If it hadn't been for the bridge alarm going off, Jay and Cole likely would've stayed asleep for hours . That was the original plan, although it seemed as if they had completely forgotten about their current mission.

The oni were still out there, consuming all of Ninjago, and it was only a matter of time before they consumed the ninja too.

Unfortunately, the universe seemed to be against the resting boys, cutting their much needed nap short. Cole was the first to wake up, surprised to see that Jay slept through some of it, especially considering he's known to be a very light sleeper. The earth ninja almost didn't want to disturb him - he looked so peaceful - but they had a job to do. He just hoped Jay was well enough to join the team.

Cole nudged his shoulder, knocking Jay's head. The lightning ninja finally woke up with a groan, his eyes tightening shut.

"C'mon, Jay, we need to get up," Cole told him, pushing his best friend off of him.

Jay groaned again, "mmm.. no, I think I might just stay here.."

"I know you're tired but we have to stop the oni, remember?" Cole smiled, pushing himself up off the bed.

"Can't we do that tomorrow?"

The earth ninja chuckled, tapping Jay's leg in an attempt to annoy him enough to get him to move. It took a few minutes, but the boy in blue finally gave in.

It was rare they ever got a good break, especially in the middle of a battle. The oni was one of the toughest villains they'd ever faced, and they'd just sustained some of their worst 'injuries' to date so it wasn't surprising that they wanted to stay curled up in bed. However, the world was counting on them. Just like it always did. If only it just stopped for a minute to allow them to gather their thoughts.

For a moment, Jay sat still on the bed while Cole freshened himself up - his hair was a mess - but it didn't take him long to notice the uncomfort his friend was in. He turned to face him, a concerned expression on his face.

"Are you gonna be okay to move around? I know you said you're fine but you genuinely look like you're in pain," Cole questioned.

Jay nodded, "I'm fine."

"If you're sure…"

With that, Jay attempted to push himself forward to the edge of the bed, stopping briefly to catch his breath. How was he so breathless from moving an inch ? Man, that dragon really had worn him out.

Cole watched as he tried to push himself up off the bed, but stopping every now and again to hold his chest in pain or shake off his arms, and although he was trying his best to hide it, it was very obvious.

The earth ninja headed towards Jay, holding a hand out to help him up. Jay glanced up at him with a frustrated look.

"I don't need help, I'm fine."

"You clearly aren't."

"Cole-"

"Jay, just take my hand."

It wasn't hard for the lightning ninja to accept help, but he was often stubborn. None of the team really liked asking for assistance, especially when it came to injuries, yet they were always so quick to help each other. That was a common recurrence in Jay and Cole's friendship.

Jay sighed, putting his hand in Cole's. Gently, the earth ninja pulled him up, earning a light wince from the boy in blue. He stumbled forward slightly, almost knocking into Cole, bringing an arm around his waist in an attempt to hide the pain.

"Are you okay?" Cole's tone was panicked, keeping his grip on Jay's free hand.

All Jay could do was nod. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, but it was more of the fact he was ashamed of himself for letting this happen. He'd always been good with injuries, taking them maturely, as if he wasn't hurt when in reality it was killing him, but this time it really was killing him.

His chest burnt, his heart feeling heavy yet so light at the same time. It was like a fire was brewing in his body, sending hot flares through his veins. Everytime he moved it only seemed to get worse, making him light headed and suddenly breathless. It was hard to do anything. He couldn't even think without something hurting.

He tried his best to steady his breath and keep his composure. Tears began welling up in his eyes, but he did his best to hide it, tightening his grip on Cole's hand. Usually he'd feel bad about keeping such a strong hold, except right now that was the least of his worries.

Why did this have to happen to him ?

"You should stay and rest," Cole spoke softly, "it's not fair to make you fight while you're like.. this ."

"No," he choked, "I'm fine. Seriously, I'm just a little dizzy. It happens every time I've sat down for a long time."

Cole's expression shifted from a comforting to a worried look, bringing his free hand round to hold Jay's waist, providing more support.

" You aren't well ."

"I'm just a bit achy, that's all," he straightened up, "besides, if anyone should be resting, it's you."

"Don't turn this around on me. I'm not in physical pain."

"Neither am I."

"Don't lie to me, Jay."

He wasn't sure why but something about the sternness of Cole's voice made him freeze up. It was clear the earth ninja was just trying to help - after all, Jay had just saved his life - but at the same time, nothing was going to change whether he stayed there to rest or if he helped the team. Either way, he was going to be in pain, and either way he was going to have to help out at some point. They needed as many people as they could get. Besides, Jay didn't want to feel like he was slacking off.

If he was well enough to talk, then he was well enough to walk, right?

Jay let go of Cole's hand, clearing his throat awkwardly. He glanced away awkwardly and stepped back out of Cole's hold on his waist.

No matter how bad the pain was, he still didn't regret forming his dragon. He didn't regret a single second of what happened. If he had to pay for his bravery, then so be it.

"I don't like the thought of you going out there and getting injured more," Cole went to reach for Jay's arm, but the blue ninja stepped away.

He began heading towards the door of the cabin, wincing every now and again, and a slight limp in his step. As much as Cole wanted Jay to make his own decisions, he knew that he'd never forgive himself if Jay's situation became worse. Especially not after the brave act Jay had committed earlier.

It was Cole's turn to be there for him .

"It doesn't matter if I stay here or not, I'm gonna have to fight eventually. May as well start now."

"At least rest first," Cole sighed, following closely behind.

"What do you think we've been doing for the past hour?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

"You do know there's no point going up there because the others aren't gonna let you fight either, right?" Cole cut him off.

Jay stopped just before he reached the door. He, too, sighed after a long pause. He knew Cole was right; he knew there was no point even trying. However, the thought of everyone working hard to protect Ninjago and him just resting instead of helping really put him off. There was no way he could rest with that heavy feeling of guilt on his shoulders.

"At least let me go and see what's going on," Jay turned to face his best friend.

Cole looked at him with a defeated look, eventually nodding.

Yep, Jay really was stubborn.

It took them a while to get back up to the top deck - Jay struggled walking up the stairs - and after refusing to let Cole carry him bridal style, he stumbled many times before he finally found his footing. An odd chuckle came from Cole every now and again, trying to make light of the situation, much like Jay would do, but did his best to offer a helping hand, even if Jay didn't really want it.

Slowly and steady, the two headed into the bridge, where the rest of the team were. Zane and Lloyd hadn't noticed their presence at first, but Kai certainly did and he made sure to shake his head at them. Nya just glanced over with a worried expression.

Neither Jay or Cole were sure what was being discussed, they were more focused on the team's reaction. Zane eventually glanced over too, attracting Lloyd's attention.

The green ninja spun around, meeting them with concern.

"Are you okay, Cole?" Lloyd asked worriedly, "Kai told me you fell."

Cole smiled and glanced at the boy beside him briefly, "yeah, thanks to Jay."

"What happened?" Lloyd frowned, averting his eyes to the blue ninja.

Jay shrugged, "I went after him, that's all."

"Nya said you're injured."

"I'm not-"

"He's not well enough to fight," Cole cut in.

He could feel Jay's eyes on him - likely in a 'i hate you' kind of expression - but he didn't care enough to look. There had always been one constant thing with the lightning ninja, and that was that he always pretended he was okay when he wasn't. Cole never fell for it - he knew Jay too well - which always gave him the upper hand in these situations.

"What? Why?"

"He formed his dragon."

Jay reached up to slap Cole on the arm, earning an offended look from the boy in black.

"Tattle-tale."

Jay regretted looking back at Lloyd. He couldn't quite tell if he was angry or concerned, maybe a mix of both, only making his chest begin to feel tight. It's not like he wasn't prepared to be told off, he knew it was coming, but that didn't make it any easier.

"What were you thinking?!" Lloyd exclaimed, "you know the dangers of-"

"Yeah, I know," Jay rolled his eyes, glancing away, "but I needed to."

"Who knows what it could've done to you, Jay-"

"Lloyd, I've already had this lecture, I know it was stupid, but I don't regret it," Jay argued back, "and I'm not even that hurt anyway. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," Lloyd sighed, turning his back to him, "we'll talk about this later. We've got more important things to be focused on right now."

Jay brought his arms up to his chest, avoiding eye contact with everyone. It didn't matter how many people told him it was a dumb decision, or that he could've really hurt himself, he would still never apologise. The whole job of a ninja is to protect people, and save them from the cruel world around them. He was only doing his job. Besides, Cole's his best friend, he needed to. No amount of lecturing or guilt tripping will change his mind. He'd do it again and again if he had to.

Cole glanced at him, watching as Jay stood uncomfortably, his posture slightly slouched and his hands slightly shaking. Although the earth ninja didn't fully understand the dangers of reforming their dragons, Wu had briefly discussed with him the risk of their elements becoming too overpowered. It wasn't hard to figure out what that meant, especially considering their past experiences, and he only hoped and prayed that it didn't mean anything as bad as death, but after seeing the state of Jay and how weak he seemed, there was no doubt about it. He could've died.

It was baffling to the earth ninja that even though Jay was suffering through probably the worst pain he'd ever experienced - the constant shaking, not being able to move without feeling breathless, everything aching and hurting, the fear of hurting others because you're 'electrically charged' - he still didn't regret it. Perhaps he did deep down, but he never once apologised for it, not even with everyone being upset. Cole could never be truly mad at him anyway - he was grateful, so grateful, because if Jay hadn't been so brave as to make that stupid choice then he likely would be at the bottom of that cloud. Who knew if he'd see the light of day again?

Jay was brave, he had to admit.

If only he knew exactly what Jay was going through.

As Lloyd continued going through the plan, Cole couldn't help but focus on the person beside him. Why was he so overlooked? Why was he so judged? Why didn't everyone think of him as the least powerful or brave? None of the others would've ever done what Jay did, and none of them care anywhere near as much as Jay does. Sure, he never shows it, but that was just because Jay was so scared of showing his real soft side. Cole knew; he could see right through him. Perhaps it was only because Cole was the only one to really see it, but that didn't take away the fact that everyone seemed to misunderstand him.

He finally showed how incredibly brave he was after months and months of being ridiculed for it, yet everyone still seemed upset with him. It wasn't fair.

Eventually, Lloyd ushered them both back downstairs. Jay took the lead, attempting to get ahead of Cole far enough that he wouldn't bother him about resting. Cole wasn't so obsessed with the idea of resting either, but Lloyd had tasked him with making sure Jay did, and he was about to take his role very seriously.

"You don't have to follow me around, y'know?" Jay called out to him as he followed closely down the corridor.

It was obvious the blue ninja was under a lot of pressure - he didn't like being in the spotlight - so Cole didn't want to push him, but he was still going to be there for Jay whether he liked it or not.

"We're going to the same room," Cole responded blankly.

Although Jay was trying to speed up to get away from him, Cole could tell he was struggling. There was a slight limp to his step and his breath was far from steady. But if he pressed on, it was surely going to end in an argument.

"I know Lloyd told you to watch over me but I don't need babysitting .."

"I'm not trying to babysit you, Jay. I'm just worried."

"I'm fine."

"You practically electrocuted yourself. You're stupid to think I'm just gonna believe you're fine," Cole's tone grew with annoyance.

Jay stopped on his heel in the middle of the corridor, and turned to face his teammate. Cole stopped too, determination written in his eyes. However, Jay's eyes were filled with something much more bitter.

Anger .

"I don't need you guys treating me like a little kid. You're all the same when you're injured so why switch up on me? I can take care of myself," Jay snapped.

Cole took a deep breath, "we're not saying you can't take care of yourself, we just want to help."

"I've already told you I don't need help."

"But you clearly do. This isn't just some small injury, Jay, you're physically struggling," Cole argued back.

"I'm not! It's nothing I can't handle myself!"

"Accepting help doesn't mean you can't handle it, Jay!"

"You should be focusing on yourself, Cole," Jay sighed, taking steps away from him, hoping that he would finally be able to get away.

The last thing Cole wanted to do was get into an argument. They always seemed to end unfairly, sometimes with one person crying or storming off (typically Jay), and resulted in hours - sometimes even days - of awkward silence between them. They often pretended like it never happened, going back to normal quickly, but this time felt different. Cole was mostly the first to apologise - due to it mostly always being his fault - except he had no reason to say sorry this time. Now, it was up to Jay to calm down and admit his faults. Sure, Cole was being pushy but he wasn't trying to hurt Jay, he just wanted to offer a helping hand.

The lightning ninja was often stubborn, especially when he was injured. He hated accepting he needed help, and he hated looking weak even more. Cole did feel bad, he never wanted to upset his best friend, but he didn't regret anything he said.

Hopefully Jay would realise very soon that the argument was stupid.

For now, Cole needed to focus on the mission and saving the world. If Jay was so adamant on being on his own, perhaps he'd leave him for a few hours and check in on him later. Fingers crossed Jay would take a nap.

However, that didn't stop him from worrying. He stayed up on the main deck, checking on the people they'd just rescued, making sure everyone was well and safe, with blankets and water.

Meanwhile, below deck, Jay had found his way to his bed with great difficulty. His chest felt tight, and he ultimately found it hard to breathe properly - but he wasn't sure if that was just because of his condition or because of the fight he'd just had with his best friend.

He knew Cole cared, and he knew why he was pushing so much, but he was certain his body was cure itself if he just had some time alone. Besides, he hated being watched over, especially since Cole was so good at reading his body language. He hated the thought of Cole worrying about how much pain he was in. At the end of the day, whether or not he had someone watching over him, the pain wasn't going to change. Pain killers seemed to be completely helpless, and even Zane had no ideas. Wu was their next hope - although Jay doubted he'd even know what to do.

Perhaps he should've listened to Cole and stayed resting instead of going upstairs. Feeling much worse, his chest felt as if it was being held tighter by a pin, his heart twisting and thumping more aggressively than ever, his hands shaking uncontrollably, and his legs aching like never before. It was an odd feeling - nothing to make him scream out in pain - but made him feel so unbelievably uncomfortable. He couldn't sit still, which was worse in the long run as it only made his chest hurt more.

What was he going to do?

They were heading back towards the Monastery now, hoping to melt down the golden armour back into the Weapons of Spinjitzu - meaning Jay would be needed in battle, but he could barely walk down the corridor without feeling like he was going to pass out - how was he going to fight pure evil?

Wu was going to be disappointed in him. What made it worse was that he'd never truly done anything to impress the master, only ever making him shake his head, and now this? He was going to be furious . Lloyd's reaction was bad enough, and it didn't make Jay's anxiety any better.

Was he a bad ninja?

And Cole… he was probably so worried. Jay was an asshole. Why didn't he just accept the help? He would've had someone to keep him company. Why did he make such stupid decisions in the spur of the moment? Why couldn't he just be normal?

He pushed himself down on the bed, rolling onto his side with a deep breath. Maybe a nap would make him feel better.