This took me, like...three months longer than intended, heh...I should probably limit myself to how many fics I work on at once. That and the new season COMPLETELY ate my time up, and messed with the better part of my emotions :'D But anyways, here's the next chapter! Not much moving the plot around in this one, just Lloyd overthinking everything.
Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to review, you guys are the best! And I'm always super happy to see that I'm not the only one invested in these three's relationship :D
Chapter Five: Lloyd Starts Developing a Case of Emotions, and the Team Tries Something Productive for Once
Lloyd shifts in the confined space of the cabinet, the area around his nose stinging as he does. Wincing, he pinches two fingers around the bridge of his nose like he's seen the bigger boys do when they get hurt, wiping angrily at the blood with his other hand. It's sticky and gross, but his nose doesn't hurt as much when he touches it this time. That's good, he thinks.
Footsteps echo from outside the door Lloyd barricaded shut, and he cringes, scooting back further into the shelf he's wedged himself into. He imagines himself folding up into a little ball, just like the laundry towels around him. He's almost small enough. Small enough that he can slip through corridors and crawl up onto shelves in janitor's closets when he's being chased, at least.
"Where'd he go?"
There's Nico, Lloyd thinks, shrinking in on himself. That's bad. Nico doesn't let go easily.
"Dunno," a second voice says. "Probably ran off crying again."
Lloyd recognizes him as James, which is better - James doesn't have patience for anything. If he doesn't find Lloyd soon, he'll decide he's not worth it.
"No," Nico says, his voice growing louder. "He's somewhere around here. He knows we're not supposed to go any further than this."
"Not unless you wanna end up in detention," James says. There's a hollow knocking, and Lloyd can picture him banging on the lockers across the hall that he knows lead to the lower tunnels - the bad ones, the ones with the poisonous spiders in them.
Footsteps draw closer to Lloyd's closet, close enough that he can hear Nico's heavy breathing.
Lloyd holds his breath.
"C'mon, Nico, we can catch him later," James says. "He's gotta show up eventually. He's not worth wasting your time on now."
"Typical," Nico mutters. The door rattles as he kicks the wall nearby, and Lloyd stuffs his sleeve in his mouth.
"You're a coward, Garmadon, you hear that?" he yells, his voice reverberating through the closet. "No wonder your dad's never shown up. He thinks you're one too."
Lloyd is still holding his breath, biting down on his sleeve.
Their footsteps finally start moving away, and Lloyd starts breathing again.
He doesn't move after that, not even long after their footsteps have faded. He stays curled up in the closet, arms locked tightly around his legs as he tries not to breath too loud.
Maybe he'll sleep here tonight. At least he'll know he won't wake up with spiders in his hair, or something worse.
Lloyd doesn't really remember much of life before Darkley's. He was really, really young when he came in, and Darkley's kind of has a habit of making you try to forget whatever you were before. And then you want to forget mostly everything that happens at Darkley's, so it's just a big dumb circle of trying to forget things. The problem is, Lloyd managed to forget everything before Darkley's, which was the good stuff, and completely messed up on forgetting the bad parts, which was…basically everything about Darkley's. So. That sucks.
He does remember some stuff, though. Nothing really big, just a few scattered memories of a house with red and gold wallpaper, the smell of old books and incense, the sound of a woman's laughter. And then there's the one memory he likes best - the memory of someone hugging him, someone tall and strong. He doesn't remember what that person looked like, just that they had the brightest smile, and that they're the only person who's hugs he remembers.
Lloyd knows who it is now. He might not look the same, but his father's hugs are just as safe and comforting as Lloyd remembers them feeling.
Lloyd could really use a hug like that right now, because he feels anything but safe and comforted.
Despite everything Darkley's tried to teach him, Lloyd had still managed to go through the I-want-to-be-a-superhero phase. He had tried, for a while, to want to be a supervillain instead. No one ever wanted to be a dumb hero when they played at school - the villain was always the best role. Even if it didn't really…feel right, pushing people down and stealing their stuff and shoving them in lockers, Lloyd had done it. (Or had it done to him - Lloyd wasn't the strongest kid at Darkley's by a long shot.) Lloyd had embraced it though, because that was just what you did at Darkley's.
Even with all that, the idea of being a superhero still sounded cool. It's Fritz Donnegan's fault. If he wasn't so cool, bravely saving the day and laughing in the face of danger, then maybe Lloyd would've wanted to be the villain more often. But being a superhero sounded amazing - like actually being somebody. Somebody who could fight back. Back at Darkley's, Lloyd would have given anything to be like that.
He'd like to change his mind now, he thinks.
The whole thing doesn't make any sense, really. Not to Lloyd, at least. He's Lloyd Garmadon - he gets called things like brat and annoying and a pain in the neck.
Definitely not the Green Ninja.
(A part of him is scared that might be a worse thing to be.)
Even worse, though, is the other side of it. Every time Lloyd has thought of a bad guy, he's imagined some shadowy, menacing figure, with cruel eyes and an evil laugh. And maybe it's because Lloyd is just a dumb kid, but he's never really thought of his dad as a villain. Like, yeah, he's bragged about being the evil son of the evil dark lord, but he never really thought about what saying that meant.
He knew his dad was a villain, but he didn't think his dad was a bad guy. He's a little menacing, maybe, and he can do a pretty awesome evil laugh, but his dad's eyes aren't cruel. Lloyd can't imagine his dad ever hurting him. It just doesn't make any sense.
He bites his lip. No matter how hard Lloyd tries to ignore these thoughts, they keep on running through his head, loud and annoying. It's almost two am again, and Lloyd still can't fall asleep. He doesn't want to go to anyone, because he's already done that once, and he's been enough of a hassle to rescue already - they don't need him bothering them in the middle of the night just because Lloyd's being a big chicken.
Which is why Lloyd is curled up on the couch in the living room instead of in bed right now, watching TV. He has all the lights off, so the flickering of the screen makes shadows dance around all over the room. It could be creepy, but instead it just makes Lloyd feel calm - safer, almost, as if the flickering blue lights are here to protect him.
He'd wanted to watch cartoons, 'cause he hasn't watched any since Darkley's and he's way behind on his favorite shows, but all that's on right now is some weird conspiracy show on the history channel. Lloyd doesn't really get it, but that's mostly because he has to keep the volume off. The last thing he wants to do is wake anyone up. He doesn't want anyone to come in and tell him to turn it off and go to bed because it's past his bedtime, or whatever.
Lloyd wraps his arms around his legs, shivering a bit. He stares at his hands, remembering the way they tickled earlier when the Golden Weapons lit up around him. That was cool, at least, even if it made everyone look like someone had dumped ice water on them.
And rats, now he's back to thinking about it.
It's kind of funny, actually, because yesterday Lloyd didn't even think he was gonna live long enough to see tomorrow. Now he's the legendary…super-destined ninja, or something.
(Okay, so maybe Lloyd doesn't actually know what being the Green Ninja entails. He was kicked out of school, sue him.)
He does know that it means the ninja have to keep him now, so ha.
Well…he hopes so. Ever since he's been on the Bounty, Lloyd's been hearing about the Green Ninja this and the Green Ninja that. It's all the guys would talk about sometimes - how awesome the Green Ninja was going to be, and how great it would be if they got chosen.
…what if they're angry at him for that?
Lloyd twists his thumbs together. They didn't seem angry. Kai himself told Lloyd he wasn't mad, and Kai wouldn't lie to him, right?
…right?
At any rate, they're probably all super disappointed that it's him, Lloyd thinks. Lloyd's disappointed that it's him. How is he supposed to fight the fight the forces of darkness when he's pretty much only half Jay's height? And Jay is the shortest out of everyone!
Maybe they're just acting nice because they pity him, Lloyd thinks glumly. He wonders if Kai wishes he'd left him in the volcano now.
No, Lloyd thinks. Kai wouldn't do that.
Despite everything being pretty much terrible right now, there's still a glowing, happy little bubble in Lloyd's chest. Kai came back for him. He chose Lloyd instead of the Fangblade. No one's done that before. No one's ever chosen Lloyd.
But Kai did.
Nya was right, Lloyd thinks (he's starting to realize she's right about most things). Kai is kind of the best big brother ever.
Not that Lloyd sees him as a big brother! Lloyd corrects himself, hurriedly. No, of course not, Kai would laugh in Lloyd's face at that. Kai and Nya are super nice, that's all. All the ninja are nice. But Lloyd's not part of their family. He's got his own family now, which is kind of a mess.
"You're up awfully late."
Lloyd jumps. "Dad!" he yelps. His first instinct is to run to him and hug him again, but he stuffs that down, because his second instinct is to run away before he gets in trouble. "I wasn't - I was just-"
"Watching one of your uncle's terrible soap operas?" Garmadon says, an eyebrow raised as he glances at the television. Lloyd follows his gaze, and immediately makes a face at the gushy romance that's somehow made its way onto his TV screen.
"Eugh, no," he sputters, reaching for the remote. "I didn't know that was on."
"No," his father says, his voice softening. "I don't suppose that's where your head is right now." He hesitates in front of Lloyd. "Do you mind if I…"
"Huh?" Lloyd says, confused. Oh - his dad is asking if he can sit next to him. That's kind of funny. "Yeah, here!" Lloyd scoots over, patting the space on the couch beside him. He briefly considers sharing all the pillows he's stolen with his dad, but Garmadon looks comfortable just sitting there as he is, so Lloyd decides to keep them.
His dad doesn't say anything for a minute, just stares forward with a pensive kind of look on his face, occasionally glancing at Lloyd. Lloyd shifts awkwardly, wondering what his dad is thinking - what he thinks of him. He hasn't seen Lloyd in forever, not since Lloyd can even remember. He bites his lip, hoping he isn't too disappointed.
"I…I owe you an apology, Lloyd," his dad finally says, softly. "It's been so long, I hadn't even realized…" He looks at Lloyd longingly, as if he wants to hug him again. Lloyd wouldn't mind if he did.
"You've grown so much," Garmadon says, quietly. "And I've missed it."
"Not that much!" Lloyd says, gripped with the urge to wipe that sad look off his face. "I'm still way younger than the other ninja, Nya is always telling me that."
Garmadon gives a small, if somewhat pained, smile. "You are still much too young to be doing what they do." Lloyd huffs, crossing his arms. Even his dad is against him.
"If you…if you stick around, you won't have to miss anymore," Lloyd says, hesitantly. "You could…we could…" he trails off, at a loss. He's not quite sure how to ask him to stay without being annoying.
His dad is quiet, and Lloyd can't quite read his expression in the darkness of the room. Garmadon doesn't say anything for a bit, but Lloyd thinks he sees his jaw clench.
"Lloyd…"
"Or you could just - I mean-" Lloyd stutters, panicking a bit. Stay, stay, he wants to yell at Garmadon. Please. "I guess…with the Green Ninja and…and everything-"
"You don't have to think about that right now, Lloyd," Garmadon cuts in, his voice tight. "We have time, we…we have time."
That's not what he wants to hear. Lloyd pouts. It doesn't matter if they have time or not - if Garmadon leaves, that'll be it. All Lloyd will have to look forward to is eventually having to fight him until one of them…until one of them….
Huh. Lloyd's been so focused on what his dad fighting him means, he hasn't really thought about what him fighting his dad means.
Lloyd swallows. He doesn't want to hurt his dad. What qualifies as "defeating" Garmadon, anyways? Punching him really hard until he surrenders? Knocking him out? Whatever it takes to get his dad locked up, or banished to the underworld again, Lloyd supposes.
Lloyd chews on his lip. He hopes whatever power he ends up getting is as good as everyone's making it out to be, or he's gonna be toast.
"The final battle will not take place until you are older, Lloyd," Garmadon reassures him again. "Much older, I hope."
"I hope so," Lloyd says, stifling a traitorous yawn. "I mean, I don't even really know what I'm supposed to do. Do we just shoot our powers at each other until one of us passes out?"
His dad is quiet for a minute. "…something like that," he says, with a weird little tremor in his voice.
"That's a stupid destiny," Lloyd mutters. "Just to defeat you."
"You have a far greater destiny than that, son," Garmadon says, seriously. "You're fighting to save the people of Ninjago. To protect people. That is a far greater triumph than defeating an enemy."
Lloyd makes a face. He remembers the mean teachers at Darkley's, the way none of the other parents ever cared what happened to them. He remembers the ugly looks and teasing he got from the people in Jamanakai village, the way they left him hanging there for hours. He's supposed to trade his dad for these people?
Lloyd pulls the blanket up to his chin, his face working. He's not being fair, maybe. Ninjago also has the nice old couple who gave him food that one bad night, and the kind lady at the library who tried so hard to find his mother for him.
(She never did. Lloyd guesses that's for the best, now.)
Ninjago also has the ninja, Kai and Nya and the others. None of them deserve to be…well, whatever his dad is supposed to do to them. He doesn't actually know the details - again, no one's told him anything yet.
Lloyd glares at the floor. How is he supposed to be the Green Ninja when he knows nothing?
Garmadon watches his changing expression, almost looking amused. "Don't overthink it, Lloyd," he says. "Like I said, we have time. Time that you should use to sleep."
Lloyd rolls his eyes, trying not to groan. Apparently, even lords of the Underworld can be boring, too.
"Fine," he says, wrestling the blanket on until it's so twisted around him he can barely move. "But I'm sleeping here."
"Alright," Garmadon says, sounding a little more amused.
"You should…you should probably stay out here, too," Lloyd says, quickly. "Just to - to make sure I actually go to sleep. I'm a rebel, you know. I break all the rules."
Garmadon is definitely amused now. "Of course," he says, his tone lighter. "No sense in the both of us getting in trouble with your uncle."
Lloyd leans against his dad's side, almost hesitantly, and only relaxes once his father's arms wrap around him. Despite Lloyd's best attempts, because he's not really that tired, he feels his eyes fluttering closed. He can't help it - it feels safe like this, with his dad next to him, like it's the safest place in the world. For just a minute, Lloyd lets himself forget about the prophecy. He forgets about the Green Ninja, about the golden weapons, about the Great Devourer and its venom.
He forgets about everything but his dad, curled up with him on the couch and watching Lloyd's dumb TV with him, like he doesn't even mind.
Lloyd falls into a sleepy haze like that, drifting in and out of sleep against his dad. He doesn't even register that anyone's started talking, until muffled voices begin to cut into his dream about angry sharks jumping from the lava and eating Pythor.
"…just want you to be careful, now that we know."
Old, scratchy voice that's familiar and comforting. That's Uncle Wu.
"Do you honestly think I cannot be trusted around my own son?"
Deep and resonating voice, one that Lloyd loves – his dad. Except he sounds kinda angry.
"That is not what I was saying-"
"This changes nothing," his dad hisses. "Regardless of what my son is or is not prophesied to do, brother, he is still my son. I will never, ever hurt him."
"Willingly, you won't."
His father sucks in a sharp breath, and Lloyd vaguely feels the arm around him tighten.
"Gods, Wu." Garmadon's voice sounds weak. "You know I'd sooner end myself before I hurt Lloyd. But the venom…"
"We cannot undo what's been done, brother." Uncle Wu sounds sad. "I will make sure he is prepared. He will not lack for training, I assure you."
His father gives a bitter laugh. "Is that why you took him in? So he could be another one of your trained brats?"
"I did not know he was the Green Ninja any sooner than you did, Garmadon," Uncle Wu says, sounding angry now. "And I took him in because he was my nephew, and I could not live with myself if I had left him wandering the streets alone like he was."
"He what-"
There's a hushing sound from Uncle Wu, and his father's voice lowers again.
"Father's ghost, Wu, you told me he opened a can of worms, not that he was - wandering around completely alone, abandoned-."
"I'm sorry, brother."
"Do you think..." His father pauses, his voice cutting off like he's in pain. "Do you think she knew?"
A sigh from Uncle Wu. "I don't know. She was always rather talented at keeping her secrets."
"If it was enough to abandon our son, then good riddance."
"I will not hear you insult Misako like that when she is not here to defend herself."
Who's Misako? Lloyd wonders, sleepily. He frowns, burying his head further against his dad's side. Ugh. This conversation is too confusing to follow, and it's making his head hurt. Why can't his dad and Uncle Wu just get along?
The voices cut off abruptly.
"I should let him rest," his father whispers. "And I…I'll…"
"Rest here, brother," Uncle Wu says, his voice quiet. "You are still welcome. Things don't have to change. Not immediately."
"Thank you, Wu," his father breathes.
Uncle Wu makes an odd sort of sound, like a sad laugh. "I've missed you, you know."
"And here I thought you would be thrilled to have me out of the way," his father says, but his voice is warm, pained. "I….missed you too. I wish…"
"Don't, Garmadon. We cannot change our destinies. Only continue to walk the paths we've been given to their ends." Lloyd hears Uncle Wu's footsteps begin retreat.
"I'm sorry."
"So am I."
The footsteps pause.
"Oh, and Garmadon…be sure to let Lloyd know what he means to you, will you? Before it's too late."
Kai's a Roasted Marshmallow Group Chat
Nya: kai dear brother
Nya: i love you beyond belief
Nya: but if you set another part of the ship on fire
Nya: i will actually murder you in your sleep
Kai: its not my fault!
Kai: i'm just too powerful to be contained now i guess
Nya: murder you
Kai: ok ok i'll chill out a bit
Kai: gotta remind garmadon who's running the show here
Nya: kai why
Nya: i thought you had worked that out
Kai: yeah but
Kai: you do realize what he's supposed to do right
Kai: to lloyd and everything
Nya: to TRY and do
Lloyd wakes up to loud hushing noises and the smell of something burning.
His first panicked thought is that he's back in the volcano, and everything with the ninja and getting rescued was just a dream. But the soft, comfy couch he's laying on and the fact that he isn't burning to death at the moment rule that one out. His second thought is that it's Kai, lighting something on fire again with his new powers, but the voices are different - Jay and Cole, he thinks, and..maybe Zane?
Lloyd debates getting up and finding out or staying on the couch. Someone's left a blanket over him, and it's awfully cozy here, so maybe he'll just stay. One of the voices drifts closer to him, and Lloyd frowns, now too curious to fall back asleep.
He yawns, rubbing at his eyes at his eyes and sitting up. He stares blearily over at the kitchen, where Cole and Zane are pulling stuff out of the cabinets. Jay is right in front of him, his back turned. Still blinking sleepily, Lloyd pokes at his back. "Hey, what's going-"
Jay shrieks, and Lloyd starts off the couch in surprise.
"What the - Lloyd?" Jay yelps, leaning over the couch at him as Cole bursts into laughter. "When did you get there?"
"I've been here," Lloyd says grumpily, from where he's sprawled on the floor. "You woke me up!"
"Forget training him," Cole says, still snickering at Jay. "He's already a better ninja than you are."
"I apologize if we woke you, Lloyd," Zane says, ducking the couch cushion Jay chucks at Cole. "We did not realize you were there."
"Nah, it's okay," Lloyd says, picking his way past Jay and Cole as they battle over the single cushion. "I was waking up anyways. What are you guys doing?"
"We are supposed to be making breakfast," Zane says, raising his voice and glaring at Cole and Jay. The two pull apart, looking sightly chastised.
"Yeah," Cole says, sliding back around the counter to join them. "We haven't gotten a lot of free time lately, so we haven't had a chance to actually eat something other than takeout in a while."
Lloyd feels a pang of guilt, and glances down.
"Also, this way I can bring Nya breakfast, and it'll actually be good, since Zane is helping," Jay says. He leans in close to Lloyd, cupping a hand over his mouth conspiratorially. "Never eat anything Cole says he made," he tells him, voice hushed. "It might kill you."
"I'm not that bad a cook!" Cole says, offended. "Don't listen to him, kid, Jay's a compulsive liar."
"Since when have I ever lied?"
"Just this minute, right now!"
Zane sighs. "Can we please just get started?" he says, pulling out a pink apron. Huh, Lloyd thinks. Maybe he should've left Zane's gi pink.
Both Jay and Cole mumble apologetically, pulling out plastic bowls and little measuring spoons. Lloyd watches them, wondering if he should leave. The other ninja are nice, but he's never really been around them without Kai or Nya before. They might have accepted him onto the ship, but that doesn't mean they want him around them.
Lloyd chews on his lip, deciding he should probably leave. He's edging his way out of the kitchen when Cole snags his elbow, handing him a bowl.
"Here, hold this," he says, his eyes narrowed on the recipe. He glances at Lloyd. "Sorry. You're up, you gotta help. Team rules."
"O-okay," Lloyd says. He feels a burst of warmth in his chest. Cole included him in team.
"Are we making chocolate chip, or blueberry?" Zane asks, where he's pulling milk from the fridge.
"Blueberry, duh," Jay says.
"What are you, a heathen?" Cole says. "Definitely chocolate chip."
"How dare you insult blueberries like that to my face."
"Zane, settle this for us," Cole says, with an eye-roll in Jay's direction. "Blueberry or chocolate chip?"
Zane pauses, looking between the two ninja briefly. "Ah, perhaps we should let Lloyd pick," he says, and they all turn to look at him. "Lloyd, which one?"
Lloyd shifts awkwardly at the sudden attention. "Uh, blueberry or chocolate chip…what?" he asks.
"Oh," Jay says. "Pancakes. Which kind do you like better?"
"Um, I'm not sure," Lloyd says. "I can't remember ever having pancakes."
Jay and Cole gape at him. "Can't remember…pancakes?" Cole gets out, as if Lloyd's just announced he's never heard of the First Spinjitzu Master.
"No..?" Lloyd says, slightly alarmed at the intensity of Cole's distress.
"Oh, Lloyd," Jay says, kneeling down in front of him dramatically and grabbing his shoulders. "Not only have you been missing out on the beauty of pancakes, but you have never tasted the beauty of Zane's pancakes."
"They are really not as good as you seem to think-"
"Hush, Zane," Jay says, stilling holding Lloyd by the shoulders. "We must educate you." He stands abruptly. "We're making both kinds, okay? And with whipped cream, too."
"And ice cream and chocolate syrup," Cole says, pulling more items from the cabinets. "If we're doing this, we're going all out."
It takes a while for Kai to finally join them, but by the time he walks out from his room, still blinking sleep away and his hair resembling a hay stack, the kitchen looks less like a kitchen and more like a war zone.
"What's going on?" he yawns, his voice still thick from sleep.
"We're making pancakes!" Lloyd tells him eagerly, wrinkling his nose in an attempt to get the flour off it. "We're using chocolate syrup!"
"And everything else in the fridge, apparently," Zane says, sounding slightly frazzled. This is probably because Cole and Jay have teamed up and are trying to make it "snow" flour on him.
"You using mayonnaise?" Kai asks, already picking up a whisk to help.
"Using what?" Cole gags.
"Mayonnaise. Like - no, it's not like that," Kai rolls his eyes. "It's different-"
"Don't let Kai near the pancakes!" Cole yelps.
"I will, because Kai is a halfway decent cook," Zane says, handing Kai a spoon.
"Ooh, Zane coming in with the brutal honesty," Jay says. "I thought you wanted us to help."
"I do, but I would prefer not to poison everyone on board because someone mixed up the salt with the smoke powder."
Jay stares at the plastic container in his hand in surprise. "Why do we even keep this in here?!" he exclaims. Kai scoffs, ignoring him and making his way over to Lloyd.
"Look at you, already dragged into cooking duty," Kai says, dusting a smear of powder from Lloyd's forehead. Lloyd wrinkles his nose, but lets Kai brush the rest of the flour off.
"Yeah," he says, holding up his mixing bowl. "I'm in charge of stirring the chocolate chip mix!"
"Nice," Kai says, glancing at the mixture. "That's, um, a lot of chocolate chips."
"You can never have too many chocolate chips," Lloyd says, because he knows how to make pancakes now, and he's gonna make them his way.
"See, this one has taste," Cole says, patting Lloyd's shoulder. "Wait 'til we make the double chocolate pancakes."
"Those are a thing?"
Cole just laughs. "Looks like you're done," he says, glancing at Lloyd's bowl. "C'mon, I'll show you how to cook them."
Cole is patient as he instructs Lloyd on how to pour the mix onto the pan, even though he keeps yanking Lloyd's hand away from the stovetop when he gets too close, telling him he'd better not burn himself on day one.
Naturally, Lloyd still manages to burn his hands of the edge of the pan anyways, like a moron.
Cole kind pf panics, even though its only a little burn that doesn't hurt that bad, and immediately ushers Lloyd over to Zane, who quickly frosts Lloyd's fingers in a gentle coating of ice. Lloyd rubs the ice crystals in his hands in awe, wondering if they taste like snow.
"Don't mess with it, okay?" Cole says, pulling his fingers apart. "It'll just hurt worse, trust me. I've been burned before." He gives Kai a dirty look.
"It wasn't like I meant to!" Kai protests, throwing his flour-covered hands up defensively. He shakes his head, returning to the mixing bowl and muttering. "You misuse the fire sword one time…"
"I had blisters for weeks - no, you don't," Cole says, catching Lloyd's hand before he can bring the ice to his mouth. "Keep the ice on your hand. It won't hurt as much if it's numb."
Lloyd studies Cole's expression, confused. He's concerned, Lloyd realizes. Which is kind of silly, because it was Lloyd's fault in the first place. Lloyd was just being clumsy. Cole should be laughing him, if anything-
"There," Cole says, sounding pleased with himself. He's managed to clump most of the ice back onto Lloyd's reddening fingertips. "Keep that still, okay? And go help Jay with the toppings, I'll finish off the pancakes."
He ushers Lloyd over to Jay, who is covertly sneaking drips of the chocolate syrup onto his finger. He rolls his eyes as Lloyd joins him. "Cole can be a real worrywart sometimes," he tells him.
Kai snorts. "That's rich, coming from you."
"You, hush," Jay says, pointing the chocolate syrup at Kai threateningly. He looks back at Lloyd, leaning closer. "But there's one thing you can always count on to break him."
"What's that?" Lloyd whispers, ready to store this vital piece of information away.
"Cake," Jay says, smirking. "Or, if you're short on that, another form of sugar, say…"
He reaches for the toppings they have lined on the counter beside them. "Co-ole," Jay sing-songs, shaking a can of whipped cream in his hand and grinning. "Betcha can't beat your record."
Cole freezes where he's washing a mixing bowl out, surveying Jay through narrowed eyes.
"Oh, no," Zane says, quickly. "Don't, Cole, remember, you threw up last time-"
"Bring it on," Cole says, sliding over to them.
By the time Nya finally joins them, Lloyd is mid-chant with Jay, excitedly egging Cole on as Jay holds the bottle of whipped cream over his head. Poor Zane looks despairing of them all.
"Nya!" Lloyd exclaims, waving excitedly at her. "Cole's gonna eat a whole bottle of whipped cream in one go!"
"I see that," she says, rubbing her eyes and leaning against the counter next to him. She gives Jay a look. "You know this is going to-"
Cole suddenly chokes, doubling over as Jay yelps, pulling away.
"-end badly," Nya sighs.
"Oh, mistake," Cole wheezes, bracing himself against the counter. Jay leans over him, snickering.
"So close," he says, waving the bottle in his face. "We were so close."
Cole coughs, wiping whipped cream from the corner of his mouth and flicking it at Jay.
"Aw - gross, Cole!" Jay cries, jumping back as even Zane bursts into laughter.
Lloyd can't help the wide grin that spreads across his face as he giggles. The ice on his fingers is completely melted now, dripping down onto the counter. The burn stings a bit, but he doesn't even notice, too busy laughing at the look on Jay's face.
"Students."
Everyone whips around. Uncle Wu is standing in the kitchen entrance, his expression serious. The laughter quiets, trailing off into silence.
"A Fangpyre has been spotted on the streets," he says, gravely. "It is time we returned our attention to the Fangblades."
The silence grows tense, the ninja exchanging glances. Nya bites her lip. Lloyd shifts, looking down. He feels Kai's hand on his shoulder, tightening slightly.
He'd almost forgotten about everything.
Kai's a Roasted Marshmallow Group Chat
Nya: can you pick up some eggs
Nya: and milk too, we're almost out
Kai: ?!
Kai: we're catching snakes here not grocery shopping
Nya: we really need milk though
Kai: nya this is a deadly mission
Nya: it's one fangpyre
Kai: ….
Kai: are u watching us again
Kai: u better not come swooping in with samurai x
Kai: we got this okay
Kai: no more stealing our thunder
Kai: STOP IT NYA
Nya: i didn't say anything?
Kai: I CAN HEAR YOU THINKING FROM HERE
Nya: get me milk
Nya: and those little strawberry pastry things
Kai:…fine
"Did they catch him yet?"
Nya sighs, rubbing her head. "No, Lloyd. For the eighth time, no."
"It wasn't eight times," Lloyd mutters, sulking.
"No, you're right," Nya says. "It was more like fifteen."
Lloyd pulls the blanket up over his head, glaring at her. Nya has to resist the urge to snort - wrapped up in the blanket like he is, Lloyd resembles a rather fluffy seal, the static from the blanket leaving his hair sticking out in every direction.
An entitled bratty seal, she decides, as Lloyd shuffles forward on his elbows to reach for her last pieces of candy.
"No," she says, swatting at his hand. "These are mine, half-pint."
"But I want more," Lloyd whines.
"Then you shouldn't have eaten all yours that fast," Nya scolds.
Lloyd glares at her again, pulling the blanket down over his face. "You're so mean," he mutters, his voice muffled.
Nya rolls her eyes, turning her attention back to the view screens. It is pretty boring right now, she has to admit. They're holed up in the control room of the Bounty, keeping tabs on the guys while they hunt down the Fangpyre running around. It's getting late - reaching midnight, so Nya should really send Lloyd to bed. She should have sent him to bed hours ago, actually, then she wouldn't have had to deal with him eating himself into a sugar rush and the resulting disaster from that one.
Instead, she's helped him turn the control room into a messy sort of blanket fort, and they're now six episodes into that old drama show Sensei has on board for some reason. They're cliché, if anything, but Lloyd's endless commentary of that was the fakest blood ever and why are they trying to eat each other's faces like that is entertaining enough in itself.
(…okay, maybe she should crack and buy Lloyd those Starfarer movies instead. They're probably more kid-friendly. And maybe she can just download them semi-legally. Ninjago owes them for saving their city, anyways.)
She glances at the time again and sighs. Whatever. It's not like Lloyd's actual parent is going to come up and scold her for keeping his kid awake with terrible TV shows. Garmadon's been talking to Sensei Wu about secret stuff all day, and it doesn't look like that's likely to change anytime soon.
Lloyd starts banging his head repeatedly against the ground, still hidden in the blanket, and Nya resists the urge to smother him. Instead, she lets herself fall back, laying on the pile of pillows and staring up at the ceiling. Unbidden, she can feel her eyes starting to close, Lloyd's steady thudding fading into the background.
The radio crackles, and Nya jerks up, blinking rapidly. Lloyd pokes his head out from the blanket. Muffled voices come through the speakers, and Nya jumps up, sending pillows scattering as she dashes for the radio. Behind her, Lloyd struggles in vain to free himself from his blankets and join her.
"Hello?" she says breathlessly. "Guys?"
The radio crackles again, and Lloyd finally makes it over, peering at the controls with wide eyes. Nothing else comes through.
"Guys?" Nya repeats, tapping her fingers on the radio anxiously.
There's an ear-splitting whine, and the static finally clears up, Cole's voice coming through.
"Nya?" he says, his voice hushed. "What's up?"
Nya frowns, her anxiety ebbing. "You tell me," she says. "You're the ones that called in."
"Wha - huh? Lemme see." There's a rustling sound, and she can just hear Cole's hushed voice asking the others. Nya trades glances with Lloyd.
"Ah - yeah, we did, sorry," Cole's voice comes back, sounding exasperated. "Jay managed to sit on his communicator again."
"Don't tell her that!" they hear Jay yelp.
"Typical Zaptrap."
"Shut it, Kai, at least I didn't try to light a cat on fire because I thought it was a snake-"
"Guys, please?" Cole sounds like he wants to bang his head against the ground. "Sorry about that, Nya. We're good."
"Okay, good," she says, as her heart rate returns to normal. "Any luck?"
"No sign of any snakes yet," Cole says. "But we'll get him."
"Punch him in the face for me!" Lloyd yells, craning his head over. Nya shoves him back, hushing him.
"Will do, kiddo," Cole says, amused. "Oh - Zane's picking up something. Gotta go, we'll keep you updated okay, Nya?"
"You better," Nya says. "Good luck."
"Thanks. Kai says he loves you."
"I did not!"
"And Jay is blowing kisses."
"Cole!"
Nya rolls her eyes as the line dissolves into bickering, before finally cutting off.
"They're weird," Lloyd says after a minute, staring at the radio in consternation.
Nya snorts. "Yeah, but they're our weirdos," she says. She yawns, making her way back to their pile of blankets and flopping down on her back. "Looks like we're still on lookout, partner."
Lloyd makes a pathetic sound between a whine and a wail. "But it's so boring," he says. "I'm gonna die. And these movies are terrible."
Well, she won't argue with him on that. Sitting up, Nya stretches her arms above her head, wincing as sore muscles pull. "If you keep whining, it'll only get worse," she says, huffing as she lets her arms fall. "You wanna play a game, or something?"
"Like what?" Lloyd yawns, looking bored at the thought.
"Like, uh…I Spy?"
Lloyd gives her a thoroughly unimpressed look.
"Geez, fine, it was just a suggestion," she says. Punk. "We could, um…" Nya trails off, glancing around the control room. Her eyes catch on the ship's wheel.
"Ooh, I know," Nya says, a gleam in her eyes. "How about we start my part of your ninja training."
"Your part?" Lloyd says, frowning. "But you aren't even a ninja."
Nya cuts him a glare. "What, so that means I can't teach you anything?"
"No, of course not!" Lloyd says, looking scandalized. Smart kid, Nya thinks. "But you're a samurai, not a ninja."
"That's why this is going to be extra special training," she says. "I'm going to teach you useful stuff that'll save your life when the guys inevitably get you into trouble. Like, for instance..." she stands, beckoning dramatically to the ship's steering wheel. "How to fly the Bounty."
Lloyd lights up like a Christmas tree. "Wha - really?" he says, jumping up beside her and running over to the wheel. "No way! Can you teach me how to use the rocket engines? Can we fly it over Ninjago City and scare people? Can we do barrel rolls? Can we-"
"Woah, woah, slow down," Nya says, blinking at the sudden barrage. She snorts. Barrel rolls, Sensei would kill her. "How about we start with something easy, like how to actually stay in the air."
"Oh, yeah, uh - that'd make more sense," Lloyd says, rubbing the back of his head.
"Okay," Nya says. "First things first, this is the steering wheel." Lloyd gives her a look that clearly says no duh. Nya rolls her eyes. "It's just like a ship in the sea, except you're in the air," she says, shifting the wheel slightly. "Instead of using a rudder, it works with the sails and the rockets on the back to make turns. So it reacts a lot more strongly than a ship in the ocean would."
Demonstrating, she turns the wheel a bit more. The ship tilts, slightly changing course before she pulls it back into position.
"Okay," Lloyd says, reaching for the wheel. "So you just-"
"Nuh-uh," Nya says, smacking his hand away. "Not yet. You gotta learn how the rest works first."
"I know how to steer a ship," Lloyd pouts. "That's enough!"
"Mm-hm," Nya says. "And how do you start the ship, then?"
Lloyd stares at the wheel. "Um."
"Exactly," Nya says, shaking her head. "There's a lot more to it than just yanking the wheel around. We'll start with the basics - which do not include barrel rolls."
Lloyd sighs, but she can tell he's making a valiant attempt not to complain anymore. Relenting, Nya pulls Lloyd back to her side, placing his hands on the wheel. "But first, let's give your dad and uncle a tiny little scare."
Kai changed the chat name to Mission Impossible: Snake Busting
Nya: fsm you're such a nerd
Kai: try getting the theme song out of your head now
Nya: you suck
Kai: okay but real talk we're all actually making a planned attack
Kai: i never thought i'd live to see the day
Nya: you're actually being smart and taking me along
Nya: i thought you'd all die before you saw the day
Kai: stop being smug
The Mountain of a Thousand Steps is kind of disappointing, compared to where they've been the past few days. Especially after the Fangpyre they'd captured had made it seem like the end-all of all evil hideouts. Maybe that's just because nothing can top the explosive adrenaline of the Fire Temple, but still, it's…a little disappointing.
"Look at all that dirt!" Jay says, craning his head over the side of the Bounty.
Kai ignores him, squinting at the rugged mountain top as he reruns the information the Fangpyre gave them about the Fangblades through his head. They're not here for dirt, they're here so they can smash Pythor's face in and get the Fangblades, preferably in that order. "What are those snakes up to?"
Cole shrugs, adjusting his grip on his weapon. "Whatever it is, we're gonna stop them."
Kai gives him a sharp-edged grin, and he's thrilled to see Cole return it. Fights where Cole breaks out the bad ass are the best.
The door to the deck clatters open, and Lloyd bursts out, skipping down the steps two at a time. "Wait for me!" he says, pushing his hood back as it falls in his face.
As if. Kai resists the urge to snort.
Sensei Wu seems to be on the same train of thought. "This is not your fight. The green ninja is too important for a future destiny," he tells Lloyd sternly. "You shall stay with me."
Oops, Kai thinks, trading glances with Jay.
"Well, he's gonna have to look after himself, because we made room for you," Nya says, gesturing proudly from her position in Samurai X. The altered seating Jay and Nya put in last night looks a lot less precarious then it did at two am last night, and Kai is actually kind of impressed.
Sensei glances at the seat, turning questioning eyes to Kai.
"Well, you said you were concerned that you couldn't keep up, so Jay and Nya re-jiggered the design so you could come along," Kai says, ignoring the glare he can feel Lloyd sending his way. "What do you think?"
"I think-" Sensei Wu takes one, two steps up and then flips expertly into the seat. "Shotgun! Haha."
Kai blinks. Maybe it's just in the bloodline of the FSM family to be extra about everything. Come to think of it, Sensei Wu can sound a lot like Garmadon when he gets on a tangent…
"I will stay behind with Lloyd," Garmadon speaks up, stepping forward. His glowing eyes flick over them in thinly-veiled scrutiny. "I don't enjoy saying this, but…good luck."
Kai resist the urge to tell him they don't need his luck, thanks very much. He's trying to get along with Garmadon here, not pull a Lloyd and act like a socially-inept brat when it comes to getting along with people. It's vital to the mission that Kai doesn't get them prematurely killed because he's too busy holding a grudge match with Garmadon. Or at least that's how Cole put it, in all his "I'm-the-leader-so-I'm-mature" act he's got going.
Kai is plenty mature, please. He just doesn't trust Garmadon one way or another, especially since the guy one) has captured his sister, two) is destined to try and kill his own son, and three) apparently still has the overall goal to enslave all of Ninjago in darkness or something.
Sure, there's something to be said for "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", but this is pushing it.
Kai feels Nya's eyes on him. Giving her a side-eyed look, he finally sighs, relenting. It won't be long before Cole starts looking at him as well, and then Zane'll join in and it'll be all over for Kai. Better to keep the illusion that he's perfectly composed.
Rolling his shoulders, Kai makes his way over to Lloyd, who is staring at the mountain with a look of utmost sulking. He glances up as Kai nears him, eyeing the fire sword strapped to his back almost hungrily.
"Don't get caught or anything, I guess," Lloyd says, kicking at the deck. Kai grins. He's sulked enough himself to recognize when someone's concerned and trying to hide it.
"We'll be fine, kid," Kai says confidently as he pulls his mask up. "We're the best ninja around, remember?"
"Hmph." Lloyd draws himself up, as if he can make himself taller by puffing his chest out alone. "Well, if you aren't fine, I'll be here to bail you out!"
"No, you'll be here to send in your dad," Kai says, glaring at Lloyd firmly. "You are not coming in after us."
"Oh, come on," Lloyd whines. "You can't keep leaving me out of stuff anymore! I'm a ninja now!"
"No, you're not," Kai says, amused. "You'd probably fall on your face before you actually did Spinjitzu."
"I would not," Lloyd says, stubbornly.
"Would too," Kai says, and before this devolves into a back-and-forth mess, he flicks Lloyd in the nose, causing him to sputter indignantly. "Stay on the Bounty, ninja orders. You'll be safe here with Garmadon."
Kai reruns the sentence he just said through his head.
"On second thought, maybe you should lock yourself in my room," he mutters.
Lloyd frowns. "Why would I do that?"
Kai glances over his shoulder at Garmadon inconspicuously. "Um, no reason," he says. "Just…be good, okay? We'll be back before you know it."
"With the Fangblades?" Lloyd asks.
"With the Fangblades," Kai says, reassuringly. "We got this. We're professionals - the Serpentine don't stand a chance."
Mission Impossible: Snake Busting Group Chat
Kai: why did we leave lloyd alone with his dad again
Nya: because we don't want him to die down here?
Kai: garmadon is a terrible influence
Kai: do u want lloyd to go bad again?
Nya: fsm
Nya: they'll be fine kai it won't be for long
Kai: i don't trust garmadon
Nya: really?
Nya: wow
Nya: i had no idea
Nya: the shock
Kai: -_-