Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Aren’t you a little young to be fighting crime?”

The Green Ninja glanced down from the window ledge where he was standing. Without missing a beat, he replied, “I’m not that young.”

The police officer, the one who had asked the question, gave him a raised eyebrow. “How old are you?” He asked.

The officer watched as the boy in the green suit jumped from the ledge to the pole nearby, spinning on it several times before his feet slapped the concrete of the sidewalk. “That’s classified.” Was his response.

“That’s not an answer.” The officer, who’s name tag read JEFF in all capitals, said with his arms crossed.

Not wanting to make an officer of the law mad, the boy changed his answer. “I’m old enough.”

Accepting defeat, Officer Jeff sighed. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

“Nope.” The boy responded, popping the ‘p’. “Winter break started today.”

“Hmm.” Officer Jeff responded. “Alright. But you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. It’s dangerous, and you’re just a kid.”

To Jeff’s surprise, the secret superhero grew defensive. “I’m not a kid.”

“Well, you’re certainly not an adult.” Jeff countered. The boy crossed his arms and huffed. “At least I’m not breaking the law. Do you know how many law books I had to read to make sure a minor was allowed to do this kind of stuff?”

“You’re a minor?” Jeff asked.

“Yep. Again, I’m not that young.”

“Are you a teenager?”

“Uh huh.”

Jeff sighed. “Well, just try not to do dangerous stuff, will ya?”

The police officer was met with a raised eyebrow. “Why are you acting like my dad?”

“What? No I’m not.” Jeff stammered. The teen laughed. “Sure. Bye, Officer Jeff.”

And with that, the Green Ninja ran off, jumping on window ledges and making his way to the rooftops, heading for (hopefully) home.

“He’s too young for all this.” Jeff said to himself with a resigned sigh, for he knew he would be seeing this teen again.

Chapter Text

“Hey, devil spawn!” Chen called.

Lloyd groaned and pulled his hoodie tighter over his head, wishing that for once, Chen would walk by without any teasing, name calling, and/or slamming his face into several lockers.

“Hey!”

Lloyd ignored him, as per usual.

“Hey, Garmadork!”

Lloyd sighed, turning the corner—

Only for someone to shove him into a locker. His body hit the cool metal, and Lloyd winced as the lock hit his cheek. 

“I’m talking to you, Garmadork.” Chen snapped as Lloyd looked towards him.

“Oh really? Didn’t notice.” Lloyd grumbled, a sorry excuse for a comeback, but a comeback nonetheless. Chen growled and grabbed Lloyd’s hair, slamming the back of his head over and over into the locker. Lloyd gasped, pulling himself out of Chen’s grip, probably losing a few hairs in the process. He picked up his dark green backpack and sprinted down the hall, Chen’s laughter of Lloyd’s defeat echoing in the secret Green Ninja’s ears.

Lloyd sighed as he sat down at the bleachers after a tough day, using the precious few minutes to unwind and let the tension release from his body.

He sighed and pulled out his phone, watching the daily news reports of his alter ego fighting Garmadon. Lloyd sighed again and analyzed his movements, noting minor mistakes and making mental notes to fix them in the next battle. He took a deep breath and picked up his bag, heading for home.

Lloyd made the decision to travel in his gi, to avoid the brunt of the hate. He headed to the rooftops, feeling much more relaxed than before. And that’s when he saw him.

It was the police officer from the day before—Jeff—chatting with a couple other officers. Jeff then looked up, noticed Lloyd, and waved .

Sure, Lloyd was famous—and fans loved talking to him—but this was different. Normally kids waved at him. Not adults.

Lloyd turned around, checking to make sure that Officer Jeff was actually waving at him. After realizing the officer was indeed waving at him, the Green Ninja version of him, Lloyd lifted his hand and waved back, feeling extremely awkward.

Officer Jeff chuckled and motioned for Lloyd to come down from the roof. He gasped as Lloyd hurled himself off the roof, only to grab the window ledges at the last second, planting himself securely on the ground.

“Damn, you almost gave me a heart attack.” Jeff said, walking over. Lloyd laughed.

“I've had quite a few heart attacks today.” Jeff chuckled. “I met this orange–haired lady. She’s Garmadon’s ex–wife and she’s super sweet. She invited me over. She isn’t evil, is she?” He asked cautiously.

At the mention of his mom, Lloyd knew he couldn’t screw this up. “I mean, there’s no proof of it. I’d say give her the benefit of the doubt.”

“Yeah, you’re right. See you around, kid.” Jeff said as he walked away.

“I’m not a kid!” Lloyd called.

Then he realized.

Officer Jeff was coming over to his house. With his mom.

He had to get home. Fast.

Chapter Text

“He's a little shy when it comes to meeting new people.” Koko explained as she locked the door behind her and sat Jeff down on the couch. “So if he doesn't warm up to you immediately, try not to feel offended.”

“I'll do my best.” Jeff said with a smile. His ears perked up as footsteps sounded, and Lloyd appeared.

“Hey, mom.” Lloyd said. His eyes widened comically upon noticing Jeff. “Officer Jeff.”

“You've seen me around, huh?” Jeff asked. 

Lloyd nodded quickly. “Yup, exactly. No other reason for knowing what you look like.”

Shut up, Lloyd. Quit being an idiot, Lloyd. Lloyd thought to himself, flashing Jeff a smile.

“Anyway!” Koko said, changing the subject. “I made dumplings. You want some?”

“Yes!” Lloyd exclaimed.

Jeff laughed. “Mom's cooking is always the best, isn't it?”

Koko laughed. “Always.”

As the three talked, ate, and got to know each other, Jeff, for some strange reason, felt a pang of concern for the boy. He wasn't sure why, but it felt right .

But it wasn’t that he’d never felt this feeling before. He’d felt it all right—but feeling it with some kid he’d just met? It sounded strange.

As the three continued their meal, the lights all of a sudden flickered, and then went out completely, taking them all by surprise. Lloyd immediately jumped up and headed to the circuit breaker, and after a few minutes, the lights flickered again and then returned to normal.

But something else had happened. Jeff had only recalled it after he had left, but now the memory was stuck in his head.

If asked, Jeff would swear on his life that he saw Lloyd’s green eyes glowing in the dark.

Chapter Text

“So…whaddya think?” 

Lloyd looked up to see his best friend Nya holding a small robot. “Would this get me an A or what?”

Lloyd smiled. “Everything you do in robotics gets you an A. And I think it’s awesome.”

“Okay, good. I really don’t wanna fail my favorite class.” Nya said, sitting down next to him. The wind blew past them, and both teens wrapped their jackets tighter around their bodies.

“Alright. I think for the mech Garmadon is gonna bring this time, you’re gonna have to push a few buttons.”

“Which ones?”

“I’ll know it when I see it.”

Lloyd smiled. He and Nya were not only best friends, they also fought Garmadon together. Well, Lloyd fought, and Nya helped him with how to disable the mech. Nya could look at any piece of technology and know exactly what to do to shut it down.

The two were partners in crime, or rather partners to stop crime. And it was their little secret.

“Okay.” Lloyd decides to change the subject. “I will pay you ten bucks if you talk to your crush.”

Immediately, Nya’s face turns pink at the mention of Jay Walker, the boy who sits near her in Robotics and English class. 

She turns to Lloyd, who has a ten dollar bill between his fingers, a cocky grin plastered on his face. Nya groans.

“Fiiiiiinnee.” She stretches out the word. “I’ll talk to him on Monday.”

“You better.” Lloyd smirks as he tucks the money into his wallet that forever lives in a hidden pocket in his jeans. 

All of a sudden, a large explosion moves into their lines of sight, and that’s all Lloyd needs to spin into his gi, grinning at Nya.

“Push a few buttons.” Nya says. “I’ll tell you which ones.”

“Yes ma’am.” Lloyd salutes and leaps off the building, landing on the roof nearby. He pulls out his knife and heads to the scene of the crime.

Chapter Text

After making up some excuse as to why he was out until 3 AM last night, all Lloyd wanted to do was have a normal day at school, with no bullying.

But of course, since the universe hated him so much, he was stuck getting beat up by some dude named Jason who'd lost his grandparents in a Garmadon Attack. Said attack being the most recent one, that Lloyd had spent up until 3 AM awake to get the warlord out of the city.

And here he was, getting beat up for it.

“Come on man–I hate my dad too, okay? We have that in common!” Lloyd pleaded as Jason’s face made contact with Lloyd’s mouth. Again. He spit out a tooth.

“Yeah right.” Chen snapped. “He's lying, Jason. Get him!”

“ What did I ever do to you ?” Lloyd finally screamed, shoving Jason off and running out of the school.

He finally collapsed on a park bench, just sitting there for a few seconds, his head spinning around with thoughts that he didn't want to be his.

Why did he have to feel this way? Why did he feel like he deserved all of this? Why did he want to just leave and never come back?

Lloyd decided not to answer the last question. He'd get sent into a spiral if he did.

Needing something to distract himself, Lloyd picked up a flat rock from a pile of rocks he'd created over the years and threw it towards a nearby thin stream, watching as the stone bounced three times and then sank, just like his heart.

“Your mom told me I'd find you here.”

Lloyd looked up to find Jeff sitting near him. “Why'd you ditch school?”

“Felt like it.” Lloyd mumbled.

“Come on, that's not a reason.” Jeff said, picking up a rock and throwing it towards the water. It skipped five times before getting stuck in mud on the other side of the stream, remaining above the water.

“It's my reason.” Lloyd muttered, throwing a rock. It skipped twice and sank to the bottom. Rock bottom , Lloyd thought.

“Lloyd, be honest with me. Did something happen?” Jeff said, positioning himself so that he faced Lloyd fully.

“No.” Lloyd lied.

“Really?”

“Yup. Nothing happened, I just didn't wanna be there.”

“Well, that's not a reason to skip.”

“Well, I skipped school and the day’s over. What are you gonna make me do? Go back?” Lloyd chuckled humorlessly.

“Is this the first time you've skipped school?” Jeff asked.

“...No.”

“Why'd you skip before?”

“Same reason as today’s reason.”

“So you skip for no reason at all?”

“If that's what you wanna hear.”

Lloyd sighed as his fingers seemed to have a mind if their own, squabbling and fighting with one another like Lloyd did with Garmadon, even drawing blood in both scenarios. Jeff noticed and took Lloyd’s hands in his own, preventing him from subconsciously hurting himself.

When he finally released the blonde’s fingers, it was once the blood had been cleaned and the fingers were bandaged. Lloyd began to pick at the bandage immediately, but Jeff stopped him and handed him a bottle cap that had been in his pocket for far too long.

Once that was in his hands, Lloyd began fidgeting with the cap rather than his fingers. Jeff smiled, knowing he'd have to get the kid a stress ball or something of the sort to prevent this from happening again.

“Come on.” Jeff said, standing up and helping Lloyd to his feet. “Let's go home.”

Five hours later, after another Garmadon attack, Jeff watched as the Green Ninja attacked and picked at his bandaged fingers. 

Chapter Text

Well, this wasn't something Jeff expected to see on a Monday evening.

After another Garmadon attack, which had lasted from around two o’clock in the afternoon all the way till eight, Jeff wanted nothing more than to go home and crash. 

He was pretty sure the Green Ninja wanted that as well, but as Jeff wandered into a nearby alleyway to catch his breath, he stopped short at the sight in front of him.

It was the Green Ninja, sitting against the wall, papers and books spread around him, backpack to the side, working on a few sheets of math homework.

“Knock, knock…” Jeff said, causing the superhero to jump in surprise, holding his pencil the way he’d hold a knife.

“You scared me,” Green said with a laugh, picking up the fallen paper and readjusting himself. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Jeff said, eyeing the papers.

“Homework for school tomorrow,” Green replied casually. “Nothing crazy.”

“You’re in high school? Or middle?” Jeff asked.

“High school. It sucks .” Green groaned, leaning back until his head hit the wall behind him. “Wish I could quit. Ninth-grade boys are stupid and mean as hell .”

“You’re being bullied.” It wasn't a question.

Green nodded, head lowered in shame.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I was bullied a lot in high school. I was a complete and total dweeb.” Jeff said, taking a seat next to the young ninja.

Somehow, that earned a chuckle out of the boy. “You? A dweeb?”

“Yup.”

Green chuckled. “No way.”

“Yes way. You should see my pictures from high school. You’d be surprised.” Jeff chuckled. “Those were not my best years.”

“Same here,” Green muttered, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Jeff looked at him, finally taking into account how tired the superhero looked.

“You should probably head to bed,” Jeff suggested, but it was shot down.

“Can’t. Gotta finish…this first.” A yawn interrupted the sentence. Green sighed. “Still got three pages.”

“Damn, high school has gotten tougher. How many is that–” Jeff looked around and counted the total number of pages “- eight pages?! Wow!” he exclaimed. 

“Yup,” Green muttered. He didn't look too happy.

“You need help?” Jeff asked.

Green looked up. “What?”

Jeff, who was completely unsure how and why the words had fallen out of his mouth, nodded. “Yeah. Do you want help?”

“No, I’m okay,” Green said. “I don’t need help. Thanks for the offer though.”

“It’s alright. Do me a favor and go to bed in an hour tops, okay? You need the sleep.”

Green nodded, yawning again. “Alright. Thanks, Officer.”

“Jeff is fine,” Jeff said. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Green said, smiling behind his mask as Jeff left, the smile quickly fading as he turned back to his homework.

Chapter Text

Koko sips the tea in her hands, closing her eyes. Lloyd’s at school, she’s got Jeff’s number saved, the city’s peaceful, Garmadon hasn’t attacked yet, and she’s got Jeff’s number saved.

She doesn’t understand why it feels like such a big deal, but it’s a big deal. Koko sighs, shaking the thoughts out of her head and slipping into a daydream.

She’s walking down an aisle—of a grocery store, pushing the cart in front of her. This store is one of the few she isn’t banned from, so she’s extremely grateful. She grabs a few items, dumps them in her cart, and continues until she’s reached the spot between two aisles where the cart won’t fit—stupid architecture, why would you put the shelves so close to each other?

So she leaves the cart, hoping that someone won’t take it as she grabs a few “special” products from the aisle. But just as she turns, she slams into a man. The product falls out of her hands

“I’m so sorry!” Koko exclaims, scrambling to pick it up. She knows she looks suspicious, being the ex wife of Garmadon, but she’s not going to let a male see this.

“It’s alright.” The man says, smiling at her, and Koko feels her heart flutter in her chest. 

Koko makes her way to her cart as the man apologizes. “Sorry for bumping into you.”

“Oh, it’s no problem.” Koko waves a hand flippantly. “Accidents happen.”

The man smiles. “Doesn’t seem like one to me. In fact, I’m starting to like this accident.”

Koko blushes against her will. “What’s your name?”

“Jeff. Officer Jeff, if you want to be formal.” The man gives her a salute, and Koko giggles.

 “I’m Koko, but you probably know me as Garmadon’s ex wife.” Koko says.

Jeff smiles. “I’ve heard of the guy. Seen him too. You must be glad you divorced him.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” Koko smiles.

Koko sighed, setting the tea down on the small side table. She messages Lloyd, who should be on his way home by now.

Then she hears the familiar alarm go off.

Panic spikes within her.

Lloyd.

Where’s Lloyd?

Chapter Text

Lloyd’s not sure what he's feeling, but he doesn’t like it.

It’s the second Garmadon attack of the week, and Lloyd knows he’s gonna be stuck doing his homework in an alleyway again if this keeps up. Man, he hates these attacks. 

Lloyd searches for his phone, but it’s in his pocket, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but he’s wearing his gi over his clothes today, so he can’t reach it. Also, it’s around one hundred degrees out and the fact that Lloyd is wearing two layers isn’t helping his current situation.

“Green?”

Lloyd’s been in panic mode for the past hour, so it’s no surprise that he (a) doesn’t register the voice and (b) immediately uses self-defense against the person, which results in (c), a bloody nose.

When Lloyd looks up, he finds himself face to face with Jeff, who’s holding a tissue to his bleeding nose.

“Sorry…” Lloyd says sheepishly. “I didn’t know it was you.”

“No problem,” Jeff says, his voice coming out strange due to the injury.

Lloyd takes a few deep breaths, but it’s becoming a struggle. Jeff notices almost immediately and pulls him into a hug. To Lloyd’s surprise, he relaxes, not wanting to leave the embrace.

The two eventually separate, and Lloyd doesn’t feel tense anymore. He feels…well, he’s not sure how to describe it, but he’s feeling much better than before. 

“You okay, kiddo?” Jeff asked, and Lloyd feels a rush of warmth, the good kind, at the nickname.

“Yeah,” Lloyd says, and suddenly shivers. He and Jeff both frown–it’s a hundred degrees outside and Lloyd’s wearing two layers–he shouldn’t be feeling cold. Jeff puts a hand on the teen’s forehead.

“You’ve got a fever,” Jeff comments. 

Panic spikes inside of Lloyd. He’s the Green Ninja! He has to fight Garmadon! He can’t fight Garmadon if he’s sick!

“Hey.” Jeff waves to get Lloyd’s attention. “You gotta get home. Go rest.”

Lloyd sighs, knowing he isn’t going to win the battle–or any battle, for that matter–if he’s sick. So he says goodbye to Jeff and heads home. 

He changes and tells his mom he doesn’t feel well, to which the questions about where he’s been die in her throat. Protective mom mode has been activated, Lloyd notes as she helps him to his bed, so he can rest.

The only good part about this is that he doesn’t have to go to school tomorrow, Lloyd thinks, as he drifts off to sleep.

But it’s not a peaceful sleep. He gets haunting visions, and strange symbols float around him, some close to him, some far, and then Garmadon appears from above while laughing, and Lloyd wakes up in a cold sweat.

After a minute or two, Lloyd sits up and checks his phone. He’s been asleep for a while–it’s Wednesday already.

And then he hears a crashing sound. Lloyd gasps, jumping out of bed. Then he sees it.

His Green Ninja gi, laid out at the foot of his bed. Lloyd freezes.

Then, after summoning the courage, he peeks outside. 

Lloyd gasps, rushing to Jeff, who’s on the floor, and he’s not moving.

Without another option, Lloyd runs to his room and grabs his phone. 

With shaking hands, he dials 911.

Chapter Text

The following conversation is being recorded.

Wednesday, June 8th, 11:39 AM.

Lloyd: Hello?

911 Operator: Police, Fire, or Medical?

Lloyd: Medical, please. My–he had a heart attack, I think–I dunno–but he collapsed and I didn’t know what else to do–

911 Operator: Ok, ok, please stay calm. Can you tell me your name and where you are currently, please?

Lloyd: My name’s Lloyd, I’m at [REDACTED] .

911 Operator: Alright, Lloyd. Paramedics are on their way. 

Lloyd: Thank you.

Lloyd gasped, breathing heavily as he stared at Jeff’s unmoving form, a lump forming in his throat.  

Jeff knew his secret. The secret he’s worked so hard to keep, shattered because somehow, Jeff had found out.

As paramedics carried Jeff away on a stretcher, Lloyd shivered on the cool floor of the apartment, letting a few stray tears fall.

This is all my fault . Lloyd’s self–hating thoughts invaded, taking over his mind.

Lloyd let out an involuntary sob, wrapping his arms around himself.

He’s going to die.

Jeff’s going to die and it’s all my fault.

Lloyd shook his head and wiped most of his tears, moving his blonde locks away from his face as he stood on shaky legs. 

What was he supposed to do? He was home alone and had no idea how bad Jeff’s condition was. Did Lloyd want to find out?

Yes. No.

No. Yes.

Lloyd took a deep breath. He slowly headed out the open door, closing it behind him, and ran down the stairs, heading for the hospital.

After getting a nasty look from the receptionist and Jeff’s room number, Lloyd quickly headed to the room. There was so much he wanted to ask Jeff, like how—

“Immediate family only.”

Lloyd looked up to see a doctor standing in front of Jeff’s room.

“What?” Lloyd asked, his mouth dry.

“You heard me, Garmadork. ” The man snapped. Lloyd felt himself wilt. “Please–”

“Out!” The doctor yelled.

Now they were causing a scene. Lloyd looked at the people around him, all giving him dirty looks and glaring while whispering rumors that weren’t true.

Lloyd blinked back his tears. “Fine.” He whispered. “I’ll leave.”

“Good.” The doctor snapped.

Lloyd turned on his heel and left, not letting the tears fall until he’d reached home, locking himself in his room.

He buried his face in his knees and cried.

Chapter Text

He’s okay. He’s okay. He’s okay.

Lloyd repeated this sentence as a mantra, over and over in his head. He’s okay.

Jeff was okay–he’d been discharged from the hospital and was doing everything normally–so why was Lloyd still freaking out?

Because he knows your secret and is gonna tell the whole world—

Lloyd shut up the voice.

It had been a few weeks since Jeff had been released and Lloyd was still trying to summon the courage to talk to him. And ask him how he found out.

Slowly, Lloyd headed outside, to the rooftop of the apartment. It was the middle of the night, and Lloyd was trying as hard as he could not to wake his mom. She’d been at work when it happened and didn’t sleep most nights while Jeff was in the hospital, and Lloyd knew all of this was his fault.

“Lloyd?”

“Hi.” Lloyd said to Jeff. 

“What are you doing out here?” Jeff asked.

“Couldn’t sleep.” Lloyd said softly. “What about you?”

“Same here.” Jeff replied. 

“How’d you know?” Lloyd asked finally.

“Know what?” Jeff asked.

“That I was–you know–”

“Green?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

Jeff sighed. “I was just trying to help your mom out. When you got sick she called me and I stayed the night. Then she left for work and I couldn’t leave you alone, so I stayed. I decided to clean up the place a bit and as I was cleaning your room, I found the gi. But I guess the plan to help out backfired, didn’t it?”

“You…love her, don’t you?” Lloyd asked.

“I…” Jeff fell silent. He looked at Lloyd and then away, the gears turning in his head as he fished out the next few words from his mind. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do.”

Lloyd smiled. “Good. She needs someone other than me to love her.”

“You’re a good kid, you know that?” 

“Now I do.”

Jeff smiled. “Alright, come on. Back to bed.”

Lloyd nodded and the two headed inside.

The next morning was a school day. The highlight of his day was meeting Nya, who helped him out on how to drive Garmadon out the next time he arrived. 

The two were very different from one another. Practically opposites, so it was a wonder how they were even friends. For starters, Lloyd was introverted and preferred being by himself. Nya, on the other hand, was extroverted and liked being around people and found it boring when alone. Lloyd hated public speaking with a passion, but Nya never missed an opportunity to speak her mind. Lloyd would sit back and take whatever injustice was thrown at him, but Nya would stand up for herself and Lloyd. And yet, the two made a great pair when it came to fighting Garmadon.

Finally, when the end of the day rolled around, Lloyd searched for his mom’s car. Some days he’d take the bus, but today his mom had told him to wait in the carpool area.

He probably should've waited inside the building, because Chen and his cronies saw this as an opportunity.

“Hey, devil spawn!” 

Really? Come on, give me a break, universe, just this once… Lloyd thought, but to no avail. Chen came up and punched him, hard.

“I’m talking to you!” Chen yelled. Great, now everyone was watching the “devil spawn” get beat up. Wonderful.

There was a honk and Lloyd looked up to find Jeff waving him to the car. Chen scowled and gave Lloyd the finger as he walked to the car, but the car door wouldn’t open.

“Nope. Go back and punch that guy in the face.” Jeff said. “Go.”

“What?” Lloyd stammered.

“You heard me.” Jeff had a no–nonsense look on his face. Lloyd sighed. “Fine.”

Chen and his minions were laughing to themselves, not noticing Lloyd walk up to them until he’d called them out. “Chen!”

Chen turned, and was met with Lloyd’s fist. He screamed as the force sent him to the ground with a bloody nose. Lloyd turned and walked to Jeff’s car and sat down in the front passenger seat.

“Nice work.” Jeff said as the car moved forward. 

Lloyd groaned. “Mom’s gonna kill me.”

“But it was worth it, right?” Jeff said with a grin.

Lloyd found himself smiling. “Yeah. Yeah, it was.”

Chapter Text

Hey guys!!

So there's an ongoing debate in my mind right now--do I want more trauma, or more fluff? I can't decide.

Therefore, you guys are gonna use the link to the google form in the notes and decide for me!

Thanks again, guys! Be yourself and stay strong--you got this!

Chapter Text

“Green, please. If I had known you’d be coming I–”

“Jeff!” Green groaned, turning around and cutting Jeff off mid sentence. “Look–I’m not blaming you, I just…wish this didn’t happen.”

Green sighed, sitting down against the alleyway wall. “Who wants to stop robberies at 3 AM anyway?”

“Fair.” Jeff mumbled, adjusting the bag of medical supplies on his shoulder. “Sorry, kiddo.”

“No problem, just…don’t call me unless you actually need me.”

“Fair enough.” Jeff said. “Come on, let’s go home.”

He turned to drop the bag in his police car, but stopped when Green didn’t follow. “Green?”

“I…I’m okay.” Green gasped, taking quick breaths. “You…you go, I…I’ll catch up.”

“You’re hurt.” Jeff realized, walking back to the teen and dropping the bag on the floor. Jeff’s eyes widened at the sight of blood coming from Lloyd’s leg.

“How did this happen?” Jeff asked as he searched through his bag for something to help. Green winced as Jeff began to clean the wound.

“The robbers had weapons,” Green groaned. “And one of the swords cut my leg.”

“This isn’t just a cut, Green. You might need stitches.” Jeff said worriedly. Green winced as the cloth made contact and Jeff wrapped up his leg. “I’ll stitch you up when we get home, alright?”

“Alright.” Green winced.

Later, as Jeff stitched up Lloyd’s leg, he noticed the teen’s face—blank, with no expression whatsoever. 

“It doesn’t hurt?” Jeff asked as he finished up and sat down next to Lloyd, who picked at his fingers. Jeff made a mental note to get the kid a stress ball.

“I mean, it does, I’m just used to not showing it.” Lloyd said after a moment. Jeff pondered over the statement.

“So…you tend to hide the fact that you’re in pain.” Jeff said slowly. 

Lloyd nodded. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“Why?”

“I dunno, really.”

Jeff sighed and put an arm around Lloyd’s shoulder. “Well, if you’re hurt, you come to me, okay? I’ll help you the best I can.”

To Jeff’s surprise, Lloyd threw his arms around the man. Jeff, without hesitation, hugged him back.

“Thank you.” Lloyd whispered.

“No problem, kiddo.” Jeff replied, unaware of the tear that slid down Lloyd’s cheek.

Chapter Text

“Hey, it's the Green Ninja’s dad!”

Jeff turned at the sound of the voice to find his teammates watching him. Then he realized. “Oh, you mean me?”

“Well, yeah! You hang out with that kid so much you might as well be his dad.” Jeff’s friend Lisa said with a smile, as she tried hard not to laugh. Jeff sighed.

“Jeff!”

Jeff turned to find Green bounding up to him. “Guess what?!”

“Whoa, someone's excited! What happened?” Jeff said with a laugh. Lloyd grinned underneath the mask.

“Okay, first, Mom got promoted!” Green exclaimed. “So now her salary is basically doubled, and then we won't live in a crappy apartment anymore, and–”

Suddenly, he stopped, noticing the other officers watching. Jeff sighed. “I proved your point, didn't I?”

“Yup.” Lisa said, popping the ‘p’. Green looked up at Jeff, who sighed.

“They've been cracking jokes and saying I'm your dad.” Jeff sighed. Green looked slightly uncomfortable at the mention of the word dad . “Ignore them, Green. They're just making fun.”

Green nodded, blinking rapidly at Jeff.

“Alright, get outta here. Head home.” Jeff said to Green, who sighed and left quickly, still slightly wary of the other officers.

By the time Jeff arrived at Koko’s apartment, it was to find Lloyd, getting thoroughly beat up by a few teenagers.

“Hey!” Jeff barked. “Leave him alone!”

At the sight of Jeff’s badge in his hand, the teenagers took off running, leaving Lloyd on the floor. Jeff walked up and helped the blonde to his feet.

“You alright?” Jeff asked. No response.

“Lloyd?” Jeff asked. All of a sudden, Lloyd hugged Jeff tightly and began to cry softly, burying his face in Jeff’s civilian clothing.

“Hey, it's gonna be okay. Shh.” Jeff whispered, letting Lloyd sob into his shirt. “Don't worry.”

“They hate me!” Lloyd burst out suddenly. “I save their lives, day in, day out, and they hate me!” The teen sobbed harder. 

Jeff gave the teen a wan smile. “Just get it all off your chest, kid.”

Lloyd sighed, sniffed, and wiped his eyes after separating from Jeff. “‘M sorry.”

“Don't be.” Jeff whispered. “Don't be.”

Chapter Text

“Who are you lighting a lantern for, Jeff?” Lloyd asked as he sat down on the roof of the apartment next to Jeff. He smiled.

“My wife and daughter.” Jeff said, letting the lantern fly into the sky, watching it until it became nothing more than a dot on the horizon. “What about you?”

Lloyd lit his own lantern with his powers and pushed it upwards, watching it get smaller and smaller before speaking. “My dad.”

Jeff frowned, confused. “But…Garmadon’s alive.”

“Yeah, I know. But the part of him that’s supposed to be my dad is dead.” Lloyd said. “If that makes sense.”

“Yeah, it makes sense to me.” Jeff said. 

“So…if you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your wife and daughter?” Lloyd asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Jeff sighed.

“A fire.” He said. “Rebecca, my wife, and Rose, my daughter, died in a fire that burned most of the apartment we were staying in during our vacation in Las Vegas. This was all about twenty years ago.”

“I…I’m sorry for your loss.” Lloyd managed. He didn’t know what else to say.

“It’s not your fault.” Jeff said, pulling Lloyd in for a hug. “Anyway, has anyone else picked on you lately?”

“Well, duh.” Lloyd said. “ Everyone picks on me. It’s kinda the norm around here, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Jeff sighed and massaged his temples. “That sucks.”

“Yeah. It does. Even teachers hate me. They all fail me on purpose.” Lloyd groaned, his tone becoming slightly snappish. 

“What if I pick you up tomorrow?” Jeff suggested. “I’m a police officer. They won’t pick on me.”

“If you’re sure…” Lloyd muttered. “Chen might have learned from his mistakes.”

Later, Jeff pulled up to Lloyd’s school in his police car, just like last time, and waited for Lloyd to arrive. As he waited, he turned on the news.

“...Green Ninja is fighting a losing battle with Garmadon right now, doesn’t look like he’ll be able to win this battle, because—OH! Ooh, that was a hard hit, Garmadon got him good, I don’t think Green saw that coming—”

Switching off the news, Jeff left the carpool lane, now knowing where Lloyd was, and quickly headed to where the attack was taking place. 

“Come on, Lloyd…” Jeff muttered as he watched Garmadon and Green both engaged in a fistfight, and Green was losing. Badly.

He had to do something.

But before he could, Garmadon sent Green flying off the edge of the mech’s cockpit, and all Jeff could do was watch as the teen careened towards the ground—

Only to breathe a sigh of relief when a skateboard came seemingly out of nowhere, and Green managed to plant both feet on it. This resulted in no broken bones, thank goodness. That would’ve been tough to explain to Koko.

Jeff watched as Green skateboarded out of view, and the officer quickly followed. Green slowed to a stop upon noticing him.

“Hey.” Green said. He sounded tired– really tired. Jeff ushered him in the car. “Come on, get in.”

Green complied, throwing his board in the trunk and plopping down in the front passenger seat. 

“That was horrible .” Green moaned. “I was getting beat up–I don’t even know how that happened–”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it. Even superheroes have their bad days.” Jeff said with a smile. “I think the police can finish him off.”

“I doubt it.” Green said. Jeff let out a mock scoff. “How dare you!” Jeff gasped. Green began to laugh at the man’s theatrics. Jeff continued on with the act. “You think you’re better ? Oh, my heart…”

“Haha, very funny.” Green snorted, giving Jeff a playful punch in the arm. “Now drive, please. Fans could be chasing me.”

“Har, har.” Jeff said with a laugh, moving the car forward.

Garmadon watched the camera footage of The Green NInja getting in a police car, and zoomed in on the figure in the driver’s seat. “Find him.”

The Oni turned to his men. “Find him. Use him as bait for the Green Ninja.”

And with that, he stormed out.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Garmadork!” A yell snaps Lloyd out of his thoughts.

Great. Just what I need. Another dose of Chen’s bullying.

“Didn’t you learn your lesson from before?” The words slip out of Lloyd’s mouth faster than he wants. “Or do you want a beating?”

Chen scowls. “No, but I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” He makes a cuckoo motion with his finger. “I want revenge. ”

And with that, he charges.

It takes all of Lloyd’s willpower to not use his feet and push Chen, who is currently on top of him, into the air. Because right now, he’s Lloyd , the most hated kid in the city, not Green , the superhero who goes around saving lives. He needs to act like Lloyd , not Green .

“What’s wrong?” Chen taunts, sending a flying fist to Lloyd’s face. It isn’t particularly strong, but it still hurts. “Can’t take it?”

Lloyd glares at Chen with all the hate he can muster as Chen releases another punch. Lloyd winces, but doesn’t fight back. He knows what will happen if he does.

He’ll get suspended, just like last time.

So he lays there, accepting his fate as Chen punches him over and over again, with his friends encouraging him. Lloyd watches as kids in the hallway walk right past them, not even sparing Lloyd a glance.

And something inside the Green Ninja , or rather, Lloyd, snaps .

“ GET OFF! ” Lloyd screams, shoving Chen off of him, watching as he hits the lockers, gasping in shock. Lloyd stands up, breathing hard as his strength seems to leave him in a whoosh .

So he stands there, breathing hard. He turns to Chen, who looks…

Afraid.

And Lloyd runs .

He runs out of school and to the park, to the same spot as last time. He collapses on the grass, panting and heaving, suddenly realizing he’s crying when tears blur his vision.

I’m a monster. Just like they all say.

Lloyd stares at his reflection in the water nearby. He doesn’t look any different—but he can tell in that moment, when he snapped, something was different.

Lloyd calls upon that anger again—just to see what he looks like, nothing else. He then stares at himself.

His eyes are purple. 

Purple.

Slowly, the color fades, and tears slip down Lloyd’s cheeks. 

I’m a monster, right?

I’m just like him.

Just like Garmadon.

“No.” The word comes out, with Lloyd only registering it a few seconds later. He wants to scream and explode, but he holds it in.

He’s not going to be branded as a monster. No. He won’t .

There’s a rustling in the trees, and Lloyd turns. “Jeff?” He calls out hopefully, because Jeff will know what to say or do, and Jeff will tell him the truth, that he’s not a monster—

Unless he is.

Shut. Up.

The rustling continues, and then a scream pierces the air, making the teen jump out of his skin. He runs towards the direction of the scream, which is the same direction of the rustling. Amazing .

Lloyd runs through the trees, pushing bushes out of his way, finally reaching a clearing. He looks around and walks forward, still on edge.

(To be fair, he’s always on edge.)

The area is deathly silent. Lloyd’s on the verge of panicking, but curiosity wins over as he inspects his surroundings.

He walks around, not noticing anything unusual or out of the ordinary. His brow furrows as he continues the scan, watching and waiting.

For what, he doesn’t know.

Lloyd makes his way to the center of the clearing when he notices something on the ground. He jogs towards it, getting on his knees to inspect. Then he shoots up and backs away.

Blood .

Lloyd’s no stranger to blood—at least his own. And this blood is not his. Also, it’s just here, in some random clearing, and it looks fresh .

Lloyd isn’t sure how he knows that.

Slowly, Lloyd gets down again and sniffs it—and a flurry of—something—happens, he can’t describe it, but all of a sudden, he knows whose blood it is.

He’s not sure how he knows, but he knows.

The blood in the clearing is Jeff’s.

Chapter Text

“Where. Is. The. Green. Ninja ?!” Garmadon yelled, grabbing the edge of the cage and swinging it. He stepped back as the cage moved back and forth, dangling from the chain above lava. The man inside began looking queasy. This was the fifth time he’d done it, after all.

“I already told you that I won’t tell .” Jeff snapped. “It’s hard to find a ninja.”

Garmadon scowled. He’d been here for an hour and had gotten basically nothing. He kicked the cage, sending it spinning, and began walking away. Jeff groaned behind him. Then he spoke, his words full of venom.

“You’re a horrible father, you know.”

Garmadon froze, then slowly turned. “What did you say?”

“I said, you’re a horrible father. Person, actually. Do you realize how much hate your son has to endure because of you?”

Ah. So he was trying to trick him. Trying to feed him lies. Garmadon bared his teeth. His fingers transformed into small claws, growing slowly for a few seconds.

“Liar.” He hissed. “I don’t have a son. You can’t trick me.”

Jeff’s eyes widened. “What is that supposed to mean?” He exclaimed. “Of course you have a son! How do you not know?”

“Enough of the games and trickery. If you’re trying to make me feel sorry for you or something, it’s not going to work. Sympathy is not an emotion I feel often.” Garmadon snapped, his claws growing longer due to his anger. But Jeff just looked confused, watching as Garmadon stormed out.

Well, at least he wouldn’t be moving too much anymore.

Getting kidnapped was not exactly on Lloyd’s to-do list for today. In fact, the only items on his to-do list was to defeat Garmadon for today, buy groceries, and then relax. But fate had other plans, it seemed.

Lloyd stared at the list in his hand, hoping that the aisle he’d walk into was an empty one so he didn’t have to deal with anyone right now. He wasn’t in the mood.

But just as he entered, someone smacked something onto the back of his head.

With a yelp, Lloyd threw up his hands to protect himself as he fell to the floor, staring in shock as a light green wall appeared in front of him, blocking the attacker’s second blow with his frying pan.

The man seemed just as surprised, almost dropping his weapon. Lloyd lowered his hands and jumped to his feet, the wall disappearing. He launched his own attack, punching the guy in the face. When he doubled over from impact, Lloyd slid his foot underneath his, tripping him. The man crashed to the floor, but someone else snuck up behind him. 

Lloyd turned around to the sound of footsteps, feeling energy around his hands. He raised his hands, pulling something up. The wall flew up again, and Lloyd gaped at it.

He’d just used a new power on command on his second try. No way. This shouldn't be possible.

The man ran around the wall, and Lloyd quickly placed his head back in the game. He spun around, removing the wall, and tripped the second attacker just as the first one ran up behind him, arms around his neck. Lloyd was trapped.

Then the second attacker pulled out a syringe, injecting a strange liquid into Lloyd’s bloodstream. Lloyd gasped, his eyelids suddenly feeling heavy.

It’s a tranquilizer, I’m being kidnapped was Lloyd’s last coherent thought before he slipped into darkness.

Chapter Text

“Lloyd?”

He blinked, waking up at the sound of his name.

“Lloyd, wake up.”

“Huh?” Lloyd muttered, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. “Where…where am I?”

“The volcano.” 

“Huh?” Lloyd asked, finally opening his eyes. He was in a cage, which was right next to another. Inside that cage was Jeff, who was sporting a black eye.

“Jeff!” Lloyd exclaimed, rushing to the edge of the bars. “What happened to you? Are you okay?”

Jeff waved off his concern. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“Your eye—”

“It’s fine, Lloyd. What about you? Are you okay? What happened to you?”

“I discovered a new power.” Lloyd said, watching as Jeff’s eyes widened in surprise. “I somehow gained control of it on the second try.”

Jeff whistled. “Impressive. You’re more powerful than you think, kiddo.”

“I guess so.” 

An uncomfortable silence lapsed over the two. After a minute, Lloyd broke the silence. “Jeff, what do you know about the First Spinjitzu Master?”

Jeff turned his head towards Lloyd. “Why?”

“Just curious.”

It wasn’t a lie—he was curious. About how he suddenly gained Oni powers. Lloyd had remembered that the FSM was part Oni, and was now wondering how he managed to control it.

“Well…” Jeff flopped down on the floor of the dangling cage, which, Lloyd now realized, was dangling over lava. Great. 

“FSM was both Oni and Dragon.” Jeff said. “Obviously, he created the realm of Ninjago after leaving the First Realm. When he had his two sons, one tapped in more to his dragon side, while the other favored his oni. This put the sons at odds with each other, leading to the inevitable war between them, which everyone knows of—Wu and Garmadon’s first battle during Garmadon’s first attempt to conquer Ninjago City. He believed that his father had given that land to him, so he was more than furious when he was kicked out by the citizens of the city and his brother. Because of that, he’s been attacking the city nonstop, hoping to claim what he thinks is rightfully his.”

“Huh.” Lloyd said. No one had told him this side of the story. No one had ever told him why Garmadon wanted this city so bad. Now he knew.

“But…FSM knew this would happen.” Jeff continued. “There was a prophecy.”

“Really?” Lloyd asked, moving himself closer to the bars, leaning his head against the metal. “What did it say?”

Jeff took a deep breath before continuing. “It said that someone with the power of the Oni and the Dragon could stop him. For the longest time, everyone assumed that FSM would stop Garmadon, but now that he’s dead, people don’t know what to do.”

“Wait.” Lloyd said. “You said that one son chose Oni power, while the other chose Dragon. Does that mean the sons had the other power as well? Like, Garmadon has Dragon power, he just doesn’t use it?”

“Pretty sure.” Jeff muttered. “I don’t know though. I haven’t done much research.”

“So…if I gained Oni power…would that also mean I can tap into Dragon as well?” Lloyd asked testily.

Jeff shot up. “Huh?”

“Yeah…I kinda sorta maybe have Oni powers now.” Lloyd admitted sheepishly. “I never told you because that power is how I found out you’d disappeared. I found your blood in a clearing.”

“Oh, yeah. I got cut.” Jeff said, showing Lloyd a cut on his leg. “That’s probably what you saw.” Then his eyes narrowed. “Why are you asking all this anyway? Do you want to use these Oni and Dragon powers?”

“Well, yes. Duh.”

“Wait.” Jeff said suddenly, jumping to his feet. “You think you’re the one in the prophecy!”

“Duh!” Lloyd exclaimed. “Except…I don’t know if I have Dragon powers or not.”

He sighed, fingering the bars. Then it hit him.

“Jeff.” He said suddenly. “Jeff—this isn’t Vengstone.”

“What? Pause. What is vengestone?” Jeff asked.

“Vengestone is a type of mineral found underground that blocks elemental powers,” Lloyd said excitedly, “and these cages aren’t made out of it. Which means I could use my powers and just blast us out of here!”

“Lloyd, you’re a genius!” Jeff gasped, grinning. “Genius!”

Just as Lloyd was about to blast the cage open, there was a grinding sound that made him pause. He watched, lowering his arms, as two large doors opened, revealing Garmadon walking in, his four arms raised triumphantly like he was at a red carpet event. Lloyd rolled his eyes. 

“Great.” He heard Jeff mutter beside him. Lloyd watched as Garmadon snapped his fingers, and a general pulled at a nearby lever he hadn’t noticed before. Lloyd let out a small gasp as his cage lowered, coming to halt at level with Garmadon.

“I’m going to ask you a question and hope you’re able to answer honestly. And if you don’t, then you better hope that the torture I inflict on you isn’t too bad by your standards.”

“Okay.” Lloyd said with a shrug. Garmadon scowled. “Where is the Green Ninja?”

Well, crap.

“I have no idea.” Lloyd lied. Garmadon eyed him with narrowed eyes. “Oh, really ?”

“Yes. Really.” Lloyd said, hoping his voice wasn’t all shaky like it normally was when he lied. 

“You’re lying.” Garmadon whispered, grabbing Lloyd by the hair by sticking his hand through the cage bars and slamming his head against the metal. Lloyd winced, blinking the black spots out from his vision as Garmadon tightened his grip on Lloyd’s blond curls. “Tell me where he is!”

“I–I don’t know! Honest!” Lloyd yelped, only to be met with a punch to the face. Lloyd winced again, but luckily he was used to Garmadon’s punches. But that didn’t mean they hurt less.

“You. Are. Lying. ” Garmadon hissed, releasing Lloyd as he opened the cage. The warlord grabbed Lloyd’s hair again and dragged him out, shoving him to the floor. Lloyd yelped as Garmadon slammed a foot to the teen’s ribs. “TELL ME!”

“I can’t!” Lloyd exclaimed, face blanching once he realized what he’d said. 

“Oh? Why not?” Garmadon asked, pulling out a knife and holding it to Lloyd’s throat. Distantly, Lloyd could hear Jeff yelling.

“Where. Is. The. Green. Ninja?” Garmadon hissed.

But Lloyd wasn’t listening. He was mulling over Jeff’s words in his head.

“It said that someone with the power of the Oni and the Dragon could stop him. For the longest time, everyone assumed that FSM would stop Garmadon, but now that he’s dead, people don’t know what to do.”

Was Jeff right? Was he the one in the prophecy?

Well, one way to find out.

“Right here.” Lloyd spat out the answer to his father’s question, creating a large green energy ball and shooting it at him, sending the warlord flying into the air. The look on his face was priceless.

But then he heard the doors open again. Lloyd got to his feet as Garmadon landed with a crash!

Lloyd turned his head to the door—and gasped.

“Mom?”

Chapter Text

Lloyd had never seen Garmadon scared before.

Angry, yes. Happy, yes. Maniacal, yes. But scared?

Never—until his mother, Koko Blossom (yes, that was her maiden name) stepped inside her ex-husband’s volcano base with fury in her eyes.

Pure fear coursed through the warlord as he stood up, his voice shaking slightly as he addressed his ex-wife. “Koko. Hi.”

“Don't Koko, hi me, Garmadon.” She practically growled. “What do you think you're doing, hurting my son like that? And you, ” her head whipped towards Lloyd, who froze, “how could you not tell me that you were the Green Ninja?”

“So you saw that?” Lloyd said, giving her a sheepish smile. “Heh.”

“Wait. Back up. Pause.” Garmadon said, his four arms raised in surrender. “You're telling me that my son is the Green Ninja?”

“Not your son. Mine .”

“It's the same thing— ”

“It's not the same thing— ”

While his divorced parents fought, Lloyd quietly crept over to the second cage by pulling the lever to lower Jeff to the ground. He quickly broke the lock and opened the door, suddenly getting himself crushed in a hug.

“Damn it Lloyd, you scared me.” He said once they separated.

“It wasn't even that bad—”

“He stomped on your ribs, how is that not that bad— ”

“Okay, okay!” Lloyd groaned. “I've suffered through worse, that's all.”

Jeff shook his head. “You're too young for this.”

“Koko, please. Come on, don't do this. I need to do this, I have to conquer this city, and to do that, I—”

“You are not going to use my son for your own personal gain!” Koko yelled out, her voice echoing through the room. Lloyd looked around, eyes landing on a big red button on the edge of the lava pit that he and Jeff had been dangling over. Squinting his eyes, he read the words Self-Destruct Button, For Emergencies Only underneath.

“Jeff.” Lloyd whispered, waving him over. “I have an idea.”

“What–” he paused when Lloyd gestured to the button. “You're kidding.”

“Nope.” Lloyd replied.

“Why on earth would you press that?” Jeff exclaimed.

“Because if Garmadon doesn't have his volcano he can't do anything anymore.” Lloyd whispered. “He'll be totally defeated!”

“Okay, but someone has to be here to press it.” Jeff whispered, “And you won't be able to get out in time after pressing it. It'll blow up, or something.”

“I'll press it. You just get Mom out of here.” Lloyd said, turning towards the button. Jeff grabbed him by the arm. 

“Are you crazy? You'll die.” Jeff said. “Or get seriously hurt.”

“I'll live.”

“No! You won't! At least, you might!” Jeff hissed.

“I'll take that chance.” Lloyd said. “It's the only way.”

“Stop trying to be self sacrificial, Lloyd,” Jeff sighed. “Please.”

Lloyd just shrugged. “I'm a ninja. It's part of the job description.”

Jeff shook his head. “Why did you decide to do this?”

“Because no one else would.”

“I know that's not the reason.”

Lloyd just smiled. “Get mom out of here. I'll distract Garmadon.”

“Lloyd, I don't like this.” Jeff said.

“My mom likes you, you know.” Lloyd said suddenly.

“What?” Jeff stammered.

“I've noticed. She lights up whenever you call, and whenever I talk about you. She likes you, and it's not just a crush. Plus, I've noticed that you do the same.”

“Uh—”

“Don't try to deny it, Jeff.” Lloyd said with a smirk on his face. 

Jeff groaned. “Since when have you become Cupid?”

“Since I discovered you like mom, and mom likes you.” Lloyd responded. “Now go, get her out of here.” He created a green ball of energy in his hands, bouncing it back and forth before letting it fly to Garmadon’s head. The warlord let out a yell, turning towards Lloyd. 

“I think it's time to end this,” Lloyd said, walking towards his father, “once and for all.”

To Lloyd’s surprise, Garmadon smiled. Lloyd watched as Jeff led Koko out of the volcano.

The Oni power in Lloyd’s veins thrummed at the sight of it appearing in his father’s hands, creating four swords. 

“Gladly.”

Chapter Text

Lloyd barely had time to react before his father charged at him, leaving him no other option other than to jump out of the way as one of the four blades grazed the side of his foot. Lloyd bit back a wince as he landed, staring at the blood that was now beginning to stain his shoes.

Garmadon grinned, charging again. Lloyd spun around him, moving his injured foot towards the warlord’s, tripping him. Lloyd smiled at the satisfying crashing noise as Garmadon hit the floor.

Lloyd’s focus returned to the button as he grabbed one of the swords. He could feel his Oni power scream, rising to the surface. Lloyd let some of it rise–enough to keep the weapon from fading out of existence but less enough so that he didn’t lose control.

Lloyd yelped as he was brought down, crashing to the floor with the weight of his father on top of him. His father’s four arms proved useful to keep Lloyd down, but he still managed a punch to the warlord’s face. But the longer he was kept down, and the more he struggled, the angrier he got. Lloyd was not going to let his father win. That was the whole reason he’d become the Green Ninja—so that his father didn’t win, and that he had proof that he wasn’t like his father.

Lloyd’s Oni power screamed at him again, but this time he let loose—a vast amount of strength empowered him, and Lloyd didn’t hold back. He shoved his father off of him, sending the four–armed man landing a few feet away. Lloyd turned back to the button and threw the blade, immediately making his way to the exit (while ignoring the pain in his foot) as the sword hit its target. 

For a few seconds, nothing happened—and then everything exploded, and all he could see was white, then black, and he couldn’t focus, his head was spinning, and he was moving upwards from the force of the explosion—

Lloyd forced his eyes open to find he was, indeed, moving upwards, but soon gravity took hold. He began to fall, his hair whipping in the wind—

“Gotcha!”

Lloyd gasped as he looked to see Nya holding him by the arm as she moved towards the mainland. A closer look showed him that she was riding on some sort of hoverboard–type thing, he wasn’t entirely sure, but it looked like a skateboard and could fly, so it seemed like a hoverboard.

“Been a while, hasn’t it?” Nya asked. “I hope you didn’t forget about me.” 

Lloyd laughed. “Forget my best friend? No way.”

Nya grinned as she suddenly released Lloyd, causing him to drop onto the sand right below him. Lloyd stuck his tongue out at her as he got to his feet, brushing the sand off his hoodie.

“That was fast.” He commented. Nya stepped off her hoverboard and folded it— folded it? --before clapping him on the shoulder. 

“I know. I built it while you were busy.” She then stuck out her own tongue, and Lloyd just laughed. “Okay, okay. You know, I need to get home.”

“Alright. Come on, I’ll walk you.”

“Thanks.”

“No prob. No you can catch me up on everything.” Nya said with an even bigger grin as she bumped his shoulder. Lloyd smiled, giving her a not-so-quick recap of everything that had happened in the past few weeks since he had met Jeff. It was crazy to believe that all of this had gone down in a few weeks—even Nya seemed to think so.

“So, all this,” Nya made a circling motion with her arms as she spoke, “happened in a few weeks ?”

“Yup.” Lloyd said as the two stepped into the apartment, walking towards the elevator. Nya walked in first as Lloyd pulled up the hood from his hoodie for a sense of comfort, even though he was almost home. Nya hit the button with the number nine on it, and Lloyd watched, his anxiety of what was going to happen as he walked into his apartment complex rising along with the elevator.

His steps became slower as he and Nya approached his room. Nya turned around, raising a brow. “Something wrong?”

“She knows.” Lloyd whispered. “Mom.”

“Knows what?”

“That I’m…you know.” Lloyd moved his hands around.

Nya leaned in and whispered, “The Green Ninja?”

“Yeah…I’m worried she’ll be mad that I kept this a secret from her.” Lloyd fiddled with his fingers again before moving his hair out of his eyes.

“Hey…it’ll be okay. I’m sure she won’t be mad.” Nya said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Now, come on. She’s probably worried.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Lloyd took a deep breath before moving towards the door and unlocking it. He then stepped inside, bracing himself as his mother rushed forward, exclaiming, “ Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! ”

“Mom, I—” He was cut off as he was crushed in a hug. “Don’t ever scare me like that again! Also, you better have a good explanation for all of this, you scared me half to death —”

“Koko, go easy on him.” Jeff said, walking towards Lloyd and ruffling his hair. “But still, you better explain to her.”

“Wha— you knew?! ” Koko shrieked, whirling on the officer. “You knew and didn’t tell me?!”

“He found out by accident, I didn’t plan on telling him.” Lloyd said quickly. Koko sighed, massaging her temples. “When were you going to tell me?”

“I…” Lloyd hesitated. He lowered his gaze, muttering how he probably was gonna tell her eventually, but he never got the chance. 

Koko sighed again, sitting down on a nearby sofa. Lloyd, still standing, wrapped his arms around her. “Mom…I’m sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t.”

“Lloyd, I’m not mad…” at her son’s unconvincing look, she continued, saying, “Okay, maybe a little, but I’m more worried than mad. I…I don’t want to lose you, that’s all. I’m your mother—it’s my job to worry about you.”

Lloyd gave her a wan smile, which quickly faded as he suddenly fell over. Jeff lunged forward and managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

“What’s wrong?” Nya asked, rushing forward. Koko blinked in surprise, having not noticed her presence before. Jeff furrowed his brow, laying Lloyd on the second couch and taking off his shoes. Koko gasped at the sight of blood coating his right foot. Slowly, Koko peeled off his sock, wincing at the sight of the cut along his foot.

“Come on.” Jeff whispered after a long moment. “Let’s get you to bed.” 

Chapter Text

He woke up to the world shaking.

With a gasp, Lloyd pushed himself up and out of bed, (when had he gotten there?) running to the window. His eyes widened at the sight of a giant mech roaming the streets, each step making the place shake. 

“Lloyd!” Koko exclaimed, rushing inside and wrapping her arms around him. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Lloyd said. Then he gestured to the window. “What’s going on?”

“Garmadon.” Nya stepped inside, her voice grim. “We gotta go.”

“No.” Jeff said, stepping past the threshold of Lloyd’s room. “Lloyd, you can’t fight him right now, you’re hurt.”

“I can do it.” Lloyd insisted. “I’ve been through worse.”

He ignored his mother’s questioning glare.

“Where’s my gi?” He asked, when searching around the room revealed to be no help.

Nya shrugged. “How am I supposed to know? It’s yours.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll go without it. Not like I haven’t fought him without it.” Lloyd muttered, pushing past Jeff as he made his way to the front door—

The place shook again, and once Lloyd had righted himself, he raced outside, running down the flights of stairs. But a voice stopped him before he could run into the midst of the attack.

“Lloyd! Wait.” Koko ran towards him, and Lloyd let out a grunt of surprise as she pulled him into another hug and whispered into his hair, “Be careful.”

“Do my best.” Lloyd grinned at her and raced into the fray.

It felt like a warzone—well, every attack was a warzone, but this was much bigger and the amount of noise made Lloyd want to rip his ears out—but he fought his father’s generals as he made his way to the giant mech. He knew he'd have to climb the leg, but just as he was about to start climbing, someone tackled him. Lloyd yelped, gasping as he felt a cool metal press against his neck—

And then the weight was pulled off him, and Lloyd stood up, staring at his mother in shock as she launched a roundhouse kick to an unsuspecting general.

“What?” She said to Lloyd’s stunned face. “You really think you got your fighting genes from him ?” She gestured to Garmadon, who was screaming furiously. Lloyd looked past his mom to see Jeff and Nya taking down general after general, and the blonde couldn’t help but smile.

“Kinda.” He said to answer Koko’s question. She shook her head.

“C’mon, kiddo!” Jeff yelled out, making his way to Lloyd. “Let’s get to the cockpit.”

“Stay here.” Lloyd told his mom before beginning to scale the mech’s leg with Jeff by his side.

“Garmadon! Fancy seeing you here.” Lloyd said as he grabbed the top of the cockpit and swung himself forward, crashing onto his father. “I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

“You again?!” Garmadon howled, jumping to his feet and swinging a punch at Lloyd. “You destroyed my volcano, you little—you little—”

Lloyd fake yawned. “How long do I have to sit here until you come up with a good insult?” He asked, effortlessly dodging each and every hit and blow that came his way. “An eternity? I don’t have all day you know.”

Garmadon scowled and turned to Jeff, catching the officer on the side of the jaw. He yelped, his back hitting the right wall of the cockpit. Then the warlord let out a loud scream, making Lloyd really wish he could turn off his hearing, when suddenly a large plume of purple… something …slammed into him. He fell against the ground, lifting his head to hear metal creaking, and then—

“No!” Lloyd shrieked as the wall crumbled, and Jeff screamed as he fell, unable to catch himself. With no plan in his mind, Lloyd shot up and sent a kick to his father as a parting gift before running to the hole that had been created in the wall of the cockpit and launching himself through it.

The wind roared in Lloyd’s ears as he plummeted, moving his arms like he was swimming to reach Jeff. He gasped with relief once he did, grabbing Jeff’s arm.

“Are you crazy?” Jeff yelled at him over the howling wind. “Do you even have a plan?”

But Lloyd wasn’t listening. He was lost in thought, remembering what Jeff had said when they were both in the cages.

“You think you’re the one in the prophecy!”

“Duh! Except…I don’t know if I have Dragon powers or not.”

Slowly, Lloyd took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He tried to feel the power, but at first there was nothing. He released Jeff’s arm and pulled off his hoodie, shoving it in Jeff’s arms as he focused, spreading his arms. He pushed past his Oni power, moving around as he spotted his Dragon, then reached over and tapped the creature. The dragon woke up, his eyes glowing a bright gold, and Lloyd let out a gasp as something burst, and for a few seconds there was pain, but it quickly faded. When his vision cleared, he could see Jeff staring at him with shock written all over his features, and somehow Lloyd knew why.

Lloyd turned his head, grinning at the sight of large golden wings protruding from his back. 

“I did it!” He let out a whoop as he grabbed Jeff again, flapping his wings as he flew— flew! ---towards the ground, placing the officer on the ground. Lloyd then flew upwards, right towards his father’s shocked face at the sight of him flying.

“Miss me?” Lloyd asked with a grin as he punched his father in the face before grabbing him and bringing him towards a nearby police car, which Lloyd assumed Jeff had brought. He watched with a smile as two officers grabbed Garmadon, placing two sets of handcuffs on his four arms before shoving him into the back of the police car. The warlord looked exhausted, which explained why he wasn’t fighting back.

Without a word, Lloyd headed back to Koko, Jeff, and Nya, who were waiting for him. He smiled and pulled on his hoodie, watching as the wings disappeared in a puff of gold smoke. 

Luckily, the city wasn’t badly damaged, Lloyd noted, as they all made the walk back to the apartment. But even then, the group took the stairs all the way to the ninth floor. 

The walk back was silent as everyone processed what had just happened. The only sound was the sound of the door as Koko unlocked it and let them in.

“Who are you?” Lloyd yelped at the sight of an old man standing in their kitchen. 

“Hello, Lloyd.” The man said, taking a sip from his cup of tea.

“Hi. Who are you?” Lloyd repeated. “And how did you get in here?”

“I have my ways.” He smiled. “And I am Wu, your father’s brother, and your uncle.”

Lloyd blinked in shock. “Uh, okay, but why are you here?” He asked as Jeff looked the elderly man up and down.

“I want you to help me.” The man said. “I need your help to find others like you and me.”

“What do you mean?” Lloyd asked.

“I mean, I want you to help me find other elemental masters.” Wu said with a smile. “Are you up for it?”

For a second, he hesitated, looking at Koko, Jeff, and Nya. Then he walked towards the man with a smile.

“I’m ready.” Lloyd said, his green eyes glowing brighter than ever before. “What do we do first?”

Chapter Text

So... Hi again, guys!

I need yalls help with something! I'm planning to rewrite this fic, and I was wondering if yall had anything you really wanted to see / any suggestions! Let me know!

Ex: more angst, more fluff, certain character appearances, more/less read time for certain characters, characters saying certain lines of dialogue, characters doing certain things, etc. I hope you all will understand that I cannot use all suggestions -- heck, I might not use any of them, but that's very unlikely. 

I will be adding the new chapters to this same fic! It will look like this: "Chapter 1: REWRITE" 

Drop your suggestions into the comments!

Happy reading!

-- Hijabiwriter

Chapter Text

Mondays were the worst, because chaos usually followed the smell of burning coffee and too little deodorant no matter what. 

And chaos meant debates.

“You saw the kid, right?” Dana asked him.

Jeff looked up. “Huh?” Oh, great. Debate Number One. At seven in the morning. Perfect.

“The kid. You saw him, right?”

Jeff took a sip of his coffee before speaking. Who? Then it clicked. “Oh, you mean the Green Ninja?”

Dana snapped her fingers. “Yes! See?” She turned to a crowd of officers who were all congregating around the break room entrance. “He agrees.”

“What am I agreeing to?” Jeff asked, taking a bite of his strawberry donut. Crap, okay. Best to stay quiet, and don’t make any bets. First rule of any job that requires groups. Dana plucked one of the sprinkles off and popped it in her mouth. 

“That the Green Ninja’s a kid.”

“Oh.” Jeff breathed a sigh of relief. He could give his opinion on this with minimal backlash. “Yeah. He’s, like, sixteen or something. Not totally sure though.”

“No way. He’s nineteen. He acts like a legal adult.”

Another officer choked on his coffee just as Jeff turned to stare at Dana, eyes wide. “No way. He is not a legal adult. That is a child.”

A few officers mumbled in agreement, but Dana shook her head. “He’s gotta be eighteen at least. Isn’t he worried about the potential legal consequences?”

“If he’s under eighteen, he can go to juvie. No one under eighteen goes to actual jail. He probably doesn’t care.” Jeff polished off the donut and leaned back in his chair. “Why are we bringing this up?”

“‘Cause he’s been wandering around the city, so I saw him on the way here.” Dana replied, pulling her blond hair out of its bun to retie it. “And seeing him just chilling on the roof got me thinking, how old is this guy anyway? I mean, can’t he apply for a job as a police officer if he wants to protect this city? So then I thought that he’s probably a teenager, and he looks and acts eighteen, but not everyone agrees.”

“The only thing we can agree on is that he’s a teen,” Another officer spoke up. “Other than that, this kid’s a mystery.”

He’s been a mystery since day one – and this is all we’ve figured out about him since he first showed up last year. 

Jeff took another sip of his coffee just as the door flew open and another group of officers walked in, all chattering loudly, smelling of gasoline and burnt coffee from the broken machine (that he totally hadn’t broken, wasn’t him). 

“We just saw the green ninja!” One of the officers gasped. “He helped us stop a robbery.”

“You mean he stopped the robbery for us,” another officer grumbled, storming into the break room. The rest of the officers followed, all grumbling angrily under their breath. The last officer stood there, confusion written all over his features. Then he shrugged and followed his group inside.

“He did it again,” Dana announced, falling into her chair. “Woo hoo.” Her smile had faded. Jeff sighed and closed his eyes, not wanting to get involved in a second debate. “Why does he always steal our thunder?”

One of the officers came out of the break room, cup of burnt coffee in hand. “Right? He defeats Garmadon one time – not even for good – and all of a sudden he’s the world’s greatest hero. Now he’s doing our job for us.”

Jeff wanted to say something, reprimand them – but he kept quiet, deciding to not show his stance on the situation. Maybe later. He opened his eyes and leaned forward.

Then something caught his eye. A green blur passed through his peripheral vision. By the time he turned, the Green Ninja had disappeared from the rooftop directly across the window and was running over the roof of the police station, his footsteps raining dust into his cold coffee. 

“Seriously?” An officer yelled, and the room burst into chaos. Jeff groaned, stood up with his coffee in hand, and dumped it into the nearest trash can.

Chapter Text

“Back again, huh?” A nurse asked as she led him to a room. The curtain swished shut behind her as Lloyd took a seat on the bed, adjusting the Green Ninja mask to make sure it was covering his face properly. “When are you gonna stop getting injured from these fights, kid?”

“Never. And I’m not a kid,” Lloyd replied swiftly as the nurse patched him up. “If I was a kid, I wouldn’t be doing all this.”

The nurse smirked. “Yeah, well, you sound like a kid. Or a teenager. The whole city thinks you’re either a seventeen year old or forty.”

“Forty?” Lloyd gasped, almost choking on air. “Oh my gosh.”

“I have no idea how they came to that conclusion.” The nurse laughed as she walked him out of the hospital. “Anyways, hopefully I don’t see you!”

Lloyd laughed. “Yeah, that’s not happening. There’s gonna be another fight or Garmadon attack by Sunday, most likely.”

The nurse sighed and saluted him. “Good luck, kid.”

Lloyd forced a smile even though she couldn’t see it. Kid. Fourteen wasn’t the kid age – and neither was seventeen, so why was he still being called a kid?

“Thanks!” he called back as he walked away from the hospital. If there was one good thing about being the Green Ninja, it was that hospitals treated him for free, so his mother never found out about his identity or had to pay extra medical bills. 

He waited until the hospital building was out of sight before ducking into a nearby alleyway. His backpack was still there – no one ever took a second look at a backpack, even if it was hidden in the corner. Lloyd opened it and pulled out clothes – jeans and a thin green t-shirt. Wait. Is that it? Where’s my hoodie?

Lloyd fumbled with the rest of the items. Notebooks, a pencil case, his phone – but no hoodie. Then he remembered that he’d left it at home so it could be washed for school tomorrow. Great. Just great. Lloyd took a deep breath and quickly changed into what he had. The mask came off last – it always did. It had to. 

His hands instinctively reached for the hood behind him only for him to remember he didn’t have his hoodie on him. Crap. Crap crap crap crap crap. Ugh. I hate this. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to focus his energy on something else. You know what? This is fine. You can make it home without your hoodie. Sure, someone might see you and recognize your face and probably try to whack you in the face or something but it’s fine! It’s fine.

Lloyd took another deep breath, trying to keep his throat from closing up. He grabbed his bag and kept his head bowed as he walked out of the alleyway and down the sunlit streets, focusing his eyes on his shadow as it stretched out before him. Just don’t let anyone see you, and you’ll be fine.

The crowd around him grew larger as he stepped onto the road full of stores. He kept to the edge of the street so he wouldn’t be near that many people or get hit by a car. 

And that’s when he saw some cops.

Lloyd’s chest tightened. Whether he was the Green Ninja or Lloyd Garmadon, meeting cops never ended well. Either they hated him for “stealing their thunder”, or hated him for being the son of Garmadon. Either way, he’d be late and would have to explain to his mom that the cops stopped him for “looking suspicious” for the third time this month. 

Just walk past them like a normal person. You didn’t do anything wrong, so don’t act like you did. Just walk… normally… like a normal person…

“Hey, kid!” Someone grabbed his shoulder. Lloyd froze. “What are you up to, huh?”

The cop stepped in front of him, grinning. Lloyd’s eye caught his gold tooth.

“Nice tooth,” he mumbled. 

The officer’s smile turned into a scowl. “Don’t play smart with me, Garmadon. Now, where are you heading off to?”

“Home.”

“Where are you coming from?”

“Hospital.”

“Why?”

Why do people go to hospitals, idiot? Lloyd took a deep breath so he wouldn’t say something that would get him arrested. “I got hurt, so I went to the hospital. My mom’s insurance covered it.”

The cop glanced at him. “You don’t look hurt.”

Lloyd lifted the sleeve of his shirt to show the fresh bandage. “Now I do. Can I go home now? I’m hurt and you keeping an injured kid here isn’t going to look good for you.” The words were out before he could stop them. Crap. So much for not sassing cops. 

“Don’t sass me, Garmadon.” The cop snapped, grabbing Lloyd’s injured arm and shoving him forward. “Now get out of here.”

Lloyd bit his lip as he stumbled, trying not to fall and break his nose against the asphalt. He speed-walked away from the cop, his backpack bouncing against his back, adjusting his sleeve so no one could see the bandage, praying he could get it past his eagle-eyed mom. Probably not, since she noticed everything, but hopefully he could get away with hiding it for a few days at most. 

His footsteps echoed loudly once he made his way up the apartment stairs, each one sounding like a gong. There was no one in sight, thankfully — Lloyd didn’t know how many interactions with people he could take.

Lloyd pulled the key out from under the mat and opened his apartment door. The smell of fresh dumplings greeted him as he slipped off his shoes, dropping them onto the rack haphazardly. “Hi, Mom,” he called, hanging his backpack on the nearest hook and trying not to wince from his injured arm. “How are you? How was work?”

“Hi, sweetie!” Koko smiled, half turning from the stove. “I’m good. Work was normal. And food’s gonna be ready in twenty minutes, okay?”

“Got it. Let me go shower.” He waved and rushed to his bedroom, finally allowing himself to replay the events of the battle in his head. It had gone as normal as it could’ve gone — Garmadon showed up, Lloyd showed up, they fought, and Garmadon ran off after Lloyd had destroyed the center of his mech, leaving a giant crack that spread slightly every time he moved. Hah. Take that, Dad. 

Lloyd pulled out his phone and logged into his Green Ninja account to see what people were saying about the battle. So far, it was the usual stuff — Gale Gossip reporting his win and everyone commenting with party emojis and happy faces. 

And then the predictions started.

themayorskid: I think the green ninjas great and all, dont get me wrong, but yall dont think smths off abt him? he acts weirdly shy

imbluedadadee: maybe he doesnt like the attention 

themayorskid: why else would he be doing this then? hes just doin it for attention. one of these days hes gonna bail or smth

redboysupreme: why would u say that?? hes our hero

themayorskid: sure he is

Lloyd turned off his phone and set it aside. Attention? People thought he was doing it for attention? What proof did they have? And why did it matter why he was fighting Garmadon as long as the city was kept safe? Ugh… you know what, just stop thinking about this. Don’t let them get to you. You’re doing the right thing by protecting this city. Breathe, Lloyd. Breathe.

Lloyd took a deep breath. In out. Then again, in and out. Breathe. Not for the first time, he wished people would stop speculating every move he made and just appreciate him for protecting the city.

After all, that’s all he’d get appreciation for.

Chapter Text

“There he is!” A kid shouted, pointing up at a nearby rooftop. “The Green Ninja!”

Jeff whipped his head around. He’d been trying to catch another glimpse of the kid superhero since he’d ran across the roof of the police station. And now he was here, attention focused on Garmadon’s mech that was slowly stepping onto city streets. On-duty officers forced civilians away from the danger zone. 

But Jeff stood frozen, still fixated on the boy on the roof. Wasn’t he afraid? Why would he risk his life like this?

Someone grabbed his arm. “Sir, you need to leave the scene. It’s extremely dangerous out here.” Jeff looked up and just nodded. He let the officer lead him away just as the Green Ninja jumped into action, his blade spinning around him in a whirl of gold and green. He watched as Garmadon pulled out his own weapons just as the Green Ninja landed in front of him. They didn’t fight, not at first – he assumed it was the classic hero vs villain banter before their swords clashed. Then Garmadon took a swing, and everyone around him sucked in a breath.

The Green Ninja ducked, and the sword swung over his head. Then he sent a kick straight against Garmadon’s abdomen. The crowd began mumbling, theorizing about how the fight would play out. Even the officer next to him was watching intently now that everyone was far enough away from the scene. Some people clapped, but not many. 

Garmadon stood up from where he’d fallen and picked up his weapons – shiny purple blades, four of them – one in each hand. He charged towards the Green Ninja, ready to strike. The superhero dodged again and landed a hit to the back of his head. Garmadon yelled something Jeff couldn’t make out before throwing one of the blades. The Green Ninja moved aside, but clearly not quick enough – the blade had hit him in the arm and from what Jeff could see, it had drawn blood. 

The seconds ticked by slowly as the Green Ninja turned around, his hand pressing against the wound. It felt like the whole city was holding its breath, waiting to see what he would do next. Waiting to see how it would all play out. Waiting to see if he’d win. Because losing didn’t appear to be an option if Garmadon was the one who ended up winning.

But then he charged, sending a punch with his good arm. The city burst into relieved cheers and applause as the superhero tackled Garmadon to the floor. Jeff could see green flashes from where he was standing, but not the exact moves being used. Finally, Garmadon stood up and jumped right off his mech, with the Green Ninja following close behind. Green sparks surrounded the two before he sent a giant blast towards the mech, leaving the inner wirings visible through the hole. Jeff braced himself as the two got closer and closer to the ground. Some officers charged forward, ready to finally arrest Garmadon. But the Green Ninja was faster.

Before Jeff could process what was happening, the Green Ninja had kicked Garmadon upwards, giving him enough room to land on his feet. He landed hard and skidded backwards just as Garmadon hit the ground, flat on his face. The crowd laughed, and the Green Ninja looked up, eyes wide, like he hadn’t even realized people were watching him. For a second, he locked eyes with Jeff. Bright green eyes stared right into his own. Jeff gave the kid two thumbs up, trying to say you’re doing great! Keep it up, because he knew kids needed encouragement otherwise they’d burn out fast. Maybe just a little pat on the back would give this kid the push to keep going –  just enough so he wouldn’t let the world beat him down. But then the kid turned away quickly, his body going stiff and tight. Jeff lowered his hands to his sides as Garmadon became surrounded by officers. The Green Ninja backed away from the circle, waved to the crowd, and ran off to the top of a building before vanishing from view.

Thirty minutes later, his phone buzzed.

Jeff pulled it out. Koko had texted him, wanna meet here tonight? With a link to the restaurant’s address. He found himself smiling as he typed back his response. 

Of course. Be there in ten.

He hit send, his heart suddenly pounding. Koko was the first person he’d met outside of work who he felt as if he had a genuine connection with. Because they hardly ever talked about work – they talked about their lives, hopes, dreams, sometimes even fears – Koko’s were about her son while Jeff usually brought up the Green Ninja. “He’s just a kid, Koko,” he said. “He shouldn’t be out there alone. It’s too dangerous for a kid his age.” And every time, Koko would agree but would also say, “Well… it’s not like you can catch up to him after a battle and convince him to stop, now can you?” 

Jeff sighed, because she was right. He pulled open the door to the restaurant and spotted Koko immediately. She sat at a corner table, her back against the wall. She was in the middle of pulling out a hair tie from her hair, and Jeff watched as her orange hair fell down in waves. She had dyed it almost a decade ago after her divorce with Garmadon – a “fresh start,” she always said. 

“Hey,” Jeff said as he approached, sliding into the seat across from her. “How was work?”

Koko looked up, wrapping her hair tie around her wrist. “Hmm? Oh, nothing special. Research, research, and more research. What about you?” She leaned forward and Jeff tried to talk again. Hey. Words. Do words, Jeff. Come on.

“Fine! Normal. Chaotic. The usual.” Jeff laughed, copying her pose of her elbows pressing into the table as she held up her head with her hands. “I saw the Green Ninja again.”

“Still worried about him?” Koko asked, tilting her head slightly. Jeff followed her movement so he could look directly into her eyes. Right now they were hazel, but when the light hit them in a certain way they turned green and Jeff couldn’t stop looking at her eyes no matter what color they were.

“Well, yeah. Obviously. I mean, he’s just a kid. And he even got hurt today in the fight, did you know that?” Jeff sighed. “I just… Do you think he even wants to do this? Or is he doing all this because he has to, or something?”

“I have no idea.” Koko sighed. Her position shifted, and she pressed her hand to her lips, something she always did when she was worried or nervous. 

“Hey.” She looked up at him. “You okay? Are you worried about your son?” 

Koko smiled, but it was one of those sad smiles. “Yeah. It’s just…” she paused. “I feel like he’s keeping something from me. He looks worse every time I see him. He always says he’s tired from school and that kids are being mean. But that’s all he’ll tell me.” She sighed, pushing her hair back. “I just want to know what exactly those kids are doing. I mean, it’s clearly affecting him, his mental state…” her voice trailed off and she covered her face with her hands. “I just don’t know what to do about all this.”

“Give him space,” Jeff suggested. “Show that you’re worried but don’t push. Maybe then he’ll come to you.”

Koko nodded, her expression turning weary. “Maybe.”

Jeff gave her a small smile. “Everything will be fine, Koko. Don’t worry. Now come on, let’s order something. On me.” He looked down at the menu resting on the table. “Drinks or food?”

“I’m getting a drink. And maybe one of those cake slices for Lloyd. Did I tell you that kid has the biggest sweet tooth? I mean, he’s basically obsessed with sugar. When he was a kid I’d have to lock all the candy in the highest cabinet so he couldn’t reach it.”

Jeff laughed. “If it was the highest, why’d you lock it?”

Koko looked up from the menu. “I never told you this? Oh my goodness, it’s the funniest story. I think he was around five, maybe six years old? Anyways, I had put the candy jar in the highest cabinet and went to my room to grab something, and guess what I see when I come back?”

“He’s up there?” Jeff asked, trying not to laugh.

“He’s up there! Standing on the counter! In his pajamas! His little hand already on the jar! And I walk in and he’s turning around so he can climb off the counter and he just freezes when he sees me. Deer in headlights. His expression was hilarious. And so I grab him, of course, take the candy away, lock the cabinet, take him to bed, and scold him because he nearly gave me a heart attack by standing on the counter like that! And he’s just giggling the whole time.” She shakes her head, smiling. 

“Sounds like a little menace,” Jeff laughed. 

“He was a little menace during those years. But now he’s a teenager, and things are different now. He’s different.” She paused. “Sometimes… sometimes I miss the little stunts he used to pull, despite the heart attacks. Looking back on all his antics makes me laugh. But now when I look at him, it’s like he’s a completely different person. I barely know my own kid anymore. He’s hurting and I don’t really know why.”

I know the feeling.

Jeff took a deep breath. “I think… you should just show that you’re there for him. Don’t try to get involved. Just… be there. Be his safety net in case he falls. I think that’s what he needs right now.”

Koko looked up, her hazel eyes shining under the light. “Thanks, Jeff.”

Jeff felt himself smiling as something warm bloomed in his chest. “Of course,” he whispered. “Anytime.”

Then he raised his hand to call the waiter over. “Still haven’t ordered yet,” he said, and she laughed. Then he spotted a flash of green moving fast across the night sky. 

He turned to tell Koko just as the waiter walked over, momentarily blocking his view – but by the time he looked through the window again, the kid had vanished once more.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Garmadork!” someone shouted, and a book smacked Lloyd in the back of the head. Lloyd winced, hands moving too slow to protect himself from the impact. Laughter echoed around him. “Aw, did you drop something?”

Slowly, Lloyd turned around, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Hi, Chen,” he muttered, pushing the book forward with his foot. It skittered across the floor, sliding to a stop at Chen’s feet. “What’s new with you? Or are you sticking with the same old boring tricks?”

Chen laughed. “You’re one to talk. Don’t you and your dad use the same methods to attack us every time? Why do you think the Green Ninja keeps winning?” He grinned. “He’s actually good at what he does. You, on the other hand…” Chen made a face like he was looking for something but couldn’t find it. “Sorry, what was I saying? I totally forgot. Guess you’re not that important, Garmadork.” 

The crowd of kids that were in earshot laughed. Loud. Hard. Piercing through his eardrums. Lloyd pulled his hood over his head, as if that would somehow help with the noise. He took a deep breath as more kids filled the halls, shoving past him like he wasn’t even there. Like he didn’t matter. It seemed like he only mattered when the mask was on.

The bell rang, but Lloyd didn’t move. Not right away. He watched as kids raced down the hall, waiting for the majority of the crowd to leave before he started walking. He moved to tighten the drawstrings of his hoodie only to remember they’d broken a few weeks ago because of how much he was tightening them, so now it was just a regular hood that barely offered any protection anymore. 

He caught glances of people’s phone screens as he passed by. His latest fight was on every one of them. Kids were pointing and smiling – in a good way. They loved him with the mask on. But without it?

He was just Garmadon’s son. The villain’s kid. The kid in the back of the class that didn’t matter to anyone else in the room. The kid with too many secrets – except no one realized he had any because no one bothered to care about whether he was there or not. Being Green was his only escape – it felt like stepping into an alternate universe where people actually cared about him because of the good he was bringing into the world.

Except it wasn’t him. The Green Ninja and Lloyd Garmadon felt like two separate entities – one was a hero, and the other was just… there. It was the main part of his life that didn’t involve any craziness, any dangers, or anything at all. No one cared about Lloyd Garmadon – and for good reason.

He slipped into the classroom and against the back wall seconds before the warning bell rang. His classmates laughed at something loudly and Lloyd’s chest tightened. More people filed into the room, all staring at him with looks of disgust etched on their faces and moving as far away as possible. Lloyd felt like screaming. Why was he only worth supporting when he was Green?

Somehow, Lloyd felt like the answer was there, deep inside of him – he just didn’t feel like soul-searching so he could find it. 

The final bell rang, and Lloyd practically jumped out of his skin. He pulled out his earbuds and stuffed them in his ears, pulled out his phone from his pocket, and picked a song at random from his playlist. It didn’t matter what he chose – he just needed to escape from the chaos and hate. If I could just block out the world for a few minutes… I’ll be okay, I promise… just give me a few seconds… 

But a few seconds turned into one song finishing and another starting. And another. And another. And another. Paper balls and erasers bounced off his head while kids snickered but now it felt manageable. His fingers tapped on the side of his chair, matching the beat of the current song. Lloyd let his eyes close, trying to relax.

Then his chair was forced backwards.

Lloyd let out a scream as his head hit the floor. His phone clattered on the ground next to him. A hand grasped it and pulled it up, and suddenly the sounds of the world became all too noticeable and loud. Chen stood above him, holding his phone, laughing. “You should’ve seen your face!” he gasped. “And who screams like that? You sound like a little girl!”

Lloyd’s face burned as he forced himself up, shoved the chair aside, and made a grab for his phone. He missed. Chen laughed harder, taunting him as he held the phone above Lloyd’s head. “Give it back, Chen,” he muttered, but Chen just laughed harder. Then he let it drop. There was a loud, sickening crack that forced Lloyd to close his eyes and breathe for a few seconds before he could do anything else. Chen kicked the phone against the wall, snickering as he walked back to his friends, while Lloyd just sat there, with the entire class staring at him. The lights buzzed above him as his heart pounded too fast for comfort. Breathe, Lloyd. He tried to tell himself. Breathe.

But he couldn’t. Not with a classroom full of people staring at him and laughing. Not while his face burned with humiliation. Not while the seconds ticked by and no one, not even the teacher, said a word in his support. 

Finally, Lloyd stood up, breathing hard. He grabbed his phone with a new, shiny crack on the screen, hoisted his bag on his shoulder, and raced out the door, turning the corner before the door had even closed.

The bathroom was empty when he walked in. Good. Lloyd flicked the light switch, turning the lights from on to off before locking himself in the stall farthest from the door. He sat down on the floor, running his hands through his hair. Breathe, Lloyd. Breathe.

But his chest still felt tight, like he was in the middle of a fight with Garmadon. Lloyd pushed the earbuds further into his ears and connected them to his phone. Then he clicked the on button, hoping his phone still worked.

The screen lit up, and Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. Soon enough music was filling his ears, and he was once again blissfully ignorant to the world and his own problems. 

Once his breathing had slowed down enough to be considered normal, Lloyd stood up and shoved his phone in his pocket, earbuds still connected. He walked over to the sink, hands curling around the edge. He looked up at his reflection in the cracked and grimy mirror, trying to ignore how tired he looked. He felt like lying on the bathroom floor and just falling asleep for the rest of the school day. But that wasn’t an option — and not just because the floors hadn’t been cleaned since last year.

Lloyd sighed and pulled out his earbuds, trying to relax with the sounds of the lights buzzing above him and chatter of kids in the hallway. Then the bell rang, and all hell broke loose. Lloyd shoved his earbuds back in, but there was an ad playing and the tinny sound of the announcer’s voice was almost as bad as his classmates screaming nearby. His hand reached for the earbud wire again. 

Breathe, Lloyd. Breathe. 

The voices were getting louder. People were approaching the door. They’d burst in here any second and then Lloyd would be victim to whatever stunts they wanted to pull. Would they beat him up or shove his head as far as they could into the toilet? 

Nope. I’m not sticking around for this. Lloyd grabbed his bag and spotted the nearby window — a single square in the wall covered by a thin sheet of glass. Lloyd raced forward, reached up as high as he could, and pushed the window open outwards. He threw his bag out the window first before climbing through himself, landing with a grunt on the grass. The bathroom door banged open and a group of boys walked in, chattering loudly. Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. He’d escaped.

This time.