A/N: Sooooo…hey guys! Let's just say this one's a bit overdue…like, August overdue…ahaha…
Anyway, I got inspiration for this off of a baseball game I went to (everything in the fic is in the stadium). There's actually one particular part of that game that inspired me to right this. It happened somewhere in the middle of the game...they were doing that kiss cam thing, and at one point they filmed two players just chillin' in the dugout. Neither was paying attention, but finally Player A noticed that they were on screen and slung his arm around Player B, pulling the other into him. Player B was like, "WTF?!" and Player A points to the screen, at which point Player B leans over and kisses Player A on the cheek. Player A is mortified. I was wishing I had a video camera with me and a better filming angle.
…I ship it.
"Jay? What's going on now?"
"LEFT FIELDER TO RIGHT BASE."
Jay shrugged.
The announcer boomed his eardrum-breaking voice once more, "RIGHT BASE TO LEFT FIELD."
"Jay, I'm bored."
The blue ninja nodded, "Me too. Do you even know how to play baseball?"
"Nope."
"Me neither."
"Why'd we come here?"
"Free tickets."
"AND THAT'S STRIKE THREE!" The crowd around Lloyd and Jay cheered, so they did too.
"Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"What team are we cheering for again?"
Jay paused in drinking his soda, "…Dodgers?"
"AND THE PITTBULLS SCORE A HOMERUN!" The mass of people that surrounded the two went wild, and so did they. After it settled, Lloyd smirked.
"Evidentially not."
Jay smiled at his boyfriend, playfully punching him in the shoulder, "And I bet you knew."
The green ninja chuckled, "Yeah, I did. Psychic, remember?"
"Totally! And I can fly."
"You probably can once I cast a wing spell."
"What kind of stuff have you been reading on the internet?"
"Hey, at least it's not pornos."
The lightning wielder glanced at the slightly younger male with an amused look, "And how do you know what pornos are?"
"Internet."
"The internet needs to stop corrupting your innocence!" Jay joked and handed Lloyd the basket of fries.
"Innocence? What is this "innocence" you speak of?"
"Ex-actly."
"BALL ONE!"
"Jay?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm bored."
"Wanna go look around?"
Lloyd's reply was in the form of him popping up and bolting to the top of the stairs. Thank goodness they had end seats.
"I'll take that as a yes," Jay rose and followed. The two walked along the top of the stadium, looking at all the shops and food stands. There wasn't much, but it was fun to gawk at the odd souvenirs and edibles.
"Ten bucks a hamburger!"
"Must've been a first-class cow!" Both laughed full-heartedly. Even if they had no idea what was going on in the game, the two males were fully enjoying themselves in each other's company.
The sun was low in the sky by the time the pair made their way to the end of the sidewalk. All of the field lights had been turned on and illuminated the field in an unnatural brightness. Loud music pounded through every speaker, only stopping to allow the announcer's booming voice through. A crisp, cool wind blew through that almost reminded the two of Zane, and it would have were it not for the smell of funnel cake tickling their noses. It was strong enough to override the smell of freshly cut grass, even though they were right next to the lawn.
"-and the grasshopper said no!" Lloyd and Jay laughed until Lloyd suddenly froze in place.
"Lloyd? You okay?"
The blonde shook his head and blinked to snap himself out of whatever spell was cast. Jay followed Lloyd's line of sight: a playground.
"Oh, Lloyd…"
"It's okay. I'm fine. Let's just keep moving."
The brunette looked for an age limit: 8-12. Great. Great.
But wait…he spotted a merry-go-round-outside of the playground area. Did that have an age limit? Upon closer inspection, no, it did not.
"There! Lloyd, what about the merry-go-round?"
"Isn't there some restriction on that?"
"Just weight, and I'd be pretty surprised if you weighed more than 200lbs."
"Jay, I'm too old for a kid's ride."
"Noooo! You may be twenty on the outside, but on the inside, you're still a kid!"
"But won't people look at me funny?"
"Are you kidding? People always look at me funny! It just means that they're paying attention to you."
"Why would I want them paying attention to me?"
The older ninja realized what he said, "I-I mean…well, it doesn't matter if they look at you because you saved their lives! I don't think they have the right to judge."
"Yeah…I guess you're right…"
"Mommy Mommy!" a little boy with a bright red baseball cap was being held tight by his mother, a stout woman with beautiful blue eyes. She held a firm girp onto her son's arm and dragged him toward the ride.
"Just one turn, Honey. Please."
"No, Mommy! I don't wanna go on! I'm too old for it!"
The mom let go of her son and kneeled so that she was at eye level with him, "Drake, you'll never be too old for something you love, and I know you love the carousel. A lot of times, grownups think they're too big for something that seems childish, but that's why grownups are so boring. There aren't enough big boys and girls willing to explore and have fun. If you really like it, there is no age limit."
"But what about the playground? I love that, but I can only play there for two more years."
The mom huffed, "Just get on the merry-go-round."
"Okay." The parent and child walked off while Jay turned back to Lloyd.
"See? You're not too old!"
The younger smiled, "I think I'll go on."
Both Jay and Lloyd were put into a good mood after they hoped off the ride, laughing with joy. Several adults and kids had their eyes on the green-eyed one in particular, but he continued to ride while ignoring them. In the end, most of the kids recognized who he was and swarmed around him in a mass of praise. The adults were slightly confused, but generally satisfied with their kids' excitement and knew enough not to judge.
Unsurprisingly, Lloyd was quite good with kids. He played with them and seemed to understand them almost as much as their own parents. The kids really trusted him too. It was times like these that made Jay question if it was really okay to date him. Sure, Lloyd had all the hormones and parts, but he was still just a kid.
It was times like these that'd a quick kiss on the cheek would clear everything up.
"Heh, thanks," the lightning wielder's cheeks tinted a light shade of red.
"I should be thanking you."
"Let's call it even, then," Jay turned his head to one of the shops, "Up for some ice cream?"
"When have I ever said 'no' to frozen milk?"
"You like chocolate?"
"Love it."
Thankfully the line wasn't too long and Jay made it back before the ice cream melted. He handed one of the two cones to Lloyd, who happily wolfed it down before the former could get halfway through his.
"Wow…that was fast."
"I told you I liked ice cream."
"Yeah, but you got a little something right…" the brunette leaned over and kissed the side of his boyfriend's mouth, a tongue grassing over the spot of chocolate clinging to the pale skin. That skin lit up to a bright red, but the mouth curved into a smile anyway. Green eyes sparkled, and their owner wrapped his arms around the brunette's neck.
"Stop it!" he giggled.
"Stop being so messy then!"
"That's what napkins are for!" Lloyd nuzzled into Jay's chest, making the blue-eyed anatomically unable to continue.
"Now you're rubbing it on my shirt!"
"Sorry."
"Meh, I don't mind," He cupped Lloyd's chin in his hands and brought their lips together. It was quick but loving.
"Maybe I'll do it more often!"
"Then you're cleaning my clothes!"
"Whatever."
"GET READY FOR THE FIREWORKS!"
"Wow," Jay looked up at the announcer's box reflecting off the night sky, "He seems more excited about the fireworks than the actual game."
"I would be too if I had to narrate every day. Must get pretty boring," Lloyd squeezed his boyfriend's hand, "Glad I don't have that job."
"Being a ninja's awesome! I'd rather be a ninja ANY day!"
"Agreed," The two settled down on a spot of grass near the back of the stadium. They gazed upward at the starry sky, holding onto each other in harmony.
"Wait, don't you not like fireworks?"
"What? Why wouldn't I like fireworks?"
"Because they're loud like thunder."
Jay blushed, "Wh-why does that matter?"
"Aren't you scared of thunder?"
"Scared of thunder?! Ahaha!" he nervously tapped his hand together, "I'm the ninja of lightning. There's no way I'm scared of-"
A ray of light shot up over the field, creating a red flower-like shape and loud booming noise. The blue ninja clung reflexively to his boyfriend.
"-thunder."
"I'll protect you!"
"I don't need protection from my own element!"
"Your element's lightning, not thunder. You said so yourself."
"Thunder is from lightning striking the ground, so I am the ninja of thunder."
A blue streak made its way to the sky and Jay began to shake from the sound.
"You're still afraid," Lloyd rubbed his lover's back in an effort to sooth him and the other male relaxed slightly, leaning his head into the crook of Lloyd's neck.
"Shh…" Lloyd wrapped his arms around Jay's waist and fell back onto the soft grass, bringing said frightened brunette with him, "Don't listen, just watch." They stayed like that for a while- the blonde holding the brunette and the brunette snuggling up to him, still shaking a little but eventually finding comfort. Several different shapes filled the sky, the final being a large heart made of blue- and green-colored specks, alternating and mixing between the two.
"You think they made that one for us?"
"Maybe," Jay hung onto Lloyd for a bit longer than necessary, but finally let go when he realized it was over.
"Today was nice," Lloyd hugged the other male and smiled, "We should do this again."
"Fine," Jay smiled back, "but next time, you're paying for the ice cream."
*Epilogue*
"Nya?" Kai called to his sister who turned her head to see where he was looking, "Why are Jay and Lloyd on the kiss cam?"
The shining sun hung barely high enough in the sky to make out some general features, but sure enough, it was them. It was really just a peck on the lips, both wrapped in each other's arms one way or another.
Nya uncomfortably shifted in her seat, "I didn't even know they were here…I thought they were going to the one downtown."
"You wanted to go here to see Jay, didn't you?" Kai raised an eyebrow.
"…Maybe."
*End*
