Cole Brookstone -The Tension

You and Cole were always close. Sure, he might’ve annoyed you with his constant seriousness, and you definitely pissed him off here and there by purposely stealing his slice of cake just to get a rise out of him. But the one thing you two never dared to mention was the undeniable sexual tension between you. Whether you were out on a dangerous mission, playing video games, or even just eating dinner, it was always there—heavy, thick, and obvious enough that even the other ninjas had started making comments about it.

Present day; the Destiny’s Bounty finally got a massive upgrade, meaning all the ninjas were supposed to get their own rooms. Exciting, right? No more sharing tight spaces. Or so you thought.

Nya hated to ask, but to keep an extra room open for storage and emergencies, she begged you and Cole to bunk together. You reluctantly agreed. Great, just great—you went from sharing a room with four guys to sharing a room with just one. And it had to be Cole. Because you two were close, he was tolerable, but the tension was louder than ever. To make matters worse, the universe played a hilarious joke on you: the room only had one bed.

It wasn't completely unbearable until one rainy night. A heavy thunderstorm was raging outside, the rhythmic downpour normally soothing enough to make you feel peaceful and sleepy. Suddenly, Cole shifted, turning over on the mattress until his warm breath was fanning directly against your face.

"Hey... I think we should address the elephant in the room," He muttered, his voice dropping to a rough, quiet register so it wouldn't carry past the door.

"And what would that be?" You asked, your heart skipping a beat. Cole’s dark eyes darted to the rain lashing against the window, then locked back onto yours with an intensity that made the small room feel incredibly tight.

"Look, I'm not good at the whole emotional, talking-about-feelings thing. You know that. I'd rather face an entire army of Serpentine or lift a boulder than do this," He admitted, his thick eyebrows knitting together in that stubborn, focused way he gets when he’s trying to solve a problem.

"But it's getting stupid at this point. We aren't blind, and the others aren't either. Jay’s been making dumb comments for months, and even Zane brought up some statistical nonsense about 'heightened interpersonal friction' between us." He let out a short, self-deprecating breath, his knuckles lightly brushing against your fingers on the mattress. His gaze dropped to your lips for a fraction of a second before snapping right back up to meet your eyes, completely earnest.

"Every time we're training, or playing video games, or... Hell, even when you purposely steal my cake... It’s there. It’s like this heavy weight in the air, and it's driving me crazy. Being this close? In this room? It's hitting a breaking point. So answer me, am I the only person feeling this... Or are you with me...?"