Sky Trip (Ninjago Flumptober)

3. Vows Part 1: I Scare Myself

I am soooo sorry for missing yesterday! I hope the wait will be worth it!

Nya reflects a whole bunch during this chapter, so italics will be flashbacks, normal will be present time. Enjoy!

Two weeks. It was two weeks before Jay had asked her out the first time- but during those two weeks, they had been great friends. They had stayed up late working on inventions most nights, one night they had sat outside and watched the stars despite it being the middle of winter.

Nya smiled at the memory from their predating days. She and Jay were sitting on the deck of the Bounty, curled up in blankets, watching the stars. It had become a tradition ever since they had done it the first time. Sometimes they'd sit and talk, or Jay would point out constellations to her. Other nights- like tonight- the two took comfort in each other's presence while their thoughts preoccupied them.

In hindsight, maybe they should've stayed friends a little longer. But she didn't know any better at the time, and there was definitely a spark, so she said yes. Nya was so not prepared for all the self-consciousness or doubt that was in a relationship. Questioning every move she made was not something she was used to, though her boldness had shone through in the couple times she pecked his cheek. His response was usually a squeak plus a red face.

Thinking about her younger self's hesitation was laughable now. She could grab Jay's hand without really thinking about it, and she could kiss him knowing it was completely okay because, well, they were engaged. It was what she did now, taking his hand. Jay glanced up from what he was writing and gave her a small smile before his face lit up as he scribbled something down.

"You really love him, don't you?" It was only a passing comment Kai made, but it sent her into a frenzy.

Nya choked on her drink. "L-Love?"

"Yeah? Isn't it kinda obvious? Jay really likes you."

Love? Nonononono, he was getting too close, too fast, and it needed to stop. It scared her, how much she could feel for one person- how much Jay could feel for her. Having someone care about you sounded nice in fairytales, but now Nya wasn't so sure if she liked it. There had to be a way to get the feelings to slow down- at least for a little while.

"Hi, Nya." The voice made her look up- only to see the root of her problems. "You look nice today." She just kept staring at Jay, hoping he'd disappear. "Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Gosh, he really shouldn't be looking at her with that level of concern.

Shrugging his hand off her shoulder, she took a step back, giving herself some room. "Boundaries." That would fix things, right? And when the perfect match machine came along, she saw it as an opportunity to shift the focus away from developing her relationship and consider other options. But it only made things worse.

Like there was any competition between Cole and Jay. It was always Jay- she just didn't want to admit it.

Unlocking her true potential was insane. No wonder the guys liked it so much when they unlocked theirs. But she had a lot of work to do if she wanted to catch up with the others. And her water powers were still so strange to use.

Speaking of strange, Jay's been acting weird ever since the Preminet was defeated- maybe a little before that. Good-weird though. More hopeful- like someone told him the impossible was possible. And the way he was smiling at her recently- god, it made her fall for him all over again.

Except, she couldn't catch feelings again. Trying to prove that she was her own person meant not having a boyfriend. It was already bad enough that her brother was on the team and interviewers kept asking her to choose between Jay and Cole.