New Beginning and Future

Chapter 68: After the Roar

Summary: Victory settles differently once the lights dim and the noise fades. What remains isn't just celebration, but reflection, respect between rivals, quiet promises behind closed doors, and the kind of intimacy that only comes after giving everything on the battlefield. Championships are won in the arena, but what lingers long after is trust, devotion, and the certainty of choosing each other, again and again.

Notes:

⚠️ Author's Note: Plans are being made of more than one kind.

Disclaimer: The Muse would like to remind everyone we do not own FIYS nor the beloved characters nor any dialogue from either the show nor the book...the Muse is very sad and not pleased with this continued reminder that they do not own them and never will!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Sixty-Six

The suite was alive in a way only victory could make it.

Laughter rolled from one end of the private dining room to the other, glasses clinked, plates shifted across the long table, and the earlier tension of the match had melted into warm, loud celebration.

ZGDX and YQCB sat intermingled rather than divided, jerseys half-zipped, hair slightly disheveled, faces still carrying the faint exhaustion of a forty-minute war. The Orchid's private dining staff moved quietly around them, refilling drinks and clearing plates as the noise rose and fell like a tide.

Pang was mid-story about a near-miss in bot lane, gesturing wildly with his chopsticks. "I swear I thought we were done at dragon," he said.

"You were," X-Bang shot back with a grin. "You just refused to accept it."

Lao Mao leaned back in his chair, laughing. "That's called confidence."

"That's called delusion," Rong-Rong corrected dryly.

At the head of the table, Yao was seated beside Sicheng, who had finally removed his wrist wrap for dinner but still flexed his fingers occasionally out of habit. She was mid-bite when Ai Jia set his glass down and looked directly at her.

"Lu Yao," he said, voice carrying just enough for the table to quiet slightly, "I hope you are proud of yourself."

She paused, chewing slowly before swallowing. "That sounds ominous."

"It is," he replied gravely.

Kun Hyeok leaned back, smirking faintly. "Say it."

Ai Jia shook his head once, eyes narrowing playfully. "You and your husband have now given me nightmares."

The table erupted in laughter.

"With those champions," he continued, pointing his chopsticks at her accusingly, "and those plays? I'm going to wake up sweating thinking about Youkinshi tempo traps."

Yao blinked innocently. "That sounds like a you problem."

"Absolutely not," Ai Jia shot back. "You don't just invent mechanics mid-final and expect me to sleep peacefully."

Sicheng's lips curved slightly. "You could ban it."

"We did," Ai Jia replied flatly. "You responded with something worse."

Pang nearly choked laughing. "He's not wrong."

Kun Hyeok nodded once. "You escalated unnecessarily."

Yao placed a hand lightly on her chest. "Unnecessarily?"

"Yes," Ai Jia replied. "You could have chosen something reasonable."

"I am reasonable," she said calmly.