just a quick little angsty story abt jay and nya when they’re older <3
i’m totally not doing this to procrastinate :)
! TW ! : stress, overworking
Nya groaned softly as she shut the front door behind her and hung up the house key. She slowly peeled her shoes off her sore feet, wincing in pain silently so as to not wake anyone in the house.
As she walked past the entryway and into the kitchen, she froze at the sight of her husband hunched over the kitchen table. Bills and paperwork were strewn all over the smooth wooden surface, and he held a calculator in one hand and a chewed up pencil in the other.
“Jay,” she murmured softly, pulling his attention from the kitchen table.
As he looked up at her, she could see the exhaustion in his eyes. The hints of a red beard were starting to show on his chin, and a few gray hairs sparkled in his auburn curls.
When he realized his wife was home, some of the life returned to his tired blue eyes.
“Jay, why are you still up? It’s almost 3 already. You know you have a shift tomorrow,” Nya reprimanded gently.
Jay smiled sheepishly. “Eva had a bad dream. She’s back in bed now, but I couldn’t go back to sleep. I thought I might as well work on the bills since I’m up.”
Nya ran a hand through his hair. “Baby, you know you need your rest. Being a ninja is a hard job and... let’s face it; we’re not teenagers anymore.”
“You say that like we’re old,” Jay said with a frown.
She chuckled. “Jay, you’re already thirty-one. Our youth is gonna start running out pretty soon.”
He sighed in defeat. “Okay, I guess you’re right.”
Nya thought for a moment as she stroked his hair. “Jay?”
“When do you think we should retire? We can’t be ninja forever, you know.”
Jay pulled away from her. “Wait, what? You don’t wanna be a ninja anymore?”
Nya sighed. “No. I don’t want us to be ninja anymore.”
“Why not? I mean, we can’t just quit the team! Ninja never quit!”
Nya grabbed her husband’s face in her hands. “Jay. We aren’t just ninja anymore. We’re parents now. We have more to think about than just ourselves or the team or even the city. We need to do what’s best for our kids.”
Jay’s face fell. “But... I thought we agreed that us being ninja is what’s best for them... so we could protect them.”
She let go of his face and sat down at the table. “I thought so, too. But look at us, Jay. We’re struggling so much we can barely give them a chance to have a happy, normal childhood. They never see us because we’re always working. And you know as well as I do that being a ninja doesn’t pay well.” Nya buried her face in her hands. “I’m just so tired! We protect the city on three to four hours of sleep every night and for what? I feel like I never get to see my babies! And they’re growing so fast, I don’t want to miss out on any more than I already have.”
As her body began to shake with sobs, Jay wrapped his arms around her and cried into her hair. Once their tears began to slow down, Jay let out a shaky breath.
“Okay. I’ll let the team know. You’re right; our family comes first.”
Nya stood up and ran a hand anxiously through her hair. “God, Jay, what are we gonna do? I don’t even know where to start in looking for a normal job!”
Jay grabbed her hands. “Hey, hey. Don’t start that. I’m supposed to be the anxious one.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. “Just like you always tell me; it’s us. We’ll figure something out. We always do.”
And with that, the master of water kissed the master of lightning with peace of mind that no matter what they went through, they would pull through together.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone <333