Wu took pride in being the man that his students went to whenever they had questions. He had lived a long long life so far, and his wisdom was second to none, to those who knew him.
However, much to his disappointment, he was not very experienced with the modern day shenanigans that everyone else knew. He was much more old school and his wisdom was based off of his teachings and experiences.
So in the afternoon, it took him a little while to put aside the slight embarrassment he had welling up from within him as he approached the young h/c haired teen, who was sitting in the kitchen and reading a manga next to her blonde haired friend who was his nephew.
"Children, I have a question"
His sudden appearance startled the older teens, as Y/n's manga dropped out of her hands and onto the table.
"You need to stop being so quiet"
Y/n complained, her face contorting into one of puzzlement as she tried to wrap her head around how the old man manages to make his presence so unknown.
"Yes well, that's what happens when you are as experienced as I am in...sneaking"
He chuckled lightly, seating himself opposite the two children and pulling his teapot out from behind him. Blissfully ignoring how the two in front of him stared in confusion.
"Anyway, returning to my question...What exactly is..this vine you talk of"
The two froze, their expressions twisting into one of utter bafflement as they looked at each other, then back to Wu, and then back to each other repeatedly.
"You want to know what vine's are?"
Y/n repeated, hoping she heard correctly as am excited smile grew on her face, which was mirrored by Lloyd. When he nodded his head to confirm her question.
"Uncle Wu, it's time we teach you a lesson this time"
———
"I can't believe the serpentine managed to break Skales out of jail without being caught"
Nya complained as she saw the CCTV footage, as she used what she could grab to locate where the serpentine and where Garmadon could be headed.
"Yes, that wasn't very cash money of them, was it"
Everyone in the room became silent, as they whipped their heads around to see Wu staring at the screen with a serious expression, as Lloyd and Y/n were choking on their laughter, smacking the table as their heads rested on an arm.
"They did not pass the vibe check"
Aside from the choked laughter coming from the younger teens on the opposite side of the room. The silence that filled the room was heavy and abrupt.
"They still haven't fully matured, have they"
Kai muttered to the others, before glancing to the side and facepalming as he saw Jay laughing hysterically as well.
Cole sighed, nodding as he rubbed his temple with a hand.
"Nope, and I had hopes that Y/n would be the more mature one. Guess we're still waitingl
He chuckled, looking to his sister who was still clutching her stomach as she laughed.
———
"Road work ahead? I sure hope it does"
Nya almost slammed her foot down on the breaks as Wu causally quoted the vine yet again, doing her utmost best to try and not make a comment as she saw him chuckling like an excited child.
"Say, Nya, am I up to date with these young whippersnappers lingo? This is very fun"
He had a mug of tea in his hands as he usually did, whilst he looked around excitedly as though he were a child. The old man's fascination with modern techniques certainly seemed to bring out the child in him.
"Uh..sure. Very up to date. You fit right in..."
———
"Yeet!"
Wu threw a giant ball over and away from the Bounty as he played with the Ultra dragon, who would chase after it excitedly as everyone else gave the ship a quick clean.
"Yeet!"
"How many vines did you teach him?"
Jay asked Y/n, who was leaning against the mast and watching the old man with a giddy smile on her face.
"Lloyd and I showed him a whole powerpoint presentation. Wu was the one who asked up to tell him what a vine was"
She giggled, looking over to her brother who was now approaching her with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Okay, but why did he want to know?"
He asked her. Y/n shrugged, unable to answer his question since she herself had no clue as to why their teacher would want to learn vines.
"It is because, students. I am an old man, I must catch up with all your lingo. Also, Y/n keeps quoting all those lines which I think are very motivational"
Wu approached them all with a smile as he held the dragon drool covered ball in his gloved hands.
The h/c coloured girl, pushed her brother and friend to the side, as she stepped forward with her eyes closed and bowed her head slightly.
"In a world like this you either yeet or be yeeted"
"And that's on period. Now Y/n, the Ultra dragon needs some exercise, it usually wanders during the night and disappears for a while, so could you and Lloyd take him out and get back safely please"
Wu instructed the girl, putting the ball on the floor before he walked away from the three, his hands behind his back as he hummed to himself.
"on it"
Y/n sighed and closed her eyes, searching for the connection with Lloyd. Soon enough, she found it once she felt her brain spark up, and sent him a message.
Wu wants us to take the dragon out tonight. I'll bring candy and snacks, you bring comics
Awesome! Hey I can see you from the bridge
"Huh?"
Y/n looked up and around, before she caught view of the blonde haired boy who had his face pressed to the window at the bridge. His face was squished and his nose was turned up making him look like a pig, which sent the girl into hysterics.
"Real mature Lloyd"
Cole sighed as he grabbed his sister and pulled her away from Lloyd's view.
———
"So the Tomorrow's Tea will have fully taken affect by midnight then?"
Lloyd repeated as he looked to his Uncle that evening during dinner. Wu nodded from across the table, as he notified his nephew and the young girl of the time their minds have left till they mature into young adults.
"Yes, it would have, so I want you and Y/n to make sure you're both back with the Ultra dragon by th-"
"I don't see why those two in particular have to go. Why can't I go with Y/n instead? I'm pretty sure the Ultra dragon prefers me over Lloyd anyways"
Cole interrupted Wu as he slurped his noodles with a slight huff, slowly getting agitated that his younger sister was spending so much time, and being so close to the green ninja.
"What's wrong with me going? The dragon likes me just as much"
Lloyd looked behind Y/n, who was sat between him and her brother, and stuck his tongue out to the black ninja, who gasped and leaned back to glare at him.
Y/n on the other hand, merely sipped her drink calmly as she sat between the two who were having their glaring competition. Until she placed her cup down, and reached up slightly with her hands, pinching both of their ears and dragging their heads back to the table.
"Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch Y/n I thought you said you wouldn't do that again"
Lloyd complained as his head lay on the table.
"Come on Pebble, don't treat your older brother like this..or..or else I'm telling dad!"
Cole's head also lay on the table as his eyes became glossy with tears.
"I'll go with Lloyd since it's our last night really being kids. But If they don't behave I'll go with Nya or I'll go myself"
Y/n shrugged as she let go of their ears, flashing Wu a bright smile as she picked up the empty dishes and made her way to the kitchen.
"Is it me or did she become scary?"
Jay whispered to Kai, who had sweat dripping down his forehead after witnessing Y/n's slow and gentle attack to bring their strongest teammates down. Without even using her powers.
"I like this girl. Lloyd picked a good one"
Wu chirped up happily as he made his way out of the room excitedly.
"I must ask her if she has a preferred tea"
The room became quiet once more, Lloyd and Cole each holding a hand over a bright red ear before they both started glaring at each other again.
"She loves me more"
"Oh yeah? Bet"
"I'm her brother"
"I'm her best friend"
"Well I give her lots of hugs and kisses"
"Yeah well I read her mangas with her an force myself to watch anime with her"
"Oh yeah? Well she bought a big black ninja t-shirt to wear to bed which proves I'm her favourite!"
"Ahaha, she got a green ninja hoodie which she can wear all day which proves I'm her favourite"
Zane interrupted the two casually,
"Well, she has clothing items with all of our symbols act-"
"Shut up Zane"
"Boys"
Nya sighed, rolling her eyes as she stood up to walk out the room.
"You can say that again"
Jay tutted as he walked out right after her.
———
Night arrived, and the moon was visible in the sky, a beautiful crescent moon in an inky blue sky which was free of clouds. The stars were out, seemingly shining brighter than they had ever shone as the h/c haired girl reached up to caress the four heads of the dragon.
"Heya buddy, ready for a night flight?"
She cooed to him gently, giggling breathlessly as each head nuzzled her affectionately, messing up her hair which she had thrown into a high ponytail.
"Yeah yeah, I know, I can't wait to go too, but we gotta wait for mister slow poke"
"Who are you calling a slow poke?"
Y/n turned around, her heart starting to flutter strangely as she looked at her blonde haired best friend who was walking up towards them. A pout gracing his lips as he looked down at her.
"I called you a slow poke, Garmadork, now did you get the stuff?"
She asked, on her toes in an attempt to reach his height, but failing epically as he stood tall with a smug smirk on his face. Lloyd tilted his head from side to side, before looking back at her with a grin and bringing out a bag from behind him.
"I have two bottles of boba milk tea, cupcakes and some comics. I'm guessing you've got your stuff too?"
He asked, unconsciously glancing at her figure as she reached for her bag and bought out four packets of sweets.
"I have more than plenty of t-"
She was intereupted four dragon heads snatched the packets out of her hands and threw them into their mouths.
"Well, four less than before now but still plenty"
Y/n said after a moment of silence. The silence that followed was broken again as the dragon heads simultaneously regurgitated the plastic packets into a pile on the floor, looking down at Y/n excitedly whilst he wagged his tail.
"He really is just a big scaly dog, isn't he?"
Lloyd muttered to Y/n before the two started laughing. They started climbing up onto the dragon and making their way to the saddle, with Y/n taking the reins and pulling on them slightly. Immediately, the Ultra dragon fly up high into the air, performing a loop de loop before flying gracefully over the land. The speed of the flying beast gently ruffling the hair of the teens who were looking after him.
"Nice pyjamas by the way"
The blonde boy snorted as he tugged the sleeve of the silk pink nightdress the girl wore. However the moment he touched the fabric, he became entranced by the smooth texture and started stroking the fabric between his fingers.
"Ooh, silky"
Y/n giggled as she opened up a packet of gummy bears.
"Yeah, figured if I wore my black ninja t-shirt then you'd end up sulking or not talk to me as much.
She said with a teasing grin, elbowing her friend who looked at her with a gaping mouth.
"I wouldn't!"
He denied, crossing his arms with a huff as he watched her laugh.
"Really. Plus, I know I am gonna be super sleepy once I get back so, it's easier to get into bed like this instead of changing"
A shiver coursed through her body abruptly, earning a squeak out of her as goosebump started to form on her arms.
"Only I forgot how cold it was gonna be and I forgot to bring a jumper"
She wrapped her arms around her body to try and keep herself warm, the attempt however was futile as her shivers got worse and the air pressure from flying didn't help with that at all.
"Woah, you're colder than ice, gummy bear. Here, take this. I'm not cold at all"
Lloyd looked at her worriedly as he slipped his hoodie off.
"Arms up- let go of the candies, you won't die if you put them down"
The shivering h/c haired girl obliged, putting her arms up as Lloyd swiftly placed the hoodie over her head, pulling it down to her knees and pulling her arms through the sleeves. Then to finish it off, he put the hood up and tightened the strings so that only her nose was visible.
"Ah yes, this is very much adequate. But I can't see, Garmadork"
She giggled as she used sweater paws to loosen the hood, pushing it out of her eyes so she could look at him.
"There, that's better. And what's with the gummy bear?"
Y/n quickly remembered the new nickname she was suddenly called, as she picked up her opened pack of gummy bears.
Lloyd did a double take as he suddenly realised that he did indeed call Y/n, gummy bear. His stomach fluttered a little, and it muddled his thoughts. Well, lack of those at the time when he suddenly blurted it out. But, why did it feel so right? It felt comfortable calling her something so...
cute
She was cute
Lloyd thought she was cute...but not the puppy or kitten cute
Lloyd shook his head nervously and pointed to the packet of candies she was holding.
"Well, I guess I kinda blurted it out just seeing you eating the gummy bears like there's no tomorrow"
He chuckled, promptly taking the packet out of her hands and leaning out of her reach as he poured them into his mouth.
"Lloyd! That's unfair! Give me them back!"
Y/n complained angrily reaching out for the packet which was way too far for her to reach.
"Y/n you're barely making it past my shoulder,give up shortie"
He snorted, teasingly holding the bag above her head and then promptly turning it upside down to let the last gummy bear hit her face.
"You're mean"
She pouted, grabbing a bottle of boba instead and angrily unscrewing the lid.
"You still love me though"
Lloyd smirked as he grabbed the other bottle, glancing up at the moon.
"It's almost midnight"
He mumbled, looking back to Y/n who looked at the moon as well before glancing to her wrist, where a rose gold watch was.
"We have two minutes to be exact"
"Guess we're saying goodbye to our 10 year old selves for real"
Lloyd sighed as he leaned back against the seat of the saddle, Y/n sighing in reply as she slumped against his shoulder.
"The real adult me better still quote memes and like candy and anime"
Y/n mumbled as she looked up to the sky with a smile.
Lloyd chuckled slightly as he leaned his head on hers.
"The adult me better not be a jerk like the kid me, but also still like candy and comics"
Y/n snorted,
"Oh I really hope the adult you isn't a jerk, I don't wanna have to deal with a bigger jerk instead of a small one.
She was met with a bonk to the head,
"rude"
"But whatever happens to us in the future. One thing better be for sure"
Y/n's voice became softer as she took a swig from her milk tea then putting the cap back on.
"We stay together, for now and forever. We get through whatever is thrown at us next, side by side"
Lloyd's grin slipped as his destiny suddenly flashed into his mind. The battle with his father, the final battle to defeat the dark lord. He wasn't a child anymore, he didn't have years anymore.
An excruciatingly sharp pain erupted within the minds of both teens simultaneously as their minds and consciousness matured at a rapid rate, that normally took years. The process was more painful than they originally thought, and the two gripped onto each other tightly to wait for the pain to subdue.
After what felt like an eternity, the pain stopped. They were breathing heavily, and shaken, but the pain had gone as soon as it arrived.
"That...was...intense?"
Y/n breathed, pushing her hair back and looking over to Lloyd who nodded, but looking a lot more forelorn than usual.
"You okay Lloyd? Does it still hurt?"
She held his face and turned him so that he was facing her, pushing his hair back with a hand gently as she saw his eyes look down.
"No, that pain's gone. I'm just thinking"
He mumbled sadly, holding Y/n's hands which were cradling his face.
Y/n felt a wave of fear and sadness wash over her, recognising his emotions and figuring out what it was that had upset him so much.
"We can't run away from destiny, and as scary as this is going to be, you're not alone. You never were and you never will be alone Lloyd. I'm here, and when the day comes I'll still be there. I know you really don't want to fight your dad, but look at what we have to look forward to"
She titled his face up, squishing his cheeks slightly as she made him look at her.
"We can get that vacation sooner than expected"
"It's sucky we've had to miss the rest of our childhood, heck, I literally turned ten a few days ago. But hey, at least we have more freedom, and we can control our powers better now as well"
She beamed as she looked at him, pressing her forehead to his.
"It's overwhelming going from a kid who's trying to be like his dad, to suddenly growing up and becoming the most powerful ninja which a ton of responsibilities. But what's important is that there's always something good to look forward to, and there's always support whenever you need it.
Lloyd started smiling although it ended up weird seeing as his face was squished.
"You've grown up more than me"
He chuckled, taking her hands on his face and holding them between them as they looked back to the moon.
"Well, Nya did say girls mature faster than boys so"
She had a smug grin on her face which was quickly replaced by a laugh.
"Anyways, If my eyes are working correctly, we have unfinished cupcakes to eat and comics to read"
Y/n reached for a comic and for a treat at the same time, but the comic was snatched out her hand and an arm wrapped itself around her. Then before she knew it, Lloyd had trapped her in a one armed hug whilst he held the comic in the other.
Her eyes widened, and her heart started to flutter a little more. She felt her cheeks start to heat up, but kept quiet as she started to devour her cupcake to hide her embarrassment.
Lloyd wasn't any better, his heart fluttered at the same time, and he started to curse himself out for suddenly grabbing her and holding her so closely. However he refused to show his embarrassment so he made it out to be that he would read the comic aloud for the two.
More minutes were spent on the dragon, laughing, eating, talking about their futures. Then eventually, the conversation lead to...
"I have a packet of marshmallows left, you have fire powers. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Y/n grinned as she held the marshmallows above her head.
Lloyd sighed and shook his head,
"I take back what I said, you're not mature at all"
She scoffed playfully, slapping his arm,
"At least I'm still fun"
She yawned, and hugged the packet of soft candies.
"Toasted marshmallows...hit different too..."
The h/c haired girl began mumbling, her words slurring together as the late night took its effect on her.
The blonde haired boy laughed lightly to himself, putting empty packet in the bag, and moving his friend so she lay a little more comfortably before he took the reins.
"Come on buddy, let's get her home"
———
Once they made it back, Lloyd picked Y/n up, holding her bridal style and cradling her closely to his chest as he made sure to get down from the Ultra dragon gently.
"What time do you call this?"
Lloyd almost jumped out of skin if it wasn't for the fact he held his sleeping friend in his arms. The small jolt stirred her slightly, but she just mumbled and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. Causing a multitude of sparks to course through Lloyd's veins as he felt her breath on his collarbone.
"S-sorry Uncle, we lost track of time. I-I'll puthertobedthengogoodnight"
Lloyd stuttered over his words as he walked hastily past the old man who had a small smile on his face. The blonde haired boy didn't stop till he made it to the room she shared with Nya, then opened the door and swiftly walked in to place her down, and pulled the covers over her for good measure.
"Huh...I never noticed she looked cute when she slept"
Lloyd said to himself with a smile as he knelt down next to his best friend's bed, and stroked her hair.
"Thanks for always knowing what to say and for always being my motivation. I wish I knew what else I could give to you so that I could give you a hundred times more than you could ever give me"
He didn't realise he was leaning in closer to her until he noticed how his lips hovered over her forehead.
He shrugged, he's kissed her before even though it was to calm her down. Y/n's kissed him before when she was happy, there's no reason for him not to now.
Because you like her more than a friend this time
Lloyd's eyes widened the moment that thought popped into his head, when his lips made contact with her head. He jumped back and almost collided with the dresser.
"Oh that's cute"
He span around on his feet, mortified to find Nya, wide awake, tinkering with her bracelet which she had modified for missions.
"Anything you wanna tell me Lloyd?"
The blonde haired boy looked from Nya, to Y/n, then back again before slouching his shoulders in defeat.
"Growing up and emotions are complicated...but it doesn't take a genius to tell me I...I...uh..."
he started stumbling over his words again, feeling his heart start racing as he looked at Y/n.
"You...go on, nearly there"
Nya encouraged him, waving a hand to tell him to continue.
"IlikeY/nmorethanafriend.IthinkI'vefeltlikethatforawhilebutididntrealiseit"
Lloyd blurted out his confession unbelievably fast, then covered his face as he walked out of the room.
"Don't tell her please"
"My lips are sealed"
Nya smirked, mimicking a zipping motion.
Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief, smiling slighty and feeling a slight weight lifted off his shoulders.
"Sweet dreams gummy bear"
he whispered to himself, hoping a telepathic message got through as he wandered back to the room he shared with the others.
"Ah shit...Cole's gonna go for my kneecaps now..."
———
A/N
Eid Mubarak to anyone who celebrates !!