Chapter Text
Lloyd wasn’t one to complain. He hasn’t complained much since he was seven, mainly because every single complaint was met with either people not being able to do anything about it, or them just deciding not to, because they didn’t like them. however right now was an exception difference is, he’s complaining to nobody but himself.
He decided that before meeting with the others he would take a bath. Apparently that was a bad idea, because wouldn’t you know it he started shedding, four whole days before he was supposed to!
He guessed that it was because he had gotten injured the day before, and he typically shedded more often whenever he was hurt. For some species this would be no problem, like Nagas, and serpentine. However he was part dragon, which meant after he shed he would be incredibly delicate for the next 8 to 12 hours, and now he was expected to train with his team, while being more fragile than a glass vase.
On top of all that it wasn’t like he could just tell his teammates that he couldn’t train today, because he was weak from shedding all his skin off. Not only that but the process was very tiring, and often left Lloyd on the brink of passing out.
Regardless he still had to go to the warehouse.
When he got there he was around an hour late. He hated being late because he always got asked what held him up, and he always had to think of either an excuse, or a creative half lie, which he was not good at.
The second he walked in the door everyone got up and ran to him.
The red ninja tried to hug him like always, but unlike every other time he got hit with a hurried:
“No-no not right now!”
Red tilted his head in confusion, it wasn’t like green to freak out at a hug, at least not now. Sure when he first met greenie he was a bit hesitant to the idea of anyone even coming close to him, but nowadays usually he was happy to accept a hug.
“Sorry, just not in the mood for a hug right now.” He said quietly.
The rest of the team was also seemingly worried about green, but decided not to voice it just yet.
“So what type of training should we do?” Asked cyan jogging up to lloyd.
Lloyd flinched a little bit, but cyan decided to ignore it.
“How about hand to hand? We don’t do that near as often anymore, and I don’t wanna become rusty.” She said with enthusiasm.
Green seemed to tense at the mention of hand to hand combat. That was the second red flag. Green loved hand to hand combat, it was one of his favorite activities for fsm’s sake!
“Um how about we wait a bit to train.” Lloyd said nervously, whilst unconsciously clutching his arms to his body in a defensive manner.
That caught white’s attention.
“Green are you alright? You’re acting awfully different today.” White asked with a clearly worried expression on his face, even with only his eyes visible.
“Yeah I’m fine.” He said while looking away.
White noticed that Green’s feet were starting to bother him, like they were sore. He also seemed rather tired. perhaps he had to deal with something in the city, like a robbery, or something of the sort.
White decided to just nod, and let it be for now. However, cyan wasn’t gonna let that slide easily.
“Green, what going on with you?”
Then blue joined in.
“Yeah, you’re like all nervous, and closed off.”
Then came black.
“It’s like back when we first met.”
“Yeah.” Agreed cyan.
green started to back away from the group to try and sit down on the couch, because now his feet hurt from being on hard surfaces not even an hour after shedding. He then covered himself with one of the blankets on the couch.
“I promise it’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about me.” He reassured.
That’s when red threw himself onto the couch, and accidentally hit greenie in the arm.
Greenie practically screamed.
Everyone started looking at him as if he had grown two extra arms, which considering the circumstances could’ve actually happened, but luckily it didn’t, that would be a lot harder to explain.
Red immediately started apologizing, and asking if he was alright. In the meantime green was trying his best not to start crying, because his arm was hurting like hell now.
And of course, white being the medical expert was rushing over to help greenie.
“Green! Are you alright? Is your arm broken? do you have a fracture?”
Normally white wouldn’t be the type of person to panic during this kind of situation, but then again everyone was panicking, because the last time green got “hurt” was when he was blown up in his mech, and he walked out of it fine with not even a single bruise!
All of a sudden green was surrounded by his friends desperately trying to figure out what on earth was wrong with him.
“I- I’m fine, it’s oka- OW FUCK!” he yelled as white was examining his arm.
“It’s seems to only be in the place you were hit at.” White stated.
“Well I know that!” He responded still wincing in pain.
“Do you mind if I give you an x-ray, to make sure you don’t have a broken bone?”
“I don’t have a broken bone it’s just a bruise.”
“And how exactly would you know that?” Asked the nindroid.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s cause it’s my own body, and I’ve lived in it since I was born!”
“Plenty of people don’t realize it when they get a broken bone.”
“This is different I know why it hurts so bad, and why I got hurt so easily!”
“Then tell me why you got injured so easily if you already know.”
Lloyd took a deep sigh, before deciding whether or not to answer.
“You know how the team always joked about me, and you being inhuman, cause we just never got injured, and then it came out that you were a robot?”
“Yeah?” White answered with a questioning look in his eyes.
“…….I’m not human.”
“YOU’RE NOT?!” Cyan asked dumbfounded.
“No I’m not.” He said looking away.
“Wait then what are you exactly?” Asked blue while tilting his head.
“I can’t tell you exactly what I am. All I will say is I’m not completely human, I have some human DNA, but not all of it.”
“But, what does that have to do with your arm?” Asked black.
“Well it’s not really just my arm. You see, I’m technically part reptile, and like most reptiles I have to……… shed my skin, for lack of a better word.”
“Wait seriously?!” Asked cyan with a surprised look in her eye.
“Yes, and unlike most other reptiles my skin takes Time to Harden, and so it’s delicate, and it stays that way for around 8 to 12 hours. See I was supposed to shed in four days, but because of the injury I got a while ago I ended up shedding early, in order to heal that wound faster. However I didn’t realize that before I tried to take a bath, and starting to shed.”
“So you bruised easily because your skin needed time to harden?” Asked white.
“Yes.”
“Is that also why you’re tired?” White asked.
“Also yes.”
“Well that’s all right we can just train while you rest, and harden up!” assured red.
Apparently red should’ve chose his words better.
“Ya know if you really need it, I could just ask some shady Guy in an alleyway for some Viagra.” Cyan said trying her best not to laugh at her own dumb joke.
“Oh fuck you, and your innuendos!” Green said laughing.
Soon everyone else was training, before greenie decided to share a story of his.
“Ya know one time I got bruises on my ass, because I sat in a kitchen chair right after shedding, it wasn’t pleasant.”
That made everyone start wheezing, and laughing. Soon enough everyone was failing at their training, because they were too busy laughing at greenies expense.
“That can’t have actually happened.” Said cyan in disbelief.
“Oh it did! I spent the entire day crying about it, while my mother was just like: it happens to the best of us, don’t worry. however, that does not stop my dad from picking on me for it.”
“I hope you know that my mind immediately went to picturing you crying about having a bruised ass, while the song: it’s a hard enough life for us plays in the background.” Said black.
That got everyone laughing again, and from that point on Lloyd told his teammates if he had just shed, instead of just waiting for one of them to punch him in the arm.