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ninjastudioart · 1 year ago

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Answer Questions

(Part 2 of Sleep Schedule. Special thanks to @silentslxmp for the lovely ask)

School had been over for an hour, but the ninja had yet to start training. Wu had gone to get more of his weird tea and the ninja decided to clean the weapons in Wu's closet for him. To be fair, they were already pretty clean but they knew Wu would appreciate it. Especially since Lloyd had yet to get back.

Zane had become very nervous about that. Lloyd had said he'd be back by late Tuesday, and Zane had assumed at latest he'd be back early Wednesday. It was Wednesday, close to 18:00, and there was still no sign.

He tried to ignore it, focusing on his friends talking and just wiping the dust off the various weapons. He was sanding the wooden handle of one when the door slid open.

The ninja jumped up to see who it was, and to there joy it was Lloyd. Though, the joy faded almost immediately into shock.

The bloody sword clattered across the floor, cracks forming in the dried body fluid. Lloyd stumbled in, limping on his right leg. His suit was torn in various spots, and under the cloth in some spots you could see wounds in the process of healing. Glowing green despite the blood being pink-purple. But the largest shock was the obvious chemical burn across his chest and stomach, damaged skin with bits of what remained of his suit and leather-armor melted in.

Kai and Nya ran over, grabbing Lloyd by the arms as his injured leg buckled under his weight.

"Oh my FSM Lloyd!?! Wh-what happened?!" Nya asked, face etched with worry as Kai grabbed at Lloyd's mask. Zane noted it seemed to have been crudely repaired, and he saw why when he saw the burn across the right side of his face.

Jay, already up, ran to grab a first aid kit, followed by Nya who ran into a different room to grab the hydrogen peroxide.

"Cole, help me carry him to the kitchen!" Kai could lift Lloyd alone in terms of weight, but he was worried about hurting him more. So Cole ran over, signaling Zane to follow.

Lloyd was unconscious by now, probably from pure pain. Cause not only had he been hurt, he would have had to come all the way back to Ninjago...on horseback.

He accepted the med-kit, and immediately started to work.

Wu talked to the ninja in the background, but it was all an auditory blur for Zane as he carefully pulled another piece of fabric from Lloyd's skin. He was glad his friend was unconscious, since this would be a very painful experience otherwise.

He dropped it into a small bowl filled with alcohol, and moved back for another shred. One finger formed into tweezers, he carefully poked and prodded at the skin to find something else.

"Zane?" Zane nearly jumped out of his fake skin, making sure to pull his arm up so he didn't accidently cause more damage.

His blue eyes darted to meet Lloyd's, well, his one eye since the other was unable to open. He looked tired, and tears beaded at his bottom lid. His mouth was slightly ajar, but only on one side. The other was still melted together.

"Lloyd! You're awake! I'll tell the-" A cold hand rested on Zane's, and he immediately stopped and looked at his friend.

"I'm sorry...for what I-I said. Didn't-didn't deserve to be-" Zane placed his free hand on Lloyd's, smiling at his friend.

"Lloyd, it's fine. You don't need to apologize for anything. If you'd like we can talk about it AFTER we finish here, okay?" He seemed to accept the answer, if not just out of tiredness, and closed his eye.

Zane smiled, before jumping back into his work. He grabbed a piece, but looked to Lloyd before he continued.

"This will hurt."

And then he pulled it off, Lloyd squirming and biting back a scream.

Jay paced back and forth. Nya watched him...pace back and forth. Kai layed on his back staring up into the eternal abyss of the universe.....hidden by the ceiling. Cole also watched Jay pace while doing jumping jacks. Overall...not a fun atmosphere. Especially since Wu was scribbling a message asking what the hell happened since in his own words, "the mission wasn't anything crazy sounding."

Zane walked into the room, instantly met with all the attention of each member.

"So, is he alright?" Kai, tried to sound calm, but he was clearly worried.

"Yes, he's fine. I just need to bandage him up." Wu smiled at Zane, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll bandage him up, you go ahead and rest. Thank you for everything Zane." Zane gently grinned, then moved to join the others, preparing to answer their questions.

"I'm guessing he was awake?" Zane only nodded. Despite biting back the screams in impressive fashion, having cloth and leather torn from your skin wasn't the best thing to have happen while trying to stay quiet.

"Will he be okay?" Nya grabbed his arm gently, face usually drawn in nonchalant-ness now scratched with worry for their leader.

"Yes, he was already healing. I was more worried about his body healing AROUND the fabric and leather. He'll heal fine now, it may take a few days though." The last part still felt wrong, but they had watched Lloyd have his spinal column snapped in half, only for him to wake up 4 days later, able to walk and everything. He knew Lloyd would recover quickly, well, physically at least.

Zane was still curious, and worried, so he decided he would see if Wu needed help. He slid out of his blanket, and stood from the thin mat he slept on, laid across from Lloyd's. He carefully avoided any objects strewn across the floor, not wanting to wake his friends, before leaving the room.

It was quiet, other than the sound of muffled voices coming from Wu's room. Zane stopped, listening for a moment.

"Lloyd I would appreciate it if you DIDN'T keep getting hurt with chemicals."

"Those bastards had be cornered, I had no choice. Besides, I've done it before."

"I would rather you didn't mix up a batch of acid and then dump it on yourself."

What did that mean? What had Lloyd made? And why did he make acid?! That was the better question.

"I didn't TRY to get it all over myself, but when I poured the bottle and dropped it, one of them grabbed it and threw it back at me! Fucker was lucky, there was still shit in there."

Zane, puzzled, decided to keep listening, intrigued by how open Lloyd seemed with Wu.

"...so why did they corner you?"

"Fucking prick, did what he asked, but that pompous shithead decided to send his guard dogs to play fetch." Zane was even more confused, until realizing Lloyd was being sarcastic. There were no actual dogs, which was good since Zane didn't think dogs could throw bottles of acid at people.

"Fucker got what he deserved though, his little commanders gonna have a rough day after seeing that dickhead strung about his room."

"Lloyd please don't give me that imagery. Bad enough seeing you."

"You've seen worse!"

"I'm aware I've seen you before."

Zane found himself smiling at the playful banter, leaning against the wall. He wondered how long Lloyd had known Wu, or if that even mattered.

"...Those kids...they're okay right? Had to leave in a rush...mask was ruined."

"Yes. I got the message back from the Imperial Palace. They said the kids were safe and had been returned to their families. They will be sending a diplomat to "guide" the district leaders heir. Make sure he doesn't do the same as his predecessor."

"Good, then everythings fine. What's a little burn as long as they're okay..."

Zane's smile faded a bit. The sentence itself was mostly fine, but the way it was said. It reminded him of the way Lloyd joked about himself. It was clearly meant to be seen as positive. But the tone. It was so...sad? So...sincere.

He wondered if all the jokes, all the statements of uselessness and self-hate, were not jokes at all. But a way Lloyd tried to cope, to seem okay.

It made him feel somewhat guilty, but Zane brushed that off. How could he know? Only Lloyd knew if the jokes meant more.

Zane decided he was done spying, not wanting them to realize he was there, and opened the door.

Lloyd nearly jumped into the great beyond, Wu having to hold him still as he tightened a bandage.

"Lloyd calm down please. It's Zane." Wu turned with a smile, his beard tossed over his shoulder, probably to avoid getting a bandage stuck to it.

"Hello Zane, can I help you?"

"Hello Wu, I was just wondering if you needed help. I also wanted to make sure Lloyd is okay and healing properly!" Zane stepped around, getting a look at Lloyd's face.

It was mostly bandaged, though his mouth was visible. It was still deformed, but where Zane had cut the lips apart was looking better already.

"I'm just about done bandaging him up, but if you'd like to examine him go ahead."

Lloyd seemed betrayed as he looked at Wu, eyes swearing to make him pay for that. But Wu only smiled, shockingly smug as he wrapped bandages around Lloyd's neck.

"Thank you Wu." Zane kneeled down on the floor with Lloyd, smiling in an attempt to not make Lloyd more uncomfortable.

"How are you feeling Lloyd?"

"Lloyd's face was nigh-emotionless as he spoke.

"Bad."

Zane stared, unsure what to do with that information.

"Can you be more specific?"

"Like I got the shit beat out of me and then got acid dumped on top of that?"

Zane could only blink rapidly as he did his best to imagine how that would feel. And, in all fairness to his friend, bad was a good word for it.

"Do you feel any different? It has only been a few hours, but some of your burn should be healing." He knew Lloyd's body would prioritize the burn at this point, so he hoped that meant the pain was mitigated.

"Itchy, but-" He motioned a hand at all the wrapping, and Zane nodded.

"I wouldn't recommend scratching it, your claws may breach the gauze and expose the wounds to the air." Could Lloyd get infections? His body fought against literally anything it deemed un-belonging, but he wasn't sure. Maybe he'd ask later.

Wu cleared his throat, standing.

"That's all the bandages done. Now, I am heading to the store to get some more since-" He pointed at the sheer amount of wrappings on Lloyd's damaged body, "so you're done Lloyd. But Zane should examine you to make sure you'll be alright."

Lloyd seemed unimpressed with that course of action, but nodded in agreement before Wu left the two alone.

Zane watched him go, wondering if Wu was aware Lloyd largely needed nothing at this point other than to rest. Or if he was just extra concerned.

Zane, confused once more, turned to see Lloyd scratching at his scalp.

"Are you alright? Did you get any cuts on your scalp?"

"Huh? Oh, nah. Just itchy since I'm probably filthy." Zane nodded, staring for a moment. Lloyd would probably be dirty for awhile, since he couldn't really shower with all the bandages in the way.

"If you'd like, I have some dry shampoo! It isn't the greatest fix, but it might help!" Zane suddenly popped open his chest cavity, reaching in and pulling out a bottle.

Lloyd, initially perturbed by the sudden horror, smiled.

"Thanks Zane."

He went to reach for the offered bottle, before realizing his range of movement had been fairly limited, even with his freakishly long arms.

"I can do it for you if you'd like, but I'd like to brush your hair first if that's okay." Lloyd seemed to pull away a little, but he stayed still, looking away.

"You don't-you don't have to do that. I'm fine, not like I haven't been gross before, kinda my usual state, heh." It was clearly meant to be a joke, but it made Zane feel a little sad.

"I want to help you, besides, your hair needs as much help as it can get with how little you brush it." Lloyd mockingly acted offended.

"I brush it every morning and most night. Not my fault it decided to be this thick."

Zane smiled, moving to sit behind Lloyd, slowing down when he saw how his friend tensed at the sudden movement. He reached into his chest, again, and removed a brush.

Zane loved Lloyd's hair. Despite its messy and untamed appearance, the hair itself was like silk, or cashmere, and it was thick with lots of volume. He had some trouble thanks to that last compliment, but persistence worked to get through most of the tangles.

Lloyd seemed content with the brushing, and Zane could see he had his eyes closed in the mirror sat in front of them.

His hands moved slowly through the platinum blond locks, enjoying how it felt. Even his dyed hair had retained it texture, a shock since it was some pretty dramatic dye work.

He pulled the brush through again, resting one hand on Lloyd's head and scratching his scalp. Or what he assumed was his scalp. It was impossible to see due to all the hair.

He heard a humming sound, or a sound like an engine, but realized it was Lloyd purring as Zane scratched his scalp.

It made him smile, how strange yet endearing Lloyd could be. It was a stark contrast to how he carried himself at school. From an intimidating and violent "jerk", to a purring kitten. It made Zane smile, and he felt more relaxed by the fact he seemed happy.

Lloyd opened his eyes, realizing he was purring, but unsure how to stop it. He looked into the mirror, seeing how Zane smiled softly as he brush and brushed the mop of hair on his head. For some reason, it made him feel guilty. Like Zane had forced himself to accept he'd be hear for awhile.

He hated to be a bother to his coworker, especially after he'd done so much to rip shreds of cloth and armor from his skin.

" Alright, I'll just spray some in and try to rub it into your scalp since, well, I can't really get to it heh." Zane seemed amused, but for some reason it made Lloyd feel...bad. He felt the all-to-familiar lump in his throat, burning as he looked down at the floor.

Zane began his work, but quickly stopped as he realized Lloyd seemed to be shaking. He looked into the mirror.

Lloyd was crying.

The false magma dripped down his face, burning orange and yellow as it fell, hissing into a cloud of, smoke? Zane didn't know what Lloyd's tears were, like liquid fire he guessed. But that was beyond the point. His friend was crying.

"Hey, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, for-for being a nuisance. You should just leave...I can take care of myself." Lloyd pulled away from Zane's hands, crouching, preparing to leave.

His hair fell over his eyes, shadowing his face. But his ears hung to the sides, drooping down as the tears only fell faster and harsher.

Zane stared for a moment, debating. Should he let him leave? He made his decision pretty quickly.

Lloyd felt every muscle in his body tense as two arms wrapped around him. Every warning sound was blaring in his head, every alarm designed after his years in this city. His years in this life really.

Zane pulled him back, and Lloyd realized his teammate was hugging him.

"Why?" He managed to choke the word out as Zane held him close, comforting him. But that made him feel worse.

"Why are you being nice to me?! I'm a-I'm a monster. I'm an asshole who-who HURTS people! Why would you-" He was cut off as he choked back a sob. He was shaking, and the feeling of nausea was creeping into his body.

"Because you're my friend, and you're upset? Besides, it not like the kids you fight don't deserve it. Last I checked threatening to 'skin and hang you from a meat hook' is a pretty fair reason to fight someone. Not a justifiable reason maybe, but a good one."

Lloyd didn't know what his mind was more stuck on. Zane defending his awful habit, or being called a friend.

Did he consider Zane a friend? Did he consider any of the ninja friends? He tried to keep it professional. Refer to them as his team, his coworkers. But was that how he felt?

Did he deserve friends? Zane seemed to consider him one, but why? He didn't deserve that, he didn't deserve anything to be honest. He was a monster, and monsters like him only deserved to suffer.

But he couldn't make himself pull away, not when he had already been a jackass to Zane. Which reminded him-

"Zane...what did you ask me again? B-before I left..."

"Lloyd we don't have to talk about that-"

"You-you asked me why I don't sleep, right? I-you got my note right? I-wanted to answer that question."

Zane would have felt happy, if not for the fact Lloyd was crying his eyes out and only telling him out of some weird obligation he had created for himself. He wanted to know, but he wanted it to be on Lloyd's terms as well. This felt like it wasn't.

"Lloyd I want you to tell me when you-"

"I'm scared."

The words were so simple, yet crashed through Zane's mind like a crossbow bolt.

"What?"

"I-m scared, scared of.... I don't want to see the memories anymore."

#ninjago lloyd #ninjago #ninjago au #ninjago hc #ninjago zane #ninjago fanfiction

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