Chapter Text
i don't care if monday's black
tuesday, wednesday, heart attack
thursday, never looking back
it's friday, i'm in love
₍ ᐢ.ˬ.ᐢ₎˚୨ friday i’m in love ୧ ₍ ᐢ.ˬ.ᐢ₎
the cure
I clutched my phone nervously between my fingers, staring up at the pastry shop Lloyd and I had picked. I was in a side alley right now, but once I stepped into the open, the paparazzi that had been trying to trail me for about three blocks now would find me. According to my texts, Lloyd was already inside.
It was nerve racking, knowing that everyone would see what we were doing, but liberating at the same time. I didn’t want to have to hide. Circumstance just made it necessary. As I fidgeted, my thoughts drifted to another problem— Lloyd’s name. I’d been keeping up with his group’s music for a while now, and the other members. I’d viewed all their profiles. Kai Smith. Jay Walker. Zane Julien. Cole Brookstone. And Lloyd… just Lloyd. Why wasn’t his last name showing up anywhere? I mean, it wasn’t like I had a burning desire to know, but—
Okay, yeah. I had a burning desire to know. I’d already been at my most vulnerable around him. How could I not know his last name?
My phone buzzed again, distracting me.
Lloyd
Hey
Ik ur nervous rn
Dont worry about it
Im not going to let them say anything about you
I fiddled with the edge of my skirt. How did he always know what I was feeling? I let Lloyd’s reassurance wash over me before walking towards the pastry shop. I made it about three steps in that direction before someone shouted my name. “Y/n! Is it true you’re here to meet with Lloyd from Ninjago?”
I sighed, clenched and unclenched my skirt, then turned around. The reporter was young, with dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders. “Yes. We’re meeting to discuss options for future collaboration. As you know, we both won the fan’s favorite awards at the Global Jewel Awards.”
I hoped my formal tone would put her off, but instead she perked up. “Oh, do you know each other well, then?” Just another person grasping at strings. I swept my gaze over her, trying to look aloof.
“No, we don’t. If that’s all, I’ll be going.” I kept my voice stiff, then sent a tight smile at the reporter.
A short chime rang out as I opened the door to the small shop, the sound more sophisticated and delicate than the bell at the convenience store. Lloyd glanced at me, and I lit up as our gazes met, making my way over to his table. As we were positioned right now, someone from the outside wouldn’t be able to see our faces. “Hi,” I said, a little breathless, like I was every time we met.
Lloyd smirked. “Hey.” Then his jaw tensed. “Did they— the reporters, I mean— give you any trouble?”
I shrugged airily, trying to seem as capable as I could. Despite Lloyd’s promise, I refused to be a mess he had to clean up. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
His gaze tracked its way down to my hand, where I was tugging the edge of my skirt. His mouth quirked up. “Liar.”
“What?”
“You always mess with your clothes when you’re nervous.” He nodded to my fingers. I jerked them away from my clothes, feeling my cheeks warm as he continued. “You look good, pretty girl.”
Ah, that accursed nickname. I smoothed down my blue plaid skirt, paired with a white cardigan. “You clean up well yourself,” I said, trying to keep my flushing manageable. It was true— a black t-shirt and jeans worked well with his messy blond hair and mischievous eyes. The casual look definitely suited him. It was different, just seeing him in the light. I always met him when the shadows cast long glares over us, or when I had only the light from cheap stores or the moon to see him. Of course, there were the short moments when we passed each other with our groups, but we hardly dared to acknowledge each other then. Now, facing away from the outside, I could drink him in with the broad sunlight turning his blond hair to gold.
He raised an eyebrow. Blushing, I brought the menu up to my face, using it as a pretense to hide my blatant stare. “I’m so busy these days,” I groaned.
He laughed. “Tell me about it. I barely get to see my other friends any more.”
“Me neither.” I said, knowing full well all my friends were idols. “So…” I cast my gaze around desperately, trying to decide on a safe topic. It was one thing to bring up my deepest fears when we were alone at night, and quite another to bring them up in a crowded pastry shop. And we couldn’t really be our normal, cackling selves, since the reporters outside could see us (albeit without our faces). “Do you get to see your parents often?”
Lloyd tensed, and I wondered what I’d said wrong. Maybe something to do with his family? Stupid, stupid, stupid, I thought. Why would you bring up something so personal? He gave me a brief smile, but I could still see something guarded behind it. “I see my mother a lot, she actually works at the company. My father is— does— come in every so often to help our CEO with training.” He stuttered during the part about his father. I cocked my head to the side. As desperately curious as I was to learn something more about Lloyd, I didn’t want to pry.
Suddenly remembering what I had been thinking about earlier, I blurted out, “Oh, and— what’s your last name?” Lloyd almost seemed to wince, ashamed. Horrified at my outburst, I didn’t notice his change of expression and decided to drastically over-correct. “Oh my god, that was really sudden of me— you don’t have to tell— it’s just that all your members—” I cut myself off as I noticed him staring at the floor. “Lloyd?” I prompted.
“Y/n…” He ran a hand through his hair, looking back at me through strangely vulnerable eyes. “You can’t tell anyone.”
Bewildered, I frowned. “Tell anyone what? Lloyd, you don’t have to—” I didn’t know much, but obviously his last name was very important to him.
“No, no. I want to tell you.”And if that confession didn’t make my heart race. “My last name is… it’s Garmadon.”
I blinked. “Garmadon?” The name sent a jolt of familiarity through me, and my mouth dropped open. “Garmadon? Like, the Garmadon?”
Lloyd stared at me, anxious, before nodding. I exhaled. Garmadon was the name of one of the top investors of our time. Or at least, he had been before his Ponzi scheme came crashing all the way down through the help of an anonymous tip. The world had been shocked. It had made national headlines for weeks. Everyone that had anything to do with the name Garmadon was either disgraced or they distanced themselves, quick. And this was all in the last year.
And Lloyd… He was related to, probably even the son of, said Garmadon. My eyes widened, jaw still agape. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t want to tell you. Because no one would let me breathe again if they found out my last name. That’s why you can’t tell. Please,” He implored. “And… I don’t blame you if you don’t want anything to do with me.”
Through the haze of shock, I felt slightly insulted that he thought I would give up such an important secret so easily. I snapped my jaw closed, sympathy overtaking me. He must’ve had a hard time since his dad hadn’t been convicted, due to circumstantial evidence, yet the public still hated the Garmadon name anyway. “Lloyd,” I said softly. He looked up at my kind tone. “I’m not going to tell anyone. And I’m not going to judge anyone by who their parents were, either.” I placed my hand on his, making sure anyone at the window couldn’t see it. “I might not have known you for a long time, but I want to believe that I know you. And I know that you’re a great person. I mean, who else would be able to make me laugh so much? Or comfort me at the same time? You are not who your father was.”
Lloyd started in surprise before letting out a laugh. “Perfect, perfect girl.” He said, amusement coloring his tone. “Where’d you get a way with words like that?”
I blushed at his words. Funny, I’d been thinking the same about him. “Only from the best,” I said, smiling sweetly. And just like that, we went back to our usual banter. I could tell Lloyd was relieved about my reaction to his last name, which made me happy. As soon as I’d seen him smile, I’d resolved to never be the person to make it go away. All of a sudden, it hit me— the lazy sun rays filtering through the window, the lilting classical music, Lloyd’s comforting, captivating voice, his roguish grin as he stared at my lips— wait, what?
I blinked up at him, but all of a sudden his eyes drifted back up to my face too, as if I’d imagined the whole thing. I sighed inwardly. Maybe I was going insane. At least I was happy in my delusions. “I like this,” I said, only slightly enamored.
Lloyd chuckled. “Like what?”
I shrugged helplessly. “The daylights, the people, the sugar,” I trailed off at the end, realizing I had almost added you to the end of that list, which would undoubtedly end in a painful rejection.
Lloyd lifted a hand to his chest, as if hurt. “You wound me,” He drawled. “Only coming out here for the sugar, not me?”
A smile split my face, so uncontrolled and filled with laughter I couldn’t contain it. Lloyd dropped his hand and inhaled sharply. I stopped. “What?”
“Do that again.”
“Do what again?”
“Smile like that.” Lloyd stared at me, maybe even as enamored as I had been. I realized that this was probably his first time seeing me in the full daylight, too. And while I’d been slightly more reserved before, trying to act like I’d never met Lloyd, he just broke through all my walls. I smiled at him again, a little self-conscious but happy. He breathed in. “You’re so gorgeous.” So. unfairly. smooth.
I blushed (wow, someone should really keep track), looking down. “You’re really handsome, too,” I mumbled, so softly I was sure he wouldn’t hear it. Nevertheless, the tips of his ears reddened, something that gratified me to see.
“Just handsome?” He teased.
I brightened at the opportunity. “Oh, I can go on if you want! Handsome, hot, attractive, se—” Lloyd slapped a hand over my month, ears gloriously red.
“I didn’t think you’d actually start a list,” He muttered, rubbing a hand over the back of his head. Then he took a moment to process what I had said before he smirked. “So, you think I’m hot?” He asked smugly.
I frowned. “I didn’t say that! I meant, like, objectively…?” It was a losing battle. I knew it. He knew it. Probably everyone who’d been eavesdropping on our conversation knew it too. “Anyways!” I clapped my hands, desperate to change the conversation. Lloyd leaned back, still smug. I gave him a demure look. “You like my smile?” It was meant to be a joke, but I could feel a doubtful quality in my voice, like I was asking him if I was really worth it.
Lloyd gave me a crooked smile, the one I was always so weak for. “I like everything about you.” My breath caught in my throat. For some reason, his tone made it sound like more than banter. But any friend would say that, right?
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but I only like your hair.” And your eyes. And your laugh. And the way you make me feel—
That train of thought wouldn’t take me anywhere useful. Lloyd rolled his eyes. “Oh no, how will I ever survive.”
I chanced a look at him, enraptured, before he quickly slammed his card onto the bill and smiled at the waiter politely. I gaped at him. “Did you just—“
He smirked triumphantly. “I wanted to. Don’t worry about it.” I pouted, resolving to pay the next time we met up. The next time . My heart sang from even thinking those words. I was so down bad for him it was insane.
I yawned. Evidently our nighttime meetings were taking its toll. Lloyd’s brows creased. “Are you okay? Are you feeling tired? Should we stop meeting at night?”
“I appreciate the concern, but I’ve been averaging about five hours of sleep since I was 15. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“I feel like that’s more of a red flag than anything.”
“Good thing I’m colorblind.”
“Really?”
“No.”
“Oh.” His mouth twitched upwards into another smile. I loved being able to see him in the daylight. My mind just went in a circle. Lloyd. Sunlight. Lloyd.
“Wait.” I frowned. “Wasn’t there a purpose to us meeting here?”
Lloyd cocked his head. “Uhhhhhh—“
I snapped my fingers. “Right! The award! So how do we plan this? Matching outfits? Or like should we write down a general idea of what to say? We need to have good chemistry.”
Lloyd snorted. “We already have good chemistry.” Well, it was gratifying to know he thought so as well.
“Matching outfits?” I said, looking at him hopefully. It was one of those things I used to daydream about happening, me with my imaginary boyfriend who was sweet and caring. Well, Lloyd wasn’t my boyfriend, but if this was the closest opportunity I could get then I would take it. I gave him my best puppy eyes, jutting out my lower lip pleadingly.
Lloyd groaned. “I can’t say no when you look at me like that.”
I grinned. “Perfect! Now, um, I know we’ve talked about this before but are you sure you don’t want a script?”
He shook his head. “Nah. Let’s just have fun.”
I beamed. “Okay!” We talked about everything, anything for the next hour until the owner glared at us and told us to get out. I cast an apologetic glance at her irritated expression, only to see Lloyd hiding a snicker. “Lloyd!”
“What?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”
He hummed, and before I could register what he was doing, his fingers were against my cheek and tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. My breathing hitched, so loudly I was sure he could hear it. The world could’ve been watching and I wouldn’t have cared. He stared at me, intensity building beneath his stare before dropping his fingers sharply, threading them through mine for a split second before letting my hand go entirely. It took five seconds before my breathing resumed its normal processes. When I regained air in my lungs, I looked up, furiously blushing to see Lloyd holding the door open for me, avoiding my eyes.
As I walked out, I let my fingers brush his, relishing his sharp intake of air before I moved into the open and the mask slid down over my face. If anyone out here saw the way I looked at Lloyd, we’d be done for. I let my features smooth out like I’d practiced in the mirror, trying not to let my facial expressions get the best of me. I relaxed my body into a more formal, less comfortable posture, painted on a polite smile reserved for strangers. “It was nice to meet you,” I said to Lloyd coolly.
He stiffened at my cold tone before understanding. He gave me a polite nod. “You as well. I’ll be taking my leave now.” Despite his words, I could tell he wouldn’t move an inch until he saw I was safely on the way. I sighed, and whispered bye before walking towards the street. As I hailed a taxi, I looked back one more time to see him mouthing the words, text me when you get home. I gave him the barest of nods, completely different from the fluttering feeling inside my stomach.
The taxi ride felt emptier, somehow. Maybe I was desperate, but his absence felt even more pronounced. I pulled out my phone, texting Hana that I was going to be home soon.
Hana
It’s abt time
where do u go off to at all hours of the day
I was just meeting Lloyd
for the mc thing we’re doing
Lloyd.
Lloyd, as in the leader of Ninjago.
Um
Yes?
The fact that she didn’t respond was terrifying. I anxiously thumbed the hem of my skirt, hoping the coarse material would provide some comfort. Spoiler alert: it did not. The taxi was soon stopped in front of our building. I paid, thanked the driver, and took a deep breath before opening the door. “Y/N!!” Kaho barreled into me. “Do you like Lloyd?”
She knows she knows she knows SHE KNOWS FUCKKKKKK IM SO SCREWED— I laughed unnaturally. “What are you talking about? You know I have to do that thing with him since we won the fan favorites award.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling Kaho,” Sophia entered the room, glaring at the back of Kaho’s head. “Y/n would never jeopardize her career like that.”
I winced. That was quite literally exactly what I was doing. Lying to them pained me more and more, but how could I tell them the truth when I knew exactly how they would react? “Yeah,” I scoffed. “Why would I ever do that?”
Damn, the gaslighting goes crazy. I gave them an obligatory smile to make up for the fact that I had inevitably betrayed their trust and lied to them on multiple occasions for purely selfish reasons.
I didn’t want to be this person. But Lloyd made me want to be so unbearably selfish. I’ll tell them soon, I promised myself. Thankfully, I was distracted from my guilty thoughts by Kaina screeching somewhere in the kitchen. “WHERE’S THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER??!!”
“HELL IF I KNOW!” Hana shouted back from somewhere else.
Sophia dragged a hand down her face. “HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO MESS UP INSTANT NOODLES?!?” She made a beeline for the kitchen. I did too, not because I knew where the fire extinguisher was but because this would be peak vine content.
I nodded sagely at Kaho, who pulled out her own phone. We entered the room to chaos— Sophia was probably calling the fire department or something, Kaina was screaming her lungs out next to something blackened that was still on fire, and Hana was scooping water using her hands from the sink to the pan of whatever food that was. I groaned. “Guys, we have buckets right there. Hana, stop using your hands. Kaina, are you on fire? No? Okay, get away from there, then. Kaho, still recording? Perfect. Now give me the blue bucket and Hana, you use the purple one.”
Sophia rushed in with the fire extinguisher, coating the pan in white foam. We all stared at it for a good ten seconds. “Was that non-stick?” I said after a while. “Because those are really expensi—“
Hana threw a bucket at my head. We all burst out laughing. “Oh my god,” Hana wheezed.
“How did you mess up instant noodles?” I wheezed back, trying to contain tears from rolling down my cheeks.
Kaho choked. “I just posted a video of this entire thing.”
Kaina shrieked a couple of curses and lunged towards Kaho, while Sophia ran a hand over her face, muttering “Where did I go wrong…?” It took my mind off of Lloyd for a little while, and for a moment we were just a happy family having fun.
—
Lloyd fell into his couch, heart beating abnormally fast. Kai cocked an eyebrow at him. “You good, man?”
“I told her,” He murmured. “I told her and she didn’t care.” He’d been trying to push it out of his head for a while now, but felt that Y/n deserved to know the truth about who she was… meeting. His dad was a better person now— hell, he trained them almost as much as Wu did, away from the illegal snake venom drugs that had clouded his mind. The prejudice was still fresh for a lot of people though, which was why the decision to trust Y/n had been so incredibly risky.
Kai’s jaw dropped. “As in, about your dad? She didn’t care?” Lloyd nodded.
“Yeah. It’s like she knew exactly what I was feeling and what to say.”
His thoughts threatened to go deeper down that road when Kai loudly munched on some cereal. “That’s great! Now that you guys are dating, can I—”
Lloyd jolted upright. “We’re not dating!” Kai side-eyed him. “I swear!”
“Sure.”
Lloyd glared at him, flushing furiously. “I’m serious!” Obviously, he wished he were dating her, but— Stop it. But damn, that smile— her smile— was worth the world. And he’d give it to her, if he could. It had been so long meeting under the cover of darkness, watching the moon glint softly off her hair, gazing into the sheen of her bright eyes while she talked. It had been so long trying to memorize her face, her voice, the pause in her breathing when she was flustered.
And today, it was like the sun itself had come down to gaze at him. Every time she talked, he could stare at her unapologetically, drinking in every detail. Trying to muster an unaffected voice to flirt with her, if only to see that flustered blush. Trying to get closer any way he could but stopping just short because of the cameras outside. God, it was killing him not being able to be closer to her, now that he could finally see her in the light. Brushing her hair behind her ear, relishing in the sharp intake of breath felt as natural as breathing. That was how it was with Y/n. Being with her felt as natural as breathing, like they were made to orbit each other in the light of the sun’s dying rays.
Kai sighed, breaking Lloyd from his daydream. “Do you want some help? I know some things that work on any girl, 100%. Have you tried the jacket trick yet?”
Lloyd smirked. “Is that what you tried on Skylor right before she dumped iced tea on your head?”
Kai rolled his eyes. “It’s our love language, relax. Besides, she invited me to get noodles with her tomorrow after she finishes dance practice, so we’re good. Apparently her dad runs a noodle shop. ANYWAYS. Do you want my help or not?”
Lloyd considered. “Fine.”
Kai clapped his hands. “Perfect. It helps that I love Y/n. I mean, I haven’t met her yet, but can you imagine how much fun a rap battle between us would be? Like if you guys were my backup dancers or something? Wow, she feels like a sister already!”
Lloyd narrowed his eyes. “Speaking of sisters, have you told yours about Y/n?”
“Nya would definitely freak.” Kai winced. “You know she has a very misplaced grudge against Axelle. Also, scandals? Y/n’s career will be in the dust if you mess everything up for her.”
“Wow,” Lloyd grumbled. “No pressure.”
Leaning forward, Kai brought his voice down to a whisper, eyes sparkling. “I’ll even cover for you to sneak off to Wu and Garmadon if you let me meet her.”
Lloyd’s first instinct was to say no. Y/n loved people, but she always seemed stressed during the day and he didn’t want to add to that.
“I’ll let you meet Skylor!”
Lloyd scoffed. “Skylor and I literally have mimosas every Sunday.”
Kai gaped at him. “You’re not even legal!”
“It was a joke, old man, relax.” He sighed. “Fine. I’ll ask. But I’m not promising anything. Any decisions are up to her.”
“So loyal to your girl already,” Kai whispered. Lloyd threw an empty cereal carton that was sitting on the table at him.
“Just… just tell me what this jacket trick is. ”
“Okay, so the next time you guys hang out, this is what you need to do…”