Saturday Morning
Jason woke up early, his body already screaming for a workout. He spent the first hour of his morning in his backyard, shadowboxing and working the heavy bag his dad had installed. His movements were crisp, calculated, and violent. Every punch cracked the leather, his raw power terrifying even himself at times.
Focus, he told himself. You've got other things to handle today.
After a quick shower, Jason pulled on a casual outfit — fitted jeans, a white T-shirt, and a light black jacket. Today wasn't about fighting. It was about getting closer to Alex. They still had work to do on the chemistry project, and he wasn't about to waste an opportunity to spend time with her.
Grabbing his phone, he sent her a quick text.
Jason: Hey. Mind if I come over early to get a head start on the project?
A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.
Alex: Sure. My family's doing some "family bonding" thing today, but you can come by. Just ignore the chaos.
Jason smirked. Chaos, huh? This should be interesting.
---
The Dunphy Household
Jason walked up to the familiar house and rang the doorbell. Almost instantly, the door swung open, revealing Phil Dunphy with a wide grin.
"Jason! My favorite young boxer. Back already?"
Jason chuckled. "Morning, Mr. Dunphy. Just here to work on the chemistry project with Alex."
Phil stepped aside, gesturing grandly. "Come on in, champ. Fair warning — today's a bit of a… family event."
Jason stepped in and was immediately hit with the sounds of organized chaos. Claire was rushing around, barking orders. Haley was lounging on the couch, clearly uninterested in anything productive. Luke was, unsurprisingly, being Luke — attempting to ride a skateboard in the house.
Jason raised a brow. So this is the infamous Dunphy family.
"Alex is upstairs," Phil said, clapping Jason on the back. "Good luck surviving the madness."
Jason grinned. "I'll manage."
---
Alex's Room
Jason knocked lightly before stepping in. Alex was at her desk, scribbling notes in her notebook. She glanced up and, for a split second, Jason caught her expression soften.
"Hey," she said. "Didn't expect you this early."
Jason shrugged. "Figured we could get ahead. Plus…" he glanced around, "kinda wanted to see the famous Dunphy chaos up close."
Alex groaned. "Ugh, you have no idea."
Jason chuckled and took a seat beside her. "Alright, where were we?"
They got to work quickly, falling into the same easy rhythm they had the day before. Jason was once again surprising Alex with his sharp intellect, catching onto complex chemical equations and lab procedures faster than most students.
"You know," Alex said after a while, "you don't really fit the stereotype."
Jason raised a brow. "What stereotype?"
"The whole 'undefeated street fighter' thing. I expected you to be… I don't know, kind of a meathead. But you're not."
Jason smirked. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"
Alex smiled slightly. "Compliment. Mostly."
Jason chuckled. Progress.
---
Downstairs Chaos
An hour later, the sound of loud voices drifted up the stairs. Jason glanced toward the door. "Should we… check on that?"
Alex sighed. "Probably. I swear, every time we try to do something productive, my family finds a way to implode."
Jason grinned. "I'm game."
They headed downstairs to find Claire in full-on panic mode.
"Phil, why are you trying to teach Luke how to shoot a basketball inside the house?" Claire snapped.
Phil, undeterred, spun the basketball on his finger. "I'm fostering athletic greatness, Claire."
Luke cheered. "Yeah! I'm gonna go pro!"
Jason held back a laugh as he watched the chaos unfold.
"Alex!" Claire spotted her. "Are you two making progress?"
"Yeah, Mom. Jason's actually really good at this stuff."
Claire did a double-take, clearly still wary of Jason. "Oh. That's… great."
Jason, not wanting to make a bad impression, quickly added, "Your house is really nice, Mrs. Dunphy."
That seemed to soften Claire slightly. "Thank you. I assume you don't skateboard inside your house?"
Jason chuckled. "Not usually, no."
"See?" Claire shot Phil a glare. "A responsible teenager."
Phil scoffed. "Jason's a boxer. He probably smashes walls for fun."
Jason laughed. "Only in the ring, Mr. Dunphy."
Phil grinned. "I like this kid."
---
Later That Afternoon
The family eventually settled down, and Jason found himself hanging around longer than expected. The chemistry project was mostly finished, but he and Alex kept finding excuses to talk. About school, hobbies, future plans — it felt natural.
At one point, Jason helped Luke fix his skateboard. The younger Dunphy was fascinated by Jason's strength and fighting background.
"Can you like… punch through a brick wall?" Luke asked, wide-eyed.
Jason laughed. "Nah, but I can hit pretty hard."
"Cool," Luke said, clearly impressed. "Can you teach me?"
"Luke, no!" Claire's voice cut in from the kitchen.
Jason held his hands up. "I'm not corrupting your son, I swear."
Claire narrowed her eyes but ultimately relaxed.
---
As Evening Approached
Eventually, it was time for Jason to leave. He grabbed his bag and turned to Alex. "We killed that project. Should get an A for sure."
Alex smiled. "Yeah. Thanks for… you know, actually helping. Most guys don't."
Jason grinned. "I'm not most guys."
Phil, once again appearing like a ninja, clapped Jason on the shoulder. "You should come by more often, champ. Maybe I'll get you and me in a little sparring match."
Jason chuckled. "Careful, Mr. Dunphy. I don't hold back."
Phil laughed. "I like him!"
As Jason stepped onto the porch, Alex followed him out. The air between them was still light but charged with subtle tension.
"So…" Alex started. "You're not so bad after all."
Jason smirked. "Glad to hear it."
She hesitated before adding, "Maybe… we could hang out sometime. Outside of school or chemistry."
Jason's chest tightened slightly. Was she asking him out?
"Yeah," he replied smoothly. "I'd like that."
Alex smiled, and for a brief moment, Jason felt like he'd scored a bigger victory than any knockout in the ring.
As he walked home, Jason clenched his fists. He was making progress — with Alex, with her family, and with integrating into this world.
But there was still one thing gnawing at him.
I need a fight.
And soon, someone was going to give him one.