AN: yes, the title is yet another song lyric reference because I am a nerd.

The (funny?) thing is that I actually wrote a good chunk of this fic around 3 am (man. I am going to have a really hard time adjusting to a more human sleep schedule once school starts up again, which is- extremely soon, actually. Like a week.)

Anyways, I always write about Kai and Lloyd, so I figured it was about time I gave the other iconic best friend duo a turn in the spotlight. Hope you enjoy!

TW for some blood and gore in this one

Jay couldn't move.

Heavy shackles weighed down his feet, and his arms felt like they were made of concrete, even though they appeared to be completely normal otherwise.

What's happening? Where am I?

Everything around him was dark, so, so dark. Powerful gusts of wind whooshed past, threatening to knock him over, and he tried to lift his hands to shield his face. They still felt so heavy, so wrong, but slowly, slowly, he was able to move them.

He glanced up, but there was no moon, no stars. The night was utterly black.

"Hello?" he called, his voice sounding odd and detached. "Is anyone there?"

The wind whipped away his words, and he gritted his teeth. How did I get here? I don't remember leaving the Bounty.

"Jay!"

Jay's head whipped up at the shrill cry. He would know that voice anywhere.

Nya.

No, Nya, no, Nya, no-

Jay tried to jerk towards the sound, but he still couldn't move. The chains were still there, only curling around his ankles tighter each time he tried to yank away. "Nya! Nya, I'm coming, Nya!"

With a gasp, he suddenly broke free, almost falling to the ground from the sudden release of tension. Not wasting a second, he darted off towards Nya's voice, stumbling blindly through the dark but desperate to get to her. The wind wrapped around him, pushing in on him and making it hard to breathe.

"Nya!" he screamed, stopping to look around. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, a small orange light appeared in the distance. Jay gasped and started running towards it. He had to go there. She was there, he could feel it.

As he got closer, things began to get lighter- he could make out shadows forming in the corners of his vision, reaching, curling towards him. He forced his gaze forward and ran faster.

He could see something now, two shadowy figures. Green tinted the corners of his vision, slowly spreading forward until his whole world was a shade of sickly lime. He shook his head, but it did nothing to help.

Suddenly, he was there, the figures mere feet from him. One was lying on the ground, a bloodcurdling scream coming from her mouth.

"Nya!" he yelped, but suddenly the other figure was in front of him. A tall, orange-skinned man stood in front of him, long dark hair unfurling from his topknot, a malicious sneer on his face, a dark amber mist curling where his legs should've been.

Jay's heart stopped.

Nadakhan.

Jay screamed, stumbling backward, and the djinn laughed, turning back towards Nya. Grabbing her hair, he roughly yanked her towards him.

"Jay!" Nya shrieked. Jay lurched towards them, but there was suddenly a stabbing pain in his left eye and he stumbled to the ground, watching helplessly as Nadakhan raised the Djinn Blade over her head.

"Leave her alone!" Jay cried, but his voice was dry and cracked. Suddenly, the blade was plunging towards her. Jay didn't know if his scream or Nya's was louder as the weapon cut through her chest, and suddenly blood was spewing everywhere, seeping across her dress, into his clothes, dripping through his fingers-

Jay screamed, lurching forward and grabbing her hand. He didn't know where Nadakhan had gone- the djinn had seemed to vanish into thin air- but he didn't care. His mind was only on Nya.

A gaping wound stretched across her chest, her delicate, soft flesh torn and soaked in red. He screamed again, pressing his hands over it, but only more blood came, and more, and more-

His hands were dripping red, and he pulled back, sobbing. It was his fault; it was all his fault; he had done this-

"Jay," Nya whispered hoarsely, and he stopped immediately, bending close to hear her.

"Why… why would you do this… to me… to us… how could you let this happen? How could… how could you fail the one person who always believed in you?"

"I'm so sorry, Nya," he wailed. "I let you down, because of me- because of me, you're-"

Nya coughed, blood gurgling at her lips, and suddenly the oozing blood was shifting from red to a bright, nauseating green.

Jay jerked back. Tiger Widow venom.

Oh no, oh no, it was all over him, he was going to die, just like Nya.

He stood up sharply, but his legs were shaky, and suddenly he was falling, falling into nothingness, Nya's rasping breaths echoing into his ears, each one further and further apart until there was nothing.

Jay jerked upright in his bed, stuffing his blanket in his mouth so fiercely he almost choked, muffling his screams as he buried his face in his legs, gulping back sobs and begging himself to be quiet, before he woke the others.

One, two, three, four-

It wasn't working. Jay's brain felt like it was going to explode. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Nya, soaked in blood, her lifeless eyes staring up at him, and it was all his fault-

Jay practically launched himself from the bed, just barely managing to avoid falling down the ladder as he stumbled out the door of their shared bedroom.

He just barely made it to the bathroom in time, lurching over to the toilet and throwing up. Woozy, he pulled back, panting, and curled into a ball, rocking himself gently.

It was fine; it was fine; it was just a dream. Nadakhan wasn't here anymore- he hadn't- Jay had erased the timeline, that hadn't even happened anymore-

But the memories were still there. It had happened to him; it was still very real to him, why couldn't he have forgotten everything like the others?

He was trembling now, trembling hard, why were his fingers red, Nya's blood was still on his hands, why was that still there, it had just been a dream-

Hallucinating. He was hallucinating, the blood wasn't there. That… that wasn't good. He had never had an attack this bad before.

He knew he should go get Nya. Ever since everything had happened with Nadakhan, she had been the only other one to remember, the only other one he could talk to, who knew what he was feeling and could comfort him on the hard nights.

But he had come to her late almost every night for the last couple of weeks since he had defeated Nadakhan. He knew Nya was struggling, too- heck, she had it worse; she had been the one who was actually dying, and the dark circles under her eyes hadn't gone unnoticed by Jay. He knew she had been sleeping horribly. She deserved one night without him pestering her.

He hugged himself tighter, trying to imagine his own hands as Nya's, trying to slow his breathing.

Just stop, just stop, just stop, just work- Jay, you idiot, you can't do anything right, you're so pathetic, this is all your fault-

"Jay?"

A voice cut through his panic, and he jerked his head up, hitting it against the bathroom cabinet and groaning.

A gentle hand on his arm. "C'mon, let's get you outta here."

No. Jay's brain plunged into protest, tugging away from the unfamiliar contact. No, no, no- "Get away from me!"

The blood was back now, (had it ever really gone?), but it wasn't Nya's, it was his, his wrists slit and blood streaming out, concealing the dark, purpling bruises. Nadakhan had beat him again, and now his eye was hurting again, why did it hurt so bad, why couldn't he see-

"Jay! Jay, breathe, it's just me. You're okay. You're safe. Everyone's safe. It's going to be okay."

His brain faintly registered Cole, and as he reached for his hand, it went right through it. Cole grimaced, gritting his teeth, and Jay tried again. This time, his hand felt warm and firm. Cole pulled him to his feet, and Jay leaned against him, trying to focus on his solid presence, to steady himself.

"Did you skip your meds again, Jay?" Cole asked, reaching into the medicine cabinet and pulling a few bottles out.

Jay blinked, trying to clear the fug from his brain. "I… what? I don't…"

"Take a deep breath, Jay. Jay- Jay, look at me."

Jay forced himself to meet his gaze. Cole's deep brown eyes were soft, comforting, strong. Jay felt himself exhale, slow and long, the first proper breath in minutes. It felt good.

"No," he murmured, "I didn't take them. I forgot."

"Okay, I'll get them for you on the way there. Right now, you need to get out."

Jay blinked, letting Cole lead him out of the bathroom. His mind still felt slow. "On the way where?"

"I dunno. But we're just going out, taking a little car ride. The fresh air will help you."

"O-okay," Jay murmured, and suddenly they were outside, cool air gracing his too-warm skin. He let out a shaky breath. Cole was right, already he was feeling a little better.

The Bounty had been stationed near one of their smaller bases that night, but luckily this one housed one of the few normal vehicles they owned- riding around on the Earth Driller or Cole's elemental dragon didn't seem like the best option if they wanted to avoid attention.

The two of them climbed into the car, Cole in the driver's side and Jay in the passenger's. Cole distributed Jay some of his pills, which he took, and they set off.

Jay leaned his face against the window, the cool glass feeling good on his skin. Cole had the windows cracked too, so a fresh breeze filled the car. He watched the dark shapes flick past the window, mostly trees, but the occasional house as well, which got more frequent as they neared the city. He caught a flash of Nya's lifeless body in the reflection of the window, and he bit his lip, deciding to count the houses as a distraction.

"So," Cole said after a while, breaking the long silence. "What do you want to eat?"

Jay turned away from the window, blinking at him. "What?"

"A little food in my stomach always helps me when I've had a… rough night."

Despite himself, Jay felt a mischievous grin spread across his lips. "You're always thinking about food."

Cole grunted, taking a hand off the steering wheel to shove him gently in the shoulder. "Shut up."

After a moment, Jay asked, "Can we go to that little shack on the corner of the city that sells those really good hand-spun milkshakes?"

"I don't think they're open right now, bud."

"Oh." There was silence, then, "What time is it?"

Cole pressed his lips together. "3 am."

Jay was quiet. It's that late? Ugh, I am such a horrible friend. Why would I bother him with all my issues at this time of night? He should be in bed sleeping, like everyone else.

"What about McDonald's?" Cole's suggestion interrupted his thoughts. "They're open all night."

Jay scoffed. "McDonald's? The milkshakes there are laughable at best."

"Yeah, but at this time of night they're really our only option."

He sighed. "McDonald's it is, then."

Less than ten minutes later, they were pulling into the parking lot, the big 'M' sign, which was glowing a harsh yellow color, flickering slightly, giving off an almost eerie vibe. At this time of night, the parking lot was barren except for two cars, likely owned by the employees, which didn't exactly help that feeling.

"You comin'?" Cole asked, and Jay blinked, realizing Cole was already out of the car, holding open the door for him. Cole extended a hand out and helped him up- Jay was still a little woozy from the meds- and they headed inside.

The little bell that rang as they pushed open the door sounded louder than usual in the emptiness of the building. The only person in sight was an exhausted-looking cashier who glanced up at them with a skeptical expression. Her gaze lingered a little longer on Cole's ghostly form, but either she recognized him or was too tired to care, because she didn't question them.

"Welcome to McDonald's, how may I help you," she mumbled in the driest, most monotone voice Jay had ever heard.

They ordered, waited for their food, then took a seat near the corner. Jay nibbled on a couple of fries. Cole was trying to look busy with some chicken nuggets, but Jay could feel the earth ninja's gaze on him. He swallowed, the food suddenly seeming to stick in his throat.

"Man, I haven't eaten these things in ages," Cole said suddenly, glancing down at his nuggets. "I must've been like, nine, the last time I got a Happy Meal."

Jay bristled. "I didn't order a Happy Meal! This is just a regular fries and nuggets meal."

"But it's the exact same thing that's in the Happy Meal, minus the toy. They just don't call it that because it's embarrassing if you're not a little kid. It's basically just a big boy Happy Meal. Hey, look at that, Jay, you graduated. We should celebrate. Maybe with this big kid Happy Meal?"

"I'll have you know I haven't ordered a Happy Meal since I was ten."

Cole crossed his arms, gesturing up with his fingers.

"Okay, so maybe twelve. But no later than that! Stop making assumptions about me!"

Cole snorted. "Whatever makes you happy, dude."

"Hey, before you continue to joke about my weird habits, can we discuss the fact that you're a ghost and you still eat McDonald's?"

"Hey, just because I don't need food doesn't mean it doesn't taste good. And I'm also doing it as moral support for you."

"Har har."

"Jay, I'm serious!" Cole's teasing expression suddenly grew somber. "What happened to you back there? I haven't seen you like that since- well, ever. You really scared me, Jay."

Jay ducked his head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, that just makes this worse! I'm not reprimanding you for anything, I'm just worried and want to help you. I'm your best friend, Jay. You can tell me anything."

Jay wrung his hands together. "I'm not so sure I can, Cole." His friend opened his mouth to protest, but Jay held up his hand, stopping him. "Oh, I know you want me to. But it's not that simple." Softer, he added, "It's more complicated than you will ever know."

"Maybe, but sometimes sharing your burdens with someone helps a lot more than you think it will."

Jay bit his lip. He couldn't tell Cole about Nadakhan. He couldn't. Part of him wanted to, but… he didn't want to relive those memories again. He wanted to leave them as far in the past as they could possibly get.

Besides, there was no way he could know. His memories of the event, like everyone else's, had been stripped when Jay had made his last wish. Jay could recount the story to him, but it would always be just that- a story. He didn't doubt that Cole would believe him, but it wouldn't be the same. Cole still wouldn't have actually experienced Nadakhan- felt the creeping dread when the accursed djinn caught you alone, the aching in his bones from the long hours aboard the Misfortune's Keep, or the numbing horror of watching Nya die in his arms.

But Cole was right. This time had been bad. And even though Nya was the only one who truly understood, it wasn't fair to burden her with all that. He needed help, and Cole was offering it.

"I had a nightmare," he sighed.

"Again?" Cole frowned, concern flashing in his eyes. "That seems to be happening a lot recently."

"You knew it happened before?"

"I'm a ghost, not exactly a heavy sleeper. There's a reason I found you tonight, y'know. I didn't just decide to wander into the bathroom in the middle of the night because I felt like it."

"Oh. You didn't… you didn't say anything? You didn't tell the others?"

Cole shook his head. "I thought it wasn't a big deal. I mean, nightmares aren't exactly a rare occurrence with our group, and it wasn't exactly that long ago since Morro. Kai was having nightmares for months afterwards, and if I'm being honest, I think he still is. I myself have been having some… interesting dreams. It didn't seem that improbable for you to be having them, too. But this…" Cole's eyes flashed. "I hardly recognized you, Jay. I know you said you didn't take your meds, but that was no ordinary nightmare."

"No," Jay shifted. "I just… I was alone," he blurted. "It was so dark, and none of you guys were there, and Nya- Nya was…" He stopped, choking on a sob. His heart was racing. "It was all my fault-"

"Hey," Cole murmured, getting up and sliding in behind him, wrapping a hand around his shoulders. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's fine." Jay wiped at his eyes. "I've already caused you so much trouble, bringing you out all this way so early in the morning-"

"Hey, I won't have any of that." Cole turned Jay's shoulder so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "I'm your best friend, Jay. That's what I'm here for. You've always been there for me, no matter how inconvenient. I'm just returning the favor."

But I lied to you. I let my own selfish desires get in the way of everyone's safety, and I was a disloyal friend. Jay bit back the response. Cole didn't know about any of that. In his mind, it had never happened.

But for Jay, it had, and he wasn't about to forget it.

He wasn't good enough for Cole.

"Ugh, what are these, they're all crispy."

It took Jay a moment to register that Cole had spoken, and he swiveled his head towards his friend. "What?"

"Your fries." Cole held up a fry. "They're overcooked."

"That's the best way to have them," Jay insisted, grabbing one and crunching it loudly between his teeth. "What, you like yours all soft and mushy?"

"They're not mushy, they're rich and fluffy. You're just eating burnt potato skin."

"The crunch is part of the experience! It gives them the extra little flair they need."

"If you want crunchy, why don't you get chips instead?"

"Are you kidding? This is completely different!"

"Okay, then what about these?" Cole leaned forward, tilting up the carton so that the last handful of fries slid out onto the napkin. They were a dark, brownish-black color, with only hints of gold peeking through. "Tell me how delicious those are."

Jay winced. "Okay, well, there's a fine line between a good, crispy fry and a burnt one. What did they do, set them on fire?"

Cole shook his head, grinning. "Did you see how dead-on-her-feet that cashier looked? It wouldn't surprise me if the kitchen staff looked similar."

Jay snorted. "I hope not, or this place will be burnt down before the end of the week."

"We should've gone deeper into the city. The night shift workers there would've been more capable."

"We should get a refund on these."

"Well, you'll be the one asking."

"Why?"

"I'm a ghost, moron- did you see the way she looked at me earlier?"

"Yeah, well, we're also famous ninja. How do you know that wasn't why she was staring at you?"

"Trust me, it's always the ghost thing. It's way more noticeable. Besides, they didn't look at you, and you're just as much one of the ninja as I am."

Jay shrugged, glancing down at himself- he was wearing his worn blue pajamas with the lightning bolts on them, with only an old sweatshirt pulled over his shoulders. He could feel how messy his auburn curls were and knew that the dark circles he had seen under his eyes every time he looked in the mirror over the last few days hadn't gone away. "I don't exactly look like myself."

Cole's smile faltered slightly, and he squeezed his shoulder tighter. "Jay-"

"I'm fine."

"You're not."

"I don't want to talk about it." Pushing away from Cole, he stood up. "Can we go home now?"

Cole gazed at him sadly. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad, I'm just tired. I don't want to be here anymore. Besides," he added in a whisper, "we're starting to get some weird looks from the staff."

Cole subtly glanced over his shoulder, smirking as he caught sight of the cashier and another staff member who had come out front, murmuring to each other as they stared at Cole and Jay.

"Okay," Cole breathed, "Let's go. I suppose we've been here a while, anyway."

The car ride back was quiet, with no other cars on the road to be seen. Even with the slight uneasiness between him and Cole, Jay was feeling a lot better than he had before they had left the Bounty. He still swore he could catch glimpses of red when he glanced down at his hands, but at least he had been able to rid the image of Nya's lifeless eyes from his mind.

Cole always knew what to do to make things better.

Suddenly, his friend pulled over into a small, empty parking lot. Jay glanced at him questioningly. They were nowhere near the Bounty. "What are you doing?"

"Wait here." Cole got out of the car and darted towards the small building that the parking lot belonged to. Upon a closer look, Jay realized it was the milkshake shack he had been asking Cole about earlier. A few minutes later, Cole emerged again, jogging towards the car with two cups in hand.

Jay cocked his head at him. "I thought you said they would be closed."

"They are. But I was able to negotiate." The earth ninja shot him a wink, and Jay didn't even want to begin to think about what that meant.

"Did you get-"

Cole shoved a cup into his hands. "Strawberry, yeah. You psychopath."

"It's the best kind!"

Cole scoffed, holding up his drink. "Beats chocolate? Yeah, I don't think so."

Jay laughed- a real, genuine laugh. It felt good. He couldn't remember the last time he had done that- probably not since before Nadakhan.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Cole smiling. Jay realized that this had been part of his plan, to get them bickering again so that Jay would be distracted from his nightmare. Deep down, he knew Cole wanted him to talk about it, but when he had decided against that, Cole had accepted it and adapted accordingly.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Jay felt like he wanted to cry. What did I do to deserve a friend like Cole?

Jay's life may have had its struggles, but one thing he had gotten really lucky in was the friend department.

The rest of the car ride was much less quiet, instead filled with teasing banter between him and Cole, and Jay felt better than he had in weeks.

By the time they made it back to the Bounty, it was a little past five in the morning. Jay rubbed at his eyes. He was tired, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to go back to sleep. Cole's distractions had helped a lot, and he was scared of closing his eyes again and finding the memories flooding back.

Cole seemed to pick up on his train of thought. "Are you gonna be okay? Do you want to try going back to bed, or do you want to do something else?"

Jay eyed him uneasily. "But you-"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll have all the time in the world to sleep later. This is about you. Wanna play Fist to Face?"

Jay shook his head. "I don't have the energy for video games right now. Should I try going to sleep?"

"If you're comfortable with it, yeah." Cole shot him a sympathetic glance. "You look exhausted."

"Yeah, okay." Jay fiddled with his thumbs. "I'm scared to sleep, though."

Cole smiled sadly at him. "Let me make you some hot chocolate, and then I'll stay with you for tonight. Would that help?"

"Cole, you don't have to do this."

"No, but I want to. That's what friends are for, sparky. You'd do the same for me in a heartbeat."

"Thanks, Cole."

A shuffling of footsteps interrupted them. "You guys okay?"

Jay turned, sucking in his breath.

She was here. She was safe and sound and alive. Although she looked drowsy and was sporting similar eye bags as Jay, there was the familiar spark in her eye and the gracefulness of her movements that was such a stark contrast to the limp body he had seen in his dream that he wanted to cry.

Cole started. "Nya! Sorry, did we wake you?"

She shook her head. "I was already awake. Couldn't sleep. I didn't know you left."

"We just took a little outing," Cole said. "We couldn't get to sleep, either."

Nya's gaze melted as it turned on Jay. Her eyes showed everything words couldn't- all the pain, the exhaustion, the sympathy, and the understanding. It was all a little too much for Jay, and suddenly, he was launching himself into her arms. She returned his embrace just as fiercely, clenching and unclenching the fabric of his shirt in her fists.

"I'll be back," Cole murmured, leaving them alone.

For a while, they just stood there, holding each other. Jay took a deep breath, inhaling the faint scent of cinnamon and grease that always seemed to linger in her clothes.

"How bad was it this time?"

Jay was silent for a moment. "Bad. Really bad. But Cole helped me. I'm better now."

"Did you tell him? About… what happened?"

"No, but he knows something's up. He's not prying, but I think he's getting pretty worried about me."

"I'm getting worried about you, too. You can always come and talk to me, y'know."

"I didn't want to wake you up."

"I wouldn't have minded." She reached her hand up to his face and tucked his hair behind his ear. Jay bit his lip as tears started streaming silently down his face. Nya's deep brown eyes softened, and she leaned forward on her toes, pressing her lips against his. They leaned together, and Jay felt his tears mingling with hers.

Jay didn't know how long they stood there, but eventually they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Jay pulled back from Nya, turning to see Cole, two mugs of hot chocolate in hand. His cheeks were flushed at having caught them kissing, but his expression quickly faded to a frown when he caught sight of their tear-stained cheeks.

"Guys, what's going on? Is there something you two aren't telling me?"

Jay and Nya exchanged a glance.

"Cole…" Nya walked up to him and took the mug from his hand, placing her other hand over his. "Jay and I are still trying to work some things out right now. I promise you'll be the first one we tell, when we're ready. But until then, you have to be patient with us."

Jay took the other mug from him, taking a long sip from it, and Cole watched him carefully. "Okay, I can do that. I just want to help you, though. Are you sure you're okay?"

Jay and Nya looked at each other. Nya gave him a small smile, and they intertwined their fingers.

"We will be."

AN: I surprised myself by sneaking in that bit of Jaya at the end, but I think it turned out really nice. Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are appreciated!