Author's Note: I'M ALIVE! So sorry about the impromptu hiatus, everyone! Life ensnared me for a bit and refused to let go. But, I'm back and with a long-ass chapter featuring our two quarantines, by popular vote! Enjoy!
Unexpected
By: Mad Betrayal
"Share your smile with the world. It's a symbol of friendship and peace..."—Christie Brinkley
Chapter 38 ~ Mirrors
Jay awoke with a quiet gasp, the blurred and distorted images of his room back on the Bounty leaving his mind's eye. Resting a hand against his bandaged temple, he took a moment to collect himself. Whoa…that was weird…
Never had he had a dream that was so…wavy (?), if that was an actual description. It had been like looking into a fuzzy television screen, and his hearing had been just as indistinct—just static white noise. "But it was definitely my room," he muttered, bewildered.
The blue ninja felt strange, off, and maybe a tad irritated. For he felt…something in the dream. In fact, he felt something even now. Jay placed his uninjured hand on his chest. Although his heartbeat was steady, a ghostly touch of anxiousness and…melancholy veiled over it.
What was happening to him? Was this another stupid "Marked One" thing he had to overcome? Another unwanted disruption to his already troubling life? He closed his eyes with a grimace.
"No, no, don't let this get to you, Jay. Positive thinking. Positive thinking. Everything's fine."
A sudden, loud snort caught Jay's attention and he cast his gaze to the bed beside him. Cole slept soundly on his back, his expression slack and his hair tousled messily over his forehead. The sight was slightly…endearing way, if Jay were to be honest. Unbeknownst to the Master of Lightning, his lips curled into a fond smile as he watched his best friend sleep.
After they had eaten their respected dinners, they had talked a bit more before turning in for the night. Now that Jay thought about it, his conversation with Cole had been very pleasant, with the former "expertly" steering the conversation away from him and more towards the whereabouts of their clan and the expedition.
And thankfully, Cole had played along without a fuss. With all that was happening that small mercy had meant the world to Jay, and they had a peaceful evening because of it. A soft sigh escaped full, baby pink curves as the blue ninja reached over and gently brushed aside the dark, unruly bangs obscuring the Italiano's closed eyes.
"Think you're about due for a trim, Twinkle Toes," he murmured, and then sighed when he recalled his own hair problem. "As for me, I don't think I'll be cutting my hair again anytime soon."
He touched his bandaged head subconsciously before continuing his ministrations to Cole's hair. "Reeeally dreading seeing that so-called bald spot… Maybe I should grow it out as long as it was during high school…? Heh, what do you think?"
Jay scoffed, grinning. "Bah, you never saw me with long hair. But…didn't you say that I did in one of your dreams…?"
The blue ninja gave pause, his hand stilling. And weren't some of those dreams supposedly… Heat crept into Jay's cheeks quick and sure and he immediately covered the lower half of his face with a hand. Which probably wasn't the best idea because the lingering scent of earthy spice clung to his fingertips, the scent of Cole's shampoo.
"Mmm…Jay…"
Now completely mortified (and the heart monitor by his bed reminding him that he is mortified), Jay shifted and whined uncomfortably, trying his damndest to calm down. The absolute last thing he needed was for one of Aaron's nurses or Aaron himself to rush inside in panic mode. But…just what was Cole dreaming about? This had never happened before, so he really didn't know what to do or how to react.
Still sporting a blush, Jay risked a peek over at his slumbering best friend. And stared. If there was a pair of words to describe Cole's expression at that very moment, they would be: blissfully content. Cole looked as if he was on cloud nine. His face was no longer slacked in that REM-induced kind of way. He was smiling, if only faintly. But it was enough to ooze contentment and pleasure.
*beep beep beep*
*beep beep beep*
*beep beep beep*
*beep…beep…beep*
Jay smiled. Just looking at Cole made him want to curl up beside him and surrender to sleep again, to revel in the warmth and happiness his best friend seemed to emanate. And what brought about Cole's peace and tranquility…but a dream of him. Jay moved to card his fingers through those soft noir locks again, but then suddenly stopped himself.
What are you? A masochist or something…? Stop it. Stop tormenting yourself… Conflict and anxiety pumped through the blue ninja's veins like a drug. Think about Nya and her happiness… Think about the promise you made to her… Jay bit his lip, feeling the prick of tears sting the corners of his eyes. You can stay by his side, but he's not yours… He bit down harder.
Sometimes he wished he wasn't the sentimental one. The sensitive one. The emotional one. Sometimes he wished he was a bit more unfeeling and uncaring. Perhaps if he was a bit more stoic, he could stave off these annoying bouts of emotional duress. Perhaps if he was a bit more closed-off like Cole—
Then you wouldn't be you. His inner demon argued. And you can't be someone you're not. You're nothing like Cole…and that's why Nya didn't pick you… You weren't enough… You loved her, but you still weren't enough… And that's okay…because it's Cole…your best friend.
That both numbed and elated him. Numbed him to the pain and elated his goodwill. He would be their support, the one to bridge the gap between them. And he would do it with a bright, sunny smile on his face because he was a friend, as well as a Walker.
A radiating throb from his cranium reminded him of his injury as another sensation ran through his groin. Ah… Nature calls… Turning away from Cole, deep blues swiveled to the direction of the door located at the far side of the room. The bathroom. Jay huffed, frowning at the noticeably difficult trek ahead. No, he could do this! He was a powerful ninja, after all!
Yep, a powerful ninja convalescing from a horrible concussion and twenty-six stitches to the head. And two broken fingers to boot… He was perfectly capable! Pursing his lips determinedly, Jay threw off his covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed…and immediately felt a cold draft hit his now exposed backside. With a surprised yelp, he hurriedly reached behind him to close the offending folds of his hospital gown, throwing a panicked glance at Cole in the process.
But of course the other was none the wiser and peacefully slept on.
Jay exhaled, releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding. How in the hell did he forget his ass was out? Not like it mattered, though. Cole was asleep, and if he was quick enough would remain asleep until he got back. Though the conservative prude in him still wanted to maintain a certain level of decency, he released the tight-fisted hold he had on the folds in lieu of removing the heart monitoring clip from his finger and taking hold of the pole his I.V. drip was clamped to instead.
Okay, Jay…c'mon you can do this…
Gathering his already waning strength (geez, he felt pathetically weak), the blue ninja got tentatively to his feet…and instantly regretted it as the world decided to tilt on its axis. Jay gasped at the sudden onslaught of pain and unsteadiness, grabbing at the bed for leverage. He squeezed his eyes shut, but even then he felt the world spinning around him. His poor stomach churned and bile quickly rose from his throat only for the stubborn ninja to wrestle it back down.
Ugh…God almighty… Fuck…
"Jay?"
Jay hadn't caught the sound of the door sliding open behind him, but nonetheless grinned at the worried lilt of his cousin's voice. "M-Morning, cuz!" At least he thought it was morning. For all he knew, he could've woken up in the middle of the night. "Uh…s-sure hope you're by yourself, yanno? Ass out and all…"
"What are you doing? Are you alright?"
Jay opened his eyes then, hearing Aaron's heavy footsteps approaching. Thankfully, he gradually no longer felt like he was on a Tilt-to-Whirl. "Oh you know, stretching my legs. Trying to go take a piss." He soon felt Aaron's arm wrap around his shoulders while the other gently took hold of his braced hand. Jay shot an assured grin at his cousin, but it seemed to do nothing to alleviate the doctor's worry.
"Did you get dizzy? We weren't sure how affected your equilibrium would be after the surgery. But if it's too much, we can insert a catheter—"
"No! No, no, I'm fine!" Jay shot a quick glance over at Cole when the latter stirred and lowered his voice. "I'm fine, really. I just need…a little help, that's all."
"Jay, I told you two last night to use the 'call' button in case either of you needs help," Aaron said patiently, motioning for Jay to take hold of his I.V. drip so that they could slowly begin their trek to the bathroom. "Either I or my team will respond."
Jay grimaced. "Can you just be the one who helps me?" He asked tentatively. "I don't want total strangers to see me this way."
Aaron cocked an eyebrow. "You would think that because they were total strangers that you wouldn't care."
Jay's response was a shoulder shrug and a wry smile. "Sorry for being weird."
The Danish doctor gave a shrug and a smile of his own. "Eh, I'll get used to it again."
Jay once again counted his lucky stars that Aaron was beside him. To think that he would run into one of his dear relatives during a meteor shower of all things was an absolute miracle. Though he still felt bad for going AWOL from his family's eyes for so long, he promised himself to make up for lost time. Starting with the Danish doctor at his side.
Reaching the darkened bathroom, Aaron flicked on the light, wherein Jay gave pause and eyed his reflection. He took in his tired and sunken blue eyes, his chapped lips and flushed from exertion cheeks. And what framed his fatigued countenance but a carefully bandaged head and neck. "My god…I look like a nun suffering from insomnia. Or maybe clinical depression."
Aaron chuckled. "Aww c'mon, you don't look that bad. Besides, I've seen you look much worse."
"When?"
"When you were eight years old and got hit in the face twice with a football."
Jay grinned at his cousin's smirking reflection. "You mean a soccer ball."
"Nej, over here in Ninjago it's called 'soccer', over there in Europia it's called 'football'."
"Ja, ja."
The pair walked further into the bathroom, stopping in front of the toilet. "Anyway it goes, I remember you had two black eyes, a bloody nose, and a busted lip. So yeah, way worse."
"Oh yes, the good 'ol days at the Walker Family Reunion. How could I forget?" The blue ninja's scathing sarcasm only caused Aaron to grin wider. "And didn't you and Einar help me off the field."
"Yep. I was actually surprised you didn't cry. You were so tempestuous back then."
"Hell no, I didn't cry!" Jay cried, straightening his back and lifting his chin. "I mean, sure I was a little…unstable back then, but I knew when I had to be tough. …And I've only gotten tougher over the years."
After Jay relieved himself, he washed his hands (or rather hand) and took another moment to brush his teeth and wash his face. Patting his face dry with a towel, Jay eyed his reflection once more. He looked a little better—his eyes were clearer, at least. However, his gown must've shifted as he could now spy the dark outlined edge of a feathered wing peeking outside the neckline.
He swallowed hard, vaguely aware of Aaron's curious gaze watching him, and tugged on the gown, exposing the mark that had been emblazoned along his right collarbone. Jay stared at the design. If nothing else, it was pretty to look at. But what it represented… What it meant…
"Hey, Aaron…"
"Yeah?"
Jay licked his lips. "Hypothetically speaking, of course…if by some really...insane twist of fate happened and…I did—um…b-birth a child, what do you think they would be like…?"
There was no immediate response from Aaron. In fact, the silence that occurred seemed to stretch on for eternity. Then finally, Aaron opened his mouth.
"No." Jay's voice was soft in tone but pierced as deep as a lance. "Don't answer that."
"I wasn't going to," Aaron said quietly, watching Jay with a now more circumspective air. "I was going to say…would you want to birth a child…?"
Jay's breath caught as the question hung in the air. The implication of: would you want to have sex with a man…? floating innocently over his watched his reflection silently as his cheeks became flushed for an entirely different reason.
His pulse quickened as he uttered the words, "Maybe."
"With Cole…?"
Jay's face instantly drained of color. His eyes widened, reflecting so much fear and pain that it took no time at all for the tears to gather and fall. He remembered. He remembered how much he wanted to tell his best friend he loved him. To finally say the words he had forbade Cole to say—the words he had swallowed and kept locked away in his heart.
But he didn't get a chance to.
Fate had decided to shut him up.
Fate had told him his feelings were wrong.
And Jay agreed. Jay sadly and woefully agreed.
The blue ninja opened his mouth to say the words that he thought were right. To say the words that he thought would lead to Nya, his ex-girlfriend's, happiness. But they were stuck—water-logged in his throat along with his heart. So instead, he weakly beseeched his cousin. "Please help me back to bed."
Aaron watched him for a prolonged moment more before giving a minute nod. "…Alright."
Positioning himself back on Jay's left, Aaron flicked off the light switch and the pair exited the bathroom. Jay instantly flushed upon noticing Cole, sitting upright and looking right at him, bright-eyed and earnest. That is until those illustrious emeralds trailed down his body… Shit! Now he wasn't the only one blushing!
Jay quickly let go of the I.V. drip and wiped his eyes with the length of his forearm. "Aaron, my right, please. Get on my right."
"Huh? Why?"
"Uh—I-I'm looking away now, Jay." Cole's voice was a throaty and wavering mess. Jay frowned, staring straight ahead. Yeah right, you perv… I don't trust you…or myself for that matter…
"Please, Aaron."
Taking note of the situation (as well as his cousin's desperate tone), Aaron sighed and switched positions, effectively blocking Cole's view of Jay with the bulk of his decontamination suit. Aaron raised a brow in the ninja leader's direction, noticing the other not even looking their way as they ambled slowly back over to Jay's bed, but also spying the light dust of pink on his cheeks.
The Danish doctor had to wonder about both their ages. "Morning, Cole."
The other kept his gaze averted. "Yeah. Mornin'."
When Jay was appropriately tucked in, his naked bum once more hidden from the world, Aaron addressed the earth ninja squarely. "Do you need any help freshening up, Cole?"
"No, I'm good." It was Jay's turn to look away when his fellow ninja threw off his covers and got gingerly to his feet. Aaron, on the other hand, watched the other male impassively with maybe a modicum of admiration for Cole's muscular physique.
Surprisingly, Cole didn't even try to conceal his exposed backside and ambled with only slight difficulty (thanks to the sturdiness of his I.V. drip) to the bathroom. He did close the door behind him, though. Jay breathed a sigh of relief at the audible click of the bathroom door and looked up at Aaron with a sheepish grin.
"Sooo…any news on the expedition?"
It wasn't exactly a clear deterrent, but Jay hoped to distract his cousin anyway in order to prevent him from bringing up any uncomfortable topics. But again, Aaron was no fool. He gave Jay a discerning look before schooling his features to neutrality.
"Yeah, but I'll tell you about it once Cole returns. In the meantime…"
He trailed off, obviously waiting for Jay to confirm his suspicions, in which the blue ninja sighed, resigned to his fate. "It's complicated, okay?"
Aaron folded his arms. "I heard that much from Cole," he said. "But what I'm wondering is, just how complicated is your relationship with him?"
The Master of Lightning willed his heart to remain steady. Deep pools of blue gave an uncertain glance at the door and he spoke quickly and candidly. "It wouldn't be right to be with Cole."
"Right?"
Jay shook his head. "I'm not ashamed of my feelings for him or anything, but…" he stopped and winced, "…well, not in a public sense." He took a breath. "Aaron, Nya is my ex-girlfriend and…"
From there, Jay retold the pathetic tale of the triumvirate affair he, unfortunately, took part in months ago. He told the abbreviated version, knowing his time alone with Aaron was limited with Cole only stationed yards away behind a single door.
"…We made up at the tournament after realizing that our friendship was more important than having a relationship with Nya, and we've been able to rebuild our bond on a stronger and healthier foundation." Jay's uninjured hand twisted in the sheets. "That is…until recently when we discovered that our feelings run deeper—that they'd developed even more… But Nya picked Cole over me, so…we can't. I won't hurt her like that. I refuse to."
Aaron grimaced. "Damn, so you were in a love triangle, huh. Ugh, those are never pretty…"
Jay gave his cousin a curious look and Aaron grinned ruefully in return. "It wasn't with Ada, but another woman. And uh…well to be frank, it sucked ass."
Jay let out a dry huff of amusement. Yeah, he sorely doubted there was ever such thing as a great love triangle, not when deep feelings were concerned. Not when the people wherein mattered.
"But it looks like we share a common denominator," Aaron continued. "We were both cheated on."
Deep blues widened, baffled. "No, that's…" He shook his head again. "…Nya didn't..."
Aaron cocked an eyebrow. "You were in a relationship with her for an extended amount of time by which that can hardly be called a casual fling, Jay. Also, it's not like she broke up with you before she started seeing Cole, thus by common knowledge that's defined as cheating."
When Jay's brow furrowed, displaying his further bemusement, Aaron sighed and took a seat on the side of the bed. "Listen, statistically speaking, men are more prone to infidelity than women are. But that doesn't mean women don't cheat. And the percentage margin isn't that wide either."
The words weren't really registering to Jay. Though he understood and agreed with his cousin that both men and women were more than capable of cheating, he didn't think it was right to brand his ex as one. He frowned at him.
"Don't demonize her. Nya's a good person."
"Good but flawed," Aaron countered. "Just like everybody else. People are going to fuck up and make mistakes, Jay, and that includes you and the ones you hold near and dear. And whether it's intentional or not, they will cause you grief. Kind of like what you're going through right now."
At Jay's silence and melancholic expression, the good doctor soldiered on, placing his hand atop of the younger man's. "Now unlike you, I didn't share a deep, emotional bond with the other man—just the opposite, in fact. But because you do with Cole, because of the way you feel now…you need to talk to him. Because…he's holding out for you, Jay. And it's become quite obvious to me recently that he only has eyes for you."
Jay's heart felt like it was going to burst, but from happiness or sadness, he couldn't tell. He fought hard to keep his tears at bay as Aaron's words continued to assault him. "Now you're more than welcome to take my words with a grain of salt, as I only know so much and I can't force you to do anything. But I don't think you're looking at your situation clearly, and I have a gnawing suspicion that your head injury has nothing to do with it. At this particular juncture, cousin, all I can advise you to do is clear the air—unburden yourself. Talk to Cole, and talk to Nya. Don't let your pain and sorrow continue to accumulate. Don't let it consume you."
Glistening sapphires met penetrating cobalts. "Don't let it destroy you."
Jay swallowed a watery whimper and nodded, lowering his eyes to the bed sheets. Though the war of attrition continued to rage within him, he took his cousin's words to heart. Some of them anyway. He absolutely refused to blame Nya of any wrongdoing. He loved her too much to ever paint her as that uncaring towards his feelings. Thus, he would keep his promise. As for Cole…maybe it was better to just bite the bullet and discuss where they stood, rather than keep delaying the inevitable.
After all, this unresolved tension between them couldn't be healthy for either of them.
The bathroom door creaked open and Aaron stood up, shooting Cole a congenial smile. "You sure took your sweet time. Had a good bowel movement?"
Cole made a noncommittal noise and shrugged as he limped back to his bed. "No, just spaced out really."
Jay gave the earth ninja a side-long glance, the other's slightly pensive expression unnerving him somewhat. He knew that face. For it was the same face Cole conjured up when a resolution had hit him. In other words, it was the face of a man with a plan. But before the blue ninja could ruminate on it further, Aaron spoke up again.
"Well, while it's great that you two have no new symptoms to report, I've received some news from the home front." When both Ninja straightened up in their beds, Aaron continued. "Two men have fallen ill up there. Burned by fire and now marked… Just like you, Jay."
The azure ninja blanched. "What? But…but they were wearing decontamination suits, right?"
"Yeah, didn't seem to matter, though. Taking this new information into account, I'd wager that that golden pollen doesn't necessarily dissolve upon contact with any surface, but sifts through it unchecked regardless of protective layers and intermingles with oxygen. We may not even be safe down here. And no doubt Dr. Flag Pole has come to the same conclusion."
Jay shook his head in disbelief. Was this really happening? What was going to happen to those two men? Were they going to be forced into quarantine too? And what if more men became marked up there? What if more men became marked all over the world? What then? Would they all be captured and ostracized from society? Never to know freedom again? What would happen if—
Jay was startled out of his distressed reverie by a firm, warm hand encircling his. Panicked sapphires locked with intense emeralds. "Don't let your thoughts run away from you, Jay," Cole said, as usual acting as the lightning ninja's pillar of strength. "Everything's gonna be fine."
Jay was really becoming irritated with himself. It seemed like ever since he became a Marked One, he would regress back to his old ways of pessimistic dread and hopelessness. He was better than this. He was, damn it! All he needed to do was not think about it and focus on the present.
Smiling somewhat, the blue ninja nodded at his best friend. "Yeah, I know, Cole. Thanks." He then regarded Aaron. "If that's the case, how come you're still wearing yours?"
"Because the regime thinks those two men getting sick was just an 'unlucky fluke'," Aaron scoffed. "In other words, they want more proof—more info. And they're hoping to get it from the one alien Ada's soldiers captured."
That bit of news alarmed both ninjas. Cole spoke up first. "They—they really managed to capture one?"
"Well, maybe 'capture' isn't the right word. More like the alien…volunteered to be detained for questioning about their appearance and the effects of the pollen," Aaron amended. "And apparently, it's rather large compared to all the others that have been seen thus far."
What…? Jay felt troubled. Though he really didn't think Ada and her soldiers would do the Mana Cetra any harm, he couldn't speak for the scientists. But surely since Lloyd and others were up top with them…not to mention Brad… "What about the others? How are they handling things?"
"Yeah, about them. They apparently threw caution to the wind and removed their decontamination suits completely after establishing contact with the aliens first. Kinda reckless if you ask me, but they're adamant in their belief of the alien's words. But Ada seems to think that their convictions stem from the behest of Brad. Since the alien's willful detainment, he's refused to leave its side. And Lloyd and the others are backing him."
"They wouldn't do something like that without reason," Cole said earnestly. "There must be someone up there that they don't trust. Maybe one of the scientists?"
"And I think I know exactly which one…" Aaron growled, but then controlled his features and sighed. "Anyway, the regime has ordered Ada to get as much information out of the alien as she can."
Jay swallowed. "Have…any of them been…"
Aaron shook his head. "Nope, only the two men who are affiliated with Ada's squadron have been affected. I just hope Dr. Shit Stain doesn't do anything stupid…"
Jay worried his bottom lip. He felt really antsy without being near his clan in this time of crisis. What was each of them individually thinking? How were they truly handling the magnitude of this situation? And Brad… What was going on with him? While everyone learned he has an affinity for plants, surely—
Aargh… It was getting so hard to think. His head was throbbing. And although he was no longer nauseous, he felt a trickling of pain centering around his chest, akin to heartburn. But that wasn't it. It couldn't be.
(Relax, relax! Here we go again! Fascinatingly enough, the males of your species have mammary glands like the females. Hmm…looks like it's unavoidable. You're going to experience some pre-lactation, but it'll be very temporary. Prolactin will have to be regulated so you won't grow breasts—just have an easier time producing milk. Nighty-night!)
That voice…Isis? Wait. "What?!"
"Jay?! What's wrong?"
"Jay!"
He heard them both. He saw them both before the black dots appeared. He saw their stricken expressions, their mouths moving. But the words were drowned out by the piercing white noise ringing in his ears. Hands coaxed him to lie down. And he did so as he closed his eyes, the radiating pain in his chest fluctuating with each passing second.
But the Master of Lightning found himself relaxing under the strain. He wasn't going to panic anymore about this. He's done that enough as it was. He wasn't going to regress, but continue moving forward. It didn't matter what happened to his body here on out, because his spirit would be unbreakable!
Author's Note: Poor Jay! But hey, at least he's resolved! Next chapter will feature Cole with a surprise guest making an appearance! Look forward to it! All support is appreciated and welcome, my friends!