Now, I know that it is possible that you might not like this shortstory, but when I first watched Ninjago I almost immediately thought that if paired Jay and Cole up it would make a cute fanfiction. See? FANFICTION. I DO NOT REALLY WANT THEM TO BE A COUPLE. Okay? Jaya forever. I just couldn't resist posting this because, I mean, if you use your time to write, but then you don't post it, in my opinion that is a waste of time. If you like an idea like this, there's a high chance someone else will. THERE IS SOME SLIGHT LANGUAGE. NOT REALLY CUSSING, BUT I'M PARANOID. Please comment, no unnecessary rude comments though! Thank you!
And also, Cole is telling the story. Just in case you don't notice. :)
TRUE FEELINGS
I sat down to breakfast next to Zane. "I can't believe you won't eat what I cook, but you wolf down whatever Zane and Lloyd make," I complained to Kai and Nya. Kai grinned, but Nya's thoughts were obviously elsewhere.
"Nya?" She blinked. "Sorry. I was just wondering where Jay is. He never misses breakfast."
My heart leapt when she said his name, but I made sure to scowl on the outside.
"Oh well. I'll just eat his share." Lloyd chuckled, but before I could take a bite (of my own food) the intercom crackled.
Jay's voice filled the dining hall.
"Hello, everyone. I already ate, so don't worry about me. I just thought I'd entertain you with a book I found- under Cole's pillow."
My face turned red as I tried to turn to intercom off.
"Jay!" I yelled when I realized my attempts were in vain.
"Oh, what's this?" he laughed- but not in a cruel way. It was that carefree, prankster laugh that I both found cute and annoying. For once, I focused on annoying.
"Hey! This page has hearts on it! It must be for Nya. I think I'll read it to her."
Now Nya's and my faces matched.
"Jay, I swear to God if you read that-" I stopped myself. I knew he'd read it anyway.
Then Kai leaned forward. "He's in the bridge," the Fire Ninja whispered, and I nodded my thanks as I raced away. Jay began reading.
"' I don't know why I feel this way. It's never been like this before…'"
I forced myself to run faster, faster!
I threw open the door to the bridge just as Jay finished; "'How do I tell everyone, especially Nya, that I'm-"
He stopped reading, his face pale as he stared at me.
We stood there, tears rolling down my face as Zane spoke through the intercom.
"What is wrong, Jay? What is it that Cole wants to tell us?"
Neither of us answered him.
"Cole?" Jay asked. "Is this true?"
He held out my diary to me, and I nodded as I took, not trusting myself to speak.
"You must tell Nya," he murmured, not meeting my eyes.
I'll admit, I lost it then.
"No!" I shouted, and the Lightning Ninja flinched. "Cole-"
"I don't need to tell anyone anything! You did it for me! I thought you were better than this! I hate you!"
Why would he do that? I thought as I raced away to the room I shared with the guys.
I collapsed on my bunk, clutching my diary to my chest.
I lay there, sobbing my heart out, for what felt like hours. I opened the diary that had held my secret for so long to the last page, where I'd taped a picture of Jay.
I stared at it as I cried.
"Why Jay? Why not someone else?" I managed to choke out. "I love Jay!"
There was fear inside me now. Fear that everyone would single me out- even Zane.
Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door. "Hey. It's Jay. I'm coming in."
I pulled my knees to my chest and turned away as Jay entered, hiding my diary from him.
He sat down beside me. He didn't say anything, and I looked where his gaze was fixed.
Crud! Jay was looking at my picture of him.
"I'm sorry," I sobbed, and he put his arm around me- then he flinched.
"Is this okay?" he asked quietly, and glanced away from him.
"Yeah."
We sat in awkward silence for a minute, then I asked the question I needed to ask.
"So, um, did everyone guess what it was?"
He nodded, a sly smile on his lips. "Everyone but Zane. I'd bet money that they're still trying to get him to understand. It went a bit like this, from what I heard; 'But I do not understand. We all like everyone on our team, so why is it hard for Cole to admit that?'"
I managed a weak smile at that.
It faded as soon as Jay spoke.
"So you like me the way Nya does?"
I shrugged his arm off my shoulders and turned away as a fresh wave of tears attacked my face.
Jay sighed. "God. I am such a moron. Why didn't you just tell me?"
I snuck a peek at his face. What I saw shocked me. All signs of humor had been erased- and he was crying.
Dang it! I screamed inside my head.
"I didn't want to be singled out," I blurted. I'd tell him the truth.
"I understand why you love Nya. She's amazing. But I don't feel that way for her. And, um, being torched by Kai isn't high on my list of ways to go."
He coughed, and I saw that he was brightening up a bit.
"I'm really sorry I snooped through your stuff," he said. "It's alright." And I meant it too.
Now that they knew, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Mental shoulders, of course. Real weights I can handle alone.
Suddenly, Jay stood. "We'd better get back to the others." I hesitated.
"Jay, I need to actually say it to you." He raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"
I took a deep breath. "I love you."
The Ninja of Lightning laughed.
"Everybody loves me!" I laughed with him. Jay always knows how to make anything into a joke.
"Let's go, Sparkplug."
As we walked back to the rest of the team, Jay tapped my wrist to get my attention.
He pointed at the dining room door. We put our ears to it and heard Kai yelling.
"What are not understanding, Zane? Cole. Likes. Jay."
Jay and I looked at each other. "We'd better interfere before Kai melts him," I said.
Jay nodded. "But first, um…"
He turned bright red, and he was fidgeting. Then, before I had time to react, he pulled me close.
We stayed like that for a minute before he stepped away.
"Don't tell anyone!" he mumbled as he slipped into the dining room.
I stayed where I was, still in joyful shock.
I didn't care that he had forced himself to do that; Jay did it for me.
I walked slowly down the hall, not really noticing where I was going, my lips still tingling from my first kiss.
I must have looked crazy, staring off into space and humming.
But even if I were singing love songs- well, that's no one's business, is it?
JAY'S POV:
"Score! Cole's diary!" I grinned as I held the hidden book, making my way to the bridge.
This was going to be perfect; everyone was at breakfast, and Cole would have no idea where I was.
Absolutely perfect.
I plopped casually into a chair and turned on the intercom.
"Hello, everyone. I already ate, so don't worry about me. I just thought I'd entertain you all with a book I found- under Cole's pillow."
I shook with silent laughter as I heard scuffling sounds around the speaker.
"Jay!" Cole bellowed into it after a moment.
I took a chance and let some of my laughter escape.
"Oh, what's this?" I asked, flipping to a random page.
"Hey! This page has hearts on it! It must be for Nya. I think I'll read it to her."
I heard what sounded like a cough- it must be Kai.
"Jay, I swear to God if you read that-"Cole stopped himself in the middle of the threat, and I felt a pang.
Should I really be doing this? Cole seemed pretty upset.
I pushed the feeling aside. A prank cannot be stopped after it has started.
I heard muttering on the other side of the PA.
Ignoring it, I began reading aloud.
"'I don't know why I feel this way. It's never been like this before.'"
What does he mean by that? I wondered. "'I'm truly in love this time, and I'm scared.'"
I heard footsteps thumping down the hall in my direction.
Kai had told Cole where I was!
I hurried down the page.
"'How do I tell everyone, especially Nya, that I'm-'" I froze, my face pale as I stared at Cole.
No way, I thought. He couldn't be in love with me.
"What is wrong, Jay? What is it that Cole wants to tell us?"
I didn't answer Zane, because I was still looking at Cole.
He was crying, and he seemed so fragile suddenly.
I realized I'd better say something.
"Cole," I asked quietly, my voice shaking as I held out his diary to him.
"Is this true?"
Cole nodded as he took it, his knuckles white as he gripped it.
"You must tell Nya," I murmured, refusing to meet his eyes.
Then I realized that was the wrong thing to do.
"No!" he shouted, and I flinched.
"Cloe-"
"I don't need to tell anyone anything! You did it for me! I thought you were better than this! I hate you!"
I tried to reach for his arm, but he raced out of the room and was down the hall before I could.
I collapsed on the floor, clutching my head as I sobbed quietly.
I knew the PA was still on, but I didn't care.
Why did I do that? I thought. It was hidden in a diary that was hidden for a reason!
"Jay," Nya said stiffly through the intercom. "Go to him. He needs you."
"But you heard what I did! He hates me now!" I wailed, and Nya shouted into the speaker.
"You idiot! You know that's not true! Go to him!"
I jumped as she said that. Nya could be pretty darn scary when she wanted to be.
I flipped the switch on the speaker, turning it off.
Then, taking a deep breath, I walked down the hallway and was about to knock on the bedroom door when I heard sobbing.
No, not sobbing.
Heartbroken, painful wailing.
"Why Jay? Why not someone else?" I heard Cole choke. "I love Jay!"
I felt like the world was ending. Why hadn't I listened to my gut feelings? Why had I insisted on reading that? There was no right answer. They were all excuses.
I'd crushed Cole.
Only one thing could possibly fix it.
I knocked on the door.
"Hey," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "It's Jay. I'm coming in."
I stepped into the room, closing the door behind me as Cole turned away.
Then, I saw why. He was trying to hide his open diary from me.
I swallowed as I sat down next to him, trying not to cry again.
"I'm sorry," he blurted, and I felt my heart tearing in two.
The poor guy. He had kept it all a secret for so long. It must have been so hard.
Not thinking, I put my arm around him- then I flinched visibly.
"Is this okay?" I glanced away from him as I asked.
"Yeah."
We sat there stiffly for a moment, then Cole spoke.
"So, um, did everyone guess what it was?"
I nodded, a smile on my face. "Everyone but Zane. I'd bet money that they're still trying to get him to understand. It went a little like this, from what I heard," I lied.
"'But I do not understand. We all like everyone on our team, so why is it hard for Cole to admit that?'"
I lied to him. I didn't tell him about Nya. But I made him smile.
"So you like me the way Nya does?" I asked quietly.
He shrugged my arm off him and turned, pulling his knees in front of his face, but not before I saw him start crying again.
I sighed. "God, I am such a moron. Why didn't you just tell me?"
I felt his gaze turn to me as tears began to roll down my face also.
Why did I never notice? I wondered. And why me, of all people? What is so special about me?
"I didn't want to be singled out," Cole said suddenly.
"I understand why you love Nya. She's amazing. But I don't feel that way for her. And, um, being torched by Kai isn't high on my list of ways to go."
I coughed, trying not to bust out laughing.
There was something I needed to say, though.
"I'm sorry I snooped through your stuff."
Cole smiled weakly at me. "It's alright."
And he meant it, too. I could tell. I realized that I could do almost anything and he'd still forgive me.
Just like I'd do for Nya.
I stood. "We'd better get back to the others."
He hesitated. "Jay, I need to actually say it to you."
I thought I knew what he meant, but I raised an eyebrow.
"Say what?"
He took a deep breath.
"I love you."
Time for a joke. "Everybody loves me," I laughed desperately, and it worked.
He laughed with me. "Let's go, Sparkplug."
As we went down the hall, I tapped his wrist, then pointed at the dining room door.
Together, we put our ears to it.
Kai was yelling at Zane. Big surprise.
"What are you not understanding, Zane? Cole. Likes. Jay."
Cole and I looked at each other. "We'd better interfere before Kai melts him," he said, and I nodded.
I couldn't believe I was really going to do this. "He needs you," I remember Nya saying.
I squirmed.
"But first, um…" I felt my face turn red, and before I could change my mind I pulled him close, pressing my lips against his.
I felt his heart pounding even harder than mine, and after a moment I let go and stepped back.
"Don't tell anyone!" I mumbled as I slipped into the dining room.
Everyone stopped talking as I sat down heavily, hiding my face in my hands.
"Is Cole alright?" Nya asked, and I looked deep into her eyes. She nodded.
I knew she understood. She knew what I'd done.
I glanced at the door, but it remained closed. Cole wasn't going to come in. Good.
Everything would probably show on his face.
I reached for my glass from earlier. "I'm going to get some water."
I went into the kitchen and immediately grabbed the counter.
I didn't feel so good. Actually, I felt like I was going to vomit.
"Please don't. Zane just cleaned," a voice said next to me, and I jumped.
It was Sensei Wu.
He set his hand on my shoulder. "You did the right thing, my boy."
With that, he picked up his tea and returned to the tense dining room.
I knew what he meant. Ignoring my nausea for a moment, I pictured the look on Cole's face.
Joy. That was all that had been there in his eyes; joy and love, and the memory of that was all I needed to know that Wu was right.
I'd never love Cole back, we both knew, but it didn't matter.
I'd done the right thing, and I had a new respect for the Earth ninja.
He had shown that he can look past anything for the people he loves, and, eventually, admit it.
And I admire him for that.
Cole truly is strong in heart.
I finally figured out how to PM! And to write at the ends of chapters and books. Well, I guess the latter is pretty obvious. Please nobody freak out about how Jay kissed Cole. Like it said; Jay made himself do that because he wanted Cole to be happy. So yeah, PLEASE DON'T HATE ME.
Jay: I hate you.
Me: If you guys will excuse me, I need to go hide somewhere in another state.
(Nya, control your boyfriend! And Jay, put the nunchuks down!)