Dax pulled into his driveway first, his Supra rolling to a smooth stop. Erin parked her Silvia beside him, but neither of them moved right away.

The night was still heavy, the cool air wrapping around them like a reminder of everything that had just happened. They had chased, argued, nearly torn each other apart on the road. And now? Now, they just needed to breathe.

Dax shut off his engine and leaned back against the door, rubbing a hand over his face. Erin followed suit, stepping out of her Silvia and resting against the hood.

Neither of them spoke. Not yet.

The sound of Dax's phone vibrating, again and again, broke the quiet. He pulled it out of his pocket, scowling at the screen.

Jinx (10 messages):

· Yo, you alive??

· Rev says you chased Ace down the fkn freeway

· Answer ur damn phone

· Bro did u two crash?!

· Tell me if I need to go full Vin Diesel and pick u up

· Rev says ur dumb af but also lowkey impressed

· ... wait did y'all finally confess feelings bc if so u owe me money

· DUDE

· Seriously

· ANSWER!

Rev (7 messages):

· She back yet?

· No one wants to third-wheel a murder scene

· You're handling this like a moron, btw

· Tell me when you're done being dramatic

· Jinx is making bets now, please stop this madness

· Answer, or I'm calling Carmen for backup

· ... Don't make me do that

Dax sighed, stuffing the phone back into his pocket without answering.

"Jinx?" Erin asked, not looking over.

"And Rev," he muttered. "Apparently, I'm a dumbass, in case I didn't know already."

Erin huffed a quiet laugh, kicking at the ground lightly. "They're not wrong."

Dax smirked, finally glancing at her. "You okay?"

She didn't answer right away, just looked up at the sky, her expression unreadable. "I don't know," she admitted. "I thought I wanted answers, but now I just feel like I have even more questions."

Dax ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I get that."

For another few minutes, they just stood there. Letting the weight of everything settle.

Finally, Erin sighed. "You should probably let them know we didn't kill each other."

Dax pulled his phone back out, typing quickly.

Dax: We're fine. Stop texting.

Almost instantly, a reply, Jinx: LIES. Send proof.

Dax rolled his eyes, snapped a quick picture of Erin flipping off the camera from across the hood of her car, and sent it.

Jinx's response was immediate.

Jinx:

· Love it. Welcome back to life, Ace.

· Now kiss.

Dax groaned, locking his phone. "Remind me why we keep him around?"

Erin smirked. "Because life would be boring without him."

Dax exhaled. "Yeah. I guess."

Then, before she could react, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in.

The kiss wasn't rushed. It wasn't desperate. It was just Dax being Dax, grounding, steady, and completely certain.

Erin's breath hitched, but she melted into it, her hands gripping the front of his hoodie as he held her close.

The garage, the arguments, the chase, all of it faded.

Dax pulled back just enough to smirk at her. "Since you're so good at shutting people up, Ace, let's do it properly."

Before Erin could process what he meant, he pulled out his phone, snapped a photo of them mid-kiss, and immediately sent it to the group chat.

Jinx's response came within seconds.

Jinx:

· OH MY GOD!!!

· REV WE HAVE WON!

· DID THEY REALLY FINALLY DO IT

· HOLY SHIT I'M SCREENSHOTING THIS

Rev's reply was just as fast.

Rev:

· Thank fuck

· Now we can get some peace

· Goodnight, dumbasses

Dax locked his phone, grinning smugly. "There. That should shut them up for a while."

Erin groaned, burying her face against his chest. "You're the worst."

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. "And yet, here you are."

She smacked his side lightly but didn't pull away. Didn't want to.

Dax kissed the top of her head before stepping back. "C'mon, let's go inside. I think we deserve a break. We've both had enough for one night."

Erin smirked. "Popcorn and cuddles?"

Dax grinned. "Damn right."

Erin nodded, following him inside.

They locked up the cars and headed inside, for the first time in hours, things didn't feel like they were crashing around them.