Replacement

Some Roses Aren't Just Red

When Jay walked into the living room he expected many things. He was mentally preparing for the worst outcomes imaginable, his best friend was dying! He hoped he could convince Cole to stay alive, it shouldn't be that hard right? What he found when he walked into the living, nothing could have prepared him for.

Sitting on the couch was Cole, wrapped in a red blanket. He was still shivering and now coughed up masses of blood. Beside him, was Kai, holding a trash can with one hand and Cole's hair in another. "Listen Cole… I'm not sugar coating this, it's pretty bad man." He sounded just as defeated as the rest of them. Kai's shoulders sagged and he seemed to be in pain, Jay saw his eyes briefly and shuddered at the broken look in them. Kai didn't seem to notice Jay and just sighed, "You have what your mom had buddy, but Zane thinks there’s a good possibility we can get rid of it." 

Jay stood there dumbfounded, he had been listening in on them. He wanted to be angry at him, they kept him out of the conversation for a reason but typical Kai just can't be left out for once. Kai set the trashcan down after Cole was done coughing and pulled Cole's hair up into a messy bun. 

"Kinda harsh," Cole said with a slight laugh. "I trust Zane though, so I’ll try anything, just make sure if it involves needles, you knock me out first." Cole joked.

Kai let out a soft laugh, patting his friend’s shoulder with a nod. As the others drifted in to see how well things went, they were surprised to find Cole happily resting against Kai. They both seemed comfortable with it so no one asked, but Nya and Lloyd made mental notes to tease the boys about it later. It was kinda funny seeing Cole cling to Kai though as the size difference made it almost look like Cole was crushing Kai.

"I-Is it true? Am I really going to die?" Cole asked before another coughing fit seized him. Lloyd nodded and looked down and Kai quickly grabbed the trash can for the man to spit blood into.

"Told you." Kai was trying to hide it earlier, but he was definitely worried. The way his eyes softened and he frowned when Cole coughed was proof enough. He had enjoyed his time with Cole, it was nice to let loose and just be treated like a person again he didn’t want that to end. When Cole started feeling drowsy again, his head found Kai’s shoulder and he drifted off, glad to feel warm instead of cold like he had been. Lloyd decided to sit with them to watch Cole while the others did chores. Kai allowed it under the condition they didn't talk about Cole's sickness. He didn't need a constant reminder of that.

Lloyd relaxed into the other side of the couch, and Kai hummed softly, shifting Cole around so they both could be comfortable. He pulled the blanket back over the both of them and sighed, playing with Cole's hair.

"That's your blanket," Lloyd commented.

"Yeah." 

"You know, you two got pretty close once, what happened?" Lloyd looked at Kai, who was focused on Cole, a slight frown suddenly tugging on his lips.

"I’m not really in the mood for talking about that, I have other stuff to worry about.”

“Like?”

“I asked him if he wanted to go on a road trip with me. Get away from the monastery for a while… he's dealt with enough drama, I thought it'd be a chance for him to really recover." Kai twisted a few pieces of Cole's hair together, braiding it. "That was a real dumb thing by the way, letting Jay be the one to break it to him. Jay's a decent guy don't get me wrong, but he's worse than a hormonal teenager when it comes to emotions. You should have let Zane or Pix do it." 

"In hindsight I realize that now, what surprises me is that you were in here before we were," Lloyd raised an eyebrow at him, "and not with Skylor."