#but here he is in his element. fucking with electronics in an underwater setting

[coastalmangoes]

the handyman the saboteur etc

[magicalbluelightning]

So I attempted writing something... its not done but I think it’s alright so far?

I think Cole would have some issues with water after returning to human form, and was in the mood to write some angst. There’s heavily implied bruise here too :)

there’s no title yet and not done but oh well I wanted to share

“You getting in Cole?” Jay’s voice brings me back to the present, my worried thoughts fading for a moment. “Zane and Nya are going to beat us to the water slide if we don’t hurry…” He sees my hesitant look and trails off. It’s been around a month since we moved into Yang’s temple and for the most part I’ve gotten used to having a solid form again. Water, however, was still a major obstacle, especially with how deadly it had been to me as a ghost.

“Why don’t you go on ahead?” I tell him. “I’ll meet you over there in a bit.” We both know that’s a lie. These days I’m barely able to wash myself, and that’s only if I wet a sponge and scrub myself with that, instead of getting fully under the running shower.

           Jay frowns, remembering how sensitive I’ve become to water since I was a ghost. “You sure? I can wait out here with you if you like…”

           “No, go catch up to the others. I’ll be fine, I swear.” Another lie. All I want now is to get away from this damn water park and do something else. I don’t really care what, just something that doesn’t involve this much water. He starts to get that look he gets when he’s getting ready to argue, and I shoot him a look of ‘Don’t you dare, I’m not going to take this away from you for my sake’. I grab my towel and sit on it after laying it out on the cement. This seems to somewhat convince him to stop trying to fight me on this. I’m not going to let him miss this.

           He shoots me a soft smile, not entirely convinced that I’ll be alright without him. “Alright, but you’d better be ready to tell me what you want to go do tomorrow! We’ll do whatever it is you want, and make sure it’s something that doesn’t involve water.” Another smile, this time happier.

           I smile back, and it’s actually a truthful one. “Alright, just go on or you’ll miss the slide…” He’s already back in the pool, swimming toward the park’s massive water slide. We have this rule that the first time you go down the slide you have to swim over to it through the pool, no walking along the side. I always won that, though Zane sometimes came close to getting ahead of me. I wonder who won this time? Probably Nya. Since becoming the water ninja, Nya had become quite the swimmer. As the elemental ninja of water, Nya like to use her abilities to “push” the water away from her and propel herself forward. I’ve long suspected her of allowing me to win all those times- there’s no way she could be the water ninja and not win.

           With Jay finally gone, I allow my smile to fade. Why did I agree to come to this fucking water park anyway? I could have gone to the arcade with Kai and Lloyd, but for some reason I decided to come to the one place I would be most uncomfortable. I reach over and pull my phone out of my bag, grunting as my legs, sore from sitting cross-legged on the hard pavement, protest the movement. Maybe a game might help ease my mood. Before I can get my passcode in I’m flooded by a literal wave of both emotions- and water. We had set up camp near the outer fence, both as a precaution against theft and damage of our electronics- they didn’t do well after getting wet after all -and since I had insisted on being as far away from the water as possible. I guess the distance didn’t stop the two trouble-makers from carrying a bucket of water and pouring it on my fucking head, drenching both myself and everything around me.

           At first I’m angry, which is understandable- those punks most likely just damaged what was the first new phone I’ve had in a long time, as well as all the dry clothes and snacks we’d brought. I stand fully ready to knock some sense into whoever it was, only to see the pair of them running around a corner and disappear into the crowded pool. Now, with no distractions, the anger dissipates and all that remains is ice-cold fear as I register just how wet I am. Memories of the past year come back, rushing to the fore-front of my mind. All those ghosts we saw killed, just from a few drops of rain. Being on the submarine, underwater. Morro possessing Lloyd, then almost killing him in the Spinjitzu Master’s Tomb. The Pre-Eminent. Everything. In a way I’m aware that I’m not actually going to die, but now, it’s just too soon. Too painful. I sit back down and wrap my arms around my legs as if it will somehow do something relieve the pain. My chest hurts as I try to breath, too far into the panic attack to care about that right now. I’m going to die right now, my fear tells me, as my mind is screaming at the same time that everything is fine, I’m just over-reacting. Unfortunately, there’s no way of negotiating with anxiety, not when it’s already well on its way into a full-blown panic attack.

           I don’t register the footsteps until Jay is already standing next to me, his eyes wide in worry. “Cole! What happened? Did someone push you in?” He asks, looking around at the soaked bags and towels. “No, then our bags would still be dry…” He hands me the towel he had been holding. For the most part it was still dry, and I attempted to dry myself as much as I could. My hair would have to wait until later, as would my clothes. No amount of towels would be able to dry a wet shirt in a short amount of time. Jay reaches out a hand and I grab it, shakily getting to my feet.

Jay was surprisingly dry, not a drop of water on him apart from the bit that had dripped from my hair. “You-…”

He cuts me off, grabbing the towel. “Didn’t end up wanting to get on the slide. You, on the other hand, need to get that shirt off. The damp fabric is only going to make things worse.” His mouth was curved in that adorable little pout he gets whenever Jay is worried, and I decide to focus on that as I fumble with my shirt, cringing at the soaked cloth. Eventually I get it off and Jay has wrapped the towel around me. I grasp it, shivering. Mostly due to the panic attack, but also because there’s a slight breeze and I’m wet and shirtless. Wind. I’m sure my nightmares aren’t as bad as Lloyd’s, but the thought of Morro sends me into another round of panic. Jay wraps his arms around me and suggests we go away from the park. I nod numbly, breathing heavily. My vision clouds, and I just need to get away from this place. I doubt I’ll ever feel safe here again…

We ultimately decide to go to the arcade to join Kai and Lloyd after sending a quick text to Nya’s phone to let the rest of the gang know where we were when they couldn’t find the two of us later. When we get to the table Jay puts our bags on a table, then leaves to find our friends. I sit and wait for him to return, shakily grasping Jay’s towel around me like a protective cape. I had mostly dried off by now, for the most part, though bits of my hair were still wet, plastered to my face like limp noodles.