Chapter Text
Lloyds pov
When I stopped the end of the world, I thought everything would change.
For a little while, it actually did.
People smiled at me. They thanked me. Some even wanted pictures. For about two weeks, it felt like I finally belonged somewhere. Like all the years of being the weird kid, the villain's son, and the target of every joke were finally behind me.
Then everyone moved on.
The attention disappeared almost overnight. People stopped talking about what happened and went back to treating me like they always had. Honestly, I preferred it that way. Being in the spotlight never felt comfortable. I never really knew what to do with all that attention.
Besides, being ignored was still better than being bullied.
I adjusted the strap of my backpack as I walked home from training with the ninja. Training had gone surprisingly well today. Nobody had gotten seriously hurt, which was always a bonus, and Master Wu seemed pleased with everyone's progress.
A cool breeze drifted through the city streets, rustling the leaves of nearby trees and tugging lightly at my hoodie.
I smiled.
The wind always made me feel strangely calm.
Ever since I was little, I'd felt connected to it somehow. As a kid, I used to think the wind was playing games with me. It would mess up my hair right before school pictures, scatter papers I'd spent hours organizing, and slam windows shut at the worst possible moments.
Normal wind stuff.
At least, that's what I told myself now.
Looking back, it was kind of embarrassing. I had been so lonely back then that I'd convinced myself the wind was my friend.
The thought made me laugh quietly.
I pulled out my phone and checked the time.
7:35 PM.
Huh.
Training had ended earlier than I realized.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and glanced down the street. There was still plenty of daylight left, and I wasn't in any hurry to get home.
Then I remembered the small café near my apartment building.
I'd been wanting to try something sweet from there for weeks.
A vanilla latte sounded amazing right now.
Yeah.
That was definitely the plan.
A few minutes later, I pushed open the café door.
A small bell chimed overhead.
The smell hit me immediately.
Fresh coffee. Warm pastries. Chocolate.
It smelled incredible.
The cozy atmosphere wrapped around me as conversations hummed softly throughout the café. Most of the tables were occupied by people working on laptops or chatting with friends.
Then I heard someone groan behind the counter.
"hello and welcome to the cloudy cafe, what can i get for you today?"
I looked up at the barista.
He appeared to be somewhere in his late twenties. Maybe.
The smile he wore looked practiced. The kind of smile someone put on after spending eight hours dealing with customers.
His long black hair reached past his shoulders, streaked with several strands of green. Gray eyes met mine from behind the counter. He had light skin, dark eyeliner, and wore a white-and-green employee uniform.
Something about him felt familiar.
I couldn't place it.
"uh can I get a vanilla latte and two chocolate croissants?"
"Anything else?"
"no that will be all, oh can i get it to go?"
"that will be 14.76, take a seat and ill call you when its ready"
"oh the name-"
"I know who you are Lloyd now go take a seat"
I blinked.
"Oh."
That made sense, I guessed.
Most people in Ninjago City knew who I was.
I paid for my order and headed toward a table by the window.
As I sat down, I found myself glancing back toward the counter every few minutes.
Why did this guy look so familiar?
I was usually pretty good with faces.
Maybe I'd seen him on the subway.
Maybe he'd been at one of our battles.
Maybe—
I had no idea.
Twenty minutes passed before I finally heard my name called.
I grabbed my backpack and walked back to the counter.
The barista handed over a paper bag and my latte.
I pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to him.
"you can keep the change thank you um"
I glanced down at his nametag.
"uh zephrus?"
"its zephyrus its not my real name, I just think it's funny to watch people try to pronounce it."
I couldn't help staring at him.
That was probably the weirdest thing I'd heard all day.
"What's your name?"
"maybe you already know it"
"What?"
"Maybe or maybe not, who knows?"
I narrowed my eyes.
Was he messing with me?
"youre really confusing"
"thank you"
I sighed.
"I should get going"
"later kid"
With that, I left the café.
The evening air greeted me as I stepped back onto the sidewalk.
I took a sip of my latte.
Perfect.
Still, my thoughts kept drifting back to the strange barista.
Choosing a fake name just to confuse people seemed like a lot of effort.
Then again, if I had to deal with customers all day, maybe I'd find entertainment wherever I could get it too.
Eventually, I shook the thought away.
Whatever.
It didn't matter.
By the time I reached my apartment building, it was around 8:15.
I pulled my keys from my pocket and unlocked the front door.
"mom!? I'm home!"
My mom's voice immediately floated out from the kitchen.
"Lloyd there you are, you're home early, how was training?"
I walked into the kitchen and set the paper bag on the counter.
"it was okay i picked up some chocolate croissants on my way back"
"wait until after dinner we don't want you spoiling your appetite"
I laughed.
"yes mom"
She smiled before returning her attention to dinner.
I looked over at her.
"do you need help with dinner?"
"no it's okay it's just dumplings so I got this, why don't you go work on your homework?"
Homework.
My greatest enemy.
"okay love you"
"love you too sweetheart"
I grabbed my coffee and headed toward my room.
The familiar comfort of home settled around me as I climbed the stairs.
Once inside, I set the latte beside my desk and dropped into my chair.
Books.
Worksheets.
Assignments.
A mountain of homework waited for me.
I groaned and rubbed my face.
Saving the world was apparently much easier than keeping up with sophomore year.