TW: blood

Wednesday I walked into school with a water ninja, a bullet wound and a bite mark.

It sounded like the set up to some good ole joke. Spoiler; I'm the punchline.

"Hey," Kai greeted from the lockers as we approached. He lifted himself up and tried his best not to be obvious as he eyed the edge of the bandage that poked out from the neckline of my shirt. At least he made an effort.
"Heya guys," Nya replied. My eyes quickly gave a sweep of the small group.
"... where's Lloyd?" I asked, voice small as I adjusted the bag strap on my good shoulder. Cole and Jay shared an awkward glance. Naomi huffed, crossing her arms.
"He's not coming in today," Cole answered. "He's... sick."
'He's sick' being the short answer for 'he doesn't want to see my face.' I nodded in understanding, though it didn't make the fact hurt any less.
"Right," I murmured. "Tell him that I hope he feels better."
"... will do," Jay nodded. A brief, awkward silence passed.
"God, you guys are awkward," Naomi spoke up, clearly still pissed off by what transpired only yesterday. "Are we seriously not going to talk about what happened?"
"Nomes-" Cole began, voice quiet.
"This is serious!" she insisted. "I'm not just going to forget about Lloyd biting my best friend."

"Maybe now isn't the best time-" Kai began.
"Now is the perfect time! If not now, when? Wasn't a lack of communication the problem time and time again?" Naomi pressed before turning to me. "What even happened?"
I meekly shrugged.
"Lloyd called me during gym," I started, nervously playing with the hem of my hoody. "He sounded really bad so I went to check up on him. It was like he had a super bad fever and then he said- he said that he thinks it was because he hadn't marked me in so long. I let him mark me a- and-" I hid my face in the neckline of my hoody. "... things escalated and then he bit me. I don't think he meant it, though. I don't think he knew what he was doing."
"When you say 'escalated,'" Jay picked out, blue eyes narrowed in confusion. "Escalated how?"
My blush was unmissable. Nya snickered. Naomi's blue eyes widened.
"Oh," Jay said. "Right."
"N- nothing happened!" I squeaked, but it was in vain. The team was sending me smug grins and shit-eating smirks. Even Zane, the bastard - he was supposed to be my lawful neutral! I hid my burning face into my hands.
"It doesn't even matter," I crooned sorrowfully. "Lloyd's ignoring me again."
"Again?" Nya exclaimed in outrage, snapping out of her amused smile. "I'm going to smack some sense into that boy-"

"That will achieve nothing," Zane interrupted, voice melodic and calm. "Lloyd was quite traumatised by yesterday. It will be best to leave this delicate situation up to him to work through before gently nudging him in the right direction. How are you faring, Y/n?"
I blinked. "Um. Alright."
"Y/n-" Cole tried but I shook my head, completely serious.
"No, really," I said sternly, just to let them know that I was being genuine. "I'm totally fine. I mean, yeah, I'm sad that Lloyd's taking it hard and yeah, I'm disappointed that he's gone back to ignoring me when it would be so much easier to talk things through - but in regards to the actual biting thing? I'm doing better than I thought I would."
Zane stared at me, perfect brows furrowed in thought. The others stared, too.
"Odd," Zane finally said, just as the bell for class rang. "Perhaps it has something to do with the imprint you spoke of."
"God, maybe?" I groaned, running my hands down my face. My shoulder gave an ache. "That tugging thing's still playing up, too. I just want us to talk about things and move on already."
"But of course it's not that easy," Kai grunted was he lifted his bag from the floor and turned to the direction of his first class. "Whenever is it easy?"

"Has he told his parents about what happened?" I asked, following Kai as he began walking towards maths. Jay quickly caught up after giving a swift kiss goodbye to Nya. "I think it's something they oughta know."
Kai shrugged. Jay grabbed onto my good arm and hugged it.
"I saw him talking to Sensei Garm after dinner," he said, leaning in with a hushed voice as we entered the classroom. "I guess it's about that."
"Hopefully," I hummed, taking my seat and pulling out my notes. "I'm hoping that Garmadon has an idea as to why Lloyd did that."
"If anybody would, it would be Garmadon," Kai agreed. The teacher arrived.
Our conversation would have to wait.

Thursday, Lloyd came to school.

He froze when I approached the table at morning tea, setting my tray down next to Naomi's. She kept sending Lloyd brief, subtle scathing glares. While I valued her loyalty and willing to cut a bitch in the name of being my best friend (and I would for her, of course), another person hating Lloyd was really not what we needed.
"Sorry," I huffed, dropping my bag to the floor after slumping into the seat and accidentally tapping Lloyd's shoe with mine. He flinched. "I had to stay behind to catch up on the notes from english."
"Where are the ones you took yesterday?" Cole asked, frowning. "I thought you already wrote them down."
I tilted my head in thought, thinking back to yesterday at the early beginnings of lunch.
"They're ripped to pieces and sitting in a trash can outside of block E, curtesy of Claire and co."
"I can't with that croaky bat," Nya groaned. "Can't I just knock her around a little? Put her in her place?"
"No," Kai denied sternly, making Nya pout. "If you did that as Nya, you'd be expelled. If you did that as Water, you'd shatter the already shaky foundations we have with the government."

"Drat," Nya sighed. "Guess I'll hire Ronin from under the table."
"I'll pitch in," Naomi offered. I rolled my eyes with a smile. It was reassuring to know that they still cared for me. Speaking of;
My gaze drifted to Lloyd. He was staring at the table, arms clenched. He looked like a tiger ready to pounce, a coiled spring ready to be released from its confines. It looked as if he were chained to the table.
"Lloyd," I called his name, voice soft as to not startle him. He already looked so on edge. Even so, my call had him visibly grimacing. "... how are you feeling?"
His green eyes jumped to mine. A fresh paddock colour, lush from spring growth. The brief hit of red was a ladybug, finding home in the forest of grass. The fluttering of his lashes were the strands swaying in the wind.
His eyes were soft and green and they were gorgeous. I could lose myself in them forever.
His eyes were green and they were frightened. They stared at the barely visibly bandage on my shoulder.

Lloyd stood and grabbed his bag in a movement so swift and sharp that it barely registered in my head until he was already slamming open the doors of the cafeteria. He disappeared. The table stared after him, all of us silent.
I dropped my chin onto my palm in disappointment, eyes watching the swinging doors slowly settle. He could barely even look at me. How were we supposed to move past if all Lloyd did was avoid me?
"Please don't hate him," I burst, turning to Naomi. She stared back at me, eyes wide in surprise.
"I don't."
"You do," I pressed. "I can feel it from here."
"He bit you, Y/n," Naomi stressed. "How the hell am I supposed to feel about him? Give him a pat on the back? A gold star for trying?"
"It's not his fault," I insisted, turning more towards her. In the corner of my eyes, Jay was rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. We all shared his weariness. "The instinct stuff - they're new! He's still learning about them. He's still learning to control it."
"And yet-" Naomi nodded at my shoulder with a thin frown. "Y/n, what if he snaps? Loses control? What if he does worse than bite your shoulder? I just want to make sure that you're safe."
"I know," I said, grabbing her hands and squeezing them reassuringly. "I know. Thank you. But even still, I never feel as safe as I do with Lloyd."

Naomi held my determined gaze. She released a sigh of defeat as she turned back to her lunch.
"It's your funeral," she murmured.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

The next five days were spent hard at work, studying. I didn't even have the time or the energy to worry about Lloyd. The bite mark was quick to heal, mostly - it was still pink and angry but the wounds had mostly stitched themselves together. The dull ache of pain was nothing a little paracetamol couldn't subdue.
And then on Wednesday;

The first of many exams.

My teeth were chattering anxiously as I waited outside of the hall. I had the shivers despite it being a relatively warm, spring day. I hated being this anxious. It was just an exam, right?
One that I had to get an A on.
One that could determine my very future.
Fuck. I ran my hands down my face as another violent tremble had me shuddering.
"Hey."
I jumped in surprise at Lloyd's voice. A solid three meters sat between us. I stared at him in shock.
"You're gonna do great," he said, smile small and shaky. I assumed that he wasn't nervous for the exam, but rather for something else. I broke into a grateful smile at his words, though I was still randomly shivering with nerves. I just wanted to get the exam over and done with. He shuffled closer and held up a fist.
"Thanks, Lloyd," I replied, pressing my knuckles against him in a slow fist-bump.
"To an A," Lloyd said.
"To showing up," I grinned before blowing up the fist-bump with a 'pew!' He snickered. My heart jumped.

"Row C!" called the lady at the front. I jolted in shock before briefly wilting in reluctance. It was time for me to find my seat. I was so sweaty. I hooked my finger around the neckline of my shirt and fluttered it in an attempt to cool myself off.
"Good luck-" I went to say to Lloyd, eyes jumping back to where he was just seconds ago. He had disappeared again. I glanced down at my bandage and released a sigh. He must've caught sight of it again.
Dammit.
But there was nothing I could do about it now. I had an exam to either ace or fail miserably on.

'You're gonna do great.' I played Lloyd's words again and again in my head as I shuffled inside the hall and found my seat. The blank paper sat before me, taunting. 'You're gonna do great.'

Now, just to work on living up to what he said.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

Due to study break, I had less and less of a chance of randomly bumping into Lloyd.

I tried to not focus on the long, weary break and the words that I desperately wanted to say to him and instead focused on studying.
When it came to exams, I found myself catching Lloyd's gaze from across the car park as we waited to be allocated our seats. One time I went to see him but darn his ninja skills, I took a blink and he was gone.
It'd been two weeks. I didn't have to wear a bandage on my shoulder anymore.
Just as I was coming to terms that I might not get to talk to Lloyd for a very long time, my phone rung late one stormy, friday evening. I paused my music and set down my pen before sliding to answer the call on speaker.
"Hey, Nya," I replied, rubbing my tired eyes while rain poured from the sky outside. It would probably be best to turn in for the night, so I turned to my laptop and-
"We're in the middle of a battle!" Nya cried. I faltered, hand pausing over the off button of the computer.
"Uh. Hate to break it to you, Nya," I said, confused. "But that's nothing new."
"Not that!" she pressed. "Lloyd's been shot with an anaesthetic!"

I faltered. I had to run her words through my head once more. The storm outside raged harder, pelting rain against the window.
"He's been shot with an anaesthetic?" I echoed in disbelief.
"Yes!" Nya cried. "And he's being very not useful - LLOYD STOP PATTING MY FACE I AM NOT A DOG!"
I sunk further into my seat.
"And I'm guessing you want me to take care of him?" I murmured.
"You're kind of our only option," Nya laughed nervously. "You're closest."
Somehow, I didn't believe that. I appreciated her tenacity in getting Lloyd and I to make up already though.
"Okay," I sighed, running a hand through my messy hair. Wasn't as if I was stressed enough already. "How far away are you?"
A knock on the window.
"Oh," I said, ending the call. "Not far away at all."
"Thank you!" Nya gushed as she all but shoved a rain-soaked Lloyd inside. He stumbled before landing face-first on the floor with a yelped laugh. "I have to go - I'll pick him up when we've handled the situation!"
"O- oh," I said, staring down at Lloyd as he began to play with the hem of my socks with the same amount of wonderment on his face as a wandering toddler. "Okay."

"Thank you!" Nya said again before leaping away from the window and calling upon her dragon once more. I watched the blue, black and red beast fly back off into the storm.
"Jasmine," I decided. Lloyd gave a loopy laugh and I glanced down at him. "Oh, right. Hey."
Lloyd's gaze jumped to mine. I shut the window and assessed the soaking gi, dampening my floor. I held out my hands for him.
"Okay," I said as he lazily slapped his gloved hands into mine. "Up you get. You need to change into some dry clothes."
"You're pretty," he sighed and I faltered, cheeks brushing pink.
"Th- thanks," I stammered, lifting him up. "Not so bad yourself, Greenie. Let's get you changed."
Lloyd stood, teetering slightly. He stared at me. I stared back.
"Uchū, why?" I groaned, realising what I needed to do. "Why do you forsake me in this way?"

Lloyd tilted his head, truly resembling a confused puppy. He started leaning backwards and I had to leap to keep him from falling.
"Alright," I said, leading him to the bed. "Sit."
Lloyd promptly sat. His green eyes followed me as I pulled off his mask and placed it aside before starting on the ridiculous amount of buckles his gi had. Lloyd found much enjoyment in lifting the mask up and flopping it on his face. It slid off and hit my head.
"Oi."
"How'd you do it?" Lloyd slurred. "This- this- this-"
"Mask?" I finished, shoving off his wet gi and dropping it to the floor.
"Yeah!"
I smiled a little, picking up the damp mask and pulling it onto my head. It was uncomfortable and cold, but the bright, beaming smile that Lloyd pulled made it worth it.

"Like this?" I asked after shifting it into place. It smelled like Lloyd. And sweat. Mostly sweat.
This was going straight into the wash.
"Whoa!" he gasped. "Where'd you go?"
"Here I am!" I said, pulling the mask up so I could show him my smile.
"Pretty!" he gushed, holding my cheeks. "You're back!"
Okay, Lloyd under the influence of anaesthesia was a lot more endearing than I thought he'd be. I rolled my eyes with a grin, feeling my mood lift. Even if he'd never recall this, it was nice to fool around with him again. To not feel as if I'm walking on eggshells.
"I didn't go anywhere, silly," I said patiently, lifting myself off of the edge of the bed to scout out a towel. He caught my wrist before I could step away.
"Wait, pretty!"
"My name's Y/n."
"Pretty!" Lloyd insisted, green eyes wide in determined puppy-dog-ness that made me unintentionally melt before him. "Don't leave!"

I felt my air leave my lungs. How many times had Lloyd asked me of that now? Was this the third? The first time when I learnt about his age situation, I did leave. The second time, just before the bite of 2020, I stayed. This time, I had no plans of going elsewhere. I shuffled forward, closer to him.
"It's okay, Lloyd," I said softly, running a hand through his slightly-damp hair. He gave a mighty pout as he chased my pat and slumped his cheek into my palm. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
"Promise?"
"Promise," I vowed, lifting my other hand to cradle his cheek. "I just need to get a towel so you don't get cold and sick. I'll be back before you know it, okay?"
His wide, green eyes stared up at me before giving a hum and a little nod of acknowledgement. Giving a little smile, I leant forward to press a kiss to his forehead.

"I'll be right back," I said, swiftly stepping away before Lloyd could revoke his agreement. I grabbed a towel as quick as I could, turned on the central heating and all but speed walked back to my room.
Lloyd was gazing at the ceiling when I returned, slightly shivering in his soaked clothing. After pulling off his turtleneck undershirt, I wrapped the towel around him and grabbed some of his spare clothes.
"Feeling better?" I asked. He hummed, pulling the towel tighter around himself. A hint of red on his side made me sigh and retreat to grab the first-aid kit.
When Lloyd was relatively dry, re-dressed in warm clothes and his gi was in the wash, I got to work on his injury. It was the only one, touch wood that the anaesthetic had nothing nasty in it.

"Pretty.."
"It's Y/n," I murmured, brushing away some dried blood with a cotton ball.
"... are you my girlfriend?" Lloyd asked, voice quiet.
I almost stopped breathing from my shocked snort. It was also a question that I'd like an answer for, myself.
"Do you want me to be?" I asked.
"Yeaaahh," Lloyd sighed, placing his hand on top of my head. "I do."
"Then I can be your girlfriend," I said quietly. At least until the anaesthetic wore off and he fled again.
"Yay!" he cheered before dropping his head to the side. "I w- wanna tell you a secret."
"What is it?"
"Come in close."
I leant in so he could tell me what he wanted to. The storm raged louder. Lloyd's lips brushed my hair. His voice was a tiny whisper.

"I killed Mufasa."

I couldn't help it. I snorted a loud laugh, clapping my hands over my mouth. Lloyd grinned, loopy but genuine.
"You've got a pretty laugh," he said. My cheeks blushed bright and I shook my head in amusement.
"Even when you're like this, you're such a flirt," I snickered, placing a bandage over his side and pulling his shirt down over it. "You should rest, now. Get some sleep, Simba."
"You can't tell me what to do," Lloyd huffed. "I'm the lion king."
"And the lion king needs to recover," I pressed with an amused smile, pulling back the covers for him.
"Fiiine," Lloyd groaned before sloppily sliding into bed. I pushed away some blond hair that fell into his eyes. They apprised me, watching my face as I slid his hair back. "I'm gonna marry Y/n... b- but you can't tell her! It's a secret!"

My hand paused. My eyes jumped down to his, staring at the ceiling with a dopey grin.
"I don' care what the future vision says," Lloyd sighed, continuing. "I'm gonna pick out the prettiest ring. Because she's so pretty that she deserves the prettiest ring..."
I fell into a small smile.
"You'd still want to marry her?" I murmured, taking a seat next to Lloyd. He closed his eyes and nodded.
"Yeah..." he hummed. "I hope she wants to marry me, too."
"I have a good feeling that she does," I reassured, patting his hair like how my mother used to when I was feeling crook. He relaxed under the soothing pets, lashes fluttering.
"... can you stay with me?" he asked, barely audible under the soft, grabbing hands of sleep.
"I'll stay," I answered, shuffling under the covers. Lloyd's eyes, now red, peeked open a little as I settled beside him. He manoeuvred himself along until he swamped me in a hold. I let him, hooking a leg around his and pressing my head against his chest. He released an exhale. I closed my tired eyes.

It was comfy like this. Cosy and warm under the covers, holding him close and being held even closer while it stormed outside. The rain pattered down on the roof in waves of surging pelts and it edged along my lethargy. I never felt so safe, so secure, than when I was with him like this.

Between the sound of the rain, Lloyd's soft breathing and his heartbeat, there wasn't a song I'd rather be listening to.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

A crash made me wake up with a discombobulated jolt, sitting upright in a rush and leaving my brain behind on the pillow.

I held my chest as I willed my racing heart to settle, blinking my bleary eyes at Lloyd. He was sprawled on the floor, staring back with wide eyes. He was clearly totally awake. I was still batting off the incredibly enticing urge to fall back asleep.
"Did you fall off?" I asked tiredly, hiding behind my hands as I yawned. "Silly."
Lloyd's lips parted as he sharply exhaled; whether in shock or incredulousness, I was too lethargic to tell. I yawned a second time and hummed, slowly shuffling back down into bed.
"Y/n-" Lloyd began, voice cracking. It was clear that the brief sense of peace that the anaesthetic brought had been and gone. I peeked at him from over the duvet.
"Come back to bed, Lloyd," I asked quietly, voice soft and pleading. His face twisted in conflict, hesitating. His eyes averted. "... please."

Lloyd's red eyes drifted back to mine. I held out a hand for him as I latched onto his gaze with my own.
"Please," I repeated, voice but a whisper. "Just for a minute, at least."
Brows pulled tight to his hairline in strife, Lloyd held his breath for a few seconds before releasing it. He slowly placed his hand in mine.
With a small, grateful smile, I gently pulled him towards me. He was slow and reluctant, but allowed me to lead him towards myself as he stumbled up. Lloyd perched on the bed, unsure. I was satisfied enough just to hold his hand.
I pulled myself up, sitting crisscross apple sauce before him. His eyes fell to the bite on my shoulder and he turned his face away, clenched and pouring with frustrated regret.
"Please don't hide from me," I whispered, placing my free hand on his cheek to guide him back to face me once more. I tilted my head, brows pulled tight in concern. "Lloyd-"
He swiftly pulled his hand from mine and stepped off of the bed, clenching his eyes shut.
"I- I can't-"
"Lloyd."
"I hurt you-"
"I'm fine," I insisted, shuffling forward. "I'm not hurt. It's just a little scar. I gave you one too, remember?"

"It's not just a little scar!" Lloyd burst, red eyes snapping open to send me a disbelieving, despondent stare. "It's- I bit you, Y/n! I made you bleed!"
"And I made you bleed, too," I reminded.
"That shouldn't-" Lloyd cut himself off from confused irritation, holding his head. "You shouldn't trust me to be around you- I don't trust myself to be around you!"
My expression fell. I knew that this was the kind of internal battle he'd been dealing with over the past fortnight, but hearing him openly admit that he didn't want to be around me? That he felt as if he couldn't trust himself? Scared to share the same proximity less he hurt me again? It felt like a bowling ball through the chest.
Because I trusted him. I knew it wasn't his fault. I just wish that he believed it wasn't his fault, either.
"But I do trust you," I murmured, pulling myself forward to stand in front of him. I placed my hands over his and threaded my fingers through them. "If I didn't, I would've made you sleep on the couch."
A small, scoffing laugh escaped him. I pulled his hands away from his face with a small smile.

"Lloyd, we knew that these instincts were going to be hard to wrap our heads around," I continued, staring down at our intwined hands as I brushed my thumbs over his knuckles. They were scarred, from a history of battles, and bruised; from only the night before. "We knew that it was going to be difficult to understand. But how can we understand them if you run away from what happened? How can I help you if you won't let me near you? I want to be a part of your life."
Lloyd fell silent. I surveyed his face, watching as a collage of different emotions crossed over it. The twitch of his eyes, the dip of his brows, the bitten, trembling lip, the hidden gaze. I tightened my hands over his, bringing him back to reality.
"What's going on in your head?" I asked quietly, lifting one hand to cradle his cheek. He grimaced at the touch before melting into my palm with a heavy sigh through his nose.

"I think my worst fear is that you're afraid of me," he finally confessed, words whispered and slipping between us like subdued poison. I brushed them away with a small shake of my head.
"I'm not afraid of you, honeydew," I reassured softly.
"You should be," he muttered.
"You shouldn't be afraid of yourself," I countered, caressing his faint freckles with the pad of my thumb as he stared at the ground. "I- I know I haven't always been here for you, but from now on- from now on I promise I won't leave your side."
Eyes like dark rubies, Lloyd's gaze jumped to mine. I swallowed nervously, knowing where both of our minds had jumped to.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry, too," Lloyd said, voice shaking. "I shouldn't have said what I did."
"I shouldn't have, either," I agreed, lips beginning to shiver in a mirage of regret and frustration at myself for what I did. "I- I was such an idiot. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm s- I'm so sorry, Lloyd."

He tilted his head in sympathy when my eyes began to well with tears despite my desperate attempts to keep them at bay. He finally stepped towards me without outside prompting, wiping away the dribbling proof of my deep anguish.
"I still don't understand what happened," he confessed, continuing to brush away my river of tears. "I still don't know why we fought."
I shook my head and closed my eyes. My chest ached - everything ached with the pain of my mistakes.
"Is it about Claire?" Lloyd asked. I released a shaky, sick exhale at the mention of her name and it was enough of an answer. "It is."
I nodded, sinking more into his hands. My wet eyes peeled open to find him with his own eyes brimming. Seeing him on the verge of tears simply made my pain worsen in tenfold.
"She and the others said some things behind my back," I said quietly. "And it really destroyed me. I began to think that everyone else was doing the same and- and I thought that the only way I couldn't feel that pain again was to push everyone away before they could dump me. I doubted everyone, in- including you and- and I shouldn't have-"

Lloyd pulled me into a hug when my own breaths began to choke me, catching in my throat and adding to my tears. I clutched him hard, digging my head into his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry," I sobbed, sounding like a broken record as I hid myself in his hold. "It was so, so dumb. You didn't deserve it at all."
"I should've tried more to calm you down," Lloyd said into my hair. "I shouldn't have gotten so defensive."
"N- no," I shook my head, pulling away to send him as stern of a stare I could while being in the verge of breaking. "Don't make this your fault. It was mine."
He sent me a small, tiny smile. My disbelief grew.
"You're forgetting that we're a package deal," Lloyd murmured, shifting closer to press his forehead against mine. "Team, right? You and me."
My heart crawled up my throat. I stared at his red eyes as I opened my mouth to say something - but I couldn't find the words. How could he be so ready to forgive me? I didn't understand him.

"You and me," Lloyd repeated, closing his eyes and releasing a long, relaxing breath. "Your problems are mine and mine are yours. We'll work through them together."
"That shouldn't mean that my mistakes become yours, too," I denied with a shaky frown. "That's not fair."
"Yet you're so ready to forgive me," Lloyd countered, brushing a finger over the injury on my shoulder and peeking a sad look. "They're going to scar."
"And you're so ready to forgive me?" I asked, dipping my head as I caught his gaze. I sent him a confused look. "You should be angry at me. You should be disappointed."
"I've kind of already cycled through that," Lloyd huffed ruefully, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "And it sucked. I hated looking at you and feeling myself doubt how you feel about me. I hated being angry at what you said and at how I reacted. I don't want to be angry anymore, so I'm not."
"You make it sound so easy," I murmured.
"It's not," Lloyd disagreed, brushing his thumb along my hairline. The touch was as whispering as it was intoxicating. "But I'd rather have you back. Doubting sucked. Not when I know how much you mean to me - not when I know how much I mean to you."

"I know the feeling far too well," I said with a shaky breath. "Doubt is poison. I should've talked to you when Naomi showed me those stupid texts. I shouldn't have tried to handle it by myself - god knows I made a total mess of it... I- I realised that talking to someone, confiding in them - it's a lot harder said than done."
"No kidding," Lloyd murmured, smiling small.
"I'm sorry for pressuring you all those times when I asked you to talk to me," I apologised, finding it hard to talk clearly through my thick throat. "I knew it was hard but I- I didn't know just how difficult it really was."
"It's okay," Lloyd soothed, pulling me into a tighter hug. "I needed it. We both need it. We need to talk. I don't want you to be afraid to come to me about things like this. Please talk to me."
"I know," I said, nodding against his chest. "I will. I'm sorry."
"We need to communicate better," he said, pushing his fingers through the back of my hair in a way that made me feel like I was melting.
"We do," I agreed, feeling like a hypocrite. I pushed that feeling down, not needing it - it was being discussed and fixed as is. I pulled away from Lloyd only to lift up a pinky. "From now on, we always go to one another for anything."
"Deal," Lloyd nodded with a charming little smile, linking his pinky through mine. His smile fell. "Can... can I read the texts?"

I faltered, mouth growing dry with panic. I didn't want to have to relive those messages, but Lloyd deserved to know the root of this all. I gave a tiny nod before stepping out of his warm hold to embrace the disgusting chill of my downfall.
"Here," I said tinily as I handed my phone to him, opened on the screenshots Naomi sent me. Lloyd took the phone with a frown and I watched his face as he spent the next twenty or so minutes reading through them.
When it was done, his expression was shaking and body trembling. Part of me feared that he'd do an Axon on Claire and the others - but a smaller, intrusive, sadistic little side of me that I'd never act on or reveal to anyone thought about just how satisfying it would be.
Then I batted that thought away, because then I'd be no better than the people who caused this in the first place. I didn't want to stoop to their level.

Lloyd tossed the phone onto the bed and pulled me into a hug so fast and snug that it made me gasp in surprise. I still didn't know what to do with my arms when he dug his face into the crook of my good shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he breathed, tightening his hold around me. "I'm so sorry."
My emotions busted back into me when I didn't expect them, causing my facade to shatter and to sag into his hold. It took everything in me to not wail and choke and gasp into his chest.
"I wish you didn't feel like you had to handle it by yourself," Lloyd whispered and my knees buckled at his understanding. He simply caught me, holding me up like he always would. The thought made my tears flood faster. "I wish that you came to me first."
"I'm sorry," I wept, hands tightening in their grip on his shirt. "I should've gone to you. I shouldn't have believed them."
"From now on?" Lloyd asked, breath brushing against my skin.
"From now on," I promised in a rushed reply and a heavy nod.

I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that, standing in the middle of my room while we each supported each other. Our words drifted above our head as we soaked in the revelations and our apologies. The air had been cleared. Questions had been answered. It was finally, finally fixed - perhaps not completely, but things were certainly on their way to being mended. Wounds had been addressed and sympathy was shared. It should've never happened in the first place - if only we'd been a little more mature, if only I had the resolve to go to Lloyd, if only he had calmed me down. But it did happen and the best thing was to face our mistakes head on. It took two to fight, but it also took the both of us to make up.
Thank god we made up. I didn't know what I would do without Lloyd in my life.
After our tears had dried on our cheeks, Lloyd stepped back and gifted me with the most loving, adoring smile I'd ever seen. I hoped the one I sent back showed just as much love as I held for him. It was encompassing and controlling and it was the sweetest disease. Appreciation and infatuation crashed through my body with cascades of emotions and my knees were weak once more.

"I have something for you," Lloyd said in the softest of voices. My smile fell a little in confusion as I watched him rifle through the pockets of his gi and return to me.
Now my smile truly dropped in surprise.
"A- are you sure?" I stammered as he held the promise ring between his lithe fingers. My eyes jumped up to his, unsure. "It's okay if you don't-"
"I do," he reassured, brushing his fingers over my forehead and dropping them to cradle my jaw. "I've never been surer."
My face threatened to crumple in a volley of gratitude and love but I held myself together.
"I love you," I said, voice catching as my emotions welled into my eyes and fell down my cheeks once more. Lloyd looked no better than I did. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," he whispered, smile trembling as his own emotions swirled through him. "I've been holding onto this ever since prom. I just- I couldn't find the right time to return it. I shouldn't have taken it-"

"It's okay," I soothed, sending him a sweet, reassuring smile. "It's behind us."
Lloyd nodded, swallowing thickly. He watched as I reached up to unclasp the empty necklace chain from around my neck. He only pulled the chain away with a gentle sweep of his hand.
"W- wait," he said, dropping the necklace into his pocket. I stared, confused, until he lifted my hand to gently slide the silver heirloom onto my ring finger. "Leave it on your hand. That way it feels more real."
My smile was accepting and amused.
"It's going to look like we're engaged," I pointed out with a giddy bite of my lip. He gave a lofty shrug, red irises jumping up to send me a look through his lashes.
"Let it."
My heart leaped up my throat at the look in his eyes. I nodded.
"O- okay," I said breathlessly, glancing back down at my fingers in his and the ring stared back at me. The engraved dragon glinted in the soft, morning light. The weight of it was so sweet and perfect - it felt right to have it back on my finger. Like it belonged there.
My gaze drifted back up to Lloyd and it looked as if he was feeling the same. He caught my stare and gave a smile.
"Oh!" I said abruptly, straightening. Lloyd blinked, moment over. I ripped away as I surged for my bedside table where my own promise ring sat, waiting for its moment. I returned to my promised with a ecstatic, loving smile.

"I've missed it," Lloyd admitted as I slid my ring onto his finger, heart bursting with joy.
"Me, too," I agreed, returning my attention to his face. "We're such a mess."
"Aren't we just?" Lloyd agreed with a chuckle. I giggled, pressing a kiss to the ring that sat on his finger.
"Okay," I breathed, hugging his arm. "Breakfast time."
"Of course," he grinned. "Lead the way, sunshine."
My heart soared at the return of my favourite pet name, smile brightening. I tugged Lloyd towards the kitchen.
"Do you want pancakes?" I asked, leading him through the hall. It was late morning and Mum had long gone off to work. I wondered if I was in trouble for having Lloyd stay the night again without telling her. "It is a day to celebrate, after all."
He didn't reply, slowing in the hallway. I glanced over my shoulder, eyebrows raised in confusion.
"Honeybee?" I asked, staring back at him. He watched my face as I stopped, sending him a worried look. "What's-?"

My words cut off when Lloyd took that small step into me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. My stomach was abruptly filled with a swirling storm of butterflies and a surge of adoring warmth had my nerves shivering.
"Can I kiss you?" Lloyd asked, voice a whisper. I was nodding before he could even finish talking, swinging my arms around his neck in an effort to be closer. He was quick to act on my immediate acceptance, pressing a kiss to my lips.
But it was too short - sweet, of course. His kisses were always sweet. However, it was nothing more than a swift peck, the quickest of kisses, and while I floated in the bliss that little bit of affection had sent me, I felt a little disappointed that he had pulled away so fast.
Then I saw the fear in his eyes as they jumped down to my shoulder. It was a quick look but a telling one, and I pushed the disappointment down as fast as I could and sent him a beaming smile when his gaze latched back onto mine.
It would be stupid to think that Lloyd could be over the bite with nothing more than a few words. Not everything could be fixed that way - he needed time to recover and I was more than willing to wait for him.

"Pancakes?" I asked again, tilting my head in suggestion. He gave a little smile.
"Sounds perfect," Lloyd replied, the grip on my waist tightening briefly. He exhaled. "Race you."
"Hey!" I yelled when he swiftly pushed himself away with a laugh and darted to the kitchen. "No fair, Lloyd Garmadon!"
Lloyd only gave a boyishly smug grin when I entered the kitchen after him.
"Not my fault that your reflexes are terrible," he teased. I rolled my eyes amusedly.
"I can't believe that we're five seconds back into being in a relationship and you're already bullying me," I sighed, shaking my head in mock sadness. "I didn't sign up to be ridiculed like this."
Lloyd chimed a charming, heart-warming laugh and I couldn't stop the stupidly goofy smile that pulled across my lips.

We were halfway through eating our breakfast in a peaceful, quiet silence when Lloyd began a new conversation.
"We went to see Mistaké about my heritage stuff," he announced, stating down at his plate.
"Oh?" I hummed, shifting slightly in my seat.
"Yeah, my dad wanted to see if there's anything we could do to subdue the instincts," Lloyd murmured, gaze catching mine. Golden syrup was stuck to the corner of his lip but it wasn't the right time to tell him. "She knows something about it but isn't telling us, I know it."
Sounds like every other adult in our lives. I was used to being kept in the dark by now.
"And is there?" I asked. "Something to subdue it, I mean."
"... yes," Lloyd replied, hesitating. I raised my brows, waiting.
"And..?" I gently tempted when he didn't continue. He held a sigh.
"She thinks it's you."
"Me?" I squeaked, dropping my pancake onto the plate. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Trust me," Lloyd groaned. "I would tell you if I knew. All she said was that if we fight again and I need to mark you, to, and I quote, 'stop being pissbabies and do it.'"
"Oh," I said, finding humour despite the annoying revoke of knowledge. "Good to know. Let's just not fight again."
A silly concept, but a nice one all the same. Lloyd still huffed an amused grin.
"I'll drink to that," he replied, lifting his glass of apple juice. I gave a chuckle as I raised my own glass to clink against his. And it was done.

We were halfway through washing up when the tell-tale beep of Lloyd's watch told us that he had a mission.
"I have to go home first to get changed," Lloyd noted, as his gi from last night was still damp in the washing machine. We forgot to put it out to dry.
"Wait," I insisted, hurrying the washing at a top-notch speed. Lloyd grinned, helping out. When that was finished, we stepped outside into the backyard where Bentley burst into existence.
"Hey, buddy!" I gave a quick hello and pat to the magical dragon as Lloyd hopped up onto the saddle. I grabbed his hand and joined him, settling into the backseat and wrapping my arms around his waist. Excitement rushed through me - when was the last time we flew together like this? It was almost three months ago.
The flight was swift and fast due to the usual urgency that came with a mission. I was dropped off at the monastery's entrance and Lloyd barely had the time to say a swift goodbye as he rushed off to his room to get changed. Barely a minute later and the team had flown off.
I watched them depart with a soft smile. My gut gave a tug.
"Shut up," I told it quietly, not wanting the imprint to ruin the moment. It seemed to listen to me, for once.

Having not had the time to get ready at home, I did my morning routine at my second home - glad to be back without consequence. My favourite body wash was still in the shower and a second hairbrush still sat in Lloyd's draw. All my clothes were still at home in his cupboard. My spare toothbrush still had its place beside Lloyd's. I didn't appreciate my open acceptance into this household as much as I did now, and my gratitude was through the roof. All my things were waiting for me, untouched, just as Lloyd's stuff was still in their places at my own home.
After getting ready for the day, I ran my fingers of the spines of my novels in Lloyd's bookcase. It was funny, having my novels full of romance, sci-fi and fantasy sit with Lloyd's books of ninjitsu and comics. They looked good together in some odd, little way.
I removed a book from its place as I brought it out to read. The storm from the night before had long passed, leaving only warm sunshine in its wake. I pretended to read the back of my book as I left Lloyd's room to return to the driveway's pond when truthfully, I was staring giddily at the promise ring on my finger.

"Y/n?"
I looked up at name, being brought back into the real world. I broke into a warm smile when I saw Misako at the entrance of her usual sanctuary, the scroll room.
"Hi, mom," I grinned cheekily. She smiled in amusement, though her eyes were still confused.
"You're still calling us that?"
"Do you want me to stop?" I asked.
"No!" yelled Garmadon from within the room. He poked his head around his wife and treated me to a wide, happy smile. "You can call us mom and dad for as long as you'd like!"
"Noted," I replied with a snicker before it faded into a genuine smile. "Thank you."
"It's wonderful to have you back," Garmadon said, pulling me into a tight, squeezing hug that only an overjoyed father could give. "We all missed you very much."
"It's good to be back," I said as Misako lifted my hand with a curious look.
"Did Lloyd..?"
I nodded, warm and happy. "Yeah."
"Thank goodness," she sighed. "So you two are all okay?"
"Never better," I chirped. Garmadon gave a cheer, hugging tighter. I gave a cough. Misako chided her husband for squeezing me too tight.

When some tea was poured and we were sitting at the table in the scroll room, Misako turned to me with a new worry.
"Are you sure that you're okay?" she asked softly. "Lloyd told us about the... bite."
"I'm fine," I reassured, cradling the warm mug close. My answer didn't convince Lloyd's parents so I gave a smile. "I really am! I don't blame him. We all knew that Lloyd's instincts are new and hard to control."
"You're not afraid of him?" Garmadon asked, brow pulled tight together in concern. I shook my head.
"Nope," I replied genuinely. "I'm not afraid of him."
Garm and Misako shared a look, but it seemed my words had gotten through to them. They gave me a thankful smile that I didn't blame their troubled son for what happened and, after inspecting the healed - but scarred - mark themselves, I was free to read my book outside by the pond. Kashu had joined me, curled up beside my leg as I read in the sun while waiting for the team's return.
Thankfully, it wasn't a long mission and it was only a few hours later when the familiar sound of dragons flying through the air had caught my attention. I had barely finished the paragraph I was reading when the team landed on the driveway, laughing amongst each other as they came down from the adrenaline of a hard-won fight.

"Hey, Y/n!" Kai greeted as I slid a bookmark into place. I found his grin with my own. Kashu leapt up with a stretch and a puppy yawn, before padding up to Lloyd. He picked up the dog with a smile hidden behind his mask.
"Finally knocked some sense into our green ninja?" Cole teased, gently hitting Lloyd upside the head.
"Oi," Lloyd snickered, lifting his masked face away from Kashu's licks. "I'm still your leader."
"Sure," Jay snickered.
"Alright," I grinned, standing upright and brushing off dirt from my pants. "Leave him be. He's fragile."
"I'm not fragile!" he shot, insulted if not for the amusement in his green eyes. Kashu whined, so Lloyd scratched his chin.
"Alright, love birds," Nya snorted, making our gazes snap apart. "We get it - you want alone time."
"What?" I laughed.
"When was that implied-?" Zane asked, only to be silenced when Nya placed her gloved hand over his mask.
"They want alone time," Nya repeated, sending the boys a pointed look.
"Ah," Kai said, picking up what his sister was putting down. "Right. Let's go debrief the senseis."
"Wait, I'm still confused!" complained Jay as he was tugged away by his girlfriend. I watched them leave with a snicker.

"Hey," Lloyd greeted, stepping in close.
"Hey," I echoed with a grin, letting him pull me down to sit in the grass once more. "How was the mission?"
He gave a shrug. Kashu leapt onto my lap and snuggled in close. "It was fine. How was your book?"
I gave the novel a throwaway glance before returning my sight to Lloyd. "It was alright. Not as interesting as something else."
"Oh, I agree," he nodded. "Kashu is very intriguing."
I giggled, pressing a kiss to the top of the said puppy's head. He yapped, enjoying the attention. My eyes jumped back up to Lloyd as he pulled his mask off with a sigh, watching the sunlight reflect off of the pond's rippling surface.
"I missed you," I said softly, shuffling closer. Kashu leapt off of my lap to chase the cat, who'd tried sneaking past without catching his attention to no avail. Lloyd shot me a smile.
"I bet I missed you more," he challenged, bumping his shoulder into mine. I raised my brows, dropping my cheek onto his collarbone.
"That's a risky move, greenie," I playfully warned.
"A risk I'm willing to take," Lloyd countered, pulling me into his lap. I settled there, watching the sunlight glint his hair golden and brush him in warmth. His eyes had long gone a precious, pretty maroon. I couldn't prove my love through the colour of my eyes, so I instead dropped against his chest in a relaxing hug and hoped that he could feel my adoration through that.

"Love you," I murmured, because I could never say it enough when it came to Lloyd.
"Love you more," he murmured. I scrunched my face at his comment, still pressed against his chest.
"Stop making everything into a competition," I insisted, brightening only when Lloyd leant forward into me to return the hug with vigour.
"You're... so soft," he whispered, changing the subject. "You're so soft. You're so nice to return home to. Soft and kind and perfect. My world."
My heart thumped at his words, eyes fluttering against the front of his gi. A loving smile had me pressing tighter into his chest. I could hear his heartbeat, solid and sure and holding as much love as mine did for him.

"My world," I echoed, sinking into his touch.