ninjago imagines

crimson stains | lloyd g., cole b.

TW: Blood loss, death.

Lloyd gets stabbed in battle. Cole doesn't know what to do except hold him, and promise everything will be alright. 

 • • •

It happens too fast.

 One second, Lloyd is fighting alongside Cole as normal, dropping lame jokes while his powers flash and burn. The next, there's a flash of silver, and he's splayed on the ground, blood pouring from his side. Cole automatically drops his sword, and it clatters to the ground as he sprints towards the fallen ninja, dodging strikes from the other fighters.

"Lloyd?" He kneels at his side, staring at the green gi staining a dark crimson, blood already pooling around him on the ground. "Oh, shit." He swears under his breath, lifting his hands nervously. He doesn't know how to help, why didn't he pay attention when Zane was teaching them about this—

"I was stabbed."He wheezes, and Cole resists the urge to say 'oh, really?' to him, instead bringing his focus on the wound. "Got that. How do you- how do I—"

"Tie it up to stop the- the blood flow." Lloyd stutters, hands clenching into fists. Cole hurriedly rips off the bottom of his gi, tugging it around the gash. Lloyd cries out at the pull, and Cole winces, watching the brown cloth turn scarlet almost immediately. The sounds of swords clanging comes even closer, and Lloyd looks across towards the noise, biting his lip. 

"There's people- people coming." He says, and the earth ninja nods, face screwing in concentration. "Okay, Lloyd, I think we're gonna have to move over to," he stops for a second, examining their surroundings. An exit door sits twenty, thirty feet away, and Cole decides that'll do just fine. "Over there," he points, and Lloyd nods shakily. 

He stands up and steps over to his opposite side, sliding a arm under in a impromptu princess carry. He lifts him up almost effortlessly, and the green ninja gasps in pain, eyes filling with tears. A blast of lighting erupts somewhere ahead, and Cole breaks into a fast walk, trying not to jar the small teen in his arms. 

Five seconds in and his arms are dripping with red, trailing down the ground behind them.  A bullet pings off a metal cabinet just behind him, and he sprints the last few steps, ducking into the safety of the door. Lloyd slips out of his grasp, landing onto the floor heavily. 

"Oh, shit, sorry—"

"It's fine." Lloyd says dazedly, closing his eyes."Oh god." A spurt of panic shoots through Cole, and he drops to his knees, shaking his shoulders lightly. 

"Hey, bud, don't fall asleep on me, okay?" He says in what he hopes is a reassuring voice, trying to ignore his uniform drenched in blood, and he doesn't think the tie is even helping anymore. Lloyd blinks at him sleepily, eyes glazed over. 

"But I'm tired," he argues quietly, and his voice is smaller than he's ever heard it. 

"I know." Cole says gently, keeping a hand on his shoulder. The red still leaking makes his stomach turn, and he takes a deep breath, the smell of iron filling his nose. "Listen to me, okay? We'll get you all fixed up when they're done fighting, I promise."

"Why not now?" Lloyd asked again, tilting his head at him. 

"The- It's too dangerous, Lloyd." He explains, and another burst of energy explodes outside, as if to prove his point. Gunshots ring out through the rooms, and Lloyd flinches at the sound. 

"It's loud," he says, green eyes widening in alarm. 

"Yeah, a little. Don't worry about it." He answers, 

"Am I going to die?"

"No!" Cole chokes out, but he can already see the pale whiteness of his face, feel his heartbeat slowing. 

"I-Who else would I fight with? The others suck." He tries, voice thick with tears, and Lloyd gives a short laugh, blood trickling out of his mouth. He struggles to draw another rattling breath, only to cough up another mouthful of the crimson liquid. 

"I don't want to die." Lloyd whispers, a sob escaping a throw. His strawberry blond hair falls over his face, shielding his tearful gaze.  

"You're okay. Close your eyes for me, will you?" Cole says softly, and his jade eyes flutter shut uncertainly. Lloyd sighs quietly, and whispers a word he can't make out. His chest is barely rising now. 

Cole pulls him closer, as if he can shield the impending future looming over them if he holds him tight enough.

Eventually, he's left in silence. 

Dreadful, terrifying, silence. 

He doesn't want to check, and the last shreds of hope still cling to his heart. Tears finally slip down his cheeks, and he bites his lip to keep himself from , tasting the metallic iron tang. His gaze travels down the puddles of blood covering the small room, trailing down his hands, smeared across his gi. 

The dark red stains his skin, everything he can see. 

Cole hates it.