#whelps

"But dad," Jake whined, "Uncle Lloyd promised he would take me with him to work today!" 

His dad Cole gave him a sad smile. "That was before there was a prison breakout at Kryptarium- which is not the safest place for a kid, Jake." He said, as he prepared to go help Uncle Lloyd. “I’m sure Lloyd will take you with him another day, he always makes up broken promises.”

That did not stop Jake’s sad pout though, it only made it worse. “Kryptarium break outs are so cool! Maybe I could see Pythor or UltraViolet- or maybe even Killow! I wish you could take me with you. I love watching you guys kick butt!”

That made Cole laugh. “I know you do, little man. But we don’t want anything bad to happen to you and those villains won’t stop at anything to make sure they hurt us by hurting you.” His dad ruffled his hair lovingly before he reached over where he sat to grab his hammer. 

Jake nodded understandingly. But it only eased how upset he was a little bit. "Then, what am I supposed to do today?" he whined, as he grabbed his dad's hand and shook it. He knew he was being a bit too much because he understood that his family had a responsibility to protect Ninjago. But it was the weekend! He couldn’t waste the weekend!

Cole paused in gearing up to turn his attention to his son. He smiled as he crouched down to meet the boy's height, which was not entirely successful because his dad was a giant. "Well, we asked a couple of friends to take them with you to their work today! I think you'll like them. They're heroes themselves, you know?" 

That had caught Jake's attention. Heroes other than the ninja?

"Who is it?! Is it another elemental master? Auntie Skylor? Oh! Is it Queen Vania? Or King Benthomaar?! But wait, I can't breathe underwater.... Is Auntie Pix giving me my own underwater suit-"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, kiddo." His Papa Kai chuckled as he came into the room, lowering himself down next to his husband. "Getting a little too excited over there, bud."

Jake flushed, scratching his head. He couldn't help it. It was so cool to be able to hang out with the amazing people that helped his dads save Ninjago once upon a time. Sure, he’s already met a lot of them and sees his aunts and uncles more often than not. But that’s when they’re just his aunts and uncles and not when they're being superheroes. There is a difference!

His Papa flicked his Dad's forehand, causing Cole to lose his balance and fall on his butt. Which led both Jake and Kai to laugh. After getting himself together, his Dad continued, "well, it's not any of them. But we can definitely reach out to them another time!" 

"This time, though, you'll be hanging out with some of Ninjago city's very own local heroes."

"Who is it?!"

"The Paper Boys!" 

Jake frowned. Those aren't heroes.

And he said so, making both of his dads hum. 

Cole straightened up to stand as he spoke, "You may think that at first but," He put his hands underneath Jake's armpits and picked him up as he stood, making the boy squeal. "They're possibly some of the greatest heroes Ninjago has ever seen." 

"Really?" Jake gasped.

"Yup! They even saved Papa once!"

Kai nodded as he got up as well. "It's true. I would've been a goner if it weren't for them diving into the canal to save me when Kalmaar came to get the storm amulet." He shivered a bit, "Doesn't bring up good memories, for sure."

Cole moved Jake to his hip and wrapped his other arm around his husband, bringing him closer. "Thankfully, we're all safe and together. They've done a lot for us," he turned to Jake, "They're immovable and have always held down the fort when all seemed lost. If you think our adventures are cool, wait till you hear about theirs."

Jake was hooked now. He had met them once before but never knew just how much they had done for Ninjago. He felt excitement well up as he hung onto every word his fathers said about the paperboys, slightly shaking with excitement.

"When can I go?" He asked, louder than he meant to. But his dads’ only chuckled.

"How about right now?"

"YES!"

Cole smacked a big kiss on both of their temples before putting Jake down. Kai took the boy's hand and they both went outside the monastery. His dad followed shortly with a backpack with everything they needed from the weaponry. 

Outside stood a girl with short hair next to two bicycles. One was occupied by herself while the other looked like Jake's own. It was one of the paper boys, he remembered seeing her around the city. She seemed cool. Was her name Anastasia?

When they came to a stop in front of her, Kai took the chance to introduce them, "Jake, this is Antonia. Antonia, this is our son Jake." 

Jake raised a hand to wave but hid slightly behind his Papa's leg. "Hi, Antonia." He wasn't shy! She was just...a little intimidating. 

But that changed when she smiled and gave a wave of her own. "Heya, Jake! It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from your dads."

Jake looked up at his dads at that. Cole rubbed a hand behind his neck and chuckled, "I tend to get carried away talking during patrols." Everyone laughed at that. Cole turned to Jake. "Antonia here is going to take you with her and show you what the paperboys do. You stick close to her at all times okay, little man? And don't cause too much trouble for them!"

Jake nodded enthusiastically, "I promise, Dad!" He had already started hopping his way towards the bicycles when he was pulled back by his Papa.

"Jake," Kai dropped down on one knee and grabbed Jake's shoulders. The boy straightened up when he saw the serious look on his father's face. "Don't go running off somewhere without one of them. You know Ninjago city as well as us, so you know just how dangerous it can get in a blink of an eye. You got your watch on, right? You remember how to send out a signal?"

Shrugging to shake the backpack he had on, Jake nodded. "Yes, Papa. I have to press the side button three times and it sends Auntie Pix my location! I even have everyone's phone numbers written down in my notebook, pepper spray, a map, water and the taser-flashlight Uncle Jay got for me on festival day."

"Say what now?" Both parents said in unison.

Kai shook his head, "Whatever. As long as you know how to use it safely." He sighed, before he gave a crinkly eyed smile that made Jake smile in return. "Have fun today, alright kiddo? I'm sure Uncle Lloyd will make today up to you when he can." 

Jake jumped into his Papa's arms when he opened them and snuggled in to savor the warmth that radiated off of him. "I know. I'll be careful. I love you, Papa."

"I love you more, my little lava monster."

"Hey!" Came from Cole before he swooped both his husband and son into his arms. "Don't leave me out of the party."

They all laughed. Jake melted into the hug. There was absolutely no place in the world he felt more safe and loved in than in his dads’ arms. His dad squeezed them both and finally let them down when his papa started elbowing dad.

"Well, we got to go help the others out at Kryptarium Prison." Kai said. He patted his hand on Jake's head before he continued. "Take good care of him for us, Antonia. If anything happens, call us first, okay?"

She gave a mock salute. "You got it, boss." Then she turned to Jake and gestured towards the bicycles. "C'mon! Don't wanna run late for your first day with the paper boys!" 

Jake was excited. He gave his dads one more hug to their legs before he ran to gear up. 

"So," Antonia started as they buckled in their helmets. "I'll give you a run down of what we'll do and everything when we hit the road, that cool?"

"Yup!"

"Awesome! Also, someone else might be joining us. Nelson already went to get him, I hope that's alright with you?"

Jake nodded again, but asked, "Who is it, though?"

Antonia grabbed her bike as she spoke, "It's someone you've definitely heard of. His dad promised to give us a sneak peak of the new game he's working on in exchange for us showing the kid around."

"New game? Are they new here?" 

She shrugs. "The dad isn't. Kid is."

"Huh?"

"You'll see. C'mon, now. If you're ready, let's head out."

"Right!" Jake grabbed his bike and with a final wave to his parents, they both started to make their way down the mountain. He was excited to see what the day held and also curious about who this person is. Someone he's heard of but was new here? His dad makes games? Well, he'll see!

-

Cole and Kai waited at the gates until they could no longer see them before they went back inside. The parents worried about their curious son but they had to help their friends. Right as they were about to get in their vehicles, their comms crackled to life.

"Uh-guys?" Lloyd's voice came through. "How far out are you? The Mechanic's got a hold of some of the buses and a bunch of escapees are heading towards the city. We got the commissioner and the police ready to intercept them outside the city limits but they'll need some backup."

With one shared glance they were already in their vehicles and hitting the road. "We're on our way, Lloyd. We’ll try to intercept them before they reach the city but tell the commissioner to hold the line just in case." Kai replied.

"You got it. Stay safe, guys."

Soon after, Cole's voice came in, the concern palpable in his tone as he said, "Kai, should we tell Antonia to take Jake back to the monastery? I'm worried about him. "