Lava | Ninjago

🜃 | after dark

[ a/n: sorry it took so long. i kept writing and rewriting and tbh im still kind unsatisfied with the result but i dont think it can get any better...

so take this, a continuing of 'near dark' or a stand-alone oneshot, whichever way youd prefer it. title also inspired by a song - after dark by Mr.Kitty (previously i wanted to name it 'aftermath' but ill keep that for something better)

also, happy new year!]

☆🜃☆

Cole couldn't sleep. At all. All he could do was sit in this chair and watch Kai's chest rise and fall as he breathed.

Stupid Kai. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He had no idea what he caused him. And now he dared to just lie there and sleep like it was nothing. The innocent, relaxed face felt like a joke to Cole. Just mere hours ago that face seemed absolutely destroyed. he was crying and mumbling some nonsense and now he has the nerve to sleep like it was nothing.

Cole was unbelievably angry at the fire ninja. The scare he caused him. The anxiety he's still causing at the moment. It was nerve-wracking and Cole couldn't do anything about it.

Cole cried. He did. After the door closed behind Zane he just broke down. It was too stressful, too much. He couldn't cry in front of Nya – what a guilty feeling for some reason... As if Kai wasn't family to everyone.

He went on the roof to calm down – which seemed impossible at first, the sobs almost choking him. But he managed, eventually. Especially when Zane came there to tell him Kai was stabilized for now. So Cole rushed to the room, insisting he'd watch over. If anything–

Jay took Nya back to their bedroom since she must've been exhausted from all the crying and pacing and ranting and stressing over her brother.

So Cole sat down and the staring contest with no opponent began.

The monitors were flashing with different stats — everything seemed to be fine.

Except it wasn't.

It fucking wasn't.

Kai got stabbed who knows where by who knows who in the middle of the night and then passed out in his arms, making Cole think he fucking died, causing him to panic and wake up the whole monastery – if not the entire Ninjago City – by his yelling.

The moment he wakes up? Oh, he's getting it.

Cole kept fidgeting with his hands, never taking his eyes off Kai. He had to figure out what happened. Who did it. Who fucking dared to stab Kai.

Cole wasn't the one to swear – he didn't like it much. It just didn't feel right to him. Kai was the one with the worse dictionary. But right now he couldn't find better words to use. there just weren't any. I mean, what words could you use when your best friend that you've been in love with since forever passes out from blood loss in your arms? This was nothing like the secret daydreams he had. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Kai moved. Cole almost jumped out of his seat. Still nothing.

Cole could hear his own breathing. He could feel how tense his body was. He had to remind himself to unclench his teeth several times before doing so again anyway.

Ironically, Kai's breathing was steadier than Cole's.

Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. How did Kai let himself get stabbed like that? Didn't he constantly brag about being the awesome master of fire? Wasn't that his whole thing? Wasn't he supposed to be invincible? How did he even get himself in such situation? They checked all the logs, all the news and emergency alerts. There was none that night. It was one of those rare, peaceful nights. So where the hell did he go? They fell asleep on the couch together, how did he not notice Kai was gone? Was this all his fault in the end?