Lloyd catches an illness and the rest of the ninja team takes care of him.

Also now as an  angsty sick fic with hurt/comfort
Title from: Can't Go Back by The Crane Wives

Also also, I put this through grammarly and proofread the first little bit but I'm starting to get very tired (maybe because I stayed up until 3 am yesterday- oops) and just decided to publish it and not worry about the typos right now. However it pains me.
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The Green Ninja doesn't get sick. That is simply impossible. It is an occurrence no one should consider. It is an option that simply isn't feasible! Perhaps the regular people of Ninjago might catch the occasional stomach bug or even an illness during flu season but not Lloyd! His immune system could withstand anything! Considering Lloyd had also been exposed to some pretty dangerous substances (toxins and probably some radiation with all the strange energy they encounter), it is quite impressive his body had been able to hold up without any lasting damage. But Lloyd chalked that up to his tough oni and dragon ancestors. They were the original elemental masters, the true warriors across all realms, they fought in a never-ending war for centuries! If a little cold was able to weasel its way through the generations of powerful blood running through his veins, Lloyd was sure that there would be some disowning happening. A well-deserved disowning too.

Even when he had the occasional sniffle as a child Lloyd never really acted on it. Illness wasn't something the students Darkley's approved of and certainly didn't let slide. Being sick meant your immune system was weak and that in turn meant you were weak. Exposing your symptoms to your classmates often resulted in being locked in a storage cabinet or banished to the coldest room in the school. Because of this, most would hide the usual coughing and sneezing unless it was to deliberately annoy someone. Even when Tommy Ruskman had appendicitis he covered it with weak glares and loud music to mask his sobs. It wasn't until the boy passed out from the pain that he was finally brought to the doctor. And while Lloyd had long since left his days at the School for Bad Boys behind, they do say old habits die hard.

"The world is not going to end if you're sick, Lloyd," Kai said with an eye roll as he watched Lloyd attempt to eat his breakfast, only to be interrupted by an eruption of coughs.

He didn't get it- of course, he didn't. In his eyes, Lloyd was being dramatic. Which was silly and hypocritical. Everyone knew that Kai was the dramatic one. Not Lloyd. Lloyd was the leader- the one that kept them on track and got things done. Which was exactly why he couldn't stop his work over something as frivolous as a mild cold.

Lloyd told them just that, finally managing to finish his food before he slid his chair back and made to stand. Unfortunately, as soon as he stood the world seemed to tilt. A wave of nausea rolled through him like a tidal wave and suddenly the ground was much closer than it had been before. The team erupted in yells and panicked exclamations as the Green Ninja, the hero of the realm, full-on face-planted onto Wu's shiny hardwood floors. Cole was the one to quickly roll Lloyd onto his side in case he threw up, the blonde was managing to keep it down for now but it was becoming an increasing struggle as the colours seemed to blur before his eyes. The earth ninja gently held him in a sitting position, leaning the younger boy against his chest and brushing his hair back from his face. When he did, Cole grimaced, pressing his hand firmer to his friend's forehead.

Lloyd wiggled in complaint at the knuckles pressing into his skin. "Why is your hand so cold."

"My hands aren't cold," Cole told him. "You have a fever."

"What were you saying about a mild cold?" Kai huffed from above, standing over them with his arms crossed. It was obvious he was trying to hide how concerned he was for the youngest team member.

"I think it's time this green bean went to bed," Cole said, helping Lloyd get to his feet.

He immediately shook his head, even though it made the battering ram inside his head pound faster and he was swaying on his feet like he was doing a poor attempt at dancing. "No! I have to talk with the police commissioner and help Jay investigate the robbery and-"

"Lloyd! You're sick!" Jay protested. "You don't need to help with the robbery. What you need is to rest and relax! Take a day off! Enjoy it! Being sick is the best! You get to snuggle in bed with your stuffed animals, watch cheesy television, play video games all day and sip warm soup in your pyjamas!" He ended his list with some finger guns, looking to Lloyd as if to say "You know what I'm talking about!"

Lloyd did not, in fact, know what he was talking about. His confusion must've shown in his face because Jay let out a horrible squealing sound that made his headache even worse and he stared at Lloyd with the expression he knew the green ninja hated. The same tearful eyes he wore when he was watching sad dog movies.

"Hey!" Lloyd exclaimed (well, more like rasped). "No sad dog eyes! I'm a grown man, not a canine doomed to die!"

"Guys! This is a tragedy! Lloyd doesn't know the true beauty of being sick! Now he has to rest!" Jay whined.

"He had to rest before," Zane raised an eyebrow. "His vitals aren't bad enough we need to take him to the hospital but he's getting increasingly worse."

"No, I'm not!" Lloyd argued petulantly. He went to stomp away but his weak fever-wrecked body was starting to crumble again.

"Lloyd!" Jay scolded, sounding surprisingly firm. "You're going to bed! Now."

Reluctantly, Lloyd let them drag him to his room. He changed back into his pyjamas and let himself be tucked in, like a child (to which they replied "You are a child"). Kai wrangled Lloyd into letting them toss a few blankets over him, despite his complaints and Zane brought in the thermometer and medicine. Nya had been working away at a mech while this was happening but had come back into the monastery when she heard about Lloyd's condition. Which resulted in her getting strong-armed into helping Jay bring his embarrassingly enormous horde of stuffed animals into Lloyd's room so they could surround him like a cuddly army of cute, snuggly, creatures. Mr. Cuddlywomp was excluded of course.

Lloyd had to admit, it felt a lot better to be lying down. He could no longer hear his heart in his head and the nausea had waned into the general gross, sick feeling. His throat was beginning to feel raw and the congestion was worse than ever but at least he had tissues nearby and didn't have to worry about having to hide looking like crap when they could already see how terrible he appeared. The ninja eventually trickled out, all having their own things that they needed to do but they seemed to have established some sort of system where there was at least someone nearby at all times. Whether it was for company or supervision Lloyd wasn't so sure. Judging by Kai prowling outside his door when he tried to sneak out Lloyd was getting more suspicious that it might be the latter option.

While Lloyd absolutely hated being stuck in his bed and being babied all day, it was interesting to see how his teammates dealt with his illness. Kai seemed extra huffy, probably annoyed at Lloyd for trying to hide it and still trying to do work. The fire ninja had been livid when he looked in when Lloyd had been instructed to nap and saw him writing mission reports under his covers.

"If you're going to be rebellious do it in a cool way!" Kai groaned as he engaged in a game of tug-a-war over the paperwork. He won, of course, given that Lloyd was incapacitated- something that the younger thought was wildly unfair.

Nya was kind and talked with him when he felt well enough to chat but was no-nonsense when it came to his care. "I don't care if it tastes gross, Lloyd! You're having your medicine even if I have to shove it down your throat!" She growled.

Lloyd took his medicine with little verbal complaint after that. Though, Nya did have to put it over ice cream if she wanted him to stop pouting about it.

Jay was also like a mother hen, fluttering around and fluffing his pillows, tucking a teddy bear under his arm like he thought Lloyd was two. The lightning ninja seemed dead set on making Lloyd enjoy the suffocating hell of stuffed noses and puking up bile, despite how resistant his friend was to the brunette's attempts. Jay brought in lots of books and graphic novels for Lloyd to read. The books had a bit too many words to comprehend when his head was swimming but the Green Ninja was able to skim over a well-worn Fritz Donnegan comic with little head pain.

At least Zane was a little less forceful with his care. The nindroid left Lloyd alone to his devices when it was his turn to babysit. He dimmed the lights and stepped out of the room, returning later with a tray of warm soup and a cold bottle of water to have by his bedside. Lloyd wasn't sure about eating in bed, it felt a bit over-indulgent and he was worried about making a mess, but Zane didn't seem concerned. He laid down a towel to catch any crumbs and spills and helped Lloyd with the spoon when his hands got too shaky. The warm broth helped feed him, a lot easier to down without it making him feel sick.

Wu popped in as well and to no one's surprise he brought tea. It was a more mild blend of honey and ginger to soothe his nephew's throat. Lloyd enjoyed it as he laid back against his pillows, his uncle sitting quietly by his side. The Sensei pressed his fingers to Lloyd's head, using something he called acupressure to help relieve the pain that still lingered in his temples. Something in Lloyd released as the stabbing went away, his muscles relaxing and he gradually felt less tense.

"Wow," Lloyd blinked rapidly, finally feeling like he could think. "That really works!"

"I teach more than spinjitzu." Master Wu mused, sipping his own cup of tea.

Cole, to Lloyd's surprise, was the most dutiful. He rarely left for long, always cracking the door back open a sliver to check-in. He didn't say much, simply staying by and checking Lloyd's fever every now and then. Once Lloyd became more aware, the fever beginning to relent somewhat and the headache was gone thanks to Wu, he began to see the wrinkle in between Cole's eyebrows, the storm of emotion that seemed to be hidden behind the mask of nonchalance the earth ninja was wearing. For a little while, Lloyd just let his friend take care of him. He didn't know what was setting Cole off and he didn't want to scare him into putting up more walls. The best thing was to stop putting up so much fuss and let the raven-haired young man do his thing. So, Cole made sure Lloyd's blanket was wrapped securely over his shoulders, he refilled the tea anytime he needed and forced him to drink water. He'd press his hand to Lloyd's face occasionally, a frown on his face whenever it came up warm. They talked a little bit, soft,  small, nonsensical chatting- usually lightly teasing the other ninja. That seemed to help relax Cole a bit, slipping into a distraction with his favourite pass-time. Torturing Jay. Unfortunately, that made them laugh which in turn made Lloyd start to cough, which then flipped the smile instantly.

Once Lloyd's lungs stopped trying to force their way through his windpipe, Lloyd finally turned to Cole, noting the tenseness in his shoulders anytime the Green Ninja started to hack. "I'm going to be okay, you know." He tried to smile. "I just got a cold."

Cole scoffed, finally turning to look at him with a shake of his head. "You have a fever, green bean, it's a little worse than a small cold."

"Technicalities." Lloyd dismissed. Then he scorched a little closer, mindful that he didn't want his friend to catch anything or be near the snotty mess he was. "But, seriously, uh- are you okay? You don't seem yourself. My fever was... bad but it wasn't bad enough to go to the hospital or anything. I'll be alright."

"Uh-" Cole winced. "You noticed, huh?"

"It's almost like I know you or something," Lloyd said dryly.

"I just..." Cole chewed on his lip as he thought, subconsciously adjusting Lloyd's position in the bed, moving the pillows more comfortably behind him and pulling the fuzzy green blanket up further. "My mom... she-uh- died from getting sick so whenever someone I love gets sick-" he swallowed hard, not meeting Lloyd's eyes. "I get a little... scared."

"Oh- oh!" Lloyd's eyes widened.

"Not that this will kill you or anything! You're right- it's just the flu or a bad cold or something but... you know. The worry still lingers." Cole picked at the fuzz on the side of the blanket, looking a little embarrassed.

"No, I get it." Lloyd gave a wane smile. "I'm sorry for being so- uh- difficult. I appreciate that you care about me."

Cole smiled gently, giving a light ruffle to the younger boy's hair before his face set into a more serious expression. "It's... it's never easy to be there when your loved one dies. Maybe it would've been worse if it was sudden- at least I could say goodbye- but I remember it being... so awful. She wasn't herself, I could see her wasting away before me and it was terrifying. I didn't like going to see her- I hate myself for it, I should've been there- but it was just so scary. She was so pale- so different."

Well if that wasn't just depressing.

"Cole," Lloyd said softly. "You were just a kid. Of course it was scary, of course it was hard to see your mom like that. Give yourself a break, I'm sure she understood."

Cole sniffed a little and heaved a deep breath. Lloyd let him have a moment, taking the time just to sit with him. Lloyd would've thought Cole would brush it off, force on a smile, as they all tended to do but to his surprise the earth ninja reached for him and pulled him into a tight hug. It was warm and snug, just as hugs should be. He smelled a bit like cookies and dirt- an odd combination but something that was inherently Cole that it made the lingering tenseness in Lloyd wash away.

"You know I love you, right buddy? You're my family. You guys, the team? You mean everything to me. If I lost you- any of you. I don't know what if do." Cole whispered.

Lloyd let out a laugh and he leaned further into the embrace. "You're not going to lose us."

"I could," Cole murmured. "It's part of the job- we all know the risks, I... I know that I could lose you guys but if it happened I don't know if I could handle it. We've already had so many close calls. Zane's disappeared multiple times but at least I can convince myself that he's a nindroid- that some part of himself can stick around but Jay? Kai? You. You're all human. You're all mortal. Well... most of you is."

"I'm not going anywhere, Cole," Lloyd said, his voice strong and vehement. "I worked hard for this family. I'm not leaving it so soon."

"Then take care of yourself." His voice was raw and ragged and vulnerable. "Let us take care of you! Don't try to hide being sick, don't try to hide an injury, stop throwing yourself so willingly at enemies for us. You're not expendable, Lloyd! You're not a frickin' martyr. You're our friend and our brother."

Lloyd felt himself lock up at that and he pressed further into Cole, as if he could be absorbed and not have to think about anything anymore. "I just... I can't lose your guys either. If there's a villain out there- if there's something bad? I'll take it for you. I'll take on the world."

"We're a team! A ninja team. We'll all do that." Cole reminded him gently. "You can rely on us to be by your side, to take some of the weight. We've been doing this longer than you, buddy."

The blonde shook his head. "But I'm the Green Ninja, I was destined to protect Ninjago. This is my job- this was my second chance after Darkley's. I can't sit idly by and let someone else make the sacrifice when it should be me. I have to do it- I have to be good at it! I can't fail, I can't-"

"Woah! Woah!" Cole interrupted him, pulling away a little but still holding onto his arms. "What's all this? You're not going to fail at being the Green Ninja if you don't offer yourself on a silver platter to whatever crazy monster comes flying into your life. You know that, right?"

Lloyd looked away. Cole's warm brown gaze felt suddenly too much. He knew, logically, that it wasn't... healthy to be so willing to throw everything down. So, almost eager, to take the risk. But everything in Lloyd screamed that he had to. The ninja were all he had. His job as the Green Ninja was the only thing giving him purpose. What did he have if he didn't have his family and his role? Who was he? What was he? Who would want the mess that would be left behind? It was something he lingered on in the back of his mind, at night when no one would know. It left a gaping maw of anxiety and darkness inside of him, one that had been his companion for a very long time. It was just... easier to deal with when he had so much light to balance it out. He was able to smile and feel like he was okay, despite whatever was eating away inside of him. Despite how temporary it could feel, how easily he knew it could all be taken away. He couldn't let that happen. He had to make sure that he stayed, that he would never have to leave- that no one would ever leave him.

Lloyd's dark chaos of thoughts was broken into by Cole slapping his hands onto either side of his face, aggressively squishing his cheeks with an almost terrifying intensity. "What the heck are you doing?" Lloyd grumbled, voice coming out like "whuf da huck are yuh dooing?" because of Cole's iron grip on his head.

"You," Cole said, leaving absolutely no room for argument. "Are worth more than any horrible, messed-up sacrifice you think will make yourself useful. Your worth- repeat after me- is not determined by how much work you do or how many times you throw yourself into battle."

There was a beat of awkward silence before Lloyd put it together that Cole actually expected him to repeat it.

"My worth," Lloyd said reluctantly. "Is not determined by how much work I do or how many times I throw myself into battle."

"Good." Cole gave him a little pay on the head. "You are a great Green Ninja but that is not everything you are. Now you."

Lloyd pressed his lips together but conceded. "I am a great Green Ninja but that is not everything I am."

Another pat to the head.

"I'm not a dog."

"Shut up and repeat."

Lloyd huffed but listened as Cole continued, gripping him reassuringly at the shoulders. "You are amazing and good and great and fabulous and your family loves you and you don't need to stay strong all the time, we always have your back-" Lloyd let out a stranger laugh as Cole's words became increasingly longer and more choked up, he scrunched up his face to stave off the burning in his own eyes.

"I don't know if I can repeat all that," Lloyd said, swiping at the tears that escaped onto his cheeks (traitors).

"Then listen. You are worthy." Cole leaned his forehead to his. "Listen and believe it."

"Okay." Lloyd sniffed. "I... I'll try."

There was something about Cole's refusal to let him brush it off, his insistent that Lloyd listen and absorb everything he said. The earth ninja said everything so strongly, he loved so conditionally. It was small, just words coming out of someone's mouth, taking care of someone when they're crappy, yet it pulled at something Lloyd had long kept buried. It pried apart the walls he kept around him and showed the scary, terrified, ugly parts inside of him. Even when Cole saw how weak and horrible Lloyd truly was he didn't waver. He just pulled him in and held on tighter. Lloyd hadn't had much of a home before, certainly not in Darkley's, and he never understood what the difference was between a simple house and a true home. Now, it was finally starting to become clearer. The feeling of safety, so sweet and secure, the people around him- constantly checking in and always loving him, no strings attached. It was the little things like the pizza left out on the table, the comics that made their way through each teammate, the way Nya's hair ties find their way under the couch but never in her drawer, the smell of baked goods that never left the kitchen, and tea bags that spilled out of every cupboard. It was everything that marked the house as theirs, everything that formed the only place Lloyd truly felt he could be himself... and maybe, just maybe. They'd love him for it.

"Are you having cuddles without me!" The two looked up to see Jay standing in the doorway. He had put on his pyjamas, blue with yellow lightning bolts, bunny slippers, and fuzzy robe. Under his elbow was Mr. Cuddlywomp and in one hand was a pillow while the other tightly gripped bunch of face masks that he'd gotten from the drugstore. He stared at them, open-mouthed, glaring at them with complete utter betrayal as he stomped in closer.

"I cannot believe you!" Jay huffed, scrambling onto Lloyd's bed, uncaring of how his pillow whacked Cole in the face. The earth ninja glared at his friend and shoved the pillow back at him.

"What's Jay complaining about now?" Kai grumbled, Lloyd was surprised to see the fire ninja freshly showered, meaning his hair was flat from the gel he'd scrubbed out of it. He had on some sleep pants and a t-shirt, though he had his hands empty. Nya was behind him in her own pyjamas, though she brought a couple of bottles of nail polish.

"What's... happening?" Lloyd said in confusion, letting out an incredulous laugh.

"We are about to engage in a traditional slumber party," Zane announced, pizza box in one hand, cookies in another.

"Yes, Zane! You are an angel." Cole groaned, snatching the cookies as soon as they got in his proximity.

"You guys shouldn't be so close to me, you're all going to get sick!" Lloyd protested, even as Jay was making himself comfortable under his duvet.

"Oh please," Nya scoffed. "We've been around you all day. It's not a big deal."

Lloyd's expression showed that to him it most certainly was a big deal but he kept his mouth shut as the ninja gathered extra blankets and piled around the room. His bed was small so only people as skinny as both Lloyd and Jay could squeeze in together. The rest made themselves comfortable on the floor, thankfully Lloyd had a very large, soft rug covering the room so they were too uncomfortable. They ate pizza, chatted, and played video games until the window turned dark and their yawns more frequent. Nya forced Lloyd to take some more medicine (in ice cream of course) before they turned out the light and settled down. Lloyd lay in the darkness, still feeling horribly congested but a somehow little lighter. He thought back to the day he'd had, to all the kind things his family had done. He thought about the conversation he had with Cole, how genuine the earth ninja had been, how fond his expression was.

"You are worthy." The words echoed in his head. He rolled them around in his mind, trying to parse out how they made him feel. But the more he thought about it, the less he felt the need to. Maybe he didn't need to come up with some big, convoluted reasoning behind the words.

Perhaps it was time he listened and believed it.

NOTE****
I was supposed to make headway on a new Fractured chapter today but then I read a sick fic and it made me think of the sick fic I had started and suddenly I'd made it to 4000 words and had completed a sick fic one-shot 😂

I really enjoyed writing this and it's been nice to dabble one-shots again. I've mentioned before in other books that I've been struggling with burn-out, especially with Ninjago writing but this was a fun way to embrace it again.

I hope you enjoyed!

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