DT1 - Shadowy Ailments

[Onyx]

Okay, that made her forget about the cold. Onyx had been enjoying the walk and the feeling of Nailah warming her up, but when she felt the girl's hand slide around her waist it was like a switch flipping in her head. She breathes in sharply as she feels something akin to stepping off a rooftop without a line. Her body shivers with excitement and a blush rises to her cheeks, both hidden fairly well by the dark, cold night.

It feels nice, Onyx thinks. She briefly wonders what it would feel like if Nailah's hand slid down her bare legs...

Onyx breathes in deeply. What is wrong with her? She had never had thoughts like this before. Was this how people normally felt towards their friends? She thought about asking Nailah briefly, but the idea embarrassed her in ways she couldn't quite explain.

Instead, she just moved in closer to Nailah.

"Thank you for taking care of me tonight," Onyx finally says quietly.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Of course. It's what friends do. Heck, it's what superheroes do, yeah? Helping people and each other." she smiles Onyx didn't seem to be bothered by being this close to her. Nailah briefly wondered if she'd done something wrong when Onyx drew in a sudden breath but that worry disappeared when she moved in closer instead of moving away. "I was pretty worried when you just collapsed." she adds, realizing that she wasn't really sure what she would do if something happened to Onyx.

[Onyx]

"I did not intend to worry you," Onyx says softly. "I am sorry."

It's what friends do. Right. Friends. Friends hold each other. Friends put there arms around each other. Care for each other. Touch each other. This was all normal stuff for friends.

Onyx's face reddened even more as other friendly possibilities raced through her mind.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Not like you did it on purpose. Plus it let me swoop in and rescue you." she says with a chuckle that dies halfway through in a mortified choke at the realization of what she just said might sound like. Especially in light of the dream she'd told Onyx about.

[Onyx]

"My hero," Onyx teases.

[Nailah Weaver]

"And I beat up another one of those punks looking for you." she grins. Bragging, this is familiar ground and easy to handle.

[Onyx]

"Which one?" Onyx asks, sounding curious, She might have also inadvertently pressed a bit closer to Nailah as she asked. Completely unintentional.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Glowy tattoos, I think his name was Sign. He's the one who burned my shoulder." she says, holding Onyx a little tighter. If she's leaning into her maybe she's still a little weak and just to proud to show it, so she should make sure to support her. These excuses were becoming increasingly easy to make up.

[Onyx]

"He's an asshole," Onyx says, a bit more anger in her voice than she might have meant. She was practically putty in Nailah's hands at this point. She dreaded actually reaching the dorms. What was she going to do? Well, I mean. Go to bed. Obviously. She needed to rest.

But maybe Nailah would want to stay with her? She did just collapse and it might be good to have someone keeping an eye on her. Wait, what are you talking about? You're fine. You don't need someone in bed with you. Who said anything about getting in bed together? I mean, the bed was probably large enough to fit the two of them comfortably but Nailah had her own room.

Stop it. Stop it. Onyx takes a deep breath. What is wrong with you?

It's just...excess radiation, right? Just need to get rid of some energy. Or a nice, hot relaxing shower. That might help.

"We should be able to track the rest of the Rising Sons pretty easily," Onyx says.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Man, how many of those guys are there?" she asks almost rhetorically, shaking her head. The thought of an endless stream of people like Sign coming after Onyx is not sitting right with her at all and she almost subconsciously tucks her wing around Onyx' shoulder a little tighter. Which feels kind of silly, Onyx is the trained superhero after all and she's just the sidekick-in-training. So why is she feeling so protective and responsible? Just because her friend had caught a nasty cold?

Maybe it's because Onyx seemed kind of vulnerable when she wasn't in her element, because she didn't really know how to be Emily, just how to be Onyx. It seems almost cruel to try and encourage that, to get her to drop the invincible hero persona in favor of being a person. Maybe that's why she'd acted like she had. Even now they're talking about villains and stuff despite the fact that they're waking arm in arm. Am I scared of something too? it goes through her head. She'd certainly acted like it with Sam. And then again with Onyx. Was there really anything to be scared of though?

"They must be pretty desperate for a butt-kicking though if they came all this way." she jokes. Yep, still much easier than to actually talk about what may or may not be going on between the two of them.

[Onyx]

"There should be two more, Jet Black and Nightwind," Onyx say, smiling a bit as Nailah's wing comes a bit closer. It felt nice. The warmth. Feeling protected. She had never really been this close to another person before.

Hesitantly, she follows Nailah's example, sliding her arm around Nailah's waist.

"You are very warm," Onyx notes. She instantly feels stupid. Why would you say that? Of course she was warm. That's how body heat works. "I--I mean, it feels nice. Because of the cold."

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Good! That... that's good." she smiles nervously as they reach the dorms. "I think this is your place." she jokes awkwardly as she points at the dorms, immediately regretting it because it sounds like they're on a date or something.

[Onyx]

Onyx laughs a bit too hard at that joke.

"I--I should probably just go straight to bed," Onyx says. "Get some rest."

Which was going to be hard considering all the adrenaline, hormones, and nervous energy surging through her system, but Nailah didn't need to know that.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Yeah, I should probably just turn in too. It's been a long day..." she says, not really making any attempts to let go of Onyx.

[Onyx]

Onyx glances up at Nailah, staring at her pretty openly. Standing there in front of the dorms, wearing a hospital gown and her underwear, being held by Nailah, she imagined what it would be like to kiss her best friend. The thought made her heart race.

"A very long day," Onyx says. "A lot happened."

She almost felt like running away, but her knees were weak and Nailah was too warm. It was like knowing you had to get out of bed, but being wrapped in a warm blanket, the soft material brushing against naked skin....

Her hand gripped the material of the back of the girl's shirt.

"Nailah..." Onyx says. "Ummm..."

She thought about training with Nailah in the gym. Hands guiding her body. Pressing against Nailah's stomach.

And then she thought about how much it hurt went Nailah rushed away.

She lets go of Nailah's shirt, and looks down at the ground. "Thank you. I..."

It was so hard to say.

"I will see you tomorrow," Onyx says.

Coward.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Y-yeah." she says, her voice catching in her throat a little. For a moment it had felt like something was going to happen and she'd been too scared or excited to back out, but then she feels Onyx' hand relaxing let go of her shirt and the moment passes. "Get some good rest, okay?" she smiles, trying not to feel disappointed. She's not entirely sure about what, although she has some ideas that drift dangerously close to the dream that had woken her up with heavy breath.

[Onyx]

"I will," Onyx says. "Good night, Nailah."

She hesitates for a moment, lingering to enjoy the warmth a little bit longer.

And then she walks away, repeatedly looking back at Nailah with a sad smile on her face.

Of course, the fact that they live in the same dorm, on the same floor, only a couple doors away from one another undercuts the moment a tiny bit.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah just stands there, watching Onyx head into the dorms. Her initial instinct is to just fly to her own window to avoid awkwardly following Onyx a couple steps behind but then she realizes she can't right now. So instead she just smiles at Onyx and gives her a goofy wave before heading back to the infirmary to see if she can pick up Onyx' clothes for her. The fact that that gives her an excuse to knock on the girl's door the next morning has nothing at all to do with that decision.