Requested by: Sketchy Madness

Request: Zane/Cole

Warnings: Yaoi

Zane watched from afar as the other ninja received another delivery from the postman. All of it was mostly letters from fans, deliveries, letters from their parents, and junk mail. Each of them happily opened the envelopes, and he noticed the letters from their parents contained small gifts, such as money, pictures, or, in Jay's case, both.

Zane sighed. Letters from parents... he thought sadly. Even though they were now at their new home on the Destiny's Bounty, as they agreed on calling it, and troubles between him and everyone else were settled, he still felt upset about being unable to share in the things they had. Sure, Kai was an orphan like he was, but with all the attention Kai received from fans, Zane didn't feel as if he could have a decent conversation about his problem with him.

Nya was also taken into consideration, but he quickly decided against it. He still didn't know her well enough to confess his personal problems to her just yet.

It wasn't just his lack of a family that troubled him, either. He had no memory of his family or where he came from at all; the most he could remember was waking up at the edge of a small, snow-covered village, surrounded by its concerned inhabitants. Just thinking about what happened before then made him nervous. What was he like before then? Was he once a morally bad person? Did his parents actually abandon him because they no longer liked him? Or worse: did they abandon him because he committed a cruel act, and felt someone else should have to deal with it?

Zane was so caught up in the return of these thoughts that he didn't know Cole had approached him, staring at him with a perplexed look on his face. He nearly jumped when he spoke.

"You okay, Zane?" Cole asked. "You look a bit out of it."

He shook his head, clearing away the thoughts. "Y-yes, I am fine," he assured. "Do you need something?"

Cole didn't look convinced, but he continued anyway, "We're planning on watching a movie tonight. Do you have any suggestions on what we should watch? I mean, Kai was thinking a horror movie or something, but..."

"No," Zane replied. "I do not have any preferences on what to watch tonight. Whatever you all pick is fine with me."

"Okay. I'll make sure to run that by the guys." Cole started back towards Kai and Jay, who seemed to be discussing what was in their letters, when he turned his head, a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Zane, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you, okay?"

Zane should have guessed Cole would catch on to how he was feeling, but he nodded. "Of course."

A few hours later, the four ninja, Nya, and Lloyd were huddled in the living room on the couch, the only light coming from the television and the moon outside. They had agreed to Kai's suggestion of watching a horror movie, and to Zane's understanding it was about a serial killer who was abandoned by her parents, treated cruelly by the clients she worked with, and sought revenge alongside her girlfriend. A strange movie, but it was interesting to watch.

Lloyd became frightened halfway through the film, and Kai offered to take him to his room to sleep, albeit reluctantly, as he would miss some of the movie. Nya noticed that they ran out of popcorn, and went to make some more, Jay tagging along. This left Cole and Zane to watch the movie alone.

Zane brought himself closer to Cole's side, who immediately wrapped his arm around Zane's shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze as a comforting gesture. Zane looked away from the TV to meet with Cole's intense green gaze, illuminated by the light from the screen.

"What is it?" Zane asked. "Is there something on my face?"

Cole's serious gaze faltered as he chuckled. "No. You're just...a lot closer to me than usual right now." He frowned, raising a bushy eyebrow. "Are you sure you're okay, Zane? Because it definitely seems like there's something on your mind."

Just as the blond was about to answer, the killer in the film started to yell at someone about her motives, about how her parents never loved her, about how she was abandoned, about how much it affected the way she saw and trusted people. Zane turned to stare at the TV again, feeling his heart sink.

If that is how they feel, and that is what motivated them to do what they did, who's to say I was not like that at one point? Zane wondered sadly.

Cole followed Zane's eyes, and sighed. "I see," he murmured. "You're upset because you don't remember your parents, huh? And seeing us with our letters earlier today..." He slowly took Zane's hand in his. "I'm sorry, Zane. I should've known how much that affected you."

"No, it's fine," he insisted. "I cannot help what I do not know. I just..." He looked up at Cole, his icy blue eyes appearing as though tears would come soon enough. "What if my parents abandoned me? What if I committed a heinous act that they can never forgive and I cannot remember?" He lifted his feet off the floor and onto the couch, bringing his knees close to his chest. "Would they like me for who I am now?"

Cole lifted a hand up to cup Zane's cheek, rubbing his thumb across the cold skin gently. "Hey, come on, Zane, it's okay," he said. "Your family's out there somewhere. We just haven't found them yet. And just between you and me..." He brought his face closer to Zane's, kissing his cheek for a few seconds before parting, a warm smile on his face. "You're one of the best guys I know, Zane. You'd never do anything to hurt anyone, I know that for a fact."

Zane felt his face warm up at the action, and he returned the smile shakily. "I may not be fully convinced," he finally murmured. "But thank you, Cole. I will think about what you have said."

The earth ninja's arms tightened, bringing Zane in for a hug. "That's all I was hoping to hear you say, Frosty."

The two continued to watch the movie on their own, exchanging loving looks to one another, giving the occasional kiss on the cheek or nose. Meanwhile, Jay and Nya stood in the doorway, dumbfounded at first, but then they smiled, turning back to stay in the kitchen, deciding it would be best to leave the "lovebirds" alone for the time being.

Oh, look. A reference to an old serial killer movie. What are the odds?

Anyway, thank you to Sketchy Madness for requesting this pairing! Stay tuned!