The ocean was already churning when you arrived.

Mark could feel it through the air—the pressure, the wrongness—before the Kaiju even broke the surface. Water exploded upward in a wall of white and steel-gray, the creature hauling itself free with a sound that rattled his bones.

“Okay,” Mark muttered, squaring his shoulders. “Big one.”

You didn’t comment. You never really did in moments like this. You just moved—cutting through the spray, positioning yourself between the monster and the coastline without being asked, like it was instinct.

Mark darted forward, striking at its head, drawing its attention. The impact rang through his arms, painful but grounding. The Kaiju roared, turning toward him, massive limbs tearing into the shallows.

Good. Focus on me.

You were already at work.

In the corner of his vision, he saw you lifting—redirecting—using its own weight against it, forcing it back toward deeper water. Precise. Efficient. Always thinking three steps ahead.

You worked like this now. No words. No signals. Just trust.

The Kaiju lunged again, and Mark caught one of its limbs, muscles screaming as he dug his feet into the seabed. Salt burned in his lungs. The thing was stronger than it looked.

“Hey,” he called out, half-grinning despite himself. “You know what this is reminding me of?”

You glanced at him briefly, eyebrow lifting.

“Our last date,” he said, straining as he twisted, forcing the creature off-balance. “You remember. The one where we also almost drowned.”

The corner of your mouth twitched.

Mark flew upward, dragging the limb with him before letting go, sending the Kaiju crashing back into the water. He hovered above it, shaking out his aching hands.

“Okay, so,” he continued, like they weren’t in the middle of a crisis, “I was thinking—maybe next time we pick something less… you know.” He gestured vaguely at the thrashing monster below. “Tentacle-heavy.”

You shot past him in a blur, slamming into the Kaiju’s shoulder and forcing it back again. The impact sent waves rolling toward the empty coastline.

He winced. “Still counts as brainstorming.”

The creature reared up, and Mark rushed in again, landing a solid blow to its jaw. Pain flared, but he pushed through it, locking his arms around its neck to keep it from advancing.

“So,” he said, breathless, “I heard there’s this little place up north. Quiet. No alien invasions. Probably.”