"Try not to mistake what you have with what you hate,
It could leave, it could leave, come the morning,
Celebrate the night, it's the fall before the climb,
Shall we sing, shall we sing, 'til the morning?" -C'mon, Panic! At The Disco (feat. Fun)
He kept walking. He didn't know where he was headed, but it didn't matter. He just needed to get away from Nya. He needed to clear his head. Another distraction. Anything to keep him busy. His life since Zane was gone had just been distractions.
Then there was a sound. He froze, not believing it. Was he hallucinating? It couldn't be real. But he heard it again, and there was no doubt about it.
Someone was laughing.
He hardly recognized the sound. It had been so long since anyone was happy, much less laughing. He headed towards it, moving faster and faster. He didn't know why, but he felt excited. He felt this way before, but now it felt foreign. The feelings he used to have were just part of the hazy past.
The source of the laughter was Jay's room. He approached the doorframe and saw Jay sitting in the corner, hugging himself. His cheeks were flushed and tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
"Jay...?" he started, smiling a little. He took a step into the room and Jay looked up at him. He wiped his eyes and smiled brightly.
"Cole...I think I've figured it out." he sprung up and hugged him. Cole hugged back gently, looking at all the strange things in the room. Gadgets and failed machines littered the floor, the table occupied by wires and blueprints. The bed was covered in clothes and various junk.
"What did you figure out?" he tried to keep his words soft and quiet. It was difficult, his voice used to be loud. But he was still trying to change, slowly. And he couldn't comfort Jay with rough words.
Jay pulled him over to the table, pushing aside some of the mess. "I can bring him back."
Cole's heart stuck in his throat. His mind refused to process those words. "What?" Jay smiled again, eyes focused on his work, somehow knowing where everything was in the clutter. Cole knew that look, when Jay got an idea he was unstoppable.
"I can bring him back, I think I've got it," he chewed at his lip as he began to lay out his scribbled notes. "It'll take time, but I think I've got it."
"How?" now Cole didn't even have to try, his voice hardly came out. He swallowed hard. Am I dreaming? This can't be real...
Jay nodded to himself. "Building the base is going to take everything I've taught myself about robotics. But that'll be the easy part. Oh, Cole," he looked up at him like he only then realized the black ninja was there. "You've spent the most time with Zane, right? Statistically."
"I guess?"
Jay drummed his fingers on the table. "I'll need you later. And Pixal. You know it too, right? Part of him is still alive in her. Literally, she has half his heart. I could use it-"
"Jay," he interrupted, grabbing him by his shoulders and turning him to face him. "We can't just take it from her. It's her power source. Plus, it's all she has left of Zane."
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't you get it Cole? When I'm done, Zane will be back! She won't need it to remind her of him, she'll have him! And the power grid is back up, she'll be fine."
"Do you know for sure?"
He shrugged a little. "The chances she'll be fine outweigh the chances she won't-"
"Then you can't risk it. You can't just play with lives like that."
He looked at him in disbelief. "Don't you want Zane back?"
"I..." he shook his head. "I don't know what I want anymore."
They stood still for a beat. Jay was trembling slightly, and Cole knew he was being harsh again. He hated himself for it. "...Why were you sitting over there?"
Jay looked down. "I was working then I just fell down." Cole sighed.
"I'm going to bring you something to eat and I'll be here until you eat it." Before Jay could protest, Cole was already in the hallway. His words were echoing within him. Didn't he want Zane back? Of course he did.
So why not? A voice slithered into his head. Here's your chance to get him back. Why not?
And no matter how righteous he pretended to be, he didn't believe a single answer he tried to offer.
