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Her son was acting strange.
Misako could argue that ‘acting strange’ was quite the norm for Lloyd Garmadon, but this wasn’t the typical emotionally-constipated kind of strange. Something was off with him. She was no stranger to his occasional sneak outs, or his insistence that everything was perfectly A-OK each time he’d come stumbling home with the odd scrape or bruise. No… This was different.
Lloyd was acting different. Like all giddy and chipper kind of different.
It pains her to admit that a sudden good mood was something out of the ordinary for her only son. The world was an unjust place, and her heart ached with the weight of her failure to protect him from society’s cruelty. A society where Lloyd’s own father had been weaponised into a justification for her son’s unfair treatment. By now, Misako had grown some decently thick skin and was no stranger to an unfavourable passing comment, but her precious Lloyd was still only a teenage boy, still growing and figuring out his place in the world.
Despite everything, her son had developed quite a hard shell over the years, and it was almost impossible to coax the kid out of it.
So imagine her surprise when she was snapped out of her trance by a few light notes of laughter. Dirty plates and silverware clattered together in the kitchen sink as Misako came to a halt and turned her head towards the noise, curiosity brimming. Lloyd was laying on his back across their living room couch, blue light from his mobile phone illuminating his — notably flushed — smiling face. Her son looked more alive than she thought she’d seen him in years, and Misako couldn’t help the smile tugging at her own lips.
That must be it. That would explain why her son’s mood had seen such exemplary improvement over the past few weeks. Clearly, Lloyd made a new friend. And in Misako’s trademark curious-mother-ly fashion, she had to know just exactly who was making her son smile like that.
“Lloyd, honey?”
The boy in question immediately dropped his phone to his chest, eyebrows raised to his hairline in alarm. As if he’d just been caught doing something he shouldn’t. In fact, gone was his giggly demeanour of just moments prior. Now his guard was up again, clearly, or he was about to toss his phone out the nearest window; a likely scenario judging by the barely disguised terror on his face.
How odd.
“Who’re you texting?” Misako inquired, perched by the kitchen sink and failing to conceal her suspicion. The fleeting panic in her son’s eyes only amplified her concern as he quickly pocketed the device and heaved himself up to face her scrutiny.
“Um… Nothing. No one. I was just watching stupid stuff,” Lloyd shrugged lazily. The poor kid couldn’t meet her eyes, nor suppress the cracks in his voice. “Y’know. Videos… or whatever.”
If you had to pinpoint the exact moment her excitement for her son had morphed right back into concern for his wellbeing, it would be this.
The sincerity in her smile disappeared, partially due to her disappointment that Lloyd was being so secretive about something as non-problematic as a new friend. Lloyd didn’t usually… keep things from her. At least she didn’t think so.
She assumed there was a pre-established notion that he could tell his mother absolutely anything that was on his mind. Anything at all. He knew he could, right? Maybe it was best to leave it for now.
“Well, all right. Remember to finish your homework before you go to bed. That math teacher of yours basically lives in my emails.” Misako turned back around to stifle a laugh when her son scrunched his nose, visibly displeased at the reminder and the mention of his least favourite class.
“I will, mom. Thanks.”
Before she could get another word in, Lloyd quietly hoisted himself up and off the couch and retreated to his bedroom. Gosh he was quiet. Sometimes she wondered if she was living with a secret ninja. (But who was she kidding. Lloyd? A ninja? Haha, she cracks herself up).
As she handled the stack of dishes she abandoned in favour of attempting to uncover the mysteries of her son’s social life, her mind wandered. She couldn’t ignore that Lloyd had instantly relaxed upon realising she had dropped the subject, something akin to relief washing over his face. What exactly was that boy hiding?
She didn’t consider herself a crazy helicopter parent, though Lloyd would maybe argue otherwise, she was just worried. It was totally normal to be worried! Especially when your child is very clearly hiding something from you. Unless… maybe she wasn’t giving her son enough credit.
Oftentimes she found herself forgetting that to her greatest despair, Lloyd wasn’t a little kid anymore. She really, truly, wanted to trust him. Whatever was going on, she had faith that her son would come to her when he was ready. Her only hope was that he wasn’t getting himself into trouble, Master above knows they both needed a whole lot less of it in their lives.
Despite her natural concern and Lloyd’s secrecy, she was thrilled for him. It wasn’t every day the infamous son of Lord Garmadon could befriend someone presumably uncaring of who his father is. It was a miracle, really. She knew Lloyd wasn’t always completely on his own, though. He had his colourful little friend group whom she’s only met a handful of times. They were a charming bunch, and to her relief, they treated Lloyd like a regular kid. Which is exactly what he was.
He deserved to have a genuine connection with kids his age, and she would forever owe it to them for taking her son underneath their wing.
The thing is, she was already well aware that Lloyd wasn’t a huge texter. He barely texted said friends. She knew as much judging by the fact that she had quite literally never witnessed Lloyd actively engaging in the activity until just moments ago on the couch. It was a bizarre phenomena, rare in an era of prime technology, but she just assumed it was one of his many quirks and never really batted an eye.
Until now. Honestly, if she were to scrutinise Lloyd’s behaviour over the recent weeks, one detail stood out to her. The boy had been absolutely glued to his phone. Now, that likely should’ve been the first red flag, but what really stood out to her the most was Lloyd’s sudden interest in ‘extra-curricular activities.’ Just a week ago he’d arrived home late from school, later than usual, and when grilled on where he’d been, Lloyd simply informed her that he joined an after-school gardening club.
On one hand, she was excited for him. She was over the moon that they’d even let him join the club in the first place, all things considered. But on the other hand.. What?
Misako never took her son for someone interested in gardening of all things. They didn’t even have a garden, or even a front lawn. Just a completely bare, shabby little concrete balcony, an extension to their homey apartment. Had she become so disconnected to her son that she’d become unaware of what captured his latest interest? Should she invest in some potted plants around the house, maybe allow Lloyd a DIY veggie patch on their already cramped balcony space?
It definitely would liven the place up a little. Maybe her son was onto something.
Lloyd had explained that he only recently picked up the hobby thanks to a friend, and he was tagging along with said friend to keep them company. Looking back, it was easy to accept the simple explanation and move on, but she couldn’t help but realise that perhaps he was referring to whoever he’d been so busy chatting with all afternoon. It might be a stretch, but it wasn’t impossible nor irrational.
The fact that Lloyd was dead set on keeping his mom in the dark was not going to stop her from conducting her own private investigation, though. As she laid in bed that night, there was one minor detail that would not stop prodding her brain. And it was apparent that her mind would not allow her an ounce of sleep until she figured it out. Misako had come up with explanations for everything except one burning question; Why exactly was Lloyd hiding this from her at all?
What about this mysterious individual was so controversial that he didn’t want his mother involved? She highly doubted she would be disapproving of this person. For one, she was pretty certain she could trust this person, who somehow managed to pry open Lloyd’s shell and worm their way in, something she’d been struggling to do for years. Whoever it may be, they had to be someone really special. She just didn’t understand why Lloyd was so hesitant.
Misako frowned at the ceiling, sighing deeply. Maybe she ought to take a step in Lloyd’s shoes for a moment. He was your typical teenager after all. Teenagers liked to keep secrets from their parents. That’s like, textbook teenager behaviour. There were even some psychological factors behind it, she remembered reading about it in a book once. Something about teens trying to be independent and simply wanting something to themselves. Perhaps it was as simple as that, and she truly was overreacting.
All this fretting was right on track to putting Misako into an early grave. Lloyd was completely fine. For Creation’s sake, the kid was basically acting exactly how Misako did when she was a teenager and trying to hide a secret crush from her parents.
Wait a minute.
Misako sighed deeply, smacking a hand to her forehead in exasperation.
“First Master, I’m an idiot.”
The atmosphere in their cosy apartment was rather strange the morning after.
Misako’s mind had been in a constant state of theorising and speculation over her newfound realisation. Everything just made sense. Of course it would explain Lloyd’s flighty demeanour, why he was acting so reserved and guarded, why he’d been spending countless afternoons giggling at his phone like a lovesick school girl.
How she didn’t come to this conclusion sooner would remain a mystery. For now, one thing was certain. Misako had to figure out a way to subtly hint to her son that it was okay. She so badly wanted to be as supportive as possible, to let him know that this wasn’t something he needed to be embarrassed about, or feel the need to sneak around for. To be able to love freely is something she very passionately wanted for her son, and it saddened her that he felt like he needed to hide it.
But to be frank, she really wanted to meet this person. Clearly Lloyd was infatuated with them, so she was positive she was going to love them too.
Misako was suddenly yanked back to reality to find a certain someone tugging on her coat sleeve. Lloyd was staring at her expectantly, almost shyly. A soft smile tugged at her lips when she realised what he was waiting for.
“C’mere honey,” she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly before turning to peck him on the cheek, “Have a good day today, okay? I’ll always be right here for you, sweetie. Always. You can tell me anything.”
Lloyd slowly peeled away from her, eyes filled to the brim with confusion as he patted at his jean pockets awkwardly.
“Uh…Okay. Thanks mom,” Lloyd made towards the door, seemingly unfazed. “Gotta go, the bus is here. Loveyoubye.”
“Love you too. I’ll see you later,” she called after him as he slipped out the door. Misako sighed to herself.
Screen time had never been a major concern in regards to her son. Lloyd was not huge on tech, neither was she, but while he was fortunate enough to own a mobile phone, he didn’t use it very often. Which came as a big surprise considering it’s something you would expect of any modern teenager. But considering his recent era of non-stop texting with his new friend, you would think the device was glued to his fingertips.
This was not the case, apparently. The front door to their apartment clicked shut after Lloyd left in a hurry, when a sudden jingle and familiar buzz startled her out of her stupor.
It was the very recognisable sound of a phone going off. Misako felt around in her pockets, discovering that her own phone was in fact switched off and void of notifications. Her brows pinched in confusion. Come to think of it, she hadn’t actually felt the vibration from her pocket. The ring sounded different too. And far away.
The mysterious noise returned, and her head snapped to the direction of it, eyes landing on a small green phone lying face down on the kitchen table.
Uh oh.
Misako hurried over to the device. It wasn’t unusual for Lloyd to forget his phone, he’d done it plenty times within different circumstances, but it didn’t quell the panic in her heart knowing she currently had no way of getting in contact with him. Nor had he any way of contacting her in return.
Misako needed to catch up to him, and quickly. With how quick on his feet he was, Lloyd was most likely well down the street by now, following the same path he took every single day to the nearest bus stop.
Lloyd’s phone lit up again, vibrating in her hand several times in a row. Her eyes involuntarily flicked down, staring at the notification bar, her mind now slightly buzzing with curiosity. The device was practically blowing up in her hand! Upon inspection, it appeared Lloyd was receiving a plethora of messages from someone named.. Brad.
That was a new name. She definitely didn’t know anybody named Brad. Misako tilted her head, wracking her mind for any inkling as to who this could possibly be, and why they were absolutely blowing up her son’s messages.
All of her worries that managed to build up in the span of thirty seconds came to a complete halt, instantly melting away when the realisation hit her like a truck. Of course! It must be the mystery person Lloyd was so infatuated with. Now while that would explain the new name, all that was left was to put a face to it.
Her brain scrambled to catch up with her body as she hurried out of the apartment building, hastening her every step to make it to her son in time. Luckily for her, he hadn’t made it all that far from the apartment, and she was able to catch up with him without breaking much of a sweat.
Lloyd was thankful of course, but the poor boy had no idea of the horrors yet to befall him. Misako was one step closer to solving the identity of this mysterious individual, and one small nudge closer to solving the mystery of her son.
__________________
As dinner simmered on the stove that night, Lloyd set his phone down on the bench to help set the table. And as expected, the small device was practically jumping up and down from the sheer amount of activity the poor thing was enduring.
In her peripheral view, she watched Lloyd stop and slowly, hesitantly, make a beeline back to it, the bright wallpaper illuminating his even brighter green eyes. Misako chewed on her bottom lip, unsure how to go about settling her curiosity.
Well. Maybe she should just rip the bandage off.
“Who’s Brad?” Misako snapped her jaw shut, cringing internally. Okay, that was a little too straightforward.
Judging by her son’s reaction, you would assume he’d just been shot. Lloyd paled, instantly dropping his phone back on the countertop like it burned him.
“What.” He stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
Misako struggled to fight back a guilty smile, glancing at the offending mobile device, her little gateway to convincing her son to open up. “Well, I— I just couldn’t help but notice…“
“Were you snooping through my phone?” Lloyd shrieked, face suddenly red with… anger? Embarrassment? Perhaps a mixture of the two. Misako’s emotions flipped instantly.
“No! Of course not!” She protested. “I only caught his name… While I— Er… Snooped through your phone.” Her voice trailed off pathetically.
All she could offer was an apologetic grin as she watched her son’s face twist and shift through at least ten different horrified expressions in the span of five seconds.
“Mom! Seriously? Please tell me you didn’t read our conversations.”
“Oh, honey no,” she shook her head before pausing, “Why? Is there something I should be concerned about, young man?”
That seemed to rile him up even further. She observed in amusement as her son dragged his hands down his face with an exasperated groan. Abandoned on the counter, his phone buzzed twice again, and he swiftly moved to retrieve it. Misako took a step toward him, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I really am sorry, Lloyd. I didn’t mean to… Snoop. In fairness, his name was just right there, I couldn’t really not see it. It’s just bad design.”
“It’s fine, I get it. It’s my fault for forgetting it in the first place, right?” Lloyd offered a strained smile, half of his attention occupied by the device. The boy’s thumbs flew across the screen in every which way, assumedly texting the very person she was trying to get him to open up about.
“Right.” Misako chewed across her bottom lip, watching her son carefully. After a moment of contemplation, she sighed.
“Lloyd, listen,” Misako outstretched a finger and slowly pushed the phone down and away from her son’s face, prompting him to meet her gentle eyes, “I’m just curious, okay? I’m your mother, I like to know what’s going on in your life. So I can… support you, you know?”
It was clear the boy was still cautious, but he seemed to consider her words for a moment before pursing his lips. In her head, she understood why he was so hesitant. Awkward teenagers telling their parents about the person they’re crushing on was extremely, well, awkward. The only difference was, she could tell Lloyd wasn’t ready to admit the crushing part out loud just yet.
Lloyd opened his mouth to speak, but it took a few seconds for any words to come out, “He’s… A friend. We’ve been hanging out a little.”
Misako smiled knowingly and clapped her hands over her heart. Her son only shrank beneath her stare as if afraid of what that look on her face implied.
“I’m happy for you, sweetheart. I can tell you like him a lot.” She glanced downwards at the sound of his phone going off once again, “He obviously likes you too. Oh, you should invite him over some time! I’d love to meet him.”
She waited patiently for Lloyd to say something, only to be met with an owlish, distant stare. Lloyd was staring past her shoulder, a strange look on his face that she could now recognise as panic. Come to think of it, she swore she could suddenly smell something. A bitter aroma she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“Uhh— The pot. Mom, the pot is smoking.”
Her son grabbed her shoulders and she twisted around, and the colour instantly drained from her face. Misako yelled for Lloyd to open a window and he didn’t hesitate for a second. She leapt for the pot, removing it from the heat with a yelp before waving the smoke toward the kitchen window using a folded tea towel while Lloyd held the curtains open.
Misako was so occupied with her inquiries about Brad that she’d forgotten she was supposed to be keeping an eye on their dinner… and now it was entirely ruined if the charcoal sludge simmering in the pot was any indicator.
With a defeated and slightly embarrassed huff, she set the steaming pot to the side and took a step back, hands braced on her hips. Lloyd snickered beside her, peering inside the pot and surveying the damage. Despite what just unfolded, she could make an educated guess that her son was relieved that the sudden distraction made her drop the subject of his — potential; there was still always that slight lingering feeling that she was reading into all of this entirely the wrong way, and it would be very embarrassing for her if that was the case — crush.
Deeming herself completely beaten and unwilling to touch a stove for the next day or so, she pulled out her own phone and opened the food delivery app. Looks like tonight would be take-out night.
She already knew what Lloyd would want, having already started typing the name of his favourite little pizza restaurant down the street before he could even make a suggestion.
Misako could admit she was a little bummed that their previous conversation was cut so short. But she had a churning feeling that the knowledge she’d gained was all she was getting out of Lloyd for the time being, knowing his nature. She was satisfied… For now.
She handed off her phone to let Lloyd create his custom abomination of a pizza, and hoped she was beginning to make some progress with him, just a little.