Post-S16|SFW|Fluff

Nya looked down at her pendant, toying with it in her hand. She always knew that it was more than just a simple jewel, that it meant something more than a promise. She always kept it with her, she never once took it off. She kept it well-maintained, clean, and always in pristine condition.

Whenever they had to take it off, they would always leave them joined together as one single medallion, completing the Yin and Yang. If one were to be lost, so would the other, their logic was. It was poetic, in a way.

She had thought many times before what it would be like to find someone like him. She thought it to be impossible, that she couldn't possibly find someone who, through all the highs and disastrous lows, still cared for her.

They had started discussing their wedding from the first night that he had asked her to be his Yang. They didn't know when it would exactly be, but they knew it would be soon. And so they started planning everything from early on: from the place, to the people, to the flavour of their cake (cotton candy, for the record).

But ninja life got in the way as ninja life always does, and their dreams were soon forgotten. One pain after another, each worse than the last, put off their plans time after time again. She was gone, then he was gone, then life took over, then their determination was simply lost.

She remembered that night fondly. It did not take place anywhere like the tropical resort she dearly missed, Ninjago's many realms, or even on a romantic date to the lighthouse that shaped them as a whole. No, they were simply watching a movie on the couch, late at night and stuffed with popcorn, when they decided it was time to take matters into their own hands.

It took her by surprise that Jay of all people suggested eloping. She was almost certain he was doing it for her. After all, her dislike of Ninjago's infuriating public eye was the last thing she wished to see. But then she thought to her family, to her parents, to his parents, how no matter how much she loved him she simply couldn't picture that day without their loved ones in it. She suggested telling them beforehand at the very least, and by the way his face lit up at the idea, it was the right way to go.

To everyone else's eyes, their commitment was delayed indefinitely. To theirs, it was approaching faster and faster by the day.

Kai was busy catching up with his parents on one side of the couch; Jay was doing the same on the loveseat across them. And there she was, stuck in the middle of all of it.

She blinked when Lloyd waved his hand in front of her. He plopped next to her. "Ninjago to Nya?"

"Yeah?"

"Dinner is ready. Are you planning on joining us or..."

When she looked around her, the rest had already gotten up. Save for Jay, at least, who was still waiting for her patiently next to Lloyd.

"Yeah, I'm coming... Go ahead, I'll catch up."

He nodded, leaving the room with a weird look on his face. Jay stayed, however, kneeling down next to her. He kept their faces close and his voice low. "Are you sure you're ready?"

She smiled immediately. "Of course, yeah. I mean, it's not anything drastic. We're not having a baby or anything..."

His eyes widened. For a moment, he almost believed her.

She was quick to add: "Figure of speech, of course..."

"Okay... So... Shall we?" He put his arm up and she happily took it, walking together towards the dining room.

Their parents were already there. Ray and Maya were mostly catching up with Wu while Ed and Edna were pinching Kai and Lloyd's cheeks, gushing about how much they had grown. Meanwhile, Pixal sat at the head of the table across from Wu, eyeing everyone with amusement.

She turned to the two when they took a seat, offering them some bread. "I never once thought I would say this, but your parents are quite the chatterboxes together. How did they get along this quickly?"

"Oh, they've had their shared experiences..." Nya said. "When we rescued them both from the Time Twins, at our Yin and Yang celebration, at my funeral..."

"Nya!" Jay pouted, closing his ears.

She sighed. "I know. I was going to mention the reunion party as well..."

"How come you've invited them all?" Pixal said. A smirk formed on her face. "Do you have some sort of announcement to make?"

When they were both left with their mouths agape and breathless, Pixal blinked. At once, a beam shot from her eyes, scanning over them both in an instant. Her face remained blank as she looked at the results within her mind. "No, you're not pregnant," she said mainly to Nya, keeping her voice as a whisper.

Nya smacked her hand, wincing at the hard metal. "Pix! I thought you were less blunt than that."

"It's just simple biology," she stated. "Additionally, I always take pleasure in teasing you."

Jay had already face-planted onto the table, not daring to lift his head and look at anyone but Nya. He groaned so loudly it even got the other's attention, but they didn't pay him any mind, far too used to reactions like these.

Pixal's face fell. "Did something happen? Are the news unfortunate? Is it about a new villain of some kind? One that Wu hasn't told us about yet?"

"No, no," Nya reassured her. "They're great news, uh... Cole and Zane?"

"Oh, in the kitchen. They thought it would be nice to plan a meal together for the occasion."

Jay piped up: "Can we label who cooked what?"

Pixal laughed. "With Zane's supervision, I believe they're going to make an unforgettable meal."

Jay was already grasping his stomach, dreading of what's to come. "Unforgettable in what way?"

Nya punched his shoulder, making him laugh.

♡♡♡

When the dishes were displayed in front of them, they gasped. When they tasted them, they were in heaven.

Maybe it was Zane's influence that rubbed off on him so well, but Cole proudly proclaimed that he had made about half of the dishes, as well as the dessert: a white cake with a plentiful amount of strawberry filling. Though Nya was a self-proclaimed "not-a-sweet tooth", Jay did offer her a piece of his own slice. Curiously, she accepted, and when he fed her the piece, her eyes widened and she smiled.

"We should consider that as our wedding cake flavour," Jay whispered to her with a giggle. Nya looked around nervously for anyone overhearing, quickly shushing him.

She went back to normal, turning back to eating her own food. She hadn't eaten a traditional Ignacian recipe since she was first welcomed into the Monastery; not even when they reunited with their parents, since Maya much preferred to get more... experimental with her recipes instead. "This is amazing," she said. "I've never tasted a recipe that resembles the original so much."

Maya leaned over the table with an offended look. "Is it better than your mum's recipe, dear?"

Her face paled, and Kai burst out laughing. He received an elbow to the rib by his father, and quickly forced himself to be quiet.

Jay came to her rescue. "I think what Nya means is that your recipe is anything but traditional, because it's really innovative and... tasty. Right, Nya?"

"Right."

Maya laughed, reaching over to pat Jay's back and pinch his cheek. "Aw, I knew you were a sweet boy."

"That's our Jay," Edna added.

While the rest of the room fell into a fit of laughter (with even Wu chuckling at the sight), Nya reassured his embarrassment while trying not to chuckle herself.

It was when they were finished with dessert than the chatter quieted down and they started cleaning up the table that the couple looked at each other again. Nya took his hand beneath the table, taking him by surprise. Nevertheless, he squeezed it with reassurance.

She gestured at him. It was clear it was his duty to begin the speech. He sighed, waiting for everyone to gather at the table.

"So..." Jay said. "Can we talk about something?"

"We've talked about plenty of subjects already, kiddo," Ed told him with a smile. "Pick and choose."

"No, this is a new subject." He nudged Nya to continue.

"We're getting married."

She facepalmed at her bluntness and Jay could only let out an awkward chuckle at their reactions. Each person had a different level of surprise on their face, and the room fell into deep silence.

Edna was the first to speak. "That's amazing!" She reached over the table to take Nya's hand, congratulating her. The others soon joined and it got to the point where the two were almost fully surrounded by them. Jay scooted his chair closer to Nya's, awkwardly standing up to squeeze through the crowd.

"Have you booked a venue yet? They can be quite expensive last minute," Zane told them.

"Who's your best man?" Kai and Cole piped up at the same time, then glared competitively at each other.

"Does that mean you'll be moving out?" Lloyd piped up, only stirring the pot. They glared at him.

"Well, our home is always open to ya," Ed said.

"So is ours," Ray was quick to add.

If being cornered by an enemy was stressful, this was ten times worse. Jay's rapidly beating heart led to electricity building in his veins. By the time it reached his fingertips and Nya noticed, it was too late.

A small shock was sent through everyone in the room, even Nya. It got them to pay attention, at the very least.

"Sorry!" Jay shouted. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Actually, we were thinking of something more low-key. Go to a mayor, sign our papers..."

"But where's the fun in that?" Maya crossed her arms. "Imagine what a great celebration you could make with your powers."

Wu stroked his beard. "A wedding between two elemental masters is something I haven't attended since Ray and Maya got married," he said. "It does sound like a pleasant opportunity to follow old customs."

"Oh, of course! Wu officiated our marriage, he could offer his services to you. "

"The bond between elemental masters is quite sacred. The ceremony is quite specific and different than any normal wedding."

Jay raised a brow. "What, do we have a blood oath or something?"

"Don't give him any ideas!"

"No, really. Its primarily based in sacred text and old tradition; but I still wouldn't trust any average officiator to do it."

Jay went to speak up, but Nya stopped him. "It's not that we don't want you guys there. It's just that we don't want to be in the public eye all over again. And it's mainly my fault. I don't want our relationship to be blasted across the media all over again when we've finally managed to stay low-key."

Their faces softened.

"That's what you're worried about? Dareth and his helicopter camera?" Kai said. "We've dealt with him many times, no way we're letting him ruin your wedding."

"What if some villain suddenly comes along? It seems like we can't have one date without it being interrupted by a criminal nowadays. And if the criminals know about the wedding, won't they try to whip up some crazy scheme and ruin it?"

Wu took her hand. "Nya, I can assure you that we won't let anyone or anything ruin this special day."

She pulled away, briefly looking at Jay. "I don't know. I need to think."

Jay followed after her in the next room, and the rest looked at each other and frowned.

♡♡♡

She snuggled up in his arms and he pulled the blanket further up. He was hugging her tightly as he could, grabbing more pillows from the floor to put around them.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I guess it's been stressing me out more than it should."

He pecked her cheek. "Hey, stressing out is my thing."

"Last wedding I had wasn't the best day either."

It didn't take him long to realise what she meant. He rested his cheek on her head, lightly stroking her hair. "Hey, we won't let Nadakhan ruin anything. He's long gone."

"I know, it's just... I don't know. A lingering worry."

He lifted up her chin, hesitant to speak at first. "Nya, when I saw you at the palace with that wedding dress... I sort of imagined me being by your side instead of that djinn. And yeah, I always wanted to marry you and to be your Yin, but I just saw you in that wedding dress and that made it clear." He adjusted himself so that they were next to each other. "But if it's not for you or if you aren't ready then so be it. Being together is more than enough for me."

She smiled. "I love you."

It wasn't often that he said it; but whenever she did, his heart would melt. He placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you too."

Their room's door opened slightly, then fully. Four silhouettes were on the other side. The light opened, and they carefully walked inside.

"Hey, honey," said Maya, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Ray, Ed, and Edna were accompanying her.

"What are you guys doing here?" Jay asked.

"We wanted to apologise for pressuring ya," Edna said. "You kids have such a strong bond, ya don't need a big ceremony to prove it."

"Who needs marriage?" Ed said, waving his hand dismissively. He looked at Jay. "Your aunt Cheryl got married, doesn't mean her marriage is actually working."

"Ed!"

"It's the truth, hon."

Ray looked at the couple awkwardly. "So... truce?"

A smile crept up Nya's lips. "It's okay. We'll get married."

"Really?" everyone, including Jay, said in unison.

"Yes, really. Just... nothing over-the-top."

"That is also why we came here," Ray said. "See, your mother and I had a small wedding in Ignacia. We picked our favourite spot: it's a tiny park atop a hill. Cherry blossoms everywhere, a small lake..."

"Oh, we had so much fun swimming in there at night," Maya added.

"It's pretty isolated from everyone. Not even the Serpentine Army found us back in the day..." he said. "So... what do you say?"

"It sounds perfect," Nya said and Jay wholeheartedly agreed. He hugged her tighter than ever before, and she did the same.

She kissed him, and for once, their parents didn't interrupt.