Good Morning

Twenty-first Morning

A/N: Did you watch the new season yet? Whew, it was good. Spoilers in this comment thread 👉

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Her hands move up his neck, curving over his ears and digging their fingertips into the skin beneath his jawline. The warmth radiates outward from where her palms rest on his scalp, seeping into his skull and spreading out through his body like a blanket of bliss.

His hands slide down from her wrists to clasp hers, his thumb caressing her knuckles and sending jolts of electricity shooting along her nerves. They kiss harder, tongues dancing together in a heated frenzy. Nya breaks away just long enough to pull her sweater off over her head, tossing it somewhere behind her. Then she grabs hold of his chest and pulls him closer, sinking her nails into the flesh above his belt buckle, biting down hard on his lower lip while his palm cups her cheek.

A moan escapes her when Jay lifts himself up to sit beside her, pressing his chest against hers. Their mouths meet hungrily, and he lets out a low rumble of approval when her fingers dig deeper into his shoulders. She pushes herself up against him, letting her breasts rub against his bare torso, her legs wrapping around his waist. She feels warm, hot even, and there's no space left between them anymore. Jay slides his hands down her back, hooking her hips with his thumbs and pulling her up against him.

They break apart suddenly, both gasping for air, chests rising and falling rapidly, faces flushed. Nya presses her forehead to Jay's shoulder, smiling tremulously, her eyes shining bright and happy.

"Okay," she says quietly, "that was nice."

Jay smiles weakly back at her, running a finger across the bridge of her nose.

She laughs softly, leaning forward to press a lingering kiss to his lips. When she pulls away again, she licks her lips slowly. There's something almost sensual about the action, the way she stares at Jay's mouth, watching the blood rush back to his face, and she seems to realize what she's doing. Her eyes flick upward to his, wide with surprise and perhaps some embarrassment, and Jay wonders whether he should say something, reassure her somehow that it's okay, that he likes it. Maybe tell her that he loves the way she thinks, the way she takes everything so seriously and analyzes it, and then decides that it's worth taking. Or maybe he shouldn't bother telling her anything at all, because if she really wants to play these games with him, why wouldn't he let her?

Instead, he just wraps his arms around her and squeezes.

"Good?" Nya murmurs against his ear.

He nods, smiling, and Nya turns in his embrace, sliding her leg over his hip and settling comfortably against his stomach. He rests his chin on top of her head, listening to the steady beat of her heartbeat, and closes his eyes, thinking of nothing except the way her hair smells, the way her breath tickles his cheek when she breathes, the way her lips taste like sugar and caramel when she kisses him.

And the next time Jay wakes up, it's barely dawn outside and the TV is humming with pixelated static. He sits up slowly, blinking blearily, and Nya grins, languid and sleepy, reaching a hand up to stroke his stubbly cheek.

"Morning," she whispers.

Jay yawns widely, stretching his arms over his head, cracking his neck. "Mornin'."

She rolls onto her back and props her elbows up on her folded arms, staring at the ceiling. After a few moments of silence, she asks, "Do you think the others found us?"

Jay shrugs. "Maybe. If they did, maybe they pretended they didn't."

Nya laughs at that thought. "We should get to sunrise exercises before anyone else finds us. I'd rather not have an awkward conversation and fight with my brother this early in the morning."

"Agreed," Jay says with a smile, the events of the prior night slowly filtering back to his memories. He wants to kiss her again. Really badly, now, but he resists the urge, knowing it will probably end poorly. Instead, he gets up and pads toward the bathroom, pausing only once to lean down and kiss Nya lightly on the temple.

When he comes back out, Nya is dressed in her Samurai X gear, ready for training. Jay follows suit, grabbing his gi top and undershirt from the from the floor, and then he helps Nya find her boots. Once they're laced up, they grab their weapons and head to the top deck.

Nya blushes, thinking about the prior night. She didn't mean to be so bold, but it seemed right to act without hesitation after what happened with the 'final battle', after they all turned into corrupted minions for the Overlord. She also realizes that she may have crossed a line last night – or maybe she simply wanted to cross a line. Either way, she hopes Jay won't take offense, especially since she's going to ask him something that might be difficult for him to answer. She hasn't decided yet whether she'll broach the subject tonight, or wait until tomorrow...or maybe not ever.

It doesn't matter anyway; Jay isn't offended by her actions, which surprises her somewhat, considering how he usually handles himself around her. It must've taken quite a bit of self-control on his part, though, given how close they got during their little makeout session. And despite his initial reaction, he wasn't upset afterwards. That fact alone tells her plenty about his feelings towards her, and it makes Nya want to know more. So far, though, she hasn't figured out exactly what she wants to learn.

She hopes Jay will be patient with her. Going farther in their relationship is something new for both of them, and she doesn't want to screw things up. Her stomach rolls in anxiety at the thought. But then he looks at her from across the training deck, his smile reassuring and bright, and her fears melt instantly. Deep down, subconsciously, she knows that as long as she is with Jay, everything will be alright.