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The ninja had been invited to a late night party by Skylor. Parties with Skylor happened quite rarely, due to all of their busy schedules, but tonight had been free after they had taken care of a couple of criminals at the restaurant.
It mostly consisted of them eating some of the already made noodles she had prepared earlier while they all caught up, music just loud enough for them to relax. But, at some point, Skylor had dug up some wine she hadn't yet opened and then the real party started. The stereo's volume was turned up, the ninja were all singing and dancing…
Well, except for Cole.
He didn't really feel like dancing just yet, still sitting at their table, watching his friends have a good time. He held a wine glass, absent-mindedly swirling it. He was having a good time, too, really. Anyone could tell, with his smile gently present and his free hand tapping to the beat of the music. He just wanted to observe the moment in front of him for now.
Jay, Nya, and Skylor were in a circle, rocking back and forth with the music, Jay barely present, but giggling away. Kai and Lloyd were playing some made up dance game, both of them still looking relatively sober except for Kai's smoother movements and Lloyd's rosy cheeks. The green ninja would probably go searching for a cool surface soon by the looks of it, warm from the wine and yet still sipping from the glass he had nearly dropped multiple times.
His eyes continued to watch, suddenly realizing someone was missing… Where was-
His thoughts were interrupted as someone startled him. He hadn't noticed the nindroid approaching, his attention only being grabbed when he felt the cushion from the booth seat sink beside him. His glass clanked on the table as he stumbled to keep it in his grip, nearly crushing it in his hand with his super strength. “Zane,” he breathed after a moment, slowly recovering.
“Sorry,” was all he got in response. He looked over at the master of ice, raising a brow. He looked absolutely exhausted, sinking into his seat and closing his eyes.
“... I didn't realize nindroids could get drunk.”
“I didn't either… I shouldn’ have had so much,” he mumbled, pressing a hand to his forehead. The alcohol must have hit him all at once based on this reaction. Poor guy. “... Are you having fun?” He peeked an eye at him, only slightly turning his head. Apparently, that was enough for his eye to roll and a groan to escape him, forcing him to cover his eyes again and to look up, head hanging over the top of the booth.
“Yeah, I should probably start partying soon, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it,” Cole responded quietly, looking at his glass, which was still about half full. “What about you?”
“Well, I was. Dunno if you saw, but I drank a whole bottle earlier. Kai called me a show off… ‘m not a show off. Jus’ didn’ think I'd be…” He spaced on a word, twirling his free hand as he tried to come up with one.
“... Affected?” Cole guessed, feeling a little amused as he watched him.
“Yes. Stop enjoying this.”
Cole snorted.
“Maybe he's right,” Zane continued, apparently choosing to ignore the black ninja. “Maybe I am a little bit of a show off. But ‘s not unwarranted. I'm a nindroid; I shouldn't have been able t’ get drunk!” He groaned again, this time from annoyance it seemed. “How did my father manage t’ make this happen? ‘S impossible…”
It sounded like a genuine question, but he and Cole both knew that he wouldn't have the answers. It wasn't as if Dr. Julien was around right now. “I don't know, but however he did it, he did pretty good. I mean, a lot of things you're capable of… none of that should've been able to be reproduced in programming.”
Now Zane looked at him, wincing a little from the light, but ultimately ignoring it. “What do you mean?” He asked, brow pinching a little in confusion and curiosity.
He suddenly felt as if he was in a hotspot. What if he managed to say something incredibly offensive? He was sure Zane would understand, but drunk Zane might not. He didn't want to hurt his feelings. He started to twist the glass by the stem, wondering if he should continue.
“Cole.” He felt Zane's cool hand on his shoulder, and he realized that he had scooted closer to him. “Whatever you're thinking… ‘m not going to be mad. I'll understand. I asked the question, so I expect any answer you might have.”
Cole glanced at him and had to quickly look away at the deep, calm look in his eyes and the reassuring smile. It was Zane; how could he imagine the master of ice getting mad at him for no reason? He readjusted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Fine, fine. Stop looking at me like a puppy…”
He sighed and thought back to their conversation. “Uh… well, you cry,” he started nervously. “When I think of robots or machinery, I don't think of ones that can express emotion… or withstand water.” He scratched his cheek a little.
“Yes. I guess that tracks,” Zane chuckled a little. He still hadn't moved back to his original spot on the booth seat, but that was actually kind of comforting. “Go on.”
“Okay…” He sipped his wine slowly, giving himself time to think. “You sleep, too. You shouldn't need to, now that I think about it, but you do. You look tired right now, after all.” He hummed into his glass. “You can feel things. Like… physically. You can feel pain, and get injured. You can feel the difference in textures… I've seen when you place your hands on different textured things at the same time. Why do you do that?”
He could feel how Zane shrugged just by the hand still placed on his shoulder. He could feel as he swayed a little, dizzy from the alcohol in his system. “Learning, maybe?” He slurred, leaning a little closer. Cole ignored the fleeting thoughts, but couldn't ignore the flutter in his heart as easily.
Cole hummed quietly in acknowledgment. He was quiet for another moment. “... The physical feeling thing is pretty big in and of itself. I don't think Jay or Nya would be able to figure that one out. Not in this lifetime, anyway. But the emotional feelings are beyond anything I've ever seen. Your range of emotions are just so… I can't really describe it very well, but you can express any emotion so well,” he rambled, gesturing with his hands a little. “I don't see you frustrated much, but I can tell when you are.”
“Really? How?” Zane started, resting his cheek on Cole's shoulder, most likely for more stability.
“Your eyebrows go straight. It kinda looks like your neutral expression, but your lips perse into a straight line and there's a wrinkle in your brow. Sometimes, you get more quiet. But sometimes, I guess I can't tell whether you're frustrated or overwhelmed. Sometimes it's both, y'know.”
“... Do you watch me often?”
Cole choked on his wine at that, spluttering and coughing. He cleared his throat as best as he could. “Huh?”
“You heard me,” Zane hummed. He didn't sound accusatory, only amused. A smile was spread on his face, eyes drooping closed as he leaned more heavily on him. “Do you watch me often.”
Cole suddenly felt a little warm under the collar, embarrassed at being caught. He kind of told on himself, though. “I… well, I don't mean to,” he managed, voice a little hoarse. “But I-I guess so…”
Zane laughed quietly at that, head lolling. “At least you're honest,” he said, sounding a little too happy. “... Or is it jus’ because of the wine?”
He couldn't hold back a small laugh, feeling tingly at the sound in his ears. “I guess you'll find out tomorrow, hm?” he mumbled.
They sat in silence after that, but it was comfortable. Cole went back to watching the remains of the ninja on the floor, which was basically just Kai and Lloyd, still playing their little game, but much sloppier now. Lloyd's face was incredibly red and he looked like he wanted to call a timeout, but didn't want to lose. Kai could barely stand up straight. One wrong move and he would trip for sure, maybe even hit the concrete with his face. They were both heaving breaths at this point, and if they didn't stop soon, Cole hoped that someone would make them.
Jay was curled up on the floor, using Nya and Skylor's coats as a pillow, while the girls sat beside him, talking again. Skylor was using Kai's ability to keep Jay warm, keeping her backside pressed against him while gently rubbing his back. The music was turned down again and the night seemed to be drawing to a close.
“What else did Dr. Julien magically programmed me?” Zane asked, slurred words mushing together.
“I think he somehow added aging,” he answered, tiredly wiping at his face, as if to gather his thoughts by the handful. “You look much more mature now, like the rest of us. Your cheekbones are much more prominent and- although easy to miss- I think you get gray hairs sometimes. Your eyes used to be so hard and determined. They're still determined, but they've gotten softer.”
He didn't get a response nor did he feel any movement, so he kinda figured Zane had fallen asleep. Somehow, that made him want to continue talking. “I don't know how Dr. Julien did it… but I know if he hadn't, we wouldn't have the Zane that I- we know and love. Everything that he's done for you to be you is so… magical. It should be impossible, but he made it possible- he made you possible.
... Maybe it might not feel like it sometimes, but… you're amazing. Out of this world, cheesily enough. I'm glad I got to know you, get to know you and be around you. It's a privilege. To me at least. I wish I could do half of the things you do for this world that none of us deserve-”
“Cole.”
Cole jumped at that. He hadn't expected him to still be awake, nor had he expected his words to sound so water-y. “Sorry- I didn't mean to ramble-”
“Cole. No, it's… it's okay, I…” Zane couldn't control the tears flowing from his eyes, wiping at them to know avail. His lip was wobbling, looking as if he was trying to come up with something to say, but all that left him was a sob. He was gripping onto Cole tightly, his face buried into the side of his shoulder, trying to stop crying. “I-'m sorry. I can't…”
Cole turned to him and brought him into a warm hug. Zane practically melted into him, shaking with his sudden emotional outburst, burying his face into his neck now. The black ninja rubbed his back up and down to soothe him. He felt like he shouldn't be feeling guilty, but that's not exactly how he works.
“It's okay. We're all human.”
That only made him cry harder. Oops.
○○○
The night had finally drawn to a close.
Thankfully, because most everyone was under the influence, Skylor invited everyone to stay at her place. There wasn't as much space as there was on the Bounty or in the Monastery, but they had made more with less before. Plus, there was no getting Lloyd off the couch, not when he had been absolutely trashed and finally gotten to go to sleep after at least two hours of dancing.
Kai took the other couch, laying on his stomach with one arm in the air and the other hanging off the edge, a blanket draped sloppily over his torso. He drooled on the cushion, a snore being pulled from his throat. Nya and Skylor had taken the still fast asleep Jay to bed with them; the queen size mattress was just big enough for the three.
Though Cole was pretty sure he had drinken the least out of the rest of the ninja- or maybe the second least, next to Nya- even he was wobbling a little. Zane, on the other hand, could barely put a foot in front of the other. He relied heavily on Cole to help him to the guest bed, which was a slight struggle with his tipsy-ness.
Anytime Zane leaned too far forward, nearly pressing his face to Cole's, Cole had to pretend the warmth on his face was because of the lingering taste of wine.
They luckily made it to the bedroom alive. Cole helped Zane into the twin size bed, covering him up. The poor guy had his eyes shut, face turned up, probably feeling his whole world spin. He wouldn't be surprised if he had passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Now all that was left to do was find a place for himself to sleep. He could honestly sleep anywhere right now. Even the front lawn looked comfortable…
“... Cole? ‘re you still here?”
“Mhm… so stubborn. What is it, Frosty?”
“Nothin’... I jus’... don' want t’ be alone…”
That surprised Cole. Zane never seemed to have any sort of issues; he would usually take whatever he was given and run with it. He never complained, never really said anything about any issues he might have. Maybe because Jay was almost always complaining about something and he hadn't wanted to bother anyone.
Sometimes, Cole forgot Zane needed anything.
Cole nodded a little, understanding. “Okay. I'm here. I'll stay with you tonight,” he promised softly, scratching his cheek shyly. He sat down on the floor against the bed, resting his head on the mattress beside the other so that he knew he wasn't lying.
It was kind of nice to somewhat repay the nindroid for everything he had done for them, even if it was as little as keeping an eye on him.
The two were quiet for a long while. Cole was dozing, warm and surprisingly comfortable. Zane hadn't moved in a while. It was so quiet, Cole could hear his inner mechanisms in the open air. It was soothing, like hearing the gentle hum of a lullaby. He was nearly asleep…
“Cole?”
He jumped at the sudden interruption.
“Zane, go to sleep,” he whispered back, voice already rough with exhaustion.
“I will, but…” He sounded like he was struggling for words for a moment, before he sighed softly, shakily. “Did you really mean what you said? About… about how my father made me possible?”
Cole raised a brow. “Yeah. Yeah, I did…”
“... And about me being… kinda human?”
“Zane, you're more human than I think you realize. Anyone can see that,” he mumbled, his words slightly muffled by the crook of his elbow. “It's as clear as… as the winter is cold.”
The quiet laugh he got in response sounded a little choked.
“... Are you crying again?”
“I-I… It just… you have no idea how much that means to me,” Zane whispered. Cole could hear him sniffle, and heard the wet sound of him wiping his eyes.
He reached over and gently took his free hand, just holding it and stroking his knuckles. “I'll tell you; anytime you look like you need it, I'll tell you,” he promised softly.
If he could fit, he'd climb into the bed and hold Zane all night. But he couldn't and he can't, so this'll have to do. Thankfully, that seemed to work for the both of them. Zane finally fell asleep- hopefully a deep sleep- and Cole followed after, never letting go of the other's hand.
If anyone caught them the morning after, they could just say it was the wine.