A/N: *unceremoniously dumps this here before I run to church*
"Everybody say 'cheese'!" Dareth crowed from his perch on Cole's shoulders.
"Cheese!" everyone chorused. Lloyd mustered the best smile he could. The camera flashed, and after comically tumbling off of Cole's shoulders (he sprung up in a "crouching anteater" pose and insisted that it was intentional), Dareth ran to get the picture as it printed out.
"Bon-a-fide!" Dareth sure sounded proud of himself. He returned, waving the colorful rectangle of paper in the air, and showed it to the others with a smirk. "It's actually kind of in focus this time."
Jay popped up from where he'd posed on the ground and took the picture first. He clicked his tongue angrily. "Aw, Zane, you blinked!"
"C'mon, man, that's our best one yet," Kai protested, glancing over Jay's shoulder.
"I'm with Kai," Cole said, massaging and rolling his shoulders. He wore a wide grin, and Lloyd suspected he was just showing off instead of actually uncomfortable after carrying Dareth. "We've been standing here for like, an hour. I mean, we just saved Ninjago! Let's party!" He swung Lloyd up on his shoulder like he was a feather pillow.
"Whoa!" Lloyd laughed, tottering first front and then back, trying not to fall off like Dareth did.
"Admit it, Cole." Zane stood beside his father further down the line, but he pointed at the earth ninja with a sly smirk. "You just want cake."
"After what we did here today," Cole said with a grin up at Lloyd, who'd found his balance, "I think we deserve cake. Who's with me?!"
"I am!" Kai yelled.
"Aye!" Jay's hand shot into the air.
"Definitely!" Lloyd said with a laugh.
Even the Ultra Dragon lifted its heads and growled at the sky, and the rest of the group made their approval loud and clear.
"Party at my place!" Cole pumped his free fist in the air, then jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "My dad lives not too far from here."
Lloyd leaned forward and slid off of his arm as Cole started walking.
"Is he gonna mind us gate-crashing like this?" asked Nya.
"You kidding?" answered Cole. "He'd kill to have the quartet over to celebrate."
"Hm, now we could use some good music," muttered Uncle Wu, a smile hidden under his straw hat and beard, as he joined the others in trooping after Cole. They all started to chatter and laugh, passing around the helmet that Dareth had worn for the picture.
Lloyd spared a glance over his shoulder. His mom and dad still stood where they had at the end of the line, Garmadon slightly behind Misako. The man held a neutral look at Misako and raised an eyebrow. She gave him a soft, sad frown in return.
Lloyd could hardly find his voice. "Mom?" he asked timidly. Man, those names still felt weird to say. "Dad?"
Garmadon shut his eyes and sighed. He looked like he was holding back a laugh. "Don't worry about us, son," he said, turning to Lloyd.
"Today is for you." Misako stepped forward and cupped Lloyd's face in her hands. "Go celebrate with your friends. We'll be fine."
Lloyd's smile was thankfully a bit more confident than he was. "Okay," he said. "If you're sure."
"We're sure." Misako kissed him on the head and let him go.
Lloyd looked down the street at his brothers and friends headed in a pack towards Lou's house. They took turns leaping over cracks in left the asphalt and both helping civilians to their feet and accepting their thanks.
Lloyd followed slowly after the group, trying not to drag his feet.
"Lloyd!"
Lloyd felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He turned to face his dad.
Garmadon had that look of authority again, but he had a small smirk on his face. "Good job defeating me." He pronounced it very precisely. "I'm proud of you."
Lloyd couldn't help but grin and laugh a little. "Add that to the list of things no one expects their dad to say," he said, twirling his finger in the air.
Garmadon chuckled. "Go have fun." The authority was back, but it was kinder. "We'll catch up."
"Okay," Lloyd called over his shoulder. "Don't take too long!" And with that, he ran down the street.
"S'cuse me—sorry. Can I get through here?"
Lloyd could tell which one Cole's dad's house was, even after his brothers had gone inside, by the reporters swarming the front door. Lloyd struggled for footpace between them and pushed some people aside—
"Lloyd Garmadon!"
"Green ninja!"
—until they realized who he was. Lloyd grunted when his back hit the wall. He squinted to see through the bright flashes of cameras and microphones in his face.
"What was that thing on top of Ninjago City Tower?"
"Any thoughts on the recent black storm that overtook Ninjago?"
"Bystanders witnessed an unidentified golden dragon in the last half of the battle. Do you have any information?"
"How does it feel to have saved the world?"
"Lloyd! Look here! Lloyd Garmadon!"
"All right, get outta here!" boomed a new voice that...actually wasn't all that deep or loud, for all the authority it carried. "Can't a fella have a party without the groupies showin' up? Out!" A waving cane bopped a few of the reporters and cameramen on the head, and the rest of them shrank away in fear. Cole's dad Lou popped out the front door and grabbed Lloyd's arm. "Lloyd, follow me!"
He pulled him inside and shut and bolted the door. Lloyd could hear the reporters thumping on the wood.
"Ugh! Dirty news mongers!" scoffed Lou, dusting off his suit while Lloyd leaned on his knees tried to catch his breath. "Don't mind them, son. Folks just get excited around us celebrity types. We were positively swarmed, the quartet and I, when we used to go out in our heyday! I oughta tell you boys all about it some time."
Lloyd finally exhaled and stood up straighter. He used to wonder where Cole got the authority in his voice—not anymore. "Thanks for the rescue," he said and looked around the empty house. There was a photo of Lou with the four older boys hanging in a prominent place on the living room wall, and Lloyd had to smile. "Where is everybody?"
"Setting things up out back," replied Lou. "Why, if I'd a' known you were throwing a saving-the-world party, I would have called ahead for decorations! But a spur-of-the-moment bash will do just the same."
"Good to see you made it, nephew," remarked a new voice.
"Sensei!" Wu had appeared, eyes hidden by the straw hat, Lloyd rushed toward him. "You should have seen those reporters! They were asking me so many questions, I-I could hardly breathe."
"I know. Ninjago wants to know the details of her rescue," answered Wu. "Since you now possess the Golden Power, Lloyd, I will warn you that they will want to speak to you most of all. But all of those answers can wait. For now—we party."
Wu produced a purple polka-dotted party hat from who knows where, attached it to the top of his straw hat, winked at Lloyd, and walked away.
Lloyd stared after him, and then looked helplessly at Lou.
"Eccentric, as I always say," muttered Lou, rubbing his mustache thoughtfully.
"You're telling me." Lloyd allowed himself a chuckle.
Lou's backyard was decked out with lights, streamers, snack tables, and an open space for dancing before Lloyd could have said "possession by the overlord". Everything looked amazing.
Garmadon and Misako did catch up eventually. They mingled with the other grown-ups and didn't seem so mad at each other that they couldn't have a good time. Lloyd let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.
Lloyd wanted to take the opportunity offered by the party to bond with his dad a little more. But over what? The only thing had to be proud of was defeating him, which almost killed him...and judging by Garmadon's tight smile whenever anyone brought it up at the party, it wasn't exactly a comfortable topic for him either, in spite of his joke earlier.
Lloyd found out that talking to his dad was hard. Harder than talking to his mom, at least, and way harder than it should have been. No matter when Lloyd tried to approach him, Garmadon always seeming to be thinking about something more important than whatever Lloyd had to say. It was intimidating, to say the least.
But while he was in Lou's backyard, Lloyd could fool around with blades of grass (as long as Lou didn't see him messing up the lawn), run over to Dr. Julien, and show him the latest notes that he could play on the whistle, and Julien would immediately grin and praise him. He could start talking about the issues of Fritz Donegan that the doc had missed, and Julien would pay attention to him the whole way through.
Lloyd knew that the easy way isn't always the best. He knew that he probably shouldn't compare one grown-up to another.
But he did compare them, and being a friend was easier than being a son, talking to Misako was easier than talking to Garmadon—and dealing with Zane's dad was easier than dealing with his own father.
Well, at least it was, until Cole put his music on. Lou had stuck a pillow against both sides of his head and went back indoors, ranting about kids and their recycled beats and lack of imagination, but he didn't seem all that mad. The other guys and Nya had started dancing, and Lloyd joined in.
That's when Dr. Julien, who'd stood talking to Garmadon by the punch bowl, suddenly dragged Garmadon right into the middle of the makeshift dance floor and then disappeared. Garmadon almost ran straight into Lloyd.
Lloyd stared up at his dad. Garmadon stared down at him. Lloyd shrugged helplessly and then did his best to keep time with the aggravatingly catchy pop beat that Cole was obviously blasting to annoy Mr. Lou on purpose.
And then, something happened that Lloyd would never have believed could happen in a million years.
Garmadon awkwardly started to dance too.
Lloyd thought he'd suffocate from laughter.
tbc...
A/N: Look who finally remembered that this is supposed to be a fluff fic! I liked The Night Ninja's idea so much that I at least had to give it a passing mention. Julien's advice to Garmadon: loosen up and have some fun.
Dumping father and son into an awkward and embarrassing bonding experience is exactly how Zane tries to repair Cole and Lou's relationship in Dear Dad. I think I know where he gets it from.
Reviews are impromptu dance parties.