A/n: Oh perfect! Look at that, a chance to redeem myself from day 7s prompt where I did Lloyd. So convenient and genuinely unplanned. Set early season 2 btw.

Today's prompts: Sleep deprivation (I mean, dude is very obviously not getting the shut eye he needs), forced to stay awake (because who wants to see a horror movie in their sleep every night?), "leave the lights on"

"Lloyd, we need to talk."

The Green Ninja paused in the doorway where he'd just stepped into the courtyard only to see Kai, Nya, Zane and their three students in a line, arms crossed.

"About…?"

"This is an intervention," Wyldfire announced.

"You're literally falling asleep right now," Kai frowned, looking at him pointedly.

"What, no I'm not!" Lloyd protested, but he couldn't deny the fact that it was taking all of his energy to keep his eyes open. Unfortunately, that had just become his reality since saving the world from the MergeQuakes.

"We found you asleep on the training course," Arin spoke up worriedly.

"And the training course wasn't even up," Sora added dryly.

Well, shit. If even his students were getting worried…

"That was just once," Lloyd scoffed, waving their concerns away. The glares he got in return were enough to make him drop his hand and laugh nervously.

There was a tense silence for a few seconds, both sides at a stalemate before Nya eventually sighed.

"Arin, Sora, Wyldfire, why don't you guys go check on the dragons in the stables?" She suggested. "Take Riyu with you."

Lloyd knew what she was doing. He didn't know if he was grateful or hated the fact that she was getting their students out of the way so he didn't have to hide anything for their sakes. On the one hand, it meant he didn't have to waste his little energy on looking like he wasn't about to drop dead. On the other…

The Ninja waited until the younger ones had left, closing the door behind them before turning their attention back to Lloyd.

"Lloyd," Kai started, voice softer than usual, but Lloyd didn't let him finish.

"I know, I know, I should take a break and catch up on sleep so I can be fully functioning and whatever."

Nya and Kai shared a look with Zane that Lloyd pretended not to notice.

"If you know that," Nya said, walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, "then why haven't you been doing that?"

Lloyd wanted so badly to just sink into her arms and sleep and forget all of his responsibilities. Spend days on the couch smushed between Kai and Jay and Cole - one of which he hadn't seen in months and the other who they didn't even know if he was even okay - playing video games and not have to worry about lesson planning or the upkeep of the Monastery or researching the Coalescence or the horrors shown in his nightmares or any of the ten million other things he had to worry about now.

He couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes as he whispered, "I can't."

They were all silent for a few seconds. Then Kai spoke.

"What's stopping you?"

"Even without scanning you," Zane started, "it is obvious that you are sleep deprived. If the reason is anything we can assist with then please do not withhold that information."

"I just," - Lloyd paused, reaching a hand up to scrub his face - "I have to stay awake."

"But why?" Kai pushed.

"We can make a chores schedule if you want, and add Sora, Arin and Wyldfire to it if that would help?" Nya offered.

"Maybe… not Wyldfire just yet but great idea sis! Lloyd?"

"I mean, it is a good idea, but it's not why I can't sleep."

"Then what is the reason?" Zane raised an eyebrow.

"It's nothing you guys can do."

"We'll be the judge of that," Kai smirked, but then his expression turned soft. "We're here for you, Lloyd. You don't have to do things alone, but we want to help in any way we can. If that means you telling us what to do without telling us the problem… well, we can start there too."

Lloyd finally looked up, meeting each Ninja's eyes. There was so much concern in them, caring and loving in a way he hadn't ever known before he'd met them. Actually, even then it took a few months, years before they'd gotten as close as they had.

Then with his terrible luck, he'd lost some of them along the way only to lose them all soon after he'd gotten them all back. He'd been alone again, and this was what he'd longed for every day he'd been on his own after the Merge. Now he had it. He had his family back - or at least part of it with hope of a full reunion soon. Why was it so hard to let them in again?

"I…," he tried to start, but the words didn't come.

"Take your time," Nya said quietly, giving him an encouraging smile as she squeezed his shoulder.

He took a breath.

All his exhaustion hit him then, his eyelids - his whole body - feeling too heavy to hold him up. His breath caught in his chest, wanting nothing more to curl up and cry himself to sleep, but he also knew what the cost of sleep was. His throat was perpetually sore now, the result of the shouts when he woke up, and screams that never left his mouth. He swallowed around the lump that had just appeared in his throat.

"I have… I get nightmares," he finally whispered, so quiet that he wasn't even sure he really was speaking. Nya's hand on his shoulder gave another encouraging squeeze, so he looked down and continued. "They come every night, every time I close my eyes for too long. I've had nightmares before, I know we all get them, but… these are so different. They… they feel different and they're… terrifying."

He felt like a child as he said it. He was Lloyd Garmadon, a descendant of the First Spinjitsu Master, part-dragon part-Oni, the Legendary Green Ninja, formerly the Golden Ninja and countless other titles. Yet here he was, scared of some dreams. It was so stupid.

"It's not stupid," Kai sighed, alerting Lloyd to the fact that he had said the last bit out loud unintentionally. He really did need some sleep…

"I just… I dread going to sleep. I'm terrified of what I'll see, and every time I wake up, I have a panic attack but I can't not sleep because then I just sleep more and I don't know what to do." His voice cracked, and he stopped talking.

Nya just wrapped her arms around him, two other sets of arms joining in not soon after. None of them had to say anything, but they all knew what was being said anyway.

"We all have nightmares, it sucks."

"I'm sorry you have to go through this - on top of everything else."

"I'm sorry I didn't know you were suffering. I should have asked about the screams earlier."

They stayed that way for a short while, long enough for Lloyd to feel more relaxed than he had in days. Contrary to popular belief, he enjoyed these moments, longed for them - the physical contact, the being with his family, the closeness of it all. He'd been alone so long that he'd managed to convince himself along with others that he preferred being solitary but in truth, he relished any shred of bonding he could manage with any of them.

It was always tainted with the fears of what if this is the last time you ever get to play video games with them or similar sentiments either because any one of them could die on a mission, or be lost, or leave him, or so many things. He'd found, though, that these thoughts only ever came after the moment, when it was over. He was always happiest, the most carefree when he was with his family. Those fears didn't exist when he was with them, some stupid naive part of him still believing nothing truly bad could ever happen as long as the Ninja stood beside him. His theory had been tested many times, almost broken, but they always got through it.

It all explained a lot about the past few months, being without them.

"Lloyd, buddy, you didn't fall asleep did you?"

"Kai, stop it."

"What? It's a genuine concern."

"I'm not asleep." Lloyd rolled his eyes as the group finally separated. He immediately missed the warmth and comfort - the safety - of the large embrace, but Kai left his arm around the younger man's shoulders and Nya had reached down to clasp Lloyd's hand for constant reassurance.

"I believe you should attempt to soon," Zane said, frowning. "Your body is in severe need of rest."

Both Kai and Nya felt Lloyd tense at the words, but both squeezed his hand and shoulders respectively in comfort.

"I can stay in the room with you if you want," Kai volunteered.

"Yeah, and I can take over training for a bit," Nya pitched in.

"I too can provide assistance. I will create a schedule to alleviate your Monastery responsibilities and research treatments for night terrors."

"Thanks Zane," Lloyd smiled, turning to the siblings beside him. "And thank you guys too. I really do appreciate it."

"We got you Lloyd."

"Yeah, we're always here for you, buddy." Kai reached up a hand to muss up Lloyd's hair like he used to all those years ago. Unlike then, Lloyd didn't complain or try to duck out of it; instead he leaned into the touch, smiling. It was a small smile, but it was the most genuine one any of the others had seen on his face in too long.

"Now come on, let's get you in bed."

A little while later, Lloyd was in his bed, Kai settled in a chair beside him. An empty teacup sat on his bedside table, all that remained of the tea Nya had given him, supposedly to calm him and help him sleep.

He still found himself fidgeting with the edge of the covers, reluctant to lay down even as he fought off the sleep that called to him.

"Hey," Kai said, placing a hand over Lloyd's nervous one, forcing the younger ninja to look him in the eyes. "I'm right here and I'm not leaving. I'll be here when you wake up and if you have a nightmare, I'll wake you up myself. Don't worry."

Lloyd just nodded, finally shuffling so he could lay down. He saw Kai reach to switch off the lights.

"No!"

Kai froze, startled. Lloyd sank back down onto the pillows, embarrassed.

"I mean, leave the lights on. Please," he swallowed, but Kai just nodded with a smile.

"Okay. Lights stay on. Now go to sleep Lloyd. I'm right here. We got you."

Less than two seconds later, he was out.

A/n: I'm actually really happy with this one. Idk if it counts as a canon divergence or just an extra scene, but an intervention definitely (should have) happened. I'll leave the ending up to you, whether he didn't have a nightmare this time or if he did but Kai was there. Either way, Sora and Arin are really glad they told the others about the training course incident so their teacher could actually get some help (he needs a lot more for a lot of things but it's a start, one struggle at a time GreenBean).

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Stay safe, take care of yourselves (don't be a Lloyd and need a Ninja Intervention), and see ya soon.

- CrowofArcadiaOaks