Theories of Relativity (NINJAGO JAYA)

Firecracker

It wasn't that she "didn't want to be a part of the boys' club".  She did.  And who wouldn't?  They had all the fun, got all the glory, and somehow always got by unscathed.  It was a testament to their abilities that no one died yet (at least, not in this timeline).

But sometimes, the boys club was too much for her.  She loved them, she really did, but as they say, "boys will be boys".  It was in those moments, Nya would execute every ounce of patience she had in existence (and knowing her, that wasn't much), so she could gracefully excuse herself from turning nothing into something.  Being related to the Master of Fire had its perks and drawbacks.  She had a short fuse— so sue her.  At least she could recognize when she was at her limits.  Or pushed past her boundaries.  Living with five young men, who were driven by testosterone and adventure, on a flying ship with only one shared bathroom, Nya was quite proud she had not murdered anyone yet. 

She had also mastered the art of the eye roll, and the exasperated sigh.

As the sun dipped low on the horizon, bathing her in golden light, Nya let out one of those perfectly executed exasperated sighs.  There was far too much alpha-bro-head-butting going on for her liking, especially over something trivial, so she removed herself before striking the fear of the FSM in them.  She needed a timeout more than they did.

The wind whipped up the hull of the Bounty and pulled gently on her hair, reminding her that she lived an extraordinary life.  She sucked in a deep breath, then let the tension from her bundled nerves dissolve on the exhale. 

"Hey," said a voice from behind.  Nya tensed, the stress filtering back in.  Her shoulders went rigid and she did her best to bite her tongue.  Jay usually knew better than to interrupt her cooling down time.

"Are you coming back inside or are you going to keep throwing yourself a pity party?"

Nya wasn't sure if Jay had no fear or no brains. 

"Give me a few minutes," she said through gritted teeth, hoping he would get the memo and leave. 

He didn't.

Nya's jaw ticked as she resisted the urge to turn around and give him a piece of her mind.  A pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso, drawing her into an equally strong and warm chest, halting her raging thoughts.  How did he cross the deck so fast, and so quietly?  Sneaky ninja.

Her rage simmered but didn't boil over.  His elemental power thrummed in sync with his heartbeat, steady and strong, and she reluctantly melted into his embrace. 

"Are you going to tell me why you rage quit on us?"  he murmured into her ear.  Nya's shoulders tensed even more as a shiver raced down her spine and to her toes. 

"I needed to cool my head," she breathed out, finding that her words had less bite and F-off vibe than she intended.  "Alone," she added for effect.  Jay's grip on her remained firm. 

His warm breath tickled her ear as he said, "Can I tell you a secret?" 

Nya wavered in his grasp, trying to shimmy out of his hold without getting shocked, and prepared herself for a dumb joke.  "If it means you will leave me alone," she countered, and resisted the urge to smile as he chuckled behind her.

"Things get boring when you leave," he uttered.  Nya paused in her quest to free herself and let a genuine grin bloom across her face. 

"Knowing how easily you get bored: I will take that as a complement." 

"You should.  Things are dull when you are not around."

"Does that mean you are not going to leave me alone right now?"

"I could, but then Jay would be a sad boy." 

Nya tried not to roll her eyes at his words.  She tittered in her stance, seeing if he would let her break free, but his embrace was solid.  "You are playing with fire right now," she informed him, "I've got a short fuse, remember?"

"And I've got the spark."

Nya pursed her lips, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of hearing her laugh.  "I guess you want to go out in a blaze of glory right now."

"Pretty much."

Nya cradled her head in her hands and sighed.  "I can't tell if you have no fear or no brains."

"Considering how you turn my brains to mush when I am around you, both are true."

Nya couldn't hold back the giggle that fluttered out of her lungs.  Jay tightened his grip around her in response.  Whatever she was mad about was instantly forgotten, replaced the controlled chaos of her yang, and she wouldn't want it any other way.