Last One Standing (Cole Brookstone x Reader)

Epilogue

(author's note~ this was fun to write. i think i will be continuing the story in another book, so this will be the last chapter of Last One Standing. thank you for reading, voting, commenting, following, whatever you did. i appreciate you :) bye lovelies~)

{First Person POV}

I stayed at the bounty for a few days after the final battle. Not because I was needed or had any sort of business to attend to, but because I enjoyed being in the ninja's company. Cole's, specifically. I found that the next few days were filled with both laughter and enjoyment, as well as somber and mourning. It was nice to be there for Cole. It was just nice to be there. 

But all good things come to an end. 

But that doesn't mean they have to end with sadness. I still had time for one last good day with the ninjas. 

I woke up like normal, around the earlier hours of the morning, and went out to the deck to find Zane sitting and meditating, having already been there for at least an hour. I sat next to him in a mutual silence, and we stayed this way until one of the other boys woke up and caused a commotion or until Sensei Wu woke them up himself. After the rest of the ship awoke, Zane would get up and leave without a word, and the day would start from there. 

They took turns cooking, but I threw my hat in the ring last night when I offered to make meals for the last day I was here. I went to the kitchen and found a fridge full of groceries. I decided to make homemade cinnamon rolls, a recipe I learned from my mother, which was received quite well by the others on the ship. Lloyd continued to eat very little, but still made attempts to compliment my efforts. Jay and Cole fought over the last roll, which was promptly taken by Kai when he saw the opportunity with them being distracted. 

After breakfast, the boys were told to clean the dishes and I followed Sensei Wu back onto the deck.

"You know, (Y/n), you're always welcome to stay," he offered.

"I like it here. It's nice controlled chaos. But I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere. My father is getting older, and I am the one responsible for the safety of my city" I replied with a bittersweet smile. 

"Then visiting is on the table too."

"Thank you, Sensei."

He rested a hand on my shoulder before walking towards the bow of the ship. I turned back to go inside. As I went to open the door, it swung open from the other side, and Cole ran straight into me. 

"Oh, hi. I was um, coming to see you actually," he said. 

"Hi," I said and smiled. An awkward silence ensued. 

"Um, so. Today you're leaving," he finally said.

"Yeah, I am," I said, followed by more silence. "I really wish I could stay. It's just not exactly in the cards for me right now."

"I understand. Anyways, if we just stand here and talk about it we'll waste your last day," he explained with a newfound confidence. 

"Agreed. So what's on the agenda?" I asked.

"Um, well first I thought we could go to town and shop. Then we'll go eat wherever you want, then we'll go to my favorite bakery store to get the best cake in the world, and then we'll top off the day with the amusement park! They even have an ice skating rink." He smiled proudly. "If that's okay with you, that is."

"I think that sounds like exactly what I need right now," I said. We agreed to leave in an hour. I sat in the bedroom I was sharing with Nya and told her about our plans.