(A/N: A romantic oneshot? From me?! Only Pixane, the purest and best ship in the entire galaxy, could possibly move me to such a feat. XD Although there are slight Jaya and Kailor mentions too so there's your heads-up.) (Idk when this takes place in the timeline tbh, just... just take it XD)
Zane was not even the slightest bit nervous at the thought of rushing headfirst into battle against an army of skeleton warriors.
Zane was not even the slightest bit nervous at the prospect of sacrificing his life to save Ninjago— and his friends.
Zane was not even the slightest bit nervous at performing incredible feats of acrobatics, climbing up to high places, going deep underwater, or doing most anything that would make any human want to run and hide.
But as he stared at the calendar, where February 14th had been circled in red (by Jay, for the record, not Zane), the ninja of ice felt practically paralyzed by fear.
It was silly, really— he knew there was a zero percent chance of offending the one he loved, as she wasn't the type to care about material things, which was a bit ironic considering where she was raised. On the contrary, if she even knew what Valentine's Day was— and she was a smart android, she probably did— she wouldn't in the least be expecting to receive something. But that was exactly why Zane wanted to get her something perfect.
P.I.X.A.L. was… well, she was humble by nature, but she was so much more than that. She was supportive of Zane in everything he did, and she'd always been there for him; the one brief period she'd gone missing was what Zane considered to be probably one of the worst times in his life. She was gentle and yet fierce, confident and yet meek, robotic and yet learning how to be human more and more every day. She gave Zane all she had, and yet she never asked anything for herself.
Which is why she deserves the best, Zane thought firmly. Standing up from his bed, he walked down the hall and searched the bounty until he came across who he'd been looking for.
"Hello, Kai," Zane said to a streak of red that was running from wall to wall. The ninja of fire paused to look up.
"Oh, hey, Zane," he said, sounding a bit out of breath. "Jay said he could beat me, in a race so, you know, gotta make sure I'm in, peak, physical condition…" he huffed.
"I see," Zane replied. "I can come back later if you are busy."
"No, no, I can take a break," Kai panted, walking over to his brother and looking relieved to have an excuse to pause. "You need advice, right?"
Zane blinked. "How did you know?"
Kai laughed. "It's almost Valentine's Day, duh. You're wanna get something for that special someone. Well, you've come to the right guy!" He smirked and summoned a flame in his hand, holding it out like a gift. "Now listen up. What you gotta do is buy her something nice. Any of the traditionals work fine— flowers, chocolate, all that— but in my personal experience, the best way to go is to buy the lucky lady some cute clothes. It's a bit more expensive, but then you get the added benefit of seeing said lady in cute clothes." He smiled and winked.
"I… do not know if PIXAL likes aesthetic gifts," Zane admitted. "Even if she did, I wouldn't know what she would like. I am not very aware of how 'fashion' works."
Kai looked Zane up and down, hesitated for a minute, then shook his head. "Never mind. Why don't you go ask Cole for advice?"
"Cole?" Zane asked. "But I did not even think he had a girlfriend."
"Good point… well, you can ask Jay, but I doubt he'll be very helpful. Anyway, I gotta get back to training. See ya!" Kai said, and went back to racing from wall to wall. The white ninja sighed and left him to his athletics, opting to head outside, where he could hear a sparring match going on.
"Take that!" Cole yelled, and as Zane turned the corner he could see his brothers deeply engaged in a mock fight.
"Hah! You gotta catch me if you wanna hit me!" Jay retaliated, zipping around his brother while dodging some very powerful-looking punches. "Oh, hi, Za— OW!" A blow connected with shoulder as he paused to look at the newcomer.
"Huh? Oh, Zane, you here to watch?" Cole asked, turning moments after hitting Jay. Jay punched him in the shoulder, presumably as payback, but the earth ninja didn't even seem to notice.
"I am actually here to ask for advice," Zane said evenly.
"Ooh! Ooh! Is it about a girl?" Jay asked, a huge grin on his face. "Cuz you know, I'm the expert on girls around here."
"You?" Cole scoffed. "You haven't even gotten a gift for Nya for Valentine's Day yet!"
Jay made an obnoxious shushing noise and covered Cole's mouth with his hand. "Ahaha… what he's trying to say is, I just haven't finished my gift yet."
"Finished?" Zane asked, tilting his head.
"Yeah!" the blue ninja exclaimed. "Everyone knows the best gifts are handmade."
Cole moved his brother's hand away for long enough to interject, "Except when they blow up on you!"
"That was ONE time, Cole!" Jay insisted. "Anyway, if you wanna impress a girl, you should make her something! I make Nya weapons, but you can't use my idea. You could make… hmm… oh! Why not cook something? You're a fantastic cook!"
Cole nodded eagerly in agreement.
"Thank you, but again, I am not actually sure if that is relevant," Zane said with a frown.
Have I ever seen PIXAL eat…? What type of food does she like?
"Well, you can't go wrong with a good old-fashioned cake," Cole said, walking up to his friend and patting his back reassuringly. "You make a mean chocolate cake."
"I… will think about it," Zane replied, and started to head back inside. Cole shrugged and the spar continued behind Zane.
I thought I knew everything about PIXAL," Zane thought worriedly. Why is this so hard?
"Hiya, Zane!"
The nindroid was so lost in thought he was almost startled by the sudden voice. "Hello, Nya," he said, looking up. "I'm sorry, I did not see you coming."
"Eh, don't worry about it," she said, starting to pass him in the hallway, but as she saw his face she stopped. "Hey, I know that face. Something worrying you?"
"A little," he admitted. "I want to get PIXAL something for Valentine's Day."
"Oh! Ohhhhh," Nya said, then started to laugh. "Don't tell me you've been asking the boys for advice?"
"Well— yes, I—" He was cut short by Nya putting a hand on his shoulder and steering him into her room.
"You guys are all the same. First mistake you're making, is asking other boys for help on what to get a girl," she said.
"I did not think of that," Zane admitted.
"Now listen," Nya said, sitting on her bed and motioning for Zane to sit beside her. "You're a really sweet guy. Whatever you get for PIXAL, I'm sure she'll love it. But if you want to knock the ball out of the park, get her something personal."
"Personal?" Zane asked, listening obediently. Nya nodded.
"Something that shows you really know her. For example, for my birthday a few months ago, Jay got me some brass knuckles." She grinned and pointed to her desk, where the gift she spoke of sat atop some fabric and sewing material. "That was a good gift."
"Jay has forbidden me from making PIXAL any weapons," Zane responded, "but I see your point. I should get something tailored to her interests."
"Right!" Nya said. "Or something that reminds her of something you did together. Like, if you have a special activity that you share, get her something related to that activity."
"There are not many things we have been able to do together," Zane admitted, thinking about how long PIXAL was trapped in his head or a computer screen. "Although…" Suddenly he got an idea. Standing up, he said quickly, "Thank you, Nya!" and rushed out the door.
Nya smiled as he did so. "Boys will be boys," she laughed quietly to herself.
Calm down, Zane. There's nothing to be nervous about. It's PIXAL, she won't get upset no matter what you give her.
Zane stood outside the door of Borg Laboratories and took a slow, deep breath, trying to talk himself out of the unusual jittery feeling he was stuck in. He walked through the front door just as Cyrus Borg was rolling out of an elevator next to a set of practically unused stairs.
"Zane!" he cried, his face lighting up. "PIXAL told me you were coming. It's been so long since I've actually seen you!" He gave the nindroid a hug, which was gladly returned.
"It is good to see you, too. Where is PIXAL?" Zane asked.
"She'll be down in just a minute. She was rather stressed over making sure your gift was perfect," he said in a slightly teasing voice. Most fathers were extremely protective over their daughters, especially when it came to boyfriends, but the circumstances were a little different when the daughter was a high-tech android and the boyfriend was a kind-hearted nindroid who had saved her life multiple times.
"Is Zane here?" a female voice asked as footsteps started coming down the stairs. Zane lit up as PIXAL turned the corner, her silver hair reflecting the lights on the ceiling. In her hands she held a small red box.
"PIXAL!" the nindroid cried, and ran towards the stairs while PIXAL ran down. The two met at the bottom and embraced each other tightly. Cyrus smiled approvingly as he came over to the lovebirds, taking the box from his creation's hand. He held onto it while the couple held each other, which he knew would be a while.
Finally, PIXAL pulled away and motioned to the box, a trace of nervousness on her face. "As Mr. Bo— as father told you, I got you something for Valentine's Day." She glanced down at the floor. "I cross-referenced many traditional gifts, but I knew you would want something unique, so… I hope this is all right."
Zane took the box and opened it up. Inside were two silver necklaces, with sleek, shiny chains and at the bottom…
"I saw many heart-shaped necklaces online," PIXAL explained quickly, "so I thought a variant might be fitting for us." She took a deep breath and bit her lip. "Father helped me make them. I thought about making them magnetic so they would stick together, but I was not sure if that would have a negative impact on your inner wiring, so…"
Zane gasped as he realized what the necklaces were symbolic of. At the bottom of each, a pendant in the shape of what most would describe as a half-doughnut hung down. One was white, and one was purple, but they both appeared to be made out of the same metal alloy.
"I love them," he breathed, taking the white pendant and clasping it around his neck. PIXAL took the box and put on her own necklace, smiling in relief.
"I am… glad to hear that," she said, and Cyrus smiled.
"Now, you said over your message that you required one of my computers?" the inventor asked, adjusting his glasses with his gloved hand. Zane nodded.
"Only for a moment. I digitally uploaded the file, so…"
"Wait," PIXAL said, confused, "what are you talking about?"
"Your gift, of course," he said, blinking. "Don't tell me you didn't think I would get you something."
"No," she said quickly, "I just…" She glanced around, looking nervous again and somewhat surprised. "I am… unused to receiving things. That is all."
Suddenly, the sound of a computer booting up interrupted them. Zane and PIXAL turned as Cyrus motioned that it was ready to do whatever Zane needed it to. Taking a deep breath, the white ninja clicked around for a few seconds, then stepped back as the file he'd opened began to play.
The audio recording— for that's what it was— started with the quiet sound of someone breathing. Then, softly, a piano began to play: slowly at first, and almost sad. But as the music continued, it grew stronger and faster, swelling until the sheer happiness of the composer could be heard without a word being spoken. The piano was the only instrument present, but it was played so expertly, it sounded like an entire orchestra. After about three minutes, the music slowed down again and the song came to a close. There were a few more seconds of silence on the recording, and then a click! as whatever had been used to tape it was shut off.
Shyly, Zane turned to PIXAL and explained, "I remembered how you used to sing me lullabies to help me fall asleep… so… I thought I'd try to write a song for you. It was kind of rushed, so I didn't have time to add words, but—"
PIXAL cut him off. "Zane, this— this is amazing!" She looked up at him and he was overjoyed to see how much expression was in her eyes. "I… cannot repay you."
"You've certainly done that already," he laughed, and pulled her into a hug.
"Well, I'm glad to know my son-in-law has musical talent," Cyrus laughed. Zane blinked in confusion.
"I thought that was normally a term used for the husband of a parent or guardian's daughter?" he asked. PIXAL seemed thrown off, too.
"Oh, never mind," the human chuckled. "I'm glad you two enjoyed your presents. Especially you," he said, winking at Zane, "since I helped with those necklaces. Now, it's getting near dinnertime, so you'd probably best be off."
"Be off where?" the nindroid asked.
"Why, it's traditional for couples to go out together on Valentine's Day," Cyrus replied in surprise. PIXAL closed her eyes, doing a quick scan for information.
"That is correct," she confirmed, "apparently it is a normal tradition to have a meal, usually but not always at a formal restaurant."
"Well, I did not bring a large amount of cash with me," Zane said, checking the pockets of his hoodie, "but we can stop by Chen's Noodles, if you would like."
"That does sound interesting…" PIXAL started, then stopped and looked at her creator for permission.
"What are you waiting for, then?" he said with a smile. "You two enjoy yourselves. Oh, and if you see the other boys, tell them I said hi! Especially the blue one. I know he's a big fan of my work."
"You can count on it," Zane replied with a nod, and, linking arms with PIXAL, headed outside.
"There seems to be a surprising amount of wordplay in this menu."
Zane looked up from his side of the booth and laughed, nodding. "Yes, I would say that is traditional for this sort of restaurant."
"Interesting… what about that?" PIXAL asked, pointing.
"What?" Zane craned his head to try and see what she was pointing at. "Skylor?"
"Yes," she replied, sounding unsure of herself, "is that standard regulation?"
"Hm? Oh, well, it's true that she owns the restaurant now," Zane explained, "but she still works as a waitress. I do not know if it's normal behavior, but she likes to speak with her customers. She couldn't just sit in an office and manage the restaurant's income all day." He laughed a bit, amused by what little he knew of Skylor's personality. He had only interacted with her once, very briefly… if "getting kidnapped by" counted as having "interacted with."
"Oh… that is interesting, but not what I meant," PIXAL said, shaking her head. "What I was trying to ask was if that dress was standard regulation."
Zane looked again. The waitress was, indeed, wearing a frilly, short orange dress with long striped knee-highs and a matching orange bracelet. The outfit actually seemed to fit her surprisingly well, but it also didn't seem like something she'd pick out.
Zane paused, then glanced around the restaurant. A few tables away, a familiar red-clad figure sat alone at a corner booth.
"…No," he finally said, "it is not standard regulation. But if you are curious, I think I can tell you where she got it."
(A/N: PIXAL learning to call Cyrus "father" is one of my favorite tropes. As always, reviews are appreciated even though the site is currently glitching out and not letting me reply to them because "they don't exist" grrr... I can still read your reviews via email though, so do know that I'm reading and loving them all!)