Lloyd didn't have anything against Skylor.

Really! She was determined, resolute, loyal, trustworthy, knew how to stood her ground – what's not to like?

Which is not to say he'll regret anything he does tonight.

"Why, exactly, are you doing this?" said Cole, eyes following the various items disappearing inside Lloyd's black backpack.

Lloyd grinned impishly. He wasn't worried that Cole would rat him out; his silence was already bought with two weeks worth of desserts.

"Ah, it's their first official date. And, as the youngest sibling,"-his face morphed into the display of seriousness so sincere it had to be fake-"it is my sacred duty to make it unforgettable."

Okay, maybe the snakes were a mistake.

Lloyd watched as the panicked crowd tried to get away from the love ride. He barely heard the screams, more focused on two figures at the edge of the mass of people. They were scanning their surroundings and the boy knew he has hidden too slow. Shit, they must have noticed me.

He brought it upon himself, to be honest.

Weird lights in the mirror room? Innocent enough.

Smoke bombs in the haunted house? A little suspicious, but easy to wave off.

Kelp falling from the ceiling? Weird, but not that uncommon; the tunnel was filled with water after all.

But fake snakes in the river? Lloyd wanted to bash his head against the wall. That was his signature move! Of course Kai connected the dots!

They stopped looking around, now talking to themselves. He let himself have a silver of hope. Maybe they didn't notice after all...

And then they bolted to the exit.

Startled, Lloyd reacted too slow. Before he knew it he lost sight of either of them.

Ah, damn. He had so much more planned.

Oh well, there was nothing to be done. He went to collect his things around the amusement park, with a feeling of a job well done.

Now it's just waiting for Kai to go back home he thought mischievously.

When they stopped running, the amusement park was almost half a city away. Kai leaned against the brick wall, trying to catch his breath. Beside him Skylor was doing the same.

"Think we lost him?"

He shrugged.

"I mean, probably? We went fast but kid's pretty resilient." He looked over the rooftops and along the street. Thankfully there was no suspicious flashes of green and black in sight.

Kai shuffled his feet, unable to look up at Skylor. That... wasn't how he envisioned this evening.

"Sorry it turned out like that. I don't know what he was thinking!" he grunted, eyes locked on the ground.

She laughed heartily at that. "What are you talking about? It was delightful!" She smirked and run her hand over his furrowed brow. "I won't forget this day to the end of my life."

He sighed but smiled and looked up.

"Yeah, I should have expected that; of course you would find this psychological warfare entertaining."

Skylor wiggled her fingers comically. "Ooooo, how evil I am! Truly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!" she finished in a sinister voice.

It was his turn to laugh.

"Geez, no wonder you and Lloyd get along so nicely. True menaces."

She nudged him in the side.

"Come on tiger, we probably lost him already, there should be no more surprises. How about we go and find some cafe? My treat."

He puffed indignantly.

She quirked her eyebrow. "Now, before you try to be a gentleman or whatever, remind me. Which one of us is the heir to the incredibly prosperous noodle empire? And which one didn't know what taxes were until last month?"

He stuck his tongue at her. The brow went higher.

"Okay okay, let it be your way, your highness." He bent into the mocking half-bow. "Lead the way!"

The cafe was surprisingly empty for the hour, only a few customers scattered by the tables. The woman behind the counter flashed a smile when they strolled through the door.

"Welcome! What can I get you?"

Skylor stared at the menu, suddenly uncertain.

"Hmm, maybe... Coffee. No no, not coffee. Tea maybe? Ugh.."

Kai snorted.

"You really didn't think this through."

"Shut up, I was trying to be smooth." She shifted from foot to foot and turned to him. "It's not like I was visiting places like that a lot, you know. How about you order first, smart-ass?"

He looked at the board.

"Well... maybe hot chocolate? With double marshmallows."

"Sweet tooth much?" she chuckled and turned to the counter. "The same for me. But just normal amount of marshmallows please."

"Double marshmallows is the normal amount of marshmallows!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say tiger."

The barista gave them a knowing look. "Two chocolates, got it." She gestured to the tables. "Take a seat, I will bring your order in a moment."

Skylor nodded and lead them to the table a little on the left. She sat down, finally truly relaxing. Her fingers run through her hair, coming back with some green stuff. She smelled it and smirked.

"Thank the spirits, it's just some sort of seaweed. I was worried it was going to be paint or some other shit."

Kai rummaged through his hair and pulled out some more plants.

"Yeah that was pretty tame compared to what he could do. He must really like you."

"I guess that's good?"

He scowled.
"For you? Sure. But for me it probably means more pranks back home."

"That bad?"

Kai waved it off.
"Eh, nothing I hadn't faced before." Then a shadow appeared on his face. "Unless he convinced others to help. Then it will be a cataclysm." He rubbed his chin. "Maybe i should sleep outside today, just to be sure."

"Come on, you're exaggerating now."

"Yeah, maybe a little. But can you blame me."

Skylor thought back at the snakes in the love tunnel.

"Hardly."

Kai nodded solemnly at that.

"Here you go! Two chocolates with marshmallows, as ordered." The barista winked, putting the additional tray next to the mugs. "And something extra, on the house."

She walked away and they gazed at the tray. There, on the napkins decorated in hearts, laid ginger cookies. Every one looked like two people holding hands.

Subtle they thought simultaneously.

Kai took a first bite, his face lighting up.

"Man, these are good! We should come here more often."

Skylor took one for herself and find out that they were, in fact, delicious.

The munching filled the air for a while.

"Must be fun, huh? Having so many siblings."

He stopped at the question, gulped down the cookie and answered.

"Well, they're a lot sometimes, but I honestly don't know what I would do without them."

She smiled warmly. It was still amazing, seeing their family so close to each other and how much love they had for each other. Compared to her...

She shunned the thought before it could sour her mood and instead focused on the person in front of her.

"Say, are all younger siblings like this,"-she vaguely gestured at the leftover kelp still in her hair-"or is Lloyd a special case?"

Kai snickered.

"Oh, he definitely is not alone in it. You should have seen what Nya cooked up when I tried dating that one guy in middle school. I was finding glitter everywhere for the next month! As for Lloyd, he had a penchant for chaos for as long as I knew him. Have I ever told you how we first met?"

She furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean 'first met'? Didn't the three of you grow up together?"

He blinked slowly.

"What? No? I mean, me and Nya did, but we met Lloyd like, four-five years ago?" His eyes widened. "Wait, you thought we were related?"

"Maybe?! I didn't really think about it, I just assumed-"

"Us and the literal Son of the Dark Lord-"

"Shutupshutup it just didn't cross my mind-"

"Did you thought Garmadon-"

"No, obviously, well, maybe a little, you seemed close-"

"Oh my." He leaned on the table, choking with laughter. "I can't believe you thought Garmadon was my dad."

Her chicks reddened a little with embarrassment.

"Stop it. What was I supposed to think, I barely knew anything about your relationships."

"There there, I'm stopping, see."

His lips quivered with barely contained giggle. She scoffed but decided to let it slide.

"So, what's the story with Lloyd if that's not the case."

He leaned back, thoughtful.

"Well, he tried to imitate his father a lot when he was younger. The evil part, i mean. When we first met he was trying to scare villagers so they would, and brace yourself for that,"-he made a melodramatic pause-"give him all their candies." He shook his head. "Can you believe the extent of his dreadful deeds?"

Skylor chuckled.

"You're right, I wasn't expecting that. And what happened next?"

Kai smile faltered.

"Well, next..." He scratched his neck, suddenly uncomfortable. "We, I mean me and the guys, took all the stuff back and kinda left him on his own there."

She froze. That didn't sound right.

"Yeah, I know, not my best decision there. I guess we just... didn't really think about all the implications of a nine year old with no one to look after him." He fell silent for a second, before resuming. "After that he somehow stumbled upon serpentine tombs." He shot her a look. "Though you probably heard that part already? With your dad and all."

She nodded.

"Okay, cool, uh. So, skipping that. Lloyd got in trouble with the snakes, Wu took him in and told us he's there to stay. We were a little annoyed by that, but we began warming up to him over time. I think Nya was the first to really befriend him though. They seemed to get along pretty good compared to us."

Skylor watched him get silent, mindlessly stirring his drink with a spoon, and wondered if she should say something. Before she reached any decision he took the floor again.

"To be honest, I considered him a little more than a nuisance." Shame was pouring from his words. "But then I had a moment of, uh, clarity I guess. And I realized that I would give anything just to keep him safe." He let out a puff of air. "And that's the story. He's my brother now, as much as Nya is my sister. I just wish it didn't take me so long to get there."

She didn't say a word at first. It was a lot. She could hardly even image Kai being cold to Lloyd, but on the other hand...

"You know, I'm a little relieved."

He looked at her, confused.

"How do I put it? It maybe a little selfish, but I'm relived that even families like yours have their rough moments. When I first saw you all, it was unbelievable to me how close you were. I don't just mean you and Lloyd, but the whole team. You entered a competition designed to turn people against each other, but you still stood together, no matter the cost."

She gazed at the window.

"I knew my father and I didn't have the most loving relationship, but seeing you... I guess i was jealous. And ashamed, in a way. I thought I could never achieve a relationship like that, and maybe the fault for that was in me. But getting to know you," She caught glimpse of red in the corner of her eye. "Really getting to know you, and now hearing this story, it gives me hope." She turned to face him head-on. "I had an awful start, but I think there is still a chance for me to have something like that. Thank you."

He fidgeted a while before answering.

"You are an amazing person. I'm glad you're finally noticing it." He beamed at her. "Wait, was that a question if you can be part of our family?"

Skylor grunted some vague non-response. He smiled wider.

"Cause, you know, that was never a question. I- uh, we, would love that. After all you have done for us? You are always welcome to stay." His eyes slipped on the table. "If you.. if you want, that is."

I would love to be part of your family.

She didn't say it. Not yet. It was enough right now that a thought was there and that she could recognize it.

With nothing else to do with herself, she sipped her chocolate and winced.

"Aw shit, it got cold already."

Kai let his hand engulf in flames and winked flirtatiously.

"May I?"

"Show-off." She grinned and handed him the mug. They watched in warm silence as the liquid slowly boiled, until the small cloud of steam appeared above it.

"Here you go! Careful – it's still hot, you can burn yourself."

She rolled her eyes and reached for her chocolate. The second it touched her hand, she summoned fire to her palm and gasped in faked fright. "Oh FSM, you were right! It really burns!"

Kai blushed involuntarily.

"Oh, right, that. I forgot."

The air around them got significantly warmer.

What a dork she thought with fondness, gulping down her drink.

She set the mug on a table and looked at Kai.

But a cute one.

He was fiddling, his eyes jumping around, chicks still red.

And he's not even doing it on purpose.

There were a lot of wasted opportunities in her life. Points when she should have turn around. Points when she should have not averted her eyes.

She was done with not listening to what her heart said.

"Now, about your proposition" Skylor murmured.

She took his hand and kissed his knuckles. He blushed even harder.

She moved her other hand and caressed his face. The guy sitting a table away swept sweat from his forehead.

"I would love to."

She leaned to him, eyes locked, hers playful and determined, his flustered but hopeful. Kai's breath hitched and he shifted, eager to meet her sooner. And then their lips gently touched. Skylor felt her blood rushing through her veins, burning like fire. Her heart jolted with joy when Kai deepened their kiss, as trembling as it was. The heat around them was turning uncomfortable, but she could hardly care at the moment, too focused on feeling him so close to her, touching. I wonder if this is his first kiss too she thought when he awkwardly struggled to move his tongue out of the way while she tried to put hers inside his mouth.

They broke apart when the smell of smoke tickled her nose. Looking down, where the moment ago was an immaculate wooden table top, the black scorch marks in the exact shape of three sweaty palms were adoring the surface. She searched for the missing fourth, still on Kai's face, and felt the laughter bubble inside her chest.

"Well, we should probably leave the largest tip imaginable for that" she finally choked out.

That made him snap out of his stupor. He looked down too and appropriately snorted.

"Yeah." He fished out his wallet and checked out its contents. And then looked at her with a sheepish smile. "Uh, I think that might be a perfect opportunity to use that kingly funds of yours, I'm afraid."

"Probably." She lowered her voice, only now noticing the stares the other patrons were giving them. "And we should do it quick. Before someone asks for autographs. Or calls the police, whatever comes first."

Kai's eyes sparkled.

"You think they will want autographs? I'm joking, I'm joking" he quickly added when she gave him a disapproving look.

She glanced at the half eaten cookies on the tray, an excellent idea suddenly appearing in her head.

"Do you think they would let us have one more order before kicking us out?"

When Kai entered the living room, Lloyd sat on the couch, reading a comic, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Oh, you're back already? How was your date?"

At first the only response he got was a tired look.

I know what you did it said.

Oh? And what are you going to do about it? he responded in turn.

Kai sighed and plopped down next to Lloyd.

"You're lucky Skylor had a good time brat" he grunted, last ditch attempt at being threatening, "or I would have kicked your ass right here and now."

Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure you would."

"What, you don't believe me? You think I would be above it? Are you ready to temp fate?" With each question his brother pressed harder on him, until Lloyd was practically laying flat on a couch.

"You're crushing me!" he protested and attempted to shove him off. "I can't breathe!"

"If you have enough strength to wiggle around you have enough strength to breath!" Kai shot back, deeply amused, but pulled away. He then got up, stretched and yawned dramatically.

"I'm going to bed now. Thanks to someone,"-he threw Lloyd an accusatory glance-"that was a very eventful day. I'm out."

He headed to the door, but stopped halfway.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Kai pulled out a small package and threw it in Lloyd's general direction. He caught it flawlessly. "Skylor says hi. And that the next time you want to tag along just say it before." He winked and exited the room.

Lloyd glared at the package and tore it open. Inside a dozen of little ginger figures were smiling at him, every head adorned with a pair of horns. They also had tails and, upon closer inspection, little fangs.

Subtle.