TW: slight sexual content
This was hell.
This was genuinely hell.
I didn't know why I was so excited to start training. Everything hurt. Existence was painful. I had more bruises than I could count and I routinely made a fool of myself in front of ten year olds who were far more superior than me at the art of ninjitsu.
It had only been a week.
"This is worse than the military boot camp Jonesy made me do when I was sixteen," I whined, slumping down onto the dining table for dinner at my place. I had a headache the size of the sun - a combination of both straining myself physically and mentally through attempting to unlock my powers. So far, it had been in vain. I was no closer to controlling them than when I was when I first discovered them.
And because of the whole 'adrenaline fight' thing in which my powers had made their emergence in the past, the Sensei's + Sensei-in-training's solution?
Replicate the fights.
Which meant even harsher training - a simulation of an actual fight in the forest.
I was going to break apart and melt into a puddle.
Mum grinned in amusement at the wretched look on my face, sharing a snicker with Lloyd. I couldn't believe that they were taking my misery as entertainment. The nerve.
"Don't worry, sunshine," Lloyd reassured, stealing a piece of chicken donburi from my plate. I was too tired to even curse him out for doing so. "You have the weekend off from training."
"Thank god," I groaned, dropping my head back. "I'm going to sleep all day."
Lloyd raised a brow, silently eating. He seemed as if he was waiting for something in my head to click which was weird because-
I wanted to cry in horror. Sob my heart out. Curse the nerds above and even yell at dear old Uchū because fuck. Fucking hell.
"We have the amusement park date with Naomi and Cole tomorrow," I cried, sliding down the seat in despondent sorrow. There goes my day of lazy recovery. Lloyd sent a humoured look out the corner of his eyes.
"And the serpentine treaty on Sunday," he reminded, chewing on rice.
I clenched my eyes shut and screamed a whine behind gritted teeth. Mum genuinely snorted, lifting a hand over her mouth.
"Should've gone to the site," she said, unsympathetic.
"Should've gone to the site," I agreed in a crying moan.
After dinner, I hobbled amongst the kitchen as I cleaned up. Lloyd helped. Actually, Lloyd did most of the cleaning, getting bored of how slow my aching muscles made me.
"Do you think you'll survive?" he asked with a smirk that he couldn't conceal, putting the last of the cutlery into the dishwasher.
"No," I bemoaned, slumping miserably against the bench. "Was it this hard for you when you started? Or am I just a spectacular failure?"
"Oh, I was worse," Lloyd announced with an easy chuckle. He watched as I limped towards the hallway before scooping me up and saving me the agonising trek. I sighed in thanks, dropping my head against his chest as he walked us back to my room.
"You were?" I asked, peeking an eye at his face. "I don't believe that. I reckon you came out of the womb already a black belt. I bet you body slammed your doctors into the wall and drop kicked the nurses."
Lloyd barked a laugh, pushing open the door to my bedroom with his shoulder before kicking it back into place with his foot. He gently dropped me onto the bed and leant over with an amused grin, caging me in his arms.
"I don't think it went quite like that."
"Are you sure?" I raised a brow, staring up at him with wide eyes. "You wouldn't remember."
"I think I would know if there was anything extraordinary about my birth," Lloyd pointed out. "You, on the other hand, probably emerged into the world with a glock in hand."
My mouth dropped open. I feigned a shocked gasp.
"How did you know?" I asked in teasing disbelief. He scoffed a laugh, poking my nose.
"Moron," he said affectionately, hand trailing down to gently hold my cheek.
"Dork," I countered with a soft smile. It turned into a demanding pout. "Come lay down with me."
