Plot Dump

Discovered | Movie

~ One shot ~

All set for school tommorow?" Koko asked from the doorway, her figure framed by the light in the living room behind her.

Lloyd climbed under his comforter and grinned nervously at his mother. "Definitely not looking forward to it, but yeah – I'm all set."

Ignoring the sarcastic remark, the woman smiled and blew a kiss at the boy. "Alright then, sweetie. Good night!"

"Night, Mom!"

Lloyd sighed as soon as the door shut with a soft click, settling under the covers. He closed his eyes and revised tommorow's class schedule in his mind, making sure all his due assignments were done. In the middle of all this recounting, he heard a faint booming sound. Frowning, he jumped out of bed and reached the window.

Over the rooftops of the apartment buildings, Lloyd could see thick columns of smoke accompanied by an orange glow against the night sky. An explosion. Which meant there was a fire. Lloyd squinted at the clock on his nightstand.

9:45 p.m.

It wasn't that late. He could be back before midnight. He tiptoed over to the door and pulled it open just a crack. His mom was at the dinner table, bent over her office work. She would never know, Lloyd told himself, closing the door. He hastily dug out his ninja gi from the depths of his closet and gathered up his blades and throwing stars from a box hidden under his bed.

Strapping everything on, he pulled down his mask and hopped out of the window. "Please, don't let it be Garmadon. Please, please, please. He'll take up my entire night," he muttered as he got to the roof and began his run towards the explosion site.

. . .

It was almost eleven by the time the Green Ninja arrived home. He climbed back into his room through the open window and closed it as quietly as he could. Letting out a tired sigh, he freed his face from the confines of the mask. He quickly set to work pulling off the accessory weapons from his gi.

As he moved towards the closet, he bumped into his shelf, causing his Starfarer spaceship model to plummet to the floor — and straight onto his foot. "Ow!" He cried out on instinct, grabbing his throbbing foot. He realized what he did and clasped a hand over his mouth.

He listened for a sound from outside, not even daring to breath. He relaxed after a few seconds, pushing up his blonde hair from his face. The relief was only for a brief moment though.

"Lloyd? Is that you?" his mother's voice called out from outside, footsteps growing closer.

"Oh, shoot! I'm still in my gi!" he whispered in a panic, frantically looking about the room. The knob of his door turned just as he dashed into the bathroom. He heard his mother coming inside.

"Lloyd, you're not asleep yet?" Koko asked, frowning at the empty room.

"Oh! Hey, Mom!" He announced a little too loudly, poking his head out from the bathroom and making the woman jump. He made sure to keep the rest of his body from showing.

"What are you doing?" his mother inquired, forehead creasing.

"What am I . . .?" Lloyd muttered, realizing he was standing in the bathroom, half-hiding when, according to his mom, he ought to be asleep. "Oh, I got up to, um . . . puke."

Worry flitted across Koko's face. "What? Honey, are you sick?" she asked, coming closer.

"No no no!" Lloyd stuttered, half ducking back inside. "I'm totally fine. Just an upset stomach." When his mother would not stop her approach, the boy rushed deeper into the bathroom and tried to blend in with the dark. Without a second to spare, Koko appeared at the door and reached for the light switch.

"Mom, no!"

Light flooded the bathroom and Lloyd was exposed. He saw his mother's eyes widen. Her mouth fell open and she stood stock still, her hand still on the switch. Something of a tiny squeak escape Lloyd's own gaping mouth. He watched as his mother lifted her other hand and placed it on her chest.

"Mom, I can explain!" He blurted out, taking a step closer to the speechless woman.

"Oh my gosh," she spoke slowly, her eyes glued to the gi clothing her son's body.

"Yes, I know," Lloyd said, wringing his hands and looking guiltier than a thief caught red-handed. "This is nothing short of a nightmare to you–"

Koko beamed, making Lloyd stop in mid-sentence. "You have a Green Ninja nightwear?!" she squealed, gazing at the suit in awe.

Lloyd wrinkled his nose. "I have a what?"

"Awww, that's so sweet!" Koko cooed, clasping her hands together. "I didn't know you were a fan?"

The boy caught on to what his mother was rambling about and plastered a fake, excited grin on his face. "Yeah! It's my Green Ninja nightwear. Glad you like it, Mom."

"It looks exactly like the real thing! Where'd you get it?" his mother inquired, still not being wise to the situation.

Lloyd let his brain's mechanics work on their own and produced an answer. "At a . . . garage sale," he said, uncertainty dripping from his tone. He cringed internally. Wow! Way to dishonor your gi, ninja boy.

"This is beyond adorable," Koko giggled, pulling out her phone. Before Lloyd could stop her, she snapped a photo. Smiling at the screen, she said, "I'm going to use this as my wallpaper."

Lloyd suddenly felt hot and wanted nothing more than to throw off the suit. He gave another try at a nervous smile. "Mom, I'm an honor-bound ninja with a hidden indentity. You really shouldn't be taking pictures," he complained jokingly.

Koko feigned a shocked reaction. "Oh, you're right. I really shouldn't. But don't worry, Green Ninja. You're secret's safe with me."

Lloyd chuckled anxiously when his mother winked at him. He thought the best way to deal with this was to let the matter pass on as an unimportant incident. He would have to find a way to get rid of the picture from his mom's phone before anyone else saw it. Not everyone would believe Lloyd Garmadon owns a nightwear inspired by his father's greatest enemy. And as for that, he'd have to keep the gi really well hidden now.

His mother watched him get back into bed with the suit on (the irony was killing him), wished him goodnight once again and left. Groaning, Lloyd pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. "Ugh, I messed up. I messed up so bad."

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