Requested by: Gamer Katie, Howling Wolf Pup

Request: Zane/Cole

Warnings: Yaoi

Cole and Jay watched from afar as their new teammate swung his sword awkwardly at the wooden dummy. The teen, named Zane, looked much older than them, at least eighteen. Cole and Jay, being younger than he was, were a bit nervous to speak to him at first. He seemed very distant, and his cold blue eyes never showed any kind of emotion. Sensei Wu told them he was just quiet, but Cole couldn't help but wonder if he even liked them.

Jay was the first to try speaking to Zane, trying to make a joke about how quiet he was. "I mean, you don't have to be nervous to talk to us," he had said. "Does the cat have your tongue or something?"

Instead of laughing like Jay expected him to, Zane simply shook his head. "I do not have a feline in my mouth," he replied, not even showing signs of a smile. "And my tongue is where it has always been."

The redhead cleared his throat awkwardly. "No, that was a joke, Zane. I just wanted to know why you're so quiet, and why you won't talk to us."

"Then why did you not just say that?"

Jay groaned, throwing his hands up into the air. "You know what? We'll work on it, your sense of humour. We're gonna make sure you know what should be laughed at, okay?"

Zane merely shrugged, returning to his training. Jay frowned and walked back over to Cole, who had been watching the scene unfold before him. Just from observation Cole could tell that training with Zane was going to be difficult, especially if he continued to be as distant as he was.

"I dunno, Cole," whispered Jay, quiet enough so Zane wouldn't hear. "I don't know how I feel about this guy. He's too...weird." He held back a yelp when Cole elbowed him in the ribs.

"He probably just needs time to adjust," he said. "You remember what Sensei Wu said, right? He was training all by himself in a village, a really underpopulated one at that. It's no wonder he's like this." He looked back at the blond, still swinging the sword and missing the dummy each time. "Whether he'll be a good fighter is another matter..."

After another hour of watching Zane, and pretending to train when he looked at them, he walked up to them, hands behind his back. "What shall I make for dinner?"

Cole raised an eyebrow. "It's my turn to cook tonight-"

"Anything," Jay quickly interrupted. Knowing how terrible of a cook Cole was, he didn't want the new recruit to be turned away from them that quickly. "Just make sure it tastes good. Please."

When Cole turned to glare at Jay, Zane bowed politely. "Then it will be ready when you come inside." The teen turned and retreated inside the monastery, leaving the pair to stare after him.

"Well, that was...weird," Cole admitted, a bit miffed that he wouldn't be cooking that night. And I had a new recipe I was gonna try out, too... he thought.

About two hours later, Zane called them inside, and what they saw on the table surprised them the most. Four small steaks were laid out onto a large plate for them and Sensei Wu, with bowls of mashed potatoes and salad on the side. The smell of the food alone had Jay nearly drooling. The blond seated himself, looking at everyone with the same blank expression.

"You are all free to eat," he said, serving a steak for himself.

Cole looked down at his food, still displeased he wasn't able to cook for them tonight. My stuff probably would've tasted better, he thought bitterly. He cut a small piece of the steak and lifted it to his mouth. I bet this'll just taste like... When he bit down, his eyes went wide, his heart nearly stopping. Like the food equivalent of heaven itself.

Jay had eaten some of the food at that point, and was nearly driven to tears by how delicious it was. "Zane, when I said to make it taste good, you didn't hold back! This is awesome!"

"It was just something I was taught by the villagers," he said calmly. "It is nothing to be overly excited about."

Watching Zane deny Jay and Sensei Wu's compliments made Cole feel a little jealous. He worked harder than anyone to make his food taste decent at best, and all Zane had to do was throw a few herbs onto a steak to make it taste fantastic, all while he denied his skill in cooking?

Cole had trouble sleeping that night, mostly because he was thinking about Zane. On one hand, he wanted to like him and he wanted to help him train properly, but on the other hand, he wondered if Zane even needed it. If he had such high skills in cooking, who was to say his actual fighting abilities were also better than Cole's?

He woke up earlier than he thought he would that morning, at around six-thirty. He turned his head to the side, seeing that Jay was still sound asleep. Looking over at Zane's bed, however, he saw the blond was gone.

Cole got up from his bed, tiptoeing out of the room so not to wake Jay, and began his search for Zane. He peered into every room he could; the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room. No Zane.

He soon had the idea to look outside at the training course, and, sure enough, there was Zane, dressed in the black ninja uniform Sensei Wu had given him, still swinging clumsily at the wooden dummy with the sword.

Fed up with Zane's way of fighting, Cole walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Widen your stance," he instructed.

Zane jumped, whirling around and nearly slashing Cole across the face with the sword. He soon relaxed, murmuring, "You startled me. Why are you out here?"

"I couldn't sleep," he answered flatly, turning Zane around and adjusting his shoulders into a correct form. "Now, like I said, widen your stance."

The blond nodded, spreading his legs just slightly. "Like this?"

"Yeah. Now fix your grip on the sword." As Zane fumbled with the handle, Cole looked over to the other weapons hanging on the racks along the wall. "Or maybe you could try a different weapon. You know, one that's not as big as a sword?" He picked the shurikens off the rack and handed them to Zane, taking the sword from him. "These'll probably be better for you. Jay and I never liked them, but..."

Zane looked over the shurikens in his hands, and he eyed the dummy carefully. He stepped back a few feet and lined up his target, gripping one shuriken tightly. He flicked his wrist, and in an instant the small weapon was embedded in the wooden neck, a few splinters breaking off.

"Huh. Not bad," said Cole, not sure how else to respond. It was clear to him now that having Zane train with a sword was pointless, seeing how well he performed with the shurikens.

Just as Cole turned away to head back inside and get another hour of sleep, a cold hand gripped his arm, causing him to look over his shoulder. Zane, though his eyes were emotionless as ever, was smiling. It was unlike any smile Cole had seen before. It seemed so genuine and honest that he couldn't look away even if he tried. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to look away.

"Thank you for helping me, Cole," Zane said, the smile not faltering in the slightest. Just the way Zane said his name made Cole's heart beat faster. He smiled shakily back at the blond before he responded.

"No problem." Zane let go after a few short moments, and Cole added, "If you ever need help with anything else, I'm here, okay?"

"Of course."

Cole climbed back into his bed, looking over at the clock. It was almost seven o-clock. He figured he could get in at least forty-five more minutes of sleep. What he wasn't expecting was his thoughts to still be filled with Zane, and for completely different reasons than before.

Well, once again, Happy New Year everyone! First oneshot of 2015! :D

Thank you to Gamer Katie and Howling Wolf Pup for requesting this pairing! Stay tuned!