AN: Big chapter. 2.6k words. Kinda wholesome. Let me know if you find any mistakes.

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  Jack zipped his bag after wrapping up the study session.

  Haley watched him from the edge of the bed, her legs tucked beneath her, fingers idly twisting the corner of her bnket.

  "So," she said, trying to sound casual, "I guess I will see you at school tomorrow?"

  Jack paused for just a moment before answering. "Actually, probably not for a few days."

  'Ah! It must be that studio thing with Dakota Fanning.' Her head tilted. "Why?"

  "I will be taking some time off," he said. "I start voice-over work tomorrow, so my schedule is going to be packed for a while."

  Her eyes widened a little. "Already?"

  He nodded. "Yeah. I took enough break from work, so... gotta do this one properly and get back into the groove."

  Haley hesitated, then asked carefully, "Is it the same project as Dakota?"

  Jack nodded again. "Yes."

  Her fingers tightened around the fabric in her hands. "So… you will be working with her?"

  "I doubt it," Jack replied honestly. "She has already finished about ninety percent of her recordings. I am coming in from the start on my end, so our schedules probably will not overp much. But since it is the same studio, we will probably run into each other at some point."

  "Oh," Haley said softly.

  Jack noticed it immediately. The way her shoulders stiffened just slightly. The way her smile faded at the edges, even though she tried to keep it in pce. He studied her for a second, then raised an eyebrow.

  "What?" She touched her face. "Something on my face? Wait! Are there pimples? Oh my god! I just started using a new face cream and..."

  Jack ughed, shaking his head. "No. There are no pimples. You are fine."

  "Then what?" Haley asked, still defensive, still pretending she was not thinking too hard about his st answer.

  He slung his backpack over one shoulder and looked at her with an expression that was far too knowing. "You look like you are arguing with yourself."

  "I am not," she said quickly. "I am just… thinking."

  "About Dakota," Jack said calmly.

  Haley scoffed. "I am not jealous."

  Jack smiled. "Never said you were, but since you said it yourself, I think you are."

  She crossed her arms. "Nope."

  He tilted his head. "Yeah. A little."

  Haley rolled her eyes and waved a hand. "I do not know what you are talking about. I mean, Dakota was openly flirting with you back at the mall that day. Anyone with eyes could see that. But you never flirted back. So like you said, it is just work. There is nothing to be jealous about."

  She nodded to herself, gaining speed as she talked.

  "Besides, she is beautiful and famous and talented and probably wakes up looking perfect, and I am just… me. Which is totally fine. I am confident. Very confident. So confident that I am not jealous at all."

  Jack had started walking toward her.

  Haley did not notice at first. She was too busy convincing herself.

  "And honestly," she continued, "it would be ridiculous to be jealous over someone you work with. That would be immature. And I am not immature. I am very mature. Emotionally mature. Sometimes..."

  Jack stopped right in front of her.

  Haley looked up and froze.

  He was close... Close enough that she could see the faint smile at the corner of his mouth. Her panicked rambling stopped. She could feel his breath, and suddenly she was painfully aware of how fast her heart was beating.

  Jack leaned forward slightly.

  "There really is nothing to be jealous about," he said softly. "It is just work."

  Haley swallowed. "I told you. I am not jealous."

  "I know," Jack replied. "But just so you know."

  He leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her.

  It was gentle and unhurried, like he was giving her time to decide. Haley did not hesitate. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt without thinking. The room seemed to go quiet around them, like everything else had politely stepped aside.

  When they pulled back, just a little, Haley opened her eyes and stared at him, breathless and stunned.

  "…Okay," she said weakly. "Maybe a tiny bit jealous."

  Jack smiled, his thumb brushing lightly against her cheek.

  "You look cute when you are jealous," he said gently.

  Haley's eyes widened. "I am not cute."

  Jack chuckled. "You really are."

  She groaned, covering her face for half a second before peeking at him again. "I hate that you know that."

  "I promise to use this power responsibly," he replied. "And I will call you. If I get free time, maybe we can meet up..."

  Her smile softened. "You better not forget."

  "Never," He said with a nod.

  They lingered for another moment, exchanging quiet smiles and a few more words that hovered somewhere between teasing and something more serious. Finally, Haley stood and walked to the door, taking a breath before opening it.

  "Ready?" she asked. "Because they are probably waiting downstairs like hawks."

  Jack nodded. "As ready as I will ever be."

  They stepped out together and headed down the stairs.

  Downstairs, Phil was standing near the front door with Cire and Alex beside him. Luke was still sprawled on the couch, eyes glued to the TV.

  Phil straightened immediately.

  Jack adjusted the strap of his backpack and stepped forward, extending his hand with an easy smile. "You must be Mr. Dunphy," he said politely. "I am Jack. I would have introduced myself much earlier, but Haley dragged me upstairs before I could talk."

  Haley gasped. "That is not what happened."

  Phil blinked, then ughed once and shook Jack's hand. "Phil Dunphy. Nice to finally meet you, Jack."

  The handshake was firm, but Phil could not bring himself to act tough. There was something about Jack's calm posture and steady eye contact that made him feel like this was not a kid who needed scaring.

  "So," Phil said, clearing his throat, "how was the study session?"

  Jack nodded. "Productive. Haley worked hard."

  Haley felt a little proud of herself.

  Cire crossed her arms, studying Jack closely. "And no distractions."

  Jack met her gaze without flinching. "None."

  Alex raised an eyebrow. "You two actually studied."

  "Yes," Jack replied simply.

  Luke looked over from the couch. "That is disappointing."

  Phil ughed again, cpping his hands once. "Well, Jack, thank you for coming over and helping her with her studies. It means a lot."

  Alex chimed. "Yeah, it's a lot to take in since Haley never studied for more than 10 minutes. So, everyone was surprised."

  "Stop embarrassing me," Haley gave Alex a death gre.

  Luke finally gnced over and chimed in before Jack could reply. "Did you guys kiss?"

  "Luke," Cire snapped.

  Haley coughed as she looked at the ceiling and away from her family, giving them the answer to the question. She's so bad at hiding things and lying.

  'They kissed,' Phil, Cire, and Alex had the same thought at the same time.

  "I should probably go. It's already te, and I have to go to work in the morning," Jack said while trying to maintain his calm expression. "It was nice to meet you all. Have a good evening, everyone."

  He turned toward Haley. "I will call you ter."

  She nodded as she walked over and opened the door. "Okay." She just couldn't stop smiling.

  Jack waved once to the group and walked out. He got on his electric bike and rode away. Haley stayed at the door for a moment, lost in her own world.

  When the door closed, Haley stood there for a moment, her lips curved in a small, lingering smile.

  Cire watched her carefully. 'I think they are going too fast.'

  Phil gnced at the door, then at Haley, then at the figurine still sitting on the table.

  "…I forgot to get the autograph," he muttered.

  ..

  //Haley's Confession//

  Haley sat on the couch, leaning back against the cushions, her hands folded neatly in her p. "Okay," she said softly, her smile spreading again before she could stop it. "So… we finally kissed..."

  She paused, eyes drifting toward the ceiling.

  "And no one interrupted us this time."

  Her smile turned dreamy.

  "My first kiss... It was… really sweet."

  She let out a quiet breath, almost a sigh.

  "Like something that was supposed to happen finally did. Fun fact... nose doesn't get in the way."

  She nodded slowly, convincing herself all over again.

  "And I think," she added, voice a little quieter now, "I finally have a real boyfriend."

  The thought made her grin again.

  Then her expression shifted slightly, just a hint of mischief slipping in.

  She continued. "Does this mean I am going to rub it in Alex's face forever because she tried to embarrass me in front of him?"

  She thought about it for a second.

  Then she smiled again.

  //Haley's Confession End//

  ..

  [Next day] [11:00 AM] [Unox Studios]

  The red recording light above the booth door blinked steadily.

  Inside the soundproof room, Jack stood comfortably in front of the microphone, headphones resting snugly over his ears. His script sat on the stand in front of him, pages already marked with light pencil notes, though he barely needed to gnce at them anymore.

  "…and if you think I am the same as those weak-willed heroes," Jack said into the mic, "then you are wrong. I'll do whatever it takes to end this war..."

  There was a brief pause.

  Then the line indicator went dark.

  On the other side of the gss, the control room stayed silent for half a second longer than usual.

  Neil, the director, slowly leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest as he stared through the gss at Jack. He had expected to stop him to redirect tone, adjust pacing, or at least ask for a second take.

  Instead, he reached up and pressed the talk button.

  "…Yeah," Neil said finally. "That works. Take five."

  Jack nodded, stepping back from the mic and slipping the headphones down around his neck as he took a sip of water.

  Behind Neil, the sound engineer swiveled his chair slightly, eyebrows raised. "Kid is a genius."

  Neil did not look away from the booth. "I know."

  Another producer leaned forward, gncing at the timecode running on the screen. "We have been recording for four hours, and he has already cleared fourty-five percent of his dialogue without a major break," the producer said. "He hits the timing like he has been doing this role for months. Now, that's a talent I'd like to invest in my next project."

  Neil exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his chin. "I was prepared to guide him through every scene," he admitted. "I figured we would spend a full day just getting him used to the character's rhythm."

  He tapped the desk once, thoughtful.

  "I expined the arc once this morning," Neil continued. "Just once. And he adjusted everything. The tone, the restraint, the anger under the surface. He nailed it perfectly."

  Inside the booth, Jack stretched his shoulders slightly, keeping his movements loose. Four hours of constant recording would have strained most people, but his voice felt steady, his throat clear. He rolled his neck once and gnced through the gss, meeting Neil's eyes.

  Neil lifted a hand in a casual thumbs-up.

  Jack smiled faintly and leaned back against the wall while the crew reset for the next block.

  One of the assistants leaned toward Neil. "At this pace, we might finish principal recording by tomorrow afternoon."

  Neil let out a quiet, incredulous ugh. "We pnned for a week," he said. "Minimum."

  "Excluding relines and lip sync fixes," the assistant added.

  "Even then," Neil said, shaking his head, "this is absurdly efficient."

  He watched Jack again, who was quietly mouthing lines under his breath. 'I guess, all the rumors of him being impossible to work with on the set were rumors after all. Someone tried real hard to suppress his talent.'

  [After 15 minutes break...]

  When the light above the booth flicked back on, Jack stepped forward immediately, slipping the headphones back on and centering himself at the mic.

  "Ready when you are," he said.

  Neil pressed the button again. "Scene forty-two. From the second line. Whenever you are."

  Jack delivered the line cleanly, seamlessly slipping back into character as if the st four hours had not existed at all. His voice carried controlled tension, precise timing, and an emotional undercurrent that matched the animated performance frame by frame.

  [4:00 PM]

  The final line indicator faded, and the red light above the booth shut off for the st time that day.

  Jack pulled the headphones down around his neck and exhaled slowly. His throat felt warm but steady, the familiar post-session buzz settling in without any sharp strain. He stepped out of the booth as Neil was already standing with a satisfied expression.

  "That's a wrap for today," Neil said. "You cleared just over sixty percent."

  Jack nodded. "Felt good."

  "It looked good," Neil replied. "Too good, honestly. Which is why I want you to rest tomorrow morning at least."

  Jack raised an eyebrow. "Because of the battle sequences."

  "Yes," Neil said ftly. "The st forty percent is nothing but shouting, exertion, combat pain, and overpping effort sounds. If you go in cold or tired, we lose consistency or we risk injury. I would rather slow down than repce a lead voice."

  Jack considered that for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm fine. My voice is solid, and I would rather keep the momentum. Tomorrow works."

  Neil studied him, searching for any sign of stubborn pride instead of confidence. What he saw instead was calm certainty.

  "…You are sure," Neil said.

  Jack nodded once. "I know my limits."

  Neil sighed, then pointed a finger at him. "If I hear even a hint of strain, we stop. No arguments."

  "Deal," Jack said easily.

  Neil rexed a fraction. "Go hydrate. Get food. Do not rehearse at full volume tonight."

  Jack smiled. "I won't."

  He grabbed his bag, exchanged a few nods with the crew, and headed down the hall toward the break room. He pushed the break room door open.

  Dakota was sitting on the couch near the wall with her phone. She looked rexed, hair pulled back, and she was wearing a pink dress, which made her look cute.

  "Hey," Jack said. "Didn't know you were still around."

  "I wrapped early," she replied. "And I've nowhere to go today, so I thought I'd py some games and kill some time..."

  She lifted her phone a little. "I am losing very badly."

  Jack walked over to the fridge, took out a can of iced tea, popped it open, and took a sip of his drink. "That sounds serious."

  "And..." Dakota sighed as she closed her phone. "It's over. I hate microtransactions in games. People are spending thousands to just level up early and get all the legendary equipment. It's like a cheat code..."

  Jack agreed. "Yeah, I agree. The majority of online RPG games are like pay-to-win."

  "So," Dakota stood up and stretched her legs a bit. "You going home?"

  "Well, I'm kinda hungry, so I was thinking of hitting that hotdog stand across the street," He replied before taking another sip of his iced tea.

  "Mind if I tag along?" She asked with a cute smile.

  'She's cute. But you got Haley. Don't even think about doing anything stupid. But you can always go as friends... Yeah, alright. Friends...' Jack thought before saying, "Sure."

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