The food? Delicious. The atmosphere? Wonderful. The people?

A little crazy. I had to admit.

I was sure that we would've been kicked out if it hadn't been for the ninja being friends with the owner. Noisy and rambunctious as they scoffed down dish after dish, the team was everything boomers hated about teenagers.
Despite Lloyd's soft words, I was still feeling overwhelmed by the insane energy of his siblings. I felt little while I sat at the table, eating what Lloyd had managed to grab for me before it was taken by somebody else.

"So, Y/n," Jay began, his curly hair even more wild than what it looked like when he arrived. I glanced up. "We heard that you have a killer arm! Why don't you join our cricket team? There's only one other team in the league, though. The monks."
I blushed furiously, dropping my gaze.
"You're embarrassing her," Cole shoved Jay's arm. He yelped.
Nya caught my gaze and rolled her eyes in amusement. I weakly smiled back.

Finally, they must've started to begin feeling full and I briefly had to wonder how much money the poor souls at the monastery spent on groceries to keep these bottomless pits fed. The plates were cleared away and we sat for a little longer, digesting.
My hands were clenched by my side, nervous but not sure why. It didn't usually take me this long to settle into a group of strangers. I guess these guys were special.
A hand ghosted over mine.
I glanced up beside me. Lloyd was laughing at something Zane had said, his arm tucked between us. He looked inconspicuous to the others but his fingers were definitely sliding through mine and squeezing my hand in silent support. I squeezed back in thanks. Lloyd's smile grew just that little bit more lovely.

A decision was made to extend the group date - carry it on to the park. Kai went up to pay, speaking sweet to the red-haired cashier girl. I couldn't tell if she was invested in Kai's flirting or just down-right amused. They seemed to know each other well.
"How's your head?" Lloyd asked as we trailed behind the others while we walked to the park. He trailed a gentle hand through my loose hair and I had to forcibly stop my eyes from fluttering shut at the pleasant feeling.
"F- fine," I stammered, taken aback by how him playing with my hair made me feel. "It's fine now."
"Did you tell your mum?"
"I just told her that I'd slipped," I stared at the ground. "It wasn't hard for her to believe."
Lloyd huffed amusedly. "I bet."

"Y/n?"
Lloyd and I turned at the sound of my name. Naomi stood there, looking stiff as her eyes kept darting between us and the rest of the group.
"Naomi!" I greeted happily, bounding up to her. She quickly returned the hug I offered. "We're just on our way to the park. Do you want to come?"
"Uh..." Naomi's blue eyes were searching over my shoulder. "Sure."
"Great!" I gushed, pulling her towards where Lloyd was patiently waiting. "Naomi, this is Lloyd. Lloyd, Naomi."
"We already know each other," Naomi blurted before her cheeks went pink. "Uh. Yeah. Hi."
Lloyd smiled loosely at me. "Naomi and I were friends when we were younger."
"Much younger," Naomi inputted. Her blue eyes hesitantly glanced up to mine.

"Oh, that's awesome!" I smiled, grabbing both of their hands and swinging them between us. "Though, I feel kind of silly from introducing you guys now."
Naomi nervously giggled, turning to stare at the rest of the group ahead of us. The pink on her cheeks darkened.
We made it to the park, where the others had hovered at the entrance to wait. When we arrived, they stared at Naomi curiously.
"Do you know these guys, too?" I whispered to her. She nodded. "Okay."

"I say we get ice cream," Jay announced as we joined them. "And I say that my word is now law."
"On who's authority?" Kai snorted.
"Mine," Jay replied without a beat to waste. "Ding butt."
Kai narrowed his eyes. Jay was not afraid.
"All in favour of ice cream, say 'aye,'" Cole took the democratic approach.
"Aye," we all answered.
"All in favour of Kai being a ding butt, say 'ding butt,'" Jay lifted his hand.
"Ding butt," we all answered, except for Kai who had begun to sulk.
Jay clapped his hands. "Perfect. Decision's made."

Naomi hid a laugh with the back of her hand. I swelled in joy - it's so good to see her enjoying herself with my new friends. I felt all warm and fluffy inside. Genuinely about to bust a fat uwu.
We migrated to the ice cream truck, the others jostling each other around while Naomi and I walked behind them, chatting.
"I don't know," she sighed, running a hand through her recently redyed blonde hair. "Josh's sweet but I don't think I like him."
"Why?" I tilted my head before a grin curled on my lips. "Do you like somebody else..?"
She blushed hard at my teasing tone. I gasped loudly.
"You do!" I gushed, grabbing her hands and doing an excited little jig. "Oohhhh who is it?"
Naomi shook her head.
"Not here," she whispered, bringing me in closer. "I'll tell you later, okay? Promise."
"Pinky," I cheerily replied, linking my finger through her offered finger.

We made it to the truck and all conversation was put on hold while we each decided what ice cream to get. Just as well, as the sun was being particularly merciless.
Lloyd sidled up beside me. He dropped his chin onto my shoulder.
"What're you doing?" I asked. He hummed, pressing the side of his face into mine.
"Thinking about which one to get," he murmured, wrapping his arms around my waist. Now I really needed an ice cream because my entire face had begun to burn.
"And this helps you think?" I raised my brow. Lloyd shuffled closer.
"Absolutely."
Funny. Because my brain had completely shut down.

A few minutes later, ice creams in hands, we strolled down to the large pond and watched little kids and old people feed the ducks. Jay and Nya had swapped treats, acting all lovey dovey which was a big surprise for me. I couldn't have picked them dating even if I tried. In retrospect, though, they were uber adorable.
Naomi was sat between me and Kai, relaxed into the group and invested in a conversation with Nya. I dipped my toes into the tip of the pond and leant my chin on my knees as I watched the water ripple.
"What are you thinking about?" Lloyd hummed, nudging my side. I shrugged.
"Nothing."
"Oh, okay," Lloyd said. Then he shoved his ice cream into my nose.

"Lloyd!" I gasped, turning to him as he leapt to his feet and stepped away, laughing like the immature teenage boy that he was. "Oh, you're so getting it."
I scrambled up, clutching my ice cream-turned-weapon and giving chase. Lloyd was annoyingly lithe and swift as he teased, letting me come close before disappearing before my very eyes. I felt like a baby deer in comparison, awkward and stumbling.
But what can you expect from a ninja?
However, I was stubborn. Even though it was painfully obvious that I'd never catch him, I still pushed on, darting towards him when he paused.
"You're so unfair!" I breathed heavily, coming to a stop when I lost sight of him. "Lloyd Garmadon, you are a total jerk!"
"But I'm so good at tag, though," came his amused voice from behind me. I whirled around and shoved my ice cream into his chin.
"Ah!" Lloyd pulled a dramatic expression but it seemed that he was expecting my retaliation. The cold treat dropped from his chin and landed in the grass. "I've been duped."

I pouted, crossing my arms. He wiped the ice cream with the bottom of his shirt and chuckled.
"Awwh," he gushed, pulling me in close and swaying us from side to side. "I'm sorry. It was fun, though, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "It was," I had to cave. My gaze caught sight of a group of kids our age at the other edge of the pond. My fluttery mood soured somewhat. "We've got company."
"Let them stare," Lloyd sighed. "I don't care anymore."
"I wanna flip them off. I wanna flip them off so bad."
He fell into a soft laugh at my scathing tone while I stared daggers at the group across the pond. Inclining my head, I turned my attention to Lloyd.

"What do you intend to achieve with me?" I asked. He faltered, taken by surprise at my direct and out of the blue question. His green eyes slid to mine in bafflement.
"Pardon?" he furrowed his brow in confusion.
I stared at him hard. Seconds ticked by and my mouth had reworked into a thin line. I sighed.
"Never mind."
"N- No, wait up," Lloyd stammered as I pulled away to rejoin the others. He grabbed my hand and twirled me back to face him. "What do you mean?"
"This prophecy stuff," I elaborated in a strained voice. "Are you just keeping me around for that? Because sometimes you act like I'm worth something more but then there's times where I feel l- like... I'm just around to fulfil some purpose."

Lloyd, stunned, couldn't respond.
"I just..." I frustratedly sighed, carding a hand through my hair in agitation. "I'm not sure how to feel about you. I don't want to be discarded once you're-"
"Whoa, whoa," Lloyd stepped closer, voice soft and reassuring. "Where did this come from? Who said anything about letting you go? You said before that I couldn't lose you even if I tried. I'm intending to hold you to that."
I swayed on my feet a little. I couldn't look him in the eye. My gaze was focused on a frayed stitch of his shirt's neckline as my mind reworked itself.
"Sorry," I said in a small, strangled voice. I made it weird. Why do I always make things weird? "Sorry."
"Don't be," his expression hinted at sympathetic glee. "Who knows what this prophecy contains? We'll find out together." He wound both hands through mine. "But until then, I'm just glad it led us to each other."

I stared at his fingers clutching mine.
"You're awfully romantic, Mr. Garmadon," I murmured, twisting my index through his. He smiled boyishly.
"'Tis one of my many redeeming qualities," he bragged in a posh voice, pulling his hands from mine and holding out his forearm instead. "I can inform you of the others over tea, if that would please you, miss L/n."
I snorted, placing my arm over his after teasingly curtsying.
"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Garmadon."
"Then right this way," he pulled me along back to the others. "It's a date!"
"With your teammates?" I scorned teasingly. He shrugged, throwing a heart-aching smile over his shoulder at me.
"A group date," he suggested. I nodded.
"I can work with that."

By the time we returned to the others, they had finished their ice creams and were kicking around a football. I stopped by Zane, who was sitting under the shade of a tree and reading from a thick novel. Lloyd sent me a fluttering smile before joining in.
After a few minutes of watching, I understood the basic gist of two different teams; Jay, Kai and Cole against Nya, Lloyd and Naomi. I would've considered the teams to be unfair considering Naomi's disadvantage, but they were strongly holding their own. I settled down on the picnic blanket Zane must've brought and rested my chin on my knees.

"Not a football fan?" Zane asked, setting down his book. I shook my head, sending him a smile.
"Not really," I confessed. "I prefer to watch."
Lloyd laughed loudly, making me glance back over at the commotion. Kai has attempted to headbutt the ball in midair. It failed terribly, causing him to slip and fall to his behind when he landed. Lloyd's laugh was so loud that it echoed throughout the park. It made me feel lighter in joy.
Were those tiny fangs where his canines should be?
Those were definitely fangs. How could I not have noticed them before? Sure, they're small, but they're there.

Fangs or no fangs,  Lloyd's joy was infectious. It made me smile my own giddy smile. He was adorable when he laughed, his wide grin stretched over his teeth, revealing those unusually sharp canines. His nose scrunched up and his eyes were clenched close by the force of his laughter.
He looked so carefree.
How could somebody so joyous be tormented so viciously by society? Could they not see this ball of sunshine in front of me? With his kind eyes, warm smile and boisterous laugh? Could they not spot his pure soul or were they too blinded by prejudice to try?

I wonder what Chen did after he figured out the green ninja was Lloyd...
It had been plaguing my mind ever since. It was my fault that Chen found out - if I hadn't gone into town when I did, the bully wouldn't have targeted me and made Lloyd lose control. It I hadn't been in the way, his secret would be safe. Lloyd seemed to be sure that nobody would believe Chen, but what if they did? It just took one person who had the drive to get proof.

Lloyd must've felt me staring. His face dropped upon seeing my conflicted, concerned expression as I gazed at him. I corrected myself and dropped my gaze, picking at the grass. He's fine, I'm fine, everything's fine. I'm just overthinking again.
"You look tense," he said as his shadow blocked the warm sun. I glanced up as he crouched down. "Come play."
I spluttered. "That's a bad idea."
"Don't be silly!" he grinned, holding out his hand. "It's just for fun. It's not like we're expecting you to play a game against professionals."
I slid my hand into his and contorted my face into one of disdain as he excitedly pulled me into the game. For fun or not, he's severely overestimating my skill set in anything remotely physical.

By the time we joined, the teams had dissipated and all that they were doing was just kicking the ball to each other. Lloyd sent the ball plummeting towards Nya with a mighty swing of his leg. Despite the powerful kick that would put professionals to shame, Nya easily stopped it with the side of her foot.
I was instantly afraid. Naomi wasn't a ninja either, but she actually played football. Zane had the right idea. I should've told Lloyd that I was starting to feel unwell-
"Heads up, Y/n!" Cole cried as he sent the ball to me. OH GOD OH DAMN. I widened my eyes as I panicked, messily stopping the ball with my ankle. It stung like hell. I hissed through my teeth.
"There you go," Lloyd grinned. I appreciated his confidence but it was not helping me. I hastily sent the ball towards Jay, though it kind of rolled to a stop before it properly got to him.
"I- I play volleyball," I murmured, face burning with embarrassment. "I don't do well with kicking."
"That's fine," Lloyd smiled as he set up position beside me. "Don't worry about it so much."

The next ball directed at me was from Nya. It probably should not have been sent to me, considering that it was such a powerful kick that it gained air each time it contacted the ground. I panicked hard and turned away from the ball, squeezing my eyes for the impact. It smacked against my thigh and diverted its course.

Right into Lloyd's face.

The blond's head snapped back and he had to stumble to stay upright. A look of shock overtook his face. His nose began to bleed.
I was staring at him, frozen, while he lifted his hand and stared at the blood from his nose in amusement.
I was only snapped out of it when Kai began laughing his ass off. Naomi looked as stunned as I felt.
"Lloyd!" I squeaked a gasp, stumbling to his side. My hands didn't know what to do. "Oh my- oh my god I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I'm sorry!"
He just laughed at my frantic behaviour, patting the top of my head affectionately.
"I'm fine," he snickered. "This is nothing."
"Why do I keep hurting you?!" I cried in frustration, dropping my head onto his shoulder. "I think I'm cursed."
"You're not cursed," he pressed, pulling away just as Zane appeared with a box of tissues and water. He took both with a thanks.
"I think I am," I nodded surely.
"You're not."
"I'm pretty sure-"
He sent me an amused look, catching me off guard.
"You're not cursed, Y/n," he nudged my side. "It's just coincidence."

"Or karma," I hissed, clicking my fingers. "Who have I pissed off?"
"It's not karma," he said exasperatedly.
"How do you know?!"
"Because." He grabbed my cheeks and leant in close. "It doesn't exist. Just like that fortune teller dude. It's not real."
I shifted unsurely, biting my lip. He sighed, shaking his head in amusement.
"You're the paranoid one, aren't you?" Lloyd grinned, wiping away some blood.
"And you aren't?" I raised my brow. "I hit you with my skateboard and my car on the same day. Then there were those drones and then Chen. Now this. What the hell is going on?"
Lloyd shrugged. "Fate."
I deadpanned. "So you don't believe in fortune tellers or things like karma, but you believe in fate?"
"Yes, but there's proof for fate," Lloyd countered as we strolled away from the others. "Just look at the prophecies. Solid proof."

Couldn't argue with that, but I'll still believe what I wanted to. I changed the topic.
"How's your nose?"
"Not broken," he sent me a crooked grin. "I got off better than Chen, at least."
I groaned, forgetting about how I also injured him. "I feel like I need a 'danger' label."
"Probably," he snickered. The others had begun playing with the ball again. Naomi was hovering close to Cole while she explained how to properly stop the ball.
"Oh," Lloyd perked up. "I almost forgot to tell you that we're going away for two weeks for boot camp on Monday."
I raised a brow. "Boot camp?"
"It's worse than it sounds," Lloyd stressed, already looking exhausted. "We have to push our powers to the absolute max and I have to try and unlock my other abilities, too. It's hard work."
I paused. "Other abilities?"
"Yeah," he nodded as we took a seat under the tree Zane was occupying just before, wiping away some more blood. "Like earth and lightning. Their powers. I have them but I haven't been able to unlock them yet."

"Oh, my god," I breathed in amazement. "I was right. You are the avatar."
Lloyd's eyes shifted to the side before jumping back to mine in sheepish confusion.
"The what?"
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT AVATAR IS?" I hissed in shock and disbelief, crawling closer to him with an intense look on my face. A brief look of fear crossed Lloyd's expression.
"Uh... no," he said lowly. I shook my head in disappointment.
"That's so sad. Did you even have a childhood?"
I missed the nauseas look that passed across Lloyd's face due to my own lament. It passed before I glanced back at him, a deadly serious look in my eyes.
"We're going to have to binge that when you get back," I sighed, staring at him with sympathy. "Prepared to get culture smashed in the face."

"I'm terrified," he confessed. I nodded, closing my eyes in respect.
"As you should be."