Moreau Winchester

Humiliating. The best word to describe Cole’s current state was definitely, without a doubt, complete and total humiliation! Jay was cackling, practically rolling around and kicking his feet on the couch as he watched his best friend walk back into the room carrying a plate of nicely organized snacks on a tray. The hand holding that tray was adorned with a delicate, lacey little bracelet, which matched the short, lacey maid dress he’d been forced to wear perfectly. 

Well, not forced, really. A bet was a bet, and a loser was a loser. It’s not like Jay had forced Cole to participate. Everything was very official and consensual and all that. 

Usually, when the two friends made bets, Cole always found some way to trick Jay into getting exactly what he wanted. It was a mystery to Jay, since he really felt like he was paying attention every time, and honestly didn’t really think Cole was THAT smart… Still he’d been tricked into doing extra chores, giving up his food and all manner of other things over and over again. 

But this time had been different. This time he had been paying attention! Cole’s silver-tongued Genie-adjacent tricks were carefully considered, and Jay had used all his very relevant experience to pay close attention to the entire thing! He had thought it over carefully, making sure Cole wasn’t twisting up his words like he usually did as they settled on who could get the highest combined score total in one week on Prime Empire. The winner would get to make the loser do one embarrassing thing of their choice. 

Oh, the endless opportunities… but he’d settled on what he wanted pretty quick. Jay had had the maid dress in his online shopping cart an hour after they’d agreed on the bet, and had almost gotten in trouble trying to raise his score the whole week. He’d barely left the couch, and almost missed out on training multiple times. 

It might have been his imagination, but it didn’t seem like Cole had put in the kind of effort he usually did on games during the course of this bet. He hadn’t asked to use the TV, and jay hadn’t really seen him using the handheld consoles… but he was probably just overthinking it. That had to be it. Maybe Cole had been playing at night or something, he wasn’t sure. And he didn’t care, either. All that mattered was his sweet, all encompassing victory, which he grasped easily, because he was the KING of prime empire, and Cole was so weakened by intimidation of his greatness that HIS high score had only gone up a mere 400 points by sunday. 

400 was nowhere near enough to bring down a titan of gaming like Jay, so he’d bounced his way to his room and ordered that dress.

Cole was wearing it now as he stepped into the room, his white socked feet padding across the mat as he brought Jay’s tray down with a little flourish. “Your snacks, your highness.”

“Haha! Oh, wow, I really should have insisted on taking pictures…” Jay wiped his eyes, stifling a giggle as he reached for the soda he’d brought. “You look so…” Whatever Jay had intended to say next, it got stuck in his throat. He had intended to say something teasing and funny, but the adjective just… didn’t come out. What the heck?? He tried to think it over, but drew a complete blank, just staring at Cole with the soda in his hand. Cole raised one eyebrow, resting one hand on his hip. “So what?”

The maid dress Jay had bought didn’t really look bad on Cole at all, that was the problem. The skirt fell just above his knees, showing off the wide curve of the bottom bit of his thighs. His legs and arms were all carved lines of perfectly defined muscles (in his opinion) and even the godly shape of his shoulders and chest didn’t really look out of place under the outfit. Sure, he was obviously a muscley man in a dress, but it hugged the natural curve of his waist perfectly, and there was something about the way his wide shoulders fit inside that top clearly made for a smaller frame. It made him look… bigger. Thicker. 

The more he stared, the more Jay started to realize that Cole looked like he belonged on the front of one of those body pillows he used to have hidden in his room. He wondered if hugging Cole around the middle would be as satisfying… He managed a nervous giggle, tearing his eyes away and cracking open the soda. “Y-You look like you should be uh… c-cleaning my room! Maybe you should. I think that’s under the rules.” “Nuh-uh.” Cole set the plate of snacks down and… was it just Jay’s imagination, or had he bent at the waist and stuck out his ass a little?? “You said to serve you snacks for an hour. You promised I wouldn’t have to wear it when the others get back, remember?” Cole crossed his arms, the muscles of his biceps and forearms bulging. Jay’s eyes flashed from Cole to the screen, then back to Cole. Maybe he hadn’t noticed…? 

“Your room looks like something exploded in it. It would take way longer than an hour to fix that.” “Whatever.” Jay’s cheeks started to burn, and he tossed back the soda to take a few long sips. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Cole adjust the little lacey headband he had on. Something stirred in the lightning master’s stomach, and the fluttering feeling soared to his chest when Cole looked over and met his eyes. Jay’s attention snapped back to the TV, and he snatched up his controller. 

Cole’s smirk grew malicious, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes. Jay’s throat bobbed as he considered what that meant for him. 

Definitely nothing good. 

It started with the bending. Every time Cole handed him something, picked something up, cleaned something, he would bend at the waist to do it. The way he came back up would create this little bend in his back, accentuating the part of him that all that cake was going to. It was practically criminal. Jay had missed three checkpoints because of it, and died twice because he’d been distracted watching Cole uselessly dust a shelf that wasn’t even dusty!! He didn’t even know where he’d gotten the duster from!!! And why was he wiping things with a rag anyways?? Jay hadn’t asked him to clean!!

It got worse when he called for a second round of snacks. He’d really thought it was a genius idea. He couldn’t possibly be distracted by the stupid fluff of lace hanging over Cole’s ass if Cole’s ass was in the kitchen fixing him cut fruit. Unfortunately, when Cole came back in the room with them, things went from taunting to touching a little too quickly. 

Cole smiled, doing his sweet little bend to offer him the tray, then stopped when he spotted Jay’s face. “Uh oh.”

“What uh oh?” Jay asked, leaning away from him and reaching for the bowl of grapes on the tray. “You’re being weird.” “Looks like you have something on your face.” When Cole set the tray down and grabbed Jay’s jaw, Jay stopped breathing. He froze like a deer in headlights, sitting stock still as Cole carefully licked a couple of crumbs off the corner of his mouth. Cole pulled away with a shit eating grin, releasing his face and patting the side of it. “There.”

Jay sat still, eyes wide and mouth clamped shut. He stared at the TV, absentmindedly hitting buttons as his face turned a color that could have blended in with Kai’s Gi.

Cole came around behind him with a sigh, crossing his arms on the other side of the couch. “You’re tough. Real tough. I’m gonna have to really spell it out for you, huh?”

Jay wiped the spot on his mouth, clearing his throat. “You c-could have just told me there was something- H-HEY!”

Cole’s lace-laden arms made their way around Jay’s shoulders, dragging him back against the couch cushions. He put his mouth beside Jay’s ear, twirling a bit of his hair around one finger. “Jaaaay… you’re looking pretty distracted. Is there something on your mind?”

“As if!” Jay twisted his shoulders, trying to shake free of Cole’s grip. He didn’t even believe himself when he heard his own voice. Cole’s breath against his ear was more than distracting. Every word from those lips made his body spark with electricity, and those sparks went whizzing across his body, jumping from nerve to nerve and lighting him up like a fireworks display. 

“I can tell you’re lying.” Cole’s voice dropped an octave, and his hand started wandering down the front of Jay’s shirt. Jay sucked in a breath, the jabbing of his fingers on the controller becoming more frantic, a little too aggressive. It didn’t make any sense!! This entire situation was designed specifically to put Jay on top! How was Cole wrestling control back so easily??

Not even wrestling, if he was being honest. Jay was folding to Cole faster than he did when he fell off the training course- Cole’s lips closed around the shell of his ear, and Jay hiccuped. The controller in his hands sparked and started steaming, and the air around them filled with static. 

Cole stopped, his tone changing. The laugh he did when he was really amused came out, unrestrained and mixed with a little snort every now and then as he pressed his face into Jay’s shoulder.

“C-Cole!” Jay scowled, pushing Cole off and shaking the controller. He set it aside, standing and turning to face Cole with his arms crossed. His face burned bright pink with shame. This was worse than being called out for his underwear…  “What exactly is so funny, huh?” He pointed at him, then gestured towards the door. “I-I changed my mind! Take that off. Go!” “Take it off? But I have twenty minutes left, and you’re obviously enjoying it.” Cole continued to mock him mercilessly with laughter as he swung a leg over the couch, sliding down to sit on it properly. He crossed his legs and propped them up on the table, putting his arms behind his head. 

Jay definitely did not ogle the way his shoulders tensed and stretched beneath those frilly straps. Absolutely not. He would not reward Cole’s bad behavior with ogling. 

“I thought it would look good on you but it doesn’t. I’m done embarrassing you, go change.” Jay crossed his arms in a huff. He all but stomped his foot, hiding his still burning face from that teasing grin. “Wasn’t even worth it… you’re a horrible maid.”

“Am not.” Cole didn’t move at all from the couch. Asshole. 

“You are! A proper member of any reputable cleaning staff would never feel up their master!!”

Cole snorted, putting his arms down so he could push up off the couch. He took a couple steps towards Jay, and Jay took a couple of steps back. “You’re just mad that even though I lost the bet, I’m still winning. I might not be a proper maid, but that doesn’t mean I’m a bad one. I think I’m pretty good at it.”

“Ha! Pretty good at what? Y-you didn’t even bring me the right drink last round!” Jay was losing ground far too quickly. That electric feeling was crawling under his skin again, spreading from his tingling head to his arms, his chest, his-

Cole pushed Jay back against the wall, looming over him with a dark gaze. Jay looked up at him, his words and breath stuck in his throat. Cole’s eyes were lidded, looking down at Jay in a way that made his knees feel like they were full of jelly. 

Ridiculous!! Unfair!! Unsportsmanlike!! Why couldn’t Cole lose properly?! 

“Well then, Master,” Jay’s captor crooned, leaning down to barely brush their lips together. “There are seventeen minutes left… why don’t you punish me?”

“P-pun..nhish..” Jay’s curses slapped violently against the back wall of his mind as Cole’s thrumming voice filled the front of it like a flash flood. “Ah, m-man…”

Cole grinned, placing one wide set of fingers on Jay’s waist. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

The bathroom in the monastery was communal, and in Cole’s opinion, a little too small.

It was outfitted with three shower stalls and two toilets, but with more than ten people living in the monastery now, it was getting to be a little crowded. It reminded him of fond memories from ages ago, when they were all living in that horrible downtown apartment in similarly small bathroom accommodations.

Good times.

The only way to avoid fighting over a sink at this point was to shower early in the morning, and that meant EARLY in the morning, since Lloyd got up at 4:30 sharp every day and would claim “private master bathroom hour” as soon as he did. So, Cole set his alarm for 1:30 and rolled out of bed to claim his own time every single day.

Cole’s unusual 2am showers had been solo adventures for a while, since no one else was willing to go to bed early and roll out of bed while it was still dark, but… there were lots of benefits to the whole monastery being asleep. Peace and quiet, no one rushing or banging on the door, free shower music choice… and no skincare routine questions, as an example.

So eventually, he’d convinced Kai to cave and join him.

“This is the worst.”

Cole looked over, a black towel hanging from his hips and a second one draped over his head. He took in the sight of Kai half asleep and sopping wet and felt his heart swell.

Kai was dripping with shower water, his hair folded up in a fiery red towel embroidered with his symbol and “The Red Ninja” on one edge. He also had a towel wrapped around his waist, a pair of under eye patches stuck to his cheeks, and a toothbrush in his mouth. It seemed like he was about halfway through his ten step skincare routine, and he looked like he didn’t have the energy to finish it. He was glaring at Cole, cheek full of toothpaste and one hand on his hip.

First master, he was everything Cole had ever wanted in his entire life rolled into one explosive little bundle.

Kai pulled the brush out of his mouth, spit into the sink and pointed it at him threateningly. “If I ever agree to do this again, remind me that I don’t want to do it again.”

Cole rubbed his hair with the towel and laughed. He crossed the tile floor to stand behind him, wrapping his arms around Kai and laying his hands flat against his chest and stomach.

Kai kept gargling and spitting as Cole admired their reflection behind him. Kai was leaner than him, thinner too. Cole’s body created a perfect tanned outline to Kai’s figure, and his head perched just right on his shoulder with his couple inches of extra height. His hands wandered over his skin, eyes drifting to the dozens of little scars he didn’t normally get to see.

“You don’t mean it.”

“I do.” Kai said immediately, peeling off one of the under-eye patches. “You’re crazy. I’m not enabling this behavior anymore.”

“It’s only two am. You can go back to sleep for a few hours.” Cole countered, peeling off the other patch and tossing it in the trash.

“Uninterrupted sleep is important for your health.” Kai argued, leaning back into Cole’s arms as he reached for a little plastic container and started unscrewing it. “Do you know how many studies there are about connections between acne and a lack of sleep?”

“Uh… none?” Cole guessed, rubbing his thumb over a mark on Kai’s hip. “Sounds fake.”

“It’s not fake.” If he hadn’t been applying gray muddy goop to his face, he’d probably be scowling at Cole in the mirror. Apparently (as Kai had told him a hundred times) you had to keep a straight face while doing skincare, otherwise it was basically pointless.

Cole was pretty sure Kai was making enough faces during the day that it didn’t matter if he made some while he was putting on a face mask. He watched Kai cover the little line on the left side of his mouth, and the creases of laugh lines by his eyes. His thumbs rubbed back and forth against his skin, and he squeezed him a little tighter.

Kai squirmed, tapping his hand down to a less sensitive part of his chest with the container of face mask. “There’s studies! Lack of sleep leads to stress, stress leads to acne. It’s a clear connection.”

“I’ve never even seen a pimple anywhere on you.” Cole leaned back and turned Kai’s face towards him with a finger to appraise it. It looked flawless to him, softly tanned and weathered with scars and the beginnings of some wrinkles.

“Uh-uh! Don’t touch.” Kai slapped his hand away, turning his face back towards the mirror. “I’m not done putting my mask on. You’re gonna mess it up.”

Cole made an exasperated sound, dropping his forehead on the back of Kai’s shoulders and giving him a tight little punishment squeeze. “Lame.”

“You should do one too. You need it.”

“What?” His head popped back up, hands sliding down to Kai’s towel. Like this, it looked like Kai had four arms and two heads, and was giving himself some hands-on-the-hips attitude in the mirror. “Nuh uh.”

“You never let me do anything to you.” Kai grumbled, gingerly putting the last of the mask on. He leaned back into Cole again, screwing the lid back on his product.

Cole put his hands back on Kai’s chest from behind, setting his chin on Kai’s shoulder and shaking his head. “That’s not true. I let you do a lot of things to me.”

Kai blushed, going stiff in his hold for a second. Cole watched the skin not covered by the mask turn a pretty shade of red as he remembered some of the things he’d let Kai do to him. His hazel eyes flicked over to Kai’s face in the mirror, like he was trying to telegraph his dirty thoughts right into his mind.

It seemed like it was working.

Kai cleared his throat, looking like he was suddenly aware of how many aura points his skincare routine was costing him. Cole watched him do the calculations and went dopey behind him, sliding further into his mushy obsession.

So perfect.

“Well, if you’re weak to me that’s not my fault.” Kai shrugged, bouncing Cole’s head around on his shoulder. “It’s only natural.”

“Yeah.” Cole sighed, wrapping his arms around him tighter. “Can’t blame me…”

Kai pulled the towel off his head, turning himself around in his arms and grabbing Cole’s face. The master of earth stayed obediently still, letting Kai lift and turn him to check him over. When Kai’s fingers drifted close enough to his lips, Cole kissed the pads or nails where he could reach.

“Quit it.” Kai mumbled, flicking his forehead. “I’m checking your face.”

“For what?” Cole asked, swaying back and forth to music only he could hear. He folded his hands behind Kai’s back, pulling him into the sway happily. “Signs of aging?”

“You’ve definitely aged.” Kai snorted, tracing his thumb over his jawline. “We all have…”

Cole’s smile became more sentimental and soft. He nodded. “It’s been a long time.”

“Long time.” Kai echoed, laying his thumb over Cole’s eyebrow where his scar always appeared. “And we’re different now.”

“We look different. You’re still my Kai.” He corrected, cupping his cheek and kissing him softly.

Kai leaned into the kiss, tipping his head back and lifting up onto his toes to press into him. He brushed his tongue along Cole’s lip, prodding to get in. They stayed tangled up like that for minutes, Cole stumbling back to the wall and steadying himself against it as his knees started to weaken.

Everything about Kai lit him up like a fire, and Cole stayed burning for days just like his namesake. Just a touch or a look would get him smoldering, nevermind a kiss like this. His legs wobbled and his stomach turned, his head spinning wildly. When Kai pulled back to breathe, Cole followed him and stole his lips back. He hadn’t even realized for the first little while just how much oxygen he was losing.

“Mercy!” Kai gasped, fighting his way back out of the kiss and pushing Cole’s head away. His chest was heaving up and down in a way Cole found insanely invigorating. He switched their places to finally release Kai’s mouth, dropping to his knees in front of him. Like this, his head was level with Kai’s bare stomach and all of the scars decorating his abs and chest.

“You’re insatiable today.” Kai accused, brushing some stray hairs out of his face.

“I missed you.” Cole was still catching his breath as he leaned in to kiss Kai’s belly button. His eyes wandered with his fingers, and he settled them both over a horizontal mark on Kai’s hip. “I remember this one. Our second year of training. You tripped and cut yourself with your own sword.”

Kai scowled, smacking Cole lightly on the head. “You remember that? Out of everything you could remember about me, you picked that.”

Cole snickered and nodded. “I remember other things.” He walked his fingers up further, to a smaller one right under his right pectoral. “This one you got when you blocked an attack for me. You said it didn’t break your armor but it did.”

Kai didn’t quip back about that one, his breath hitching as Cole’s finger prodded at the flat spot. He kept silent even when Cole leaned in to kiss it, and when Cole looked up, the two of them shared a knowing expression.

“Don’t think I ever said thank you.” Cole murmured, kissing it again.

“You did.” Kai assured him, running a hand through his hair. “Multiple times.”

Kai relaxed when the touch drifted somewhere else, resting his hand on Cole’s head as he listened to him talk. Cole admired the subtle twitches and pauses in Kai’s body and breathing as he explored it with his hands and his lips. He traced every scar with his calloused fingertips or with soft kisses, recounting the memories like they were his own. He knew the source of every one, even the ones Kai couldn’t remember. A knife slip in the kitchen, a training mishap. Big injuries, small ones, accidents and direct attacks. He knew it all.

When he ran out of things on his torso, he started looking elsewhere.

“This one…” the tone changed as he touched a line of marks along Kai’s arm. He hadn’t seen this one often, and every time he asked, Kai would refuse to tell him what had happened. He noticed it for the first time after they’d reunited, and even then only after a while of Kai suddenly wearing long sleeves all day every day.

Cole only knew the marks were spaced a lot like teeth, that they were gnarled like they were self-sutchered, and that Kai looked nearly as sick as Cole always felt when he managed to catch sight of them. “… this one is my least favorite.”

It had happened durning the merge. When Cole had been learning how to flip pancakes and for a while, had decided to stay lost. While he’d nearly given up on coming home, Kai was…

“I don’t wanna-“

“I know.” Cole kissed the skin beside one of the scars and then turned away from it. “I’m not asking. I know.” He rose to his feet and caressed his chin carefully so he didn’t disturb the mask. “There’s one more. I can’t get to it though.”

Kai’s gaze finally returned to him, and he poked Cole in the chest as his expression softened up again. “Yeah, you can’t. Not until I wash off my mask. Give me a minute and go lay down.”

Most of the clothes in the monastery were color coded. It just made things easier with so many people… so when Kai finally appeared back in Cole’s room with a shiny moisturized face and an oversized black t-shirt, it was obvious who’s clothes he was wearing.

Cole perked up with an over satisfied smile. He held his hands out, opening and closing his hands to rush him and grabbing hold of the fire master as soon as he was close enough. He dragged him down onto the bed, burying his face in Kai’s freshly washed hair and sighing happily. “You are perfect… and you smell like mango. I love mango…”

“Yeah I know.” Kai muttered, curling up in cole’s arms and reaching for the blanket. “I used your soap.”

“I think you’d make a great mango cake.” Cole’s hands slid under Kai’s borrowed shirt, fingertips tracing over the scars he’d been looking at earlier. “It would be red and sweet and spongy soft, just like you.”

“I am not spongy soft.” Kai countered, wiggling back into his arms more properly. “I’m hard like a rock. Stone cold. Ruthless.”

Cole grinned into his un-geld hair. “Right.”