The morning after the Great Tss Revelation, Jay woke with two things on her mind:
Keifer definitely knew about her weakness now and would absolutely use it against her forever.
She was starving.
She stretched in bed—Keifer's bed, because somewhere along the way, "separate rooms" had become a suggestion rather than a rule—and found the other side empty.
Warm, but empty.
Then she smelled it.
Pancakes.
Jay was out of bed before her brain fully caught up with her body.
She threw on one of Keifer's hoodies (she had several now, scattered between their rooms like evidence of their relationship) and followed the scent downstairs.
The kitchen was chaos, as usual.
Tita Gema was at the stove, wooden spoon in hand, directing traffic like a general. Eman was beside her, calmly flipping pancakes with the precision of someone who'd done this a thousand times. Jasfer was "helping" by stealing food and getting hit. Serina sat at the table, elegant in a silk robe, sipping coffee and watching the madness with quiet amusement.
Keigan and Keiren were already seated, plates piled high, arguing about something unimportant. Grazel Jay was in her high chair, throwing imaginary petals at anyone who walked past.
Grazel Jay: "FLOWERS! FLOWERS FOR EVERYONE!"
Denzel, attempting to drink coffee: "Thank you, baby."
Grace: "She's been at it since 6 AM."
Denzel: "I've accepted my fate."
And in the center of it all—
Keifer.
Standing at the counter, making more pancakes. Because apparently flipping pancakes alongside Eman and Tita Gema wasn't enough—he had his own batch going.
Jay stopped in the doorway.
He looked up as if he sensed her.
And smiled.
"Morning, future wife."
Jay's heart did a thing. A stupid, fluttery, lovesick thing.
"Morning," she managed.
He crossed to her, kissed her forehead, and whispered: "Made you pancakes. Extra syrup, extra butter, extra everything."
Jay: "I love you."
Keifer: "I know."
He guided her to a seat, placed a plate in front of her that was practically a work of art—perfect golden pancakes, a mountain of fruit, syrup drizzled in a pattern that looked suspiciously like a heart.
Jay stared at it. "You made a heart."
Keifer: "Did I?"
Jay: "With syrup."
Keifer: "Accidental syrup artistry. It's a gift."
Jay: "You're ridiculous."
Keifer: "And yet you love me."
Jay: "Unfortunately."
She took a bite and literally moaned.
Not on purpose. It just happened.
The pancakes were perfect. Fluffy, warm, sweet in exactly the right way.
Keifer watched her with that soft smile. "Good?"
Jay: "Good? Keifer, these are—" She took another bite, bigger this time, and made another noise. "—incredible."
Percy, walking past: "That's the face. That's the food face. Documenting."
Jay: "Percy, I will end you."
Percy: "You're too busy enjoying pancakes to end anyone."
He wasn't wrong.
Jay demolished the plate in record time.
Keifer watched, amused. "Hungry?"
Jay: "I'm always hungry. Food is my love language."
Keifer: "I thought I was your love language."
Jay: "You're my romantic love language. Food is my survival love language. They're different."
Keifer: "Ah. Important distinction."
Jay: "Very."
She pushed her empty plate toward him. "More?"
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "More?"
Jay: "Please?"
He laughed—that low, warm laugh that made her insides melt—and took her plate. "Coming right up."
He returned a minute later with another full plate.
Jay: "I'm going to marry you so hard."
Keifer: "That's… not how grammar works."
Jay: "I don't care. Marrying you. Hard."
He kissed her temple. "Eat your pancakes."
She did.
With enthusiasm.
After breakfast, the house settled into its usual rhythm.
Tita Gema and Eman started planning lunch. Jasfer disappeared to find his karaoke machine. Serina retreated to the patio with a book, occasionally glancing inside with a soft smile.
Keigan and Keiren had recruited Grazel Jay for another round of flower practice. This time, they'd added "music" by having Baster hum in the background.
Baster: "I'm composing a flower girl anthem. This is research."
Grazel Jay: "FLOWER ANTHEM! FLOWER ANTHEM!"
Keigan: "I've made a huge mistake."
Keiren: "We're in too deep now."
Denzel: "That's what she said when she recruited you."
Grace: "Support your children."
Denzel: "I'm supporting from a distance. It's safer."
Section E started filtering in.
Ci-n bounced through the door first. "SISTER JAY! I BROUGHT—" He held up a bag. "—SNACKS! For snacking! While we do nothing!"
Rakki followed, looking exhausted. "He woke me up at 7 AM to 'prepare for the snack journey.'"
Ci-n: "PREPARATION IS KEY!"
Rakki: "It's snacks. You buy them at the store."
Ci-n: "MENTAL PREPARATION."
Mica and Calix arrived next, hand in hand.
Mica: "We heard there might be food."
Calix: "There's always food here. It's why we come."
Mica: "That and the people."
Calix: "Mostly the food."
Mica: "Mostly."
Mayo and Kit swept in like they owned the place.
Mayo: "Darling, your家居服 is—" He paused, searching for the right word.
Kit: "Cozy?"
Mayo: "I was going to say 'a choice,' but 'cozy' works."
Jay looked down at herself. She was still wearing Keifer's hoodie, her hair a mess, no makeup, pancake crumbs probably on her face.
Jay: "I'm comfortable."
Mayo: "Comfort is valid. Comfort is important. Comfort is—" He squinted. "Is that Keifer's hoodie?"
Jay: "Maybe."
Mayo: "It's definitely Keifer's hoodie."
Jay: "And?"
Mayo: "And nothing. It's just—" He gestured vaguely. "Domestic. Soft. Disgustingly in love."
Kit: "It's cute."
Mayo: "That's what I said."
Rory and Edrix came in already arguing about something technical.
Rory: "The encryption is fine."
Edrix: "The encryption is ADEQUATE. There's a difference."
Rory: "Same thing."
Edrix: "Not even close."
Freya walked in behind them, pretending she wasn't following Edrix.
Freya: "I'm not here for him."
Edrix: "I didn't say anything."
Freya: "Your face said something."
Edrix: "My face is neutral."
Freya: "Your face is annoying."
Edrix smiled. "And yet here you are."
Freya opened her mouth. Closed it.
Percy: "THEY'RE HAPPENING. IT'S HAPPENING. DOCUMENTING."
Freya: "PERCY."
Percy: "HISTORY CANNOT BE SILENCED."
Drew entered, already counting money. David shuffled behind him, somehow half-asleep while walking.
Drew: "New bets. Over/under on how many times Jay says 'food' today."
David: "Over. Easy. 500."
Drew: "You're on."
Eren wandered in, looking confused. "Wait, is this a party? Did someone invite me?"
Everyone: "No."
Eren: "I'm staying anyway."
Josh appeared silently in his usual corner.
Denzel sighed contentedly. "Family."
Jay found herself on the patio with Keifer, a fresh plate of snacks (courtesy of Ci-n's "snack journey") between them.
She was talking.
A lot.
About nothing important.
"—and then the mangoes at that one stall, you know the one near the old market, they're just BETTER than the supermarket ones, I don't know why, maybe it's the soil or the vendor's secret technique, but I could eat like ten of them in one sitting, which I did once, and then I had a stomachache but it was WORTH IT—"
Keifer watched her, chin resting on his hand, smiling.
"—and have you ever noticed that some foods taste better when you're eating them with someone? Like, alone, a sandwich is just a sandwich. But with company? It's an EXPERIENCE. Not that I don't enjoy eating alone, because I DO, sometimes you need that quality time with your food, but—"
Keifer: "Jay."
She paused mid-sentence. "What?"
Keifer: "Nothing. Keep going."
Jay: "You're sure? I'm not boring you?"
Keifer: "You could never bore me."
Jay: "Even when I talk about mangoes for ten minutes?"
Keifer: "Especially then."
Jay: "That's weird."
Keifer: "I'm weird. You knew that when you fell in love with me."
Jay: "Fair point."
She continued talking—about mangoes, about the perfect texture of pancakes, about a restaurant she wanted to try that served unlimited rice ("Unlimited rice, Keifer. Do you understand what that means?"), about the time she tried to cook and almost burned down the kitchen.
Keifer listened.
Not just listened—engaged. Asked questions. Laughed at the right moments. Looked at her like she was the most fascinating person in the world.
Because to him, she was.
At some point, Jay's hand started moving while she talked. She gestured wildly, almost knocking over her drink.
Keifer caught it without looking.
Jay: "Thanks."
Keifer: "Tss—" He stopped himself. "Sorry. Force of habit."
Jay: "You can say it. I won't—" She paused. "I won't react."
Keifer: "You'll react. You always react."
Jay: "I'll try not to."
Keifer: "Tss."
Jay's eye twitched.
Keifer grinned. "You're reacting."
Jay: "I am NOT."
Keifer: "Your eye twitched."
Jay: "That's—that's a medical condition."
Keifer: "A medical condition caused by my 'tss.'"
Jay: "Maybe."
Keifer laughed—that warm, low laugh again.
Jay's heart did a flip.
"Stop being charming while I'm trying to talk about food."
Keifer: "I'm not trying. It's natural."
Jay: "Modest, too."
Keifer: "I have many qualities."
Jay: "Annoying is one of them."
Keifer: "And yet you love me."
Jay: "Unfortunately."
She stole a piece of fruit from his plate.
He let her.
Later, they moved to the living room, where the chaos had somehow multiplied.
Ci-n was teaching everyone a new game involving snacks and complicated rules no one understood. Rakki had given up trying to understand and was just participating. Mica and Calix were winning somehow. Mayo and Kit were losing dramatically but looking fabulous doing it.
Rory and Edrix were still arguing about encryption. Freya was "not watching" them argue. Percy was definitely watching and documenting.
Drew was collecting bets on the game. David had somehow fallen asleep sitting upright. Eren was still trying to figure out what was happening. Josh radiated calm.
Baster was humming a game theme he'd composed on the spot.
Denzel was on the phone with Grace, giving her live updates. Grazel Jay had abandoned flower practice and was now "helping" by throwing snacks at people.
Grazel Jay: "SNACK ATTACK!"
Keigan: "She's got good aim."
Keiren: "I'm scared and impressed."
Tita Gema: "THROW THE SNACKS HARDER, BABY!"
Jasfer: "I've created a monster."
Serina: "You've created a GENERATION of monsters. Be proud."
Jay settled onto the couch, and Keifer settled beside her—close, warm, hers.
She started talking again.
About the game. About the snacks. About how Ci-n's rules made no sense but she loved his energy anyway. About how Grazel Jay's snack attack was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. About how she was going to teach Grazel Jay to throw farther.
"—and then she can join the family snack wars, because every family has snack wars, right? Or is that just us? Tita Gema definitely treats snacks like ammunition, so I think it's us—"
Keifer: "Jay."
Jay: "Yeah?"
Keifer: "You know I love you, right?"
Jay blinked. "I mean, yes? But why—"
Keifer: "Just checking." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because you're talking about snack wars and Grazel Jay's throwing technique, and you're so invested, and it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen."
Jay's face warmed. "It's not adorable. It's important discourse."
Keifer: "Important discourse about snack wars."
Jay: "Yes."
Keifer: "With detailed analysis of a two-year-old's throwing form."
Jay: "She has POTENTIAL."
Keifer: "I know. That's what makes it adorable."
He kissed her forehead.
Jay melted.
Percy, from across the room: "HE JUST KISSED HER FOREHEAD WHILE SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT SNACK WARS. THAT'S TRUE LOVE."
Mica: "IT REALLY IS."
Rakki: "Goals."
Ci-n: "SISTER JAY HAS FOUND HER PERSON! AND HER PERSON LETS HER TALK ABOUT SNACKS!"
Jay: "I'm RIGHT HERE."
Ci-n: "WE KNOW! WE'RE CELEBRATING YOU!"
Keifer laughed, pulling her closer.
Jay gave up on dignity and leaned into him.
"Fine. Celebrate away. I'm too comfortable to move."
Percy: "DOCUMENTING THIS LEVEL OF COMFORT FOR POSTERITY."
Keifer: "Document away."
Jay: "Traitor."
Keifer: "Your traitor."
She smiled.
And kept talking.
About the game. About the snacks. About Grazel Jay's future in competitive throwing.
Keifer listened.
Always.
That night, after everyone had finally gone home or to bed, Jay and Keifer sat on the patio again.
The stars were out. The house was quiet. For once, there was no crisis, no threat, no danger.
Just them.
Jay leaned against him, full from dinner (another feast, courtesy of Tita Gema and Eman), warm from his presence.
"Keifer?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for listening today."
Keifer: "Always."
Jay: "I know I talk a lot. About random stuff. Food and snack wars and—"
Keifer: "Jay."
She looked up.
He smiled—soft, warm, full of love.
"I love listening to you. I love your random thoughts. I love how excited you get about food and mangoes and Grazel Jay's throwing form." He kissed her forehead. "I love all of you. Every word. Every thought. Every tangent."
Jay's eyes glistened.
"Even when I talk for an hour about nothing?"
"Especially then."
She kissed him.
Slow. Sweet. Full of everything she couldn't say.
When they pulled apart, she whispered:
"I love you too. Even though you're annoying."
He laughed. "I know."
They sat there, wrapped in each other, under the stars.
And Jay kept talking.
About nothing.
About everything.
About the future.
And Keifer listened.
Because she was his favorite voice in the world.