I am 15 chapters ahead on my patreón, check it out if you are interested.
https://www.patréon.com/emperordragon
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Chapter 73: Slowdown
Jon's Perspective
Jon woke to a dull, persistent ache threading through his legs and shoulders—a deep-rooted soreness that didn't scream in protest so much as murmur reminders of yesterday's battle. It wasn't pain in the traditional sense. More like his muscles were grumbling about the abuse they'd taken the night before, echoing, "Hey man, remember sprinting, dodging, colliding with 200-pound linebackers under stadium lights?" The weight of sleep still lingered on him like a heavy fog, wrapping his body in a kind of reluctant stillness.
He lay there for a moment longer, staring at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes, letting the quiet morning stretch out before him. No alarm blared. No mental checklist shouted for his attention. Just the low hum of a house still half-asleep and the subtle creaks of the world waking up around him.
For once, his body decided there was no need to workout. No intense drills, no agility circuits, no pressure to sharpen his reflexes until they sparkled. No reason to flip into a handstand or push his body to its edge. Today was carved out for rest, and Jon wasn't about to argue.
Eventually, he forced himself upright, padded across the floor, and stepped into the shower. He let the hot water run far longer than usual—long enough to fog up the mirror and soften every tight knot in his body. The warmth seeped into his skin, settling deep into his bones, like a silent thank-you from the universe. It was indulgent, sure, but he didn't care. Today, indulgence felt earned.
By the time he stepped out, towel slung low around his waist, he felt almost...new. Not fully refreshed, but definitely more human than he had fifteen minutes earlier.
Downstairs, the house was still wrapped in a blanket of quiet. The kind of calm that only happens early on a weekend morning, before the day properly begins. Jon liked that. The silence wasn't lonely—it was peaceful, a pause button on the usual chaos of life.
Rolling up his sleeves, he stepped into the kitchen and started breakfast. He didn't need to think about what to make; his hands moved on autopilot. Eggs cracked with practiced ease, bacon sizzling just right, pancakes flipping in the pan like they were weightless. He tossed on a playlist—something with a chill rhythm and a soft beat that matched the easy pace of the morning—and let the music carry him through the motions.
Cooking like this was its own kind of therapy. There was something meditative in the flow: crack, whisk, flip, plate. It kept his hands busy and his mind quiet.
By the time everything was plated and set neatly on the table, he could hear familiar footsteps approaching from the hallway.
Jay came in first, phone in one hand, the sports section already open in the other. His eyes flicked up briefly before dropping back down to the paper.
Gloria and Manny trailed in not long after, both still wrapped in that warm, sleepy energy that clung to mornings like this. Manny made a beeline for the pancakes, eyes wide and hungry. Gloria smiled the moment she caught the scent of breakfast, her face lighting up like someone had flipped a switch.
"Breakfast?" Jay asked, barely lifting his gaze as he took his usual seat at the head of the table.
"Almost ready," Jon replied, a small, tired smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he placed the final plate down.
The family gathered around the table with little fanfare. It didn't need any. Gloria let out a quiet hum of approval as she bit into a slice of bacon. Manny, already mid-bite, mumbled through a mouthful, "So how was the game last night? Did you win?"
Jon nodded, reaching for his fork. "We did."
"Was it close?" Gloria asked, her tone casual but curious.
Jon gave a small shrug. "A little. Tight match. Came down to the wire."
Jay, still mostly buried behind his paper, lowered it just enough to peer over the top with a look that said you're not telling the whole story. "He's being modest," he muttered, flipping to the next page. "The kid caught a miracle touchdown. Changed the entire game."
Manny's eyes went wide. "Really?"
"Really," Jay said, now fully setting the paper aside. "They had him covered from every angle. Double coverage, tight defense, the whole works. Coach called a risky play anyway. Quarterback launched it—Hail Mary style—and Jon just… I don't know how he did it. Caught it mid-air, slipped past both defenders, ran it straight in. Whole crowd lost their minds."
Jon ducked his head slightly, rubbing the back of his neck as if trying to hide the flush of heat rising to his cheeks. "It wasn't that dramatic," he mumbled.
Jay snorted. "You were practically flying. Only one still in the air, and somehow you stuck the landing. You looked like one of those superheroes. Phil nearly fell out of the bleachers screaming."
Gloria reached over with a smile and gently patted Jon's cheek. "Mi campeón," she said warmly, her eyes shining.
Jon returned her smile, biting into a final piece of pancake just as his phone buzzed on the counter behind him. He stood and picked it up, wiping his hands on a dish towel.
It was Sam.
He answered casually, his voice soft. "Hey."
"What are you doing today?" she asked, her voice light and breezy, like sunshine filtering through leaves.
Jon glanced back at the table, then at the stove still radiating residual heat. "Nothing. Taking it easy."
"Perfect," Sam said. "Meet me and my friend at the mall around ten-ish?"
Jon checked the clock. Just past nine.
"Yeah. I can do that."
"Great. See you there," she replied before hanging up.
Jon finished the last sip of his coffee, let it settle warm in his chest, then began clearing the plates with quiet efficiency.
"You going somewhere?" Gloria asked, lifting her eyes from her food.
"Yeah," Jon said with a casual shrug, stacking dishes. "Mall."
Jay raised an eyebrow but didn't look up. "With Sam?"
Jon just smiled in response.
Jay grunted, flipping back to his newspaper, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was trying not to smile too.
And just like that, the Saturday that had started in stillness and recovery began to unfold into something else. Something lighter. Brighter. A quiet kind of joy humming just under the surface—like promise wrapped in sunlight.