A/N: *rising out of a grave* I HAVE RETURNED! Sorry everyone, just... life, and ACT prep (which the test did not go too great, thanks open window facing the sun that I happened to be next to) but I live now! Have a chapter that's like, 3 weeks late!

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xxXTryMeXxx: You like the hints? Good, because there are pleanty more to come! Although please keep in mind Wu and Harumi aren't the only ones to blame, in fact Wu is probably one of the people who's traumatized the kid the least. But now we have Garmadad, so obviously nothing bad will ever happen to Lloyd again... right?


Garmadon led his son through the halls, giving Lloyd as detailed a tour as he seemed comfortable with - which was shockingly limited, as the tiny child seemed terrified of anyone and everyone.

He was a bit concerned over the fact that Harumi's number had evidently changed over the years, so he couldn't exactly reach her, especially since Wu refused to give him her address so he could send one of his generals or something. He decided that, for now, that was an issue for future Garmadon to deal with.

It didn't take long for the tour to end at their final destination: Lloyd's room. Garmadon had prepared it in case Lloyd ever decided to stay overnight - once he'd met the kid, of course. "And last but not least, this is your room, for sleeping and whatever other antics you like to get into in the privacy of your own space." He cringed, glancing around and realizing just how little he knew about his boy. Was green really the right color for the walls? A vanity? Really? What was he thinking? Don't even get him started on that toy chest that was clearly decorated for toddlers. "If you don't like it we can change things-"

"This is so big!" Lloyd exclaimed, not even standing in the room itself. Rather, he'd thrown open the closet and was standing inside, admiring the blank interior and empty clothes hangers.

Did Lloyd not even know what a closet was? He'd noticed he was thin but he hadn't thought Harumi would be that poor. "That's... your closet."

"Yeah! You said this is my room, right?" Lloyd gestured to the closet.

Garmadon felt his skin itch at the thought of Lloyd curled up on the floor in some generic closet, hating how easy it was to picture. Well, at least his boy hadn't been homeless. "Was your old room a closet?" It was shockingly difficult to keep the anger towards Harumi - towards that city that clearly hadn't provided the right financial aid to keep them afloat - out of his voice.

He nodded. "Where else would I sleep?"

"Maybe," he walked across the room, stopping next to the queen-sized bed covered in neatly folded blankets and several stuffed animals. "Here? In this bed?"

Lloyd bit his lip, looking down. "I'm not allowed."

... What? What kind of monstrous butt didn't let their kid sleep on a bed? Who would even make a rule against that?!

He needed to talk to his brother about this.

Garmadon knelt down in front of Lloyd, soft grin encompassing his face. "Guess what?"

Bright green eyes hesitantly met his. "What?"

"This is my house, which means my rules stand supreme against all other rules. And I have a rule that says that anyone that wants to sleep in a bed can, especially if they're name is Lloyd Garmadon."

A giggle escaped his son's lips, and it was the most beautiful sound Garmadon had ever heard. "You're lying. You made that up."

"Hey, just because I made it up doesn't mean it's not true."

Lloyd just gave him a look, as if he was the child here.

"Look, this is my volcano, which means only my rules apply here. Not even laws apply. Which means..." He scooped up his son, gently depositing the boy on the feather-soft covers and laying down next to him. "We can be wherever we want to be in here."

Lloyd stared at him in a frightened awe before gently poking at the mattress. "It's... soft."

"Well, yeah. Beds are supposed to be." Gently, Garmadon reached over to pull Lloyd close. He started to pull back when the boy tensed, but after a moment Lloyd snuggled closer on his own.

Garmadon held his little boy close.

Parenthood was... different, than he'd thought it would be. He just hoped he was up to the task.


I hope you all enjoyed, sorry it's not too long, but I'm not the best at fluff (even with the angsty undertones) so some of the next few chapters will be a bit shorter too. Don't worry, they get longer again, eventually.