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Cole wasn’t 100% sure he knew what he was doing here.
Don’t get him wrong! He loved hanging out with Zane and Pixal! They were two of his closest friends and he loved any time he got to spend with them! But they kept inviting him on these outings around Ninjago. And while he normally loved being out of the monastery and getting a chance to try new things…
He was pretty sure these were dates, and he was just the awkward third wheel.
They weren’t excluding him or anything! They were always super nice to him and asking his opinion on where to eat or what they should do next, but the two of them were definitely on a date and had asked Cole to come along for some...unknown reason?
Ever since they’d become an official couple (after Zane died, Pixal got disassembled, Zane got rebuilt and put Pixal in his head, and then Pixal got her own body) they weren’t particularly subtle about their relationship. Cole didn’t think either of them had the capability of being subtle about something like this, even though Zane was a ninja and Pixal kept her identity as Samurai X a secret.
They were the poster image for a healthy relationship; always in sync, always checking in with each other, always holding hands and kissing when they thought no one was looking…
And Cole was happy for them! Really! He was!
Well…except for one thing.
Cole had been harboring a crush on Zane for a long time; ever since finding him again in the dungeons under Chen’s palace. Cole realized the moment he locked eyes with Zane that this man was special…and Cole never wanted to lose him again. The crush only got worse as the years progressed. Every time Zane laughed it was like songbirds, every one of his smiles could make flowers grow…
But it was when Cole realized he had a crush on Pixal too, that he understood he was well and truly fucked.
She was so smart and brave, not to mention absolutely gorgeous with her quiet smiles and bright green eyes. Cole could easily see what Zane saw in her…just as he could see what Pixal saw in Zane.
So not only did he have an unrequited crush on one of his closest friends, but he had a crush on two of them, and they just happened to be dating each other.
Cole was pretty sure Jay was sick of him whining about the situation and had told him multiple times to just grow a pair and confess or get over them. But Jay also had no room to talk with his obvious raging crush on his ex-girlfriend’s brother. So at the very least, they were both equally fucked.
But back to the matter at hand. Zane and Pixal had invited him out that day to the Ninjago City Botanical Garden. Pixal acted like it wasn’t a big deal when she asked him, but she had to know it was one of his favorite places to go in the city. Everything was just so…grounded. It made him feel in touch with his element like few other things did when he was surrounded by the metal and glass of the city's skyscrapers.
Zane was just as excited as him, if not more so. It was no secret that the Botanical Gardens had a lorikeet aviary attached to one of the wings of the garden, and it was even less of a secret that Zane was kind of a bird nerd.
Pixal just looked happy that Zane was happy. As they walked through overgrown ferns and hibiscus plants, Zane rambled about perfect growing temperatures and the wingspan of a lorikeet. Pixal turned to look at Cole with a soft smile on her face, her eyes practically sparkling with joy and love. Oh…what Cole wouldn’t give for her to look at him like that while thinking of him…
“Cole!” Zane called excitedly before reaching back to grab Cole by the hand. Zane started pulling him down the pathway, and Cole heard Pixal’s bright laugh, no doubt amused by her boyfriend’s enthusiasm. “Come look at these flowers!” Zane insisted, and Cole felt his insides go all warm and fuzzy. Zane’s hand was firm and cool in his own despite the warm temperatures of the greenhouse they were touring. Zane looked back at him, cyan eyes joyful, and Cole’s heart did a backflip.
Oh he was so fucked…
“Isn’t this your favorite type of flower?” Zane asked, stopping them both in front of a display of beautiful, small, white flowers springing up from thick, upright leaves. Cole recognized them immediately.
“Lily of the valley,” he murmured, almost reverently. He extended his free hand to the delicate blooms, caressing them like little bells. Zane’s hand tightened in his own, almost comforting in the squeeze.
“Yeah,” Cole breathed, a wistful smile crossing his lips. “Yeah, they are.” A lot of people would probably think it weird that such a big guy like Cole had a favorite flower at all, let alone something as fragile and petite like lily of the valley. But…he had a reason. They had been his mother’s favorite flower. Before she’d gotten sick and couldn’t really leave her bed, she was quite the avid gardener. Her garden was always full of all kinds of flowers, but she always made sure to have some lily of the valley. She’d told him that happiness would always find him if he kept the small flowers by his side…
“How did you know,” Cole asked, standing back up from where he’d been bent over. He turned to look at Zane, expecting an answer, but Pixal came up next to him and spoke instead.
“We noticed you always take a stem of the flowers when you come across them in our journeys and tuck them into your gi,” She explained. “It does not happen very often but…I have been keeping a record.”
Cole blinked up at her and she just gave him a patient smile. “They suit you, Cole.”
He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt her fingers tentatively reach out for the hand not occupied by Zane’s (who still hadn’t let go.) She gently entwined their fingers together and squeezed softly.
Now, Zane, he could explain away. Zane was a pretty tactile person, even going so far as to volunteer to be the base whenever the ninja dog piled on each other for cuddles or hugs. The man loved touching things to understand them, and his friends were no exception. He was like Jay in that way.
But Pixal touching him? That was odd. She was more reserved than the ninja when it came to physical affection, and more often than not, that affection was reserved solely for Zane. So for her to seek Cole out and hold his hand? And to look so pleased while doing so?
Something was up.
Ice started forming in the pit of Cole’s stomach, so jagged and painful that he couldn’t focus on how wonderful it felt to have Zane’s hand on his left and Pixal’s on his right. Oh god…they knew. They knew and they were trying to let him down gently. They were trying to be nice, and they were always so kind, but they didn’t like him back. And now he’d gone and made all of their outings awkward with his stupid crushes...
Well, they’d always been awkward with him third wheeling around like a loser.
But now it was directly his fault.
“Um…” He started, unsure how to broach the topic himself. They’d be understanding of his feelings, of course, but they would still ultimately reject him. And somehow that was almost worse. “So, I t-”
“The feeding show is happening in five minutes. If you want to feed the Lorikeets please come pick up your berries now!” The pa system dinged.
Cole could feel the excitement start to radiate off of Zane, and glanced over at the taller man. “Zane did you want to-”
“Can we?!” Zane’s grin was so wide it almost split his face in half, and Cole couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
“Sure, Snowflake.”
Cole thought that maybe there was the faintest hue of blue on Zane’s cheeks…but that only happened when Zane was blushing, which was pretty rare. Instead, Zane turned back to the path they were standing on and let go of Cole’s hand to start awkwardly speed-walking in the direction of the aviary.
Next to Cole, Pixal huffed fondly. “He’s not even going to wait for us, is he?” She mused, but she didn’t sound annoyed.
“I guess not,” Cole responded with a soft smile. “C’mon, we should follow him so he doesn’t kidnap a bird to take home…”
That got a giggle out of Pixal. An actual giggle. They started walking after Zane, following the winding path through the greenhouse. “If you don’t mind my asking, Cole,” Pixal started. “What was it you were going to say earlier? You started speaking but the announcement interrupted you.”
Cole’s face flushed with shame and his mouth tightened as he looked down at the stone path in front of them. He gently pulled his hand out of Pixal’s grip. “I…uh…it’s not important. Just something stupid.” He wasn’t about to ruin their day out over his stupid feelings. Even if they were letting him down gently, he should just take it like a man and then lock himself in his room to cry his eyes out later. No need to confront them about it while they both seemed to be having such a great time…
Even if it hurt.
Even if it hurt so badly he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“Cole, are you okay?” Zane asked, concern evident in his voice.
Cole coughed around the emotion in his throat. He couldn’t look either of them in the eyes, so he stared down at the slice of lemon chiffon cake he’s ordered on instinct. “Yeah…yeah I’m fine.”
“That is a lie, Cole.” Pixal said matter-of-factly and he winced. “You have not even touched your cake. That is highly uncharacteristic of you. Something is clearly bothering you.”
Around them, the noises of the diner filtered in and out. After Zane got to feed the lorikeets (one had landed on his head, and both Cole and Pixal made sure to get pictures), they’d headed to Cole’s favorite diner. He wasn’t really picky about his food as long as it tasted good, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know good food when he came across it. And this was, by far, the best little diner in Ninjago City. He actually came so often, the owner knew him by his first name.
But the fact that Zane and Pixal brought him here of all places… They didn’t need to eat. Zane liked food, yeah, but it was so clear to Cole that they’d brought him to his favorite places today as a prelude to something big. They were going to reject him, and then this diner would be ruined for him forever, and he’d go home and wallow in his perpetual single-ness.
“I’m…I’m not hungry.”
There was silence on the other side of the booth and Cole could almost hear the two of them exchange a look.
He couldn’t take it anymore.
“I already know what you guys are going to say and I just…I’m sorry, okay?” Cole’s hands clenched into fists against the table. He could feel the telltale sting in his nose signaling barely held back tears. “I just…I can’t control how I feel.”
They were quiet for a moment, but then Zane spoke softly. “Oh…um…okay.” He sounded almost…sad?
“We never meant to pressure you,” Pixal said, her voice gentle but obviously disappointed. “We’ve just had so much fun with you, but perhaps we…miscalculated. If you do not want to then…we, of course, will respect your wishes.”
Cole frowned, his brows furrowing. Something about Pixal’s words were…odd. “Wait,” he said, finally looking up at the two of them. Zane looked on the verge of tears, and Pixal just looked quietly accepting. “What do you mean, ‘If I don’t want to’? Want to what?”
Pixal blinked at him. “That you knew that we were going to ask you to be our boyfriend and you don’t want to. You do not feel similarly to us, correct?”
Cole’s eyes widened and his heartbeat picked up to a sprint. “You were going to ask me what?”
“Well,” Zane poked at his fork with his finger. “We’ve all been dating for a while, but Pixal and I thought we could make it official today if you wanted. But if you don’t-”
“WE’VE BEEN WHAT NOW?!”
A few of the diner patrons looked over at them, annoyed by Cole’s loud outburst.
“Ah,” Pixal breathed before biting her lip. “I see I drastically miscalculated…”
“We still want to be your friends though, if that’s okay,” Zane was quick to cut in, smile wobbly. “But uh…if you believe its best for us to leave then-”
Cole was silently begging his brain to process what was going on faster than it was. “Wait!” Cole reached out across the booth with both of his arms to clutch their hands, Pixal now on his right and Zane to his left. The pair of Nindroids paused, looking at him expectantly.
“I…I didn’t know these have been dates. I mean I knew they were dates for you guys but I didn’t know you included me in that!”
Pixal cocked her head to the side. “It would be abnormal to continually invite someone on dates whom you are not romantically interested in.”
“I dunno?!” Cole felt like he was losing his marbles. “I thought it was just for friendly support!”
Zane cracked a smile at that.
“But uh, getting to the chase. Yes.” Cole nodded enthusiastically, his hands tightening around Zane and Pixal’s. “Yes, I really do want to be your boyfriend. Holy shit do I want to be your boyfriend. I’ve had a crush on the both of you for years.”
They both looked surprised at that, but shock quickly gave way to happiness.
“You’re not turning us down?” Zane asked, more curious than anything else.
“No,” Cole chuckled. “I thought you guys found out about my crush and you were turning me down! That’s why I was apologizing for how I was feeling! I’m totally in love with the both of you!” His chuckle turned into genuine, joyous laughter.
Relief flooded Zane’s face while Pixal’s face grew soft and loving. “We can talk more about it when we get home…but now that all of that is settled, please eat your cake, Cole. I know it is your favorite and I would hate to see it get stale...”
Cole leant forward and pulled Pixal’s hand up to his mouth, gently pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Of course, Pix…”
She blushed, the green bright and stark against her pale cheeks, but she smiled at him. Zane practically beamed at the two of them, and as Cole let go of their hands to tuck into his cake, he realized that the reason they’d done things he liked…was because they were planning on asking him this entire time. It wasn’t to butter him up for a letdown, it was because they loved him too.
Cole had never felt more appreciated in his life, and with two partners he adored, he could only imagine how the future would feel.
Fantastic, no doubt.
Even more fantastic than a day filled with flowers, birds, and lemon chiffon cake...