#moonlitkata

' it’s not exactly an appropriate conversation for the dinner table. '   or his office at the dealership,  a car ride home,  the boat on the lake  …  not when he’s spent so long trying to shield his children from how terrible the world can be.   especially @moonlitkata.   (  just like her dad,  ma said,  holding her first grandchild in the hospital,  and daniel’s heart clenched.  )   his mini - me,  larusso 2.0.   daniel had hoped she would only ever know the good parts of that.   he knows now that was futile.   there are some things you can’t escape.   not when you’re a larusso.   but they’re made of tough stuff.   they’ve proven that much,  never staying down,  even if it takes them a little while to get back up.   and they’re facing a new challenge,  something bigger than he could’ve fathomed at seventeen years old.   it makes him wonder what mr. miyagi would say if he was still around.   how his dad would react if he knew everything that’s happened.   it’s a lot easier to talk about the former than the latter.   but daniel wants to push past that.   or at least try to.   ' …  it was just me and ma then. '

   the soft melody of silent night played throughout the kitchen,   the smell of baked goods wafting throughout the moskowitz home, all fresh & homemade by his mother with some assistance from himself and moon ( . . . mostly himself, with his girlfriend passing him things from time to time ). with them only home for a month before having to head back upstate to begin their next semester, both of their families were eager to see and spend time with them. having split festivities between her mom's and his family's for christmas, and planning to go to her dad's for new year's in the following days, eli was ready to call it a day & relax. arms snaked around her waist, lips brushing against the side of her neck before he let out a hum. ❛ i think i'm sufficiently christmas'ed out. you ready to call it a night ? ❜ the  not  quite  yet  she threw back at him had his brow raising, pondering over everything they had needed to do & if they had missed anything when she raised her fingers and tipped his chin back. the mistletoe hanging from the cabinet door caused a laugh to follow suit.  he  didn't  know  how  he  forgot  about  that.  ❛ did you plan this you little sneak ? ❜ he wouldn't put it past his girl to orchestrate the whole thing, if only for the holiday memory. still, he was happy to oblige. hands slid back to settle against her hips, using his grip to turn her so she was facing him, that soft smile he reserved just for her in place. his hand settled against the side of her face, & he leaned in for a soft kiss. pulling back, he rested his forehead against her own. ❛ merry christmas, baby. there's no one else i'd rather spend my day with. just don't tell my mom. ❜

@moonlitkata

Sam   snorted,   rolling   her   eyes   as   she   grabbed   a   water   bottle   from   the   bench.   “Thanks,   I   think   one   hobby   that   involves   high   kicks   is   enough   for   me.   Though   there   is   still   collage.”   Though   she   could   not   see   herself   in   a   cheer   uniform,   except   for   that   Halloween   party,   but   she   knew   to   never   say   never.

  there were a lot of reasons river didn't have many girlfriends, & this situation happened to be one of them.  she had no idea how someone was supposed to respond to a cheating boyfriend ( was it cheating ? she wasn't really sure ). sympathizing was hard enough when she did have an idea of appropriate responses. she was, admittedly, thankful that yasmine left shortly thereafter & not because river didn't want her there but because she was getting overwhelmed trying to figure it out. fingers ran over monet's fur while a movie played before them, but river was hardly paying attention. ❛ --- is she going to be okay ? she reamed him out on that call, but isn't she like . . . sad ? ❜ river would have been sad had she been in that position, but she couldn't imagine her boyfriend ever doing such a thing. ❛ i didn't really know what to say. ❜

Daniel’s   smile   deepened   as   he   straightened   up.   “And   at   least   one   of   the   kids   is   not   into   karate   or   fighting.   “   A   blessing   now   that   at   least   there   is   someone   who   can   look   at   that   world   from   the   outside.   As   much   as   Moon   could.   "Though   if   this   your   way   to   sugarcoat   me   into   one   of   your   videos,   it's   working."

Daniel   hesitated,   searching   her   face   for   a   reaction.   “But   I   promise   you,   I’ll   be   careful.   And   if   things   get   too   dangerous—”   His   voice   caught   slightly,   the   idea   almost   unthinkable,   but   he   pushed   through.   “—I’ll   step   back.”   He   offered   a   small,   reassuring   smile,   one   he   hoped   would   convince   her.   “We’re   in   this   together.   Always.”

silence   falls   upon   him   and   giving   only   a   simple   nod.   he   is   not   quite   sure   what   to   tell   her,   to   be   fair   so   he   just   proceeds   to   nod   and   offer   a   small   smile   in   turn.   "owe   me   nothing.   you   were   hurt,   and   I   helped."   at   the   risk   of   a   man's   life.   someone   died   and   axel   can   only   wash   away   some   of   the   guilt.   he   should've   been   more   focused,   seen   the   way   kwon   had   hid   the   knife   behind   him.   if   he   had   known,   he   would've   moved   differently.   "the   judges   recognize   it   was   an   accident   and   won't   kick   me   out   of   the   tournament."   which   was   a   relief   but   he   knows   that   somehow,   sensei   wolf   might   be   upset   he   was   reckless   enough   to   be   more   focused   on   sam   than   he   had   been   on   the   fight.   ".   .   .you   hurt?"