It wasn't like he was breaking any rules, right? It never said on the job application that the manager needed to do the job. Although, there wasn't even a job application to begin with. He just landed here one day and was stuck forever, or so he thinks.
It wasn't even that bad of a job. Since nobody really came to check on the department - it was sort of hidden - he could leave all the work to his co-workers while he sat back and played video games.
The Merge happened almost 3 years ago. The battle was brutal, and so confusing, but when everything had become silent was when the true horror had begun. His head was throbbing, and he was particularly dazed, so the Administration had taken him in to nurse him back to full health. Luckily, he hadn't hit his head too hard, or sustained too bad injuries, but even when he finally was feeling better, they refused to let him leave. Eventually, after arguing it on countless occasions, the boy gave in, his 'anger issues' awarding him the manager position of a mostly forgotten department. Realm Reassignment.
It was simple. People floating around in 'space bubbles' are transported through a tube - leading from another department somewhere within the Administration - and dropping them onto a conveyor belt. At the end of that conveyor belt stood a tall portal, which was controlled by the department themselves, where they'd need to choose which realm the people have come from and send them back. It was mostly a guessing game as the people were 10/10 times unconscious. As long as the workers were getting paid, it didn't really matter to them what happened on the other side.
The department had a total of 3 workers. The manager, the intern and the 'experienced' colleague. None of them were really good at the job, though.
Jay was sitting at his desk, in his sectioned-off office. Neither of the ones doing the actual job knew he was playing video games. He often used the excuse that he 'had a lot of paperwork to do' and luckily everyone in the Administration was pretty stupid, so he kept playing on it. For once, it felt nice to not feel like the stupid member of a team. Although, video games do eventually get boring when you've been playing the same ones for years on end.
Finishing another round of 'Fist2Face', he put the controller down in his lap and stared at 'Round 34' written in large red, blurry letters on his old computer. Considering the place was rich, you'd think they would have better equipment. Piles of paperwork were stacked up on his desk - paperwork he actually should've been doing. Sighing, he ran a hand through his slightly curly, auburn hair before glancing over at the mirror attached to the wall on his right.
He looked so much different now. His hair was much shorter and slightly lighter than before (he hadn't dyed it for a long time), his freckles were barely visible anymore, which he wasn't necessarily complaining about as it gave him a more serious look, and, no thanks to his 3am thoughts, his signature eyebrow notch had made a reappearance. The suit with the blue tie was just a special addition. Sometimes he hated it though. He hated how different he looked. Thinking back to three years ago where if the Merge hadn't happened at all, would he look like this still? Would he have brought back the eyebrow notch? Would his hair be lighter like it was when he was younger? Gosh, everything would've been so different.
And how he wished Nya could see him in this tux.
The loud knock on his office door brought him back to his painful reality, moving quickly to switch off the computer and hide his gaming controller as the door swung open.
"What is it?" he questioned, his tone sharp.
The intern - he couldn't remember his name - whipped around the corner of the door, holding a letter addressed to the department.
"Agent Walker," the man spoke nervously, "this letter was given to me by the Messenger."
Jay stared at it for a moment, hesitating before taking it. The envelope didn't feel like it had anything inside, which was slightly unsettling because he was hoping for a pay rise.
"I thought I told you to stop letting the Messenger in here after what happened last week."
"I know, sir, I'm sorry. He was insisting."
The second of the department's workers enters the office too, standing beside the intern. Jay glanced up at them briefly before tearing open the letter. It wasn't very often that this department got mail, especially not addressed to the entire team.
Skipping over the obvious 'dear', Jay jumped straight to the second paragraph.
"I regret to inform you.." his eyebrows furrowed and his tone dropped, "due to the 'Merge-quakes' being fixed, there is no need for this department any longer. Therefore, the Department of Reassignment will be shut down. Effective immediately."
"What's a merge-quake?" the worker questioned.
The intern gasped, "we're being shut down?"
Jay brought the letter closer to his face, blinking as if he'd been reading it all wrong. He, too, had no idea what a merge-quake was - perhaps another name for the space bubbles - but he didn't care much about that right now. Instead, he was more worried about what it meant for his 'job'.
He continued reading, "for information on further action, visit my office once everything is packed up."
"I can't believe he's leaving us jobless!" the worker exclaimed.
"I mean, to be fair, we aren't that good at it," the intern responded quietly.
Jay shook his head, scrunching the letter up in his palm. His colleagues took a step back, their eyes wide in slight fear. They never liked seeing their manager angry - was he even their manager anymore?
"I'm gonna deal with this," Jay stated sternly, his tone bitter, as he stormed out of the office.
As the reassignment portal shut down - probably no thanks to the man in charge - Jay marched towards the door of the department, his fists clenched.
"Wait! You can't argue with him! Who knows what he'll do to you!" the intern called out.
"More like who knows what I'll do to him," Jay snarled, slamming the door behind him.
His colleagues stood in shock for a moment, staring at the closed door.
"Do we even know what his first name is?" the intern turned to his co-worker, who shook her head.
"I guess we'll never know."
It wasn't often that Jay left his department. The brightness of the lights outside in the main corridors burnt his eyes, waking him up from whatever unknown slumber he was in before. But he was too focused to care.
How was it that the universe took away every little safe space he had? First the Monastery, then the entire of Ninjago, and now this stupid little office job where he could do whatever he liked, including bossing others around for once. Why couldn't he ever have anything nice?
He wasn't planning on staying here forever anyway. It was about time something kicked him into gear. That job was boring, and as much as he loved having all the time in the world to play video games - something he wished he had more often years ago - it was not where he was meant to be. He wanted to be home. He wanted to be with his family and his friends, fighting crime and saving the world. Not being some stupid manager in a stupid office working with stupid people who thought licences were the most important thing in the world. You can't do anything with a licence around here.
Oh, how he wished he could just be curled up on the couch at the Monastery watching some silly rom-com that he'll probably hate twenty minutes in, snuggled up next to his yang under a blanket his mom likely knitted. Oh, how he wished he could be reading comics with Lloyd, or creating some funky vehicles with Zane. Oh, how he wished he could be arguing with Kai or baking something with Cole. Man, he did miss his best friend.
Why couldn't the universe just let him be happy?
Of course, he'd tried to go home. He'd heard of a special portal, controlled by these special 'marbles' which allowed you back into the actual world. Although, the only one with access to these marbles was the man in charge himself, The Administrator. He and Jay had never gotten along. Anyone who was brave enough to argue with or stand up against him was sentenced to… actually he didn't know what, but he knew it wasn't good. Jay was the only one who was able to get away with it. Someone had once said he had a 'fire-y personality'?
Storming down the central Administration seemed to catch some eyes, agents staring at him left and right as his eyes were set on the Administrator's office, the letter still clutched tight in his hand.
Not only was this entire thing unfair on him, but it was on his workers too. They were now, too, left jobless and, who knows, maybe they enjoyed realm reassignment?
Eventually reaching the office, he grabbed the door handle and swung open the door. He didn't even flinch when the door hit a cabinet.
The Administrator looked up from his desk, presumably where he was staring at a newspaper. A cup of coffee sat comfortably in his hand, a wide smile written on his lips.
"Ah, Agent Walker, come on in."
It'd been a long time since Jay had been here. It seemed much larger than before, many more cabinets and desks - even though the Administrator was the only one to ever work in this office - yet it didn't seem any more daunting.
Jay stepped in properly, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Don't 'come on in' me. What's this for?" Jay's tone was heated as he raised the (very crumpled) letter in his hand.
The Administrator remained calm, one of the many things Jay despised about him. He often did it to seem more intimidating, yet it never seemed to work on Agent Walker. His voice was conniving and his appearance was even worse. He wore his glasses like an old lady who would judge your every moment in a supermarket, and his suit was something you'd see a mean rich man wear on a city street.
He placed his coffee down, "I see you got my letter."
Jay headed straight towards the desk, placing the paper down more gently than he felt needed.
"Why are you shutting us down?"
"Like I stated in the letter," he broke eye contact to glance down at it briefly, "the Merge-quakes have been fixed, therefore there are no space bubbles, thus there is nobody left to save, so we don't need realm reassignment, hence why you are being shut down."
Jay stared blankly at him for a moment, his jaw clenched. It was almost as if the Administrator was trying to be annoying.
There wasn't necessarily a lot Jay could do about it, though. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do in the first place. There really wasn't a point in having a department for reassignment if there was nobody to reassign. It made no sense.
"So what now? You just give us different jobs?"
The Administrator nodded, pointing a finger down at the letter in front of him, "like it says in the letter."
Jay shrugged, "well, why can't you just send us home?"
"Home?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Y'know none of us actually come from here, right? We all have families," Jay told him, "I'd like to go home."
He laughed, a loud, mocking laugh and it only makes Jay want to punch him more.
"It doesn't matter how many times you ask, Walker, it's not going to happen."
"Why not?"
"I think you're forgetting I'm the man in charge here."
Jay shook his head. He was never really given a proper reason as to why he couldn't go home. It was definitely possible. Agents from different departments got to go back to the real world often, mostly for missions, but it just proved that it wasn't impossible at all. So why didn't everyone get that opportunity? Why didn't a loyal and hard worker like Jay not get that chance? Or the choice to leave entirely?
"Seriously, why not? You're always preaching about how we can't leave because we're supposed to be dedicated to our jobs. But now that I don't technically have a job, and I don't want anything else, why must I be forced to stay here?"
"Agent Walker," his tone more impatient than before.
"because I know it is possible to leave, and-"
"Walker," he bellows, "I've said no."
The room fell silent, his echo bouncing off the walls. The force of his response sends a shockwave down Jay's spine, stunning him for a moment. For once, the Administrator's voice had carried such authority that it even left Jay silent.
The Administrator sat up in his chair, clearing his throat as a sense of intimidation crept in. Jay attempted to keep his composure.
"Nobody can know about it here. If we start allowing people to leave, everybody will know. We'll get ransacked. Everything will be destroyed. And not to mention what would happen if anybody in the real world got ahold of the dangerous equipment we have," he spoke more calmly, "so when I say no, it's for everyone's safety, not because I'm being selfish."
"I'm not being funny but I've seen much worse than the 'dangerous' equipment here."
The Administrator smiled, this time a frustrated one, as a chuckle laced with irritation escaped his lips.
"You're really pushing my patience today, Walker."
"Me and my friends, we're the people who stop the bad guys, okay? If you just let me go home then-"
"Please just choose a new job."
"Listen, I'm not going to take a new job. I don't want some lousy office job, alright? I've spent three years cooped up in the same place, playing the same video games, and it gets boring. I just want to-"
His head shoots up, anger piercing Jay's innocent eyes, "you haven't even been doing your job?"
"Oh come on, you sit here all day every day reading newspapers and drinking coffee yet you blame me for not wanting to do some stupid realm reassignment?"
The Administrator's head falls into his hands. He takes a deep breath, his eyes closed tight.
"Look, I don't blame you for wanting to keep everyone here safe, but keeping us hostage isn't-"
"Don't make me do this."
Jay's facade dropped, his mind focusing on those words just spoken. He'd never heard the Administrator be so serious with him, so demeaning.
"Do what?"
He got up from his chair, refusing eye contact as a stern expression remained on his face. He began pacing over to the far left of the room, Jay rooted in one spot as he watched nervously.
"For years, I've dealt with your insubordination. For years, I've dealt with your attitude and now I'm learning I've been paying you for playing video games?"
The Administrator's normally composed tone took on a harsh, biting edge, each word plastered with a controlled fury that conveyed both disappointment and frustration. His voice, usually a symbol of authority, had now become a sharpness that pointed at Jay's throat. No one had ever been this angry at him. Never.
Stammering nervously, Jay attempted to diffuse the escalating tension, "in my defence, we didn't need three people to press some buttons.."
The Administrator's eyes narrowed as he turned around to face the employee, his patience visibly wearing thin, "your defence? This isn't a joke, Walker. You were entrusted with a responsibility, an important one at that, and your cavalier attitude jeopardises the integrity of our operations."
If there was anything that got Jay out of trouble in the past, it was nervous banter. Sure, he often used it to deflect trauma or his panic, but perhaps using it to get his way this time would work?
"Look," Jay took a small step forward, his tone soft and quiet, "I've been slacking, I get it. Maybe I shouldn't work here. I'm clearly not meant for it."
It only seemed to fan the flames of the Administrator's irritation.
"This is not a negotiation. Your actions have consequences, and right now, you're on very thin ice," he retorted, his tone like a blade, "if I were you, I'd take a new job and leave."
But Jay, well known for his resilience and great people skills, persisted, "come on, big guy, let's not blow this out of proportion. I-"
The Administrator narrowed his eyes again, as if they were daggers piercing straight through Jay's eyes, "big guy?"
Jay froze for a moment, his heart falling into his stomach.
"This is your last warning, Walker. I won't tolerate this kind of behaviour anymore. You'll do as I've asked or you'll be leaving me no choice."
Jay felt his heart race as the Administrator turned his back to him, heading towards a large safe in the back of the room. He wasn't sure why his first thought was that it was the place where he kept those mysterious 'marbles' that opened the portal, but for a moment, a very brief moment, he held out for a slither of hope.
Oh, how he was wrong.
The room fell into a heavy silence as he unlocked the safe, revealing a sleek, futuristic-looking device that resembled something like a gun. Jay's eyes widened in a mix of shock and nervousness at the unexpected weapon.
"Are you… gonna shoot me?" Jay spoke quietly, his tone showing he didn't quite believe what he was saying, or what he was saying, but nervous nonetheless.
The Administrator, pausing for a moment, shot Jay an incredulous look before shaking his head.
"No, do you really think I'd have something as dangerous as that in here?" he retorted, his tone holding a slight touch of exasperation, "this is the real reason why I refuse to send anyone back to the real world. Because I'd have to erase their memories."
Jay's eyes widened further, his initial nervousness replaced with a sense of astonishment. He never saw anyone in the Administration hurting anybody, not even someone evil, yet here was the man in charge himself admitting to wiping people's memories. He felt as if he shouldn't have even been surprised.
"You erase memories?" Jay gulped, his voice shaky.
The Administrator nodded solemnly, "in the real world, the boundaries between our realm and theirs are fragile. Sending someone back is not as simple as opening a door. It involves erasing their memories to ensure the secrecy and safety of The Administration. Nobody can know about this place."
Jay frowned, "so let me get this straight… some of us have landed here after The Merge, fully against our will, and we can't even leave without you wiping our memories completely just because we've potentially seen some things we shouldn't have?"
The Administrator's panic began rising, "it's a necessary measure to protect both worlds. Our existence must remain a secret, and erasing memories is the only way to ensure that."
"But it's our lives! Our memories! I don't want to forget everything I've been through, my family and my friends, just because you think there's something here that needs protecting! You can't just play with people's lives like they're nothing!" Jay's frustration, too, was beginning to bubble into anger.
It was crazy how much had changed in the last five minutes. Jay came into this room thinking he could somehow get his job back, that he'd win against the Administrator, but now they were battling about life and memories, something that shouldn't have to be battled about.
Now, it wasn't just his job on the line, but considering Jay shouldn't even know about this weapon he's staring at, it was pretty clear where this argument was ending.
The Administrator's patience wore thin.
"You think this is easy for me, Walker? This is a burden I bear for the greater good," he asserted, his tone growing stern again.
Jay shot back, "greater good? This is about control! You decide what we remember, what we experience, without us even knowing!"
"You're pushing the boundaries, Walker. I suggest you tread carefully," he warned, his jaw clenched, his eyes piercing.
"Are you threatening me? Is that what this is?" Jay exclaimed, a sense of desperation in his voice.
"Consider it a reminder, Walker. My duty is to protect Ninjago, even if it means making difficult choices. If you continue down this path, I won't hesitate to erase your memories."
Jay's voice quivered, "you can't just erase who we are and mess with our minds like we're puppets."
The Administrator, now visibly angered by Jay's persistence, clenched one of his fists, "Enough, Walker! You're endangering everything we're working to protect. I won't let your recklessness jeopardise our safety."
Jay pressed on, "we deserve the right to remember."
Patience fully exhausted, the Administrator pulled the gun out from the safe, shaking it in Jay's face.
"Do you want to test me, Walker? I have the power to erase every trace of your memory in Ninjago. You'll become a blank slate, a shadow of who you once were," he threatened, the device dangerously close to Jay's face.
Jay's nerves spiked as he felt the cold metal of the weapon brush against his skin.
Fear gripped him, his voice trembling, "you can't do this! You know it's not right."
The Administrator leaned into the threat, his anger palpable, "you leave me no choice."
The room seemed to close in on Jay as the threat hung in the air. Was he really about to erase his memories? Was everything he knew about to be torn away?
Before Jay knew it, the weapon was raised towards his face with chilling precision. Paralyzed by fear, Jay could feel a cold sweat forming on his forehead, the thumping of his heart almost ripping out of his chest entirely. Everything he ever worked for, everyone he ever cared about was about to be completely erased forever.
Just as the Administrator's finger hovered over the activation button, a powerful strike of earth energy shot through the room, aiming right for the gun. It knocked the weapon right out of his hand and to the floor, both Jay and the Administrator's eyes locking onto it.
For a moment, Jay felt his head lighten.
Just as the Administrator went to bend down to pick it up, Jay's eyes locked onto a figure standing in the doorway of the office.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Momentarily taken aback, the Administrator turned to face the intruder with a mixture of surprise and irritation. Jay, still shocked from the near encounter with the weapon, stared wide-eyed at them, gratitude and disbelief written across his face.
Cole.
The Administrator hesitated. The room seemed suspended in a balance, the man in charge weighing his options.
Cole stood glaring at the Administrator, his eyes full of anger and determination. His jaw was clenched, as well as his fists, his elemental power intensifying around them. Slowly moving towards the two, he positioned himself between the Administrator and Jay, tension crackling around them.
The Administrator, unfamiliar with the intruder, eyed Cole with a mix of suspicion and annoyance.
"You're stepping into matters that don't concern you," he declared, his tone stern once again.
Cole, however, remained determined, "if you want to get to him, you have to go through me."
"You're interfering in affairs beyond your understanding. This is a matter of necessity."
Unshaken, Cole met his gaze with an intense stare, "there's always another way. We don't sacrifice our principles for the illusion of control."
Jay watched in awe, his heart racing at the sight of his best friend. How it was even possible that Cole was here was beyond him, but he couldn't be more grateful at the timing.
"You think your principles can protect you?" the Administrator scoffed, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice.
Cole, still composed, didn't let his guard down, "they've protected us so far."
Cole turned his head ever so slightly, his eyes shifting subtly towards Jay behind him. Cole's arm moved discreetly, reaching back to offer a touch to Jay's arm. It wasn't until Jay noticed the worried expression in Cole's eyes that made him nervous.
The Administrator couldn't help but notice the subtle gesture, "what are you doing?"
Before anyone could respond, the peace of the room shattered. The walls seemed to ripple, and the very foundation of the office quivered. The world around them vibrated with an intensity that defied the explanation of a mere earthquake.
The administrator, caught completely off guard, gripped the edge of the desk, not that it did much to help as it went flying across the room.
"What's happening?!" he shouted.
The once orderly office warped into a disarray of chaos, as if the world was fighting some unseen force. Jay's instincts kicked in, clinging desperately to Cole as if his life depended on it. The very ground beneath them seemed to heave and tremble, the shaking intensifying. Objects scattered around the Administrator's office clattered and fell, the once-sturdy walls appearing as if they might crumble at any moment. Cole, using one hand to grip onto a cabinet fitted to the wall, used his free hand to keep Jay close, wrapping a protective arm around him. The Administrator, who had been a symbol of authority just moments ago, now tumbled against the walls, falling to the floor and rolling around, unsure of what to do.
The door to the office seemed to fly open and shut as the wall that was once behind them completely crumbled, revealing what looked like a black hole, sucking everything into it. The three were frozen in complete shock, the Administrator being the first to be ripped into it. Jay gasped, reaching out a hand to try to offer help, but Cole held him tight and close to him, unwilling to let go.
Seizing the opportunity amidst the complete chaos, Cole gripped onto Jay's arm with such force, and pulled him towards the office exit, their footsteps like a delicate dance on the unsteady ground.
The chaos seemed to extend beyond the Administrator's office, reaching the heart of the administration where it only seemed to get worse. Papers and artefacts scattered and flew around, almost as if there were a strong wind guiding them, walls and ceilings being completely torn apart. People were screaming, tables were being ripped apart and thrown all around, it was a complete battle of life and death trying to navigate where to go.
As Cole tried to pull Jay towards somewhere that looked a little less destroyed - although aiming right through the middle of the chaos - Jay stopped in his tracks, reaching out to grab Cole's suit to pull him back. The earth ninja was tugged from behind, his entire body flipping around to meet Jay's panicked gaze.
"Did you know about this?" Jay shouted above the noise.
Cole, trying his best to remain calm, replied, "I felt the earth shake. I'll explain later. We need to get out of here."
The urgency in his voice seemed so little compared to the gravity of the situation. They clung to each other, their interlocked arms serving as a lifeline in the world around them. The once sturdy administration centre now seemed like a labyrinth of destruction. The violent shaking only seemed to get worse, if that was even possible, making every step more and more difficult.
As they struggled through, determination in their veins, Jay's voice struggled to raise above the noise.
"You didn't do this, did you?" he questioned, his gaze searching Cole's eyes for reassurance.
"No, it was the others," Cole replied, his tone a mixture of urgency and explanation.
Jay's eyebrows furrowed, "what?"
"I'll explain later, I promise," Cole shouted back, their communication limited through the disarray.
The once-familiar corridors became a treacherous maze, one turn could be detrimental to their survival, the structural integrity of the administration hanging by a thread. Desperation fueled their movements as they sought somewhere that seemed a little safer. The tremors beneath their feet grew more violent as the ground began crumbling too.
As they raced through the storm, Cole's grip on Jay tightened, his hand reaching up to grab Jay's arm further. However, their attempt to navigate their disintegrating surroundings proved to be an impossible feat. A flying desk, propelled by the turmoil, collided with Jay, knocking him off balance and sending him sprawling to the ground. Cole's forced to let go.
"Jay!" Cole's panicked shout cut through the noise as he rushed to his friend's side. Amidst the destruction, Jay was lucky that he wasn't badly injured, nothing merely but a cut on his forehead. Cole helped him up, grabbing his arms with both hands this time, a worried expression in his eyes as he checked his best friend over.
"What do we do?" Jay cried out.
Cole's once (sort of) calm demeanour was falling, his eyes carrying worry and desperation as he fearfully looked at their surroundings. Everything was falling apart around them.
"Where's the portal?" Cole's urgent question hung in the air, a somewhat beacon of hope.
"The portal? It's over there," Jay pointed towards the far end of the administration, his voice strained and exhausted from the shouting, "but you can't open it without-"
Before Jay could finish, Cole held up a marble, a stolen artefact from the Administrator's office.
"I stole it while he wasn't looking," Cole admitted, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
Jay responded with a weak but grateful smile. In that moment, that stolen marble became the only solid piece of hope left for them. It was now or never.
With determination fueling their veins, Cole took Jay's hand. The very act of running became a battle against the forces of disintegration, their surroundings almost completely reduced to a surreal landscape of ruin and darkness.
There was close to nothing left.
As they raced against time, they turned a sharp corner, and met with their only escape. Cole held up the marble, the portal forming down the other end of the, what seemed like endless, corridor. Jay and Cole pressed forward, their shared determination to get out alive defying the collapsing world around them.
In the final sprint, they faced a relentless battle against the crumbling reality that sought to consume them. The corridor, once and ordered pathway, had transformed into an obstacle course of debris and destruction, most of the floor tiles missing entirely. With each stride, they leaped over scraps, the ground beneath their feet trembling in response.
A printer soared toward them, and with agile grace (and luck), Cole skillfully dodged it, pushing Jay out the way as it neared. They ran, fueled by desperation. The world seemed to stretch infinitely.
The vacuum of destruction pursued them relentlessly, the world collapsing into a vortex behind them. Jay and Cole, sprinting with every ounce of strength they could muster up, felt the pull drawing them backwards.
As they neared the portal, the black hole behind them devoured the remnants of the administration, creating nothing but a void. Their breaths became ragged gasps, their hearts thumping and slowing, but they couldn't stop. They needed to keep going.
In a final surge of adrenaline, Jay and Cole reached the portal just in the nick of time. Without hesitation, they leaped through, leaving behind what now looked like nothing. Jay had no idea what he'd find on the other side.
As they landed, the world around them transformed into a lush forest. The air was thick with the scent of vegetation, something Jay hadn't seen or smelt for years, the sound of birds chirping replaced the chaos in which they'd just left behind. The portal, now closed, vanished into thin air behind them.
He was free.
Both ninja were left breathless from their escape, the adrenaline still coursing through their veins. Jay stood in stunned silence, his eyes wide as he tried to process the surreal transition from the crumbling chaos to the serene tranquillity of the forest. He took deep breaths, attempting to steady himself after the whirlwind of events.
Cole, though also catching his breath, couldn't suppress a smile.
"I can't believe we just did that," he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of both disbelief and relief.
Jay, however, remained silent, his gaze fixed on the unfamiliar surroundings.
Cole took a moment to collect his thoughts before stepping in front of Jay.
"What I was saying before.. The others found the Dragons Cores and fixed the merge-quakes, and I guess the Administration was formed by the merge-quakes, which is why it was destroyed. I didn't know it was going to happen, but I felt the earth tremble so I-" but before he could finish, Jay's blank stare interrupted him.
With a sudden surge of emotion, Jay closed the distance between them and enveloped Cole in a tight hug. The unexpected embrace stunned Cole for a moment, warmth flooding his heart.
"Thank you," Jay whispered, his voice muffled against Cole's shoulder.
Still caught off guard, Cole instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller boy. The forest's peace surrounded them as they stood entwined, the cool breeze rustling the leaves overhead.
Cole, with a mixture of relief and affection, nestled his head into Jay's soft hair. The strands felt gentle against his skin, a contrast to the turmoil that they just faced. A sigh escaped Cole's lips, a subconscious release of the pent-up tension that gripped them both, allowing him to melt into the hug more.
As he held Jay close, Cole could feel the steady rise and fall of Jay's chest. The world around them seemed to fade into the background as they stood embraced, the first proper hug they had ever had, the quiet forest providing a safe sanctuary.
"I missed you so much, zaptrap," he confessed.
Jay released from the hug and looked at Cole with a furrowed brow.
"How did you find me?" Jay questioned.
"Wu," Cole replied, "it's a long story."
Jay's expression shifted from confusion to a mix of gratitude and disbelief, realising the lengths his friend had gone to reunite with him.
Gosh, this was all so crazy.
It didn't even feel real that Cole was here. It didn't even feel real that he was almost home. He was free of that awful place, he was free of those awful video games. He could finally stop wishing.
Cole smiled, raising a hand to the cut on Jay's forehead, "at least you'll have a cool scar."
The comment elicited a smile from Jay, gratitude evident in the warmth that touched his eyes. Cole, ever the playful friend, brought his hands down to play with the blazer of Jay's suit.
"And you get to keep the cool tux," he added, his fingers dancing over the fabric. Jay chuckled, the tension of the recent events giving way to a more lighthearted exchange.
"I'm loving the return of the eyebrow slit," Cole teased, his warm grin causing Jay to roll his eyes jokingly.
"Alright, that's enough," Jay laughed, "we've got places to be."
Jay grabbed Cole's hand, dragging him towards the unknown. He so badly wanted to be home. He wanted to see everyone, and show off his cool suit, and his eyebrow slit, and tell everyone about how his memories were threatened. He so badly wanted to hear all about the world.
If it wasn't for Cole turning up at the right time, he would've been gone. Everything would've been over so fast.
Perhaps it was a good thing that he lost that job after all.