Author's Note:

I'M BACK! FINALLY! Thank you all for your patience and support over the past months.

I still can't believe the amount of people that are following this story and reached out to me

I've been doing my best to advance on this fic while I work on my art, and I hope you will enjoy what's to come because it's quite a ride!

CHAPTER 78:

Headed south

Kai had been taught not to ever mention any God's name in vain, and the teaching had stuck with him. But oh, good Brahma, the bed was comfortable!

He rolled amidst the sheets, a silly smile stretching his lips as he relished in the softness of the material and the lethargy that made him want to keep sleeping there the whole day.

Without opening his eyes, he could tell he was behind Lloyd, the smell of his hair being the only hint Kai needed. He scooted closer and breathed deep into the boy's nape, letting out a small satisfied hum. Lloyd's response was a low grunt with a weak jerk on his legs and Kai backed away. Getting Lloyd angry during his sleep was dangerous.

Kai turned, and where he hoped to find a huge naked chest, there was only air. He blinked and his eyelids fluttered as he tried to focus his sight. As clear as the daylight that came through the windows and balcony, Cole wasn't there.

The Maharajah stretched a hand over the spot his husband had been occupying last night when they finally went to sleep —the sheets were cold which meant that the noiret had gotten up from Kai's side a while ago.

Upon finding Zane gone too, Kai got up and went to the bathroom, hoping to find the boys there, maybe sharing a quick bath —as unusual as it would be for Cole to wake up early to do just that.

However, Kai found nothing.

His brow furrowed. Where were his other spouses?

Impatient as he'd always been, Kai pulled on a robe instead of any other more proper clothes and stepped out of the royal chamber. The men that guarded the door greeted him as cordially as usual. The same couldn't be said about Ka; with his mind quite confused he voiced his concerns before anything else.

"Have you seen Zane or Cole?"

"Oh, we got informed by the previous guards that your spouses are sleeping in their chamber."

Kai looked at them as if the men had grown extra heads, then walked away. Too clueless to knock, the boy just pushed open the door to said room. His surprise grew bigger as his eyes landed on the sleeping couple on Cole's bed. Cuddled up in a mess of limbs and wrinkled blankets, the two young men seemed to be fast asleep.

What were they doing there though?

The Maharajah stepped further into the chamber and peeped over Zane's shoulder. Neither he nor Cole appeared to be naked under the bed sheets… which was even stranger to his understanding. At first, Kai had presumed the two guys had sneaked out to have some more sexy time on their own, but their clothes didn't seem to back up that theory, especially with Cole, the boy rarely dressed up immediately after having sex but favored resting on the bed in the nude, enjoying the feeling of being completely unrestrained.

So Kai asked himself again; what had brought these two into the other room if not the need for intimacy?

Zane's pale eyelashes trembled and soon the livid gems hiding behind them were exposed to the world. His gaze went straight to Kai hovering over the bed.

"Good morning, love," Zane's drowsy voice mumbled, shaking sleep off the vocal cords.

"Hey," Kai murmured back, eager to ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue. "What are you guys doing here?"

Zane seemed lost for a brief moment until he looked down at the other body lying next to him.

"Oh," he exhaled then turned to Kai and spoke without raising his voice. "Cole's back started to hurt during the night so I offered to give him a massage. We didn't want to bother you."

"His- His back?" Kai panicked for an instant. "Did something happen to his scars…?"

"No, dear, don't worry about that." Zane slowly sat up on the bed, untangling himself from Cole's strong arms, and planted a kiss on Kai's lips.

The monarch's gaze fell on the remaining sleeping boy. Had he somewhat hurt Cole last night? Kai didn't remember scratching his husband or anything like that, but… he had gone hard on him in a way. There was a reason why they never played with degradation or physical harm, but last night Kai had been too troubled to think about Cole. He'd just wanted an easy way to stop his mind and enjoy some private time with his lovers. Now, he regretted it deeply. No seconds of ecstasy were worth pushing his partner into old traumas.

"Is Lloyd sleeping yet?" Zane asked, getting up from the nest.

Kai responded with a soundless nod, a bit too startled yet to use his voice. When Zane walked away and into the bathroom, Kai sat down on his spot, staring at the tough warrior. His heart squeezed painfully at the suspicion that he might have caused Cole any pain. A couple of minutes later, Zane came back, he stood next to them, studying the two boys with a weak smile.

"You should talk to him."

"Uh?" Kai looked up and stared confused at Zane's face. The blond took a seat next to him on the bed and brushed a hand on Kai's arm.

"Cole hasn't been in good spirits lately... I mean, none of us has been, but I'm sure you're aware of that."

Kai averted his eyes. He knew. Probably better than anyone else.

"Cole is always joking around and acting bold but… he has a heart that beats and bleeds like anyone else's," Zane explained with a tint of sorrow on his precious blues.

Awestruck by such deep words, Kai fell silent, although in his mind he was berating himself for acting like a brat during the night.

"What… What should I…?" He stuttered after finding enough strength to ask Zane for advice.

The other boy lifted a hand and caressed his cheek. "Just be there for him, like he's always been there for you."

With that simple yet powerful advice, Zane pecked the sovereign and left the room to go check on Lloyd. Kai watched the young man walk away and close the door behind himself, Zane's words swirling in his head.

While Kai had always made his family's well-being the top priority of his life —along with all the annoying royal duties he couldn't avoid— he had to admit he'd heavily relied on Cole since… forever. Maybe due to his past as a soldier or the fact that Cole was the first person he'd fully trusted in his life, Kai had grown used to having Cole be the protector in their cherished home, as if nothing could break his iron will.

But the truth was that, deep in his heart, Cole was still the same forlorn kid Kai had fallen in love with many years ago.

The Maharaja lay down on the mattress and moved closer to his spouse, snaking around on the quiet until he was wrapped in Cole's arms. He stayed silent, just admiring the beauty of Cole's dormant countenance. Very subtly, his fingers traced the wrinkles of the boy's shirt, climbing up one inch at a time until the tips were caressing Cole's cheek. His lover stirred after several strokes. Chocolate irises stared back at Kai, eyelids opening further with slow surprise.

"Kai…"

"Morning, babe," the Maharaja whispered, a bit self-conscious. He noticed Cole's gaze looking up and past him.

"Uh… Zane…?"

"He's with Lloyd in my room."

With a rather passive nod, Cole accepted Kai's explanation then leaned slightly away from him as he stretched on the bed with a grunt.

"How's your back?" Kai asked. Sleepy yet perplexed eyes started at the monarch. "Zane told me it started to hurt during the night," he clarified.

"Oh, yeah, uh… I'm better."

Cole wasn't especially talkative or effusive in the mornings, so Kai had no actual reason to worry about his apparent moodiness... but that's exactly what he did. He couldn't help but feel there was something more to it.

Before Cole would get up and away from Kai, the monarch drew his arm over his lover's chest, softly pinning Cole to the bed. The other boy didn't seem too bothered by the strategy. Kai buried his face in the crook of Cole's neck and breathed deep and slow. Shivers rose in his body when Cole's arm crept up his back and absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder.

They didn't speak, just lay there for a bit, merged in a lazy embrace as the room turned brighter with the sunlight that entered through the windows.

"I'm sorry," Kai managed to say after many failed attempts that hadn't made it past his lips. "About last night. I… shouldn't have asked you that."

Cole's answer was delayed, and when it came it was accompanied by a low but audible enough sigh. "It's fine."

"No, no, it's not." Kai pushed himself up on his arm and stared down at his lover, his eyes opening with puzzlement. Cole's face seemed to have grown a decade older in just one night. Now that Kai was seeing him more clearly he could notice the bags under Cole's eyes and the slight redness of those, his features didn't just look lethargic, they looked tired —lifeless to some degree.

Shit! What have I done?!

"I... didn't mean to bring back bad memories or hurt you in any way," Kai mumbled, having a hard time looking at Cole out of guilt.

The other's boy's gaze also seemed rather shy for his standards.

"I won't do it again, I promise you, no matter how… horny I am."

'Horny' wasn't exactly the best word to describe what had pushed Kai to his own limits during their last intercourse, but he wasn't strong enough to avow Jay's ghost had followed him from Shaiya and daunted him every second of his life. Kai had done the right thing, Jay was happy and he had to be happy now too. But sometimes… things weren't that easy.

A calloused brown hand touched his cheek, Kai blinked focusing back on the real world around him —and the weak smile resting on Cole's lips. The royal spouse pulled his husband down onto him softly and touched his mouth to Kai's.

Their limbs moved effortlessly, enveloping the opposite body, merging the boys in a tender hug that, little by little, evolved into cuddles and gentle kisses all over their faces. Cole didn't say anything, but his lips let Kai know he wasn't mad.

As the pecks grew more apart from each other, the couple seemed to find it in themselves to finally look at the other into the eyes. Kai caressed Cole's face and pushed away stray hairs that blocked his rustic beauty.

How could he have hurt such a beautiful soul so recklessly?

"Why don't you come to my room tonight again?" Kai asked in a low and almost fearful plea. "Just the two of us… loving each other for the whole night."

Cole looked at him for a long beat, his face so serious that Kai couldn't tell what was going through the boy's mind.

The same tired yet small beam Kai had witnessed earlier returned to his husband's face, and Cole nodded in silence.

Kai hugged him tightly, pushing himself so hard against Cole their bodies might as well have merged into one.

I'll make it up to you, babe. I promise, Kai thought.

It was time he stopped acting like a kid, his family shouldn't be 'babysitting' him at this point. He would have to grow over this pain that compressed his chest, otherwise not only would he have lost Jay —Kai would lose every beloved person he had around.

••••••••••••

Following Mr. Tori's advice about sleeping had done Jay well. He was still wide awake by the time they reached the market where the man was to do his businesses. Jay decided to stay with him for a while longer, not finding it fair to just ditch the man as soon as they got there. Mr. Tori might have been just a driver at the start of their trip, but now Jay considered him a friend, even a second father to some degree, or an older brother.

Together they found some of the buyers and traders Mr. Tori was supposed to meet with. They idled around the different stalls, Mr. Tori carrying most of the conversations with the sellers while Jay stared at everything around him. Flashbacks of the first time he went out of the palace with Kai and Cole passing by his eyes. Cahran's market was way more colorful, more inviting, a unique experience for each and all of the human five senses, but this place wasn't too far behind, it even had a few stalls that prepared food for the go of the numerous busy people.

Jay sighed with a tiny smile and his hand went once again in search of the harmony ball hanging by his neck, he pressed it with his palm against his chest. What would he give to wander the streets of that beautiful city again in the company of the royal family? Joking around, visiting the different booths while discussing their next purchase, buying some of those delicious sweets again.

'Nice technique… Wanna lick mine too?'

Jay felt a rush of blood shot up to his face, his cheeks shining bright red the next second. He nervously looked around, self-conscious of his own imagination, and prayed nobody would be able to tell what kind of 'unholy' thoughts had just crossed his mind.

"Jay! Boy, come here!" Mr. Tori's voice sounded.

With a shake of his head, Jay went back to the real world. He found his friend a few feet away, conversing with another man that looked just slightly younger than him.

"I'd like you to meet a friend of mine; Ethel," Mr. Tori explained as Jay stood by his side. They both exchanged cordial greetings. "He's a trader too."

Jay nodded, carefully listening.

"And he's headed south."

Mr. Tori stared at Jay in silence, to which the boy arched a confused eyebrow, unsure why he was being given that kind of information.

"South as in Ninjago City," the old man specified and chuckled when Jay's face changed from ignorance to blissful surprise. "He says he can take you there."

"R-Really?!" Jay shouted, overcome with emotion.

The stranger addressed him. "Yeah, well, our stop is a bit before the capital but I could give you a ride."

"Our?" Jay asked.

"I'm traveling with my two kids," Ethel pointed a bit further away where a young boy chatted with a seller all the while holding the hand of his little sister, not letting her wander too far away from him. "If you don't mind the noisy brats..."

"N-No! Of course not!" Jay quickly grabbed his bag and searched for the small sack with money. "I can pay you for your help."

The man stared at him in disbelief while his peer chortled.

"What did I tell you?" Mr. Tori snickered and Jay was confused once again.

Ethel snorted then pushed Jay's hand back.

"No need to, kid. Tori already told me you're a very helpful companion. If you can entertain my kids that's all I'll ever ask in return. They can be a handful for just one man sometimes."

Jay's beam was one of the biggest that had ever taken place on his face. For once it looked like the Gods were really working with him, maybe they also agreed it was time that Jay and Kai sat down and talked, put their differences aside, and…

And…?

Honestly, Jay was still reluctant to believe he could just pop into the royal palace and have Kai's family take him back as nothing had ever happened.

But, as his parents had said, he would never know if he didn't ask them.

And thanks to Mr. Tori and his friend… Jay might be able to do that earlier than he'd expected.