Transgender Jay : A Ninjago Story

64 - Sorry

When Jay woke up, the cover of night had fallen like a blanket across the mountain.

He could tell from the darkness surrounding the curtains - expanding into the room, and for no other reason than gut feeling, it felt like evening; the air was distinct.

Cole was gone, no longer a makeshift pillow for a weary head, now he was laying lengthways on the sofa, wrapped in blankets with actual cushions tucked cosily under his neck. It was comfortable. He wondered who had managed to move him so gently that he hadn't awoken, and settled on Cole once more, always so strong yet his delicate touch never wavered, not even at the mercy of exhaustion.

Jay pulled the covers tighter. Half of him wanted to close his eyes and pretend to be asleep a little longer, bask in the innate tranquility of a pleasant resting spot, however it was not to be. There was a small bout of shuffling behind him, and then it stopped.

"... you awake?"

... of all people, why him.

Kai's voice lacked the usual hostility Jay had become accustomed to, it felt uneasy. That fact alone was disheartening.

"... ignoring me or what?" Kai said again.

He said nothing, and sat up in silence, flashing a look at him that clearly said 'piss off'. It earned an equally poisonous glare reflected right back.

"Why are you fucking looking at me like that. All I asked is if you were up."

He broke the eye contact, and continued making his way into the kitchen, evidently. He had a couple of empty mugs lodged between his arm and his stomach, with a third one in his hand.

"- and take that damn thing off. Zane told you to stop wearing it."

That one stung, and forcefully reminded him of the last incident between them. What right did he have to perform this mockery of care after being awful for god knows how long? The audacity riled up a deep set bud of anger in Jay's chest, a bud that had he not been half asleep, would have blossomed into a bush of thorns in a second.

Instead he managed with a quiet remark under his breath.

"Go fuck yourself."

Kai flinched, clearly hearing, all their senses were finely tuned after all. He didn't say anything though, instead taking much more deliberate steps towards his destination.

What a way to wake up.

Jay rubbed the crustiness out of his eyes, and groaned as the pains of torn muscles and bruises across his whole body made themselves known, no longer dulled by the cover of sleep. Exerting himself so much, and that terrifying fall into the caves, no wonder he was aching. An impromptu journey like that was, well, impromptu. A sudden shock to the body as much as it was a shock to him.

- and creeping in like an age old foe,
the ever present pains deep in his chest laid themselves on thick, thicker than all the rest, smothering all surrounding sensations in the waves of pain that washed through his system.

As much as it hurt to admit, Kai was right - and that fucking sucked.

Clattering from the kitchen suggested some kind of meal going on, or social gathering.

... not exactly what he had in mind at the minute. Proximity to a group of people felt strangely suffocating, even if not yet directly involved, and that was strange. Smothered without even making contact, though contact was necessary, and soon as well. Jay's throat already ached as he wondered... if it already felt this awful, would the pressure inside the kitchen squash him? Like gravity on Jupiter? Of course not, that was ridiculous, and still he wondered, as maybe being crushed against the floor would be preferable to seeing all those pairs of eyes, burning holes right through him.