FINNEAS
••• Claudia •••

I shivered, pulling my Lloyd's hoody tighter around myself. It'd been a month since the start of school and the temperature had been steadily dropping. I was excited for rainy nights in, but the horrid chill of winter was something I wasn't quite so looking forward to.

Naomi sat beside me, trying to warm herself under the heater of the little coffee-book shop that we had decided to meet Claire and Aaliyah at. They had yet to arrive but then again, we ourselves had only just sat down, shaking off the raindrops from the sudden downpour that had caught us on the way there.
"Damn, autumn's pulling no punches with the weather, huh?" Naomi huffed, peeling off her jacket.
"I know," I sighed disappointedly. "Lloyd wanted to go for a hike through the forest on Saturday but if it's like this..."
Naomi pulled a face. "Since when did you like hiking?"
"Since I got a boyfriend who does," I said simply. "I'd never been hiking with someone who actually enjoys it. It changes the whole experience, really."

Naomi shivered suddenly, wringing out her damp, blonde hair. She stared at the water on her hands in disdain.
"I'm just glad that Cole's not out," Naomi murmured. "He hasn't been able to go outside much because of how temperamental the weather's being. I think it's getting to him."
I smiled sympathetically, patting her shoulder in encouragement.
"He's got the best person looking out for him," I reminded with a gentle smile. "Speaking of, are you two official yet? It's driving me crazy!"
"No, not yet," she grinned, watching as I pulled a frustrated face. "How about Lloyd? Has he talked to you about the, uh... possession and Axon stuff?"
I stilled, staring at the pile of books at the end of the table before slowly shaking my head.
"No... not yet," I sighed, repeating her answer.

I wasn't sure if Lloyd could notice it, but I definitely felt something unsavoury swelling between us the longer he kept avoiding the possession/Axon discussions. I'd given him an inch of space and he'd run off with a mile, declining me at every turn when I'd offered an ear and a shoulder. It made my panic grow with each day.
"I'm worried," I murmured, playing with the strings of his hoody. "Everyone's expecting me to help him, but how can I help him if he shuts down every time I ask him about it? And this situation is so delicate, it's not as if I can just force him to tell me."
"He's probably just sorting it out in his own head," Naomi offered an alternative way of thinking. "And once he does that, he'll turn to you."
"But what if he doesn't?" I groaned, dropping my head back against the seat. "What if he just... doesn't want to tell me? What do I do then? Give up?"

"No, of course not-" Naomi went to console but was caught off by Claire and Aaliyah arriving. She patted my knee before turning to the others, knowing that our conversation about our ninjas would have to wait until we were alone again.
"Sorry, we're late!" Aaliyah chimed, shaking out her curly hair and sliding into the seat. Claire wordlessly sat down, typing furiously onto her phone. "What rain, huh? I love it!"
I plastered on a practised grin, nodding along.
"Right?"
Claire placed her phone down and peeled off her coat, shivering a little.
"It's so cold," she mumbled. "I'm not used to the change in temperature yet."
We fell into an easy conversation, talking about anything that crossed our mind - school, the upcoming concert that I didn't plan on going to see, random bits of gossip here and there. And then Aaliyah directed a question at me.

"How's it like being Lloyd's girlfriend?" she asked.
"Aaliyah!" Naomi hissed, sending the brunette a glare. Aaliyah's eyes widened at her tone and she lifted her palms in a placating manner.
"I'm only curious, sorry!" she defended, her brown eyes jumping to me. "It's just that you got detention on the first day because of what somebody said about Lloyd, right? How have you been handling school since then?"
"It's, uh... alright," I shrugged. "People have started calling me Garmagirl which is, erm... not the most creative. But Chen yelled at someone the other day and since then, it's kind of died down a little."
"Chen is a powerhouse, popularity wise," Claire raised a brow. "How'd you become friends with him again? Didn't you slap him?"
I shrugged. "I dunno. It just happened. Guess he had a bit of a revelation over the summer and stopped being mean to Lloyd."
Naomi subtly raised her brows, knowing the true reason.
"More like Chen's trying to be nice and Lloyd gets jealous as all hell," she snickered, elbowing me. I grinned at the blonde, rolling my eyes. "That boy's possessive. Not in a bad way, though. It's sweet."

"But hardly anybody speaks to you," Claire pointed out. "And all the rumours - isn't it getting to you?"
"Honestly? I thought it would be worse," I shrugged. "I think it helps that I'm close with Lloyd's friends, too. They're all really nice. It's like they're a family."
"Speaking of, where's Brookestone?" Aaliyah piped up, brow pulled tight over eyes. "Did he move schools?"
Naomi tensed. I knocked my knee into her's, telling her to relax.
"He's tramping around Ninjago," I lied simply, poker face doing wonders. "I'm not sure if he's taking this year."
"Fair enough," Naomi shrugged, forging nonchalance. "Last year of high school is take-it-or-leave it. Heaps of people from our year went to university."
Claire's phone dinged and she groaned, grabbing it with a scowl.
"Nathan won't stop texting me," she snapped, sending us an exasperated look. "I'm going to call him. Wish me luck."
We chuckled, murmuring good luck as she stalked off into a corner of the cafe to dial Nathan. I sent Aaliyah a confused look.

"Did I miss something?" I asked, tilting my head. I hadn't sat with them for the past week (curtesy of Lloyd learning my schedule off by heart so he could walk me too and from class, the goof) which was why I organised this hang out. To reconnect. But it seems that there was a lot I missed due to my semi-permanent residence at the ninja's table.
"Claire broke it off with Nathan," Aaliyah leant in, whispering. "He's not handling it well."
"Why did she break up with him?" I asked, frowning. They were a good couple. Naomi shrugged, staring hard at the coffee she had ordered.
"Dunno," she muttered, a sharp edge to her eyes. "It's just what she does."
I stared at Naomi with a concerned look, but she ignored me. Aaliyah didn't seem to notice. Or she ignored it.

Alright...

A sudden BONK on the window made us jump, turning to stare at the person who had pressed his face against the wet glass.
"Oh, my god," I sighed, covering my eyes with my hand in shame as Lloyd began running his nose down the glass and fogging up the window. Aaliyah broke into genuine hysterical laughter at the sight and Naomi looked like she was struggling to hold back amused tears.
Lloyd bounded inside, soaked to the bone. He grinned brightly at me as I sunk deeper into the seat, embarrassed.
"That was GREAT!" Aaliyah exclaimed in amusement. Lloyd's green eyes jumped to her as he laughed breathlessly, leaning on the table. His sodden hair dropped rainwater. He was beaming.
"What have you been doing?" I asked, shaking my head as I tugged on his sweatshirt. It fell back onto his skin with an unsatisfying shlop.
"I took a walk," he replied, as if the rain wasn't so heavy that it was falling horizontally.
"In the middle of a storm?" I chided. "You're gonna get sick!"

Lloyd shrugged, unphased as he slid into the booth beside me. I yelped, scrambling more into Naomi's side.
"Nonononono-" I complained before he swung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. I still struggled to get out of his hold, freezing water soaking through my clothes. "I just got dry, you bastard!"
"Sorry," he said, but his grin didn't look apologetic in the slightest.
Claire returned. Her eyes narrowed at my disgruntled expression, pressed tight against his side.
"Oh, great," she grumbled. "A party crasher."
"Hey, Claire," Lloyd grinned, squeezing me tighter. I made a grunt of complaint. "Don't worry, I'm just dropping in to say hello."
With that, Lloyd leant in to press a kiss to my cheek.
"Alleyway. Two minutes," he whispered so only I could hear. Heat brushed my cheeks as I stared at him in bewilderment. Lloyd sat back with a bright, happy smile and winked playfully, as if he didn't just cause me to have an emotional crisis.
"See ya," he waved to the others before slipping from the seat with one last smile shot my way. It looked innocent enough, until his hooded eyes flashed red so fast that I would've missed it if I hadn't been staring at him with a stunned expression.

Conversation fell back into play and I shifted in anticipation on my seat, watching as the rain continued to bucket down. I kept glancing at my phone, checking the time. Since when had two minutes felt like two hours?
"I have to call my mum," I said as I stood abruptly, thighs knocking into the table. The three stared silently at me, surprised by my outburst. "S- sorry. I forgot to call her before and just remembered- yeah-"
I fled from the table, tucking the phone away as I stepped out into the street. Hardly anybody was walking on the pavement, every (sane) person most likely finding shelter from the storm.
I stared around the street as I slowly walked to the mouth of the alleyway, making sure that nobody could see me duck inside. I seemed to have been taking too long, as a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and I was tugged deeper into the shadows with a yelp.

Lloyd wrapped his arms around my waist and I was spun, being lifted until I was pressed against the cold, brick wall, demolishing a hard kiss against my mouth. I squeaked in surprise at the speed before I fell into him, looping my arms around his shoulders and instinctively curling my legs around his waist.
Lloyd grinned into the kiss at my immediate response and the way he nipped at my bottom lip made butterflies dance in my gut. I tightened my thighs around his hips, pulling him closer. As if he could get any closer.
"Lloyd," I gasped as he pulled his head back to place kisses along my cheek. Water dropped onto my steaming face. "It's raining."
"I hadn't noticed," he mumbled sarcastically as the rain poured down on us both. His hands slid up the hem of his green hoody that I was wearing to press his frigid fingers to the skin of my waist. I jumped at the temperature.
"Lloyd!" I chastised and he laughed a growl, nuzzling aside the hood to drop kisses along my collarbone.
"I love it when you wear my clothes," he snarled into my skin and the feeling of it sent shivers down my spine. I dug my face against his soaking hair, inhaling the smell of him mixed with rain, eyes fluttering shut in bliss. "I used to wear that hoody all the time. Now everybody knows you're mine."

I inhaled sharply at his words, gulping as my hands threaded through his blond hair.
"I love it when I wear your clothes, too," I murmured, lips brushing against his ear. He tensed at the feeling. "But Lloyd. You literally have seven of the same hoody."
"It's called being iconic," he said, squeezing my waist. My inhale stopped short, rainwater dripping from my lips.
"It's called being-" I laughed when he nipped my ear. "-lazy."
"You take that back," Lloyd demanded. I shook my head, playfully giggling as water collected on my eyelashes. He stared hard at me with a teasing scowl before he pressed another kiss to my lips. His grip turned tighter and he pressed me harder against the wall, my back moulding against the bricks. Euphoric bliss burst from my chest as we kissed, the ethereal feeling of being wanted making my toes curl.

"I missed you," Lloyd murmured when he pulled back to press his forehead against mine.
"You were gone for two days," I said, touching his cheek softly with my fingertips. He dropped his head into my palm.
"Two days too long," he grumbled as he shut his eyes in annoyance. "That mission sucked."
"Was it boring?"
"No," he sighed, red eyes reopening to stare into mine. "I just didn't have you."
Oh.
"Y- yeah, well. Uh..." I swallowed dryly and a smile curled upon his face at my flustered self. "I d... I don't know how t- to reply to that."
"Tell me you love me," he whispered, lips brushing against mine as he spoke. I caught his bottom lip with my teeth and his eyes widened in brief surprise.
"I love you," I mumbled, but it didn't quite come out as coherent. An amused, giddy grin flung onto his face and his lip tugged out from my grip. "This hoody doesn't smell like you anymore and I demand a swap."
"I think I can hook you up with what you need," Lloyd murmured. I raised a brow at his use of words.
"Are you saying that you're my drug?"
"Pure heroin, baby," he grinned, biting the tip of my nose. I tore my head away with a snicker.

"I have to go back inside," I said, pushing him back a few steps and slipping out from his grip. Except he wouldn't allow it, proven by the way I was simply yanked back into his chest.
"No," he growled into my neck. I ignored the pleasant way my stomach twisted.
"Lloyd, it's raining," I reasoned, but my clingy boyfriend just held me tighter. "We're going to get sick."
"Then I'll take you back to my place," he reasoned, perfectly content with ruining my plans for the Sunday evening. "They don't need to know. I want you. Mine."
"Lloyd," I whined, trying fitfully to pull away, my attempts weak. "I spent the entirety of last week with you. Lemme hang out with my friends."
"But I want to hang out with my friend," Lloyd complained, dropping his head into my shoulder. Rain patted against our hair.
"Cutiepie, don't do this to me," I whimpered as he hugged me closer to him. "C'mon. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? I'll spend every second I can with you. How does that sound?"

Lloyd paused, considering. With a reluctant groan, he stepped back. His red eyes held mine with a pitiful expression, looking akin to a kicked puppy. I almost allowed myself to feel guilty and cave under his pouting expression.
"Fine," he said grumpily. "Can I get something in return, then?"
I smiled gently. "What is it you want?"
"Oh, never mind," he said with a bright grin. "You just gave it to me."
I tilted my head. "Huh?"
"I wanted a smile," Lloyd gushed, pressing a kiss to my nose. I stilled, stunned, before I shook my head with a scoff.
"Lloyd Garmadon, you are the ultimate cheeseball."
"Only for you, sunshine," he snickered. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye bye," I waved gently as he turned the corner and disappeared. Rain still fell in heavy sheets and I just realised how cold it was-

With a shiver, I wiped my face free of raindrops and ventured back inside the cafe.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

Claire, Aaliyah, Naomi and I hung out for longer than we expected and by the time I started heading home, it was dark.

It was cold as I walked home, but at least the rain had come to an end and I was dry again. I hummed to the music pouring from my headphones as I made my way down the darkened streets, opening to singing softly when I hit the less populated side of town.
A feeling of being watched made me stiffen and slow to a stop, scanning my surroundings with sharp eyes. I gulped, silencing, thinking of ghosts and evil elemental masters hiding in the shadows.
I picked up a faster walk, feeling my back curve in as my adrenaline levels spiked out of fear. I only had a few blocks to go. Humming again, only to calm my nerves and appear nonchalant.
A scuffle to my side my heart leap up into my mouth and I stumbled aside, stepping out onto the empty street. The lamps were glowing only a dull yellow, not enough to illuminate the entirety of what laid around me. I began to panic, heart beating a mile a minute.

"You've got a pretty voice," a voice from above complimented.
"GoD?!" I yelped, dropping my phone in shock. The voice chuckled and it was painfully familiar. I glanced up to see the green ninja with his chin on his fist, staring down at me with giddy eyes as he leant over the edge of the roof of the abandoned DVD shop.
"No, but you're close," he teased.
"You scared me!" I exclaimed, scooping up my phone and checking the screen for cracks. "What, miss me already?"
"Always, when I'm not with you," Greenie snickered. "But that's not why I'm here."
I blinked, glancing up at him in bafflement.
"Oh?"
"Come up," he ordered. "There's someone I want you to meet. He'll be here soon."
I furrowed my brow, walking towards the building and clambering up the ladder that was bolted to the side of it. Lloyd grabbed my hand and pulled me up the rest of the way, fingers lingering on my arm.

"I got you something," Lloyd murmured, pulling out a hoody from behind him. I gasped in delighted surprise.
"You actually did it!" I gushed, slipping off the hoody I was wearing.
"Of course," Lloyd snickered from behind his mask. "I said I would."
He held out a hand to swap so I passed it to him before slipping into the new hoody. I inhaled the hem, just as Lloyd pulled the other one over his head. He winked and my heart buzzed pleasantly.
"You should give me back my own clothes more often," Lloyd snickered. "Now I get to smell like you."
"A dream for you, I'm sure," I rolled my eyes.
"Hey, hey. I'm allowed to like your scent just as much as you like mine," Lloyd said as he raised his palms in defence. I giggled.
"On another note, what did I tell you about walking home alone at night?" he asked seriously.
"To... not," I confessed sheepishly. "But my ingenious ninja boyfriend put a tracker in my phone so it's all good."

"It is not," he pressed, squeezing my shoulders in warning. "Axon isn't the only bad guy out there, Y/n. I just want you to be safe."
"Define safe."
"Y/n."
"Okaaay," I groaned, caving. "No more walking home alone at night."
"Thank you," Lloyd sighed in relief.
"You're adorable," I grinned, pulling up the bottom of his mask to bring him into a kiss. He eagerly reciprocated, hands finding my waist.

A throat being cleared made us break apart and glance over to where a man was respectfully staring off to the side. Blush crossed my cheeks at being caught.
"Ah, sorry," Lloyd chuckled sheepishly, holding out a hand for me to place mine in. His fingers curled around my own and he lead me forward to the newcomer. "She gets like this sometimes."
"Hey!" I slapped his arm.
"And violent, too," he sighed dramatically as he pulled his mask off.
"Lloyd," I hissed. He sniggered.
"Y/n, this is Neuro... Axon's brother."
Lloyd's stare held the side of my face as I stiffened, curling more against his side as I half hid behind his arm, eyeing the man wearily. His hand squeezed mine.
"He helped us get the spell book from Axon and erase people's minds of me during Stiix," Lloyd continued, voice gentle.
"O- oh," I blinked, eyeing the greying man as he approached with a warm smile. He looked old enough to be my dad, but I knew that truly, he was centuries older. "... hello."

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Y/n," Neuro greeted, still standing a fair bit away. He seemed to know that I needed space. I edged more behind Lloyd.
"Ditto," I said quietly.
"I apologise for my brother," Neuro began, eyes drifting to the cityscape as the lights pulsed brightly in the darkness. "If I had known what he was planning or what he'd already done to you, I would've stepped forward to stop him in a heartbeat. Truthfully, I hadn't heard of his whereabouts for hundreds of years before Skylor rang me up for help."
I swallowed, nodding, wide eyes not leaving his figure. Neuro turned back to send me a gentle smile and I almost couldn't believe that they were related. How did Axon look so young? Or was that an extension of his power, too?
"I've heard much of you from Wu," Neuro continued.
I smiled tensely. "All good things, I hope."
"Of course," Neuro grinned reassuringly before holding out his palm flatly. "If you don't mind..?"

I flinched hard at the movement, fully hiding behind Lloyd.
"He won't hurt you," Greenie reassured as he turned to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. "Neuro's one of my uncle's friends, the one who made the protective barrier around the monastery. He just wants to see if he can understand how you got past it."
"Oh," I murmured, suddenly feeling incredibly silly from my wariness. Lloyd stepped aside, hand clasping mine in silent support. A weight lifted from my chest. At least he was there.
"I do wish you weren't afraid of me because of my powers," Neuro said with a sympathetic smile as I slowly approached, my expression betraying my fear.
"S- sorry," I stammered.
"Don't be," he sighed. "What I was told about what went through sounded particularly rough."

Inhaling deeply, I placed my hand in his patient, waiting grip. Words died on his lips as his eyes widened. Neuro's face slackened and he stared at me in surprise when he pulled his hand away. Once my hand was free, I clutched it at Lloyd's arm.
"Ah. I see."
Lloyd and I shared a glance.
"What is it?" Lloyd asked, stepping forth.
"The prophecies messed up," Neuro stated blandly, making my stomach drop.
"What do you mean they messed up?" I asked, worry pinching my voice. "What did they mess up?"
Neuro stared out at the city with a contemplative look, tapping his chin in thought. Lloyd stared at him, waiting.
"No... no, they didn't mess up on their own," he hummed, more so to himself. He pointed at Lloyd. "You messed them up."
Lloyd's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"You looked at the scroll when you were younger," Neuro said in a grave voice. "That made the prophecy alter its course, made it lag - it's a safekeeping method to prevent those avoiding what is prophesied. Y/n was supposed to move back to the city before the battle with your father. You two were meant to meet years ago."

"W- well... what does that mean?" I asked.
"Destiny is playing catch up," Neuro sighed, turning away. "That's why Y/n's having more trouble than usual with the ferocity of her emerging powers. That's why your bond is so unusually strong despite how little you've known each other. It's trying to fit years of development into months to get back on track."
"W- wait, back up," Lloyd ordered, hand clutching mine tighter in stress. "I took a peek at a scroll when I was twelve and we got punished?"
"Well, yes," Neuro nodded. "That is what happens when somebody who isn't intune with the Cloud Kingdom looks at the scrolls. Like I said, it's a safety precaution."
"Well, what about the barrier?" I piped up, grabbing Lloyd's arm tighter.
"Oh," Neuro laughed shortly. "That's just her powers. You can't shield a-"
A sharp pain flashed behind my eyes. I yelped and Lloyd winced.
"Apologies," Neuro grimaced when I squinted my eyes back open. "I accidentally told you about Y/n's powers. I didn't realise that Wu wanted to keep it from you two. I had to erase your memories of that."
"You're kidding," I said dryly, forehead still throbbing. "You're kidding me, right? Tell me you're kidding."
"I can't believe this," Lloyd grumbled as he pinched the space between his eyes. "Ugh... this is too much."

Lloyd turned away, rubbing his face in stress as he thought over the new information that overloaded his brain. I would've done the same if it weren't for a voice that cut through my very thoughts.
'Be careful,' said somebody inside my head. I jumped in surprise, eyes catching Neuro staring hard at me. 'Lloyd is not entirely human.'
My brow furrowed. Huh? Well, yeah, I got the whole FSM god-thing, but the way he said it made it sound like Lloyd was... more?
'Correct,' he nodded subtly. 'Lloyd is a mix of incredibly powerful beings. His instincts are not those of normal humans.'
Ah. Okay but that didn't really answer my question.
'He may not hurt you, but his instincts will inadvertently do anything to protect his mate.'
I spluttered in alarm at his word choice, but he simply continued, brushing aside my disbelieving stare.
'He may get possessive and protective. Furiously protective.' My brain thought back to him tearing off Axon's shoulders with his fangs. 'Exactly.'
Okay, cool, but what does this mean?

'Do not be alarmed. Fate always has a plan.'

It seemed that meeting with Neuro raised more questions than it did answers

Neuro had to leave and soon it was just Lloyd and I on the roof. I sent him a bland glare as he returned to my side.
"Don't give me that look!" he pleaded.
"I could've been in your life years ago," I groaned, closing my eyes in disbelief. "We could've met years ago."
"I knoooow," he exclaimed in disappointment, hanging his head back in exasperation. "I'm sorry."
I dropped myself into his chest, wordlessly accepting his apology.
"At least now we know why our emotions are so fierce," I shrugged, voice catching against his gi. "So it isn't us. It's just fate trying to hurry us along."
A drop of water hit my nose. I blinked, staring up at the sky in surprise. Heavy clouds were rolling in, and fast. It seemed that we were due for a round two of the storm. The sky rumbled with far-off thunder.

"I should get you home," Lloyd sighed, pulling back to conjure up his dragon. It zeroed in on me and took a heavy step forward, shoving its snout into my stomach. I laughed at the impact.
"Hey, Chester," I hummed as the dragon rubbed its snout into my hands with a loud, reverberating purr.
"Did you just call it Chester?" Lloyd squinted his eyes at me.
"I'm trying out different names," I replied nonchalantly as I scratched the dragon's chin. It slumped to the ground, rolling onto its back. I smiled at the invitation. "Well, sir, if you insist."
I clambered up onto the dragon's stomach, patting its scales. It positively melted in delight. It reminded me of Lloyd.
"Aw, you're such a good boy, uh... Jonathon..."
"I'm not calling my dragon Jonathon or Chester," Lloyd said dryly as he sat against the large beast.
"What about Cookie?"
"No."
I slipped off the dragon with a sigh as the rain began to drop harder. I joined Lloyd, curling into his side. The dragon gently lifted its wing, shielding us from the rain. Thunder rumbled again.

Reaching up, I pleated his blond hair with my fingers, finding his sweet spot. He fell into a rumbling purr and the feeling vibrated against my cheek. He suddenly turned, pulling me on top of his legs as he hugged my waist.
"Hey, I wanna take you out somewhere," he announced over the rumbling in the distance, pulling me closer. I raised a brow, hands curling delicately against his chest. The rain fell harder.
"Oh?" I tilted my head, intrigued.
"Yeah," he nodded, grinning as his nose brushed mine. "Some place real nice and fancy."
"Oooh, date night?" I coed, pressing myself closer to him in giddy glee. The dragon tumbled a sigh as it dozed on the rooftop. "I'm excited! When?"
"Next Friday," Lloyd replied, lips brushing my cheek. "I'll pick you up at seven-thirty. I have something really special planned."

"I'll be ready," I smiled, turning my head to skim my lips against his.