Ninjago Bruise One Shots

bring me back to lightning

(set during dragons rising, so there may be spoilers)

Assuming was probably the worst thing he could've done; he was doing it without even realising. It leads to a lot of confusion, doubt and worry, which are later followed by thoughts of frustration, all things you cannot control no matter how much you want to.

Everything he was considering now were things that previously ran through his mind, clouding his everyday judgement and happiness while exploring this new world. But there was always that part of him that assumed everything would be okay, that everyone would be alright, and that the team would find their way back to each other eventually. Assumed .

Of course, he'd found his way back, much like 4 other members before him. Part of him was surprised, another other part relieved. The Merge happened just over a year ago, only taking him 13 months to find at least one of his friends again, which was significantly sooner than he'd originally thought. A lot could've happened during that time, and it did, but it would've been so easy for his friends to get lost forever, become injured or potentially worse, so seeing the team together again was something that put both his heart and mind at ease. It didn't take long for that joyous feeling to be snatched away just as fast as it came.

As Lloyd went through the plans, something about dragons, he took a glance around at the team he cared for so much.

Nya, the person who'd stumbled across him whilst protecting a group of explorer's from some mutant rock monsters. She jumped in to save the day, as she always did, using her water element to fend them off. It came as a surprise but a very much appreciated one. He'd longed for so long to find somebody, and he was glad it was her, especially considering the ninja team weren't far behind. It felt sentimental in a way. Listening to her rant on about all her recent shenanigans, specifically in Imperium, was fun but slightly overwhelming.

Zane, the Nindroid he'd begged to have by his side numerous times throughout the year when he needed help - or just even much needed support. He added to the conversation with his analytics and facts, as always, but it wasn't like he assumed Zane would change. Not even a little.

Kai, more perky than usual. He did miss having the fire ninja by his side too. He never realised how important it was to have a fiery, dare-devil who threw himself head first into everything on the team. It was great to hear about his dumb additions to the plans again.

Lloyd, the new sensei and leader. It was definitely strange to see the green ninja take this much charge, especially with the absence of Wu, but it felt sort of calming. Lloyd had always been caring and understanding of every situation and worked incredibly well under pressure so having him in charge was very important. He was doing pretty good at leading these new team members too.

Speaking of the new members, Arin, Sora and Wyldfyre were amazing assets to the team, even if he was still unsure of their elemental powers. They were all quick thinkers and hard workers, adding to the team perfectly. It'd definitely feel odd having such a big team, however.

But that's when he landed on an empty spot beside him. Someone he'd somehow seemed to have forgotten about until now. His eyes remained on the space for a minute, a sinking feeling looming in his chest. His stomach twisted, almost feeling as if he were to throw up. His hands suddenly became sweaty, his suit feeling tighter around his torso.

"Cole?"

He gulped, his head lifting up to meet with Lloyd's bright green pearls.

"Yeah?"

"You have any questions?" the green ninja asked.

Everyone was staring at him. He glanced between each person before he found himself stopping at the water ninja. There was something about the expression in her eyes which cast a shadow over his mind, his eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly.