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Battered and Bruised, but it’s still you - Ninjago Oneshot

WC: ~4228

When Lloyd had finally gotten a proper look at his friend, his mentor, his older brother, a pit sank in his chest. He eyed Kai, and how in the weeks which had gone by, it was hardly Kai at all. The older male was thinner, significantly so. His face was sunken, dark eyebags and soot decorated his skin, and a fresh scar was apparent on his cheek. Faint, but noticeable. Most prominently, Kai was exhausted.

Kai also had to grow up quickly, too quickly; with his parents gone at a young age, forced to handle the blacksmith and care for his sister, and then care for Lloyd as a protector, it was all too quick. Kai deserved to be the youngest once in a while, especially in his current condition. At least, just this once.

When Kai finally arrives back at the monastery after the Merge, injured and exhausted, Lloyd does his best to take care of him. After all, time has changed them both.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65539879

As Lloyd saw an unfamiliar figure move throughout the bounty, his bounty, he felt no hesitation as his fists lit up with energy and he jumped towards the stranger.

The only thing which stopped him was the familiar scream from… Kai? Lloyd immediately paused his attack, stumbling on his own feet as the figure took off the mask.

“What the heck, Lloyd?” Kai shouted.

“Kai?” Lloyd stood in disbelief; the sight of Kai sprawled across the deck of the bounty from the mistaken attack enough to send shivers down his spine. Yet, the relief was even more fulfilling, his heart filled with joy after the initial moments of shock. “Kai! Sorry. I haven’t seen anyone in weeks,” the green ninja extended his hand out, the other seemed to take it rather quickly for someone as hot-headed as how Lloyd seemed to remember him.

“I can imagine,” Kai’s weight felt sunken and weighted as Lloyd heaved him off the ground. Yet before Lloyd could even attempt to let the feelings fester in his throat, to convert his worries into words of concern, Kai quickly wrapped his arms around the younger male and swung him around. “It’s so good to see you, buddy."

“You too!”

As the two separated, Kai took a step back, his gaze appeared distant. “Kai? Where have you been?”

The fire ninja’s face paled. “Er— A lot of places, I’m not too sure. Is this where you woke up? That’s lucky.”

“I guess so,” Lloyd shrugged his shoulders, his gaze lifted to the haunting red sky. He eyed his former mentor, his older brother (if anything), his teammate, and how in the weeks which had gone by, it was hardly Kai at all.

The older male was thinner, significantly so. His face was sunken, dark eyebags and soot decorated his skin, and a fresh scar was apparent on his cheek. Faint, but noticeable.

“Is the monastery nearby? I… it’d be nice to get home,” Kai muttered as he straightened himself up.

“Oh, right! Of course, It’s right here, the bounty just… showed up here, no idea how that happened, but it brought you,” Lloyd grinned with excitement as he grabbed Kai’s hand. “We should get going before a mergequake starts, though.”

Kai’s face lit up at the mention of the monastery before completely faltering at the other mention. “What? Merge what?”

“Mergequakes. It’s like a rift in reality. They aren’t too bad right now, but they are getting worse.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Kai sighed as his posture sagged, his voice went quiet and quivered. “Can we just get back? Please?”

Lloyd did not want to mention the desperation in his voice. “Yeah, let’s get you back into the monastery. Respectfully, I think you should sit down.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice.”

As Lloyd stepped onto solid ground with a gentle jump from the anchor of the bounty, he felt his heart sink when he noticed Kai dragging his feet behind him. The two of them sat on the steps, the other much heavier than Lloyd. Lloyd wanted to talk, to check-in; it had been weeks since he had talked to anyone, and Kai (even though he was trying not to let on) looked halfway near kneeling over.

A rift had opened in the sky.

“Lloyd, what the heck is that?” Kai got up with a start, taking a defensive stance, as Lloyd did the same.

“One of the mergequakes. We got to go! Elemental powers close them!” Lloyd brushed the dust off himself and started running towards the exit of the monastery.

“And how did you figure all this out!?” Kai shook his head. “Lloyd!?”

“No time to waste, the longer we wait, the worse it’ll get till it starts sucking our world inside out! I’m getting the mech, you stay and blast it from here!”

In the mech, Lloyd felt the rush of the heat from the fire and the energy ceased as the rift shut, the machinery backing away just as he was used to it. “Phew, good thing you were here. We got that one quick,” Lloyd turned the mech around, aiming to have it start flying down but his hand stopped as he reached for the control when he caught sight of his comrade. “Kai?”

Kai has his back towards Lloyd, and although it is hard for the green ninja to make out the facial features, he can clearly see him half kneeled over, dizzy and heaving. “Kai? Kai!” Lloyd quickly landed the mech on the ground of the monastery, rushing over. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah… yeah— it’s no worries, don’t—” Kai winced when Lloyd placed his hand on his shoulder, the blond quickly drew back at the response (he was unsure whether it was rooted in fear, injury, or a mixture of both). “It’s just been a long journey back. Can we head inside?”

“You look tired.”

“Lloyd, I’m—”

“We’re not teenagers anymore, Kai.” Lloyd frowned, his vision traveled from Kai’s face to scan the rest of his condition, the pure exhaustion evident throughout his body and the tan wraps poking out from under his gi… wait a minute. Are those bandages? “You look tired, Kai.”

Kai straightened his back, slowly but surely, and it was at that moment when the façade truly came undone. The posture he had been so desperately trying to keep as swift and sound faltered into a slouch, and even the ash in his ruffled hair seemed to become more prominent. “Well… I am tired. I wasn’t doing much sleeping where I landed after the merge… or anything of the sorts."

“Come on, I’ll help you get all cleaned up.”

“Er— it’s okay, Lloyd. I can do it myself—”

“I can see the bandages under your gi. If those aren’t infected already, I’ll clean them up properly.” Lloyd crossed his arms, his face went gentle and soft. “Just let me help? Please?”

With the mask fully undone, Kai’s walking appeared staggered, and each step was more haphazard than the last. Heavy steps from behind Lloyd quickly shifted to Kai leaning against Lloyd with almost his entire weight, the younger male brought his arm and swung it under his armpits to assist with the weight as best as he could. “Woah, I got you. Come on, inside, off we go.”

This was the first time in weeks that someone other than Lloyd had been in the monastery. It was odd… but nice.

“Yeah… I mean this in the kindest way possible, but you look wrecked,” Lloyd tried to lighten the mood as the pair made it into their living room, the monastery started to feel more like home once more as Kai practically collapsed into the couch.

“A little harsh, Lloyd,” Kai cracked a smile.

“Yeah, let me get you some tea. Then we can address… that—”

Kai raised an eyebrow. Lloyd pointed at his own chest, poking where the visible bandages appeared on Kai’s torso. The fire ninja nodded and turned away.

“I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t move,” Lloyd mentioned as he headed into the kitchen, quick to put the water to boil. The water never seemed to boil quickly enough as he sat in the kitchen, a brief pause taking place as he grabbed the tea leaves leftover from before the merge and tossed them into the kettle, cautious not to burn it.

He was still getting used to making tea on his own. He now had to get used to making tea for someone else, and for Kai of all people! Not bad, by any means, just never expected. Kai hardly got sick, always the least battered after battles, and well—

They were younger back then; they all have gotten older over the years.

When the tea finished and was successfully unburnt, Lloyd poured the tea into a small mug he had sculpted and glazed in his earlier years (it was miraculous even to him how the object survived the merge) for he knew Kai had taken a liking to it, at least back then.

“Kai?” Lloyd poked his head into the living room and quietly tiptoed his way deeper into the room. He set the mug on the coffee table and his face shifted into a frown full of concern, Kai asleep on the couch.

This was not a normal sleeping position for anyone by any means, and that was what caused the concern. Kai was not laying down with his head against the arm rest, nor was his head leaning back against the cushions of the couch. Kai sat almost straight, the only sag of comfort present in his posture was his head slightly tilted downward. “Kai?” Lloyd murmured as he cautiously lifted his hand to start reaching out towards him. He had to check for a fever, that would be the quickest sign of an infected injury and if he needed actual medical attention or—

Before Lloyd could set a hand on him, Kai shouted himself awake. It was all within a moment, Kai sat up fully with wide eyes, his right hand lifted up with a weak flame already flickering through exhaustion as he scanned the room while catching his breath.

“Hey, we’re in the monastery. It’s just me, sorry I had to wake you,” Lloyd apologized as he reached for Kai’s wrist, the small flame quickly going out before it truly got its spark, Lloyd set Kai’s hand on his legs.

“Sorry, Lloyd. I don’t know what came over me,” Kai stretched a bit, no invitation needed as he reached for the mug, slowly sipping on the tea.

He did know. Lloyd was sure of it.

“Don’t worry about it. Can you take your top off? I want to make sure nothing is infected.”

“Damn… and I just put these on.” Kai humored, setting the mug down briefly to take his shirt off, tossing it to the side. “It’s only a few scratches on my back, I think I patched them up alright,” he hummed as he picked the mug up once more, wrapping his hands around the warmed cup.

The bandages were wrapped tight yet haphazardly, multiple moments within the wrapping where pieces of skin were exposed due to the uneven spread. Lloyd’s fingers were cautious, nervous, he cautiously made his start. “Where was this from?” Lloyd asked as he started to unwrap the bandages, stained with ash, sweat, and the occasional splotches of dried blood, but no response ever came. “Kai?”

“Oh, I… I’d rather not,” Kai replied rather promptly, and Lloyd did not need to see the other’s face to sense the hesitancy.

“Don’t worry, forget I even asked,” Lloyd assured him, a few minutes went by, and Lloyd soon finished unwrapping the bandages around Kai’s torso and was forced to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from gasping audibly. The scars were not fresh by any means, but the scratch of a creature Lloyd did not want to even imagine did indeed bury itself deep in Kai’s skin. Not to mention, Kai’s skin appeared burnt. Not too burned, only minor ones, but the edges of where the wound had closed were… well— “They don’t look infected, so that’s good.”

“I cauterized it.”

The words were only the verbal confirmation of what Lloyd had suspected. “Yeah… figured,” cautiously, Lloyd traced the wounds and the burns against Kai’s skin from a faulty cauterization attempt on his own back. “You need to take a bath, for starters. It’s a good thing they are closed, but the dirt that’s stuck on you and the bandages isn’t ideal.” Lloyd paused; Kai slowly turned around to look up at him. “Was the tea good? I need to get you some actual food, but I figured that’s a start.”

“It was perfect,” Kai sighed as he cautiously rose from the couch, stumbling a bit on his feet. “Right… a bath, and food, that sounds great.”

“I’ll start something and then go help you,” Lloyd said, almost casually, Kai stopped in his tracks. “What? To make sure you clean the scars properly. There’s probably stuff buried in there, plus the burns, in a place you can’t reach. You’re not reaching that on your own, especially in the state you’re in.”

Kai raised an eyebrow.

“If you don’t want help, you can just say so. I’ll back off the second you tell me to.”

Kai pouted slightly. It appeared as if he was getting more emotional, but he never opened his mouth for a quick retort and instead turned away and started walking towards the bathroom.

“Fine.”

Lloyd smirked a bit as Kai walked off.

Lloyd had brought the soup he was working on to a gentle simmer, smiling at his progress. It was far from Zane’s cooking (how he missed Zane), but edible, and he was quite sure Kai currently would not have such a strong preference for what he ate. It would be done soon, and until then, he could make sure Kai cleaned the wounds properly and did not drown in the bathtub.

Lloyd made his way down the hallway, the old floors creaked with every other step. “Kai? It’s me, can I come in?” Lloyd knocked on the door twice. Of course, there was no reason for it to be anyone other than Lloyd, and thus no reason for Lloyd to declare it was himself as he entered the bathroom, but as Lloyd considered Kai’s reaction on the couch when he was disturbed, he felt the warning was more necessary than it appeared.

“Yeah, come in.”

Lloyd entered the room and smiled in satisfaction at the tub, which was bubbled up, and all parts of Kai’s body visible from above the water were covered in bubbles and mostly clean. “The water is warm by the way, just a heads up,” Kai said rather absentmindedly before he splashed his face with the water once more.

“No worries, I would hope you were using warm water if anything,” Lloyd stepped inside, taking in their situation before he kneeled beside the bathtub, but he paused at the sight of Kai’s further damaged skin.

It was much easier to see now that Kai had cleaned himself up for the most part, the dryness evident in patchy skin while blemishes which ranged from murky purple to pale green and yellow decorated his skin. “Are those bruises?” Lloyd asked with a frown.

Kai’s eyes widened a bit, but the other male simply shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah… they’re old though,” Kai hummed as he leaned forward a bit to make his back easier to reach.

“They’re bad though,” Lloyd sighed as he scrubbed Kai’s back with just enough force to clean it up effectively, but not to disturb any of the injuries, slowing down when he heard the occasional wince from the other ninja. “There, the actual cuts aren’t too bad.” Lloyd nodded, glancing at Kai. “You know, you should probably wash your hair.”

“That sounds like a lot of work; it’s just hair,” Kai murmured, he moved to rest his arm on the rim of the tub as he propped his head up. This was the statement that caused Lloyd to gasp, to know how deeply terrible Kai felt. “It’s been… weeks? It’ll survive until I get up tomorrow.”

Haha… Kai thinks he will wake up tomorrow given the condition he is in. Hilarious.

“I got you,” Lloyd reached for the shampoo bottle and poured a bit onto his hands; the way Kai’s face lit up was enough to make his heart melt. There’s that smile. “I know you like your hair, I got it. Just sit there,” Lloyd started to massage Kai’s scalp, the soap being taken in almost immediately.

“I don’t think you’ve washed my hair before,” Kai mumbled as Lloyd’s fingers danced through his hair, matted, and tangled, but still Kai’s all the same. Specks of soot were very quickly starting to wash out as Lloyd put more shampoo onto his head.

“You’ve washed mine though,” Lloyd smiled, rinsing out the shampoo before he continued. “Plenty of times.”

“No one’s ever washed my hair before,” Kai whispered, his eyes staying closed as Lloyd gently scrubbed his hair, soft melodic motion the way Kai did when they were younger. “I used to wash Nya’s when she was younger… I hope she’s okay.”

“Well, I’m glad I get to be the first,” Lloyd whispered in return as an attempt to end their short conversation on a lighter note. He started with the conditioner as he felt Kai slowly drift away from the land of consciousness. “Kai, I know you’re tired, but please don’t fall asleep in the tub. I don’t want you to inhale water or something.”

“I almost drowned saving you, I can deal with a little bath water,” Kai chuckled a bit, and even though the memory was traumatic for them both, Lloyd found himself laughing too.

Kai ended up falling asleep as Lloyd was on the second round of conditioner, and the green ninja did everything in his power to keep water or soap from going over his face as he sat in the tub, still running his fingers through Kai’s (now clean) hair. It was soaked, but regaining its softness that Lloyd was slightly familiar with, before the other drowned his hair in hair gel, that is.

He almost seemed peaceful, exhausted but peaceful. The eyebags were so deep, the skin underneath his eyelids appeared purple, and there was no amount of immediate intervention which could hide the hollowness in his face. Lloyd had watched the scars on Kai’s face grow as time passed, and he had gotten used to it, but the new scars seemed extra haunting, as they were scars Lloyd was unsure he would ever be able to understand their origin.

Those scars were between Kai and The First Spinjitsu Master himself.

Lloyd finished rinsing Kai’s hair and decided there would be no harm in drying it before he had to wake Kai once more, before he had to force Kai to leave the comfort of much-needed sleep to exit the tub. Lloyd reached for the small towel on the side of the tub before he began to tussle with the wet hair to dry it as best as he could.

Of course, this was the motion which ended up stirring Kai from his impromptu slumber. “Mm… Are you done already?” Kai yawned; he slowly blinked a few times before looking up.

“Yeah, basically. I was drying your hair off,” Lloyd continued with the towel until he was satisfied, he set it on the side with a smile.

“Did I really fall asleep in the tub?” Kai groaned, but he did accept the much larger towel Lloyd had handed him. “God… that’s embarrassing. Sorry—”

“Don’t worry about it at all,” Lloyd quickly reassured him, once more. You’re exhausted, more than I have ever seen you before, he wanted to shake the fire ninja till the message sank into his chest, till Kai believed it and let him look after him with no second guesses, just once. “I’m going to make sure the soup is done, unless you need help getting to your room.”

“It’s still here?” Kai’s face lit up as he exited the tub. “It hasn’t been destroyed?”

“Yeah, it’s still here.” Lloyd nodded. “The monastery remained mostly intact after the merge. Your stuff is right where you left it too.”

Kai smiled. Lloyd did too.

“I can make it there on my own,” Kai nodded as he practically hobbled down the hall, he held the towel around him like a lifeline, Lloyd was sure of it.

Lloyd felt himself filled with that childlike sense of urgency as he ran towards the kitchen to make sure the soup that was once simmering was unburnt. After weeks where his biggest priorities were saving his area from mergequakes and scavenging for any clues on the other ninja’s whereabouts after the incident, making sure soup for Kai was hearty and unburnt was a nice change of pace.

On a tray, he filled a glass with water and set a few pain medications on the side (that would do him good, for the aches), as well as the bowl full of soup (with extra meat, of course), and despite all his great accomplishments in the world, Lloyd felt especially accomplished with this.

He was deep into his twenties now, but always the youngest, always still desperately trying to grasp onto the childhood wonder he was so wrongfully robbed of.

Lloyd thought about Kai as he held the tray tight and cautiously made his way down the hall. Kai also had to grow up quickly, too quickly; with his parents gone at a young age, forced to handle the blacksmith and care for his sister, and then care for Lloyd as a protector, it was all too quick.

Even now, as Kai was so worn-out he would fall asleep in the oddest of places and he was too weak to even use his elemental powers continuously, he still tried to keep that strong front of an older brother, as he always did.

As Lloyd knocked on Kai’s bedroom door, he wondered and truly thought about it. Kai deserved to be the youngest once in a while, especially in his current condition. At least, just this once.

“I brought food and pain meds,” Lloyd found Kai topless as he sat in, in order to let the cuts breathe and heal, but also in his favorite fire-print pajama pants that he fondly remembered teasing Kai for in their short time as celebrities.

“You’re a lifesaver,” Kai commented, not wasting a second before he dug into the bowl.

“I know it’s not Zane’s food or anything, but I tried my best,” Lloyd chuckled, and even at the tail of the sentence, Kai was already halfway done with the bowl.

Lloyd decided he did not want to think about the last time Kai ate something.

“It’s perfect, don’t worry about it,” Kai quickly said in between a spoonful, with the most energy he has had since Lloyd had found the male. “Oh, it’s so good,” he grinned.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Lloyd chuckled. “And I’m glad it’s edible.”

Soon enough, the bowl was empty, completely empty. “Thank you, Lloyd,” three simple words which carried more meaning than he could ever imagine, Lloyd set the tray on the side.

“There’s more in the kitchen, but respectfully, you need to sleep and not wake up for a hot minute,” Lloyd smiled, getting a smile from Kai in return. “Is there anything else you need?” He asked as he adjusted the covers to make sure Kai was definitely not getting up any time soon. It was comforting, maybe for Lloyd as well to know that fact. He had just gotten Kai back, and he would not be letting him go any time soon. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m glad you’re here now—”

Lloyd had not even finished his sentence.

“Please don’t go, please, Lloyd,” from where he lay buried in sheets, with glassy eyes almost tearing up like a child but with a complete lack of that childhood innocence they lost all those years ago, Kai pleaded. That older brother front Lloyd had been gently combatting this entire time was through the window, exhausted amber eyes stared into him and wouldn’t drift.

“Alright, I’ll stay, but you have to actually fall asleep at some point,” Lloyd, instead of leaving, had gone to the other side of the bed and moved to lay down next to Kai. He hadn’t laid like this with Kai since he was a proper teenager, yet their position worked like clockwork as Kai lay rather still, Lloyd leaned his head onto Kai’s uninjured shoulder.

“Oh, I’ll have no trouble with that, just give me a few minutes,” Kai cracked a smile as a yawn briefly interrupted his sentence. “I just need a minute,” his breath paused, and he seemed to tremble slightly. “It’s been… scary the past few weeks. Terrifying, even. I was terrified I would—” his breath started to pick up, heart beginning to race as his eyes grew wide, tears threatening to pour.

Lloyd was all too familiar with the reaction, how it hit himself many times before. Quickly, he laid a hand on Kai’s chest, a way to snap him back to their temporarily safe reality. “Kai… it’s okay.” He spoke, words the way Kai and Nya used to tell him. “You can relax and rest up, you’re in the monastery, not where you were before,” Lloyd nodded. “You’re home now.”

Lloyd watched as Kai could not stop the tears which started to pour, they streamed down his face as soft whimpers changed into heavy sobs. Lloyd did not have the heart to break up the moment, only pulling Kai closer as he continued to cry, and cry, and cry. More than Lloyd had ever seen him before, he sobbed until it appeared there was hardly any energy left to do anything at all. Lloyd never let go of him, not even when Kai’s eyes much too suddenly fluttered shut through fatigued delirium.

As Lloyd readjusted Kai’s sheets and the other was out like a light, their fleeting thoughts were all the same.

We’re home now.

We will survive this.

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