flumptober day nine : "Don't Go"

happy (and belated) 2023! i hope that you are all having a wonderful year so far! if you've been following my posts at all, then you know that things have been really crazy, and that it's been an extremely difficult season for both my family and i. with this in mind, i have decided to keep these oneshots coming and continue writing, even though it's well past october. my hope is that you will still be able to enjoy them, and that this will give me the chance to keep up with writing while i don't have the mental energy or inspiration for my other books.

i have joked that this is the oneshot that finally made me change the rating for this book, and that's definitely true. this was written in a darker season of my life, while i was very much still struggling with grief after losing my grandfather and with feeling very discouraged and alone during some difficult family situations that we have had going on. this is reflected in the oneshot that i have written and posted below, which focuses on two characters as they struggle with grief and hurt after a loss of their own.

be warned as you go into this oneshot that it is much darker and sadder than the things that i usually write. it was therapeutic to be able to write for these characters, to share something in common with them and deal with my own grief alongside them, but as a result, this is very heavy. please be cautious as you head into this- as i said, it's one of the main reasons that i decided to change the rating of this book. 

between the more mature content of this oneshot and others that i have either written or plan to write, i felt like my decision to have this book marked as mature is the best option. these types of things need to be shared, and it's my hope that these oneshots will be an encouragement or an inspiration to you, but i don't want to send them out to be read without the necessary warnings beforehand.

a detailed list of trigger warnings has been provided below, and i would encourage you that if this is too much for you to read right now, then please click away and find something else to read. your health is much more important to me than reads and votes. take care of yourself. <3

trigger warnings : aftermath of a main character's death, grieving, hurt, guilt, underage drinking, references to alcohol, isolation, mild language (all censored, but there's a lot more here than i would usually include), one character verbally lashing out at the other in their anger, hopelessness, emotional distress, mentions of and discussions of death, brief mention of past t/rture (o), bad memories, anxiety, mentions of therapy and rehab, brief mentions of bl//d (oo) as the result of an injury, an overall theme of characters struggling with the loss of a loved one.

(this is definitely the heaviest, darkest oneshot yet (one of the darkest things i've ever written, to be honest), so i completely understand if this is not your cup of tea. the oneshot does have a hopeful ending, the focus is more about the characters bonding over their loss and being there for each other, and most of the things above are not written about explicitly or dwelt upon for the entirety of the oneshot- but do be aware that they are all still there. stay safe! <3)

universe : this is another strictly 'balance of light and darkness' based oneshot, with several references to original plot points and several original characters (all original character names are redacted, as well as the name of the villain of this story arc, to prevent any spoilers. as a result of this, the different names are marked with different emojis to prevent any confusion).

this oneshot is actually set during my (currently unreleased) fanseason that takes place between Hands of Time and Sons of Garmadon, so it's kind of a small taste of that. the focus of this oneshot is more on two canon characters and their relationship with each other (not only on the original plotlines i've created), so even if you haven't read any of my other works, you should still be okay to read this oneshot if you so desire!

words : 5,297

dedication : this oneshot is dedicated to those of you who are also grieving the loss of a loved one. you are not alone, i promise. it will get better. in the meantime, surround yourself with people who will support and encourage you, and take care of yourself. get the help that you need. it will get better. <3 

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[ my mind is a place that i can't escape your ghost ]

▻ ◦ ◈ ◦ ◅

( title taken from wrecked by imagine dragons )

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"Cole? Cole? Are you in here? Cole!"

Jay's voice cracked as he placed his ear against the door, listening for something- anything- that would alert him of his friend's presence. But there was only silence.

Through teary eyes the auburn-haired male scanned the crumpled paper in his hands, noting the address he'd practically memorized by now.

This was supposed to be the place. It had to be. He'd come too far to turn back now, and he couldn't go home empty-handed. Not again.

He pounded halfheartedly against the door with his fist, weary from the sleepless nights and the guilt that seemed to be the only thing that they all had in common now. Maybe he was too late. Maybe it was no use trying anymore.

"Please Cole- if you're in there, just say something. Anything." He was practically begging now.

"Look, I know that you're hurting and I know that you're upset about what happened, but you can't distance yourself from us like this. You've gotta come home. We miss you. We want to help you."

Jay was definitely crying now, but he didn't even care anymore. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against the door, focusing on the cool wood against his skin and the tears gliding their way down his cheeks.

"Please, Cole. It's not your fault, we all screwed up badly. I just wanna make sure you're okay. You're my best friend, my brother- I love you."

These last words were quieter, his breath catching painfully in his throat, and he was unsure if Cole could hear him. If he was even there.

"You're my best friend- my brother," Jay repeated, louder this time; digging his fingernails into his palms hard enough to leave marks in an attempt to keep back the sob that threatened to escape his chapped lips.

"Please."

He'd come so far, lost too much already. The grief of losing [🌸 Redacted] was still too fresh, too sharp, too painful. He couldn't lose Cole too. Didn't know if he would survive losing another one of his friends. Not again.

There was nothing but silence from the other side of the door. For several moments, Jay just stayed there with his forehead against the wood, too tired to do anything other than let his tears run freely.

The fact that Cole was not there to make him stop this useless crying only made him feel worse. Suddenly he missed his best friend even more, which up until this moment he hadn't even realized was possible.

Time seemed to freeze, keeping him trapped by his overwhelming grief and hurt for all of the agonizing moments that it took for his mind to finally register that he'd heard a voice.

"Come in."

Just two simple words, spoken quietly and in a raspy tone that he wouldn't have recognized had he not heard something similar many times before.

It was Cole.

Jay's head snapped up, his eyes wide. He was torn between disbelief and an incredible sense of relief, his emotions still all over the place.

Maybe he was just imagining things, maybe this was some awful trick that the universe has decided to play on him. Or maybe it really was his brother. Maybe he'd found him at last.

Somehow, Jay forced his body to move.

He stumbled forward on shaky legs so he could grab the handle of the apartment door with clammy hands, fingers still clutching the paper he held as if it were the only thing keeping him grounded, anchored to reality.

Unsure of what he might find inside, he paused for a brief moment to collect himself as much as he could, then simply pressed on. He opened the door and stepped inside, bracing himself for whatever horrors awaited there.

The apartment was dark, depressingly so, the curtains pinned closed to avoid any natural light. Dirty dishes were piled high in the sink and around the sink. Everything was absolutely filthy. 

Countless boxes of pizza and cake, some of them empty and some not, littered almost every available surface that wasn't covered with other trash or a spattering of personal belongings and discarded clothing.

Empty beer and wine bottles were strewn about, a myriad of colors and offering a sad glimpse into Cole's new coping mechanisms.

The smell brought back memories Jay would have rather forgotten forever, making his stomach lurch uncomfortably. He wondered if he might be sick for one horrible moment, but managed to keep himself together.

How long had Cole been living like this?

Jay's eyes burned with fresh tears. The familiar guilt and the fear that he was letting his best friend down came creeping back again; this time much stronger than it had been before.

His skin crawled, goosebumps settling along his arms as he glanced around the apartment, taking in every detail and wondering if this would be another unwanted memory that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"What the h/ll are you doing here?"

The voice came out of the blue, startling Jay tremendously. He jumped half out of his skin, whirling around to face the source of the voice with wide eyes and a racing heartbeat.

"W-what do you mean?" he stammered, taken aback as he caught a glimpse of the shadowy figure seated on the couch not far behind him. Hands instinctively reaching for his nunchucks, his body became tense, ready to attack if need be.

He was not prepared, however, for the sight of the person seated on the couch.

The tall male leaned forward, a faint light from the lamp on the table next to him casting a sickly orange glow across his features, illuminating dark circles under his eyes and a sharp jawline hidden under weeks of stubble.

His dark eyes were dull, appearing to have lost all spark and life, yet the familiar scar over his eye, the messy black hair, and the scowling curve of his lips were something that Jay would have been able to identify anywhere.

"Cole?"

The auburn-haired male blinked several times, unsure what to make of the person in front of him. The beer bottle in his friend's hands, the muscled figure somewhat softened by a lack of exercise and consumption of junk food, or the way he carried himself that seemed to suggest that he was little more than a shell of his former self.

"What happened to you?" Jay breathed, an awful weight settling in the pit of his stomach as he stared at his best friend and former teammate, too numb with shock to do anything else.

Cole chuckled dryly, the sound making the other male feel uneasy. Trapped. Responsible. Powerless to do anything but wait with bated breath.

"Losing someone does things to a man."

He paused to take a sip of his beer, the amber glass catching in the light of the lamp and reminding Jay of her for one brief moment, which sent his mind reeling again.

"Honestly thought I'd be safe from you guys here for a while." Cole sounded contemplative, so nonchalant about all of this, like he was just making plans for the weekend instead of shutting out everyone left in his life who cared about him.

"Just until I get my sh/t together again, y'know. Maybe after a little while, things will get better. That's what I keep telling myself, anyways. And if not, I can always find another place to lay low for a bit."

Jay swallowed a lump in his throat, suddenly finding it hard to breathe as anxiety started rising inside of him.

"You're making a mistake!" he blurted out. "Didn't you hear anything I said earlier? We miss you, we want to help you. I came all this way to find you, to bring you back."

Cole's face darkened. "You know I only let you in because I felt sorry for you, right? Because I couldn't stand your crying like a stray puppy at my front door?"

That stung.

Jay flinched, fighting the urge to cry again as he gazed at the man seated across from him. "I know you don't mean that, Cole. You're hurting, and you've been drinking. You need help."

"That doesn't change anything. I'd still be planning on kicking you out of here as soon as you finish whatever it is you have to say. I'm not interested in going back with you, and nothing you say is going to convince me."

"I know you're still grieving, but so are we, Cole. It's selfish for you to hide out here and try and abandon us. Maybe we miss her too."

This time is was Cole who flinched. "Don't you dare talk to me about missing [🌸 Redacted]! You don't know her like I did!"

Jay's eyes started welling up with tears again, much to his chagrin. "I can still miss her too! She was like a sister to me! I loved her too, you're not the only one, Cole! I can't believe you're that selfish!"

"Don't you get it?!" Cole snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. "Maybe you have a hard time understanding this- but there were many times in my life when I didn't have much, but at the very least I still had [🌸 Redacted]! But now she's gone, she's dead, Jay! And I don't even have [🏵️ Redacted] anymore, either! She was the only other constant in life I had- no matter what we went through we did it together!"

"You still have [🏵️ Redacted]!" Tears were running freely down Jay's cheeks again, his voice breaking as all of his emotions came rushing out right along with his words.

"She still wants to be there for you- you're just pushing her away like you've done with the rest of us! You still have all of us! All we want to do is support you! Support each other! And you've just abandoned us!"

Cole's hardened exterior was beginning to crack, his fingers tightening shakily around the bottle in his hands.

"Maybe I didn't want to push you out! Maybe I felt trapped here and was too scared to reach out! Maybe I felt guilty about how everything happened! Maybe I wanted to go back but couldn't because of the bridges I burned! Maybe I thought you would all hate me after seeing what I've become!"

The beer bottle shattered under his grip, sending shards and pebbles of glass flying throughout the room.

For a few seconds the room was completely silent except for the labored breathing from Cole, both of the men perhaps equally shocked by this newest revelation.

Jay blinked, glancing up with wide eyes to see his friend's shoulders shaking, Cole's own dark eyes watery as he gazed down at his palms, where teardrops mixed with the blood from the glass that had cut his hands.

"We could never hate you for something like this, Cole," the auburn-haired male finally ventured to say, his quiet voice breaking the heavy silence that had settled in the room. 

He took a deep breath, knowing that this next part wouldn't be easy, the memories too painful to relieve willingly, but he had to say it anyways. For Cole.

"When- when I lost all of you guys to the Djin blade, I thought I'd reached the lowest point that I had ever been before. I lost all of you guys one by one, but there wasn't even time to grieve because we had to keep going and keep fighting- because ninja never quit."

He shut his eyes to keep back the torrent of awful memories that came unbidden, clawing at him in a desperation to drag him back down to that level of darkness he had fallen into before. The place he couldn't go back to.

"But everything changed when I lost Nya. I've lost people before that, and since then, but this was a different kind of pain that no one else could comprehend simply because no one else has that same, beautiful, amazing bond with her that I do. All the memories- the heartaches and the laughter alike- all of it fading away. I was scared."

He laughed shakily, wiping away some of the tears rolling down his freckled cheeks. "Heck- I was petrified. I'd literally just been through h/ll and back, I'd been tortured and near death many times, held the weight of the universe on my shoulders, but nothing ever hurt me more deeply than losing the person that I loved most in the world."

Cole's face was unreadable, silent tears continuing to fall as he rocked back and forth a bit, captivated by Jay's words, and perhaps for the first time, able to truly comprehend even a small bit of what his friend had gone through. How similar their pain was and how they could understand each other.

"I thought I'd never be the same person after that.  I wondered if I'd have the strength to go on without her, and I debated giving up."

Jay let out the breath he'd been holding, the shame and hurt he'd been feeling slowly beginning to fade with every word he spoke. He couldn't remember the last time, if ever, he had talked to anyone but Nya about any of these things, at least not more than an explanation for his nightmares or a quick remark in passing.

He smiled sadly, glancing down at the shredded paper in his hands that he must have been fidgeting with without realizing that he was doing so.

"Look- I know that this isn't the same thing as losing [🌸 Redacted], but I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. It sucks that she's gone, it really does, but she wouldn't want us to grow further apart then we already are."

"Of course it's not the same thing- Nya came back," Cole replied, a ragged sob escaping his lips. "She's not coming back!"

Jay's heart shattered even more at the awful sound of his friend's cries, wanting nothing more than to leap across the room and pull him into a tight hug, but still scared of what might happen if he did.

"I know, Cole. I know." He choked back a sob of his own, fists tightening at his sides once more. "I miss her too, I wish she were here now but she's not. We're going to have to find a way to carry on without her. We will, I'm sure of it."

Cole sobbed brokenly, leaning forward to rest his head in his arms. "I know, I know- but it's so hard! I don't know how to go on without her- and I'm scared she's disappointed in me!"

"She wouldn't be disappointed in you for missing her," Jay promised, finally taking that leap of faith and crossing the room to get to Cole's side.

"She always loved you, I know that. I saw it."

He tentatively reached one hand out, placing it on his friend's shoulder. When Cole didn't move away, he began tracing soothing patterns along the other male's back, surprised when his friend leaned into his touch, moving closer as if seeking the comfort that he was too scared to ask for.

"I just wish I could have been there. I could have saved her," Cole replied after several moments, his voice sounding hoarse and strangled.

Jay nodded once in understanding, a new pain gripping his heart. "Me too, Cole. Lloyd and Zane did all that they could- but sometimes I wonder if things had turned out different, if [☘️ Redacted] hadn't-"

"Don't you even say his name!" Cole spat, his voice laced with a strangely vulnerable sort of venom, audible even though his current state of anguish.

"If he wasn't already dead I'd probably have killed him anyways."

"Cole!" Jay hissed, shocked at this statement. Not that he hadn't often thought the same thing himself.

"What would Sensei Wu say?"

Cole chuckled humorlessly, his shoulders still shaking. "Beats me. He's gone too. And so is [🌸 Redacted]. And our team isn't even really much of a thing anymore. It's been a long year."

Jay swallowed the lump in his throat that had suddenly begun to form with this tally of all of the things that they had lost.

"I know. But we still have each other, right?"

"Is it even worth being part of a team anymore? We're practically still kids- at least in some sense- we shouldn't be in charge of this kind of stuff anyways. Maybe we should let the world handle its own problems for a while."

"As much as I've thought about it, you know we can't. Stupid true potentials and Elemental Powers and responsibility and whatnot. We've gotta keep Ninjago safe- protect it and all that- but we're kind of just a magnet for disaster at this point."

"You've got that right," Cole replied, another shaky sob leaving his lips.

It was quiet for several moments after that, the two content just to cry together, the walls they'd built up around themselves as protection from the world slowly beginning to crumble; not enough for everything to go back to normal, but at least enough to let the light start shining through.

At some point, Jay's tears finally came to an end. Physically incapable of crying any more, he was stuck with watery red eyes and an awful headache. He sniffled, straightening up fully and removing his hand from Cole's back so that he could rub his damp cheeks in an attempt to remove the tearstains.

Cole looked up at him, dark eyes equally as red and watery and his expression desperate. "Don't go," he whispered raggedly.

Jay gazed down at his best friend, the tormented and broken looks on both of their faces almost perfectly mirroring the other's expression.

He managed a tiny smile, lips quivering.

"I'm not going anytime soon."

Cole's grief-hardened expression melted into one of gratitude, the tough guy façade he'd tried to keep up falling away right before Jay's eyes. 

It was hard to tell who moved first, but in a heartbeat, the two had their arms around each other in a tight embrace. No words were necessary. The bond between them that had been broken was beginning to mend, each of them having been willing to take the risk of being vulnerable in front of the other.

The road from here on out was going to be a long, winding, extremely bumpy one, but they had at least begun to take steps in the right direction, together, like they always had.

No matter what happened next, whatever the world decided to throw at them, they'd figure it out one way or another.

At long last, a real smile made its way onto Jay's face as he and Cole pulled apart from their embrace. For the first time in several weeks, he was truly hopeful that things would get better. The two studied each other for a moment before he finally spoke up, taking on a more solemn tone.

"I'm really sorry about [🌸 Redacted]."

Cole smiled sadly, nodding once. "I know. So am I. She was amazing- I'm really going to miss having her around."

"Me too," Jay murmured.

Cole exhaled, glancing down at his bloodied palms with a small wince. "Guess I'd better get cleaned up at some point. And I'm not talking about just my hands."

He rubbed his jawline with the back of a hand, then glanced around at his apartment with a weary and somewhat discouraged expression.

"It might take a while."

Jay chuckled quietly, even though that action hurt from a lack of use. "Yeah. I wonder what'll take longer, cleaning up this dump or getting you tidied up enough to enter society again. Can you imagine if your dad or your sister saw you like this?"

"Oh- gosh no!" Cole cracked a small grin, letting out a quiet chuckle of his own even through his tears. "I'd never hear the end of it."

However, his face quickly became serious again. "I'm going to need a lot of help. Not just with this, but I've made some bad decisions- done a lot of things I regret. I wouldn't blame you guys for not letting me back into your lives again."

"I know," Jay replied simply, heart tightening in his chest at the thought of all the work they'd have to do, what it would take for them both to move on from this point in a healthy way; and how long it would take them to return to even some vague sense of normalcy.

"We'll be with you every step of the way, buddy. I promise. It'll take work and time and therapy and rehab and all that fun stuff, but hey- at this point maybe we'll get some sort of group discount on therapy."

He was desperate to get in at least one joke, hoping to make his friend laugh. And maybe help him feel better too, if he was being honest. He wanted to go back to his normal, happier, joking self- even if it took hard work and a lot of time to get there.

"Jay, please don't joke about that," Cole groaned, but he was smiling ever so slightly even as he attempted to wipe away his tears with the back of a hand.

Jay laughed. It was the kind of hysterical, pent-up emotions sort of laughter that ends in another round of crying, but he didn't even care this time.

It felt good to laugh, even in the midst of their current circumstances. If anything, he felt a little bit lighter now, even though the grief was still sharp and still there, lingering just under the surface.

This was a good start.

Cole shook his head, brown eyes flickering with both amusement and an incredible exhaustion that offered Jay a glimpse of just how worn down his best friend was.

"I don't even know where to go from here," the raven-haired male admitted quietly. "I'm not ready to go back there just yet- but I do want to someday. Someday soon."

"Like I said, we'll be with you every step of the way," Jay promised, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We'll take it in stages- figure out what works for you and for all of us. You don't have to come home right away."

Cole winced at those last few words. "Home. That's a funny word. I don't know if I have one anymore- at least not in the traditional sense."

His voice caught in his throat, the vulnerable tone of agony creeping back in. "It's not- it's not the same there without [🌸 Redacted]. I'm scared to go back, scared of being there in our home without her. It doesn't feel right."

"I know," Jay mumbled. "It still doesn't feel the same for me, either. But you still have [🏵️ Redacted], and Lloyd, and Nya, and Kai, and Zane, and Misako, and I. We can honor her memory together there. It's what she would want for us."

Cole sniffed, rubbing his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. "When did you get so wisdomous all of a sudden?" he asked, voice still raspy. "Maybe you should fight Lloyd for team leader."

Jay laughed shakily. "I've been going to therapy- guess it's finally paying off. And thanks, but no thanks. I think Lloyd could use some extra support, he's in a rough spot right now too, but he's definitely the better candidate for leader."

"You've got that right," Cole mumbled in agreement. "Y'know- I fought him about that so many times. I think I wanted to be and tried to be the leader more often than I'd like to admit. But it's funny how that doesn't really matter anymore."

He closed his eyes as if he were trying to block out the painful memories. "One of my biggest regrets is how much we fought. I keep wondering if maybe. . . maybe if we hadn't fought so much that the team wouldn't have fallen apart like it did. . . if I'd been a better teammate. . . then maybe [🌸 Redacted] would still be here."

Jay gently rubbed Cole's shoulder as the raven-haired male began to shake again, more tears running in silent tracks down his cheeks.

"I sometimes wonder that too," Jay admitted after a moment. "I think, though, with just having lost Sensei Wu, we were more vulnerable.

[☘️ Redacted] wanted to break us up, split us all up to make things easier for him, and I think he succeeded- but I don't even know if we would have still been able to do much to stop him if we had been together. You heard Lloyd's stories of how stuff went down, right?"

"I know, but that doesn't stop me from wondering if I could have saved her," Cole whispered, sounding completely broken.

"At least with Nya, you were there the whole time, you did everything you possibly could, you were there- but with [🌸 Redacted] I wasn't there- I didn't get to save her. Didn't even see her one last time before she was gone. I'll never know if I could have been the one to stop it. I should have been there!"

Jay's eyes stung, unable to produce any more tears at this point even though he wished he could. "I know, Cole. I wish I'd been there too. Sometimes I wonder if she thinks we failed her, or if she's bitter about it now, but I don't think she is. It's not like her."

He hung his head, glancing down at the floor. "And from what Zane said, I think she was at peace with it. It was the only way- and she was ready to go."

"Maybe she was ready to go, but I wasn't ready to lose her. Not like that. Not after all we'd been through. Not her too."

"I'm sorry," Jay murmured, leaning forward to give Cole another hug because he couldn't think of anything else to say. He struggled with the same feelings, but couldn't imagine how much more Cole must have been affected by that kind of loss. He knew he wouldn't have been able to bear it.

His best friend just leaned into the embrace, not saying anything either, ragged breaths and the occasional sniffle the only sounds coming from him.

Jay just held him close, honestly unsure how best to comfort Cole because he'd never seen him this emotional, this gutted about anything. The initial period after discovering he'd turned into a ghost was the only thing that came close, but that has been different because it was his loss- not the loss of someone that he loved.

After some time had passed, Cole finally pulled away from the embrace, eyes still red but his cheeks finally dry.

"I'm such a wreck-" he croaked. "Maybe it's the alcohol, or maybe it's just been too long since I actually cried about something like this. I'm sorry you had to be here to see it."

Jay managed a small smile. "It's okay to be sad, Cole. You lost someone, and grief is normal- your feelings are perfectly valid and you don't have to apologize for how you feel. Besides, I'm kinda in the same boat right now. I'd be worse if it wasn't for the fact that I have people to talk to. I can't imagine being shut up in here all alone."

"Yeah, really not one of my better ideas," Cole admitted with a grimace, the hurt on his face softening a little. "I really missed you, Jay. And not just you, I miss the others too. [🏵️ Redacted] is probably going to come after me whenever I get back- she'll never forget about this."

Jay laughed quietly, shaking his head in agreement. "You're right about that. She's going to be so ticked when she sees you," he teased, before starting to speak again in his previous, more serious tone.

"We miss you too, Cole. All of us. Even Lloyd- especially Lloyd. After [🏵️ Redacted], of course. I think she misses you the most."

He smiled at this. "I would hope so. It'll be so good to see her again. And the rest of you guys too."

Jay brightened. "I'll tell Zane and [🏵️ Redacted] to start prepping a big meal for you whenever you decide you're ready to come back. No rush, though."

"Only if you promise not to make me a cake," Cole replied, smiling genuinely for the first time all day. "I didn't think it was possible, but I've had more than enough cake. Not sure if I'll ever be able to eat it again."

Jay gasped in mock horror. "Now that must be the alcohol talking! Ooo- I can't imagine what [🌸 Redacted] would say if she heard you! She would be so appalled!"

"I'm completely serious- I may cut out cake all together. Besides, it'll take some time and a good bit of work for me to get back into shape. Not that I'm looking forward to it."

"I can be your fitness instructor- it could be fun! Or we could all train for a marathon or something together."

"Not in a million years," Cole retorted with a grin. "I'll figure things out in my own ways- you guys will just have to be patient with me."

Jay smiled mischievously. "Of course we will. Don't forget that: 'We're all in this together! Once we know that we are, we're all stars and we see that-'"

"Jay!! Please don't ruin our bonding moment with High School Musical songs!"

"I'm not ruining our moment, I'm making it better! Get it straight!" He smirked, twisting away to avoid the elbow jab that was aimed at his ribs.

"Come on, sing with me! 'We're all in this together! And it shows when we stand hand in hand, make our dreams come true!'"

Jay was laughing now, barely able to get out the lyrics with some semblance of a straight face, his heart soaring as he realized that Cole was laughing right along with him.

"I swear- I will punt you out of this apartment! Technically this is my house and you're just a guest! You're not entitled to screech obnoxious Disney songs in my apartment while I'm still breathing!"

"At least I know that some things haven't changed between us," Jay replied with a smile. "I can still annoy you like I used to- I don't think anything could ever change that."

"You're right, I suppose," Cole conceded, gazing at his friend in amusement. "We're such a mess, all of us. Honestly."

He said this with such contemplation, as if it were something he'd thought about often. And Jay couldn't help but agree with him.

"True, but we wouldn't have it any other way or life would seem too boring," he joked. "Now, come on; let's open some windows and let a little light in here. Do you have a first aid kit? I can help patch up your hands."

Cole grunted, hopping up from the couch and making his way over to the curtained windows. "The first aid kit is in a cabinet under the bathroom sink. I guess we should do that first."

He turned to sit back down on the couch as Jay went off in search of the first aid kit. The auburn-haired male was oddly optimistic, strangely hopeful about how things had gone and were going.

Even though they'd lost [🌸 Redacted] and their relationship with her had changed now that she was no longer with them, they still had a shot at fixing the relationship between themselves and their remaining friends and teammates.

As Jay worked on bandaging up Cole's wounded hands, he couldn't help but reflect on how symbolic this simple act was.

First Spinjitzu Master willing, they'd be able to bandage and fix their relationship and begin their own healing processes, difficult and painful as they might be.

Their resolve and their bonds as teammates and friends had been tested and broken, lines had been crossed and words spoken that shouldn't have been said. It would take time for them all to come back again as a family, but they would find a way.

And they would do it together.

No more hiding, no more running away from their problems and their struggles. It was time to break the chain, time to face things head-on, because no matter what life threw at them, ninja never quit.