A/N: Can I just say thanks for all the wonderful reviews and support I'm getting for this? You guys deserve all the love. Thanks for making my day. I really appreciate all the things you say, even if I don't reply personally. (Sorry for this being late, I had a three-day migraine on top of watching the mini humans over the weekend. Not good for writing. Welp.)
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Prompt Three: Technology
-Summary: Kai doesn't like technology. Makes things a bit awkward when his boyfriend wants to confess he's actually an android. Kai/Zane AU
-Rating: T, for the usual, strong language.
The first time anyone met Kai, they would soon discovered the man and technology did not go well together. Like, at all. Sure, he could mostly navigate around game consoles, if all the icons were easily accessible, but computers and smart phones? Forget about it. His sister Nya had once bought him a laptop, and what a waste of money it was considering Kai couldn't even figure out how to access the internet. Really, he was that bad at it. He was firmly at an old man level of ineptitude.
Which, honestly, wasn't such a bad thing considering he lived in a monastery in the middle of nowhere. If he resided in the technologically booming New Ninjago City, now, that would be an entirely different story. The automated taxi cabs alone would make his head spin for days. Luckily, the only tech he encountered on a daily basis was the television, and he had that, really. Remote with six buttons? Easy. His friends had done their best to help him along, but most wrote him off as a lost cause quickly.
The only one left with any patience to further Kai's technological training was Zane. The two had met a year prior, after Kai had first joined the monastery to learn about the fire elemental powers he possessed. The brunet had turned up at the doorstep terrified with slightly singed clothing, and Zane had been the one to greet and calm him down that night. He remembered what is was like when he too discovered his abilities, scared and overwhelmed, and had been happy to help Kai in any way he could.
Since then, Zane had felt oddly attached to the younger. He tried to pair up with him during training whenever he could, sat next to him during meals, and, of course, did his best to get Kai to a suitable level of technological awareness. The last part had been the most trying, but he wasn't going to throw the towel in yet, nope. Not when he sort of had an ulterior motive as well...and it wasn't that he had a crush on the other man, no, although that was true as well.
It was that he was an android.
This wasn't the biggest deal in a world where androids were pretty common, but Zane was a unique case. He was the most perfect human replica ever made, a secret project undergone by a rogue droid maker and tailored to be almost indistinguishable from a real person. For most of Zane's life he lived in a hidden lab, ordered to never leave or he might be taken away and torn apart to be studied. His maker had been kind, albeit strict, and Zane obeyed for a very long time. Only when he discovered his ice powers did he finally flee, needing to understand more about himself.
He had found the monastery with its wise sensei, both knowledgeable in the elemental arts, and the rest was history. He watched for years as students came and went, all imbedded with the mystical forces that powered their planet. This newest generation was by far his favorite though, and not just because Kai was a member of it. No, all of them had become quite dear to him in ways the others just couldn't achieve.
Especially Kai.
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One night after dinner, Zane was putting away the cleaned dishes when he heard swearing from the other room. He sighed, easily guessing who the source was. Kai had been fighting with Jay's newest console for days now, and though the auburn haired inventor had explained the device several times over, Kai still wasn't having it. Zane quickly finished putting the plates away and hurried out to see if he could help.
He found the brunet sitting crossed legged on the floor, arms crossed and pouting. On the floor were several hand sized burn marks, and a distinct smell of charcoal filtered through the air. Great, Kai must have lost his temper and flared up. There oldest sensei was going to be pissed when he found out he needed to replace the floors. Again. They would be eating cold soup as a result for a month. Joy.
Zane crossed the room and switched the television off, giving Kai a stern look. "Honestly, this is getting ridiculous. You'll have to learn eventually, and if you don't, I'm afraid we might have to ban you from using anything plugged into a wall. Look at these floors! I would have been more than happy to show you what to do, but not this time."
Kai had the decency to look sheepish at least. He scratched the back of his head and glanced away. "I know, I'm sorry. Just...these things are ridiculous! Why are there so many buttons and options? I liked it better when all you had to do was turn it on and hit start! Ugh. I fucking hate technology. It exists just to irritate me."
A zap of hurt when through Zane, but he put on a soft smile regardless. "No, it doesn't. You're the type to get things done quickly, using the fastest possible means. I don't think you have the ability to focus on the small details."
"I do so!"
"I'm not done," Zane added on, smile growing as Kai's pout grew as well. "You focus on your goal, you don't over think anything. These things make you an excellent fighter, in a lot of ways. Myself, I like to first check out my options, study the layout around me. Sometimes this slows me, and I miss vital opportunities. Your tunnel vision, in that regard, is a blessing."
"...you really think so?" Kai got to his feet, dusting off bits of charred wood from his hands. His amber eyes caught Zane's blue ones, and the droid's mechanical heart pitter-pattered. "I guess I never thought of it that way. I mean, that same trait has gotten me into trouble a lot, so..."
"Yes, but so does over analyzing for me." Zane tilted his head, trying to calm his pulse. This was new, wasn't it? Sure, his heart liked to race around Kai, but never like this, not accompanied by this warmth blossoming outwards from his chest. Something felt...different, and dare he say it, electrical. "Don't worry about the small stuff, Kai. That's what you have me for."
Kai grinned, and reached out to place a hand on Zane's shoulder. "Thanks. Next time I'll ask you, promise. Heh, you always did have my back. Have I ever properly thanked you for that by the way? All the times you've looked out for me?"
Zane shook his head. "I do not require thanks. Your happiness is all I need in return."
The other snorted, and was he suddenly leaning further into Zane's personal space? "That was really cheesy, dude. I'm going to thank you, because you deserve it. Also...I guess this is something I've been meaning to do for awhile now? Funny how my headstrong nature didn't make it happen sooner..."
The droid opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, warm lips covered his own. A noise of surprise crept out, muted by Kai's mouth. The kiss lasted for maybe five seconds, but to Zane it felt longer. His mechanical mind quickly went to work capturing every detail, storing it away in his memory banks. The smell of Kai's woody cologne as he inhaled, the texture of his gi as Zane grabbed at his shoulders, even the tickle of Kai's unruly hair as it brushed his nose.
Kai pulled back first, and smiled at him cheekily. "There. You've been properly thanked. Now, will you go out with me?"
Still catching his breath, all Zane could do was nod.
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Dating Kai was a mix of blissful contentment and nervous suspicion. On the one hand, Zane adored every instance of kissing and contact between them. Kai was touchy-feely, and most moments of the day he could be found holding Zane's arm or sliding his fingers across his back. Sweet little gestures to show Zane he was cared about, and Zane loved it, really he did. But on the other hand every single time Kai grazed his skin or grabbed hold of his elbow a bit too tightly, he was terrified the other man would sense something was off, that he would learn Zane's secret.
Another thing that bothered Zane was the growing guilt. He never thought that would be a thing, but it certainly was. A part of him thought of it as lying, deceiving the one person he had ever become this close with. It was like living a double life. Zane, an ice elemental, and Zane, the android. Didn't Kai deserve to know both halves?
These thoughts rushed through his mind as he sat on the couch in the living area, Kai pressed to his side. They were currently watching a movie, an older science fiction one Zane had seen dozens of times. He had suspicions Kai knew this and had picked it purposely to ignore, instead surprising his boyfriend with short kisses here and there. Cute, yes, but also nerve wracking. With each touch, Zane sat more rigid.
As the movies credits rolled, Kai sat up and stretched, before turning to shoot Zane a small smile. "That wasn't too bad, was it? I certainly liked the part where the aliens came out of the ship. They were pretty cool looking."
"Yes, I've always enjoyed their designs myself," Zane replied, switching off the television out of habit. He picked at the ends of his long white sleeves afterward. The guilt really was starting to kill him. He had to say something, before it was too late and they were two years into a relationship instead of two months and the timing would be much less opportune. Besides, if Kai kissed him again he was gong to jump out of his skin from the nerves.
"The little ones especially," Kai continued. "So, ready to head to bed? I heard Sensei Wu's planned one hell of a training session for tomorrow. Not looking forward to that, ugh."
"Actually..." Zane took a deep breath and patted the empty seat beside him. "Kai, there is something about myself that I need to confess to you, something important."
The brunet slowly returned to his spot, expression now tinted with worry. "Like what?"
There really was no way around it. How does one tell their technophobe boyfriend that they were mechanical? As flatly as possible. "I'm an android."
Silence settled around them, so much so that Zane could swear he could hear the whirring of his internal mechanisms. Kai's mouth had parted slightly, and he was staring at Zane with a new light. His gaze slid from his face down his arms, and then back up again. When he was done he shut his mouth and swallowed heavily.
"Oh...are you really? I mean, aren't droids like, well, droid like? You don't look like one I've ever seen."
Zane nodded and pointed at his eyes, flicking on the blue lights right behind the irises. "I'm a special case, actually. I've been so terrified to tell you, if I'm honest. Does...does this effect your perspective of me?"
Kai let out a slow breath of air, and rubbed at the back of his head. "I...I don't know. I mean, you're an android. How am I supposed to take this? Androids are...well...oh man. This is so weird. Anything else I need to know? You hiding like a jet pack under your skin or something? Laser vision?"
The droids heart dropped at those words. "Please don't. You know I don't possess either. If you need to take some time to think about this, please do, I will understand, but I can't take comments like that. I enjoy being with you, I really do, more than I have with anyone else in my life. You can have all the time you need to make that happen."
"Yeah," Kai got back to his feet, wandering to the door, his expression unreadable. "Yeah, I think I'll do that. No hard feelings, this is just so weird. An android..."
Zane watched him go, and soon made his way to his own bed. Only a few days, right? Kai couldn't need more than that. Hopefully they would be watching old sci-fi movies on the couch again before he knew it.
Exactly two days later, almost to the minute (Zane's internal systems could be aggravatingly precise on some things), a knock sounded on the droid's bedroom door. He slipped off the bed from where he had been reading, and opened it slowly and hopefully. Relief spread through him at the sight of messy brown hair, and more so when he noticed Kai was smiling.
"Hey," the fire elemental said, and motioned at the door. "Mind if I come in?"
Zane let him in eagerly, and shut the door closed behind him. He anxiously turned to Kai, trying to keep the fear off his face. The other was smiling, that was good news, right? Nobody smiled that sweetly if they wanted to break up, right?
"So, I did that thinking thing," Kai started. "And...I was sort of watching you the last few days? In a totally uncreepy way, mind you, and I realized that while you may be an android, you're also still Zane. I'm sort of conflicted."
"By what, exactly?" Zane walked over to him, pausing a foot away. "You say I am still me, and isn't that what attracted you to myself? My mind has nothing to do with my physical form, and my form is hardly mechanical on the outside. If I had never told you, you probably would never have known."
"Maybe you shouldn't have then." Kai sighed and ran a hand over his face. "The thing is, I'm bad with machines. I can never seem to figure them out, and they drive me crazy. You're someone I want to figure out, to learn. I'm scared that...that I won't be able to do that now."
Zane smiled and took one of his hands, squeezing it comfortingly. "Kai, I wish to do the same with you. Part of being in a relationship is discovering things about the other, it's also part of the fun. Without it, I believe things could get boring quickly. There is so much about you I want to learn about, and I know it'll take years to do so. You figuring me out is the exact same thing."
Kai squeezed his hand back, and glanced up at him with a cute frown. "You really think so? I would think there would be more to you than there would be for me."
"Good. It'll keep you interested longer." Zane pulled him close and gave him a soft kiss to his cheek.
"Heh. Guess that's true. Alright, fine, I don't care that you're an android." Kai grinned at him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "But you better tell me everything from now on, got it? No more earth shattering secrets."
Zane laughed and nodded. "Promise, but only if you do the same."
"Eh, what sort of earth shattering secrets would I have? I can make fire appear at will. I think that like tops everything." Kai chuckled. "But if anything comes to me, you'll be the first to know."
"Good."
Zane leaned close and kissed him, happy to have those lips against his own again. Two days apart had been much too long, and at least now the worry Kai would notice something weird was gone. The others arms tightened around him, and the kiss deepened immensely. Once more, his mind hummed as it saved every detail, even up and past Kai dragging him over to his bed. Well, it was a night he certainly wasn't going to forget anyway, but why take chances?
Plus, this was one unexpected way to help Kai get over his fear of technology...
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(There, I finally wrote for my OTP. Feels good. Also, you guys are totally more than welcome to suggest couples. I have a set prompt list, so no story requests, but if you feel your own OTP is needing some attention, let me know.)
As always, thanks so much for reading and please leave a review if you're not too busy! :)
