A/N
Birthday present for the lovely SmolPeggy, one of my closest readers and friends on here, as well as the person who's helped me quite a lot in a time where I'm not sure about my place in the show. Keep being you <3.
(It's your birthday in my timezone btw so it still counts >:))
Enjoy!
♡♡♡
Nya couldn't help but eavesdrop from the doorway.
"It's the least I can do for tonight. Make sure to be alert for any enemies approaching," Wu's voice echoed across the kitchen.
Nya raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?" she spoke up as soon as he closed the old phone.
He gestured towards the window looking out into the weeping sky. "The storm won't be likely to stop until tomorrow, and since they can't drive in the rain... I'm afraid the Ninja won't be dining with us tonight."
The moment she had to land the Bounty, she knew the storm was getting bad. But even under those circumstances, she was certain her team would make it home safe and sound in time for dinner.
Their mission was quite far though, being on the other side of the city. The heist was cancelled due to the storm, but that unfortunately left them trapped in it.
"Oh," was all she could say. It was unlike her to be so disappointed to have the Monastery to herself and Wu (who was way too quiet anyway), but she couldn't get rid of the feeling even if she tried.
"Not to worry, however," Wu continued. "They've found a motel to stay in for the time being. I just hope the storm comes to end before my credit card does..."
Nya couldn't help but chuckle. When she saw him serve two bowls of ramen instead of one, her eyes widened slightly.
"Sensei... Is there any chance I could eat somewhere else? I don't mean to be disrespectful, of course, I was just working on this thing for my mech and..."
"I understand, Nya," he said, a small smile on his face. "Enjoy your peace while you can, because I'm not sure if the boys will be so quiet when they return."
Her smile grew wider as she pulled him into a hug. "Thanks, Sensei."
"Of course."
♡♡♡
She set the ramen bowl on her nightstand, the cold never seizing to make her skin shiver. Normally, she'd have a human heater by her side, one less warm than Kai, but just the perfect temperature to make her feel at ease.
Of course, she didn't need him by her side all the time; it was just her and her ramen at that moment.
She checked her bracelet; the storm would last longer than she initially thought...
Sadness washed over her once more; their date, the movie marathon they had planned for the next day... Part of her worried that they wouldn't make it back in time.
She could make it a day without them; a day without him, however...
... would be just as easy. She wasn't that attached, after all.
She tapped some buttons on her bracelet. Soon enough, it started ringing.
"Hey, Nya," Kai's voice echoed through its speaker. The signal wasn't the worst for a storm like that one.
"Everything alright?" she asked.
"If you ignore the fact that I have to share a double bed with my three sweaty teammates, then yeah, perfectly fine."
"We found a floor mattress!" Cole's voice victoriously announced in the background, making her laugh.
A few more words were exchanged, though Nya couldn't understand. Had her own brother forgotten she was on call?
"Zane, you're metal, you can take Jay! No way in FSM I'm letting him hug me," Kai said loudly enough for her to hear. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, but she didn't get to respond.
"So, how are things over there with the storm?" Kai finally addressed her.
"Same thing here... I had to land the Bounty but I'm sure we'll be alright. We'll send you the coordinates tomorrow."
She was about to continue when a quiet voice echoed through her bracelet.
"Is... Nya? Can I... to her?" She couldn't make out much, she missed some words, but the voice undoubtedly belonged to Jay.
"You'll see her tomorrow, go help the others," Kai's voice said, only annoying her more.
"Tell her I miss her and I'll try not to miss our movie night tomorrow!" That time, Jay raised his voice enough for her to hear.
While she sat there in speechless shock, Kai could only groan. "Go to sleep, Jay," he told him.
"Tell him goodnight," she simply said, everything still a bit of a blur. "And that I hope to see him soon..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, sappy love stuff," her brother politely said. "Goodnight, Nya."
"Night."
She fell onto her bed and sighed.
It wasn't a serious thing; it wasn't like he had told her he loved her or anything...
But he did miss her.
That feeling inside of her... It must have meant that she felt the same.
But that wasn't possible; Nya hadn't really missed anyone before. Heck, even at that moment, it's not like she was missing her brother, Cole, or Zane... she knew they would just be gone for a day at most. Jay would too, he would come back with them!
But something was different that time. When she curled under the covers, slowly eating her ramen while the storm outside raged, all she could think about was him. Their movie night, their snacks... He had promised to make it by tomorrow.
But tonight, he would be gone. And not seeing his silhouette on her doorframe, ready to wish her goodnight and tuck her in, maybe kiss her forehead if he had the chance... It brought a feeling of dread upon her.
He was her dreamcatcher, in a way. And even with such thick walls, his voice would always slide through and echo in her room, acting as a lullaby that drifted her off to sleep.
When she eventually fell asleep, in contrast to the chaos outside, her mind was filled with dreams of contentment.
If her conscience wouldn't accept her feelings, at least her own dreams would.
♡♡♡
Morning came but no sight of the boys. Just as she guessed, the storm was raging outside all the more.
With each passing minute, she craved his presence all the more; she wanted to eat breakfast with him, to admire him from afar as she watched him train, all whilst pretending not to notice his own quick and subtle glances.
But for now, she was stuck with a laundry basket in her hands, ready to tackle their room.
She finished rather quickly, but gulped once she realised where she had yet to check.
She climbed onto the left top bunk, her boyfriend's own comfortable bed. She dug around the blanket, practically wrestling with it in hopes of finding something between its folds.
Buried under a blue fabric, she found Mr Cuddlywomp, Jay's beloved plush that his parents brought along on their first visit.
She couldn't quite pinpoint what kind of animal it was; even then, the though of him cuddling it every night was all too cute of an image in her mind.
And just for a split second, she imagined herself in the plushie's place, wrapped in his warm embrace as they slept under a pile of blankets. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the thought, taking a deep breath as if taking in his own scent next to her.
But he wasn't next to her. And she hated that.
However, that also meant that his scent wasn't coming from himself, but instead from something else.
She dug around a little more, piecing it together; Jay's blanket wasn't blue, it was white.
So that was how she uncovered the lone, blue jacket that had been covering Mr Cuddlywomp the entire time.
She picked it up. It wasn't dirty by any means, but definitely not fresh out of the washing machine. It didn't smell bad, it just smelled like... him.
She bit her lip. It was still quite cold, even inside the Bounty. And the jacket wasn't that worn, it didn't deserve to be thrown in with the rest of the dirty, sweaty clothes that the guys had graciously left scattered on the ground...
"I'm sure he'll be quite happy with you wearing it."
Her head immediately snapped towards the door, where Wu stood with a teasing smile and a mop.
"You... think so?" she tried to say casually but failed, her rosy cheeks betraying her.
"His clothes are too small for the others, but for you... I'd say they're too big." Wu chuckled to himself, but she only became more flustered. "He'll feel happy not to feel so small himself. He likes to play protector, after all."
She knew that to be the case. Whether it be at the rollercoaster, video games, heck, even during training... he had a knack for protecting the smaller guy.
In that case, the smaller guy was quite literally her.
"I heard it's going to be quite cold outside today..." Wu said to himself innocently. "And something tells me he would have given you it if he were here."
When they got off the rollercoaster... when they went to retrieve their things and he found his scarf resting on a nearby bench... How she longed to experience that moment again, when he dusted it off and generously wrapped it around her neck. How his fingertips brushed ever so slightly over her skin, how intense his gaze was while it focused on the knot, how close his face was to hers. How she wished he could brush his lips over hers just for a moment, how she wanted it to lead to more.
She shook her head. She rubbed her neck as chills ran down her spine, a signal that his touch wasn't only missed by her mind.
It had only been a day, however. She couldn't miss someone just for a day, right? She was thinking illogically again.
She put on the jacket and slowly zipped it up, shocked at just how comfortable it felt on her body. From its scent to its size, it felt like an invisible hug from him, one only reserved for her and her alone.
When she looked at the doorway, Sensei had left, leaving her in her own little fantasy.
Silently, climbing down the ladder with light steps, she continued on her chores, carrying his hug wherever she went.
♡♡♡
She lay on her bed, looking at the clock sadly.
9:32PM.
Still no sign of their return. They were safe, Sensei had spoken with them an hour ago, but...
The storm had yet to stop. It had calmed down at the very least.
She had found herself staring at the TV, Sensei drinking his tea by her side as a soap opera played in the background. Sensei was more invested than she was, that was for sure.
"I think I'm going to sleep early tonight... No point in waiting for them to return."
"Patience, Nya. I understand how it is to miss someone you love."
Too many big words in one sentence.
She could only croak out a "yeah" before she left the room, her cheeks redder than her pyjamas.
Miss? Love?
There wasn't time to think about any of those at the moment.
But when she passed by their room... His bed looked so cozy up there; such a tight, comfortable space. It was all alone, its owner was away for the time being. It needed someone to welcome underneath its covers, someone to protect.
It was almost alluring, how his mere scent made a trail for her to follow.
As she climbed onto his bed once more, she stopped; perhaps she shouldn't.
But once she took Mr Cuddlywomp in her arms, hugging him like he would embrace her when Kai never looked, she just couldn't resist.
As she sunk into his pillow, taking in the sweet scent of his shampoo, she smiled. She took a deep breath, nuzzling in the pillow as if it were his chest, wrapping the blanket around her as if it were his arms.
Living in the guys' room didn't seem so bad, after all.
♡♡♡
When she woke up, the storm had stopped.
"I saw their vehicles outside. I am assuming you wouldn't want your brother to see you here."
Wu's words were enough to jolt her awake as she raced to get out of the room. Luckily, she managed to get in just as the front door opened; chaos had returned to their humble abode.
12:45AM.
She picked up her notebook and turned on her lamp, pretending to write, when she heard their footsteps approaching.
It went on for a few more minutes before a pair of familiar footsteps approached her door. The door itself creaked open carefully at first, but once he knew she was awake, he opened it with a swift swing.
"Nya!" said Jay. "I'm so sorry we're late, it's just that..."
His voice trailed off as his gaze travelled across her torso.
Once she realised her fatal mistake, she gasped.
She jumped out of bed quickly, approaching him. "I can explain." She began to take the jacket off, but he stopped her, readjusting it on her and pulling the zipper back up.
Her eyes slightly widened, his own awaiting her response... She hugged him.
"... I missed you," she said, hugging him even more tightly. "That's all."
To her surprise, he hugged her back, albeit his limbs felt weaker. "I've missed you too..." He placed a kiss on top of her head, making her heart flutter.
"I'm... I'm sorry I missed our movie night," he said.
"It wasn't your fault," she said. "And... it's not too late yet."
"The guys are already tired, they'd kill me if I woke them up in the middle of the night to get to bed..."
"You can just sleep here then," she said without missing a beat. Both their faces reddened.
"I mean... It can be like a sleepover. We can watch a movie as well, and the guys will never know if you get up early tomorrow..."
"... Okay," he said. "But, uh... you heard Kai yesterday, right? I... I know I'm a... sleep hugger, and..."
That's what I'm counting on, she thought to herself. She smiled. "You're just fine."
♡♡♡
Nya placed the laptop on her lap as the movie paused, scooting all the way to the side to make room for Jay.
When his torso still couldn't quite fit in, their bodies squeezed together uncomfortably, an idea popped in her mind.
Slowly and with a pink face, she took his arm and rose it above her, allowing her to sneak inside the hiding spot before letting the arm drop and wrap around her.
Becoming more daring, she moved her legs over his, leaving them with both a better laptop stand and a more comfortable arrangement.
He was quiet throughout the duration, though he never once stopped to protest. With his free hand he leaned her head towards his chest, allowing it to rest there for as long as she'd like as her hand traced circles around his muscles.
Before the movie even came to end, he had fallen asleep.
And by her numerous failed attempts at getting enough wiggle room to put the laptop aside due to his grip, she finally understood her brother's warnings.
Tight as his grip was, she felt at home. With not one, but two hugs of his around her body, she held his jacket close, drifting off into a slumber of sweet dreams herself.