Love at First Bite

AN: One shot Post Lego Ninjago Movie AU that was Inspired by Dinogaby's artwork on Deviant Art called 'Fun times with Garmadad' and her other drawing called 'GarmaFam.' Also her headcanon idea of Garm having a sweet tooth. She's brilliant!

Warning: GarmaKoko fluff!

Ninjago was finally enjoying a time of peace, which was so welcome and needed. There was no longer fear of a certain warlord attacking the city anymore.

Lloyd was feeling happy that both his parents were present for his recent birthday. Koko had been willing to allow his father to celebrate with them. While it was somewhat awkward to finally be all together, they had gone to that sushi place that Garmadon had mistakenly thought was called Omakase.

Lloyd had noticed that his parents interacted well; while it wasn't warm and fuzzy, outwardly at least they both were trying for his sake.

A couple of months had gone by since then, and Koko was still feeling reluctant to let Garmadon completely back in her life, and so they were still living separately. It was complex, and Lloyd understood, as he was also still getting used to this new Garmadon, but he did yearn for more family time together.

At first, Lloyd started spending some time with his dad alone. Once, they had gone out fishing (for sharks-but they didn't catch any much to Garmadon's dismay), but they had fun trying. Garmadon had told Lloyd some very amusing stories.

Then there was another time they did some sparring together-they kept at a friendly, but competitive level. It was really fun, and it helped to keep up Lloyd's ninja skills. He enjoyed his time with his dad, and Lloyd could tell Garmadon enjoyed his time with him.

Koko didn't object them spending time together either, as long as it was nothing dangerous. Garmadon was…well…still Garmadon. He just wasn't attacking the city and hurting innocent people anymore.

Lloyd suspected that his mom still had feelings for his dad, and he knew from what his dad had told him about how they met, when they were in the Temple of Fragile Foundations that he still had feelings for her.

So Lloyd started making suggestions to his mom as to different things they could start doing together as a family, like sharing a meal together at a restaurant, and Koko went along with it because it made Lloyd happy, and Garmadon was pleased to be invited.

Another time Lloyd suggested mini golf, which was quite amusing to watch, because Garmadon found it hard to adjust to not hitting the ball too hard, which even made Koko laugh. While these interactions were hard for Koko, she was slowly beginning to see that Garmadon was trying to change. At least so far were his parents were friendly with each other, and Lloyd wanted to keep them connecting together.

Not long after, Lloyd saw a commercial one day for new ice cream place that had opened in town. Now that could be some good family fun, he thought.

Mother and son were sitting at the table for breakfast together not long after, when Lloyd starting putting his idea in motion. It was going to be a nice day outside, not too warm or too hot. It was also a Saturday and Koko didn't have to go to work.

"Hey, mom," Lloyd started.

"Yes, honey?" Koko gave her son her attention, after taking a sip of her coffee.

"I was checking the weather today, and it's going to be 70," he said.

"Oh, that sounds lovely!" Koko answered. It was spring and the weather was getting really nice out.

"Yeah, and so, I was thinking we could enjoy the weather and go to a new ice cream shop that just opened in town," Lloyd continued. He did a quick check on his phone.

"It's called, Cold Stone Creamery. They make all kinds of unique ice cream creations."

"Oh, what a great idea!" Koko gushed.

"And… I was thinking it would be nice to invite dad to come along," Lloyd added causally.

Koko paused for moment before answering, "Sure, honey. Your dad actually has quite the sweet tooth."

"Really?" That was something Lloyd didn't know about his dad.

Koko nodded. "Oh yes. When we were together, he used to eat a lot of dessert; it was unbelievable! His favorite was a tall, chocolate cake with ice cream and chocolate fudge on top, and the moment you dug your fork into it, hot fudge would ooze out of the cake," she sighed contentedly. "It was to die for!"

"Wow, that does sound really good," Lloyd said. "Then I'll call dad later and invite him. We can go after lunch," he told his mom, feeling good about his idea.

By him making the call, it took the pressure off Koko to initiate things she wasn't ready for yet. He was just glad that she was more open to them spending time together as a family.

So when the time came to make the call, Lloyd felt nervous excitement. He had added his dad's number to his contacts, so he pressed the button and waited for his dad to pick up on the other end.

"Hey, there, Luh-Lloyd!" came Garmadon's booming voice.

"Hey, dad. I was wondering if you had any plans for today?" Lloyd asked.

"Nope, not really. What did you have in mind? Do you want to learn how to diffuse a bomb?" he asked.

"Um, well, that does sounds interesting, but I was thinking of something more… family friendly," Lloyd answered. Although that did sound cool, he knew it wouldn't go over well with his mom at all.

"Oh, right," Garmadon answered quickly.

Lloyd continued on. "You see, there's a new ice cream place in town that just opened, and I thought since it's a nice day out, we could all go there together as a family," he explained.

Garmadon felt his sweet tooth kick in. It had been a while since he had something like that. He also wanted to spend more time with his family, and was inwardly hoping Koko might start warming up to him again. With the time they had spent together so far, his feelings for her were starting to surface again. He just wasn't totally sure if she felt the same way. He was proceeding cautiously with what she was comfortable with doing.

"Oh yeah, that sounds great!" he told his son, sounding eager.

"Come by the apartment in thirty minutes," Lloyd told him.

"Okay, see you soon, buh-bye," Garmadon answered in a goofy voice.

Lloyd smiled. So far, so good.

Garmadon showed up on time, and Lloyd let him in, as his mom was finishing get ready.

"Mom's almost ready," Lloyd told him as they waited in the kitchen.

Just then, Koko came out. She was wearing nice looking slacks and a cute top that looked really good on her, with a pendant around her neck.

Garmadon immediately noticed how lovely she looked. "You look really… beautiful, Koks," he complimented her.

Koko was taken aback for a second. She hadn't heard something like that from him in some time.

"Thanks," she answered quietly, a tiny blush forming on her cheeks.

"I came in my smaller mech, so we can ride in that," Garmadon offered.

The warlord hadn't changed in that he still liked to get around in Ninjago with his many different mechs even though he wasn't attacking. It was just what he was used to doing.

"Well, it's such a nice day out, and it's not that far, so I thought we could all walk there," Lloyd interjected. He thought that would give more of a chance for better interaction too.

"Yeah, sure," Garmadon agreed.

As they walked, Lloyd ended up being between his parents. They had some casual conversation along the way, like how things were going, school, the latest news, etc. It felt so good to be outside.

As they got closer to their destination, Garmadon spotted something and asked, "So we're going to that place called, Killer Kone's right?" He pointed to the place, which ironically wasn't far from where they were supposed to go. He thought that was the new ice cream place Lloyd had told him about.

"I heard their ice cream is so wickedly good, it can kill you," Garmadon continued on. "And its décor is full of pizzazz!"

Lloyd face deadpanned. Killer Kone's? Before he could respond, his mom cut in.

"No, Garm, we're actually going to Cold Stone Creamery," Koko told him.

"Oh… okay… that's cool." The warlord fidgeted awkwardly with his four hands. Killer Kones sounded more impressive in his mind, but he didn't want to rock the boat, so they continued on.

The Cold Stone Creamery had the kind of décor that Garmadon wasn't enthused about; lots of pink, and little happy ice cream cones all over the walls, but he followed his son and Koko to check out the selections. It was the kind of shop that allowed you to mix any toppings you wanted in with the ice cream itself to make signature creations.

At first, the owner was a little nervous seeing Garmadon, still donning his armor and helmet, but quickly relaxed, remembering the warlord had changed.

There was a lot to choose from and it was hard to decide what to order, especially for Garmadon who really wanted something awesome, something sweet and something with lots of chocolate. Chocolate was his favorite.

Lloyd finally decided on the Strawberry Blonde. Koko went with Berry Berry Good.

Garmadon finally spotted an item that he could really go for; Chocolate Devotion. It had all the good stuff he craved.

"For mine, I want some chocolate molded into a shark fin on top and make sure it doesn't look like a dolphin. Like a real shark," Garmadon demanded of the shop owner.

Lloyd rolled his eyes and Koko just shook her head.

The shopkeeper gave Garmadon a strange look, but said, "I'll do it for an extra charge," he said.

"What?! I thought this was signature creation shop? I should be able to ask for whatever I want! No extra charge!" Garmadon argued.

"I'm very sorry, sir. It's the shop policy for unusual requests," the owner told him hesitantly. He was starting to feel nervous again.

Garmadon was going to open his mouth to say more, but then Lloyd stepped in, seeing how it was getting tense.

"Dad, relax, it's fine. Family fun, right?" he told his dad, trying to appease him.

Garmadon sighed. "Fine."

The shopkeeper seemed relieved and went to make their creations. He actually ended up doing a good job on the shark fin that Garmadon wanted, so the warlord was satisfied and didn't mind the extra fee.

As Koko reached into her purse to pay, Garmadon stopped her. "Let me take care of it, Koks," he told her.

Koko smiled at him, appreciating the gesture. "Thanks," she said.

They went outside and found a table where they all sat down. Garmadon and Koko sat next to each other, with Lloyd across from them. They dug into their treats eagerly.

"So, uh, do you like yours, Koks?" Garmadon asked her after a little while.

"Yes, it's really good. Want to try some?" she asked him.

This surprised both Garmadon and Lloyd.

"Yeah, sure!" The warlord wouldn't refuse an offer like that!

She held her cone up to him so he could take a bite.

"That's pretty good!" He paused, feeling a little awkward before asking, "Do you want to try some of mine?"

"Okay," she answered, surprising the warlord for the second time. He brought his cone over for her and she took a bite. "Mm….that is good!" she said with a small sigh.

Lloyd smiled. This is what he was hoping for. Positive interactions.

Garmadon then turned to his son. "And how's yours, Luh-loyd?"

"Really good," he said. "Thanks for treating us." His dad grinned and ruffled his hair, before going back to his own ice cream.

When they were finished, they took their time walking back to the apartment, enjoying the weather, the sights, and each other's company. Lloyd looked at his dad and then his mom, and then decided to slow his pace. Gradually, he shifted behind them, until his parents found themselves suddenly next to each other.

His dad stared at Koko. She really did look lovely. Garmadon noticed the different hair style, now that he had a chance to really look. Some of her hair was cascaded down her back, while the rest of it was tucked back into a small bun, framing her beautiful face. Koko's eyes glowed in the late afternoon sun, reflecting the fire in her soul. She had a small smile on her face and was looking shyly at the sidewalk.

Garmadon had a million things going on in his mind that he really wanted to say to Koko, but he didn't want overdue it, or make her feel uncomfortable, so rather than say what he really wanted to say, he went with the first thing that came out.

"So, um, that place was better than I thought it would be," he said, and then realized that probably came out sounding bad.

"I'm glad you gave it chance," Koko replied, not phased by his statement. "Your Chocolate Devotion was really good." She giggled.

Gosh, he loved her laugh! Garmadon paused for moment before continuing the conversation. He felt by her answer that it might be safe to ask something deeper.

"Hey… Koks…I want to ask you something important," he started.

Lloyd could just hear the conversation going on in front him. He waited on baited breath.

Koko's curiosity was piqued. "Yes?"

"Would you... be willing…to go with me…" he paused dramatically, as his eyes fell on billboard sign, "…on a date to see Shark-ageddon next week?" he asked seriously.

Lloyd face palmed. Seriously, Dad?

Koko frowned. That wasn't exactly what she was expecting to hear. "Uh, no," she answered flatly.

Garmadon's face fell. It was worth a try.

"However," she continued, "I would be willing to go with you to the spring festival that's coming up."

Garmadon simpered. He could do that. "Sure," he replied.

Koko then reached out and took Garmadon's lower hand in her own as they continued on their way. He felt surprised, as he wasn't going to initiate anything like that, but he welcomed the gesture gladly.

Lloyd saw his dad secretly pump his upper left fist excitedly out of Koko's view. He shook head amusedly. This was exactly what he was hoping for his parents.

They seemed to be making slow, but steady progress and that was enough.

THE END