MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

"Come on, make a wish, a shooting star," Svetlana said, her voice playful as she lay on the sand beside Damon.

Damon chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, that's not a real thing. A wish?" He turned his head to look at her, his expression amused.

She sucked on her teeth, rolling her eyes. "Boring…"

"Okay, okay," Damon relented, closing his eyes for a moment. "Fine, I'll make a wish."

After a moment, he opened his eyes. "Alright, I wished f—"

Before he could finish, Svetlana pressed her hand over his mouth. "You can't tell me," she said, her smirk making her eyes shine.

Damon looked at her, his heart swelling. Man, he was so damn lucky.

It had been a few days since Christmas, and the holiday had been incredible.

Everyone had grown closer during the celebrations, but soon after, they all returned to their routines.

Edward had gone to spend time with his family, and Ty had thrown himself into his training with Victor, fully committed to chasing his new dream of wrestling at the highest levels.

Damon was happy for him. Ty had always been a strong wrestler, but he'd been in a strange limbo in their MMA circle, never quite making moves toward any professional companies.

And for Joey, he hadn't heard much from him since Christmas, where he called later saying the dinner went decent and he wanted Damon to meet his brother.

But enough about that. Right now, Damon's focus was entirely on Svetlana.

"You should probably take your hand off my mouth," he said, his voice muffled beneath her hand.

Svetlana smirked. "And if I don't?"

Damon smiled at her while holding her hand, his lips curving mischievously.

He stuck out his tongue out of the blue, which made her squeal with surprise and pull away right away.

"Ew! Damon!" she laughed, wiping her hand on the sand.

He grinned at her, his laughter joining hers as the cool night air surrounded them.

This moment, under the stars, was perfect.

Damon pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her playfully. "What? We kiss all the time," he said with a grin.

Svetlana stopped and looked into his eyes. Her smile went away, and something softer and deeper took its place.

It wasn't long before Damon lost himself in her eyes.

It seemed like everything else went away, leaving them and the stars alone.

Their lips met slowly, almost naturally, in a soft kiss.

As the kiss got deeper, they moved more naturally and smoothly.

Damon straightened up and sat up straight in the sand without even realizing it.

Svetlana shifted with him, settling onto his lap, her knees on either side of him.

Damon's hands, as if moving of their own accord, slid to her waist, holding her close.

His touch was gentle yet firm, his fingers brushing against the fabric of her dress as their kiss continued, unhurried and full of emotion.

When the cool breeze from the water met their warm embrace, it made the moment feel like it would never end, like it belonged only to them.

Svetlana broke the kiss, her breathing uneven as she leaned back slightly.

Damon blinked, suddenly realizing where his hands had wandered. His face flushed, and he panicked. "Lana, I'm sorry, I—"

She interrupted him, her voice soft but hesitant. "Damon, I've been thinking... I…"

She paused, struggling to find the right words, her cheeks burning. "You… us…"

Damon tilted his head, watching her carefully. "What is it?" he asked gently, his voice steady despite his own nervousness.

Svetlana looked down for a moment, fiddling with the hem of her dress. "I just… I feel like… maybe in a relationship, there are things we should… try." Her voice grew quieter with each word, her face red with embarrassment.

Damon froze, understanding what she meant. His chest tightened, not from fear but from how much he cared about her.

"Lana…" he began, but his hesitation made her pull back further.

She bit her lip, her eyes darting away. "It's okay if you don't want to," she said quickly, her voice tinged with self-doubt. "I didn't mean to make this weird. Forget I said anything—"

"No, no, it's not that," Damon said, cutting her off, his hands gently holding hers. "It's not that at all." He took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts.

"I care about you," he said earnestly, his eyes meeting hers. "And… I do want to. I'm just…"

He hesitated, his words deliberate. "I think we should wait. Not because I don't want to, but because I feel like… it's something that should happen when it's the right time, in the right place."

Svetlana looked at him, searching his face for any sign of insincerity. "You mean that?" she asked softly.

Damon nodded. "Yeah, I do. If you want to try, I'm okay with that. But… maybe we wait until one of us has our own place. Somewhere it feels… right."

She relaxed slightly, her expression shifting to one of quiet relief. "Okay," she whispered, a small smile forming on her lips. "That makes sense."

Damon smiled back, his thumb brushing lightly over her hand. "We've got all the time in the world, Lana. There's no rush."

Find your next adventure on empire

She nodded, leaning forward to rest her head against his shoulder, and they stayed there for a moment.

It was awkward, but it was honest, and that made it perfect.

Damon broke the comfortable silence, leaning in slightly and whispering into her ear as his fingers gently played with strands of her hair.

"So… what did you wish for?"

Svetlana chuckled, the sound soft and warm. Damon could feel her laughter vibrating against him, her head still resting on his shoulder.

"Nope," she said, her voice teasing.

Damon smirked, amused. "Come on, you've got to tell me," he pressed, his tone light and playful.

Svetlana shook her head, her hair brushing against his chin. "Not a chance."

She grinned, enjoying the little game, he shifted slightly, his fingers brushing against her side, causing her to flinch with a laugh.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om