Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“We've got a mission,” Kai nods, looking at the map and the blinking lights on it.

“What's up?” Nya asks, moving to see the lights on the map better. Lloyd steps behind her to peer at them as well.

“The trackers tracked the men that stole the Ninjutsu scroll to here,” Kai points at the map in the location of a flashing red item.

“And where exactly is here?” Cole asks, crossing his arms.

“Chen's mansion, of course. It seems like the Ninjutsu scroll is headed there for the biggest blackmarket auction of the year,” Zane fills in.

“So what are we waiting for? We sneak in and punch the crap out of those guys!” Jay exclaims.

Nya shakes her head, “It can't possibly be that easy.”

“You're right, it can't,” Zane replies, and everyone looks at him as if expecting him to continue. “Everyone at the black market auction is specifically invited by Chen, and his security is top notch. If you don't have an invitation, there's no getting in.”

“Aww, what?” Lloyd groans.

“This sucks,” Kai says.

“How do we get an invitation?” Cole asks. The ninja look at each other, shrugging.

“This is where I come in,” Wu steps into the room. “I have acquired some invitations from some close contacts.”

“What's the catch?” Kai asks. 

This seems too good to be true. It can't be this easy, Jay knows from experience.

“Whoever goes will have to make nice for a weekend. They will have to stay in their disguises, selling it,” Wu explains.

“That doesn't sound that bad,” Nya admits. Cole nods.

“The thing is, my contacts have given me specific invitations with certain names on them,” Wu explains. “I have invitations for three women and three men. You all are obviously not those genders…”

“So what you're saying is, some of us may have to crossdress?!” Jay asks, taken aback.

“Yes, and I'm recommending that Lloyd is one of those "women". Many people will recognize him as Lloyd Garmedon or the Green Ninja if not,” Wu states, looking at all of them.

Everyone takes a moment to process this. Jay wonders if he'll crossdress. Preferably not, but he'll do it for the mission.

“I can do it,” Cole says, and Jay snorts.

“Cole, you're five eleven and ripped as hell!” Jay laughs. “You just–” His voice gets cut off by his giggles.

“Maybe you should crossdress then, Jay. You certainly do look small enough,” Cole shoots back.

“Hey!” Nya frowns. “Not all women are small and frail!”

Kai nods, “Can confirm. Nya is the furthest from small and frail of all of us. Well, aside from Cole.”

“So who should do it?” Lloyd asks, “Well, besides me, since I'm obviously required.”

“I'm going as a woman,” Nya shrugs. “Since people so obviously underestimate women.” She shoots a look at Cole who shrugs.

“One more then,” Kai looks at the group.

No one seems to move or respond.

Jay sucks in a breath, steeling himself.

“I'll do it.”

This is how, two days later, Jay ends up wearing a corset and a dress. He's wearing a medium blue dress that highlights his fake curves that the corset gives him.

He feels sweaty and nasty. His waist already hurts, and holy crap, this is intense. He's wearing three inch heels, and his legs have been waxed smooth.

Jay's not going to lie, he feels a little violated.

“Here's the plan,” Nya explains, applying Jay's makeup. She's already added hair extensions to him, so he's pretty sure he looks as much like a woman as he can.

“We pair up as necessary, the invitations are from couples. I'll take Zane, since he's going to be doing the scanning of the location with Pixal. Someone's gotta make it look like he's talking to them instead of no one. Nobody else can see Pixal, remember?”

“Right, so you and Zane are paired up. Who do I get?” Jay asks, feeling like his cheeks are being tickled as Nya applies some sort of powder.

“You're with Cole,” Nya puts down the brush and swipes something over his lips. Jay's going to bet it's lipstick. “You two are going to talk to as many people as you can, making contacts with the other people that may be there. Find out why they came and what Chen plans to do with the scroll.”

Nya caps the lipstick– Jay was right, yes– And looks at his face critically.

“Am I done?” Jay asks.

“For now,” Nya nods. Jay stands up from the chair. 

“I'm going to have to do yours and Lloyd's makeup every morning, unless you magically get good at it.”

Jay nods. The silence gets tense, and Jay realizes their breakup is still hanging in the air.

“For the record Jay, I'm really sorry about our breakup. I just didn't feel things for you anymore and didn't want to lead you on,” Nya admits, sheepishly. She's looking at the floor.

“Nya,” Jay waits until she meets his gaze. “It's okay. I'm over it.”

“Really?” Nya asks, biting her lip.

“Really.”

Nya grins.

“Best friends?” Jay questions.

Nya's grin grows, “Always.”

Jay grins back, and he's happy to have his other best friend back. He's ready to take on the world, dressed in high heels and glitter.

They both head into the room, seeing the others.

Kai is wearing a grey tuxedo complete with a green bow tie. Zane is wearing one in white, with a red tie instead.

Cole is wearing a black suit with a blue tie, and it matches Jay's dress. He realizes this is Nya's doing, and it's damn clever. They're all color coordinated with their "dates".

“We've got a boat to catch,” Nya says.

“You're damn right we do,” Kai replies, stepping up. “We'll get Wu to drive us to the port, and then we'll take the ferry to the island.”

“Remember your names, guys,” Lloyd says, and wow, he really looks good. He's wearing a green off shoulder dress with a leg slit. His hair extensions make him look like he has long blonde hair.

Jay's weirdly jealous. Does he look that pretty? Does Lloyd look better than him?

They head out to the black Minivan, packed with trunks and items. The ninja wait outside the van as Wu places some items into the trunk.

The night air is cool, and Jay's heels click on the patio. Lloyd is wrapped up in a conversation with Nya, and Zane seems to be talking to Pixal.

Jay looks to his left and sees Cole staring. Is he staring at him?

Jay's had a crush on Cole for a long time, so this kind of attention is strange. He's resigned himself to the fact that the black ninja is straight. At least he thinks. Maybe.

He can't look that much like a woman, right?

Jay sneaks a glance back at Cole, who still seems to be staring as if noticing him for the first time. Jay feels his cheeks flush.

“Have you always had freckles?” Cole whispers, and Jay flushes. How had Cole not noticed them before?

“They're new,” Jay jokes. “I got them maybe five years ago? Oh wait, no, it was twenty four.”

Cole chuckles, and Jay finds himself lost in his dark eyes. They're gentle and kind, and Jay just wants to drown in them.

“There's something different about you I can't put my finger on.”

“Maybe that I'm dressed like a girl? Wearing a corset? Heels? Does that ring a few bells?” Jay snarks and Cole laughs.

“No need to get defensive, oh wise master of blabber,” He holds his hands up in a surrender.

Jay snickers.

“Uh guys?” Nya interrupts. “You can get in the van now.”

Jay feels his cheeks heat again, and wonders if that's going to happen a lot. Probably. He'd better get used to it.

Cole enters the van and sits next to Kai. Jay sits next to Nya in the back, next to Lloyd on his other side.

What if someone notices he's not a girl? Why hasn't he thought about this?

“Jay,” Lloyd calls, and Jay's attention turns to him. “We're in the same boat.”

Jay smiles weakly, “Tell me about it.”

Nya giggles, “Jay, you'll be fine. Both of you. Please promise me neither of you will sit like Jay.”

Jay looks down at his open legs and frowns.

“What's wrong with the way I'm sitting?”

Nya breathes in, beginning to talk about how women typically sit. Oh boy. This is going to be a long weekend.

The ninja exit the van, taking their respective luggage to the boat. They stand in a line, and the "couples" stand next to each other.

Jay is bouncing on his toes excitedly. This is going to be pretty cool. Maybe even a little dangerous.

But what if they find out he isn't a woman? What if they find out his name isn't Mrs. Quigley, but Jay Walker?

Then it'll be bad. They'll put him in the dungeon. Does Chen even have a dungeon? What if he does have a dungeon?

Would it be gross?

What would be in it?

“Jay.”

Jay looks up from his nervous thoughts and meets Cole's eyes.

“You're going to be fine,” Cole squeezes his hand, and Jay remembers. Oh yeah, they're holding hands.

“We've got this, okay? I've got your back, motormouth.”

Jay feels his lips turn into a smile.

Cole beams at him, and it feels like they're in their own moment. Jay clutches Cole's hand in one hand, and their invitation in the other.

“Next,” The guard demands, and they step up. “Invitation, please?”

Jay hands them the invitation.

“Mr. and Mrs. Quigley I see,” The guard says, boredly. “Enjoy your weekend.”

Jay takes the invitation back and looks at Cole. They did it!

“Told you, bluejay. We're all set,” Cole grins, and Jay has to grin back. His joy is infectious.

“Y-yeah, you did,” Jay replies, his cheeks feeling warm. “Mr. Quigley.”

Cole snorts, “Mrs. Quigley.”

They both crack up as they sit on the boat, watching the water run smoothly through the back. The boat chugs its way towards Chen's island, and Jay has no idea what to expect.

Chapter Text

The ferry docks in the island, the plank opening up to the land. It's tiled and fancy, a huge gate surrounding an even bigger mansion. Jay's not going to lie, he's impressed.

He makes sure his communicator is set in his ear and walks off the plank, with Cole following. They are holding hands, a fact that still fills Jay with warmth and butterflies in his gut.

Cole's hands are warmer and bigger than his, and fit nicely between his stubby and cold fingers. His cheeks feel warm, and he gazes up at Cole's face through his mascara covered lashes. 

Cole looks neutral, like he's concentrating on something. Jay wonders what he's thinking about.

The blue clad man's heels click on the stone patterned ground as they are led into the huge red and black Japanese-influenced mansion. Even though this is an organized crime location, it fills Jay with awe just to see the building in all its splendor.

The cool air of the night is made worse by the proximity of the ocean, and Jay looks back to the ferry. People seem to be unloading their luggage from the boat, so that takes care of one problem.

Jay stumbles, the heels catch on a crack in the stone. He looks at the upcoming ground, flinching and shutting his eyes tight.

Cole catches him in his strong, warm, arms. He smells like cologne, and it's intoxicating. Jay wants to bury his face in his neck and drown in the scent.

 “You okay, Jay?”

Jay feels his cheeks heat, and mentally swears. Swearing may be a sign of weak verbal skills, but he has no other words. This is ridiculous. His life feels like it's being pulled in so many directions right now. Seriously Cole?

“Y-yeah,” Jay replies slowly.

“You look a little red, are you sure?” Cole asks, thick eyebrows furrowing, and Jay notices their proximity. Cole seems to be rather close to his face, his longer hair framing his face as he leans down.

“I– I– I'm great! Fine! Amazing! All good here!” He gives a thumbs up to Cole who takes his hand and pulls him up.

“If you say so,” Cole concedes. “Please be careful in those heels, I can't lose my best friend to them.”

At that, Cole's solemn expression morphs into a smirk.

“These suck!” Jay complains, “Go on without me. I'm dying.”

Cole snorts. “Sure thing, princess.”

“Hey!” Jay exclaims, and Cole shrugs, that annoyingly handsome grin remaining on his face.

Jay meet's Cole's eyes and it feels like they're in their own moment, just the two of them. It feels like all expectations have faded away, and they're two people. Jay and Cole.

It's them against the world.

“If you would stop flirting,” Lloyd interrupts, standing near them in his pretty green dress, “We can get on with this mission.”

Jay's cheeks heat. Cole clears his throat and helps Jay up. Kai shrugs at Jay's embarrassed glare, he's standing next to Lloyd.

“We're just getting into the roles?” Cole tries. Lloyd rolls his eyes and snorts.

“Sure,” He replies, shaking his head.

The ninja head into the grand building, the first floor filled with many antiques and Japanese-inspired furniture. It looks regal, and the chandeliers are golden. A lot of things are made of gold. A concerning number actually. Is this legal?

...Probably not. It's the black market auction. Illegal is in the name. All sorts of villains and people gathered here to conduct business, make connections, and the works. Hopefully they wouldn't recognize them out of their ninja outfits.

Jay squeezes Cole's hand and gets a reassuring one in return. He looks around the room, trying to pick up on someone to socialize with.

Hmm… Jay spots a girl with red hair in an orange dress. Her hair is in a complicated updo, and she's wearing long dangley earrings. She's holding a glass of champagne in one hand, and laughing at something someone said.

She looks rather important.

“Does she look like she knows something?” Jay gets up on his toes to whisper to Cole. Cole leans down to hear.

“Worth a try,” He shrugs, getting pulled along by the other. Jay is gripping his wrist tightly as he pulls Cole to the orange girl.

They weave through the crowd, a few apologies here and there, and they're finally at their destination.

Only, the girl is gone.

“Enjoying the party?” A voice asks

Jay turns around to see a mustached man, sipping some champagne from a fancy flute.

“Oh, yes,” Cole schmoozes before Jay can reply. “The decorations are very elegant and everything looks so expensive. I can't wait until the auction.”

“Well,” The man laughs, and Jay realizes this must be Chen. That's why he has the arrogant look and attitude. “You're going to have to wait a bit longer. I did take the liberty of preparing rooms for you two. Cameron and Jessica Quigley, I believe?”

“E–” Jay starts and Cole squeezes his hand tightly. Jay translates that to mean shut up.

“That's us.”

“Of course,” Chen nods. “I have other guests to talk to, but do enjoy the cheese platters. They are from my noodle house chain, after all.”

Cole and Jay wait as he walks away before turning to each other.

“That was weird,” Cole says.

“You think?” Jay shakes his head. “Cameron and Jessica. At least they're not super, super weird.”

“At least someone gave us our first names, or I'd've been running around as 'Mr. Quigley' all night.”

Jay wrinkles his nose at Cole's joke. “Ick. That's so gross.”

They look around the room, and see various couples dancing. With nothing left to do, they retreat to the cheese platters.

Jay takes a plate and puts a good amount of cheese on it. Cole shakes his head.

“I'm lactose sensitive. I could never.”

“You're missing out on some good cheese,” Jay says, through a mouthful of Gouda. He looks out to the ballroom, a silence falling over them.

Cole wordlessly grabs Jay's wrist and tugs him over to a nearby bench. They sit next to each other on the bench, thighs almost touching. Jay places the plate of cheese in his lap.

He enjoys his cheese, nibbling on a piece of Havarti as he people watches.

They watch Kai and Lloyd dance together– and they're good– as well as Zane and Nya. Both "couples" seem to dance to erase suspicion.

Zane keeps glancing over to the door like he's afraid that someone will come in, and Jay's rather curious. He glances towards Cole who shrugs.

“Should we be dancing?” He asks, peering out at the others.

Cole presses down on his communicator and repeats the question.

“What did you think you were supposed to do, sit there eating all night? You're supposed to look inconspicuous!” Nya replies over the comm.

“Yes, you should be disguising yourselves. Dancing would be a good activity,” Pixal adds.

Jay nods. Okay. Then he remembers the others can't see him and his face gets warm.

“Noted,” He replies, dropping his hand from his comm. His fingers play with the edge of his blue skirt nervously.

“My lady, may I have this dance?” A man asks, coming from an alternate corner of the room.

Jay looks up, looking around for who he's talking to.

“Oh, me?” He asks, and the man nods.

“Yes, you.”

“No thank you,” Jay practically purrs. “My husband and I are very happy. But thank you for the offer.”

He turns Cole's head with his gloves hand and kisses him on the mouth. It's a pretty mediocre first kiss, but it's something.

Cole looks shocked, and moves to say something, but then sees the guy. Jay feels bad. Should he have not? Wasn't that just keeping cover?

“Oh, alright then. Have a good evening, miss,” The man disappears into the crowd.

Jay wonders if he should bring the kiss up to Cole, a tense silence filling the air. It's not a bad tension, it's just he's overthinking again and it's a mess– ugh. He knows he can't bring it up in the open like this, but it bothers him.

“Hey Jay,” Cole starts, and the auburn hated man looks up. Jay wonders if he's going to say something about the kiss.

“The woman is back,” He points to the woman in orange again.

Jay stands, brushing off his dress and Cole takes his hand to pull him along.

They make their way to over her, away from the crowd. She's nursing her champagne flute solemnly, looking at the ground.

“Hey,” Jay greets lamely. “Are you okay?”

“Of course,” She smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. “I'm perfectly fine.”

“I just wanted to say that your dress looks amazing! Sorry if that's pretty random, I told Cameron I had to tell you that, but he said that we shouldn't bother you,” Jay acts, hoping this was working. He hopes the fake name was Cameron, otherwise oops.

“Oh, thank you,” She replies, looking surprised, “Yours is pretty cute too.”

“My best friend and I went shopping for it before this,” Jay replies. Cole shifts his weight, clearly impatient with this small talk. “Are you here with anyone? We can go get them if it would make you feel better…”

“No!” She says quickly. “No, I'm here by myself.”

Cole and Jay exchange glances at each other. Something's up.

“Do you want to hang out with us then?” Cole asks. “We're trying to figure out what sorts of fun things are being sold at the auction.”

Jay meets his eyes and understands where he's going. “My husband and I brought around 3 mil on a card, and we want to know if that would be enough.”

The woman's eyes widen in understanding.

“Who did you said you were again?”

“Oh, uh, we're Mrs. and Mr. Quigley. Jessica and Cameron. I'm uh, obviously Jessica,” Jay says, and feels super awkward about it.

She laughs at his statement. “Nice to meet you two. I'm Skylor.”

“So do you happen to know what's in the auction? Or know someone who does?” Jay asks, and Cole crosses his arms.

“I would have to ask my– I mean Master Chen about that…” She frowns. “To tell you the truth, I've always been against this sort of thing. As much as I love- uh, like Chen… He sells things such as Ivory poached from elephants. Feathers from endangered species. Rare gems stolen from museums and the public.”

Jay gasps.

“Oh, honey,” He holds out his arms for a hug and she takes it. “It's okay.”

Jay has a motive. He notices that she has guns strapped to her legs during the hug. By peeking into her purse, he also noticed that she's carrying an ID card with a last name that's similar. But where has he seen that before…?

“Everything will work out fine,” Jay comforts, and he's processing the information he acquired.

“Thank you,” She smiles. “I'll leave you two now, I really should be socializing.”

Cole looks at Jay, raising an eyebrow.

Jay knows what he's wondering.

“Yeah, I know that wasn't me. I needed to act the part to find things out,” He rolls his eyes, “She's definitely not who she says she is. Here's her ID.”

He tosses it to Cole who catches it.

“Skylor… is related to Chen?”

“That's not all. She also has two guns, likely pistols, strapped to her thighs,” Jay reports.

“That's strange, because all weapons were taken on the boat. There is an armed security guy at every corner. What would she need with guns?”

“That's what we need to find out,” Jay answers, pursing his lips.

The more questions they try to answer, the more that come up.

He hopes they'll find some answers soon.

Chapter Text

Eventually, the gala winds down. They are told to go to their rooms, and Jay and Cole head to it quickly.

Jay is exhausted, his feet ache, and his head hurts. He can't wait to get out of this corset and just go back to being himself.

He drags Cole by the wrist through the hallway and up towards a room. Apparently they have two, they are connected by a sliding wall. Which is nice. They can sleep apart.

Except, when they get to the room, one of them is made from rocks. There's a book next to it, titled, A Guide to Living with Nature: Harmony and Peace. That says a lot about the room. There is literal bamboo growing in the corner, and it smells like dirt. There is a fridge full of kombucha.

Cole closes the sliding wall.

“Okay, so we essentially have one room,” He states, and closes the door they walked in through. Jay sighs.

“Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting out of these heels. And this makeup,” Jay replies, sitting on the bed and pulling off the heels.

The auburn haired man heads to the bathroom and takes a shower. He throws on a random t-shirt and some shorts he brought with him for the times when he doesn't have to be undercover.

He cleans off his face, heading back out to the room.

“So do we talk about the gala?” Jay asks, looking at Cole who has since changed out of his suit.

“What about it?” Cole asks, flipping through the channels on their humongous TV. He looks kind of tired, but Jay wonders if he feels it yet. Sometimes the feeling doesn't hit you until later.

“Well,” Jay starts and Cole looks at him. “Skylor wasn't who she said she was, Chen seems to be none the wiser about his people not being here, and we have no clue where the scroll is, or what else is at the gala.”

“We need a plan.”

Cole blinks, turning his dark gaze towards Jay, “We should probably talk to the others.”

“Yeah,” Jay replies, biting his lip thoughtfully. “But then I'll have to dress up again… and I really don't want to…”

“You're forgetting something, motormouth. We're ninja,” Cole smirks, and Jay sort of likes his cocky expression. “We'll wait until the guards switch, or until it's dark enough for us to sneak around.”

Jay blushes in embarrassment, “Oh yeah, I kind of forgot we were ninja…”

Cole shakes his head, “Dork.”

“Jerk,” Jay replies, and the black ninja shakes his head again. Cole's the dork, Jay thinks. Not him. No one else would come up with such clever comebacks to villains.

The darker haired man stares at Jay, his eyes catching the light of the overhead lights in the room. They're a deep brown, and Jay knows that if he's not careful, he'll get lost in them. Lost in those deep dark eyes, which are like warm cocoa. 

…He's not even going to want to be unlost. Found? He'll ponder word choices later.

“Takes one to know one, freckles,” Cole replies, his voice sounding softer. He's closer now, placing a tentative hand on Jay's cheek.

“I don't know how you missed them before,” Jay states, grinning into Cole's face. His best friend was the biggest dork.

Cole huffs a laugh, “Yeah, me neither.”

He's closer now, his breath barely touching Jay's cheeks and mouth. The smell of his deodorant is strong, and his breath is minty. He must have brushed his teeth, Jay thinks.

“Jay…” Cole whispers, as if to get his attention. His smile fades and his gaze looks soft.

“Cole, when we kissed earlier–”

The door slams open.

“Hey Jay! Guess– oh, shoot. Nya is going to kill me,” an excited voice says from the doorway. “If she loses money on the bet too, she's going to drown me in a pond…”

“Hi Kai,” Jay tries not to pout. Ugh. He was so close to telling Cole how he felt! 

“Wait, bet?” Cole asks, looking at the other curiously. Kai shakes his head.

“Uhhhh– nothing. I was going to say that Lloyd sent me over to collect mission info, but I seem to have interrupted… something. I can come back?” the brunet explains, looking between the two.

“No,” Cole sighs, looking defeated, “It's fine, come in.”

Jay silently wonders what he could be so disappointed about.

“Okay, so,” Kai closes the door behind him. “We have found nothing so far. Zane has been doing perimeter checks with Pixal and Nya all night. Nothing looks out of the ordinary so far.”

“Right, and what about you and Lloyd?” Jay inquires, noticing Cole looks curious as well.

“We found where they hid the scrolls, along with the hoard of treasure,” Kai explains, flopping onto the bed on his stomach. “Only problem is, the security is really tight. They've hired guards from all of the crime families and from some of the current elemental masters.”

“That's rough,” Jay whistles dramatically. “You'd think that criminals wouldn't hire security, seeing as they have no regard for the rules.”

“I don't know, maybe they just like the power rush. Find anything else, Kai?” Cole shrugs, after nodding along with the explanation.

“Nothing,” Kai sighs defeatedly.

“Well we found some interesting information,” Jay smirks smugly.

“What did you find?” Kai lifts his head up from the mattress.

“We found Master Chen's daughter who was pretending not to be related to him. And she had guns despite the explicit no weapons rule in this place,” Jay reveals, still looking smug.

Cole elbows him.

“Hey!”

“No need to look so conceited,” Cole answers, laughing. “You're starting to sound like Kai.”

Another “hey!” sounds from across the room. Jay rolls his eyes.

“Okay boulder brain,” He replies dryly. “Anyways, so in conclusion, Skylor is suspicious. And Master Chen's daughter.”

“Interesting,” Kai nods, thoughtfully. “Wait, what's even in these scrolls to warrant such high security and care?”

Jay bites the side of his cheek, considering it. That's a good question that never occurred to him…

“It must be important if they're going through such lengths.” Cole crosses his arms, looking determined. “We need to regroup and share our ideas.”

“Right,” Kai nods.

“But won't it look suspicious if three couples just randomly go into the same room in the middle of the night?” Jay asks, and the other two look at him in realization, like they hadn't considered.

“And you guys called me the dumb one.”

“I didn't! I said it was Kai.” Cole shrugs.

“HEY!” Kai shouts.

Jay laughs loudly at Kai's indignant reaction. “Okay, okay, but seriously guys. We have to figure out how to get the information all together so that we can plan our next steps.”

“Well maybe we can…”

The rest of the night passes in planning whispers and half-hearted jokes. Nothing is planned. When the lights finally go out, Jay lies awake at night staring at the ceiling, heart still racing from how close Cole had gotten.

Cole was close, and he had smelled good. Kai had ruined it!

By morning, the tension’s back in the air. It sticks to them like humidity.

The invitation to the auction arrives in a silver envelope slid under the door. No sender. No instructions. Just a time, and a symbol burned into the paper: a serpent coiled around a scroll.

Jay holds it up, eyebrows raised. “Well. That’s not ominous at all.”

Chen’s auction hall gleams like a serpent’s grin. It has velvet draped walls, flickering lanterns, and too many eyes watching from the shadows. Every guest seems part arms dealer, part snake.

Jay tugs at the edge of his wig, muttering, “This thing itches in places wigs shouldn’t reach.”

Cole, looking annoyingly comfortable in a tux, gives him a sideways glance. “Stop fidgeting. You’ll blow our cover.”

“I am our cover,” Jay whispers. “You’re just the arm candy.”

They were seated close to the dais. Fake champagne, real tension.

Items passed by. Cursed daggers, shadow crystals, a lava lamp someone claimed belonged to Garmadon once. Lots of spooky stuff. 

Finally, a scroll. Old. Wrapped in stormcloud-colored silk. The wax seal bears the ancient symbol they recognize.

Jay leans close to Cole, smelling his cologne. “That’s it. That’s what we came for.”

“Toilet paper?” Cole wrinkles his nose. Jay gives him a look.

“Then we better not mess this up,” Cole adjusts, and Jay nods.

Jay, voice low and fast, adds, “Too late on that one, I already did. I tripped on the way in and told someone I was ‘Jessica Quigley, freelance taxidermist.’”

Cole blinks. “...We need to work on your cover stories.”

Jay tries to laugh it off, but his fingers keep twitching in his lap.

A spotlight swings toward the dais. The scroll is placed in a glass case on a velvet pedestal, and the room quiets.

An announcer, oily voice and too-white teeth, leans into the microphone. “Lot seventy-four. One-of-a-kind. Untouched by time, decoded by no one. The Ninjitsu Scroll of Balance.”

Gasps. Murmurs. Someone drops a wine glass in the back.

Jay frowns. “That’s it.”

Cole’s already watching the crowd. His eyes are scanning every bidder, every guard, every subtle hand gesture. “We’ll have to be fast.”

Jay tilts his head. “What if it’s not real?”

“It’s real,” Cole says without looking at him. “Wu’s symbol’s on the seal.”

Jay’s heart skips. Right. Wu. The scroll. The mission.

Not… how good Cole looks in a suit. Or that his arms are bulging in the fabric. Ugh, he's so hot.

The announcer continues, “We will begin the bidding at two million credits. Discreet currency conversions are available upon request. All sales are final, and betrayal is fatal.”

Jay leans in again. “Did he say fatal?”

“Yeah,” Cole replies. “Pretty sure he did.”

“I’m gonna sneak up there,” Jay states, and Cole shakes his head. Jay, of course, ignores him.

He steps out of the row they're seated in and makes his way towards the drinks, keeping his eyes on the stage.

His heel catches on the edge of the carpet, sending him tumbling into an ice sculpture shaped like a wyvern. The crash was tremendous. The wig flies off. Gasps ripple in the room.

“That’s not a woman!” someone shouts.

Jay scrambled to his feet, adjusting the flowered blue dress. “Actually, gender is a spectrum and you have terrible manners.”

The air is frozen.

Then Cole lunges, knocking back two guards who'd rushed forward.

“Welp,” Jay sighs, summoning a crackle of lightning into his hands. “Guess we’re doing this.”

Guards swarm from the corners like ants from a kicked nest. Jay ducks a flying goblet and throws a bolt of lightning across the room. It hits a chandelier, which crashes down in a spray of sparks and crystal.

People actually scream. Huh. So it's not just in movies.

Cole’s already moving. He's spinning low, sweeping two goons off their feet. He slides to Jay’s side, breathing hard but grinning.

“Nice of you to start the party early.”

Jay zaps a guard’s stun rod mid-swing. “Didn’t want you getting too bored.”

They move together, back-to-back now, like they’ve done a thousand times. Spinning, striking, covering each other without speaking. It’s not flawless, Jay nearly fries a priceless urn, and Cole rips his sleeve dodging a thrown spear, but it’s beautiful in its chaos.

Then, a gunshot cracks the air.

Everyone freezes. Jay turns. A figure stands atop the balcony, cloak pulled back, weapon raised.

It’s Skylor.

But she’s not aiming at them, she’s aiming at the guards.

“Stand down,” she says coldly. “They’re not your enemy.”

Jay blinks. “Wait… what?”

She vaults the railing, landing neatly beside them. “You’re not the only ones undercover. Chen’s trying to auction off elemental secrets– including mine.”

Cole scowls. “You’re his daughter.”

Skylor shrugs. “Yeah, and I’m sick of his garbage.”

Jay, still sparking faintly, gives her a wary look. “So what, you’re helping us now?”

Skylor smirks. “Let’s say our goals align. Temporarily.”

More guards rush in from the side doors with heavier armor and electrified batons. Cole steps forward instinctively, but Skylor holds up a hand.

“Wait.” She pulls something from her belt, a small glass orb, and tosses it into the center of the room.

Boom. The room fills with smoke and screaming. Jay coughs, grabbing Cole’s sleeve. “Okay, okay, okay! That’s our cue.”

Skylor grabs Jay’s arm, pulling him out of the way of a bullet. “That's the scroll you guys should be looking for.”

Cole follows, already scanning the hallway ahead. “I believe you. But if this is a double-cross–”

“You’ll punch me, I know,” Skylor snaps. “You and everyone else.”

Jay grins through the smoke. “She’s cool. Can we keep her?”

Cole chuckles, shaking his head.

Nya and Lloyd storm in. Lloyd vaults over a table, green energy crackling around his fists. Nya cracks her water whip and hurls two guards directly into a teetering tower of fondant and doom.

The cake explodes like a sugary avalanche.

Jay whoops. “Let's go, Nya!”

“Could’ve used you five minutes ago!” Cole shouts, elbowing a guard in the jaw.

“We were disabling the perimeter lockdown,” Nya shoots back, slamming her boot into a wine rack that shattered over another attacker. “You’re welcome!”

Lloyd lands beside Skylor, crouching with practiced ease. “You working with us or betraying us again?”

Skylor doesn't flinch. “Working. For now.”

“That’s the best we ever get,” Jay mutters.

Cole is already pushing toward the scroll’s display, now half-covered in debris and frosting. “Jay, think you can short the glass seal?”

Jay’s eyes light up. “I love destroying other people's property.”

He darts forward, electricity building in his palms. “Stand back. I’m gonna do something cool.”

He slams his palms against the display case.

Lightning surges. Glass explodes. The scroll is free.

Jay holds it up, breathless. “Boom. Ninja’d it.”

He grabs the scroll.

Jay clutches it like a video game. “We got it! We actually got it!”

“Not for long if we don’t move,” Lloyd snaps, deflecting a dart with a glowing burst of green energy. “Reinforcements incoming!”

“We’ve got maybe sixty seconds before Chen figures out which way we ran,” Nya adds, already grabbing Skylor’s wrist and hauling her toward the nearest exit. “Back to the suites. Tunnels are faster!”

“Wait, you knew there were tunnels?” Jay asks, ducking a thrown chair as they ran.

Nya smirks. “I do my homework.”

Cole yanks Jay behind a curtain as another burst of magic shot past. “Jay, focus!”

“I am focused,” Jay pants, scroll still clutched to his chest like a fragile bird. “This is my ‘focused but panicking’ mode!”

They burst through a hidden door behind the bar, plunging into a narrow stone corridor lit with flickering red backup lights. The sounds of chaos from the auction hall fades behind them, replaced by the thud of running footsteps and everyone’s ragged breathing.

Jay glances at Cole. “So… how mad do you think Chen’s gonna be?”

Cole doesn't even look back. “Let’s just say if he had a ‘murder switch,’ I think he flipped it.”

Jay groans. “Ugh. That’s tomorrow’s problem.”

They don't stop running until the stone corridors gave way to the soft carpet of the suite.

The door slams shut behind them. For a long second, no one speaks.

Jay finally breaks the silence, still clutching the scroll like it might vanish. “Okay. So that went… not terribly.”

Nya collapses into a chair. “Define ‘not terribly.’”

Cole places a steady hand on Jay’s shoulder. “You did good.”

Jay looks into his eyes. His beautiful brown eyes. He lets Cole gently take the scroll from his arms, feeling dazed from the action.

Cole secures it in the protective case Skylor had smuggled in earlier. Lloyd double-checks the locks. Nya checks the windows. Kai muttered something about finding a secure line to Wu.

Jay is fidgeting.

Cole watches.

“That was... intense,” Jay finally says. “The scroll, the fighting, the pretending to be your wife. Twice.”

Cole gives a soft laugh. “You were great. You're always great.”

Jay turns. “Can we finish our conversation now? From before?”

Cole nods. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Jay takes a breath, fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. “I like you, Cole. Not just ‘like-you-like-you’ like in middle school. Like, really like you. And I know it’s probably weird–”

“It's not,” Cole says. “I knew. I was just... waiting. Didn’t want to push you.”

Jay blinks, “You knew?”

“You’re not subtle, Jay. You literally called me ‘honeybun’ during a mission briefing.”

“That was for the bit!”

Cole grins. “You’re terrible at bits.”

Jay laughs, sharp, nervous, warm. “So... is this where I get rejected gently, or...?”

Cole stepped closer. “Jay, do I look like I’m rejecting you?”

Jay looked. Strong arms. Kind eyes. Dumb smile. Hot man. Cole.

“No,” he said. “You look like someone who drinks kombucha and thinks that’s a personality.”

“Fair.”

“Do I get to kiss you now, or do I have to fake-marry you again first?”

Jay grins, heart pounding faster. “You’re such a dork.”

He leans up on his toes, wrapping his arms around Cole's neck 

And this time, with no disguises and no mission, they kiss. Just them and the world.

“Wanna be my boyfriend?” Jay asks, when they finally break it.

“Fuck yeah.”

Epilogue

Morning sun filters in as the scroll was laid out on the table. Wu leans in. “We’ll begin decoding it shortly.”

Kai slides up beside Cole and Jay.

“So…” he said, voice casual. “When’s the wedding?”

Jay groans. Cole smirks. Nya hands Kai a folded bill.

“Told you,” she said. “It’d happen before the scroll got translated.”

Zane also slides Nya a bill. “My odds did not calculate this.”

“You guys all bet on this?” Jay asks, looking affronted.

“Actually, it goes to me,” Lloyd says, entering the room. “They’re boyfriends before the scroll has been translated.”

Jay groans again, and everyone laughs.

Lloyd makes all the cash from the bet.

Cole slips his hand into Jay’s and everything is right with the world. Jay gives Cole a smile and gets one in return, and everything is perfect. 

Mission success.