if the show writers don't want to give Cole a central focus, i'll do it myself, goddammit. they better not kill him off either or we're starting a riot.

"Mommy, look!" The young woman smiled at the sound of her son's voice. She tied off the braid of all her hair and looked down. Her son waddled up to her and grinned widely, holding up a messy drawing for her to see. "Look, Mommy! I draw a mountain and a cloud and a sun and a bird!"

"Oh, Cole, sweetie! This is so beautiful. Can I keep it?" the woman asked her son. He nodded vigorously and yelped when she picked him up with one arm and sat him on her shoulder. "This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. But you know what would make this drawing even better?"

Cole giggled. "What?"

"A dragon!" she yelled and imitated a roar. She stomped around and flapped her free arm. Cole screamed and shook his head.

"No, no dragons! They're scary!" he cried, rubbing his eyes with his small fists. The woman halted her actions and held her son in her arms.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. You don't have to add a dragon to it. I think it's perfect just the way it is," she said softly, poking her son's cheeks and booping his nose. He giggled again. She put him back on the ground and grinned. "So, what do you wanna do today?"

"I have an idea!" Lou called out from his studio. He strutted out and spun before leaning heavily on his cane. "Cole can join me in a little dance I've put together."

"Lou, please. You've spent the entire day in that studio. Take a break already, your leg," she insisted. Her head jerked as her son pulled on her braid. She lowered her head so Cole could whisper in her ear.

"I don't like dancing. Or singing. I wanna play with you, Mommy," the little boy muttered. His mother smiled and patted his head.

"Lou, Cole doesn't want to do that right now. Maybe another time?" she compromised. Lou's face fell slightly but he nodded in understanding. "Now, go lay down and rest. I'm going to go climbing for a few hours." Cole gasped.

"I wanna go! Take me, take me!" he shouted. His mother giggled.

"Alright, but you eat all of your dinner when we come back, okay?" Cole nodded vigorously. "Lou, we'll be back soon. I love you." She bent down to kiss her husband.

"I love you, too. You too, Cole. Both of you, be careful!" Lou called out. She smiled over her shoulder and waved. She picked her son up so he'd ride on her shoulders.

"I see the whole world, Mommy! How are you taller than Daddy?" Cole wondered.

"Your grandfather was a very tall man. I think you'll be tall, too."

"You think so?" the little boy gasped.

"Oh yes. Now, where do you want to climb, the walls… or the mountains?" she asked dramatically.

"Mountains!" Cole screamed.

"Let's do it!"

"Cole, you okay?" Jay asked, placing his hand on a broad shoulder. Slowly, Cole nodded. The blue-clad ninja raised an eyebrow. "You sure? You've been trying to braid your hair for two hours now."

Cole pushed his dreads away from his face and smiled sadly. "No, no, I'm fine. Just… thinking about someone. I miss her." Cole stared at the sky and realized that the sun had gone down, only a few rays still peaking over the horizon. She usually came back home from climbing by now. Try as he might, Cole couldn't hold back a few tears and let them fall. "My mom," he finished, his voice shaking.

Jay frowned. He wasn't used to Cole being emotional. He was a tough guy and didn't always let his feelings get the best of him. So seeing the Master of Earth openly cry was a shock. The first thing that came to mind was to hug him, so that was exactly what Jay did.

"I'm sorry, man" was the only thing the brunet could say. Cole's sobs grew in volume until he suddenly cut himself off.

"I-I'm sorry, Jay. Didn't mean to pull you into my mess," Cole apologized, trying to laugh it off. Jay only shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad to see you cry. That's a good thing to do, good for the soul," Jay advised. Cole snorted and laughed.

"So that's why you do it all the time?" He cackled when Jay tried to punch him as hard as he could, which felt more like a soft stress ball hitting him.

"Shut up, man!"

"Okay, I'm just joking! Geez." Jay huffed and crossed his arms. Cole nudged his side gently. "Hey. Thanks, man. It means a lot to me." Jay smiled.

"Of course. So… you never talk about your mom. Why's that?" There was a long pause.

"Today's her birthday and I just… had a moment. I'm sorry."

"Dude, it's fine. You can… tell me about her if you want. What was she like?" Cole stared at his best friend before smiling.

"I think I should start by saying she was the greatest mom in the whole world."

quick headcanon time:

1) I feel like Masters of Earth have this instinct in them that brings out the parent deep inside. Like Cole, he went into full-on Dad Mode with baby Wu. (Then again, who wouldn't?) Even if a Master of Earth thinks they don't like children, one child can make a difference in their lives and they are a PARENT

2) Obviously, I headcanon Cole's mom to be bigger and taller than Lou. Cole's probably as tall as her.

3) Cole having dreads, you mean The Ultimate Power Move? Then yes

#LetColeCry2k19

also, kind of disappointed that in all the Ninjago vine comps I've seen, no one has done the "GET YO FUCKING DOG BITCH" vine for Cole, Kai, and Flame. like seriously, dude was afraid of dragons in the pilot episodes, someone HAS to include that vine in the vine comps.