Jay ran his hands through his hair as he sat at the kitchen table, staring into his empty tea mug. He'd had the nightmare again. The fall of Ninjago had happened so long ago, but watching his teammates crumble had lasting impact. Things were better now, and he knew that. As better as it possibly could be. Cole and Borg were still in power and rather frightening, to say the least. He couldn't remember what had happened to the rest of his team. Jay's thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, and a gentle shake.
"Jay? Are you alright? You left the bedroom and..." Echo's voice trailed off as he noticed the empty tea mug. "Did you come out here for tea?" He frowned and reached for it, slowly prying it away from his tight grip.
"Huh? Yeah, I came in for tea. Guess I spaced out. Sorry, babe."
Echo went to fill the kettle with water. "It is alright, but...you really should sleep." He gestured with his free hand as he spoke, shaking his head. "You can't stay awake so late, with the exception of working on important projects." Setting the kettle on the flame, Echo came over and kissed the top of Jay's head.
It was more of a press to the head-as Echo was made entirely of metal, but that never bothered Jay. He shut his eyes for a moment, the cool feeling of Echo's metal was...peaceful. "I know, I know. Can we stay up for a little while longer, though? I don't want to go back to bed right now."
Echo nodded and sat at the table, taking one of Jay's hands. "You know, I can't dream but I do remember it all." He sighed and traced his bronze fingertip over the flesh of Jay's palm. "However, I am glad we escaped. I am glad I left the lighthouse and made my way to the city, despite getting here when all the chaos started. Because I found you, Jay."
Jay chuckled. "You found me in all the chaos, hm?" He found it funny at first, then his smile quickly disappeared. "Could you tell me about where you found me? I don't remember a lot of what happened."
He shook his head, letting go of Jay's hand so he could go pull the now whistling kettle off of the stove. "I suppose you wouldn't remember. When I first found you, there was a nasty knot on your head. You'd been knocked unconscious." Echo grabbed some loose tea leaves from the pantry, making a cup for Jay. "Fairly disoriented as well. You thought I was an angel."
Jay chuckled and stood up, walking over to Echo and slipping his arms around his waist. "Maybe I still think you're an angel." He grinned and rested his chin on Echo's shoulder. "I mean, you're pretty great."
Echo rolled his eyes and reached back to pat Jay's head after making the tea. "I'm also rusty, but that never bothered you, did it?"
He frowned and slowly pulled away from him, looking Echo over for a moment. "Are you getting rusted again, babe?" Jay disliked it. Not because it looked bad, he just often worried that Echo might one day entirely rust out. Supplies were limited out here. "I could get some supplies in the city-" Or maybe Dareth had something.
Echo chuckled and turned back to Jay. "You worry too much. It's just a little rust, love. You know I won't rust out for a long time." Handing him the mug, he pressed a kiss to Jay's cheek.
Jay grumbled and went back to the table, sitting down and taking a sip of his tea. Lemon, his favorite. He chuckled a little and looked at Echo. "You always remember the things I like, don't you?" He was glad he had Echo. A little slice of peace in this absolute nightmare of a world. Jay huffed and looked down at his tea mug.
He knew that look. Sighing and sitting at the table, Echo rested his head on his hand. "The state of Ninjago is absolutely rubbish, and I know it gets to you sometimes, but living out here in the junkyard is the best choice we could've made. Even if you hurt, it doesn't mean-"
"Cole and Borg need to be stopped. People are living in fear, babe. Supplies are running low and I'm worried." Jay took another sip, wiping the leftover drops of tea off the rim of his mug.
"I know. But what can we do?" Echo shook his head. "No one has the nerve to go into the city. They control all of it."
Jay hesitated, looking over to him. "I could go. I've still got my element, I'm only one man but I could sneak-"
Echo stared at him, expressionless-though a mix of emotion bubbled inside. "No. I'm..." He paused, trying to think. He was never good at metaphors or expressions. "I'm putting my foot down. You only being one man is the whole point. You going against Cole, Borg, and their army alone? In that disturbing facility they have running? Absolutely not. We don't even have a plan, or a layout of the building-" He was overworking himself with worry, steam coming out of a few ports.
He stood up and offered his hand to Echo, a soft smile on his face. "It's alright. I won't go. Not without a plan and a crew, and right now I don't have either. Let's go out on the balcony to try and relax, yeah?"
Echo took Jay's hand, pulling himself up. "Alright, but you have to promise." He huffed as he followed Jay, pouting slightly. "I just worry, that's all."
Jay only nodded and looked up to the murky skies once they got onto the balcony. Even at night, it was darker than it should be. He supposed it was leftover smog from the Dark Matter they mined from island and hauled back here to process into more of the super virus. Squeezing Echo's hand, Jay sighed. "I know you weren't here in the past before all the chaos started, but Ninjago used to be really beautiful."
He was quiet, listening to Jay talk. Then, he asked a question that's been bothering him for a while now. "Is it true that there used to be a four headed dragon? I heard Dareth talking about it once."
Silence.
"Yeah, Ultra Dragon…"Jay sighed and looked out into the distance. "Four headed dragon, a fusion of our elemental powers. The last time I saw Cole, he bragged about having him chained up beneath Borg Tower." His voice cracked, as though the thought of the beast chained up broke his heart.
Echo frowned and turned Jay to face him. "Hey, I didn't mean to upset you." He placed his hand on his cheek and rubbed his thumb over it. "If he really is chained up down there, maybe one day we'll find a way to get him free and flying in the sky again."
Jay shut his eyes for a moment, enjoying the cold metal of Echo's hand. "It's just painful to think about, I guess." He nuzzled his cheek into his hand. "But you alleviate the pain, Echo. You always have."
He chuckled and gently pinched his cheek. "You know, sometimes I'm upset that I'm not human."
Jay frowned and opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
Echo shrugged. "Though I do internally feel a tingle when you compliment me, I do wish I could blush. Especially when I find yours so beautiful when I manage to cause you to do so."
That did it.
A heavy blush crossed Jay's face and he began to babble incoherently in embarrassment, as he often did when Echo caught him off guard with a compliment.
He chuckled as he watched Jay, shaking his head. "You're adorable, love. Prettier than sunshine." Echo knew the words he spoke about Jay were true, but he also knew it was a way to distract him from the world around them, and his feelings on the past.
Jay only mumbled something, pulling Echo into his arms and laying his head in his neck. He gave him a squeeze and chuckled against his plating.
"What did you say?" Echo frowned and slowly pulled Jay away from his body.
Jay rubbed his blushing cheeks as he attempted to talk, trying to rein his thoughts in. "I said you always know how to help me feel better. I'm really glad you're around."
Echo chuckled, the metallic echo still ever prominent in his laugh. "I am glad you're around too, Jay. I don't think I would want be anywhere else." He pulled Jay back into his arms, feeling the former ninja's body slowly relax against him.
"Even if the world stays like this forever?" Jay huffed. "It's so bleak and-"
Echo cut him off with a brief kiss to his nose. "I have a ray of sunshine, there are no clouds."
He began to mumble unintelligibly again. "Sof..cute..sappy-" Jay began to giggle into the crook of Echo's neck. "I love you, Echo." It was a quiet declaration, and one Jay said often. But it was these quiet declarations in the middle of the night that reassured them and lessened the darkness around them.
Echo shut his eyes for a moment and hugged Jay. "I love you too." He truly did. He couldn't remember his creator or anything really, having spent so many years on that island and taking a few smacks to the head when their peaceful junkyard village got attacked by raiders occasionally had damaged his memory banks and things he knew. But he knew he loved Jay.
To him, that was all that would ever matter.
A snore tore Echo from his thoughts, and he tilted his head to look down at Jay.
Jay had passed out from the lack of sleep and the stress in his mind, and was now peacefully snoring on his boyfriend's apparently comfortable metal shoulder. His arms went slack and he began to put his full weight onto Echo, the deeper into sleep he fell.
"Jay?" He tried to wake him, gently shaking Jay.
No response, only the continued snoring.
Echo chuckled. "Jay, I cannot stand here all night." He nudged the now drooling man, whining. "Love, please-" Trying to wake him again, Echo shook him once more.
"Hrrm? Wassat?" Jay slowly lifted his head and blinked at Echo, wiping the drool from his mouth. "Wha happened?"
He chuckled. "You said you loved me and then passed out, and started snoring."
Jay gasped sleepily in mock offense, dramatically placing his hand over his chest. "I sir, do not snore!" He huffed and turned around to walk away, but nearly fell over because of how exhausted he was.
Echo began to laugh, picking Jay up in his arms and carrying him inside the house. "Oh yes you do, Lightning Bug." He took him up to the bedroom, knee joints creaking with each step.
"Really should...oil your knees." Jay mumbled, rubbing his eyes and letting out a yawn.
He shook his head. "Supplies like oil are scarce these days. I do not wish to lower our current supply." Echo knew oil was needed for all kinds of things. Cars, gears, Dareth even used it for his hair sometimes when he ran out of what little gel he could find. Echo paused when they got to the open bedroom door, looking to Jay. "Tell me, is what Dareth says true? Do humans really cook with motor oil?"
"What?"
Echo huffed and went inside, laying Jay on the bed. "Dareth said humans cook vegetables and other foods with oil. But oil is used for cars and-"
Jay began to laugh, escalating into an amused cackle as he nearly rolled off the bed at the idea of pouring motor oil into a skillet to cook pancakes. "Oh-oh god, no babe-" He snorted and sat up in the bed, watching Echo as he wiped a tear from his eye. Jay often forgot that his boyfriend didn't know too much about human life. "Nonono, there's different types of oil. There's uh...motor oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, sunflower seed oil…" He trailed off, then looked to Echo who looked terribly confused.
"But-"
"All you need to know is we don't eat or cook with motor oil." He smiled reassuringly, patting the other side of the bed. "C'mon, let's go to sleep."
Echo nodded and got into bed beside Jay, slipping his arms around him as soon as they were both laid down. "Goodnight J-"
The sound of snoring cut him off, and he began to chuckle.
"Goodnight, Sunshine."