"Hey!"

The shout made Ambrose and I turn around, caught out from our mindless chit-chat as we meandered our way to class. A girl with red hair piled together into a bun and glasses stormed towards us with a face of pure thunder.
The bustling campus court was a flood of students, but that didn't stop her from causing a scene.
"Hey!" she shouted again, scrambling to a stop a few metres before us and glaring at me as if I was the particular reason for her misery. Ambrose and I stared in surprise.
"Do I know you?" I asked, tilting my head. She definitely wasn't from my class; it'd been three months since I started my course and I knew enough of my classmates that this particular girl wasn't in Psych 101 or History and Mythology 101.
She balled her fists. Her glare sharpened.
"Are you Y/n L/n?"
But apparently, she knew me.

"Uhhh." I shared a look with Ambrose, my resident undercover body guard. He shrugged. "N- no. I'm, uh..." quick, think of a first name. "Jamie." Now think of a last name. "Garmadon."
NOT THAT LAST NAME.

The look Ambrose sent me was withering. The look I mentally sent myself was of similar caliber.

"I'm not dumb!" the girl hissed before quickly glancing down at her phone. She looked from me to it a number of times as she made double sure that I was who she was looking for. "Y- yeah, as I said, one hundred percent Y/n L/n!"
Good detecting skills, Sherlock.
"Nope," Ambrose said with a shake of his head. He linked his arm through mine and hauled me into his side. I stared blankly at the girl. "This is definitely Jamie Garmadon. Long lost cousin of Lloyd Garmadon or something, I don't care. Au revoir!"
Ambrose turned, pulling me along with him to continue our walk to class. My feet stumbled.
"Cousin?" I hissed under my breath.
"I was working with peanut shells, Y/n."
"Don't walk away from me!" the girl screeched, chasing after us and yanking on my arm. I stumbled back with a squeak. I was trapped between them. "I'm not letting her go!"

"Good grief," Ambrose muttered before turning back to the girl with a pleasant smile. "Hi. Please leave us alone."
"No!"
"This is attempted kidnapping," I groaned, struggling to free my arm from her vice grip. People were beginning to stare.
"Look, dude, we have class in thirty," Ambrose grumbled. "Whatever you've got going on, can it wait?"
I sent the elemental master a look out of the side of my eyes. He hated going to classes, and he didn't even attend to do the work, only to keep me from being assassinated by possible stalkers. He was just desperate to get away from this crazy chic. To be fair, so was I.
I gave an experimental tug. Her grip tightened into steel, nails digging through the material of my long sleeve shirt.
"Ow..." I whimpered to myself.
"This can't wait!" the girl insisted, bringing me forward towards her. I made a sound from the back of my throat as I teetered, unbalanced. "It's too important!"

Ambrose ran a hand down his face. He pulled me back towards him. My foot tangled across my calf and I fell into his torso. He barely budged.
This was growing tiresome.
"Yeah, well, it's not cool to just come up and yell at my friend," he snapped. "So either you apologise or scurry off and leave us alone."
The girl's face scrunched into a look of frustration. She swiftly bowed her head.
"I'm sorry!" she yelled, before tugging on my arm. "Please, come with me!"
Ambrose raised his eyes to the heavens.
"I have a feeling she's not gonna take 'no' for an answer," I murmured to him. He made a grunt of agreement. "Fine, take us to your... cult, or whatever."
The girl beamed before turning and pulling me towards her desired location. Her strong grip gave me no other choice but to follow along wordlessly and see how it plays out.

It seemed that my theory about it being a cult was half-correct. I began to panic as soon as I saw the paper tapped to the door with 'green ninja fan club' written in green sharpie.
Look, okay, the ninja's fans are... devoted. But I couldn't criticise them too harshly.
Just the other week, they single-handedly raised over sixty thousand dollars for the orphanage that the team visited to say hi to the kids (the photos were incredibly cute and I have more than a couple saved to my phone).
They basically broke Twitter and Instagram talking about it and plugging the donation link, as well as fawning over how cute the team was with the kids.
But their fans could also be incredibly terrifying.
Stan Twitter was one thing. I knew how to avoid these kinds of things in public and everything was different when you're behind the screen of your phone. But people still say and think these things about the team, Twitter handle or not, and to be in the same physical room as them?
If they knew who I was to the green ninja?

I know that I joked about going to the club, but that was an empty joke. I was way too big of a coward to step directly into the shark zone.
Compared to Lloyd's ravenous great white fans, I was a helpless seal. Why would I willingly walk into that?
They put Axon to shame, really.
The door opened and inside was as if a tornado and earthquake had struck at the same time. Posters of the green ninja were taped to every spare inch of wall, every window and door. Magazine clippings were stuck to a cork board. There seemed to be a couple of bulging scrapbooks that documented every article of the green ninja there ever was, and counting.
They even had an old gi of Lloyd's that he donated, as well as a couple of replica weapons.
It was pretty impressive.
I was very terrified.
Ambrose picked up on my discomfort immediately. He squeezed my forearm in support.

"I got her!" red-hair announced gleefully. The group of people bustling inside froze before snapping their stares to me. I began to sweat.
"Sit."
I glanced over to see a boy wearing a green ninja shirt seated at the head of the table. He seemed to be the one in charge. The remaining groupies took a seat at the table per his order, which held a home-made figurine of the green ninja that acted as a paper weight by the way, and waited for me to slowly lower myself into a chair.
I glanced around the room and faces with wide eyes, nervously shifting. It felt as if I was a little kid again, being called into the principal's office. My clammy palms balled into fists over my thighs.
What if they found out that it was me? Lloyd and I tried to be extra careful about outings, but even we had our blunders. If we got outed because of this, if I risked his anonymity... shit, I didn't know what I'd do but I'd feel pretty darn fucked.
And Lloyd would probably hate me.

Okay, he would definitely understand, but I was scared and my brain doesn't react to fear well.

Finally, the boy at the head of the table spoke, having been assessing me with sharp eyes.
"We've been interested in you for quite some time, miss L/n," he drawled as he rested his cheek on his knuckles. His dark hair fell over his equally dark eyes.
"That's uh..." fucking spooky, dude, what the hell? "... flattering."
Ambrose shifted beside me. He crossed his arms and his entire persona screamed 'bodyguard.' He looked ready for a fight. I felt ready to crawl into a hole.
The boy typed on the laptop beside him, covered in green ninja stickers. The silence was palpable. I busied myself with staring at the homemade memorabilia of little green ninja figures scattered across the table.
"You've been seen with the green ninja on more than a couple of occasions," the boy continued, turning the laptop to show a collage of photos of me with the green ninja. "Care to elaborate." It wasn't a question.

I stared at the photos of Lloyd and I with hard eyes. The photo of him and I kissing took up the most space, but they had no proof that it was me, right? Just look unaffected.
If I said anything remotely intriguing, it could completely tip Lloyd and I over. Even if I threw myself under the bus and confessed that I was cheating on Lloyd with the green ninja, the chance that somebody would look into him anyway and figure him out was far too high.
No. I couldn't be afraid. If I was afraid, it was basically a confirmation in itself. I had to be strong, ballsy, for the sake of both of us.
I had to protect him.
I had to be a bitch.
"What are you implying?" I asked plainly, eyes jumping back up to the boy's after squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin. "There's plenty of people who's in photos with the green ninja."
"What do you mean 'what are you implying?'" a girl whose face I didn't bother to remember shot. "Are you the green ninja's fiancée?"
Not yet.
I slid my eyes to her. My face remained impassive.
"For all the 'research' you guys have done, you really haven't dug beyond what rumours social media has sensationalised," I announced coolly. Her eyes widened. "The very fact that you're approaching me with such an accusation is downright childish. Do you even know who I am?"

The group suddenly lost their bravado. They glanced amongst each other unsurely. I stood and a couple of them flinched.
"I am Y/n L/n, the only daughter of Sargent Major Jamie L/n of the Ninjago Military," I announced with a steeled edge to my voice. "My relationship with the secret ninja force is purely correspondence in favour of my father, who until recently, didn't hold the team in high regard. It is a strictly professional relation. And besides-" I paused to rake my narrowed eyes across the room. At least they had the decency to seem guilty. "If you really did do research into me, then you should be distinctly aware of my relationship with Lloyd Garmadon. It's not exactly something that society likes to brush under the rug."
The silence that followed was almost suffocating. But I was breathing through a straw, and the others were scrambling for surface.
Ambrose shifted beside me. He was still expecting a fight.

"Then what's with that ring?" the head boy asked, eyes locked onto the heirloom on my finger as he nodded at it. "That looks like an engagement ring to me."
"It's a promise ring, doofus," I shot back, holding my hand to my chest as if to protect the precious ring. "Lloyd gave it to me. You know, there are other people aside from the green ninja who are giving rings to their partners."
The head boy gritted his teeth but remained quiet. The atmosphere was frosty. I was just having the half of mind to turn on my heel and leave before the red haired girl from before broke the silence.
"Wow!" she gushed, staring at me in awe. All eyes snapped to her, but she didn't care. It was as if she had stars in her eyes. "So you get to work with the ninja! That is SO COOL!"
I faltered at her enthusiasm. She was grinning wide, absolutely enthralled. It was almost humbling.
I cracked a small smile, chilly attitude slipping.
"Thanks."

"What are they like?" another girl dared to ask. I thought back to the chaos the team constantly emits.
"Professional," I answered shortly. I couldn't give too much away, even though I'd never call Jay professional ever. "Look, I really don't know them too well. I just help the ninja and the military settle disputes and arrange agreements."
The mood seemed to deflate just as it was being risen.
"We really have to go to class," Ambrose piped up. I nodded. "It was nice, uh... yep."
Ambrose caught my eyes and told me to gap it. We swiftly exited the room before anybody could tell us not to. Our fast pace didn't relax until we were in the building that our class was taking place in.
"I didn't realise you could be so terrifying," he murmured under his breath for only me to hear. "You really don't back down from a fight, do you? No wonder why Lloyd loves you so much."
I huffed in amusement, smiling.
"That, or I give him heart attacks."

Ambrose laughed. My smile fell as I lifted the hand with my ring, frowning at the heirloom. Recently, Lloyd and the team were being run into the ground investigating a series of serpentine disappearances in a small settlement outside of Jamanakai City. They looked to be some kind of extremist gang, luring out innocent serpentine, taking them and doing god knows what.
It was taking a while to get the evidence needed to bust in guns (or, more likely, swords) blazing, and it had been dragging out for weeks. The group was frustratingly good at hiding their tracks of evidence.
Kvasir was scared for his kind and I shared his fear inherently. My worry also fell on the team. The group sounded incredibly dangerous.
Because of how long and of upmost importance this mission was, Lloyd hadn't had the chance to fly down to visit. Never mind how long he stayed in Nom, the flight there and back alone would take six hours. It was just too long.
I missed him terribly, but I understood priorities. I wouldn't want him to visit me when there's innocent serpentine being kidnapped. Time is of the essence for them.
I can wait.

"Hey!"
Oh, my god.
"Déjà vu," Ambrose groaned. "Did she really follow us all the way from the club room?"
I sighed through my nose. It would be less hassle to just see what she wanted.
"Yes?" I asked after turning to face her. She crouched with her head between her knees as she caught her breath. She raised a hand in a request for me to wait.
"Hi," the girl said with a sheepish smile as she raised her head. Still panting, she held out her hand for me to shake. "I'm Aisling. I'm sorry about before. I didn't know that you worked with the-!"
I suddenly slapped the hand I was going to shake with over her mouth.
"Not so loud," I warned, eyes glancing around the premises and the people milling about. "I don't want to draw attention."
"Sorry!" Aisling squeaked from behind my palm, eyes wide. I dropped my hand. "Anyway, you take photography, right?"

My brows furrowed. "No?"
Aisling's face fell. "Oh. Chemistry?"
"No." Man, they really didn't do their research.
"Hm," Aisling hummed, disappointed. "What do you take? What time are your classes?"
I adjusted my bag with a swallow. Ambrose shifted.
"O- oh," Aisling said, reeling back. "Wait, that's- that's weird of me, right? I'm sorry. I just- I don't have many friends, so, uh... I don't really know how to talk to people." She finished it off with a sheepish grin.
My expression softened.
"How about we meet up one day after class?" I offered with a smile. I held out my palm. "Hand me your phone."
Aisling stared at me in surprise before wordlessly doing as asked. I punched in my number before handing it back.
"Text me when you're free," I said warmly. My gaze jumped to the elemental master beside me, pouting to the side. "Alrighty, Amby, we're running late."

"You shouldn't have done that," he muttered under his breath as we swiftly paced to class. "You can't let someone like that get too close. If she finds out-"
"She won't find out," I reassured, placing a hand on his arm. "I know how to keep a secret, trust me."
Ambrose sighed, concerned. He decided to let it go.

We arrived to class ten minutes late.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

Kvasir was having a hard time fitting in.

Granted, I never expected it to be easy, but I at least thought it would be easier than this.

"Come onnnn," I groaned at his dorm's door. I'd been begging him to come out of his room and explore the Festival of Light the students were putting on in the field. "I'm tired too, but we gotta get you used to the surface world!"
"I ssssaid I don't wanna!" he seethed from behind the door.
"Why don't you just open the door?" Ambrose asked from where he was lounging against the wall, immersed in a game on his phone. I turned to him with an irritated scowl.
"It's locked, smart guy-"
Ambrose twirled a finger towards the handle without looking up from his game. The door unlocked.
"Oh," I said. I forgot that he could do that.
"Physics," Ambrose murmured in a forced jovial tone.
I poked my head inside of Kvasir's dorm. His roommate was gone for the weekend, so the serpentine had the room to himself. And he used this new found freedom to curl up into a ball under his blanket.

"Kvie," I sighed, venturing in to crouch beside his bed. I tilted my head with a frown. "Is this about what's happening in Dondu City?"
"My kind are disssappearing asss we ssspeak," Kvasir murmured. "I do not wisssh to celebrate when livesss are taken who-knowsss-where."
"I know," I breathed. "I'm really scared, too. But the ninja are pouring everything they have into stopping these evil jerkwads. They're even getting the military to help." I had to beg my father on that one. He caved fast.
The ball tensed tighter into a feral position. His green tail slipped out from the blanket.
"I- I know," Kvasir whispered. "But I'm ssstill ssscared. What if they can't figure it out? What if they take my sssissster?"
My chest clenched at the idea of little Raptra going through something as terrifying as that. I placed my hand over the trembling heap.
"It won't come to that," I reassured. "Any day, now. Trust me on that. Until then, why don't you take some photos of the festival for Raps? I'm sure she'd love to see the pretty decorations and fireworks."

A scaled head popped out. His four yellow eyes stared at the mattress solemnly.
"Ssshe would," he admitted quietly. Kvasir's slitted eyes lifted to mine. "Okay."
I smiled. "We'll be waiting for you outside."
I closed the door after leaving Kvasir's dorm. Ambrose was in the same spot I had left him in, glued to his phone.
"Is he coming?" he asked.
"Yep!"
"Well done," Ambrose murmured, lifting his hand for a fist-bump. I collided my knuckles against his and mimicked an explosion.
The Festival of Light was a celebration in remembrance of the day the green ninja defeated The Overlord, hence the golden sparklers, golden fireworks, golden lanterns, etc. Anything to block out the shadows during a dark, autumn night.
It wasn't too wide of a celebration, but Borg insisted on celebrating it at his campus. Talk about a fanboy.

I stared at Kvasir in concern as he walked ahead with Chen and Aisling. Snide remarks were becoming less and less frequent, but there was still a hint of distrust in the air whenever the venomari entered a room.
Aisling didn't seem to mind him, however. They were both taking a course in mechanics and had become fast friends. That girl really was something else.
"Stop worrying about him for one night," Ambrose said, elbowing my arm gently. "You're doing a good job looking out for our scaled friend, but he's in good hands."
"You're right," I admitted, running my hands through my hair with a huff. "I need to chill out for a night. All this stress is giving me hunger cravings."
Ambrose snickered, lifting his fingers to his mouth. I sent him a devious look out of the side of my eyes.
"And why don't you relax for one night," I teased. "Have some fun with Chen! You take this body-guard roll way too seriously."

"Because I don't want you to die, sweetheart," Ambrose snorted. "Lloyd would murder me, and I know what he did to Axon."
I rolled my eyes.
"You boys are so dramatic."
"You're the one who's almost died a couple of times!" Ambrose shrieked in stress. A couple of students sent concerned looks our say.
"Semantics," I shrugged. My attention turned to a donut cart. "Mmm, yum. Wanna get some?"
"Only if you pay, 'cause I'm dead broke."
The cobblestoned street was full of students dressed nicely, laughing with their friends and ignoring their assignments for a night of festival fun. Vending carts lined the court, selling food from pizza to tokoyami to curry and beyond.
Little handmade stores dotted the fields, where students could purchase small ninja puppets and decorated lanterns. Music billowed from speakers situated precariously around the campus.
It was incredible. Everything was coloured gold, white and black. A puppet theatre re-enacted the final battle between the green ninja and the overlord.

I stared at my donuts with an absent-minded smile.
The festival kind of lost its enchantment when you realise that the green ninja was only twelve when he had to fight the darkest being in all of Ninjago.
Child soldiers. What gives, fate?
"Uh-oh," Ambrose said as I stared forlornly at my cinnamon donuts. "I know that look. What are you moping about now?"
"Lloyd was only twelve," I murmured, clutching the warm donuts close to my chest as we dawdled to the field. "Did you know that? He was only twelve when this happened."
Ambrose fell silent. He sighed through his nose.
"I did," he confessed in a small voice. "I try not to think about it too much."
"How does that work out for you?"
"Well," Ambrose said with a mischievous grin. He bumped against my shoulder pointedly. "My life doesn't resolve around him, so I have the liberty of being busy with literally anything else."
My cheeks burnt.
"My life doesn't resolve around him," I corrected with a frown. I took a meek bite of my donut and stared at the ground. "I just like spending my time with him."
Ambrose snorted.
"If that helps you sleep at night."

A couple of students raced past, holding sparklers and laughing like mad. They left a brief trail of golden light.
"Seriously," I said, taking another bite of my donut. "Go hang out with Chen. You're always sticking around me. Have a night to yourself for once."
"In case you don't remember, I'm your babysitter," Ambrose reminded with raised brows. "I'm not allowed to leave you unprotected. But thank you for the offer."
"I can just go back to my dorm," I suggested. He almost looked offended.
"And miss the Festival of Light?" he scorned. "No way!"
"But-!" I tried to argue and was cut off by a voice from behind me.
"It's alright. I got it from here."
My heart damn near leapt out of my chest at the voice. Ambrose's face fell in short surprise as he stared over my shoulder. I spun around much faster than a person should, giving a strangled gasp as I did so.

I was still blinking back the black edging to my vision when I reorientated myself and focused on the neatly-dressed Lloyd who stood before me. Oh, fuck. Oh my god.
"Lloyd!" I gasped, all but launching myself towards him with a happy cry. He caught me in a tight hug. It'd been six weeks since I'd seen him last. Phone calls and texts did not cut it at all. I didn't realise how much I missed him until I saw his face again.
"Hey, sunshine," Lloyd murmured for my ears only, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I missed you."
"H- how are you here?" I choked out, pulling away to only send him a baffled look. "I thought that you were busy with the-!"
"We caught them," Lloyd answered with a smile. His hand gently wound through my hair. "I came as fast as I could."
I caught his hands with my own. My fingers gripped his tightly.
"Are they okay?" I asked worriedly. "Is there anyone missing? Are they hurt?"
"Only one or two major cases, but they'll heal in no time," Lloyd reassured. His thumb rubbed over my knuckles. With each swipe, the tight feeling of concern in my chest lessened. "Everyone's accounted for."

I exhaled in relief, burying myself into his front once more.
"I can't believe you're here," I whispered, tangling my fingers with his. "It feels like I haven't seen you in years."
"I know," he mumbled. "It was hard."
"So hard," I giggled weakly. "... almost as hard as your-"
Lloyd swiftly placed his hand over my mouth. I giggled.
"We're in public," he chided with a smirk. "I've been back for five seconds, Y/n, really."
"You've changed so much," I murmured, pulling his hand away and cradling it in my own. "How have you changed so much in six weeks?"
Lloyd tilted his head. "I have?"
"Your hair is getting darker again," I hummed, sliding my fingers through his locks. His body tensed and immediately relaxed, throat rumbling with a purr. His eyes shot open and nervously looked around the crowd. "And it's shorter, now. Did you cut it?"
"U- uh, yeah," Lloyd stammered, leaning into touch as his eyes refocused on me. "It- it was getting too long."

"You've got stubble," I noted in surprise. I brushed the back of my hand along his chin. It was new, it was different. Paired with the dark button up and the black jeans, he was serving a look. My eyes darkened as my fingers traced the line of his jaw. "I like it."
"Public," Lloyd breathlessly warned again. My smile grew as my hand dropped to his shoulder, brushing down his arm. His breath caught. My eyes lidded when an idea popped into my head.
"Then let's go-"
"Y/n?"
I stopped in surprise, glancing over my shoulder. Lloyd peered past me. He mindlessly drifted closer to my neck.
"Dylan!" I grinned. Grabbing Lloyd's hand, I hauled him along to beside me. "Hey, meet Lloyd! Lloyd, this is Dylan."
Dylan's face had paled considerably as he stared at Lloyd. His fists clenched and unclenched, his brown eyes jumping between Lloyd and I in agitation.
"Hey," Lloyd greeted. Fireworks exploded and casted a brief, golden light among us.
"... hi," Dylan managed and his stare settled on me. His voice had grown thin. "Can- can I speak with you? Alone?"

He looked clammy. I tilted my head in concern, worried that he was beginning to feel ill. It was the season of the flu.
Lloyd's grip on my hand only tightened briefly.
"Uh, sure," I answered with a nod. I glanced up at Lloyd and found myself cursing Dylan for interrupting our reunion. Lloyd stared down at me with an unemotional frown, his blond fringe hiding the red of his eyes from on-lookers. My fingers itched to push it out of his face. "I'll just be a second."
An arm wrapped around my waist and suddenly I was pressed flushed against Lloyd's chest. I gasped in surprise. He tilted his head away from Dylan.
"I'll be listening just in case," he murmured into my ear. His lips brushed against my cheek and I felt my heart do a double twist triple flip in response. "Kick him in the balls if he tries anything."
My parted lips curled into a snicker. I twisted my head to look him in the eyes, right up close.
"He's a nice guy, Lloyd," I reassured, tracing my fingertips down the side of his face. "But thank you. I'll definitely only be just a second - we have a lot of catching up to do."

His grip around my waist subtly squeezed. My breath escaped my throat at the sensual feeling that spread across my body like an explosion of wildfire. His touch was ground zero.
"We do," Lloyd agreed in a whisper. He masked the pep talk with a loving smile and a kiss on my cheek.
It was probably for the best that we didn't properly kiss - I was sure that I wouldn't be able to rip myself away if that were the case. I'd been deprived of Lloyd for so long, and one small peck wouldn't be enough. I'd need to overdose on him.
I pulled myself away before I could do anything stupid.
"Alright." I turned to Dylan. "What is it?"
Dylan sent an uneasy look at Lloyd before nodding for me to follow him. I inaudibly sighed as I trailed after him - I had a feeling that I knew what he wanted to talk about.
"Seriously, Y/n?" he hissed as we stepped around the side of a building. It wouldn't do any good; Lloyd would easily still be able to hear. "Lloyd Garmadon?"
Look at that. I was right.
"Oh, not this again," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"The guy's a devil," Dylan stressed. He grabbed my shoulders, as if that would make me see his view of what 'sense' he had. "Have you seen his father?! Lord Garmadon literally tried to take over all of Ninjago countless times."
"He's actually really nice," I mentioned. "You should see him with Lloyd's mom. They're super cute together."
"Oh, yeah." Dylan nodded with a bland look on his face. "You mean the mother that got brainwashed into having his child?"
"That's super incorrect," I supplied with a dry smile. "You really like believing the rumours, don't you?"
"Lord Garmadon wasn't a rumour, Y/n," Dylan snapped with a large step towards me. His face was twisted in some indiscernible strand of anger. "Or did you conveniently forget that, too?"
"Of course I haven't," I shot back. A group of students with sparklers raced past, loudly laughing. "But things are different now. Garm's good, he changed."
"People like that don't change," he countered. "Not somebody like Lord Garmadon. And his son is exactly like him."
"And where is your proof?" I queried. I crossed my arms to appear nonchalant, but my nails were almost piercing the skin of my arms. "Last I checked, I'm the one close to them, not you."
"They're brainwashing you-!"

"I'm not listening to you anymore," I grumbled, stepping away from Dylan. "You're not listening to me, so why should I have to?"
"Y/n, please," Dylan said. He caught my hand in a gentle hold. "He's bad news."
"You don't know him," I said with a shake of my head. "Lloyd's not-"
"My uncle died," Dylan confessed. I stopped. "He died in one of Lord Garmadon's bigger attacks."
Dylan's weak hand slipped from mine. I turned back towards him.
"Dylan, I'm-"
"Please, don't," he struggled. "Please don't say you're sorry. I've had enough condolences. Just..." Dylan sighed and glanced up at me with pleading eyes. "Just be careful."
I wish that I could explain to him that there was no one I could be more safe with than Lloyd. I wish that I could explain to him just how good of a person Lloyd was.

But I think that this was the first time I was forced to realise the magnitude of Lord Garmadon's past.
Of a body count.

It was as if I separated Lord Garmadon and Sensei Garmadon into two seperate people. One was a maniacal overlord with a thirst for nothing but destruction, and the other was an old man who cried when I accidentally called him dad. One craved power, the other played practical jokes with the ninja.
But they are the same people. That is one person. That is Garmadon. Same soul, same body, same man.
"Lloyd is not who is father was," I murmured quietly. "Why can't you see that, too?"
Dylan's eyes dropped to the ground. I stepped away, head a mess, with no thoughts except the intent to find Lloyd.
He found me first.
"Hey," Lloyd said as he caught my shoulders in his hands. I kept moving until my face was smooshed into his chest. "Are you okay?"
My reply was incoherent. I didn't even know if I was okay.
"... do you want to look at the fireworks?"
Yeah. A distraction would be nice. I nodded.

Lloyd found a tree stump along the edge of the field where it breaks into forest to sit on. It was in perfect view of the fireworks and watching as young adults had their fun with the sparklers. After finally dragging his cheek and pressing kisses along my neck for a couple of minutes and rendering me totally breathless, Lloyd departed to sniff out some snacks.
I wondered how different their lives were from mine. Wouldn't it be nice if the only thing weighing on my mind was exams? Rather than all this - mess. This mess.
Lloyd returned, juggling an arm-load of candy and junk food and staring at the pile in concentration. He glanced up and sent a crooked, sheepish smile.
This beautiful mess.
I smiled in amusement at his struggle. A group of teens laughed loudly in the distance. The song changed to a new one.
"Did you buy one of everything?" I snickered.
"Just about," Lloyd huffed before dropping the packaged candies and junk on the stump between us. "How often do we get to celebrate the- uh, the..."
His red eyes dropped to me.
"What are we celebrating?"

I chuckled, selecting a pretzel stick and taking a bite of the fluffy bread. My head fell to his shoulder.
"Very funny," I said as I chewed, scanning the field of students. Lloyd remained quiet. My eyes jumped back to his blank face and when I registered his expression, my eyebrows rose. "You really don't know?"
Lloyd shook his head as he took a bite of the pretzel.
"It's for you, dork," I announced with a smile. "The Festival of Light. When you defeated the overlord."
"Oh," Lloyd said. Another round of golden fireworks exploded and he turned to stare at them. His eyes turned gold for a brief second, but I couldn't be sure if it was because of the fireworks or if the colour of his irises changed of his own intention. "They celebrate that? Huh. Should I give 'em a show?"
"No," I said too quickly and grabbed his arm. Lloyd looked at me, one eyebrow raised. I didn't falter. "Stay with me. I don't want to share you."
"I wouldn't leave anyway," Lloyd sighed, bringing my hand up to kiss each of my knuckles. Another flash of light brushed him in gold, illuminating each eyelash, each pass of hair, tracing the lines of his face.
He looked like an angel.

"... do you know how many people died?" I asked quietly.
He paused, lips poised against the back of my hand. He slowly lowered it.
"I don't," Lloyd confessed, continuing to watch the art in the sky. "Do you hate him?"
"... no," I replied uncomfortably. My eyes watched each strand of grass sway in the autumn wind. "I don't know. I don't... see him as Lord Garmadon."
"Neither do I," Lloyd replied. "But sometimes I get reminded, and... I can't say that it wasn't his fault, but it also wasn't his fault. It's..."
"It's difficult."
"It is," Lloyd sighed. A heavy weight of silence settled between us. I scrunched my eyes in annoyance at myself.
"I shouldn't have brought that up," I said. "I'm sorry. We haven't seen each other in six weeks, and this is what we talk about? C'mon, Y/n." I bonked my own cheek for good measure.

Lloyd placed a hand on the back of my head and pulled me in for a kiss. I inhaled a quick, struggling gasp in surprise, taken aback by the suddenness of the kiss, before slowly soaking into it. I took the outstretched hand and stepped onto the ballroom floor.
My hands slowly raised to cradle his cheeks, falling prey to his intoxication. It sizzled through my veins, it braided down my spine, it burrowed in and made home in my chest.
I was filled entirely with warmth.
"Missed you," Lloyd whispered against my lips. His breath crashed along my chin. Another kiss. "Missed you. Every night - fuck - I missed you so much, princess."
Lloyd wasn't usually one to curse, but when he did, by god it was hot.
I felt my insides melt into honey. Liquid gold, fireworks within me, the ichor that had my mind reeling.
I could barely breathe.

I tried to say something, anything. A single word even, but it all but was lost on me. My sense had fled on me.
I tried to relay back the fact that I had also missed him so much that it felt debilitating at times, but his mouth dropped to line kisses down my throat and any semblance of coherency completely vanished.
I felt like I was drifting in a warm ocean. Floating on a cloud. Lloyd caught my chin in his hand and dragged me in deeper, sending bubbles spiralling to the surface, bringing me deeper and deeper into him. His dance, his song. One that he shared only with me.
"Missed you," he said again.
"Then don't go," I murmured, brushing the tip of my nose along his cheek. I dotted a couple of kisses at the curve of his jaw. It was only slightly prickly.
"I won't," Lloyd whispered. His hands swooped down to cup my waist, holding me entirely. "I'm all yours. Tonight and all of tomorrow."

I pulled back, eyes wide. Lloyd looked entirely satisfied to be cradled by my hands.
"Really?" I breathed. He nodded, smug. "Really?!"
"Yes," he snickered. I gasped in delight and tackled him, throwing my entire weight into his arms. He oof'd.
"This is the best thing!" I squeaked, peppering kisses across the entirety of his face. "You are the best!"
Lloyd giggled, laugh pitched as I busied myself with kissing him silly. He caught me around the waist and hauled me onto his lap. I squealed. He throatily chuckled.
"Do you want to go back to your dorm?" Lloyd asked into my hair. I nodded.
He went to stand before glancing at the pile of sugar.

"I really did buy too many treats."

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

"No, no, no," I said with a laugh as I mindlessly chewed on a grape. "The establishing of Ninjago City came before the Jamanakai village chief was beheaded."

"Ugh," Lloyd groaned, tossing the textbook aside. The thick book landed on the grass of the magnificent, empty meadow we had spent the entire morning at. "How do you remember all of this stuff?"
I giggled and shrugged, reaching for the book and brushing off the wheat bits that had landed on the slick cover.
"How do you remember all of Ninjago's geography?" I countered. "How do you remember every bit of training that you do? It's exposed enough times that it's just drilled into here."
I tapped the side of his head. Lloyd ducked away before catching my hand and planting a kiss on my wrist.
"You must be top of the class," Lloyd murmured, pressing a delicate kiss to each of my fingers. I snorted.
"Hardly." I turned my head away before the enraptured look on Lloyd's face as he kissed my hand could drive me over the edge. "We have an assignment due soon about how society has developed. Most are writing about Borg's technological advances that he's made in the past year. A couple of people are writing about Darwin's evolution of humankind. But I Dunno, it feels kinda cheap. Cliché."

"Hmm," Lloyd murmured, pecking the tips of my fingers. I snatched my hand away with an amused scowl.
"Are you even listening?"
"Absolutely not," he confessed. I scoffed in faux outrage, slapping his shoulder. He laughed. "I'm kidding. Why don't you write about something you like, then?"
"It's not that easy," I said with a shake of my head. "I have to meet criteria. If I could write about you, I would."
Lloyd shrugged, laying back down on the picnic blanket that we had spread out across the wheat with his arm behind his head. He grabbed a grape and threw it into the air, catching it in his mouth.
"I don't want to think about my assignments," I sighed, picking up a pocky stick and nibbling on the bread. "I don't want to think much about anything, truthfully."
"Oh, the wonders of an empty mind," Lloyd murmured as he lifted himself onto an arm as he lounged across the blanket on his side. "Though I could hardly ever call my mind an empty one when there is you to think of."
"Flirt," I chided with a roll of my eyes as I watched the wheat sway with the wind. It was like watching the periodical flushing of gold. "I'm sure there are many more interesting things to occupy yourself with."

Lloyd's red eyes slid over to regard me in their full, occulting beauty. I absentmindedly twirled the pocky against my bottom lip and he watched the action with a heavy stare.
"I seriously beg to differ," he mumbled.
My cheeks flushed. I ducked my head, taking a nervous snip of the pocky stick. The wind blew across the field.
Lloyd leant forward and took a bite of the other end of the pocky stick. I rolled it with my teeth, staring at the ochre ocean as it shifted in the breeze. The sun was nearing mid-afternoon. With each inch it took towards the horizon line, the closer the time Lloyd needed to leave came.
"I should've brought my sketchbook," Lloyd sighed. "You look exquisite in this light."
My gaze jumped to Lloyd before breaking it in fluster. My hand grabbed a bunch of wheat and tossed it towards him purely because I didn't know how else to react. He spluttered in surprise.

"I give you a compliment and you retaliate by throwing grass at me?!" Lloyd exclaimed in shocked bemusement. My eyes widened. The half-eaten pocky stick fell from my lips.
I was taking off before he could launch at me.
My feet rushed across the field of thigh-length wheat, stumbling through the stalks with shrieks of delighted laughter. I couldn't hear Lloyd's footsteps, but the brushing of wheat did announce me to his speedy approach.
Faster then me, as usual.
Arms tackled around my waist and then suddenly we were rolling, falling, crashing through the wheat with amused yelps.
We slowed to a stop, chests heaving and panting as we stared at each other, drawn in as I straddled atop Lloyd. There was simply nothing else our eyes would dare stray to. What else could simply hold as much beauty as Lloyd did? And he thought the same.

The heat of the autumn sun beat down upon us, the chill of a promised winter hung in the air, I dropped down to pull Lloyd into a serenade of a searing kiss.

It was unspoken, inaudible; the promises we made to one another through this physical connection we shared and as we always did.
I found myself losing my coherent sense of being the longer I drew a kiss from Lloyd. It sucked every sense that wasn't entirely in tune with Lloyd and decimated it.
There was nothing else. There was only him. It was always only him, just as my mind preferred it.
I couldn't be sure how long we stayed in that meadow, kissing and sunbathing and kissing some more. Whatever we did, whether it was talking about mindless things, chasing butterflies or snacking on the food we brought, it was always and irregularly interrupted by more kissing. It was almost as if we were making up for lost time.

It was only when I watched Lloyd fly away on Bentley did I get an idea for my essay.