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“I like you.”
Immediately after the words leave his mouth, Cole regrets saying it. Especially after he sees Kai’s curious expression transition into one of pure confusion after hearing his words.
Crap, maybe he was too blunt and straightforward about it. Maybe he should have broken it down for him: talk about how he really feels around him, tell him how he fell for his charm and kindness, and the like. Damn it, why does he ever listen to Jay-
“Uh, thanks?” Kai’s voice brings Cole back to the present, and he shakes himself out of his spiralling thoughts.
Kai has his scarred eyebrow raised at him, hands resting comfortably on his hips, giving Cole a cocky yet bewildered expression. “I like me a lot, too. I mean, hell, who wouldn’t like me, am I right.”
He quirks his brows playfully before he lets out a lighthearted chuckle, a sound that Cole would never get tired of hearing, a confident smile resting on his face that has Cole’s heart fluttering.
Stupid feelings.
And of course Kai has to act all oblivious now of all times!
Usually, he finds it rather endearing, but seriously, his obliviousness is not helping how nervous he is about this whole confession thing right now.
He clears his throat and tries again. “No, Kai. I like you.”
Kai makes a noise of confusion in his throat at that, much to Cole’s mild frustration. “Uh, thanks? I like you too?” he responds, his tone making his words sound more like questions than statements. And he definitely still doesn’t get the hint.
Cole has a strong urge to punch the brunet and personally escort him down into the Cursed Realm himself. How can this stupid, lovable idiot be so goddamn oblivious, and now of all times!?
FSM please give him the strength to continue, because he damn well might not live this day. In fact, he might just die of embarrassment right now.
Now trying his best to sound as calm and collected as possible, the elemental master of earth says slowly, “Kai, I’m serious. I like you.”
“Uh, yeah? I’m serious too?” Kai says, to Cole’s utter disappointment. “Like, seriously. I like you a lot. I mean, I thought it was obvious that we would like each other, because we’re friends and a team and all?” He shakes his head. “I still don’t get why you pulled me aside just to tell me this.”
…Kai might as well shoot Cole dead right now.
FSM, just take both him and Kai up at this point.
Cole has to take a long, deep breath to keep himself together, otherwise he’d probably just lose his shit. If Jay were here to watch them, he’d be laughing his ass off at them by now. Hell, he’d probably ask Zane to get a recording of them and use it as blackmail against him, while teasing him about it endlessly for the rest of their lives.
“...Kai, that’s not what I meant,” he says helplessly, seeing the fire ninja’s expression turn even more baffled by his words. “I meant, I like you, in a romantic sense…?”
For a second, Kai’s expression goes completely blank, like he’s zoned out entirely, as if his mind isn’t in the current moment and is instead someplace else.
Then, slowly but surely, all the blood rushes to Kai’s face, causing it to burn a bright red, like the colour of the gi he’s wearing now, the tips of his ears a rosy pink. His eyes widen as he slaps a hand over his mouth, gaze shifting to the ground, like there’s apparently something very interesting to look at there.
It’s a rather rare yet amusing sight, to Cole at least. Kai has never been one to be flustered by anything at all, or at least doesn’t show it on his face often, always acting cocky and confident around everyone. The last time Cole has seen him like this was during the Tournament of Elements, when he had a big fat crush on Skylor and kept saying stupid shit to try to impress her… only to embarrass himself instead.
Seeing him in this state… Well. He’s beautiful.
Cole mentally engraves the image of Kai into his head lest he forgets it. Who knows when he’ll be able to see such a look on him again.
“I- Oh. So that’s what you- Right. Got it. Yup, totally understand now.” By now, Kai is rambling away, his face still completely red and flushed, waving his hands back randomly. Jeez, he’s starting to act like Jay now, whenever Nya says something that has him all flustered and embarrassed.
Shaking his head, Cole takes a step closer to him, his lips curling up into a faint smile. “Hey, calm down, firecracker,” he tells him lightheartedly, grabbing his wrists to stop him from flinging his hands around wildly like a mad man.
Kai instantly freezes like a deer under headlights, eyes widening as he stares back at him in silence.
Cole returns the stare wordlessly when he realises what he’s done, his breath hitching.
They remain in their current state in continued silence, both looking at each other and definitely looking like complete idiots at this point.
Man, Cole sure hopes no one decides to look for either of them and walks into Kai’s room, otherwise it’d… surely be an interesting scene to behold, one that neither can explain.
Though, right now, Cole could care less if someone were to see them, and Kai appears to feel the same way, judging by the way his cheeks are tinted a rosy pink, looking at him like he holds the world in his hand. No, Kai looks at him like he is his world, like he’s his whole universe.
The realisation ignites a spark deep inside the earth ninja, slowly turning into a flame burning deep inside him, burning brightly and fiercely.
Whatever is going to happen next, he knows that he wants it.
He slowly releases his grip on Kai’s wrist, his hands finding their way over to place his hands on Kai’s waist gently. Kai in turn places his hands on Cole’s shoulders, leaning in eagerly, causing their faces to be mere centimetres away.
“Hey, you sure about this?” Cole asks him softly, nearly out of breath, his heart hammering in his chest.
“Yeah. I always will be,” Kai whispers back, voice uncharacteristically quiet and gentle.
However, that moment is gone when a smile plays on Kai’s lips as he impatiently demands, “Now shut up and kiss me, Rocky.”
“Gladly.”
And Cole immediately closes the distance between them, pressing his lips against Kai’s.
Kai happily reciprocates the kiss, and Cole feels like he’s going to go dizzy from the sensation. Of course, he’s daydreamed of kissing the boy of his dreams several times, but again, nothing could compare to the real deal.
Kissing Kai is nothing like what he’d thought it would be like. He’d always thought it’d be full of heat, full of want.
But this? No, this is sweet and soft, yet loving and passionate at the same time. It’s so unfamiliar to him, nothing at all like what he thought it’d be, yet he loves it all the same. And it feels like he’s been doing this his whole life. It feels so easy and so natural that he can’t believe this is his first time kissing Kai.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he idly realises that he can do this for the rest of his life.
Much to his reluctance, Kai pulls away slightly, and he’s out of breath. However, his eyes are full of life, shining brightly, lips curled up in a wide smile.
“Holy shit, we just did that,” he mutters, sounding like he’s in complete disbelief and amazement.
Cole chuckles as he presses their foreheads together lightly, and Kai leans into the touch. “I know. It just… feels unreal.”
Kai lets out a melodic laugh. “You have no idea how much I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Chuckling softly again, Kai looks into his eyes, a warm smile resting on his face. “I like you, Cole. More than you can ever imagine,” he tells him softly, so that only he can hear.
Cole hums, warmth blooming throughout his heart, wrapping around it like a warm blanket. “Yeah. I like you a lot, too, Kai.”
And when Kai pulls him into another kiss, he doesn’t have any complaints.