"I don't like this place. Never have, never will." Cole stared down at the floor as he swung his legs impatiently off the plastic chair in the waiting room, chewing his lip uncomfortably.
To his right Kai ignored his brother's childish behaviour and continued to scroll through his phone obsessively as he immaturity posted about the current situation at hand. "Just chill out, man. Needle goes in, needle goes out. Simple." He muttered monotonously, not taking his eyes off the screen. Zane sighed to himself shamefully, feeling somewhat guilty for Kai's poor words of encouragement. Being a robot, he didn't need vaccines, and Kai had his the week earlier with Nya, so they were sent to help their teammate survive the required medical treatment. And truth be told, despite his 'cool, calm and collected' first impressions, Cole had a long list of unknown and guilty fears.
Needles being one of the top ten.
"Um, Cole Bucket?" The nurse peered around the room as the trio stood up and smiled assuringly at them all. "Okay boys, if you would follow me." And with that she began a quick stroll along the corridors, finally ushering them into a small, tidy room. Quietly the door was closed and everyone was seated, the nurse perched neatly at her desk with the ninja facing her slightly anxiously. After a few moments of her typing up on the computer, she turned to face the nervous patient. "Now you must be Cole, because I remember seeing Kai… last Friday was it? Good. Well, my name is Kate, and I'll be giving you the shot. Are you alright with that?"
Cole swallowed thickly, mixed thoughts swarming his brain as he tried not to faint there and then. Suddenly Zane piped up, noticing his friend's concerning behaviour. "Cole isn't a large fan of needles, you see. I sense that he's a bit disorientated-"
"He's fine, Zane. Don't worry." Kai interrupted stubbornly, sending the oblivious black ninja a harsh glare. "C'mon, Kate, let's get this over with."
The nurse pursed her lips in concern as Cole suddenly bolted his head upwards to met eye level with her, his green orbs filled to the brim with sheer anxiety. "How long ago did your brother take any kind of medication, Zane?" She automatically faced the Nindroid, knowing he would have the most accurate answer.
Zane shifted his gaze sharply over to Cole as he confidently replied. "As far as I recall, Cole hasn't taken any medical treatment at all today, aside from the flu jab he is about to have of course." Kate nodded calmly and leaned forwards ever-so-slightly in her swivel chair, looking the Earth Master straight in the eyes.
"I know how much you don't want to have this, Cole, but if I don't give it to you then you could risk getting poorly and I'm certain that your friends wouldn't want that to happen. I could always cancel today and try to reschedule a new appointment… however I can't guaratee when it will be. Personally, I just think it would be a lot easier for me and you to get it over with right now. It will be better for you, and dare I say it, Ninjago in itself." She smiled sweetly as Cole nodded, sniffing fearfully as Kate rose from her seat and began preparing the tools at the counter.
Kai narrowed his stare sternly as the three of them watched intently as the needle was filled with the substance, causing the raven's blood to run cold at the mere sight. Quickly he averted his eyes as they began to sting, holding his head in his hands miserably as the Fire Master forced back a small grin of amusement. He cautiously squeezed his brother's shoulder assuringly, feeling his body flinch with the unexpected contact as he struggled to relax under the unwanted pressure. "I-I can't do it…" He choked out quietly, not looking up from his hands in embarrassment. "What if something goes wrong… what if it's actually poison and the whole staff has been waiting to kill me…"
"Cole, you're an absolute idiot." Kai snapped, noticing that the shot was ready and waiting patiently in Kate's gloved hand. "Now grow a pair and take the jab, you baby." He nodded over at Kate, expecting her to get started, but the bread merely shook her head calmly and slightly smugly.
She coughed lightly into her fist as she placed the needle back down, jabbing her head in the direction of the door. "You boys have a chat about it. No rush." And with that she walked out the door and closed it quietly as the group were left in a much needed silence. Zane and Kai stared intensely at the raven with concern, both irritated by his fickle decisions. The blond, however, was taking a more sympathetic approach to the situation, squeezing Cole's thigh comfortingly as he smiled at the black Ninja's bashful reaction.
"Do you find that assuring, brother? Does it calm your nerves? I've seen Nya and Jay do it with each other and it feels very satisfying." He commented, alerting a frustrated blush to stain the smaller boy's pale cheeks. "You do not need to worry about the needle, Cole. I can assure you that it will take literally a matter of seconds. They barely hurt, according to my research, so you should be fine on the pain-scale."
Kai rolled his eyes for the thousandth time that day. He was not impressed at all. "Thought you wanted to be human again? So here is one of the joys of not being dead… medicine! You know, that thing that helps keep people healthy and not contagious? Screw pain! It's not like it's a bloody chainsaw is it? Man up, Cole. It's not gonna kill you!"
"It's not wise to be so sarcastic, Kai-"
"And it's not wise to interrupt me, Zane." The Fire Master gladly stuck his middle fingers up at the Nindroid, nearly hitting Cole in the face at the force of the action. "Cole is being a pussy and he needs to stop crying. Wait." Kai quickly turned to look at the said ninja, suddenly feeling extremely guilty. The former ghost let his dark bangs shields his face from his friends as he struggled to sniff away the fresh tears spilling out his lifeless eyes. His body flinched with every shaky breath, the sobs becoming more and more miserable as he gradually crumbled in on himself pathetically. "Cole… I'm sorry if I upset you~"
"Wh-Whenever I try to speak you always make fun of me a-and jump to con-conclusions…" He choked, not daring to look up. "It's not my f-fault that I don't like them, you know… it's not my fault I'm scared to feel pain again…"
Kai swallowed thickly, straightening his posture as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes calmly. "I'm such a dummy, how could I have been so stupid? If you'd of said that earlier then maybe we wouldn't be like this… I understand that you haven't felt proper, human pain in forever, and that's what makes me equally as anxious for your reaction." He paused, not taking no for and answer. "You're having this jab today and now and with us by your side. Go ahead and cry your eyes out or something! As long as we all know it's over and done with."
Cole slowly raised his head and stared at his brother with glassy eyes, his bottom lip quivering silently as Kate shuffled back into the room. It only took a few seconds for the nurse to be crouched down at the Earth Master's side with the needle in hand. She pursed her lips firmly as she finished cleaning the area of skin were the shot was going to go. "Okay, so before I put it in, do you want to get comfortable? I need you to be very relaxed so it goes smoothly." She watched as Cole practically threw himself on top of Kai, burying his face into the crook of the red Ninja's neck to muffle his potential cries. This caught the brunet of guard slightly, but he responded well by wrapping his arms safely around the patient's slim waist assuringly.
Kate, without warning, then pierced the needle into the teen's arm, slowly applying pressure to the syringe as the substance entered his system. Cole felt his eyes sting as they began to prick with salty tears, his breaths uneven as his mind fogged for a split second. He panted and groaned into the soft fabric of Kai's hoodie, not liking this experience at all. Suddenly he wished he was still a ghost, but that idea was quickly dismissed. His body fidgeted uncomfortably against Kai's, causing the Fire Master to become extremely embarrassed at their awkward positions and the Raven's unnecessary sounds.
"Well done, Cole. You're very brave." Kate smiled brightly as she stuck a plaster over the tiny piercing, before standing up again and placed down the needle on the counter. It took the others a moment to realise their positioning as Zane chuckled to himself contently at their amusing reactions. Cole quickly shuffled back into his seat as Kai brushed himself down, hastily making eye contact with the nurse. She nodded over at the door calmly, pursing her lips to muffle her giggles. "You can go now. The Bounty will get a letter saying when the next ones are."
"N-Next ones?" Cole stuttered in bewilderment. He gasped under his breath, glancing anxiously at his hurting arm and staring at his two brother's in horror. "Y-You guys are gonna come with me next time, right?"
"Definitely."
Aw, my ickle gay-bies~
Tbh Cole is me in these situations. I mean, I'm nearly fifteen and blood tests and stuff scare the absolute shit out of me. Any who, I hoped you liked this little one-shot!
Don't forget to review your lovely thoughts! Much love!