Archive of Our Own ^beta

3 months. 

3 months, 5 days, and 18 hours. 

That's how long it's been since the fight with the ninja, since they took him. 

Walking the streets, hood over his head, Zane moved through the shadows, making his best attempts to stay hidden. Not that he wanted to. The one thing he desired most right now was to blow this whole city to ashes. 

If you were any other person residing in Ninjago City, you'd think nothing of the master of ice walking the streets. Nightly patrolling would be their guess. That is, if they didn't take in the fact that said ninja wore sunglasses. Underneath which was a harsh, blood colored irises instead of the ice blues they've grown used to. 

Ever since their fight at Darkely's School for Bad Boys, the bizarro has been staying hidden, swallowed by the depths of nightfall, planning. Revenging. 

Gripping the fabric inside the pocket of his jacket, the dark ice element glanced around the streets from behind his shades. Sure he could always program his lights and sensors to glow the same blue his goody two shoes clone has but then he'd have to be nice. Just the idea made his circuits want to shut down. 

After making sure there were no people around, which was the usual, this was Ninjago after all, you don't want to be out past midnight, the doppelganger of the beloved hero turned a corner and was face to face with an ATM. Just like his system has calculated. Standing in front of the machine planted into the wall, his hand finally left his pocket. Hovering over the small keyboard, his synthetic skin slowly faded to his wrist, revealing the titanium paneling, the color warmer compared to his good counterpart's. As one of the panels covering his palm loosened, a wire extended from his wrist and made its way between the keys. After not so long, Bizarro Zane's eyes lifted from the keyboard to the camera sitting in the left corner of the ATM itself from under his sunglasses. Just as his system was hacking the ATM's program, the small light of the camera went out. Those idiots were making it way too easy. 

Keeping his face even, the blond looked back down at his hand as the screen had by now come to life, flickering between codes and the usual menu you'd see if you were a normal citizen trying to take money out of your bank account. Not long after, the slot below the keyboard opened as Zane lazily placed his hand in front of it, the bills just kept coming and coming. And they'd continue for as long as he pleased.

After he had drained the bank of a few hundred he let the system go into shut down, the wire slowly slithering its way back under his paneling, the metal in place and his synthetic skin building back up to cover his hand up to his fingertips.

Calmly, he walked away, both hands in his pockets again. This lowkey profile was making him more and more impatient but he had to figure out a way to proceed. Ever since those bastards took out his team, he's been plotting on how to get it back at them.  He'd always feel his wires buzz with pure hatred whenever he'd walk down the streets and see the local 24/7 shop's TV playing the broadcast of how those strong, brave heroes saved the day from another threat as if they didn't send his own teammates to the depths where they had originated from.

He realized he's been clutching the bills in his hand, crunching the papers. Relaxing his digits, Zane soon enough walked into a gas station. Not that he needed anything from it, it was just to pass time. The small announcing ring of the automatic doors filled his ears as he walked in, not greeting the cashier or the other way around. It was 2:37am and no one was in the mood for a good chit chat. Not that Zane ever was.

The shop was empty except for the two of them, the music from the speakers turned down, the usual clichey remixes of pop hits which got on your nerves. Walking down between the aisles, Zane's eyes would flicker around the shelfs full of snacks. He could eat of course, not that he needed to, but he has to do something with the cash he so rightfully has, right?

Grabbing a can of sparkling water from the refrigerators, he walked to the cashier, resisting the urge to grab whatever he wanted and just leave. Low profile and all.

He was getting sick of that.

10 bucks, his drink and a pack of smokes later he was out the door and down the sidewalk. A can in his hand, he bit down on the butt of his cigarette and took out the lighter that had been left behind after Kai. The dark red paint was chipped away as the dark fire elemental had used his sword to scratch  a fire pattern over the small item. Gripping it between his fingers his thumb pressed on the spark wheel as a small blaze erupted, lighting the tip of his cigarette on fire. 

Blowing out the smoke, he'd walk around the streets aimlessly, just to feel the cold, try and think, his internal clock counting down every second since his solitude. Since his brothers, his own poison, were ripped from him. 

Noticing the dark frost that had started crawling from his fingertips around the wrapped paper of his smoke, he took a few more drags from it before flicking it on the asphalt, half finished. Not like he couldn't afford another pack if he finished this one. His sneakers made little to no noise as he walked, posture forced to be a little hunched over, despite his own distaste. The night itself was quiet, as it was every night. The only noise coming from a bar or a nightclub which somehow had people, even though it was a Tuesday. He couldn't blame them, he'd kill for a glass of whiskey with jazz in the background, but he couldn't afford to sit in one place for too long. And as much as he liked his alone time he missed the company of those idiots he called teammates.

Turning to a corner, his sensors suddenly registered a noise, making him spin on his heels and look up the street he just came from. Looking around, he did not see anything out of the ordinary, but he kept his guard up as he slowly turned back around and continued through the streets. Could be a cat, or a stray dog. But then again he'd see the animal. A burglar trying his luck? Not like it was a big issue, he could easily shove a spike down the poor guy's throat if he felt like it.

A few meters away though, he heard a noise again as he did not stop or turn this time. If the person was smart enough he would try his luck, and if he was a total idiot, which Zane guessed was the situation, he could easily take him down. He missed the action, his hands basically trembling from the excitement of a possible fight. 

As luck would have it, a few streets later his eyes recognized a new silhouette on top of one of the buildings. Great, one of those bastards. Eyeing up the figure from behind his shades he recognized the wide build of the shoulders. His core went rapid for just a second as his hands clenched in fists in his pockets, continuing to walk. Let's see how long this fool would follow him for. As the minutes ticked, the ninja on his footsteps, the doppelganger got more and more frustrated. He forgot how big of a cowardly crew those 'heroes' were. Taking their time, edging him on. More aware of his surroundings he listened closely to the night around him, registering a louder step of the rustling of the clothes on his stalkers back here and there. His eyebrows furrowed. It was like they were asking to be caught at this point with how loud they were. Some ninja.

Deciding that this was enough playing around he took a left into an alleyway, which was a dead end, half of it being separated by a fence. And just like that, he heard the soft thud of feet meeting ground, just a few meters behind his back.

"About fucking time, I was getting annoyed with you on my tail at this point." Zane's voice broke the silence as he turned to face the earth ninja, mask covering his face except for his eyes. This was the first encounter the bizarro has had with the ninja ever since that godforsaken fight at that dumpster of a school. And of course it had to be him . This bastard . 

"Patience running low, huh?" Zane felt his hands becoming degrees colder at the sound of his voice, eyes squinting from underneath the sunglasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. 

Before any of them could utter anything else, Zane's foot slid swiftly over the ground, and in the matter of seconds ice covered the concrete underneath them, freezing the ninja's legs up to the knees. Before the master of earth even registered the ice, Zane was by his side, shifting his weight on one foot, keeping perfect balance on the black ice as he spun a kick aimed right at the hero's midsection, sending him flying to the wall, the ice shattering. 

Regaining his composure, the raven looked up just in time to dodge a punch to the face. Moving to the side, he took a hold of the nindroid's system,twisting it and sending an elbow right to Zane's cheekbone. 

Quickly recovering, the ice elemental huffed a fogged breath, jaw clenched.

"You fuck.." he murmured before lunging forward, making a false move to the left which the ninja tried to stop, giving Zane the perfect opportunity. Taking a hold of a thicker wrist, he squeezed his grip, making the ninja hiss, before he spun, putting all the other's body weight on his shoulder before flipping him over, his back breaking the rest of the ice as he hit the floor.

Lifting his leg, Zane's eyes glowing crimson from excitement and pure loathing, he let his foot be forced down with the idea of breaking Cole's nose, but the damned bastard moved just in time for his leg to miss. Next thing the bizarro knew was that there was a harsh pain in his chest as the ninja folded his arms, his palms against the ground as he lifted himself up. In the process of kicking both his feet into Zane's ribs, the doppelganger was sent a few meters back. By the time he had registered what happened, the earth master was back on his feet before jumping in the air, arm pulled back hand in a fist. 

Rolling to the side, Zane got back up, body low, hand on the ground which shook and cracked at the spot where his opponent's fist had landed, he reached into his shoe, grabbing a hold of his shooting stars and aiming them at the raven.

The battle seemed to only grow more and more brutal but none of the sides faltered in their attempts to take the other down. Despite the blood dripping from Bizarro Zane's lip and the bruises which had started to form on Cole's arms and probably his stomach, they did not stop. The alley at this point was almost in total ruin, dark ice shards and cracks in the pavement and the building's walls could be seen from a mile away. Zane's glasses layed forgotten, broken on the ground, his eyes casting a cardinal light over his face, fans working harder to keep his system from overheating despite his arms being devoured in a frosted fog, ready to send more ice needles to pierce this pathetic asshole's skin. Maybe luckily even piercing a vein or slashing a muscle. 

Huffing, the ninja's mask was already torn, cuts from ice crystals sent his way laying on his cheekbone and eyebrow, the top part of the cloth already off, his hair ruffled and wet from sweating. Zane examined him, making up ideas on what his next move may be. It was a weird fight, since the ninja seemed to be playing dirty. Sure he had mostly the same moves as his own Cole, they've spared millions of times. When they had the time, that is. 

The thing bugging the bizarro here though, was that his opponent seemed.. more unpredictable. What he had noticed about the ninja was that they gave their rival a fighting chance. This time though, the master of earth seemed to be having none of that, kicking and blowing a punch whenever he had an opening, even if the nindroid was still recovering from the last. 

"Want a timeout now?" Cole huffed, staring at his rival in something akin to amusement, as Zane could see how his eyes squinted just a bit as he was smirking underneath the black fabric covering his face. The fucker was edging him. "Must've gotten rusty."

"Won't be so cocky when I make you swallow your own teeth, would you?" Zane hissed before sending a wall of ice his way, the ninja moving to the side just in time as a small strand was cut from his hair, left to fall on the floor next to the crooked spikes which went all the way down to the road. The hair fell right by the rest of the black ninja's mask. Feeling a move in the wind behind him, the blond turned just in time to see Cole behind him, this almost deranged flash in his eyes which took the nindroid off guard. Lifting his hand, ready to freeze the guy into a popsicle, a strong hand was wrapped around his throat, his back hitting the fence behind him. The rustling of the metal stilled soon after. 

Opening his eyes just a slit he took a good look at his enemy, who had his face just inches away, eyes wide and both of their breaths heavy, frost forming on the cheek of the master of earth, the ice elemental feeling the panels beneath Cole's fingertips bending from his grip. 

"I think you'd appreciate my teeth around your throat more." Cole spoke, his voice low, a wide smirk on his face as he leaned closer, lips almost to his opponent's ear as he kept eye contact from the corner of his eye. "Won't you, ice spike?"

The words took a minute to settle in Zane's ears and another one for his system to process them. Eyes scanning the features of the elemental master in front of him as best as he could. He felt a small scratch on his jawline before a soft, almost tender kiss was placed on the same spot. Just where the paneling underneath the artificial skin ended and his wired muscles began. Fangs. 

"Cole?" His voice was breathless from the fight as he finally found it in his coding to use his voice box, the grip around his neck the same, except feeling a finger caressing the skin.

"And I thought you're the smart one." The raven replied, pulling back as the sadistic curve of his lip revealed blade sharp fangs. Zane's visual sensors focused closer on the other's eyes, which were still green instead of red…

too dark though..

almost…brown.

"You…stupid FUCK " The nindroid snapped, blowing a punch to Cole's nose, the crack of the bone loud enough to know he broke it. The raven remained unphased for a second, neck arched back from the hit, Adam's apple on sight, almost tempting Zane to pierce it with his ice before Cole blinked, the pain registering as he simply laughed it off. Blood dripping down his nose, he licked the ichor which streamed down his lip, his eyes half lid and pinned to his lover. Before he could say anything else, Zane's hand, which had broken his nose, desperately gripped the hair at the back of his head with as much force as he could, their lips clashing for the first time in months.

The taste of blood on his tongue only made the kiss the more pleasant as Cole, his Cole, the bastard he hadn't seen in months, the sick son of a bitch he thought had evaporated just like Kai and Jay had, kissed him back. The pressure was enough to make them feel like they'd shatter their teeth, fangs biting artificial lips as synthetic tongue tasted the red iron. The frustration and raw desire from being deprived of their drug building up the more their lips stayed interlocked, the more their teeth clashed. Zane's back against the wire fence, ice forming in Cole's hair where titanium fingers gripped the strands the two clung to each other for dear life, hate and burning bubbling in their chests. 

He was alive. Cole was alive . Flesh, blood and bone underneath Zane's fingertips, chapped and rough lips pressed against his own as the aches of the fight faded into pure bliss. The teeth that bit through his chill skin, the hand that gripped his throat in a way that made adrenalin rush through his wires, electricity buzzing in his software, they were real .  The smell of dirt and cigarettes soaked into Cole's skin intoxicating him like a virus he'd never want to decode or rip out of himself. His system still couldn't comprehend that he had not simply vanished. The silence of his sorrow was finally broken by the closest to joy he could feel in his shadowed self. 

That, and anger.

After a good while, when he thought that was enough for the time being, Zane's hand pulled on the black hair, making Cole's head lean back, him hissing from the force. Despite knowing he could use his super strength to fight off his beau's grip he stood still, panting.

"Where the fuck have you been?! It's been months!" Zane yelled in his face, both their lips swollen and painted red, the proofs of their fight slowly blooming to life, Zane's neck bruised from the grip and Cole's eye turning blue slowly but surely. Where has this asshole been the whole time?! He's been alive for months and yet he had vanished in thin air, leaving Zane behind like some pathetic stray dog! 

"Relax, babe."

"Relax?! You appear out of the fucking blue after I thought you were gone for good!" 

"Shut your mouth before i break your fucking neck." Cole's voice hissed through teeth. Zane didn't back down.

"Try me, dipshit. See how long you'll keep your eyes in your fucking skull."

The bizarro couple argued back and forth, the frustration and ambivalence clashing into one as their eyes met and didn't break the contact. Soon enough Cole's hand released his lover's neck, the skin bruised, before reaching behind his back and taking a hold of the hand in his hair, squeezing and breaking the ice which had formed. 

"Feisty. And a stubborn fuck as always."

"Explain. Now ." Zane hissed back, making the other one glare at him. After a bit of silence, he finally spoke.

"I won."

"What?" Zane spoke in frustrated confusion.

"I won the fight, fuck's sake use this stupid head of yours once." he murmured and lightly slapped the side of Zane's head, making the blond close his eyes and exhale frosted fog before glaring back at him. After a while Cole continued, boredom and impatience in his voice as his nose continued bleeding.

"I won the fight back at that dumpster of a school. The fucker is my copy and yet he was enough of a dumbass to leave me an opening which I took. I've been pretending to be him for the past months." Crossing his arms, Cole stared down at the nindroid who seemed to connect the dots, the shock and frustration from seeing his boyfriend alive fading off. "I knew you were still alive since their Zane wouldn't stop bitching about you having gotten away." And the frustration was back.

"So you knew I'm out here and you continued playing fucking dress-up?!"

"How did you expect me to go about it huh?! I killed their Cole! They'd be on our tail immediately if I hadn't stepped in! And without their tech and the bastards being so focused on Garmadon's little brat it could've taken me even longer to track your pathetic ass down." Cole snapped back soon after, glaring down at his boyfriend. Truth be told, he couldn't believe he found him, after months of patrolling the city, looking into sightings and CCTV footage to try and find a lead he had finally tracked him down. Though he'd never admit how relieved he was. It wasn't their thing to be vulnerable. 

"So what?! You put on a sad excuse for contact lenses and play a goody two shoes and they didn't get suspicious?! I know Kai and Jay are fucking idiots but my counterpart is not as brainless!" Zane argued back, returning the fierce stare as the tension cracked between them like glass ready to break under pressure. 

"He isn't. But he wasn't against me trying to find you so bad. 'He's still out there, he's still a threat, I'll cover it so if we do find him you won't be at any sort of risk' and he's wrapped around my finger." Cole spoke, mocking his nice voice before putting his index finger up and making a small circular motion before his hand dropped by his side. Eyes half lidded and bored, he huffed in annoyance before turning to the side and brushed off the blood from his nose, despite the scolding pain which shot through to his skull.

The remaining two of the Bizarros stood quiet, the tension slowly faltering as Zane tried to come up with how they'd proceed. Cole had taken the place of that whiney shit on their team and he was on the lookout for, well, Zane. Now that this had happened, they'd ask why he's so badly beaten down.

"I've got it covered, don't bother flying your circuits princess." Cole spoke, tone even and cold, just like Zane enjoyed it. Still he shot a small, badly shaped ball of ice at his temple, making his partner groan and glare at him.

"And what's your picture perfect plan then, dirtbag?"

Cole stood quiet, glaring at his boyfriend and biting down the urge to press him to the fence and kiss him until his system malfunctioned. God, he missed this stupid fuck.

"I take them down from the inside. I'm still in contact with our Sensei."

"How the fu- Garmadon's been ignoring me ever since!"

"Because I told him to! The ninja keep track of him just as closely! The only way I could get in touch with him was to pretend I'm on patrol." Cole shot back, the two of them on each other's nerves already, just like old times. With a harsh exhale Zane crossed his arms and leaned on the fence, thinking. The small curve of his lip and the wrinkle in between his brows as he thought were the best sight Cole's seen in months.

Despite his better judgment, and to a point his nature, Cole's hand softly gripped the chin of the nindroid, fulling his attention to him again. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to a soft cheek, gentle and warm before pulling back and looking down at Zane, who seemed caught off guard and a bit frustrated still. 

" 't was a pain in the ass to see their Zane, knowing you're out here somewhere this whole time." Cole's voice was quiet as he murmured, gentle, staring down at his beloved. Gaze relaxed, for the first time ever since he lost what's his, he gazed upon the bruises around the nindroid's neck and on his cheekbone, all his doing, which added a nice spice up to his usual neatness. He always liked him more when he was fierce and messy. "I've missed you, Hailstorm."

Taking in Cole's words, which were spoken so faintly, Zane didn't try to fight the soft, almost foreign feeling bubbling in his chest. His eyes reminding themselves of the view of his lover's features, the words settled in. It was rare for them to be soft. Especially with each other. There was always this competition of who was more sick, more wicked. A sadistic back and forth of who's harder to break. Like a dance and they both wanted to lead. A tango and the two tried to one up the other by proving they're quicker. It's not a healthy thing in a relationship, such vying to the point you mix what love and hate feel like, but then again, they were the shadow's creation. And the shadows were never one to be thought of nicely.

Still, despite it all, Zane's shoulders relaxed as he savored the touch of Cole's hand, the contact finally putting his core at ease after months of desperate what ifs. His own fingers wrapped around the raven's wrist, touch unusually caring. 

"Me too, Poison." His voice was quieter, more warm, not the same edge in his tone. Despite being born from evil for evil, the two couldn't fight the facts. They've missed each other, so much so that they're willing to be vulnerable. To show that they do in fact care, that they are not soulless like they were created to be after all.

A minute passed. Then two. Then Zane refused to count as his eyes lifted to look into Cole's again, said ninja's hand now cupping a cold cheek, a chill of which he missed with his whole being.

"I hate those fucking contacts…" Zane hushed, looking into the eyes of his other part, the yin to his yang, their gorgeous ruby color covered by the cheap lenses. Cole couldn't help the low chuckle that erupted from his throat before leaning closer, their lips meeting yet again,tamed this time. Soft, careful. As if they were in the eye of a storm and were about to be ripped apart from one another yet again. Even with the messy situation, the outcome was totally worth it.

Breaking apart, the master of earth let his gaze linger for a few more precious seconds before his fangs shined again behind lips curved into a grin.

"Date night?" His voice was slick and cocky, Zane's red eyes rolling in fake annoyance as he scoffed. There was nothing that could stop him from having a fun night disrupting the peace with his Zane.

"Thought you were supposed to be a rule follower now." Said nindroing spoke again, edging his boyfriend as he gave him a light smirk and a cocked eyebrow. 

"What can i say, you're a bad fucking influence." The answer made the master of ice smirk as he already had ideas of what Cole considered doing for their 'date night'. Letting go of Cole's wrist, he lifted his thumb, cleaning off his upper lip from the rest of the still liquid blood. Keeping their eyes locked on one another, he licked off the blood before answering.

"Bizarre, even."