A/N

This story didn't do so well in numbers as I expected it to 😬. But hey, I write for myself and those who wanna read it, so oh well, right?

The key to success on Wattpad is xReader smut with an edgy flare and many, many OCs, so be on the lookout for that if I ever become a sellout 😌.

But tbh getting comments is the best thing when writing a story, so how's it been?

Enjoy :).

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Water bottles? Check.

Her old, probably dirty clothes? Check.

Backpack she found in Jay's closet? Check.

Only one thing missing...

"Hey, uh, I found what you were looking for."

Turning her head towards the door, she smiled, seeing the awkward boy fiddling with a paper in his hands.

Reaching out her hand towards him, she took it, returning on her soft spot on his bed.

She unfolded it, smiling as her eyes scanned through the detailed map of the entirety of Ninjago.

"I didn't have one here, so I asked Mr Saunders to give me—"

"Pen?"

"Oh, right..."

He reached into his pocket, giving her a blue, ballpoint pen. Tapping it against the paper, she marked the city with an 'O', then slowly making her way towards Stiix and marking it with an 'X'.

"Do you have to leave?" Jay asked her, sitting on the side of the bed beside her.

She nodded. "If Skylor's footage is right, then that means that they will leave tomorrow at around one. When they left, they were at the very edge of Stiix, so it took about half an hour for them to pass through the forest and get to the city."

Jay nodded along, only slightly confused.

Still, she continued. "But, unlike then, they'll take the alternate route, around the Sea of Sands and on the other side of Stiix, just outside the port. So that should take them about a day and a half."

"Why would they do that?"

"Simple. They need to be discreet, and it's easier to transfer Lloyd through a dessert than going through the city and into the woods. You never know what lurks in there, right?"

"Right..." he said, biting his inner lip. "Listen, Nya... I wanted to ask you something..."

She turned to face him and his heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah?"

He gulped. "I... Don't you think it's best if I... you know... go with you?"

She raised an eyebrow, putting the map away. "Go with me?"

"Yeah, I mean... You can't just walk through a desert on your own."

He was right, in a way. Both as a mermaid and a vampire, a desert would have probably been the deadliest place for her to be in. And it's didn't look like she was going to find an oasis any time soon.

"What about your work?"

He seemed... nervous. "Oh, I'm in that off week I told you about. Yeah, I... wait, what's the date again?"

"November 15th."

His face started to lose its colour before he cleared his throat. "I mean, we'll be back soon, right? Say, by the 17th?"

"I... guess so? Look, if you're too busy, I'll save the kidnapped child on my own, thank you very much."

"No, no!" he said. "I do want to help!" He scanned his surroundings, finally looking at his drawer. "We're going to Stiix," he said, pulling out a pair of keys from the disorganised space.

Her eyes widened slightly. "You have a car?"

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he smiled. "I wouldn't say that."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The motorbike's engine coughed out smoke quite loudly as they sped through the empty road, dusty wind blowing through what little was exposed of their hair due to their helmets.

As they crossed the silent road, all Nya could focus on was the utility poles on the side of the road, that and their wires that passed by even more quickly. And despite the excruciating heat, her sunscreen had been just enough to prevent it from quite literally burning her alive.

Jay was focused on the road, she, however, had been living her best life.

"This is so cool!" she yelled through the wind. "Did you really build it on your own?"

It took a few seconds for him to respond. "Kinda, yeah," he said. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" she laughed slightly, tightening her grip around his waist to emphasise her point.

There was an almost quiet sound that was heard, one along the lines of a gasp or a squeak, but she didn't notice.

It had been weird, all of a sudden riding on a motorbike with a stranger in the middle of the desert; yet, somehow, he didn't feel like one.

Of course, he would eventually become one once they rescued Lloyd. She couldn't possibly let him be near her—or Stiix, for that matter.

At that moment, she was just an intruder that broke into his home, and Lloyd was just a normal, kidnapped kid.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Walking. Hours upon hours of walking.

Why did that have to happen now? That was the question that floated above both of their heads.

Of course, of course that would happen to them. Of course they would get a flat tire, of course.

Luckily for them, the sun had begun to set, replacing the warm wind with a nice, cold breeze. But just a little big longer, and that breeze would turn into a freezing gust.

Jay could see her droopy eyes, yawning himself as he dragged the bike across the road. "Just a bit longer... I know who can help us."

She nodded slightly, a yawn escaping her mouth. Hungry, tired, thirsty, bloodthirsty... she had every possible inconvenience at once. Well, probably except the need to go to the bathroom or take a shower—those wouldn't be fun to do in a desert.

At last, they saw neon lights in the distance. While she looked at the sign curiously, Jay was already all too familiar with it.

"Ed n' Edna's Scrap n' Junk," it read, except the S' light had dimmed down compared to the rest, making her chuckle at the result.

"What is this place?" she said, trying to look past the gate at the junkyard ahead. She could barely make out a trailer in the distance, its lights strangely on inside.

"My parents'," he answered simply, almost with a defeated sigh. "Adopted, that is."

She raised an eyebrow. "Adopted?"

"Yeah, but they're still my only, real parents. It's just that everyone always asks about our different appearances and such, thought I'd give you a heads-up."

She smiled innocently, yet still fascinated by every new thing she learned about him.

"I wasn't going to ask," she said.

He smiled. "I didn't expect you to."

Soon enough, he opened the gate, and as they made their way towards the old trailer, the door opened almost immediately without them having to knock.

Inside welcomed them a man, probably in his early sixties, holding a wrench on one hand and a glass of lemonade on another.

He perked up upon seeing Jay. "Edna, Jay's here!" he yelled back, giving him a knowing look. "Flat tire again, son?"

"Yep."

As he scanned him whole again, he finally spotted another figure a small distance behind him, one hidden away from the light above the door.

He raised an eyebrow, but his wife, an equally old woman, spoke first.

"Oh, I didn't know you'd be bringing visitors with ya!" she perked up at her son, the knitting needles in her hands almost stabbing his chest. "Come in, come in, I've just made some lemonade."

Jay stepped inside with a smile, Nya following awkwardly behind him. Though the trailer was rather small, they still found a space to sit on the small couch.

"What's your name, dear?" Jay's mum (Edna, was it?) asked her, getting a bit too close.

She tried to smile discreetly as not to show her fangs. "Nya."

"That's a really beautiful name, sweetie. Reminds me of Aunt Antonia, except she wasn't nearly as pretty as you are." She fixed her glasses, sipping from her lemonade.

All she could do was smile yet again. "Um... thanks?"

"Enough of that, Edna," said her husband (who was probably Ed judging by the sign in the front), dragging Jay along with him. "What are you two lovebirds doing out here so late?"

Right... they had to think of an excuse.

"We're on a business trip," Jay said without missing a beat. "Nya's a friend from work and Mr Borg wanted to send us to Shintaro for a project... Gather data and... stuff."

"He sent ya to Shintaro all on your own? Not even a plane ticket?" Ed said. "I always knew he was a cheap bastard if ya ask me."

His mother, meanwhile, was shifting her focus elsewhere. "Jaybear?"

He blushed at the nickname, but Nya chuckled.

"When will you be back from the trip?" she said. "You know that in a few days—"

"I know, ma," he said quickly. "We'll be back before that."

Nya felt the need to ask, yet she didn't want to shove her nose in people's business. So, she just remained silent in the end.

"Well, at least stay here until tomorrow. It's too dark out there to go and fix the tire," Ed said. "Besides, you could use some sleep."

He was right; they were about to fall asleep right then and there.

Jay gestured at one of the three doors inside the trailer, one with the letter 'J' painted on it. "Go there for a bit. I'll be there in a sec."

She nodded, waving an awkward goodbye to the family as she stepped into the room.

It was unsurprisingly small, only consisting of a bed, a dresser and an old toy box. The room was most likely his.

She couldn't resist the urge to lay down on the bed. Just for a little bit, right? He wouldn't notice if he took a small nap, right?

Right.

Minutes passed, and there was a knock on the door.

Upon hearing no response, it squeaked open, Jay walking into the room with a glass of lemonade in his hand.

"Hey, Nya? I brought—"

He stopped upon realising she was asleep.

He just sat there, smiling like an idiot.

He felt calm.

A/N

Fun fact, you can get a hint as to where this story is gonna go by checking a particular something in this year's calendar and connecting it to the date of the chapter 😉.

C ya!