Work Text:
Zane opened the door into a dark room, filled with malice and stolen goods. The cogs shifting in his head screamed at him to get out, that he should get the other ninja. If three of them working together couldn’t get them, what could he do?
Even so, he walked into the base of the thug he'd been trying to catch for a while now, looking around, scanning for any entities. His temp scanner couldn't distinguish the opponent from its background—almost as if they were cold-blooded.
He huffed—another failed attempt—the most probable answer being that the creature fled knowing he'd come.
At least, that's what he thought.
Before he could react, a mysterious figure tackled him to a wall, trapping his arms against the unpainted cement. Vengestone earrings stopped him from using his elemental powers. For someone whom the police called a simple thug, Zane had to acknowledge their intelligence.
"Wait!" He yelled, arms struggling against the strong grip holding him down. They didn't say anything, simply placed their mouth closer to Zane's neck. This creature was unique by itself, yet, its evolution curated it similar to the Fangpyre snakes—anything they seeped their venom into, they would turn into their own kind. Zane knew he needed to retreat, to get away from the other and put distance between them.
He spun and made a spinjitzu tornado; with a ‘huump’, the creature was knocked back. They fell onto their back, chest heaving as they panted. He placed a hand on a sore spot on his neck. It didn't affect him. He shook his head as his vitals showed him an analysis. He put it away for now. He'd check on it later.
He sighed and tied the creature on the pole with a rope. With a quick motion, he contacted the authorities. It wasn't his problem for now. Before they could arrive, he fled. The creature was singular but strong. He might as well tell the others that he's finally caught it.
Behind him, the creature laughed. They snickered, as if something was funny. "What is it?" Zane asked, looking back with a furrow in his brow. "What is so humorous?" He asked again, but the creature didn't reply. He sighed, then jumped on a ledge and out of the window to get back to the monastery.
As he jumped through obstacles, he couldn't help but think that maybe he'd missed something. The creature seemed intent that he won—he looked down at his hand, his system registering an injury—A bite? His eyes widened in alert. When he had pushed the creature off of him using his spinjitzu tornado, they had, with almost impossible speed, grabbed him by the arm and scratched their fangs onto his palm, the venom seeping into his now-open wires.
"No–" He huffed, then stopped jumping through the buildings to lower himself behind a wall. He panted heavily, finally opening that tab for his analyzed vitals. "No," he whispered, eyes scanning the page.
<< INJURIES OBTAINED:
VAMPIRE VENOM. MUST BE TREATED BEFORE THE VENOM REACHES THE CORE. CAN NOT BE TREATED AFTER THE CORE IS AFFECTED. (TIME ESTIMATED BEFORE FULL INFECTION: 15 MINUTES AND 49 SECONDS.) >>
He couldn't get to the monastery that fast—and he wasn't even sure if the hospitals in Ninjago had a cure to vampire venom—he stood, perhaps with a slight wobble, and ran through the buildings. Maybe if he contacted Pixal to ask her to have his vehicle return—but she's on a mission! He groaned in frustration, running through those buildings before he slid down the awning of a store.
<< (1 MINUTE AND 12 SECONDS.) >>
Please. He ran through the outskirts of Ninjago, racing towards the stairs of that mountain where his home was situated.
<< (30 SECONDS.) >>
Please— He raced towards the gate, hands shaky as he fought the growing slowness in his movements. He couldn't slow down. He didn't know what could happen—what would happen.
<< (10 SECONDS.) >>
No.. He opened the gates and ran towards Master Wu's room. His breathing ran ragged, gaze frantically going from object to object. His body shook. This would be a danger to all his friends—he can't become one of the creatures—No—
<< (3 SECONDS.) >>
"Master Wu!" He yelled through the hallways but realized something that made his heart drop to his stomach. Master Wu was with Misako on an adventure for the Explorer's Club. "No—" He huffed, running through his room and slamming the door open. "No!"
He was too late. Too late. He couldn't be too late. He shouldn't have been too late!
<< (ALERT. ALERT. INFECTION HAS REACHED THE CORE.) >>
He fell on his knees, hands gripping his hair. It wasn't painful, but it was awful. He felt his very humanity breaking in half, the second being replaced by something dangerous. He bit his lip and prayed to the First Spinjitzu Master. Help me. Everything in his very soul was fighting to keep it away. He craved.
Craved what? What did he want so badly as this creature?
Blood. Human blood.
No—his friends were here. He needed to get away. He stood and turned towards the door, bolting out of the monastery, footsteps getting heavier and heavier and his body heaving as he panted. "Zane?” A voice he’d recognized as a friend for so long snickered. “Why're you.. running through the monastery like a madman?" Cole popped into view, casual but ruffled at seeing Zane. "Come on, dude. Let's get to sleep. I didn't even know you were home."
"Cole," He echoed. "Yes—go to your room—" He couldn't even bring himself to face him as he turned away. “I'll go to mine soon. I'm not quite tired just yet. You may rest." He heard Cole behind him hum with question.
"Come on—you can't tell me you're not tired. You've been out for hours."
"Uh—I just need fresh air, my friend," He lied, it tasted weird on his tongue. "Please go back to bed."
"Come on, Zane." Why must he be so persistent?!
"Actually, now that you say it, I'm not tired either! Let's go out, find a snack place. Maybe we can go on a walk—" Cole rambled as he walked closer. "—I've been dying to try this new 8/12 for a change. They just built it last week. We should try it out and see if anything's new." He reached out to grab Zane’s shoulder, which the other quickly evaded.
"Cole, I assure you. You'll be fast asleep once you close your eyes." Zane was worried. Who wouldn't be? He's not sure what would happen if he turned around, or if Cole got too close, or if Cole saw what happened to him, or.. or—. "Please go to sleep. We can visit the new 8/12 tomorrow."
He knew Cole had furrowed his brows as he'd always do when he's confused or knew that something was wrong.
"Are you okay, Zane? I mean, I know that with Pix revealing she's not the type for the romance it's been sorta lonely,” Lonely was an understatement, “—for you, but you've never acted like this before," he commented, finally taking a final step towards the other and placing a hand on his shoulder.
No.
"Zane?"
"Cole, please," He begged.
"Zane." Not a question to face him. An order.
"Cole," he sighed, hand running across his face, trying to wipe all the wrong away.
"Zane!" Okay, more of a demand now—Cole pulled him by the shoulder to meet his—red eyes? "Zane," a whisper of worry. "You— did you go after them!?" He knew what he was talking about, of course, there was no other answer. Zane bit his lip, holding back an unfortunate sound of sorry.
"Cole, I didn't intend for this to happen—" he sputtered but paused, then placed a hand over his mouth.
"For what to happen?" Cole quickly butted in, throat constricting. Cole didn't know about the vampire venom? "Zane, what did they do to you?" Zane faced away. Maybe if he didn't see him, then maybe...
The two stood there, one with growing aches in his mouth as fangs set in, and one with dread settling into their body like lead. They were quiet, trying not to cross each other, nor yell at the other. Zane's mouth lingered over his fanged maw, and Cole kept his hand situated upon Zane's shoulder, not allowing him to run away. He had to know. He had to get answers. It was what they usually did when they were on some cases—but this time, he was investigating Zane.
"Zane, please." His voice was quiet, so very unlike the Cole that everyone outside of the ninja knew. To them, to everyone, he was upbeat, shining, and always able to protect and care. He was the guy who would try his best to help with a bright smile and an outstanding voice. Now, he was just trying not to scare his friend.
Zane's now-scarlet eyes, the opposite of his usually light blue ones, stared at the wall for another moment or two. Neither of them was at their prime. Cole was more used to helping when he knew he could and wanted to. Now, he did want to, but he just didn't know how. Zane was more used to being able to share his knowledge. He was open with the ninja at all times, almost never hiding anything. But now.. he felt weak to the knowledge he harbored.
It clung to him like the stench of death. Knowledge never felt this bitter.
He couldn't allow Cole to know what had happened. He couldn't let him find out and jeopardize his poorly-built guard... though most of it has already broken off.
He sighed, hands trembling, but he lowered his hand slowly. He was slowly letting himself become vulnerable. He could do this, whether slow or fast, he’d have to do this.
If Cole knew, maybe he could help, after all. "Cole," he took a deep breath. "I was.. infected by the creature." He picked the word carefully, it was the truth.
"What?" Cole paused, staring at the teeth Zane had finally shown him. It was sharp, perfect to draw blood. Zane’s teeth used to be perfect for smiling. "I didn't even know that they had venom—what happened?"
"They're.. they're a vampire, Cole."
Cole almost dropped his guard and stepped backward. What? No. He couldn't give up on his friend now. "It's—" he stuttered, words that normally flew out his mouth like a hearty fountain now gone, "—it's fine. I've been a ghost. We've been through this before. We—me and the other ninja - can help."
"I'm afraid not, my dear friend," Zane responded, placing a hopefully comforting hand on his companion's shoulder. He tried to smile, he really did. "It has spread to my core, and it's now being spread through my being at this very moment." He frowned, then let go of his friend. "I'm.. sorry."
Cole pursed his lips. "Don't be," he replied. "We'll find a cure. I know we will. Once Master Wu arrives, we'll be able to help you."
A hint of worry flittered in his eyes as he put on a gentle expression. They weren't sure when their master would arrive. They weren't even sure if he had a cure. Zane had doubts, but he knew that there was a way.
... a way..
"A.. way.." He gasped. "Cole, away -" he muttered, mask forming up to try and force the craving away, or—worse case scenario—keep his fangs away from Cole.
"Zane? Let me help." Cole's eyes widened, but he didn't even try to step back. "What's going on? What do you need?"
"No, Cole, go.." He pushed his companion away from him. "Please.."
Cole stepped backward but didn't leave. He didn't know what was going on, but he needed to help. "Zane," he tried, raising a hand to try and grab Zane's.
"Cole.." He resisted.
He saw it—those claws, those blood-red hands that were reaching out to him and trying to consume him. He needed to resist. He couldn't harm him—not his friend, no.
But he couldn't. Something was making him go towards it. That scent—so metallic and sweet. Something that he just couldn't step away from. His vision was blurred. Everything was red, but he knew where to go. Where to walk... where to aim.
"Zane—" Cole's voice. This was Cole.
He stepped closer, wrapping his hands around Cole's arms. The other struggled, writhed under his grip. Something inside him trembled, a shred of paper resisting against a storm's torrent. It was small, minuscule compared to the need to bite. "Zane, wake up, buddy," Cole called.
Zane smiled softly. "I'm awake, my dear friend," he whispered, placing a finger under Cole's chin and lifting, then tilting his head towards his neck. "I've never been more energized.."
Cole was trapped. He was stuck, torn between wanting to help his friend, and wanting to survive. His body which was built by challenges faced by no other was frozen. Zane was more than his friend, of course—he was everything to him, but he was conflicted, because whoever was speaking to him was not his everything. Because this wasn't his friend. Because this wasn't the Zane he knew. Was it even Zane?
His eyes were scarlet red, mean and dangerous, unlike those light blue eyes he'd stared at so often, taking in that kindness and warmth until it was everything. Even if Zane was the ice ninja, even if his element was to be cold, he was so warm... but whoever this is, he wasn't the warmth he knew. It was cold, the shrill of a dead body, not the comforting cool of the wind.
Something rushed through his mind, the thoughts becoming too unbearable. What was going to happen to him? Bitten by the person whom he cared for so dearly, made into one of those creatures, or worse, made into a living bloodbath, the harvest of the bodily husk of his own friend.
Was he going to die because he couldn't resist? Because he couldn't resist his once so careful hands?
"Please," he finally choked out with a small whimper. "Please let me go, Zane." He felt his eyes blur. His ears were filled with a fluff, and an annoying ring continuously played in his ears. As much as he didn't want to die, he also didn't want to hurt his friend.
Zane's grip softened. Cole almost felt the man's breath against his bare neck (though he'd never known how that worked, with Zane being a nindroid), and he almost thought that his Zane was back. "Cole," Zane called out, "you just don't understand, don't you?"
"What don't I understand?" He asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Make me understand, dude." He huffed, slightly smiling, because maybe if he joked around, he could bring the Zane he knew so well back.
"I need this."
Cole left his mouth agape as Zane closed their distance. Need this.
Need this need this need this need this need this, need. this?
Would it cure him?
Need. He opened his mouth, forced his fangs into the vein, the place where he could find the most of that sweet blood, where he could stop smelling the food and start drinking. He needed it. Now.
Cole trembled as the bite drew further in, and he trembled as—not Zane—a stranger—drew blood using only his teeth. The crimson liquid dripped down the bite and seeped into his clothes, drying as quickly as they let loose.
His grip further softened, and his bite carefully became less painful, less threatening, and he relaxed into the feeling.
Maybe—just maybe, Zane was coming back. Maybe it helped him, despite not being a cure.
He was beginning to feel tired, like he was losing his strength, and his vision turned into a hazy static. He felt his arms go limp and his legs break under him, and the wall against his back as he was pushed sideways to keep him from falling. He wasn't dying, fortunately, but he was losing consciousness.
Before his eyes could close, however, Zane lifted his head from the bloodied place on his neck, licking his lips, eyes slowly turning into a bluish hue. It wasn't perfect. A scarlet carpet lay just underneath that sea of beautiful blue. He wasn't cured. His friend was trembling, shocked, like he'd just stolen something valuable, a gem or a chest of gold. Cole smiled at him and tried to say something, but he was too tired. Was he always this tired? His mouth was dry as he tried to formulate words.
"No, please, my friend, don't speak," Zane whispered, eyes wide. He took Cole into his arms and took deep breaths, trying not to panic as he watched the man turn weaker. "Please." He huffed. He'd berate the man for not trying to get out of his grip soon.. not now. He placed a hand over the back of Cole's head and ran to the earth ninja's room.
When he placed the man on his bed and kneeled by his bedside, he hiccupped. He couldn't believe it. He almost killed him. He couldn't help but touch his teeth and wanted to rip it out of his gums. He was terrified—terrified that Cole wouldn't wake up, and terrified of himself.
"Please.." It was less of a wish for Cole to rest, but more for him to be able to stand up by tomorrow. He covered his face with his hands and gripped tightly, nails digging into his metallic skin. "Please, Cole.."
"I'm.." The other murmured, eyes barely open. "I'm not going anywhere, tin can." He smiled.
Zane sighed in relief, pulling a chair from the side and sitting down beside him. "Don't do this to me, my friend," he muttered. "I hate to say it while you're occupied with being harmed, but I do care for you, very much. I can't.. I can't even begin to calculate." He closed his hands into fists. "And.. maybe not as a friend."
Cole stayed silent, and Zane closed his eyes.
...
When he woke up, his head was in his arms, and his back ached from curling over to have a softer headspace. He looked up, and his friend's eyes were open, soft and unlike the usually energetic face he'd always loved to see. "Cole," He muttered, scooting closer.
The sun outside was barely over the horizon. None of the other ninja would be awake yet. He placed a hand on his friend's cheek and bit his lip. "Cole, are you?..—"
"I'm.. I'm okay." Cole smiled softly, placing a hand on the one on his cheek. Zane resisted the urge to pull away, and stared at him with.. Just shock. Neither of them could say anything, simply staring into each other's eyes. Cole stared into Zane's newly-colored ones. One was a light blue, the same light blue he so dearly loved, and the other was a scarlet red.
Maybe he'd learn to love that color too.
Deep inside him, he already loved it.
"Do—do you need anything?" Zane stuttered, softly caressing his cheek with his thumb. Cole shook his head in response.
"Just stay with me. Please." Zane pursed his lips, but nodded. Before he could react, Cole placed both his hands on the sides of the other's face and pulled him closer, making him stand off his chair beside Cole's bed, and he sighed. "Don't you dare go running again. Not without me. Never without me again," He scolded, and yet, pulled closer.
The nindroid didn't expect it. He wasn't even sure if Cole had ever planned to do this, or if this was the first time, but when he came to his senses, his lips were on the other's. A kiss he'd never expected.. and his first.
Cole's eyes were closed. He followed suit and closed his as well. The position was uncomfortable, as he'd been sitting just a moment ago, but he didn't mind. He placed his hand on Cole's chest as he was let go. "Cole," he blinked.
"Zane," the other responded.
"What.. Does this make us, as friends? I—I don't quite understand -" Zane sputtered, but was interrupted.
"You know exactly what this makes us, smartass." Cole let out a small snicker.
"But I don't understand - I thought I'd -"
"I'll do anything to help you. I just.. realized it a little late," Cole stopped him. "Look, I know it's sorta weird, considering the fact that you were finding nutrition in my blood yesterday, but," he looked back up at the other, "I heard you last night, and it just.. pressed a button I didn't know could even be pressed. I thought I didn't do romance—I thought I wasn't able to feel that." Zane blinked. "I thought I'd never understand why others liked it so much.." Cole smiled. "Now.. I think I do."
Zane didn't even try to push away when Cole pulled him back into another kiss, this time longer. For some reason, it felt right, and he didn't need to justify it.
"I.. love.” he paused, “—you, Zane," He continued to mutter. It felt weird to say it. But.. It was a fact.
"...I love.. you too, my dear friend," The other replied.
"Not your friend. Not anymore."
Zane scoffed. "Boyfriend."
"Better." Cole smiled.
...
After-blooper:
Lloyd opened the door to the room, having been waiting for Cole to wake up for a while now. Kai and the others were training outside already, keeping the training course busy. When the door was fully opened, his eyes widened, watching as Zane and Cole's chests moved as they breathed, the nindroid in Cole's arms. Their bodies lay entwined in the other’s embrace, as if no problem in the world existed.
He bit his lip and slowly walked backwards, closing the door softly. Okay. Maybe he'll let them sleep a little bit more for now.