Future|SFW|Fluff

He inhaled the sweet aroma of the apple pie when he took it out of the oven. Wearing mittens, he placed it atop the window to cool, exposing it to the salty breeze of the sea around them. Satisfied with himself, he tossed the mittens aside and flopped onto the small sofa, letting his back rest after a hard day's work.

He chuckled to himself. A simple morning exercise and making dinner would have been nothing years ago, and yet there he was with his back aching like he had single-handedly defeated the Overlord. He rubbed his goatee and sighed. Maybe he was getting old.

He only sat up when she came into the room, dressed in her casual yukata, one that matched his kimono in colour (albeit, hers had more red accents throughout it). Her ruby bracelet and Yang medallion were accompanied by a necklace carrying her elemental animal, the phoenix.

He was staring at her, he realised, but she didn't seem to notice. He couldn't help it; even after all those years, his gaze still drifted towards her whenever she entered the room. Her raven locks were touching her shoulders, and he could even notice a few grey hairs amongst them; his were more discreet. Her natural wrinkles complimented her dimples whenever she smiled, much as she hated them at first.

The same scenario would play out many times, in fact: she would playfully envy his baby face and he would playfully brag about his smaller number of wrinkles. Although, he supposed that she was in a better place, for she had surely won in the pain department. She almost never got sore or easily tired, unlike him.

She looked out the window at a distant ship swimming across the endless sea, then down at the waves that crashed against the rocks. She eyed the pie carefully, turning to him with a frown.

"Do we really want all that seawater to blow into the pie?" she said.

"Salt gives flavour," he replied casually, stifling a yawn. "And besides, we live in a lighthouse. That's the only kind of wind we have here."

"Only if you want Zippy to swoop in and eat it."

As if the universe wanted to prove her right, a distant roar circled the lighthouse. The dragon landed, wagging its tail and sticking out his tongue. His body was noticeably bigger than the last time they had seen him, a prime example of dragons' fast maturity. After all these years, he still acted like a youngling.

They looked out the window and down on the rocks. He was waiting for them patiently, jumping from rock to rock. Nya laughed.

Jay wasn't as enthusiastic. "He treats this house like a hotel," he mumbled under his breath. "Comes to our place once a month, eats all our food, then leaves like nothing."

"Come on, don't be so harsh on him. He loves you."

"If he loved me he'd clean up his mess before leaving."

She leaned against him, pinching his cheek before pecking his face with kisses all over. "You sound like your dad," she said when she pulled away. She walked towards their freezer.

He crossed his arms, pouting. "Because I am a dad," he said. "Twice."

She rolled her eyes, tossing the frozen steak over the window and straight into Zippy's mouth. He flew around happily, taking it on the roof to devour it. Jay groaned.

Nya nudged him. "You made worse messes when we were younger," she said. "Need I remind you of the plant underwear?"

"I'm pretty sure you were responsible for that some of those times."

She punched his arm. "Walker."

"Smith."

He grabbed the pie and set it on the counter. But before he could begin to cut it, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Standing on her tiptoes, she rested her head on his shoulder, gently pulling away to rub his back.

He couldn't help it, he melted under her touch. He moved his shoulders along to the rhythm of her hands, letting out a long, much-needed sigh. She finished her session with a kiss on his neck, one which sent shivers down his spine.

He found himself smiling when he turned around to face her. "You know, I hope our kids don't inherit my back pains," he said.

She guided him to the sofa, resting beside him. "Oh, you know that won't happen. In your case it's bad posture over a video game console for all your young years..." She smirked. "And getting old."

"Hey, we're not that old."

"The others are planning on buying fifty three candles for your birthday cake already."

He shook his head. "This aging thing sucks. Ugh, I hope I never become long-sighted. I'm already wearing an eyepatch, how can I wear glasses?"

"I'll get you a monacle."

It was his turn to push her playfully.

♡♡♡

The sun had long set down and the freezing wind had set through. As per usual, they followed their routine on days like these: Nya tried to fit Zippy through the door, letting him take shelter in their basement (now workshop) while he prepared dinner for all three. After they ate, and after they spent the time tending to the lighthouse and cleaning themselves, they strolled to bed. The room was dark with the exception of a single lamp on their night table which she used to read a book. He would stay by her side, resting his head on her chest to listen to her heartbeat as he watched her move only to adjust her reading glasses. Under her embrace, he would fall asleep.

It was almost baffling how things turned out; it was supposed to be their vacation home, a quick escape when their ninja life didn't allow for normal vacations. But their kids took over, and as much as he loved them dearly, he wasn't fond of their decision to join the ninja team at such a young age. He and Nya could still kick butt and so could the rest of the team! They didn't have to be subjected to the life of a ninja so soon!

But Lloyd, their new Master, assured them that they were going to be fine under his wing, and that Ninjago's crime rate had plummeted. They still weren't sure, but they gave in once they realised their powers were starting to weaken more by the day, now passed on to a new generation.

They lent their kids their already inherited estate, their home back in Ninjago. He had tried to give it to his parents at first but they declined, though they were more than happy to visit their grandkids and check up on them from time to time as per Jay and Nya's instructions. Of course, they would pay them visits (and to the rest of their loved ones) every week as well, always at the ready to be of help.

They had their own lives. Was that how his own parents really felt? It was a strange feeling. Just yesterday they were taking their first steps and he was changing diapers. He wanted to tear up. He was proud (and a sap, as Nya liked to call him).

"Hey, Jay?" she whispered, suddenly closing her book.

He opened his eyes, looking up at her. "Yeah?"

He couldn't decipher her expression. "Do you think it was a good idea to retire?" She looked him in the eye. "We're not incapable, right?"

He ran his hand under her shirt, lovingly rubbing her stomach as he spoke sleepily. "Of course not. It's just that time is passing, that's all. You said it yourself, we're getting old."

"I don't know. I've always wondered what it would be like to just be normal, but now that we have it I'm not sure. I feel like we should be close to our kids and our family and all, still kicking butt and looking out for them."

He sat up to look her in the eye. "We've paid our debt to Ninjago. We've been through so much. I love fighting bad guys too, but I'd say we deserve a break."

"But what's our purpose? We are supposed to be Ninjago's protectors."

"Not anymore," he said almost bitterly. "But we'll make sure to be there for the newbies."

"I guess you're right." She fully rested on the bed, and he followed. That time, he opened his arms, taking her within his embrace and stroking her hair.

He kissed the top of her head. "The kids are coming to visit here with their uncles, cousins, aunts, and grandparents," he said, stifling a laugh. "I guess we've made a pretty good family. That's something."

"Yeah." She joined in his laughter, hers almost turning anxious. "How are we going to cook for that many people?"

"We've cooked for Cole before, remember?"

She laughed harder. It took her a while to relax, but it didn't bother him, for her voice was always a pleasant melody to his ears.

"Our life is crazy," she eventually blurted out, clutching the hem of his pyjama top to stop herself from laughing more. He didn't know whether she was saying it out of love or desperation.

"I know," he told her. He reached over her to turn off the light, next moving to take off her glasses and book. For a brief moment, he could make out her dimples through her smile, and he fell in love all over again.

Once they were settled down and quiet in each other's embrace, she spoke:

"I love you. I really do."

"I love you too." He planted a kiss on her lips.

Her gaze drifted towards the ceiling. "I think that when I saw that vision when we first met, this is what I was imagining," she admitted, her voice becoming quieter. "A peaceful everyday with you. I could get used to it."

"Oh, I already have." He took her waist, pulling her closer and tucking her head against his chest. "Doesn't matter how many grey hairs or hip pain we may get. We're meant to be together."

"Forever," she whispered back.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. He never let her go. He was anxious for what the future would bring them, and for what their rising age might entail for them in the future. In his mind, they were still the same lovestruck teens fighting bad guys, watching sappy movies, and sneaking out behind her brother's back.

He held it as a bittersweet image in his head: when the time would come, they would fetch the Traveller's Tea they had stored for emergencies in the basement. Together, they would open a portal to the Realm of the Departed, and together they would walk through it. But they had plenty of years ahead of them, and he was alright with enjoying his time in this Realm for the time being. Although they did joke about dancing eternally as ghosts, it was always about acceptance.

But at that moment she was next to him. And that was all that mattered no matter when their time would come.

They had been through their ups and downs, but they knew that, in the end, they would stay by each other's side till the end of time; forever.

♡END♡

A/N

Thank you so much for reading through my Jaya Week submission. Huge thanks to the Jaya community, jayaweekofficial and especially hydroelectricjaya because I wasn't able to be as involved with the preparation this year.

I will spend the next few days reading through and commenting on all your submissions because I really do want to support y'all, thank you once again for joining us <3.