Three days after the engagement.
The Fernandez house was still buzzing.
Flowers everywhere. Congratulations pouring in. Percy had already made "I Documented The Engagement" T-shirts.
Ci-n wore his proudly.
Ci-n: "I WAS THERE! FROM THREE ANGLES!"
Rakki: "We know. You've said it forty times."
Ci-n: "FORTY-ONE NOW!"
Percy: "I'M MAKING A DOCUMENTARY! TENTATIVE TITLE: JAYFER: THE PROPOSAL!"
Honey: "That's dramatic."
Percy: "THAT'S ME!"
Jay sat on the couch. Staring at her ring. Again.
Keifer: "You're going to wear it out."
Jay: "Never."
Keifer: "Tss."
Jay: "Stop."
Keifer: "No."
He kissed her forehead.
Mica: "They're still cute."
Calix: "They'll always be cute."
Freya: "Disgustingly cute."
Edrix: "Perfectly cute."
Freya: "Shut up."
Edrix: "Never."
Then—
The doorbell rang.
Angelo checked the monitor. His eyebrows rose.
Angelo: "You need to see this."
Jay: "Who is it?"
Angelo: "Yuri. A girl. And an old woman."
Silence.
Percy: "YURI? AS IN—"
Aries: "The Yuri?"
Keifer stood. Jaw tight.
Jay grabbed his hand. "Let's see what he wants."
The door opened.
Yuri stood there. Different. Softer. A girl beside him—pretty, kind-eyed, holding his hand.
Behind them—
Yuri's grandma.
Arms crossed. Chin high. Ready for battle.
Yuri: "Hey."
Keifer: "Yuri."
Yuri: "I know. I know I'm the last person you want to see."
Keifer: "Then why are you here?"
Yuri: "To clear things. Between us."
Aries stepped forward. "Clear what?"
Yuri: "Everything. The past. The engagement. All of it."
Percy appeared. "THIS IS DRAMA! DOCUMENTING!"
Yuri looked at Percy. Then at Aries. Then at Keifer.
Yuri: "We used to be friends. The four of us. Before everything fell apart."
Percy lowered his camera slightly.
Aries crossed his arms. "That was a long time ago."
Yuri: "I know. But I want to fix it. If you'll let me."
The girl beside him squeezed his hand.
Girl: "I'm Liana. Yuri's girlfriend. He's told me everything. He's different now. Really different."
Keifer studied them.
Then—
Jay squeezed his hand.
Jay: "It's your choice. But I'm with you either way."
Keifer looked at her. Then at Yuri.
Keifer: "Why now?"
Yuri: "Because I heard about the engagement. Jayfer is really happening." He smiled—real, not fake. "I wanted to say congratulations. And I wanted to try. To be friends again. If you'll have me."
Silence.
Then—
Percy: "I'M IN. I FORGIVE HIM. HE LOOKS SAD."
Aries: "Percy."
Percy: "WHAT? I'M EMOTIONAL!"
Aries sighed. Looked at Yuri.
Aries: "You hurt him. You hurt all of us."
Yuri: "I know."
Aries: "But... I remember the good times too."
Yuri: "Me too."
Aries stepped forward.
Held out his hand.
Yuri took it.
Then Percy joined. Then—
Keifer.
They stood there. Four old friends. Hands together.
Percy: "GROUP HUG!"
He pulled them in.
Aries: "Percy—"
Percy: "GROUP HUG IS MANDATORY!"
They hugged.
Awkward. But real.
Jay watched. Eyes wet.
Liana smiled. "He's been wanting this for months."
Jay: "I'm glad he came."
Liana: "Me too."
The moment was beautiful.
Then—
Jay's grandma appeared.
Jay's grandma: "WHO IS THAT?"
She pointed at Yuri's grandma.
Yuri's grandma: "I am Yuri's grandmother. Who are you?"
Jay's grandma: "I'M THE MATRIARCH OF THIS HOUSE!"
Yuri's grandma: "I am the matriarch of MY house!"
Jay's grandma: "THIS IS MY HOUSE!"
Yuri's grandma: "I'm not in YOUR house. I'm in the ENTRANCE."
Jay's grandma: "THE ENTRANCE IS PART OF THE HOUSE!"
Yuri's grandma: "Technically, the entrance is a transitional space—"
Jay's grandma: "DON'T GET TECHNICAL WITH ME!"
Yuri's grandma: "I'll get as technical as I want!"
The room went silent.
Then—
The grandmas went at it.
Jay's grandma: "YOU HAVE SOME NERVE COMING HERE AFTER YOUR GRANDSON'S NONSENSE!"
Yuri's grandma: "MY GRANDSON MADE MISTAKES! HE'S FIXING THEM!"
Jay's grandma: "FIXING THEM WITH A GIRLFRIEND? HOW CONVENIENT!"
Yuri's grandma: "AT LEAST HE HAS A GIRLFRIEND! YOUR GRANDSON TOOK FOREVER TO PROPOSE!"
Jay's grandma: "HE PROPOSED PERFECTLY! WITH PHOTOS! AND ROSES!"
Yuri's grandma: "PHOTOS DON'T MEAN ANYTHING WITHOUT HEART!"
Jay's grandma: "HEART? I'LL SHOW YOU HEART!" She waved her cane.
Yuri's grandma: "YOU'LL SHOW ME YOUR CANE! BIG DIFFERENCE!"
Jay's grandma: "THIS CANE HAS HEART!"
Yuri's grandma: "A CANE IS A CANE!"
Everyone watched. Frozen.
Percy: "THIS IS CINEMA!"
Ci-n: "I'M DOCUMENTING! FROM THREE ANGLES!"
Rakki: "Should we stop them?"
Mica: "I want to see who wins."
Calix: "Same."
Freya: "This is the best thing I've ever seen."
Edrix: "Really the best."
Freya: "Shut up."
Edrix: "Never."
The grandmas continued.
Jay's grandma: "I'VE LIVED THROUGH WARS! FAMINES! YOUR GRANDSON'S DRAMA!"
Yuri's grandma: "I'VE LIVED THROUGH WORSE! THREE DIVORCES! A RUNAWAY CAT! DON'T TEST ME!"
Jay's grandma: "A CAT? YOU'RE COMPARING A CAT TO MY SUFFERING?"
Yuri's grandma: "THAT CAT WAS MY SOULMATE!"
Jay's grandma: "YOUR SOULMATE WAS A CAT?"
Yuri's grandma: "HIS NAME WAS MR. WHISKERS AND HE WAS PERFECT!"
Jay's grandma: "I HAD A DOG NAMED BUDDY! HE ATE MY SLIPPERS!"
Yuri's grandma: "MR. WHISKERS NEVER ATE SLIPPERS!"
Jay's grandma: "BUDDY WAS LOYAL!"
Yuri's grandma: "MR. WHISKERS WAS ELEGANT!"
Jay's grandma: "ELEGANCE DOESN'T PAY THE BILLS!"
Yuri's grandma: "LOYALTY DOESN'T EITHER!"
They stared at each other. Breathing hard.
Then—
Jay's grandma: "TSSS WHATEVER YOUR ROSTERS GRANDMA, FAMILY FULL OF ROSTER'S I SEE. ALWAYS WANTS TO PICK FIGHT WITH ME- JAY'S GRANDMA, YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL.
Aries sighed and said loud enough for everyone to here "She just proved she is related to Percy".
Percy said grinning wider "I heard that".
Then Yuri's grandma sighed and turned her back. Like she was offended that she called her roster's grandma.
The Jay's grandma said " YOU ARE STILL ROSTER'S GRANDMA EVEN IF YOU BACK OUT OF THE FIGHT".
Everyone stared.
Percy: "DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?"
Ci-n: "GRANDMAS ARE TERRIFYING."
Rakki: "And powerful."
Mica: "Never underestimate grandmas."
Calix: "Noted."
Freya: "I'm scared and impressed."
Edrix: "Same."
Freya: "Shut up."
Edrix: "Never."
The rest of the evening was... normal.
Strange normal.
Yuri and Liana sat with the group. Talked. Laughed.
Percy showed them engagement footage.
Yuri: "That's actually beautiful."
Percy: "I KNOW! I'M TALENTED!"
Aries and Yuri talked quietly. Old friends finding their way back.
Keifer watched. Said nothing.
Jay: "You okay?"
Keifer: "Yeah. I think so."
Jay: "Good."
Keifer: "Tss."
Jay: "Stop."
Keifer: "No."
He kissed her.
Yuri's grandma, from across the room: "THEY'RE CUTE! I APPROVE!"
Jay's grandma: "THEY'RE PERFECT! I APPROVE MORE!"
Yuri's grandma: "YOU CAN'T APPROVE MORE!"
Jay's grandma: "I JUST DID!"
They went back to arguing.
Happily this time.