Archive of Our Own ^beta

 “I still do not understand.”

“That's just what they're called. What do you want me to tell you?”

“That name does not make sense, though.”

The sigh that followed echoed through the Bounty. Lloyd looked up from his spot on the couch. He had his legs pulled up, with his comic resting on his knees. Peeking over the top of the pages, he saw Zane and Cole carrying bags of groceries into the kitchen. 

Of course, they had gone shopping the day Lloyd was finally going to prank Zane. Not that he hadn’t already tried. Zane just somehow always knew. How did he even know?

Well, he supposed it had to do with Zane being a robot. Robots were smart like that.

That was probably why he went shopping. He used his sciencey robot powers to know Lloyd was going to try to prank him.

The argument continued, so Lloyd followed them. It wasn't very common for those two to argue. At least not Zane. He stayed out of it. And if he did join the argument, he usually won.

So Lloyd was going to watch Cole lose. 

“Zane, buddy, I don't know what to tell you. That's just what we call them,” Cole said as he began pulling out groceries.

“I still do not understand,” Zane responded, grabbing the groceries from Cole to put in the cabinets. “But, okay.”

Lloyd sighed. He was excited to watch Cole lose to Zane. 

“Oh, hey, Lloyd,” Cole said, grinning brightly at the boy. 

Lloyd scowled back. They ruined his fun. They don't deserve a greeting. 

“Hello, Lloyd.” Zane grabbed a box from Cole. 

Lloyd turned his glare to Zane. 

“Are you feeling alright?” 

“I know what will make you feel better!” Cole declared, reaching into a bag to pull out–

the most amazing, beautiful sugary goodness Lloyd had ever seen.

Marshmallows.

Lloyd stared in wonder at the treat. Then there were fingers snapping in front of his face. He blinked up at Cole.

“Did you hear what I just said?”

“Do I get marshmallows?” Lloyd asked, ignoring Cole's question. 

The older boy sighed. “You can have one, but I need the rest for the rice crispy treats.”

Lloyd stared at Cole, all traces of his earlier glare gone. “What are rice crispy treats?”

Cole gasped dramatically, his hand going over his heart. “What are rice crispy treats?! That's just sad.”

Lloyd rolled his eyes. These ninjas were always so dramatic.

“Don't care. I just want the marshmallows.”

“You can have a marshmallow,” Cole said, holding the bag up. “If you help make the rice crispy treats.”

“You already said I get a marshmallow, though. Going back on your word? Wow, what a good, good guy you are.” Lloyd glared.

“He makes an excellent point,” Zane said, putting the last of the groceries away without Cole's help.

The Master of Earth groaned. “Fine. You don't have to help if you don't want to, but you're missing out.”

Lloyd hummed in response, letting Cole know that he heard, just didn't agree. Then, he walked to the table and sat down. 

Zane wiped his hand on his pants before turning to Cole. “Please, do not start any fires this time.”

“That was one time!” Cole yelled, throwing his arms in front of himself as Lloyd snickered. Zane leveled the other ninja with a look that made Lloyd laugh louder. Cole sighed. "Yeah, okay. I promise not to start any fires.”

Zane, apparently satisfied with that answer, left the kitchen. 

Cole rolled his eyes fondly before turning to the stove. He cracked his knuckles. Then he grabbed a pot from the cabinet and put it on the stove before turning it on. Turning around to the fridge, he grabbed a stick of butter. Unwrapping it, he tossed it in the pot.

The sizzling sound instantly caught Lloyd’s attention. He stood on his chair and leaned over the table, even though it wouldn't help him see. He jumped off the chair and walked over to the stove, but the pot was too tall for him to see into.

Then a screeching sound cut through the kitchen, and a chair appeared in front of him. He looked up at Cole, focused on sifting through the utensils instead of saying the usual ‘I told you so’ when one of them found something Lloyd was curious about. 

Keeping a suspicious eye on the Master of Earth, he climbed onto the chair. Then his attention was captured by the melting butter in the pot. 

A spoon was pushed into his hand. 

“Can you stir that for me?” Cole asked. 

Lloyd dropped the spoon in the pot and was about to say no, when it hit the butter. The butter slid around the pot, capturing Lloyd’s attention again.  Picking up the spoon, he started pushing the melting butter around the pot in an oddly fun motion.

Of course, he couldn't tell Cole that.

He cleared his thoughts. “Fine. I guess, since you need my help so bad.” He rolled his eyes for the extra dramatics. 

Cole gave a soft chuckle that Lloyd elected to ignore. 

Lloyd watched as Cole ripped the bag of marshmallows open. He handed one to Lloyd before dumping the rest in the pot. Lloyd set his marshmallow next to the stove to save for later, then started stirring again. The marshmallows made it difficult, and Lloyd had to hold the spoon with both hands while Cole held the pot still.

“Do you want some help?”

Lloyd shook his head, too focused on his stirring to give a verbal response. 

The marshmallows started to melt in a way that was just as satisfying to watch as the butter. 

After a few minutes, Cole took the spoon from Lloyd, who hadn't realized how tired his arms were until he no longer had something to do with them.

“I'll stir for a bit. Can you grab the cereal?” 

Lloyd’s eyebrows pulled together. “What do we need cereal for?”

“That's how you make it,” Cole answered, sparing a glance at Lloyd before going back to the stirring. “It's marshmallows and cereal. Pretty easy.”

Lloyd nodded, still confused, but decided to just go with it. 

“Which kind?” He asked, opening the cabinet to be greeted with three different kinds of cereal. 

“The chocolate one,” Cole called back.

“But the one with the mini marshmallows is better.”

“The fruit one? Who are you and what have you done with Lloyd?” He said in false shock. “Choosing fruit over chocolate?”

Lloyd stuck his tongue out at the ninja. “The chocolate kind doesn't have the little marshmallows.” Lloyd crossed his arms over his chest as he defended the cereal. 

“Fine, fine,” Cole said begrudgingly, waving his hands in the air. “Choose whatever you want.”

Lloyd grinned as he grabbed the cereal. He ran back to the stove and climbed onto the chair. Inside the pot, the marshmallows were completely melted into a gooey, delicious-looking mess.

“How much do we add in?”

Cole dropped the spoon, his hand going to the back of his neck. He rubbed it nervously. 

“I uh…I kinda forgot.”

Lloyd glared at him. “How do you not know? You're the one who wanted to make these things.”

“Well, it's been a while,” he defended himself. Cole snatched the bag of cereal from Lloyd's hands. 

“I’m sure we can figure it out. We’ll just…guess how much.”

“I think this is why you aren’t allowed in the kitchen,” Lloyd said, cocking an eyebrow. 

Cole glared at him. Lloyd gave him an innocent smile. 

“Whatever,” he muttered. 

Win for me, Lloyd thought. 

Cole looked at the bag, then the pot. Shrugging, he dumped the contents into the gooey marshmallows. “That should be enough.” He set the rest of the cereal aside and started stirring. 

“How did you forget?” Lloyd asked, because he knew there was more there. You don’t go to Darkley’s without learning when someone is hiding something. 

For a second, Cole stiffened before going right back to stirring. “Just haven't had a chance to make it in a while,” he answered with fake nonchalance. 

Yup, hiding something. 

“Well, I don’t believe you,” Lloyd said, crossing his arms. 

Cole blinked at him. “What?”

“You’re not telling the whole truth. You’re hiding something,” Lloyd said, glaring at the earth master suspiciously.

Cole groaned, but continued with his stirring.

Lloyd growled in frustration. “Why are you lying?" 

Cole looked angry. “I didn't lie.” 

“Yes, you did!” Lloyd was practically yelling at this point. “Why won't you tell the truth?”

“My mom!” 

Lloyd froze. He hadn't expected Cole to yell, and from the look on his face, he hadn't either. 

Cole sighed. “Look, Lloyd, I’m sorr–”

“What do you mean, your mom?” 

Lloyd’s voice was so quiet, he wasn't sure if he had spoken at all. 

“What?” 

Cole's question meant that he had.

Lloyd looked up at Cole. He hadn't meant to ask the question. It just came out! But, he did. He straightened his back, faking confidence. 

“What about your mom?”

Cole sighed. “I used to make it with my mom,” he said in a quiet voice, refusing to meet Lloyd’s eyes. 

Lloyd’s eyes squinted in confusion. Why was he acting so weird? If he didn't know how to make it, just ask his mom. Apparently, most people's moms are actually in their lives, and they can just ask them questions like–

Oh.

“Did your mom leave you, too?”

Cole whipped his head up, staring at Lloyd.  Lloyd knew his own face didn't show the glare as it usually did. He wasn't even smiling evilly like he did sometimes around the ninjas. 

He looked like…

Well, Lloyd had no idea what expression he had. He couldn't see himself after all.

But this was the first time he ever met someone like him. Everyone at Darkly's had both their parents. Lloyd was the odd one out. 

“What do you mean?” Cole looked scared for some reason. Why should he be scared? “What do you mean by leave me too? Did… your mom leave you?” 

“Uh…” Lloyd looked down, scuffing his foot into the chair he was still standing on. Why did he feel embarrassed?! It wasn't like it was his fault she left!

Right?

That was the problem, though. He would never know why she left. Maybe it was because of him.

Lloyd shook his head. 

What am I doing?

He frowned. He's not supposed to be sulking about his mom! And he's definitely not supposed to be talking about it to other people! 

“What of it?” He stared Cole in the eyes, daring him to tease him. To make fun of him and call him a crybaby. 

Cole looked away, staring at the content inside the pot. 

Lloyd looked away, too. 

That wasn't what he was expecting to happen. He had even started to enjoy himself! But since when has he ever been allowed to be happy? 

He went to leave (actually upset he couldn't finish making the rice-whatever-they-were-called). 

“I get it.” 

Lloyd looked up at Cole, who was refusing to meet his gaze, instead staring at his interlocked hands. 

“I uh…I know what that's like. Not exactly, I guess, but…kinda” 

Lloyd blinked up at him. He wasn't making fun of him. He wasn't calling him a crybaby or saying that he should just get over it already.

Cole cleared his throat, looking back at the pot. 

“Well, uh…should we… finish?”

Lloyd stared at him. Slowly, he nodded. 

A small smile slid across Cole's face. One that looked like he was trying to be happier than he was. 

“Good. This is the fun part.”

He grabbed a baking sheet from a cabinet and laid it on the counter. Lloyd jumped off his chair to pull it closer to the counter where the sheet was. Stepping onto the chair again, he leaned over the counter as Cole dumped the contents of the pot onto the sheet.

“Now we have to spread it all out,” Cole grinned, rolling his sleeves up. His hands were about to touch the gooey mess before–

“Don't you need to wash your hands?” Lloyd cocked an eyebrow at the older boy. 

Cole rolled his eyes. “No one's gonna care.”

“I am,” Lloyd said, standing up straight and crossing his arms over his chest, leveling Cole with a glare. “I don't want your gross hands all over my food.”

“Your food?” Cole crossed his arms, copying Lloyd. Oh, real mature, Lloyd thought, but it didn't have the bite it would have had earlier that morning. 

“Yeah, I helped make it, so it's mine.”

The two stared off, the treat sitting between them. 

Finally, Cole looked away, and Lloyd grinned in victory. 

“Fine,” the earth master threw his hands up in defeat. “We can share.”

He washed his hands, then went to dry them on the front of his gi. 

Lloyd glared. 

The ninja sighed dramatically and grabbed some paper towels.

“Better?” He asked sarcastically. 

Lloyd nodded sagely. 

Cole rolled his eyes. “All right, wash your hands,” he said, shooing Lloyd away.

The younger boy hopped off his chair and ran over to the sink. He washed his hands, then ran them over the front of his hoodie to dry them.

“Done,” he called, climbing up his chair.

“All right.” Cole held his hands over the mushy concoction. “Now we need to flatten it out.”

Lloyd nodded. Cole started pushing the mush (what was it called again?) to the corners. Lloyd copied him, pulling the mess into his half of the cooking sheet. 

Or tried to.

Instead of staying in the corner like it was supposed to, it stuck to his hand when he tried to pull them away.

“Uh…” 

He looked up to find Cole staring at his hands in confusion. He tried to wipe it off one hand using the other, only for it to stick to the second hand.

Lloyd laughed at the earth master’s failure.

“Oh, like you could do any better,” Cole scoffed, still struggling with his sticky hands.

“Of course I can do better than a stinky ninja,” Lloyd sneered, even as a grin spread across his face. 

A grin that quickly morphed into a frown when he tried to remove the sticky substance. 

“See! It's hard.”

Lloyd glared at him. He refused to be proven wrong by a stupid ninja. 

He glanced back at his hands, then up at Cole.  He stared him straight in the eye as he brought his hands to his mouth.  

“No!” Cole yelled, but it was too late. Lloyd had tasted the sticky goodness. His eyes went wide. 

That was…

AMAZING!

Lloyd licked the rest of his fingers clean. The sound of Cole's sigh echoed through the kitchen. 

Lloyd inspected his hands. All that remained of the amazing treat was the most persistent of melted marshmallow goo. 

He grinned, holding his hands up to Cole. “See?” 

The master of Earth gave him one of the most disappointed looks Lloyd had ever seen. He laughed in response, almost falling off his chair. 

“Unbelievable,” Cole muttered, throwing his hands in the air exasperatedly. 

Lloyd’s laughter subsided. His eyes caught the gooey mess still piled on the sheet. 

He glanced up at Cole, whose eyes went wide with understanding. 

Both lunged at the sheet. 

Cole reached it first, snatching the treat away from Lloyd. What he hadn't considered, however, was the gooey mess still on his hands. 

The Master of Earth looked down at his hands that had transferred their mess to the side of the sheet. He pulled one hand away, the marshmallow goop stretching between it and the sheet. 

The offended look on his face sent Lloyd laughing again.

“This is your fault, you know,” Cole hissed, making Lloyd laugh harder. Through the laughter, he heard Cole groan, then–

“What is going on in here?” 

Two eyes turned around to see Zane standing in the doorway. 

“Uhhhhh…” came Cole's eloquent answer.

Zane sighed, walking into the kitchen.  He snatched the sheet from Cole and laid it on the counter again. Moving to the sink, he washed his hands (drying them with an actual towel), then opened the fridge. 

He moved with such authority that Lloyd and Cole stayed silent, almost scared of the newcomer. 

Zane came back with a stick of butter. He stared at the sheet for a second, then at Cole.

“Did you butter the sheet before transferring the contents of the pot to it?”

“Uhhhh…”

Lloyd snickered at Cole's embarrassed face. 

Zane sighed, shaking his head. “I suppose then that it will be your own fault if they stick to the sheet.”

Lloyd burst out laughing. 

“Alright, that's it!” 

Cole ran around Zane, making to snatch Lloyd. 

The boy yelped, diving off his chair and just out of reach. "Don't touch me! Your hands are still all sticky!” 

Cole looked down at his hands, then up at Lloyd, grinning. Lloyd’s eyes blew wide. 

“No. No no no no no.” He backed up. Cole followed him, stepping around the chair, arms stretched out in front of him. 

Cole lunged. Lloyd squeaked, dodging the attack. 

He laughed as Cole whipped around for another attack. 

And so began the chase.

Lloyd ran into the game room, huffing out laughs as he went. 

“Lloyd!” Cole yelled behind him. 

“You’re too slow!” Lloyd taunted back. He ran around the couch, turning to face Cole. The Earth master stopped on the other side, both glaring at each other despite their smiles.

“You’re not going to get away that easy,” Cole said, holding his sticky hands in front of him.

Lloyd stuck his tongue out at the other and blew a raspberry. 

Cole lunged across the couch, but Lloyd stepped back, easily dodging him (he was getting pretty good at that). 

Cole laid across the couch, his initial jump not carrying him all the way across. 

Lloyd giggled as Cole glared at him.

“Cole.” Both looked up to find Zane who had a very unimpressed look on his face. “If you are done harassing Lloyd, food is ready.”

Lloyd was out of the room before Cole could answer. He climbed onto his chair and peered at the desert. 

Instead of the gooey lump that he and Cole had left, the rice-whatever-Cole-called-it was spread out evenly across the sheet. 

He reached over to grab some, but froze. He should wait for Cole, right? That would be the nice thing to do.

But he wasn't nice! 

He was evil, just like his dad. He was going to be an evil overlord. 

So he shouldn't wait for Cole. In fact, he should take the entire sheet for himself. 

But he waited. 

For some reason he waited.

“Huh, thought you would have eaten the whole thing without me by now.” Cole walked into the kitchen, making a beeline for the sink. 

Lloyd crossed his arms, as he lifted his chin in the air. “I thought you should try it first, in case it kills you,” he sneered. He didn't have an actual good reason for waiting. Just wanting to wait for Cole was not a good one. He couldn’t tell Cole though! 

Cole chuckled as he wiped his hands down the front of his gi to dry them (Lloyd will let it go this one time. Just once, though. No more).

Lloyd glared at him. Cole grabbed a knife and began cutting the (what is the stupid name?! It's rice something! Rice what?!) desert. 

“It’s better if you let it sit for a bit, but,” Cole drew out the word, as he set the knife down next to the sheet. “I think it would be fine if we have some now, don't you?” 

Lloyd nodded vigorously, his earlier glare forgotten, replaced with an excited grin. 

Cole chuckled again as he tried to grab one of the squares. Instead half of it stayed firmly stuck to the sheet. 

“Oh right. Forgot to butter the pan,” Cole said in a monotone voice.

Lloyd snickered. He was doing that a lot. Ever since the ninjas kidnapped him. It was weird. 

Cole grabbed a fork and pried the square off, handing it to Lloyd before moving on to the next one.

Lloyd stared, mouth watering, at the desert. Before he could take a bite, he was grabbed and tossed over a shoulder. Somehow he didn't drop his new treat.

“Hey!” He yelled at what he now realized was Cole. 

Cole didn't answer. 

Then Lloyd was unceremoniously dropped on the couch in the game room with Cole sitting down on the opposite end. 

“You can't eat in the kitchen,” he explained. “It’s the rule.” He spoke like he was imparting some ancient wisdom upon Lloyd, even if his voice held just a bit of sadness.

Lloyd decided not to comment on it, even if that had never been a rule before. Instead, he just nodded and ate his dessert. 

Later, Zane found them both talking animatedly (sugar high?) with an almost fully eaten tray of rice crispy treats (definitely sugar high) between them.