Jaya Oneshots (Requests Open)

Smile

Warning: There is a talk of depression and suicide in this chapter. 

Did you know that it takes more muscles to frown and less to smile? For as long as Jay could remember, he loved to smile. Sometimes, a smile could express everything that words simply just couldn't. It was also a  great defense for when he was upset. To him, a smile could say 100 words, or words that were left unsaid. 

When he was little, he didn't have very many friends. He always had a hard time fitting in, probably due to the fact that he loved to talk. That, and he was considered a poor kid because of where he grew up. Now, he was used to being picked on, but then he watched a kid around his age get bullied. When he went over and asked if they were okay, they simply nodded and smiled. Jay took it upon himself to find that kid everyday just to send him a smile.

That was the day that he came to the realization that smiles could mean different things. He couldn't help but analyze the smile's of his peers the following day. How many of these smiles were just for show? Jay took it upon himself to learn how to read facial expressions after that day.

Jay couldn't help but remember that time as he read the letter again and again in his mind as he cried. He wasn't so sure as to why he was even crying. It was a letter from that kid all of those years ago telling him about how he saved his life. Telling him how him sending smiles his way literally made him keep fighting when he just wanted to give up.

A smile saved that kid's life.

Jay wasn't oblivious to suicide by any means. He knew that feeling when his world came crashing down on him when Zane died. He also knew that school was sometimes really bad, even for things that were beyond your control. He knew what it was like to get control over your life taken from you.

There were times here he didn't get out of bed. Not because he didn't want to, but because the waves of despair kept him clutched into the sheets with no escape from its hold over him. There were times where he would stand on his balcony and think: What if I jump? Of course, he never did. There was something that always held him back. She might not have noticed it, but she unintentionally saved his life.

"Are you okay?" Nya asked upon coming over and giving him the biggest side hug that she could.

"I have never been better." Jay whispered as he kissed her cheek.

That was the honest truth. Nya made all of the difference in his life. He didn't have a reason for living until he met her. She was the only decision in his life that he never second guessed. When she left him, that was probably the true reason as to why he was depressed when he was. She kept him sane when the rest of the world went insane. Jay didn't believe in soulmates until he met her.

"I love you." Nya whispered as she came and sat on his lap, nestling her head in the crook of his neck.

"I love you too." Jay whispered as he pulled her closer.

He meant those words. He loved her with every fiber of his being. It wasn't said because he felt obliged to do it, but because he wanted her to know. Nya rarely actually said things like that, but that was fine with him. She let her actions speak. Jay liked to tell it to her all of the time because he knew that was what she needed. Jay just wanted her to always remember that at least he loved her, and that was all Nya really cared about.

Jay couldn't remember when he first fell for Nya. If he was being honest, he was still falling for her after everything. He always knew that Nya was going to be special to him. Before he had even personally gotten to know her, there was just this sort of connection. It was like Jay finally found a clear signal for a station on his radio. 

There were things that he found out about her to this day that were like little gifts. He was always learning something new about her, and he loved that. He loved that everything would just fade away when she was in the room. It was like the whole world stopped, and he knew that was because she was his world.

"Did you know that I have a secret ability?" Nya asked, not moving from her position.

"And what is that, Waterlily?" Jay asked as he brushed her hair with his fingers.

"I can read your thoughts." Nya said with a laugh.

"And what do my thoughts say?" Jay asked as he smiled, glancing back at the letter.

"That you are feeling pretty zappy." Nya said, smiling into his neck.

"Did you just pun? On my own Element?" Jay said as he threw back his head in laughter.

She always knew how to make him smile. She always knew how to make him feel better. It always reminded him of the life that he has now compared to then. He didn't need a lot of friends, he had the best ones right here in the Monastery. That was something he wouldn't trade for the world.

When the team broke up after Zane, Jay called that his darkest hour. It was for all parties involved in the event. Zane's death was something that would either unite or divide them, and it ended up dividing them. Sometimes, Jay would dream that he was back in one of his apartments with alcohol surrounding him and the depression fighting its way back into his body.

Those were some of the hardest dreams, though those would never compare to Nadakhan, Prime Empire, or even the Realm of Oni and Dragon. Those dreams often came when he was already upset about something. That was why Jay was thankful that he was considered an optimistic around everyone. It meant that he wouldn't have those dreams often. He probably would sink back into depression if those were his dreams all of the time. 

Jay mastered the art of the fake smile during that time. He had to as he was an actor on live TV. He didn't like his manager or  producer asking him if he was okay, and he knew it was only a matter of time before everyone else started taking notice. So, he did what every person would do in that situation and got better.

It wasn't like he was lying to himself, but he was lying to everyone else. It wasn't causing anyone any harm though. People always assume that things are fine when you smile. Jay came to the conclusion that they just don't want to look closely, which made sense to him. He wouldn't be over analyzing any smiles if it wasn't for that one kid.

 A smile saved that kid's life.

It was the only thought that was coursing through Jay's head. He couldn't seem to understand why or how. It didn't make sense that something so small could have saved someone. He wasn't a superhero or an Elemental or even a paid hero like police back then. He was just a kid. How could one little action save someone from doing the unimaginable?

Nya's face flashed in his head as he thought. He subconsciously pulled the now sleeping girl closer to him before standing up. He glanced at the photos along their bedroom wall as he walked towards their bed with her in his arms. They were mainly pictures of the 2 of them, but there was one with the team and one with their parents. They were all smiling.

Jay didn't really care about any of the smiling besides Nya's. She always seemed to have the most beautiful smile in the world. That smile of hers always left a giddy feeling in his stomach. It made him always want to smile back.

He placed her carefully down on the mattress before slowly leaning down and kissing her on the head. A smile crept up on her face as she dreamed. Jay knew his answer as he looked down at her and smiled back before going over to his side of the bed. 

A smile saved that kid's life.

A smile said a lot about how someone was feeling. It could be happy or sad. It isn't always the big actions but the little ones that speak louder. It is the little things that you do that makes someone's day. Jay went over and pulled Nya towards him. He kissed her head again before securely wrapping his arms around her.

It wasn't shocking to him anymore that a smile saved that kid's life because Nya's smile saved his.