A Ninjago Oneshots Collection

Lloyd Wants His Dad 2/2

Includes: wholesome father-son moment, Garmadon being a decent guy (but he is still in 4-arms mode), general sweetness again 💃
(I know it doesn't work if I say it for every fic I write, but I seriously think this is one of my favourites as well ❤️😭)

2 Weeks Later...

The ninja were at the dock, helping Misako, Garmadon, and the other explorers load crates onto the boat. They'd already gone on a tour around it like they were little kids. It was a sunny day with a soft breeze, the sea was calm, and the air was light. Lloyd noticed his Dad walking off to a further away bunch of crates and Lloyd decided to take his chance. Jay glanced over and saw Lloyd following Garmadon.

"Oh, we should go help them, those are the heavier crates." Jay pointed over to Lloyd and Garmadon, and Cole nodded in agreement. But before they could start following them, Kai held them back.

"Uh, just wait, give them some time," Kai said, looking over with a smile. The others looked between each other, a bit confused, but listened anyway, quickly getting distracted by a crashing sound as one of the explorers dropped a crate.

Lloyd held his breath as he walked up to Garmadon. Garmadon turned and inspected a crate, which is when he noticed Lloyd standing and watching him.

"Luh-Lloyd? Can I help you?" Garmadon glanced to the side, feeling awkward from being followed. Lloyd opened his mouth to speak but his voice hesitated. Kai's words two weeks prior floated to the surface of his mind. He cleared his throat.

"I— Uh no, no, I just came over to help you, these are the heavier crates after all..." Lloyd awkwardly chuckled and he walked up beside Garmadon. Garmadon was instantly suspicious of the way Lloyd had hesitated but shrugged it off and started making sure the crate had what it needed. Lloyd gulped as he searched through it as well. He took a deep breath.

"Uh... have you been— are— are you enjoying the expedition so far?" Lloyd stumbled over his words. Garmadon paused and made a face.

"Ugh, I never knew it was possible to be so seasick and sick of the sea," Garmason rolled his eyes and Lloyd laughed but his thoughts were running. Did that mean that Garmadon... wasn't enjoying it? Garmadon grinned when he made Lloyd laugh and continued moving stuff around inside the crate. Eventually, Lloyd was able to calm down his breathing and ask the tense question.

"So... I— I take it, it's not been going well?" Lloyd asked quietly. Garmadon thought for a moment.

"Well, if by that you mean that we haven't found anything then yeah, no, we haven't found anything, and I'm feeling pretty useless around the ship considering I don't even know what to look for. Misako's too invested in the work so I haven't even been able to reconnect with her, and that was the entire point of me coming along," Garmason sighed. He looked at Lloyd and Lloyd held his breath. "I'm sorry," Garmadon said, straight-faced, looking away again. Lloyd did a double take, shaking his head.

"Wait— wait— what? Why are you sorry? What are you sorry for??" Lloyd blinked rapidly in surprise and confusion, leaning on the crate to better see Garmadon's expression. Garmadon drew his breath, his shoulders rising.

"I... Misako and I know how much you want normal parents... and so we thought, that maybe, if we tried to find our spark again, and love, maybe... maybe we'd feel more like a normal family." Garmadon glanced at Lloyd. Lloyd's breath was still caught in his throat and his mouth hung open in shock. Garmadon started feeling awkward, he wasn't used to having meaningful conversations. Finally, Lloyd gulped and blinked away his growing tears.

"You... and mum... for— for me?" Lloyd breathed, unsure whether to believe what his dad was saying or not. Garmadon slowly nodded, and Lloyd jumped onto him with a tight hug.

"Woah, woah! Luh-Lloyd?" Garmadon half laughed with surprise. Lloyd hid his face from Garmadon.

"Yeah, I— I do wish we were more of a normal family, but what I want more is— is for the both of you to... to be here... to be with me..." Lloyd's voice was muffled slightly, but Garmadon could hear the wobble in it. He let go of his breath and slowly hugged back.

"Be here... with... you..." Garmadon repeated to himself. Lloyd hesitated but continued with the original plan.

"I really— really want you to stay, Dad..." Lloyd looked up, teary-eyed, meeting Garmadon's eyes. Garmadon didn't know how to react and simply froze, his mouth slightly open. "Please stay," Lloyd said quietly, looking away and wiping his eyes. Garmadon looked past Lloyd and into the distance. It was hard for him to believe that Lloyd actually wanted to be around him. Finally, he let go of his breath and looked back down at Lloyd with a small smile. He ruffled Lloyd's hair with a soft chuckle, taking Lloyd by surprise.

"I'll stay, son, I'll stay." Garmadon hugged Lloyd tighter. He closed his eyes, feeling content. Lloyd had been wobbling on the edge of breaking down almost their entire conversation, and that was the last straw. Lloyd broke down into sobbing, half-happy half-sad tears streamed down his cheeks and he desperately tried to wipe them all away. Garmadon panicked, not sure how to deal with a crying Lloyd yet, but luckily, the sound of Lloyd's crying was loud enough for the ninja to hear, and they all instantly ran over.

"What's going on!? Why's Lloyd crying!?" Cole immediately assumed Garmadon had done something and went between Lloyd and him. Garmadon opened his mouth to speak.

"Did you say something stupid? I bet you said something stupid," Jay interrupted Garmadon. Garmadon groaned but again, before he could speak, he was interrupted, but this time, by Kai.

"Guys, wait wait wait." Kai nudged Cole out from between Garmadon and Lloyd, who was frantically trying to wipe his tears away. Kai turned to Lloyd. "Is this to do with the plan?" Kai asked quietly. Lloyd glanced up with a wobbly smile and nodded. Kai grinned. He laughed and hugged Lloyd, spinning him around, happy for him. The others looked between each other, confused.

"Uh... what's going on?" Nya asked, pointing between Kai and Lloyd. Lloyd laughed softly, wiping the last of his tears away.

"Ah, nothing really, it's so embarrassing that I just sobbed like that." He laughed through his embarrassment. Kai rubbed Lloyd's back, his arm over his shoulder. He turned to Garmadon and looked up at him with a smile.

"I'm glad you know your priorities," Kai said with a content expression. Garmadon raised his eyebrows. "Though, I think the first thing on your agenda is to learn to deal with a crying Lloyd yourself." Kai and Lloyd started laughing while Garmadon shook his head, feeling slightly ashamed of himself. The others were only growing more and more puzzled, and eventually, Kai looked around and noticed their perplexed expressions and cleared his throat, tapping Lloyd on the shoulder. Lloyd looked around and hesitated before speaking.

"Uh... sorry guys, for leaving you hanging. I uhm, kinda asked Garmadon whether he would... stay— with us, instead of leaving for the rest of the trip. I... I want to become closer with him..." Lloyd looked down, speaking quietly. He realized that for whatever reason, he felt embarrassed for wanting that. But his friends were just as delighted as Kai was for him.

"Oh seriously!? Sweet!"

"I'm glad! It'll be just like the old days."

"Awww, I'm so happy for you!"

"Oh finally! Lloyd can stop being mopey," Jay rolled his eyes. Lloyd perked up.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" Lloyd retorted. The others all laughed and Garmadon chuckled.

"Well, I'm excited to get to know you properly," Garmdon came up to Lloyd and put his arm around his shoulders. Lloyd looked up at him, Garmadon was smiling. "All of you, really," Garmdon said, looking around the ninja. He stopped at Jay. "Except maybe you, I can already tell you're annoying." The ninja burst into laughter and Jay's jaw dropped.

"Hey!! Why're you going after me!?" Jay exclaimed in a high voice, making the others laugh even harder. Garmadon shrugged and then grinned, glad his joke was taken well. He glanced back down at Lloyd and his smile grew even wider at the sight of Lloyd being happy. Who knew the fatherly instincts that had been buried underneath everything bad could be so strong?