live life (as the walls keep tumbling down)

Prologue

cross posted on ao3 here- http://archiveofourown.org/works/10670508

this is the ninjago fic im proudest of and so idk here it can be on wattpad too

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Kai didn't need another sibling. He didn't want one. Nya, a year younger than him, was enough, thanks, Mom! She simply ruffled his hair and smiled. "You'll like him." She smiled.

His name was Lloyd, and Kai did not like him.

His eyes were too green, and they darted from place to place to place. He didn't want people to touch him, but he was also completely touch starved. He had a stupid hoodie he wore that he'd painted or bleached stripes onto to make patterns that looked like rib bones. He had a stupid haircut.

He was also a complete asshole. He acted out and made a mess of things anywhere he went, and he got into fights at school. He was twelve. Not even Kai had gotten into fights at that age. Something was up about this kid, and Kai didn't like him.

Kai's Mom kept telling him to give Lloyd a chance. He was a scared twelve year old, after all. Nya was a little more blunt, and said he was being a self absorbed teenager. Kai spluttered that he was not.

Lloyd was scared of thunderstorms. Like any self respecting teenager, Kai stayed up past his bed time, and Lloyd's room was right across from his. Every time there was a lightning strike that illuminated the room, thunder followed, and so did a slight whimper from Lloyd. Eventually, Kai got pretty annoyed at it, and went into Lloyd's room.

"What is your problem?" Kai hissed. "It's lightning and thunder."

Lloyd just stared at him with those green eyes before hissing back, "Go away. I didn't ask to be here. Just leave! Leave!"

Kai huffed and stormed out of the room.

Of course his parents had to adopt Lloyd in late March, which meant April was next. April, of course, had a lot of rain. And rain lead to thunderstorms. Which meant even if Kai had wanted to go to sleep, he couldn't, because of stupid Lloyd.

Kai ended up asking his Dad- "Why him? Out of every kid, you chose him?"

"He needed help."

"He needs to go back where he came from." Kai muttered.

His Dad raised an eyebrow at him, and Kai prepared himself for the Disappointed Dad Look Plus Speech. "Kai, I know getting a new sibling after so long is hard, but at least make an effort to get along. You've been a really bad sport about all of this."

"Sorry, he just kind of uprooted my life." Kai replied. "Why can't we just take him back to wherever you got him?"

"He's a foster child, Kai. We're deciding whether or not to adopt him and be done with it. We're giving it until June to decide."

"Don't."

"Kai!" His Dad sounded more than a little upset.

Behind him, Kai heard a squeak. He turned around, and saw Lloyd, his hood draw around himself and staring at them. Kai's stomach sank. Ah, dammit.

"Lloyd-" Kai started, but the kid had already ran away. He turned back to Dad. "I'm sorry."

"It's not me you need to apologize to." His Dad said, and his Disappointed Dad Look was too much. Kai stuffed his hands in his pocket and went to give Lloyd his obligatory apology.

The door to Lloyd's room was open just a little, so Kai could look inside without being seen. Lloyd was sitting on his bed, chewing on the sleeve of his jacket. Kai felt a twinge of sympathy. He went to his room, and dug around in his drawer, looking for that old... there it was.

Once he had his peace offering in his pocket, he went back to Lloyd's room and knocked. There was no answer and the door was unlocked, so Kai pushed it open slightly. "Hey." He whispered.

Lloyd looked up at him. His eyes were shiny, but his voice was harsh. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to apologize." Kai said honestly. "And, as a show of good faith, I brought you something."

Kai took out the green chew necklace with a pendent in the shape of a circle, with a cloud on it, that he'd gotten at Christmas and never used. The necklace was still in the wrapper. He handed it to Lloyd, who looked at it weirdly. "It's a stim toy." Kai explained. "Well, ah, I saw you stimming, so..."

"What's a stim?" Lloyd asked as he unwrapped the necklace.

"I'll explain later. But you chew on it." Kai said, sitting down next to him. Lloyd took his hoodie sleeve out of his mouth and chewed on the silicone necklace instead. "Better than a hoodie, huh." Kai smiled.

Lloyd nodded, seeming unwilling to stop chewing on his new necklace. Kai didn't mind. He got that way sometimes too.

"I didn't mean for you to hear that." Kai said finally.

Lloyd looked at him. "But you said it. You think it. You want me to leave."

"I did." Kai admitted. "But, listen, I..."

"No one ever wants me around." Lloyd whispered, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Not even my own parents... they left me. Why did they do that?"

On impulse, Kai wrapped an arm around the kid and pulled him close to his chest. For the first time, Kai felt a fierce surge of protectiveness towards Lloyd, instead of his usual bitter apathy or outright annoyance. The realization startled him.

"I don't know." Kai answered honestly. Honesty was the best policy. "Maybe they had their own things going on. Maybe they're just deadbeat parents. It doesn't matter. You're part of our family now, and my parents are the best in the world."

"You want me to leave. Everyone either leaves or makes me leave."

"No. No, I don't think I want you to leave any more." Kai said in a low voice. His leg was bouncing up and down. Stop that. He commanded his leg. Make me. His leg practically responded, continuing to bounce. "I've been a jerk."

Lloyd sniffed and laughed. "Yah, you have."

"But hey, we can get along. Brothers?"

"Brothers." Lloyd agreed, and went back to chewing on his necklace.  

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my tumblr is witchlightsands, my ao3 is whichlights, and yes i am petty enough to write an au where lloyd and kai are brothers