Lava | Ninjago

🜃 | Eyes Made of Starry Skies

[like the dawn - the oh hellos for the vibes, the song above for the lyrics]

⭑

"Sorry, which one was this again?" Kai asked, pointing up at the sky.

Cole rolled his eyes before he responded, "You ask me that every single time."

"Because I forget it every single time," Kai defends himself – every single time. Just as they happen to have the same exact conversation every single time when Kai pulls him out to go watch the stars because he can't sleep again.

"You know, I'm starting to think you actually remember it and just want me to start talking about the stars. You could just ask."

"No, Cole, I swear to you I have no idea it's called Gamma Draconis or Eltanin or that it's part of the Draco constellation or that it's the brightest star in the constellation and 68th in the sky!"

He scoffed at him. "You could be a walking textbook by now."

"Come on, there's no way you didn't realise the hypocrisy of your words."

It was getting ridiculous how easily Kai could manage to make him smile or make that warm feeling in his chest appear, even without the need to use his powers. Which could be handy at the moment. Part of Cole still didn't understand why they didn't lay down side by side, since now his body was left to the chilly breeze. And while he never had a problem with cold weather, he would've liked for Kai to spread that warmth all over his body than just the chest that was filled with a somersaulting heart.

"Since you know so much, why don't you talk for once?"

"Because I want to listen to you."

Quick, Cole, don't get lost in your head again. "Sure. It must be so exciting to listen to the same thing over and over."

"You would be surprised." Their temples brushed together as Kai moved his head, mixing their hair even more together along with the grass blades. There was something almost unearthly about his presence. Almost as if he were only a phantom but Cole knew Kai was right there with him. The top of his head softly pressed into Cole's shoulder was proof of that.

Cole pointed to a different star. "You see that one?"

"Yeah."

"That's Arcturus."

"Oh yeah, the brightest one in Boötes, right?"

"Oh, so I told you about that one already?"

"Hey, don't worry, I'm all ears no matter what!"

And Cole knew he meant it, just how he meant all the things he told him during their private stargazing sessions. It was just them and the stars and it allowed them both to open up about things they preferred to keep locked up and hidden. Yet somehow, whenever they found themselves outside under the midnight blue blanket, a sense of freedom overcame them. Or perhaps it was just the company of one another.

Perhaps it was thanks to their similarities that made them comfortable with each other; made them able to voice things they wouldn't dare with anyone else.

"It's also the brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere and fourth brightest in the sky." Just like that, the particular drawer in his brain spilt over and Cole couldn't stop the info dump that was coming in. Like a tsunami, the excitement to share his wisdom with someone who was genuinely interested in listening to him overcame him and his mind turned to auto-pilot.

"And did you know that Boötes was mentioned in Homer's Odyssey as a celestial reference for navigation? The name, actually–" Each time Kai let him to freely rhapsodise, Cole could almost feel the freeing feeling – he could almost feel like another star in the sky or some object just floating alongside them.

Of course, probably anyone would have no problem listening to him but during the day there wasn't anything to point out to make it more visual and interesting and everyone liked their good night's sleep. As much as he didn't enjoy being an accomplice to Kai's insomniac episodes, Cole was glad to have an audience for such things.

Not to mention the memories it almost always brought back. Which then often led to those talks. Cole probably learned the most about Kai in the cover of the starry canopy.

It became their own personal thing. If anyone else knew about their midnight talks, they didn't mention it, but Cole liked to believe it was theirs and theirs only. A quiet moment of solitude between the crashing waves of their lives; an opportunity to learn without the strange pressure. And it never failed to make Cole smile when Kai showed how much he remembers, be it there on their own, or during conversations with the others.

Maybe he wasn't the favourite teacher at Wu's Academy, yet he still managed to find a dedicated student. It was flattering, honestly, the fact that Kai was willing to spend time with him like this, to remember things that probably weren't the most useful. Just one more thing to be added to the pile titled 'Thing I Love About Kai' that no one shall know about.

"Also–" Movement in the corner of his eye finally managed to catch his attention and Cole tilted his head to the side to see Kai looking at him instead of the sky. "You're not even looking at the stars."

"I am!" His excitement was radiant. He truly was the master of fire. A flame that could ignite thousands of hearts but chose only some of them. "They're reflected in your eyes."

Cole hummed and turned his head just like Kai, both staring into each other's eyes as if life depended on it.

"But why would you look at the reflection when the real thing is just above you?"

Kai shrugged, making the grass and their hair rustle like soft whispers of silhouettes under the moonlight.

"You just ruined the view, by the way," he said.

"Oh, did I?" Cole asked.

There came that smile which could light up a room without any powers necessary. "You know, I'd say it's actually better."

The breeze caressed his face like a caring mother but the chills running down his spine were someone else's fault, Cole knew that well. Because he never had a problem with cool weather, he rather preferred it, actually. Which was quite the irony, considering how he wanted to orbit around his Sun as close as possible.

Maybe Kai was right. Why limit yourself to a few stars that could be seen by the human eye when there are thousands galaxies right in front of you?