Undeniable Treasure | Ninjago Bruise

1

The earth ninja shifted over in the bed, now facing the dark walls. As he came to terms with the new day, his eyes slowly opened, trying to adjust to the change in lighting. He waited a few minutes before pushing himself up and stretching, yawning in the process. Eventually, he pulled himself out of bed, his bare feet coming into contact with the cold hard floors. He let out another loud yawn before heading to the window and opening the grey curtains, taking a good glance at the view.

Ninjago was so beautiful in the mornings, especially during the winter. It was sunny, but rather cold. There wasn't a cloud in sight, the light blue sky above. The grass and plants were covered in a frost which had been left over night, which would let out a satisfying crunch when you step on them. It was Cole's favourite time of the year.

The ninja team had been travelling Ninjago for a few months now. They had recently left Shintaro for their own adventures and were extremely excited to see where the wind would take them. There was still so much they didn't know and so many places they were yet to see and Cole was enjoying every second of it.

Travelling the world was something he'd been dreaming about ever since he was a little boy. Although things were different now. Back then, he and his mom had promised to go together and learn about the different cultures; it would've been a chance to bond even more - if that was even possible. But, for obvious reasons, part of that dream had been sent astray.

Being a ninja meant he still got to travel the world for the right reasons - not just for fun but to help those in need - and he loved it but he just couldn't help but feel as if it was all wrong. This had been he and his mom's dream, not just his, and he hated not being able to do it with her. He missed her more and more everyday.

He hadn't had a mother figure in his life for so long and his father wasn't exactly the closest with him. The rest of Cole's family didn't even want to know him which only made him feel worse. The only family he had now was Lou and even he wasn't the most understanding.

But there was only one person who knew what he was going through and how much it hurt. His best friend. And, yes, Jay had never been in the same situation but he had family troubles too. The majority of his family didn't even know he existed let alone want to know him. Cole was the only one who knew about Jay being adopted - well other than Nya of course - and he felt special knowing considering the lightning ninja hated talking about his past.

Jay hadn't just helped him with all that though. He'd pretty much acted like the only family Cole had for years. After Cole lost his mom, he joined the ninja team hoping it would distract him from his thoughts and give his father some time to recover yet it only made things worse. He became even more distant with his family than ever and overall felt so alone. He didn't have anyone he could talk to.

But when he met Zane and Jay, they made him feel welcome and loved and Cole had never felt that before. He finally felt wanted. And as the years progressed, the earth ninja became closer and closer to Jay, creating a bond that could never be broken - or so he thought.

The one thing - the one ridiculous thing - that had come between them was a girl. They let Nya break their friendship apart and Cole hadn't even liked her in the first place.

When Lloyd had given Cole that surprise visit in Blackwood Forest, the earth elemental had said he was tired of Jay. He'd said he was tired of the fighting. But he was wrong. So, so wrong. Truthfully, he was tired of feeling alone. He'd hurt his best friend, the only person that cared about him other than his mother, and he had no idea how to fix it. He had no one to talk to, no one to run to when he felt down, and that was his fault.

And he did everything he could to fix it at the tournament because if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to handle it anymore. And he was so thankful things were better now. In fact, things had never been so great between them. They spent a lot more time together and Cole was finally coming to terms with how he felt.

Not that it mattered anyway.

All those years ago when he and Jay had first met, Jay had introduced himself without a problem. He hadn't even bothered to get to know him yet; he just wanted to be friends straight away. He still remembered every detail like it happened yesterday.

The slightly smaller boy approached from behind, gently tapping him on the shoulder.

Cole turned around to see an auburn haired boy with bright blue eyes staring up at him with a friendly smile.

"Hi," he spoke softly, "I'm Jay."

So much had changed since then. Jay was a lot taller and grown up now - well kind of. His voice was a little deeper back then too but you could probably blame puberty for that.

"H-hi," Cole replied awkwardly.

Jay held out his hand for him to shake. Cole was reluctant at first considering he'd never really spoken to anyone but the bullies at his school. But no matter how much his head was telling him to run back home, his heart was forcing him to stay.

"I'm Cole..." he shook the smaller boy's hand.

A wide smile appeared on Jay's face, his eyes glimmering in the bright morning sun.

"Hi, Cole!" he giggled a little.

Cole had never met someone so sweet like Jay. All the kids his age that he'd met were mean, horrid and downright rude but this boy was different. He was kind and welcoming and it made Cole feel safe.

Cole smiled at him for a moment, his heart fluttering. He'd never felt this way before. He felt weaker, his face becoming warmer with every second. The boy just looked so happy to see him and it made Cole melt.

He never realised it back then but the way he felt about Jay was different to the way he felt about anyone else. Everything about him then and even now was just... perfect. His hair, his eyes, the way he smiled... He couldn't wrap his head around it. And it wasn't until recently when he discovered that the fluttering of his heart and the sudden temperature change in his face was all because he liked him.

And, yes, things may have been a lot different now but one thing that hadn't changed was his feelings towards the lightning ninja. They had grown stronger and stronger but it was only more torturous knowing. It was too late. Jay loved Nya and she was the only person he had eyes for. Every time he saw them together, his heart would break just that tiny bit more. He longed to be able to hold Jay in his arms, to call him his own, but it was impossible. So that was yet another dream he had to give up on...