I woke up to the feeling of Lloyd shifting in bed. As my eyes peer open, I see him sitting up in bed, facing the wall. I shift a bit, my eyes still adjusting to the morning light bleeding though the window.

"Good morning," I greet with a small smile, even though Lloyd can't see my face because he's looking away from me.

"Mhmm," he hums in response.

"What, no 'good morning?'" I tease as I sit up a bit.

"(Y/N)... I'm worried..." he sighs as his body shifts again, ignoring my joking question.

"Worried? About what..." I ask as my brain is still in sleep mode, as I had just woken up.

"You, (Y/N)!" He cries out, still not facing me. "I know we talked about it yesterday, but we didn't go into much detail... you were drunk... I wanted to save this conversation for the morning..." he explains himself.

"What else is there to talk about?" I ask.

"Everything, (Y/N)! You had me so worried last night," he finally turns to face me. "From the moment you sent those texts to the time you fell asleep. You're not okay... But you always pretend like you are."

"What do you mean?"

"Everytime something bad happens, you get upset in the moment, but then you brush it off the next day like it didn't even happen!" He yells, not with anger, but with concern.

"No I don't," I scoff.

"Yes you do, you're doing it right now! And you did it with your fight with Chen and you did it after we were captured by Garmadon! Once something bad happens, you just pretend like it didn't. And I know those things mess you up, (Y/N), it messed all of us up. But you just... suppress it... And then you end up doing horrible things to yourself," Lloyd switches from a loud, assertive voice to one of tire and worry. "When you drank from the bottle and you crushed it in your hand... I know that that was more than just pent up anger at your mom."

"Lloyd... I... I don't know what to say..." I fight for words.

"Well I do... I know that you never talk to the people closest to you. You don't want to let anyone in... why is that?" He almost starts crying.

"It's because I don't have anyone to talk to, okay?! I don't talk about how I feel because there's no one that will listen! The people that I want to listen to me don't, so I've just stopped talking. Why would I try talking to someone if it just feels like talking to a brick wall? My mom doesn't listen, my dad doesn't want to talk to me, my siblings don't visit- nobody! Nobody cares!" I almost explode, holding back my own tears.

"(Y/N), what are you talking about?" Lloyd nervously chokes, "I'm right here! I'll listen!"

"What if I don't want you to listen!?" I shout, the room falling silent soon after.

"(Y/N), what are you talking about? Why wouldn't you want me to listen?" Lloyd switches his tone as he asks gently.

"Because I'm nothing but a burdon. You already have enough to deal with... I don't want to pile onto your problems, Lloyd," I break eye contact.

"...What?" Was all Lloyd managed to slip out of his mouth.

"With all you have going on... the bullying, your dad, Chen... the... the cutting... I don't want to make you feel like you have to take care of me. You mean so much to me and the last thing I'd want is for me to seem like some extra weight on your shoulders..." I confess, "I'm afraid I'd be too much to handle... like you'd get tired of me and I- I could lose you."

"(Y/N), no... that's not it at all... I want you to talk to me... I love hearing you let out all of your problems because that's progress! I don't want to be in a relationship if the both of us are unhappy because you think you can't tell me anything. A relationship is supposed to be 50/50. We need to work things out together, okay?" He smiles sincerely.

"..."

"Okay?" He repeats.

"... okay..." I finally agree.

"Good. I lov- er... I don't know what I'd do without you..." he leans toward me to give me a hug.

He wraps his thin arms around me and I return the hug. He rests his chin gently in the crook of my neck and we stay like this for a while, not wanting to let each other go.

"Lloyd..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you... do you mind if I stay here another night? I don't want to go back home..." I ask, with nothing but a pitiful tone to my voice.

"Yeah, you can."

"Thank you..."

And right on time, a gentle knock is swiftly delivered on the other end of Lloyd's door. "Boys, breakfast is ready," Lloyd's mom cheers.

"Okay!" Lloyd shouts loud enough for his mother to hear from the other side of the door.

"You hungry?" He asks me.

"Not really..."

"Come eat," he insists. He might as well not have asked me.

As we get up and walk out into the kitchen, I'm just now getting a good look at my bandages since I've woken up. Blood has seaped through and is already visible through the other side. "Ugh..." I groan at the gross sight.

Lloyd and I sit down at the table, Koko is still preparing breakfast for us by putting pancakes on plates and getting out maple syrup.

"That smells good, Koko..." I say, nearly drooling in contrast to the fact that I just told Lloyd I wasn't hungry. It's not that I'm not hungry, it's that I didn't really want to eat. But the smell of this food is changing my mind.

Koko just smiles at me as she puts all three plates down on the table, as well as three glasses of orange juice.

"Thanks, mom," Lloyd looks up at Koko.

"No problem, boys," she says, probably just happy to be able to cook for company again.

I pick up my fork and grab Koko's attention.

"Wait! Before we eat, we need to get those bandages changed, (Y/N)," she points out.

"It's okay, it can wait," I try to convince.

"No, those look terrible! We need to get them replaced with fresh ones," Koko gets up without giving me time to react.

"Ugh..." I groan once more. Lloyd just giggles.

"She can be a little stubborn," he laughs. I just deliver a low growl at him in a playful way.

Soon, Koko returns with new bandages, gauze, rubbing alcohol, some cotton balls, and a wet rag.

She kneels down in front of me and grabs ahold of my hand, gently unwrapping it. After she does so, she removed the gauze, which looks to be completely soaked in my own blood. After everything is removed, I'm able to move my hand more freely. I wiggle my fingers despite them being coated in my own dried blood just to have that feeling for a little bit before my hand is restricted again. The cold air hitting between my fingers feels good and refreshing.

Koko takes my hand back into her grasp and begins wiping it with the wet cloth, removing the dried blood, making sure to be cautious and not reopen any of my barely scabbed wounds and she goes gently around the ones that are still open. After this, she disinfects my hand with an alcohol soaked cotton ball. It hurts just as much as it did last time, but I try not to show my clear discomfort. And last but not least, she applies gauze to my wounds and wraps them in bandages.

"Doesn't that feel better?" She smiles.

"Mhmm..." I hum in agreeance as she gets up to throw the old bandages away.

As much as the new bandages feel better than the old ones, I'd still prefer not to have them compared to the free feeling in my hand I was just given moments ago.

Koko returns to the table soon after. "There, now we can all eat!" She chimes.

I look over to Lloyd and see him just smiling at me in a mischievous manner. He wasn't lying when he said his mom was stubborn.

At this point I was finally able to eat. I pick up my fork once again and plunge it into the fluffy pancakes, cutting them down the side with the edge of my fork. I cut them into smaller pieces and begin eating. I had never actually had home made pancakes before, so the taste was a pleasant surprise.

The majority of breakfast was uneventful, though, with the exception of the occasional glance from Lloyd. We were pretty much silent most of the time. But it still feels good to actually have a meal with Lloyd and his mom. It's like I'm finally getting what I never had when I was younger. Even with my dad and all of my siblings around, we never ate together as a family, so this meal was a nice change of pace.

"Thank you Koko, it was great," I thank as I flash her a smile.

"Oh, no problem!" She smiles back.

I pick up my plate and take it to the sink. "I don't mind washing up if you'll let me," I say.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, I'll get it," Koko dismisses.

"C'mon, it's the least I can do for you since you cleaned up my hand, got me clothes to wear and offered me a place to stay," I try to talk Koko into letting me do this one favor for her.

"Don't think you need to repay me, (Y/N), I did it because you're a friend of Lloyd's, and I know how much he cares about you. Really, you don't need to do anything," she explains.

"Koko, you've been nothing but nice to me. It won't hurt to let me clean up just this once," I laugh.

It took a lot of convincing, but she finally agrees. "If you really insist," she sighs with a smile.

"Thanks, Koko," I thank as I gather up the rest of the dishes, and Lloyd joins me, which I don't protest to.

We run warm water and sit the dishes in it to soak for a few minutes, as the plates are a bit sticky from the syrup. While we were doing this, I almost didn't notice Koko gathering some of her things. By the time the dishes were done soaking, Koko grabs her bag and keys and walks over to Lloyd and I.

"I have to go to work today. I'm working a pretty long shift. You two promise you'll behave while I'm gone?" She jokes.

Lloyd chuckles, "we'll try."

"Good," she smiles, "I love you Lloyd, have fun while I'm gone," she says, then plants a little kiss on Lloyd's cheek.

"Mom, ughh.." he groans as he wipes away the kiss. I just smile.

Okay, bye!" She cheers as she heads for the door, and with that, she leaves.

Lloyd is still a little embarrassed, but with no reason to be. His mom is super sweet and I'd feel super lucky to have someone like her as my mom.

Lloyd and I get out a sponge and a rag to start cleaning the dishes, both of us scrubbing and washing away at the excess food. We did use a little too much soap than we should have, though.

When we're done washing, drying, and putting away dishes, we drain the water left over in the sink. The water drains, but some of the bubbles are still left over. When Lloyd isn't looking, I scoop some into my hand and shove them in his face.

Lloyd gasps, but then laughs after he realized what I had just done. He wipes them away and pushes me playfully. "I hate you," he jokes.

"If you hated me, you wouldn't let me do this," I say as I take him by surprise and give him a short little kiss on the lips.

Lloyd gasps again. We've only been together for a short while. He's still not used to the romantic affection. His face flushes red. It's so cute when he's all flustered.

"Haha, come here," I giggle as I wrap my arms around his waist and hold him close.

"What are you doing?" He asks with a raised brow.

"Holding you," I smile.

"Oh, okay," he grins, wraping his arms around my neck and nuzzling into my chest.

There's nothing I love more than this. Just holding Lloyd and forgetting about everything else. Getting lost in the moment. After holding him for a short while, I bring my hand up to his face and put my finger on his chin, forcing his gaze to meet mine. His face full of surprise as his green eyes sparkle as he's in a dazed state.

"You're perfect," I whisper as I softly connect my lips with his. He kisses back as we share the intimate moment.

But then I decide to take it I little bit further. I lick Lloyd's bottom lip and out of shock he opens his mouth. I slip my tongue in, only surprising him more, but he doesn't protest. Eventually he melts into a kiss and I feel all of the muscles in his body relax. This is the first time either of us have done something like this.

"Mmmm..." I hear Lloyd hum out a small moan through the kiss. And even though my lips are connected with his, my mouth curves into a smile. I just loved hearing him like that.

As my tongue continues to explore Lloyd's mouth I slowly bring one of my hands up to the back of his head, petting his hair as our lips remain locked. I made sure not to get too rough with him. I wanted to be as gentle as possible. Both of us really needed to feel that security right about now.

When the both of us feel like we've gone far enough, we slowly part our lips from each other, but I continues to hold Lloyd and stroke his hair. I can tell Lloyd is all giddy. He just smiles and giggles to himself as he nuzzles deep into my neck, both of us still having our arms wrapped around each other.

This was the first time either of us had done anything like this, and I enjoyed being able to experience it with him. As our bodies stay intertwined, we gently start to sway back and forth. It was a very securing feeling. I feel so safe with him. Like I'm not afraid to be myself. And he's here to protect me if anything goes wrong and that I can do the same for him.

I honestly feel as though he completes me. He's that missing half that I didn't even know wasn't a part of me until I found him. He means way too much for me to ever lose him.

Maybe... Maybe I even love him... But it's been so long since I've felt love, or even been loved that I couldn't possibly tell. And that's honestly why I feel so afraid to say it. I'm not ready to accept love again. Every time I feel like someone loves me, whether it be my mom, my dad, my siblings, anyone really, it turns out to be a lie. Nothing but a facade to give me the illusion of happiness. Not saying that Lloyd doesn't love me, it's just that I don't know how to open myself up to that kind of affection.

I interrupt our silent moment for a second. "Hey, Lloyd... my mom has work today. And I was thinking I could swing by my house to get some of my stuff while she's not there," I propose.

"You don't even want to let her know you're staying here?" Lloyd asks, looking into my eyes.

"Well... she doesn't care. I don't see why she should know. It's none of her business," I say bluntly.

"I know you two don't get along... But she's still your mom. She should know where you are. I know she treats you poorly, but I'm sure she'd like to know you're safe," he tries to persuade.

"You don't know anything about my mother, Lloyd," I say in an unintentionally aggressive tone.

Lloyd flinches at my sudden aggression. He stands back a little and his eye brows furrow.

"Lloyd... I'm sorry... It's just a bit of a touchy subject for me..." I sigh.

"I was just trying to keep you from getting in trouble..." he whines.

"I'm sorry..." I pull him in for an apologetic hug. "I just really really don't wanna see my mom right now."

"No... I get it..."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was a time in which I knew my mom would be out of the house. Luckily I had a house key with me when I left for Lloyd's place. The two of us were walking down the street, only moments away from my own house.

"I guess I finally get to see the full house tour, huh?" Lloyd jokingly asks.

"If you really wanna see it. It's really nothing special. In fact, it's kind of dirty... smells like smoke in there, too," I mention with my eyes on my own feet.

"It can't be too bad. At least you have an actual house. We only live in an apartment and I've always kind of wanted to be in a real house with my own yard and stuff. I could only ever play at the park as a kid and well... you could probably already guess that kids weren't too fond of me back then, either..." he sighs. His voice went from fairly normal to quite depressing through his whole rant.

"Really? I've always kind of wanted to live in an apartment. It seems like a cozzier place to be... the grass is always greener on the other side, huh?" I nudge him a little.

"I guess so..." he looks up at me.

We slowly approach my house as I casually pull my house key out of my pocket. I jam it into the lock and twist, opening the door with ease. I step back and gesture for Lloyd to go in first.

"A real gentleman," he jokes. I smile and just walk in behind him.

Lloyd takes a big look around my living room. "So this is your house..."

"Yup. Told you it smells weird," I say as I start walking off to my room.

"Its not that bad," Lloyd says, walking slowly behind me. I stop and look at him. "Well..." he says in a shaky voice, clearly insinuating that he was lying. I just chuckle at him and continue to walk to my room.

I sowly open the door to my room and Lloyd walks in behind me. It's a little messy, but it's a normal amount of messy for a teenage boy's room. Lloyd takes a minute to look around as I instantly start packing stuff into my backpack that I picked up out of the corner of my room.

"Tsk..." he snickers, which causes me to look up at him. "You have posters of us?" He asks as he points to my small collection of posters of the other ninja.

"Yeah, well. Those have always been there. Never got the chance to take 'em down," a small smirk falls across my face as I try to hide it.

"So you were a pretty big fan before hand?" He asks, looking back up to the posters on the wall.

"Eh. I just got the posters out of magazines and stuff and thought they would look good on my wall. Nothing more," I try to downplay my original fandom to the ninja and continue to shove more belongings in my bag. I try to take the essentials, as well as anything else that might be of any kind of value to me.

"Huh..." Lloyd looks my direction but not quite at me.

"What?" I look up at him.

"You kept the dog..." he points to the little stuffed dog that he won me that's sitting carefully on my bed.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I? I love it," I chuckle as I pick it up.

"I dunno... It's kind of a cheaply made plush... And I gave it to you way before we were dating. Even if you did keep it, I didn't expect you to keep it in a place like your bed," he says as he leans against my wall.

"Yeah... even if we weren't dating back then... I still had a crush on you," I look up at him with a smile as he tries to hide his own.

I hold the plush for a couple more seconds before putting it in my bag to take with me.

I hear Lloyd start to giggle. I look up at him to see what he's laughing about.

"That's a nice Green Ninja shirt for someone who says they weren't that big of a fan," he laughs as he points at a shirt with him on it in the corner of my room.

"Hey, maybe I was a little bit of a bigger fan than I've admitted to be," I shrug as I stand up from my bed with a smile. I sling the bag around my shoulders and hold the straps tight. "Ready to go?" I ask. Lloyd nods.

We leave my room and head out into the living room again.

"Are you sure you don't wanna leave a note for your mom real quick? So she knows you're alright?" Lloyd haults to ask me.

I sigh as I stop in my tracks. "I guess," I huff. I walk up to the kitchen counter and grab a scrap piece of paper and a marker I found laying around and hastily write 'staying at a friend's house for a couple nights. -(Y/N)' and stick the note on the fridge.

"Okay, let's go," I say, eager to get out of my own house.