TW: slight sexual content 

This was hell.

This was genuinely hell.

I didn't know why I was so excited to start training. Everything hurt. Existence was painful. I had more bruises than I could count and I routinely made a fool of myself in front of ten year olds who were far more superior than me at the art of ninjitsu.
It had only been a week.
"This is worse than the military boot camp Jonesy made me do when I was sixteen," I whined, slumping down onto the dining table for dinner at my place. I had a headache the size of the sun - a combination of both straining myself physically and mentally through attempting to unlock my powers. So far, it had been in vain. I was no closer to controlling them than when I was when I first discovered them.
And because of the whole 'adrenaline fight' thing in which my powers had made their emergence in the past, the Sensei's + Sensei-in-training's solution?
Replicate the fights.
Which meant even harsher training - a simulation of an actual fight in the forest.
I was going to break apart and melt into a puddle.

Mum grinned in amusement at the wretched look on my face, sharing a snicker with Lloyd. I couldn't believe that they were taking my misery as entertainment. The nerve.
"Don't worry, sunshine," Lloyd reassured, stealing a piece of chicken donburi from my plate. I was too tired to even curse him out for doing so. "You have the weekend off from training."
"Thank god," I groaned, dropping my head back. "I'm going to sleep all day."
Lloyd raised a brow, silently eating. He seemed as if he was waiting for something in my head to click which was weird because-
I wanted to cry in horror. Sob my heart out. Curse the nerds above and even yell at dear old Uchū because fuck. Fucking hell.
"We have the amusement park date with Naomi and Cole tomorrow," I cried, sliding down the seat in despondent sorrow. There goes my day of lazy recovery. Lloyd sent a humoured look out the corner of his eyes.
"And the serpentine treaty on Sunday," he reminded, chewing on rice.

I clenched my eyes shut and screamed a whine behind gritted teeth. Mum genuinely snorted, lifting a hand over her mouth.
"Should've gone to the site," she said, unsympathetic.
"Should've gone to the site," I agreed in a crying moan.
After dinner, I hobbled amongst the kitchen as I cleaned up. Lloyd helped. Actually, Lloyd did most of the cleaning, getting bored of how slow my aching muscles made me.
"Do you think you'll survive?" he asked with a smirk that he couldn't conceal, putting the last of the cutlery into the dishwasher.
"No," I bemoaned, slumping miserably against the bench. "Was it this hard for you when you started? Or am I just a spectacular failure?"
"Oh, I was worse," Lloyd announced with an easy chuckle. He watched as I limped towards the hallway before scooping me up and saving me the agonising trek. I sighed in thanks, dropping my head against his chest as he walked us back to my room.

"You were?" I asked, peeking an eye at his face. "I don't believe that. I reckon you came out of the womb already a black belt. I bet you body slammed your doctors into the wall and drop kicked the nurses."
Lloyd barked a laugh, pushing open the door to my bedroom with his shoulder before kicking it back into place with his foot. He gently dropped me onto the bed and leant over with an amused grin, caging me in his arms.
"I don't think it went quite like that."
"Are you sure?" I raised a brow, staring up at him with wide eyes. "You wouldn't remember."
"I think I would know if there was anything extraordinary about my birth," Lloyd pointed out. "You, on the other hand, probably emerged into the world with a glock in hand."
My mouth dropped open. I feigned a shocked gasp.
"How did you know?" I asked in teasing disbelief. He scoffed a laugh, poking my nose.
"Moron," he said affectionately, hand trailing down to gently hold my cheek.
"Dork," I countered with a soft smile. It turned into a demanding pout. "Come lay down with me."

"Okay," Lloyd immediately agreed, lithely slipping onto the other side of the mattress. I shifted to face him just as his arm curled around my waist, pulling me in. "But only for a little while. I've got patrol."
Patrol could kiss my ass. Unfortunately, it wasn't as if I could make Lloyd stay home. I gave a dramatic huff and dug my face into his chest.
"Ugggggggghhhhhhhfiiiiine," I grumbled unhappily. "But you better come back as soon as you finish. I miss you."
"I miss you, too," he hummed, pressing a kiss to my hairline as he slung a leg around my own, dragging me closer across the duvet. "But I'll be all sweaty after patrol."
"I literally do not care if you're sweaty," I declared, nuzzling my nose against his neck and he giggled at the ticklish feeling. "I only care about snuggles with my favourite dragon boy."
"Ah, well, when you put it like that," Lloyd hummed with a playful smile. "I wasn't kidding when I said that I was terrible when I first started."

"Is this the beginning of a story time session?" I asked, sitting up and ignoring the twinge of my biceps. "Because if it is, I want to hear every single detail - as soon as I'm in my pyjamas. Once I settle down, I have a feeling that I won't be able to get back up."
"You old woman," Lloyd snickered. I stood faster than I should've. My body got its revenge by immediately making my limbs spasm in anguish. "Are you doing the stretches I told you to?"
"Stretches are boring." I scrunched my nose at him. He rolled his red eyes in amusement.
"It's your funeral," Lloyd mumbled sarcastically, so I flicked his forehead in retaliation. "Ouch. Stop that." With a shiteating grin, I flicked his forehead again and he caught my wrist. I reached up with my free hand and prepared to do the same when his fingers caught my own in a tight grip. "Didn't you hear me the first time?"
"I did," I announced with a playful smile, shifting my hands in his until they were resting comfortably in his firm grip. "And I ignored it."

"That's rude," Lloyd noted, pulling me in closer. "Do I need to teach you a lesson?"
"I bet you'd love that, Sensei Lloyd," I snickered, stroking the inside of his palm with my thumb. "Put on your big boy voice."
"Excuse me," he said teasingly, eyebrows raised. "As my student, I require a certain standard of discipline." He tugged me forth, as if to enunciate his point. My face landed beside him and my breath was stolen with an amused, surprised gasp before he spoke directly into my ear. "Do you need to be punished for this disrespect?"
My giggles died down instantly, falling dead silent as my mind dived headfirst and without falter straight into the gutter. Lloyd's grin fell in panic. Clearly, we were on two completely different pages.

"H- hey, it- it was just a joke-" Lloyd stammered as he stumbled over his words, thinking I had taken his words literally and in the negative sense. Worried beyond anything, he turned to face me and gauge my reaction, ready to remedy the situation that he thought the conversation had turned to.
He froze at my expression.
"Oh," Lloyd said, wide eyed. Then they lidded and a sly, coy smile crawled across his face. He leant in closer, smell intoxicating. My heart burst into my throat. "Oh."
"Stop," I said, cheeks a burning red.
"I didn't realise you were into that-"
"I saiD STOP-" I squeaked, yanking my hands from his only to slap them over his mouth. An enthralled chuckle rumbled from his throat, ears tinting pink and betraying his fluster. "Wh- where did you even learn that?"
"What do you mean learn?" Lloyd snorted, pulling my hands from his mouth. "I made an innocent joke about punishing you as a Sensei to his student. You're the one who made it sexual, sweetheart. You outed yourself."

I stilled.
"Shit," I whispered. He was right.

"Go get a shower, you horny freak," Lloyd snorted, pushing me towards the door with a smug grin. "But know that I'll be noting down this information-"
"Fuck ooofffff," I pitifully whined, hiding my face in the neckline of his hoody. He leisurely chuckled, enjoying the view of my flustered, baffled, down-right mortified self. Prick.
His amused, soft laughs followed me all the way to the bathroom. Prick.
I yanked on the shower with a shaky hand, stepping back to undress while the water heated up. I caught the reflection of my face in the mirror - red as hell itself and just as on fire. My eyes were bright with horror and regret and exhilaration.
'Innocent joke' my ass. He is a dead man.
And it- it perfectly put me on blast. Shit, he probably wasn't even expecting a reaction! Certainly not one so blatantly obvious as that!
I slowly brought a hand to my mouth in shock. Fuck. Holy fuck. He really just- perhaps not intentional, but still- and I- I-
Oh god. Oh god.
His words echoed in my head and suddenly I was seeing images that were certainly not safe for work, making my distress sky rocket.

I quickly jumped into the shower and slammed the glass door behind me, as if the water could wash away my sins.
Frankly speaking; they did not.
I was reluctant to return, wet hair hauled into a semblance of a bun atop my head. I poked my eyes through the entrance to my room, apprehensively peeking past the door and holding my breath.
Lloyd was patiently sprawled across my bed on his stomach with a pillow under his chin, engrossed in the Percy Jackson book that he'd taken to reading for the past few weeks.
I'd come to notice something - I adored his reading face. Not to say that I didn't adore his face in any kind of situation, but there was just something so calming and serene about watching him while he read. He got so engrossed into the story. I didn't think he was one of those people whose expressions would reflect what was happening in the book, but he was. And watching him read was like chocolate to a ten year old, water to a plant, sunshine to the world.

As it was, Lloyd's face twisted into a determined smile. He must've gotten to a fight scene, and a pretty good one at that. His fingers slid and the page was turned, green eyes following the words. I was spurred on by his content.
No longer feeling awkward, I took a seat on the bed beside him and he opened up his side, lifting his arm for me to shuffle in. He replaced it back over my shoulders, the weight familiar and comforting. I read the words alongside him, quiet in the peaceful silence.
We didn't get many nights like this recently - usually I was out like a light as soon as dinner was over, so I wanted to savour this moment as much as I could. I forced myself to stay up that night. Just until Lloyd left for patrol.
My eyelids were heavy as they slowly latched onto each word, struggling to keep my attention from drifting into slumber. My body, whilst soft and more limber from the warm, rejuvenating shower as well as Lloyd's body heat, was still sore and demanded sleep to recover.

Lloyd placed the bookmark in his spot and set the book aside. I watched him move with tired eyes, sight sluggish and bleary. He regarded me with a quick once over before falling into a small smile and brushing some damp strands from my face.
"Get some sleep," he hummed, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "You look exhausted."
"B- but you were gonna tell me-"
"I'll tell you all about my hilarious failures in the morning," Lloyd soothed with a small grin, tracing a fingertip over my nose. "I'll be here when you wake up."
"Promise?"
"Promise."

And despite the protest on my tongue, I still found myself falling asleep at his gentle reassurance.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

Saturday morning was my personal purgatory.

Worst of all; Lloyd broke his promise. He wasn't there when I woke up, and in his absence was an apologetic text with an abundance of heart emojis pasted on at the end.
It was sent at three in the morning.
Feeling even more sullen than I should've been per my boyfriend's absence, I slumped from my bed, dragged myself through breakfast and was just in the process of tugging on one of Lloyd's hoodies - my back to the window - when I was suddenly attacked.
"Hurhk," I grunted when arms swept me up into a swift, encapsulating hold from behind, making my toes dangle over the carpet from the strength and enthusiasm of the hug. I was placed back down, yet the arms remained comfortably tight around my waist.
Lloyd dropped his chin onto my shoulder and placed a gentle kiss to my neck in greeting. My eyes fluttered shut.

"Sorry," he whispered, pulling me back into him so his chest plastered against my back. I tilted my head into his gi, enjoying his presence far more than I thought was humanely possible.
"S'okay," I hummed with a content smile, blissfully overjoyed that he was back. "You get the bad guys?"
"Yep." He was proud of himself, too. I squinted my eyes open and caught his red gaze.
"That's my boy," I murmured sweetly, lifting a hand to brush my knuckles over his cheek. He leant into my touch. I frowned only when my hand came away with blood. "Did you come straight here again?"
"You gotta stop asking questions you already know the answer to."
"Ha-ha," I said dryly, turning in his arms and frowning at the sight of his injured and cut face. A bruise was forming along his cheek, blossoming a bright yellow in baby colours. His bottom lip was split. My frown deepened in sorrow at the sight. "They put up a good fight."

"Wanted to take off the masks," Lloyd said, before gesturing at his face. "Hence this mess."
My thumb whispered over a slice under his eye, brushing off some grit as gently as I could. He subtly winced so I quickly pulled my hand away.
"You're lucky it didn't get you in the eye," I sighed, turning my hands to tenderly and carefully cup his jaw. "Are you okay?"
"Perfect," Lloyd replied with a simpering smile, giving my waist a telling squeeze. "I've had worse, sunshine. You know this."
"And yet, it's never easier," I sighed, dropping my hands away and grabbing his fingers to lead him to the bathroom. "You've gotta get those cleaned. Any other injuries I should be aware of?"
"Couple on my arms," he announced as he let me drag him from my room. "No biggies. Hi, M/n."
"Hey, Lloyd," mum replied as she hurried to her bedroom, running late for work. "Good fight?"
"We won."
"That's what we like to hear!" she called from down the hall.

Lloyd grinned in amusement as I pushed him into the bathroom.
"Shower time," I ordered. "You're covered in grime."
"You don't have to help me every time I come home from patrol, y'know."
"I know," I shrugged, unbuckling his leather packs and placing them on the bench. "But I like to."
Lloyd tilted his head as I adjusted his packs so they wouldn't fall. He set to work on unwrapping the bandages around his arms before unbuckling his gi.
"Why?"
"Makes me feel useful," I said distractedly as I retrieved the first aid kit from below the sink. He was the reason why we were always stocking up on supplies during our shopping trips.
"You don't have to help me with my injuries to be useful," Lloyd reassured, watching as I set out the required items. It was something that was almost bordering on instinctual by now. "You're tired."
"Stop asking questions you already know the answer to."
"That wasn't a question, silly."
"Still counts," I said with a smile. I turned back to Lloyd after he dropped his green ninja robe to the side, leaving him in just his pants and undershirt. "And you're way more tired than I am. Arms up."

He lifted his hands to the ceiling. I caught the bottom hem of his black thermal turtleneck with my fingers and tugged the dirtied material up and over his head, discarding it in the pile of Lloyd's gear. My eyes roved his arms, littered with slices and wounds amongst his older, shiny scars. It was clear that the people they were versing were good with knives.
"I like looking after you," I murmured, gently placing a hand on his bare chest and guiding him back to sit on the closed seat of the toilet. I got work to unwrapping the wraps around his leg and he started on the other one, occasionally wincing. "Because whenever I'm hurt, you look after me."
"I get hurt far more often than you do," Lloyd pointed out.
"Yeah, well," I began airily, before finding that I couldn't finish my sentence. I pulled a face at my inability to think of a counterpoint. I just shrugged again. "Yeah."
He scoffed a laugh.
"Well, then," Lloyd sighed, folding a hand through my hair. "I appreciate your help."
I sent a pleasant smile in response.
"You are welcome," I replied before patting his knees and standing, turning away to give him privacy to hop into the shower. I heard him shuffle out of his pants before the glass door shut behind him. "What time are we meeting Naomi and Cole?"

"Ten," Lloyd replied. "And then I got training in the afternoon."
"Do you ever get a break?" I asked, frowning as I passed the time by mindlessly scrolling through instagram.
"Full time job, baby."
I hummed in response, but my attention was stolen by a screenshotted Twitter thread that showed up on my explore page. 'Deciphering the Green Ninja's fiancée' was the title. Seemed people were still trying to figure out that one.
Curious, I scrolled through and found photos of every person that the green ninja had been seen with more than twice - usually just some people with some really rotten luck. It was easy to come by in this city.
My heart stilled when I saw a handful of photos with me in them; one from the hospital, which was a shot that kind of went a little viral. Two photos taken from phones in the streets of the city - both in alleyways from the first couple of times I met him. I didn't even realise there were other people around.
The last photo took me by surprise.
It was a grainy image. Dark, almost incomprehensible but just exposed enough to make out my face and the green ninja's form. I was in his arms, limp. We were in an alleyway between shipping containers at the docks.
My thigh involuntarily twitched. It was the night I got shot.
What a pleasant reminder of the evening I was almost killed.

And then I caught a loud snort with my hand when, above my photos, it commented; 'possible candidate, but generally considered too young.'
"Hey, Lloyd," I amusedly called over the rush of shower water. He hummed in acknowledgement, letting me know he was listening. "According to this article, I'm 'too young' to be your fiancée."
"Partly true," he admitted, to which I raised a brow. "You did turn down my proposal. Countless times."
"You were joking."
"Was I, now?" Lloyd murmured. I resisted the urge to turn and send him a look. "Gotta say, it really knocked my confidence."
Now I knew that he really was pulling my leg. I scoffed.
"It needed knocking, mr. Ego," I teased, blindly handing him a towel at his request. "I did you a favour."
When he stepped out of the shower, I turned off my phone and placed it on the bench. With the towel tied around his waist, Lloyd leant into the mirror and gave his injured face a scrutinising stare. I stared at his arms, assessing the severity of each injury.
"My eyes are up here, sunshine."
"See?" I asked, raising my brows. "Ego. I was looking at how bad your injuries were, you chaotic bastard."
I was also checking him out, too. But he wasn't allowed to know, less his head grew too big for my house.

Lloyd grinned and rolled his eyes before turning back to the mirror. His smile faded.
"Gonna have to go home and have some of that tea before we leave for the park," he muttered, wincing as he prodded the bruise on his cheek. "This is too conspicuous."
"Stop poking it," I said, grabbing his wrist. "Why didn't you just go home first before coming to me?"
"Why waste valuable time when I could be spending it with you?" Lloyd countered with an innocent tilt of his head. He smirked in accomplishment when my cheeks brushed a bright red.
"Idiot," I murmured, but my voice betrayed my sudden softness that was spurred by his words as I lifted myself to sit on the sink before him. His amusement grew, palms resting either side of my thighs. I turned to wash my hands and grab some cream for his open wounds, squirting the healing paste onto my finger before holding it up to the first of many slices along his face. "Ready?"
Lloyd gave a nod. I tried my best to be as gentle and effective as I could, but his nose still scrunched in displeasure at the stinging pain.
"There's ice packs in the freezer if you want one," I offered, softly swiping some cream onto a gash above his eyebrow. "Have you had something to eat?"
"Yes, mother," he groaned dramatically, to which I poked his cheek in recrimination. "Ow. Yeah, I have. Thanks."

My eyelids dropped into a beguiled simper, smile tugging at the corners of my lips. After putting some bandages over the larger wounds while letting the smaller scrapes breathe, I moved to his arms. His free hand stroked my cheek or my hair or traced my face while I contently worked, then he did the same with his other hand when we switched.
"You were on patrol all night, right?" I asked quietly, brushing cream onto a large slice on his forearm. He nodded, finger lining the shape of my eyebrow. It felt pleasant, and I would've fallen asleep if I wasn't in the middle of a job. "We can always push the double date back if you and Cole need to rest up. I'm sure Naomi won't mind."
"You kidding?" Lloyd chimed excitedly. "I've been looking forward to this for weeks! I love Starfarer!"
"God, you are so cute," I whined, turning my gaze to his. He grinned goofily. "Okay, but only because you're so adorable when you're excited for it. I may be immune to your powers, but I'm not immune to your charm."
His smirk grew smug. Oh, no. Ego.
"My charms, huh?" he coed, and I immediately regretted my slip of words. "Do you think I'm charming?"

"Do not start."
"You do think I'm charming!" Lloyd gasped, inclining forward with a large smile. He tapped his forehead against my own. "Am I your Prince Charming, my little princess?"
"If I say yes will you shut up?" I requested, placing a bandage over a slice.
"No."
"If I say no will you shut up?"
"Absolutely not."
I raised my eyes to the ceiling and released a huff.
"You think I'm charming," he said again, gushing. He pinched my cheek and I sent him a dry stare in response. "You fall prey to my undeniable charms. Dashingly charming, I always knew I was-"
"You are such an egomaniac," I groaned, cutting him off. I sent his tended-to injuries a content once-over.
"Only when you give me the chance to be, sweetheart," Lloyd teased, poking my stomach. He opened his mouth to continue singing his own praises and I did the first thing I thought of doing to shut him up.

I pushed myself forward, catching him behind the ears to bring him in for a kiss. His warmth was attractive, pulling me in, submerging me in the smell of his body wash and springtime. Lloyd didn't care that this was only to shut him up, playful words slipping into me within a cradled sigh. He eagerly returned the kiss and the taste of copper from his split lip and toothpaste mint sent my rational brain spiralling.
"You fell for my plan," he said in a hushed voice, grinning against my mouth.
"You're evil," I whispered back, but ultimately found myself not caring that his teasing was nothing but a con to get me to kiss him all along. I was too preoccupied by actually kissing him, as lovely and emotionally capitulating as it was.
He picked me up in another, fingers trailing over my thighs and sending ecstatic shivers shooting up my spine from his touch. My catching breath crashed against his teeth.
My phone buzzed.
I quickly pulled away and Lloyd followed, lips catching mine in gentle caresses before I placed a hand on his forehead and pushed him back. He made a disappointed groan in the back of his throat, as if stopping the kiss was certainly the worst thing to ever happen in the history of the entire world.

"Ignore it," Lloyd whined when I reached for my phone.
"What if it's important?"
"I'm more important," he pouted. I almost didn't want to argue that. Almost.
I raised my brows in amusement before picking up my phone, still holding Lloyd's head back. It was a text from Jay, telling us to get our asses to the monastery because Lloyd was supposed to go there first to have some of the (disgustingly revolting) healing tea before coming to mine if he wanted to go out in public. Naughty Lloyd.
"We gotta go," I sighed, showing Lloyd the text. He peered the through the hand that was pressed against his face and groaned again. "Get dressed. I just need to brush my teeth."
"Fine," Lloyd sighed, then leant forward to steal another kiss anyway. "This isn't over, gorgeous."
I scoffed a laugh, squinting my eyes.
"Our challenge shall continue," I promised, sticking a bandage's folding edge back into place against his cheek. "And I will be crowned victor."

"We'll see," Lloyd said with a cocky smirk, hooking two fingers under my chin and bringing me in for a soft, short kiss. "I don't play nice."

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

Ever since I was shot and got treated to two magical teas - one that essentially numbs the entire body to pain and the other that accelerates healing tenfold - I grew an appreciation for the herbal plant juice.

Even though they tasted like literal hot garbage.

What I really appreciated it for was that it only took Lloyd a couple of sips of the Tea of Healing for his wounds to fade. He wasn't even that sluggish from the enchanted concoction, either.
I just really didn't like seeing him hurt, but I kept that to myself - Lloyd didn't need to be concerned about my worries. It wasn't as if either of us could do anything about it, anyway. It was just the nature of his lifestyle. One that I was still waiting to get used to.
I couldn't help but think that there would never be a day where I wouldn't be worried about Lloyd if he got injured, even if it was only something tiny. Even something like a paper cut.
Naomi and Cole were already on their way to the new Starfarer amusement park. Because of Lloyd ignoring direct orders from his senseis to go home first before seeing me, we were running late. He downed the tiny cup of healing tea after a stern but silent look from Misako (possibly the worst to receive) before beginning to peel off his bandages and stuff the used platers into a ball for the bin.

While talking mindlessly about training and how I was slowly improving with his mother, I watched Lloyd's wounds heal before my eyes.
I was morbidly entranced by the way the skin stitched itself back together and rejuvenated, leaving only faint, shiny scars in their wake. Those would eventually fade from existence, too.
It made me wonder why he didn't use the healing tea on the scar on his forehead, too. Then I realised that it would've brought up some awkward questions on my part - especially when he was still trying to keep his identity safe.
Not that he did it that well.
"Such a waste of supplies," I grumbled as Lloyd peeled off the last bandage and added it to the ball of medical wrap in his hand. He stuck out his tongue. I stuck my own out in response.
"You two are never going to grow up," Misako sighed. But then she brought us in for a squeezing, tight hug. "Keep being my little babies for longer."
"Will do," I squeaked, struggling to breathe.
"Oh, I spoke to Borg recently," Misako said as she stepped back. I tried to revitalise my lungs with oxygen. "He wants to give you an interview."

Lloyd raised his eyebrows. My breath stopped again.
"What?" I choked out. I cleared my throat and tried again. "An interview? What for?"
"I mentioned that you were looking at colleges to apply for," she said, taking the bandages from her son's hand. "He offered an interview for his own."
"Y- you mean the Borg Institute of Technology?" I asked, blinking in shock. "But that's got an acceptance rate of like- two percent or something! There's no way I'm smart enough."
"No harm in trying," Misako said with a pointed look, turning on her heel to place the bandages in the bin. Lloyd started after her.
"That's all the way in Nom, though," he said, lips turned into a frown. His red eyes jumped to me briefly. I was still stuck to the floor in surprise. "It's a fourteen hour drive."
Misako whacked her son in the stomach with a backhand while she was walking. He yelped.
"Don't you start holding her back!"
"I'm not!"
"That attitude certainly is!" Misako countered, throwing the bandages into the bin with a scowl. Lloyd and Misako fell into a mini-argument, as family members do; voices hushed and hands gesticulating everywhere.
I blinked at the incredibly domestic scene, before hiding behind a hand as I snorted.

The green ninja may have the city in the palm of his hand, but his mother was the one that truly ruled the roost.

Disgruntled after the little dispute he had with Misako, Lloyd let me drive to the Starfarer amusement park. He played GPS - telling me which roads to take and when to turn. The park was a fair drive away, so when we hit a long stretch of state highway, I shot Lloyd an expectant look.
"What?" he asked, bemused as I kept glancing between him and the road. The sun danced in his golden hair, fluttering from the open window.
"You promised that you'd tell me all about your early days," I reminded with an excited grin. The highway cut through the Sea of Sand - or, what it's more commonly known as, the desert - which made the summer air that tumbled through the open windows dry and hot and carrying the scent of lush creosote.
"Oh," Lloyd said with a short laugh, roving his eyes over the occasional patches of dry greenery and the long, long highway ahead. Only a few other cars shared the road with us. "Uh. There's not much to tell. I thought I was so cool after it was discovered that I was the green ninja. Then I snuck out on my first mission, and well- uh..."
"Did-" I paused to snicker, smile pulling over my teeth. "Did you get caught in a cage?"

"Yep," Lloyd nodded with a bland grin. "One of many."
"My damsel in distress," I teased, squeezing his thigh. "I'll rescue you anytime."
"Gee, I feel safer already," he said dryly. I shot an amused grin. "I guess I was cocky-"
"You only just figured that one out?"
"Shut up!" Lloyd laughed, gently shoving my shoulder. I giggled. "Yes, I was cocky, and I thought that I was invincible because of the how much power the prophecies said that I had the potential for. I got my ass handed to me."
I chortled loudly, imagining a little Lloyd getting totally owned in a fight. And then I sobered at the thought of a child having to be handed such a destiny at that young of an age.
Lloyd sighed, knowing where my thoughts went to. He scooped up my hand and threaded his fingers through mine.
"Take the right exit before Jamanakai," he murmured. I nodded, steering the car with one hand into the next lane over.
"What are you most excited for?" I asked brightly, trying to lighten the somber mood that had suddenly taken existence in the car.
"The roller coaster!" Lloyd replied excitedly. "Or the dropper - oh, or the four-dimensional experience ride! You get to fly Fritz Donegan's ship!"

"Oh, my god," I said, driving through the familiar streets of Jamanakai, my old home for ten years. "Oh, my god. You are such a sci-fi nerd - oh, look, that's the library! I used to spend all my afternoons... there..."
Lloyd stared at the side of my face as I trailed off into silence. I watched the road, brows furrowed.
"Oh, I was the loner," I said in quiet discovery. Lloyd chuckled.
"This was your old home, right?" he asked, staring amongst the street, as if he were imagining a younger me ambling down the sidewalk. "Why don't you show your favourite places?"
"We don't exactly have the time," I reminded, gesturing to the time.
"It won't be long!" Lloyd promised. I stared at him as I waited for a traffic light to turn green before releasing a huff.
"Alright, fine," I caved with a small smile. "But we have to be quick!"
I parked Lloyd's car to the side of the road before hoping out and stretching. Lloyd bounded around to join me, green eyes flittering to take in every single detail.

"I lived a few blocks over," I announced, locking the car before stuffing the keys into my pocket. We began dawdling down the Main Street pavement. "Jamanakai is small, but it's grown posh. Seriously - the girls school I went to was uber fancy. I only got in because my grandmother went there when she was younger."
"Did you have to wear a uniform?" Lloyd asked with a beguiled grin.
"Yes," I said with a huff and kicked a stone down the empty sidewalk. "A plaid skirt and a white blouse. Hideous. I hated it."
Lloyd's grin grew in amusement, slipping his hand back into mine as I pointed out the various random landmarks and rambled about my boring life before returning to Ninjago City.
We stopped outside the wrought-iron gates to Jamanakai Girls.
Lloyd whistled lowly at the brick building, complete with ivy vines and cobblestone courtyards. It looked like a mini Harvard, except that it house preteen and teen girls from catholic families.
"Ah, yes," I said with an unimpressed frown. The front gates was padlocked for the summer and the metallic tips were sharpened spears. "Prison."

"Y/n?" called a voice.
"Oh, man," I whimpered under my breath. Lloyd sent me a confused glance before staring over my head at the girl who'd called my name.
"Y/n? Y/n!" she called again and I turned into Lloyd, hiding my face.
"Pretend I'm somebody else," I whispered pleadingly. Lloyd blinked before grinning and placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Sorry, beautiful, I have a girlfriend," he teased. I shot him a glare.
"It is you!" my old schoolmate (if I could call her that) gasped. Admitting defeat, I turned and faced one of my most hated classmates - by me. Adored by everyone else, naturally.
Vanessa, with her red hair pulled tight into a waterfall, artificially curled into loose ringlets. Perfect skin and glittering brown eyes.
She could do no wrong, slip not one grade, dazzle everyone with a smile.
Vanessa, the angel.

Vanessa, the mythic bitch.

"Heeey," I greeted with a poorly-concealed grimace before immediately feeling mediocre compared to her. Last time I saw Vanessa, she was succeeding in getting everyone in school to give me the silent treatment - simply for not giving her my seat in class when there was none others available and she waltzed in half an hour late. "It's been a while."
"Yeah," Vanessa said with a distracted nod, not really caring about what I was saying. She was too busy staring at Lloyd. "So, it's true. You're really dating Garmaboy."
"Actually, my name is Lloyd," he interjected sweetly.
"Yeah, I know," she said shortly. "Everyone knows who you are." Vanessa turned to me. "Why?"
I raised my brows in confusion. "Pardon?"
"Why are you dating him?" she asked, voice scathing and twisting in disgust. I felt my jaw clench.
"Because I love him," I replied, hand tightening in Lloyd's. "I don't see how it's any of your business-"
"Ha!" Vanessa laughed. It sounded like pretty Christmas bells. "Yeah, sure. This is about Chase, right?"
My face went red.
"Don't talk about-"
"Hey, you're in the city now, correct?" Vanessa asked, cutting me off as she eyed Lloyd up and down - as if he were on display to ogle at. The thought made me sick. "Have you met any of the ninja?"

Lloyd glanced to the side but his thumb massaged circles on the back of my hand. I closed my eyes with an exhale to settle my sudden wave of fury and nodded slowly.
"I sure have," replied without gusto. "I've gotten to know them all very well."
Vanessa's brown eyes widened into saucers. Lloyd gave me a questioning, cautious look.
"Seriously?" the girl asked in awe, attitude doing a sudden twist.
"No, Vanessa," I sighed wearily. "Of course I haven't, I was being sarcastic."
"Oh," Vanessa replied, nose scrunched as if she smelt something bad. It was probably her own pigheadedness, but she'd probably blame it on me anyway. "Well, yeah. Not surprised. You are you after all, right?"
This girl made me exhausted.
"Yea-"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lloyd asked sharply, cutting my begrudging compliance off. Vanessa and I stopped, glancing at him with wide gazes. He was staring her dead in the eyes. His lips were curled into a protective snarl. "Apologise."
Vanessa scoffed a laugh. "Are you kidding-"
"Apologise," Lloyd all but growled, voice ripping from the back of his throat. His eyes darkened to a ferocious red. "Now."
Vanessa's face shifted into a look of fear. I had to bite back an appreciative, amused grin.

"Uh," was all Vanessa managed to blurt before spinning on a dime and swiftly speedwalking away, glancing over her shoulder every so often until she disappeared around the corner.
Still didn't even apologise.
Figures.
"'Welcome back, Y/n,'" I mimicked, face pulled into a scowl as my hand subconsciously tightened over Lloyd's. "'How are you, Y/n?' Yeah, whatever, you snobby cow."
I turned to Lloyd with a dry smile. It dropped at the troubled look on his face.
"Are you okay?"
"Did I go too far?" he asked with a frown, brows scrunched. "Did I scare you?"
I smiled gently, touching his shoulder. His red eyes dropped to mine.
"You couldn't scare me even if you tried, dragon boy," I said with a smitten tone, placing my hands on his chest in reassurance. "But also I can totally handle myself."
That made Lloyd snap back into it. The distant look in his eyes sharpened to focus and his frown deepened.
"You were agreeing with her," he argued, reaching up to tuck away a loose lock of my hair. "I'm not going to let anyone get away with treating you like that."
"I'm swooning," I sighed. My fingers crawled up to cradle his neck. "But I've learnt that people like her are only looking for a reaction. If you just agree with whatever, they'll get bored and leave you alone. C'mon, I know you do the same."

"I can't risk you beginning to believe those words," he murmured, tracing my hairline down to my chin, as if he were polishing a precious gem. I leant into his touch with a soft smile. "I'm sorry. I asked for you to show me around. We should've kept driving."
"Hey, no," I said, shaking my head. "This isn't your fault. Thank you for standing up for me. You're the best."
"You know I'd stand up for you in a heartbeat," Lloyd expressed, voice soft while he bumped his nose against mine. My smile grew, eyelids fluttering at the close proximity.
Then they shot open.
"Oh, my god, what's the time?" I inhaled sharply before yanking out my phone. My jaw dropped. "Oh, god- we're dead- we are so late!"
Lloyd's eyes widened as he grabbed my hand and began hauling me along, back to the car. I gasped at the fast past he set. My muscles cursed me in frustration and I mentally yelled back at them to stop being bitch babies for once.
I unlocked the car in a rush and we hopped in. We peeled out into the road and zoomed down the street, headed towards the amusement park.

For a short while, there was no sound except for the grumbling roar of Lloyd's old car and my panting. Curse his stamina.
Then Lloyd broke the silence.
"Who's Chase?" he asked quietly.
I huffed a dry laugh, running a hand through my hair. A few buildings passed before I straightened in my seat. I could feel his gaze assessing my expression.
"Remember when I said that I'd asked out a guy and my father's status sent him running?" I murmured. Lloyd hummed a yes. I bit my lip, resting my elbow on the window ledge of the car door while I drove. "... That was Chase. And he didn't exactly go to the hills - he went straight to Vanessa and her bitchy friends. Then suddenly everybody knew about my crush on Chase and how I asked him out and got rejected flat."
"Sounds like an asshole."
"Oh, he was," I agreed with a regretful groan. "But I thought he was hot, and me being a fifteen year old idiot-"
"That's not being an idiot," Lloyd reassured.
"Oh, no, I was an idiot," I disagreed. "A big, dumb, brainless loser who thought that it was okay if I asked someone out who I hardly knew just because I thought he was hot."
"You're not dumb and brainless," he stressed.
"But I am a loser?" I asked, brow raised as I shot him a glance.
"Oh, yeah," Lloyd nodded cheekily. "But you're my loser."

"Wow, thanks," I said amusedly, turning into the car park. "I'm really feeling the love."
"I'm kidding," Lloyd snickered, patting my knee. "You're the coolest person on the planet."
"Incorrect," I recriminated, pulling the key from the ignition after parking the car. I sent a grin. "That's Zane."
"Ah, well. Can't argue with sound logic like that," Lloyd shrugged as he caught my hand in his. "Are you okay, though? Seriously."
"I'm fine, honeydew," I soothed, cradling his cheek. "Seriously. I'll show you my old house on the way back - and take you to the rest of my favourite places too, okay?"
Lloyd apprised my expression before sighing in subtle relief, glad that he found no hints of negativity on my face.
"That sounds nice," he admitted. "It'll be nice knowing some more about you. You fascinate me."
"My life was incredibly boring before I met you," I said with a roll of my eyes. But Lloyd was already shaking his head.
"There's nothing wrong with the mundane," he said, and his voice almost sounded a little bit wistful. "Mundane is safe."
"Mundane is boring," I corrected with a grin. I inclined my head closer to him. "Mundane is a life without you, which I never want to go back to."
His smile was half-hearted in response.
"Even if it meant that you could walk around without a target on your back?"

My smile faltered at the guilty look in his gaze.
"Lloyd, we've spoken about this," I murmured, ducking my head to catch his downcast gaze. Lloyd reluctantly found my eyes with his own.
"I- I know, but-"
I cut him off by awkwardly clambering over the centre console. His eyes widened.
"Wha- what are you do-"
"Shush," I hummed, face pulled in concentration as I made sure not to impale myself on the handbrake. "I'm trying to focus."
"I-" Lloyd said in surprise as I finally settled down on his lap. "Hello?"
"Hi!" I chirped, shifting into place over his thighs. My face darkened into a ferocious, stern, grim look. "Lloyd."
His eyes darted to the side before returning to me in bafflement.
"Y/n," he repeated, unsure.
"You, Lloyd Garmadon, are worth everything to me," I said, talking the way my father would to his troops. I caught the sides of Lloyd's face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You are my sun, my moon, my stars, my earth." I placed a gentle kiss to the tip his nose. His red eyes were melting. "I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until you finally believe that this target on my back? I do not care about it. Because I get to have you - and being with you, Mr. Wallow in Self Pity-"
Lloyd snorted.
"You are worth a million targets on my back," I said tenderly, rubbing the pad of my thumb in circles over where a wound used to be just a few hours prior. "And I would spend the rest of my life happily being escorted around if it meant that I got to spend the rest of it with you."

Lloyd smiled softly, sinking into my hands. His eyes didn't even think of straying from my own. I was his sole attention, and he was mine.
"You're too good to me," he sighed quietly. His throat sounded thick with emotion.
"You're too good to me," I countered with an adoring smile. "This isn't your fault. You are such a good person. So - please - stop blaming yourself for what Axon threatened."
Lloyd released a breath, hands resting against my hips. He stared at the promise ring on his finger and twisted it around with his thumb.
"I'll try," Lloyd finally said.
"That's good enough for me," I announced, bringing his chin up so I could catch his eyes again. "Hey. I love you."
A smile pulled at his lips.
"I love you, too," he replied with the most smitten look on his face I'd ever seen him pull. Lloyd lifted up to bring me into a kiss and I eagerly reciprocated, tilting my head into his as my eyes fluttered shut.

Something heavy being thunked against the window made us jump apart.
"STOP SNOGGING AND GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CAR!" Naomi yelled, pressing her nose against the glass with a furious expression. A bemused Cole stood to the side, arms crossed and smirking. "YOU'RE FORTY MINUTES LATE!"
"Oh, shit," I whispered, leaning back from Lloyd.
Because a target on my back has nothing on Naomi when she's pissed.

"We're dead," Lloyd announced.