Beyond the closed door, the noise of the busy arena faded as they walked into Damon's assigned room.
Svetlana was already there, sitting on the edge of the couch with her arms crossed. When she saw them walk in, she snapped her head up.
Right away, her face relaxed, and her lips curled into a smile. "There he is. The man of the hour," she said, standing to greet Damon.
Damon smiled and walked over to her, forgetting for a mont how tired he was. "Had to make it worth your ti watching," he teased.
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her amusent. "You've got a knack for making things look easy."
Vicky cleared his throat, which got their attention. "Not just easy. Impressive. That kick's gonna be on highlight reels for a while."
As more people ca in, Damon noticed that Victor had stayed near the door and been a little quieter than normal.
Sothing about his deanor made Damon's thoughts wander back to earlier in the evening.
Before the show had started, Damon had seen Victor talking with one of the UFA staff mbers.
Their conversation had seed casual enough, but the way Victor had carried himself struck Damon differently.
For soone who had been forced into retirent before his career could fully bloom, Victor didn't seem bitter or out of place.
If anything, he looked at ho. Damon couldn't help but wonder if so of the staff had recognized him.
Damon was certain so of the older staff would have recognized him, even if the newer generation didn't.
.
.
.
Damon let the hot water wash away the remnants of his fight. The aches, though familiar, were a satisfying reminder of a job well done.
Even though he wanted to take it easy, he knew he couldn't leave yet because the press eting after the fights was coming up.
After getting out of the shower, Damon put on clothes that were both comfortable and nice, and he walked back into the room.
It was still wet in his hair, but he felt better and more awake.
Svetlana was seated on the couch, her phone in hand, scrolling idly.
Edward sat next to her, flipping through fight statistics on his tablet.
"Back to reality," Damon said, toweling his hair as he approached.
Svetlana looked up and smiled. "That didn't take long. You're practically glowing after that fight."
Damon smirked, tossing the towel aside. "Guess that's what happens when you win."
Joey chuckled. "Might also be the adrenaline. You didn't see yourself out there, man, you were sharp. Mikal didn't stand a chance."
Damon nodded, sitting down in a chair across from them. "Thanks, Ed. But that's one fight. I need to stay ready for the next one." He paused, glancing at Svetlana. "You didn't get bored, did you?"
"Bored?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? Watching you fight isn't exactly dull. Besides, I'm not here for the rest of the show. I'm here for you."
Damon felt the corner of his mouth lift into a smile. "Good to know."
While this was going on, the rest of his group had turned their attention to the fights that were still going on, with the faint sounds of comnts coming from a TV nearby.
Ash, Ty, and Edward were all very interested and would sotis talk back and forth about strategies or possible matches.
Vic stood by the window and looked at his phone. He looked up at the group after a mont.
"Alright, you guys stay here. Damon, I'll co back and get you when it's ti for the press conference," he said, his tone leaving no room for debate.
With that, he slipped out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him.
Damon moved in his seat as soon as Victor left. Before Svetlana could say anything, he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek.
Svetlana blinked, turning to him with narrowed eyes. "What was that?"
Damon tilted his head, genuinely confused. "What was what?"
She gave him a pointed look. "You literally just kissed the second my dad walked out of the room. Why?"
Damon stopped and rubbed his face as he tried to think of a reason. He finally shrugged, and an awkward smile tugged at the edges of his lips. "I don't know… it just felt weird to do that in front of him. Like, I know he knows, but still, it's Victor. It's just… awkward."
Svetlana stared at him for a mont, then let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "You're sothing else, Damon."
"What?" he asked, half-defensive but smiling.
She leaned back into his arm, her smile lingering. "It's fine. But you're gonna have to get over that eventually. He's my dad, he's not going anywhere."
Damon sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I know. But for now, baby steps, alright?"
"Baby steps," she echoed, smirking as she relaxed into his side.
Still feeling good against Svetlana, Damon leaned back and gave Joey, who was sitting next to him, a casual look.
His gaze shifted montarily to the trio engrossed in the TV, then back to Joey.
"So, Joey," Damon started, a playful tone slipping into his voice. "How are you and Ashley doing?"
Joey's deanor shifted slightly, a flicker of nervousness crossing his face. "Good. Very good," he replied, his voice a touch higher than usual.
It made Damon raise an eyebrow. No matter what, Joey never seed nervous. He was the type of person who was always at ease.
But now? He was moving around a little bit. Damon was interested and decided to find out more.
"That's good," Damon said, his tone light but inquisitive. "Haven't seen her around for the past few weeks, though. She doing alright?"
Joey cleared his throat, glancing down at his hands before forcing a smile. "Yeah, she's fine. Busy with work stuff, you know. Keeping herself occupied."
Damon narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing there was more to the story. "Hmm. You sure you're not keeping her hidden away sowhere?" he teased, leaning forward slightly. "Co on, Joey. What's with the nerves?"
Joey leaned in closer to Damon, lowering his voice as he glanced toward Svetlana. "Okay, I'll talk to you later… in private," he muttered, clearly not wanting her to overhear.
Svetlana, catching his tone and the look he gave her, raised an eyebrow in mock offense. "Hey, what's that supposed to an? You don't trust or sothing? I'll just ask Ashley anyway."
Joey groaned, rubbing his temples in exaggerated frustration. "That's exactly why I didn't want to say anything in front of you. You'll go straight to her, and I'll never hear the end of it."
Svetlana smirked, leaning back with her arms crossed. "Well, now you've made it even more intriguing. Good luck keeping secrets, Joey."
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