(A/N: This oneshot was inspired by this tumblr thread (remove ALL spaces!) { htt yd books - doodler . tu mblr po st / 1675 4619 8114 }. The cover art is the art of httydbooks-doodler on tumblr from this same thread. This fic is obviously set in an AU, of which I didn't bother to make any rules or backstory. Sorry. XP Anyway, hope you enjoy! Reviews are appreciated as always :3)

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"I wish my dad was like yours."

The words had escaped my lips before I could think about whether or not they were appropriate. I felt my face flush a tiny bit, but the boy standing next to me (who, incidentally, happened to look just like an older version of myself) simply looked over with a sad, kind smile.

"Same here with your mom," he said softly. Despite our striking likenesses in both name and appearance, his voice sounded much different from mine. He sounded… well, oddly enough, he sounded younger. I mean, he had mentioned once that he was actually younger than me, but drank some magic tea that aged him up permanently, but I still didn't understand all of it. I turned my attention back to my mom, who was sitting baker's-daughter style on the floor across from quite possibly the nicest man I'd ever met. He was very old, with gray hair and wrinkles, and he wore a traditional black and green gi with gold lettering. But the most striking part was that he was smiling. Not in maniacal laughter, or in the way that suggested he was formulating an evil plan. He was just smiling with the same reassuring, kindly smile that my other self wore, because he was happy and peaceful and enjoying spending time with my mom.

"How's she do that?" the other Lloyd whispered quietly.

"Do what?" I asked, looking at my mom for signs of something unusual. She was still just sitting and drinking tea, and occasionally making quiet, cheerful remarks to the man across from her.

"Look like an angel and a warrior at the same time," came the response. He sighed and looked at her, then at me, then back at her again. "I mean, I want to hug her, but I wouldn't want to mess with her. How's she do that?"

I laughed a little and cocked my head. "The same could be said for your dad. Besides, isn't your mom the same way? I heard she knew how to fight."

The gold ninja (man, I was jealous of that title) chewed on his lip uncomfortably. "I mean… it's… kind of complicated. She did know how to fight, but— well, it's really confusing." He frowned. "Anyway, she's definitely no angel."

I practically staggered backwards in shock. "What are you talking about? Your dad talks about her like she's the nicest person in the world!"

He hesitated, then lowered his voice as if confiding in me a secret which he was not to tell anybody else. "My dad is too forgiving," he said. "My mom ditched me when I was a baby— she says she needed to do research on me being the green ninja to try and prevent the battle between me and my father, but…"

"I thought you said that was prophesied. Besides, why couldn't she take care of you and do research? Seems pretty stupid to try and help you by leaving you behind," I responded.

"Exactly!" he sighed in exasperation. "And not only that, but she left me at Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys. A school designed to make me evil!" He clenched his fists and I felt myself tremble a little from his intimidating voice. It was as if years of rage had been locked up and were just now for the first time trying to break out of their cage.

"That… doesn't even make sense," I managed to stammer.

"And worst of all, she's been—" He lowered his voice even further. "—flirting with Uncle Wu."

"Aren't your parents still married?!" I exclaimed. "Wait, and your dad got redeemed— like, he's TOTALLY good now, I don't— Wu is still his brother in your dimension, right? That's just… that's just wrong!"

"Tell me about it," he sighed. He shifted uncomfortably, then tried to change the subject. "Anyway… enough about our parents. You said you go to school, right? What's that like?" He smiled hopefully.

"School's great… if you like having five hours of homework every night, teachers that are completely ignorant in the subjects they're supposed to teach, and classmates that hate your guts," I sighed.

"Why do they hate you?" he asked with innocent confusion.

"Well, you know… evil warlord dad who ruins stuff all the time… I'm his son…"

He stared at me blankly. "So?"

"So they blame me."

"That's ridiculous!" he cried.

"Eh… I guess…" I said.

"Don't you have any friends? The names Kai, Cole, Zane, Jay, Nya— do those mean anything to you?" His voice was almost desperate.

"Oh, yea, of course," I said, quickly reassuring him. "They're my best friends." I paused, then looked down. "Although I'm not so sure they want to be."

"What?!" he exclaimed.

"Well… I kind of messed up recently, and put their lives in danger, and…" I swallowed hard and suddenly felt my eyes start to fill with tears. I bit my lip to keep them back. "J-Jay says they hate me now…"

"WHAT?!" he yelped. His face suddenly grew very, very serious. "No… that's not right…" His voice dropped to an angry whisper. "Those are not my friends."

I sighed. "No, but they are mine." The tears from before grew weary of being held back, and started streaming down my face. I tried to wipe them away, but before I could I felt myself suddenly pulled into a hug. After the initial shock, I closed my eyes and let the sudden pressure engulf me.

Despite the fact that he was literally me, hugging Lloyd felt nothing like hugging myself (not that I'd ever done that…). He was warmer than me, and a little taller than me, and emanated a confidence I wasn't sure I'd ever have. I allowed myself to cry for a few moments longer, my face pressed into the soft cloth of a green t-shirt which smelled oddly familiar and comforting.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," I said as I pulled back, readjusting my voice and movements to those of someone who was okay. "It's not all bad, I don't want you to think…"

"No, I understand." Other-Lloyd smiled sadly at me, and I got the feeling his eyes would've penetrated through my facade whether he'd seen me crying or not. Some feeling of comfort rose up from my stomach when I realized he knew me because he was me— different circumstances or no, he put on that fake, happy front at least as often as I did, and he knew how much it hurt.

"Lloyd?" a different voice spoke. Sensei Garmadon approached us, with my mother in tow. They had finished their tea. The old man put a hand on his son's shoulder and smiled apologetically at me. "We have to take a break from our leisures for training, I'm afraid. Evil never rests, and we must be prepared. I'm sure you understand."

I nodded and tried to figure out how such a calm, peaceful man could have once been an evil warlord. I wasn't sure if he was exactly like my dad in his days of evil, but either way, I couldn't imagine him as any different than the ultimate force of good he was now. My mom pulled me into a hug.

"Let's get some lunch while they train. Garmadon said we could use anything we find in the kitchen," she said cheerfully, giving a gracious nod to Other-Lloyd's dad.

"Sure, Mom. That sounds great," I said, convincingly returning her cheerful smile. As the two other figures walked away from us towards the training deck, I caught Other-Lloyd glance over his shoulder and shoot me a look of understanding. His eyes locked onto mine and my heart sped up a little.

Someone understands.

Not noticing the gesture, Koko starting leading me to the kitchen, her red hair bobbing up and down as she walked. She must've gotten along very well with Sensei Garmadon. A fleeting idea interrupted my other thoughts.

If only it could've been both of them, instead of one or the other.

My mom started talking, but despite myself, I wasn't able to actively comprehend whatever she was saying. My train of thought derailed into what might've been, in some other universe. I laughed out loud a little, realizing the irony of my wish. Weren't two universes enough? Ah, well— I was allowed to dream.

What would that make me and Other-Lloyd? Brothers?

I stroked my chin thoughtfully as we approached the kitchen. Mom immediately started looking in every cabinet and pantry to see what she could make. There were several ingredients neither of us had ever seen before, which excited her greatly. I wasn't sure if they were specific to this dimension, or if we just didn't have enough money to afford them back on ours, but they made her happy, so I kept my mouth shut. My thoughts drifted back to my other self.

He was so different from me. I didn't know what caused the difference. Well, yea, there were a lot of obvious differences in our universes, the most obvious one being our parents, but still. He seemed so much… stronger than me. Not just physically, which he definitely was, but mentally, too. His happy facade was even better than mine, but I felt like somehow he was better with his real emotions, too. After all, he'd been through a world of pain, but when he'd told me his story he never cried. I wondered why. Was it because he had friends to lean on? I didn't know how loyal the other ninja were, but they were apparently more devoted to him than mine were to me (as much as the thought pained me). Was it mostly due to his father's reformation? But I couldn't say for sure that either of us had been blessed with a better parentage: after all, he lived the first ten or so years of his life completely abandoned by both of his parents and his uncle. Wu did eventually take him in, but who knows why he waited so long. And sure, my classmates bullied me all the time, but even I'd never had fire-ants snuck into my bed. And at least I got to go home and see my mom every day. He was actually stuck at school. I shuddered at the thought.

So what was the difference, then? I may have been abandoned by my friends and forced to fight my father on a regular basis, but I'd also never been kidnapped by snakes, aged up by magic tea, or possessed by a ghost. And yet the version of me that had gone through all that seemed less disturbed and scarred than I was. From what I'd gleamed from talking to him, he seemed stronger. Smarter. Wiser. Kinder.

"Lloyd?"

I looked up. My mom had made us both sandwiches with a variety of exotic ingredients. I smiled in apology for drifting off and joined her in sitting at the table.

"Thanks, Mom. These look delicious." I took a bite of the sandwich (which really wasn't bad) and gave her a cheerful nod of affirmation. She clapped her hands in excitement and starting eating her own food. It suddenly occurred to me that I never really gave her enough credit for all that she did for me. I mean, she tried so hard to make me happy, and usually her efforts went unacknowledged. I wondered if Other-Lloyd dealt with the same thing. Suddenly, I made a resolution to myself. I wanted to be as strong as him. I wanted to be as smart as him and as wise as him and as kind as him, and I knew I could do it, because I'd done it in another dimension and I could do it again. In the safety of my mind-space, I made a silent vow to myself— both versions of myself.

I can't make my dad more like yours.

But I can make myself more like you.

And somehow, someway, I know he heard me. And he smiled.