Longing (OC X Lloyd)
I'm sorry yall I'm not gonna drop Ninjago any time soon, I still need to get my fix.
SPOILERS FOR SEASON 3 PT. 1
This is a mid season aftermath fic with Lloyd and my oc, Juno.
The party had died down about an hour ago, everyone had left and the Monastery was quiet aside from the soft whistle of the wind and the light rustling of the trees just outside the gate.
Juno was helping Zane and Pixal clean up, too restless to sleep even at this time of night.
She remembered that Nya had gone with what's his name, Jay(?), to treat his injuries a while ago. Juno doesn't know of the apparently extensive history the stranger has with the Ninja and especially Nya, but even she could see the care the Water Ninja had for him despite his abrasive attitude.
Cole stayed behind to hang out for a bit but he and the Finders ultimately left to head back to the Land of Lost Things.
Wyldefyre had left to stay for a couple days at the City of Temples, she claimed it was because she was bored at the Monastery and "it's more fun there" but everyone knew better, she wanted to spend time with Roby.
Kai was probably inside playing video games with Frak, who hasn't been doing well since..
Anyway, Kai proposed that a good round of Prime Empire would cheer the young Serpentine right up, least for the night. Juno silently reminded herself to check in on him before she goes to bed that night.
Lloyd...
Juno paused, her sweeping interrupted and her hands gripped around the broom tightly. Her eyes traveled across the courtyard towards the Monastery entrance, she saw the Green Ninja head inside after being advised by Zane to rest. Understandable, considering what he just went through and is currently dealing with..well, it's safe to say everyone is dealing with it.
Juno leaned against the broom a bit, suddenly feeling an ache in her chest. She fought back the faint wetness of tears behind her eyes so they wouldn't fall. Why didn't she stop them? Arin and Sora are in danger, and she did nothing!
Even if Arin's parents weren't actually alive, why didn't she at least try to convince them to stay? She hates herself for not doing so, and she claimed to care about those two kids..
"Juno, you appear distressed." Came a now familiarly blunt yet warm voice from her right. Juno looked away from the Monastery doors and turned her attention towards Zane, whom was looking at her with a faint look of concern. Quickly, she though of a reply.
"Oh, no, I'm okay." She insisted, but immediately realized that lying to a Nindroid was likely not the smartest move.
Zane proved her point when his expression shifted to unimpressed, "Your heart rate is elevated and your body is subtly shaking, perhaps it's best you rest for the night. We appreciate your help and can finish from here." He insisted, taking the broom from Juno.
Knowing that arguing is pointless, Juno ran her hand over her hair and rubbed her neck while nodding, "Alright, have a good night you two. I'll see you in the morning." She gave them a small wave as she headed inside.
"Rest well, Juno." Pixal called out softly as Juno closed the door. She smiled to herself, she liked Pixal so far.
Juno made her way slowly down the hallway, the only light coming in was from the various rooms that still had lights on. She walked by the common room, notably where Arin and Sora used to sleep, and glanced inside only to find Kai and Frak on the couch, asleep, with the TV still on.
Juno sighed and shook her head as she slowly went inside and turned the TV off and gently threw a blanket over the two boys, making sure it wouldn't fall off. She gently stroked Frak's scaly head before leaving. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of Sora's workbench and Arin's family swing set. She tensed up but managed to leave the room without stopping.
She continued on and eventually walked by one of the bedrooms, which she assumed was vacant, and heard Nya's soft yet stern voice on the other side of the closed door. She couldn't make out words but she could only assume she was talking to Jay. She shrugged and went on.
She ended up at another room, Lloyd had told her it was where his Master Wu used to meditate, but she noticed some faint candle light emitting from the bottom of the door. She frowned, he's supposed to be resting.
Against her better judgment, she opened the door slowly and saw the blonde ninja, sitting cross-legged on his meditation carpet with his back to her, surrounded by small orange candles.
He said nothing at first, making her think he fell asleep, sitting up mind you, but still asleep. But after a few moments, she heard his soft voice, hoarse and broken, "I'll head to bed soon, I promise." He murmured, sounded like he rehearsed this in case someone came by.
Juno frowned, "I know you well enough to know that's a lie." She retorted, going in and closing the door behind her.
Lloyd deflated, his shoulders sagging and his head hanging low, "Heh, and that's saying something isn't it?" He replied bitterly. He finally turned around to look up at Juno, the bags under his eyes were more prominent and he looked exhausted. Guess getting your soul ripped from you and then losing your two students to someone who's manipulating them for some unknown purpose will do that, huh.
The sight of him brought back that ache in her chest and before she could think about it, she was kneeling down and settled down behind him, sitting with her back against his.
"What are you doing?" She heard him question with a hint of surprise in his voice.
"I've seen your teammates try, I can't convince you to rest. So, I figured I'd stay here with ya until you're ready to go to bed." Juno shrugged. While she knew it was true words won't work, she'd be lying if she said she would be good at talking anyway. In her experience, actions tended to yield more results than anything else.
It was quiet for a few moments, Juno almost fell asleep herself, but then she heard Lloyd speak softly, "I'm a terrible teacher." He mused.
Juno wasn't quite sure what the correct response would be, instead she said the first thing that came to mind, "Yeah, a little." After a pause, she realized how bad that sounded so she corrected herself, "Well, I mean, you told me you've never trained someone before, you're not gonna be perfect...the point is that you're doing your best." She elaborated, cautiously glancing back. He was still facing away from her so she couldn't tell what he was thinking.
A few more minutes of silence pass and Juno sighed, "Look, it's not entirely your fault for them leaving..we all could've done more for them. And that's not even accounting for Ras and his manipulation. You're the best thing that's happened to those kids, and they still need you..so don't give up on them, okay?" She hadn't realized she was talking for longer than what was probably acceptable, he's probably heard it multiple times already. Juno sighed and went to stand up, but she was stopped by a cool hand grabbing her own. She stopped and glanced back at Lloyd, who still wasn't looking at her.
"Stay, please? If that's okay?" Lloyd asked meekly, still sounding tired. Juno slowly sat back down and leaned back, the action serving as her response.
Then, Lloyd spoke again, "It's not your fault either, you know. We'll help them come home, I promise." He murmured, squeezing her hand softly.
Juno's breath hitched and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She leaned her head against his shoulder blade as a form of thanks.
