Bakar
••• Hell N Back •••

got my head in the clouds, counting all my stars
in my ears, said the world was ours
go to hell and back just heal my wounds
cause it gets like that, wrong side of the moon

•••••

We're halfway through the book! Fuck!!!! There's still so much to write oh my god !!!!

also trying to format this chapter was fucking painful, if this posts and it's screwed up im going to girl rage

Edit: I am currently girl raging

Edit edit: I'm fine now

TW: blood, gore, mentions of ✨the intercourse✨

  I woke up with a cat curled against the left side of my body and Lloyd pressed against the right.

  It was nice to wake up in Lloyd's actual bedroom. Unlike his room in the Bounty, this one felt a touch more homely and didn't remind me of all the times I woke up alone and in tears. The curtains had been left unpulled (as soon as we entered the afternoon before, we'd collapsed onto the bed and passed out) and the mid-day sun filtered through the maple trees and sakura leaves outside. His arm was around my waist. His slow, slumbering breath fluttered my hair.

  Birds whistled amongst the garden as they flitted across branches and through the trees. The dog barked in the distance, joined in by a girl's laugh. Lloyd's bed smelt of him. It wasn't lost on me that I'd only seen his bedroom once before and now I'd spent the night. How willingly he allowed me into his sanctuary, into a space so safe for him.

  And waking up this morning (afternoon?) would've been nice, that is, if I wasn't having the mother of all migraines.

  I closed my eyes against the uncomfortable brightness of the sun glaring through the window and grimaced at the bolting pain that slashed down the centre of my skull. I thought the healing tea was meant to, I dunno, heal? Though I supposed the rest of my body wasn't quite as achy as I'd expected it to be. I groaned and woke the boy next to me. He stretched beneath the covers with a big sigh.

  "Mornin' sunshine," Lloyd greeted through a voice that rumbled with the effort to be quiet. His lovely hum sent sharp bells ringing through my ears.

  Stifling a whine, I dug my head beneath the pillow and sank into the darkness. I'd always hated migraines. The heavy exhaustion that accompanied it only added to the lingering tiredness of fighting the ghost army and over-using my powers.

  Lloyd's hand drifted down my shoulder, to my elbow and back again. He did that a few times before lowering his voice into a gentle murmur.

  "Sore?" he carefully asked.

  "Migraine," I whimpered from beneath my pillow shield.

  "Oh, no," he said sympathetically, just as hushed. His palm rubbed cicles on my skin. "Those are the worst."

  My whine was one of agreement. Lloyd kissed my shoulder and slowly slipped out of bed, the warmth of him fading away. The rattling of curtain rails and the accompanying dimming of his bedroom pulled my head out from under the pillow. I stared at the ceiling with a fuzzy gaze.

  Even with the healing tea, my body was sore. I supposed magic still had its limits. I supposed using my powers the way I did had its consequences.

  Lloyd clambered back onto the mattress and rested on an elbow, stroking my cheek with a thumb, and I nuzzled into his soft touch. Consequences I'd suffer a thousand times over if it meant my boyfriend was back with me. When his green eyes melted red, I warmed in response. How close we'd become.

  Beside my leg, Meowthra the cat stretched along the duvet and yawned.

  "How are you feeling?" Lloyd asked.

  I closed my eyes and knotted my brows in response. His exhale was imbued with humour.

  "You?" My question came out in a dehydrated croak.

  "Like death," he answered with a twitch of a smirk. "We slept for sixteen hours."

  It felt like I'd slept for none. I dragged in a breath as big as I could and released it slowly. I was starving. I needed something to drink. And then I needed somebody to crack open my skull and massage my brain itself.

  After another half-hour of drifting between sleep and wake, I forced myself upright on arms that wobbled. My entire body felt stiff, like somebody had glued all my joints together, and the wound on my waist from where I'd been partially impaled ached with vengeance. I didn't even fully feel the relief of the war being over - I was still so sore, and Lloyd still looked so sick. I'd only think it's over when we were both okay.

  We helped each other upright and slowly made our way to the kitchen, where something delicious was wafting from. I watched through the long hallway of windows to the garden as a few monks played with the dog. He looked freshly washed and groomed, and his nervous disposition was gone in favour of playing with a new toy shaped like a cartoonish dragon. He stumbled a few times because of his missing leg but that didn't curb his enthusiasm.

  Zane was in the kitchen when we arrived which made sense, because the scent of the food he was cooking smelt like it'd been sent from the heavens above. My stomach grumbled ravenously. Beside me, Lloyd looked just as starved.

  "Good morning," Zane greeted with a cordial smile. "I am making us all a belated lunch."

  "It smells amazing," Lloyd dreamily said. We took a seat at the kitchen bench and watched impatiently as the rice dish was served. "Is anyone else awake?"

  "Only Nya has yet to rise," Zane answered. He pushed glasses of water and our bowls toward us and smiled when we hurriedly began to eat our fill. I sighed in delight. "The others are in the games room. How are you faring, Y/n? A first battle is not easy."

  "Sore," I said between mouthfuls. "Really, really sore. Migraine. Body aches." At least I was so exhausted that I couldn't recall any dreams. I was sure it'd all be nightmares.

  Lloyd nodded in docile agreement. He wasn't doing much better.

  Zane frowned. "My condolences. I will find you two something to ease your pain."

  I sent him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Zane." Between him and Cole, I couldn't figure out who was the team mum. Maybe they took turns.

  While Zane went in search of painkillers, Lloyd and I ate until we could no longer. I drank my water as if I hadn't had any in days and it soothed my sore throat by just a little. Finally satiated and with a warm meal in my stomach, I felt a teensy bit more content than before.

  "Your parents are here," Lloyd mentioned, still picking at his rice and grazing. I stiffened unpleasantly. "They're talking with mine and Wu."

  I peeked at him. "Is it going okay?"

  Lloyd tilted his head and listened for a beat. I watched him nervously, hoping that my parents weren't doing anything embarrassing or ruining all future chance of amicability between our families. Mum was too protective and Dad hated the ninja - there were way too many avenues where them talking could go badly.

  "Pleasant enough." Lloyd shrugged a single shoulder. "No-one's shouting or pointing fingers. The conversation isn't even about the fight." He paused for a moment, and then smiled with great amusement. "Your mum's talking about when you saw a clown when you were four and peed your-"

  I clapped my hands over his slightly-pointed ears. "Stop listening!"

  Lloyd's grin widened at my horror-stricken face. "How scary was the clown?"

  My frustration rose. "Stop talking!"

  He chuckled at my steaming cheeks and retreated to nibbling on his rice with more glee than he had before. I slipped my hands back and held them over my blush. My parents did end up embarrassing me, just not in the way I'd expected. Damn Lloyd's super-hearing.

  Zane returned with some painkillers and two mugs, and I could already tell what its contents were when I grimaced at the smell. Lloyd deflated with a disheartened groan. Then he pinged up and plastered on a bright smile that surprised both of us.

  "I'm suddenly feeling so much better," Lloyd robotically said. "Aren't you feeling so much better, Y/n?"

  Zane and I shared an unconvinced look. I shook my head and reluctantly took the mug he passed over to me. "You're still a terrible actor."

  Lloyd grumbled beneath his breath but took his mug, too. Pinching our noses, we chugged the bitter, garbage-y tasting water as fast as we could. I had to stop myself from gagging. Lloyd keeled over in his seat and looked a little green.

  "Have your ailments improved?" Zane hopefully asked.

  Lloyd hung his head with grief and raised a thumb's up.

  With the horrid aftertaste staining our tastebuds, Lloyd led me to the medbay to change our bandages. The wound on his shoulder from where he'd been struck by the arrow wouldn't need stitches for much longer, and the injury on my waist had already knitted itself back together. All of our knicks and slashes were shiny and pink with healed skin. Our bruises had faded to yellow splotches and Morro's handprint around my neck had almost completely disappeared. Even my headache had simmered away into a dull ringing.

  I checked my work on Lloyd's new shoulder bandage one last time before nodding with satisfaction. It still upset me seeing him hurt but not as bad as it had before, so I was able to steel myself and tend to him after he tended to me. He thanked me with a kiss on the nose. Magically, I felt even better.

  "What are you gonna do with the puppy?" Lloyd asked as we wandered back through the hallway. Jay and Kai had joined the monks in playing with the dog, though were mainly watching. They also still looked exhausted. Even the stoic head monk Dimitri had stopped to watch with a grin on his face.

  "I'm not sure," I confessed. "My place isn't really made for dogs. I don't think Mum will be pleased."

  Lloyd shrugged. "He can stay here. He'd make a good therapy dog for us." I grinned at his joke and shoulder nudge. "I think you'd have trouble taking him away from Hiyori and Jace, anyway. Got a name?"

  "Punchikins," I said.

  "I'm going to think of a name," Lloyd decided. I snickered. He then stopped walking and fell quiet with an uneasy look, and my amusement faded. I turned away from the window.

  "What's wrong?" I asked.

  "Your parents were told about the fight with the Overlord," Lloyd answered uncomfortably. "Your, uh... your dad hasn't taken it too well." He held out a hand for me to take.

  Oh, no. Please don't tell me he'd started throwing a fit. The Overlord fight would've been the time when Dad pulled his gun on Garmadon, and he must've been reminded of exactly why he hated the ninja and snapped.

  But when Lloyd led me to the monastery's entrance, my heart fell at the sight of my dad sitting on the front steps with his face in his hands.

  Lloyd slipped his hand from mine and touched my back with his palm in support. He may have hated my dad, but he was still my dad. I sent Lloyd a smile in thanks before descending the steps toward him.

  Dad sniffled and wiped his nose when I took a seat beside him. His eyes were bloodshot. "Jesus, this place is over the top."

  "I don't think you're crying over how grand their home is," I said with gentle amusement.

  Dad laughed weakly. It was a little strange to see my dad cry - not that he wasn't in-tune with his emotions or anything, but rather he just didn't often have reason to cry. I think the last time I saw him cry was when I graduated from elementary school.

  I sat beside him in silence while he struggled with his catching breathing. Was he upset because I got hurt? Was he upset because I was locked into this world with no way for him to pull me from it? Was he scared?

  "They were all just kids," Dad grieved. "I tried to shoot a bunch of kids."

  Oh. That's why he was upset.

  "You didn't know," I soothed.

  "I should've known," he said. "God - I thought I was doing the right thing. All this magic bullshit came out of nowhere and the city just kept getting put in danger, and they were always at the centre of it. I thought..."

  I rested my head on his shoulder. "You were just trying to protect people."

  "They never listened," Dad continued quietly. "I thought they didn't care. They were just kids."

  I'd be lying if I said I understood the depth of their rivalry, but I was astute enough to know how much my dad cared. Both him and the team had the same goal of keeping the world safe; I guess they just didn't agree on how the other did it.

  "You're a good man." I pulled my arms around him and held him in a hug. "You're a good teacher and a good dad, too. You helped us save the world."

  Dad kissed my head in gratefulness. "What did I do to deserve such a kind kid?"

  "Only kindness can raise kindness," I pointed out, and Dad chuckled softly.

  "We should get back inside," he said. "Your mother's desperate to see you."

  He patted my hand and stood. He faltered upon seeing Lloyd leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and a contemplative look, and glowered when he realised he must've overheard. Even this revelation wasn't enough to make him welcome my boyfriend with open arms.

  "Great," Dad grumbled. "You're here."

  "C'mon, Sarge." Lloyd walked forward and drew his arm around Dad's shoulders in an act of camaraderie. "Let's try get along for Y/n, huh?"

  My dad didn't disagree. "I still don't like you."

  "Yeah, well, the feeling's mutual." Lloyd peeked over his shoulder at me and found my appreciative smile. He winked.

Lloyd Garmadon, you perfect, perfect man.

  I followed behind them fondly.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

  The scroll room was part of Lloyd's home I'd never seen before, and the moment I stepped foot inside, I knew I'd never want to leave.

  Each wall was covered from floor-to-ceiling in shelves overflowing with ancient scrolls and tomes that were probably just as old as the monastery itself. A small table sat in the centre, piled with even more inked parchment, as well as an ornate tea set emitting a pleasing aroma of jasmine.

  Around the table sat Lloyd's parents, Wu, and my mother - who jumped to her feet at our entrance and yanked me into a hug so strong and swiftly that I lost my breath.

  "Oh, my baby!" Mum slurred in a hurried rush of relief-tinged words. I winced at the injuries that tweaked in pain at her strength. "Oh, I was so scared - how are you? Let me get a look."

  She pulled away and spun me to assess my wounds. I was only glad that they didn't look as bad as they had last night. Still, it was enough for her face to darken with a terrifying storm that made Lloyd, Dad and I wince with fear, before her eyes began to flow with tears. Her stony visage crumbled as swiftly as it was built.

  "I'm so glad you're back home!" She pulled me back into her chest and kissed my head twelve times. "You are grounded until you're fifty!"

  I hugged her back just as tightly, having spent the last week yearning for this exact moment. I loved my sarcastic, scary mother. "Missed you, too."

  "Lloyd!" Mum surprised us all by pulling him into a hug, too. "You poor thing. I'm so happy you're okay."

  Lloyd sent me a look from his peripheral that was both elated and terrified. He patted her back carefully. "Thanks, Mrs. L/n."

  Dad rolled his eyes at his politeness.

  When the reunion was out of the way, Dad took his seat again while Wu poured some tea for Lloyd and I. We sat side by side as I gazed amongst the room in awe. I wanted to pause time just so I could read everything.

  "Where did we left off?" Garmadon mused as he nursed his cup. "Ah, yes, the Final Battle. I will say, being forcefully turned into a dragon is quite the humbling experience." He sighed forlornly. "I do miss my four arms. They were quite handy."

  The other two Garmadons groaned.

  "You've got to let that joke go, Dad," Lloyd muttered.

  "What was the point of turning good if I am never appreciated?" Garmadon mourned. Wu chuckled at his brother's dramatics.

  "I appreciate you," Misako said.

  "And that's why I married you, my dear."

  Mum smiled faintly. Dad swirled his tea uneasily, no doubt recounting his own part during said fight.

  "After that, there was some digital virus Overlord thing, and then the whole mess with Skylor's Dad's underground fight club last year," Lloyd added. He sent me an unimpressed look. "I lost my powers for ten minutes - worst ten minutes of my life, by the way - and now Wu's got us doing all this training without our powers."

  "It is necessary," Wu chimed in.

  Dad frowned. "How did you lose your powers?"

  "Black magic," Lloyd answered.

  "Ah, 'course." Somehow, Dad looked even more overwhelmed. "Silly me."

  "And you're saying that Y/n was meant to be there for all of these instances?" Mum asked. "But she's only seventeen. That's too much pressure for a kid."

  That's what I'd been saying! I was glad my mother and I were on the same page.

  "Unfortunately, once Fate has made up its mind, it is unyielding," Misako said grimly. "Trust me, I have tried to change it. All I did was waste precious time."

  Lloyd's expression turned downcast and the rest of the table went quiet from the heavy atmosphere that settled over us. Dad took an awkward sip of his tea. I held Lloyd's hand beneath the table and squeezed it.

  "So, Y/n, did you find out more about your powers?" Mum asked. Dad looked exhausted at the reminder.

  "Kinda," I answered. "I spoke to our ancestor."

  "You spoke to a dead person?" Dad whispered in horror.

  "The Kirin, yes?" Wu asked. "Very interesting. I had considered them myth until I saw one with my own eyes."

  "That's right," I said. "I asked her for help. She really didn't like the Preeminent."

  "You're part deer?" Lloyd asked. I paused in startled, uneasy consideration. Mum was just as surprised - it would be her genes I'd inherited it from, after all.

  "Good lord help me," my dad murmured into his tea. I think he wished it was something stronger.

  "Fear not, your daughter is not part dear. Spirits that visit our plane will often choose an inhuman form," Misako amusedly corrected. "The Kirin must be the chosen form of Y/n's ancestor. Though... we are still unsure exactly who she was, or what Y/n's powers are."

  "All we know so far is that she is able to conjure a shield and that Lloyd and Y/n are able to boost each other's powers," Wu said, before shaking his head in awe. "Fascinating. You two are not just balanced - you are a harmony none of us have ever seen before."

  Lloyd and I glanced at one another. He smiled sweetly, like us being more than just soulfully entwined was the best news he'd ever heard. Past the shock of it, it was the best I'd ever heard, too - if a little overwhelming. It made sense if I took into account how quickly I'd sacrificed myself to save Lloyd and how he'd fought tooth and nail to protect me. I bashfully dropped my gaze.

  Dad looked like he needed a nap. Mum was hovering somewhere between overprotective hesitance and like she wanted to pinch the both of our cheeks.

  "Ah, before I forget-" Garmadon reached into the pocket of his pants and held out a familiar-looking necklace for me. The green gem of the dragon's eye glinted as it dangled. "We managed to find this."

  "Oh!" I went to take it from his hand but Lloyd bet me to it. I obliged his wordless request and pushed my hair aside. "Thank you. How'd you find it?"

  Lloyd fastened the clasp at the nape of my neck. His fingertips were barely-there, brushing against my skin and fine hairs with care. It felt nice. I touched the gleaming golden metal of the dragon and found the familiarity comforting.

  "It has a tracker embedded into the pendant," Misako reminded. "Good thing, too. It's quite expensive."

  My fingers immediately fell away. It's what. Well, obviously it was expensive, but I preferred not thinking about it.

  "Whoa- hold on," Dad interjected, just as Mum snapped; "you're tracking our daughter?!"

  Garmadon raised a placating hand. "It's just a safeguard so we can locate Y/n in case her powers get out of hand. It also controls her output so she doesn't hurt herself."

  "And so they can find me if I go wandering again," I murmured. Dad's desperate look my way made me meekly shrug. "It's happened on the occasion."

  My parents were still unhappy by the entire situation, which wasn't exactly hard to understand - especially for my poor father, who looked like his brain was being put through a perpetual explosion. This talk wasn't going as well as I'd hoped.

  "Please, trust us in saying that your daughter's safety is our top priority," Misako soothed. "I know this is hard to understand. I know how frightening it is to have a kid wrapped up in prophecy."

  Mum caught my pleading look and sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. Yes, this was a lot to take in, but Lloyd's family had been supporting me through each new discovery - both good and bad.

  "You have been very good to her," she admitted. "And you know more about this stuff than we do."

  Dad looked aghast. "M/n. They microchipped our daughter."

  "Do you want to be at a loss in case she goes missing again?" Mum pointed out, and I realised that she must've told him before about the incident in the forest. "Be reasonable, James."

  Dad relented with an exhausted sigh. He was outnumbered.

  When the conversation wrapped up, it was time for us to go home. Lloyd and I retrieved my bag and I said my goodbyes to the team and the dog before meeting up with the adults out the front. Wu gave my mother a jar of healing tea leaves and the instructions on how to brew it in case my injuries flared. Dad stiffly shook the hands of Lloyd's parents. Lloyd and I stood to the side and decompressed.

  "That could've gone worse," Lloyd said.

  "Could've gone better, too," I mumbled. He pulled my sullen self into him for a firm hug and kissed my hair, and I felt a little better.

  "Text me when you get home?" he asked.

  "Of course." I looked up at him with a soft smile. "Miss you already, hero."

  His cheeks pinched pink, and his red eyes narrowed down at me with loving threat. "Don't make me kiss you in front of our parents."

  "Oh, no," I gasped. "How devious."

  Lloyd smirked and pecked my forehead instead. My smile grew. Then, all too soon, it was time for us to part. Lloyd and his parents waited as we clambered into Mum's car and started it. I watched the monastery from the window until I could no longer.

  I was sad to leave Lloyd but relieved to go home. I missed my bed. I missed the comforts of my own home. In the front seats, my parents were quiet.

  "Sorry for not telling you sooner, Dad," I quietly apologised.

  Dad sighed heavily. "I'm just happy you're safe." Then he spun around in shotgun so fast that I startled. "You are safe, right? You haven't had sex?"

  My face erupted into heat. "No! We haven't-! Dad!"

  "Jamie," Mum admonished. "Give her time to recover before you start interrogating her. You know she's smarter than we were."

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just concerned! It's her first boyfriend!"

  I spent the rest of the ride home with my hands over my ears in embarrassment.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

  I found my phone to be dead when I got home, so I plugged it in and let it charge while slowly unpacking what I could from my bag.

  I brought out my small dragon trinket that Lloyd had left me from one of the nights he'd snuck into my room and placed it onto my bedside table with a smile. His hoodie was left on my bed for me to slip on when I changed from Nya's spare pyjamas and into my comfy indoor clothes. The clothes that needed to be washed was left in a pile for me to deal with later, when I had the energy for it.

  By the time my body began to protest from moving too much, my phone was charged enough to turn on. I was met by a bunch of messages from Naomi.

  "Oh, no," I groaned as I scrolled through her multitude of texts. I felt guilty that I'd essentially fallen off the face of the earth for the past week but also relieved. At least one of my friends had noticed my absence.

  I quickly flicked Lloyd a text as promised before opening Naomi's message thread.

garden nome:
hey boo theres a green ninja fan club meet up at the park. u wanna go??

garden nome:
bestie?????
Sent Wednesday

garden nome:
y/n??

garden nome:
are u ok?
Sent Thursday

garden nome:
i just called ur mum and she told me what's going on. i hope u feel better soon :( migraines are the woooooorsst. lemme know when u can handle looking at ur phone again
Sent Friday

garden nome:
hey its been a few days. r u dying

garden nome:
pls don't die. ur too sexy to die
Sent Monday

garden nome:
y/n im kinda freaking out. ur mum won't let me see u. how is she so scary
Sent Tuesday

garden nome:
hellooooo??? r u alive????? :(
Sent 11.34am

  "Fuuuck," I whispered. I dialled her number and held my phone to my ear. She picked up on the first ring.

  "She lives!" Naomi cheered. "Oh, my god, Y/n, I thought you were dead. How's your migraine?"

  I smiled weakly at my friend's elation and her concern. In all the chaos of the past week, I hadn't had a chance to miss my friend, but now that it was all over I just really wanted to see her again... but it'd probably be best to leave it until after my waist stopped hurting as bad and all my bruises were gone.

  "I'm sorry," I apologised, and at least I sounded poor enough for Mum's excuse to sound legit. My head did ache with a migraine, after all. It wasn't too much of a stretch. "It was pretty bad. I'm still not feeling great."

  "Don't apologise!" Naomi reassured. "I'm just glad you're okay enough to talk. I missed you!"

  My eyes pricked with appreciative tears. I'm so glad we saved the world, if only so I could see my friend again. "I missed you, too."

  "Sucks you got sick during the holidays. When do you think you'll be okay for visitors?"

  "I'm not sure, but you'll be the first to know," I promised.

  We talked for a little longer. Naomi told me about what she did during the past week while I was 'sick' and caught me up with the dramas that our friend group spoke about. Finally, after an hour, I had to say goodbye. My headache was getting too bad to ignore.

  I dozed for a bit to sleep it off. When I woke, it was dinnertime and I was famished. The energy between my parents was a touch strained, and I figured that they must've had a conversation about Mum keeping our lineage and my powers secret from Dad. We ate takeaways in silence.

  Until; "how was the Library of Domu?" Mum asked.

  Then I spoke for the rest of the meal. The energy warmed a little after that.

  After dinner, I was quiet again, drawn exhausted by talking. I showered, changed into my pyjamas and went to bed. And then I found myself unable to sleep.

  I sighed in weary acceptance. I kinda knew this would happen - I had a crazy week after all, and now that it was over it was time for me to realise what the actual hell just happened. I couldn't believe what I'd been through. I could barely believe the person it made me become. Only my aches made me sure that it wasn't some horrible nightmare.

  Disturbed by the events that'd happened, I tried to distract myself with a book. It was hard to get into at first, my brain too frazzled to concetrate, but then the familiar pull of being sucked into a story took me by the hand and I succumbed.

  The buzz of my phone broke my focus. I reluctantly put my book down and reached for it to see who requested my attention. I smiled at who it was.

Jesus💗:
u awake?
sent 11.56pm

Me:
yeah. cant sleep either?
Delivered

Jesus💗:
nope
Sent 11.57pm

Me:
nightmares?
Delivered

Jesus💗:
can i come over?
Sent 11.57pm

  My heart fluttered, as it always did when Lloyd said he wanted to see me. Then it sunk at the reminder of my dad, sleeping in my parents' room just down the hall.

Me:
dad will murder you if he finds you sneaking into my room
Delivered

  Lloyd didn't respond for a moment. I could feel his disappointment seeping through the screen.

Jesus💗:
oh
Sent 11.59pm

Jesus💗:
right
Sent 11.59pm

  Ugh. He was such a kicked puppy when he wanted to be. My cuteness aggression took me by the throat. I quickly caved.

Me
u better be extra careful
Delivered

  His response was instantaneous.

Jesus💗:
illbe o ver in ten
Sent 11.59pm

  Novel abandoned, I placed a bookmark on my page and put it on my bedside table. Slow, body stiff and sore, I pushed my covers down and limped to sit on the windowsill and wait. He didn't take long.

  Bentley was unmissable, a beacon of green that sped across the star-lit sky. My heart leapt at seeing him and I made a mental note to ask Lloyd to bring him out the next time I saw him in daylight. The last time I saw Bentley was when he tried to save me from my fall through the sky. I missed my puppy-dog dragon.

  Lloyd swerved to land in the field a few houses down from my place and then it only took a few moments until he was soundlessly clambering up the wall to the window that was already open for him. He slipped inside and landed silently. The perks of having a ninja boyfriend.

  "Hey," I whispered, eagerly welcoming the greeting kiss he gave me. My insides trilled with excitement. I loved our secret rendezvouses.

  "Hi, princess," Lloyd quietly greeted, and kissed me again. My arms hurt to lift but I lifted them anyway, bringing my fingers to lock into his soft hair. We couldn't even go half a day without seeing one another, it seemed. I had no complaints.

  Lloyd carefully shut the window so it wouldn't make a sound. He wore a jersey and cotton sleep pants, and his hair was messy from his flight. He still looked a little gaunt, but the crooked, charming, boyish smile he sent my way made me melt, anyway. Even sick, he looked so handsome. I wanted to kiss him again, but instead grabbed his hands and tugged him to join me in the warmth of my covers. It felt nicer to lie down than stand.

  I never thought I'd be so eager to drag a boy to share my bed. Maybe my dad was right to worry.

  Lloyd settled beside me and pulled me close. Sharing a bed for the past two nights had made me love being held to his chest, to soak in his warmth and feel the rumble of his words. His breathing was therapeutic. His heartbeat was soothing. I could happily stay locked in his arms forever.

  "Are you alright?" I stroked his cheek and noticed that I couldn't see his freckles in the dim moonlight that slipped between my curtains. "I'm sure your dad and uncle won't be pleased to hear you leaving in the middle of the night."

  "I waited until they were asleep," Lloyd whispered. He shuffled his nose through my hair and inhaled the scent of my shampoo. "I'm fine, just... when there's nothing to do or focus on, thoughts get kinda heavy."

  And with memories like ours, I knew his thoughts would be worse than usual. I frowned in sympathy.

  "And I missed you," Lloyd added on quietly. "I like having you with me."

  I had to smile at his confession. "I missed you too, hero."

  Lloyd tightened his hold around me. His thoughts were racing but his lips were silent. I let him stew for a moment to find the words while my fingers twirled through his curls at the base of his neck. They were soft.

  My bed warmed with our body heat. Our breathing synched. His heartbeat drummed its steady pace.

  "Do..." he hesitated. "Do you ever regret..?"

  I could tell where he was going and didn't like that that was the route his heavy thoughts had taken him. I kissed the neckline of his jersey and pulled my fingers through his hair the way I knew made him melt.

  "I don't regret anything about you," I reassured.

  "I feel like a burden," he whispered into the dark.

  My heart shattered at his almost inaudible confession. Was this why he didn't like people looking after him? Was this what the mantle of being Fate's solider make him think - that he could only be the saviour and never the saved?

  Oh, Lloyd. My poor, precious Lloyd.

  "You need to do what I do and tell those thoughts to shut up," I advised, and his next exhale was heavy with weak amusement. "You're not a burden, hero. You've never been a burden. Why do you think I call you my hero?"

  I felt his body release its tension, and he softened into my touch. His head tilted to be scratched in the spot he wanted.

  "I dunno," he mumbled. "Sorry. I didn't want to dump this on you."

No, please, don't pull away again. Not after I spent so long gaining his trust and comfort. Not after everything we'd been put through together.

  "Hey." I pulled my head back from the crevice of his chin and chest and sought his gaze in the dark. His eyes were illuminated like rubies by the moonlight. "You can tell me anything, Lloyd. No matter how silly you think it is, or if you think I need to hear it or not. I'll always listen to whatever you have to say."

  Lloyd went smitten at the resolve in my eyes. He pushed his head closer to mine and left a lingering kiss on the bridge of my nose, and my lashes fluttered at his proximity, catching on his cheek. His breath was warm.

  "How do you always know what to say?" he asked.

  "You read enough books, you pick up on a few things."

  Lloyd chuckled softly. "My little bookworm."

  I smiled. My hands retuned to scritching across his scalp, and he closed his eyes in bliss like a cat. He was adorable.

  "Why can't you sleep?" he asked, half-focusing on our conversation and half on where my fingers were placed.

  I shrugged, watching him preen. He was so cute to watch. "It was a big week. I'm still not finished processing it."

  Lloyd went to snicker but a different sound left him; a low rumble came from deep within his chest, and we both had to take pause at the odd reverberation. My fingers stopped scratching. His bliss came to a screeching halt. Our eyes met in confusion.

  "... what was that?" I slowly asked.

  "I don't know," he answered, just as bewildered.

  Confused, my fingers returned to scratching, and then paused when Lloyd's eyes closed and the low sound was made again. His eyes snapped open and stared at me in bafflement.

  My eyebrows knotted in thought. It sounded a little familiar. It sounded a bit like Bentley when he...

  "Did you just purr?" I spluttered.

  Lloyd's eyes widened at my question before shaking his head in denial. "That's not what happened." But he seemed a little unsure.

  I shook my head and sat up in stupefied awe. My stare down at him was one of wide eyes. "That was totally a purr."

  "No," Lloyd firmly denied, cheeks growing dark. "No, it wasn't.

  "I think I know what a purr sounds like, Lloyd."

  "Humans don't-" his whispered insistence came to an end as fast as it began. He wasn't exactly the prime example of a human. "It wasn't a purr!"

  But it totally was, and I was totally convinced. The shock on my face faded into amusement. Lloyd Garmadon, the reigning champ of being an enigma.

  "Aww!" I giggled, playing with a cowlick of his blond hair. This was the best discovery of my life, and I'd found out who the Green Ninja was. My boyfriend could purr. "My little dragon!"

  "Stop it!" Lloyd demanded beneath his breath and snatched my hand. His red eyes shot to the closed door of my bedroom. "Be quiet! You're being too loud!"

  But I couldn't stop my giggles. Lloyd made a sound of desperation and tackled me onto the mattress with a hand over my mouth. My yelp was muffled and when my startle was over, I stared up at him with eyes glittering in humour. His entire face was painted red with embarrassment.

  "Do you want your dad to find me?" Lloyd frantically hissed. He hung his head with his eyes closed tight in upset confusion. "What's wrong with me?"

  Amusement swiftly over, I raised my hands to fondly cup his cheeks. He released my mouth and collapsed onto the mattress beside me with his hands pressed over his face. I rolled onto my side and laid my arm across his stomach.

  "I think it's cute," I said.

  "I'm purring, Y/n," he groaned into his palms, "like some kind of goddamn animal." He grumbled an exasperated sigh. "I told you there was something weird going on."

  I blinked, thinking back to the night where he confessed a lot more to me than he ever had before. He could feel something new and different within him - something a little overprotective, something a little volatile.

  "You think this is part of that?" I asked.

  "I don't know," he said in a dry sob. "Jesus, Y/n. I purred like a dragon."

  I smiled curtly and pressed my cheek into his shoulder. "If it's any consolation, I think you have a very cute purr."

  He dropped his hands and glared blankly at the ceiling.

  "It's not, but thanks," Lloyd dryly remarked.

  I chuckled softly. My poor enigma, my little dragon boy. I hoped I was giving a better reaction than the total shock I was truly feeling - I had a feeling that wouldn't help him in this... strange discovery.

  "You're the most adorable man I've ever met," I whispered, and kissed his cheek. "We should try get some sleep."

  "How am I supposed to sleep after this?"

  "That's why I said 'try,'" I reminded lightly. "Have sweet dreams, dragon boy."

  Lloyd groaned and shuffled over to bury his head beneath my chin. I giggled softly, just over a breath, and kissed his hair. Truly exhausted and despite his complaint, it didn't take long until he fell asleep cradled in my arms.

  My racing mind kept me up a little longer. The more I learnt about Lloyd, the more time I spent with him, the more questions I was left with.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

  Lloyd was gone when I woke late in the morning. I had vague memories of a nightmare that had me terrified and the sound of Lloyd's quiet voice.

  On my windowsill was a small rock statue of a three-legged dog. I warmed at the sight of it and added it beside my other two dragons on my bookshelf. I was beginning to grow quite the collection.

  I flopped onto my bed and grimaced at the wound on my waist. Red eyes, fangs, pointed ears - and now Lloyd could purr. What a startling, odd evolution. Was he slowly turning into something else? Was it because of his special powers, or because he was the grandson of Uchū? The unending cycle of questions demanding answers made my brain hurt.

  "Good morning," Mum greeted when I limped downstairs. "How are you feeling?"

  "Terrible." My nose scrunched when it caught wind of a familiar stench. "Did you seriously have to make that tea?"

  "Wu's orders," she said, and held the mug out a ways from her to hand to me. Her face was in a grimace that didn't make me feel much better. "Drink up."

  I drank it as fast as I could. This was worse than being sore. Mum watched me with an expression of slight disgust.

  "You poor thing," she mourned.

  I placed the mug in the sink with a shudder and began to make myself a coffee in an attempt to mask the taste. "Where's Dad?"

  "Gone for a walk to clear his head," Mum sighed. "He's still struggling to come to terms with everything."

  I sent her a hesitant look. "... are you guys okay?"

  "He's upset with me but I can't blame him for that," she reassured, before approaching and bringing me into a firm hug. I rested my head on her shoulder. "We'll be okay. Your father's a good man, I just need to make it up to him."

  "How are you going to do that?"

  "The same way I got him to fall in love with me." She sent me an amused smirk. "I'll serenade him and massage his feet."

  "Gross!" I blurted with a laugh and pushed her away.

  Mum chuckled. She leant on the bench and watched while I continued making my coffee.

  "How did you sleep?" she asked.

  I shrugged. "I had nightmares, unsurprisingly." It would've been a lot worse if Lloyd wasn't there to soothe me through them. My heart warmed at his care.

  "And how's Lloyd?" she slyly asked.

  I almost spilt the boiling water all over the bench with my flinch.

  "... you saw him at the monastery yesterday," I reminded.

  "It's an insult you think I'm that unobservant," Mum said dryly. "Do you forget I'm a psychologist? Do you really think I can't read my own daughter's tells?"

  My shoulders raised with guilt. Truly, very little got past my eagle-eyed mother. I was silly to think I could ever fool her - she must've noticed my lack of unsettled sleep after a traumatic event; of restlessly pacing the house or waking up in tears or screams, or whatever symptom she'd been taught to notice, and put two-and-two together. My calmness with the morning would've been equally strange.

  "I'm sorry," I said with an apologetic look her way.

  Mum rolled her eyes. "I can hardly tell you off when the both of you went through hell this past week."

  I smiled at her gratefully. It faded when I stirred my drink and took a careful sip. I couldn't get what Lloyd said the night before out of my head: that he felt like a burden, that if he'd wondered if I regretted meeting him.

  And then a few nights before that; of Lloyd admitting that he had evil in his blood that he'd tried to remove and couldn't. Of wanting to hide parts of himself because he thought they'd scare me. Of how he was still changing. Of how it made him upset.

  I wished he didn't think such things, but I was glad he told me. It was a strange dichotomy.

  I sighed long and slow. He was both Alcatraz and an enigma - how was I supposed to help him?

  "What's going on that head of yours?" Mum asked gently.

  I hesitated. Would she even understand? But I didn't know if I could figure this out without her input. If Mum didn't know, then who would?

  "How do I make Lloyd feel better?" I asked.

  "The fight ended only two days ago, sweetheart," she reminded. "He was possessed by a ghost - which, by the way, I had no idea existed until you called me from Domu." Mum shook her head in disbelief and took a breath. "He just needs time."

  "It's not only that, though," I murmured. "It's everything. He's... he's been through a lot."

  Mum placed down her mug with a contemplative sigh. She crossed her arms, silent in consideration. I waited for her inevitably wise words while staring at my drink.

   "I think you just need to keep doing what I know you're already doing," she said softly. "You give Lloyd space to talk and reassure him that he has your support. There's not much else you can do. You can't make him do anything, it has to be up to him about how much he wants to lean on you."

  I slowly nodded. I didn't have any new exercises or advice to give Lloyd, but it was reassuring to know that I was on the right path, anyway.

  Mum kissed my forehead. "You care so much for each other. He'll get there. You both will."

  She sent me a warm smile and squeezed the tip of my nose. It made my frown lift.

  "Thanks, Mum," I said warmly.

  "Anytime, sweetheart." Then she promptly downed the rest of her drink. "Okay, I'll be back soon. Your dad and I are having a coffee date."

  "Ah," I said with a grin, "definitely taking it back to when you made him fall in love with you. Let me know if you need me to bring you a boom box for your serenade."

  Mum winked at me. "You gotcha." I followed her to entrance, where she shoved on some shoes and adjusted her cardigan. "And, honey? If Lloyd wants to stay over, please tell him to stop sneaking inside in the middle of the night." She sent me a disapproving look. "If he's going to sleep in my daughter's bed the least he could do is be here for dinner."

  I almost dropped my coffee in shock. "You're saying he can stay the night?"

  "He hasn't exactly given me reason not to trust him," Mum grumbled, seeming unhappy with the idea even though she was giving her blessing. "And if you two ever do... anything, I'd prefer you'd do it somewhere safe."

  I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose. "Can you and Dad please stop talking about that?"

  Mum snorted at my exasperated, flustered expression. "But seeing your reaction is so funny. Okay, toodles!"

  She shut the door before I could argue further. I sighed, took another sip of my drink, and pulled out my phone to tell Lloyd the good news.