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Lloyd was exhausted.
The day had been a tiring one. First, Cole had “accidentally” pushed Kai off a cliff over a disagreement involving cake (Or so Cole claimed, everyone else who had bore witness to the event agreed that was anything but an accident). Then Nya lost control of her Airjitsu and Airjitsu’ed Sensei Wu’s clothes off (Lloyd shuddered at the image. Wu naked was not something Lloyd had ever needed to see.) Zane had been caught streaming porn in his head during one of Wu’s speeches (He had forgotten to turn the audio off, leading everyone around him to awkwardly hear the contents of the video coming out of his speakers.) Kai had burned their whole dinner, and to top it all off, Lloyd had accidentally walked in on Cole and Jay in the middle of…
No. Lloyd refused to recount that last one.
Lloyd snuggled deeper into his blankets. Things were finally quiet. The ninja had left the house and went home an hour earlier, and Lloyd had finally finished cleaning the mess they had left behind.
A chance to finally rest, thought Lloyd as he drifted off.
A loud crash echoed through the house, followed by several smaller crashes.
“What the hell?!” Lloyd shot up, instantly alert. He grabbed the nearest weapon, (which unfortunately happened to be a soft pillow, but Lloyd’s tired brain couldn’t be bothered to find a better one) and walked over to the direction of the noise.
“Who’s there!?” Lloyd shouted. Another crash. That one sounded like it came from the kitchen.
“Show yourself!” Lloyd turned on the lights and raised his pillow in a defensive position.
Sitting in the middle of the kitchen, surrounded by shattered plates and happily snacking on some cookies was the former warlord himself, Garmadon.
“Dad?” Lloyd cautiously maneuvered around the shards of dishes and made his way towards his father. “I thought you weren’t getting back until tomorrow.”
Garmadon giggled and took a bite out of his cookie. “Change of plans.”
Lloyd frowned. Okay, that was weird, He thought. Garmadon doesn’t giggle. He also doesn’t giggle while eating cookies on the floor in the middle of the night.
“Dunn look so serious son,” Garmadon said, his words slightly slurred as he poked the steadily growing crease between his son’s eyebrows. Lloyd took in his father’s appearance. His hair was disheveled and his usually neat robe was partially undone. His eyes had a far away look in them and a faint blush was seated across his face.
“Wait a second,” Lloyd started slowly. “Are you drunk?”
“Nah.” Garmadon shoved the rest of the cookie into his mouth. “’Course not.” He grabbed another cookie out of the cookie jar next to him and took another bite.
Lloyd didn’t even know how to respond. He had never his father in such a state before. Hell, he had never even seen Garmadon drink anything over than tea.
“Do you want a cookie?” Garmadon offered.
“No thank you Dad.”
“Are you sure? They’re really good. Who made these?”
“Cole did.”
“Ah, I should’ve known. That boy is such a good baker. He would be so good at bake-jitsu.” Garmadon dissolved into a giggle fit. “He should stop wasting his time with this Ninjitsu shit. Get this boy on the fuckin’ Food Network.”
Lloyd was officially freaked out. Who was this man in front of him? Certainly not the same serious Sensei Garmadon who refused to cuss in front of the Ninja, citing them as too “young and impressionable” despite being in their early twenties.
“O-kay Dad. Let’s get you to bed.” Lloyd hauled his father up by the arm. Garmadon was surprisingly light in his arms.
“Haha okay son,” Garmadon breathed, clinging onto Lloyd’s arm for balance. “You always were a wonderful one. Always helping this old man out. I love you so much. Have I ever told you about how wonderful you are?”
A blush rapidly made its way across Lloyd’s face as he avoided looking at his father.
“Seriously son, I can’t believe how blessed I am.How many people can say they’ve birthed such an amazing human being? Well, I guess I’m not the one who actually birthed you so I can’t really say that but-“
“DAD,” Lloyd hissed, thoroughly embarrassed. “Cut it out.”
Garmadon beamed at Lloyd. “I only speak the truth.”
Lloyd opted to not reply as he helped his father to his bedroom. With a gentleness contrasting with his powers as the green ninja, he set his father down on his bed.
“Goodnight Dad.”
Lloyd turned around, ready to exit the room and climb into bed, when a strong grip on his arm stopped him.
“Wait, Lloyd.” It was Garmadon, clinging onto his son’s arm from his bed.
Lloyd sighed. He just wanted to go to bed. “What is it Da- wait are you crying?!”
The former warlord was sitting in his bed, tears streaming down his red face, his hand tightly clinging onto his son.
“I-“ Garmadon sniffled. “Son,” He dissolved into a fit of sobs.
Lloyd had not been prepared for this. Garmadon had been so happy and bubbly a minute ago. Where did all of that go?
“D-dad? What’s wrong? Did you hurt something?”
No answer. Only more sobbing.
Lloyd gripped his father’s hand. “Dad?”
Garmadon shook his head and buried his head in his hands.
What could have possibly happened to make THE Sensei Garmadon, a former warlord and once Ninjago’s number one enemy cry like this? Lloyd sat next to his father and wrapped his arm around him. “Dad, please. What’s wrong?”
Garmadon leaned into his son, chest still heaving. He looked up at Lloyd, teary eyes full of love and replied, “Me.”
“Huh?”
Garmadon took his son’s hands into his own. “My beautiful, wonderful son. Everything is right in the world. You have a home now, surrounded by a family who cares about you. Everything you touch is bathed in light. But there is one dark blemish on your new family. Me.”
“Dad? What are you even talking about? Are you okay?” And how can you still manage to sound so poetic completely shit-faced?
Garmadon seemed calmer now, yet incredibly sad. “I shouldn’t be here, Lloyd.”
The moonlight illuminated Garmadon’s hair, almost like a gray halo. Another tear slid down his cheek as he cracked a small smile at Lloyd. “I shouldn’t be here.” He repeated. “Not after everything I’ve done. I-“ His voice cracked. “I don’t deserve it.”
Lloyd hugged his father. “No, no Dad. Please don’t say that. Please don’t.”
Garmadon was always a strong figure, no matter what form he took. But right now, he seemed so incredibly small to Lloyd. So fragile, like he would blow away in the wind if Lloyd let go.
“Please don’t,” Lloyd repeated. “We love you.” Lloyd swallowed. “I love you.”
They sat there like that, until Garmadon cried himself to sleep. Lloyd didn’t leave his father’s side, holding him close until the sun rose up from behind the mountains.
Lloyd didn’t mention the previous night, and Garmadon, out of embarrassment or from being unable to remember what had transpired said nothing either.
Neither said anything, but Lloyd started to put in the extra effort to make his father feel loved. Baking more cookies for Garmadon with Cole, studying his father’s fighting moves and incorporating it into his fighting style, and choosing to spend more time in his father’s house instead of going out on silly adventures with the rest of the ninja.
Lloyd was subtle in his affections, but Garmadon was thankful all the same.
They would heal. Together.