"Nuh-uh, I don't trust Kai behind the wheel," Nya shook her head. Cole sent Kai's sister an exasperated look.
"Yeah, well if I'm driving and my hands suddenly decide to disappear, your deaths aren't my fault," he said, crossing his arms. "And I'm not paying for your funerals, either."
"Please, Y/n," Lloyd said softly as we stood to the side while the rest of the team bantered amongst each other until the scheduled time to leave was upon us. His hands were on my upper arms and he sent me a pleading look that I was on the verge of succumbing to. "Don't do this."
"Lloyd," I sighed, knotting my fingers together. "You know it yourself, this is the only way we can save Ninjago."
Lloyd shook his head, his blonde locks swaying from the movement.
"There's another way, there has to be!" he insisted, his fingers curling into the material of his hoody that I wore, though his grip didn't hurt me in the slightest. "I can't- I can't sit back and watch you risk your safety like this."
I smiled softly, unlinking my hands to gently slide my fingertips across his forehead and push his fringe out of his emerald eyes. His eyelashes flickered at my whispering touch, pleading, begging me not to go through with the plan. It was taking every last scrap of strength in me to not abide to his wishes.
"What do you think I've been doing every time you go out and save the day?" I said with a tiny, reassuring smile as my hand drifted down to press against his cheek.
"That's different," Lloyd stressed, lifting a hand to hold against the back of mine. "I've been training for years, I have powers to protect myself!"
"And I have a team of highly trained ninja that will be watching my every move and intervening at the sight of trouble," I reminded him. I clasped my hand on his other cheek, lifting on my toes to place a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. "I'll be fine, Lloyd. Trust me. Nya's plan will work."
Lloyd released a stressed breath as he melted into my touch, drooping his head like a child and leaning his weight on me, resting his forehead on my shoulder. He pouted.
"I know," he sighed, his voice muffled by the green hoody. I pressed my cheek against his soft hair, slipping my hands through the long sleeves to thread my arms around his torso. "I should have more faith, it's just... I'm scared, Y/n. Not because of Morro or the preeminent..."
Lloyd shifted his head to send me a knee-buckling, intimately sad stare.
"I'm scared of losing you."
I felt my heart stumble when he said that. My chest swelled with warmth and affection. I stepped forward, pressing myself into a hug as I nuzzled my face into the crook of Lloyd's shoulder.
"You won't lose me," I promised, shaking my head as my arms tightened around him. "Not ever."
"You can't promise that."
"I just did," I stubbornly insisted. Besides, I know we'll both survive - we do get married, after all.
My stomach did a flip at the memory of the future glimpse in the ice. Now isn't the time to think about that.
Lloyd still didn't look one bit convinced. His sad, green eyes made my heart shatter. Maybe it's not such a bad thing to think about something that's not the impending battle.
"Hey," I said softly, heart racing. "Everything will go smoothly... I... I love you, Lloyd."
Lloyd froze. He lifted his head so fast I thought he got whiplash, setting his shocked, wide eyes on me. I smiled softly at his taken aback state, pushing my fingers through the soft locks of his hair.
"I- you..?" Lloyd stammered, cheeks blossoming red. After running my sentence through his head a couple of times, he instantly threw his arms around me, bringing me into a tight hug. "I love you, too, Y/n."
He pulled back, a giddy grin on his face. He dove in, placing a kiss on my cheek, then on my temple, then on my forehead before he just began peppering my face with tender, loving pecks. I giggled at his affection.
"I... god, you're perfect," he murmured as he leant his forehead on mine, recoiling his arms around my waist to hold mine between our chests. I played with his fingers, feeling light and fluttery and warm. "Don't ever leave me."
