Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lloyd hit the ground hard, just barely breaking his fall with his shoulder. He recovered quickly, jumping to his feet and brushing off his now stinging shoulder. He looked at the communicator on his wrist, tapping it a couple times trying to get it to work with no avail, “Damn,” he mumbled, dropping his arm back to his side, “Looks like I’m going solo again.”

They glanced around nervously, trying to figure out where they were. He might have just been disoriented, but the empty street he was in was unfamiliar. They could hear the fight still raging in the main part of the city. Right. The fight they were supposed to get back to. He started heading up the street, trying his best to remember both where he was and where he was supposed to be going.

Trying to calm his nerves, he started counting. Counting up to ten, and then back down, over and over again to soothe himself. They weaved through the unfamiliar part of the city, still counting. He turned down another street, but before they could get too far, they heard a pained shout from behind them. Never one to ignore a person in need, Lloyd turned around frantically, searching for the source of the shout. In the alleyway across from they could see a figure hunched over against the wall. The others would have to hold out a bit longer. With a bit of a sigh he made his way into the alleyway. The person against the wall noticed him immediately and frantically tried to shuffle away, but due to what Lloyd assumed was an injury, they didn’t get too far before shouting again and pressing themself back against the wall. Lloyd threw his hands up, showing he wasn’t a threat, “Hey, I’m so sorry I’m not here to hurt you I just want to help,” they explained.

The person against the wall seemed to lean towards him, panting heavily, “Lloyd?” their stomach dropped.

“Nya?” Why was Nya huddled into an alleyway? Shouldn’t she be at the fight? Alongside the others? He dropped to his knees next to her, “Nya what happened?” they put a hand on her shoulder, trying to help her to her feet.

She grabbed his arm and as gently as she could, shoved him back, “Don’t! Don’t…” she mumbled, her face contorted into a pained grimace, “Sorry, I-I can’t…not yet. You should go help the guys, they’ll need you.”

“What?” Lloyd was confused, “Nya, what’s going on, are you ok?” they asked, taking one of her hands gently, he just as quickly pulled it away. Her hand was wet, and when Lloyd looked down at his own hand, the horrifying realization hit him that Nya was bleeding. Her head dipped to her chest before Lloyd frantically put a hand to her cheek to keep her head supported, “Oh god, Nya what happened?” He demanded, not even trying to hide the panic in their voice. They scanned her up and down, noticing the wound in her side, her blood staining her gi a dark color. And god, there was a lot of blood.

“I got hit,” she mumbled, clearly a little dazed from the blood loss, “I just have to get back to the monastery.”

“No, no, Nya we have to get you to a hospital,” Lloyd protested, “You’re bleeding out,” he was panicking, he couldn’t lose her. Not again. Not like this.

“It’s fine, I can handle it,” she replied, her words becoming slurred together, “Just…let me…” she closed her eyes, her statement trailing off.

“Nya, NYA!” Lloyd shouted, shaking her roughly. Her eyes shot open again, “You can’t fall asleep right now, ok? It’s ok, I’m going to get you help.” Lloyd got to his feet, grabbing Nya’s arm again and trying to pull her up next to him.

She let out another cry of pain, struggling against him, “Stop, stop, I can’t!” she stayed pressed to the wall, breathing heavily as she started to cry. She pressed a hand against her wound, biting back a groan.

He felt helpless, useless, he didn’t know what to do. He could feel himself about to cry as well, “Ok…ok. We can wait for the others.” he sighed, sitting down next to her, pressing his back against the cold brick wall. Nya grabbed his hand, leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder. She felt so weak. It honestly scared the fuck out of Lloyd. He’d never seen her so hurt, physically or emotionally. He was trying to keep it together for her, but the tears just kept coming.

Through the silence, Nya’s communicator- still intact- crackled to life, “Hey, does anyone have eyes on Lloyd or Nya?” Cole’s voice came through. The noise shocked Lloyd, but he was overwhelmed with relief just a second later, everyone else checking in to confirm they hadn’t seen either of them.

Lloyd lifted Nya’s hand, tapping on her communicator, “We’re here! We- I’m not really sure where we are I-I think it’s the south side of the city,” Lloyd frantically explained, looking around at their surroundings, “I don’t recognize anything, I-I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s ok, we’re regrouping at Borg tower, how quick can you two be here?” Cole asked. Lloyd glanced at Nya. Her face was covered in sweat, she could barely move, there was no way he was getting her to Borg tower without help, “Lloyd?”

“We can’t,” he finally replied, “Cole, Nya’s hurt bad, I can’t move her.” Lloyd braced himself for the inevitable chorus of panicked ‘what?!’ from everyone else before he continued, “I’m not just leaving her here, she needs to get to a hospital.”

“Ok, where did you say you were?” Lloyd could hear the desperation in Cole’s voice, even through the crackle of the communicator, “We’re on our way with Pixal and the Bounty,”

“Like I said, I’m not sure,” he repeated, making no attempt to mask his annoyance, “you’ll have to track Nya’s communicator, mine’s broken.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end before someone spoke again, “We have your location and we are on our way,” Zane stated, “Stay where you are, we'll be there soon.”

“Please hurry, I don’t know how much longer I can keep her awake.” Silence after that. Gently, Lloyd squeezed Nya’s hand, a silent sign of reassurance.

“Lloyd…” Nya whispered, squeezing his hand back, “Can you talk about something?”

“Yeah, of course…what do you want to hear?”

“Anything else…please,” she replied, “Tell me about your space guy.”

Even despite the dire conditions, Lloyd couldn’t help but laugh a bit, “My space guy?”

“Yeah, you know…the comic guy you and Jay like…”

“...Of course Nya, whatever you want.”

Chapter Text

Seeing all the ninja piled into the waiting room of the hospital wasn’t an uncommon sight, especially after a battle like the one they’d just fought. What wasn’t common though, was the grim silence that was settled amongst the group. Lloyd always hated hospitals, something about them made him feel sick, as ironic as that was. They had a sickly clean smell of chemicals, they felt too corporate and unsafe. He spent far too much time in hospitals, but they’d stay forever just to know that Nya was ok. He hadn’t even given himself time to change out of his bloodstained gi. Stained with the blood of the girl he considered an older sister.

They were sitting in the uncomfortable vinyl chair, knees pulled up to his chest. They picked nervously at their fingernails, his gaze following Kai pacing impatiently around the waiting room. The only sound in the room was the quiet ticking of the clock, and the occasional quiet voice of the receptionist fielding calls. Jay was sitting directly to Lloyd’s right, his hands folded tightly together, his gaze fixed on the clock. Cole was beside Jay, of the five of them he appeared the calmest. Someone had to keep it together for the group. To Lloyd’s left, Zane sat staring at a magazine, Lloyd knew he wasn’t reading it as he’d been staring at the same page since he opened it an hour ago.

“Kai, your pacing is stressing me out,” Jay said, breaking the silence. His voice held a slightly accusatory tone. Lloyd stopped picking at their fingernails, looking up at Kai, waiting for him to shoot something back at Jay. Nothing. He just ignored him, which was a first. Cole, on the other hand, reached out and lightly smacked Jay on the shoulder, shaking his head disapprovingly.

Just as quickly as the silence had ended, it started again. Once again, the only sound being the ticking clock and ringing phone. Lloyd looked back down at his hands, studying his uneven nails. He couldn’t stop thinking about how tired she had looked. It was so unlike her, Nya was known for having the least hospital visits, even after battle. She was careful. How could this have happened?

He sighed, covering his face with his hands. He should have gotten there faster. Maybe she wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place. He’s supposed to be the chosen one, the ‘Green Ninja’, what did it all mean if he couldn’t even protect the people he cared about?

After what felt like an eternity, a doctor finally stepped into the waiting room, “Are you guys here for uh…” she glanced at her clipboard, “Nya Smith?”

Lloyd scrambled to their feet, “Yes, yes we are that’s us!” they exclaimed, taking a few quick steps to stand beside Kai, their shoulders bumping together while all the other ninja crowded the doctor.
“Is she ok? How bad is it? Can we see her?” Jay asked, rapidfire, Cole placed a hand on Jay’s shoulder, but didn’t say anything to silence him. They were all thinking the same thing.

The doctor blinked, clearly feeling a little overwhelmed by the five of them, “She’s been stabilized, and she’s awake right now. She’s going to be fine.” The collective sigh of relief could have powered a wind turbine. Kai placed an arm over Lloyd’s shoulders, giving him a comforting half-hug, “I’m not done,” the doctor continued, glancing down at her clipboard again, “While I’m impressed with the stitchwork of whoever fixed her up at home, I really wish she had come to the hospital. Especially for some of those wounds.”

Just as quickly as they started to celebrate, it died down quickly, “Woah woah, what?” Kai’s arm dropped from Lloyd’s shoulders.

“The home-doctoring,” the doctor stated, “I admire the stitchwork of whoever did it for her, but some of it is sloppy and very prone to infection, especially some of the more serious wounds that didn’t appear to heal so nicely.”

The silence that settled over them again was deafening, “She’s been sewing her own wounds up?” Lloyd asked quietly.

The doctor looked even more uncomfortable now, “I…assume that means you guys didn’t know.”

“Obviously not!” Kai snapped, “What the fuck does ‘I assume’ mean? Obviously we didn’t know!”

Kai’s sudden outburst made Lloyd jump a bit, “Kai, don’t yell at her.” They elbowed Kai lightly. He turned his attention back to the doctor, “I’m sorry about him, please continue,” he said.

“Right,” She said, “Bringing her here was the right choice. If she was brought in just a few minutes later, I’m not sure how well she would be doing right now.” something deep inside himself was satisfied. He’d found her at the right time. Nya was safe and alive because he happened to find her.

“Ok ok ok, but can we see her?” Jay asked again. He was rocking impatiently on his heels, his fists clenched tightly.

The doctor tucked her clipboard underneath her arm with a sigh, “She needs time to rest, so for right now…just immediate family.” Jay visibly deflated. Lloyd couldn’t blame him, feeling his own heart sink a bit. They’d see her at a later time, it would be ok. Just let Kai have this time.

Before he could turn away to follow Jay, Cole, and Zane, Kai grabbed Lloyd’s arm, catching him off guard, “You said she was awake, yes?”

The doctor glanced in between Kai and Lloyd a couple times, her mouth a bit agape, “Immediate family.”

“Yes. We are her brothers. She is our sister. Is that immediate enough for you?” Kai said quietly, but firmly, fixing the doctor with a hard glare. Lloyd couldn’t help but smile a little too wide, considering the circumstances. He always considered Nya and Kai older siblings, but didn’t know they considered him the same.

With a sigh, the doctor turned around and headed back into the hall, “Come on,” she said.

Kai looked back at the others, “You guys head back to the monastery, we’ll be back soon.”

“Can you tell Nya I said hi?” Jay asked, “And tell her I love her, and that I’m worried about her, and-”

Cole put a hand on Jay’s shoulder, interrupting him, “Tell her we said hi.”

Kai gave him a smile and nodded, turning back to follow the doctor, Lloyd in tow. Lloyd kept his head down, trying not to look at the sterile white walls that surrounded them. He hated them. He hated hospitals. They felt too exposed in that building, the only comfort they got being Kai’s hand on their arm.

“She needs her rest, so I ask that you don’t talk too long,” the doctor requested, opening the door to what Lloyd could only assume was the room Nya was staying in.

“Right,” Kai said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “We’ll keep that in mind.” He stepped into the room, just as quickly letting go of Lloyd’s arm, “Nya!”

She was sitting in the hospital bed cross legged, an open book in her hands that she closed the moment she heard her name, “Kai!” Lloyd watched the two of them hug, Kai rambling almost incoherently about how scared she had him. They smiled a bit, knowing she was ok was a relief. Knowing she was ok enough to listen to Kai ranting was even more so. Nya pulled away from the hug and looked at Lloyd, holding a hand out to him, “Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he repeated, moving towards her and taking her hand, “How are you feeling?” They took a mental note of some of the nasty scars across her arms. Probably ones she’d doctored herself.

“A lot better thanks to you,” she answered, pulling him forward into a hug, “If you hadn’t found me I’d really be a goner.” Lloyd hugged her back. It felt almost surreal. Just a few hours ago, he was sitting in a dusty alleyway while an almost dead Nya leaned all her weight against him, and now she was safe, and alive, and real. And he was hugging her.

“You had us all worried,” he mumbled. He didn’t want to let go of her, he was nervous she’d disappear. That it wasn’t real. That he and Kai would lose their sister again.

“I’m fine, I’m safe, you can let go now Lloyd. It’s ok.” Lloyd nodded and pulled away, straightening up.

“When do they plan on releasing you?” Kai asked. He grabbed Nya’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“They want to keep me for a few days, just to make sure there aren’t any complications. But I should be ok to leave soon,” Nya replied, “I’m just…glad to be alive.”

Chapter Text

Lloyd and Nya sat on the steps of the monastery courtyard, a first aid kit placed between them for Kai and Jay who were sparring in the middle. It’d been a couple days since Nya was allowed home since the hospital, and nobody had mentioned her home operations. Lloyd couldn’t stop thinking about it. While Nya’s attention was on the boys fighting, Lloyd was staring at the scars across her arms and the part of her back he could see because of the tank top she was wearing. He wondered how many of them could have healed without scarring, and how many she had sat uncomfortably sewing up herself. The thought was scary to them, why would she do that? Why wouldn’t she tell anyone, much less go to the hospital? Lloyd knew that anyone in the monastery, and even a few people not in the monastery would have been willing to help her, so why did she do it herself and risk it going terribly wrong?

“Hello? Earth to Lloyd,” Nya waved a hand in front of Lloyd’s face, snapping him out of his own head, “What are you thinking about?” she asked, putting her hand back down on the steps, “You’ve been staring at me since we got out here, are you still worried I’m gonna drop dead or something?” she had a bit of a confused smile on her face.

He should ask her. But what if she gets all jaded and starts avoiding him? That’s a stupid thought, she’s not like that. They hoped, “The doctor mentioned something about…home doctoring,” they began, looking down at their hands. He started picking his fingernails a bit nervously, “I guess I just…don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you ask for help on something like that?” he asked, looking back at Nya.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She was clearly calculating what she was going to respond with, “Well…you were bound to find that out eventually,” she said, “It was just easier for me to do it myself when I was alone, rather than bother you guys. You all have your own stuff going on, and I didn’t want to intrude with something so small. And I know what I’m doing, I’ve always been safe about it. I appreciate the concern-”

“Nya, you could have died all those times,” Lloyd interrupted, “any one of us would have dropped everything to help you, hell I would have stayed nights in the hospital with you if it meant you’d be alright, and you know how much I hate those places,” they ranted. He pulled off a bit of his fingernail, watching it silently as it started to bleed, “I just…realizing that you were doing that really fucking scared me, Nya.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” she gently took his hand with the bleeding finger, opening the first aid kit with the other, “I guess I never really thought about that. I know what that’s like, hating hospitals that is, so the more time I could spend out of them, the better. So,” she shrugged, pressing a bandaid onto Lloyd’s finger, “I did it myself. I didn’t ask for help because…I didn’t want to feel like I was weak.”

Lloyd was taken aback, “Weak? Nya, you're one of the strongest people I know, asking for help wouldn’t change that for anything!” he protested.

She chuckled quietly, “I know, but it was less of what you guys thought. It was more of an internalized thing. If I had to get help, then I wasn’t strong enough to do it in the first place. So I just did it myself.”

There was a silence between them for a moment. Nya wasn’t weak, she’d never been. Even before she realized she was an elemental master, she was definitely not weak then.

“Were you planning on fixing that one yourself as well?” Lloyd asked, “The one from a few days ago, you told me to take you back to the monastery, were you going to sew that one up yourself?”

Nya was silent. A grim look on her face, “Yes.”

“You would have died.”

“I know.”

“Did you know then as well?”

“No, I don’t think so.”