Imagine if Jay ended up terrified of water after he nearly drowned?
The beginning of Crystallized would been so much different if Jay was scared of water lol
Jay and Nya's interactions would definitely be so different afterwards cuz everytime he sees Nya using her powers hes just reminded of the time he almost drowned-
And it would make him so angry cuz he doesn't want to be afraid! He loves Nya, every single aspect of her!
So why, can't he handle being around her without flinching or shaking? Without imagining the cold, wet water as if attempted to sap his life away? Without remembering those long agonizing hours he lay there struggling to breath as pain coursed through his body. His lungs hurting and burning so badly he thought they would explode
Of all the things the ninjas have been through and come out of fine, him drowing is what's causing this mental collapse?! This-this irrational fear?!
There's no reason not be afraid of Nya! She would never hurt him and he knows this! She wasn't even the cause of him drowning so why...?
He wants nothing more than to hold her, to hug her, to tell her he's sorry everytime he sees flashes of hurt go across her face when he flinches from her attempted touches.
But he can't
And that hurts more than his near death could ever.