Morning slammed into him like a freight train with no brakes.
A dozen notifications he'd swiped away last night came flooding back the moment he opened his eyes.
[Bond Update: Evelynn – Highly attracted, but emotionally distant]
[Bond Update: Akali – Fond of you, thinks you're fun]
[Bond Update: Ahri – Relies on you, interested]
[Bond Update: Kai'Sa – Slightly jealous, curious]
[Bond Update: Morgana – Intrigued]
[You've gained 900 SP]
Cole blinked at the screen, brain still rebooting.
"Guess taking care of them last night really did something..."
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Morgana though? Where did that come from? Was it something she said last night?"
A memory teased the edge of his mind—Morgana's cryptic words, the way her gaze lingered on him longer than it should have.
"I've gotta ask her how much she actually knows..."
Sunlight sliced through the penthouse blinds like divine retribution, spearing him right in the face. He groaned, tossing an arm over his eyes.
So much for sleeping in.
Somewhere in the living room, someone groaned like a dying beast. Possibly Evelynn. Probably Akali.
His head didn't hurt, but his soul felt slightly bruised.
He padded into the kitchen barefoot, rubbing his eyes. The quiet was deceptive—he knew what was coming. The aftermath of chaos always wore the same perfume: regret, dehydration, and desperation for carbs.
One by one, they began to stir.
Kai'Sa emerged first, hair a mess but somehow still unfairly beautiful. She wore one of Cole's oversized hoodies, clutching a glass of water like a relic of salvation.
"Why is the world spinning?" she croaked.
"Because physics," Cole said, already chopping herbs with one hand and heating broth with the other. "Sit. You're not dying. You just danced your body into rebellion."
"What… is that smell?" she sniffed.
"Hangover cure," he replied. "Pho. Real stuff. Bone broth, rice noodles, fresh herbs, chili if you're brave."
Her eyes widened slightly. "You cook?"
"I survive," he said. "Survival often includes boiling things until they heal you."
Akali stumbled out next, wearing shades indoors like a cliché. "Ugh. Kill me. Actually don't—I think I'm already halfway there."
Cole ladled broth into a wide ceramic bowl and slid it toward her like a bartender passing a final drink.
She sniffed it. "This smells like heaven if heaven had MSG."
"It's got ginger, star anise, coriander, cloves, basil, and a generous helping of 'you almost puked on me, so eat this quietly.'"
She groaned, slurping noisily. "You're an angel."
"I'll take that compliment," he said. "Even though you also called me a butler last night."
Evelynn emerged next, sunglasses and silk, draped in drama as usual. "If anyone so much as breathes too loudly, I swear I'll hex you."
"Pho?" Cole offered sweetly.
"…You may live."
Ahri was the last to appear, wrapped in a robe with ears twitching like tiny weather vanes.
"Smells amazing," she murmured, accepting a bowl with a small, sleepy smile. "You didn't have to."
"I wanted to," he said simply. "Besides, I needed to do something while you all reassembled your brains."
They ate in silence for a while. The clink of spoons, the soft hum of the stove, the sound of healing.
Akali sprawled across the couch afterward, hair wet from a quick rinse and face buried in a cushion. "Remind me to never mix vodka with whatever the hell Qiyana handed me."
"That was probably from Zaun," Kai'Sa muttered. "You're lucky your liver didn't dissolve."
"I have regrets," Akali mumbled. "But not about the piggyback ride."
"You threw up on my shoulder."
"…Regrets are returning."
Ahri leaned back against the couch, bowl empty, a light flush returning to her cheeks. "Thank you," she said softly, voice just for Cole.
He met her gaze. "Anytime."
Evelynn, curled like a lazy cat on a recliner, smirked behind her sunglasses. "Careful. Keep feeding us like this and we'll start needing you."
"You already do," Cole said without missing a beat.
There was a beat of surprised silence.
Then Evelynn laughed, low and sultry. "He's growing teeth."
Kai'Sa stood and stretched, setting her bowl in the sink. "Okay. I feel… human again. Mostly. If you ever quit managing, open a restaurant."
"I'll call it Last Night's Mistakes," Cole deadpanned.
Akali raised a finger from the couch. "Ten outta ten name. Put my face on the menu."
Ahri rose too, collecting bowls and nudging Evelynn with a toe. "Come on, diva. Help clean. You too, rockstar gremlin."
The girls scattered into various rhythms—some cleaning, some vanishing back into their rooms for more sleep. Cole leaned on the counter, finally letting out a long breath.
This is what peace looks like, he thought. Pho bowls. Messy hair. Tired smiles.
Absolutely. Here's a more polished and suspenseful version of that passage, enhancing the flow, clarity, and emotional tension:
He liked this.
The warmth of pho still lingered in the air. The laughter, the comfort, the quiet buzz of morning-after recovery—it all felt real. Fragile. Human.
Then his phone buzzed.
Cole glanced down.
BREAKING: Unknown creature attacks Piltover community center.
His stomach dropped. He tapped the link. A live video feed crackled to life on-screen.
Chaos.
The footage shook as the camera panned across the devastation—cars cleaved clean in half, doors ripped from hinges, craters where asphalt once was. Desiccated bodies lay crumpled like discarded puppets.
A reporter's voice cut through the static.
"We now have eyewitnesses on the scene—"
A panicked man appeared on screen, face pale, eyes wide.
"He was massive. Looked like something straight out of a horror movie. And his claws—God—he sliced those cars like they were paper. Every time he leapt, the ground shook."
Another voice followed, shaken but clear.
"He… he talked about prey. About hunting. Like we were part of some game."
"Did he… say anything else?"
"Yeah. Said we should run. And then he'd laugh. Like it excited him. I watched him drain the life out of people. Like he was feeding."
"Any advice for the public?"
The man's voice cracked.
"Don't leave your homes. Don't try to fight. His hunger… it doesn't end. No one's safe."
The reporter's voice returned, urgent.
"The creature's whereabouts are currently unknown. Several witnesses claim he… vanished. Simply disappeared in front of their eyes. Officer Vi has reported 10 casual–"
Cole slowly lowered the phone, face pale now.
He knew those claws. That hunger. That savage glee.
Only two champions in the League fit that profile. Rengar hunted with honor.
Kha'Zix hunted for pleasure.
And this—this was a massacre.
Cole's heart pounded. The warmth of the morning vanished, replaced by a cold weight pressing against his chest.
Of course.
Peace never lasted.
____
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