Chapter Text
"Come on, guys, he's my boyfriend!" Kai protested to the human chain blocking his path to Lloyd's room. "I'll be super careful, promise."
Jay shook his head insistently, a face mask covering his nose and mouth. "No way! We can't risk anything with whatever bug he's got. If you catch it, you know it's only a matter of time before the rest of us get it."
"That's right," said Cole, crossing his arms. "Even if it's just a bad cold, we're ninja. We can't afford to take a sick day."
Rolling his eyes, Kai looked at Zane. "What about him? He's allowed to go in and out of Lloyd's room whenever he wants!"
"Zane doesn't get sick like we do," Nya said, staring at him as if it were common knowledge. "He's the only one who can see Lloyd because he won't catch a cold."
"Oh yeah? What about last month when he got infected with malware?"
"I did not sneeze, cough, or otherwise spread it to the rest of you," Zane reasoned.
"Yeah, all he did was tell us about hot singles in our area!"
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Jay," Nya said with a roll of her eyes. "Look, no more arguments, Kai. You can't go see him, whether he's your boyfriend or if he were just our teammate. He needs rest and quiet time!"
A distressed moan sounded from within Lloyd's room. "Kai... I need you..." It was immediately followed up with an atrocious-sounding wet cough and sniffle.
Kai frowned. "Oh yeah? So why's he asking for me?"
The four exchanged a concerned glance, but did not budge. It was clear that Lloyd wanted some company at least, but providing him with company that would obviously cuddle and pamper him? That could be an invitation for an already-contagious illness to spread further.
"Well... Maybe he'd be a lot happier with Kai keeping him company," Jay said. "Especially if he's asking for Kai, specifically."
"Improving Lloyd's mood by providing company may help him recover faster," Zane agreed, nodding to himself.
Jay and Cole looked at each other, considering that point. Then, Cole shrugged. “Well, if our resident Nindroid thinks it’ll be okay, then I don’t see why not.”
Nya groaned. "Okay, fine. But don't get all cuddly and close with him. You don't need to catch his cold."
Kai waved his hand dismissively, squeezing past them. “Don’t worry about a thing! All Lloyd needs is some company from his hot boyfriend. You guys go train, and go on patrols, and I can take care of him.”
“I’ll bring him some nice, homemade soup for him before we leave!” Cole offered with a smile, the others already on their way out to the training deck.
“We want to make him feel better, Cole, not kill him!” Jay called. With a sigh, Cole made his way to the kitchen.
With the roadblock out of the way, Kai gently opened Lloyd’s door. The blinds were barely pulled up, letting a small amount of sunlight into the room. Lloyd’s sickly-pale face was illuminated, showing the flush along his cheeks and nose, and a slight red tinge under his eyes. Lloyd sniffled pathetically, hugging his dragon plush close and giving Kai his best puppy-dog eyes. His head was propped up well, with several other plush toys and pillows surrounding him for maximum comfort. Used tissues littered the floor beside his bed, a tissue box and half-full glass of orange juice having been placed on his nightstand by Zane earlier that morning.
Kai closed the door behind him, sighing sadly. “And how is my poor little green bean?”
Coughing again – a sound similar to a stalled car underwater – Lloyd whimpered, his voice hoarse. “I feel like shit.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Kai sat on the edge of his bed, gently laying the back of his hand on Lloyd’s forehead. It was pretty warm, but not alarmingly so. He gently pushed Lloyd’s bangs out of his eyes, smiling. “So, you wanted me to stay with you, huh?”
Lloyd nodded, adjusting himself so he could look at Kai clearer. “Zane’s okay, but it’s still lonely without you.” He pouted, pressing his face into the head of his dragon plush. “You’re not gonna go on patrol today, are you?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I told everyone that I’m gonna stay behind to take care of you.” Kai snickered. “Also, Cole plans on poisoning you with homemade soup later.”
Lloyd tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a wheeze than anything. “That’s okay. It’s not like I can really taste anything right now.” He sighed, coughing again. “I hate being sick... I’m supposed to be the all-powerful Green Ninja, and I’m taken out by a dumb cold.”
“I know,” Kai said, stroking his messy hair. “But you’ll get better, as long as you sleep and keep eating and drinking.” He lifted the orange juice glass and held it to Lloyd’s lips. “Speaking of which, keep it up. It’s important”
“Yeah, yeah...” Lloyd took the glass from him and sipped slowly, sighing at the barely-there taste. “Y’know what would make me feel better?”
“What?”
Lloyd smiled cheekily. “A kiss.”
“Oh, really?” Kai laughed, cupping his cheek. “You wanna share your cold with me? Just so you know, they all already think I’m going to spread your cold to them.”
Lloyd stuck his tongue out. “Boo. They never want me to be happy.” He looked up sweetly, again trying to win Kai over with his puppy-dog eyes. “Please? You can just kiss me on the forehead. My fever’s gone down a bit, so I won’t burn your lips.”
Kai rolled his eyes. “I’m glad your sense of humour’s still here.” He leaned in, pressing his lips gently to Lloyd’s forehead. Lloyd hummed happily in response, and when Kai pulled away, he quickly gave Kai a peck on the chin.
“Gotcha,” Lloyd teased, grinning mischievously.
Kai laughed, nuzzling his forehead. “You’re so bad.”
Before he could respond, Lloyd interrupted himself with a yawn, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Rubbing them, he smiled sleepily, snuggling under the blankets with his plushies. “I think I need to sleep... Don’t leave me, okay?”
Giving him another kiss on his forehead, Kai nodded, tugging the blanket back up to his chin. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Nodding, Lloyd’s eyes slowly shut. Kai smiled gently, hoping that his presence was already helping Lloyd feel a little better.