Albert Hammond Jr
••• Set To Attack •••
tw: blood & gore
"Alright, what did you want to ask us?" Jay asked, crossing his arm as he, Lloyd and Kai snuck into the green ninja's bedroom. Lloyd glanced around before shutting the door.
"I need your advice," the blond said quietly as he turned to his brothers. "I spoke to my mum about this before and she's all for it but..."
He stared at the blank expressions before him and sighed.
"It's better if I show you," he mumbled, grabbing something out from under his pillow and showing it.
"Oh, my GOD," Kai yelled, staring at the little object in Lloyd's hand.
"Are you sure you're ready?" Jay asked, staring at the team leader with wide eyes. "Dude, you still haven't even told her about your age!"
"I- I know but she's the one," Lloyd whispered, staring at the little heirloom. "She's the only one."
Kai and Jay shared a look. The lightning master shrugged.
"I mean, if you think you're ready, then go for it," Jay said. "But if you're getting doubts, wait a little longer. You've only known each other for two months."
"Doubts?" Lloyd broke into a gentle smile. "I've never had any doubts."
🍃🍂💞🍂🍃
Sunday.
One more day of freedom before my last year of high school begins.
Sunday. The day Simon's coming over to my house.
Saturday night was spent sleepless, pacing my room as my brain overworked itself by replaying what ifs and the worst scenarios behind my eyes. I had no idea how dangerous Axon was, but going by the reactions of the others, he seemed to be pretty high up on the priority list.
"What's your problem?" Mum asked as I stumbled into the kitchen after realising that the sun had risen. I rubbed at my tired eyes and mumbled a reply even I couldn't understand.
"Rose and Simon are coming at noon," mum reminded as I nursed a coffee in my hands. My panic level did a dull spike at the mention and I sighed through my nose. "Make sure you're on your best behaviour."
"Yes, ma'am," I muttered, staring a hole through the kitchen floor as my fingers clenched tighter around the ceramic.
To ease my anxieties, I went for a short walk to a tiny park that lived on the next block over after texting Lloyd the time Simon would be coming over. A dash of movement caught my peripherals. It seemed that my babysitter today was Zane.
"Hello, Y/n," he greeted when I sat down in the middle of the deserted field.
"Heya," I hummed a reply, picking at the recently mowed grass. Zane took a seat before me.
"You look tired," he noted in a concerned voice. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Not a wink," I smiled tightly, peeling away half of the grass strand I'd been fiddling with. Zane's masked face stared at me with a soft look.
"You need not worry," he said quietly, but firmly. "We will take Axon down today. That, I can promise. Then we may all rest easy tonight."
"How are you handling it?" I asked, glancing up at the ice ninja. He blinked, tilting his head. "What do you usually do when you're..."
"Panicked?" Zane finished.
"Yeah," I murmured.
"Hmm," Zane sighed, looking out at the forest bordering the park. "I usually read. Sometimes meditate. If those do not work, I will ask someone from my team to distract me. Chances are, they need distracting, too."
"My mother stress bakes," I smiled dryly. "My father does target practise. I don't have a habit that helps me relax."
"Perhaps Lloyd helps you relax?" Zane suggested. "It seems that the prophecy has certainly sealed your bond. I have not seen any two people quite so compatible for each other as you are with him."
