NINJAGO: Amateurs of Adulthood .2

H2

Cole sat in silence on the way to the warehouse. Dammit, he should've talked with Jay later in the day, now he was in a sour mood before going to see his fans.

Every time he replayed Jay's words, it hurt more than the last. He tried to remind himself that Jay was straight. He would never be anything but straight.

But hell, he wanted to believe it so badly. That maybe, Jay would finally...look at him with a different kind of love in his eyes. His eyes started to water and he blinked back the tears vigorously.

Shit.

This is what he gets for being in love with a straight guy.

As they arrived at the warehouse, Cole quickly wiped his face and put on a big smile. This was so embarrassing. He never liked to make a scene with his emotions, but Wu could totally tell he was crying just then.

"Cole." Wu spoke softly

"...Yes, Sensei?" Cole replied slowly

"You know, I'm not a genius when it comes to affairs of the heart, but I do know this: A love that is meant to be will never produce tears. Please remember that." The old man smiled

"...Thanks, Wu..." Cole's smile was genuine as he stepped out of the car

Cole tried to remind himself of the positive feelings that Con Day instilled in him as he shook of his previous emotions.

Jay's reaction hurt.

...Bad.

But maybe, just maybe, the foul stench of heartbreak would be washed away after being drowned in the love of others.

Jay stayed in the guys' room ever since Cole left, he couldn't really bring himself to leave. What now? What will become of them? Jay would hate to lose a friend, especially like this, but he didn't know how they would come back from this. Usually, in times like this, Jay would go to Cole for comfort, but Cole was the one he was fighting with at the moment. He had nowhere to go. In a house full of people, he was all alone. Only a soft knock on the door brought him out of this depressing trance.

"Yeah?" He called out. His eyes widened as Nya walked in. He quickly sat up and fixed himself, his excitement faltering as he realized he was still in Cole's sweatshirt

"Hey, Jay..." Nya smiled softly

She was pretty. She was always so pretty. Pretty like an April shower. Pretty like lilypads floating on a foggy lake. Pretty like...he couldn't think of anything else. There was nothing he could compare her to that would ever capture the true essence of her beauty. He gripped the sheets underneath him in a shaky fist. He will not cry in front of her.

"Can we talk?" She asked

"Always..." The ginger answered with a weak smile

"Alright! So...I was wondering if you wanted to go to the library with me? I've...got things to say..." She smiled again

"Oh, like, right now?" He quizzed

"Yeah, I don't think it'd be right to sit on this info any longer."

"Yeah...yeah, okay. Let me get dressed." Jay spoke, smiling at Nya as she exited

Jay smiled to himself, it had been a while since the two of them had just hung out and had fun. He was excited. Even as he remembered the devastating news he received just yesterday, he was excited.

Jay quickly began to change. The ginger jumped out of his bed, trying his best to land on the wooden floor as quietly as he could before pulling the bright pink sweatshirt off his body

The boy thought to himself as he stared at the item in his hands. Maybe he should just fold it up and keep it on Cole's bed. He wasn't sure if he would still want him to have it after their fight earlier. Maybe he should just return the the sweatshirt and put it back on Cole's bed as if he had never worn it in the first place.

...But he did.

He wore that sweatshirt.

...And he loved it too.

Jay stood alone for a few more moments before climbing back up to his bunk and balling the shirt up under his pillow, smiling softly as he came back down.

The redhead stepped out in a navy blue, long sleeve t-shirt and baggy blue jeans. He smiled at Nya, who sat at the kitchen table with Zane and Lloyd.

"You ready?" Nya asked. The black haired girl sported a baggy, dark purple sweater that was tucked into a pair of blue shorts, ripped tights, and chunky, black army boots

"Yeah. Where's Kai?" Jay responded as he took note of the fire ninja's absence

"Gym." Lloyd answered with a hollow voice

"Ah, okay..." Jay replied. The sadness in Lloyd's voice hurt him.

The masters of lighting and water said their goodbyes as they left for the library. It wasn't too far away from the monastery, so they walked. The silence between them was comfortable, and yet, Jay itched for a way to fill it. Make conversation. Make her laugh. Do something. But he couldn't. It didn't feel right.

When they finally arrived at the library, they walked around for a little bit, seemingly looking for something before arriving at one of the tables in the small reading corner.

Jay didn't actually notice the man at the table they approached until they were standing right if front of it.

He looked up from the book in his hands as he saw the two ninja, smiling as he noticed Nya first

"Hey, you..." The man smirked, standing up to hug the ninja beside him. Jay's stomach churned at the sight of his veiny arms around her waist.

"Ah, hey..." He smirked at Jay, extending his hand for a handshake

As Jay took his hand, he noticed the size of it. It was a bit larger than his own and had a chunky, silver ring on every other finger. Jay took it all in. His muscular build and pasty, grayish skin tone. His strong jawline and piercing gray eyes. His small eyebags, his silver, snake bite piercings, and his slicked back, pitch black hair.

Jay couldn't pinpoint the cause of his discomfort, and yet, he also couldn't ignore it.

"Jay, right?" The man asked

"Yep, that's me. And you're...that guy. Yeah, the shadow one from Chen's tournament." Jay put on a smile simply to ease the tension between them all

"That's me. The name's Shade." The tall man chuckled lowly, finally letting go of Jay's hand. His voice was deep. Everything around them vibrated like the low hum of a ceiling fan every time he spoke.

"So, what are you doing here?" Jay asked

Shade thick brows raised in surprise for a moment before turning to Nya, who stood beside him at left

"...You didn't tell him?" Shade asked quietly

"He wouldn't have come if I did..." Nya answered

Jay isn't stupid.

He knows who Shade is.

He knows what Shade is.

"Oh..." Jay mumbled. Shit. He did not need this right now. He clenched his teeth as he looked back up to face the two...lovers.

"Is this the new guy...?"He didn't mean for it to come out as sour or it did

The air was thick and the entire library seemed to be filled with an eerie quiet as Shade and Jay made eye contact again.

Shane opened his mouth to speak.

"Yep. That's me."