Lost And Found, Arc 1: Buried Treasure

Lost and found, arc 1: buried treasure

Part 4: one mans trash

(Previous---Next) (Masterpost)

Jay was pretty good at keeping himself awake. If it wasn’t his thoughts, he could always give himself tiny shocks to keep the gears turning.

He couldn’t do it often without the others getting suspicious, but sometimes he needed to. And tonight was one of those nights.

He waited till Cole and Zane had fallen fast asleep, curled up with one another. Jay had chosen to be the big spoon tonight specifically for this purpose.

He slowly, quietly, crept out of bed. Giving a small exhale of relief that he’d managed to pry himself away without waking either of his boyfriends. He squinted as he looked around for his shoes. He traded the pajamas for cargo pants and a hoodie, this would be a quick mission so he didn’t need his gi. In and out before any stone warriors even realized he was top side.

After grabbing his shoes, backpack, making sure the clasp of his necklace was still strong, and of course the ever important gas mask he’d custom built, with lightning bolt embellishments for a bit of flare, he stood in the door way. Smiling at the masters of earth and ice as they held each other close.

“I’ll be back soon. Promise.” Jay turned. Leaving the carved out room he’d been calling home for the past few years.

It was hard to leave the underground without Cole’s permission, seeing as he opened and closed most of the entrances. But there were still a few good old fashioned holes that opened into ninjago city’s sewer system. It was, gross to saw the least, the smell was probably enough to kill a dragon.

Jay sighed, preparing for the worst as he headed for the dreaded exit when a wall of ice appeared out of thin air, blocking his path.

“Jay.. what are you doing?” Zane asked from behind the blue ninja.

Jay lifted his head and sighed “I’m. Going to the junk yard.”

Zane frowned

“Don’t give me that look!! I- look. I know I can help Cole.. and the warriors are less active at night and-“

“I am coming with you.” Zane said firmly

Jay blinked in response “What now?”

“It is to dangerous to go alone. I do not think I could stop you. So I am coming with you.”

Jay smiled “soo it’s a date then?”

Zane gave a small laugh “only if you hold my hand”

Jays smile widened into a grin, grabbing Zane’s hand and interlacing their fingers “as if you have to ask”

Zane smiled faintly as jay led them through the sewers. It was a long walk from the main underground to the man hole closest to the walkers junkyard, Zane was hoping they’d make it out without Cole getting up for a midnight snack and realizing they had both left. Directly against his wishes.

“For the record. I do still think this is a bad idea.” Zane stated

“ duly noted.” Jay responded. He. Knew it was a bad idea too.. but he had to go back. Just. One more time.. he had to see it one last time.

Ok. So maybe making a doohickey to help the constricti and thus help Cole relax a little wasn’t his only motivation for sneaking out but.. could you really blame him! That junk yard was his home! Before Wu, before the monastery, he had the junk yard. And his parents.. the overlord had taken all of that..

Jay fiddled with the rings he’d strung up on a chain that he kept around his neck. Two gold bands, and one made from two different metals scraped together with a small sapphire set were they met. Jay took a deep breath. “Look, I know this is risky. But I need to do this. Not just for Cole. For myself.”

Zane’s gaze softened as he looked at the master of lightning, giving his hand a light squeeze before bring it up to his own lips and pressing a light kiss to jays knuckles “and I will be by your side every step of the way”

Jay smiled softly “why do you have to be such a damn gentlemen all the time” he snickered

Zane merely shrugged, smiling as jay relaxed a bit “I suppose it is in my nature”

Jay leaned against the nindroid, “I guess so”

They stayed like that for the rest of the walk. Just. Enjoying each others presence.

Eventually they found the ladder marked with a lightning bolt, the one that led to the walker family junk yard.

Jay let go of Zane’s hand to secure his gas mask. Taking a deep breath of the closest thing he’d had to fresh air in years before shoving it over his nose and ears.

“All good?” Zane asked as he started on the first rung of the ladder

Jay looked up, giving him a thumbs up “all good Elsa”

Zane rolled his eyes at the nickname and made his way up, using his robotic strength to push the manhole cover up and off the hole.

Jay followed right behind, taking an offered hand as he reached the top.

“There's the easy part over with” jay said, his voice muffled by the mask.

“Hopefully we won’t have to deal with the hard part” Zane sighed.

Jay grabbed his hand once more. Marching off to well.. home.

The junk yard.. had seen better days. It had been trashed. Piles knocked over, his fathers inventions torn apart.. most people wouldn’t know the difference from how it was before. But jay knew..

The place had been ransacked shortly after the initial take over, before the ninja were even in the city.. before jay had a chance to get his parents out of there..

Then of course there were the looters. People who were taking what they could to get by, jay.. didn’t blame them. They were just trying to survive. Even if the thought of the place being scrapped till there was nothing left to take make him sick,

“Jay, may I ask what we’re looking for?”

“Uh a bunch of doohickeys. Just erm, grab what you can? Anything I can’t use for the sensor I can use for other things.”

Zane nodded, making his way to a pile and just. Grabbed what he could and putting it into his messenger bag. They needed to do this quickly, the longer they were out and about the more likely it was the stone warriors would come by. That, and jay needed to get to sleep sooner rather then later.

Zane was fortunate enough to not actually NEED sleep. But it was a habit he had kept up after discovering his own blueprints. It felt. Good. Human..

jay on the other hand had been forcing himself to stay awake all night. Which, zane figured would not last much longer.

“Are you sure I can’t help you find what your looking for?” The ice ninja asked, concern for jays well being starting to lace his voice

“I got it! Promise popsicle” jay called out as he rummaged through what was left of the junk piles, occasionally pulling something out and examining it before stuffing it into his bag or a pocket.

Zane sighed, putting whatever looked usable into his own bag.

He reached out for another piece, when he picked up a faint clatter from another pile. He may not have a pulse, but he was sure if he did the sound would’ve caused it to quicken. “Jay?” He called out, hoping to the first master he’d been the cause of the racket

“Yeah?” Jay responded in the direction opposite the clatter

Zane gulped “I suspect we are not alone..” he tightened his grip on the strap of his bag, walking backwards towards jay, his eyes flickering around for any sign of movement

Jay clicked his tongue “shit- I’ve. I’ve almost got everything I swear just- give me like 5 minutes!” Jay rushed around, trying to find the last part

Zane looked over his shoulder, watching jays searching get more frantic.

Surely if it was something conscious enough to wish them harm, it would’ve been alerted by their conversation and attacked already. Right..?

“Ah HA! Got it-!” Jay shouted from atop the pile of junk, holding the small piece up in victory before loosing his footing “w-woAh” he cried out

“Jay!” Zane rushed to the pile, hoping to at least cushion jays landing and prevent him from sliding directly into some sharp scrap metal

Jay landed against Zane with a thud and a clunk. “Nice save” the master of lightning smirked up at Zane

The ice ninja frowned in response “you need to be more careful.” He shook his head “you could’ve been seriously hurt.”

Jay scoffed, “Zane I’ve been climbing these piles since I could walk. I know how to land on my feet” jay rested his head in the crook of Zane’s neck “.. one last thing. Promise.”

Zane sighed “fine. May I at least help you look for it?”

Jay backed away from his partner, shaking his head “I already know where it is.”

Zane furrowed his brow. Watching as jay slipped into the trailer. Returning moments later with…a broken frame.. a family picture from when he was little. About 8 zane guessed.

His shoulders slumped “ah.. I see”

“I’m. I’m ready to go now. The stone warriors are probably going to head out to pillage more soon anyways.”

Zane nodded, holding his hand out to his boyfriend who gladly accepted.

The journey back was. Quiet. Grief hung in the air.

Both of them missing someone just out of reach.

Zane. Had nothing from his father.

Some days he wished he’d left the memory switch off. Some days he was glad his father didn’t have to be apart of this apocalypse. Most days? He just missed him.

He understood jays pain. Even if he didn’t know what to say to help.

Fortunately. Their much more emotionally aware partner was waiting for them at the entrance to the sewers.

Unfortunately. He looked rather upset. Arms crossed, foot tapping, brow furrowed.

“And just where have you two been all night?”

Zane cleared his throat, deciding to handle the talking so jay didn’t have to waste the energy “We went to-“

“The JUNK YARD! The place I specifically told you not to go YEASTERDAY” Cole threw his hands in the air in frustration

Jay pulled his gas mask off “relax, boulder brain, nothing happened. And we got the supplies I needed”

Cole sighed, messaging the bridge of his nose “you're going to be the death of me sparky.”

Jay snickered, going over to the master of earth and planting a kiss on his cheek, “and would you have it any other way?”

——————

Author note: Hey so, I ment to post this a week ago but got really fucking distracted by toxic bug yaoi,,, so.

If it’s not obvious by now this is a poly ninja fic.

ALSO: this is the last part of this arc/ chapter 🥳 i will be posting it to ao3 shortly and updating the masterpost with the link. it WILL be account locked due to the scrapings.