9I am never uploading a fanfiction from my phone ever again. I swear.
Finals are done, and I'm still alive, so at least I have that going for me. Don'tcha hate having to take generals in order to finally take the classes specific for your degree?
WARNING: Romantic Bruise is a central part of this fic. If you are against this homosexual pairing, then you are reading the wrong fic, partner. You have been warned.
Jay tossed the controller in the general direction of the couch, standing up as it hit the faded piece of furniture with a soft thud.
The small television that stood proudly in front of said couch flashed the words 'game over' gleefully on its screen as if it was purposefully taunting the blue ninja.
Jay shot the television a murderous glare and crossed his arms over his chest. "I get it," he grumbled, stabbing the power button on the cable box. He watched with satisfaction as the TV switched off. "Enough of that game, anyway."
With that, Jay ambled out of the game room of the refurbished Destiny's Bounty and flounced up a set of stairs. Upon reaching the open-aired deck, he breathed in a gulp of fresh air from the clear sky. The Bounty flew just above a heavily wooded area, and the view was quite spectacular. Eagerly, the blue ninja shot to the railing, gazing down at the passing trees. Each one was a vibrant green, as summer was in full swing in this part of Ninjago.
"They call it Ninja's Copse," a voice explained. The voice grew louder as whoever it was padded closer to Jay.
Unconcerned by the new presence on the deck, Jay leisurely turned his head in order to catch a glimpse of his best friend, Cole, moving to join him at the side of the ship.
"How do you know that?" Jay questioned evenly, curiosity glittering in his lively blue eyes.
"I took a glance at the map in the bridge," Cole confessed, a lopsided grin gracing his face. He refrained from leaning against the railing, as Jay was doing, for fear of falling right through it.
The blue ninja immediately picked up on Cole's uncertainty, being almost perfectly attuned to his friend's mood swings and habits. After all, he'd had years to get to understand the earth ninja better.
Jay allowed his own matching grin to slip from his face. "Are you doing okay?" he asked softly, reaching out to put a comforting hand on Cole's arm.
The earth ninja snatched his arm back at an alarming speed, and Jay let his hand fall limp at his side, not having been able to make contact. Cole's unruly noir locks ruffled slightly in the breeze, and he involuntarily shivered at the distant memory of what it felt like to be cold. He kept his arm tucked tightly against his stomach as he leveled his gaze with Jay's.
"Sorry," he managed, awkwardly dropping his eyes.
Jay breathed a soft sigh. "Are you having trouble with solidity?" he inquired outright, mentally cringing at the bluntness of his words.
Cole flinched. "Something like that," he admitted shamefacedly.
"Hey," Jay whispered, tentatively taking another step towards his friend. "There's nothing to be afraid of. You can do it. You can be just like before."
"But I'm not just like before," Cole bemoaned, glaring down at his glowing green hands. "I'm a freak, an anomaly, a ghost." The earth ninja spat out the word 'ghost' as though it were a curse, keeping his simmering gaze trained on his pulsing form.
"You're none of those things," Jay corrected quickly, passion seeping into his tone. "Except for the ghost one..." he added a moment later.
Cole barked out a sharp laugh. "Exactly," he acquiesced. "Just the other day, I went to fetch Sensei's teapot for him, and I couldn't grab it. I went to bed that night and fell right through it. The next morning, I couldn't even pick up my fork to eat breakfast. It took all my strength to concentrate enough to take a single bite of food. Just a few days after that, I couldn't even train properly. My scythe slipped right through my fingers. Right through."
By this point, Cole was rambling senselessly, running his hands agitatedly though his hair. He paced back and forth on the deck, avidly avoiding looking at Jay's deepening frown
The blue ninja opened his mouth to add his own words of what he hoped would sound like encouragement, but promptly closed it as Cole continued to speak.
"It gets worse," the earth ninja warned, slowing his pacing to a jagged gait as his breathing sped up. "I went to give Nya a pat on the back the other day for fixing a broken lightbulb in the kitchen, but it passed through her shoulder. I wanted to ruffle Lloyd's hair to annoy him, but my hand went through his head. It scared him, too. They're frightened of me now. All of them. And I can't even touch them anymore... I can't touch them... I can't do anything... I just want to feel..." With that, Cole promptly collapsed to the wooden planks of the deck, burying his face in his hands.
Jay's heart lurched in his chest as he heard his friend emit a sharp sob of anguish. Without even stopping to think, he dropped to the floor and scooted over to the earth ninja.
"Cole?" he intoned gently, forcing himself to keep his hands glued to his kneecaps. He didn't want to make the situation any more painful for either of them. Truth be told, he wanted nothing more than to hold the earth ninja in his arms, to stroke his soft hair, to caress the worried lines from his defined face...
Jay abruptly halted his train of thought, fighting down a blush. Where had those thoughts come from?
He had little time to ponder them as Cole lifted his gaze to look at Jay's hunched form. "I'm sorry," he muttered, visibly straining to school his features. His chest still shook from the aftereffects of the dry sobs, as tears were now nothing but a myth for the earth ninja.
Something tugged at Jay's heart strings upon hearing his friend's apology. He didn't want Cole to feel as though he couldn't get upset, or that he couldn't confide in him. "You don't have to apologize," he stated firmly. "And I'll always be here to listen if you need to talk. I want to help you. I want to know how you're feeling," Jay insisted, noting with no small amount of alarm that there was an undefinable emotion stirring in his chest.
Cole sniffed and offered Jay a shaky smile. "For a motor-mouth, you certainly have a way with words," he teased lightly, earning a brief chuckle from the blue ninja.
Cole's heart soared at the joyful sound. He wanted to hear it again, to listen to it's harmonious lilt. He wanted it to lift his spirits, and to let himself drown in the comforting noise. Unconsciously, he closed his eyes and let the short laugh begin to tear away at the deep-rooted fears in his soul. The ghost ninja allowed a sigh of relief as he felt something of a burden glide off of his shoulders. The Master of Lightning was also a master at cheering him up, that was for sure.
Cole smiled fondly, snapping his eyes open to look at his friend. Jay was perfect in so many ways. He had exceptional auburn hair, for starters. His clear blue eyes were something to easily get lost in..
The earth ninja hastily dragged himself out of his thoughts, refusing to let his mind go any further.
Sure, Jay was handsome and oh-so kind, and gentle, and sweet...
But he would never want to be anything more than friends with Cole.
Right?
Cole cleared his throat, darting his eyes around the deck in order to distract himself. It was completely empty, save for the two ninja.
"Cole," Jay murmured, and the earth ninja's heart leapt at the inquiring intonation.
"Yeah?" he breathed, moving his eyes back to Jay's face. His friend's own eyes were half-lidded, something that surprised the normally calm and collected ninja.
"I want you to try something," the blue ninja instructed.
"What is it?" Cole asked warily.
"Give me your hands," Jay continued smoothly, the certainty in his tone never wavering.
Cole instantly shied away, stumbling backwards, and away from Jay's hands. The blue ninja's fingers were outstretched, and were reaching towards him.
"I can't," he cried, shaking his head vehemently. "I don't want to. I don't want to lose you too..."
"You won't," Jay stated with an air of surety. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Please," he murmured, reaching out once more. "I know you can do this."
Heart beating wildly in his chest, Cole shakily pried a hand from his abdomen and inched it towards Jay's own outstretched appendage.
Fearing for the worst, the earth ninja slammed his eyes shut and took a last bold leap, snatching Jay's hand in his own. He expected to feel his friend's hand slide uselessly through his own, and felt tears gather in his eyes at the thought.
"Cole," Jay whispered reverently, excitement fizzing in his voice. "You're doing it!"
"What?"
Immediately, Cold wrenched his eyes open again to see his hand firmly interlocked with Jay's. It wasn't going anywhere. And he could... He could...
"I can feel you..." Cole admitted, joy singing triumphantly throughout his words.
"I can feel you too," the blue ninja nearly shouted, a shining smile taking up his face.
Cole let out a whoop of joy. In a sudden move, he stood, hauling Jay up with him by his hand. Now that both of them were standing, Cole took up Jay's other hand and reveled in the sensation of holding on to both of them. He gazed down at their joined hands and felt his heart leap.
He didn't notice the deep fondness with which Jay looked at him.
Needing to feel more, Cole pulled Jay flush against him, completely enveloping the blue ninja's body with his own. He felt Jay's heartbeat against his chest, and let go of his friend's hands in order to wrap his own hands around Jay's back.
Startled, and feeling a blush creep up his face, Jay returned the gesture, enfolding the earth ninja in a strong embrace.
Cole nuzzled Jay's shoulder affectionately, euphoria streaking through his veins. He could feel again... He could feel Jay. The blue ninja was warm, and soft, and the cloth of his ninja gi was rubbing up against Cole's nose. The earth ninja took in a breath, noting Jay's unique scent of cinnamon and sharp grease, and kept his head burrowed in his friend's shoulder.
Jay's hands on his back were gentle and comforting, and they gave Cole a strong feeling of reassurance. Standing with his best friend in his arms made the earth ninja feel whole.
He began to move his hands along Jay's back, rubbing light circles into the warm skin underneath the blue ninja gi. The sensation of Jay's clothing and skin beneath his fingertips was gratifying, and a contented smile wound its way onto Cole's face.
Jay could feel Cole's smile grow against his shoulder, and sighed as he relaxed into his friend's tender ministrations. A low sound resembling a purr fell from his mouth as Cole moved to gently massage a tight knot of muscle in the blue ninja's back.
"Cole," he murmured, his head falling forward to rest on the earth ninja's chest.
"Jay," Cole echoed, closing his eyes, allowing himself to just simply feel. He groped blindly for Jay's chin, and tilted it upward when he found it. Nudging Jay's nose with his own, he steadied himself by grabbing onto the blue ninja's arms.
Without even realizing it, Jay slowly let his head fall forward, until his lips were mere inches from Cole's.
"I told you that you could do it," he whispered, his warm breath caressing Cole's cheeks.
Feeling his face heat up, Cole nodded ever so slightly, licking his lips. "Yeah," he hummed.
The gap between the two ninja's was steadily diminishing, up to the point where Jay was positive that there was no turning back. Emboldened, he decided to make the last move, to finally unite two souls as one...
"Am I interrupting something?"
As if blasted out of a cannon, Jay rocketed backwards, unwinding his hands from around Cole's backside with unparalleled speed.
The earth ninja immediately dove into a fighting stance, his eyes wide and his face flushed. His ghostly form flickered dangerously out of existence for a brief second, as Cole contemplated simply vanishing into the night to save himself from any possible embarrassment.
Kai, the Master of Fire, stood smugly in front of his two startled brothers with his arms casually crossed over his chest. A smirk graced his features, and his scarred eyebrow was cocked high above his left eye.
"Nope," Jay squeaked, ruffling his auburn hair awkwardly.
Cole glanced over at the blue ninja as though he'd never seen him before. Still trying to gather his thoughts, the earth ninja reran the recent scenario over in his head. What had just happened, exactly?
"Well, anyways, I'm here to tell you that Jay, you're on dishes duty tonight." Kai stated nonchalantly, sparing the blue ninja a knowing wink.
Jay blushed furiously at Kai's suggestive tone. "Why me?" he bemoaned, struggling to regain some of his dignity.
Kai looked down at his nails, still standing before the two other ninja as though he knew something they didn't.
"Because," he reasoned, "Zane's cooking, Cole can't, and I don't want to."
Jay huffed and put his hands on his hips. "Your logic is flawed," he spat with no real amount of venom in his words.
Kai quirked his left eyebrow up even higher on his face, causing it to disappear under a lock of wily brown hair.
After a brief staring contest, Jay consented with a snort of indignation. "Fine," he groaned, throwing his hands up.
Kai gave the blue ninja what appeared to be a more genuine smile. "Good," he exclaimed. With that, the fire ninja swaggered off of the deck and up the small set of stairs that led to the Bounty's redesigned bridge. For added effect, Kai swung his arms haphazardly about his sides as he sauntered out of sight.
Jay sniffed with disdain as his brother disappeared from view. "I always get stuck with the dishes!" he complained.
"Could be worse," Cole reassured him, stepping up to place a hand on Jay's shoulder. He gave it a comforting squeeze, thrilled that such an action was something he could now do.
Jay grinned cockily back at the earth ninja. "Yeah," he admitted. "You could be cooking."
Cole scowled and thwacked the blue ninja on the back of the head.
"Nice concentration," Jay remarked sourly, rubbing at the spot.
Cole smirked. "If there's one person I can try for, it's you, motor-mouth," he explained fondly.
Jay's blush returned with a vengeance. "Ditto, boulder-brain," he tossed out, shrugging his shoulders.
Cole smiled, a rare, true smile. Jay returned it quickly, his signature grin edging its way onto his face.
"If Zane's cooking, we better get going before all the food is gone," Jay mentioned, gazing hungrily in the direction of the kitchen. A delectable smell wafted from within the small room.
"Alright," Cole agreed, though nervous at the prospect of trying to eat again.
Jay turned his thousand-watt smile on the earth ninja. "And I'm positive that you'll enjoy it, too," he stated, offering up his hand for Cole to grab. To add incentive, he wiggled his fingers.
Feeling bolstered, Cole took up his friend's offer without hesitation, and the two of them set off towards the kitchen hand in hand.