~requested by Neon~

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"I wanna go to McDonalds!" Lloyd whined, kicking the back of Kai's seat with so much vigor that Kai slammed on his brakes. The cars behind them started honking loudly, some of them swerving to avoid an accident.

     "For the last time: we're not going to McDonalds." Kai hissed through gritted teeth as he sharply turned into the Noodle House's drive thru. He cut at least three cars and settled into the line, using up all his mental strength to keep his temper at bay.

     "Noodle House?" Uuuuughghghghgh. It's sooooo laaaameee."

     "What do you want to eat?" Kai said, ignoring the infuriated drivers behind him as the line slowly moved forward.

     "I want McDonalds."

     "NO."

     Lloyd huffed and pulled his black hoodie farther over his bowl cut. He acted like a five-year-old diva all the time, though Kai suspected it was mostly to get attention. His uncle (who was also his guardian) was never at home, so he barely got care from him. And his adopted cousin, even though he was only a few years older than Lloyd, never gave him the time of day. The poor kid ended up spending his days ignored until Kai came to 'watch' him. Even those sessions were mostly Kai dragging Lloyd along to all of his social events.

     Kai took a few deep breaths and counted to ten. "They have chicken dumplings here, and Puffy Potstickers. You liked those last time you ate them."

     "Why are we even here? You said you hated the food."

     Kai's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "That is an overstatement. I said it's not my favorite place to ea—"

     "Then whyyyy can't we gooooo to McDonaldsss?"

     "WOULD YOU BE QUIET FOR TWO SECONDS!"

     Lloyd tucked his face into his knees, getting the dirt on his shoes all over the seat. Kai about had a mental breakdown (the kid was getting DIRT all over his precious vehicle), but then realized they were only two cars away from the speaker. He needed to get the little brat to cooperate.

     "Listen, Lloyd, we're here to visit Skylor. She's the nice girl from my school, remember?"

     Lloyd didn't respond.

     Kai sighed, running a hand through his gelled hair. "She just got a job here and we're here to support her. Don't you want to do a good deed and help her settle in?"

     Lloyd was silent. The car at the speaker moved forward, making them only one car away from ordering. Kai resolved to order something for Lloyd if the kid was going to sulk for the rest of the day. Wu wouldn't get mad if Kai at least tried to feed the neglected child.

     They were seconds away from pulling up to the speaker when Lloyd finally mumbled, "Skylor? The nice girl who gave me a lollipop?"

     "Yes." Kai exhaled, relief flooding through him.

     "I'LL HAVE LARGE ORDER OF PUFFY POTSTICKERS! THE FORTY COUNT!" Lloyd yelled into the speaker before the order taker could even say 'thanks for choosing the Noodle House'.

     "Er... uh... anything else for you?" The person on the mic said.

     "IS SKYLOR WORKING TODAY?"

     Kai was trying to decide whether to drive off in an embarrassing defeat or to strangle the kid in the backseat. He couldn't believe he had forgotten to lock the window controls. The one time he forgot something like this had to happen. It was seriously his luck.

     "...sure—yeah Skylor...uh, yeah she's working."

     "CAN YOU TELL HER I WANT A LOLLIPOP OR I'LL SPILL ALL OF KAI'S SECRETS?"

     The person on the mic was now questioning their life choices. "Sure... anything e—"

     "THANK YOU, BYE!" Lloyd screamed then rolled up the window.

     The car was dead silent on the way to the window. Kai knew that if he opened his mouth then words Lloyd didn't need to know would leave it, and Lloyd was wordlessly gloating on his victory. He had successfully annoyed his babysitter and gotten away with ordering forty potstickers.

     When the window opened, Skylor had her arms crossed. Kai didn't know how much she could tell just by looking at him, but the ginger bit back any remarks and quietly inquired if he really wanted to order forty potstickers. Kai had never been more grateful in his life that she had decided not to poke fun at his situation.

     After switching the forty count to a ten count, then giving Lloyd one of the leftover lollipops from her belongings, Skylor talked to the brat until it was time to hand out their food. Lloyd adored Skylor for several reasons (one being that she paid attention to him) and promised her he'd behave for the rest of the day. 

     When Kai finally pulled out of the drive thru, Lloyd had calmed down and was now placidly licking his lollipop. Once again, Kai's lifelong acquaintance had come to his rescue, even if it was in a way neither of them expected. Perhaps he should learn a thing or two from Skylor, seeing as Lloyd was much calmer around her. Kai knew he'd have to watch over Lloyd for a very long time, so maybe it was best he start giving the boy the attention he deserved. 

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A/N

Consider this a prequel to the current timeline. Kai's driving... so that means he's most likely 16. Yeah, other than that, I don't have much else to add. I hope you all enjoyed the mini-prequel!

Go check out therearenooptions to see her post!

See you all next week!

~squidneyxd