Requested by: ifangirltoomuch

Request: Zane/Jay

Warnings: Implied yaoi

Jay followed Zane's falcon through the snowy landscape of Birchwood Forest, his entire body tensed against the cold winds. It was barely six thirty in the morning when the falcon flew into his bedroom in a frenzy, squawking and making such a commotion Jay had to wonder why no one else had woken up. While he wondered what it wanted, he also noticed that Zane was gone from his bunk, which was enough to convince Jay to get up. Coincidentally, the falcon wanted Jay to find Zane, likely because it was worried about him.

I understand Zane can have emotions, being styled after humans and all, Jay thought as he pulled his boots and coat over his pyjamas. But how does the falcon have emotions like that? Was it originally programmed to protect Zane or something?

He looked over at the door to Nya's room, feeling his heart sink. She had recently told him that perhaps they wouldn't work out as a couple, and would be better as friends. He tried not to let it bother him, but she still stayed on his mind for a long time after they broke up. Shaking his head, he left their apartment room, closing the door as quietly as possible behind him.

As Jay ran, he could swear he heard the falcon's squawks sounded less like an average bird, having much more emotion behind them. If anything, the falcon almost sounded as if it was upset. This only made Jay run faster, until they eventually reached Birchwood Forest.

His gaze darted back and forth among the trees, wondering what it was the falcon wanted to show him. He had no idea where he was going at this point, but he didn't care; he just wanted to find Zane.

He soon came upon a tree with an odd symbol engraved on it, knowing it to be the door handle to what was once Zane's home. He finally remembered what had happened that would make the falcon bring him here, and he walked around the base of the tree to find Zane sitting cross-legged on the ground. The blond was staring blankly at a curved stone a few feet in front of him.

The falcon fluttered in midair before landing on a branch above him. Jay sighed and went to sit down beside Zane, draping an arm across his shoulders. "Zane," he said after a moment of silence. "You okay, buddy?"

The nindroid turned his head to face him, his silvery-blue eyes still emotionless. "Yes. The loss of my father has affected me greatly, but I will cope."

Jay looked up at the sky. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the clouds were beginning to turn pinkish-orange at the edges. "Then...why are you up so early?"

"I wanted to visit his grave alone," he stated simply. "But now that you and the falcon are here..."

"O-oh, sorry," Jay stammered, starting to get up. "The falcon brought me here, so I thought you needed me, but if you don't, I can-"

Zane took Jay's hand in his, gently pulling him back down. "It's fine. I was about to say that it feels better to have company, anyway."

The redhead raised an eyebrow, but he gave a small smile and say back down again. As they sat in silence, Jay rested his head on Zane's shoulder, hoping the closeness would help Zane feel better, or at least not feel as upset. To his relief, Zane wrapped an arm around Jay's waist and pulled him closer.

"I never thought he would have to leave me again," Zane murmured. "I thought that after he was brought back from death, we could finally have the normal family life he always told me he wanted. But my father never told me that he was still nearing the end of his life..."

Jay looked up to see Zane's lips forming a tight line, eyes staring straight ahead. "Zane... I know it's hard for me to relate, and that you're going through a really hard time right now... But you don't have to be alone when you're feeling upset, okay?"

"I know," he replied. "I would just rather not bring the rest of you into this. With everything that has happened so far, the people of Ninjago not needing ninja anymore, I thought that bringing all of you into my problems would only frustrate you."

"Aw, Zane, don't think like that! I mean, yeah, it's hard not being ninja, and we don't have our elemental weapons anymore, but we're still a team! That's not gonna change anytime soon!" He brought his other arm around to give Zane a tight hug. "We'll always be here for you."

The corners of Zane's mouth finally curved up into a smile, and he returned the hug. "Thank you, Jay. I will always be here for you, as well." He felt Jay relax in his hold, and he, too, felt an odd sense of peace envelop them.

"Hey, Zane, look!" Jay pointed up at an opening between the trees. An orange-yellow glow peeked out from behind the clouds hanging on the horizon. The orange light bled onto the white snow, causing each individual snowflake to sparkle almost blindingly. Zane looked down at Jay, whose hair appeared as though it was on fire in the morning sunlight.

"The sun's rising." Jay's eyes closed as he leaned into Zane's side. "It's morning. Everyone else'll be awake soon."

"Then we should go back now." Zane helped Jay up as he stood, giving him another hug before they turned away from the gravestone and headed back to Ninjago City. Jay is right, Zane thought. I am not alone. I have my brothers with me. I...have Jay with me. He gave one last look at his father's grave. Jay will always be with me...just like my father.

Not overly obvious, but the yaoi's there. It was hard to come up with an idea for this one to be honest.

Thank you to ifangirltoomuch for requesting this pairing! Stay tuned!