Arriving at the monastery via car was much more scenic than being delirious with pain and too sleepy to comprehend anything.
The trees stretched high above the car as we drove on a dirt road, cutting through the forest.
I was squished against the side door by Lloyd and Zane while Nya rode shotgun. The two human ninjas had fallen asleep long ago and I would've joined them, if it weren't for the fact that the summer sun being dappled by the leaves of the trees and had intrigued me so.
The droplets of sun slid over me as we drove and a carnal, monkey-brain part of me wanted to get out of the car and just sit in a circle of sun pieces.
"You are nervous."
I glanced across at Zane. Lloyd sighed in his sleep, dropping his head onto my shoulder with a subtle bounce. My face burnt.
"Huh?" I whispered.
"Nervous," Zane repeated. Misako glanced at us from the rear view mirror. "You are displaying signs of being agitated."
"No, I'm not," I disagreed. Zane sent a pointed look at my hands in my lap, which were anxiously tapping, tugging and strangling each of my fingers. I flattened them out against my thighs, forcing them to be still.
"I'm fine," I insisted before stiffening when Lloyd began to mumble incoherently.
"Do not fret," Zane said in hushed reassurance. "Lloyd is deep in slumber. He will not be waking anytime soon. Are you perhaps feeling anxious about your feelings towards him?"
I spluttered, coughing. Nya groaned from shotgun and scowled in her groggy state.
"Shhjihhuddup," she tossed her head over her shoulder to glare at us with bleary eyes. "Shut up. Shut up."
"Nya, on the other hand, wakes at the sound of anything," Zane whispered. I hummed, wide eyed.
"Am I that obvious?" I murmured, pulling back to send a sheepish look at the nindroid.
"I am observant," he replied with an owlish blink of his ice-blue eyes.
I sighed. Okay. Cool.
"And you make it easy to tell."
I stiffened. Okay. Panik.
Was I that easy to read? I hadn't thought myself to have such a readable face, but there we were, I guess.
Well, Misako and Garmadon knew about my crush, and one of them hadn't even seen me interact with Lloyd.
Jesus.
He snuggled deeper against my shoulder.
I need an intervention.
I planted my forehead against the glass of the window and closed my eyes, trying to ignore the amused look from Misako in the rear view mirror.
This was bullying. I swear.
By the time my eyes had opened again and my mortification had gone down a tiny smidge, we had made past the mile-long driveway to the monastery.
Misako pulled up the car beside the one Garmadon was driving. I stepped out after carefully transferring Lloyd's head from my shoulder to the seat and stretched. Nya woke as soon as I had opened the door and was quick to grab her bags and head inside the monastery, probably hell bent on getting a proper nap.
Couldn't blame her. They looked exhausted.
"Is he still asleep?" Kai asked in a whisper as he glanced inside, where Lloyd was absolutely dead to the world. Zane has already grabbed his stuff and went inside, never one to dawdle, it seemed.
"Yeah," I nodded, replying in a quiet voice. I was about to ask whether we wake or carry him inside when Cole suddenly squeezed past, picked the ragdoll that was Lloyd up and heftily deposited him.
Into the pond.
Lloyd only woke at the height of his drop. His bleary green eyes opened, confused as to why he was falling.
"Huh-hhWwAAAHH!"
Cole and Kai collectively, lost their goddamn minds and Jay joined when he walked in on the scene. I stood at the car, a hand over my mouth in shock (and also amusement).
Was this what it was like to have siblings? Fucking wild, man, oh my god.
Lloyd spluttered, thrashing as he landed in the cold water. He was definitely awake, now. Awake and pissed.
He glared at his teammates, blonde hair scraggled and heavy with water as the locks flopped over his face.
"Yeah, har-har," he grumbled, peeking off a lily pad from his shoulder. "Laugh it up, why dontcha? Jokes on you, I was going to take a shower anyway."
