While I don't think it was the writers' intent to ship Cole x Vania...
I suspect that at least a few of the animators wanted to make them a couple:
I'm not in any way trying to override any ships, especially not Cole x Geo since it is just shy of becoming canon.
I simply wanted to share some of the "evidence" I found for Vanillacake, because regardless of whether you like them romantically or platonically, Cole and Vania do make a very sweet pair.
I think the biggest support of Vanillacake is the way Cole looks at Vania- correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember his eyes consistently going all soft and droopy at one specific person before Season 13.
However, I am also a big fan of finding platonic explanations for things/ turning everything into a giant found family dynamic. If anything, I'm all for it feeling like Vania has one of those celebrity crushes on him at the beginning, which gradually wears off into genuine appreciation for him as a person. Cole, meanwhile, loves the attention and sees her as sort of a little sister that needs taking care of (like he's taken care of Lloyd all of these years.)
If you do ship Vanillacake, by all means, go right ahead! Take this is a little boost of inspiration and fluff. If not, then let this be a reminder of how sweet Cole can be to his friends, and how quick he is to adopt people into his (by now ginormous) family.
