• Requested by @Pucatsu120 •
(before this chapter begins, here is a warning: if you are triggered by mentions of prescription medicine usage, you might want to skip this chapter. The request involved Lloyd taking a type of medicine used to help with depression, and while I won't go too heavy and explicit with things, I just wanted to make sure I made a warning before I let it slide. So, if you want to stay, that's okay! I just wanted to add a trigger warning. Hope you like it if you read it!)
Third Person POV
"Lloyd, you've barely touched your dinner. Is everything okay? Are you feeling well?"
As soon as Misako pointed it out, Garmadon's attention was brought to his son, who squirmed in his seat at the sudden attention.
"Oh, yeah..!" Lloyd smiled. "I-I just don't feel that hungry. I had a big lunch."
The quick-paced alibi was more than chin-scratching, but it was enough to convince the two of them. Lloyd excused himself from the table promptly after the inquiry to avoid any other questions. He had to walk on eggshells around them sometimes and this was one of those times.
After he left the room, Garmadon leaned over to Misako and whispered, "What did he have for lunch that could've made him that full?"
"Well, he could be going through a growth spurt," Misako hummed in reply. "He is a growing boy, after all."
"Maybe so..." Garmadon concluded, returning his attention to Lloyd's nearly full plate of food he left behind.
Maybe it was enough to convince Misako, but Garmadon was a little worried about him. This was the third night in a row he had hardly eaten his dinner.
Meanwhile, Lloyd sat in his room. His hands were shaking and his breathing was erratic. It was only a few days ago that he had started taking antidepressants and the side effects were kicking into gear. He couldn't understand why they were hitting him so hard. His doctor warned him that it could happen, but he had no idea it was going to be this hard to manage.
"It's only for the first few days," He murmured to himself. "It'll be over before you know it."
At least, that's what he hoped. He hadn't felt hungry ever since he started the medicine; his stomach growled yet he didn't feel the urge to eat. He had lost weight from how drastically his appetite had changed. As a result of that, he had become weak. He felt as if he could fall over with the lightest breeze that blew against him.
No matter how well he tried to hide it, he felt as if his friends were closer than ever to discovering this secret. Lloyd wanted his friends to be happy; he didn't want to upset them by making them worry over him, so he swore to keep it under lock and key.
He laid down on his bed flat on his back, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. What would happen if someone found out? Would they think of him as a wimp? Would they think he was faking it for attention? Would his friends not want to spend time with him anymore because of it?
He shut his eyes, whispering, "Tomorrow's a new day."
That's what he told himself every day.
And that's all he could do to calm himself to sleep.
~~~~~
Morning came quickly due to Lloyd's inability to sleep. He forced himself out of bed, staggering down the hall to get ready for Sunrise Exercise.
He made it to the dojo and sat cross-legged on the floor. Soon enough, his friends joined him.
Once Jay caught a glimpse of Lloyd's sleepless appearance, he gestured to his eyes and laughed, "Whoa, Lloyd! Did you leave makeup on or something?"
"Yeah, I had to steal some of yours," Lloyd sarcastically replied.
Jay began firing back as the other ninja laughed and laughed.
A snapping of the fingers hushed the group.
"It seems you're all in good spirits this morning!" The voice made all of the ninja snap up. It was Garmadon! Where was Wu?!
"Judging by your surprised faces, you're probably wondering where my brother is. Regrettably, he woke up with a cold and thought it would be safer to stay away from you. So, today, Jay," Garmadon bent down, smirking down at Jay's shocked face. "You're on my turf. Is that clear?"
Jay frantically nodded his head. "Uh...I was just saying that Lloyd wanted to volunteer first!" He blurted out.
Lloyd shot him a glare as Garmadon looked at him. "Lloyd, did you sleep at all last night?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Stayed up a little late. That's all," Lloyd mumbled.
"Are you sure you're feeling up to this?"
"Of course," Lloyd gritted his teeth, as Jay's expression changed to that of a worried one, watching Lloyd rise to his feet.
Garmadon sighed an "Alright, alright." as he got in position.
Lloyd was struggling to hold himself up as he counted down to the moments before the sparring began.
Three...
...
Two...
...
One...
Why is everything going dark?
The last thing Lloyd heard before blacking out was everyone collectively yelling, "LLOYD!"
...
...
...
"Lloyd! Come on, wake up, buddy!"
...
"What happened?!"
...
"I believe Lloyd has not told us something..."
...
"What do you mean, Zane? What are your computers saying?"
...
...
...
Lloyd's eyes slowly opened to see everyone crowded around him. He became aware that he was being tightly held; Garmadon was luckily able to catch Lloyd before he could hit the floor.
At the sight of Lloyd's eyes flickering open, the whole group was silent. What could they say? How could they say it?
Finally, Garmadon spoke up, "Lloyd, are you okay?"
With a slight wince, Lloyd groaned, "Yeah, I'm okay. I don't think I hurt anything."
"No, it's not that. I mean, I'm glad you aren't hurt, but..." Garmadon paused, taking a small breath. "Are you sure you're okay?"
As soon as the realization of the question hit Lloyd, he couldn't stop the hiccupy sobs from escaping his mouth.
As Garmadon pulled him closer to his chest, he signaled the rest of the class to leave the building.
"I'm sorry, Father. I really am," Lloyd whimpered. "I-I just thought you had enough to worry about..."
"Lloyd, I assure you, there's nothing wrong with feeling this way. There's nothing to be ashamed about," Garmadon whispered into his ear, holding him close. "I don't know what you've gone through and I could never begin to understand it, but I just want you to let me know when you're feeling bad. I can help you, I promise I will."
Lloyd felt a peace sweep over him. No more secrecy. No more hiding. He was free. He pulled away from the embrace to look his father in the eyes. He tearfully smiled, "Thank you, Father."
Garmadon put a hand on the side of Lloyd's face, stroking his thumb across his cheek. "Now, will you let me help you?"
With a nod of the head, Lloyd mouthed, "Yes."
Word Count: 1,086 Words.
(Hello! Here is a new chapter! Took me a while to get off my butt and finish it, but here it is at last! /hj
I GOT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE! HECK YEAH!!! Now, there's nothing stopping me from getting a job! I'm going to try to finish the book before I do attempt to apply for jobs, so stay tuned for the final like seven that are left.
Thanks for reading! And thanks to @Pucatsu120 for requesting! I hope it was what you wanted! I myself have struggled with depression and very odd side effects from the anti-depressant I was prescribed, so this hit close to home for me. /g
If there are any typos/dumb stuff in the chapter, let me know so I can fix it, if you please!
I hope to see you all later! Stay safe and do your homework if you do that kind of thing! /hj
- your sleepy author, Abbey :] )