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"Okay kid, you wanna try training again today?" Lloyd nodded, grabbing a blade that resembled the one he used to have, before he accidentally broke it after a fight they had with some bad guys a day ago. "You're lucky you still have your hammer," Cole smirked and rolled his hammer in his hand. With such ease, it made Lloyd a bit surprised at how strong the master of earth truly is. Carrying a hammer that weighs way over two of the Ninja combined.
"I don't throw my hammer and hope it hits someone." Lloyd rolled his eyes but smiled. Their cheery mood suddenly turned into a serious one as they got into their sparing positions. Lloyd crouched down, his mask covering the way he worried on his bottom lip.
Cole moved first, his hammer swinging down to the floor and rattling the ground. Lloyd jumped before he could feel the tremor climb up his body, he used the sword and hit the point against the ground before he bounced off and onto the statue in the middle of the courtyard. Cole looked up at him, shoulders flexing as he raised his hammer. "Not bad kid."
Lloyd jumped off the statue. Landing easily on his feet. He turned his head and he knew he messed up by having his back facing Cole, even for a second, the master of earth might be a bit taller and bigger in in size he was still fast.
The side of the hammer came against his side. He knew it would hurt more if this was an actual battle, and the hit only made him stumble and lose his footing, he fell onto the floor and the hammer came down to the right of his head. He moved in time to dodge it, dust blowing over his face and settling into his hair.
"Not bad yourself too Cole," Lloyd twisted, he was smaller, both in height and in some size, so his upper hand was being able to shift under Cole's body, he kicked as hard as he could and he felt the strain of weight pushing against Cole before he even got out from under the other. He got on his feet fast, ignoring the sudden throb of pain in his calf. He could deal with that later.
"Working with kicking?" Cole stood up, his hammer hoisted on his shoulder as he smiled at Lloyd, who stood near the steps to enter the Monastery. "Maybe," Lloyd swung his sword, throwing it at Cole, the hammer came up and the ninja blocked. And Lloyd took the advantage of bare weakness and he kicked Cole square in the stomach again, this time knocking Cole back with the momentum of his run and the strength of his kick.
Cole huffed, grabbing his stomach as he panted heavily. "I shouldn't have eaten before this." Lloyd smiled in triumph, bending to grab his sword that had clattered to the ground. His sleeve rolled up and he felt the slightly cold air hit his bare skin, he shivered a bit before he rolled the sleeves back down. He hoisted the sword on his back, giving Cole a hand to stand upright, and yet again, his sleeve only seemed to betray him and rolled up. Lloyd felt the cold air hit a bit harsher and he nearly winced, and then he froze when he saw the skin on his wrist that was littered with light pink and red markings.
"Shit—" Lloyd went to roll the sleeve down, but a hand stopped him and suddenly he was looking at Cole's face and the way the other looked so devastated. As if he knew something Lloyd didn't, and the ninja guessed that he did.
"Lloyd?"
"They're nothing, just some cat scratches from strays I find." Lloyd smiled, his voice didn't wobble because he's said these exact lines for so fucking long he could believe it himself if he didn't go to his room nearly after every mission and refresh the marks and the pain. Cole looked at him for real this time. His eyes were narrowed, his brows furrowed with pain and understanding.
"Kid. I'm not gullible. I know what they are, I know..." Lloyd tried to pull his arm back, but he couldn't. He watched as Cole pushed the green sleeve farther up his arm, to where his elbow was. The marks were less fresh the farther they went, but they were still in a state of healing.
"Hey... Lloyd, you know all of us are here for you. Right?" Lloyd knew that. And that single thought made him want to wrench his arm away and lock himself in his room.
But he didn't.
"I know..." Lloyd looked down at his arm, he felt his stomach pit with the way his eyes traced over the number of lines and slashes there were. He could still remember every single sting it left behind when he forced himself to touch them, to ensure he didn't forget the way they burned and hurt him. He stopped crying at them years ago.
Just a simple boy.
"You can always—"
"I know." Lloyd looked away, he did know. He knew everything the ninja would sacrifice to help him, to ensure he was happy. But he couldn't bear the thought of what lengths they go to just to keep him happy. To keep him from being so self-inflicting to himself, physically and emotionally.
"Okay, want a hug?" Lloyd blinked, his vision blurred and he felt his throat close tight. He sniffled, nodding slowly. Big arms pulled him into a hug, pulling his sleeve down. Lloyd buried his face into Cole's chest, though the GI had long lost the scent of earth and Cole's body wash, there was just a hint of it barely there.
Lloyd couldn't wrap his arms around Cole. So he let them hang at his side as his tears streamed down his face. Hiccups coming out instead of sobs. He hated feeling like this.
The way his throat burned, the way his eyes also burned with the annoying heat of oncoming tears. He hated the way, a side of him, buried deep inside, wanted to get help. Wanted to tell the ninja that he was in pain, that he was so devastatingly tired. Tired of being here, alive, being the green ninja, fighting crime for people who can't. He should've been the one being saved, long before he even saw the ninja as a family.
He wanted to fix everything. And he knew he couldn't fix everything.
He was just the green ninja.
Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon.
"I'm sorry-" A hiccup cut his words. And he buried his tear-streaked face harder into Cole's embrace. Wanting more. He wanted to be helped... of course, he wanted help, but he didn't know if he was allowed to ask for help.
The mighty green ninja had to be strong...
"I'm so sorry!" His lower lip trembled as he spoke, and his legs felt weak as he tried to hold back everything he wanted to say.
But he wasn't the green ninja at this moment. He was just a simple human boy.
Robbed of everything he should have experienced.
Cole held him close, and Lloyd felt so horrible for ruining Cole's gi... but somewhere deep he knew the other ninja wouldn't even mind if he was bleeding on his GI, he just held Lloyd close and up on his feet until his tears streamed into drops, and soon nothing. The sun had shifted, and Lloyd felt nearly out of breath and half asleep when Cole finally moved.
"Okay bud, we're going inside to patch you up. Alright?" Lloyd didn't have it in him to say no. He didn't want to either way.
So when Cole grabbed him and carried him like a big sibling would to their smaller sibling, did his eyes burn and his lower lip trembled again. His head rested right on Cole's shoulder as he was carried inside.
"Is there something wrong?" Lloyd blinked, his eyes had closed, and the drowsiness he had felt suddenly hit him harder. His whole body felt heavy, and he was just a boneless heap in Cole's arms at the moment. "Zane, just help us down in the med room, I just need your help with something." Lloyd only woke up again when he was put onto a bed, he sat with a straight back immediately. A hand on his shoulder relaxed him the most.
"Don't worry kid, just gonna bandage you up." Cole smiled and Lloyd felt that same odd sense of familiarity in his stomach. He remembered the way Cole carried him and he couldn't help but want to be carried like that again. The top of his GI was untied, and the clothing draped behind him in a messy heap. He could feel the way the cold of the room hit his shoulders and he shivered. His black top only served to cover his chest and stomach, the non-existent sleeves cursing him. "Your arm, Lloyd." Lloyd looked at Zane, who held bandage tape in his hand and some simple rubbing alcohol in the other. Lloyd stretched his left arm, feeling Zane's cold metal hands touch lightly on his skin before rubbing alcohol began to sting his wounds.
He hissed before he relaxed and suddenly the pain lessened.
With both arms wrapped, he put his GI back on. Seeing how the bandage made his arm look a bit bigger, his black gloves covered the bandage that peeked out from under the wrist.
"Thank you." Lloyd yawned, he was tired, very, very tired.
"To bed, come on." Lloyd gave Cole a confused look.
They didn't go to sleep until hours later. A nap in the middle of the day would just throw him off— "Bed. You're are asleep on your feet right now, if the others ask I'll say you weren't feeling too well." Lloyd watched as Cole got up. The urge to want to be carried like earlier threw him off further.
Cole looked at him before he smiled softly and came forth. An arm wrapped under Lloyd's knees and one behind his back, and suddenly he was carried like a little kid again. He would never get tired of this.