TW: Abuse, Child Neglect, Su\c1de, Drinking, and Self Harm. Please skip this chapter if any of this makes you uncomfortable, or triggers bad emotions.
Also, this chapter is about 11 thousand words, so I suggest you grab a snack, cause unless you're a really fast reader, this may take a while. Thank you.
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Lloyd was a happy child at the age of 11. He had a kind father and a very loving mother, he also had a cool uncle who he loved to go see. Life was perfect. At least for him. He didn't go to regular school, as his parents believed he was too smart and gifted, and the other kids wouldn't be able to keep up. So Lloyd was taught by his Uncle Wu, which he didn't mind because in his eyes, this was normal.
Wu taught him a lot of useful things, such as finance, and math and such things, but most were at a high school level, which would be better for his future. Lloyd didn't have friends, so when he would watch cartoons in his free time, it made him a little sad to see kids having fun with each other, knowing he would probably never have that. It wasn't like his parents didn't spoil him though, when Lloyd asked for things, he got them. Sometimes his father could be a little stern, but he still went out of his way to support his son.
When they would walk around the park, Lloyd would wonder why he couldn't play with the other kids, but when he asked, his father would respond with "Are we not good enough as your friends?" Which Lloyd would end up retracting his statement and being fine with his family being his friends.
Lloyd worked hard too, from helping his uncle out with his tea company and learning how to do taxes and running errands for his parents. Life was good. Until it wasn't. Lloyd felt normal, but he never really knew how unnormal he lived when that fateful day happened when he turned 12.
Garmadon liked to drink beer, but he drank it in small amounts so he wouldn't lose his mind. One day, a new company came out, named Overlord. A beer was released called "The Great Devourer" which was said to have a bit of snake venom in each can. Garmadon instantly hopped on this trend, but what many drinkers didn't know, was that it was insanely addictive, and you couldn't really manage a little at a time.
This was the first time Lloyd was ever struck. He got into an argument about why he couldn't be regular and hang out with other kids. It happened so quickly, Lloyd couldn't even process it at first. It was a slap, but it hurt, especially coming from someone who promised to never hurt him. He started to cry, but Garmadon raised his hand again and scolded him.
"Stop Crying. Garmadons don't cry. Man up and get me another beer. Don't let what Wu taught you to go to waste Lloyd."
Lloyd nodded and got up, shaking the pain off and sticking to Garmadon's words. It seemed like that would be it, but it started to get worse, especially when his mother was put into the equation. At first, it was just being hit with a belt or a slap to the face, yet his mother never knew anything, until the day Lloyd was scarred on his face for the first time. He didn't blame Garmadon, as he just happened to say the wrong thing at the same time while Garmadon was holding a glass bottle.
Misako didn't take it that way though.
"How could you do that to our son? He's just a kid and you hit him with a bottle!?" Lloyd could hear her yell from behind the closed door. Lloyd knew it was just that Garmadon wasn't in his right mind, and that he would never hurt him on purpose.
He went to the bathroom and cleaned off the blood himself, holding back tears from the pain. "Garmadons don't cry." He repeated to himself. "Garmadons don't cry. Man up." He patted the scar dry. He went back to his parents' room, where Misako was still screaming at Garmadon. Then it got worse.
"Shut up woman!" Lloyd didn't know what he did, but from the sound of a woman's cry and someone falling to the floor, it took no detective to figure out Garmadon had struck her. He walked out of the room and looked at Lloyd, then walked off and started Grumbling. Lloyd ran into the room and found his mother on the floor, crying.
He didn't know what to say, so he said what he thought could protect her.
"Mom, don't cry... we Garmadons don't cry... it's going to be okay." He hugged her as he helped her stand up. She hugged him back and sighed. Lloyd noticed she had a bruise under her eye, and he could feel anger rising up in him toward his father.
His father said he need to stop being childish a lot, did that mean he wasn't a child at all? He went to the store and learned finances and how to pay bills, but wasn't he still a child? Every kid must know how to do these things, he reasoned. It was productive, and it honestly made sense.
At the age of thirteen he hardly slept, being woken up at five a.m. nearly every morning just to do the chores, which normally consisted of cleaning up after his father. Bottles laid around the counter, a stain in the carpet or on the couch needed to be scrubbed, et cetera; he'd take money from the change jar just to go to the corner store and buy little things like wipes or paper plates if they were out.
Garmadon went out a lot, and when he was asked where he was going, you were lucky if he just glared at you and slammed the door. He made it no secret he was cheating, as he would bring home random women and kick Misako out of the room, and Lloyd would let her sleep in his while he slept on the floor. Lloyd didn't mind what was happening to him, but he couldn't stand to see what it was doing to his mother. She was always tired, sad, and hurt. Garmadon abused her almost daily, even just to get his anger out like she was a punching bag.
They lived off little food since Garmadon kept the food for himself, and Lloyd had to rack up spare change to get food for him and his mom, he still loved his father though, because Garmadon was being generous by letting them live there still, and letting them keep a bed.
The hitting and scars became a little more frequent as time went on, and only a couple of months later, Lloyd was littered with cuts and blemishes on his skin. His eyes had heavy bags underneath them constantly, and sometimes he felt so weak that he could barely stand after simply tripping. Glass bottles truly were his father's favorite weapon to wield, and at times Lloyd tried to defend himself merely by shielding his face with his hands. It usually worked but at the price of damaging his fingers and palms, especially his right hand, which he used the most.
It made him stronger and more resistant though, which he was thankful for, despite how shitty he felt or how Garmadon treated his mother. "Of course Lloyd, everything I do is for you."
Then he got into his first big argument at the age of 14. They were going to lose the house and Garmadon wasn't doing anything. He wasn't even talking to Wu, who could have helped them. "Dad, you're not doing shit besides beating up Mom and me!" He covered his mouth as soon as it came out. He was punched right in the arm, as Garmadon was aiming for his face, but missed due to how drunk he was. Lloyd was slammed into the counter, feeling a very bad pain as he was grabbed by his collar.
"Don't tell me what to do! Have you any respect? When you pay the bills with your own house, you can decide, you're lucky you still have a home right now," He yelled in Lloyd's face and then dropped him to the ground.
Lloyd scrambled to catch his breath as he crawled to his room and into his mother's arms. He didn't cry though, just laid there. "I'm too weak."
"You're not weak honey, you're the strongest person I've ever seen."
Misako went up front, and after a few minutes, he could hear a body slam into a bunch of cabinets. He ran up front to see blood trickling from his mother's head and Garmadon standing there, breathing heavily. That was the last straw. Lloyd ran out of the house and kept running, running to the only person he knew he could trust, who could help him.
After running for two hours, he made it to his uncle's monastery, Wu came to the front and was shocked to see the sight of Lloyd. He offered that Lloyd could stay with him, but Lloyd declined. He wanted to go back to save his mom and beat up his father.
"Lloyd. Beating Garmadon will not make anything better. Getting the police involved and sending him to Jail will."
"Jail's too good of a place for him."
Lloyd trained with Wu's other students, but not with the regular self-defense classes, well not after breaking a kid's leg in a friendly spar. Lloyd's anger and vengeance were too intense for the other kids, so instead of punching bags, he punched trees till his hands bled, and chopped boards with his bare legs. He ran hours a day, forcing himself to break past the limits of a 14-year-old body. A month later, he returned to the house.
Garmadon was yelling at Misako, and she looked worse than ever. He felt terrible leaving her behind, as he was the only thing that kept her company, she probably didn't even know where he went or thought he was dead.
"Stop yelling at her!" Lloyd drew attention to himself as they both turned to him. Garmadon rose with fury. "How dare you yell at me boy!" He got ready to strike Lloyd in the face, but he grabbed it, squeezing Garmadon's arm in the process.
"Let go of me boy! If you want to fight, let's do this outside!" Garmadon growled. Lloyd let go of his arm and they got ready to go to the backyard.
"Lloyd, don't do this..." Misako weakly cried out to him. "It's the only way we'll be safe, for good. I'm doing this for you mom." Lloyd frowned solemnly at her.
They made their way into the backyard and paced around in a circle. "If I win, you go to jail for good," Lloyd declared. "And when I win, you and your mom are outta here and homeless!" Garmadon declared back.
He rushed at Lloyd, but Lloyd was quicker, and smaller, which gave him the upper hand. He swept his dad's feet off the ground, making Garmadon fall hard. He then jumped on him and began repeatedly punching him in the face, knocking out his teeth and breaking his nose, since Lloyd was so used to punching trees. Garmadon was struggling to breathe as blood began filling his throat, causing Lloyd to stop.
"You lost. You're going to jail." Lloyd coldly stated. Garmadon coughed out the remaining blood. "Fine, you won. Fair and Square." Garmadon seemed to look like he was reaching for his phone, but he pulled out a knife and stabbed Lloyd in the side, causing him to yell out in pain. Garmadon got up and tried to run away, but Lloyd jumped on his back and repeatedly stabbed him in the head.
"I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU" he cried out till Garmadon's body fell down dead, blood leaking out into the grass. Lloyd dropped the knife And limped back inside so he could grab his mom and they could go, but... that wasn't possible.
Lloyd fell to his knees at what he saw when he entered the house. Misako's lifeless body lay across the floor while a knife was in her bloody hand and surrounded by a puddle. Lloyd crawled over to her and held her in his hands, screaming and crying out In distraught and pain.
"MOM! DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE!" He continued to scream. Garmadons don't cry didn't matter to him anymore. The last person who truly knew him was gone. And he could never get her back. He sniffled into her neck and cradled her body. "I love you, mom. I wish I was faster. I wish I never left you. I'll never forgive myself." He slowly began to pass out, losing too much blood. He didn't know if what happened after was a blessing or a curse, but he wished he died there. Everything afterward felt like punishment.
Once he gained consciousness, he was in the hospital for a few days to get stitches. Wu stayed with him for the time being, but couldn't take care of him, as he had to work on getting the Overlord company sued and shut down once he found out they were using illegal substances to make it addicting. Lloyd was sent to darkly's foster care, due to him being a little too intense for a regular adoption center. Except he was a little too intense for that place too. Everyone at the school heard of how Lloyd fought and killed his own father, which made kids too scared to talk to him.
Two kids, Gene and Brad tried their best to be friends with him, by giving him a friendly welcome prank and sticking ants in his bed, but Lloyd didn't take that too lightly. Let's just say they won't be doing that again after an unfriendly visit from Lloyd at 3 am.
His first home consisted of a mother, father, and their seventeen-year-old son, only three years older than Lloyd. It was nicer than how he had been living before. He was still homeschooled, which had been suggested by the foster care facility due to how behind Lloyd seemed to be in his schooling.
Lloyd didn't mind, because it was a familiar routine. He still had chores, and it seemed to him that he had been thrust into the home without much warning to him or a proper explanation as to what was going on.
He didn't mind at first, but an incident with the son of the family earned him a quick ticket back to where he came. An argument over some shoes- shoes that Lloyd hadn't even touched apparently being ruined, which the son blamed on him. A punch was thrown, and Lloyd defended himself. Of course, being the foster child with a "troubled childhood who is also strong enough to kill a grown man," he had been accused of starting the fight.
Over the few, Lloyd had been in and out of at least six different homes, ranging in different forms of crazy. At one point, Lloyd had accepted the fact that he would not fit in anywhere, that he was just a check in the mail for all of the families he'd stay with. It made him feel worthless, which, really, was no different than how he'd felt his entire life.
Darkly's decided to send him to Ninjago High School, as there was nothing they could do for him now, and he needed to be out more, as he was scaring the other kids. Lloyd had no social skills, so he didn't really know how the school worked. He was met on his first day by the principal's aid, Zane. Zane showed him around and encouraged him to sit with his friends and join their track team, which Lloyd declined at first, but slowly came to terms with.
"What's up with all the scars on you?" Jay unknowingly asked. "Jay!" Nya slapped him on the back of his head. "That's insensitive." The group was in the locker room preparing for the final race. This was their chance to bring it home. It had been a few months since Lloyd had begun going to school, and the team had grown fond of him, despite his cold demeanor, especially Kai and Nya. They were very protective of him, and as much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to protect them too, like they were... his siblings...
They were about to head outside, but Jay ran into a bench and hit his leg, causing him to fall onto the ground. The team freaked out, the coach said Jay couldn't run this time, and he was their fastest. It didn't look like they were bringing it home this season. "Nobody could run as fast as Jay! We're doomed." Kai freaked.
"I'll do it."
Everyone turned to Lloyd.
"You sure kid? These are some of the fastest runners in the city," Coach Cryptor raised an eyebrow.
"I ran hours in a day. This will be nothing."
Lloyd joined the other runners at the starting line. They all looked at him and smirked. "Aren't you the kid who killed your parents? What a psycho," They all snorted at him. Lloyd wanted to grab them by their throats and choke them, but held back, he didn't want to make them lose by being disqualified. The ref shot his blank, and they all took off. The race was going well, until one of them tripped Lloyd and he fell on his side where he got stitches from being stabbed.
Lloyd tried to get up, but he couldn't. His vision began to blur and he could feel himself losing consciousness. His body was going too far past his limits, but when he was about to give up, a hand reached out to him. It was a white-haired girl who had the same suit on as the rest of them. It was Harumi, that rich popular girl everyone raved about. Lloyd stared at her for a second, and then slowly took her hand as she helped him up.
"Go get 'em, Tiger." She gave him a thumbs-up and smiled. Lloyd slightly smiled back and limped down the path. He wasn't going to give up now. He began to pick up speed and the other racers were surprised to see him catching up.
Lloyd was neck and neck with who was known as one of the city's fastest runners, Morro. It was the final stretch and they were almost there, someone was going to have to pull something in order to win, or it would be a tie. That's when Lloyd made the best decision of his life. He Jumped.
It was just a leap of faith.
He tumbled into the finish line and came out in first place, winning for the school. He got a 1st place medal and they won the trophy for the school too. They tried taking a photo with Lloyd, but he didn't seem too interested. After everyone was going home, Lloyd went up to the same girl who helped him up during the race. He nervously tapped her on the back.
"Huh? Oh, it's you!" Harumi turned around. "Yeah. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for helping me." Lloyd scratched his neck. "It was nothing. Well, my parents are calling me, bye!" She waved to him as she ran off.
Lloyd was quickly pulled away from his spot and up to two people he had never seen before by Kai and Nya.
"Mom, he won the race!" Nya yelled. "He would be the coolest brother ever too, he's up for adoption!" Kai added on. Their parents looked behind them to see Kai and Nya presenting Lloyd.
"Kai, how about you let him present himself?" A man who looked to be a bit darker than his children scolded them. "So, what's your name son?"
"I-I'm Lloyd. I go to school here with your children. Um. Yeah." Lloyd didn't really know what he was doing.
"You'd like to be adopted huh? I think I'd love to have you with us." Maya added on. Before Lloyd could answer, he heard the sound of a bus honking and rushed off.
"Bus is here, uh see you guys at school next week." He yelled as he boarded the bus. Lloyd sighed to himself as he sat down, time to go to the same stupid center. He met people who might have actually wanted him and now didn't get another chance.
Lloyd was the one to answer the door when the knock came two weeks after he'd arrived at his current home. A Hispanic-looking woman stood in the doorway with a black male standing with her. The first thing Lloyd noticed about the woman was her Light blue eyes and black hair. She looked a lot like Nya, but she let her hair down and it was long, like really long. She looked down at Lloyd, punctuating a very prominent grin. "Heya, kid. You must be Lloyd. I'm Maya."
Ah, yes. The visit. Lloyd had been anticipating this for the past week after his foster mother, Bansha, informed him that another pair of adults had shown interest in him and were scheduled for a home visit. He'd never had one of those before, and it was a bit strange. It felt kind of like a pre-trade-off like they were just window-shopping to see if they wanted to keep him.
Ray stuck out his hand for Lloyd to shake, but he just looked down at it and glared. "Uh-huh." He stepped aside. "Come in, I guess."
"Lloyd, I told you to let me answer the door!" a voice yelled from down the foyer hallway, and a stout woman with dyed light green hair sitting atop her head came marching over. "You could've let in a murderer or something."
"I'm not stupid," Lloyd snapped back. "They're too old to be murderers anyways. I could kick their asses."
"Watch your mouth!" The lady turned to Ray and Maya, who both had no chance to speak during the quick exchange. "I apologize for him. He's going through that teenage phase."
"Of course," Maya spoke, adjusting her necklace. "I'm Maya Smith, and this is my husband, Ray. We're here for the home visit for Lloyd."
"Well, have fun, in any case. Maybe you can teach the brat some manners," Bansha snorted before heading back down the hallway, leaving the three standing near the front door.
"Bitch," Lloyd muttered, following her with his eyes.
"She seems like one," Maya agreed, to which Ray nudged her with an elbow. "What? Doesn't she?"
"You shouldn't say that about your mother," Ray said to Lloyd, who immediately seized up.
"She is not my mother. I don't have a mother. Not anymore."
"Why don't we sit down?" Ray said, quickly changing the subject. "We can talk."
"Talk about what?" Lloyd asked skeptically.
"About you, your life, or anything you want," Maya piped up, removing the scarf from around her neck. "We're here to meet and get to know you."
"For what? To take me and then give me to another family after a couple of months?" Lloyd glared at them.
"Who said anything about that?" Ray tilted their head at him.
"You don't want me, and I don't want you to pretend to care," Lloyd insisted. "You'd be better off just getting out."
"Listen, Lloyd, Kai, and Nya-"
"No, Maya, he doesn't want us here." Ray grabbed her elbow gently, taking Lloyd by surprise. "Maybe we should go."
"What? Ray, we drove half an hour to get here," Maya argued.
"Yes, we did, but if he isn't comfortable with us in his home then we should leave." Ray gave her a look, one that Lloyd didn't understand, but Maya seemed to because she quickly gave in.
"Alright then, Lloyd. We're going." She gave the boy one last look. "Behave yourself, alright?"
"You aren't my parent," Lloyd sneered, his hands clenching his sides.
"If I was, would you listen anyways?" Maya reasoned, and his silence was answer enough for her because she turned and opened the door to step out.
Lloyd locked the door back once they were gone, his hand a fist against the handle.
"Scared them off, huh?" Bansha asked from behind him, leaning on the doorframe of the kitchen. "Could've saved me a lot of stress if they took you." A cigarette hung from her hand as she blew a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling.
"You're giving me back anyway," he murmured, walking past her. "After you pay your next bills, at least."
"Maybe I'll buy you a nice jacket if you're on your best behavior," she offered, but her voice was cold, mocking. Lloyd knew better than to believe her.
"Sure, Bansha. We'll see."
Lloyd sat in the office of his social worker, the light above him humming and the heater warming the room moderately, but he still felt cold.
"Lloyd," Mr. Samukai said, trying to keep his attention. "You have to listen to me."
"Why?" Lloyd mumbled, obviously disinterested in whatever conversation they were having. "We both know that this is gonna end the same way as the last hundred times we had this talk."
Mr. Samukai placed his hands on the table, folding them. "Actually, Lloyd, there are two ways that this situation can go now."
Lloyd just nodded along, eyes half-lidded. He was tired.
Mr. Samukai cleared his throat. "You have two options. One: you can go to this next home and give it a chance, an actual chance, Lloyd, not the half-assed attempts you were making in these last months."
"I'm not going to fake being happy in these houses you put me in just because everyone says I'm lucky that I have a roof over my head. It's still hell."
"Two: if you decide to continue your behavior and get returned to the system again because of domestic matters, you will be put into juvie, you still have charges for killing your father, as your Uncle is still working on the case."
That seemed to grab Lloyd's attention because his eyes shot up at the man. "Juvie?"
Mr. Samukai nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Lloyd."
"But why?" Lloyd demanded, standing up suddenly. "It's not my fault that all these people are shitty and don't care about me!"
"You had quite a few that did care, Lloyd, but you chose to push them away with your behavior," Mr. Samukai reminded him.
"But what about the ones that were just as bad as my father, huh? What about the ones that made up lies so they could return me without being seen in a negative light by you all?"
"Please sit down, Lloyd," Mr. Samukai instructed him, motioning to the seat. "Remember, you still have the first option."
"What, being put into another home just to be a check for them? They won't care about me, Mr. Samukai. They'll give me back just like the rest of them, and then I'll go to juvie anyway."
"If that's how you see it, then why not take the next couple of months of freedom beforehand?" Mr. Samukai reasoned, raising his eyebrows. "It certainly can't be worse than jail, right?"
Lloyd stood there, fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to cry. Garmadons don't cry, he scolded himself. You're acting like a baby. . "Who are they?" he asked. "Who wants to take me this time?"
Mr. Samukai lowered his gaze. "I believe you've met them plenty of times before."
"Welcome Home, Lloyd!" Maya opened the door to their house. It was a nice two-story that was a few minutes away from their shop. Apparently, they had to fight for the house in a legal battle against two brothers, Acronix and Krux, who claimed it was their "family home"
Lloyd clutched the tattered backpack slung over his shoulder, furrowing his eyebrows. The car ride from the facility had been a quiet one, which Lloyd preferred. He hadn't been very enthusiastic upon hearing that the couple who supposedly wanted him were the people who had attempted to visit him that short time ago. He felt disdain when Maya picked him up, smiling like she meant it. It made him angry. He wished Kai and Nya never introduced him.
Ray's familiar face poked around the doorframe to the kitchen, sending a greeting their way, but what caught Lloyd's attention were the two kids making a dash for Maya and Hugging her. "Mom! You're home!"
"I was only gone for an hour you two!" She ruffled both of their heads. "Yeah but dad made it feel like a year." Kai rolled his eyes. "He wouldn't stop talking about his past and how you two fell in love and other stupid stuff." Nya groaned.
"Ray, the kids say you've been boring them to death with your stories!" Maya yelled to the kitchen. "It wouldn't kill them to listen to something important for once!" Ray yelled back, muttering to himself.
Lloyd stepped from behind Maya and stared. Nya and Kai noticed him and made for a beeline to hug him but the fourteen-year-old jumped out of the way with a yelp and backed up against the wall.
"Kai, Nya, that's not how you treat a member of our family!" Maya scolded them. The fifteen and sixteen-year-old nodded. The way they instantly listened told Lloyd that they were never really scolded like that and they apologized to Lloyd.
"Sorry man forgot about your no-touching rule." Kai scratched his neck. Lloyd sighed and shook his head. They didn't have to try so hard to act like they really wanted him here. Kai and Nya walked over to the living room while talking about something that happened in school, while Ray came out of the kitchen to greet Lloyd.
"Welcome to our home, Lloyd." He looked around apologetically. "It isn't the biggest place in the world, but we fought hard for it,"
"It's fine," Lloyd stated plainly, crossing his arms.
"Here, why don't you come with me? I can show you where you'll be staying," Ray offered, to which Lloyd nodded curtly. They left Maya to watch Kai and Nya and make sure they didn't make a mess in the foyer, walking down a narrow hallway and turning to a closed door toward the end. Ray opened it, standing aside to let Lloyd peer in.
It was decently sized, with a full-sized bed in the corner adorning green sheets and a blanket. There was a desk, but aside from those things and a decorative sword above his bed, the room was pretty bland.
"Where's their stuff?" Lloyd asked, turning to Ray, who stared, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Your children, where are their things?"
"Kai and Nya?" Ray looked at him questioningly. "All of thier stuff is in their separate rooms. Why?"
Lloyd's demeanor changed to one of confusion. "Isn't this their room?"
"Lloyd, if I was going to show you Kai and Nya's room I wouldn't have told you to follow me to your room, would I?"
"We aren't... sharing a room?" Lloyd was all sorts of confused now.
"Why would you be sharing a room with a sixteen-year-old, and a fifteen-year-old girl? They're both older and Nya has very big reasons for privacy at her age. And you're fourteen, aren't you? Surely you'd want a room to yourself," Ray reasoned.
"I mean, sure, it's just... the homes I've been in always have me rooming with someone. The last house I was at, I slept on the couch." He stared around the room again.
"Every home?" Ray echoed, scratching his head. "That certainly couldn't have been comfortable. You have your own space here, okay? We didn't decorate much, because we thought we'd leave that up to you." He placed a hand on the doorknob, stepping back into the hallway. "I'll call you when dinner is ready, okay? Take a little bit to settle in."
Lloyd looked around the room and sighed, why did they do this all for him? He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a crumpled-up photo. It was a family photo of his mom, dad, uncle, and him. He cut out his father though, as he hated being reminded of what he went through. He would give anything to hear his mother's soft voice again, but she was gone, and it was all his fault.
Lloyd only allowed himself to relax when he heard the door close behind him. It was a strange feeling, to have the room to himself, small as it may be. The window let in a stream of cold evening light, Lloyd's shadow casting dark on the off-white wall.
He slowly sat on the bed, setting his backpack down on the mattress beside him. He didn't have much to unpack- a few shirts and some pants, mostly old sweatpants, and basic toiletries such as a hairbrush and toothbrush, and how could he forget his favorite green jacket, it was a gift from his mother and the last thing he really had of her. He vowed to never outgrow it.
Lloyd took time to process everything that had just happened in the past five minutes. The place was definitely smaller than some of the homes he'd been to, which had usually been one-story houses, while this was a two-story that looked like he was in an old walk-in closet. However, despite its size, Lloyd already felt less crowded, which might have something to do with the fact that, for the first time in forever, he was sitting in silence in his own room.
"It's temporary," he reminded himself. "They'll get sick of me soon. They all do."
Dinner was nothing less of a rambunctious affair. Lloyd had hesitantly taken the empty plate handed to him by Ray, who simply said, "Take what you want. We don't usually leave leftovers, but Maya made a little more since she knew you were coming here today."
"I hope you like tacos, I was in a rush to make it today so it might not taste that good to you. I can always make something different if you don't like it," Maya explained.
Lloyd looked over to the counter where a bunch of bowls with meat, cheese, tomatoes, and other things along it, like a buffet.
"You can go over to the counter and fix your own how you want it, since I don't know how you like it. Like I said, if you aren't a big fan, I can always make you something else."
"It's fine." Lloyd walked over to the counter and grabbed a shell. "Thanks."
Lloyd decided to fix himself a standard taco, Shell, meat, and cheese. The rest had gone to the living room to watch TV and eat, while Lloyd stayed in the kitchen, alone with his thoughts. He would have liked to sit with them, but he didn't want to get too attached. It was only temporary.
Lloyd took a bite of his taco and his eyes widened. He had never had something this good before. After years of eating bread and cheese when he was with his father, to eating disgusting food at darkly's, he felt like this was a gift from heaven, a forbidden food. He scarfed it down, almost choking on his last bite.
"Woah man, slow down, it's not gonna run!" Kai and Nya both came through the kitchen and chuckled. "What are you guys coming in here for? Throwing your plates away?" Lloyd questioned.
"Throwing it away? Are you playing? We're coming for seconds." Nya laughed. "Seconds? You can get seconds?" Lloyd was now really confused. "Yeah? Did your old places never let you?" Kai raised an eyebrow. "No... only their real kids could. They would claim they didn't have enough to give seconds to an extra, and I didn't mind, because I was used to eating small amounts," Lloyd explained.
Kai and Nya looked at each other and frowned. "That's sad dude..." Nya said apologetically. "Yeah... I guess." Lloyd shrugged. "Well, how about trying it now? Mom and Dad won't mind, hell, they encourage it!" Kai said. "Yeah, dad's always going on about "No damn food goes to waste in this house!" Or something like that." Nya said a little too loudly, because Maya quickly called for her to not curse again, despite there being no malice behind her voice.
Lloyd walked up to the counter and fixed him another taco, this time with a bit more on it. Lloyd stared at it for a bit while Kai and Nya sat with him. "Go on Lloyd, you're not gonna get in trouble," Kai assured him.
Lloyd was hesitant, but at the sound of his stomach growling, he stuffed the taco in his mouth and scarfed that down too. He put his head down as his new siblings cheered for him and he looked at his empty plate. Suddenly, his stomach started to growl again, but not in hunger. He began to gag and rush down the hall to the bathroom and slammed the door. Lloyd kneeled over the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach, coughing and holding his side. He leaned against the sink counter and held his stomach as a slight knock was heard from the other side of the door.
"Lloyd, are you okay?" Maya's concerned voice echoed through the crack at the bottom of the door.
"I'm fine!" Lloyd's choked voice called out harshly. "Go away!" He hated being vulnerable, and he could only imagine how broken down he looked right now.
It was quiet as Lloyd stayed laying next to the sink, gagging dryly a few more times before he flushed, standing up to look at himself in the mirror. His hair was everywhere, and the bags under his eyes paired with his sick-looking face made him look miserable. He cleaned himself up and washed his hands before slowly opening the bathroom door again.
Maya was leaning against the wall a little way down and stood up straighter once Lloyd emerged. "I should've known something like that would happen," she said with a lighthearted chuckle. "Was it that bad?"
Lloyd's brows furrowed. "No! It was really good. Sorry."
"For what?" Maya tilted her head. "You got sick, it happens to everyone."
"I ate too much and then wasted it," Lloyd stated matter-of-factly. "I shouldn't have eaten so much. I know my limits."
"Well, then it's just a lesson to never listen to those two for next time, yeah?" Maya didn't seem at all disturbed by the comment Lloyd had just made, at least, not on the outside. "Try and take a shower, maybe. You'll feel better. There's some unopened stuff under the sink, take your pick."
Lloyd blinked, looking back into the bathroom. "...thanks." He took a hot shower for the first time in a while, and he could feel the tension in his muscles relax as the steam wafted in the air around him.
After his shower he just went to his room, sitting in silence before curling up on his side, and staring at the wall. He didn't allow himself to fall asleep for at least two hours, trembling slightly. He was afraid of what would inevitably come, being taken from the home and then placed into the juvenile facility. He knew this home would probably end up like every other one, but Mr. Samukai had been right about one thing: anything was better than jail.
He closed his eyes, and for the first time in years, he had a comfortable, full night of sleep.
It only occurred to Lloyd a few months after his arrival at the house that Christmas was coming up. He had also turned fifteen. He wouldn't have remembered at all if it weren't for the fact that Kai was bustling around the house every day, since they were not at school due to winter break, singing Christmas songs that played from the movies on the television as he helped Maya put up little Christmas decorations around the place.
Lloyd had only been sitting by and watching, wrinkling his nose and declining any offers by Kai and Maya to help them or to choose another holiday film to play in the background.
He had become quite accustomed to the routine he'd built in the home, still waking up early by instinct, with the exception of his first day, but having no real obligations or strict rules felt strange to him.
Suddenly, the front door was kicked open, causing Lloyd to tumble over in panic, falling off the chair he was sitting on.
"Who's ready for Christmas!" Nya shouted, dragging in what appeared to be a pine tree with Ray.
"Let's go! I was waiting forever to see it!" Kai rushed over to it and studied it. He plucked off a branch and sniffed it. "Ahh, the smell of fresh pine. Smells better than last year's. You picked out a good one sis!" Kai playfully punched her in the shoulder. Lloyd walked over and stared at it, looking up at them with confusion.
"What is the point of bringing a tree into the house? Are you going to punch it?"
"Punch it?" Kai snorted. "It's a Christmas tree, you put it up and put decorations on it, not punch it?"
"That seems kinda stupid. Won't it just make a huge mess that you have to clean up later?" Lloyd scratched his head. "How do you have this many questions about a Christmas tree?" Nya asked as she placed it against the wall. "Have you never decorated one?" Kai also added. "No...? Do people do that? My family never did." Lloyd shrugged.
Before Kai could make any more comments, Ray cut in. "Well, that means it'll be your first one. Come help us," he insisted, beckoning him to the corner of the family room. He hesitated before making his way over, hovering beside the couch.
Ray took out what looked like a colander-type thing without the holes, with screws in the sides, placing it down beside the tree and standing up. "We need your help with something, Lloyd, if you'd like," he asked.
Lloyd stared at him for a moment before nodding.
"This thing is going to help keep the tree standing upright," Ray explained. "Nya and I are going to hold up the tree, and what you need to do is push the bucket under the tree and then tighten the screws."
Lloyd listened to the instructions, and even though he thought it sounded like a pointless process just for a silly tree, he complied anyway. He knelt down, placed the bucket beneath the tree, and then turned the screws on each side until his hand hurt, giving them a thumbs-up.
The tree was a success, and it stayed sturdy while Maya took scissors and cut the ropes tying the limbs to the base of the tree. Kai let out a small cheer, reaching down and high-fiving Lloyd's hand as it rested by his side. Lloyd yelped and drew his hand away quickly, glaring at the older boy, who didn't seem to notice.
Ray removed his jacket, hanging it up by the door. "Now we just have to let the branches settle so we can decorate it," he said, which earned a groan from Kai and Nya.
"But we hate waiting..." The now sixteen-year-old girl groaned. "If you can wait a week for an Amazon package, you can wait a bit to decorate a tree." Maya chuckled. "Go help your dad make cookies in the kitchen you two, you can join too if you wish Lloyd." Lloyd shook his head and went back to sitting down.
"We're making Walmart cookies by the way dad!" Kai yelled to his father. "Sugar is better." Nya disagreed. "You have some horrible ass taste buds." Kai rolled his eyes as they made their way to the kitchen.
Lloyd stayed back, watching the town out the window. Something about the small town of Ignaica intrigued him, and though he had been offered to leave the house, he always declined in favor of staying in his room. He wanted the freedom he was being offered, it felt like something that he shouldn't do; maybe it was because he never went out with the other families he was placed with.
He was lost in thought and almost didn't hear Maya's voice call him from the kitchen.
"Hey, Lloyd! Come help us, would you?"
Lloyd got up and peered into the kitchen; Maya and Nya were both taking cookie dough from a big bowl and rolling them into balls while Ray rummaged the pantry for something. "Help us roll the dough into little balls," Maya told him.
"Yeah we're making Nya's stupid ass sugar cookies," Kai muttered. "Watch your mouth, Kai." Ray sternly said. "You two are always cursing, like no filter, and I'm almost an adult!" Kai groaned. "Then you can curse when you're an adult." Ray raised his eyebrows at him. Kai nodded and shook his head. "Maldición..."
"I know what you said Kai!" Maya nodded toward him. "Sorry mama," Kai scratched his head.
Maya snorted with a grin, looking over at Lloyd and beckoning him forward. "Come on! Help us out."
Lloyd almost protested, but then he gave in at Nya's pleading eyes and stepped up to the counter. He grabbed some dough and began helping quietly, listening to the other four talk about plans for the holiday.
After all the dough was made into small, two-inch cookies, they began sprinkling sugar crystals atop each of them. Lloyd smirked to himself. Kai hadn't been giving up about the name, at least.
With the cookies in the oven and the evening setting in, the five of them dragged decorations out of the linen closet in the hallway and began to decorate the tree. Lloyd needed some guidance on the best method, of which Kai was happy to provide.
He had to admit that he was pretty entertained by Nya's attempts at reaching the higher branches. At one point, Nya climbed onto the couch and tried to reach onto the tree to reach a limb she was aiming for, causing Lloyd to drop the ornament he was holding in alarm, the ball shattering on the ground before Lloyd stepped forward and caught her mid-air around the waist. "Shit- don't do that!" he exclaimed. "You could've hurt yourself!"
Nya looked a little startled at Lloyd, though not alarmed at all.
"Lloyd, be careful and step back," Ray said urgently, and Lloyd didn't know why until he sat, backing up, only to see a small stain of red on the wood where his foot had just been. He looked at the bottom of his foot, where a small cut was. It must have been from the ornament fragment.
"Nya, what were you thinking?" Maya scolded her as she swept up the broken pieces. "Apologize to Lloyd."
"Sorry Lil bro, I forget I'm too short for things sometimes," Nya said, looking at Lloyd guiltily. "Is your foot okay?"
Lloyd nodded, waving it off. "It's fine, it's just a scar. But you can't do that again, alright? You would have fallen or knocked over the tree."
Ray knelt beside Lloyd, reaching for his foot, which startled him. "What are you doing?"
"I was going to fix your cut," Ray said, looking up at him.
"Why?" Lloyd raised a confused eyebrow at them. "It's not deep."
"It's still a scar; I can just clean it really quick and put a Band-aid on it."
"I can do that myself," Lloyd insisted, standing up on one foot and hopping across the room toward the hallway.
Maya handed the broom to Ray and followed him. "Lloyd, if you'd let us help you we could-"
"I don't need your help," Lloyd said lowly, rounding the corner into the bathroom.
"Lloyd, listen, I know the situations at your previous foster homes weren't the most ideal, but I think you know by now that we want to help you." She crossed her arms as Lloyd dug through the cabinet.
"As I said, I can do it myself. I'm not helpless," Lloyd growled, turning on her.
"I didn't say you were," Maya said. "I just want you to realize that we aren't like the other families you've stayed with."
"What, pretending they care when they obviously don't? Don't worry, I can play that game, too."
"You obviously care at least a little bit; you just saved Nya from a possible broken arm and got yourself hurt because of it."
"I'm not heartless, you know. I wasn't going to let my older sis- friend get herself hurt. I'm not a bad kid just because I'm in the system," Lloyd said defensively, sitting on the toilet seat to nurse his foot.
"Do not put words in my mouth," Maya warned him, an annoyed edge to her voice. "I wasn't saying that at all. I'm trying to let you know that we care about your well-being."
"Just get out," Lloyd snapped.
"Lloyd-"
"Get out!" Lloyd yelled, standing up, his fists tightened by his sides.
"Don't yell at me. That is not how you treat your parents." Maya said, her voice firm and her arms crossed.
Lloyd's teeth clenched. "You're not my parent. Just get out, you bitch!" He slammed the door in her face, holding the knob and locking the door.
He leaned his forehead against the door, his breath ragged.
There was silence for a moment before a quiet knock sounded, as well as Ray's voice from the other side. "Lloyd? Can you please talk to us?"
"Just leave me alone," Lloyd said weakly, his voice wobbly as he held back another tearful scream.
He sat in the bathroom, cleaning and bandaging the cut on his foot. Afterward, he simply sat inside the tub quietly. He looked down at his hands, shaking from his outburst. The scars were jagged and ugly, making him shiver at the memories he had from his childhood. He thought about Maya and Ray. It was true, they had been nothing but kind to him since he began living with them. Kai and Nya had been pretty attached to him, despite Lloyd showing no interest in them at all. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel really bad for how he was treating them all.
Finally, after about thirty minutes, he stepped gingerly out of the tub and unlocked the bathroom door.
He sheepishly walked into the living room, where the decorating process had taken a pause. The two siblings weren't even complaining as they all sat, quietly watching the television. Nya noticed Lloyd return first, jumping off of the couch and heading for him.
Lloyd looked at her, startled when Nya wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He physically refrained from pushing her away.
"I'm sorry you cut your foot because of me, I'm supposed to protect you," she said, looking solemn with her light blue eyes. She truly did look sorry, which made Lloyd soften and actually reach to hug her back.
"It's okay; just don't do it again, okay? You really scared me when you jumped."
Nya smiled and let go, walking back over to the tree.
Lloyd looked up at Ray and Maya, who were both still sitting on the couch. He awkwardly walked over, rubbing his arms with his hands. "Um... I'm sorry I yelled. And called you a bitch," he added to Maya.
"What? You called mom a bitch?" Kai asked.
"And that's a word you don't need to use," Ray replied, turning his attention back to Lloyd. "Listen Son, I'm not mad you yelled; I understand why you yelled. But something we need you to understand is that we care about you in this house, we really do. We wouldn't lie to you about something like that."
Lloyd just nodded along to his words, avoiding eye contact.
"We know that you've had a rough life up to this point, but that's why we wanted you here, kid. We wanted to give you a chance at normalcy," Maya explained. "You don't have to like it, but we are going to try and help you. That's what parents do for their kids."
"I'm not your kid," Lloyd argued weakly. "You didn't birth me."
"So? Kai and Nya might be my birth children while you're not, but they see you as their real brother as we see you as our real son," Maya explained.
"Are y'all done over there? Because I'd really like to finish decorating." Kai broke the silence. "Sure Kai, let's finish." Lloyd spoke up, gaining a smile from the rest of the family.
They continued to decorate, Kai and Lloyd lifting Nya up to put the star on top of the tree. As time went on, Lloyd began actually talking to his siblings, getting to know them and laughing at a few of their jokes, thus being the first time he ever laughed in a while, a long while.
They all stepped back and looked at the tree proudly.
"I'd say this was a great success, and in record timing too!" Kai looked at his watch. "This is way better than last year." Maya smiled. "Most definitely, cause now we have an extra hand." Nya turned around and smiled at Lloyd. "Yeah... the colors are pretty nice." He added.
Dinner was small, most of the room in their stomachs saved for the cookies they'd baked. Lloyd paced himself whenever he ate now, careful not to go too fast. His appetite had gotten pretty under control over the past few months, which was a big improvement from his first meal.
Christmas had been a festive affair, Lloyd getting to meet the rest of his track team's parents, who came over to exchange gifts.
Lloyd had been pretty surprised at the amount of gifts he'd received, especially from the tone of people he'd never met before. He'd learned to stop being suspicious of the random kind actions by the people of this family, and when he looked over all of the things he'd gotten- including clothes, some books, a pair of gloves for his hands from Ray, and other various small items- he couldn't help but feel happy.
"Hey bro, grab that last box under the tree," Kai said from the couch, where he was playing Uno with Cole and Jay.
Lloyd crouched and glanced under the Christmas tree, the needles poking him as he reached out for the tightly wrapped box sitting underneath. He sat up, read the name tag- his name- and glanced at Kai, who nodded.
He sat crisscrossed, carefully tearing off the wrapping paper. Inside was a black box, which he removed the top of and stared down at what was inside.
"What is it?" Cole asked, peering over Lloyd's houlder.
Lloyd reached into the box and delicately removed the item; it was a phone. He looked at Ray and Maya, wide-eyed, questioning.
"Not us." They nodded their heads towards Nya and Kai, who had giant smiles on their faces. "Merry Christmas Lil bro." Nya ruffled his hair. "Nya and I gathered enough money from our birthdays and worked in the shop to buy you that new borg phone, since it seemed like you had never had one," Kai explained.
"Now when we're far away from each other, we can still be close. Through wireless FaceTime connections of course." Nya laughed. Lloyd placed the phone down and stood up in front of both of them.
Then he hugged them, catching everyone off guard. "I...love you guys." He quietly whispered. They both smiled and hugged him back. "Yeah, us too."
"I got you guys something too." Lloyd went under the tree and grabbed two presents. Nya's was a really pretty necklace to where she responded she'd always wear it, but Kai's was weirdly shaped, and when he unwrapped it, he was surprised to see a bundle of flowers.
"I've overheard your crush. I wanted to help you like you guys have helped me." Lloyd turned Kai around and pushed him in Skylor's direction, who was talking with Pixal.
"Kai! It's good to see you again!" She greeted him and looked down. "Are um, those for me?"
Kai nodded rapidly as red started to spread across his face. He held them out to her. There was a note on it which he read. "These flowers remind me of you, red like your hair, and us watching a sunset without care."
The same red spread across Skylor's face, and got even wider when she looked up to see mistletoe hanging above them.
"I think your brother pranked us... but, I like you a lot too. I think you're cute." She pecked him on the lips, making Kai feel like he was going to catch on fire. Ray pulled him to the side and noogied him. "That's my boy!" And Lloyd walked up and smiled.
"You're welcome."
Over the next few months, he began bonding with his family. Playing video games with Kai and working on Cars and stuff with Nya. She always loved doing engineering, and wanted to become one of the world's greatest. Lloyd hoped she'd achieve her dream. He got along better with Ray and Maya too, listening to Ray's stories and watching him make things for the shop, and reading and learning how to play music with Maya. She had an old guitar she stopped using, and decided to teach Lloyd how to play on that.
It was toward the middle of spring when it happened. Lloyd was sitting in his room and strumming the instrument when a knock came at the door.
Both Maya and Ray entered, smiling. "Hey," Maya said. "Can we come sit down?"
Lloyd ooked at them quizzically. "Yeah, what's wrong?"
Ray sat on the bed beside Lloyd and Maya pulled up the desk chair to sit in front of them both. "We need to talk to you about something," Ray said. "We've been talking to Mr. Samukai rom the foster care system."
A weight immediately dropped in Lloyd's stomach. "Mr. Samukai?"
Ray nodded. "Yeah. You remember him, right?"
Lloyd slowly nodded.
"Well, we were talking the other day, and we realized that our foster license is about to expire in April, a month before Kai and Nya's birthdays," Maya explained.
Lloyd clenched the blankets under his hands. "So I'm getting sent back, right? You don't want me anymore?"
"What? No, Lloyd, that's not what we're saying," Ray assured him. "We meant that it made us start to think about you being in our care as a foster child. We've been talking about it a lot recently, and we needed your opinion first."
"Opinion on what?" Lloyd looked between them.
"We wanted to know how you felt about being part of our family permanently," Maya finished, leaning forward in the chair. "We want to adopt you, Lloyd."
Lloyd sat there, staring at them. Were they kidding? Was it a joke? Nobody was laughing, but Lloyd was fully expecting them to laugh, or slap him on the back with some form of humor, but it never came. They were serious , and although on the inside Lloyd was ecstatic, he was dancing, he was screaming and crying tears of joy of being wanted; but there was a voice there as well. They don't want you , it said. This was temporary, remember? Nobody will ever want you after what you did to your real parents.
"You don't really want me," he murmured.
"What?" Maya looked at him, puzzled. "Of course we do, Lloyd. That's why we were talking about adoption."
"You feel bad for me," Lloyd rumbled, standing up. "You even said so yourself, Ray. You guys wanted me here because you felt bad. "
"You know that's not what I meant by that, son," Ray said.
"Do I? And stop calling me son! I'm not your son." Lloyd turned to them.
"You should," Maya said matter-of-factly. "Haven't we shown you and told you how much we care about you? Don't you think that we would have given you back already if we didn't really want you?"
"I'm a check!" Lloyd shouted. "I know you guys get money to take care of me, that's one of the reasons you've kept me around, just like everyone else."
"Don't you dare accuse us of keeping you for the money," Maya said, standing. "That money we get has only ever been used for you, and some of our money as well!"
Lloyd glared at her. "I'm a problem child. Don't pretend like you're going to want me around forever."
"Lloyd, we do want you around. We want you because we love you."
" Don't- " Lloyd's voice was shaky as he pointed an accusing finger at them. "D-don't use that word. You don't love me, you barely even know me."
"We know plenty about you, Lloyd, plenty enough to come to that decision," Maya said.
"Lloyd, you have to believe us," Ray pleaded calmly from the bed. "What in the world could we gain from adopting you aside from the fact that we would get to call you our son?"
Lloyd trembled, his eyes anywhere but on them.
"Lloyd-" Maya began, reaching her hand out to him.
"Don't touch me!" Lloyd yelled, his voice strangled as he collapsed to the ground, almost hitting the wall behind him. He shielded his face with his arms, shaking violently as he curled in on himself. "You don't want me, nobody does! Nobody would want a monster! I'll never forgive myself, never!"
Maya wanted to cry seeing her kid like that, looking like he probably did years before they'd met. She wanted to kill the bastard that had made him that way, made him feel so worthless that he didn't think he could be loved properly by anyone, but that bastard was already dead.
Ray slowly crouched down, sitting on his knees. "Lloyd..." he said gently. "Please look at us. We would never lie about wanting you."
Still shaking, Lloyd slowly removed his arms from his face. His skin was red, and he looked like he was fighting back tears very painfully.
" We want you, Lloyd," Ray murmured. "You might not believe it, but we'll remind you every day for the rest of our lives; whatever it takes for you to understand how much we care about you."
"You can't get rid of us now, honey; you're stuck with us forever," Maya joked, giving him a lopsided smile.
Lloyd shut his eyes tight, and finally, he felt a single small tear escape the corner.
"Can I hug you, Lloyd?" Maya asked gently.
Lloyd's breathing became heavy as he attempted to hold it back, nodding quickly. Maya opened her arms, reaching forward and wrapping her arms around him.
At first Lloyd just sat there, his arms limp at his sides.
"If you need to cry, you can," Maya assured him.
"No," he protested thickly. "Garmadons don't cry."
"You might be Garmadon in blood, but you're a Smith now, and we cry," Maya reminded him. "Cry if you have to, honey."
Lloyd returned the hug now, letting out a choked sob into her neck. Ray joined the hug, squeezing them both. Kai and Nya came into the room and hugged all three of them, never realizing how much Lloyd had bottled up. And so they sat there while Lloyd sobbed in their arms, letting out a lifetime of hurt with his tears. He cried until he felt empty, until his voice was raspy and he could hardly breathe right anymore.
"Shhh, it's okay... it's okay..." Maya repeated to him soothingly, rubbing his back. It seemed like they were on the verge of tears themself.
Ray ran a hand through his hair, while Nya leaned in, pressing her face into his blonde locks.
Lloyd knew they weren't lying now. He'd never been held like this, with so much love and care, by anyone . This couldn't be fabricated, and he knew that. He wasn't an idiot. He knew he was loved, probably for the first time in his life.
*. *. *.
Lloyd fell out his seat as he was tackled by the girl sitting in front of him. "Harumi? What are-" he tried to ask as she squeezed him. He hesitated for a moment before returning the hug and sighing as she cried into his shoulder.
I'm so sorry," he heard her sob quietly, and the break in her voice made him pull back to look down at her. Harumi's face was red and her cheeks were drenched in tears. Her whole body was shaking. "Your life was so t-terrible... How could your father do that to you?"
Lloyd's gaze softened as he reached down to wipe her tears away with a thumb, holding her up with his other arm still around her waist. "Hey... don't cry."
"I-I'm sorry, I can't he-lp it." Harumi shook her head. "You didn't deserve anything that happened to you. I wish I knew. I could have helped. I waved you off and forgot about you!"
"It's in the past now," Lloyd said gently, brushing the hair out of the girl's face.
"That doesn't mean it's okay. You had to fight your own father, witness your mother's death. You deserve s-so much better." She continued to sob. "It's okay now. I have Maya, and Ray, Kai and Nya, and now, you."
Harumi looked up at him, their faces dangerously close. "Do you... enjoy being here with me?"
Lloyd smiled at her. "Of course. I'm always happy to be here with you."
"Good... I'm glad to be here with you too, Lloyd." She looked back down at his scarred hand. "Thank you for telling me... It makes me feel good that you trust me enough to tell me that story."
"Friends tell each other things, right?" Lloyd grabbed Harumi's ides as he stood up, dragging her up with him. "Help me finish cleaning and we can watch a movie, okay?"
Harumi nodded. "What kind of movie?"
"Anything but romance," Lloyd said, which didn't surprise Harumi She was aware of Lloyd's hands still holding her sides, looking down at her. She carefully raised her own hands, wrapping her arms around Lloyd's neck and holding them there.
"So, you don't like anything to do with romance?" she asked quietly, her yellow eyes meeting his grass-colored ones.
Lloyd looked at her for a moment, as Harumi's arms wrapped around his neck. "I guess it depends on what you mean."
Harumi closed her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek. She trembled in his arms. "It can mean whatever you want it to, Garmadon," she said quietly.
Lloyd's brows furrowed as he looked down at the girl. The evening light shining through the window hit her face perfectly, her eyes shadowed by her tied up, thick white hair. She looked undeniably pretty right there. He knew where this was going, and with that knowledge it took everything in him not to kiss her, to smile and tell her that he thought that he liked her quite a good deal.
He didn't do that, however. Lloyd let go of her sides, taking a step back. "Animated; let's watch an animated movie."
Harumi's eyes fluttered open, and her hands lowered to her sides. "Right, sure."
She wasn't crazy, right? That was something, or at least, it had about to have been. Disappointment was an understatement in her opinion. However, maybe it wasn't the best time, especially not after Lloyd had spilled his life story to her. She promised herself that one day she would find out where they stood with one another, even if it would pain her to wait for very long.
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Speaking of Long, this chapter was long as hell and I wrote it in two days. Erm, hoped you enjoyed it enjoyed, as I might go on another hiatus before 7, 8 and 9!