Chapter Text
Kai was used to being hot. It came with the whole Master of Fire thing.
He had noticed it even before he became a ninja. In the winter, Nya would snuggle up to him, sharing body heat. The summers had always been unbearable, especially since they didn’t have any sort of air conditioning like they had in Ninjago city. Working long days at the blacksmith’s wouldn’t help his issue either. The burning fires and scolding metal caused a constant sweat to pour down his face. More than once Nya had had to pull him away from the shop before he passed out, forcing him to wade through the nearby river with her to help them both cool down.
It had only gotten worse when he had unlocked his true potential. Any raised body temperature he had before suddenly skyrocketed. The rest of the ninja often joked that he was a walking heater, joining him and Nya in a huddle during their first winter together. It was nice for them, an instant way to warm up, but for Kai it was like he was constantly sitting in an oven.
If summer was bad before, it was hell now.
Kai woke up to sunlight burning him through the window. His skin was wet with sweat and his mouth was dryer than the desert. When he reached for a nearby glass of water he wasn’t surprised to see his blanket on the floor, kicked off in the night.
The water helped slightly, holding back his growing headache. He rose out of his bed and moved towards the bathroom, disappointed to find that someone had beat him to it. He waited outside the door, sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor. Kai dropped his head into his hands overtaken by nausea, every breath of air feeling thick in his lungs.
Eventually the door swung open. Jay walked out, a cloud of steam following him.
“Kai?”
Kai looked up at the sound of his name, “What?”
“Are you okay?” Jay fidgetted with the hem of his gi.
Kai sighed, pushing himself back onto his feet, “Yeah. I’m good. Just tired.”
His answer seemed to calm Jay, “Oh yeah. Right. Training in ten by the way. I think everyone else is already out there.”
“I’ll be out in a second.” Kai nodded, pushing past Jay into the sauna of a bathroom.
Kai slammed the door shut and immediately started the shower on its coldest setting. As it hit his skin it became disappointingly warm causing him to quickly give up on any attempt to cool down.
He left the bathroom, using a towel to dry his sweat drenched body. Instead of wearing his full gi he elected to swap the uwagi for a t-shirt and headed out to the training area.
As Kai entered the training area he immediately became aware of the work shade was doing to keep him from overheating. The sun now beamed down on him directly in a way that was almost painful. It brought the headache right back to the front of his head. Before he could make the correct decision to go back to bed he was pulled into a spar with Jay.
He was thankful of Sensei Wu’s orders of no powers as he was certain a single flame would destroy any front of alrightness he had put up. Unfortunately, this didn’t mean that he was doing well in the fight. The heat had made Kai slow and sluggish. He hadn’t managed to block or dodge a single hit from Jay.
The Master of Lightning was clearly becoming worried once again, “Come one, Kai. You don’t have to go easy on me.”
“I’m not.” Kai let out in between pants.
“Do you wanna have a break or something? Wu has left with Nya for the day… what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Jay smirked.
Kai sighed, “No. I don’t need a break, Jay.”
“Okay. Sorry. Shouldn’t have suggested it.”
The two ninja continued to dance around each other. Kai managed to get in a few hits giving him hope that the morning had just been a fluke.
Then Jay flipped Kai over his shoulder.
Kai hit the floor with a harsh thud. His head swam, the impact only making his headache worse. For a short moment of reprieve, the sun was blocked out by Jay standing over him. The boy was saying something that Kai couldn’t quite make out. In all honesty, he had accepted the floor as his new home, the thought of standing up made him feel sick.
Jay pulled him to his feet, Kai too tired to fight it, “Kai? I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you would move so easily! Usually you-”
“It’s fine.”
Jay scratched the back of his neck, “Maybe we should have a break now. I could use a drink.”
Kai nodded, but made no effort to move.
“Kai?” Jay's voice was thick with concern. He moved to place his hands on Kai’s shoulder, but was quickly met with a burning heat, “Kai. You are really hot.”
Kai smirked, “Thanks, but you aren’t my type dude.”
“No, Kai. You are actually burning. I think we should go inside or get Zane or something.”
Cole’s head snapped towards his friends as soon as he heard Jay shout for help. Kai was collapsed into the blue ninja’s arms, Jay working to lay him down onto the floor. Cole rushed over, the sound of Zane’s footsteps close behind him.
He crouched down by the pair, “What happened?”
Jay tried to slow his breathing, “He was so hot. Like actually burning then just passed out.”
“It seems Kai’s body temperature is well above normal, even for him.” Zane joined the group, “It seems he has some form of heat exhaustion.”
Cole moved his arms under Kai, lifting him, “We should get him inside and out of the sun.”
The other ninja followed him in and towards their room. Jay was rambling on about their sparring match and Zane quietly reassured that there was nothing the boy could’ve done if Kai had not told him.
After Kai had been put down, Cole moved to cover the room's windows muttering to himself.
“What are you saying, Cole?” questioned Zane.
Cole sighed, “I said that he is an idiot. He must’ve known he wasn’t alright, but kept training.”
“Well… this morning…” Jay's voice faded toward the end.
Cole stared him down, “Did he say something to you?”
“Not exactly, but when I came out of the bathroom this morning he was sitting on the floor, and he was all sweaty. I asked if he was okay and he said he was tired and then we went to the bathroom. I thought he was just grouchy or something.”
Cole threw his hands up in annoyance, “See! This is exactly what I’m talking about. He refuses to ask for help. You know that he isn’t completely immune to fire, right?”
“No. I didn’t know- what? But he is the master of fire.”
“I know. He isn’t fully immune though. He burnt his hands the other week and was planning on just getting on with it.”
Jay reached a hand out to Cole’s shoulder, “We’ll look out for him. We will pay more attention. Remind him that we’re here. He’s going to be okay.”
Cole wiped a hand over his face and nodded.
The pair turned their attention back to Kai. Zane had pulled the boy’s t-shirt and socks off and placed a damp cloth on his forehead. Cole tried not to stare at Kai’s abs, choosing to instead focus on his chest as it rose and fell far too quickly to be comforting.
Cole could feel the room actively cooling down along with Kai, as the red ninja’s eyes fluttered open. He tried to sit up, but Zane pushed him back down.
“Kai. You passed out during training. I am going to hug you now.”
Cole and Jay were just as confused as Kai at the nindroids words. Zane turned to explain, “I am cold. Kai is hot. By my calculations I can use my own elemental abilities to counter his.”
When no one argued, Zane laid down next to Kai pulling him into a hug. Kai let his head fall against the pillow, as he found relief from the constant burning heat that lived under his skin. He mumbled out a thanks.
Jay bumped his hip into Cole’s, whispering to him as he did, “Pretty cute.”
“Shut up.” Cole crossed his arms, “I’m still angry at him.”
“Why are you angry at me?” Kai said over Zane’s shoulder.
Zane replied for the group, “We are upset that you didn’t sit out of training whilst ill.”
“I was fine.” argued Kai.
Jay fought him, “You passed out in my arms! I thought I had, like, broken your brain by throwing you.”
“Sorry.” Kai apologises again, “I really didn’t think it was that bad.”
“Yeah. You never do, dude.” Cole complained, “You need to let us in. I- We care about you.”
“I know. I- I’ll try to… I don't know. Be more honest?”
“Next time you feel ill or injured you must tell us. Not just for your safety, but for the safety of the entire team.” Zane instructed.
“Yeah. Okay. I’ll try.” Kai sighed.
The anxiety filling Cole lessened at his agreement, “We love you, dude.”
Kai didn’t reply, but he didn't need to. Cole could only hope that one day he would feel able too.