A Ninjago Oneshots Collection

Right Under Their Noses TW 2/2

TW: MENTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, SWEARING
Includes: Kai angst, and comfort

Ok, Kai, you got this, c'mon. It's not that hard. It's just the guys, it'll be fine. Kai took a deep breath and walked through the thunderous metal doors that managed to glide open with ease. Nya turned from the table and spotted Kai walking up to the group.

"Oh, hey Kai, what are you doing down here? I thought you said you wanted some time to yourself?" Nya asked. The others turned around and smiled in Kai's direction, Kai gave them a weak smile back.

"I uhm..." Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I-- I did have some time to myself, I'm here to... uh..." Despite having thought about this since they left the forest, Kai still had no idea how to say it. Everyone shared some curious glances, but Nya became worried. It wasn't like Kai to talk so quietly and unsurely. The others shared her thoughts.

"Is... everything ok, Kai?" Wu asked from the other side of the table. Kai looked up from the floor only to find that everyone was giving him the same worried look. He felt his face warm up.

"Uh-- Well-- Yeah? Well-- Kind of?" He chuckled awkwardly but the worry inside everyone else seemed to grow.

"What do you mean 'kind of'? Did something happen? Are you ok?" Cole prodded Kai with the questions on everyone's minds. Wu, Cole, and Zane all walked from behind the table onto the same side as Kai's, and it made Kai feel a little uncomfortable with how they were reacting to some simple stuttering. Kai's cheeks shone red by this point and he had lost control of what he was saying.

"I uh..." Kai looked down, gulping down the growing ball of nervousness in his chest, and crossing his arms tightly.

"I need... I- I need help."

No one quite knew what to say, they each glanced awkwardly at each other, apart from Wu and Nya. They knew that Kai asking for help was a rare sight.

"Help with...?" Lloyd prompted. Kai hesitated for a bit. His mind wandered to Mike and his gang, and the incident in the forest that none of the others even knew about. Kai felt his eyes tear up, but he couldn't tell whether it was from the reminders or the humiliation.

"God I feel so stupid right now, ugh," Kai muttered quietly, trying his best to keep his emotions steady, he took another deep breath.

"Mike. Mike's gang. The whole-- Operation thingy..."

"What about it? We're going to attempt to find their lair tomorrow and if we find it then, we plan to do the heist right there--"

"What!? No! No no, no you can't!" Kai interrupting Zane caught everyone off guard, even Kai himself. They waited for him to continue. Kai awkwardly looked away again. "You... ugh, you can't, ok? It's... it's too risky." Everyone exchanged looks, but by this point, Nya was a bit more agitated with Kai; he was being very unclear.

"Kai, what does that have to do with you needing help!? Can you please just tell us what's going on!?" Nya shouted and Kai took a step back from the outburst. Jay placed his hand on Nya's shoulder and she sighed. "Sorry... listen, I'm just worried, ok, Kai? You're acting really strange, and usually when something is wrong you're stupidly good at hiding it, so if you're struggling this bad to act ok, something must really be wrong." Nya put on her caring face and it made Kai's tears even more threatening. He quickly blinked them away and rubbed his elbows. It was silent for a moment, but then Kai took another breath.

"That day... in the forest, a month ago. When we failed to follow Mike's gang, Mike attempted to run away and so I chased after him." Kai wasn't even thinking about what he was saying, he was more focused on not letting his fear show.

"Yeah..." Nya said slowly.

"Did... did something happen?" Lloyd asked when Kai didn't continue. Kai felt himself start to shake.

Oh god no, oh god no, oh no no no... The tears welled up in his eyes before he had time to think about stopping them and he knew it was too late to try and save it because he heard Nya catch her breath.

"Kai--"

"He sexually assaulted me," Kai said promptly. By this point, there was nothing he could do about his broken voice. There was a collective gasp and the tension in the room somehow rose and fell at the same time.

"WHAT!?" Cole, Jay, and Nya all cried at once. Kai stood there motionless, very aware that everyone was looking at him for more answers.

"He... he told me, that if we were to try and find his lair again... he'd do the same to all of you." Kai paused. "It's... it's not that I think we won't be able to do the heist undetected, but... with our track record and all... I just..." Kai looked even further down and at his arms, the tears had started to come out. "I just don't want you guys to have to go through that."

The silence was strong across the room. They could see the tears falling from Kai's face and his knees wobbling, such a strange sight for them, who knew him as fearless and selfish. Before anyone could break the ice, Kai continued explaining.

"The reason I need... help, is because... Mike keeps sending me photos... from that day... and it's-- no matter how many times I block and report his number, he finds a way to send them to me, and-- I'm terrified that he'll post them online or blackmail me with them." Kai's voice cracked and he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Fuck, I'm so helpless, this is horrible, they don't even care--

Nya rushed forward in sobs and hugged Kai tightly, taking him by surprise. Slowly, everyone else joined them in a big group hug. They stayed like that for a minute before Nya regained control of her sobbing.

Kai stood speechless in the centre. It's not that he actually thought that they didn't care, but... he didn't think they'd be so... empathetic.

Kai soaked in the moment of love he wasn't sure he'd ever feel again, and then they parted, everyone still giving him looks full of empathy and worry, and even with some respect-- as if the fact he was crying about all this deserved that.

"Kai..." Nya breathed, still holding Kai's hands. "I promise you, we're going to do everything to make sure Mike gets what he deserves. Without anyone getting hurt, and without those photos being leaked. I swear." Nya said giving Kai a strong and reassuring smile. Kai looked around at everyone else, and they all seemed to agree with Nya.

"We promise, Kai."