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Cole was starting to get a little tired of this.
There he stood in the center of yet another elaborately designed battle arena, catered just perfectly to emphasize the personal turmoil he’s been dealing with for months. Facing him was the subject of said turmoil, Jay Walker, with a lightning fast mouth and a thunderous desire to rip Cole into pieces, at least it seemed that way. The audience surrounding them cried out in cheers, and he started to feel a sort of performative pressure he was all too familiar with creeping its way back into the pit of his stomach, shivering at the memory of performing arts school stage.
He couldn’t understand why he was here, well, he knew why but he didn't know why. Why there had to be some mysterious elemental tournament run by a theatrically psychotic eccentric and why was he at the center of it? Why did there have to be some sort of shady plot to uncover and why did it have to tie in with his individual conflicts? There was always something to solve, and of course it was his job to do just that. As years go by foiling plans and discovering frustratingly convoluted plans, one just starts to go through the motions. As it was, this wasn’t a thinly veiled villainous plot, and he couldn’t pretend that he didn’t care about what was at stake here, even if he wished he could. Cole didn't want to understate the importance of him competing, it would be unfair to his friend, he just wish it didn't come down to this.
His last moments with Zane were painfully quick, and as normal as things ever got between them. One minute he was there fighting alongside him, the next he was gone with the understanding that he wasn’t coming back, and now he was here fighting for just the slightest chance to see him again. Cole was more than a little upset about what was coming next, wishing to be done with it. To not invest in this stupid fight, one he’d been avoiding for as long as he could. It was inevitable however, unlike the many nameless enemies he fought through to put an end to the usual undercover evil conspiracy, Cole cared entirely too much about what happened next.
He wanted both of his friends back, and if he had to jump through pointless hoops to do it, he would. Only he had to pretend that all he cared about was progressing in the tournament and finding Zane. Pretend that his personal feelings towards Jay wouldn’t matter in this fight, and he had to keep his eye on the prize. With Jay’s help, maybe he could even find some way around a fight altogether.
Cole dismissed the thought within seconds, that would be all fine and dandy if things were a little better between the two right now. He hadn’t actually spoken to his best friend in so long, the title seemed to be void of all meaning with the two of them constantly bickering. Nothing meaningful had been said since Zane’s funeral, and even then they couldn’t look each other in the eye for one reason or another. Cole’s reason being not wanting to spark an all out brawl for saying the wrong thing. Jay’s being one Cole never really understood.
The unwanted memory started to scratch at the inner walls of Cole’s subconscious, making his eyebrow twitch. The entire situation with Nya was ridiculous from the start, no one had any trouble admitting that, but the worst part was the treatment he got from Jay coupled with losing two of his closest friends. It didn’t surprise anyone when Cole turned a heel and fled. The isolation at the lumber mill gave him ample time to think and even if it wasn’t a task in which he was not a fan of, nor good at, the more he involuntarily heard the Master of Lightning’s voice the more he questioned why that was.
At first, it was anger, he was angry that Jay didn’t trust him, that he was somehow completely swept up in this weird dance of unchecked issues between Jay and Nya, worst of all he was angry that he lost him to something he didn’t even care about, something he absentmindedly participated in. Cole was used to not caring, to showing up, smashing through enemy lines, solving the mystery and returning to normal. Why did everything change so suddenly and why was it affecting him so much? He mulled this over for some time, reflecting on himself and the feelings he pretended he didn’t have. Those reflections morphed into a quiet understanding that the things he was feeling, the hurt and the jealousy was stemming from an unaddressed part of himself, a part he was forced to address while separated from him.
He’d been sitting outside of the bunkhouse, a worn down temporary sleeping arrangement at the lumber mill, far outside the Ninjago city limits. The sun had almost entirely disappeared into the skyline, and the smell around him was earthy, a quiet ease fell over him as he stared down the horizon. Normally he didn’t like being alone with his thoughts, he’d rather be filling them with some Alternative rock or maybe Pop-punk if no one was around. Not now however, a moment like this didn’t call for it. A few fleeting thoughts made themselves known. He really couldn’t get him out of his head no matter how hard he tried. A lot of thoughts of Jay weren’t even bad, they were just random things, like his need to quote his favorite movies at the most inconvenient of times, and his ability to pinpoint the exact issue with the bounty when it would malfunction, even before Zane finished scanning it. Or how he would smirk to himself while they would play video games together, or how he was always first in line to try some new dish Cole was experimenting with. All these little things he cared to notice about Jay clouded his vision and he eased back onto a large rock behind him, letting himself be whisked away by these thoughts. Until a new one entered his head for a moment.
I love him.
It wasn’t an all out panic when the words formed in his brain, just a quick backtrack.
Wait no, that’s not right.
Until he thought about it some more, he wasn’t a stranger to intrusive thinking but this wasn’t something he could force out of his head for a moment, this was sounding off sirens in his ears and causing his heart to thump unnaturally fast. Cole tried to rationalize it, him being in love with Jay made no actual sense, he’d known the guy for years and just now he sees him in this kind of light? That’s just plain crazy. There was no way that was the problem. Not possible. Of course, the more he pushed those thoughts back the more he wanted to consider them.
“Okay, time for bed.” He shakily whispered to himself. He shot up from his place against the rock and quietly slipped into the bunkhouse.
That night he did sleep, but when he awoke hoping that those thoughts would be gone, he found them at the forefront of his mind, and there they stayed.
Cole spent those months considering two things, if he was really in love with Jay and if he was going to do anything about it. His results read that yes, even without really knowing the feeling, he recognized that what he felt towards his friend was love. He also concluded that he was just going to have to keep it to himself, there were just too many things that would make it worse by telling anyone. He really picked the worst time to realize it considering the current climate of their relationship.
His romantic feelings for Jay filled him with a sort of twisted sense of relief, even if it made him twice as confused as he’s used to being, at least now he knew why he was hurting so badly. On the flip side, If he saw Jay again, what would he even do? Carrying on as normal was the plan, but he feared that it might make the pain worse.
If this is the reality of it, how could he even start to repair an already shaky relationship? How could he just pretend he didn’t mean the world to him? He didn’t have much time to consider it as Lloyd found him soon after that.
When he did see Jay again, he let his emotions run his mouth and he put up a front. After all, when you’re glaring at someone it makes it just a bit harder for your heart to race at their eyes meeting yours.
Now they stood here, about to take out their personal vendettas against one another for equally stupid reasons.
Cole snapped back to reality as the sound of Chen’s drummers filled the arena. The battle had begun and despite their resolve, the two were hesitant with their attacks. Neither one of them could find it within them to strike with much force, and even if they did they would have been equal to each other, with Jay’s quick reflexes and pointed attacks against Cole’s powerful strikes and grounded technique. The two had fought by each other's sides countless times, they knew what to watch out for, and the fight would have gone on for hours if they had let it.
Of course that didn’t stop Jay’s endless taunting from getting on Cole’s nerves, it wouldn’t have bothered him if it hadn’t been so completely backwards. Jay jeering about his betrayal struck a nerve in Cole, as if he could understand what any of it had meant, as if he wasn’t in the middle of this because of Jay in the first place. In an attempt to shut him up he summoned his elemental force to push him straight onto his back. The crowd hollered as he hit the ground with an unpleasant thud. Cole froze and his heart jumped in his throat, but Jay shot right back up to face him on the ground, although he had a different look on his face. A mixture of hesitation and just an ounce of hurt. At this, Cole threw his hands down.
“What are we doing?” He raised his voice to be heard over the irrepressible crowd.
Jay’s expression remained hesitant, but in a more malcontented way, he opened his mouth to speak but he was cut off.
“Please, I don’t want to do this.” The sincerity in Cole’s voice took everyone by surprise, even himself. He no longer stood in a fighting stance, but was gesturing wildly in desperation.
Jay stood back on his feet and his eyebrows knitted together. “I thought you wanted to finish this, what are you planning?” He spoke hysterically accusatory.
Cole shook his head quickly and took a small step forward. “Nothing! Of course I don’t want to fight you, I just wanted to get this over with so we could focus on the mission, and I figured I should let you get your anger out so we could go back to being friends already.”
The words pooled out of his mouth before he could even think about them, but he didn’t want to stop them. Jay looked just the slightest bit guilty, and he couldn’t meet Cole’s eyes.
“I could never hurt you.” Cole lowered his voice as he took another step closer to his friend.
Jay’s figure softened significantly at the words, and he stared back at Cole’s eyes before speaking.
“It’s all so stupid…truth is I was upset about losing Nya, but I take the blame for that.”
Jay also took a sheepish step forward, emotions welling in him as he spoke.
“...I was more upset about losing you.”
Cole stood a mere foot from his best friend, and he wanted to reach out to him. He could feel his words in his chest, and an instant relief washed through him. He looked down at Jay with a soft expression.
“I only left because I thought you hated me.” Jay shook his head at his statement, shifting forward. They were closer than they had been in months, and Cole missed it more than anything. It felt good to see him up close again. He missed his big eyes, always full of some sort of wonderment, and the freckles that dotted his face were enough to make Cole buckle. He wasn’t particularly used to thinking of Jay in this way, especially not while he was standing so close, but even with a crowd of people watching them expectantly he felt content being near him. More intimate thoughts of embrace floated around in his mind but they were shewed away by the more pressing matter at hand.
Chen’s voice rang out in protest at the current display between the two elemental masters and within seconds the arena walls opened to make way for several vehicles to come charging straight at the two, the first to break the tenderness of the moment was Jay, and he spun to put his back towards Cole, who followed suit.
“What’s the plan?” Cole tossed the question behind his shoulder at Jay.
“I’m not sure, for now let’s try not to get run over.” He replied, keeping eyes on all four of them. Cole smirked to himself and gave a quick nod before grabbing the other ninja quickly and jumping out of the way as one began to charge at them. Jay hopped onto the vehicle as it sped past them and began shocking the driver unconscious.
Meanwhile Cole managed to create a blockade of earth that caused a collision between two of the contraptions. One remained, charging at him with great speed, Jay locked eyes with Cole and began to run at him, leaping into the air. Cole put his hands out for Jay to propel himself off of as he flipped into the air, coming down upon the last driver with great strength and the kick knocked him out of the car entirely.
Neither of them had time to celebrate however as they heard Chen’s invasive voice once again, clearly not too pleased at the outcome of the match. They both knew there could only be one winner, and if they wanted to get to the bottom of it all they would have to play by Chen’s rules. This was only emphasized when the floor began to give way under the elemental masters’ feet. The two separated as they avoided falling into the dark chasm.
Cole could barely gather himself as he leapt from tile to tile, but from his position he clocked what he needed. The Jade Blade sat atop a beam in the center of the ring, It wouldn’t be hard to get to as long as he didn’t fall through the floor. He dashed up the beam with incredible strength and grabbed hold of the handle tightly. He turned to face Jay and threw the blade in his direction, he managed to catch it with somewhat ease before turning to look at Cole with a shocked and worried expression. Cole hopped off of the beam and strode closer to his friend, speaking softly.
“I hope this makes up for all of the trouble.” He joked “Go and finish this for us, for Zane. Just promise you’ll wait for me okay?”
Jay wore a look of disbelief with a sad smile, and before he could even respond the platform beneath Cole gave way and sent him plummeting below, Jay only hoped it was somewhere safe.