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The halls were quiet as Kai found himself sulking around the Monastery, a blanket half-draped around his shoulders. Despite being the element of fire, he felt himself shivering violently. Stupid fever, He thought begrudgingly. He leaned against the doorway to the bathroom, his eyelids heavy. He hadn’t slept the night prior, and despite his best efforts he knew there was no way to convince Sensei Wu (or Nya (Or Lloyd, for that matter)) to let him train. So he’d spent his entire day lounging around and doing absolutely nothing.
Under normal circumstances, that would’ve been a blessing. A break was usually never in order for the Ninja, but when that day is spent wallowing around alone with your teammates pestering you and asking if you needed anything, it gets a bit annoying. Especially when you can hear said teammates planning a mission and are debating whether or not to take you with them.
To be fair, as much as he claims to despise all the attention, he’s extremely grateful for it. He never really got “sick days” when he was younger because he had to take care of Nya. Well… that was until she got older and could take care of herself, but that’s besides the point!
With a grumbled sigh he closed the door and knelt over the sink, barely lifting his head enough to see his reflection. Of course, he hadn’t had the energy to put much effort into his appearance, so he looked a bit of a mess. His hair was all sorts of crazy, curls sent in every which direction. Dark circles outlined the bottom of his eyes which seemed to be highlighted by the vanity light. He looked pale as pale as a ghost, the light dusting of freckles and various moles on his body becoming much more visible.
Kai knelt against the wall opposite of the mirror and slowly slid down, accepting his fate. He hated this part of being sick with every fiber of his being. The part where you knew what was coming and you just had to sit and wait, counting the seconds down until you finally gave in.
Though, to be honest, he always put up a fight.
As soon as he felt the bile rising in his throat he fought tooth and nail to keep it down. He knew it’d make him feel better. He knew he should just get it over with. But the overwhelming terror that dug its wicked claws into his mind made him forget all rational thought. He grimaced, a harsh cough escaping his mouth.
Kai was kneeling by the toilet at this point, arms clutched around his stomach as he felt another wave of heat rush through him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, sweat dripping off his forehead. He hated how much the fear controlled him, but he had no choice but to let it.
. . .
Cole awoke to a grumble in his stomach. He sighed, feeling dejected. I knew I should’ve eaten something… He took a glance at the time, Eh, better late than never. He stretched his arms over his head, a small yawn escaping him as he slid off his bed. He put on a hoodie and exited his room, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Lloyd’s room was placed next to his, Kai’s, and Nya’s, and he didn’t want to wake the poor kid up. Cole knew all too well how lightly he slept.
With steps as light as a feather, he made his way to the kitchen, swiftly going to open the fridge door. As his hands landed on the handle he heard what could only be described as someone choking mixed with a dragon’s snarl. He stopped in his tracks, his hunger momentarily forgotten, and slowly turned his head around. The noise had stopped as soon as it started, but that didn’t stop Cole’s curiosity from guiding his steps.
He moved silently, once again, towards where he heard the noise coming from. Turning the corner, he saw yellow light pouring out from beneath the bathroom door. He took a few steps forward, contemplating whether or not to interrupt whoever was in there. With a quiet huff of breath Cole raised his fist, tapping softly on the door.
There was a soft shuffle of clothing before a hoarse voice broke out, quiet and pained. “Who is it?”
That was undoubtedly the voice of his currently sick companion, Kai.
“It’s Cole, you okay in there?” He asked, his voice soft and comforting like a parent comforting their child. There was a beat of silence before the door clicked open, opening ever so slightly. Cole stepped through, leaving the door cracked open behind him.
Holy FSM.
Kai looked like he was dying. Skin pale, hair messy, everything Kai tried so hard not to let show. He had his arms wrapped around himself feebly, shirt and blanket both hanging off his shoulder. He was shaking, horribly so, and for some reason Cole felt like it wasn’t just the fever. The aforementioned kneeled down next to him, placing a gentle hand on his back. Now that he got a good look at his face, he noticed Kai looked almost scared.
Neither of them spoke for a while, other than small words of affirmation. Cole rubbed gentle circles on his friend’s back, doing his best to comfort him. The more he thought about it, the more concerned he started to feel. Is something wrong? Do we need to get him to a hospital? Should I get Zane? Why does he look so terrified? Is there something he’s not telling us? What do I-
The sound of Kai hurling derailed Cole’s train of thought entirely. He diverted his attention to his friend, who was now shaking even more violently, mouth still open with chunks of vomit still clinging to his lips. His chest rose and fell without rhythm, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. Cole had never seen Kai be so terrified, especially over something like this…
Then again, he’s also scared of water so it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.
Cole pat Kai’s back, a reassurance he was still here. “You’re okay dude, just breathe.” Kai simply shook his head, and despite his hair covering his face, it couldn’t hide the teardrop that fell onto his lap.
“No, no you don’t… you don’t get it,” Kai mumbled, wiping his face with his sleeve.
“I can try,” Cole murmured, reaching out to lift Kai’s auburn hair out of his face. He’ll never forget the look of fear and vulnerability hiding in those gold-flecked eyes. Kai turned away harshly, trying to hide himself in the blanket.
But before he could get too far, he flung himself forward and threw up again. Cole inched closer, shifting his hand towards Kai’s far shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, before shifting it again to hold his friend’s hair back as he continued to vomit.
“You’re okay, you’re doing okay,” Cole whispered, being as gentle as he possibly could. At this point Kai was sobbing, which wasn’t doing much for him, but hey, it wasn’t like he could stop it.
Kai continued to turn his insides into his outside for another couple of minutes, pausing ever so often to catch his breath the best he could. Once he was for sure done he wrapped himself up in his blanket as Cole flushed everything down, sitting back down against Kai’s side. He lifted his hand to his friend’s back, rubbing in careful circles to help calm him down.
“God I must look so stupid,” Said friend muttered, poking his head above the shield of his blanket.
“You don’t. Everyone throws up every once in a while,” Cole said, leaning forward to see the Fire Ninja’s face, who attempted to shy away and failed miserably due to the constricting prison of blanket.
“You… you don’t get it. Throwing up is my worst nightmare,” Kai mumbled, continuing to curl up on himself. The Earth Ninja placed his hand on Kai’s forehead, which was (obviously) still burning, but had definitely cooled off during the day.
“And I’m afraid of heights! We all have our fears, Kai, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Cole said, tilting his companions head to face him. Despite all the ninja picking on each other for seemingly foolish fears, they all knew deep down that they were still fears.
To that, Kai shuffled uncomfortably under the blanket, still clearly feeling unwell.
“You feelin’ a bit better, at least?” Cole asked, sitting up straighter. His friend nodded, and before he knew it, was swept off his feet bridal style. Kai yelped in protest before Cole shushed him, reminding him that, yes, it was indeed the middle of the night. The Earth Ninja opened the door and walked out, quietly walking back down to their rooms.
“M’ not a baby, Cole, I can walk back myself,” The Fire Ninja remarked, crossing his arms but leaning into Cole’s touch nonetheless.
“Yeah, but it’s more fun this way,” Cole retorted, rolling his eyes as he stepped soundlessly down the hall. Kai stayed silent, to Cole’s surprise, but couldn’t help but thrash around a little trying to get out of his hold.
Said ninja stopped in front of Kai’s door, reaching for the handle. He felt a soft tug at the straps of his hoodie and looked down. His friend’s eyes averted his, a look of guilt and frustration on his face. Cole tilted his head, confused.
“I…ugh this is stupid,” Kai started, shaking his head and avoiding any sort of eye contact.
“What is it?” Cole asked, his confusion growing.
“...”
“Could… could you stay tonight?” Kai mumbled, arms crossed tightly across his chest as he assessed the floor below him with a scowl. Cole smiled, a chuckle almost leaving his lips.
“If that’s what you really want,” He commented, opening the door with a quiet creak, “I’m surprised you want me here when you know how loud I snore.”
Kai grinned, rolling his eyes. “Oh quiet down you big boulder, it’s just 'cause’ you're warm as hell and the only good thing about being sick.”
The door clicked shut behind them as their bickering continued. Maybe, just maybe, throwing up isn’t as scary when you have someone you love by your side.