"Lloyd?" Koko's voice softened. Lloyd covered his face and pushed past the Squad and ran out of the classroom. He had no idea where he was going. It was just...too much. Too much to handle. Too much like a father.
I'm a sucker for the Movie!Lloyd/Koko Garmafam and roasting Movie!Lord G. to no end (Previously called Bring Your Father to School Day)
The Task: Today was Bring Your Dad to School Day. The Problem: Lloyd didn't have a dad. Well, not one that wasn't an evil warlord bent on destroying Ninjago City. It was what separated him from the other kids at school. Right, school. The one that he still had to go to.
"Mom, I don't wanna go to school today," Lloyd mumbled over breakfast; Fruit Loops and a banana. His mother, Koko, gave him a frown.
"Oh? Why not?" She asked him. Lloyd shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth and started to speak, Koko tsked at him. "Not with your mouthful, Lloyd. You're a big boy now,"
A big boy? Lloyd was in the third-grade! He was far from a big boy! Nevertheless, he swallowed his cereal.
"They've got a day called Bring Your Dad to School," The blonde said, continuing to eat. Koko looked up over her coffee. "Everyone's gonna bring their dad and I can't bring mine,"
"What if I come and be your dad for a day?" Koko suggested. Lloyd looked at her with wide eyes, his mom can't also be his dad! That's impossible!
"No thanks,"
His mother gave her son a look before sighing sadly.
"Alright then, finish up,"
Lloyd nodded and slurped his cereal, and then put it in the sink for washing. Grabbing his Fritz Donnegan backpack, he sat down on the couch to wait. His mother's offer got him thinking, what if his mom could also be his dad too? That'd be a cool idea, but again, impossible. It looks like he was just going to have to suffer the name-calling, again.
Moms were nothing like dads, they're sensitive and sweet while dads are tough and they knew what was up. Koko was a police officer and was definitely all of those things, the thought of him thinking too hard about it made his head hurt. Laying on his stomach, Lloyd put his face into a pillow until Koko tapped his legs.
"Sit up, Lloyd, you're going to school, not taking a nap," She grinned. Lloyd giggled from behind the pillow and continued to press his face into it, earning a chuckle from his mother. "Alright, kiddo, let's go,"
"Mom, if I go, they'll tease me!" Lloyd said, his voice muffled from the pillow.
"Well, if they do that, I'll just have to come as your dad and beat them up if you don't do it first," Koko joked to her son. Lloyd only blew raspberries and got up to leave.
Ah yes, Ninjago Elementary School, Lloyd's favorite place in the world. Not. Lloyd resented it as much as he did vegetables and girls and doing chores. She was like that nightmare Lloyd had one time, her jaw-like doors were large enough to eat little children just like him, her 'eyes' could see everything, there was no escape. Lloyd didn't want to get out of the car.
Holding his seatbelt tightly, Lloyd shrunk down in his seat as his mother parked.
"I don't wanna go in," Lloyd said.
"Do you want me to go in with you?" Koko reached back and ruffled her son's hair. Lloyd sat up and unbuckled his seatbelt.
"No, I'm good," Lloyd opened the door and got ready to step out.
"Hey look! It's Lloyd Garmadork!"
Upon hearing this, Lloyd immediately sat back in the car and put on his seatbelt again. Koko turned around and raised an eyebrow. She opened the car door for him and pulled him out.
"They're gonna make fun of me 'cause my dad's evil!" Lloyd held onto the car door to keep himself from moving any further from his mother's grasp. "It'll be even worse 'cause he isn't here!"
"Don't you think that you're overreacting, Lloyd?" Koko asked him. Lloyd said nothing but looked away, his eyebrows knitted together. Koko kissed his forehead and hugged him. "It'll get better, okay? I promise you before this is over you'll get a big surprise,"
That made Lloyd perk up his head. A surprise? What kind? She never specified what kind of 'surprise', are they going to the movies? Shopping for that new Fritz Donnegan action figure he's been asking about for a few weeks now? Or perhaps it's that new-
She had left.
Lloyd still had a lot to think about when he entered the school filled with dads, the auditorium, again, filled with dads, and finally, his classroom, once more, filled with dads. Tall dads, short dads, nerdy dads, buff dads, and of course the Squads' dads. Oh, how Lloyd has never felt more jealous of them than ever.
The Squad was a group of four kids that were seemingly the 'most popular kids in the third-grade', just seeing them together was like woah...but seeing their dads together was like WOAH! Their dads looked as if they were the most important people in Ninjago: Kai's dad looked as if he worked out and carried tools around his waist, looking just as proud as his son, Jay's dad wore overalls and pulled a wagon with a blanket over it in tow, he and Jay both wore goggles over their heads, Zane's dad was an aged man, a scientist (or inventor) Lloyd had presumed, both looked quiet and minded to themselves, then Cole's dad was a presenting dad himself, humming tunes to songs just as Cole was. Lloyd wished he had something in common with his dad. The only thing he actually had from his father was his fangs that beginning to grow.
Lloyd could hear other kids giggling at his loneliness, their fathers paid no attention, Lloyd didn't mind. His mind raced back to his mother, he was still thinking about her and how she'd impact his life, she was strong like a father should be. She was stern with her rules (Brush your teeth in the morning and in the evening, do your homework, make sure that you go to bed on time, remember to wash your face), she was fun, protective, supportive, and she even knew her own son's boundaries. That was all of the qualities a father should have.
Lloyd loved her.
But then again, she was only his mother, nothing more.
His teacher had started thanking the fathers for coming and eventually, he let her voice drone off into the background but it picked right back up when Jay had been the first to raise his hand. The teacher pointed at him and immediately Jay pulled his hand down, his dad smiled at him and ruffled his hair. Jay had got called upon.
"Um, can we go first?" Jay's voice was almost a whisper, very small and quiet. Lloyd knew, as everyone else did, that Jay was the shy one of the Squad, born with the ability to do anything, but too afraid to act it out. Jay looked down and hid underneath his scarf.
"It's fine if you don't want to, Jay," His father said to him. Jay furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the wagon. "We can wait,"
"No, no, it'll melt if we don't!" Jay sat up and pulled his father out of the chair that he was sitting to the front of the class. "I'm Jay Walker and this is my dad! He's an inventor!"
"Indeed I am an inventor, my name is Ed for all you younglings out there," Jay's father chuckled lightly. "And Jay helped me make ice cream for you all!"
Jay pulled off the cover and a machine shined under the dimly lit light. It bore blue and orange stickers shaped like lightning, an egg beater in the middle, handles, and a smiley face in the center of it. Ingredients for homemade ice cream lay next to it as well as a bucket of ice that didn't seem to melt. Gasps and squeals of excitement came from Lloyd's fellow classmates and the Squad. The machine whirred.
"Woah, Jay's dad is the coolest!" Someone had said next to him.
After getting applauds, Jay and Ed went to the back to start making ice cream. Lloyd frowned, unsure if there would even be enough for everyone, more or less, for him. The next hand to be raised was Zane.
"My name's Doctor Julien," Zane's father introduced himself and Zane stood excitedly next to him. "And of course, you all know my son Zane, who is most definitely not a robot,"
The crowd laughed. Zane always made a joke that he was not a robot, first, it was funny, and now, Lloyd didn't know what to believe anymore. Dr. Julien brought a little robot called Tai-D, who roamed around the class on its wheels and also he carried a falcon (who seemed to be very well-mannered) for the students to take turns petting. Lloyd didn't approach the falcon.
See, if Lloyd had brought his dad, which was highly unlikely, he would probably bring his pet sharks and they would eat everyone on sight. Lord Garmadon was the worst guy on the planet but he was still his father, Lloyd couldn't hate him. Nope, nevermind, Lloyd hated him, even if he wasn't his dad.
After Dr. Julien, they got ice cream. Lloyd was the first one to get his since he was closest to Jay and Ed in the back, Jay gave him a small wave and handed him chocolate ice cream. Lloyd smiled a little and thanked him before Jay moved to the rest of the class. That was sweet of him...just like that ice cream.
Lloyd learned that Kai's dad name was Ray and he was a blacksmith and Cole's dad was Lou, a Royal Blacksmith. They weren't the same thing. Everyone else had gone as the hour went by, it was almost time for lunch and they had a movie to watch afterwards. third-grade was too much sometimes. Their dads were so cool and his was just-
Overhead, the intercom made a ringing sound.
"May I have your attention please," The chatting in the classroom ceased. "We would like to ask all fathers to report to the auditorium for our special giveaway ceremony! We thank you all for being here and supporting your children as much as we do, thank you!"
There were muttering around the classroom and amusement. Their teacher informed the fathers that she would guide them to the auditorium (like they needed it) and asked her students to wait while she did so. Once she left, all eyes were on Lloyd.
"Where's your dad, Lloyd?" Someone shouted.
"Yeah, Lloyd! Where's your daddy!?" Another laughed.
Other voices joined them.
"Bet you that he's too busy planning to destroy Ninjago!"
"Get yourself a real dad, Garmadork!"
"Your dad's evil and so are you!"
Lloyd wanted to go home.
A blur of red stood in front of him.
"Hey!" Kai threw out his hands, next to him, Jay, Cole, Zane gave the insulters looks of disgust. "Leave him alone! Just 'cause his dad is evil doesn't mean that you gotta be mean to him!"
For a second there, Lloyd had actually thought that they were-
"Why are you helping me? I'm okay." Lloyd whispered.
"'Cause you aren't gonna help yourself, Lloyd," Cole turned around and nodded. "Honestly, you're kinda pathetic in that field,"
"Dad or not, getting picked on is rude and no one deserves it!" Jay added.
"It's totally uncool!" Zane finished.
"You're never okay when you're being bullied, Lloyd," Kai said as he put his hands on his shoulders. Lloyd stared at him for a few seconds, it was just, this kindness was too nice. It was foreign, Lloyd actually felt...good for once. "We'll stick up for ya, if you want,"
"I-um, thanks?" Lloyd was unsure of what to say. Wait, why didn't they do this when he was being-
The door opened. Lloyd had gotten used to being interrupted by now. His teacher was followed by another woman. She and Lloyd locked eyes.
"I'm sorry that I was late, Lloyd," She said. "Did I miss anything?"
"Mom?" Lloyd said quietly. He couldn't believe it, Koko, his mother, was here. But, she had work, she was still in her uniform. Lloyd was thinking too much.
It was quiet.
"Remember your 'surprise' that I mentioned before I left?" Koko made jazz hands. "Surprise, honey!"
Lloyd blinked slowly, his throat burned. Today was a long day, he had a lot on his plate at the moment. His mother was always there for him and made sure that he was always included, no matter what. And he was crying in the middle of class.
"Lloyd?" Koko's voice softened. Lloyd covered his face and pushed past the Squad and ran out of the classroom. He had no idea where he was going. It was just...too much. Too much to handle. Too much like a father.
She had all the qualities of a father.
She had all the qualities of a father.
She had all the qualities of a father.
She had all the qualities of a-
Mother? Father? Caretaker?
"Lloyd!" His mother was calling him, Lloyd had hidden in the boy's bathroom. "Lloyd, where are you!?"
The door to the bathroom opened and Lloyd pulled his knees in closer to himself, no one ever checked the last stall.
"I know you're in here, please, talk to me, sweetheart," Koko worried, her heels clicked against the tiled floor. Lloyd sniffed. She even knew him like a father would. Lloyd wondered how he even knew what having a father was like, Fritz Donnegan had done a good job at that.
"Why'd you come, mom? You didn't have to," Lloyd said. Koko stopped at the end of the bathroom, Lloyd could see her legs from behind the door. "It's okay,"
"What kind of father would I be if I didn't show up to my kid's special school event?" Koko laughed from behind the door, Lloyd laughed with her. She still insisted on being called his 'father'. He loved her for that.
"Probably a bad dad at that," Lloyd stayed quiet for a minute for speaking again. "Thank you for being my dad, mom."
"And thank you for being my very brave little boy, Lloyd,"
Lloyd got up and opened the door to hug her, never wanting to let go. She hugged him back. They stayed that way for a few minutes. Just a 'father' and her son, together.
Strong, Independent, Protective, Supportive, Stern, Brave, Thoughtful.
Lord Garmadon may be his father, but he wasn't his real dad.
"This is my mom, Koko!" Lloyd held hands with his mother, smiling when they had come back to the class, the remaining fathers were there to see it. "And she's the best dad I could ever ask for!"
Giggles and laughter in the class erupted, the two joined them. Kai, Jay, Zane, and Cole high-fived him while Koko got applauds and compliments from Ray, Ed, Dr. Julien, and Lou. Overall, it was a good day and nothing was ever going to change that.
Later that afternoon, Lloyd and Koko went out to eat and then went for ice cream (Jay's ice cream was great, but Lloyd was still hungry for more). Now, Lloyd was in his space-themed pajamas and tucked in his bed. Lloyd rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"G'night, dad," He mumbled as Koko kissed his forehead and turned off the light.
Koko smiled as closed the door to his bedroom.
"Goodnight, Lloyd,"
Up Next:
-The Ghosts of Destiny's Bounty
(Breathless is no longer an option)
