#lloyd getting an idea and sneaking ahead

[snakegorl212006]

Chapter 11 final part

 It lowers her head ,hot breath stemmed at my face as it snarled "Angela" Lloyd called making me turn around but as soon as that happened the ground below me shook "RUN" i yelled as i slithered as fast as I could as the Devourer followed behind us,after devouring wu and pythor in the process. We made it to the bounty where we escaped to scattered canyons only to be surprised attack by her making us crash land away from the bounty as we witnessed it's destruction. We sought refugees underneath a rock "there's no time to rest. We need to warn people before it gets bigger" zane said "Bigger?BIGGER!? That thing in one whole bite crushed our entire ship!we need to save as many as we can. Uh we'll find sime kind of refuge, somewhere safe to hide. Ooh the Serpentine tombs. Yeah , they're underground. We'll be without sunlight but they're perfect" jay said "it can dig. And we shouldn't just give up" I replied "But you know as well as I do, we have no chance at stopping that thing" Jay replied "there is a way. Call me delusional but there is we just need a plan" i replied then kai had an idea and instructs us to follow then the Devourer followed. The ninja did the tornado of creation making a machine which helped repel the Devourer but then she destroyed it and ran off. Kai informed of a weak spot on the forehead "umm. Guys… it's heading to the city" i said interrupting Jay's ranting "if it consumes the biggest city of ninjago there's nothing that can stop it" kai committed "lets go" i concluded. We used the mech and the vehicle to travel to ninjago where i help lured the people out of the area then from above i saw a dragon with four heads using the element to stun the snake then getting sneak attack by the dragon. I knew i had to do something "HEY OVER HERE" i yelled at the Devourer. I ran around "guys we need for it to say in one place" i called "way ahead of you" cole replied "go meet Garmadon on the tower" kai instructs "why" i asked "she's your mom right. You should be the one to finished it" he answered as he ran ahead. I nod and head to the building without a second thought. Managed to get on top where I had a direct view of the snake. It struggled as it bit its own tail. "You must make a choice it's now or never" Garmadon said.  I sighed and jumped pulling out a sword i got from the bounty as Garmadon followed. When we stabbed her, she exploded and his fluids got everywhere. Everything was black. Then a golden light brightened my vision. "Angela " a voice spoke as I was shaken awake. I gasped only to be laying in the Devourer's fluids "is everything..  ok now" i asked "yep were all good" Lloyd answered. I just gave him a hug which was returned "wait. the golden weapon! didn't you say tha-" i was cut off "ah yes that's true but the ability tl better oneself is limitless " a voice spoke from behind  "wu!? I thought you were eating and got digested by now. I'm glad that you're ok" i replied as Lloyd helped me up. At the end we celebrated our victory over the Devourer but a new day awaits and the destiny continues

[razzle-zazzle]

Whumptober Day 06: Touch & Go

Hunger

1820 Words; Runaways AU, just barely pre-Rise of the Serpentine

Lloyd was used to hunger.

It wasn't the kind of statement you’d want to hear from an eight year old, but it was the truth.

One would think that attending a boarding school would mean no issues with food—but Lloyd’s peers would pick on him in any way they could, including stealing his food, and his teachers would look the other way more often than not.

Being thrown out into the streets with nobody to look after him hadn’t helped, either. Lloyd didn’t have anything in the way of money when Darkley’s had kicked him out, so he’d learned how to scrounge and steal and covet any food he could get his hands on.

So yeah, Lloyd was used to going hungry.

Things had gotten better since running into Cole. But better didn’t necessarily mean good.

They were always on the move, and Cole had a system worked out where he would do labor or other small favors in exchange for food and lodgings. Stay just long enough in a town to eat up, rest up, and then stock up for the trip to the next.

Lloyd helped, sometimes, by virtue of being a small child with wicked puppy dog eyes.

But there were still two mouths to feed, and they still had no luck finding someone who would take Lloyd in—some towns chased them out entirely upon hearing who Lloyd was related to.

Fortunately, Lloyd was used to going hungry.

At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

+=+=+=+=+

Cole was starting to consider giving up on the “find-Lloyd-a-proper-home” idea.

They’d already stopped announcing Lloyd’s heritage, but rumors and gossip spread fast—too fast. Not a single village they’d stopped at during the last month hadn’t known, resulting in suddenly-closed shops and suspicious glares and “Sorry, can’t help you”s and, in one notable case, an actual pitchfork waved at them.

Cole checked his bag again, wincing at the lack of proper food in there. If he was on his own, he could probably make this last for a week, but…

Cole looked over to where Lloyd was drawing with a stick in the dirt, likely plotting another prank. The kid was probably already aware of the food situation—or, Cole frowned, he was used to it after spending a few weeks on his own.

That didn’t reduce Cole’s stress, though. On his own, he could eat lightly enough to make the food last. But with the kid added into the mix?

Cole counted through the bags of trail mix and cans of non-perishables he still had. This wouldn’t be enough to last to the next town—not for the both of them.

And just getting to the next town didn’t guarantee more food, either.

Lloyd shouted, kicking at a small pile of sticks he built and laughing.

Cole looked at the contents of the bag one last time, then closed it.

The decision was surprisingly easy.

+=+=+=+=+

“I’m hungry.” Lloyd complained, trudging along the trail. “And my feet hurt, and it’s hot out, and—”

Cole sighed. “I know.” He continued walking. “The situation’s shitty enough, we don’t need to add needless complaining to it.”

Lloyd stuck out his tongue. “Well maybe I like complaining.”

“Then complain in your head.”

It wasn’t exactly easy to sulk while trudging up a hill, but Lloyd managed.

“Besides,” Cole added after a moment, “Complaining about the problems means you’re thinking about them, which makes them worse.”

Lloyd couldn’t argue with that logic, but not thinking about his aching feet or empty stomach was hard. It wasn’t like there was much else to do.

“Stupid walk,” Lloyd muttered, “Stupid people and their stupid food that they won’t share,” He crossed his arms for a moment, realized it made walking harder, and uncrossed them, “Stupid hills being too tall and stupid sun being too hot.” He was working up a really good sulk now, “Stupid tall grass scratching my legs—”

Cole groaned, half of it a growl. “You little pest,” he hissed, whirling around to face Lloyd.

“We’ve been walking for hours!” Lloyd protested, “The sun’s starting to set and we haven’t stopped since morning!”

Cole sighed. “Look, kid,” he began, tone unusually serious, “we need to get to the next town, ASAP. We have to keep going.”

Lloyd huffed. “That’s stupid.”

“There’s a reason—”

“It’s because we’re running out of food, isn’t it?” Lloyd accused. “We didn’t eat as much this morning.”

Cole cringed. “Yeah, that.” Then he frowned. “You’re not supposed to worry about that. I’ve got it handled.”

Lloyd’s eyebrow raised, skepticism written across his face.

Cole tensed, shoulders pulling in, before turning around. “C’mon. We just gotta get to that hill there. Then we can settle down for the night.” He started walking again, only glancing back once to make sure Lloyd was following.

Lloyd groaned at the distance, but said nothing else.

+=+=+=+=+

“You’re not eating.”

Cole froze.

A moment later, he resumed sketching the landscape in his sketchbook. “So?” He asked, faintly annoyed that Lloyd had noticed so quickly.

Lloyd frowned down at his own dinner. “‘S not fair.” He muttered.

Cole didn’t respond, instead concentrating on shading in the trees on the horizon just right. Maybe if he ignored the problem and focused on his drawing, it’d go away.

He was brought out of his laser-focus by Lloyd tugging on his shirt, food in hand.

“What now?” Cole asked, pulling his sketchbook close to his chest.

Lloyd held out the bowl. “Here.”

Cole stared, then pushed the bowl towards Lloyd. “This is yours.”

Lloyd frowned. “Yeah, I’m sharing it.”

“Just eat the damn food, Lloyd.” Cole shut his sketchbook, setting it and the pencil in his lap. “I’m not arguing with you about this.”

“But you need to eat.” Lloyd insisted, as if that would change Cole’s mind. “It’s not fair if I eat and you don’t.”

Cole shrugged. “It’s not fair that we’re struggling with food. It’s not fair that you got kicked out of Darkleys.” He swallowed, thoughts of his mother creeping into the back of his mind. “Life isn’t fair.”

“‘sides,” Cole added, “You’re a child. You need the food more than I do.”

Lloyd stared Cole down for a moment, before relenting and returning to where he was sitting.

Cole watched to make sure Lloyd was eating, then pulled out his sketchbook again.

Their camp was silent but for the subtle scratch of pencil on paper.

“I’m used to not eating.” Lloyd said quietly, breaking the silence.

Cole made a face. “You shouldn’t be.”

+=+=+=+=+

The next morning, Cole and Lloyd both ate a meager breakfast before setting off again.

Jamanakai Village was nice to them the first time they visited it. Hopefully it’d be the same this time.

They wouldn’t know until they got there, though, which meant a lot of hiking.

Mostly uphill.

Lloyd grumbled as he clambered up another small ledge, muscles aching from the exertion.

His stomach still hurt, feeling oddly empty despite having eaten just hours ago.

“We’re close,” Cole said quietly, helping Lloyd through the more vertical parts. “We’ll find somewhere to settle down for the night, then get to Jamanakai by midday tomorrow.”

Lloyd groaned. “Why can’t we just travel through the night? We’d get there quicker.”

Cole stopped, flat look on his face. “We’re not hiking this trail at night.” He resumed hiking. “And you need your rest.”

“Stick in the mud.” Lloyd muttered. Cole responded to the insult with a snort.

They continued their trek, making the occasional stop to sit and drink from the canteen in Cole’s bag.

At one such break, Lloyd voiced a question that had been bothering him for a while now.

“Why’s it so hard to get food anyway?”

Cole shrugged. “Food requires money, and it’s kind of hard to get money when you’re a fifteen year old runaway.” Cole groaned. “We don’t have resources, we just have camping supplies and an ever-dwindling supply of luck.”

Lloyd huffed. “Why can’t we just take the food? It’s not like I paid for anything when I was on my own.”

“Because if we steal we’ll get in trouble, and then people won’t trust us anymore,” Cole explained, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “And if people don’t trust us, they won’t help us.”

“It’s not like they trust us now.” Lloyd muttered.

Cole snorted. “Yeah, well, I don’t intend to go out of my way to piss people off.” He fixed Lloyd with a look. “And that’s not an invitation for you to go pissing people off, either, you little shit.”

Lloyd made a face, but a grumble was his only reply.

Another few moments of rest, and then they were off again.

+=+=+=+=+

Night fell, they set up camp, and Lloyd ate dinner while Cole sketched some deer he’d seen.

Hours later, long after Cole had fallen asleep in his sleeping bag, Lloyd sat up in his.

This wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair that Cole wasn’t eating. It wasn’t fair that food was hard to get. Lloyd knew Cole was reading books he’d found on foraging, but neither of them had been willing to try their luck with that just yet.

“It’s not fair.” Lloyd opined to the night air, knees pulled in close and arms wrapped around them.

His stomach agreed.

He looked at where Cole was snoozing, dead to the world. Cole was being stupid and refusing to eat, but he was right about one thing: Lloyd’s heritage wasn’t doing them any favors.

It wasn’t fair. Lloyd wasn’t his father. But people looked at him and his too-red eyes and decided to have nothing to do with him.

Cole didn’t, but Cole didn’t have the authority to just take food.

Lloyd’s eyes widened. That was it!

Cole might just be a nobody runaway, but Lord Garmadon wasn’t.

Lloyd shimmied the rest of the way out of his sleeping bag and stood up, new resolve hitting him. He went over to the bag of supplies, grabbing the sketchbook and flipping to the next blank page to write a note. He barely glanced at most of the drawings; he’d looked at them before, late at night when he couldn’t sleep.

Note written, Lloyd took the torn-out page and folded it up, putting it by the trail mix Cole undoubtedly intended to use as breakfast tomorrow. He’d have to apologize later, but he wouldn’t leave Cole totally in the dark.

That done, Lloyd dug through the bag for a few supplies. This would be a difficult prank, and he’d definitely need to make use of any supplies he found once he got to town. But if he pulled it off, then it would solve their food troubles, and that was reason enough.

As a last step, Lloyd grabbed his hoodie; the one he’d painted the bones on.

Supplies gathered and resolve set, Lloyd set out.

He had to get moving if he wanted to reach Jamanakai Village by morning.

[fluffyk97]

I just got a ridiculously fluffy idea:

After ep 52, Lloyd dragged himself out of the medical room (Zane fell asleep while monitoring him), and after grabbing one of his fluffy blankets, went to snuggle with the first sibling he could find... He was feeling lonely and cold and scared, and needed some protective sib company (he wanted to let Zane sleep too)

Hhhnnggnjg fuck-

Lloyd looked where Zane currently sat to watch over him, finding the nindroid fast asleep. The younger boy couldn't help but find it ironic how logically the one person out of their team fit for staying up without rest, ended up passing out anyway from the pure exhaustion this past month has been.

Lloyd sat up and moves to hang his legs over the bed as he gathered his favorite blanket that's always so soft, wrapping it around his shoulders before getting up. His legs trembled for a moment from both exhaustion and him feeling cold, the aftereffects of possession still wearing off.

However, despite feeling drained from it all, Lloyd couldn't find himself able to sleep as the Bounty made its way back to their teashop. The oh so brave Green Ninja desperately didn't want to be alone at this moment. Even if technically Zane was in the same room as him, he clearly saw that this whole event has taken its own toll on the Ice Ninja. So Zane deserved to at least be given some peace, even for a short while.

His feet padded against the hard floor as quietly as he could while he sneaked out of the room, wandering the halls for signs of any of the others that could be awake as well.

Lloyd spotted Nya passed out in her room, no doubt exhausting from using her newly discovered power so much earlier. Cole & Jay fell asleep on each other in the other room, a wave of guilt flowing over him as he was reminded of Cole's new form. Uncle Wu and his Mother talked im hushed voices down the hall, no doubt about what they should do next. Only once Lloyd found himself wandering up onto the deck did he find Kai.

The fire ninja leaned over the railing as the ship soared through the clouds on autopilot. A small flicker of flame lit up in one of his hands as he manipulated it, seeming to test how much of his power has returned and what he can do with it.

"What're you doing up hotshot?" Lloyd almost jumped at the sudden question as Kai glanced back to look at him. It saved him from questioning himself however whether he should leave Kai to his own or not, as Kai's expression held a small welcoming smile upon his face.

"I can ask you the same thing," Lloyd answered while stepping over to stand with the red ninja. He joined him with leaning over the railing while clutching the blanket around him, relieving his body just a little. The breeze of flight flowing past his face and through his hair, making him close his eyes and he took it in with open arms. Morro may have been possessing him as the Master of Wind, but the rush of the natural wind of flying was something Lloyd adored and could never be taken away.

"Oh you know, like you, couldn't really lay down and pass out like everyone else," Kai spoke to continue their conversation, putting the flame in his hand out, "too much on my mind right now..."

Lloyd frowned as he turned to look at Kai who stared out ahead. He pondered what thoughts were running through the other's head, although he had no doubts it was a lot just as he stated. Yet, Lloyd didn't push to question him as he turned to stare out into the sky with him. A moment of calm silence taking over.

"... Hey, got any room under there?"

"Huh?" Lloyd turns to look at Kai with a raised brow. The red ninja smiled back.

"Under your blanket, doofus. It's chilly."

Lloyd couldn't help but snort.

"You're the Master of Fire, aren't you like your own personal heater?"

"Hey, whole that's mostly true, I can still get cold. Besides, looks comfy."

"It was Cole's, so of course there's room."

"Are you implying something there with him?"

"Hey, I wouldn't dare to try and insult Cole's larger size."

"Relax, relax, I'm only joking. I know you wouldn't, but c'mon, move over then and share some room under there."

Lloyd rolls his eyes, but nonetheless he lifts one side of the blanket up for Kai to take. He watches the fire ninja grab ahold as he ducks under the soft fabric, purposely bumping his body next to Lloyd's so they're huddled close underneath.

Lloyd feels his smile stay plastered on his face as he feels Kai radiate warmth. Adding a nice balance between warm and cold with himself and the cold breeze soaring through the air.

The younger boy only felt safety and comfort in that moment, leaning his head onto his brother's shoulder.

"Thanks Kai..."

"Of course, Bud.."

[impulsivefanwriter]

A Tiny Spark Leads to a Roaring Flame (But Flames Can Always be Doused by Water)

Heeyyyyy so y’all know the Reverse Thanos Snap AU for SPBNR? Basically everyone but Smith/S!Kai gets sent to the M!verse. Everyone. The entire population of S!verse Ninjago City & a few surrounding areas. Except poor Smith. Essentially it happens because S!Garmadon tries to send Smith to a place where he can't mess with his plans, and ends up sending everyone away from Smith to take him out of the equation. 

The second part to this AU is that the S!Ninja end up searching for Kai in the chaos and grab the Red Ninja before jetting out of there with the Bounty. Except... they didn’t grab Smith (who’s still home), but rather Red (M!Kai).

Red thinks the S!Ninja are babysitter clones created by Garmadon after he somehow turned Lloyd younger without his memories & is trying to raise him to be his new General #1. With this in mind, he pretends to be S!Kai, and waits for the moment he can rescue Lloyd.

What would happen in the S!Ninja discovered his deception/their mistake of grabbing a wrong Kai and mistake Red for a recreated Aki (aka Bizarro Evil Clone Kai) before he could enact his plan?

Well, this is that idea. (Title inspired by how a crack AU spiralled into a beautiful angst-fest)

Enjoy. :3

-----*-----

Red was going to get Lloyd out of here tonight. 

Away from these Not-Friends made by Garmadon to emulate the Ninjaforce. Away from this flying ship built to emulate Master Wu's ship, so familiar and yet so off. Away from this false reality and back to the real everything where they could hopefully get his memories back and his age back and everything back to the way it was before the city descended into chaos.

He just had to... bide his time. Be patient. 

FSM, he was bad at being patient. 

His hands itched to grab Lloyd and run now, but he was horribly outnumbered and without his mech. No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn't rush this. If he did, he would make everything worse. Like he always did.

But fate- or rather, Lloyd- had other plans.

The little version of his younger brother- yes, they were roughly the same age normally, shut up, Lloyd was still his younger brother- had been... eying him weird all morning. Not like Not-Jay and Not-Cole and Not-Zane, but like Not-Nya. Like he actually knew instead of suspected. These babysitter clones seemed to think he was the Not-Kai, and if that was the opportunity the universe was going to give him, then by the flames of the departed world was he going to skip this chance to save Lloyd.

Currently he stood on the deck of the ship as they parked in the sky a few meters above the docks on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't the docks with the Bounty warehouse, curse his luck, but it wasn't the endless sky or the empty ocean (though it was still too close to that murky, haunting water for his liking. Water was his sister's domain for a reason). At least he could sneak Lloyd off in the cover of night, maybe find someone in the city who wouldn't recognize the Son of Garmadon this way and would be willing to help them hide until they could make it back to the real ninja.

"Kai," Not-Zane spoke suddenly next to him. 

Red would never get used to the way his voice... lacked the same effect the real Zane's had. The effect that Kai and the rest of his team had assured their friend over and over was unique, special, but in a good way. To embrace it. That it wasn't noticeable, but when it was, that it was so Zane that his friends didn't care that it was different. 

This 'Zane' sounded much too different than his own. He hadn't recognized Kai's tested line of 'road work ahead' when they passed one of the many construction signs littering the city (even more so since the chaos happened a week ago), and instead had responded with 'a great deal of work to fix in the city'. 

Seriously, Garmadon, do better research on your clones.

Not-Zane was also much too... calm. Too 'wise' compared to the wild teen that was Zane. And he walked without heelies or whatever Zane used to slide around like a boss, though he was still silent. And that meant, like now, he snuck up on Red fairly often- and Red was training to be a Ninja, so that took serious talent. 

"Kai," Not-Zane said again, and Red finally broke his gaze from where he'd been staring over the railing, planning tonight's escape route. "Lunch has been made for over an hour. Are you alright?"

Red forced his brightest smile. "Course I'm alright! Just trying to figure out what happened, as usual."

Why Lloyd was suddenly like, 8, and without his memories. Why the Not-Friends were on this Not-Ship and had mistaken him for Not-Kai. Why the city was in a state of disarray and chaos. 

Not-Zane studied him, then turned to give the city a sad look. "I'm not sure myself. My scanners can't seem to figure out what is happening. It is as if... blocked by some force."

Red winced, then expertly disguised the move by leaning against the rail. Zane never would use 'my scanners', despite how often Red and the others assured him it was okay. Yet another reason why this wasn't his friend.

"You know Ninjago City," Red said with a weak laugh. "Always one crisis or another. Always those annoying Garmadon Attacks"

This seemed to satisfy Not-Zane, who nodded thoughtfully. "This event definitely seems to have Garmadon's hand in the mess."

He patted Red on the back. "Well, don't worry yourself ragged, Kai. Come in for lunch soon, alright? We have training for Lloyd later."

Ah, right. Training. AKA what Red assumed was how Garmadon was planning to shape this impressionable version of his friend into his new General #1.  

"I'm ready for training now, Zane!"

Speaking of Lloyd- 

The little gremlin came up from the hull with the rest of the Not-Ninja. Red hated when the entire group was together; it was way more difficult to act as Not-Kai around them, especially around Not-Nya. 

For starters, Not-Jay had a notch in his eyebrow that the real Jay never had. He was missing the iconic freckles, and the scarf, and the fluffy hair, though you could always say it was just a wardrobe change. What you couldn't change was the personality differences. This couldn’t be Jay. Jay was anxious and quiet, his jokes (while plentiful) said more timidly and his newest ideas shared with hesitance that only shrank after years of encouragement. He would never be this loud, ever. 

Not-Cole was the leader, probably because Lloyd was so young. But even then, in Red's team, Nya would probably take second-command. Cole was their sturdy support, yes, but he was chill, laid-back. Ready to follow and support his friends to the ends of the earth with his tunes and occasional sarcastic wit, but not lead. Not like Not-Cole, who was more serious and commanding and didn't. listen. to. music. Red hadn't spotted a single record or boombox in the room in the hull. That was a tragic oversight on Garmadon's part. The members of his research team should be Fired.

And then there was Not-Nya. Who wore a dress with confidence that his sister would love but never publicly wear. Who had short hair- Nya had tried that style once, and decided it itched around her neck too much- and jewelry, and a giant flying Samurai mech suit. His sister had the Water Strider Mech, and Not-Nya had a flying combat suit. Sure. Close enough. Personality-wise they were similar. 

Similar at first glance. Nya was fluid and adaptable to whatever role she needed filling. She was spunky, and as fiery as him when it came to tempers, though she knew how to keep hers in check (she had to, right? No one called her hot-headed and impulsive and reckless and blamed her temper for mistakes or damage or whatever the news comments liked to say about the Fire Mech). Not-Nya was also adaptable and independent-minded, but she seemed more rigid. More doing her own thing. 

Point was, everyone wasn't actually his friends, despite how much they tried to prove they were. And they kept acting like he was this Not-Kai, who was just as hot-headed but apparently more mature and training-oriented and basically the better, cooler (or hotter, perhaps, for the fire theme of the red ninja) him, since his acting never seemed to fully convince them. Trying to impersonate a standard he couldn't seem to reach, some legendary hero he wasn't- er, wasn't yet! Yeah! He just needed to prove himself, be better, and he'd be fine. Just... fine. Yeah.

Mini-Lloyd (Red was tempted to call him L'ilyod in his head, but that felt wrong somehow, like he was infringing on some kind of copyright law) stared at him like a goddamn falcon, and he wasn't talking about the bird that circled the ship. He had this bowl-cut Red would tease him about endlessly after all this was over- seriously, how had Mr. Fabulous Hair started with this mess? Garmadon probably didn't even have hair, so there was no way the guy knew how to style it, and it was very evident based on Mini-Lloyd's hairdo. 

Red noticed that all of them were staring, actually. Despite his relaxed rest against the rails, his fingers behind his back clutched the cool bar with a dull shake. He didn't notice how the metal seemed to glow red under his touch. 

"Training, right, we should get onto that," Red tried. "What do you want to start with, Lloyd?" 

"How about a little game?" Lloyd asked with complete innocence. "What we were playing last week before we got interrupted."

Oh sh!t. 

"I-I don't know, shouldn't we start with stretches? Or how about some sparring, that's always more fun than a game!"

"But I wanted to continue our game..." Mini Lloyd said, and FSM's sake, he couldn't deal with that pouting look.

Okay. Okay, don't panic. Think logically. What kind of game would an 8-year-old Lloyd like to play with him? Something physical, so no board games- he liked to test his mettle against Zane on those, and sometimes he would almost not-lose. Logic puzzles also fell more on Jay's area. Trivia, especially music trivia, was a bubble between the anxious motormouth and Cole. Video games fell on team building, and wouldn't classify as a training warmup.

"Well," Red said, taking a hopeful stab in the dark. "There's not too much space on the deck for... tag..."

Lloyd nodded, looking satisfied. The Not-Ninja looked- well, their expressions were hard to read because of how different it was compared to his friends. But Red was a master of deception (well, fire, but eh, technicalities), and he had them fooled, and he just had to keep it up until nightfall so he could rescue Lloyd and explain in a safe location-

"HE'S NOT KAI!"

Orrrrr improvise. Okay, yep, he could improvise. 

Red lunged forward and grabbed Mini Lloyd's wrist from where he had his hand extended in an accusatory point. He ducked under Not-Jay's attempts to grab him- fast, but not as fast as his Jay, his Jay who could disappear from an awkward social interaction in the span of a flickering lightbulb- and dragged his younger brother with him as he vaulted over the railing. Not-Zane almost managed to yank him back onto the Not-ship, but his icy grip caught only empty air as Red pulled Lloyd into a tight hold and ducked.

He hit the dock below with a stumble, rolling back onto his feet and taking off with a very stubborn green ninja in tow. It took all his strength to drag Lloyd (kicking and screaming like he was being kidnapped or something when Red was just trying to rescue him, for FSM's sake. Lloyd didn't know that, but he could still try to be at least a little more considerate.)

The wooden docks creaked and shuddered underfoot and Red grimaced; whoever rebuilt them after the latest Garmadon attack had shredded them like newspaper clearly hadn't wasted any unnecessary change. It certainly didn't help that Lloyd packed quite the punch for someone so small. Red definitely would come out of this with bruised shins and arms from where Mini Lloyd tried to push him away, but it would be worth it to keep his teammate, his younger brother, safe.

Then green filled his vision and broke his hold on Lloyd's wrist, sending him skidding across the dock planks as he was sent flying. When he finally rolled to a stop, neck and shoulder stinging from where the blast had caught him (no burns, just jitters like he'd been shocked), he had to take a few seconds to re-orient himself. Did the Not-Ship have cannons or something? What hit him from behind, so close it could have hit Lloyd?

Lloyd. Was Lloyd okay?

Red pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the bleeding scrapes on his hands and legs from where he'd gotten banged up by the splintered docks. His gaze, sharp and frantic, searched for signs of green. The warning of more blasts, the flash of the fabric of a gi, anything.

He spotted his brother in the arms of Not-Cole. No, no, no-

And suddenly Not-Nya was there, given a boost by Not-Jay. Her grip was as if she were wearing the robotic mech suit, harsh and powerful and near in-human. She threw Red back to the dock floor as her face twisted with the fury of a storming ocean. A resounding crack rang out over the harbour.

Red couldn't tell if it came from the planks under him or his own shoulder.

She pinned him to the wood, barking accusations and threats in his face faster than Not-Jay could talk. Red blinked through a haze of pain, trying to focus on her face and words. She was missing the beauty mark on her face, he noticed. Yet another tell she wasn't his sister.

"-scar on the wrong side-" And it was hard to hear again over the ringing in his ears. He tried to throw her off, get back to Lloyd, anything, but he was-

Useless. 

Her hands suddenly got in his face, slamming his left cheek to the wood. She was close- close to his face, close to his eye, close to his scar- pushing and prying as she tried to do something. Red picked up in his struggling, his attempts to free himself turning to desperate shoves and wild clawing like a trapped animal. He wouldn't let this creation of Garmadon's finish the job that teen had started all those years ago. 

"Or better yet, he needs to shut his damn mouth."

The flash of a knife. His vision half-blurry. Blood- so much blood- and a lasting scar.

"-contacts-" "-red-" "-struggling-" "-we know what he- it- is already-" "-not the real Kai-" "-wish-" "-Garmadon-"

He had to get away. Get Lloyd away from them now.

In one surge of strength- and yep, his shoulder definitely wasn't okay after that move, as if he'd ripped it not just from its socket but from its very attachment to his body- he knocked Not-Nya aside. If he could’ve seen through the red haze, he might have noticed red embers dancing around his fingertips as his desperation and fear tapped into something deep in his soul.

He tried to shoot to his feet, tried to run for Lloyd (held so tight in Not-Cole's grip, surely they were hurting him, he couldn't let that happen-). He roared, "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!", but before he could take another step through Not-Jay and Not-Zane in his path, the docks gave one last ominous shudder  before deciding it had finally had enough.

The planks crumbled underfoot like charred firewood in a crackling campfire, and Red was sent tumbling into the frigid ocean water below.

[watchmegetobsessed]

Serendipity - Part IV. (Harry Styles)

a/n: can’t believe only one part left of this story! i personally love their journey and a lot more is to come, we have an emotional last part ahead of us, so brace yourself! as always, feedback is very much appreciated!!

pairing: Harry x OC (Annalise Lloyd)

word count: 9.4k

SERIES MASTERPOST  ⚫️ my masterlist  ⚫️  come and talk to me about Serendipity!  

Serendipity (n.) Finding something good without looking for it.

Sometimes Harry finds himself way too caught up with everything around him. Work tends to pile up, meetings after meetings, urging deadlines and the demand to stay relevant in the industry. These past weeks he has tried his best to make London the epitome of his life and so far he has been successful in his attempt, dodging two trips away from his home, though he had to make a short visit to New York still.

Now, even though he is in London, he feels like he is far from home. He hasn’t been able to see Lis in three days, their schedules just didn’t line up well and he would never ask her to mess up her usual routine with Benji, but he has been missing her dearly. He has been missing them both. Harry found himself growing a liking to being around not just Lis, but her little boy as well. He loves playing around with him, joining the mother-son duo on their little outings on Sundays, or just simply stay in with them, watching whatever movie has caught Benji’s eyes recently. He has been spending all his free time with them, but this week has been too hectic and now Harry feels like it’s coming down crashing on him at once.

It’s past eight pm now and he just finished with a tiring meeting. He has had many creative differences with the team he is supposed to work together with for a photoshoot and it took all his energy and patience out of him to stay calm and respectful when they just wouldn’t let go of the things he clearly didn’t want to include. It didn’t matter what he or his manager was saying, the team seemed to be keen on putting their ideas through no matter what.

“We’ll come to terms, alright?” Jeff pats his shoulder as they walk out of the building. Harry nods, though he doesn’t feel comfortable in the project like he is supposed to.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Rest some. I pushed a little further your interview tomorrow. You have to be there at eleven.”

“Thanks,” he nods at the man and they say their goodbyes before parting ways and heading to their own cars.

Once he is seated behind the wheel, he takes a moment to himself, breathing deep to get his head sorted out, but he just knows this ache in his chest will grow if he doesn’t do something to ease it. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he closes his eyes as he starts a call to Lis.

“Hey! I was just thinking about you.” Her sweet voice immediately eases the tension in his muscles and he feels himself deflate at her words.

“Yeah?”

“Yes, Benji showed me his painting he made today and it has this nice guitar on it, I’m sure you’d like it,” she chuckles softly and he hears her shuffling around, she must be cleaning up the kitchen, at least that’s what she usually does around this time once they are finished with dinner.

“I bet it looks awesome,” he mumbles.

“Everything alright? You sound a little… distant,” she says, worry lacing through her words.

“I’m just… tired. Very tired. Just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” she coos. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“It’s just work stuff. It’s been a hard week,” he admits, but doesn’t go into detail, not wanting to load out on her. She has enough on her plate without having to listen to his ranting.

“Are you at home?”

“No, I just got done at a meeting. It was shitty, some people just suck,” he sighs in frustration.

“Want to come over?” she asks softly, the question surprises him. It’s a weekday and they didn’t agree on meeting beforehand. “Go home, get the stuff you need and spend the night here, if you want.”

“You sure about it? I don’t want to bother and what about Benji?” Lis chuckles on the other end of the call.

“Benji would jump up the wall if he hears you are coming over. He has been missing you too, Harry. In fact, I think if you come over you won’t be able to get rid of him for a while.”

Harry chuckles lowly, the thought of having to play with Benji whatever imaginary game he just made up warms his chest. He doesn’t mind it, not even a bit.

“I can be there in like forty.”

“That’s perfect. We are starting Finding Nemo just now. Hurry so you can see the end. Spoiler, they find Nemo,” she laughs making him smile as well.

“Alright, see you in a bit.”

 Annalise ends the call, smiling to herself. She still hasn’t gotten used to the feeling Harry brings to her. All the affection and appreciation he has been showing made her swoon and she has no doubt now that she made the right choice when she let him enter her life. She could tell he wasn’t in the best of moods and though he didn’t admit it, he couldn’t fool her entirely. She wanted to be there for him, comfort him just like he does every time she is feeling overwhelmed with life. Harry hasn’t failed to brighten her days whenever it was starting to feel a little too much all together and now she has the chance to do the same for him.

“Popcorn! Popcorn!” Benji chants as he runs into the kitchen, already in his pajamas, holding one of his dinosaurs in his hand.

“Alright, I’m making it now,” she chuckles grabbing a pack and tossing it into the microwave. “Harry will come over in a bit, is that alright?” she asks him and watches his eyes brighten up immediately.

“When is he arriving? Can I show him my painting?” he enthuses right away, making Lis chuckle.

“Of course, already told him about it. He’ll be over soon. Let’s start the movie, he’ll join when he arrives.”

The two of them settle on the couch once the popcorn is ready, she puts on the movie and tries her best to focus on the screen, but she keeps glancing out the window, checking if he has arrived. When she sees his headlights pull up in front of her house, she leaves the comfort of the couch and goes to meet him outside. Luckily, Benji is too invested in the movie to care about the absence of his mother just yet.

When she sees him emerge from the car, she can tell he isn’t his usual joyful self. His shoulders are hunched forward and she can tell he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in a while from the circles under his eyes. Looking up his gaze meets hers and he breaks a soft smile at the sight of her in her comfy home clothes.

“Hey,” she greets him warmly and walking up she kisses him sweetly, running her fingers through his hair. He hums against her lips, hands finding her waist lazily.

“Hi. You sure I’m not bothering?” he asks as he grabs his bag for the night from the back of the car.

“Absolutely,” she smiles and taking his hand she pulls him inside from the crispy evening air.

Benji’s head snaps up hearing the front door shut and he immediately leaps out of his seat, launching at the man that just arrived.

“Harry! Come see my painting!” he begs immediately, smacking against him, wrapping his short arms around his waist. Harry chuckles lightly, rubbing his back gently.

“Alright, bud. Show me!”

The three of them move over to the kitchen so Harry can check out the painting on the fridge. Harry listens to everything he has to say, giving him his full attention and Annalise can’t ignore how her heart flutters in her chest at the sight of them. Harry squats down so he is on the level of the little boy who is standing between his legs, talking enthusiastically about the kind of paint his teacher let him use at school. He doesn’t seem to be just acting to be interested, it’s all genuine and that alone almost makes her cry.

Once the show and tell is done, Benji drags him into the living room so they can continue the movie.

“Slow down, Benji. Let me bring my stuff up to the bedroom,” Harry chuckles, but the boy has a strong grip on his hand.

“I’ll do it, just go watch the movie,” Lis offers smiling. Harry presses a kiss to her temple, mumbling a thank you as she takes the bag from him before he is taken by her son.

Bringing it into her bedroom she sets it beside the bed and gets him a clean towel, placing it to the edge of the bed in case he needs it. Once the lights are all turned off she heads back down to the living room, only to find a scene that immediately makes her swoon.

The movie is playing again and has both guys’ eyes fixed on the screen. Harry is sitting comfortable on the couch, slid down a little, Benji cuddled to his side, his little fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt. His head is laid on Harry’s chest while his long, tattooed arm is wrapped around the little boy’s frame. Just as she walked down the stairs Benji mumbled a question about sharks and Harry softly answered, earning a nod from the boy in his arm.

Lis finds herself grabbing her phone from the kitchen island, quietly sneaking up on them, taking a picture of the two from the side. She is more than sure it’s going to end up as her lockscreen sooner or later.

Harry lifts his head and turns towards her when she walks in, making her presence known this time. A soft smile tugs on his pink lips and Annalise can’t push down her wide smile even if she tried. Sitting beside the boys, she leans closer and presses a kiss to Harry’s lips before placing one on top of Benji’s head. This is her silent thank you to Harry for being such an amazing man and he can feel the seriousness behind this small gesture as well.

When Lis is all settled, Benji moves around until his head is still on Harry’s chest but his legs are across his mother’s lap. Harry and Lis exchange one last loving look over the head of the little boy before they both turn their attention back at the movie playing on the screen.

Benji is half asleep by the end of the movie. Harry offers to carry him up to bed, which Lis appreciates a lot. She hasn’t been able to carry him around that much since he has been growing like crazy. Once the boy is all settled in his bed the two of them head into her bedroom. First he takes a quick shower and then it’s her turn. When she returns to the room Harry is lying in bed already, reading something on his phone but he quickly puts it aside when she appears. She quickly gets under the covers and moves close to Harry, resting her head on his shoulder as he circles his arm around her frame.

“I’m sorry you had a shitty day,” she mumbles after a while, his fingers gently caressing her upper arm.

“It definitely got better at the end.” After a short silence, she is the one to speak up again.

“I like having you around like this.”

“Like what?”

Lifting her head she rests her chin on his chest so she can look him in the eyes.

“Domestically,” she answers and his heart starts thudding against his chest so wildly even she notices it.

“I love it too,” he tells her truthfully.

As he stares down at her in the dim lighting of the bedside lamp on her nightstand, he can feel three short words weighing down on him, burning to be said out loud, but he is not sure if it’s the right moment to let them slip. However, as the moments pass by and she is still looking up at him, he simply can’t make himself remain silent.

“And… I love you.”

She seems stunned upon hearing his words, lips parted as her eyes keep fixated on his green ones. Pushing herself up into a sitting position she lets the faintest smile tug on her lips, tasting the words that just rolled down his tongue. Cupping his face she leans down and kisses him blissfully, her cheeks blushing from the joy that spread in her body at his confession.

“I love you too,” she whispers against his lips and he breathes out shakily, a hand flying to the back of her head to pull her into another kiss.

“See? It wasn’t tha’ hard, right?” Harry smiles down at Benji who nods his head, admiring his math homework Harry just helped him finish.

“Thanks. I think I like math now,” the boy nods to himself, making both Harry and Lis chuckle.

“Your opinion about math seems to be changing quite often, Benji,” Lis teases him, but he just shrugs his shoulders. “Go pack your bag for tomorrow.”

Benji climbs off the stool, grabs his notebook and pencils before jolting upstairs. Annalise walks around the kitchen island until Harry can reach out and pull her closer to him, placing a chaste kiss to her lips.

“I wanted to ask you something,” she shyly blinks up at him.

“Go ahead,” he nods. Her hands wander to his stomach, curling the fabric of his shirt around her fingers before letting it go. Harry has been spending at least two nights at Annalise’s, he has his own drawer in her dresser, a toothbrush in the bathroom and even a mug only he uses when he drinks his morning coffee. Following the night he spent here after his shitty day, it slowly became a usual, they both found themselves craving to be with each other and Benji didn’t seem to mind having him over either. Now it’s stretching towards the end of May and they have fallen into a routine of some sort, that seems to be working well for all three of them.

“When school is going to be over I’ll be taking Benji to my parents’ and he’ll stay there for the first two weeks of summer vacation. I’m staying for a weekend as well before I leave him there and I was wondering if… you’d like to come, maybe.”

“You want me to meet your parents?” Harry asks, stunned at the sudden invitation, but it surely warms his heart, knowing that she is ready to take this next step.

“I mean, if you don’t think it’s too soon or something. We’ve been dating for only what, like two months?”

“Something like that,” he nods licking his lips.

“Don’t feel pressured, it’s just that I told my mum about you and she really wants to meet you. But I understand if you want to push it back a little.”

“You told your mum about me?”

“Of course,” she smiles shyly. “She is dying to meet this new, charming boyfriend of mine.” Her smile turns into a smirk that’s surely contagious. Harry mirrors her expression before pecking her lips softly.

“I would love to meet your parents, Lis.”

Her eyes light up and he knows he would do anything to see her happy. Meeting her parents feels a tad bit scary but he is also excited, knowing that she trusts him and counts on him on such level is comforting.

“Great. Then get ready to be questioned by my mum, she can be a pester sometimes, but I have no doubt you’ll pass,” she chuckles before kissing him fully.

“So Benji will be away for two weeks?” he asks, seemingly deep in his thoughts.

“Yeah.” Harry licks his lips, eyebrows furrowed and Lis can tell the gears are turning wildly in his head. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s just an idea. You can say no if you don’t feel like you’re comfortable with it, but… I was thinking that you could stay at mine for those two weeks. Would be nice to come home to each other, start our days together and all. But it’s just an idea, you can absolutely tell me if yo—“

“I would love that,” she cuts him off smiling, her hands coming up to cup his cheeks. “I think it would be great.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm,” she nods smirking, her thoughts already wandering off to how convenient it’s going to be to be around each other all the time when they are not working. No interruptions, no third parties, just the two of them in the comfort of Harry’s home. She would be crazy to say no to that.

“Great,” he smiles, eyes shining bright. “I’ll make you a copy of my keys then.”

Suzan and George Lloyd live in the outer skirt of Manchester, a place that almost feels like home for Harry as well. The cozy looking town house appears to be old, but it’s clear that it is well kept, thanks to all the hours the couple puts into it.

“Grams! Gramps!” Benji cheers in excitement once Harry parks down on the driveway. The red front door opens and a short, curvy woman appears, her chestnut hair in a short ponytail, a green apron covering her front.

“She is big on kisses,” Lis warns Harry before they all get out of the car.

Benji runs up to his grandmother happily, giving her a tight hug as the woman coos at him lovingly. Lis grabs Benji’s bag while Harry carries hers and his, walking up to the front door where Suzan is already waiting for them with open arms.

“Lisie! Come here!” she cheers, her laugh chiming sweetly as she wraps her arms around her daughter, kissing her cheek several times.

“Hi mum. How are you?”

“Fantastic now that I have my favorite grandson with me!” she cheekily answers winking at Benji, though they all know he is the only grandson she has.

“Mum, this is Harry, my boyfriend. Harry, this is my mother,” Lis introduces them to each other. Harry drops the bags to the ground with a wide grin on his face that brings out his dimples well. Suzan immediately falls in love with them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lloyd,” he politely greets her, though she waves in dismissal.

“Oh, call me Suzan. Come here, Dear!”

They share a warm hug and just as Lis warned him, he feels Suzan kissing both his cheeks welcomingly.

“You surely are more handsome than in the photos!” she exclaims, making Harry chuckle.

“Apologies, she is a big Google user,” Lis huffs, but Suzan ignores the comment, tugging her family inside.

George appears from the kitchen, chewing on something as Benji jumps into his arms.

“Gramps, we will go fishing, right?” he asks in excitement.

“Of course, Benji. Next weekend?”

“Yay!”

“Lisie!” George cheers and envelopes his daughter in a hug after he has put Benji down. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you, Dad,” she smiled. “This is Harry. Harry, this is my dad.”

“Nice to meet your, Sir,” Harry smiles at him as they shake hands and luckily, George returns his smile with a gentle pat on his shoulder.

“Call me George. Nice to meet you too.”

Soon enough Lis goes upstairs to help Benji get settled in the room that used to be hers but now mostly used by the boy when he is staying over, leaving Harry alone with Suzan and George. Suzan has brought some tea and biscuits into the living room and she joins the two men as George is already asking him about what he really does for a living.

“Lisie said you are some kind of celebrity?” George explains, looking a little puzzled at the information though.

“Kind of,” Harry nods. “I’m a singer and song writer.”

“George, I showed you his song the other day!” Suzan chimes in, sitting in the armchair.

“Which one? You show me so many things a day, I can’t remember all of them!”

“The one with the video about the fish!”

“Fish?” George grimaces, trying to find his memory of what his wife showed him, but then it pops in and his expression smoothes out. “Oh! That one! That’s a nice song!”

“Of course it is!” Suzan exclaims. Harry finds the conversation rather endearing. It’s always so relieving to meet people who are not so caught up in the world of fame, having trouble to even remember his full name. Though Suzan has done her homework digging online, it’s still clear that she hasn’t heard much about him beforehand and Harry prefers it this way, not having to worry about and secondhand judgment from the media.

Suzan turns to Harry and her eyes give it away that she is about to have a few serious words with him.

“Harry, I’m so glad you could make it this weekend. Lis talked so fondly about you on the phone.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”

“It seems like Benji likes you a lot too.”

“He is an amazing little boy.” Suzan lets out a long breath and he knows this is where the real talk begins.

“I can tell your intentions are the best with her, but please be extra careful with them. She has had enough trouble with Austin, she doesn’t need another heartbreak, yeah?”

“I completely understand your concerns and I can assure you, I’m always doing everything in their favor.”

“That I know, Harry,” she smiles. “But sometimes things just get harder and people tend to forget you have to fight for what you thought was already fully yours.”

Harry holds his gaze on hers as he savors the meaning behind her rather wise words. He knows it was no thread, but a reminder that they won’t be always this happy.

“Will try my best,” he nods, meaning every single word.

It’s a silent agreement between the two of them that Harry will hope to keep forever. Benji comes running down the stairs, Lis following behind him as they join the three of them in the living room. Benji sits on Suzan’s lap, rambling about his last fieldtrip he had with his class as Lis sits beside Harry on the sofa. She places a hand to his knee, squeezing it softly and his palm covers her hand instantly.

“You alright?” she quietly asks him.

“Yeah,” he smiles and leaning closer he pecks her lips shortly before they both turn towards Benji and Suzan.

Monday morning, when Annalise’s alarm goes off on her phone, she can’t tell where she really is for a moment, it is until she hears Harry groan behind her, an arm lazily thrown over her stomach. They arrived back from Manchester the previous night and after a quick trip to Annalise’s house, they both moved over to Harry’s place where they are set to spend the next two weeks, something they both have been looking forward to.

Harry places a soft kiss to her shoulder before rolling to his back, blinking the sleep away from his tired eyes. Though they both knew they would have to wake up early in the morning, it didn’t keep them away from using their alone time for their satisfaction.

“Mm, I know you love your job, but right now I wish you would just quit it,” Harry mumbles, eyes still closed as he is trying to gain strength to get up. Lis chuckles softly, cuddling to his side.

“You know… I forgot I don’t need to get Benji ready now so we are about half an hour early,” she inquires, hoping Harry would get the real meaning behind her words, however he is too tired to do much thinking about what she truly meant.

“Great, 30 more minutes of sleep,” he exhales.

“Or…” Lis pushes herself up and swings a leg over Harry, getting on top of him and the position surely makes his eyes pop open. “We could use our time wisely,” she suggests with a coy smile.

“Rise and shine, baby,” he sings, his hands grabbing onto her hips as he turns them over, getting on top of her while she laughs at how quickly she could get the sleep out of his eyes.

After they have successfully used their extra time wisely, Harry convinces her to let him drive her to work.

“Then you’ll have to pick me up too.”

“Well of course. We could go grocery shopping together on our way home. Want to cook you something nice,” he smirks at her, finishing up his morning coffee.

“Sounds good,” she nods, accepting his offer at last.

The two of them get ready to leave and though it’s still a bit strange to spend their morning together at such a peaceful and private manner, they can’t deny how much they love being alone. Harry loved having her around, see her brushing her hair while he was getting dressed, move around each other in the kitchen while making breakfast. His home has never felt better than at that very morning with Annalise there with him.

“I’ll be here at four,” he smiles at her once they arrive to Golden Sunshine. Leaning over the shifting gear she pulls him in for a quick goodbye kiss.

“Don’t be late,” she smirks playfully before getting out of the car and heading inside. She turns back before entering the building, seeing that Harry is still watching her. She smiles and waves at him before walking inside.

Eloise and Bart are right there as always, the old lady’s eyes immediately lighting up when she sees Lis arrive.

“Darling! You look stunning!” she gasps looking at her.

“Thank you. You look nice as well. Is that a new cardigan?”

“Well, yes! My granddaughter bought it for me!”

“Looks amazing.”

“Thank you. Now tell me, what is it that got you all bright this morning? I don’t tend to see people this happy on Monday mornings.”

Lis stops in her way, her eyes wandering over to the front door. Harry is gone, but the thought of him still lingers in her mind, making her smile with every bit of it.

“It’s love, Eloise,” she answers shortly before making her way into the changing room.

Before starting her shift she drops by her boss’ office to sign her attendance sheet for last month. As she puts her hair in a low ponytail she walks into the room that’s used as a waiting area in front of Mark, her boss’ office. Immediately, she is greeted by Grace, the assistant there.

“Good morning, Annalise!” she nods in her way smiling. “Good thing you dropped by, Mark wants to talk to you.”

“Am I in trouble?” she asks right away, but Grace shakes her head.

“Don’t think so.”

Just as it’s said, Mark rushes through the door with a pile of papers in his hands, his colorful tie a little crooked, but he looks just as nice as every day.

“Oh! Lis, so happy you are here so I don’t have to hunt you down,” he jokes. “Come into my office, will you?”

Lis follows the man inside and sits in one of the plush armchairs in front of his desk. He stacks the papers on the side of the desk before taking his seat behind it.

“Benji gone already?” he asks nicely. Mark knows Benji very well, the boy loves him and Lis is thankful Mark is so understanding about her role as a mother first and foremost.

“Yes, dropped him off this weekend.”

“Great,” he nods, a hint of worry in his eyes.

“Mark, what is it you wanted to talk about? You are starting to worry me.”

“I wouldn’t want that, but I need to tell you about something. You know the new assistant I hired for the weekends, right?”

“Yes, I met Violet the other week,” she nods, cautiously waiting for him to finally make sense.

“She is still learning her ways around and I swear she didn’t mean to bring trouble upon you,” he explains, clearly worried about the situation on hand that Lis is dying to finally unfold.

“Mark, just tell me what it is about!” she begs.

“We got a call this weekend from a man. He was asking around about you. Wanted to know if you are working here. Violet didn’t think anything of it and told him that you in fact work here. She said he started asking when your shifts are and how often you are in, that’s when she found it suspicious and told him she can’t provide any more information. She didn’t find out his intentions, but she indeed got his name.”

Though it hasn’t been said out, Lis has a strong guess who it must have been and the eerie gut feeling inside her stomach is more painful than ever.

“Who was it?” she asks, voice barely more than just a whisper.

“He said his name was Austin.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Styles,” the woman behind the cash register smiles as she hands Harry his receipt along with the two hard paper bags, the well-known name GUCCI printed over them neatly.

“Thank you,” he smiles in his way, sliding his wallet into his back pocket before grabbing the bags and heading out of the store he just spent an hour trying on outfits. He is always highly welcomed in any of their stores and judging from the amount of money he usually leaves after a spree, it won’t be any different anytime soon.

“Gucci should change its name to Styles, man,” Mitch jokes as the two men approach the exit.

“That would be cool, right?” Harry smirks.

There are three photographers already waiting for them near his car and the moment they set their feet outside the questions start, flashes are ticking every second, all of them trying to get a good shot of him. He doesn’t blame them, he hasn’t served anything mentionable lately, he was barely even seen out in public since he has started going out with Lis and he was kind of getting used to the quiet and peace, however he hasn’t forgotten what his life is really like.

Ignoring all questions thrown in his way, the two men simply get into the car and drive away, luckily, they don’t get followed. It only happened a handful of times to Harry, but he definitely didn’t like it.

“Can you drop me off at Sarah’s?” Mitch asks after checking his phone.

“Sure. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, she just asked if I could help her put together her new coffee table.”

“Didn’t she buy one just last month?”

“She did, but… it wasn’t too durable,” Mitch mumbles under his breath, making Harry gasp at his comment.

“Oh shit!” he laughs. “I’m not sure if I wanted to know this detail, but anyway, congrats man,” he teases him, Mitch only smirking shyly.

“Don’t pretend like you haven’t ruined anything ever while having sex.”

“Never said that,” he smirks smugly.

“I’m not gonna ask what you and Lis broke, I have too much respect for her,” Mitch laughs and Harry pays him a playful smirk. To be honest, they haven’t broken anything, but his headboard was creaking quite vigorously this morning for sure. He knows it’s just a matter of time and chances that they destroy something at either his or her place.

“How is living together working out so far?” Mitch asks, changing the topic.

“It’s been not even a whole day,” Harry chuckles. “But I love it so far. For the first time in so long, I finally feel like everything is just heading right.”

“That’s amazing. I’m happy for you,” Mitch smiles genuinely at him. “You really should bring her around sometime, we are all dying to meet her. Sarah wouldn’t shut up about it,” he adds chuckling.

“I know, she’s been hinting it to me as well,” Harry smirks. “Will try to make it happen. Maybe this weekend? It’s a little easier without having to worry about Benji. Not that he is a burden, of course.”

After dropping Mitch off Harry heads to Golden Sunshine, since it’s nearing five. This week, Lis agreed to work a usual shift so she’ll have the whole weekend off. He arrives a little earlier so he starts to write a quick list what they would need to pick up at Tesco on their way home. Just a few minutes after five, the door opens and Lis walks out, a wary look on her beautiful face as she roams around stepping outside, her eyes landing on the car and the man inside waiting for her.

“Hey,” Harry beams, kissing her quickly when she gets in the car.

“Hi,” she greets him, a little out of breath, looking a tad bit on the edge.

“Everything alright?” he asks, starting the car and leaving.

“Yeah, I just… had a tiring day,” she breathes out, flashing a weak smile at him.

Walking around Tesco they quite forget about themselves, holding hands and simply acting like any other couples as they fill up the cart with everything they need at home. They both notice that people recognize him and she can’t ignore the stares they are getting, but it’s not like they can do anything about it. Earlier, they’ve had a talk about this side of Harry’s career, if they would want to keep out of public or simply not care about it at all. They uniformly agreed to choose the latter. Harry wouldn’t talk about her and they would just simply pretend not to care about the curious eyes and talks. Sooner or later, it will all die down and it’s not like they could hide forever.

But after all, this is the first time they are caught, undeniably together with their hands intertwined and though they try to stay low, people notice them. Pictures of the two of them slowly but surely make their way around the internet and the first headlines appear about Harry’s new romance.

Saturday has finally brought the first time Lis is meeting Harry’s band. The lot is heading out for a simple dinner, but his friends can’t wait to finally meet the woman who has Harry on his knees since day one.

It’s been a tiring, but wholesome week for the pair, spending so much time together, they’ve been quite enjoying the comfort of being alone.

However, the wariness Harry has noticed on Lis earlier the week didn’t seem to fade. He asked her several times if everything was fine, but she assured it was all good and he told himself she must just be feeling a little lost without Benji around. He knows, because he has found himself feeling the same. He has gotten so used to him being around it was starting to feel weird not hearing his curious questions every time they were watching a movie.

Following a lazy day at home they get ready for dinner and head out to meet the band. Lis has been paying extra attention to her looks since their pictures got out from their grocery shopping trip. When Harry told her she didn’t have to worry about looking so spotless all the time she simply answered: “Can’t have them talk about you dating an uggo, right?”

To which Harry replied: “That can never be the case when it comes to you.”

It surely warmed her heart to know he finds her pretty regardless of what she is wearing, but she still feels the need to look presentable, especially when Harry is always dressed so nicely.

Tonight, she is wearing wide-legged checkered pants and a sleeveless turtleneck tucked in it, paired with silver hoop earrings. Emerging from the bedroom Harry takes her in smiling.

“You look so serious yet fun at the same time,” he hums, eyes still roaming her body.

“Is that good?” she chuckles lightly.

“Definitely,” he nods. “Ready to leave?”

“Yeah.”

On the way to the restaurant, Harry notices how she’s been checking her phone more frequently than usually and it’s been like this for a few days now. When he asked she said she was just texting with her mum, getting updates about Benji and he didn’t have any reason not to believe her.

“There she is!” Sarah cheers as soon as the pair walks into the place. Jumping from her seat she rushes over and pulls Lis into a tight hug, making her chuckle. “I’m so happy we can finally meet you! I’m Sarah,” she grins widely, giving her two kisses on the cheeks.

“Hi, Nice to meet you. I’m Annalise, but I guess you already know that,” she jokes with an airy laugh.

“There was no other way with this dude always talking about you,” Sarah chuckles giving a look to Harry, who just shrugs his shoulders, not even trying to mask his affection towards Lis. “Come on, only Charlotte is missing, but she is always running late.”

Arriving to their table Lis is greeted by the rest of the band and everyone warmly introduces themselves to her, Charlotte arriving just when Harry and Lis take their seats at the table. Though Harry had no doubts Lis would get along well with his friends, it’s still relieving to see her get settled so easily with the band. He can sense her restraint at the beginning, but soon enough she is talking and telling stories as if she knew them all for years.

“How do you make summer vacation work with Benji? Harry said he is spending time with his grandparents now,” Sarah questions over the main course and Lis seems a little taken aback, which Sarah immediately recognizes. “Oh, I’m sorry, should I not ask about him?”

“No, it’s alright. I just… I guess I didn’t think Harry shared much about him.” Her eyes wander over to the man in question who is deep in conversation with Mitch, didn’t even hear what Sarah asked.

“Oh please, he wouldn’t stop telling us about him every time we are at the studio,” she chuckles.

“Really?”

“Yeah. He really likes the boy.” Lis just packs it all up in her head, labeling  it as another reason why she loves Harry so much.

“Well, he is going to go out to camp for a week, but other than that, he usually comes to work with me.”

“That’s so amazing!”

The evening carries on and Harry can’t not notice how Lis keeps glancing down at her phone every five minutes. One time, when she reaches for the phone his hand grabs hers, stopping her from grabbing the device.

“You sure everything is alright? You keep looking at your phone.” He tries to find a hint, anything in her eyes that gives away why she is acting different, but she cautiously keeping her gaze diverted from his.

“I’m good, don’t worry,” she answers, but when her phone lights up, an incoming call from her mom, she immediately snatches it from the table and excusing herself she walks out to the street to answer the call.

Harry clenches his jaw, looking after her, knowing well something is not right, but he doesn’t know why she wouldn’t tell him what it is about. He tries to stay still, to let her get it sorted out as she wishes, but he just can’t.

“I’ll be right back,” he mumbles to the group before going after Lis.

Walking out he stops at the entrance, looking both ways before she spots her at the corner of the building, her back facing him as she holds the phone to her ear, leaning against the brick wall. He has a fleeting thought about not eavesdropping on a conversation that wasn’t meant for his ears, but his curiosity and worry brings him forward.

“But you didn’t tell him right?” her voice is heard when he is a few steps away from her. “Maybe I should bring him home earlier… But mum, what if he just turns up there? He knows you live there, I can’t have him just waltz in… No, I get it, but there’s little you can do when he is there… I really don’t know… He hasn’t, but it’s a matter of time, I think. He already knows I work there and God knows why he was asking around about me.”

Harry soon realizes what the conversation must be about and he is definitely not impressed by several reasons. Standing there with his jaw clenched, he waits for her to end the call and realize his presence. When she finally says her goodbye, pushing herself away from the brick wall, Harry watches her turn around and jump at the sight of him.

“Harry, you—“

“What’s going on?” he cuts her off right away, eyes burning down on her.

“I, uhh—Can we… Can we have this conversation at home?” she pleads quietly.

“Just tell me what it’s about, because I thought I was seeing things when I noticed that you’ve been acting weird, but I was clearly right. There is something and I want to know what it is.” “Harry, I really don’t want to ruin the evening with it now.”

“Nonsense, because there’s no way I can just act like everything is fine until we get home.”

Exhaling shakily, Lis realizes she can’t push it back any further, she has to come clear.

“Last weekend, when we were away, Austin called Golden Sunshine, he was asking about me and the girl who works on the weekend accidentally told him that it’s in fact my workplace. He wanted to know stuff about me, but didn’t get much. Then today my mum noticed a car waiting across the street for about an hour. Someone was sitting in it or that’s how she saw. Mum thinks it was him.”

Harry feels his rage build up with each passing moment for two reasons: one being that Annalise wanted to keep it away from him that her ex is suddenly looking for her. Second is that Austin has the nerve to pop up out of nowhere after abandoning his family and creep the Hell out of Lis and basically everyone in her family probably.

“And why didn’t you tell me this? You think I wouldn’t want to know if your ex is suddenly looking for you? That’s pretty major, Lis,” he snaps, having a hard time to contain himself as much as he would like to.

“I didn’t want to worry you, hoped the call was nothing, but the whole car thing is now stressing me out. I would have told you, I just…” exhaling sharply she runs her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know, I guess it feels weird to talk about him with you.”

“It’s not like you are sharing with me your sex life with him, this is stuff that I want to know about, this concerns your and Benji’s safety as well and I feel like I have a saying in those things.” “I know, I’m sorry. It was stupid of me to not tell. Please don’t be mad at me,” she begs, desperate to somehow make it right though she knows she messed up.

She can tell Harry is fuming, his piercing green eyes are filled with the mixture of worry, rage and anger for many reasons, all of them valid in her opinion. She wishes she could go back in time and tell him about it in a different way, but there’s nothing to do now.

“Harry, please say something,” she breathes out, wanting nothing else than to finally hear what he is thinking about. However, he is not letting her in that easily now.

“Let’s get back inside. We’ll talk when we are alone.”

Though Lis wants to protest, she knows it’s what should happen. Nodding shortly the two of them head back inside and push everything down until the end of dinner. It’s hard to focus on their group once they return, they both feel far away from the dinner table.

The evening drags longer than they would have liked, or that’s just how they feel. They try their best to mask their feelings, not wanting to bring their friends into this upsetting situation. However, when they are sitting in the car on their way home, they both notice that they could cut the tension for sure. Lis is chewing on her bottom lip nervously, afraid of what’s been going on in Harry’s head and cursing herself out at the same time for not telling him the first moment.

“I can stay at home tonight if you don’t want me over,” she finds herself saying, voice quiet and reserved. Harry glances in her direction for a split second.

“Is that what you want? You want to go home?”

“No. I just figured you might want some… space.”

“Well, I don’t. So unless you want to go home yourself, I want you at mine.”

It’s relieving, though still not enough to ease her anxiety that’s been clawing on her chest all evening. But at least he still wants her around.

The silence is painful for the both of them and it’s something that hasn’t happened between them since they’ve met. Lis keeps glancing in his way, trying to figure out what he must be thinking about, but it seems like Harry keeps his emotions so much at bay, nothing gives away where his thoughts are lying. She is forced to wait until they can finally talk.

Walking inside Lis feels out of place, for the first time ever since she has started seeing Harry. She watches him drop off his belongings in the bedroom before returning to the living room, a hard look on his handsome face. It seems like he is trying hard to find the right words to start this conversation. Hands on his hips he stands in front of her, eyes fixed on the floor before they finally meet her desperate ones.

“Okay, first of all, is Benji alright? Do you want us to go and bring him home?” he asks with a tired sigh.

“I-I think he is fine for now. Mum says she is keeping a close eye on him.”

“Alright. Just let me know if you change your mind and want him here.”

“Thank you,” she nods shortly and through the bitterness of the situation, she is thankful he still takes the time to think about her boy.

“Okay and now let’s talk about why you kept it from me that Austin has been looking for you. Any specific reason, something I did? Did I make you feel like you couldn’t talk to me about it?”

“No! Not at all!” she shakes her head right away. Taking his hand softly she pulls him down to the couch so they sit turned towards each other, her knee brushing against his thigh. Though his hand is a deadweight in her hold, as if he doesn’t want her to hold it, she still doesn’t let go of it. “Harry, I know I can tell you anything and I always do that. I just felt like you’ve had enough to worry about and didn’t want to add to it. I always…” Her voice dies down as she is now fighting with her tears. She’s been putting away these thoughts ever since their first lunch date, when she realized she can’t let go of him and he won’t either.

Harry notices her struggle and pulls his hand out of her hold, bringing it up to her face to cup her cheek. His thumb runs across her soft skin, his eyes falling down at her trembling lips.

“I always feel like a burden to you. I’m not easy to be with because I’m not living the usual life people my age have. It would be hard for a normal guy, but you are not one! I just don’t want to hold you back in any way, but there are things that I can’t change. When I found out that Austin was asking about me I thought this is something I can handle on my own and don’t have to worry you with it.”

“Lis…” he breathes out, starting to finally put together her train of thoughts and though he is still mad, now he is more heartbroken that she is still feeling like she has to be so considerate about him in some cases. “You are not a burden, never was and I can assure you that you’ll never be. I chose to be with you, and not just part of you, all of it. The good, the bad, all of it. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t count on me always, because you can. I want to be there for you no matter what it’s about.”

“I know!” she breathes out shakily, the tears already building up in her eyes. “But I can’t help thinking that one day… you won’t feel the same. Like you’ll be fed up with all the baggage that I come with!”

“What baggage, baby? Your fucker ex? That’s not your fault.”

“Him and… Benji?” she adds.

“Benji is not a baggage, Lis. I love him, would easily do anything for him, he is not a burden in any way. I’m so happy I got to meet him because of you and I’m happy that you are letting me have a part in his life. I already told you, but I’ll never stop telling you that I look up at you so much for everything you do for yourself and for Benji.”

Now she is crying. Hard. The way his eyes filled with nothing but love when he is talking about Benji, it’s all she ever wished for in a man and he is so much more than that. To think that she didn’t even want to let him into her life is a sickening thought, how she didn’t trust him enough to see what an amazing man he is.

Moving forward she climbs to his lap and he circles his welcoming arms around her, holding her close to his chest as she starts sobbing, completely touched by his words.

“I’m sorry I’m so emotional,” she mumbles between sobs. “I just… It’s still so hard for me to understand why…”

She doesn’t finish the sentence, but he knows exactly what she was thinking about: It’s still so hard for her to understand why he is with her. And it’s heartbreaking to know it’s how she feels, but it also makes him determined to change her way of seeing him for once and for all.

“It’s alright. I just want you to talk to me, okay? I want to know everything that’s important to you, good or bad, doesn’t matter.”

She just nods, holding onto him for dear life. They stay like that for what feels like hours, her crying slowly dies down and he patiently waits for her to breathe normally again, continuously pressing soft kisses to her forehead and the top of her head. When she finally lifts her head up, a small smile plays on her lips and though her eyes are red and puffy from the crying, he still thinks she is the most beautiful man he has ever seen.

“Feeling better?” he murmurs softly and she nods again. “Okay. So what do you want to do about Austin?”

“I haven’t figured it out,” she huffs tiredly. “I don’t even know for sure if it was really him in the car my mum saw and other than the call to my work place, nothing else happened.”

“Is there any reason why you should be afraid of him? Like, has he ever…” Harry doesn’t even get himself to say the word, just thinking about it rages him.

“No,” she shakes her head. “But I haven’t seen him in ages, God knows what he is like now.”

“If you want to move here with Benji, if that would make you feel safer, I’m perfectly okay with that. I have plenty of space for the both of you.”

“You’d let us come here just like that?” she asks, stunned at how easily he is talking about such a major step.

“Of course,” he nods confidently. A soft smile tugs on her lips as she kisses him gently, as a way of saying thank you.

“I think we are fine for now,” she then replies. “But thank you.”

A short silence sets in, both of them are deep in their thoughts, processing everything that happened tonight and there’s one more question stuck on Harry’s mind that he needs to ask.

“So… what happens if he reaches out? If he wants to meet you and Benji?”

Lis sighs heavily, the thought has been haunting her as well all week and she hasn’t come up with a solid answer to this just yet.

“It depends on what he really wants. It’s not like I want him back in my life, but if he wants to see Benji… I don’t think I can tell him no. Legally, he is allowed to see him. It’s a whole different story that I don’t want him to though.”

Her answer was valid and reasonable, though it still brought some uneasiness to Harry. Just thinking about Austin meeting Benji makes him want to scream. The man left his family so easily, like they meant absolutely nothing to him and he is the reason why Lis had to build up her whole life alone. Not that Harry would have liked it better if he was still in the picture, but in his beliefs, a man who abandons his family is simply not a man. Even if he didn’t want to be with Lis anymore, he should have made sure to support her in raising Benji and not just disappear into thin air.

However Harry knows he doesn’t have a say in it and that what Lis said is relevant. The man might have walked out of their lives, but legally he still has the right to see Benji, nothing is stopping him.

Harry keeps his doubts and fears to himself, he needs to be the person Lis can rely on now, whatever is about to happen. It’s all secondary what he thinks or feels right now.

 The two of them stay on the couch for another hour, just talking and sharing and they both feel like it was what they needed. Their relationship was going smooth, but they had to realize they still have a lot to work on and tonight was a step forward. They then have a hot shower together and this time they don’t get carried away, it’s all about the gentle touches, the hot water washing away their worries for a short time, keeping it just an intimate but not sexual moment.

Lying in bed Harry pulls her close, her head lies on his chest as she is drawing little patterns on his chest, her fingers delicately following the lines of his tattoos. Her thoughts are wandering, jumping from one thought to the other until something makes her come to a halt, a soft, ironic chuckle escaping her lips.

“Wha’s so funny?” Harry asks quietly.

Lifting her head, she rests her chin on his chest, her arms spread out over his ribs. It’s not even that funny, more ironic seeing the timeline of their relationship.

“I just think it’s pretty hilarious how I was the one to warn you several times not to make me regret my decisions about you and then I end up being the one thinking that you regretted getting together with me.”

She laughs some more, a smile tugging on Harry’s lips as well, seeing that it’s indeed a little funny, if he thinks about it.

“Oh how the tables have turned,” he grins, kissing her forehead.

“But on a serious note,” she starts, clearing her throat. “Do you have any regrets?”

“None,” he answers right away without hesitation.

“Not even one tiny bit?”

“Absolutely none,” he confirms and pulls his arms tighter around her. She smiles widely, pushing herself up a bit so her lips can meet his.

“Hope it stays this way.”

-

NEXT PART

-

TAGLIST

let me know if you’d like to be added or taken off!

@stylesfics-xx​ @dontworrysunflower​ @mariamuses​ @bookwormandtea​ @swtxel​ @ericadrumgoole1​

[darkhymns-fic]

Of Firsts and Seconds and Thirds

They shared their first kiss underneath the shade of a church, their second at the top of a windy mountain, their third in the quiet solitude of a dwarf's home.

But how many more until the guilt finally leaves?

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairing: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel Rating: T Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: For Colloyd Week, Day 3: First Kiss / Confession! Not much to say about this except that I've already written too many versions of their first kisses so I struggled with this one for a bit... Hopefully, it reads okay! Slightly higher rating because I wanted to be self-indulgent.

--

They shared their first kiss underneath a crooked awning of the temple, situated to the side where half of it was covered by the mountain’s shade, frayed banners picked up by the wind.

It was further away from the steep stairs that was overgrown with grass stalks, with moss that climbed in-between the cracks, making it far too easy to slip. And of course, Colette had done so when she left for her church lessons, only saved from a complete fall by Lloyd’s reflexes, even as his own boots almost sent them tumbling across the top steps. Only fifteen, but his own motions at least held more surety, his arms holding her up high.

Colette had scraped her knee, biting her lip to keep out a small whine from the sharp sting. Lloyd resumed the climb up the stairs, feeling quick relief when they arrived at the top and there were no nosy priests in sight, only the cool shadows over them. “How do you go up this every day without falling?” he asked, his smile sneaking through. “Good thing I came to walk with you.”

“I don’t usually slip here,” she had said. “Not unless…” And it was soft and quiet, her words traveling just underneath his ear as he carried her. The shade was comfortable, and he had only meant to set her down for a moment before finding his lips brushing against her own. Her hair tickled his forehead, and her hands reached to wrap around his shoulders, the way they always did whenever he’d swing her up in his arms as he helped her get on top of Noishe to ride.

The shade held them close, even as he felt a sliver of the sun rise to meet his neck. His hands moved to grip her waist – to keep her steady? Or himself? – before she stepped away.

“S-Sorry,” she said, looking away. Behind her was another entrance to the temple, a place where the candles hadn’t been lit inside, where no windows had been placed, the hallway dark. “Sorry, thank you. I mean… thank you for carrying me!”

Her voice was full of guilt. It made no sense to him. And yet she smiled all the same.

He was too late to say anything before she rushed inside the temple, her scrape forgotten, her hair moving as quick as the waves bathed in sunlight. Lloyd thought about following her, but he didn’t know the way inside the temple. That and the priests always turned him away, always made him feel so badly for wanting the Chosen to come outside with him to walk alongside the shore.

“What’s with you?” Genis had asked once Lloyd came back to the schoolhouse. “Colette rejected you coming along this time?” The boy had meant it as a joke, already laughing in his seat. But even he noticed the somber look in Lloyd’s face, how he collapsed into his chair.

“Uh huh…” was all he would say, tucking his head against his folded arms on the desk. The lesson conducting ahead of him was nothing but white noise as he went over the kiss again and again. He could only remember the feel of her hands on his shoulders, and how closely she had brought him in.

--

They shared their second kiss in Hima, after Colette asked him to follow her to the top of the cliff.

Hima was such a small village, smaller even then Iselia, with only its inn clearly seen from the entrance, while other structures and homes were placed at lower levels of the mountain. Lloyd felt the wind tug at his coat the higher he climbed, shivering and noticing through every step how Colette didn’t flinch at each gust at all.

Her broken necklace still in his pocket, he watched as she reached for his hand. He had taken off his gloves, wanting to understand her as easily as he could. “Can I…ask a…favor?” Lloyd blinked as he read aloud, raising his eyes to her. “What is it?”

At times, he thought he’d hear something from her – or maybe it was just wishful thinking. But the way she smiled reminded him of her laughter, the quick and playful comments she’d make about him, all of it uplifting and warm. Her fingers curled inside his palm, and when she traced them next, it was, at first, just to follow the lines across his hand, until…

Can you forgive me for hurting you?

Maybe, perhaps, he should have denied it outright. But her words brought a quick flash of certain things that stung his heart; her letter in his hands, the brush of her fingers when she took the coffee from him and smiled all the while, the shade of the mountain as she leaned towards him.

Lloyd was too late to hide it, and Colette bit her lip, tracing in his hand once more. That’s selfish of me.

“Wait, no, it’s not.” Lloyd gripped her hands, but lightly, because he still wanted to hear her words. “That’s not fair to you… after everything you’ve gone through.”

Colette smiled and it was painful in its shape, in the way it was so close to him. Her fingers again in his palm, their touch feather-light. And because it was so light, he scrunched his forehead as he focused on it, the constant wind on the mountaintop forever trying to distract him with its pull on his clothes, with its sound in his ears.

“I’ll just…k…keep… Agh, sorry it’s hard now…” Even when Colette finished writing, he tried to remember the shapes she made, painting herself into his touch. “Keep…hurting…you…”

He paused. Colette lowered her face just a bit, yet he could hear the cadence of her breathing. “I don’t really understand..”

When she leaned in to kiss him for a second time, was it really that bad to be selfish, to ask something from another so carefully, both hope and fear inside of you all at once?

Her lips were gentle, fitting over his, and maybe Lloyd was more clumsy, more self-conscious than last time, but her hair still tickled him. He might have kissed her for the rest of the night if the cold didn’t keep trying to freeze his hands.

“Colette…” he whispered, letting go for just a moment. Only later would he feel the guilt, when he realized she wasn’t able to feel it, any of it, along with the biting wind surrounding them. How was that even fair at all?

But she smiled again, hands gripping his own to lead them back down the mountain to the others.

Even then, she gave him back a piece of something he had felt missing since that summer day, with the banner of the temple fluttering next to them. She had chosen that, and he couldn’t bring himself to deny her that one freedom left to her.

--

They shared their third kiss at Altessa’s, the night sky numerous with stars, and his present held lightly between her fingers.

“Colette?” Lloyd called out from the front door, having found her bed empty, and the snores of Genis much too overpowering. “You’re still up?”

The old fear of the angelic sickness came back, but he saw her try to hide a yawn that didn’t look forced. She sat on a nearby wooden bench, boots making indents in the dirt. “I’m okay,” she said, and he was only half-convinced, her smile just barely seen through the moonlight. “I can sleep, I just don’t know if I want to yet.”

Maybe that should have been enough, along with the way she kept flicking her gaze to him when he went to sit beside her, then back to the skies. On nights like these, she would trace the patterns of the stars with him, and in Tethe’alla, he could already tell such patterns here were different. They’d have to start all over again, but he didn’t mind, just as he didn’t mind being out in the late night, as long as he could be with her.

The path to Altessa’s house was plain, and only to the side could he see the storage of the dwarf placed near the wall of his home, in wooden crates and clay pots. “You know, I wonder if this is how dad used to live…” he said absently. “Though he said his home was more underground.”

“Do you think he still has it? His old home, I mean?” Colette’s eyes sparkled at the idea, pulling out a grin from him. “Maybe we can ask to go visit it!”

“We could! But it probably has low ceilings… We’d be hitting our heads the entire time.”

“Then can you protect my head with yours? Genis always says you have the toughest head around!”

“Heh, well, I am tough… Hey, wait, I don’t think that’s a compliment!”

When she laughed, it was radiant almost. A sound that wasn’t filtered or dimmed, that seemed to shine all the brighter when she reached to take his hand. Her thumb brushed over his Exsphere, sending a warm tingle through him, and it made him think, made him want on that word, on selfishness.

Yet as Lloyd debated with himself, Colette had shifted close, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Soft. Sudden. I’ve missed this.

He knew it had been an instinctive thing from her. For it was just the moment her lips left his cheek did he see the change in her eyes. She held her hand loosely, unsure. “I’m…sorry? That just happened…I…”

It took everything in him to not sigh then.

“You’re so stupid,” he whispered, gripping her hand, bringing her close. And she didn’t turn away, even as he kissed her – but over her forehead, her skin warm over his lips. The wind brought in the scent of her hair, strands of them brushing his cheeks. “Why wouldn’t I want that from you?”

Colette opened her mouth, then closed it, one hand reaching for the necklace and pulling on it gently, the chain crinkling and turning in on itself. “I just… I just keep making mistakes with this…” A quick blink, and she looked to the floor. “I’m taught to not want it… but I did and so that’s why I ran and… and then I was selfish and took your kiss again when I couldn’t feel anything… and I really wanted to…”

Lloyd saw how the moonlight fell down her cheek – and so he followed it, kissing her skin there and hearing her take in a breath. Lingering, all as his hands moved to encircle her. “But you can feel that now, can’t you?”

Colette closed her eyes, leaning her head against his chest. Her lips rested against the base of his throat. “I can feel…too much…” But she didn’t sound distressed – she sounded eager, excited, and yet also content as she pressed against him.

Was there something else in him to then want to kiss her fully, to give her all that had been taken away? Maybe his own selfishness too, but he waited. He just embraced her instead, giving small kisses to her forehead, her cheek, and even the tip of her nose. It made her giggle, eliciting a smile from him. Only later, after more tickling kisses did he kiss her lips, and only when she raised her head to his.

He hoped she would never have to feel that old guilt again.

--

They shared their fourth kiss, their fifth, sixth, seventh – all continuing as if on a chain that Lloyd was keen to follow. In Flanoir, for why wouldn’t be drawn to kissing her the moment she gently placed the figurine in his hands, her fingers shaking through not only the cold? He saw the fine edges of snowflakes as he leaned in, caught on her eyelashes, drifting back into the air as she lowered them halfway.

In Heimdall, as the moon rose, as fireflies danced around them, promising her a world that they’d never have to be alone again. It was easier to kiss now, to fall into the rhythms of her laughter after each press of his lips against skin.

In Iselia, as he lifted her onto Noishe with him, ready to set off down the road. The kiss she gave him had been so second-nature, that he rarely even thought on it even happening. Just the warmth that was left with him, and the urge to kiss her in return, so that this time, he could fully remember it.

And it was only in their seventh kiss did he finally realize he had never told her that he loved her.

--

It happened after they had set up camping for the night, the travels of the day weighing down his arms. He could barely set up their sleeping blankets, sighing out the exhaustion from his mouth. Colette had gone to put away their packs safely, and so he was left to this one simple task that he had done dozens of times, all to the crackles of their campfire.

His first thought was that it was just too hot, that the summer heat was quickly burning up what little energy he had, leaving him to sink. So how could he fix that? “I’ll just take this off,” he mumbled and nodded to himself. Hands that could barely roll out the blankets couldn’t unbutton that much better, but eventually he succeeded, throwing the jacket onto the grass, with his undershirt following quick.

A moment of pure relief as he stretched and felt the cool air at his bare back – and then heard the soft giggle just to his side.

“If you were hot, we could have stayed at an inn.”

Not like he didn’t expect Colette to be here, but maybe the heat really had been getting to him. He laughed nervously, knowing that this wasn’t any different to being dressed like he was going to the beach. Except this wasn’t a beach, and no body of water that size was anywhere near them. He turned to see her standing just a few feet away, arms behind her back, a great smile on her face. “The nearest inn is way too far. And I’m just a little bit hot!”

“Oh, I see.” Colette nodded, and knelt next to him to help unroll the last remaining wrinkle of the blankets. “Then maybe we should have camped at Flanoir.”

“But then it would have been way too cold…” he weakly argued.

“Hm, couldn’t we warm each other up?” she asked him, and there was something eager in the way she said it. He looked at her, at how her knees touched his, eyes on his face – with the occasional flicker at his chest. “Kisses are warm.”

Different, because even as he felt the flush on his cheeks, there was a turn in Colette’s voice that was more confident. The way she didn’t really take her eyes away to the side, how her smile never wavered. Lloyd scratched the back of his head. “Are you just asking me to kiss you now?”

“Hm…” Colette visibly pondered, then moved closer to him, so close that her hair tickled along the front of his torso. “Yeah. I want you to kiss me.”

The wind rushed against him, making him shiver just a bit. “Ah… shouldn’t I dress first?”

Colette tilted her head slightly. “Do you need to?”

He took that as a gentle way of Colette saying, Please not yet.

With a smile, he shifted closer. “Okay,” he said, relaxing, making sure that this was truly okay as he leaned forward. Her lips met his, no longer as hesitant as their other ones, falling quicker into the rhythm as if it were a dance. He felt Colette move in closer, a hand pressing just against the center of his chest.

The touch was nearly electric, making him gasp a little into her mouth before pulling away softly. “Sorry, having…trouble breathing a little.” From the hard day of traveling they had, or because of her touch? It was difficult to say.

Colette hummed thoughtfully, the same hand on his chest trailing up towards his collarbone. “Would it be better if I kissed you?”

In their first kiss, she had reached for him. Maybe only just now did he realize something, but he simply nodded, feeling the tingle on his skin where she touched. “I wouldn’t complain,” he teased.

But as the campfire slowly dwindled, as he expected her lips to find his own again – she instead leaned somewhere else. Mouth pressed against the center of his chest, right at the small dip where a pendant would usually find its place. Lloyd shuddered, a small sound leaving his throat, but didn’t pull away.

It was true that he wasn’t going to complain, but he was still surprised. “T-That tickled!” he could only say, wincing at his own words.

Colette raised her eyes to him. “So, would it be better here?” she asked, and then lifted herself up on her knees to reach him – placing her mouth against his neck, a soft kiss that made his pulse flutter just against it.

“C-Colette..” he whispered, one hand gripping her own, entwining their fingers. “Colette… I’m already really warm..”

“Oh… that’s right.” Colette giggled against his throat, her smile felt on his skin. He surrendered to her kisses over his chin, then back down, just to the top of his chest. “So it’s too much?”

Lloyd shook his head, arms embracing her, clinging tight. “I love you,” he said, the words finally imprinting in his head. How long had they done this, had they traveled, and he had never even said such words to her? “I love you so much, Colette.”

Her lips kissed his earlobe, then his cheek, until she reached his mouth, her hands tracing patterns against his bare chest. Just a few months back, she would have been too shy for any of this at all. “I love you…too… Ah!”

He wasn’t sure how she fell, but she did right on top of him, his arms instinctively clutching at her coat to keep her near. Laughter spilled from both, his back fully hitting the dry, slightly pointy grass instead of the soft sleeping blankets. “You dork!” he said, unable to stop laughing, unable to stop kissing her, his own lips traveling from her mouth to her neck. “Such a dork, I love you…”

“I…do too! Ah, it really does tickle though!”

Still, he thought back to that warm day at the temple, how hesitant and shy – but how she had kissed him first. Even from back then, she had always wanted to share it with him.

Worries and regrets can leave, little by little, and each kiss seemed to chase them away, replaced with something else. I love you, he thought, as her lips took his, knowing he would never get tired of such a thing, like the feel of the sun on his face, or the refreshing breeze from a nearby sea.

[c-mxian]

Shangri La no Tori Ch 9

Phi receives a message on his phone. It’s a photo of the lower half of a man’s body (with clothes on) on the ground. Phi seems surprised to see this photo and continues to stare at his phone until Apollo calls him so they can leave to get something to eat.

 They drive around the island with the other guys from Shangri La and hang out at the beach. Apollo is reading a newspaper by himself until Phi appears from behind and asks him what he’s reading. The article that Apollo is reading is about the IT industry (“Speculations of the IT Industry 20 Years From Now, What Lies Ahead of a Market Expansion Is the Lack of Human Resources and Ideas”). Phi says he doesn’t understand a thing and asks Apollo why he’s reading something like this even though they came all the way out to the beach. There’s an article Apollo wanted to read, but Phi snatches the newspaper away from him and tries to drag him away from his seat. The others see this and join in the fun.

 Meanwhile, Marco notices a car in the distance that belongs to the owner of Shangri La. The owner, Jean, is in the car with another man. He receives a call from Patrick, who tries to bring his attention to where the guys are on the beach.

The man accompanying Jean is a man named Lloyd. The others already seem to know him except Apollo. Jean introduces Lloyd to Apollo. He also invites them all to join him and Lloyd for lobster.

 While they are at the restaurant, Apollo glances over at Lloyd, whose eyes eventually meet his. Lloyd asks Apollo how he’s doing at Shangri La and comments that Jean is a troublesome man for making a straight man be a stud (foreplay man). Jean retorts that Apollo is a special intellectual beauty that he found so he treats him with the utmost consideration.

 Apollo asks Marco, who is sitting next to him, about Lloyd. Marco tells him that Jean and Lloyd are a couple who have been together for over 20 years. Apollo is surprised and recalls hearing that same-sex relationships don’t last as long as heterosexual relationships. Marco agrees that what Apollo heard is not entirely wrong, but comments that he feels people in society are slowly starting to be more accepting of same-sex relationships and that just looking at Jean and Lloyd can make one become envious. Apollo agrees as he stares at the sight of the two.

 Skip to the next scene where Phi is in the middle of servicing two customers, Raymond and Donny (I’m just going to go with this romanization). Carna isn’t there so Phi is playing with Donny’s hole to make up for Carna’s absence. Donny is feeling it and Phi tells Raymond that he should use Donny’s hole since it’s already being prepared. Raymond says that he would feel too bad for Donny so he won’t, adding that the reason the reason he came all the way to Shangri La and paid so much money is to see Phi. Finally, it’s Raymond’s turn with Phi. While they are doing it, Raymond tells Phi that Phi’s body is like an addictive; if Phi were to leave Shangri La, he wouldn’t know what to do. Phi assures him that he won’t go anywhere since Shangri La is his home.

 Apollo is waiting for Phi in their living quarters. After Phi returns, Apollo helps him wash up, dry his hair, and put his clothes on. Afterwards, they say their goodbyes and part for the night. Apollo stares at Phi’s retreating figure and thinks back to what happened yesterday. Phi might seem fine on the outside, but Apollo can tell that something bad that happened in the past with Hassan (the name Phi mentioned in the last chapter when he was telling Apollo about his past) is probably still haunting him. He recalls Phi’s words “I might have killed someone” (from chapter 2).

 It’s morning and Apollo is reading a book while Phi is still sound asleep and hugging onto him. Apollo thinks to himself that Phi probably snuck into his room sometime early in the morning and wonders what is going on with Phi since it seems that Phi can’t seem to sleep alone. Apollo strokes Phi’s hair and face, thinking that Phi’s sleeping face is very innocent. Phi finally opens his eyes and Apollo apologizes if he woke up him up. Phi tells Apollo to continue stroking his hair. Apollo eventually asks Phi if something happened, noticing that Phi is biting his thumb again. Phi evades the question and tells Apollo that whenever he sneaks into Apollo’s bed, Apollo would open his eyes for a brief instant and embrace him by becoming his arm pillow and then go right back to sleep. Apollo is at a loss for words. Phi teases that Apollo must have gotten this habit from sleeping with a woman on the same bed and that he’s such a sweetheart.

 (I’m going to type out the following dialogue for this scene because it’s a very important conversation that’s kind of hard to just summarize.)

 “When did you get married?”

 “Why do you want to know?”

 “Last time, I shared my story with you, right? Now it’s your turn.”

 “...We got married 6 years ago.”

 “How did you two meet? How did you two break up?”

 “...You’re very blunt. I hate to break it to you, but none of it is interesting.”

 “It’s fine even if it’s boring. I just want to know more about you.”

 “...I worked as a salesman at an electronics corporation. There was an employee there I often ran into. We dated for two years and got married soon after. One day, I went back home in the afternoon to retrieve some important documents I left there. In the living room, there was a man’s jacket that didn’t belong to me… You can imagine the rest, right?”

 “Ah I see. So you beat him up and got charged with inflicting bodily injury.”

 “Ever since that day, we would continue arguing and hurting each other with our words. There were many things I didn’t need to say that I ended up saying. She also said many horrible things. The argument would end whenever I found myself at a loss for words. This would continue every day for many months… Eventually, even though she had been someone special to me, I came to lose the feelings I once had for her. So I took off my wedding ring. Even when we were to sign the divorce papers, she still refused to do so.”

 “Why do you want to get a divorce?”

 “Huh?”

 “I mean, your wife only slept with him, right? He probably means nothing to her since she’s refusing to get a divorce, right? You seem to really place a huge importance on sex. You don’t like it when the other person sleeps with another guy?”

 “I...can’t think the same way as you. I was betrayed by her…”

 “It’s betrayal because you’re fine with just one person?”

 “...Of course. I mean, isn’t that how it is?”

 Phi thinks back to what Douglas (Apollo’s friend who visited him in an earlier chapter) told him before: Apollo is exhausted and escaping from reality. It’s like...a big hole has opened in his heart.

 Phi touches Apollo’s chest, where his heart is located, and says, “...there’s no one here right now, right? Losing someone important to you so that a big hole opens in your heart… But here, it means that there’s room for another person now, doesn’t it?”

Apollo is at a loss for words. The two of them continue to stare at each other until Apollo breaks the silence, saying he’s going to go wash his face.

 The chapter ends with Apollo thinking to himself while washing his face.

I will try to finish the summary for chapter 10 before the release of chapter 11 in Canna 74 and the second volume on October 28th. You can buy the currently released chapters on cmoa, ebookjapan and renta.

[bibliocratic]

jm prompts you say? hmm how about martin hiding an injury and jon freaking out and fussing over him, but with a happy ending?

post-160, jonmartin,hurt/comfort and fluff in some apocalypse-blighted Scottish forest--

Martin realises that he's made a mistake in a sort of chronological tripodal structure of regret.

Primarily, it consists of the dazzling moment when Jon – striding ahead, jaw set and trying to work out where they should have started to go up-hill from the out-of-date ordinance survey map clenched in his hands – suddenly stopped with all the forewarning of a stubbed toe. Holding a hand up to signal that there might be something up ahead in the foliage. Martin, committedly focused on regular breathing and maintaining his ongoing argument with his oesophagus about whether he's going to be sick or not, didn't dodge. Bashing the whole front of his body against Jon's backpack, the arm he's kept so industriously curled up against his chest knocked hard. He thinks he might have made a bitten-off shriek. That shining testament to his mistakes was compounded by his follow-up action, which was to collapse like a felled tree, almost taking Jon down with him, paying fervent and painful homage to the undergrowth with his face.

Mostly he knows that he's really fucked up when he wakes up a few minutes later. Still lying on the ground, and apparently the tent sans-ground sheet has been abruptly set up around him like he's some sort of pop-up installation. The contents of the forest floor have made union with his now knotted hair, and it snags and tugs as he sits up. He can taste grit and dirt in his mouth and there's a stinging dampness on his upper lip. He blinks, coming to terms slowly, and it's then that he realises, just from a brief glance, that Jon is absolutely fuming.

The backpack has been upended without much dignity, its innards rifled through viciously, a platoon of bandages and medicines hastily assembled and called to order off to one side. Jon is hunched, squatted over the spoilers of his ravagings, his fingers gripping two packets of co-codamol that they snaffled from a gutted Lloyds pharmacy near Glasgow, looking for all the world like he's trying to read their instructions like rune-stones.

“J'n?” Martin mumbles blearily, and Jon looks over with all the focus of sunlight caught in glass. Once he's apparently satisfied that Martin isn't in any immediate danger, his glower returns like a storm front.

He should have told him, Martin knows. He should have, he should have. It had been so fast, and it had hurt but it had been manageable and they'd escaped so quickly, he would have told him eventually, he would have.

“Jon, will you,” he says, struggling to stand and failing rather dramatically at it. His apologies form a queue in his throat. “Will you just, Jon, come over here...”

Jon makes a harsh cutting gesture that rather obviously means shut up. He makes it again when Martin makes a token protest, and then – watching Martin's strenuous attempts to rise – forms another gesture and very clearly mouths the word sit.

Jon doesn't talk much these days. Not after Jonah Magnus stole his words from his throat. He avoids anything that might be read as an instruction, a command, a question, which exhaustively limits most of his conversation. He doesn't need to say anything now, not at the moment because usefully he's being really fucking obvious. Stony-faced and cloaked in the miasma of his prickling temper.

Martin flinches when Jon slams something. Jon stops immediately, has the decency to look shamefaced, if mulish, cooling his gestures into perfunctory and quiet actions that can't be read as threatening. He's letting his upset out like a bled radiator and Martin doesn't know what to do.

He passes Martin a water bottle and two small oval tablets expectantly, but quickly realises his own stupidity and takes them back with a frustrated huff. Finally, finally, Jon stops pacing, stops moving, going to his knees and edging closer to where Martin's sitting to help him take the medicine. His rough dry-skinned hand set like a brace at Martin's neck as he carefully tips the water back against his lips for Martin to drink. After he's swallowed, his hand lingers, and after Martin's sheepish thank you, it tentatively moves to thread into the outgrowth of hair at the nape of his neck.

“I'm sorry,” Martin says miserably, his arm now transitioning from smarting to a rather concerted throbbing, and he means it. “I – we needed to keep walking, and there was nowhere safe to stop yet and I know it was – I know I should have....”

Jon's hand has a tremor like a trapped nerve. Martin angles his head to look up at him, and there's messy tracks in the grubby dirt on his cheeks.

“I'm sorry,” Martin repeats, and Jon's head makes port against his own for a second.

“I thought...” comes a raspy, scraping voice, and Jon moves back to study him with wet eyes, and his face twisted in something pained. “I didn't know....”

He doesn't finish the sentence. He sucks in a steadying breathe that doesn't really help before he motions with his hand at the materials he's assembled like a medicinal hunter-gatherer. Martin understands exactly what he's not saying.

“We can't just leave it?” Martin asks, already knowing the answer with dread making a kernel in his stomach. Jon presses his lips tight and shakes his head and looks as though he'd rather do anything else but this.

To his credit, Jon's as professional and mercifully quick as can be expected. He cuts Martin's now swollen, bruise-bright arm out of his sleeve, padding the feverish skin with wadding and gauze without jostling it. He looks right at Martin and exaggeratedly demonstrates that it might be a good idea for Martin to copy his breathing, a deep in-and-out that Martin shakily joins in harmony with. Jon squeezes the unencumbered hand that's curling into a claw against Martin's upper thigh before letting go.

Martin's breathing staggers and slips over into ragged whimpering cry when Jon sets the splint snugly against the injured bone, tries to bury his wet, gasping face into Jon's neck as the stick is tied in place with shoelaces and strips of ripped-up t-shirt at the elbow and wrist. Jon is shushing him, running his hands up and down his back once it's done, his voice plugged up with apologises and despairing, Martin sniffling and hiccuping through the after-shocks.

Martin begins to get drowsy after that, the codeine clearly sneaking into his system and blanketing him in a blissful muted haze, like someone's turned the sound down on the world. Jon takes his meek acceptance of further care as permission to fuss, and briskly rises to the occasion. He brushes out the leaves and small sticks from Martin's hair with a precise and focused intensity until the tangles meet with his internal satisfaction. Soaks a wash-cloth with the dregs of water from the bottle, cleaning away the dirt and small spots of blood from the minor scratches on Martin's face. A measured, stroking left-right motion that leaves Martin blinking heavily, content to half-mindedly watch a host of flickering expressions cross the pathways of Jon's face.

When Jon's done, he looks solemnly over his handiwork like he's overseeing some great project, sealing the act with a dry kiss against Martin's cheek.

“C'mere,” Martin slurs dozily, and Jon enfolds against him like two seas merging, careful not to knock his arm. The ground beneath them is chill, will turn frosty as it dips into nightfall, and they can't stay here, they've got miles to go before the nearest town, they're fast losing light.

Martin tries to say this, or he thinks he does, but Jon shushes him again and kisses the space between left eyebrow and hairline, over the cuts on his cheek that have long stopped smarting.

Jon doesn't tell him to rest. To close his eyes. Jon doesn't tell him to do anything any more, doesn't trust himself with it. But his body is still knelt down as a bedrock, and Martin thinks he might be rocking them both ever so faintly, his fingers trailing ouroboros maps into the weft of his newly combed hair. Martin takes it as permission enough.  

[fandom-collective-writers]

Get On Your Knees

Prompt: MidCin Sid smut “get on your knees”

Requested by: Anon

Writer: @xathia-89​

Well, it’s not full on smut, but it’s kind of smutty? I hope it pleases!

---

It was impossible to catch my breath as Sid wasn’t letting go of my hand. The scenery was rushing past as we ran through the streets and alleyways, avoiding the line of sight of anyone who might recognize me. It had been announced a few days previously that I had chosen my Prince Consort, but until our engagement ceremony, then his identity wouldn’t be revealed. A point that Sid was thoroughly exploiting at this moment in time. He had donned me in my heavy cloak, one of the few I had to conceal my identity if I needed to escape off somewhere in times of hardship and insisted that we hadn’t gone on a date in too long because of Giles, so he wanted to let loose for once.

I was yanked ungraciously into a deep, arched doorway before the heavy door was slammed open. The informant was smirking at our exuberant entrance which had attracted the attention of virtually every patron in the murky bar. A loud and exaggerated sigh came from the woman behind the bar, a sign to everyone to return to normality it almost seemed as she was pouring out some liquor in preparation. The sounds of various games and conversations filtering back through to make a relaxed atmosphere and somewhere to hide, not that I was allowed to lower my hood yet as he made a grab at my wrist to stop me doing it.

“You don’t like to be subtle, do you, Sid?” She had the sound of an exasperated mother scolding their child for the umpteenth time as we approached the bar.

“Subtle isn’t fun,” Sid’s smirk was soon replaced by something a little more serious, much to my surprise. “Do you have a room free for some private drinking?”

His concern caught me off guard, especially since he still had hold of my wrist to stop me from showing my face.

“Does your missus know you’re here? She’s had you stupidly busy of late,” the bartender grinned all knowingly, before nodding in my direction. “And what will your, ah, ‘friend’, be having?”

“Your famous cherry brandy,” Sid shrugged, “Providing we get the private room of course.”

“You know this place better than you like to admit,” the woman replied with a shake of her head and gestured for us to follow. “Usual cost of course,” she shrugged before unlocking the door which made me frown at Sid. His glare was silencing, he bought and sold information, and he would never do it so boldly in public. There was a table with a cloth over it, and four solid wooden chairs around it before I found myself forced into the room with the barmaid. Both of us spun around to scold Sid when we realised he had shut and locked the door, separating the three of us from everyone else. “Okay Sid, you want to explain yourself here? It won’t take too long before someone wants a refill and realises where I am, which will cause trouble for you.” Her tone had cooled considerably and also held no underlying threat as she had her arms folded and eyes narrowed at the informant.

“Helen, I’d like you to meet the missus,” Sid was smirking again as I realised that he was now signalling for me to lower my hood.

I was hesitant, but taking off my cloak was going to be a weight relief at least after this long. I was slow in my actions, much to Sid’s irritance, but not as much as Helen’s eyes flew wide open as recognition set in. I greeted her automatically with a curtsey and a dip of my head.

“Holy mother of cow,” the woman was wide-eyed, unsurprisingly shocked to see the Princess of Wysteria currently in her tavern in the middle of town before turning back sharply to Sid. “You are the Prince Consort that’s the gossip of all the town?!” She yelped, obviously floored by the revelation.

“I know, I have terrible taste,” I smiled, and startled the poor woman from the monopoly of the conversation by Sid. “But your silence would be appreciated, and Sid does have a donation to make should you agree,” I explained softly. “He does not yet have the same limitations about his movements since he has not been formally announced as Prince Consort, but I would indeed be frowned upon if it was discovered that I was here.”

“I haven’t seen you,” Helen admitted, her hands on her hips in defeat before Sid dropped a small coin purse into the pocket of her apron and then unlocked the door before we could arouse suspicion by keeping her away from the bar for too long.

It had only taken a few calls to refill our glasses before Helen had made us pay for the bottles and left them in the room with us. I had forgotten how long it had been since I had been allowed to drink this sort of quantity of alcohol, and it was going to my head, but I was never going to admit that to my Prince Consort.

The door to the main tavern had been thrown open, attracting even our attention in the rear of the bar.

“We’re looking for Lloyd Grandieur!” One voice called out, it was vaguely familiar, one of the higher-ups in the royal guard as it dawned on us that Sid’s presence was officially missed at the palace now.

“You are wearing the royal crest, I am certain you could not try and take my door off its hinges. The palace would be getting the bill naturally,” Helen was as calm and collected as ever, though making no denial that Sid wasn’t present.

“Quick, get on your knees and under the table,” Sid hissed, throwing my cloak over me before I could work out what was going on.  Both of his hands on my shoulders, and I was very grateful that Helen had opted for the cloth while my shoulders were pinned between his knees.

The new view also told me that my teasing hadn’t been as ineffective as I had been led to believe. I had been leaning forward a little too much just for his benefit, and Sid wasn’t as immune as he’d been acting, especially as thoughts of previous escapades when I had been trying on some lingerie just for him, and the lace bra had been more enticing than any of the corsets. I found out that Sid really liked lace that night. I bit my lower lip as the sounds of footsteps edged closer to the room, and Sid making a grunting noise was his usual greeting to the guards when he was in the room with me. Sid had been trying to keep in control of the situation by acting cool, but the alcohol had ensured I missed that point as a devious idea snuck into my head.

“Lloyd Grandiuer,” the guard sounded wary, as though the two had dealings before. My hands were already making quick work of undoing Sid’s trousers. They were looking too tight to be comfortable, and I knew he couldn’t shift his arms off the table top without giving me away. Something that he would never dream of doing, but my only warning came in his thighs trying to squeeze me to stop my antics.

Not that it stopped me from freeing his cock from his clothes, and sliding him straight into my mouth as I pried his thighs apart. I was going to be in a world of trouble, but I was enjoying myself as I could feel my essence start to wet my panties. It wasn’t often that I could use this tactic against Sid, my tongue rolling around the head of his member as he was trying to argue with the guards that he shouldn’t get straight up, my teeth grazing over him as he was fighting to keep control.

“Let me finish up, and I’ll be straight back to the castle,” he was going to lose his temper in a moment, and even the guards had to concede that Sid wasn’t the Prince Consort yet.  They didn’t have the same power over him as they did over me. There was a low level of complaint, but the footsteps told me that the guards had admitted defeat, and the door was closed to on the way out.

It took two seconds for his hands to grab at my head, thrusting his length down my throat for several seconds before he came hard. His nails were digging into my scalp as I swallowed eagerly while refusing to break eye contact with the informant.

“You are in so much trouble, Princess,” he promised, his voice a low growl as he was tucking himself back in. My arm was grabbed by him, and we left in a hurry, my hood thrown over my head to ensure that no one in the tavern recognised me before I was dragged back to the castle.

It felt like it took extra time to sneak me back in unseen to my room in the castle. Nico was smirking knowingly at us both, especially since Sid appeared a little unruffled while my personal attendant took his time in pouring out the rose tea for us. I was considering helping Nico to prolong the ritual until Sid snapped and pushed him out of the room the second both cups had been poured. I could hear Nico’s laughter and goodnight bid from behind the closed doors, and then all of Sid’s attention was on me.

He covered the distance between us in a few hurried strides, then I was picked up as though I weighed nothing. My legs were locked around his waist as my laughter was ignored.

I bounced when he threw me to the bed, and then my wrists were pinned under his hands. Sid had lost his cool for once, as my chest was heaving against my dress. He was undressing me with his eyes, and also letting my imagination begin to run free as he kept me under him.

“You seem to enjoy pushing me Princess,” his voice was so low that it was threatening to drop through the floor. “So, you are going to strip everything off, and get on your knees and present yourself to me. I need to teach you how naughty it is to swallow what is meant to be making the heir to the throne,” his growl was delightful as I was freed from his confines. The promise of a long night ahead making me giddy with lust as I eagerly complied.

[aweebwrites]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

(So! Here it is! The idea was pitched by @floydgarmadork and the au came from @cakeking-cole and @mostlysunnydays!)

__________________

Lloyd grunted as he hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him.

“Get up.” Cole says, holding his scythe defensively as Lloyd panted heavily.

He swallowed before getting to his feet, turning to face Cole while all the other ninja leaned back and watched, Sensei Wu's scrutinizing gaze unmoving on him. This wasn't fair- but then again, when had it ever been? Cole was strong and merciless and all his 'training’ has been to teach him to fight the bad guys perfectly and to never make the mistake of striking a blow against any of them, even as they trained him. Phantom pains bloomed all over his body at the memory of that mistake.

“This is training for the three of you as well.” Wu says, looking towards Kai, Jay and Zane.

“If you insist…” Zane says, pulling his shurikens out of nowhere as he stepped forward, Kai and Jay following suit with their weapons.

Lloyd looked at them nervously. All four of them against him- and he didn't even have a weapon!

“One more thing.” Wu says, pulling out a blindfold and Lloyd paled.

He mentally shook his head. This was all to make him a better ninja… Right?... It's worth it… Isn't it?...

“Maybe it's time for a break.” Nya says, nervous for Lloyd as she watched Wu tie the blindfold on him. “I even have watermelon!” She added cheerfully, holding it up.

“Training has but just begun.” Wu declined, stepping back and allowing his ninja to surround Lloyd who held his hands up in defense (but really, it was to cover himself from their blows).

“A-are you sure? Just a-”

“Begin.” Wu says, cutting her off.

All four ninja charged at Lloyd with a yell and he shielded his face- only to blink once something landed on his head.

“The Falcon!” He pushed the blindfold up to see the ninja looking at his head, a few short steps away and the Falcon lowered its head then, looking at Lloyd.

Lloyd couldn't help but smile at the sight of it.

'Thanks buddy. You're a lifesaver.’

Seeming to hear his grateful thought, the Falcon chirped before flying onto Zane's outstretched arm and squawking at him.

“The Falcon has returned with troubling news. What did you see my mechanical-feathered friend?” Zane asked, cleaning its feet and his arm as he headed towards the bridge, the others following behind him.

“You ok?” Nya asked once they were gone, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah. I'm fine.” He says with a reassuring smile. “Let's go see what's up.” He told her, heading towards the bridge.

Nya watched him go, knowing he was not fine but she could hardly do anything to stop this. She tried talking to them about it before but it went nowhere and she was ignored. Now that he looked older… Things have only been getting worse. She followed him into the bridge. She could only hope things get better. A fool's hope really.

__________________

Lloyd was more excited than he should have been when he heard that they were going to stop his father. But could you blame him? His excitement vanished once he remembered his father doesn't know that he's… Grown. Will he hate him too? He didn't have time to think about it. He had to stop his father from using the Mega Weapon. He grunted as he somersaulted before Wu and the other ninja, using ice to freeze his father's Mega Weapon, making him growl before he froze.

“Lloyd?... Is that… You?...” Garmadon asked, shocked.

What happened to his boy? Did they do something to him?!

“Yeah. I've grown a little since the last time you saw me, dad.” Lloyd says sheepishly and Jay rolled his eyes behind him as Cole sneered.

Garmadon had more to say, more to ask but he saw the nindroid move towards his son and he growled.

“Stop him!” He yelled and the Serpentine hissed, rushing at the ninja as he escaped under the holding area beneath the stands, closing the door behind himself.

He then hit the iced up Mega Weapon against the wall, breaking some of the ice around it.

“Blast those ninja! It's bad enough they always stand in my way but to treat my son like they do?!” He growled angrily, knowing he couldn't force his son to follow his dark path but wished he would so he could protect him. “If only they weren't around! If only they never existed!” He yelled, slamming the Mega Weapon against the wall once more, shattering all the ice around it before he perked up.

“Yes! Yes! That's it!” He laughed gleefully before holding the Mega Weapon in all four hands. “Hear me Mega Weapon! I wish I could go back in time, and make it so the ninja were never formed in the first place!” He yelled and the weapon glowed, creating a glowing, swirling portal to the past.

“Now, to finish the Ninja once and for all, so that not only does my son never become the green ninja, but he never had to suffer under Wu and his dastardly ninja!” He yelled before jumping into the portal.

Just then, the Ninja, Wu, Nya and Lloyd burst in, only to find Garmadon gone and a glowing portal left behind.

“He used the Mega Weapon again!” Cole yelled, gesturing to the portal.

“Oh great! Just great!” Jay yelled, throwing his hands up. “Everytime he uses that stupid thing, something bad always happens! Now what?!”

“That's just like Garmadon. Always causing us trouble!” Kai growled.

“And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” Zane commented and they all turned to shoot Lloyd a glare who wisely looked away, keeping his head low.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and sand began to fill the area.

“What's going on?!” Kai asked, alarmed as the sand filled the area alarmingly quick.

“Is the city sinking?” Jay asked, confused as he kept pulling his feet out of the sand.

“Worse. The city is returning back to the desert, as if it had never been found in the first place.” Zane says as sand began climbing up their calves.

“Uh, what? What does that mean?” Kai asked as Lloyd frowned, feeling strange.

“Garmadon's gone back in time to make it so Lloyd never turns into the green ninja!” Zane explained and they all gasped then hummed.

“Actually, that's not so bad.” Jay says as Lloyd held up his fading hands.

“I can't… I can't feel my hands…” He says to Nya who was looking at his hands horrified.

“He's doing a good thing for once.” Cole agreed.

“Perhaps this is for the best…” Wu says, stroking his beard.

“No it's not!” Nya yelled at them, thinking of an excuse for them to go save Lloyd. “Garmadon isn't going back to stop Lloyd from being conceived or anything, he's preventing you four from ever becoming ninja!” She yelled and they gasped, horrified.

“We have to go in and stop him!” Kai yelled as they struggled through thigh deep sand.

“Protect your future ninja!” Wu yelled after them and they nodded at their Sensei before jumping forward, into the portal.

__________

Later on, Nya sighed in relief from the Bounty where she was seated with Lloyd, his hands coming back in full as his picture in the group photo hung on the wall. He was in the far back, smiling warily but it was a sign that his future was secure… For now at least.

“Don't worry Lloyd, you'll be ok.” Nya says, draping a blanket over his shoulders and he gave her a meek smile.

Wu, who was standing by the door, turned away then with a frown on his face, walking towards the edge of the deck where he could see the dark gray clouds retreating from Ninjago City. He told his students to secure their future and he has no doubt that they will.

____________________

“Ok. So we're here in the past and we just made sure Wu took Kai to the monastery.” Cole says, hands on his hips.

“Your point?” Kai asked with an arched brow.

“My point is, wouldn't that little brat be in Darkly's right now?” Cole says and one by one, they all light up at the implications of his statement.

“Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?” Jay says with a wicked grin.

“Eliminate all chances of Lloyd becoming the green ninja?” Zane supplied helpfully.

“Eliminate all chances of Lloyd becoming the green ninja.” Kai repeated more sinisterly.

“What are we waiting for? Let's go.” Cole says and they nodded at each other before moving out.

______________

Garmadon temporarily ditched the Skullkin once a feeling of dread washed over him suddenly. He knew the ninja where in the past with him and knew they thwarted his attempt to end their careers as ninja before they even started but the last time he felt a feeling of dread like this was when Lloyd almost died in the fire temple. Something was very wrong but he knew just where to go…

______________

“Alright. We're here. How do we do this?” Cole asked as they all spied on Lloyd who was sitting alone in his dorm room, drawing on a piece of paper.

“Oh! Oh! Send him to the underworld!” Jay says with a grin, pulling out a Skullkin mask.

“Hmm. That would be feasible, but Garmadon is in the underworld at this time. And how would we get there to begin with?” Zane questioned.

“Through the Fire Temple. But that's off the list. What else?” Kai asked, looking towards his brothers.

“He got kicked of this place for not being evil enough, right?” Jay asked them and they grinned at that.

“So… We stir up some trouble and blame it on him.” Kai chuckled.

They all looked at each other before nodding, sneaking into the school.

Jay blindfolded a teacher, pulling them into a secret passage before tying him up and stealing his clothes. Cole, Zane and Kai set up the traps, Cole luring all the students into the mess hall with the promise of candy written on a piece of paper and posted to the wall.

Jay walked towards the teacher's lounge once they have him the go ahead and he opened the door.

“Fellow evil teachers!” Jay yelled, pitching his voice lower and the three ninja facepalmed at his choice words. “That student! Lloyd Garmadon has captured all the other students!” He continued and the evil teachers looked at him before laughing.

“What? That brat? There's nothing evil about him. Look again Dr. Evilman.” A woman says, brushing him off and Jay had a moment of panic before he thought of something.

“He’s changed! He- he even called his father!” Jay yelled and they all gasped.

“You- that's obscene!” A male teacher says, getting to his feet. “Everyone knows Lord Garmadon is trapped in the underworld! I'll prove it!” He yelled, pushing Jay aside, the other teachers rushing to the door to see.

“Wait…” Zane says, holding a hand out towards Kai who holding onto a rope that lead to the inside, watching the teacher walk closely. “Wait… Wait… Now!” He yelled and Kai pulled the rope, making the floor beneath the teacher give way.

He yelled as he fell, a loud grunt sounding after, making the teachers now gathered outside the teacher's lounge gasp.

“I'm fine!” He yelled out but then Cole pulled his rope, letting the Spykors free.

His screams echoed as they rained down on him, making the teachers whisper in fear as Jay snuck out.

“Alright!” Jay yelled, highfiving the others.

_____________

Nya gasped once Lloyd groaned, hold up his hands that were disappearing again.

“No! Why is this happening?!” Nya yelled panicking, the disappearance happening quicker this time.

“It’s fine Nya. Don't- don't worry about me…” Lloyd says with his brightest smile, despite his arms being gone and his legs quickly following.

“No! Lloyd…” She whispered, not knowing what to do as tears poured down her cheeks.

___________

Garmadon ran towards Darkly's, hearing screaming and crashing that made his blackened heart pound into his throat. Lloyd! He was about to rush in once he heard four sets of familiar laughter. He growled, rushing around to the side of the school where the ninja were all watching the chaos, having themselves a jolly good time. Garmadon wanted nothing but to wipe those smiles off their faces. Permanently.

“Garmadon!” Zane gasped once he spotted him, warming the others as he charged at them with a yell.

His Mega Weapon clashed against Kai's sword, sending Sparks flying as he struggled against Garmadon's wrath.

“A little help guys?!” Kai yelled, just before Garmadon sent him flying back a sharp blow to the gut.

He whirled around, blocking the shurikens thrown at him before yelling as he charged at the master of earth.

“Woah! What's gotten into you?!” Cole gritted out, skidding back as he used his scythe to hold him back.

“Worry about what's about to be in you!” Garmadon yelled, lifting his megaweapon, revealing it's pointed tip at the bottom and Cole paled.

Luckily for him, Jay and Zane ran in, both of them kicking him away from their friend. Garmadon stuff back but growler as he regained his footing. Despite how strong and energy he appeared, he was still very much weakened by the use of the Mega Weapon. It was his rage that have him second wind. His son could be-

“You! Lloyd Garmadon!” They all froze at the teacher's yell from the inside.

“Uh, me?” Past Lloyd says, confused from his bed, looking at the teacher with crispy hair standing by the door.

“Don't play innocent! We've rescued the other children from where you locked them in the mess hall but you. You are in big trouble! Detention!” The teacher yelled at him.

“But I didn't-!” Past Lloyd cut himself off.

What was he doing?! Taking the fall for this would make the others respect him!

“I mean uh, Mwuhahaha! Yes! I did it! Me, Lloyd Garmadon!” He yelled and the teacher only grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out.

Garmadon panting, second wind gone now that he knows his son was unharmed. He retreated while they were distracted, running down to the Skulkin bike he stole, the ninja snapping out of it to rush after him.

“You will pay ninja! I promise you this! You may have ruined my son's day but I'll be ruining your entire life!” Garmadon spat at them before riding off down the hill.

“Stop him!” “He's getting away!” “No!”

Garmadon kept speeding downwards, his speed gauge going from green to orange to red, until he winked out of existence, reappearing in the Underworld. Now, to have a chat with his old self…

_______________

Nya was outright sobbing, holding onto what was left of Lloyd. He was nothing but a head and half a torso now.

“Hey… Come on… S-stop crying like that…” Lloyd says, looking up at her with tear filled eyes as her tears fell against his face. “Don't worry about it. You should be happy! You won't have me to worry about anymore…” He told her with a watery smile, tears running down the sides of his face.

“How can-can I be happy?! I rather have you alive and to w-worry over you all the ti-time than to n-not have you at a-all!” She got out between sobs, the last of his chest vanishing, moving up his neck now. “You can't leave Lloyd! Please!” She yelled desperately, cupping his head with shaking hands as his neck disappeared.

“I'm sorry Nya…” Lloyd says, mouth disappearing and Nya was all out hysterical.

He looked up at her, with teary green eyes before closing them and vanishing completely. Nya looked down at her empty lap, reaching a hand down to see if hopefully, he just turned invisible. But no. The space where he once lay was completely empty. Nya's breathing picked up as even more tears poured down her cheeks.

“LLOYD!!!”

_______________

(HALP! I NEED TO BE STOPPED! Anywho! From here, the ninja go back to the monastery, kidnap Nya, and the story continues on. Hope you liked it!)

[gwenbrightly]

Never A Perfect Moment 2

Crossposted from ffnet

Kai blearily peeked out of his hammock, still fully ensconced in the fluffy blankets Lloyd was so taken with. He could just barely make out the sleeping forms of his family on the several hideaway beds, additional hammock, and one air mattress that had been hastily inflated a few nights back when they first arrived at the apartment that Lloyd had taken up residence in while the rest of them were off on their individual missions. None of the others were up yet. Why was he even awake? So early…. Misako and Wu were probably still fast asleep in the loft he was currently dangling from. He snuggled back down, hoping that maybe he'd fall back asleep. He'd take every bit of rest he could get at this point. Everything that had transpired recently was definitely starting to catch up with him. It was hard to believe that several days had already passed since they had all been reunited. Life had been a whirlwind of phone calls, hospital visits, takeout meals, and restoration efforts. So much clean up and repair work… that alone took up countless hours. The busyness was good, he supposed. Kai had less time to worry about Skylor's fragile health when he was distracted by the hundreds of tasks that needed doing in order to return the city to its former glory. Somewhere in all the chaos, however, a small glimmer of light had appeared. Late into the previous evening, they had received word that the master of amber's condition had been updated to stable. Even if she wasn't conscious yet, it was a vast improvement over the puking, seizures and assisted breathing that had initially plagued her. And this fact was enough to give Kai all the hope he needed. The master of fire planned to be present whenever her body decided that it was time to wake up. Part of him wanted to kiss her senseless when it finally happened. But given the… undefined nature of their relationship, he wasn't sure she'd appreciate the gesture. He didn't want to hurt her…And he wasn't quite sure how to go about bringing it up without making the entire situation even more complicated than it already was. The master of fire buried his face beneath a pillow, trying once more to lull himself back to sleep. When it didn't work, he gave a muffled groan. He was going to need a nap later at this rate. Giving up on the idea of sleeping more, Kai quietly slipped from his hammock, navigating his way towards the quaint little kitchen. If he were going to be awake, he might as well do something productive and fix a nice breakfast for them to enjoy before another hectic day began (even if his cooking was nowhere near Zane's level). The master of fire tiptoed past a snoring Cole, then edged around the hideaway that currently housed both Jay and Nya, who were currently cuddling more excessively than he would've preferred. It looked like Jay had graduated from hugging pillows to subconsciously clinging to his girlfriend. But, they had been through an awful lot lately. And he was fairly certain that he'd heard the master of lightning mention something about yin and yang symbols at least once while they'd been in the First Realm. So. He should probably leave them be. In the quiet gloom, master of fire nearly tripped over a sweatshirt that someone (Cole) had left on the floor. He stumbled into the kitchen, catching himself on the island. Kai froze for a moment, concerned that the small thudding noise he'd made would wake someone. When nothing happened, he kept going. His phone was right where he'd left it the night before, plugged in on the counter. The master of fire powered it on and started searching for pancake recipes. He was 100% confident that Lloyd would never have stocked the cupboards with mix under any circumstances. Foods like this simply weren't anywhere near as good when they came from a box, and the blonde knew it. They'd lived off of off brand cereal and cheap multi-purpose mix enough times to recognize the difference. The ingredients weren't hard to find. The milk was perhaps a few days past its best by date, and the flour was a bit clumpy, but he could make do. At least he, unlike some people, had never given anyone food poisoning. Which put the odds in his favor (in his opinion). Kai pulled a griddle off a shelf and began measuring things into various cups and pitchers he'd located while waiting for it to heat to an appropriate temperature. As he poured flour into a cup, he failed to hear the stealthy family member sneak up behind him. Which was surprising, considering everything life had thrown at him lately.

"G'morning, Kai!" Nya whispered drowsily. He dropped a measuring instrument, sending up a cloud of flour.

"Nya, you know you can't do stuff like that. You gave me a heart attack…" He complained, blinking the white powder from his eyes.

"Sorry…" She hissed.

"What're you even doing up?" Kai asked, still in shock. Nya was usually the opposite of a morning person. She shrugged as best she could, careful not to jostle her bad shoulder.

"I… nightmare, I guess?" She informed him with a slight frown. It wasn't like this was anything new. Glancing at the glowing numbers on the microwave, she added

"But it is almost 8:30 in the morning…"

"Already?" He rubbed at his face, trying to remove the rest of the substance that currently coated it. She'd tell him about her nightmare if she needed to.

"Here, you look ridiculous! Please let me help you before you manage to get it everywhere…" Nya requested, reaching for a towel that hung near the sink. She tossed it to him with a practiced air of ease.

"Thanks."

"So. Makin' pancakes?"

"Yep. Wanna help?"

"Sure. It's better than watching Jay snuggle with my pillow…" They glanced over to the boy's prone form. Sure enough, in the absence of the master of water, he'd managed to maneuver her pillow into his arms.

"I bet you wish you knew what he's thinking right now, huh?" Kai said with a smirk. His sister raised an eyebrow.

"What could you possibly know about Jay's innermost thoughts?"

"Psh… don't doubt my abilities. Clearly he's thinking 'Oh Nya, I could hold you in my arms forever and ever. I think of you every second of every day… No! Every millisecond! You're so beautiful and awesome and your hair smells like wild cherries on a Sunday afternoon.'" Nya's cheeks turned bright red.

"He does not sound like that!" She protested, biting back a laugh.

"Oh, really?"

"Really. His lips move about a million times faster than that. Now cut it out before you wake the others. Chocolate chips or no?" The girl busied herself, rummaging through a cupboard Kai had somehow missed.

"Do you even have to ask?" He replied.

"Chocolate chip pancakes it is, then."

"You two really went all put with this place, you know?" The master of fire stated after a few minutes of joint mixing and measuring (during which time several handfuls of chips mysteriously disappeared). Nya sobered.

"Y-yeah… we… we wanted it to feel like home. So."

"I get it. It was hard on both you and Lloyd to be left here while the rest of us were gone." He assured her. The batter was almost ready now.

"Even with all the video calls and stuff. It just… wasn't the same. And then I had to leave too, and then… just when we were all together again…" Nya commented absently, playing with a few pieces of chocolate.

"Hey, let's not go there right now… Things were bad, yeah. But they're getting better. We just gotta keep moving forward."

"You've been spending too much time with Jay lately, haven't you?" She accused in a slightly lighter tone.

"You try being stuck with him after he's suffered a mental breakdown and see if you like it." Asserted Kai.

"No thanks." His sister retorted, a weak smile playing on her lips, "You know what these pancakes need to go with them?"

"Bacon?"

"Bacon." Nya decided, wandering over to the refrigerator. By some stroke of luck, there was a slab that hadn't yet expired.

"Perfect. And we've got whipped cream, too. This is gonna make Lloyd's day."

"Yeah! No one will be able to resist the Smith siblings' world famous pancakes." Kai stated lightly, holding out his hand for a fist bump. The raven-haired girl obliged with an eye roll, but wasn't willing to let Kai off the hook.

"You mean Betty Crocker's world famous pancakes."

"Yeah, sure, that." He agreed dismissively, making an (admittedly weak) attempt to bash her over the head with a spatula. Predictably, she dodged.

"Missed me, dork."

"Only cause you won't hold still, shortie…" The master of fire swiped again. This time Nya grabbed her own weapon.

"I'm taller than you." She reminded, blocking his attempt and returning it with her own.

"Yeah, barely!" The two spatulas met with a soft clang, but the siblings no longer cared whether or not they woke the others (the food was almost done, anyway).

"Porcupine breath!"

"Mistletoe addict!"

"Oh my gosh Kai! That was one year."

"You say that like there's no way it'll happen again this Christmas..." Kai paused to flip the latest batch of pancakes. Nya gave a long-suffering sigh.

"How do you know you won't be the one using it as an excuse to kiss Skylor?"

"I… I haven't even talked to her about things yet. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here... I don't even know if…" He replied in a more serious tone. Her face fell slightly.

"That's... Okay, I understand..."

"Sorry… it's just… you and Jay make all of this look so easy, and…" Kai started. Nya snorted, shaking her head in wonder.

"Easy?! Kai. You know as well as anyone that we've had our fair share of rough patches. Super rough ones. There were days I thought we'd never make it to this point. And sometimes? I'm still scared I'm gonna mess up really bad and hurt him again…" She admitted softly. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He'd missed these heart to hearts with his sister. It felt good to be able to be so open with each other again. Even if there were still a few things he was keeping from her – Jay owed him big time.

"You've both come such a long way. I'm so proud of you, sis. And somehow, I don't think that's gonna happen. Something tells me you guys are gonna be just fine."

"Thanks… I think I needed to hear that…" She replied, leaning against him, "You're heading to the hospital as soon as breakfast's over." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. If… if she wakes up today, I wanna be there for her. Not sure how she'll take the whole coma and being put on oxygen thing." The ninja of fire admitted. She nodded and snuggled against him, enjoying the quiet.

"I smell food," Came Cole's voice from the air mattress he was currently located on, "How soon're we gonna eat?"

"It'll be sooner if you come set the table like the gentleman that you are." Nya called back.

"Hear that, buddy? It's time to get up and make ourselves useful." The master of earth told Lloyd, throwing a perfectly aimed pillow at him. He sat up with a yawn.

"Gah! Fine. I'm up." The blonde stated with a groan, climbing out of his hammock.

"Want me to set out the juice?" Jay offered, also awake now and full of energy.

"Sure."

"And while we do that, can you guys fold up the hideaways? There's no point in having them take up all this extra space." The Green Ninja asked Zane and Pixal.

"Of course." The samurai replied.

"It shouldn't take us very long." Added the master of ice brightly. Like a well-oiled machine, the group set about accomplishing their responsibilities. Within minutes, several people were already in line to start filling their plates.

"So, obviously Kai will be heading to the hospital first, but then what?" Lloyd asked, spraying nearly an entire can of whipped cream on his food. Was he really that predictable? Kai briefly wondered in between attempts to confiscate the delicious topping before Lloyd could make himself sick.

"You gonna join us at the old monastery? Uncle Wu mentioned wanting to look into rebuilding it."

"Uh. Maybe. I was thinking of dropping by Master Chen's and seeing if June needs any help first, though, if that's okay with you guys?" He answered, piling some bacon onto his plate. Nya nodded.

"That poor girl probably does need some support. I can't imagine how chaotic things at the restaurant are right now. Maybe we should meet you there and all head to the monastery together?" She suggested.

"Yeah. That's a good plan. We'll work on helping with rebuilding efforts somewhere nearby and catch you on our way over." Lloyd decided. Kai gave his family a smile.

"Fine by me. I'll text you when I'm done at the hospital."

~-~

Kai was already far too familiar with the route that would take him to Skylor's room. He hurriedly scribbled his name on the check in sheet and turned leave, but was interrupted by Jen, the nurse who happened to be running the visitor's desk.

"I should probably warn you. Miss Chen is finally awake, but she was causing quite the commotion earlier..." She told him. He stared at her, confused. Oh. Now he wished that he'd arrived a bit earlier. Not that he'd pass up a nice breakfast with his family. He knew how much it meant to Lloyd and Nya.

"What do you mean commotion…?"

"Um… We had to give her a bunch of narcotics because her body is still recovering from being so sick, and she was in a lot of pain, and… Well… maybe it's better if you see for yourself…"

"That's… comforting…" Kai said with only a hint of sarcasm.

"I know... I promise it's not as bad as it sounds." She smiled apologetically.

"And I'm sorry for making you more worried. Maybe things have calmed down by now. Have a nice visit!" The nurse waved, watching him head down the hallway.

"Thanks. I-I will." He called back over his shoulder. Wondering what Jen could possibly have meant, he hurried along. He couldn't help but reflect back on all the memories they shared. All the times he'd come to her, looking for advice, or the days they'd bothbeen desperate for an escape and spent hours hiding from their responsibilities… Over the years, they had spent so much time together… Hopefully it wasn't too late for them to build something more…

As he grew closer to the room he knew was hers, he could hear voices carrying on a rather loud conversation.

"Miss Chen, please stop playing with the iv drip. It'll only work if it stays in your arm!" Someone, another nurse, probably, insisted urgently.

"But I can't bend my arm with it in… see?" An additional voice complained in a tone that was just barely audible. A machine beeped loudly. The owner of the first voice sighed heavily.

"Then don't bend your arm so much… keep it like this, okay?" The beeping stopped.

"Okay, okay. But… ammi gonna have any visitors today? This… this is boring. Like. Why izznt Kai here? He's so great. Betcha he'd make everything just… fade away…"

"I aware of that. You've told me already. Five different times, in fact." Hearing himself being discussed, the master of fire knocked softly on the door. There was the sound of footsteps on the other side, then it opened. A haggard looking nurse ushered him inside.

"Heeey, hot stuff!" Skylor called unsteadily. With a bit of color back in her skin and a noticeably less terrifying body temperature, she looked somewhat better than the last time Kai had seen her. But it was obvious that she had yet to fully recover from her ordeal. He wasn't completely sure she was even focusing on him and not some imaginary version of himself.

"I was juussst. Telling my good man Friday, here, all about you!" The nurse shook his head in exasperation.

"That's…. Not my name, but okay. I'm just gonna step out into the hall and let you two talk this out…Let me know if you need anything." The redhead giggled as Kai took a seat in the empty chair next to her bed.

"Oh Kai! I've missed you sooo much…. I'm really glad you're not dead, y'know? That would've been so sucky…"

"Uh... Yeah? I missed you too..." Was the only thing he could think of to say. She stared at him wide eyed, as if this were some mind-blowing piece of information that had rocked her entire world.

"Kai?" Skylor whispered, her perception of the room spinning slightly.

"Y-es?"

"Hazanyone ever tooold you how beautiful your eyelashes are?" She asked. Well, whatever he'd been expecting her to say, it hadn't been that.

"What?"

"They're so…. Long…a-and full… and. And every time I look at them I just! I wannem. Cause they're so lucious and pretty, and it's not fair!" The redhead cried loudly, "S'not fair…. Why'do you getta be the one with the such fabulous eyelashes when I'm stuck with…. These…?" She gestured weakly at her face (her eyelashes weren't unattractive in the slightest, he noted). He struggled to keep a straight face.

"I dunno Sky, I really don't."

"An' don't even get me started on the hair…. It's sooo…. Spiky. Like a porcupine… except cuddlier... I just wanna touchit…." Sniffling slightly, she continued, "But I won't. Cause I know you probably wudd'n wan' me to. So I won't. But I wanna."

"You're allowed to touch my hair if it really means that much to you. You just gotta ask." He told her patiently. Skylor perked up immediately.

"Woah… really?"

"Sure," Leaning forward, he shrugged. She reached out a trembling hand and gently petted his head.

"Oooh…. S'much softer thanni thought it'd be…" The master of amber mused, before growing serious again.

"Why're you always soo nice to me? Like even back when I was… eeeven back on the island. You were so kind…. And I was a big ol liar… M'sorry bout that… You're too pure for me to pull crap like that on you…. I shouldn't've… Oh! An, then, there was that time you asked me to the zoo? An I totally thought you were gonna backout, but ya did'n. I was so happy! Only, it made me fall more in love with you…. Onn'a these days I gotta get you to ask me out for realsies…." A dreamy look crossed her face as she stared into his eyes for a moment, "That'd be amazing… like maybe even the best thing ever… And you know what? I've been doing some thinking, and you know whattineed? A pet peacock!" Had Kai heard her right? Sure they'd gone out together a couple of times (but was it as friends?), and yes, he'd always hoped she was at least interested, but this was different. If Skylor really was in love with him, then…

"Wait. Say that again... Please?" He begged.

"Uh... I wanna peacock?" She replied confusedly.

"No, before that…" But it was already too late; the moment was gone. She scrunched her eyebrows in concentration, then frowned.

"Hm… I-I.… got nothing… Sorry..."

"It's... It's fine." Kai assured her once it had become clear that nothing was going to jog her memory. Skylor yawned, looking deflated. The energy she'd seemed to have when he first arrived was vanishing rapidly.

"These meds... have really got me all messed up, huh?" The master of amber noted sleepily, in a moment of surprising lucidity, sinking back onto her pillows. She didn't even know the half of it…

"I understand… Why don't you try to get some rest now, okay?" He suggested.

"Mmm… fink I will…" She agreed as she snuggled into the thin white sheets, "G'night Kai..."

"Sweet dreams, Sky." As she shut her eyes with a contented smile, the master of fires heart twisted. There was so much he wanted, no needed, to say to her… but he couldn't, not now, and he wondered if there ever would be a perfect moment. Sighing softly, Kai smoothed the sleeping young lady's hair out of her face.

"Goodbye," He whispered, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him.

~-~

"If I ever have to clean out another industrial sized refrigerator full of rotten food, it'll be too soon…" Chad stated dramatically, collapsing into the nearest chair as he exited Master Chen's storeroom. The table in front of him, which happened to be in restaurant's main office, was covered with cleaning supplies, paperwork, and half empty coffee mugs.

"It could've been much worse, and you know it, Mr. I've held literally every job possible at the Ninjago City Mall." June replied, powering on her tablet. She pulled up the checklist they had been valiantly attempting to complete for most of the morning (there was only so much that could be accomplished at once when working with someone possessing Chad's attention span) and made a note next to 'Clean and inventory all supplies currently in storage; remove rotted foodstuffs'. They still had a lot to do if they wanted to have things up and running again before Skylor was released from the hospital. The bespectacled young lady was holding out hope that this would happen sooner, rather than later. She'd nearly flung her phone across the room in panic a few days ago when Kai had texted her to inform her that her friend (and boss) had been rushed to the ER in the aftermath of the battle. Skylor definitely didn't deserve everything the world had thrown at her, especially not being so ill. And she'd do anything she could to lessen the burdens she knew she carried in the meantime.

"Okay, yes. Anything's better than toilet duty…" He allowed, peering over June's shoulder to get a better look at what she was doing. The level of organization on the screen would never cease to impress him. He could barely keep track of his car keys, let alone make sense of the notes he wrote himself during his journalism courses (which had been paused due to an evil warlord taking over the city). How on earth did she manage it all so effortlessly? But that was just the way June was. For as long as Chad could remember, she had always been good at this sort of thing. Being the one to make sure things would turn out okay, no matter what. The quiet, but comforting force, always there to cheer him on. She hadn't always seen her own strength to begin with, but once she'd found her voice, she'd become unstoppable. And he loved her for it.

"You know, the bathrooms are still on the list if you'd like to revisit your glory days…" The manager of Master Chen's Noodle House informed him with an innocent smile. Chad shook his head vigorously.

"I'm good, thanks. My internship at Ninjago Times is definitely a step up from that."

"I know it is." June sighed, slumping in her seat as she ran some calculations in her head, "I just wish we could make it a bit longer without the city being in danger... We've had giant snakes, evil robots, a cult… when will it all stop?"

"It would be nice to graduate on time… but I'm really just glad we're both alive at this point…" The young man told her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"And besides, think about how different our lives would be without some of the things that have happened over the years. You might not have ended up applying for your assistant manager position, and I know how much you love working here! And I know Skylor's super glad she has you for a friend…"

"That's very true," She agreed, "And you can't deny that those awkward run ins with the ninja contributed to your decision to go into journalism." Chad stood, flashing her a grin.

"Yep, and I couldn't be happier. Life's good; I've got a career I'm passionate about, a wonderful fiancée who puts up with my crazy ideas… Well, most of the time at least!" He pulled her to her feet,

"And… a restaurant in desperate need of some tlc… we should probably get back to work, huh?"

"Yeah, probably. C'mon, let's go see what the others are up to. I'm sure they are wondering why we're not finished with the inventory yet." Decided June. Still holding hands, they wandered back into the main part of the building. The employees that had so graciously volunteered to come in on their spare time and help revitalize the restaurant were hard at work. Several people were scrubbing the conveyer that usually displayed a variety of dishes. Still more wiped furiously to remove smudges from the windows. A pile of broken chairs and a table that was inexplicably missing a leg sat in one corner – a staunch reminder of lawlessness the SOG had lived by during Garmadon's reign of terror. It was a good thing no one had been present when the restaurant had been torn apart in the search for the green ninja and his friends. That wouldn't have ended well, she was certain. The sight had been devastating when they'd first arrived earlier that morning. But things were starting to look up, now. Even if there was definitely going to be some lingering trauma for some of them.

"It's looking better already. We'll have this place up and running again in no time!" Chad cheerfully declared, knowing just how worried June had been.

"Hey you guys. We were starting to worry that you'd gotten eaten by some sort of mutated refrigerator monster or something." Greeted one of the waitresses as she glanced over at the couple.

"We… got a bit sidetracked…" June explained.

"That's okay – as long as you weren't sucking each other's faces off in there." A busboy replied.

"… Did you really just say that, Kyle?" Someone else deadpanned.

"Yeah, have some respect. June's our boss. You oughta know better than that!"

"Okay," June called, stepping in before the discussion could turn into an argument (a relatively common occurrence with this particular set of individuals), "Hey, you know what? Everyone take a break. You've all been working so hard. Go get some food. And water – hydration's very important. I don't want to see any of you back here working for at least half an hour. But seriously, thank you so much for coming today. I know Skylor would really appreciate your dedication if she were here." This seemed to relieve the sense of tension that had been beginning to grow amongst the employees. They scattered in groups and pairs, grateful to be free of productivity for the time being.

"So… what are we gonna do with all this damaged furniture?" Asked one waitress, who happened to be lingering a bit longer than the others. June and Chad walked over to inspect it more closely.

"Hm�� Most of it looks salvageable." The young man mused. She nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah… I don't suppose you know of any good furniture repair businesses, Daisy?"

"Not off the top of my head, but I can ask around, if you want?" Replied the frizzy haired young lady.

"That would be a huge help." June commented, looking relieved.

"Sure thing, boss." Daisy said with a cheerful nod before heading off in search of lunch. The pair looked at each other, smiling tiredly, already missing the chaotic atmosphere and sense of comradery the others had provided.

"Which non bathroom related task shall we tackle next?" Questioned Chad, nudging his fiancée, eager to begin another project. A few more minutes of hard work wouldn't harm anything. They could always retrieve their sandwiches from the refrigerator later.

"Hm... We could-" The sound of the bell above the front door ringing prevented June from answering him.

"I'm sorry, but Master Chen's Noodle House is not open for business at the moment. I'm afraid you'll have to come back later if you want any noodles." She stated absently, a bit surprised that someone would attempt to eat there at a time like this.

"I'm not here for the food. Didn't you get my text?"

"Wait – Kai?" The young woman spun to face their visitor.

"Hey June, Chad." The master of fire greeted sheepishly.

"Oh my gosh. I've had my phone on silent all morning… I must have missed it. I'm so sorry!" June apologized, frantically rushing over to him.

"Eh, it's fine. It uh, looks like you've had your hands full here…" Kai commented, glancing about curiously. He had to admit that he hadn't anticipated seeing the restaurant in quite this bad of shape.

"Yeah. You should've seen the place when we got here. Total disaster!" Chad informed Kai, nodding vehemently.

"What.. What exactly happened, here? Was it the SOG?" He asked, eyes drawn to the broken furniture.

"Uhuh... We weren't here when they arrived... The... Incident with the colossus was broadcast on the news and Skylor sent us all home as soon as she saw it. She was so shaken – didn't want any of us to get hurt due to her relationship with you guys. And of course, she was being her usual caring self and prioritizing everyone else's wellbeing over her own, but it was so difficult to stand by and not be able to offer her any comfort. I've never seen her so upset before..." June frowned, "But anyway, we watched the security footage when we got here, and it was... pretty terrifying... They tore the place apart looking for any sign of the resistance. One of them even suggested burning the place down when they didn't find anything..." She explained. Seeing the all of this play out had obviously been anything but pleasant.

"Oh." Kai said, the realization of how much the disappearance of him and his friends had impacted Ninjago suddenly striking him much harder than it had before. He'd known it'd been tough on Nya and Lloyd, but it was clear that Skylor and her employees were just as affected. He should've checked in on them sooner...

"Yeah, but we'll get through it. I mean, the worst of it is over now that we have all of you back and Garmadon behind bars. You should see how hard everyone's been working. I know we all adore Skylor, because she's an amazing person, but it's so encouraging to see all of them come together to help her like this." June told him, smiling optimistically.

"She is amazing." The master of fire agreed softly, thinking back to his earlier conversation with her.

"Have you been able to visit her?" She inquired.

"I... Yes, every day... And just before I came here, actually." Kai informed her.

"H-how is she?" Came the anxious, but hopeful response. He paused for a moment, not quite sure how to describe her current state.

"She's… Well… She was awake for a little while this morning, so that's a good sign…"

"But?" June finished for him, somehow picking up on his uncertainty.

"Skylor and pain meds are an… interesting combination. She was really out of it and said some stuff that was definitely… unexpected… but do I blame her? No… I mean… She didn't know…" Rambled the master of fire awkwardly. June nodded sagely.

"She told you she was in love with you."

"Uh…? Yeah, she did, and it caught me totally off guard and I'm not sure if- Oh… Why am I even telling you this?" He muttered, massaging his temples.

"Kai, can I ask you something?" She asked, motioning for him to follow her.

"Yeah, sure, I guess?" Kai joined her at one of the booths that was still intact. Chad slipped into the booth as well, obviously curious about whatever it was that June was about to ask.

"When you and Skylor so clearly have feelings for each other, why are you still awkwardly dancing around each other instead of asking her out? I figured you would've started dating a long time ago…"

"I…" He sighed, an unreadable expression crossing his face, "It's complicated..."

"Welcome to Ninjago, Kai. In case you somehow missed it, everything here is complicated." Chad observed, looking at the master of fire like he was a world-class idiot. His fiancée elbowed him gently.

"Everyone has a few hiccups in their lives, sure… but you shouldn't let that prevent you from being with the person you love." June stated wisely.

"It just never felt like the right time, you know?" He told them, not meeting their eyes, "We always had so much on our plates… from the moment she got here, Skylor had to deal with everything that came with suddenly having an entire culinary empire thrust on her and I didn't feel like I could add more to her plate by asking for a relationship… and then Morro happened, and everything else, and I didn't want to hurt her if something happened and my duties interfered with things so I…" June and Chad glanced at each other, then at Kai. The bespectacled young lady chose her words carefully, knowing that someone needed to give him some perspective on this situation.

"Look. As your friend, I'm going to be honest with you, here. I know right now it feels like life will never calm down, like it's just one crazy thing after another, especially for someone like you who has to carry far more responsibility than is really fair… but if there's one thing I've learned over the past couple of years, it's that there's no such thing as a perfect moment, and that if you keep on waiting for one," She eyed him meaningfully as she continued, "You'll come to regret it one day because you'll have missed out on a lot of incredible things."

"I…" The master of fire bit his lip, realization hitting him hard. June was right, and deep down, he had already known that. What had he been thinking?

"Just… talk to her... Skylor loves you, Kai. She has for a long time. She'll understand." She advised encouragingly.

"You're right... I've put this off for long enough. The next time I visit the hospital, I'll tell her everything." Kai determined, doing his best to look confident. It was time for him to do what he should've done a long time ago. Suddenly a future with the girl of his dreams didn't seem like such an unrealistic possibility.

[finderskeepersff]

7. Part 3

I winced at the sight of the sun gleaming through the room, pulling up the covers over my head. I drank way too much, oh this is terrible. Let me pray I can go back to sleep. I don’t need to be awake right now, my head is pounding. Feeling the bed move behind me and my eyes shot back open, staring ahead of me. There is someone in my bed, oh my word. Did I have sex, pushing the covers back but I am fully clothed so no I didn’t or maybe it was a quick one and I don’t remember. Oh god, he’s really in my bed. Placing my hand over my mouth, what the fuck have I been doing with myself. I am not drinking, not doing it again. How can I have sex and not know, turning onto my back slowly. I need to sneak out of bed and fix myself because I must be a mess “stop moving!” I gasped, pulling the covers back “oh shit” it’s only Olivia “you move around too much” her voice is so husky right now “well I thought you was, you know. Him” placing my arm over my eyes, this is a mess “I wish he did, you are awful. I got you into bed, me!” Oh she is shouting “then you woke up, wanted to be sick. Dragged you to the bathroom to be that, then I was worried you may be sick while asleep so I stayed here, Lloyd was worried” I am a mess “sorry” I mumbled “so no Sofia, it’s not Cassius, he is relaxing on the couch” Olivia is not happy with me, I didn’t think I was that bad. I need some food but then that means I have to see people, I do remember being so confident enough to grab his face and be like what about me, look at me. That is the alcoholic talking, I am not that rude. Maybe I am, I don’t know. I have to see his face in the morning too, why me.

“Wakey, wakey Sofia! I made you breakfast” fluttering my eyes open again “I’m asleep still?” I said confused “yes ma,am. We waiting on you sick face” Mia called me sick face “mind you Cassius is still asleep on the couch, I feel bad. He used a towel as a blanket and really got no pillows” this is a mess, I’m a mess anyways “come on, get some clothes on. Get fixed up, we’re making breakfast” I do actually need some food “was I really bad last night?” I need to know everything “mhmm, you will have to get out of bed to find out” Mia said with the biggest smirk ever, I groaned out. This is not good because that does mean I have been a mess with everything, I have shamed myself in front of Cassius “did he look ashamed of me?” Mia chuckled, as she walked out of the bedroom slowly. I do not want to go downstairs now, what if he thinks I am some hoe. I mean then again I did fuck him, I know for a fact I did kiss him or maybe he kissed me, oh shit. He did kiss me, he tried to kiss my lips but I moved my face, I was just playing with him but god. I sighed out, I do like him but I am scared. I am so scared to get hurt, he hasn’t gave me any vibes that he would but I don’t think I like what he does at all, I don’t want that life.

I feel like I am doing the walk of shame right now, everyone saw the mess I was in but who cares. I mean it was my birthday, so I am on my birthday behaviour but I could be scaring him away. I am never like this, I won’t be drinking like that again anyways. I want to have those cute talks with Cassius like we did in the car, I remember that conversation. It’s nice to hear what he says and feels, he’s so I don’t know. Very calm about things, he can be deadly though so I am like let me step back. I huffed out reaching the last step on the stairs, I am so ashamed because like what if I did do something stupid. I gasped, I wasn’t expecting Cassius to jog by me. Did he even notice me, he just flew by me. He was holding his dick anyways so only god knows what is wrong or maybe he has a boner, looking behind me watching him run up. Someone wolf whistled “here she is, the birthday girl” Kenton shouted, holding my forehead “please don’t, I did nothing but just have fun” I don’t need to hear the nonsense “I told y’all, let her eat and then we can remind her” side eyeing Mia, she ain’t shit on this because I don’t think I did anything that stupid.

“Who cooked this?” wiping my mouth “us three, I mean minus Sofia of course” Ivy said pointing at her, I chuckled “thank you, breakfast was very nice. Compliments to you three” they all cooed out “least someone is nice enough to say thank you but honestly it’s ok, I know some of us woke up with sore heads, some more than others. Sofia of course” Sofia is being awfully quiet, I don’t know why either. She did nothing wrong but she must feel like she has, she was just turning up “hate you all” Sofia mumbled, rubbing the side of my face “you know last night, I don’t know if you remember Mia or Sofia. You went to the bar?” I am not sure if they do “I do yes” Mia said “I followed you both, you know people can’t be trusted. I don’t trust many people, remember you took a drink from some guy?” I pointed at Sofia “erm, I may have” I laughed “well you did, he was feeling you. Then you started speaking to Mia, he then spiked your drink” everyone’ face dropped “this is why you don’t take drinks from anyone and you have worked in a club before, you wasn’t watching. It’s dealt with, I couldn’t hurt him because then the nigga with a criminal record would be locked up but I got you both away out of that, I just want you ladies to be more vigilant” Sofia looks so devastated “you should have told me!” Mitch spat, my phone in my pocket started ringing, that is my burner phone so this is great “it’s fine, just please next time. Be safe” getting my phone out from my pocket, unknown number too “you really did do the best thing, damn. Niggas can’t be trusted” answering the call “hello?” I have no idea who this could be “well if it isn’t Cass, it’s me Zed” furrowing my eyebrows “Zed?” I spat, getting up from my seat “I’ll be back” I announced.

Walking outside to the back yard “how you get my number?” I am shook he has “B, he gave it me. I can’t wait to get out but I don’t have much time. Jordan, he was in the block. You didn’t tell me shit did you? But I erm, look I am scared of you” is Zed on crack, the hell is wrong with him “he’s my brother, point blank. He’s just a dickhead, hopefully he is scared” Zed sighed out “he’s been moved into a secure cell, so like they moved him from my block. I tried to keep him here but it didn’t happen. Niggas know he snitched on you, his own brother. Your brother got beat up in the showers and raped” I abruptly stopped walking around “raped? Sorry what?” that has to be a joke “Zed, you playing me. Someone did what?” the phone line went silent “I don’t know who did it, you know there is some gay niggas. From what I have heard, he wants to be a little bitch. They made him that, I feel sick even thinking on it” I am gagging at the thought “don’t call me until you find out who, he is my brother!” disconnecting the call, placing my hand over my mouth. I feel sick to my stomach, I didn’t want anyone to do that to him. I didn’t want anyone to kill him or harm him in there. I gagged again, placing my hand over my mouth wanting to be sick but I can feel it coming.

Flushing the toilet, I am sick to my stomach. Someone did that to him, he’s a dickhead and I know that but no, I can’t rest. I need to know who the fuck did that, dialling Kyle’ number. I am going to get them, I can get to them. Maybe I should have told Zed, maybe I should have helped knowing he was going in there but he fucking killed my baby “bro” Kyle answered “you, you fucking better find out who the fuck messed my brother up in there. I know you fucking know people, that’s my blood, my name being used in vain in that place. They fucked up my little brother, I want them dead. Or I will get back in that place myself and kill them” I am so angry inside, they fucked up “word?” Kyle said “word? Put my name on it” Kyle disconnected the call, I feel so sick.

I can’t show my emotions, I need to suck it up and move it back. I can’t show these people or even let them know. They will be like tell the law, the law ain’t going to do shit for him. Resting my head back closing my eyes, taking in a deep breath “I can do this” I said to myself, walking into the living area, the chatter became ever silent. They did see me run in wanting to be sick “is everything ok?” Olivia asked, I chuckled “erm yeah, early morning sickness. Luckily I can’t be pregnant cause I would be worried” I cringed at myself “I really would have” Mitch said, how can I be so stupid “I am going to get changed” Sofia got up, that was a stupid joke but I forgot. It slipped my mind that she was pregnant, I was going to say something but Sofia walked by me, today is not going well. I am just in idiot, shit is never my fault but I feel it. I am blaming myself for what happened to Jordan and now Sofia is upset with me, I snitched on him and beat him but he did the same to me minus the beating up. Rubbing my hands together, I will let the ladies speak I guess. They all went upstairs in formation, this is just great.

Kenton held out a glass to me “seems like you need it nigga” taking the glass from him “it has Patron in it by the way” he sat next to me “you just seem like a man with a lot on you, you should relax. I am actually very shocked to see Sofia this much into a guy. If it is that what is stressing you” downing the Patron “what do you mean?” I asked “meaning, Sofia being all over you. We all happy for her, she is happy. From knowing her, she don’t get to be happy with men. She works so hard for her mother and brother, so this is a good time for her. Women are stressful” he ain’t wrong “I just wish I didn’t have a heart Kenton, I think to myself did I do the right thing but my mind is saying yes. All I want to do is move, I want to move away where nobody knows me. I ain’t the biggest looking nigga, and I am not the type to kill or the type to open up to many. I am a quiet nigga myself” placing the glass down on the table “but the quiet ones are the most scariest, what you did for Mia and Sofia. I didn’t even know you left us to do that. Everything you did for Sofia, she said you helped her. But the quietest people can be the worst” smiling at Kenton “I am not evil, I just learned to not get my hands dirty but now I want to move from that. Can I ask you question?” I said to Kenton “sure” licking my lips “your brother did something to you, you got in trouble for it but now they in trouble. Nobody can help him besides you, what would you do? Would you help them, even if you knew in your heart he could” I paused “die” I finally said. Kenton went so silent, maybe I asked the wrong person “I don’t need to answer that, the tears in your eyes do. You’re a good guy Cassius” he got up from the couch “I won’t repeat this to anyone” watching him walk off.

Sofia is actually really upset with me, she has been keeping her distance so I kind of walked off alone. But I came back to them after an hour, it took a while to find them on South Beach but I noticed Sofia’ baby blue bikini. She looks so good, I am sure she goes to gym because her body is more toned then I last saw her naked, well yeah. Stood just over Sofia, blocking the sun. Sofia lifted her head up, I can imagine her mean mugging me under those shades “you came back” she mumbled “you’re in the way too” she rested her head back “where is everyone? I only knew you was here because of your bikini” I sat down slowly “I want to apologise” I said “the joke was not done on purpose, I can’t really say much. We ain’t ever spoke on it but I am sorry, I was not being malicious with it” looking up seeing the girls walking back to us “nice to see you back Cassius, I am surprised she ain’t kissing on you” I smiled “not right now, she need some booze huh” Sofia got up from her position, sitting up as she sighed out “I just need some space” pulling a face “let’s talk” I mumbled “girl, don’t be so sensitive” Mia said, watching Sofia fix her panties as she walked off “go on speak to her” Olivia said in a whisper to me.

I mean I don’t mind walking behind her, her body is so beautiful “pay for me” Sofia announced “for what?” jogging up to her “I want a drink” letting out an oh “Sofia, just one second yeah” grabbing her arm to stop her from walking any more “I am sorry, I didn’t think. I also didn’t think it would have upset you that much. I know it’s not something we spoke on” removing her shades slowly from her eyes “I am sorry” I said again “I don’t apologise much either” Sofia looked down “I am not upset with you, it’s still something I do think about but it’s done. I mean how can I be sad over something I didn’t even know but it doesn’t stop me thinking of what if but there is no what if, that was taken but. I initially did get upset but I am not with you, I forget too so it’s fine. I am just more thinking on how you think of me now, they all told me what I did so yeah. I don’t remember anything, from when you told me about the bar and then erm” she giggled to herself “you know, that thing” frowning at her “that thing? You going to need to say more than that” Sofia is really giggling “well I, see I said I. I sat on your lap and kissed you, I was making you touch my thigh. I was being inappropriate, god this is awful. Thank you, you saved me again. Your creepy ways, I am just so indebted to you, I really am. I am just thankful for you” so it wasn’t really the baby thing but more of shame “I was physically molested by you, yes. It’s cool, you had fun. You know, I ain’t complaining” Sofia is blushing so much “you shy?” I said, she pushed my chest walking off in annoyance.

Sofia wasn’t lying when she said I am paying but I don’t mind “I didn’t ask, why was you actually sick in the morning? Was it too much drinking” side eyeing Sofia not being able to open a bottle of Sprite “you need help with that?” I pointed “I can do it, just that it’s wet” she tried again to open the bottle “that’s what she said” I added, I had too. Opening my can of Red Bull, she can continue to suffer “that she ain’t me though” she would say that mid-drink because I got a comeback for that ass, moving the can back “you was wet in the disabled toilets, that is a lie though” Sofia held the bottle out “gave up?” she nodded, swapping drinks so I can open the bottle “can I drink some?” she asked “but you got this? Why you being difficult?” women are just odd “well I want Red Bull now” opening her Sprite bottle “right, well we swapped enough saliva last night so that is fine. Drink up” I might as well drink her drink then “shut up” I won’t shut up or drop it “so, you didn’t tell me” neither does she drop things, I shrugged “too much booze, I don’t know. Maybe the breakfast was wack” I don’t think I will tell her just yet about that, I just know I need to get back.

Not to sound too big headed but there is whole lotta ass on this beach and they are looking at me, maybe it’s just me “did poor Cassius sleep well on that cold couch?” Mia asked me, looking away from the beach “poor Cassius was expecting some cuddles after getting groped but I got nothing” Sofia near choked on her drink “excuse me!?” she spat “best thing ever is when Cassius got into the mini-van saw Sofia asleep and he got off” Olivia reminded me, everyone started laughing but little Sofia is not laughing “that nigga was like nope, I am done bye. Sofia was gone!” Lloyd dapped me laughing “I mean it wasn’t that, I just thought she may be sick and also I am not the type to take advantage, Sofia you can molest me as much as you want. I don’t mind” she put a finger up at me “I like my Lioness feisty” Sofia rolled her eyes at me looking down, she cute.

[codetrainwreck]

Code Geass Season 1 Interview Collection

All of these interviews were translated/summarized by Celiss @ GameFAQs

CLAMP Summary of the Newtype Ookawa Nanase x Taniguchi Gorou interview. Note that the early designs on that page are by Ookawa Nanase, but the finalized CLAMP original art (not to be confused with the finalized KimuTaka character designs) were done by Mokona, a different CLAMP member. All info listed are from Ookawa and Taniguchi themselves; dialogue in ""s means those are the parts I didn't rephrase at all. - Suzaku originally had a "sharper" look to him. Ookawa -- "Originally I imagined him as having Chinese-like, sharp, single-eyelid eyes." Taniguchi -- "In order to have Lelouch stand out more, I had this design changed to a softer, rounder image." - On the early design for Lelouch (white hair) Ookawa -- "I imagined Lelouch as someone everyone will find to be "cool"; a beauty, to put it simply." Taniguchi -- "We talked about Tackey & Tsubasa as well as early Kinki Kids." (Popular Johnny's idols in Japan) - Ookawa attended the Episode 1 sneak preview / test screening; according to her a large number of reporters and other mass media-related personnel showed up as well because of the pre-show hype. When the 1st episode ended, the room went dead silent. With the fast-moving plot and the episode ending with Lelouch going "Die, all of you" as he Geasses the soldiers into killing themselves, everyone was left speechless. However, the momentary silence was later broken by tremendous applause. Taniguchi himself wasn't at the screening, but he heard about what happened as well. - How did CLAMP come to be part of the Code Geass project? Producer Kawaguchi was the one who wrote to them first. That was the first time CLAMP heard from him, and also the first time they received a request to design characters for an anime. The members only met the director more than a year later; they were already on board the project when the characters and world view were nothing more than a vague concept. CLAMP offered some "interesting ideas" and these helped shape the world of Code Geass. - The character illustrations shown on the page are preliminary designs; when these were first drawn Code Geass wasn't about a war with an Empire but something different. Taniguchi said "We're making a hit show", and wanted to create a show which appealed to everyone. They ended up using the Johnny's artistes (Tackey & Tsubasa; early Kinki Kids) as a sort of model for the characters (probably Lelouch; those Johnny's artistes are usually thought of as "Prince" types, especially early Domoto Kouichi of Kinki Kids) - The character "Zero" was decided from early on, and is one of the characters left unchanged even when they adjusted the story. CLAMP members call Zero's mask "Tulip" (because of it's appearance) They wanted to create a mask never seen before in previous Sunrise shows. They were told to create a mask showing only one eye, and there were two possibilities for that, the other being the masks used in palaces (...which kind of palace? Asian or Western?) Taniguchi -- "When I saw Zero's mask, my thought processes all came to a halt (laugh) It was extremely simple yet had impact." The biggest merit of having CLAMP do the designs is that, according to Taniguchi, they can come up with things normal animator-turned-designers can't. The clothes, for example, may seem impossible (*coughZeroandC.C.'scostumescough*), but CLAMP still went ahead with them anyway with the simple reasoning that "These are better!" - How did the designing process work? CLAMP members drew a certain number of illustrations, handed them to Taniguchi and Taniguchi would later return it to them with his own comments. The designs would be changed according to his wishes and the cycle repeated. The comments ranged from "I want you to redraw just this part" to "I want you to add this part of the character with this part of that character and come up with a new character." Taniguchi pretty much gave CLAMP free reign over the designs, telling them not to worry about what the CG world was like, and because of that they came up with all kinds of variations, from SF to Classical, for things like the military uniforms. There were altogether some 40 ~ 50 designs; C.C. also had traditional Japanese clothes as well as Western Barbie-style clothes. (Now we know why C.C. cosplays so much. Taniguchi probably included them because he thought it would be a waste not to...) - Ookawa -- "Taniguchi doesn't like girls with big breasts." (This is true; Taniguchi is famous for being anti-fanservice. He supposedly hates "jiggling chests" the most, but it seems that since GunxSword he's had to compromise on this area because frankly, sex sells) Ookawa - "Even though I drew all kinds of female figures and body shapes, only the flat-chested designs were returned." (The unreturned designs = No Good) Taniguchi: "It's not that those aren't allowed (laugh) It's just that when you transfer them on to the screen it usually ends up even more exaggerated, so I wanted to keep the original designs under control, at least." - Taniguchi also likes having characters who have something different on one side of their bodies (the "unbalanced" balance) Lelouch has one red eye, for example; Villetta's and Jeremiah's hairstyles also fall under this category. Taniguchi -- "I like it. It's sexy, don't you think?" Ookawa -- "You like characters with sex appeal, huh." Taniguchi -- "Sex appeal is important. CLAMP's characters are all sexy. That's another reason why we decided to request designs from you." - Before doing the character designs, KimuTaka spent every day copying CLAMP's art from their artbooks and manga. After analyzing CLAMP's art to his best ability, he then started on the character designs. He did his best to design them in a way so that the other animators would be able to draw them without deviating from CLAMP's original artstyle. - According to Ookawa, Schneizel was designed with "Lelouch's arch nemesis" in mind. The most time was spent on his design. Taniguchi wanted someone who could appear either good or bad and had a large sense of scale (2 meters... okay so he probably wasn't referring to height, but still) - Lloyd is the professor-type CLAMP is good at (Ookawa's own confession), but originally he wasn't supposed to be that much of a mad scientist. It happened mostly because of Shiratori Tetsu's acting (In the audio commentary for episode 1 Taniguchi mentions that he gave Shiratori free reign over Lloyd's character) Ookawa was surprised when Lloyd turned out the way he did. - Which characters do the CLAMP members like? Mokona (she did the final character original art) liked Clovis, so when she saw that he was offed after only 2 episodes she was really depressed. According to Ookawa, Clovis was killed off a lot earlier than originally planned. Taniguchi apologizes for this, and then remarks that Jeremiah, on the other hand, has survived longer than originally planned. (The power of 2ch, indeed) - Taniguchi: "If you rewatch the first half of the show after watching episode 23, you might discover new things you didn't see before." He refuses to say what these things are, saying that this is an enjoyment exclusive to viewers who noticed themselves. - Okouchi was the one who insisted that a mask was necessary in order for it to be a Sunrise anime. - Ookawa -- "Director Taniguchi is someone who makes it clear what his likes and dislikes are, and this really helped our work. I like Cornelia, and I hope she can be happy." (I'm sure she'll get along well with Fu-kuyama, that crazy Cornelia fan) - Ookawa seems to be a Lelouch fan. She says that she worries whenever Lelouch does something stupid or uses the Geass in a wasteful manner. - CLAMP will still be doing the designs for the sequel, or perhaps have already done them. --- Animedia Q. Is it true that the Emperor is invading countries because he is looking for (Geass) "ruins"? A. In episode 19, General Bartley said "The Emperor decides which country to invade going by the location of the ruins" (I'm not sure how gg translated this). It is unclear whether this is truly the motive behind the invasions, but as the General has been investigating this for a long time, his statement that there are other such ruins, at least, must be true. Since a gigantic Geass mark surfaced on the Kaminejima ruins, it appears that it is somehow connected with the Geass. (Well duh) Q. What exactly is the "Mental Elevator" (Intellevator) the Emperor mentioned? A. This is still very much a mystery. However, because this is something coming from the Emperor, it may have to do with the mystery of the ruins he is said to be searching for. (...Double duh) Q. What is the 2nd Imperial Prince Schneizel looking for? A. Bartley and co. are picking up where Clovis left off with his investigations, which is why they went to Kaminejima. It seems that they have a vague suspicion on what the Emperor's objectives are, and intend to get a jump on him. At this stage this is all we are able to infer. It is probable that there is a certain something the Britannian royalty all wish to obtain. (...? Immortality? Pizza? And Schneizel vs Emperor, go! If Schneizel isn't a bad guy, or had nothing to do with Marianne's assassination, Lelouch should just team up with him already >__> With Suzaku, the Emperor would be dead in a day) Q. After episode 23, what will become of Britannia's "Area 11"? A. As we have just reached the part where the next step of the battle would be to destroy the Britannian government office (the palace-like building with flags), the answer to this question will have to depend on the outcome. Should the Black Knights triumph, Japan may have its rights restored while the Britannians may be forced into a vulnerable position this time around. (Take away all their cellphones! That'll teach 'em!) However, both the Chinese Federation and the EU, names which have repeatedly come up in the show, are both keeping an eye on the situation. How these two forces will act is something to look out for in the future. Q. What happened to "Good Morning'd" Orange? A. I too am surprised. Even though it's amazing that he's made a reappearance in the show, it's "Good Morning'd" after all. (Meaning the line destroyed the serious, cool mood of the scene XD) It seems that after the Narita battle, he was picked up (in the same sense you pick up rubbish / abandoned animals), turned into a subject for experiments and then modified. I'm sure many viewers have already realized what happened because his silhouette is in the OP. The resurrected Orange can't be beat! (Literal translation = "is the strongest") Q. What happened to Shirley's "memories" erased by the Geass? A. Basically, those memories will not return. The Geass works only once. Having seen the memo with her own handwriting, Shirley made her own inferences and somehow managed to grasp the truth of the situation. Although there was a subtle scene in episode 23 where she reacted to the name "Lulu", with the situation becoming increasingly hectic, her chances of meeting Lelouch again will diminish. (What does this mean? She's not going to get her chance to confront Lelouch about the truth after running away from it in episode 22?) Q. Will Kallen's real identity never be revealed to her friends in school? A. Although Suzaku already knows about it, he didn't say a thing about it in school, so as long as Suzaku and Kallen herself keep quiet no one will know. However, in episodes 24 and 25 Kallen, along with Zero, may storm the government office. What will become of the school when the settlement becomes a battlefield...!? (Are they hinting that the school will be in danger --> Black Knights come to the rescue --> Kallen's identity is finally revealed?) *The caption for Nunnally's picture: Sayoko's position itself has become somewhat ambiguous. There isn't a single person left who is protecting her... (I noted this because this sounds bad. Protect her, Arthur!) *The caption for Milly's picture: Having given up on Lelouch, she plunged headlong into the engagement with Lloyd. However... (However...? JUST JOIN THE BLACK KNIGHTS ALREADY!) Q. If the settlement is attacked, what will become of Nunnally and Arthur? A. In episode 23, it appears that the school is still somewhat safe and peaceful. Although Nunnally was frightened, she still has "the mysterious" Sayoko-san with her. Sayoko was told by Diethard to "Stay as you are and wait for further orders." (Episode 21) Things should be alright. Is Arthur with them!? (No, he's obviously outside taking down mechs left and right) However, should Japan achieve independence, Britannian schools would be in danger. *The text below (not in the blue boxes) written by the magazine writers (not the CG staff) says that if Lelouch doesn't go back to Ashford, Nunnally's safety will be "a candle in the wind". However, since this is his beloved sister we're talking about, it makes sense to think that he will definitely return in episodes 24 and 25...!? (...did they really need to end the sentence with an interrobang?) Q. Will "Chigusa"-san join the Black Knights? A. Chigusa-san = Villetta. She's currently cohabiting with Ougi and living a life reminiscent of the Showa period (...loving couple, wife waiting at home etc?) The octopus wieners she made for Ougi's bentou truly had a lot of impact. However, because her memories disappeared not because of the Geass, they will return someday. With that the two of them will become mutual enemies, which will make things difficult. *The lower text says "There is no way a Britannian female Knight will pass all her days living a lovey-dovey life in secret. But don't cry, Ougi!!" (I... want to see him cry >__>) Q. When will C.C. give the OK to Lelouch the Geass user? (This is the literal translation of the question; it seems that what the question is trying to ask is: Exactly what does Lelouch need to do in order to fulfil the terms of the contract?) A. This is far from clear. It seems that C.C. sealed the contract with Lelouch with a certain objective in mind. This contract is valid until that goal is reached. (Does this mean that once her wish is fulfilled, she can / will take Lelouch's Geass away from him?) For Lelouch, his goals are to defeat Britannia and the Emperor and also to create a happy world for Nunnally... However, what C.C. stands to gain from these goals of his remains a mystery. Q. Is Wall h4x Suzaku's (okay, so it actually says wall-runner Suzaku) physical prowess that of a normal human being's? A. Yes, he's a normal human being. It's just that he possesses extraodinary physical capabilites. It seems that his excellent Knightmare piloting skills has to do with him being unexpectedly compatible with Lancelot, and nothing more than that. Lloyd of the Special Dispatch was quick to notice this. (...? What about Fake Okouchi and Real Okouchi's previous hints about there being a secret behind his abnormal physical strength? Unless this answer is supposed to be a red herring?) Q. With Euphie dead, is Suzaku's mental state alright? A. He can't be alright, can he? That's not the usual him. If you listen carefully he said "Ore" (? He was still Boku-Suzaku during the phone conversation though, but I might have missed him saying "Ore" in episode 23), even though he had been using "boku". However, it seems that that is Suzaku's original personality. Up till now he's been faking his personality because of what happened with his father. He can no longer continue his facade now that he's snapped. Rather than saying that he will be somewhat like a beast from here on, it would be more appropriate to say we will be able to see Suzaku's real personality. Q. Why is it that up until the very end, Suzaku still doesn't have a "cellphone"? A. It's because there is a clear rule regarding this; Elevens and Honorary Britannians are not allowed to have one. It's a Britannian rule. This was probably decided in order to nip any possible insurrection in the bud. Also explains why Cecile-san had to personally come and get Suzaku (in episode 17) Q. After episode 23, what will Suzaku's next move be? A. To take revenge? For Euphie. Against Zero! Perhaps he isn't thinking about the future at all. Although he's fighting as a Honorary Britannian, it seems that he's just rushing headlong into the battle with personal grudges to settle. However, he pretty much cannot die due to the "Live!" Geass on him. A rather painful future may be awaiting him. Q. Who is more amazing? Suzaku vs Lelouch 10-point showdown! 1. Knightmare piloting skills: Suzaku 2. Hunting ability: Suzaku 3. Game skills: Lelouch 4. How they treat Nunnally: Lelouch 5. Popularity with the girls: Tie 6. Popularity with the guys: Suzaku 7. Studies (Science/Maths): Lelouch 8. Studies (Humanities/Arts): Lelouch 9. Independence (Cooking): Suzaku 10. Independence (Money concept): Lelouch (Lelouch wins 5-4. Lelouch is actually pretty good at cooking (It's part of his official character profile, IIRC; Sayoko also mentions this in her Diary section for DVD vol 2's booklet) Some of the reasonings behind the Lelouch vs Suzaku results are pretty nonsensical, actually. For example: 9. Independence (Cooking skill): Suzaku Lulu has been feeding Nunnally ever since their childhood days. His cooking skills are absolutely perfect. Suzaku received a strange Onigiri (Cecile's) Therefore... ...What does that have to do with cooking skills? >__> If anything that only proves Suzaku isn't human. As for Popularity with Girls, it's a tie because while Lelouch may have a hidden fanclub at school (I forgot who said this... FO?), Suzaku is popular with older women. This is also part of his official character profile; Suzaku admits it himself in the booklet for DVD vol. 03. However, he denies being attracted to them, but considering his first love (a house maid) happened when he was 3 years old... >__> Suzaku wins in the Popularity with Guys section because Lelouch doesn't really mix around with other students, only with his fellow Student Council members. This isn't really fair considering Suzaku probably has a hard time getting along with other classmates as well, but I guess that all changed after Euphemia knighted him. Though I think if it had been Zero vs Suzaku Zero would have won hands down. Zero has Diethard (Obsessed stalker), Tamaki (Tsundere) and Orange (also a stalker when you think about it >__>) --- Taniguchi Some interesting stuff from the Taniguchi interview: - Taniguchi appears to be hinting that Suzaku will have more scenes in the 2nd season. He mentioned that for viewers who want to watch this show thinking of Lelouch and Suzaku as double protagonists (Like Kazuma and Ryuhou in S.cry.ed; however, officially, Lelouch is the only protagonist in this show; everyone else is a supporting character), this motif will come up from here on. (He probably means that the difference between Suzaku and Lelouch will be made even more obvious in the future) - We'll be seeing more of Lelouch romantic relationships (probably in the 2nd season) According to him they decided not to put too much focus on those in the first 23 episodes because it would only complicate matters. It was necessary to show what Lelouch's primary focus is (Destroy Britannia; happy world for Nunnally) - V.V. will be a key person in the 2nd season; same goes for the mysterious long-haired Chinese guy (? Girl?) shown in episode 23. - By episode 26 (Taniguchi probably means 1st episode of the 2nd season; it seems that he's thinking of Code Geass as one whole continuous season) viewers will be able to see what Lelouch currently has in mind and what he intends to do next. - In case the sequel wasn't greenlighted (they already received the OK for it back in December last year, at least), they had an alternative route prepared for the story to take, one which would have ended the story in episode 23. It would have been a non-conclusive ending though; according to Taniguchi it was more of a "psychological" ending for Lelouch (think EVA ending) - By Taniguchi's own admission, the real story has only just begun. --- Kawaguchi The Kawaguchi interview itself is quite strange. It feels as though Director Taniguchi, Scriptwriter Okouchi and Producer Kawaguchi all have different interpretations regarding the show. On the subject of the phone conversation at the end of episode 23, Kawaguchi says that Okouchi originally wrote the scene intending to dramatize the mistaken nature of Lelouch and Suzaku's friendship (lit. trans: how it continually "passes each other by"), but Taniguchi said "If you need to confirm it, then you're not really friends" (The "After all, we're friends, aren't we?" line) and had the meaning of the scene changed. So... are they truly friends or not? I suppose they're "friends" in the sense that they truly care about each other, yet at the same time they can't be "true friends" because they're still hiding all sorts of secrets from each other. Kawaguchi, at least, is adamant that Lelouch and Suzaku cannot be considered friends. I'd like to see an Okouchi-only interview next to hear what he has to say on this matter XD Also, Kawaguchi referred to Lelouch as "Lulu" twice in the interview. Kawaguchi is a big fan of Lulu Quality, indeed. --- The infamous phone call in 23. Producer Kawaguchi actually offered an explanation in his interview on why Lelouch has Euphie's number. We know that he definitely has her number saved because "Euphemia" showed up on his cellphone; we also know that calls from unknown people show up on his phone as "No Number" (episode 13 -- assumed to be a call from Ougi and episode 15 -- Mao) Basically the (lame) explanation is: "They must have exchanged numbers on the deserted island (laugh)" I wonder what name Euphemia saved Lelouch's number under though. She can't possibly have saved it under "Lelouch"... she's not that much of an airhead... right? >__> Though "Zero" is a lot worse, but not as much as "My First Love, Eheh <3" --- Fake Okouchi questions from 2chan 1. (Did Suzaku know that Zero = Lelouch at the end of episode 23? If so, did Lelouch realize it as well?) No comment. 2. (When exactly will episodes 24 and 25 be aired during the summer? Will they not be aired first via Biglobe's internet streaming?) I don't think so . We weren't able to secure the slots in time. It's a little thick-skinned of me to say this, but to make up for it the animation and the directing etc. will be impressive. 3. (It seems to me that Suzaku is more important to Lelouch than Lelouch is to Suzaku. What exactly does Suzaku think of LuluNana?) To Suzaku, Lelouch is more of an old friend. As for Nunnally, rather than her being just the sister of a friend, it appears that he thinks of her as an important person. 4. (Will Lulu and C.C.'s line "Bestow upon me the mark of destruction! Consecrate it!" used in the pre-airing CMs appear in the show? A word about this line please.) I don't think the line will appear in the show. The lines said in the CMs are more like "catch copies" <"catch phrases" in English> 5. (Did Suzaku see V.V. or C.C. in episode 22? What was the reason behind it?) <-- The light silhouette in front of the Gawain It was C.C. It's somewhat like the mirage(?) of C.C. only Lelouch could see in episode 1. He saw it because he has the Geass potential. 6. (C.C. talked to Marianne in episode 23. Is Marianne in the World of C?) No comment. 7. (How does C.C. go about choosing Geass users? As long as they have potential everything's fine? For what reason did she choose Mao and Lelouch?) It's a secret, but the main criteria involved in the choosing is related to the bloodline as well as where and how the person grew up. 8. (In episode 7, C.C. said "The blood does not rebel" (Children take after their parents) Whose blood was she referring to? The Emperor's or Marianne's?) Both, I suppose. C.C. was teased *by Marianne* a lot, so I think she just wanted to get her back for it *by claiming that Lelouch takes after her?* 9. (Who's stronger: V.V. or C.C.?) It depends on what you mean by "strong", but if you were to make them fight each other mano-a-mano I think C.C. would be declared the victor. 10. (Will the "Lelouch being good at household chores" character setting be used in the future? Is it true that he made Zero's costume himself? Will such hidden character settings appear in the drama CDs etc?) I think the scenes that were cut from the show *such as the kiss with Kallen?* as well as the character settings that have yet to be shown will be included in the drama CDs and such. *He didn't actually state a specific media* 11. (What's the meaning behind the OP shot in which Lelouch rides a horse? What about the mugshots? Whose hand is it in the scene showing someone trying to grab hold of the person floating with the Geass mark?) Horse-riding is a sort of reference to piloting a Knightmare *they're "mares", after all* It implies that his (Lelouch's) main role isn't to pilot a Knightmare *he's more of a commander*, unlike Suzaku. Also, his elegant way of spurring a horse onward shows his prince-like quality / nature. This is further supported by the background, which was drawn with the Britannia homeland in mind. As for the mugshots, I think that those show the key characters whose actions help move the story forward, but I fear that only the director knows the truth of it. As for the hand, I think it's probably Nunnally's. (Actually I don't know either, but the skin-tone is the same as Nunnally's) 12. (What is the debt from 7 years ago? Will it be revealed in the 1st season?) The "Debt" doesn't only refer to one specific thing. One of it has to do with the Kururugi family forcing LuluNana into confinement *in a storage shed, no less* 13. (Will the Emperor's past cronies and Knight appear in the show?) That would depend on the 2nd season. 14. (Why is it that even though Nunnally calls Marianne "Okaa-sama" (polite), Lulu calls her "Kaa-san" (informal)? It's rather strange for royalty to do that.) I think perhaps it's a sort of code showing how he respected, trusted and in a way depended on his mother. The same goes for Suzaku calling himself "Ore". *Meaning it's a sort of clue about what goes on in their heads* 15. (How much time has passed in the show between episodes 1 ~ 25?) The actual length of time is made ambiguous, but I suppose it's quite close to the broadcast length in real life. *About 6 months?* 16. (The difference between a Knight and an Elected Knight (Suzaku, Guilford) please.) Originally, the term "Knight" is a general one referring to all Knightmare pilots. Elected Knights such as Guilford and Suzaku are those chosen by the royalty as personal protectors. It's just that for the convenience of the conversation there are times where the term "Knight" actually refers to "Elected Knight". 17. (A hidden character setting, please. Anything is fine.) In the early planning stages, Rivalz was named Radner *? Katakana = "radona"; I have no idea whether this is a name or whether he's referring to another famous person or what* and had a much bigger role. In a way, he had an evil side to him, more so than Lelouch, and was truly "bad company". However, if he was to be made into someone who had too much in common with Lelouch, Suzaku's existence would have less of an impact and thus changes were made. 18. (Will the period in which LuluNana lived by themselves be shown in the show? Or will these be covered by the Picture Dramas and Drama CDs?) Unknown. 19. (Was the Marianne shown in episode 22 part of C.C.'s memories? Why did Suzaku faint?) Rather than say that was C.C.'s memories, it would be more appropriate to say that was a scene showing her "vision". *That's exactly what he says in katakana* Suzaku collapsed because of C.C.'s shock attack. 20. (Villetta once said "Britannia is scary" when she was still Chigusa. Were those her real feelings?) That was her reacting to having been seriously wounded and having lost her memories. Besides that, she felt peaceful during her time with Ougi and was also influenced by his way of thinking. 21. (What are the requirements for the reactivation of Suzaku's "Live!" Geass? How will it affect him, exactly? Make him go berserk?) He will return to his original way of living and become more and more honest. *His "boku" personality is a false one used to protect himself* 22. (Are there plans to use the cut Zero / Kallen kiss scene (Source: Megami Magazine) in the future?) It is true that that scene was cut. A lot of adjustments were made around episode 20. The kiss event was to give Kallen courage after she lost her nerve to continue to act as a member of the Black Knights. Originally there was supposed to be a sequence of scenes showing her remembering the kiss, shaking off her hesitations and fighting whenever she was about to be discouraged. 23. (A word about the Emperor and Marianne, please.) No comment. 24. (What is the relation between V.V., Suzaku and Nunnally?) For Suzaku and Nunnally, it's just as I said in the answer for the 3rd question. As for V.V. and Suzaku, no comment. At the moment V.V. and Nunnally are not connected. 25. (A word about the future of the Ashford Academy Student Council members.) The school will become a part of the battlefield due to various calculations *? from which side? Nina...?* 26. (A hint about love relationships. Also, a word on why Euphie fell in love with Suzaku. Is Suzaku no longer a virgin?) No comment. *Yeah, 2chers like asking which characters are virgins. See: Virginity Theory* 27. (Kaguya called herself The Goddess of Victory. Did something happen before this to support her claim?) Unknown. --- Ura de Net Geass! Participants: Tanaka Kazunari (Tamaki VA) Yoshino Hiroyuki (Secondary scriptwriter / series composition) Kawaguchi Yoshitaka (Producer) Morotomi Youshi (Producer, MBS TV station side) - An 8 hour meeting was held to determine C.C.'s name and real identity. Supposedly none of the participants ate or drank throughout the whole thing (Okouchi: "Give me something to eat!") According to Yoshino, whenever he thought the meeting was about to come to an end, someone would start up again and the meeting would continue with no end in sight. XD - The title "Code Geass" was a fairly last-minute decision (the tentative title was "Lelouch of the Rebellion") The production team were in a panic over the lack of a proper title; "We need a title to design the title logo!" etc. - Yoshino: "A strange scriptwriter joined around episode 12." (referring to himself) According to him, for episodes 1 ~ 11 all he did was comment on Okouchi's scripts: "Oh, I like this. I don't like this. This is cool." etc. Okouchi got annoyed and told him "Why don't you write the scripts then?" (Yoshino wrote the scripts for episodes 12, 13 and 19) Dark Okouchi >__> - Mao's repetitive clapping didn't exist in the scripting stages; Taniguchi was the one who later added it to make him "more annoying". Also, according to the producers, the Mao arc had the highest ratings o__O - Originally, Toudou was supposed to join Lelouch's side much earlier. They talk about the Diethard and Toudou shot in the ED. All are baffled by it; conclusion: "Only Taniguchi knows." - Okouchi wrote the script for episode 18; according to Yoshino, Okouchi told him: "Isn't it exciting, leaving viewers wondering whether Lelouch Geass'd Suzaku?" Yoshino: "So how are you going to wrap this up?" Dark Okouchi: "I'll think about it later!" XD Each time Yoshino asked him if he's thought of it yet, Okouchi would reply: "Not yet." Seems like Okouchi is a fairly laidback character XD - Yoshino ended up writing the script for episode 19; supposedly he requested to do it, saying "Oh well, if (Okouchi) wants me to write a script, I might as well do the island arc." (he's more or less the fanservice supervisor for this show) According to him (and the Newtype Taniguchi + Fu-kuyama interview), this was how Lelouch's trap was supposed to work: Lelouch successfully digs a proper hole --> However, a boar appears behind him --> Lelouch tries to Geass it: "Lelouch Vi Britannia orders you to SIT!" --> Geass doesn't work on animals --> Lulu Quality Tragedy (Wait, isn't this just like that one fancomic? o__O) However, Taniguchi changed it all, telling Yoshino: "Well, in the first place, Lelouch isn't capable of digging such a hole..." - The reason why the writers made Kallen stand on Gawain's shoulder instead of getting into the two-seater cockpit with Lelouch in episode 19: "There's no way Kallen will hand over the 2nd-pilot position to anyone else once she's in there." Good point. - Will we see Gawain engaging in electronic warfare? Maybe, maybe not. However, officially Gawain is equipped for it (Druid System) The producers and Tanaka all agree that Gawain is pretty much a h4x mecha in this show. - According to Tanaka, right after the airing of episode 22, 3 of his friends rang him up asking "What the hell was that? I need to know what happens next!" etc. According to Kawaguchi, "some of the viewers may have been satisfied with the handshake in episode 22, but actually, a lot more people would have been upset..." - After episode 23, the production team received letters from fans saying "Okouchi is so evil", "Dark Okouchi" etc. According to the 4 of them, Okouchi doesn't like that. Realizing Okouchi may be listening to this, they start sucking up to him, saying things like "Okouchi is a wonderful person!" "He's an... *long pause* honest person!" Tanaka: "I love Okouchi!... okay, moving on..." XD XD XD - Tanaka says he isn't allowed to talk about episode 24, but he dropped some hints, like: "I had no idea that part in episode 23 was a foreshadowing" and "So that was what that person was doing". Okay...

[princesskeda]

Heart of the Oni

After the supposed deaths of their friends and family, Nya, Lloyd, Pixal, and Misako cope with the aftermath of Harumi’s rein and try to move on with the help of some old friends. But not everyone grieves the same way. Meanwhile in the First Realm, the ninja are trying to survive and find a way home. Post S8, this started out as a speculative fiction about S9 but its so much more.

CHAPTER 3

3

              Wu was enjoying his little stick far too much. It seemed that nothing made him happier than a few unmerciful whacks on the unsuspecting body parts of his fellow ninja.  

              “OW…ok, master or not, you’re gonna get it this time!” Jay said, chasing after the giggling toddler who had just given him a welt across the back of his shin. Despite his tiny size, Wu was quicker than one would think and Jay had trouble keeping up with him as he scurried over the rocky terrain.  Wu bumped into Cole, who then turned around and lifted him onto his shoulders.

              “Cut it out, Jay.  We’ve got to find a place to sleep before sundown.  Who knows what we’d find out here after nightfall.”

              “Or what would find us…” Kai muttered nearby, shuddering at the thought.

              The ninja had been walking for hours.  At first, they considered making some kind of shelter from the remains of Destiny’s Bounty.  But Zane pointed out that the creatures indigenous to the realm they were now trapped in may come to inspect something that so obviously didn’t belong.  His suggestion was to find shelter that better blended with the overall terrain, and thus draw less attention to themselves.

From his heightened position, Wu turned and blew a raspberry at Jay, who turned to Zane in disbelief.

              “Hey…you…he…did you see that?! He’s mocking me now!”  He narrowed his eyes at the toddler version of his old sensei.  “Oh, good move!  Buttering Cole up for protection! But just you wait until your hulking nanny isn’t around to save you, tea-breath! Then you’re gonna be hooped!”  

              Zane chuckled nearby.  His smile fell as he calculated the rate of the setting sun. It was hard to make credible predictions about this world, as he had little to no data about it except for what Jay had told them about Mistake’s story.  But he could now tell with more certain estimates that they had less than an hour of light left.  

              “We may all be in trouble, Jay, if we don’t find somewhere…”

              “I get it, I get it. Sheesh.  Find somewhere safe, or we’re all gonna be hooped.  But how does anything in this situation even make sense?!  I mean the sun is BLACK. How exactly does that give light? And how did we even get here anyways?  And DON’T say traveler’s tea, Zane.” he added as his nindroid friend had opened his mouth to answer his question. “Cuz I know.  But what I mean is don’t you have to picture where you’re going to use travelers tea?  That’s how I used it when it took me to my parents…”

              “When did you use traveler’s tea to get to your parents, Jay?” Zane asked curiously.  That did not compute with any information he had stored.

              Jay turned a shade of red and threw his hands in the air. “Ah...you know what?! Just forget it.  Forget I said anything.”  He stomped off ahead.

              Cole and Kai had reached a ridge looking out on yet another expanse of rocks…and more rocks.  The Rock formations were tall and pointed, reminding Kai of teeth from some otherworldly being.  He shuddered again.  

              “This is hopeless.  Why even keep walking?  All we are going to find is more of the same.”  He kicked the ground in frustration.  

              Cole frowned and tried to think of a solution. Suddenly, a small hand tugged at his hair to get his attention.

              “We haf ta make a hows!” Wu said, beaming down at him.

              “And how exactly does he expect us to do that?” Kai asked, annoyed. There wasn’t any building material as far as he could see.  But Cole didn’t answer; he was too busy looking down at his hands, thinking.

              Despite the fact that most of the city…and the country…were mourning the ninja’s loss, Garmadon in power meant that the funeral service had to be as discreet as possible.  That meant only a limited amount of people could be invited.

It had been hard to narrow down who would make the list.  Obviously there were people that they wanted to come, but would be a little too high profile--Cyrus Borg, for instance, or the police commissioner. Others had dealings with the ninja for a long time, like the mailman, but did they really need to invite him?  They had settled on Jay’s parents, Cole’s father, Skylor, and Dareth.  Ronin hadn’t been too keen on the Dareth idea.  

              “Look…I know Dareth is harmless...but he’s also not even remotely ‘stealthy.’  You’re lucky that I’m the only one he’s told about this place so far.  I don’t think he’s gonna be a good option to trust to pull off…”

              “Dareth has been helping us out since we started training Lloyd as the green ninja.  I know he’s a little…unique…but his heart is in the right place.  I’ve never had a reason not to trust him.” Nya said the last line with a meaningful look at the thief, as if to imply that she had had many reasons not to trust him.

“Fine. The brown idiot can come.”

              It was decided that Nya and Ronin would spread the word.  It would be too difficult to disguise P.I.X.A.L and Lloyd was still not in good enough shape to go sneaking around the city.   So the two set off at dawn, heading towards Ninjago city on stealth bikes that Nya had been working on (when she hadn’t been beating the life out of rocks.)

              “I don’t like that you’re coming with.  Those biker goons have been scouring the city for you and your friends for days.”

              Nya felt a small twist of fear.  She had never really worried about going against bad guys before…but these ones had left her scarred.  She pushed away her doubts.  

              “There’s no way that we will ever defeat them if I don’t even have the guts to go to the city.” she retorted.  Ronin pulled his bike up short, causing Nya to do the same. She pulled off her helmet, confused.

              “Defeat? Nya, you guys don’t stand a chance against these guys.  Face it.  They won…and after this service the best option would be for the group of you to disappear and start new lives.”  

              Nya didn’t say anything.  That would never be an option for them, and she knew that deep down Ronin knew that.  But she figured this wouldn’t be the last time he tried to talk them into it just the same.

              “C’mon.  The sooner we get there the sooner we can get out.”  She started her bike again.  

P.I.X.A.L folded another complex paper flower.  Ronin had stashed Rex with lots of different supplies, assuming that the run-aways wouldn’t have much.  It was good that the thief had shown up, P.I.X.A.L mused.   By her calculations they would have run out of food soon.   He had been able to snap Nya out of her anger, but Misako had seemed on edge ever since he had shown up.

               “That’s looking great, P.I.X.A.L.”  Misako had come up from behind her.   P.I.X.A.L looked up.  

              “I thought that perhaps it would make the scene more…appropriate if we had a few decorations.”  She finished off another flower.  “It’s lucky that Ronin showed up when he did.”

              Misako went quiet.

              “You do not trust him.” P.I.X.A.L said. It was more of a statement than a question.  Misako shook herself from her thoughts.

              “Oh…I don’t know.  It’s not that I think he came all this way to do any harm… but I would be lying if I didn’t question his overall character.  He’s betrayed us before.”

              “You think he would turn us in?”

              “No.  Not to Garmadon.  But I also can��t see his interests really matching ours.  He’s no honor fighter.”

              P.I.X.A.L was quiet as she went over to REX.  

              “Should we have warned Nya?”

              Here Misako smiled.  “She can handle herself, P.I.X.A.L.”  

              Her words threw P.I.X.A.L back to a week or so before, when Nya had said the same thing about her to Zane.  She had always admired Nya…so confident and independent. But she felt that she had never gotten a chance to really get to know her.   Perhaps now they would finally have that chance.

              “What are you looking for?” Misako asked, as P.I.X.A.L had been rummaging in REX for the past minute.

              “Candles.”

Previous

Next

[darkhymns-fic]

In a Sea of Promises

In all of the promises Lloyd had made to Colette, one of them had been how he would teach Colette how to swim. And he always made sure to keep his promises.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairings: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3  Notes: For @colloydweek​ Day 1: Promises! Expect fluff.

In Iselia, the summers were usually dry, everything so enclosed within thick forests, but the earth would smell rich after a sudden shower from the skies. It was after these rainy days that Lloyd would go rushing downstream, following the winding river that snaked past his house and into glades that reflected brighter green underneath the sun’s rays.

Colette was not supposed to go past the town’s perimeters unless accompanied by priests, but summer days made everyone lax, including those who would guard the gates. So she and Lloyd had easily passed, soon finding his favorite wading spot among the leaves, where flying insects that would sometimes skid across the water.

“You wanna come in?” Lloyd asked her. He was already waist deep in the water, his jacket and shirt laying on the grass, his pants now soaked. He was trying to catch some fish that slipped by his legs with his bare hands, all his attempts turning out unsuccessful. But he knew he’d get it eventually!

Colette was seated on the edge of the river, boots off to let her feet splash in the water. Her hair was slightly damp with sweat from the heat, her overcoat taken off to get her some relief, leaving her in her dress. But she shook her head. “It looks kinda deep in there…”

“Just a little! Only when you go over here-” He demonstrated by stepping a few feet to his right, then slipped underwater suddenly. His head broke through the surface again after a moment, shaking his now soaked hair. “Guh! Uh, yeah! Just a little bit.”

Colette giggled, her hands clasped neatly over her knees, moving her legs back and forth. “Hm, I can’t really swim though. And.. I might get in trouble if they knew I was trying to swim.” Her whole dress would take too long to dry off if she tried diving with it.

“Aw, okay.” Lloyd and Genis would go swimming all the time, and though he knew Colette couldn’t really join him, it hadn’t stopped him from asking. Even still…

“Maybe I can teach you next time though?”

Colette raised her head. The sun shone brightly on her hair.

“Yeah! I can teach you! That’d be okay, right? I can bring some of my clothes so you don’t have to use your dress when swimming.” He didn’t notice the blush on her cheeks as he tried devising this plan.

“Is that really okay?” she asked, her voice low, enough that he needed to swim a bit closer to her to hear.

“Sure! If you don’t believe me then… I promise to teach you how to swim! Okay?”

Colette smiled, her feet splashing the water happily. “Y-yeah! Next time, for sure!”

“Hey, you’re splashing on me!”

They both laughed, all while the sun was beginning to set, coloring the sky numerous shades of red and orange. “It’s getting late… but next time then?” Colette asked hopefully.

Lloyd nodded. “Yeah, I told you! It’s a promise!”

But that had been just a few weeks before Colette’s journey, and in a bunch of other promises he made, that particular one had slipped his mind…

The heat underneath Tethe’alla’s sun was much like Sylvarant’s, but the salt spray from the ocean made it different, especially when combined with the humidity. Not like the dry heat of Iselia’s forests, where instead of salt, it was the scent of pine that invaded your senses. But it didn’t make Lloyd not want to go into the waters any less!

“Colette! Come on!” Lloyd was already dashing on the sands, the giant diving flippers he wore nearly making him trip. Some people stared at the boy who not only wore the giant flippers but also diving goggles complete with a snorkel, some of those people including a sighing Zelos.

“He’s such a kid. Never going to get anywhere with anyone dressed like that, right, hunny?” He leaned near a certain voluptuous lady, grinning wide in his speedo and donned sunglasses.

Sheena narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you talking to me?”

“Lloyd! Too fast!” a voice called out across the beach. Colette was rushing after Lloyd, her bare feet gently padding along the shore, her braided hair bouncing across her back as she moved. Once she reached the water, she flinched, even as the water pulled back, damping the sand beneath her. “It’s cold!”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to be!” The rivers near his home were not at all like the waves that kept crashing on Altamira’s shore. Lloyd was already diving through them (forgetting to lower the goggles over his eyes), before coming back to the surface. He accidentally swallowed some of the water which was really salty, but he was okay after coughing for a little while. “Come in already! (Cough!) We can play water tag!”

Colette, however, remained at the shore. Though she smiled as the water rushed around her ankles, she made no move towards Lloyd. “Umm.. I think I’m okay here!”

Well, that wasn't any fun though. Unless she wanted to make some sandcastles, but he and Genis had already started making some earlier that day… until Genis got mad that Lloyd was making a better sand castle than he was.

He was getting distracted, so Lloyd swam back onto the shore, half of a flipper getting caught inside the densely packed sand until he freed it loose. “Is something wrong?”

Colette scratched the side of her cheek nervously. The sun beat down on her hair, burnishing it an even brighter shade of gold. “Ah, sorry! I'm just a little… it's very different from the rivers and…”

The answer soon came to him before she could say it. “Oh man, I forgot already!” That’s right, Colette didn't know how to swim!

“I'm sorry,” she apologized again, knowing what he meant. “It looks like fun though! Maybe Zelos will join you.”

“I don't think he's going to really...” Lloyd mused. At one end of the beach, he could see Zelos being yanked by his hair. Sheena had curled his locks around her fingers, dragging him down as a high-pitched yell erupted from Zelos’ throat. “He looks busy.”

Oddly, Zelos’ screaming jogged an old memory of Lloyd’s.

“Hey, didn't I promise you something?” Okay, well he promised a lot of things but this one was particularly important!

“Oh? What is it?” she asked.

“I said one day I'd teach you how to swim, right?” He remembered the river, Colette seated on the bank, her smile much wider than it usually was, always wider when they sneaked away from the town. “How about it?” He grinned. “We can have those swimming lessons finally!”

“Ah, really?” She looked suddenly so excited, before tempering that away. Just like back then, she pulled back to nervousness, hands fiddling with the tied-up sash that circled her waist, covering part of her bathing suit. “Oh, but… I don't want to get in the way. It'll probably be boring to teach me and we don't get to relax often…”

“No way, how would it be boring?” That didn't make sense to him. The beach was nice and there were no weird worries about the town getting mad. He reached for her hand, noting how wet and clammy his own palm was against her own. “It’ll be fun!”

Still, Colette hesitated, looking at the ground. The water lapped around their ankles before leaving them in the surf. “The water does feel nice…” she murmured. Maybe she still had all those fears from back then, even if right now they didn't matter. He had to come up with a way to convince her...

“If you learn to swim today, um… I’ll give you something!”

Okay, wait, what actually?

Colette turned back to him with wide eyes. “Oh?”

“Yeah!” he said, already going full on ahead with this choice. “Think of it as like… a reward! For doing stuff!”

“That sounds really fun! What reward do I get?”

Lloyd had no idea. “It’s a surprise!” He really had no idea. “That makes it more fun!” Yeah, he had no clue.

“Oh, it does!” Colette readily agreed. “Then… I guess should try to learn today! And I’ll try to do good too! I hope I don't slow you down.”

“Nah, you won’t,” he said, pulling her along. Maybe he had a spare necklace in his pack somewhere. “And… I’ll promise it’ll be a good reward too!” Now he was just digging himself deeper…

But he could keep his promises to her, and he was sure he could keep this one too.

It was a bit different out here than in the river. The water moved constantly around them, the currents of the waves stronger than either were used to. But Lloyd kept ahold of Colette’s hand until they were just waist deep in the ocean, where the waves didn’t build up as much.

“When we go in a little further, our feet won’t reach the ground anymore. But I got you, okay?”

Colette had her other hand outstretched in the water, her eyes focused around them. “Okay! Do we go out further now or…?”

Lloyd was thinking on how exactly to do this. He had never taught anyone to swim really… and he just sort of learned how to by himself. (Dirk had always talked about how dwarves just sank in deep water.) Then he remembered something that Noishe would do when he swam.

Lloyd reached out for Colette’s other hand, gripping it tight. “Here, first let’s try the doggy paddle! That one’s easy enough.”

He knew immediately that would get Colette’s full attention. “A doggy paddle?” Her eyes widened with glee. “Does that mean doggies swim this way?”

“Yeah, basically!” He didn’t see any dogs on the beach though, and Noishe was stabled somewhere, too afraid of the people again. “But you can also swim with dogs like this!” He pulled at her arms slightly, getting her body to stretch out in the water. The end of her twin braided hair was soaked now, falling beneath the surface. “Just kick up your legs from behind and you’ll start moving.”

Colette looked a bit reluctant to just have her feet leave the seafloor. He could see her hopping a little, fingers entwining with his. “Mm, but what if I trip?”

“I don’t think you can trip in the water… well, maybe!” With Colette, anything was possible. Then another idea took over. “It’s like flying, isn’t it? When you just float in the air? It’s the same thing here! But you’re floating in the water instead.”

With that explanation, he felt some of the tension in Colette’s fingers loosen. “Oh! I guess so…”

“Yeah! Go on, try it!”

Colette had always trusted Lloyd, especially when he was encouraging. She soon moved her body, letting the water buoy her as got she into a horizontal position. “Is, um, this okay?”

Lloyd made sure to keep his grip on her, smiling wide. “Yep. Now try kicking your feet.”

There was something incredibly adorable in the way Colette had to follow his next suggestion. It was like she worried that her feet would still find some way to betray her, but he heard the splashing from behind Colette, the slow way she moved towards him.

Lloyd started to float backwards, helping her along through their clasped hands. “See? It’s easy!”

She was smiling so wide, the sea spray damping her hair, the water hugging her, reflecting flashes of the sun all around her. “Hehe, it is kinda easy… and fun!”

Colette didn’t kick as fast as Noishe did, but she was still doing it! Lloyd figured that was the important thing. After a few minutes of them going across the ocean’s surface this way, Colette kicking as happily as can be, Lloyd decided to try the next step.

“Okay, so I’m going to start letting go a bit more, but you keep on kicking like that, okay?”

Colette blinked, her cheerful expression soon marred with worry. “Ah, are you sure?”

“Yeah! I’ll go slow, so it’s like…” Carefully, Lloyd let slide his fingers over her own, so that their once clasped hands now loosened. The water made the action happen a bit faster than intended. “Just keep swimming, Colette! Use your hands to paddle when I let go!”

“O… okay! Just, um..” He felt her fingers reflexively curl around his, but still he kept trying to go through their lesson. Both their arms straightened out as the space between them widened. The water, with its ever-shifting currents, helped with their separation. Maybe too much though, as Lloyd noted Colette’s kicking had turned from an even rhythm into small flailing.

Before he could say anything, Colette’s upper body then began to sink a little – she had gone overboard in her paddling! As if she was desperately trying to swim over to him but lost her balance while doing so. Her chin went in the water, eyes widening in surprise.

“Ah!” she yelled, or tried to, as her voice was muffled by the water.

“Whoa, it’s okay, I got you!” Maybe they had done this part of the lesson too quick. Lloyd tried to pull her up, reaffirming his grip on her hands. Soon, Colette was already rising to the surface.

And then above the surface, and then – wait, now she was pulling him instead! And upwards! “C-Colette! Wait a second!”

“Oh, whoops!” Colette giggled as she hovered in the air, her wings spread out behind her. “I got nervous… sorry.”

She wasn’t carrying him up too far just yet, but Lloyd could feel himself stretching, his lower half still in the water, as he more or less hung onto Colette. “Did you just panic summon your wings?”

“I didn’t mean to!”

Laughter bubbled in his throat. Part of him wondered if he should just let her carry him like this, flying them both across the ocean. But then, they wouldn’t exactly be swimming anymore if they did that. Lloyd shifted his hands so that they traveled up her forearms for a better hold, urging her to come back. “You dork. You won’t get your reward if you just fly!”

“Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry!” Gently, Colette fluttered back to the water’s surface. She let herself submerge, just up to her torso. Her own hands held onto Lloyd’s arms now. “I won’t mess up this time!”

“And no more apologizing,” he reprimanded. Still, this had been even more fun than expected. He saw a flush of excitement on Colette’s cheeks, whether from the swimming or the sunshine, he wasn’t sure. But she looked really happy – it was always really strange that she was never allowed to do something as simple as swimming. But there were a lot of things she hadn’t been able to do, and Lloyd wanted to help change that for her.

Also, he still needed to figure out a prize for her… Maybe he could win something at the casinos! Oh wait, Regal said he wasn’t allowed to play there. Well, last minute gifts were his specialty anyway, one he was aware of as he saw Colette’s necklace hang down her neck, the sunshine reflecting off its metal surface. The salt spray wouldn’t ruin the finish or rust the chain, forged of special materials known only to dwarves. But he could probably make something better…

“Am I being too much trouble though?” she suddenly asked.

He smiled. “Hey, I promised I’d teach you and that’s what I’m doing! Unless you wanna stop.”

“Mm, no, I want you to teach me.” She nodded. “I want that a lot!”

“Alright!” He tightened his grip on her arms. “Let’s go!”

Lloyd and Colette might have let time get away from them, and they may have forgotten their friends back on land, who started to leave for the comfort of the hotel one by one.

“Hey! We’re going now!” But Genis’ voice couldn’t seem to reach them. He could still hear them splashing, Lloyd’s own loud and encouraging voice traveling over the water, but only aimed at one person. “Ugh, they’re too far out.”

“They’ll be alright,” his sister commented, already heading up towards the beach exit, gesturing for him to follow. “Now let’s go. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“You just don’t want to be near the water…” he grumbled, but went after her. His two friends apparently had more important things to be busy with today.

Colette had been doing a few swimming techniques Lloyd had taught her – the doggy paddle, a few ways to dive, and even how to float on her back. But Lloyd still tried to get her to actually swim, and once remembering how she tried to get to him when he moved away, it gave him another idea.

“You’re balancing okay?”

Colette’s hands were sifting in the water, but she was afloat, standing within the water despite her feet not touching the ground. “Y-yeah, I think.”

“Okay, now try to catch up to me!”

“Wh-”

Lloyd was soon swimming further out, feet kicking through the water until he was quite a bit aways. But he turned back to her, hands waving. “Over here! You can do it!”

Colette hesitated, but not for too long. “R-right!” Cheeks puffed out and eyes bright, Colette employed everything Lloyd taught her, letting her body get held up by the water, using her arms to paddle through it. She nearly upended herself a few times, somehow, but got back into position, slowly cutting through the water to reach Lloyd.

“No wings!” he called out. “Well, unless you really need them!” If Colette found herself overwhelmed by the currents, her wings could help her out with that.

“I’m… okay!” she gasped out, and soon enough, she was just a few feet towards Lloyd, limbs a little shaky, but still there. To help her out, he reached out to grab her arms, and then swung her around, the water droplets falling off Colette and onto him during the momentum.

“Lloyd!” she said with a laugh, and soon she was lowered back to the water, half-falling against him, her hands placed against his shoulders. “I would have tripped!”

“Nah, I had you!” He squeezed her arms in reassurance.

Colette was raising her head to him, her eyes soon seeing past him towards the sky. “Oh, it’s getting dark.”

Lloyd blinked, then raised his head as well. The sky was painted with hues of red and orange, the sun leaving trails of its light within the expanse. The air felt a little colder too. How long have they been out here?

“Ah man, my hands are probably all wrinkly and stuff,” Lloyd complained. Then remembered something even more important! “Agh, we probably missed dinner too!”

Colette lifted her head at that, then looked towards the beach. “Oh! I guess so. Genis isn’t here.”

Well, Lloyd supposed he could munch on some gels instead… “Still though, I can’t believe I didn’t notice the time. I was really into those lessons!”

“Yeah!” Colette readily agreed. Her braided hair was unraveled a bit now, Lloyd noticed. The sea breeze picked it up, lifting it to the air. “Me too… Did I do good, you think?”

Lloyd gave her a thumbs up. “Yep! I’d say you passed the lessons. You can swim for sure now!”

With a cheerful laugh, she bounced a bit in his hold, the water current unconsciously bringing her closer. “Thank you, Lloyd! So, um…” She fiddled with her hands. “You said I’d get a prize if I learned, right?”

“Hm?” A low, passing wave shifted them again, and somehow making him remember. “Oh! Right, that was… yeah!” Maybe he could say it was in his room. And then, quickly make her a bracelet or something in 10 minutes? He might have some spare ones…

“Lloyd?” she asked curiously, seeing him hesitate. “It’s okay if I don’t get anything though. Swimming was really fun.”

“No, no, just uh…” He could come up with something, couldn’t he? And then it did, and then it wouldn’t leave his head.

It was really the only thing he had left on his mind. He couldn’t make her a figure out here, or win her a prize at the amusement park, or anything that sounded at least somewhat cool. But he still wasn’t entirely sure where the idea came from.

When he kissed her, he felt Colette shiver, but not pull away. The water held them both, all throughout his clumsy kiss, tasting the salt on her lips. There was a small sound from her, very soft, and her hands then moved against his chest as her mouth pressed against his.

So, uh, he had to keep kissing her. For the reward, and, yeah.

“U-um, Lloyd,” she whispered, lifting her lips away slightly. How come…? “Your goggles…”

Oh. Oh! “Oh, sorry!” He pulled back, seeing the slight indentation of his goggles against her forehead. Ah man, he had been too stupid. “Sorry, didn’t mean to uh…” Maybe Zelos was right about this dumb thing. He never actually wore it!

Also, he had just kissed her with no warning at all. It just seemed… like a thing to do? He started to let go, but Colette hadn’t moved from him at all, although she rubbed at her forehead a bit. Man, he was an idiot.

“Um, should probably go back, I guess,” he said. Also, he should probably make her an actual prize instead of just whatever that had been…

Then he heard her say, “Thank you, Lloyd. For keeping your promises to me like always.”

That had surprised him to hear. He looked at her, at the way she smiled up at him, the line in her forehead finally fading. The waves shifted around them again, paralleling the hues of red and orange from above.

“And for the prize, too! I’ll… try to earn some more!” Her smiled morphed to a grin, hands still on him, the water so comfortable between them.

“Huh, well… I think you’ve earned plenty more?” Lloyd said, again wondering where all this was coming from. “And I still probably need to give them to you.” Wow, he really didn’t understand but here he was, talking about it.

Colette seemed very okay with that. “Without the goggles though?”

Lloyd laughed, pulling at the strap around his head. “Y-yeah, without the goggles.”

He gave her a few more prizes for her hard work then, the waters calm despite the darkening sky. He’d made a lot of promises to Colette over the years, but he was really glad he kept this one to her.

[junker-town]

6 winners and 5 losers from Day 2 of the NFL Draft

AJ Epenesa, Jonathan Taylor, and Xavier McKinney were all Day 2 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Ravens’ running game got better, Carson Wentz is on notice, and Roger Goodell needs a nap.

Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft is over, and 74 more college stars saw their pro dreams come true. Players coming from programs ranging from LSU and Ohio State to Lenoir-Rhyne and Dayton heard NFL commissioner Roger Goodell call their names to shove them off on their NFL journeys.

The ripples of Friday night’s decisions won’t be fully understood for at least a decade as early-round picks fizzle and overlooked prospects rise to the top of the NFL. Even so, we can gather a pretty good idea of which players, teams, and college programs are celebrating a little bit harder than others as the draft nears its halfway point.

So who looks best after a quick glance in the rear view mirror? And which teams may need to stick their landing on Day 3?

Winner: Every team that got a first-round talent on Day 2

On Thursday night, 32 elite football players were welcomed into the NFL fraternity. But the amount of sheer talent that was still waiting to be drafted was incredible:

One personnel director calls this “the deepest second round in the last 25 years.” He believes there are 20 players available tonight that could have been first-round picks; there usually are 7-10. “There will be as many starters in this round that there are in the first round.”

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2020

So many names who were expected to be drafted in the first round — and might have been in any other year — remained on the board. Safety Xavier McKinney was a popular mock draft pick for the Cowboys or Dolphins. So was cornerback Kristian Fulton to the Raiders, edge A.J. Epenesa to the Patriots, cornerback Jaylon Johnson to the Vikings, OT Josh Jones to the Dolphins, and WR Denzel Mims to the Packers, among others.

Other players who could’ve sneaked into Round 1 included safety Antoine Winfield Jr, OT Ezra Cleveland, and even running backs D’Andre Swift, Jonathan Taylor or J.K. Dobbins. (Please, no debates about the value of a first-round running back right now.)

All of those players were available heading into Day 2. Teams like the Colts (Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr.), Cowboys (Trevon Diggs, Neville Gallimore), Giants (McKinney), Bills (Epenesa), Jets (Mims), and Cardinals (Jones) were the ones to benefit most.

Winner: The scary as hell Ravens running game

No team had more rushing yards than the Ravens in 2019.

Lamar Jackson earned MVP honors by becoming the first NFL quarterback to ever eclipse 1,200 rushing yards. He was joined in the Baltimore backfield by Mark Ingram, who racked up 1,018 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Oh, and don’t forget about Gus Edwards, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry.

That unstoppable ground game somehow got even better Friday when the Ravens added J.K. Dobbins with the 55th pick.

Dobbins rushed for at least 1,000 yards in all three of his seasons at Ohio State. In 2019, he became the first Buckeyes running back ever to have a 2,000-yard season. That’s something Eddie George, Ezekiel Elliott, Archie Griffin, and many other great running backs didn’t accomplish.

Baltimore definitely didn’t need Dobbins’ help. Unfortunately for the entire AFC, he’ll make the Ravens — who are putting together an excellent draft — even harder to stop.

Loser: Carson Wentz

Aaron Rodgers landed on our list of Day 1 losers because the Packers drafted Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. But at least that pick made some sense. Yes, Green Bay could’ve provided Rodgers with the help he needs to win a Super Bowl, but he’s 36 and the Packers need to consider life after his retirement.

That logic can’t be applied to the Eagles’ pick, though.

Wentz is 27 and has five seasons left on his contract. It’s hard to figure out what exactly the team was thinking when it drafted Jalen Hurts in the middle of the second round. While Philadelphia knows all about the benefits of a quality backup quarterback, there were plenty of better ways to improve the roster.

Instead, there’s legitimate reason to question Wentz’s future with the franchise. A team doesn’t draft someone in the second round unless it foresees that player being a long-term fixture.

Winner: Drew Lock

The Broncos’ 2019 second-round pick gave them a lot of reason to be optimistic last year. Lock finished his rookie season 4-1 as a starter with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

On Thursday, Denver gave him some help by picking Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy with the No. 15 pick. Unsurprisingly, Lock was happy about it:

— Drew Lock (@DrewLock23) April 24, 2020

The Broncos didn’t stop there, though. In the second round, they Penn State receiver KJ Hamler with the 46th pick. Lock was excited about that too:

— Drew Lock (@DrewLock23) April 25, 2020

Suddenly, Lock has a quite the arsenal. Jeudy and Hamler are joining an offense that already had receiver Courtland Sutton and 2019 first-round tight end Noah Fant. Adding center Lloyd Cushenberry in the third round was just the icing on the cake.

Winner: Good dogs

A fully virtual NFL Draft promised us one very important thing: a lot of good dogs on TV. But the first day was a little bit disappointing. While Giants coach Joe Judge talked about how well-versed his golden retriever Abby is about the 2020 class, she didn’t make a single appearance.

Fortunately, there was a much larger dog presence in Day 2. Bill Belichick even turned into one:

No wonder the Patriots dominated the last two decades.

Loser: Tom Brady

Thursday was a great day for Touchdown Tom, with the Buccaneers moving up one spot in the draft order to secure Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs. It’s a good thing they did, because the rest of the NFC South spent Friday loading up on players to take Brady down.

First, the Panthers took Penn State edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos with the 38th pick. He made it clear what his immediate NFL goal is for the 2020 season.

Yetur Gross-Matos: I want to sack Tom Brady.

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 25, 2020

The Atlanta Falcons were next when they picked Auburn pass rusher Marlon Davidson at 47th overall. The All-SEC defensive lineman will likely line up at defensive tackle in Dan Quinn’s defense, which added Dante Fowler Jr. earlier in the offseason.

New Orleans got in on the pass rush party too. After not picking in the second round, the Saints traded away a 2021 third-round pick to move up and take Wisconsin edge rusher Zack Baun at 74th overall.

Brady got some help of his own in Day 2. The Buccaneers added running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the third round (and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in the second round, which probably only reminded Brady of how old he is). But that didn’t do much to change the fact that he’s clearly in the crosshairs of the other NFC South teams.

Loser: Aaron Rodgers, again

Rodgers didn’t get his first-round wideout. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; borderline Day 1 talents like Tee Higgins, Laviska Shenault, Denzel Mims, and Michael Pittman Jr. were all on the board to begin Day 2. With a little luck or another trade up the draft board — like the club did to select Rodgers’ possible replacement, Jordan Love — one of those players would be the next big addition to the Packers’ receiving corps.

Green Bay got none of those players. It got a Boston College power back with 21 collegiate receptions to his name (AJ Dillon) and a third-round tight end out of Cincinnati who had 92 catches and 1,117 receiving yards ... in four years with the Bearcats (Josiah Deguara). Instead of getting an immediate boost to his passing game, Rodgers got a couple of lottery tickets who may not make his offense any better.

Winner: Matt Hennessy

The former Temple offensive lineman didn’t just get drafted with the 14th pick in the third round Friday night by the Falcons. As the 3.14 pick, he also won a shit load of pizza.

As the 78th pick, Matt Hennessy gets free @pizzahut for a year. As the 2020 Pizza Hut Pi Pick

— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) April 25, 2020

That’s an award that should only go to offensive linemen. Congrats on the pizza, Matt.

Loser: Roger Goodell’s gas tank

The commissioner’s doing more work than usual during the draft. In a typical year, Goodell would only announce the first-round picks. The other rounds have recently been handled by trash-talking NFL alumni (who could forget Drew Pearson roasting Philadelphia?), animals, and league representatives other than Goodell reading the picks.

But this year Goodell has to read off all the selections and it seems to be wearing him out. Just look at him by the time the back half of the third round rolled around.

Roger Goodell is exhausted pic.twitter.com/TYHRjV5F8A

— SB Nation (@SBNation) April 25, 2020

There’s another 149 draft picks coming Saturday. Is Goodell going to make it?

Loser: QB Jake Fromm

Fromm had to go through the first two nights of the draft without hearing his name called. What’s even worse is that there was a camera in his living room that captured him having to wait in agony:

We still don’t understand why Fromm declared for the NFL Draft this year. He had three OK seasons in Athens, but he was also coming off his least efficient year and failed to impress at the NFL Combine.

If he had returned in 2020, his team could’ve still won the SEC East division and he would’ve gotten a chance to his boost his NFL resume with a bounce-back year. Sure, maybe he didn’t want to come out in 2021, the same year as Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields (aka Fromm’s former backup). But he’s already seen five quarterbacks go ahead of him this year. Who knows how much longer he’ll be waiting alongside his generically handsome family.

Winner: Tight ends

There were six tight ends taken in the first rounds of the last three drafts. That streak ended this year, when zero tight ends went off the board on the first night of the draft. It wasn’t a shock, by any stretch. But it confirmed what many already thought about the positional group: It’s the weakest of the draft class.

The second night of the draft was another story. Now, as many tight ends (five) as quarterbacks have been selected through two nights of the draft.

Tight ends started making their comeback one-third of the way through the second round, when the Bears took Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet with the No. 43 overall pick. (Did the Bears need a tight end? Probably not.)

The third round is where things really started to pick up, though. Four different tight ends heard their name called by an increasingly sleepy Goodell: UCLA’s Devin Asiasi, Cincinnati’s Josiah Deguara, Virginia Tech’s Dalton Keene, and Dayton’s (yes, Dayton!) Adam Trautman.

Two of them, Asiasi and Keene, have been the Patriots’ only two offensive draftees so far. Belichick might not be done, either, with players like the highly athletic Albert Okwuegbunam and “Randy Moss is my dad” Thaddeus Moss still available on Day 3.