The blue jet disappeared in a flash of gold and the quiet boom of thunder, causing the two teens to free fall before hitting the sand hill. They couldn't help but laugh as they slid down.
"That was so fun! If only I could do that as a kid!" Jay laughed, shaking his shoes of grains. "Would've made sand sledding so much more fun!"
His hair had shed its combed down style he worked so hard on this morning, his normal curls free with wind. Nya would be lying if she said she didn't like it. She padded down her own blown hair. "I do have to admit, that was exhilarating," she agreed. Jay's freckled face split into a grin. "C'mon, my parents place is just up ahead."
The neon lights of the junkyard welcomed them in.
Ed and Edna waited at the entrance. The older woman practically buzzed as she saw her son and his girlfriend approach. "Jay! Jay, deary! Over here!" she waved.
Jay pressed a finger to his ear. "Jeez, Ma, we're right here. You'll wake the furthest town." He laughed, but allowed himself to be squished into a hug.
"Nya, sweetheart, so good to have ya," Edna's attention turned to the girl beside her son. She reached out and pinched her cheek. "You are just the cutest, I can't wait to invite ya in. I sent Ed fishin' through the closet this mornin' and got out all'a our home videos."
Jay went red hearing such a thing.
"Figure we can watch some while we have lunch. I got everythin' from his first steps to his Bah Mitzvah to those test-invention-videos he made in the shed- I mean- his workshop." she giggled.
Jay frowned, "Ma, you went into my workshop? I told ya not to go in there when I'm not home!"
Ed pat his son on his shoulder. "Well ya used our camera son, and when we saw 'em we couldn't resist gettin' 'em made," he chuckled.
"Pa!"
Edna gasped, remembering something. "Oh, Ed! Ed! Do ya think the video of Jay's gameshow is there? The one he made when he was nine?"
"Now, Edna, let's not embarrass the boy too hard," Ed grinned, "But I think is is!"
"PA!"
Nya couldn't hide her amusement at the exchange in front of him. Jay's freckles were getting drowned in red by the minute. Before he combusted she stepped in.
"I would love to, Edna, but Jay said he had something to show me in the junkyard?"
She had never seen a person look so thankful.
"Oh, well okay then," Edna said disappointed, "I'll be makin' you two a nice lunch for when you want out of the hot sun."
"Come in when you're ready!" Ed said.
Most boys would take their girlfriends to lovingly cheesy places for dates. They would hold hands while roller skating. They would share sweets under the sky, above a picnic blanket. They might even kiss to the background noise of the latest blockbuster. But of course the first date didn't exactly work out how Nya or her new boyfriend intended. Rollercoasters gave her a thrill, but she would be steering clear for the foreseeable future. This second date was a do-over, of sorts. In a junkyard, cupid was sobbing. If he'd see their outfit combo of worn jeans, overalls and dirty t-shirts, he'd have a heart attack.
"So, what was the big fuss about us coming here? Not that I don't love digging for junk for a romantic get together," Nya held up a discarded bike wheel.
Jay blushed, throwing an old wind up toy back into the heap. "Well, I wanted our do-over slash second date to be more personal, a little more.. us?"
Nya couldn't help but smile as her cheeks flushed. Of course, she was the one who said she liked him for him.
"When you told me about wanting to upgrade your mech on the way back that day, I knew immediately we had to come here," he threw his hands in the air, gesturing to artificial mountains surrounding, "Great thing about living in a junkyard - all the spare parts!"
He gasped in delight before yanking out a large, un-rusted spring from the pile. "Oh, this'll work perfect for the walking and jumping mechanisms. Put a bigger spring in your step - ha!"
Nya giggled, taking the spring to look it over. She had to admit, it was perfect. And certainly less expensive and time consuming than spending hours in the hardware store.
"It's nice to see you be so excited over the Samurai Mech," Nya set the part in an old wagon Jay brought along, "When I tried telling Kai about, he either looked lost or asleep."
Jay laughed, tossing a metal plate in their haul. "That's 'cause I have an inventor's curiosity," he jabbed a thumb at himself. His eyes lit up as he caught something in another pile. "Oh! Look over there!"
Nya giggled again, watching Jay run off in excitement.
"Now, for the highlight of our tour!"
Nya rolled her eyes, hauling the wagon of parts behind her.
It was clear Jay had spent years running, exploring, and just being a fixture of his parents' junkyard. Nya found it amusing the times Jay pointed out the dips in the sand to watch out for, or told a story that took place on specific junk piles.
He took his lady around the corner, and back to where they started. But instead of leading her up to the trailer his parents called home (where a lovely smelling roast was still cooking), he took her around back to an old shed.
It was once another piece of the junkyard, Nya could tell. But regardless it looked clean and loved.
"Is this your workshop?" she grinned.
Jay went red.
He shoved the double doors open, after tossing a cardboard sign with "Jay's Workshop (STAY OUT!)" scribbled in old sharpie. Nya took the first steps inside while Jay took care of the wagon of parts. She shoved her hands in her overall pockets, careful not to touch anything she wasn't instructed to.
The far wall was covered over in a homemade, metal shelf, holding in place various keepsake boxes and scattered items. That was the only thing that showed off the fact that this was someone's shed.
To the right wall was a worktable, jars of pencils, cutting boards, and miscellaneous items. Above was mounted a corkboard of plans and papers ranging in age. On the other wall were large tool cabinets labeled in sticky notes. A roll of blueprint paper was screwed in beside. Every square inch of wall was covered in posters. Faces of the likes of David Bowie's Labyrinth, to the mother of Microelectrodes Ida Hyde, to the Starfarer's main character Fritz Donnegan.
He is such a nerd.. Nya snorted.
Jay ripped off a square of blueprint, slapping the paper down on the table. Nya only then noticed he had brought in the parts and shut the door behind them.
"Shall we?" He grinned back at her.
Nya smiled. "We shall."
The two sat together and began sketching plans for her mech, based upon the existing and new parts.
Nya's mind wondered as the minutes. She found interest in her companions face, tracing constellations in his freckles, watching the way his lips moved as he spoke. His brows furrowed whenever he was concentrating, he'd get wrinkles. He wiggled his nose whenever he needed to move.
Her eyes began looking over the corkboard, pretending not to stare when his eyes quirked over. She couldn't help but grin at the older drawings.
Nya's personal favorite is the crayon drawing, of a clearly ripped off Green Lantern but blue. Jay Walker is Inventor Boy. She snorted.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Oh nothing," Nya straightened, "Say, Inventor Boy, how'd you get those powers?"
Jay blushed and shoved her shoulder as she laughed.
"I'll have you know he was given his powers by a god!" he stuck his nose in the air.
She finally settled into a giggle,reaching over to adjust his numbers.
"Do you guys ever wonder about how you actually got your powers?" Nya wondered aloud. Jay glanced up from spinning the pencil between his fingers. His rare silence encouraged her to keep going. "Like, what made you a badass lightning ninja? The gods? Freak accident? I can't help but be curious." Nya rested her chin on his shoulder and stared at him, wanting to know his own thoughts. To her surprise, Jay shrugged.
He shrugged.
"Never thought about it."
"Really?" she had to admit, out of everything today, his statement was the most surprising. "What happened to your inventor's curiosity?" Nya smirked.
Jay blushed.
"Well, my family's so small and tight-knit, that even if it was some freak accident that we don't talk about, than do I really wanna know? Y'know?" He placed his pencil down and leaned back in the chair. Jay turned to look at Nya head on. "I guess I just don't think about it."
"What is your family like?" Nya asked another question.
"Great, like everyone else's."
Jay's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Not like everyone else's. He knew Kai and Nya were orphans he shouldn't have-
Nya snorted at his expression. "Don't worry, I'm not as sensitive about that stuff as Kai is." She waved his slip of the tounge off as nothing.
"That's so sad!"
"I just don't remember them," Nya's smile turned sheepish, "My parents left when I was really young, and any family outside of them is either dead or don't talk."
Jay's jaw was hanging open, shock in his eyes. Not the lightning kind. He threw his hands in the air. "That's worse! You see how that's worse right?"
Nya shrugged. "Not to me? It's all in perspective," she explained her reasoning as best as she could, "You may think it's sad, but to me it's just life. Like how I can't believe your not curious about elemental powers and you can."
Jay crossed his arms. He pursed his lips. "Well, I guess that makes sense.."
The couple fell back into silence, staring at the blueprint. Things had, unfortunately, turned awkward.
"What do you think of our family now?"
Nya hummed, turning all of her attention back to Jay. His head was quirked to the side in question, eyes holding that inventor's curiosity.
Her nose twitched. "It's.. it's good."
Jay hummed.
"I always wanted brothers, and one being a robot? My younger self would be so jealous," he grinned. Nya couldn't help but smile as well.
"Yeah, I guess it is good to have more than Kai.. Cole and Zane are extra brothers. Lloyd's a little pain in my side I can't help but love."
Jay laughed. Sadly, though, for the currently missing little brother they all had.
"And Wu's just.."
"The best uncle you never had?" Jay finished.
"Exactly."
The blue ninja leaned forward. "Where am I on your family tree?"
Nya's blush was clearly there, though she tried to hide it in her demeanor. Square shoulders and keeping her lips from the giddy grin. Her green eyes found his.
"I guess a few more dates and we'll see, huh?"
Jay glanced from her eyes to her lips, lost in her words. "We'll see.."
Jay quickly kicked himself away when the door opened, hid rolling chair sending him spinning till he hit his head on the shelf.
Ed stood at the entrance, seemingly unfazed or unknowing of the moment he just shattered.
"Hiya kids!" he grinned, "Edna's finished lunch, didn't ya hear us callin'?"
His son held his hand on the back of his head, Nya handed over her chilled water for assistance.
"Uh, we were very distracted by our work. Sorry Mr. Walker," Nya apologized sheepishly.
"Oh it's no problem, deary, I know how Jay can get. And please, call me Ed."
Ed left with no more fuss, leaving the teens to follow.
And follow they did. Jay grabbed Nya's hand as she got up to leave.
"I hope wherever I end up in your family, it's next to you," he grinned.
Nya snorted. "That's so cheesy," she said.
"But it worked right?" Jay held open the door.
She shoved his shoulder.