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Lloyd had never gone grocery shopping before.
Was it that he never wanted to? No, he didn’t mind the idea, yet it wasn't particularly on his bucket list in the first place. Usually, Zane was the one tasked with gathering food for the upcoming weeks, knowing exactly where to go and when.
There was only ever one instance when Kai had gone instead of Zane, and he spent the entire grocery fund on deserts. Zane, in strong contrast to Cole, was furious.
From that point on, Wu had placed either Zane, Nya, or Lloyd on grocery duty, seeing them as the only ninja responsible enough to spend their money on things that were a necessity . Strong uproar exploded across the monastery at the mention of Lloyd being on the list, with Kai particularly bringing up the blonde’s candy riddled past, to which Wu simply shrugged, smirking at the memory.
Despite the three tasked with the job, Zane always insisted on taking up the activity.
Today was different, however, for both Nya and Zane were away on a joint mission somewhere far out in the Ninjago outlands.
And Jay and Kai were hungry.
Sure, they were both grown adults who could very easily go out and find their own food, but they were also both drama queens, and all backlash landed on the next in line to be crowned grocery shopper - Lloyd.
It was Cole’s fault the cupboards were empty, for the earth ninja had a ridiculous idea the night before to start a food fight at dinner, causing every drawer to be raided of any kind of sustenance available.
And by any, I mean any .
Cereal, fruit, vegetables, rice, oxo cubes (which upset the cook considerably), even candy was hauled towards anybody on site. Once all the mess was cleared up, everyone slowly began to realise how much food they had actually wasted, and how little they had left.
Cole, Jay, and Kai decided the lack of food was world ending, practically begging on their knees for Lloyd to go to the store to buy them some more, and before he even realised, he’d been shoved out the monastery gates, shopping list in hand.
That was how Lloyd found himself standing in the parking lot of Ninjago City mall, bewildered.
Lloyd was almost positive that Zane had never stepped foot in the mall itself, along with the rest of the ninja, for they had no reason to. The clothing they wore wasn’t exactly ‘trendy’, and it wasn’t like they had the funds for an entire urban outfitters collection in general, giving them no need to invest in any retail based clothing or appliances. If the ninja bought new things, they’d simply order it online, feeling it to be impractical to go places in real life when it could simply be delivered to them.
They’d also learnt, from past experience, that anywhere they went brought trouble. Their paranoia was too strong to enter a busy clothes store.
Still, Lloyd wasn’t sure where else Zane would’ve shopped for food. Knowing the ice ninja, he likely would’ve found some private street market, or something, but Lloyd did not have the patience to scour the streets for that kind of thing.
All he needed was rice, cereal, and…
…Lloyd’s jaw dropped, noticing the extensive amount of items that the three boys had put on the shopping list.
Rolling his eyes, he stuffed the list into the pocket of his gi, a newly added feature after the persistent nagging from Jay. With a lack of care, and a strong desire not to be in that location, he made his way into the building, strolling through the sliding front doors with an annoyed expression.
The first thing that hit him was the sheer size of the mall. It was extravagant to say the least, with perfectly painted tiles and engraved symbols within the dome ceiling. There were shops, signs, lights, stalls, and people; so, so many people.
The second thing he then noticed was the stark contrast between his attire and literally everyone else’s. The rest of the people in the mall were wearing ordinary clothing: joggers, jeans, hoodies, t-shirts, and Lloyd, well.. Lloyd was wearing a bright green ninja gi. To make matters worse, in the rush to leave the monastery, he’d instinctively strapped his golden sword to his back. So not only was he wearing a gi, but he also had a weapon on him.
Not one part of him even processed the fact he should wear casual clothes when shopping in an attempt to not freak people out. Hell, he could probably get arrested for publicly having a weapon on him!
Drowning within his thoughts, Lloyd had barely realised how far he’d traversed into the mall, looking around to find any kind of store which could sell food.
To his demise, not only did he notice a lack of food stores in the building, but he also caught sight of a considerable amount of eyes on him.
No, not just a considerable amount-
Every set of eyes in that section of the mall were looking at him.
Lloyd froze, noticing the shocked and surprised faces studying him as they whispered to their friends and family next to them. Kids were pointing, shouting incomprehensible things towards him as they raised their arms and gawked.
Shaking his head, he ignored the stares, making his way further in towards the busier part of the shopping centre. At that moment, a loud shout came from behind him, followed by screams of young, teenage girls that pierced his ears violently. Instinctively, Lloyd turned around, readying himself for any kind of violent action necessary.
That was when a small, light figure crashed into him, wrapping his arms around his torso tightly whilst babbling things that the ninja couldn’t even make out. Lloyd spread his arms apart slightly, shocked by the added weight. He looked down, noticing a short child embracing him in a sloppy hug. The boy was looking up to him with admiration, his eyes sparkling at the sight of the green ninja.
“Hey, buddy,” Lloyd gasped, breathing quickly for the action had shook him. “You alright?”
“Green Ninja!” The boy cried, drawing more attention towards him. Lloyd shot his eyes around in panic, noticing how literally everyone in the mall had stopped what they were doing to look at the blonde. Even some of the workers in the stores were sitting up to see him.
FSM , Lloyd thought, do they have nothing better to do?
Lloyd appreciated his fans, sure, but he was still human (kind of). He had things to do, and he also wasn’t Kai . Kai adored fan interactions and attention, but Lloyd mostly just wanted to get on with what he was tasked with, and then get home.
It didn’t help, though, that Lloyd Garmadon happened to be the most well known person in the entirety of Ninjago, and Lloyd himself was only starting to realise that now. Curse those prophecies.
As the boy loosened his grip and stepped back, he held out a ninja themed notebook and a marker, handing it to Lloyd, who accepted it awkwardly.
“This is yours?” He cringed invisibly. The merch that people had created about the ninja was straight up dreadful, making Lloyd slightly chuckle as he noticed how they’d designed Jay’s head.
“Yes!” The boy jumped up and down, still not making it past Lloyd’s chest. “Will you sign it?”
Lloyd hesitated, staring at the notebook and sharpie in each of his hands. Lloyd wasn’t a monster, he wouldn’t turn down a small boy asking for an autograph, but he had a very strong issue within this request. If he were to sign the notebook, then there was a likeness that the hundreds of people watching him would also run up to him asking for the same thing.
He had to say no.
But he couldn’t.
“Of course!” He smiled, crouching down in front of the boy as he effortlessly signed the notebook, handing it back to him. Ruffling the boy’s hair as he rose to his feet, Lloyd watched as the kid squealed before running back to his parents with shimmering eyes.
The volume of the building rose as Lloyd and the child stopped communicating, as if they’d all only gone silent to hear his voice. It almost became deafening, but through the commotion, all Lloyd could hear were shouts of “ Lloyd!”, “ Green Ninja ”, and “ Oh my God! ”.
Within seconds of the boy leaving, more people began to approach Lloyd, but the teen took the chance to turn around, swiftly making his way down the mall and towards some more stores. Pretending not to see them may have been rude, yes , but he didn’t have the time nor the energy in general to talk to so many people at once.
“Lloyd Garmadon, we’re with NGTV-” An uncomfortably close male voice announced in his ear. Lloyd physically jumped, shouting out before whipping his head around.
“What?”
“We’re with NGTV news. Could we talk with you for a while?” A large, shining camera was practically shoved in the ninja’s face, along with a large, hanging microphone that would have undoubtedly hit him had he not ducked.
“I’m a little busy-” Slowly beginning to walk away, he stopped in his tracks as another camera was thrown in front of him.
Jesus, they really wanted every angle.
“Great! Now, I have to ask, is this where you usually shop? Isn’t this a bit of a downgrade for the legendary Green Ninja?” The man pointed to the building around him, causing Lloyd to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.
“Sorry?”
“I just mean, we’ve never seen any of our great protectors around here before!”
What?
Lloyd laughed, running a hand through his hair in slight stress. “Great protectors?”
The man tilted his head. “That’s what you are, aren’t you? And you’re the best of the best, Lloyd!”
The best of the best.
The best of the best.
People really thought highly of him, huh? Lloyd had never processed the fact people saw him as a reason to sleep comfortably at night. Was he really that popular?
“I wouldn’t say that,” The blonde grimaced, shaking his head. “I can’t really talk right now, can we finish this later?”
“Oh, I see.” The man lowered his voice, the camera and microphone somehow getting closer to Lloyd’s face than they were before. “Is this a secret mission?”
The guy pointed to the sword on his back, before winking slowly, making Lloyd shudder. “No, man, I’m just trying to get some groceries.”
“Ah,” Cupping his hands, the reporter whispered quietly enough into Lloyd’s ear so the microphone failed to hear. “Groceries, meaning, victims?”
“Victims?!” Lloyd shouted, drawing attention. “FSM, no! I’m a good guy, I don’t hurt people!”
“That’s what they all say!” The guy chuckled, his eyes widening. Lloyd’s mouth gaped in shock. Was this guy a psychopath? Lloyd shuffled back, ducking under a camera and slowly backing away.
“Okay!” Lloyd hissed, exaggerating the ‘o’. “Nice chat, but I gotta bounce. Ninja stuff, you get it.”
The man nodded excitedly, and Lloyd raised his thumbs in exaggeration. The moment they lost eye contact, Lloyd took a heavy breath, overwhelmed by the conversation he just had. Picking up his pace, Lloyd continued his search for a grocery store, still failing to find any shop that sold food.
He was convinced he’d accidentally come into a retail centre.
“Green Ninja!” A voice shouted, followed by a few more shrieking girls. Lloyd gave up turning around, simply raising a hand and waving towards whatever direction the voices came from.
As he reached the other end of the mall, he heard an intense amount of commotion coming from… above him?
Lloyd looked up for the first time since he left the news reporter's grasp, staring straight towards a balcony that stood grandly against the floor above him. He didn’t even know there was a second floor, but what he saw upon that balcony made his heart sink.
Ignoring the people trying to gain his attention clearly wasn’t working out for their sake, leaving them to explore any and every angle to get a clear sight of him. So, as the people on the upper floor had heard of his arrival, they had all crammed themselves against the balcony railing trying to get a view of the boy.
And a small girl was right at the front of it all.
As he approached, he slowed down his pace, eyeing the girl with worry in his stomach. She was cladded in ninja merch, wearing a dark green, patterned shirt that was very much in relation to the upper half of his own gi. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, blonde strands hanging out recklessly, and her mouth was covered with some kind of chocolate dessert. She looked way too young to be at that height on her own.
His gut told him this wouldn’t end well, watching as she scrambled up the railing to try and get a better view of him. The people surrounding the girl were oblivious to how close she was to the edge of the high balcony, focusing on him, and him only. Lloyd, however, paid them no attention, angered by the lack of care people were giving towards their surroundings.
“FSM, get her away from the railing!” He shouted, waving his hand in a backwards motion. As he spoke, feminine voices screamed in excitement, hearing his voice for the first time in a while.
No one acknowledged his words.
Jumping at the nearby screams, the girl lost her footing completely. She looked evidently panicked, gripping onto the bars as her entire body was knocked over the railing as she scrambled to keep herself up.
Lloyd swore, immediately, noticing her fingers loosening. Now that the girl was on the edge of life or death, people began to notice.
Screams of horror rung around the mall, a deep contrast to the screams of fangirls that he heard moments before. People pointed and cried, almost accepting the fate of the girl. Lloyd growled.
Legs moving before he even processed it, the girl finally lost her grip, freefalling quickly towards the ground. Lloyd ran. In his panic, he didn’t notice the multiple NGTV cameras pointing towards him, nor did he see the hundreds of cell phones recording his every move.
All he could focus on was saving this child; fate be damned.
As he ran, people leapt out the way, startled by his determination and the slight aggression in his pace. Reaching the landing zone, he threw himself to the ground with a roll, perfectly catching the girl in his arms and taking the brunt of the force as his own.
Everyone was silent.
Lloyd kept still on his spot on the ground, terrified he somehow missed the girl.
Then, he felt a warm pressure embrace him.
She was hugging him.
Cheers emerged around the mall and he sat up, returning the hug and lowering his head in relief. As they both got up from the ground, the girls parents rushed over swiftly, her mother showering Lloyd in hugs and thank you’s, as the father simply shook his hand and smiled, sharing a look that made Lloyd’s heart melt. Had he not caught the girl, this all would have gone completely differently.
Within moments, the girl dispersed into the crowd as dozens of people surrounded the blonde and began to clap. Lloyd simply smiled, overwhelmed, and noticing a bright green ‘exit’ sign to the right of him and the large group of shoppers.
In a moment of pure adrenaline, Lloyd leapt over a portion of the crowd, placing himself on some kind of stall to the right of the mall, very close to the door he was aiming for. Taking in a deep breath, he let out a salute to the crowd, before jumping once more and landing strongly in front of the door on his feet. Pushing the door open, he sprinted as fast as he could away from the mall, making his way towards a group of darkened buildings.
Feeling for the shopping list in his gi pocket, he grabbed it, scanning the words over before crumpling it up and throwing it on the ground in annoyance.
Stupid shopping.
Jumping up onto a rooftop, he caught sight of one of the digital billboards in the city centre with him catching the girl plastered all over it. In fact, he quickly noticed that every single goddamn billboard in the city was replaying the exact same clip from different angles, accompanied with celebratory text talking about how much of a hero he was.
Collapsing on the edge of a rooftop, he dangled his legs towards the alley below, trying to figure out where to get groceries now without a list, and without any idea of where any stores actually were.
A soft buzzing from his phone quickly interrupted his thinking, vibrating in his hands as he read the name ‘KAI’ displayed over his screen. He reluctantly answered.
“What?” Lloyd scowled.
“Did you get Cole’s pop tarts?” Kai chuckled, followed by various more laughs from the other end that caused Lloyd to roll his eyes.
“Do you think that I got Cole’s pop tarts?” He rubbed his temples violently, feeling a headache brewing. "Take a wild guess, Kai."
“Why did you go to the mall!? You brought that upon yourself, man.”
“I didn’t know where else to go!” Lloyd swung his legs in exasperation.
Jay shouted something incomprehensible across the phone, followed by several more childish giggles. Shuffles sounded, signalling the fact that Kai had left the room with the ninja to enter a place with more privacy. A short sigh was heard. “Come home, bud.”
“But, the groceries-”
Kai sighed. “Zane got them on the way back from his mission. We watched the entire thing.”
“It was all broadcasted?” Lloyd facepalmed.
“Yeah, dude,” Kai smirked. “And no matter how entertaining it was for us, you still saved a kid’s life back there.”
“Well, It was my fault she even-”
“-Just shut up and accept the compliment, Lloyd!” He teased, “Zane’s making dinner, don’t be late.”
As the phone hung up, Lloyd was left in complete silence, stuck with only the sound of cars in the city, and his own thoughts reminding him never to go shopping again.