Garmadon sighed, put the random book down and sat up from his break of sitting on the living room couch. He was taking a break from plans he was jotting down on papers, but also from watching his five-year-old adopted son Lloyd. The boy had calmed down enough to start drawing all over some blank paper on the wooden floor, but that was half an hour ago and the paranoid side of the dark lord was clearly coming out. Making his way into his bedroom and spotting the boy at his desk this time, he moved on over to see what was going on.

Overlooking the drawings, he noticed his more detailed ideas were scribbled upon with cute little faces on the weapons and people. Scribbles were added around the edges, which is what the boy seemed to be hard at work on. "Lloyd," began the tired voice of Garmadon, causing the blond to nearly fall out of the seat; but the crude man had a hold on it so it didn't rear backwards, "What are you doing?"

The smaller male shakily put down the ink pen and looked up slowly, noticing that his father wasn't actually angry… at least at him directly. Plopping down from the chair and moving slightly around, he got on his tiptoes and hugged the off guard man in the tightest hug he could muster up. He earned a chuckle, and was picked up when the older sat down, perching on one leg happily as he watched his father move aside the drawing to start a new one. Since Garmadon was in his simple red kimono, his body had faster and easier movement, which allowed drawings to be so much better. He grasped a black pen and removed the cap to place it on the area next to the blank paper.

Drawing slowly and skillfully, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that his son started to lean forward every time the pen went farther away, but then moved back as it came towards him. "Daddy, will I be able to do that one day?"

Garmadon shrugged, then dropped the pen for now and placed the cap back on, carelessly tossing it near where the pens were kept on the desk, "No," earning a saddened expression, "I bet you'll be an even better artist."

The boy giggled and dropped from the leg, moving to where his original artistry was being put to use, "I drew us!" Lloyd grinned and flipped around and outstretching an arm eager to show and awe his parental.

Taking it, the dark lord nodded approvingly at it, like he learned, but then he looked carefully and really saw it; it was a simple drawing of Garmadon in lopsided armor and Lloyd reaching out and holding his hand and so much shorter. They both had dots for their eyes and smiles, but oddly the crude man's was wider, "I think this will look good with the other drawings you have on the refrigerator, hm?"

Getting up and walking into the kitchen, he found that the blond was trailing quickly behind, "You should put your drawings up here too, Daddy, they're better than mine anyways."

"Oh, no, mine aren't showy drawings," corrected Garmadon as he got magnets to place up the mine picture on the cold steel door. Then he paused and looked down as he heard a loud gurgle, "Are you hungry, Lloyd Montgomery?"

The boy looked flustered, "Uh, maybe?" Then glared at his stomach for ruining the moment.

Opening the door, he looked through the contents filling the shelves, "How about… Hm, what do you want?"

Lloyd smiled, "Can we have pizza?" The boy may not be blood related, but he sure did know what he wanted; like a true Garmadon. At the shake of the head he got, the blond stomped his foot, clearly getting ready for a tantrum.

One thing the man could live without, "If I get you pizza then you complain about it when it's heated up, so I have to eventually finish the rest myself. I'm only getting a small box this time, though."

Sighing, the boy nodded solemnly, hating how the small boxes usually had flavorless pizza. At the agreement, the older moved to the phone, and dialed the number on the whiteboard and waited as it rung, finally getting an answer; the small boy zoned the talking out as he moved out of the room and to the living room. Tall windows were basically the whole wall for the side closest to the sun, and he eagerly got near the warmness, sliding open the slightly unnoticeable door. Quietly going out on the balcony, Lloyd was greeted by sun which he never got to see very often, practically smothered by his father most the time. He sat down so his legs could go through the thicker gaps between the bars protectively put there, but with some sort of gothic fashion edge compared the paleness of the actual house.

He then leaned back and allowed the sun to shine down on him warmly and felt like a cat about to doze, which he decided to do. After a while, he heard a doorbell ring through the house, but wasn't fully ready to get up just yet. As he stood up, one foot stuck in the bars and he spun to find himself nearly off the side. He flipped himself so his hands were tightly gripping the bar that ran around the top. Tears filled his eyes, as he felt stupid for never listening to his father about not doing things like this, even though he doubted he'd ever learn soon enough.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his shirt collar and brought him up and back to the safe patio. Wiping his eyes with his palms, he slowly allowed himself to stare up in the disappointment and… fear. "If I ever see you on that patio again, you'll be grounded for life," he knew the boy was merely five, but this was important to get through to him now, "That was the scariest thing for me, you hear me?" At the dropped head, he brought it back up to look him in the eyes, the scarlet color trying to read the bright blue, "Are we clear?"

"Yeah," hoarsely let out Lloyd, feeling weak and wrapped around his father's neck to cry out the escaping tears running down his reddened face. The man got up and carried the boy over to the couch and set him down carefully, quickly going to get a glass of apple juice, for the small boy and a water for himself; needing to desperately calm his growing nerves. Coming back and seating himself to the right of the younger, he placed the drinks down carefully in their respective spots gingerly, and opened the pizza and placed down a few given napkins for each of them. Lloyd grabbed one and began to chow down surprisingly easy, for having a near-death experience moments before.

Laughing and shaking his head, Garmadon grasped one of his own napkins before he began to eat and rubbed it across the mouth hard enough to get the sauce and grease around the edges, earning a pouty face easily. Then they suddenly broke out into laughter, unknowingly slowly growing apart eventually.

~~

Garmadon stared down at the same drawing that Lloyd had made him when the boy was ten, one last time and sighing then rubbing his face slightly with a neutral expression. It was one thing he'd brought with him from their actual home honestly. He hated how he couldn't just loose attachment to the boy, but it was impossible for this to ever be easy. Placing the sweet drawing back on Captain Soto's old desk, he peered at the scribbles addressing him…

'To Daddy,
Love, Lloyd :D'

Peering back to make sure the captain's quarters were indeed locked, he placed the hands on his face vertically and let himself sob quietly.