After Zane called Sensei Wu, assuring the man that it was okay for the old spinjutsu master and the resident samurai to return to their aerial home, the two returned with less than an hour's hesitation. First, Nya swung onto the deck from the rickety rope ladder they used to board and disembark from the ship. The dark-haired girl settled her bags with a small tight smile aimed at her brother before her eyes lit up at the sight of her beloved boyfriend. By the time Wu made it onto the airborne planks, the young woman had rushed across the deck to throw her arms around Jay in an embrace he eagerly returned.
Kai rolled his eyes at the gesture and the sensei gave his fiery pupil a knowing smile. "Things did not go exactly as planned I take it." The man guessed while wisely stroking his time whitened beard. Kai responded with a huff as he hefted his sister's bags onto his strong shoulders. His eyes were locked on the scene of Jay rocking his little sister back and forth in an endearing embrace. "She doesn't know, if you're wondering. I thought it would be best if you chose to tell them yourself. Though it doesn't seem like that is what happened."
Kai's head snapped back to the elderly man so fast he should have gotten whiplash but the grayed man just gave Kai another omniscient look. Something within the fire ninja shifted into unease. It had not really occurred to him that their sensei knew he'd had sex with the youngest member of their team. He had not even begun to worry about what his lover's uncle might think of their arrangement. Sure, Kai had batted the idea around when they first started this fling about how everyone might react when they found out, but when Sensei Wu exposed Zane's perverted pass time, the brunet had not considered the fact that his sensei probably knew that he was screwing his nephew. Now those dark eyes set into a time weathered face should have had the younger ninja panicking and heading for the hills, apologizing for the secrecy at the very least, but somehow Kai felt more at peace. Wu had known without their telling him. Sure, Kai would have preferred telling the man himself with Lloyd by his side but obviously the spinjutsu master was not put off by their relationship. Sensei Wu had given them their space and for that Kai was grateful.
Kai confided a small smile with his master. "No, it didn't go how I wanted either. I wanted to get to tell everyone myself but I guess I waited too long." The fire ninja's brown eyes drifted back to the happy couple across the deck. There was only one person left to tell. Kai knew Nya would support him. She may be shocked and a little rattled but he and Nya always had each other's backs. A small amount of peace crept into his core making him feel lighter even with her bags strung all over his body.
Not one to miss a beat or the chance to dispense unscheduled lessons, Wu bid Kai goodbye with his not so mysterious lesson embedded in his parting words. "Sometimes matters placed out of our control still have a way of working themselves out." The student studied his sensei's retreating figure reminded of how the man forced them to grow not only as ninja but as people as well. He wondered if the man thought of him and Lloyd as things somehow working themselves out. The thought just made Kai ponder what the problem could have been if the two ninja together was the solution.
Lloyd dipped his spoon into his second pudding cup of the day before the sun even had a chance to think about reaching its zenith. The boy reveled in the creamy taste as the treat slid from the spoon to its final resting place. A quiet chuckle broke through the green ninja's reverie and his bewildered eyes darted to take in his travel haggard uncle. "Uncle Wu! How was Ninjago? What did you and Nya do in the city?"
"We went sight seeing mostly. Visited the museum and took the time to visit some old friends of mine. Nya and I had a very nice time back among other people again but it is good to be back." Lloyd could relate. Living out of a flying ship and seeing mostly the same six people day in and day out could get pretty stale. Lloyd was sure it must have been nice getting out and about if only for a couple of days.
The boy popped his spoon back into his mouth only to look down despairingly into the empty pudding container. It felt like he did not even eat anything at all as far as his body was concerned. He suppressed a sigh and trudged over to the cabinet mumbling to himself, "Wonder what's for lunch. I sure hope Cole's not cooking." He spotted a box of crackers and pulled them from the shelf without thought.
Uncle Wu was studying him as the young man plopped back down at the table and started pulling the disks from their packaging and munching them down by the mouthful. "Wun sumf?" The boy offered holding the box angled towards his elder. The man just shook his head with a smile. Lloyd crunched a couple more crackers to avoid feeling awkward for just staring at his uncle. Though he would blame his parents at every chance for it, the blond boy knew his terrible relationship with his family was probably somehow his own fault. He was never quite sure what to say or do around his uncle. The man had taken him in as a bad child and took care of him without question, something not even his parents would do. Now, Lloyd was the legendary green ninja, still mooching off of his elderly kin while coming up with ways to take down his own father.
It was bizarre, for once having the desire to not upset or disappoint someone. He had of course played some pranks on Uncle Wu and the ninja when he was still a kid but now that he was older, Lloyd decided it was time to grow up and stop being such a punk. The fate of all of Ninjago depended on him now but he had no idea how to act if he was not trying to be a bad boy. It was different with his uncle than anyone else though. With everyone his age being cocky and defensive seemed to fit. He was the green ninja but he still had a lot to prove to come into his own so he needed to remind them that he was their equal. But with Uncle Wu he was just the nephew from the evil side of the family. Lloyd knew that they would take care of him. They had to keep the green ninja safe but Uncle Wu took him in before he knew that he was the hero of prophecy. The whole situation just flabbergasted the boy.
Sensei Wu was never one to be oblivious though. "Is something on your mind Lloyd?" It sounded less like a question than the young man thought it probably should. Then again, Uncle Wu usually had some inexplicable insight into everyone else's minds. It was not really all that surprising that the man could tell someone was trouble just by the way they snacked on crackers.
Lloyd let his hand fall away from his face. "Uh no? I'm just hungry, you know?" Clear green eyes averted from the elder's wrinkled face though he could still feel his uncle's heavy gaze peering into his core. There was a moment of quiet between the two and all that could be heard from the kitchen was a faint shushing noise that echoed through the ship as it flew and the muffled voices of the other passengers in the rec room down the hall.
The young man shifted uneasily in his chair though he somehow got the impression that his uncle was as much at ease as at any other time. "You're body needs more nutrients as it grows. You also expend a quite a bit of energy training. It makes sense that you might eat more." There went another explanation from Sensei Wu without Lloyd asking.
The idea bounced around his mind like an echo reverberating through a canyon and the blond nodded. "I guess. I always thought it was just pregnant chicks who had weird cravings. I almost thought that I-" Green eyes widened as the boy caught himself and checked his uncle's face to make sure he did not slip up and say that he was worried Kai might have gotten him pregnant. They had been going at it for weeks now and the time spent with the fire ninja seemed like a blur so Lloyd could not actually remember how long he had been eating absurd amounts. He had never seen a pregnant man before but he was not sure he ever saw another pair of gay guys either. goosebumps spread across his skin with the cold's light touch tracing its fingers along his body. If he was pregnant he was going to kill Kai and then just die of embarrassment. Yeah, that was good plan.
Uncle Wu arched an eyebrow as though he could read Lloyd's panicked thoughts but his words betrayed his ignorance. "Thought you were what?" The man asked with concern staining his caring voice. "If you have any concerns about your health please let me know. There could be many unknown side effects from the tomorrow tea."
Lloyd frowned, feeling a bit guilty about deceiving his closest relative. "Na, it's probably just the training and stuff." He really hoped getting pregnant was not a side effect from sex with Kai.
After an odd hodge podge of a random assortment of ingredients Jay somehow managed to make a passible meal from, Cole set off to clear the table, Zane left to monitor and further plot the Destiny's Bounty's course, Jay and Nya crept off to snuggle in front of the T.V., and Sensei Wu excused himself to retire for the night leaving Kai and Lloyd a bit of alone time in their room. Kai closed the door quietly after the two complementary ninja and took off his shirt to wedge under the door wishing, not for the first time, that the door had a real lock. The younger teen took one wide-eyed look at the gesture and his lover's bare chest before blushing and turning around quickly to roll himself up in the green sheets on his bed.
Kai pursed his lips. Why was Lloyd being so cold suddenly? The blacksmith trudged over to his junior and laid a hand on the boy's side feeling the muscles tense beneath his fingers. He lowered his lips next to an ear hidden in soft blond locks and whispered, "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" He rubbed the other in attempt to convince his young friend. "Please say something." He whined when the blond did not immediately answer.
Lloyd turned to him with his face scrunched up in an adorable pout that Kai tried not to imagine on a too recently younger face. Shimmering emeralds burrowed into Kai's nerves and made him regret pestering the other for the sake of his own safety. Lloyd groaned, "No I just- got a lot on my plate. With training and stuff..." As his words broke off so did his rather intense gaze.
Kai shook his head with a disbelieving chuckle. "I'm your teacher Lloyd. You've been doing fine with training, better than ever. Try again."
Clear green orbs snapped back to Kai with venom coursing through them and their master. "Just drop it okay? I'm fine. Okay?" Lloyd questioned irrately. Kai responded by tracing a line across the boy's lightly developed abs. The green ninja's training really was coming along and the proof could be seen or, even better, felt in his newly formed firm muscles. The fire ninja just could not help how his fingers followed a perfect dip all the way down into the other's armpit. Lloyd lurched with uncontrollable laughter when his lover's hands danced across his sensitive skin. The teenager gasped pleas earnestly. "Stop! Stop! I can't- Kai!"
Playful brown eyes twinkled as the fiery teen mercifully stilled his movements and pinned his lover with a steady grip around the slim boy's waist. "I'll say you're fine." He murmured huskily in his friend's ear.
Lloyd giggled and looked up to his elder through his thick blond lashes charmingly. "Seriously? 'I'll say you're fine'?" He mocked.
"Shut up." Kai mumbled into the soft lips of the boy beneath him smiling a bit to ruin any chance of pretending to be annoyed. He moved his hand upward on his lover's body making the green clad man stiffen until he skipped over any ticklish parts to cup the back of the boy's head.
Kai lapped at Lloyd's lips and the other responded immediately, tilting his head just right to deepen the kiss to something more passionate. Not a moment or breath was spared as the older boy pressed his mate firmly into the bed and plunged his tongue into the other's mouth teasingly in a vague imitation of what he really wanted to do to the boy.
Lloyd gave a brief distracted moan before pulling away with a wince. Kai did not mind. He just moved on to nip at the corded muscle at the junction of the blond's neck and shoulder before sucking gently on the tender skin there. He could feel the man pinned beneath him swallow thickly as hands greedily smoothed over his naked chest. "S'not fair," He declared breathily as the brunet moved to tackle a location further up on his neck. "You cheat." He accused.
Kai sat up with a disheveled and bewildered look. "How so?" He inquired with his head askew just slightly and his rough hands daringly exploring the hilly terrain beneath his lover's shirt, pushing the offending garment ever closer to the point of no return. Shirts were overrated anyhow. Lloyd certainly did not need one.
The green-eyed teenager was not entirely impressed by the other boy though and settled for glaring and crossing his arms, trapping the warm hands in the territory just beneath his pecs. "You just do." The boy pouted making Kai smirk. He had to admit there was only one word to describe Lloyd pouting with kiss reddened lips, his hair sticking out in every which way on a crooked pillow, and an innocent blush dusted across his cheeks. Cute. Lloyd was definitely cute. Kai did not say that though. Lloyd would definitely let him have it then.
Instead, Kai leant down to recapture those adorable pouty lips but froze when a loud abrupt skidding noise invaded the room. The red ninja nearly fell on his ass stumbling from the bed and any provocative position he might have been caught in. He flopped backwards onto whatever bed he happened to land on and tried to appear as nonchalant as possible while Lloyd finished straightening up his own appearance by hastily running his slender fingers through his silky hair.
All the while, Cole growled and groaned about the door being stuck. "What the-? Urgh! I swear, if Jay's been leaving his shit around again, I'll throttle him with it." The black ninja methodically worked the door open a crack before ripping the shirt from beneath it. "Damn it Kai!" The angry boy froze as he glanced up to catch a view of the room's occupants. He stared with his dark calculating eyes of a leader with the shirt clutched firmly against his chest. "Nevermind," he grumbled, lowering his gaze and the clothing to drop onto Kai's dresser.
Nearly black eyes rose to quickly scrutinize one boy then the other before closing briefly as Cole gave a shake of his head probably to dispel the memory of catching the two making out. "Sorry, I should go." The earth warrior apologized and turned on his heel to exit.
"No!" Lloyd practically shouted making both boys turn to him in surprise. "It's fine. You don't have to go. Who knows when the other's 'll be back anyway?" Kai frowned, realizing that the boy was still trying to avoid him for some reason.
Cole gave an uncomfortable shrug of his shoulders before passing by Kai with an arched brow on the way to his own bunk. "Right." He acknowledged awkwardly.
Lloyd wrapped himself in his sheets, probably to hide any evidence of their earlier activities. His darkened green irises were trained on the powerful earth ninja as he leaned against the wall to sit more comfortably. "So, Cole, how's it going?" The young ninja inquired awkwardly.
The black-haired boy looked from one to the other and back again. "You know, I could still leave. It's not that big of a deal." He reasoned politely.
Kai denied him with a forced smile. "It's alright. The moment's passed anyway." Cole nodded with a slight frown. Kai could not blame the older teen for wanting to escape. He would probably try to run too in the same circumstances.
"So, how are things going with Zane?" The blond asked excitedly.
Cole looked aghast for a moment before regaining his composure. "How would I know?" Came his defensive reply.
Kai cut in to dissolve the misunderstanding before the pair managed to make something worse out of the situation than it already was. "Cole doesn't like Zane. They're just friends. That's it."
Cole nodded absently and Lloyd frowned, already prepared to make it into an argument. "Why not? Zane's a good dude. He's tall and-"
"Not everyone is interested in boys Lloyd," Kai interjected.
"Ohhhh. Right. Er, well you know ninja sure are getting popular in the city. There might even be some girls in Dareth's classes." Lloyd pointed out regaining his excitement as he spoke.
Cole opened his mouth to respond but Kai was faster. "Cole's already got a girl back home." He explained. The earth ninja made a face drawing the other brown eyes boy's attention but the oddity was gone so quickly he had to wonder whether he had imagined the twitch.
Lloyd did not seem to notice. "Oh really? What's her name? What's she like?" Kai had to wonder if maybe Lloyd should have been born a girl. Then again, the kid always was nosy and pushy, so him wanting to know everything was not exactly out of the ordinary.
The door opened again to admit the white ninja and Cole ignored the green to greet his older friend. "Hey Zane. What's happening?"
The nindroid looked puzzled. "Well Jay and Nya are watching the television and sensei is resting. Everyone else is here. Why do you ask?" It still tickled the blacksmith how clueless his robotic friend could be at times.
Lloyd rolled his eyes. "He just asks because he doesn't want to talk about his ugly girlfriend. He's obviously ashamed of her. I mean, why else hasn't he brought her up before?" Kai shook his head a bit, trying to get his friend's attention but Lloyd did not seem to notice. "I bet she's fat. She is, isn't she?"
Cole perked up. "No she's not fat. She's really pretty too. Her name's McKaila actually." He said matter of factly making Lloyd deflate a bit in the process.
"McKaila," Zane repeated emotionlessly. It sounded just like any other thing to Kai's ears but he could not help but wonder now if the nindroid favored Cole like Lloyd believed. "Why haven't you talked about her before? What is she like?" Kai felt a sinking feeling at those words. Zane did not look upset but he was a weird guy. What if he did like Cole?
The black ninja did not look concerned. "Oh she's great. I just- miss her. We've been friends for forever. It's weird being away from her for so long."
"Aw we should go visit her!" Everyone turned to Jay who was standing in the doorway partially hanging from the molding. "Who is she again?"
Zane smiled good-naturedly. "McKaila's Cole's girlfriend!" He said excitedly. For some reason, even though the white ninja seemed perfectly fine, Kai just couldn't shake the feeling that this was a bad idea. Unfortunately, he did not have anything more than a hunch to support his suspicions.