so you decided that you would let it go and it had never happened.

Jason didn't acknowledge you at all, he was too concentrated on eating what he had cooked for himself earlier and honestly he didn't seem like a very social guy so you just let him be.

You reached for a glass but then decided that maybe you should grab a thermos so you could bring it to your room and not have to make your way over to the kitchen every time you were thirsty, the noise made Jason acknowledge you but he just gave you a nod while he looked at you and you just returned it, you went to fill the water and you could still feel Jason staring at you, the environment was really awkward and Jason looked like he wanted to say something, or maybe he just wanted you to leave, well, this was your chance to talk to him, if he didn't want to talk to you back then you would just let him be, no harm in trying to make friends in your own home.

"Aren't you supposed to be out there with Bruce?" you asked him

He shook his head and pointed to his ribcage "got stabbed, Bruce wouldn't allow me to go back out there"

"Huh, how'd you get stabbed?" you asked not being bothered by it, you were used to these kind of things

"Harley" he said nonchalantly

"Oh" you said and nodded at him

"Mhm"

"I thought she hadn't been active in a while?" I said, Dick had told me before he left Bruce that Harley hadn't made an appearance in almost a year and it looked like she might want redemption.

"Yeah but Joker was put back in Arkham some months ago, we thought they had broken up but turns out it was just an act and she was just plotting something to try and get him out or get revenge or something like that, and well i may be skilled but Harley is Harley" he said taking bites of his food.

"Yeah I get you, even I am scared of going against Harley"

"You are? haven't you beaten her like a lot of times?"

"Yeah but miss girl is not just crazy and skilled but she's also in LOVE like not cutesy love, but maniac love that's a dangerous combination" you said in an exaggerated way to get your point across.

"I wouldn't call that love" he said while shaking his head before taking another bite of his food which you had no idea what it was.

"Then what would you call it?"

"Obsession I guess, she's like obsessed with him, she would throw herself against chemicals that will probably kill her if he asked for it... oh wait she already did"

"Yeah, poor girl would give her life for someone who just manipulates her and uses her”

"I mean yeah, but I wouldn't call her poor she's still a psycho" he shrugged.

"Maybe, but she's in love, even if you wouldn't call it that i think i would, its not a healthy love but she just loves him in a really obsessive unhealthy way, also if you see it in a way, we are psychos as well" i say before taking a sip of my water.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he sipped what must be coffee from a mug and looked at me curiously.

"Well, what kind of people just beats up other people every night?"

"Well yeah, but we only beat criminals and people who deserve it, they actually kill" he said trying to defend his point.

"I mean, yeah they may kill and we don't, but what's worse? dying or being paralyzed and basically tortured for life?"

"What do you mean?" he frowned and tilted his head a bit, he was intrigued in the conversation now.

"Well do you honestly think everyone will just be fine after being thrown around and beaten up until the point where you know if you give one more punch they'll die? I mean even professional fighters get brain paralysis or quadriplegic or like vegetative state from a bad blow and they have like precautions in those fights, now imagine in a fight where there's no precautions and the only stop sign is either them going unconscious or them not being able to move or them being a step away from death keep in mind that the criminals that you beat sometimes aren't trained or don't even know how to fight like regular thieves and shit, im obviously not talking about criminals like Ivy or Harley and stuff and a lot of the vigilantes have actually killed at least one person, maybe not intentionally but yeah" I explained to him.

"Huh, I guess if you think about it like that you're right" he nodded and took one last bite out of his plate

"Of course I am, I"m always right" I smiled at him

"Sure you are" he rolled his eyes in a playful way and stood up to wash his dirty dishes.

"I am!" I say pretending to be offended

"Uh huh, whatever you say" he smiled at me, "well, uhm its pretty late and I guess I should try to get some sleep, so see you tomorrow, I guess" he said before starting to head out of the kitchen.

"Sure, goodnight" I said to him.

"Night" He replied before finally leaving the kitchen.

taglist:

@fairyeoll @singitoutgirl26 @mad-die45 @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @pariahsparadise

[kkyaka]

Summary: Raising a kid is never easy, but confessing to his next door neighbor seems even harder

Pairing: Terushima Yuuji x black!fem!reader

Word Count: 31,222 (🧍🏽‍♀️)

Warnings: neighbor!au, single dad!terushima, a lot of fluffy moments, kind of a slow burn, mostly in terushima's POV, terushima is really whipped for you, terushima's friends are really annoying to him lol, oikawa makes an appearance, terushima gets a little jealous, angst sprinkled throughout but a lot towards the end, terushima and satomi's mother don't get along, terushima's a girl dad, smut: breeding kink, unprotected sex, creampie, multiple orgasms, fingering (f), brief handjob, terushima's a bit possessive, fluffy moments under the influence of alcohol (everyone is of age), kinda canon divergent, kinda not, I think I covered most of it lol

A/N: I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS FIC, I HAVE READ IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IM OBSSESSED. EVEN IF NO ONE LOVES, I DO AND THATS ALL THAT MATTERS. also this fic is so long and I am so sorry for that LMFAO 💀 but if you read all of it, I really appreciate it and love you. Also ik the end is kinda rushed, I'm so bad at closing out fics 😭😭😭

You always have those initial thoughts when you move into your first apartment. You’re finally on your own now, you don’t have to worry about anyone else, and you can sing as loud as you want and wear whatever you want. Something that most people forget about though is their neighbors. When you toured the place, your hallway was pretty quiet, so you went in with the expectation that you wouldn’t be disturbed by loud neighbors.

But you’re only a week into your new place and two seconds from filing a noise complaint against the neighbor to your right. You totally understand that babies aren’t going to stop crying on command, you’ve dealt with them before. But this baby in particular has been crying all week, and your room seems to be in the right place to hear them screaming throughout the night.

You’re about to move to the couch to sleep, looking at the clock to see that it’s two in the morning. You wouldn’t be worried about being up at two in the morning, but you’re trying to get your sleep schedule back on track since you start your new job next week. Right as you sit up, you notice that you don’t really hear the crying anymore.

You frown, now realizing how silent it is, but then you hear a knock at your door. That makes you uneasy, and you grab the baseball bat by your bed that your dad got for you, and you slowly tiptoe to the door. You carefully look through the peephole, and that’s when you notice that the crying is right in front of your door. You think the worse; that the person just left the baby on your doorstep, but as your eyes focus through the image in the peephole, you see a guy standing on the other side of the door with a baby in his hands.

You set the bat against the wall before you unlock and pull the door open, and those familiar cries are clear in your eyes. The blond man looks even more tired than you do, and you’re pretty sure that the bags under his eyes could hold something.

“I’m sorry to bother you so late,” he starts. “But I’ve tried everything, and she won’t stop crying.” You pity him a bit because you've been in the situation when babysitting in the past, and you step to the side to let him in. He walks into your apartment slowly, cooing at the baby to try to get her to stop crying. “I’m Terushima, by the way. Terushima Yuuji,” he groggily introduces, and you give him a soft introduction of your name before you ask to hold her.

“She won’t take a bottle?” you ask as you bounce her in your arms, and her cries settle just a bit. He shakes his head, setting the baby bag he had on his shoulder on your island. He pulls out one of the bottles, handing it to you.

You try to give it to her, but she refuses, so you don’t try to force it. You notice that she doesn’t have any tears running down her face, and her cries start to pick up volume. “What’s wrong, mama? Why’re you giving your daddy such a hard time, hm?” you whisper as you start to walk around your apartment, continuing to bounce her in your arms.

You rest your cheek against her head, and that’s when you feel how warm she is. “Has she always been this warm?” you ask, taking one of your hands and putting the back of it against her neck. “She’s burning up,” you say, feeling that her skin is sticky with sweat. You put your hand against her little feet, and they’re really warm too.

“I-I think so,” he murmurs, and you walk to your bathroom, grabbing a thermometer. You come back out, running it under some warm water from your sink. You get her arm out of the sleeve of her onesie before you put the thermometer under her armpit. You wait until it beeps, and your heart drops when you see the numbers.

“She’s got a fever, Terushima,” you tell him, and his tired eyes go as wide as they can.

“What?” he whispers.

“Do you have any medicine?” you ask, walking towards him, and he shakes his head.

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t know,” he sighs in frustration. “What do I do?”

“Okay, okay. Calm down,” you say. “My aunt’s a doctor, and she’s usually on call around this time. Lemme give her a call.” He’s on the brink of becoming frantic, but your words seem to calm him a little. You call your aunt, and since you don’t have any medicine, and there are no convenience stores open, she tells you just to bring her in.

You offer to drive since he’s definitely not in a good state to drive right now. He quickly grabs his car keys, and you drive over to where your aunt works. You have to wait for her when you get there since she’s currently working with a patient, so you sit down in the chairs, holding her in your arms while Terushima paces in front of you.

“Terushima, I promise she’s fine,” you tell him, but you don’t think he hears you. You stand up, softly putting a hand on his arm. He stops walking, turning to look at you, and you swear he’s going to cry. “You should sit.” You make it sound like an offer, but you guide him to sit down next to you. “Just breathe. She’ll be fine.” You rub over his back, and he puts his elbows on his knees, resting his hands on his face, and you see that his legs are bouncing.

He’s looking ahead, and you can’t imagine what he’s going through, but you try to be as supportive as you can. Your aunt comes out a few minutes later, and Terushima’s in his own world, so you grab his hand. He jumps when you do, and you pull him to his feet. You notice how tight his grip on your hand is, so you don’t let go. 

She brings you into a room, and you sit down on the hospital bed while he continues to stand, but his hand doesn’t leave yours. You explain to her what’s going on, and you hold her while she does a quick exam. “How old is she?” your aunt asks.

“She’ll be a year in a couple of months,” he answers softly, his gaze going from his daughter to the floor.

“And her name?”

“Satomi,” he answers quickly, and you smile softly when you look down at her. When you look at Terushima, he still looks anxious, so you get his attention by gently shaking his hand.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” you tell him. “C’mere.” You pull him to sit next to you, and you rub over his back again, but when you stop, his hand is holding yours instantly.

“She just has a small fever. It’s nothing major,” your aunt tells you, and you can see Terushima relax a bit. She gives Satomi some medicine, which she fights just a little bit, but it’s not too long before her cries start to subside.

Your aunt hands Terushima the medicine since both of your hands are occupied. “You can give this to her twice a day, and she’ll start feeling better. If she doesn’t, bring her back in.” You nod, thanking your aunt. “Does she have a doctor?” she asks, and you look at Terushima, and it takes him a while to answer, but he eventually shakes his head.

“No. I, uh, I just got her. It’s a long story,” he says, and neither of you asks for an explanation. 

“I have a friend that has her own practice. I can give you her information,” she offers, but Terushima spaces out again, so you answer for him.

“That’ll be great, Auntie. Thank you.” She walks out of the room, and you try to follow, but he doesn’t move. You call his name softly, pulling gently on his arm, and he finally stands. Once you get everything checked out, she gives you the information for the pediatrician. You thank her again for seeing you on such short notice, and she gives you a hug before leaving.

Terushima’s quiet on the ride home, and so is Satomi, so you figure the medicine is starting to kick in. He’s had this look in his eyes since your aunt gave him the medicine, and he doesn’t let go of your hand when you try to go back to your apartment.

“Terushima.” You call his name, your voice firm, and he looks up at you. “Satomi is fine. This isn’t uncommon.”

“I just feel like I failed her,” he whispers, and you feel your heart crack. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, and I thought that I could be mature enough for this–”

“Yuuji.” You stop his rant by putting your hand on his shoulder. “No one is prepared for this. So, please don’t beat yourself up. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.” It doesn’t really look like your words reached him, but he nods anyway. “I can stay and watch her while you sleep,” you say, and he quickly shakes his head.

“You’ve done enough already, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re exhausted. I’ve stayed up later than this anyway, so I don’t mind.” He doesn’t put up much of a fight, and it looks like the fatigue starts to hit him. He unlocks his door, and both of you take your shoes off. You carefully take Satomi out of her car seat since she’s sleeping, and he stops you when you try to sit on the couch.

“Do you mind if you lay on the bed?” he asks. “Sorry. I just don’t wanna be in a different room than her.”

“Don’t apologize. That’s totally okay.” You follow him to his room, careful to avoid all of the baby toys that are on the floor, and his room looks even worse than the living room.

“Sorry for the mess,” he mumbles, and you stop him when he tries to clean up. You push him to the side of the bed that isn’t covered with baby stuff, and you clean off the other side. He’s nearly asleep when you finally get in, setting yourself up against the headboard. He lays on his side to keep his eye on her, and you rub your hand over his forehead.

“Go to sleep, Yuuji. We’ll be here when you wake up.” His eyes are already closing when you rub over his forehead, and when you try to pull your hand away, he softly grabs your wrist. You don’t need anything more from him to know what he wants, so you move your hand to his hair, running your fingers through it.

You listen to their breathing as you get comfortable, and you can’t help but laugh quietly as you look between them. So much for getting your sleep schedule back on track.

~

When Yuuji wakes up, he can tell that he’s alone. He blinks the sleep out of his eyes and sees that you or Satomi are not in bed with him, and his room looks spotless. He takes a deep breath in and something that smells really good fills his nose. He groans softly as he gets out of bed, walking out of his room as he opens his eyes. 

He walks into the living room slash dining room to see that it’s also spotless, and he spots you in the kitchen, and now he knows the source of the smell. He sees Satomi on a couple of blankets within your line of sight, and he clears his throat. You jump, turning around as you take the last pancake out of the pan.

“Morning!” you say softly. “I hope you don’t mind that I ran to my place really quick since you didn’t really have any food. With Satomi, of course.”

“Don’t worry about it. It smells amazing,” he says, walking over to pick up his daughter. “What time is it?”

“Three o’clock.”

He winces. “I was asleep for that long?” 

You laugh a bit as you hand him a plate. “Yeah, but you didn’t snore once. Satomi is one lucky girl,” you tease, and he can’t help but laugh. 

“Yeah, I’ve been told that it’s a plus.”

“Oh, it sure is. My dad snores so loud that I can hear it through the wall,” you groan, shaking your head at the thought. He sits down at the island, and you eat your pancakes while standing on the other side of him. Satomi is definitely feeling better, seeing that she reaches for Terushima’s fork every time he brings the fork to his mouth.

“I can’t thank you enough for all of this and this morning,” he says after he finishes eating. “I’m kinda embarrassed about how I acted.”

“That’s totally okay. You were tired. I’ve done plenty of things while I’m running on little sleep.” You offer him some more pancakes, and he easily accepts. You wash your plate before taking Satomi out of his arm so he can eat without his food being stolen from him. You grab one of her toys to keep her entertained, and you sit next to him.

“Also, you didn’t have to clean the place,” he adds, feeling his face warm in embarrassment. 

“Terushima, it’s okay. I just wanted to help you out.” You move the toy around, making noises, and it makes her giggle, yours following right after.

“You seem like a miracle worker with kids,” he says after he watches you for way too long, turning to his food so that you don’t see.

“Well, I was a babysitter in my neighborhood in high school and college. But I’ve always been told I have a way with kids,” you muse.

“Well, they are definitely not wrong.” He can’t help but watch you, and he feels like he has to apologize again. “I seriously owe you one.”

“I said don’t worry about it. Being a first-time parent isn’t easy, like I said, no one is ready for it,” you emphasize. “Next thing you know, you’ll have a hard time saying goodbye to her when you have a date.”

“Yeah,” he blurts out. “That won’t be happening any time soon.”

“Struck a nerve?” you ask, grimacing a bit, and he shakes his head as he stands, taking his plate and fork to the sink.

“Satomi’s mother and I fell off, and the next thing I know, she’s at my doorstep,” he says, gesturing towards her. “She never told me that she was pregnant, and then suddenly I’m being thrust into fatherhood.”

“You’re doing a really great job,” you say when he goes silent.

“I didn’t know my own daughter had a fever,” he laughs bitterly.

“You were tired, Yuuji. Cut yourself some slack,” you remind. “Being worried about her health tells me that you’re doing just fine. And you asked someone for help when you didn’t know what to do. That sounds pretty good to me.”

You grab the toy again, putting it on her body before pulling it away suddenly, gasping when you do before moving it back towards her again, and Satomi laughs loudly, which makes you laugh. The only thing Terushima can do is watch you, and things start playing in his head, but he quickly shakes them off.

“You have to let me pay you back,” he tries again.

“I already said that it was no big deal.”

“Let me buy you dinner,” he blurts, and he quickly realizes that it sounds like he’s asking you out on a date, and he feels himself blush, but you start talking before he can backtrack.

“Well, I never say no to food,” you respond, and it doesn’t sound like you thought he was asking you out, so he sighs internally.

“Wherever you want to eat tonight, it’s on me,” he says, and you pretend to think about it.

“Alright. That sounds good to me.”

Things have kind of fallen off since that day. With you starting work, you haven’t been able to spend as much time with him as usual. It seems like, after that day, he got himself together. Terushima hadn’t told anyone that he had a kid, not even his parents. Satomi’s mother left the adoption papers with her, and right before he knocked on your door he thought about signing them. But then you came to his rescue, and he felt much better about being able to do this.

Your reassurance helped him a ton, and he made some calls. He leaves the backstory a little bit blurry, not ready to go into the details yet, but his friends and family were more than supportive, and he couldn’t ask for more. Since he has a support system now, he didn’t really need to ask you for help unless it was an emergency.

He also knew that you were starting your new job, so he didn’t want to turn your life upside down even more than he already had. Although, he will admit that it bothered him that he wasn’t keeping in touch with you as much as he wanted to. That morning, you were the light in his swirling darkness, and for a while, he just called it that. He was in a vulnerable position, so of course, he would have some feelings for you.

But when he would strike up a quick conversation with you at the mailbox or while you were on your way to work, he would think about asking you to stay and talk with him just a little longer. You actually came by when he was celebrating Satomi’s first birthday, but you couldn’t stay long since you had to run back to work. The fact that you had run home just to show your face meant more to him than you could ever know.

He never really expected his life to fly by as fast as it did, and now his daughter is going on six years old. Staying in an apartment this long with a child probably didn’t look the best, but he was having trouble getting a job while trying to find a good schedule for someone to watch Satomi, and he definitely couldn’t afford a babysitter.

His friends and family weren’t always available, and the only time you could watch her was on the weekends, but that’s definitely not going to be enough money for him and Satomi to stay afloat. He has some money saved up, but that’s about to run dry, and he feels like he’s leeching off of his parents even though they swear it’s fine.

It’s not fine with him, but since Satomi has a schedule now, he might be able to make it work. She’s taken up dance, and she has practice for that twice a week. Once that’s set in stone, he decides to apply for some jobs, hoping that he can finally take a step in some direction. 

Satomi knows you, of course. You’ve been in her life since she’s been here, and he can’t help how his heart flutters every time she screams your name whenever she sees you. He hasn’t told you about everything because he doesn’t want you to step in and help like he knows you will. There’s still a part of his ego that’s bruised ever since he knocked on your door.

His job hunting isn’t going so great, but he tries not to let his frustration show in front of his daughter. Pursuing something in cosmetology was something he wanted to do once he got out of college, but a lot of things have put that on hold, and with no experience, it’s only making things harder. He sighs heavily as he sits on the couch, wondering what he’s going to do.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?” He quickly turns to his daughter, hosting her up into his lap.

“Nothing, sweetie. I’m just feeling a little tired,” he lies, and she frowns a bit.

“Did you not get enough sleep last night?” she asks, and he can’t help but laugh, shrugging.

“Maybe.” She gasps before she wiggles out of his hold, and she runs to her room. He follows her when she runs back, climbing back into his lap. 

“My class is selling cookies, and whoever sells the most gets a prize!” she tells him excitedly, handing him the multiple forms that she’s brought home.

“Really? What’s the prize?” he asks as he looks through them.

“There’s multiple, but one of them—there! I want this one!” she says, pointing to the prize when Terushima flips to it. He feels something form in his throat when it’s a dollhouse set that she’s been asking for, it’s been going on about a year now, but he hasn’t been able to make it work. “It’s got a whole bunch of stuff that comes with it too!”

She starts talking about it, but it all starts to blur together as he falls victim to his thoughts. “Daddy?” He blinks quickly, looking from the papers to her.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” He tries to listen to her as she repeats herself, and it doesn’t seem like she minds, but those ugly thoughts won’t leave his head.

~

You sigh as you get comfortable on the floor in front of your couch. You turn on a show that you’ve seen before, and you chuckle a bit when you set your coloring book on the coffee table. Your friends just don’t understand the peace it brings you. You’ve finished three so far, so this is a new one, and you’re ecstatic to start it.

You’re picking out your color scheme when you hear a knock at your door. You groan, letting your head fall to the side before you get up. When you open the door, you realize you have to look down, and your eyes meet a familiar five-year-old who’s missing one of her front teeth.

“Hi y/n!” she beams, holding the handle of a wagon in her hand. You look behind her to see she has boxes, but you can’t really see what they contain.

“Satomi? Does your dad know you’re here?” you ask, and the look that appears on her face is enough of an answer. “You know you can’t leave without telling your dad.”

“I know, I know, but I can trust you, right?” she asks, and you sigh as you crouch down.

“Of course, you can, Satomi, but you have to let your dad know where you’re going. He’d be worried sick if something happened to you,” you tell her, and she pouts a bit. “Just promise me that you won’t come over here without telling him first.”

You hold your pinkie up, and she smiles widely, bouncing on her toes as she hooks her pinkie around yours. “I promise!” 

“Good,” you laugh. “Now, what’s in the wagon?” you ask, and she steps to the side so you can see.

“My class is selling cookies, and whoever sells the most gets a dollhouse!” She all but shoves the paper in your face, and you have to push her hand back a bit to see it.

“That’s a pretty big dollhouse. How many pieces are in it?” you ask in a bit of disbelief.

“A bunch! There’s different clothes for the dolls, and there’s a bunch of, um…um…”

“Furniture?” you try, and she nods her head quickly.

“Yeah! That!” You laugh, and she puts the paper down. “Would you like to buy some?”

“Sure! How much is it gonna cost me?”

“Ten dollars.”

“For a box?!” you ask suddenly, and she nods happily. “They’re already setting you poor children up in a scam,” you whisper. “I’ll buy the whole cart.”

Her eyes widen, and she jumps into you, almost knocking you over as she hugs you. You can’t help but laugh, barely having a chance to hug her back before she’s pulling away.

“I’m definitely gonna win!” she shouts, and you have to remind her that she has to keep her voice down in the hallway. She lowers her voice, but her excitement doesn’t. You have her bring the wagon inside your apartment, and you grab your phone to text Terushima.

“What was your dad doing before he left?” you ask as you text him.

“He was in the shower,” she hums, not really paying attention as she sits on the floor where you were before she knocked. “Were you coloring?” she asks, and you set your phone down, sitting next to her.

“Yup. It’s my favorite thing to do when I have time off from work,” you tell her, and you have the other ones with you, so you show them to her, and she takes the colored images in with wide eyes. 

“Wow! They’re so pretty!” she gasps.

“Well, thank you. I try my best,” you say, and she stops flipping the pages, pointing at something on the back of one of the pages. 

“Did you draw this?” You look down, and you smile a little when you see what she’s pointing at.

“Yeah, I did,” you answer with a nod.

“You’re so good! Can you draw me something?”

“Sure, whaddya want?”

“A tiger!” You chuckle as you grab some colored pencils and get to drawing.

“A tiger, huh? That’s your favorite animal?” 

“Yeah! They’re so pretty, and they have stripes!” she highlights. “I love stripes.”

“I can tell!” you say back, noticing that her outfit is nothing but stripes, and she hovers over you while you draw which you don’t mind. The cookies are momentarily forgotten as you draw her a tiger, and she tells you a whole bunch of facts about them while you work. When you’re done, she looks at it like you’ve drawn the best thing in the world. “You like it?”

“It’s awesome! Can I keep it?”

“Of course, you can!” She takes the book, getting up to put it in the wagon, and she brings it over to you. 

“Are you really gonna buy all of them?”

“Yeah! My co-workers love these cookies, so they’ll be very much appreciated.” You help her count all of the boxes, and then you help her count up the money.

“Thank you so much, y/n!” she says, hugging you again.

“Of course! Anything for my favorite munchkin.” There’s a series of quick knocks on your door, and you instantly know who it is. “It’s open!” you yell, but Satomi is too busy to notice, and Terushima comes bursting in. “Did you get my text?” you ask, and he sighs heavily as nods.

“Daddy! y/n said she’d buy all of my cookies!” she tells him, and you don’t blame him for sighing in relief again before he responds.

“That’s great, sweetie. But what did Daddy tell you about leaving without telling him?”

“I know. I already promised her that I wouldn’t do it again,” she explains. “And I pinkie promised, so I definitely won’t break it!”

He laughs a little, pushing his hair back, and you notice that it’s still wet. “Thank you.”

“And look, she drew me a tiger too!” She opens the page and holds it up to him. He takes it, and his eyebrows raise when he looks at it.

“You drew this?”

“Yeah, I draw in my free time a lot, it’s nothing,” you dismiss, suddenly feeling nervous. 

“You’re amazing,” he comments, and you wave him off as you stand.

“I wouldn’t say that. But thank you.” He hands the book back to her, and she admires it again while you go get the money. You hand it to him, and he hesitates to take it.

“You really don’t have to buy all of them,” he says, and you push it into his hand.

“It’s all good. My co-workers eat them up. Literally,” you laugh. Thankfully, he takes the money without much of a fight, and he turns to his daughter.

“Alright, you little gremlin, you’ve bothered her enough. Let’s go,” he says lightly.

“But she said this was her day off!” she argues.

“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t want a break.”

“She’s fine, Terushima. I was just gonna sit and color for a while anyway. She’s not bothering me at all.” He doesn’t respond when you finish, and you give him a look.

“I hate to ask, but do you think you could watch her for a while? Something came up, and I don’t have anyone to watch her. That’s why I was in the shower.”

“Of course, I’d love to have her over.”

“I get to spend more time with you?!” she asks, and you nod your head eagerly.

“Sounds like it!”

“Can you draw me more tigers? Wait, I have to get my stuff!” She starts making her way toward the door, and Terushima rushes out after her, and you shake your head as you laugh. They come back after about ten minutes, Satomi now with a backpack on. She sits down at the coffee table, and you turn to Terushima.

“Is everything okay?” you ask quietly.

“Yeah. I just have to help my parents move some stuff, and Satomi won’t be much help,” he laughs, and you do the same as you agree. “Thank you again. Sorry to have you babysitting while you’re off.”

“It’s okay,” you press, putting your hand on his shoulders. “I love spending time with her, so it’s totally fine.” You turn your attention to Satomi when she calls your name, and you walk over and sit down next to her. Terushima catches himself looking at the two of you, and thankfully his daughter breaks him out of it.

“Bye, Daddy! See you later!” He laughs as he walks towards her, leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll be back, okay?” he says, rubbing over her head, but she’s already engrossed in the coloring books.

“Be safe, okay?” you tell him, and he’s overcome with a strong urge to kiss you too. 

“Right. Thanks again.” And he hightails it out of there before he does something stupid.

“So, Satomi’s been telling me something lately on our rides home.” 

“About what?” Terushima asks, and he’s not fully focused on the conversation because he’s focused on what he’s doing. 

He’s met Oikawa before through some friends of friends, and he really wants to start working soon, so he just decided to start doing hair in his own apartment. Right now, Satomi’s with her grandparents so he can put all of his focus into his work. 

Oikawa visits him frequently ever since he said he had an interest in it, and they’ve gotten pretty close, sometimes he even picks her up from school.

“About a certain someone named y/n?” he inquires, and Terushima’s movements falter a bit. “You wanna explain?”

“There’s nothing to explain,” he tries, but there’s no way Oikawa is just going to drop it.

“Really?” he hums. “Well, she seems to talk about her non-stop. She told me that she’s your neighbor.”

“Where are you going with this, Oikawa?” Terushima sighs.

“I’m just asking some innocent questions.”

“Well, your voice doesn’t sound like it.”

“I’m just saying with the way she talks about her, it seems like she’s a big part of her life,” he continues, and Terushima can’t deny that. You have just as enough presence in her life as his friends and family.

“Okay, and?”

“You’re really bad at diverting the conversation,” he laughs.

“You know I have scissors in my hand, right?” And Oikawa jumps away, leaning forward as he looks at him over his shoulder.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Terushima just glares at him, pulling him back against the seat before he continues what he was doing. “So, is she a potential love interest?” You’re something. Terushima just doesn’t know what. Or rather, he doesn’t want to try and sway things between the two of you. Your relationship is just fine where it is, but of course, there’s a part of him that wishes it was more. “I’ll take your silence as a yes.”

Oikawa glances over his shoulder just to be on the safe side, but he’s always been known to pry. It’s in his personality. “She helps out with Satomi sometimes, yeah.”

“That’s not what I asked.” There’s a knock on the door, and Terushima’s grateful because he’d rather be anywhere else than in this conversation. He sets his stuff down, wiping his hands before making his way to the door. A smile appears on his face the moment his eyes land on you when he opens the door.

“Sorry to bother you,” you start.

“It’s okay. What do you need?”

“Is that the infamous y/n?” You frown playfully at Terushima when you hear your name, and he sighs deeply as he closes his eyes. You peek over his shoulder, and the guy behind him waves at you. You scoff a little as you smile, waving back at him.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were in the middle of something.”

“You’re fine. I was just–"

“It’s rude to not invite people in!” Oikawa yells, and Terushima groans before he steps back, turning to glare at his friend. He doesn’t have a choice now, and he lets you in, giving the man a look as he closes the door behind you. “Nice to meet you, I’m Oikawa.”

“Nice to meet you. I would introduce myself, but it sounds like you already know me,” you laugh, and Terushima grabs a chair for you, putting it perpendicular to Oikawa.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Satomi,” he supplies.

“That makes sense. She could talk for hours,” you say. “I didn’t know you knew how to do hair, Yuuji.”

“Oh, well, I’m just starting out. I’m not that good yet,” he replies, his words coming out choppy.

“He’s just saying that. I’d trust him with my life. He’s the only one that can get my hair right,” Oikawa boasts, and Terushima kicks his chair just a bit. “He’s pretty mean to his regulars, though,” he throws in.

“Only the ones that annoy me,” he mutters under his breath. 

“So, what do you do if you don’t mind me asking?” Oikawa asks, turning back to you.

“Oh, it’s just a boring office job. My mom got it for me, but I don’t really like it,” you admit sheepishly. “I’d rather be doing something with kids to be honest.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, I never really figured it out. I kinda just gave up on it when I got to college. I guess I’m just waiting for something to stick out to me.” Terushima listens intently, realizing that he never really asked you any questions like that, and in his head, he kicks himself. “Wait, Oikawa? You wouldn’t happen to be the same Oikawa that plays for Argentina.”

“The one and only.”

“Wow, that’s so cool! How come you never told me you know professional volleyball players, Terushima?” you question and his answer is a bit delayed because of your reaction. Oikawa’s always been getting girls, and for a moment, he feels like he’s lost. “I watch it all the time.” 

“Do you play also?” 

“I did in high school and in college. I wish I could still play it now,” you reminisce.

“That’s funny because Terushima played as well. If I can recall, he was a pretty good ace.” Terushima would tell him to stop, but his pride’s been hit, so he doesn’t call him out on it.

“He’s exaggerating just a little bit.” He buds in anyway, but he doesn’t deny his words too much. 

“That’s so crazy! I would’ve never guessed. It sounds like he was better than me,” you say.

“You played the same position?” Oikawa asks, and you wave him off.

“Not really. I mean, I guess you could say that. I wasn’t that good,” you stutter. “We made it to like, the third round of nationals one year, though.”

“Well, it sounds like you’re better than you’re letting on,” he teases.

“Maybe,” you reply softly, diverting your gaze, and Terushima can’t help when jealousy courses through his veins. You and Oikawa talk for a while, but Terushima barely buds in. He’s in his head too much to really think about tuning into the conversation. He does pay attention when you say that you’re leaving.

“What did you need?” he asks when you stand.

“Oh, I was gonna ask about Satomi, but she’s not here, so I’ll just come back,” you explain, and for some reason, that makes his heart sink a little. “Oh! Before I go, do you think I can get your autograph?” you ask Oikawa, and Terushima’s heart falls. “I have a friend that is a huge fan.” He hates how easily that makes him feel better, and he gives you the autograph.

“If I can get your number,” Oikawa starts, and he jumps when Terushima closes the scissors loudly. “Then I can let you know when I’m in town, and all of us can go play sometime.”

“Cool, that sounds great!” you easily agree, and Terushima is staring daggers into his friend's head as he watches. “It was really nice to meet you. And I’ll see you later, Terushima.” You wave when you get to the door, and Oikawa waits until it closes to speak.

“I just wanna clarify that I was not making a move on her. And please tell me you didn’t cut off my hair,” he whines. “So, I guess, you really like her then.” Terushima doesn’t say a word, but his silence is more than enough of an answer.

“I’m done,” he eventually says, ignoring the question, and he rolls his eyes at how long Oikawa looks at his hair in the mirror. 

“You do great work as always,” he jests. 

“You don’t have to pay,” he tells him, and fuck, that whole interaction still has him in a mood.

“I’m going to because you’re really good at what you do, and you know what you’re doing,” he says. “I think you should stop being so scared, and go after what you want.” Terushima begrudgingly takes the money as he thinks about the double meaning of his friend’s words.

~

Terushima takes Oikawa’s advice, but not before threatening to cut all of his hair off in his sleep after he noticed his phone blowing up. He didn’t even have to look to know that Oikawa opened his big mouth, and he doesn’t even have time to look at it when Satomi gets back home.

He applied for a couple of jobs and he instantly closed his laptop and walked out of his room, but now he has that hanging over his head also. He hesitantly checks his laptop that night to find that one of them responded, but the job interview is right when Satomi gets out of school. He thinks about trying to find an alternate time, but he thinks about the dollhouse that she wants, so he confirms it.

He comes back home after dropping Satomi off at school, and he knocks on your door, hoping he didn’t catch you in the middle of getting ready for work. “Terushima? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, um, I have a job interview right when I have to pick up Satomi–”

“Say no more! I gotcha covered. Congrats by the way,” you add, pushing him in the shoulder a bit, and that alone has made him feel so much better about the interview. 

“Thanks,” he whispers, rubbing the back of his neck. “You might have to watch her after too, I don’t know how long it’ll be.”

“That’s totally fine with me. Good luck! I know you’ll do great!” you praise, and he wonders why he was ever worried about it in the first place. “Where did you apply?”

“A hair salon down the street,” he answers, and you look more excited about it than him.

“I’m so excited for you! You have to tell me how it goes.”

“I definitely will.”

“Okay, I have to go, but I will be there to pick up Satomi, so you just focus on that interview.”

“Thank you,” he says, and you scoff a little.

“You don’t have to keep saying that. I’m always willing to help you out with her.”

“No, I mean–I was really nervous, so thank you for the encouragement.” 

“Hey,” you start, stepping closer to him and resting your hands in between his neck and shoulders. “You have nothing to be nervous about. You know what you’re doing, now you just gotta show them.” It feels like everything around him disappears as he takes in your words, and he can’t stop himself from pulling you into a hug.

He feels your arms wrap around him, and he sighs into your hair. It takes him too long to realize that he’s been holding you for too long and too tight. He pulls away, and he feels his face warm. “Sorry, I know you have to go.”

“It’s okay.” Your voice is softer this time. “I’m always here if you need a hug.”

~

You leave work early to pick up Satomi, and you notice that she’s not as perky as she usually is. She doesn’t tell you anything about what happened at school, and you notice that she’s walking kind of behind you. She wordlessly follows you into your apartment, and she drops her backpack by the door. You toy your shoes off, and when you look at her, there’s tears in her eyes.

“Oh, no, baby, what’s wrong?” you immediately ask. You pick her up in your arms, and she wraps her limbs around you. She mumbles something into your neck as you sway back and forth, but you can’t hear her. “What’d you say?”

“I didn’t win the dollhouse,” she whispers, and you feel your heart break.

“Oh, Satomi, I’m so sorry.” You rub her head, and she sniffles heavily. “It’s okay, baby. Let it out.” She cries a bit harder, and you feel so bad. You don’t know what to do other than to just hold her while she lets it out since you don’t know how long she’s been holding it in. Her arms tighten around you, and you close your eyes as you continue to rub her head, your hand moving to her back.

You move to sit down on the couch, grabbing a box of tissues before you sit. She moves so that her legs are over your lap, and she rests her head on your shoulder. She’s hiccuping, but she’s not crying anymore, and you hand her some tissue. She blows her nose after wiping the tears away, and she takes a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to cry.”

“Sweetie, it’s okay to cry. I know how much you wanted it.”

“I’ve been asking Daddy for it, but he never got it.” And you somehow put two and two together, figuring out why he was so nervous about the job. 

“Well, your Dad is trying really hard. I promise he’s not ignoring you,” you tell her, and you push her hair out of her face when you look down at her. “He’s working on it, I promise. Okay?” She nods slowly, sniffling again. “Did you get any of the other prizes?”

“I wasn’t gonna play with them, so I gave them to my friends.”

“That was really nice of you.” It looks like she might break again, so you hold her close, kissing the top of her head. She seems to calm down again because she goes quiet, and you notice that she’s playing with the string on your jacket. You sit there with her in silence, resting your cheek on her head.

You notice that her hand isn’t moving anymore, and you’re pretty sure she’s asleep. You’re at a crossroads because you don’t want Terushima to come in with good news and see Satomi like this. You know it’ll break his heart. You carefully get up, walking her to your room, and she barely stirs when you lay her in your bed.

You brush the hair out of her face again, wondering if there’s anything you could do to try and make her feel better. An idea comes to mind as walk back into the living room, but then you hear some familiar footsteps. You open the door before he can knock, and you put a finger to your lips. He frowns at you, but he walks in when you open the door wider. 

“How’d it go?” you whisper.

“I got it!” he cheers softly, matching your voice even though he doesn’t know why.

“Congratulations, Terushima. I knew you could do it.”

“What’s wrong? Where’s Satomi?” You hesitate to tell him, but you’re not sure if Satomi will tell him.

“She didn’t win the dollhouse. She started crying the moment she walked in the door. She’s sleeping now.” You put a hand over your mouth when you physically see the happiness fall out of his body. He goes silent, and you don’t know what to say, opting to rub over his arm.

“If I had gotten it sooner–”

“Hey, don’t start.” You guide him to look at you, keeping your hand on his face. “Do not blame yourself for this, Yuuji. You’re doing everything you can. She will not hate you for this.” You bring your other hand up to his face, and his head falls. “I know why you got the job, Yuuji, and I guarantee you that is enough.”

“She’s not happy,” he responds, lifting his head to look at you, and he looks absolutely crushed. You pull him into a hug, moving his head to your neck, and he wraps his arms around you. You rub over his back, and you don’t know if there’s anything you could say to make him feel better.

“You’re doing everything you can despite the walls you’re facing,” you whisper. “You’re already making her happy, Yuuji. You don’t need a toy to tell you that. She loves you all the same.” He lifts his head from your shoulder, and you put your hands on his face, wiping his tears. “Don’t cry on me. I can’t have my two favorite people crying today.”

He lets out a soft chuckle. “I’m one of your favorite people?” he asks, letting his hand rest on yours.

“Of course, you are.” 

Something shifts in his expression and his grip on your hand tightens. “y/n, I–”

“Daddy?” You both turn around, and you see Satomi rubbing her eyes as she walks into the room. She runs towards him, and he’s already on one knee, ready to hold her in his arms.

“I heard what happened. I’m so sorry,” he says, and she hugs him tight before pulling away.

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too, princess.”

“I’m sorry I made you feel like the dollhouse was all I cared about,” she says, and her words shock you both, and Terushima releases a shaky breath. 

“It’s okay, baby. I’m not mad. I just wanted to make you happy.” You slowly take a couple of steps back giving them some space, and you sneak into your room.

“You’re already making me happy. You let me wear stripes every day.” A laugh bubbles out of his chest. “And you read me stories every night. I don’t need the dollhouse. I have you.” She hugs him again, and he can’t stop himself from crying again. He looks up when you walk back in, and Satomi hasn’t noticed you yet.

You pull out something from behind your back, and he smiles when he sees what it is. “I think y/n has something to give you,” he says to her, and shake your head, wanting him to give it to her, but she’s already turning around to look at you.

You walk up to her, getting down on one knee also. You move your hands in front of you, and she gasps when she sees what it is. “I got you this a couple of days ago.” She takes the tiger puzzle in her hands, smiling widely. “I was thinking you could put it together with your Dad.”

“I wanna put it together with the both of you,” she tells you suddenly. “Can we do it now?” she asks, and you glance at Terushima, and you already know his answer.

“Of course, we can.” You clear your coffee table, and all of you sit down while she dumps out all of the pieces. You start helping her out, telling her to start with the corner pieces first, and Terushima doesn’t join in right away, he just sits back and watches. This image is something he’s been seeing in his dream a lot lately, but he knows that in those dreams, your relationship is different.

He hopes he gets the courage to say something to you, but for now, he grabs your hand to get your attention. “Thank you,” he whispers.

“Of course,” you whisper back, and you both help her put the puzzle together.

“So, you weren’t going to tell us that you live next door to a hot woman who looks after your kid?”

“Why are either of you here?” Terushima grits. 

It’s Terushima’s first week working at the salon, and it’s going great. The place is small, with only a few people working here, and he gets to make his own hours. Of course, the moment he breaks the news, his friends make find their way over here. 

“We’re here to know what kind of review we should leave.” Kazuma jokes and Terushima rolls his eyes.

“You both are wasting my time,” he says even though his former teammate is sitting in his chair. 

“But why did we have to hear about this from Oikawa of all people?” Takeharu asks.

“Because he doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut, and he’s also stalking me. I never gave him my address, so he showed up unannounced,” he says. “I bet that was Kazuma’s doing,” he sighs, cutting his eyes towards the man who’s currently sitting in the other chair across from Takeharu.

“How do you even know him anyway?” Kazuma asks.

“You know how tight the volleyball community was. I met him through some friends.” 

“Okay, so spill. You still haven’t told us anything.”

“There’s obviously a reason for that,” he whispers. “There’s nothing to tell. She’s my neighbor.”

“According to Oikawa, you almost cut his hair off, so she’s definitely not just your neighbor,” Kazuma mocks. “You have a picture?”

Of course, he does. Whenever his appointments run over, you offer to pick up Satomi, and he’s always catching the two of you doing something when he walks into your apartment to come to get her. His phone is usually filled with pictures of just Satomi, but recently, that hasn’t been the case.

“If I show you, will you leave me alone?” he questions as he pulls out his phone. He already has one saved as his screensaver, and it’s the picture he took after you all finished the tiger puzzle.

“Oh, yeah. He’s definitely far gone,” Kazuma laughs. Terushima’s smile drops for a second, and he pulls up the picture he was looking at. Kazuma stands, walking over to him when he hands the phone to Takeharu. “Shit, dude,” he whistles. “And she’s single?”

Terushima turns on the hair dryer and blows it in his face. “Satomi seems to really like her,” Takeharu comments as he scrolls through some of the pictures before he hands him the phone back.

“She won’t stop talking about her,” Terushima laughs.

“So, let me get this straight,” Kazuma starts. “You’ve known her for like, five years. She’s been with Satomi since she was a baby, and she trusts her enough to go to her apartment without telling you,” he lists off. “And you still haven’t asked her out? Are you waiting for someone to swoop in and take her?”

He jumps back just in case Terushima is trigger-happy, and he relaxes when all he gets is a glare. “She has such a good relationship with Satomi, and I don’t wanna mess that up,” he admits.

“You don’t think she has feelings for you?” Takeharu asks.

“I don’t know,” he says slowly, but he thinks about what you said to him after you told him about Satomi not winning the dollhouse. You’re one of my favorite people.

“The look on your face is so gross.”

“I don’t think she’ll stop helping you with Satomi if you ask her out,” Takeharu offers.

“But then things will be awkward. I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“The awkwardness or her not returning your feelings?” Kazuma presses and Terushima sighs again.

“Has she even said anything to make you think she doesn’t feel the same way?” 

“No, but isn’t it wrong to assume that there might be something there?”

“If you would just ask her out, you wouldn’t have to assume,” the brunet deadpans. “Let us meet her. We’ll tell you if she has a thing for you.”

“Absolutely not,” Terushima states.

“Why not? We were your wingmen at one point, so I don’t see the problem.”

“There’s a lot wrong with letting that happen.” He finishes up Takeharu’s hair, and he takes the cape off of him. “Now, get out. I have a client coming in ten.”

“So rude,” Kazuma frowns. “I’m giving you one star.” Terushima all but chases him out of the salon.

~

Satomi told you about one of the dance recitals she was having, and she had to make sure you were going to be there. You knock on his door, and to your surprise, Satomi answers the door. “You know you’re not supposed to answer the door without asking who it is first,” you tell her, closing the door behind you.

“But I knew it was you!” she tells you. “I stood on the stool and looked through the peephole.” You scoff as you shake your head, and she runs towards Terushima’s room, knocking on the door quickly. “Daddy, hurry up! We’re gonna be late!”

He sighs as he pulls the door open, and you have a hard time taking your eyes off of him. You haven’t really seen in him anything other than shorts and a t-shirt most of the time, but he actually dressed up a bit. The slacks he’s wearing emphasize how big his thighs are, and your eyes trail up his torso, and you see that his shirt does the same thing his pants are doing.

You look at his face when he turns to you, and you look down at your outfit. “Should I change?” You’re wearing everyday clothes, and you did put a decent amount of thought into it, but if you need to wear something a little nicer, you can.

“No. You look great,” he compliments, stopping in front of you, and he doesn’t say anything after that, and for a while, it’s just the two of you looking at each other.

“Hurry, you guys!” Satomi yells, making the both of you jump, and Terushima makes sure he has everything while Satomi pulls you towards the door. You wait for him to lock the door, and she runs ahead of the both of you, but once she gets to the doors of the apartment building, she waits for you.

She grabs both you and Terushima's hands, and you all walk to Terushima’s car. You buckle her in before you get into the car, and she’s more than ready to get there. The car is mostly filled with her conversation along with some music playing lowly from the radio. She practically pulls the both of you to the building when you get there, and she has to have the both of you with her when she goes backstage. 

“Are you nervous?” Terushima asks, and she gives him a look.

“Of course, I’m not nervous, Daddy. I’ve been practicing for this!” He smiles at her, giving her a hug.

“I can’t wait to see you dance!” you tell her, and you crouch down.

“You have to make sure you get good seats,” she tells you matter-of-factly, and you laugh but nod your head intently.

“Yes, ma’am,” you say, saluting to her, and she gives you a hug as well. She hands Terushima her coat right as the dance teacher tells all the parents to exit backstage. You walk toward the row of chairs, and Terushima grabs your hand as he walks to a row towards the front. 

“Sorry,” he says. “Didn’t want you to get lost,” he lamely adds as he drops your hand, and he groans in his head.

“Well, thank you,” you laugh. The seats start to fill up, and Terushima feels like he should make conversation, but he doesn’t even know where to start. “How long has she been dancing?” Thankfully, you start talking to him first, and he’s relieved.

“She just started a few months ago. She’d do it all the time at home to the Disney movies she watched, and when I asked her if she wanted to do this, she said yes.”

“That’s so cute,” you coo, and he notices someone sitting next to him, but they bump into him, and he turns to see who it is, and his face drops when he sees his former teammates occupying the seats next to him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he hisses.

“You really thought I was gonna miss my niece’s first recital? Who do you take me for?” Kazuma says dramatically. He leans forward, getting your attention, and if looks could kill, he would be instantly dead. “Hey, I’m Kazuma. This is Takeharu. We played volleyball with this guy in high school.”

“Nice to meet you,” you say warmly, shaking his hand. “I’m his neighbor. Nothing really spectacular about that,” you chuckle. 

“I’ve heard so much about you from Satomi,” he tells you and you nod as you laugh.

“That seems to be a common theme whenever I meet one of his friends.” The lights start to dim, signaling that the show is about to start, and everyone starts to go quiet while Terushima elbows his friend in the side.

When the curtains open, Satomi is front and center, and you can instantly tell that she’s looking for you guys. You wave your hand a bit, and when she sees you, her smile widens. There’s a few moments of silence, and then the music starts. You can’t keep the smile off your face as you watch her, seeing that she looks absolutely ecstatic to be up there.

You notice Terushima filming in your peripheral like most of the parents are, and you decide to do it as well since your aunt is always asking about her. He films the whole thing, and when it’s over, everyone is standing on their feet, clapping. You yell out Satomi’s name, and she waves wildly at you, and you wave back. When his Kazuma starts getting a little too loud, Terushima smacks him in the back.

When all of the kids start to find their parents, they leave, and Satomi runs right into her dad’s legs. “You did so great, princess!” he praises, and the look on her face is something you’ll never forget. He, of course, has to get pictures, and you all take some. Terushima hands you his phone to take a picture of them together, but as you hold the phone up, she stops you.

“I want you to be in it, too!” 

“Oh, okay,” you say suddenly, passing the phone to Kazuma before you stand on the other side of her. He’s only able to take about five good ones before her attention turns to you. 

“Did you see me dancing, y/n?!” she asks, and you pick her up.

“Yes, I did! You were amazing! I wish I could dance like you,” you tell her, and you laugh when she does. You start to walk towards the car, the men in tow and Kazuma clears his throat, but only Terushima hears it. He glares at his friend, who speaks up suddenly.

“We should eat out tonight! To celebrate Satomi’s first recital,” he offers, and with the way Satomi gasps, Terushima knows he won’t be able to say no.

“Yes! We have to show her the restaurant we always go to, Daddy!”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Takeharu buds in, and Terushima wonders if he really needs friends at all. You’re pretty sure all of her energy is due to the adrenaline that’s still running through her body, and the excitement of where you’re going next.

“You’re paying,” Terushima orders when he meets his friends in front of the restaurant, and you all walk in together with Satomi holding your hand.

There aren’t many people here, and you follow them in, but Satomi soon takes the lead, pulling you to a certain table. “We sit here every time we come here,” she tells you, and you move to sit down while Terushima sits on the other side of her.

Kazuma and Takeharu sit across from you, and Terushima tries to figure out what they’re up to. Satomi talks to them, catching them up on what’s been going on, and you can’t help but notice how much she mentions your name. Someone comes to take your orders, and she’s talking their ears off. 

Terushima taps you on the shoulder, and you turn your attention from Satomi to him. “You’re okay with this, right?” he asks cautiously.

“Yes, I am. I’ve never been here before, so I’m excited to try the food,” you answer, and he smiles at you. The waiter gives Satomi some paper, which she immediately pushes your way. You laugh, already knowing what she wants you to do. You busy yourself with her, talking to her while you draw, and Kazuma gives Terushima a look that has him kicking him under the table.

When Terushima looks back at you, you’re helping Satomi draw what you just drew, your hand over hers. She looks so focused, and he smiles at the image as you guide her through what you’re doing. She cheers when you finish even though it doesn’t look exactly like yours, but she’s happy regardless.

She starts talking to Terushima, and Kazuma takes the opportunity to talk to you. “So, are you seeing anyone right now?” he asks, and Terushima goes rigid for a split second.

“Oh, no. I’m not,” you laugh.

“Really? Well, I know–” Terushima all but celebrates when your food arrives, and Kazuma acts innocent when Terushima looks his way. As far as the dinner goes, neither of them seems to ask you any more forward questions, but Terushima keeps a close eye on the conversation regardless.

Satomi goes quiet after she eats, and you look down at her when she leans into you. “Looks like someone’s getting sleepy,” you comment, moving some of her hair back from her face.

“No, I’m not,” she slowly replies, but she snuggles into you further, and you smile as you wrap your arm around her. You all continue the conversation quietly, and when the bill comes, Terushima is the first to speak up.

“Kazuma offered to pay for all of us,” he says quickly.

“Really? Well, thanks,” you say, and Kazuma gives you a friendly smile while Takeharu laughs into his hand. Terushima carries Satomi when you guys get ready to leave, and you all stop by Terushima’s car. “It was nice meeting you guys, too,” you reply once the conversation starts to die down.

“Hopefully, we’ll see you again,” Takeharu says.

“If he gets his shit together,” Kazuma mutters, and Terushima is quick to shoo them off. He straps her into her car seat before he drives off.

“Thank you for coming,” he tells you on the way home. “She was really looking forward to it.”

“Of course. She looked like she was having a lot of fun. And the food was really good.” You both make small talk on the way home, and his arm rests on the console even though he wants to desperately reach over and grab your hand.

You offer to carry Satomi to his apartment, seeing that she’s still asleep when you get home. You lay her down in her bed, and neither of you wants to wake her to get her to change into her pajamas, so you just tuck her in. “Thanks for coming, y/n,” she whispers, and you kiss her forehead softly.

“No problem, Satomi.” She falls back asleep right after, and you both carefully step out of her room. Terushima pulls the door closed, and he follows you when you walk to the front door.

“I can walk you back,” he jokes, and you have to stifle your laughter.

“Thank you so much,” you jest, and you both make the short walk next door.

“Thank you again for coming,” he repeats.

“Thank you for letting me tag along,” you reply, and he has that one question on his tongue, but he can’t bring himself to ask you. “Goodnight, Yuuji.” You move in to hug him, and he gladly accepts it, holding you close.

“Goodnight,” he echoes, and he watches you walk into your apartment, the door closing softly when you disappear. The next opportunity he gets, he’ll take it. He tells himself that now, but doesn’t even know if future him will take the chance.

Terushima rolls over onto his back, looking at the ceiling. He’s lost count of how many times he’s done this. He doesn’t work tomorrow, so he’s not sweating the amount of sleep that he’s losing. It’s another night that he’s having trouble sleeping, and he has a pretty good idea of why that is. Satomi’s mother contacted him out of the blue, and he hasn’t responded. 

He doesn’t think he wants to. He doesn’t know what would happen if he tried to let her back in his life, and he figures it would be good for Satomi to meet her mother, but there’s something about that that he doesn’t like. He hasn’t told anyone about it mostly because he would like to just ignore it, but he knows he can’t do that.

He jumps a little when his door is softly pushed open, and he sits up to see Satomi walking into his room. “What’s wrong, princess?” he asks, pulling the blankets off of him and setting his feet on the floor. She stands in between his legs, and he pulls her hand away when she starts rubbing at her eyes too much.

“I don’t feel good,” she murmurs, and he presses the back of his hand against her forehead. She’s really warm, and he moves to her neck to see that she’s really warm there also. She climbs into his lap, and curls into him as much as she can. 

He took her to the doctor yesterday, so she must be feeling the after-effects of the shot she got. He lays back down, holding her in his arms. “Does anything hurt?” he asks her softly, and he can feel her nod. 

“My head,” she tells him, and when he tries to get up to get her some medicine, she doesn’t let him go. He sighs quietly, getting up with her in his arms before he walks to the bathroom. They both squint suddenly when he turns the light on, and as he’s getting the medicine, he thinks about the first time he met you.

He thinks about how he’s not even scared like he was back then. Although, he’s relieved that she can actually tell him when she’s not feeling good. She fights it a bit, but she eventually takes it, and he goes back into his room. “What’d you say?” he asks, hearing her mumble something when he sits back down on the bed.

“I want y/n,” she whines, and he sighs a bit, but he doesn’t lay back down.

“She’s sleeping right now, Satomi. You can see her tomorrow,” he tries, but that doesn’t make her happy at all. He can hear her start crying, and he feels his resolve breaking. He reaches for his phone anyway, pulling up your contact. “If she doesn’t answer, then you can see her tomorrow, okay?” he offers, and that seems to be enough because she nods.

The phone rings for a while, and he sort of hopes that you don’t answer because he would hate to wake you up so late. He feels so bad when you answer especially because you sound like you’ve been woken up.

“Terushima? Is Satomi okay?” you ask as soon as you pick up the phone, and the fact that you instantly asked about her makes his heart flip.

“Yeah, she’s just feeling a little under the weather because she got a shot yesterday,” he explains.

“Daddy, I wanna see her,” Satomi presses.

“Do you mind if we come over for a bit? She won’t stop asking about you. I’m sorry.”

You huff a bit, and it sounds like you’re sitting up. “That’s okay. The door will be unlocked.” 

“Thanks,” he says before hanging up the phone, and he stands, sliding on some shoes. He carries Satomi over to your apartment, and when he opens the door, you’re standing on the other side. She immediately reaches for you, and you step forward to take her in your arms. 

“Aww, you poor baby,” you whisper, kissing her forehead as you rub over her back. 

“I’m really sorry to wake you,” Terushima says, and you wave him off.

“It’s okay,” you say with a yawn. You look at him, frowning a bit before you put your hand on his face. “Have you been to sleep tonight?” 

“No,” he admits with a shake of his head. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately,” he tells you.

“I got some melatonin if you want,” you offer, but he shakes his head, putting his hand on yours when he feels like you might pull it away.

“I’ll be fine. Thank you though.”

“y/n, can you sing me something?” Satomi asks, and you turn your attention to her, and your hand falls from his face, and Terushima never thought that he would be jealous of his daughter.

“Of course, whaddya wanna hear?”

“Anything.” You feel her forehead as you start singing a Disney song, and you walk into the bathroom. You grab a washcloth, turn on the water, and get it wet. You ring out the excess water before walking out of the bathroom, and you press the cold washcloth to her head as you keep singing. 

Terushima blinks sleepily as he listens to you sing, and suddenly he’s not worried about anything anymore. You glance at him, grabbing his hand a split second later, and he easily follows you to your room. Satomi’s asleep by the time you sit on your bed, and you make yourself comfortable against the headboard.

Terushima just stands next to your bed, but you’re still holding his hand. “We weren’t gonna stay long,” he tries, but you pull him towards your bed anyway.

“I promise you, I will be fine. My boss is really chill anyway.” He crawls into bed, sitting next to you in the same position, his shoulder bumping against yours, but as soon as he settles down, he can feel sleep catching up to him. 

He tries to stay awake, but it’s no use, and when he feels you gently guide his head to your shoulder, he doesn’t fight it. As he starts to fall asleep, he wonders why he ever wanted to leave in the first place. He’s not very comfortable in this position, so he shifts until he is. 

“Goodnight, Yuuji,” you whisper, and he hears you, but all he can manage is a soft hum. He totally blames it on the fact that he’s so close to going to sleep, but he snuggles into you, and he’s pretty sure he can feel you laugh.

When you wake up, you notice that you feel very hot, but you can’t move away from it. You open your eyes, remembering how you got into the position you’re in now. Your phone rings suddenly, and you try your hardest not to wake either of them when you reach for it. Both of them stir just a bit before they settle down, and you take a deep breath.

You see that your mom is calling, and you already know what she’s calling for, so you answer, turning down the volume just a bit. “Happy Birthday!” It’s from multiple voices, and you can’t help but laugh a little bit. 

“Thanks, you guys. But do you really have to call so early in the morning?” you question, and you can hear your mom scoff.

“You’re supposed to be up anyway, aren’t you?”

“I called out today, so no, I wouldn’t be up.”

“We sent you a gift, and it should arrive today,” you hear your dad say in the background.

“I’ll look out for it, thanks.”

“Well, I hope your day goes really well,” your mom tells you, and you look down at the two sleeping faces on you.

“Yeah, it’ll be great.”

~

Terushima wonders why you didn’t tell him about your birthday. He heard your phone ring while he was pretending to be asleep, and he couldn’t find the right time to say something. He heard the phone call with your parents, and his heart dropped when he heard them tell you happy birthday on the phone.

He doesn’t even know where to start with getting you a present. He’d ask his friends for help since he doesn’t really know that much about you, but they’d just tell him that it’s his fault for that since he hasn’t asked you out yet. He’s totally aware of that, but he’s just got a lot going on, okay? And yeah, maybe he’s still scared that you won’t return his feelings if he asks, but who wouldnt be in this situation?

He stops by the store on his way home from picking up Satomi from school, and he’s been racking his brain all day, but he still doesn’t know what to get you. He doesn’t want to get you just anything. You’ve helped him out in so many ways more times than he can count, so he wants your gift to be special. 

“What are we doing here, Daddy?” Satomi asks while he walks through the aisles, hoping he sees something that’ll catch his eye.

“Today is y/n’s birthday, so I wanted to get her something,” he tells her, and she gasps loudly.

“It’s her birthday?! I wanna get something for her, too!”

“What do you wanna get her?” he asks, feeling the frustration rise when he can’t find anything.

“Some pants with stripes!” she says. “She said she loves stripes like I do, and that she needed some more pants for work.” He’s not sure if they’ll be able to find that, but they walk over there anyway. He lets her do most of the looking while he continues to think, and he looks at her when she finds what she’s looking for. “These! She’ll love them!”

He’s looking at what she’s found, and he’s not too sure about them, but there’s no way he can tell her that. He tells himself in the back of his head to keep the receipt so you can take them back, but then he realizes that he doesn’t even know your size. He picks her up, and she looks through the hangers before she finds the right ones.

“Are you sure that’s the right size?” he asks, and she nods quickly.

“Yes! She let me dress up in her clothes, and she told me!” Terushima takes her word for it, even though he’s not sure how trustworthy it can be. “And we should get her oatmeal cookies! She said those were her favorite!” 

And how does she know more about you than he does? They’ll have to make them themselves since they don’t have any without the raisins, so he grabs a couple of the bags that have the batter already in them. He’s about to give up, his head metaphorically in his hands until he passes by the art section.

He backtracks, walking through it, and hoping he can find something as this might be his last chance. He stops when he finds a set of colored pencils that he’s pretty sure you’ll love. He takes one look at the price though, and he feels like he might have a heart attack. He looks up the brand, seeing how well the reviews are, and he thinks about your reaction when he gives them to you, and that ultimately seals the deal.

He picks them up without a second thought, and he grabs some tissue paper and bags for your presents to go in. “Can we get her a balloon?!” Satomi gasps, and he thinks it might be overkill, but he lets her grab one anyway. His heart nearly falls again when he hears the final total of his purchases, but he pushes it aside.

Satomi holds onto the balloon like her life depends on it, and she’s talking about giving you your present the entire ride home. He reminds her to keep her voice down in the hallway just in case her voice carries, and he lets her wrap the presents while he starts on the cookies. When she’s done with that, Satomi helps him stir the batter, and makes sure she stands back when he puts them in the oven.

She’s talking nonstop while they wait for the cookies to bake, and Terushima admits to himself that he’s excited too. She makes you a card while they wait, and he totally forgot about one while he was in the store, so he makes one with her also.

He checks the cookies to make sure they’re baked through, and he places them in a baking dish that he’s never used. Satomi uses one of her ribbons that she wears to tie it around it, and they collect all of their things and make the short walk to your door.

Satomi knocks, and it’s not long until you’re answering the door. “What are you guys doing here?” you ask in surprise, a happy birthday headband adorning your head.

“Happy birthday!!!” Satomi shouts, running to your legs to give you a hug. You let them in, and that’s when Terushima realizes that you’re not alone. 

“Wow, you guys didn’t have to do this,” you say before you introduce them to your friends. Some of them you’ve known since high school while others are work friends. 

“We made you oatmeal cookies!” Satomi says, her little arms shaking as she hands you the pan. “And we got you a balloon!” She hands that to you next, and Terushima could see the look on your face for the rest of his life.

“Oh, my God! This is so sweet! I was wondering why I was smelling something good,” you say, setting the pan down on the counter before you tie the balloon to the chair you were sitting at. 

“Here, I got you a present!” Satomi says, handing you a bag, and you sit down to open it. There are different reactions when you pull the pants out of the bag, and you gasp as you let them fall down so you can see them fully.

“Oh, my God. These are amazing.” Your reaction surprises Terushima, and you quickly get up. “I’m gonna go try them on.” You run to your room, closing the door behind you, and Terushima notices that all of your friends are looking at him.

“I’m Satomi!” she introduces, going up to each one of them and shaking their hands. 

“We’ve heard so much about you,” one of your friends says. “She has a picture of your recital framed on her desk,” she tells her, and that gets her talking even more. Terushima feels his heart warm at what your friend said, and he’s never felt more for you than at this moment.

You walk out, doing a dramatic spin as you show off the pants. The pattern is absolutely ridiculous, but you pull it off so well. “You make those pants work so well,” your co-worker says.

“I know, right?” Terushima is silent as he looks at you. The pants flare out at the bottom, but they hug the rest of your body, and he can’t say anything. “I love them, Satomi. I’m gonna wear these forever.” You pick her up, giving her a hug.

“I got them for you so you can wear them to work!”

“Well, I’m definitely going to do just that,” you tell her as everyone laughs. 

“Daddy got you a present, too!” she says, and you sit down with her in your chair as he hands it to you. You quickly pull the wrapping paper out of the bag, and your movements slow when you pull the present out of the bag.

“Oh, wow,” one of your friends says, and Terushima hates how his breathing stops for a bit.

“Yuuji, are you serious?” you ask, turning to him. “How did you know I’ve always wanted these?” You look over them, and your mouth is still open in disbelief. You let Satomi down before you get up, giving him a hug. He’s quick to wrap his arms around you, and it’s too short for his liking. “Thank you so much. I love them,” you tell him when you pull away, and you look back at them again, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of you.

“Of course. You do so much for Satomi, so I wanted to show you how much I appreciate it.”

You smile doesn’t waver, and you hug him again. “Oh, my God, I can’t wait to try them!” you beam. “You guys should stay. We have cake!”

“I love cake!” Satomi shouts, and you pick her up again while you pull up a chair for Terushima. You cut Satomi a small piece, and she doesn’t really care for the icing, so you scrap it off. Terushima doesn’t mind that at all because that means she won’t have as much sugar, so there are no complaints from him. 

He makes conversation with your friends, but his eyes always drift back to you. He’s never seen you laugh so hard, and he could hear it for the rest of his life. Satomi starts to settle down as soon as the party starts to settle, and he helps with the cleanup. 

“You know, I was wondering why she hadn’t mentioned a guy in a while,” Terushima hears, and he looks to see one of your friends that he was talking to earlier standing next to him. “But she showed me the recital pictures, and it fell into place.

He doesn’t really know how to respond, and he looks at you again, seeing you holding a sleepy Satomi as you talk with your friend. “So, what are you waiting on?” she asks, and he looks at her again.

“What do you mean?” he questions even though he has a pretty good idea about what she means.

“If you’re worried about asking her out because she doesn’t feel the same way, then I’m gonna tell you right now that you shouldn’t be.” Hearing that makes him so relieved she doesn’t even know it. “Sure, she talks about Satomi most of the time, but I can hear how her voice changes when she talks about you without even looking at her. So, don’t be scared, okay?”

He gives her a small smile, nodding his head. “Alright.”

“So, I better hear her telling me about a date soon. The look in your eyes is very obvious by the way, but she’s always been really dense,” she sighs, and Terushima feels his face grow warm as he laughs.

“Are you embarrassing me over here?” you ask her quietly when you walk over since Satomi is on her way to sleep.

“I’m helping you out,” she says with a roll of her eyes.

“With what?” you question with a frown, and she gives Terushima a look.

“As I said,” she comments, and Terushima laughs again. “Happy Birthday,” she tells you, giving you a side hug. Your brows are furrowed as you watch her walk away before you turn to Terushima.

“Thank you both for coming. I loved my gifts,” you tell him. 

“We both made you cards,” Satomi whispers, and you go over to your island and pick them up. “Read mine first,” she says, and you chuckle as you open hers. Your smile starts to fade as you read it, and Terushima frowns when you sniffle. 

“Thank you, Satomi. I love it.” She hugs you when you hug her, and he notices that you’re crying.

“Are you okay?” he asks, and you nod quickly, wiping your face.

“Yeah, I’m fine. This was the best birthday ever.”

“I’m glad,” he says warmly. You hand him her card while you read his, and he never got a chance to read hers before he came over here because he was so focused on what he wanted to say in his.

Happy Birthday, y/n! Thank you for always drawing me tigers! I hang them up on the wall in my room! Thank you for always watching me and for buying all of my cookies! I know I don’t have a mommy, but you feel like mine! I love you so much!

Terushima reads the second to last sentence over and over again, and those words echo in his head. He looks up at you at the same time you do, and you hold his card up. “This was really sweet,” you tell him. “Thank you, Yuuji.” You step closer to him, kissing him on the cheek, and he feels a spark fly all over his body.

“You’re welcome.”

Terushima coincidentally booked himself full on the day that Satomi was out of school, so you offer to take her to work with you when he tells you. You reassure him that it’s totally fine, and that your co-workers bring their kids to work all the time. Satomi is more than ecstatic when she finds out, and she has everything packed the night before.

She’s even already up when Terushima walks into her room to wake her. He drops her off at your place when he’s sure that she has everything, and he thanks you again before he leaves. You strap her car seat into your seat when you’re ready to head to work, and you don’t listen to the radio on the way to work like you usually do since you have Satomi.

She holds your hand as she walks with you to your building, and when she sees some of your co-workers that she met at your party, she instantly runs over to them to give them a hug. “You have your own office?” she asks when you open the door.

“Yeah, I do,” you chuckle as you set her bag on one of the chairs you have. She spends about the next hour asking you questions about what you do, and you answer every last one of them. She occupies herself with the stuff she brought, and you’re lowkey grateful for the distraction because you actually have work that you need to do today.

You start writing on the whiteboard in your office, and suddenly her coloring is forgotten. “Can I draw on it, too?” she asks, and you draw a square in the corner of it to give her some boundaries before you let her have at it. That seems to occupy her for even longer especially since she can erase everything and start over again.

When lunchtime rolls around, you brought your own lunch because you didn’t feel like going out today, and you make sure to pack extra for her as well. After lunch, you decide to give her a tour of the building you work in since you can see her starting to get antsy from not moving enough. She meets your boss, who absolutely loves her, which you’re not surprised about since she has a daughter her age. 

That seems to settle her down because she sits in your lap without moving too much, and Terushima calls you. “I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t causing you too much trouble.”

“She’s totally fine. We just took a tour around the building,” you tell him.

“I got to draw on her whiteboard!” she says into the phone, and you can hear his laugh come through.

“That sounds like fun, princess.”

“Can I get one, too?” she asks, and you both laugh at her question.

“We’ll see.” He tells you both that he has to get back to work, and you both tell him goodbye before you hang up the phone. She starts to get a little tired after that, and you can tell because she starts to curl into you.

You wrap your arms around her as you finish up your work for the day, and you check in with your co-workers before you head out. She sleeps on the way home, and you carry her to your apartment. You change out of your clothes after you put her down in your bed, and you think about what you might want for dinner as you turn on the TV.

Satomi comes out of your room about an hour later, sitting next to you on the couch, and you change the channel to something she wants to watch. While she’s entertained with that, you hear your phone ringing in your room, so you check to make sure she’s alright before you get up an answer it.

“Hey, Yuuji. It’s everything okay?” you say as soon as you pick up.

“I’m running a bit late, and we just had a couple of walk-ins come in. You might have to watch her for a couple more hours,” he tells you.

“That’s okay! Don’t rush. We’ll be waiting for you,” you say.

“Thank you so much. I gotta go, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“It’s no problem. I’ll see you when you get home.” You hang up the phone, taking it with you as you walk out of your room. “Your dad’s running a little behind at work,” you tell her when you walk in. “You hungry yet?”

“Do you have chicken nuggets?” she asks instead of giving you an answer, and she follows you when you walk to the fridge. You open the freezer, and she gasps when you pull out a big bag.

“Dinosaur chicken nuggets.” She jumps happily while you set some out on a pan for the both of you. You get her some fruit that you have, and she sits at the dining table you have, her feet swinging as she eats. You give them time to cool after you pull them out of the oven, and you get her some juice while you wait. 

“Someone has a birthday coming up,” you start as she finishes eating her nuggets.

“I do!” she cheers loudly, pointing to herself. “I’m gonna be six years old!”

“Wow! You’re getting so big!” you say with just as much enthusiasm. “What do you want for your birthday this year?”

“A tiger!”

“That might be kinda hard to do,” you chuckle.

“It doesn’t have to be real. I just want one to have on my bed,” she offers and you nod.

“I think that can be arranged,” you tell her, and you laugh when she does. 

“There’s something else that I want,” she adds, and you raise your eyebrows in curiosity. 

“Oh? What’s that?” She gets out of her chair, and you pick her up, plopping her in your lap. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” she whispers, and you lower your voice as you nod.

“Of course, you can. I won’t tell a soul.”

You lean down so that she can whisper in your ear. “I think my Daddy really likes you.” You can’t help but laugh as you pull away.

“Really? What makes you say that?” you question.

“Because he smiles whenever he’s on the phone with you. And he talks about you all the time!” You can’t help it when your face heats up, and you try to focus on the conversation instead of how warm you’re getting.

“What does that have to do with what else you want for your birthday?”

“I want my Daddy to be happy.” You frown a little at her words.

“But he is happy, Satomi. You make him happy every day,” you say, smiling when you boop her softly on the nose and she giggles.

“Yeah, but I’m not always around. Someone has to make him happy while I’m at school and at dance practice.”

“Well, that makes sense,” you point out.

“So, if you’re here while I’m not, then he’ll always be happy!” she puts together.

“You’re a very thoughtful person, Satomi,” you say earnestly. “I’ll do my best to make your Dad happy while you’re gone.”

“Thank you.” You laugh again, and you start to tickle her softly, and her giggles fill your apartment. 

You migrate back to the couch, and you can feel the day starting to catch up to you. It’s starting to get pretty late, and you check your phone to see that Terushima texted you to say that he’s almost done. You send him a thumbs up, and you go to tell Satomi, but you see that she’s sound asleep. 

You adjust her in your arms, and your blinking starts to get heavy. You let your head fall back onto the back of the couch, and it’s not long until you’re asleep like Satomi. You don’t know how long you’ve slept, but you wake up when you hear knocking at your door. You stand carefully, making sure not to wake her up, and you open the door.

“Sorry, I dozed off,” you tell him as soon as you open it.

“That’s okay. I’m sorry I finished so late,” he says, and you wave him off.

“Terushima, it’s alright. She already ate, so she’ll probably be asleep through the night.” He tries to take her from you, but you both frown when he can’t get her off of you. “Satomi, sweetie, your dad’s here to get you.

“I want you to tuck me in,” she murmurs, and he sighs heavily. He grabs her stuff before walking to his door. You walk to her room, waking her up for just a little bit so that you can change her into her pajamas, and then you’re putting her into bed. “Goodnight, Mommy.”

You rub over her forehead, smiling softly. “Goodnight, Satomi.”

~

Terushima looks over the room, making sure everything is just where it needs to be. He looks over everything, checking off things in his head as he surveys the room. He sighs when he thinks he has everything, and then he wonders where you are.

“Yuuji!” you call, and he walks down the hall to the room where you’re peeking your head out. “I need some help. You mind zipping me up?” He walks into the room, and he wants to laugh at the image in front of him, but there’s no way he can.

You’re wearing a bodysuit that covers your whole body, one of your hands holding the back together, and he runs his eyes up and down your body countlessly. You turn around, but his eyes trail down again, and he swallows heavily. He takes a step forward, and he’s not really thinking about his actions because his hands have a mind of their own.

They start at your hips before they ghost a trail up your body, and it takes him too long to realize what he’s doing. He clears his throat, grabbing the zipper at the bottom. He places his other hand on your hip as he slowly starts to zip the suit up. You move your hair to the side once he starts to get closer to the top, and he lets his hands linger on you just a little bit longer.

You sigh heavily when he finishes, throwing your hair back as you turn around. “Thank you so much,” you breathe. “This thing is tighter than I thought it would be,” you laugh, but Terushima’s brain is taking a while to catch up. “Do you think Satomi will like it?”

“She’ll love it,” he answers absentmindedly, and his phone pings with a text, which thankfully, breaks him out of it. “She’s walking up now,” he says when he reads the text, and you push him out of the door so that he can greet her. The door opens, and Satomi frowns when she sees her dad standing in the middle of the room.

“Why’s it so dark?” she asks, and Takeharu turns the lights on. She gasps as she takes in the room, which is decorated with a jungle theme and tigers everywhere.

“Happy birthday, princess!” Terushima yells, holding his arms out. She spins around in a slow circle as she takes it all in. “You like it?”

“I love it! Thank you, Daddy!” She runs to give him a hug, and soon after the reveal, her friends and their parents start piling in. He puts a crown on her head as she sits at the table, and chatter fills the room. “Where’s y/n?” she asks, looking around, and you jump up behind her.

“Surprise!” She gasps, taking in the tiger bodysuit you’re wearing, ears adorning your head as well. 

“You look awesome!” she says, giving you a tight hug.

“Happy birthday, Satomi,” you say warmly. 

“Did you paint your face yourself?” she asks, poking at the whiskers on your cheeks, and you nod fervently.

“Yes, I did. You want your face painted?” You already know the answer, and you bring her over to a table so you can paint her face. You constantly have to hold her so that she’ll stay still, but when you’re done, she smiles widely in the mirror.

“I look like a real tiger!” she comments as you put tiger ears on her head.

“Yeah, you do!” You suddenly have a line of children behind her, and you spend the next fifteen minutes painting a nose and whiskers on their faces.

Terushima’s standing off to the side, glad that Satomi looks absolutely overjoyed, and his friends walk over to stand next to him. “A bodysuit, huh?” Kazuma says first. “Was that your decision?”

“Of course, not,” he retorts quickly. “She thought Satomi would like it.”

“Well, she’s definitely not the only one who does,” Takeharu adds, and Terushima knows that better than anyone, balling his fists every time one of the dads stares at you for just a little too long as you walk around.

You finished painting, and the kids are back to eating at the table, but Satomi is talking to you the whole time. Your attention is soon diverted from her when one of the dads starts talking to you, and Terushima knows his track record from some of the other mothers.

The moment he takes a step forward, Kazuma grabs his arm. “Easy, tiger. You don’t wanna make a scene at your daughter’s party.”

Thankfully, the conversation doesn’t last long, and you’re walking over to him, standing on the other side of him. “This thing is a lot hotter than it looks,” you breathe as you fan yourself, but it’s loud enough that only Terushima picks it up, but that sentence alone starts to do things to him. “I’m glad I’m not wearing anything underneath,” you comment more to yourself, noting how your bra and underwear stick to you uncomfortably. Terushima hears it, and he starts to feel warm all over before he tries to think about anything but him getting a chance to take it off of you. 

“Thank you so much for the help,” he tries, diverting the conversation.

“Of course! I’m glad she’s so happy,” you say, looking toward her. Takeharu offered to have the party at his house since there were going to be a lot of people coming, and after Terushima shared the idea with you, you helped him set everything up while Takeharu and Kazuma kept Satomi entertained until the party.

“Yeah, me too.” Satomi’s happily talking with her friends as they finish eating, and he feels a breath of relief run through him. He jumps when he feels a hand on his back.

“Relax, Yuuji. You did really good,” you tell him, and he smiles at you. “So, have some fun today, okay?” Satomi runs up to you, and you bend down to her level, turning to her immediately.

“Is there cake?”

“Of course, there’s cake!” you reply, and you have her go sit down before you and Terushima go to get the cake. He makes sure to block anyone’s view of you as you walk, and he can’t help but slide his hand on your waist as he does so.

You have her close her eyes while you put the “six” candle on it, and you light it. “It’s a tiger!” she screams when you tell her to open her eyes.

Everyone sings happy birthday, and she leans forward in her seat so she can blow out the candle. She’s very insistent that no one cut the cake, which is what both of you expected, so you bring out a bigger one to give to all of the kids. Satomi’s the only one who eats her tiger cake, and Terushima tells her to slow down when he notices that she’s eating too fast.

You know she’s just excited about the presents, so you all migrate to the other side of the room where the presents are. Terushima films while she opens her presents, leaving the big ones for last. The presents she opens first came from some of the parents, and she’s just as happy when she reveals each one. 

You have her open yours after she finishes with those, and she laughs loudly when she sees what it’s inside. “It’s a big tiger!” she yells, hugging the stuffed animal to her body. She gives you a hug with the tiger still in her arms. “Thank you!”

“Of course!”

She runs back over to open the last one, and she looks at the sticker on the wrapping paper. “This one’s from you, Daddy?” He nods, not wanting to say another word, and you help her open it. “It’s the dollhouse I wanted!!” she shouts at the top of her lungs, and you think she might explode when she sees all the extra stuff that Terushima bought her. He took up the extra work just to get it for her, and he thinks it was so worth it as he watches her.

She runs over to him, nearly taking him down, and he crouches down so she can hug him. “Thank you so much, Daddy. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Satomi. You’re welcome.” He kisses her on the forehead, and she runs back over, looking at everything that he got, and the tiger you got her doesn’t leave her arm. 

The party stays in full swing after she opens them for about an hour or so, and the kids are starting to get tired, so everyone starts to make their way out, giving Satomi a final happy birthday before they leave. You stay to help clean up, and you groan once you finish, wiping over your forehead.

“God, I cannot wait to get out of this thing,” you groan. 

“Are you gonna need help with the zipper again?” Terushima can’t help but ask, and you nod with a tired look on your face.

“Yeah, definitely.” He checks on Satomi before you leave, seeing that she’s asleep on the couch with the tiger in her arms, and he shoves Kazuma when he catches him laughing as he follows you down the hallway.

You move your hair to the side, and Terushima can’t help thinking about how warm you feel as he pulls the zipper down. Once it’s all the way down, you sigh loudly, quickly pulling your arms out of it and pulling it down so that it’s at your waist.

“Thank you so much. I feel so much better.” You turn around, slumping a little as the cool air hits your skin, and Terushima really wishes he could look away from you. You take the hair tie off your wrist and put your hair up to get it off your neck, and you sigh in relief again. “I’m glad Satomi liked it, but I don’t know if I could do this again,” you laugh, and Terushima looks into your eyes just in time.

“That’s okay. I don’t know how I’m gonna top this party,” he says.

“I’m pretty sure she’ll have a new obsession next year anyway,” you dismiss, and he steps closer to you.

“Thank you for helping set all this up.”

“Well, you did most of the work,” you say, wiping your face. “You made her really happy today, Yuuji. You’re the best dad in the world in my book.” He laughs when you do, and even with the paint still on your face, he desperately wants to kiss you. 

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he says after he’s silent for a bit.

“How so?” you question as you frown.

“Because you were always there encouraging me when I felt like I wasn’t doing the best,” he admits, and you let your head fall to the side as you rest your hands on his neck.

“Yuuji, you are always doing your best. You’re not going to be perfect a hundred percent of the time, but when you try, that’s more than enough.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about,” he chuckles.

“Well, you definitely don’t give yourself enough credit when you should. You do everything you can to make Satomi happy, and that’s what matters.” Fuck, he’s about two seconds from pulling you into him and planting his lips on yours, and right now, there’s nothing about to stop him. But you let your hands fall, and you turn away from him to grab your clothes. “Now, I need to get out of this before I burn up.”

“Of course. I’ll be out here,” he says, and he hates how he feels like he missed his chance. He walks towards the door, and when he turns to close it, you’ve already shoved it to your ankles. He falters when he sees you bent at the waist, and he quickly swings to door closed, but it’s too late, the image is already burned into his brain.

He clears his throat as he pinches himself as a punishment for regretting not looking any longer, and he takes a deep breath before he walks down the hallway. “That took longer than it should have.” Terushima jumps at the sound of Kazuma’s voice, and he nearly throws him out of the door.

“Go home,” he orders, pushing him forward, and the guy laughs as he walks to the front door. “Thanks for offering up your house, Takeharu. I hope we didn’t do too much damage.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was worth seeing the biggest smile on my niece’s face.” Terushima smiles before he turns his attention to his daughter, and he sighs in relief when he’s able to pull the tiger from her arms without her waking up.

You come into the room with no paint on your face and the bodysuit in your hand as he picks her up. You grab the tiger as you say goodbye to Takeharu, and you all make your way to Terushima’s car. The dollhouse is already packed up in the trunk, and he straps her into her car seat. 

You both yawn at the same time when he pulls into the parking lot of your apartment, and you both laugh. He decides to tackle the dollhouse when he’s not tired, and you walk into his apartment to put her to bed. You set the tiger next to her, and you smile at how peaceful she looks. 

You yawn again as he walks you to your door, and you turn to him before you open it. “Goodnight, Yuuji,” you say softly.

“Goodnight.” You’re about to turn around, and he stops you, carefully pulling the tiger ears from your hair. 

“Oh, I totally forgot. I definitely would’ve fallen asleep with them off,” you laugh tiredly. Instead of kissing you like he wants to, he pulls you into a hug, and you don’t seem to mind how long he does.

“Thank you,” he repeats.

“Any time, Yuuji.”

I want to see her.

Terushima doesn’t know how long he stares at the text, but he can’t bring himself to reply. The amount and range of emotions he feels makes him feel so overwhelmed, he throws his phone to the side. The texts have been getting more frequent despite his responses being pretty dry. He knows that he shouldn’t keep Satomi away from her mother, but after all this time, why now?

She never once made any effort to contact him, and he’s had to raise her without her. He has half a mind to tell her to just leave him alone, but there’s no way he can actually say it. He sighs again, letting his head fall into his hands. He wants to ask somebody about it, but he’s being stubborn and he’s trying to push the problem away until it disappears. But that’s easier said than done. Way easier.

“Daddy?” He quickly lifts his head up, looking over his shoulder to see Satomi walking towards him.

“What’s up, sweetie?” he asks, putting on a smile that he hopes she can’t see through.

“Can I go over to y/n’s?”

“What for?”

“I wanna ask her something,” she says, and she doesn’t give him an explanation, turning her attention to a string on his shirt. “It won’t take long, I promise.” 

He laughs softly, but he stands up anyway. “Alright. Let’s go see if she’s busy.”

“Wait! I wanna go by myself,” she says suddenly, stopping him from walking.

“Why?” She doesn’t answer, looking down at the floor, and he lowers himself to her level. “What’s wrong, Satomi?”

“Nothing! I promise. I just wanna talk to her.” He knows that he won’t get much out of her, and when she knows he won’t ask any more questions, she runs to the door. He’s quick to follow after her, and he stands in front of his door in the hallway, watching her knock on your door.

Satomi bounces on her toes as she waits, and her face lights up when you open the door. “Satomi? Does your dad know you’re here?” you ask as soon as you see, and he chuckles as she points to her left.

“Yeah! He’s right there!” You step out, looking in the direction she’s pointing, and you laugh when your eyes meet his. You wave at him, and he barely gets a chance to return it because Satomi pulls you into your apartment. He smiles as he watches, but the moment your door closes, the smile falls.

“So, what brings you over here?” you ask her after she pulls you to sit on the couch.

“I wanna talk about something, but every time I bring it up, it makes Daddy sad,” she tells you, and you frown as you rub your hand over her head.

“What’s wrong, Satomi?”

“Daddy’s been sad lately, but every time I come in the room, he smiles like there’s nothing wrong.” After hearing that, you can’t say that you’re not concerned. 

“What were you trying to tell your dad?”

“I wanted to ask you if you would come to school with me next week.”

“What for?”

“We’re having a bunch of activities going on, and some of the stuff I’ve never been able to before, so I wanted to ask if you could come.”

“Of course, I can, Satomi. I would love to come,” you tell her softly, and she smiles a little at your answer but it doesn’t last long. 

“I just don’t know why Daddy isn’t happy about it.”

“I don’t think he’s upset about you asking me. He might have something else going on,” you try, and she picks at her pants.

“When I ask him if you can be my mommy, he never gives me an answer.” You sigh as you listen to her talk, and you have a feeling that Satomi’s mother might be playing a part in why he’s acting the way he is. You’re not going to ask about it, obviously, but you hate that you can’t give her a straightforward answer. “But you would like to be my mommy, right?”

You think about what to say before you answer her honestly. “I would love that, Satomi, but I don’t know how your dad feels,” you huff, and she’s quick to sit herself up on her knees.

“But my Daddy really likes you! He’d be okay with it!” You can’t help but laugh, and she keeps going. “I know he likes you. He even says your name while he’s in the shower.”

You choke suddenly, feeling your face go hot at her words. You try to cover it up with a laugh, and you can see that she’s confused at your reaction, so try to gloss over it and continue the conversation. “I think your dad is just dealing with a lot of things right now. I can try and ask him about it if you want me to.”

“I don’t mean to make him more upset,” she whispers, and you’re quick to reassure her.

“No, no, sweetie. I can tell you right now that it’s not your fault. You’re not making him any more upset, I promise. Okay?” She nods, giving you a hug. “Did you wanna talk to me about anything else?”

She shakes her head, but she doesn’t pull away from you. “Thanks, y/n.”

“Of course, Satomi. I’ll always be here if you need to talk, okay?” She nods, and after a while, she’s ready to go back next door, so you walk over there with her. The door’s unlocked, so you both walk in, and Terushima’s sitting on the couch. 

“y/n wants to talk to you about something!” Satomi announces the moment she steps inside and before either of you can respond, she’s running to her room. You close the door behind you as you step further inside the apartment, and both of you laugh as he stands and walks toward you.

“I told her I’d go to school with her next week if that’s okay with you,” you tell him, and you notice that he doesn’t look as happy as he usually does, and now you understand what Satomi was talking about.

“Yeah. I know she’s excited about it. She’s happy that she can bring someone this year.” His smile doesn’t even last his entire sentence, and you grab his hands.

“Yuuji, you don’t have to tell me what’s going on, but Satomi notices. I don’t wanna tell you this, but she’s worried about you.” He sighs, letting his head fall forward for a second before he looks back at you.

“I know. I’m just kinda stuck right now,” is all he tells you, and you lace your fingers with his.

“That’s okay, but don’t be afraid to reach out and ask somebody. It’s not good for you to keep it in.” You let go of one of his hands to rub at the lines between his eyebrows. “You’re too young to get wrinkles.” He smiles when you laugh, and he pulls you into a hug.

“Thank you,” he whispers into your hair, but he doesn’t let you go, and you wrap your arms around his neck. 

“Of course, Yuuji.” You don’t question how long he’s holding you, and you guess he’s been needing his for a while. “She also said that she wants me to be her mom,” you chuckle, and he hums at your words, holding you a little tighter. He doesn’t respond to you, and you move one of your hands to run through his hair. “You okay?” you whisper when he doesn’t let you go, and he’s been quiet for a while.

“Yeah, I am now.” He smiles when he feels you laugh, and he pulls away when he feels your head move, but he keeps his arms around you. “I don’t know how you do it, but you always manage to make me feel better.”

“But I didn’t even do anything,” you muse, and he kisses your forehead before putting his against yours.

“You don’t have to.” He takes a deep breath out through his nose, and he feels his whole body relax. He doesn’t want to let you go, and he knows that he has to face reality, but now, he feels like he can.

“I’m always here if you need anything,” you whisper, and you always are, he hasn’t doubted that for a second.

~

I’ll think about it.

That’s all he can really manage, but he doesn’t want to give her the impression that he’s going to let her waltz right back into his life after all this time. He told his friends about her contacting him, and their reactions were just like he expected. Kazuma was a lot more passionate than he thought when he was telling him to just block her.

He doesn’t really have any bad feelings toward her with regard to their relationship. People fall out all of the time, it happens. But that doesn’t mean that he was okay with her just leaving his kid on his doorstep without a word. In the back of his mind, he admits that he’s scared thinking about potentially seeing her after these few years.

He’s just uncertain about what this would mean for Satomi, and there are a lot of people who are afraid of the unknown. He pushes all of that to the side though when he hears Satomi talking loudly in the living room. He can hear your voice as well, and he must’ve been so into his thoughts that he didn’t hear your knock.

He shoves his phone in his pocket with that one conversation specifically muted, and he walks out of his room to an image that he sees all the time, but he still feels his heart flutter when he sees it. You’re holding Satomi in your arms as you talk to her, and he lets his feet guide him toward you.

Satomi’s excitement is practically radiating off of her as he drives to the school. He barely gets a chance to talk to you because as soon as he gets her out of the car, she’s pulling you towards the building. Recently, Satomi’s been adamant about skipping school whenever this day rolls around. He knows why this day always had her down, but he didn’t think there was anything he could say to make her feel better. He always offered to go and spend the day with her, but it wasn’t enough.

She pulls you into her classroom, and she has you sit at a table with three other girls. “These are my friends!” she tells you, and they all give you a shy wave before Satomi leans toward your ear. “They don’t have a mommy either,” she whispers to you, and you feel your heart sink. 

“Can you draw any animal?” one of her friends ask you.

“I can. What do you want me to draw?” you respond instantly. 

“A panda,” she says softly, and all of her friends crowd around you as you start drawing while the rest of them ask you to draw them something as well.

Every year they have a day where the kids can bring their parents, and there’s a bunch of activities they can do. It falls between Mother's and Father’s Day, so some of the games that are played usually involve either both or one parent. Satomi hasn’t been in the past two years, and it always hurts Terushima in a way that he’s never hurt before, but now, he’s seen her happier today than she’s ever been on this day in the past.

He knows that he’s been kicked to the curb today, and he can’t help but laugh about it, so he just focuses on helping out where he’s needed whether that’s for the activities or the games. He’ll catch you being pulled around by Satomi, and he notices that her friends are with you as well. They all stay glued to your side as they walk you around to do all of the different things, and as you migrate outside, your hands are full of all of the things they made.

Satomi grabs the things out of your hand and runs them over to Terushima. “Daddy, you have to hold this so y/n can race with me!” He barely has time to catch it all before she runs away. You have to do a three-leg race first, and Terushima finds somewhere to stand so he can watch. 

He knows you’ll probably kill him later, but he can’t help but pull his phone out. The race starts, and it takes a while for the two of you to get going, but you start pulling ahead soon after. You have to slow your steps so that Satomi can keep up, but your leg that’s with hers is almost in perfect sync. You both finish first, and Satomi almost falls from how hard she’s celebrating.

Terushima looks down at his phone, looking at the video again, and there’s no way he’s going to be able to lose his smile. He looks back up after a while when he hears cheering again, and he frowns for a moment when he sees you racing again. One of Satomi’s friends is with you this time, and Satomi’s at the finish line cheering you on.

You’re actually really good at the race, winning twice in a row. You’re not celebrating as much when you win, and Terushima’s eyebrows raise when Satomi pulls you to the starting line again. Another one of her friends is racing with you, and Satomi and her friend race to the end to cheer you both on again.

You have to do the race again, and you just barely make it. Satomi and her friends are cheering loudly following you while you find the closest seat. You nearly collapse, and you barely get a chance to catch your breath before Satomi pulls you to your feet. Terushima follows, almost losing you in the crowd, and he sees that she’s pulled you to a potato sack race. 

He doesn’t get there in time to save you, and he feels so bad for laughing, but by the time you cross the finish line, you look two steps away from falling out. You ditch the sack, finding a blanket to lie on. Satomi and her friends’ attention is quickly diverted by something else to do, and Terushima walks over to you.

“You were amazing,” he laughs, and you groan as you place her hand on your chest, your breathing still heavy.

“I cannot feel my legs,” you rasp. “Oh, my God. I’ve never done that much cardio in my life.” He sits down next to you, and you open your eyes when you feel something cold touch your hand. You gasp, taking the water bottle from him. You only get through about half before you have to take a break. “My legs are shaking,” you groan. “Holy crap.”

Satomi and her friends run back over to you, but they don’t seem to notice how out of breath you are. “They’re doing face painting! You have to come!” She grabs your hand, but this time, she can’t get you to move.

“Satomi give her a chance to catch her breath,” Terushima tries. “You guys wore her out.”

“But she was amazing! She won all of them!” one of her friends says, and you lay back down on the blanket.

“Thank you. I tried,” you breathe. “Give me five minutes.” That seems to tide them over, but you realize that you probably should’ve told them more time because you know Satomi will take it literally. 

You hold out your hand, and Terushima carefully pulls you up. You take another swig of water, a deep breath following after. “I think it’s your turn,” you jests, and he shrugs as he shakes his head.

“I tried to give you a break, but Satomi has officially kicked me to the curb.”

“Lucky me,” you laugh, wiping the sweat from your forehead. “I didn’t know I was gonna have to do four races. I would’ve mentally prepared myself.”

Satomi comes back over when your five minutes are up just like you knew she would. Terushima helps you up, and you shakily walk over to where the face painting booth is. They insists that you paint on their faces, so you pull up a chair and paint what they want. 

A kid notices the face paint on Satomi’s face, and they run over to you asking if you can paint as well. Their mom apologizes for the sudden ask, but you don’t mind at all. You paint what they want, and they thank you loudly before running off. Before you know it, you have a line of kids in front of you, and it definitely doesn’t help when you catch Satomi boasting about your skills.

You lose track of how many kids come through, but by the time you’re done, your hand is starting to cramp. Terushima manages to pull you away in an attempt to save you after he diverts Satomi’s attention again. 

“I’m sorry. You definitely signed up for more than you thought,” Terushima says when you find a park table to sit at.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m having fun. The running was a bit much, but this is way better than being stuck at work.” You sigh a little when you notice that Satomi and her friends manage to find you, and you’re relieved when they ask Terushima to play with them this time. “My hero,” you muse, and he laughs before being pulled away by his daughter.

You smile as you watch them disappear into the crowd, and you turn when you hear a voice next to you. “I’m Satomi’s teacher,” she introduces herself, and you shake her hand. “Do you mind if I sit?”

“No, of course. Go ahead.”

“y/n, right?” she asks and you nod.

“I’m guessing you heard about me from Satomi?” you surmise, and the both of you laugh as she nods her head.

“She won’t stop talking about you, but I see why now. You’re amazing with children. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her friends smile so wide.”

“She told me about their situation when I first met them, and they never left my side after we did the crafts.”

“Have you ever considered working with kids before?”

“In college, yes. I actually majored in education, but I wasn’t sure if I would be cut out for it.”

“Well, if you ask me, you are more than qualified for it.” You don’t respond, giving her a small smile. “We actually have a teacher that’s leaving at the end of the year. She teaches the same grade I do.”

“Are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”

“Here’s my number,” she says, handing you a card. “You don’t have to make your decision now, of course. But I think you would be amazing at it.” You look down at the card, feeling a wave of emotions running through you. “It was nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, same,” you whisper, and she gives you a friendly smile before she gets up. You pick at the corner of the card as you chew on your lip. Who knew you would have something like this come up all of a sudden? 

“Hey, you okay?” You jump at Terushima’s voice, looking up as you cover the card with your hand.

“Yeah, I was just talking to Satomi’s teacher,” you smile, and you quickly try to change to subject. “Where are the girls?”

“Oh, they’ll be here in a second,” he says, and he steps to the side when they come running up to you.

“Happy Mother’s Day, y/n!” Satomi yells, and they all hand you pink and red pieces of paper. You sort them and you realize that they’re in the shape of hearts. Their names are on all of them, and each of them has something written on the back. You read through all of them, and you bite your lip to try and keep your tears at bay.

“You guys didn’t have to do this,” you tell them, and you’re really fighting the tears when they all hug you. “I’m gonna put these on my wall, they’re so beautiful.” As your hand runs over them, in the back of your mind, the conversation with Satomi’s teacher runs through your head.

You all go get food as the day starts to unwind, and you all eat at the table together. While the girls are talking, Terushima nudges you softly with his shoulder. “What’s up? You keep spacing out.”

“You noticed?” you chuckle. You don’t bother to hide it from him, and you pull out the card. “Satomi’s teacher told me that they’re going to have an open position at the end of the school year.”

“Are you gonna take it?” he asks honestly, and you look up at him.

“I dunno,” you admit. “I guess I’m just still trying to process the fact that I’m getting an opportunity.” 

“Then you should take it,” he tells you softly. “I don’t think there’d be anyone better for it than you.” You look at him softly, and he grabs your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. “And Satomi would be thrilled to see you more,” he adds, and that makes you laugh. “But seriously, you shouldn’t be afraid to take a chance at it. It’s clear you know what you’re doing. So, now you just gotta show them.”

You laugh again when you notice that you said those words to him once. “Thank you, Yuuji,” you whisper, squeezing his hand.

“You’re welcome,” he whispers back, kissing your forehead before he wraps his arm around you. 

You and Terushima help with the cleanup after you finish eating, and he holds your hand while you both walk to the car, Satomi way ahead of you. “Excuse me, are you Satomi’s mother?” You stop suddenly when a man walks up to you, and since you’re so off guard, you just let words flow out of your mouth.

“Oh, I–yes.”

“I’m Aneko and Emiko’s father. I just wanted to thank you.” You frown at his words, turning to fully face him. “They’re friends of Satomi’s, and they told me all the things you did for them today. I–” He stops himself, taking a deep breath before he continues. “I couldn’t make it today because of work, and they lost their mother a year ago. I’ve never seen them so happy.” 

The tears make it to your waterline when you see his, and you pull him into a hug. “Thank you so much,” he whispers, and you rub your hands over his back.

“Of course. I’m so glad they were able to have fun.” He gives your hands a squeeze when he pulls away, and he gives you both a quiet goodbye before he heads to his car. Terushima wipes the tears from your face when they finally fall, and he keeps his arm around you as you walk to the car.

Satomi is asleep before he barely makes it away from the school, and he holds your hand on the console as you look out the window. He doesn’t try to press you when you’re quiet on the ride home and when you walk to your apartment. You help him tuck Satomi in, and she gives you a tired hug before you lay her down. 

“Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, Satomi. Did you have fun?” You smile when she gives you a sleepy nod. “I’m glad,” you say, rubbing over her head. You lean forward to kiss her forehead, and she quickly leans up to do the same. “Goodnight, Satomi.”

“Night.” Terushima gives her a kiss on the forehead too, and he walks you to your door after walking out of Satomi’s room.

“I don’t know how I can thank you for today,” he says once you stop at your door.

“Maybe with a hot bath,” you joke. “My legs are gonna be feeling it tomorrow.” You both laugh softly in the quiet hallway. “I’m just glad I got to see Satomi happy.”

“I’d say she was even happier than her birthday party,” he responds.

“Then I’d say I did pretty well today,” you chuckle. “The soreness is definitely worth it.” He pulls you into a hug, and he memorizes the feeling of you in his arms. When you pull away, his face is right in front of yours, and he lets his hand rest on your neck.

“Don’t be afraid of the offer,” he whispers, rubbing his thumb over your cheek. You nod, and he kisses your forehead, letting his lips linger on your skin just a little longer.

“Thanks, Yuuji.”

“How did we get here?” Terushima whispers to you as you both look at your friends sitting and talking in front of you.

“I have no idea,” you whisper back.

You and your friend were out when you ran into Kazuma. You all struck up a conversation, but while you weren’t paying attention they must’ve had a conversation on their own because you find yourself on a Friday night with your friends and Terushima’s friends in his apartment. Satomi wanted to spend the weekend with her grandparents, and Kazuma jumped at the opportunity to help his friend out.

You’ve obviously played a couple of drinking games, but you notice that you and Yuuji are a little bit drunker than everyone else in the room. “Okay, I think we have to up our game,” your friend whispers to Kazuma. “They’ll never get together if we don’t do something.”

“You’re telling me,” Kazuma groans, rolling his eyes at how long it’s taken for Terushima to even think about asking you out. The friend that Kazuma met while you were out was the same friend that talked with Terushima at your birthday party. She mentioned him when you introduce Kazuma, and that’s how the plan was formed.

“Okay, so let’s play Never Have I Ever,” your friend offers to the crowd, and you and Terushima are both a bit suspicious when everyone easily agrees.

“And why would we do that?” you ask, squinting your eyes at your friend.

“Why not?” she shrugs before she pulls out some shot glasses. You don’t disagree, but you make sure to keep an eye on her. 

The questions start out pretty generic, but you and Yuuji start to find that the questions are oddly specific to the two of you. You really start to feel the alcohol after about the fourth shot, and you’ve always been a bit of a lightweight. Your friend knows that, and oh what a coincidence, so is Terushima. 

“Okay, these questions are ridiculous,” you say, but you fall back into Terushima’s side, and he easily throws an arm around you.

“Yeah,” he lamely adds. “We’ve been the only ones to drink in a row. I haven’t seen you drink in a while,” he accuses, pointing a finger at Kazuma. “What are you up to?”

“Okay, how about this?” Kazuma starts, completely ignoring his friend’s question. “Never have I ever had a job.”

Terushima rolls his eyes, but everyone drinks anyway, and you know that your words are going to start slurring a bit. They ask a few more questions just to make sure their plan will work, and they know they’ve done it when you and Terushima start talking amongst yourselves.

They both know your mannerisms, and you’re practically on top of one another. “Let’s change the game,” your friend offers, but she doesn’t say it loud enough, and if you do hear her, neither of you is paying attention. “We’re playing seven minutes in heaven!” She raises her voice just a little, but when you guys finally catch on, she’s quick to continue talking. “Nose goes!”

Everyone almost in unison puts their finger on their nose, and you and Terushima are the only ones who haven’t. They’re quick to push you into Terushima’s room despite your protests, and the door closes behind you. “The timer starts now!” you hear Takeharu yell, and Terushima tries to open the door, but it’s no use.

He groans, sitting on his bed. “They definitely did this on purpose,” he says, and you walk over to him.

“They definitely did.” Your words are slow, and neither of you has been this drunk since college. You try to sit next to him, but your balance is off, so he grabs your hand to stop you from falling. “Thank you,” you say with a giggle. “I’m probably gonna fall if I move anymore.”

“That’s okay,” he laughs.

“But I wanna sit down,” you whine, and he grabs your hips, pulling you towards him. It takes you too long for his liking to understand what he’s doing, but when his hand drifts to your leg, your brain finally catches up. You straddle his lap, your legs on the bed, and he keeps his hands on your hips.

“Is this okay?” he whispers, and you nod as fast as you can as your hands slide over his shoulders. You lean into him, inches from his face, and you both laugh as you stare at each other. “I haven’t been this drunk in a long time.”

“Me neither. I hope I don’t wake up with a hangover,” you complain, and he fully wraps his arms around you. “Do you think this was their plan?” you ask quietly.

“What? Getting us drunk and locking us in a room together? Oh, definitely.” You laugh, leaning more of your weight forward, and he falls backward. 

“Sorry,” you giggle, letting your forehead rests on his, and he copies it, letting his hands run up and down your back.

“It’s okay. I’m more comfortable this way anyway.” Your hands run through his hair, and even though neither of you is saying anything, you’re looking at each other. It’s like you’re in your own world.

“You’re so pretty,” he mumbles, and he smiles when you do, your head momentarily falling from his before you put it back where it was before.

“Really?”

He nods slowly. “Yeah. I’ve thought that since I first met you.”

“Well, I think you’re pretty cute,” you respond, bumping your nose against his.

“There’s so much I wanna say to you but definitely not while I’m drunk.” 

“That’s fair,” you laugh. You move your head away to yawn, but you're quick to rest it on his again, and both of you feel sparks run through your body when your lips brush yours. “I think I’m gonna fall asleep.”

“Me too,” he whispers, and you shift so that you can rest your face on his neck. His hands don’t stop rubbing over your back, and your eyes start to feel heavy. “Goodnight, baby.”

“Goodnight, Teru.”

“They’re so hopeless,” your friend groans as she peeks her head into the room. “They’re sleeping.”

“Are you serious?” Takeharu says, and Kazuma sighs with a shake of his head.

“What else can we do?” Kazuma asks. “I’m just gonna drink out of annoyance.”

~

You wake up first, and the first thing your brain tells you is that you have to pee. You carefully but swiftly peel Terushima’s arms from you before you make a beeline for the bathroom. You sigh in relief as you pee, and when you walk out after washing your hands, you see your friends sleeping in the living room. You laugh as you wobble a bit, and you’re definitely still drunk.

Terushima comes out of his room right as you walk into the living room, following the same path as you while he tries to keep his balance. You stretch, waiting for him to come out of the bathroom, and you turn when you hear the door open. “Do you have an extra toothbrush?” you ask because you don’t want to deal with fumbling with your keys.

He nods, letting you in the bathroom, and he finds one under the sink. He hands it to you, putting some toothpaste on it before he does the same to his. You both laugh softly to yourself as you brush your teeth, both of you having a hand on the counter to steady yourself.

“I’m definitely still a little drunk,” you tell him after you brush your teeth, and he sighs as he nods.

“So, am I.” You walk back out, following him to the kitchen and he grabs you some water. You lean back against the island, and he stands in front of you, nearly as close to you as he was last night. “What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t care. Whatever you have,” you answer, sitting your cup on the counter next to you. 

“Are you using your second bedroom?” he asks, setting his cup on the counter behind him. 

“I’m using it as an office, kinda. It’s mostly storage, though. Why do you ask?”

“Because Satomi wants to have a sleepover with her friends, but there’s not a lot of room in her room.”

“That’s so cute. Yeah, you can use mine. You’ll just have to help me clean it out.” He steps closer to you, resting his hands on your hips.

“It’s okay if it’s too much of a hassle, I can find–”

“Yuuji,” you start, resting your hands on his face. “I just told you it was okay.”

“I just feel like you do so much, and I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you fully.”

“Well, I do love food,” you tease, and he smiles when you laugh.

“You want me to buy you food?” he asks as he thinks of his first interaction with you, and maybe it’s still the alcohol running through his veins, but he steps even closer to you. “How about I make it a date? Is that okay?” He leans towards you, and he stares at your lips as he waits for your answer.

“Yeah, that’s more than okay.” He smiles when you nod, and he’s thought about kissing you for so long that there’s nothing going to stop him now. You don’t pull away when he finally meets your lips, and he sighs heavily, wondering why he deprived himself for so long.

Your arms wrap around his neck as you kiss him back, and his hands move to your neck as he deepens the kiss. When you both pull away, your heavy breathing is barely audible over his heart pounding. “Wow,” he mumbles, and you giggle softly.

“You usually save that for end the of the date,” you jest, and he rubs his thumb over your lip, his eyes only focusing on that.

“Is it okay that I did it before? Sorry, I just couldn’t wait any longer,” he says, and he barely waits for you to nod before he goes back in. You follow him when he leans forward, and he grabs your hips to help you sit on the counter. He doesn’t break the kiss, and your back arches when you feel the coldness of the counter against it. You moan when he slides his tongue in your mouth, and he doesn’t think there’s going to be anything that can stop him from taking you right here.

“It worked!” You both jump when you hear a voice, quickly remembering that you’re definitely not alone. Terushima pulls away, looking up to see your friend slowly getting off the floor, your head turns to look up as well.

“It only took him five years,” Takeharu says before he puts his head back down. “And I might need a trashcan.” Everyone splits as last night’s events start to catch up to them. Terushima feels his face flame as you look back at him and both of you laugh. 

“Looks like we’re gonna be taking care of people,” you note, lifting yourself up, but he’s still in your space. He puts his hands back on your waist, and he thought he would be satisfied after kissing you, but the urge now is only fueled. He kisses you again in lieu of answering, and he can hear Kazuma groan, but he doesn’t give a shit.

“Okay, enough with the PDA, I’m already sick,” Kazuma groans before his head falls into the trashcan.

~

Kazuma is more than willing to watch Satomi the next weekend, and Terushima spends the whole week a nervous wreck. He’s been out of the game for so long, and he doesn’t even remember the last time he went on a date. The day comes, and Kazuma swings by to pick her up. She’s ecstatic about it, of course, and while she’s getting ready, Kazume notices how his friend is pacing.

“Please don’t tell me you’re stressing about this,” he says, and Terushima wipes his hands on his shorts, his hands sweating just thinking about it.

“Do you remember the last time I’ve been on a date?”

“Dude, the only thing you need is for the other person to like you back, and she does. Stop worrying so much. You’ve been around her for this long, so you have nothing to be scared of. You’ve done worse around her anyway, and it hasn’t scared her off, so I’d say you’re good.”

Terushima quickly glares at his friend’s back-handed encouragement, but he does have a point. He takes a deep breath to try and calm himself before he changes the subject. “And why were you so eager to watch Satomi this weekend?”

“Because I’m trying to get a date myself,” he admits easily.

“Are you really using my daughter to pick up women?”

“You did it,” he counters quickly. “But I’ll actually do something about it rather than wait five years.” Terushima rolls his eyes, and Satomi comes out of her room with just her backpack. Terushima laughs to himself before he goes into her room to pack her some clothes, and she gives him a hug before bouncing towards the door. “Don’t stress, have fun. And don’t have another kid,” Kazuma tells him before he can say anything back, and he quickly closes the door. Some friends he has.

Terushima has spent the last couple of hours figuring out what to wear, and he internally admits how stupid this all is. You’ve seen him in worse, but he wants to make a good impression. You were kinda vague about the details, and he wishes you weren’t so he could have some guidance. He jumps when he hears a knock at the door, and he mildly panics. He just throws on the first outfit he tried on, and he races to the door.

He opens it, and the moment his eyes land on you, he wondered why he was ever stressed in the first place. “Hi! Sorry, I’m a little early, but I already ordered the food.”

“No, that’s okay,” he says, letting you in, and he can’t take his eyes off of you. The dress you’re wearing seems to hug your body tighter than the bodysuit you wore for Satomi’s party, and he almost wants to say it’s too short. 

He takes a deep breath as he closes the door, rubbing his hands on his pants again. He sits down next to you on the couch, and he feels warmth spreading through his body when his knee brushes your leg. He’s glad that you don’t seem as nervous as him, and the small talk you make gives him time to calm his racing heart. Although, that’s kind of difficult when it races at the mere sight of you. 

“You’re paying for the food, remember?” you tease when there’s a knock at the door, and he can’t help but laugh as he goes to answer the door. You offer to drink something non-alcoholic as he sets out the food, and he doesn’t think about opposing, as he’s still recovering from last weekend.

As you eat, he asks you all the questions he’s been dying to ask you. You already know so much about him, so he doesn’t mind that you’re doing most of the talking. He mentally kicks himself when he thinks about why he waited so long to do this, but he’s just glad that he’s finally doing this with you now. 

He’s all in your space when you finish eating, but it doesn’t look like you mind. He rests his arm on the couch as you talk, and you laugh softly as you finish your sentence. “Sorry, I’ve been talking your ear off,” you say as you fold your legs. You both decided just to sit at the coffee table to eat, and he shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about it. I love hearing you talk.” You rest your arm on the couch as well, letting your head fall into your palm. He can’t help but lean in, and he kisses you softly. “I really like this dress,” he mumbles, his fingers playing with the hem of it.

“Thank you. I save it for special occasions,” you joke, and he smiles before kissing you again. He cups your face with his hand as he kisses you with a bit more zeal, and his fingers sneak under the fabric as he starts to lean forward. You start to fall backward and to keep his lips on yours, he quickly moves with you until your back hits the floor. 

He rests his weight on his knees as your legs spread to give him room, and he feels the dress inch higher up your thigh when you do. He laces his fingers with yours, moving his hands so that they rest above your head as he deepens the kiss. He can feel himself starting to go crazy as he kisses down your neck, and the moan that comes from you vibrates against his lips.

He lets your hands go in favor of rubbing them over your legs as he continues to kiss your neck, and he breathes deeply as he smells how good you smell. Your hands pull at the top of his shirt, and he has a quick moment of insecurity runs through him, but he pushes past it, lifting off of you for only a second to shed his shirt. He slows his movements as he tries to gauge your reaction, and you’re chest rises and falls quickly before your hands reach out to rub over his body.

He hasn’t been able to work out like he wants, but by the look on your face, he doesn’t think you mind. Your hands rise up his skin as you lift yourself up, and he stays silent as he watches you, breathing in and out through his mouth quietly. He shudders when you kiss over his chest, and he’s practically frozen in place as he looks down at you. “I didn’t think you could get any hotter,” you mumble against his skin, and he can’t help when his face starts to turn a little pink.

“You think I’m hot?” he asks pathetically, having a hard time figuring out what to say, and you smile as you continue to kiss down his stomach, which caves a little as you do so.

“You’re a dad, of course, I do.” You smile when he snorts, moving onto your knees as you hook your fingers in his belt loops.

“That’s all I’ve got going for me?” he muses, and you wrap your arms around his neck.

“Of course not,” you answer, kissing him on his nose. “You’re really sweet,” you start, kissing his cheek. “You’re really thoughtful,” you continue, kissing his other cheek. “And you’re really great kisser.” You plant your lips on his, and he rests his hands on your hips.

“I guess that’s pretty good,” he breathes, his face feeling like it’s been set on fire, and you can’t but giggle at his reaction. He doesn’t stop you when you start to unbutton his pants, pulling the zipper down so frustratingly slow. He frowns a bit when you stop, resting your hands on his shoulders to help you stand. His eyes follow your hands as they run over your curves, and he holds his breath when your hands grip the hem of your dress.

You pull the fabric over up your body and over your head, and he swallows heavily as you stand in front of him in nothing but your underwear. His mind goes blank as he looks over you, and he tries to reach for you, but you just move out of his reach. He can’t help but follow you, and he frowns again when you move back. He has to get to his feet to reach you, but the moment he moves forward, you move back. 

He catches on pretty quickly, and he ends up chasing you to his room. You laugh loudly when he catches you right as you get to his bed, wrapping his arms around you. “Gotcha,” he whispers in your ear before his hands start to wander. Your laugh dies in your throat when he squeezes your tits softly. Your nipples are in between his fingers, and you moan softly when he applies the slightest pressure to them.

His dick is digging into your ass as he pulls you into him, and your body goes warm all over. His lips find your neck again as his hands run down your body, and he sticks his hands under the thin sides of your panties, squeezing at your thighs before they quickly move to your ass, repeating the same motion. “Fuck, I’ve thought about this for so long.”

“And what are you gonna do about it?” you whisper back, turning to look at him over your shoulder. He doesn’t respond, moving one of his hands into your underwear, and you jump when he runs his fingers through your folds. He moans at how wet you are, but he keeps his eyes on you so that he can watch your reactions.

He’s thought about doing this with you for so long, and there’s still some part of him that can’t believe he’s doing this. He rubs over your clit, and your nails dig into his wrist, your hips moving as a silent plea for more. He bites his lip as you rub against his hard-on, and he doesn’t think he’s ever been this hard before. He doesn’t know if he’s feeling light-headed from watching you, desire, or the blood rushing from his brain.

“Yuuji,” you moan, a hint of desperation in it, and he almost doesn’t let you go when you start to move away from him. You shed the last of your clothing before you climb onto the bed, rolling over onto your back, holding yourself up with your elbows. 

He can’t even think to speak as he looks over you fully naked, and this is better than any wet dream he’s ever had. He wants to taste you first more than anything, and you follow him when he moves onto the bed. He doesn’t bother kissing over your body again, deciding to plant himself right in between your legs, his face merely inches from your sex.

You rest your legs over his shoulders, and he gladly accepts the warmth, licking his lips as his hands rub over your thighs. Once he gets a taste of you, he doesn’t stop. You’re pretty sure his moans are louder than yours as he eats you like it’s his last day on Earth. He pushes one of your legs out of his way as he licks at your clit, and he uses his other hand to slide his finger inside of you. 

He rubs over your walls, making you even wetter so he can slide in another. He continues to suck at your clit while he curls his fingers, pressing on that sensitive spot of your walls that has you arching your back off the bed. He follows you when you move as you feel your orgasm approach, working a third finger into you. “Fuck, Yuuji,” you moan, digging your fingers into his hair, and he moans loudly when you pull at it. 

You start to move too much as you feel your pleasure mounting, but stays with you, his head moving wherever you go, never letting you escape the toe-curling ecstasy. He nearly cums himself when you cum all over his face, and he gets every drop he can. His mouth doesn’t leave you, and you try to inch away from him weakly, but it’s no use.

“Y-Yuuji!” you whine, pushing at his head, and he finally takes his mouth off of you, but his eyes don’t leave your soaked core. He slides his fingers out, sliding them into his mouth instantly to taste you as much as he can. Your heavy breathing is the loudest thing in the room, and before he can try and let his mouth touch you again, you make a feeble attempt at pulling him up to you. He easily goes, sliding his tongue into your mouth to let you taste yourself as he gets rid of the last of his clothes.

You both moan when he pushes his weight onto you, and he ruts his hips against you frantically. He hasn’t gotten stimulation that feels so good in who knows how long, and he’s practically drooling into your mouth as he feels like he might go insane. He groans softly when you reach down to touch him, and it takes everything in him to not cum right then and there. You stroke him quickly, using your cum to make it easier, and his eyes slip closed against his will.

“S-Shit, baby, y-you gotta…fuck–stop,” he whines. “You’re g-gonna waste it,” he rushes out as he feels the pleasure rising up his spine. He’s quick to push your hand away, feeling dizzy as he lines himself up. You rub at your clit as he pushes himself in, and he doesn’t know if he’ll make it all the way before he busts, his head falling on yours as he feels you pulse around him.

He pushes the rest of the way in, nearly slamming his hips into yours, and you cry out loudly, a broken moan leaving your lips as your body gets used to the intrusion. He doesn’t wait much longer to start moving, and he groans, feeling like his heart is beating too fast. “Oh, God,” he moans, and you wrap your legs around him, your ankles digging into his back.

“Cum in me, Yuuji. I want it,” you whimper, and that’s what does him in. A deep shudder runs through his body as he cums, his dick twitching as he empties inside of you. He’s definitely seeing starts as he comes down, and he surprises you when he pulls out, quickly flipping you over.

He gets you on your knees, his eyes zeroing in on his cum sliding out of you, and he pushes it back in with his fingers. The image alone is enough to get him going again, and he lets a glob of spit fall onto your pussy just to make it even messier. He slides back in again, digging his fingers into your hips. His hips slamming against your ass mingle with the sounds of your moans, and he leans forward so his chest is flush against your back. 

He hooks his chin over your shoulder as he rams into you, putting his hands on top of yours and weaving his fingers with yours. “Fuck, your pussy’s so good,” he slurs. “Wanna put a baby in you.” You suck him back in every time he leaves, and he can’t get his mouth shut. “I’m gonna make you a mommy again, baby–fu-uck.” You can only express your agreement with your own sounds, but he doesn’t think he’d be able to understand you anyway. 

“P-Please, please, please,” he begs. “Lemme put a baby in you,” he moans, and he only fucks you harder when he feels you clench around him at his words. “I’ll make you feel so good,” he adds despite the fact that he’s already, very much, doing that.

“Want it so bad, Yuuji,” you eventually respond. “Make me a mommy.”

“Fuck, fuck. I’m gonna give it to you, you’re gonna make such a pretty momma,�� he babbles. “Gonna look so pretty carrying my kids around. You’re gonna be so round and full of me,” he grunts. “Everyone’s gonna know you’re mine.” His thoughts come out against his will, but he doesn’t care. He’s so lost in the pleasure, his eyes rolling as he feels that knot building up in his stomach again.

“I’m ready, Yuuji. S-Show them who I belong t-to,” you moan, and he bites down on your shoulder as he kisses your cervix, making sure you’re taking all of him with every thrust.

“You’re mine,” he repeats again. “Gonna fill you up so good.” He moans weakly in your ear, but it only heightens how good you’re feeling, pushing back to meet his hips.

“This pussy’s a-all yours. Fill me up, baby. Wanna have your babies.” His mouth falls open, but nothing comes out as his orgasm hits him, and his eyes roll deep into his head as he shoots into you. He fucks his cum into you as you cum right behind him, your walls clamping down on him so hard, he can barely move back out. 

He fucks you through your orgasm, his hips stuttering to a stop. His chest is heaving as he starts to relax, feeling fatigue catching up to him. He doesn’t pull out of you, turning his head when you do to kiss you, his tongue moving into your mouth the moment he does. His heart feels like it might pound right out of his ribcage, pulling away to roll the both of you over.

You whine softly as he presses into your cervix at the impact of hitting the bed, and he rubs over your body as he kisses you soundly. Your bodies are covered in sweat, his chest peeling away from your back briefly before he moves back into you.

“Holy shit,” he breathes, making the both of you laugh. He doesn’t know what came over him, and he blames the heat coming from his face on the amazing orgasm he just had.

“That was amazing,” you whisper as you shiver slightly, goosebumps rising over your skin as your body starts to cool down. He manages to pull the blanket over both of you, and he snuggles into your neck, pressing soft kisses to your skin.

“Yeah, it was,” he hums, feeling like the happiest man in the world. “I think I love you,” he mumbles, and it slips out before he can stop himself, and he suddenly feels his world stop. His heart does something weird as he waits for your reaction, and he almost doesn’t look at you when you slightly turn your head to look at him.

“Yeah?” you smile. “You think you love me?” you tease, and he smiles as he pushes away the negative thoughts. “Well, when you know that you love me?”

“I know I love you. I have for a while,” he admits quickly. “From day one, I knew you were the one for me.”

“Day one, huh? When you walked over to my apartment at three in the morning?” you question, and he doesn’t hesitate to nod.

“Getting Satomi all of a sudden, I wasn’t in a good place, but you helped me turn everything around. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“That’s a pretty big honor,” you laugh, but your face softens, and you lift your hand to rest on his cheek. “Thank you for letting me be a part of you and Satomi’s life,” you say softly.

“You don’t think this is too fast?” he asks, and you huff a little.

“My friend told me that we’ve been pining over each other for years. According to her, it’s like, three years too late.” He chuckles a bit, thinking that his friends would say the exact same thing. “I think I love you, too,” you whisper.

“And when will you know?” he counters playfully, and you turn your head to yawn, curling back into him.

“Mm, I’ll get back to you in the morning,” you joke softly, and his heart feels so happy that he doesn’t even try to press you about it, feeling tired himself. His eyelids start to feel heavy, and he tightens his arm around you.

“Goodnight, baby,” he whispers into your hair. “I love you.”

You rest your hand on his, your breathing starting to even, and he thinks you’ve fallen asleep until he hears you speak. “I love you, too, Yuuji.”

Terushima helps you clear out your second room, which takes a lot longer than he would like since Satomi keeps asking about everything you own in the room. She’s more than excited to have the sleepover, and that’s the only thing she talks about until her friends arrive. 

You let them in, and the girls start talking amongst themselves, and they’re so engrossed in their conversation that they barely notice their parents walking out the door. You’re about to go finish setting up the room when Aneko stops you. 

“I made these for you,” she says quietly, holding up some paper flowers, and your heart swells as you take them. “Thank you for being with me at school,” she adds, and you crouch down to give her a hug.

“Of course, Aneko. These are beautiful, I love them.” She gives you a small smile before she goes back over to her friends. Yuuji helps you with the finishing touches, and you call all of them so that they can see it. Their eyes widen as they take in the changes you made, and they look around the room as they walk in. 

You’ve hung thin curtains from the ceiling, decorating them with fairy lights that you never got around to hanging up in your room. It’s draped over their sleeping bags which you’ve already set up, and Terushima moved her dollhouse into the room for them to play with. Satomi gives you a hug before running over to her sleeping bag, and you also decided to add some pillows in there as well.

“This is awesome!” You notice that her friends aren’t as loud as her, but they’re excited about it nonetheless, agreeing with her quietly. You and Terushima try to make a quiet exit, but Satomi stops you right as you take a step back, asking if you would color with them.

You can’t refuse, and Terushima huffs just a little bit. You had bought some coloring books for her since she’s been staying at your place when Terushima’s at work most of the time, so you give them one before you take one of your own. 

They sit around you, and you don’t know how long it’s been until you realize that Terushima’s not in here with you. You tell them that you’ll be back, getting up to go find him. He’s not in the living room when you walk out, so you try your room, and you see him sitting against the headboard, scrolling through his phone.

“What’re you doing?” you ask, crawling into bed on the other side. “Are you pouting?” You’re smiling at him, but he doesn’t respond, locking his phone before turning to you.

“I thought I would be able to spend time with you,” he says, and you can’t help but laugh, sitting next to him, and he wraps an arm around you.

“Are you seriously jealous because I’m with them and not with you?”

“I’m the one dating you, and Satomi’s spent more time with you than I have,” he responds, annoyed, and if his arm wasn’t wrapped around you, you’re sure that he’d be crossing his arms right now.

“Well, we have some time before Satomi comes to get me,” you offer, and he just pulls you into him, wrapping his other arm around you.

“I’m not gonna let you go,” he mumbles, and you huff, shaking your head. The angle you’re resting at becomes too much of a strain on your back, so you lay down, Terushima doing the same thing. “I’m gonna fight for you.”

“I’d love to see that,” you laugh, rubbing your hands through his hair. “Oh, I forgot to put Aneko’s flowers in a vase.” You go to move, but he stops you, and his grip is so tight that you can barely move.

“No. You’re not going anywhere,” he says, shifting so that he’s fully on top of you. You laugh, and the comment that’s on your tongue is cut off when his lips meet yours. His kisses stay soft, and he rolls over onto his side, keeping his hand on your waist to guide you to do the same. 

You’re interrupted soon after by a knock on the door, and Terushima groans loudly. “Are you guys awake?” You can recognize that it’s Satomi’s voice, and you smile at Yuuji’s reaction.

“We’re sleeping! Go away!” he responds.

“But you just said something!” Satomi counters quickly, and he groans again, putting his face in your neck, and you laugh before telling her she can come in. You roll over and sit up, but Terushima stays in the same position, his arm resting over your legs.

“What’s up?” you ask, and Terushima looks up at her over you.

“You said you would come back.”

“Why can’t I spend time with her?” Yuuji questions with a pout on his face. “You spend more time with her than I do.”

“No, I don’t,” she giggles. “You see her all the time.”

“So, do you! You’re supposed to be having a sleepover with your friends!”

“But, we were having fun,” she tries, and you start to move, but he tries to stop you.

“Yuuji, I’ll be back. I promise,” you say, and the pout on his face deepens as you slide out of the bed. Satomi runs off, and you lean down to kiss him. Even though he’s not happy, there’s no way he would ignore you, so he plants his lips on yours, and then the pout immediately returns. You shake your head as you laugh before you walk into the girls’ room. 

Turns out, you don’t really have to stay long because you can tell the girls are getting tired. Satomi tries to put on a face, but you know that she’s just as tired. You slowly start to get them into their sleeping bags, and they all lay down, but you notice that Miwa is still sitting up.

“You okay?” you ask softly, and she nods, her fingers curled around her blanket softly.

“Can you read to me?” she asks quietly.

“Of course, I can.” She smiles softly before reaching over into her bag and pulling out the book she wants you to read. You sit next to her, getting comfortable before you start reading. You keep your voice soft, looking up and every now and then to see her blinking getting slower.

One by one, the girls start to fall asleep, and you read a little longer just in case. When you’re sure they’re fully asleep, you carefully close the book, setting it down, and you quietly make your way out of the room. You close the door softly behind you before you walk back to your room, and part of you expected Terushima to be asleep, but as you get closer to the door, you hear his voice.

By the time you walk in, he’s hanging up his phone. He’s sitting on the other side of the bed, so his back is to you, and he sighs heavily before tossing his phone onto the nightstand. He jumps a bit when he turns around, his eyes landing on you, and you close the door, turning off the lights. He’s silent as you get into the bed, and you can tell something’s wrong, but you don’t try to pry it out of him.

“Is everything okay?” you ask quietly, and he gets under the blanket. You roll over onto your side, and he does the same thing, wrapping his arm around your waist tighter than you expect.

“Satomi’s mother keeps contacting me,” he says softly before sighing again. You stay silent, not really sure how to feel. “I don’t know what to do. What should I do?” he asks, letting his face rest in your neck.

“I don’t know if it’s my place to say anything, Yuuji. But just know that I’ll be here for you,” you answer, moving your hand so that it’s resting on his head. 

“Thank you,” he whispers, his arm tightening around you just a little bit more. 

He’s at such a loss, and he feels like the right thing would be for Satomi to meet her mother, but he doesn’t want to make her upset. He doesn’t know how she’ll react, and he hasn’t even begun to tell Satomi who she really is. He hasn’t found the right time, but then you came into the picture, and there was a part of him that felt like he was never going to have that conversation with her.

It takes him a long time to go to sleep, but even when he finally does, his dreams just make him face reality all over again.

~

After the conversation with Satomi’s mother, Terushima’s been in a slump. His mind’s been running, and he knows that he’s worrying you and Satomi, but he doesn’t know what to do. He can’t remember the last time he’s felt so helpless. It’s been a week since then, and it just looks like she’s getting more and more eager to meet her. There’s a strong part of him that just wants to get it over with.

He’s thinking that he’d rather be spending time with you, and right as he decides he’ll just go over your place, there’s a knock on the door. He frowns, wondering who it could be, but he walks over to it, hoping that it’s you. 

His hopes are horribly diminished when he sees who’s on the other side of the door. “You’ve been ignoring me for too long, Terushima.”

He’s frozen on the spot. There’s nothing in his head to tell him to move or say anything. He was nowhere near ready for this, and now he’s going to have to face it head-on. “What are you doing here?” he finally manages, but he doesn’t let her in.

“I want to see my daughter.”

“Why? It’s not like you wanted her in the first place,” he says quickly, but he immediately regrets it, the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

“Terushima, please.” He’s trying to prepare himself for this, but to his dismay, Satomi walks into the living room.

“Daddy? Who’s at the door?” He can’t look at her, and he watches her mother’s reaction. He moves when she walks in, but he’s quick to stand behind Satomi as if he’s trying to guard her.

“Oh, my God. You’re so big,” she says, and Satomi has a questioning look on her face as she backs into Terushima. He chews on his lip before he brings himself to speak again.

“Satomi,” he starts, having a hard time saying the words. “This is your mom.” She’s smiling at her, but for a couple of seconds that seem to last forever, Satomi doesn’t say anything. 

“I’ve been wanting to see you for so long.” She tries to reach for her, but she moves out of her reach and she laughs. “Come on, Satomi. I’m your mother.”

“No, you’re not! y/n is my mommy, I don’t know who you are!” Before Terushima can move, she’s running out of the apartment, and he watches her disappear, but he’s not worried about where she’s going. Terushima feels his heart breaking at Satomi’s reaction, but he can only blame himself.

“Who’s y/n?” she questions, but he doesn’t answer. “So, you’ve already gone and replaced me?”

“Don’t give me that bullshit! There was nothing to replace because you weren’t here!” he yells, feeling nothing but anger rising in his veins. “This is your fault! You could’ve easily been in her life, but you left me in the fucking dust!”

“I was scared, Terushima!”

“You don’t think I was too?! You left a fucking baby on my doorstep with a fucking note! I was scared out of my fucking mind, and where were you in all of this?! I had to take care of her on my fucking own!” Everything he’s ever been thinking comes out, and he doesn’t know if there’s any way to stop it. The fact that she’s looking at him like the bad guy doesn’t help his emotions either.

“I thought you would leave me if I told you,” she tries, and he can’t help but scoff.

“Why would I do that?! When have I ever made you feel that way?! I’m not a fucking asshole!” He knows he should lower his voice since his front door is wide open, but he takes a couple of seconds to take a deep breath. “Where have you been all this time, huh?”

“I just needed some time,” she responds hesitantly, and he scoffs bitterly, shaking his head. “I just wanted to find myself–”

“No, you wanted to live your life without a kid! Don’t lie to me! You wanted to have the time of your life while I’ve been here picking up your fucking slack!” he yells, and she has the audacity to look ashamed. “Why did you come back here?”

“I wanted to see her,” she tries. “I told you that.”

“Is that all? You sure there isn’t another reason?” Now, he knows why they always had falling outs, and why he always took her back every time. Whenever things were going good, she would leave out of the blue, saying she needed space. It always left him confused and gutted, it would take him so long to get over it, and when he thought he would be at his lowest, she’d come back out of nowhere. 

He doesn’t know how he never put it together after so long, and he wishes that he would’ve listen to Kazuma a long time ago. “You can try and build a relationship with Satomi, but you can’t blame her for how she’s responded.”

“You could’ve told her about me,” she replies. “You didn’t have to leave me out.”

“Don’t do this. Don’t shift the blame to me because you feel like shit since I’m doing just fine without you,” he counters quickly. “I told her that you weren’t coming back, and at the time, I thought it was the truth. I didn’t wanna keep bringing it up because seeing the look on her face broke me more than you could ever know.” 

He can feel himself tearing up just thinking about it. She dropped the subject a couple of years ago especially when she started to see you more, but he’ll never get over the dejected look on her face. “You only have yourself to blame for all of this.”

The yelling seems to have died down, but Satomi hasn’t let go of you since she ran over here. You tried to ask her what she’s was doing at your door, but she ran into your legs as soon as you opened it. You could barely pry her off of you, and when you finally did, you were met with her teary face. You picked her up immediately, holding her in your arms as you sit on the couch.

“There’s a lady saying that she’s my mommy,” she whispers, and it all falls into place. You try to choose your next words carefully, sighing heavily as you think.

“I’m pretty sure she is, Satomi.”

“No, she’s not. You’re my mommy,” she argues, and you hate how this situation has turned out, and considering her reaction, you’re pretty sure she came to Terushima’s door unexpectedly. 

“Well, technically, she is. You grew inside of her,” you try, and she sniffles heavily, wiping her face before she looks at you. “I kinda just stepped into the picture to help your dad.”

“I wish you were my real mom,” she says, and you feel your shoulders fall just a bit.

“But, Satomi, if I were, you wouldn’t be here. You’d be a completely different person that probably wouldn’t even like tigers.” You try to joke with her, but it seems to fall flat, although, it seems like she’s calmed down for now. “I know that this is really upsetting, but it’s the truth.”

“Does that mean she and Daddy will get back together?”

“I don’t think so. Just because they’re your parents doesn’t mean that they have to be together,” you answer, but of course, there’s a part of you that doesn’t have a confident answer. You try not to think about it too much, focusing as hard as you can on making Satomi feel better.

“I’m sorry I ran over here.”

“Satomi, you don’t have to apologize for that. Your dad probably knows that you’re over here anyway.” You brush her hair back, kissing her on the forehead softly. “You know I’ll always be here for you.”

“I love you,” she whispers as she gives you a hug.

“I love you, too, Satomi.” You both sit in silence, and you decide to get her to watch something on your tablet in your second room, giving her headphones just in case they start yelling again. You sit next to her, your phone in your hand as you wait for something from Terushima. 

“You know this won’t work,” Terushima sighs. “You don’t care about her at all, you’re just trying to get to me. And I will not let you treat my daughter that way,” he declares. “If that’s all you came for, then you can leave. If you want to see Satomi, I’ll arrange it.”

“Don’t bother,” she spits, and Terushima tries to keep himself calm at her reaction. 

“Get out.” He wants to add that he doesn’t want her to contact him again, but there’s still a voice in his head telling him that he can’t keep Satomi from her mother. “I never said anything bad about you because I didn’t want to ruin her image of you.” Although, he’s pretty sure that you’ve changed that, but there’s isn’t a bone in his body that’s upset about that. “But, just know that this outcome could’ve been changed.” He really hopes it hits home as he reminds her again, and she doesn’t leave with another word, a scoff leaving her lips before she walks out of the door. He doesn’t jump when the door slams, but his ears ring with finality. 

That could’ve gone so many ways, but he feels like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders, and he sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. He checks his phone when it dings, seeing a text from you, but he’s not ready to talk to you yet. He asks if you can watch Satomi for a bit while he gets himself together, and he sits on the couch as he texts his friends.

Some time has passed, and he feels like he’s in a good place to go over to yours, hoping that the speech he has won’t fail him. He knocks on the door before he opens it, and you’re sitting on the couch, watching TV. You stand as he closes the door, pointing over your shoulder as you walk toward him.

“Satomi’s watching a show with headphones on,” you tell him, and he pulls you into a hug that takes you by surprise.

“I love you,” he whispers, and he tries not to hold onto you so tight to the point that that he might hurt you, but he can’t help it. His head has been spinning for so long, and hugging you makes it stop in an instant. He’s not too shaken up about the conversation with Satomi’s mother, knowing in the back of his head that it wasn’t going to work out anyway.

“I love you, too, Yuuji,” you reply. “Is everything okay?”

“She probably won’t be back. Our relationship was doomed from the start.” He doesn’t add many details, and he doesn’t feel like he needs to, but if you ask, he’ll tell you. “Thank you for being here all this time, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” He pulls away to kiss you softly, and for the first time in a long time, he feels like he’s floating, like his body is running over with happiness.

“It was no problem,” you respond softly. “I love you and Satomi both so much. Thank you for letting me be with you and her.” He feels like he has to kiss you again, and there’s so much he wants to talk with you about, but he knows it’s not the time for it right now. But he’ll tell you eventually.

How he wants to really be a family with you, how he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, and how he wants to make you happy for the rest of your life. He’s been thinking about it for a while now, and when the time is right, he’ll tell you. He doesn’t hate Satomi’s mother. He can’t. She gave him one of the best things of his life, but he can’t hate her for causing him to cross paths with you.

From day one, he knew you were the one for him, and you constantly fueled that voice in his head. He couldn’t ask for a better outcome when his life was suddenly turned upside down, and now, he knows that he’ll be able to live this life with you until the end.

[seonghw4ffles]

sunk cost fallacy

"im reeling in my brain again, before it can get back to you."

playing ricky montgomery ...

seonghwa x fem!reader

< chapter one > chapter two (?)

genre: 4am rant, angst, second chance, ex, seonghwa mc

w/c: 2.6k

summary: he ran for you like a fool when you called him saying your car broke down after fifteen months of no contact

tw: quite poorly written (its pretty much my vents into a fic), reader METAPHORICALLY referred to as "small," no happy ending (unless this gets attention), minor swearing, just sad, thats it though

note: the indented are memories. hi guys im back from school camp hehhee!!! i have never seen angst being on the s/o's side, its always carried on the y/n which frustrates me... might delete this cus i havent proofread,, yeah i might make a pt2 of hea if anyone cares 😭

"oh what am i supposed to do, without you?"

THURSDAY 04:17

seonghwa had no intent of anything, when he was unable to sleep.

seonghwa had no intent of anything, when he minimised himself across his bed.

his mind is a merry go round, already worn out. he doesn't know if these feelings in the air are beautiful or wretched.

seonghwa had no intent of anything, before his phone rings to a call.

he looks over and reads your name across the phone screen. it was almost a reflex when he instantly straightened himself, grabbed his phone and answered.

"y/n? hello?"

“hey, seo- seonghwa…” you shudder as you say his name. “could you help me?”

oh how he missed your voice. yet, his full name sounds strange under your lips.

and only after a moment of communication on the phone, he grabs his keys off the nightstand.

˖ ࣪⭑

"sorry. i couldn't afford a tow truck," you speak through the call.

"no, don't apologise. i'm coming for you."

he's already driving through the dark, apathetic to his dishevelled state. as well as the speed limit.

you’re trapped on the side of the road with a broken down car. you happened to be without any other choice but to call him. and honestly, thank the fates that this was the situation.

“are you okay? its so loud, are you driving safely?” you say, hearing influx of seonghwa’s very own car horns.

“yeah. don’t worry. just a whole lot of mindless drivers,” he replies. people who couldn’t drive should get off the road.

as he speaks, he notices how exhausted his voice sounds, as though he hasn’t spoke in so long. but one couldn’t really get a chance to talk if there was never anyone to talk to.

more horns fill the air.

seonghwas hunches forward. he is on the brink of smashing the pedal, just to distract himself from his own overwhelming mind. the drive is so damn slow.

as he steps back, he cries, realising all is gone. "what about my friends? my parents? they all hate you. fuck it, they hate me too. im sorry. i just can't."

somebody blocks his way, and he punches the steering wheel. well, it’s more because of the memories that begin to trespass his head, however it is impossible for him to care less.

he hates himself for the way he took your vast, beautiful hope for granted during then. for how he was so dense, so scared to let his love take over his fear. and now that everything all had dissolved, he wishes he did something differently. so that perhaps the current state wouldn’t be so.

and so perhaps you wouldn’t be stranded in the middle of nowhere but a road, all alone, in the night. for hours.

you’re in trouble. and he is obliged to save you, be your hero, the way he used to, and the way he was always supposed to.

“are you alright? are you cold? do you have a jacket?” he asks through the phone, almost at your location.

he waits for a response, but he's only met with silence.

"y/n? hello? y/n??"

and there was still no answer.

his heart rate drastically increases. he's really smashing the pedal now.

"y/n,, answer me? please?? hello???" he shakes.

a hundred, a hundred and ten, a hundred and thirty.

he's so scared.

he's yelling over the phone at this point, but you're still not responding.

"Y/N!! FUCK," he yells, almost to tears, vigorously pushing his back against the seat as he continues the drive.

and when seonghwa sees your familiar vehicle in the far distance from his windscreen, he swerves his steering wheel to turn to the side. he doesn't care if he's too far to stop. he roughly slams his hand to the gear for adjustment and swiftly releases his seatbelt, stepping out of the door and slamming it behind him. he leaves his car resting diagonally out of the highway, half onto the grass, because he really doesn’t care about anything else right now.

he runs desperately towards you in the soft moonlight.

it was windy and cold while he’s wearing nothing but a thin shirt and trousers, when he appeared outside your car door, finally laying his eyes through the window.

his heart stops for a little bit, seeing you for the first time in what felt like ages.

he finds that you're asleep, and he's so relieved that you're safe. yet what currently alters him more is your mere presence right upon him. you look so fragile and so small, your knees huddled to your chest, and his stomach twists. you're prettier than he could ever remember.

and he misses you so, so much.

he gently knocks against your glass window.

and you gradually open your eyes to his panting, his wide eyed gaze, and the wind in his hair.

"y/n?"

he steps back as he watches your beautiful figure exit the car. you are thankfully wearing a thin jacket.

the moment you shut your car door, he walks over to you and engulfs you under a tight embrace.

oh how it felt for him, to hug you like this again.

"seonghwa."

he immediately noticed how you tensed up when he pulled your frame into his body, and he softly released you.

his heart breaks a little bit. he's so ashamed of his thoughtless actions.

he looks down at you, his heart twisting as he realised he was undeserving of your comfort, and takes a step back.

"my bad," he mutters under his breath, covering his face to accept the fact that he just messed up the moment he got to see you.

"no, don't worry. it's alright," you reply, smiling in a way which looks so obviously forced.

he doesn’t know what to say, as there was no excuse for the way he treated you. all he could do is look at you, noticing every little crack in your demeanour.

he guides you back to his car.

when you fell back into the structure of the road with him, the air was empty and silent.

you were unsettled of the vast tension.

"how are you doing?" you manage to say out loud, but even you flinch at your own words. a such normal phrase sounds so drastically different than it did before.

doing? how does he answer that question if he had done nothing for the past fifteen months and four days, supposedly since the day of when his love of his life had disappeared?

"i'm doing good. how about you?"

he swallows hard as he sees your lifeless expression through the corner of his eye.

he had always seen you uplifting and cheerful, yet right now he couldn’t fathom how you’re the same person. you appear so worn.

"i'm great. just a bit tired tonight."

he stares endlessly at the many lights flashing from his windscreen.

one could say it was awkward, but he is too dismantled to conclude this precious moment like that. he's happy enough that he gets to see you again, although he knows he shouldn't. but he hopes you feel the same too.

"how long were you there for?" seonghwa asks for an attempt to keep the conversation.

"well, since twelve."

he almost crashes to the car in front.

"what? are you alright?" he says. "the hell were you doing for four hours?"

"sorry. i mean.."

"no, why are you apologising? i'm just.. why are you-"

your instinct to apologise hits him greatly. seonghwa knew he was the reason for your anxiety, and he despises himself. he turns to you, and for a second, he sees all that he put you through.

"i should've listened to my friends," seonghwa tells you, broken in state. "you've done nothing but cause me stress."

he wants to throw up.

"what were you doing for four hours?? why did you have to wait four hours to call someone???" he asks with great worry.

"it was dark, and there was nobody i could contact. i called all my friends, and none responded. i assumed they were asleep."

although he is happier to find you again, it still hurts that his wound is severely reopened by this moment beside you alone. it hurts that he couldn't even blame your search for him. 

"i initially planned to wait until the next morning, but i lost patience. i called you, and you picked up almost instantly," you conclude.

after when you said the last sentence, he suddenly felt like you knew him too well.

perhaps you also knew that the sole reason he never falls asleep was because of you. because he is waiting for you. because he still loves you so much, he couldn't sleep bearing the thought of his feelings unrequited.

"you're safe now," he says.

you tighten, bringing your arms closer to yourself. "thank you so much. for this. seriously. i know i'm probably not the person you wanted to see."

"don't be sorry. please don't. i'm happy to see you again."

the moment was now quiet, but calming to the ears.

he felt lucky he didn't give up on the sunrise too soon. if fifteen dreadful months led to having an hour with you, he's more than grateful. 

he wonders if you feel the same. that you're happy too.

he wanted to convince himself that maybe you lied when you said you couldn’t afford a tow truck. that maybe, just maybe, you wanted to see him again.

"are you hungry?" he asks to fill the air. you must be.

"no," you reply.

"lets stop to eat."

"no, it's okay. i'm not hungry."

"you lie too much. you've been stuck in some damn car for half a lifetime. we're eating, yeah?" he says, and there's no stopping him.

truthfully, he did not care if you were uncomfortable eating with him. he felt selfish, inconsiderate. he panicked when he watched the gps get closer and closer to you're place. he only wanted to use this chance to find more time with you regardless, because he knew you would never come back to loving him no matter how hard he tries.

"fine," you admit. but it sounded like you really wanted to stop to eat with him. and he wanted to believe that.

"what about convenience store food?" he says.

he knows you love miniature food. it's far more accessible to have many small packs of diverse dishes, rather than otherwise.

you smile, and his heart flutters ballistic.

you laugh once you walk into the bright, empty store with him.

"i want sushi… i really craved sushi," you say, pointing to the aisle.

"of course you do," he smiles, following you.

you take a compact sized pack that's fairly cheap, and now it starts.

he waits there in the corner as you run around the small store, taking almost anything you think looks good. he watches you far happier than before, and he felt something in his chest that wasn't fear. more so, it felt like he finally released all that he carried.

seonghwa felt alive again for the first time after fifteen months.

"this!!" you suddenly come into sight, holding about six or seven packets of food that you almost struggled to carry.

"you want that?" he chuckles. "alright."

there was no queue, so he went straight over with you to pay. seonghwa gets nothing but a small coffee.

if he could at least be your friend again, there's nothing more that he could ever want.

he leads you out of the place, back into the car. he held the door for you.

"thank you," you say. "thank you so much."

"don't worry," he replies.

once he gets in the car, he views you opening your food. although he used to recognise himself as a mass eater, he doesn't remember the last time he did. his body is destroyed with nothing but coffee and water.

and when he starts driving, he watches you enjoy your food. he softens more than ever at the sight. 

"want some?" you ask, holding out a whole ice cream tub you're just scooping with a spoon. you're quite of a silly person.

seonghwa laughs. "i'm driving."

sooner or later, you hold up the same spoon of vanilla ice cream to his face. his heart beats faster before he takes a bite out.

"shove it in," you laugh at the way he's struggling. 

he tries his hardest not to laugh in order to properly eat the ice cream.

"goodness, you're so peculiar," he says after he managed to consume the load.

"no, you are," you say. "youre the strangest person i know."

he smiles and turns to you for a second, unable to say anything. "well, i dont eat my ice cream off its tub."

"i dont eat four ramen packets at once," you rebut, hitting his shoulder playfully.

"oh be quiet right now," he replies.

you laugh, scooping another piece straight from the tub.

"i don't care about that. i know its impossible, but i want to believe its possible," you say, with the eyes of the most warmth so generously offered to him.

and there the two are, acting as though nothing had happened between them, acting as two lovers.

˖ ࣪⭑

he follows you to the apartment complex you stay in, and he's unable to let you go.

as you say your farewells walk away into the building, he catches your wrist, and you turn around.

"i still love you. im sorry i messed up before," he whispers to you. he steps closer as he takes his slightly trembling fingers to guide a stray hair behind your ear.

you didn't expect the sudden confession. "seonghwa.."

he shuts his mouth. the way you hesitate sort of leaves him uneasy. he stops to look at you, to cherish this little time he has with you. who knows if this will be the last time he sees you?

no matter how far it hurts him to admit, he couldn't deny how beautiful you are.

"can we try again?" he says almost mindlessly. he felt like he lost everything with that sentence, and wishes he could take it back.

it was silent for only a moment. those few seconds were more anticipating than he had ever felt, he wishes he were gone.

you looked down, as though trying to find what to say. there was nothing but ringing in his ear, until you answered, "i’m interested in somebody else."

"im sorry," he mutters, shamefully pulling away. he covers half his face with his palms to look down upon for a second. it's shattering when he absorbs all your words, burrowing them deep under his anguished heart.

you moved on already?

"its okay." you reply.

who is this new man? is it your really close colleague he never liked? or your guy that's always been part of your friend group?

"why is it so hard for you to just trust me?" you yell, and it seems as the glass tipped over.

he lets go of his arms. "who is this guy?" he asks, almost instictively. he spoke more aggressively than he intended.

"i don't think you're obligated to know."

he tightens his eyes shut.

so fast. you’re so fast. everyone is so fast. it had been fifteen months, yet he’s still in the same place he was in those fifteen months ago.

you’re moving on, while he had stopped. how does he fill the gap that does not shrink?

you’ve really given up on him.

you like someone else.

it's all over.

he subtly bites his lip, stepping back. he couldn't even look at you anymore. "well, i..." he barely mumbles, his voice trembling. "i really wish i could be the man you fell in love with again. i really do."

you almost flinch, looking away from him. you couldn't believe he could say such a thing. you seemed like you pitied him, for how vulnerable he currently reveals to you. "i’m sorry. just... leave me alone for a bit, yeah?"

it felt like knives to his heart. "you want me to leave?"

his voice is breaking. he looks back up to you, trying so hard to find a hint in your expression that you wanted to take it back, even a tiny hint, but he couldn’t.

"if thats okay," you say, as he freezes at your words. he felt like he said something he shouldn't have. what if this is the last time? what if this is really the last encounter? is this the moment everything is said?

“okay. then i'll.. then i'll see you,” his voice slightly trembles.

"im sorry. i'll see you," you reply, watching him leave.

"i wish i was strong enough. for us,” he says.

seonghwa steps back, and follows hesitantly. he stares to the cold, stone ground, exiting the complex as all his instincts scream against him.

the way you speak is destroying him piece by piece. he doesn't want to step any further away from you. he could never accept that you no longer love him. but if this is what you choose, he couldn't really do anything.

his love for you is overflowing in his hands. who else could he give this to if you refuse it? it hurts to carry.

its okay. he’s is willing to wait more for you. for something to happen again.

but how long will it take?

[etheries1015]

Hello can I request a fluffy fic about how Jack would interact tereact their s/o while he’s using his unique magic? I hope it’s not too weird of a request

Its not weird at all! I actually think this concept is super cute 😭 thank you for the request <3 I hope you like it <3

Jack seldom used his unique magic, save for the times he desperately needed to. It took a lot of energy to maintain his wolf form, and it wasn't a very common type of magic, either. That didnt stop you from asking him to, and I quote, "Turn into the fluffy wolf again!!!" Wanting to preserve his magic (and avoid becoming your play thing...) He would find an excuse each time to gently refuse your insistent prodding.

There was one particular day though, one in which you found yourself deep in a hole of...well, stress. It was a rather difficult day, to say the least. Being the only non magic wielding student at an all-magic school, there were bound to be times you felt to be at an extreme disadvantage. You must had forgotten you chose this day to study with Jack, for when he attempted to find you in the library where you had chosen to meet, you were nowhere to be found.

Finding you crying in the garden of ramshackle was the last thing he thought you would be doing. You were huddled up in an abandoned corner of wilted flowers, hugging your knees to press against your chest as your body trembled with sadness. You heard someone approaching you, yet avoided their gaze in fear of embarrassing yourself further with tears to simply add to your "pathetic feats" of the day. You heard a gentle and familiar sigh, Jack dropping his bag and bending over to meet your eyeline.

"Rough day, I heard," Jack rubbed the back of his neck, "Do you... want to talk about it?" Shaking your head, Jack pursed his lips. He never particularly felt as if he were good at comforting people, for his actions always seemed to speak louder than his words. He wasn't used to seeing your smile fade like the wilted flowers, or hearing muffled cries escape your typically optimistic mouth. Thats when it clicked in him, the one thing he felt would be able to cheer you up...he hoped.

You heard rustling sounds before the familiar sound of magic casting, head flicking up in time to hear his chant and watch Jacks form morph into that of a great wolf with long untouched white fur. You let out a gasp of surprise as a smile quickly took over your face, Jack utilizing his now wolf form to nuzzle your cheek against his own. You opened your arms to hug him, petting the silky fur that you only dreamed of being able to pet.

"Get on," Jack encouraged, "I wanna show you something." You double checked if he was certain he would be alright with you upon his back, his response was eagerly inviting you on and insisting he was more than capable to do as much. He lowered his body for you to comfortably climb onto his back, hugging him firmly while shoving your face into his deep soft locks of fur. Determining you were secure enough, Jack ran.

He ran through the woods a rather short trip because of his sheer speed, it seemed as if only a few minutes had past before you made it to the destination, Jack allowing you to get off his back. Before you stood what looked to be an abandoned projecy, entering the decently sized house that lay on the floor between two older looking trees. The floors were crooked and the ceiling was rotting from moist wood, the inside bare of furniture and appliances. It truly seemed to be a work in progress that someone had decided was no longer worth the time.

"I found this place not too long ago," Jack admitted, "During a run. I meant to bring you here sooner after I fixed up a couple things, I think it'll make a fun hideout one day! Or a study spot for us!" You side eyed wolf Jack, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Are you sure you weren't trying to trick me into jogging here sometime with you to get my daily dose of exercise in?" He let out an (almost offended) chuckle.

"You're failing gym, it takes a lot to do that." He joked. You embraced him once more, shuffling your head between his shoulder blade and falling to the ground bringing him with you.

"I can't maintain this form forever," He said almost reluctantly, his heart warmed from the affection you gave him. You nodded into his shoulder and breathed in shakily, Jack laying down on his side and allowing you to cuddle against him.

"Just...a little longer," you muttered, "is it weird? I'm sorry." Jack shook his head, giving your cheek a small and affectionate lick and rubbing his soft head into the crook of your neck as if to hug you back.

"Not at all," He replied. You two remained like that for a short period of time, before Jack had to revert back to his original all too soon in your opinion, to his tall and strong human form. His arms were now wrapped around you in a normal hug, to which you responded with a kiss against the soft skin of his cheek.

"Thank you again," you smiled gently at him. Jacks cheeks took on a rosey hue, looking away shyly with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips and a hum of thought escaping them.

"Maybe I should do it more often..." You sat up in excitement, stars in your eyes as he almost immediately regret the words slipping out his mouth. There began the whole theatrics, You insisted that next time he take you on another journey on his back, or saying something silly about him being your "knight in shining fur" protecting you in a "cool" way against danger. You gushed about the stories you could write about some sort of wolf forbidden romance, and all the other things he heard you laugh about before. This time, he listened to you with love and attentiveness more than he ever had before, not realizing how much he missed your rants.

He was truly glad you were back to being yourself...silly, smiling, utterly perfect you.

~~~~~~~~~

I'm so used to writing for the third years KDHFKWJD I hope he wasn't TOO out of character! If you have any suggestions on how I could improve on this, let me know and I shall update it accordingly~ I hope you liked it and properly answers your ask! If not, feel free to send another one <3

[redxixi]

~`All ours part 2~`

Part 1

~`Pairing: Viking!141 x reader

~`summary : after the raid you and the rest of the survivors were taking to price's village where your fate awaits.

A/n : OMG THANK YOU ALL FOR SO MUCH LOVE FOR THE PREVIOUS FIC. Since you guys loved the previous one so much i wrote a longer version and i hope i live up to the expectations. Also huge thanks to anon from this post for the idea for this part. AGAIN THIS IS A DARK FIC CONTAINING SHIT. Also my asks are open for ideas

!WARNINGS! : slightly NSFW, simping over john price, being kept prisoner, mention of slavery.

~`wordcount : idk.

Blackness. Pitch blackness. Thats what it felt like. You felt it consume you slowly..bit by bit it was eating everything. All the memories you had, all the times you laughed and cried...it all felt worthless now that you were being consumed.

Slowly you opened your eyes. Everything was blurry at first but bit by bit your vision was returning. You looked around and tried to move only to realize both of your hands were bound by some kind of rope to your back. You also realized that you were moving or atleast you were on something that was moving. You carefully sit up and observed your surroundings. You were in the back of what looks like a wagon with a buch of the survivors from your village, you could see some familiar faces and some bruised and bloodied faces.

"What happend...where are we going" you asked to the old woman that sat closest to you

"The raid happend...everything was destroyed and burned...they took us from our homes and loaded us up onto theire ships like cattle and made us beg for food. We then got off and then they loaded us up here.....our next destination may be our last"

The old lady said with a look in her eye that was a mixture of fear and despair. You remember the killing, the stealing and you remembered the men who did it. You also remember failing to escape...a mistake that would change your whole life.

After what seemed like eternity the wagon came to a halt. You could hear people calling out and children's voices. A village?

"THEY HAVE RETURNED!"

"Look they're back"

"Lord price is back!!"

You heard people and children shouting and praising. Lord price. That was the man. The man who murdered hundreds and led the raid. Why are people praising this monsters return? And why are they calling him lord? Thats when it dawned on you. You were in a village. His village. This is the home of those monsters. You could hear footsteps aproaching the wagon and tried to mentally prepare yourself for what was about to come. It was the man with the skull mask that approached the wagon with keys in his hand. he opened the cage and ushered everyone to get out.

"All of you. Out. Now. "

He said in a stern and terrifying voice. Afraid and terrified of what the man would do they started to get out slowly one by one. And since you were all the way in the back you had to wait until your turn finally came. You slowly tried to crouch walk to get out of the cage without looking him in the eye but just as you were about to jump out you lost you balance and almost fell out. You were sure you were about to fall face first into the dirt but you didnt. You opened your eyes and looked up and saw the masked man holding you bridal style.

"Be careful. You arent going to be of any use if your injured"

He put you on the ground again and you joined up with the rest of the captives.

"Move"

You heard the masked man say from behind you lot. Slowly as a group you started walking. You looked around and saw tents, huts, homes, children and woman. You all walked on the main path with several people staring at you lot with disgust.

"I'd say this haul is fairly successful"

"I wouldn't call only getting weat and goats successful. They had almost no gold."

You turned you head and saw the 2 men who slaughtered your home speaking amongst themselves. One was dark skinned one and the other apears to be a woman. You were so into their conversation that you didnt look where you were walking and bumped into what felt like a wall of a chest.

"Wadda we 'ave here. If it isnt the pretty little thing that tried to run away from us"

You recognized this man with a mohawk haircut and immediately lowered your head as to not offend him. You tried to move with the group so you dont fall behind but he wasnt having it.

"Oh come on now i just wanna talk it'll fun commonnn."

He said in a low sultry voice. His hands then wrapped around you waist and he pulled you towards him.

"This here is my home. What dont you like it?"

He said in a mocking voice. You tried to squirm away from him without making eye contact.

"JOHNNY" you heard someone yell.

"Ah duty calls. here hold onto this for me will ya. I will find you again mkay"

He handed you what seems to be a small wooden plate. Carved into it was the name "Johnny "soap" mactavish". You quickly put it into your pocket of your dress and tried to catch up with you group. What did he want? What does he mean he will find me? Why did he hold me like that? These questions were like the plague. Dangerous for your body and soul.

You and the rest of the survivors where escorted to the back of the camp into what looked like a prison of sorts where you were to stay until you found out what in gods name they wanted with you.

"We can't keep them here without them dying of starvation John. And we certainly do not have enough food to feed everyone. Why did you bring them back here?"

"I have a plan kate."

"Care to share it with us boss" Johnny said as he entered the tent with simon right behind him.

"I will sell them. Easy. Graves informed me that he needed more slaves for his buyers. So we will sell him the survivors as slaves in exchange for more food and weapons" john said with a serious look on his face while sitting on his throne like chair signing some kind of papers.

"Sound good to you kate?"

After a moment of silence laswell sighed then nodded her head in approval.

"Now if you dont mind i have work to attend to" john said as he was getting up and ready to leave.

For the next week or so you spend as their prisoner you seen alot of things. Monsters tho they may be they also care about this village. But at night they are like feral beast. Each night they all have different women and sometimes they dont even wait till night fall. You gathered this much from seeing and hearing things. The masked one is called ghost but his friends refer to him as simon. He doesnt bed a woman often but if he does he is certainly ruthless with a stamina of a horse. The one with a mohawk is refered to as soap but also as Johnny. He is a real ladies man. With him its every night and sometimes there are more than just 1 women. Then there is the dark skinned one wich you rarely see but when you do he's usually hurt or just came back from hunting. Just like simon he sometimes has a woman come with him to bed. He is probably a passionate lover if anything else and then there is the captian. John is his name. Everytime you see him its like something inside you burns. Tall dark handsome. You shouldnt be liking him but you cant help it. It also doesnt help when the woman he beds let out such moans you can only hope to make one day.

You snapped out of your daydream when simon aproached the cage and unlocked it.

"Everyone out now"

Fearing him everyone quietly obeyed and one by one exited the cage. What was going on? Is this the day you would die? These questions where eating at you.

"Follow me" simon said as he walked in front of the group until he reached a small dock with a couple of boats and ships. Simon then waved at one of the ships and soon the crew of the ship started to come to the dock with small boats.

"All of you get on"

"W..whats happening? Where are you taking us" one of the elder ladies asked with fear lached into her voice.

"Your being sold" said the voice from behind us. Price walked up to us with soap right behind him as he started to speak.

"Your being sold as slaves in exchange for supplies. It is only right i tell you your fate."

Your felt your heart sinking and your breath started to get unstable. Sold? As slaves? You can't be a slave? Soon all the captives started to cry and plead for their lives but simon forced them onto the boats until it was finally your turn. You pleaded him for mercy while crying.

"Wait not her" price spoke up and you saw johnny behind him grinning like a mischievous cat.

"Why not"

"Well she will be ours ofcourse" price said nonchalantly to simon. Simon in turn released me and i watched as the rest of the captives where being hauled away. Confused you asked

"Why...why me"

Price looked at you amusingly and smiled.

"A pretty little thing like you belongs here. With us ofcourse. You are ours now. And as for why well.." price looked back at a grinning johnny and continued.

"Someone requested you so as a favour now your ours."

Price took a few steps forwars until he was close enough for me to hear his heart beat. He took my face in his hand and pulled it upwards toward him. Slowly and in a low voice he whispered in my ear.

"All ours."

Ahhh finally done with this part and next part will be spicy i can assure you that and as all ways my asks are OPEN. Also i am making a taglist for everytime i post a fic so feel free to comment if you want to be part of the taglist. Also i apologize for any mistakes cuz english is not my first language. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE LOVE <3

[captain-n-crunchies]

He cute...a little weird but cute!

Crona the mf Grogan x Chubby!Black Reader

A.N: (Ok sooo ive never seen a fic with him and a black girl which is crazy because i feel like he like DOWN BAD for black and what black? we therefore we must write 🤭)

" He cries like alot'

" yeah, it's kinda sad because of Medusa if you think about it

" yeah, but still, he too creepy and he cries? that's like a serial killer code gone wrong"

Two people I call friends talks about the new boy at school, his names Crona I think? I dunno but, he was one of Medusas pawns for taking down the DWMA; which to me I knew the bitch was crazy when she came in with a bob and twists in her hair...BUT THATS NOT THE POINT! So, as they talked I just tune them out listening to music and drawing some doodles when out the corner of my eye, I saw him for the first time.

"Wow..is that a girl or boy?" I lean over and asked one of the girls to which they shook they heads no, Crona sits by Maka and a small smile glows his face; he's beautiful like REALLY pretty, I just stared at him a bit and when my friend tapped me to ask about something i saw he looked at me too..HE WANTS ME BAD LIKE HA!

*Two class periods later, now it lunch because we are big and hungry*

" Thats just nasty..." I say in utter disgust, BlackStar ass is putting cheese, meat, pickles and for some reason mixed milk and Soul dared him to eat it! Niggas are like weridddd, but as I was looking I saw Crona making the same face I was it made me giggle at how he looks utterly disgusted yet curious.

Me and my little group of friends sit down, and we eat some chips and snacks when Maka and Soul's group of friends came over. We look up and smiled since we all are familiar with each other, Liz and Patty sat across from me and Crona and Maka sat beside me on my right since my friend was too my left; Crona just seemed nervous and jittery so I whispered what was wrong? He just shook his head and then some bald black monster thingy came out of his back?

" QUIT BEING A WIMP AND TALK CRONA"

" Ouch! Stoppp I don't know how to talk to girls! Och Ragnarök!"

I watched in a confused manner and turned to Maka who was just getting ready to throw her book, Soul was just staring at BlackStar who was groaning in pain from his earlier concoction with Tsubaki shaking her head in disappointment. I look at Crona who now is sitting covering his head and I don't knew i just felt like comforting him.

" Ok na, that's enough, now go on back to where you came from"

" WHO DO YOU THINK YO-"

" CLAM IT DOWN OFFBRAND VEMON, keep it cute you saw him smiling and giggling all happy now you gotta mess with him? Thats sad"

Me and off brand get to arguing and I'm not gonna lie he ate me up a few times, but I kept up with him! As we argued the group was laughing egging me and black slimeball out; soon he just went back into Crona and Crona thanked me smiling, I told it wasn't big deal.

" I've really stood up to him...he's cool during fights, but I don't like when he yells at me"

" I don't either, you were all shy earlier now you crying! Here let me help" I get out a toilette from my bag and wipe his face off and he stares at him with wide eyes, I didn't know grey pinkish eyes could sparkle but his did; we started talking again except, Crona was more talkative really to me and Maka.

The bell rings and we all go to our classes but, me and Crona walk together to the courtyard.

" T-thank you for being nice tome when he came out, it not a lot of people who would argue with him"

" It's fine Crona plus, it made steal some of his comebacks" I laughed off, Crona had a small smile on his lips when I talked, he's a good listener. We mainly talk about interests and what he wants to do at DWMA, he told me about how Marie was helping him get over his past and Maka helping with making friends and even though he just got here I feel like I've known his story. As we're walking we both look at the creepy sun it almost time for our next class and I take a tiny snack.

" Want one? " Sure" Hès very simple, we eat a bit of the chips and continues our convo when I see my friends skipping; they called us over and Crona saw Marie, we parted ways wuth goodbyes and i walked over to my friends who are smirking.

" What's the smirks abo-"

" You like him!!!"

" Omg reader! You got a crush on the serial killer non killer dude!?"

They giggle and tease me for my little, tiny, molecular crush on Crona; even though they are right it still doesn't me they get to talk about it!

"I wouldn't say crushhh, more of a I think he's cute."

" But he like textbook definition of werido"

" Well, he's gonna be my werido! I'll talk about Pokémon cards and if Goku is better than Naruto any day if it with him!" I say with my head held high.

" BYEEEE NOT HER IN LOVEEEE" they say in unison, and I speed walk away from them with a smile, and the thought of cutesy Crona Gorgon with flowers and the title ' my werido' engraved in my mind.

Yeah, he may have crybaby, whine a lot, and is kinda serial killer but doesn't kill traits but its cute on him! He's weird and I'm gonna be weird with him!

A.N: ( OMG THIS IS SOOO ME CODED AND SOOO CUTE, and i know it isn't describing the body type but I'm chubby so Imma write it like that because we don't have nothingggg with him, but yea! Let me know if you like it!