Archive of Our Own ^beta

Even when taking over Lloyd’s body, Morro was never cruel.

Lloyd would never describe him as kind, but the ghost was hardly sadistic either. He was hurt, and he hurt others to get what he wanted, but hurting others wasn’t what he wanted. 

There was guilt. It didn’t stop him, but it was there, intermingling with Lloyd’s own.

He knows he should have fought more, should have figured out a way to stave off the possession. But he was caught so off guard and had no idea what to do. For the first time since he was a child Lloyd was utterly helpless.

For the first few hours, maybe, Lloyd was left entirely on his own. Trapped in his own mind, everything was hazy, and he felt tired but… He was too terrified to fall asleep.

Lloyd was terrified of being alone. 

Give him strangers, give him enemies, give him anyone at all; but please, God, don’t leave him alone.

So for those few hours Lloyd was on the edge of a breakdown. Or he was in a breakdown. Or both. The terror makes everything blur together. 

The only clear memory he has is clutching himself, in an immaterial way, and sobbing, before Morro yelled. “STOP! JUST STOP! I’m here, so just, stop crying!” 

He sounded angry, but also scared. “You should have just fallen asleep!” He groaned in annoyance. Even now Lloyd wasn't sure if he was speaking out loud, or if he was just talking in his brain.

“I’m sorry.” Lloyd sobbed, reaching out. He couldn’t control his own arms, couldn’t get a hold, but he could see through his own eyes now. The world wasn’t blank. He could feel his skin, though everything felt foggy and numb.

It was like that for weeks.

Lloyd, able to see through his own eyes, but not able to do anything as his body hurt and betrayed his friends.

Sometimes he could get a hold. Kai, something about him could bring the boy back, even if only for a few minutes. His optimism, his unwillingness to let go, how warm he was compared to Lloyds freezing body; all of it helped the boy take a hold. Even if only for a minute or two.

Not long after Morro would cast him to the back of his own mind, screaming threats. “Do you want me to leave you in the dark? I will! I’ll cast you to the back until you finally shut up!”

He never did.

Sometimes he’d try and convince Lloyd to go back. “This hurts you,” the young ghost said. “I can feel it. Why don’t you just go back? It’ll be like falling asleep. When I’m done you’ll just… Wake up. You won’t have to see this.”

“I can’t be alone.” The green ninja sniffled. “Please, don’t leave me alone.”

Morro never did. For all that can be said about him, Morro never forced him into the nightmare that was nothingness.

It’s completely possible that he literally couldn’t, not while Lloyd was present. Likely actually. But for his credit, he never tried.

Lloyd never managed to free himself, not completely. A few minutes here and there, fighting the ghost, it did little. 

Morro is the one who decided he no longer needed a host, and finally let him free. 

It would have been so easy, so convenient, to just ditch Lloyd’s body somewhere he would die. A pit of lava, over ice water, somewhere he’d die and no longer be an issue.

But he didn’t.

Taking someone as hostage isn’t exactly a good thing to do, but Lloyd can’t bring himself to be mad at Morro. The ghost didn’t want to hurt him. He was willing to, of course, but didn’t want to. Besides, it just made sense. Lloyd was the only bargaining chip he had.

Still, when Morro held a knife to his throat, threatening to kill him in exchange for the crystal, Lloyd wished they’d say no. That they’d refused, and let Morro slit his throat. 

Why wouldn’t they? They should be angry at him, furious, furious enough to let him die. He hurt them. He was too weak to even control his own body for the past week, and even now he was too weak to fight back. Barely even able to stand. Completely unable to swim.

But they didn’t. The ninja were better than him. Their eyes showed no anger, only fear.

They gave up the crystal. Kai grabbed Lloyd and held him close. The fire ninja almost cried. 

“I thought we lost you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I promised to look after you, and I-I failed.” He mumbled apology after apology into Lloyd’s now blonde hair, never letting go.

The green ninja could barely speak. He wanted to tell Kai not to apologize. That it wasn’t his fault, that Lloyd’s fuck ups aren’t his responsibility. He shouldn’t be apologizing, he should be furious.

But the words didn’t come. He just clutched Kai close, terrified to let go.

They help Lloyd out of the unsteady cavern. All of them take turns practically carrying him out, all giving their own apologies and assurances. None of which Lloyd deserved.

Maybe they were just relieved, and would be angry later. Or maybe they truly didn’t care. But surely Uncle Wu would know better. Their sensei, kind, forgiving, but no nonsense as well. He’d call anyone out, tell them exactly how they could do better.

He’d know that Lloyd could have done better. He won’t hesitate to call him out. 

However, that's not what happened. 

Uncle Wu smiled, and held him close. Quietly, he whispered in Lloyd’s ear “I’m so happy to have you back home nephew.”

It wasn’t right. None of this was right. He wasn’t the victim here, how did they not understand that? 

How were they not angry?

Even during the fight with Morro, he was worse than useless. Weak, distracted, a liability. It’s almost better that he was thrown in the cursed realm.

His father said he was proud. 

If he knew what Lloyd had done to his friends, to his mother, to his uncle, then he wouldn’t be. But his father was already suffering. Why bother disappointing him at this point?

Lloyd didn’t tell him about Morro. 

He couldn’t escape the cursed realm on his own. But he could see the future through the sword.

The green ninja saw the cursed realm taken down. He saw his friends win. He saw Wu give Morro his hand, begging for him to come back.

“You can only save someone who wants to be saved.”

At the ghost's words Lloyd dropped the sword with a clatter, gasping and panicking. 

Morro-

Morro just-

He didn’t see it happen, but he didn’t need to. Lloyd wasn’t an idiot.

Morro killed himself.

For hours Lloyd was completely alone, his worst nightmare, but for once he wasn’t crying. 

Lloyd deserved to be alone. He deserved to be left here to rot, to face his own guilt.

He hurt them. All of them. His friends, his mother, he hurt them. Lloyd held weapons in his own hands and struck them. His own voice was used to convince people to betray them.

All of this was his fault.

Eventually the ninja managed to find where he was, and opened a portal to get him out. Despite having the right to be angry, the mood was celebratory. As soon as Lloyd stumbled through the portal he was greeted with cheers and shouts of celebration. They hugged him, cried in relief, and refused to let go. 

The boy glanced at Wu. He wasn’t saying anything, but maybe he just didn’t want to ruin the mood. Surely he’d know how much Lloyd had failed, and surely he’d let the green ninja know as well.

Only that didn’t happen. That night, when he had to slip out back to bed because of the exhaustion, Uncle Wu also took a step back from the celebration’s to follow him.

Lloyd sat patiently on his bed, still too weak to stand for long, and waited to be scolded. 

That didn’t happen.

Instead Wu gave him a hug, brushed a hand through his hair, and apologized. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, Nephew. I’m sorry you were alone.”

Lloyd wanted to scream.

Why was he apologizing? Why was everyone acting like Lloyd was a victim here? Like they knew what happened?

Lloyd wasn’t alone. Morro was there, Morro never left him. He wasn’t helpless, wasn’t a victim.

This entire thing was his fault. 

Still, Wu refused to see it. Sentimentality must have been blinding him as he brought Lloyd to bed and tucked him in.

Why was everyone around him so oblivious? Why couldn’t they see what was going on?

Maybe they just didn’t want to see. Or perhaps they just didn’t understand. Possession, it was something none of them had gone through. Of course they wouldn’t understand, not really.

It wasn’t Lloyd’s job to make them understand. It was his job to make it up to them, a hundred times over. He needed to protect them. 

He needed to train.

Only… Lloyd was weak. Very weak. His muscles had atrophied, powers faded away, and he was constantly exhausted. Even staying conscious for an hour or two was hard enough.

Of course the green ninja tried to fight through it. How could he hope to get stronger if he couldn’t even stay awake? But his brother’s, his sister, they all kept a tight eye on him. The second he started to slip, his steps became uneven, or his eyes started to droop, someone took him by the arm and led him back to bed.

“I’m not tired.” Lloyd always told them. If he was stronger he would have pulled away.

Each ninja had their own response. Jay would laugh and make a joke. “You’re almost as bad as Nya!” Was his go-to.

Cole would poke at his cheek or boop his nose, and chuckle. “I’m the stubborn one here. You need to find another trait. After you get some sleep of course.”

Kai would sigh and roll his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, sure. Either way you are still recovering. You need your sleep. Don’t worry, I’ll wake you if something happens.” Nothing ever did.

Zane seemed confused and worried every time he dragged Lloyd to bed. “You seem to be falling into a dangerous pattern of self neglect.” He finally said one day, works awkward, tone tense and worried. To anyone else it might seem a little unnerving, but for Lloyd it was all too kind.

“I’m fine. I’m just not good at remembering how weak I still am.” He smiled, offering assurance.

It wasn’t true of course. Lloyd knew exactly how weak he was. He thought of it every second of every day. If they were attacked right now, Lloyd was worse than defenseless. Someone else would have to step away from the fight to protect him, and that was completely inexcusable. 

Besides, it's not like he was the only one who was injured. Nya was also weak, reaching her true potential was exhausting. Kai and Cole have some scars from the fight, and Lloyd himself. Jay had burn marks on his hand that needed to be patched up. Even Zane’s metal skin was damaged and some panels needed to be replaced, or at the very least fixed.

Every single one of those injuries were Lloyd’s fault.

Still, Zane didn’t seem satisfied with this answer. “If your body is struggling to send signals to your brain then maybe we could set timers to make sure you’re getting enough rest.”

“No, thank you Zane.” Lloyd stuttered, leaning on the robot.

He frowned. “Are you sure? It’s not an uncommon trauma response-”

“I’m fine, really!” The green ninja stuttered, not prepared for Zane to start throwing around the word ‘trauma.’

Lloyd was not traumatized. He didn’t get to be traumatized. Everyone else, they earned that right. They deserved it, after being attacked by their leader, someone who they should have been able to trust.

They were the ones who were traumatized by what happened. Not him.

Zane just frowned, as he escorted Lloyd to bed. “Just be sure to rest. Your body is more tired than it feels like. Remember to lay down even at the first hints of tiredness.” He said, as methodical as always.

Despite himself Lloyd smiled at his friends' worry. “I know. Don’t worry, I just need some rest.” He mumbled, snuggling in his bed.

Zane adjusted the blankets until Lloyd was undeniably snug. “If any new side effects appear be sure to make a record of them, and notify me.”

“I will, I will.”

Zan softened. “Get some sleep. Stay in bed as long as you need to.”

Of course Zane may have been worried and observant, but he was hardly the most litigious about it. That would be Nya.

In Lloyd’s eyes Nya was the perfect ninja. That wasn’t an insult to his brothers, all of them were amazing with their own unique skill set, but out of all of them, Nya was a literal textbook ninja.

She listened to everything, never forgot a word. She was able to blend into the background, be unseen without hiding at all. Nya was smart, clever, crafty. She was the best secret keeper out of all of them. Noticing and knowing everything, with fighting skills to match. She could vanish and appear easily, and connect dots before anyone else could even see them.

It's the reason she wasn’t always with the other ninja. They were loud, brash, fighting head on. Nya on the other hand worked best alone, appearing in seconds then vanishing just as quick.

Lloyd was always impressed by her. She had a precision that just couldn’t be matched by training alone, no matter how hard he tried.

But he never expected her observant eyes to turn onto him.

It took a few weeks for her to approach. Only when Lloyd had finally gotten strong enough to train. She managed to sneak up on him, late at night, on the deck of the bounty.

“You’re not supposed to be training.” She told him, appearing so suddenly that Lloyd nearly jumped out of his skin.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. “I’m strong enough now. No point in languishing in bed when I can train.”

“Not collapsing every two hours hardly means you’re in the clear.” She points out, arms crossed. “Zane needs to run a health inspection, and I doubt you’ll pass.”

“There’s no need to bother him.” Lloyd grunted, throwing another punch to the bag. They were weak. The punching bag was barely even moving.

How was he going to protect anyone like this?

Nya is not at all swayed. She steps closer to him, and puts a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve lost weight.”

“I’ve lost muscle, there's a difference.” He responds, shrugging her hand off.

This didn’t sway her either. “You haven’t been eating.” She brings up. “Not enough anyway. And I doubt Morro fed you much either.”

It was true, though it was hardly the ghost’s fault. He didn’t feel hunger in Lloyd’s body. Neither did Lloyd. There were so many things to keep track of, for both of them. Morro needed to keep track of battle plans, his allies, and all the schemes he had. For Lloyd staying awake was hard enough, and there was too much guilt to even think about eating most of the time.

Morro tried to eat once a day or so, but that wasn’t always feasible. Sometimes up to three full days would pass between meals. Sometimes Lloyd would bring it up, and Morro would rush to get anything in their stomach. Sometimes Morro himself would randomly stop what he was doing, yell “shit”, and rush towards the nearest fridge, grabbing anything that was vaguely edible.

Honestly Morro had an interesting idea of what could be considered ‘edible’ but Lloyd really wasn’t one to complain. It’s not like he could taste it.

“I’ve been eating. I’ve just been sleeping so much that I don’t get hungry.” It’s… Well Lloyd isn’t sure how much of a lie it is. He truly isn’t hungry, though he doubts sleep has anything to do with it.

Nya groans, this time grabbing at his arm, her grip not one that can just be shaken off. “That’s not a good thing. Training is off limits until you pass a health check.” 

The tone of her voice left no room for negotiation. Lloyd groaned in frustration.

Only then did Nya soften. “We can have Zane check tomorrow. But, please, just rest for today.”

“Fine.”

Lloyd did not pass his health check. 

In fact he failed quite spectacularly. Zane took one look at his blood sugar and pressure and practically shoved the green ninja to bed. “How have you not passed out?” He demands, fretting around Lloyd in a way that was wholly unnatural for the robot. 

It was awkward for both of them. Unluckily for Lloyd, Zane wasted no time calling the other ninja in, for whom fretting was practically second nature.

“I can’t believe you wanted to train like this!” Nya fretter, hand in her hair.

“What!” Kai practically screams. “You tried to train? You can barely even stand!” He’s the most panicked out of all of them.

Jay shoves a bottle of apple juice in his hands. “Is there anything you think you could eat? That number is really low.”

Lloyd shoved the juice away and groaned. “I’m fine, I’m fine. All of you worry too much.”

Zane ignored his protests. “How did your numbers even get this low? You haven’t been eating much, but they are shockingly low.” 

“It’s fine!” Lloyd protested, face going red. Everyone was fretting over him. Why were they fretting? He was fine!

Predictably they ignored him. “I should have kept a closer eye on him.” Kai groaned, looking down in shame. The green ninja tried to calm them, to let them know it wasn’t a big deal, but none of them listened.

They didn’t let him leave the med bay for the rest of the day. Someone was always with him of course, but for once, Lloyd didn’t like it.

He didn’t deserve it.

The other ninja’s seemed to pick up on his sour mood, and didn’t say much or tried to entertain him as enthusiastically as they usually would. Instead they dragged in a tv and played some of Lloyd's favorite movies, while encouraging him to eat.

That didn’t cheer him up much either.

The ninja also noticed this, and started whispering among themselves. Then slowly, each of them came up with an excuse to leave.

“I’ve got to go practice some more. My powers are still a little unpredictable. Best I get them under control before the next fight.” Nya smiled, ruffling his hair before leaving.

“My parents are calling!” Jay announces loudly, not ten minutes later, before rushing out.

Kai stuttered when he came up with his lie. “I think I promised to help Misako with… Something. Be back in an hour.”

Meanwhile Jay was such a bad liar it was almost pitiful. Suddenly he stands straight up. “I LEFT WATER ON THE STOVE! I MUST TAKE IT OFF!”

Lloyd couldn’t help but stare and blink as he left, still incredulous that that’s what he came up with.

Someone should really teach him about an Irish goodbye.

Zane….

Zane didn’t even try. 

“I was told to come up with an excuse to leave the room. Goodbye Lloyd.” He said matter-of-factly before heading out like all the rest. 

Honestly? Lloyd respects it.

But it also means they have a plan. They’re going to do something. Lloyd wasn’t sure what, but they wouldn’t have come up with lies to leave if nothing was going on. They would have just said that Lloyd seemed tired, and left.

So what were they planning?

Just as the green ninja was wondering what they were planning the door creaks open. Uncle Wu walks inside.

Lloyd’s breath hitched and he stared down into the blankets. 

He’s been avoiding Wu, avoiding the shame, guilt and disappointment the best he could, which wasn’t working all that well. Still, having Wu around always made it worse.

His uncle was so kind. Brought him in as a child no matter how cruel he was, gave him chance after chance, never showed any disappointment, and was always there by Lloyd’s side. No matter how little he deserved it.

“Lloyd.” His voice was as gentle as his smile. “I heard you were having a rough day, nephew.” 

The boy hummed.

“Tell you what is on your mind. Maybe I can help soothe your worries. Or at least I can lend an ear.”

“When I had dark hair… Did I look like my father?”

Lloyd did occasionally get a look at his body in the mirror while Morro was possessing it. It was still his face, his body, but wrong. His hair was dark brown, almost black. His eyes went from green to ash grey, skin had paled and bruised. Morro also walked and held himself differently than Lloyd ever did.

How did that feel to uncle Wu? To see both of his worst students, his failures, his traitors, meshed into one?

Lloyd hopes all his uncle saw in his own face was his brother’s son. Even if Lloyd failed his father as well.

Uncle Wu doesn’t answer right away. He hums, and tries to brush a hand through the boy's hair, then frowns when it almost immediately catches on knots. “When I first found you you were so young.” Wu says in his usual roundabout way of not answering. Though he did grab a hairbrush. “When me and your father were that age we were both wispy blondes. By then our father’s own hair had already gone white, and neither of us had ever met our mother.” Delicately he runs the brush through Lloyd’s tangled strands, being as careful as he can not to pull. “Eventually Garmadon grew into his red-brown color, while I stayed blonde. Misako also had dark brown hair. So naturally I always assumed your hair would turn brown as well in a matter of time.”

“Uncle?” Lloyd questioned. Usually he could at least pick up where Uncle Wu was going with his statements, but this story seemed slightly convoluted.

Sensei just kept brushing. “But then you became an adult. And your hair was still pale blonde. Hardly the most shocking thing about that day, but it did throw me for a loop.”

“Sensei?” His words still weren’t making sense.

It took a few moments for him to answer. “When I saw you, grown up for the first time, I thought, if only for one second, that you were my son.”

Lloyd froze. “What?”

“It’s not possible, of course.” Uncle Wu says matter of factly. “But you looked so much like me, the thought crossed my mind.” He sighed, looking even older than normal. “And then I thought about how happy I would be to have a son like you.”

The boy's breath hitched, but Wu wasn’t done. “When you came home that day, possessed and not yourself, it was the most horrifying thing I’d ever seen. But not because I saw Morro, or I saw my brother, but because I saw my innocent young nephew as a prisoner in his own body.”

Lloyd swallowed back tears. “I don’t… I don’t remember that.”

“All the better for it.” Wu said quickly. “You’ve been through far too much.” He puts the brush down, and steps in front of Lloyds, so now he could look his nephew in the eye. “Your body needs to recover. Humans aren’t made to be possessed for weeks. I know you’re frustrated with your state, nephew, but you must give yourself time to recover.”

“I… Understand uncle.”

Wu smiled. “I’m glad. I’ll go get you something to eat, and then I’ll have the ninja come back in. Get some rest.”

Wu’s words comforted Lloyd. At least, they did for a few hours. Long enough for him to goof off with the ninja, and finally get to sleep. 

But in the late morning light, when Lloyd finally stirred awake, everything was clear.

Oh God, what has Lloyd done?

He made Wu, his uncle who has been nothing but kind, worry himself sick. He made him feel guilt, like it was his fault that Lloyd wasn’t strong enough.

What about the others?

How did they feel, fighting their once strong leader, seeing him reduced to a husk.

And all of it was his fault.

He needed to get better, to get stronger.

Lloyd’s not stupid. He knows that it’ll take weeks, maybe even a few months, for him to hit Zane’s insane ‘health requirements’. He’s seen the goals, and is pretty sure he didn’t meet them even before being possessed. 

So instead Lloyd waited until the ninja were all on a mission, snuck into Zane’s lab, and simply adjusted the settings, making them hypersensitive.

Zane tested him every week, so that next Saturday, as incredulous as everyone was, Lloyd passed all the tests. 

“Does this mean I can go back to training?” He asked eagerly, grin wide on his face.

“I… I suppose.” Zane murmured, looking back at his numbers. The nindroid didn’t trust them at first, and made Lloyd retest all of them three different times. But each time his numbers said he was ‘healthy.’

Whatever that means.

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea, kid.” Kai said, leaning against the wall and frowning deeply. Out of everyone, he was the most insistent that Lloyd rest and recover.

“But you promised once I passed all these tests I could train!” The ninja all but whined. 

“I know, I know but,” He sighed. “You still look thin.” He stood up and wrapped his hand around Lloyd’s wrist. “I can still feel your bones kid. I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Lloyd tore his hand away and rubbed his wrist self-consciously. “I’ve always been thin! But I don’t wanna stay cooped up. Can I please go train?”

“Fine.” Kai conceded. “But only for an hour. Then I want you to come inside and get something to eat. You really do need to take it easy still.”

It was enough for the green ninja. He’d be able to extend the training allowed in no time, and within a week it would be back to normal. 

Like none of this had ever happened.

Jay and Cole were on the deck, sparring playfully and throwing out jokes. When they saw Lloyd they smiled. “Hey Lloyd!” Jay waved. “Here to watch?”

The boy laughed. “Here to train with you.”

Their heads swiveled to look at him, expressions in matching shock. “What? You passed the tests?”

“Yep!” He grinned with pride. “With flying colors!”

The two of them share a look. “That’s… Pretty shocking. Shouldn’t you recover a little longer?”

Lloyd groaned. “Zane and Kai both gave me permission. Now come on, let me spar!”

They give each other another look, and then shrug. “Sure. I trust Zane.” Jay smiled. “Wanna go a round?”

Frustrating, Lloyd was far weaker than both Jay and Cole.

Admittedly he was always a bit weaker than Cole in strength alone, but the boy was always able to hold his own against the ground ninja, and sometimes he’d even win on a one on one spar.

But today? The green ninja could barely even stay upright for thirty seconds.

Even more humiliating, during the first round Jay forgot how weak he was and accidentally threw him across the deck.

“Careful!” Cole scolded, rushing to help Lloyd up. “He just got approved for training.” The earth ninja was extremely gentle, his ghostly hands a lot softer than his human was.

Another thing that was Lloyd’s fault.

“Ah geez, sorry!” Jay apologized, running over as well. “Are you ok? I didn’t mean-”

The boy forced a laugh. “It’s fine, really.” He shrugs Cole’s hand off. “I’m ok.”

“Are you sure? You’re still weak. If this is too much-”

Weak. Lloyd despised that word.

Well, not really. He didn’t despise the weak or weakness. It was good when people weren’t forced to be strong. When they could afford to be weak and innocent. It was a wonderful thing.

But Lloyd didn’t have that luxury. He couldn’t afford to rest, to be weak. It was his job to protect everyone. He needed to protect his ninja, so all of them could protect Ninjago.

And he failed. He attacked his brothers, hurt them. He let Morro puppet his body around and almost cursed the entirety of Ninjago.

Lloyd was weak, and the world was almost destroyed.

That couldn’t happen again. 

“No, no, I can keep training.” The boy quickly interrupted. “Isn’t that what training’s for? Getting stronger?”

Jay shrugged. “Makes sense to me.”

Cole nods, but is a little more on edge. “Yeah, just as long as we’re careful. Let's try again.”

Lloyd wasn’t completely thrown across the Bounty again for the duration of the training session, but still. He could tell they were going easy on him. Even worse, he needed it. Even with them pulling punches the boy couldn’t keep up.

After exactly an hour Kai came out on the deck. “Alright Lloyd!” He announced loudly. “You’re done for the day!”

“Aw,” He whined. “Can’t I train for a little longer?”

“Absolutely not. I said one hour.” Kai put his foot down. Clearly the fire ninja was not in a negotiating mood. “Pushing yourself too hard won’t help anyone. Now come on, let's get you something to eat.”

“Can I at least watch Cole and Jay train?” The green ninja pleaded. At least watching would be better than nothing.

“Of course you can, little guy.” Cole smiled, ruffling his hair.

Briefly Lloyd thinks of how only a couple of months ago it was almost black. How for a few weeks he practically gave Morro his body, how he was nothing more than a vessel to hurt his friends.

Quickly he pushes the thought down and smiles. “Alright!”

Kai sighs, then smiles. “I’ll bring lunch out here. But come inside if you start to get cold.”

“Geez. You’re worse than Misako.” Jay teases, before he and Cole get back to sparring.

The fire ninja brought him a sandwich, which he halfheartedly nibbled on as he watched.

Without Lloyd in the mix Jay and Cole weren’t holding back. They were fighting with all their strength, not slowing down for his sake.

How could Lloyd be so selfish? He couldn’t even let his brothers train without interfering, without getting in their way, without dragging all of them down.

For a few hours Lloyd watched, until he was dragged in by Kai. “Come on, it's gonna get cold out here. We wanna make sure you don’t get sick.”

Usually Lloyd would argue, but he let himself be ushered inside and dotted on, until Kai got busy. Then he waited even longer, until everyone else got tired and went to their rooms for the night.

Once he was sure that was the case Lloyd changed into his practice gear, snuck out to the deck, and started practicing all on his own.

It was easier than he expected.

The sneaking out, not the training. No, that was much harder than before.

Had he truly gotten so weak? When Morro used his body he could bring his friends down in minutes. But now he could barely even throw a few punches before getting winded.

When did he get so weak? Why did he let himself get so weak?

Lloyd should have never listened to the others when they told him to rest. They cared for him, of course, but they were wrong. 

It didn’t take long for him to develop a new schedule. 

Practice in the day as much as he was allowed, then rest. In the evening, after everyone else went to bed, he snuck out and practiced as much as his body could handle. Then dragged himself back to his room and collapsed.

Logically all that training should have made him stronger, better, given him more stamina.

But he was only getting weaker.

And Lloyd wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Kai noticed first, as the fire ninja always seemed to keep the sharpest eye on him. “Lloyd, are you getting sick?” He asked, not even two weeks later.

“No, I’m fine.” He dismissed with a smile. 

“You’re pale. Really pale. And I think you’ve lost weight. Are you sure you’re feeling well.”

“Kai, seriously, I’m fine!” Keeping up his smile was surprisingly draining. 

“Are you sure you should train? Maybe you should take it easy today-”

“Kai, drop it.” Lloyd snapped.

The ninja was taken aback.

He realized his mistake and forced a smile. “You worry too much! That’s my job. I’m fine. Now come on, spar with me.”

For a few days Kai dropped it.

But then Nya noticed, and she was far more direct, and a lot less willing to take Lloyd’s dismissals.

“Ok, seriously, what's wrong?” She demanded, hands on her hips. “You say you're not sick, so what is it?”

Lloyd was taken aback. “What? Nothing! I’m fine!”

She rolls her eyes. “And I was never the Samurai. Come on, what’s going on?”

“Nothing! I’m just a little tired-” He didn’t even realize his mistake until Nya was tearing the practice weapon out of his hands.

“Ah ha! There is something wrong!” She grabs him by the elbow and starts to lead him inside. “Why didn’t you say you were tired before? You need your rest Lloyd! You’re still recovering! Were you tired yesterday?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Lloyd tried to protest and pull away, but Nya’s grip was tight.

“You’ve not fully recovered yet. Pushing yourself won’t help.”

Given very little choice, Lloyd listened to Nya and slept much of the day, and practiced even more that night. 

More time passed, and everyone seemed to watch Lloyd more and more.

They tried to be subtle, something they were very bad at all things considered. Lloyd, however, was able to keep them in the dark about his training, his exhaustion, and how hard it was to stay standing sometimes. 

At least, until it all came crashing down.

The morning was like any other. Lloyd had spent that night training and was running on three? Four? Two? Hours of sleep? He’s not entirely sure. 

Either way, Lloyd woke up, went to the bathroom, and looked in the mirror.

He froze in utter terror at the sight before him.

Pale skin. Dark circles. Grey eyes.

Pale skin. Dark circles. Grey eyes. Pale skin. Dark circles. Grey eyes. Pale skin. Dark circles. Grey eyes.

Morro.

Morro was back.

Lloyd didn’t even know he was screaming until his brother’s barged in. 

“LLOYD!” Kai screamed as he and Cole stumbled into the tiny room.

Arms wrapped around his waist, strong, sturdy ones, and yanked him away from the mirror.

“Morro! It’s Morro! Morro’s back, he’s back, he’s back!” Lloyd screamed, pointing frantically at the mirror. He had to warn them, they needed to know! What if Lloyd couldn’t fight him? Couldn’t resist him? What if he was already losing?

“Morro’s gone.” Kai tried to calm him.

“He’s there!” Lloyd screeched, gesturing wildly. Why weren’t they listening? “He’s right there!”

“That’s a mirror! It’s just a mirror!” Cole pleaded, not letting go. “Morro is gone, just calm down ok?” They manage to pull him out of the room, but it does little to help.

“He’s here, I saw him, he’s back, I saw him.” Lloyd sobs, as Kai adjusts him, laying the boy's head on his shoulder and holding him against his chest. “He’s back. He’s going to take over. He’s going to hurt you again.”

Kai spent the next ten minutes trying to console a sobbing Lloyd, which only worked so well. When the boy finally stopped sobbing it was because he was too tired to continue, not because he actually felt better.

The fire ninja knew this as well, and held the boy tightly. “It’s going to be ok.” He promises softly. “We’re going to get Zane to take a look at you, he can help.”

“No…” Lloyd whined, weakly trying to pull away.

Kai shushed him, running a hand through his hair. “It’ll be quick, I promise. He just wants to make sure you're healthy.”

Lloyd knew he wouldn’t get out of this, and he was exhausted anyway. So he lets Kai take him to the med bay, lets the fire ninja tuck him under a thin blanket, and lets Zane run his tests.

He doesn’t think much of it. Kai stays beside him, and has a hand on his shoulder for comfort as Zane does his work.

Zane takes his blood pressure, pricks his finger, holds something cold and metallic against his chest.

As Zane runs tests his frown deepens. This makes Kai uneasy. “Is something wrong with him?” He asks, hand squeezing Lloyd’s shoulder.

“No, nothing is wrong.” Zane says, still frowning. “The numbers all fall into the healthy range. However, they seem unusual.”

“Unusual how?” Kai questions.

The nindroid doesn’t answer. “Kai, may I run some of these tests on you? I think this equipment may be malfunctioning.”

The fire ninja furrowed his brows, but nodded. “Of course.”

Lloyd’s heart jumped. If Zane ran tests on Kai, then his numbers would be absurdly high. They’d notice the settings were changed, and they’d rerun them on Lloyd.

There's no way they’d let him train like that.

But the boy couldn’t think of anything. Even as Zane ran tests in front of him, and his heart raced, Lloyd didn’t have a plan.

Something on Zane’s screen beeped. His eyes went wide, and Kai practically yelled. “Wait what? That can’t be right!”

“No, it certainly can not.” Zane hummed, lips tight. “Unless you happen to be having a symptomless heart attack right at this moment.”

“I don’t think so.” Kai stuttered. 

“Yes, I’m inclined to agree.” Zane hummed, frantically clicking through his tablet. After a few seconds his eyes light up. “Oh! That would explain it.”

“What is it?” Kai pushes his head in front of the tablet.

Lloyd grips his sheets so tightly his hands turned white.

Or maybe that was just their color. He really couldn’t tell.

“I think the latest update must have messed with the settings, or there was some sort of glitch. They’re all set to the highest sensitivity.”

Kai sighs and smiles. “Well that makes me feel better about my blood pressure.” He teases, before his eyes go wide. “But Lloyd! His numbers were all normal!”

“Maybe it was just messed up with Kai?” Lloyd offers, trying not to panic.

Zane shakes his head. “That’s very improbable. If it was wrong for Kai then it’s likely to be wrong for you as well.”

“But my numbers were normal!” He protests.

“That’s why we’re worried.” Kai finally says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We need to rerun the tests, to get an accurate view. But if having the sensitivity all the way up only had you at normal levels then I’m worried about how low they really are.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. I feel alright, so it’s no big deal.” Lloyd tried to brush off, but it was too late. Zane was already running through the tests again, giving him no chance to protest.

It barely takes five minutes for him to start to panic. Only a few tests in and the nindroid starts to frantically run back and forth from Lloyd to the desk, looking down at his tablet every few seconds, face dancing with fear as he mumbles, words incomprehensible. 

“Zane? Buddy? Is something wrong?” Kai asks nervously, squeezing Lloyd’s shoulder.

“What isn’t wrong?” He asks, running a hand through his metallic hair. “Kai, look at these.”

The fire ninja hesitates, but stands, leaving Lloyd’s side to look over Zane’s shoulder.

He gasps and goes pale.

Lloyd winces. “So I’m guessing you won’t let me train today?” He jokes.

Neither find it funny. “Lloyd the question isn’t if you can train or not, it's if we need to take you to a hospital or not.” 

“I can’t be that bad.” He smiles, trying to let them know everything’s ok.

“I have to agree with Kai’s assessment.” The ice ninja doesn’t even drag his eyes away from the screen for a second. “These numbers are dangerous. At the very least we should take you to a professional doctor and get their assessment. I can contact Cyrus Borg-”

“No.” Lloyd snaps, interrupting Zane.

He hesitates. “What?”

“Your numbers are wrong. I’m fine.” He insists, pushing the blanket off and standing. His head starts to spin, and he has to grip the bed for a second to keep his balance.

Kai rushes to stop him. “Lloyd! Don’t get up. You’re very weak right now-”

“I’m not weak!” He hisses, pushing Kai aside. How dare he? He’s done his damnedest to stop Lloyd from training, and now he dares call him weak?

Lloyd was trying ok? He was trying his hardest.

But clearly that wasn’t good enough.

The fire ninja takes a step back. “I didn’t mean it like that-”

“It doesn’t matter.” The boy doesn’t even look at him, nor does he look at Zane as he starts to head out. “I feel fine. Try rebooting your system again, because it’s wrong.”

“Where are you going?” Zane asks, voice full of worry.

“To train.”

“Wait, What?” Kai demands, rushing to his side. “Even if the numbers are wrong, you just had a breakdown, and you haven’t even eaten! You must be exhausted! Come on, let me at least get you breakfast-”

“Go away.” Lloyd says coldly, pushing him aside once more and storming out the door. The fire ninja tried to follow, to stop him, but the boy didn’t even look back.

If he looked back, he’d break down and start sobbing.

Why was he so weak? 

Getting to the deck was a haze, and so was training. His limbs were weak, and sore. His vision blurred, head pounded.

And yet Lloyd knew he couldn’t stop. He needed to get stronger, to be better. His brothers and sister were being so forgiving, so lenient, but that couldn’t last forever. They were reliant on him and his powers.

If he didn’t get stronger, everyone he’d love would be at risk.

A hand brushes over his shoulder, and Lloyd jumps. He swivels his head, prepared to scream at Kai again, but freezes when he sees who's there. “Cole? What do you need?”

Cole has been… Not distant, but he’s been keeping odd hours. With being a ghost he doesn’t sleep the same as them, sometimes going days without sleeping, sometimes days without waking. His appetite is just as fickle and unpredictable, so he hasn’t joined them for meals either.

Lloyd’s heart twists with guilt at the reminder of what he’s done.

“Oh, Wu wanted to see you.” Cole says with a forced smile.

He probably hates Lloyd now. 

Not that Lloyd blames him. He hates himself as well.

Still, Lloyd smiled anyway, trying to be kind. “Of course. Is there anything you need Cole?”

The ghost shakes his head. “No just… Hear Wu out alright?”

The boy thought his statement was odd, but agreed anyway and headed to Wu’s room. 

Herbal tea wafted in the air. Lloyd could recognize it as peppermint. It used to be his favorite, but after Morro possessed him for some reason Lloyd couldn’t stand drinking any hot liquids at all.

There was also a small plate of pastries. They looked freshly made, but the boy didn’t have any interest in them either.

Still, as he sat across from his uncle, Wu smiled and pushed the plate over. “You didn’t get to have breakfast this morning. Here, try them. Jay made them.” He tried. They both know that after Zane, Jay was the best baker in the group.

The boy shook his head and forced a smile. “I’m not hungry.” Wu frowned, but Lloyd continued, not letting him say anything. “What did you need, uncle?”

He waited a few seconds before finally saying “Do you remember when we picked you up? The first time, when you were just a little boy?”

This threw him aback “Uh, a little.” His memories weren’t super clear. It was a long time ago, and for some reason aging up so suddenly made them blur together. “Is there anything specific you want to talk about?”

Wu takes a sip of his own tea. “I remember you were very small. Yes you were young, but even more than that. You were tiny, thin and starving.”

Lloyd just watched, not entirely sure where his uncle was going.

The older man sighed. “You were an angry little thing too. You were hunting and alone, and lashing out at everyone.”

The green ninja looked down in embarrassment. “Sorry, I know I was a bit of a brat back then.”

This makes Wu’s frown deepen. “Not at all. You were a child. A homeless child cast out on their own who was trying their best to survive.” Another sip of tea. “You were never a brat, just scared.” He smiles wispily. “You were all bark, no bite. As vicious as you were, the second I offered a warm meal and a soft bed, you went back to just being a sweet little kid.”

Lloyd snorted. “Well, I did dye Zane’s gi pink.”

Wu also laughed at this. “Yes, the absolute height of your mischief. How on earth did we cope?” He smiles for a few seconds, before going back to frowning. “Zane said you weigh the same as when you were a child.”

Ah. That’s why he brought it up. “Zane’s equipment has been acting oddly. It means nothing.” He tried to dismiss.

His uncle was not buying it. “Yes, I heard how the sensitivity was randomly changed. What a coincidence.” Wu said before taking another sip, making it crystal clear he didn’t believe for a second it was a coincidence. 

The boy doesn’t respond.

A few moments pass, and Wu puts down his tea. “You’ve lost weight.”

“Morro didn’t eat much.”

“You don’t either it seems.” Wu pushed the plate closer to Lloyd. “Or sleep, or take care of yourself in any way. All of us are worried about you, Lloyd.”

The boy clenched his fists. “I’m sorry for losing control. What happened this morning was unacceptable and I-”

“Lloyd.” Wu’s voice turned a little more demanding. “I am not concerned about the yelling, or the scene. I am worried because you’re clearly in a lot of distress. Your mental state, it’s getting worse nephew.”

The boy protested before he could even think his words though. “But I’ve been getting stronger! I’ve been training, so what happened with Morro could never happen again!”

This didn’t seem to please Wu at all. “There was nothing you could have done to change things Nephew.”

The world seems to click out of place at his words, leaving Lloyd’s heart tumbling.

His breath hitched.

Was Wu correct?

No matter what Lloyd did, matter how strong he got, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do.

What was the point? Lloyd was the green ninja. His entire job, his entire existence , was about protecting others. It’s literally what he was destined for.

But was he truly too weak to do even that? 

If he couldn’t even protect the world from himself , then what was the point? 

Why was he even still here?

“Lloyd? Are you alright?” Wu questions. “You’re shaking. You’ve gone pale.” His uncle stands and goes over to his side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He’s kind.

Far kinder than Lloyd deserves.

The boy stands quickly, mind now made. “I’m… I’m actually starting to feel ill. May I go lay down?”

Wu pulls away slowly, but nods. “You have had a rough morning. That would probably be for the best. Would you like some food before you go?”

“No, no,” Lloyd answered quickly. So quickly that Wu is taken aback. Quickly he adds in “Maybe later. I just don’t feel well and want to lay down.”

He nods. “We can talk later, nephew. But don’t worry about that. Get some rest.”

Lloyd nodded back, pretending like he had any intention of talking to Wu again.

The boy did go to his room of course, but he didn’t lay down. Instead he changed from his training gi to a loose t-shirt and plain white pants, before leaving his room once again.

Going to the deck didn’t have him running into anyone, but once he got outside, the boy noticed Cole still lingering in the training grounds.

Lloyd barely gave him a glance, and walked on by, just saying “Nya needs to speak to you.” As he heads forward, only one goal in mind.

“Huh?” Cole stutters, slightly confused. “Why? What does she need?”

“Don’t know.” The boy answered flatly, as he arrived at the edge, glancing over the railing. They were in a desert. If he fell from this height nothing, absolutely nothing, would be able to save him.

The ghost did not turn back to go see Nya. Instead he stared straight at Lloyd, unmoving and tense. “Lloyd? Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.” He answered, utterly flat. “Go see Nya.”

Cole hesitated, wringing his hands. “How did the talk with Wu go? I thought it would take longer.”

“It didn’t.” He doesn’t look up, doesn’t look away from the ground, and doesn’t notice the borderline panicked look on Cole’s face. “Like I said, go see Nya.”

“Why don’t you come with me?” He offers, taking a step closer to Lloyd.

The green ninja tenses at this. “Because she wanted to see you. So go see her.”

For a few seconds neither move. Then Lloyd gripped the railing tighter. “Go inside Cole.”

The earth ninja only got more worried. “I don’t think I should leave you alone out here.”

Lloyd’s face softened.

Time to try a new tactic.

“Cole, I never got a chance to say I’m sorry.”

The ghost was completely taken aback. “What?”

“It’s my fault you're a ghost.” He says bluntly. “It’s my fault you’re like this. That you changed. I’m sorry.”

Cole stutters. “I didn’t- I mean- It wasn;t your fault. Not really. I didn’t mean like that- You just don’t have to apologize.” The ninja was flustered, and taken aback.

Seizing this opportunity, Lloyd grabbed the railing and lept over it, now teetering dangerously on the edge.

Cole shrieked in shock. “Lloyd!”

Lloyd however, remained completely stoic. “Go inside Cole.”

He did not go inside.

Instead he screamed. “HELP! LLOYD NEEDS HELP!”

“Cole be quiet!” Lloyd snaps as he looks back, but it’s already too late; the other ninja have already heard. Only a few second later they’re all rushing out, slamming the door open and yelling even louder than Cole.

“What is-” Kai starts, having been the first to get out, but also the first to see the scene. 

He goes completely white.

“OH MY GOD!” Nya screeches, not far behind.

Jay looks in between laughing and crying. “This isn’t… Is this some prank? Lloyd this isn’t funny.”

Zane’s expression was flat, and his voice controlled, but as he extended an arm Lloyd could see his hands shaking. “Lloyd being on that side of the fence isn’t safe. I’d advise stepping back over the fence where it is safe.”

Lloyd felt conflicted. Half of him was on the verge of a breakdown, but the other half was completely apathetic and empty.

That half won.

He looked at his friends, expressions terrified, eyes filled with tears, and felt nothing. “I didn’t want you to see this.”

“Then step back Lloyd! Please!” Kai begged.

The green ninja was not swayed in the slightest. “Well, I’m glad I at least now have the chance to say I’m sorry.”

“LLOYD!”

“You need someone that can protect you. That can keep you safe. That can keep Ninjago safe. And I’m not that person anymore.” He swallows. “I’m sorry. Goodbye.”

Someone screams behind him.

Lloyd takes a deep breath, steps forward, and starts to let go of the railing.

Ice wraps around his hands, freezing them to the railing.

The boy cries out, feet slipping of the narrow railing, but he doesn’t stay unbalanced for long.

Warm, familiar arms wrap around his torso and yank him back violently. They both stumble, falling to the ground.

Before he even knows what’s happening Lloyd is laying on the wooden deck, arms wrapped tightly around him, staring up at both the sky and his friends tearful eyes.

Lloyd blinks.

Takes a deep breath.

And starts screaming. 

“Lloyd! Lloyd! Calm down.” Kai says as he tries to hold the boy down, desperate to stop him from getting free, but terrified of hurting him.

“LET ME GO! LET ME GO!” The boy screams so loud his throat hurts, and thrashes violently, desperate to get free. But he’s weak, and there’s five of them and only one of him. Zane, Nya, and Jay don’t hesitate to hold his limbs down, stopping him from hurting himself further, tearing away any chance for him to get free.

Loyd doesn’t even notice Cole rushing inside, too busy sobbing and screaming. “Just let me go! LET ME GO!” He gasps for air. “Please, please, please! Just let me GO!”

“Nephew!” His uncle’s voice echoed softly across the bounty. 

He knew.

The sound of Wu’s approach finally makes the boy break. He stops thrashing, stops screaming, and just starts to sob.

Wu quickly kneels to his side. “Sh, sh, it’s alright nephew. You’re alright.”

“I don’t want to be alright.” He sobs. Wu touches his shoulder, and Lloyd twitches away. Though he’s still held down, there isn’t much he can do. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hush nephew, you’re alright.” He says again, smiling softly. He’s much calmer than the others, but clearly not unbothered either. “You hurt none of us, nephew.”

“I did.” He shakes his head weakly. “I hurt all of you. I couldn’t control myself.” He chokes up weakly. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t…” Another sob, as he couldn’t force any more words out.

“No, you didn’t.” Wu says plainly, gesturing to the other ninja to let Lloyd go. They hesitate, but obey. 

Lloyd is too weak to sit up, or even move. He just keeps sobbing, staring at the stars.

Was that where his father was? A star in the sky? Or was his soul gone completely, no longer existing in any realm?

Another thing that was his fault.

“Hush nephew, hush.” His uncle says, as he and Kai sit the boy upright, then drape a blanket over his shoulders. “You’re safe, we’re all safe.”

“Yeah,” Kai stuttered. “I’ve got you, so, just calm down alright?”

Lloyd sniffles, as his head starts to lull forward, as if he was a rag doll.

He had been running on empty for so long, the poor thing didn’t even have the energy to sit up.

Kai gently wrapped him in the blanket, whispering assurances and picking him up.”It’s gonna be ok, I promise. I’m sorry I couldn’t help, but I’m here now.”

He held the boy against his chest.

Kai was warm, so warm.

When was the last time Lloyd was warm? He’s been so cold for so long, he forgot what it was like not to be completely frigid. 

The green ninja leaned his head on the fire ninja’s shoulder, trying and failing to stay awake, to listen to the conversations around him. 

“Zane, call Borg; tell him to set up a private room at his hospital.” Kai commands, holding the young ninja tightly, yet gently. “We should be able to keep this under wraps. Lloyd doesn’t need that attention right now.”

Zane hummed. “If that doesn’t work we will merely say such long-term possession had more effects than we realized, and Lloyd had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment.”

Cole clicks his tongue. “Should keep people from asking more questions.”

“You don’t have to lie for me.” Lloyd says weakly. His consequences had actions, he knew that. The other’s shouldn’t try to cover them up. 

“It’s not a lie nephew.” Wu says, voice oddly pitched, like he’s trying to stay in control. “We are just sorry we didn’t notice before it came to this.”

Lloyd wanted to argue, but a wispy hand landed on his shoulder, cutting him off. “You should try and get some rest, kid. We can talk later, but you’re pretty worn out. So just get some sleep while we take care of everything, ok?”

The green ninja knew he should argue. That he should protest. 

But he was just so tired.

Kai holds him tightly, so tightly, and gently carries him to the med bay, the other ninja trailing behind.

Lloyd tries to stifle his tears, but it only works so well, and he only ends up crying softly in his brother’s arms.

“It’s alright. You’re going to be ok.” Kai promised, as he tucked the shaking and sniffling boy in.

“Here!” Cole says from behind, before laying a very familiar blue blanket over his small form.

It was his sick blanket; a soft, blue quilt that was made by his mother before she died. It was his favorite, and anytimes someone was sick or injured Cole always gave it to them, until they started feeling better. 

But this only made Lloyd blink in confusion. “I’m not sick?”

Kai pursed his lips, and Cole smiled sadly. “Maybe not, but you’re not feeling well regardless. So you can have it till we get into the city.”

He supposes that made sense. “You didn’t have to give it to me.”

“I want to.” He said softly. “I care about you kid.” 

“Just take the blanket.” Kai sighs.

The boy decided not to argue further. Besides, he was a bit chilly anyway. “Is it cold in here?” He asks, burying deeper into his blankets. 

The other’s frown deeper.

Zane chimes in, voice as methodical as ever. It was actually quite comforting. “The adrenaline is most likely wearing off. It’s normal.”

Lloyd still felt a little dazed, but nodded. Even if he didn’t understand, if Zane said it made sense, then it made sense. “Can I have another blanket?”

Cole smiled widely. He was always smiling widely. “Of course Lloyd.” The ghost draped a fleece sheet over him. “Why don’t you try going to sleep? You look tired.”

While the green ninja wanted to disagree, he really couldn’t. “You sure?”

“Yes, we are.” Kai said, voice tense, but face soft. “I promise, things will feel better in the morning, ok? Just… Get some sleep. We’ll take care of everything.”

He wanted to protest, to argue, but honestly? Lloyd was exhausted.

The boy nodded, eyes fluttering shut. 

It was his job to protect the team, but they didn't seem to be in danger. “You’ll wake me if you need help?” He asked softly.

“Of course we will.” Kai promised, equally as soft. Someone kissed his forehead gently. “Just sleep ok? We love you. We’ll take care of everything.”

“Just get some sleep.”