Chapter Text
Every team has a weak link, he supposed. The wind whipped around him, howling and screaming with an eerie dissonance. He felt a frigid shiver roll down his spine. He sucked in a breath, holding back salty, unshed tears. He closed his eyes. Inhaling. Easier to blame the wind than to face the truth. With that exhale came a final thought.
It's better this way.
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“At this depth, one hour.”
Jay doesn’t remember what he was thinking, probably because he wasn’t thinking.
Actually, that's a lie; there was one small thought running through his head.
Nya.
With one hour of air left, she wouldn’t survive long, especially with the time they wasted trying to reroute power. Which according to his watch was precisely twenty-eight minutes and forty-seven seconds, almost half of the time it would take for her to die. Alone. Suffocating.
Again.
Again. He couldn’t lose Nya again. So call him self-sacrificing, reckless, maybe even stupid. It didn't matter to Jay. He just wanted her back, to be safe with him back at the monastery. So, he steeled himself. He muttered something dumb about oxygen tanks or some other submarine-related issue. Hoping to distract them long enough to carry out his plan.
But the ninja, unfortunately in this instance, were not that dumb. I mean, maybe Kai or Cole. But not Lloyd and definitely not Zane or Pixal. He expected it. However, it still surprised him to hear Lloyd running after him, shouting.
“Don’t do it!”
Another voice shouted. “We’ll find another way.”
But will you find it in time?
There was never enough time for the ninja; we always lost something in the end. A brother, a father, a friend. But too many times had it been Nya, too many times in front of Jay. The ninja kept yelling, but there was no use. All Jay could see was sickly green poison and glowing grid-marked cubes.
Don't leave me. Jay pushed himself off a wall, gaining speed.
The pipes lining the walls squeaked at him, groaning in distress, under the pressure, the weight. Just like him. Jay picked up the pace, sliding around the corner, his feet dragging a long squeak as he slid up to the door, wrenching it open.
He just barely had the presence of mind to jam the door, placing a copper pipe through the push-handle. To keep them safe, he rationalizes. The lightning would kill them. But just then, a little voice in the back of his mind reached forward. But what about you? It sounded like Nya. He pushed the thought aside. He was the lightning ninja; he would be fine. After all, he wasn't weak. He wasn’t afraid.
Jay approached the batteries. He wrenched open the drawer and froze at the sound of fists hitting the blocked door. He recovered quickly, daring his limbs to move again. He could do this. With shaking hands, he lifted the cylinders.
A charge of that magnitude would be fatal. Zane's robotic yet concerned sentiment from earlier was brought to the forefront of his mind. He faltered again. It was stupid; he was doing this to save his friends. He returned to the identical cylinders, placing both hands on them. So what if he might die? Nya was willing to die for him. Twice! He’d die for her. For all of them.
He took a deep breath, feeling the pressure build in his lungs, his fingers. For a moment, it was still. Then release. His arms burned in that familiar way, his nerves aching and overstimulated. But he wouldn’t be swayed; he pressed harder, further. Pushing past the limit he’d used on the toughest of criminals. Pushing past the limits he’d tested on dummies and rocks. Pushing past the limits he’d hurled at the Great Devourer and thrown at Unagami.
Pushing past the limits he’d used on laughing figures, made of dust and wishes.
His eyes burned open, but all he could see was static. The crackling in his ears matched the picture before him. His fingers are going numb with overuse. His body was shaking and twitching in the water. Then he felt the usual gentle thrum of a machine, powered and running. His own body ached for that power, wanting it back. It would be so easy, just take a little. His thoughts whispered. No one would ever know. But Jay held firm; this ship needed to be at full power. For Nya. Not for the first time during this journey, Jay wished Cole were here. (Although the first time was because he wanted someone to play fist-to-face five with.) His boulder-brained best friend always knew what to say to make him laugh, especially when he felt as detached as he did now.
As the feeling slowly returned to his limbs, Jay realized he was lying on the hard floor of the engine room. The metal screws holding together the panels on the floor dug brutally into his spine. Ears ringing, he stretched his jaw. The high-pitched sound squealed then ceased, like a record coming to an abrupt stop. The sounds of the ship came back to him, he heard the pipes, the engine, and the last trickle of water draining out of the room. Also Lloyd.
“Jay, open the door!” Lloyd's muffled call.
Ugh. “Five more minutes.” Jay groaned.
Then it hit him. Minutes! Jay sat up with a jolt and instinctively cried out in pain. His brain pulsing rapidly inside his skull. But he powered through. Nya only had minutes of oxygen left. He needed to go find her. He stumbled towards the door. The room swayed and warped in a way that made his stomach clench around his meager breakfast. With his left hand, he flipped off his helmet, using his other to grope blindly for the door. It took an embarrassingly long time to find the handle and remember that it was a push door. Not a pull. The short trip to the door had fully exhausted him; he sagged against the door frame, letting it take most of his weight as he let the door swing open.
ZAP!
His lightning, in an attempt to reestablish itself, shocked him. He held back a grunt of discomfort. The lightning had shocked him to his core (haha, I’m so funny), zapping his joints out of their stupor. Somehow, with the current running through him, he found the strength to stand on his own. He looked up into the faces of his friends. They looked happy, but he could see their eyes pinched with worry.
“You did it!” Lloyd did a little jump, clapping his hands together. Looking at all of his 15 years. Sometimes Jay forgot he was still a kid. It was nice to be reminded.
“I-I can’t believe it!” Zane.
Wow. Jay thought sarcastically, Thanks for believing in me!
“Say something, Jay!” Pixal seemed excited to see him, but her voice held an undercurrent of apprehension. Then they all looked at him. He tried to control his breathing, to get back the air he’d lost. Eyes bore into him, waiting for him to show he was alright.
Now, Jay liked attention; he really did. But, fairly recently—after the league of Jay debacle—he realized he did not like being the center of attention. No. That was too much pressure. Too many eyes. Too many expectations. People didn’t want to see the weakest ninja in a starring role, ya'know. He was more of a supporting guy. So that the stars like Lloyd or Nya could shine brighter, opposed to the dust and scratches he's collected over the years. But right now, he was the center of attention, so he did what he did best. He was deflected.
“Why are you all standing around staring at me?” He laughed nervously when they continued to stare. In his unease, he found the strength to move. “Let's get this tub of bolts moving!” Okay, he paused for a moment. He’s done this before, running after being drained. It was easier last time. He thought. Probably because he had help. Even though that help was a ghost. Or maybe he was just more afraid then, more desperate to leave. He hated the walls of that ship. The deck, too, and the blood-soaked planks he used to scrub clean.
Jay inhaled and took a step, then another, and then he was running. Though it was only about thirty feet before he was out of breath again. He reached his hand out to steady himself against the wall. He felt cold, but strong arms pulled him upright. He lifted his heavy head, letting Zane carry a bit more of his weight. Glancing up at Lloyd nervously wringing his hands in front of him.
“Jay, are you alright? Did you inhale any water? Did you electrocute yourself? Is that possible?” Lloyd rambled, continuing to pace and fret. Jay opened his mouth to calm Lloyd, to reassure him, but Zane beat him to it.
“I have scanned Jay, Lloyd,” Zane started. Huh, creepy. “He is physically fine, just out of breath.” Oh. So he had been overreacting. A Nindroid has just scanned him and given him a clean bill of health. He was fine; he needed to stop being such a baby. “Let’s just get to the bridge.” He said through clenched teeth.
After a slow trek to the bridge—Zane wouldn’t let him run. They finally arrived. “All systems go, captain,” said Pixal to Zane, “The helm is yours.” Jay went back to his previous assignment, turning towards steering, ready to get back to his post. Instead, Zane grabbed his shoulder. Jay turned, a confused expression on his face. Zane, instead of answering, gestured towards the captain's chair. “No, the helm is yours,” he said to Jay.
Jay smirked. He jumped into the captain's chair, secretly relieved he didn’t have to try to steer, his head spinning. He started firing off orders immediately. “Set your course on that energy signal,” he directed Lloyd with a smile. They were finally moving. One step closer to the signal. One step closer to her.
“Hang on, Nya. We're coming.”
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Jay saw the sharks before Nya did. He let out a very manly yelp. When he was about eight, his parents let him see Jaws for his birthday, and he slept in their bed for a week after that. He hated sharks, especially when Garmadon went through his shark phase, consistently saying he smelled “blood in the water” and coming from a 6 '5 guy with four arms and a smile made of daggers that's pretty fucking terrifying. Besides putting a shark tie on Christophern, which was adorable, Garmadon's shark obsession re-ignited Jay’s already potent fear of the predator. The only thing that scared him more were zebras. And spiders. And sometimes Nya.
The sharks ahead began to circle something, actually two somethings. Jay squinted his eyes, narrowing his field of vision, focusing on the figures ahead. They were mechs. Oh no.
“Guys!” He gasped, jumping out of his seat. Lloyd did the same, obviously coming to the same conclusion. They looked at each other, holding a two-second telepathic conversation. Then, they both took off towards the hangar bay.
“Take the helm, Zane!” Jay fired over his shoulder as he donned his helmet, flipping the latch. He heard the now familiar hum of the seal being made. The hallway ahead of him brightened as the helmet lights came on, reflecting off the door in front of him. He picked up the pace, swiping a blaster up off the table as he ran by. The doors opened, and he dove. Jumping from the door into the water, a good seven feet away. Once he was submerged, he began to swim. Distantly hearing the splash behind him, he knew that Lloyd had his back, like always. Jay saw Nya and Maya up ahead. Nya was fighting off the sharks with her elemental powers. Water moved smoothly through water, with that slight glow her powers gave it. She was beautiful. That's my girl. He smiled at her. Then Maya’s face contorted in fear.
“Don’t forget about the third one!”
Nya looked winded and confused. “What third on-” She cut herself off with a scream as the third shark's jaws snapped, barely missing her neck, its cartilaginous nose pushing her forward, forcing her arms to hold its mouth open. During ‘The Shark Week of Garmadon, ’ he remembered hearing that an average ripper shark's bite force is about 4,000 pounds per square inch. Fuck, his brain for bringing up that particular fun fact. He suppressed a shudder as he raised his blaster. Nya needed him to be precise; he swam closer, lining up his shot, heart pounding. He couldn't miss. But, thankfully, Nya saved herself, throwing the shark off with a quick burst of water, smacking it into a rock formation a good 50 feet away. Jay let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. But it was short-lived. The shark shook itself off and charged at Nya, its eyes narrowing with hunger.
“I can take it!” Nya yelled with a smirk, somehow excited to be fighting a ripper shark in the middle of the open ocean. She readied herself. Jay smiled, then he twitched again, his blaster arm going numb for a moment. An aftereffect from earlier, lightning charged the water, the lights in his mech flickered. So did the ones in Nya's.
“Oh no, no, no.” Nya lamented, fear forcing her voice up an octave. She desperately fiddled with the now dead controls of the mech. The shark only got closer. “Don’t shut down on me now.” Nya closed her eyes, not wanting to watch her demise as it ripped her to shreds. Jay lunged, firing his blaster, aiming right between the shark's soulless, beady eyes.
“Back off, fish-sticks!” He quipped, voice surprisingly steady for someone who’d almost hit the love of their life. “Jay!” She sounded relieved. She doesn’t know, he told himself, she doesn’t know your faulty powers caused her mech to shut down. Jay wouldn't think about how would she react if she did?
I know it's all an act. Deep down, you're scared. You make jokes to mask that you're afraid.
The two women in mechs cheered at their rescuers as he and Lloyd kept firing. Jay shook his head, the pain from the zap subsiding. His body sighed in relief, but his mind was a different matter. He found he missed the pain, it kept him from his racing thoughts.
Nya smiled at him, a welcome distraction as he swam next to her. Reaching the base of the ship Nya got up first, climbing up into the hangar bay, quickly shedding her metal body. Flipping down into a grateful landing, she ran over to him as he struggled to get out of the water, over the concrete lip, and into the hangar.
Jay's body felt numb, his legs not obeying the commands sent to them. He tried to pull himself up over the slippery concrete lip with just his gloved, unsteady hands. This ended pathetically with a small cry and a splash. “Shit!” The word slipped out during his fall. He swam back to the surface. Nya was leaning over the water, smirking, blissfully unaware that the reason her Yin was acting this way wasn’t that he was embarrassed, but instead that he was injured.
“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Her eyebrows raised as she offered a hand to him. He smiled back at her, taking the offered assistance.
“Nah, you know my mom doesn’t swear. Plus, that was an accident,” he said quickly, “everyone knows swearing is a sign of weak verbal skills.” She laughed at that, and Jay found himself falling in love all over again. Nobody laughs at my jokes like Nya. It made him feel useful every once in a while, to bring a smile to such a beautiful face.
Ed and Edna were amazing people, not to mention amazing parents. But neither of them had much of a sense of humor. When Jay was young, most of his quips went over their head, not only were they lightning quick, but they were smart and well thought out. Edna had always said she never knew who he’d gotten his brain from. She said that it would lead him to do great things. Jay wondered now, was it his birth mom who had a silver tongue? Or was it Cliff Gordon? Maybe it was neither; his mind betrayed, after all, it’s not very fucking funny to leave a newborn in the trash. He pushed those thoughts aside; Maybe they weren't too bad? Especially since Cliff had left all that crap to him, not to mention the creepy shrine. But his mom…
“Thank you…” The sound came from Nya. He jumped at the noise, and she looked curious. “Hey, are you alright? Lloyd gave a pointed look over his shoulder, the look read lie, and you're dead, Jay. Jay sighed. He messed with his helmet in his hands, trying to avoid eye contact. Especially with Lloyd, the traitor. But Nya knew him too well; she noticed immediately when he was trying to avoid telling her something she wouldn’t like.
“Jay…” Her voice had a menacing edge; he knew she would never hurt him, but she still terrified him. He gave a humourless chuckle, stepping away from her, his hands moving faster, fiddling with the latch on the helmet.
“I may, possibly, probably, maybe…” He dragged it out, then he took a deep breath, “Imighthaveusedmylightningpowerstozapthebatteryandmaybepassedout.”
Nya looked at him, shocked, still trying to piece together that jumble of words. He grimaced. Then he saw it, when it dawned on her what he said, her eyes flicked up full of worry.
“But it was only for a second or two.” As if that was any consolation, if the rules were reversed, he knew what he would be feeling right now. Honestly, it made him feel worse knowing he had brought that anxiety upon his team. Lloyd, Zane, Pixal, Nya, and even Maya. They had all suffered enough today. Why did he have to add to that? His shoulders slumped, and he took another step away from Nya, looking down in shame.
Nya seemed to have given up on trying to create a response to his earlier statement. Instead, she crossed the distance between them and enveloped him in a strong yet gentle embrace. She’d always been better with actions than words. He was still wearing the diving suit, dripping and soggy against Nya’s dry gi. But she didn’t seem to care, holding him tighter in her arms. Selfishly, Jay didn’t care either, letting just a little bit of his weight fall onto her. She took it gracefully, almost happily, as they melted together.
There was a sort of awkward coughing sound. Like a cat trying to cough up a hairball. Nya and Jay pulled out of the embrace just enough to see Lloyd standing there; he seemed to be looking anywhere but them. The tips of his pale ears turned red, and he gave a slight chuckle.
“Uh… I’m going to go to the bridge.” The subtext was easy to decipher. We should all go to the bridge, but you guys are having a moment, and I’m awkward and a recently discovered aro-ace person. The two lovers looked at each other with matching smiles, walking hand in hand after their leader. Jay paused just for a moment to shed his suit, throwing it haphazardly onto a nearby table. Nya leaned over to kiss his cheek, and his heart melted just a little.
Nope. He wouldn’t trade this for anything. Jay's thoughts wandered to the Yin necklace in its place back at the Monastery, they only took it on missions in Ninjago, for fear of it getting lost. Then, he noticed Maya behind him; this trip might be the perfect cover to ask for her blessing. He’d already asked for Kai’s. The arguably more important blessing. But he should still ask her mom, right? Especially since I need to ask Nya about marriage. Jay shrugged those thoughts away. They were already Yin and Yang. He squeezed Nya’s hand, and she squeezed back. What’s the rush? They entered the bridge. Hands falling limply back to their sides.
They had all the time in the world.