AU set in the universe of the Ninjago Movie, it's an oni-Lloyd AU because I've seen some art and I'm hella into it ?
Tw for panic attack and transformation, just some description nothing awful
"Mom- I'm home!"
Lloyd never used to understand why his mother kept him indoors for the majority of his childhood. Or why he lived in the city his father actively tried to conquer nearly every day. Or why- well, a lot of stuff. He always questioned and scrutinized her decisions growing up, as most children did with their mothers. Though his circumstances were far different than the typical child, so, he had a right to question.
It was hard enough sharing names. Lloyd vividly remembers crying to his mother the first day of middle school. The way his teacher's faces twisted as they called for attendance, the way all the other kids screamed it out in warning.
Why couldn't he have a different name? Koko's maiden name, even? "I like the name Wongpattanakit more, momma! Better than Garmadon- better!" Lloyd sobbed to his mother. His little mind could even think back to his first witness of the stain of Garmadon, a mailman's harsh words as his mother signed for a package. It was still lost on him why he was yelled at for running out to defend her- Mr Mailman was so scared!
"I'm sorry, baby, one day you'll understand.."
Koko greeted her son with a bubbly laugh, and a perfect smile.
"How was it today? You came home a little later than usual.." there was a hint of worry in her soft voice. Lloyd chose to ignore it as he slipped his shoes off beside the door, trading them for the house slippers instead.
"The team just wanted to do a few extra sparring sessions after training," he explained. He caught the look on her face and frowned. "I already got a lecture from Uncle Wu, I don't need a second one."
Koko sighed. The oven beeped, alerting her of their dinner for two. A subdued burning smell wafted, making Lloyd sniff and lick his lips. The mother smiled at the wide-eyed wonder on his face. "Just call me next time you want to stay out later, okay?" She kissed his cheek, making him groan. Dramatic. "Go change, dinner's almost ready."
Lloyd knew why his mother was so easy to let this curfew slide. Friends were a rarity, and a recent thing. It wasn't till the sixth grade did a child his age ever look at him with anything but disdain. In fact, two!
His name was Kai Smith, and he hit Lloyd with a toy airplane. To his complete and utter surprise, the scrawny boy with brown and spiky hair came down practically crying, the guiltiest expression on his face as he apologized. His sister, Nya, was at his side shaking her head in mock disgust of her older (by 12 minutes!) brother. From there friends pooled into a nice little group, understanding, loyal, everything..
The revelation that they were to become the new team of ninjas, protecting Ninjago, was an amazing plus.
Protecting Ninjago.. from his father, a not so amazing plus.
Lloyd frowned at the news reel, playing on the little box tv pinned up in the corner of his room. He switched it off as his father roared about the death of his enemies, his son being one of them.
It was hard enough sharing a name, he can't believe he has to look like him too..
With the long mirror as his only witness, the son of Garmadon changed. Or, suppose transformed would be a more accurate word. The pinch-able pale cheeks melted away, darkening and hardening. White bone split from the pores, following the natural grove of his face to form contoured lines. Horns on either side of his head followed.
Lloyd groaned, pushing the almost white blonde hair from his glowing green eyes. His shoulder jolted upwards, all of his joints popping in rhythm. He grew in size, two-foot at the least, and now the baggier clothes he wore made slightly more sense. Fingertips sharpened into claws, gripping the mirror for added support, fangs slipping out from his mouth.
He sighed in sweet relief as it came to a close. Keeping up appearances was hard.
Lloyd's heard the word "oni" thrown in his direction a couple of times, so he supposes that's what he is. He was grateful for the shape-shifting abilities.
He's heard stories from his uncle, and read myths in his mother's history books. Born from the blood of battle, swathed in gold, was his grandfather and creator of the realm, the First Spinjitzu Master.
His parentage was of the almighty dragon, and some demonic being, the oni. Uncle Wu told Lloyd when he was a baby, he would point his cubby fingers at the oni on his tapestries and giggle "Daddy!" So, yeah, that's probably what he is.
Apparently the DNA of the demon came out on his father after he was bit and driven insane by some evil (radioactive? cursed?) thing. And he inherited it. Not the craziness, thankfully.
"Oh, there you are," Koko greeted her son fondly, pulling the massive fifteen, almost sixteen, year old down to smush a kiss on his cheek again. "Dinner's ready."
"Mo-om, you already kissed me.."
"And I'll do it again if you don't sit down."
Lloyd complied, to avoid the utter embarrassment of mommy's kisses. He perked up at the savory dish of homemade ramen placed in front of him, the massive bowl filled to the brim. He was a growing demon..
"How was today? No kids giving you a hard time, I hope," Koko commented on the stigma outright, making Lloyd falter in his slurping of dinner.
"Um, it's- it's okay?" the teen swirled his noodles, like a clock he was trying to run to the end, get out of this school year already. "Everyone's focused on finishing the year, so, y'know, no time for picking on Lloyd Garmadon." His weak attempt at humor only made Koko's frown deepen. She switched subjects.
"And your changing? You seem tired, dear, you should relax to this form more often," his mother chastised. He looked like an old doll hung out to dry.
"Fine, mom, gah," Lloyd threw his hands up, before immediately shrinking under those eyes.
"Don't you dare take that tone with me." His claws tapped on the bowl. His fangs bit the bottom lip gently. "Uncle Wu's letting me skip some of the training to relax. Tells the others we have special talks.." he informed her in a small voice.
"That's very considerate of him," Koko replied. She hated this fight, especially the familiarity of it.
".. I have homework to do. Can I be excused?"
"Of course," the mother smiled small. Her brown eyes followed her son, as he got up, washed his dish and his hands, and shuffled to his box of a bedroom. "Night, Mom."
"Goodnight, Lloyd. I love you."
"Love you too."
The door closed, and Koko hung her head into her hands.
Lloyd glanced up at his name being called.
"What's the answer to number four?"
The boy in human skin rolled his eyes, sliding his homework over to his best friend to quickly copy. "Lloyd, c'mon, he's never gonna learn if you let him mooch off you," Nya chastised her brother and practical-brother, though the curl of her lips let them know this jest was in good nature. Lloyd shrugged, "Easier this way."
Kai stuck his tongue out at his sister, scratching down the answers. Jay twiddled his fingers, rubbing the material of his orange knitted scarf. "I-I agree with you, Nya," he backed her up. Nya gestured to him. "He gets it!"
Lloyd huffed. This was his favorite past time.
Just, sitting here in the presence of good company. He didn't get much of it around anyone else, unfortunately, as being the son of a man actively trying to conquer and destroy the city he lived and went to school in was hard. Luckily these weirdos found him interesting enough to become friends.
"Get off my back! I hate math.." Kai grumbled.
"You are pretty stupid when it comes to numbers," Cole commented, not looking up from his lunch.
Kai cracked the stack of papers over the top of his head. Cole didn't even flinch, though he did smirk.
"If my fellow peers need the answers to the required homeworks, then I am happy to provide," Zane grinned from his seat, plopping down a goldmine of perfectly printed answers. The teenagers cheered and grabbed, including Jay, which earned him a cry from Nya.
"I could kiss you!" Jay breathed, flipping through the review to their shared history class, "Why are we even having a unit on mythology! It's a history class!"
"Gods, demons, buncha bologne," the blue ninja babbled.
The Smith siblings stared up at him as if he were insane. Cole rolled his eyes, but Lloyd didn't miss the way he glanced around and subtly moved his hands in a motion of religious protection. In comedic manner or seriousness, was unknown to Lloyd.
"Demons are most certainly real! We fight one every day for crying out loud!" Nya's eyes were fierce as she whispered her strong beliefs to Jay. Kai only shook his head and mumbled a few spanish sentences, those non-speakers only easily grasping the word "Garmadon" and "diablo" in association. Their father was as superstitious as they came (though who could really blame him- have you not watched the news?) and the twins took the lessons in their heritage's folklore with the seriousness of a murder.
That was the stone that sunk in his chest. The secret he carried around the people that brought him the most joy. Lloyd constantly had a sinking feeling that if he were to ever oni-out in front of them, they would transfigure into more faces in a crowd of pitchforks and torches. Irrational? Maybe, but the nightmares were still enough to make his nights sleepless.
The boy shifted uncomfortably at the fangs that slipped, poking his bottom lips from where they were in a tight line. "No offense, dude," Kai interrupted their tnagent to lean over and grip his shoulder. He blinked at his brother-in-arms expression, frowning. "Oh, c'mon, Lloyd, you know we think nothin' about that with you, right?" You do..
"You're as good as they come, if you do copy homework..!" Nya chimed in giggling. Liar..
Lloyd tightly nodded, the taste of blood pooling into his mouth. His stomach churned. This skin wasn't as thick, ironically.
"Sorry, feelin'sick. Catch up with you guys later," the words numbly spilled out. He stood and fled.
He vaguely heard goodbyes, words of concern. Then insults hurled as he stumbled down the hallways, and into the closest little boys room he found.
"Anybody in here?" Lloyd gasped, throwing his backpack onto the sink. There was no response.
"Go-od.." he breathed, leaping to grip onto the white porcelain. His breaths were short and labored as his body rippled. His bones made sickening popping sounds as they shifted in structure, splitting his forehead in the form of curved horns. There was a tightness in his chest and sloshing in his stomach that made this worse. Typically what happened was relief, this was just hell. The porcelain cracked as his claws gripped the bowl, and he hurled this morning's cereal.
Maybe cereal was a bad decision, his pathetic try to feel normal and diverge from his usual diet was the cause of his pain.
Maybe if he wasn't some diablo.. a voice that sounded suspiciously like Kai told him.
"What the fuck!?"
Lloyd shot up. Chen, the cheerleading captian, and objectively the biggest douche on campus, stood outside his open stall with wide eyes.
Lloyd instinctively punched him square in the nose. The cheerleader slumped, landing on the tile floor with a slap. "No-hoho.." the poor oni cried into his hands, finally taking the time to breath in. His true form melted away, sweat dripping down his forehead and soaking his bangs. They flopped into his eyes, without the horns there. Lloyd sighed and took his smartphone out from his bag, new claw marks brandishing the front.
"Hello? Uncle Wu? Can you call your Neuro friend again, please..?"
"Yeah it happened again."
My poor oni boy :')