Everyone waited for it; the countdown of the new year. The citizens of Ninjago always gathered outside Borg Industries to have view of the big digital clock that was installed on the building and even though Pixal was literally two steps away from the celebration, she never celebrated with the crowd. New Year's was just like any other ordinary day for her which was simply spent on keeping everything in Borg Industries in place. Not this year, however.
This time Zane had suggested they followed the tradition together. He was surprised that she had never experienced a proper countdown and wanted her to try out something new. Then again, he wasn't the person to celebrate with others either. He usually spent New Year's Eve enjoying a festive dinner with his loved ones - those being his teammates - which was followed by relaxing in the living room with a hot cup of tea or cocoa, waiting for the live countdown to start on live television.
"It is very crowded." Pixal noted as her and Zane squeezed through the crowd to find a good spot to watch over the clock.
Zane nodded in agreement. "It is, indeed. There are way more people than the last time me and my brothers decided to do anything like this. Then again, back then, New Ninjago City was just 'Ninjago City' and the population has increased by far now."
Pixal pointed at her right ear. "I cannot hear you, I apologise!" she raised her voice. Something about yelling did not stick with her but unfortunately, she would have to deal with it for the time being.
Zane tilted his head in confusion. "I didn't quite catch that, apologies. It appears it is much more noisy than what I had anticipated."
"Zane, I can't hear you still." she pointed at her ear again.
The nindroid decided not to waste any more energy on shouting. Instead, he walked behind Pixal and talked next to her ear. "Can you hear me now?" he said in a much more calm voice, earning a nod from his partner. Zane smiled slightly in satisfaction. "I'm glad."
She should have gotten used to it by then but feeling Zane that close to her made her feel as if there were butterflies inside her stomach. She did not reject the idea. She remembered Jay telling her that the exact same thing had happened to Zane once. He had actual flying butterflies inside his system. Eventually, Pixal gave up on the thought. 'Do not be silly,' she thought. 'It is impossible that butterflies have spawned inside my mechanism.'
"Pixal?" she heard Zane's voice jingle next to her ear which quickly snapped her back into reality. "Are you feeling okay? You zoned out for a moment."
The girl nodded and hummed a quick yes, although she was positive Zane couldn't hear it. She figured that staying in that tense state would stand between her and enjoying the night so she tried to embrace the feeling, instead of denying it.
She was right to do that. It really did feel nice after a while. Sighing, she relaxed her body and mind. By instict, she moved a tad closer to Zane.
Meanwhile, Zane was having a similar inner battle of his own. He wondered how he should respond to that sort of action. He glanced around him to observe the crowd. Groups of friends, families and, of course, couples. He tried to compare him and Pixal to them. That caused him to recall his brother's 'words of wisdom' as he had refered to them. "Don't just leave her hanging there." Kai had said. "It's a special moment. Try to… I don't know, hold her close, give her a hug… Maybe a kiss?" And there he was, Zane, blushing madly at the thought.
Zane and Pixal had been together for more a year yet they were not to be considered a very 'active' couple. They always spent time with each other, held hands, hugged… Zane had kissed her on the forehead a few times too. But that was about it. The others commented on it from time to time but the two androids didn't let it get to them. They did love each other and that's what truly mattered.
Without thinking about it much, Zane wrapped his arms around Pixal's body and rested his face on her shoulder. Although Pixal's hair made her seem like the tallest one, they were about the same height, Zane being around an inch taller. "Is this okay?" he asked, making sure his actions did not disturb her in any way. Once again, he earned a nod and quiet hum.
"Alright, Ninjago!" a bulky brunet man in a brown ninja-like outfit stood in front of Borg Industries' entrace. "Can y'all hear me loud and clear?"
The crowd responded with cheers and yeses. Dareth nodded in approval, bring the microphone close to his mouth once again. "Okay, listen everybody. In 2 minutes, the New Year will be finally here. Normally we'd have the Royal Blacksmiths to entertain us but they are all with their families at the moment… So instead, I'll show off some of my outstanding ninja moves! First, the penguin!"
Pixal heard a soft chuckle at her right, causing her to turn her sight to Zane. "Dareth doesn't ever get less confident."
"Quite the opossite, I'd say." Pixal smiled as well.
"Gah, I wish I had time to show you more of my skills but the countdown's gonna start. Come to Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo for more!" Dareth began. "Alright, alright, it is finally time, Ninjago! Ten, nine, eight- Count with me! Five, four…"
"Three," the two of them joined in, quietly mumbling the words. "two, one…"
"Happy new year!" Dareth screamed at the microphone, followed by the rest of the citizens wishing for a great year. All those people Zane had seen before, friends, families, they were cheering. The majority of the couples, on the other hand, were sharing their first kiss for the year. Almost instantly, fireworks set off, filling the dark night sky with numerous of colors.
The view was for Zane and Pixal to take in. Their gazes were pointed toward the sky, both of them enjoying the magical experience. Pixal couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "It's beautiful." she mumbled under her breath.
"Truly." Zane agreed.
It had been a few minutes of staring at the sky. Slowly, the two of them turned around to look at each other instead. They took hold of each other's hands and stood there, examining one another's features. It was as if time had stopped. They were completely frozen. And Zane, being the ninja of ice, was the only one capable of getting them out of that state. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, smiling nervously. "S-So, um… Do you want to head back at the Bounty?" He immediately wanted to facepalm himself.
Pixal nodded, smiling back at him. "Of course."
"And then, Sensei freaking Wu, spilled all the water on Jay's head. On purpose!" Kai laughed.
"Wow! I would have never expected that." Zane looked surprised. "Is that true, Sensei?" he asked.
Sensei Wu finished taking a sip from his tea and placed it back on the table. "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today."
"Wait, wait, wait a minute." Jay said. "Does this mean that you've been meaning to do that for a long time, Sensei!?"
"You had really targetted me on that food fight, a while back." Wu simply responded.
"Oh come on, that was years ago!" the lightnining ninja complained.
It really surprised Zane and Pixal to see that their friends had not started dinner when they returned. The rest of the team wanted to wait for the two androids to return before they devoured Zane's cooking. Just like every other year, they spent their night eating the holiday goods and later on, joking at the living room with warm drinks.
"Zane, is my hot cocoa ready yet?" Jay yelled, hoping Zane, who was at the kitchen, would listen.
Cole patted Jay's back. "I don't think he can hear you, buddy."
"Do not worry about it," Pixal began, standing up. "I want to get some more chamomile for myself so I will tell him."
She wandered through the Bounty's halls, reaching the basement where the kitchen was. The wooden floor creaked when she stepped on it but it didn't really bother her. She liked how cozy the home of the ninja was. Pixal could smell the leftover scent of the festive dinner coming from the kitchen. The overall atmosphere took her over and for a second, she couldn't see were she was going. She snapped back into reality the moment she bumped into something.
She gasped and took a small step back, taking in her suroundings once again. She soon learnt that what she had bumped into wasn't a wall, but Zane, who was coming out of the kitchen with Jay's cocoa in hand. "Ah, I apologise!" she quickly said, clearing her throat. "It seems I was not aware of my suroundings for a moment there. I should have been more careful and- Zane?"
She noticed that Zane was not responding. He had targetted something on the ceiling and was busy looking at it. She followed his gaze and soon realised why Zane had froze; the two of them were standing under a mistletoe. "Ah, who could have placed that here…" she said nervously.
Zane shrugged, finally taking his gaze off the Christmas item. "It was most likely Lloyd or Kai. They always put them at the most unexpected places."
"That… That sounds like them." Pixal concluded. The two fell into silence again, not really knowing what to do next.
"Pixal, I, um-" Zane tried to make the first move but was interrupted by Jay's yells for cocoa. "Ah, sorry Jay! Coming right away!" he yelled back, quickly making his way out of the kitchen.
The night went on, without any further mention of that moment. They continued to chat in the living room as if it had never happened. Thankfully, Jay's terrible humor could cover their worries up. However, their casual party did not last for much longer. It turns out, even Jay could run out of energy at some point.
"I think we should call it a night." Nya yawned. "I can't feel my eyes."
"Me neither." Lloyd admitted. "It's been fun though! Definitely one of the best ways we've started our year."
"Are you sure you don't want to spend the night here?" Zane asked Pixal.
Pixal shook her head. "I would love to but Mr Borg needs me tomorrow morning. Borg Industries is always a mess the first of the year."
"I see. Maybe another time, then." he suggested. "At least let me walk you home. You shouldn't be walking alone that late into the night. We ride my dragon there too, if you'd like."
The assistant smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."
They ended up walking all the way to Borg Industries. It was a long way there but there truth was, they didn't really want the night to end. Most of their walk was silent. They didn't quite mind that though. It was comforting, if anything. Whenever they did break the silence, they spoke about the highlights of their day, making sure to give credit to the fireworks, of course. Everything good comes to an end, however. They soon reached the square outside Borg Industries. It was not common for it not to be crowded but that late into the night as they were, it was completely empty.
"I enjoyed our time tonight. I am glad you invited me." Pixal thanked him. "I cannot wait until next year."
Zane let go of a chuckle. "Me neither. It really was great."
Once again, they broke into silence. Zane had lost count of how many times that had occured. He wasn't sure if it was for good or not.
"Well… I will go now." Pixal managed to say, as much as she didn't want to. "I will hopefully see you tomorrow."
"I hope so." he replied as he pulled Pixal into a quick hug. "Goodnight, Pixal."
"Goodnight, Zane."
And with that, the two androids started walking at the opossite directions. Something felt off though. Ending the night like that almost felt wrong. It was as if there was something missing. Each team they got their chance, both of them let it slip away.
"Zane-"
"Pixal-"
They called out one another's names simultaneously as they turned around to face each other. Hearing their name be called surprised both of them. Pixal felt her power source beep faster while Zane's cheeks flushed with a sweet red color. Shyly, Zane started to approach Pixal. With her own pace, Pixal appreached as well.
"There is something I've-" they spoke at the same time again. "Y-You go first-"
"Y-You, first." Pixal started over.
Zane took a deep breath, letting his chest relax. "Pixal, I-I've… I've been meaning to tell you something- Well… Do something but… I am not sure if you would be okay with such action."
"What is it, Zane?" the more she allowed her acquaintance to speak, the more she felt this warmth from before.
"R-Right." he gulped. "Pixal, could I… M-May I… Is it okay with you if we…"
"Yes…?"
"Would it be okay with you if we kissed?" he finally announced and for a second, he could swear he felt his eye glitch. "I-I'm sorry," he started, seeing as Pixal remained silent. "That was very unlike m-"
"... yes... "
"E-Excuse me?"
"I said... Yes…!" Pixal jumped nervously. "A-Apologies, that sounded very childish. I-It's something I've been thinking about too so I can't help but feel a bit… You know."
Zane nodded. "I-I totally understand, don't worry."
They tried to avoid another silent episode but destiny led them to one once more. Yet, the awkwardness of this one didn't last for long this time. Zane was the first one to move, cupping Pixal's left cheek. She layed her right hand on Zane's chest and leaned in closer to him as well. She let Zane take the lead, as she did not really know what to do next. It wasn't like Zane was experienced but she felt more protected that way.
The awkwardness was all gone the moment their lips touched. It took them only a moment to close the gap between their bodies and fall into each other's embrace. Their movement was slow and sweet. They never imagined that such a common action like a kiss would offer such joy. The feeling was indescribable.
They pulled away after a few seconds. Their first reaction was to look into the eyes of the other person and right after that, break into giggles and chuckles.
"Why hadn't we done this sooner?" Pixal joked, grinning ear to ear.
"I do not know." Zane responded, he, too, smiling. He pulled Pixal close to him again, this time for an embrace. They stayed like that for a while. They had grown used to the silence by then. Pixal had closed her eyes, peacefully laying on Zane's chest. "... Pixal?" he called her name.
"Mhm?" she mumbled back at him.
"I love you." he told her.
Pixal smiled sweetly. "I love you too."
The night couldn't have ended in a sweeter way.