Jay leaned against the wall, still catching his breath after sparring, glancing over at Kai, who was watching him with that half-smirk of his. Jay tried to play it off, flashing a grin. “Not bad, huh?”
Kai shrugged, but there was a glint in his eye. “You only tripped twice this time.”
Jay rolled his eyes, nudging him with his elbow. “Twice? I let you win, don’t get cocky.”
Kai chuckled softly, and for a moment, they just stood there, the dojo quiet around them. The adrenaline from the training faded, and Jay felt the weight of the day settle in—but somehow, with Kai right there, it wasn’t so heavy.
After a beat, Jay let his head rest against Kai’s shoulder, closing his eyes, feeling the steady warmth next to him. He could feel Kai shift slightly but didn’t pull away. In the calm of that moment, everything else fell away, leaving just the quiet comfort of being close to him.