Lava | Ninjago

🜂 | the ring

[yeah, so, bullet train was on my mind recently. made like. three (3!!) edits in the span of a week... anyway, that's why I'm bringing you this assassin au thingy... i think i'll completely rewrite this when i get the time (spring break is coming yaay). i wouldn't post normally, it's the tired impulsiveness so... enjoy ig. P.S. i MISS lemon and tangerine, man, so much.

edit: republishing this... this buddy now also has a friend - the next part, so just letting you know these two are from the same AU... I'll let you enjoy the story now ^^]

«   ̸/̸̅̅ ̆̅ ̅̅ ̅̅   »

Kai stared at the item between his thumb and index finger. He was turning it around, observing it from every possible angle. As if there was anything to observe. Just a mediocre diamond ring, for his personal taste. But he knew Cole and he knew it will be enough anyway. Still, it twinkled in the light and felt cold against his skin and isn't the meaning behind the most essential part regardless?

Still felt pretty cheap for his taste. Okay, sure, it cost a few thousand... zeros aren't important.

What was important was Cole. Cole, that... gorgeous incredible heart-stealing son of a bitch. How did he pull that off again? Probably an acquired skill throughout the years, Kai guessed.

It kept hitting him, how despite his job, he was always so full of feelings and emotions. First, there was his sister Nya, whom he cared for ever since the day they met. Then his little brother Lloyd came along the way. And as a cherry on top of that complicated and sometimes distasteful cake, there was Cole.

People called him an amateur. They laughed and pointed, they raised their brows in scepticism, they whispered and they withheld their job offers. But despite all that, despite all the love Kai had for this specific group of people in his life, he kept his act straight. He did what he was asked to do and he did it well.

Just try explaining that to the bunch of suckers that are so emotionally unavailable, they don't believe a person with feelings can make a good assassin. He proved them all wrong over and over again and he will keep on doing so.

But sure, there were times when his impulsivity and his love almost cost him a life or a limb. There were times, when he wouldn't think, he would do. There were times when he thought about digging a grave for that life he lived for way too long. There were times when he lay in bed with one of his family members and thought about what could have been, what should have been.

There were times when he wanted to scream and shout and rip someone's eyes out for this curse. There were times, when he wished for the Fire Master to die, when he wished their situation never got them so far, he visited Master Wu. Times, when he looked in the mirror and, not being able to stand the picture anymore, broke it with his bare fist.

After meeting Cole, those times usually had a second part to them. There were hugs and back rubs and words of reassurance. For every cut from those stupid mirror shards, there was a stinging kiss of disinfection followed by a sweet kiss of lips. It was Cole who first got to see those tears and who got to wipe them. Or so Kai thought, at least.

How could someone so strong, they could beat the life out of a person in just a single hit, be so fucking caring and sweet? And – most importantly – how did Kai deserve to be a part of that? What in the world did he do for life to give him this awesome hunk of a guy that was always there?

It was funny, actually, because they almost killed each other the first time they met when trying to complete their own missions. They just stood in each other's way. But it took a few rounds of fighting and stalling with a finger eagerly licking the trigger for them to stop, stare into each other's eyes, and make out in the middle of a blood-filled assignment. Call it destiny or pure physical attraction, whatever the hell you want.

Then their paths seemed to cross in every possible instance. It wasn't long before they figured out they were working for the same guy. So no trouble then, right?

Well, it led to meetings filled with longing glances, and then eventually they got to stand back-to-back, fighting to death together. They shared snacks during breaks, they talked and got to know each other on stakeouts, they spent their free nights together and so much more until they managed to establish a relationship. And it went... surprisingly smoothly, Kai would say.

Of course, both his sibling weren't on board with this right away from the beginning. It will distract you, they said. Get you killed, they warned. But Kai was no amateur. He was no fucking amateur to get his life fucked up by a stupid feeling.

Yet there he was, holding an engagement ring in his hand, waiting for Cole to come home. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was a rookie mistake. Aren't mistakes to be taken as a lesson, though? So what if this gets him killed someday? He will be glad to die knowing he managed all this and lived this long. He will die knowing he took care of the most important people in his world and that was all that mattered to him.

Because Cole was fucking perfect and his sibling were his closest friends. He would do anything for them, no matter the cost – even if the price was his head, he didn't care.

Kai Smith fought bravely since he was a child and he will die fighting. No running away, no hiding, he will proudly stare Death into her eyes and scoff. Hell, he will give her the finger right into her face! What can she do anyway? Only her job.

But he wasn't planning on dying any moment soon. No, he was about to plan a fucking wedding, that is what he is going to do. The best fucking wedding in the entire world. A beautiful – no, stunning – "kiss my ass" to all the other, lame and boring weddings.

His lips turned up as the vision of Cole standing in front of him with the biggest grin appeared in front of his eyes.

He fucking loved that man and he was going to show it to the entire planet.

Heck, maybe if they're lucky enough, there will be some hired assassins too. That would be an incredible gift. It is not a proper wedding without something red being spilled, right?

The lock clicked and Kai's ears twitched at the sound. It was go-time.