Victor and Damon kept talking.
Nothing about training.
Nothing about fights.
No mention of business, schedules, media, or anything tied to the world that usually surrounded them.
It was just a normal conversation.
They talked about the house. Some renovations Victor was considering. A small story about Macey's latest obsession with a cooking show. Even a few memories from early days at the gym, back when Damon first started showing real discipline.
And for Damon, that was rare.
Eventually, the voices from the other room grew louder, footsteps, light laughter, until the women returned, sweeping back into the room like a small whirlwind.
Svetlana had a little glow to her, her smile soft, cheeks slightly flushed from all the attention.
Aoife, the traitor, acted like nothing had happened.
No greeting skipped. No hug dodged.
She went straight into talking to Damon like they'd already exchanged hellos.
Like she hadn't completely ignored him at the door.
He gave her a look. One of those narrow-eyed, "you really did that?"
She only responded with a grin and a kiss to his cheek before moving past him.
Macey gave him a quick hug too, much shorter than the one she gave Svetlana earlier, but still warm.
Then she grabbed Victor, dragging him away to help with something in the kitchen.
Svetlana moved beside Damon, linking her arm with his as if they hadn't been apart for more than a few minutes.
He leaned in close and whispered, "They've got you now. No going back."
She smirked. "You're the one who proposed."
Svetlana grinned as she walked toward the big screen TV, picking up the controller.
"Wanna play?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder.
Damon leaned against the armrest, eyebrows raised.
"Hey, I don't want to make you angry by winning too much," he said, flashing a smug grin.
That was enough to fire her up.
She raised a brow right back. "We'll see about that."
They powered up the console and navigated straight to the newest UFA game. It had only come out a couple of months ago, he hadn't played it yet, but he remembered the photo shoots and motion captures they'd dragged him into. He figured they'd just throw him in the game with some default moves and call it a day.
When the character select screen popped up, Svetlana moved fast, her eyes scanning and locking on a name before Damon could even reach for his controller.
"Damon Cross," she said proudly, confirming the selection with a smirk.
He stared at his own character for a moment.
He'd seen pictures, clips, highlight reels, but never this.
Never a 3D-rendered version of himself standing in the middle of a cage, bouncing on his heels, his tattoo details sharp, his walkout stance perfectly captured.
They gave him a solid 4.5 stars.
That part made him smile.
"Not bad," he muttered under his breath.
Then he moved over and scrolled through the roster.
He passed a few top names, then stopped, hovering for a second before selecting.
That name alone would get a rise out of fans.
Svetlana looked over, eyes narrowing playfully.
"Really? That's how it's gonna be?"
Damon chuckled, his competitive side kicking in.
"Hey, if I'm gonna fight myself, might as well pick someone worth the challenge."
They tapped into the matchup screen, both characters loading in.
They had played longer than either of them expected.
Match after match, Svetlana dominated.
Damon leaned forward, trying to focus. He'd switched fighters three times, adjusted his strategy, even tried to bait her with feints and clinches, nothing worked.
Every time he thought he had the upper hand, she'd counter, sweep, or land a knockout shot like she had the controller programmed to read his mind.
He sat up, putting his controller down with a sigh just as the door creaked open and someone stepped in from the front.
Svetlana didn't even look up.
"Hey! That's not fair!" she called out, jumping up to follow him.
Damon tried to hold back his laugh, but it slipped out anyway.
What was really unfair was the fact he hadn't won a single match.
And she wanted to keep going.
Every time he said "last one," she'd nod… then immediately provoke him into playing another.
A smug comment, a playful insult, or a fake yawn like she was getting bored.
Damon would lock in, fueled by pride, thinking this was the round.
Confidence shattered. Again. And again.
He wasn't a gamer, but he thought he could at least compete in a game where he was a playable character.
Turned out, Svetlana had been secretly running ranked matches online or something, because she was a monster with a controller.
By the time they paused, Damon wasn't just annoyed, he hated that game now with a special, pure hatred.
If he never saw it again, it would be too soon.
As Damon reached the front of the house, he saw who had come in, Joey, Ashley, and Ash.
All three were dressed casually but with the kind of clean, neat look that said they knew this was more than just a friendly visit.
When they spotted Damon and Svetlana walking over, smiles broke across their faces.
Hugs were exchanged all around. Joey gave Damon a quick, solid embrace before patting his back.
Ashley leaned in to hug Svetlana carefully with her free arm, balancing their baby boy in the other. Ash, a little slower to hug, still pulled Damon in with that familiar brotherly energy.
Svetlana's eyes locked on the baby almost immediately. Her face lit up, and before saying a word, she raised her hand casually, fingers fanned to show off the ring on her finger.
Even Joey's grin doubled.
"You're kidding—" Ashley started, but couldn't finish before Svetlana pulled her into another hug.
The reactions came fast, congratulations, a few questions, more laughter.
None of them had known.
Damon and Svetlana had kept it close since returning.
This was the first reveal.
And it felt good to share.