A/N: This is rare from me, but have some between the pilots and season 1 jaya 😃

Is Wisp a good wingman or a bad wingman? Hmmm. 🤔

Jay jumps down from the dragon saddle and extends his arm, offering a sturdy grip for Nya to dismount. He rubs the back of his neck in awkward apology.

"So— uh— Ithinkwemightbelost."

Nya stares at him sweetly. "Oh, ok," she says as she starts to survey their surroundings. It's a forest she doesn't recognize. The trees look foreign, and the landscape is unfamiliar. As she wanders around looking for any useful information, Jay takes the opportunity to pull the head of his dragon down for a little chat.

"Wisp!" he whisper-hisses, "what are you doing?"

Wisp stares at him blankly.

"We can't land here! I don't even know where here is. We can't be lost! This— this is a disaster! Come on bro, you are making me look bad in front of my crush!" Jay tries to shake Wisp's head but the dragon barely budges.

"Look, I know you are tired, but we have to keep moving. We don't know what kind of forest this is. There could be skullkin crawling around everywhere. This is a strategic disadvantage. Didn't you take some kind of vow to protect the nunchucks of lightning? Guess what? I'm the new holder of the nunchucks of lightning, so you are bound to protect me! Do your job you worthless, good for nothing— oh hey Nya," Jay stammers as he swings his hand behind his head, elbow jutting out as he leans against Wisp as casually as possible.

She tilts her head to the side, inspecting them curiously, "Um, is everything ok?"

"Oh yeah. Sure. Sure. Just giving Wisp a little pep talk here about leaving," the last few words sound stressed as he pats Wisp's snout patronizingly.

"Oh," Nya says as she turns around again to look at their landing zone.

Jay takes the opportunity to cast Wisp a scathing glance.

"I have no idea where we are. Although, I didn't get much chance to explore Ninjago when living in Ignacia. We were always busy with the blacksmith or helping out neighbors," she says to the trees then returns her attention to the Blue Ninja and his giant blue dragon.

Jay is staring at her in almost a trancelike state, taking in her beauty and grace. From her perfectly cut raven hair, to her cherry red lips, gorgeous dimples and warm brown eyes that are exquisitely shaped and delicately framed by her brows, she is fiery hot and liquid cool.

She smiles at him and he feels his heart trip down his ribs, one by one.

"Is Wisp ok? Maybe he needs to rest?"

Jay pulls himself out of his mini-gawk and inspects the dragon of lightning. "He looks ok. I don't see any injuries. I don't think he needs to rest. He usually can fly greater distances than this."

He gently traces his gloved hand over the dragon's snout. "What's wrong bud? Are you getting sick?"

Wisp sighs heavily and shakes himself out like an old dog. Then, with a great leap into the air, he flies off towards the horizon without another roar or backward glance.

The two humans stand there, dumbfounded. They watch as the dragon fades away with unimaginable speed until it disappears completely, swallowed up by the endless expanse of sky.

"What! He can't just leave!" The words explode out of Jay's mouth after a momentary silence. "All of our gear was still on the saddle packs. He can't just leave us stranded in the middle of nowhere!" He turns back toward the direction of the setting sun and squints against its glare.

"Well, um, what supplies do we have on us? Maybe Wisp went to get help?," Nya offers, trying to calm Jay's nerves, but truthfully, she is trying to calm her own. Deep down, she knows Jay can protect them until they can find help, he's been trained by the best.

He pats himself down, doing a self check on his gear, rattling off his inventory, "I've got my nunchucks of lightning, a few kunai, some throwing stars, smoke bombs, mini first aid pack, two protein bars, smelling salts, hydrating tablets— Water! We don't have any water!"

"This forest looks lush, maybe we can find a nearby spring or creek?"

Jay spins around aimlessly, as if he is unsure to keep looking around the forest for intel or jump into the trees for cover.

"Water, water, water," he mumbles to himself. Then suddenly, he reaches forward, grabs her wrist, and spins her around to face him. His fingers brush hers ever so lightly as she steps closer to him. Her scent fills his nose, intoxicating and alluring.

It takes every ounce of his self restraint to not reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear or gently cup her cheek. Her confusion is evident as she opens her mouth to question their close contact, but he cuts her off. "Stay alert, I'm going to jump into the trees for a better view."

"Okay—"

There is a slight rush of wind as he disappears before her eyes. Cool air swirls around the heat on her blushed cheeks. The trees rustle as if a gentle breeze is blowing through them but Nya knows it is probably Jay jumping from branch to branch, trying to get a good vantage point from the tree tops.

Minutes pass and Nya scratches her arm nervously, squashing any nagging thoughts that Jay abandoned her like Wisp. Her eyes dart around the forest, trying to spy his bright blue uniform, but he somehow is camouflaged. She paces around to quell the feeling of panic that is piercing her stomach.

Jay should be back any minute, she tries to assure herself, as she walks into something warm and solid. She jumps back in a fighting stance, eyes wide, heart racing and adrenaline surging through her veins.

The Blue Ninja stands before her and tilts his head to the side, perplexed. Considering how loud and annoying he normally is, he can be surprisingly quiet and sneaky when in ninja mode.

"I found a stream, let's go," he says as he grabs her hand and runs downhill.

They arrive at a small, mossy clearing that is cut in half by a zig-zagging, babbling brook.

Whatever apprehension about the situation that Jay had displayed earlier is gone. Nya thinks he seems genuinely excited about camping in the wilderness.

"We've got water, we can make shelter, and if we are lucky, there are fish in this stream. Oh, oh," Jay bounces, rocking back and forth between the balls of his feet to his heels, "If my dumb dragon doesn't come back by morning, we can follow this creek downstream and see if it takes us to a village or somewhere we recognize."

Whatever anxiety Nya was feeling from earlier also starts to fade. They have a plan, and the evening could turn into a romantic campfire lit dinner with the Blue Ninja who will protect her from any ambushes (she can protect herself too thank you very much) and— Nya's train of thought comes to a screeching halt as heat rushes up the sides of her face. What is she even thinking? She doesn't have feelings for Jay. Right?

Right?

It's simply the situation. Being lost and stranded is messing with her head. Never mind that the person she is stuck in the wilderness with is this odd combination of cute and hot that somehow works, athletic and trained as a deadly assassin and ninja, can wield nunchucks that also shoot out lightning, and to top it all off, he can make her laugh. And not a tee-hee that was silly kind of laugh, but a clutching her gut, gasping for breath on the ground in hysterics kind of laugh.

A resonating slapping sound echoes through the trees, pulling Nya out of her existential crisis. Jay is rustling around by the widest part of the stream and a spot on her cheek begins to smart, throbbing painfully for a few beats. She pulls her hand away from her face, inspecting the palm as she realizes she slapped herself out of her own daydream. How embarrassing.

At least Jay didn't seem to notice because he is too busy . . . undressing?

"Uhh—" Nya starts, undecided if she should go towards him or find a place to hide. "What are you doing?"

Jay's tabi boots and socks are flung to the side and his pant legs are rolled up to his mid thighs, giving Nya a nice view of his sculpted legs. His gloves are stuffed into one of his torso gear pouches and the sleeves of his gi are rolled up past his elbows. Nya briefly thinks that his forearms look nice and is a little disappointed that she can't see his upper arms. He twirls around the nunchucks of lightning before standing in a ridiculous hero pose.

"I'm going fishing," he states proudly, "more specifically, electrofishing!"

Nya blinks twice. "Huh?"

"I'm going to use the nunchucks of lightning to create a current in the water that will attract the fish. When they get too close they will get stunned and then I can easily grab them. We'll have fresh roasted fish for dinner!"

"Wow, that's actually really amazing," Nya says, impressed by the ingenuity of his plan.

She watches as Jay wades into the stream, the water almost coming up to his knees. With practiced ease, he swings the metal poles above his head, creating a high pitched ringing noise and a brief spark flashes across his fingertips. He then prods the water with the nunchucks. The current in the water gets stronger, causing ripples in the surface.

"Told ya so," Jay mutters under his breath as fish turn direction and start to swarm him.

"Wait, how are you not getting electricuted?"

Jay shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe the nunchucks protect me? If I lose concentration though, they bite me. Ever been tased? It hurts like a bee-atch."

Nya wonders if Jay is lightning proof, and for some reason, her galaxy brain decides to test this theory. An invisible force pulls her towards Jay and she reaches out slowly, intent on touching the tip of her index finger to his forearm.

"Stop! What are you doing? If you step foot in the water you'll get electrocuted!" Jay shouts, staring at her in wide-eye disbelief.

Nya reels her hand back, cheeks ablaze and embarrassed by her own thoughts for a second time that day.

"Oh, I–," she stammers, suddenly feeling as dumb as the fish that are also attracted to the lightning in the water.

Jay flashes her his signature megawatt smile. "It's ok, I know it looks cool. But look, don't touch, okay? I don't want you getting hurt."

Nya smiles weakly. That seems to be the theme of the day: look but don't touch. Now she really does want to find a hole to crawl into and hide.

Jay cocks an eyebrow at her. His face is serious as he studies her reaction. It only lasts for a split second though, before he breaks into a grin again.

Thankfully, those same dumb fish provide an instant distraction from the secondhand embarrassment that is hovering around them. As they get close to the nunchucks of lightning, they wither and splash, stunned stupid and float to the surface belly up.

"Ready? Catch!" Jay says with little warning as he starts to grab the fish by the gills and fling them on shore. After a minute, there is a large pile of fish that reaches as high as Nya's waist.

"Um, I don't think we can eat all of this," Nya says as she stares at the giant pile of fish. She makes a mental note that if she ever gets stranded again, Jay is the best person to be stuck with. Despite his motor mouth and hyperactivity, he has the best survival skills she has ever seen.

Jay joins her back on shore, also admiring the large pile of fish. "Let's see if I'm right," he says as he shakes the water from his dripping limbs.

"Huh?"

But before Nya can question further, a low growl rumbles deep within his chest. It seems to come not only from his throat but also from the earth itself, vibrating the very ground under their feet.

Suddenly, both of them jump backwards, gasping in surprise. A large shadow looms overhead, blocking out the sun as its huge wings flap furiously. Its blue body reflects the sunlight as the eyes gleam bright yellow and lightning shoots out between the rows of sharp teeth lining its jaws.

Its roar echoes throughout the woods causing birds to flee in terror while leaves rustle and fall to the ground.

Jay jumps up and down and fist pumps the air. "I knew it!" he exclaims, circling around in a victory dance, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! You couldn't resist food. Now eat up so we can get out of here!"

Wisp lands next to the wriggling pile of fish with a thunderous boom and scopes half into his mouth, swallowing the fish whole. Before Nya could even blink, Jay had fixed his uniform, put back on his shoes and gloves, grabbed her hand and jumped back onto the dragon saddle. He pulls on the reins, "Alright buddy, finish your dinner and let's go!"

The dragon of lightning snorts disapprovingly and shakes, dumping the two humans to the ground.

"What? Unacceptable!" Jay screams as he grabs Nya's hand and jumps back onto the saddle. Wisp shrugs and dumps them off again.

"What is wrong with you!?"

Nya can tell Jay is getting increasingly frustrated, but before she can offer some calming words, he grabs her hand and they have mounted the dragon again.

Wisp snorts out an exasperated sigh as lightning arcs out from his nostrils.

"Come on, let's go!" Jay says a little more aggressively than warranted as he snaps the reins. Wisp doesn't seem to like that.

A high pitched whine vibrates in the air and Nya feels the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Tendrils of lightning crackle around them and Jay's eyes grow wide. Nya doesn't even have a split second to wonder what is going on before Jay grabs her waist and she finds them flying through the air, landing on the ground with an ungraceful somersault.

In a flash Jay is on his feet, staring down his dragon, absolutely livid. "What is wrong with you!? You almost hurt Nya!"

Wisp glares at Jay. For a second Nya is terrified the dragon is going to electrocute them, but then he just sniffs and goes back to eating.

"Maybe he's sick?" Nya tries. Jay is still glaring at his dragon, looking like he might combust into a dazzling display of sparks, or cause a city-wide blackout (if it weren't for being lost in the wilderness).

Jay plops down, crossing his arms and legs, still staring down his defiant dragon. Nya suspects Wisp only tolerates him because he is the current holder of the nunchuck of lightning. With a frustrated sigh, Jay flops backwards, stretching out on the ground and gazing absentmindedly at the darkening sky.

"Fine," he concedes dryly, voice underscored with sarcasm, "we will set up camp and wait for Wisp to feel better, or get out of whatever funk he is in. Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile."

Wisp huffs happily, then paces in a circle and finds a spot to curl up for a nap.

oOo

Three hours later a roaring campfire is crackling and popping between the pair of humans and dragon. A dark night sky stretches over them as the stars twinkle in beat with the chirping crickets and croaking frogs.

Jay sits cross legged on the bed of moss, resting his chin on his knees as he watches Nya play with Wisp.

"You should try this sometime," she tells him.

He raises his eyebrows questioningly. "Try what?"

Nya plops down next to him, bouncing on the spot excitedly.

"Playing with Wisp! You would love it!"

Jay scrunches up his face thoughtfully.

"I'm pretty sure Wisp hates my guts," he says as he tosses the dragon another raw fish. Wisp gulps it down then chortles happily while bobbing his head. "See", he says, gesturing to the giant blue dragon, "even he agrees."

Nya giggles. She hasn't had this much fun in, well, ever. Her life before meeting Master Wu and the ninja was full of endless days working and surviving. There were not many kids her own age when she was in Ignacia, and she had to grow up fast anyway. Runing the blacksmith and weapons shop took a lot of work.

She supposes she missed out on a lot of childhood memories and milestones, and for some reason, interacting with Jay makes her yearn for creating those kinds of memories. He is lighthearted and fun, even when situations get serious. He can laugh in the face of danger but also freak out in times of peace. She wonders if being over-dramatic is the point. He's controlled chaos.

Jay throws Wisp his unfinished roasted fish they ate for dinner and Nya does the same. The dragon doesn't seem to mind polishing off their leftovers.

"He likes you though," Jay muses, glaring at his dragon through the dancing flames of the campfire. "If you were not with us, I think he would have abandoned my butt in the forest for real."

"Awww, don't say that. I think Wisp enjoys giving you a hard time."

Jay crosses his arms and pouts. He supposes she might be right. It's always funny when the annoying one gets annoyed. He smiles smugly to himself, at least he is self aware.

"Probably," he agrees, "but that doesn't get us out of this forest. Wisp better be in ship shape to fly us out of here tomorrow."

Wisp snorts and Nya laughs, feeling heat on her cheeks but convinces herself that it is from the fire. A few flashes of light catch her eye. Jay sees it too.

"Oh, lightning?"

Seconds later, thunder rumbles in the distance followed by the horizon ablaze with a spider web of lightning bolts cutting through the night sky. Wisp coos softly and nuzzles into his makeshift mossy mattress.

"A thunderstorm!"

"Do you think it will reach us?"

"It's probably too far away, but you never know. Wait a minute—" Jay eyes Wisp suspiciously. "Did you ditch us to go play in a thunderstorm?"

The dragon turns his head slightly and huffs, sparks of lightning arcing from his mouth, yet his movements neither confirm nor deny Jay's hypothesis.

"Jerk," Jay mutters as he throws another fish at Wisp. He catches it with his tongue and gulps it down with ease.

Nya giggles at the scene before her, then shivers. Jay notices and proceeds to pull a blanket out of the backpack that was attached to the dragon saddle.

"Here, he says, handing it to her, "fortunately there was an emergency blanket packed. You take it for the night."

The material is thin and slightly stiff but it retains heat well. It's not as comfy as the one on the couch back at the monastery, the one that she finds mysteriously covering her after she wakes up from dozing off during a movie or the boys having a videogame marathon. She thinks it would be nice to one day wake up next to Jay cuddled under that blanket.

She recoils her hand, scared of her own thoughts.

Jay raises an eyebrow at her. "Don't worry about me," he says, assuming she doesn't want him to go blanketless, "I'll be fine through the night. Master Wu has made us camp through much worse." He extends his arm further, gesturing for her to take the blanket.

A gentle smile appears on his face, almost as bright as his element. She is mesmerized by how his sincerity towards her instantly scorches the silver flecks in his irises and makes them glow brightly, or maybe that's the campfire reflected in his eyes playing tricks on her. Lightning zig-zags in the distance behind him, backlighting the handsome features of his face. The moment of anticipation between lightning and thunder makes her heart race.

She reaches forward again, her fingers accidentally brushing against his as she grabs the blanket. A spark of static electricity jumps from his hand to hers, jolting her gaze back to his eyes. Thunder booms gently around them, resonating with the pounding of her heart.

"Th— thanks," she says meekly, knowing this time her cheeks are turning bright red and it has nothing to do with the campfire.

Nya takes the blanket and wraps it around her shoulders. Her eyes meet his again and she breaks the contact first, averting her gaze from the burning intensity in his eyes and the soft flush color of his cheeks.

Jay is frozen, unable to look away from her beautiful face, her soft lips, the way she looks absolutely adorable bundled up in the blanket. His heart is beating so rapidly that he feels lightheaded. He swallows thickly and fidgets with the hem of his gi. She is just— she is so perfect; her hair, her eyes, her smile, and yet— her presence makes him feel uneasy. Like he is going to lose control and do something stupid around her. What is happening to him? He has never felt like this before.

So he shifts awkwardly and sits on his hands, to keep himself from doing something really dumb like reaching up and tucking the strands of hair that have fallen in front of her face behind her ear, or cupping her cheek so he can stare into those dreamy eyes, or rubbing his thumb across her gourgous full lips to see what kind of sound she would make, or—

Thunder cracks above them again, louder this time, and Jay jumps up, thankful for the distraction. It's starting to get cold and rain would turn their romantic campfire into a disaster.

"That sounded closer," Nya observes and Jay agrees.

He needs to focus on anything other than Nya right now or he is going to lose his mind.

"Maybe the storm will hit us?" she wonders out loud.

Jay furrows his brow. "If we are lucky, the storm will pass to the east of us. If the wind shifts, then the storm might hit us. It all depends on which way the wind blows."

"Should we move?"

"Kind of pointless unless Wisp stops being a butthead and takes us to the monastery. Being under the canopy is dangerous," he says as he points to the trees above, "but being out in the open is even worse."

Nya ponders this new development. What was supposed to be a quick errand with Jay turned into an overnight adventure, and with the uncertainty of the storm, it could get a whole lot more exciting.

She briefly wonders if Kai and the others are out searching for them. She figures Kai will blow a gasket when they get back and declare she is never allowed out of his sight again. Nya rolls her eyes at the thought. She is a big girl, perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and even though she hasn't known Jay for long, for some reason she trusts him. Somehow, she knows he will treat her right and keep her safe.

That thought ignites something within her, a liquid thrum that pools heat into her core. She quickly pulls the blanket up to her nose in an attempt to hide. These feelings— are new territory for her, part of her is scared, but another part of her wants to explore them further, and that scares her even more.

"Um, well," she fidgets her feet awkwardly under the blanket, "I think I'll try to get some sleep first if you don't mind. Goodnight!" she declares and promptly rolls into a ball on the mossy ground, not giving Jay a chance to respond.

"Ahh— oh— okay," he sounds unsure of himself and confused by her sudden need to sleep, "I'll keep an eye on the storm." There is a long pause as thunder booms around them. "Are you even able to sleep through all this noise?"

Nya speaks to the campfire, too embarrassed to make eye contact. "I like the loudness. It's comforting. When I was growing up, thunderstorms were my favorite. They always meant summer was coming and the extra rain would provide a bountiful harvest which made everyone in the community happy."

The lightning streaks overhead, illuminating the forest around them, casting shadows across the grassy plains as the thick clouds pass by.

"The gentle roll of thunder, the sharp flashes of light followed by louder cracks of thunder, and the rhythmic pounding of rain— I don't know, it's cathartic. Like a soothing lullaby. Like old memories trying to be remembered, but at the same time a new future trying to be discovered."

"Wow, that's poetic," Jay says after thunder rumbles around them. It's starting to get louder.

"Really? I like poetry. But I'm no poet."

Jay is silent for a few moments, which is unsettling because his endless jabbering is starting to become a comforting constant in her life.

Then, he clears his throat and his voice is slightly lower in both pitch and volume.

"Storm in the morning light,
I hear its voice,
But cannot see.
A voice that fills my heart with fear,
A voice that calms and brings me peace,
And yet at the same time fills me with awe,
With dread of all it might do.
The storm's voice is an ocean roaring,
And though I know it cannot hurt me,
Its power leaves me helpless to control my own terror. It seems to tear the sky,
It moves the earth,
And yet it gives life to everything.
In the quietness that follows,
Comes a feeling of peace and well-being,
A calm so deep,
And yet so real,
I feel as if I am one with the world.
My skin tingles,
Every cell in my body vibrates with this feeling.
How can there be such joy and sorrow all rolled into one?
There are no words to describe what happens.
To me,
It is a miracle."

"Oh— Wow! That's beautiful. Who wrote that?"

"Me," he states proudly.

"I didn't know you wrote poetry," she says in awe.

He shrugs nonchalantly as a smug smile blooms across his face. "I dabble."

"Oh? Tell me another one!"

Jay rolls his shoulders and puffs his chest out in pride. His smile is contagious.

"My name is not thunder, but I know that I am.
I don't cry like rain or grow like wind, but I can break apart.
People often fear me, and they feel my presence long before they see me.
They see it as an explosion in the sky.
Sometimes they think of a mighty flash of lightning that strikes down to earth.
But my name is not thunder, but I know I am."

"Clever," Nya says. She is sitting up now, ankles crossed, chin resting on her knees and the blanket draped around her shoulders. Wisp snores softly as the campfire crackles and spits. The wind shifts and smoke brushes past her face, gently teasing the tips of her bangs. "Got anymore?"

Jay ponders for a moment, watching lightning dart across the sky and waiting in anticipation of the thunderous boom. They both flinch involuntarily at the sound.

"It seems I have a new fan," Jay ventures.

Nya shrugs unforgivingly, "So what? I said I like poetry."

It's hard to tell through the low light of the campfire, but she's pretty sure she sees a deep blush blooming across his face.

Jay clears his throat, ceremoniously.

"Lighting streaks across the sky,
Hands outstretched, to touch me
My heart beats faster.
I look at you and smile
My skin is alive
As we embrace
Our souls connect
Like lightning flashes
And thunder rumbles
Bodies pressed against each other
The air crackles with electricity
Fingers are dancing on skin
Whispers of desire fill our hearts
In the cool of the evening, when the night winds blow through, you take my hand
Leaning in, your lips brush my neck
Lips soft as velvet
Your eyes are aglow
Lightning streaks across the sky, bright and brilliant."

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh," Nya whispers, "That was ah, uh—" she flounders, the right words failing her.

"Too much?" Jay fills in for her hastily.

"No—" she shakes her head, blushing again, this time in embarrassment.

She shouldn't be thinking these things about him. It's wrong.

"I mean, um," she stutters, waving her hands, trying to distract him from her thoughts.

"You can stop now. I get it. You just like poetry," he laughs, bashfully covering his face with his hands.

Nya rolls her eyes and covers her own mouth.

"I'll give you that one if you want, but only if you promise to write me another one sometime. I'm partial to your thunder, but I really liked your lightning."

Jay chuckles quietly and raises his arms triumphantly.

He's won.

"Deal!"

Thunder rolls above them and the smell of rain on the wind permeates the air. The moment between lightning and thunder starts to shrink until the sky lights up directly overhead in a spiderweb of sparks as violent thunder booms around them. The pair of humans flinch involuntarily as Wisp seems unfazed and continues to slumber.

Something cold and wet hits Nya on the face. Then again, and again. Jay jumps to his feet, panic flashing across his eyes. "Oh no! It's raining!"

Nya almost bursts into laughter watching him zig-zag around the campsite.

"Ahh, what do we do? The rain is going to put out the fire and we are going to get soaking wet, and oh, this is a disaster—"

He comes to a screeching halt and stares at his slumbering dragon. Nya briefly wonders if Jay will start blaming Wisp for their predicament, and she kind of hopes he does. Her romantic campfire lit night with a cute ninja is getting rained on. Literally.

"Quick! Get under his wing!" Jay shouts as more drops fall on them.

He pulls the large wing out like it's a collapsible awning on a porch and jabs the talon on the tip of the wing into the ground to create a makeshift tent. Nya grabs the pack of supplies and blanket then dives under the cover. Within seconds, the large drops of rain transform into a torrential downpour.

The giant blue dragon growns in protest but doesn't make any attempt to move.

"Whatever, serves you right for not taking us home," Jay mutters under his breath. Nya can't help but agree, then notices her left side is pressed flush against him as they huddle under their dragon wing turned umbrella. Their backs are squished against the underside of Wisp's wing and Nya feels an electric heat radiating from both the dragon and ninja.

"Here," she says, trying to distract herself from improper thoughts and feelings, because that is the last thing she needs right now. The emergency blanket crinkles as she attempts to rearrange it. "The rain is putting out the fire. Get under here to stay warm."

Jay follows her instructions without protest and oh wow, she didn't think that one through because now she is sharing a blanket with him in the middle of nowhere. And it's not like she can run and hide right now; rain is cascading down on them from all sides as Wisp's body shelters them from the worst of it, unless she wants to dart out into the rain like an idiot and get soaked to the bone.

Jay is quiet for once as the rain pounds down, loudly ricocheting off of Wisp's body, creating small streams around them as the water drains away. There is another flash of light followed by instantaneous thunder. Nya jerks, startled by the sound and pushes harder into Jay's side.

"S— Sorry," she mumbles, desperately hoping he can't see the blush that is coloring her cheeks.

The pause is a beat too long before he responds.

"It's ok." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "This is some storm, huh."

"Yeah," she agrees. Even though she should be scared, being stranded with a boy she barely knows and caught in a nasty storm, the whole situation is oddly comforting. Like there's no other place she would rather be.

If even possible, the rainfall increases. It almost feels like they are underneath an infinitely wide waterfall. The streams of water draining off of Wisp grow bigger, encroaching on their tiny dry patch of land under his wing.

"Uhhh," Nya starts, nervously scooting closer to the center as he does the same. The last thing they want is to get soaking wet while stranded in the middle of nowhere.

He gulps involuntarily. "I'm not trying to be weird, but you should sit on my lap— err, I mean," he jitters for a second and Nya sympathizes with the awkwardness. He takes a deep breath, steeling his resolve. "I mean, you should sit in front of my lap so we don't get soaked from this water."

Cautiously, Nya nods in agreement. After a few seconds of awkward rearrangement, Jay finds himself sandwiched between Nya and Wisp.

Perhaps this was a slight miscalculation on his part.

Her beautiful raven hair is right under his nose and he can smell the flowery shampoo she uses. Her slender frame is relaxed against his front, shivering slightly from the cold. He wants to wrap his arms around her tight and help her warm up, but he keeps his hands glued to his outer thighs, clenching tight, painfully digging his fingernails into the flesh, trying to think of anything other than the girl in front of him. It's his job to ensure Nya remains oblivious of his body's reaction to her presence.

This is pure torture. Worse that any training Master Wu has put them through (and he's put them through a lot).

Jay shifts his head back and forth, desperately looking for a distraction. He eyes the water creeping towards them. Maybe a cold, wet butt for the rest of the night would have been a suitable alternative than this.

"So," Nya says, and he snaps his attention back to her. "Have you ever been caught in a thunderstorm this intense?"

Jay ponders for a second, thinking back to his childhood. The Sea of Sand rarely had rain. But lightning storms, those happened a few times a year and they were always his favorite. Like Nya, he found the sound of thunder comforting. Now that he's found the nunchucks of lightning, he understands why.

"Not rain like this, just some intense lightning storms," he answers, trying to remain as vague as possible about growing up in a junkyard in the Sea of Sands.

"Mmm," Nya responds, "I never have either. We would get plenty of rain and lightning in Ignacia, but I can't recall getting caught in a downpour like this."

"First time for everything," Jay says automatically, then cringes at how lame and cliché that sounded.

But Nya surprises him with a giggle. Somehow this girl continuously surprises him with positive reactions to all his antics. A guy could get spoiled by that kind of treatment and lose himself completely to a pretty girl like that.

"I'm glad I could experience this first with you," she says on the tail end of a sigh and Jay can almost feel his heart try to jump out of body.

I want to experience a lot of firsts with you, he almost, almost says, but smartly keeps his mouth shut.

"Glad to be of service," he says instead and almost bites his own tongue on how cringey that again sounds.

But Nya doesn't seem to mind.

"When we get back, we should do some storm chasing. Maybe Wisp will cooperate better."

Jay scoffs at that notion. "Getting Wisp to cooperate is like pulling teeth. But we can try. He seems to like you better than me."

Although, if it weren't for Wisp, he wouldn't be having this fabulously amazing but also incredibly awkward alone time with Nya.

Jay sighs and rolls his head back against Wisp's body. Until the storm passes, it's going to be a long night. He wonders if sleep is even possible, or will he be too frazzled by any movement that Nya makes?

Nya yawns loudly. "You two are too similar, that's why you butt heads. Wisp likes you, he just has a funny way of showing it."

"Like stranding us in an intense storm?"

"Yeah, Wisp is a jokester, just like you."

Jay feels a pang of annoyance flair through his veins, unsure of what to do with that information. Nya's right, but his pride won't let him admit that.

"Then Wisp wins this prank," he almost seethes, even more annoyed at his lightning dragon. "But he needs to watch his back. Revenge is best served cold."

"Careful," Nya mockingly chides him, "we are at the mercy of Wisp right now. What if decides to roll over and we lose our awning?"

"Nya," Jay almost hisses, "don't give him ideas!"

She laughs, gustily and loud, and Jay can feel every minute movement as her back presses up against him.

So much for the distraction.

Jay makes a loud show of mirroring Nya's previous yawn. The downpour is starting to ease up, but the ground surrounding them is soaked. They are stuck in this tiny dry spot until Wisp decides it's time to leave.

They sit in silence for a few moments, listening to the pitter-patter of rain and the rolling thunder following the lightning strikes. The atmosphere around them is supercharged with energy, yet at the same time calming and serene.

Finally, Nya speaks. "I think I'm going to try and get some sleep, if you don't mind."

"Yeah go ahead. I'll keep watch and wake you when Wisp is ready to leave."

"Okay," she says and relaxes against him. "Thank you for keeping me dry and warm."

"No problem. It's my job as a ninja."

"Thanks, ninja." Nya yawns again and Jay can't help but copy. Those things are contagious.

"It's okay if you want to sleep too," she mumbles sleepily, "I trust you."

It's the last thing that she utters before he hears her breathing slow and a soft snore escape her lips. His heart warms at those words and he resists the urge to pull her into a crushing bear hug.

The majority of the storm has passed and Jay listens to the light remnants of rain, and the sound of water dripping from the leaves to the forest floor, pooling together and draining down the hill. Thunder rumbles distantly.

The most amazing girl in the world is snuggled against him, sleeping soundly. This has to be a dream, it can't possibly be real. But it is, and even though it's going to be a long, awkward night of no sleep, there is no other place Jay would rather be.