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So I read Chap 10 of How It All Began by Hijabiwriter (on AO3) and I felt really sorry for Chen. Yeah, I know that he had it coming but still, it's kinda sad. Especially because we have no clue about his home life. So I decided to write this fic, instead of finishing up the flipgrid assignment that is due.

Hope y'all enjoy!

Can be read with or without reading How It All Began by Hijabiwriter

WARNING: Slight mention of child abuse and alcoholism. Do not read if triggered.

Life for Chen was hard.

Not that he would admit it.

Being in a house that always reeked of booze and was filled with drunken adults he called "parents" was not easy. His mother was usually drinking some weirdly colored liquid, flipping through channels as she wasted her life sitting on the couch. His dad- he did the same thing… but he could get mad very easily. And physical as well.

Chen's escape from his horrible life at home was his life at school.

It was easy at school because everyone adored him. He was loved. And it felt great.

Of course for someone who was always bullied back at home, one would wonder why Chen bullied Lloyd. But… he honestly had no clue.

Chen knew that Lloyd had nothing to do with Garmadon's attack. Heck, that pip-squeak couldn't even stand up for himself, let alone follow in his father's footsteps.

But it was just so easy to bully Lloyd. Chen knew it was sadistic- cruel even, to inflict pain on an innocent person. But Lloyd was such an easy target. For some twisted reason, it felt good to inflict all of the pain Chen felt onto Lloyd.

Call him insane, but he really needed something- in this case, someone- to drain out all the pain and frustration that came from his family life. And Lloyd Mongomery Garmadon just happened to be that someone.

Chen didn't know why he did what he did. He once used to feel regret whenever he bullied Lloyd. At first, he did it just because everyone else did. But nowadays, he bullied Lloyd just to let all the pain he received go.

He had heard the saying "hurt people hurt people" many times in his life. He didn't believe it. He absolutely refused to believe that he was hurt. But deep down, he knew.

Chen knew that his "friends" weren't really good friends. Heck, they weren't even considered as friends! But regardless, he needed these types of people in order to be loved by the school.

So when his "friends" told him to punch Garma-dork he didn't stop to reconsider. He came up to the boy and punched him real hard.

Lloyd doubled over, clutching his stomach. Chen felt that sadistic pleasure come over him again. Despite popular belief, he actually hated that feeling because it made him feel just like his parents, which evidently made him want to throw up.

Just before he could punch the teen again, a car honked. Turning around, Chen saw a police car roll up into the carpool. The window slid down and the police- whom Chen recognized as Officer Jeff- started waving at Lloyd.

Chen pulled away, scowling. He didn't want to get in trouble with the police, especially Officer Jeff. He walked off towards his "friends", but not before sticking a certain finger up.

"Aww, man," Jason said in a whiny tone. "Too bad that cop just showed up. Now we can't beat up Garmadork,"

"Wait a second," Chad said, scratching his head. "Why is that cop even here?"

Despite himself, Chen smirked. "Maybe he's here to arrest, Garmadork,"

With that last comment, all three of them burst into laughter, not noticing the person they were laughing about creeping closer to them. "Chen!"

Chen turned around at the mention of his name only to be met with a punch to his nose. With a girlish scream that he would never admit to actually making, Chen stumbled back, falling to the ground and clutching his nose.

"Bro!" his friends said, synonymously.

"Hey dude! Are you okay?"

Chen opened his eyes, blinking away the tears of pain that had sprung up. "Yeah, yeah… I'm fine, guys."

He then pulled his hands away from his nose, only to see his fingers coated with red. Swallowing, he put on his best smile. "I'm fine, guys. I'm just, uh… gonna go home now. Just remembered about something that came up." he said, lying through his teeth.

His group looked at him warily. "A-are you sure, dude?"

"I'm sure," Chen replied a bit too harshly. He got up and wiped off the blood with his varsity jacket. "I'm going home,"

"Okay, dude," Jason replied, before hesitantly adding. "S-see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Chen replied, turning away and walking in the direction of his home.

Chen's heart pounded. All he could hear was the constant drumming that seemed to get louder by the second.

'Hurt people hurt people'

He swallowed once. And then twice. And then his breath started coming out in shaky breaths. Tears stung at his eyes, blurring his vision. With an angry, frustrated sob, Chen punched the nearest thing to him. A wall.

He recoiled, clutching his hand to his chest. Him hitting the brick wall didn't do much except just add to the pain he already felt.

Letting out a sound that sounded like a mix between a scream and a sob, Chen collapsed on the ground, leaning back against the brick wall.

For some reason, Lloyd's punch had somehow awakened him to reality. It had somehow snapped him out of his sadistic pleasure.

Oh FSM… what was he doing? Bullying Lloyd? For what? To make him feel better after all the bullying he received from his father?

How twisted was he to think that hurting someone else would help heal him?

Admit it, the thought whispered to his ear. You're hurt.

Chen squeezed his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face. " Fine," he whispered to the air. "I'm hurt."

For the first time in a while, Chen felt something shift. After lying to himself for years, he finally felt something in him finally break free. The dam he had built over the years, finally broken.

He was hurt.

He was hurting.

And he needed help.

A/N:Welp. That's all I have for now!

I hope you enjoyed!

ANyways, y'all I am aware that Chad and Chen are the same person in the Lego Ninjago Movie. Chad, being the name in the script, and Chen, being the name in the end credits. But in this fic, I made them two different individuals.

Anyways, feel free to smash the favorite button and/or review. But please, please use CLEAN and APPROPRIATE language!

Thank you and always remember that God loves you, I love you, and JESUS IS LORD!