Imagine Dragons
••• Selene •••

resolutions and lovers in the kitchen

love is clueless and destiny is wishing

this is my heart, it's on the line, Selene

•••••

Everyone's asking how Lloyd knows all these intimate romantic actions and like-

LMAO HE GOES TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL OF COURSE HE KNOWS

(Also someone asked me to draw a cutie lloyd with fangs so here u go uwu)

Skylor growled as she pressed her back against the wall. Another near-miss - far too close for comfort.

"That's Axon, alright," Neuro said in a low voice as he squeezed himself against the wall beside the red-head. "I could recognise those yellow eyes anywhere."
"This is ridiculous," Skylor muttered, pulling out a small phone-like device from her thigh pack and quickly tapping on the keypad without losing sight of Axon. "All this time, he'd been right under our nose."

"It's not your fault," Neuro said in a hushed voice, silently glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of Skylor's grey glare. Her sharp eyes could cut through stone. "He's devoted himself into developing his powers. It would take another master of the mind to find his hideout. And his cloak is impeccably well done, I hate to admit."
Skylor hummed, crouching closer to the wall as Axon took a quick survey of the street before stepping into seemingly thin air. His body rippled before disappearing into nothing.

"Quick," Skylor ordered, holding out her hand. Neuro slapped it and she felt his power slide through her body before resting heavily in her head. She grimaced upon the burst of noise that entered her brain  - people's thoughts and memories, brain waves and transmitters. She blinked and where once stood nothing was a neat little shack, nestled in an alleyway between two buildings.
"Got him," Skylor growled, pushing forth and ignoring the incoming migraine Neuro's powers caused. "Now, to get that spellbook."
"Shouldn't we wait for backup?" Neuro asked, grabbing her wrist.

Skylor shot a confident smirk over her shoulder.
"Where's the fun in that?"

🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

"You're kidding me," I said dryly while Jay did donuts in his new bike behind Lloyd.

Said blond ran a hand through his hair with a concerned frown. I followed the movement before my gaze landed back on his desperate, green eyes. There were still dark bags sitting under them.
"Please, Y/n," Lloyd said, shifting his weight between his feet in agitation. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"So it's totally fine for you, the one who'd been possessed for the past week and whose body hasn't even had the proper time to recover to go," I frowned, crossing my arms. "That doesn't make any sense."
"It makes perfect sense to me," Lloyd pointed out with a raised brow. His expression settled back into one of grimness. "Seriously, Y/n. If you come with us, I'll be out of my mind in worry."

I dryly laughed. His words had no affect on me (for once).
"Welcome to the club, babe!" I grinned stubbornly and Lloyd's shoulders fell just that little bit more. "Every time you step outside in that gi, I'm stressed. Besides, I can handle myself, Greenie. I'm a big girl."
Lloyd set me with a look that almost made my knees give out. The actual embodiment of a puppy-dog pout. By god, I thought it couldn't be done.
I had to remind myself to be strong - don't give into his pout! The power of it was strong but my stubbornness was stronger!

"St- stop it," I turned my head away from his face, the cuteness getting too much. "Your devil tricks won't work on me."
Lloyd grabbed my cheeks and pouted harder. I clenched my eyes shut.
"Lloyd," my eyes slid open and I sent him a pleading look. His face dropped at my expression. "Please. I spent the last week not knowing if you were coming back to me. I can't sit on the sidelines, not... not again."
Lloyd's eyes softened.
"I'll always come back to you," he murmured, pulling me into his chest. I curled my arms against him, pressing my face into the front of his gi.
"But what if you can't?" I said in a quiet voice while his arms looped around my waist. "What am I supposed to do then? Live the rest of my life regretting not being there to help you?"

Lloyd's hands clenched tighter around me.
"And what if you don't come back?" Lloyd argued in a pleading voice. "I spend the rest of my life regretting letting you come? Do you even know what the preeminent is?"
"Yes!" I replied and caught the deadpanned look on his face as he pulled back. "Okay, not quite, but it doesn't matter! I'm still coming."
"I've been trained to deal with this kind of stuff," he pointed out, still not backing down. Lloyd's hands lifted to my shoulders. "And powers."
"And I have-" I stopped myself short, eyes dropping to his gi with a nervous gulp. "I'm coming, Lloyd. Whether you like it or not. End of story."
Lloyd dropped his head back with a groan.

"Fine," he said with a huff, lifting a finger to brush a lock of hair from my face. His hand curled to cup the back of my head as he pulled me in close to stare seriously at me. "But no engaging the enemy. You hear, you little minx?"
I nodded. My forehead bumped his.
"Loud and clear, mr. green ninja, sir," I replied, giving him a tiny salut. His lips tugged in a smile.

"Lloyd!" called Kai. "Stop canoodling with your girlfriend and get over here! We're on borrowed time as is!"
"Jeez," Lloyd huffed as he stepped away, hands lingering on me as he stared at Kai, who was yelling at Jay to stop fooling around. "Who got possessed and made him leader?"
I hid a snort with the back of my hand.
"Some fool," I mused, grabbing his hand and tugging him with. "C'mon, before he really blows a gasket. I do not want Kai to yell at me again."
"Whoa whoa, wait," Lloyd pulled me back to a stop and sent me a confused frown. "Kai yelled at you?"
"Oh. Yeah." My eyes darted to the side. "Also like. Your dad, uncle and Cole."

"Why?" Lloyd's eyes darkened.
"It doesn't even matter," I shook my head, beginning to back away towards the team. Lloyd's hand shot out and he grabbed my wrist with a insistent expression.
"My family yelled at you," he said, pulling me closer. My shoes scuffed on the courtyard ground. "It does matter."
"It was just because I jumped over the side of the Bounty on the mountain," I shrugged, staring hard at the shop behind Lloyd. "It's my fault. We're over it."
Lloyd sighed through his nose. His eyes softened. "No, you're not."
My gaze jumped to his. There was a tinge of red pressing behind the emerald of his irises.
"I am. And even if I wasn't, this isn't exactly the time to be dwelling over it," I pressed. "There's bigger things to worry about. We've got a town full of people who have no idea what's about to come down. We have to get them out."

Lloyd smiled softly. Proudly.
"You're right. We can talk about this later," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. "You're already getting the hang of missions."
"Does that mean I can come on more?" I asked hopefully. Lloyd chuckled at my enthusiasm.
"God, no. Absolutely not."
I rolled my eyes with a groan, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the others, where Borg had begun to speak.
"I heard Morro has opened a bridge between our two realms," he began, voice concerned. "It'll take time for the preeminent to cross."
"Which is why we need Lloyd to use his powers to destroy the Realm Crystal before that happens," Wu said, glancing at his nephew. Lloyd nodded stiffly.
"If Ninjago is cursed, the other realms are sure to follow," Garmadon announced gravely.

"But they'll be expecting us," Nya said, frowning as Jay sidled up with his Ghost-Taker. "And Morro still has the Sword of Sanctuary. Even with all these fancy new vehicles, how are we supposed to get close?"
Jay, ever cynical, wasn't so exuberant.
"Yeah, we're supposed to take on an army of ghosts!"
"What if we call the military?" I suggested meekly. "We need all the help we can get, right?"
Lloyd scoffed at the mention of them.
"Yeah, right," he said bitterly. "Last time we tried to ask them for help, they almost killed my father. They're unsympathetic bastards, them and everyone involved."
My jaw clenched.
"Right," I said through gritted teeth. "Of course."

"No, that won't work," Garmadon shook his head. "The military hates us. The first thing they'll do is arrest the ninja."
My stomach turned. "Surely not. Not with everything going on."
Nya grinned dryly, picking at her nails with a harsh look on her face.
"They've been trying to get us for years," she spat. "I guess they don't appreciate us doing their job for them. Better, might I add."
"We're considered vigilantes," Lloyd elaborated, sending me a pointed look. "We don't exactly coincide with the law, apparently."
I glanced at Zane out of the corner of my eyes. He gave me a sympathetic shrug in return. So he does know.
Perfect... note sarcasm.

"Maybe I can lure him out?" Lloyd suggested, turning the conversation back to the problem at hand. "He always wanted to be the Green Ninja."
"No," Garmadon shook his head. "That won't work."
"He won't leave the Realm Crystal unguarded until his master is freed," added Wu. Lloyd frowned in frustration.
"But even with our powers back, he's seen all of our moves!" exclaimed Cole, his eyebrows pulled tight over his eyes in annoyance.
"Unless we deceive him?" I offered and everyone turned to me. "Morro will be expecting us to come in guns blazing. What if we had someone else wear the green gi to distract him while Lloyd destroys the crystal? He could be in and out without Morro even realising."

"But who would wear it?" Jay asked. "He knows us. And the Sensei's and Misako need to get the townspeople out of Stiix."
Contemplative silence fell over the group. Realisation clicked amongst us and Lloyd's face fell.
"No- no way," Lloyd shook his head. "I'm not putting Y/n in Morro's direct path!"
"It's the only way!" Cole argued. "We have to!"
"NO," Lloyd snapped, pulling me behind him. "That's ridiculous! There has to be a better solution."
"There isn't," Nya stressed.
"We do not have the time to think of another plan," Zane elaborated. "We have to leave for Stiix now."
"And Morro knows how you feel about Y/n!" Kai pointed out. "He'd just assume that you made her stay back!"
"I'm not putting her in danger like this!" Lloyd snapped, fangs unsheathing in rage. His eyes flashed a furious red. Borg flinched in alarm but the others remained impassive to his outburst.

"Think about it Lloyd, she's our best option!" Jay reasoned as he slipped off his GT. "Look, why don't we ask Y/n. Y/n, what do you think?"
Lloyd turned to me. His red eyes were suddenly desperate, searching mine.
"You promised."
I wilted a little in guilt, raising my hand for him to see. "I had my fingers crossed."
The expression that fell over Lloyd's face crushed my heart and stomped on it until it was nothing but dust. Though it hurt to betray him like this, we didn't have a choice. People were in danger. The world was in danger. If this was my part to play, then I couldn't let Lloyd's feelings keep us from defeating Morro.
"So..?" asked Nya as she stepped forth.

I tuned to look at Borg, not able to stand the look on Lloyd's face as he stared at me.
"How do you feel about whipping up some water guns?"
Borg's grin grew.
"Give me five minutes."

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

"Nuh-uh, I don't trust Kai behind the wheel," Nya shook her head. Cole sent Kai's sister an exasperated look.
"Yeah, well if I'm driving and my hands suddenly decide to disappear, your deaths aren't my fault," he said, crossing his arms. "And I'm not paying for your funerals, either."

Lloyd was sulking in the corner while we got ready for the battle, loading the vehicles into noodle trucks we borrowed from Skylor and refining the plan.
It was simple enough - I was to distract Morro while the others fought him and his goons. Lloyd was to sneak through the city and destroy the realm crystal, hopefully without gaining any attention and hopefully before the preeminent crossed into our realm.
While that was happening, Wu, Garm and Misako will evacuate the town.
Just in case worst comes to worst.
I pray that it won't.

"Time to get changed, you two!" Misako said, ushering me towards the shop and grabbing Lloyd's arm with a hissed warning only a mother could give.
She shut the door behind us. And then we were alone.
"Lloyd..." I began apprehensively but he just turned away and opened the door to a different room. "Lloyd, I'm sorry!"
He turned back to me with a sad glare.
"The one thing I want to do more than anything is protect you," he murmured, gaze dropping to the floor.
"And I want to protect you!" I said desperately. "I'll be fine, Lloyd, trust me. The plan will work."
He didn't reply. The door shut behind him.
I groaned, dropping back against the wall and running a hand down my face.
This was so annoying. Why couldn't I keep Lloyd happy and safe while also doing what I need to do as well? It sucks. This sucks.

Lloyd emerged only a few moments later, donned in his usual green hoody and pants. He handed me the gi silently and I noticed how he lingered before letting go. Gulping, I slipped inside silently and shut the door.
Exhaling heavily, because clearly everything in my life demands to be a mess, I began getting changed. The pants were fine, though way too long, same with the undershirt. But the gi was a different story.
"Uhhh. Lloyd?"
He grunted from the other side of the door. I stared at the confusing buckles and belts and packs in defeat.
"Help," I squeaked.
Lloyd entered and he huffed, shoulders slumping affectionately as he stepped forth and tied the belt around my waist. He swiftly and expertly did up all the buckles and belts without falter. The deepstone infused with the material made the gi heavier than usual, but I was sure that I'd manage.
"You're good at this," I noted.
"Been doing it for years," he murmured before grabbing my hand and rolling up the excess sleeve. "Do you have to do this? Aren't you afraid?"

I grinned, sliding the hood over my head as he adjusted one last strap.
"Fear?" I smirked, eyes squinting as his jumped to mine. "Fear isn't a word-"
"Where I come from," Lloyd finished the phrase with me with an amused roll of his eyes. "Alright, little soldier. I get it."
My eyes softened in adoration and relief. It seemed that I'd been forgiven.
"I love you," I said, my voice muffled by the mask. "You know that, right? I'm only doing this because I love you so much."
Lloyd's gaze found mine. His smile was small but loving.
"Of course I know," he murmured, pulling back the hood. "And I love you. But I just wished I could keep you safe."
"I wish I could keep you safe," I whispered, reaching up to brush the scar on his forehead. "I am scared. But I'd be more scared if I had to stay behind."
Lloyd slumped, leaning into my touch with a sigh. His eyes were still red as they fluttered, betraying his fear. "I know."

I smiled sadly, running a hand through his soft hair.
"C'mon," I said, stepping back and tugging him with me. "We've got a ghost's ass to kick."
A smile curled on Lloyd's lips.
"Alright."

"Ah, there you are. The water guns are done!" Borg announced as he rolled over to us on his wheelchair with Garmadon, Wu and Misako following. He threw two lethal-looking weapons at me and I caught them. "They're instant-reload, no cocking required."
"Ammo?" I asked, turning the guns over in my hand and inspecting them. They were hastily made, but they should do the job. They looked like normal handguns, except that where the magazines usually would be was an intricate piece of technology, see-through. It was already smoothly working, gears shifting and pumps pumping.
"Don't worry about it," Borg said proudly. "The mechanisms at the butt of the guns take moisture from the air and compresses it into water bullets."
My lips parted in awe. "Wow. You outdid yourself."
"I always do," he said smugly, proud of his ingenius invention. I couldn't even be weirded out by his cocky attitude because he deserved to be smug. This was revolutionary. I hope no twelve-year old boys ever get their hands on it.
"That's awesome!" Jay laughed, slumping over my shoulder. "Watch out Lloyd, she might just take your place as the green ninja!"

Ignoring Jay's comment, Lloyd stared at the twin water guns in my hand with an indifferent look, frowning.
"I don't know," he mumbled. "I still don't like it."
"God, Lloyd, don't be so paranoid," Nya groaned, staring at the mechanics of the guns with bright eyes. "Y/n's capable of taking care of herself. She's survived eighteen years without you, hasn't she?"
"Seventeen," I corrected.
"Not helping."
"Sorry."
"Nya," Lloyd said in a tiredly exasperated tone. "This is different. We're putting her on the front lines."
"And she can handle herself," Nya stressed before kicking up a stone from the ground and flicking it into the air. "Shoot that."

I raised a gun and fired. The stone split in two.
"Oh, shit," Nya said, blinking at the split stone on the ground before glancing back at me with wide eyes. "I didn't think you'd actually hit it. That target was tiny!"
"Your lack of confidence is very reassuring," I replied dryly, ignoring the nervous twist in my stomach. "Aren't we supposed to be leaving?"
"Yes," Zane quickly stepped in, literally saving me from an interrogation that was bound to proceed. "Any thoughts about the plan?"
"Question," Lloyd began, grabbing my waist and drawing me closer to his side. "Does Y/n really have to do this?"
"Yes, anything else?" Jay replied, not missing a beat. "No? Great. Let's go."

We piled into the trucks, nervous but exhilarated. Three trucks - one for Jay's GT, Jay himself, Nya and Kai. The second holding Cole's bike and Zane's ice mech, the two said boys, Lloyd and I.
The last truck was for the adults, the back empty and making no move to disguise or hide themselves, to act as a diversion in case there were any guards.
We travelled silently, Lloyd and I seated in the back with the mechs while Cole and Zane, wearing Steep Wisdom's uniforms, sat in the front.
Lloyd was still, eyes closed. I stared at him while the truck rumbled.
"Lloyd?"
He hummed.
"What's it like being the green ninja?" I asked, dropping my chin on my knees. He sighed, long and low.
"It's rewarding," he began. "But challenging. The prophecies aren't always fun but that's the price you have to pay for power."
I studied his peaceful face.

"Did you want to be the green ninja?" I scooted closer to him, revelling in his body heat. "If you had a choice, I mean."
Lloyd grinned a little.
"The whole team wanted to be the green ninja," he said, eyes sliding open to rest upon my curious face. "Kai most of all. But I wasn't fussed. I didn't think it was going to be me, anyway. I wasn't even training to be a ninja and the others were already this amazing team. I thought it was going to be one of them."
"But it was you," I hummed, leaning against him.
"Believe me when I say that I was the most surprised by that," Lloyd chuckled.
"If you had a choice, would you still be the green ninja?" I asked, catching his eyes with mine.
"Well, being the green ninja means that I met you by the prophecy," Lloyd shrugged gently. "I don't think I could handle you dating somebody else, alternate green ninja or not."
I snickered. "Ditto."
"Glad we're on the same page, then," Lloyd smiled, lifting his arm to bring me in closer. I appreciated the snuggle.

"It's going to be weird going back to normal after this," I hummed, dropping my head into his chest and closing my eyes as his heartbeat softly thudded in my ear. "Well, as normal as your life gets."
"Compared to your version of normal, my life is crazy every day," Lloyd snorted. I grinned, rolling around until my head was in his lap and I was staring up at him.
"Yeah, but it's a good crazy," I pointed out. "At least your life isn't boring. I think I've lived more with you than I have in my entire life."
Lloyd shook his head, an enamoured smile tugging on his lips.
"You talk me up too much," he hummed, tugging on a lock of my hair gently.
"You talk yourself down too much," I corrected.
Lloyd snorted but didn't argue. His eyes jumped down to mine.
"Do you want to go on a date?" he asked.
"I- what?" I laughed confusedly. "This is kind of a weird time to ask but yeah, of course. Why, are you planning something?"

"Maybe," Lloyd hummed, squeezing my shoulder. "What's your favourite Disney movie?"
"Seriously?" I giggled.
"Seriously," Lloyd nodded, smiling.
"Uhh... okay," I beamed, reaching up to boop his nose as I answered his question. "What's yours?"
"Peter Pan," he replied instantly.
I blinked in surprise. My hand dropped back down to my chest.
"Wait, seriously?" I asked and lifted my head, making sure he wasn't joking. He was dead serious. "Oh, my god. That's adorable. It's because he's green, right? That's totally why. That's why you told me I looked good in green when I first met you-" I poked his stomach and he jolted with a snigger. "Green is totally your calling card."
Lloyd made a so/so gesture with his free hand.
"Partly," he confessed, staring at his feet. "Peter Pan didn't have to... grow up. He got to stay in Neverland with his best friends and never had to worry about what other people thought about him."

My smile faded. Oh. Oh.
Peter Pan had what Lloyd missed out on.

"Also, Wendy was super cute."
I snickered at his throwaway comment.
"Ah, but not as cute as you," he teased, grabbing my hands and dropping his head to mine. My laughter faded.
"Hey. I'll plan the next date," I murmured, tracing the line of his nose with a finger. "We can do everything you missed out on growing up. We'll smash it all together into one day of being total crackheads."
Lloyd grinned. He looked excited.
"Really?"
I nodded. "Really. We can even play in mud and try to look for frogs in the forest."
Lloyd laughed, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"You're the best."
"Only for you," I beamed, coiling my arm around his neck. The truck suddenly stopped and the sound of the doors slamming closed made us sit up.

"Ready?" Lloyd asked, squeezing my hand.
"No," I returned the affection and inhaled. "Okay. Let's do this."
The back doors of the container were heaved open by Zane and we stood, slipping out.
"We are here," he stated, leaping into the back of the noodle truck and climbing into his ice mech. "Phase one was a success. Phase two is a-go."
Phase two. My turn.
"Hey," I said softly, heart racing as I turned to Lloyd and shook my hands out of anxiousness. "Everything will go smoothly."
"Of course it will," he nodded, face stern. "And when we get back home, we can watch Peter Pan."
I giggled a little, but it was stretched and strained with stress. I blinked, eyes drifting to the side as Zane and Cole moved their mechs out of the truck. My gaze jumped back to Lloyd.
"Can I have a kiss?" I asked, cheeks red.

Lloyd couldn't help but smile.
"As many as you'd like, Princess," he said before placing a kiss on my cheek, then on my temple, then on my forehead before he just began peppering my face with tender, loving pecks as he held my cheeks. I giggled at his affection.
"L- Lloyd," I stammered, pulling back and sending him a pointed grin. "I love that but I was kind of hoping for a proper kiss..."
"I was getting there," he snickered before dropping his head to press his lips against mine.
"I- oh, my god!" Jay suddenly squealed. "They're kissing again! ZaneZaneZane, take a photo with your nindroid eyes, quick!"
Lloyd pulled away to send his team an exasperated glare. Embarrassed, I ducked my face into Lloyd's chest, hiding my red cheeks.
"Do you mind?" Lloyd asked, prickly, as he held me against his chest protectively.
"No," Cole said nonchalantly. "Do continue. It's not as if we're running out of time or anything."
"You guys suck," Lloyd commented flatly while I stifled a giggle. "You really do."

I pulled back, clearing my throat. "Okay, where do I go?"
Cole began explaining the route but I could feel Lloyd's heavy stare on me. He'd started getting doubts again, I could tell.
"Lloyd, hey," Kai said, stepping forward and placing his hands on Lloyd's shoulders. He began to shake him violently, making Jay snort. "Give us back our leader! We don't want this sappy, lovesick, overprotective fool to take us into battle!"
Cole and I glanced up at the two. Lloyd flushed red, embarrassed.
However, it seemed to have worked. Lloyd shook his head, stepping away from Kai's violent hands and sent him a look.
"Stop," he ordered, coughing awkwardly into his fist as Zane stepped up beside me, ready to rumble after the mechs and bikes got hidden. "Alright, team. We've got one goal and that's-"

"Would you look at that," coed a dangerous voice, making me freeze and the others to stiffen, turning around to face the man with a dark look on his grizzled face and a gun in hand.

"Lloyd Garmadon is the green ninja."