Aureole

The Surge

[M/n] flipped through his and Lloyd's shared closet, searching for one of the few button up shirts he owned. Cyrus Borg – a famous inventor and architect – had invited the original five ninja to Borg Tower to receive a gift for aiding Lloyd in the defeat of the Overlord and their aid during the reconstruction of the city and it would do no good for him to arrive looking like he had no class.

Tucked into the far corner he found his black button ups and pulled it free to place on the bed alongside his pants and boxers. Glancing up, [M/n] was unsurprised to see Lloyd tucked up in the thick covers of their bed watching him in turn. Lloyd gave a slow blink when their eyes met, keeping his eyes partially shut so the light streaming through the window wasn't as annoying. 

Their mornings had been peaceful recently, jobs focused on petty crimes or reassuring the public by appearing at different buildings that had been built in the wake of the Overlord's destructive, but short, reign. Today Lloyd was scheduled to visit the newest orphanage, Blackwood Orphanage for Boys and Girls, built to help with overflow in the other orphanages throughout the city. He and Lloyd both loved and hated visiting the orphanages because of the children and their circumstances respectfully.

"You should be getting up, Λιακάδα," [M/n] murmured softly, unwilling to break the slow morning haze over them just yet. Lloyd whined, dragging the covers up to hide beneath them. "Λιακάδα."

"Noooo. I don't wanna."

Chuckling, [M/n] rounded the bed to sit beside the Lloyd shaped lump. He gently ran a hand up and down the blanket, tracing Lloyd's side as his partner melted into the affection, lowering his guard. The moment Lloyd went limp, [M/n] struck with no mercy, yanking the covers out from Lloyd to expose him to the cold morning air. 

Lloyd shrieked, lurching to try and grab them but they were placed out of reach at the bottom of the bed. Glaring at his laughing partner, he tried to maintain his angry facade, "[M/n]! How could you?!" He laughed when [M/n] dropped on top of him, nearly smothering him until he wiggled to get comfortable. 

"Can't we just lay here for a few minutes?" Lloyd asked, pouring dramatically.

"Fine. Five minutes, then we get up αγαπητέ μου," [M/n] relented, rolling his eyes at Lloyd's triumphant little grin. Lloyd tucked his head beneath [M/n]'s chin, cold nose pressing into the hollow of his throat, snuggling in close. "Comfy, μέλι?"

"Yep," Lloyd chirped, acting as if he wasn't tightly pressed against his boyfriend and continuing to try to get closer. 

[M/n] tracked the time carefully, fingertips dancing across Lloyd's back and head, threading through his hair for a moment before he smoothed a palm down his back. Once the minutes were up, [M/n] bodily dragged Lloyd from the bed to force him to get dressed if he wanted to be warm. 

Lloyd complained, as he always did being exposed to the cold air, but got dressed and dropped it quickly enough. Together they sat in their little dining room to eat breakfast before they split up for the day. 

"So did Borg tell you why he wanted to meet up with the five of you and not me?" Lloyd asked, spooning a bite of dahl into his mouth with the rotti. 

"No, but he was surprisingly insistent that I not bring you. He sounded . . . off. So I don't want to risk it," [M/n] stated, working his way through the chicken curry first. 

"Geeze, I saved Ninjago and I'm the one who gets left behind," Lloyd teased, smiling. 

"Very funny. How is everything?"

"Really good. We should make sure to stop by Mrs. Parera's again soon, I forgot how good her food is," Lloyd admitted, finally starting on his own bowl of curry. "Between you, her, and Dad no wonder I've gained weight."