Work Text:
Kai's slept in late when you all see it.
You, being the leader and all, are the one leading the pack to go wake him up. Jay and Zane trail behind you, Jay babbling about something you missed the beginning of, and Zane listening quietly.
Kai doesn't often wake up late for training- he's usually first, up and in the courtyard before everyone else. So, this is odd.
You swing the door to the shared room open, not bothering to knock.
And Kai's standing in the center of the room, one large, feathered wing protruding from his back.
Jay stops in the middle of his story, words jumbling into some sort of strangled squeak.
Kai turns around, eyes wide.
The wing is beautiful, you think, the golden-brown feathers close in shade to his hair. It looks like it would perhaps reach the length of his arm, barely past his fingertips. He folds it in, the feathers vanishing into the small of his back.
And he throws on a T-Shirt and leaves.
He doesn’t say anything at all, barely acknowledging any of you.
Jay bolts after him, hot on his tail.
You never learn if Jay catches him or not.
Zane doesn't say anything to you, either.
Jay is your closest friend. You’ve really only known him for a little over half a year, but he’s your best friend. He’s more important to you than anyone at those fancy music schools your father insisted on sending you to.
So you can see the signs far before he ever does.
Jay watches Kai now, sometimes, eyes focused upon your teammate.
And it’s not the look of someone who’s simply infatuated, curious about the idea of a wing. That’s what you’d expect to happen. Jay’s told the story of how Wu found him a million times.
He’s always been interested in the concept of flight. He’s wanted to be up, above the ground. In the sky.
And Kai has the key to it. Or, well, half a key.
But Jay’s gaze seems different. It’d feel different if it was turned onto you.
Zane is a robot.
You watch as he crumples to the floor, and you have nothing you can say. Jay is interested, of course, he is, but you know it’s different. You sneak a glance at Kai, but there’s nothing betraying anything on his face.
It doesn’t change your opinion on him.
He is still your brother.
You don't talk about the wing.
You carefully avoid the topic, continuing with the mission. Get the Fangblades, stop that kid from causing trouble.
And as things begin to unravel, you almost forget about it entirely.
Until Jay, out of the blue, and at the wrong time entirely, asks, “Can you fly?” A pause. “With it?”
Kai, pausing in changing out of his training gear, looks over. He looks upset for a few moments before straightening up and removing his top.
He unfolds the wing, and for the first time since you walked in on him, you get to see it. The mid-morning light glints off the feathers as he sways it back and forth. The shine makes you wish you could run your hands across the surface. “Can I?”
Jay's expression screws into one of thought. “Well, it would be physically impossible, but-”
“There’s your answer.”
“How do you know?” You find yourself asking, perhaps slightly pointed. It comes out meaner than intended.
He turns a glare on you. “There’s a roof on the shop back home, you figure it out.”
You shut your mouth after that.
Lloyd is annoying.
But you get used to him.
Sure, he messes everything up- although turning Zane’s gi pink was rather funny- but he’s a good kid. You find that he’s nice to sit with and watch the stars on the deck of the bounty.
He and Jay immediately connect over comics, and you’re glad. Zane starts to teach him a few little things around the boat.
Kai watches him nervously from different places on the bounty.
You brush it off. He probably needs more time.
“Can I touch it?” Jay asks quietly, reaching his hand out.
Kai looks at him for a few moments, opens his mouth, and closes it. He folds the wing back into the shadow of his back. “No, Jay, I-”
Jay steps backwards, arm yanking back as if he was burned.
You grab onto his shoulder, pulling him away further.
Kai watches the two of you as if he has been burned.
Kai and Jay don’t speak for the next day and a half.
Lloyd is the first one you see touch it.
The Green Ninja.
Kai's talking to him in a low whisper, too quiet for you to hear. Lloyd's fingers dance across the feathers, amazement on his face.
You think maybe you see Kai mouth the word “protector”, but you aren't sure.
Kai has found his place, it seems, and Lloyd is the only one let in.
It leaves a sort of sour taste in your mouth.
It took him this long to get used to the kid, and all of a sudden, he’s the only one able to touch it. The only one able to run his fingers through the soft feathers.
But he is special, and Kai found his true potential for him.
And your time had already passed.
“What do you have, Jay?” Zane’s question breaks you away from the book you’re reading. Jay has entered the room, something in his hands.
“Look,” Jay walks over to him, holding whatever it is up, cupped in his hands. You cannot see, frowning at the interaction.
“Where did you get those, Jay?”
“Kai’s bunk,” He replies, easily, and you feel your stomach sink, just a little. “They’re so soft, feel them.” He pushes his hands closer to Zane, and he’s met with a shake of the head.
“I cannot feel those, Jay.”
“Zane!”
Zane complies, and you watch, trying to hide your interest behind your book.
“See?”
Zane shakes his head and turns around. “I’d advise not to mess with any of Kai’s stuff; he’s protective.”
“He won’t need these, though,” Jay murmurs, holding one up into the light.
It’s one of Kai’s feathers.
“He's always had it,” Nya says, the two of you watching Kai and Lloyd spar in the courtyard. He is hiding the feathers now, and you don't think you'll see them anytime soon. “At least, as long as I can remember,” She tacks on, crossing her arms.
“So it’s just… Normal?”
“We grew up without parents, Cole,” She scoffs, “I don’t know exactly what they told him, but he’s always forced himself to hide it no matter what. They’re gone, and we’re stuck not knowing why.”
“Do you know what they told him?” You ask, and she sighs, shakes her head.
Kai shouts a tip to Lloyd before charging at him. Lloyd dodges in the last second, but misses the fact that Kai’s about to kick his legs out from underneath him.
Lloyd falls to the ground, and Kai stands up straight, triumphant. “Be aware of everything.”
“I hate you, you know that?”
Kai helps him up, and you look at Nya.
She’s watching her brother.
“Can you collect Jay and Kai for dinner?” Zane asks you over his shoulder, and you move away from the cabinets.
“Yeah, I can do that.”
When you get to the door, it’s cracked open just a smidge. You mean to go in, but curiosity gets the best of you, and you peer in through the gap.
Kai and Jay are alone in the bedroom. Kai is sitting in the middle of the room, wing outstretched, as Jay sits on the bed, brushing out and rearranging the feathers. Kai makes a soft sound, Jay snorts.
You swallow, backing away from the door.
You wait a minute, maybe two, before stepping forward and knocking. You do not look in. “Zane’s made dinner,” You call, and there are a few whispers that come from inside.
“Got it!” Jay calls back, and you stalk downstairs.
You sleep fitfully one night, dreaming of death and the final battle and everything going so, so wrong. You cannot save everyone. You are stuck and unable to help, unable to reach Lloyd, unable to fight at his side.
And then, you don’t.
Your dreams melt into something different: the feeling of someone resting at your side, the cool brush of something soft against your cheek.
You remember, vaguely, looking up to see Jay, head in a book, white wing wrapped ever so carefully around you.
And then, you’d woken up.
The Temple of Light is awesome. You point your sword at the thrown coconut and laugh, and it explodes into about a thousand pieces.
Jay gets the next one, a wide grin on his face. Zane follows suit.
Kai is off to the side, in the shade of a tree, arms crossed. You wonder why, but you just continue the little game anyway. Jay launches the next coconut, before stepping backwards and slinking away. Zane explodes it when it’s far enough out.
“C’mon, Kai!” Jay shouts, grabbing him and attempting to pull him out of the shade and over to them. He digs his feet into the sand and doesn’t move. “Kai.”
Zane launches another rock, and you shoot at it.
“I’m not going over there.”
“Why not?” Jay whines, and he slips in the sand, taking Kai down with him.
“Do you know how hot it is out here?” Kai grumbles, sitting up. Jay crosses his arms, and you and Zane turn around.
Jay blinks at him. “Then take off your shirt.”
Kai glowers at him.
Jay raises an eyebrow back.
Kai removes his shirt, and the wing unfolds, and you cannot help but stare at it. It’s gorgeous, out in the sunlight.
“Better?”
Kai glares at him.
“Better.” Jay nods to himself.
The wing is strong, you note, after the group is caught off-guard by a group of stone warriors later in the evening. Jay had been given permission to ‘preen’ Kai’s wing moments before, something you didn’t expect Kai to so freely give out.
You’re sitting around the fire when Jay shrieks, pointing behind Zane. He turns around and immediately stands up. Cole does the same, grabbing his sword.
Kai stands, still shirtless, wing still bared against the light of the fire. He uses it to knock one of the stone warriors back. It flies several yards away, and he leaps at another soon after.
You wonder if it helps with his balance at all.
Jay rams into you, outside the door to your shared room. You pause in your tracks, watching him carefully.
Jay's gaze seems to float over to you, unbothered by the collision. "Cole."
"Jay," You speak, lowly, watching as Jay tilts his head at you, lips curled into a smug half-smile.
"Hm?"
"You've got something," You speak, gesturing to his cheek.
Jay tilts his head up, lights in the hallway catching the offenders. You reach out to brush a few golden-brown feathers from the corner of Jay's mouth.
Perhaps a little harder than you'd meant to.