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Geo stood in front of the sink, a dirty plate and glasses in it, rinsing them with a sponge and soap. He was humming a soft tune to himself when Bonzle suddenly entered the room. Judging by her appearance, she was probably planning to go somewhere. "Any plans?" he asked casually.
His skeleton daughter just nodded. "I'm going out with Arin, Sora, Wyldfire, and Frak."
"Sounds fun! What are you going to do?"
"Don't know yet. Hang out, I guess? It's good to hang out with people your own age once in a while. Everyone else around here is so old. And don't pretend I haven't noticed the gray hairs on Jay's head."
"Well. Can you blame them? After over a decade of fighting monsters and villains, gray hair is probably the least of their problems. Considering Cole has been a ghost, half-dead, trapped in a video game, trapped in the First World and Never-Realm, turned into a dragon form, a dog, and a long list of other things, he's holding up really well," smiled the Munce.
"It doesn't matter. I have to go now. The others are waiting for me." She waved before disappearing from the room. Geo couldn't suppress a small giggle and shook his head. His thoughts quickly returned to Cole, who was probably still in bed. It had only been three days since they had defeated Empress Beatrix. As a result, Cole had broken his leg. That forced him to rest; A personal hell for the man. Back in the land of lost things Cole only worked out. He kept himself busy with it.
But his assumption of Cole being in their bedroom quickly proved wrong. "Cole." the Munce smiled when he saw his partner in the doorway. It was an odd sight—seeing Cole so exhausted. The man had leaned against his crutches and was staring at Geo from a distance until he was spotted. "Are you cooking?" he smiled.
Geo shook his head. "No. Just the dishes calling, you know how it is. I've already cooked. Or I'm still cooking. I've made pancake batter. For the whole family. Except for Bonzle, Zane, and P.I.X.A.L, obviously."
"Oh, that's so kind of you. They'll thank you," encouraged the Earthmaster, hobbling over to the dining table. With a soft groan, he sat down and leaned his crutches against the edge of the table so they wouldn't fall to the floor. "Does the batter need to rise?"
"Yes. I'm just waiting for it to finish."
"Hm." Cole nodded and folded his arms. He leaned back, taking in the room. He had really missed the monastery. Even though he'd lived in the Land of Lost Things for several years now, nothing had come close to the monastery. This was home; the place where he'd met his friends: Kai, Jay, Zane, Nya, and Lloyd. Wu… And now the new ninjas.
And the Finders, too. It was as if the families that had formed over the years had merged into one big one. And he loved it. The kids loved it, too! Not a day went by that they didn't make bets with Kai or Jay, trying to beat them at video games, and, of course, always losing.
Bonzle was pretty happy to have kids her own age around now, too. And Cole was here; with his Yang and his friends. Life was good.
"Can I help with anything?" Cole asked as Geo began buttering the pan.
The hybrid looked up, directly into Cole's expectant eyes.
"Not with the pancakes. But I do have a task you can actually do for me. And it doesn't even require two functional legs." He teased before heading into the adjoining room of the kitchen. Just seconds later, he came back out with a bag full of oranges. The Munce placed them on the kitchen counter and rummaged through one of the many drawers until he found the citrus juicer. Then he grabbed a pile of glasses, a chopping board, and a knife.
Once he had everything, he took the collection of tools and placed them in front of Cole. "What you can do is cut these oranges in half and juice them. I bet the others will appreciate some freshly squeezed orange juice."
"Oh! That's good! That way my arms won't get so limp from resting too much," Cole said as he sat up. He and Geo made eye contact for a brief moment before Geo gave the other one a soft kiss. It was just a peck, but it was enough to bring a wide smile to Cole's face.
"Thanks for the help, then."
"Always for you."
Geo patted Cole's uninjured thigh before standing up again and focusing on the pancakes.
The two talked for a while. It took time to cook and juice for such a large group. But they were used to talking. In the land of lost things, there was practically nothing else to do but talking. If you see one junkyard, you've seen them all.
What kept them alive all these years were probably their hyperactive children. But they could have been their own undoing.
Just as Cole reached the last three oranges, someone stomped in. Speak of the devil; It was Fritz, still in his pajamas.
"Good morning, darling." Cole smiled gently. Geo waved to the boy, who was stretching out in the doorway. Fritz went over to Geo and tiptoed to see what was happening in the pan. "What are you making?"
"Pancakes. They'll be ready soon. Just be patient."
"Mmm." The boy turned to Cole. "Dad? Do you want to play with me?"
"Sorry. I don't have time right now."
"But I'm boreeeeed," Fritz mumbled, annoyed. He grabbed the edge of the kitchen table and leaned back, his bottom sticking out a bit, as if he were doing a stretch. "What can I do, Dad? I'm boreeeed!" he complained, wide-eyed.
"Doesn't Spitz have time?"
"No... He's still asleep. And he'll get mad if I wake him up. And Bonzle isn't here. Nobody else has time either!"
"Hmm." Cole considered. "Not even Aunt Nya?"
"Nope! She said it's date day with stupid Jay!"
"Ha!" Cole laughed. He had taught his son right.
Geo looked up after flipping one of the pancakes in the pan. Fritz was still busy staring at Cole. "Maybe you can help your dad make the juice?" he suggested.
Fritz's eyes lit up. "Can I?"
Cole seemed to have no problem with it. His strong hands grasped Fritz's waist, and he lifted him up onto his uninjured leg. "Do you want to cut the oranges?"
"Yes!" the child smiled long before he picked up the knife.
"Careful. It's very sharp," Cole said as he placed his hand on Fritz's to guide him. "Okay. You need to cut the orange in half first. So, a straight cut right down the middle." The ninja grabbed one of the oranges and placed it on the cutting board.
Geoder watched from afar, a smile on his face. It was incredibly sweet to see his partner interacting with the children. Although Cole was always described as a tough rock, he was as gentle as a feather around children.
He watched the two of them for so long that he didn't even notice the sudden smell of something burning. When he turned his attention back to breakfast, he saw a coal-black piece of batter in the pan. It was so dark it almost looked like it was trying to camouflage itself with the pan. His face turned dark purple as he realized what he had done.
Fritz and Cole noticed too and both laughed out loud. Fritz especially; he found it hilarious when his father was clumsy. "Dad! You burned it!"
"So what? Even the best cook makes mistakes sometimes!"
"You're a bad cook!"
The playful provocation caused Geo to slowly creep up on his son with a kitchen towel in his hand. He rolled it up and suddenly aimed it at Fritz's leg; it was like a whip. It hurt, but not enough to cause any damage. It was more of a playful smack.
The shapeshifter yelled with laughter before trying to wriggle free from Cole's lap.
The Earthmaster groaned when Fritz accidentally leaned on his bandaged leg for support. This made Cole reach for his son and gently set him back down on the floor. The boy continued to laugh as Geo began chasing him around the kitchen with the towel.
"Dad! Help me!" he cried out as he hid behind the chair where Cole was sitting.
"Oh, come on!" Geo complained. "That's not fair. You're playing dirty!"
It was true. It was the ultimate escape trick; hiding behind Dad. Geo and Cole exchanged a knowing glance before Geo turned back. "Okay! You win, little rascal," he said as he picked up the burnt pancake with a fork.
Fritz crawled out of his hiding place with a triumphant grin. "Riyu can have that one."
"Poor guy."
"Don't feel sorry for him! Riyu has no claim. That guy eats everything as long as it doesn't kill him." Cole defended his son's suggestion.
Cole was in the living room with Spitz and Fritz. The three of them sat together on the couch, sharing a blanket as they watched a children's movie. Back then, in the Land of Lost Things, they never found important things like DVDs or a DVD player. Only tires or money—which was practically worthless in a land without shops or other inhabitants.
But since they had lived here and the kids discovered Jay's movie collection, their evenings consisted solely of watching something. Bonzle was sitting in the chair next to them, reading a book. She was used to background noise, so it didn't really bother her.
Fritz sat on the edge of the couch, leaning back slightly on the armrest, while Spitz made himself comfortable on Cole's broad chest. His father had half his face buried in Spitz's head and was kissing him here and there, while his hand stroked his son's arms and stomach. Both children seemed tired. Even Bonzle could see them fighting off sleep.
At that moment, Geo returned from his bathroom break. He stared intently at the television. "What did I miss?" he asked curiously.
The answer he received was a hissing "SHHH!" from Fritz.
Cole smiled and patted the empty seat next to him on the couch. The Fusion Master sat down, and Cole began to whisper. "The princess just found out that the prince isn't a prince at all, but just a warlock pretending to be one to steal her amulet."
"The one she got from her grandmother?"
"Exactly that."
"Oh, wow..."
"Quiet!" Spitz interjected. "You're talking so loud."
"Sorry, darling," Geo grinned before giving Spitz a quick kiss on the cheek.
Several minutes passed before Bonzle looked up. "They're asleep," she said simply to the two men.
Geo and Cole hadn't realized it at first. But yes, Fritz and Spitz both had their eyes closed. "Well then. Guess that means it's bedtime. Even the hyperactive maniacs are asleep."
The two men each grabbed a child and stood up. Cole was especially careful with his leg as he grabbed one of the crutches and began to hobble to the door with Spitz pressed close to his body. Geo walked lightly to the door and opened it. "Are you going to bed too?" he asked, making one last check-up on Bonzle.
"I'm just finishing the chapter," said the daughter without taking her eyes off the pages. "You two can go ahead."
"Okay," Cole nodded. "Good night. We love you."
"..." For a brief moment, she was silent. "I love you too."
Geo opened the door to the children's room. Cole was the first to go in. He gently laid Spitz in the bed and tucked him in so the snake wouldn't get cold. "Good night, you little rascal," he whispered so only Spitz could hear,—even though he wasn't even awake. He gently stroked Spitz's head before stepping aside so Geo could lay Fritz on the top bunk.
"Good night." Fritz was tucked in too.
Good! The kids were in bed! That meant: get out of here as fast as possible before one of them woke up and sent them into a 30-minute, inevitable story time.
Geo threw himself onto the bed, pulling Cole down with him. He landed on top of the hybrid and rolled to his side to escape. "Not so fast," Geo said. "How's your leg?"
"Not great, but better."
"Does it hurt?"
"No. Hardly at all."
"Hff." The Munce snorted. "Good. Then you can be mine for the rest of the night," he said before pulling Cole close. But he just shook his head wildly. "I don't think I'm ready for sex yet..."
"That's not what I was getting at. The whole monastery is occupied. I just wanted to cuddle."
"Oh! Yes, cuddle!" Cole smiled pitifully. "Of course. I knew that."
"And now come on, you rock," Geo grinned before pulling Cole down. He spooned his Yang closer and stroked his hair before kissing his neck; gently and lovingly.
"Good night. I love you."
"I love you too. Sweet dreams."
"Kiss?"
The question made Cole turn his head back one last time. Before he even realized, his husband had already grabbed his chin, pressing his lips onto his'. "Mh!" made Cole; a surprised sound, but it quickly died down.
He lifted his hand, cradling Geo's warm cheek into his palm as he began kissing back. For a moment, both of them pulled back, just to do it all over again. "Let's not let this get too heated."
"Nope."
"You are already hard though, Geo."
"Am not!"
"Liar."
"Fuck you."
"Once my leg is healed? Gladly."