Author's Note: After an absence from fanfiction for over 6 years, I have finally decided to make a comeback. That said, my writing skills are a bit rusty, so if things seem out of character to you, or something, I completely understand. This set of oneshots (with no particular update schedule) is inspired by a headcannon of mine – I like to think that as the youngest members of the group, Nya and Lloyd are actually quite a bit closer than we see in the show itself. This particular chapter takes place directly after Season 1 Episode 4. I'd also like to give a shout out to all of the wonderful authors out there who post things like the Five Times series that are so popular right now. As you should already know, I don't own Ninjago. And now… Enjoy the first installment in "Of Milk and Cookies" …

Lloyd woke with a start and sat up, temporarily confused by his unfamiliar surroundings. Through the darkness, he could barely make out the faint outlines of the wooden walls bordering the room and the bedroll beneath him. This definitely wasn't the Anacondrai's tomb, or even Darkley's boarding school. Where on earth was he? And then, quite suddenly, the events of the previous day came rushing back to him as he collapsed back onto the bed and groaned. Pythor had pretended to be his friend – and then promptly betrayed him and stolen the map to the remaining snake dens... Stupid Pythor! Stupid snakes! Why hadn't anyone ever told him how despicably untrustworthy they were? Lloyd decided then and there that he hated snakes. He hated them with a burning passion. They could all go die in a hole for all he cared. Yes, that seemed reasonable.

At least his uncle, Sensei Wu, had taken pity on him and brought him to stay on the Destiny's Bounty. Not that Lloyd needed anyone's pity. The son of the dark lord would have gotten himself out of that mess eventually. But here he was, aboard the flying ship anyway. He had to admit, the bedroll was decidedly more comfortable that sleeping on the ground like he had been doing the past few weeks. Maybe Lloyd was better off living with his uncle for a while, even if his students were a bit too goody-goody for his taste. He still hadn't forgiven them for humiliating him when they hung him from that sign post – it had taken days to rid himself of the stench of rotten vegetable - or for destroying his super cool treehouse. Lloyd smirked, already thinking of ways he could get back at the ninja. Pranks were his specialty. Living aboard the Bounty would totally give him lots of opportunities to get them back, and he wouldn't even have to worry about food or shelter, because his uncle would insist on caring for him – temporarily, at least.

Suddenly, Lloyd felt himself involuntarily flinch at a noise that sounded to him like a cross between a dying pterodactyl and a groan. Was it just the creaking of the old ship's walls, or had some sort of monster managed to sneak aboard the ship, ready to devour them all at the drop of a hat?! Now wide awake, Lloyd found himself missing the dormitories of Darkley's Boarding School. At least there, mysterious late-night noises could be explained away as the prank of some incorrigible child, ripe with motivation to torture some unsuspecting fellow student – usually him. Though annoying and generally inconvenient, he had rarely had a reason be truly concerned when he heard some form of racket. He was used to being the target of pranks and other forms of questionable behavior, after all. Here however, unfamiliar noises could be anything. Sure, it was certainly unlikely that some sort of creature was about to kill everyone in their sleep, but Lloyd had no way of knowing for sure. Refusing to stay in the dark room with the spooky noises and vaguely threatening shadows any longer – No, he wasn't afraid – and knowing that sleep would be impossible at this point, Lloyd sighed and climbed out of bed. Maybe a snack would help. He had seen the kitchen earlier during a brief tour, and sugar always made him feel better.

Quietly, Lloyd slipped from his room and crept down the darkened hall to the kitchen. Arriving at his destination, he began rummaging through the cupboards. Nothing. Surely the Ninja kept something sugary on hand. Where else would Jay get his seemingly endless supply of energy? No, there had to be sugar somewhere. It was just a matter of finding it, and there was no way Lloyd was going back to bed without fulfilling his craving for something sweet. He continued to scour the cupboards for any sign of sugary goodness, but all he could find were pots, pans, and some strong-smelling cleaning spray better described as an instant migraine. Lloyd growled quietly in frustration. With his luck, he'd never find his quarry. It was probably on a shelf too high for him to reach… As he continued to ponder his unfair existence, another figure moved through the shadowy halls, interrupting his search.

"Lloyd? What are you doing in the kitchen at this time of night?"Lloyd responded to this question by jumping several feet into the air, momentarily convinced that the monster of his earlier fears was finally making an appearance. He turned around, only to find that the source of the voice was in fact, not a monster, but the Destiny's Bounty's only female resident – Nya? Yes, that seemed right- instead.

"What are you doing in the kitchen so late?" he retorted, ever so eloquently. Nya rolled her eyes before responding.

"I asked first, but if you must know, I was thirsty, so I was gonna get some water. Unless, of course, you' got a problem with that?"

"Er… No. Carry on." Lloyd mumbled, still not quite sure how to respond to the teen's presence. Now over his initial shock at her appearance, he turned back to the cupboards and began a renewed search for sugar. Nya crossed to the sink, got herself a glass, and filled it with water before speaking again.

"So…. You gonna tell me what you're doing up so late, or am I supposed to let you suffer in silence?"

"Oh. Uh. I couldn't sleep, so I thought, 'Hey, there's gotta be some sugar around here somewhere. Sugar sounds really good right about now…'. But apparently, you people don't believe in keeping your food stashed in places where it can actually be enjoyed…" Lloyd said, not wanting to meet her eyes, not wanted her to notice his unease. Nya bit back a laugh, struggling to see how this sugar obsessed child could be the same person that released the Serpentine. However, she had not failed to notice the wild look in his eyes when she first entered the kitchen. Thinking back to the first night she and her brother had spent at the Monastery of Spinjitzu, and later, the first night aboard the Bounty, she began to piece together the deeper motivation behind Lloyd's sugar craving.

"Lloyd, you're not homesick… Are you?" she asked.

"No! I'm not homesick! Lloyd Garmadon doesn't get homesick!" He sputtered defensively, "And I've never had a home. How could I miss something that I've never had?"

Wow, that's actually really depressing, Nya thought. Obviously, she was going to have to be the one to extend the olive branch of understanding during this conversation. Master Wu had asked all of them to make an effort to be understanding of the boy, and unlike her brother and his fellow ninja, she was actually willing to put in the effort. Small boys shouldn't be running about with snakes, anyway. There had been nowhere else for him to go – not if his boarding school had kicked him out like he'd claimed. They'd just have to work on making the kid realize that there was more to life than candy and pranks. And so, she chose to continue the conversation.

"No. Of course you're not homesick," Nya nodded in agreement, "that would be ridiculous! I don't even know why I would ask such a stupid question."

She thought she saw a glimmer of relief cross Lloyd's face. Good. If she could keep him talking, maybe he'd calm down a little. She pretended to think for a moment before beckoning Lloyd closer, as if she were about to tell him a major secret.

"You know, when we first came to live on the Bounty, Kai and Jay both thought it was haunted… All of the weird creaks and groans of the old wood freaked them out. They stayed awake all night once, trying to catch this 'ghost,' before Zane finally managed to convince them that there was nothing to worry about." Nya whispered in a conspiratorial voice, "I think they were both actually more homesick than scared. It can be hard to adjust to new places sometimes."

Man. How on earth could Nya possibly know that all the strange noises had freaked him out so much? Lloyd wondered. Clearly she was more perceptive than he would have given her credit for. Not that he'd ever tell her the truth. He barely even knew her and he had to keep some semblance of dignity, even if it was super late and he didn't really feel like keeping up his bad boy persona.

"Wow. I guess even the 'strong and mighty' ninja have their moments of weakness…" He commented.

"Yeah. But that's okay. It's part of what makes us human."

"If you say so… Now about that sugar…" Nya bit back a smile. Her strategy was working. Heading towards the refrigerator, she pulled out a jug milk and set it on the table. Nya filled a glass and handed it to Lloyd, prompting him to question her actions.

"Uh… Nya, what are you doing? You do realize that milk doesn't contain sugar, right?"

Stretching to reach into a cupboard that had been too high for Lloyd to explore, Nya responded to his question.

"Just gimme a second." She continued rummaging, "What you need is a good old-fashioned welcome aboard if you're gonna keep living on the Bounty with us…. Aha! I knew they were in here somewhere…" Confused, Lloyd stared at her before finally seeing what she had been after. Cookies. Real, actual cookies, complete with real, actual sugar! She held out a few, which he gladly accepted. Holding her glass of milk in one hand, and a cookie in the other, Nya began to speak.

"I propose a toast to the newest member of the crew of the illustrious Destiny's Bounty!" Smiling, Lloyd and Nya clinked glasses.

"May your time here be filled with plenty of adventures-" Unable to help himself, Lloyd interrupted.

"And lots of candy!" Nya rolled her eyes again before continuing.

"Fine. May you find lots of candy and never get sick from eating to much of it in one go," They began to laugh at the absurdity of their toast, enjoying the remaining cookies and milk.

"You're really not that bad of a kid, Lloyd." Nya acknowledged.

"Thanks, but don't go ruining my reputation now. The son of the dark lord's gotta be at least a little bad sometimes…" He replied with a yawn. Knowing that he probably wouldn't admit to being tired, Nya decided to give him an out. After all, it was close to 3:00 in the morning.

"Well… As much as I have enjoyed these delicious milk and cookies, I have stuff to do tomorrow. Better get some sleep, you know?"

"Yeah… Me too. Wouldn't want to miss watching the ninja fall on their butts tomorrow during their training, or anything like that." Lloyd said, heading for the door.

"Hey, Nya?"

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Thanks for the cookies. If I had actually been homesick, which I totally wasn't, what you said would definitely have helped."

"Anytime, Lloyd." Nya answered with a smile, exiting the kitchen and starting down the hall. Lloyd followed her example, returning to the room he was supposed to be staying in. For some reason, the creaking sounds no longer bothered him. There definitely weren't any monsters hiding in dark corners waiting to eat him. Smiling, he snuggled under the blankets on his bedroll. Somehow, Lloyd was confident that he'd have no trouble falling back asleep.

I hope you enjoyed this oneshot – I sure had fun writing it. If you want to tell me what you think, or leave constructive criticism, that's fun, as long as it stays constructive. Inappropriate reviews were one of the reasons I took a lengthy break from the fanfiction community. I'm not concerned. The authors of Ninjago fanfiction seem to do a really good job of staying true to the reviewing guidelines… Thanks for reading!

-GwenBrightly