[part two of the secret identities AU]
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A week has passed. A long, excruciating week without Fire by his side on patrols and without Kai right next to him in classes.
He tried contacting them both - or just him? - but, of course, it was to no use. Fire didn't respond just like Kai. The channel remained silent and the text messages remained with 'delivered' underneath them. Not even the virtual ghost of him was present. Oh, how much more he would prefer if he at least knew that Kai read his messages.
None of it made any sense to Cole. Let's say his theory is right - and all the clues point to it really being correct - and Kai and Fire are the same person. Considering how Fire ran away, Cole could only assume he reached the same realisation - that Cole and Earth are one and the same person as well. And how could he guess it? He had to be there. Which meant that when Cole was making out with Kai, he was actually kissing Fire as well.
And then he had to stop himself one more time from spiralling down that rabbit hole.
He kissed Fire. He actually kissed Fire. Something he wished for, for so long, actually came true-
So if they both reached the same conclusion, where was the issue? Why was Kai unreachable? Why did he just disappear? It can't be to protect his identity since not only did this work even better as a hint, but would it even matter, when Kai already figured out his?
Yet no matter what he said or sent, Kai, or Fire, never responded. And days passed.
Sometimes he really wanted to get inside his head to understand him a little bit better. There just wasn't any logic in his recent actions! Not that there was before, but before the frustration was mixed with a sense of endearment. Now it was pure frustration that drove Cole up the walls he climbed to see the city underneath a bit better.
Or did he feel bad about what happened between them? There were so many intersections of mind spirals and Earth could only huff in annoyance as these thought processes distracted him from his job.
Yet no matter what he did, he couldn't stop thinking about it. About Kai. About the kiss. About Fire.
Perhaps he really felt bad but, again, would that even matter? Sure, he didn't know Cole was Earth at that time but if he knows it now, there's no need for remorse because it could never be cheating. Not only because he was the same person but they also never established any feelings. They just knew something was there, they flirted with their masks on and that was it. Or did Cole completely misunderstood it all and Fire never wanted to have anything to do with him in the first place?
When he let another perp run free due to his tangled mind, he was sent home. All the way there Earth muttered annoyed nonsense under his breath as his mind never seemed to calm down.
Kai, Fire, Kai, Fire, Kai, Fire-
Red hooded figure sitting on the edge of the roof of his house.
He almost fell down just how his mind fell down another one of those cursed tunnels. What was he doing there? he wondered but quickly forgot about it because he was going to get answers. Even if Fire wasn't willing to give them to him.
When he jumped over the gap between the buildings and ended up on the roof just behind Fire, his lack of acknowledgement assured him that he knew what he was doing. This wasn't just a poor choice of a hideout, this was on purpose. Fire did come to see him and he did know that he was now standing right behind him.
And if that wasn't enough, his next words surely made that conviction rock-solid.
"Hey there, Earthling."
"What are you doing here?" He wasn't sure what to call him.
The shoulders clad in red moved up and down as he sighed, yet he still refused to turn to look at Earth. The unsteadiness of his body was a sign that he was rocking his legs again.
"I came to say sorry."
At last, the red ninja did turn around but he still avoided his eyes. Earth wanted to rip their masks off because all they did was build more barriers between them. It didn't matter anymore anyway.
"For what exactly?" His element surely must've taken control over him, why else would he be glued to his spot? Why else would he be unable to walk closer to him?
"For going radio silent on you. And disappearing. Avoiding- you know," he cut himself off. "For not being there."
"Yeah, everyone's pretty frustrated."
"Yeah, but how about we just forget about everyone else for a while?" Red stood up and did what Earth couldn't. He walked over to him. His hand roamed around the collar of his gi and Earth could only watch it in his frozen state. "I'll make it up to them later but I wanted to speak to you first."
"Why- Why did you want to speak to me first?" he breathed. Screw his mind! All it did was cause trouble! All it did was work overtime when it shouldn't and go AWOL when he needed it! Useless brain!
"I- I've figured out who's underneath all this." He tugged on the fabric. "And it freaked me out a little. Not in a bad way! It was just... a really big surprise but the more I stayed in my bed the more sense it all made. And the more I avoided everything the more scared I became to face you again because I wasn't sure how much I hurt you."
Earth couldn't muster up a word. Not yet. Let him do the talking, god knows how much he missed that voice.
"I think it's safe to assume you know who I am as well?" Kai asked and their eyes finally met. Which was only for the worse. Nope, he was definitely sure he was currently free falling. There was no earth anymore.
"Well, I do have some assumptions."
Fire chuckled, his eyes fixed back on the black gi he was still holding onto. They stood there in silence for a moment that felt endless and ephemeral at the same time.
He looked back at him.
"Hey, Cole."
"Hi, Kai."
And despite having it all figured out over the course of that week, Cole's world still spun. Yes, he definitely lost control of his element.
"It's a pretty funny coincidence, huh? Though I am kind of disappointed our first kiss didn't go how I imagined it."
His voice was low as he stuttered again, "How did you imagine it?"
Without breaking their eye contact, Cole was sent back to the dreamland he visited so many times as Kai raised his hands and found the hem of his hood. He lowered his head, a silent nod to encourage him and Kai started pulling the fabric up, carefully as if opening a precious gift. As if one wrong move would tear it all apart.
And as if they practiced it before, Cole started doing the same to Kai until they both uncovered each other's mouths. He wasn't sure whether the chills that attacked him were from the fresh air or from the way Kai's fingers brushed against his skin.
There was a silent chant of 'it's real, it's real, it's real, it's real' as their faces slowly inched closer and closer.
Despite the fact that they already kissed - more than just kissed - once, it truly felt like a first kiss. Perhaps it was, at least symbolically.
The freefall turned into flying. High, high up in the sky, through all the clouds. It was true, there truly was no Earth anymore. Just Cole, who held his Kai closer to him, afraid to let go; afraid to let him run away again.
When they pulled away, he tried to steady his breath, his hands never letting go of Kai's shoulders. As if he were a balloon that would leave him for the sky the moment the string slips through his fingers.
"No one's home," he muttered. Instead of an answer, Kai reached up to take one of Cole's hands in his, freeing his shoulder.
It was one of the rare times where Cole thanked everyone an everything for the fact that his flat was the one on the last floor. Not only because it meant a shorter route but also because this way they were able to avoid any chance of being seen. So, they quickly slipped through the entrance door and Cole led him into his room for he wasn't going to take any chances. And the smaller room, the closer to him he would feel. He opened the door for him, let him in first, and when he entered as well and closed it behind them (closed off the rest of the world), he leaned against it.
Kai was quick to go for another kiss but Cole has had enough of it all. He pried Kai's lips off and then pulled off his red hood that hid his face from him for years. He did the thing he wished he could do for years. And he finally did it. And there was his face, in all its might, staring at him. His hair was even wilder than usual when he was in school but it didn't matter to either of them.
Grinning, Kai reached to do the same to Cole just as his arms found their way to Kai's waist. And then, in one swift move, Cole's mask was on the floor next to Kai's and his head was free as well.
"I wanted to do this for so long," Kai whispered, his eyes twinkling with something that got Cole hypnotised.
"I did too," replied Cole, although his words got almost lost in Kai's lips. He just couldn't hold back anymore. While what happened behind the curtain at school was some spontaneous ignition, this was something that was sparking for years and now was ready to be kindled. Years of waiting and wishing and hoping and yearning and it finally came true and Cole couldn't stop himself from kissing Kai more and more. Why should he care anyway? Kai was returning the gesture with the same passion. They were on the same page (of the script).
But something was still missing, something was still bugging him and he had to pull away once more. Curiously, there was no question in Kai's eyes, it was as if he understood right away.
Then he was holding one of Fire's hands in his and oh, how unpleasant it was to see his own hands tremble like this. But his mind was focused on something else.
He started pulling the glove off. Carefully, finger by finger until they were all free and he threw the glove to the ground, to the rest of their barriers. Then he moved on to the other one but once that was freed too and Cole was ready to resume what they were doing, Kai started pulling his gloves off as well. His hands were more steady than Cole's, which was unusual, and his actions less tender and more determined.
Their fingers intertwined - and he actually felt them! He felt Fire's warm skin on his and he thought he was going. to melt at the sensation.
Kai's other hand went up to his jaw, bringing his head closer. Cole felt everything so vividly, yet it wasn't overwhelming. He felt their fingers interlaced, he felt his lips on his own, he felt the hand hold his jaw so tenderly yet so firmly. Cole brushed some of the hair out of Kai's face, bringing more sensations into the mix. His chest felt like exploding and it was one of the best feelings in the world. Kai could turn him into a supernova and he wouldn't mind.
The concept of time was crumpled up into a tiny ball and thrown off to the side just like their masks and gloves as they kissed. Who needs alcohol or other drugs when a pair of the most perfect lips was right there?
He gasped when he felt Kai's hand slip through his gi. He never even noticed when Kai loosened the knot or when he pulled apart the two hems. As his hand caressed the spot where his heart is, Cole could swear he felt it ten times more, as if he freed it too.
They weren't a demolition group, no. There was no wrecking ball, no dynamite. They were slowly, brick by brick, breaking down the wall that was forcefully built between them to keep them safe. But neither of them cared. There was no reason to anymore. They were two birds freed from their cage and they were ready to explore the world they could only wonder about until now.
But he was getting tired of standing up - his legs were risking giving out any moment -, so he pushed Kai to a bean bag that was nearby and as they sat down (the rustle of it as if never existed, never reached their ears), he opened up Kai's gi as well. The barrier, the wall was slowly but surely coming down with each touch, each newly discovered part of their skin they were now able to feel with their own.
Kai's hands got lost in the forest of his black hairy softly tugging at some strands. Cole began moving his lips from Kai's. He decided to map the territory with them too as he planted kissed all over his face - his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, his jaw. He moved on with them to his neck, earning a sigh he could listen to over and over again like a broken record. He kissed Kai's collar bones and shoulders while Kai rubbed his back with one hand and his chest with the other. And once he was done mapping for the moment, he laid his head down next to Kai's on the bean bag and opened his eyes to meet those of Kai.
"I can't believe you were hiding those green eyes from me this whole time," Kai murmured rubbing his shoulder and arm mindlessly. He wasn't sure whether his skin already was on fire or if Kai was igniting it with his touches.
"I can't believe you did the same with your honey ones."
"You think they look like honey?"
"Honey, gold, fire, doesn't matter, they don't compare anyway." Kai grinned upon hearing his response and Cole had to kiss him again. Kai chuckled into the kiss and god, could he fly even higher? Was it even possible? Cole went to kiss the scar over his eye while Kai closed them, his content sighs fueling the fire Cole felt all around himself.
He travelled with his lips over his ear (Cole saved the memory of how Kai squirmed under him for later, it's always useful to know where people are ticklish), over his neck to the crook when his next words stopped him.
"I love you so much, Cole."
Cole raised his head to meet his eyes again, his black hair falling over and hiding their faces like the curtain that hid them once already.
"I love you so much too, Kai," he said - was it even possible for Kai to hear him? Did he even say anything?
His response were Kai's lips travelling up his arm he never even noticed was out of his sleeve. Either he was too blinded by the feelings that were his wings that helped him soar the sky or Kai was dangerously sneaky - which would make sense considering their job. He brought Cole back down and kissed his jaw over and over. And when Cole's hand went to go uncover more parts of Kai's skin, he whispered sweet words to him.
Cole could fall asleep like that every night that shall ever come. Kai's soft voice repeating those endearing I love you's and his I'm sorry's that somehow shattered his heart but glued its delicate pieces back together with intense care.
"Do you mind staying over? Dad's gone for the weekend anyway," Cole asked during one of those moments he could only describe as 'the calm before the storm', when the waves settle for a moment before another boat comes along to awake them again.
Kai chuckled, playing with the hair on the back of Cole's neck. "I didn't bring anything."
"So? You can borrow anything you need, I don't mind."
And his another chuckle is exactly the next boat. "You really don't want to let go of me, do you?" Maybe his eyes could never compare to anything, but looking into them, it really felt like drowning in a jar of honey.
"No," he said. "No, I really don't."
"Good," Kai then replied after giving him another kiss that made his lips tingle and demand for more. "'Cause I don't wanna let go of you either."