Bridging the Gap

chapter 10

Missions, public appearances, interviews and even more missions have been keeping Cole busy.

Which was good, because it meant less time to overthink, but really it is slowly taking a toll on the black ninja.

Again, last evening, after a rescue-mission, then an Interview for some magazine, and then the birthday party of some politician, Cole didn't even know, he just immeadiatly went to bed, where he fell asleep in an instance.

Cole was long done caring about his friends worried expressions, after they, like every evening now, invite Cole to come watch a movie or play a game with them and Cole, like every evening now, just abdicates and goes straight to bed.

He was tired and strained. Stressed. Probably some sort of depressed, but what does he know?

All he wanted was peace and quiet.

So he remembers, his last thoughts before drifting off to sleep last evening were, how glad he was Lloyd cancelled sunrise training the next day.

Even more he was surprised, as he woke up to his friends singing at him.

He blinked and needed a few seconds to realize, that they were singing "Happy Birthday".

Shit.

That was something he had completely forgotten about in all this chaos.

His own, 20th Birthday.

Cole groaned and pulled the blanket over his head, covering his ears.

Still he couldn't help being flattered, that they hadn't forgotten.

Damn, he loved them so much.

Yet, it also hurt.

This day always does hurt.

As a kid, like every kid, Cole loved his birthday.

And then, after his mother's death, he detested any day that demanded him being (acting) happy and grateful.

When there was nothing, no one, left, he could be happy about.

His dad understood, as he felt the same, of course.

And his friends, the ninja... that was the reason he never told them, when exactly his birthday was, but of course they had found out over the years.

The singing stopped and his friends started laughing.

"Come on, buddy. It's your birthday!", Kai tried to cheer him up, Cole only huffed.

He was tired, yet he knew, no amount of sleep would help get rid of this tiredness.

It was a mental one.

That were the most horrible ones.

Due to Cole having the blanket pulled over his ears, his feet weren't covered anymore, and as he felt some finger tickling one of them, he appeared from his poor chosen hiding spot.

"Uh, thanks?", he mumbled. "But as you know, I don't uh really... celebrate.."

Kai ruffled his already messy hair. "So what? You can never say no to cake and presents"

He had a point, and Cole hated it.

But he finally got up and went to open his curtains and window.

For a second he was embarrassed standing in only his PJs in front of his friends.

Nothing they hadn't seen him in before but...

"I'll go get dressed", he said and went into the bathroom down the hall, after randomly grabbing any thing from hiw wardrobe.