The sunset over the horizon was something the ninja truly cherished. They often went for nightly strolls along the city harbour, or went for quick flights on their new elemental dragons. The pretty blues, oranges and pinks always reminded them of the freedom they so rarely got, but enjoyed.
However, this time, the ninja weren't here by choice.
Since the tournament of elements, the ninja team had spent months waiting for something big to happen again, whether that be snakes, skeletons or maybe even zombies. This time it was a quick side mission to capture a large fish attacking fishing boats just off the coast of the city of Stiix. The whole team likely wasn't needed, but it was much better than helping set up Wu's tea shop.
Five elemental dragons soared across the vast ocean, a bright green energy dragon leading slightly ahead. However, that didn't last long before the fire ninja decided to over take with a chesty laugh.
"Getting ahead of yourself, Kai?" Lloyd called out with a smile, "I'm leading this charge."
Pulling gently on the reigns, Lloyd's dragon sped up, cutting in close behind the fire dragon. The two raced off, swerving in and out of each other until the energy dragon's wing sliced across the water, splashing the red ninja. Kai screeched.
From behind, the lightning master let out a laugh.
"That's one way to cool off a hothead," Jay chuckled.
Kai took the moment to look back at his friend, "hey! Nobody messes up my hair."
Soaring on once again, Kai's dragon swooped down, it's wings, too, crashing against the waves. A splash of salty water hit Zane, causing him to cough.
Cole laughed, pulling up beside the nindroid, "you okay there, Zane?"
"Affirmative," Zane grinned, "it'll take more than a little water to take me out."
"What about a big fish?" Jay's tone shifted to panic, looking behind him and pointing towards the sea, "incoming!"
'Big' was an understatement. When the group had been told about a large fish attacking boats, they expected nothing bigger than a shark, however, this fish was enormous . It was bigger than all of their dragons combined.
The creature followed closely behind the ninja, chasing them up and down the current. Every now and then it would leap out of the water, attempting to snatch one of the elemental dragons.
"There he blows!" Cole exclaimed.
"Pixal says this is the one," Zane smiled.
Lloyd nodded, "and now that he's taken the bait, we can reel him in and get him to the aquarium."
As they continued heading back towards the village's harbour, the dragons continued swerving around, trying to distract the fish as much as possible, and to prevent it completely swallowing then alive.
"Let me guess, Kai, you caught that one big once?" Jay questioned with a slight chuckle.
"Heck no!" Kai grinned, "he was twice the size."
The monster leaped out of the water, aiming for the tail of Kai's dragon, who only narrowly missed.
Jay smiled, "he's almost as hungry as you, Cole."
The earth ninja laughed, "and twice as ugly as you, Jay."
"Was that a compliment?" the man in blue raised an eyebrow.
As the team laughed and joked around, Lloyd glanced back at them with a wide grin.
"It's time for the catch of the day," he beamed, pointing towards a small fishing boat in the distance, "in line formation!"
All the elemental dragons lined up behind Lloyd, aiming straight for the boat ahead of them. Taking glances back every and now then, they did their best to stay in formation. When finally approaching the fishing ship, Lloyd called to debunk the arrangement, the team finally taking a last minute split above the boat. The fish leapt up out of the water and landed aggressively onto the fishing boat.
Back at the harbour, the ninja were praised for their 'bravery' and help, which of course they would never turn down. They helped to move the creature into a large tank, ready for transportation.
With a little persuasion, the five decided to take a picture in front of the tank, wide smiles written all over their faces as they looked at their accomplishment. The camera man stepped back to try fit everyone in while Kai rested his elbow on Zane's shoulder and Cole wrapped an arm around his boyfriend. Lloyd stood in the middle with a sweet grin.
On the way back to where Wu had set up his tea shop, Steeper Wisdom, they all joked and laughed about their victory, discussing how slow missions had been lately. Unfortunately, their fun was brought to an end as soon as they arrived at their destination.
Wu strolled out to the team as they landed their dragons with a large box in hand.
"You need to find customers," Wu stated, holding out the box so the team could see it.
As their dragons disappeared, they all made their way over to their master.
"No hello? How's it going? Glad to hear you saved the day?" Jay questioned, " Again ?"
Cole hopped down off his dragon beside Jay, "yeah, sensei, we're all a bit tired. Do you mind if we handle this tomorrow?"
"We will all have a share if this business succeeds," Wu gave them a simple smile, "how else do you expect me to be able to afford all your new uniforms? Which reminds me.."
He placed the box down in front of him and knelt down to open it.
"Your new ones have arrived."
Kai beamed, "what do they look like now?"
"Sweet!" Jay exclaimed.
"I bet they're off the hook," Cole grinned.
Although, when Wu held up the new uniforms, the ninja were met with a creme and blue t-shirt, with the logo of the shop (a blue teapot) on the front.
Zane frowned and took a step towards it, "those do not appear to be ninja uniforms. They resemble work attire."
"Very observant, Zane, we must focus on furthering brand awareness," Wu reached back into the box pulling out stacks of paper, "and here are the leaflets I want each of you to pass out in the city."
He handed them all a stack each, a print of Wu holding a teapot on them all.
Jay groaned, "if I have to pass all these out, I may be the one passed out."
Once Wu had given them all a pep talk, and set out the rules, the team headed towards the city. Wu had made it very clear that the ninja weren't allowed to use their powers and that they had to be polite - which sounded easy enough - however since they already looked stupid in these uniforms (including a teapot on their head) they thought maybe they'd be at least allowed to look cool using their elemental powers. But whatever their boss said they had to follow..
Luckily for Lloyd, he got called on a mission, leaving the OG four to head out with their fliers.
"Steep Wisdom," Kai grinned awkwardly, trying to hand a stranger a leaflet, "enlightment in a cup!"
"Steep Wisdom? Never heard of it," she responded rudely, throwing the leaflet onto the ground.
Cole was stood on the opposite side of the room, attempting to get the attention of passing workers, "best tea shop in all of Ninjago!"
Neither Zane or Jay were doing well either.
"First cup is free! With the flier.." Zane sighed.
Jay followed behind a ginger girl, holding the leaflet out towards her, "why won't you take the flier? Just take the flier!"
Starting to admit defeat, the ninja headed back towards the centre of the roundabout, a handful of leaflets still left.
"It's as if I'm passing out a communicable disease," Jay rolled his eyes, "I mean, sure I have chapped lips but it's not contagious."
Cole glanced at Jay with a slight smirk, earning a light nudge from the man in blue.
Kai narrowed his eyes at the two briefly, "yeah, probably from all that making out you were planning on doing."
Both Cole and Jay stared at him blankly for a moment while Zane cleared his throat.
"Maybe if we use our powers, we could get this over with?" Cole suggested.
Zane looked uneasy, "but sensei gave us strict instructions not to use our elemental powers."
"Well.. sensei's not here and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. I'm in. Is everyone else?" Kai smirked.
The other three agreed, leading to them heading off in different directions. Jay and Cole went right while Kai and Zane went left, attempting to tackle the busiest places around the roundabout.
As the masters of fire and ice were walking, Kai took the opportunity to look back at the other two, watching as Cole shoved Jay into the road with a laugh. They continued shoving one another around a little before the earth ninja pulled in the master of lightning, wrapping an arm around his torso.
"Ugh," Kai groaned, "they're being so obvious!"
Zane raised an eyebrow and glanced at his friend, "who is? What are you talking about?"
"Jay and Cole. They're practically flirting again ."
Zane sighed, "I thought we were done with that conversation weeks ago? Whatever is happening between Jay and Cole is-"
"-their business, I know, I know," Kai swatted a hand in the nindroid's face, "but if they really are together and are keeping it a secret, they're not doing a very good job, especially not in public."
"Who said they were keeping it a secret? And, like I said before, they may not even be together," Zane added.
"Have you even looked at them, Zane? They're clearly something. Even if they're not together, they will be in a matter of time."
"It's not right for us to speculate."
"You're such a killjoy, Zane."
Jay and Cole continued strolling across the roads, heading towards the north facing street. The earth ninja's hand was firmly around Jay's torso, holding him close towards him.
"We really aren't very good at keeping us a secret," Jay chuckled quietly.
"You really think the other two are onto us? Surely they would've said something by now if they did."
"I guess, that or they're judging."
"Or jealous."
Jay laughed, shoving Cole away, "as if."
The two stepped out into another street, neither of them looking before crossing. Before they could react properly, Cole spotted a car heading straight for the pair. He shoved Jay behind him, attempting to stop the car with his super strength as soon as it approached. The lightning ninja was taken by surprise but was prepared to help. Luckily, the driver had spotted the two and had come to an emergency stop less than almost a metre away.
"Hey, young man, watch where you're going!" the driver exclaimed.
Taking the opportunity, the earth ninja knelt down, pushing his hands underneath the car. Before they knew it, Cole was completely underneath, holding the vehicle up with only his bare hands.
"Put me down!!" the driver wailed.
Jay watched in amazement as Cole didn't even struggle, a small crowd forming around them.
"Getting tired? Need a pick-me-up? Then head to Steep Wisdom," he glanced at his boyfriend briefly, shooting him a wink.
The lightning ninja headed towards the nearest power generator, placing his hands on the wires. He sent a light current through them and to the nearby billboards, changing all the advertisements to Steep Wisdom logos.
Before the team could take in all the attention, the billboards switched back to normal, Kai could no longer use his fire, and Zane's dragon disintegrated.
"My powers aren't working!" Kai called out across the street.
"Mine either!" Jay cried.
Cole frowned, still holding the car above his head, "what do you mean your powers aren't-"
In a matter of seconds, cole fell, the vehicle landing on top of him with a thud. Cole screeched in pain as both Jay and Kai rushed over.
The masters of fire and lightning lifted the car enough for Cole to pull himself out. He got onto one knee, trying to catch his breath while Jay placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"I told you we shouldn't have used our powers," Zane sighed.
"What powers?" Jay questioned, "Where did they go? We've gotta go see Wu."
The ninja hadn't had their powers for long and yet it felt like they just couldn't stop losing them. Except last time there was a good reason for it. What could possibly be wrong this time? Did Wu know they were using their powers and somehow shut them down?
When they finally arrived back at the tea shop, the sun had fully set and dark clouds had appeared in the sky. It was pretty normal for Ninjago to be gloomy, especially this part, but it definitely reflected on the team's mood.
"Sensei, we were getting the word out-" Kai began.
Cole cut in, "and then there was this wind."
"And our powers disappeared," Zane sounded defeated.
"You were using your powers?!" Wu exclaimed.
Jay rolled his eyes, "yeah, I know we're horrible students, but what happened to them?"
Wu gasped, "if your powers are gone, then something must've happened to-"
Suddenly a strong gust of wind swept through the doors of the shop, the dark clouds in the sky growing ever darker. Leaves blew around, almost looking as if it were some sort of mild hurricane.
In the distance, a figure in dark green could be spotted, having black hair and a devilish grin.
"Is that Lloyd?" Kai questioned.
"I know that wind," Wu spoke quietly, holding his hat down, "that's not Lloyd."
The ninja rushed outside, confused to see their friend looking slightly different.
"Step aside," he snarled, his voice a lot deeper than usual.
"Lloyd, what's wrong with you?" Jay called out, his voice been drowned mostly by the strong wind.
"I want a word with your master," he bellowed.
"Woah, Lloyd's gone through puberty," Jay whispered to his boyfriend.
Cole shrugged, "what's gotten into him?"
"I sense some kind of foreign entity has taken over his body," Zane spoke up, "so the question isn't what..but who's gotten into him?"
"Whoever you are, whatever beef you have with sensei, you have with us. Give us back our friend," Kai spoke sternly.
Lloyd laughed.
"How are we supposed to fight our friend?" Cole questioned.
"Let me show you," Lloyd snarled again, sprinting towards the four, using the wind behind him to push. Sending a strong gust towards the ninja, the team were sent flying back into the shop, Kai hitting a beam of the doorway, Zane hitting a wall, and Jay landing on his back on the ground not too far away from Kai, with Cole landing on top of him. Jay grunted at Cole's body weight on top of him, the earth ninja being a lot heavier than him.
Cole pushed himself off, his eyes meeting Jay's slightly pained ones.
"You okay?"
Jay nodded, reaching out his hand for Cole to take. The earth ninja grabbed it, pushing him up towards him.
The blue ninja sighed, "we don't have powers but he does?"
The four charged at this new master of wind, only finding themselves knocked back again by another strong gust. Only this time, Cole was blasted into a wall and falling to the ground with a thud.
"Cole!" Jay called out.
The earth ninja managed to get himself up, ignoring the throbbing pain in his arm. He glanced at Jay briefly, giving him a comforting smile.
"We may not be able to use our powers, but do know a thing called Spinjitzu," Cole grinned before spinning towards their enemy, but yet again, he was sent flying into the wall, only stronger this time, by the wind.
Jay rushed over towards him, gently grabbing his arm and pulling him up onto his knees. Cole looked in pain, his lips wearing a smile but his eyes showing nothing but agony.
"Are you hurt?" Jay asked. It was a stupid question, he already knew the answer.
Cole shook his head, putting his left hand in Jay's. The blue ninja pulled him back up onto his feet with a stumble.
"He can control wind?!" Kai exclaimed from behind.
Zane stepped forward, his silver shurikens in hand.
Their enemy laughed, "shurikens? Cute. Try this one for size."
He shot his arm towards his left, aiming his wind current at the wooden windmill across from them. The blades detached, Lloyd aiming it directly at the ninja. With unimaginable force, the wooden blades fell down on top of the ninja, sending them in different directions. Cole grabbed Jay's arm as they flew, landing beside each other at such a force that winded them. Jay coughed violently, Cole weakly reaching for his hand.
The earth ninja managed to push himself up onto his arms, edging closer to his partner, placing a hand gently on his back. Once Jay had stopped coughing, he turned to Cole, a worried expression written on his face.
"What do we do?" he asked croakily.
"I.. don't know," Cole shrugged, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.
Their enemy headed inside the shop towards Wu and Nya were. The door slammed behind them, the wind still wailing outside, making it difficult to move around even the slightest.
"Is everyone okay?" Zane called out, hoping for at least one answer.
Cole glanced over in his direction, a comforting hand still on his boyfriend's back.
Suddenly, the door to the shop flung open and Nya and Wu rushed out, shouting to aim for the Destiny's Bounty.
It wasn't often that the ninja accepted defeat - or not really ever - but they simply couldn't fight someone who was ten times stronger than them, and just so happened to be in their friend's body. Considering multiple members of the group were already injured, the only safe thing to do was retreat.
Kai snarled, "I am not running away from Lloyd."
"We won't win this fight today," Wu told him.
Everyone headed towards their flying ship, hoping to get there before their enemy surfaced.
The Bounty took flight, the wind working only against them. Just as they thought they were finally getting away, a strong gust of wind attempted to pull them back down towards the ground. Glancing over the edge, Kai spotted their foe using his elemental power to sabotage them.
With great difficulty, Nya hit the thrusters, soaring away from the strong gusts and out of reach of the master of wind.
"That was close," Nya took a deep breath, "the coast is clear."
The four ninja stood by her, staring at the stats on the screen. Cole held his throbbing arm, trying not to make it look like he was in pain, yet Jay could clearly tell.
Jay sighed in anger, "spill it, sensei. What just happened back there and what have they done to our friend?"
"Yeah, who was that?" Cole questioned.
Wu stared at them in disbelief for a moment, likely thinking of whether he could come up with some sort of lie. Yet nothing that came to his mind would ever come good enough than the truth.
"You four were not my first pupils. There was one before you."
The OG ninja shared confused expressions, glancing at their master in betrayal.
"Morro. The master of wind."
"Something's approaching," Nya cut him off, catching everyone's attention.
The team headed onto the main deck, keeping an eye out for their enemy. The sky was a deep, mysterious blue, angry black clouds surrounding them.
Shortly, in the distance, a dark green dragon soared above, aiming for their direction.
Cole grabbed Jay's shoulder briefly, "the canons!"
Breaking from his boyfriend's grip, the lightning ninja headed for the ship's newly built canons. Since he had some free time recently, Jay decided it'd be best to give the Destiny's Bounty some new upgrades, and it was a good job he did. They really seemed to need it.
He jumped up onto the seat and grasped onto the handles. He narrowed his eyes, focusing intently on the sky and where he was pointing the large gun. As Morro's dragon swerved between the canons, Jay continued shooting, hoping he'd get at least one on target.
Morro ranged out, his dragon sending a blast of acid wind towards the ship, which Nya only narrowly managed to miss. They rapidly turned left, causing Jay to fall out of his seat.
He took a deep breath, "let me get this straight. You're just telling us now that you had another pupil before us and now his cursed spirit has possessed Lloyd all so that he could take your staff?!"
Wu was stood to his right, "Morro won't stop until he gets what he's after. There's a secret message engraved on it. All these years, I had no idea."
"Oh, of course, just another day in Ninjago," Jay's voice pitched higher, panic filling his veins.
Morro's dragon edged closer to them, coming right up the side of the ship.
Cole stepped beside his boyfriend, "if this is as fast as the Bounty goes, I think we're in for some serious trouble."
The wind dragon headed for the top of the ship and disappeared within a matter of seconds, Lloyd's - or Morro'? - body falling down to the deck. He landed on one knee, a fist on the wooden boarding. It didn't take him long to get into fighting stance, a corrupt laugh escaping his mouth.
Zane stepped in front of Wu, guarding him as best he could.
"I need ink and parchment paper," Wu stated, gripping his staff tighter, "to make an imprint to see what's on the staff."
"Kai and I will take you to our quarters while Jay and Cole will keep him busy," Zane stated, grasping on lightly to the old man's arm.
The masters of fire and ice headed towards the stairs of the ship with their master while Jay and Cole stood looking slightly defeated.
"Oh, that's honourable of you to nominate us," Cole complained.
Jay stepped forward, "yeah, we didn't fare so hot last time, why is it you who gets the easy task?"
"Because I'm the intelligent one," Zane smiled before disappearing under the deck.
"It's alright," Cole turned back to the blue ninja, "we can take him."
The two drew their swords, sprinting towards their foe. Using two blades that he'd somehow made appear out of thin air, Morro started attacking them both, knocking them both down and kicking them into the metal beam behind them. However, unlike last time, this didn't stop them. The pair got back up, aiming right for him again. Managing to grab a hold of Cole's arm, Morro lifted him and hurled him back towards the beam. The earth ninja fell to the deck with a thud and a grunt, catching Jay's attention.
Before he could act on it, a rounded shuriken spun their way, wrapping around one of Morro's swords, sending it flying out of his hand.
They all turned round to see Samurai X stood behind them in full gear. She reached her hand out to catch her shuriken, however, Morro's sword too flew in her direction. Without enough time to think, she ducked, the sword smashing straight through the window of the Bounty and into the generator box.
"Oh crap," she spoke, staring at the damage.
All of a sudden, the ship began tilting sideways, all the lights flickering and the sails beginning to close.
As the three team members slipped and aimed straight for the edge of the ship, grabbing onto the side panels, Morro took the opportunity to head below deck.
"What do we do?!" Cole exclaimed, "we'll crash if we don't stabilise the Bounty!"
With all her might, Nya pulled herself up back onto the deck and jumped towards the ship's main room. Hauling herself through the door of the room, she aimed for the steering wheel, trying her best to pull it to turn the ship upwards.
Jay and Cole remained hanging onto the edge as best they could, although one of Jay's hands was beginning to slip. Wrapping his fingers around the top edge of the panel, Cole pushed himself up and just about back onto the deck. He reached down to grab Jay's wrist in just the nick of time.
As the wind pushed the Bounty sideways again, they fell backwards, Jay landing on top of Cole. Suddenly, the ship started lunging toward the ground, sending them both flying into the metal beam once again.
Cole bashed into Jay, crushing him between him and the beam.
"Shit, Jay, are you okay?" the earth ninja croaked, pushing himself up to check on him.
Jay nodded, trying his best to push himself up too, "I'll be surprised if I haven't broken a rib."
Cole grabbed Jay's hand, them both working together to reach the main room where Nya was. It wasn't until they reached it did they notice their situation.
Their ship was aiming directly for a large mountain, and if they were to hit it, it would likely lead to the worst. Nya's hands were wrapped around the wheel, trying with everything she could to pull it towards her.
"Are you aiming for that mountain?!" Jay exclaimed.
"Trying to rise above it," she coughed, "a little help?"
The boys stepped to each side of her, grabbing onto the wheel too.
If they weren't so busy worrying about potentially dying, the two would've thought more about the fact they were alone with Nya. They hadn't spoken to her often since the end of the tournament. They didn't really have a reason to. Cole wasn't on bad terms with her - they spoke a few times - but Jay tried to avoid her at all costs so they'd not had an actual conversation just yet.
The three pulled aggressively on the wheel, leaning back as far as they could. With enough might, they managed to tilt the ship up, only mildly hitting the tip of the mountain. As the ship levelled out, the three let go of the wheel, flying into the broken window.
Nya fell right through the crack, hitting the ship's deck. Cole hit an uncracked part of the window, landing on his stomach next to the ship's control buttons. Jay, however, managed to land on his back on a pile of glass, screaming as he did so.
"Shit, Jay!" Cole yelled, rushing to his side.
He helped his boyfriend up, very little damage had been done besides a few cuts to the back of his gi.
"Are you hurt?"
"Not badly, I'll be fine," Jay croaked, his hand raising to his throbbing forehead.
Cole gave him a reassuring smile, his hand slipping from Jay's arm down to his hand. As Nya rushed in again, Cole pulled Jay up, trying not to look suspicious.
The couple headed straight for the wheel, trying to pull the ship to steady. Nya rushed to the controls, doing her best to save the ship from crashing. The lights flickered again, the screen's too, flashing in and out.
"Primary thrusters destabilised!" Nya shouted, "better hold on!"
"What does it look like we're doing?!" Jay exclaimed in return.
But no matter what they did, the ship wouldn't tilt back up. The world below them became so much clearer, not a cloud in sight, but trees only growing closer and closer.
Eventually the ship came to a stop, smashing into the ground beneath them.
After checking everyone was okay, and checking whether the engine was still working, they were met with disappointment. Deciding to set up camp for the night was the only option. However, while everyone else setup and searched for food, Cole's main priority was cleaning up Jay's back.
Luckily, the ship wasn't too damaged. They headed to the medical room onboard to search for bandages and alcohol wipes. Since they were bound to be on a long mission now, at least they could have this little time alone together.
Jay hopped up onto the medical bed while Cole rummaged around in the drawers, trying to find something to clean Jay up with.
"You're gonna have to take off the top half of your gi so I can get to your back," Cole stated, picking up a pack of alcohol wipes.
As the earth ninja finished rummaging, Jay unwrapped his gi, pulling it down past his shoulders. He sat patiently as Cole made his way to the back of the bed, wipes and bandages in hand. Cole smiled, placing a hand gently on Jay's shoulder.
"I didn't realise you were so muscular," he grinned.
"Shut it, you," Jay rolled his eyes, "why do you think I don't tend to walk around shirtless like you do."
"Hey, I don't walk around shirtless. Besides, with muscles like these, why wouldn't you want to show them off?" Cole asked.
Jay shrugged, "I just don't feel a need to. It feels private, y'know?"
There was a moment of silence before Cole leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on Jay's shoulder.
"I get you."
Cole took an alcohol wipe out of the packet and started rubbing it across Jay's back, attempting to clear up any blood. Jay winced in pain.
"Sorry."
"You need to stay still," Cole told him, putting his free hand back on Jay's shoulder firmly, providing not only comfort but to keep him grounded.
"How is it looking?"
"You're lucky there's nothing deep. I don't think any glass actually got in, but rather just scraped it. You should be good if I put some cream on it."
It was nice to have each other whenever they were hurt. Being ninja, they often got injured, and more than often it was cuts they couldn't quite clean themselves. Sure, friends could also help, but being boyfriends meant there was no awkwardness and the closeness just felt so..surreal. It was somewhat calming.
Once Cole had finished cleaning up Jay's back and applying cream to the cut areas, he headed round to the front of the bed, his eyes meeting with Jay's. With a soft smile, Cole placed his equipment down beside Jay, raising a hand up towards his boyfriend's forehead.
He brushed Jay's ginger bangs out of the way, brushing a finger gently across one specific spot. Jay winced again.
"I didn't even realise there was one there," Jay chuckled quietly.
Cole didn't respond, only let out a light laugh. Without saying anything, he took out another wipe. As the earth ninja focused on cleaning the cut, Jay's eyes lay on Cole's golden-speckled eyes. And, just for a moment, the world stopped spinning. Placing his hand back on Jay's shoulder caringly, the black ninja couldn't help but steal a glance at Jay's lips. They both giggled lightly.
Weirdly, this wasn't the first time they'd been in this position.
Holding the wipe between two fingers, Cole reached for the cut on Jay's left cheek, rubbing across it as gently as he could. Jay winced, moving ever so slightly, causing the earth ninja to move his arm away.
"You need to stay still," he told him with a serious tone.
"It stings."
Cole's free hand reached up to Jay's forehead, holding it in place while he continued cleaning the wound. Jay continued to wince, scrunching his eyes as Cole's firm hold kept him grounded.
"This is pretty deep," his concentrated look distracting Jay for a mere moment before the pain set in again.
Jay didn't respond, only focusing on the black ninja's perfectly smooth skin and golden-speckled eyes. And, just for a moment, the world stopped spinning. Cole wiped the cut again, quickly bringing him back to reality. His head threatened to move, but Cole's firm hold grew stronger - not too strong to hurt him - but enough to keep him still and reassured. Why was he being so nice?
If that first night on Chen's Island hadn't happened, who knows where they'd be now? Would they even have been friends?
"We really need to stop ending up in these positions," Jay chuckled.
"I don't know, I kinda like them," Cole smiled sweetly, moving his hand off Jay's shoulder so he could throw the wipe away.
He stepped away to search through another drawer, eventually bringing out a small plaster.
"Not again," Jay giggled.
"Mhm, gotta protect that little forehead of yours," Cole grinned.
" Little ?"
"Be grateful I didn't call it big."
Cole leaned closer to his boyfriend, getting a better look at the cut so he could place the plaster on it correctly. His concentrated face distracted Jay, staring at his perfectly smooth skin, his breath warm on his somewhat cool skin. Cole brought up a hand to rest on Jay's cheek while he placed the plaster with his other.
Jay had never quite felt such fluttery butterflies until now.
Their eyes met, time seemingly coming to a halt. The world around them faded into a lifeless blur, leaving only the two of them together. Their eyes connected, a glimpse of adoration lingering. One of Jay's favourite features of Cole's was his eyes; they were so pure and comforting, it was almost addictive. Jay's gaze travelled down to Cole's lips briefly, a sweet smile tilting his lips.
"It looks cute," Cole's voice was quiet and soft, something so satisfying to the blue ninja.
Snapping him back to reality, Jay rolled his eyes, shoving Cole backwards.
"Shut up."
Stepping back to his boyfriend, the earth ninja leaned in, planting a soft kiss upon his lover's lips. Only, when he pulled away, Jay leant back in for another.
The tournament of elements was something the two cherished dearly. They often found themselves discussing everything that happened late at night, talking about how neither of them really wanted to fight, and that if things had gone differently, what would they be like now? It was nice to look back at such a similar situation to now and think about how dumb they were back then. It wasn't even that long ago.
"Jay? Cole? Are you down here?"
And yet there was always one person who interrupted them. The same person.
As a head of short, black hair peered round the door of the room, Cole stepped back, picking up the wipe he'd placed down on the bed moments prior. Jay glanced over briefly but looked away almost instantly as he spotted who it was.
"Woah, what's going on in here?" Nya frowned at Jay's bare chest and then towards Cole.
Jay cleared his throat, reaching for his gi to pull it back up.
"I was just helping Jay to clean up the cuts on his back," the earth ninja responded calmly, throwing the rubbish away.
"Oh, okay," she replied awkwardly, "well, Wu's starting the fire now. We managed to find some food around, but it's not really much."
Once Jay had fully put his gi back on, Cole glanced in his direction. The lightning ninja avoided all eye contact whatsoever.
"Cool, we'll be out in a second," the earth ninja told her.
She remained in the doorway for a moment, looking at Jay awkwardly. It wasn't until when he looked up at her did she give him a slight smile. As much as he wanted to give one in return, he just couldn't bring himself to do anything more than look away. Nya took this as her sign to leave.
Once checking she was gone, Cole turned back to his partner, wearing a reassuring smile.
"You're gonna have to speak to her at some point, y'know?"
Jay sighed, "I know, it's just too weird. I mean, there's nothing between us at all , but I can't shake the feeling that we'd just be too awkward as friends. And besides, after everything that happened.. I'm not sure I really want to be friends anyway."
"I'm assuming she still hasn't apologised then?"
He shook his head in response, staring down at his hands.
Cole sighed too, "it can't stay this way forever, Jay."
"We can talk to each other when we need to but.. I'm just not ready to have a proper conversation with her just yet."
The earth ninja reached for Jay's hand, taking it carefully. Jay glanced up at him, their eyes meeting. Cole provided a comforting smile, using his thumb to gently rub Jay's palm.
"Take as long as you need, 'kay?"
Jay nodded.
"We should probably head out before everyone starts getting suspicious," Cole told him.
Jay and Nya were good at not speaking about their issues - hence why they never actually discussed breaking up, it just sort of happened - which only made it more awkward. Jay wasn't the best at social situations already, but the thought of having a simple conversation with his ex, who technically cheated on him, was the worst type of conversation he could think of. Especially if they were to act like nothing ever happened.
It was clear Nya wanted to forget about it all, and he didn't blame her, but pretending like nothing happened altogether was stupid. It didn't solve anything at all, and it certainly didn't make Jay feel any better. No matter how long ago the love triangle happened, or if he was with Cole or not, it still hurt deep down. That deep-rooted fear of being left was still there.
Luckily, he had Cole, and he trusted him with his soul.
That conversation with Nya would come at some point, just not any time soon.