MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

As Damon thought about what Joey said, he blinked and leaned back a little.

He asked again, "Pregnant?" his tone caught somewhere between disbelief and curiosity. "What makes you think that?"

Joey glanced around the diner, as if someone might overhear, before answering. "Man, it's just… all the signs, you know? She's been feeling sick in the mornings, tired all the time, and, like… she's had these mood swings. Plus, she's been weirdly quiet and secretive. It's not like her."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Okay… but you haven't asked her about it directly?"

Joey rolled his eyes, clearly frustrated. "Of course I've asked! I'm not stupid. But she just brushes it off, like, 'Oh, it's nothing, Joey. Don't worry about it.' But, man… it doesn't feel like nothing."

Damon rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a low whistle. "Alright, let's say you're right. What's the plan? Are you freaking out?"

Joey let out a short laugh, though it sounded more nervous than amused. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "A little. Okay, a lot. I mean, come on, man. This is life-changing stuff. But, you know… if it's true, I think I'd be okay with it. Scared as hell, but okay."

Damon studied him for a moment, his expression softening. "That's good, man. Shows you're ready to step up if it comes to that."

Joey nodded, his eyes distant as he seemed to mull over his thoughts. "Yeah… but I just wish she'd tell me, you know? If it's true, I don't want to be sitting here playing detective. I want to be there for her. I don't want her dealing with this alone."

Damon leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look, maybe she's still trying to process it herself. It's a big thing for her too, you know? Or maybe she's waiting for the right moment to talk to you."

Joey looked at Damon, his expression conflicted. "You think so?"

Damon shrugged, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Yeah. Either way, you'll know soon enough. Just be patient, and when she's ready, she'll tell you."

Joey let out a shaky breath, a small smile forming. "Thanks, D. You're probably right. I'll just… wait and see. And if it's true, I'll handle it."

Damon nodded, leaning back in his seat. "That's good. You should talk to her, though. It's not cool for you to come to me about this before even bringing it up with her."

Joey chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'll handle it, alright?" He paused, glancing at Damon with a sly grin.

"Enough about me, though. Tell me about you. How's your thing with Svetlana going?" He leaned forward, waggling his eyebrows playfully. "You guys already…"

Damon raised an eyebrow. His face showed a blend of amusement and irritation. "Already what?"

Joey smirked, clearly enjoying himself. "You know… already," he said, dragging out the word suggestively.

Damon rolled his eyes, letting out a faint chuckle. "Joey, come on, man. It's not like that."

Joey tilted his head, his smirk widening. "Oh, so you're taking it slow, huh? Respectable. Gentlemanly. But seriously, how's it going?"

Damon hesitated for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. "It's… good," he said, his tone softening. "Really good, actually."

Joey leaned back, his arms crossing as he watched Damon carefully. "Alright, now you've got me curious. What's so good about it?"

Damon sighed, glancing away briefly before looking back at Joey. "It's just… different, you know? She's my first relationship, but it doesn't feel weird or awkward. She makes it easy. Like, I don't feel like I have to pretend to be someone I'm not."

Joey slowly nodded, and his teasing tone changed to one of real interest."That's cool, man. Sounds like she's got her head on straight."

Damon smirked slightly. "Yeah, she does. She's smart, funny, and doesn't put up with my crap. It's… nice."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "So, no drama? No crazy misunderstandings? Everything's just smooth?"

Damon shrugged, his small smile growing. "Pretty much. I mean, it's still new, so we're figuring things out. But yeah, it's good."

Joey's playful grin returned. "So, no wild stories? Like, you guys didn't have a big dramatic kiss in the rain or something?"

Damon let out a laugh, shaking his head. "No, Joey. No rain. Just… normal stuff."

Joey raised his juice glass in mock toast. "To normal stuff. And to your first relationship going better than I expected."

When Damon laughed, he picked up his water glass, clinking it against Joey's imaginary toast. "Cheers to that."

The two of them laughed together, and as the tension in the conversation lifted, they moved on to more fun issues.

For Damon, times like these made him remember how much he loved his friends, even when they were too nosy or bothersome.

They kept talking and laughing, and their voices mixed with the low sound of the diners next to them.

For all the teasing and lighthearted banter, there was an unspoken sense of pride between the two of them.

They'd both come a long way to be sitting here, sharing this moment.

Damon's fighting career was on a meteoric rise.

Joey, on the other hand, was carving his own path. College had been a challenge at first, but he'd found his groove.

He was excelling in his classes, balancing his studies with his relationship with Ashley.

Damon leaned back in his seat, swirling the last bit of his water in the glass as his thoughts began to wander.

Joey was talking about something funny Ashley had done recently, but Damon's mind had drifted to the past.

He wondered, not for the first time, where he would be if things had gone differently.

What if, when Joey had first approached him with that casual, "Hey, you wanna make a couple of bucks?" he'd said no? What if he'd walked away and never looked back?

Would he be sitting here right now, his name on the lips of MMA fans around the world?

Would he have found himself in this incredible career, supported by people who truly cared about him?

Would he even have discovered the system, the thing that had pushed him beyond his limits and changed his life forever?

He wasn't sure.

The path he was on now seemed almost surreal when he thought about where it all began.

He was only a kid at the time, just barely getting by with no real plan or direction.

At the time, Joey's offer seemed like a joke, but it set everything in motion.

He might not have known what he was capable of if he hadn't said yes. Or would life have found another way to move him forward?

He looked across the table at Joey, who was laughing at his own joke, and his lips curled into a thin smile.

Joey's energy was infectious, his ability to turn even the most mundane moments into something memorable a gift in itself.

No matter how much credit he gave to the system, Damon knew Joey had been the one who started it all.

Without Joey's seemingly random offer, none of this, his career, his relationships, his growth, would have been possible.