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Cold air washed over his face as they entered the supermarket. Lloyd looked around; he'd never been to a big shop like this before. Just like the rest of Ninjago city, it was foreign to him. Everything was so... big. Not like the little family-owned businesses he'd stolen food from in the outlying villages - certainly nothing like the canteen at Darkley's.
They'd been in the city a week. Clean up from the Great Devourer was mostly finished, surprisingly little damage had been done thanks to his father – nope not going there. Lloyd shook his head and continued after Cole into the shop, someone said something about a trolley and moments later Jay zoomed past him, laughing maniacally as he balanced on the edge of the trolley Cole had wanted.
Kai doubled over, wheezing at the display, he looked just as weirded out by this whole thing as Lloyd felt, he guessed Kai hadn't been in a big shop like this either. Zane grabbed the handles of the trolley, spinning Jay to a halt.
"Awww—Zane," Jay pouted, "What was that for?"
"We are here to buy food Jay, not to race." The nindroid gave him a stern look, before releasing the trolley. They moved off into the supermarket, Jay walking now, seeming to get the message that if he wanted to drive the trolley, he had to behave himself.
Lloyd tuned out the ninja slightly as they began to gather the items on their list. Instead, he turned his attention to the massive room. Aisle after aisle stretched out before them, many containing things he had never seen before. Vaguely aware of the ninja's position as he wandered, jumping out the way of other people who busied themselves in the shop.
He blinked up at the boxes in front of him – cereal, he recognised one of them from breakfast. So many different types, he didn't know what most of them meant. The white laminate floors reflected the overhead lights, casting strange reflections. He stared, titling his head and watching the light play off the tiles.
"Lloyd!" Oops. He turned guiltily, seeing Kai walking through the crowds towards him, "Don't run off like that."
He grabbed Lloyd's wrist, pulling him back to where the others were. Lloyd resisted the tugging slightly, everything moving very fast as Kai marched over to where the others were waiting. Fruit and vegetables filled this section. Their cart was mostly full now. Someone brushed past his back, and he took a step forward, drawing a sharp breath at the unexpected motion.
"Alright," Cole clapped his hands together, "got everything?"
The ninja nodded, and they began to move again. Lloyd stuck close to the trolley, using it to hide from the crowds. An announcement crackled loudly overhead, words unintelligible. The static shrieked and grated harshly on his ears. He pulled the hood of his hoodie up, breathing out a slow breath.
They reached the checkouts, unloading their shopping onto some strange moving counter. Lloyd stood up on his tiptoes, hands grasping the cool metal edge as he peered at the strange contraption. A series of slightly arrhythmic beeps started, a person scanning items each time the noise occurred.
A hand placed on his back. He whipped around before relaxing, it was just Kai. His heart was beating faster, and he allowed himself to be guided through the narrow lanes and out to where Zane was busy packing things into bags. Lloyd stood completely still for a few minutes, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie, fingers twisting over each other, peeking out from under his hood. He watched the ninja grab bags, before following slowly as they left the shop.
The cold air blasted him again as they walked through the door – he blinked at the sudden sensation of his face, making his skin crawl. Blonde hair tickled his face, disrupted by the movement. He scowled, blinking rapidly and raising a hand to push it back out of his face.
Lloyd shifted uncomfortable in his hoodie, squinted against the sun. The bus squealed to a halt in front of them and it took all of his self-control not to step back at the intimidating presence looming over him. They boarded, showing their passes and proceeding to the back to sit down.
The bus was fairly full, but all five of them still managed to get seats. Lloyd drew his knees up in front of him, making himself as small as possible. Every bump in the road rattled him, creating a cacophony of sounds that thundered against his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping no one would notice. The ninja all seemed actively engaged in a very loud debate, Jay's voice rose in pitch as Cole's deeper tone laughed gently. Lloyd could hear their voices, but the words were lost somewhere between their ears and his brain.
He took focused, measured breaths. The bus screeched to a halt, Lloyd's eyes flew open as he toppled forwards, catching himself on the seat in front. The texture under his hand made his skin crawl, quickly retracting it back into his hoodie. Everyone was moving – Lloyd glanced around, realising this was their stop. He pulled himself up and walked quickly off the bus, jerky motions unnoticed by those around. His heart beat wildly as they walked up the stairs to the small apartment they were living in, footsteps echoing loudly in the concrete stairwell.
Zane drew his key, rattling it in the lock as it jammed slightly, each metallic clink sending a shiver down Lloyd's spine. Pushing the door open they flooded into the empty room. Flicking on the lights – it was dark in here, he hadn't noticed – he blinked at the slight buzzing, light shaking for a moment before setting down. They began to unpack, discussions of dinner, training, and several other menial tasks thrown around the room.
He caught only snippets of conversation, words spinning around the room too fast for him to keep track of. He remained where he stood, staring down at the floorboards, ringing overtaking his ears. Eyes burning slightly, he remained motionless, unable to make his body move. Everything was too much, his shirt bunched up under his hoodie, shoes pressing on his toes, light burning his eyes, sound battering his ears.
Swallowing dryly, Lloyd blinked faster, trying to control his breathing. What was wrong with him. He was fine. It was nothing. Push it away, move on. Just go and sit somewhere quietly until dinner, he was fine. Why wouldn't his feet move.
A hand fell on his shoulder, and Lloyd flinched violently, ripping his arm away from the contact. Green eyes wide with terror, he stared up at Kai who looked just as shocked. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. He could still feel the uneven pressure on his back; it made him want to rip his skin off.
Glancing around, eyes wild with panic, he saw the other ninja had stopped their tasks and were staring at him. They had all seen. Kai remained frozen, Cole's mouth moved but Lloyd couldn't hear him over the blood rushing in his ears. His cheeks burned, small frame beginning to tremble violently. Jay took a hesitant step forward, and Lloyd bolted.
Turning and running deeper into the flat, not bothering to check if anyone was following him, simply trying to get away. He dashed out of the kitchen, past the ninja's room, the bathroom, and stopped before the cupboard holding the boiler. Ripping open the door, he clambered inside, squishing himself down at floor level up against towels and bedding.
Hands flying to his ears, he panted harshly as tears began to slip from his eyes. The boiler hummed slightly at his back, leaking warmth through his old hoodie. He closed his eyes, the dark room leaving only blackness, and sank into the constant drone as he tried to calm down.
Everyone had seen. Everyone had seen. He hadn't meant to, the whole time on the bus he'd been so careful, no one had noticed. What would they do now. They knew, they had seen, and everyone always hated him when they found out. The other kids used to try and rile him up once they found out, grabbing him randomly or making loud noises so that he would flinch. Because future villains aren't supposed to be scared out loud or unexpected things.
He burrowed deeper into the cramped space. He missed the Bounty, it had much better hiding spots, and many that he had yet to be found in. The flat they lived in was very limited, this being the only real hiding spot.
As if on cue, the door cracked open. Lloyd pushed back, hoping whoever it was wouldn't see him, though knowing it was futile. Someone turned off the light in the hall, leaving only the faint glow coming from the kitchen. Even with his hands still pressed over his ears, Lloyd heard them lower to sit on the ground gently. He snuck a glance sideways, seeing Cole leaning against the doorframe.
The older boy was aimlessly staring up at the ceiling, hands gently resting in his lap. He looked over at Lloyd, offering a small smile to the boy who quickly looked away. Lloyd sniffed, rocking back and forth slightly. They stayed there for a few minutes, neither moving apart from Lloyd's gentle shifting inside the cupboard as he tried to calm down.
What was Cole doing? He seemed to just be, waiting. He didn't look angry or confused or any of the other things Lloyd had expected. Just content to sit on the floor and wait. After several more minutes, he slowly lowered his hands from his ears, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes to dry them.
Cole spoke gently, still not looking at Lloyd, "Hey."
Lloyd blinked at him.
"Are you okay kid?"
He uncurled from his ball slightly, not trusting his voice. Brain still several steps behind, he didn't react to Cole's question. The ninja moved closer, telegraphing his movements and giving plenty of time for Lloyd to let him know to stop. He came to rest parallel to Lloyd, further into the hall as his larger frame didn't fit inside the airing cupboard.
"I—uh—do you want a hug?" He seemed unsure in his offer. Lloyd was shaking slightly. A hug sounded – nice. Cole gave good hugs, not that he'd had many. But the few he had after waking from nightmare's or getting grabbed for teasing had been proper bear hugs.
Lloyd crept slowly forwards, folding himself against Cole's side. Strong arms wrapped around him, gripping him tightly. He sighed and relaxed a fraction more. His body still felt wrong, everything screaming at him slightly, but it wasn't so loud anymore. Sniffing again, he buried his face into the ninja's Gi.
"Sorry." He mumbled, voice muffled by the fabric.
"For what?"
"I don't—reacting over nothing." Lloyd looked up to meet Cole's eyes, before saying frantically, "I-I promise I'll be better—it won't happen again, I don't know what came over—"
"Whoa—slow down kiddo," Cole lifted a hand to his hair, pushing the black locks out of his eyes. "No one is mad at you."
What. Lloyd hadn't known the ninja very long, and they had actually cared about him for even less time. Only since the whole green ninja fiasco. This was, odd. To say the least.
Sensing his confusion, Cole continued, "This is your first time in the city, right?" He nodded. "Well then, I bet it's a bit, y'know, scary or something."
"I'm not scared."
Cole sighed, "I-I know kid. That's not what I meant. It's just—we don't mind."
He struggled for a moment, searching for the words to explain. "This isn't the first time we've noticed you getting—what did Zane call it? Overstimulated by things. Not to say that's a bad thing," He was quick to add when Lloyd shrank back slightly. "You're not used to anything like this—it's fine."
That shocked Lloyd slightly. They had noticed? He thought he had hidden it well.
"I know it's dumb. You don't have to pretend." Lloyd braced himself, ready for what was coming next.
"What—Lloyd, it's not dumb." He looked up a Cole and saw nothing but concern in his eyes, "We-we wanna help you, and not just because you're the green ninja."
"Don't remind me," he muttered.
"Look, just—tell us, alright? We don't mind any more than we do if someone has a nightmare or gets injured on a mission." Cole shook his affectionately, "We're a team, okay? That means we look out for each other."
Lloyd considered this. Everything else the ninja had done seemed, reasonable. They hadn't minded when he had a bad dream, or even when one of the others did. And when Kai had gotten hurt on a mission, he'd received more lip for hiding it than the injury itself, and all while being fussed over.
It was strange, Lloyd hadn't really considered himself part of the team. He knew he was important – stupid prophecy – but why would they want an eight-year-old on their precious team. He knew something had changed, but every day he learned more of how it had.
"Okay." He said quietly. Cole beamed.
"Great! Feeling up to some dinner? I'm not sure what Zane has cooked—but I'm sure he's lectured the others into behaving."
Lloyd nodded slowly, everything was still a lot, but it was better now. He let Cole lift him up and set him on his feet, swaying at the position change. Cole heaved himself up and stuck out a hand. Lloyd carefully extracted one of his own from his hoodie, reaching out and clasping the ninja's, pale skin dwarfed by the darker calloused one.
He walked slowly back towards the kitchen, movements still jerky and hyperaware of everything around him. Whatever Zane was making smelled good, and the quiet kitchen boosted his hopes. Cole guided him back into the room with the others, seating him at the table.
No one commented on his red eyes or lack of words, Kai smiling at him and Jay giving him a small wave that he returned shyly. They took their seats and food was served, dinner taking place in much a similar fashion to usual, albeit much much quieter.