Befriending the Criminal

Leaving So Soon?

One chapter left!

The first part of this chapter may sound familiar ;) 'cept it's from Jay's perspective.

***

One month earlier

Jay couldn't believe he let Lloyd drag him into this. In fact, he couldn't believe he was actually committing to this! He flinched when his friend bumped his arm and dragged him inside.

"Relax, Jay. My Dad said he isn't a bad, bad, guy. Just stay close to me."

Jay shivered and inched closer to Lloyd. "Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

When they met Chief Garmadon at the front of his office, he motioned for them to follow to where all the prisoners were being held. "Why do we have to do this?" Jay whispered to Lloyd.

Unfortunately, for him, the Chief heard him and calmly responded with, "Because, Jay, while Cole was here, I came to the conclusion that you two would be the right fit for the job "Besides, you two fight for good, right? You're on our side, so why not give the new fellow a look at what that's like? Hm?"

Yeah, they were two of Ninjago City's beloved heroes, and yeah, they were the most trusted in the eyes of the NPD and Chief Garmadon... but at a time like this, he wished he wasn't a well-known hero. If that was the case, chances were he wouldn't even have to be here.

They passed many already occupied cells, one of them holding a criminal named Pythor, until they finally reached Cole's cell. Oh, how Jay felt like it was the end of the world as he new it. He made sure to stay close to Lloyd as they drew nearer, sometimes wanting to grab a fistful of his coat and latch onto it, never letting go.

Jay's eyes flickered to Cole for a brief moment, wanting to see just how dangerous he really was.

Gum. A prosthetic arm and intense green eyes.

"Congratulations, Brookstone." Garmadon said calmly, stepping forward. "You're free to go."

So, Cole Brookstone. Jay said in his head.

"You're joking." Cole finally said, giving Jay a taste of what his voice was like. He glanced at the Chief nervously and the officer dangled a ring of keys from his hand.

"Am I?"

Jay resorted to chewing on the inside of his cheek when Garmadon opened the cell door. It was a nervous habit of his. No. He wept behind a mask of confidence.

Cole stepped closer. "What's the catch?"

"Ooh, you sure are smart, Brookstone." Chief moved out of Cole's view and nudged Jay and Lloyd forward. "Meet your new roommates."

Jay listened tentatively as Cole spoke to Lloyd and commented on his favorite color, green. Lloyd hated when people did that. He wasn't paying attention when Cole strode closer to him, chewing his gum with a gleam in his eyes. "Oh gosh." Jay muttered softly.

"And who are you?"

Jay hesitated for a moment. "J-Jay Walker."

His chest tightened when he heard Cole scoff. "Jay Walker? Were you born a jaywalker or what?" Garmadon pointed a finger at Cole and warned something to him before the former criminal looked back to Jay. "So, Jay Walker?"

"Y-Yeah."

And Jay swore he saw a smile inch it's way across Cole's face.

***

Present Day

The truth was, Jay had been counting down the days he was going to be stuck with Cole since Day 1. However, time slipped by and when the whole Overlord problem came crashing down on them, he had forgotten all about it. Correction, he lost track of where he even was. But that didn't matter to him. At least not anymore, and he knew for a fact that at least a month had already flown by-