There was only one thing that I knew in this crazy, messed up world;

I am helplessly in love with Lloyd Garmadon.

And after the excruciating three weeks of awkward tensions and reluctant distance that we were both subjected to, I couldn't even begin to explain how nice it was to wake up to his peaceful, sleeping face.

I was surprised that I woke up before him. Usually Lloyd would be up hours before I, being annoyingly fresh with wide smiles and bursting with energy while I'd refuse to acknowledge that it was already morning again. Clearly, we were opposites when it came to whether we were a morning person or not.

But not that morning.
Lloyd was dozing, absolutely zonked out and snoring softly with an arm draped dramatically over his head like some dead Disney Princess. His eyelashes fluttered. His blonde hair shifted as he moved.
I was tempted to wake him but it was overpowered by the undeniable urge to just watch him sleep. It'd been so long since I had the privilege to, let alone even be in his company.

I gingerly untangled my arm from the mess of our limbs, bringing it up to twirl a finger against his soft hair. It was only just getting light outside, bringing a lighter grey hue to the room. It soaked Lloyd in silver.
I must of spent a solid half hour staring at him, because suddenly the sun had burst from its slumber and coated everything in gold. Lloyd's hair glimmered from the leak in his curtains.
As if on cue, his eyes slid open. Green found mine and gently closed again. He shuffled closer painfully slowly, pressing his face against mine.

"Good morning," I whispered with a small, amused smile. He murmured an incomprehensible reply, lazily stretching his back just by shifting his neck. "Do you have that meditation class?" I asked. He sighed through his nose and lethargically nodded, eyes still closed.
"Come on then," I prompted softly, pushing back the duvet and further untangling myself from him. "Let's go."
"I thought you didn't like getting up early?" he muttered languidly, rubbing away the crusty sleep at the corner of his eyes with the pads of his fingers. I hummed, slipping from his bed and stretching.
"I've been up for a while."
"Couldn't sleep?"
"I guess not," I mumbled, slipping on a random, discarded green hoody that had been tossed onto his floor. "Dude, you really need to clean your room."
"Okay, mother."
"Nyeh." I stuck my tongue out at him.

We made our way to the kitchen, grabbing a quick breakfast quietly. We soaked in the silence of a still morning. The weak sun was already chasing away clouds.
"You know what's crazy?" Lloyd murmured as we ate Ninja-O's in the kitchen, sitting on the bench, kicking our feet and watching as the spiritual garden became illuminated in the dawn through the window. "How Nya can't seem to keep her mouth shut around Jay."
I furrowed my brow, sending him a confused look as I munched on my shitty brand cereal.

"I acted like a child because..." he glanced off to the side, smiling humourlessly and rubbing his chin as he tried to find the words to say. "Ah, I don't know... because I was petty after our argument."
Hoo boy. We're having this discussion now? This early in the morning?
"I wanted to- to act like the child you thought I was," he continued, setting his bowl to the side. "And that was not easy. Every time I saw you I just... I wanted to run right up and sweep you into a hug. I didn't even last a week."

Errrrrr-
Lloyd slipped from the bench, stepping out in front of me. I was frozen, bent over my bowl with my spoon halfway to my mouth. My gaze was set on Lloyd's suspiciously.
"But then I overheard Nya telling Jay about something. I was just passing by her room, it was probably a week and a bit after our fight and I guess that the others were getting fed up with my attitude... she was just frustrated and... really it was just perfect timing. B- but once I knew, I didn't know how to face you again. I didn't know what to say, what to do, how to act- I was scared."
I blinked in confusion.

Lloyd exhaled through an embarrassed smile, running his tongue over his bottom lip as he stared at the ground.
He lifted his gaze to mine.
"I know," he simply said.
I tilted my head, digging one eyebrow down. He really didn't reveal any mysteries with that. Lloyd seemed to notice because he jumped to elaborate.
"The- the tomb, I mean. About us... in the future n'... holy matrimony and all that... stuff..."
The spoon dropped. My face fell slack. Oh goD.
"You do?" I breathed in shock. He nodded stiffly. "Oh."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Lloyd asked gently, setting the bowl to the side from my shaking hands. "I- I feel like you're not telling me anything anymore."

"I- it's not that I... I didn't want to tell you- I mean, I did want to tell- I-" I dropped my gaze, twirling a lock of my hair between my fingers agitatedly. "I just... I was scared, too."
Lloyd ducked his head and bent down so he could catch my stare. I tittered, closing my eyes in merriment at his dorky action. He chuckled, which grew in sound as I began to laugh. He laughed. We were both laughing. This was funny? This was funny! We're so dumb. Oh my god, we're idiots. Absolutely deranged fools who were full on belly-laughing at five in the morning of a Saturday.
I dropped my head on his chest as I wept beguiled tears, wiping them away with the sleeve of his hoody. He pulled me off of the bench and held me close, stumbling around the kitchen as we giggled.

"We're dumb," I sighed.
"The dumbest," Lloyd agreed, swaying to a stop in the middle of the kitchen.

☀️💚🌼

"You know, I can't believe I was friends with them," I said loudly as Lloyd and I strolled through the forest. I had changed into some of Nya's clothes, still swamped in Lloyd's hoody. Kashu was in his arms dozing, though he'd occasionally go and limp around with a dopey puppy grin until he got tired again. The Monastery was a twenty minute walk behind us, so I could be as loud as I wanted without bothering the monks that were continuing their meditation lesson that Lloyd and I cut short without us.

"Claire, Naomi and Aaliyah, right?" Lloyd asked, scratching Kashu under his chin. It was the first he had actually ever really listened to me vent, even though the build up to this point was just mainly about the lack of women in creative jobs in animation.
"Not Naomi, Naomi's the best," I shook my head. "But the rest of them! I don't know why I wasted my time with them."
"Because you used to be friends with them?"
"Yeah," I snorted. "What a one-sided friendship that was. You know Aaliyah and I've known each other for like... forever. And then this- this girl shows up and it's like I never existed!"

"Wait," Lloyd said as we diverted off the track and began scrambling over big boulders. I followed him blindly, to enraged to notice where we were headed. "Wait, what happened exactly?"
I sighed dramatically, shoving aside a branch with a little more force than necessary.
"I guess it was this slow build up to my destruction."
Lloyd snorted. "Melodramatic."
"You take that back, blondie!"
"Make me."
I growled at him but continued with the spilling of me tea anyway.
"It started when Claire arrived, right?" I began, sliding down the back of the large boulder. "She arrived just before high school. Moved up from... I don't know, somewhere from down south. Anyway, so we all become best friends during the last year of secondary. Well, she integrates into our group, which is pretty big and still is. But then I leave for Jamanakai girls and suddenly I feel so disconnected from them. And Claire, who was never the nicest person to begin with, starts making the others notice me less and less until I'm just this tag alone. She keeps sending me back, or excluding me for meet ups and JG is just... a really horrible school and the girls were all stuck up snobs so it wasn't as if I had any other friends. I thought that this was all just puberty, right?"

Lloyd had to stifle a laugh. He covered it with a cough before nodding with a serious face.
"Oh, yeah, totally."
I eyed him with a squint.
"Anyway," I emphasised warningly. "She was never a good friend, but I guess I just put up with her because the others liked her, right? Anyway fast forward to when we first met-" Lloyd touched the scar on his forehead nostalgically. "-and the only thing she does is belittles me for liking you-"
"You liked me since then?"
"Lloyd, please. I'm trying to rant here."
"Right, sorry... was it love at first sight or-?"
"Lloyd!" I laughed. He stopped at a river that curled through the forest, kicking off his shoes and dipping his toes into the cold water. Kashu stared at the cold river with an unimpressed look.

"Maybe," I sat down beside him. "It was love at first sight with your hoody, though."
"The one that you stole?"
I hummed, shifting on the large, smooth rock that had become our spot and letting the refreshing water run over my feet.
"I prefer the term 'acquired.' I wore it all the time when we first met, though."
Lloyd raised his eyebrows.
"You wore a stranger's hoody?"
"In my defence, it smelt good."
"Oh, my god," he laughed loudly. I snickered, shoving him.
"Shut up!" I punched his arm. Kashu yapped at us, leaping unsteadily in between us and nipping at our fingers. I sobered, staring out at the water as I recalled the downfall of my social life. "Yeah... long story short, the others had a sleepover without me and Naomi called at two in the morning to tell me that they were talking shit. I didn't believe her, which pissed her off, and when I asked the others if they wanted to meet at the skatepark they all said that they were busy. Then when I went to the park myself the time I had proposed, they were all there without me."

Lloyd frowned at the horizon.
"Ouch."
"Pretty much. My only worry is that I'll never be able to get over them. That they'll- they'll just never apologise, never try to fix things, they'll just always hate me. I don't know what I'll do."
Lloyd glanced at me.
"First of all, that's dumb," he said firmly, making me turn my gaze to his, stunned. "They're not the only people on this planet. You'll find more friends, better people. You'll go on with your life and be successful and leave them all behind. Besides, you already have the coolest family - us. What else could you ask for?"
A small smile played on my lips.
"I guess you're right."
"Of course I am."

I huffed through a grin, staring at the bubbling river. Kashu was occupied by a squirrel that had ventured out from the trees.
"I know I never officially asked you," Lloyd began, breaking the short silence as we stared at the river. "But I was wondering if you'll be my girlfriend?"
I shot him a look.
"I though you didn't want a label?"
"I want you, label or no," Lloyd smiled woefully. "If I have to have a label so I can use it to my advantage and keep other guys away from you, then I'll gladly accept it."

I smiled amusedly, shaking my head as I giggled. Kashu yipped at the squirrel.
"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend, dorkweeb."

🌺💚🌊

After our little stroll through the forest, Lloyd and I decided to go to Mega Monster Amusement Park. Probably as a date. Probably because we had nothing else to do (and the others kept cooing at us whenever we did something remotely romantic.. like when Lloyd grabbed the ham from the fridge for me when we were making lunch. Because. That's apparently romantic? I guess romance isn't dead in this day and age because ham, y'know?).
So we escaped.

"Oh, shit," I mumbled under my breath before ducking behind a stall. Lloyd stared at me oddly before I yanked him with me. "Why here, today?"
"What?" Lloyd asked as he stumbled behind me, cocking his head.
"It's them," I hissed, poking my head out and squinting at the crowd. "The vultures."
"Your so-called 'friends?'"
"Ex-friends, don't give them that privilege."
Lloyd snickered. "Okay."

The group was growing nearer. Our hiding spot wasn't going to last us much longer.
"Quick!" I turned to Lloyd promptly. "Kiss me. PDA makes people uncomfortable and gets them to leave."
He blinked before a sly smirk grew on his face.
"My pleasure, Princess," he said teasingly, grabbing my face and swiftly pressing his lips against mine. Passion burst behind my rib cage, sending my brain into spirals and causing my knees to weaken. Oh, no. This was a very good bad idea.
Lloyd glanced up mid-kiss, staring beyond me. He watched for a beat before pulling away.
"They're gone," he confirmed.
"No, they're not," I disagreed, pinching the material of his shirt and pulling him close. Reaching up on my tippy toes, I continued the kiss.

Oh wow. I missed him. I missed his kisses. I squeezed his shoulder, making sure that he wasn't some kind of deranged figment of my imagination. He wasn't. Thank god.
Lloyd pulled back again only to grin something dangerous. Uh oh.
"Let's get revenge."
"Revenge?" I frowned. "Doesn't that go against your 'ninja honour' or whatever?"
Lloyd snorted, lifting a shoulder. There was a gleam in his gaze that I hadn't seen before.
"You're my girlfriend, it's an exception to the rule."
"Convincing," I commented blandly. "What do you have in mind?"
Lloyd lost his malicious demeanour. He pouted at the ground in thought.
"I don't know. Let's just follow them around the amusement park until I think of something."
"What, stalk them?"
"Sure, if that's what you want to call it," Lloyd shrugged. I was tempted to roll my eyes but Lloyd tugged me after him before I could.

"Secret ninja skills activate!" Lloyd hissed as he lead us scrambling to behind another stall, glaring out at our victims. "I feel like Randy Cunningham."
"Randy Cunningham was probably based off of you, though."
"Oh, it totally was," Lloyd confirmed. "What a rip off. The company that made it tried to get me in for a guest speaking role but the mic couldn't pick up my voice properly through my mask."
I inwardly frowned at Lloyd's brushed off comment towards RC9GN. But that show was hella good, though. Lloyd wtf.

"Incoming," Lloyd whispered to ourselves before bending down and picking up a small, perfectly smooth rock about the size of my thumbnail. With an expert flick of his wrist, the rock smoothly sailed across the ground, skimming the dirt, before nicking Claire in the back of the leg.
"Ow!" she yelped in confusion.
"Lloyd!" I hissed, stunned. "Why'd you do that?"
He just grinned wolfly and loftily shrugged.
"You said it yourself, she's a vulture."
I stared at him, flabbergasted.
"That doesn't mean you hit people with rocks!"

Lloyd's grin faded into a look of guilt.
"You're right, I should stop."
"No, keep going," I said, picking up a small stone and hurtling at Aaliyah's back. It barely missed its mark. "They're vultures. You think we can run them out of the park?"
"Most hits wins!" Lloyd claimed, before scooping up a pile of gravel. I giggled, bending down to retrieve my ammo before the sound of somebody clearing their throat above us made us freeze.
We slowly glanced up. A big, burly guard was staring at us pointedly, sending us a scowl with crossed arms.

Lloyd's mischievous green gaze dropped to mine.
"Run?" he suggested with a crooked grin.
"Last one out is a rotten ninja!" I exclaimed, scrambling to my feet and zooming away from the guard, who yelled in indignation.
I snickered, darting between the crowd towards the exit, shaking between stalls and ducking under rides. The exit was in sight. I was winni- Wait, no Lloyd just appeared at the exit dammit.
"Never challenge a ninja, sweetheart," Lloyd laughed, before grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the amusement park. We both glanced back and saw the guard looking around the crowd by the entrance with a scowl of frustrated confusion.
"Ugh, you poo," I stuck my tongue out at him. "You didn't even go easy on me."
"You're the one who challenged me!" Lloyd exclaimed with a chuckle at my sore loser expression of a pout. He went to say something else when his watch beeped and cut him off. He glanced down at it and sighed.

"Mission?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Can I come?"
Lloyd sent me a look.
"No."
"Why not?!" I whined.
"Because I said so and because you're not even trained in the slightest."
"Still managed to evade Morro and knee him in the balls," I muttered under my breath. Lloyd cupped my face in his hands.
"Yes and you were lucky," he insisted. "Please. I'll take you home. I don't want you getting into trouble again."
"I always get into trouble. I trip over my own two feet all the time. What are you gonna do, cover me in bubble wrap?"
"I'm considering it," Lloyd replied. I gasped at him as if it was an insult. He snickered at my expression before pulling me behind the tall walls of the amusement park and summoning his dragon. "Come on, I'll take you home on the way, but we have to be quick."

"Okayyy," I groaned, grabbing Lloyd's outstretched hand and hoisting myself up into the saddle behind him. The dragon launched off, scaling the sky before straightening and devouring the wind as we sailed above the land. Before I knew it, we were already back at my home. Lloyd's dragon landed on the roof and we said a quick goodbye with a swift kiss before I slid off.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" he pledged before the dragon launched to the sky again.
I frowned.
"God, this is silly," I sighed, staring at him as he 'went off to battle.' "I'm totally the war wife."
Not much I can do about that. I watched him until he disappeared and then scrambled down to my window and slipped inside my room.

"Y/n!"
"OHMIGOD," I yelped, jumping in surprise and succeeding in tangling my legs up and falling to the ground. Naomi grimaced before rushing over to help me up.
"Nomes!" I grinned weakly, rubbing my throbbing shoulder. "What are you doing here?"
"Duh, English assignment, remember?" Naomi said, holding up a bunch of paper. "I tried to ring you but you never picked up."
I winced, grabbing my phone from my pocket and seeing a missed call.
"Sorry! I must of had it on silent," I apologised sheepishly. "How long have you been waiting?"
Naomi shrugged. "An hour."
"An hour-!"
"Kidding!" Naomi snickered. "Nah, I only just arrived. Figures that you'll be on the roof. I should've stuck my head out the window and called up."

I nervously giggled with an unsure nod of my head. We settled down on my bed and began to go through the assignment again.
"Oh, I finally talked to Lloyd," I murmured.
"Yeah?!" Naomi glanced up, shoving aside the schoolwork. I watched it dropped to the ground with wide eyes. That didn't last long. "What happened?"
"I apologised, he apologised, we laughed because we were scared and dumb," I said with a shrug, summarising it right down to its roots. Naomi stared at me blankly.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"I was hoping for maybe a little more drama..." she dramatically sighed, catching my gaze. "Kidding. So you two are good?"
"Yeah," I smiled. "Yeah, we're good."
"Awesome!" Naomi grinned. "Now I just need a boyfriend so we can go on double dates."

I giggled.
"You know, Lloyd's friends aren't too bad," I shrugged. "Yeah. They're pretty cool."
"Sure," Naomi said slowly. "Nah, no thanks. I actually don't mind not having a boyfriend or girlfriend. All independent, y'know?"
"I know," I smiled.

📚💚📝

Naomi decided to stay the night, so after dinner we went back to my room and began spilling tea about our old friends. I told her about what Lloyd did at the amusement park. Naomi almost choked with laughter.
"Oh, my god," she wheezed. "That's gold!" Is
I shook my head in amusement. "He got us in trouble. We had to gap it from the park. We're probably not allowed back in there!"
"Who cares?" Naomi shrugged. "There's probably a huge welt on Claire's leg now."
"... probably," I snickered. "I should feel bad but they just- you know?"
"Don't feel bad," Naomi shook her head. "It's just a tiny rock. It's not like you or Lloyd will do it again. Will you?"
"No, nu-uh," I shook my head. "I don't want to get near them ever again."
"That's the attitude!" Naomi whooped.

After that we decided to binge watch the Trollhunters series. We got to the seventh episode when something started rattling outside.
"Oh god its a murderer!" Naomi squeaked and hid half of her head under the blanket. I squinted in the darkness, only illuminated slightly by the screen. The latch began to jiggle.
Naomi bit back a scream, scrambling off of the bed and stumbling to the other side of the room.
"Hellooo," Lloyd sung unceremoniously as he slid through the window.
"Lloyd!" I chastised.
"Lloyd?!" Naomi shrieked.
"Naomi!" Lloyd winced.
"I thought you said that you were going to see me tomorrow," I stressed, only slightly thankful for the lack of light concealing what was definitely his green ninja gi.

Naomi flicked on the lights.
Fuck.

Her face paled before it burst into flame.
"Oh, shit," Lloyd whimpered.
"Lloyd GARMADON?!" Naomi hollered in shock. "You're the GrEEN NINJA?!"
Lloyd glanced around the room, trying to find something to divert attention to.
"... no?"
"Nice, Lloyd," I sighed, dropping my head into my hands.
"Why didn't you tell me that Naomi was over?"
"You said that you were going to see me tomorrow! I assumed that you'd just go straight home!"
Lloyd blinked.
"Oh, yeah," he said dumbly.

"Oh, my god," Naomi breathed as she slumped against the wall.
"Surprise," Lloyd said with a weak grin and a pair of stupid jazz hands.