***So I'm viewing my suggested Youtube playlist, and I look down to see what song is next. It's "Say Something" by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera.

SKIP.

Also, we all know...or kinda know...what happened with Lloyd last chapter, so the audience will know something the characters don't at first 🤐

And this song is a Jerry Lewis tune from "Rockabye Baby". It's a cute old show with the occasional joke that's no longer politically correct, but welcome to old movies, I guess <3***

***(Kai's POV)***

I yawn, tapping in Nya's number on my phone. Lloyd texted me that he'd arrived about an hour ago, but I was still out with Skye. She had a lot of emotional unloading to do about her business, so we were gone a bit longer than intended.

Nya picks up the call after a moment. "What do you want?"

"You sound like you're in a good mood," I chuckle, grabbing a glass of water from the tap. "Hey, I just got back, and Lloyd's not here anymore. Does he want me to just drive to the monastery to talk? I heard you guys found out something about Pythor's plan."

"He's not back yet. You're welcome to come to the monastery, though – I think you'll want to hear some of this stuff in person."

"Yeah. And it's been a few days since we've really had a chance to talk, you know? You hang out with the guys so much, it's like you've moved out again. I miss having you home."

"I'm staying here to keep an eye on Jay. He can't be alone right now." She huffs out a breath. "I'm surprised Lloyd just ran off, especially when we have an important mission. Plus, it's getting pretty late – it's after ten at night."

"Maybe he got hungry or something. Heaven knows you guys don't take care of yourselves on missions. When I'm staying with you, you only ever keep stale chips and reheat-able noodles around."

"That's all you keep around the shop," my sister points out.

"I can't help that you don't enjoy my cooking." But in all honesty, I'm afraid to eat half the stuff I make. I don't even like food preparation, so it's no doubt that Skylor will be the chef in our family.

It was probably a miracle she rescued Nya and I when she did. Nya was incredibly sheltered, didn't know how to stand up for herself, and probably didn't even know what a 'cup size' was before Skylor came along. Okay, that last one might be a little exaggerated.

And me? I was semi- a jerk. Just slightly.

I end the call with Nya and walk out to my car, hopping in the front seat and turning the key.

"Hello, Smith," growls an accented voice from beside me.

I jump, flopping backwards into my car door. "Holy Shintaro! Who the heck are you?!" I fumble with my doorhandle until it opens, and I fall out onto the sidewalk.

The man laughs, suddenly appearing beside me. "You are amusing."

"You – you're the Djinn!" I exclaim. "What do you want?!"

"I merely want to help you make a wish," he smirks. "I can grant wishes, you know."

"Not interested." Unless he can fix the status of my pantry cabinet, that is.

He raises an eyebrow. "Everybody's interested."

"I'm good." I pick myself up off the ground, dusting off my jeans and raising my fists at him. I create a flame with one hand.

He merely laughs. "Very funny. Hear me out, red one. I can grant wishes." He teleports to dodge a blast of fire I aim right at his face.

It wouldn't be the first time I shamelessly tried to burn one of my foes. I did the same thing to Yang back when Skylor and I fought him. But then, he did want to force my girlfriend into marrying him, and that wasn't going to fly.

"I don't need anything from you," I snap. "I wish you'd go away."

He cackles, disappearing before he suddenly poofs right next to me again. "You were saying?"

"That's not fair!" I yell. "You can't just – I want a redo!"

"I'm afraid there are no redo's, as you put it. But I can offer you two more wishes. I can grant you incredible things."

I cross my arms. "Somehow, I don't trust that gleam in your eye."

"I assure you that I have the purest of intentions."

"You expect me to believe you?" I laugh. "Fat chance." I pull out my cell phone to call for backup when –

The Djinn suddenly snatches it from my grasp. "Let's not ruin this meeting just yet, hmm? You still have two wishes."

"Fine! I wish I hadn't set eyes on you." Gosh, this guy's nuts.

He taps his chin as a nearby car approaches. "Curses," he grumbles. "We have an audience. I cannot change time, but...I can do this." He waves his hand toward my head, and I'm suddenly on the ground.

I close my eyes. Head...feels weird...

Someone's face appears in the streetlight above me. "Whoa, there. You okay?"

"Huh?" I ask, blinking at my surroundings.

"I was wondering if you were okay," the older man repeats himself. "You suddenly fell backwards over here with no good reason."

"Oh, I...I don't...I guess I must have passed out. Everything's just a blur right now." I shake my head, taking the hand he offers to help me off the ground.

What happened?

"You drinking enough water, son?" the man asks. "My boy has a problem where he doesn't drink enough. Faints all the time! He's like one of them fainting goats, 'cept not as cute."

"Oh, really?" I rub my forehead. "I guess I'll grab myself a drink. I...think I was heading out to meet my sister. Yes, that's right. Thanks for your help."

He continues to chatter on about fainting goats as I head inside my house to grab a drink of water.

Huh. This is just weird. I could've sworn I was climbing in my car just moments ago. How'd I end up on the ground?

After refilling my glass from earlier at the tap, I take a big swig of water. It refreshes me a little, and my head seems to clear.

I guess I must've just passed out.

I walk back out to my car, climbing inside. I get Skylor on the phone, just in case I somehow pass out while driving.

"Kai?" she asks as she picks up, sounding more than a little confused.

"Hey, Skye. How's it going?" I pull into traffic.

"Good? You just dropped me off half an hour ago, you know. Is...everything all right?"

"Oh, I just...wanted someone to talk to." If I tell Skylor I fainted, I'm never going to live it down.

"Okay. Anything on your mind?"

"You?"

"Anything else?" I can hear the smile in her voice.

"Uh...nope. But hey, you seemed to have plenty to say earlier. Wanna talk about that?" If I get Skylor started about her business stress, she'll be on the phone during my whole drive.

"Do I want to talk about that? I already spilled all to you earlier, Kai. I'm asking you again, is something wrong?" She sounds more than a little concerned.

"Nope, everything's fine." I change the subject. "Have you talked with the DJ about what country song we're dancing to yet?"

"Your sister and Jay will be together before our wedding, trust me. It'll be the Backstreet Boys."

I smirk, knowing I've given her a conversational prompt she can't resist. "The wedding's in two weeks, Skye. I wouldn't hold your breath."

"I would."

"I wouldn't."

"I would."

"I wouldn't," I smirk. "You think 'Body Like a Backroad' is a good choice?"

"I think feeding you to a herd of hogs is a good choice," she huffs. "Since you love the country and all."

"Hey, country music isn't about farm animals...usually. It's about a girl, a bad breakup, a tractor, a dog, or a beer most of the time. And dogs don't count as farm animals."

We continue to bicker throughout the whole drive, and I love every second of it. Plus, sparring with Skylor seems to keep me alert as I drive.

I still kind of feel like dozing off, though. I guess I'll be heading straight to the bunkroom as soon as the team debriefs me.

***(Jay's POV)***

It's late when I knock on her door.

After we debriefed Kai when he got here, he went to bed. Cole, Zane, and I followed suit after Nya said she'd received a text from Lloyd. Apparently, he's staying with a classmate tonight – the guy was struggling with something. It must be pretty bad if Lloyd is willing to skip out on helping us with the mission to stay with him.

Whatever the case, he'll be gone the rest of the night.

I hear rustling and grumbling from inside Nya's room. "Cole, if this is about the stupid scratch I put on your stupid earth drill and how I owe you a new bumper, I swear I will – "

The door creaks to reveal my sheepish face. "H-hey, Nya," I say awkwardly, giving her a small wave. "Can I come in?"

She looks me over, then studies my expression for a moment.

"I'm a little tired for a make-out session," she sighs, "but I guess, since Kai's not around..." She leaves the door open and walks over to her bed, her patterned pajama pants swishing behind her.

I grin at her joke – she seems to feel a little more upbeat this evening since we've talked – but my smile's not real. "Um, do you mind if...I close the door?"

She raises an eyebrow, but her eyes show that she understands I'm worried. "I guess it's a really good thing Kai's asleep." For the first time, a smile teases her lips. She pats the spot next to her on her bed. "Come sit with me, Jay. Tell me what's wrong. And if it's that you really do want to do the tongue-tango, I should warn you that I'm well-trained in the art of the ninja."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I chuckle.

"It means I can take away your ability to have children."

"O-oh." I carefully seat myself next to her.

She wraps her arms around me. "I'm kidding, Jay. I know you're not going to try anything while we're...um...not a thing. Now, why are you upset? Is this because of what I said earlier about my visions? Nothing bad is going to happen to you – not while I have anything to say about it."

I hug her back, but it makes me want things I can't have. Nya's my world, and...I really think she loves me, too. She doesn't know she's actually killing me with her indecisiveness right now.

But she does deserve space, after everything I pulled.

"Jaaaaaay?" she coaxes, pulling her head back to look into my eyes. "Talk to me. You're good at talking."

"I, um, uh..." We're so close. Like, kissing, close.

Her eyes start to get that dazed expression, but she shakes her head, placing her face in my shoulder instead.

"Eww, Jay. You're turning into Cole. You forgot to wear deodorant."

I blush. "Sorry."

"I'm going to keep my head in your armpit until you start talking, so unless you want me to overdose on body odor...spill."

I laugh, hugging her tighter. "You're cute." Oh, gosh, I think I might cry. She's trying to cheer me up.

"And you're stalling." She runs her fingers along the base of my neck, causing me to shiver.

"I...Nya, I can't focus when you're doing that."

"Not my fault," she shrugs, moving her hands to my shoulders. "Tell me what's wrong. I can't stand this smell much longer."

I sigh. "It's...um, it's this whole thing with Pythor and Nadakhan and your visions. I'm just...I can't sleep, Nya. Whenever I close my eyes, I feel like Nadakhan's watching me. I could've sworn I heard something out in the hall when I was on my way to your room. You have no idea how happy I am that you're awake and I'm not alone anymore."

Her head tips back, and she lets in a huge breath. "First of all, thank you for getting me out of that uncomfortable armpit situation. Second...tell me more about your feelings. I promise you're safe here, okay?"

"It's complicated," I sigh. "I'm...frightened. I don't want to die. But also, Nadakhan reminds me of my mom – he's one of the crooks who...who had part in her death." I lay my head against Nya's, listening to the rhythm of her breathing.

"You know," she finally says, her voice reflective, "I don't talk about our relationship much."

"You talked about it earlier," I point out. That's when I perk up. "Wait – you're talking about it now."

"Lay your head back down on mine, Jay. If we're going to have a heart-to-heart, we need to be in the right position."

I cuddle her closer to me. "I'm not dumb, Nya. That's a horrible excuse."

"Excuse for what?" she exclaims.

"It's an excuse for liking how close we are." I hope.

"Shut up. I was about to tell you all about how I felt regarding our relationship, but now...you've ruined the moment. Those plans are dead and gone."

"No!" I beg her. "Please, Nya, I – I won't pester you about 'us' for at least another hour, as long as you talk to me now."

"You won't be able to keep that promise, but...fine." She readjusts her bedspread.

I smile and remove one of my arms from around her, tugging her quilt up to her chin. I tuck it around our shoulders and make a mound of pillows behind us.

"This brings back memories," she says softly.

"Of what?"

She sighs, rolling her eyes. "Boys! So impossible. It brings back memories of when we were together, stupid. Gosh!"

I lay her head against her pillow. "Talk to me, Nya. Have you decided on what to do about 'us' yet?"

She smiles. "And that's how you distract Jay Walker, folks."

"What?" I cry. "That was all a ruse?"

"Of course not," she giggles. "You're short on braincells tonight, Jay."

"And you're flirting with me excessively," I sigh pitifully.

Her expression turns serious. "I'm sorry, Jay. I...it, um..."

"It...what?"

She bites her lip. "I guess...it...it's a natural thing," she eventually admits.

I blink. "Is that...a good thing, or a bad thing?"

She stares off into space, her expression neutral. "I don't know. Good, maybe?"

"Why is it good?"

She rolls her eyes. "And I thought I was being too obvious."

"Please, Nya?" I plead. "I really want to know what you're thinking."

She studies her fingernails. "I'm bad at being vulnerable."

"No, you're not. You're just out of practice. Talk to me."

She shakes her head, chuckling. "We...we both know that...I, uh, have more-than-friendly feelings for you. Gosh, I sound like a fifth grader's attempt at a love confession."

"No, you sound like you're trying. Thanks for that. Do you think...that maybe we should date?"

She squints at me. "You're pushing your boundaries."

"I'm sorry. I'll let you do the talking, okay?" I wait eagerly for her to speak.

"What do you expect me to say?" she frowns.

"Whether you want to be together with me or not."
"What I want isn't in question. What's best for us is another story, entirely. And when it comes between my wants and my needs, I always pick what I need."

"I really badly want to push my boundaries again, Nya, but I'm trying hard not to."

"Good." She closes her eyes and pulls the blanket around us.

"Nya," I complain. "You can't just end a conversation like that at two in the morning, then expect me to be able to sleep!"

"Mm-hmm. See, that's you. I am ready to take a nice long – "

Something bumps in the hallway, and my breath hitches, memories assaulting me. Nadakhan's wicked cackle or the way he humiliated Nya when we first met. The fact that he wants to kill me. My mom's excited face when she saw me thirteen years – well, for her, only a few weeks – after she'd crossed realms. The way she sang and lived and...died.

"Jay?" Nya asks. She brushes the curly hair from my forehead.

It feels so good, I reach out to keep her hand there. Her hands are so much warmer than the ice snaking its way into my heart.

She sighs. "I'm going to have to leave the comfort of my warm bed so I can join you camping out on the couch."

I frown. "What?"

"You need me. Let's go sleep on the couch, or word will get back to Kai...and he'll assume the worst. You know how he is."

"Oh. Um, I'll be okay, Nya. You don't have to get up. I just – "

She rolls off her bed, flopping on the ground in a heap. "I'm going, Jay. And I know you like how I've decorated the place, but you're not allowed to stay in here. My room, my rules."

I smile softly, following her out. I grab her quilt and a few pillows.

When I enter the TV room, she's already flipping through movies on BorgFlix.

"Um...Nya, I was wondering if maybe we could not watch a show. I'd rather just talk and spend time with you."

She raises a brow. "Not even Breakfast at Tiffany's? I was thinking we could turn the volume on low – you know, so we could talk until you're feeling all better."

I smile, putting my arms around her. "I really wanna kiss you right now."

"No."

"Look me in the eye and say that."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because the moment I look..." She blushes in the bright light of the TV screen.

My heart thrums in my chest. "The moment you look in my eyes is the moment you'd..."

***Music Cue***

"Nothing. Lay down on the couch, would you? You can arrange the pillows however you'd like."

Excitement builds in my chest. "You...Nya, we haven't been this close since...well, since it all went down with the Sons of Garmadon."

"Mm-hmm." She turns on our film. "Lay down on the couch already."

I chuckle at her bossiness. "I really love you."

"I know. The sofa, Jay."

"Nothing you say can dampen my spirits now," I smile, cuddling into the couch. I hold out my arms for her to join me.

"Not yet." She grabs the pillows I've all but left on the floor, then tucks the biggest one under my head.

"Are you...taking care of me?" I beam.

"You're too lazy to do it yourself. Hold out your arms again."

I do as she says, and she sniffs the air.

"Eww. Again, with the B.O." She shakes her head, crawling on top of me and into my waiting embrace.

I pull her back against my chest as she throws her quilt in the air, letting it fall down on top of us. Then, she turns and tucks it around my shoulders.

"Comfortable?" she asks.

I sigh, staring into her eyes. "Yeah. I love you."

"You might've mentioned that a few times."

"But it's true." I burrow my face into her shoulder. "Thanks, Nya."

"You're welcome. You can repay me later."

"How?"

She turns on the movie. "I don't know. I get free bossiness privileges with you?"

"You already boss me around whenever you want. But I do know a very good rewards system. It involves lots of hugs and kisses and – "

"Mm-hmm. Yeah, not happening. Let's take this one step at a time."

"I like this step. It means I get to be close to you." I sigh in pure bliss.

"Wanna talk out your fears?"

"Huh?" I mumble, inhaling her conditioner. It smells so good, and it's been a very long time since her hair's been this close to my nose.

She smiles. "Focus, Jay."

"Oh, okay. Uh...on what?"

"Whatever. I knew I was a good distraction." She giggles, her body shaking as she does.

"Distraction...oh! You mean from my fears. I knew that." I laugh nervously.

She chuckles again. "I'm tired, Jay. If you're not going to talk to me, I'm going to sleep."

"Okay. Can I kiss you good night?"

"No." She nestles her head into my chest. "Wake me up if you need me."

"I always need you."

"Okay. Wake me up if you need to talk."

I brush my fingers through her hair. "You're too cute to wake up when you sleep."

"Good night."

"Great night. I'm so happy."

She chuckles. "Stop it, Jay. You're being so cheesy right now."

"I get that way around you."

"I'm going to stop speaking now so I don't get you going. Good night."

"Don't let the bedbugs bite."

She drops her head to my neck, laughing. "Stop! You're going to make me wake up the others, and then we won't end up sleeping on the couch together tonight. You'll be stuck in the bunkroom. I don't do this kind of thing with an audience."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop. But only because I like having you right here." I rearrange her hair. "I love you."

"It never stops with you, does it?"

"It does, too! Starting now."

She releases a happy hum, closing her eyes and tucking her blanket up to her chin.

"Stop being so cute," I whisper.

"Jay!"

I moan. "Fine, I'm being quiet." I close my eyes. "But just so you know – "

"Say another word, and I'm trading out good old Tiffany's for a horror film."

I swallow, knowing her threat probably isn't idle. "Okay," I whisper. "Sweet dreams."

"You, too."

I enjoy the feeling of having her close until her breathing evens out and she's entirely relaxed.

And then I let myself drift off, knowing that this night is something to remember the good by – how I'm safe from murderous Djinns, how my mom loved me just the same after thirteen years, the way my past doesn't control me anymore.

Nya helped with that. I was stuck in a rut, and she did what it took to get me out.

And it seems that maybe she's not stuck anymore, either.

***So I forgot I gave you guys that teaser there. I thought that was kind of cute. Things are obviously heating up for Jaya - let's just hope they're at a mature enough stage when they finally get together...

And we ALL KNOW that Lloyd ISN'T at a friend's house. Also, KAI WAS VISITED BY NADAKHAN, AND HE DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER. This isn't good.***