A Ninjago Oneshots Collection

They Can't Fail TW

TW: APOCALYPTIC-TYPE SETTING, WARZONE
Includes: Lloyd angst, and ofc ofc, best big brother Kai 🔥
(I was feeling poetic or smth when I wrote this one 💪)

Lloyd ran fast. Fast as his legs could manage. The ground rumbled angrily underneath his feet and he tripped every few paces over the vibrating surface of the cliff. His breathing was almost faster than his feet; short, sparse, and shaky gasps for life. But there were more screams that his ears could hear than there was oxygen in the dust-wrought air for Lloyd to breathe. Sweat trickled down the sides of his face and stung the scrapes all over his body. Dried cuts and slashes creaked from the stretch as Lloyd ran, but that was the least of his concerns.

Behind him, over the screams for help, he heard the machines screech as they menacingly rolled closer to the city, tunnels of gunpowder and boulders loaded and aimed for the skyscrapers. The RED knew the city would crumble faster than a track of dominos as soon as the highest towers began to fall, and as much as Lloyd wanted to turn around and to stop them, to stop each and every one of their bullets, he knew he couldn't. Lloyd had to save himself to later be able to save everyone. This is what he had to do. At least, that's what he told himself as his heart ripped to pieces with every helpless cry he passed.

Lloyd gulped down all of his tears to clear his vision as best he could to get to the edge of the cliff. He hadn't seen his friends in a week. They'd separated as part of their surprise attack plan, without any way to communicate with each other, knowing the RED would be able to intercept any way they attempted to communicate from the moment they stepped into their ground. That meant everything had to go according to plan. It had to. And Lloyd was up to the final part of their plan, all of them should've been, meaning that his friends, should all be safe and sound at their hideout, and Kai and Nya should be in a disguised jet, racing to the cliff Lloyd was on. Because he was going to jump.

Lloyd had to trust that things had gone flawlessly so that he could get away from this alive. Otherwise, he'd be diving to his death.

Lloyd's head spun as he heard the beeping of the aiming of a missile and he realised that this was when he had to jump. Lloyd looked up at the dark, clear night sky, filled with gloomy ash and smoke, but he couldn't see a jet.

Good, he thought, the disguise is working. But the other half of him sunk. Lloyd drew all the breath he could, his eyes clouding over with blur from his tears, and then— He skidded to the right and leapt.

Leapt where? He didn't know; he didn't want to know. He squeezed his eyes shut as his guts did their own leaps inside of him, and his heart seemed to stop with his breathing. It was as if time stood still, as all the sounds in Lloyd's ears merged into an endless ringing, disrupted by the explosion of the missile. Lloyd dared to open his eyes but made sure he was looking up, avoiding the thoughts of below by reaching out to the sky— Just in time to see a colourful blur and hear sound barrier-breaking whistling.

All the air was abruptly knocked out of Lloyd— if there was any air left inside of his lungs to begin with —and he felt himself being pulled along instead of falling. He regained half his senses from the impact, and while holding his breath, he trailed his numb arm upward with his eyes until they met... Kai's.

Tearful, tired, and utmostly relieved. Lloyd released his breath as his tears fell with a growing smile.

Everything had worked.

Kai pulled Lloyd up, and heaved him into the jet, quickly shutting the domed window over them, and pulled him into a tight hug. Lloyd felt his heart racing against Kai's and both of their deep, rushing breaths blowing gently on the other's neck as they quietly sniffled together in silence. Nya panickedly glanced at them through the rear-view mirror and seemed to almost melt into the seat as a tsunami-like wave of relief crashed over her. She smiled peacefully as she turned her attention back to the sky, making her way higher and higher to avoid being spotted.

Lloyd shook in Kai's arms; the fear of death finally catching up to him. Kai gently rocked from side to side, holding Lloyd tighter and pressing his cheek against Lloyd's head. He softly brushed Lloyd's hair with his fingers as Lloyd silently sobbed into his shoulder. Eventually, Lloyd slowly stopped crying, and Kai drew in the biggest breath of relief as his big brother instincts finally deemed them safe. Kai still didn't let go of Lloyd but changed the way Lloyd sat in his arms to be more comfortable for the both of them, and he leaned back into the seat.

Nya glanced backward yet again, her smile which hadn't wavered since it appeared, only grew wider at the sight of such a peaceful moment. She too drew her breath as she looked downward at the city below them, marking out the route to get to their secret base in her head using the city's roads.

~~~

Nya landed the jet in the field, and the cameras went off in the base. The others held their breaths at the sound before seeing the jet and Nya inside the cockpit. Time stopped as they all dropped what they were doing and rushed outside, breathing deeply with anticipation. Nya unlocked the cockpit's window and climbed out to the wing, followed by Kai unlocking the passenger dome and— The ninja bit the inside of their cheeks to not scream out in cheers of joy. Kai stood up, Lloyd in his arms, having fallen asleep, and he carefully got out onto the wing with Nya's support. For a moment, Kai and Nya stood looking down at the others with glistening eyes, conveying the millions of words they were all too tired to say.

Kai and Nya jumped down at the same time, Nya helping keep Lloyd steady, and the ninja quickly ran up to them and all crashed into a giant, tearful, group hug.

~~~

Their group collapsed into what they had called the pillow pile, which is what it exactly was. With little real helpful items inside the abandoned warehouse they'd sought refuge in, they decided to at least make it theirs; stuffing every last soft item they had all into one giant, tarped-over corner was one of those homey additions.

After the long, effortful day, the ninja had barely gotten comfortable when all of them fell fast asleep, each eased into a deep sleep with the knowledge that their plan had worked, and they were all here in one piece by the end of it.

And though everything was far from over, the ninja all silently agreed to relish in their victory, their small, momentary piece of peace.