old friends, lloyd m. garmadon.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 💌 ꒱ prologue // too much to say┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ ☁️

୧ ⎯⎯ WARNINGS ;; some angst :( ;; reader is mentioned to be smaller than lloyd ;; puppy crushes but they dont know they have them ;; reader mentioned to have anxiety

୧ ⎯⎯ NOTES ;; stan kid lloyd. also, i don't know tf this came from help-

❉ ╤╤╤╤ ✿ ╤╤╤╤ ❉

it was a duller evening when the last day lloyd and his mother would stay in the quiet town buried on the outskirts came, just a train trip away from ninjago city, his new home. said boy sat on the steps of your old little home, hands dug into the pockets of his dirt dusted hoodie with eyes unfocused on the street stretching far into the deeper parts of the town. beside him, you sat while leaning your weight on him with your head on his shoulder, occupying your own hands by fiddling with a small bracelet a size or two bigger for you lloyd had to fiddle with to adjust to fit you. the one he had was tied around his wrist almost perfectly.

it was quiet, unusually quiet especially since you were kids that had too much to say without enough time.

too much to say without enough time -

lloyd grimaced at the thoughts from the back of his head -all sour and sorrowful about leaving his home, and his friend- quick to close his eyes and trying to relax himself knowing you had your head on his shoulder. you shifted a little to rest your head more comfortably on his shoulder while rubbing a hesitant hand against his back.

you swore each minute of the quiet ate away a small part of you, nervous and denying of what reality was facing you. it felt odd having him close but knowing he'd be so far, since forever he was just down the road! but not tomorrow... nor ever after today. and something felt like it was dying in you, your hand stops midway rubbing lloyd's back once you drift back into your thoughts.

lloyd spares a side glance in your direction when he feels your hand weakly holding at his hoodie. "[name]?" he mumbles softly, knee knocking yours without much power behind it. "mmh," you answer him, paying no mind to him for a moment.

"you good?" lloyd asked absent-mindedly before looking back to the door to see if his mother was coming. "yeah, it feels weird," -you could share anything with him, right? lloyd's your best friend, of course you can- "weird like it feels like this isn't real, y'know?"

he thought for a moment before answering. "yea, it doesn't feel right- no more slacking off i guess." he made the shoulder shrugging motion by lifting his hand and dropping it. you moved away from, scoffing playfully at his half attempt at insulting you. "oh, you love 'slacking off'." you lean closer to him with a mischievous smile, "because it means you're with me."

he wanted to do nothing but wipe that smile from your face. but how could he when he longed to stay here? there was something he didn't know in your eyes he found familiar. he stared back with that emotion he couldn't place. he didn't know where this was going. "i-"

too much to say without enough time.

"kids!" koko screamed from inside, soft even as she yelled from behind the door. you both pulled back and stared at the door. lloyd stood up first, wordlessly pulling you up and walking inside with you behind him. he swore his face was red. you cautiously look up from the floor to lloyd, trying to piece together what he was going to say. he seemed embarrassed by it, and so you decided against pressing onward.

"mum?" lloyd tried to not sound shaky, he prayed his voice didn't give out and embarrass him further than he was already. your mothers smiled at the sight of you two, you draped over the cushions from over the back of the couch and lloyd with his arms folded and leaned against it.

"finish up your goodbyes, we'll be going home in a bit," his mother said as kindly as she could knowing that this whole move was taking a toll on both of you. they both knew how close you were to eachother. lloyd nodded slowly before you pulled him up to your room.

lloyd let you pull him up the stairs and through the small hallway, not really registering much of what was going on. not the click of your door opening or the soft thud of the door meeting the wall in its own time. he sat on your bed while watching you rummage through your things, seeing you pull out a small box.

"here." you pass the wooden box to him, plopping down next to him. "[friend] said it'd be a good idea to give you something before you leave," you ramble slightly while he quietly examines it, shaking it slowly before lifting it slightly to gauge its weight. "thanks, but er- i didn't get you anything." he looks almost like a kicked puppy to you. "it's fine, i know how bad packing has been."

"i'll open it up later.. i don't feel like-" he half-whispers sadly to himself while passing the box back and forth between his hands. "it was meant for your birthday anyway."

it killed him more than before now.

"thank you." he smiled, turning towards you with a soft smile. "you're welcome." you smile back.

that was the last memory you had of lloyd garmadon. and the last time you got to speak to him. almost immediately after that your parents refused to let you talk to him though you knew your mother still spoke to his mother. all back when you and him were eight.

back when life wasn't a mess falling, dragging you down with it.

you stared boredly out the car window without much attention to the streets of the new city. music low in your earphones with your cousin and her friends' conversation buzzing slightly below your music. it was familiar, this city, even though you never stepped foot in it before.

"hey, are you okay?" pixal nudged your shoulder softly, noticing the tense look in your eyes. she offered you a smile while rubbing your shoulder slowly, waiting for a response and never pressing on any further once. "i guess i am," you answered before placing a hand over hers and smiling back. she nodded slowly, "do not stress, you will be fine in ninjago. the ninja will keep you safe too."

ninja? you paused before looking at her with a confused look. "yeah, they're here and there. and also they do patrols around the city most of the time," nya added in, glancing back from the driver's seats, her smile subtle and warm. "ninja?" you still questioned it quietly before shaking it and thanking them for the information before another topic started up.

you didn't pay attention to the way up to where skylor and her friends were staying, she had a room specifically set aside for you when she heard you were coming to the city to study back during your high school years. you heard some of their other friends were over (and sometimes stayed over) as well as a small welcome. you didn't want to meet any more people than you did, not today at least. the anxiety was rising slowly and you tried desperately to ignore it.

the car came to a halt, just past the quieter parts of the city but not far from the university. you jumped off and pushed your earphones and phone into your pocket before stretching your tired limbs from sitting for several hours on end. you quickly grab your bag, an old one that stuck with you through thick and thin during high school, slinging it over your shoulder before attempting to take your suitcase from nya. she smiled and mentioned it wasn't a problem in taking your bag in.

it was quiet, albeit there was still some chatter from skylor's friends and the occasional shuffle or something. they greeted you and introduced themselves, it felt almost like you knew them since the womb with the way they made sure to make you comfortable.

"one's missing," kai said after a short moment of realization. he looked up from the floor, having chosen to sit there as he was closer to the table covered with random snacks you assumed they raided the kitchen for, "greenie's out back on call or something." he pointed to the door in the kitchen, it didn't exactly help considering you didn't know who 'greenie' is. cole, seated on the couch next to kai, mentioned something, and the conversation moved on to whatever he said. it was nice, you'd admit, how refreshing it was with them.

pixal pointed out your room, knowing you were tired from all your travelling and that you'd probably want to be alone for a while. and you thanked her before heading there, passing the kitchen on the way there. taking a quick look at the kitchen, you stop after a small stumble. 'greenie' stopped himself, awestruck at the sight of you. neither you know how, but you knew exactly who the other was.

"hey [name]."

"hey lloyd."