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rosiehunterwolf · 3 years

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Twinkle, Twinkle, Are You There?

Prompts: Stars and Trauma

Word Count: 5,498

Characters: Lloyd (with reflection on Kai)

Timeline: During episode 82 (Dread on Arrival), with flashbacks to earlier seasons

Trigger Warnings: Claustrophobia, Kidnapping, PTSD, Self-Deprecation, Starvation, Dehydration

Summary: All he wanted to do was help his team. It was his mistakes that got them into this mess, after all. It would make sense that he was the one to get them out of it. But if there’s one thing Lloyd’s learned over the course of his life, it’s that things don’t have a habit of going his way.

That, and the fact that stars don’t make very good company.

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The night was crisp and clear, with a blackness that enveloped the city in a blanket of stillness, the kind that only befell in the late summer. The city was quiet except for the faint sound of wailing sirens in the distance.

And, much closer, the shuffling of footsteps and clanking of chains.

“What do you want with me?” Lloyd hissed, yanking tightly at the restraints.

“Quiet, Garmadon,” Harumi hissed, and the chains suddenly tightened, causing him to nearly lose his footing as she stalked towards him. “For too long have I remained silent while you blathered on. No longer am I the Quiet One. Now it is my turn to speak.”

“Oh, so now I can’t even talk? I’m not your slave, Harumi.”

She grinned. “No, you certainly are not. But your time will come, don’t you worry.”

Her words sent a trickle of dread down his spine, and he gritted his teeth. “You won’t get away with this. My friends will stop you, and-”

Harumi laughed, long and cold. “Your friends? They are too late. There is no way those pesky little ninja will be able to stop us. Even if they do manage to get here before your father is freed, do you really think that they’ll try to stop us when you’re in danger?”

Lloyd’s throat ran dry. “What are you going to do to me?”

Harumi smirked. “What do you think? After everything you’ve done to me?” She laughed at the look on his face. “Don’t worry. I need you alive. For now. Dead bait isn’t half as effective as it is alive, after all.”

Silence stretched on as the Sons of Garmadon hauled him up a staircase. Killow shoved him from behind, and he stumbled, being sharply tugged back up by the Sons of Garmadon holding his chains. Lloyd grimaced, looking away.

After a few moments, Harumi began to sing softly. “The spider’s in the house, sleep, sleep. The spider bit the mouse-

Lloyd gritted his teeth. He had used to think that song was cute, but now it just put him on edge. Feeling anger surge up inside him, he felt the sudden urge to yell at her.

“So this is your true face without the mask. No wonder you covered it.”

“What did I say about speaking?” Harumi hissed, whipping around. “You think you’re so cocky, but you haven’t won. Far from it. How does it feel to lose for once, Lloyd?”

“Where are you taking me?”

Harumi tut-tutted, shaking her head. “So many questions. Normally, I would not appease you. But I feel like this will be of great interest to you.” She glanced at him, waiting for a reaction, but he remained silent. She sighed. “This is where the palace used to be. Trapped here all my life, I discovered something truly extraordinary. The destruction of the palace was something that had to be done, but… we took care to protect this place. The Temple of Resurrection.”

Lloyd swallowed. The Temple of… oh gosh, she really is going to do it. She’s really going to bring him back. She’s crazy, so crazy-

Harumi turned away from him as they reached a set of double doors. Pushing them open, she revealed a courtyard stretching out in front of them. Sons of Garmadon milled around, stopping and stepping to the side to clear a path as they caught sight of Harumi. A pedestal rose up in the middle of the space, and off to the side was a contraption with two cages. One was empty, the other-

“Mom!”

“Lloyd! What happened? Are you okay?”

One of the Sons of Garmadon poked a spear at her cage, silencing her.

“Let her go, Harumi. This is between us, and only us.”

Harumi laughed. “What has been between us? Your incompetence as the city’s protector by causing the release of the Great Devourer? Or something else? Because only one of those things are true, Lloyd. And honestly, that was entirely your fault. I’m just picking up the pieces.”

Leaning forward and letting her long, white hair swish close to his face, she whispered. “There is nothing between us, Lloyd. And there never has been.”

He jerked away, hating himself as an ache spread through his chest. He was losing nothing by letting go of her. He was better off without her. If only his stupid heart would just understand that.

“Aww, honey,” Harumi cooed, a mock look of pity on her face. “The truth hurts, doesn’t it? Nothing is more powerful than a blow to the heart. Especially on you.”

To his horror, Lloyd felt tears welling up in his eyes, and blinked furiously to disperse them. “Please, Harumi. This is my fault. Do whatever you want to me. But my mom is innocent. Let her go.”

“You’re right, this is all your fault. Which is precisely why I need to keep her around. I know you, Lloyd. You’d be far too happy to take the punishment yourself. One of your little ninja friends would’ve been ideal… you would’ve done anything I asked you then… but she’ll have to do for now. Knowing you, she should be enough.”

Turning towards the Sons of Garmadon restraining him, she flicked a hand at them. “Put him in the cage. I want the utmost security on him.”

His captors nodded, and his chains were yanked sharply, and he was roughly thrown into the cage, his breath knocked out of him for a moment.

His head spinning, he glanced up, seeing the long, curved metal bars stretching above him. A cold trickle of déjà vu slipped down his spine as the reality of his situation fully hit him.

No. No, no, no- Lloyd stumbled to his feet, lurching towards the cage door, just as it was slammed in his face.

“You’re not goin’ anywhere, kid. Behave yourself.”

He felt his heart rate pick up as the familiar panic began to set in. He couldn’t- this couldn’t be happening again. Not a damn cage again.

He- he was the green ninja. He was supposed to- he was supposed to look after his team, to lead them, but he- he always got caught and thrown in a stupid cage.

He threw himself against the bars, gripping them tightly as he leaned his face towards the sky, drinking in the fresh air. It was so small in here, he wanted to get out, to go home-

But that was always how it ended up, wasn’t it? Lloyd was always the one getting caught, always the one the others had to go out of their way to save.

He was a burden. An incompetent, helpless burden. This whole thing was his fault, just like it always was, because he was too weak to stop anyone from taking advantage of him. Him and his dumb, dumb heart.

And he had the nerve to call himself a ninja.

Except this time, it had been so, so, much worse. This time was different from the time with the Serpentine, or even Morro. This time, so many more people’s lives were going to be endangered because of him. Because his stupid, soft heart had decided to trust the girl that was now going to destroy the city.

Again, he had ruined everything.

My friends will fix my mistakes. She won’t win.

Harumi’s words echoed back to him. “Even if they do manage to get here before your father is freed, do you really think that they’ll try to stop us when you’re in danger?”

She was right. He hated that she was right. He was glad his friends loved him, but sometimes it would just be so much easier if they saved the city instead of him.

Opening his eyes, he gazed at the sky above. The night was moonless, the only light coming from the spattering of stars across the sky.

Those damn stars were always there. Why wouldn’t they just leave him alone?

---

The Lost City of Ouroboros, 2012

Lloyd eyed the lock at the front of his cage warily. Ugh, if only I had a pin.

Not that it mattered, anyway. The night was too dark for him to be able to see properly enough to pick the lock. And even if he did manage to get out, he wasn’t exactly unguarded. The city was crawling with Serpentine. And he didn’t stand a chance of sneaking- or fighting- his way past all of them, thanks to the ninja’s refusal to let him train with them.

His frustration dissipated quickly, and he glanced down at his hands, wringing the edge of his black hoodie. No, that wasn’t fair. The ninja had risked their lives trying to save him today. It hadn’t been that long ago that they had met- he was just some bratty kid they had fished off the street, one that had messed everything up for them. They didn’t owe him anything. The fact that they had done as much as they had for him, well-

It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. No one had ever cared for Lloyd like that before.

The Darkley’s students had always hated him. He was lucky to go a week without being beat up or having bugs left in his bed. Brad had sort of been a friend, he guessed- but in the end, even he had abandoned him.

His mom had left him high and dry at Darkley’s- he didn’t even remember her. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to. And she obviously hadn’t cared enough to come back, or even to write, so… he didn’t think that was an issue he would have to worry about anytime soon.

And his father-

Lloyd really wanted to have hope for his father. He really did. But it seemed like whatever he did, it wasn’t enough. Why hadn’t his dad visited him or even sent him letters, like the other boys’ parents?

Releasing the Serpentine had been Lloyd’s last hope that his father would notice him. But, like everything else, it hadn’t worked. And now he realized that he had hurt people by doing it, too. Good, innocent people, like the ninja.

They were the closest thing he had to a family, now.

But that was just Lloyd being dumb. He had made life very difficult for all of them. Why would any of them ever return those feelings back? He was just making a fool of himself by even entertaining such a notion. Forgiveness was never that easy, something he knew firsthand.

But then they had come back for him, anyway, and Lloyd was left wondering if they really did care. They had fought so hard for him. Maybe he was a part of something, finally. He was afraid to hope.

And then they had nearly died, and he had taken it all back.

He wanted them to save him, to bring him back to the Bounty, to care for him, to love him like no one had before. But he couldn’t ask them to risk their own selves for him. He was an outsider to their family. He hadn’t been there over the past months, the past memories. He was just the bratty kid. Maybe they cared about him now, but they wouldn’t give up that safety and security just for him. He didn’t want them to.

He had tried to remind himself that this was what he wanted as he had watched them flee on the Samurai X mech, watched them take the Golden Weapons to safety. Good. That was much more important than him. They could come back for him any time. Everything was going to be okay.

But then, why did his chest feel so hollow as the mech flew into the distance, smaller and smaller until it was gone? Why hadn’t that feeling gone away even now, hours later?

Lloyd shrugged his shoulders, as if the motion could shake the feeling off. The bars of the cage dug into his back- although not as bad as when he had been shoved into lockers back at Darkley’s, it wasn’t a pleasant reminder- and he shifted, trying to get comfortable, but it was no use. Instead, he tried to focus his gaze outside the cage. Ourorboros was much less active at this time of night, but there were still too many snakes lurking around for his liking. Lloyd hated the sound of their scales slithering across the ground. He had thought, after Uncle Wu had taken him aboard the Bounty, and read him that book, that he would never have to see another snake again. What had he been thinking, going after the Serpentine like he did? Sure, he wanted to prove himself, but he was no ninja. He didn’t even want to be here.

He hadn’t really felt like it had been a choice, though. He had just wanted to fix his mistakes. But he had dug himself into a hole too deep for someone as little as him to climb out of. And going after the Serpentine had only made it deeper.

If only he was cool and awesome, like the ninja. They would know what to do.

He turned his gaze up to the sky, if only to look at something other than Serpentine. The moon was nowhere to be seen, but the stars shone down brightly on him, abundant out here in the desert. Lloyd stared up at them, breathless.

He had grown up in Darkley’s, which had been on the edge of Ninjago City, and after he had been kicked out, in those long weeks before he had come up with the brilliant- or now, he was realizing, insanely stupid- plan to release the Serpentine, he had only ventured farther into the city, hoping to find food and a place to sleep.

The point was, Lloyd had always been a city kid. Before he had gotten captured, he had never been out in the blistering sun in the Sea of Sand, where Jay had grown up, or in the depths of Birchwood Forest, former home of Zane, or even to the small little village of Ignacia where Kai and Nya had once called home. In the thick of the city, he was used to light pollution brightening the skies, the nights dull with only a scattering of stars visible.

But now, out here, in the middle of the desert, the night sky couldn’t be more different. The darkness above him was littered with so many bright, white specks that Lloyd couldn’t believe that so many stars even existed. Darkley’s had taught them typical school curriculum alongside their villainy lessons- in which Lloyd had been told that there were billions of stars in the galaxy, but he hadn’t really believed it before now.

Now, he was sure there must be trillions.

He remembered the ninja’s long nights on watch, and wondered how many stars were visible from his uncle’s monastery, and if the ninja liked to watch them, too. He did remember one night- when he was being a particular pain, Kai had dragged him outside with him in hopes that he would calm down. Lloyd hadn’t been paying much attention to the stars that night- too distracted to look up.

He would pay more attention next time. He bet that Kai would watch the stars with him. The red ninja had sat so patiently with him then, mostly quiet but making conversation every once and a while before they had settled back into the easy bouts of silence. He had even made Kai laugh once. That happy, rich sound had sent warmth spreading through Lloyd’s chest. He hadn’t really known what to make of it then, but now, sitting here, cold and alone except for Serpentine, Lloyd longed for that warmth again.

He wished Kai was here now.

Well, not here-here, he didn’t want him to be captured too, obviously, but he wanted to be with him, somewhere safe, far from any Serpentine, where they could watch the stars in peace.

Maybe they could’ve been, right now, if Lloyd hadn’t been such an idiot.

As much as he hated the fear that clamped at his chest anytime a Serpentine rattled too near, he hated the feeling of hopelessness and uselessness even more. Why did he have to mess up everything all the time? If it weren’t for him, the ninja could be having those peaceful evenings still, out on the rooftop.

Next time, he would be smarter. Next time, he would be a better brother. A better asset to the team.

But at this point, he wasn’t even sure if next time would be an option. He had read plenty of editions of Starfarer in his lifetime, and people like Lloyd didn’t usually get second chances.

But that hurt too much to think about. Instead, he turned to gaze at the stars.

That was the good thing about the stars, he supposed. No matter where he went, what he did, or how badly he messed up, they never left him.

---

The Fire Temple, 2012

Lloyd pulled his knees closer to his chest as hot, bubbling lava gurgled below him. For once, he was glad to have the bars around him- although he wasn’t sure how much protection they would be if the lava seeped up towards him. The Serpentine seemed to think that the volcano was perfectly safe, barely dazed by the oozing molten around them, but Lloyd wasn’t so sure.

At the very least, the heat was sweltering down here, where his cage sat only a few feet away from where the rock dropped way into the vat of lava. Serpentine perched on many of the other rocks jutting out of the lava, chipping away at them as they searched for the third Fangblade. Lloyd bit his lip, hoping they didn’t take the whole volcano down with them.

He kicked absently at a bit of rock that had strayed into the cage, watching as it fell down, into the lava with a gloop.

This sucked. He had been in this stupid cage for about a week now, and he was so tired and scared. Somehow, he hadn’t really expected this. In his mind’s eye, he had imagined getting gobbled up by the Serpentine after a day or two, or maybe even getting rescued. He hadn’t thought it would go on this long.

He tried to be like the ninja- to put on a brave face, stay strong, come up with a plan- but nothing came to him. He wasn’t a ninja. He just wanted his dad.

Nibbling on his lip, he looked up at the chunk of sky that he could see through the opening in the volcano. It was a much more limited view than the one he had seen back in Ouroboros, but the stars were still there, as bright and unyielding as ever.

These ones were especially fascinating, the lava casting a gentle glow on the stars, staining them a faint, burnt orange color. They almost seemed to pulse gently with the flickering lava, and Lloyd let himself forget about everything for a moment, just watching them.

It could’ve almost been peaceful, if it weren’t for his situation.

He leaned his head against the bars of the cage, despite the uncomfortableness. A slight quiver reverberated through the floor, reminding him of the unstableness of the ground beneath him.

Trying to think about something else, he turned his thoughts to the ninja instead. He wondered what they were doing now. Realistically, he knew they were probably trying to find a way to stop the Serpentine- maybe even coming to save him. He knew the idea should’ve brought him comfort, but for some reason, it just made his stomach ache. He didn’t want his friends to get hurt because of him.

Instead, he imagined them hanging out at the monastery. Jay flopped over the couch with a Starfarer comic (one he had probably stolen from Lloyd), Zane and Nya sprawled out on the floor as they played Stratego, glaring at each other icily from time to time, and Kai and Cole duking it out in Fist-to-Face 2, Kai balancing on his knees and practically smashing his controller as he got more agitated, while Cole’s demeanor was much more relaxed, although there was a fierce concentration in his eyes.

Lloyd let a smile play on his lips. The image felt so vivid, so real, and he clutched onto it, longing desperately for some connection- any connection- to the others.

Tears blurred his vision. It wasn’t enough, just imagining them. He needed them. He was going crazy in here, and the slimy Serpentine were terrible company.

Looking back up at the sky, he let his gaze fall on the North Star. Lloyd didn’t know much about constellations or different stars, but he knew that one. It wasn’t too hard to spot, especially on this dark night- bigger and brighter than all the rest.

Lloyd remembered what Brad had told him back at school- that supposedly you could see this star from anywhere. It was a guide, a wayfinder, a path back to home.

Biting his lip, he glanced around to see if anyone was watching him. No one was- of course they weren’t, why would they be- so he turned his gaze on the North Star and whispered under his breath.

“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.”

Closing his eyes, he thought the wish in his head as hard as he could- saying it out loud would make it not come true, of course- and hoped against all odds, that this time, for once, his wish would actually be granted.

Opening his eyes again, he fixated on the star again.

Maybe, wherever the ninja were, they were watching that star, too.

---

Stiix, 2015

If there was ever a time in his life that Lloyd had wished he had brought a jacket with him, it was now.

Not that he had really had an opportunity to get a jacket in the first place- it would’ve had to been when he had first gone down to investigate that stupid museum robbery, weeks ago at this point- but his point still stood. He was freezing.

A cold breeze rattled eerily through the bars of his cage, swaying it slightly, and Lloyd pulled the dirty, worn mess that was his gi tighter around him. Alright, he got that Morro wanted him to suffer in every way possible, but did he really have to hang his cage all the way up here?

Another gust rocked the cage a little harder, and Lloyd grabbed hold of the bars, whiteknuckling as he tried not to look at the churning waters of the lake not too far to his right. It was all too easy to imagine the cage rolling into the dark, choppy waves if a strong enough gust were to knock him loose.

The hands that gripped the cage bars were pale and trembling, so that Lloyd barely recognized them as his own. He cursed himself- even this brief, fleeting moment of relief from Morro’s possession really wasn’t much of a relief at all because of how much his body was screaming in agony. He was so weak, and even if, by some miracle, an opportunity was presented for him to escape, he would never be able to take it. He wasn’t even sure if he could move.

As if to accentuate his point, Lloyd’s stomach suddenly growled loudly, agonizing cramps ripping through it as he curled in on himself, moaning. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had eaten. He bit his lip, trying to distract himself from the unbearable hunger pangs. Even Cole’s nasty chili sounded heavenly about now, and he felt himself start to cry as he thought of the black ninja, wishing his friend was here now, with or without food.

But the only person there was Ronin. Lloyd craned his neck to peer through the hole in the roof of the man’s pawn shop. Ronin was scowling, his hands securely tied up behind his back as he glared at the floor. He was looking a little better than he had a half hour ago, his skin less of an ashy shade, and some of the color seeping back into his cheeks, but he still was slumped over weakly, trembling slightly.

Even though Lloyd hardly knew him, he felt his heart go out to the man. He was one of the few people in Ninjago who knew how it felt, to be possessed by a ghost- and honestly, Lloyd was impressed that Ronin had recovered this much in such a short amount of time. The first time Lloyd had been released from Morro’s grip, it… well, he preferred not to relive the memories, but it had not been pretty.

Suddenly, he caught sight of a flicker of translucent green glide past Ronin, and Lloyd lurched back from the edge, pressing his back against the opposite side of the cage, gasping. He was still lurking around. Lloyd didn’t even want to look at him, he didn’t want to think about how, all too soon, the ghost would be slipping back inside him, filling his mind, taking over his bones-

Lloyd cut off the flow of thoughts violently, breathing heavily as he tried to contain it. He- he couldn’t think about that now. There would be plenty of time for trauma later, but now his poor body couldn’t handle anymore.

Trying to get his pounding heart to slow, Lloyd swallowed- and immediately regretted it as his throat seared. Ow, he groaned silently, not daring to speak. His throat felt impossibly dry- Morro had given him some water a little while ago, after he was safely out of Lloyd’s body, but the stale, warm liquid had done little to alleviate the raging heat in his throat. Just the thought of water made his head throb, and Lloyd clutched tightly onto the bars, trying not to pass out.

He had barely gotten over his dizzy spell when his stomach suddenly cramped again, loud gurgles and whines bubbling from it as he braced himself.

The pain came much worse than any time before, and it was only the promise of pain from his throat that kept him from crying out. The cramping continued to flare for much longer than usual, and Lloyd began breathing heavier, tears pricking his eyes as he prayed for relief, which came a few moments later, slowly and reluctantly.

Dammit, I haven’t had it this bad since my days wandering the streets, back when I was nine. How long has it been since I last ate?

He hoped Morro would feed him soon. The ghost would need to put some fuel in Lloyd’s body if he wanted to continue to use it, and Lloyd wasn’t sure how much longer he could run without food. If he didn’t get anything soon, he would probably have to ask Morro to give him something, which was always humiliating because the ghost always found some way to make him beg for what he wanted.

It wasn’t like he could ask for anything in this state, anyway. Why did it feel like every part of his body was actively trying to kill him?

Needing something- anything- to distract him from his pain, he found himself looking up for the first time since he had been there.

The night skies of Stiix were breathtaking, stars littering the air like glitter. Even with everything going on, Lloyd felt himself stop for a minute, taking in the beauty of it all.

It would’ve been a perfect night to go stargazing, back home.

Lloyd’s fascination with the stars hadn’t faded since his capture in the desert all those years ago, and he had kept his promise to himself to keep watching them. The others would accompany him once in a while, although he sensed that it was mostly just so that he wouldn’t be alone.

Kai’s feelings, however, had always been more genuine. He and his friend had spent hours studying the different constellations, charting the stars, and going out on the prime stargazing nights. The outings weren’t just about the stars, either. They would chat for hours- about silly things, serious things, or nothing at all. Out there, alone in the darkness, it had just been the two of them and the stars. There had been something intimate and comforting about it, especially on the hard nights. If he was having nightmares again, all he would have to do was wake Kai up and they would go, no questions asked. Sometimes they talked about it, sometimes they didn’t. But what was important was that Kai was always there, as unfading and unfaltering as the stars themselves.

Yet here he was, the stars shining above him, and Kai was miles from here. The last time he had seen him, Lloyd had tried to kill him. His best friend.

No, he reminded himself fiercely. That was Morro in control then. I saved Kai’s life by fighting back.

But he should’ve done more. He had seen his friend escape with cuts and wounds, while Kai had tried so hard to not hurt Lloyd.

Damn, none of that mattered. Kai would forgive him, he always did. Lloyd just wanted to see him again. He’d know what to say to make Lloyd feel better.

Or, at least, he would just hug him. Lloyd really wanted to be held. The only person who had touched him recently was the ghosts, who more so phased through him than touched him.

Wrapping his arms around himself, he looked up at the stars again. Maybe Kai was staring up at them now, too, thinking of him.

The thought made a smile flicker across his lips, and for a moment, he thought he felt a shoulder pressing against his.

He turned his head. No one was there. Of course they weren’t.

Lloyd looked back at the stars desperately, longing for the sensation again. But, unsurprisingly, nothing happened. He had just imagined it.

It was just Lloyd and the stars, together again, yet lonelier than ever.

---

The Temple of Resurrection, Present Day

Lloyd gasped, blinking back the tears that were welling in his eyes. The sky above him came into sharper focus as he did so. But this time, when he gazed up, he didn’t get the little skip in his heart he always felt when watching the stars. Perhaps it had something to do with being so deep in the city, but they felt colder and more distant than usual.

Even the stars were against him tonight, it seemed.

Maybe his luck had finally run out.

That was probably for the best. It seemed like every time Lloyd got himself captured, Kai managed to plunge himself headfirst into danger, and would almost get himself killed.

Lloyd really hated that about him. If Kai ever died trying to save him, he would never forgive himself. It would be better for everyone if they stayed far away from here.

But then Harumi will succeed in bringing my father back.

Lloyd put his head down. He didn’t know what to do. He just wanted everyone to be safe, but he always managed to mess things up, to throw a wrench in their plans.

And this time, he had messed up so much worse. His father was going to come back, the city was going to be destroyed, Harumi was going to win.

And this time, he didn’t know how to fix it.

Suddenly, a flash caught the edge of his vision, and Lloyd whipped his head towards it, sucking in his breath. A shooting star. He hadn’t seen one of those in years.

Those are lucky, he thought, unbidden. For special wishes.

He was being silly. That was just a dumb old superstition. He wasn’t a little kid anymore, he had stopped wishing on stars a long time ago.

“Make a wish, Lloyd.”

“Go away, Kai,” he grumbled. “You’re not really here. The last thing I need is the Sons of Garmadon laughing at me for talking to myself.”

The red ninja pointed to the sky. “You’re going to miss it.”

“I’m not going to wish on that stupid star, okay?”

“Why won’t you do it anymore? I miss when we used to talk about the stars.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not a kid anymore.”

“It’s never too late, bud.”

“Yes, it is!”

“Why?”

“Just leave me alone!”

When he looked up again, Kai- or rather, the illusion of Kai- was gone.

“... because I can’t,” he whispered, to whom, he didn’t know. “Not anymore. My life hasn’t been that simple for a long time. Even the luckiest of wishing stars isn’t going to change that.”

Closing his eyes, he blocked out the twinkling lights above him, letting his vision succumb to blackness.

#ninjago #ninbingo #my fic #rosie writes #ninjago lloyd #ninjago kai #ninjago harumi #this was supposed to be lloyd reflecting on his whole family...#but it turned into just kai #figures XD #FINALLY i felt like i was never going to finish this one lol #oof and sorry it was so angsty #that just kind of... happened lol #hope you enjoyed!#reblogs appreciated!

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lloydskywalkers · 5 years

Text

in which the monastery almost burns down again

....and it is, technically, Lloyd’s fault this time.

This is absolute unforgiving fluff, because I was in the mood and every time I try to write this family being functional it spirals out of control. But also I love Lloyd and he deserves happiness, so here’s a very quickly written birthday fic that I’m not entirely sure I finished but I have two hours left to post ahhhHHH

(Takes place just after the Final Battle, and I’m assuming that an entire year hasn’t passed so they’ve never actually ran into Lloyd’s birthday until now.)

Lloyd would’ve gotten away with it, too, if Cole hadn’t decided to insist on flu shots that year.

“Lloyd, it’ll take five minutes.”

“Yeah, five minutes for you to schedule an appointment, which I don’t need.”

Cole eyes him skeptically. “So you’re saying you don’t remember how sick you got last winter.”

Lloyd grimaces. “That was…different.”

“No, that was the flu,” Cole sighs. “Look, we’re all getting shots, but it’ll be a lot more trouble if you don’t fill out your medical applications so we can get coverage.” He bites his lip, glaring at the computer screen. Zane’s alone had taken him the better part of the morning, and Zane had been cooperative.

Lloyd remains stubborn. “Sorry, I think I hear Sensei calling me—“

“We both know he’s out right now, Lloyd.”

Lloyd grumbles something inaudible.

“Please, just sit down with me for five minutes?” Cole tries a different, probably-mean-but-he’s-at-the-end-of-his-rope-here, tactic. “I mean, now that you’re not so little, I thought you’d be up for it.”

Lloyd makes a face, his expression working. The transition from shooting up to a teenager in the span of a minute has been…something, but Lloyd’s been handling the maturity aspect rather well, if only out of sheer stubbornness (and the general weight of the world). He finally deflates, pulling himself atop the table so he can stare down imperiously at Cole.

“Fine. But I make no promises about shots.”

Cole meets his gaze head-on. “If you try and hide in the air vents instead of going again, I’m going let Zane have full-reign over desserts for the next month.”

“You wouldn’t,” Lloyd hisses at him, scandalized. “You know Zane doesn’t believe in dessert! He’ll just give us fruit.” Lloyd’s nose crinkles in distaste, and Cole hides a grin.

“Fruit isn’t all that bad, you know.”

“Says the cake-hog.”

“I told you, that was Jay, and it was my cake anyways.”

“Sounds like a bunch’a lies, to me—“

He finally gets Lloyd’s application pulled up, and cuts the argument he definitely would have won short.

They’re getting to these flu shot appointments no matter what it takes, because the Final Battle was enough trouble on its own, and no one in this family is going to fall prey a crippling illness and ruin the rest of the year they have left, if Cole can help it.

Despite his initial stubbornness, Lloyd is at least more cooperative than Kai was. Cole manages to get his height — geez he’s short — his weight — maybe they should be increasing his desserts, actually — and then spends a good fifteen minutes arguing over his eye color before they get stuck on the allergies section, then skip a good few sections until they’re close to the end of the application.

“Birthday,” Cole sighs, rubbing his temples.

“September twenty-second,” Lloyd says, through a mouth of popcorn — a compromise, since it is technically junk food, but also healthy enough to—

Wait. Cole frowns, then quickly checks the date on the little calendar icon.

Today is September twenty-fourth.

“Lloyd,” Cole says slowly, a creeping sort of dread making its way up his spine. “Repeat that?”

“September twenty-second,” Lloyd echoes, a bit slower this time.

Cole stares at him. “Like September twenty-second…as in two days ago?”

“Yeah,” Lloyd nods, throwing a kernel of popcorn in the air and trying to catch it in his mouth. He pouts as it misses, landing on the floor instead. Cole doesn’t even lecture him — he’s too busy having a mini-crisis.

“Your birthday was two days ago.”

“Yeah?” Lloyd’s beginning to look annoyed. “That’s what I said. I can write it down for you, if you want.”

“No, that’s—“ Cole blinks rapidly, running a hand over his face. “Wha— why didn’t you say something?”

“Why would I?” Lloyd frowns.

Cole…does not entirely understand what’s going on here.

“Why— because it’s your birthday!” he finally exclaims. Darn it, he’s never missed a birthday before — he even managed to pin down Zane’s, who had claimed he didn’t have a birthday. Now his record is broken, and worse, it’s broken on his baby brother. “We would’ve — we would’ve celebrated, why didn’t you say something?”

Lloyd’s shoulders hunch, and he looks a little on the defensive side now. “I mean, it’s not that big a deal,” he says. “I’m just a little older. S’nothing to get worked up over.”

“Not that big a deal — it’s your birthday!”

“I know that, Cole.”

“I mean, didn’t you ever do anything back—“

He pauses. Oh.

Oh no. Cole is starting to understand what’s going on here, and he doesn’t like it.

Lloyd gives him a strained, painful-looking smile, that’s honestly a terrible excuse of a smile in the first place.

“Darkley’s isn’t really big on birthdays,” he says, with a brittle kind of laughter Cole isn’t used to hearing from his youngest brother. “They didn’t really, uh, care. At all. Kinda just made you a target for the day, ‘cause you were older now, so you could take more hits, you know?”

Cole nods on blank instinct, like that’s totally normal and makes perfect sense. On second thought, why hadn’t they punted any of those kids off the roof of Darkley’s when they’d had the chance? Scratch that, why hadn’t they hunted the teachers down and punted them off?

“So yeah, not a big deal,” Lloyd shrugs. He laughs, that false kind of one again. “I mean, it’s not like I even know how old I am anyways, right? Tomorrow’s Tea, and stuff.” He slides off the table, giving Cole a grin. “Guess that means I can’t fill out the rest of the application, oops! Bummer.”

Lloyd makes a break for the hallway, slipping briefly in his socks before he grabs the doorframe, glaring at Cole. “And you better not put Zane on dessert.”

Then he’s escaped down the hall, leaving Cole to stare after him with his slowly-combusting mess of emotions.

Oooh boy, Kai’s gonna love this.

*********

Kai, as expected, takes it the worst.

“We missed Lloyd’s birthday?” he croaks, looking like he’s moments from tearing up.

“It was two days ago,” Cole says, shaking his head. “Two days. We did clean-up that day! We spent his entire birthday hauling debris around the city.”

“Oh, no,” Nya moans into her hands, where she’s yet to look up from since Cole broke the news.

“I can’t believe I missed this,” Zane says, looking appalled with himself. “I am normally better with dates…”

“Why didn’t he say anything?’ Jay exclaims. “Poor kid, he’s gotta hate us—“

“No, see, he wasn’t even upset,” Cole throws his hands in the air. “Guys, I don’t think he even knows how to celebrate his birthday. He got all tight-lipped about it when I asked, then said that Darkley’s ‘wasn’t big on birthdays’ and something about getting hit, and are we sure we didn’t save the names of his old teachers somewhere?"

Ah, maybe he shouldn’t have said that last part. Kai might actually be crying now.

“Those heartless punks,” Nya’s hissing, her head raised so her eyes can spear everyone with what’s practically lasers burning in them. “Those malicious jerks. What kind of stupid school—“

“I mean, Kai was a human piñata once, so we know it’s legal,” Jay says, his eyes sparking. “That’d be pretty festive.”

“Wha— no, Jay, no one’s getting used as a human piñata.”

“Tell that to Nya,” Jay sulks. Cole finally picks up on the conversation happening beside him, with no small amount of alarm.

“Nya, we are not giving Lloyd the teeth of his old school teachers as a birthday present.”

“I didn’t say we’d be giving them to Lloyd, just that I’d kick them out—“

“No one’s messing with anyone else’s teeth!” Cole yelps, waving his arms between them. He suddenly frowns. “Hold on, maybe I should schedule dentist appointments while I’m at it—“

“No!” comes the united chorus. To Cole’s disappointment, Zane’s voice has joined in as well.

“Lloyd’s birthday is what’s important right now, Cole,” Kai glares.

Well….point. But he’s still gonna put ‘make dentist appointments’ on a sticky note later.

“Okay, so we missed Lloyd’s birthday,” Nya says, determinedly. “That’s bad. What do we do?”

“We’re a pretty half-rate family,” Jay muses.

“Obviously, we made a mistake,” Zane says, sagely. “So we must correct it, and throw him a birthday party to show that we are not, in fact, a half-rate family.”

Cole points at Zane. “Now there’s a better plan.”

“So like, the best birthday party ever, to make up for all the ones he’s missed,” Kai nods.

“Yeah, we’re making up for what, how many years worth of missed birthdays?” Cole asks.

They all fall silent, staring at the table pensively.

“Do we count the Tomorrow’s Tea for missed years or not,” Jay whispers.

Kai kicks him in the leg. “Of course we do!” he says, hotly. “That whole thing sucked, he’d better get something out of it.”

“Also, I don’t think Lloyd would be thrilled if we threw him a ten year-old birthday party,” Nya mutters.

“Ten years?” Cole frowns. “Is that right?”

“Yeah,” Nya says, just as Kai goes “No, it’s nine.”

They both stare at each other.

“Uh oh,” Jay murmurs.

“So clearly, we will not be putting a number on this cake,” Zane rubs his head wearily.

“No, no, we can figure this out,” Cole insists. “Maybe like, his parents will know?”

The others nod, just as Nya’s head snaps up.

“Woah woah wait, hold on a second.” Her eyebrows are furrowed, the growing look on her face thunderous. “Lloyd was with us the whole day, so we know for a fact that no one remembered his birthday.”

“Yeah, and?”

Nya looks at Kai again, who blinks rapidly, before a look that promises trouble crosses his face.

“Maybe we should bring his parents in on this conversation.”

*********

To Garmadon’s credit, he looks even more horrified than Kai did.

“No,” he says, frantically. “Lloyd’s birthday isn’t — no, it’s September already?”

To also be fair, Garmadon was very recently exorcised of some very nasty, mind-affecting snake venom. He’s kind of been through a lot.

“Yeah, it is,” Nya says hotly, clearly not in the mindset of being fair. “And Lloyd’s birthday was two days ago!”

Misako’s head is buried in her hands on the table. “Two months,” she’s lamenting in despair. “I promised Lloyd I’d be better and I made it two months.”

Kai is still arguing with Sensei Wu, while Jay is either attempting to defuse the situation or convince Wu that an exploding cake is a good idea.

“—lost track of time, after the Final Battle, you must understand how chaotic it’s been—“

“Then why didn’t you write it on your calendar or something?!”

“I don’t have a calendar.”

“Well there’s your first problem—“

“Which could be solved! By cake!”

It’s not until Zane shoots him a desperate look that Cole decides to finally speak up.

“Look, guys — hey, look,” he shoulders his way to the middle of the tense huddle they’ve managed to make in the monastery’s sitting room. He takes a minute to thank that Lloyd’s on patrol right now, instead of a room over where he could very easily hear his entire family arguing over who’s fault it is that they forgot his birthday.

“Look,” Cole sighs, once he’s (miraculously) managed to get everyone quiet for a minute. “That’s not the important thing now, okay? The important — lip it, Kai — the important thing, is that we’re going to fix it. Got it?”

While Garmadon and Wu look a little affronted at being ordered around in such a way, the others nod in agreement, and that’s all Cole needs. He’s had enough of the First Spinjitzu Master’s family drama in the past few months, Wu and Garmadon can suck it up.

“Lloyd gets back from patrol in an hour,” he continues. “So if we’re gonna throw a party by this evening, we need to distract him.”

“This evening?” Wu muses. “Isn’t that a bit soon?”

He realizes his mistake a second too late. He’s immediately set upon by four viciously gleeful students chorusing: “Never put off ’til tomorrow what you can do today, Sensei—“

“Alright, alright,” Wu ducks his head. He mutters under his breath, “I didn’t think I’d be paying for that one so soon.”

“Anyways, distraction,” Cole repeats. “We need someone to make sure he stays out of here the rest of the day, who’s game?”

Kai immediately volunteers, followed shortly by Jay. Cole eyes them shrewdly.

“Let me rephrase,” he says. “Who can keep it a secret long enough for us to surprise him?”

Kai shifts guiltily, and Jay bites his lip.

“I mean, I probably could…” he says, slowly. Cole does not have confidence in that statement. He looks to Zane.

“You’re the only one I trust,” he says, solemnly.

Zane shakes his head with a wry smile. “I’ll bring him back by dinner, will that give you enough time?”

“Totally,” Cole nods, just as Jay says, “Not even close.”

In hindsight, Jay is probably more correct, but Cole will eat dirt before he admits that.

*********

With even further hindsight, Jay is really correct.

“We need presents,” Kai is saying, as he struggles to drag in the truly ridiculous amount of streamers he and Jay purchased. “What can we get for Lloyd that’s acceptable in the next two hours?”

Garmadon purses his lips, glancing briefly at Wu. “Our father’s tradition was normally just a larger sword.”

“Like Lloyd even needs a sword now,” Jay reminds them.

“Why don’t we play it safe, and get him candy, or something?”

“What, you want to encourage his sweet tooth?”

“I don’t hear you coming up with any ideas.”

“What about a mech?”

“That didn’t end so great the last time, remember?”

“There’s always those cursed scrolls, I suppose,” Garmadon muses.

Cole glares at him. “Stop suggesting death weapons!”

“They aren’t all death weapons,” Garmadon huffs. “I’m simply saying, he might appreciate the finer weaponry in life—“

Misako, at least, suggests something nice and safe, like comics. Nya likes that idea, though she also wants to find a complete signed edition of the Starfarer movies, which leads to a heated debate with Jay because “they aren’t movies, Nya, it’s a TV show, and you can’t just buy signed editions, they’re priceless—“

Cole, who has better things to do than watch Jay shoot his romantic life in the foot for the day, wearily takes the end of a streamer from Sensei and helps him put it up. Kai is on the other side, still pushing for a pet.

“What about a cat, though,” he pleads. “Cats are quiet, and they don’t need as much attention.”

“Lloyd would give it much attention,” Cole mutters.

“Exactly,” Sensei Wu sighs. “The monastery is not a place meant for pets. And besides, after his victory against the Overlord, Lloyd will be on the road more often than not. It simply isn’t the time and place for a pet. He has a dragon, I am sure he’ll be fine.”

Kai looks mildly devastated by this answer, and Cole makes a mental note to make sure Kai doesn’t sneak any animals in any time soon. This can come after the mental note that he can’t forget about those flu shots, which comes after the other mental note that they really need to get started on a cake if they’re gonna have one in time.

“He likes that kind with the sprinkles baked in,” Nya informs him.

“Funfetti,” Cole nods. Good tastes in cakes, a family trait. Nya, who clearly does not appreciate good cakes, simply shrugs.

“Sure. With lots of frosting, of course.”

“Great, that shouldn’t be too hard,” Cole decides. “And Jay grabbed candles while he was getting streamers, so we should be set. Let’s get on making that.”

“Oh no,” Kai suddenly groans. They all look at him. “Guys, we sent Zane to distract Lloyd.”

Jay frowns. “So?”

Kai spears him with a look. “That means Zane can’t make the cake.”

An icy silence of horror drops over the room. They all look to each other.

“I’m out,” Cole says.

“I’m still relearning what I can even eat as a human,” Garmadon moans.

“I’m…adequate, at best,” Misako grimaces.

“My cooking ends with coffee,” Nya says, despairingly.

“I can make ramen?” Jay offers.

Kai stares at them. He looks incredulously at Sensei Wu, who shrugs.

“I can make tea cake.”

Kai looks like he’s resisting the urge to roll his eyes back into his head. “Okay, I’m making the cake, since all you are disasters.” He shakes his head, grumbling to himself. “—have you even survived this long, Zane and I pulling all the weight—“

Cole thinks that last statement is rather unwarranted, but Kai can actually reliably make food without burning the house down — ironically enough — so he’s not about to pick an argument with their best bet.

So he focuses on settling another argument, instead.

“How many candles are we putting on this cake, by the way?”

He’s sorely disappointed.

“The Tomorrow’s Tea can be a bit unpredictable,” Sensei Wu says, his eyes guilty. “I…cannot exactly say how many years it would add.”

Cole resists the urge to roll his own eyes into the back of his head. “Thanks for nothing,” he mutters.

“Okay, well we can at least find out how old he was, and work from there,” Nya says, resolutely. She turns on Garmadon. “How old would Lloyd be this year, if he hadn’t aged?”

“Um,” Garmadon says. His expression contorts, eyes going distant. “He was born in that one fall that the coast got hit by a hurricane, so that would make him, ah…let’s see…”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“I was overcome by the vicious blood of the Great Devourer soon after, years blur together when you’re immortal!”

Misako rolls her eyes, turning to Nya. “I remember, at least. This year he’d be—“

Cole misses the end of her statement as another vicious round of arguing breaks out behind him between Jay and Kai, who are supposed to be watching the cake in the oven.

“I’m his older brother, I’m bringing the cake out.”

“What, like the rest of us aren’t?”

“No, but I’m like — Lloyd’s supreme older brother, so clearly—“

“Oh please, you lost him to the Serpentine in an arcade—“

“Hey, that’s sensitive! And I rescued him afterwards!”

“Yeah, after you had an existential crisis—“

“For the last time, today is not about you,” Cole hisses, wedging between them and pushing them apart. “Cut that out, or I’m gonna think the Tomorrow’s Tea aged you down.”

Jay and Kai glare at each other, but they comply. Cole sighs.

“Look, Kai, you’re the overbearing brother and that’s valid, but I need you front and center when Lloyd walks in,” he says, as he takes the cake out of the oven.

“Why?” Kai frowns, as he begins frosting the cake, seemingly heedless of how hot it still is. Cole watches him in despair for a minute before answering.

“Because you’re the person he’s least likely to blast on instinct if the surprise goes wrong.”

They both make a face, but then shrug. “Point, I guess,” Jay says, tossing the box of candles from hand to hand. “Better him than me.” He glances at Cole. “So, how many candles we sticking on?”

Cole glances back to the now-decorated sitting room, where Wu, Garmadon and Misako are still locked in argument with Nya over…who knows what now.

You know what, he thinks. It’s not worth it.

“Just…stick a bunch on,” he sighs. “They can be, like, a symbol of light, or something.”

“If you say so,” Jay snorts. He proceeds to cram as many candles as he can on the cake, following Kai’s path as he frosts it. Cole watches in trepidation.

“Hey guys, Zane says he’s running out of ideas, so we’d better hurry it — woah, that’s a lot of candles.”

Nya blinks at the cake, frowning at Jay. “You know that’s gonna be a lot of fire when they’re lit, right?”

“And is there a problem with that?” Kai sniffs.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Jay waves her off before she can retort. “They’re trick candles, you know? Like the sparky ones that keep relighting? It’s gonna be great, haha.”

Great does not seem to be a word Nya agrees with, if the expression on her face is any giveaway, but they are running out of time and Cole can’t deal with this right now.

“Great, just finish it up, okay?” he says, hastily. “Zane and Lloyd are gonna be back any minute, and we still don’t have a—“

The unmistakeable roar of the Ultradragon comes from just outside the monastery, followed by the loud flapping of wings. Everyone goes still enough that if they were in a sitcom, this would be hilarious, but they’re not, and Cole’s going to lose his mind.

“Light the candles,” he hisses at Kai and Jay, who have frozen in horror. “Light the candles and turn the lights off, go go go!”

*********

Lloyd does not end up blasting Kai in the face with a beam of golden power, which is mildly disappointing.

But he does jump a good three feet in the air, his eyes going the size of dinner plates as he makes a sound like a surprised cat, and Cole thinks that’s just as satisfying.

Not as satisfying as the megawatt smile he wears while turning red as Kai’s gi as they all sing off-key to him, of course, but pretty close.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t delay longer,” Zane apologizes to Cole, as they both watch Lloyd dance around the cake, trying to get the candles to extinguish while Jay and Kai laugh mercilessly at him. “He was beginning to grow suspicious, and I probably checked my phone too many times.”

“You did great,” Cole assures him. A bright flash goes off around the room as Misako snaps a picture, capturing Garmadon tightly embracing his son. Cole shakes his head, his lips quirking. “I really don’t think we could’ve pulled off anything better, anyways. Probably best that you got here before it could get—“

The cake chooses this moment to go nuclear, Jay’s candles lighting up blindingly bright as everyone shrieks, jumping back.

“—any more out of hand,” Cole finishes weakly. Zane quickly darts forward with a yelp, helping Kai — who’s extinguishing the candles with his bare hands, the maniac — eliminate the fire hazard.

Lloyd is the one laughing now, bright giggles as Jay feels at the ends of his singed hair, yelping. His laughter is cut short as Kai plants a firm hand on the back of his head shoves his face directly into the candle-cleared frosting, Nya egging him on from behind.

“Hey, we all have to eat that!” Cole yelps, darting forward. This proves to be a fatal mistake, as he steps in front of Kai just as Lloyd’s trying to get him back by chucking cake at his face.

Well, at least it’s Funfetti, Cole thinks, wiping frosting from his eyes.

Lloyd’s eyes go wide. “Cole, I’m sorry, I was aiming for Kai—“

Cole shakes his head, patting Lloyd on the back. “It’s fine, green machine,” he says. His grin turns evil, and he shoves the hand on Lloyd’s back down, forcing him back into the cake. “Happy Birthd—agh!”

Somehow, they (read: Zane) manage to salvage enough of the cake that it’s still edible, an between the streamers and music Jay starts blaring, it’s a fairly nice party, as far as ones that are whipped up in an hour go. Everyone’s crashed on the couches around the sitting room, finishing the last of their cake, and as long as Jay doesn’t manage to offend anyone, it should be a pretty peaceful evening, all in all.

“A thousand,” Jay’s guessing at Garmadon, his eyebrows drawn together in concentration.

Garmadon’s mouth twitches, and he exchanges glances with Wu. “Incorrect.”

“Oh, come on,” Nya throws her arms up. “Higher or lower?”

Garmadon turns his palms up. “What do you think?”

Jay coughs. “Loaded question.”

Nya looks determined though, and she answers. “Higher.”

Misako snorts into her tea, and Garmadon looks mildly offended. “I hope you’re drawing that conclusion by looking at Wu,” he mutters.

“They can’t be that old,” Kai argues, through a mouthful of cake. He nudges Lloyd with his foot from where he’s sprawled across the couch. “Hey Lloyd, how old’s your dad?”

Lloyd shrugs. “Not sure” he says. There’s a gleam in his eye. “I could maybe tell you, if you guess how old I am.”

“Oh, you sneak—“

“Wait, I have another guess!” Jay’s lips twitch. “Four hundred and twenty.”

That kicks off an entirely different debate, most of which is concerning whether Garmadon and Wu actually get what the joke is, so Cole decides to remove himself from the conversation by clearing plates. Just before anything gets heated.

He’s made it halfway to the kitchen by the time he’s realized Lloyd’s following him, and he jerks his head toward what’s left of the cake. “Want some more? It was your face that went in, so it should be fine for you.”

Lloyd shakes his head, and spears him with a look. “Tattle tale,” he accuses, but his eyes are warm, and the corner of the mouth is twitching with the smile he’s holding back.

Cole flicks his eyes skywards. “I know you said it’s not a big deal,” he replies, fondly. “But it is to us.”

Lloyd ducks his head, flushing with a small, shy kind of smile. Cole ruffles his hair, before continuing. “We didn’t scrounge up a present in time, but if I know Kai, you’ll probably get something stupidly big from everyone in the next few days.”

“You guys don’t have to do that,” Lloyd laughs, a bit breathlessly. “This is—“ He pauses, an odd, watery kind of expression crossing his face before he shakes his head. “This is a present enough.”

Cole smiles at that. “Better than Darkley’s?”

Lloyd laughs, for real this time, without that tense bitterness. “A million times better than Darkley’s,” he grins. “A zillion.”

“Good,” Cole nods, satisfied. “It’s not over yet, either. Nya and Jay made a whole list of terrible party games they’re gonna force you to try out.”

“Oh yeah?” Lloyd says, looking faintly nervous.

“Oh yeah,” Cole grins. “There’s this really great birthday tradition I grew up with, where you make the birthday person sit in the middle and everyone has to go around saying something nice about them.”

Lloyd goes scarlet at the mere thought of it, and Cole’s grin grows wider.

“Please don’t,” he murmurs.

Cole takes mercy on him, flicking a bit of frosting from his blond hair. “We’ll pick something else instead, then.”

He’ll just spring it on him when he’s not suspecting it later, anyways. It’ll do the kid good to hear that people care about him.

If Cole’s learned anything from this family, it’s that.

#lego ninjago #ninjago #lloyd garmadon #cole brookstone #kai smith #nya smith #jay walker #zane julien #this is also semi crack so take it with a grain of salt #i'm sure they all know lloyd's age but #i cant just come out and say a number #bc then i have to commit u know #my fic

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