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They say silence is golden, but when it comes to Jay, silence means something is wrong.
Only villains of the highest caliber are capable of shutting up the blue ninja, which is no small feat. Jay marches into battle the same way he marches out: constantly jabbering, mastering the art of simultaneously entertaining and annoying his fellow ninja.
Their latest baddy? Bottom of the barrel cannon fodder. Most of the team barely broke a sweat as they swiftly made quick work of the wanna-be gangsters, and were chortling happily as they celebrated their victory.
“Jay, you okay?” Nya questioned, noticing her significant other was not his usual chatty self. Jay only grunted in response, drawing the attention of the other ninja.
“Uh,” Lloyd started, “you don’t look so good.”
Jay was hunched over in his backseat of the Land Bounty, uncharacteristically quiet, arms crossed clutching his sides, and eyes scrunched closed with a pained look on his face. He hadn't even bothered removing his hood or mask in the post-battle afterglow.
“Did you get hit?” Cole’s concerned form moved over to Jay, inspecting him for any wounds.
“Feeling weak and achy,” the blue ninja mumbled in response.
Cole furrowed his brows and placed his hand on Jay’s forehead. “Wow,” he reeled his hand back in surprise, “you are burning up!”
“Is Jay okay?” Nya asked again, her voice laced with worry, trying to catch a glimpse of him in the rear-view mirror.
“Nya, watch the road!” Kai shouted at her. Nya snapped her attention back to the front, only to swerve, narrowly avoiding a group of pedestrians.
“Would you like me to drive so you can tend to Jay?” Zane offered kindly.
Before Nya could answer, there was a loud ping as P.I.X.A.L. alerted them a disturbance downtown. “It seems as though the Shiryuu gang you just defeated has more factions. These are the coordinates of the latest skirmishes.”
The team looked at the map provided by P.I.X.A.L., irritated they had to deal more with the Shiryuu gang.
“Nya, drop us off downtown, then take Jay back to the Monastery. P.I.X.A.L. will meet us there and provide us transportation home after we sweep the streets with these knuckleheads,” Lloyd instructed.
“You got it Lloyd!” Nya responded, but the uncertainty in her voice was hard to miss.
Zane had joined Cole, hovering over Jay, scanning him for any other injuries.
“No evidence of poison or inflicted wounds. Only a high fever. Jay is most likely experiencing symptoms from an upper-respiratory virus,” Zane concluded. Cole reflexively stepped back, not wanting to catch whatever Jay had.
“Rest is what Jay needs. His immune system will do most of the work.”
Cole crossed his arms and looked down at his friend. “You get a sick day and a beautiful nurse to take care of you,” he said in reference to Nya, “try not to be a big baby about it.”
That finally got a reaction out of the Master of Lightning. He snapped his head up and narrowed his eyes at Cole.
“Big baby? That is you when you get sick ‘Mr. Man Flu- barely has a fever- oh FSM I am going to die’.” Jay mocked him, then quickly fell into a fit of coughs.
“Perhaps it is best not to talk,” Zane offered.
“Noted,” Jay wheezed.
“Silent Jay? Could this day get any better? You should get sick more often,” Cole danced around.
Jay shot his friend another glare but said nothing, already planning revenge for when he would be better.
“We’re here,” Lloyd said, pulling his hood and mask over his head, readying himself for another fight. The others followed suit.
Kai gave his sister a squeeze on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about Jay, he will be fine. Focus on driving.”
Nya nodded, appreciating her brother’s concern, but it was hard not to feel anxious over her yang. She couldn’t remember him ever being sick.
“Don’t wait up for us! Try not to get sick taking care of Jay.” Cole winked as he jumped from the Land Bounty.
“These enemies are an easy challenge, we should be back soon,” Zane said as he joined Cole outside.
“You got this sis,” Kai encouraged, also leaving the Land Bounty.
“Call if you need anything, I’m sure Master Wu has just the right tea for Jay. We will be back before you know it,” Lloyd reassured as he joined the rest of the team outside. Nya heard a faint ‘Ninja-Go!’ as they charged into the fray.
Nya got out of her seat and walked over to Jay, feeling his forehead to confirm the other’s diagnosis.
“Oh wow, you really are burning up!”
“Thanks for the update,” Jay’s voice was hoarse and full of sarcasm.
“At least you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” she smiled at him, surprised at how easily he eased her concern.
“When that happens, it’s usually an indication of the end of the world.”
Nya giggled, then asked, “Do you want some A/C?”
“No just get us home, I want to drink some healing tea and sleep.”
“~kay.” Nya moved to give him a kiss, then stopped herself, opting to blow him a kiss instead.
The drive back to the Monastery was strangely quiet, which did nothing to quell Nya’s worry. She didn’t realize how much she loved Jay’s constant prattle until it was gone. As they pulled into the vehicle bay, Nya quickly helped Jay out of the Land Bounty and into the turbo lift.
The elevator ride felt excruciating long as Jay slumped against the wall and leaned on her for support. They were serenaded by the hum of the lift and Jay’s labored breathing. Soothing sounds that rattled her nerves.
The walk to his room was slow as she propped him up, enjoying his warmth and heavy weight of his muscular body. Each step felt like a drop of water into a bucket, rippling through her with dread. She didn’t like seeing Jay sick.
They arrived at his room and he shed his gear, weapons and uniform with ceremonial sloppiness then flopped on the bed with equal recklessness. Nya winced at his pile of belongings on the floor, resisting the urge to pick up after him. Instead, she opted to kick the offending lump to the side of the room to be dealt with later.
“I’ll go look for Master Wu’s selection of tea.”
“Can you-” Jay paused, surprised by the rasp of his own voice, “Can you find something for a sore throat? My throat is killing me. Ma always gave me ban lan gen.”
“Okay.”
Nya went on the hunt for Sensei to give her access to the tea, annoyed at the pang of panic refusing to leave her stomach. Why was she freaking out so much? It was just a cold. Jay would be fine. Yet, telling herself those words of comfort would not shake the sick feeling filling her insides.
Lost in thought, Nya almost walked into Master Wu’s door.
“Sensei, can I enter?”
A few seconds passed with no answer.
“Sensei?”
Nya debated if she should enter without permission. Either he was asleep or in deep meditation, and neither of those options sounded fun for interrupting her teacher.
“Sensei?” She tried one more time. Still no response. It would be an insult to Master Wu if she were not able to infiltrate his room and get the needed tea, she was a ninja after all, trained by the best. Even if she did get caught, it was a forgivable offence; Jay was sick.
Nya slowly pushed the door open and slipped into the dim room, careful to not make a sound. With nimble steps, she approached the wall lined with apothecary cabinets. They were tall and ancient, lined with several small square drawers, each one hand crafted and engraved with elegant gold designs. A carefully categorized and organized collection of tea, Master Wu’s pride and joy. Finding the healing tea was easy, and she briefly wondered if it was a cure-all that would work on common colds. Something they were all used to taking after fierce battles, but for a viral infection? Maybe it was more for a placebo effect.
The ban lan gen proved harder to find. After minutes of searching, Nya concluded it was not something in Master Wu’s collection and vanished from the room as quickly as she entered.
Waiting for the water to boil felt like agony. Steam wafted up, swirling gracefully and delicately in the air, mocking her impatience. Nya flared her nostrils then turned her attention to her buzzing phone, grateful for the distraction.
“Hello?”
“Nya, we are done and on our way back, need anything?” came Kai’s voice over the phone.
“Can you pick up some ban lan gen? Sensei is not here and I couldn’t find it.”
“Sure,” then his voice was distant, “do you guys know what ban lan gen is?”
“Eeeww, that stuff is gross,” Cole whined, voice also distant.
“Ban lan gen chongji is a mixture of ground up herbs and roots, normally brewed into tea. It is believed to boost the immune system and alleviate sore throats. There is also a version with sugar.” Nya could barely make out Zane’s voice.
“Don’t pamper Bluebell, get the no sugar kind.”
Nya rolled her eyes, fully aware she lived with idiots. “Look guys, you can fight over what kind of ban lan gen to buy, I really don’t care, just bring some back before you get home.”
Kai chuckled at her semi-outburst. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
“Thanks, see you soon.” Nya ended the call then turned her attention back to the teapot that had reached the boiling point and was starting to scream at her, ignoring the irony.
With a freshly brewed cup of healing tea in hand, Nya padded into Jay’s room, not wanting to wake him. She placed the tea on his nightstand, wincing at the soft click the cup made on impact. Jay’s subconscious instincts took over, honed from years of training, and faced the source of the noise. He gave Nya a weak smile as he sat up. Nya grabbed the tea and sat next to him on the bed.
“I couldn’t find ban lan gen, but here is the healing tea.” She handed him the teacup and he downed the liquid without complaint.
“Thanks,” he whispered, then rested his head on her shoulder. She took the empty cup from his hands, staring distantly at the remnants in the bottom of the cup, annoyed at her jumbled nerves.
“The others are picking up some ban lan gen. Are you hungry?”
Jay wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled into her neck. “I’m hungry for some Nya.”
Nya breathed in a deep sigh and couldn’t help but smile at his dumb joke, thankful he could so easily cut the tension on her sour mood or whenever she got into a funk.
“You can’t be that sick.”
“Oh,” Jay clutched his side, “everything hurts.” He delivered with more drama than necessary. Nya let a genuine smile bloom across her face.
Reluctantly, she wiggled out of his hold and pushed him back down onto the bed, noting the stupidly gorgeous smile plastered across his face. Jay grabbed her hand that was pressing on his chest and she felt the familiar prickle of electricity spark through her hand and down her spine.
“Save that for when you are better.”
Jay pouted, then fell into a fit of coughs, moving his arm to cough into his elbow. Nya took that as her cue to leave and avoid getting sprayed with virus laden water droplets.
“Keep resting,” she said from the door, “I’ll be back later with food and ban lan gen.”
Nya hummed on her way to the kitchen, mood lightened from Jay’s flirting and the fog of anxiety that had crept over her was fading away. Jay would be fine, he just needed rest and some TLC. She wasn’t sure why she had felt so nervous in the first place.
Once in the kitchen, she got to work on making some rice porridge. She recalled Edna saying that juk was the only thing Jay would eat when sick, and remembering she was confused at the word juk. Edna laughed at her confusion informing her that juk was their word for rice porridge. Nya smiled, realizing her and Kai always called it congee. It seemed like everyone on the team had their own word for the universal sick person comfort food of rice porridge.
One part rice, nine parts water, some salt, and a generous amount of fresh ginger. Nya stirred the pot occasionally, waiting for the water to boil. After reducing the heat to a simmer, Nya kept her eye on the congee as she scrolled through her phone. A ding from the security monitors alerted her the rest of the team was back from their side mission. Moments later they exited the elevator and the Monastery was full of life.
Kai stepped into the kitchen and chucked the ban len gan tea at her. Nya caught it without even glancing up from her phone.
“How’s Jay?”
“Sleeping.”
“Making dinner?” he peered over at the stove, hoping she didn’t hear his stomach growling.
“For Jay.”
Kai gave her puppy dog eyes. Nya rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Get Zane in here to help. I’m making congee for Jay.”
“Yuck, OK never mind then.” Kai rummaged around the pantry for a snack then left.
Nya got to work on making the ban lan gen tea. As she poured hot water over the ground up herbs, steam wafted up and she was greeted with a powerful smell. Nya wrinkled her nose, then took a step back as a flood of memories rushed out of her subconscious and punched her in the gut.
Nya shivered, pulling the blanket around her tighter. Minutes ago she was burning up, curled in a ball and wondering where Kai was. She coughed and her whole body shook, aching.
She heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching and tried to hide in the blanket.
“Drink this, it will make your sore throat better,” said the older woman, her high-pitched voice grating against Nya’s ears, like nails on a chalkboard. Nya shrunk more into the blanket.
“It smells gross,” she squealed out, hoping the woman would go away.
“Ah? You are sick and now you are complaining about medicine?” The woman’s body shook with anger and the fat around her neck jiggled, reminding Nya of the way turkeys stalked around the countryside.
“You are the one who didn’t listen,” the woman ranted and Nya watched as her sausage sized fingers released the teacup on the table. “I told you not to play in the rain, now look at you! Sicker than a dog! And you got your brother in trouble too.”
Nya gripped the blanket tighter, wishing Kai was there.
“When I get back that tea better be gone or you really are a stupid little girl.” The woman clamored as she paced into the kitchen.
Nya trembled as the door slammed behind the woman, then her body went stiff. A conversation not meant for her ears, but she heard it anyway. The shrill of the woman’s voice was hard to ignore.
“How did we get stuck with these brats? Unbelievable. Things are hard as it is, and now we have to take care of two snotty kids.”
A man responded, but the voice was too low to decipher through the walls.
“How could Ray and Maya be so reckless? No will, no instructions, no contact information for other family. We know they are not dead, no police report, no bodies. They just up and leave their kids behind without notifying anyone?”
The man responded again, but was cut off.
“Maybe they realized what brats these kids were and decided to leave. Spend the rest of their days on a tropical island without a care in the world.”
Nya heard rustling sounds from the other room.
“That little girl is so stupid. I told her many times not to go outside and play in the rain but she did it behind my back. And that boy lied to protect his little sister. So stupid, both of them. Now look at her, too sick to even move.”
She heard the sound of pots and pans clanging, then something that made her eyes sting.
“Stupid little girl. So useless.”
Nya shivered more, then reached her hand up because her eyes hurt, finding that her cheeks were wet. Her body shook again, this time with a sob.
Useless.
Useless.
Useless.
The word rattled around her brain, sharp and resonating, like the rhythmic beating of a gong. Maybe the woman was right. Maybe that was why her parents left. Nya glared at the cup of ban lan gen tea and it glared back, steam billowing slow and smooth, mocking her stubbornness.
Nya stopped crying and willed her body to suck in the snot and tears. She wiped her face then grabbed the cup of tea, downing it without a second thought, not allowing herself to shudder from the bitter flavor.
It was at that moment Nya made a vow to herself: she would never be useless ever again.
Nya’s eyes came back into focus. In her hands was the cup of ban lan gen tea, hot, steam swirling and tickling her face, as if someone were brushing their pointer finger under her chin to show disrespect. Nya blinked and a new smell flooded her senses.
“Ack! It’s burning!” she cried, rushing over to the pot on the stove. Cole walked up to her as she was furiously stirring the pot, hoping the whole dish was not ruined.
“It doesn’t look burned,” he said, peering at the contents inside.
“But I could smell it burning,” she countered.
“Naw, it’s fine. Just give it to him.” Cole shrugged.
Nya paused. Something tickled the back of her mind, like a faint feeling of doubt, like suddenly remembering she forgot to lock the door after leaving. A warning, that perhaps maybe, just maybe, she should not be listening to Cole’s advice in the kitchen, but her overwhelming desire to take care of Jay and get him fed pushed those thoughts into the deep recesses of her mind.
Nya checked the consistency of the porridge and decided it was time to serve. As she was preparing Jay’s bowl with his favoriting toppings, including kimchi - something she could not understand why he liked - and a splash of soy sauce, Cole kept poking around the kitchen.
“Looking for something?” she finally questioned, slightly annoyed.
“Is there more food?” he asked. Nya rolled her eyes.
“Tell Zane to come in here.” she said, giving the same answer she gave Kai.
“Not going to help out your hungry teammates?”
“You can have congee,” Nya pointed to the pot on the stove, “or you can be a grown man and take care of yourself.”
“Fine,” Cole conceded and walked into the pantry to rummage around for a snack.
“And cake is not a proper meal,” Nya said over her shoulder as she left the kitchen.
“Says you!” Cole fired back. Nya giggled on her way to Jay’s room.
She balanced the tray of food and tea in one hand as she slowly opened the door, determined to not wake him up this time. Her movements were quiet and swift as she approached his nightstand and set down the food, but winced as the edge of the tray caught an uneven surface and the spoon rattled across. Jay rolled over and looked at her, dopey smile on his face.
“Sorry for walking you,” she whispered.
“—s okay.”
She grabbed the tea and sat on the edge of the bed. “Here is the ban lan gen.” She handed it to him as he sat up. He took one sip then handed it back to her, eyeing the bowl of food.
“Is that juk?”
“Yes.” She handed him the bowl and he smiled at her, feeling extra special from all the attention she was giving him. Her chest puffed with pride.
She watched as he took a bite, then watched as his smile faded, replaced with a look of confusion, corners of his lips turning down like he had just bitten into a lemon. Nya’s eyes went wide.
“Uh,” he blurted out without thinking, “did Cole make this?”
Nya stared vacantly at him and he stared right back, slowly realizing his grave mistake.
“Uh, I mean—”
“Give me that,” she said hastily, forgetting the cup of hot ban lan gen tea in her hands, ungracefully dumping into his lap as she reached for the bowl of congee. Jay yelped and jumped back, almost spilling the bowl in the process.
Nya took the bowl from him. Jay opened his mouth to protest that maybe she shouldn’t be sharing a spoon with him, but thought better of it and snapped his jaw shut. She tasted the congee and wrinkled her nose. The pot did burn and it ruined the whole dish. Why did she listen to Cole regarding cooking? So stupid.
She dared a glance at Jay, shame pooling in the pit of her stomach. What a mess. Jay got woken up, hot tea spilled on him, and served terrible food.
“Let me get you a towel.”
“It’s fine,” he assured her, “I’ll just change.”
Nya grimaced. He had every right to be mad at her but he was handling the situation gracefully. She quickly collected the bowl and empty teacup, trying desperately to hold her composure.
“I’ll be back with better food and more tea.” She couldn’t even look at him as she fled the room.
Once back in the kitchen, she glared at the bowl of congee. Unbelievable. How could she botch making congee, one of the easiest things to cook? The panic she was feeling from before was slowly creeping back into her system, competing with the furry that was flooding her senses. Failing at taking care of Jay was not something she had envisioned for this day. Her jaw clenched and she gripped the bowl of congee tighter.
Cole emerged from the pantry and noticed the uneaten bowl of food in her hands. “Not hungry?” he ventured.
Nya turned towards him slowly, her features unreadable. “Cole,” she started, her voice low and even, enunciating each word, “did you curse the kitchen?”
Cole opened his mouth as if to respond, but his jaw gapped as words failed him. He was a fierce warrior, saving Ninjago from countless battles, cheating death innumerable times. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was actually going to die. The calmness Nya presented paired with the strong killing intent radiating out of her jarred him to his bones.
“Uhhh,” he backpedaled, “I think I heard Lloyd calling for my help. Gottagobye!” Cole exited the kitchen like his life depended on it.
Nya stared dully at the pot of burnt rice porridge, then with deliberately careful movements, dumped the contents in the trash and started making a fresh batch. She didn’t want to be responsible for destroying the kitchen. With a new cup of ban lan gen tea in hand, she suppressed her nerves and went back to Jay’s room.
He had changed into a pair of comfy shorts and a blue T-shirt with his thunder-squid logo on the chest. He took the cup from her and drank all the contents quickly. Nya took empty teacup back and set in on his nightstand, staring pensively. She pulled in a ragged breath, annoyed at the anger and anxiety coursing through her veins. It was an unpleasant combination.
“Nya?”
She didn’t want to look at him. She felt like glass, one pitiful glance from him and she would break.
“Are you OK?” he tried to get her attention.
She kept staring at the empty teacup. “I never had to take care of someone sick before. Kai never got sick!”
Jay chuckled at that revelation. “I guess it is true: idiots never get colds.”
It wasn’t fair! She was supposed to be taking care of him, and here he was cracking jokes to make her feel better. Nya bit the inside of her mouth. Too many emotions, she couldn’t hold them all in her head at once.
“This day has been a disaster!” she blurted out, turning towards him to continue her rant, “I burned the congee, I spilled hot tea on you, I keep interrupting you so you can’t sleep, I can’t do anything right. I’m so-” useless.
Her jaw quivered, throat burned, and eyes were stung with tears that refused to fall. Jay shifted slowly, casting her a warm smile. Her heart ached, annoyed that Jay had a catalog of smiles, knowing when to use just the right smile for the right occasion.
Normally when things got hard, her brain checked out and she would give up easily. But this time, she had such a compelling need to take care of Jay, to not abandon him when he was sick. There were things from her past that she didn’t quite understand, floating to the surface and mucking the waters of clear thinking, riling her up into a panicked state.
Jay reached for her hand. His fingers entwined with hers, grip firm and unyielding. He tugged her down to the bed and wrapped strong arms around her stomach, nose tickling the nape of her neck.
“I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more Nya.” His breath was hot, sending shivers down her spine and to her toes. Jay tightened his hold on her, pulling her back flush with his front and entangling his legs with hers.
“It’s not fair,” she whined, letting the tears flow freely now that he couldn’t see her face. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, yet you are the one making me feel better.” She could feel him smiling into her neck.
“We are one now, remember? Team jaya.”
She snorted out an ugly sound, half sob, half laugh, and buried her face into the pillow.
“Besides, I’m the only one allowed to have dramatic freak-outs. No stealing my thunder.”
Nya’s whole body shook. From laughter? From crying? She didn’t even know anymore. Jay took the opportunity to flip her around, pulling her in as she wept into his chest.
“I don’t like ban lan gen,” she breathed out between sobs, as if that explained everything.
“Bad memories?” Jay questioned, trying not to scare her away with too much prying. It was rare for Nya to open up about her childhood, and when she did Jay always felt like he was dealing with a cornered, scared cat. Push too much and he would get scratched or she would bolt.
“Nnnnnn,” she murmured, her vague answer muffled by his shoulder. Jay quietly waited, but she gave no response. The silence dragged on, punctuated by sobs, then sniffles, then hiccups. Jay abandoned the conversion. She would tell him when she was ready.
Nya moved to readjust and noticed her gi top was quite loose and Jay’s warm hands were on the small of her back. Sneaky ninja. Drawing light patterns on her back, his voice was a low rumble as he said, “They say skin-to-skin contact provides a huge boost to the immune system.” He could feel her wriggling on his shoulder, forcing away a smile, but failing miserably.
“Always the opportunist, huh?” She pulled away to see his face was split in half with a bright smile that could cut through her darkest fears.
“Also helps to regulate body temperature,” he added. Nya wiped away the tears on her cheeks and narrowed her eyes, seemingly unimpressed, but the smirk pulling at the corners of her lips betrayed her.
“Fine,” she conceded, and shimmied out of her top and gear. Jay wasted no time pulling his shirt off and reclaimed Nya in his strong hold. She traced lazy circles over the skin of his back, enjoying his closeness and warmth, noticing his fever was starting to break. His elemental power hummed in response to her touch.
Her mind was clouded, jumbled from a flood of memories and emotions. She felt exposed and raw. Jay tightened his hold on her and she melted into him, safety and security edging out the feelings of vulnerability. Nya allowed herself to be lulled to sleep by the steady beating of his heart, the thought of getting sick the furthest thing from her mind.