Flumptober (Ninjago Challenge)

October 30th

Title: The Three Words
Prompt: Love Confession
A/N: I think this fic speaks for itself.

The first time he says it, he makes the mistake of saying it in front of everyone. He gets roasted six ways from Sunday. The other ninja are relentless, not letting up for the entire week. The blush never leaves Nya's face.

It becomes an escalation war of who can say it first for the most trivial of things.

Nya hands someone a pair of chopsticks. "I loVE YoU NyA!"

She makes a repair to the Bounty. "I loVE YoU NyA!"

She has a nice save on the battlefield. "I loVE YoU NyA!"

It finally stops after she almost drowns Kai. It was an accident, honest.

The second time he says it, they are in the privacy of their own room. Her cheeks turn pink and a shy smile pulls at the corns of her mouth. The expression on her face is meek, a sharp contrast to her fiery temper, as she crashes into his chest and pulls him into a tight hug.

The third time he says it, they are in front of his parents. She forces a smile, but her eyes betray her. Her cheeks turn red and she wants to hide her face. He makes an excuse for them to leave.

The fourth time he says it, they are at a nice restaurant. She grabs his hand from across the table, her dolled up face hides the blush he knows is there. The candlelight reflects the mirth dancing in her eyes. She opens her mouth, as if to respond, but the waiter interrupts them and the moment is gone.

The fifth, sixth and seventh times, he doesn't quite remember. Her reaction is always the same: cheeks flushed, eyes downcast but spying on him through her lashes, lips slightly parted as if she is trying to reply to his words. The mental block is obvious, plain as day. He didn't put it there, and unfortunately, he can't take it away.

He doesn't need to hear it back, he already knows she loves him. They way she wants to spend quality time with him, when she does acts of service for him and the team. She shows him respect, she doesn't nag him, she trusts him on the battlefield. They make a good team. Hearing those three words-- at this point it is just a formality.

After the 8th time, he stops counting. He says it flippantly and freely now, and he doesn't care what anyone else thinks. He loves Nya and he wants the world to know.

He charges the giant sand scarab, his electricity does the trick and it barfs out Zane but knocks him off the zip-line. She catches him and holds him like a bride. He is certain he will get his man-card revoked later, but he doesn't care. "I love you Nya!" he exclaims. The desert needs to know.

He is the first to rip the chain off the wall. Perhaps a minor miscalculation is his only thought as he tumbles towards the molten earth. The chain goes taunt as his body whips around, the cuff digging painfully into his wrist. Not as painful as falling to a fiery death. He looks up and sees his yang supporting them all, clinging to another chain as if their lives depend on it because they do. He is in awe of her abilities and power. "I love you Nya," he almost cries tears of joy. The lava needs to know.

"Wait, we've never done that move!" His eyes go wide but she gets ready to charge at him.

"I trust you," she says, so naturally, so warmly. He wants to melt into a pile of goo on the dance floor but instead braces to catch her. She jumps and spins, and he flips her, again, and again, and again. Lights flash, numbers materialize around them, the music pumps and the crowd goes wild. He holds her hands as she maintains an elegant handstand above him. Her bright smile is impossible to ignore and he feels like he has fallen in love all over again. "I love you," he shouts over the crowd. Prime Empire needs to know.

It has become automatic for him to say it, and her reactions become increasingly accepting and warm. She needs to hear those words, to undo years of not hearing them at all. He is wearing her down.

They are in the privacy of their own room. The lights are dim and she is sprawled on top of him, skin to skin, regaining her breath. He is fading fast, falling into slumberville and is vaguely aware she is fiddling with the Yin-Yang pendants that they wear around their necks. At first, he thinks he's imagined it, but then she says it again. Her voice is barely a whisper as she breathes out "I love you Jay."

He freezes. He doesn't breathe, he doesn't flinch. He's afraid if he moves she will get scared and flee. Adrenaline floods his system, replacing the endorphins that were pulling him into sleep. He waits patiently, hey he is a ninja, until she falls asleep, then lets out a deep breath.

He stares at the ceiling with the dumbest, biggest grin he has ever had. After a while his cheeks start to hurt and as he moves his hand to rub them, he notices they are wet. He can't help it, his emotions are as chaotic as his elemental power. Master Wu has always given him more armor, maybe it is because he wears his heart on his sleeve. Nya stirs and he gently hugs her sleeping form. He wonders if it is possible to fall in love with someone over and over again.

The wind is whipping through their hair so fiercely he can barely hear himself think. They pull back, find refuge below deck and gear up for the latest mission. It's a risky plan, but if he can pull this off, he will give the enemy a bloody nose they won't forget for the next fifty years. He stands on the railing ready to jump, glider securely fastened to his back. The apprehension on her face is hard to miss.

"This will work, I'll meet you at the rendezvous point," he tells her. Locks of hair have flown into her face and he pushes them away with his hand. She leans into his touch. "I love you," he says, his voice is sincere but there is a hit of worry.

"I love you too," she says back, confidently.

He almost slips, but she steadies him. Her face is dusted with blush but her eyes are bright, piercing his soul. His heart swoons and he suddenly doesn't want to leave. She crashes into him, capturing his lips with hers, then pushes him off the railing. He can't miss his landing zone or the mission will fail.

The feeling of weightlessness from the free fall matches the soaring of his heart. He lets out a yelp and a holler that only the wind can hear. He loves Nya and wants the world to know, now she wants the world to know too.