TW: mild sexual content

Lloyd pulled me through the halls of the hospital, glaring through his mask.

People stopped and stared as the green ninja passed, walking so fast that it had me stumbling to keep up. I was silent, letting him drag me away from the room that held the still-smug Axon, digesting the situation.
He had people watching us.
There was a mole, somewhere. A person that he believes we'd never suspect.
What's stopping them from spilling the green ninja's secret identity?
What's stopping them from just killing me and getting it over with?
This was weird. This was frightening. My heart was setting a frantic pace, just another thing I had trouble keeping up with.
Lloyd's grip was bruisingly tight as he rushed me out the hospital entrance, mumbling sweetly fake excuses and apologies to the people who dared to approach him for a selfie.
I kept my head down, hair hiding my face as we pushed through the public of the reception area. My own mask that I came in with was back with the others and I didn't have a chance to grab it. I just hoped that we were going too fast for somebody to snap a photo, even though I truly knew that that type of hope was naive - especially considering the public's fascination with the green ninja.

Lloyd shoved us out of the hospital entrance and pulled me through the car park, setting a rapid, storming pace that I had to do an awkward half-jog to keep up with. I kept glancing at the side of what little was exposed of his face. I knew him well enough to know that his fangs were exposed and gritted from behind his mask.
"Wh- where are we going?" I stammered quietly as he summoned Bentley, who regarded the surrounding cars with the same biting glare that Lloyd did. No purring dragon today.
"Getting you out of here," Lloyd murmured darkly, swiftly clambering onto the saddle and hoisting me up before I was ready. Just as I landed in front of him, Bentley took off, his powerful wings scooping the air. I was thrown back into Lloyd's chest by the unusual force of it.
This was supposed to be happening so fast, yet the world felt like it was going so slow. I should barely be able to keep up with what's happening, but instead I've been replaying the situation in my head again and again until I was sure that I'd be able to recite it in my sleep.
I wished it was going too fast for me to comprehend. I wished that I couldn't understand what was going on.
Because Axon's game wasn't over. It had barely even begun, and the anxiety of the whole situation had me feeling like I was going to throw up.

As soon as Bentley's claws touched the grass of my backyard, he disappeared with a burst. Lloyd grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the house, red eyes scanning the surroundings for unfavourable visitors as he hurried me along. He impatiently shoved open the back door and lead me to my own room before throwing open the closet and grabbing my clothes.
I was tossed back into reality just as Lloyd tossed them on the floor.
"Wh- what are you doing?"
"Grab some bags and start packing," Lloyd growled, ripping off his mask. "We're getting you out of the city."
I blanched, staring at him with a stunned expression as he threw more of my clothes onto the floor haphazardly.
"W- wait, Lloyd," I began with a nervous laugh, rubbing my arm. "We sh- we should talk about this before making any rash decisions-"
"Y/n, that man is dangerous in a way I have never experienced before!" Lloyd snapped, pulling himself to his full height as he paused in his task to send me a glower. My lips parted, head reeling. "He has the resources and the plans. He's been eyeing my destruction for centuries and you are my Achilles heel. I have to get you somewhere safe before he strikes."
"He's in custody!" I tried.
"Not his people!" Lloyd pointed out in a shout, turning fully towards me. "We have no idea how many he has on his side! We have no idea how many are watching us!"
"I'm safer in the city than I will be in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere, especially if they're watching us!" I argued. "At least I'm surrounded by people-"
"No-! No, you're coming with me to the monastery," he burst, flicking one of his fangs with his thumbnail, seemingly a nervous tick as his red eyed drifted back to the gutted closet. "The monks can keep you safe even if I'm not there."

I stared at him, appalled. Lloyd grabbed a bag from the top shelf and tugged it down before shoving the clothes in it.
"You can't lock me up!" I shrilled, watching him with a horrified look.
"I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!" I snapped, countering. "Do you just expect me to stay in the monastery for the rest of my-"
His communicator buzzed. He slapped his hand over it, putting it on speaker.
"WHAT?" Lloyd snapped, shoving more of my clothes into the bag.
"Why the HELL did you run off?" Nya bit back, unphased by Lloyd's tone. "We were in the middle of an interrogation! For all we know he could've just been pulling on our strings!"
"Axon planned Morro!" Lloyd yelled, roughly zipping the bag shut while I stared, breaths heavy as the gravity of what was happening began to truly set in. "I wouldn't put it past him! He's threatened before and they were hardly empty!"
"That doesn't give you the right to just dip like that!" Nya snapped, pissed off. "You may be the green ninja, but we're a team first!"

Lloyd stood, dropping one of the bags into my arms. I stumbled under the sudden weight before he hooked a hand around my arm and pulled me with him to the bathroom. It was if he didn't want me to leave his side. Lloyd nodded his head to the bathroom cabinet.
"Pack."
My brow twitched in annoyance but I complied anyway, grabbing what I'd need and throwing them into the bag.
"I'm bringing Y/n to the monastery," Lloyd said. "Then we can discuss what to do from here."
"Fine," Nya said shortly before cutting the call.
"What about my mother?" I asked, voice dry with growing agitation. Nerves had truly began to slither in my stomach, making me feel ill with anticipation.
"I'll get Zane to debrief her," Lloyd said, crossing his arms as he watched me with eagle eyes. If eagle eyes could be a crimson red. "And then after Jamie's made aware, she should go back to Jamanakai until this has died down."
"What?" I sent him an incredulous look. "All the way back to Jamanakai?"
"She knows about Axon and what he's capable of," Lloyd reminded, staring hard at the wall. "She'll be valuable to the military. We'll get them on the look out, too. Don't- don't worry. Your mum will be escorted. She'll be safe."

"What's stopping you from sending me to my father?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Wouldn't that be the safest place for me? Out of the city, surrounded by my family who all know their way around a handgun, at least."
Lloyd faltered, red eyes jumping to mine. A desperate expression crossed his face as his arms fell to his sides. Totally vulnerable to me.
"Because I need to protect you," he said in a voice that had me faltering.
"Lloyd-"
"Please," he breathed, stepping forward to grab my hand. "I don't trust anyone else to protect you like I can."
I stared at him, taking in the pleading look in his red eyes. The trembling of his body. He was genuinely terrified and he made no move to conceal his emotions, either. He was totally open for me to read. This was new. This was how worried Lloyd was.
Who was I to argue with him? Sure, initially I was against the idea of being moved into the monastery to be babysat, but I think shock still had my brain working on an internet explorer.
Lloyd's had experience. And if he was this panicked, then... I should really listen to him.
I nodded. "Okay."

He gave a loaded, relieved sigh, dropping his forehead against mine.
"Thank you," he whispered, hand cradling the back of my neck as his fingers slid through the hair at my nape.
"But I dibs not telling my mom," I demanded, making him chuckle softly.
"Deal," Lloyd murmured, red eyes finding mine as he pulled away. They hardened and the moment was over. "Let's go."
I nodded, picking up the bag as Lloyd swung the second one over his shoulder. Threading my fingers through his, I let him pull me out of the house.
The flight back to the monastery was short and speedy, going at a pace that had me swallowing my stomach. The others were already back by the time we had landed.
"You'll be safe here," Lloyd said quietly, mostly to himself. "The barrier prevents trespassers. The monastery will be the best place for you."
I nodded as my footsteps crunched on the gravel, even though I knew that it wasn't actually directed towards me and was more so a means to soothe his own panic.

"I have already debriefed M/n," Zane informed as we entered the monastery and dropped my bags at the entrance, Lloyd not faltering in his fast pace. Zane kept up easily while I was scrambling after the two unfairly fit ninja. "She is on her way to Jamanakai with Dimitri."
"Good," Lloyd nodded. "Has Jamie been informed?"
"Nya is doing so right at this moment."
"Perfect," Lloyd said as we entered the large dojo, which seemed to substitute as a meeting room. The others were all inside, murmuring amongst each other with serious faces while Nya stood in the corner on the phone. Misako sent me a smile. It did little to reassure me, but I appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.
"We need to rule out who might be the mole. Look into everybody's past, starting with the people closest to us," Lloyd began, taking charge as soon as he stepped foot into the room. "We need to know who we can trust. Kai," Lloyd turned a look to the fire ninja. "Get in contact with Ronin, Dareth, Neuro and Skylor. Tell them it's urgent. Wu, Dad, call all the elemental masters you can, we need all that we can get on our side. Cole, get Naomi and Chen over here. Once Neuro arrives, we'll be scanning as many people in our circle as we can to figure out who the mole may be and reinforce who is to be trusted or not."
With a firm nod, Kai set off to phone his girlfriend and Neuro. Wu and Garm followed, intent to do their respective jobs. Cole pulled out his phone before trailing after the others.
There seemed to be no questioning the team leader.

"Zane and Jay," Lloyd continued, making the two perk up in attention. "I need you two to check the perimeter of the barrier - make sure there's no holes and take note of any weaknesses. Take some of the monks and spread out - cover it all in as little time as possible."
The two nodded before swiftly darting out of the dojo, on their way to gather some monks for their mini mission.
"Mum, I need you to search the prophecies for anything to do with Axon," Lloyd said. "You know them best."
I glanced up at Lloyd as he began tugging me down the hallway, following Misako as she began to make her way to her room.
"What am I doing to help?" I asked, feeling his hand squeeze mine. He hadn't let it go the entire time.
"You're staying right beside me at all times," Lloyd said in a voice that told me that it wasn't a suggestion, it was a command. "We're going to write up a list of anyone that you may know until the others arrive. Teachers, students, family members, everything. Don't go to school. Not until we've agreed that it's safe. You're not to leave the monastery."
He stepped into the scroll room and grabbed some spare, empty parchment and ink - did Wu seriously not know about ballpoint pens? I stood before the short table as Lloyd began scrawling down names.

"But... that could take forever," I murmured.
"Do you have a better idea?" Lloyd snapped, pen scratching in harsh strokes across the page as his agitation fuelled him. "You want me to toss you out to the wolves?"
I stared at him, brow furrowed at his words. The pen stilled and Lloyd sighed in regret.
"I'm sorry."
"Jerk," I muttered, taking a seat beside him and resting my head on his shoulder. He pressed an apologetic kiss to my forehead. "You misspelt Mrs. Peralta's name."
Lloyd corrected it.
"Anyone else you can think of?" he asked, staring at the long list of names, most of whom were from school.
"You need family members too, right?" I asked, to which he nodded. I took the pen from his grasp and dipped it in the ink, writing down the names of my extended lineage that were still alive and kicking.

"What about the military?" I murmured as I sat back against him, his body warm despite the chill of the room.
"We'll send Neuro there after he's put a barrier around your house," Lloyd replied, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me in closer. "Hopefully we don't have to deal with a traitor today."
Today? God, this was... this...
"How are you doing?" Lloyd asked, voice soft as he whispered against my temple. It was as if he could sense my rising panic. "I'm sorry for being harsh-"
"It's fine," I shook my head, pressing myself deeper into him. Maybe I could sink into Lloyd until I wasn't my own person anymore. That'd be nice. "I'm fine. You're the team leader, after all. It can't be easy."
"It isn't," he agreed with a breathy, dry chuckle. He quickly sobered as a gentle hold cupped my chin and tilted my face up so he could stare into me. "But I'll do anything to keep you safe."
A small smile grew on my face as his words filled my chest with fluttering butterflies, gaze darting to the side in bashfulness. I felt sick in the best of ways. Lovesick? Lovesick.
"Thank you," I said quietly and genuinely, lifting my eyes back to his while they regarded me carefully, probably waiting for me to breakdown and catch me before I shattered. I was walking the line pretty thin. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Well, you probably wouldn't be targeted for one-"
"Lloyd," I stressed, narrowing my eyes. He chuckled sheepishly, his blond hair tickling my face as he leant down toward me.

"We're going to catch his people," Lloyd promised, thumb brushing my cheek and sending pleasant shivers down my spine. Red eyes so soft, I could fall into them and it would feel like feathers. "And then we won't have to worry about Axon ever again."
My eyes fluttered closed with a soft sigh from my parted lips, enjoying Lloyd's affection. I wanted to hold onto this little slice of heaven before it inevitably fell away to chaos.
"That'll be nice," I admitted before lifting myself up for a kiss. But before I could achieve one, unfamiliar voices sounded from the driveway. Lloyd dropped his face to the side, pressing his cheek against mine.
"They're here," he hummed in clear disappointment. I gave a regretful huff through my nose. I should've kissed him sooner.
Leaving the list of names as something to come back to, we returned to to the dojo where a group of new people were congregating. I stuck close to Lloyd's side, eyeing the slowly growing crowd. The large room was full of people of all shapes and sizes, mutations and hair colours. These were all demigods. I suddenly felt incredibly mortal.
Wu and Garm were going around, passing out cups of teas with the help of a few monks. I occasionally caught the curious gaze of a master and my eyes would bounce away meekly, shuffling closer behind Lloyd as he spoke quietly to Neuro and Skylor about the plan for today.

"Lloyd!" a large man with metal gauntlets approached with a hearty laugh, cutting Neuro off mid-word. "Long time no see! Karloff has missed you!"
Lloyd gave a forced smile, not in the mood for pleasantries but not having the heart to be rude. His hand tightened around mine.
"It's good to see you too," he greeted, green eyes scanning the room for the fifth time before landing back on the master. "This is Karloff, master of metal-"
"Ahh, so this is little green man's girlfriend," Karloff grinned larger than the sun itself as his brown eyes dropped to me. "Very cuuute! And what is little girl's name?"
"I- I'm Y/n," I stuttered, putting a hand in his gauntlet for him to gently shake. Probably making sure not to hurt me, since the dude was at least three times my size.
"Any friend of Lloyd's is friend of Karloff's," he said with a beaming smile. I returned a smile of my own. It was almost genuine.
"Any friend of Lloyd's is my friend, too," I said just as a boy with blond hair and a spiky grin draped himself over the large man.

"Damn, Lloyd!" the boy laughed, shifting his fluffy collar and slicking a hand through his hair as his blue eyes looked me up and down. "You landed a hottie! How'd you do it, bro? You gotta tell me your secret."
Lloyd tensed, eyes dark.
"Ambrose," Skylor muttered. "A little respect."
"I am respecting!" Ambrose held his hands up in defence, blue eyes flicking back to me with a playful smirk. "Respecting a fine piece of artwork when I see one!"
A stunned laugh escaped through my lips. His grin grew a mile wider.
"See! She's into it!" Ambrose chimed, sending a sly look at Lloyd. "You takin' notes?"
"I don't need to take notes on how to woo my own girlfriend," Lloyd said dryly.
"He doesn't," I piped up. His lips twitched in barely-concealed amusement at my immediate agreement.
"Oho-" he burst a snorting laugh at my words, patting Karloff's shoulder. "I see, I see. Not only is he the prophesied saviour, but he's the ultimate ladies man, too? Ninja in the streets, sensei in the sheets, right?"
I burst into laughter, unsure whether to be insulted or amused so I settled on the latter. Lloyd shook his head, unable to keep his grin from growing.
"You suck, man," he scoffed, humoured.
"Always have, always will," Ambrose snickered with a fingergun before his blue eyes jumped back to mine. "Hey, if you ever get bored with mr. green ninja here, I'm available. At the end of the day, we are all Sans the Skeleton. Deep inside. Like our bones and shit."
"You'll be the first person I'll call," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Ambrose, master of physics," Lloyd said, pulling me in closer to his side. Probably in subtly possessive response to my reply, so I hid a smile with a bite of my lip. "This is Y/n. My girlfriend. Only mine."
"Hear you loud and clear, hombre," Ambrose chuckled as my eyes began to wander once more around the large group of immortals. My gaze stopped on a familiar maroon rice hat, subjectively not an immortal. My heart leapt in excitement.
I pulled myself away from Lloyd, racing across the room towards the man and ignoring the yell of my name.
"Ronin!" I chirped before launching myself into a swinging hug when he turned at his name. He stumbled back with a stunned laugh.
"Ah, girlie-" he wheezed, hugging me back quickly before dropping me to my feet. "I'm not as young as I used to be."
"Y/n," Lloyd hissed as he swiftly came up beside me, green eyes darting around the group. "I told you to not leave my side. We don't know if we can trust everybody in this room or not."
"Damn," Ronin gave a croaky sigh. "This is a lot of elemental masters in one room. How you feelin,' Y/n?"
"Overwhelmed," I gave a shaky giggle.
"You handled Morro," Ronin reminded, parting a hand to my shoulder. "This should be a piece of cake."

I decided not to tell him that Axon was the mastermind behind Morro.
"We should get started," Lloyd said, nodding over at Skylor and Neuro. She placed her hand on the mind master's arm before they split, going to one side of the room each.
"What did Skylor..?"
"She's the master of amber," Lloyd replied. "When she makes contact with another elemental master, she gets access to their power for her own use. She's borrowing Neuro's power to help make this go faster."
"And you know everyone in here?" I asked, resting my cheek against his shoulder just as Cole returned with an equally perplexed looking Chen and Naomi.
"In varying amounts," Lloyd replied, before nodding to two girls in the corner. "Aria and Nina, mistresses of magic and illusion. Sisters. I've only ever met them once before. Same with Alexis, a cousin of Shade."
"Who's that?" I asked quietly, nodding to a girl with dark brown hair that was standing by herself in the corner. Lloyd followed my gaze.
"Kami," he replied. "Mistress of silence."
"Silence?" I echoed. "Magic and illusion? But those don't seem like..."
"You learn to not question it," Lloyd gave me a tired smile. "Like Gravis, master of gravity and Turner, master of speed. They're not necessarily elements, per say. But neither is lightning."

I closed my eyes, trying to wrap my head around it.
Just call it the extended marvel universe. Yeah. There we go.
Neuro made his rounds, stopping before us just as Chen and Naomi approached. To my utter joy, Ambrose was close behind. He was already cleared.
"What's going on?" Chen asked, glancing around the group. "It feels as if we stepped into some weird comic con."
"Ah, yes," Ambrose chuckled, leaning an arm on the shorter man's shoulder. "But better. Because I'm here."
Chen's brow furrowed.
"Uh. Sure."
"Clear," Neuro said as he released Ronin.
"That's a first," the mercenary grinned to himself. Ambrose took the liberty to fill Naomi and Chen in of the situation.
"Y/n?" Neuro said, holding out a hand for me to take. "Just as precaution."
"Of course," I nodded, placing my hand in his. He closed his eyes in concentration, brow furrowed. I waited, glancing up at Lloyd when it began to drag on a fair amount longer than normal. We shared a confused look. Garm approached, noticing the odd scene.

"This is strange," Neuro murmured as he stepped back. "I cannot access her mind."
"Her powers are growing stronger," Garmadon noted. "It's been a while since she's had an outburst of power, but it's there."
"Wait, you have powers?" Chen asked in disbelief. "Dude, that's awesome!"
"You wanna see my powers?" Ambrose asked slyly, leaning in really close to Chen. His face blushed bright red.
"But what if I'm compromised?" I asked worriedly, bringing Lloyd's hand to my chest in building anxiety. "He's meddled with my brain before."
"That's too easy," Garmadon shook his head. "Axon is known for his love of theatrics."
"I agree," Neuro nodded, patting my arm in reassurance. "Axon is still very much dramatic as he was when we were younger. Trust me, I know my brother. You are not compromised."
I swallowed, staring at my shoes while Neuro turned to Lloyd, Chen and Naomi and declared them trustworthy.
"LLO-" Skylor shouted from the other end of the room.
"YOUR WAR MURDERED INNOCENT PEOPLE!" Kami screamed, eyes pierced with rage. "Axon's right by getting revenge on those who took away our family!"
"Kami-" Wu tried but was ignored as she swiftly pulled out a knife from her pocket.
"I am the MISTRESS OF SILENCE!" she yelled, staring hard at me, regripping the knife. "AND I'VE LEARNT A NEW WAY TO SILENCE HER!"

I blinked and Lloyd had grabbed the thrown knife, as if he had plucked it from thin air. The sharp tip brushed at the space between my eyes. A shuddering, frightened breath slipped from my lips.
There was a brief pause of silence as Lloyd's red eyes stared at me, wide and boiling. My gaze slowly drifted from the knife to his, body shaking in fear.
His attention snapped back to Kami, who had stilled in shock at Lloyd's fast reflexes.
"Restrain her," he said in a dark voice that had me shivering.
"K- Kami, no..." Ambrose whispered, shaking his head in disbelief, suddenly somber. "What did... why..?"
We didn't get our answer as Kami tried to make a run for it, only to be tripped by a green vine erupting through the garden and snagging around her ankle. She withered with a scream as more vines caught her body in a vice grip. I watched, frozen solid and heart fluttering in panic.
"Oh, my god," Chen whispered, face pale. "Oh, my god."
"Finish up," Lloyd said to his father, body trembling with rage. "I'm taking Y/n out of here."
Garmadon nodded, sending a worried look my way. I was still frozen, staring at Kami as she thrashed on the ground.

"There's more!" Kami laughed through a snarl, teeth bared as she glared at Lloyd. "There's more where I came from! She will never be safe-!"
"Be quiet," Skylor snarled, using Kami's own ability against herself. She was still screaming words but they were silent.
"Let's go," Lloyd ordered, pulling me back. My legs were jelly from shock and I stumbled. He caught me, lifting me effortlessly as if he were expecting it and stepping out of the dojo.
Lloyd was quiet as he took me back to his room, holding me tight as his lips trembled. I blankly stared at his Adam's apple. It bobbed when he swallowed tightly.
If he was a second too late. If Kami was a breath faster. If I was a step closer-
That knife would've gone through my skull. The realisation had my throat closing up in panic as I fell into a pit of fear, shaking in Lloyd's arms. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, kneeling with me in his lap as he whispered words in my ear, stroking my hair.
"Focus on my voice," he murmured, lips brushing against my temple. Voice soft and soothing. I forced myself to listen to his words rather than the frightening 'what if's' that were swirling around my frazzled brain. "Breathe. In and out."
I clenched my eyes shut as I held him tightly, swallowing against my dry throat. He held me back just as firmly, a silent reassurance that he wasn't going to let me go and drift in the horrors of my brain.

"D- distract me," I pleaded, voice catching and strangled. The memory of the knife being thrown at my head, aim clean and shot true, kept plaguing me. "P- please. Make- make me think of s- something else."
"Okay," Lloyd whispered, pressing a feathery kiss to my tear-soaked cheeks. "How about we go see Kashu? I think he was sleeping in Kai's room last time I saw."
I nodded. He rose to his feet as if I weighed nothing and just that alone made me feel safer in his arms. I was scared and vulnerable and my monkey brain was thankful that he was my rock.
Lloyd whistled for Kashu, who was slumbering on the end of Kai's bed. The puppy jolted himself upright before scrambling after us, keeping up easily despite his disability. Lloyd shut the door to his room with his foot, setting me carefully on the edge of his bed.
"Still with me?" he asked gently, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. I gave a small nod. "Good girl."
So we stayed in his room until my heart stopped beating quite so fast, playing with Kashu as he yelped and barked and nipped at our fingers with his. little milky teeth. Our laughs turned genuine and our smiles came easy. Day shifted to night and the elemental masters gave their leave. I didn't know where Kami went. I didn't want to think of her.
Lloyd pulled on a movie as we cuddled on his bed, eating dinner that Misako had brought us. I rest my head on his chest and he left a hand on my thigh.

A fake sense of normalcy.
But it was nice all the same.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

I woke from nightmares.
Of course I did.

Lloyd wasn't beside me so I sat up with a heavy sigh, rubbing my eyes. My body felt exhausted but the chance of returning to the nightmares made sleep seem all the more undesirable. I pushed away the need as if I could make the choice to never sleep again. That'd be nice. I guess.
"What are you doing?" I asked, voice croaky as Lloyd sat cross legged at the end of the bed. He wasn't doing anything other than staring out the open curtains, watching the night. The moon slipped through the window and it bathed him in a silver glow. He really did look like a god when he was illuminated in silver.
"Can't sleep," he murmured, turning back to stare as I tried to sort out the mess of my tousled hair. The moon was bright enough for me to notice his green eyes melt into soft red.
"You should."
"Are you?" he asked quietly. "Are you going to go back to sleep? Those nightmares didn't seem too fun."
I stared at him, blinking.
"Touché."

He smiled softly as I crawled towards him, the thick duvet catching my knee. I shivered at the chill winter brought to his room.
"I'm guessing this wasn't what you meant by wanting me to move in," I hummed under my breath, glancing at my bags that sat beside his desk. He chuckled emptily.
"Can't say it was," Lloyd agreed, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer. I welcomed his warmth. "Is it selfish of me to say that I'm glad you're here all the same?"
"No," I whispered, shaking my head as his lips brushed against my neck. "No, I don't think it is."
He huffed through his lips as they dragged up my neck to press butterfly kisses on my cheek. I shifted, turning on his lap until I was straddling him, dropping my legs around his waist.
"I'm so sorry for today," he whispered, guilt straining his voice. "I shouldn't have lashed out. I should've kept my cool with Axon. I should've protected you better."
"That's a whole lot of talking and not enough kissing," I murmured.
"Sunshine," Lloyd stressed, voice breathy as he pulled back to send me a desperate look.

"Blondie," I said with the same tone, holding his frowning face in my hands. "You deal with so much already. I never expected you to be perfect, especially not when something like this happens. You're only human."
Lloyd sighed, dropping his head away with a soft scowl. I pulled him back to face me, pressing a kiss to the side of his nose.
"You care enough to get like this," I reminded softly, thumb stroking his cheekbones. The silver from the moon glinted in his red eyes. "You care about me enough to act like that when Axon threatened us. You think it's lashing out, but it just shows me that you love me. And I love you for that. Always have and I always will."
"How do you always see the good?" Lloyd asked quietly. "You saw the good in me when nobody else did. You saw the good in my dad and the team. You saw the good in Chen even after he hurt you. You see the good in the serpentine even after we spent centuries fighting them. How do you do it?"
I shook my head subtly, heart jumping when his hands moved down to rest delicately on my waist.
"I don't know," I confessed softly, bringing one hand up to brush away his fringe. My thumb stroked the scar on his forehead. "I guess I just do."

Lloyd shook his head in disbelief, staring at me as if I were the goddess that had been mercifully bestowed upon this earth. The adoring infatuation in his red eyes bubbled to the surface, brushing away the doubt and apprehension and was the last thing I saw before my own eyes fluttered shut when he pressed a careful kiss to my lips. Euphoria sparked a wildfire in my stomach as I eagerly played his game, stepping into the dance I knew like the back of my hand and adored with all my heart. The kiss was a subatomic explosion of every single tiny atom that made me up and I melted before him, softening into his touch while he pressed into me with gentle passion unparalleled.
"I love you so much," I whispered as my lips slipped free while his mouth slid down to press kisses against my neck. My breathing hitched in pleasure. "So, so much. My Lloyd, my-"
My voice cut out when he bit my neck, ecstasy shooting up my spine like fire to a trail of gasoline. My hands shot to grab his hair in response, holding the soft blond locks tightly in bliss. Lloyd groaned a sound in the back of his throat that made my toes curl, heart racing for an entirely new reason. Large hands massaged my thighs, bringing me in closer while his mouth bruised my neck in the best of ways.

I felt breath evacuate as I landed on my back, the move too swift and solid for my internet explorer brain to keep up with. Attempting to comprehend it proved futile because Lloyd's fingers slid up the sides of my waist, hitching up my shirt, and every logical thought simply disappeared from existence.
"Pretty girl," Lloyd whispered as he crawled over top of me, knees landing on either side of my hips. An unintentional whine slipped from my throat and his breath caught, deftly stroking the skin along my ribs. "So sweet and pretty."
"Lloyd-" his name tumbled from my lips with a sigh. He was breathless as he hovered above me, palms exploring everywhere he could and leaving goosebumps in his wake. Hands still tangled in his hair, I tugged him back down for another kiss. He returned it ruthlessly, in a way that had me shivering in delight and arching into him. Bliss erupted within and had me curling a leg around his waist, pulling him down. His weight dropped and the bodily contact had my mind reeling, spinning, dipping in delight as he leant on one of his forearms while the other traced pictures on the skin above my belly button. I whispered his name again, as if it were the only thing in my vocabulary. It may as well have been.

But then Lloyd swiftly sat up and stayed there, eyes closed as he caught his breath. I blearily stared up at him, chest heaving with laboured exhales while my mind tried to play catch up.
Silver outlined his body as he waited, sitting on top of me. His face twitched in frustration.
"Y- you should sleep," Lloyd finally whispered, voice a melody to my eager ears. "You've had a long day."
I swallowed, throat dry as my body calmed down from the escapade. He rolled over, landing onto the bed beside me with an arm draped across his stomach. All we could hear was our laboured breaths in the darkness.
"That... that wasn't too much, was it?" Lloyd asked hesitantly. I caught his worried gaze.
"... no," I shook my head, shuffling up to rest my head on his stomach. His hand caught my hair, softly threading his fingers through it. "It was nice."
He gifted me a small smile, so cute and perfect and for the millionth time, I thought to myself how lucky I was to have him. I kissed my palm and tapped it on his cheek and he snorted.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," I grinned. "Are you going to go to sleep?"
"Probably not," Lloyd sighed, patting my hair. "You?"
"Probably not," I echoed.

Until morning, we just existed in the calm silence. In each other's holds. His hand patting my hair.
It was better than sleeping, anyway.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

In the morning, Lloyd was having a mental debate with himself over breakfast.

One, big mood.
Two, him falling into mumbles randomly when his brain spilt thoughts into his mouth? Adorable.
"What are you so caught up about?" I asked, nudging him with a slippered foot. Slippers I'd stolen ruthlessly from his room. His green eyes jumped to mine, taking me in while the early morning light flooded through the dining room windows. The room was empty beside us, having gotten up early for the wondrous thing that was food after staying up for the better half of the night.
Even looking tired, Lloyd was hot.
To absolutely nobody's surprise.
"I'm... hmm..." he caught himself off before dropping his gaze back to the table. His breakfast was untouched.
"Lloyd," I snickered, dropping my legs onto his lap because I could. "What are you mumbling about?"
"What?" he asked, snapping his head back up to mine. I smiled easily, scooching closer so I could brush a wayward lock of blond hair back into place.
"You look like you're having quite the conflict," I murmured, searching his green eyes with a soft look.
"Hah..." he breathed, dropping his gaze. "Right. I'm contemplating whether I bring you to school with me today or not."

I tilted my head, brow furrowed. This was a development.
"I thought you didn't want me to leave the monastery until Axon's people had been found?" I asked. Lloyd's hand landed on my knee and he stoked the skin with his thumb.
"Yeah," he nodded. "Initially. But now I'm thinking about how I'm going to lose my mind with worry if I'm not with you."
"Aw," I gushed, pressing an elated kiss to his cheek. "I love you, too."
Lloyd smiled gently, finally picking up his chopsticks to start on his breakfast.
"It's not as if you have a class without one of us, right?" Lloyd asked. "And I can walk you between periods."
"English," I pointed out. "But I have that with Naomi."
He hummed. "I think I can get around that."
"Oh?" I raised a brow.
"Yeah," he nodded, patting my knee. "We can stop by your house on the way and get your stuff."
"Okay," I chimed with a grin, thankful that I wouldn't have to spend the day without him. "Walking me to class? I didn't know you were so romantic, dragon boy."
He scoffed, shaking his head.
"Moron," he muttered lovingly.

Lloyd's loophole for English?
It was Cole.
Cole.
I got the fright of my life when a voice whispered between Naomi and I, seemingly to belong to nobody. Naomi narrowed her eyes in scrutiny as she stared at the thin air between us.
"Cole?" she whispered in disbelief. "What are you doing?"
"Babysitting," I murmured, already slipping back into the normalcy of my now ever chaotic life. "He's babysitting me."
"Well... yeah," Cole's disembodied voice agreed. "Yeah, you can call it babysitting."
Naomi sighed, returning to her work. She jumped a little in surprise when an invisible hand began twirling her hair. I snorted, lifting a hand to my mouth.
Good luck, Nomes.
Lloyd was waiting for me at the end of every class that we didn't have together, greeting me with an easy, boyish smile that had my heart shooting into the stratosphere. This was a compromise I enjoyed.
I didn't regret coming to school until lunch, when we got a visiter at our table.

"What the hell is this?!" Claire snapped as she landed behind me. Zane pulled a face at her tone.
I turned on my seat to face the glowering girl as she held out her phone, a breath away from my face. I leant back to look at the screen. It was a photo of me with the green ninja as we rushed through the hospital. Lloyd peered at the screen before raising his eyebrows at it, the perfect poker face, while I tried desperately to keep my face neutral.
"Oh," I said, amazed by how normal my voice sounded. "That was fast."
"You were with the green ninja?!" Claire hissed. "How the hell?"
"I work with them," I shrugged and felt all the present ninja's eyes stare at me. Even Cole's. It was as if they were screaming at me to shut the hell up. "My dad's in the military, remember? I make sure that they're complying with their agreements and stuff."
"It's says that you're dating him," Claire pressed, narrowing her eyes at me. I snorted, falling into a laugh while the inside of me was scrEaMinG.

"Oh, my god, Green?!" I laughed loudly, leaning back into Lloyd from the force of my laughter. "Oh, man, never in a million years."
I could feel Lloyd's internal pout.
"What?" Claire tilted her head in genuine disbelief. "But he's the green ninja."
"And?" I said, still snickering in amusement. "The guy's a total egomaniac. You know what they say; never meet your heroes."
Nya hid a laugh with a cough.
"Do you know who he is?" Claire stepped closer.
"Of course I don't," I giggled with a shake of my head. "Why would I? I'm just Y/n."
"Does he know you're dating Lloyd?"
"What is this, twenty questions?" I huffed. Jay and Kai shared a look with raised brows, probably thinking about how much a piece of work Claire was.
"Does he?"
"God, yes!" I squeaked, raising my palms in defence. "He does. Calm down."
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because then I'd get targeted?" I said in a duh voice. "Can I eat my lunch in peace, now?"
"What does he say about you dating Lloyd-"

Lloyd turned to me, cutting Claire off.
"Hey, don't you have to see Mr. Henderson about your assignment on the Emperor and Empress of Ninjago?" he asked, staring hard into my eyes. My brow fell in confusion before it clicked.
"Oh!" I said, playing along as I quickly picked up my bag despite Claire's protests. "Right- you're right. Shoot, he's gonna be pissed that I forgot."
"I'll walk you," Lloyd offered, taking my hand. He quickly lead me away before Claire could stop us.
"Thank you," I groaned as we stepped out into the corridor. "Truly are a life saver, mask or no."
"She's too obvious to be the mole," Lloyd murmured in frustration, ignoring me. I sent a glance at his face, pulled tight with contemplative annoyance.
"You seriously considered Claire?"
"Everyone's a suspect, Y/n," Lloyd said, turning to me with a serious frown. "And we need to be more careful about you being seen with the green ninja. We don't know who's looking into my identity."
I nodded, expression firm. Lloyd's face softened into a teasing scowl, eyes narrowed.
"You enjoyed insulting me to my face, didn't you?"

I grinned up at him with a perky nod, mood shifting dramatically.
"Oh, absolutely!"