Emerald Embers | Ninjago Greenflame OneShots

Feelings pt.2 - comfort

TW(?);Smoking
Third Person POV

"Dammit!" Lloyd yelled, ripping yet another faulty piece of art out of his sketchbook, and threw them into the small pile next to him.

The outburst was just loud enough for the birds in the area to fly away. Welp, there goes his chances of drawing anything tonight.

And his current thoughts weren't even on his artwork.

No, they were about Kai. The boy he had a crush on for ages now. And much to his surprise, the others don't even know about it yet. The forest was indeed an odd place for a confession, but it would work, he was sure of it.

~time skip~

Soon enough it became too dark for the blonde to see his surroundings. Well, of course he could always use the power from his eyes to see his notebook. But that tires him very quickly, and the others always knew when he did it.

So, started walking back- this time in a different direction to admire the scenery at least a little more before going back to his tent. Something about the woods seemed so calming to him. There was always that feeling of safety that rushed over him here.

He was told that his mother- while pregnant with him- ran away from her village with the help of Lloyd's father. In fact that's where her mother was buried; in the woods where she was safe and protected. Maybe that was why he felt connected with it. The forest was Koko's safe place, it shielded her from the world. And now it did the same for him.

A loud crunch underneath his feet brought the blonde back to the present. Moving his foot, Lloyd came across a familiar box.

'Cigarettes.' he scoffed.

He knew.

The green ninja doesn't remember how, but he quickly learned about the brunette's addiction.

Even before he did, it was clear that something was up.

But now that he understood the reason, Lloyd wanted to do something about it.

Picking up the small compartment, he poured the sticks out and placed the box in his bag. His father and mother were both heavy smokers, which is why the green ninja has now since been an orphan. They had passed shortly after he joined the team. He did have an idea on how to help Kai though...

~time skip~

The green ninja arrived at the campsite later than he expected. Nobody was there, although a note was left near his shared tent that wasn't there before. He picked it up and in the neatest handwriting the letter read;

'Me and the others have gone stargazing, and we will be back soon! ~Pixal'

Of course, he wasn't surprised. The sky was sprinkled with bright lights that lit up the night. Who wouldn't want to see it?

Lloyd chuckled as he calmly put the note back and went into his tent, the bag now discarded in it's corner and empty box in his hand. He quickly scanned the small area and found it. Picking it up and opening it, the green ninja started his plan.

~~

Once the transfer was complete, the now empty cardboard box was thrown outside into the fire. Looking to the other side of the tent, Kai's sleeping bag and belongings lay bunched up into a corner. It was embarrassing enough to share a tent with the boy he liked. But in this case, it's probably for the best.

Lloyd sighed.

Though he didn't want to, this was his only chance to do it. Lloyd hesitantly put the cigarettes back into the bag, along with the lighter. As he heard the others coming back, he quickly covered the items with some binoculars. Why the brunt bought such a tool without using them, Lloyd wasn't too sure.

'Those look good for birdwatching...'

~more time skip~

It was practically pitch black in the woods, with the others having nothing better to do than sit by the fire until the s'mores were done. Kai, on the other hand, hasn't exactly been as happy as everyone else. Though the others didn't take notice of it until the blonde brought it up. "....is Kai doing okay?"

Concerning looks were shared until Nya answered; "Yeah, he's...better than before."

"Where is he anyways?" Jay asked. The others looked around before staring back at Nya, who had a look of dismay on her face. 'I didn't get them' she thought. The girl was about to get up when Lloyd grabbed her arm, pulling her back down.

"W-Wait." he said, shocking the others with his sudden objection. "I'll go, it's kinda my fault anyways."

She didn't understand the statement, but if it was his fault she trusted him to solve it himself. "Alright, be back soon."

~

Kai sat in the same spot he was earlier, this time with the box closed next to him. Lloyd made sure not to make any noise as he hid behind a tree.

This would work, he's sure of it.

He picked up the box, and looked at it for a few minutes.

'Please open it...or don't- that'd be good too but maybe open it...' his thoughts went back and forth in his mind. It would be better if the box stayed closed but if he opened it, Lloyd's trap would be set.

Setting his attention back on the master of fire, the brunette's eyes were filled with regret. It as almost like he had a revelation with how intently he stared at the box. He looked around a little, before tossing it aside.

The blonde sighed loudly in relief, which made Kai turn around sharply. "Who's there?" he got up and started walking to the tree.

"H-Hey, buddy..." Lloyd stepped out in front of him with a shy smile. Kai stepped back in shock, almost embarrassed from what his 'friend' had just seen.

"How much did you-"

"All of it." Lloyd stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the latter, causing him to flinch. "..and...I know why you started doing it."

Silence and immense worry fueled them both, the brunette more than ever. He didn't get it. This was supposed to help- to get his mind off of the man he tried so hard not to love. But..it's only made things worse.

Now he knows.

Kai was on the verge of tears."I-I--"

The blonde covered his mouth as he stood up to whisper, "I love you too...okay?" looking back at him with a smile.

He backed up holding his crushes' hands in his. "You..you do?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

Kai couldn't take it anymore and pulled the blonde back into a passionate kiss.

Lloyd was in shock, his legs giving out and causing him to fall as Kai pulled away. Still staring up at the boy who just kissed him, he smiled. The latter was in awe at how beautiful the blonde looked under the moonlight, emerald eyes staring at him with nothing less than admiration.

Kai sat down next to him as the blonde hugged him once again.

"So..were you gonna do it?"

"..you know what? No." he smiled, standing up to pick up the cigarettes and turning the box over, out came-

"...chocolate..pocky?" the sugar sticks fell to the ground, staining the grass and the box with how much they'd already melted. The smell fueled their noses as ants already began to climb onto the chocolate.

Lloyd chuckled nervously. Yeah...I wanted to try my own way of getting you to stop so I put those in there earlier."

He took one step closer to the blonde before tackling him with a hug. Lloyd broke out into a fit of giggles as the brunette nuzzled into his neck.

"You didn't have to waste chocolate like that, you dork."

"Your dork."

"Yep."

Together, the new couple sat under the stars and eventually fell asleep in each others' arms.

~TBC