AN: WHAT More Bionicle stuff? From Jayy? Holy carps! This one was written in one sitting on a school night, of all times. All I can say is that I felt really inspired.
Needs
Bluest-of-Jayys
It was okay. Kopaka didn't need much from others.
He was content with the other Toa not needing much from him, either.
The Matoran needed him, surely, but Kopaka was fine with that because he was the one they turned to when they could not defend themselves. He expected that. It was the responsibility that came with the mask and the tools and the elemental powers he wielded. A being of power such as himself could not abandon the basic responsibilities his position held, but he was free to do away with anything beyond that.
It was okay. Kopaka didn't need that.
XxX
"Are you sure? Are you really sure you don't need anything?"
Kopaka looked up from the sleeping pallet he lay in. He met his companion's gaze, then rolled over and pulled the woven blanket over his head to block out the Po-Koro sun filtering through the glassless window. "No."
"Water? Food? Extra blanket?"
"I said no."
"You really know how to make a guy feel loved, dear," came the sarcastic answer, followed by a gentle rub to his back. "You can do what you want, but I'm going to get something to eat." The weight on the side of the bed shifted and disappeared. "Call me if you, by any slim chance, happen to need anything."
"I didn't come here to be pleased, Pohatu."
A loud laugh resounded through the hut. "That's not what you said last night!"
Kopaka growled and hurled a snowball at the retreating Toa of Stone, but missed by a mile. Instead, it hit the wall, melted, and slid to the floor.
He covered his head with the blanket again and went back to sleep.
XxX
The island of Mata Nui was filled with surprises, and this was one of the less pleasant ones.
He stood back-to-back with Pohatu, surrounded by an entire swarm of rogue Tahnok. "I thought we got rid of these things a long time ago," he grumbled crassly.
Pohatu shrugged. "Seems they had other plans," he replied, kicking a stone at one that dared take a step forward.
Readying his Ice Blade, Kopaka suppressed a shudder. Tahnok wielded fire. Fire was bad. It craved destruction, it consumed the lives of flora and fauna, it needed to reign superior and would not take compromise as an answer. Kopaka guessed that that was why he and Tahu never saw eye-to-eye.
His element felt more natural with Pohatu's. Neither ice nor stone needed anything. It could be left alone and would stay that way for a thousand years. Kopaka hurled ice bolts from his blade as he dodged white-hot bursts of flame. With the touch of each bolt, Tahnok froze over, and between he and Pohatu, the entire swarm had been either coated in ice or buried in stone.
Pohatu hooked his climbing claws back on his belt and slung an armored arm over Kopaka's shoulders. "Well done, brother," he grinned.
"Don't call me that," Kopaka retorted, "it feels strange."
Pohatu tried again. "Well done, my love?"
"Absolutely not," Kopaka wrinkled his brow at the other Toa in disgust.
"How about, 'I couldn't have done it without you?'"
Kopaka shrugged. "You could have."
Leaning in so that their masks touched, Pohatu replied, "I guess I'll take that as a compliment, then."
He kissed the Toa of Ice in the middle of the defeated swarm, and Kopaka reciprocated wholly.
"You're welcome," he smirked.
XxX
"You're good at this," Pohatu grinned.
Kopaka pressed icy lips to Pohatu's own warm ones. "Shush. Keep going." He let his hands wander up and down the stone Toa's armorless chest, committing every little detail to memory. His back ached from being folded in half, with Pohatu above him, caressing the legs that hooked over his shoulders and rested on his back. Every movement of the foreign extremity buried in him drew out labored breaths that heated the air between them until they reached their limits and fell back onto the sleeping pallet at each other's sides, hotter than the desert sand.
"I needed that," Kopaka uttered mindlessly as he curled up next to Pohatu. Eyes shut from exhaustion, he failed to notice the stone Toa's smirk as Pohatu pulled the woven blanket over their bare bodies.
"I'm glad," said Pohatu, "I love you."
But Kopaka was asleep.
XxX
Most people did not know this, but Kopaka hated the ocean almost as much as he hated the volcano. It was ironic, he supposed, considering his element stemmed from Gali's. However, in its liquid form, water was ten times as deadly as ice was, and that was what Kopaka thought as the salty liquid filled his mouth, nose, throat, and lungs. He wouldn't drown, of course, as he possessed the Kanohi Kaukau, but being wrapped up in seaweed as schools of hungry Makuta fish circled, ready to react to any sudden movement, did not bode well for the Toa of Ice.
He could see the sun filtering through the waves as the weeds slowly dragged him down. This is stupid, he thought, I can't freeze the water because I would trap myself as well. I can't rip myself free because I would be devoured before I was done. And if those fish don't kill me, then the change in pressure will.
His limbs felt sluggish, every joint bloated. He had observed every possible escape route with the cold, calculating eye of an icy tactician, and found none that did not end up in death, devourment, or drowning.
There had to be a way, though. His destiny was not to die beneath the waves with none but the marine life to witness his passing.
He then remembered something Pohatu had told him. Sometimes, he had said, the best answers are not the simplest ones. Like a Matoran sculptor carving something out of stone, sometimes you need to chip away one fragment at a time before you end up with something good.
One fragment at a time, eh? Hope flared anew in Kopaka. I guess I'll do this his way, then.
With that new viewpoint in mind, an easier plan was formed by combining the rest of his plans, and behind his mask, he smiled. He foresaw himself standing victorious on the beach instead of the dismal futures the other plans would bring. With the minutest of motions, he shifted his hand and sent chills through the water, solidifying the liquid surrounding each Makuta fish one at a time and sending them floating upwards. It took stealth and a painfully long time, but eventually, all the Makuta fish in his vicinity were floating on the surface of the ocean. Now it was time to tackle the seaweed. A simple ice blade was enough to cut through the vegetation and he now floated towards the surface, free. He swam to shore, kissed the land, and reminded himself to thank the Toa of Stone the next time he saw him.
XxX
Surprisingly, deserts were cold at night.
It was Pohatu who had convinced him to walk with him outside, rather than snuggle in his warm hut in post-coital bliss.
He now led Kopaka along the Path of Prophecy, making quiet conversation about any inane subject matter that popped into his mind.
"The stars sure are pretty tonight," he murmured.
Kopaka nodded in agreement, looking up. "They reflect in the sea as well," he noted.
They stood on the beach. A lone boat was docked on the shore, and the souvenir stand was closed for the night.
"A sea of stars," said Pohatu, "very romantic of you."
Kopaka pinched Pohatu's mask. "It was you who said that, not me."
"I'm sorry."
The Toa of Ice gave him a quizzical look. "You don't have to be."
Pohatu shook his head. "Not for that. I heard you were almost eaten by Makuta fish while I was helping Onua rebuild the highway."
Kopaka shrugged. "You need not be sorry for that, either. I'm not some willowy Ga-Matoran who needs to be saved every time. I can take care of myself." He sat on the cooling sand, extending a silent invitation for Pohatu to sit next to him. He did, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, leaning into him.
"I can't help it. I feel like you need me sometimes," admitted the Toa of Stone.
Months before, this statement would have gotten Pohatu flash-frozen, but Kopaka simply put his hand over Pohatu's and confessed, "I do."
"You do?" Pohatu pulled back, confused.
Ice blue eyes met orange ones and their owner was unrelenting in their steel. That simple look conveyed the truth, the truth that Kopaka had run from for so long, that he finally realized that he had come to terms with. He needed Pohatu, and he wasn't afraid to say it anymore. "I need you."
Pohatu was intrigued. "Tell me more."
"I thought about you when I was trapped underwater and how you would approach the situation," the corners of Kopaka's mouth turned upwards in a small, rare smile, "You helped me help myself escape, you could say."
Pohatu placed a hand over his heartlight. "I'm flattered," he said, "and I'm happy."
Kopaka stood up. "Let's go back. Deserts should never be this cold."
"I love you," said Pohatu, following suit.
Kopaka laced his fingers with Pohatu's and they began the long trek back to Po-Koro. "I love you too, Pohatu."
XxX
"Are you sure? Are you really sure you don't need anything?"
Kopaka buried his face in Pohatu's sleeping pallet. The Po-Koro sun was blinding first thing in the morning. "No," he said gently.
"Food? Breakfast? Water?"
Kopaka was silent for a moment, then answered, "I could use some water."
"Be right there."
By the time Pohatu returned with the tin cup of cold, clear water, Kopaka was sitting up in bed, stretching his arms and rubbing his eyes. He gratefully took the cup from Pohatu and drank it, letting out a sigh upon his finish. "Thank you," he said, returning the cup to the stone Toa, who placed it on the night stand and slid back into bed.
"What are you doing today?" he asked.
Kopaka cocked his head in thought, then answered, "Ga-Koro is challenging Ko-Koro to a Kolhii match today, and I intend to make sure my team wins."
"I'll come along if you want," said Pohatu, "can't have a Kolhii match without the Patron of Kolhii," he chuckled.
Kopaka smiled back. "I might need that," he said.
The End
AN: I love this pairing. Pohatu's the only one who can get any sort of positive emotion from Kopaka. They work both as bros and romantic partners, it's so perfect! You can tell that by now I'm pretty tired but I hope you liked the fic. Thanks for reading.