This is going to be somewhat fluffy. But there is a surprising ending, just a quick warning. I've never really worked with fluff but I'm hoping this turns out well. This is a ZaneXIvan fic so if you haven't read Book 1: Darkness Within then I suggest you leave, read it, and then read this.

Enjoy!

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Ninjago 51 years before Darkness Within

Snow. The one thing they both loved besides each other. They'd been together for five centuries and 98 years. By midnight it would only be one more year before the reached six centuries.

Zane sat on their old brown couch and read, Semper ad Meliora. Ivan was asleep with his head resting on Zane's thigh. The radio was tuned to a mello station that played at nothing louder than just above a whisper.

Ivan mumbled in his sleep and his hand reached for his dark pendant. The sleeping boy shifted and put his other hand on Zane's thigh. A slight rush of.. something, shot up Zane's leg.

His vision went black and he dropped his book. Though it was just a glimpse, Zane could see Ivan's dream. There was someone screaming. No, Ivan was screaming.

He saw the dream figure of his boyrfriend, sitting on his knees with his hands clutching his head. He was sitting in darkness, unnatural darkness. Not just dark, but piercing and dangerous. Words then assaulted Zane's ears. Words that were thrown at Ivan.

'Worthless'

'Pitiful'

'Dangerous'

'Hated'

'Daddys boy'

At the last word Ivan's eyes filled with tears. "STOP!" He sobbed uncontrollably. "Leave me alone."

Zane's vision returned. He was in their house. The little house on the end of 47th street. His book in his lap, his glasses threatening to fall off of his face, and Ivan on his leg.

His boyfriends face showed no sign that he was in distress. Zane quickly moved Ivan's hand off of his leg and held his face.

"Ivan! Ivan?!" Zane called. He tapped his boyfriends face but nothing happened.

Zane's eyes widened and he shook his boyfriend. Ivan's eyes snapped open. Both of his hazel, tear filled eyes found Zane.

"Oh baby..." Zane said. He pulled Ivan into a hug and the other boy was quick to wrap himself around his boyfriend. They sat in that position for an hour, Zane rubbing Ivan's back as the black haired boy sobbed.

Eventually, Ivan's sobs turned to sniffles, then completely went away. Ivan unwrapped himself from Zane and just stared into his lover's eyes. "I'm- I'm sorry. You didn't need to see that again..."

Zane's heart felt liked it was just run though with a dagger. He gently cupped his boyfriends face and gave him a light kiss on the forehead. "It's okay baby. It's okay."

Zane looked into Ivan's beautiful hazel eyes. He rubbed his thumb over the top of Ivan's hand and smiled. "Hey, what always makes you feel better?"

There was a small spark of hope in Ivan's eyes. "Cookies?!"

Zane laughed and grabbed Ivan's other hand. Zane nodded and Ivan wiggled out of his lap. Zane stood up and followed his boyfriend into their small kitchen.

Ivan was already digging through the cabinets in search of a cookie sheet. Zane went to the freezer and grabbed the cookie dough he had made earlier that day. He turned back to Ivan as his boyfriend found the cookie sheet. Zane prepped the cookie sheet and then put big blobs of cookie dough on it.

Just as Zane put the cookies in the oven, he saw a small movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his left and caught the thief red handed. Ivan's finger pulled out of the cookie dough container with a big glob on it.

"Ivan...", Zane warned. His boyfriend stared back at him for a moment before he stuck the glob in his mouth, grabbed the cookie dough container, then booted out of the kitchen.

"He-Hey! Get back here!"

Zane threw down his oven mits and raced after him. His apron slowed him a little but it didn't matter. Just as Zane turned down the hall, their bedroom door slammed shut. Zane sprinted to the door and tried the handle. Locked... of course.

Zane laughed and reached for the top of the door frame. His hand touched the small metal key and he pulled it down. He quickly unlocked the door and burst into the room. No Ivan.

He heard a small noise from the closet and smiled. Zane spread out his hands and sent a small burst of snow through the shudders of the closet. Ivan yelped and burst through the closet doors.

Ivan was shivering and covered in snow. "Zane! That was cold!"

Zane pulled the cookie dough from Ivan's arms and walked out of the room. "There's a blanket in the living room!", he called back to his boyfriend.

Ivan races past him and jumped onto the couch. He snatched the blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped himself in it. "ZANE!", he yelled.

Zane walked into the living room and smiled at his boyfriend. Ivan cut his eyes towards their fireplace. Zane playfully rolled his eyes and flipped on the fireplace. Once he knew Ivan was satisfied, he walked back into the kitchen.

He hadn't even had the chance to start the timer for the cookies. The time read 11:28 PM. Zane set the timer for 30 minutes, took off his apron, and then walked back into the living room.

Zane plopped himself next to Ivan and turned on the TV. The black and white picture showed an eager newscaster standing in front of a large tower. The ball drop timer was on the bottom of the screen. Ivan snuggled closer to Zane and they shared the blanket.

The newscaster droned on about recent news. "This is Garrett Gossip here at Ninjago City. The turn out for the ball drop this year has shattered all previous records! In other news, a team of elemental wielders has been sent to-"

"Zane." Ivan said suddenly.

Zane turned his attention to Ivan and smiled. "Yes love?"

"Have you ever thought... maybe we should try again."

Blood rushed to Zane's cheeks and he stammered. "We-well Ivan we both have the Y chromosome so-"

Ivan's cheeks turned bright red. "Zane! I- NO! That's not what- uuuugghhh. NOT what I was talking about!"

Zane let out a breath of relief but felt the warmth of his cheeks only rise. He laughed as Ivan groaned and whined about how he was 'so embarrassing sometimes'.

"What I was REALLY talking about was taking over Ninjago... it's been two decades and I love our life now but-"

"But.. what?"

Ivan bit his cheek and looked down at his socks. "But I.. you know how I get. I just get restless. I want to go conquer something. Pillage a village. Ransack a shack. Demolish a... don't have anything for that but you get my point."

Zane rubbed his eyes with his palm and sighed. "I know the feeling but I just... I don't know if we should babe. We have such a good life now! If we go and do that stuff again then we can never have this back."

Ivan looked back up at his boyfriend. Zane grabbed his hand gently. "I don't want to lose this... plus I couldn't make cookies anymore."

At that Ivan's eyes widened. He placed a hand over his heart and fake fainted into Zane's lap. "You're using cookies against me?! I thought you loved me!"

Zane was about to joke back at him, but the timer for the cookies began to ring. Ivan sat up off of his lap and Zane went into the kitchen. The ringing went silent as Zane flipped off the timer. He grabbed his oven mitts and pulled out the cookies.

Just as Zane set the cookies down to cool, the window next to him was blown in. He covered his face with his arms as glass rained onto him. Zane took a step away from the window. "Fire? Fire. FIRE! IVAN!"

Zane ran out of the kitchen and stopped dead when smoke invaded his lungs. Coughing, he made his way to the ground and started searching for his boyfriend. "Ivan- *cough cough cough* IV-an!"

The smoke stung his eyes as he army crawled through the living room. The stench of burnt flesh assaulted him as he got closer to the couch. He pulled his way up onto the couch and saw Ivan.

"IVAN! *cough cough* Ivan you need to wake up. Oh god..." Zane fretted. Ivan's face was burnt all across the right side of his face. His breaths were short and shaky. Zane slid his boyfriend off the couch and then tried to get them to the front door.

Ivan groaned and tears began leaking out of his non-burnt eye. The burnt skin was bubbling, black, and had small glass shards in it. Zane dragged Ivan along the ground as he finally made it in front of the door. Just as he reached the handle, the door slammed open.

The door hit the wall as it was kicked in. A man walked through the fire and past door. Zane's brain must have been filled with smoke because he could swear the man that walked in was wearing nothing but jeans and a red jacket. "Please... help.. him"

Zane's eyes drooped and the man got on a knee next to him. "I'm sorry..", the man whispered. "Zane and Ivan Kuri, you are under arrest." The man reached for Zane's hands and handcuffed them behind his back.

"No... NO! You did this! How could you! You nearly killed him! He's still dying and you won't do anything. Please! Save. My. Boyfriend." Zane pleaded. Tears fell from his eyes as he put his head on Ivan's weakly rising chest.

The man grabbed Ivan's arms and handcuffed him too. He carefully studied Ivan's burnt face. "Crap.. Maya! Ivan Kuri is injured! I'm brining him out first!" The man turned towards Zane who was only half conscious. "I'll be back."

The man lifted Ivan and ran toward the door. Zane could only half watch as the fire parted for the man. "Elemental...", he whispered. His vision became encompassed in black dots.

Just before he lost consciousness, he could here cheering on the TV. Garret Gossip was smiling at the camera. "10!"

Zane took a deep breath and smoke burned his lungs. "9!"

Foot steps got closer to his body as his breaths began to shake. "8!"

The Man from earlier slipped his hands under Zane's body and lifted him bridal style. "7!"

The heat got closer to Zane and he tried to move away. "6!"

"Don't worry, it's okay.", the man said gently.

"5!"

Zane saw Ivan laying on the ground with a woman kneeling next to him. "4!"

The woman was controlling water and running it over Ivan's face. "3!"

"Get them in the car! Maya needs to help them. Kelly, call the hospital. Kora, help Maya with these two. Reno... talk to your son, then get the car ready. We need to keep him awake."

"2!"

Zane watched as his father, another immortal, rushed to his side.

"1!"

"Zane? Oh my boy what are you doing here? I thought you... get I can't believe- god you need help. Stay awake buddy."

Zane looked at his father, over to Ivan as he was loaded into the car, and then up at the sky. "I'm... I'm sorry dad. I love you." Then his world went black.

"Happy New Year!"

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Hey everyone, so I'm not super happy with the ending but it's the best I had. I just got surgery on my foot today and writing helped me keep my mind off of it. Tell me what you think and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Also I hope you had a great Christmas! I'm sitting here full of drugs but I still love you guys! Comment, follow, and fav!