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Nya only really started noticing because she was watching Cole's face. She'd missed him, FSM she'd missed him, like she'd missed them all. It had been easy, all those years back in Ninjago, to take Cole's presence for granted. To take him as something stable that would never truly change. After he'd regained his body, after he'd emerged from the Oni's fog, it was difficult to imagine anything in the world keeping him away. The Merge, of course, changed everything.
So she was watching his face, now, here in the home he'd made in this strange lost land. He'd gotten older, like she had, and it softened something in her heart. She remembered those rare times Cole admitted fearing it would never happen, that year he spent cursed, stuck in place as a ghost of himself. She was so, so happy to see him, and to see him strong, and smiling, and, well-
She just noticed a look, that was all. The way his eyes stuck and lingered on the man who'd been his companion, here in this strange place. The way they moved around eachother. Cole was casual with Geo, completely comfortable, but, as if in pattern, every time Cole's gaze would land on him, he would just look... happier. The crease that had been building on his brow since before Nya had even met him would loosen, just slightly. He would smile, small, more often then not, and he would keep his gaze on Geo's face for longer than he kept it anywhere.
Cole had always been a natural carer, but the two of them together seemed like they were just... on the same team. The kids they were looking after all sat around their table, they really did look like... a family.
Then there were the touches. Cole was a physically affectionate person, Nya knew. She had missed his hugs more than anything, and the first one upon their reunion made something in her spine finally set right. And he'd hug the kids, pick them up and tell them he loved them, tell them to stay safe. And Geo... Cole's hand was always finding his hand. They would sit thigh to thigh and shoulder to shoulder, one leaning into the other. Once, from a doorway, she saw Geo bring a hand up to Cole's face and rest his knuckles there, just briefly. It was all. Well. It was a little romantic.
Nya had known Cole for a long time. One of her deepest regrets in the history of their friendship was how she had disrupted it in pursuit of a romance. She was grateful that nothing had come of it now, but at the time, as much as she'd tried, she had never managed to get anything back from Cole in that regard. He'd told her afterwards that he didn't see her that way, and had even apologized for getting her caught up in his feud with Jay. Honestly, after seeing his kind yet firm dismissal of the Shintaro princess' advances, Nya had started to figure that Cole just wasn't interested in romance.
....Huh.
---
The stars were out. Nya didn't recognize any constellations, but she had never had a lot of patience for remembering them all, even before every sky became unfamiliar.
"I still can't believe you can actually cook. Who even cares about the giant earth monster, that's the actual most impressive thing you can do now." Nya joked, though she couldn't hide the genuine admiration brought about by enjoying Cole's cooking for maybe the first time in her life.
Cole laughed, just as warm as she remembered. "Yeah, yeah. I won't say there weren't some times the kids refused to touch their plates, but that's what snacks are for." He grinned, and winked, and Nya laughed, too.
They lapsed into silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. She drew in her breath. "It feels... right, in a way, to see you like this."
Cole hummed questioningly. "A cook?"
Nya snorted. "No! Well, yes, sort of. I mean like. A dad? Sorry if that's- I mean, I know you're not really-"
Cole broke off her words with a hand on her arm, his face calm. He pulled away, then, and lay back against the roof, arms crossed behind his head. "It's okay, I get what you mean. And. I think so too." He was looking up, almost wistful, and Nya suddenly felt the returning pang that had lived in her heart ever since the Merge. A pang for what their lives could have been, a pang for all the people she hadn't seen, pulled apart by unfamiliar distance.
She took a deep breath. "Cole, can I ask you something?"
He looked at her, propping himself up on an elbow to give her more of his attention. "Yeah, what's up?"
She half-laughed to herself. "Don't, uh-don't take this the wrong way, or anything. It really doesn't mean anything, I just," She thought of the way he was starting to get smile lines. "Are you and Geo, like? A thing?" She cringed at the word choice, feeling all at once like a teenager again.
Cole's eyes were wider than usual, mouth open just that bit. Then he smiled, shaky. "Man, was it that obvious?"
Nya rushed forward, waving her hands. "No no! I mean, kind of? But I just mean that it's obvious he makes you really happy, that's all. I get not- I understand why you might not want to," She swallowed. "Tell me, I guess."
Cole sat up fully, scooting closer to her and opening his arms. She fell into them gratefully, and held on as he hugged tight. Pulling back, he kept his warm, solid hands on her shoulders, and shook his head slightly. "It wasn't that, Nya, really," He let go and she missed the warmth as he turned to look out over the land below, hands hanging loose over his knees. "I've known I was gay since I was a kid. Hiding it has always just been... my impulse. It's not that I didn't trust you, or the guys, but. For a long time, it wasn't something I thought would ever matter, for me."
She scooted closer, leaning her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense, then relax, his head briefly knocking against hers. She kept her voice low. "That's okay. For the record I'm so, so happy for you. I wasn't lying, I can see the way you look at eachother. It's really sweet." She punched him lightly on the arm, and swore she felt him heat up, even if she couldn't see a blush.
He just coughed, then huffed a laugh and said, small and simple: "Thanks." His tone was a kind of genuine she'd missed, like she'd missed a lot of things about Cole.
Then, a near-whisper. "I love him, Nya, I really do."
Cole, who had held their strange family up for years, who had lost his life and his hope and still supported them all. Who had stood beneath pressure enough to crack the earth, who had stayed strong and kind and steady. Who gave and gave, who sacrificed and fell, yet crawled on to keep giving. Nya knew Cole like the ocean knew the earth.
Her heart ached, but it felt good, like relief, like something finally being laid right. It was easy, then, to let that feeling turn into words. "You deserve it. Love like that." And it was true.