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When Lloyd was expelled from Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys as a child, he was convinced he’d never live up to his father. “You’re too soft,” they said, despite his futile attempts to improve his evil genius.
Then, he turned out to be even more of a failure when the Serpentine repeatedly betrayed him.
Lucky for him, his uncle and the rest of his now-family took him in and set him straight.
Then, he was revealed to be the Green Ninja, and his entire life turned around, whether that be for better or for worse. He fought countless battles, both alone and alongside his friends, and came out victorious in the end.
Out of everything Lloyd had to face, he never would have imagined that teaching would be one of the things he’d struggle with the most.
"Arin, watch out!" was the only thing Lloyd managed to holler out before his student's face hit the ground. Arin groaned in both pain and exasperation, having failed the same exercise about ten times in a row.
"Are you alright? That looked like a pretty bad fall," said Lloyd, rushing to his side. Arin exhaled and rubbed his face with his hands. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just -- ugh. I can't seem to get this move right."
The blond put his hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "It's okay, Arin. Building skill takes a lot of time and patience, and you've made a lot of progress already." He tried to comfort him, but Arin just huffed and stood up.
"Sorry, Lloyd. I think I'm done for today."
Lloyd's heart felt heavy. No matter what he did, how much he explained or showed him how, Arin's skills weren't improving. He couldn't help but feel like it was his fault. Maybe he wasn't meant to be a master, and the dragon Matriarch that had encouraged him to train Arin and Sora had been wrong. He couldn't even get Sora to be interested in training. He was nothing like his uncle, Master Wu.
Now that was a true master. His uncle had to have been the most outstanding teacher ever to live. He had taught Lloyd everything he knew. But now, he was lost. No one has seen him or most of the other ninja since the merge.
Lloyd ran his hands through his hair, trying to stop beating himself up about it. "Okay. We can continue tomorrow."
Arin just nodded with a defeated look in his eyes and made his way into his room in the Monastery.
Lloyd stayed behind to clean up the training course after him. He felt bummed, unsure of how to solve this problem. He wondered if his friends would be better teachers than him. Surely, right? They had trained him alongside Master Wu, after all. He was said to be the greatest, most powerful ninja in all the land, although he never really felt that way.
When he was done cleaning, he pulled the lever, and the training course retreated into the courtyard floor, being replaced by a fountain featuring an impressive golden dragon sculpture right in the middle.
He just wistfully stared at it for a minute or two. Lloyd missed his friends. He missed his family. He missed the banter between his brothers and the laughter that would come with it afterwards. He missed training together at the crack of dawn, even though none of them enjoyed waking up early. He hadn't felt that warmth in ages.
Well, maybe something akin to it. He did have Harumi.
Harumi was his... friend, of sorts. They were more, sometimes. They had history. He couldn't put it into words if he tried. She mattered to him like no one else ever did.
She was one of the few things that had remained untouched from his old world, whereas everything else felt like it had been robbed from him. Some things were harder to forget than others, but he clung to her like a lifeline ever since he had found her after the merge.
Lloyd figured he should go see her today. He could tell her about his recent worries. She always made him feel heard.
---
Lloyd knocked on the wooden door once, adjusted his hood, and waited for a response. He hoped it wouldn't be too long. The sun was setting, and it was getting chilly.
He looked around for the millionth time, making sure he hadn't been followed. Harumi was very adamant about him not being seen around where she lived. She said she didn't want people to recognize him, especially not near her, otherwise they might connect the dots.
Lloyd thought it was reasonable. After all, Harumi hadn't completed her years in prison after the defeat of the Crystal King. A mergequake had broken her out, and since lots of people who didn't know about the history of Ninjago City lived there now, she had managed to find somewhere to live.
Harumi rented a place almost on the outskirts of the crossroads. Her landlord was from a different realm - the Wyldness, she had told him - and clearly wasn't aware of who Harumi was or her past actions.
Lloyd heard shuffling on the other side of the door after a minute. First, the jingle of keys, then the click, click of many locks. Finally, the handle turned.
The door opened lazily and creaked just the slightest bit, revealing Harumi on the other side.
"Lloyd," she said, in an unsurprised tone. Her hair was loose, as she usually liked to wear it. She was sporting a long-sleeved shirt that didn't cover one of her shoulders. Lloyd hadn't seen her use it before. Must've thrifted it, he figured.
Lloyd hadn't announced he was coming to see her, and yet, Harumi looked like she had been expecting him.
"Harumi. Hello." Lloyd gave her a small wave, even though he was right in front of her. "May I come in? I was... hoping I could crash here for the night."
She quirked an eyebrow and eyed him from top to bottom suspiciously. It wasn't the first time he came over to spend the night with her, though.
"What happened to how are you?" Harumi asked, giving him a crooked grin, and leaned against the door frame. "What has you so troubled?"
She had always been able to read him like an open book, and Lloyd still couldn't decide whether he hated it or loved it. It made opening up slightly easier, at least, but he was still stubborn, and nothing was changing that.
"Can't I just want to see you?" Lloyd protested, shaking his head. She wouldn't buy it, but it didn't stop him from trying. "It's only been a while."
"You would've called before coming if that was the case." She accused, pointing at him with her index finger. "But fine, let's go with that. Come in.”
Harumi made way for him, so he stepped inside, thanking her. He took off his shoes and hood, quickly combing his hair back into proper place with his fingers.
Lloyd was always a little surprised by how cozy her place felt, despite being quite simple. It was rather small, but it wasn’t cluttered or clumped at all.
Despite Harumi’s huge inheritance from the emperor and empress, her home was nothing but a reflection of her childhood home with her birth parents; humble. It was a recreation of the environment where she had been the happiest. It made even him feel at home.
“So, how are you?” Lloyd asked, breaking the silence. He sat down on the living room couch, next to a couple of cushions. It was comfortable.
Harumi scoffed as she locked the door back up. (Seriously, does she need that many locks?)
“I’ve been good. Thanks for asking,” she said sarcastically, but her words held no real bite.
“I just made jasmine tea,” Harumi offered, while helping herself to a cup steaming on the counter, “want some?”
Lloyd shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”
She sat beside him, leaning on the armrest. “How are things with Arin and Sora?”
“Training’s going great,” Lloyd claimed, putting on a cheerful smile. “Everything is wonderful.”
“Really.” She inquired, though it didn’t sound like a question.
“Yep. Great kids,” he added, wishing he had accepted the tea so he could pretend to be interested in something else right now.
Harumi made a face he couldn’t quite decipher. It was a mix of pity and I-wasn’t-born-yesterday-ness. “Is that why you came? Because everything is wonderful?”
Lloyd paused, caught off guard. “You act like I only come see you when I have a problem.”
“Don't you?” She incriminated, though she was wearing a smirk.
“Missing you doesn't count.” He pouted. He felt lonely more often than not, especially with everyone gone. Harumi wasn't too far off.
“Uh-huh, okay.” Harumi took a sip of her tea, breaking eye contact.
“Anyway, Arin is very talented,” Lloyd continued. “He can do a… different version of Spinjitzu — but it's good! He’s doing good.”
The way he had hurriedly emphasized that there was nothing wrong with Arin’s skills clearly made Harumi skeptical.
“What's different about his Spinjitzu?”
“It’s… like,” Lloyd thinks for a moment, trying to find the right word. “Milder? But he’s working on it,” he said, being purposely vague.
Lloyd shifted slightly, trying to relax without making it obvious. He crossed his legs and turned to look at her better, brushing her thigh with his knee in doing so.
“Arin is a hard worker, but he’s been having some trouble getting used to the training course.”
Arin was very determined, and he was over the moon with the idea of training to become a ninja. It was really endearing to Lloyd.
It was a joy to have both Arin and Sora around after having to listen to the echo of his own footsteps in the monastery for so long.
When Lloyd first began training as a child, he was really eager to learn Spinjitzu too. In contrast to Arin’s progress, though, Lloyd’s skills had almost seemed to come naturally. After a while, it was almost too easy, and he eventually grew to dislike it.
He always felt it was just destiny bending his way, and it wasn’t fair to the others.
“Today I could’ve sworn he’d get over the obstacle that he’s been struggling with, but he kept missing his jumps.”
“And that’s what’s bothering you.” Harumi took another sip of tea before setting it aside.
“I wouldn’t say it’s bothering me,” he said, not sounding very confident.
“Lloyd,” Harumi begins, pinching her nosebridge. He knows he's in for a scolding now. “You come to my house unannounced on a random weekday, looking like a kicked puppy, and ask me if you can spend the night.”
Color rose to Lloyd's cheeks. When she put it like that, it did sound pretty miserable.
“Okay, well,” he sputtered, trying to defend himself, ”maybe I am a little frustrated. I wanted some fresh air.”
Harumi's face twists in annoyance. He was obviously more than a little frustrated. Lloyd quickly catches on.
“I just don't know what I’m doing wrong,” he finally admits. He didn't really feel like beating around the bush today. “I’ve been teaching him the same way I was taught. The kid has so much potential, I just don't know how I can help him unlock it.”
“You’re putting too much pressure on him, Lloyd,” Harumi speaks with an air of condescension, as if the answer was so obvious. “Not everyone learns the same way.”
“I know that, but there’s no other method of learning Spinjitzu,” Lloyd sighed. “Master Wu taught us all this way.”
“And why does his method have to be the only one?” She questioned, using that same tone again.
“Because he's the son of the first Spinjitzu master!” Lloyd rolled his eyes, irked, and kept going. “If anyone knows how to teach, it’s my uncle. I’m sure if Arin had him instead of me, he would master the art in no time. But I’m not him.”
He doesn't realize how loud he's arguing until Harumi is glaring at him. Oops.
Lloyd blinked, taken aback by his own tone. He didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “I'm sorry. It’s just… I have no one to fall back on when it comes to teaching.”
Now he felt guilty for burdening her with this.
Their eyes met, and Harumi held him there for a few beats. “You need to relax,” she said, turning sympathetic. It was always a little strange when she softened with him like that. It was… unusual, but by all means, not in a bad way. “You can’t rush progress.”
Lloyd exhaled. She was right. Why could he never take his own advice?
“I'm just so paranoid that something will happen and he won't be ready. Sora struggles too, but at least I can understand why. Her situation is different.” Lloyd's gaze got lost elsewhere. Now he just looked sad.
“They have to figure it out themselves,” she continued. “You always go on about having patience. Cut them some slack, they're just kids.”
“I know…”
Lloyd couldn't help but see himself in them, in the way he put them through such intense sessions. He didn't know what it was to train without a doomsday clock ticking backwards constantly. He had to improve, or else everyone else would have to pay for his incompetence.
Harumi's fingers carded through blond hair before he even had time to process the action.
Lloyd easily melted at the touch.
“You're terribly tense.” She scratched lightly at Lloyd's scalp. Her nails were long, but the pressure she applied was controlled. She grabbed a fistful of strands to ground him, only to let go just a beat later.
He got goosebumps instantly, but didn't let it show. He just let her do as she pleased.
Her hand lowered to his neck, grabbing and massaging the softer flesh. The tension in his muscles began to ease.
Lloyd let his eyes flutter closed, huddling against her. She doesn't pull away.
“You’re so clingy.” Harumi snickered.
“Says you.” Lloyd huffed, eyes still closed, but clearly flustered.
“Whatever. Come here,” Harumi encouraged him, laying back on the couch so Lloyd could cuddle up to her.
He, of course, complies.
Lloyd climbed on top of her, like a cat on his owner’s lap.
Harumi pulled him down by the collar before murmuring through a smile: “I missed you too, by the way.”
“It has been two weeks,” Lloyd said, reaching up to touch her face. His thumb caressed her cheek before he leaned in to kiss her.
Harumi reciprocated slowly, dragging it out like she didn't want to let him go.
She tasted like the tea she’d been drinking, fragrant and enchanting.
Lloyd buried his fingers in the long hair cascading down her shoulders, wanting to be closer.
She nipped his lower lip when he tried to pull away.
“You said you're spending the night, right?”
Lloyd laughed at the question, nodding. “Oh, but I’m the clingy one.”
“Shut up.” Harumi shushes him by pressing a finger against the stupid grin he’s wearing.
Lloyd grabbed a pillow and shoved it in her face, while Harumi kicked him off.
He was spending the night alright.