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Lloyd Garmadon had known for a while now that he had issues, but who wouldn't, had they gone through what he had? Over the years, he had lost so much. He'd never known his father as a child. His mother all but abandoned him at Darkley's. And after that, he lost his childhood, his first love, his uncle, and his brothers (of course, his family did come back, but it still hurt). He'd never thought he'd have to lose anyone again, maybe because he wasn't sure he could handle the idea.
Now, he sat at the dinner table in the bounty, surrounded by his found family, a feast before them. The ninja raised glasses with smiles, toasted and made jokes, but somehow Lloyd couldn't really hear them. His plate lay untouched as he tried his best to keep the wetness in his eyes from falling down his face. He understood, of course, that his brothers deserved a break and that they would be back soon, but it still hurt that they were leaving on their various adventures. He knew that the rest of Ninjago needed protectors, too, that Nya and Jay had never gotten their honeymoon, and that the other ninja had other family who missed them, who wanted to spend time with them. Lloyd didn't have anyone else, though, so he pushed his food around with his fork and tried his best not to look too dejected. He didn't want to ruin this for everyone. It had been years since the Ninja had been with their family, but Lloyd couldn't help but think he didn't want to be alone again.
He excused himself before the party was over, making a beeline for his bedroom. They'd all be leaving tomorrow; they didn't need his irrational fears crushing the mood, but what if they didn't come back? What if they decided Lloyd wasn't worth coming back for, what if-
"Lloyd? Buddy, you in there?"
Lloyd's breath hitched as he tried to scrub the tears off his skin before Kai could open the door. Kai didn't need this right now; he had enough on his plate, so Lloyd should probably have told him to go away and that he was tired, and maybe he would've, but oh my god, he can't breathe, it's too much, it's all too much.
A hand on his shoulder interrupts the spiral of demeaning thoughts. He looks up to meet Kai's worried eyes, realising the fire ninja had been speaking. Kai pulled Lloyd in for a hug, holding him tight. Lloyd found himself fighting to hold back a sob, even though it was obviously too late for that.
"Ssh, it's alright. You're okay. C'mon, just breathe. I'm here, it's okay," Kai whispered, a string of meaningless words of comfort because Lloyd knew it would not be okay. They were all leaving, and he'd be all alone again. He broke, there in Kai's arms, cracking right down the middle and letting out the horrible, horrible sounds of his pain. He cried, sobbed, and Kai only held him, running a hand through his hair and whispering to Lloyd that it would be fine.
They stayed like that for an eternity, Lloyd shattering into pieces and Kai holding him together, until Lloyd finally found his voice.
"Don't go," he whispered, the sound little more than a whimper.
Kai gave him a confused look, and then understanding dawned in his eyes.
"Oh, Lloyd," Kai sounded almost relieved, like he finally realised this was a problem he could fix, "I'm right here. I won't go, I promise."
"But- you- you're not... you're not leaving with Nya? To see your family?"
"My parents are busy on their own adventures, Lloyd. Nya's going on a trip with Jay. We told you this, remember? After all everything that's happened, we wouldn't leave you by yourself. You know that, right?"
Lloyd shook for a moment, the weight of being seen settling on his shoulders. He hiccuped once, twice, and shook his head. He didn't know that.
"C'mere, buddy," Kai whispered, pulling him into another hug. "We love you, and we would never, ever leave you if we had any choice in the matter. We'll always come back, every single time."
Lloyd held on tight, scared to let go. He let a quiet, "Promise?"
Kai huffed a laugh, "Yeah," he said. "I promise."
And finally, Lloyd felt the air return to his lungs. His brothers would not leave him.
"Hey, I have an idea," Kai proclaimed. He rolled up the mattress Lloyd slept on, tucking it under one arm and keeping the other draped around Lloyd's shoulders. "Let's sleep in the den today. All of us."
Lloyd perked up at the idea of sleeping in a pile with his brothers (and his sister). Kai gave him a knowing smile, happy with the knowledge that his brother was happy, and led him into the den, where Cole and Jay were finishing up a match of Fist to Face 3.
"HA! I WIN AGAIN," Cole pumped his fist in the air, then turned to see Kai and Lloyd in the doorway. "Hey, greenie! You wanna play the next round? I'm getting bored of beating Jay."
Lloyd nodded, moving to sit on the floor in front of the couch.
"Heyy, no fair, my arm's sore! And- wait, are we having a slumber party? AWESOME!" Jay grinned, his 'sore arm' all but forgotten.
"I will prepare the popcorn," Zane added. Nya watched from the other couch with sleepy eyes, her head leaning on Jay's shoulder.
Lloyd played (albeit badly) and took in these last few moments with his brothers, but this time, he had faith that they'd be back.