"I said look out!" A voice sounded behind Cole & he leapt out of the way with a shout. Jade, their newest member, had just thrown a kunai in his direction. He had dodged just in time as the blade whizzed past his head.
His face whipped around to her, an angry expression on his features.
"And just what the heck do you think you're doin?" He growled. She glared back with a even greater ferocity. "Practicing. Now shut up & move so I can finish up & go take a shower. Got a date in thirty minutes here. Ya dingus."
He inched up closer, his lips pursed. "Oh, I'm a dingus am I? Do you want me to go off about what you are?" She grabbed him by the collar & pulled him to her, he was now only a few inches away from her lips. "You call me a name, I'll etch that word into your back. With my knife. Got it?" Without waiting for an answer, she shoved him to the side & smiled. "Thanks for the understanding!"
He got up & stalked off; mumbling to himself about how a piece of noisy crap like that could have a boyfriend.
He honestly didn't care much for Akane. The crimson haired boy was quite the juvenile delinquent. Tugging the girl close to his chest in public, tripping random unsuspecting people, & being an overall dick-head. He had seen the boy teaching Jade how to throw a blade on several occasions, & he wasn't half that bad.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had a date tonight as well. With the love of his life, Zane. He remembered the day he'd professed his love for the blonde teen. It had been quite a night as well.
He laughed to himself. They had been together for quite some time. A whole year. It was the longest relationship Cole had ever been able to keep, & he wanted to cherish it with all that he had.
Cole snapped out of his thoughts as he reached the door to their shared bedroom. As he turned the knob & walked in, he suddenly wished he hadn't. Jay & Nya were making out again. He nearly puked at how Jay was holding her. A shiver ran through his body & he held back whatever lunch was left in his stomach.
"For God sake, Jay, get a room!" He said loudly, causing the couple to turn around in surprise & embarrassment.
"Cole!" They said simultaneously, their cheeks bright red. Cole let out a laugh. "When you gonna get a room with her dude?" Jay shuffled his feet. "Maybe it is time I share a room with Nya." The raven haired girl looked up at her boyfriend in surprise, then shrugged. "Yeah. This is the tenth time we've been caught in your room like this.
They kept talking, & Cole looked on with exasperation flashing in his blue eyes. "Yeah, that's great. Can I get some privacy? I need to change." The two lovebirds looked to him.
"Oh. Sorry, Cole. I guess we'll just be going." Nya murmured, & led Jay out, the ginger managing to let out a quick apology before he was dragged out of the room by his girlfriend.
Cole shook his head to himself. What a couple. Even he & Zane didn't get caught like that.
He quickly pulled out a pair of clean black jeans & buttoned up a black plaid shirt. Its long sleeves went almost to his fingertips, so he rolled them up till they sat snugly on his forearm. He gazed at himself in the mirror. "Not too bad, Brookstone. Not bad at all." Cole ran a brush through his hair quickly in an attempt to make himself look more presentable. He then spritzed on a little cologne, just to spice things up. When he gazed at himself the second time, he liked what he saw, & smiled. "Sexy & I know it." He mused, going through the song in his head & thinking of himself. Footsteps suddenly sounded from behind him, & he whipped around.
Kai blinked. "...hey there." He commented. Cole smiled. "Hey. What are you doing?" The fire ninja shrugged. "Was gonna go to bed early. Tired. What are 'you' doing?" The dark haired teen gestured to himself. "Date night. Zane's taking me out." "Ah." Kai nodded & laid down on his bed, pulling a book out from under his pillow & settling down to read. "Enjoy your night bro." He finished with a wink & a grin.
Cole felt his face flush & his cheeks took on a pale red color. "Thanks."
〜~〜~〜~〜~〜~〜~〜~〜~〜~〜~〜
Zane & Cole walked hand in hand down the boardwalk's street. At either side of them were arcades, vendors, restaurants, shops, & more. Cole smiled. It was such a perfect night. The clear sky was cloudless & he could see every star & the moon with its bright, pale face. He leaned his head on Zane's slightly taller shoulder.
"Cole? Are you alright?" Cole turned to him. "I'm fine. I'm just wondering where you're taking me." The blond smiled mischievously. "You will see."
Cole pouted & knocked his head against the side of Zane's arm. "That doesn't really help me." Zane laughed. "Be patient, Cole. You will see in a moment." The dark haired boy felt anticipation bubble inside of his chest. Why was Zane being so secretive?
They walked a little farther, then Zane stopped him & covered his eyes with his hands. Cole pouted, but allowed himself to be blindly led to wherever his boyfriend was leading him. "Zane." Cole whined, "I can't see." He heard the blue eyed boy chuckle. "We're nearly there."
They kept walking carefully until at last, Zane's hands were removed from Cole's face, & the younger teen gasped.
In front of him, a large blanket had been set out, covered in plates of food, & two wine glasses filled with the sweet substance. Zane smiled as Cole turned around & wrapped his arms around the slightly taller boy's neck, landing a soft kiss to the pale lips. "This is too...Zane! You didn't have to do all this for me!"
The blond closed his eyes & kissed the ebony-haired boy on the forehead. "I wanted to." He murmured, then led his companion to the blanket & sat down, reaching his arms out to Cole's waist.
Cole sat himself gently onto Zane's lap as he was pulled backward by the blond's strong arms with a smile.
Zane smiled. "I know. I do all this for you. I love you."
The younger felt a blush come across his face. "I love you too."
~~~~~
Cole layed sprawled out on the grass, Zane next to him, holding him in his arms. A yawn escaped him, waking the older. "Hmm?" He mumbled, his eyes fluttering open. Cole sniffed, holding back a sneeze. He guessed he'd gotten a cold. "Its morning. We've been here all night."
Zane shot up, making Cole shriek. He looked back at the boy with an apologetic expression. "Sorry." Cole struggled to get up, stretching with a groan. "Augh, my muscles are so sore."
The blond stopped his packing of their supplies & looked up. "The ground was cold. Of course your muscles are sore. And you've been sniffling every few minutes, indicating slight sickness. Maybe we should get home."
Cole nodded. "Yeah. I bet we've already missed breakfast." He helped Zane with the final packing & they hurried off to the car, stuffing the baskets into the trunk & then getting into their seats.
A few minutes later they were back at the bounty, where Nya & Jay came to meet them. "We thought you'd never get back!" The worried exclamation slipped from the ginger's mouth, a happy look on his face.
Nya swatted him gently. "They could've taken care of themselves. They're ninja for goodness sake." The blue eyed Norwegian kissed her. "I know, love. But they're my teammates, not to mention my best friends."
She smiled. "Come on. Breakfast is getting cold. We've been waiting."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A creak of floorboards woke Cole. He lifted a sleepy head & rubbed his eyes. "Wha?" The noise sounded again, louder. He pulled himself into a sitting position & threw the covers off, getting out of the bed. A yawn escaped his mouth as he reached for the door handle, opening the door to see Zane.
His eyes widened. The blond was covered in cuts & bruises, his cheek & corner of his lip bloody. "Zane?! What happened?!" Zane shoved Cole back into the room & locked the door, slipping down to the floor, his back against it. His breath was rapid & shaky. "E-explosion. J-j-Jay & I were working...& I-it...blew up."
Cole crouched next to him & did his best to wipe the blood from his face. "What? Is Jay okay?" Zane nodded. "Yes, but they took him to the hospital. One piece of metal embedded itself in his leg."
The dark-haired boy picked his boyfriend up & set him on his bed. "It's okay. You just have a few cuts." Zane nodded blankly. "Y-yes...but...I can still...see the metal part..." His blue eyes whipped up, watery with unshed tears, "Cole there was so much blood! I thought he was going to die!" The younger was yanked into the older's grasp, eyes wide, his lungs letting out an 'oof!'.
"Zane. It's okay." He placed a kiss to the teen's lips. Zane let out a surprised & happy sigh, then gave an irritated huff as Cole pulled away. "What?" He asked with a smirk. "I was hoping you would let it last longer than that." Cole laughed & eased himself onto the bed with Zane, curling up next to him. "I had my turn last time. Your go." Zane smiled. "Very well."
Two soft hands found their way around Cole's waist, fingers gently running along his side. Cole leaned his head back & gave a sounds between a moan & a sigh. "Ahh." Zane smiled & chuckled, repeating the action a bit more roughly, kissing him. Cole lifted his head back up to accept the kiss, letting it deepen.
"Mmph!" The shout came out muffled as Zane bit his lip. "Curphul!" Zane took that as a 'be more careful', leaning forward to kiss his neck. Cole moaned slightly as the blond's lips trailed down his jawline.
Zane felt Cole's hand weave through his hair, the other pulling at his shirt hem. "Zane." The name left his lips in a ragged whisper. "Cole." He replied with a moan as his hair was tugged at.
Kai rolled off the couch & turned off the game. This was total boredom. No one except Zane & Cole were onboard with him. Who knows how long those two would be sleeping. The others were with Jay at the hospital, since he'd accidentally cut himself earlier. He suddenly heard crashes & muffled voices emanate from Cole's room, then a cry of pain. "What on earth? Are they fighting again?" He asked himself.
Lately, the two had been angry with each other. He was snapped out of his thoughts as a scream sounded. "Zaa-aane!" The voice belonged to Cole. He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Kai rolled his eyes. 'Another mess I'll have to fix.' He thought & hurried off.
As he whipped open the door, he suddenly wished he hadn't. Zane was grinding as hard as he could on Cole, the latter gripping the sheets, nails torn, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Kai slipped out & slammed the door shut. From the noises that continued, he guessed they hadn't heard him. That was just fine. "Just...peachy." He gasped. He really hated when he walked in on them. At least they were clothed this time. Or...at least partially.
Cole felt more tears slip down his face as he cringed. It felt...there weren't even words. Zane panted heavily, getting tired. Another cry escaped Cole's mouth as Zane sped up. "ZANE, STOP." He practically screamed. The blond collapsed next to him, an apologetic look on his face.
"C-Cole." He reached for the boy's outstretched hand. Cole struggled to catch his breath & wiped some of the sweat from his brow.
"Never...again..." Those words pierced Zane's heart. They'd made out many times, perhaps this time Cole hadn't been in the mood. "I'm sorry." Was all he could say.