Theories of Relativity (NINJAGO JAYA)

Sick Day - Jay

Summary: Jay gets sick. Nya freaks out.

A/N: This is part one of three of my sick-fic mini-series. Each one-shot can be read on its own, but reading them in order will be more enjoyable. There is a saying in Japanese that roughly translates as "idiots never get colds." It is usually said as an insult or backhanded complement.

Disclaimer: This one gets kinda dark, you have been warned. That part is in italics.

They say silence is golden, but when it comes to Jay, silence means something is wrong.

Only villains of the highest caliber are capable of shutting up the blue ninja, which is no small feat. Jay marches into battle the same way he marches out: constantly jabbering, mastering the art of simultaneously entertaining and annoying his fellow ninja.

Their latest baddy? Bottom of the barrel cannon fodder.  Most of the team barely broke a sweat as they swiftly made quick work of the wanna-be gangsters, and were chortling happily as they celebrated their victory.

"Jay, you okay?" Nya questioned, noticing her significant other was not his usual chatty self.  Jay only grunted in response, drawing the attention of the other ninja.

"Uh," Lloyd started, "you don't look so good."

Jay was hunched over in his backseat of the Land Bounty, uncharacteristically quiet, arms crossed clutching his sides, and eyes scrunched closed with a pained look on his face.  He hadn't even bothered removing his hood or mask in the post-battle afterglow.

"Did you get hit?" Cole's concerned form moved over to Jay, inspecting him for any wounds.

"Feeling weak and achy," the blue ninja mumbled in response.

Cole furrowed his brows and placed his hand on Jay's forehead.  "Wow," he reeled his hand back in surprise, "you are burning up!"

"Is Jay okay?" Nya asked again, her voice laced with worry, trying to catch a glimpse of him in the rear-view mirror.

"Nya, watch the road!" Kai shouted at her.  Nya snapped her attention back to the front, only to swerve, narrowly avoiding a group of pedestrians.

"Would you like me to drive so you can tend to Jay?" Zane offered kindly.

Before Nya could answer, there was a loud ping as P.I.X.A.L. alerted them a disturbance downtown.  "It seems as though the Shiryuu gang you just defeated has more factions.  These are the coordinates of the latest skirmishes."

The team looked at the map provided by P.I.X.A.L., irritated they had to deal more with the Shiryuu gang. 

"Nya, drop us off downtown, then take Jay back to the Monastery.  P.I.X.A.L. will meet us there and provide us transportation home after we sweep the streets with these knuckleheads," Lloyd instructed.

"You got it Lloyd!" Nya responded, but the uncertainty in her voice was hard to miss.

Zane had joined Cole, hovering over Jay, scanning him for any other injuries. 

"No evidence of poison or inflicted wounds.  Only a high fever.  Jay is most likely experiencing symptoms from an upper-respiratory virus," Zane concluded.  Cole reflexively stepped back, not wanting to catch whatever Jay had. 

"Rest is what Jay needs.  His immune system will do most of the work."

Cole crossed his arms and looked down at his friend.  "You get a sick day and a beautiful nurse to take care of you," he said in reference to Nya, "try not to be a big baby about it."