Will Paquin
••• Circles •••
and it's here,
with eyes shut tight,
that you run circles,
in my mind
•••••
Bigger chapter for some feelsies 🤙
TW: bullying, self harm (punching car hood lol)
The next morning at breakfast, Lloyd felt innumerable pairs of eyes on him.
"Please," he said tiredly. Even Zane's cooked breakfast couldn't make him feel better about the ensuing teasing he knew was impending upon him, no matter how good it was. "Just get it over with."
The others didn't need to be told twice.
"She was so cute! Like a shy little kitten." Nya was the first to gush.
"Very polite, indeed," Zane inputted.
"I wanted to pinch her cheeks!" Jay said, before frowning. "She's really gonna be feeling that cold today."
Lloyd sunk deeper into himself. He preferred it when they didn't know about Y/n, when he could revel in the thoughts of her alone. But seeing her interact with his family, as nervous as she was, twinged something deep inside of him. It felt like she'd belonged there, in the monastery, with him. It felt right.
His stomach gave an impatient yank. He gripped his chopsticks a little bit tighter.
"She was pretty chill," Kai agreed. He shrugged one shoulder as he picked up a bit of bacon with his chopsticks. "Quiet, but chill."
"Not everyone can be as loud as you, Kai," Cole shot. The piece of bacon was flung towards him, which he easily caught with his own chopsticks before it could hit its mark. He popped it in his mouth. "Thanks!"
Kai rolled his eyes.
"You were very protective over her, Lloyd," Zane mentioned after scooping some more rice into Nya's outstretched bowl. Lloyd winced at the reminder. "It was odd. You are usually not one to be so short."
"What is this about?" Wu asked.
"Lloyd was being overprotective while I was assessing Y/n's injury." The nindroid smiled. "It was quite amusing."
Lloyd sighed - even Zane was joining in on the teasing. He stirred his breakfast sullenly. This wasn't going to end any time soon.
"It's his first girlfriend, of course he'll be overprotective," Kai said.
"Not my girlfriend," Lloyd muttered.
"Dude, please," Nya said, unconvinced. "With the way you two look at each other? My bet's a week."
Lloyd held his face. Embarrassment had his cheeks steaming.
"I'm just-" Misako cut herself off with a happy sigh. Lloyd lifted his tired gaze to see his mother with misty eyes. "I'm so glad you found someone who cares for you."
"Mum," Lloyd said, gently amused.
"I know this life is difficult for you," she continued. "You deserve to be happy, and you're happy with her. I'm so grateful you found each other."
Lloyd's amusement simmered into genuine appreciation. "Mum..."
"It was nice to see you looking at someone the way you looked at Y/n," Garmadon added sincerely, voice soft with contentment.
Lloyd was struck by his father's genuineness. He smiled a little, warmth in his chest. Maybe this wasn't so bad.
"Thanks, Dad."
Of course, it wasn't content for long.
"So, when should I be expecting grandchildren?" he asked nonchalantly, making Lloyd's face turn a violent shade of red. His team burst into abrupt laughter.
"You're all awful," Lloyd muttered.
🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃
"You're not going to die while I'm at work, are you?" Mum asked from the doorway to my room. I stared blearily from my bed.
"Chances are low but never zero," I croaked through a blocked nose.
Mum wasn't amused. She hovered in the doorway nervously, caught between the responsibility of going to her job and the responsibility of a parent looking after their sick child. But I wasn't a baby anymore. I could look after myself.
"I'll be fine, Mum," I promised. "It's just a cold."
Mum sighed. "Just don't go for any more treks in the rain, okay?"
"I'll try my best."
After Mum left, it was just me and the house. I shuffled the duvet off and sat up with a sniffle, eyeing the book the Green Ninja gave me that sat on my bedside table.
I was reluctant to read it, to invade their world even more. It felt like some kind of secret society that I had stumbled my way head-first into, and I was astounded by being welcomed with opened arms. Didn't secrets usually require more suspicion and... well, secrecy?
I held a hand to my aching head and sighed. I didn't think I'd be able to read, anyway. Any form of light was too bright and my already sore eyes would get strained by the words in the dark. Besides... it might be best if I didn't read it, even if curiosity was driving me crazy.
I dropped back down onto my pillow with a huff. I hated being sick, though I knew I (technically) did this to myself. The day stretched out long and boring before me, and I resented the storm last night for driving me into such illness.
Even if watching the storm with the Green Ninja was infinitely cozy.
I closed my eyes. No. Stop. Don't go getting a crush. Not when Lloyd's still right there. Besides, the Green Ninja was probably far too invested in saving the world to have a girlfriend. And even if he wasn't, who was to say that he'd be interested in me? After all the times he'd have to save me in the last two weeks? He was going to get sick of me shortly, I could feel it.
The prophecy stuff, on the other hand, opened up an entirely new can of worms that I didn't even want to think about.
Lloyd - Lloyd was sweet to me. And while, sure, he kept the knowledge about his dad from me, I couldn't very well blame him for that. After the way everyone treated him for it? I'd keep it to myself, too.
Lloyd made me feel comfortable, and that was a really rare thing for me to feel around people, especially new people. The Green Ninja kept me entertained, but Lloyd had an ease to him that made me feel safe. When he kissed my forehead, I felt my entire world shift. He wanted to spend time with me in the library, even if he wasn't particularly fond of reading. That spoke volumes. That... made me feel special.
No. No, it was Lloyd. It was always going to be Lloyd.
... why did I have to start getting boy troubles now?
My phone buzzed from where it rested atop the book. I stared at the yellowed-paged tome for a brief moment before reaching out an aching arm and retrieving my phone. I squinted painfully against the brightness.
My chest lightened. Lo and behold, it was Lloyd.
🛹:
howsit hanging? hit anyone else with your skateboard yet? might be jealous if you did :(
Sent 9.43am
I found myself unable to stop the grin. Jealous. He'd be jealous, and I knew that he was just teasing, but it still made my heart do an elated twirl. I was worth being jealous over.
The ache in my head became a second priority as I began typing out my response.
Me:
not yet. but the days young
Delivered
🛹:
should i give a warning to the cops?
Sent 9.45am
Me:
not if u want to live
Delivered
🛹:
ur so scary im shaking in my boots!!!
Sent 9.46am
🛹:
any plans for the day aside from assault by skateboard??
Sent 9.46am
I smiled at the screen. He was just - so goofy. He brightened my days infinitely.
I was glad that I decided to trust my gut instead of Aaliyah and Claire - the thought of turning this boy away was all but indiscernible to me now. They had good intentions, but they were simply wrong.
Me:
nada. im sick lol
Delivered
🛹:
oh damn! got anyone taking care of you?
Sent 9.48am
Me:
is this an offer im hearing??
Delivered
There was a pause, and I felt a jolt of regret run through me. Did I read his messages wrong? Maybe he didn't like me the way I was beginning to think he did, and he thought I was weird for implying such a thing.
I almost couldn't look at the screen when his next text came through.
🛹:
im not opposed
Sent 9.52am
My heart fluttered. Oh. Okay. I turned on my side and pulled my knees to my chest with a giddy grin. I did read it right.
Me:
i dont want you to get sick :c
Delivered
🛹:
no worries. my immune system is a chad
Sent 9.54am
My eyes widened. What?
🛹:
sorry. kai told me to say that. i dont know what that means
Sent 9.54am
I dropped my phone to my chest with a loud laugh. Goober. He was a goober, and I was beginning to adore his mannerisms.
Me:
LMAO
Delivered
🛹:
want me to pick you up anything on the way?
Sent 9.55am
Me:
dunno. where'd you get your chad immune system from?
Delivered
🛹:
quiet, skateboard assaulter
Sent 9.55am
I laid my phone to the side and, despite my cold, despite my sore ankle and especially despite the bombshell that was dropped on me the day before, I sunk my face into my pillow with a giggle.
If Lord Garmadon is entirely evil, then Lloyd is everything that's good. I contented myself with this thought as I hobbled towards the curtains and pulled them open, already feeling miles better than I did before. Who knew that the remedy to a cold was a little bit of banter with Lloyd Garmadon?
Deciding that since I was sick, I had a free pass to change into the comfy, ugly indoor sweats I reserved for rainy days and not-leaving-the-house days. I was almost out the door to brush my teeth when my gaze snagged on the green hoodie that sat folded over my desk chair. With a bite to my lip, I grabbed that, too.
The bell rung forty minutes later and made my racing heart stumble right into overdrive. I hobbled towards the entrance with moderate difficulty and opened the door. Lloyd stood there, ringed by the gold of the sun behind him.
"Hey, sickie," Lloyd greeted with a lopsided smirk.
"Hi, meanie," I countered with a pitiful sniffle. His grin grew a bit. "You really didn't have to come. I'd feel terrible if you caught something from me."
"And leave you here all alone?" Lloyd said with an expression of dramatic shock. "Never."
I smiled softly. "If you insist."
I awkwardly shuffled aside to let him in, leaning my weight on the door. That was when he noticed the compression sock on my ankle.
"You're in the wars, aren't you?" he said sympathetically. I sighed with a nod. "Don't worry, sunshine. I'll be at your beck and call all day."
My heart gave an appreciative trill at the pet name. "My hero."
Lloyd's cheeks went pink. He had to clear his throat to regain his composure, and my heart shivered more at the cute sight. Did I just fluster him? I didn't realise I could do that.
"I got all the medicine I could think of," Lloyd said, holding up a bag. "And then I stocked up at Mr. Robuntusson's." He held up a second, bigger bag.
My eyes bugged. "You're going to make me more sick with that much junk food."
"Then I'll have your share," he said simply. I snickered through a cough. "Where to?"
"Living room," I said, and pointed out the way. Lloyd shut the door behind him and sent me a concerned look as I teetered.
"Do you need to be carried?" he asked.
"It's okay, you don't have to," I said. "I'm probably too heavy." Getting carried by a man with super strength was one thing, normal human Lloyd was another.
"Nonsense." He then easily swept me off my feet despite the bags. I gasped before reorienting, eyes wide. "See? I'm stronger than I look."
"Obviously," I said breathlessly, grasping onto the front of his shirt. He gave a lidded-eye, lazy grin down at me and I felt my emotions turn wild.
"I like your hoodie," Lloyd said in a hushed hum. My blush worsened tenfold.
"I do, too," I whispered.
His stare lingered for a moment too long before he inhaled sharply and looked ahead. "Living room," he said.
"Living room," I echoed in a congested murmur, and he set off towards our destination. Our cheeks were equally dark. I had to curl my toes at the amount of dopamine that just got shot through my brain.
Lloyd carried me through my house with barely a struggle before placing me down onto the couch with care. I avoided looking at him as I curled up in the corner and pulled the blanket around me.
"Comfy?" he asked. I nodded. He dropped the bags down onto the coffee table and began rifling through them. "Have you had painkillers yet?"
"Yeah," I answered. I took them just before he arrived, when the niggle of pain got too much. I lifted my hand to wipe my nose before halting - that was... probably too gross to do around Lloyd, even if I did give myself the 'horribly sick' free pass.
Lloyd must've had eyes one the back of his head (or heard my sniffle) as he held out a box of tissues from his haul for me. My eyes brightened. I'd used the last of my ones earlier that morning.
"You're raising my standards as we speak," I said as I gratefully reached for them.
"My plan is working," he mused. I smiled before blowing my nose. I couldn't wait for this cold to be over. Lloyd turned back to me, green eyes inquisitive. "Movie?"
"Sure," I answered. "I might fall asleep though, so pick something you like."
"Fine with me," he said, before letting me show him how to work my TV, since every TV seemed to work differently. He scrolled through our streaming service and began typing a title into the search box. "Have you seen the Starfarer movies?"
I smiled beneath the blanket. "No." The Green Ninja liked Starfarer, too. It must've been big in Ninjago City.
"You're going to love it," he promised, setting the movie up and taking the other end of the couch when the intro began to play. The bag of candy sat between us. "Do you need anything else?"
I shook my head. "I'm all set. Thank you."
I managed to pay attention to most of the film's plot while balancing between consciousness, dozing and sneaking glances at the side of Lloyd's intrigued movie-watching face. His face turned into a serious pout when invested, bottom lip stuck out and brows drawn together. It was adorable. He was adorable.
"What are you doing?" he asked when I struggled to get up half-way through the film. I paused.
"I need some water," I answered. "I didn't want you to miss your movie."
"Sit back down," he lightly chided. "I'm at your service today, remember? Just tell me where the glasses are."
He gave me the impression that there was no use in arguing. I settled back down onto my spot with a small smile.
"In the cupboard above the sink," I answered, and he quickly leapt to retrieve it.
As he rifled through the cupboard for a glass, I felt my smile fall slightly. Surely he knew I didn't know who his dad was? Which then made me wonder when he was going to tell me or if he was just going to risk me finding out on my own. Though, I supposed the later did happen.
Lloyd returned moments later with a glass of cool, fresh water. I thanked him and took a sip. He returned to watching the movie in companionable silence.
"Lloyd?" I quietly asked. His green eyes lifted to mine. My finger tapped against the glass nervously, wondering how I was going to say this and whether it was a bad idea to or not. I dropped my gaze to the water. "... were you ever going to tell me about your dad?"
Lloyd looked away with an inhale and I grimaced at his reaction, despite it only being small. I didn't know how else to say it, but it needed to be said. I wanted to know what he was thinking about the whole situation - and where I fell into place, too.
The movie played in the background.
"... eventually," he murmured, profile taut with apprehension. "When I gathered the courage."
My finger continued its tapping along the glass. I gnawed on my lip anxiously.
"He's... complicated," Lloyd continued, voice barely audible. "Not many people see that. They only see what they want to see, and it's the same with me, too. People can be..."
"Awful," I whispered.
His gaze lifted to mine. "... yeah."
"I'm sorry," I said, and the atmosphere was thick but not all that terrible. I drew my knees in tighter. "I don't understand how people can be so mean."
He gave a measly shrug. "Where there's good people, there's bad."
Seems like there's a lot more bad than good, though. I decided not to say it.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Lloyd said quietly, guiltily. He sounded resigned and defeated and it made me ache for him. "You were one of the few people who didn't know about my dad and it felt like a breath of fresh air. You treated me like a normal person."
"I mean, I did deck you with a skateboard," I reminded. A smile broke through his melancholy.
"Alright, aside from that," he conceded with an airy smirk my way. It faded away as a look of great hesitance came over him. He dropped his gaze again. "I didn't want to scare you off. You were nice to me, and then after spending time with you..."
My fingers gripped tight around the glass of water as I waited for him to finish his internal battle. One side gave out and he looked almost pained as he opened his mouth.
"Y/n." Lloyd breathed my name, said it as though in reverence. There was a tortured, frightened look in his green eyes as they raised to mine. "I like you."
I was suddenly wide awake. He stared at me and I stared back, stunned dumb and speechless and feeling as though my world had imploded. I think I began to blush so much that I felt faint.
He likes me. The concept of it felt unreal. I'd never been liked before, not truly, not like that. Not with the way that Lloyd was watching me, watching my reactions, with his face so honest and open and raw and scared. My head was spinning beneath the aches of my cold. I had to replay what he said again just so it could be coherent.
"Oh..." the words were lost on me. My tongue felt heavy. I didn't know how to speak anymore, ability stolen when he confessed. I couldn't believe he said that while I was as sick as a dog and probably looking like one, too. How could he say that with a straight face when there was snot mere seconds away from dripping down my nose?
"It's okay," Lloyd said with red cheeks and a lopsided, half-smile. His eyes were full of regret and the want to eat his own words. "You don't have to say it back."
"No!" I leapt forward to grab his wrist. The water in the glass sloshed dangerously close to the lip. My head felt foggy with disbelief - or maybe that was the cold. "No, don't. I- I'm just shocked!"
He didn't look comforted, which made sense, because my blurted words were anything but.
"Shocked?" he asked.
I snatched my hand back to my chest. "Yes." I was hyperaware of every single pore on my face as heat blossomed there. "I... never- I mean, I..." I closed my eyes and huffed in frustration. How could I read so much and yet speak so poorly? "I live through books. My life is exciting through them. I never expected to... have anything like this happen to me."
Lloyd was still confused. I think I was confusing myself, too, and now mortification was deftly taking over. I was digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole.
I placed the glass down and ran my hands over my face. "I'm sorry. I'm bad at talking." I pulled my head back and inhaled deeply. "What I'm trying to say is I... I like you, too."
Lloyd's lips parted in shock. "... you do?"
I was about to assure him that yes, I liked him a lot - a helluva lot more than I should've for someone I'd barely known two weeks, when his phone gave an alert. He jumped and then paled, wincing.
"Do you need to get that?" I asked when his gaze flickered to the phone on the coffee table.
"No," he said, almost painfully. He watched me for a beat before caving. "Yes."
He reached for the phone and checked the message. He cursed under his breath and closed his eyes in deep disappointment.
"Is everything okay?"
"I have to get going," Lloyd said with an edge of frustration to his voice. "It's an emergency."
My heart sunk as he stood. "Oh. Okay." The last five minutes had made me an emotional wreck - shock, joy, disappointment. It was like I'd been spun across the full spectrum and it left me stumbling.
"I can see myself out," he assured when I went to pull the blanket from my legs. "Don't use that ankle if you can avoid it."
"Alright," I said glumly. This was more like my life - inconvenient happenings during important moments. Of course a pretty boy's confession wouldn't go smoothly.
My disappointment must've been obvious, because Lloyd braced one hand on the armrest beside my head and leant down. His other hand captured my cheek, implausibly warm. My just-calmed heart burst into a flutter again.
"Take care of yourself, okay?"
I nodded listlessly. Lloyd brushed the underside of my chin with his fingers. The brief thought that my heart was going to beat so fast that it would fail crossed my mind - he was going to kill me, and I wasn't even mad about it.
"That way we can go on a date sooner," Lloyd continued, cheeks red and smile warm. I brightened substantially, still very thrown by shock. "Maybe you can start living for yourself rather than through your books."
That did sound nice. The idea of doing the sweet, romantic things I daydreamed about with Lloyd was all too enticing. Picnics, movies, cooking; every bit of domestic sweetness.
"When?" I managed to whisper over my heavy tongue.
His thumb stroked the line of my jaw, as though he couldn't get enough of touching me. There was still a bit of disbelief in his eyes. Maybe he was checking that I was real. I would do so, too, if my arms weren't heavy with aches.
"As soon as you're feeling better," Lloyd bargained. "So rest up."
I was nodding before he even finished his sentence. That was a good deal. That was a great deal. I was already feeling better and with my heart racing the way it was, I felt as though I could prove it and run laps around the field outside.
Lloyd's phone buzzed again, urging his attention, and his smile faltered.
"Bye, sunshine," he said, using that darned pet name again. He smiled when my breath shuttered and inclined in to brush his lips across my cheek.
I couldn't even bring myself to bid him adieu, too enraptured with the lingering buzz of his kiss. My silence only spurred his amusement, laughing softly to himself as he swiped a hand over my hair and departed, leaving me in my perpetual state of shock on the couch.
I spent the rest of the day in a daze, wondering when and who decided to make my life interesting. Wondering why they put me in the path of the Green Ninja, and thanking whoever it was who put Lloyd into my path. How'd it only been half a month since I'd moved to Ninjago City, and how this half-month had been the most excitement to ever meet me in my entire life combined.
And when I scrolled through social media and saw the Green Ninja kicking ass on people's recent stories, I felt content with the absolute platonic reaction I had when I saw him.
🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃
🛹💞:
u sure? its only been three days since u hurt yourself. ur gonna be walking a lot
Sent 12.34pm
Me:
what if i said pretty please?
Delivered
🛹💞:
i suppose id say my hands are tied
Sent 12.35pm
Me:
pretty please?
Delivered
🛹💞:
sigh. my hands are tied
Sent 12.35pm
Me:
:D!!!
Delivered
🛹💞:
cant say no to you
Sent 12.36pm
Me:
i promise to abuse this power with all my might <3
Delivered
Three days after Lloyd told me he liked me, I'd finally found my courage and buckled down about going out for a date. Extra ballsiness courtesy of Naomi, who was told about the confession as soon as my mind had returned to me that evening.
I kicked my good leg against my bed with a giggle at Lloyd's answer. Sure, going to the Mega Monster Amusement Park while I had a sprained ankle was probably the worst idea to ever idea, but he'd mentioned the park once in passing and, upon being told that I'd never gone to an amusement park before, consequently lost his mind.
It turned into a two-hour long conversation over text about Lloyd's favourite activities there. From there it'd only taken a few minutes of badgering to get him to agree to take me despite my injury and thus, the date's date was set.
Of course, there was one person I had to immediately tell about this development;
Me:
mission success >B)
Delivered
garden nome:
Sent 12.41pm
garden nome:
tell me all about it!!!! have fun!!!!!!
Sent 12.41pm
The next day, after spending the entirety of it stressing over what to wear, Lloyd arrived to pick me up for our date.
Once again I was the object of amusement. My mother watched me rush around the house with stress levels up to the heavens.
"Y/n." She tried to reassure me multiple times as she followed me on my rampage. "You're going to be fine."
"Easy for you to say," I said in desperate defence. "You've been on dates before. I haven't!"
"Exactly. Which is why you should listen to me." Mum glanced down. "You've got mismatching socks."
I followed her gaze and whined, trudging back to my room.
After changing my socks, I scampered back down the stairs as well as I could with a limp, a new worry on my mind. I careened into my mother with panic in my eyes.
"What if he tries to kiss me?" I stressed. My mother clapped her hands on my shoulders and gave me the most serious look she had ever done.
"Then you kiss him, goddammit," Mum said. "You kiss him like your little life depends on it."
"What if I don't want to kiss?" I whimpered, which was impossible, because now that I knew he liked me it was all I could think about.
"Then you say no," Mum answered. "And if he makes a fuss, kick him in the balls and call me to pick you up."
The doorbell rang. My heart leapt into my ears. My stomach twisted.
"Gimme a twirl," Mum said, so I spun awkwardly on one leg. She fell into a smile. "Oh, sweetie. You're going to have such a good time."
"If I don't die of a heart attack," I said breathlessly. I grabbed some painkillers from the kitchen counter and downed them with water.
I usually didn't take much account into what clothes people wore - my brain worked so fast all the time that it was a low priority, and I'd gloss over their threads without a second glance. But Lloyd's outfit made me take a second look.
"Hi," tumbled from my mouth in a high-strung exhale. My eyes dropped to his leather jacket again (leather jacket - be still my heart) and the green shirt that sat beneath it. His blond hair was still in its messy sweep over his head, but I wouldn't prefer it any other way.
"Hey," Lloyd greeted, cheeks pink. "Ready to go?"
I nodded and stepped onto the patio, unable to keep myself from looking Lloyd over. My eyes were hungry to memorise every bit him, and he wasn't faring any better. Mum held onto the door with a small smile.
"Back by eleven," Mum said, pulling our eyes towards her. "And, uh... use protection."
"Mum!" I hissed in horror.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She dismissed my scowl with a nonchalant roll of her eyes. "Have fun, kids, and buzz off. It's my Tom Cruise night." And then she shut the door on us.
I avoided looking at him, face red in embarrassed shock. Lloyd awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Should we get going?" Lloyd asked. I nodded, still staring at the ground, and shuffled towards the edge of the patio. He lifted me down the stairs with an arm around my waist and I thanked him.
At the end of the driveway sat a truck made of various different parts. I halted upon seeing it, eyeing the door warily as Lloyd opened it for me. It looked like it was going to fall apart at any second.
"It drives better than it looks," he promised. "It's Nya's project."
"I'm making the hesitant decision to trust you," I said with narrowed eyes before letting him help me up onto shotgun. He chuckled and closed the door behind him before crossing over to the driver's seat.
It was definitely in the middle of being upgraded, with various tools discarded on the floor by my feet. Where the radio should be was a gaping hole in the dashboard. Instead, a phone and speaker played music from the cup holders.
The Kooks. He remembered.
To my surprise, the truck's engine started with a smooth purr. Lloyd grinned at my expression.
"The engine's the newest part of the entire thing," he said.
He pulled out onto the street and began the drive to the park. I rolled a wrench with the toe of my shoe, trying to look for something to say. We'd never been quite so silent before. Thanks, Mum.
"I'm so sorry about her," I said. "Sometimes I feel like she makes embarrassing me a sport."
"It's okay," Lloyd replied. There was a hint of humour to his tone that soothed my spiking anxieties. "My dad was worse."
His dad. The curiosity began to eat away at my brain. I tried to distract myself by watching the road, or watching Lloyd's hands on the steering wheel, or thinking about how this was something that would happen to my favourite characters, not to me.
"Are you close with him?" I had to ask. It was killing me.
"Yeah." He nodded. "I mean, I wasn't when he was... y'know. But I am now."
"What's he like now?"
Lloyd rolled his eyes. "A pain in my ass. But he tries."
I smiled at the soft look on his face. "He sounds nice."
"He is," Lloyd agreed, and the softness deepened. "He'd love you."
I looked away, bashfulness making me shy. I wondered what it would be like to meet Lloyd's dad. Would it be awkward to shake his hand when he had four of them?
"Let me know if your ankle gets too sore," Lloyd said. I was about to reply when he continued, voice sly. "And don't be too surprised when I smear you during the games."
My mouth dropped open in amused incredulity. I narrowed my eyes at the challenge. "Oh, you are so on."
He relaxed in his seat, eyes lidded with confidence. "Bad idea, sunshine."
I scoffed lightheartedly at his cockiness, riled up by the idea of a bit of competition. Growing up with my summer's at Dad's base made me competitive. I wanted to make him eat his words.
"Let's up the stakes," I goaded, hanging onto the seatbelt as I leant across the centre console. Lloyd's green eyes flickered briefly to mine before returning to the road. The edge of my lips curled up. "Loser buys dinner."
Lloyd bit his lip as he contemplated my offer. The amusement park was just up ahead, but I continued to watch his face as he weighed his options.
"Deal," he said, just as the truck pulled into a park. He shut off the engine and swept his head to me close. I pulled myself back with a stumble of my chest, caught in his cunning gaze. "But I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're cute."
Any air in my lungs had been punched out. "Wouldn't dream of it," I managed to exhale. His smirk grew.
Lloyd helped me down from the truck's tall seat and I tried to ignore his hands on my waist in favour of imagining his face when I smeared him. It... it still didn't work. His palms felt like molten lava and it left me with a phantom touch when he retreated. It was embarrassing. I was so whipped.
The entrance to Mega Monster Amusement Park was just as overstimulating as the grounds that lay beyond it, all flashing lights, bold colours and massive letters. Laughter and shouting flooded over the fence, as well as the intense smell of carnival food.
I stared as a rollercoaster thundered overhead, filled with people screaming in joy. I turned to Lloyd to find him already watching me.
"Excited?" he asked.
"Excited to kick your butt?" I grinned. "Yes. Yes, I am."
Lloyd rolled his eyes. "We'll see."
After getting access to the park, Lloyd led me toward where a large map was printed against the wall, listing off the various games and rides the park boasted. He leant beside it, arms crossed as he watched me peruse the contents.
"Where to first?" he asked.
I hummed in thought. I could start off easy, do something I knew I wouldn't be good at, just to lower his guard.
Or I could show off as soon as I could for the instant gratification.
"This one," I said, pointing towards a booth not too far from where we were. Lloyd followed my finger and raised his brows.
"Space shooter," he mused, "good choice. Unfortunately for you, I'm pretty good at space shooter."
"I guess I'll see," I said with a nonplussed smile his way.
Lloyd led the way to the booth with me stuck to his side, worming our way through the crowd. There was only a short line at the game so we didn't have to wait for long.
We both ignored the filthy looks shot his way. As well as the curious looks directed at me.
Lloyd went first, per my insistence, and I eyed the way his body moved to shoot. His stance was good but not perfect, and it showed in the three bullseyes and the last bullet, just to the outside of the alien-shaped centre target.
Lloyd sent me a playful smirk with a twirl of the fake gun around his finger. "Beat that," he said, before handing over the gun.
Beat that I shall.
The guns were plastic and unbalanced, but the targets were close. I had the added benefit of watching Lloyd shoot first and knew that the bullets skewed south. I raised the nozzle to the line above the target and pulled the trigger.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
Bullseyes. All four of them. Pride blossomed first, and then smugness took over a second after.
I glanced over my shoulder at Lloyd's gobsmacked face. "I hope you're feeling generous, because you're gonna be buying me dinner."
Lloyd looked between the targets and I. Even the guy running the booth looked shocked. "How the hell did you do that? These guns are useless."
I shrugged. "I may trip over thin air but I've got a pretty good eye. It's just weight-to-friction distribution."
At his blank look, my smile grew.
"Physics," I tried again.
"The more I learn about you, the more I want to know," he confessed. I giggled, cheeks warm, before being handed a stuffed spaceship for a prize. I held it out for Lloyd. He took it with a delighted gasp.
I had won the first game.
But while I dominated any games that involved shooting a target, Lloyd cleaned up at the rest. Fishing for plastic ducks? He got at least twenty. Ring toss? He couldn't miss. Those basketball shooter games? He put the NBA to shame. It was kind of incredible.
I began to think that maybe making this a competition was a fool's decision on my part, and that Lloyd had every right to be cocky about his skill for carnival games - he wasn't exactly lying.
We'd just taken a break from the games for a few turns on the various rides, one of which seemed to have made me lose my stomach back in Nom. In my bag was my favourite prize of the night - a Frankenstein's monstrosity of a stuffed toy that had been ripped apart and sown back together; a tiger-bodied, unicorn-headed, bear-legged thing I'd dubbed Earl.
Lloyd pulled me out of the flow of people and dropped his head close to mine, speaking over the loud chatter of the crowd.
"Do you want to get a snack or something?"
"Is this your way out of buying me dinner?" I asked suspiciously, even though we both knew I was sorely losing. "Make me eat now so I'm not hungry?"
Lloyd rolled his eyes and tapped my head with his spaceship plush.
"I was always going to buy dinner," he revealed, and I blinked in surprise. "Didn't matter who won. Do you want some candy floss? Or there's a donut stand over there. Whatever you want."
I snuck a look up at his face. Under the purple and blue lights of the carnival, his pale skin almost seemed to glow. His dark eyes were prismatic, catching the colours as they watched me. The same colours bounced off the leather of his jacket. His hair fluttered in the soft breeze.
"Oh." I shook my head to reorient my thoughts. He was so pretty that it made my brain stop. "Um. Only if we're not going on any more rollercoasters."
"We've gone on all the good ones, anyway," Lloyd answered, beginning the walk towards the food vendors with me beside him. His gaze was on the hunt. "I'm on the hunt for some cotton candy."
"You really are a sweet tooth," I snickered.
"I am," Lloyd agreed readily. The look in his eyes caught me off guard when he turned his chin to me. "Maybe that's why I like you so much."
An inaudible gasp slipped between my teeth as I stared at him in shock. His smile grew a shade more before he looked back to our destination, unbothered by making my entire world stop. A fluttering warmth ruptured within my stomach - butterflies. I was having butterflies.
Was this what having butterflies felt like? All lightheaded and dizzy and warm, so so warm? I'd read about it numerous of times, of protagonists in the same position I was in, but I'd never once experienced it myself. Not in real life like this. Not because of a charming man who'd confessed he liked me three days prior and was making my psyche melt into goo.
I offered to pay for the cotton candy, since Lloyd was getting us dinner later. We took the chance to sit and rest, stealing a seat and watching the crowd as they moved across the grounds.
"Having fun?" Lloyd asked after ripping off a piece of sugary cotton.
I nodded.
"Best date you've ever been on?"
My cheeks warmed. "The only one I've been on."
That didn't deter Lloyd. He only grinned and tore off some more floss. "That makes me an automatic winner." He popped the floss into his mouth and shook his head in melodramatic awe at himself. "I'm so good at this dating thing."
I laughed. "You sure are."
"How's the ankle?"
I looked down at the compression sock and gave my foot a roll. It only twinged a bit. "Holding up."
"That's good." Lloyd nodded. "Let me know if it starts getting too sore. I'll carry you around."
I grinned as I picked off a bit of cotton candy. That'd be a sight. "Thanks." I stole a look at him. "Have you been on any dates before?"
Lloyd sent me a dry smile. "Remember my name and ask that again."
"Oh," I said. "So that makes me an automatic winner, too."
Lloyd broke into a chuckle. "I guess so. We're so good at this. We should do it more often."
I didn't miss the meaning behind his tease. I beamed, hiding a bit behind the cotton candy. This was going better than I could ever dream of and I almost expected to wake up in bed at any moment.
"I'd like that," I said, voice a little quieter than intended. Lloyd's warm gaze caught mine over the treat between us.
A loud horn snapped the moment and pulled our attention to the far side of the grounds. As if summoned, the crowd began to congregate there. I sent Lloyd a questioning look.
"It's a parade," he answered. "Wanna go over?"
I nodded, so we each quickly stuffed our mouths with the rest of the cotton candy and started towards the crowd.
It was a float parade, from what I could glimpse between the heads in front of me. Lloyd was trying to find a way through the crowd to get a spot with a better view and I followed, jostled by moving bodies.
"Ow," I squeaked when someone knocked against my ankle. I turned at their apology and smiled.
When I looked back up, I'd lost Lloyd. I glanced amongst the crowd for a familiar mop of unruly blond hair and felt quickly lost - this was just like the forest all over again. My ankle began to burn from where it was hit, and then I got accidentally bumped into by a mother with her son. I felt my leg give.
A pair of arms wrapped around my waist before I could stumble. I gasped in fear, but then the scent of spring meadows and water over rocks hit me and I relaxed.
"It's just me," Lloyd reassured.
"Thank you," I breathed as he took us from the crowd and into the empty space between two game booths. His hand found my cheek as he looked me over.
"You okay?" Lloyd asked. I nodded, catching my breath. An expression of guilt crossed his face. "I'm sorry. That was more people than I expected."
"S'okay," I managed to say between breaths. "I hate crowds."
"Are you hurt?" he asked, worry palpable. "I- I brought extra painkillers in case you need them."
He brought extra painkillers for me? Between that and the worry on his face, I could barely hold myself upright. He cared so much that it astounded me - he barely even knew me. It took everything in me not to lean into his palm like a touch-starved puppy.
"I'm fine," I assured, voice barely breaking a whisper. His worry didn't cede.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." My voice dropped quieter, if it even could.
Lloyd's eyes searched my face and I was astutely aware of his hand cradling my cheek, of how close his face was to mine, of how I was all but pressed to the side of the booth. My head began to grow dizzy, fuzzy, and a pressure built in my chest. My gaze dropped to his lips.
Kiss him. Kiss him like your little life depends on it.
Lloyd dragged a slow breath through his teeth, as though reading my mind. My heart raced faster, pitter-patting in the confines of my chest. I could barely breathe.
He shuffled closer, eyes blazing with intent. The hand on my waist flexed just so, enough to make my stomach twist. His gaze darkened as his chin dropped, falling out of the light's reach, and I could feel the faint brush of his breath against my lips. My eyes closed of their own accord. My hands curled into nervous balls around the ends of my sleeves.
But then Lloyd tensed and turned his head away. My eyes opened and saw him with a set jaw, brow terse. My heart crashed to my feet.
"What-?" I breathed, but was cut off before I could start to panic that I did something wrong.
"Ho-ly shit," drawled a new voice. "You were right, Maggie. It is Garmaboy."
Lloyd moved to block me from view. I peeked around the edge of his jacket and watched as a group of people our age approached. From the looks on their faces, they weren't Lloyd's friends.
"Chen," Lloyd greeted emotionlessly. I glanced up at his face. I'd never heard him sound so lifeless before.
The obvious ringleader - Chen, I presume - stuck his hands into his bomber's pockets with a smirk. There was a hint of malice to his laxed expression.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be with your dad, plotting the next downfall of the human race or something?"
"He's got a girl with him," one of the others in the group said, making Lloyd square his shoulders. Chen perked up.
"Are you on a- are you on a date?" he asked with amused disbelief. "What poor thing have you dragged down with you?"
He stepped to see around Lloyd, but Lloyd matched him. Chen's dark eyes shot to him with a hint of irritation.
"Come on, man," Chen said, straightening. He almost sounded friendly if it weren't for the steel in his eyes. "I just wanna meet your girlfriend."
"He probably brainwashed her," a blonde girl said. Her voice turned with fake sympathy. "Just like his sad little mother."
"Let's just go," I whispered against Lloyd's sleeve. He inclined his head toward me, listening, still glaring at Chen. "Let's go get some dinner."
"Yeah," Lloyd murmured, nodding in agreement. "Okay."
"We're just having a bit of fun!" another boy called when we turned to leave. "Come on, Lloyd, tell her! We're all friends here."
The knock my ankle got from before hurt worse, and I stumbled a bit beneath the pain when I tried to put weight on it. Lloyd caught my arm before I could hit the ground.
"Aw, you're injured?" Chen called as we departed. "Did Lloyd do that?"
I spun on my feet with a furious scowl. Lloyd's arm caught around my waist and pulled me onwards.
"Ignore them," he murmured. "That's what I do."
"Oh, she's cute, Lloyd!" Chen cackled. "She's feisty. I guess that's what you want in an evil empress, right?"
Ignore them, I told myself, echoing Lloyd's earlier words. Ignore them, or else the foreign rage simmering in my gut would burst and I'd make a fool of myself - or put a bigger target on Lloyd.
I swept my hand into Lloyd's. He glanced down at me, surprised, but squeezed my hand when I sent him a thinly-veiled smile. He just looked resigned. I was burning with injustice.
"Hey, girl!" Chen gave one final heckle to our backs. "If you have a brain, you'll ditch him. You don't want to end up like his Mum - you know who she is, right? Totally outcasted by society." His voice turned venomous. "But that's what you get for having that monster's disgusting spawn."
My steps paused. I spun back around, and they laughed at my scowl and Lloyd's insistent tugs to get me to leave. An unfamiliar rage bloomed into an inferno within me, burning through my veins and alighting my rage. I'd never felt so angry before in my life.
"How much did he pay you to go on a date with him?" someone else from the group leered. "Does he pay you to sleep with him, too?"
My hand tightened over Lloyd's. The fury inside me was insurmountable - who did they think they were? How could they say such horrible things? Beside me, Lloyd was growing more desperate for us to go, but I couldn't fathom just letting them get away with what they said. Ignore them? I couldn't possibly ignore them.
I worked my hand from Lloyd's. "What did you just say?"
One of the girls ooh'd. "I think you made her mad, Chen."
"Y/n, please," Lloyd quietly begged. "Let's just go."
Chen's smirk grew at my approach. I wasn't sure where this boldness came from for I was usually so timid, but I didn't give myself time to think too hard about it. My attention was entirely on how punchable this guy's face was.
"You heard me," he murmured with a tilt of his head. I stopped before him. He had perfectly gelled hair and neat clothes, and was obviously rich and didn't have the humbleness for it. My ire grew. "Let's make a bargain, huh? You seem new, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." He pointed over at Lloyd, and I followed his finger. "You ditch that guy, and we won't say anything about you seeing Garmaboy."
Lloyd stood alone. I'd never seen that look on his face before, lost and hurt and wishing like he could be anywhere but here, and my heart ached at the pleading whisper he sent me. We probably should've left, but revenge was too sweet an opportunity to pass up. I wasn't a perfect person.
"I'll make you a bargain." I turned back to Chen's smug grin. "Shut the fuck up, and rot in hell."
His expression darkened, before turning with confusion. "That's not a-"
I grabbed the half-filled slushy from the girl beside him and chucked it onto his face. He yelped at the bright pink frozen attack that ruined his hair and stained his expensive clothes, and I spun on my feet and bolted as quick as I could with a limp.
"Run!" I grabbed Lloyd's arm on the way past.
Baffled, Lloyd scooped me into his arms and continued our escape. Chen shouted obscenities after us, and I almost dropped Earl in the process of us dashing around the outskirts of the crowd. I couldn't stop my adrenalised laughs. I couldn't believe I just did that! How incredibly out of character.
Lloyd placed me down onto my feet when we were sure we'd lost them and helped me limp to the exit. He remained silent. My amusement simmered into guilt when he continued not to speak, and then I wanted to kick myself. I'd probably just made it all worse.
"Sorry," I murmured. "I shouldn't have done that. He was just such a dickhead!"
Lloyd slipped his hand from mine when we reached the truck and braced himself against the hood, head hanging between his shoulders. I watched him worriedly, thumbing the leg of Earl. I didn't know what to do. We had almost kissed, too, and that left the other half of my brain a mess.
I was just about to step forward when Lloyd lifted his hand and sent it into the metal hood. I winced as it bent under his fist, crumpling in on itself. Either he was absurdly strong or the hood was worryingly weak. He planted his palms on the hood again, staring at the rust-coloured metal with heavy eyes.
And they- they were red. Or maybe it was a trick of the lights, because the next moment they were green again. Either way, I couldn't help but think how similar they looked to the Green Ninja's. The thought was quickly pushed aside in favour of hesitantly stepping forth. I could overthink about that later.
"... are you mad at me?"
"No," he quickly replied. Lloyd swallowed and a look of shame crossed his face as he stood back from the bent hood. "No - I'm sorry."
I sent him a confused look. "What for?"
"This was supposed to be a good night," he muttered. He wrung out his hand (which didn't even looked injured despite the bent hood) and avoided my eyes.
"Who said it wasn't a good night?" I questioned. I stepped forward again until I was close enough to pull his hands into mine, inspecting the one he'd hit. He didn't even flinch when I ran my thumb along the underside of it. "It was just a hiccup."
"They know who you are, now," he mumbled. "They've seen your face."
"So?"
"You don't know awful they can be," he said dejectedly. "What they've done to me, my friends. What they'll want to do to you. They're awful."
"I don't care." I slinked my arms under his and pressed my head to his chest. His heart kicked into double gear, and mine did the same. "I wouldn't give up spending this evening with you for anything."
"Really?" He didn't sound convinced. I squeezed him.
"Really."
Lloyd swallowed. After a hesitant lift of his arms, he succumbed, holding me against his chest and sinking his face into the crook of my neck.
"Thank you," he whispered against my skin. "Thanks for sticking up for me."
"You're welcome." My voice was just as soft. Then I grinned against his shirt. "Did you see the look on his face?"
Lloyd finally chuckled, and I felt my relief soar. "It was pretty great."
"He's not gonna get that drink out of his jacket," I snickered, and Lloyd's hold tightened with gratefulness.
I thought back to our almost-kiss and closed my eyes. I usually wasn't a violent person (if at all), but our interruption had me wanting to break Chen's nose. That could've been my first kiss. With Lloyd.
I pulled myself back and prayed that my fluster wasn't too obvious. Lloyd's green eyes blinked open, and he seemed somewhat calmed. I squeezed my hands over his before dropping them and stepping back towards the truck's door.
"Let's get something to eat." I held my stuffed toy monstrosity above my face. "Earl says he's hungry."
Lloyd smiled something small. "Sorry, Earl."
Earl sat in my lap as Lloyd clambered into the driver's seat, and I stared at the dent in the hood as he placed a hand behind my headrest and reversed out of the park. I struggled to recall the name of the person whose project this was.
"I hope Nya isn't too mad," I said. Lloyd followed my gaze and sighed.
"Ahh." He deflated with a weak smile. "She's gonna kill me."