Thanks to all the nice comments requesting another update, I got this chapter done a lot faster than I thought. Plus this was a lot of fun to write because - ⚠️ fluff warning ⚠️ - there's quite a bit of Jaya coming up 😂😂😂.

Comfort

Nya stood in front of the apartment, anxiously waiting for an answer. But nothing came.

Maybe Jay wasn't at home, he might have gone out with his friends. She probably should have called before coming all the way here...

Just as she was about to turn away and leave, she could hear her boyfriend's voice from the other side of the door. "Just a second." He shouted. "Who is it?"

"It's me." Nya said shyly, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Nya?" He sounded... surprised.

What if he wasn't happy to see her? After all, she had been the one to insist on not spending the evening together. And even though he was home right now, he might still have plans to go out...

But then she could hear his footsteps quicken as they approached the door.

And had she looked up when he opened the door, she would have seen a bright smile on his handsome face as he was standing in the doorway, dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

But she didn't. Neither did she take the time to admire the image that presented itself to her. Right now, all Nya wanted was a hug. And so, she threw herself into his arms and buried her face into his chest, inhaling the comforting scent of milk and honey.

Jay didn't say or ask anything in response, he just wrapped his muscular arms around his girlfriend, pulling her even closer, if that was possible.

Nya thought she heard him wince slightly as she put her own arms around his back, but still he didn't say a single word.

As she took another deep breath, the Samurai realised that the blue Ninja she had encountered earlier today had a similar scent to that of her boyfriend's – he hadn't smelled as fresh though after all that fighting – he probably used the same kind of shower gel or shampoo. And that that had been one of the reasons why she had trusted him.

"What happened?" Jay finally asked, nuzzling into her raven black hair.

'An evil snake almost killed me because I didn't pay enough attention.' Was what Nya wanted to say.

"I had an awful day at work." Was what she actually said.

She had tried to hide those feelings from her teammates (who had scolded her for running after the snake on her own and without her mech) and from the Ninja, but the female Samurai was more than just a bit shaken by what had happened earlier. It had been a way too close call.

So, after the eventful day, Nya had looked forward to spending a nice, quiet evening with her brother. But when she was just on her way home, she received a message from Kai that he was going out tonight, asking her to join in.

Despite their success against the Serpentine, Nya hadn't felt like celebrating at all. And she didn't want to be alone either. At home, she had just taken a quick shower and changed into a comfortable (and clean) outfit, before tossing her toothbrush and a set of spare clothes into her bag and heading off again for her boyfriend's apartment.

"You wanna stay over?" Jay suggested, noticing that they were still standing right in the doorway. And, at least for himself, not in the most presentable attire.

"I'd love to." Nya replied in a low voice.

She blushed when they broke apart and she finally got to take a good look at Jay's current state. Not that she hadn't seen him shirtless before, but it was still a very pleasant sight.

Nya secretly wondered how a (slightly nerdy) full-time student, who also had a part-time job at a tea shop and who would spend more or less every available minute with his girlfriend, still managed to work out, but she for sure was not going to complain.

Feeling her gaze on his toned abs and chest, Jay sheepishly ran his hand through his damp auburn hair.

"Uhm... I better get dressed." He said. "C'mon." Putting his arm around her waist, he led her to the small kitchen/sitting room.

Jay placed a soft kiss on the other's temple. "I'll be back with you in a minute, just gonna get dressed, okay?"

Nya sat down on the old sofa, while he disappeared to the bedroom.

When he returned, Jay was wearing a pair of navy joggers and a yellow T-shirt with a light blue lightning bolt.

"So, what happened?" He asked, as he sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

Nya leaned against him. "I had an awful day at the autobody shop." She repeated. "A customer was not happy with our work, and he got really angry and attacked me."

She hated lying to her boyfriend. But she just couldn't tell him the truth. in addition to all those reasons she and the blue Ninja had discussed earlier, there was another one: Jay was a close friend of Kai's. And as far as Nya knew, he was not good at keeping secrets. And her overprotective big brother just couldn't know what his little sister was doing in her spare time.

Nya pushed up the sleeve of her sea blue shirt, revealing the bruise on her arm the Constrictai had caused when holding her.

"If it hadn't been for PIXAL," she mentally apologised to the blue Nina for not giving him any credit, "things could have been a lot worse."

Jay gently ran his thumb along the scratch at her neck.

"Did he do this as well?" He asked worriedly.

Nya nodded. She could still feel the cold metal against her skin. Looking for comfort, she snuggled into Jay's chest, making him lean back.

"Ouch." He complained, sitting straight up again.

"What's the matter, babe?" She wanted to know.

"Oh, I just didn't have a great day either." He told her. "We were restocking the shelves in the store room, and Cole dropped a box onto my back."

Nya raised an eyebrow. "You got hurt by a box of tea leaves?" She wondered.

Jay blushed. "It was a heavy box. Like... a crate." He explained.

"Let me see." Nya insisted. She gasped when she saw the huge bruise over her boyfriend's left shoulder blade.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She chided him.

"Because you were so upset."

"Do you have anything to put on it?"

"I do. Just couldn't reach the spot myself."

In the bathroom, Nya found a very well stocked first aid cabinet.

"Wow, this is better than what we have at the autobody shop." She remarked.

"My mum did all this." Jay explained.

"Well, I hope you are not planning on using all of this..."

"Of course not, but it's still good to have all this stuff around." He said. "Occupational hazard, you know."

"At the tea shop?"

"Hey, I am also a N-... uhm... an inventor. Things tend to blow up..."

"Edna knows you really well." Nya smiled. "Now, take off your shirt and sit down." She instructed him, having found the heparin gel.

Jay did as he was told and Nya gently applied the gel to his shoulder as well as to her own arm.

"Thanks." He slipped back into his t-shirt.

"You're welcome."

"Unfortunately, I don't have anything at home to make dinner for us." Jay apologised. He always cooked for his girlfriend when she was over. Some simple yet tasty recipes he had learned from his mother, Edna. "Had I known you were coming over tonight, I would have gone shopping. But to be honest, I don't feel much like cooking anyway."

"You know that you don't have to do these things for me." Nya said.

"But I like doing them for you." He insisted.

Chocolate brown eyes locked with sapphire blue ones. "And I appreciate that. But I don't visit you for the food, I come here to spend time with you." Nya informed him. "And what would you have done tonight, had I not turned up?" She enquired.

"I was going to order take-out and watch a movie. Probably while lying on my stomach." He admitted.

"That sounds just perfect to me." Nya agreed.

After dinner – pizza followed by some ice cream they had found in the freezer – the two of them were lying next to each other on the bed on their stomachs, watching a romantic comedy on Jay's laptop.

Suddenly, Jay pressed a key to pause the film. "Nya?" He looked up.

"Yes?" She detached her gaze from the screen to look at her boyfriend.

"I just wanted to say that I am sorry you had a bad day, but I am happy that you are here with me now." The auburn haired male told her, giving her a little smile.

"Yeah, me too." Nya smiled back.

And... I also wanted to tell you that... I love you, Nya."

"And I love you, Jay." She said, leaning over to connect their lips in a loving kiss.