Cole is used to early mornings.
During his time in Ninjago City, he was up before his own father at their house, falling into the routine of cleaning and dusting as easily as breathing itself. It was the least he could do at the time, after all, having been graciously taken in by Master Wu himself even when there was political unrest in Ninjago city. In the element of decades, Cole had fallen into a different routine than the one he lived in once the other teammates started to live in the monastery.
Needless to say, he's still an early riser in todays world. It makes him feel grounded, being able to see the morning rays as they're filtering into the bedroom, the golden light shining on the sheets.
Lately it's been harder to roll out of bed for the earth elemental. Normally he will find himself sandwiched between his partner, their familiar warmth enough to almost lull him back to sleep and fall into their embrace once more. Almost. He has enough willpower to carefully remove himself from his spot on the bed and prepare all of his lover morning coffee.
It's even harder to roll out of bed when his partner is missing. it makes him feel off-kilter when Kai is not in bed with them; having his partner missing from the bed so suddenly is enough to throw Cole off of orbit.
He sits up in bed with a jolt, hands running across the sheets to see if he and Kai had separated sometime during the night. When he finds nothing, Cole wills himself to calm down.
Stressing out so early in the morning won't do him any good.
He's aware of Kai's nightly activities, but Cole is absolutely certain that they both fell asleep together last night. Was there something that he urgently needed to attend to so early in the day?
Cole shakes his head, his eyes and thoughts both bleary with sleep. It usually takes him a bit to get the sleepiness out of his system, but not waking up with Kai by his side has already made him feel more off-kilter than he already does. The morning sun is just barely beginning to rise up, golden light filtering in through the small crack of the drawn back curtains.
He perks up when he hears water running in the attached bathroom.
Ah, so that's where Kai went.
Cole knows that he doesn't have to check up on Kai, but he knows it would make him feel better if he can see his partner's face and ensure that he's doing okay. He finally throws the blanket off of him, swinging both legs over the edge of the bed and quietly makes his way over to the bathroom.
When he reaches the door, he finds it slightly cracked. Cole eyes it curiously–and before he can stop himself and knock on the door like any simple person, he peeks into the crack.
Immediately, his breath catches in his throat.
Kai's nightshirt has been taken off, folded and set off to the side on the bathroom counter. Cole can make out a towel right next to his folded shirt, but there's bottles and other miscellaneous items that he can't quite make out because Kai's figure obscures them from his view. His hair has been pulled back into a ponytail, and Cole can clearly see his face.
Kai is standing by the bathroom sink, his hand reaching out to feel the temperature of the water as it pours into his palm. His attention is focused on the mirror, though, tilting and moving his head around as if he's checking himself out.
Which, Cole would completely understand, because this is Kai of all people. Kai Smith, the most eligible fire elemental in all of ninjago City, until Cole swept him away for himself. He's good looking; everyone knows that, even Kai himself.
Cole finds Kai as stunning as the morning sun—radiant and luminous.
He still considers himself lucky that he gets to see Kai in all of his forms, even in his most vulnerable moments. A man like Kai doesn't seem that easy to break down, but Cole has found far too many cracks in him since the first day he returned to Ninjago city after his visit from his grandparents.
