Chapter Text
Cole was positively fuming. It was one thing for the press and for that impossibly nosy talk-show host to muse openly about what Nya and Jay’s relationship was - even after they were crystal-clear in their description of a quiet and amicable breakup they’d had four months earlier - but it was a whole other barrel of fish for him to imply that Cole somehow caused a rift between them! Ain’t that fuckin rich! Like him being in Jay’s head somehow caused them to rethink things they had already been rethinking, for a while! It made his master-damned blood boil.
Jay seemed to share the same sentiment as he furiously paced back and forth in the sleeping quarters aboard the Bounty . Cole watched through him, feeling Jay’s anger compound with his own. He grumbled slightly to himself. If they both just kept getting angrier and angrier they’d probably break something. So Cole focused inwards and quelled his own feelings in a practiced action. Time to help Jay.
“That guy really got on your nerves, huh?” Cole asked into Jay’s mind, his voice having its usual muted quality that it always did when he spoke from the passenger seat. The new voice seemed to actually catch Jay’s attention, as he stopped pacing and just slumped against the wall with a frustrated sigh. Then Jay spoke, internally as well. He sounded as ticked-off as Cole had expected.
“What, you’re NOT mad?”
Cole shook his head invisibly. “No, no, I’m definitely mad. I’m just better at hiding it in here. You, on the other hand, were glaring daggers at the guy all through that interview.”
A pang of embarrassment popped up from Jay, and he facepalmed outwardly. Cole snorted slightly.
“Okay but LISTEN listen that guy? That fuckin talk-show guy? He SUCKS.” Jay’s mental voice went up in pitch (imitating his physical one) as he started to get into that rambling tone he had. Cole snorted again. Damn if he didn’t find that little squeak kind of… adorable. Jay practically launched into a frustrated rant, which Cole listened to with practiced patience. He knew very well that this was just Jay’s way of blowing off steam, and that once he exhausted himself he’d be calmer.
Cole took comfort in the little things he could do for Jay while they were stuck together like this. It’d been a solid nine months or so since Jay yanked him through the doors of Yang’s cursed Airjitzu temple just as their time ran out, and per the aforementioned curse, Cole turned into a ghost. But that wasn’t the end of it - now Cole and Jay’s souls were intrinsically linked, and no matter what Cole tried, he couldn’t leave Jay’s body and become his own, fully-formed spirit. He was stuck possessing Jay, like a tiny piece of metal to an electromagnet. Only one of them could physically act at a time, and the feeling of switching pilots, while tolerable, wasn’t pleasant. Jay got the majority of the time in the “cockpit” because it was his body, and Cole had agreed to these terms. But even then, it left Cole feeling a bit useless, and a bit guilty for intruding on Jay’s space in the first place. Even if they had no choice.
It was honestly a testament to their friendship that the two of them adapted so quickly and handled this sudden, constant company of one another. They’d accepted it as their reality. They were fine. Cole was honestly kind of grateful that Jay let him basically take over his body as often as he did (though Cole rarely asked for it, mostly out of principle), and so often he tried to make it up to Jay. Being a fairly good listener was one of those ways he did so.
Jay seemed to finally run out of steam and stopped ranting to catch his breath. The fury in his emotions had finally faded off, and Cole smiled invisibly at that. “Better?” Cole asked gently.
“... yeah,” Jay admitted, finally taking a seat in their quarters and patting his chest lightly. “I… I needed that. Thanks, boulderbrain.” The nickname made Cole snicker in spite of himself, which caused Jay to smile outwardly, sheepish. A heart-melting look, if Cole was being honest. Despite the fact that he couldn’t actively see it.
“No sweat, zaptrap,” Cole returned earnestly. “So… now what’re we up to?"
Jay opened his mouth to answer something but then a loud squeal came over the ship’s intercom, startling the both of them. Misako’s voice crackled over the speakers. “All ninja to the bridge now! We might have a real issue here!”
Jay stood up again. “Well, I guess we’re up to that!” He spoke aloud, forgetting that they were alone in here anyway. Cole hummed in agreement as Jay trotted out of the sleeping quarters and up the stairs to the brig, where the rest of the crew was. Kai looked bored, making an offhand comment about action figures. Lloyd looked anxious, and gave Kai a stern look about that comment, as if it would make him take this more seriously. Zane looked attentive. Nya looked... still a bit uncomfortable from the interview the three of them had just gotten back from, but was clearly trying to put on a brave face. Jay frowned at her expression and just kinda put his hand on her shoulder in an act of support. Nya glanced back and smiled at him gently, and he smiled back.
Cole was happy they still got along. It would’ve been a nightmare if their breakup had ended like all the ones in the movies. If that’d happened… shit, maybe the Ninja wouldn’t even be together still. That kind of heartbreak would’ve wrecked their team dynamic. Maybe Jay and I would’ve never… made up. Misako’s commanding voice snapped him out of his little morbid speculation and he turned his attention towards her, as did Jay.
Misako’s laying-out of the facts was simple - apparently in all the ruckus of their last real “adventure”, Clouse had escaped the Cursed Realm before it was destroyed, and was heading to Stiix for unknown reasons. Cole folded his arms invisibly. “ Just when I think we’re done with the ghost nonsense,” He commented to Jay. “Aside from mine.”
Jay hummed. “Well I’m glad you stuck around, but I could do without that guy.” He patted his chest again, in a gesture of thankfulness.
“You need to head there before him and stop whatever it is he’s planning,” Sensei Wu said simply, a worried look in his eyes. Kai grimaced, and Cole did too, once he remembered what else they had planned.
“Eh, Sensei? I don’t think we can, Dareth needs us to head to the hospital today. For the make-a-wish thing?” Kai folded his arms. Lloyd jabbed him with his elbow, which earned him a disgruntled “Ow!” from the fire ninja
“Kai, cmon. We take orders from Wu, not Dareth. We can do it tomorrow, Nelson’s only got a broken leg. Whatever Clouse is up to is far too important to leave unattended.” He swiveled around to the others, a look of confidence spreading on his face. “Suit up!”
Cole grinned to himself. He never had a chance to say it out loud yet, but he was awfully proud of Lloyd for taking up the leadership role so quickly. And so involuntarily, too. The crew followed him out quickly, and they’re off!
Minus the stop in the city first. After all, Zane said if they had no problems they’d be able to get in, do the hospital thing, and get out just fine.
Fangirls constituted a problem. Dammit Kai!
Cole winced as Jay was basically backed into a frantic corner by some roving fans. Even with Nelson’s help they’d gotten caught. If he had his body, he’d at least be able to get Jay out of this situation! Carry him out or something. Why is my first instinct to just Carry Him? Would it help or do I just want to hold him? Probably the latter.
Shush and focus, Cole.
“Hey!” Jay yelled anxiously into his head, clambering on top of a chair in the hallway where they’d ended up. Cole jolted himself out of his thoughts. “Mind giving me a hand here??? Or an exit plan???”
“Right, right! Uh.” Cole shut his eyes and focused, then projected out of Jay’s body, becoming his own incorporeal green form without a bottom half, ending in trailing smoke that connected to where Jay’s heart was. This process was what they’d dubbed “spectraling,” and with all the practice he could do this for a solid minute, and that was all they needed.
Cole floated over and flipped the window open, able to just pass through the crowd with ease, and then Jay managed to spring over their heads, vaguely crowd-surfing towards the window. He then used some trusty Airjitzu to get up to the roof, tugging Cole’s spirit body up with him like a balloon.
The rest of their party was up on the roof already, but Cole groaned once he spotted Dareth and his helicopters circling over like vultures. No chance of getting by unnoticed. This is about the last thing we need right now!
Lloyd sighed and facepalmed.“Forget it, guys. Let’s just hope Clouse missed his train.”
——
Several hours and a few attempts at escaping Dareth’s rolling cameras of doom later, and they were all finally in Stiix, undercover to avoid attention. It seemed as though Clouse wasn’t hanging around, and they were still not sure of his plans.
Jay tugged his beanie down as someone passed a bit close. “Sheesh. Last time I wore one of these things was in middle school.”
“I can picture that,” Cole mused internally. His memories conjured up the faded photograph that Jay’s parents had once shown him (much to Jay’s chagrin). A braces-wearing, acne-ridden, 13-year-old Jay wearing an electric blue beanie and grinning into the camera through a mess of curls. He smiled fondly about it. From the stories Ed and Edna had told him (again, much to Jay’s chagrin) Jay was a bit of a screwball kid, always one to impress with his gadgets and his fast talking. A lot has changed, certainly, but a lot has stayed the same about him too.
“Why are you picturing it! Stop picturing it! Middle school sucked!” Jay retorted at him and Cole just chuckled. He’s kinda cute when he’s mad. His little voice pitch and all. FSM I could listen to that rambling voice all day…
Oookay. Anyway. He cleared his throat invisibly. Let’s focus up.
Lloyd had gathered the rest of them at a picnic table on the docks, seeming disheartened. “We still have nothing on what Clouse was doing here. It’s been hours! Are we sure we’ve checked everywhere?”
“Yeah, and all I found was a trashed shipment of action figures!” Kai pouted, slumping into the table. Nya rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder in pity, and Cole snickered internally at the gesture. Kai continued to whine. “And if that wasn’t enough, these disguises work almost too well. I’ve gotten zero requests for autographs, not that I’m complaining! ” He accentuated the last part, leading to simultaneous shushing from the rest of the group as well as the Stiixians watching the box TV nearby. Cole tuned into the audio of that for a moment.
“... it’s the crime spree of the century. Witnesses are shocked to find footage of none other than the Green Ninja robbing the city bank!”
That got Cole’s attention, and he glanced between the clear footage of Lloyd carrying moneybags out of a vault and cackling, to the disguised Lloyd in front of him looking at the TV in utter disbelief. “Wh- but- but that’s not me!” he said hushedly.
The screen shifted to footage of Zane freezing a rollercoaster track, apparently from the other day, and Zane had a similar moment of confusion. Then Kai, Nya, even Jay were shown doing illicit things they had no recollection of. Public opinion of them seemed to drop like a stone before their eyes. Cole’s chest tightened. What the hell? Where is this coming from?
They showed footage of the press tailing after Jay’s parents and Jay stood up from the table in shock and anger. “They went after my PARENTS?!” he gasped internally, and Cole shared his sentiment. What a shitty move.
“Jay would never do this!” Ed remarked sternly into the mic. “And if he did he had good reason to!” But something in his expression had doubt as he murmured to the side “... I hope.”
Cole felt a blur of Jay’s anger and fear and almost a little heartbreak washing over him. Even after all these months, he never got used to waves of emotion from his best friend. “You hope?!” Jay spoke out before Cole could stop him. “It’s not even me, Dad!”
Crap! “Jay shut up!” Cole yelled into his mind, and Jay slapped a hand over his mouth, but the damage was done. Several Stiixians turned around and glowered at the group, and Cole saw the recognition in their eyes. He tensed up, knowing there would be a fight and hoping that it’d help Jay be more prepared.
But then Lloyd declared they weren’t fighting them, so it was time to run. They fled through the alleyways, and Jay realized with a start that there was a big old cart blocking their path. “Cole??” He asked frantically as he pulled ahead of the rest of the group. “Care to tag in on this one?”
Cole cracked his nonexistent knuckles. Finally a chance to shine. “With pleasure!”
In a practiced motion (and miraculously without falling over) the pair of them swapped positions in Jay’s body. Jay’s hair turned several shades darker, his eyes went a vibrant brown-amber, and thin tendrils of green smoke wafted off his shoulders like a cape. All while they were still running!
With Cole now in charge, so too were his powers. He grabbed the bottom of the cart as they reached it and lifted quickly, upturning the empty cart effortlessly as the other ninja vaulted over. Cole followed after swiftly, egged on by Jay’s frantic adrenaline and repeated “Watch out!” s. Surprisingly, more helpful than one would think.
The crew scrambled up onto the rooftops, and Cole felt Jay’s panic mounting. They were going to run out of rooftop soon. And they did! And then Kai had the bright idea of traveling under the town, beneath its docky streets. Which honestly had Cole both impressed and a little worried, because one wrong step and he’s falling in the water. Jay shared this concern. Neither of them had any idea whether ghosts stuck to another soul were still vulnerable to water, but they weren’t about to test that theory. They seemed to be able to drink it at least, whenever Jay was in charge. But right now he wasn’t, and so Cole wasn’t taking any chances.
The rest of the chase was a bit of a nightmare, as they kept dodging the heavy crane claws crashing through the boardwalk and trying to capture them. They just barely made it up into the Bounty, which Zane has contacted earlier. Thank the master for Misako! Their victory was-
*Ker-chunk!*
… short-lived. They were quick to make a plan - split up and cover some ground. Investigate. Misako informed them that Wu had gone to the Domu library to study what Clouse might’ve been planning, something to do with a Djinn and a teapot. The spur-of-the-moment planning was so panicky that Cole barely had time to register their task - heading to the amusement park to look for clues- before he was diving off the side of the Bounty and catching a stealth ride in the back of a vehicle out of Stiix.
Once they were a safe distance from the police, standing under a brushy tree next to the deserted street, Cole paused to catch his breath and relinquished his control back to Jay. Hair faded back to ginger, eyes back to green. Jay whimpered vocally and ran a hand through his hair, emanating anxiety. “Shit… this is bad, Cole. Like… really bad. This guy even has my PARENTS fooled! My parents, Cole!!”
Cole felt his chest tighten again as he listened to Jay’s panic. If he was just there instead of in here, he could’ve hugged him or held his shoulder for a while or something, anything. The best he could do, was not really what felt like enough.
Might as well do it anyway.
Without another word, he spectraled so he could actually be in front of Jay for a bit. He probably needed it right now. “Hey, hey. It’s… it’s gonna be alright, Jay. We’ll figure this out. I promise.” He focused a bit harder and set his hand on Jay’s trembling shoulder, without phasing through. Jay looked up at him through his hair, gleaming green eyes meeting incorporeal amber ones. Cole smiled reassuringly, and after a beat, Jay did too. He took a few deep breaths and he stopped shaking.
He then put his hand over Cole’s and Cole bit down the jump in his heart at that. Master-dammit I’m just really touch-starved now huh? Or maybe he just has nice hands and it almost feels like he’s holding my hand now. Probably both.
Dude, shut up.
“Y-yeah, I just… yeah.” Jay brushed his hair off his face sheepishly. Cole resisted the urge to reach up and brush it off for him. “... thanks,” he added after a moment.
“Anytime,” Cole responded. He felt himself get really drowsy now, a sign that he was running out of spectral time. Jay tilted his head at him, still smiling. “Heh… I guess we better get to it huh?” Cole remarked.
“Let’s go to the fair!” Jay affirmed, and Cole nodded, and then nodded off as he faded back into smoke and into Jay’s mind. Back inside, though, Cole just smiled confidently.
“Here we go.”