Twenty-One Pilots - Stressed Out

Used to dream of outer space

But now they're laughing at our face saying

"Wake up, you need to make money", yeah

Wish we could turn back time

To the good old days

—

A/N: Paragraphs 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 11 are where your bold 'friends' are.  Also, sorry for the wait! I got carried away...

Above the door, a wooden sign read 'Paws 'N' Effect', dirtied at the edges. The door creaked open. Slowly, you crept in, warily eyeing your surroundings while ensuring your wheelchair made no sound. You released a relieved sigh, heading further in.

One of the wheelchair tyres squeaked against the wooden flooring. A shadow fell on your back, making you freeze up. You gulped, closing your eyes as you await your fate.

''It's only me!'' A cheery voice made you open your eyes. You could've sworn you jumped in your seat as an old man with copper-coloured eyes and greying hair sharing your (s/t) skin stepped into view.

''Why do that, Grandpa?!" You almost yelled, remembering to lower your voice at the last second.

''Sometimes it's fun to have a surprise.'' Your grandfather's eyes gleamed mischievously at the idea. At the same time, you pretended to scoff at him, crossing your arms with a fake pout. He quickly saw through this, poking one of your ticklish spots and making you crack up.

You batted him away with a hand, your grandfather stepping back to give you your space as you remembered something. ''I'm sorry I haven't seen you in a while...'' You looked at the ground.

''I've been doing fine, no need to worry about me.'' Your grandfather attempted to give you a warm smile but it only seemed to be forced as you looked up at him, frowning. You wheeled past him, towards one of the dog kennels.

A yip sounded from the kennel, a dark red-furred head with a long snout, drooping ears and beady eyes staring back at you from behind the confines of the cage. Footsteps that seemed to be your grandfather came in your direction, stopping when he was at your side as he knelt, a kind smile on his face.

''Hey there, Merlot.'' Your grandfather slowly put his hand forward between the bars to greet the greyhound pup, who stared at his hand briefly before gently licking it. He withdrew his hand, extending his other one as the bag of dog treats rustled. The pup grew excited at this, staring at the bag of goodies.

Your grandfather looked at you, holding out the bag of goodies. Blankly you stared at them before realising what he wanted you to do. Chuckling nervously you took the bag, undoing the zipper and grabbing a handful of treats. You lowered your hand as best as possible, allowing Merlot to snatch the food and wolf it down.

''You named this one after wine.'' A huff exited your mouth, wheeling back a bit to look at your grandfather. He cheekily smiled at you, shaking his head.

''No, his original owners named him that. They already had a retired greyhound so they wanted to give the pup away.'' Your grandfather explained. Merlot lay down whilst staring at you behind the bars of the kennel's cage, then tilted his head at you.

Dogs weren't like this towards you. Usually, when you were near one, it'd start barking and trying to get to you no matter the breed. Perhaps greyhounds were different. Indifferent.

Nonetheless, it was a refreshing experience. And a welcome one at that.

''Why did you come to visit?" Your grandfather curiously questioned as you wheeled away from the kennel. Your gaze swept the shelter's interior, taking in its inhabitants as they either squawked, barked, or meowed alongside other sounds.

However, a hushed ticking was always heard above the chaos that only you seemed to notice.

It always came from a hand-carved grandfather clock, nestled away in one of the shelter's corners, one so ancient the mechanisms within periodically malfunctioned. Always jumping forward, never back, the minute hand was almost always the one to mess up.

With that, an additional (and strange) sound was present. It was a muffled hum that reminded you of a mix between the buzz of bees and electricity. Your grandfather noted your keen interest in the clock, standing beside you as his shadow fell on your shoulder. While your Hoshi No Tama made itself known as it warmed under your collar.

''Is this why?" He seemed to stare at it in bafflement. ''I reckon there's just a hive of bees in there messing the mechanisms up.'' Your grandfather huffed, folding his arms. ''I'll get someone to check it out if that helps how you feel.'' He glanced your way as he said that.

''I guess it does.'' You added a half-hearted shrug with your words, wheeling in reverse and then turning around. ''Oh, and,'' You paused, turning your head slightly. ''What happened to the old nickname?"

''Your mother didn't approve of your old nickname.'' He explained, kneeling to grab a box. ''Apparently, Zenko doesn't fit you.'' His eyes flitted up to yours, seemingly observing your reaction.

The nickname struck a chord with you. Still, you pretended to make it look like you were thinking, resting a thumb under your chin. ''Would that be because I spilled red lipstick in her Valentino White bag?" You and your grandfather shared a smirk, then burst into laughter together.

You waved him goodbye with a warm smile, finally turning to leave. What you missed behind you was the edges of your grandfather's eyes glowing chartreuse green, fading as fast as it appeared.

The last thing you heard behind you while wheeling out was:

''I know you're there, Master of Wind.''

Even Morro felt the old man's eagle-like glare from the depths of your conscience.

—

By the time you had reached the others, they were gathered on the side of a road, talking among themselves as they had not noticed you approaching just yet. A telltale squeak from your wheelchair's traitorous tyres changed that.

Immediately, Jay's head whipped around to meet his gaze with yours, pulling his attention away from the sign pole that Zane was busy welding to its base, using a blow torch while Cole was left to hold up the pole, grunting a bit from the unexpected weight change.

Being the Earth Ninja, he managed fine. The Lightning Ninja smiled as you wheeled closer, then returned his attention to the pole, apologising to Zane and Cole.

Kai looked over at you for a moment but a motorcycle with a familiar old man sitting in a sidecar and an even more familiar girl driving it pulled up on the curb while the others continued their conversation.

''...I may have found us a place to live.'' Nya's voice cut into your train of thought as you looked at her. The girl's gaze met yours briefly, giving a small smile before she looked back at the others, holding a pamphlet.

''Really? But there's a waiting list a mile long to live in Ninjago City. How did you do that?'' Jay questioned disbelievingly. Wu sipped at his tea.

''I know a guy, who knows a girl, and she knows this girl who knows a guy. Well, this guy knows a girl who's a real estate agent and she can help you find a place if you catch my drift.'' Nya answered, handing over the pamphlet. You and Jay exchanged confused looks.

''And where exactly are you two off to?'' You inquired, looking at the pair on the bike.

''We have to find a couple of components to fix the ninja tank. And my dragon ointment has finally arrived. It's a day's trip, but once we get back, he'll be flying again.'' Wu answered. ''Also, I love scenic drives.'' He laughed. ''Punch it, Nya!''

''Ay ay, Sensei,'' Nya replied, reversing the motorcycle and then turning her eyes to you. ''Also, (Y/n), look after the boys for me, will ya?" She asked.

You saluted. ''Sure will, Captain.''

The girl grinned, gunning it and the motorcycle sped off.

''Yee-haw!'' Wu cheered as it did, Kai then shrieked and jumped a bit into the air, as something- or someone scaly appeared on your shoulders.

With a smug expression, Remo revealed himself, watching as the motorcycle disappeared. ''You have yee'd your last haw!'' He did a little hiss that sounded like a laugh while the others looked on.

While the others were distracted, Jay read out what was on the pamphlet. "Patty Keys, Real Estate Queen." Huh, this is exactly what we need. Once we get a roof over our head, we can start properly training Lloyd.'' He mused to himself.

''Good, 'cause if we know Lord Garmadon, he's not going to be taking any breaks. And let's not forget, the Serpentine are still at large.'' Cole reminded as he looked at you and the group, with Kai shuddering.

''This sounds like a scam if I were being honest...'' You exhaled, taking the pamphlet from Jay to inspect it for a moment.

''What other choice do we have? And where even were you?" Kai inquired, finally regaining his composure. You frowned, handing it back to Jay when you skimmed over it.

''Let's just say that I like having my alone time.'' You huffed. ''We do have no other choice, so let's go with your plan, alright?'' Remo looked on disapprovingly.

''Okay then.'' Kai relented, looking at the others.

—

''This one-bedroom, one-half-bath is a cozy dream. Who needs extras when everything is in arm's reach? Now, wait until you see the lighting.'' Patty Keys informed while you stared into the uncomfortable-looking room, the boys gazing at it over your shoulder.

The woman turned on the light, however, the bulb flickered, burning out before it fell to the ground and smashed upon impact. ''Uh, who needs lights when you have this view? Heh.'' She nervously chuckled, opening the window blinds to reveal a brick wall.

Lloyd walked past her, stopping as he noticed something. ''Uh, why do I smell old people?'' He questioned, making you wrinkle your nose once he pointed it out.

''Look, doll. I'm trying to work around your budget. This is all you can afford.'' Patty snapped. You wheeled over, pushing Lloyd back to get in front of him with a scowl.

''Uh, this looks...promising.'' Cole grimaced upon saying that. ''Remember, Sensei told us our main objective is to train Lloyd, not kick our feet up in some swanky suite. If this is all we can afford, this is all we can afford.'' He reminded.

It was getting harder to keep up with their conversation as your thoughts drifted somewhere else. Consequently, your hearing did so as well...

Soft murmurs filled your ears, and the quiet pattering of feet echoed throughout your mind, you had no idea how far out your hearing could go but it was worth a try. Concentrating on the sounds, they became clearer, louder, even, if only slightly.

''Does this girl have a name?" A voice questioned, tinged with worry. A small 'I don't know' was shared in return. Had you been there, the voice you heard sighed as a pen scratched down on paper. ''We don't have much to go off from, then.''

Beyond your sight but not your hearing, a little girl with white hair timidly stood beside a woman, staring up eyes widened at the one holding the clipboard. A small, wooden figurine coloured orange with a charred marking on its shoulder was in her hand, gripped as though it were a lifeline.

Perhaps it was.

''Maybe the authorities who were at the scene would have an idea of what her name is.'' The woman pondered, any further thoughts interrupted as a knock was heard on a nearby door. A breeze blew in through the door once it opened, a slip of paper fluttering in.

The girl with white hair perked up, eyes blinking owlishly at the paper before jumping to snatch it out of the air. Smoothening it out with a single thumb as the other two- now three talked, she noted the burnt edges and the drawing of a girl with short dark hair in its centre.

''Ah, we found records relating to the ones that were in the tower when it collapsed.'' The third voice spoke. ''The child's name is-''

Something pressing hard onto your shoulder made you wince, pulling your attention away from the distant conversation to the one near you.

''Patty's going to show us another place, maybe we'll have better luck?" Jay inquired hopefully with Lloyd standing beside him before leading you away from the dingy room.

—

The elevator doors slowly opened, warm light flooding into its interior as Patty Keys stepped out. The boys gasped and 'woah'ed at the sight, already finding it better than the room they were introduced to. Remo curled up on your shoulders, basking in the warmth of the sunlight.

''Now, this is the eight-bedroom Hero Suite. Floor-to-ceiling windows, digital wall television, state-of-the-art game console...'' Patty informed while pointing at the aforementioned features.

''Uh, it seems a little out of our price range.'' Cole unsurely replied.

''Oh, sure it costs a little more, but you deserve it. I forgot to mention, there's also a Dragon keep on the roof.'' Patty pointed to the roof as outside you spotted Ultra flying near the building, Flame's head glaring back at you.

''Nice.'' Kai commented.

''Maybe we can get a hero discount. After all, we are the ninja who saved the city.'' Jay attempted to bargain with Patty.

Patty turned to face him. ''I thought Lord Garmadon saved the city.'' She said. Jay huffed in response, crossing his arms.

''We could get day jobs to pay for the extra expenses,'' Kai spoke up.

''We always said we could use a little more responsibility,'' Zane added.

''That would help a great deal.'' You decided to chip in with.

''But we have to train Lloyd.'' Kai settled his hand on the little blond's shoulder.

''Did I mention the in-house training facility?'' Patty added, pressing a remote to activate a sliding door to the room.

''We'll take it!'' The boys exclaimed.

You buried your face in your hands, mumbling. ''I'm surrounded by idiots...''

—

After a long day toiling away at work, the boys returned to the suite with their limbs either feeling heavy or like they were about to fall off. Cole whimpered, sinking into a seat while his sore feet lowered into a bucket of cold water he had prepared for himself.

While in the training room, Lloyd hit a punching bag, standing there as it swung away, then coming back to hit him full-force and knocking him down.

''My feet... I can't feel my feet.'' Cole complained, staring down at the bucket of icy water.

Kai flopped onto the couch, his clothes dirtied with bits of confetti and glitter stuck to his face. ''There were so many of them. And they wouldn't stop.''

Zane oiled his arm while standing. ''Ugh, my gears locked up several times. I didn't even know my gears could lock up.''

''I don't even have enough energy to play video games.'' The Lightning Ninja whined on his knees in front of the television, sighing before he fell over

The Green Bean stepped out of the training room. ''Oh, but I thought you were going to train me when you got home.''

''Sorry, champ, but we can't until we make rent.'' Cole apologised, his gaze on the destined Green Ninja. ''How close are we, Jay?''

''Huh, is this jar getting bigger?'' Jay lightly rattled the jar. ''We're not even close!''

Zane put more oil into his arm. ''And our rent is due tomorrow.''

''I can pull a double shift,'' Cole suggested to the others.

''And I can do overtime,'' Zane added.

''Maybe I can sling a few more pizza pies,'' Jay replied.

''And maybe I can make a little extra if I do the human piñata.'' Kai piped up, making the other's heads turn to him with questioning stares. He placed his hands on either side of his head. ''Ugh, don't ask.''

''Great, then our priorities are set. Tomorrow, we make rent.'' The Earth Ninja announced.

''And uh, what about me?'' Lloyd questioned Cole.

''How about you help out and fetch me some more ice, huh?'' Cole asked the munchkin blond. A ding! from the elevator made the boy's heads turn to it, the doors sliding open and you wheeled into the room with some money in your hand.

Remo took it from your grasp, finding his way up to the jar where he dropped it. You turned your eyes to the others, lifting a brow at their exhausted states.

''Thank you, (Y/n),'' Jay told you weakly, struggling to lift his head. You went to smile but instead, you frowned at how exhausted they looked.

''Each of you look like train wrecks at different points in time.'' You bluntly stated. Remo reappeared on your shoulders as you then nodded at him. He seemed to understand what you required of him before disappearing.

The little snake returned with a bucket full of warm water, which you took and replaced Cole's cold water bucket with it, the boy sighing in relief. ''You could find a spot to sit down, you know...''

Moving onto Zane, who was still attempting to make his gears work again, his efforts were fruitless but you grabbed it from him, pinpointing where it was needed, the nindroid smiling as his robotic joints finally worked. ''Don't overwork yourself or that'll happen again. Even you have your limits.''

Gazing down at Jay, Remo tried moving him to an easier spot to work on but you lifted him and did it instead. Remo grabbed a baby blue blanket, which you wrapped Jay up in and left him on the couch with a chuckle. ''You remind me too much of sushi.''

Then onto Kai, who blankly stared up at you while you were armed with a warm rag. He yelped as your hand (rag and all) moved onto his face, scrubbing off all the grit and the remnants of the party. While he groaned in protest, Remo pulled a blanket over him, making him fall silent as he got comfortable. ''For goodness' sake, stop being a human piñata.''

Zane arched a brow, finding a place to sit on the floor while his gaze fixated on you. ''Why are you helping us?"

You shrugged, glancing at the others. ''Because it's the right thing to do?" A small smile appeared on your face, Lloyd hopped onto your wheelchair to sit with you.

Turning and heading back to the elevator, you barely noticed the ninja's stunned expressions when you exited the room.

—

Lloyd seemed pretty content to hang out with you where you went. You figured he needed a break anyway, with the boys unable to attend to him while he would otherwise be left at the suite alone. It was good for you as well, seeing as there were some things you still needed to do besides the volunteer work at the shelter.

Upon re-entering the shelter, your grandfather leaned on a desk while he looked at you and Lloyd. Though his expression changed when he spotted the boy beside you, eyebrows furrowing before the corner of his lips tilted into a smile. ''Hello, you two.''

''Hello to you too.'' What had happened earlier crossed your mind for a moment, however, you didn't want to bring it up while Lloyd was around. Still, you matched your grandfather's smile with one of your own. Grabbing the rabbit food, you took the bowl and poured it in while the Blond Bean took to exploring the place.

Approaching a cage, Lloyd knelt as a mew came from within. A kitten, with fur dark as midnight, with eyes like the most prized of emeralds and a green collar with a bell on the end to match padded to the bars, mewing as it stared at him.

When you were done feeding the rabbits, you sat down, immediately getting to work when you found a pencil and some paper.

Though this time you weren't doing ordinary drawings like what your grandfather expected you to do.

Lloyd's head whipped around as the bell chime for the door sounded, perking up when his gaze landed on a boy who looked to be around his age, along with someone else. The boy had light skin just like the other person who had entered, along with short brown hair and blue eyes.

In terms of hair, the other person was similar, but theirs was thick and curly, some strands hugging the sides of their neck while a silver necklace with a small pencil on its end rested on their shirt.

''Hello, Nelson, come to see Honey again?" Your grandfather always liked greeting the kid, who hopped up and down excitedly while the person who seemed to be his sibling chuckled. ''I'll take that as a yes.''

''Lil' bro, go ahead and see Honey. Noir's waiting for me.'' They told the little boy who grinned and ran off to find the golden retriever but stopped when he saw Lloyd.

''I haven't seen you around before,'' Nelson observed upon walking closer to the blondie.

''The name's Lloyd!'' The Small Green Bean proudly proclaimed, happy to make a new friend it seemed.

''My name's Nelson! Good to meet you, Lloyd.'' Nelson excitedly replied, then pointed to the other person who you assumed to be his sibling. ''That's my sis- sibling! Their name is Rev for short.''

''Really? I thought your sibling had a different name.'' Your grandfather squinted at ''Rev'' who only chuckled with a smirk. ''Something like Lu-''

''No, no, that's our cousin,'' Rev replied, waving a hand dismissively. Nelson blinked a few times owlishly, staring at his sibling. His attention turned back to Llloyd and the two proceeded to explore the shelter together, Nelson having more knowledge of where each of his favourites would be.

Currently, you were still sketching out a few things, your grandfather taking notice as he hummed while his shadow briefly fell onto the table. Ignoring him, you pulled some more paper out of your pocket, unfolded it and laid it out on the table to look at the different designs on them.

''What's that for?" Your grandfather questioned.

''It's for my new job.'' You simply answered, smoothing out the paper.

''You have a job? Where?" He inquired further. Suppressing a groan, you carefully folded up each piece of paper, getting up from your seat.

''An industry job, not for a dangerous position though if that worries you.'' You cooly replied. You looked over, seeing Rev busy playing around with Noir, a bright smile on their face.

A shout, and again you turned your gaze in the direction it came from, the two boys running down the hallway of kennels, a golden retriever with a wheelchair supporting her back legs at the forefront of the chase.

Honey's tongue lolled about, tail wagging as if it were about to fall off while she outran her pursuers. The boys were scrambling to catch up, with Nelson almost tripping on a stray mouse toy and Lloyd shouting at her to stop as if it'd be any use.

Your grandfather's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head for a second, spotting them headed for the grandfather clock. Out of nowhere, with speed unseen by him before, his arm whipped into the bag of dog treats nearest him, and then dropped them on the floor where Honey was headed.

Honey swerved, trying to slow down to enjoy them while the boys skidded to a stop. The golden retriever stopped just in time, getting a mouthful of the dog food. Your grandfather huffed.

''That's a family heirloom, I treasure it because I've spent a lot of effort on preserving it. I don't always have patience...'' He eyed the clock before kneeling to pick up Honey, the two boys groaning in protest.

''Oh, I guess it's time to go then,'' Rev observed, looking back at their brother whose arms fell slack at his sides. Lloyd grumbled something under his breath. Nelson's expression then brightened, rummaging through his pocket and pulling out a piece of cardboard that had been painted over with metallic paint to make it look like a business card.

Lloyd took it from him and read it.

Nelson, The future Purple Ninja

Call this number if you need my services.

Below was a scribbled number that barely made sense. Only an eight was distinguishable from the rest.

I kick snake butt, evil person butt, evil beldam butt, potentially evil overlord butt and more.

''What's a beldam?" Lloyd confusedly asked. Nelson shrugged, stepping over to his sibling and the two left. Remo joined you on your shoulder, looking disappointed.

''Butts are for sitting.'' You mused to yourself. Furrowing your eyebrows, you looked at your grandfather one last time. ''Hey, Lloyd, could you wait outside for a minute?"

''Uh, sure?" The Green Bean did as he was told, stepping outside.

''I don't have it on me, but were you the one that sent me the burn gel?" You asked your greying grandfather. His eyebrows shot up, as he nodded.

''I remember being so worried for you, I couldn't write out a whole paragraph because I was so focused on getting it for you. Did it work well?" He inquired.

You remembered the last time you had inspected the burns, they hadn't been too bad and you could barely see them. ''It worked like a charm.''

Relieved, your grandfather held out his arms in front of him for a hug. With a grin, you hugged him first, with him hugging back soon after.

''I'm glad you're safe, Zenko...'' He smiled as he spoke. ''...I would be lost without you.''

—

When the ninja returned to the suite, Lloyd was nowhere to be seen.

''Lloyd?'' Kai called for the boy, hoping he'd respond but there was silence instead.

''He's not here,'' Zane told him, scanning the room.

''Oh, we shouldn't have left him,'' Kai replied guiltily.

The Earth Ninja stood still as the others searched the place. ''We shouldn't have taken those jobs in the first place. What were we thinking? Losing Lloyd was by far our greatest loss.'' Cole admitted as the others turned to him.

''But it could be your greatest lesson,'' Wu spoke, standing in front of the elevator, with Lloyd and you in your wheelchair on one side of him, while Nya stood on the other side. You smirked, folding your arms while your gaze was on the boys.

''Lloyd!'' The ninja shouted, running to him.

''You're okay!'' Kai exclaimed, relieved.

''It's no surprise you're bad at looking after him- I mean, to be fair, you had to work quite hard... it'd probably be way worse for the Green Bean over here if I wasn't around.'' You laughed a little at that, Lloyd joining in too.

''There was this really cool shelter that (Y/n) knows of!'' Lloyd gushed to the others. ''They've got all sorts of things, like parrots, cats, lizards-''

''Hey, you can tell them all about it later.'' You remind the boy. ''For now, I think today's been exhausting enough as it is. Wouldn't you guys say so?" Your gaze turned to the ninja, who all nodded.

Nya heaved a sigh. ''I go away for a day and everything falls apart.''

Kai stepped forward. ''I guess you could say we learned we don't need all the fancy stuff. We just need each other.''

''You want us to help you clean up?'' Wu questioned.

''Well, we are a team,'' Porcupine told him.

''Nya, I think it's time for another road trip,'' Wu informed the girl.

''Hold on, I got a better idea,'' Cole replied. The group ended up leaving the suite behind, deciding to instead swap it for the cheaper (but easier to keep up with rent) room. Though a lot of work had to be done so it would be decent enough to stay in.

Seeing as you could only use your arms, you weren't given any of the larger things to carry. Here you were now, sitting against a wall and looking out the window, seeing the wondrous view of the brick wall.

'Hey. Hey, Morro.'

No response.

'Morro.'

Still nothing.

'Stinky weather boy.'

'What?'

'Made you speak.'

Silence again, while exhaustion crept up on you. You felt it in how your shoulders sagged, and how your head felt heavy, only relieved when you leaned your head against the wall. Slowly, but surely, you drifted off...

—

The situation felt very familiar to Nya when she woke up, seeing you asleep leaning against the wall. It didn't feel right. She took her own blanket, walking over carefully so she wouldn't wake anyone- especially you.

Warmth rose in her cheeks, leaning over your sleeping form while trying her best not to stare, she carefully draped the blanket onto you and backed away, the thoughts of you waking up and catching her in the moment of being close to you spurring her on.

It was only a matter of time until it'd catch up to her anyway.

[This is what I imagine the clock to look like.]

Happy late Wattpad Anniversary of FOUR YEARS.

(Sorry, Quotev, dunno about you people).

Seriously! This account was made on April Fools, so I'd be lying if I made that one a prank. I'm honestly so proud I've come this far, and to all the people who have supported me, thank you for the comments (both the blessed and the cursed ones, whilst counting the ones in between), love and commitment you've made!

I cannot stress that enough.

Bless you all. <3

P.s I'm not an expert with sentimental stuff

Don't forget to vote, go wild with your comments and share this story if you love it. ♥️

Without further ado,

See ya, Bookworms.

WriterAgreste, over & out!