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“Great job, team. I’m glad it didn’t drag on for too long. I really thought we were going to be fighting that battle for a couple hours. That was good time.” Lloyd declared to his team, as they all put away their weapons and such away in the warehouse.
Kai came over to Lloyd and put a firm hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, and it was all thanks to your brilliant plan, greenie. And you got the last blow! I know that’s got to ruffle his feathers a little.” Lloyd shrunk away from Kai’s hand, while the older boy kept laughing.
Nearby, Jay checked his phone. “Hey, guys. We still have time to make last hour if we hurry.” He held up the screen for the others to see, but the only one who looked at it was Cole, who only groaned.
“I don’t want to go back. Besides, if we went back now, we’d have to explain to the school where we’ve been for the past 2 hours. I’m not in the mood to do all that.” Cole leaned into his mech. “But if you wanted to, Jay, I could drop you off?”
Jay’s eyes went wide. As much as he didn’t want to miss class, the idea of having to talk to someone about how much class he had already missed was even worse.
“Alright! Sounds like were all hanging here ‘till school lets out!” Nya exclaimed, pumping her fist. “I call picking the first game we play!” Nya yanked Kai’s hood haphazardly over his head before booking it to the living area in the opposite corner of the warehouse. The six of them pooled some money together months ago to buy a cheap couch and tv, and Kai and Nya were able to convince their mom to let them “sell” one of their old family consoles.
Kai fought with his hood for a moment to pull it back off his without tearing it or stretching it in a weird way. When he finally got it off, he had a massive grin plastered on his face. “Oh, you’ll pay for that.” Suddenly, Kai grabbed Lloyd’s hand and started running after Nya. Lloyd yelped at the sudden contact.
Lloyd was a little weird with physical contact. Growing up, his mom would give him hugs sometimes, but only when one of them had a bad day, or when one of Garmadons attacks got a little too personal. Other than that, no one really touched the boy unless they were shoving him into a wall or locker, and those didn’t exactly make him feel great about himself.
Being a ninja though had given him friends with very different views on the topic. Zane never seemed to initiate touch with someone, but he never seemed to react when it happened. Similarly, Cole didn’t touch very often, but when he did, it was usually just leaning into them or wrapping a light arm around their shoulder. He didn’t enjoy hugs.
Physical touch seemed to come naturally to Nya. She never stressed it, or made it a big deal, she would just do it, like nudging the others, or giving a fist bump after a job well done.
Jay and Kai were similar. They both fall under what Lloyd would consider clingy. Jay’s apparent clinginess stemmed from intense childhood hallucinations. He explained that to the group early on just so they could understand him better. Thanks to that, no one stressed it too much when Jay came to sit extra close to them or would kick them lightly under the dinner table.
Kai didn’t have a story about why he was so clingy, at least, not one he ever shared. But of everyone on the team, Kai was the one to always have his hands all over someone one way or another.
On one hand, Lloyd really enjoyed the physical aspect of him and his team but had no idea why. On the other hand, it really freaked him out how much he missed their touch as soon as it was gone.
That was the only though Lloyd had as Kai let go of his wrist to tackle Nya to the ground and began roughing up her hair. He had pretty much trapped her below him, but both the siblings were smiling, laughing, and occasionally throwing little insults at each other.
“How’s it feel to get your hair all messed up”
“Please, there’s so much hair gel in your hair nothing even happened to it”
“At least I care about my appearance”
“THAT’S what you call all that?”
The two of them were still fighting by time the rest of the team had come to join them, all of them rolling their eyes at the siblings’ antics.
“At least they left the couch open for us this time.” Cole flopped onto the corner couch, with Jay trailing behind him to sit next to him. Zane did not sit down but instead headed back out to get snacks for the team.
The siblings bickering only lasted a moment longer before the two of them got bored and joined the team. Nya took the seat next to Jay, whose face immediately turned red when their thighs touched. Kai sat on the floor between Cole and Jays legs. Despite Zane not being back yet, he knew he would sit on the old armchair that was already at the warehouse when they started their ninja training, as he always did when they would all game together.
The only spot left for Lloyd was on the floor between Jay and Nya, which wasn’t a spot them felt particularly appealing right now. Usually, he would sit where Cole was, but he was a little weary to get too close to Kai and Nya as they were fighting earlier. He supposed he could sit at Zanes feet, but he wasn’t sure Zane would appreciate that.
Kai noticed the apprehension on the young ninja’s face and patted the spot on the floor right in front of him, between his legs.
Lloyd’s face flushed a light pink, and in his panic for the red ninja not to see, he sat down where Kai had invited him, not turning to face the red ninja. He heard Cole let out a small laugh behind him but decided to ignore it.
When Zane came back with snacks, Nya stood up to set up the consol, handing out three controllers to Lloyd, Kai and Cole, and throwing the other one in her spot as she put in the disk for Ninjaball Run 17.
Nya clicked though the game menu and onto the character select screen, where everyone logged in and picked their kart and characters. Nya selected the underwater course, which raced through the ocean.
Lloyd loved Ninjaball, and the thrill of haphazard driving. It wasn’t every day he got to wreak havoc on his friends in the name of fun. Usually, that right was reserved to his father. After a grueling 6 minutes, Cole came in first, with Nya just seconds behind him. Lloyd and Kai were still a bit behind, but not in last, though, Kai was pushing it.
Lloyd never cared about winning. He just liked to keep others from winning. Today it was Kai. If he had his way in this race, Kai was going to come in twelfth out of twelfth place. It was working for a while, until Kai wrapped his arms around the green ninjas’ torso with his arms. Lloyd was flabbergasted. Never had he seen someone go so low.
“Kai! That’s’ not fair, get off me!” Lloyd started squirming and momentarily forgot about the task at hand. This gave Kai the perfect opportunity to finally pass Lloyd’s kart and race to the finish line, coming in eleventh place. Lloyd ended in last.
Kai laughed and leaned forward into Lloyd back while Lloyd sulked. Everyone around him was also laughing. This was quite the predicament for the brave team leader to be in. It felt as if his entire body warmed to an uncomfortable degree and he started squirming. Almost immediately, Kai backed up and let go of Lloyd. His eyes locked to the back of his head.
Lloyd missed the touch.
“Sorry, Lloyd. You okay” Kai asked, keeping what he thought would be a safe distance from the boy. He was reminded of all the conversations with his parents and teachers over the years, reminding him that not everyone would be comfortable with his level of clinginess.
“Yeah, sorry. It’s just warm in here, huh?” Lloyd rubbed the back of his head, before moving to stand up. “Yeah, I’m going to go get water, Here Jay.” He handed his controller off to Jay. “Anyone want anything?” Small “no” ‘s was said, and heads were shaken, so Lloyd took that as the go ahead to leave. He quickly rushed out of the small room.
Nya reached over Jay to flick Kai in the head. “Good going, dork. You scared him off!”
“I didn’t know he was going to react like that! I do it to you all the time!”
“Yeah? Well Lloyd isn’t me!”
“Kai?” Jay interjected. Kai ignored him.
“It wasn’t even bad! First Master forbid I have fun with my teammates!”
“Um.”
Nya rolled her eyes. “He always reacts like this when you get overly affectionate with him! Come on, don’t tell me you’ve never noticed?”
Kai paused, just for a moment to think about what Nya had said. Was she right? Did Lloyd really shake Kai off at every touch? He had never noticed.
While Kai was quiet, Jay took the time to say what he wanted to say.
“I think someone should go and check on him. Make sure he isn’t doing anything irrational, you know? I mean, he doesn’t have the best track record for being left alone.”
“I second that.” Zane spoke up.
Cole placed a stern hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Go fix this, Kai. And if he’s upset with you, be patient. You know he can’t stay mad at you for long.”
Kai sighed as he stood up, not being the biggest fan of confrontation. But Lloyd was like a brother to him. He would hate to lose a brother to some miscommunication.
“Here ya go, Zane. Make my proud.” He mock saluted to Zane as he handed him the controller, knowing realistically that he was about to get his ass handed to him by Nya and Cole. But, hey. He hadn’t faired too well either, so who was he to judge?
“Okay! I’ll be back in a minute with him. Don’t have too much fun without us.”
Kai went on his way to find Lloyd. He checked the kitchen, as he figured that would be the most logical place for him to be, especially since he offered to grab stuff for the others. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there. He continued searching. The living quarters of this place weren’t too large, no more than 800 square feet. Kai could tell it wasn’t designed for a ninja team of 6. But the 6 of them made do with what they had.
Next, Kai checked the bathroom. That’s where he would have gone if he needed a quick place to hide. As he approached, he noticed the light seeping from under the door.
Kai stood outside the door and took a deep breath before knocking lightly.
“Hey, buddy. Are you doing okay in there?”
It was too quiet on the other side of the door, but Kai already knew Lloyd was in there. He was avoiding him.
“Hey, I’m not mad at you, okay? I wanted to apologize. And besides, we had to talk about it eventually. I mean, I love you, dude. I don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, or whatever.”
Kai was once again met with silence and considered even that Lloyd may not be in there, and that he was talking to a wall, until eventually he heard him from the other side.
“Sorry, dude. We can talk about it. Just give me a minute. And I don’t want to do it in the bathroom.”
Kai's eyes lit up. “Okay! Yeah. Meet me in the sleeping quarters whenever you’re ready? Alright? Does that work?”
“Sure thing, dude. Sorry.”
“Nah, don’t apologize. I’ll see you in a bit Lloyd.”
-
Lloyd was scared. What if his friends thought it was silly that he was afraid of them touching him? What would Kai think if he finds out he cowers in fear is because he’s worried Kai is going to hit him? He’s a ninja! He can handle it! And besides, he isn’t the only person in the world who’s ever faced hardship, so how come he thinks he gets to act like it?
Lloyd splashed himself in the face with water. If he stayed here too long, he knew Kai would come after him. That’s just who he is. Kai cares so much. But why? Lloyd truly could not think of anything he had done to make Kai care for him so much aside from the whole ninja thing, and even that was an accident, he knew that. Kai and Nya were never meant to join the team. Wu had told him.
What if Kai found out? Would he hate him? For being an accident? What if he thought it was Lloyd who was against it? Kai would never look at him the same again, not to mention Nya!
Lloyd took a deep breath. He needed to breathe. This wasn’t getting him anywhere. He heard soft footsteps approaching the bathroom.
A pause. A knock.
“Hey, buddy. Are you doing okay in there?”
Lloyd held his breath. He could not let Kai know he was crying in here. It wasn’t even that serious! Why was the green ninja crying over a game? Or a hug. Whatever it was, he shouldn’t have been crying about it. He’s too grown for that.
“Hey, I’m not mad at you, okay? I wanted to apologize. And besides, we had to talk about it eventually. I mean, I love you, dude. I don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, or whatever.”
Kai’s voice was muffled slightly by the door, but Lloyd could still hear him loud and clear. He took a deep breath. This was okay, and Kai was okay. Everything would be okay.
Lloyd took another breath before speaking back to him.
“Sorry, dude. We can talk about it. Just give me a minute. And I don’t want to do it in the bathroom.”
“Okay! Yeah. Meet me in the sleeping quarters whenever you’re ready? Alright? Does that work?” Lloyd could practically hear the smile of Kai’s face. He wasn’t very good at hiding his emotions.
“Sure thing, dude. Sorry.”
“Nah, don’t apologize. I’ll see you in a bit Lloyd.” Kai walked away, albeit not far. The sleeping quarters were maybe ten feet down the hall. But it was okay. Lloyd had some control over this.
He stayed in the bathroom splashing his face and doing breathing exercises for another five minutes before deciding he was finally okay enough to go talk to Kai.
-
“Kai.” Lloyd stood at the doorway. Kai shot up from the bed he was laying on, his eyes open wide as if he had been caught doing something.
“Lloyd!” Kai stood up, opening his arms. He then realized the irony of his actions and put his arms to his side. “Sorry. Come in. You can shut the door if you want.”
Lloyd nodded his head as he shut the door and made his way further inside the room, sitting down in the bunk next to the one Kai was standing in front of.
“So,” Kai said sitting back down. “What’s going on?”
Lloyd fidgeted with his fingers. He should have waited another minute or two. He kept his eyes to the floor, and his breathing relatively steady. He wasn’t used to this.
“Sorry. It just scared me. I mean, you see how I get treated at school. Usually when someone puts their hands on me it’s to remind me of how much they hate me.” Lloyd wasn’t looking up, but he kept it together. “I guess my mom hugs me sometimes. But it’s never because she loves me. She does! My mom loves me a lot! But it’s usually to help herself feel better about something, you know? Like the fact that her job sucks, or life sucks, or that her ex-husband sucks. You know?”
Kai was shocked. Of course, Lloyd was awkward around touch. He would be too, if it weren’t for Nya and his parents being all over him when he was little.
“Lloyd. Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry. I should’ve asked. I understand how what I did could have been too much without warning. I just–” Lloyd interrupted him.
“Kai, you didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t know why I reacted like that. Like, I knew I was safe. Don’t think for a minute I have ever felt unsafe with you. I guess I just got embarrassed, or something.”
“Why would you be embarrassed?”
“I don’t know! Because I liked it? I mean, I’m like the hero of Ninjago. I can’t just get mushy over being hugged, or when you mess with my hair, or when you grab my wrist to go drag me off somewhere. I’m better than that, Kai. I have responsibilities.”
By now Kai was properly shocked. Lloyd was embarrassed because of how much he enjoyed it when his family, specifically Kai right now, touched him? That’s not a problem he thought he would be addressing right now.
Kai shook his head. “C’mon, Lloyd. You’re thinking of this as all wrong. Letting yourself be loved isn’t a weakness! If it weren’t for Nya, I don’t think I would be here, right now. She saved my life, dude. And I’m not making up a big dramatic story to make my point. If me hugging you and roughing up your hair makes you feel loved, that’s awesome. If it feels like I’m embarrassing you, I can change. If I crossed a line, I’m sorry. I want to do better for you because you deserve it.”
As much as Lloyd wanted to deny it, he felt the flood work coming. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it together with Kai, he loved Kai! If anyone on the ninja team could make him feel like he belonged, it was Kai.
“No, Kai, please. Don’t change it. I loved it, and I love you, dude. I just wasn’t ready, and I’m awkward.” He buried his face in his hands. “Man, this is so embarrassing. I like your hugs, and stuff. And I know you love me. Obviously! I just have a hard time connecting the two in my head.”
Kai got up hesitantly and switched beds. He now sat beside Lloyd, who looked up from his hands.”
“Can I hug you?” Kai asked. The sincerity in his eyes was real. He meant this. Lloyd nodded his head hesitantly, already feeling his face get warmer.
Kai draped an arm around Lloyds’ shoulder. Almost instinctively, Lloyd melted into the touch.
“See, was that so bad?” Lloyd shook his head. “Would you like it if I asked you permission before I touch you from now on?”
Lloyd face flushed again as he thought about it. He pictured his friends giving him weird looks if Kai had to ask if he was allowed to give him a hug. He only shrugged.
“The alternative is I don’t touch you unless you ask me to, which is always on the table regardless, but I want this to work for you. I don’t want you getting scared or embarrassed, or whatever. And I’ll stop whenever you ask. That one’s also always been on the table. Sorry if it didn’t seem like that earlier.”
Lloyd thought about it a little longer before nodding his head. He sat up and looked at Kai.
“Yeah. I think that will help. For now. And if you just wouldn’t do it so loud that everyone else can hear you? That would help too I think.”
Kai smiled. “I can do that for you. I might even start asking the others. It might make being around me so often a little more bearable if they got any sort of say in the matter. Except Nya. At this point its revenge.”
Lloyd laughed at that. He envied the relationship between Kai and Nya. He wishes he had a sibling.
“Ready to head back, greenie? I think it’s about time we show Cole and Nya who’s boss.” Kai grew a mischievous smirk on his face. He was already planning the perfect way to drop those two down a peg.
“Yeah. I’m ready. Thanks, Kai.”
“Anything for my little brother. Can I rough up your hair?”
Lloyd shot up from where he was sitting quickly. “Only if you can catch me!”