Chapter VI: Restful
A/N: What's this? A new chapter that didn't take 2+ weeks to write and upload? That's insane! Yeah, this one's mostly fluffy cuteness, so I hope you enjoy!
Kai entered the family room with tray in hand. It was late, well past three in the morning, and the Bounty was relatively quiet. Red knew that both Blue and Black had long since fallen asleep, and he assumed Master Wu was resting as well. The remainder of his makeshift family were occupying the only space with lights on.
"I'm back," Kai said in a hushed tone as he walked across the room to where Lloyd sat. The blonde was seated at the table, hands together atop it and head turned ever so slightly so his eyes could survey the moonlit ocean waters. "Here." The Master of Fire held the tray out and smiled warmly.
"What's this?" Lloyd turned his head to face his companion and then dipped it down to the offering. Inside the tray were four drinks, all lidded with straws already in them. "You went and got boba? It's super late, where'd you manage that?" the blonde asked as he snatched his designated drink, which he knew was his, because it was melon flavoured and therefore green.
Kai smiled roguishly. "All places are open twenty-four seven if you know how to get in." Lloyd opened his mouth to admonish his friend but was stopped by the raise of a hand. "I'm kidding, green bean, calm down. I'm a law-abiding citizen, have been all my life."
"And you now fight on the side of justice," Zane said from his seat a few feet away. He was nestled comfortably into a large armchair, his favourite for the simple fact it overlooked the rest of the room and he could observe all his family members at once.
"Yeah, and that," Kai laughed as he walked over and offered the tray to Zane next, with the nindroid taking his own drink – vanilla flavoured – graciously with a smile.
"Thank you," he said sweetly. Kai nodded to his robotic brother.
"Of course, I figured you'd still be awake by the time I got back," the brunette turned to regard his younger sister, who was sleeping curled up on the sofa. "I got two out of three."
"She wanted to wait up for you," Zane informed Kai as he set his book down in favour of his drink, "but she barely managed to keep her eyes open for five minutes after you left."
Kai chuckled as he set the tray down on the coffee table, prying his own drink free and walking to Nya, delicately running the fingers of his free hand through her silken ebony hair. "She's always had a better sleep schedule than me," he said as he smiled down at her fondly, "better internal clock. And she's more responsible."
From the table by the window Lloyd popped the straw from his mouth. "I thought you were broke," he said casually. Kai raised his shoulders and shrugged a bit.
"I stash money in a secret place, for emergencies, y'know?" He sauntered over to the table and pulled a chair out, plopping unceremoniously onto it and kicking his feet up onto the opposite chair.
"And this was an emergency," Lloyd clarified. Kai once again shrugged.
"We were all on edge, cold air and night walks are my thing," he pointed his drink in Lloyd's direction, "and sugar's yours. Nya's too, surprisingly." The blonde quirked a brow.
"And Zane?"
"He's logical, he probably reasoned his way through the whole ordeal," the Master of Fire elucidated, "but I didn't want him feeling left out so," he shook his drink to emphasize his point.
"I do appreciate the thought, Kai," Zane smiled from his chair as he sipped contently on his beverage.
"Anytime, Zane."
Lloyd set his drink down and turned his eyes out the window once more. Kai took notice and tapped his index finger on the table. "So," he started, "you doing okay?" The blonde pulled his verdant gaze from the waters and turned them to Kai.
"I'm…overthinking things," he admitted, "it's nothing."
"Try me," Kai challenged while leaning back in his seat, "I have a little sister, and she's Nya…so I know all about overthinking."
The ninja inhaled deeply through his nose and then sighed calmingly. "It's just…we battle so many different kinds of opponents, and they all have unique powers and weapons, that sometimes I just…forget about guns. It's weird." Lloyd's hands came together and he absently stroked the knuckles of his left hand with his right index finger. "When Master Wu said someone pointed a gun at Jay…I just…" There was a small quiver in the blonde's voice and Kai immediately reached out to place a firm hand on Lloyd's own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I know," the brunette said evenly, "I can't imagine losing…losing any of you."
"We're family," Lloyd said as he sniffled a bit, trying to hide it from Kai, "you guys are all I have."
"You will not lose us," Kai said as he gave Lloyd's hand another squeeze. "No one's going anywhere. Not without my permission, anyway."
From his seat Zane observed. He did not want to interrupt their emotional exchange, feeling he might not offer the most tactful response, so instead he focused on the key concerns. He may not be the best at comforting his loved ones, but he knew he could help in other ways, and he was determined to do whatever it took to ensure his family was safe and happy.
"We'll be okay, Lloyd," Kai said with a lopsided smile, "I'll make sure of it."
Lloyd offered a dejected smile in return, forcing himself to appear pacified, but it didn't reach his eyes and the Master of Fire could tell. He decided not to push the matter further and instead allowed Lloyd time to contemplate his words.
"Thanks Kai," Lloyd replied softly as he withdrew his hand, grabbed his drink and stood. "I think I'm going to try and get some sleep."
Kai nodded to him, "Good idea." He dropped his gaze to the half-finished drink in the blonde's hand and hummed, "don't let that sit out too long." Lloyd scoffed as he walked past.
"I'm going to finish it before I go to sleep." At the doorway the Green Ninja paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Thanks…again. For the drink and the pep talk." Kai raised his hand and waved it.
"Any time," he said coolly, "you know I'd do anything for you guys." Lloyd smiled genuinely and nodded his head before slipping out of the lit room and into the darkened hallway. The Master of Fire sat in pleasant silence for a few more minutes, finishing his drink and then stood, tossing the empty plastic cup into a bin.
"Are you going to sleep now too?" Zane raised his eyes from his book and watched as Kai strode across the room to the sitting area.
"Probably, maybe, I don't know," the brunette admitted, dipping down and carefully scooping Nya up into his arms, easily managing her weight while turning on his heels, "Nya should sleep in her bed though." Zane nodded a bit. "What about you?"
The nindroid blinked at him. "I may power down shortly." Kai smiled a bit.
"You can just call it resting, Zane," he chuckled, "even you need that."
The silvery teen cocked his head to the side quizzically. "Nindroid do not need to sleep."
"Yeah, well," Kai rounded the sofa as he walked towards the door, "you're not just some nindroid. You're Zane."
Zane felt something buzz internally; perhaps, he thought for a moment, something in his circuitry was going haywire, but he offered his brother a wide smile nevertheless. "Goodnight, Kai."
"Goodnight Zane." Kai replied softly as he slipped into the hallway. The nindroid sat for a moment, turning his faintly glowing eyes to his book and closing it. It was time for him to get some much-needed rest.
Kai carried his sleeping sister towards her bedroom, doing his best to step silently while he held her, taking little time to reach her door. He turned sideways and used his hand to turn the knob, pushing the door open carefully before stepping inside.
The room was dark, and with no backlight from the hallway, Kai did his best to feel his way through the room. He inched across the floor, mindful of his movements, until his shin touched a hard surface. Kicking it lightly, the Master of Fire determined it to be Nya's bed, and he moved to set her down gently atop it. He placed his younger sister down with a level of delicacy uncharacteristic of the brunette, making sure to gingerly set her head atop her pillows, all while avoiding startling her awake.
"There we go," he said softly as he carefully lifted his hands away, "goodnight Nya." Kai smiled as he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him before walking down towards his own bedroom.
He reached his door and found it slightly ajar; he could hear the sound of soft snoring coming from within. Pushing the door open he stepped inside, finding the room lit by the moonlight spilling in through the window, which made it possible to make out a sleeping Lloyd. Kai entered soundlessly, walking across the floor to pick the now empty boba cup off the blonde's bedside table, tossing it away in a nearby bin.
"Couldn't even throw it out yourself, huh green bean?" The brunette smirked as he cast his eyes down to his sleeping friend. Lloyd was on his side, slightly curled in on himself, and only half covered by a blanket he'd clearly been too lazy to lift up fully. Shaking his head, the Master of Fire grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it up to Lloyd's shoulder, then turned and flopped unceremoniously onto his own bed. With a soft groan, he shifted until he was comfortable and soon succumbed to exhaustion.
One room over Jay was shifting fitfully in his sleep, suddenly jarring himself awake and looking around the room fretfully. A few wild sparks shot off the freckled teen, none of which seemed to so much as stir the other occupant in the bed, while Jay slowly relaxed and calmed down with a tried and true breathing technique.
His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness of the room and he soon realized he'd plastered himself against Cole's side with his head resting on his friend's shoulder. As soon as he took notice of this he bit back his urge to shout in surprise, opting instead to scoot away from Cole, but found he couldn't get far as the Master of Earth had hooked an arm around him and had his hand against Jay's back.
"Great," Jay muttered softly, resting his head back down on Cole's bicep, looking at his friend's peaceful sleeping face. "You're being creepy, Jay," he admonished softly but continued to stare despite himself.
Cole's lips were parted ever so slightly, and as he breathed out his breaths caused a few strands of his bangs to bounce lightly, which amused the Master of Lightning to no end.
"You're a boulder brain," Jay yawned tiredly and nestled back down against Cole, "but you're a good friend." The brunette allowed his eyes to flutter closed. It was then that the black-haired teen shifted.
"Y'say something, Jay?" he murmured sluggishly. "Y'need something?" Jay opened his eyes and looked to his friend.
"Nah, I'm good," he answered in a hushed tone. "I wake you?" Cole shook his head.
"No," he replied, his voice just above a whisper, "not really. I did hear you say something, but I think I woke myself up."
"Sorry either way," Jay said quickly. Cole shook his head again and waved his friend's concerns off with the arm that wasn't currently wrapped around the smaller ninja.
"It's fine," he assured tiredly, "y'comfy? I can move back to my own bed if you want." Without thinking Jay shifted closer and placed a hand on Cole's stomach, patting it absently.
"Nah, I'm fine."
"Y'sure? I know I take up a lot of room," Cole said honestly.
"Not so much that I'd kick you out," Jay answered confidently, "besides, I do feel better having you here." Blue quickly flushed and then stammered. "I-I-I mean, y'know, 'cause you're weirdly comfy for someone so hard." He slapped his hand against Cole's abdomen with a bit more force than intended and uttered an awkward laugh. "Not, I mean, that it's a bad thing. It's just weird that you can be built like a mountain and still be weirdly cuddly…not cuddly, comfortable…, or, uh—"
"Jay, calm down," Cole laughed a bit, "I get what you're saying. Chill out." Jay's mouth shut instantly and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit at himself. "Besides, you're the one who called me a teddy bear, remember?"
"I did, yeah," Jay relented and stifled a yawn. He was exhausted, but at the same time, he couldn't keep from conversing with his friend.
"Hmm, so I guess you can be built like a mountain and still be cuddly," Cole teased playfully with his word choice.
"Shut up," Jay quipped as he withdrew his hand from Cole's stomach – much to Cole's dismay – and brought it to his face to cover a yawn as it escaped his lips, "I'm tired. We should sleep."
"Yeah, that sounds reasonable," the Master of Earth hummed agreeingly, "which is surprising since you suggested it."
"You're not being a very good best friend right now," Blue said wearily to Black, fighting to keep his eyes opened as he forced a scowl, "do a better job, boulder brain."
"You're not very nice yourself, motor mouth," Cole retorted easily, "I'm the one being a pillow for your puny head."
"My head's not small, yours is just huge, so you have an inaccurate reference for size," Jay said matter-of-factly. Cole snorted and then laughed.
"Okay, good one," he relented, using the arm hooked around Jay's body to pull him closer, drawing the Master of Lightning more firmly into his hardened side. "Sleep now, yeah?" Jay settled comfortably into Cole's embrace and allowed himself to relax, succumbing to fatigue brought on by the day's enervating events.
"Yeah, sleep now," he muttered so softly that his voice was just above a whisper. It didn't take long for Jay to fall back into a much more restful sleep, while Cole laid awake a little longer, staring up at the ceiling.
His brain was buzzing now, and despite how exhausted his body was, his mind was running a mile a minute. Subconsciously, he drew Jay closer to his side, turning his head slightly to look down at Jay's sleeping form. He smiled to himself and then slowly closed his own eyes.
"Stop staring at him Cole, you're being creepy," he said scoldingly to himself shortly before surrendering to unconsciousness.
