Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The thing standing before him was not his father. Yet, even then, Lloyd could be fooled. 

The sickly blue lighting lit the dank skin of the creature, its throat looking swollen and bruised as it- or what Lloyd could only presume was Garmadon- lowered its head, its collar bones going taut like a bow-string, limp, uncharacteristic hair draping uncannily down his tight frame like silver drool of a gaping, titanic monster.

The green ninja drew his breath, fear filling his eyes as grief clutched at his heart like a bear trap clinging to a lamb, the shuddering in his shoulders betraying the forceful determination he wore knit on his brow. 

"You- you've cha-anged," the distorted voice rang out against the cold walls of the prison, the depth of Garmadon's voice was uncomfortable and as ugly as the yellowed and grimey fangs hanging out its mouth, saliva dripping from them as if the man before him was a brutish hound driven by the bloodlust of a hunt.

But undeniably, Lloyd's brows softened and his muscles lowered their guard as he inched closer to the feral "man." 

"So have you.." he began, his teeth cold on the insides of his mouth yet his breath was warmer than the eyes of his once father.. "I don't want to have to fight-"

A thunderous THUD shook the ground.

"-You" 

Harumi's disappointed cries were louder than the hammering of Lloyd's heart... And the thump of his father's body against his green gi. 

A lord too weary to hold a helm upon his head is never suited for battle.  

Chapter Text

Lloyd was stunned. His green eyes wide like plates with an incomprehensible dread that had gone from fearful to just the slightest bit hopeful; It was a cocktail of thoughts and feelings that left Lloyd shaking and hot with sweat, coupled by a ghastly drumming of his hammering heart to down out any coherency of his emotions!

The unwelcome shuddering of two identical metal doors from behind his father's unconscious body sent a jolt of horror through his body, and sent his legs rushing towards the crumpled figure on the floor.. 

Painted faces the colour of ivory with a familiar skull motif popped into view by the time Lloyd had started to sprint across the cold "arena”, and, much to his dismay, the biker gang soon followed suit- a couple of thugs yelled something out as they too ran towards the oni.

Lloyd felt his blood run cold. Just as he closed the gap to reach the oni, a gloved fist shot into his shoulder; the strike, while weaker than that of a trained fist, sent Lloyd stumbling to the side in a redirected course-- he was quick to stabilise his stance and pull his fists up to his sides before returning the attack square into the thugs face- the painted biker fell back into another's body leaving them to scramble up and try again.

Another jumped from behind the green ninja, earning them a sharp elbow bring planted into their gut as Lloyd beat them off like the other two. 

A green light grew from the blondes fists, he clenched his hands until his knuckles went white- the faces of the bikers were washed in green as he hurled his element towards them in a desperate attempt to quell the fight and squander their strength to buy himself some time to grab his father and run.

But while he was batting off the grabby, false sons, a familiar masked biker leapt down just above his father. 

He didn't have time to think when he launched himself at them with a furious scream. 

His fist collided with Mr E's masked face, green sparks flew from his hands while Mr E stumbled back onto their haunches. Mr E Was technically disposed of at Lloyd’s aggressive manoeuvre, their head asew of their shoulders while their body went limp against the floor- such a sigh must have frightened the thugs as they dared not to engage with Lloyd further no matter the price they would pay.

The brief falter in the attacks was plenty for Lloyd to rush to his father's side and heave him up before taking off down the dark hall- 

Harumi was still screaming angrily, he could hear her through the walls, but the metal doors of which Garmadon had entered failed to close on que, freeing Lloyd and the unconscious lord of which he dare to steal-

. . .

Blood coated Lloyd’s clothes as he held Garmadon's body limply in his arms. His legs ached. His chest burned. His throat croaked with each breath. Everything hurt to move with each sprinting step he took down the halls of the prison.

Why the doors were open, he couldn't tell- he guessed it was a mistake made by Harumi when she inevitably slammed her fists down in the console of the indoor watchtower. But no matter the reason, Lloyd was overjoyed with the result had it not been for the weight dragging his arms down with each of his huffing breaths.

"Come on!-" Lloyd strained as he spied the green of his vehicle waiting for him on the outskirts of the compound, its polished exterior gleaming hopefully under the moonlight with the same jewel colour of Lloyd’s teary eyes.

When Lloyd scrambled towards his transport, he couldn't help but glance down at the oni burdening his arms, sweat dripping down his chin onto the thing unconscious in his arms. "Come on..." he hissed again, a similar sound kissed his ears when the pit of the car opened for him to clamber into after having heaved the limp figure of the reborn corpse in before him.

The awkward angle at which Garmadon's tall figure met the raised edges of the padded seating created an irksome crack of the beast's neck, sending a shock of horror through the ninja before Garmadon let out an exhausted groan; his long, clawed fingers twitched erratically before settling and his shoulders looked tense once more.. Lloyd couldn't push away the frown tearing at his eyes as he looked at his father who appeared as though he would snap if he moved too much. 

With the car's pit closed over him and his father's limp body draped awkwardly behind his chair, Lloyd grabbed the controls and fled, the engine roaring excitedly, the wheel throwing up sand behind them as Lloyd narrowly escaped the false sons of Garmadon with the one man he missed the most.

In the end, did it matter how scared Lloyd was? when his only chance at having his father back had fallen into his arms. No. Lloyd couldn't be scared when he was closer and more hopeful to having his father return to him than ever before.

While Lloyd raced towards the city, the flickering screen of the shattered intercom panel just above the wheel came to life with the cheery voices of his friends! "Lloyd!" He heard them yell excitedly, Nya's higher pitch greeting his ears proudly before she determinedly explained that the prison had been put on lock down by Harumi while they most likely scouted for options on how to get Garmadon back, if they could at all. Lloyd smirked at the thought, karma felt cool and fresh against his cheeks despite the sickly humid interior of the vehicle. 

Just as the wheels came to a shuddering halt, Garmadon's limp body went flying into Lloyd’s shoulders, knocking him into the console earning a pained gasp from the young man. "Ow!-" Lloyd bleated as his hands trampled the many input controls on the dashboard before he turned to his head to look over his shoulder at the head pressed between the blades of his back. "Father?"

Lloyd was met without a response, much to his conflicted liking. He twisted his body around to grab the oni by his arms while he felt the night air grace his skin with its slim fingers, the breeze touching his cheeks as he grasped his father's frame.

Overhead, the destiny's bounty came into view above the restless city, static reflecting off the golden accents of the flying ship. Suddenly, the ever familiar shining hair of Zane popped into view, "go to the roof! We'll grab you both from there!!" 

Lloyd nodded and hurled Garmadon onto his arms, his brows stitched together when the weight dragged heavily onto his frame.

But as Lloyd took to entering the apartments, a deep growl slipped from the lord surrendered in Lloyd’s support. The rumbling sound shook in the oni's chest uncomfortably, like a writhing animal locked away behind a cage of ribs, left to wail pitifully from within his knotted throat. 

A whine. A sob.

The sound of helplessness and vulnerability.

It was a sound he'd heard his father make when Lloyd was still young, the night after his saving at Kai's hands and his reunion with his infamous dad.

. . .

The moment Lloyd had heard heavy footsteps approach his door, the young boy tucked the comic and torch beneath his pillow and chucked himself on his side, his back facing the door as light slipped into the room.

Breaths the weight of mountains tickled Lloyd’s blonde hair while two large hands cradled his small shoulders from beneath the blanket.

Almost fooled, Lloyd resisted turning around in fear he would be caught in his comic sneaking adventures, but Lloyd’s heart caught in his throat when Garmadon pressed his lips against the top of the boy's head. "I'm sorry.." he whispered, voice breaking under the strain of emotion he swore to hide from his pup.

For a moment, the room was motionless, silent, maybe even empty, before the sound of increasingly fragile breaths hit Lloyd’s heart in progressively painful beats; his childish nerves shattered into a mountainous weight - the green curse of destiny crushing at his dreams hauntingly.

A single tear bled onto Lloyd’s soft hair, followed by an aching sob that slipped out from his father's throat. 

Silence pressed down onto the room once more. Not a sound to be heard aside from the soft hum of Garmadon's loving paw caressing Lloyd’s arm tenderly. It stayed like that for a while.

But before Lloyd could gather up the courage to roll over and return the embrace, his dad was gone all over again. Too late was the boy to apologise for his fathers woes. Too scared was he to forgive his fathers sorrows and pleas.

That horrible whine grated against his ears for months. Guilt pooling in the bottom of his stomach each time he imagined the expression that matched the cry. 

. . .

Even then, as he held the crudely reanimated monster, he could not shake off the grief that plagued his heart…

Lloyd huffed as he heaved the burdensome lord up into the cramped elevator, kicking back the oni's tail as the doors closed in on them and the lift took to an unsettling thrum while it pulled them up the levels of the many floors, the occasional judder of the ascent causing Garmadon's eyes to flutter open and his muscles to tighten before going limp against his son once more..

"Nearly there, father. I promise, I'll get you home!" Lloyd promised with a hushed voice, his hand clinging to Garmadon's steep shoulder, a concerning warmth pooling across his chest as violet blood seeped into the fibres of his clothes.

But disgust never crossed the Green saviour's mind. Not once. No matter how revolting the feeling was to have another's blood set deep into one's person, Lloyd was only met with the hammering of a hopeful heart and the aching temples of a fearful son..

. . . 

Chapter Text

Lloyd hadn't left his father's side from the moment he had him back in his arms at Kryptarium - he was attentive to each moan and cough from his father with incomprehensible concern, doting on his every need anytime he so much as twitched..

..

In all honesty, Lloyd never paid attention to whenever anyone said anything to him; his mother at one point tried encouraging him to take a break and eat some food after he returned from peeling the bloodied gi from his body before Garmadon made another distress sound and made Lloyd unmovable from his father side all over again. She simply sighed, kissed her son's head, and left to fetch him some food anyways, resulting in his unforgiving care..

When Misako returned, she had indeed brought food; her hands holding a tray of warm tomato soup complete with bread on the side just as she knew Lloyd loved when he was feeling down. The archaeologist sat by her son on the bed, she passed the tray to him slowly to avoid spilling any of the warm meal and maybe even to keep from startling her shaken boy so they could both watch over Garmadon together.

"I'm so proud of you" She reminded him, a kiss pressed against his brow lovingly while her endearing hand petted his hair and Lloyd smiled at his mother with tired eyes, his gaze lingering on the lines of her face before diverting back to his soup, still side-eyeing the crumpled figure of his dad with worry.

While Lloyd took his time consuming his late dinner Misako sat patiently staring at her boy with what could only be described as an accepting and somehow mournful expression; her eyes were watery and soft, sharing the same look she wore on the night of Garmadon's sacrifice.  

Silence pressed over the room like a thick fog until another hefty cough broke out from the oni who continued to writhe and stir in his feverish sleep. Lloyd jumped to his father's side and pressed his hand upon the beastly thing's brow before settling to wipe it of sweat and smoothe down the wild hair springing up in a vain attempt to quell the restlessness of the oni..

Misako sighed and joined her son closer to Garmadon's head where she took notice of his skin; it was sunken and bruised, sickly in colour despite its unreadable nature in both texture and depth, the lines of his face were deep cut and lacerated into his features like engravings into the weathered rock of an oceanside cliff face. The archaeologist had not assumed the resurrection would leave him anything less than unsightly but to see her husband in such a state tore her up inside- would he still have the capacity to be the man she knew he was, or would he be forced to abandon his past entirely.. she could only dread. "He'll be alright. He's home now, and we will protect him." She whispered to her beloved child as she wandered a hand over Garmadon's cheekbones. 

Silence was never truly peaceful, not in Lloyd’s life - when he was quiet, he was grieving - so when the room was devoid of even the slightest of sounds, save the trembling breaths of Garmadon's shaking figure, Lloyd felt as though it too was grieving the character of his father's presence. 

. . . 

It hurt. Everything hurt.

His ears were ringing. His throat burned. His body ached with such intensity he swore he'd explode upon contact.

Sweat poured off him in waves and soaked the bed, the sheets stained a revolting shade of purple that was mixed with the odour of a sick animal; the air was thick and humid with feelings of throe, the humid room was suffocating against sodden skin.

Each flutter of his eyes left him with fragments of an unfamiliar room, those fickle glances were disrupted by heavy visual bruises and dark blotches that swam in his vision like fireflies in the night. 

He wasn't conscious enough to comprehend his surroundings, not yet, but he wasn't where Harumi was and he knew.. He couldn’t feel her near him, and he would know; he had stalked her down the moment he could walk again! He would know where she was. He would know her presence for certain! But instead he could only feel pain.

Voices were muffled incomprehensibly! Words slurred like ink upon wet paper as they slipped away from his ears.

He was hurt- that was all he knew now- he was hurting and it wouldn't stop.

"H-ha-Haru-mi!" He tried to call out to her, longing for answers and reason for his anguish- hoping she could do something to quell his pain! At first he nearly fooled himself with what could have been her hand -- as he had once felt it before back when she had touched his brow while barking commands, something to do with the helmet that had fallen from his shoulders -- but instead the hand was warmer, even against his burning skin where the touch would be considered cold, the hand was still warmer than Harumi's, softer but yet tougher too. He growled before that sound too was lost to a cry. He wailed as another bout of detrimental torment ripped through his chest, chasing his pulse through his arms and head.

The room was too loud, too blurry, too hot, too cold, too cramped, too empty, too much. It was all too much. 

Disoriented and overwhelmed, Garmadon sobbed, the sound was hollow against his unhearing ears, distress reaping his throat for the sound while he clawed helplessly at the bed beneath him.

If anything he was begging. Chanting Harumi's name over and over like she was some god to take his pain away from him! Of course, her name was lost amidst the choked sounds of his tearless cries, never truly sounding like her name but more like some horrific howling that the oni could not subdue!

He kept crying. Once he started he could not stop. He was hurt and he couldn't do anything about it.

. . .

Not a while after Lloyd had left his dad alone, he had been awoken by the sound of Garmadon roaring in pain before resolving into sobs. They had done everything to ease his pain that night. He still cried and it tore Lloyd apart to see his dad cry even in the absence of tears - the wound in his father's chest had turned into a bloody fountain of violet as sweat poured off his skin like bullets; he had been writhing about in place while Lloyd desperately tried to keep him still as his Mother bandaged and wrapped the wound to stem the river of blood flowing from Garmadon's chest.

By the following morning, Garmadon's wound had slowed its bleeding, now manageable with Misako constantly watching over him to change the bandages whenever they became heavy with blood.

Occasionally, Misako would still hear her husband's confused asking for Harumi, still unaware of his current condition and place of rest amidst the struggle of keeping his eyes open for half a second.

"You poor thing.." She sighed, running her hand over his cheeks while he murmured about finding Harumi and how much it hurt to breathe. "You're safe.. you're safe.." She smiled weakly as she pressed a kiss onto his forehead, his skin was strikingly hot at the contact but nonetheless she held her lips there in the tender notion that maybe it would bleed into his mind and ease his endless misery.

He groaned and struggled to peel his eyes open, one hand twitching by his side as his muscles went taut-- "such strain and not a single successful movement." Misako thought with a frown and a sigh.

Eventually she went back to simply checking his hearty wound for infection, barely pulling the bandages back before Garmadon howled out in anger!

Misako jumped back, reeling back her hand at the sound before she returned it to his chest. "Easy! Easy.." She warned him, her startled voice relaxing once again as his outcry faded to helpless whimpering. "I'm not going to hurt you, Garmadon. I'm just checking your-"

"RAGH! GAH-- HA-HARGH" he roared incoherently, his "words" being more that of some beastly struggling to make the ghastly sounds! It wasn't the intelligent response Misako could have hoped for and it certainly would prove difficult to try and make sense of his frightened cries! His body twisted and jolted about as he continued to screech! "ARG- AH-- S-She.. Calls- Mm-ME!" He gasped between his grunting speech; his voice slurred and weak yet somehow furious and animalistic!

But after his very vocal outburst, he settled again, groaning in defeat as more discomfort throbbed through his head, evidently drained from his mindless shouting and unresponsive result from the absent Harumi.

"Harumi isn't here. And you must ignore her call!" Misako huffed, understandably frustrated with his persistence to his new found loyalty. "You don't need her." She continued, ringing out a cloth through a bucket of water before dabbing it to his face and neck while he fought to contort his body into a curled shape- she couldn't stop him before he sobbed again at the pain welling through his chest at the indelicate position, leaving her only option to untangle his body by pulling his shoulders and head back to the pillows once supporting his health. "Let me help you.."

. . . 

Chapter Text

Lloyd paced about outside the room. He had heard his father's outburst again and yet was powerless to do anything! His mother had insisted he wouldn't interfere or engage with his father until he had stopped calling for Harumi, claiming that the girl had some sort of hold over Garmadon's poisoned mind from the revival that had brought him back. It made sense, in all honesty, but Lloyd couldn't care less! His dad was hurt- For First Master's sake- the man was bleeding out in his arms just the night before, and his mom thought she could keep him out! 

Lloyd sighed. It wasn't Misako's fault. He understood why she didn't want him in there, not yet, but it hurt him to hear his father in pain while he sat there and did nothing to comfort him. A part of him hoped that him being there might help whilst his friends and Mystake did their best to tackle the Sons of Garmadon before they found a plan to return him to their clutches.

The idea of the biker ruffians getting ahold of his father again set his eyes ablaze with blinding hot rage. He wouldn't. He couldn't, let them ruin what he had left of his dad! Not when he had kidnapped the man to protect him. They hadn't a clue how to take care of him! If they somehow got Garmadon back into their greedy hands, what would they do? They'd make it worse!

Somehow, in all Lloyd's mental prattling he had missed his Mom sneaking out of the door with dirty bandages overflowing in her hands- “Lloyd, sweetie,” She called to him from the walls of his mounting frustrations, earning his eager attention as he spun around, “Could you watch over your father for me whilst I fetch him some more water and supplies. I feel he may need the company to restrain him if he gets rowdy again,” she sighed defeatedly before pulling back a brave smile. Lloyd nodded, of course, smiling that same brave smile she had before he approached the door to replace her careful watch with his own.

The room was still warm when he entered, even with the breezy fan twirling around in the corner to keep the stagnant air at bay. The air was thick and heavy with the smell of a bloodied and wet animal that had been fished up from a corpse filled swap! In short, it was as bad as it was before, only now Lloyd could tell the difference between fresh and rotting air after his intermission. He sighed, resisting the urge of holding his breath as he walked to Garmadon's side; the sight of his quivering, feverish father weighed on his heart heavily and he drowned in the guilt of his made-up responsibility for his father's state. 

“Hey dad..” he smiled weakly, a glimmer of hope filling the corner of his eyes with a twinkle, “Mom will be back soon. She's just grabbing you more things.” In all honesty, Lloyd was glad to have another moment alone with his father, even when the oni was unconscious..

The silence was long, as expected in a moment of such rarity.

“Harumi... did this to you.” The mention of her name made Garmadon's hand twitch, and Lloyd’s heart dropped. “She didn't care about what you wanted, what you needed. You should be dead and yet- yet-” yet Lloyd was grateful.  He bit his lip. 

It was selfish, after all, to be grateful to have his dad back even when the man was bleeding and vulnerable. He knew it was wrong, and his heart ached to have felt pleased at the prospect of being there to keep his father safe when the man never deserved to be in the position he had been in.. “I'm sorry, Father. I'm sorry but I'm glad you're back! Even if you're not - not you yet.” His voice quivered. Garmadon's frame tensed. “I've missed you so much.. you wouldn't believe it after everything we've gone through.” That hopeful twinkle turned to a tear. “I missed you, dad. And I promise that I won't lose you again.” That tear slipped down his cheeks.

Soon enough, Lloyd found himself by the bed, his head on Garmadon’s shoulder while he sat on his knees. He wasn't crying, not entirely, not enough to disturb anyone; never enough to disturb anyone. His tears were small and quiet, his breath even and controlled- Just as he had practiced- but he cried nonetheless, hoping his father may one day have the strength and heart to wipe them away like he did when Lloyd was little and depended on him; a part of the green saviour still did, just as every child would no matter how old.

“L-lloyd!” Garmadon cried suddenly.

Lloyd had never in his life jumped up so fast. He snapped his head up and stared down at his trembling father with wide, pleading eyes! "Father?" He whispered to himself in shock, watching as the oni continued to frantically mumble incoherently! Garmadon gasped and huffed, his features contorting into a strangled expression as his arms twisted beneath him: clawing at the bed, he let out some harsh sobs that barely quietened before the ordeal ceased entirely and he went limp once more, laying still, shivering helplessly.

"I promise. I'll never let you wind up in her hands again." 

. . . 

Misako returned not long after Garmadon had his little outcry and Lloyd had stemmed his tears; she was clutching at a clean hand towel and a bowl of fresh, cold water and immediately had taken to swabbing the oni's brow with the cool, damp handtowel, alleviating just a slight bit of his discomfort from what they could observe of his steadily relaxing limbs. "He said my name." Lloyd blurted out amidst the quiet room, fiddling with his hands anxiously as he waited to hear his mother's opinion on the matter - "I don't know why, but he said my name." 

Misako looked towards her son, her eyes sorrowful but ever reassuring. She sat there in silence for a bit, slowly reaching her hand to hold Lloyd’s shoulder in a tender clasp of her intelligent touch. "You have every right to be hopeful," she reminded him, sending the doubt he had clouding his uneasy mind, "Don't let your worry consume all of it.. We have him now, but that doesn't have to end." She smiled, glancing at the sleeping oni who had slipped into something more peaceful, more sleep-like in comparison to the restless state he had been in since admitting him in their home...

"Okay.." Lloyd smiled and nodded, weakly letting himself feel better at the prospect of hope. "Okay." He repeated and glanced over at his mom, tears still speckled in his vision like morning dew on leaves.