***Here's another Christmas story idea. I have too many of these and not enough time LOL But it's something I could write eventually.

This one is Jaya and is based on the "our families hate each other" romance trope.***

Title: Holiday Hostilities (or just "Hostilities")

Ships: JAYAAAAAAA (and platonic Lloya)

Main characters -

Jay Walker: The only son of the Walker family and their prized heir. His goal in life is to please them, but ever since last Christmas when...something happened, he's realized always pleasing them might not be what his heart desires. 17 years old.

Nya Smith-Garmadon: The incredibly competitive, perfectionist adopted daughter of the Garmadon family. She and her biological brother Kai lost their parents in a car accident several years prior and are grateful to the Garmadons for their love and acceptance. She would do anything to repay them. But ever since last Christmas when she made a big mistake, she's been...off. 16 years old.

Lloyd Garmadon: Nya's adopted brother and best friend. He knows not to get in her way when she wants something, but he suspects what she wants may not be in her best interest this Christmas. He'll have to keep an eye on her. 16 years old.

Quick summary: The Walker and Garmadon families used to be great friends - the Walkers had never been able to have a child, and Edna Walker's job as a schoolteacher allowed her to bond with Lloyd Garmadon. But when a movie star - out of nowhere - placed his seven-year-old son up for adoption and specifically asked the Walkers to take him, the Garmadons became jealous. They were always the famous ones, given that Sensei Garmadon was well-known for his "art of the silent fist" throughout Ninjago. Long story short, they had a fall-out because the Garmadons became jealous and even a little spiteful. Ed and Edna weren't having it, so they parted ways.

Six years later, when Jay was thirteen, the Garmadons showed up again, asking for forgiveness from the Walkers. Ed and Edna were happy to rekindle friendship...until they found out that the Garmadons had adopted Kai and Nya in what they thought was an attempt to compete with them. Not wanting to be rude, Ed and Edna kept up the acquaintance. However, it's a tense friendship, and these days, the only time they see each other is over the holidays. During Christmastime, they go on a two-week vacation to Cliff Gordon's (Jay's father's) cabin in the mountains. And that's where our story picks up...

***(Jay's POV)***

I drop my suitcase in the cabin bedroom I'll be sharing with Kai, then flop backward on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I hum the tune to Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and just ponder life.

Nya will be here in a few hours, won't she?

But it's probably for the best that she's rooming with Lloyd, not me, this year. Last year, neither Kai nor Lloyd wanted to share, so Nya sucked it up and joined me. The Garmadons probably wouldn't have let her do it if she wasn't so driven and uptight. They knew she wouldn't do anything to compromise herself with the enemy, and they knew I was too innocent to pull anything. My family has been "friends" with the Garmadons for years.

Little did anyone imagine that last year, Nya and I might have...let down our guard, just with each other. And one thing led to another, and we both left with promises, secrets, and things that would one day lead to regret.

My broken heart came two weeks later through text message. Hers? I have no idea.

Whatever the case, she was not intent on rooming with anyone besides her bio- or adopted brother this year.

Yep. Just me and my broken heart here.

"Jay, honey?" my mom calls from outside my door.

I sigh. "Yes?"

"The Garmadons are here, sweetie! Go say 'hi'!"

Yes, my mother believes in manners, even when it comes to the enemy. Not that she regards the Garmadons as enemies. She and dad always hope Mrs. and Mr. Garmadon (especially Mrs. Garmadon, as she's the worst) will be different when they come over. And my parents have always treated Kai, Nya, and Lloyd as their own. However, it doesn't do any good - we still hate each other as much as ever.

Nya admitted to me last year that she's always liked my parents, even though she's reluctant to admit it. She feels indebted to the Garmadons, so it's like she has to hate the Walkers.

You can tell Lloyd loves my parents, too. Again, he doesn't want to face his mom's wrath, so he hates my family by default.

And Kai could actually care less about our family's disputes. The only reason why he didn't want to room with me last year is that he said I talked too much.

Nya didn't mind how much I talked. I still don't know why she broke up with me. Did we take things too fast? Too far? She never seemed like she was into lightning romance, and things happened in two weeks with me. Maybe that scared her after a while.

I hear footsteps thumping up the stairs, and I'm shaken out of my thoughts.

Right. The Garmadons are here. Yippee.

I start to rise from my bed when the door suddenly swings open, revealing a disheveled - yet beautiful all the same - Nya Smith-Garmadon.

My throat goes dry, and I try to form words, but I...can't. She...here...heartbreak...

She rushes in and flops her things on what's supposed to be Kai's bed, breathing heavily. Her cheeks are red from cold and exertion, and each breath comes out in a pant. Her whole expression, though, is a smile.

"I win, Lloyd!" she yells loud enough for the whole house to hear. "And now you have to do whatever I say for - "

She stops short when she sees me, her eyes bugging and her breath suddenly hitching.

"I..." She sits straight up and begins gathering her things.

"Nya," I manage to say, finally getting up off my bed. "I...how are you? It's, uh, been forever." I approach her carefully, yet something draws me right to her like a magnet.

"Not long enough," she swallows, throwing her bag over her shoulder and heading for the door. "I thought this was, uh, my room."

"It's fine," I reassure her. I'm not really concerned about that right now.

I cough. "Uh...hey, can we...talk for a minute?"

"No." She pokes her head out the door to leave.

Something inside urges me to grab her hand and stop her. "Wait. We both know I deserve an explanation for - "

"Let me go." The words are quiet but firm.

"Okay." I release her. "But...can't we talk, after you're settled in and all? I don't want - "

"I win," Lloyd announces, laughing as he pokes his head out of the room down the hall. When he sees me and Nya, though, he freezes.

His eyes are...suspicious?

Does Lloyd know what happened last year?

He jumps into motion, walking quickly down the hall and grabbing his sister by the shoulders. He practically drags her away, giving me a sheepish smile. "Uh, wrong room! Sorry!"

Nya's eyes shoot fire at him as I watch them leave, and she wrestles against his grip. She shoves her way out of his hands and stomps into their shared room.

Lloyd gives me a mix between a smile and a glare before following her.

Well, how's that for a reunion?

***Another Christmas fic. I have an idea for YET ANOTHER one, as well. Christmas in July, anyone?***