(A/N: To make a long story short… I've gotten so much validation and kind feedback on my Kai/Zane fanfics that I've decided to start a compilation of oneshots for whenever I feel like writing about my boys ;/u/; Be prepared for a lot of random atmospheric stuff, reused and overused tropes, and a whole lot of Touch-Starved!Kai.) (Oh, and fun fact: I had the name "candy cane" picked out as Kai and Zane's platonic ship name WAY before any of you started calling me Candy. But I think that just makes it even cuter X3)
Leaves are spinning
Spring's beginning
No one's winning
It's a new day
Somewhere far away
But I'm home
So here is where I'll stay
Leaves are spinning
Leaves are spinning
Leaves are spinning…
Kai rolled over in bed, slightly annoyed by the song that was stuck in his head. It was a very pretty song, but even the prettiest of melodies could get really annoying after a while. Especially when you couldn't even listen to the song to relieve the loop in your brain because said song was actually made up by your little sister when she was only three.
A glance at the clock confirmed that it was still very early in the morning— around the time the boys would normally be expected to be up and training, if there was a threat. As things stood now, the Destiny's Bounty was silent, and the room Kai lay in was dark and cold. The last two things were fixable with a simple flame summoned in the wide-awake teenager's hand, but the quiet crackling of a tiny fire was hardly enough to put out the silence. Kai had always been bothered by Cole's loud snoring and Jay's habit of murmuring in his sleep, but for once he kind of missed having to share a room with his brothers. The silence this early in the morning reminded him too much of the times when he was little and had stayed up while Nya slept, scared to death that a robber would break in during the dark hours. The ninja of fire wasn't afraid of robbers anymore, of course— he could take down any number of common thieves all by his lonesome— but the memories weren't pleasant.
"Maybe that's how that infernal song got stuck in my head," he muttered quietly to himself, mostly to be hearing someone's voice. Restless, he tossed to the side again and extinguished the flame in his hand, trying to go to sleep. After lying still for a whole thirty seconds and finding the effort unsuccessful, he sat back up again and glanced at the clock, impatient for it to tell him when he could get up without disturbing the others. Then again…
"They're in different rooms," Kai whispered to himself, "they won't hear me as long as I'm quiet." Satisfied with this justification, he climbed out from under his blankets... then, feeling that the air was quite a bit colder than expected, promptly grabbed one and wrapped it around himself. He could have put on more clothes than just the tank top and boxers he had on, but that would have been too much work.
Heading for the kitchen first— if he was up early, he might as well grab something to eat— Kai kept one hand clasping the blanket around him and the other stretched out in front, the tiny flame lighting his path more than was needed.
"Yesss," Kai whispered with a fist-pump, remembering suddenly that there were a few brownies left over from Zane's cooking the previous night. They were completely unhealthy, completely delicious, and, at the moment, completely up for grabs. Sensei Wu had sometimes reprimanded the ninja for eating what he called "non-breakfast" foods during breakfast, but really, who decided what foods were for what time of day anyway?
"Huh…" Kai muttered, trying to unwrap the plate of brownies with one hand. "I could've sworn there were more than this…" He managed to free one of the delectable desserts from its cage and brought it over to the table to be consumed. As expected, it was still as heavenly as the batch the night before had been— and still as warm, too, thanks to Kai's innovative use of the little flame in his hand as a mini oven. As he sat on the table eating (for no reason other than the fact there was nobody there to tell him not to), the red ninja pondered whether or not he should make waking up early a regular routine. It was certainly more freeing when nobody else was awake, that was for certain.
He wasn't near a clock anymore, but Kai knew the time that had passed couldn't have been over ten minutes at the maximum. Therefore, another brownie had to perish to the cause of hunger and boredom while he decided what to do next. Going back for the rest of his blankets crossed his mind, but they would be heavy to drag around, and besides, then he'd have to tiptoe back down the hall, which would be more work.
Suddenly, a single beam of faint light broke through one of the open blinds on the kitchen window. Kai blinked and walked over to it, realizing that the sun must have begun to rise. He hurriedly finished his second brownie and snuck his way outside— not that he was one of those sappy types who loved sunrises or anything, but it was something to do.
On the deck of the Bounty, the sky looked like a dome arched over Ninjago, with one sliver still as black as coal and the opposite side growing ever warmer as fire-red rays broke into the night. Stars still twinkled visibly among the colors, waiting patiently for their turn to go to sleep.
"You're up early."
Kai failed at containing a yelp of surprise as he spun around to try and see who had spoken, although the voice quickly registered in his mind.
"I'm not— I didn't think—" he stammered, looking back and forth. "Zane, where are you?" He dropped his voice to a whisper, remembering suddenly that he was still supposed to be keeping quiet.
"Up here." The ninja of ice motioned to his brother from the top of the mast, which he quickly slid down as effortlessly as if he'd just jumped off a two-inch ledge. Kai froze in surprise, opened his mouth to comment, then quickly discarded the idea, knowing he would never reach the end of Zane's surprises. Instead, he opted to ask,
"What are you doing up so early?"
Zane paused. He hesitated, then responded, "I had a… troubling dream."
Kai frowned. "That is troubling," he said, still using a hushed tone. "I thought nindroids didn't dream?"
"No," Zane affirmed, "which is why I am up. I have been attempting to figure it out."
"Oh," Kai said quietly. "Well… you might've gotten some wires crossed or something. It's probably nothing."
The ninja of ice blinked in surprise, then looked down at his feet. "I… suppose that is possible. At least, I would like to think so." He turned his gaze upward again and locked eyes with Kai. "Now, why are you up?"
"Um," Kai said, slightly distracted by the full force of the morning cold cutting through his single blanket, "I woke up on my own. And got bored."
Zane paused, then smirked. "That sounds about right." The sun rose slowly behind him while he talked, illuminating his features and creating almost a glow about him. In short, he looked like freshly fallen snow.
"Hey, wait," Kai said as something clicked inside his brain, "d-did you have any brownies when you woke up?"
Zane answered that with a simple nod. "I presume you did, as well." Then, changing the subject without a single thought, he added, Are you cold?"
"Hm?" Kai asked, involuntarily tightening the now-hardly-heated blanket around himself.
"Your teeth chattered slightly," Zane stated, and flicked his head towards the front of the ship, motioning for Kai to follow. "Are you cold?"
The red ninja did as he was told, admiri—looking at the sunrise while he followed. "A little," he admitted, "b-but not much. Nothing the master of fire c-can't handle," he boasted. But even to him the brag sounded weak.
Zane sat down quietly facing the sunrise, held out his arms, then looked up at Kai expectantly. The red ninja felt his face grow slightly warm as he realized the offer being presented before him. He instinctively opened his mouth to decline, then mentally shoved himself for doing so. With an air of timidity that very few people were ever allowed to see, he silently crawled into Zane's lap and allowed his brother to wrap his arms around his chest, resisting the impulse to crack a joke or run away.
The last few weeks had been… different. Ever since Zane had figured out the motive behind some of his brother's odd behavior (quite against Kai's wishes), he'd shown the ninja of fire a level of compassion that he was, to put it lightly, extremely unused to. Little gestures of affection— firm clasps on the shoulder, playful headlocks, gentle punches to the arm— had been offered unconditionally and rather often, though they hadn't always been accepted due to Kai's instinct to maintain his image. When the two were alone, the gestures slowly increased in affection; light hair ruffling, casual hand holding, and…
This, Kai thought anxiously, trying to calm his nerves and push the thought of "what if someone else woke up and comes out?" aside. As welcome— more than welcome— as his brother's embrace was, it was hard for Kai to allow himself to stay relaxed and vulnerable. He'd worked so hard to build up an image of himself that was strong and self-sufficient and fierce, and he hated to think of how gentle he probably looked— probably felt— when he let himself be held like this.
But Zane… Zane had a way of making it easier, somehow. He never asked Kai out loud if he wanted to be touched, he simply held out his hand or stretched out his arms and waited for the boy to accept the affection. And he mostly offered while the others weren't paying attention, such as when the whole group had a movie night and Jay and Nya were making goo-goo eyes and the others had their attention turned to the screen. Those were good nights.
The last of the sun dragged itself from its slumber as the sky was filled with a dim orange light. It would be morning soon, real morning, when the others were waking up and making fun of each other's bedheads and arguing over who stole from the ever diminishing pile of brownies. Kai took a deep breath and slipped his arms out from under the blanket, clumsily grabbing Zane's in his own. The white ninja seemed surprised but not at all unhappy, as he pulled the brown haired boy's back closer against his chest. Neither of the boys spoke a word or moved their eyes from the sky as the last traces of nighttime were done away with. A light wind blew over the scene, like some great painter was blowing on his finished work to dry it.
Through the air, two small leaves fluttered past in the breeze.
(A/N: Fun fact, I couldn't figure out a way to start this fic and the 'Safe Return' soundtrack from Avatar was stuck in my head. So, that's the song that Nya made up ^_^ Btw, thank you so much to everyone who left reviews on Fight Me and/or Two Ninja Go To IKEA and validated my headcanons and made me want to actually start this compilation! Your kind words mean so much to me! :'3)
(UPDATE: I really didn't think I'd have to yell this anymore... I don't like having to hammer it in, but given a certain review that I got... *clears throat* *stands on top of a rooftop* THIS IS NOT SHIPPING! DO THE WORDS "PLATONIC" AND "NO SLASH" MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?! IF YOU CAN'T READ THIS WITHOUT THINKING IT IS, PLEASE DON'T READ IT. I BEG OF YOU. LEAVE ME ALONE. PLEASE. FIND YOUR ROMANCE FICS ELSEWHERE, THERE ARE PLENTY OF THEM OUT THERE. PRETTY PLEASE LET ME AND MY CHILDLIKE INNOCENCE BE. *deep breath* *climbs down from rooftop*)
