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razzle-zazzle · 2 years

Text

Whumptober Day 29: All work & no play

Overworked

1870 Words; Drafted AU

TW for abuse, bruising, and blood

“Again.”

Jay grumbled as he peeled himself off of the ground, doing his best to ignore the way his whole body felt like one giant bruise.

Apparently he was too slow in doing so, however, because as he was making his way back towards the beginning of the obstacle course Wu whacked his staff against the ground—a warning noise.

Jay moved a little faster.

He got back into the obstacle course, doing his best to come out with no more than three new bruises. Which wasn’t impossible—just extremely hard, as the sudden whack on his shoulder and subsequent throbbing proved.

It didn’t help at all that Jay’s balance was off, exhaustion from a poor night’s sleep and hunger from a halved dinner screwing his coordination ever so slightly. It was a little hard to jump right when his limbs still ached from sleeping in restraints, a little harder to react when hunger clawed at his stomach like a feral animal.

But that was Jay’s “punishment” for trying to build a cell phone, so it wasn’t like there was much he could do about it.

Best not to anger Wu further when the man was ticked off.

But despite the “full” breakfast Jay’d had, the exhaustion from the night before and the hours of training Jay had already been forced through today wore heavy on him, allowing Jay to get smacked directly across the face by one of the obstacles. The bar cracked across his nose, sending Jay flying back down to the ground.

Again.

Jay was pretty sure his nose was broken, but he was a little too dizzy to tell.

From where he was watching disdainfully, Wu hissed slightly.

“Again,” he demanded, staff whacking against the ground next to Jay, “Your punishment isn’t over yet, boy.”

Jay bristled, exhaustion-addled thoughts bubbling from his mouth before he could stop them. “Oh, fuck you.” He muttered, “And fuck your stupid training!” He pushed himself up, shoving himself to the side to narrowly avoid a smack from the staff, “In case you’ve forgotten, I never asked to be kidnapped and worked into the ground!” Jay was working up a good rant, now, which was never good for him, “So maybe consider fucking off—”

Wu ended Jay’s rant by simple dint of whacking him with his staff, resulting in blood trickling from Jay’s definitely broken nose.

Jay stumbled back, hands flying to his face at the pain, and Wu scoffed.

“You disobeyed the rules that I put in place.” Wu hissed, stepping forwards, “Now you have to suffer the consequences.”

Jay took another step back, the taste of copper on his lips.

“If you continue to be unruly,” Wu continued, “Then I shall simply have to drag you out into the woods for ‘element training’. Is that what you want?”

Jay winced. He’d been punished that way, once, and Cole had been given that exact punishment four times already, so Jay knew pretty much exactly what “element training” was like.

He didn’t exactly relish spending a night in the woods, the prospect of escape tantalizing him but for the binding curse coiled around his wrists.

Wu continued to glare at Jay.

Right. Jay grimaced, hatred in his eyes and blood dripping from his chin, teeth grinding together.

“I’m sorry, Sensei.” Jay conceded, trying to reduce the man to ashes with his gaze.

Wu was proving to be immune to looks like that, though.

Wu considered Jay’s half-hearted apology for a moment. He nodded, then pointed his staff towards the beginning of the obstacle course.

“Again.”

+=+=+=+=+

Zane scrubbed the pot carefully, making sure not to miss a single spot.

Wu didn’t actually care how meticulous Zane was, if it didn’t get in the way of training. But there was something soothing to be found in mindless, meticulous busiwork, Zane had found, so he scrubbed away while the obstacle course ran outside.

Besides, focusing on the task at hand made for a great distraction from all of the worrying noises outside.

When Wu was finally done driving Jay into the ground and let the teen inventor back inside, Zane would be there with the first aid kit.

If Wu allowed Jay to sleep in the boys’ shared bedroom tonight, then Zane would be there as well, with a shoulder to commiserate on and a listening ear.

It was a shame Jay’s half-built phone had been found. It could have provided the others with the opportunity to at least talk to their parents, if not see them.

Zane frowned, setting the now-clean pot to the side.

When Wu had first brought him here, Zane had thought—

It had seemed entirely beneficial, at first. Guaranteed shelter, meals, and some other people his age—and all for the price of learning what Wu wanted to teach him and doing the occasional chore.

But that had all been a lie.

The binding curses the three of them bore was proof enough of that.

Zane shuddered, memories of late nights patching up scrapes and bruises; of that trembling, shaking fear that clawed at his chest; of cold restraints and trembling hands and harsh commands demanding that he do the course again—

The shattering of the plate Zane had dropped shook him from his panic.

Right. Zane winced.

He kneeled down, gingerly picking up the bigger pieces, setting them aside on the counter to throw away later. Zane then retrieved a dustpan to collect the smaller shards, throwing them away immediately.

That done, Zane returned to the dishes, picking up a glass to wash out.

The situation wasn’t all bad, though, Zane reflected—for all that Wu was the very definition of awful, Cole and Jay were incredible and perfect and Zane refused to imagine a life not knowing them. Couldn’t imagine going back to a life of wandering aimlessly, without any knowledge of the particular curve of Cole’s smile, how Jay’s eyes twinkled when he got an idea—

If they ever got out of this, if Wu ever let them go (or if they ever managed to force Wu to let them go, which didn’t seem likely), then Zane would at least have two new brothers from the experience.

Another thud sounded from outside, muffled by the walls but heard nonetheless.

Zane’s grip tightened around the sponge.

Maybe he should give Cole’s idea to poison Wu some more thought.

+=+=+=+=+

When Jay finally stumbled back inside, covered in bruises and bleeding at two points on his arm, it was to Zane setting the table, pink apron on as he got the table ready—dinner must be almost done, which only served to remind Jay that he’d missed lunch.

Jay sent a pleading look Wu’s way.

Wu sighed. “Zane.”

Zane set down the utensils, “Yes?”

“Clean up your brother’s wounds. We can’t have him bleeding at the dinner table.”

Zane nodded. “Yes Sensei.” He took only a moment to remove his apron, hanging it on a hook on the hallway wall, before taking Jay’s hand and leading him to the bathroom.

Jay followed along, limping only slightly as he went.

The moment the bathroom door clicked shut behind them, Jay let himself lean against the counter, wince-sighing heavily.

Zane pulled out the first aid kit. “Do you need help removing your shirt?”

“No, no,” Jay waved his hand dismissively, already moving to take it off, “But I will need a change of clothes,” He said, pulling his shirt over his head with a wince, “Since this one spent a lot of time rolling against the ground.” He tossed it to the floor, “And also I bled on it.”

“I can see that,” Zane nodded, moving to assess Jay’s bruises. After a moment of that, with Zane’s frown increasing the longer he looked, Zane moved to the sink, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it.

Zane reached towards the dried blood down Jay’s face, “Let’s start by getting you cleaned up.”

Jay nodded, tilting his head back a little to make it easier.

Once the dried blood was gone, Zane moved to the cuts on Jay’s arm, carefully cleaning them before applying bandages. Jay winced when Zane pressed a little too hard on a nearby bruise, but otherwise waited patiently as Zane worked.

Zane then moved onto Jay’s bruises, gently cleaning them with soft, tender motions in order to avoid causing Jay anymore pain.

Jay still winced occasionally, the black and blue and violet spread across his torso sore enough that even the most gentle touch stung.

Eventually, Zane had done the most that he could with the supplies he had, and said so.

“Alright,” Jay said, moving to shuck off his pants—his legs hadn’t gotten out unscathed—as Zane left the room to grab Jay clean clothes.

Now alone, Jay grabbed the medical supplies and moved to take care of the injuries on his legs.

Seeing all the damage laid out bare like this, all of the bruising across his chest and legs, the faint scars from past punishments underneath—

It made Jay’s stomach turn.

It made something vile coil up in his gut, vitriol that had no outlet but for hateful words and aggression in the training yard.

Today, though, that vitriol was tempered by the exhaustion weighing heavy on his bones, heavy chains that slowed him down.

Yeah, dinner and a bed was starting to sound really good right now.

And Cole would return tomorrow, if Jay had counted the days right. Tomorrow morning, before his binding curse could activate.

That didn’t mean the situation didn’t suck, though. Didn’t make the twinges of pain shooting through his body as he stood and changed into the clothes Zane had passed to him less painful, nor did it make the ache in his very soul any less… achey.

But it did soften the blow, just a bit.

And that was probably all Jay was going to be getting for now.

+=+=+=+=+

Dinner was, as usual, a quiet affair.

Maybe it was the exhaustion speaking, but Jay was pretty sure the tension was actually down a few notches. Zane still looked everywhere but at Wu, but without Cole glaring and Jay making terse remarks it was almost… normal.

Jay scoffed quietly. Like the bastard across the table fit any definition of normal.

Besides, Jay’s aches and bruises sort of spoiled that illusion.

He couldn’t wait to sleep in an actual bed.

+=+=+=+=+

Once dinner was over with and dishes put away, Jay moved to follow Zane to the bedroom, only to be stopped by a hand around his arm.

“Uh, Wu?” Jay laughed nervously, “I’m pretty sure it’s lights out.”

Wu nodded. “It is.” He yanked Jay in the other direction, though. “But your backtalk earlier today earned you one more night downstairs.”

Jay froze.

Wu continued to drag Jay along, grip as iron-tight as ever.

Wu opened the door down to the basement, shoving Jay forwards.

Jay barely managed to catch himself before he fell all the way down the stairs, looking up at Wu frantically.

“There is a cot with a blanket in the corner.” Wu said. “You can sleep there, or you can sleep on the floor.”

The man turned around, closing the door behind him, but not before getting in one last word.

“It’s your choice.”

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razzle-zazzle · 3 years

Text

Whumptober Day 24: One down, two to go

Revenge

3123 Words; Lost & Found AU, Bad Ending One: "Colby Gets his Revenge"

TW for choking, gore, impaling, blood, dismemberment, and death.

It was almost funny how easy it was.

Bizarro Cole didn’t think his impression was that believable. But in the chaos of the Overlord’s defeat he’d managed to get by unnoticed, not a single person realizing he wasn’t really Cole.

He supposed he had the original Cole to thank for that, though—his blood was what made the amulet’s glamour work the way it was supposed to.

But as Ninjago rebuilt and things settled down, Biz-Cole had to wonder:

Were these people blind?

Bizarro Cole had barely any idea how to act like Cole. He knew the basics: cake, performance art, scythe—

But he had no idea what to do in those little moments, those small but important interactions. He could bluff his way through them, sure—

But surely the ninja would have caught on by now.

Surely they’d have realized that something was off about “Cole”.

But they didn’t.

They trusted him, purely because he looked and sounded exactly like their Cole, because they had no reason to believe something was amiss.

Bizarro Cole had hidden his counterpart’s body well.

This trust, this freely-given tenderness that was so much like what he’d had with his brothers before they’d been killed—

It made Bizarro Cole hesitate, at first.

But then he’d remember finding his Jay strangled in the vines, remember seeing his Kai smashed against the cliffside by the waves while the ninja hooted and hollered about taking another enemy down, remember—

Remember his Zane telling him to not just die uselessly before going out and doing just that—

So Bizzaro Cole didn’t. The Overlord didn’t care about its scouts, didn’t care that Cole’s brothers had died—

It was only natural that Bizarro Cole left the island, and took things into his own hands. Only natural that he would seek to avenge his loved ones.

And if the ninja were trusting and tender with him, like they would be for their Cole, like Bizarro Cole had been for his his brothers and them for him—

That just made things easier, really.

+=+=+=+=+

Jay would be first.

Partly because of symmetry, but mostly because the blue twink could be so very loud when he wanted to be. Best to take him out first—the moment the first victim went down it’d become a race against the clock to take out all the others.

Not that there wasn’t already a race against the clock—the ninja had plans to set up as teachers at the old Darkley’s Boarding School. Bizarro Cole would have to get his revenge before that, lest any children get caught up in any potential crossfire.

So it was with that in mind that Bizarro Cole followed Jay through the currently-empty halls of the school, half-listening to the stupid prick’s rambles about “cleaning” and “restoring” and “Nya got me a screwdriver set last week, isn’t she just perfect?” and so on.

It was exhausting, but it’d be worth it once the little shit was finally shut up.

So Bizarro Cole swallowed down his frustration and followed.

He’d waited this long.

He could wait a few minutes more.

+=+=+=+=+

Jay opened the door to one of the many old classrooms, just barely managing to avoid sneezing at the amount of dust in the air.

Cole followed in behind him as Jay chattered about everything wrong with the room, not really talking but still listening.

Cole was really good at listening. It was a good part of why he and Jay were such good friends.

“So I’m thinking this could be cleaned up and repurposed into a history classroom,” Jay was saying, “Since it’s not too far from the classrooms that the others claimed and it has good walls to put maps and stuff on.”

Cole pushed an old desk aside somewhere behind Jay. “Wouldn’t maps work better in a geography class?”

“Eh,” Jay flapped his hand dismissively, “We can have old newspaper prints then. Or old propaganda posters or something.”

Cole grunted.

Taking that as assent, Jay continued to survey the shape of the room. It was definitely the right size, so maybe…?

“Cole, what do you think?” Jay asked, as Cole went to inspect the window to Jay’s right, on the wall opposite the door.

No response.

Jay frowned, turning back towards the door. “Cole…?”

“Not Cole.” Cole hissed, grabbing Jay from behind.

Jay kicked, shocked, the question in his throat silenced by Cole’s—no, Not-Cole’s—hand over his mouth.

Jay struggled as much as he could, focusing more on escaping than injuring just in case this was Cole and he was just under some sort of sway.

“Mmrph!” Jay’s screams were muffled, yes, but not silenced entirely. He kicked at Not-Cole’s legs as hard as possible, screaming as loud as he could into Not-Cole’s hand.

Surely, if he made enough of a ruckus, someone would come and save him?

Not-Cole’s other hand raised up to wrap around Jay’s neck, the sudden pressure Jay’s only warning what Not-Cole was trying to do.

Jay kicked more frantically now, clawing at Not-Cole’s arm as his vision began to swim—

+=+=+=+=+

Bizarro Cole stood over the corpse, taking a moment to catch his breath.

He’d done it! He’d killed the little shit! Crushed his stupid twink airway!

So why did his gut twist, then, at the sight of the blue ninja on the floor, eyes bulging and face blue?

Bizarro Cole shook his head. No. Now was not the time to be hesitating. Besides, he probably just had an awful feeling because both Jay’s looked so similar in their deaths, and this mockery of a Jay was reminding him of his Jay, body twisted up in the vines.

Yeah.

That was it.

Swallowing, Bizarro Cole hefted the body up into his arms. He didn’t hear anyone in the hallway, so he cautiously left the classroom, body in his arms as he searched for somewhere to hide it.

There! A locker whose door was open, requiring no lockpicking or brute forcing.

It was a tight fit, but Cole was determined to make sure this body stayed hidden as long as possible. A little bit of maneuvering, some shoving that resulted in a semi-ominous crunch, and the door closed as easily as if the locker was empty.

All the other lockers in this hall were closed, as well, so the corpse locker wasn’t as conspicuous.

Good.

Bizarro Cole took a breath, steadying himself.

Time to track down Kai.

+=+=+=+=+

Kai was sorting through boxes of old textbooks (most of them going into the Burn Pile due to being decades out of date) when Cole approached him.

Which was a little weird, because hadn’t Cole been paired with Jay?

“Hey dude,” Kai greeted, “What’s up?” He threw another textbook to the Burn Pile, “Where’s Jay?”

Cole shrugged. “He’s… around.”

Okaaay.

Kai turned around to face Cole fully, textbooks forgotten for the moment. “You’re acting weird.” He accused, leaning back slightly as Cole stepped forwards. “Why are you acting weird?”

Cole took another step forward. “I’m not sure what you mean, Kai.” He said, baring his teeth in what might have been a smile but looked a lot more like a snarl, “I would think I’m acting perfectly normal.”

Kai should probably get out of here.

Cole was between him and the door, but surely, if Kai ran for it, then he could get to Nya or Zane or Jay and figure out what was wrong with Cole.

Kai took a careful step to the side.

Cole copied him, smoothly blocking Kai off from the door.

“Dude,” Kai hissed, “What’s wrong with you?”

Cole didn’t deign to respond.

Right, then. Kai shifted into a defensive position—

And then Cole was on him, tackling Kai to the floor and flipping him over so he was facedown. Kai was pinned to the floor by one of Cole’s knees digging into his back, his arms being twisted harshly behind his back until Kai cried out at the pain.

Kai kicked, his legs thumping against the floor.

Cole grunted, grabbing the back of Kai’s head with his free hand, fingers tangling into Kai’s hair and pulling his head back harshly.

Then Cole slammed Kai’s face into the floor, shattering his nose and getting blood everywhere.

Another slam, just as harsh, and Kai stopped screaming with a sickening crunch.

Bizarro Cole slammed Kai’s face against the floor a few more times to be safe, adding bits of gray matter to the blood puddle with every slam.

With that done, Bizarro Cole stood.

It wasn’t quite the same as bashing Kai against the rocks, but Cole didn’t have a convenient seaside cliff to do that with, so this would have to suffice.

Besides, killing Jay by strangling him had reminded Bizarro of how his Jay had died, which was not a pleasant memory.

For some reason, though, Cole had the same uneasy feeling as he surveyed Kai’s body.

It was probably just the messiness of this death, though—this wasn’t a body that could be so easily hidden.

And Kai’s screams, while short, had been unmuffled this time, no doubt alerting Nya and Zane that something was amiss, giving Bizarro Cole less time to track down and properly dismantle the nindroid.

“Should have done Zane second, huh…” Bizarro mused, already slipping out the classroom through a convenient hidden passage, “Too bad I’m a sucker for symmetry.”

He shook his head.

Now was not the time for doubts.

He had to finish his revenge.

+=+=+=+=+

Nya knew something was wrong the moment Kai screamed.

It had been distant, coming from the other side of the school entirely, but Nya recognized it as Kai.

It was very possible he’d been startled by a spider or a mouse or trap, but Nya had a bad feeling that it was worse than that. She knew her brother. That scream hadn’t sounded startled.

And the way it had cut off—

So Nya rushed to the other end of the school, running down hallways until she reached the rough area Kai had been in.

Kai was no longer screaming, though, and Nya didn’t know the exact room he had been in, forcing her to search room after room for her brother.

“Kai?” She called out his name as she went, but there was no response.

The fear in her stomach multiplied the longer she searched. Where was her brother? Why wasn’t he answering?

Why had he screamed like that?

She opened yet another door, prepared to find another empty room—

Oh.

Oh god.

Nya fell to her knees next to Kai’s body, not caring if the blood puddled around his head soaked into her pants.

She’d had nightmares of her brother dying, before. Nightmares where she lost him and couldn’t get him back.

None of them looked like this.

Kai was face-down on the floor, hand still lukewarm to the touch.

His face had been smashed into the wood, leaving a crumbled, gooey mess of blood and brain matter and bits of bone.

Nya was trembling as she turned Kai’s body over, shaking as she took in the horribly mangled… it barely even qualified as a face, now.

Tears joined the puddle of gore on the floor.

It was suddenly so hard to breathe.

“Kai…” Nya gasped out a sob before standing up.

Her hands clenched into fists.

Whoever had done this, whoever had dared to murder her brother—

Nya was going to find them.

She was going to find them, and make them pay.

+=+=+=+=+

Zane had heard Kai’s scream and started making his way up from the basement floor of the school.

Had heard Nya’s frantic and unanswered calls for her brother and picked up the pace.

Had been so focused on getting to Nya and finding out what had happened to Kai that he hadn’t seen Cole coming.

At least, not until a spike of corrupted earth burst through his chest.

+=+=+=+=+

Bizarro Cole stood over the mangled body of the nindroid, stretching his arms and catching his breath.

Oh, and thank fuck that his counterpart giving his powers to Lloyd hadn’t affected Bizarro Cole, because it really did take all of his strength to tear the metal frame of Zane’s body apart.

Fuck, that had been a workout.

But now Zane was in pieces on the ground before him, light gone from his artificial eyes.

That didn’t mean Bizarro Cole’s job was done, though.

Machines, no matter how human-like they were, could still be rebuilt with the right tools and components.

All of Bizarro Cole’s brothers had dissolved into mush after their deaths, despite the solidity they had gained in their time on Dark Island. There was no coming back for them.

So there would be no coming back for Zane, either.

Bizarro Cole would make sure of it.

He brushed that same nauseous feeling away and kneeled down. Rifling through the mangled bits of metal, Bizarro picked up any vital-looking or unique components and crushed them, doing his best to mangle them beyond repair. The drive behind the memory switch was left as a small pile of scraps, every circuit board within it utterly destroyed.

Bizarro Cole was so focused on making sure Zane was irreparable that he almost didn’t notice Nya sneaking up on him.

Almost.

+=+=+=+=+

Nya panted, leaning more heavily against the wall than she wanted.

Cole was leaning against the opposite wall, but looked much more hale than Nya was feeling right now.

Taking this brief break in the combat as her opportunity, Nya finally asked—

“Why?”

The Cole Nya knew would never do this. The Cole Nya knew was sweet and gentle and loved his friends.

Cole rubbed at his mouth, blood smearing onto his arm. “Have you really not figured it out yet?” He didn’t wait for a response before reaching up and removing a talisman Nya hadn’t noticed before.

Immediately, Cole’s appearance changed.

Or rather, Bizarro Cole’s appearance changed back to normal, skin returning to that ashy gray and eyes becoming the same maroon all the Bizarros had.

Nya tensed. “You’re supposed to be dead.” She spat.

And oh, she would make sure that he was, by the end of this fight.

Bizarro Cole laughed tersely, taking a few steps towards Nya but largely keeping his distance.

“Where’s Cole?” Nya demanded. “Where’s Jay?”

Bizarro Cole laughed again. “Six feet under!” He snarled. “Or in your boyfriend’s case, stuffed in a locker.”

Yeah, this bitch was going down.

Nya took a breath and steadied herself.

There was a bit of metal on the floor that would make a perfect shank.

Another breath—

Nya lunged.

+=+=+=+=+

Bizarro Cole’s chest heaved, that same anxiety that had been plaguing him since he’d offed Jay roiling in his stomach.

He covered it up, though, laughing at Nya’s little interrogation.

And when she lunged for him, ducking into a roll to grab at a piece of metal, Bizarro Cole dodged to the side, just barely avoiding disembowelment.

Nya rounded on him, but Bizarro Cole was moving, ducking down to grab Zane’s still intact head.

He deserved a trophy after taking down such tough opponents.

Not that they had been all that tough in the end.

Nya kept the pressure on him, though, sweeping Bizarro Cole’s legs and moving to stab him once he’d fallen.

Time to get serious.

Bizarro rolled, a spike of corrupted earth shooting from where he’d just been and forcing Nya to dodge lest she be impaled like Zane.

That gave Bizarro Cole all the opportunity he needed to make it to the stairs, an earthen wall cutting Nya off before she could follow and sealing her in the room.

She screamed, her rage palpable even through the rock wall.

Bizarro Cole wasted no time in hightailing it out of the school.

+=+=+=+=+

Nya screamed, punching the wall Bizarro Cole had made in her fury.

It didn’t do much.

“No!” She punched the wall again, “Get back here!”

Her screams broke off into angry sobs as she fell to her knees.

She’d failed.

She’d failed to notice the monster masquerading as her friend. Failed to stop the monster from taking the lives of her brother, her boyfriend, and Zane.

Failed to stop that monster from escaping.

“No,” she gasped out, “no.”

But this wasn’t something words could fix.

+=+=+=+=+

Bizarro Cole breathed a sigh of relief once he’d reached his safehouse, several hours later.

It was a small space—more like a closet, really, with a tiny desk for plotting and a tiny shelf on the wall above that desk.

On that shelf stood three mason jars, each containing the mush that was all that remained of his brothers. Bizarro had tried all that he could to revive them, originally, even while he was masquerading as Cole in order to get his revenge. But nothing had come of that, yet, just three small jars sitting on a shelf like three small urns.

Bizarro Cole set Zane’s head on the desk, adding to it the charm he’d nicked from Jay’s body and the metal-beaded bracelet he’d found in Kai’s pocket.

Those last two items weren’t quite the disembodied heads of his enemies, but Cole hadn’t had time to decapitate those two.

And their heads would eventually rot, anyway.

Settling down in the chair in front of the desk, Bizarro Cole sighed.

“I did it.” He told the jars, “I avenged you three.” He smiled. “You should have seen it! They didn’t know what hit them.”

The jars did not respond.

Bizarro Cole’s face fell. Right. He wouldn’t have needed to take revenge if he hadn’t failed his own brothers in the first place.

Zane’s head sat placidly on the desk, fixing Bizarro with a blank-eyed stare.

Bizarro Cole scowled. “Stop looking at me like that.” He snarled. “Of course I had to kill you.”

The head’s expression did not change, empty stare boring into him.

“Stop it!” Bizarro Cole stood up, slamming his hands on the desk. “I had to! You killed my brother!”

The head continued to stare at him, to judge him with its silence.

It had no right to judge him—Bizarro had done what he’d had to do.

“I said stop!” Bizarro Cole swept his arm across the desk, sending the head and charm and bracelet clattering to the floor.

The head clanked, rolled a bit—

And finally settled in the corner, eyes staring unerringly at Bizarro Cole once again. Judging him, like it had any right—

Bizarro Cole trembled with rage, hands clenched into fists.

“Stop,” He yelled, voice starting to tremble, “stop it!”

He fell to his knees, nausea thick in his throat—

Bizarro vomited, hands shaking too hard to use. The head continued to stare at him, empty eyes filled with so much contempt—

Gasping, Bizarro Cole sobbed out a final plea.

“Stop.”

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razzle-zazzle · 3 years

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Bonus Angst

1439 Words; Needle & Thread

TW for implied gore and mild body horror

Cole followed behind the Dollmaker, curious what today’s project would be.

The Dollmaker had taught him so much about how to fix things. How to fix people so they were perfect. From cutting apart practice dummies to see all the wrong in people to crafting things to put in them to make them right—Cole had learned so much under his master’s tutelage.

Everything that was wrong with the human body, and how to fix it.

No new dolls had been added to the Doll House, though, and for all that Cole adored the Dollmaker for all that it had done for him, he was starting to get lonely.

Cole followed the Dollmaker into the workshop, immediately heading towards the cot.

There was a new practice dummy today.

This one was leaner than the last one, small and thin with freckles all over. The face—which was stunningly pretty, a constellation of freckles around sky blue eyes—was round, framed with auburn curls that were soft to the touch.

Cole carded his hand through the dummy’s hair, marvelling at the feel of it—

Wait.

This test dummy wasn’t acting like other test dummies did. Its eyes were glazed over, distant.

Why wasn’t it struggling? Why wasn’t it crying?

Was it sick?

Cole frowned. No, Dollmaker wouldn’t bother with a sick dummy.

The more Cole thought about it, the more familiar the dummy’s behavior seemed.

Almost like…

Cole whirled around to face the Dollmaker, hand going towards the charm on his collar.

The Dollmaker seemed to anticipate his question, though, as before Cole could even grasp the charm it spoke.

“This one’s not a throwaway dummy,” It started, still organizing its tools. “This is your… exam, let’s call it.”

Cole turned back to the cot. If the person laying on it wasn’t a dummy, then…

Was it a doll?

They certainly seemed pretty enough. Even the notched eyebrow added charm, rather than looking like an imperfection to fix.

The Dollmaker scuttled over, laying out its chosen tools on a little tray near the cot.

Cole grasped the doll-to-be’s face in his hands, lifting their head to get a closer look at them.

Recognition glazed over with a heavy coat of confusion lit their eyes. “...Cole?”

Cole promptly dropped their head, giving the Dollmaker a startled look.

“He’ll need to know the name of his maker, won’t he?” The Dollmaker asked, handing Cole the scissors.

His… maker?

The Dollmaker did say this was an exam.

Cole’s eyes widened with a soft whirr, a smile slowly spreading on his face until he was beaming.

Carefully, he undid the straps on the subject’s left arm, scissors ready to cut through flesh.

Cole’d be careful, of course—he was being tested.

He couldn’t wait until his new friend was finished.

+=+=+=+=+

Jay remembered now.

Jay remembered now, and the knowledge left him terrified.

He’d come to in what might have been a dark pit—it was too gloomy to tell, really, and Jay couldn’t exactly walk around and investigate—and he’d been pinned to a wall with his arms either side of him by virtue of his wrists being sewed to metal rings half-buried in the wall. His ankles were similarly sewn to the wall, keeping them together while Jay half-stood half-hung on the wall.

Whatever this place was, it was far too drafty, cold air nipping at Jay’s skin.

What hurt the most, though, was knowing that he wasn’t supposed to be here.

Jay was supposed to be with the others, trying and failing to find Cole. Was supposed to be with Nya, safe in her arms and not…

Not this. Not sewn to a wall like some weird crucifixion. Not scared shitless by the vague memories of scissors cutting his limbs open and everything in them being pulled out.

And oh, if those memories weren’t foreboding. Whatever it was that Jay couldn’t fully remember, it had left his arms and legs feeling heavy and disconnected like dead weight.

The ribbon around his neck extending off into parts unknown wasn’t helping much, either. But it wasn’t choking him, so Jay focused more on the inherent terror of being trapped in an unfamiliar place with full awareness of what was happening.

He didn’t have to wait very long, though, before the sound of footsteps on stone rang out from… somewhere.

A figure started to emerge from the gloom.

Jay froze—not that he was really moving before—watching as the person started to take on a definite shape.

Wait…

Jay’s eyes widened. He’d know that silhouette anywhere!

Miracle of miracles, Cole emerged from the gloom, looking miraculously unharmed and dressed to the nines. Black shirt under a shiny pink cropped jacket, pants leading down into combat boots.

Jay could have cried as Cole approached, alive and well.

Actually, no, Jay was crying, face damp with tears.

Cole stopped a small distance away, but still close enough that Jay could see the eyeshadow.

Damn, Cole was really going all out with this look, wasn’t he?

The collar was probably important, though, the polygonal ring on it a potential clue as to why Cole had been missing this whole time.

But still! Cole was here! He was alive! He was looking hot as hell!

Which might not be entirely Cole’s choice, if the kidnapping theory was correct, but it at least meant he was being treated fairly well!

“Cole,” Jay sobbed out, too happy to see his best buddy alive to care about the stitching, “buddy. Oh thank the First Master you’re alive.”

Cole tilted his head quizzically, confusion thick in his eyes.

Which really didn’t look right, now that Jay was looking closely. The colors were right, but they looked glassy. Crystalline, almost.

And then Cole rose a hand to grab at the charm on his collar, hooking a finger through the ring and pulling on it—

“Wh—” Jay gasped as the charm came off the collar, a long gold string following it. Where was the string coming from?

Cole held the charm out, the string taut, and opened his mouth. “Hello, I’m Cole. It’s nice to meet you.”

Jay’s heart plummeted.

No.

Cole smiled blithely, lips slightly parted. “What’s your name?” His mouth was open, but his lips weren’t moving to match the words why weren’t they moving—

Jay started to sob again in earnest. Oh god. Oh god.

Cole didn’t know him. Didn’t remember him. Was talking without talking like some creepy robot.

Oh god.

Cole frowned at Jay’s response, still holding the charm at a distance from his throat. “I asked you a question.”

Jay blinked through the tears. Right. Positive thinking. He could fix this. He could help Cole.

Jay took a moment to gather himself, then spoke. “Jay. My name is Jay.” He fixed Cole with a pleading look. “C’mon, Cole, buddy, you gotta remember me, right? Your best friend?”

“I don’t really remember a whole lot of my wrong life.” Cole said softly, letting the charm wind a little closer to his throat. He brightened almost immediately. “But if we were close, then—then I’ll make sure you’re extra pretty and perfect when I’m done dollmaking you!”

What.

Of course, now that Jay was actually paying attention, he could see golden thread down the middle of Cole’s throat, like a closed seam. The seam disappeared under the collar of Cole’s shirt, but Jay could guess at how far down it went.

“Oh god,” Jay sobbed, chest heaving as everything hit him all at once, “Cole, please. You gotta—” He sob-gasped, “You gotta snap out of this, buddy. Whatever’s been done to you—” another shuddered gasp, chest heaving, face sticky, throat tight, “We’ll fix it, okay?”

Cole frowned. “I’ve already been fixed.” He stated, letting go of the charm, which began to slowly wind back towards the collar. “And I guess you need fixing, too.”

With that Cole turned around, walking away into the gloom.

“Wait!” Jay called out, trying to struggle against his restraints. Dammit, why did his limbs have to be so heavy? “Cole! Please!”

Cole turned around, putting a hand to his lips in a shhh gesture. He reached up and pulled on the charm one last time.

“You should quiet down.” Cole all but whispered, “Good dolls don’t talk when their voice box is all wrong.”

Jay sobbed.

Cole’s expression softened. “Trust me,” he said, voice even quieter than before. Jay strained to hear it.

“It’s no fun having your mouth sewn shut.”

And then Cole was gone, too far into the gloom to see, his footfalls fading as he left.

Jay didn’t just remember, now.

Now, he knew.

And that knowledge left him terrified.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #zaz writes #cole ninjago #the dollmaker #jay walker #gotta have that sweet sweet jayngst in your life #tw implied gore #a little epilogue of sorts now that the main saga of dollmaker is finished :]#cole was given express permission to speak in order to get jay's name and say hello #might continue this #might just leave this bonus episode as it is #let the readers imagine the ending >:D #body horror #gdmt gotta stop forgetting tags >:[

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razzle-zazzle · 3 years

Text

Whumptober Day 12: It'll be fun, they said

Torture

@ninja-go-to-therapy :D

1137 Words; Desolation

TW for blood and mild gore

“There we go,” Melody hummed, rinsing out Jay’s hair. “Such a pretty doll you make when you’re all cleaned up.”

Jay said nothing, mostly because it was hard to do much of anything at the moment. The drugs coursing through his veins and the exhaustion heavy in his bones would do that.

Melody hummed as the tub drained, running a washcloth over the worst of Jay’s bruises and making him wince.

“There there,” She crooned, “Let’s get you dried off and back to your pipe, okay? It’s dad’s turn next, and he’s got something really special planned for you.”

Jay let out a quiet sob.

+=+=+=+=+

Being shackled to his pipe again probably should have been boring, or uncomfortable, but Jay really couldn’t bring himself to care right now.

It was like Melody had said; Tavari had something special planned for him.

That didn’t exactly make the pounding headache or his aching body any better, but it gave him something to focus on other than the cool air of his little hell. His captors had only been so gracious as to give Jay a pair of boxers, which was not helping fight off the chill.

His throat hurt so much from screaming.

But Tavari loved the way Jay screamed, so Jay supposed he could probably ruin his vocal chords a bit more today.

And hey, at least the warm bath had soothed a few of his aches!

Not that that really helped much when Jay felt like one giant bruise.

With a soft moan at the pain of moving, Jay settled into a better position, legs stretched out in front of him rather than folded under him.

Nothing to do but wait.

+=+=+=+=+

Not long later, Tavari entered the room, a mysterious cardboard box held in his arms.

Jay wondered briefly what the other box contained.

Pain, probably.

Yeah, definitely pain.

Tavari set the box down, then stooped down to look Jay in the eyes.

“Let’s get started,” he said—

And slapped Jay in the face.

Jay squeaked at the pain, throat too sore to make any more noise.

Tavari frowned. “That won’t do.” He reached for his toolbox, digging through it before producing a bag of cough drops. “Can’t let that lovely voice of yours go out, now.”

Jay opened his mouth obediently, taking the cough drop and sucking on it.

Tavari sat back, holding the bag in his mouth while he waited for Jay to finish.

When Jay’s voice had first gone out, screams giving way to strangled whispers, he’d been so hopeful. Had thought that maybe his captors would finally grow bored with him and the suffering could be over.

Now, though?

Jay was starting to hate the taste of honey.

Tea, cough drops—whenever his voice got faint Melody and Tavari would force it down his throat for a few days until his voice returned.

Even despite that, though, Jay’s voice had changed slightly—and likely permanently. It was rougher, now, his words coming out in a rasp that seemed to get more pronounced over time.

But he could still scream, and that was all his captors really cared about.

Besides, there was still that M carved into his chest—and now a T burned into his back—which probably should have been indication enough that Jay was here for the long term.

Regardless, Jay finished off the cough drop, obediently opening his mouth for another one.

While he was working on that, Tavari pulled the cardboard box over next to them, opening it and rifling through its contents.

“I don’t have a whole lot of time today.” Tavari admitted, “And there’s not much point in even a half-session when your voice is recovering.”

Jay supposed there were small mercies.

“So!” Tavari continued, irritatingly chipper, “You’re probably wondering what’s in the box.”

That was true. Jay was very curious, even if it hurt to voice such curiosities. Still, he leaned forwards, because at least if whatever was in there was painful it’d still be nice to know.

Tavari chuckled, then pulled out…

A lightbulb.

Incandescent, if Jay remembered right. Much like the lone bulb in this room.

Jay checked his cuffs, but nope—still vengestone. So unless Tavari took off the cuffs while Jay wasn’t drugged up—which was not happening, Jay knew that much—whatever painful little torture exercise the man had planned today probably wouldn’t involve Jay’s powers.

Which was good, because Jay was fairly sure if he was given access to his powers, much less tried to actually use them, it’d just blow up in his face.

He wasn’t good for much other than being a punching bag, after all.

Tavari grabbed Jay’s chin, gripping it harshly and angling Jay’s face up. “Open up, now.” He instructed, lightbulb in hand.

Oh.

Oh hell no.

Jay kept his mouth shut, wrenching his head from Tavari’s grasp and staring resolutely at the floor.

Tavari tsked, hands curling into Jay’s hair. “Don’t be difficult, now.”

Fuck you.

With a sigh, Tavari yanked on Jay’s hair. When the yelp that produced failed to open Jay’s mouth, the man moved to one of the fresher bruises, the one with a still-healing cut in the center.

Tavari grimaced, then sighed and dug his fingers into the cut, forcing it open.

Jay yelped, a strangled whimper forcing his mouth open.

That was enough.

Tavari forced the bulb into Jay’s mouth, the glass clacking against Jay’s teeth before it was shoved roughly past.

Jay whimpered once the bulb was in place. His jaw was going to ache so much later.

“Don’t break it.” Tavari warned, “It’d be a shame to cut up that pretty throat of yours,” he pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood on his fingers onto it, “But I’m sure you can manage that.”

Jay whimpered again. Why couldn’t Tavari have just burned him? At least that was something he was familiar with.

Tavari noticed Jay’s plaintive expression and chuckled, clean hand gently caressing Jay’s curls, “Oh, don’t worry,” His touch was sickeningly gentle, “I’m not leaving you like this.”

Grinning, Tavari reached back into the box, pulling out a long cord with a screw-socket on the end.

A screw-socket just the right size to screw a lightbulb into.

Tavari hummed as he screwed the socket onto the lightbulb. “I’ve set it on a timer, so it won’t be on long enough to cause too much damage,” He pulled out a little battery box with the aforementioned timer on it, “But it should be enough to keep you entertained.”

As a final touch, Tavari pulled a small camera and microphone out of the box, setting them up to capture Jay’s every sound and movement.

Jay squirmed as the bulb began to heat up.

“Have fun.” Tavari crooned as he left.

Jay had a distinct feeling that he was not going to have fun.

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Text

676 Words; Based on this drawing by @mcfanely

“Cole?” Jay stared, disbelieving. Beside him, Nya and Lloyd gasped.

The Skull Sorcerer—Cole—grinned. The skull in his hand quivered, teeth chattering ominously.

“What happened?” Nya asked, cautiously brandishing her weapon. “What have you done with Cole?” Her attention turned towards the floating skull, which glowed the same sinister green as Cole’s eyes.

Jay started as he noticed that detail. Was this really…?

The skull trembled. But it did not speak.

“The son of Lily is no longer here.” Cole said, his voice even. The skull’s teeth continued to chatter.

Lloyd stepped forwards, holding his hands out disarmingly. “Cole, please.” He said softly. “Whatever’s happening, we can talk this out.”

The skull chuckled. Cole turned his gaze to Lloyd.

It’s almost like when he was hypnotized by the Hypnobrai, Jay thought glumly. But Lloyd hadn’t really been there for that, so he probably didn’t realize.

Lloyd said something else, another plea for Cole to maybe stop doing whatever he was doing.

“Enough!” Cole put the mask back on his face, wings appearing behind him. The skull shrieked with laughter.

Jay tensed. Was Cole going to attack?

The skull quivered a bit. “Destroy them.” It said, “Destroy these interlopers.”

Cole nodded, taking to the air and hovering. The ground began to shake at his command.

“Cole!” Lloyd shouted, one last attempt to reach out as Nya started dragging him and Jay away. “Please, Cole, snap out of it! I know you’re in there!”

The skull cackled. “Fools! Idiots! Interlopers! The son of Lily is no more!”

Cole laughed along with it. The tunnel shook violently. “Run, little rats!” He called out, as the tunnel got progressively tighter. “Run, before you’re caught!”

Nya pulled Lloyd out of the way of a sudden stalagmite jutting out of the floor. “We need to get out of here!”

Lloyd pulled his hand away “But Cole—”

“But nothing.” Nya hissed. “Either we get out of here now and come back for Cole later, or we die here and Cole’s lost forever.”

Jay nodded. “Nya’s right, Lloyd.” He swallowed thickly. “We need to get out of here alive if we want to help Cole.”

Lloyd looked back to where Cole was standing, watching their conversation with interest. He turned back to Jay and Nya. “Alright.” He conceded. “But we have to come back.”

“We will.” Jay reassured. He didn’t want to leave Cole either, but there wasn’t a choice. There was no magic flute to snap Cole out of it; they’d have to find another way.

As the trio fled through the tunnels, Jay spared only one backwards glance towards where Cole had been standing.

They’d come back for him.

They had to.

+=+=+=+=+

“You blasted skull.” Cole cursed softly, as the humans fled. “Why can’t I go after them? I could bring this whole mountain down on them and be done with it.”

“Patience, child.” The skull chided, teeth clacking in warning. “And no, you can’t. Not with all this vengestone in the mountains.” Indeed, it had been a struggle just to make the tunnel shake, let alone summon all the stalactites and stalagmites to scare those pesky warriors off.

“Besides,” The skull added, after a few moments’ thought, “They may prove useful, with a few adjustments to our plan…”

“I suppose.” Cole conceded, clearly still frustrated. The wings on his back flexed anxiously.

The skull chattered its teeth as if it were shrugging. It had been lucky to have obtained this boy as a host—those earth powers would prove very useful for its plans, and something about this boy was… pliable, as if his mind was more open to suggestion. A lot more workable than the skull’s previous host, that was for sure.

Cole said something, snapping the skull from its thoughts. “I don’t know.” It responded. “You’ll have to think of something yourself.”

Cole shrugged. “Eh, I’m sure something will come up.”

Yes, the skull decided, this host would be much more useful. It was certainly more amusing, that was for certain.

“Now, maybe we should track down those other two rats…”

#ninjago #lego ninjago #cole ninjago #skull sorcerer #jay walker #nya ninjago #lloyd garmadon #zaz writes #ns13 #yeah so fane's drawing was giving me... ideas #so i acted on those ideas #there's not enough cole whump in this sad sad world #gotta have that sweet sweet jayngst in your life #lloyd suffers more than enough so let's make him suffer more!#love me some tasty nyangst :3 #skull sorcerer cole au

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Text

Whumptober Day 07: I’ve got you

Carrying | “Support”

790 Words; Green Eyed Monster

TW for blood mention & possessive whumper. Cole does not own Jay and such thinking is very toxic; do not follow GEM!Cole’s example

Cole snarled at the interlopers, blocking a sword strike from the red one. How dare they! How dare they interrupt the sanctity of the morning!

Cole had been happily cuddling his love when the interlopers attacked, brandishing their weapons for no reason. What kind of jerks did that kind of thing?

The gray one moved to stab at him again. Growling, Cole swiped at her to bat her away. His claws drew blood.

This seemingly angered the red one, which Cole could understand—FSM help anyone who dared to so much as touch Jay—but it really just made fending off the interlopers that much harder, which was more frustrating than anything.

From across the clearing, Cole heard the shrill melody of Jay’s voice. “You’re not listening!” He accused of the white and green interlopers. Fuck, he always looked so perfect—

Wait.

The realization hit the oni like a train. They were taking Jay away. That was why they attacked.

They were taking Jay away.

Cole saw green.

How dare they? The audacity, to try and separate Cole from what was his! They couldn’t—Cole refused to allow this! Jay was his! He belonged to Cole, and they were trying to take him away!

This couldn’t stand. Cole wouldn’t let it!

With a roar, Cole surged into action, oblivious to the sudden burst of extra strength. He wouldn’t—he couldn’t—allow this to be!

Getting rid of the nindroid was easy enough. A good, clean hit sent the tin can sprawling backwards, an awful metallic sound ringing out. With the tin can out of the way, there was nothing stopping Cole from curling protectively around his love. He growled, as if daring the interlopers to try and take away what was his.

Unlike the white one, who was being helped back into a standing position by the siblings, the green one stood firm. Green energy pulsed around his hands.

“Let Jay go.” He demanded. He reeked of fear.

Cole snorted. Did this weakling really think he could stop what was meant to be? The green bean had never stopped destiny before.

“Lloyd, don’t—” Jay began. Cole cut him off with a growl.

The energy flared. “I said let him go!”

Cole jumped back out of the green bean’s reach, his arm wrapped firmly around Jay. Strong as he was, Cole knew his limits. Better to get away while he still could.

With Jay held securely in his arms, Cole dashed away.

+=+=+=+=+

From where he was held against Cole’s chest, Jay reflected on the events of that morning.

Everything had gone to shit the moment the ninja charged in. They didn’t recognize Cole—which, admittedly, Jay could understand—and wouldn’t let Jay get a word in, too concerned with getting him to safety.

And then Cole had managed to grab Jay and get away from them all. And he’d looked so much worse than usual, too.

Jay couldn’t get the image out of his head; couldn’t get the sight of those ugly green eyes staring him down to go away.

Right now, they were lying down in the leaf litter, Cole having done his best to obscure the blue of Jay’s gi with mud. It had mostly worked, except for the areas Cole missed, but Jay was overall more brown than blue.

Currently, Cole was holding Jay tight against his chest, purring heavily. It might have even been comforting were it not for the fact that Cole was currently out of his mind.

Jay frowned. He needed to get the ninja to recognize Cole. And keep Cole from attacking them, too.

He was really in over his head, wasn’t he?

Cole, picking up on Jay’s distress, murmured soothingly. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.” His hands started to rub soothing circles in Jay’s back.

“Am I, though?” Jay questioned.

Cole’s grip tightened. “You’re safe.” He insisted, the tips of his claws beginning to dig into Jay’s back. “You’re safe.”

Jay winced. “Cole, that hurts.” He pushed against Cole’s chest.

Cole growled, his hand moving up to the back of Jay’s head, gripping it tightly. “You’re safe.” He insisted. “They can’t hurt you. I won’t let them.”

“Cole!” Oh, fuck, that was really starting to hurt. “Stop it!”

But Cole seemed to be stuck in his trance, repeating the same four words over and over again as his grip on Jay tightened.

“Cole!” Jay squeaked.

All at once, Cole seemed to come back, his grip on Jay relaxing. He looked at the blue ninja fondly.

Jay tried—and failed—to calm his shaking. “Oh god, oh god oh god oh god—” How far gone was Cole?

At Jay’s distress, Cole purred reassuringly. “Don’t worry, bluebird, you’ll be safe with me.”

“I won’t let anyone harm you.”

Jay didn’t feel all that comforted.

#whumptober2020 #no.7 #carrying #support #ninjago #lego ninjago #cole ninjago #jay walker #zaz writes #tw possessive behavior #tw blood mention #green eyed monster au #i saw today's prompt and immediately i knew i had to write GEM #gotta have that sweet sweet jayngst in your life #nya is very angry at cole right now #not that she knows it's cole #she just knows her yang was carried off by some monster #and she's not happy about it #unfortunately for jay things are gonna get worse before they get better

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Text

Bad Nights

785 Words; Sad Jay Noises

This technically isn’t canon (I’ve labelled it as “Bad Ending One” in my docs), but I had the idea last night and I just had to write it.

TW for death & implied suicide

"Cole, please," Jay pleaded, for likely the umpteenth time, desperately trying to pry Cole's claws from around his neck.

Cole’s only response was another growl. “Don’ call me that,” he slurred, eyes glinting dangerously.

Maybe Jay shouldn’t have come here alone. Maybe he should have brought at least one of the others. But he just—he had to see him again, had to see Cole again. Had to find him, to talk to him.

And now here he was, pinned to the floor, trying to talk Cole down. Staring into violet-brown eyes void of their usual warmth and kindness. Here Jay was, face-to-face with his own failure to help his brother.

“Please.” Jay let out a choked sob as he reached up to Cole’s face, cupping his cheek.

His face was damp with tears.

Slowly, carefully, Cole’s grip relented. Jay took a moment to breathe as clarity returned to Cole’s eyes.

Cole snarled. “Leave.”

Jay took Cole’s hands in his own. “No, Cole, I’m not leaving you. I’m not letting you stay here, in this shithole.”

Cole snarled again, baring his teeth. “I said get out.” His expression softened as he pushed Jay towards the entrance. “There’s nothing for you here.”

Maybe Jay should have listened. Maybe he should have left, at least to get someone else. But he just couldn’t leave Cole here—he couldn’t just do nothing—after all, doing nothing was exactly what had led to this.

“No, Cole, either you come with me, or I’m staying here.” Jay insisted, missing the way Cole’s eyes were slowly clouding over.

Cole slammed Jay into the wall, claws curling around Jay’s neck. “I said,” he hissed, voice barely a whisper, “Get out of my way.”

Jay could barely breathe—he was certain his lips were turning blue from the lack of air.

In his panic, Jay let loose on his powers.

Cole jerked, his grip loosening enough for Jay to breathe.

And then he roared, slamming Jay against the wall again, claws digging into Jay’s chest.

So this is how I go out.

Jay whimpered as the realization set in. He shouldn’t have come here alone, shouldn’t have insisted on staying when Cole was so set on him getting out—and now, because of his idiocy, he was going to die without ever saying goodbye to the others. Without saying goodbye to his fiance.

Nya, I’m so sorry.

I love you.

Blood bubbled up in his throat, spilling out past his lips.

“Cole,” Jay choked out, “I lo—”

+=+=+=+=+

Cole rolled over, head pounding. He didn’t remember last night very well—definitely a bad sign—but he could vaguely recall Jay had found him.

Or had that been a dream, a reminder of what he couldn’t have?

Regardless, Cole should probably move anyway. It was better to not be found, better to not have the risk of the others finding him during one of his episodes.

There wasn’t a whole lot Cole had to take with him—his bag could easily hold all of his possessions—but he might as well make it less obvious that he’d been squatting here.

Then Cole saw it.

He screamed.

That—no, that couldn’t possibly—but it had to—no, it—it was—no no no no no no—

A familiar darkness pressed against the edges of Cole’s mind, but he ignored it. No. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be real.

But it was real. It was real, and it was all Cole’s fault. If he wasn’t so pathetic, if he had been stronger, if he hadn’t revealed himself to Jay—

Cole could barely see past his own tears. Could barely hear anything past the rush of blood in his ears, barely hear anything past the ugly sobs racking his body—

“I’m—I’m s-so—I’m sorry.” He choked out, brushing his claws gently through Jay’s hair. “I didn’t mean—I never meant—” He pulled away, quieting. He didn’t deserve to touch him—not after he’d done this.

Carefully, Cole removed his sketchbook from his bag, placing it in Jay’s hands. Then he set the bag down, stood up, and walked outside.

The early morning light left a strange glow to everything—though that might have just been Cole. He kept to the shadows as he made his way down streets and through alleys, trying to ignore the twisting of his heart.

Once he felt he was far enough away, Cole paused. The darkness pressing against the edges of his mind coiled insistently.

Well, no turning back now.

With a final look back the way he came, Cole let all of his inhibitions go.

+=+=+=+=+

In the weeks following his attack on the city, Vengeance had completely disappeared.

What had been found, in an abandoned building, was Jay’s corpse, Cole’s sketchbook clutched in his hands.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #cole ninjago #jay walker #sad jay noises #zaz writes #there's not enough cole whump in this sad sad world #gotta have that sweet sweet jayngst in your life #tw death #tw implied suicide #oni cole #so i had this idea last night #it's not canon but it is sad #pretty much all of sad jay noises can be described as gay and sad #sjn vengeance

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Text

Cole Wants a Refund, Pt 2

Part 1 is here

1219 Words; Redemption AU

Zane had a bad feeling. A feeling that something terrible had happened.

The storm had cleared, yes, and he and Kai had managed to stay relatively dry during, but Zane couldn’t shake the feeling. Perhaps it was because Jay and Cole had gotten separated from Zane and Kai before the storm? It was certainly likely.

“I think I see him over there!” Kai ran off, Zane quick to follow.

But while Kai rushed forwards to their shivering brother, Zane stopped. Where was Cole? Why wasn’t he with Jay?

Jay made for a miserable sight, curled up against the remains of what must have been a bus stop, shivering violently. He was absolutely soaked, stuck staring at one specific spot on the ground in front of him.

Zane had a really bad feeling.

“It’s okay, we’ve got you buddy,” Kai summoned fire into his hands, using the heat to try and warm Jay up, “You’re absolutely freezing, dude. Let’s get you warmed up before you get sick.”

Zane stepped forwards, knowing that his powers would be counterproductive in this situation. But just standing there and watching was making him so very, very anxious. And with that anxiety came a plethora of potential explanations, none of which Zane wanted to think about.

“Jay…” Zane ventured. Jay finally met his gaze, staring at Zane with glassy eyes. With a start, Zane realized Jay had been crying.

No.

“Jay.” Zane began again, his voice more urgent now, “Where is Cole?”

Jay stiffened. “Cole…” He trembled, mouth opening and closing as though he couldn’t find the words.

“No…” Zane said softly. Kai gasped as he realized.

“Cole’s—he’s—Cole’s gone!” Jay wailed. He quieted, staring at the ground. “If I hadn’t insisted on this outing, if we hadn’t gotten separated—” He trailed off, going quiet again.

“Oh my—nono no no—” Kai grabbed Jay’s shoulders frantically. “You’re joking, right? This is just a prank—it’s gotta be. Cole’s going to come around the corner any minute now, and we’ll all laugh and go home, and, Jay, please tell me you’re joking.”

Jay said nothing, looking at Kai as though he wasn’t there. Slowly, Kai’s hysteria melted into anger. He decked Jay.

“Jay you fuck! What the hell!”

Zane stepped in before things could escalate further, pulling Kai off of Jay. “Enough. What’s done is done.” He swallowed thickly. “We need to tell the others.”

Kai had the decency to look somewhat guilty.

Jay nodded. “Maybe Wu knows something…” He added quietly.

Zane nodded stiffly. Mayhaps Wu did know something, something useful, because Cole couldn’t be gone—he couldn’t. There had to be something.

If there wasn’t…

It was better not to dwell on that.

+=+=+=+=+

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing that can be done for now.”

Jay grumbled, aimlessly pushing the buttons on his controller, contemplating taking it apart for the seventh time. It’d give him something to do other than sitting here, sitting here and doing jack shit.

“‘Nothing to be done’ my ass.” Kai muttered, taking a seat beside Jay, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat. The moment they’d returned, Kai had headed straight to the deck to take his anger out on the training dummies. If the tightness of his jaw and the slight scent of smoke was any indication, it hadn’t done much.

Kai tossed his head back and growled. “Fuck this. Fuck that. Fuck everything.”

Jay nodded listlessly. Wu had told them to wait three hours ago. Three hours of just sitting around waiting for something to happen. They were ninja, for master’s sake! They should be doing something, but no, they were sitting around, useless, because there was nothing to be done.

Jay and Kai weren’t alone in their frustration. Zane was probably still cleaning the already spotless kitchen, Nya had yet to come out of the workshop, and Lloyd—

The less said about the overheated console, the better.

Jay was contemplating the pros and cons of throwing the controller across the room—it wouldn’t be that hard to fix, but it’s not like doing so would bring Cole back—

“Hey.”

Jay shrieked, launching himself a considerable distance off of the couch. The couch that was now burning, Kai flailing to put out the flames. The couch behind which stood someone Jay never thought he’d see again.

Jay opened his mouth, only to close it. Again, he tried to speak, to yell, to say anything, but his brain had shut off—for maybe the third time in his life, Jay could not find his voice. Kai continued to beat the couch with a cushion, frantically glancing back and forth between the fire and Cole.

There was an awkward silence.

Fortunately, it was at that moment that Nya appeared in the door, water in hand, grease still smudged on her face and clothes. But instead of dousing the couch with water, she froze.

Cole smiled sheepishly. “Sorry for the wait. I lost track of time.”

Nya stood there for only a moment longer before running at Cole with a shout, water still in her hands. In his panic, Cole forgot he could go intangible, and quickly found himself tackled to the floor. They flailed about, and somehow, Cole managed to avoid being soaked.

From where she had Cole pinned, Nya turned towards the couch, dousing the fire Kai was failing to smother on his own. Then she turned to the ghost pinned beneath her.

“You hare-brained idiot,” She seethed, “Where do you get off disappearing on all of us like that, only to show up hours later like nothing ever happened?”

Cole, for his part, looked sufficiently sheepish. He briefly considered phasing through the floorboards to at least move to somewhere more comfortable—comfortable being a relative term—but Nya fixed him with a look.

“You dumbass.” She muttered, her expression softening. “What were you even thinking?”

Cole glanced to where Jay was still sitting, noting how dumbfounded he looked, realizing that Jay hadn’t actually spoken. Cole’s gaze drifted to the dark-toasted couch, where Kai was perched, watching the proceedings like a confused hawk.

Then Cole looked back to Nya, at the grease still staining her face and clothes. At the way she worried her lip, wanting to say something but giving Cole the chance to speak.

Cole glanced away, phasing through the floor so that he was sitting beside Nya. “I guess I wasn’t thinking.” He said numbly.

Jay chose that moment to finally find his voice, standing as he pointed a finger at Cole. “I saw you get doused Cole, I watched you disappear! How the hell are you back?”

Cole blinked owlishly. “Wu didn’t tell you?”

“Tell us what?” The group looked up to see Lloyd and Zane standing in the doorway. At their questioning glances, Lloyd spoke up again. “We heard Jay and Nya yelling and came to investigate.” His eyes found Cole, and there was a pause as the ghost and green ninja stared each other down. “But now that we’re all here, maybe Cole can explain what even happened. But first...”

Cole found himself suddenly mobbed by the pair, with Jay, Kai, and Nya quickly joining the pile. Even though all he could feel was the ever-present chill and the vague impression of his siblings, Cole found himself relaxing into the sensation, feeling oddly at peace. He smiled.

He was home.

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Text

Blood

1223 Words; Desolation (A Damage AU :D)

For @entersomethingcreativehere :D

TW for blood & mentions of torture

Jay awoke with a start, his body aching from the position he’d slept in. Though brief, it might have been the best rest he’d gotten since he ended up here—there were certainly no nightmares that Jay could recall.

Not that that really meant anything. His shoulders ached from how long his arms had been pulled back, and his wrists chafed horribly in the cuffs. His legs were numb beneath him, but there wasn’t much Jay could do to shift his position.

“Hmmm, let’s see.” Jay’s captor had looked over Jay scrupulously, tracing calloused fingers across Jay’s chest. Jay had had only a moment to feel uncomfortable before his captor decked him in the jaw.

Jay had yelped then, head spinning. His captor’s eyes lit up. He grinned.

“Yes, I think you’ll do just fine.”

His chest was a mess of burns and bruises. If there was a pattern to be discerned, Jay couldn’t see it. Though, given how absolutely nuts his captor was, there likely wasn’t any pattern anyway.

“I’d say that it’d hurt less if you don’t struggle,” His captor bared his teeth. “But we both know it’ll hurt regardless.” Jay’s captor stood up then, pacing back and forth.

“See, I’m a very audio-sensitive person. The little sounds people make do so much more for me than words ever will. And the sounds a person makes when they’re hurt?” There was a gleam in his eye, a kind of hunger that made Jay uneasy.

“Those are the best sounds of all.”

Someone must have turned on a sink upstairs, because Jay could hear the water rushing through the pipes. It was the only indication he had that the world extended beyond this dark basement hell, the only indication that anything else existed. He couldn’t hear anything else down here, alone in the dark; it figured that his captor’s little murder basement would be soundproof.

In the gloom, Jay could make out the vague outline of his captor’s toolbox, and Jay idly wondered if his captor would be coming in to torment him more, or if this would be another one of those days (nights? evenings?) where he was left to simmer in the pain. Between the torture and the solitude, Jay decided he’d rather have the torture. At least then he had his own screams to protect him from the doubts and anxieties.

Not that the torture was much better, but at least violence was something Jay knew how to process, something he knew how to deal with.

At least, that’s what Jay kept telling himself.

The faint sound of a door opening broke Jay from his musings. Though he could barely hear it, Jay recognized the sound of the door at the top of the stairs opening. Jay couldn’t actually see the stairs from the room he was in; the door to the room he was in was slightly crooked, and thus, always slightly ajar, allowing Jay to hear his captor on the stairs.

But there was something different about this time, something about the pattern of footfalls that Jay didn’t recognize. His heart soared. Could this be it? Could this be the rescue he had long since admitted to so desperately needing?

The footsteps stopped just outside the door. Jay’s heart was racing.

Please open the door please open the door please open the door—

The footsteps began to recede. Jay’s heart lurched. He had to—he had to make a sound. Anything to keep this opportunity from leaving. But instead of calling out, Jay’s throat tightened. Earlier he’d been screaming so loud his throat was raw, so why couldn’t he make a master-forsaken noise right now? Why was now, of all times, the time he couldn’t find his voice?

The footsteps, presumably done with whatever business needed attending to in the basement, began to return to the stairs. As they passed by the door a second time, Jay could only let out a strangled sob.

“Please—”

The footsteps paused.

The door opened.

Jay would have burst into tears if he wasn’t already crying. He was right—those weren’t his captor’s footsteps. Standing in the doorway instead was a woman, black hair tied into a loose ponytail. If Jay had to guess, she was probably in her mid-twenties. She looked so well put-together; had the situation been less dire Jay would have been embarrassed at how pathetic he had to look.

“Please,” Jay pleaded, “You have to help me. Everything hurts and I’m chained to a pipe and I’m not supposed to be here.” He gave her an imploring look. “Please, I’m begging you, help me.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” The woman crossed the room quickly, kneeling beside Jay. “I always tell my dad to get a better hobby, but does he ever listen to me? Of course not!” She carded her hands through Jay’s hair. He leaned into the touch, surprised at how something so small made him feel so much better. Had it really been so long since the last time he’d felt something other than pain and cruelty at another person’s hands?

The woman smiled at Jay comfortingly. “My name is Melody.” She said gently. “And I’m going to help you.” She shifted so that she could reach behind Jay.

Jay smiled gratefully. “Thank—” Jay shrieked at the sudden sharp pain in his shoulder.

Melody withdrew, a formerly unseen knife in her hands. It was already red with blood.

Jay stared at her in bewilderment. “I thought—” Fuck, his shoulder hurt, “I thought you were going to help me.”

Melody only smiled, her hand moving to card through his hair again. “I am.”

“Stabbing someone is usually considered the opposite of helping!”

Melody laughed, playfully tugging at Jay’s curls. “But I am helping you.” She held her knife by Jay’s neck. “My dad, for all his talent, is a bit one-note, don’t you think?” She sounded like a schoolteacher addressing a kindergartner.

Jay nodded numbly.

Melody smiled, her knife ghosting over Jay’s cheek. His tears made the cut sting, but it hardly mattered to Jay at the moment.

“You’re a really pretty one, too.” Melody mused, her knife now hovering over Jay’s chest, tracing abstract patterns. “The way you look right now, sobbing so pitifully,” she sighed, making another cut in Jay’s side, “It’s absolutely gorgeous. Makes me wanna cut you up into itty-bitty little pieces.” In her eyes was a hunger, a gleam that Jay was all-too familiar with.

Jay had nothing to say. This woman belonged in a mental hospital. His frame was wracked with another sob as the situation really began to dawn on him. How had he been so stupid, thinking he’d be getting out of this hellhole? When would he realize that this was his life now?

Melody’s hand continued carding through Jay’s curls as she traced out abstract patterns with her knife. The pain of the cuts and Melody’s gentle ministrations blended together, unraveling any fortitude Jay still had. His cries were the only sounds in the room. His throat tightened. His face was sticky with tears.

Melody only hummed in response to Jay’s sobbing, not stopping her actions. If only Jay had stayed silent. Then this wouldn’t be happening.

“You are so pretty.” She said softly.

“But I bet I can make you even prettier.”

Jay regretted ever opening his mouth.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #jay walker #desolation #damage au #zaz writes #gotta have that sweet sweet jayngst in your life #melody jones #this was written almost entirely for kat #and a little bit for myself #no you cannot make me stop hurting the characters #i will whump them as i please #i really really love damage so here is my tribute #:D #tw blood

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Note

For extra angst points, Jay is polygamous, though he was still working stuff out about himself(He isn't aware of any of the associated terminology, he just knows he wants to date more than one person and is generally confused) and has yet to tell Nya. Now the guy who he has a ton of weird unsorted feelings for has gone nuts from evil oni smoke and kidnapped him. Frick.

...I like the way you think, Nonnie :D

#ninjago #lego ninjago #green eyed monster au #ask zaz #i mean i was just gonna have cole be pining over what has at this point become a lost cause for him #and lots of jayngst in how far cole has fallen and how far he's willing to go to keep his 'prize'#but extra angst? yes please #gotta have that sweet sweet jayngst in your life

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Text

Yes, I am calling this AU "Sad Jay Noises"

1918 Words

In the aftermath of the Oni, when Ninjago struggled to rebuild itself, in those first, fledgeling weeks, all the ninja could do was grieve.

Maybe one of them would go out to make an appearance, help with the reconstruction efforts. Maybe two. And maybe it’d just be one of those days where they all stayed in the monastery, desperately avoiding the empty room where dust clung to the bedsheets, their grief choking the air. Even Wu tended to give the doorway a wide berth when he passed it in the hall—a hall he rarely walked now, avoiding it entirely when he could help it.

Several times Jay had found himself stopping by that door, tracing his hands over the wood while contemplating going in. And every time, his mind would bring up the memories unbidden, so real and visceral and painful—

He didn’t scream. He just fell, silently, into the cloud. He hadn’t screamed—Jay had.

He didn’t scream, but Jay could never recall him looking more terrified.

And then Jay would find himself in the bathroom, splashing cold water in his face. Telling himself that everything was okay, when it clearly wasn’t. Telling himself that he’d go in next time.

It was after those first few weeks that they all—Jay wasn’t sure how they even managed to reach this decision, acting as one even as more than a few of them threatened to leave—wordlessly agreed enough was enough. They would go in that room, collect the meaningful things, and give him a proper memorial. They would mourn, and then they’d move on. Maybe they’d split apart again, like when Zane had sacrificed himself to defeat the Overlord. Maybe Jay and Nya would finally start putting together plans for their wedding.

Of course, fate was rarely so kind. Just as they had finally worked up the courage to confront what they had been avoiding, an alert came up. A break-in at the museum.

A welcome excuse to leave the room untouched.

And so the team assembled, meeting the new villain on his way out of the museum, stolen papers in his bag. “Stay out of my way.” He’d huffed, voice distorted through his mask. A mask painted in a way clearly emulating the oni, sending another pang of grief through the group. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, so stay out of my way.”

They didn’t.

He mopped the floor with them, though Kai grumbled that it was only because they were out of practice. That they’d underestimated the guy. That they’d win the next time he showed up.

They didn’t.

“We’ll win next time. One person can’t beat all of us that many times.” Lloyd promised. Yeah. They’d do better next time.

They didn’t.

“Vengeance” was what the public had taken to calling him, based on how his mask and style seemed to be emulating the oni scourge that had so recently been defeated. Media stations speculated on his intentions, social media threads discussed theories about his techniques. There was something achingly familiar to Vengeance, something about the way he moved and fought that reminded Jay of something he couldn’t identify. The others agreed, there was something familiar they couldn’t identify.

“We’ll unmask him in the next battle, everyone. We’ll get the drop on him.”

They didn’t.

And, throughout all of this, the empty room had gone untouched, the priority pushed down in all the chaos Vengeance had been causing. They’d brought it up, once, after a particularly embarrassing battle, but couldn’t bring themselves to do it. Decided they’d get to it after cleaning themselves up.

They didn’t.

But Vengeance did, breaking into the monastery while they were away, rummaging through the things in that room with no care for them. No care for how he was desecrating the memory. It made Jay's blood boil. How dare. The audacity to just dig through their brother's stuff like that.

Kai swore that they'd take Vengeance down next time, to make up for letting this happen.

They didn't.

+=+=+=+=+

It had been a more successful battle than the other times, Zane managing to immobilize Vengeance with ice just long enough for Lloyd to get a good swing in.

Of course, that didn’t last. Vengeance, as always, found a way to regain the upper hand, trapping Lloyd and Kai in a pile of rubble. Nya managed to knock Vengeance off balance with a blast of water from the nearby river, but the extra water on their impromptu battlefield plus a misfire from Zane only served to make everything spiral out of control faster.

But then Jay saw an opportunity. No longer taking the time to think, he rushed Vengeance, tackling him to the ground. “Why are you so frustrating?” He’d asked, while rolling around in the dirt. Vengeance said nothing, just moved to push Jay off of himself.

But Jay wasn’t having it. This weirdo had been causing trouble in the city—so soon after the oni invasion, while emulating those monsters to boot—for so long now, and Jay was done. How was he supposed to grieve his best friend if he was constantly being reminded of the circumstances that killed him? Jay wasn’t thinking, couldn’t hear anything past the sound of blood rushing in his head.

So he punched Vengeance, putting as much voltage as he could into it. He couldn’t help but be satisfied at the whumph sound Vengeance made, the way he twitched and spazzed under Jay as the electricity coursed through his body.

But all too soon, Jay was flying through the air from the force of Vengeance's throw, slamming against Nya before he could even process what happened. When he did, when he heard Vengeance's cry of "JAY YOU FUCK THAT ACTUALLY HURT" as the man charged towards him, Jay had to double take.

He'd put in far too much voltage for Vengeance to have recovered so fast. And yet, there he was, grabbing Jay by the neck and lifting off the ground, ready to throw him in the river.

But Jay wasn't going down that easily—at least, not alone. With a well-placed kick, Jay turned what would have been another take down into a struggle, getting both himself and Vengeance into the overpowering current.

His friends called out his name as he continued to struggle against Vengeance, trying to gain an upper hand. But all too soon, he and his foe were washed away.

+=+=+=+=+

Jay groaned as he coughed up water. He must have hit something in the river, if he'd fallen unconscious. Blinking the bleariness out of his eyes, Jay had to double take once again.

Vengeance was leaning over him, hands on his chest. It took Jay a moment to realize. He had been doing compressions.

He might have even saved Jay's life.

Noticing that Jay was awake, Vengeance backed away. "You okay?"

Jay's jaw was on the floor. Was… was this a trick? It had to be.

"Alright, what's your ploy here?" Electricity sparked in Jay's hands as he backed away, hackles raised.

Vengeance, though his expression couldn't be seen past the mask, gave Jay a blank stare. "Is it so wrong for me to be concerned, Jay?"

And there it was again. He'd referred to the ninja by name before, but something about the way he said Jay's, the sort of familiarity in his tone, gave Jay pause.

Well, two could play at that game—even if Jay wasn't sure what that game was. He relaxed somewhat, though he remained ready for action at any moment. "And why would you be so concerned?"

Vengeance recoiled, as if hurt by that remark. He looked away. "Because I still care about you, Jay."

What the actual fuck. "And why should I believe that?" Jay demanded, hands sparking again.

Vengeance looked back to him, before wordlessly raising his hands to his mask. He took it off.

Jay froze.

It was the last thing Jay expected to see under Vengeance's mask, and yet, there he was.

Cole.

"C-... C o L e?" Holy shit. Holy forking shit on a waffle. Cole was alive. He was there, breathing, breathtaking, alive. Jay stumbled forwards, choking a sob out. His tears were hot on his face. But that didn't matter, because Cole was alive and he was right there and Jay could hit him for being such an idiot and making everyone think he was dead.

So Jay did.

"You jerkass! This whole time, we thought you were dead!" Jay's fists pounded uselessly against Cole's chest, tears running hot down his face. "Do you have any idea how much we've been hurting? How much we wanted you back?" He let out a cry, sagging forwards into Cole's arms. Cole's strong, comforting arms, that always kept Jay safe late at night. Jay wailed again, shoving his face into Cole's chest as his shoulders shook.

Cole said nothing, letting Jay cry it out. When Jay finished, Cole backed away, reaching for his mask to put it back on.

"What are you doing? Cole, stop."

Cole looked back towards Jay, his expression neutral. "I've still got something to finish, Jay."

"Then let us help you." Jay came forwards, taking Cole's hands into his own. "Come back to the monastery, everyone will be so happy to know you're alive. Please." At Cole's unconvinced look, Jay continued. "Whatever's going on, whatever this 'Vengeance' phase is—" And Jay had no doubt in his mind that vengeance was the last thing on Cole's To-Do List; Cole wasn't that type, "—We'll help. We'll support you. We're your family, Cole. Let us help you."

Cole gently removed his hands from Jay's, one of his arms moving to rub nervously at the back of his neck. "Wow, Jay. That's—I don't—" His expression turned cold as his grip tightened on the horns of his mask. He looked away.

"For a moment there, I almost believed you."

Jay's blood ran cold.

Cole replaced the mask, adjusting it once it was on. "Not that it matters." He said grimly. "Even if I wanted to go back, I really can't."

"What… what are you talking about, Cole? Of course you can come back. You can always come back."

Cole shook his head. "I don't think you get it, Jay. Even if I could, I don't want to. There's nothing left for me there." He moved to leave, but Jay latched onto his arm, the tears already back.

"Cole, please." And boy, if that didn't sound pathetic. But Jay was fine with sounding pathetic. His image wasn't important right now.

But Cole just shoved Jay off, knocking him to the floor.

"Cole, wait—"

Cole whipped around, kneeling so that he was directly in Jay's face. The snarling face of the mask met Jay's heartbroken one. "I don't want to hurt you, Jay. I don't want to hurt anybody, so stay out of my way." Cole then stood up and began walking away, leaving Jay with words that went straight through Jay's heart.

"If it makes you feel better, it's not because of something you did do."

"It's what you didn't."

And when the others found Jay, lying there in the dirt pathetically, sobbing inconsolably, when Kai angrily demanded to know what "Vengeance" did to get Jay so worked up like that, when Nya helped him up, when Zane asked what happened, when Lloyd tried to console him, something in Jay broke. Something he didn't think he could fix.

I'll tell the others once we're back at the monastery, Jay told himself. They'll know what to do.

But he didn't.

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Note

Oh my gosh, did Cole not tell them he was respawning at Yang's? (Did he not want to scare them? Did it just never come up?)

Cole's a Dumbass & I Want Ninjangst, that's why

But in all honesty, it's more a case of "it's not like it'll happen again" and Cole not really wanting to talk about it, partly because he has no idea how to even approach the subject; as far as the others know, Cole has managed to avoid water this whole time. Cole doesn't see why he should tell them about it if they never see it happen; they don't know that Cole has "died" and they don't need to know.

And then it keeps happening, even though Cole wants to pretend it isn't, and he just doesn't know how to approach the topic. So he keeps quiet until it necomes necessary, but whoops! You're little too late there, bud.

But mostly I just wanted Jayngst.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #cole ninjago #ask zaz #redemption au #gotta have that sweet sweet jayngst in your life #and of course wu is cryptic as shit #i originally planned it so wu would at least explain the 'ghosts respawn' part #but then i decided not to bc ANGST

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razzle-zazzle · 4 years

Text

Stoneheart AU; Tournament of Elements

758 Words

"How can we not fight? Only one of us can win." Jay said, certain that Cole would come up with some idea, maybe even suggest to draw the fight out.

Cole stared at Jay, silent. He pulled down his mask, showing Jay the rare smile that Jay used to love. Then, he turned to the stands, looking at Chen.

He picked up a rock. Threw it at Chen.

It missed, of course, but it got Chen's attention. Cole stepped forwards, his hands held out nonthreateningly.

Jay frowned. What was Cole planning?

"I'd like to forfeit." Cole spoke, his voice carrying softly through the stadium.

The stands quieted a little.

Wait, no, Jay must be too shaken up from Cole's hit to have heard the golem right. He stood up, making his way over to Cole. "What?"

Chen seemed to be sharing the same sentiment as Jay, confusion clear even from down in the arena. "Excuse me, what?"

Cole tapped his chest, as if to clear out his throat. "I asked to forfeit." He was louder this time, his words crystal clear throughout the stadium.

The stands went silent. The ninja were staring, their mouths agape with surprise. The other masters began whispering among themselves. Clouse cast a doubtful look at Cole.

Chen was at a complete loss, glancing around frantically as if expecting some other unforeseen event to occur. He looked back to Cole, his expression going through a bevy of emotions. Cole stared back, his expression neutral.

"Cole, what are you doing?" Jay asked, filled with a growing sense of dread. What the hell, this wasn't at all like Cole. And yet, this sounded exactly like something he'd do. Jay grabbed Cole's arm. Cole didn't respond, except to shift his stance slightly.

"Cole, are you out of your mind? You can't just... throw your chance away! We both know I'm lucky to have even made it this far!" Jay felt as though he was suffocating, this wasn't right, Cole shouldn't be doing this, he had no right to—

Chen looked moderately interested now, even if Jay couldn't pinpoint the reason. "You'd really give up your chance in the tournament for your... 'friend' here?"

At the thought that Chen might even consider it, the ninja rose from their seats to protest. But at a single gesture from Clouse, the guards forced them back into their seats. They stilled, looking mutinous.

Cole tilted his head slightly, as if considering. He turned away from Chen, away from Jay, towards the Jade Blade. Was he going to take it?

Cole seemed to meditate for a moment, as if considering. The ground rumbled. The pillar holding the blade trembled. Reaching down, Cole picked up another rock. Aimed for the blade.

He didn’t miss this time.

The blade clattered on the ground, bouncing a little before landing at Cole’s feet. He picked it up and tossed it to Jay.

Jay stared down at it in horror.

Cole turned back to Chen, crossing his arms. "I think the better question is: why wouldn't I?"

"No." Jay whispered, his eyes beginning to sting. This wasn’t fair—they’d just made up—Jay should be the one forfeiting, he was the one who pushed the issue when all they had to do was talk—there was no way Jay would last in this tournament, it should be Cole who advanced, Cole actually had a chance—

"No. No." Jay could feel his hands trembling. Knew his knuckles were probably white with how tightly he was gripping the blade.

But Chen simply laughed, as if delighted by Cole's response. "Well, I suppose that's as good a reason as any!" He proclaimed, giggling all the while.

Chen stood up, pointing to Jay. "Winner!" He turned to Cole. "Loser! Master of Lightning moves on!"

Jay turned to Cole, tears building in his eyes. But before he could ask the obvious question, the one on everyone's mind, Cole turned to him.

"She's yours, Jay. I should have bowed out a long time ago." And with that, Cole smiled.

"Win this thing."

Jay didn’t want to say that he cried, when Cole fell through the floor. Something about the way Cole had just given himself up so easily felt so wrong, like something inside of Jay—something crucial to the team—was being torn apart. Cole was his friend, his brother, so why did Jay let this happen?

Jay didn’t feel like he’d be winning this thing. But he had to try.

Because if he didn’t, Jay knew, he’d never be able to look Cole in the eye.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #cole ninjago #jay ninjago #jay walker #master chen #ninjago season 4 #stoneheart au #clay is aquatic dirt #cole has a plan here and that's why he's giving up so quickly #also this au needed some more jayngst #chen really only humors cole here because it's clearly distressing the ninja #clouse is Very Suspicious #zaz writes #i have plans for this arc #gonna have some fun with golem mechanics :)#cole's plan is very risky and he's probably gonna get yelled at for it later #gotta have that sweet sweet jayngst in your life

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