Jay sat on the bench outside the entrance to the Bounty, sipping a bottle of water as he watched his teammates continue to train. His gaze swept his friends, a bored expression on his face as he watched Zane and Kai face off, punches being dodged and wooden staffs clashing in the center of their own small storm. However, he made a point to draw his attention back to the fight when he drifted over to Cole teaching Lloyd a punching technique.

By now, he knew that whenever he looked at Cole when they were training, it meant that his water bottle wouldn't be enough to quench his thirst. He had a very clear of why he couldn't stop thinking about Cole in the same way he used to think about Nya, but why he felt this way still confused him regardless of his obvious attraction to the Earth Master. Turning his eyes to the ground, he decided to draw comparisons. Yeah, a chart, something that he could look at and it would all make sense to him. All right, let's see...

Lower bodies? Feet didn't really matter to the Lightning Ninja, but legs? Both feminine and masculine legs had their perks. Nya's were smooth and nimble, but at the same time he knew they could crush his head in an instant. Cole's were muscular and sturdy, with the same sort of aura surrounding them. Okay, so maybe he had a thing for his crushes being able to kill him with their thighs. Okay, moving on.

Waists? Jay felt himself blush a little as he glanced up at both the Earth Ninja and the Samurai. Nya was still slender and Cole was still built like an ox. Jay decided to stop thinking about that just in case anyone saw his face turn as red as Kai's gi.

Chests? Nya-

"Hey Jay."

The Lightning Ninja's head snapped up to see Cole without a shirt walking towards him, head nodding in greeting as he grabbed his water. The redhead tried to answer, lips parting as in to say hello, but no sound came out. Cole smirked, unscrewing his water and taking a long sip. Some slipped from his lips and splattered on the dark skin on his chest, and Jay's brain must have short circuited, because the next time his mind focused back, the Earth Ninja was sitting next to him with a crushed water bottle by his feet, eyeing his friend with mild curiosity.

"Cat got your tongue?" He teased, and Jay gave a weak smile before sipping his water, unsure of how to approach this very awkward situation. "You're looking pretty hot."

Jay almost spat out his drink, eyes bugging out as he processed the statement. Cole laughed, watching as Kai jokingly bopped Zane on the head with his staff.

"Dude, I meant sweaty, but hey, if that's what you dig, no judgement here," He said nonchalantly with a small laugh, and Jay knew his face must actually be on fire, there must be seething fire erupting from his ears. He went to take a sip from his water to cool his complexion, but found it empty. Crap. No cover.

"Really, do you need to go inside or something? You're burning up. Here, c'mon, let's get you some more water," Cole gave a small wave to Lloyd, who was facing off with a dummy as he led Jay inside, the Lightning Ninja feeling as though he was going to burst.

Once the pair was safely in the kitchen, Cole sighed deeply, and turned to face his friend.

"Hey, now that the others can't hear us, I know what's up," Cole confessed, sitting on the counter. "I know it's not sunburn or anything. You're not alone."

Jay only nodded, still unsure if Cole knew what he was talking about. For all he knew, Jay was just embarrassed because Cole had his shirt off.

"I get it, you know? It sucks falling for your best friend."

Jay must have looked like a fish out of water, eyes wide, mouth floundering with nothing to say and fingers twitching.

"You... what?" The redhead knew he was an actual tomato by this point, and Cole handed him a bottle next to him so calmly it was almost like he hadn't dropped an atomic bomb on Jay's heart.

"Yeah. Jay, I'm a little more observant than I think you give me credit for. I've seen how you look at me when we're training, and honestly... I think the only difference between us is that my skin color hides blush a bit better," The Earth Ninja admitted, hopping off the counter and sauntering over to the stuttering boy in front of him.

"Cole, I can't believe... I... Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?" Jay finally formed a coherent thought, and a small smile graced the noirette's face.

"Me too bud. Hey, after training, do you want to go get lunch or something? Like a proper date?" Cole scratched the back of his neck, and Jay nodded eagerly.

"Of course. Wait, hang on a second, when you said I looked hot earlier-"

"Pfft, double meaning," Cole waved a hand good-naturedly, and Jay couldn't help but grin, beckoning the Earth Ninja down with his own.

"Come here dirt clod, I've been waiting for forever to kiss you," Jay said boldly, and Cole snorted while be leaned down.

"How romantic," He grumbled before their lips met, and Jay decided to scrap the mental chart. He should save the technical stuff for Zane anyway.