Tw: painful metamorphism??
"Oh, wow. Yep. I missed this place."
"Would you shut up?" Chen groaned from shotgun as he dropped his head back. "You've been saying that ever since we hit Ninjago City."
I kicked the back of his seat. He whipped around and sent me a hard stare.
"Watch it, L/n."
I stuck out my tongue in retaliation, which spurred Chen on further. He scrambled around the seat to reach for me and I screeched, curling in on myself, and Ambrose shouted over us both.
"If you kids don't stop, I will turn this car around!" he bellowed as he merged into the lane beside him. "And I, for one, don't want to have to drive seven hours back to Nom just because I've revoked your Lloyd privileges."
"You can't revoke my Lloyd privileges!" I accused as I pushed my front through the two seats to scowl in Ambrose's face. He turned his head to send me a sneer.
"I can and I will if you don't sit your ass down," he warned. "I'm trying to drive!"
I collapsed back onto the seat with a huff and a cross of my arms. Ambrose let out a calming sigh.
"Thank you," he grunted. I stared at the city passing by, lights reflecting against the window and reaching into the evening sky. My knee bound in impatience.
When Chen and Ambrose suggested to give me a lift to Ninjago City for Lloyd's twenty-first birthday after the team was called out on a last-minute mission, I gladly accepted their offer. Seven hours in and I was kicking myself for just biting the bullet and using a chunk of my student allowance to buy a plane ticket. Seven hours lasted so much longer than I gave it credit for - it felt longer than the past five months at uni.
I was seriously at my limits, and so were the other two boys. This long a time in a confined space was driving us mental. I dropped my cheek into my palm as my elbow leant against the window ledge.
"Are we there yet?" I asked, voice muffled. Chen broke.
"Y/n, I swear to god-!"
"Swear all you want, buddy, Uchū's my homeboy!" I snapped at Chen.
"SHUT UP!" Ambrose yelled. Chen and I reluctantly silenced.
The tension was palpable.
"I'm never driving to Ninjago City with her again," Chen grumbled, sinking into his seat.
"I want to set something on fire," I whispered.
"Jesus christ, Y/n," Ambrose exclaimed.
We reached the edge of the city and I watched eagerly as the tall buildings began to blend into small suburbs and then, finally, we were ambling through a giant forest that stretched for miles. Ambrose took the turn into the craftily hidden driveway to the monastery and I pushed my face against the glass.
Finally, the car pulled to a halt outside the red monastery. I was out before it even stopped moving, shoes crunching on the gravel as I raced across the driveway, padded up the stone steps, passed the prophecy columns and shoved the heavy front doors open.
"I'M HOME!" I shouted.
My response was a distant, indiscernible shout and the thumping of running feet. Dimitri was at the front of the pack to the round the corner.
"Y/n!" the monk and my best friend exclaimed as he scooped me into a massive, swinging hug.
"Dimi!" I gasped in delight, hugging him back just as tight. "I missed you!"
The next to follow was Hiyori and Jace, plus a couple of the other monks that I had grown close to over the years.
"The team's still out on a mission," Hiyori said as she pulled me down the hall to where the senseis were just leaving the scroll room to greet me. "Misako's at a talk."
"Hi!" I beamed as I pulled the two men into a group hug. Wu chuckled and Garm sucked in a tight breath as I squeezed them tightly.
"Careful now," Wu said with a pat to my shoulder. "Garm's a delicate old man."
Garmadon shot his brother an irritated glare over my head. His hand shot out and brought Wu into a chokehold. I quickly stepped back from the chaos, palms raised.
"Says you-!" he snarled playfully before stopping suddenly with a grimace. "Oh, my knee."
"My back!" Wu cried. I lifted a hand to my mouth to hide my amused grin.
"I'm glad to see that nothing's changed during my absence," I commented. Garm wearily chuckled.
"Y/n!" Chen yelled down the hall. "Come get your damn bags, monster child."
"Be right there!" I called back.
