Chapter Twenty-Eight: Contrary to Popular Belief, I'm Not Twelve
I really just had to update today, seeing as it's Ninjago's 10th birthday!
Wow...this show has meant so much to me...I literally grew up with it! And even though I'm not writing religiously like I have in the past, Ninjago's show, fanfiction, and community still play a part in my life, and will always have a special place in my heart.
(And no, this isn't me saying goodbye. Not at all. I definitely haven't had much motivation to write these past few months, but I have so many stories swirling around in my mind and I certainly don't want them to stay there. I will keep this story going before wrapping it up on its one-year anniversary at the end of March 2021—that, I promise you. Other than that, I will write and post short stories and one-shots when I get inspired, seeing as I don't currently have the drive to keep a long story alive and going. However, I may or may not be working on a novel that, if and when I get the majority of it written, I just might post on AO3. My writing is still on a journey, and I'm grateful to everyone who has joined me at one point or another—especially to those who have stuck around.)
"You guys, you'll never fucking guess what I just read!"
The five other ninja looked up from their various activities as Jay burst out from the hallway. Cole closed his book, keeping his finger between the pages he was reading so he didn't lose his place. Kai swallowed his mouthful of cereal; Lloyd didn't even bother, staring at the master of lightning with his cheeks puffed out as he paused his chewing. Zane set the spatula down and turned toward Jay, keeping a tentative eye on the pancakes he was making, while Nya pressed pause on whatever Fritz Donnegan adaptation she was currently watching.
When Jay was sure he had all of their attention, he cleared his throat. "Guys, they've...they've come up with a vaccine, and it just got the green light." His smile widened. "Things are finally gonna go back to normal!"
Kai nearly dropped his spoon. "What?!"
Cole chuckled. "You two didn't already know this?"
"Wait, you did?" The redhead asked, confused.
The master of earth nodded. "Yeah, I've been keeping up with the news on this for a few weeks now. They did generate a vaccine, and it did just get approved for dispersal through the public—and that's fantastic—but it'll be quite a while before it's available to enough people for things to go back to normal."
"Whatever 'normal' is, even," Lloyd huffed, having finally finished his mouthful of cereal.
Jay rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, whatever. You already knew. Big deal. Doesn't make it any less true!"
"Yeah," Nya said, "but don't get ahead of yourself. It'll still be quite a while before things can go back to the way they were before this whole mess started." She smiled. "But this does give us hope, and at this point, I'll take what I can get. Thanks for telling us—even if most of us have already heard the news."
The blue ninja blinked lovingly. "How did I get so lucky?" He murmured softly, staring with half-lidded blue eyes at his significant other.
"Gross," Kai whined.
"Oh, come on," the green ninja sitting across from him protested. "Like you weren't saying the same shit about Skylor literally yesterday."
The brunette raised his hands in surrender. "Fair enough. But at least I wasn't saying it in front of her brother."
"Skylor doesn't have a brother."
"You know what I mean!"
While it wasn't something Cole would outwardly admit, he found himself smiling at the thought of his teammates pining over their partners. Setting his reopened book face-down on the couch to keep his place, he stood up and skipped into the kitchen, sneaking up behind Zane and wrapping his arms around the blonde's waist. The nindroid squeezed Cole's hands, grinning.
Jay gestured toward the happy couple. "Let's not forget, these two do it too. They're always talking about how great the other is. It's sickeningly sweet."
"Can you guys stop being so fucking adorable for thirty seconds, please?" Lloyd teased Zane and Cole.
Cole let go of the master of ice and backed up a few steps. "Okay, fine." He smirked. "Thirty. Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight…"
Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Smartass."
"Jealous much?" Zane teased, reaching back for Cole's hand.
The blonde snorted. "Jealous a little." He stood up from his seat at the table and wandered into the kitchen, elbowing the nindroid playfully as he passed him. Standing on his tiptoes, he reached up into one of the higher cabinets and pulled out a bottle of clear liquid. He unscrewed the cap and was about to take a swig when Kai jumped up and bolted toward him.
"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! Put the vodka down, you little shit!"
Nya chuckled. "At least some things haven't changed."
"Except now he's twenty-one, so he can just go get alcohol whenever he wants," Jay pointed out.
She sighed. "Don't remind me."
"I just want a little sip!" Lloyd whined, keeping a firm grip on the bottle as he held it away from Kai. "Seeing everyone else so happily in love makes me feel shit about the fact that the only romance I have in my life is fanfiction about toxic fucking fictional character ships between people who really should never be together and feeling guilty about the fact that I don't care and I ship them anyway."
"Let me guess, one of these ships starts with fr- and ends with -yle?" Jay guessed teasingly.
Lloyd shook his head. "No, Fritz and Kyle are literally perfect for each other. That ship isn't toxic at all. I was referring to one from this audio drama I've been listening to…"
"Well, I suppose that's better than fanfiction shipping people in real life," Nya suggested. "Like Zane and Cole."
The green ninja glared at her. "I. Was. Drunk."
"And what exactly are you planning on doing when you get drunk this time?" The master of water queried. "Writing a story about me and Jay?"
"No. Straight smut is boring and gross."
The others stared at him, clearly all quite shocked.
Lloyd shrugged. "What? You think I don't know what smut is? Contrary to popular belief, I'm not twelve."
"Oh," Cole said. "So that's why you like to go to bed before the rest of us."
"Would you prefer to read that shit when you're constantly being reminded of the people you live with every time you hear one of them move?"
"I'd imagine you're fine with thinking about one of them when you get into that horny headspace," Jay snickered.
Lloyd slammed the bottle on the counter. "Okay, that's it. You're fucking dead, Jay Walker." He stomped angrily toward the blue ninja. "You probably don't even want the vaccine. You have a death wish. And I'm about to grant it."
Jay spun around and raced back down the hall, Lloyd hot on his heels.
Kai glanced around the room at the others. "What was that about?"
Happy Tenth Birthday, Ninjago! :)