Author's Note: As said, we'd meet the goal and we did! Here's the bonus chapter, enjoy! Also next goal for a bonus chapter is a whopping 500 powerstones! It seems tough, but I believe you guys!!
When Jay's eyes fluttered open, his first instinct was to reach across the bed, seeking the familiar warmth that had made last night feel like a dream. His arm swept across empty sheets, and panic shot through him like ice water.
Not again. Please, not again.
He sat up abruptly, heart hammering against his ribs as memories of that night four months ago crashed over him. The alley behind the Baxter Building. Domino walking away while he bled emotionally in the shadows. The look on her face when she'd pressed that bloodied quarter into his palm and said goodbye.
"Dom?" His voice cracked slightly, betraying the fear he was trying to suppress.
The melodic sound of humming drifted from the bathroom, and Jay felt his shoulders sag with relief so profound it made him dizzy. She was still here. She hadn't run.
The bathroom door opened, and Domino emerged wearing his shirt from yesterday. The dark fabric contrasted starkly with her alabaster skin. The fabric hung loose on her smaller frame, the sleeves rolled up and the hem reaching mid-thigh. Her cola black hair caught the morning light like spun silver, tousled from sleep and their activities. She looked more beautiful than any magazine cover he'd ever seen.
"What's got you so flustered, sleepyhead?" she asked with that familiar smirk, though her mismatched eyes held a softness that hadn't been there four months ago. "Looking for someone?"
Jay didn't trust his voice. Instead, he reached for her waist as she approached the bed, pulling her close while he sat on the edge. His arms wrapped around her middle, and he buried his face against her stomach, breathing in the scent of her skin mixed with his cologne from the shirt.
"I thought you left," he whispered, the words muffled against the fabric. "Again."
Domino's expression immediately softened. Her teasing facade cracked, revealing the vulnerability underneath. Her hands found his hair, fingers threading through the dark strands as she pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," she murmured against his scalp. "I'm not going anywhere."
She gestured toward the small table where several pizza boxes sat steaming. "Since you were sleeping and there's no kitchen in this fancy hotel, I ordered us some breakfast. Figured we worked up quite an appetite last night."
Jay pulled back to look at her, then glanced at the pizza boxes, and suddenly he was laughing. The sound started as a chuckle but grew into something brighter, more genuine.
"We're having pizza for breakfast," he said, shaking his head as déjà vu washed over him. But this time, instead of the bitter tears from that morning at the Queen's safehouse after losing everything, he felt light. Sharing this moment with Neena made even mediocre hotel pizza taste better than Max's masterpieces.
Domino raised an eyebrow that familiar sarcasm dancing in her mismatched eyes.. "Something funny about breakfast pizza? What, did I order the wrong toppings for your refined palate?"
There was that sharp wit he'd missed. "Just remembering another morning," Jay said, his voice growing softer as he reached for the boxes. "Different circumstances, but... this is so much better."
They settled on the bed with the food between them, and Domino glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "Look at the time, mister. It's noon already."
"Good," Jay said around a bite of pepperoni. "Means we can stay in bed longer."
For nearly twenty minutes, they ate in comfortable companionship, occasionally stealing glances at each other and sharing soft smiles.
Jay watched the way she licked sauce from her thumb, how she unconsciously tucked her hair behind her ear when she leaned forward. These small things he'd memorized once and thought he'd lost forever. She caught him staring and stuck her tongue out playfully, making him laugh.
"What? Do I have sauce on my face or something?"
"Just remembering why I fell for you in the first place."
When the food was gone, they lay back against the pillows, fingers intertwined between them. The morning light had shifted, casting longer shadows across the room.
The silence stretched, but it wasn't empty. It was full of everything they needed to say and couldn't quite find words for yet.
So?" Jay asked finally, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand.
"So?" Domino echoed, and they both burst into laughter, remembering their identical awkwardness from the night before.
When the giggles subsided, Jay's expression grew into a gentle smile. "What happens now, Dom?"
"We figure it out as we go." She squeezed his fingers. "But we figure it out together."
"We tried together before." The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Her face crumpled slightly, and she looked away. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry." She said it again, quieter. "Jay, I'm so sorry."
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and he moved without thinking, gathering her against his chest. His thumbs brushed the wetness from her cheeks with infinite gentleness.
"Don't cry. Please don't cry."
"Every day without you felt wrong," she said into his shoulder. "Like I was missing a piece of myself. I'd wake up reaching for you and remember all over again that I'd thrown it away."
Jay's voice was soft with shared pain when he replied. "It was hard for me too. I learned to live with the emptiness, but it took a lot of guidance and self-discovery to even try getting over it."
Domino pulled back to look into his eyes, her own still glistening with unshed tears. "Jay, I—"
"I may appear strong here," he interrupted gently, pointing to his temple, "but I'm weak here." His finger moved to rest over his heart. "You were my first love, my first everything, Neena. I just don't want to hurt like that again."
Her response was to kiss him repeatedly, soft pecks across his cheeks and lips, each one a wordless apology and promise.
She pulled back to look at him, tears still clinging to her lashes. "I've always been alone, Jay. Always. It was easier that way, safer. Running jobs solo, never getting attached, never having to worry about someone else getting hurt because of my recklessness." Her voice carried the weight of a lifetime of self-imposed isolation. "But what we had..." She shook her head. "It was too strong. When I saw you hurt, when I thought my powers had failed you when you needed them most, it broke something in me I didn't even know existed."
"So you ran."
"So I ran." Her voice was thick with self-recrimination. "Like I always do when things get too real, too scary. But these months apart—God, Jay, I've been miserable. Every mission brief that mentioned healing powers, every news report about mysterious good deeds, every damn quarter I saw on the street brought you rushing back."
There was a shift in her posture, something settling into place as she made her decision. "I don't want to run anymore. I want you. All of you and I want to be yours completely."
Jay studied her face, seeing the vulnerability she rarely showed anyone. Something shifted in his demeanour. The lost, vulnerable man began to give way to someone more certain, more commanding. He'd learned things about himself during their separation—about what he wanted, what he was willing to fight for.
His hands moved to her waist, lifting her effortlessly to straddle his lap. The motion was fluid, confident in a way that made her breath catch. The position pressed their bodies together intimately, her thighs bracketing his hips.
Heat flooded her cheeks, and something deeper stirred in her belly—a recognition of the change in him, the quiet authority he was beginning to exert.
"You know what people would say about us?" he asked with a slight smile. "They'd call us toxic."
Domino's chin lifted defiantly. "Let them talk. Half the people throwing around that word wouldn't know healthy love if it bit them on the ass. Whether it's toxic or healthy, it'll be us. It'll be ours."
"If we do this, Neena," he said, his voice taking on an edge she'd never heard before, "we do it right this time. No running. No halfway measures. When things get difficult and they will, we face them together."
The sound of her real name on his lips, spoken with such quiet authority, made something deep in her belly flutter. She nodded, not trusting her voice.
"I'm selfish when it comes to you," he continued, his hands firm on her waist, thumbs brushing the bare skin where his shirt had ridden up. "I want all of you. Your attention, your thoughts, your body. I want you to be mine in every way that matters."
Her pulse hammered against her throat. This commanding side of him was new, and it was doing things to her that she couldn't deny. "Jay..."
"I have secrets I can't share. Parts of my life that have to stay closed off." His eyes held hers steadily. "Can you live with that?"
The rational part of her mind should have been concerned about his intensity, the way he was taking control of their dynamic. But all she felt was a deep, aching need to surrender to whatever he was offering.
She nodded again, her voice breathless. "Yes."
She took a shaky breath, gathering her courage for the words that would change everything between them. "Jay?" Her voice was small, vulnerable. "I love you."
The silence stretched for three heartbeats. Four. Then his face transformed, a smile breaking across it like sunrise.
"I love you too, Neena." The words came out rough with emotion, from somewhere deep in his chest.
Her smile was radiant, lighting up her entire face in a way he'd only seen a handful of times. But she shook her head slightly, a playful glint returning to her eyes. But she shook her head slightly. "Say it the way you always do."
His laugh was warm, rich with emotion and relief that sounded like coming home. "I love you, Dom."
The sound of her nickname spoken with profound tenderness broke the last of her restraint.
She kissed him then with everything she had, months of longing and regret and desperate hope poured into the connection of their lips. This wasn't the frantic coupling of the night before. This was claiming, possessing, promising.
When they broke apart, both breathing hard, her eyes were dark with want and something deeper.
"Show me," she whispered against his mouth. "Show me how much."
His answer was to flip their positions in one fluid motion, pressing her back into the pillows with a gentleness that contradicted the fire in his eyes. His hands framed her face, thumbs tracing her cheekbones as he looked down at her.
"With pleasure," he murmured, and set about proving just how much he'd missed her, how completely she belonged to him, how thoroughly he intended to worship every inch of her until she forgot there had ever been a time when they were apart.
The afternoon sun slanted through the hotel windows, painting them in gold as they lost themselves in each other once more. This time, there was no urgency, no desperation. Only the deep, abiding certainty that they had found their way home to each other.
Author's Note:
So… I might have gone a little too deep into "research" for this chapter. Let's just say I now know way more about writing romance and the not-so-PG parts than I ever thought I would. Honestly, this was a first for me, and I'm still not sure if I pulled it off.
Let me know what you thought of the romance side of things. Did it feel genuine, or should I just stick to superpowers and chaos instead of love confessions? Your feedback will help me figure out if I should keep exploring this lane or leave it to the pros.