I've had some real trouble posting this chapter. First, the site wouldn't let me upload the document, then I wasn't able to update the story. But anyway, here we go...
So, despite the different title, this one-shot is the second part to 'Movie Night'.
Thanks for all the nice comments on the first part and especially for the costume suggestions! Let's see if you'll recognise all the movie references and quotes :D.
Cliff's Closet (Movie Night / Part 2)
Jay took Nya's hand and led her up the up the stairs to the first floor. While the living room displayed Cliff Gordon's professional awards and achievements, the walls of the main hall and staircase were covered with an impressive collection of pieces of modern art. It was obvious that both areas aimed to impress any visitor entering the building.
But when the couple reached to upper level and turned around the corner towards Cliff Gordon's private wing, they noticed that the style of wall decorations abruptly changed. The plain white walls were randomly hung with a huge number of photos in simple (and non-matching) frames. All of them showed Cliff Gordon celebrating with other celebrities, on most of them they were dressed in costumes.
"He must have been a very popular party guest." Nya remarked.
"Yes, but have you noticed that all these pictures were taken at parties?" Jay replied. "And he is never shown on his own but always the centre of attention. I think Cliff Gordon secretly may have been a very lonely person, so he surrounded himself with these images of him and his 'friends'."
Nya gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "Don't blame yourself for that. You didn't know about him until… you know… it was too late."
"I know." Jay sighed. "It's just that… all my life, I've kind of idolised this man. It's hard to find out that he's made his share of mistakes. And that, despite all his fame and fortune, he probably still hasn't led the perfect life."
"Yes, but never think that you were one of his mistakes. And you are not like him, either." Nya could tell that Jay was worried that he would end up on his own like his birth father. "I promise."
Jay nodded. "Thanks." He said with a weak smile.
"You're welcome." Nya gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Listen, if it upsets you, we really don't have to do this now, I-I don't want to push you into something you don't want to do. We can just go back downstairs."
"No, no, I'm fine." Jay replied. "If I must face the truth about myself, I-I'll rather do this with you than on my own. Also, there is something I really would like to show you. And, unlike Cliff, I will be putting on the costume for a person I truly care about."
"And who cares a lot about you too." Nya reassured him, as they walked along the hallway.
"These are guest rooms." Jay explained, pointing at the closed doors to their left and right. "I don't think they've been used in a while, but all appear to be in pretty good condition, and they are en-suite. I wish we had that on the Bounty as well…"
"I am so glad I have my own bathroom." Nya agreed.
They finally came to stop at the end of the corridor, in front of a slightly ajar dark blue door. The frame was of the same colour, with white lightning patterns running from top to bottom on either side of the door. Nya noticed that the paint on the door and frame was chipped in a few places and had started to peel off. All in all, it looked very old, and it definitely presented a huge contrast to the rest of the house, which was painted in immaculate white with modern walnut wooden doors.
"This…" Jay pushed the door further open. "… is-was Cliff Gordon's Master Bedroom."
Nya followed her boyfriend inside the room and looked around. Two open doors on the left and right walls led to a spacious bathroom and walk-in closet, respectively. The super king-sized bed in the centre of the room was still perfectly made, just as if the actor was still alive and to soon return home again. The girl shivered. She almost felt like she was invading the deceased man's privacy.
"Come and have a look at this." Jay's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He was sitting on the side of the bed, holding a silver picture frame in his hand. Nya joined him and he carefully handed her the object. The photo showed a young and very happy looking Cliff Gordon embracing a beautiful blonde woman. She had long, wavy hair and sparkling blue eyes. The colour and pattern of her outfit matched those on the door they had just come through.
"She is very beautiful. And she must have been important to him." The Water Ninja commented. "Any idea who that is? Do you think…"
"I don't know. But I am going to find out." The Master of Lightning replied in a determined voice.
His girlfriend continued to study the picture. "I can't believe we've never noticed that you do look a lot like him…" She said. "Now I am trying to imagine you with a moustache…"
"Ooh, I am going to look sooo awesome with a beard…" Jay grinned, remembering the image of his future self that he had seen in the FSM's tomb. "And you will love it."
"As long as it won't turn out like Sensei Wu's…" Nya joined in his laughter. She was relieved that all the discoveries – and open questions – about his heritage had not made the Blue Ninja lose his general positive outlook.
"Nah, if I had a long white beard, I would also have to become as wise and serious as him. And that will never happen." The young man carefully took the picture off her hands and gently placed it back on the bedside table.
"I am glad to hear that. Because I like you best when you are you."
Jay planted a firm kiss on her lips before standing up. "And if I remember correctly you once told me that one of the reasons you like me is that I always stand by my words. So, I better keep my promise to show you my birth father's wardrobe."
He held out his hands to help her get up from the deep, soft mattress as well.
"This is bigger than my whole room." Nya remarked, when they entered the spacious walk-in closet.
"And it probably has more clothes than all eight of us combined." Jay agreed. "I've only had a quick look, but this side seems to have his normal clothes, both casual and formal outfits. And this side is his costume collection.
"And that?" Nya gestured at the pile of white fabric on the floor. No matter how much she loved him, she would never get used to Jay's way of dealing with his used clothes, and especially his sweaty training outfits.
"Uh…" Blushing, Jay hurriedly picked up the clothes. "That's the Fritz Donnegan costume we were talking about. Of course, I purposely left it out here to show you. Why don't you have a look through the other costumes, while I get changed?"
Holding onto the outfit, he ran back into the bedroom, whereas his girlfriend began to examine the content of the walk-in closet.
"To Infinity and Beyond." Someone suddenly yelled right behind her. Nya spun around and found herself looking straight at a light blue Fritz Donnegan replica gun. After changing into the costume, Jay had used his Ninja skills to sneak up on his girlfriend and was now grinning widely.
"It really suits you." Nya stated. "But aren't you mixing up a few things?"
"Well spotted. It was just a test to see if you really paid attention when we went to see the movie."
"Hey, as I told you, I actually really liked the movie. Plus, it was the best way to blank out your and Cole's childish behaviour."
"…"
"But…" The Water Ninja used a well-aimed round kick to displace the gun from the other's hand without hurting him, sending the weapon flying through the room. Before her boyfriend had even processed what was going on, she had already skilfully caught it mid-air. Now, it was Nya's turn to point the gun at him, a playful smile on her face. "… you should never doubt me. Now fear the consequences."
"Fear? Fear isn't a word where I come from." Jay exclaimed. He coolly walked towards Nya and gently placed his hands on both sides of her face, pulling her into a deep kiss. She melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, dropping the toy gun in the process.
"I know that you just wanted to make me let go of the gun." She mumbled, as they were finally breaking apart. "It was a completely unfair move, but I am willing to accept defeat."
Jay smiled, as he gently tucked a loose strand of black hair behind her ear. "I wouldn't have expected to ever hear these words from you, Miss Smith."
"Another thing you should not get used to, Mr Walker." She smiled back.
"But I could get used to spending time with you here, away from the others."
"Me too. Why don't we just stay overnight? There's no training tomorrow morning."
"I'd love to. But do you think your brother will be okay with it?"
"As long as he knows where we are."
"Are you sure we are talking about the same person?"
"I only have one brother and you should give him some credit. He's not that overprotective anymore."
"But… he is always so adamant about us being back home in time…"
"Kai simply doesn't like me to be running around town at night, that's why. But he is totally fine with us – even though he would never admit that to you."
"Uhm, okay then. Can… uhm… you call him?"
"But that mean that you'll owe me a favour." Nya smirked.
"Which would be?"
"This." Nya gestured around the room. "These costumes are amazing. So, we are going to look through them together and then you are going to wear them for me."
"All of them?" Jay enquired.
"Just the ones I choose."
"Do I get to say a word in that as well?"
"Maybe if you ask nicely…"
"And no pictures?"
"No pictures."
"Okay, deal." I'll do almost anything, if I don't have to deal with your brother tonight.
"Great, I've already seen a few I'd really love to see you wear." She excitedly went back to the rail holding the costumes and started rummaging through the outfits again.
Now, Jay was getting a little bit worried. Maybe it would have been better if we had just stuck to the original plan and gone home… He thought.
"Excuse me." Nya was standing in front of him, already holding a decent-sized pile of clothes in her arms. Jay jumped to the side, so that Nya could get past him and placed the costumes on the bed. "These are non-negotiable." She said. "We can now decide on the rest together."
The two warriors were soon standing side by side in front of the long clothes rail, presenting different outfits to each other, that would then either join the pile on the bed or be placed back in the closet, never to be spoken of again.
"What about this one?" Nya held up an inflatable Jabba the Hutt costume.
"Only if you wear that." Jay replied, showing her the matching Princess Leia outfit.
Nya curiously inspected the golden bikini. "Wow, this is not just a cheap plastic copy. It's made of real metal and definitely looks like the work of a skilled blacksmith to me. And can you see these hints of green patina here? That means it's probably quite old. Do you think it may have belonged to your birth mother?"
"Uh, I think I really don't want to know that…" The Blue Ninja hastily put both outfits back in the wardrobe.
"Okay, and I think we have enough anyway." Nya commented.
Jay followed her eyes. He gulped when he noticed the rather large pile of outfits covering the whole super king size bed.
"Now, where do we start?" The black-haired girl asked, while walking back into the bedroom. "What about this one?" She handed Jay a Captain America outfit.
"What?" He gasped. "I didn't agree to this one. There's no way I'm gonna wear tights."
"So what?" Nya wondered. "You've been running around in pyjama pants all over Ninjago for the last five years. And look, these even are a lovely shade of blue." She tried to coax him.
"Not putting them on." Jay crossed his arms.
"Alright, if you don't want to wear tights, we'll put this back and find you an outfit without any pants." She started slowly walking back to the closet. "Now, where did I put that cute little Robin costume again…" Nya mumbled, loud enough to ensure Jay would hear it.
"Gimme those stupid tights and wait downstairs." Suddenly, Jay was very eager to put on the blue, white, and red outfit Nya still had in her hands.
"Why that? Are you planning on putting some of these costumes back without me noticing?"
"Of course not." As much as he wanted, Jay would never dare to do that. "It's just, well, because I am going to change…"
"And? It's not like I haven't seen you without your pants before…"
"No, but this is still a bit different." Jay blushed. "Also, you've asked for a show, I'm gonna give you a show."
His girlfriend stood on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss on the Lightning Master's lips. "Now, that sounds very convincing. Can't wait." She winked at him.
Nya walked down the stairs and refilled her wine glass before sitting down on the sofa.
Shortly after, her boyfriend marched into the living room, proudly holding up his shield. He briefly looked around the room, before he burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Nya enquired.
"Well, I was going to use one of Captain America's catchphrases, but then, when I came in here, I realised that shouting 'Avengers Assemble' doesn't make much sense if nobody is actually around to assemble… sorry for ruining the show."
"It was still a good entrance."
"Still, I don't think I'd make a perfect soldier…"
Nya stood up and walked over to her boyfriend. She looked deep into his stunning blue eyes. "You must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."
Jay swallowed. "I-I promise."
When he came back into the living room, Nya was looking at her phone.
"I thought we said no pictures. And no Chirper." He complained.
"Don't worry. I was just chatting with Kai. As I've told you, us staying here tonight is no problem at all. We just need to be home for our Sunday breakfast and bring some fresh croissants."
"That's all?"
"That's all." Nya confirmed. "Now, let me have a look at you."
"I am so glad that I did not become the Green Ninja. This colour does not suit me at all." Jay stated. The Blue Ninja was wearing green leggings underneath a pair of torn purple pants. The padded green shirt was styled as a bare muscular chest. And while he had covered his auburn hair with a black wig, the pale freckled skin of his face and hands still clashed with the other colours of the outfit. "Seriously, I look like some has puked me out. And this…" He pointed at his padded chest. "…feels really uncomfortable. No idea how Cole manages to train and fight with all those muscles of his…"
"Yeah, you better get changed before Hulk smashes anything…" Nya agreed laughing.
"Nya, do I really need to put on all the costumes that are on the bed?" Jay's voice called to her from the upper floor.
"That was the deal." She replied. "I have kept my part of it, now it's your turn."
There was a short period of silence, before Jay could he heard again.
"C-can you please come out in the main hall, I really don't want to be in this for too long. Or come anywhere near a window where people could look inside. And I don't think I'll be able to walk down the stairs..." He whined.
"Do you want me to come up?" Nya called back.
"No, it's okay." The male ninja appeared at the top of the staircase and Nya immediately realised that she had indeed made a mistake. "Okay, you were right. This outfit was not supposed to go on the pile for you to wear. Sorry about that" She admitted, blushing heavily. "But you should know that you really do look beautiful, Belle."
His face sporting an even deeper scarlet colour than hers, Jay clumsily spun around in his elegant yellow ball gown. The sleeveless dress was made of multiple layers of silk organza and hundreds of crystals had been added to both the bodice and the skirt to accentuate the dress and give it its shimmering golden appearance.
A few outfits later [yes, I have to skip over a few], Jay came sliding down the white banister. "Whoohoo." Nya could hear him cheer. This was then followed by the sound of a thump and the exclamation "Ouch!"
Chuckling, Nya walked into the main hall where Jay was just getting up from the floor, awkwardly rubbing his bum. He was donning a purple, sleeveless vest and a pair of cream-coloured baggy pants with a wide red sash.
"Your Magic Carpet let you down, Aladdin?" Nya laughed.
He picked up the red fez that had fallen off and placed it back on his head, before flashing her a bright smile. "Call me Al."
"Okay, Al." Nya handed him the golden lamp that was lying on the floor. "I think you've dropped something."
"Ahem, you can keep that one if you want to. I'm not too fond of those things anymore. Seriously, of all Disney characters, why did you have to pick Aladdin?"
"Because the part fits you. And, as you were complaining about wearing tights earlier, you should like these trousers… But it was also to remind us that there's a huge difference between a friendly and funny genie and an evil djinn."
"Ah, Nya. You are so smart. And you're very... punctual.
"Punctual?"
"Uh, beautiful!"
"Nice recovery." She smiled. "You know all this makes me feel a bit like Barbie in Toy Story 3…"
Jay looked offended. "Are you seriously comparing us to some plastic toys?" He asked.
"Well, at least they are some good looking plastic toys…"
"Don't tell me you had a crush on Ken, when you were a little girl…"
Jay noticed the faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Okay, I'll be right back." He called, while bolting up the stairs.
Slightly embarrassed, Nya returned to her spot on the sofa where she was soon joined again by her boyfriend. He was wearing red, white and purple striped pyjamas under a royal blue bathrobe with a golden C embroidered on the chest. He sat down next to her and took her hands into his.
Nya started giggling at her boyfriend's antics, but he gave her a serious look. "This is not funny. No one appreciates clothes here, Nya. No one." He told her in a sad voice, before both of them burst out into laughter.
"Who is acting like a toy now?" Nya finally asked, trying to catch some air.
"At least I'm a cute toy."
"You most certainly are. So, my cute toy boy, what's gonna be next?"
"You'll see." Jay smirked. He wouldn't admit it openly, but, now that he had gotten over the first embarrassment, he was actually enjoying this. Especially the fact that he made the love of his live laugh.
For his next grand entrance, Jay was dressed in an off-white loose fitting tunic over a pair of sand-coloured pants and tan sueve boots. The outfit was completed by a wide brown leather belt with a rectangular silver buckle and several pouches attached to it.
"Now, this is great, isn't it?" Jay asked, excitedly waving his light blue lightsaber.
"It is." Nya confirmed. "Just, don't get cocky!"
"Should I ever have a daughter, I'm gonna name her Sky." Jay said in a determined voice. "And the Force will be very strong with that one. Uhm..." Jay blushed when he realised that he was talking to his girlfriend about possibly their future child. But anya didn't seem to mind too much.
"That's actually not a bad name." She replied. "And we could ask Skylor to be her godmother, Kai would love that for sure."
Jay smiled fondly at her. "And I love you."
Nya smirked. "I know."
[I know that this little conversation was between Leia and Han and not Luke, but I just had to include it.]
"Nya, would you mind coming up please? I think I could use some help." Jay called to his girlfriend.
"I thought you didn't want me to see you getting changed…"
"Yeah, I've changed my mind. Pleeeaaase." He sounded really desperate, so Nya put her glass on the table and walked up the stairs.
A huge one-eyed minion was stuck in the doorframe of Cliff Gordon's bedroom.
"What happened?" Nya wondered.
"I have no idea. I tried to walk sideways but then I must have turned around and… can you please help me get out of here?"
"Only of you say it." Nya felt slightly guilty for not immediately rushing to his help, but this was just too much fun…
"I've already said 'please'.
"I already said please. Three times." Jay stated.
"I know, but that's not what I meant, Stuart."
"Please don't make me do it…"
"You don't have to, if you can get out by yourself."
Jay sighed in defeat. Again. Why did he even try arguing with her? "Banana." He squeaked in a high-pitched voice.
It took Nya almost ten minutes, until she had recovered enough from her laughing fit to help Jay get out of his predicament and his costume.
"Well, that was the last costume anyway. Better get back into my normal clothes." Just in his navy boxers, Jay walked to the side of the bed, where both his regular clothes and the dinner suit from earlier were lying crumpled on the floor.
"Wait." Nya's voice held him back. "I'm not done with you yet."
"Oh, really?" Jay turned around, a light blush on his face. "Care to share your plans with me?" He winked at her.
"Well, before we get to that, there is one more outfit I want to see on you tonight." This time, Nya took his hand and pulled him back downstairs. She moved the golden trophy secret door and led him into Cliff Gordon's secret make-up room.
"This one." She pointed at Jay's old ZX gi. "Let's see if it still fits you."
"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Jay tried (but failed) to sound offended.
"Oh, c'mon. It's been almost five years. We've all changed. And you've definitely put on a lot more muscle since then."
Using his Spinjitsu, Jay quickly put on the outfit. When he stopped, Nya looked at him in awe.
"Wow." She muttered. "Why did we ever decide to change our suits?"
"I don't know. It just… happened." Jay replied. "But this one really brings back some good memories. Like my True Potential and such…"
"Yes, it was on our very first date. A lot has happened since, huh?"
"Yes, but I will never forget what you said to me. And... you know, there is actually something I-I've wanted to ask you since the moment I first saw you." Jay stepped closer to her, placing his hands on her slim waist.
"And… wha-what would that be?" Nya asked, slightly nervous.
"Do you like blue?" Jay asked, his eyes locked with hers.
Nya broke into a bright, loving smile. And just before pulling him into a passionate kiss, she gave Jay her answer.
"It's my favourite colour."
Thank you for reading!
I hope you all enjoyed this second part (I most certainly enjoyed writing it - massive shoutout to Loki for the suggestion!). I have a few more open one-shot requests (and I am working on them!) but I always love to get new ones!
Thanks again.