Got this idea during a conversation with HailsStorm (thanks, Hails!), dashed it off in one sitting. Too good to pass up.
Rated T for some intense romance and mild language.
The day went downhill fast.
Nya was still feeling deliciously floaty inside as she stumbled out of the garage and into Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo. The hot, musky-sweet taste of Jay's kiss still lingered on her mouth. Dear fizzims, he was a good kisser. Who'd have thought? He'd always seemed like such a timid sort.
All that was great. Then the downhill part started. Nya was walking into the dojo, already planning some glib excuse to distract Sensei Wu from her starry eyes and flushed face, when she stopped in her tracks.
"What happened?!" she blurted. The room was a mess, and Sensei Wu was dangling from the wall, suspended by a pair of shurikens pinning the shoulders of his robe. He was tugging resolutely at one of the small weapons, trying to pull it out. When he heard Nya's cry, his head snapped up.
"Nya! You must hurry!" he ordered, pointing at the door. "The ninja are in danger!"
"What do you mean?" Nya hurried over to him and yanked out the shurikens, bracing one foot against the wall for leverage. "Oh! You're hurt!" She hissed sympathetically at the trickle of blood where one shuriken had grazed the Sensei's shoulder. "Let me bandage that up."
"No! You must go save the ninja!" Wu shook his head impatiently.
"They're fine, Sensei," soothed Nya, wondering if the old man was starting to go a bit daft. "I just saw Jay a minute ago, taking the Ultra Sonic Raider out for a spin." She felt her face grow pleasantly warm as the memory flashed through again. His arm wrapped tightly under her shoulderblades, his heart thundering against her chest, his tongue searching across her lips . . .
"That was not Jay!" bellowed the Sensei, yanking Nya out of her fantasy. She blinked.
"Wha . . . what?"
"Why do you think I was pinned to a wall by shurikens?" said Wu. "There are evil clones of the ninja on the loose! And now that they have taken the Ultra Sonic Raider, I fear the worst. Ready your Samurai suit!"
"Evil . . . clones? . . . " Nya stood stock still, feeling her insides drop out. That . . . hadn't been . . . Jay? . . .
"Nya!" The Sensei was already bustling around the dojo, gathering up implements of war. "Focus!"
Nya could only stare at him mutely. That . . . that most amazing kiss . . . had been . . .
The Sensei stared at her too, in disbelief. He opened his mouth to rebuke her again, but he was spared any further frustration: the real ninja had already arrived back from the former Darkley's School for Bad Boys, still laughing and eager to recount their adventures. They sobered up pretty fast when they saw the state of the dojo and the Sensei, though.
Through all the ensuing chaos and explanations and outrage at Garmadon's nerve and tending to Sensei's shoulder, Nya remained in something of a state of shock. She couldn't stop staring at Jay. He was perfectly in-character now: flighty, hyper, jokey, innocently dorky. Such a sweetheart.
But not the one who had given her that incredible kiss.
Once the fuss had died down a little, Jay approached her shyly. He was always so shy around her, so anxious to please. You'd never see him in shades.
"I . . . I heard my clone say that he . . . " He trailed off, stammering, but from his face Nya could tell that he knew. He knew, and he was ashamed, thinking that she was disgusted by his evil double's impudence. "I—I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about that. I-I mean, that it happened. Sorry on his behalf, I mean, 'cos it wasn't me ki—uhh—uh, doing that. You know that, right? Totally not me. Evil opposite guy."
Nya could do nothing more than keep looking at him blankly.
"Yeah," she said at last. "I know."
o.o.o.o.o
She kissed the real Jay a few times after that.
Hot damn, it was disappointing.
Trick or Treat!
Hahaa, this. I just couldn't resist. Think about it! The only time we've ever seen Nya get the "hots" for Jay is when it wasn't really Jay at all. ("Call me!") Clearly she likes her bad boys . . .
. . . Would kinda explain how dissatisfied she seemed by the start of "Rebooted," eh? *waggles eyebrows*
The title for this trainwreck, and stuck-on-repeat soundtrack while writing it, was the fantastic "BADBOI" by Pegboard Nerds.