Author's Note;

Not the best chapter but bear with me please, I'm paving the way for some more sexiness… *wink, wink*


CHAPTER 43:

The 'blue thing'


Jay's face tightened as his eyebrows squeezed together. The beautiful vibrant orbs turned into narrow slits, almost disappearing in the creases of his face as he concentrated in the book in front of him. His brain trying to distinguish the different characters at the same time it worked on remembering their sounds. His extended silence grabbed the attention of the boy sitting by his side.

"Which is the troublesome part?" Zane asked.

Jay pointed at a certain word. Zane explained to him how to pronounce it and Jay commanded his brain to retain that information as he went from the top of the sentence again. His lips trembled before speaking the words.

"Chocolate cake is… de-delicious."

Zane nodded with a gentle smile. A sudden "Hell, yeah!" burst out nearby. Both guys raised their heads to the third boy doing planks a few steps away on top of the grass.

"I'd say it is… the best kind of cake actually!" Although panting, Cole didn't stop his exercise, but rather turned his face at them and winked at Jay, the royal guest snorted with amusement. Zane shook his head but his eyes were filled with love as he looked at his lover.

It had been a couple of days since Zane had started giving Jay reading lessons. In the former doctor's words —Jay was a very fast learner. He already knew the shape of some characters and few words his dad would use for his plans, which helped speed up the process. But actually remembering the sound of all those symbols and connecting them into words to create a whole sentence proved to be harder than what Jay had anticipated. Thankfully, Zane was the most patient of the teachers. Jay was also relieved that the eloquent boy hadn't given him any complex stuff to read right away, and instead, opted for handmade notebooks he himself had written when Cole and Lloyd went through the same process years ago. Zane really did have a caring and attentive soul.

Jay was so happy that Cole and Zane seemed to be doing as fine as usual. Their altercation from days ago had been short but intense. At that moment, Jay had deemed impossible they all could go back to being friends, what with Zane losing his temper and Cole's foul mouth. But it had taken them no time to acknowledge their mistakes and forgive each other.

Jay's mind couldn't stop going back and through all that mess. It felt so distant even though it had only been a week since Kai and he had made amends —since the whole family had found the light and climbed out of the abyss. Looking at it now, thinking about his night in that cell, it didn't even seem possible. Jay had misunderstood and underestimated all these guys. As non-conventional as their relationships were, their bond was one of the strongest Jay had ever seen. Each member was deeply rooted in the other's hearts and they would all do their best to protect and strengthen their union with every new obstacle.

"Do you need help with that next one?"

"Huh?" Jay blinked. Zane's words only started to register in his brain as he looked at the boy. His gentle expression never wearing off. Jay's eyes returned to the page before him, how much time had he been spacing out? "Uh, no, thank you. I just… I got distracted. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, dear. We can stop for now if you're feeling tired."

"Bet all that food talk… won't let him concentrate," Cole huffed and puffed, the noiret had switched his exercise and held himself on one arm, body lifting and lowering. His chest never touching the ground as his strong muscles tested the resistance of the short sleeves of the shirt.

Zane laughed. "I don't think your love for food could be surpassed at all by anyone, Cole. And maybe it's you who should concentrate on what you're doing."

"I am. One hundred and sixty-three pies, one hundred and sixty-four pies," he counted every time his body lowered. "See? It works! I can exercise and fantasize about cake at the same time."

"Are you serious?" A fourth voice was added to the scene.

The Maharaja strolled down the nearby path amidst the grass, his sister and Lloyd by his sides. Kai approached them and bent down as he got to the spot where Cole was exercising.

"Can you not think about food for five minutes? How is that even supposed to help you train?" His foot poked Cole on the side of his leg and the boy plopped down hard with a groan, then rolled over with an amused huff.

"Well, it does! It reminds me of the sweet rewards I'll get after all this hard work," Cole palmed his abdomen.

Gleeful laughter erupted from everyone's mouths. Kai and Cole started picking at each other with their usual playful banter while Zane addressed Nya and Lloyd, asking them how had things gone with Kai's last meeting. The princess briefed him in, some details Jay didn't understand, but there were no signs of alarm in the young girl's faces or gestures. Standing next to her, Lloyd looked tired but equally pleased somehow. The boy had been assisting Kai in his businesses as much as he could these past days, and while he whined about it before going to sleep for not being able to do much and having troubles to understand some of the most complicated matters, there was a glimmer in Lloyd's mossy eyes that hadn't been there before.

Jay knew very little about Lloyd's life before the boy became a royal spouse, but he'd gotten bits and pieces occasionally, and they were enough to paint a not very pleasant picture. It was nice seeing him smiling genuinely and feeling useful.

"Phht, as if!" Kai snorted at Cole.

When the group looked at them again, they found the king and his husband both stretched on the green natural mantle, starting off some sort of plank competition. They wouldn't have paid them much attention —it was no news that Kai and Cole both liked to show off— but then the strongest of the pair called for Jay.

The boy stood and walked up to them, waiting for instructions. "Sit on my back," Cole said, pausing for a second and supporting himself on both arms.

"W-What?"

"Just do it," the young man commanded again.

Jay's eyes went back to the rest of the group, asking for advice with no words. They just smiled and giggled. Nya and Zane motioned for Jay to do as Cole was asking. He stared at the guy's back once again and awkwardly placed his ass down on it, climbing up so his legs wouldn't touch the ground. When Cole started to move again, Jay clumsily groped him for purchase and maintained a firm grip on Cole's body, praying to the Gods he wouldn't fall.

Kai and Cole fell into a rhythm again. "Biting off more than you can chew?" The Maharaja mocked as they both panted. Cole had been exercising for a while already, but even with that, the boy seemed to be doing just as fine with the extra weight.

"Of course not, that's like a twig for me," he laughed. "No offense, Jay," Cole added at the end.

Digging his fingers more carefully on the boy's back, Jay tittered. He didn't take the comment to the heart. To Cole, that was probably true. Jay knew he'd gained weight ever since he started living at the palace, but not even that would be enough to make a challenge for a seasoned fighter like the royal spouse.

"Oh, yeah?" Kai exclaimed. "Lloyd, come here!"

In a matter of seconds, Lloyd was mimicking Jay, sitting on Kai's back and grabbing onto his husband as the two boys continued with their demonstration of strength. A tender "Idiots" was spoken in the princess sweet voice. Kai's breath started to grow more labored, his movements, too, becoming less refined, arms and legs faltering as he tried to steady them and keep his body locked, Lloyd squealed when the tremors made it harder for him to keep himself up on Kai's body. After almost falling down for the third time, he jumped off the monarch's back without a warning. Kai's arms gave up under him and he plopped down on the grass face first. Lloyd and Nya laughed out loud while Zane and Jay tried to hold back their giggles.

"I won!" Cheered Cole, stretching his arms and locking them tight as he supported himself and Jay as high as he could. "Who's biting off more than he can chew now?"

"Ugh, shut up, dumbass!" Kai growled, turning up and giving Cole a playful punch on the arm.

Cole lost his balance. Unable to gather his whole weight on his other arm, his body tumbled and fell, sending Jay down to the ground as well. Jay didn't' have time to react either, he squirmed in the air, trying to protect himself from the fall when he landed on Kai's chest. The king groaned as all air left his lungs. His head lifted, a pained expression on his face as he locked gazes with Jay. The boy stiffened at being so close to the Maharaja. They were both frozen for a second before Jay sprung into action and pushed himself away. Zane, Lloyd, and Nya were soon on their feet, assisting all three boys.

"Are you okay?" They asked, helping them sit up and checking on their arms for any possible scratches. Thanks to the soft grass, no real harm had been done.

"Yeah, it's fine," Cole said, his eyes falling on the freckled face by his side. "You good, Jay?"

He nodded shortly.

"Are you sure? Your face looks red."

"Huh?!" Jay gasped alarmed and, without knowing why, his eyes went back to Kai for a moment. He found the boy looking as confused and embarrassed as himself, a redness spreading on top of his bronze cheeks. Both of them looked away at the same time, ripping their sights away from the other.

Although Jay didn't know why, nobody else made another comment about the abrupt heat on his face. He heard Zane in the background, lightly scolding Kai, and Cole eventually, too, as the boy laughed at Kai. Jay fought to keep his eyes down, away from the monarch.

Why are you 'fighting' though? A little voice in his head asked and he shoved it back to a dark corner. Lately, it seemed he was doing that way too much to his thoughts. Ever since he and Kai had apologized and come clean to each other, Jay had avoided remembering why he was still here with this family. On his side, Kai seemed to try his best not to remind Jay as well. And he appreciated it. It had been hard to leave the hurt and pain behind and see the king as the nice boy he was again. Jay didn't need to throw some unrequited gay crush into the mix.

Are you sure it's just a crush?

Jay swallowed hard and wanted to yell at his brain to Shut up at once.

Fighting against his own thoughts wasn't going as well as expected so, instead, he tried to focus on the words that were being exchanged between the members of the royal family. It was hard, but it seemed to work better.

From a few feet away, Jay saw a couple of the palace guards approaching the group. The men stood by their side, waiting patiently for a chance to speak when Kai greeted them.

"Your Highness," one of them said. "You got a visitor."

"What? Now?" He groaned, Kai's back hitting the grass as he exhaled with heaviness. "I thought I was done for today. Can't you tell them to come back another time?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible," the man hesitated.

"Why not?"

"Because I'll kick your ass if you made me come here for nothing," a soft voice said, then a young red-haired woman appeared from behind the armored man. Jay didn't recognize her, but by the way the monarch suddenly jumped onto his feet and ran towards her with a bright smile on his face, Jay could tell that the girl was someone close to the king.

"Skylor!" Kai shouted as he hugged her. The girl laughed and swayed with him a few times as they greeted each other. "What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't I just come and visit my friends? Last time you whined and whined about us not seeing each other more often. Have you changed your mind already?" The girl poked him on the side. Her informality surprised Jay.

"Hey, I was just asking," the monarch defended himself and waved at the guards so they could go back to their sentry posts. Kai and the newcomer walked back to the group.

"What are you all doing here lying on the ground?" The girl asked with a funny smile.

"Just Kai and Cole being idiots," the princess responded with a roll of her eyes.

"So… nothing new, uh?" That earned a few laughs from the family minus the 'idiots', who groaned and narrowed their eyes at each other one last time.

Everyone welcomed the redhead with as much friendliness as Kai had just displayed. Jay then noticed the girl was looking directly at him. "Hello," she said and Jay flinched subtly before greeting her back.

"Oh, yeah, right, you guys haven't met yet," the monarch blabbed. "Jay, this is Skylor, an old friend."

"We're the same age, what are you saying?" She joked and Kai clicked his tongue with a chuckle.

The monarch's face pinched and his amusement faded for a moment as he resumed the introduction, "Skylor, he's Jay… He's a friend too."

Everyone saw the way Kai hesitated at the use of that word. Whether it was because he still had troubles believing Jay was okay with it, or because he'd rather use a different one. But suddenly, Jay couldn't be bothered by Kai's pity. Instead, his mind could only focus on the slight pain in his heart. The word 'friend' had acted like a little dagger and stabbed Jay, not too deep, but painful enough to make his mood drop for an instant. Why did it hurt him to be called Kai's friend now?

Do you really want him to see you as a love interest yet? Jay asked himself bitterly, but he didn't allow the stupid little voice that lived inside his head a chance to reply.

Cole curled an arm around Jay's neck and pulled him closer, shoving a hand up his fluffy hair and turning it into a mess. "He's a really good friend!" He said with a big grin.

Jay tried to push him away, getting all cuddly with Cole in front of that stranger felt somehow embarrassing, but the boy wouldn't let him escape from his arms.

"Cole!" Jay glared at him but his animosity was all a facade and the other knew it.

Soon enough, the whole family went back to their previous playful mood and Skylor joined their jokes with surprising ease. The girl stayed with them for the rest of the day and Kai couldn't look any happier at the beauty spending time with them. They improvised a picnic in the garden, for the girl wasn't a very indoors person. Jay didn't mind, by that time he was used to hearing that same type of comments from Cole, who seemed to get along with the girl —but then again, the whole family was just as friendly towards her. Jay would make a mental note to ask Cole about her later that night. Although little clues were dropped every now and then through their conversations and teasing. Skylor was definitely someone very close to the king and his sister. And, given Kai's past, Jay suspected if their friendship had remained as strong over the years, that meant she was someone worth their trust.

••••••••••••

"I think it's time I head back home," Skylor announced.

Everyone pouted, Kai clung to the girl. "Aw, why don't you stay for dinner? You can even sleep here, I've got enough rooms, you know."

Skylor laughed. As if she needed such a reminder. "I know, but they're waiting for me. Pros of being the best cook in the neighborhood."

"Sounds more like cons to me…" The king whined.

"You know, Kai," Cole piped from his spot on the couch as he and the boy called Jay cleaned up the pachisi pieces from the table. "If you gave her a job in the kitchen, maybe she would stay with us here."

Kai gasped, eyes shining bright as he turned towards the girl again and asked with a childish smile, "Would you?!"

She giggled at his reaction. As much as Skylor was flattered by the boy's insistence, she had grown attached to her cozy neighborhood. Besides, she could never trade in the rush of constantly being surrounded by people, listening to their stories and chatting with them. She loved this family, but if she ever came to live with them, Skylor knew she'd be going out every day to know what was cooking in Ninjago, and that wasn't exactly the way the royalty was used to spend their time.

"As much as I love cooking, I don't think I could ever satiate Cole's bottomless stomach," Skylor said with a smirk. The aforementioned boy looked at her and gasped, pretending to be offended as he reached up to his chest with one hand and a fake sob.

"I don't even eat that much!" Cole pouted.

"I think our current cooks would disagree with that statement," Zane commented, voice soft but full of amusement. Cole gasped again and hugged Lloyd and Jay, dramatically crying out that nobody understood his necessities.

Skylor shook her head with a grin, then addressed Kai while the others kept up with their acting. "I love you all, but I have my own 'family' to take care of." And that was true. Skylor might not have any parents, a lover or a child of her own, but she had grown attached to the people who lived with her, so much that she considered them as precious as any blood relatives. Her neighbors weren't rich, neither did they have many properties, but she didn't need them to. Growing up with an arriviste for a father, surrounded by falseness almost every day of her life, Skylor longed for a more simple and genuine environment. And she had found it.

The king's face scrunched up, but he eventually smiled back, accepting the fact that he couldn't keep his friend in this house forever. Following their usual carefree mood, every member of the family said goodbye to the visitor. When Jay's turn arrived, Skylor opened her arms wide. The boy had been shy overall around her, but Skylor could sense he was quite the friendly guy deep inside. Jay reluctantly leaned in and hugged her, then Skylor froze. Her shoulders went tense as a shiver tickled her spine, a deep sorrow gathered in her chest, which faded away as soon as Jay pulled back from the embrace. The girl stared at him, confused and flabbergasted.

"Sky?"

She turned around when Kai called her. The young sovereign pointed at the door and she followed him, bidding one last farewell to the rest.

"Want me to prepare a carriage for you?" The monarch asked.

"I can walk."

"But it's getting late, don't you want to get home as soon as possible?" The boy smiled, lifting his eyebrows like an innocent kid.

Skylor sighed. "Okay, but just this time."

Kai commanded the order to the first servant they spotted as they made their way to the main doors. They waited outside, in the buoyant front garden, strolling down the flowery path and the beautiful fountains. It was indeed late, the sun was starting to hide, its pure white light adopting a warmer tone, turning the clouds all around it of a sweet peachy color.

"You should come more often," Kai blurted out, sitting at the bright marbled edge of the fount.

"I know you're busy."

"Please," Kai chortled. "I can always make some time aside to hang out with you," He smiled at her then patted the free spot next to him, suggesting the girl to come and sit by his side.

"Oh, no. I'm not getting anywhere near you and water."

"Why not?" He laughed.

"Because you're still an incorrigible brat," she exclaimed jokingly.

Kai did an about-face, all his excitement and cheery attitude left him in a second, his gaze fell onto his lap.

"Sorry," Skylor apologized. "That came out a bit harsh."

"It's fine. You just spoke the truth," Kai muttered. But Skylor could smell the bullshit in his words. She approached and sat by Kai's side.

"I didn't want to ask in front of the others," she started. "But I know something is worrying you, Kai. You're not the same as usual."

Skylor grabbed one of Kai's hands, clutching it lovingly between hers. She had noticed a change in the Maharaja since she found him playing with his family in the garden. It felt like something was hanging from him, a heavy coat that didn't allow the sweet bubbly boy inside to come out and join the fun.

"It's nothing…"

"Kai, I'm your friend. You can tell me. You know I don't go spreading vital information all around that easily." She better don't if she wanted to maintain her 'royal spy' status. "But most importantly, I don't like seeing you like this."

A smile tried to push up Kai's lips but it came out too weak. His eyes closed and the boy breathed deep a couple of times like he was trying to gather up enough strength to speak whatever was on his mind. And it looked like a real struggle for him.

"A couple of weeks ago… I… I fucked up. I was drunk and… I don't know. I hurt Jay, like real bad..."

His pauses were unnerving but Skylor didn't push him for more information than what the boy was ready to share.

"Everything got out of hand and… they all got upset with me; Lloyd, Nya, Jay, Zane…"

"Even Cole?"

Kai didn't respond and Skylor noted the tension in Kai, sensed it in the way the Maharaja's shoulders tightened and pulled up.

"What happened? Are you guys okay?" She asked.

Kai's lips opened a fraction, his tongue smoothed out the sensitive and slightly cracked skin as he struggled to swallow. The sound of his ragged respiration muffled by the course of the water, but Skylor could hear it anyway.

The Maharaja rubbed his face with his free hand. "I don't want to talk about that. It's painful and… very long."

"Kai…"

"But it's fine," the boy was quick to add. "We're okay, everything is fine now."

"Not everything…" Skylor couldn't help but mumble. Kai was obviously not thriving —and there was also that strange feeling that had grabbed Skylor when she made contact with Jay.

Kai looked at Skylor, confused by the girl's last statement. Skylor was puzzled too, she hadn't seen Kai so down since his parents died. She'd known the boy had a tough past that would accompany him all his life and become really heavy at times —just like it happened to her. But Kai's family had made an awesome job at helping him build up the confidence that a great king needed. At that moment, though, it seemed that very protecting layer had been compromised and barely held onto the boy. What could have changed so much since the last time she had been at the palace?

The freckled face of the royal guest rose up in the back of Skylor's mind.

"Kai, who's Jay? I mean… He looks very close to all of you but I don't recall you ever mentioning him before."

Skylor allowed the young sovereign to breathe and calm down. His arms trembled again as his head pulled back and he looked up into the orangish clouds.

"I think… Jay's… the 'blue thing'."

For a second, Skylor had no idea what Kai was talking about. Then bits of the last time she was at the palace drifted back to her mind. The vision.

"The day after you came," Kai rubbed his face, forcing back some tears as he battled to keep himself composed. "I went out and… found him on the market. He had been kidnapped and they were selling him as a slave."

Skylor gasped at the news. Kai briefly relayed her how he'd been instantly captivated by those vibrant blue gems and didn't think it twice to bring the guy to the palace to take care of his injuries and weakened health.

"Oh, poor thing," Skylor muttered, shaking her head at the thought of such monstrous people living among them. "So he's staying with you now? Like Lloyd?"

Kai flinched and his face turned into stone. Skylor examined him.

"Kai?" The girl called him, but the monarch just looked away. His mind seemed to be very far away, floating in a sea of confusing thoughts that Skylor had no way to decipher even as she tried to concentrate while still holding Kai's hand.

Steps echoed in the distance, the two youngsters turned to find one of the royal carriages coming their way. The coachman tensed the reins and the horses stopped with a few low puffs.

"We're ready, your Majesty. I apologize for the wait."

Kai nodded and waved at them in a silent gesture, the boy obviously wasn't sure his voice would come out as steady as he needed it at the moment. Skylor stared at him, genuine concern for the young man written all over her face. Kai straightened and walked hand in hand with her towards the vehicle. The lackey opened the door and stretched out a hand to help Skylor up. Before taking it —and not because he enjoyed being treated like a weak flower, but rather out of courtesy for the royal protocol— the girl looked back at Kai once again. Her eyebrows furrowed as everything in her body was telling her to stay at least for a few more minutes and get Kai to open up to her. Confide her what was stopping him from being the sweet quipster she'd fallen in love with when they were younger.

"Kai-"

"It's okay. I'm fine, don't worry."

Kai's far-fetched smile betrayed him, but the boy seemed intended on believing his own lie at the moment, so much that Skylor felt there was nothing more she could do at that time. The redhead nodded, not satisfied at all with the way Kai was dismissing his own problems, but she had no other option but to go along with it.

Skylor took the lackey's hand and lifted her foot to climb up into the seats. The coachman shouted at the horses as he wiped the reins and the vehicle started moving down the path to the entry wall. Skylor pulled aside the curtain and waved at Kai's figure, which became smaller as the carriage advanced to the splendorous archway. She didn't stop waving her hand until the wall that delimited the space of the royal residence stood between them, blocking all view of the boy. Skylor sagged down on the seat and tried to get comfortable for the short trip.

Although Kai had made an effort to not let their reunion end with a bitter note, Skylor couldn't help but be pulled back to those moments by the fountain, to that pain she'd felt in Kai's soul and…

Jay...

Why had Skylor felt so bad and anxious when she hugged the new boy? Where did all that melancholy and hurt come from?

Was Kai right? Was Jay 'the blue thing' she'd sensed in that vision from almost two months ago? Were his blue eyes the connection between fantasy and reality? Skylor couldn't tell why, but she felt there was a much deeper reasoning behind that. It couldn't just be his eyes. Those sentiments that had grabbed her earlier with Jay… they were too strong to mean nothing at all.

A chill ran down her body, making Skylor tremble. What was that boy hiding? Why was he living there with the royal family? What had destiny planned for him and Kai?


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