A/N

So I had written this in early August, and even though the plot is different, the vibes are I believe quite similar to ninjaygo's Jaya Week book. It's an awesome book, so please check it out!

Also watch me come up with the stupidest summer camp name imaginable.

Anyway, enjoy!

♡♡♡

Summer Camp AU

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Lloyd!" she finally snapped, then her eyes glued themselves back onto the road. Having to drive was hard enough, having to drive with rain was even harder, but having to drive with Lloyd in the backseat was a nightmare.

"Just making sure." He shrugged, then kept himself busy by staring out the window at the forests below the edge of the cliff. "How high up are we?" he asked her.

"High enough to be on a mountain. We should be arriving soon enough."

She didn't have much experience with driving, let alone on slippery, bumpy mountain roads. So when Misako asked her to drive with her young son in such a place, she was more than confused. Did she even care about her son's safety or her own? She didn't know, but considering how many hours they would watch over him while she drowned herself in her work, she doubted she really paid mind to anything else.

"You know, you're a way better babysitter than Kai. When we're in the car we play the 'shut up' game and it's super boring."

She should have thought of that first, but it was too late. All she could do was roll her eyes at her brother's 'games'. As close as he was with Lloyd, he didn't mind using these so-called 'exploits' to make him more obedient. Funny thing was, Lloyd had done the same to him.

The drive continued for a good ten minutes, all while Lloyd was catching her up with the water drop race going on at his window. Much to his disappointment, the race ended in a draw.

She squinted, slowing down the car as she looked at the half-ruined sign in the distance.

"Camp Dragongold?" she read it out loud in bewilderment.

Lloyd's face lit up, jumping on his seat. "Yes, that's the one!"

"Who names a summer camp 'Camp Dragongold'?"

"Dragons are our mascot, duh."

"The name's still weird."

"Not!"

She let the conversation end there. Luckily, even though the parking lot was small, only two spaces were occupied. A black, family car, alongside a rusty, older truck.

She tried to park it straight several times but gave up upon her fifth attempt, cringing upon seeing its slightly crooked position. Good enough, she thought, and went to let out Lloyd, umbrella in hand.

He decided to skip across the pavement, but when he almost slipped, he resorted to clinging onto her arm.

"You know, it's all gonna be boys there, so please don't embarrass me," he told her.

"Why would Misako send you to an all-boys camp?"

He shrugged. "She said I was too young for boy scouts," he said, sticking his tongue out slightly. "Plus, girls suck."

She raised an eyebrow playfully. "Because they have cooties?"

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "Not you, though, you don't suck."

He was sweet in his own, twisted way.

The rain had gotten heavier.

All of the cabins were empty, except for the one in the centre; the largest one, in fact.

"Oh, man, we're gonna miss lunch," pouted Lloyd, dragging her along.

While walking closer, she could barely spot the other facilities down below. There was a small tennis court, an even smaller workshop, and what looked like a ranch.

She didn't get to inspect them any longer before Lloyd dragged her inside, swinging open the doors. Everyone looked at them.

It was hard not to laugh when all the young boys stared at her as if they had never seen a girl before in their life.

Luckily, two boys around her age were also there, giving her a moment of relief.

While the tall, blond one with the pink apron continued serving food, the other one made his way to her slowly, his look almost the same as the young boys'.

He wasn't tall by any means, but even then, still taller than her, reminding her once again that she was short. His messy hair was a reddish brown, freckles were dotted across his pale skin, and, of course, he had big, blue eyes that stared at her in shock.

"Um, hi," he said. "Are you dropping off Lloyd?"

"Yep. Kai usually brings him, but he's on vacation, so... I'm here."

He blinked for a moment, then snapped off his thoughts. "Oh, of course!" He looked around frantically. "Uh... Cole is usually in charge of the paperwork, but he's busy with taking the horses inside, so... you're left with me."

She smiled. He was cute, at least. "Works for me."

♡♡♡

She handed him the envelope. "It's all in cash. His mum gave it to me," she said.

Their hands touched briefly when he took it. He pulled away quickly. He was tense. "Alright, thanks." He looked down at the document, tapping his pen on the desk. "Contact number?"

"I thought you already had his mother's?"

"She must've changed it, but she never gave us the new one."

"Oh." Typical of Misako. "Just write my own then, I guess."

She couldn't help but notice his cheeks redden as he wrote down each number. Was it that good of an idea to give her number to some random people? No, but it was for Lloyd's safety at the end of the day.

Thunder echoed nearby, and he visibly jumped. "Are you sure you can drive out there? Some of the roads have already flooded."

Great. "I'll just crash in my car until it's over, I guess."

"We have a spare bed in the counsellor's cabin," he said. "I know it's not perfect, and I get if it makes you uncomfortable... But you know, better than a car."

"I mean, if you don't mind..."

"We don't," he said bluntly. "I bet you're a better roommate than our camp 'manager'. Dareth snores a lot, but he won't show up until next week, so..."

She chuckled. "Sure."

"So... you and Lloyd know each other how?"

"Me and my brother babysit him a lot. He's like our little sibling."

"So you're Kai's sister?"

"In the flesh."

He blinked. "That explains a lot."

"Is that a good thing?"

He chuckled, not letting the conversation continue. "Come on, I'm sure Zane has some leftover stew for us."

"Zane?"

"Oh, yeah. He's in charge of cooking and tennis."

"And you are..."

"Oh! Right." He cleared his throat, offering her his hand. "Jay. In charge of the workshop, horses, and part-time scary campfire stories."

She smirked. "I didn't know that was a skill."

"It is if you know Cole. He's super good at those."

He continued to blabber, and she could only smile. That place didn't seem so bad, after all.

♡♡♡

The rain had stopped at last. The road below was still flooded as ever, however, she wouldn't dare drive through it. So, she was left to wander around the camp.

Of course, she wasn't alone. As the only other person she really knew there, she followed him around like a stray puppy, awkwardly guiding the kids along with their activities. Luckily, they reached the workshop, and she was finally in her natural habitat.

It was impressive how good Jay was at woodworking. His instructions were clear, and the end result was always really impressive. That time, they learned to carve a bird.

Meanwhile, she was left to carve her own experiments in the corner of the room, stuck in her own little world.

That was until she heard a conversation going on at the front desk.

"Ew, don't talk about my big sis like that!" Lloyd dramatically complained to his fellow camper.

"I just said she was pretty," the other one defended himself.

She exchanged a look with Jay, who intervened. "Hey, we don't gossip about girls like that."

"My prince," she whispered to him in a joking tone, making his cheeks turn a familiar shade of pink.

The other boy pouted. "No fair, you said she was pretty too."

His face went from pink to red as the class collectively let out a teasing 'ooo'. He avoided making eye contact with her, though just by her giggle, he got the memo.

"Forget you heard that," he said. "I'll go dig myself a hole later."

She scooted her stool closer to his, ignoring that her own warming cheeks. "Actually, before you do that..." she said. "I was wondering if you'd be up for a personal tour?"

His reaction was cute. "Oh, I'd... love to. I can let Cole take over in an hour or so."

"Great," she said with a wink. "I'll be waiting."

He turned back to his craft, a nervous smile on his face.

♡♡♡

In the end, the sun had fallen by the time he had some free time. She didn't mind, though, for she got to spend some time wandering on her own.

Once she had made a stop at the stables, he caught up with her at last.

Wisp was the name of the horse he had chosen, as well as the one he was charged with taking care of. Compared to the black Rocky and the white Shard (both with equally amusing and creative names), Wisp was a light cream. She had taken a quick liking to her, thankfully, even though her energy was much less than hyper than her owner's.

They made a few rounds through one of the only dry paths in the woods. During their return, the sun was almost ready to hide fully behind the mountains ahead.

"I like it here," she said, caressing Wisp's mane. Jay was walking alongside them, always holding the leash to keep her in check.

"Yeah, that's the path we usually collect berries on."

"No, I mean I like it here. In the camp."

He found the confidence to make a witty comment of his own. "Is it because you have the best tour guide ever?"

She laughed. "Maybe."

"You're right though, it's nice here. The stars at night remind me of my parents' home."

"Oh, where are they from?"

"The Sea of Sands," he said before he could process his answer. Nevertheless, she seemed impressed.

"I know the place. They have a nice sky at night," she said. "Our hometown, Ignacia, is pretty rural too, but the stars aren't nearly as bright as they are in the desert."

"Better than Ninjago City, right?"

Her eyes widened. "You live there too?"

He nodded. "Yeah, this is just a summer job. Cole and Zane have been my friends since high school, so we work here to make due with college and all."

"Seems like a better job than serving noodles at your sister in law's noodle shop," she said. "I go to college in Ninjago City too."

"Chen's Noodle House? I go there all the time with the other two!" Suddenly, he looked away, his voice becoming shyer. "Maybe we could meet up there sometime."

It was supposed to be a date, right? She wasn't overthinking it? Well, she wasn't about to mention it and make things awkward.

Instead, she winked. "You already have my number, so..."

He smiled. After a string of silence, he plucked up the courage to speak. "I... may have one more activity planned for the tour."

Curiously, she grinned.

♡♡♡

Night had fallen by that point. The sun was completely gone, instead being replaced by a crescent moon.

Much like the freckles on his skin, a million stars were dotted all across the night sky.

And she was there to admire it all, sitting on a blanket in the middle of the ranch, all alone.

He finally came back, two sandwiches in hand. "The road should be cleared up by tomorrow," he said. "But... if you're too afraid to drive through it, I could give you a lift."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," she said, taking a bite off one of the sandwiches. "You were right, by the way; the sky is nice."

"Oh, yeah. Zane usually gathers the kids up to teach them about constellations. I just... like to watch them, I guess."

"Hey, nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, you just wanna look at something pretty."

She was looking at him when she said that. He looked away shyly.

"So that's why I've been staring at you all day." It didn't sound as smooth as it did in his head.

She chuckled, playfully punching his shoulder. "Is that how you pick up girls?"

"Well, I don't usually take them on horse rides and stargazing," he said, and they both lied down. They looked at each other. "So you're in luck."

"I'll consider myself special," she said, looking up at the night sky. Her eyes felt droopy.

"I'd say you are."

She knew it was too soon, but she couldn't resist. She took told of his hand, letting it rest there as they silently stared up at the stars.

He smiled. Cole and Zane were going to kill him for being late. But it didn't matter, for he had her, and the stars.