Chapter Text
The bounty was quiet, unusually so, the band of ninja had just returned from investigating a report of nefarious behavior in Stiix. Thankfully it was nothing serious, a trick of the light fused with noisy pipes.
Dejected, the ninja returned to the ship, disappointed with the lack of excitement. The floors creaked as they boarded. In hopes of maintaining any sense of optimism, most of the teens kept their discontent to themselves. Everyone but a blue clad Master of Lightning.
“So we all agree that was stupid, right?”
Jay looked around, obviously seeking an agreeing nod, but none came.
“Come on guys, you can’t actually think that wasn't a huge waste of time! Right?...Right?”
His eyes landed on Zane as the titanium ninja turned to speak. Blue eyes glowing, indicating thought.
“What is truly important is that Stiix remains safe.”
“Yeah, Jay, we run into this sort of stuff all the time,” the ninja of earth spoke. Cole rolled his shoulders, releasing the tension that lingered on his back from the previous night. “It’s not gonna be all action all the time, y’know?”
Jay openly pouted, crossing his arms and furrowing his eyebrows, turning away from his crew. One of his feet kicked up sand from the bounty’s deck, huffing as the breeze carried the specks away.
“It just doesn't seem fair that we have to pause our whole day just for a couple creepy noises!”
“Creepy noises that made you jump into Nya’s arms.”
Their laughs joined together in harmony, bellowing loudly against the wooden walls of the bounty. The one voice that usually stood out did not join, Jay sharing a snarl with Nya before turning his attention to the ticking clock. He may have exaggerated a bit, for the day was still young, the yellow rays reflecting off the gold detailing of the ship.
“Okay, okay. Let’s just get back to whatever we were doing before that,” Nya suggested, waving off the nasty comment that had nearly made her turn pink.
Murmurs of agreement swept over the group, Kai taking the lead and announcing that they should all go back to sharpening their skills. His heavy footsteps nearly shook the floors, Lloyd rolled his eyes and remarked that Kai needs to learn to be more gentle.
Kai ignored him.
Jay slowed his pace to remain at the back of the group, his head hung low. His feet shuffled with every step, and he lingered in the doorway leading to the training deck. Jay’s nails picked at the door frame, watching his teammates ready their positions. biting his lip, he looked down, he didn't feel like training, not anymore at least.
A cool breeze swept his hair back, gliding down his spine and causing a gentle whistling sound through the hallway. Jay turned, goosebumps appearing on his freckled skin. Deep blue eyes landed on the door of the desolate living room across the hall, a place he recognized as an escape from all the duties he had.
His gaze bounced between the door and his friends, looking between the two rapidly.
Surely they wouldn't mind him taking some time for himself right?
With that thought, the master of lighting virtually skipped through the hallway, not noticing how the gentle winds seemed to push him eagerly forward. How the air seemed to add an extra creak to the door as he flung it open, excited to tire his eyes out from the blue screen that displayed so many colors. He could not wait to lose his mind to such a simple game.
Even after so long, the room was still barren. Pillows on the ground took its place as seats, and perhaps it was for the best. Considering the many flights they had to take aboard the ship, it wasn’t lost on him why the only actual cushioned bench in the room was so light in weight. However, despite the opportunity being open, he merely settled himself on one of the lonely cushions on the floor.
Scooting forward, he was quick to grab a controller, his hand unknowingly grabbing at nothing before pulling back. With a confused grunt, he leaned forward, his eyes examining the shelf below the TV stand. He groaned, the noise ever so familiar to the teenage boy whenever he came across a minor inconvenience as he planted his hands against the floor, pushing himself off the pillow.
“Oh great. Just as I got comfortable,” he spoke aloud, to nobody in particular.
Jay placed his hands on his hips, twisting his torso, scanning for the lost controller. He shuffled towards the middle of the small room, bending down to pick up a stray cushion, tossing it to the wall when its underside revealed only wood.
His cheeks began to rise in temperature due to his frustration, walking over to the bench and ducking to peer underneath it.
Nothing. The floor under the bench only held wood, and a thin layer of dust, yet there was no controller to be seen.
A breeze swept over Jay’s back once more, normally he would have ignored the sensation, the whole day there had been a small wind. However he perked up, realizing that he had closed the sturdy wooden door behind him, and the room’s only window was shut.
Quickly, the freckled teen hopped up onto his feet, bending his knees slightly and whipping his head from side to side. A small grimace formed on his face, and his body began to become rigid. Jay could sense a presence in the room accompanying him, but each turn of his head was met with nothing.
“Looking for something?”
A deep, gravely voice flooded Jay’s ears, and inhumanely cold hands placed themselves onto his shoulders.
A loud shriek escaped Jay’s mouth, flailing his arms and turning on his heel to swipe at the presence clutching his shoulders. Despite his efforts though, Jay’s half-baked attacks phased through the dimly glowing green projection. Through all his thrashing, Jay managed to trip over his own feet, causing him to fall back onto one of the cushions lying on the floor.
Jay was almost thankful, the pillow protecting his upper back from a world of pain. He took a moment to readjust himself as he stopped his panting as he looked up at the ghost looking down on him. The signature smirk was plastered onto the phantom’s face, his eyebrows knit together with an almost malicious intent.
“Oh. Hah, hey Morro,” Jay chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry about all of that. I kind of forget you’re here, y’know? With the whole disappearing thing—”
Seeing the twitch of Morro’s eye silenced him, however it didn’t force the corner of his lips downward. Jay’s smile was on the bridge between a forced attempt at a welcome, and one that merely formed itself due to nerves. He was beginning to think the latter, as his displaced fear didn’t seem to go away, rather festering into a nervous, tittering state.
Morro, who was silently hovering a few inches above the floor, touched down onto the wooden planks. His steps were completely silent, which only unnerved Jay further.
The master of wind loomed over Jay, reaching behind his back and pausing a moment before pulling out the lost controller. He stretched his arm out, dangling the item in Jay’s face before twisting his wrist back and forth, almost as if he was offering a dog a chew toy.
“Looking for this?”
Dark eyebrows arched themselves up curiously, and Morro’s smirk remained ever present. His eyes narrowed, watching for what Jay would do in response.
Jay's nervous grimace lightened up, and he eagerly pushed himself off the floor, grabbing the controller and turning on his heel, preparing to turn on the console to finally play his beloved video game.
“Hey thanks! I was just about to give up loo- AH!”
Jay was unexpectedly pulled back, a strong force tugging on his hood. He stumbled with the dragging motion, bumping into Morro’s now more tangible form. A ghostly green hand gripped Jay’s arm firmly, securing him into place.
“Not so fast, Jay. I gave you something you wanted, now it’s time to repay the favor.”
Jay’s freckled knuckles flexed as he gripped onto the front of his hood, pulling at the fabric sitting on his neck in an attempt to pry the translucent hand off it.
“Hey hey, let go! C’mon, I don’t owe you anything for a controller that belongs to me,” he attempted to argue, his shoulders beginning to tense up as the phantom feeling of hair draped over one of his shoulders. He shivered at the ghost’s promises to return the favor, the sound of echoing whispers next to his ear already sending a plethora of chills trickling down his back.
“Seems like the esteemed ninja of lightning isn’t going down without a fight. Let’s fix that.”
Though Jay was unable to see the expression on Morro’s face, he could almost hear the smirk that spread across the older ninja’s face. That arrogant, knowing smile he often had when causing chaos.
“Hey man, let's just forget about all this, yeah? Just let me go!”
Jay’s nervous ramblings were interspersed with falters in his tone. A wobbly almost whining sound escaping from his throat. The master of lighting’s hands still held steadfast on the front half of his mask, and his back arched out to avoid making any contact with Morro. Morro had successfully freaked him out.
Wordlessly, Morro’s hands left Jay’s hood, allowing the ninja to gain a bit of breathing room. Jay was almost surprised by how quickly his heartbeat slowed, the adrenaline of the situation quickly leaving his body, leaving a husk. His fingers brushed against his cheek, checking if they were still hot to the touch, only to be cool at his disappointment.
“What did you think I would do?” Mockery dripped from Morro’s voice, and Jay didn’t have to look at him to know that smirk was still plastered on the wind master’s face. “Expecting something grandiose?”
The slight tone shift in his voice had returned the butterflies to Jay’s stomach, the almost aggressive growl at the end of his sentence catching his attention.
“Looking a little nervous there Jay. Maybe you should have a seat.”
A sizable gust of wind seemingly erupted from the phantom’s body, cascading down and around Jay’s ankles. The blue clad ninja looked down with a yelp, tripping backwards while trying to keep his balance. This awkward dance tumbled him onto the cushioned bench that had previously been a few feet away from him.
The pink blush on his cheeks returned, highlighting his freckles. Jay was used to a bit of teasing, he was often faced with mocking jokes from his brothers, but Morro expressed an unmatched type of cruelty. A type of cruelty that Jay would catch himself indulging in. With little to no evidence, he could already feel fingers skittering across his torso before Morro could even have the chance to lay his hands on him.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Jay attempted to regain a bit of composure. He took a large breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out.
He then opened his eyes, only to be met with the same glowing figure that had been tormenting him so unapologetically.
Another yell left Jay’s lips, his arm instinctively coming up to shield himself. However, the appendage never made contact with his torso, rather, a cold hand held it securely, and began to wrench it away from his body, allowing for potential access.
Before he knew it, Jay’s legs and head were no longer hanging from the edges of the narrow bench, feeling a quick adjustment to the position of his hips as Morro pushed them aside. His back was now accompanied by the cushion behind it, but what didn’t provide comfort was his hand being held right above his head. His curls proceeded to tousle up a bit by the fabric of his forearm that pressed against his hair.
“Morro—Morro! No! Look, why don’t you just come for Kai instead? Cole? Anyone other than me!”
“You talk too much.” Morro’s tone expressed one of annoyance, his lips drawing out a sigh in exasperation. “It isn’t very noble to sacrifice your friends for your sake.”
“I thought nobility was all you ninja stood for, but no, here you are, being selfish!”
Morro’s last quip was executed with a growl, his hand quickly shooting to Jay’s plush side. He squeezed once, which incited a needlessly loud yelp from his victim. A moment passed, the master of wind’s fingers remained still, and Jay’s lip quivered in anticipation.
Morro’s free hand began to knead at the soft flesh of Jay’s side, finding an interest in the pudgy nature it possessed.
Jay screeched, kicking his legs and pulling at his arm. His head shook back and forth as uneven, rapid giggles erupted from his mouth. Even just with one hand, Jay was completely at Morro’s mercy, unable to cope with the ticklish feeling.
Despite his failings, Morro held a near blank expression, unafraid of being hit or swat at due to his intangible nature. His hand kept its pace, squeezing delightedly at its victims torso, pausing occasionally to poke and prod.
The plush padding beneath Jay nearly ripped, his blunt fingernails digging into the bench as he threw his head back. Ultimately unable to cope with the intensive trembling of his body, he resorted to gripping onto the cushion under him for dear life. His curls already began to mess themselves up, the way they scrunched matching with the way his brown eyes crinkled and resisted the urge to squeeze shut.
“Bluejay, isn’t that what your pathetic friends call you?” The taunting drawl in Morro’s voice would’ve gone unnoticed if it weren’t for the name he used. Sputters of protest escaped Jay’s lips, his dark freckles still prominent under his reddened cheeks. Along with humiliation, came realization.
Jay’s body went rigid, tension building in his previously kicking legs. Flashes of memories ran through his head, that nickname uttered to him so many times by those he held closest. It was familiar to him, reminiscing on those many times he was at his team’s mercy.
“N-No! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Jay managed to gain his composure for a moment, stringing out a sentence without interrupting himself with a barrage of giggles and squeaks. Still, he wiggled about, attempting to free his arm from his captor's hold, feeling much too vulnerable from the newly learned information of Morros spying.
A quiet chuckle left Morro’s throat, finding amusement in his victims desperate attempts to squirm away.
“So much screaming, why don’t you make like a bird and sing instead?”
Morro emphasized the previous nickname, attempting to perpetuate the embarrassment that he could cause.
Growing bored, he drew his fingers back, listening to Jay’s weary pants. Morro scanned Jay’s body, weighing his options. He had seen the other ninja tickle Jay to tears, and no matter where their fingers grazed, his reactions would be boisterous and loud.
A curious hand reached out, swirling an index finger around Jay’s stomach. The sensation was light, maddeningly so, Jay threw his head back once more, his eyes squinting with mirth.
In an instant, Morro’s lone index finger turned into a claw, scratching wildly at Jay’s stomach. A screech erupted from his mouth, back arching as the ninja attempted to curl up, trying to conceal his weak spot.
Morro leaned down, his hair tickling at Jay’s nose. He licked his lips before whispering, still tickling up and down his victim’s stomach.
“Go on, let all your friends know that I found your weakness.”
“You’re the one that’s tickling me!” Jay managed to yelp out, a futile attempt to shift the blame onto the Master of Wind. His forearms struggled to push down at Morro’s hand, but his efforts proved successful as he finally managed to cover his stomach, shoving away the translucent hands that caused him such agonizing sensations.
The blue ninja turned to his side, a huff coming out of him as he focused on his breathing. It was all he could hear, questioning the silence that came from Morro. His tremulous smile remained, his lips quivering at the knowledge that Morro would continue, an unwilling sight of him from the corner of his eye still remaining. The chartreuse glow that illuminated from his body was something that already gave an ominous air to the room, yet it was far from something dangerous. Jay knew this, yet he remained in this fetal position, a pathetic attempt to protect himself from Morro’s antics.
The two both stood still, as if waiting for the other to make the first move. A quiet provocation from Morro, daring Jay to move an inch. To his surprise, he didn’t, doing decently as to not set off the ghoul. However, the longer he stayed in this scrunched position, the more noticeable it's discomfort made itself. His back nearly ached, and if he just curled in a bit more, he could temporarily feel a sense of relief.
His head moved forward a bit, curling his torso a bit more, and that was the thing to set Morro off. Almost immediately, his hand found its way towards his ears, quick to turn red within seconds. Jay uncurled himself, a humiliating yelp in response to the tingling sensation of Morro’s finger ghosting down and tracing the shell of his ear.
“You’re playing dirty!” Jay accused.
Shaking his head to ward off the ghostly touches, Jay raised his hands, covering his ears defensively. His nose scrunched up in a soured expression, obviously trying to mask the pink hue flooding his face, threatening to crawl down his neck.
Despite his efforts, Jay’s expression could only be registered as a pout, nothing like the hard appearance he was attempting to emulate.
A small, annoyed huff exited Morro’s chest, and he held back rolling his eyes. If Jay wasn’t going to cooperate, Morro had a sneaking suspicion that he knew how to convince him.
Slowly, almost patronizingly so, Morros' hands touched down on the blue clad ninja’s lower ribs. Waiting a beat, his fingers began to slowly climb, his touch agonizingly soft.
Nervous titters escaped Jay’s mouth, grip tightening on his ears. His torso swayed slightly, unable to cope with the electric feeling of fingers ghosting over his most sensitive places.
To Jay’s utter surprise, the gentle touches stopped. Yet, they were replaced with something just more sinister.
Morro’s fingers began to firmly wiggle under Jay’s arms, causing ticklish shocks to cascade down his body.
Jay let out a rather unmanly squeal, his hands leaving his ears instantly in order to slap and push Morro’s now tangible shoulders.
“Oh gosh! Get out of there—get out of there!” he hollered. Morro only chuckled, that satisfied smirk he always had when he made the ninja look stupid. His hands instantly shot up, leaving their previous spot in favor of scratching lightly behind Jay’s ears.
“I thought you were hiding these for a reason”
Morro remarked as Jay’s giggling raised an octave. His eyes were squeezed shut, slight smile lines molded onto his face as he uncontrollably giggled. The gums of his top row of teeth were peaking out, his smile becoming wider through the exhaustion he began to feel.
“I was until you ruined it!” Jay’s speech became few and far between, his hands now beginning to shake as he weakly continued to attempt to slam against Morro’s shoulders. While he kept his shoving playful, it was clear there was more of an effort being made as to get Morro off of him. The back of his head buried deep into the pillows behind him with the interest of letting the fabric hide the back of his ears.
Despite his chest being empty, Morro did have a heart. Seeing Jay grow fatigued, his fingers slowed, and he watched his victim sigh in relief as the ticklish sensation drew to a close.
Undead hands rested upon Jay’s shoulders, and the pair held eye contact for a moment, much to Jay’s discomfort.
The master of wind’s hunched over posture slowly started to straighten out, now standing at full height over Jay. Morro was pleased to see that he was still catching his breath, and the pink tinge had not yet left his cheeks.
He watched as Jay bit his lip, something he often did when he was nervous.
“Heh.. uh you aren’t going to like, tell anyone.. are you?”
Jay avoided eye contact as he spoke, gazing down at his lap as he began to slowly sit up.
“Maybe not.”
Jay looked up in alarm, his brows furrowing and his mouth opening to retort. However when he managed to whip his head up, the room seemed empty. That same sneaking presence still remained nearby, however no hue of green or black was to be seen.
Jay rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief before forcing himself to get up, there was no use in staying isolated, there was no knowing if Morro would reappear and torment him once more. That’s not to say he wouldn’t enjoy it though, his red cheeks telling a story of its own.
“Y’know, the game doesn’t really have any funny cutscenes.”
A groan escaped Jay almost immediately, recognizing the young voice as one belonging to a red brother of his. Kai merely leaned against the doorframe, the corner of his lip rising up into a smirk. One familiar to Jay, sharing the same one his tormentor had expressed earlier, though he quickly shook off the needless thought.
“What were you so busy laughing about?”
“You saw, didn’t you?!”
“Maybe I did.” Kai’s wrist flicked indifferently, downplaying the experience that the Master of Lightning was put through. Jay quickly sat up from his seat, straightening his back along with the quick stretch of his arms, feeling the tension escape him as his muscles were relieved of such stress. He merely glared at the other ninja, biting the inside of his cheek.
“Wow. Wow, yeah. Y’know, if he tickled me, then who’s to say you aren’t next?” Jay claimed with an accusatory finger. “You guys are in for a huge show if that happens.”
“He wouldn’t dare,” Kai uttered under his breath. His back stiffened a bit, moving his body weight off of the doorframe in favor of standing up to leave. He bit the inside of his cheek, furrowed eyebrows delivering a nervous message without the need for extra speech on his part. Jay merely chuckled, a newfound humor in the situation. A silent hope that just maybe, out of an unlikely miracle, Morro was watching. That he would’ve picked up on that.
Maybe that was wishful thinking.
Snapped out of his thoughts, a familiar voice called his name from the deck. Jay perked up, looking at the small crack that Kai had left in the door as if he would see the Master of Earth standing there. But no, it was just Cole’s voice that echoed through the ship with an invitation.
“C’mon blabbermouth! Gonna keep laughing, or are you gonna get up here?”
“Hey!”