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The Destiny’s Bounty was great for a lot of things. Transportation, shelter, and looking so cool when docking and sliding down the anchor from the sky? All great things.
Living with your biggest crush? Not one of them.
Nya had never lived with any other boy besides Kai, not that she could remember, at least. She had been too young to recall a time when she lived with her parents before they were gone, and then she and her brother had been pawned off on a spinster aunt with her assortment of cats.
Needless to say, moving in with a trio of rowdy teenage boys was… challenging. And complicated, as the proximity only furthered Nya’s crush on the blue-clad ninja, who she had been infatuated with from the moment she first saw him. Being near him constantly, running into him around every corner, sitting across from him at the dinner table, constantly surrounded by his bad jokes and yelling rants in the game room or in the training course, made Nya’s infatuation burn off, leaving full-blown affection and a silly, girlish crush to rise from its embers.
Luckily for her, being so close to Jay at all times meant that she learned to read him. She saw his oddly-timed humor as the bad flirting barely hiding beneath the surface. She noticed the way he blushed, the flush more clearly visible under his freckles than hers was. She, at least, could keep her face straight until she got into her room, when she could giggle and twirl her hair without fear of being teased relentlessly by her big brother.
Nya knew that Jay liked her back. That knowledge lit her up from the inside, sending a flurry of butterflies loose in her gut every time she was around him - which was a lot, given their living arrangement. She knew that he would drop everything if she asked him out, maybe even faint at the mere mention of going on a date with her, but Nya was uncharacteristically nervous around Jay. She couldn’t fathom the idea of making the first move, so she was relieved when Jay made it for her. She had been sure, before he asked her out, that the waiting would kill her.
And even after the disaster of their first date - with snake attackers, a snake-like date, and nearly dying attempting to ruin their fun - Nya kissed Jay on the cheek before retreating into her room. His skin was still buzzing from harnessing his true potential, but it was far preferable to the scaly version of his face that Nya had brushed her lips to hours before.
“I think we should have a first date redo.”
“I liked our first date,” Nya said, setting down the blueprints that she’d been pouring over and leaning against the Bounty’s bridge, tilting her head at Jay, who seemed panicked by her words.
“I mean, yeah, I liked it, too- oh, no! I didn’t mean I didn’t like it!”
“Jay…”
“No, I loved our first date, I just-”
“Jay. Slow down and find your words,” Nya said, grinning as she slid herself up to sit on the counter, kicking her legs slightly as she watched Jay close his mouth quickly, his thoughts playing rapidly on his face before he spoke.
“I think we should go on another date. One where one of us-” Jay gestured at himself and Nya giggled. “-isn’t a snake and we’re not strapped to a roller coaster. One that’s more fun than that.”
“If you wanted to go out with me again, you could’ve just said that, Sparky.”
Jay let out a breathy giggle at the nickname, then quickly cleared his throat, trying to play off the sound. He stepped casually over to Nya, stopping in front of her with his electrified palms tickling her knees. “So… do you want to go on another first date?”
Nya grinned, slipping her hands under Jay’s to hold them, watching as his grin turned lopsided, his blue eyes soft in a way she only ever got to see when he was looking at her. “Of course I do.”
Again, they went to dinner. But this time, the pressure was less intense. They were still giddy, giggly and nervous - as they always made each other - but not because of the weight of the date. Just because Jay and Nya liked each other so much that their heads would spin, their hearts would race whenever they were together. Instead of the big fancy restaurant or the amusement park, they went to Nya’s favorite noodle spot in the city, where the owner’s daughter always slipped her free dumplings because she knew Nya’s undercover identity.
They talked about everything and nothing, as they would have on their first date if not for all of the interruptions. Jay still tried to impress Nya, but she caught him in all of his extravagant lies, laughing as Jay rolled his eyes and slurped his noodles, his smile never leaving his face.
At the end of the long night, Jay and Nya went through the classic first-date motions. They fought over the check, with Jay eventually weasling it out of Nya’s grip and promising that she could cover dinner next time. The confidence and the way Jay reached for her hand, his warmth spreading gently up her arm and to her face in a deep blush, only made her girlish crush grow.
“I’m really glad we did this,” Nya whispered, squeezing Jay’s hand as they made their way back to the docked Bounty above the city. He grinned, looping his arm through the crook of Nya’s elbow so they could walk closer to one another. “Another great first date. I hope we can do it again soon.”
Jay grinned, nodding quickly. “Yeah. We can keep doing first dates forever.” Nya inhaled sharply, her mind swimming at the possibility. Jay seemed to read her reaction, along with the way her grip on his arm tightened, as hesitation, but it wasn’t. Still, he immediately began backtracking, blabbering as their walking slowed. “I mean- not forever- just for a… for a while. Only if you want to! I don’t want to-”
Nya pinched Jay’s arm and he winced, pulling back a bit to look down at her with wide eyes. “Jay Walker, why do you always think I don’t like you as much as you like me?”
Jay paused, sputtering slightly, then shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re just so… FSM, Nya. You’re so… awesome. You’re smart and funny and gorgeous and… you’re Samurai X, for crying out loud! You’re as strong as four ninja put together! Maybe even more.” Nya grinned, twirling a chunk of her hair with her free hand. “And I’m just… me. Junkyard Boy Jay.”
“And I like you a lot, Junkyard Boy Jay,” Nya murmured, pulling Jay closer. He stared down at her, awestruck, his lips slightly parted, but already twitching into one of those classic smiles. “Even when you’re being self-depricating, which is frustrating, because you’re fantastic.” Jay’s face cracked into a full-on grin, looking like it was about to split his face in two. “Not as fantastic as me, obviously, but pretty darn great.”
“Obviously,” Jay agreed, chuckling quickly before his tone softened, turning serious. “I really like you, Nya.”
“I really like you, Jay,” Nya whispered, leaning closer to Jay’s beaming face, catching his sparkling eyes. His breath caught in his throat as he adjusted his stance, moving his hands to hold Nya’s elbows, then shift to her face. She grinned at him, pursing her lips quickly as her eyeline dipped down to his chapped ones, giving him no chance to doubt what she wanted from him. Finally, Jay leaned forward, brushing his smile to hers, and Nya melted. It was their first official kiss, the first of many, Nya knew, even when Jay shocked her lips with a tiny zap of lightning. Even so, she couldn’t fault him for it. It was perfect.
When they’d tell the story of their first date, years down the road when they were still disgustingly happy, Nya knew they’d tell two. The story of the disastrous first one, and this one. The perfect one, where everything went right. She’d seen it the first time she’d ever met Jay, that beautiful blue future. She knew, deep in her bones, that Jay Walker was it for Nya Jiang.
Jay, of course, had identical thoughts. He was just better at voicing them, even if his words didn’t fall on the right ears.
“I wanna marry her.”
“No.”
“Kai! Why not?"
“Because you’ve been on two dates and she’s fifteen,” Kai said, reaching forward and grabbing a potsticker off of Jay’s plate, popping it in his mouth and chewing quickly as the blue ninja pouted. “Give it time. Soon enough, she’ll realize how dumb you are and move on.”
“You’re the worst.”
“Just know that if you propose now, I’m gonna light a fire under your ass.”
Jay rolled his eyes, grabbing a handful of noodles from Kai’s plate. “Duly noted.”
As the budding romance between Jay and Nya blossomed, he remained ever the junkyard gentleman, sure to keep things above-board. He knew - and had been reminded nearly every day by the Fire Ninja himself - that Kai would kill him if he didn’t.
He’d ‘pick Nya up’ for their dates, crossing the hallway between their cabins and knocking gently, holding out flowers to her. She pressed and saved every bouquet, her heart squeezing when she hung them in her window. When they got back after their dinner dates or the movie they saw, Jay would walk Nya back to her room, wanting to kiss her goodnight every time. Every time, however, he could feel Kai’s eyes through their door, waiting to burn a hole in him.
Every time, as though she could read Jay's mind - which aligned with hers - Nya would tug him into a goodnight kiss. Brother be damned. Jay would always pause at the sudden contact, but would quickly forget about the Master of Fire as he lost himself in the warmth of Nya's lips. Still, he kept things appropriate, with his hands settled on her elbows or her face, not wanting to be murdered in his sleep by his roommate and risk never getting to kiss her again. Nya didn’t care, though. She'd always hold onto him tight, feeling any bit of skin she could reach as she held Jay close. When she finally pulled away, she always left him dazed, his lips parted. Nya would always grin, pressing one final kiss to Jay’s lips before wishing him a good night and slipping into her cabin, where she immediately threw herself onto the bed, pulling her pillow to her face so no one across the hall would hear her squealing.
For the first few weeks of their official relationship, Jay had even taken to calling Nya at night, kicking his feet up and giggling into the receiver as if she weren’t across the hallway. Nya played along, giddy at the normalcy and newness of their bond, disappointed when the rest of the team begged Jay to stop giggling so loud when they were trying to sleep.
The proximity was only a problem for the rest of the team. For Jay and Nya, it was a blessing sent from the First Spinjitzu Master himself.
Nya, however, had made no promises to stay G-rated with Jay. She wasn’t about to knock things up to fully rated-R, but she always wanted more than hand-holding and quick kisses with Jay.
She ended up taking the reins when it came to pushing for more, too. Within Jay’s comfort zone, of course, only worried for a moment when she pounced on him that he didn’t want the same things she did, when he faltered for a second at her sudden touch, stiffening against the couch. Then, Jay’s hands came up to cradle her face, his lips opening to hers, the movie they had been watching immediately forgotten, and Nya knew that they were on the same page.
Nya knew she could never get tired of kissing Jay. She loved the way his skin tickled her lips, the lightning fast element that he channeled humming beneath his freckles at all times. Soon enough, she moved from beside Jay on the L-shaped couch to on top of him, settled in his lap even as he avoided touching her. Nya could feel the smile on Jay’s lips as her fingertips found his hair, roaming underneath the auburn locks as her kisses moved to his jaw. Jay squeaked, his hands finally settling on Nya’s forearms. A safe touch.
“This okay?” Nya murmured, the vibration of her words radiating across Jay’s throat, making him swallow hard.
“Mm.. mmhmm.” His reply was still strangled and nervous, but his tightened grip on Nya’s arms, gently guiding her back to caress his head, proved that it was just that. Typical Nya-induced nervousness. She couldn’t fight her smile as she brought her lips back to Jay’s throat, brushing them across a pulse point just below his jaw to feel his rapidly beating heart. Then, Nya moved her lips back up to Jay’s, leaving a trail of kisses on her journey, humming as his buzzing hands cupped her cheeks, pulling her into him.
“Hands up, Jay!”
Jay pulled back, his hands immediately leaving Nya’s face. She pouted at the loss of warmth and the gentle hum that came with them, glaring at her older brother over the back of the couch as Jay jumped to his own defense. “My hands are up, Nya’s the one who-“
She gasped, shoving his shoulder as she rolled off him. “Don’t blame me! You’re the one who said ‘hey let’s watch a movie in the dark when nobody else is here’. Isn’t that universally acknowledged makeout code, even in whatever hick desert you come from?”
“I never said that!”
“You might as well have!”
Jay turned to Kai. “Nya started it.” He winced when Nya smacked him upside the head, where his hair had been sticking up in every direction from Nya’s fingers raking through it. Jay gasped when Kai simply shook his head, his lips curled down. “Your sister is physically abusing me!” he cried as Nya moved to cover his mouth with her palm. Jay was quicker, though, wrapping his arm around Nya’s shoulders to hold her arms to her sides as she wiggled in an attempt to break free. “Didn’t you raise her better?”
Kai rolled his eyes as Nya giggled. “No, she used to use me as her human punching bag. And you chose to keep dating her, I was stuck with her!” Kai skillfully dodged the pillow that Nya hurled in his direction, choosing to leave the room before he could see more of Nya and Jay’s googly eyes that they always reserved for each other. “It’s your turn now, Zap Trap!”
“Oh noo!” Jay called back dramatically as Nya finally broke free, grinning as she pressed a kiss to his freckled cheek, her lips tickling at the quick contact. By that time, Kai was already gone. Jay was free to turn fully, taking Nya by the shoulders to pull her back into the kisses that had been interrupted. It was his turn to catch her off guard, to make her nervous and giddy.
Not for the first time since Kai and Nya had joined the team, Jay saw a flicker of a future chock-full of moments just like this one; with him and Nya disgustingly in love and Kai - or any of their teammates, really - gagging dramatically as they looked on. It was a nice image. One that Jay wanted to crawl into and live in forever.
They got used to being around each other nearly constantly, much to the dismay and disgust of their roommates. So, on the rare occasion that Jay and Nya weren’t together, it was a hard adjustment. It never lasted long. Not even employment - in an attempt to cover the high-priced rent for their shared apartment after the Bounty was destroyed… again - could keep them away.
Jay had tried to sneak up and surprise Nya as she worked - which could prove to be a bad idea, with her holding a heavy wrench - but failed miserably. Nya shot her attention to the rolling door of the garage, which had allowed late afternoon light to spill into her working area, grinning when her eyes landed on him. “What are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t get away.”
“Well, it turns out you’re on my route,” Jay said, leaning casually on his bike, as if he hadn’t been caught trying to startle her and attack her with kisses on the clock. Nya eyed him suspiciously.
“Really?”
He gave in instantly. “Well, no. But I wanted to see you.”
“Jay! Where’s this pizza supposed to be?”
“On the other side of town,” Jay admitted, smiling sheepishly. Nya shoved his shoulder, offering him a bright grin of her own.
“FSM, Jay. Get outta here! If you lose this job, the guys’ll kick your ass for not pulling your weight in rent.” Nya gestured with her wrench at him and he sighed, knowing that - as always - she was right. Even though they didn’t live on the Bounty anymore - after it crumbled in front of their eyes yet again - they still lived under the same roof. Somehow, worked between Jay and Nya, but it didn’t stem the flirtatious energy that always filled the space when they were together. “People don’t take kindly to getting cold pizzas because their delivery boys like taking detours. They don’t tip them well, either.”
Another sigh, another grin. “Okayyy, I’ll get back to work,” Jay said, stepping forward to press a quick kiss to Nya’s cheek before pulling his helmet back over his reddish hair. Nya felt her skin burning in the wake of his lips, pressing her fingertips to her jawline. Jay flashed Nya one last smile as he climbed onto the bike.
“Call me!” she called quickly, waving as Jay nodded, grinning under his helmet, then sped off back to work. The butterflies in her stomach were making her dizzy.
“Thank you for calling First Spinjitzu Master and Sons Autobody and Paint, where all your mechanical needs can be met! How can I help you today?”
A laugh rang through the phone. One that Nya immediately recognized. One that made her heart race, a smile tilting her lips. He hadn’t even lasted an hour. “Wow, you sound so pro. Say that again.”
“Jay?” she asked, even though she already knew he was on the other end of the line.
“Please? You sound so businesslike, it makes me want to break my mech just to get it fixed by you.”
Nya rolled her eyes, but even the exasperated movement didn’t stand a chance against her wide grin, the giddy feeling running through her veins. “I didn’t think you’d call so soon.”
“I found a payphone,” Jay said, his voice slightly tinny.
“What happened to your urgent schedule? Remember: cold pizza equals bad tips.”
“I figured these people could survive if their pizza was slightly cold. They’ll tip me anyways when they see that their pizza mule is the Master of Lightning.” Nya snorted, still grinning as she leaned against the car she’d been working on. “Plus, I had something I forgot to tell you.”
“Hmm? What’s that?”
“You look really pretty.” The machine beeped, covering Nya’s breathy giggle. “Okay, I’ve gotta go. I have no more quarters on me. See you at home, bye Nya!” Jay blabbered, making sure to get everything out before the payphone cut him off.
“Bye, Jay!” Nya said, grateful that they were interrupted by the machine hanging up before Jay had a chance to hear her fully swoon into it.
From the moment she’d first met them, Nya had loved Ed and Edna. She could see exactly how Jay became the wild, weird, caring person that he was through their shaping of him, and she loved them even more for making him who he was. Who she got the chance to know. They were the type of people she wished were her parents, too. She spent more time than she liked to admit fantasizing about a future in which they were.
Since his parents had been roped into the complications of their son’s ninja lifestyle, Jay had taken to visiting them more often. The team’s free time was few and far between, but Jay tried to manage at least one weekend visit to the junkyard every month, often bringing Nya along. She always agreed with a wide smile - even when he anxiously insisted that she didn’t have to go - and insisted that she adored Ed and Edna. It was the truth, even if it was only half as much as she adored Jay.
Nya’s face was aching from smiling and laughing all throughout dinner, during which she could barely get a word in through the Walker’s babbling, not that she was complaining about getting a chance to sit in on the family fun. Ed had gone looking for a board game for them to get lost in before Jay and Nya had to return to the new monastery and Edna had begun preparing an after-dinner treat, so Jay and Nya had been sent to the small living room area, out of the way. Jay had groaned when Nya started looking around, her attention immediately landing on a shelf of framed family photos categorizing Jay’s young life. She liked getting a chance to look at little Jay, to see all of the things that were so different from the version of him that was her boyfriend now. There were a few aspects in particular, photographed beside younger versions of Ed and Edna, that made Nya gasp.
“Do you… straighten your hair?” Nya asked, looking from the picture frame to Jay, who had been following her as she poked around his past and who immediately flushed, his hand flying to the base of his neck as he looked away.
“Uh… yeah?” he muttered, offering Nya a timid smile. She mirrored it with an even wider one. “FSM, it’s so embarrassing.
“Why would that be embarrassing?”
“Because…” Jay pursed his lips. “I only did it because I wanted to be like Fritz Donagan. So I started straightening my hair and now it’s… completely fried. You know, you’ve felt it.” Jay grinned as Nya gently carded her fingers through his hair, chuckling.
“I thought you just didn’t know how to use conditioner.”
“Joke’s on you, I have a whole hair-care routine to deal with this mess,” Jay said, patting the crown of his head. If the room were quiet enough, they’d be able to hear the crunch of dead hair. Nya caught his hand as he pulled it away, looping her fingers through Jay’s.
“I think it looks good. But… if you ever decide you don’t want to fry your gorgeous hair off… I think that would look good, too.”
“Really?”
“Mmhmm,” Nya hummed, her smile widening as Jay’s empty hand found her cheek, gently pulling her toward him, brushing his grin to hers.
“Jay! Nya, honey! Tea and cookies are all warm!” Edna called through the trailer, pulling the pair of them apart.
“This doesn’t leave the trailer,” Jay murmured, pointing to the curly-haired prepubescent photos of him. Nya pouted.
“But you look so cute!”
Jay laughed, pressing another kiss to Nya’s cheek as he steered her back toward the kitchenette, where his dad was setting up an elaborate story-based game that was sure to keep Jay and Nya there for hours. It was clear that Ed and Edna hoped they could rope them into an impromptu sleepover, to make their once-a-month visit last longer. “There can only be one ninja with a hair complex, and there’s no way I can dethrone Kai.”
Nya sighed. “Fine. I guess it’ll be another thing for just us.”
“Are you kids coming? The tea’s going to get cold!”
“Yeah, Ma! We’re comin’,” Jay called back, turning to Nya with wide eyes. “Jeez. I’m sorry I dragged you out here.”
Nya shook her head, tugging Jay through the trailer. “No dragging done. I really like Ed and Edna. Every chance I get to spend time with them is a blessing.”
This time, it was Jay’s turn to try to stifle his swoon. He always worried that he was too much - he'd been told that he was by enough people for it to become a source of buzzing anxiety - and his parents were an extension of that. He loved them, of course, but they could be a lot. Still, Nya liked them. She liked him. She always made Jay feel like he was just enough, not too much more or less. Even though it was too early to voice it, Jay knew he loved Nya for it. Already, he was thinking about throwing out his flat iron when they got back home on the off chance that she'd like the results. And, against Kai’s orders, Jay was once again thinking about forever with Nya.
“Hey! That tickles!” Nya squealed, moving to yank her hand out of Jay’s, which was crackling with gentle electricity and firmly squeezing hers.
“I have something I wanted to give you. If you let go now, you don’t get it.”
“Well, that’s not fair! You’re shocking me,” Nya said, squeezing Jay’s fingers nearly too tight in retaliation. He grinned at her, his face framed by tiny curls that had recently started to fight back against years of heat damage, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the tiny gift, seeing as she hadn’t let go of his hand.
“Here. For you.” Jay extended his closed fist to Nya, who grinned, then opened it dramatically. Nya chuckled, pulling her attention away from the tiny paper present.
“What is it?”
“A ring. The only one Kai’ll let me give you,” Jay said, watching as Nya used her empty hand to pick up the ring, holding it carefully between her fingertips.
“Is this…?”
“A menu from Chen’s? Yeah,” Jay said, chuckling as Nya examined the little loop, with the lunch specials partially visible through the intricate folds. “I made it when you were in the bathroom.”
“You’re such a dork.” Nya grinned up at Jay, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before turning her attention to her present, slipping it onto her ring finger. It fit surprisingly well, without leaving any sort of papercut along her skin. For months, Jay had been practicing the oragami, folding slips and scraps of paper over and over again until every one of them was perfect for Nya. Once the final product was secured, Nya’s smile grew and she held up her hand, showing off her gift. “What do you think?”
“A perfect placeholder,” Jay murmured, taking Nya’s hand and kissing her knuckle, then looping their fingers together as they resumed their stroll through the city, continuing to shock and tickle Nya’s palms with electric excitement that he’d never learned how to control. Nya didn’t mind.
They continued like that, with Nya never tiring of Jay. She had known how dumb he was from the beginning, yet she never moved on. He was it for her, and she was it for him. Months turned into years, littered with the sloping hills and valleys of life, but Jay and Nya always remained, as did Jay’s tiny, impromptu gifts.
A little folded piece of paper in the shape of a loop. A gum wrapper, a receipt, a sticky note. Blues, yellows, faded purple. Years and years of paper rings, crowding the jar on Nya’s desk - beside years of dried and pressed floral gifts from Jay - until she got a real one. Until Jay told Kai that he wanted to marry Nya, because that fact had never changed, and her big brother had no objection. Never thrown away, but eventually upgraded to something a lot shinier.