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It hurt. Everything was hurting and it was difficult to breathe.
Of course it would be, being in a cage, hanging right above hot, bubbling lava. Hot air was definitely not something Lloyd enjoyed breathing in.
If the damn wound on his side wasn’t bad enough, he had to deal with the pain his lungs and hunger. It wasn’t his first rodeo with lack of food, he had been dealing with that for the majority of his life, but coupled with the blazing heat and pain, it was anything but bearable.
Lloyd grunted as he tried getting in a more comfortable position, but ended up having to muffle a cry as he accidentally put pressure on his wounded side. He then carefully slid his hand under his hoodie and froze when he felt something slick and warm. Lloyd quickly pulled his hand away and his eyes widened as he saw the blood smudged on it.
He had accidentally reopened his wound.
Lloyd frowned. Great, now he had to worry about the blood. At least his hoodie was black, so the blood wasn’t obvious. The wet splotches could easily pass as sweat from a first glance.
Well, he wouldn’t have to go through this much trouble worrying about this if the serpentine could’ve handled him a bit more elegantly. And used less claws. Lloyd didn’t even know they had sharp claws until those same claws dragged across his side.
He remembers one of the serpentine soldiers trying to restrain him earlier, but their clawed hand accidentally slipped under his hoodie and made a cut. It wasn’t that deep, but the amount of blood it leaked was a bit concerning. Needless to say, that got Lloyd to stop struggling. The serpentine either didn’t notice the injury or just ignored it.
Lloyd sighed as his eyes examined the surroundings. He could see Pythor and others digging for the last fang blade, while the other serpentine were busy guarding the place.
Hopefully the Ninja were on their way to stop Pythor. Hopefully.
Lloyd closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but he started coughing instead. He winced as the pain from his side flared up.
What wouldn’t he give to be back in the bounty, to be playing video games or training with others. Walking aimlessly around Ninjago didn’t sound too bad either.
Lloyd was lost in his thoughts until he noticed loud commotion. He quickly stood up, ignored the searing pain and looked around.
Pythor was yelling something about the Ninja as he pointed upwards to somewhere. Lloyd’s eyes darted up to where the anacondrai was pointing and saw the Ninja, Sensei Wu and Lord Garmadon standing there.
Lloyd was shocked to see his father working together with the Ninja, but he didn’t question it much.
Lloyd gripped the cage’s bars and called out for his dad. He could hear his father calling out for him in response.
He held his breath as he watched everyone descend to the rescue, but he let out a surprised gasp as the cage suddenly swayed. Lloyd looked to see the serpentine carrying him away.
He looked back and called for his dad once more. Lloyd could see the warlord go through the serpentine in a faster pace, being ruthless with every snake in his way.
But no matter how fast his father ran, Lloyd was only getting further away from him. Lloyd started to ponder if he was going to be rescued at all. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard Pythor shout something at the other serpentine.
Lloyd felt dread overtake him as he felt the cage fall towards the pit of lava underneath. He clung to the bars and shouted for his dad for the last time. Lloyd gasped as the cage jerked and he looked up to see his father holding up the cage and maneuvering it towards himself. Lloyd cried out for him as he fell into his four arms.
Lloyd bit his tongue as his wound flared up, as to not alert his dad. The warlord already had enough things to worry about.
Lloyd nuzzled into his dad’s shoulder and smiled in content as he felt hands rub his back soothingly. He could also feel his dad kiss him gently on the head and whisper comforting words.
The sweet moment between them was short-lived as they felt the volcano shake. Lloyd clung to his dad as the other rushed towards the exit. Once everyone gathered near the exit, Lloyd got out of his dad’s grasp and frowned as he looked around. Kai was nowhere to be seen. Worry washed over him and he looked down to the pit of lava. He gasped as he saw Kai trying to get closer to the fang blade.
Kai would surely die if no one helped him.
Lloyd ignored his dad’s calls as he watched Kai jump from one small platform to the other. The volcano shook once again and there was a loud cracking noise. Lloyd yelped as the ground beneath him broke off of the cliff. He turned around to see his father reach out for him, but he was too far away.
This is it. This is the end for him. Hopefully he won’t feel the pain for long.
He wondered if Kai would get out safely, and everyone else for that matter.
Lloyd closed his eyes shut and waited for the agonizing sensation, but instead of that, he felt himself roughly fall down onto the platform, which surprisingly didn’t sink the moment it made contact with the lava. Unfortunately, blinding pain accompanied the harsh landing shortly after.
Lloyd’s mouth was open in a silent scream as he processed the pain. His ears were ringing. A few stray tears rolled down his face. He let out ragged breaths as he slowly stood up.
His wound was messed up for sure now.
As the ringing in his ears slowly went away, Lloyd could hear someone calling him. He looked around to see Kai looking at him, concern prominent on his face. Lloyd gulped as he looked down for other platforms to jump on. When he looked back at Kai, he saw the red ninja dart his eyes between him and the fang blade.
Few moments passed and Lloyd was sure he was going to get left behind, but to his surprise, Kai turned away from the fang blade and started jumping on the platforms towards him.
Soon both of the boys were standing on the same platform. Kai hurriedly hoisted Lloyd up in one of his arms and looked around for an exit. Lloyd clung onto Kai as if he were a lifeline. He could hear himself whimper in fear and pain (Kai’s grasp was a bit too firm for his wound’s liking). The red ninja softly murmured reassurances in an attempt to calm the little boy hanging onto him.
The volcano shook violently again and large pieces of debris started falling down around them. Just as Lloyd thought they were done for, a bright orange light surrounded them. He looked up to Kai and saw that the red ninja’s eyes were glowing. He could feel both of them lift up into the air and out of the volcano.
The duo quickly got to the awaiting bounty. Kai gently nudged him once they landed on the deck. He felt himself nod and pull away from the ninja, only for the said ninja to grab and steady him. It didn’t even register to Lloyd that he was barely standing up on his own.
He was really tired. And his side really hurt.
Lloyd could hear others hurriedly approach him and Kai. He heard his dad call out for him as he felt four arms picking him up in an embrace. Lloyd didn’t have the energy to protest or to let out a sound. FSM, he just wanted to go to sleep already.
After a few moments of chatter that he didn’t care to listen to, everyone went quiet. Lloyd curiously looked around, only to see everyone staring at him expectantly. He then turned to his father, who gently pulled away from him and stepped back. Lloyd wobbled a bit and furrowed his eyes in confusion until he saw the ninja approach him with the golden weapons.
Wait, why are they-
Suddenly, the weapons flew out of the ninjas’ hands and surrounded Lloyd. A bright green aura appeared around him and he immediately felt energy coursing through his body. His hazy mind cleared up and he no longer felt like a walking corpse. The pain from his side didn’t go away, but it dulled to a bearable level.
With his mind clear, Lloyd realized what it all meant. He was the green ninja.
But that also meant...
He looked at his dad, who also seemed to come to the same revelation. Shock and sorrow washed over his father’s face. Wu offered Garmadon a sympathetic pat on the shoulder while the ninja tried to comfort Lloyd after the golden weapons dropped to the floor. Lloyd stayed quiet until he remembered that he didn’t take care of his injured side. He promptly excused himself from everyone despite the protests.
He had to get to the bathroom and clean up his wound. He couldn’t let others suspect anything.
As soon as Lloyd got to the bathroom, he locked himself in and looked for medical supplies. Thankfully there was a good amount of them. He wasted no time as he got out of his hoodie and inspected the wound properly.
It looked bad. Blood, old and fresh, was smudged everywhere and the skin around the wound was a bit swollen and red. Lloyd took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself for what was coming next. Good thing he had plenty of experience with dealing with wounds.
He cleaned up the injury with a wet cloth, while wincing in pain throughout the process. Once his side was clean enough, he picked up a few alcohol wipes. Lloyd took a deep breath, picked up his hoodie from the floor and bit down on it. Then, with a shaky hand, he ran the wipe along the wound. The moment the wipe touched his skin, he let out a muffled cry.
He almost forgot how much it hurt.
The disinfection process was slow and agonizing, Lloyd was left with tear-stained cheeks and shaky breaths once he was done with it. He then applied some ointment and winced as he felt a slight burn. Lloyd then reached out for the bandages and began dressing the wound. He was halfway done when he heard someone knock on the door. It was Jay.
,,Hey little guy, are you still in there? You have been in the bathroom for a while.”
,,Uh, y-yeah, I’m here, just c-cleaning up a bit.” Lloyd answered shakily, and then mentally cursed his unsteady voice.
There was a slight pause.
,,Are you okay? You sound a bit shaken up, do you need help?”
Lloyd went quiet as he thought of an excuse.
,,I’m alright, just processing some stuff.”
,,Uh huh... Well then, I’ll leave you alone for now, but do hurry up with whatever you’re doing in the bathroom, others are waiting to use it.”
Jay walked away from the door and Lloyd let out a sigh of relief.
That was close.
He finished dressing his wound and looked at the mess he made. Lloyd then picked up his hoodie by the stained side, squeezed it and cringed as he saw blood seep out of the fabric. He quickly put the medical supplies away, cleaned up his surroundings, grabbed his hoodie and the used cloth and threw them into the bathtub.
Lloyd grabbed some laundry detergent, peroxide and started washing up. It was a relatively quick process, though Lloyd was impressed by the amount of blood he got out.
Once he threw out the hoodie and the cloth to dry, he realized he didn’t have anything to put on. His hoodie was the only shirt he had.
Lloyd started to look around for any spare clothes and found an old t-shirt with Fritz Donnegan on it. Judging by the size and looks, it was probably Jay’s. Lloyd quickly threw it on and got out of the bathroom.
He was heading towards his room when he heard Kai and Nya talking.
Usually Lloyd didn’t eavesdrop on conversations, but this time he got curious. He leaned closer to the door and crouched.
,,At least all of you got out without any major injuries.” Nya’s voice rung out.
,,Yeah, we got pretty lucky this time. I’m a bit worried for the green bean, he looked like was about to drop on the spot when I spotted him near me.” Kai replied.
,,I believe you, he looked pretty bad when you brought him.”
,,Yeah, at least he’s cleaning himself up now. Though he’s really taking his time in the bathroom.”
,,Hmm. Hopefully he isn’t really hurt or anything...Hey, you’ve got blood on your sleeve, did you get hurt?”
,,Huh, I do? I didn’t even notice it, I don’t remember hurting my arm either.”
,,Noticeable or not, I’m not leaving it unchecked. That’s quite a bit of blood, there’s no way you didn’t feel that.”
,,Ugh, fine, just make it quick.”
There were some shuffling sounds.
,,There’s nothing...?” Nya noted in a confused tone.
,,Okay, that’s weird. Maybe I accidentally got some serpentine blood on me?”
,,Kai, we both know that the blood of serpentine isn’t crimson.”
,,Then where could have I gotten it from?”
,,I don’t know. What was the last thing you did with your arm?”
,,I picked up Lloyd with it, but how could that explain the stains?”
,,Wait, you picked up Lloyd with it?”
,,Yeah, I-”
There was a moment of silence. Lloyd froze up in realization.
,,I need to check on Lloyd.” Kai’s voice was filled with urgency.
Lloyd wasted no more time listening to the pair and quietly rushed towards his room. He quickly ran in and closed the door, then jumped in surprise as he saw his father standing by the window.
,,D-Dad? What are you doing here?”
The man in question turned around and gave a fond look. ,,I was waiting for you. I wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened today.”
Lloyd awkwardly shuffled in his place. ,,Oh, um, I’m okay if that’s what you need to know. Just a bit tired. There's also the green ninja thing...”
His father looked thoughtful for a moment before he opened his arms and offered a smile. ,,Hug?”
Lloyd stood in his place for a moment before grinning widely and running into the open arms. He laughed as he was hauled up, but winced quickly as he felt pressure on his wound.
Thankfully his dad didn’t notice his discomfort as he held him securely in his grasp. Lloyd’s eyes slowly fluttered shut as his father swayed him from side to side.
Both of them stood like that, with all of the problems momentarily shoved aside as they savored the peaceful moment. It felt perfect.
,,I love you, dad.” Lloyd murmured quietly.
,,Love you too, son.”
Unfortunately, the wholesome scene was ruined by someone rushing into the room. Lloyd and Garmadon jumped in surprise and looked to see Kai standing in the doorway, awkwardly diverting his gaze from them.
,,Um, am I interrupting something?”
His dad scowled in annoyance. ,,Yes, you are. What do you want?”
,,I was hoping if I could borrow Lloyd for a moment?”
Garmadon narrowed his eyes. ,,Why?”
,,I-I just want to make sure he’s okay. Free of any injuries and stuff.”
Lloyd grimaced and looked away towards some random spot in the room. His father took note of that.
,,My son is fine. He said it himself.”
,,Well yes, but I just wanna make sure he’s 100% okay.”
His dad was not convinced by the response. ,,Tell me, what’s the real reason you’ve brought this up?” He asked, his voice filled with suspicion.
Kai sighed in defeat and looked up to them.
,,I got this blood stain on my sleeve and I believe it might be from Lloyd. I don’t have any injuries and I couldn’t have gotten the stain from the serpentine.”
Moments of silence followed. Lloyd felt his father’s gaze on him.
,,Lloyd, tell me truthfully, do you have any injuries?” His dad asked in a hushed voice.
Welp, there was no getting out of this one.
,,I... I do. But it isn’t anything to worry about.”
Kai raised his brow. ,,Lloyd, buddy, in any other scenario I would believe you, but small wounds don’t produce this much blood.”
His father gently set him down. Lloyd wouldn’t look at him and stared at the floor.
,,Son, you have to show us where you got hurt so we can help.”
Lloyd huffed in response. ,,I told you, I took care of it! There’s no need for a checkup.”
,,Lloyd, 9 year olds cannot take care of their wounds properly.” Kai noted.
,,Well, I can, so stop bothering me about it.”
,,Son. We’ll stop bothering you once you show us the injury.” His father said sternly.
Lloyd looked down in defeat. He couldn’t go against his dad.
,,Fine, just get it over with.” He grumbled.
,,Thank you, son. It’s for your own good.”
Lloyd didn’t say anything as his father gently lifted up his shirt. He heard a sharp inhale from both his dad and Kai.
,,That’s... a lot of bandages. But they seem to be wrapped neatly, I’ll give you that.” Kai murmured as he and Garmadon inspected the bandages.
Lloyd rolled his eyes, but then yelped as his dad started unwrapping the gauze.
,,H-Hey! I thought you were only gonna-”
,,We said we want to inspect the wound, not just the bandages.”Kai stated.
Lloyd shut his eyes as he grimaced. This won’t end well.
He heard his dad gasp in shock. ,,Lloyd! This is more than a small wound! When- How did you get it?!”
He winced at his father's raised voice. ,,I got it today when the serpentine tried restraining me. Their claws slipped and cut me.”
,,Why didn’t you tell us about this sooner?!” Kai joined the scolding.
Lloyd couldn’t handle the added pressure and snapped. ,,I didn’t want to worry you, okay?! You already have so many things to worry about-”
,,That doesn’t mean you have to keep secrets like this! You could’ve gotten an infection or bled out! We could have lost you!” The red ninja berated.
Lloyd was silent. He let his head fall in shame and started to tremble. Soon tears were pouring down his face.
,,Oh, Lloyd...” His father cooed and wiped the tears away.
,,I-I'm sorry, d-dad! I didn’t m-mean to-”
,,Shhhh, it’s alright, son. I’m not mad, just worried.”
Lloyd found it a bit funny that his attempts not to worry others actually did the opposite. He would’ve laughed if he wasn’t busy hiccupping and crying.
,,I guess I have to apologize too. Sorry for putting pressure on you like that. I was worried sick too.” Kai sheepishly rubbed his neck.
Lloyd didn’t say anything as the fire ninja ruffled his hair and left the room, leaving him and his dad alone.
The warlord put the bandages back in place and embraced Lloyd in a snug hug, while carefully avoiding the injured side. Lloyd could feel himself slowly drift to sleep as his dad rocked him gently while humming a melody.
He woke up next morning in his dad’s embrace, along with some fresh bandages on his injured side.