Chapter Text
Lloyd truthfully thought he was dead.
The pure darkness engulfing his vision, coated by the sharp pain stabbing every part of his body. Naturally, he assumed he’d stumbled himself into Hell, which was mildly ironic considering the fact he wasn’t even religious. It was cold, painful, and… wet.
Wet?
Forcing his eyes open, his ears were ringing uncontrollably, causing him to attempt to lift his arms up. They didn’t move. For a split second, he thought he was buried beneath a weighted blanket - a sharp, hard weighted blanket, covered in nails and knives that were piercing his face. He felt oddly comfortable, feeling as if he could fall asleep at any moment. The peace was nice, a silence he hadn’t heard for a while, followed by a soft stream of running water cushioning his mind and hearing.
That’s when the pain set in.
Suddenly, he felt more awake than ever. His senses exploded within his mind, causing him to hear every sound he could. No witty humour could assist him with this one, for every word he attempted to release hurt him. His lungs ached, each breath making his chest collapse from the intense pressure, releasing any support he had.
He would’ve screamed. He would’ve shouted. He just simply couldn’t . He felt as if he were suffocating, slowly becoming dishevelled as he lay still, trapped by his own choices. Body beginning to physically shake, The blonde let out several whimpers of pain, diminishing any trace of Spider-Man and allowing Lloyd Garmadon to be released from his cage. Lloyd couldn’t handle it.
Breathing unsteady, he struggled to inhale strong breaths, choked by the situation he was stuck in. After a few moments of thorough upset, he began to realise that the intense ringing in his ear wasn’t just ringing; it was shouts.
“Lloyd, answer us! ” Kai sounded, forcing him to lift his head.
“Kai?!” Lloyd responded, shakily. His voice was low and defeated, causing Kai and the others to physically recoil.
“Lloyd! Shit, we thought you di-”
“-Yeah, yeah. So did I.” He coughed, his throat dryer than it ever had been before.
“I have the mic, it’s just me, okay, buddy?” Kai promised, softly.
“Yeah, yep, I got you.” The blonde spoke quickly and sharply, attempting to hide his pain and sudden gasps of desperation.
Lloyd shifted slightly, causing all the debris around him to move. A small piece of roof dug into his side, forcing him to release a terrifying scream of pain. Kai jumped, eyes wide from the evident amount of torment the teen was facing. He felt strangely guilty, unsure of why he did so.
“You’ve gotta work with me here, okay? This time, I can’t get Cole to carry you back to the monastery. It’s all on you now.”
“Figured.” His mind traced back to the people at the front of the bank, hoping they were safe.
“Everyone’s rooting for you, Spider-Man. You’ve got this.”
He’s got this.
He’s got this.
Gritting his teeth, Lloyd looked up, assessing the debris directly above him. For a short while, he couldn’t muster up the courage to move, tracing his mind back to Kai’s words. Everyone’s rooting for Spider-Man - everyone’s rooting for him. Lloyd was the City’s hero, their security and comfort when times got dark. He was a nephew, and a son. He was a friend, a best friend, a brother to that best friend. He was needed.
Giving up would cause more pain than he would ever feel himself. It would bring joy to those who hated him; it would bring joy to her . He refused to allow her to win, to allow her words to finally get to him, to destroy him. Her gang was the reason for all of this in the first place, along with the reason for the majority of his issues. If he gave up now, he’d be giving in. He’d lose.
Tensing his chest, he pushed himself up from the ground. A deafening shout released from his mouth, the weight almost unbearable for him to muster. As he slowly rose from the ground, several pieces of debris released from the pressure, slowly making it easier for Lloyd to free himself over time.
It got lighter. Vision becoming less clouded, his breathing became steadier, moving from desperate breaths to those of relief. Throwing the final debris from his back, he was met with piles of concrete and metal, noticing a thicker heap further away where the bomb landed. Staggering with each step, and extremely disoriented, he made his way up the pile of debris, noticing the large portion of the building that was still standing - the area he was in before.
He smiled in content, before being cut off by sharp stabs of pain throughout his body. As he mounted the hill, a large crowd emerged into his sight, cheering happily as he came into view. He waved, his arm throbbing in pain, but ignoring it at that moment.
He was proud of himself - intensely proud of himself, and so was everyone else.
“We’re waiting for you around the block with open arms, kid. You did real good.” His comms rang.
"There better be candy."