Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 86- Us

J A Y

Midday sun had the whole clearing glowing like gold, heat shimmering off every rooftop. Most of the tribe were scattered around, busy patching huts or hauling lumber, but me? Somehow, I'd been roped into weaving fishing nets.

Yeah. Nets. Out of vines.

Rue sat cross-legged in front of me, hands moving so fast I swear she was part spider, looping and knotting the vines with this easy rhythm. Beside me, the kid with freckles splattered across his nose and a mop of bright hair was mimicking her movements, tongue poked out in concentration.

His name was Finn. And in the span of what— the three days we'd been here? He'd decided I was his new best friend. I wasn't complaining.

"Jay, you're doing it wrong again," Rue said, not even looking up from her work.

I held up the tangled mess in my lap. It looked more like a bird's nest than a net. "I am not! This is—this is an experimental design, thank you very much. Very high tech. Very... advanced."

Finn snorted so hard he almost fell over. "It's ugly."

I gasped. "Ugly?! Kid, this is cutting-edge artistry. Someday, you're gonna see my nets in a museum and you'll regret calling it ugly."

Rue finally glanced up, eyebrow arched. "A museum for disasters, maybe." She laughed.

"Rude." I pointed dramatically at her half-finished net. "You just wait. Mine's gonna catch the biggest fish of all time. You'll all see. Then who'll be laughing?"

"Probably the fish," Rue deadpanned, knotting another loop without missing a beat.

Finn burst out laughing and toppled sideways into my lap. I tried to glare at him, but the kid's freckles crinkled when he laughed, and honestly? Yeah, okay, I laughed too.

We sat like that for a while, me trying (and failing) to copy Rue's knots while Finn kept offering "helpful" advice that was literally just him bossing me around.

"You've gotta pull it tighter," he said, tugging on my vine like he was teaching me something as simple as how to tie my shoes.

"It is tight!" I protested.

Rue leaned closer, peering critically at my work. "Jay, that knot looks like it's about to unravel just from us looking at it."

"It's a stylistic choice!" I shot back. "Ever heard of rustic charm?"

Finn scrunched his nose. "Rustic means old and broken."

I flopped back dramatically in the grass. "This is bullying. Actual bullying."

Rue nudged me with her foot, smiling mischievously. "You'll live."

I collapsed dramatically to the floor. "I'm not so sure.." I rasped, closing my eyes before grunting as Finn decided to launch himself on top of me.

I tried to push the kid off— which I'll have you know is very difficult if you're weak from laughing the whole time. Rue summoned vines through her giggles and catapulted Finn into the air, making sure he landed gently on a soft patch of moss.

He screamed in delight, and then spent the next 10 minutes begging Rue to do it again.

I propped myself up on my elbows, squinting at her. The sun caught in her golden scars, making them glow against her skin. She looked happy— she looked at home. And her smile was the brightest i'd ever seen it.

"Y'know," I said after a pause, "I don't get how you can do all this. Fix nets, lead a whole tribe, protect a whole jungle, roast me alive—all without collapsing."