#colexreader

[circus4apsycho8]

Hello! Just wanted to ask for a headcannon of Ninjago characters (the one you usually do) x unnaffectionate reader? It's not like they're mean it's just that affection isn't a big part in their life and they usually forget about it. And then one day reader is like 'oh shit maybe this makes my idiot feel bad' so they try to make up for it by being super affectionate for a day and beginning to show subtle signs of affection more regularly?

Love this! Here you go!

Includes: Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd, Nya, Morro, & Garmadon in that order

ninja, morro, & garmadon x unaffectionate!reader headcanons

kai

he’s very affectionate, so he’ll eventually start getting hurt that you don’t return his advances as much

he understands not wanting to do it in public, but in private is where it hurts him

one day, he stops trying and doesn’t seem quite like himself

this is what makes you realize that he’s hurt

after taking some time to think about it, you make it a point to show even a little bit of affection

so, one day when he gets home from a mission, you shyly take his hand in yours before asking him about his mission

he understands how much it means coming from you, and he appreciates the sentiment

he asks you what changed, and you quietly admit that you should have compromised more with him, seeing as how he respects your wish for no pda and apologize

then, you press a soft kiss to his lips and vow to gradually increase the affectionate as you grow more comfortable

jay

jay would be a little more understanding; he gets not wanting to be touched as he experiences this himself sometimes

so he’s certainly more patient with you

but there are times when he starts feeling especially sensitive about it, and it makes him start overthinking

over the course of a few days, he starts gradually acting different

at first, it’s him wondering if he’s just overreacting

but as it progresses, he starts hurting and worrying - did he do something to make you mad? is he just misreading the situation?

eventually, he goes to cole about this; cole suggests that he just ask you

so, jay works up to the courage to and does

this leads to a productive conversation, and you agree to start showing more affection as you feel comfortable with it

cole

he hides it well, but this man is touch starved

desperately wants to show his affection, but quickly gets that it isn’t your thing

initially pushes his hurt away, thinking that maybe you just need time

quietly tries to figure out why you’re not keen on affection, but doesn’t get too far

he tries to ignore it; he’ll take his frustrations out on the punching bag or on enemies

but there comes a point one night where it all comes bubbling up

the two of you are alone after a mission one night, and you’re patching up some of his injuries

cole is exhausted and in pain

he can’t help it - he tears up

he just wants a hug, or for you to hold his hand and stay with him a little longer. he just needs something

but all he gets is a distant expression - one that opens an old wound in his heart. and he can’t hide it any longer, so he breaks down

alarmed, you immediately sit down with him and ask him what’s wrong

so, he softly professes his hurt to you

once he’s done, you apologize and give him a hug, promising that you’ll try to do better for him

you end up staying with him for the rest of the night, holding him until he falls asleep <3

zane

he doesn’t really mind initially - he doesn’t know much about relationships anyway, so for a while it works

but as the relationship progresses, he observes that other couples - both in real life and in pop culture - are more touchy than the two of you are.

he asks you why this is - he’s not necessarily hurt, but he wants to understand why you two aren’t affectionate. it makes him think he might be doing something wrong

after explaining that all couples are different, and that you’re just not a very affectionate person, he understands

the two of you continue to talk about it, and after a while, you decide to try small things together - like holding hands or light hugging as you both feel comfortable

lloyd

he is so shy when it comes to affection at first

he’s never been in a serious relationship before, so it takes him some time to warm up to the idea

when he realizes you aren’t very affectionate, he has to rethink the situation

he’s stuck between wanting to respect your boundaries but also wanting to show/receive affection

will 100% go to the smith siblings for advice

once he does, he asks you about it one night

after talking about it for a bit, you agree to try some small gestures of affection out together :)

nya

she’s not one for pda, but does want to hold your hand or give you small, chaste kisses when you’re alone or around the others

might go to her brother or cole for advice

usually, she waits for you to initiate contact, and will follow your lead or ask you if you’re comfortable doing/receiving something

after observing your reactions, she’ll ask you about it

morro

not really sure what to do initially; might not even realize that he wants affection

stays silent for a while. probably sulks a lot but shakes it off well most days

he ends up thinking he’s making a big deal out of nothing, so he doesn’t say anything about how he’s feeling

you notice that something’s off with him when starts becoming more distant

after trying a few different things, you end up just sitting beside him one day and taking his hand, quietly asking him if it was something you did

he admits he isn’t sure why he’s upset, but admits your touch is comforting

a hug ensues <3

garmadon (crystallized)

initially understands

as the relationship continues, though, he wonders if it’s something he’s doing

panics and convinces himself it was something he did

terrified that he hurt one of the few people who isn’t afraid of him

vinny ends up calming him down and advises him to open a conversation with you

once the talk does happen, he understands and feels much better when the two of you strike a compromise

[shejustkeepswriting]

“Right Here Waiting” Part I - Cole Sprouse x Reader Imagine

My very first Tumblr post and first Cole Sprouse imagine. :D

Hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

Enjoy! 

---

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Song Inspiration

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You and Cole have been best friends since college. You met in NYU during freshman year.

Cole is your go-to when it comes to school projects, researches, and well, advice.

Your course is different from his, but you shared a subject or two, and some random after-school activities together. Like Cole, you were fascinated with history, video games, and photography.

He was the one who was there for you when you were struggling with your relationship with your parents, he even welcomed you to his apartment when you were looking for a new place. He doesn’t even want you to move and insist that you live with him instead so you can both go to and walk home from school, and he also want you to save so you can find a better apartment in the city. But you said no because at that time, he was living with his girlfriend and you don’t want to cause any problems with a relationship that you think would last forever.

Cole was the one who was there for you the day you lost your dog, Charlie. and to make up for it, even if he doesn’t have to, he gave you a puppy on your birthday, you named it after his character in that popular Disney film—

“Here, name him Cody, so you’ll always remember me.” He said while holding this cute little bundle of pure joy.

“How about Ben?” you both laugh.

You were there for him when he and his ex-girlfriend broke up. Cole calls you in the middle of the night, telling you stories, and you were always there for him, assuring him that the right one will come soon.

You’re wishing, hoping, and praying, that it would be you…

-

You fell in love with him the day you first saw him, the day he accidentally spilled his to-go coffee on your NYU shirt while you were in the train going to Brooklyn.

Since then, everyday with Cole is like sunshine. No matter how bad things have become, every time you text, call, or talk to him in person, it gets better in the end.

But you decided to keep your feelings to yourself. Afraid that Cole might stay away from you, worst, you are scared to the idea that he doesn’t feel the same way and that this feeling might destroy an amazing friendship. So you just cherish all the moments you spend with him. Late nights where he would come to your apartment and ask you to have coffee and just talk about art, poetry, and history. The quiet times you two spend in the library, even in silence, every thing seems perfect—as long as he is around.

On the day that he introduced his then girlfriend to you, it broke you to a million pieces but still supported him, because after all, he is, and will always be, your best friend.

And for long, you endured and accepted that he is with someone, happy, and contented. Seeing him with the girl he loves is bittersweet but you know that as his best friend, you are the first person to be happy for him.

-

Graduation came and you were very emotional. You knew that in a few days, you have to go back to Washington and leave New York, leave your friends, leave the city that became your home for the past 5 years, your apartment, and the coffee shop across the street where you spend a lot of time doing your homework.

Leave your heart, and the man who’s holding it.

Cole will remain in New York. He has plans to apply for graduate school and pursue Archeology full-time and his photography as well. You will be away from him. Miles and miles away. and that thought hurts you to bits. How can you leave the man you cared about? The man you love? The man who makes you happy? But change is inevitable. You have responsibilities and dreams to pursue.

Cole promised to always keep in touch.. “y/n, I will keep in touch, I promise. You might be in a different time zone but I’ll still bug you.” he said assuringly. “and besides, you can always fly back here.”

“...or you can fly to Washington!” you said

“If it means I get to see Cody, and your annoying face, sure!”

You both laugh. And in that little moment, the sadness eased a little.

Since every one will be busy preparing for the next chapter in their lives, your friends arranged an after party to celebrate this memorable day. You and Cole attended and minutes before you open the door, it occurred to you that you should finally let him know how you really feel. Besides, you’ll be miles away from him, so telling him now probably won’t hurt. At least, in your last days in the city, you finally did what you had to do.

Entering the building was like going through an obstacle course. You feel so uneasy and your heart is beating so fast. Cole noticed this.

“(y/n), everything alright?” he said, with a hint of worry in his eyes

“I’m fine.”

“no you’re not.”

“I am. it’s uh...”

“what?”

“my feet. Yes, my feet hurts, I haven’t removed these babies since the ceremony.” You said, pointing at your heels.

“Do you want me to carry you?” Cole said, with a little concern

“oh my.” you told yourself. “No, silly. Let’s just take the elevator” you said to him

You and Cole entered the elevator, it’s a little awkward to you because it was just the two of you. But Cole was very relaxed.

You stood there in silence. Until Cole pulled you back into reality

“That’s it” he said

“What?”

“You are not okay. C’mon what’s wrong? Tell me.”

“Cole. Nothing. I am fine. okay?”

“No, you’re not.”

“Why do you say so?”

“I know!”

“How?”

“Because ever since we entered this elevator you didn’t pressed any button, so we’re literally stopping in every freaking floor inside this building“

You stared at him

“Oh no, sorry, 15th” you said, pressing the button.

Cole crossed his arms and looked at you. You felt a little uneasy.

“C’mon, y/n, what’s wrong?” he’s getting serious now.

“This is it” you told yourself. “I should tell him now. Right here”

“Okay!” you said. “There is something I need to tell you”

“What is it?”

“Uhm, Cole, buddy, you’re my best friend. So I should tell you”

“Tell me what, y/n?”

You took a deep breath

“Oh no,” you were thinking. “This is it. I’m about to let it out”

“y/n?” Cole said

“Cole... I...”

“What?”

The elevator door opened and you can hear the music coming from the party.

You gulped.

“I... I like you.”

...to be continued.

[butterflypeatea3456]

HOTD Favorite Things About You

Rhaenyra Targaryen: Your hands! Whenever Rhaenyra fidgeted with her rings you took hold of her hands. Whether it was to hold them on your own, rub soothing circles, or simply just a touch. She much preferred your fingers around her than her rings.  

Daemon Targaryen: Your shoulders! He loves seeing you in dresses that show off your shoulders. Especially nightgowns that reveal all the sweet bites and marks he likes to leave. And see the jewels he gifted you, hanging off your neck. 

Rhaenys Targaryen: Your eyes! As expressive as a dragon’s she’d say. Glimmer of happiness you saw she entered the room. Glowing with laughter on dragon back together. The mirror to your soul she could spend hours peering into. 

Alicent Hightower: Your voice! Always so kind and accommodating for her, not because she was the Queen. But because you truly cared for her. Humming songs for her when she picked at her nails. Singing her soft tunes as she got ready for the day and night. 

Harwin Strong: Your thoughtfulness! From untangling his hair gently after a long day of training. To dropping by the training grounds to catch up with each other throughout the day. It was the small gestures of your love he appreciated so much. 

Criston Cole: Your hair! Long, short, curly, braided, dark, light. Whatever way you styled or wore it he adored your lovely locks. During moments alone he always had a strand between his finger tips.  

Laena Velaryon: Your lips! Small sweet kisses throughout the day kept Laena joyful. Deeper kisses with hints of tongue, woke a flame in you. Lingering kisses on her cheek, hand, neck. Kept both of you awake through the night. 

Corlys Velaryon: Your fearlessness! Meeting you during his adventures at sea. Diving into the thick of it with him, warmed his heart. Having someone like that by his side only fueled his love for you. 

Helaena Targaryen: Your arms! Arms that wrap around her in the garden. Hold onto the insects she would show you. And the books she would read to you. Just you both holding each other brought Helaena much peace. 

Jacaerys Velaryon: Your patience! Being a prince could be a high stresser, but luckily he had someone as cool headed like you around. Another thing he adored was how you cared about his siblings. Always kind to Luke and doting on the younger ones. Made his feelings for you grow.

Aemond Targaryen: Your Creativity! Your love for the art’s mirrored his love for history and philosophy. He cherished every painting, handmade gift, and love letter you gave him. Spending time together in the library were quiet moments he greatly appreciated. 

Aegon Targaryen: Your body! It really isn’t a big surprise that any part of you Aegon could get ahold of would be his favorite. Hand’s roaming at any chance he got public or private. He just loved feeling your touch at all times.  

[insaneranchel]

Cole x Reader

i am currently writing a Whattpad story about Cole x Reader Relationship, its titled “Hard Rock” idk why i choose that name but i think for whoever wants to read it they can.  

https://www.wattpad.com/story/141608014-a-cole-x-reader-works-hard-rock

[rtscrobbles]

angst 5 w cole 💗

“Y/N, wait up!” 

You kept walking away, the distance between the both of you growing larger and larger with every step. 

“Y/N, stop!”

You stop and turn around, Cole’s lanky figure had already caught up to you - winded and curled over but still nonetheless closer than you wanted him to be right now. “What now? Hmm? Gonna break my heart in front of everyone? Oh wait, you’ve already done that.” Every word spat out like venom and you didn’t even feel guilty, not one god damn bit - you wanted it to hurt.

“I said I was sorry!” Cole pleads, slowly catching his breath. You wanted so badly to kick him in the stomach and run. Every word he said since he embarrassed you in front of everyone you cared about had pierced your heart. 

“Sorry doesn’t change anything,” You growl, kicking a loose stone in his direction before turning around and heading home. Maybe you’d get picked up by some nice guy that just happened to be driving by, maybe you might get stabbed - anything would feel better than what you were feeling, anything.

A week passed by and you still felt the raw hurt. Cole had finally gotten the message and stopped texting you after a few days, giving you some head-space and time to cry in the comfort of your own bed. Just as you were about to get ready for another nap, your phone buzzed. You hadn’t looked at it in an hour so god knows how many notifications you missed while you were sleeping.

Cole (5:33pm): I’m really really sorry Y/N. You don’t understand how bad I feel, just please talk to me. I want to make it up to you! I’m sorry I hurt you, I didn’t know you cared that much about me - I care about you too..

Y/N (5:35pm): How funny. You thought I cared. Well guess what? I don’t, turns out heartbreak changes you. 

[its-me-im-coraline]

Cole Sprouse | Trust

Count of words: 733

Warnings: smut obvi…

A/N: so I’m weird and I had read this Liam Dunbur fanfic a while back so I decided to make them best friends and then it unfolds and BOOM!

MASTERLIST

PROMPTS

AND REQUESTS HERE

Hey could you do a ColexReader imagine. The reader haven’t had their first time so Cole teaches them everything. Only if you want to. Thank you 🤗

“What are you thinking about little one?” The boy, sitting across from her, asked from his comfortable place. 

“Not much,” his best friend answered truthfully. It was just one thought troubling her mind. 

Cole simply nodded, not going further with this conversation, not wanting to push her. If something bothered her, he would give her some time until she was ready to share. 

“Cole?!” She uttered suddenly, the boy turning his head to the side again, admiring the girl’s face. 

“Mhm” he hummed, waiting for her to continue, as he didn’t move his eyes From her lips. 

“I was thinking. You’ve had had sex before, I haven’t, and you know, someone’s virginity is something precious and I don’t believe there is anyone I trust more than you so-”

“ As long as you are ready little one, I’m willing to help,” Cole interrupted, catching up to what the girl was trying to say, smirking at her. 

Truth be told he was waiting for a chance with her, not necessarily in that area, but that was definitely not something he was going to complain about. 

“Really?!” The boy just nodded, smiling at the girl reassuringly. To say she was nervous was an understatement. 

She didn’t know how *this* all worked but she trusted Cole with her life and she knew he would be mindful with her. 

“Calm down, Y/N. No need to be like that… The whole point is to relax and enjoy yourself,” Cole explained noticing the girl’s nerves.

 “Here,” he offered some wine. 

“It won’t get you drunk, it is just going to help you relax a bit, OK?” 

“Thanks.” She said, blushing a but at his smile. 

“You know, you look beautiful. And you look so cute when you blush!” He complimented, the rose color of Y/N’s cheeks turning a deep shade of red. 

“Oh, fuck it,” he said, taking her glass away and smashing his lips to hers. 

It was the perfect moment, a kiss passionate and full of love. It was as if they finally confessed their feelings to one another. It wasn’t long before Cole made a further move, grabbing her by the waist and moving both of their bodies to the bed room. 

“There are some basics, to begin with.” He said. 

He wasn’t just going to take away her virginity but teach her things in the process. He kissed down her neck, leaving noticeable marks on the soft (shade) skin. Slowly he removed her shirt, while she swiftly removed his. 

“Needy! I like it!” Clothing was quick to become a burden and in just a few swiftly moves the only piece of clothing between the two were Cole’s boxer. 

“Now, you see. Every. Part. Of. Your. Body. Deserves. Attention. You. Are. So. Beautiful.” He informed, trailing his painless bruises down to her thighs. His hands traveled everywhere, making a manuscript of her body (a/n is it just me or did I just make a despacito reference?). 

His fingers were quick to move to her heat as they worked wanders. Originally one was placed inside of her, slowly, then quickly pumping in and out of her, until a second one was added. His digits were making her feel simply ecstatic, a feeling she never experienced before. Her moans were loud, expressive and somewhat rewarding for Cole. 

“Have you ever touched yourself, baby?” He asked, as mentioned previously, he wanted to teach her things.

 Her reply was breathy moan, the only answer she could muster I her current state. 

“Here, give me your hand,” he instructed removing his from her core and placing hers there. He showed her how to simply finger herself and she felt incredible. 

“Now, now. You can stop this so I can finish my lesson, young miss,” he exclaimed, suggestively.

 Not much needed to be said until the boy was no longer in his boxers and his hard member, covered in a condom, was being slammed inside the girl. It felt good, heavenly to be more accurate. It was simply explosive. The pair was a moaning mess, occasionally their names being heard as well as some inaudible swear words. The finish was not far away, as the two soon reach their highs, as they rode out of them together. 

“Thank you.” Y/N stated, her eyes closing slowly as a sweet slumber embraced her. 

“Anytime. I love you.”

 “I love you too.”

[writtenwordsoffic]

So I was listening to Harry style Kiwi. And all I could picture was a girl in leather and a black dress stripping. Could you possible do a jugxreader or colexreaded where the gang is bored so they go to a strip club and the reader says she is busy. Once the song starts playing the make comments how it's your fav song and then they see you? And for the part of the song where is says that she is dripping wet, could you do an "indoor rain" kind of like.

Dear Anon.I've been whacking my brain for 48 hours over this prompt. Firstly, I never do beyond character writings (meaning I don't do celebrities) so I was trying to see Jughead in a strip club. I couldn't work it no matter how much I tried. And I'm fine with writing some sexual things but it's hard for me to get a Reader there in a one shot.I am so sorry but I don't think I can succeed with this prompt. I have never denied a request and it hurts me to do so now.I would highly recommend sending this prompt to @writing-in-riverdale as they do celebrity fics and I feel she can handle it better. (I also edit for her).I hope you understand and I appreciate you reading. Please don't be discouraged from sending me prompts in the future. Thank you.

[sfgfics]

future fics!

hey everyone! so first I wanted to thank you all for the amazing feedback I’ve received on my fics. You guys are absolutely amazing. I wanted to share with you some potential fics (and also a way for me to write them down to remember them, lol) that I have in store for you guys! If any one sticks out to you, and you want to see that sooner, let me know and I’ll see what I can do!

currently finished and waiting to be posted sometime next week or so:

Baron CorbinxReader: Reader is as baby face as baby face can be and has her sights set on Baron. Inspired by this post. Will include fluff and angst.

Seth RollinsxReader: Based on the sentence “Is there someone else?” Oh so much angst.

halfway through, need more work:

Renee YoungxDean AmbrosexRoman ReignsxReader: Renee and Reader are curious about something and plans happen. Very smutty.

Finn BalorxReader: They’ve been Friends with Benefits for a long time now, but something’s changed. Fluff and smut

currently starting:

Dean AmbrosexReaderxRenee Young: Renee and Dean instantly take a liking to Reader and they want her to be with them. Will contain fluff and smut. 

Finn BalorxReader: Reader feels like pulling a prank on Finn, and proceeds to do a strip tease to Fergie songs. Very fluffy, potentially smutty.

Adam ColexReader: Reader is fed up with Adam’s constant complaining and whining since he’s lost his title and everything with the Bullet Club so she shuts him up and helps him forget about everything. Smutty.

Finn BalorxReaderxSami Zayn: Sequal to Three Hearts are Better Than one. Fluffy and smutty!

Adam ColexReaderxKenny Omega: With all the tension going on between Adam and Kenny, Reader gets caught in the mix. Smutty and angsty?

[circus4apsycho8]

snow day. | cole x reader

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚒 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚒𝚝 :') 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗, 𝚗𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎!

Finally…at long last…

A crazed grin sneaks over your lips as you open your eyes, noticing how cool the air is. It’s cooler than normal, carrying a certain crispness that sparks a whelm of excitement within you. That can only mean one thing…! 

Your excitement is confirmed when your ears pick up on the distant sound of the light chattering of your friends audible through the door. 

Your eyes widen as you shoot into an upright position, immediately going to glance out of the window to confirm your suspicions. It’s then you realize that your sleeping boyfriend is next to you. Of course, you waste no time in flopping on his chest to wake him up. 

“Cole!” you say, poking his cheek. 

“Mm?” he mumbles, cracking an eye open groggily. 

“It’s snowing!” you cheer, rolling off of him. “We have so much to do!” 

“Babe, it’s early…” he groans, scooping you up into his arms. “Five more minutes?” 

“Fine, but only five!” you say, wiggling around until you’re comfortable. He presses his chest against your back, and you can feel his relaxed breaths tingling against your next. 

You impatiently lay there, a sudden restlessness enveloping you as you shift around. Your mind runs in loops as you think of the activities to come. 

Cole groans from beside you, sitting up and making you fall flat on your back. He hovers over you, his sleepy eyes more awake now as he playfully frowns at you. 

“You’re such a wiggle worm,” he teases. “I guess at this rate, I won’t be able to sleep. But it’s fine, as long as we can cuddle later and sleep in more tomorrow morning.” 

“It’s a deal!” you cheer, tearing the sheets off of the bed as you bounce to your feet. 

“I didn’t realize you’d be this excited over the snow,” Cole mumbles as he sits up, rubbing the back of his neck before stretching. Even after all of the time you’d spent with him, you still could not get over how well-toned he is. 

“It’s so much fun,” you confess, grinning bashfully as he stands and walks over to you. He chuckles softly, looping his arms around your waist and pressing his forehead against yours. You brace your arms against his chest as you hold his gaze, your smile lingering. 

“You’re so cute,” he mumbles, giving you a kiss on your forehead. “Now, let’s go.” 

“Yes!” you exclaim as the two of you dress appropriately before exiting. Before long, you arrive in the main area of the Bounty to find all of your friends present. To your delight, they’re already geared up in their winter gis. 

“About time!” Jay yells, a wide grin on his face as he stands next to the Bounty’s speaker system. 

You chuckle as Cole slings an arm around your shoulders. “Some of us wanted to actually sleep. Namely me, though, not this wiggle worm.” 

“Hush!” you say, poking Cole’s cheek. 

“Anyways, Sensei is giving us today off,” Kai explains as he pulls on a pair of dark gloves. 

“Really? That’s unlike him. You’d think he’d make us train in this weather,” you note. 

Misako nods from her spot at the dining room table, a steaming cup of tea in her grasp. “Normally he would, but he had errands to run today. Enjoy your time off.”  

“Guys, you know what this means?! We have to have a snowball fight!” Jay screeches as he zips out the door, Kai and Lloyd close behind him. 

You simper slightly as you shift your gaze to Cole, who bears a similar expression. 

“You’re going down, Brookstone,” you challenge. 

“Oh, I don’t think so, sweetheart,” he says as you both make your way outside. 

… 

After a brutal snowball fight that resulted in an unclear victory and probably a bunch of bruises, you find yourself completely winded as you laugh. You push your boyfriend to the side, laughing when he stumbles a little bit. 

“There’s no way you won that!” you yell, cheeks numb as everyone enters the Bounty once more. “I hit you like eighty times!” 

“No way!” he replies. 

“For the record, you both equally sucked,” Kai snickers. You banter with the others for a few more seconds while you all kick your snowy shoes off. 

“If you all are done fighting, you are welcome to help yourselves to hot chocolate and snacks whenever you get cleaned and warmed up,” interrupts Misako’s soft voice, prompting the seven of you to turn to her. 

“Oh, hot cocoa! My favorite!” Jay yells. A flurry of activity emanates from your friends as you stick back with Cole, both of you deciding to change into dry clothes before getting snacks. 

You follow him back to his room, shutting the door once you’re inside. 

“That was fun,” Cole notes as he opens his dresser, pulling out a fresh shirt. Once he pulls his gi top off, you instantly circle your arms around his waist, pressing your cheek against his cold skin. You feel his hand settling on top of yours. 

“It was,” you mumble, grateful for the quiet moment. 

Cole leans into your embrace for a few seconds before turning around and fully hugging you, setting his chin on top of your head. You smile, head resting on his sternum as you listen to his heartbeat. 

“You still owe me cuddles,” he whispers, pressing a soft kiss on top of your head. 

“How about when we get hot chocolate?” you propose, glancing up at him. 

“Sounds like a plan,” he replies, offering you a cute, lopsided grin. 

With that, you smile back at him and separate, changing into comfy pants and one of Cole’s hoodies. Once you’re done, you turn towards him. 

“Ready?” you ask once he shrugs on a shirt. 

“Yep,” he replies, taking your hand in his before pulling you out to the dining room. 

After obtaining your share of snacks and drinks, you follow Cole out to the living room, where Lloyd is rummaging through the team’s DVD stack. Kai and Jay are arguing about what should be watched while Zane simply sits to the side, quietly reading a book. 

“Okay, okay, how about we settle this like ninja?” Kai proposes. Jay nods, the two beginning a round of rock-paper-clamp. 

Cole shakes his head, sitting down on the couch first. He sets his drinks and snacks to the side, taking a moment to ensure that they’re in a position where they won’t get knocked over. After putting your own items down, you eagerly climb into his grasp, welcoming the warmth from his figure as he swings a blanket over the two of you. 

You sigh in relief, feeling his arms circling your figure as you adjust into a comfy position, head eventually resting on his chest. A grateful smile appears on your lips as you feel him pressing a kiss to your temple. 

“No!” Kai whines. A glance at the brunet reveals that he must have lost to Jay. 

“Ha!” Jay cries triumphantly. “Lloyd, we’re doing Starfarer!” 

“We always watch Starfarer!” 

Lloyd shrugs, seemingly glad that Jay won. “I mean, Jay won fair and square...” 

“Yeah, fair and square, Kai!” Jay repeats, plopping down on the couch. 

As a result of their small feud, you found yourself trying to focus on Starfarer while snuggled up next to your man. However, you find that your focus is becoming more and more difficult because of how warm you are. Ugh, you’re so comfy... 

Before you know it, your eyes are drooping against your will. Sleep has no issue overtaking you – especially after all of the excitement today had to offer. 

Cole glances at you at some point, chuckling when he realizes you’re fast asleep. He presses a soft kiss to your cheek, mumbling a quiet: 

“Happy snow day, babe.” 

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘, 𝚒'𝚖 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚑 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗. 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚡! 𝚒 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚒 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 :))))

[rtscrobbles]

#17 angst with cole please

“No, don’t do it!”

“Why not?” You giggle, you were so dazed and confused from the mixture of drugs and alcohol in your system, you laughed at everything and felt weightless. Your head was clear and everything just seemed to make sense. You didn’t see why Cole cared so much, you weren’t in danger. 

“Y/N, c’mon you’re high and drunk. It’s a main road and you can’t just walk out into traffic,”

“Aww, you’re such a party pooper,” You stick your tongue out and spread your arms out. Cars whizzed past in a blur, their lights blinding you but making it all the better. It would just be a simple run to the other side of the road and back, not a big deal.

“Y/N,” Cole grabs you by the waist and pulls you back, you try to fight back and release his grip but it only grows stronger and contracts against your chest so tightly you felt like your chest was going to cave in on itself. “You’ll die and I can’t watch the person I love die,” 

“Did you just say you loved me?”

“No,” He defends himself quickly, pulling you away from the curb and onto the grass. You turn around and the very dim streetlights illuminated the concern on his face, enhancing his rosy cheeks.

“You said you loved me,” You giggle, tapping his nose gently. You get on your tiptoes and kiss his forehead as he releases his grip around your waist. 

“I guess,” Cole murmurs anxiously, more focused on you as he looks deep into your eyes. 

“Well, I love you too,” You wrap your arms around his neck and smile as he scoops you up in his lanky arms. 

“Let’s get you home Y/N, you can sober up at mine,”

[its-me-im-coraline]

Cole Sprouse | Photograph

Count of words: 778

Warnings: none

A/N: I hope you two anons like this.. I just thought to write these two as one cause I really don’t know how coachella is and I didn’t know what to write, lol ♥ Ok bye !!

MASTERLIST

PROMPTS

AND REQUESTS HERE

anonymous asked:

Hey, I just love you imagines and wanted to ask if you could p do a ColexReader imagine. They are dating and Cole always takes pictures of her. Maybe at Coachella with the others of the Riverdale cast. Hope this is understandable. Thank you in advance 😊 ❤

can you do a cole sprouse imagine where you guys are dating and spend the day at coachella together with the riverdale cast?

After a whole year full of work/school (a/n whatever you are doing) I finally found some time to relax and enjoy quality time with the love of my life and our friends. So, as soon as my body hit the seat of Kj’s car my worries all faded away, leaving me relieved that I finally had a break from my hectic routine. Cole’s arm immediatelly rested around my shoulder, after he entered the car as well, making me lean down on his chest and rest my hand on his thigh. As he kissed my temple, he mumbled something under his breath between the lines of I love you and you look good. A slight giggle found it’s way out of my lips making the boy next to me smile a tiny bit, just as the car begun to roam the roads, music blasting from the speakers.

Even though the music in the car was turned up to the highest it could get it didn’t stop me from falling onto a light sleep. Just as the song changed to an up beat, yet more quiet song, the sound of a camera brought me out of my slummber. I tiredly opened my eyes, moving ever so slightly to where the sound came from when the sound was heard again and the flash blinded my eyes. “Was the flash necessary?” I complained looking up at my boyfriend that had just made me lose my vision temporarily. “Yes,” he simply stated. “It brought out the highlights of your face.” I just smiled up at the boy and he showed me the pictures he managed to get while I was asleep. One of them was not taken from Cole but Camila, that was sitting in the front, had be given the camera as Cole layed his head on mine pretending to be asleep again. Then there was another, in that my head was resting on Lilly as the girl made some funny gesture with her hand accompanied with a weird face. A flower was resting on my ear and some hair was tugged behind it. The last one I managed to see before we reached our destination was the one that woke me up. Once again the flower was resting on my ear, the highlighter Lilly added on my face while doing my make up was indeed popping, my face looking as peaceful as it could. “That’s it! We’re here!” Exclaimed Kj as he parked the car and procided to get out of it.

It had been about 53 minutes exactly since we arrived at the event, the music making everyone around happy, including myself. I was dancing with Camila as the soound of a camera going of took me out of my ‘drunken’ state. When I turned around I was met with Cole taking another spontaneous photograph of me and then another and another. It was as we were doing a real photoshoot there, with Cole down on his knees taking photos of me and me overexaggerating my poses, even making some funny faces along the way. After about 5 minutes later we stopped laughing at the people that were giving us weird looks. I glared at him once and moved back towards the two girls, both of them dancing to the song that was playing right at that moment.

As the night rolled in all of us got more and more tired but our excitement was too much to stop just yet. When Martin Garrix and Troy Sivan presented their new collab, my eyes widened and my face got light up with excitement. While I was watching the two amazing artists performing the flash of the camera, that once again was Coles, illuminated my face, earning him a glare but never stopping him from repeating his actions. He then proccided to walking up behind me hugging me while swaying the both of us to the music. After the song was done and another one rolled in Cole spun me around and I found the opportunity to ask him a question that was rolling in my head for a while now. “What’s gotten into you, today? How come you take photos of me all the time, today?” I asked and looked up at him as a smile found its way on his face. “It’s just that today you are so happy and excited. It’s like watching that scene (favorite scene) from that (favorite tv show) show. It made you as happy as this did.” He mumbled giving you a quick peck on the lips. “You just look so adorable when you’re like that!” He informed you pulling you in for a longer more loving kiss.

[sidekickjoey]

Ok so this one either Miles or KT (or maybe even Cole...) where the reader just started working at RT and walks into the wrong office and walks right into Miles/KT/Cole and says something like "hello you're cute but can you tell me where I can find Barbara?"

To be fair, you should have known where Barbara’s office was in Stage 5 by now. Countless tours had brought you around the place plenty of times, and all the people you had asked for directions had given you more than enough help in remembering where she was located. However, on four hours of sleep and under the influence of coffee, you were far from capable of finding your way yet again. 

Lost, you turned to the first person you could find walking down the hall to ask for directions. It just so happened to be that this person you caught was fairly cute, in that puppy dog sort of way you remembered your friends mentioning back in high school when describing their crushes. He was tall with darker hair, and the friendly smile on his face made his warmer personality known. 

“Hey, are you all good over here?”

Blinking to try to focus, you let your eyes wander elsewhere and rested against the wall behind you. “Yeah, yeah um...okay, so, hello, you’re actually really cute, can you tell me where I can find Barbara’s office?”

The man stared at you in shock, his mind desperately trying to process your words, before clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “She’s uh, just down the hall from here to the right. Y-You think I’m cute?”

“Oh shit, I said that?”

The man laughed, albeit awkwardly. “You didn’t realize that?”

“No,” you said back apologetically, “sorry, I got probably zero sleep, and that coupled with me being so lost has just got me so frazzled...I guess where to go wasn’t the only thing I lost. Shout out to no filters, am I right?”

“For what it’s worth, you’re pretty cute too.”

You laughed. “Really? Even like this, a mess of a human being?”

He laughed back. “Yes, even as a mess of a human being. I’m Cole, by the way.”

“Well Cole, I’m {Y/N}, and while I am so very thankful that you told me how to find Barbara, I must say this...I can only hope that I get lost and find you again sometime soon...and that I am sorry for how cheesy that sounded, wow.”

“I hope you get lost again too,” he replied fondly. “Now go on, you crazy person, and find Barbara. I hear she kinda has a love for cheesy jokes.”

[circus4apsycho8]

Hi! I really like your ninjago stories :) I don't know if you still take requests but if you do can you write cole x reader story, where cole breaks up with the reader in order to protect her but he doesn't tell her that. Later he regrets what he done and try to reconcile with her but she doesnt trust him, she starts to date her colleague from work just to spite him. One day he decides enough is enough and that is time to "teach her a lesson" if you know what I mean :) Thanks in advance :)

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘! 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 <𝟹𝟹 𝚜𝚘, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 - 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎. 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝟷𝟻𝚔 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚒'𝚖 𝚜𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞��𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝟸 (𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛) 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢!

𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚒𝚒 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.

maybe. | cole x reader | chapter i

It's amazing how much one person can change you.

You never thought you would let heartbreak affect you. Life goes on, and so must you. But you’ll give yourself credit where it’s due – you held yourself together, even with the seams of your broken heart pulled too taut to stretch any farther. Armed with a blank expression and a determination not to let him steal any more time from you, you dragged yourself to work.

You convinced yourself that you were healing. More money was pouring into your bank account. More respect was gained among your coworkers. More people were being helped. Your mind was wandering less. And that’s what you wanted – to keep yourself too busy to think of him. To address what you really were feeling.

Time off from work suddenly seemed like a waste to you. You didn’t need a break. You were fine. Less time off the clock meant more money. More hours. More. More.

Your thoughts and feelings ceased to matter. Like they ever did in the first place.

Even if your coworkers noticed something was off, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You refused to – there was simply too much to do. You waved off their concerns, stating you were fine and shoving any thought of him away even further.

It worked for a while, but you should have known better. Pushing it away only delays the inevitable. And damn, did it screw you over.

…

[ present day ]

The weeks pass in a haze as you find yourself wearily driving to work at an obnoxiously early hour, eyes drooping as you study the road ahead. You’d become so familiar with this route. Same road. Same trees. Same early wildlife visitors that momentarily bring a smile to your face. Same music.

A soft sigh escapes you as your mind wanders back to the memory that induced this monotony-driven lifestyle, doing your best to shake the thoughts away. No sense in focusing on him anymore; you’re doing well. You’re fine.

Listening to a quiet song the rest of the way to work, your thoughts become drowned away by that all-too-familiar fog. Perhaps that’s for the best.

You’ve grown acquainted with the numbness, in a way; through the monotony it allows you to become numb. To drift away while your body goes through the motions. Oh, how you sought its comfort, cherishing the way it mimicked his embrace – almost mirroring the way a malevolent entity would entice its prey.

The police station comes into view soon enough, allowing you to pull into your usual parking spot. After gathering your belongings together, you exit your car. On your way inside, you notice a few of your coworkers gathered in small groups, murmuring amongst themselves. Not caring for the typical workplace gossip, you make your way inside.

You mumble hushed greetings to the few people already here, spotting your boss – the commissioner – huddled over the beverage bar.

“Morning, boss man,” you say, snatching a plastic to-go cup from the stack.

“Good morning,” he replies, straightening his posture and taking a sip of his coffee. “How are you this morning?”

“Doing well, and yourself?” you question, preparing your preferred drink.

“Just fine, thank you.”

“Good to hear. By the way, check your email when you can. I finalized the plans for our meeting with the Royal Family next week,” you note.

“Ah, good to hear. I’ll take a look later. Also, we’re having an impromptu meeting later today concerning crime prevention. Will you be able to prepare a segment on that? I was hoping to have you present.”

You nod. “Of course. I think I have an old presentation I can spice up beforehand. When is it?”

“It’s schedule for around noon, but it’s dependent on when our guests of the day are able to come. Just be in the conference room by noon.”

“You got it,” you say, finishing up your drink. “Anything else?”

“Not on my end. We appreciate your hard work, but make sure you’re not overdoing yourself.”

“I won’t.”

“You put in a lot of hours last week. More than anyone else. Just be careful not to overwork yourself, okay?”

“All right, thanks,” you respond, smiling smally before heading into your office.

A deep sigh escapes you as you sit down, turning your computer on as you get settled. Once that’s done, you get to work for the day, never once thinking to ask just who those special guests would be.

…

The fifteen minutes preceding noon kicks off with a bang.

Quite literally, too, considering the way Simon and Tommy barge through your door, both with excitement-riddled expressions.

You sigh, glancing up from your computer. “What’s going on, guys?”

“Dude, you’re gonna be late for the meeting!” Tommy answers, eyes wide. Poor guy must have had too much caffeine again.

“Why are you all excited? Besides, I still have fifteen minutes,” you note with a frown, patting your bag of needed belongings that had already been packed.

“Because, we apparently have some really important guests today,” Simon adds.

“Oh,” you mumble, unamused as you stuff your laptop into its storage bag. “I see.”

“You’re not excited?” Tommy wonders.

You shrug. “Not really. They’re just people.”

“You’re no fun,” he mumbles. “Anyways, need help carrying anything? You always have to bring a lot of stuff.”

“I’d appreciate that,” you say. “I guess we should head on up then, huh?”

…

After tossing your stuff into the empty conference room, the three of you decided to grab some snacks and drinks before the meeting. Having about five minutes until the meeting starts, you resort to nibbling on a snack while half-listening in on their conversation. Soon enough, the sound of hushed chattering begins to emanate from the people filtering into the conference room.

“Sounds like whoever our guest is just got inside. They went through the other door,” Tommy notes, reading the information off of a text message. He puts his phone away, looking up to the entrance closest to the three of you. “Shall we?”

“I guess so,” Simon replies. You merely shrug, just ready to get your presentation over with so you can continue working on your plans for next week.

With that, you follow the two to the conference room door, the murmuring of the crowd growing louder as you enter. At first, you can’t quite see into the room considering the amount of people crowded in front of you trying to snag a glance. Realizing you’ll have to get to your stand, you squeeze your way through with a few mumbled apologies.

Upon reaching the very front of the crowd, you sigh in relief upon gaining a little bit of space. You glance around, trying to find the commissioner so you can double check that you’re good to continue with your presentation when –

Your heart stops.

Seconds after your eyes land on the figure clothed in a black gi, anxiety begins to creep through your veins as your eyes widen. He’s standing right across from you, causing you to avert your eyes quickly. With hitched breath, you stumble backwards, accidentally bumping into Tommy.

Distantly, you hear your co-worker call your name. You turn, ignoring him as you hope to the First Spinjitzu Master that he hadn’t seen you. Your labored breathing begins as you push Tommy aside, shoving your way back through the crowd. Tears prick your eyes as you desperately try to maintain your composure, lips tautly pressed together as you furiously paw at your eyes to get rid of the tears.

why is he here why did he come why did i have to see him did he see me why am i so upset why why why why wh-

Your panicked thought ramblings screech to a halt as heavy footsteps bound down the hallway behind you, eventually ceasing. It’s then your name echoes through the hallways, the voice horrifically familiar as you stop, slowly turning.

There...there he is. In the flesh. After all these months, Cole stands before you, unmasked. For a second, you can’t speak, too afraid that the tears will escape. And you’ll be damned if you’re going to let him see you cry.

Cole frowns, saying your name again. He takes a step towards you, gaze softening. For some reason, that instantly sets a fuse off in you as you fully turn towards him.

“Stay the fuck back,” you warn, a tear rolling down your cheek against your will.

Once more, he calls your name, his tone completely severing the strings that had been holding you together.

“Shut the fuck up!” you yell, keeping your distance. “Stay away!”

At this point, your outburst has earned more than a few stares as you turn, making a break towards the exit.

…

The drive back was a complete haze. Not that you care – you're just glad you’re home now. Away from the public. Away from the paparazzi. Away from him.

Here you are, a complete mess. Again. But at least you’re a complete mess in your room. Your phone lights up yet again – signaling another message or call. You can’t bear to check just yet. Another sob escapes you as you sink down to the floor, curling your knees to your chest.

Why now? Why him? Why you? You press your eyes into the skin of your knees, hoping the pressure would stop the stream of tears. It doesn’t.

The anger boiling in your veins is unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. How dare he? After the bullshit he had put you through? How dare he enter the building he knew you worked at? How dare he try to talk to you after the things he said to you? How dare he reinitiate the war that had been raging within your heart after he had been the one to shatter it? After you were just starting to move on?

You stand, unable to stay still anymore as you place your hands atop your head. Your career’s probably shot considering you just up and ditched what had to have been an important presentation. Not to mention your reputation – there's no way people didn’t notice you shouting at one of the esteemed ninja.

“There’s no fucking way they could do any harm, right?” you mumble to yourself in a mocking tone, suddenly wishing you could punch something. “No way. They’re our saviors. We should be the ones kissing their asses!”

Clenching your fists, you exit your room and make your way to your garage. Upon pushing the door open, you slam it closed.

Half of the area houses your car while the other half houses your therapy area – also known as your punching bag. There are more types of fighting equipment available, but all you can think about it just...hitting.

 A livid screech escapes you as you slam your dominant elbow into the bag, picturing it as Cole’s face.

The image spurs you to send a flurry of punches to the bag, each hit picturing him. You were doing just fine. You were healing. And then he came along and screwed everything up.

Your mind relapses into the memories of the day he’d torn your heart apart.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

Punch.

“I realized that I’ve lost feelings.”

Headbutt.

“I can’t continue on with this. It’s time we go our own separate ways.”

Elbow. Hammer fist. Palm strike. More elbows. Punch. Roundhouse kick. A flurry of combos. A single isolated strike garnished with your scream of frustration.

You throw one last punch, suddenly winded as you set your hands on your knees. It’s then you notice a faint stinging sensation coming from your knuckles. You glance down, splotches of red covering the backs of your hands. Portions of the blood become slightly diluted as your tears splash on top.

“Dammit...” you mumble, not particularly caring that you’re bleeding. “Why now?”

You sigh, stumbling backwards until your back hits the wall. You slide down slowly, bending your knees so that you can rest your arms on them.

The worst part is that you know he was lying about the reason he left you. Nothing had felt off until the morning he broke things off. You tried to ask him what was going on, but he refused to budge. He just left without another word.

At the time you still had feelings for him. Fuck...now you realize you still do. Even after everything. You miss him more than anything, but you know you have to stay true to yourself first and foremost.

And only now are you realizing this. You never really were healing. Just functioning, ignoring your feelings rather than understanding and accepting them. Is that why you’re such a wreck now?

A sigh escapes you as you stand, deciding you should probably tend to your knuckles first. Damn, looks like they weren’t as calloused as you thought. You’re losing your edge.

“I’ve been pouring so much time into work...” you mumble, stepping over to your first aid kit. “I haven’t been conditioning as much as I should.”

You pull out the appropriate materials, quietly sterilizing and bandaging the wound. After cleaning up, you make your way back into your room, grabbing your phone and checking the damage as you sit on the floor again.

Lots of missed calls and texts from your co-workers and the commissioner. No surprise there. What catches your eyes is the unknown number. You frown, unlocking your phone so that you can read it…

…and immediately regret it.

Hey…it’s Cole. I know you have my number blocked so I’m texting from my old phone. Please…just hear me out.

You set your phone down, heart beginning to race as you rub your temples. What could he possibly want to talk about?

“No,” you mumble, hand swiping across the screen. The ‘delete conversation’ button appears with your thumb haphazardly lingering over it. Why are you hesitating? Why does a small part of you want to hear him out?

…Well. It can’t hurt more than it already does, right?

Shaking your head, you select ‘cancel’ and continue reading:

I know I wasn’t fair to you that day. I know my reason for leaving was shitty and half-assed, and it wasn’t even true. Judging from how today went, I think you now know my true reason.

I never wanted to leave you. I was just prioritizing your safety over our relationship. Please, call me, text back…I don’t care if you don’t want me back, because I get it. But I need to tell you everything. I need to hear your voice and I need you to understand the real reason. Please. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was the worst decision I’ve made and seeing you today just…brought it back. Please?

And for whatever it may be worth…I miss you. I’ve missed you every day. Not a day has gone by where I haven’t cursed myself for leaving you. In retrospect I now see that there was a better solution. I didn’t see it at the time.

Please. Let’s talk. But, if you’re dead set on not wanting to...then at least reach out to Kai. We’ve all been worried.

I miss you.

“Fucking hell,” you mumble with a small sob, leaning your head against the wall.

You sit there for a few seconds, a headache beginning to form as you silently cry. It feels like all the tears you’ve been refusing to shed over him over the past few months have finally become victorious. After wiping some of them away, you decide to view the most recent texts:

Tommy

that’s it we’re coming over

Simon

?????????

Joseph

I’m covering your shift tomorrow. Don’t worry about a thing.

Boss Man (Missed Call)

Tommy & 2 others

You sigh, about to respond when you hear a brisk knock emanating from your front door. Not in the mood to socialize, you quickly debate on whether or not to answer. Your answer comes to you when you realize you left your lights on, so either way they’d know you’re home.

You make sure you look as you decent as you can (even with puffy, red eyes. Maybe it’d be more convincing?) before heading to the front door.

You peek through the peephole, seeing your favorite three co-workers standing there. You shake your head but can’t help but smile.

“What are you guys doing here? It’s late,” you say, keeping your gaze down.

“Well, it’s slightly off-putting when one of the toughest detectives in the department runs to her car in tears,” Simon says sarcastically, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow. “Not to mention you haven’t responded to any of our texts.”

“We just want to see what’s going on. Not much ever gets to you like that. What happened?” Tommy adds.

“And, just to clarify, you don’t have to tell us,” adds Joseph Oda, a fellow detective. The two of you are partners and have become close friends over the course of your grueling missions together. “We’re just worried and want you to know that we’re here if you need anything.”

You sigh but smile smally. “Okay. Come in.”

The three pile in, all kicking their shoes off next to the door.

“Sorry that I’m a fucking mess,” you mumble, sitting down and waving your hands to your kitchen.

“It’s fine. Happens to the best of us,” Tommy replies, as the four of you settle down in your living room.

“You understand that you’re human, right? And it’s okay for us to show emotion? And feel?” Simon jokes, nudging you with his elbow. You chuckle lightly at his teasing.

Upon remembering the earlier events, you sigh and rub your eyes before glancing up. “So…what happened with the presentation?”

“I presented,” Joseph replies.

“You did? How?”

“You forget that we share a work drive account,” he answers with a sly grin. “The notes you typed were enough for me to improvise with.”

“Oh…yeah. Well, thanks,” you mumble, smiling gratefully. “I…didn’t plan on just ditching everyone like that, but…I…”

“Something happened,” Tommy finishes.

You nod. “Yeah. I think I’ve told you all already, but remember my ex?”

“Uh-oh,” Tommy mumbles, leaning in closer. “Was he there?”

You nod.

“I see,” Simon mumbles.

The three of you have been working together and hanging out outside of work for about two years now. Your friendship was beyond that of normal coworkers.

“And…it just brought everything I’ve been ignoring back up. He texted me this paragraph, and I just…I don’t know what to do.”

“Damn…” Tommy replies. “That’s tough.”

“Well, if it helps, commissioner is at least making you take tomorrow off. He said he’s not cutting your pay, though, considering the amount of hours you’ve put in lately. He doesn’t care if you take the rest of the week off, either.”

“Wait…he’s not mad?”

“Of course, no one’s mad,” Simon intercepts. “We’re just worried. This isn’t like you. And we all know you suck at asking for help even though there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“I don’t need help,” you mumble.

“Everyone needs help,” Tommy replies, lightly bonking you on the head with a pillow. “You’re just super independent.”

“Who is this guy, anyway? Maybe it would help if we can look out for him?” Simon asks. “That way we can warn you if we see him hanging around.”

You nod. “Yeah. That’d be nice. It’s Cole.”

A brief silence hovers in the air before Tommy pipes up. “Wait…you don’t mean…?”

“Yes, I do. Ninja, Elemental Master of Earth Cole,” you mumble, the mention of his name eliciting an ache throughout your heart.

“Holy shit,” Tommy mumbles. “Okay. Well, yeah, we can at least let you know if he’s around.”

“And he…he dumped you?” Simon clarifies, frowning as he studies you.

“Yeah,” you mumble, pulling up the text Cole had sent you. “And look at this!”

You hand your phone to Simon, causing the three to pile around it, absorbing every word.

“Was the breakup before you knew he was going to be a ninja?” Simon questions as he hands you your phone back.

“Yeah,” you reply, staring at the text. “And now, he’s saying that…he was prioritizing my safety?”

“Like, he wanted to protect you?” Tommy wonders. “But he told you that he just wasn’t interested anymore?”

“Basically. I knew he was lying about his reason, but this…?”

“You have mixed feelings about it,” Joseph finishes.

“…Yeah,” you agree, folding your arms.

“That makes sense. You’re tough enough to take care of yourself, and part of you is thinking that he didn’t believe you were strong. But the other – probably smaller – part of yourself is happy he was taking you into consideration.”

“I think so,” you murmur.

“And now he wants to talk,” Simon surmises as he bites his lip.

“Yeah…that’s where I’m…a mess,” you answer. “Part of me wants to hear him out, but…”

“You also want to move on,” Joseph adds. “Rightfully so. He left you on your own with a poor reason as to why, completely cut off contact…and now he wants to talk?”

“I don’t know, sounds weird,” Tommy concludes.

“But that’s the thing,” you note. “He’s…not like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s honest,” you recall. “He was always transparent with me. That day was the only time I ever felt like he was lying. And now, he’s saying he…wanted to protect me?”

“So, he might really want to clear things up, then,” Simon says.

“But why should he? He just up and left with some wack excuse! He completely broke her heart! She shouldn’t let him come back, because who’s to say he’s not going to do it again?” Tommy replies. “He’s not good for her. She’s way out of his league.”

“I’m not saying that she has to go talk to him. I’m just saying there’s a pretty decent chance he might want to fix things for real. But, you have a point.”

“Let’s leave to her to that decision, shall we?” Joseph replies, effectively cutting off the two.

“Thanks,” you mutter. “I have no idea what I’m going to do, though.”

“And that’s okay,” Joseph assures. “Just know that you have plenty of time to contemplate.”

“And we’ll be here, too,” Simon adds.

“How do you generally feel, though?” Tommy replies.

“I…I mean…I’m not going to lie. I really miss him. I’ve been trying to convince myself I don’t, but I do. But I’m mad at him, and a big part of me just wants to forget this shit ever happened so I can just move on and stop hurting. But then again…can I do that without closure? And can I receive that closure without him?”

The three nod in agreement. “Yeah, we understand. And that’s up to you to decide. No matter what you choose to do, we’ll support your decision.”

“Thanks, guys,” you mumble, sinking further into the couch. “I just hope I choose the right decision.”

“You will,” Joseph assures, offering you a small smile.

“Just take however long you need to think things through,” Simon adds.

“Agreed. I’ll cover for you until you’re ready to come back,” Joseph notes.

“Joseph, no,” you say, frowning. “You can’t-”

He raises a hand with a sly smirk, effectively silencing your protests. “Don’t you think this all sounds awfully familiar?”

“Yeah,” Tommy jumps in, also smirking. “Remember when Joseph’s mom got really sick, so you took all of his shifts until she was back on her feet?”

Joseph nods. “Consider this payback. And before you ask, yes, I will take on the planning for next week tomorrow.”

You sigh, throwing your arms up in defeat. “Fine.”

…

That was how you ended up taking a day away from work.

You decided to get your mind off of Cole for the time being, his message still echoing within your head from time-to-time. After your discussion with your friends, though, you feel slightly better about it all.

Instead of worrying about it, you decide to pour your focus into regaining your energy and clearing your mind. You wake up earlier than normal, get a workout in, take a cold shower, then dress before you tidy up your house. It’d been too long since you’d cleaned it as well as you should have.

Someone once told you that having a clear environment is the key to gaining a clear mind – and that is exactly what you’ll need in order to confront your dilemma.

After a day of hard work, you swipe your forearm across your forehead, appreciative of the results but also grateful to be done.

Your efforts are complimented by a growling stomach. Wow, you’d been so focused on cleaning up that you’d forgotten about dinner. And lunch, for that manner. Whoopsie.

Maybe you’d just take yourself out to dinner tonight. There’s no way you’re cooking after all that intense cleaning you just did.

Nodding to yourself, you decide to head to your go-to restaurant, deciding takeout will suffice for tonight.

…

You’re glad you decided to walk.

The breeze brushes against your skin as you stare off absentmindedly into the sunset, thoughts drifting back to the matter at hand. Now that you’ve calmed down, you can look at things slightly more rationally.

You do want closure. But will that involve talking to him? Standing before him once more? What would come of that?

A soft groan escapes you as you abandon the thought, electing to just enjoy the moment instead. It feels like this is the most you’ve been engaged in a long time.

With that thought in mind, you quietly finish the remainder of your walk, making sure to commit the sunset’s warmth to memory. It’s then you approach the restaurant, mentally sighing in relief.

You’re hit with a wave of mixed emotions as you enter, the familiar jingling of the bell beckoning a nostalgic wave of memories from the back of your mind.

This restaurant...you haven’t been here ever since Cole left.

Chen’s Noodle House had always been a staple for the two of you – its status of open twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week made it a favorite for you both, being simultaneous night owls and early birds. The countless late nights and early mornings you’d spent here with him...

Your thoughts are cut off when you hear your name coming from behind the counter, spotting none other than Skylor there.

“Skylor,” you say softly, smiling at the redhead.

She returns your grin, hopping over her counter with ease so that she can envelope you into a tight hug. You can’t help but giggle as you return the embrace, grateful to see her again.

“About damn time you visited,” she mumbles, pulling away but leaving a hand on your shoulder. “How’ve you been?”

You chuckle, shaking your head. “Well...I’m here.”

“I hear that,” she replies, patting your shoulder lightly. “Come on, have a seat.”

You nod, your initial plans slipping as you excitedly have a seat. You almost forgot how much you missed her.

She places your order, disappearing through the doors as you sip on your drink, suddenly feeling much lighter.

Minutes after she leaves, she returns. “Okay. Come on, let’s catch up. First things first...how’s the job?”

“It’s been...well, going great, actually,” you admit. “I got promoted to detective, and also I got appointed to be the leader of the crime prevention unit. I got partnered with another detective, so I still help with cases, but my main focus is now in that unit.”

“That’s great!” she cheers. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thank you,” you reply. “How about you? How’s all this going?”

“Honestly, about the same. Aside from needing a little more exposure, I can’t really complain. I have to say...I enjoy the quiet nights like this. It’s a good break from all the chaos, you know?”

“I get that,” you reply. “I’m glad it’s been all right, then.”

She nods, the conversation trailing off momentarily.

“How’s everything been since...?” she doesn’t finish her sentence, keeping her tone low.

You sigh, rubbing your forehead. “Honestly, I’ve been a wreck. I just tried not to show it, and then it all caught up to me, and it just...”

“I’m so sorry,” she murmurs, inching her hand across the table so that it envelops yours. You smile gratefully as she gives it a squeeze. “I know it’s been hard.”

You nod. “Yeah. I only just came to terms with how I was coping just last night.”

“I figured out what happened,” she admits.

“You did?”

“Well...only because I know what I know. On the news, I saw the ninja there, at the station, and then they said something about you having to leave before another detective took over your presentation. It didn’t take much for me to piece together what happened.”

“Yeah. I just...couldn’t bear to face him yet. He tried to talk to me, but I just burst into tears and ran to my car.”

“I don’t blame you,” she replies with a soft sigh. “You know...I don’t know whether this helps or not, but he still comes in. He still talks about you.”

“He does?”

“Yeah. Not one visit of his do I go without hearing your name. He asks if you’ve stopped by.”

You feel tears pricking your eyes, but you’re able to blink them away. “That’s the other thing. He texted me that night, and it just tore the rest of the wound open, you know?”

“Oh, babe...” she mumbles.

“And I just don’t know what to do,” you admit. “I really don’t. I miss him to pieces, but at the same time...I’m absolutely livid with him. Everything was fine until that morning. He lied to me about why he left. He didn’t wait to hear me out. Just left without another word. And now, here he is...trying to pry his way back into my life. Now I can’t decide if I just want to shove him out completely and move or if I want to talk to him first.”

She sighs, rubbing your knuckles comfortingly. “I know it’s hard. And I know, you’ve probably heard this in the time since it happened, but...you’re the only person who’s going to know what’s right for you. I can give you my opinion all I want, but that’s not going to affect its effect on you,” she replies.

“Yeah...I just feel like I’m completely torn. I don’t want to think about him anymore. But...part of me thinks that it’ll just...help if I can talk to him? I don’t know.”

“It’s completely fine to feel that way. Just take your time and don’t rush into a decision.”

You nod. “I guess that’s all I can do. But anyways, enough about me. How have you and Kai been?”

She shrugs with a sly smirk, noticing that your food is arriving on the conveyor belt. “Well enough, I suppose.”

You chuckle, snagging your plate greedily. “That’s good. How’s he been?”

“He’s been just fine. Hasn’t changed a bit. You haven’t talked to him?”

You shake your head as a surge of guilt courses through your stomach. “I kind of just...ghosted him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m glad he’s doing okay, though. I might try reaching out to him soon.”

“He’s been wondering about you,” she notes. “Even if you don’t reconcile with Cole, I think you should at least talk to Kai.”

“I think I will. I miss that bastard,” you mumble, recalling your fiery childhood friend of many, many years with a fond smile. Oh, how you’d missed his hotheadedness. “Damn. I owe him an apology. I shouldn’t have ignored him just because I was upset over Cole.”

“He’ll understand,” she assures. “Anyways. Let’s eat, yeah?”

…

From there, your conversation moves to more lighthearted topics. You eat your fill and end up sharing a dessert with her, eternally grateful you decided to dine in.

Soon enough, the two of you finish.

“Oh my stars, I’m stuffed,” you mumble, taking a second to stretch. “I forgot how amazing your food was.”

She laughs lightly. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house tonight. I’m glad you came back.”

“Skylor...”

“Seriously, don’t worry about it,” she replies with a knowing wink.

“Thank you,” you say, smiling gratefully.

It’s then you hear the bells jingling once more, signifying a new customer. You and Skylor not-so-subtly sneak a peek.

“Oh, hey!” you call, waving to Joseph.

Your partner speaks your name, returning your wave. “Oh! Fancy seeing you here!”

“That’s my partner,” you note to Skylor.

“Oh, got it,” she replies, the two of you standing up.

“I see we both had the same idea for tonight,” Joseph starts, grinning softly as you and Skylor go to stand next to him.

“Oh, I didn’t realize your partner would be one of my many regulars,” Skylor notes as she leans over the counter to yell at her employees: “Call-in for Joseph, yes utensils!”

“Heard!” you hear someone yelling as the sound of rustling bags emanates from the back.

“Anyways. It was fantastic catching up with you,” Skylor notes, bringing you in for a hug that you eagerly return. “Text me when you get home, okay?”

“I will. Thank you,” you mumble.

She nods as the two of you separate. “Of course.”

You watch as Joseph pays and receives his food, bidding Skylor goodnight as the two of you exit the restaurant together.

“Now, I realize your car isn’t here,” he initiates, turning to face you.

“Yeah,” you reply. “I just walked here because I needed some fresh air.”

“I understand that. May I walk you home? It’s dark out, now. Not that you won’t be okay, but, well...you know.”

“Right,” you say, chuckling slightly. “It’s fine, I’m down. I need to give you the case files anyways, so you’re welcome to eat at my place if you want.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he replies, grinning slightly. “Shall we?”

With that, you fall in step beside your partner, unaware of the figure lurking atop the roofs and aiming a pointed glare at your partner.

…

The next day, you finally feel well enough to get back to work – even when your friends encouraged you to take a short break.

But you can’t. Next week houses one of the biggest events this department has ever hosted before – and of course, you’re in charge of it all. You don’t have time to mope around because there’s just too much to do!

Besides, your day off seems to have helped immensely. Your mind is finally clear for the first time in...however long it’s been, with the fog lifted for the time being.

“And here, we have this emptied warehouse that would be, in terms of size, perfect for the event you want. Sitting on roughly sixteen-thousand square feet, it would be large enough to host your gathering,” states your realtor, Patty Keys.

“Oh, nice,” you mumble, stepping into the warehouse. You glance around, marking off your mental list of minimum requirements.

Lots of space? Check.

High ceiling? Check.

Second-story pathways that are open to the first floor? Check.

All right. So far, so good.

“This looks great so far,” you note. “How many separate rooms are in here?”

“There are six different rooms,” she answers.

“Perfect. And what would the damage be to rent this for four days?”

“It is slightly pricey, but we may be able to negotiate the owner's price to suit your budget,” she states.

You stray away from her slightly, looking around to see if you can get onto the overpass. You glance around, eventually finding a set of stairs in one of the back rooms.

“This is great. This way, the Royal Family can stay here without getting bombarded by the press,” you note, ascending the staircase. Your loud footsteps echo within the empty warehouse as you clamber up, finally hitting the top.

You study the metal walkway for a second, testing it out by stepping a foot onto it. It’s solid metal with no openings, thankfully. That was one of your fears considering this is going to be a formal event that’s bound to attract lots of heeled shoes and such.

You continue walking along. It’s sturdy, has and handrail, and seems perfect for announcing things to a large crowd.

“I think this is the one,” you call down to Patty. “How do I get a contract in?”

…

Once the contract is approved, you find yourself back at the police station packing one of the patrol trucks with a few foldable tables and chairs, a cooler filled to the brim with ice and water bottles, and a bag of miscellaneous items you know you’ll need.

“All right, everyone ready?” you call back to the community outreach squad – also known as the team you’ll be working with to pull this absolute beast of an event off. Oh, and Joseph too.

They respond in the affirmative.

“Great. We need to wait for the Commissioner to send us off. For now though, get in the truck but leave the windows open.”

A chorus of agreement sounds from the group before they pile into the truck. There’s not going to be enough room to fit all of you, so you designate a driver before hopping into the bed of the truck. Thankfully, the warehouse isn’t horribly far away.

“Mind if I join you?” Joseph calls, also climbing into the back.

“Of course not!” you reply, resting your side against the foldable tables. They’ve been secured by a fuck ton of bungee cords so you won’t get crushed. But hell, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, huh? Getting crushed, not having to deal with life. Not a bad trade.

“Thank you. I don’t feel like being smooshed in there,” he jokes, smiling lightly as he sits against the tables on the other side of the bed.

You nod in agreement. “Yeah. Also, it’s just fun to ride in the bed of a truck, you know?”

“I’ve never actually done it before,” he admits.

“Oh, well you’re gonna love it. There’s just something about it that’s really liberating,” you note.

“I’m excited to try it. Though, there was something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he responds.

“What’s up?”

“So, for this event...I heard that the ninja are coming the family,” he notes.

“Yeah. I was the one who invited them. It’s just the nature of the event, so I had to invite them. Even underneath the guise of the department’s email address,” you mumble, frowning lightly. “I can’t let my personal shit get in the way of other things.”

“I understand,” Joseph says.

You shrug, spotting the Commissioner coming out from the building. “I mean, if they’re bodyguarding the family, maybe that means I’ll be able to avoid him.”

At this rate, though, you’re not even sure if you want to avoid him.

“But yeah,” you finish. “At this point, I’m just going to keep doing what I do. Whatever happens is going to happen. He’s not going to take any more time away from me, though.”

“I’m glad to see you back to your old self,” Joseph states, smiling softly.

You return the smile before shifting your attention to the Commissioner. “Hey, Boss Man.”

“Good morning, everyone. Good to see you back and well,” he notes, offering a small smile. “I see you all are ready to get going.”

You nod. “Yeah. Just waiting on your statement.”

“Well, here it is. This event is going to be crucial for us – we're going to be meeting with Royal Family and the ninja in order to sign into law the first ever official partnership between our department, the Royal Family, and the ninja. This law is going to allow us all to communicate easier so we can share intelligence and resources to keep our city safe. That’s why I’m making this your top priority for this week. Everyone back here will handle the calls while you all get this set up. I’m counting on all of you.”

“You got it!” you say, grinning wickedly as the driver starts the truck, its engine blaring to life.

“Good! Now go make our department proud!”

…

“Epic, right?” you note to Joseph with wind-kissed skin as you hop out of the truck.

He nods in response, his hair – normally neat and professional – now slightly tousled. You giggle at the sight. “Yeah, it was fun!”

The rest of your team piles out, all glancing at the warehouse you’d selected for the event.

“So this is what we’re working with,” Joseph notes as he pulls the front doors open. They slide open creakily, but stay open much to your delight.

“Yeah. Believe it or not, it was the best find I could get,” you reply, walking to the back of the bed and pulling the gate down. From there, you climb into the truck. “All right, everyone, let’s get this unloaded. Just drop the tables anywhere.”

With that, you set about handing off the chairs to your team. Once that’s done, you unhook all of the bungee cords before handing the tables down to your teammates one-by-one. They carry them inside in pairs, propping them against the inner wall.

You push the cooler to the edge, watching as a squad member lifts it and carries it away. Whew, that should about do it. You snag your bag, making sure you got everything.

“That it?” Joseph questions, stepping towards the back of the truck.

You nod, gripping the bag in your non-dominant hand. “Yep.”

Joseph holds his hand out to you, which you take as you hop down from the truck. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” he replies, lifting the gate back up and locking it. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

The two of you follow the crew inside, all thankful to have some shelter from the grueling sun.

“Seeing this just makes me realize just how much we have to do. And you’re telling me we only have three days?”

“Really, we have two full days and until the evening of the event,” you correct. “Last day is for cleanup.”

“Damn,” you hear the guy mutter.

“Anyways, let’s get a table set up. If you want to sit, grab a folding chair.”

With that, you start unloading your bag as Joseph gets the table set up. You pull out your laptop, its charger, a stack of blank paper, some pens, a large Bluetooth speaker, and a pack of multi-colored markers.

Once Joseph has the table done, you set your belongings on top, taking a moment to thank him.

“Okay. So, let’s get started,” you announce, watching as everyone crowds around you before beginning your spiel:

“I’m not going to lie, guys – we have a lot to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. This whole meeting was kind of on short notice, which means we’re going to have to make do with what we have.

“Today our priority lies in getting food, drinks, music, and that kind of thing scheduled for the big day. Additionally, we need to clean this place up so we can start decorating. Commissioner said we’re free to use whatever we can find in the storage units, so let’s try to use what we can from there considering our budget is a little tight.

“I’m going to take a divide-and-conquer approach to this. Me, Joseph, and Jamie are all going to focus on finding services for the day of later today. Everyone else needs to get this joint more presentable. That means you’ll have to find the cleaning supplies that are in the storage unit. So, I’m going to let you guys borrow the key for that,” you note, flicking the key over to a member. “For now, we’re all going to pitch in for cleaning.”

“Okay, got it,” replies one of the members.

“Right now, I'm sending four people – I don’t care who – to the storage unit to grab whatever supplies you might find helpful. Take the truck and take note of everything that’s in there that you don’t bring back. The rest of us are going to set up the rest of the tables. I’m going to develop a rough station layout for the night of so we can plan our space accordingly. Sound like a plan?”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Excellent. Another note – we also have a lot of citizens academy participants who volunteered to help out the night of. That means we’ll be slightly more staffed when that time comes, so don’t get your panties into a twist just yet. We aren’t completely screwed.”

“Sounds good!”

“Excellent. I’ll be around if anyone has questions. For now though, the person who wins a quick rock-paper-clamp tournament gets to connect their phone to the speaker. You have five minutes to do that, then it’s go time.”

With that, you leave them to begin, Joseph following you.

“So, a question – are there going to be any citizens here?”

“A select few, I believe. Mostly reporters, you know. Like I said, some citizens from the academy are coming in to help too. For the most part, though, it’s going to be us, the Royal Family, the ninja, part of the department, and the press.”

“I see. So, a relatively small party, hm?”

“I’m not completely sure. I think some of the ninja’s allies are coming too, but I haven’t heard back from everyone just yet,” you reply. “Probably?”

“Interesting. I’m curious to see who all attends. And what will the dress code be?”

“Really formal. Like, black tie.”

“Oh, wow,” he notes. “So, we’re all going to have to get dressed up.”

“Yep.”

“Anyways, where do we start with the layout?”

…

After surveying the different rooms and debating on what should go where, you and Joseph finally manage to develop a rough layout.

“Whew,” you mumble, looking around. “I’m glad that’s done. Hopefully that’ll help us figure out what we’ll need and where for the time being.”

“I agree. Ah, looks like they’ve arrived with the cleaning supplies,” Joseph notes, causing you to turn your head towards the entrance. Sure enough, your co-workers are bringing in lots of brooms, mops, buckets, things like that.

“Now, it’s cleaning time. Yay.”

…

About two hours of vigorous cleaning passes. By the time you all have finished, though, the place looks so much better!

“Good job, everyone. Let’s take a break. Joseph and I are going to grab lunch for everyone, courtesy of the Commissioner. We’re going to Chen’s Noodle House to see if the owner’s willing to cater while we’re at it, so write down what you guys want.” You wave a blank sheet of paper and pen in the air before setting it on the table.

An excited chorus of agreement flurries from the team as they immediately go to write their orders down.

“Skylor mentioned the other night that she could use more exposure, so I hope this will be what she needs,” you note quietly to Joseph.

“I hope so too. She works hard.”

“All right, they’re all on here,” one of your co-workers notes, handing you the order.

“Awesome. In the meantime, make sure you guys are hydrating. You can discuss which station’s you’d like to work. We have the rough draft right on the table, there. Feel free to write on it. We’ll be back soon.”

…

The day passes by in a flurry of activity. Skylor agrees to provide the catering for your event, you and your team get the building prepared for what’s to come tomorrow.

You deem today a success as you watch your co-workers prepare to leave for the night. Joseph stands next to you, arms crossed.

“We did well today,” you note, opening your phone so that you can send a quick text to the Commissioner saying that you’re all done.

“We did,” he replies, grinning softly.

You sigh. Looks like tomorrow’s going to be pretty busy, but even so...well, it’ll be doable. You just have to stay focused and keep your team on track.

“Damn, I just realized I’m hungry,” you mumble. “We were so busy today that I didn’t notice until now!”

“How about we stop somewhere for dinner?” Joseph suggests. “I could eat too.”

“Sure thing!” you chirp, following him out.

The two of you drive back to the police station to drop the truck off. You brief the Commissioner on today’s events before outlining your plan for tomorrow. Upon getting his approval, you two bid him goodnight before heading to a local restaurant.

…

“Good evening. How are you guys doing?” greets the hostess as the two of you enter.

“We’re doing well, how about yourself?” Joseph responds.

“Doing just fine, thank you. Just two tonight?”

“Yep,” you answer. She nods, grabbing two menus before twirling around briskly. “If you’ll just follow me, please.”

The restaurant you two had agreed upon was a more casual upscale type of restaurant. Cozy decorations line the interior, the walls painted a soft yellow color. Eventually, you’re led to a table situated in a more secluded section. You’re still able to view other tables, but it provides a good bit of privacy for speaking.

“Here you are. Someone will be with you guys in just a moment,” the hostess states, setting your menus down. “I hope y’all enjoy.”

You both thank her as she walks away, both going to study the menu intently.

“This menu is kind of crazy,” you note, slightly surprised at all the options available. “They do anything from basic breakfast items to really fancy dishes.”

“I suppose that means there’s something for everyone?” your partner suggests.

After debating on what to get – and finally deciding – you place your orders and enjoy your beverage for the time being.

“My feet are killing me,” you note, leaning back in your chair as you stretch them slightly. “That was a long day.”

“I know. Tomorrow’s going to be even worse,” Joseph notes.

“At least it’s only a day,” you muse. “Then we can crash. Maybe.”

“I hope so,” your partner agrees. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. How are you doing?”

You smile softly, averting your gaze down to your fingers. “Better.”

“And you’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Nope. I really am feeling better since I talked with you guys. Skylor, too.”

“I see. In that case, I’m glad to hear it,” he says, smiling softly. “Regardless of what you decide to do, I hope it grants you healing.”

“Thank you, Joseph,” you mumble gratefully.

From there, the subject drifts to varying topics – anything from work to personal life aspects come up. At some point, you hear the hostess entering the section to seat another table – this one seemingly a little rambunctious judging by the amount of chatter and laughter – but don’t make a note of it until you feel a gaze lingering on your figure.

“Don’t look now,” Joseph begins, catching your attention. “But the ninja are here.”

“Are you shitting me.”

“I’m afraid not.”

You release a heavy sigh, leaning back for a second before shaking your head once. “You know what? I don’t care.”

Thankfully, your food arrives just in time. You thank the waiter, eagerly digging in as you push the others towards the back of your mind.

Even so, you can’t help but notice that feeling creeping back up on you. Like you can’t avoid him forever.

Thankfully, you can just pretend like you haven’t seen them considering you’re not even facing towards the group anyways.

As the minutes pass, you gradually begin to relax as you and Joseph strike up conversation once more. Joseph seems to take note of your slightly sunken mood, because he tosses a few jokes into the conversation, some of which get you laughing.

Eventually, the two of you deem it time to call it a day as you get ready to leave. You’re in the middle of double-checking that all of your belongings are somehow on your person when you make the mistake of looking up...

...and consequently locking eyes with none other than Cole!

You freeze, unable to look away for some reason. Unconsciously, you’re trying to decipher what he’s trying to tell you.

His green eyes are gazing into yours quizzically – his expression seems...hurt? Upset? That alone is enough to make you frown. Oh, he’s hurt? He’s upset?

Your scowl makes his stare almost...melt, in a way. Like he’s trying to apologize. Like he’s begging you to give him a chance to talk things out.

And damn, you forgot just how convincing his puppy-dog stare could be. You forgot how readable his expressions are. Even with your will whittling down the slightest bit, you harden your gaze before feeling Joseph’s arm slipping around your shoulders.

“Let’s get you home,” you hear him mumble, guiding you out of the restaurant. You oblige with no rejection, electing to ignore Cole’s stare once more.

…

After finally getting home for the night, you bid your partner goodbyes before going about your nightly routine.

A soft sigh escapes you as you step into your room, now in your jammies as you jump onto your bed, grateful to be home. You make yourself comfortable before pulling your phone out.

Ah. You should’ve seen this coming.

Awaiting you on your home screen resides a notification from Kai:

Swallowing nervously, you swipe the chat open.

Don’t act like you didn’t see us there tonight.

And don’t you dare ghost me again, either. It’s been long enough. We need to talk.

A shaky sigh escapes you. The fact he’s texting with decent grammar for once is enough to tell you he’s serious. And also, well...right.

You: Okay. You’re right.

Kai: Ofc I am.

Kai: Why haven’t you responded?

You: Idk...scared. I haven’t been okay ever since you know.

Kai: I get that. But you didn’t have to stop talking to me.

You: I’m sorry

Kai: u always do this

Kai: whenever u start feeling vulnerable u push people out of ur life

Okay. Grammar is back to bad. You’re getting somewhere.

You: I know

Kai: and im not gonna tell him anything

Kai: u know that right

Kai: i feel like u think im gonna tell him what you say in our convos but i wouldnt do that

Kai: i still value ur friendship. wouldn't sacrifice ur privacy for his benefit.

You: I think that’s what I was afraid of

You: I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking rationally and just stopped talking altogether bc I was too scared to address it

Kai: its fine but just know im here for u whenever

Kai: pls just dont ddo that again

Kai: i was getting worried but i saw u on the news not long after

Kai: kinda realized you were using ur typical coping mechanism. throwing urself into work and shit until u cant feel anymore. i decided to just give u time

You: Yep. Pretty much

Kai: he tried textng again right

You: Yeah. He sent me a long ass paragraph and now I have no idea how to respond. Or if I should even respond

You: Did he tell you what happened

Kai: yes

Kai: im sorry

Kai: hes smart but also dumb af sometimes

That gets you giggling slightly as you start texting your reply.

You: Yeah

Kai: how are u feeling about it all

Kai: i noticed u were with some guy tonight

Kai: coworker? new bf?

You: He’s my partner

You: And idk. Pretty mixed for the most part. I kind of want to talk to him, I kind of don’t.

Kai: yea i get that

Kai: i think hes jealous lol

You: fr??

Kai: def

Kai: he was pissed all night when we got back

Kai: went to the punching bag and all

You: wow

Kai: ikr

Kai: do u miss him?

You: I do, honestly. I miss him a lot. I’m just really pissed bc he never really told me why he left. Until he sent me that paragraph and now I just...

You: from what he said recently it seems like he didnt think i could protect myself and that really hurt me considering how much we both trained together

You: idk

You: I’ve kind of been a mess lately

You: I’m also scared that I might impulsively go back to him just bc I miss him and ignore what he did without addressing it properly

Kai: i understand all of that

Kai: well heres my opinion

Kai: i think u should talk to him. in person

Kai: itll help u both

Kai: but if u dont, then thats not my place to judge

Kai: if ur scared about the impulsive aspect then give it like a few days to clear ur head before u do it

Kai: but just from seeing his reaction paired w what u just told me makes me think that might be best for both of u

You: Okay

You: I’ll think about it

You: Thank you

Kai: ofc

You smile, continuing to chat with him about other things until late into the night. The chat ends with the two of you agreeing to meet up sometime.

Before you go to bed, though, you notice a new message from Cole:

Please?

That’s all. Not another long paragraph. Just that one message that manages to tug at your heartstrings.

Your fingers hover over the keyboard, wondering if you should respond. After a few minutes of debate, you settle on a simple response:

Maybe.

Despite not receiving a message back, you go to sleep with a slightly lighter heart.

…

The next day approaches faster than you like. You find your alarm blaring after what only feels like seconds of closing your eyes.

A half-asleep groan escapes you as you angrily fumble for your phone, wanting the alarm off. Once you manage to turn it off, you sigh heavily and rub your eyes.

Ugh. The worst part.

Why does waking up suck? Early mornings are your favorite shift to work, but why must it be so hard to drag yourself out of bed?

You manage to do it a few minutes later, reluctantly going about your morning routine. At one point, you check your phone, noticing no new notifications.

Hmmm. Okay.

Once you’re finished getting ready, you gather all your belongings before heading out, ready to brave whatever the day holds for you.

…

“All right, keep it moving! We’ve got lots to do!” you call, your voice echoing throughout the warehouse as your team rushes to make preparations.

Explicit music blares throughout the warehouse as you all set up the tables, decorations, and miscellaneous items. A faux floor of sorts had been installed to give the place a fancier look – rather than just plain concrete – and peel-away wallpaper now lines the walls, with red curtains draping down the sides from place to place. Those two improvements alone have made the place feel more elegant.

Now, tables are being set up along the perimeter. Some are for the vendors, some are for the media, and others are for lounging.

This isn’t just going to be historic signing of a law – this is also going to be a celebration. It’s going to be an event commemorating the cooperation of Ninjago’s most influential figures in order to provide the citizens a better future. It must go well. You can’t mess this up.

Now, you’re helping set up a large, wooden backdrop that contains a pretty, realistic painting of a surreal Ninjago. You grit your teeth as you help push up a rather heavy backdrop – for photos – against one of the corners. Your muscles strain to hold it while one of your teammates locks the base down, effectively securing it up. You release it with a sigh of relief, backing away.

“Whew,” you mumble, taking a second to wipe the sweat off of your forehead. “Okay. That looks better.”

“That marks the last of the furniture that we have to set up. Well, aside from chairs, but we’re doing that tomorrow, right?”

You nod. “Yeah. Looks like we’re about done with that part. Okay, let’s shift our attention to the decorations now. I don’t care how you do it, just make this place look prettier!”

“You got it!” they respond, heading over to the (rather large) mound of boxes that have been stashed into the corner for the time being.

You take a moment to stretch your shoulders, knowing you’re going to be sore as hell tomorrow. You’ve never really done this much heavy lifting before.

You’re wiping off the sweat on your forehead with a damp towel when you spot Joseph entering with a brisk pace, face taut. You frown, wondering what’s wrong.

“What is it?” you ask as he approaches you.

“We have a slight problem,” he notes as the two of you turn towards the back of the warehouse. “So...the Commissioner called me like...five minutes ago because he couldn’t get ahold of you. And, to make a long story short, the Royal Family and ninja are both coming to get a look at the place and maybe rehearse their speech.”

Your jaw drops. You can’t meet with the Royal Family right now! Not only are you out-of-uniform and wearing casual clothes, but you’re also sweaty, gross, and exhausted. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m in no state to be meeting them! I have to-”

Joseph raises his hands in alarm, trying to quiet you down. You do so, wondering why he’s shushing you.

Your answer comes to you when you turn around.

Before you are none other than the Royal Family themselves, paired with the ninja surrounding them. Your jaw drops slightly as you realize that the explicit music is still playing, and that they definitely heard you cuss just now.

“Oh,” you mumble, grateful when Joseph subtly takes your phone out of your pocket to pause the music. “Uh...hi?”

The Princess is the first to step up, a gentle smile gracing her face as she giggles slightly. “Hello.”

“Uh...hey, everyone. Sorry that all of this is still a mess, and that I’m a mess-”

“Please don’t worry about it,” she replies. “We do not mind.”

You sigh, rubbing your forehead as you try to avoid catching Cole’s gaze. “I apologize. Normally I’m more...composed, I guess. We’ve just been busy trying to get everything set up.”

“Like I said, you’re completely fine. I understand this has been a stressful project – especially under such short notice – but we greatly appreciate the time you’ve dedicated to bringing our vision to light.”

“Oh, well...thanks,” you say, smiling as you relax slightly. “I promise you, though – it'll be way more civilized tomorrow.”

“Perhaps I could show them around?” Joseph offers. “That way we can get them acquainted with the layout.”

You nod. “Go ahead.”

With that, you back away silently as the group follows Joseph, eyes widening when Kai lingers back with a small grin.

“Hey,” he starts, mask pulled down for the time being.

You smile softly. “Hey.”

“Dammit, give me a hug!” he states, immediately coming in to embrace you. You giggle against his shoulder, returning the embrace. It’s been forever since you’ve inhaled that oddly smoky yet soothing scent of his.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble, voice muffled as you relax against him.

“It’s in the past,” he notes. With your ear pressed against his chest, you can hear his heart beating. “I’m just glad we’re talking again.”

You nod, gaze becoming glassy as your throat tightens. How could you have just stopped talking to him so suddenly?

Kai pulls away slightly, still looking at you. “I know we’re both working right now, but we should catch up soon.”

Another nod racks your head. “Yeah, I agree.”

“Do you have an outfit planned for the ball yet?” he questions.

“Not yet. I’ve been so busy doing all of this that it completely slipped my mind,” you admit.

“Let’s go shopping for one, then. I’ll help you pick one out.”

Oh, thank the stars. Kai has superior taste in fashion. You’re saved.

“Thank you,” you mumble.

He nods, patting your shoulder a few times. “Of course. Text me later. I guess we’ll have to do it tonight considering the event’s tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

…

Thankfully, the rest of the shift goes by without much else of note occurring. Joseph keeps the visitors busy while you finish up the day’s preparations by guiding your team. You catch Cole’s eye every now and then, but...yeah. Nothing really happens.

Now, you’re about to leave the warehouse, taking a moment to run through your mental checklist of everything that you had to get done today. After verifying it’s all good to go, you pack all of your belongings before heading out.

Not to your surprise, you spot Kai leaning against the exterior wall, arms folded. Upon hearing you exit, he turns to you.

You chuckle as you approach him. “So, no text then?”

“Nah. Your partner mentioned that you’d be here until this time, so I just thought I’d cut to the chase and meet you here if that’s okay. Besides, we only have like two hours before the shop closes.”

“Good. That means you won’t have time for your bullshit,” you note as the two of you approach your car.

“What bullshit?”

“You just take so much longer than necessary when it comes to shopping,” you recall with a teasing smile. “Especially for other people who need your advice.”

“That’s not bullshit. That’s just the process!” he retorts, sliding into the passenger seat.

“If you say so.”

…

This is kind of a nightmare.

You groan, stepping out of the dressing room for what must be the thousandth time, in yet another dress. Kai frowns, staring at you in scrutiny.

“No.”

“Wow. What a surprise. Dude, we’re not gonna find anything!” you say, feeling awkward in the poofy dress that’s beginning to itch. “I’m just gonna go in my uniform!”

“No, you’re not! Come on, I have another one in mind that we can try,” he says.

“Kai...”

He holds a hand up, expression telling you that he won’t take no for an answer. “Again!”

You release a groan equivalent to that of a frustrated young child, marching back into the changing room. “How the fuck do I even take this thing off?”

You’re met with silence. A sigh escapes you as you tug the gown off, changing back into your undershirt and pants before you open the door.

Somehow, Kai has returned with three additional dresses, all vastly different. You shake your head in disbelief. He’s not human when it comes to this stuff!

He snatches the discarded gown and hands you a new one. “I think one of these three is going to be it!”

“I hope so. The store’s gonna close soon!”

“Try it!” he demands, closing the door on you.

With that, you strip (again) and hesitantly pull the dress on.

Okay, you know what? This one isn’t as bad. Unlike the previous dresses, this one checks two boxes – it compliments both your figure and your personality. The others had either only checked one or neither areas. It’s not itchy, not too tight or too loose...

You observe your reflection for a moment before turning to open the door. Kai immediately studies your figure.

“That one...” he mumbles, finally smiling in approval. “That one is it.”

“You think so?”

“If you like it, then yeah. It’s perfect,” he elaborates.

“I’ll take it,” you note exasperatedly. “Finally!”

“See, that wasn’t so bad!” Kai says.

“It was.”

“Oh, shut the hell up,” he scolds, smacking your arm lightly as you snicker. “Now, get changed so we can check out.”

You oblige, especially when an announcement plays over the speaker stating that there are fifteen minutes left until closing.

The checkout goes smoothly, and soon enough you find yourself driving back home with Kai.

“Thanks. I know I gave you a lot of shit, but I enjoyed that and appreciate your help.”

“Of course. I missed hanging out with you like that.”

“So did I.”

“By the way, do you want a ride? I just realized-”

“Nah, I can summon a dragon at will now, remember?”

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’m still not quite used to you being...well, a ninja. With powers.”

He chuckles lightly. “Yeah, I get that.”

A sudden silence falls between the two of you. Kai stares out of the window, studying the dark sky intently as you merge onto the road that will lead you home.

“It’s been so long,” he muses, voice soft as he doesn’t move. “I just...I feel like I haven’t really proceessed how much has changed, you know? Last time I saw you, we were both back in Ignacia together. Nya wasn’t kidnapped. I didn’t even realize that I was the Master of Fire...”

“I know,” you mumble. “And now...you’re a ninja. I’m a detective.”

“Yeah,” he muses, chuckling. “If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you meet Cole anyway?”

A dreamy smile crosses your face as you recall the memory. “Well, I was interning with the commissioner at the time. I was accompanying him on an investigation at the theatre where he and his dad would always perform in. One night, there was a case of grand larceny there. We were interviewing all of the members there...and he was one of the witnesses. Because, you know-”

“His sleep schedule’s fucked?”

You chuckle, nodding. “Yeah. He was there at like two-thirty in the morning when the robbers arrived and ended up getting out so he could contact the police. So, he told us all of that. And his testimony is what actually enabled us to recognize the culprits. And when the perpetrators were arrested, and everything blew over...well, we kept talking. And eventually we started dating.”

“Aw,” Kai mumbles. “That’s sweet.”

“Yeah. I wish it hadn’t ended like it did.”

“You miss him?”

“More than anything,” you reply quietly, turning into your driveway. “The first few weeks of the breakup was just...it was horrible.”

The two of you exit the car, Kai grabbing your dress – now covered in plastic – before you lock your car.

“He was really happy that you texted back,” he states as he follows you inside.

“But I just said ‘maybe’.”

“He didn’t seem to care. He was just happy you responded.”

You take your new dress from him, deciding to lay it flat out on the table for the time being. “I guess I’ll try to talk to him soon, then. But what the hell am I supposed to say?”

“Just let it happen. It’ll come naturally,” Kai advises as the two of you sit down on the couch together.

“I hope so,” you mumble. “I know he’s going to be there tomorrow...”

“Then you should do it sometime after the event,” Kai says. “The sooner, the better.”

You nod. “I feel like the reason I’ve been pushing it all away is because I’m just...scared. Really scared.”

Kai leans forward, setting his elbows on his knees. “You know it’s okay to be scared, right? He’s going to be equally as nervous as you are. Maybe even more.”

You shrug. “It feels like I shouldn’t be scared. Like I should be angrier than I actually feel.”

“Well, don’t force yourself to feel one way or another. Just embrace what you think about the situation, discuss what you’re upset about, and see what happens,” Kai replies.

“Hm...okay. I’m just overthinking this. All right. Thanks, Kai. But enough about that, how’ve you been? How’s Nya? How do you like being a ninja?”

“I’ve been pretty great, honestly. She’s good too, been inventing a lot more stuff now that we don’t have to worry about the shop and all that. And being a ninja is pretty epic – I don’t have to think too hard. Just fight. Take down the bad guys, you know.”

You chuckle in response. “That’s fair.”

“Oh damn, you need to meet the rest of my team sometime!” he adds, perking up slightly.

“What are they like?”

“Well, Cole’s our leader. Jay’s an inventor. Dude will not shut up, but he’s great for lightening up the mood. Zane is the brains of the group. Really quiet but super smart. Nya also helps out too – she builds a lot of mechs and stuff.”

“Good for her. I’m glad she finally got to explore her interests more,” you note with a small smile.

The two of you talk some more, the time eventually ticking late into the night.

…

“I feel awkward,” you mumble.

“We all do, trust me,” Joseph replies, chuckling as the two of you duck into the room where your team is waiting, the civilian volunteers welcoming all of tonight’s guests.

You sigh, taking a moment to adjust your dress. Hopefully this thing won’t be too great of an inconvenience tonight.

“Okay!” you announce once you’re settled. “So! The plan for tonight is as follows: the Royal Family is being escorted by the ninja, and they’re supposed to be here in about fifteen minutes. Until then, we just need to make sure everything is in order. From there, I have to give a speech with the commissioner, then they have to do the signing, all that stuff. There’s gonna be more speeches. Yay. Just make sure the place doesn’t burn down while I’m off doing all that. I’m only scheduled for one speech so I’m gonna try to slip away while I can to help out.”

“Sounds like a plan!” a teammate yells, with the others speaking their agreements.

“Epic. If there are no questions, then let’s get this started.”

With that, the group disperses. You exit the room, deciding to check out the miscellaneous stands that are scattered about the perimeter.

Of course, the first place you have to check out is Skylor’s stand.

Thankfully, it’s not horribly crowded yet. You glance around, proud of all the hard work you and your team did in order to make this a reality. It’s crazy how much you can get done in so little time.

You make your way across the warehouse, eventually spotting Skylor – jaw nearly dropping as you stop to take in her dress – a floor-length one that’s a vibrant shade of orange. Its back is open with crisscrossed straps, and it features a little bit of sparklies on it too.

“Skylor!” you yell, coming over to her. “You look absolutely stunning!”

“There you are,” she notes, smiling as you step over. “Thanks, you do too.”

“Kai picked mine out,” you reply, practically drooling as you spot the amount of food she brought. “Oh, this all smells fantastic...”

“You’re welcome to have some anytime,” she notes, offering a smile as she gestures to the mounds of catering pans. “And, Kai?”

You nod. “Yeah. We met up last night, and he picked this dress out for me.”

“Good! I’m happy that you guys were able to catch up.”

“Yeah,” you mumble. “I’ll try to tell you about that later, though. For now, I have to check on everyone, though. I just thought I’d check in with you first.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because you’re my favorite.”

She chuckles. “Well, I’m flattered.”

“I’m glad. I gotta check on the others, but I’ll talk to you later!”

With that, she waves you goodbye as you step over to where the media’s stand is. You notice Gayle Gossip sitting down, scribbling away at a piece of paper and dressed in a lovely dusty pink dress that compliments her normal style.

“Hi, Gayle,” you greet, approaching slowly. “How is everything? Did your setup go okay?”

“Hello,” she replies, not glancing up from what’s likely her script. “It was fine, thank you.”

“Glad to hear it,” you note, stepping away when you get the feeling she wants to be left to her writing. You nod in greeting towards her camera crew, who smile in return.

The other vendors in the area seemed to have a relatively smooth setup, as you learn. More people are beginning to trickle in now. When you glance at the time on your phone, you notice that it’s just about time for the Royal Family to arrive.

That thought in mind, you rush to the side door, where they’re supposed to arrive. The stifled sound of engines shutting off catches your attention.

You take a deep breath, reminding yourself to remain professional as you open the door to glance out.

Sure enough, all of them have arrived as scheduled. Doing your best to keep a blank expression, you watch in silence as the Royal Family steps out of their disguised vehicle, the ninja in suit. And quite literally, at that.

All of them have been decked out in fancy, customized tuxedos that match their respective colors. You avert your gaze from Cole, doing your best to ignore how handsome he looks.

“Right this way, everyone,” you announce, stepping back inside so that they can follow you towards their designated waiting room.

“I’m so excited to see how everything turned out!” the Jade Princess notes as you close the door behind the last person.

“I hope it’s all to your liking,” you reply, smiling smally as you stand in front of everyone. “In any case, the commissioner is about to open with his speech in the next ten minutes or so.”

“What will the layout for tonight’s event look like?” the Emperor questions.

“So, commissioner’s going to give a speech, I’m going to give a speech, and at the end of that you guys will come up and make your speech. And then the signing will happen, then the actual ceremony.”

“That sounds like a plan for us.”

“Fantastic. One of my teammates will show you all to the staircase when it’s about time for you guys to make your appearance. Until then, just hang out in here. I’ve got to join the commissioner for the first bit, but I’ll try to hunt you all down later. If you have any questions, my partner will probably be floating around at some point.”

…

You swallow nervously, feeling eyes boring into you as you stand next to the commissioner as he gives his speech. Hopefully your discomfort isn’t horribly blatant.

“Tonight marks a historic date that will forever solidify our abilities to cooperate with each other in order to make Ninjago a safer place,” the commissioner says into the microphone. “But none of this would have been possible without my second-in-command and leader of our crime prevention department...” his name leaves your mouth, and for a moment your mind gets stuck on the fact that he just said “second-in-command".

You have no time to be surprised though, so instead you just plaster on that smile of yours before stepping up towards the microphone. You pull out your speech outline from the pocket of your dress, earning an obligatory “it-has-pockets!” from a random woman in the crowd.

“I know, right?” you reply into the microphone with a snicker, causing the audience to chuckle as well. You take a second to introduce yourself before beginning your speech:

“So, I pretty much planned this whole thing within the span of three days with a little bit of preliminary planning beforehand. I hope it turned out to be okay?”

A round of cheering answers your question. “I’ll take that as a yes! But, though, in all seriousness, I just wanted to thank the Royal Family for coming out here on such short notice, and for dealing with my shenanigans. Because, let me tell you, I’ve been running on like eight energy drinks, maybe two hours of sleep, and a dream-”

Another chuckle.

“-And their patience has been much appreciated. I’ve been leading this department for almost a year now, and of all the challenges I’ve tackled, this one is probably the most pressing. You ever hear the phrase ‘communication is key’? Well, as it turns out, it’s not just true for that wack couple’s failing marriage-”

More chuckles!

“-But it also holds a lot of truth within both our department and between the other two agencies here tonight. We all serve vastly different purposes, but ultimately our goal is the same: to protect you. Ninjago has proven itself to be a high-risk target, and in some circumstances, we just cannot afford to lose time to rules that limit what intelligence we share. So, I’ve decided that our best solution is to simply get rid of the ones that inhibit our communication during emergencies. You’d be surprised at how critical the little details are.

“This legislation will not only enable us to share information, but it also protects the citizens’ privacy. We have, at last, struck a balance between the two.”

A round of applause emanates from the crowd, causing you to smile as you patiently wait for it to subside. “Thank you. Lastly, I just would like to take a second to thank the community outreach department and the CPA for helping out. These people were out here helping me set everything up from dawn until dusk. Please take a moment to thank them if you see them, because I would have burned the place down by now had it not been for them.”

The audience laughs again, this time following with a round of applause. “And without further ado, I introduce to you none other than the Royal Family. Get on up here!”

…

The signing goes flawlessly, much to your relief. You’re finally able to step away soon after, walking around as the orchestra restarts the music and initiates a dance.

You spy the Princess and her parents walking about the area, talking to various people. It’s good to see them be a little involved with the community for once. It seems as if the ninja are taking turns accompanying the three, going in pairs. The rest are scattered about, doing their own thing for the time being.

The commissioner is doing the same thing – just floating around and talking to people. You exhale sharply, glad that tonight hasn’t been a disaster. You’re starting to relax slightly.

“May I have this dance?”

You turn to face the source of the voice, finding Joseph standing across from you as he offers you his hand.

A giggle escapes you as you take his hand, allowing him to pull you onto the dance floor.

“You did such a great job putting all of this together,” he notes as the two of you begin to sway together.

“Thank you,” you reply. “I’m really glad it turned out all right.”

“I knew it would with you in charge. Oh, and didn’t you hear the commissioner? He called you his second-in-command!”

Your heart begins to race as you smile, nodding eagerly. “Yeah! I need to ask him about that.”

He’s about to reply when your eyes shift over his shoulder, suddenly freezing when you lock eyes with Cole, who’s leaning against the wall with folded arms as he studies the two of you.

“What is it?” Joseph questions, stopping for a moment.

“Uh...” you trail off, averting your gaze. “It’s just Cole...”

“Ah,” he notes, twirling you so that your back faces Cole. “I see.”

You don’t reply, instead focusing on keeping up with the dance. Joseph follows suit in your silence, instead continuing the dance.

You do your best to ignore Cole, tuning into the rhythm of the music. Kind of ironic – he was the one who taught you how to dance like this. Your heart sinks slightly at that thought.

Eventually, you’re able to tune your thoughts out better. You enjoy your dance with Joseph, smiling and closing your eyes when he begins to twirl you around. His hands leave yours as you spin.

You elect to engage your mind in the present, enjoying the spinning sensation that accompanies your closed eyes. It stumbles to a halt when your hands return to his.

But...something’s different.

The hands are larger. Calloused. Familiar. Heart skipping a beat, you open your eyes.

The first thing your gaze lands on are those spearmint green eyes that you’ve come to miss.

Cole pulls you to his chest, the grip on your hands gentle but firm enough so that you can’t slip away so easily.

Your eyes widen as he not-so-subtly pulls you away from Joseph.

“You can’t avoid me forever.”

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚒 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗. 𝚒 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍. 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚒'𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚜, 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚎𝚝𝚌…𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘, 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗; 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘.

[circus4apsycho8]

Hello, I hope you are doing well. I was wondering could you write love crossover Cole x supernatural story, where reader is a hunter who dated him when they went to Marty Oppenheimer School until one day he suddenly left without saying a word. When she finds Cole she was hurt to find out that he left on purpose.Walking home she got attacked by monster but Dean saved her, and she decided to become hunter too. Couple of years later she was working on a case when she gets arrested by ninja.

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘! 𝚒 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘! 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚞𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚛! 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒'𝚖 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚛. 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎. 𝚒 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝!

according to plan. | cole x reader | chapter i

Since when had he grown to despise the sunrise?

Splashes of orange melt into vibrant hues of pink and yellow, beckoning the sun to serve another day. Sleepiness riddles Cole’s eyelids as he rests his forehead on the rails of the Bounty, staring at the clouds below as his feet dangle precariously off the edge. A chilly breeze sweeps through his hair, eliciting a chill across his skin as he faces the sunrise once more. 

The black-haired boy sighs, pulling his hoodie tighter around him. The fabric is thinner than that of his gi, making for worsened protection from the cold. In a strange way, though, part of him finds the cold refreshingly numbing. Today bears an event he has been dreading for a long time, but it appears that karma has reared its ugly face in order to force him to face his past. 

Clutched in his right palm lies a ring – nothing fancy, or even real for that matter. Just a cheap, plastic ring painted with a metal-textured silver paint with its imposter of a gem comprised of a purple shade resembling that of amethyst. 

He chuckles quietly, the sight of the ring triggering one of the many lines he had spent so much time perfecting: 

“With this ring... I ask you to be mine,” he quotes quietly, flipping the object around in his grasp. He never thought a painted piece of plastic could bear so much meaning to him. Yet, here he is, ruefully reflecting on the memories this ring brings back. 

“Ready?” calls Kai, interrupting his moment of quiet. Cole nods, taking a moment to stretch before standing and slipping the ring in his pocket. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Cole replies. Having to fake the whole Marty Oppenheimer thing had been hard for him to do. Now, having to face his dad in person? With his team members? That brings a whole other element to the charade. 

“You okay, man? You’ve been kind of off lately,” Jay questions as the four prepare to jump. 

“I haven’t seen my dad since I ran away. Part of me is wondering if I’ll really be able to keep up the act,” Cole answers. “We didn’t exactly leave off on good terms, you know.” 

Well, it’s not entirely a lie, at least. He couldn’t have them knowing the entire truth. Not until he knows himself. 

“In that case, what are we waiting for?” Kai questions. With that, Cole grabs the weapon case resting at the center of the Bounty deck before the four leap over the edge of the Bounty, losing themselves to the adrenaline rush that follows.   

...      

“Alright. Hand them over.” 

“Ah-ah. But no mortal shall possess all four,” Jay quips with a chuckle, setting his nunchucks inside the case. 

“Very funny,” Cole mumbles, rolling his eyes as the others set their respective weapons in as well. 

“You wanna remind me again why we can't keep our weapons?” Kai questions, hesitantly eyeing the case as Cole snaps it shut. 

“I told you, my dad can't find out I'm a ninja. And I don't feel like making up excuses why I'm carrying a giant scythe around with me. Just remember the plan: we find out who has the Fangblade trophy, we snatch it, and then we get the heck out of town.” 

With that, Cole turns towards his childhood home, a whelm of mixed emotion coursing throughout him as he approaches the door. How long has it been...? 

Well, there’s no point in putting it off. Shoving his fears away, he knocks on the door. It’s going to suck no matter how he approaches this, so he might as well just power through.   

“Just a moment!” calls the familiar voice of his dad. Cole swallows, free hand fidgeting at his shirt.   

Sooner than he likes, the door swivels open to reveal Lou. Upon first glance, he hasn’t changed much – just a little bit older, is all. Cole notices that Lou bears a cane, on which he is leaning. Is he hurt? 

“Hey, dad. How long has it been?” Cole greets, the happy hint to his tone sounding painfully forced. 

“What? You too good for the doorbell?” Lou questions sternly, slamming the door shut. 

“Uh...” 

“Use. The bell. Son.” 

Rolling his eyes, Cole pushes the button. He knows one thing for sure – he's dreading his father’s stupid antics. 

“Welcome!” sings the doorbell in the unmistakable tone of The Royal Blacksmiths. That was one of many aspects of Cole’s childhood that he didn’t miss – hearing that damned quartet practice over and over again. 

Once more, the door swings open. “Haha! Come on in, son. It's been forever. What did you bring? A quartet? Come in, come in. I've got a kettle of lemon honey tea on the stove right now.” 

… 

“Alright, time for a break. Take five,” Lou instructs, exiting the room. 

“Uh, I'm starting to see why Cole is so closed off. It's cause twinkle toes here couldn't deliver the goods. Is that why you ran away?” Jay questions as the four file into the living room. Cole sticks towards the couch as the other three study all of the pictures lined up on the wall, eyeing each one carefully. 

“Oh, I could deliver the goods. Look, I'll deal with my father, but let's stick with the plan. All we have to do is keep this charade long enough until we can get our hands on the trophy.” 

“I don't know. I'm starting to think we can win this thing,” Jay suggests, smirking. Cole merely grunts, the idea of having to go on stage again making him want to vomit. “Okay, okay. We'll stick to the plan!” 

“Hey, Cole?” 

The group silences, all turning to face Kai. The brunet is staring at one of the pictures on the wall, pointing to it. 

“Who’s that?” 

Cole frowns, making his way over to Kai. Soon enough, the picture frame comes into focus as his heart drops. 

Within the picture is a younger Cole, dressed in a costume as he hugs a girl around his age. Cole’s stomach drops at the image, face softening as guilt creeps throughout his being. 

“Who is she?” Jay repeats as Cole sits down, the three crowding him with expectant stares.  

“Just...an old friend of mine,” he mumbles, averting his gaze to the floor. Kai, Jay and Zane all exchange questioning glances, silently deciding to drop the topic for the time being. 

“Alright, I’ve got you four registered for tomorrow!” declares Lou as he re-enters the room. “Now, get back to it!” 

… 

After what can only be described as hours of torment, Lou finally finishes the boys’ lessons for the day. The ninja groan as the four pile into Cole’s old room. 

“That was horrible,” Jay whines, flopping onto Cole’s bed. “My feet...they hurt...”  

“How are we going to be able to walk tomorrow?” Kai questions, sitting across from Jay. 

“I do not see how we will be fully prepared to perform tomorrow under these circumstances,” Zane notes. “We have not had nearly enough practice!”   

Cole sighs as he looks around, ignoring his team for a moment. Well, at least nothing in his room had changed. His dad at least cared enough to keep everything tidy while he had been gone.   

“Wow, Cole. You’re a lot nerdier than you let on,” Jay comments, causing Cole to spin around. He notices that Jay has migrated towards his bookshelf, pointing at the Earth Ninja’s rather packed display. It’s filled with books of all genres. Ranging from wild fantasy novels to play scripts and nonfiction, Cole seems to have a little bit of everything. Garnishing the shelf are various crystals and geodes he had found as a kid during his adventures in the woods. He’d always had a knack for finding pretty rocks and crystals. 

“Shut up,” Cole mumbles. 

“Such a wide variety,” Zane notes as he examines the shelf. “Although, I am most curious – why do you have so many scripts? Did you act at all during your time here?” 

“Yeah, I did. A lot,” Cole answers. 

“Let’s see...of course there’s Shakespeare, Homer, Sophocles...” Jay trails off at the mention of the last one before cringing. “Hopefully you didn’t act out Oedipus Rex.” 

"Jay, do you really think they would let people perform that one in a family-friendly theater?” 

“You have a point.” 

“Also, I didn’t act out every single one up there. I read a lot of plays too,” Cole clarifies. 

Jay nods, continuing to read. “Disney plays...oh, cool, Corpse Bride?”  

Cole remains silent, electing to stare out his window instead. Maybe there’s still something he could do...? 

The three ninja glance at each other, Kai shaking his head at Jay. Zane steps forward, resting a hand on Cole’s shoulder. 

“Cole, what is the matter? You have not been yourself today.” 

“Just thinking,” Cole answers. “It hasn’t been easy for me to return, you know.” 

“Can we help at all?” Jay asks as the three come to sit by him at the window. 

“I’ll be okay. Let’s just sleep for now, yeah?” 

With that, the four go for a round of rock-paper-clam to settle on sleeping arrangements. But Cole knew his brothers – and he used their answers to his advantage. Jay claimed Cole's old bed, Kai slept on the couch, and Zane insisted that he was fine on the floor. 

Cole, however, had no intention of sleeping. Tonight would be the night that he made things right, no matter how scared he got. 

Well, one positive of Lou’s intense rehearsal session meant that his brothers would fall asleep rather quickly. Soon enough, his teammates’ soft snores and breaths fill the room. Cole creeps through his room, unlocking the hinges of the window before clambering out and shutting it. Just like he used to. 

Immediately, he shudders. His gi is no match for the biting cold, but he wastes no time in hopping off of the ledge and dashing across the rooftops, the familiar path gently jogging his muscle memory. Deep down, he knew he would never forget the way. 

He arrives soon enough, leaping down onto the ground gracefully as he surveys the building in front of him. 

It’s nothing special – just a one-story house. It looks a little bit different than he remembers – less lively. Not taken care of. Cole frowns, approaching the front door as a wary feeling skitters over him. 

His heart skips a beat when he sees the “NO TRESPASSING” sign up front, the door slightly ajar. 

“She’s...not here anymore?” he wonders to himself quietly as his heartbeat increases. He pushes the door open, listening as it silently creaks open. 

An oppressive atmosphere settles onto his chest, making him more alert as he steps inside warily. Something is wrong. 

White sheets cover the furniture inside. He tentatively peeks underneath the sheets, realizing all of the furniture is the same as he remembers. A frown lines his lips as he makes his way towards the living room. Interesting...the television is still there. So is her old gaming console. And all of the games they had played together late at night. Why are these still here? 

The rest of the house is in a similar state – same furniture, all of her belongings present... Everything is there but clearly nothing had been disturbed for a long time. Though, something odd strikes Cole as he examines the contents in her room: 

“The pictures are all gone,” he whispers. 

That is the only item he can tell to be missing. But why is everything else here? Where did she go? 

The first explanation to come to Cole’s mind – she moved. But if so, why hadn’t she sold her house? Why was everything left behind? He quickly debunks that explanation, moving on to something else. 

Did she run away, like he did? That would explain why her furniture was still here. But a lot of her essential items were still here too. Wouldn’t she have taken those as well? 

The last explanation to come to mind... 

Something happened.

He shudders, realizing that must be the case. Nothing else made sense. His mind runs wild with thoughts as he approaches her old bed, when - 

“What the...?” Cole frowns, a foul stench entering his nose. He cringes, glancing around for the suspect when his eyes land on her windowsill. A yellow powder seems to have been scattered across the surface. 

That’s when it clicks in his mind. The smell, the yellow powder... 

“Sulfur?" he wonders confusedly. Why would there be sulfur here? 

Cole checks the window, surveying it for any kind of damage. No sign of forced entry. Odd. 

His gaze drifts down to her nightstand, an old memory flashing through his mind as he grabs the handle. 

“I wonder...” he mumbles, pulling it open. “Ah, there we go.” 

Cole pulls out an old polaroid picture. She was there, laying on his chest and smiling while he hugged her from behind. He remembered that morning – waking up next to her, teasing her for wanting to take a picture of them first thing in the morning... 

But she hadn’t taken this with her, though. That is, assuming she was the one who took the other pictures. If so, why not this one? 

Maybe it’s because you just up and left. Dumbass.

“Right,” Cole mumbles to himself, shaking his head as he slips the photo in his pocket before standing once more. 

It’s then he realizes that he hasn’t checked the bathroom yet – the last place he hadn’t examined. He swallows, the heavy atmosphere growing stronger as he pushes the door open. 

Chills course over his body as he studies the scene before him. 

Broken shards of glass litter the floor. All of the mirrors had been completely smashed. Cole realizes more sulfur is scattered about the counters of the sinks. 

Suddenly, it all grows to be too much. The atmosphere is nearly suffocating him now, so he turns back, immediately deciding that he had seen enough. Enough to realize that his mistake was even bigger than he had initially thought. 

Cole exits the house, already knowing where to head next as his mind buzzes with unanswered questions. 

…   

“I’m sorry I haven’t visited you in a while.” 

Silence creeps throughout the cemetery as Cole sits across from his mother’s tombstone. The darkness shrouds the stone in shadow, but he can still make out her name: 

Lilly Brookstone

“A lot has happened since I last visited,” he comments, taking his mask off and tossing the fabric to the ground for the time being. “I’ve been busy. But that’s not really an excuse, I know.” 

He trails off, unsure of what to say first. “You know...I feel like there’s so much I need to say, but...I don’t know where to start.” 

Silence consumes him for a moment before he speaks again. “Well...I came back. To visit dad, I mean. Even if it’s just for a mission. It’s weird being with him again, you know? He thinks I’ve been at Marty Oppenheimer all this time, but instead...I followed your footsteps. Not his. Sensei Wu told me about you, Mom.” 

He sniffs, using his mask to wipe his tears away before setting the mask on the ground. “He told me that you were a ninja. And...it’s just...it’s hard. Knowing that my element used to be yours. Knowing that my existence took it from you, and that might have been part of the reason why you...you...” 

He shakes his head, biting his lip as he looks down. His vision is blurry now. “But Sensei keeps telling me it’s not my fault. I can’t help but feel like it is, though.” 

Once more, he wipes away his tears, deciding to change the subject. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, too. You told me it was okay to make mistakes, but Dad never seems to agree with that. The dancing stuff I never really cared about. But I felt like I was never good enough. I think I chose the right path, in the end, but...I messed up. And I feel like something bad happened because of it. 

“When I was still living with Dad, I...met this girl.” Cole tells his mother your name. “We met at the theater one day...and we were best friends. We did everything together. And...come high school...we started dating. I think you would have liked her, Mom. She was tough. Strong. But really caring, too. She was such a good singer, too, and she loved to dance and act. 

“I started enjoying theater work because of her. We played Orpheus and Eurydice together. And then...the last play we did together was Corpse Bride. But we never got to perform it in front of a live audience...because I left. I just left. With no word. No goodbye. I was too scared to do it. Too weak. And now...something bad happened to her. She could be gone because of me.” 

Cole exhales sharply, rubbing his forehead. “I checked her house just a few minutes ago. But she wasn’t there. Her belongings were still there, but...she was gone. I couldn’t find anything that could have indicated where she went, either. Maybe Dad knows something?” 

He sighs. “I don’t know. I’m going to find her, though.” Cole stands, realizing that the sun is beginning to rise. Looks like he’d been out longer than he thought. “But for now, we have to get that Fangblade before the Serpentine do.” 

Cole grabs his mask, approaching his mother’s grave once more. He kneels down, resting his forehead against the cold stone. “I’m sorry, Mom. I miss you more than anything. I hate that I don’t feel comfortable leaning on Dad more. But I’m gonna make things right. I’ll bring you flowers next time, too. I know how much you loved flowers. And I’ll clean your tombstone up. I love you, Mom. See you next time.” 

With that, Cole yanks his mask back on as he exits the cemetery, eyes landing on the sunrise as he makes his way back home. He can’t help but wonder if you’re staring up at the same sunrise too. 

…   

[Somewhere in Ninjago...]  

You haven’t been able to sleep. 

A quiet yawn escapes your lips as your eyes crinkle. You lay your head against the glass of the car, the vibrations preventing any sort of sleep. Instead, you elect to study the sunrise. 

It’s a new day. What will it hold? 

“Rise ‘n shine, sweetheart!” Dean calls from the front. You sit up straight, rubbing your eyes as Sam turns to look at you from the passenger seat. 

“Hey. Were you able to sleep any?” he questions, donning that signature concerned Sammy expression. 

You shake your head, trying to stretch as best you can. “Not really. Just kind of closed my eyes without really sleeping, you know?” 

“I get it. We’re almost to our motel for this hunt, so you can nap later at least.” 

“We need to eat first. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving,” Dean comments. 

“Yeah, I could eat too,” Sam adds. 

“Me too,” you mumble, noticing you’re back on the highway leading to Ninjago. By the looks of it, it’s relatively close to your hometown. A wave of nostalgia floods over you as you glance out of the window again, wondering what all has changed in your home. 

“I didn’t realize that we were coming here,” you note, the skyscrapers of Ninjago City coming into view. Wow, they’ve gotten quite a bit of construction completed. It looks a bit bigger than you remember. 

“We didn’t either, until last tonight,” Sam replies, handing you a piece of paper. You frown, taking it from him. 

“That’s a letter from Mystake. You know, that little old lady who runs her own tea shop?” Dean explains. 

“Oh, Mystake? I hope she’s doing okay,” you question, skimming the letter as you frown. You know Mystake’s tough, but you had been worried for her when you left after the incident. 

"She’ll be fine. She’s a tough old geezer,” Dean replies. 

“And she’s been experiencing weird stuff?” you wonder, referring to the contents in the letter. “Doesn’t sound like a haunting, though.” 

“More like someone trying to get the drop on her,” Sam comments. “Obviously, it didn’t work.” 

“I imagine whoever it was probably got a face full of lead,” you mutter with a small smile. Oh, Mystake. How you missed that eccentrically kind old lady who probably wouldn’t hesitate to gut a wrongdoer. 

“Right?” Sam agrees, unfolding a map onto his lap as he chuckles. 

“Right now, we think it’s probably a shapeshifter,” Dean adds, not looking away from the road. “But you know that can always change.” 

“Yeah,” you mumble, sighing. 

“Something wrong?” Sam questions, glancing back at you once more. 

“No, it just...feels weird to be back here, you know? And I’m probably going to have to be careful out in public because, well...” 

“Oh yeah. You’re still technically MIA,” Dean comments as the three of you enter your home city, Baby’s engine whirring through the busy streets. “I wonder if you’ve been declared legally dead yet? That could be a funny prank. You know, if you find any of your old friends here. You could become a zombie.” 

“I think that being legally dead takes at least seven years,” you comment. “But that would be kind of funny.” 

“Well, try to enjoy it. You can use this while we’re here,” Sam note, setting the map aside so he can open the glove compartment. He rummages around, eventually pulling out a black, cloth mask. “There you go.” 

“Oh, thanks,” you reply, tucking the mask away in a secure spot as he returns his attention to the map. “And I’ll try to. Enjoy it, I mean,” you mumble, now lost in a pit of mixed emotions. 

…   

Soon enough, the three of you arrive at a cozy little restaurant. The purr of Baby’s engine ceases for the time being as you eagerly clamber out of the car, taking a moment to stretch your weary limbs. The fresh air kisses your skin as Sam and Dean do the same. Suddenly remembering your situation, you slip your mask on. Hopefully it’d do the trick and not raise too much suspicion. 

“Finally, some grub,” Dean muses as you all gather near the front. Dean lovingly pats Baby’s hood a few times before your trio enters the diner. “I wonder if this place is any good?” 

“The reviews were great from what I read,” Sam notes, ever the more responsible brother as you chuckle slightly. 

You smile, quietly enjoying the lightened atmosphere as you file in behind the brothers. The divine scent of the restaurant graces you, probably inciting a tummy growl on its own. Seriously, is there anything more appetizing than the smell of yummy food after hours and hours of being on the road? 

“Good afternoon, guys!” greets a feminine voice. The three of you glance over to see a red-headed woman leaning against the counter, offering you all a welcoming smile. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” Sam greets. 

“Doing pretty well. How about you all?” 

“Hungry,” Dean notes with a small smile. 

“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” she replies. “Go ahead and seat yourselves. I’ll be over to get your drink orders in a second.” 

“Thank you,” Sam says before the three of you slink towards a more secluded spot. Sam gestures for you to take a seat facing the wall so that having the mask off wouldn’t be as big of an annoyance. 

Silence overcomes the group as you glance around the area, noticing that there are televisions stationed throughout the place. They all seem to be tuned into the same channel – the news. You decide to watch for a moment: 

“Good afternoon, Ninjago! Gayle Gossip here at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts, where this year’s annual Ninjago Talent show will take place in just a few short hours! We have so many talented groups competing this year – and we’re seeing some new faces as well, such as the Treble Makers and Spin Harmony!” 

“No way,” you mumble. 

“What’s up?” 

“The Marty Oppenheimer...that’s where I used to go to school,” you answer, voice dropping. 

“Really? Performing arts?” Sam questions, shooting you a quizzical glance. 

You shrug, turning back towards them. "Yeah. I wasn’t bad at it, either.” 

“So, what, like acting? Singing?” Dean questions. 

“A little bit of everything. I mostly specialized in singing and dancing, but I...unexpectedly started acting, too,” you recall with a bitter frown. 

Thankfully, the redhead from before is approaching, notepad in hand. “Are you guys ready?” 

You can’t help but zone out as Sam and Dean order, the realization of just how much time has passed hitting you like a brick. It sucks, but this is the way it has to be. 

“And for you, miss?” the woman questions, snapping you out of your haze. 

You order quickly, missing the concerned glance that the brothers exchange. She thanks you all before returning the counter. 

“So, about the case...” Wow. Way to subtly change the topic. “What are the details?” 

Dean quietly pulls out a folder from the abyss of his leather jacket, slapping it on the table. You open it, finding the usual: case summaries, victim profiles, crime scene pictures, the works. 

“Four people dead. All killed under...well, weird circumstances,” Sam says. “The pattern here is that they were all killed by who they thought to be their loved ones.” 

“Definitely sounds like a shapeshifter,” you mumble, flipping through the papers and scanning them all. “But Mystake’s letter mentioned that she thought something was weird about the case. What do you think that is?” 

“Take a look at the crime scene pictures,” Sam says. 

You do so, finding the photographs at the end of the file. You notice there’s one consistency among all of the scenes – a symbol engraved on some part of the rooms. One on the left wall, one on the floor, one on the right wall, and one on the front wall. 

“Interesting...why are these placed so methodically?” you wonder. 

“That’s what we need to figure out,” Sam replies, taking the folder back once you close it. You frown. 

“What?” Dean questions. 

“That symbol is familiar,” you say. “But I just...I don’t remember where I saw it from.” 

The waitress comes by, setting down all of your drinks. The three of you thank her, waiting for her to go back before resuming the conversation. 

“Just think on it. Don’t push too hard. It’ll come to you,” Sam suggests. 

“Great. Well, I, for one, don’t wanna be talking about dead people before I eat, so how about something more positive?” Dean offers. 

From there, the brothers strike up a chat, trying to include you. You’re too consumed with thought, though. There were too many loose ends from when you’d left, and yet... 

...you don’t know what to do about them. 

Minutes pass before the waitress comes back, distributing your food. Once she finishes, she stands back, tray under her arm and a smile on her face. “Anything else I can get for you guys?” 

“Actually, I have a random question,” you say, catching her attention. 

“Of course! I’ll answer to the best of my ability.” 

“Thanks. Um...would you happen to know what time the Ninjago Talent show is? We’re...relatives of someone performing and got a bit sidetracked along the way.” 

“Well, you’re in luck. They’re hosting it later tonight, at nine,” she comments. 

“Oh, good. Thank you,” you say. She nods, thanking you all once more before leaving. 

“Did you perform in that competition?” Sam questions as you all dig into your meals. 

You nod. “Yeah. More times than I can count.” 

“Did you ever win?” Sam wonders. 

“A few times.” 

“Look at you, twinkle toes,” Dean teases between bites. 

“Ugh, don’t even,” you say, faking a disgusted face. You had heard that stupid nickname more times than you can count. 

From there, the conversation takes a more lighthearted turn as the three of you finish up your meals for the night. 

…

[Brookstone Residence]   

Thankfully, Cole manages to make it back just in time for everyone else to wake up. He glances around, knowing his father would probably be up already.   

Part of him feels like a kid again – the walk to the living room reminds Cole of when he would dart through the halls, anxiously waiting to see what morning cartoons were on. Or what his mother had prepared for breakfast. He sighs quietly, reflecting on those small moments as he proceeds. 

Quietly creeping through the halls, he immediately recognizes his father’s humming as he enters the kitchen. 

“Dad?” 

“Good morning, son. I was just making breakfast. Did you sleep well?” 

No. “Uh, yeah, thanks,” Cole replies. “Actually, I have a question.” 

“What is it, son?” 

“Have you...heard from her?” 

Lou pauses what he’s doing on the stove, smiling sadly and shaking his head. “No. No one in the village has seen or heard from her ever since…” Lou trails off, gaze somewhat distant. 

Cole’s eyebrows furrow as he sits up straighter. “Since what?” 

“Something happened,” Lou says quietly. “It was shortly after you left. The last time she was seen, she had been walking home from the theater. But she never made it home, and no one has seen her since.” 

“What?!” Cole states, his voice raising as he stands. “She’s missing?” 

Lou nods solemnly, gesturing for Cole to follow him to the dining room. The two take a seat as he sighs. “Like I said, she was walking home from the theater late one night. Never came back. No one saw her that night anywhere. There was no evidence that could have led to an explanation. Nothing except for a pile of sulfur.” 

“A pile of sulfur?” Cole wonders. Just like what he found in your house... 

“I know. None of it made sense. The only video footage that was caught of that night was unobtainable because the file coincidentally became corrupted before the authorities could view it. They couldn’t get it to return to normal.” 

“What?! So...so she’s just...gone?” 

Lou nods, sighing. “What we know is little and not enough to go on: she was walking home from the theater one night after practice. The best guess as to what happened was that she was kidnapped, but there were no leads. None. It was doomed to be a cold case.” 

“No...there’s no way...there had to have been something. People always leave something behind!” Cole insists, suddenly unable to sit still. How did he not hear about this? “They missed something, they had to of-” 

“Son,” Lou says softly, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I saved this for you.” 

Cole turns, eyeing a newspaper article in his dad’s grasp. He takes it, unfolding it:

MISSING TEEN 

Late this Wednesday night, a girl went missing. Eerily enough, there was little evidence to go on – nothing except for a pile of sulfur, as odd as it is. Officials have attempted to extract any type of trace evidence, but to no avail. To add to the bizarre element of this case, the video footage surrounding the area of her disappearance was completely corrupted, rendering it useless. All camera footage recorded within a one mile radius of the crime scene were completely distorted, meaning that someone successfully erased the only lead that officials could have used. Authorities attempted to recover the file, but their attempts remain unsuccessful. 

Authorities are asking anyone who could have information about this case to step forward, even if anonymously. A reward is being offered to anyone who gives information leading to her rescue or an arrest. 

Could this have been the perfect crime? Updates will be posted here as they come up. 

“What?” Cole mumbles, setting the article down as he rubs his forehead. 

Lou nods. “Nothing about the whole thing made any sense. None of the working theories add up. The best explanation we can think of was that she was just...kidnapped. By someone who was extremely diligent about not leaving evidence behind.” 

“But if so, then why the sulfur?” Cole mumbles. 

“Exactly. Every time we thought we had some kind of explanation, something like that comes up,” Lou replies. 

Cole stares at your picture on the article. What happened? Where did you go? Were you... 

...no. He knows you’re not dead. 

But there are far too many unanswered questions, and he’ll be damned if he’s going to let that go so easily. No matter how angry you might be with him, no matter how inconclusive the evidence is... 

“I’m going to find her.” 

“Son...” Lou sighs, sitting back down in his chair as he rubs his forehead. “The authorities have had no lead in this. What makes you think you’ll be any different?” 

Cole grits his teeth, clenching his fist as he turns away from his father. “Well, some of us can’t just stand around singing and dancing to avoid reality.” 

Lou remains silent, expression darkening as Cole shakes his head, also going quiet as the rest of his team enters the living room, Kai and Jay both groggy while Zane is as alert as ever.  

“Come on, guys. Let’s get ready. We only have a few hours to prepare.” 

…   

[Ninjago City – 6:37 PM]

Darkness gradually begins to shroud the sky as you find yourself stepping out of the Impala once more, this time in front of an old motel. It’s nothing special, but it’ll get the three of you through the case. 

Travel days always take a toll on the three of you. It’s just exhausting. And while it’s been cool to travel frequently, it also sucks in a lot of ways. Sam and Dean are the only people you really have now. Any of the other friends you had made along the way probably wouldn’t matter because you were unlikely to see them ever again. 

A sigh escapes you as you follow Sam and Dean inside, the guys carrying the duffel bags stashed with weapons and miscellaneous items while you carry your own personal bag. After checking in, the three of you unload in the room. 

“About damned time,” Dean mutters, all of you dumping your bags on the table. “Sleep now. Case tomorrow.” 

You wander towards the window, pushing aside the curtain so you can have a glimpse outside. While you’re not exactly familiar with the area, you recall passing a sign that listed a village close to your hometown on the way here. That means you can’t be far, even if it’s just a matter of you needing to get your bearings. 

Mind set, you decide you’d have a look around tonight. You have some unfinished business here. 

Dean is the first to hop in the shower, leaving you and Sam to unpack. You pull out your laptop and other belongings, deciding that you’d do some digging before you go. 

“How are you doing?” Sam questions, pulling the bags off to the side so that the table is clear. You shrug, opening your computer. 

“Fine, I guess. Why?” 

“I meant with the nightmares,” Sam clarifies, tone soft as he studies you. “Sorry. Should have been more specific.” 

“I mean...they’re the same. Haven’t gotten worse, haven’t slowed down, either.” 

“No progress at all?” Sam wonders, frowning. 

You wave off his concerns as you type in your password. “I’m fine, Sam. They’re just dreams after all.” 

“Yeah, but...that also means that everything we’ve tried hasn’t helped. Which means this thing is stronger than we initially thought.” 

“Nothing else is happening, though. I’ll be okay.” 

Sam sighs, rubbing his forehead. “At least let Cas try to help?” 

You smile, nodding as you glance at Sam. “Yeah. That sounds good.” 

“Good. I feel like if anyone can give us some direction with it, it’s him.” 

“I hope so,” you say, taking a second to glance at the internet search bar on your screen. What to look up first? 

“Anyways. I’ll stop prying about that for now. I know it’s annoying, but we’re just worried,” Sam says, opening his own laptop. “This is something we haven’t faced before, and we haven’t found anything similar in our dad’s journal, which is kind of throwing us for a loop, I guess.” 

“I appreciate it. I’ll tell you guys if it gets worse. I hope I’m not being too irritated today...it’s just really strange being back after everything that happened.” 

“I get that. Do you miss it at all?” 

You shrug. “I do sometimes. I used to love being on stage. I felt like it was really what I was meant to do, you know? But now...I just have a hard time singing or dancing or pretending to be someone else when there are people dying. People getting hurt. Families being torn apart. By doing this, I’m actually helping people. And it’s not always pretty, but...I like doing it,” you explain, eyes studying something in the distance. “I feel like I’m a part of something bigger.” 

“Hey...you know it’s not selfish to do what you want to do, right?” Sam counters as he shuts his laptop, leaning forward in his chair. “Truthfully, I wasn’t going to become a hunter. Not until Azazel killed Jess,” he recalls, expression darkening at the memory. “Because I wanted to go to college. I didn’t want to end up like my dad. I just wanted to be happy, to live a life that was normal and...basically the complete opposite of what I had as a kid. What I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to keep doing this. You don’t have to throw away your life for a cause that’s as morbid as this.” 

“But...I want to help people-” 

“And you still can. Helping people isn’t just killing monsters. You can help people in so many different ways, and those don’t have to be violent.” Sam sighs before speaking up again. “And what about your old friends?” 

You avert your gaze, throat tightening. “They’re all off doing their own thing now, I think.” 

Sam remains quiet for a moment. “Look...just think about everything I’m telling you. You still have a chance to get out of this and I want you to do what makes you happy. Don’t just stay in this mess of a lifestyle just because you’re out for vengeance. I can assure you that revenge isn’t as satisfying as it appears. It just leaves you empty and numb.” 

“But...I need to know why it happened,” you mumble, glancing away. “Why it had to be me. Why I’m still having nightmares. And why I feel like it isn’t the end.” 

“I understand. I know it’s frustrating. I know it’s hard. But...just promise me you’ll take time to think about my point?” Sam smiles softly as he offers you his pinky – a running inside joke between the two of you. “We can figure out your case as we go. But you deserve to live your life the way you want, and no supernatural being should have a say in how you do that.” 

You roll your eyes before nodding, wrapping your pinky around his. “I promise.” 

“Thank you.” 

From there, the two of you resume your respective laptop activities, waiting for Dean to finish showering. 

By now, you’ve caught up on most of the historical events that have happened since you left: 

Shortly after you disappeared, an investigation was launched to no avail. It was quickly driven to a halt as there were no leads to follow. No surprise there. A few months later, Ninjago saw the rise of the Serpentine in addition to a mysterious new force of...ninjas? With powers? Cool. Looks like they were last spotted at Mega Monster Amusement Park. A small smile lines your lips as you recall the fond memories you have of that place. 

You’re also able to determine where you’re at in regards to the city. The theater isn’t horribly far away. You decide that you’ll definitely have a look around tonight before you go watch the talent show. 

Lastly, you hesitantly type in a name you’ve been reluctant to know the fate of. 

His name grants your search no news. Just the old articles of the theater days, when you were there with him. Interesting. 

Shaking the thought of him away, you shut your laptop as Dean emerges from the bathroom, dressed in comfy clothes. You gesture for Sam to go next, knowing you wouldn’t need to shower just yet. 

Dean groans as he opens his bag, quickly realizing Sam had already unpacked it. He turns towards the mini fridge, pulling out a beer and cracking it open. 

“You gonna go watch that show? Or whatever it is?” Dean questions, taking a swig as he turns on the TV, lowering the volume before sitting down across from you. 

“Yeah,” you say. “I just want to have a look around.” 

“You have enough silver?” he questions, eyeing you with a raised brow. 

“Plenty. I’ll be fine.” 

“Holy water?” 

“Yep.” 

“Salt?” 

“Always.” 

“Okay. Just be careful. Especially with-” 

“I’ll be okay, Dean. Thank you though.” 

He sighs, nodding. “Just call us if you need us. Or Cas.” 

“Thank you, Dean. I’ll be back in a few hours.” 

…   

It’s still here. 

A shaky breath escapes your lips as you gaze at your old house – still standing, still empty. Save for the remnants of your shattered life. You gently push the door open, peeking inside cautiously. 

Wow. How long has it been since you’ve been here? You step inside, surveying the scene. All of the furniture is still here, just like your belongings. Everything is either super dusty or covered with tarp. Nothing seems to be missing, though, which is surprising. 

Not caring about the majority of your old stuff, you decide to head to your old room. Even though it’s quiet enough being here, you don’t want to stay for long – not just because the show is due to start within the hour, but also because it would be the perfect spot for something nasty to show up. Surely it would know you’d return home eventually. 

And it was right. There was one thing you hadn’t grabbed before you left. One item that had hurt too much to take back then that a part of you had been missing for a long time. 

Pushing open the door to your old room, you find that it has remained seemingly undisturbed. You step over to your nightstand, opening the drawer slowly... 

“Huh?” you mumble, realizing that the picture you had left there is gone. No trace of it. “It’s gone?” 

But...something is weird. There’s still an imprint of a rectangle there – the surroundings are coated in dust. That means that someone must have taken it recently. But who? 

You frown, standing as you glance towards your bathroom door. You shudder, immediately deciding that coming here might have been a bad idea. 

As quickly as you came, you were gone.  

Shaking the bad memories from your mind, you set in the all-too-familiar direction of the theater, taking the shortcut you know by heart. 

It only takes you about ten minutes to find the road that leads to the theater. You remain silent as you take in your surroundings: 

The chilly fall air, the old bakery you used to frequent with him, the old café, the park, the market... 

A small smile settles on your lips as you pause at the bakery, taking a moment to peer inside the glass window. Seems as if not much has changed; through the darkness and stacked chairs you can see that it’s still the same, well-loved bakery you remember. You lean back, deciding you would try and convince the guys if you could come here for breakfast tomorrow morning. 

Continuing on your way, you eventually find yourself standing at the entrance of the theater. A shaky breath escapes you as you hesitate, wondering why it all feels so different. So foreign, even though you know this place like the back of your hand. 

Despite your fears, you proceed forward, noticing a few people standing outside and chatting. There’s still about a half hour before the start of the show, though. You make sure your mask is covering your lower face before entering. 

You spot a few people seated behind a folded table as you enter. 

“Good evening. Have your ticket, or do you want to buy one?” 

“I’ll buy one,” you answer, shuffling around in your pockets and pulling out some spare cash. “How much?” 

With that, you pay your admission fee and thank the clerk before proceeding deeper into the theater. 

The halls are teeming with people as you squeeze your way past them, paying no mind to the hushed chatter flittering about the room. To no surprise, you notice that the main path backstage has been blocked off. Little do they know, however, is that there’s a hidden way to gain access. 

You slip into a custodial closet after having a glance around, fumbling to feel for the light switch along the wall. You find it a few seconds later, pushing it. The lights flicker to life, dimly illuminating the dusty closet. Various cleaning and maintenance tools line the shelves, and a ladder stands in the middle of the room across from you. You waste no time in climbing it, heaving the old trap door open as quietly as you can. 

Dust stirs around you, but you’re unfazed as you lift yourself onto the upper floor, being sure to close the trap door when you’re through. 

Wow. If you thought the nostalgia was intense before… 

You feel almost breathless as you rise, spotting the immense amount of storage boxes lining the perimeter. Across the room is another trap door and ladder that will lead you to the backstage area. For now, though, with the time you have before the show, you decide to reminisce for a little while. 

You approach the boxes, noting the names scribbled onto each one. Soon enough, you stumble across the one you’re looking for. 

Scrawled in your old handwriting reads: 

Corpse Bride 

Your fingertips trace the dried ink of the marker before drifting towards the flaps of the box, which have been taped shut. You tear the tape off, shoving it aside before opening it. 

It’s a rather small box considering that the play was never actually performed. It only contains a few potential costumes along with a few props. 

The first thing to catch your eye is the dress. 

A soft smile lines your lips as you gingerly lift it from its prison, the texture of the fabric just the way you remember it. 

It’s Emily’s dress – the character you were supposed to play. You had been so excited for this play – getting to know Emily and her tragic backstory was fun for you to dive into. Not to mention that you got to put your own little spin on her physical appearance, too. The dress had been tailored to your measurements, adding a bit of a macabre edge to it considering the nature of the actual movie. It still seems to be in a good state considering that it’s been stashed in a box for a while. 

Part of you wants to try it on, but you know that you don’t have much time left before the show starts. With that thought in mind, you hesitantly put it back. Well, you could always come back… 

You sigh, folding the box closed before you push it back to where it was, going to throw the discarded tape away before you make your way towards the other trap door, opening it quietly before you clamber down the ladder, verifying that the area is empty. 

The room is dark, but it’s not much of an issue considering that the room is pretty small. You’re able to find the door easily, quietly slipping out so that nobody notices. You slip through the crowd of performers, making your way to the audience when - 

“Ow! Dude, you gotta follow me!” 

“Follow you? You're two beats off!” 

“Actually, two point seventy-two off of the beat.” 

“Guys, guys!” interrupts another voice. This one, though... 

You turn. It can’t be. 

“Let's not make this any harder than it needs to be. We just stick to the plan and keep up the charade until the trophy's revealed. Once we steal the Blade Cup, we can argue all we want once we get back home.” 

You freeze in your pathway, not-so-subtly staring at the group of boys across from you. There are four, dressed in striped suits featuring four different colors: red, blue, white, and black. But one... 

You realize that the blue one has noticed you, the redhead returning your stare before you’re able to verify your suspicion. Realizing that you’ve been caught, you simply continue walking, eventually making your way into the auditorium. 

Your breathing becomes uneven as you think about what just happened. Was that really him back there? 

No. No, it can’t be. Or...can it? Did Cole really return? After all the time he was gone? 

You do your best to keep an unfazed expression as you move through the crowd, eventually finding an open seat at the back. Did Cole actually come back after you disappeared...? How long has he been back? 

...Did he try to find you? Does he even know you’re technically missing? 

You shake your head as you settle into your seat, anxiously gnawing on your lip as you wait for the show to begin. If that really was him...then why did he come back? You knew that he and his father were having issues, and that he had discussed running away before. But...he had talked to you about that. About how tired he was of fighting with his dad, and how he wanted a future with you above anything else. 

And, just like that, you’re led to the one question that’s been haunting you ever since he left: 

Why did he leave me? 

Where did he go? Why did he throw everything away in such a short period of time? The whole time during your relationship, you felt that everything on both sides was truly genuine. You loved him so much, and you knew that he loved you. And when he initially left, you thought that something had happened to him. Seeing this now, though...

If that was him...he didn't sound too disturbed. More annoyed, if anything. But if that's the case, then what was so important that he just left? Without any word? Any warning? Any explanation? 

Tears prick your eyes as you glance down at your hands. You would have gone with him. You would have given anything to have a life with him. But apparently, he didn’t feel that way. For what reason? 

Your thoughts stumble to a halt when a familiar figure slides across the stage. You would recognize that mop of orange hair anywhere; it’s Jackson, the announcer. Wow, he still works here. He had always been kind of...egotistic, but generally was a nice guy who always supported your work during your time here. 

Jackson greets the crowd as they cheer, giving his typical introduction for the show. You tune out, observing as the first few performers have their turns. 

At first, it’s nothing you didn’t see during your period here – people singing, dancing, doing cool tricks, that kind of thing. It’s not until Jackson announces a certain group that you become interested. 

“Now, for a new group – give it up for the Treble Makers!”

He darts offstage as a bizarre group of...snake people?...enter the stage, all donning wigs. What the hell? That’s a first. 

While you’re intrigued by their presence, their performance makes you want to claw your ears out. You do your best to pay them no heed until the very end: 

“My poison lies over the ocean! My poison lies over the sea! My poison lies over the ocean! So bring back my poison to me!” 

“Thank the stars,” you mutter as people boo them. 

Once they’re offstage, Jackson slides out to announce the final group. “And last, but not least, The Royal Blacksmi-” He pauses, listening to his earpiece as someone hands him a sheet of paper. “Uh, hold on. This just in! There's been a switch. Taking the stage next is Spin Harmony!” 

Lou’s quartet isn’t performing? That’s not like them at all. 

However, no one comes out initially. You’re beginning to wonder if this is supposed to be that group of guys you saw earlier. If so, what’s the holdup? 

Everyone else begins to think the same thing as hushed chatter stems from the crowd. Seconds later, Jackson calls for the group once last time. 

You’re about to lose hope when Jackson skids to a halt on the stage once more and finally says: “Ladies and gentlemen, Spin Harmony!” 

With that, the crowd erupts into cheers as a rock song begins playing. You’re instantly into the song. For some reason, it Folds into a sense of nostalgia that has you jamming. 

Four ninja twirl towards the audience – a white, blue, red, and black ninja. Initially, they’re dancing in sync, but moments later they find themselves fending off more snake people. They work together to knock the snake people down before the chorus, where they begin dancing again. 

“Jump up, kick back, whip around and spin! And then we jump back, do it again!” 

You observe in fascination as they start spinning into multicolored tornados. You notice that one of the snakes is chowing down on one of the weight bag ropes overhead, but thankfully the white ninja leaps into action and kicks the bag away before it can land on the blue ninja. 

The other three proceed to spin around the stage, knocking down more snake dudes. To the crowd’s amusement, the three stop spinning to reveal themselves in various poses – most notably, the ‘draw-me-like-one-of-your-French-girls' pose Mr. Red is striking. The crowd is eating the performance up, though. The white ninja starts doing the robot – pretty well, too. It’s like his movements are almost too precise to be human. 

Then, more snakes appear from the stage – this time, though, the black ninja jumps into action. 

In awe, you observe as he performs the one dance move you could never conquer: 

The Triple Tiger Sashay. 

“Holy shit,” you breathe, eyes wide. You tried that move so many times, and you could never get it! 

The white ninja echoes your thoughts: “The Triple Tiger Sashay!” 

The crowd is completely silent, everyone stuck in a whelm of disbelief until they completely erupt into cheers. You can’t help but join in, impressed. 

Jackson darts next to the black ninja, bowing to him. “Oh, he did it! The Triple Tiger Sashay! He's danced the impossible!” 

From your position in the crowd, you can’t see the scores. They seem decent until the last judge shows his, to which the crowd begins booing. A few moments later though, they cheer with the same ferocity once more. 

“It's a perfect score! Spin Harmony wins the Blade Cup!” Jackson yells as a few workers carry the Blade Cup over to the ninja, handing it to the black ninja. He holds the cup up proudly as he scans the crowd, seemingly searching for someone. 

You don’t expect his eyes to land on you, though. For a few moments, you’re left frozen as he holds your stare for a few seconds before moving on. You remain silent, suspicions falling into place before you shake them off. No, there’s no way... 

Shaking the thought off, you decide to take one last peek backstage. Maybe if you just double check, you’d feel better? 

You slip past security with ease, knowing a good spot to view the area without being caught. You keep your head down as you pass the performers, slipping into the custodial closet again and climbing the ladder. Once you’re up, you find the hole situated in the wall of the storage area. It leads to the upper beams supporting the roof of the backstage area. You crawl through, sticking to the shadows as you make sure to get a good angle as you observe the ninja. 

The black one bears the cup, handing it to the blue one. “Thanks, but go on and celebrate without me. Winning this doesn't feel the same without my dad being able to—” 

“Cole!” 

Well. There’s your confirmation. If his voice wasn’t enough the first time, then that is. Not to mention that Lou is there too now, walking up to Cole. You notice that he’s using a cane. Is he injured? That must be why he’s not competing. 

“Dad?” Cole questions, turning to face his father. 

“I saw it all, son. I saw it all,” Lou admits, grinning as Cole hugs him. You find yourself smiling before reminding yourself that this is the man that left you without so much as a warning. 

Cole pulls his mask off, allowing you to get a good look at his face. He hasn’t changed much, aside from his stature. He looks stronger than you remember, which makes sense considering that he’s a ninja now. But other than that...his face, his hair...all the same. He’s still your Cole. 

The two speak for a little while before a tall, purple snake with a beard slithers out to them. They, too, speak for a few moments when a nearby hissing noise catches your attention. 

Horror courses through your veins as you spot two snake people on one of the beams across from you. The ninja haven’t noticed them yet. You realize their plan as your eyes settle on the hanging crate that they're standing next to. you quickly try to cross the beams as quietly as you can without losing your balance. 

Please don’t slip, shoes, please don’t slip! 

Thankfully, you’re able to make it to the other side, sneaking up on them. 

Just before you tackle them, they knock a giant, chained crate across the ceiling, smashing into the overhead ceiling light fixtures. They go crashing down. Cole sprints across the floor, able to shield his dad just as the lights hit the ground. 

You gasp as the two snake people eye you from below, getting up from their fall. The purple snake wastes no time in snatching the cup. Then, he eyes the two fallen snakes. 

You realize your mistake as he spots you. 

“Oh, who’s this?” he wonders. Thankfully, the other ninja are scrambling towards the wreckage, too concerned about the people who were just crushed to notice you. You swallow nervously, wondering how you’re going to get out of this. 

It’s then you feel a weight tugging on your ankle, throwing you off balance as you’re pulled off the ledge. You grunt as you hit the ground, trying to break your fall as best as you can. 

A white and red snake flickers into view, laughing as he releases your ankle. They can go invisible?! Not fair. 

You pick yourself up, grunting from the pain as the snakes laugh at you. 

“Doessssn’t feel sssso nicccce, doesssss it?” taunts one of the guys you tackled. 

You don’t answer, instead electing to jerk yourself upward before slamming your elbow up into its jaw. It rears backward, hissing in pain. You’re about to send another attack towards the other one when the purple snake’s tail coils around your neck, lifting you up and squeezing you before tossing you towards the wall. You collide into it harshly, but are able to shield your head with your arms as you fall to the ground, gasping for air. 

The white ninja notices you, immediately coming to your aid. 

“Are you injured?” he questions, helping you sit up. You shake your head, ensuring that your mask is still on securely as you force yourself to stand. 

You immediately turn, darting to the custodian’s closet. Before you leave, though, you watch as a light brown glow emanates from the pile of debris. A low hum resonates through the air before one of the fallen lights is lifted up, revealing a...glowing masked Cole? 

You can’t help but admire him for a moment. He’s literally radiating power, tossing aside that giant light like it weighs nothing. He helps his dad stand. You’re glad that they’re okay, though. That scared you. 

You hear the others saying something about a ‘true potential’. You don’t stay long enough to hear what else they say, though. 

… 

“I say today calls for a celebration!” Lou states, patting Cole on the shoulder as he grins. “Come on, pizza’s on me tonight!” 

“Yes!” Jay exclaims, fist pumping. Kai rolls his eyes, seemingly still a little upset about not getting his True Potential. 

Cole spots Zane hovering near the custodial closet, though. Weird. 

“Zane, what’s wrong?” Cole calls, the four approaching the nindroid. 

“Did anyone else see that woman?” Zane questions as he opens the closet door. “Most peculiar.” 

“What woman? We were too distracted trying to make sure Cole and Lou were okay,” Jay answers. 

“She was fighting the Serpentine, but Pythor got ahold of her and threw her against the wall. She appeared uninjured and hardly fazed, though. From my analysis, she tried to prevent the Serpentine from knocking the fixtures down when Pythor saw her.” 

“What’d she look like?” Kai prompts, folding his arms. 

Zane briefly gives a description, noting the black mask. Jay perks up upon hearing this, whirling towards the others. 

“Wait, I think I saw her earlier, before the show,” Jay comments. “She was just staring at us, like a creep!” 

“Well, if she went in here, then she probably has been a student here at some point,” Lou adds. 

“Why’s that?” Jay wonders. 

“Because of this,” Cole states, approaching the ladder with a frown. “Hey, you guys head back with my dad. I need to look around for a minute.” 

“Are you sure?” Jay wonders. “She was probably just one of those crazy fangirls.” 

“Yeah. The Serpentine may still be around here, and we don’t need them targeting my dad again.” 

“Okay. How about we split up?” Kai suggests. 

That thought gives Cole an idea as he nods in agreement. “Actually, yeah. Zane, come with me. Everyone else head back.” 

The four nod, with Kai and Jay accompanying Lou back to his home while Cole ascends the ladder, Zane not far behind him. 

“Out of curiosity, why did you select me?” Zane wonders when the two make their way into the storage room. 

“Because, I had an idea,” Cole comments. “But first...do you think you can recover corrupt files that even the police couldn’t get back?” 

“It depends,” Zane answers. “I would have to look at it myself.” 

“Okay, I’ll take it,” Cole replies. 

Wow. It’s been forever since he’s been up here. He glances around the room, suddenly overwhelmed with nostalgia as Zane studies the area. 

“Hm...” Zane trails off, approaching a stack of boxes. “This one appears to have been opened recently.” 

“Which one?” Cole wonders, coming over to where Zane is.  

“Corpse Bride,” Zane replies, opening it. 

“What?” Cole questions, scanning the contents. The dress lies on top, much to his interest. Almost like someone had dug it out to look at it. 

“I detect a few recent partial fingerprints,” Zane states after examining the whole box. “Something is most unusual, however.” 

Zane stares off into the distance for a moment. Cole lets him calculate, patiently waiting for him to continue. 

“It appears as if...these prints have been scarred to obfuscate the image,” Zane adds, frowning. “This means that I cannot match these prints in my database at this time.” 

“Damn,” Cole mumbles. “Do you think she’s trying to hide her tracks?” 

“We do not know for sure that she is the one who opened this box,” Zane reminds. “Although, assuming that she did...it is likely. Paired with the behavior I witnessed, it does make sense.” 

Cole remains silent, a strange gut feeling gnawing at him. He hates that he can’t decipher it. All he knows is that he needs to keep searching. 

“What is it?” Zane asks. 

“I have this...weird hunch,” Cole mumbles. “I think we need to figure out who she is.” 

“Why don’t we check the ticket log? We could question the workers as well,” Zane suggests. 

“Good idea,” Cole replies. 

… 

Zane intently studies the logbook, scanning through the names and transactions recorded within. 

“A girl wearing a black mask?” the worker wonders. “Um...if she was here, I didn’t check her in. Did anyone here check in a girl with a black mask? Asking for the ninja.” 

“I did,” a lady says, approaching Cole. “Why?” 

“Do you remember what name she checked in as?” Cole questions. 

“We don’t get names for people who pay at the gates anymore,” she admits. “She paid with cash. I do remember that much.” 

Zane sighs, closing the logbook and setting it on the table. “Then we have no lead here, either.” 

“Okay. Thank you,” Cole says as the two turn toward the exit. “Figures that she wouldn’t pay with card.” 

“Indeed,” Zane agrees. “Where are we going now?” 

“Hold on! Cole!” a voice calls. The two turn, seeing Jackson hurrying over to them. 

“Oh, Jackson!” Cole states, greeting the announcer with a brief hug. “How’ve you been? It’s been a while!”   

“I’ve been doing alright! But man, look at you! You’re a ninja now!” 

“Yeah,” Cole replies with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Oh, and this is Zane, my teammate. Zane, meet Jackson. He does a lot of the host work here.”   

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Zane states, quickly shaking Jackson’s hand.  

“Same here, bud,” responds the orange-haired man. 

“Oh, while you’re here,” Cole asks, expression darkening as he pulls the folded article out from his gi, holding it out to him. “What can you tell me about her?”  

Jackson studies the picture for a moment before his face drops. “Oh...her. Well...it was weird. A few days before she disappeared, she was...acting really off. She seemed to be...scared, I guess? She was coming to practice, but her behavior was just...not like her. Honestly, I was creeped out too. To see a girl like her, absolutely rattled by something...” he sighs. “I don’t really know why she was so scared. We asked her, tried to offer help...but she never took it. It got to the point where it was interfering with her performance. She would try to come on stage and get her practice in, but she would see something and get too spooked to continue.” 

“What do you mean by ‘see something’?” Cole presses. 

“There were rumors that she was hallucinating,” Jackson answers. “There were moments where she would just stop and stare. Either at her hands, somewhere in the distance or at someone else. The night before she disappeared was the creepiest. She came in acting completely fine. Like she hadn’t been shaken at all.” 

“Why do you say ‘acting’ if she was being herself?” Zane wonders. 

“I didn’t say that she was acting normally. She was acting like she was fine...but was completely out of character the whole night. She was too chipper. Too smiley. Y’know, normally she was a hardy girl with a great sense of humor and a bit of an attitude at times. But something about the way she was acting that night...” Jackson trails off, stare completely blank as he recalls the memory. “I knew something was wrong, but none of us knew what it was. Or what we could do to help. We weren’t sure if it was some kind of mental illness, or a type of coping mechanism, or what. But all of us were thoroughly freaked out by the time she left. It was like this...oppressive atmosphere just left when she stepped out of here.”  

“Oppressive atmosphere?” Cole questions, frowning. “Can you elaborate?” 

“I can try, but it’s difficult for me to explain.” Jack takes a deep breath. “Okay. So...I want to say like a week before she went missing, that was when she starting acting off. Then, I felt the atmosphere change slightly. But, the last night? It was worse. It made some of the other students nauseous.” 

“That’s weird,” Cole mumbles, coming to a realization. “I visited her house last night. I felt the same type of feeling when I went to her bathroom. All of her mirrors were smashed in there, though.” 

Jackson visibly shudders, shaking his head. “Look...between you and me? I think there’s a reason why her case went cold. It’s because whatever took her wasn’t actually human.” 

“You believe that paranormal activity was involved?” Zane clarifies. 

“Yes. Let me tell you...the way she looked at me before she left...it was absolutely haunting,” Jackson recalls. “It was almost like...she was telling me that the real her was gone. Before it even happened.” 

Shivers dart down Cole’s spine as that weird feeling in his stomach grows. He was right – something was off about this whole thing. But what does this mean? What were you afraid of? What, exactly, was after you, and why? 

“Okay, thank you, Jackson,” Cole says. “That helps us a lot.”  

“Of course,” the orange-haired announcer replies. “Any way I can help, I’m glad to do it. And I’m glad you came back, buddy. Theater hasn’t been the same without you here.” 

“Thanks,” Cole states, guilt trekking through him yet again. “I’m sorry I left so abruptly.” 

“Hey, shit happens,” Jackson says. “Not my place to judge. I’m just glad you’re okay. Let’s catch up before you leave town again, yeah?”  

…   

“Potential hallucinations, uncharacteristic behavior, signs of paranoia...” Zane trails off. “I wonder what made her act that way.” 

“I know. That’s not like her at all,” Cole replies, knowing that Zane doesn’t completely understand just yet. He fumbles for the article in his pocket, knowing it would be best to show Zane the article too.

“Where are we going now?” 

“Just a spot down the street,” Cole answers before he finally pulls the news article out from his gi. “Here, read this.” 

Zane takes it, looking the article over. “I see. This was the girl in your father’s picture, yes?” 

“Right,” Cole replies. “I have a feeling that she’s out here. And that we’re close to discovering the truth. By the way, what did you make about that paranormal stuff?” 

“I do not know,” Zane admits. “Credible paranormal research is few and far between. There is not enough immediately available, ergo I cannot comfortably apply it to anything in this case.” 

“Hm, okay. Hopefully the tapes can tell us something.” 

“We will likely need to go to the police station in order to gain access to the file,” Zane states. “I do not think that the average camera would contain that kind of memory length.” 

“Probably not. Hopefully they still have it.” 

“I hope so too.” 

Cole glances around the street, going quiet as Jackson’s story comes back to mind. Was something paranormal really involved? If so, how?  

He’s not sure. Maybe his dad could corroborate Jackson’s account. On that note, Cole realizes that asking around the town might give him a new lead too.   

Then it’s settled. At the very least, Cole has a plan of attack for the time being. Despite the weary feeling he’s been experiencing, he thinks that he may yet be able to discover the truth.   

It only takes about two minutes to get to the spot pictured in the article – the alleyway where you went missing. Cole frowns, an ache surging through his heart as he glances around.   

Obviously, nothing is immediately out of place. He doesn’t really expect to gain much from this, but it can’t hurt to try.   

“This appears to be the camera that captured the video,” Zane states, glancing up at a white camera stationed on the corner of the building. “It does not appear to be functional anymore.” 

“Yeah...” Cole trails off, sighing as he studies the surrounding area. “It’s a dead end down here. I wonder if they checked the other cameras on the street?” 

“I recall that the article stated that they did,” Zane answers. “After all, there are plenty of shops around. But that’s quite a feat – corrupting all of those files to the point where they are irretrievable.” 

“Definitely. That makes me wonder – how did the kidnapper escape with her?” Cole mumbles. 

“Wait...” Zane trails off for a moment, staring at the wall behind Cole. The black ninja steps to the side, wondering what Zane sees that he can’t. 

“What is it?” Cole questions, a surge of hope swelling through him as Zane does his thing.  

“There’s something odd about this wall,” Zane states, frowning as he approaches it. 

“What do you mean?” 

“There is some type of unknown trace substance on the surface. It forms a pattern...some kind of symbol?” 

“A symbol?” 

“I have the image saved to my database. I will be able to print a copy for you to see later,” Zane states. “We should certainly pay the police a visit tomorrow morning. I do not believe they would have been able to find this symbol. Perhaps they have seen it before?” 

“Maybe they have. What if it’s connected to some other kidnapping or crime?” 

“I believe it’s entirely possible. And, if I may ask, what was your relation to her?” Zane wonders. 

“She was my girlfriend while I was a student at the theater. We went to school together here, too.” 

“Can you recall anyone in her life that would have wanted to harm her?” 

“No, not off the top of my head,” Cole answers, trailing off to think for a moment. No one comes to mind. No one he knew would have wanted to hurt you. 

And suddenly, the entire realization crashes down into him. It had seemed urgent before, but now...it’s like a pile of bricks. 

He pulls the polaroid of you and him from his gi, staring at the picture wistfully. Why hadn’t he just told you? Why was he so scared to tell you? Why did he just leave you here? And now, here he is, wishing that he could just hold you and apologize and know that you’re okay, not out there hurt, or in the hands of a criminal – 

A comforting hand settles on his shoulder, snapping Cole turns to see Zane studying the picture too. 

“We will find her, brother,” Zane states. 

“I know, but...” Cole doesn’t finish sentence, tensing as another thought occurs to him. “It’s my fault she’s gone. We always walked home together after rehearsals. I could have been there to help her. I could have-” 

“Cole, this is in no way your fault. The blame solely lies on the perpetrator. Right now, we cannot afford to place the blame anywhere else. We will visit the police station tomorrow morning.” 

Cole takes a deep breath, stealing one last glance at the picture before he tucks it away. “You’re right. We’ll find her, and I can tell her myself...” 

“Precisely. For now, I believe we should return to your father’s house. Perhaps he has a printer we could borrow?” 

“Yeah, I think he does,” Cole replies. “Let’s go.” 

The two continue on their way, sharing related chatter as they leave. The two appear to be completely unaware of you emerging from the roof of a nearby building. Once the two are out of sight, you hop down onto the concrete, ensuring that they’re gone before you approach the alleyway where your life had changed forever. 

After taking a moment to ponder their conversation, you’re led to the realization that this investigation might get trickier. If they successfully provide a new lead to the police, it would be hard for you to show yourself in public unless you made a drastic change to your appearance. 

Your mind shifts to Cole, thinking about his words and the way he had gazed at the polaroid you had been looking for earlier. You find that a tear has slipped, taking a moment to wipe it off. 

He’s looking for me... 

So...he does still care. To an extent, at least. And you could have just jumped down from the roof and taken your mask off, showing him that you’re here. You’re okay, and you missed him, but you had worried...

But you didn’t show yourself.

Why? 

Because...you’ve moved on, and you have to figure out what exactly happened that day. You have to learn the truth of why you were targeted, and what the entity’s end goal is for you. You know you’re still at risk. But why? 

You miss Cole, and you want to talk to him. But you can’t. Not yet. He’d be too much of a distraction for you to finish this case. For now, you’re going to try your best to steer clear of him. Maybe when it’s over you can finally reveal yourself and hear him out too. 

You’ll figure it out. Hopefully you can blast the entity that stole your life to pieces and exorcise its sorry ass back to hell. Perhaps Sam was right about vengeance. Even with his words in mind, though, you still can’t help but want closure before you figure out what direction you want to take with your life. 

Another part of Cole’s conversation is bugging you, too – what symbol was the white ninja talking about? How was he able to find it? 

You think about it for a moment before coming up with an idea. 

“Castiel...if you can hear me, I could use your help.” 

You wait for a few seconds, wondering if you should say more when the sound of flapping wings catches your attention from behind you. 

A smile crosses your lips as your favorite angel stands before you. 

“Hello. It’s been a while.”

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘, 𝚒 𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚒𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚒 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢/𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚖, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚗𝚘. 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚒 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢.

𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢! 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚒 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚜, 𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚜, 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜. 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘, 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗; 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘.

[circus4apsycho8]

villain. | cole x reader | chapter ii

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚠, 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝! 𝚒 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢-

𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚒 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.

villain. | cole x reader

Morning comes sooner than you like.

You groan as your groggy mind comes to, sitting up wearily. What time is it? Early? Late? You have no idea. Regardless, the other members seem to be up and at it. After taking a moment to rub the sleepiness out of your eyes, you stand despite your reluctance to face the day. Might as well get it over with.

After stretching your worn muscles, your eyes flit to the small paper given to you by that ninja. What had his name been?

Cole.

The name echoes within the confines of your mind as you make your way towards the end of the room, wondering whether or not you’d meet him tonight.

Too nervous to eat anything, you pass by the bar while noting Brynjolf isn’t anywhere to be seen at the moment. Perhaps he’s elsewhere?

You sigh, pushing the door to the cistern open. Well, it looks like Mercer is up at least. You decide to go ahead and bite the bullet, not wanting to delay it any longer.

The man in question is seated at his desk, eyeing his ledger with a scrutinous gaze. Upon hearing your footsteps, he glances up at you.

“You’re back,” he notes, standing. “What happened?”

“Ronin betrayed us,” you say simply. “He attempted to capture me and took the payment.”

“He did, hm? Can’t say I’m surprised,” he notes, frowning even deeper than you thought possible. “That leaves us to deal with him, though.”

You refrain from scoffing as you cross your arms and look away. “And by ‘us’, you mean me, right?”

“Well, he was the one who captured you. Don’t you want some sense of vengeance?”

“I mean…yeah.”

“Good. Do you know why he captured you?”

“Uh…no, I don’t,” you lie, wondering what Mercer has in mind for Ronin. Something about his mood is off, even for him.

“You’re one of our best,” he notes with a dangerously quiet tone. “Why did he want you? What was he planning?”

You meekly shrug in response, starting to feel uncomfortable underneath his smoldering stare. Is it too much to ask just to go back to sleep and never wake up?

“He’s got a bigger plan. He has to,” Mercer notes, making you shrink back. Why are you hesitating to tell him about Cole’s arrival? This has been your life for…as long as you can remember. Why does everything seem to be changing now? Mercer’s theories are drowned away by your thoughts as you step back.

“That’s it,” Mercer snaps suddenly, catching your attention. “I know what he’s doing.”

“Huh? What?” you question.

“He was trying to steal your key. You still have it, right?”

“My key? Yeah, it’s right here,” you reply, tugging the necklace so that the attached key is in view. The key in question is one of three that, together, can unlock the door to your guild’s vault. It’s where all of your treasures and loot lie.

“Good. Then that settles this,” he replies, sitting back down with an eerily calm expression.

“What do you have in mind?”

“He’s attempting to gain access to our vault,” he mumbles, gaze absentminded as he speaks. “That’s one of the highest crimes an ally can commit.”

“Yeah, but…he’s gone now. He said he was leaving last night-“

“Then find the bastard. Track him down. When you do, give him a choice. Either make him pay what he owes or kill him.”

Upon hearing those last two words, you feel your heart drop. He wants me to murder Ronin…? Over this…?

“Wait,” you say, panic brewing in your stomach. “He didn’t actually take my key, though! If he really wanted it, he would’ve taken it.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that he captured you,” he replies.

“But…that’ wasn’t-“

“Wasn’t what?”

You trip over your words in the midst of your shock. “Mercer, we’re thieves, not murderers! Don’t you realize how badly that would tarnish our reputation?! I thought we were supposed to avoid bloodshed!”

“You question my authority?”

“I mean, yeah, because this isn’t right,” you say, deciding to hold your ground. Ronin made have betrayed you but he had his reasons. You refuse to allow him to die because of your fabricated story. “This isn’t us. This is wrong.”

Suddenly, a hand on your shoulder prompts you to look at its owner. Brynjolf stands beside you, a challenging glare in his expression as he stares at Mercer. “The lass is right. This isn’t how we do things, Mercer. I thought you of all people would understand that.”

A wave of relief rushes over you as you hear Brynjolf agreeing with you. Well, if anyone was likely to sway Mercer’s mind, it was Bryn.

Mercer goes to argue once more, but Brynjolf raises a hand. “Hold on. Lass, head back to your quarters. Go ahead and start that mission. I’ll take it from here.”

Mission? What mission?

Shaking it off, you nod, grateful when Mercer remains silent about your departure. You can’t help but wonder what Bryn has planned.

You arrive back at the bar minutes after, puzzled when you see a fellow guildmate waving you down. A frown crosses your face as you approach her.

“Vex? What’s going on?”

“Shit’s about to hit the fan,” she answers, holding a folded piece of paper up to you. “Brynjolf told me to give this to you. It explains everything. You need to follow the instructions listed here, okay?”

Your heart begins racing as you nod, taking the paper. What in the hell is happening…?

“Good. Now get out of here. And good luck.”

With a brisk word of thanks and goodbye, you rush to take the long way out of the hideout, knowing that Mercer wouldn’t let you go had you taken the secret passageway.

…

It’s quiet.

You sigh in relief, opening the door to your hotel room. The walk from the base’s entrance had been long, but you didn’t want to be anywhere near the base at the moment. The uneasiness lingering in your chest vanishes for the time being.

Finally able to take a moment to breathe, you enter the room. It’s just a dingy little room that would suffice for a few days. Subtle enough so that Mercer wouldn’t be able to track you down, but of good enough quality.

You take the letter out from its spot, sliding down the door as you unfold it. Okay, time to figure out what’s happening.

Lass,

I know you told me about your first run-in with that ninja, though you didn’t tell me that he was the one who hired Ronin to capture you. It’s okay, I’m not mad. In fact, it led to us discovering something huge.

To make a long story short, early this morning, Ronin found a way to contact me again – a way that did not involve Mercer overhearing anything. This is what he told me.

As it turns out, Ronin had his own motive for capturing you. He was tasked with investigating rumors that had been rising around Mercer – rumors that turned out to be true. Mercer was the one who murdered our former guild master, and he’s also been stealing from our vault for who knows how long. We have no idea how he managed to open the vault without our keys.

Ronin happened to be with the ninja the night you completed the job at the palace. After the ninja told him what happened, and how the black ninja is offering you a chance to change sides…well. It provides us all a good opportunity. We will reform the guild, Mercer will be taken care of, Ronin won’t die, and you’ll be offered a chance to start a new life. Provided, this all rests on whether or not you want to accept the offer.

I’m not pressuring to go one way or another, lass. It’s your life, and you damn well deserve to do what you want with it. Either way, we are going to find Mercer. He will have likely fled by the time you read this. He will pay for what he’s done.

What we do know is that Mercer does not know about your interactions with the ninja. Keep that in mind and take it as you will.

I recommend you avoid the guild until this all blows over. He’s powerful and has many connections. Most likely he will try to track you down to use you as leverage against us so he can get what he wants. I don’t care if you end up joining the ninja or not, I just want you to be safe.

Lastly, I want to tell you that I’m proud of you. We’ve had our ups and downs throughout the years, but I fear a drastic change is about to come. Whether that will place us on opposite sides or reunite us, well…I don’t know. You’ve proven to be more resilient than us all – taking the harshness that comes with joining our guild, taking the tough jobs when no one else would, sucking up Mercer’s cruel words. You’re tougher than us all, lass, and I envy that. I don’t know what you plan on doing next, but the Thieves’ Guild will no longer be the same. It is possible that you could rejoin after we deal with Mercer, but I don’t want to force that on you. Do what you feel is right, and I will accept it.

Best of luck to you, lass. Once things calm down I’ll try to visit you. Take care out there.

- Brynjolf

“Holy shit,” you mumble, letting the letter fall to your lap as you take your head in your hands. So, your perspective had been wrong – truly, Mercer was who betrayed you. That must have been what Ronin meant when said that it was “just business”, and also why he didn’t steal your key. He knew there was nothing to steal in the first place. Mercer knew Ronin would prove to be a thorn in his side after seeing that Ronin didn’t steal your key.

After taking a moment to rub your forehead, you sigh. What are you supposed to do now?

From what you can tell, you have three options. You can go your own way, see what Cole has to say, or return to the guild once the reformations have been made. That in itself incites a split within your heart; the guild had been home to you for years, and you didn’t want to abandon them just now.

Well…obviously, this is a big decision. One that could impact many things. You sigh, standing up and deciding that you’ll wait to decide until you can process everything a little easier. And what about the ninja? It wouldn’t hurt to hear Cole out, right?

Right. You’d just talk. With that thought in mind, you fish out the address he’d given you. Well, it looks like you’ve got some time to kill.

…

After a slow day, nightfall finally approaches. Sighing in relief, you swiftly exit your hotel, ready for whatever tonight has to offer.

Thankfully, the streets are empty now. You have about an hour to figure out where this place is. Fortunately your years of tracking down foreign addresses comes in handy as you navigate the area, eventually finding yourself in front of…

“Chen’s Noodle House?” you mutter. You would think it would have been a bit of a more….well, discreet location, but hey. You suppose it’ll work.

You raise a tentative hand to the door, pushing it open slowly to reveal a rather normal setting. Tables, two or three customers, and someone standing behind the counter.

“Hey there,” greets the redheaded lady, offering you a welcoming smile. “Sit wherever you like. I’ll be with you shortly.”

“Okay. Thanks,” you say, following her instructions. Seems as if Cole isn’t here yet. A glance at a clock situated on a wall shows that you’re a little early.

After sitting down, you can’t help but eye the conveyor belt of food circling the counter. Wow, looks delicious. Come to think of it, you are pretty hungry from traveling almost all day.

Your thoughts are interrupted when you hear the door opening. Your gaze flicks over to see Cole entering, dressed in normal clothes.

“Hey, Cole!” the girl behind the counter greets as he walks in. He smiles at her, giving a small wave.

“Hey Skylor! How’s it going?”

“It’s kind of slow tonight, honestly. Go ahead and have a seat, though, I’ll bring your usual out shortly.”

“Thanks a lot!” he replies. “Oh, and do you still have that-?”

“Free six-inch cake with any purchase? Yes,” she answers.

“Yes!” Cole cheers. That’s when his gaze falls on you. “Oh hey, you actually came!”

“Yep,” you say, not missing Skylor’s curious gaze on you as Cole comes to sit across from you. “I have to say this is kind of a weird spot to meet, though.”

“Why?” he questions.

You shrug. “I don’t know. Just considering all that’s happened, why a restaurant?”

“Because I’m hungry. Plus, Skylor’s special on cake won’t last for much longer.”

“Seriously?”

“Aren’t you hungry too? I bet you had a busy day today.”

“Well…yeah, but-“

“Then get something,” he says, face completely sincere as you stare at him in confusion.

“Okay?” you mumble.

“I know we have a lot to talk about, but I, for one, make better decisions on a full stomach,” he replies, giving you a sheepish smile. “So eat something. I know you’ve been on the move all day, and trust me when I say that I know what that’s like.”

You’re left slightly surprised, but nod. “Okay, fine.”

Skylor comes to collect your order a few seconds after, leaving the two of you to yourselves afterward.

“So, why did you decide to come?” Cole asks simply, taking a sip of his drink.

“You’ve probably heard about what happened from Ronin.”

“I heard a little bit. But I want to hear it from you.”

You shrug, leaning back a little bit. “Things are changing and, to make a long story short, I have a choice to make. A big one that will impact both my future and potentially the futures of people I care about. I came to just hear what you have to say. I’m not jumping into anything yet because I need to explore my options to the best of my availability.”

“Understandable,” Cole replies, nodding in agreement. “It’s good that you’re keeping an open mind about it.”

“So…what do you have to say?” you question as Skylor drops your drinks off. After thanking her, she makes her way back to the counter, leaving Cole to explain.

“When we were trying to apprehend you, and I tackled you…well, I just saw something in your eyes,” he explains, taking a moment to sip his drink. “I saw something I felt during my childhood. Something that becoming a ninja freed me of. And I think you’re going through something similar. And, after I heard Ronin’s story about you…well, it pretty much confirmed my suspicions.”

“What suspicions? What did Ronin tell you?” you wonder, folding your arms.

“That you were adopted by the guild as a kid, and you never really got a say in how your childhood went. You just went along with what your superiors told you to do, striving to become the best even though, deep down, you knew you wanted something else. And after years of practice, you did it – you became one of the best thieves this city has seen. But it wasn’t what you really wanted to do. You wanted a different type of life – one that they wouldn’t approve of.”

You frown, a bit surprised that he got that one. “How did you…?”

“Like I said, our childhoods align in that regard.”

A bitter scowl crosses your face as you avert your gaze, gripping your arms tighter. “Well, you say that, but I don’t know anything about you. Yet you know all of this about me.”

“True. I don’t mind sharing. My mother died when I was a kid, and after that, my father became neglectful. He pushed me to follow in his footsteps to become a dancer, but that wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. I ended up running away to become a ninja.”

“I see,” you mumble. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

Cole cracks a sad, lopsided smile. “Thank you. But you see my point, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“That’s why I brought you here. I have a proposal.”

“All right, let’s hear it then.”

“Ronin brought up an important point – one that I think constitutes a fair deal for us. All three of us now have a common enemy – this Mercer guy.”

You nod in agreement. “Yeah. I see where this is going.”

“So, this is the deal. You and I will track this guy down and apprehend him. If you help me turn him in, and agree to conditions laid out between our team, the police commissioner, and the Royal Family, then we will allow to begin compensating for your past crime via community service and crimefighting. You’d then become an ally of our team.”

Huh. That sounds pretty fair, actually. Not having to do any prison time? That would mean you’d be able to actively help people rather than rotting away for an eternity – because stars knows how much value your stash of stolen items held.

“Really?” you wonder. “Forgive me, but part of me sounds like that’s too good to be true.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’ve taken so much from others,” you note, frowning a little bit. “I feel like I deserve prison time for that.”

“I don’t. There’s a better solution here, I think. Why not use your expertise to help people rather than sitting in a cell all day? The way we see it is this: you may be a thief now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t change for the better. Why not apply your expertise to a better cause? That would mean you could help people, we would gain another ally, and the commissioner and public would have one less thief to worry about. Overall, it’s a win-win situation.”

“You’re right…but what about the people I care about?” you ask, biting your lip. “Because, while I feel like that’s what I need to do, I also have doubts about betraying my guild.”

“You bring up a good point, and to be honest, I can’t really tell you what will happen. My best guess based on what’s happened in years past is that, once Mercer is arrested, the guild will either disband or gain a new leader. Your friends will go their separate ways, and…well. What they choose to do is up to them.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “That’s just how it goes. Keep in mind that if you do end up joining me, then what they choose to do doesn’t fall on your shoulders.”

“I know…but still,” you sigh. He’s right, though. “Okay. I think I’m going to accept your terms, then.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Everything I told you is laid out in this contract,” Cole explains as he snags a sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolding it and laying it across from you. He slides a pen over to you as well. “Take your time to read it through. There’s no rush, especially considering that Skylor’s coming with our food!”

His silliness makes you smile a little bit, but you still can’t help but swallow nervously as you start reading the agreement:

The Royal Family

Ninjago City Police Department

Masters of Spinjitzu

Dear ….

This letter is to inform you of an opportunity – a valuable one that will not present itself again. In accordance with the Royal Family, Ninjago City Police Department, and Masters of Spinjitzu, this contract has been negotiated.

In an effort to maintain our system of restorative justice, we offer you a chance for a new and improved life. If the following terms are met, we will retract your status as a criminal.

i. You must perform a certain amount of community service per week. This number may change, as it is dependent on whether or not you set your priority on crimefighting. This number will be provided to you each week.

ii. Because your criminal record currently contains numerous felonies, you will be continuously monitored, either with a ninja/officer escort or by video feed until trust (see footnote for legal definition) has been established in all parties.

iii. Crimefighting is a varied and unpredictable factor in this agreement. As such, we have come up with a system to combine the amount of community service you perform along with what wrongdoing you deal with – and how. Upon experiencing an unlawful event and dealing with it, a group of judges will assess your performance and give you a score. This system is further detailed on the next page.

iv. If you break this contract by committing further crime, abusing the contract, or by acting in any manner deemed unacceptable by any parties, you will experience some type of deduction. This can mean a few points for minor acts, or by arrest if you commit crime again.

Reach the score needed for reprieve and we will strip you of your title as ‘criminal’. You will not have to continue crimefighting if you don’t want to, nor will you have to during your contract length. If that is the case, we offer many types of free career training for you to peruse at your leisure.

Upon signing this contract, you agree that you will consistently work to fulfill your reprieve requirements. You also agree that, in the case of committing further crime within the time period of this contract, it will be revoked entirely and your lifetime criminal record will be utilized when determining prison sentence.

Score System:

Because you have demonstrated you have skills that can aid us in fighting crime, we have incorporated a unique system to allow you to redeem yourself. Keep in mind we have taken into consideration your criminal record when designing this system.

A total score of 50,000 points is needed for reprieve.

Community Service – 10 points per hour worked

Crimefighting – dependent on situation. A set of judges will review reports and incorporate various methods into determining how many points you earn.

If you do not wish to participate in the latter, please tell us and we can work an alternative solution.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter. We hope to cooperate with you well in the future, and welcome you to our city.

Any questions can be directed to the ninja bestowing this contract to you.

Sincerely,

The Royal Family

Ninjago City Police Department

Masters of Spinjitzu

*Trust – a state where it is reasonably justified to loosen restrictions. This state must be agreed upon by all three parties.

Signature:

______________________

“Okay,” you mumble, double checking the paper once more before you press the pen against the signature area. “Let’s do it.”

Cole grins through a bite a cake, taking the time to swallow as you sign the paper. “Welcome to the good fight. I’m glad to be your first partner.”

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐! 𝚒 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒 𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚐𝚘, 𝚕𝚘𝚕! 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗; 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘! 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍 :)

𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝:

@creat0r-cat

[circus4apsycho8]

earth, wind, and fire. | chapter i

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢’𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝, 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚌, 𝚒'𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢.

earth, wind, & fire. | cole, kai, & morro x reader | chapter i

Another one down.

You absentmindedly gaze at the fire blazing before you, the flames eating away at the remains of a supernatural creature. Eyes entranced within the dancing colors, you cross your arms over your chest and release a heavy sigh.

Another day, another evil struck down by yours truly. I’ve done something good…but why don’t I feel satisfied?

You sigh, taking a moment to just breathe as you settle down cross-legged on the grass. You pick up your knife from where you had tossed it down earlier, wiping the blade off using the grass. The blood smears across the ground, but it gets off most of the gunk.

“I don’t understand how you can sit that close to the fire with that smell. It’s been almost a year of being your partner and I still can’t get used to it.”

“The smell of what?” you ask, turning to face none other than Ronin, your partner of almost a year. Despite being one of the most dangerous mercenaries in Ninjago, even Ronin had trouble dealing with supernatural targets. Ever since you had saved him from the clutch of a demon that fateful day nearly a year ago, the two of you had remained partners since.

Well, not exactly partners – he was the one who gave you the contracts and paid the money. Even so, he still was frustrated by his limited knowledge of the supernatural, which is why he travels with you rather than doing his own thing. He’s a quick learner, and you think that he could handle himself by now.

Yet, you enjoy his company. He’d become one of your closest friends.

“Burning corpses,” he answers, standing a fair distance away from the fire.

“Oh,” you reply, frowning. “I don’t know, honestly. I guess I just got used to it.”

“I don’t think I could ever get used to it,” Ronin mutters. “I’ll just sit over there.”

With that, he makes his way over to a little makeshift chair – one that he had made a few months ago, when the two of you had first discovered this place. It’s simply comprised of a fallen tree trunk that he had pushed against another tree. A hefty sigh escapes him as he leans against the bark of the tree, crossing his arms underneath his head.

Now that he’s away from the fire, the mercenary looks rather calm tonight: donning a pair of well-worn jeans and a dirty, white tank top. His eye mech has been replaced by a normal eyepatch for the time being.

“Is it almost done?”

Nodding in reply, you say: “Yeah. Just waiting for this last bit to finish burning, then cleanup and we’ll be done for the day.”

“Good. I’m ready for a drink.”

“Me too.”

“I’m regretting not bringing anything strong out here, but hell. At least the weather’s nice tonight,” Ronin comments, gaze shifting to the stars. You nod in agreement, closing your eyes as a breeze gently tousles your hair. You turn your gaze to the forest clearing before you:

This is the spot you and Ronin always use to cremate corpses. The place has been enchanted with evil-containing magic (even better: evil-containing magic that doesn’t affect you!) that prevents anything from spawning inside or entering. Additionally, this spot is angled in such a way that the smoke is concealed from the city. This clearing is circled by the trees of the seemingly never-ending forest leading to the outskirts of the city.

There are a few stars dotting the sky, though. You wish you could see more, but the lights of New Ninjago City are too bright for that. What a shame.

“You’re right. It’s the perfect weather for cremating a corpse,” you note. “I wish we could go stargaze somewhere darker. Areas close to the city are way too bright for stargazing.”

“You could try Stiix,” the mercenary suggests, not taking his eyes off of the skies. “Used to go up to the docks there and watch the sky early in the mornin’.”

“That sounds nice,” you say, smiling. “I haven’t been stargazing in years.”

“Well, maybe we can go when we make our back there. By the way…” Ronin straightens his posture before standing and making his way over to REX. “I think a found a lead for ya, sweetheart.”

“A lead?”

“Yeah. See for yourself.”

You stand and face him, catching the envelope when he throws it at you. You frown, flipping it upright and examining it.

Nothing is really out of the ordinary – it’s just an envelope. The only writing on it is containing within the wax stamp enclosing the paper.

“Master Chen?” you wonder, cracking the envelope open. “Oh shit, I remember this fucker.”

Before you had escaped Chen’s island, your father had taken you there when you were young – when you had been separated from your brother. Starting that day, you had trained with the evil contaminating that island in order to develop your own power.

You sigh, pushing those thoughts away. Instead, you focus on what the paper inside reads:

Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements. Secrecy is of the utmost importance. Tell no one, or suffer the consequences. Meet on the pier at midnight and leave your weapons behind.

“Tournament of Elements?” you wonder aloud, not really caring about the warning.

“And Chen’s hosting it?” Ronin questions. “Seems kinda sketchy.”

You sigh, flipping the paper over to examine it before you stand and walk over to REX, setting the letter back on the seat. “Definitely. There’s no way he doesn’t have anything planned.”

“Considering the amount of elemental power that would be present there…” Ronin whistles. “Yeah, I’ll leave this one to you, sweetheart.”

You chuckle. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you about anyways.”

“Then why’d ya tell me?”

“Because fuck Chen.”

The mercenary laughs softly. “You gonna go? We have two hours ‘till midnight. We can make it.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll go,” you say. “There’s a possibility the ninja may attend. And if they do…”

“Ah, I get it. No need to explain. Well, best of luck, sweetheart. I’ll have REX take you on autopilot while I finish up business around here.”

“Are you staying the night here?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry about me,” he replies. “You take care out there. I’ve heard nasty things about Chen, but he pales in comparison to what you’re capable of.”

Chuckling darkly, you nod. “I know. Thanks, Ronin. I’ll be back in a few weeks, I suppose. Try not to vomit at the smell of charred flesh.”

…

The streets of Ninjago City are nearly empty when you exit REX, pausing to watch her fly back to Ronin. You flick your mask over your face, concealing your mouth and nose. The pier is only a short walk from here, thankfully. You already see a small crowd of people gathered there.

Thankfully, no one spares you a second glance when you step onto the wooden pier. You decide not to pay much attention to the others as you sit down on the edge of the dock, swinging your legs over the edge.

Though, a moment later, you feel a hand on your back, causing you to turn.

A hooded girl smiles at you as she removes her hand and sits down next to you. Your eyes widen when you realize who she is.

“Skylor?” you question, smiling.

“Hey,” she replies, saying your name, “It’s been a while.”

���Too long,” you answer, pulling her into a side hug. “Shit, I missed you, girl.”

“Same here. I should have known you’d be coming. You’re going to dominate.”

“So are you!”

The two of you continue catching up as more and more people arrive. Midnight ticks closer as everyone grows more anxious to get going.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many elementals gathered at once before,” you comment.

“I haven’t either. It’s incredible. Oh…is that the green ninja? Isn’t he…?”

Skylor trails off as she studies your expression, which has hardened as you bite your lip underneath your mask.

“Yes,” you say quietly. “But…I…”

“I get it. It’s alright. After all, you have the whole trip to…you know. But we should probably discuss this later on,” she notes. “The ferry has arrived.”

With that, you two stand as the boat approaches and anchors at the dock. You clench your fists upon seeing your old mentor step onto pier.

“Clouse,” you hiss.

“Not now,” Skylor reminds you.

“Ah, what a pleasant surprise,” Clouse greets you and says your name.

You say nothing in return, boarding the ferry in silence. Clouse doesn’t comment on it, instead warning Skylor to watch her step.

Once you’re on, you and Skylor walk to the other side of the ferry, silently observing the other elementals as they board. You see an invisible man wearing an eccentric outfit. Must be the Master of Light. Shortly after, another guy runs past him – he could only be the Master of Speed. After, you spot a group of boys and an elderly man.

“The ninja and Garmadon,” you comment quietly, sighing. “As if Lloyd being here wasn’t difficult enough.”

“You’ll get things worked out,” Skylor assures, resting a hand on your shoulder.

You decide to pour your attention onto the other masters. Master of Poison. Master of Gravity. Master of Gravity. Master of Shadows. Hm, who else…

Next, you spy a…guy with…metal hands. Who’s walking up to the two of you with a determined expression.

“Karlof cold! Karlof want to borrow orange girl’s cloak!”

“Please leave us alone,” you demand coolly, folding your arms. “I’m sure they have something on here that will warm you up. You should ask Clouse.”

“Yeah. You look like you got big enough mittens. Why not leave the gals alone?”

That voice…

“These not mittens! These crush ninja!”

“Ha. I’d like to see you try.”

“Knock it off,” you snap, glare stern as you square your shoulders. “Just leave us alone.”

When your eyes lock with the ninja’s, however, you freeze.

The spiky, brown hair with ridiculous amounts of gel in it. Those dark, chocolate-colored eyes. The scar on his eye.

It could only be…

“Kai…?”

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚒 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍! 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗; 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘!