-Bruiseshipping Oneshots!-

Help and Care Part 3

   
(show!verse)

Part 3/last part of the same request. i messed around and strayed a little bit around at the end sorry for tht ;s

Jay go on a mission together and come across some enemies and Jay gets severely hurt while Cole only has a couple of bruises. Cole takes Jay back to the Bounty and tells the guys what happened. Then Cole takes care of Jay for a couple of days/weeks. He has to stay with Jay, so the others go on missions without the two. One day, Cole decides to tell Jay his feelings since they are alone and Jay confesses also. After Jay heals, the two tell the guys...'

---

It certainly wasn't what Cole was expecting. Jay was laid down, a IV plunged into the crook of his upturned arm. Random parts of his arms were covered in gauze and he had a band-aid or two splayed across his face. That was not taking in the fact that Jay was even hooked up to a oxygen tank, a mask strapped onto his face. Cole could barely recognize the energetic guy that was full of lightning and electricity. He slowly sneaked up to the side of Jay's bed, looking sorry as he watched the up and down of Jay's chest.
"Oh man...you poor thing." Cole murmured, bowing his head. The black haired boy felt the guilt hit him for the millionth time.
"Why...why couldn't it have been me?"
Jay's eyes fluttered open, squinting at Cole's mop that was his hair. Cole had his own eyes squeezed shut, completely unaware of Jay's awakening.
"You didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve any of it!" Cole tightened his hands into fists and gripped the bed sheets. "Only if it went after me!"
Cole's voice was choked up, making Jay very unhappy even in his groggy state of mind. His hand slithered onto one of Cole's, laying on Cole's hand as light as a feather. Once he felt the contact, Cole looked up with a gasp, eyes wet.
"Jay?" He squeaked out in a hushed tone. Jay stared right into Cole, his gaze as sharp as blades. His face slowly started to soften.
"Don...t" Jay muttered.
Cole just stared at Jay, amazed that the poor ninja could even manage to speak. "J-ay! Bud! How are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"
Jay moved his head slowly up and down, his eyes closing as his head stiffed after a few nods. Cole felt a shock of anxiety, but it was overcame some a soft wave of contentment. Jay was going to make it.

xxx

The third day.
The ninja were busy on new missions, one after the next. And that left Cole alone with Jay more often than not.
"Okaay Jay, got some water! Think you can get that down?" Cole called out sweetly as he ambled in through the doorway. Jay, now free of his oxygen mask, happily nodded. Cole came right up to the bedside and shuffled his bottom onto it, Jay moving his legs to the side so Cole could sit efficiently.

"Sit up for me?"
Jay complied and bent forward, bouncing up gently so he could get sitting up straight. Cole nodded, happy with the progress that the two have been making together.
"Aaand here we go." Cole took Jay's chin and tipped the rim of the cup up past Jay's lips so a short, steady stream of water would slip into his mouth easily. Jay gladly accepted the water, gulping each bit down as Cole slowly poured it down his throat. They finished quickly, Cole throwing the plastic cup into the garbage bin that was conveniently placed next to Jay's bed.
"Aah...finally!" Sighed out Jay. "My throat was about to die.""
Cole noticed that Jay was getting his voice back rather quickly. It was still rather raspy sounding, but he was happy nonetheless. So happy that...is face hurt? It burned.
"Did Zane get me anything from the library today?" 
Cole snapped out of it. He looked upwards, wondering if Zane indeed got any books for the injured team mate.
"Mm...I think...that Zane got a few comic books."
"Ooooh! I want it, I want it!" Jay bounced up and down. While bouncing, his IV came lose and toppled off the side of the bed. Cole and Jay watched it drop.
"...Oh. My bad."

xxx

One week.
"...Cole?"
Cole sat up abruptly, his head swimming in place. He quickly wiped drool off his bottom lip. Cole tried to act off the fact that he had fallen asleep on the job and steadied himself on the stool he placed next to the bed.
"Yeah, what's...what's up?" The black haired ninja replied sleepily, rubbing one of his eyes. Jay put his hands on his hips, sitting up in bed.
"You're way too tired to be hangin' around with me bud."
Cole shook his head, his eyelids slowly glazing over his eyeballs. "Noo..."
"Yeah, I think so."
"I'm perfectly fine."
"Coooole..."
"Whaat?!" Cole grumbled, leaning his shoulders down on the mattress and putting his head in his hands, "No way. I'm super awake."
"Fine then. Then can you sit up here and read me a story?"
Cole, still tired, gazed over at Jay with a pretty serious look with one eyebrow raised. "Are you real right now?"
Jay nodded a matter a factly, his arms crossed. Cole sighed and nodded lazily plucking a book from the foot of the bed. He glanced over the cover with a straight face, reading the title out loud.
"The Misadventures of Frankie the Puppy."
Cole looked up from the book and threw a look Jay's way. Jay tried to look as dignified as possible.
"...Yeah? I like dogs. They're...cool."
The black ninja decided not to question. He didn't care enough to dwell on the fact that Jay wanted a preschool book read to him. Cole shimmied up on the bed and scooted next to Jay's foot. With ease and less care than usual, he flipped the wide, thin book open.
"Page one..." He looked over the image scribbled on the next page before reading the rest. It was a small chihuahua with the tiniest paws Cole had ever seen. The puppy was seemingly already up to some mischief, running on a kitchen floor with muddy paws.
"'Aight...here we go...Frankie the puppy was finishing his long day outside with one last lap around the house. But his paws were all...dirty."
Cole eyed at Jay, who was keeping back a fit of laughter. He noticed Cole's stone look and egged him to keep going.
"...So this dog...his owner catches him and goes off on hi-"
"Hey! You aren't reading the book!"
"I feel stupid doing it..." Cole complained quietly, swaying backwards a bit. Jay instantly picked up on that. 
"C'mere you clod." Jay hissed, leading towards Cole with open arms. Looking at Jay like that broke him. Cole cursed under his breath and avoided his arms, knowing how sensitive they were at the moment, and managed to place himself right next to Jay in bed. He held his head up with his hand, elbow deep in the pillow.
"Does this make you happy?"
"Yes. Yes it does. Now sleep or I'll zap you unconscious."
Cole chortled and closed his eyes, his head slowly easing off his head and onto the pillow. Jay grinned and laid down as well, a wave of grog flourishing through his head. Without thinking, he started to wind his IV free arm around Cole's head, picking up a fat strand of his crazy hair and flopping it around. It was entertaining to him at the least. As he did so, he started to think. He began having...weird thoughts lately and he hadn't had a time to really quietly think about it all.
For example, his face got warm whenever Cole would sit down on the bed with him. He was a pro at hiding it for sure, but he knew one day that he would slip up and...Cole would find out.
'Do I really like him like that or...no...it has to be the medicine...making me a delusional dork. I've liked Nya since day one!'
Jay couldn't believe that he had to fight himself in his own mind to reassure himself that he wasn't gay for his teammate. Though, looking at the sleeping Cole right in front of him...it really made his heart pound.