7 Days Till Christmas (Ninjago Jaya AU)

3 Days Till Christmas

A/N: Hi everybody, really sorry I didn't post this yesterday, but I'm sick and I was feeling pretty awful. I feel somewhat better today, but this one is still gonna be pretty short, and probably not the most interesting. I'll try to post the actual chapter for today later, but I don't know if I'll get around to it till tomorrow. But hey, maybe if you're in a timezone that's far enough behind mine, it's still the 22nd for you. Regardless, thanks for reading!

"Oh, crap!" I sit up quickly and scramble for my phone. Sure enough, I've forgotten to set my alarm. At least Ronin isn't here to scold me for being late (there really aren't many excuses for it when you literally live at the same place you work) but I've wasted time. And what if Jay's here already? Have I kept him waiting?

I tug on my clothes and coveralls, quickly brush my hair and teeth, slip into my shoes, and run down to the shop. I go to unlock the office door just as Jay parks his car.

"Hey." I hold open the door for him.

"Hi." He hands me a bag. "Care for breakfast?"

I look in the bag. It's filled with an assortment of pastries.

"Where'd you get this?"

"Stole it from my mother."

"Wait, really?"

"We had breakfast together before she left for work. She always orders way too much food, and rich as she is, I doubted she'd mind my bringing a few things to my favorite mechanic."

"Thanks. Really, I need it."

"You haven't eaten?"

"No," I admit. "I was sort of in a rush this morning."

"Well, eat now. I don't mind." He says.

"No, Jay, I need to get to work."

He shakes his head. "Nope. You're already doing so much for me, but don't sacrifice yourself, for goodness sakes. I swear, half an hour won't make any difference."

We sit on the bench in the office as I eat. Finally, to break the awkward silence, I speak up.

"So, tell me about this Christmas dinner of yours. Is it a tradition?"

Jay shrugs. "Sort of? I mean, we've done other things for Christmas before. When I was younger, we'd go on trips sometimes. But now, it's more about keeping the family together. Mom and Dad don't see each other that much anymore. I mean, they still like each other, but they don't really care. They're not in love like they used to be. Work is the most important thing to them. Family isn't."

"I'm sorry." I say. I don't really know how else to respond.

"No, it's okay." He says. "It could be a lot worse, you know?"

"Yeah." I say under my breath. I don't want to compare my situation to his, but . . .

"So, what would you be doing if you were back home?" Jay is saying. "Do you have any family traditions for the holidays?"

I shake my head. "Not really. Nothing big, that is."

"Do you have siblings?" He asks.

"Yeah. I have a brother, and my little cousin. He's ten, and crazy about your dad's movies. He's like another brother to me, basically, since I lived with my aunt–she's the one who got me this job–before I came here." I sigh. "I guess, if I was there, we'd probably have a big dinner at home on Christmas Eve, and then try to get to bed early because we all know that when there's a ten year old in the house, you're going to be woken up way too early on Christmas."

"That sounds amazing, except for the being woken up part." Jay says. "My family has always been just the three of us. I always wanted siblings, or cousins."

"I'm glad I have them." I agree. "And my aunt has done so much for me–she got me this job, and she took me in . . . after my parents passed away." I look away from him. I wasn't planning on telling him that particular bit of information, but I can't really talk about my family without mentioning it. I'm pretty sure he's already got the picture that something happened to my parents, and besides, he opened up to me about his family. It's only fair that I do the same.

"I–" He starts, and I cut him off.

"It's okay. You don't have to say you're sorry, it's fine. It's been years since it happened. I'm used to it." That's not really true. I'll never really be used to it, but it's gotten easier.

We go back to awkward silence as I close the bag of pastries and set it on the front desk.

"Thanks for breakfast. But we'd better get to work." I go through the door to the garage. Jay hesitates before following me.

"Look, I'm sorry I asked about your family." He says.

"No, really, it's okay. I chose to tell you. And it was five years ago, after all. Besides, if we're going to be friends, I can't lie to you."

"Friends?"

"That's what I said, isn't it? I know we've only known each other for a few days, but you're the first person my own age that I've met here." I give him a smirk. "Besides, I've decided to let you help clean up your little mess here." I gesture to the engine on the table.

"Really?"

"Just as long as you do exactly as I say."

"I will, boss."

"Please don't call me that."

"Okay, Nya. Let's do this thing."