Cole wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed when he peaked into Kai's old room to find Zane already shut down. On one hand, he was glad that the android was finally getting the rest it needed. On the other, however, it already being shut off meant that he couldn't talk to it more, or have it read him more of the story from the night before. However, as much as he wanted to talk to Zane, he really also wanted to sleep in his own room that night with his two boyfriends and not on an air mattress on the floor.
So he heaved a sigh, pat Zane on the head once, and turned around to head back to his own quarters. Inside, Jay and Kai were already snuggled together, the Fire Ninja holding the other close, gentle fingers carded through short curls. It was so domestic, and Cole would've taken a picture had Kai not turned his head towards Cole upon him opening the door.
"Hey, come on in," Kai opened up the arm not tucked in Jay's hair, and Cole slid next to him, keeping the lamp on for now. The Lightning Ninja appeared to be fast asleep, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, and face relaxed into a neutral expression. "I think today took a lot out of him. He just clonked out as soon as he got comfortable."
"Zane's out too, although that's probably more from boredom than from tiredness."
The two were quiet for a long time, listening to the faint whir of the ceiling fan and the ever so slight whistle of Jay's breathing. Tomorrow was a Saturday, which meant that the crew had the day off. Days off usually meant dates, but something was unspoken in the air that the crew wouldn't be leaving their quarters.
Cole was determined to get Jay to like Zane.
He didn't know whether that meant making Zane read a book to him or what, but the Lightning Ninja was due for a hang out with the android whether he liked it or not. Maybe then, the Lightning Ninja would be willing to help them figure out why Zane was so different from all of the other androids. Cole didn't realize he was staring angrily at the top of Jay's head until Kai poked him.
"Hey, what's wrong? You look mad."
"I'm just thinking," Cole murmured, careful not to wake their sleepy partner. "I think if we can get Jay to warm up to Zane, then maybe we can have him help us figure out why Zane is so weird."
"Yeah, maybe," Kai echoed, unconsciously clenching his fingers in Jay's hair. "He's kinda stubborn though, so we'll see. It'd be nice if he grew to actually like it though, I think they could actually get along if they tried."
Cole hummed in agreement, feeling his eyes slip shut with exhaustion, but not before he had the foresight to turn off the lamp.
"'Night, Kai. See you in the morning."
"G'night, Cole."
Silence for a few beats, and then-
"Wait, Kai."
"Huh- what?"
Cole didn't flick the lamp back on, but Kai could practically see the man's eyes glowing as he sat up.
"Should we go to Borg tomorrow?"
"Wait, but didn't you just say earlier that that was a bad idea?"
"I know, I know, but I can't let Zane live like this," Cole grimaced, and Kai fell quiet for a moment as he thought.
"So, you'll risk him just taking Zane back for a better life for it?"
"Y- yeah," Cole swallowed. "Hey, if it comes down to it, we're ninja, right? We can bust it out of there no problem if Borg decides to go all super villain on us."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kai nodded, relaxing back into the pillows. "We'll tell Jay in the morning, ok?"
"Sure thing. Goodnight for real this time."
"G'night."
Zane's stress levels spiked by 10% when it noticed Jay walk into the kitchen first once more. It was later today, as it was a Saturday and a slower day by nature, but the situation still made Zane's hands glitch for a moment regardless of that fact.
"What're you makin'?" Jay asked sleepily, resting his hands on the counter next to the stove as Zane whisked a bowl of something.
"I am preparing omelets. I will make them for each member of the crew as they walk in to gauge preference accurately. What would you like in yours?"
"Do we have spinach and feta?"
Its eyes flashed yellow for a moment, processing.
"Yes, you do have both ingredients stocked. Will that be all?"
"Yeah, sounds great."
Zane expected Jay to go and sit down, but the Lightning Ninja stayed put, expression nervous. His eyes focused on the android for a little longer than Zane anticipated, and its gaze darted back and forth between its meal preparation and Jay's stare tentatively.
"Is something the matter?"
"No, no, it's just, uh," Jay seemed very flustered about something, and was that blush on his cheeks? "What was your life like before you came here? Cole's mentioned a little to me but I want to make sure I have everything."
"My earliest memory is being activated," Zane explained, fetching Jay's fillings from the fridge. "I was powered on by Mr. Borg for the first time in his research lab, along with the other engineers who helped to create me. From there, my memory is spotty at best, with the most prominent ones as of right now being my basic training."
"That's it?" Jay quirked his mouth, and Zane nodded in agreement. It appeared to not be too bothered, but Jay knew that was a lie.
"Yes, much of the testing done strained my processors, so my memory was affected negatively as a result. I assure you, however, that this imperfection does not affect my performance."
"That's good, at least," Jay commented, albeit a little awkwardly. "Does it bother you that you can't remember any of that?"
"No," Zane responded almost automatically, it seemed, no thought being put into its statement as it poured Jay's omelet into the pan. "Since it does not affect my performance, it is of no concern to me."
The Lightning Ninja shifted on his feet, not sure of what to say next but reluctant to go. A few long moments passed, Zane not minding the silence but the quiet feeling deafening to Jay. Eventually, the ninja spoke up.
"Uh, I'm sorry. For yesterday, I mean. I shouldn't have told you to shut up like that, you didn't deserve it."
That made Zane flinch. It dropped the omelet back into the pan midway through flipping it, and glanced over at Jay with a nervous eye.
"Why are you apologizing? You are my owner. You do not need to explain your actions to me."
"I'm apologizing because I was an ass. You were just offering me stuff and I snapped at you because I was mad at Cole, and you didn't deserve that."
"I deserve anything you think I do," Zane argued, careful not to burn Jay's breakfast as it folded the egg. "Just because you feel regret for treating me one way or another does not demand an apology. My purpose is to serve, and my purpose is what you requested a model for."
"I asked for a model back when I thought you were just going to be a mindless housekeeping android, but you're not," Jay admitted, and Zane couldn't tell if his tone was disappointed or not. "You're something more than that, apparently. I can't just ignore that anymore."
"I'm really not," Zane insisted, plating Jay's food and holding it out on a plate for him.
"You are to Cole and Kai, at least," Jay shrugged, taking the eggs. "Cole stayed with you after you passed out, right? That's gotta mean something to you."
"Cole stayed with me because he felt guilt over causing irregularities in my system, not because I asked or forced him to."
Jay could tell the ZN600 was getting a bit irritated now, or least as irritated as it could be without making its eyes glitch. The android would never tell him to leave it alone, that would be blasphemous and completely out of line for the housekeeper, but Jay got the hint well enough and went to sit down with his omelet. Cole was always better at this whole talking thing than him anyway.
Slowly but surely, the Bounty joined him, and Cole and Kai walked in together, Cole lingering behind to speak to Zane for a few moments before joining the others at the table. The Earth Ninja looked nervous, and Jay kept trying to silently signal him to no avail. Jay cursed Cole and his incredibly situational obliviousness. That is, until Cole finally cleared his throat.
"Hey, uh, later today Kai, Jay, and I are going into the city, if anyone else wants to come. We're going to go to Borg Industries to finally figure out what the hell is going on with Zane."