"𝘼𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧, 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧."

Jay's changed.

A/N

IMPLIED LAVASHIPPING (KAI/COLE) WARNING

- mxshmxsh

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1st P.O.V - Cole

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I was so, so tempted to throw the door in Jay's face.

How dare he insult us like that?

Though I can't really blame him.

His whole appearance had changed, along with his demeanor.

His features had sharpened, his hair longer, and he'd grown taller.

The way he talked was more assertive, careless, and somehow more sarcastic, something we'd all missed.

He was nearly unrecognizable— if not for the smalls quirks he still has, even with the major changes amnesia and The Administration have brought forth.

The slight tilt of his lips when he was about to make a joke.

The way he bunched his hands together in order to stop chewing his nails.

The way he would always break the silence with a little cough or random topic.

Those were the traits that confirmed that this was still Jay, my brother and family.

The anger drained out of me.

However could I be angry at Jay?

He had no recollection of his past, and didn't remember anything other than the Administration, and he thought he'd been there his entire life.

I couldn't blame him, only the series of events that happened during and after The Merge.

And the fact that I wasn't able to save him.

I sensed Kai's frustration next to me, and I reached my arm over, and waited until he'd calmed down.

By the time he did, everyone had gone to do their own respective tasks.

I heard soft sniffles coming from Kai, and I pulled him closer to hug him, and he started crying softly, staining my black gi, but I let him cling onto me.

Like I would with Jay.

Once the sniffles subsided, I slowly walked him over to his room.

I briefly spotted Nya out of the corner of my eye, and I can swear she mouthed something like, "Is he apple again?"

(A/N: you can interpret the word "apple" however you like)

I'm not sure if I read her correctly, but my main priority is Kai for now.

I entered Kai's room, and my eyes were invaded by bright red all around.

I guided him to his bed, letting him lay down before I crawled on the bed next to him, pulling him close again.

A scratchy voice mumbled from my neck,

"Why is Jay like this?"

I sighed.

"Amnesia, The Merge, and The Administration are to blame, we can't do anything about it."

Kai buried his deeper into my neck, and his breathing slowed.

I subconsciously pressed a small kiss on his forehead, and my face turned a little red as I processed what I'd just done.

I laid there for a while, thinking.

When I felt he'd fallen asleep, I got out of his bed and draped his blankets on him, before leaving the room and closing the door gently.

Great, more time for me to process Jay's amnesia, life, what our future will hold, and my depressing thoughts.

And Kai.

Man, what did I just do?