JAWNY
••• wide eyed •••

there's something absolutely beautiful about who you are, yeah
a smile in the dark
all my songs about you
heaven's lost without you

•••••

gang i fucked up again, this chapter is 11.2k words :(

this arc is a doozy, im so excited!! only three more arcs left! still means that there's 25 chapters to go but who's counting... :')

for any zane lovers out there, i've caved to the worms in my brain that sung temptation. i've just started posting his x reader fic

After staying the entire weekend at the monastery, I got a text from Mum saying that she wanted me home for a Sunday night dinner. I replied with confirmation and spent the rest of my time alone staring out the window of Lloyd's bedroom.

Absentminded, I turned my phone in my hand as I watched the snowfall. Meowthra slept soundly at the end of the bed. Watching the weather was peaceful - it also gave me the opportunity to calmly sift through all the information that had been shoved into my brain since Friday night.

It was a lot. It was so much that I could dive into it and swim around like Scrooge McDuck. Lloyd had been magnanimous with his transparency, and I'd learnt leagues more about him (and from him) than I ever thought I would. It felt like I finally, truly knew him instead of the squeaky-clean, perfect persona of himself. I could fully love him with everything I had, because I now knew whom I was putting everything on the line for - his messiness, fears, genetics and all. There was nothing left to doubt.

Lloyd learnt about me, too. And now it was his parents' turn to learn about some things.

I opened the book in my lap and began to read the minutes away.
 
It'd been an hour and a half by the time the door's hinges creaked as it was slowly pushed open. The sound of it brought me out of my book and back into the living world. I turned my head and found Lloyd entering, looking both wrung out and at peace. I smiled with sympathy. Telling the truth about your emotions was an exhausting endeavour.

"Hi," I greeted. Lloyd crawled onto the bed and snuggled into my side with weariness. I placed the book down and held his arm that encircled me. "How was it?"

He released a heavy, tired breath and laid his head on my shoulder. "Good. Awful." He hid his face into my shirt and made a sound of grumbled fatigue from his throat. "We all needed it."

My smile softened. I kissed his forehead and scratched his nape, pleased when he relaxed a little bit more. My heart swelled at his courage - it was easier for Lloyd to fight evil and save the world than it was to allow himself to be vulnerable, and he'd just been vulnerable all weekend. He must've felt totally drained.

"How'd they take it?" I quietly asked.

"Not great," he mumbled. "Not bad, though. They were upset, but not at me. They understand."

I always knew they would. His parents loved him dearly, no matter what Lloyd's fears told him. I just hoped that would clear things up and reassure him a little bit more. Misako and Garmadon would never abandon him - not after Destiny finally allowed them to reunite.

"I'm so proud of you," I whispered. My lips pressed into his soft hair again. "My brave, gorgeous hero."

I couldn't see his face but I did notice the tip of his pointed ears turn pink with blush. The faint beginnings of his rumbling purr began to roll from his chest and rock through mine. I had to bite my lip to keep my saccharine giddiness subtle and contained. Lloyd was so cute.

"Mum texted me before. She wants me home for dinner." I glanced out the window and guessed the time. Winter always made everything so much darker. "I wanted to see how you were before I left, but I should probably head off."

He lifted himself onto his arms. "I'll drive you."

"Are you sure?" I asked warily. He looked like he could pass out at any moment - not to mention the wound on his shoulder. "You're still recovering. I can just ask Zane to-"

Lloyd cut me off. "No."

"But-" I tried again.

"No."

"Lloyd-"

"Nope."

Exasperated, I sent him a glare-eyed smile. "Fine. But I'll be driving."

Lloyd didn't mind. He nodded, then traced the line of my jaw with the back of his finger. My glare faded. The ghost of a kiss he passed across my lips made me shiver.

"Just don't run into anyone," he murmured. The look in his squinted eyes was wickedly teasing. "I might get jealous."

I blushed with mortification. "I try really hard not to remember that, thanks."

Lloyd snickered. He pecked my cheek before shuffling from the bed and finding a hoodie to pull on. I patted my face to cool it down. I didn't want to recall the time I knocked into the Green Ninja with my car - or that I gave him a Star Wars plaster for an injury that was so obviously from the skateboard I'd whacked him with earlier that morning.

Actually, all of our first few interactions involved me naively humiliating myself to the highest degree. My palms planted themselves over my face. I was so embarrassed that I could happily dig myself a hole in the ground and hide inside it for the rest of eternity.

I peeked at Lloyd through my fingers. He was frowning in concentration at the hoodie's drawstring, trying to make the ends sit even. Humiliating or not, he still managed to find me at least somewhat charming.

When he was satisfied with his drawstring, Lloyd turned to me with a smile. I slipped from the bed and took his outstretched hand.

We said our quick goodbyes to the team, Wu, and the handful of monks that we saw on the way. I was stopped for a quick chat with Dimitri, who welcomed me back with that everlasting tired smile he wore, and with Hiyori and Jace, as well. It was nice to see them again.

We stopped outside the door to Misako and Garmadon's room last. Lloyd hesitated with a troubled frown. I wondered what he heard that I couldn't. The door opened before either of us could knock, revealing the amicable grin of his father. His eyes were bloodshot like we'd just caught him crying.

My heart sunk to the deepest pits. The affable look I wore wavered.

"Hello, you two." Garmadon's cheery voice sorely betrayed his lingering despair. "Is there something you need?"

"Just saying good night. We're going back to Y/n's place," Lloyd awkwardly replied. He peeked around the door. "Is Mum..?"

Before Lloyd could finish his trailed-off question and before Garmadon could answer it, Misako appeared at her husband's side. If he looked teary-eyed, then Misako was worse by tenfold. Her nose was red, her cheeks were stained and raw from wiping at them, and her brown eyes stubbornly held a well of tears. Still, she plastered on a smile at the sight of us.

"Lloyd, sweetheart." Misako's brown eyes turned to me and squinted with joy. She took my hands in hers. "Y/n, my darling. It's so good to have you back."

My smile wobbled. Seeing Misako miserable made me miserable. All of her support from over the half-year - in ninja stuff, my pursuit of history and archeology, and general life advice - made her a wisened guardian to me. There was a kinship between us; we were both so similar.

"I'm happy to be back," I replied.

My smile dipped when she had to wipe away a new tear. I couldn't help myself - I enveloped her into a tight hug.

"Oh!" Misako chuckled with surprise before holding me back. "Oh, Y/n. We're so lucky to have you in this family."

My throat tightened. I clenched my eyes shut. I was more than lucky to be here and be part of their family. They'd welcomed me with open arms since the first day I'd stumbled across the invisible barrier and got myself lost in their forest.

When I pulled back, the wells of tears in Misako's eyes more so resembled miniature oceans. She held my cheek with a hand and smiled.

"Such a sweet girl," Misako affectionately said. My heart stitched itself back together.

"You two drive safe in the snow," Garmadon said. He patted his son's shoulder with an affectionate, sad smile. "Let us know when you arrive."

Lloyd nodded. "I'll text you." He turned to his mother and wrapped her into a tight, consoling hug. Eager for the comfort, she pressed her face into his shoulder with a sniffle. He kissed his mother's temple - I couldn't be sure if it was to soothe her or was one of gratitude.

I looked away with a small smile. They seemed a little more bonded than before, even if they both were at the ends of their emotional tethers. His dad and I shared a warm look.

Garmadon clapped his son's back when it was his turn for a hug, and then we were leaving. I peeked up at Lloyd's face as we walked out of the East Wing and toward the monastery exit. His red eyes were subtly glistening.

"You still holding up?" I gently asked.

Lloyd glanced down at me. He sighed through his nose and found my hand with his.

"I just feel bad that she's upset," he answered. "Dad is too, of course, but she's taking it way harder."

"She'll be okay," I reassured. "Misako's one of the most resilient people I've ever met."

Lloyd smiled and huffed with amusement. He knew it, too. Misako was a tough warrior even without a gi or powers.

It wasn't too bad of a drive back home, though Lloyd didn't make me feel much better by clinging to the grab handle every time I took a corner. The roads weren't even icy. I was a decent driver!

It wasn't snowing in my suburb which I was disappointed about. Lloyd flicked his dad a text while we hurried across the driveway and onto the patio. I held the doorknob and hesitated.

"Mum knows, by the way," I warned. "Just in case you need to be prepared for an interrogation. I'm not sure how she's going to react."

Lloyd faltered, the tiniest notion of fear crossing his face. He composed himself and nodded. "Okay."

Taking his hand in mine, I opened the door. The warmth of inside made me sigh with relief. We peeled off our coats and lined our sneakers by the door. By the sound of humming coming from the kitchen, I could tell that Mum was in the middle of cooking dinner.

Weaving my fingers through Lloyd's again, I led him toward Mum's hums. I peered around her at what was being stirred in the pan - it smelt like lasagne - and I brightened with elation. She made the best lasgane. I was so ready for my Mum's homemade lasagne.

"Hi, Mrs. L/n," Lloyd greeted.

Mum flinched and splattered mince against the cooktop's splash back. She looked over her shoulder at us with eyes wide in surprise.

"Jesus!" she exclaimed. "When did you two get here?"

Lloyd winced with an apologetic grin. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

I smiled proudly. All my ninja training must've been paying off, even though spooking Mum was entirely unintentional. Grumbling beneath her breath, Mum tapped the wooden spoon against the rim of the pan and placed it aside so we could chat. The mince was brought down to a simmer. She turned around to face us with crossed arms and a blank frown.

Lloyd went stiff and still beside me. I felt that small smidge of pride wither away and get replaced with cool fear.

"I heard that you two have figured everything out," she said sceptically. Her finger tapped against her arm. I felt my heartbeat match its rhythm. "Have you?"

Lloyd and I nervously glanced at each other. We nodded.

Mum raised a brow. "Everything?"

We nodded again.

Mum brightened at our double confirmation. She reached up and pinched each of our cheeks with a happy beam. Lloyd took it with grace while I reared my head away with a grunt of complaint.

"I'm so happy to hear that! If you hadn't, we'd be doing circle time!" She softened into something less teasing and more sincere. "I'm glad to have you back here, Lloyd. This house has been missing a Green Ninja."

Lloyd's cautious expression eased into a warmhearted smile. "Thanks, Mrs. L/n. I'm happy to be back. Is there anything we can do to help?"

Mum looked back at dinner and sighed. "No, it's pretty much done. Thank you for the offer, though. I'll call you two when it's ready." When she noticed us lingering, she shooed us away with flicks of her hands. "Go on, scram."

She turned back to continue cooking with the return of her content humming. I wanted to melt with relief - she hadn't mentioned the age thing. I took Lloyd's hand and turned to lead him up to my room before our good luck ran short.

Mum called out just as we began to ascend the stairs. "Oh, Lloyd?"

"Yes?"

Her voice turned with wicked humour. "Let me know if you want any apple slices or juice boxes."

I whipped around with horrified exclamation. "Mother!"

Lloyd just laughed and pushed me along. "Thanks, Mrs. L/n. I will."

Face blazing with embarrassment at her cackles of amusement, I slammed my bedroom door shut. At ease, Lloyd fell back onto my mattress and laced his fingers over his stomach with a grin. I huffed with disbelief at my mum's humour.

Frustrated, I shook my head. "She's awful, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," he chuckled. "It was funny. I like joking about it more than people being sympathetic. It just gets awkward otherwise."

I surveyed his expression and found him being entirely truthful. He was okay. He did find it funny. I forced myself to relax and fell onto the bed beside him.

"Comedy is tragedy plus time," I sighed.

Lloyd made a sound of agreement. He rolled onto his side and pushed his face into my shoulder. His arm slung across my stomach, heavy and warm. My hand came up to rest in his soft hair.

It was good that he was okay to laugh about it. That meant it was something he'd already came to accept, even if he had a difficult time telling new people about it. Lloyd had too many tragedies clinging onto him already.

Speaking of tragedies...

"Do you think Raptra's okay?" I asked.

Lloyd mumbled into my collarbone. "Should be, her cut was only shallow. The only trouble would be if it gets infected."

"No, I mean... do you think she's okay?" I emphasised. "She got attacked just for wanting to see the sun. I feel horrible for her."

Lloyd turned his head until his chin rested upon the bone of my shoulder. I shifted my gaze to meet his, but his pine-lush eyes were staring down with contemplation.

"It's... difficult," he slowly began. "It's sad, I agree, but Serpentine and Humans already had a bad relationship centuries before humanity began to think they were just scary fairytales." He sighed with a grimace. "... and with the Great Devourer almost levelling the city five years ago and all their attacks since, they haven't really given themselves a good name."

I frowned. I understood what he was saying, I really did, but I couldn't shake the feeling of injustice. Raptra was just one little snake - how upset were all the other little Serpentine that they couldn't see the sun?

"Isn't there something we can do?" I asked. "Can't we talk to them?"

Lloyd smiled softly at me - probably because I had good intentions but was being totally naive. I knew well that life wasn't always puppies and rainbows.

"I wish it was that easy, sunshine." He tucked a lock of hair back along my head. "They're not really the 'talking' kind, and even if we did try to talk to them... well, you saw how Raptra was scared of me. If they aren't frightened of us, then they despise us."

"But don't you think that they're a little justified in their anger?" I pointed out. "I mean, yes, attacking people is bad - but I don't blame them for feeling angry. Elemental Masters did lock them all away in tombs for centuries."

"It was a war," Lloyd reasoned. "They refused multiple attempts of peace treaties. Doing that was the only way to avoid more bloodshed."

"So why are their descendants still paying the price?" I asked. "Lloyd, all Raptra wanted to do was see the sun and she got attacked. She's just a kid. You know that's not fair."

He closed his eyes and released a long, low exhale of weariness. "Yeah, I do, but it's not something that can be solved just because we want it. How are we supposed to talk to them if they attack us whenever we're in the same location? How do we get Humans and Serpentine to stop hating each other?"

I dropped my head back onto my duvet and stared at the ceiling. That was the biggest dilemma, wasn't it? Serpentine had a right to hate Humans for locking them underground, and Humans had a right to hate the Serpentine for constantly putting them in danger. It was a feud with no discernible end.

"I'm not sure," I quietly said. "But I think we should at least try. How is anything supposed to get better if we don't try?"

Lloyd was quiet for a short while, ruminating on my words that lingered in the air between us. I'd grown attached to sweet, little Raptra in the short time I'd known her, and even if her father and brother attacked us, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for them. Being stuck underground because of a war that the majority of humanity had forgotten about had to be awful.

They'd technically been released, sure, but weren't they still locked down there? The padlock was only invisible.

No matter what I thought, though, Lloyd was the one who dealt with the Serpentine attacks, not me. His recent wound was still fresh. He might've held a totally different opinion - I could never deny that the Serpentine were dangerous.

Lloyd huffed a breath and lifted himself onto his arms above me. My gaze turned from the ceiling to his eyes, and I watched as the pretty red bled out from his pupil like the blossoming of an ink spot. His smile was small and enamoured, something for me alone.

"You amaze me sometimes, you know that?" he quietly murmured. "I can't think of anyone who cares about other people as much as you do."

Butterflies erupted in my belly like a mini volcanic eruption. I was sure if I were to cough, it would be full of wings and smoke like a cartoon character. He grinned at the flustered look that crossed my face.

"It's kind of exhausting, sometimes," I breathlessly admitted. Being worried over everyone and everything did that to you.

He snickered and pecked the tip of my nose. My blush bloomed even hotter.

"We can talk to Wu about it," he suggested. "He should be able to help us come up with a plan."

My eyes widened. "Really?" At his nod, I flung my arms around his neck and yanked him down to press elated kisses upon his face. He squeezed his eyes shut with a tinkling giggle. "Thank you thank you thank you!!"

Lloyd grinned at my excitement. He rolled onto his back and pulled me with him, and I splayed upon his chest with giddiness. His shoulder must've been feeling much better since he didn't even grimace at putting weight on it. That anti-venom of Mistaké's really did wonders.

I was so glad he agreed. The differences we could make would be astounding - imagine it, a society where we could peacefully coexist? It would be a mission to get there and the hurdles to cross would be a nightmare, but that glimpse of hope was intoxicating. If it worked, it'd all be worth it.

He rubbed his hands down my back. I released a sigh of peace, daydreaming about the future.

"Oh," said Lloyd with sudden surprise. When I curiously lifted my head, he met my gaze with wide eyes. "I never told you about Pythor."

I sent him a confused look. "Who's Pythor?"

"An asshole," Lloyd said firmly. My brows raised at his conviction. "He's the last Anacondri. I'm pretty sure he cannibalised the rest when they were all locked up."

My face pulled into a look of horror and disgust. "Ew! How do you know someone like that?"

"Ah, well when I was ten, homeless and in desperate need of a parental figure, I released him from his tomb, because he was the perfect candidate," he answered sarcastically, before his sassiness faded into solemnity. His fingertips drew along my spine. "I really thought he was my friend, you know? I was so happy, too. He would've been the first friend I'd ever had. Then he left me for dead in a volcano."

My eyes widened in shock. "Jesus Christ, Lloyd."

Lloyd smiled at me with tired amusement. "I know, right?"

I recalled our talk on the deck of the Bounty, lying beneath the stars. That was before Morro, and before he knew about my dad. The guilt I'd felt at holding that secret while he'd admitted he'd been betrayed in the past was debilitating.

"Pythor was the one who betrayed you," I said with quiet realisation. "I'm sorry, hero. He does sound like an asshole."

"I think he got his karma when he released the Great Devourer and then immediately got eaten." Lloyd sighed. "But, of course, he came back. Whenever I run into him he taunts me for trusting him when I was little. It's so frustrating."

"A total asshole," I said unhappily. "If I ever see him, I'll make sure he apologises to you."

Lloyd chuckled at my declaration. "And how do you think you're going to do that, gorgeous?"

My heart fluttered at the pet name. "I'll find a way."

He snickered, amused by my determination. He laid his head back on the bed and continued drawing designs on my shoulder blades. I rested my cheek on his chest and listened to his heart beat, wondering how on earth anybody could ever treat a little kid like that. How cruel did someone have to be?

We stayed entwined until dinner was called.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

Walking into school hand-in-hand with Lloyd felt all kinds of right. People still stared and murmured, but being at his side was like being inside an invisible bubble, shielding me from their nasty glares and mutters.

I brushed raindrops from my jacket while I talked about random things to distract Lloyd from hearing  the quiet insults. I began to tell him all about the extensive lore of Tolkien's books and the family trees within them, because that was a topic that never waned. He tried his best to keep up.

"I don't get it," Lloyd said.

I sighed. Just as I feared.

Naomi ran into us before we could make it to art class. Gasping my name, she darted toward us, miscalculated her distances and bumped into my side with a yelp. Lloyd swiftly grabbed Naomi's shoulder and my waist to keep us from staggering.

"Thanks," Naomi breathed. She did a double take at seeing us together, and another when she noticed that Lloyd didn't move his hand from my waist. "You guys are-? Never mind! Y/n, I just had the most insane thing happen to me!"

I stared at her with shock. She looked hectic, like she'd woken up far too late and was paying the price for it. Half of her ponytail was falling out. Her cheeks were flushed and her blue eyes were wild.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes!" She opened her mouth to elaborate, glanced at Lloyd, pondered for a second, and then decided to continue. "Actually, you can know about this, too." She grabbed my arm and did a happy little bounce. "I texted Cole! We spoke all night!"

Lloyd made a sound of happy surprise. My worry was swiftly replaced with delight.

"Really?!" I gasped.

"Yes!" Naomi buried her squeal into my shoulder. "I didn't even get any sleep!"

"Is that why your shirt's on inside-out?" Lloyd asked with an amused smirk.

She glanced down at herself. "Oh! Would you look at that? Ah - who cares! I talked to Cole!"

I giggled at her infectious elation. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Oh, my god, everything!" Naomi gushed. "We spoke about his job, y'know, and what kind of stuff he does for it, and we talked about how uni is so overrated (no offence) and brainstormed what I might want to do instead! Oh - and then we talked about this new action movie that just came out that he wants to see but can't, obviously, and I said I could probably pirate it somewhere and he said 'that's kind of illegal' and I was like 'okay, we'll wait for it to come out of cinemas and watch it together' and he was like 'yeah, good idea!' so I'm pretty sure we're going to have a date-"

Naomi had to stop to catch her breath. I released a laugh of shock - I thought I could ramble, but she was giving me a run for my money. Lloyd looked overwhelmed just by trying to keep up.

"Oh, my god!" Naomi pinged back up and startled us both. "And he said I was really good at punching but that I could get some extra training with him." She clasped my shoulders with a heavy, iron grip and a deadly-serious stare. "Y/n. Slap me."

I made a sound of baffled humour. "What?"

  "I have to be dreaming," she despaired and shook me. "This can't be real!"

  "It's real," Lloyd said amusedly. "No need for a slap." 

Naomi squealed a hysteric little giggle and hid her red face into my jersey. I laughed and patted my best friend's back. She was so cute when she was head over heels.

She swiftly pulled back when her phone dinged. Hurriedly, she grabbed it from her pocket and checked the screen.

"It's Cole!" Naomi said giddily. She held her phone to her chest as if it was a precious thing. "Okay, I'm going. I'm glad you guys are together again! I'll need the details later! Love you!"

"Love you, too," I replied, chuckling. Lloyd waved her off before catching my eye when I turned to send him a stunned smile. "Wow."

"The wheels are in motion," Lloyd agreed. He wrapped his arm around my waist and led us toward our class. "We should invite Naomi to the monastery."

"We should!" I agreed. I spent most of art wondering about how she'd react to the mythical-looking place.

Less happy about Lloyd's and my reunion was Claire. She stopped me in the entrance to the cafeteria before we could head towards the ninja's table and instead dragged me toward our friend group. Bewildered, I allowed her to haul me there. I guess my lunch plans had been made for me.

"Come with me," she said, as if her nails digging into my wrist gave me much of a choice.

Not even a hello. I glanced back at Lloyd. He stared after us with a stony, uncharacteristic scowl.

"Hi?" I greeted Claire in confusion. She stopped us at our table and sat down next Aaliyah with a huff.

"You're insane," she declared, and looked up at me as if I'd personally insulted her. "I can't believe you!"

"Dude, what have you done?" Nathan asked.

I frowned at them with confusion. "... mind elaborating?"

"Are you seriously dating him again?" one of the girls, Dove, asked. She never really spoke to me that much, except for now, apparently. "Y/n, you had an out!"

My confusion flamed into irritation. I should've known this was about Lloyd. The only time the whole group paid any attention to me was to criticise my choice in boyfriend.

Naomi was in the library, studying (or texting Cole). She wouldn't be able to defend me like she usually did when the group kicked up an unreasinable fuss. I felt myself grow smaller beneath their dirty glares. I hadn't even been invited to sit - they hadn't made room for me at the table.

I glanced at Aaliyah. She didn't meet my eyes. A familiar, faint ache of betrayal sat heavy in my gut.

"I don't see the problem." I said. "Lloyd's always been my boyfriend. Nothing's changed."

"We're just trying to make sure you're really thinking about this," said Harper a little too sweetly. "I mean... it's Garmadork."

My neck bristled at the nickname. "Don't call him that." I hated it when they called him that.

"Y/n, be reasonable," Claire sternly said. "Are you really going to ruin your life over some boy? I get that he's cute, but he's so lame. He's not worth it."

"How would you know?" I asked. "You haven't even made an effort to get to know him."

Her eyes widened with fury at my question, as if it was some kind of clapback rather than plain fact. Her expression swirled with malice.

"Why would I? His dad almost destroyed all of Ninjago!" She laughed then, as if I were so incredulous that she found it funny.

I rolled my eyes and rubbed my hands down my face. This was getting tiresome.

"Look, Y/n,  think about what it's doing to us," Nathan said. "People are starting to look at us funny. Who wants to be friends with the girl who's dating the guy next-in-line to destroy all of Ninjago?"

His words hit like a blow to the chest. I stared at them all in shock - I knew that none of them liked me dating Lloyd, but they hadn't dogpiled me about it like this before. Even when I was the one standing, it felt like I was being looked down upon. The pit in my chest grew deeper.

I looked to Aaliyah again, but she just bowed her head further into her chest. She wasn't going to help me. I closed my eyes with defeat.

"How long is it going to take for me to convince you that Lloyd's nothing like how everyone thinks he is?" I wearily asked. "He's good and he's kind. He's the most selfless person I know."

The atmosphere of the table didn't shift with the beginnings of realisation like how I'd naively hoped - it darkened instead, as if everybody was upset that I didn't agree. I shouldn't have been surprised. When had they ever really listened to me? When had they ever allowed their opinion about Lloyd to change?

How was it that Chen could change, but my own friends couldn't?

I was growing exhausted of this endless routine. "I understand you're all just trying to look out for me, but I'm fine. I'm happy with Lloyd."

Eyes caught across the table, silent messages I couldn't decipher delivered between them. I felt like an outsider trying to understand a foreign conversation. When they all began to mumble about different topics, I sighed at a battle lost. I didn't want to entertain more side-glances and questioning.

Aaliyah finally lifted her gaze to me. Her smile was uncertain. It fell when I turned to leave - she didn't try to stop me. She never did.

I returned to the ninja. A small part of me was comforted that I could again sit at their table in the corner by the bins, but the larger part of me dragged. It was like every time my friends talked about Lloyd, I lost all of my social energy in one shot. I'd never known them to be so draining.

The team were already halfway into their lunch. Their greetings were bright but distracted; Jay, Zane and Nya were busy working on a small robot for their group project, and Kai was slumped on the table playing Candy Crush with boredom, his textbook forgotten.

Only Lloyd saw the look on my face. He would've been aware of everything that was happening from the moment Claire dragged me away, and he would've listened in on it all, too. The edge to his green eyes was frosty with dislike as I took my seat at his side.

His arm came up and wrapped around me protectively. I sunk into his hold with a closing of my eyes - the weekend had been tiring enough. I really didn't want any needless teenage drama to sprout up and unbalance me moments after I finally felt settled.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd murmured into my hair.

I slowly nodded. "People are exhausting."

He hummed with distant agreement. I peeked my eyes open and glanced up at his face. Lloyd was glowering at the table that held my friends with an iciness he didn't usually show, frustrated and annoyed at the lack of what he could do. It was the glare of the Green Ninja in the centre of his mission.

I startled when Nya, Jay and Zane cheered. Their robotics project - a small cat - was walking around the table top and swishing its tail. I had to grin at their elation. It was such a simple project compared to the machines they usually worked on, but their reaction was infectious.

I threaded my fingers through Lloyd's and squeezed his hand to bring him back to us. His stormy gaze dropped to me, cold and glaring. He softened at my smile.

These people could never exhaust me.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

I didn't get to see Lloyd for the rest of the school day until the last bell rung. He slunk his arm around my waist and pulled me into his chest the moment I stepped out of my history classroom.

My heart jumped with a startle at his silent, sweet surprise. I ignored the stares and happily wrapped my arms around Lloyd. What a great way to end the day - it almost made me feel better about the confrontation at lunch.

"Hey," I contently greeted. "Did you miss me?"

He didn't reply, but the way his arms tightened around me was answer enough. I squeezed my eyes closed and inhaled the springtime scent of his hair. My gorgeous, perfect hero.

Lloyd pulled back and stepped us forward to merge with the flow of the crowd. "Let's get out of here."

Kai and Zane joined us for the drive back to the monastery. The boys recounted a spectacular failure of a mission for me as Lloyd expertly navigated the icy streets. I giggled along to their humorous accounts and playful jabs at each other.

"Put on some thermals over your training gear and bring your coat," Lloyd said when the truck pulled to a stop. He patted my thigh. "I'll meet you back out here in ten."

Outdoor training in this cold? I held back a groan - I'd really hoped that my afternoon's training was going to take place in the nice, sheltered dojo. Nonetheless, I quickly dropped my stuff off in Lloyd's room and got changed.

All zipped up and cosy, I returned to the monastery's entrance. The rest of the team had already taken off for patrol on their dragons, making sure the city was kept safe even in this frigid temperature. Lloyd waited for me with a bag slung from his shoulder and a beanie over his curls.

I melted. Beanie Lloyd...

"Ready to go?" he asked with a smile.

I nodded with exaggeration. "Yes, Sensei."

He snorted and pulled my coat's hood over my head. I yelped.

"I'm no Sensei," he snickered. He jogged down the steps while I rightened my hood with an amused roll of my eyes.

Bentley materialised on the driveway with a burst of green light and a gasp from myself. He met my dash toward him halfway. Amused, Lloyd stood back as I hugged his Elemental Dragon's door-sized head with a joyous squeal.

"Bentley, my baby!" I excitedly exclaimed. "I've missed you!" 

The dragon purred with such a deep rumble that I felt it rattle my bones. He pushed his head against my chest as if wishing he were small enough to curl into my arms, tail wagging like a dog. Smitten, I kissed the scales between Bentley's horns and patted down his jaw. I couldn't believe that I'd once been afraid of him.

"My beautiful baby boy," I gushed. Bentley lifted his head with a croon and nudged his snout into my collar. I kissed the spot between his nostrils with a giggle.

"Alright, you two." Lloyd tapped Bentley's cheek to guide his snuggles away with a fond smile. He leapt onto his back with graceful ease. "We have training."

I clambered into the saddle behind Lloyd and wrapped my arms around his waist. His body warmed, as he always did when we went for a flight, my ninja-boyfriend-space-heater. My stomach twisted as Bentley bunched into himself and leapt off.

The wind was horridly cold. I hid my face in Lloyd's jacket and kept my eyes closed for the flight. I was sure they'd freeze in their sockets otherwise.

My intrigue rose when Bentley landed and I peeked my eyes back open. It was blindingly white and a few degrees colder, and it took me a moment to recognise the familiar clearing with all its fresh, undisturbed snow. It was our meadow.

"Whoa..." It looked like a painting. The pine trees were dark green and frosted white, and the reeds and bushes that lined the lake were dusted with snow. The lake had been completely frozen over.

"I know, right?" Lloyd agreed with a grin. He hopped from Bentley and held out his arms for me to assist my dismount. The snow crunched beneath my boots. I kept staring around us in wonder.

I turned back to Lloyd when he slipped the bag from his shoulder and rifled through it. My bafflement grew when he pulled out a cute pair of a white ice skates. I wordlessly took them from his outstretched hands and turned them over, inspecting.

"It's a good thing you and Mum have the same shoe size," Lloyd said. He pulled out another pair of black skates. I could tell by the green laces that they were his.

"I thought we were training?" I asked. My eyes widened as I hastily begun to backtrack. "Not that I'm complaining!"

"This is training," he answered with a smmirk. "Ice skating is all about your core balance and muscular control. You think we can run along a wire without knowing how to skate on blades?"

I made a sound of consideration. That made sense. I leant back against Bentley and untied my laces to change my footwear. When we both had our skates laced on, Lloyd held out his arm and helped me hobble to the lake.

"I haven't skated since I was, like, five," I nervously warned.

"You're okay," Lloyd reassured. He slowly walked backwards onto the ice and held out his other hand for me to take. I grabbed it with a grip that could cut circulation. "We'll take it slow."

I peeked up from my skates and managed a smile. The ice made a scratching, solid sound when I placed my first skate on it, and my foot wobbled beneath my weight. I held my breath.

Lloyd didn't catch me or righten my balance. He held my hands as an anchor and allowed me to find my own centre of gravity. When I was semi-confident, I placed my other skate on the ice. I turned my gaze up to him. His eyes were startlingly soft and red.

"Good?" Lloyd asked.

I released my breath with a nod. "Good."

"Okay." He smiled with encouragement and began to slowly skate backwards. I was gently pulled along, staring at the ice beneath us. "Think of your feet as a swan that's gliding along the surface of the lake. Your goal is smoothness. Don't look down - eyes on me."

I lifted my focus back to Lloyd. He moved with such fluidity. I was in awe of how sure he was of his own body, coasting backwards across the ice like a dancer. Thin, small snowflakes began to pepper the khaki green of his beanie and the shoulders of his black jacket. They began to sit on the tips of his blond curls.

My cheeks grew hotter the longer I stared. He was so beautiful, a glowing creature in this wash of icy white.

"There you go!" Lloyd sang with pride. My eyes widened, jolted back to reality. Frozen lake. Skating. Our hands entwined. Him moving fluidly, and me finding myself impressed by my balance.

"I wasn't even thinking about it," I confessed.

"That's good!" he praised. "Balance should be instinctual. If you start to overthink, your balance will suffer. It should be only a feeling, not a command."

I glanced up when a bird flew overhead, chittering into the cold air. I tried hard not to think about my skating - my body knew how to keep me upright. Trust in my legs. Trust in my relationship with gravity. I kept on gliding.

I breathlessly laughed, stunned by my success. "If we were back in summer, I would've pulled us both over." I winced at the thought. Ice was unforgiving.

Lloyd smiled softly. "You've come a long way, sunshine. I'm so proud of you."

My cheeks warmed at his praise. I had been trying hard. It was difficult keeping my schoolwork balanced with my training, and I was exhausted most of the time, but the payoff was so worth it.

"I've had a good Sensei," I coyly said.

His soft look dropped with a huff of exasperation. "Not a Sensei."

"Semantics."

Lloyd lifted his eyes to the clouds with a deadpanned inhale. I smirked at his amused annoyance.

"Wanna try by yourself?" he asked.

I nodded. Lloyd let go of one hand and effortlessly swung around until we were skating side-by-side. My balance teetered for a second, but I managed to righten myself. I sent him an excited beam and he smiled back. This was so fun!

"Balance is the most important foundation for everything we do," Lloyd explained. "There's no point in throwing a strong punch if we have no balance behind it. The thing that makes or breaks a martial artist is about how much effort they put into training their relationship with gravity."

"And you say you're not a Sensei."

"Because I'm not," he patiently insisted. "Dad and Wu had centuries of training with Uchū. I've only had six, and the first year of it was spent seeing how much trouble I could get away with."

I laughed. "Your poor uncle."

Lloyd grinned with amusement. We skated for a short while in peaceful silence, picking up speed when I began to grow bored of our pace. The wind blew a song through the trees. Birds chattered and sung. The skates slid and cut a thin line through the ice. Our breaths were hot, tumbling in the air before us.

Lloyd broke the quiet. "I heard what your friends said to you. Why do you still hang out with them?"

I glanced up at him. He watched me with a stifling amount of worry in his red eyes, and I couldn't help but soften with gratitude. The lack of sympathy that my friends had was made up tenfold by Lloyd's.

"It's okay. They just worry about how other people treat me."

His frown hardened. "I worry about how they treat you."

I couldn't blame him. My friends had always been rough around the edges, and it had noticeably gotten worse since I moved back to Ninjago City. But he didn't know them as long as I had - they'd always been like that. My friends were never really the caring kind, aside from Naomi.

"I've been friends with most of them since I was in preschool," I said gently. "Besides, they don't have bad intentions, they just come off that way."

Lloyd sent me a look full of doubt. "I don't think that's how it works, sweetheart."

"It's how we work," I said airily. "It's fine, hero. Once we graduate it'll all die down, anyway. There's way more important things to worry about in uni than who's-dating-who."

"Y/n." Lloyd skidded to a stop and swung me around to face him. My stomach was left behind by the swoop my skates made. I stared at him, surprised by our sudden halt and the firm look he was giving me. "I'm serious. They treat you like shit."

My smile faded. "... I know."

"Then why do you put yourself through it?" he asked with disbelief.

"Because they've been a big part of my life for a long time," I answered. I lifted my hand to his pink cheek and slid my fingertips beneath his beanie. "I can't just drop them for being a little bitchy, Lloyd. That's not me. It's not who I am." 

He released an exhale full of despair and leant into my palm. He knew who I was, too. I didn't give up on people.

"I just wished you valued yourself more than them," Lloyd murmured.

My brows knotted at his familiar plea. Kai had once said something similar, back when I was risking my life to save Lloyd. Maybe they were right. Maybe I didn't value myself enough.

But I always thought the whole thing about being a hero was to put everybody else before yourself? It didn't make sense.

Sense or no, what I was sure of was that I didn't like the way the atmosphere between us had grown dreary. We were ice skating! This was supposed to be romantic and fun, even if it did technically count as training.

"Hey." I gave Lloyd a challenging grin. "You reckon you could do spinjitsu on skates?"

He frowned. "Don't try to change the subject."

I sent him an imploring pout, a silent beg to humour me and let the tension drain. Lloyd relented to my pleading with a groan.

"It was the first move I learnt when Zane took me ice skating," he grumbled.

Of course it was Zane who taught him to skate. "I wanna see! Please?"

Lloyd sent me a dry, petulant look. I gathered his hands in mine and turned on the puppy-dog eyes.

"Pretty please?" I begged. "Pretty, pretty, pretty please?"

He couldn't resist - whether it was my beseeching or his patience running thin, Lloyd dropped his head back and sighed. My hands fell to my sides when he skated a few feet back.

"You're lucky you're cute," Lloyd muttered beneath his breath. "I'd let you get away with murder."

I smiled and batted my lashes. "I love you too, hero."

His cheeks darkened. "Yeah, yeah."

Lloyd pulled off his beanie and stuffed it into his pants pocket, leaving his curls in disarray. He glanced at me to make sure I was paying attention (my focus had never been so razor sharp) before skating a few paces at speed, leaping up and launching into the legendary move.

Spinjitsu was still so strange to watch in person, no matter how many times I saw it. The small, green tornado violently whipped around the ice-lake with dizzying speed my eyes struggled to keep up with. It didn't look real, like I was standing in a video game, magic come to life. So many parts of Lloyd's world still confounded me.

I shrieked when the tornado suddenly zipped toward me. I didn't have time to flee. I bunched into myself and braced for impact, but my skates being slipped out from beneath me and an arm nailed around my waist dropped me halfway to the ice. My yelp was shrill and echoed above the woods. My heart beat thundered.

I peeked my eyes open and found that he'd dipped me over the ice. My laughter at the thrill that buzzed through my body echoed amongst the ice-tipped trees. Lloyd's grumpy facade broke into a snicker and a grin. He dropped his forehead into my collar, laughing with me as we caught our breath.

"You didn't say it back," I said between giggles.

Lloyd nipped the cold skin beneath my chin. "I love you more than you love your old, dusty books, my annoying little ray of sunshine."

I gasped with amusement. "You're such a romantic!"

He guffawed and swung me upright. I landed against his chest with a thump and another round of hysteric giggles that made my knees weak. Only his arms around my waist kept me from falling to the ice, and while I attempted to regain my composure, his lips brushed along my cheek and to my temple. My face flushed warm and the velvety feeling, steaming in the chilly air. My hands rose to link behind his neck.

Lloyd dropped his mouth to the shell of my ear. "The next time one of your friends are rude to you, I'm gonna set their car on fire," he whispered.

I sighed. "Lloyd."

"Okay, alright." He quietly relented. "I'll stop."

He pulled his head away and released a breath through his nose, staring at me with a troubled frown. His hands at the small of my back twitched, as if wanting to keep me locked against him forever. I sent him a soft smile and brought him down for a kiss.

"I know you love being my hero, but this isn't a battle," I said gently. "It's only some high school immaturity. You don't need to worry so much."

Lloyd didn't respond to that. His brows just knotted with reservation and bent down to kiss me again. His mouth was hot, his breath scalding. It was such a nice change to the frigid temperature of the clearing we stood in. My stomach fluttered with delight.

It wasn't a hungry kiss, or quick and chaste like the ones he gave me before we had to part ways. This one lingered, soft and slow like a promise of lifelong devotion. After he parted for us to sip our breath, he kissed me again. I felt weak all over.

"I just want you to be happy," Lloyd murmured.

My heart filled with so much love at his quiet words that I was sure it was going to burst right out of my chest and melt away all this snow. His whisper against my lips was quieter than the wind through the trees or the fluttering of our hair, a confession for me alone. I adored him so much.

"I am happy," I said with a soft smile. "You make me happy. That's all that matters to me."

Lloyd's worry faded into a touched look. I nudged my lips against his, asking for another kiss. He keenly obliged.

I was convinced that this was the best training session we'd ever had.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃
 

We didn't get to stay out on the ice for long. Winter dusks came swiftly, so after an hour of testing my balance and speed on skates, we decided it was time to head home.

I sighed with relief at the cosy warmth of the monastery as I peeled off my jacket. My legs wobbled from exertion, my body shaking from using all the muscles I didn't know existed. Even just leisurely skating was a workout - but the speed test near the end really pushed me close to failure.

The rest of the team were in the games room, relaxing in sweats and slippers after their patrol. Kai and Cole were engrossed in a first person shooter video game, Zane was reading a book I recognised as one of my own classics, and Jay was scrolling through an online Starfarer comic.

"Y/n, you're back!" Nya greeted enthusiastically when Lloyd and I entered. She leapt from the couch and spun me back around to the exit. "Hang out with me! It's mani night."

I sent her a confused look as she pushed me toward the door. When Nya wiggled her fingers at me, I brightened with an excited smile. It'd been a while since I had a manicure.

"Sounds fun!" I said.

"Ah-kay." Jay patted Cole's back and stood from the couch. "Duty calls."

"Make sure you pick a pretty colour," he teased.

"Um, I always pick pretty colours," Jay smugly replied. He hooked his arm through Lloyd's. "C'mon, Chosen One. It's self-care double-date night."

Baffled, Lloyd allowed himself to get dragged back out the doorway. "Oh. Okay."

"Have fun!" Kai distractedly called. His body twisted, as if it would affect the controller's aim. "Don't let the girls stab you with tweezers."

I sent Nya an alarmed look. She shrugged.

Self-care double-date night was held in Nya's bedroom, where she pulled out a box of tools and products from her closet. She placed it onto the mattress before grabbing her laptop and perching on her bed. Jay began rifling through the box without hesitation - they'd clearly did manis together.

"Do you know what the worst thing about fingernails are, Y/n?" Nya asked as she booted up her laptop.

Still bewildered by the turn of events, Lloyd grabbed a seat on the edge of the bed. Tentatively, I took the spot beside him. Nya's laptop began to play a quiet rock mix and was placed aside.

"Uh... I'm gonna say 'no,'" I answered.

"The worst thing is being on top of keeping them short and strong," she grumbled. "Because if you don't, they split, and every time a nail splits, I always scratch myself with it or it gets caught on my gi and pulls threads. It's so annoying."

Lloyd inspected his chewed-edge nails. "Huh. You're right."

"When have I ever steered you wrong?" Nya asked. He made a sound of agreement.

Jay handed me a nail file and cuticle oil. "Please don't get it on the duvet! Speaking from experience, it's a nightmare to get out."

I nodded. Lloyd plucked the oil from my fingers and spun it in observation. The ochre liquid sluggishly sloshed within the glass vial. I smiled at his childish fascination and began filing my nails.

My concentration slipped when Jay got started on Nya's, and the intense focus on his face was both sweet and comical. He noticed me watching him.

"I used to do my mum's nails for her's and Dad's date nights," he answered with a grin. "She's got shaky hands."

"Jay's as steady as they come. It's what makes him such a great mechanic," Nya said proudly.

"Aw! Thank you, honeybear." Jay leant up to kiss her, smitten with gratitude.

I averted my gaze to give them their moment. Gross. They were adorable. I caught Lloyd's gaze and snickered at the dramatically disgusted look on his face - as if he was any better, my hopeless romantic.

When I finished shaping the unevenness out of my nails, I held my hand out for Lloyd's. He happily allowed me to file his gnawed ends into something neater.

"Are you gonna paint your nails?" he asked.

"I'll see what colours Nya has," I murmured. "What colour do you want?"

"Green."

I briefly paused with disbelief. "I don't know why I even asked."

Jay and Nya giggled at my comment. Lloyd huffed at the tease.

"Fine. Black."

I tsk'd. "Alright, emo."

Nya snickered. Lloyd sent Jay an exasperated look.

"I can't win," he said.

"Welcome to the real world," Jay dryly joked. "Your girlfriend is both your biggest supporter and biggest bully."

Nya laughed. "It's all out of love!"

"Tell that to Mr. Cuddlywump," Jay harrumphed. "You practically tortured him!"

"I love you and Mr. Cuddlywump, but he smelt like mustard and dirt." Nya sent me a serious look. "Trust me, I was doing all of us a favour by putting him in the washing machine."

I made a grossed-out sound and Lloyd scrunched his nose. Jay pouted.

After rubbing cuticle oil into our nails and selecting colours, Lloyd leant me back into my chest and tried his first attempt of painting nails. He was very meticulous - a little too meticulous. He'd managed the first coats of only my thumb and index while Jay had started on the second round of Nya's.

I didn't mind how long he took. It was nice to be pampered, and even nicer to catch up with Jay and Nya. We were invited to their next self-care night; face masks and Karate Kid.

When Lloyd had finally finished, I held out my hands and admired the peachy-coloured paint on my nails. The messiness was so minimal it was almost nonexistent. Lloyd awaited my approval with his chin on my shoulder and a cutely nervous gnaw of his lip.

"It's perfect." I kissed his cheek with gratitude. "Thank you."

Happy at my praise, Lloyd's face went just about as red as his eyes.

Nya had picked out a silver colour for her nails and Jay'd gone an electric yellow. Lloyd rested his head upon mine and watched me paint his nails black. I didn't think he could be so still - he was usually so restless, an ever-moving machine, but he didn't shift an inch during the time I was working.

The door to Nya's room opened when I'd just started opening up the top coat. Kai wandered in and fell upon his sister's desk chair with a loud groan. Cole took a seat on the floor. Zane had followed, standing in the doorway with my book tucked under his arm.

"Uh, excuse me?" Nya asked with annoyance. "What are you all doing in my room? I didn't tell you guys you could come in."

"We're bored," Kai complained.

Nya wasn't sympathetic to her brother's plight. "That's your problem. Get lost!"

"Wow, Nya," Cole said sarcastically. "You're so devoted to our family."

"I'll spit on you, ghost boy."

Cole stuck his tongue out at Nya. Her mouth gaped at the elementary insult.

"Real mature, sis," Kai said with a disappointed shake of his head.

She pointed at Cole with disbelief. "He literally just stuck his tongue out at me!" Nya turned to him with an offended look. "How old are you, five?"

I glanced at Jay, but by the way he was sitting back and docilely watching, I wagered that they got into arguments often. It was the sibling thing to do. Kai raised his palms to calm the room.

"Hey, hey. Let's all settle down." He smirked at the fuming Mistress of Water. "Not everyone can keep up with your temper, Nya. Save it for the bad guys."

Outraged, Nya grabbed a pillow from her bed and lobbed it at her brother. It almost took Jay out in the process and sailed past her target, landing instead against Zane's chest with a soft 'poof.' He caught it with an impassive look.

"Whoa!" Jay said with surprise.

"Out!" she ordered.

Kai rose from her chair with enough force to knock it over and flicked the lights on the way out. Cole laughed at Nya's shout of frustration. Zane picked it up, turned the lights back on and smiled at us calmly, before taking his leave, too.

Nya collapsed against Jay's side with an exhausted groan. He stroked her frazzled hair back and kissed her temple.

"Don't worry," her boyfriend soothed. "You'll make them pay in the next sparring session."

"Jesus," Lloyd mumbled to me beneath his breath. "How are any of these people ninja?"

I grinned to myself as I carefully painted the top coat over his nails. What a crazy, wonderful family.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

On Wednesday, after getting a head start on my homework, Naomi called. We spent the late hours of the evening talking - or, after I explained how Lloyd and I resolved our relationship while somersaulting over any mention of his age mind-fuckery, I spent it listening, and she spent it gushing about Cole.
 
I laid on my bed with my legs hitched and crossed, my foot contently bouncing through the air. My eyes were closed, the cord of my earphones tangled around my finger. I listened to my best friend's ramble with a soft smile. She was hopeless. It was so cute.

Lloyd was called in for a mission halfway through the day, so I spent my lunchtime sitting at my friends' table and being ignored by them all except for Naomi. I didn't mind it, even if it did sting a little. I just focused on our conversation about the ninja's past accomplishments.

I couldn't understand it. Some of us had been friends since diapers - Aaliyah in particular. Why did they care so much about me dating Lloyd? Wouldn't they prefer me to be happy? That's what friends should want, right? I stared at the ceiling with a frown.

A knock on my window pulled me from my simmering doubts. My smile returned.

"Sorry, Nomes," I apologetically cut in. "I gotta go. See you tomorrow!"

"Okay, good night!"

I hung up and pulled the earphones out. When I pulled back my curtains, I found the Green Ninja hanging from my window ledge with a squinted-eyed grin. I sighed with exasperation and opened the window for him to slip inside. He landed on the floor with barely a rustle nor thud.

"Hello, my door-averse boyfriend," I amusedly said. The curtains fell back into place.

Lloyd yanked the mask from his head and greeted me back with an enthusiastic kiss. I squeaked in surprise as he began planting them down my neck, stealing me into his arms so I couldn't escape. My face burned with delight. My heart thrummed.

"Hey, princess." He nipped the tip of my nose.

I leant back to assess his face with a warm smile. Lloyd leant into my touch like puppy chasing scratches. He only had a few cuts and grazes, nothing serious.

"How was your mission?" I asked. "Are you hurt?"

"Nah. It went pretty smoothly."

I'd still prefer to patch him up, no matter how minimal he said it was. I gave his soft lips another kiss and tugged on the black turtleneck of his thermal undershirt.

"Go get a shower," I said. "I'll grab some plasters and an ice pack."

Lloyd buried himself into me with a deep hug and a groan of gratitude. "You're a goddess, you know that?"

I blushed with pride. My hands struggled to push him away, averse to the smell of his sweat. "You stink."

"And you're so kind," he grumbled. I rolled my eyes at his dramatics.

After Lloyd showered, changed and put his gi into the wash, we sat on my bed while I pasted small plasters over his cuts. His thumb rubbed circles on my knee while he sat like a perfect patient. He told me about his mission; the surprise attack on an illegal drug ring, working alongside the police. When I was all caught up, he picked a new topic of conversation.

"The Festival of Light is this weekend," Lloyd announced. "Do you want to go?"

My fingers faltered in their unpeeling of a new plaster. The Festival of Light was the anniversary celebration of the day that Lloyd and his team defeated the Overlord. It was celebrated in Jamanakai too, with ninja-coloured fireworks and cake pops crudely shaped like golden dragons, and I could only imagine that Ninjago City - the place the battle took place - made an even bigger deal. I'd forgotten all about it.

It felt weird to celebrate it knowing that I was supposed to be there alongside the Golden Ninja. It felt weird to celebrate it knowing that it was a battle between a young boy and his father. It wasn't an epic like everyone thought it was. It was a tragedy with a bittersweet ending.

"Are you sure?" I cautiously asked. "Don't you want to spend it with your family?"

He shrugged. "We can always start with them and then head to the festival. I've never really gone to these kinds of events before. I want to see how the city celebrates. We can even make it a date."

I smiled. It seemed like he really wanted to take me. "Okay. A festival date sounds fun!"

Lloyd grinned. He didn't hold it for long, though, and I watched in confusion as it faded. He was staring at his hand on my knee with a disturbed expression.

"Is there something else bothering you?" I asked.

He sighed. "Wu got a call from your dad earlier today."

I paused with confusion. "My dad?"

"Yeah. Axon's been uncooperative with the police. They want to interrogate him, but he's not budging. He keeps saying that he'd only talk to me. We're visiting Kryptarium next Thursday."

  My heart grew cold. No wonder Lloyd looked distressed; the last time we saw Axon, he'd lost control. His genetics (whatever they were) took over, and Lloyd had become something else. He'd almost killed Axon.

"Oh..."

Words failed me. I didn't know how to respond. I took his downturned chin and tilted him up to face me, and then was promptly struck by his frightened expression. I bit my lip with empathy. My poor hero.

I shuffled closer and cradled his cheeks. This time he chased my touch for comfort, sinking into my palms with a weary exhale. His eyes were molten pools of scared ruby.

"Hey," I whispered. "He won't be able to hurt you."

The shake of Lloyd's head was so tiny that it was almost imperceptible. "That's not what I'm worried about."

"He can't hurt me," I rectified. "So you're going to be okay."

He released a tired exhale and crawled toward me until I landed on my back. He sunk into my side, half-draped across me, half-hiding. My hand found its home in his curls. My thumb brushed against one of his horn nubs.

"What if it happens again?" Lloyd whispered into my neck. "What if I can't stop myself?"

"I'll be there to help you," I decided.

He shook his head. "No-"

"Yes." My hand gripped the back of his shirt tight, a plea. "I'm going to be there for you."

Lloyd went quiet. He buried his face into my shoulder and didn't say anything else, so I took that as a reluctant agreement to my decree. My nails scratched along his scalp. It wasn't enough to make him soften.

"You're a good person, Lloyd," I whispered into the quiet of my bedroom. The twitch of his grip below my spine told me he'd heard. "You're my favourite superhero. Even better than Spider-Man, and that's high praise coming from me."

Lloyd huffed with faint amusement. I kissed his temple and held him close, savouring his lush-forest scent and the inebriating warmth of his body.

Maybe he wouldn't be so scared of himself if I loved him enough.