Wow, I'm taking a break from writing the fanfictions I'm SUPPOSED to be writing to write ones I'm NOT. Nice.
"I'll be fine," Lloyd insisted as Kai half-carried him into the ninja's shared bedroom. "I'm just tired."
"And cold, and wet." the fire ninja shook his head, lowering his brother onto the edge of Cole's bed. "You just got pushed in a river. And besides, I can't even guess how little rest you must have gotten over the past few days."
"Not much," the blond boy admitted, letting Kai push him down on the pillow. "But that doesn't mean I need any sort of special treatment."
"Yes it does." the red ninja folded his arms. "Get some sleep. You're not leaving this room until you're all rested up."
"Fine," Lloyd relented, closing his eyes as his head sank into the pillow. After a moment, he heard Kai's footsteps as his brother walked away from the bed, then the soft click of the door being pulled shut. He was alone. Completely alone. The green ninja opened his eyes again, lifting his hands up into his line of sight. His hands. Not controlled by Morro. Lloyd closed his eyes, his body tensing involuntarily as he remembered the constant insults and taunts he had endured over the past few days, to say nothing of the exhaustion. His entire body ached from Morro using him for hours past his limits, and his head pounded from trying to fight the ghost from the moment he had first been possessed. He hadn't been... overly cruel to him, at least. He insulted him, kept him in a cage, and, obviously, used his body for nefarious purposes, but he hadn't beaten or starved him. That was probably just because he had to use his body, though. He didn't want to damage his best vessel. Lloyd rolled onto his side, moaning softly as he tried to get his body in a position that was comfortable enough to sleep in. As much as he insisted he was fine, he was exhausted from everything that had happened in the last hour. He seriously needed sleep. Closing his eyes, the green ninja slowed his breathing until his senses dulled and he dropped off to sleep.
Green lights, ghoulish screams, his heart pounding in his chest as he ran. He risked a glance over his shoulder, and what he saw only made him run faster. He was catching up. No matter how fast he ran, he couldn't escape him. Something appeared in front of his foot and he tripped, crashing forward onto the uneven ground. Even as he struggled onto his knees, trying to get back up, he knew it was too late. Cold, rough hands gripped his shoulders, yanking him to his feet and holding him in place. Struggling, he turned to face the hands' owner and came face-to-face with his worst nightmare.
Morro.
Lloyd awoke with a scream, his body drenched in cold sweat. His heart pounded painfully hard in his chest as his eyes darted around the pitch-black room, trying to find something, anything, to focus on. Nothing. His breathing panicked, the green ninja charged an orb of green light in his palm, lighting up the room with soft, green light. The other ninja were in their beds, fast asleep. He was safe. Morro couldn't get his hands on him here. Unfortunately, the thought did little to comfort him, and he sat up, pulling his knees to his chest as he held up the light in his hand. Zane was on the bed on the floor, he noticed vaguely. Cole must be in Zane's bunk, then. Something moved in the corner of his eye and he spun to face it, only to see the curtains disturbed by the wind outside. He was being silly. Nothing was going to hurt him. Suddenly, Kai shifted on the bunk above him and swung his legs over the side, sliding off the bed and landing on the floor without a sound.
"Hey, are you okay?" the fire ninja asked in concern, taking in his brother's defensive position. "Your scream woke me up. What's wrong?"
"...n-nothing... I'm fine." Lloyd's voice wavered and he swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. "I j-just had a bad dream. Th-that's all."
"Was it about Morro?" the blond boy nodded, not trusting himself to speak as tears began to well up in his eyes. "You're safe now, okay? He can't get to you. There's nothing to be afraid of." Kai tried to console him, reaching out to touch his shoulder.
"I kn-know!" Lloyd stuttered, closing his eyes as his tears began to flow down his face. "I-I know I-I'm n-not supposed t-to be scared... I-I'm the green ninja, I-I'm supposed t-to be brave..."
"Hey, it's okay." the red ninja edged closer, pulling Lloyd into a hug. "Everyone's scared sometimes. It's not your fault."
"...b-but I'm not s-supposed to be scared f-for myself... I-I'm supposed to be selfless and brave..." the blond boy sniffled, resting his head on Kai's shoulder. "...m-maybe Morro should h-have b-been the green ninja a-after all..."
"Don't say that." the older ninja said firmly. "Just the fact that you're having nightmares about him should be enough to tell you that there is no way he's fit to be the green ninja. He doesn't care about others, only himself. You are selfless and brave, and that's why you're the only one fit to hold the title of the Green Ninja." Lloyd was silent as he absorbed his brother's words, trying to decide if they were true or not. Morro WAS evil... but was that only BECAUSE he wasn't the green ninja? Oh, it didn't matter.
"...thank y-you..." the blond boy whispered, snuggling into Kai's arms.
"No problem." the older ninja murmured. "Like I promised, I'm going to look after you in your dad's place."
"...I r-really miss him..." Lloyd mumbled, letting the light in his hand go out. He wasn't really scared anymore. Just sad.
"Well, once we beat Morro and get the Realm Crystal, maybe we can get him back." Kai suggested.
"...y-you mean... if we beat him." the blond boy frowned.
"No, I mean when. We've never lost to an evil person trying to take over Ninjago before, right?" Something about that logic wasn't quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Can't argue with that, can you?"
"I g-guess not." Lloyd cracked a faint smile as Kai pulled him closer. "...thanks..."
"Do you want me to stay with you?" the fire ninja asked softly, apparently sensing the exhaustion that washed over Lloyd once again.
"Mm-hmm." the blond boy nodded and Kai loosened his grip on him, shifting into a more comfortable position before hugging his brother tight again.
"Sweet dreams, Lloyd." Was the last thing the green ninja heard before his eyes fluttered shut and he knew no more.
That was short.
I'll probably continue this bc Lloyd fluff is cute, but with the other ninja. idk leave some feedback or something if you want. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ See ya around!
~FFF