#lloyd can't read

[master-jarrus]

I'm going to say something

I passionately hate the Lloyd can't read theory

First of all it is shown multiple times that he can read and possibly in multiple languages

Second of all he likes comics!!!

Comics aren't for people who can't read

They are actually great tools for teaching kids how to read and to understand context!

Kids who read comics often have a higher vocabulary

Comics are like action genre dr. Seuss books when its used as a teaching tool

Stop saying he can't read

He was probably hyperlexic to escape his trauma

It's really common and goes undiagnosed because no one considers there is such a thing as too much reading! All my friends except maybe two were hyperlexic

Seriously just stop with the Lloyd can't read

Now dyslexic and maybe in need of glasses could be a thing though

[arolloyd]

Boy what are you so sad for

[lynn-tged-posting]

i know i haven't made my liveblog post on ep 177 yet but i just need to post these parallel panels by itself because it's making me damn emotional and i can't stop thinking about it (tged spoilers)

a large part of how suho has made it this far is his will to hold on, even when things seem bleak, even when he's going through the worst of times, and god that determination shines through again and again. hope and optimism and holding out on the faith that things will get better... holding on for so long... both then and now, suho reaches endlessly towards the light...

something else to note is the panel on the left is from i think episode 163 (where the jewel of truth revealed... the truth), but it's also a flipped and dimmed version of a panel from episode FIVE, way way way WAY early on in the manhwa... during episode five, suho comments on how he had to just keep believing that things would be better at the end. he says,

"hold on just a little longer, suho. it'll get better someday. you're working so hard. you deserve it! just a little more. just a little more!"

god that makes me so. emotional idk, i don't really have anything clever to say on this it's just. suho is still, STILL reaching to the light, to lifelines, to hope (TO JAVIER HIS LIFELI- sorry. my demons). he still holds on desperately, he doesn't give up...

however, there is also a difference; in the left panel, when he was suho, when he was confronted with the truth by the jewel of truth, he felt like he had to do things alone. and in both episode five and episode 163, we see that as much as suho reaches, we don't see him actually grab onto that light. there's a lingering note of despair in the panels that follow this one in ep 5 and ep 163 (hell in 163, it straight up goes OUT in front of us).

but in this week's ep,,, lloyd reaches for the light and it comes to him, and it's because he has javier's and alicia's support. there javier is in front of him, holding the light there for him, and there alicia is behind him, giving him the mana that'll let him cross that stretch, and god that makes me sick because imagine what suho could have done when he was still in korea if only he had the support of his family, to keep on going and to keep living... but it's okay because in the here and now, lloyd reaches for the light and it actually appears and he has hope and he can live and he has his friends and family and his closest partners by his side and- AAAAH. AAAAAA THE VOICES!!!

i'll talk more about my general thoughts on this episode when i get around to writing my liveblog post on it, but seriously catching this parallel is probably one of the highlights of this ep (besides the last panel that i've been losing it over for the last couple days, if you've read the ep you can probably guess LOL). i don't know if this was an intentional callback, but tged has done callbacks and references pretty well so far, so i'm happy to assume that this is also one. this rounds out the arc so so nicely and i'm so so happy... oh suho...

[rainbow-flavoured-skittles]

this was supposed to be Echo but the spirit of Morro possessed me and forced me to draw him instead

Name: Morro Wu

Alias: Jade Owl

Powers: Aerokinesis, enhanced healing and durability, enhanced senses

Age: 16 (at time of death)

Backstory: Morro's parents abandoned him for unknown reasons, and upon finding him Wu adopts and trains him. He was the only vigilante active in the city, taking Wu and Garmadon's place as its protector. During the Preeminent's first attempted takeover, he is killed in a search for the Realm Crystal, and is brought to her dimension. He becomes the Preeminent's second-in-command and returns to Ninjago years later.

Additional notes: He was the first to have a bird themed name, and Lloyd chose to have a similar name in his honour. The other vigilantes followed suit. He started training at age 10 and became a vigilante at 13.

+ ghost version :)

[lloydfrontera]

i'm gonna. throw up.

[calypsolemon]

i know I've spoken on this extensively before but it's still so funny to me when ppl point out harumi blaming lloyd illogically for her parents death instead of pythor or whatever as if it's like an actual plothole of her character. If she was "logical" she wouldn't be a crazy evil bitch ok <3

[taddymason]

I see your blog title and I bring you a fun question: If Jay and Kaida were in the Hollow Knight universe, what kind of little buggy lads would they be?

ohohohoh I love this ask, my two hyperfixations together:

Jay would be a firefly for me. I know that in Hollow Knight the version of fireflies are the Lumaflies, which also CAN use electricity, so Jay could easily be a larger species and with consciousness like the other bugs

and now with Kaida, a part of me wants to say that she would be a dragonfly because it fits her so well, but with her history and powers what would make the most sense is that she is some kind of discarded vessel that has escaped the abyss like the Little Ghost did and walks around aimlessly killing infected bugs and causing disaster. That is of course until she meets the idiot with lightning powers who adopts her.

like, her spirit powers are basically the same as the Little Ghost's soul powers, and can you imagine Jay adopting this hellspawn who goes around stabbing corpses with the dream nail, breaking signs, and ringing the bell of a station 800 times just to annoy him? and said hellspawn has to kill god and now he's dragged him along on the quest? it's perfect

[what-a-creative-user-nana]

An amazing au abt Morro and Lloyd being cousins

the idiots’ guide to not despising your cousin

Determined to make the best out of the worst hand, Lloyd drags his newly-living pseudo-cousin on the road trip from hell in a desperate attempt to bond. Or get rid of each other for good, they’re not sure yet. 

(This requires…a tiny bit of background, part one being that a while back i received a request for “more lloyd and sharks”. Except i misread it as “morro lloyd and sharks” which was like, odd, but i went with it and somehow ended up with 12K words of…this fic, that’s definitely 90% crack. Which brings me to part two, which is that this takes place in an entirely hypothetical au where Morro made it through the rift in s7, or somehow he’s alive the details aren’t important shh)

In his defense, Morro never would have been caught dead in this situation if he hadn’t traumatized his sort-of-cousin by possessing him two years earlier.

…alright, that’s not really a defense, but it’s the only explanation he has.

“I’m just saying,” Lloyd is…saying, as he jabs his pointer finger at him. “I could’ve been a whole foot taller if you hadn’t starved me. You stunted my growth, listening to me for five minutes is the least you can do.”

“I did not stunt your growth, you were already going to be a shrimp anyways,” Morro counters, rubbing his right eye as he tries to focus on his book instead.

Keep reading

[all-gummed-up-inside]

can we get sum lloyd smut up in here pretty please *insert super cute begging face* like maybe him getting clingy after missinf u for long time. Like he's gone away saving the world for the 100th time and when he comes back he misses readrr soo much he just cannot expresses himself with his words so he expresses himself with sex (and endd up overstimmin himself AND READER)

Gn reader pretty pls and thank you for your tim i understnd how messyily i am explanen this 😭

(let's gloss over how I haven't posted in actual months) (this can be read as pre! or post!dragons rising Lloyd but was written with pre! in mind)

1.5K words

my goodness! he'd be so needy after being away from you for too goddamn long. I'd always start so soft and cuddly, Lloyd wanting to be so so so close to you and bask in your presence for as long as he can before he's called away again.

It truly doesn't take long before he starts getting more antsy, more wiggly, subtly grinding his crotch against yours in seek of just a little more friction than normal. Unnoticeable at first really, seems more like he's just adjusting himself to be more comfy.

Soft muffled whines and whimpers soon fall from his lips the longer he keeps it up. glossy green eyes soon searching for yours, soft pleads leaving the blonde as he begs in hushed whispers if he could just 'please stick it in! he'll be such a good boy! he promises!'

and be a good boy he will! shallow desperate thrusts that leave Lloyd absolutely drunk off the feeling of you wrapped around him! It has him cumming buckets with how pent-up he's been after not seeing you for so so long! Lloyd can't help himself but dump load after load into you, so much so that it has him crying and shaking from overstimming himself so much! he can't help it! you just feel so good and are so nice to him all the time! Lloyd doesn't even wanna pull out once it's all done and over with, wanting to stay inside you for as long as possible until you finally decide that the both of you should really clean up.

[greenunoreversecard]

HEYYEYHEY CAN I REQUEST LLOYD (ninjago) HEADCANONS PLEASEEEE (ty :3)

A/N: Ofc!I'll do general character ones, as well as x reader ones :) hope ye likey likey:pp

Lloyd, The Greenest and Geekest mf.

General character headcanons:

Half Japanese half Chinese

His hair is box blonde dye and you cannot change my mind.

Left handed

Severely dyslexic and hands off all scroll reading and just reading oriented tasks to kai.

Def gen z vibes. Like, the others give off more inbetween z and millenial, so they dont always get his humor. And sometimes he uses that to his advantage and "Speaks in code" (uses as much slang as possible)

Has LED lights in his room set to forest green.

Has given himself a smiley face tattoo.

Cried over a dead goose once.

OK, just to preface i see cole as a stoner of Sorts and uses the excuse "it gets me closer to my element"

With that in mind cole let lloyd try it and now sometimes when he is told to unwind, of feels like he needs to take a chill pill he and Cole spark up

in the beginning of his leader ship role, he used to Say;"kick ass and take names" and if things went wrong he had the fuck it we ball mindset, but got better with time. There are still times they wing it, though.

if he isnt in his gi he almost exclusively wears his pajamas (aka a Hoodie, tshirt and sweats)

Vv tired, and now has a raging addiction to energy drinks due to his lack of Sleep.

He used to eat worms as a kid bc he Thought he it was evil.

Has a eyebrow piercing, and wants a tongue piercing.

Wears "reading" glasses, that he should technically wear all the time because he can't see up close and has a astigmatism,, but he says yolo. Zane then make him contacts after he almost ran into a moving blade and got his head severed.

Adhd and OCD, as well as the normal line up (anxiety, depression, cptsd)

Lloyd in a relationship:

Hes very distant in the beginning, it'll take time to warm up to you.

He tends to be orage cat vibes.

On the cat trend, he gets close for a bit Before becoming distant. Going through waves of affection, kinda.

He hasn't had like, any good relationships in his life so he tries to "protect" himself when he feels he gets to close to you, and so he pulls away.

He does the fuckboy face when your sad bc it makes you laugh, as well as That weird dice roll

He actually does the face/dice roll combo whenever he Sees you as he walks over, it's an inside joke now

primary giving love language: acts of service and quality time

Primary receiving love language: gifts and words of affirmation. But physical touch is also high up there.

Also, not expensive gifts. He hates those. Give him a stick you saw on a walk that made you think of him. He'll cherish it forever. And maybe cry.

He will cry.

will make noises at you and expects a noise in response or he'll be sad.

Also randomly bites you. He's a nommer

also sends you memes throughout the day.

As well as random pictures with the caption;"BABY LOK THIS IS S. US IF WE WHERE *insert whatever item here*

Called you babe, baby, love, shitface, asshole.

Expect kind and loving gentle bullying.

Doesnt know how to express his emotions to just expect him to come up to you, lightly shake your shoulders and aggressively say;"I love you bitch.i ain't Evea gon stop lovin you. Bitchhhhhhh" (vine reference)

Sends you .5 of everyone, himself included. He's addicted to Taking them. You will not get out of it.

Also sometimes just walks around in nyas stilettos for fun.

You two have fashion shows.

You also take over the Living room sometimes and build giant ass forts to watch shitty reality tv in and make fun oF The people

Overall, once he realizes you won't leave he's the most funniest loving chaotic guy.

But expect it to take a hot minute for him to realsie this

give him time,, but also have some deep talks..

Let him vent

and for the love of God don't hurt the baby's heart.

Expect inside jokes

[nerdykeppie]

So.

As of today, the site isn't even loading anymore for our production partner. I can't see which orders were actually taken in for production and which aren't.

Any items from that provider that I don't know for sure went into production have been refunded. We'll keep an eye on those that went into production to make sure that they actually get shipped... somehow? Hopefully their site will get fixed long enough for us to figure that out. If you purchased package insurance, that money already went out to the insurer, and I'm going to try to get that back, too.

Davos says hi, and you're great for reading all of this:

If you had items in your orders that come from another provider or come from our shop, those are still going to be on their way.

That said: we need a minute to breathe and make sure we are making good decisions going forward, so here's what we're gonna do.

Tomorrow, Jake & Emet will be at the Spectrum Art Market at the Lloyd Center from noon to 6p. After that, we're going to take an extended Passover holiday -- the site will stay online, you can place orders as normal, but no orders will be fulfilled or put through to printers until 4/20. I'm going to be logging out of everything and putting my phone in Shabbat mode so that I can take time away.

We will be at Chalice Dispensary on Powell Blvd on 4/20 for their 4/20 art market from 11a to 5p. Then we'll take Monday and Tuesday to recover, and be back on Wednesday to chart a course forward. Whether or not the tariff garbage has been sorted out by then, we should have a better idea of what the future will look like.

We're not going anywhere -- we just need the space & time to make good long-term decisions.

Thank you so much for your patience & support over the past eight years. Losing 90% of our non-t-shirt clothing is absolutely gutting, but I'm hoping that this will force us to find a provider that suits us even better, and we've still got a lot of awesome stuff on the site that we make and ship from here.

- Spider

[evilmark999]

Thirrrty vour VONdervul counts! Bwa hah hah haha!

By the way, if you're a girl, you MUST read those first two statements out loud in your best Count voice. Called it! Double Stamp! No Quitsies! No Erasies!

The Count Von Count is right on the money

[veltana]

Buy my heart - 1

✦ Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Fem!Reader

✦ Word count: ~1,2k

✦ Rating for this part: Mature

✦ Warnings/tags: Alpha!Bucky, Omega!Reader, slow burn, eventual smut, omega auction.

✦ Summary: Bucky buys you

✦ Note: Due note that this is a drabble series, the parts will be short but I still hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to come back and read Lloyd's series, set in the same verse! 😉 Bucky's scent is based of my favorite perfume of all time ÆTHER XTRÆM 🤤Reblogs, comments and asks are much appreciated!

Series masterlist

Masterlist | AO3

Everything is numb. As you stand on the podium in front of the faceless crowd with the lights in your eyes, you don't feel a thing, except the uncomfortable sensation of scent blocker on your skin. As soon as you pulled the thin dress on for the auction you decided that the only way you would survive this is if you just turn every emotion off.

Paddles go up. Paddles go down. The man beside you rambles fast but you don't listen. It's not irrelevant how much you sell for, since your family needs it to pay off their debt, but you can't take it in.

Instead, you focus on your breathing. The mask-covered mass in front of you is grass on a meadow on a windy day. Breathe in. They sway towards you. Breathe out. They sway away.

You don't want to look at who raises their paddle the most, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to identify them since everyone's face is concealed by the same black mask. But you'd find yourself scrutinizing their hands and build, trying to guess if they're old or young. Honestly, you dread both: a young pup with an overly cocky attitude who knows nothing about caring for an omega, or an old lone wolf who is too frail to do anything himself and would require constant care.

The sharp crack of the club startles you from your self-induced meditation. That's when you finally hear the sum you've been sold for and some of the tension in your shoulders drains away. It's enough. Your family will be fine.

An attendant leads you away through dark corridors before leaving you in another changing room. They've brought your old clothes but you don't touch them. They smell like home. Like your family. And you can't go into this new life with it, you have to leave it behind.

If the attendant is confused about you still wearing the sheer dress they provided when they come and collect you, they don't let it show before walking you out.

The air is cold against your skin but there is a car idling just outside. Well, it's a limo. The driver opens the door and gestures for you to climb inside. Guess this is your ride. Time to meet your alpha.

Pressing down every feeling of panic and dread you walk on bare feet the short distance. The door shutting just behind you makes you jump. A moment later, the car starts moving.

The first thing you notice is that it's dim in the back of the limousine since the tinted windows don't let the streetlights in. The only illumination comes from small spots in the ceiling.

The second thing you notice is him. He's at the other end of the seat. Maskless with a glass of something in his hand that he swirls before taking a sip, staring at you over the rim. He's tall, broad-shouldered, short hair that looks soft with a neatly trimmed beard framing his face.

Then the smell hits you. It's easy to filter out the artificial notes of his cologne from what is his pure natural smell. It's a woody musky scent with a light tone of florals buried beneath that is not sharp or strong. It just fills your lungs with a warm, sensual feeling. For the first time in your life, you think you understand what other omegas rave about when they say that the smell of alpha is unlike anything else. The omega in you wants to slide up to him and rub yourself all over him, but you resist.

“Hello, little darling,” his rich voice fills the compartment. “Hello, sir,” you respond and is pleased when your voice doesn't waiver. “My name is James Buchanan Barnes. I prefer if you call me Bucky.” “Bucky,” you try, and nod, although it feels odd on your tongue. You've never addressed an alpha by a nickname before.

He doesn't ask for your name and you don't offer it, the less personal this is for you, the better. Bucky might have bought your body but your mind is still your own and he can never take it away from you. If he never calls you by your name, the better.

“Why do you still have that dress on?” he asks. You pluck at the fabric. “I couldn't take my old clothes with me.” “And no shoes?” “No, sir. I mean, Bucky.”

He picks up his phone. You hear the dial tone and then a woman's voice answers at the other end. “We need clothes, all types, but for tonight just get some underwear and something to sleep in. Then he directs his attention to you. “What size are you?” After hesitating a second, you tell him and he passes the information along before he hangs up.

The car slows and sounds as if it's driving on gravel. Bucky finishes his drink and studies you. There is a tick in his jaw as if he's irritated. Without a word, he starts taking off his suit jacket.

The blood in your veins turns cold and you press yourself back against the door. You don't want him to touch you. The dress might be sheer but the thought of being naked with him in the back of the limo is not appealing in the least.

But his actions surprise you. He holds out the jacket for you. “Wear this. My men are loyal but I don't need them to ogle you and get distracted.” There is no hiding the way your fingers tremble as you take it from him. After putting it on you realize that in a way, he's marked you with his scent now, but without touching you. It shouldn't make you pleased, but it does.

When the car comes to a stop you reach for the handle but with something very close to a growl he instructs, “Wait there,” before stepping out. You pull your hand back quickly and place it in your lap. Moments later the door opens. “Since you don't have any shoes, I'll carry you,” he explains, reaching for you, but you shuffle away. “I'll be fine, I promise, you don't need to do that.” His jaw ticks again. “No, you will hurt your feet, darling. Come here, now.” You hesitate still, but you're not prepared to find out what the next tell of irritation might be, or if the twitch in his jaw is the only warning you're going to get.

You move closer to him and hardly have time to process what happens before you're in his arms. He carries you near his body with your face pressed against his fine dress shirt. It's dark outside but the mansion he carries you towards is well lit. There is no doubt James Buchanan Barnes is a very rich man.

After stepping inside he still doesn't put you down. You want to object but decide against it as he carries you up a flight of stairs and into a room, where he puts you down on a soft carpet, then steps back.

“Clothes should be here in about twenty minutes. When was the last time you ate?” “Uhm, this morning?” “Allergies?” “No, but I really don’t like tomatoes.” “I'll inform the chef,” he nods, before continuing, “This is your room. Mine is across the hall. For tonight, stay here, I'll have food brought up. Tomorrow I’ll give you a tour and we'll talk about what is expected of you going forward.” You nod. “I suggest you take a nice long bath, before eating and going to bed.” “Yes, Bucky.” Your obedience seems to please him because the lines between his eyebrows disappear. “Have a good night, little darling.” And then he leaves.

next

[lloydfrontera]

javier smiling to himself and getting all nostalgic as he watches rakiel because he reminds him so very much of lloyd

like seriously this man cannot stop comparing the two of them and getting quietly happy because it brings back fond memories it is heartbreaking he literally has to remind himself to not get swept in sentimentality several times every time he talks with rakiel

why can't javier n lloyd be together and meet up?

because life, even an eternal one, is busy and time doesn't stop just because they miss each other.

because despite how much hell has improved, it still has a tremendous amount of work and javier can't disregard all of it simply because he's filled with nostalgia and bitterness every time he says goodbye and has to hang up the phone.

because the last time they saw each other was during an official event 107 years, 7 months and 17 days ago. and the only reason they had a good excuse to meet again was because two realms had been completely obliterated out of existence and they had to plan a way to stop all other realms from ending the same way.

or maybe they're just gay and dramatic idk they probably like pining after each other like lovesick fools. adding a little spice to eternal life and all that asdjkshdkjs

[dross-the-fish]

Love Never Dies- Thoughts and Reactions

This might end up being split into multiple parts but I am not finished talking about Love Never Dies. I did give it a rewatch to refresh myself and...oof. This play needs to be taken out back and shot because that is what it did to every single character in it. NO ONE looks good. Not even Christine. Let's start there. Let's talk about what this show does with Christine because we have completely reduced this character to nothing but her voice. What does Erik miss about Christine after ten years of pining? Her voice. He just wants her to sing for him one more time. The only thing he ever really mentions about Christine is her voice. Though I can't really fault him because if we're being serious about Christine's character...

What does she have outside of her voice? Nothing. Somehow LND Christine has even less personality than she did in the OG musical. She is a cardboard angel that other people pine over, try to control, or envy. She has almost no agency. I said before, I suspect that Andrew Lloyd Webber hates women and Christine does not come out of that unscathed. She spends pretty much all of the musical being bullied by Raoul, mothering Gustave, or being threatened by Erik when he and she aren't reminiscing about that one time they banged 10 years ago. Seriously what even the fuck was "Beneath a Moonless Sky?" For a song about how two characters couldn't resist each other neither of them seem particularly filled with desire. Christine is recoiling in horror and disbelief and Erik looks like a 15 year old who thinks sniffing his crush's hair is peak sensuality.

Mmmm....sexy. But whatever. Christine says at the end of the song she woke up to swear her love and was ready to dump Raoul but Erik had skedaddled so she ran back to Raoul. You read that right. Christine was going to pick Erik after they banged it out and he left and that is the only reason Christine is with Raoul. Seriously Andy? You're going to make her regret picking Raoul over Erik when she didn't even actually DO that? Erik made the choice for her?

*internal screaming* Erik, seriously, how are you going to be upset that she's moved on with Raoul if YOU left HER? Do you really think you have the right to coerce her to sing for you one more time when you were the one who broke it off? The hell is wrong with you? Of course when Christine resists he immediately goes to threatening her child.

When I say Erik is the WORST I mean it. He is reprehensible in this.

But this is about Christine. We'll get to Erik later. LND Erik deserves his own post.

There's honestly not much more to write about Christine. She spends a lot of time cowering from or trying to appease Raoul. She worries about her son and her death is honestly so unwarranted. When I say ALW's work has an undercurrent of meanspiritedness I mean shit like this. Christine hasn't really done anything wrong. I guess she cheated on Raoul 10 years ago? But well she was going to leave him and only stayed because her first option bailed on her? She didn't do anything to Meg. She's been living 10 years in an abusive marriage and her crazy ex who kidnapped her came back to threaten her kid and coerce her to sing his music one more time. Then she just...gets shot. She dies. It adds nothing to the story that she dies. It doesn't feel earned or justified in anyway. It just feels miserable for misery's sake. It's almost unceremonious the way they ax her off because it's not even intentional. Meg misfires the gun because Erik fucks up in trying to talk her down. Christine's death isn't even about Christine herself. It's about Meg and Erik. It's such a useless and stupid death to give this character. How old even is she? Supposedly she's around 18-20 in the original musical (we're ignoring the 2004 movie that puts her at 16) and this is 10 years later? She's barely 30 but she ends up a casualty to everyone else's vanity, jealousy, and selfishness. I feel like we're supposed to find it tragic but it doesn't hit. It's a meaningless and undignified end to a character that was given no agency over her own life or her death.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Just One Reason: New at This

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Lloyd Hansen

masterlist - to be added

Summary: A chance encounter at the sandwich shop doesn’t end how you expect.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

Lloyd tugs in his ear lobe as you get up to take your empty bowl to the counter. The lone cashier smiles and gives a nervous look past you to the corner. You return to the table and wonder if he has a reputation here. You wouldn't be surprised with his behaviour. 

"Is your ear alright?" You ask as you take the cup of iced tea. 

"Huh?" He turns to you and drops his hand. "Yeah, hearing's f-- off. Just got back from a job and... the machinery was loud." 

"Hm, it could be a busted ear drum. I know someone who had that. He never could hear me but that coulda been the TV too," you shrug. 

"It's fine," he taps his fingers on the table as you stay standing. "So, you headed out?" 

"Yeah, I guess I should. Getting dark." 

"Right," he nods. "Well," he stands and tugs at the bottom of his shirt, shaking off the crumbs. "You need a ride?" 

He zips up his jacket, the collar ending just below his chin. You button up your blue houndstooth coat. "No, I can make it." 

"Wait, you're not walking are you?" He asks as he gathers up the wrapper and napkins. 

"Not too far if I cut behind the barbershop--" 

"Cut behind-- are you serious? You can't be walking down alleys in the dark. Trust me." 

"Oh?" You give him a curious look, "you hang out in dark alleyways a lot?" 

His brow tweaks and his lips twitch, "is that a joke?" 

"Not a very good one," you smile. "I always make it." 

"And this might be the time you don't. Least I can do. You bought me dinner, I feel like I owe you a ride." 

"You don't owe me anything," you assure him. 

"Huh, you're too nice, you know that? You could give a guy the wrong idea." l

"No, I don't think so," you sigh. "Being nice isn't anything but. I hope your enjoyed your dinner." 

"You know what? The chipotle wasn't bad," he says. "So now that's two things. I owe you for paying and for the good advice. What's that you said about paying it forward?" 

Checkmate. Using your own words against you. As it is, you're starting to feel rude for saying no so many times. It would be nice not to have to walk home with your phone light on. 

"Is taking a ride from a strange man better than walking home alone?" You ask, "since you're the expert?" 

"Wow, you can be mean," he snorts. "Reading me like a book." 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m kidding.” 

“I know, tootsie roll,” he says, “sweet like candy, aren’t ya?” 

You smile again, “well, you can be too. I’ll take the ride. Thank you.” 

He dumps the garbage in the bin and heads for the door. He lets you out ahead of him. It’s colder than when you got there. 

“It’s cold as... hell out here,” he says follows you out. He points you ahead, “the white one.” 

He blows into his hands and rubs them together. You’re no fan of the cold either but you can see his nose already turning red. You approach the white car; it’s sleek and shiny. You’re not sure what make it is but it must be expensive. 

The doors click loudly, “should be unlocked.” 

You nod and open the passenger door. You sit daintily, wary of the luxury interior. You shut the door just as carefully as he gets in the other side. He grumbles as he starts the engine and flicks switches. 

“Get those seat warmers on,” he says. “Ah, better.” He puts his palms to the blast of warmth from the vent before he grips the wheel. “Help me out, tootsie roll, where am I going?” 

“Right down to Harbour. East.” 

“Harbour East... you kidding me? You were really going to walk there alone?” He scoffs. 

“It’s not so bad once you get to know the area,” you say.  

“How’d you end up there?” He pulls into a three point turn as he reroutes. 

“I guess it’s just where I am right now. Thing’s changed fast and I had to make it work,” you lean into the seat. You’ve never been in a car with seat warmers. 

“Huh, that’s too bad,” he clucks. “You still looking for a place? I know a guy, owns a few properties...” 

“Oh no, it’s okay,” you hum lightly. “Really. It’s nice. I got my own space, I got food, I’m happy as can be.” 

“Simple things, so I’ve heard,” he mutters. 

You let a lull wash over you. Judging by his car, simple isn’t exactly to his taste. 

“So...” you brush your fingertips over your palm, “what do you do for work? You travel? When you mentioned your ear...” 

“Ah, yeah, er,” he squeezes the wheel tighter and coughs, “you know, I’m on the road when I need to be. Work can be sporadic but pays well enough. Specialty type of work.” 

“With loud machinery...” 

“Military engineer. You know, artillery, tanks... whatever,” he peeks over at you as blows through a four-way. 

“Hey, you missed the stop sign,” you crane to see behind you. 

“It’s fine, no one was crossing,” he says. 

“Yeah but... it’s not safe.” You turn forward again and frown. 

He’s quiet again. He sucks his teeth, “fine, you’re right. Not fair of me to offer you a ride then drive like a maniac. I’ll do better.” 

You let out a breath and subtly grab onto the door. Despite his promises, he doesn’t let off the gas. With how quiet the car is, it must be easy to go over the limit.  

He pulls onto Harbour and finally slows, “so, uh, why don’t you give me a call next time you head down to the shop? We could do it again. I’ll be nice this time.” 

“I don’t go too often but sure, I could use a friend,” you perk up and direct him to your building. 

“You telling me you don’t got friends, tootsie roll?” He stops in front of your apartment. 

“I... did. They’re gone now,” you look away. You try not to get to wistful about it. “Anyway, thanks--” 

“Holy f—moley,” he corrects himself as he leans forward to see around you, “this place can’t be up to code--” 

“Lloyd,” you blurt out. “I’m fine. Really. Home safe. Thanks to you.” 

“Mhm, well, friends are supposed to worry about each other, right?” 

“And as your friend, I’m telling you not to worry,” you smile and pull the handle, “have a good night.” 

He huffs as you undo your seat belt, “yeah, good night.”