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"Where are we going?"
The question isn't of any urgency, of any sort of distress or worry. He says it in a warm tone, following his partner, his boyfriend, his teammate, his best friend out of the guidance deck with that huge screen and onto the deck of the bounty. The other stays quiet, the only response given being a playful yet gentle tug at his hand and a smile thrown over the android's shoulder. Cole follows him to the side of the ship, daring a glance over the railing and down at the forest below them. The city is off in the distance, away from them, giving all of them privacy as they catch some well-needed sleep. Except Ice and Earth aren't sleeping, they aren't ready to, not yet.
Zane holds a hand down towards Cole, crouching on the highest of a stack of empty boxes that lead up to the roof of their home. He takes his hand with no hesitation, looking up at him in awe, nearly forgetting how nimble the ninja of ice was and surprised that he had forgotten at all. They fought together side by side regularly, but in moments like this it was hard to imagine Zane with furrowed brows and an intent stare, focused on whatever threat they were facing.
In an instant they are on the roof of their space, of their team's home for the last eight years, yet a sight he had never seen before all the same. There is a stereo by the back edge playing the soft album that he likes, a large mat covering the space, and there are candles in groups of three resting on each corner to hold it steady.
Cole watches as the other takes a few steps away and pivots to face him.
"I know it has not been easy for either of us this past year, but... I would like to have a moment with you. If you'd let me." Cole's jaw hangs slightly ajar as Zane reaches another hand out to him, his other arm behind his back. The nindroid's element is ice but his eyes are full of nothing but warmth. Earth is surprised, not at the familiar expression but at the gesture. Ice seems to take notice and hurriedly explains, "I know our last attempt did not end very well," his hand falters for a second but he quickly lifts it back up, "but I practiced the last few nights and I would like to try and dance with you again."
The son of the lead of a barbershop group rolls the thought around in his head, the image of Zane going over the motions by himself with the stars above him, a weird sense of pride and admiration rising in the earth ninja's chest. "I know you are sensitive to the subject, but... right now, I would want nothing more than to spend time with you." Cole laughs airily, a smile naturally crossing his face.
"If it's with you, I don't mind."
He takes Ice's hand for a second time that night, this time not thinking as their fingers interlock, hands shifting to be more comfortable as Earth moves closer. His thumb runs along the metal of his partner's palm and settles in the space where his wrist would be if he were human, nestled in between the two plates as if it was molded to fit. Cole puts his other hand on Zane's right shoulder, gazing slightly upwards at him, the glow of his blue eyes dimmer than usual to accompany the lower light. He can't look away from him, he never wants to look away, he wants to stay like this, forget fighting forever and just be with the robot who is unmistakably human to him for the rest of his life.
They step lightly together for a while, their eyes only breaking away to find their footing every now and then, in the parts that tripped them up before. If Zane had not told him he had been practicing, Cole would have figured it out here, in the moment that belonged to only them where they danced together under the night sky, where the other moved with such weightlessness that just for a moment he forgot about his years of unease towards the motions they were performing together. Together, he mused, wanting nothing more.
He doesn't know how long they dance for, not worrying about it, laughing together with his boyfriend as they step and swirl and pivot. Zane's laughter, a rare sound in these last few weeks, fills him with light and longing and serenity. Cole can't help but laugh with. So he does, truly enjoying the activity, the art he was raised upon for the first time in recent memory. Maybe this is what his father loved about it, dancing with someone you cared about, someone who loved you as much as you did them.
The earth ninja only opens his eyes when it stops, when his back is hovering above the ground, the ice ninja gently yet firmly holding his back with the hand that isn't interlocked with his own, looking down at him with conviction and slightly lidded eyes. The air around them grows hot, the green glow of Cole's face (an after-effect of being a ghost) lighting the space between them slightly. Zane kisses him there, something they have both shared a thousand times before but never with such a background to it. The gentle light from the roof illuminates his partner when he opens his eyes again after he backs up, setting his heart ablaze and never wanting the moment to end.
The bounty shakes from the air current, alarm crosses both of their faces as the android helps the midnight-haired ninja to stand up straight, but their hands do not unhook. Zane slowly leads them both to the center of the roof after the ship settles again, Cole sitting down as the other does the same. They take a minute to watch the stars, the clouds that go by and the world that turns around them. Earth rests his head on Ice’s shoulder. It is just the two of them and he wants it to be that way forever.
“Do you think of me as human?” The ninja in a white t-shirt asks after a while, and the ninja in a grey tank top lifts his head to look at Zane. He does not look back, instead fixing his eyes down at their hands, tightening his hold around Cole’s fingers. He swears he feels ice starting to form.
“Of course I do,” He replies, and he means it. He knows the others do too, but he chooses not to add it, as this is their night. “Why wouldn’t I?” Zane’s eyelids are heavy, his free hand goes upward to hold his neck.
“There are days where I wonder what it would be like if I were, if I did not know as much as I do, if I could feel naturally and without needing... processors.” Cole doesn’t know how to respond, gripping to his partner’s hand more firmly and leaning forward to try and look into his eyes. Ice does not move. “I do not know what is normal to do in this situation, I have thoughts that confuse me and I do not know if they are supposed to because I most likely would not have them if I was not like this.”
“Well... Try one of ‘em.” Zane looks up at him at this, his eyes more open, watching him intently. “The next time you get one of those thoughts, try acting on it — s-so long as it’s not, you know, bad, but I don’t think you’d get thoughts like that.” Cole clears his throat in embarrassment. “I think you’re perfectly human. I know you’ve told me the reasons you think you aren’t before, but I...” He trails off as his boyfriend reaches out and cups his face, molds his hand to his cheek and gazes at him. Earth’s face lights up again, ‘this situation’ making more sense in this context, and he slides his eyes shut as Ice leans in and kisses him.
They are like that for ages, unhooking and connecting over and over, once or twice letting the other in, each kiss soft and gentle as if either of them could break. Earth finds himself in Ice’s hold, arms around his back and legs underneath his own. The next time they pause Earth backs up a bit, removing his arms from over the ice ninja’s shoulders and grabs the hem of his tank, glancing up at his partner to gauge his opinion. Ice’s eyes soften and the blue on his cheeks flickers. The earth ninja laughs curtly through his nose and carefully slides the tank top up and over his head, and he moves so that he is sitting ontop of it so it doesn’t blow away.
Cole starts to lean forward again but is stopped when Zane puts a hand over his scar, the one on his right shoulder, now exposed, and the ice ninja’s brows lower in guilt. His eyes trail up to Cole’s, his expression reading ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there’, and he gives a reassuring smile. They have had this conversation before. ‘You stopped it from getting worse,’ the black-clad ninja would say, ‘and that’s nothing to be sorry for.’
Earth leans in again, this time he cups Ice’s face, catches his gaze for a moment before their eyes slink shut and they are connected again. Zane’s lips are still cold but Cole does not mind. He’s never minded, the entire idea and reality that he gets to even do this makes it worth it. He’s loved him for so long that if he went without the white ninja’s gentle touch and embrace now, he wouldn’t know what to do.
The bounty jerks violently and Cole stumbles backwards unwillingly, nearly crying out in alarm and pain shooting through his mouth. He panics and grabs ahold of Zane’s shirt, trying to steady himself but unintentionally brings him down with. He hits the roof with a ‘thud’, an ache vibrates in the back of his head and he brings a hand to his mouth.
“Ah, man, I think I bit my lip or something,” he mumbles, prying an eye open to see if he could spot blood, but instead watches as Ice lifts his head from Earth’s chest.
“I did not harm you, did I?” Zane asks worriedly, scanning Cole’s upper half for any injuries. He smiles playfully at his boyfriend.
“What, this thing?” He pats a fist against one of his pecs. “It’d take way more than that to mess me up.” Zane laughs, really laughs, and it warms Cole to the point where he can barely feel the minor pain in his head and the ground beneath him. “Are you okay?” He knows the answer to the question but asks regardless. The other doesn’t reply, eyes fixated on his shoulder scar again. The earth ninja watches him, watches as he kisses the scar and their eyes meet again when he brings his head back up.
His partner starts to lean in next to his head but pauses, backs up a bit and meets his gaze. Cole notices he forgot to breathe for a second.
“May I?” Zane has always been so polite, always careful, never without the utmost amount of consideration to any situation. Earth’s eyebrow quirks for a second before it hits him, and he does nothing but smile at Ice with slightly lidded eyes, who returns the expression and resumes leaning in until there are cold lips on his neck.
Earth’s arms, which are supporting his upper body slightly, tense and then ease. He is entirely looking to the left at the floor, his eyes barely open and controlling his breathing. He lifts his hand to rest on Ice’s own that is holding his head, their fingers interlocking and twining through hair. Cole’s eyes drift closed.
He starts to blink them open and face Zane when he lets go, but he squints as the other kisses his cheek, and then again, and again. Cole starts chuckling and then laughing, moving his hands to try and push the ice ninja away but to no avail. They’re both laughing again, a ‘stop it!’ sounds out here and there, and he knows this is the kind of sparring he doesn’t mind.
“Whatcha guys doin’?” Cole and Zane both freeze - the latter not responsible. Peaking over the roof’s floor is Kai, his chin on his arms, an eyebrow lifted with a knowing smile on his face. The earth ninja almost grabs his tank top from underneath him to hurl it at the intruder, but decides against it.
“Nothing,” The midnight-haired ninja cooly responds, getting to his knees as Zane moves off of him. He slides his tank over his head and flattens it out, running a hand through his hair afterwards. “What do you want?”
“Uh-huh. There’s a fight we gotta go handle back in town.”
“It’s the middle of the night!”
“Evil doesn’t sleep, and neither should we,” Zane mumbles, tossing a coy look at Cole who rolls his eyes at the mention to Wu’s saying.
“Trust me, I wanna go back to bed,” the red-clad ninja replies, “but apparently it’s urgent. Something about leftover Sons of Garmadon barricading a construction site and disturbing the public.” Earth groans and takes Ice’s hand again, walking with him to the boxes they climbed up earlier and land safely back down on the deck. The three of them head towards the navigation deck, Cole putting his hands in his sweatpant pockets. His eyes linger after Zane as he paces ahead of them.
He just barely notices Kai sneaking a smirking glance below his jawline.
“Was I... interrupting something?” Cole wedges his elbow into the fire ninja’s forearm, which results in a cheeky laugh from him.
“Oh, shove off, Kai.”